This blog started off by focussing on NZ's smaller 3rd level airlines, past and present. It has evolved to trying to present some record of NZ's domestic airline operations and some of the larger charter operators, interesting NZ international airliner movements and photos I have taken around the country. Comments, corrections or contributions are welcome, Steve - westland831@gmail.com : , , . , , . Flash Kenya pledged on Wednesday to fast-track ratification of international tax evasion and avoidance agreement in a bid to tackle international tax evasion and avoidance vices. Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Commissioner General, John Njiraini said Nairobi has signed the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, joining the league of 93 global nations united to address the economic vices. "At the end of the day, we do not see that there is any significant difference between straight tax evasion and abusive tax avoidance, which works to abnormally lower tax exposure," Njiraini said in a statement issued in Nairobi. Foreign firms have for years been accused of using tax avoidance schemes, including registering subsidiaries in offshore tax havens and using them to minimise payments in another jurisdiction. Njiraini said the signing of the crucial agreement last week by the Kenyan Ambassador to France, Salma Ahmed, in the presence of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development Deputy Secretary General, Douglas Frantz, makes Kenya the 94th jurisdiction to join the most powerful multilateral instrument against offshore tax evasion and avoidance. Njiraini confirmed that the Tax Authority is looking forward to the speedy ratification of the agreement. The country, he said, has already made tremendous progress in strengthening local capacity for addressing international tax avoidance. Such progress, he noted, includes KRA's recent establishment of a formal structure to address International Tax Avoidance and to support Tax Information Exchange with other signatories of the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters. Njiraini noted that the recent enactment of Tax Procedures Bill into law, now demonstrates the seriousness with which Kenya takes international tax avoidance. "The new law imposes stiff penalties for engagement in international tax avoidance schemes. The penalty imposed can be as high as double the tax avoided," Njiraini said. Such a stiff penalty, Njiaraini explained, reflects Kenya's desire to stamp out retrogressive practices, which multinational operators use to avoid paying their fair share of tax. The Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters aims to respond to the call by the G20 to align it to the international standard on exchange of information and to open it to all countries, thus ensuring that developing countries could benefit from a more transparent environment. You are here: Home Flash Russia will hand over the first batch of the S-300 defense missile system to Iran on Thursday, local media reported on Wednesday. The Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan, who is currently visiting Moscow, will participate in a ceremony, in Russia's Astrakhan port city, whereby the first set of air defense system will be sent to Iran through the Caspian Sea, the reports said. On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said that Russia was about to ship S-300 systems to Iran. Iran and Russia have diversified their cooperation, and both countries have "remarkable" political and defense cooperation, he said. Moscow and Teheran signed an 800-million-U.S. dollar contract in 2007 to supply Iran with five S-300 systems. In September 2010, then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev cancelled the contract in line with a resolution of the United Nations Security Council, which banned the supply of conventional weapons to Iran. Iran, in response, submitted a 4-billion-dollar claim against Russia to an international arbitration court in Geneva. In early April last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to lift the ban on sales of S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems after Iran and six world powers, including Russia, reached a framework accord on parameters of Iran's controversial nuclear program. Iran withdrew the lawsuit against Russia after the latter agreed to supply the S-300 missile systems. Flash The Kremlin on Tuesday dismissed accusations of Russian air forces in Syria attacking hospitals, calling the allegation unacceptable and baseless. Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a joint press conference with his French counterpart Francois Hollande (not in the picture) after their meeting in Kremlin, Moscow, Russia, on Nov. 26, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua] "We categorically deny and do not accept such statements, especially because those who make such statements are unable to prove their allegations in any way," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He asked reporters to rely on primary sources of information over such issues, noting that for the Russian side the primary source should be official representatives of the Syrian authorities. "In this case, the representatives of the Syrian authorities made a number of statements on this subject, and declared their position as to who might be behind these bombings," RIA Novosti news agency quoted Peskov as saying. Syrian ambassador to Moscow, Riad Haddad, on Monday accused the U.S. of destroying a hospital backed by the humanitarian group MSF (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or Doctors without Borders) in Syria. "American warplanes destroyed it (a hospital in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib). Russian warplanes had nothing to do with any of it -- the information that has been gathered will completely back that up," Haddad told TV channel Russia 24. In another development, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that Turkey has been using large-caliber artillery against the Syrian army and opposition forces since the end of last week. Ankara has also attacked border settlements in Syria's Aleppo province, he said in a ministry statement. Konashenkov also warned of the sharp upsurge in terrorist activities "in particular northern areas" after the Munich agreement on cessation of hostilities in Syria was reached Friday. Turkish authorities as well as Western countries have been blaming Russia for bombing civilian targets. Moscow denies such allegations and insisted that all Russian airstrikes in Syria are carried out after repeated verification of reconnaissance information and through coordinated actions. The European Investment Bank and the World Bank support Georgias main highway upgrade World leading financial institutions the World Bank (WB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) are helping Georgia to upgrade the countrys main transport route - the East-West highway.The WB is allocating $140 million while the EIB is offering 49.45 million to Georgia to develop the environment and improve logistics services.Today, Georgias Finance Minister Nodar Khaduri and the WB's Regional Director for the South Caucasus Mercy Tembon signed an agreement on the East-West Highway Corridor Improvement Project.Todays agreement outlines the creation of a new 14.1 km four-lane highway along the Zemo Osiauri-Chumateleti section of the highway (before the Rikoti tunnel). The WB will finance the construction of 8.3 km of the road.The remaining 5.8 km will be financed by the EIB, with whom an agreement will be signed tomorrow, a spokesperson from Georgias Ministry of Finance told Agenda.ge.The project comprises four components that will be implemented in phases between 2016 and 2020. Once all phases are completed, the East-West highway will meet top European standards.The East-West highway starts at Tbilisi and travels to the Black Sea resort town of Batumi via Poti.A press release published by the Ministry of Finance today stated that the East-West highway was the main "transportation artery in Georgia.Meanwhile, project details published by the WB on its official webpage stated that the development objectives of the East-West Highway Corridor Improvement Project for Georgia were to:Reduce road user costs along the East-West highway corridor section upgraded under the project; and to strengthen the capacity of the Roads Department of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure and the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development to manage the road network.In total, the WB offered $367 million to Georgia to develop the East-West highway. Flash Cuba and the United States signed an agreement Tuesday to resume daily commercial flights between the two countries for the first time in more than 50 years. A man holds a banner before the opening ceremony of Cuba's embassy in Washington D.C., the United States, July 20, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua] "Today is a historic day in relations between Cuba and the United States," U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony R. Foxx said after signing the accord with his Cuban counterpart Adel Yzquierdo in Havana. Under the deal, the two countries could be linked by as many as 110 flights a day, more than five times the number of the current charter flights between the two countries. The resumption of commercial flights attests to the commitment to "further strengthen" ties between the two countries, Foxx said. Yzquierdo said the signing of the agreement marks the beginning of a new stage in bilateral ties. The memorandum of understanding was signed at a ceremony at Havana's landmark Hotel Nacional, by Yzquierdo and Foxx, along with President of Cuba's Institute of Civil Aeronautics Alfredo Cordero and Ambassador Charles H. Rivkin, assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs. Upon the deal taking effect, airlines from the two countries may enter into cooperative marketing arrangements, such as code sharing and aircraft leasing between them or with third-country carriers. A number of U.S. carriers, including American Airlines, United Airlines and JetBlue, have expressed an interest in bidding on routes to Havana. The application deadline is set on March 2, meaning the Transportation Department could announce as early as summer which carriers have been given the green light. The agreement is the latest step in normalizing bilateral ties between Cuba and the United States, since the two nations announced in December, 2014, their decision to resume diplomatic relations. Sofia Andrade had just won $200 on a scratch lottery ticket when she saw Glenn Williams panhandling Saturday evening near a stop sign in New Bedford. Andrade decided to use her winnings to get Williams a motel room near her Wareham home. She also started a GoFundMe page, which had raised $12,000 for Williams' long-term care by Tuesday evening. Andrade tells WCVB-TV she believes the money she won was "meant to help" Williams. Williams has been homeless for three years. He says he's overwhelmed by the help and can't believe someone like Andrade exists. Immediately after the signing, the U.S. Department of Transportation opened bidding by American air carriers on as many as 110 U.S.-Cuba flights a day more than five times the current number. All flights operating between the two countries today are charters. Barring other major announcements, the restart of commercial flights will be the most significant development in U.S.-Cuba trade since Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro announced in late 2014 that they would begin normalizing ties after a half-century of Cold War opposition. The Obama administration is eager to make rapid progress on building trade and diplomatic ties with Cuba before the president leaves office. The coming weeks are seen as particularly crucial to building momentum ahead of a trip he hopes to make to Havana by the end of March. "Today is a historic day in the relationship between Cuba and the U.S.," U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said after he and Transportation Minister Adel Yzquierdo Rodriguez signed the deal in a ceremony at Havana's Hotel Nacional. "It represents a critically important milestone in the U.S. effort to engage with Cuba." The U.S. Department of Transportation expects to award the new routes by the summer. The winning airlines then must negotiate their own deals with Cuba. Yzquierdo declined an interview request but Foxx said after meeting with the Cuban minister that he believed Cuba was eager to restore commercial air service as quickly as possible. "Every indication I have in the conversations we've had today is that the Cubans want to move as fast as we're able to move," Foxx said. "People will actually be able to go buy a ticket and fly to Cuba on a commercial airline. That's a pretty big step. We haven't been able to do that in 50 years." The agreement allows 20 regular daily U.S. flights to Havana, in addition to the current 10-15 charter flights a day. The rest would be to other Cuban cities. Foxx said Cuban officials know they have to improve Havana's transportation infrastructure, which is already badly strained by the surge in visitors since the 2014 declaration of U.S.-Cuba detente. "Obviously with the demand spiking as a result of this there'll be capacity issues that they'll have to address on this end," he said. "They recognize that they need to grow their capabilities here and I get the sense that they're really serious about doing it." Nearly 160,000 U.S. leisure travelers flew to Cuba last year, along with hundreds of thousands of Cuban-Americans visiting family, mostly on expensive, frequently chaotic charter flights out of Florida. "The adoption of this memorandum is an important step that will soon permit the establishment of regular flights between the United States and Cuba," Yzquierdo Rodriguez at the signing ceremony. Commercial flights make travel to Cuba far easier for U.S. travelers, with features such as online booking and 24-hour customer service that are largely absent in the charter industry. U.S. visitors to Cuba will still have to qualify under one of the travel categories legally authorized by the U.S. government. Tourism is still barred by law, but the number of legal reasons to go to Cuba from organizing professional meetings to distributing information to Cubans has grown so large and loosely enforced that the distinction from tourism has blurred significantly. Commercial travel will give travelers the ability to simply check an online box on a long list of authorized categories. The deal does not contemplate flights by Cuba's national airline to the United States, where lawyers for families and businesses that have sued Havana over decades-old property confiscations are eager to freeze any of its assets that they can get their hands on. American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller said the company plans to bid on routes from Miami and other unspecified "American hubs." "We applaud the Administration for making commercial air service a priority," American chairman Doug Parker said in a written statement. "American looks forward to submitting a Cuba service proposal to the Department of Transportation in the coming weeks." United Airlines is also looking to serve Havana from some of its hubs, spokesman Luke Punzenberger said. The carrier's major hubs include Chicago, Houston, Washington and Newark, New Jersey. It currently does not fly charters to Cuba. "Assuming service is approved, United customers will benefit from United's expanded global route network and new opportunities for leisure and business travel to Cuba," the airline said. JetBlue Airways said it was eager to offer service between "multiple" cities in the United States and the island, with spokesman Doug McGraw saying that "interest in Cuba has reached levels not seen for a generation." The failure rate of startup businesses is not news to anyone in the world of entrepreneurship. And it's equally sad to know that if you ... U.S. proxy rebel groups in northwestern Syria have begun fighting each other as well as forces of the Damascus regime, further complicating United Nations efforts to halt the fighting, ease the refugee crisis and bring relief to starving civilians, a U.S. military spokesman said Wednesday. "We want them to stop fighting each other" and return to battling the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Army Col. Steve Warren said of the recent conflict between Kurdish militias backed by the U.S. and other so-called "moderate" Syrian opposition groups that also receive U.S. support. However, Warren acknowledged that the U.S. has little influence over the groups caught up in the push northward by the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad under cover of a relentless Russian bombing campaign. "Yes, we are concerned" that the fighting between the groups had taken the focus off the defeat of ISIS but "there's a civil war going on right now. Civil wars have confusion and that's what we see playing out here," said Warren, a spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, which coordinates the campaign against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. "The purpose of the train and equip mission is to fight ISIL," Warren said, using another acronym for ISIS, but "at the end of the day we're not there on the ground to force people to do anything." The shifting alliances of the civil war that form and reform with the support of outside actors have posed a major challenge for Steffan de Mistura, the veteran diplomat and U.N. special envoy for Syria, who won agreement last week from 17 nations, including the U.S., Iran and Russia, for a "cessation of hostilities" that was to begin this Friday. In the interim before the proposed halt to the fighting, all parties had agreed to allow the delivery of humanitarian relief to 17 areas and about 500,000 people, mostly in the north and in the Damascus suburbs. De Mistura had hoped to begin the deliveries Wednesday but the Associated Press reported at midday that the white trucks of the U.N.'s World Food Program were still parked on roadsides as the fighting continued. The U.S. has thus far ruled out airdrop deliveries of relief. The fighting has triggered another rush of refugees to the Turkish border as Assad's forces, backed by Lebanese Hezbollah, Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and Iraqi and Afghan Shia militias, were in an apparent drive to cut off northern access to Aleppo, Syria's largest city. Russian airstrikes in recent days reportedly have hit hospitals and schools, killing more than 50. Tim Shenk, a spokesman for the Doctors Without Borders aid group, said the estimated death toll for an airstrike on one of the hospitals supported by the group in the north had more than doubled to 25. World Health Organization spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told Turkey's Anadolu news agency that "since the beginning of the conflict, almost 700 health workers have been killed and an estimated 58 percent of public hospitals and 49 percent of primary health centers are either only partially functional or have closed." "We know the Russians and Syrian regime frankly conducted strikes in areas where those hospitals and schools were hit," Warren said from Baghdad. He also charged that the Syrians were using "barrel bombs" dropped from helicopters. Turkey also charged that the Kurdish YPG (People's Protection Units), which is backed by the U.S., was benefiting from the Russian airstrikes to seize territory from other opposition groups. Last year, the U.S. airdropped ammunition and other relief to the YPG, and also coordinated airstrikes with the group, in the YPG's successful efforts to break the ISIS siege of the Syrian border town of Kobane. Turkey, which fears the creation of a Kurdish mini-state on its border, has been conducting cross-border artillery bombardments on the YPG. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that Turkey was acting in its own defense and had "no plans to stop artillery fire" on the YPG. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at richard.sisk@military.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... U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command's top enlisted soldier laid out a massive overhaul of non-commissioned officer education -- a plan that will make tougher leadership courses mandatory for promotion. The effort will involve sweeping changes to the service's approach to developing the NCO ranks, from young sergeants to senior sergeants major. It will mean revising the programs of instruction for all leadership courses as well as new methods to ensure NCOs are making the right career choices to advance up the ranks, according to Training and Doctrine Command's Command Sgt. Maj. David Davenport. The effort began last fall when the service renamed the Non-Commissioned Officer Education System to the Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development System, Davenport said at a Feb. 17 Pentagon roundtable with defense reporters. "The reason we did that is so the force can understand it's more than the education," he said. "It's the experiences that you get doing various jobs; it's about stepping outside of your comfort zone taking on a broadening assignment, ranging from drill sergeant to recruiter to working with industry. It's changing the entire system." The Army's endeavor comes on the heels of a similar effort in the Defense Department. In November, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter unveiled a comprehensive "Force of the Future" personnel and management overhaul. Carter's goal for the "Force of The Future" plan is to make the Pentagon and the services function more like businesses. But the Army's effort is the result of one of the most extensive polling efforts in the service's history. The online NCO 2020 survey gathered responses from 400,000 soldiers on the current education system. One of the biggest changes to come out of the effort is a new policy known as STEP for Select, Train, Evaluate and Promote. The policy went into effect Jan. 1 and is the "new way we are going to make sure soldiers, NCOs have certified in their core competencies for promotion," Davenport said. Last year, the Army had backlog of about 14,000 NCOs that had been promoted to various grades in the intelligence corps that had not received formal military education, Davenport said. In that number, "we had about 4,000 that had been in grade three or more years," he said. About 1,200 of those soldiers had been deferred six or more times from attending school, Davenport said. By the end of last year, the Army has reduced that backlog by 2,287, he said. "It's a small reduction but more importantly, the message is getting out that STEP is important and if you want to get promoted you have got to get into the school house," Davenport said. Another result of the NCO education overhaul is the new Master Leaders Course, a 17-day course for sergeants first class being promoted to master sergeant. "We just finished up the second iteration of the pilot. We will begin the third and final pilot next month in March, so it begins a program of record for the Army beginning FY 2017," Davenport said. So far, National Guard soldiers have done one pilot of the Master Leaders Course and Reserve soldiers have gone through the second pilot. Active soldiers will go through the final pilot, he said. "We have gotten great feedback; the solders like the rigor behind it," he said. "It requires more prep time before you come into the class room you really need to prepare." The Army is developing what's known as structured self-development, a distance learning module for every professional military education class to help soldiers prepare, he said. "They also like the process of reflective time," Davenport said. "We have made sure that we are just not trying to give them so much to memorize for a test -- to actually get time to absorb the material, and we come back together to make sure they have retained it and then we test them." The Master Leaders Course is not like the old First Sergeant Course at Fort Bliss, Texas, Davenport maintains. "It's much more than that; we are helping them to transition from that tactical level to that to the operational level, and we are actually exposing them to some strategic level thought," he said. Army officials are also looking at how grades are given in these courses, Davenport said. "We are retooling, reshaping the information" on the DA Form 1059 or Academic Evaluation Report, the form soldiers receive when they complete a course, he said. Factors such as grade-point averages and how students performed on writing assignments will be evaluated, he said. The form will also provide room for the instructor to write about competency and attributes of the student while they were in the course," Davenport said. Army officials are also developing a Career Map that NCOs can use to help them make the right choices at the right times in their career, he said. "Every soldier will know of those opportunities once we get the career map developed," Davenport said. "We are going to roll it into a system called Army Career Tracker. That soldier can click on their particular MOS and see the career map -- roll the mouse or touch the screen -- and see the prerequisite to get that opportunity," such as working with industry or academic fellowships. The sergeant major is scheduled to discuss the "revolutionary" changes in the new NCO education strategy with soldiers at a March 3 town hall meeting. "We are not just doing a little bit at a time, we are really trying to affect a massive change, so it's important that we talk to our soldiers and they understand the direction we are heading," he said. --Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. SAN DIEGO -- The next attack by Islamic State militants may be directed at a Navy ship, retired Adm. James Stavridis said Wednesday. Speaking at the AFCEA West conference in San Diego, the former Supreme Allied Commander Europe for NATO and current dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University said the organization of violent extremists was likely to target the maritime domain in the near future. "We have an organization that has demonstrated they are highly innovative and I don't rule out a Cole-like event," he told Military.com, referring to the 2000 terrorist bombing of the guided missile destroyer Cole by a Sudanese as-Qaida affiliate. Stavridis said he expected the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, to target U.S. civilian and military assets in the maritime domain in an effort to humiliate and gain profit. "I'm surprised [Islamic State militants] have not as yet moved into the maritime world and gone after cruise ships, which I think are a logical and lucrative target for them," he said. He recalled the 1989 hijacking of the Naples-based cruise ship Achille Lauro by Palestinian militants and the subsequent murder of Jewish-American passenger Leon Klinghoffer. On the military front, Stavridis said the Navy needed to address increasing cyber vulnerabilities that might make ships targets for ISIS. "I think we see an organization that would love to capture an American sailor or two," he said. "I think of our crews as they go ashore as extremely vulnerable in small groups. I think the Islamic State would love the symbolic aspect of going after a ship at sea." Perhaps counterintuitively, Stavridis said he saw ships as most vulnerable when they were first getting underway and going out to sea, not when they were pier-side or out on the open ocean. "If I were an Islamic State planner, that's what I would be looking at," he said. While Stavridis said there were multiple global threats that kept him up at night and that North Korea, with its proved nuclear and ballistic capabilities and erratic young leader, was perhaps at the top of the list, he warned against underestimating the power of the Islamic State. "They're different because they raise money like a machine and they're experts at branding and marketing," he said, noting that few had heard of the extremist organization even a few years ago. "Now the [IS] flag is the most downloaded image on the World Wide Web." The financial well for the organization, however, may be drying up amid the ongoing air and ground strikes, according to multiple news reports. A shortage of cash is forcing the militant group to cut back on salaries of fighters in its stronghold of Raqqa, Syria, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday. --Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @HopeSeck. SAN DIEGO -- The admiral in charge of the Navy's information warfare community has a message for the public: He is not a threat to U.S. national security and never has been. Vice Adm. Ted "Twig" Branch spoke out Wednesday for the first time since The Washington Post reported last month that he has been without any security clearance since November 2013, telling Military.com the implication that he represented a threat was outrageous. "The shortest version of the story is, it's frustrating in the extreme," Branch said. "Probably the most important point is, I am not a danger to national security, nor have I ever been, nor will I ever be, and the idea that I would be is insulting." Branch, whose official title is deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare and director of naval intelligence, had his clearance pulled after his name was mentioned in a far-ranging investigation into the infamous "Fat Leonard" bribery and corruption scandal. Branch and Navy Director of Intelligence Operations Rear Adm. Bruce Loveless were both investigated for possible connections to Glenn Defense Marine Asia, a Singapore-based contractor that allegedly bribed Navy officials in exchange for lucrative contracts. Three other admirals were censured last July and forced into early retirement. Speaking at the AFCEA West conference in San Diego, Branch noted that he wears multiple hats, serving as the Navy's chief information officer, information warfare community leader, director of cyber security and director of Navy intelligence. "In that last one, I haven't had a lot of work in the last two years from a practical day-to-day standpoint. Organizationally, I still have input there," he said. "I have two [Senior Executive Service] Level 3 deputies that run that on a day to day basis. And we have [the Office of Naval Intelligence]." Ultimately, Branch said, Naval intelligence was not suffering due to his lack of clearance. "Naval intelligence is OK. The whole situation is less than optimal and frustrating, but we are where we are," he said. "And we will persevere. And I will lead in this capacity until somebody tells me to go home." That call may come before long. Rear Adm. Elizabeth Train was nominated to replace Branch as director of naval intelligence on Sept. 17, 2015. Pressed about the irregular situation by Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing earlier this month, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus avoided defending Branch, saying he was as frustrated as Ernst was about "this particular individual." Mabus said, "There have been, there is an investigation ongoing, we have no information one way or the other as to whether anything improper happened, but because of the sensitive place that he occupied, I felt that I had to withdraw [Branch's] access to classified information until the investigation was finished." He added, "The investigation has drug on and on and on, and we are in the process of putting up another officer to take that person's place." --Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. Deported veterans and those living in the U.S. under fear of deportation will soon have their concerns raised as a political issue by a retired Army Reserve officer, immigration lawyer and MacArthur fellow who announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Margaret Stock this week said she will run as an independent for the Senate seat currently held by Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska. Stock has been a vocal critic of a Clinton-era crime bill that included stripping "green card" holders of their legal residency and deporting them if convicted of crimes that could carry at least a year in jail. Under the law, thousands of veterans, including those who had come to the U.S. legally as children and served in the military, have been deported, sometimes to countries whose language they do not speak. "If elected, that's an issue I would work on immediately," Stock told Military.com on Wednesday. She will be running against a candidate who kept her Senate seat in 2010 through a successful write-in campaign after first losing the GOP nomination to Tea Party favorite Joe Miller. Stock is a retired lieutenant colonel with the U.S. Army Military Police Corps, Army Reserve. Her last assignment before retiring was as an associate professor in the Social Studies Department at West Point, where she taught constitutional and military law from 2001 to 2006. She was also course director and professor of national security law. During her military career, Stock was assigned to the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness; the U.S. Army Accessions Command, assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs; and as a special advisor to Adm. Eric Olson, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, from May 2008 to September 2009. In 2013, she was named a MacArthur Fellow, an honor that comes with a grant of more than $600,000 to allow a recipient to continue work in their specialized area. Craig Shagin, an attorney in Pennsylvania who has been heavily involved in veteran deportation cases, said he "can't think of a more qualified person" than Stock to be a senator. "She has knowledge in military [issues], she's knowledge in national security, and she's an exceptionally competent lawyer," he said. "And not just in the abstract, but as a practitioner. And she genuinely loves Alaska, so maybe she's a perfect candidate." Shagin believes Stock is running for "all the right reasons. She's quite patriotic, and concerned about people getting it right." Stock was singled out by the MacArthur Foundation for her work emphasizing the impact of immigration law on service members and their families and in developing programs that adapt existing laws to better the lives of both immigrants and native-born military personnel. In Washington, she worked with lawmakers to develop the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest program, or MAVNI, which allows legal non-citizens with in-demand skills to join the Army in exchange for expedited U.S. citizenship. She also worked on the military portion of what's now known as the DREAM Act. She says that as a Senator she could do even more. "People traditionally think senators just pass laws, but they don't. They also work with the federal agencies to try to get reforms in place, they hold hearings, they investigate things," she said. "They bring to the attention of the executive branch things that are not right, that the President hasn't noticed. Over the years, Stock has been in the forefront of efforts to end the deportation of veterans who, though legal residents who had served in the military, suddenly found themselves without green cards and deported to places that many never knew as a home. No one knows for certain how many veterans have been deported but it's believed they are in the thousands. But Stock said the country's immigration laws are not only hurting veterans and their families, they're hurting the military readiness. "The dysfunction of the immigration system has dried up the recruiting pool for the Pentagon," she said. "Less than 20 percent of Americans of military age can even meet military enlistment standards? And the military is still having a hard time finding military recruits even with downsizing." One reason for that is because it's taking so few immigrants, Stock said. "In past wars they recruited large numbers of immigrants. They no longer do that," she said. "We have the lowest participation rate of immigrants in the military in history -- the lowest ever." At the time the U.S. entered World War I, immigrants made up about 20 percent of the Army, Stock said, and even during the Vietnam War "they drafted immigrants like crazy." "Everybody agrees the immigration system is broken but it's having really bad societal impacts all over the place," she said. "It's costing the government huge amounts of money, it's a security problem and it hurts the military." --Bryant Jordan can be reached at bryant.jordan@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @bryantjordan. The U.S. has told Russia the general locations of U.S. Special Forces advisor teams in Syria and agreed not to fly near Russian bases in Syria despite repeated Pentagon denials of cooperation with Moscow, U.S. officials said Thursday. The surprising admission that the U.S. military had a separate track for negotiating with the Russian Defense Ministry beyond the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed last year to "deconflict" aircraft was first disclosed by Air Force Lt. Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command. "There are some areas we have talked to [the Russians] about" where Special Forces teams in northeastern Syria have been have been advising rebel groups backed by the U.S. in the campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Brown said in a video briefing to the Pentagon from his headquarters in Qatar. "We have talked to them about that" to limit the risk that U.S. troops might be hit by Russian airstrikes, Brown said. "We've told them these are areas that we have coalition forces in - general areas where we have coalition forces. We don't want them to strike there because all it's going to do is escalate things. And I don't think the Russians want to escalate against the coalition." In return, the Russians have identified airfields in Syria "that they don't want us flying close to," Brown said. Russia has maintained airfields near the northeastern Syrian city of Latakia since starting its bombing campaign last Sept. 30. Brown said those airfields are beyond where U.S. planes normally operate, "so that hasn't been an issue." In response to followup questions after Brown's briefing, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said the talks with the Russians on Special Forces and the airfields were conducted apart from the regular contacts with the Russians on the memorandum of understanding with Moscow that were limited to "deconfliction" issues on the U.S. and Russian air campaigns over Syria. Cook would not say who conducted the talks for the U.S. but said Defense Secretary Ashton Carter was aware of them and approved. Brown said that he was not involved. Elissa Slotkin, the acting Assistant Secretary for International Security Affairs at the Pentagon, had a main role in negotiating the MOU with Russia last year. "I'm not going to get into details" of who negotiated and when "other than to say that there was an effort made to protect the safety of our people from the risk of Russian airstrikes," Cook said. "And that those steps were taken, and those so far have been honored." The Pentagon has previously denied working with the Russians beyond the MOU. Carter last October, when asked by a reporter, said that there was "no intent" to discuss with Russia the deployment or whereabouts of U.S. troops to Syria, the Hill newspaper reported. Cook said the Russians were only told in general terms of the areas where Special Forces teams were operating and not "pinpoint" locations. "There was an effort made to protect the safety of our people from the risk of Russian airstrikes," Cook said. "This was a unilateral request" by the U.S. "It was done out of an abundance of safety for our special operators." The disclosure of the talks with the Russians on U.S. deployments came on the eve of the Feb. 19 date for a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria brokered by the United Nations with world powers, including the U.S., Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia. However, the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad continued to press offensives north of Aleppo, Syria's largest city, with the backing of Russian airstrikes. In recent interviews, Assad has suggested that he would ignore the "cessation" until all of Syria was back under his control, bringing a rare rebuke from Russia. In an interview with the Kommersant newspaper, Vitaly Churkin, Moscow's UN ambassador, said Assad's comments were out of line. "Russia has invested very seriously in this crisis, politically, diplomatically, and now also in the military sense," Churkin said. "Therefore, we of course would like that Bashar al Assad should take account of that." The U.S. was also trying to rein in its allies on the ground in Syria, including the Kurdish YPG (Popular Protection Units). At a Pentagon briefing Wednesday, Army Col. Steve Warren, a spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, said that the YPG forces in northwestern Syria were fighting with other rebel groups backed by the U.S. to seize territory before the proposed cessation of hostilities. Turkey has also been targeting the YPG with cross-border artillery fire, fearing that the YPG was intent on setting up a Kurdish mini-state on its border. Turkey has also blamed a YPG supporter for a suicide car bombing in Ankara Wednesday that killed at least 28. At the White House, Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes called on the YPG and other U.S.-backed groups to avoid conflict with NATO-ally Turkey. Rhodes stressed "the importance of our alliance with Turkey," which provides support for U.S. air operations from the airbase at Incirlik, Turkey. "We want to make sure the different actors we're working with in Syria are focusing their attention where it should be, which is on the counter-ISIL effort," Rhodes said, using another acronym for ISIS. In his briefing to the Pentagon, Lt. Gen. Brown said that a cessation of hostilities in Syria - if it takes place - would have no impact on U.S. and coalition air operations in Syria which were directed solely at ISIS. "From our perspective, it doesn't affect us," Brown said. The ongoing fighting and relentless Russian airstrikes in Syria have mostly blocked efforts by the UN and humanitarian groups to deliver relief supplies to bombed and starving civilians. The U.S. has thus far ruled out airdrops of relief but Brown said he could do it if asked. "We've not been asked to do that" but "we have the capability to do that," he said. "We have not had direct discussions about it. I and my staff think about it but right now we have not been asked to offer any support" by way of airdrops. Note: This is an update of an earlier story. --Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. State Tax Breaks Available for Military and Retirees You may know that military allowances like Basic Allowance for Housing are tax-free. You may also know that most VA benefits are also tax-free. Did you know that many states do not charge income tax on active duty or retired military pay? Many others tax only a portion of these pays. To see what type of tax breaks your state offers for military members, retirees and survivors check out our list. Alabama Military income: Follows federal rules Follows federal rules Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Alabama Department of Revenue Alaska No state income tax. Legal residents are eligible for the Permanent Fund Dividend. Alaska Department of Revenue Arizona Military income: Tax-free Tax-free Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Same as retired pay Same as retired pay Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Arizona Department of Revenue Arkansas Military income: Tax-free Tax-free Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Arkansas Department of Finance California Military income: Military pay is taxable if stationed in California Military pay is taxable if stationed in California Retired pay: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Survivor Benefit Plan: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free California Franchise Tax Board Colorado Military income: Tax-free if stationed OCONUS and you spend at least 305 days outside the U.S. during the tax year. Accompanying spouse is also eligible as long as they spend at least 305 days outside the U.S Retired pay: Retirees under age 55 can exclude up to $10,000 income from their taxable income, those 55 - 64 can exclude up to $20,000, at age 65 that amount increases to $24,000 Survivor Benefit Plan: Same as retired pay Same as retired pay Social Security: Taxable Taxable Colorado Department of Revenue Connecticut Military income: If you are stationed outside of the state your military income is tax-free if you don't own a home in Connecticut or visit for more than 30 days. If you are stationed outside of the state your military income is tax-free if you don't own a home in Connecticut or visit for more than 30 days. Retired pay: Tax-free. Tax-free. Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Taxable Taxable Connecticut Department of Revenue Services Delaware Military income: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Retired pay: Up to $2,000 of military retirement excluded for individuals under age 60; $12,500 if 60 or older Up to $2,000 of military retirement excluded for individuals under age 60; $12,500 if 60 or older Survivor Benefit Plan: Same as retired pay Same as retired pay Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Delaware Division of Revenue District of Columbia Military income: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Retired pay: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Survivor Benefit Plan: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free DC Office of Tax and Revenue Florida No state income tax Florida Department of Revenue Georgia Military income: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Retired pay: Taxpayers over 62 or permanently disabled may be eligible for an exclusion of retired pay Taxpayers over 62 or permanently disabled may be eligible for an exclusion of retired pay Survivor Benefit Plan: Same as retired pay Same as retired pay Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Georgia Department of Revenue Hawaii Military income: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Hawaii Department of Taxation Idaho Military income: Tax-free if stationed out-of-state Tax-free if stationed out-of-state Retired pay: Tax free for for retirees over 65, disabled retirees over 62. Tax free for for retirees over 65, disabled retirees over 62. Survivor Benefit Plan: Same as retired pay Same as retired pay Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Idaho State Tax Commission Illinois Military income: Tax-free Tax-free Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Illinois Department of Revenue Indiana Military income: Up to $5,000 of military income is tax-free Up to $5,000 of military income is tax-free Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Same as retired pay Same as retired pay Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Indiana Department of Revenue Iowa Military income: Tax-free Tax-free Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Iowa Department of Revenue Kansas Military income: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Taxable Taxable Kansas Department of Revenue Kentucky Military income: Tax-free Tax-free Retired pay: Up to $31,110 is tax-free, you may be able to exclude more in some situations Up to $31,110 is tax-free, you may be able to exclude more in some situations Survivor Benefit Plan: Same as retired pay Same as retired pay Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Kentucky Department of Revenue Louisiana Military income: Beginning in 2022 up to $50,000 is tax-free if stationed out-of-state for 120 or more consecutive days Beginning in 2022 up to $50,000 is tax-free if stationed out-of-state for 120 or more consecutive days Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Louisiana Department of Revenue Maine Military income: Military income earned out-of-state is tax-free Military income earned out-of-state is tax-free Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Maine Revenue Services Maryland Military income: If your total income is less than $30,000 you can deduct up to $15,000 of military pay if stationed OCONUS If your total income is less than $30,000 you can deduct up to $15,000 of military pay if stationed OCONUS Retired pay: The first $5,000 is tax-free. That amount increases to $15,000 for those 55 or older The first $5,000 is tax-free. That amount increases to $15,000 for those 55 or older Survivor Benefit Plan: Same as retired pay Same as retired pay Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Comptroller of Maryland Massachusetts Military income: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Massachusetts Department of Revenue Michigan Military income: Tax-free Tax-free Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Michigan Department of Treasury Minnesota Military income: Tax-free Tax-free Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Taxable Taxable Minnesota Department of Revenue Mississippi Military income: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Mississippi Department of Revenue Missouri Military income: Tax-free Tax-free Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Taxable Taxable Missouri Department of Revenue Montana Military income: Tax-free Tax-free Retired pay: Up to $4,640 is exempt if gross income is less than $38,660 Up to $4,640 is exempt if gross income is less than $38,660 Survivor Benefit Plan: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Social Security: Taxable Taxable Montana Department of Revenue Nebraska Military income: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Social Security: Taxable Taxable Nebraska Department of Revenue Nevada No state income tax. Nevada Department of Taxation New Hampshire No income tax, tax on interest and dividends only. New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration New Jersey Military income: Tax-free if you live outside NJ. Living on ships, barracks, government housing or housing paid for by the military (with BAH) doesn't count Tax-free if you live outside NJ. Living on ships, barracks, government housing or housing paid for by the military (with BAH) doesn't count Veteran deduction: Honorably discharged veterans qualify for a one-time $6,000 tax deduction in the year they are discharged from active duty Honorably discharged veterans qualify for a one-time $6,000 tax deduction in the year they are discharged from active duty Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free New Jersey Division of Taxation New Mexico Military income: Tax-free Tax-free Retired pay: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Survivor Benefit Plan: In 2022, up to $10,000 of military retirement is tax-free. That amount increases to $20,000 in 2023 and $30,000 in 2024 In 2022, up to $10,000 of military retirement is tax-free. That amount increases to $20,000 in 2023 and $30,000 in 2024 Social Security: Same as retired pay Same as retired pay New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department New York Military income: Tax-free if you: 1) did not maintain any permanent home in New York; 2) maintained a permanent home outside New York during the entire year (barracks, bachelor officers quarters or shipboard don't qualify.); 3) spent less than 30 days in New York during tax year. It also is tax-free if you were in a foreign country for at least 450 days during any period of 548 consecutive days Tax-free if you: 1) did not maintain any permanent home in New York; 2) maintained a permanent home outside New York during the entire year (barracks, bachelor officers quarters or shipboard don't qualify.); 3) spent less than 30 days in New York during tax year. It also is tax-free if you were in a foreign country for at least 450 days during any period of 548 consecutive days Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free New York Department of Taxation and Finance North Carolina Military income: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Same as retired pay Same as retired pay Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free North Carolina Department of Revenue North Dakota Military income: Follows federal rules Follows federal rules Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free North Dakota State Tax Commissioner Ohio Military income: Tax-free if stationed outside Ohio Tax-free if stationed outside Ohio Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Ohio Department of Taxation Oklahoma Military income: Tax-free Tax-free Retired pay: Beginning in 2022 retirement pay is tax-free Beginning in 2022 retirement pay is tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Same as retired pay Same as retired pay Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Oklahoma Tax Commission Oregon Military income: All active duty pay earned out-of-state is tax-free, up to $6,000 of active-duty pay earned in Oregon is also tax-free All active duty pay earned out-of-state is tax-free, up to $6,000 of active-duty pay earned in Oregon is also tax-free Retired pay: If you had military service before Oct. 1, 1991 you may be able to deduct a portion of your retirement pay. If you didn't have military or federal service prior to Oct. 1, 1991, your military retirement is taxed normally If you had military service before Oct. 1, 1991 you may be able to deduct a portion of your retirement pay. If you didn't have military or federal service prior to Oct. 1, 1991, your military retirement is taxed normally Survivor Benefit Plan: Same as retired pay Same as retired pay Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Oregon Department of Revenue Pennsylvania Military income: Tax-free if stationed out-of-state Tax-free if stationed out-of-state Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Pennsylvania Department of Revenue Rhode Island Military income: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Retired pay: Effective in 2022, military retirement is tax-free Effective in 2022, military retirement is tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Same as retired pay Social Security: Taxable Taxable Rhode Island Department of Revenue South Carolina Military income: Active duty pay is taxable. Reserve & National Guard drill pay is not taxable Active duty pay is taxable. Reserve & National Guard drill pay is not taxable Retired pay: Effective in 2022, military retirement is tax-free. Effective in 2022, military retirement is tax-free. Survivor Benefit Plan: Same as retired pay Same as retired pay Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free South Carolina Department of Revenue South Dakota No state income tax South Dakota Department of Revenue Tennessee Tennessee has no income tax, but it does have a tax on interest and dividends Tennessee Department of Revenue Texas No state income tax Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Utah Military income: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Taxable Taxable Utah State Tax Commission Vermont Military income: Active duty military pay earned outside NH is tax-free. Active duty military pay earned outside NH is tax-free. Retired pay: Beginning in 2022, up to $10,000 in retirement income is tax-free for those with a gross income less than $50,000 for single filers or $65,000 for joint filers. Beginning in 2022, up to $10,000 in retirement income is tax-free for those with a gross income less than $50,000 for single filers or $65,000 for joint filers. Survivor Benefit Plan: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Social Security: Taxable Taxable Vermont Department of Taxes Virginia Military income: Up to $15,000 of military basic pay received during the taxable year may be exempted from Virginia income tax. For every $1.00 of income over $15,000, the maximum subtraction is reduced by $1.00. For example, if your basic pay is $16,000, you are entitled to deduct only $14,000. You are not eligible for the subtraction if your military basic pay is $30,000 or more. For VA National Guard, up to 39 calendar days of service or $3,000 (whichever is less) may be deducted from your income when filing. This deduction is only available for O-3 and below. Up to $15,000 of military basic pay received during the taxable year may be exempted from Virginia income tax. For every $1.00 of income over $15,000, the maximum subtraction is reduced by $1.00. For example, if your basic pay is $16,000, you are entitled to deduct only $14,000. You are not eligible for the subtraction if your military basic pay is $30,000 or more. For VA National Guard, up to 39 calendar days of service or $3,000 (whichever is less) may be deducted from your income when filing. This deduction is only available for O-3 and below. Retired pay: In 2022, up to $10,000 of retirement pay is tax-free for retirees 55 and older. That amount increases by $10,000 each year until 2025, when up to $40,000 is deductible. In 2022, up to $10,000 of retirement pay is tax-free for retirees 55 and older. That amount increases by $10,000 each year until 2025, when up to $40,000 is deductible. Survivor Benefit Plan: Same as retired pay. Same as retired pay. Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Virginia Tax Website Washington No state income tax Washington State Department of Revenue West Virginia Military income: Tax-free if stationed out-of-state Tax-free if stationed out-of-state Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Taxable Taxable West Virginia State Tax Department Wisconsin Military income: Follows federal tax rules Follows federal tax rules Retired pay: Tax-free Tax-free Survivor Benefit Plan: Tax-free Tax-free Social Security: Tax-free Tax-free Wisconsin Department of Revenue Wyoming No state income tax Wyoming Department of Revenue U.S. Territories & Possessions Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico have their own independent tax departments. If you have income from one of these possessions, you may have to file a U.S. tax return only, a possession tax return only, or both returns. This generally depends on whether you are considered a resident of one of the possessions. In some cases, you may have to file a U.S. return, but be able to exclude income earned in a possession from U.S. tax. For more information, see the IRS International Taxpayer page. American Samoa Tax Division Government of American Samoa Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Division of Revenue and Taxation Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands P. O. Box 5234, CHRB Saipan, MP 96950 Guam Department of Revenue and Taxation Government of Guam P.O. Box 23607 GMF, GU 96921 Phone: 671-472-7471 Puerto Rico Negociado de Asistencia Contributiva y Legislacion Departamento de Hacienda P.O. Box 565 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00902-6265 Phone: 787-721-2020, ext. 3611 Virgin Islands Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue 9601 Estate Thomas Charlotte Amalie St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 00802 Phone: 340-774-5865 Get the Latest Financial Tips Whether you're trying to balance your budget, build up your credit, select a good life insurance program or are gearing up for a home purchase, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to Military.com and get the latest military benefit updates and tips delivered straight to your inbox. Everything You Need to Know About the Amazon Military Discount, Tips and Tricks The Amazon military discount is a promotion Amazon.com has given around Veterans Day for its Amazon Prime service. Myanmar exports have a bright future in the European market assuming continuing political stability and infrastructure development, though several constraints remain, according to industry experts. At an international trade fair in Frankfurt yesterday, officials from Messe Frankfurt, one of the worlds largest trade exhibition companies, said that for Myanmars trade relationships to grow, the government needs to promote the export sector though finance, education, rules and regulations. In other countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand, governments plan an annual budget for supporting trade and help potential exporters through trade promotion departments, he said. Rattan and bamboo accessories company Bella Interiors this year became the first Myanmar business to exhibit products at Messe Frankfurts annual trade fair, which took place from February 12 to 16. The company already exports to more than 20 countries across the world, in North America, Europe, South America, the Middle East and Asia. Stephan Kurzawski, senior vice president at Messe Frankfurt, said he hoped more Myanmar companies would exhibit next year. But exporters have to make sure that their product are ready for the global market and that they have the capacity to export, before taking the decision to participate, he said. Gathering information is also important, he said. Dont jump into the water without knowing how to swim, he said. Daw Thet Su Hlaing, representative of Messe Frankfurt Myanmar, said domestic manufacturers are facing restraints due to outdated technologies and a lack of technical assistance. For example, local manufacturers still use old and traditional machines to produce their products, and there is very little access to training about international standards and compliance, she said. Messe Frankfurt opened its Myanmar office in late 2014. The habit of preparing both short- and long-term plans is needed, while a lack of data and statistics are also barriers to competition in the global export market, she said. However, the company has a positive outlook on the political changes in Myanmar and believes that economic ties and trade relations between Myanmar and the European Union will strengthen. According to Ministry of Commerce data for fiscal year 2016 until the end of January, trade between European countries and Myanmar was around US$537 million, with Myanmar exports contributing $272 million including $173 million from the garment sector. The first Nissan cars to be built in Myanmar will come off the assembly line later this year, Nissan Motors announced yesterday. The Japanese company has partnered with Malaysian firm Tan Chong Motor Group, and will use the latters existing car plant to assemble the Nissan Sunny compact sedan. Production will later shift to a new manufacturing plant in Bago Region, with the capacity to produce 10,000 vehicles a year. Nissan and Tan Chong executives signed a land lease agreement yesterday with Bago government officials. Nissan has had its eye on a Bago assembly plant since 2013, when it first unveiled plans to expand production to Myanmar. The new production facility is expected to employ around 300. Nissan and Tan Chong executives signed a land lease agreement yesterday with Bago government officials. Nissan has had its eye on a Bago assembly plant since 2013, when it first unveiled plans to expand production to Myanmar. The new production facility is expected to employ around 300. The Japanese firms expansion into Myanmar is part of a wider move into emerging markets that include India, Brazil, Russia and Nigeria, according to a company press release. Nissan is not the only foreign automaker to ramp up Myanmar operations. Japanese rival manufacturer Suzuki announced plans for a second Myanmar plant in April 2015. Despite an influx of cheap smartphones into the Yangon market, many customers are spending more, with sales of higher-priced handsets going strong, mobile handset sellers say. Though options are available for as little as K30,000 some mobile users are dropping a lot more money on phones investing up to K600,000 in luxurious models. Keypad phones, usually the bedrock of a new mobile market, have been pushed so far out of the arena that one shop gives them out as free gifts. The Myanmar telecoms market has undergone a drastic transformation. Over the last few years, millions of people have been able to access mobile services for the first time, due to precipitous falls in the price of SIM cards and smartphones. What used to cost users thousands of dollars could conceivably cost far less than K100,000 today, as the market offers inexpensive phones and SIMs have a set price of K1500. Estimates from Myanma Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) put around 80 to 90 percent of its users on smartphones. As for its competitors, nearly six out of every 10 users on Telenors network is using a smartphone, according to the company. The countrys third operator Ooredoo did not provide comment by press time. In the past, purchasing decisions were driven by factors such as camera quality. Now, users want connectivity, said 21 mobile shop worker U Zin Win. People choose smartphones by looking at specifications such as RAM, memory capacity and CPU quality. Not everyone can afford to buy an iPhone in Myanmar, which can cost more than half the countrys projected GDP per capita for the 2015-16 year, according to the International Monetary Fund. But U Zin Win said on average, customers are buying smartphones for about K200,000. And some are paying even more. The Myanmar market has K30,000 smartphones on offer, but people want using phones to be easy, he said. The cheaper phones dont have good touch-screens and cant store a lot of data compared with K200,000 handsets. Now mobile phone users are going online, using apps, he said. U Win Pyay Sone of Mr Fone mobile shop said customers first priority is cheap and easy connectivity, especially with the influx of users heading online to play games. People are buying middle-class Android smartphones, he said, adding his shop is selling more Samsung and Huawei handsets than others as they cost about K200,000. We are selling seven of these phones per day. Meanwhile, customers have rejected phones that hearken back to the early days of mobile. An A3 mobile shop worker said that keypad models are gifted to customers that buy smartphones free of charge. Before, mobile phone users depended on keypad smartphones. Now theyre being given away, he said. Customers are choosing inexpensive smartphones that store a lot of data and allow for easy internet browsing. David Madden, founder of downtown tech and community centre Phandeeyar, said it wasnt surprising that many customers went beyond buying the cheapest devices. The rapid adoption of platforms like Viber and Facebook shows that Myanmar consumers understand mobiles arent just for making phone calls, he said. You dont have to be a tech guru to see that spending more money gets you a bigger screen or a fancier camera. Its also true that in many places in the world smartphones have become a kind of status symbol. So, for some segments of the Myanmar market, a basic device is enough; but for others, theyll stretch to get the best smartphone they can afford. Few places in the world conjure up such images of the exotic as Myanmar. Before we started looking into the possibility of travelling to such (for us) mysterious lands, most of what I knew about this stunning and unique country was that my grandfather had once flown over it in a Spitfire. He had told me that he remembers looking down at the endless verdant greenery and thinking to himself: Blimey, Id better not crash over here theyd never find me! The idea of such a vast and unknown land can excite the traveller in anyone, and we were hooked. My three friends and I have recently been lucky enough to plan and undertake a five-month-long overland expedition, starting in London and following the Silk Road to Mongolia. We drove a 33-year-old Land Rover ambulance (affectionately called The Beaut) for 17,500 kilometres (10,875 miles) over the deserts and high mountains of Central Asia. Our plan was to continue the expedition though Southeast Asia, and for us, this meant the opportunity to visit Myanmar. One cannot overstate the importance to us of visiting here plans were changed to ensure we could all go. On more than one occasion, when the chips were down, the reminder of the promise of Myanmar kept us going. The promise was realised when we reached Myanmar and had a wonderful two weeks exploring The Golden Land. But, to our dismay, the logistics involved in bringing your own vehicle into Myanmar forced us to leave the car the fifth member of our team behind. These logistics are nightmarish. It can be done, if you have enough money to pay the various tour operators, who will help organise such an undertaking. And we are not talking about at inconsiderate amount here: One operator wanted US$14,000 for the four of us to organise a two-week trip! At roughly $1000 per day, I doubt there are many groups out there who would consider such an undertaking feasible it was more than what we had spent travelling through 20 other countries in the past six months put together. If were being honest, the vast costs involved arent due to the avarice of tour operators. The requirements imposed on this kind of travel by the powers that be are quite frankly ridiculous. Such stipulations as the constant presence of a representative of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, as well as an official tour guide, mean that you have to pay for a second car as well as all the expenses associated with two extra people. Dont get me started on the expenses. As overlanders, we financed our trip by spending a great deal of time sleeping in our vehicle, and not in hotels. On top of the tour cost we were quoted an extra $680 per person for accommodation, as camping is not permitted for much of the route. Our route also had to be rubber-stamped and considered gospel, no detours, deviations or departures from schedule allowed. All in all, these costs and restrictions as well as the 60-day administration period meant that we couldnt continue our trip through Myanmar by car. This was, in the grand scheme of things, not disastrous. We were going to visit regardless and we had a spectacular time. In two weeks we saw a lot, from the well-trodden (and awe-inspiring) Inle Lake to tramping well off the beaten track north of Hsipaw. However, the allure of Myanmar is the sense of adventure, of the unknown; what symbolises these elements of travel better than overlanding? This form of tourism may not account for a great deal of income in those many countries where it is welcomed, but these are the trailblazers. The idea of tourism spreads slowly in those countries where it is a recent development, and it is taken on the backs of tourists like overlanders. Theres plenty of us out there. Every few weeks, a new person posts a message on www.horisonsunlimited.com - an online bulletin board for overlanders to share information, asking for help trying to drive into or through Myanmar. Some do end up paying these tour companies, usually by joining up with a convoy, but most just cant afford it, and end up missing out on travelling in Myanmar altogether. The potential for overland tourism in Myanmar is vast perhaps the greatest we have seen and if this could be tapped I have no doubt it would be a vehicle for aiding the growth of tourism in general over the next, promising, few years. We will certainly be back and next time, hopefully, The Beaut can come too. Ethnic Palaung civilians fleeing fighting in Namkham township have accused forces of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) of laying landmines around their village and looting their homes. IDPs from Law Naw spoke to The Myanmar Times in a makeshift camp set up about 10 kilometres from their homes in the village of Mong Wee. They said RCSS forces fighting the TaAng National Liberation Army (TNLA) arrived in Law Naw on February 7. After the TNLA withdrew, the RCSS soldiers took money and food from local people and laid landmines, the villagers said. We fled from our homes once the clashes occurred. Two days after we left we went back to the village to see the situation. At that time we saw that members of the RCSS had entered villagers houses and were taking property. When we asked a lieutenant to give back our properties, we got back half of what they took, said Ko Kyaw Naing from Law Naw. RCSS spokesperson Colonel Sai Hla, speaking to The Myanmar Times on February 10, denied claims by the TNLA that RCSS forces had occupied Law Naw. He also denied the Shan group had seized civilians. Ko Zin Moe said in Mong Wee that he had been seized by the RCSS after the February 7 clashes and held for two days, accused of having contact with the TNLA. They arrested me and asked about TNLA troop numbers and their location. While I was arrested, I heard the RCSS/SSA tell the Tatmadaw to come to the village, Ko Zin Moe said. Tatmadaw troops are currently positioned in Law Naw village, and villagers say clashes have continued. The RCSS also denies TNLA accusations that it is helping or fighting alongside government forces. Ma Nan Moe, an RCSS liaison officer in Kyaukme township, said yesterday it was not possible that the RCSS would cooperate with the Tatmadaw in fighting against the TNLA. She declined further comment on the situation in Namkham township. IDPs in Mong Wee said they went back to their village to ask the RCSS to release Ko Zin Moe and it was then they realised that landmines had been laid nearby. The reason we can say that landmines were planted outside the village is that we saw a buffalo which had been killed by a blast. Then we were sure there were mines, said Law Naw resident Ko Naing Htay. One of the provisions of the nationwide ceasefire agreement signed by the RCSS with the government and Tatmadaw last October was a ban on use of landmines. Villagers said clashes between the TNLA and RCSS/SSA were happening each night in the mountains of Pan Khar and Lwe Huam near Mong Wee. About 1200 IDPs are packed into Mong Wee, down from over 2000 earlier after many left to find shelter with relatives in Mandalay and Namtu townships. Meals of rice have been limited to two a day so that existing stocks could last a week. But local organisations and refugees said on February 16 that supplies were close to exhaustion. If the clashes continue, we have no hope of going back home. Then we would all face difficulties for food, said U Htwe Naing, a Palaung villager. Some rice and vegetables were provided by residents from Mong Wee village and the Taaung Cultural Association. But in a few days those provisions will be gone. We have tried to buy more rice with the money we have, said association chair U Mai Hla Shwe. While it is only 48 kilometres (30 miles) from Namkham town to the camp, transportation of supplies is difficult as the road is in poor condition. Most people in the camp are Palaung, but there are also some Shan and Kachin villagers. Translation by Thiri Min Htun Military members of parliament yesterday accused both the Restoration Council of Shan State and the TaAng National Liberation Army of breaching military codes of conduct during recent clashes in northern Shan State. The comments came as MPs unanimously backed a proposal calling for an immediate end to the fighting. But Tatmadaw representatives also sought to paint the TNLA as expansionist and frequently described them using the term rebels. Lieutenant Colonel Maung Maung Oo, a military MP, told the Pyithu Hluttaw that the TNLA needed to completely relinquish all its weapons in order to end the conflict. He added that the TNLA has been conducting forced recruitment an accusation that armed groups on either side of the aisle have lobbed at each other and is seeking to grab territory from the Palaung Self-Administered Zone, which is currently under Tatmadaw control. The TNLA needs to give up its weapons and the RCSS/SSA needs to comply with the terms and conditions of the nationwide ceasefire agreement so that civilians can be free from the trouble they are suffering now, Lt Col Maung Maung Oo said. Fighting between the RCSS and the TNLA broke out in late November 2015 but has picked up since February 7, particularly in Kyaukme and Nam-hsan townships. The TNLA has accused the RCSS of cooperating with government forces to attack its territory, an allegation that the Tatmadaw and the RCSS have denied. The fighting has displaced thousands of civilians, with more than 3300 taking shelter at temporary camps around Kyaukme town, while 2000 more remain trapped in villages surrounded by the clashes. Ethnic Shan politicians and armed groups have also accused the TNLA of executing seven villagers. During yesterdays debate, Major General Aung Soe, the deputy minister for home affairs, said that his ministry would take legal action over the abduction and killing of civilians during the conflict. Lt Col Maung Maung Oo said both armed groups have breached military codes of conduct and that the RCSS has violated conditions set out in the nationwide ceasefire that the group signed last October. Both groups have been warned to stop fighting and clear the area, he added. Lt Col Maung Maung Oo said the TNLA is considered an unlawful organisation because it was involved on attacks on the Tatmadaw in the Kokang region in cooperation with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Arakan Army. U Aung Min, deputy chair of the governments peace team, the Union Peace-making Work Committee, said that the RCSS has been urged to comply with the NCA terms and conditions about civilian treatment. He added that supervising the TNLA remains challenging as the group has signed neither a state-level nor Union-level ceasefire. Twelve Pyithu Hluttaw MPs, including two military MPs, debated the proposal, which also called for aid to be sent urgently to IDPs. MP U Sai Thant Zin from Hsipaw township in Shan State said fighting needed to be defused before it damages the NCA and the national reconciliation process. U Sai Tun Sein from Mong Ping township, Shan State, said the clashes started out as fighting between armed groups, but are evolving into an ethnic conflict between Shan and Palaung. Translation by Thiri Min Htun A British man and three Indian nationals held on fraud charges remain detained in Insein prison, their cases stalled in legal limbo, some 14 months after their initial arrests. Lawyer U Yan Naing, who is representing all four men, said he has submitted an application to the High Court to have the cases amalgamated, which should speed up the legal process. He told The Myanmar Times on February 16 that he hopes this could be accomplished by early March. At present, the men must appear in court eight times each fortnight to be remanded back into custody. KBZ, the main complainant, has not produced a witness in over six months. New cases have been brought against the men in additional townships places which the men maintain they have never been to causing further delays. Niranjan Rasalingam, a 29-year-old accounting graduate from the UK, was initially charged with credit card fraud. He was arrested following a complaint from KBZ Bank on November 22, 2014, after using prepaid cards from Tesco for withdrawals from ATMs in Yangons Pabedan and Botahtaung townships. Speaking through his legal team on February 16, Mr Rasalingam told The Myanmar Times that he was detained for three days in a police station, while being denied both food and consular access. He said he had only signed the confession, which was in Myanmar language, which he does not read, write or speak due to hunger and fatigue. From the beginning when they arrested me I am asking them, Please, inform my embassy. I dont sign any paperwork with without a lawyer I cant read this. Please, I need my embassy and I need my lawyer, he said as he appeared in court. Since then, fresh credit card fraud cases have been brought forward in seven separate townships against Mr Rasalingam, including new charges levelled in August 2015 under sections 24(a) and (b) of the Electronic Transactions Act which typically relates to computer hacking and communications intercepts. Mr Rasalingam said that the Electronic Transactions Act charges were initially rejected by two township courts, in Pabedan and Botahtaung, with the judges citing a lack of evidence. Susan Garbutt, vice consul at the British embassy at the time of Mr Rasalingams arrest, said the consular section first became aware of the case on December 1, 2014, when she followed up on a general missing persons report filed that November in the UK by a friend of Mr Rasalingam. Ms Garbutt no longer works for the embassy, but has power of attorney over the men. A spokesperson for the British embassy said the case had been raised on a number of occasions, setting out our concerns over his health and delays in the legal process. While we cannot directly intervene in the judicial process of another country, we will continue to urge for progress in taking this case forward and will remain in close contact with Mr Rasalingams lawyers, the embassy spokesperson said. Two of the Indian men, Mr Pandiyan Balu and Mr Rajkumar, stand accused of credit card fraud committed on November 16, 2014. Both arrived in Myanmar on November 18, according to immigration stamps in their passports, the Indian embassy in Yangon confirmed. Speaking to The Myanmar Times yesterday, secretary at the Indian embassy Neil Jain said that a letter about the mens arrest and delays in legal proceedings was sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nay Pyi Taw quite some time back, but no response was ever received. We will take it up appropriately with them. Formally, we will take it up again with them. We cannot interfere with the legal system here whatever our views. At the same time we are meeting the family members and lawyers, Mr Jain said. Mr Rasalingam says the cycle of remand hearings often leaves him and his co-accused hungry in the courts holding cells. We leave the prison at 7am and we come [to a township court] and from here we go back at 3:30pm. Until that we have to sit here. Sometimes if the police officers are good, they provide us food. Sometimes our friend comes and he gives us some water, something to eat. Some townships they dont give you anything. Sometimes we are starving and we dont have any food. We have to wait to go back to prison and eat there, he said. The level of consular assistance Mr Rasalingam receives has dropped significantly, he said. One day I called my consul and said, I dont have any food. I called many times. I said, Please can you come and give me my money for food. My money was in an account the embassy can access but the consul said, We cannot come there, we cannot interfere in the court system. I told her, Im not in the court [for a hearing], Im in police custody [for remand], he said. We went from worse to worse. Still now this is what is happening in our case. Health officials are drawing up plans to help protect Myanmar against the Zika virus. Dr Soe Lwin Nyein, director general of the department of public health, said earlier this week that nationwide guidelines would be issued soon. A symposium on Zika virus infection held at the University of Nursing on February 13 brought together specialists on protection and prevention. We have a draft, and will announce guidelines within the next two weeks, said Dr Soe Lwin Nyein. The World Health Organization announced on February 1 that the Zika virus was a public health threat of global proportions. The Department of Public Health is implementing National Mosquito Control Week to control dengue fever, as well as Zika. The main objective is to clear the environment of mosquitoes. The virus is not found in our country, and we want to keep it that way. Public cooperation is needed to keep mosquitoes away, said Dr Than Htun Aung, director of public health (epidemiology). Dr Thandar Lwin, director of disease control, told the symposium that control of the Aedes aegypti mosquito is the key to protection, since not only does this mosquito transmit the Zika virus, it also transmits other disease such as dengue fever, yellow fever and chikungunya. The symptoms of Zika virus infection are muscle pains, headache, pain behind the eyes and vomiting. Dr Soe Lwin Nyein said doctors should inform the nearest health department office if they see patients with clustering cases of fever with rash and non-purulent conjunctivitis. We will spread awareness about Zika throughout the community through information programs. The main thing is to avoid being stung by mosquitoes. We will implement a mosquito control program both for dengue fever and the Zika virus, he said. Zika fever is prevalent within a narrow equatorial belt from Africa to Asia, and spread eastward across the Pacific Ocean. In 2015, the virus reached Latin America, and has achieved pandemic levels. Cases have since been reported in Thailand, China and Indonesia. On the second day of the US-ASEAN summit, leaders at the Sunnylands resort in California put their heads together to formulate a common stance on the conflicting claims laid on islands in the South China Sea. The topic, which pits China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia on opposing sides, has long been a delicate issue among ASEAN nations, not least for Myanmar, which wants to remain neutral. For some time, the US has tried to convince the ASEAN nations to take a stronger position on the islands dispute, and against Chinas handling of the problem. But the economic dependency of some ASEAN countries which rely on the powerful nation to the north have long made a unified, opposing stance unlikely. If past experience serves as any indicator, ASEAN cannot grow out teeth against China overnight, Yun Sun, a senior associate with the East Asia Program at the Washington-based Stimson Center, said. The summit was a thorn in the eye of China which was certainly concerned that the summit might have some components that undermine Chinas interests, Ms Sun said. A joint statement released after the conference referred to China only indirectly. It reaffirmed a shared commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes, including full respect for legal and diplomatic processes, without resorting to the threat or use of force, an indirect reference to the aggressive positioning of China in response to the conflict so far. But Mr Obama spoke strongly against the militarisation of the islands, and said tangible steps were needed to ease tensions. Just hours later, reports surfaced that Beijing had deployed missile launchers on an island also claimed by Vietnam. Tang Xiaoyang, associate professor at the Department of International Relations of Tsinghua University in Beijing and resident scholar at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy, defended Chinas actions. I think that the narrative should be reversed. Its an understandable diplomatic activity to protect Chinas interest in the dispute. But the US as an external power joined the dispute and exerted its influence on ASEAN countries to counter China. China is unhappy about this, he said. China has often perceived the US as working its way into its backyard and in Myanmar especially since a quasi-civilian government replaced the former junta in 2012. Open to foreign investment and no longer a pariah to the West, Myanmar began to rely less on China. Anti-Chinese sentiment became prominent after public protests were no longer completely outlawed and at least two large Chinese investments a copper mine in central Myanmar and a multi-billion-dollar hydropower dam in Kachin State came under increased pressure from the public to be halted. It was no longer self-evident that China would continue to win large contracts. Newcomers also need to understand and respect the indigenous culture and tradition in Myanmar. Some Chinese firms neglected this issue and paid a high price for it, said Mr Xiaoyang. The copper mine project came under parliamentary scrutiny after a group of protesting monks were allegedly attacked with white phosphorus by the Myanmar Police Force, injuring them severely and leaving horrible burns on their bodies. Daw Aung San Suu Kui, who was appointed to head the commission investigating the mine project, sided with the Chinese and let the project continue. Her warming to China, likely a strategic decision to maintain good relations with Myanmars powerful neighbour, has raised questions about her upcoming foreign policy strategy. While the US may expect relations to warm between the two countries as the democracy icon takes the helm, China may see things differently, according to Ms Sun. [In China], they believe that [Daw]Aung San Suu Kyi, as a pragmatist and a nationalist, will have more opportunities not to see eye-to-eye with the US. Combined with her need for national reconciliation and economic development and Chinas readily available resources to assist in both processes, they believe that [she] will make the correct choice between the US and China, she said. Despite a waning influence in the country, observers say that China still has a strong hold over ethnic armed groups active in Myanmars border lands and have alleged that it was due to pressure from China that President U Thein Seins nationwide ceasefire agreement was not all what its name suggests. In his closing speech on the last day of the summit, Mr Obama expressed his intention to continue to work closely with Myanmar on a ceasefire agreement and on national reconciliation. We will sustain our engagement with the people of Myanmar, he said. The defence team for two Myanmar men facing the death penalty for the murder of two British tourists on Koh Tao will today file a second application to push back an appeal against the sentence. Lawyers for the two Rakhine State natives convicted of murdering the backpackers in Thailand are assembling additional points to contest the forensic evidence that formed a crucial part of the prosecution case. Thai police handling of the case from failing to secure the murder scene to testing of the DNA sample collection was internationally decried, but on December 24 the court said the evidence against the Myanmar defendants proved their guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Ko Zaw Linn and Ko Wai Phyo were sentenced to death. The defence team has appealed the sentence and in collaboration with Australian DNA expert Jane Taupin is questioning the prosecutors claim that forensic samples lead to a 100 percent match with the defendants. The appeal hearing is slated for February 24, but the defence is petitioning to delay the court date. According to the Migrant Worker Rights Network, the team has pored over nearly 4000 pages of court records, and has assembled an extensive list of more than 100 appeal points focusing mainly on the DNA. The extra time will be used to coordinate with experts from Australia, Britain and Thailand, said network chair U Sein Htay. The court ordered an initial postponement on January 20, just four days before the appeal was to be heard. U Sein Htay said he is not sure the defence will get a second temporary reprieve. If the court does not approve the request, we will send our appeal report before the deadline on February 24, he said. He added that the second request is being made in order to translate some of the court documents from Thai to English in order to bring them to forensic analysts for review. U Aung Myo Thant, a legal adviser at the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok, said an embassy team is also preparing to hand over analysis to the defence. The Myanmar delegation team will also give suggestions to the defence team after finishing observations on the murder case documents, he said. The December death penalty verdict sparked outrage in Myanmar. Protests led by nationalist monks have been scheduled every Sunday, and even Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing weighed in, suggesting his Thai counterparts take another look at the case. During a visit to Yangon earlier this month, migrant rights expert Andy Hall, who has been advising the defence team, said the case against the pair is not strong. They should be released, he said. That is not to say they are guilty or not guilty, but the case against them is not strong. More than 2000 ethnic Lisu across the country attended the 51st Lisu ethnic literature and traditional culture New Year Festival in ToonKyaing village, Namhsan township, in southern Shan State. The festival organisers seek to bring Lisu into closer unity, said U Aung Naing, secretary of the Lisu Literature and Culture Association on February 15. The festival brings Lisu people together about 2000 this year. Next year, we will plan for more, he said. The festival was held on February 15-16 and was attended by militia commanders from Namhsan, Matkyan and Homalin, as well as the Lisu ethnic affairs minister. People came from as far as Mogok township, Mandalay Region, and Kayah State to perform Lisu dances, pay homage to elders and discuss Lisu literature, said U Aung Naing. Lisu have their own culture and traditions, founded in the hills. There are about 20 Lisu traditional costumes. We are calling for better transportation and education, said U Gu Sar, Lisu ethnic affairs minister for the Shan State government. There are about 500,000 Lisu, including about 300,000 in Kachin State, and 60,000 in Mogok, Mandalay Region. Translation by Khant Lin Oo The next hearing for a case involving two Muslim members of an interfaith group has been postponed until February 26, according to an official of the Chan Aye Tharzan Township Court. The court said the postponement was because a new judge had been assigned to the case. The judge wanted to study the previous proceedings before any more take place, officials said yesterday. Ko Zaw Zaw Latt and Ma Pwint Phyu Latt, two Muslim activists from the interfaith group Thint Myat Lo Thu Myar (Peace Seekers) founded by a Buddhist monk following the outbreak of communal violence in Meiktila in 2013 were arrested in July and charged with contacting an unlawful association and violating immigration laws. The charges stem from a June 2013 trip to Laiza, where they met members of the Kachin Independence Army. Ko Zaw Zaw Latt later posted photos to Facebook of himself holding a rifle and, two years later, he was arrested following pressure from Buddhist nationalist groups. The day after he was detained he was charged with contacting a blacklisted organisation under article 17 of the Unlawful Associations Act. Currently, the judiciary is not just unstable, its collapsing. When the elected government takes office, they need to straighten out the judiciary, Ko Zaw Zaw Latt said at the court. The case was opened by police Captain Myo Min Hlaing, the head of number 8 police station in Chan Aye Tharzan township, on July 15, 2015. I hope the judge will decide [the case] with both heart and brain. The two cases have been under pressure from superiors. I think we have been charged for opposing them [the authorities], Ma Pwint Phyu Latt said. According to Ma Pwint Phyu Latt, cases have been opened against another five members of the interfaith group under section 13(1) of the immigration act. She said one member had since been arrested and a warrant was issued for the remaining four activists. However, members of other activist groups have regularly travelled to Laiza without attracting charges from the authorities. Thailand-based NGO Fortify Rights, which has followed the case closely, said yesterday that the charges were politically motivated and should be dropped. This is yet another case of Myanmars law enforcement catering to the religious-nationalist movement. Instead of targeting interfaith activists, the Myanmar authorities should protect them, said Matthew Smith, the groups executive director. Translation by Thiri Min Htun A third round of talks between military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and National League for Democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has raised hopes among her supporters that the two sides can reach a power-sharing agreement over the presidency and new government. But the scant information released after nearly two hours of talks at the Nay Pyi Taw Region Command military headquarters shed little light on whether progress had been made. Sen Gen Min Aung Hlaings office and the NLD released the same statements on Facebook, saying the meeting focused on the rule of law and eternal peace affairs. The 70-year-old NLD leader looked particularly strained in a brief video of the talks. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was accompanied by U Zaw Myint Maung, a senior NLD member who has been widely tipped as the next Mandalay Region chief minister, and Dr Tin Myo Win, her personal physician, who is rumoured to be a candidate for her proxy president, or to be given a senior role in ethnic affairs. The Tatmadaw commander-in-chief was flanked by Lieutenant General Mya Tun Oo and Lt Gen Ye Aung. Neither side made any mention of what is widely speculated to be holding up an agreement on the presidency article 59(f) of the constitution, which bars the NLD leader from the presidency due to her two sons being foreign citizens. Yesterdays talks came exactly a month before a deadline set by the NLD-controlled parliament for the two chambers of the hluttaw and the military-appointed bloc to nominate their candidates for the presidency. Other power-sharing issues believed to be under discussion, according to NLD sources, include ministerial positions for the military in an NLD government of national reconciliation, as well as the posts of chief minister in Kachin, Shan and Rakhine states. While the NLD leaders bid to fix the constitution and become president commands widespread party support, ethnic minority politicians and some foreign diplomats are worried that she will cede too much to the military in order to achieve this goal. In particular, there are concerns that the Nobel peace laureate will leave herself exposed to accusations of complicity in human rights abuses in the three conflict-hit states if the top executive positions there are handed to the Tatmadaw. Officials on both sides have denied they are involved in such negotiations, however. In a separate meeting yesterday, the senior general spoke of the militarys role in guiding what he called the transition to a kind of democracy most suited to Myanmar. The Tatmadaw will strengthen the democratic path that best fits the country and help the government that rules in accordance with the law, he told Italian ambassador Pier Giorgio Aliberti. Working in line with the law would ensure the stability and tranquility of the country that people desire, and it is important to obey the disciplines and laws, Snr Gen Min Aung Hlaing was quoted as saying on his Facebook page. He also said it was the Tatmadaws duty to eradicate armed conflicts that were unacceptable in a democratic system. U Sithu Aung Myint, a political columnist, said there was little information to analyse, but he believed the NLD leader was in a tough position. As far as we heard, the situation is not a good one. For the military, it is hard to accept Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as a president. For Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, if she gives the chief ministerial posts to military officials, then implementation of anti-corruption policies promised by her would be so difficult, he said. Thats why it is very hard to reach an agreement between them, he added. Despite the secrecy, party members and MPs remain hopeful. One said he believed that a deal would definitely be made between his leader and the military. I wish that the presidential selection is going well. There must be a deal between our leader and the military commander-in-chief, said the MP, asking not to be named. Political analyst Nehginpao Kipgen said it was essential for the NLD leader to have a good relationship with the military leader, who will soon hit the mandatory retirement age of 60 but was recently reported to have secured an extra five years in charge of the Tatmadaw. As the military still plays a vital role in politics according to the 2008 constitution, it is important for [Daw Aung San] Suu Kyi and her NLD government to be in good terms with him. The future of [Daw Aung San] Suu Kyis presidency also largely depends on [Snr Gen] Min Aung Hlaings support, he said. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is known to have met the senior general three times since her partys landslide election victory last November. During the transition she has met just once with President U Thein Sein, whose term expires on March 30. With the NLD forming the new government, the role of [U] Thein Sein and his USDP is gradually diminishing. [U] Thein Sein is not an elected member of parliament and he will only play a role as the chairman of the USDP, Nehginpao Kipgen said. The sages said the Year of the Monkey would be lively, unpredictable and even mischievous, but few expected the fantasyland funny business to start so quickly. Rarely, if ever, has this region witnessed so many surprising and often downright quirky developments as it has in the past couple of weeks. In hindsight, the signs were evident last month, when the leadership conventions in Laos and Vietnam, normally so staid and predictable, stunned everyone. When Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made a much-anticipated bid to become boss of the ruling Vietnam Communist Party, he was brutally cut down by disaffected party cadres who voted en masse against him. Dung was so shamed that he initially cancelled his scheduled trip to attend this weeks Sunnylands Summit of ASEAN leaders in the United States and was ready to send his deputy instead, until party elders ordered him to go. There were equally startling changes in Laos, where the party chief and prime minister were both dumped and replaced by reformist figures who are more open and internationalist in outlook. That cheered those who hope Laos, as this years ASEAN chair, will curb its usual pro-Beijing slant and perhaps help mediate some middle-ground accord with China to regulate conduct in the South China Sea. Sure, its unlikely. As Stanford Universitys Asian expert Don Emmerson said, That goal has become an institutionalised mirage, invoked hopefully year after year in ASEAN communiques to no meaningful avail. It was invoked again on February 16 at the strange Sunnylands shindig hosted by President Barack Obama. The event was where this years real monkey business began, and to understand why, it pays to peruse some of the bizarrely disparate opinions expressed about the value of the leadership conclave. To begin with, many struggled to comprehend why Obama, who is keen to make his last year in office a productive one, took time to host a bunch of guys hed just met three months ago in Kuala Lumpur and Manila. What was the purpose? A nice photo op for posterity? Actually, even the photos were diminished, given that President U Thein Sein did not attend. Still, purpose or not, the event was touted as the greatest thing for regional relations since Washington avoided repeating then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rices infamous snub of ASEAN in 2005. Back then, Rice decided she had more important things to do than fly halfway round the world to take part in photo ops and song-and-dance routines with foreign ministers from small Southeast Asian nations. She was right. But the regions leaders took the snub badly and Obama has spent the past seven years trying to make amends. Sunnylands was supposed to prove he has succeeded, although the gathering merely reiterated superficial expressions of chumminess and did not embellish either side. One trenchant analysis of the event was written by Robert Manning, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington, who called his artlcle Obamas Sunnylands Summit: Does ASEAN Really Matter?He appears to think it does not. And it was hard to disagree with him when he sliced apart the old wishful thinking of other ASEAN-centric analysts who had tried to argue that Sunnylands was a reaffirmation of a regional strategic partnership. It was not. And Manning was right when he said it was delusional to portray ASEAN as a viable collective body that has more than a marginal role in the regions political and security setup. It does not. If the groups key bodies like the ASEAN Regional Forum and East Asia Summit were eliminated tomorrow, no one would notice and the region would remain just as safe. As Manning said, to view ASEAN as anything more than a loose coalition of disparate nations, economies and cultures is to buy into its own fantasyland narcissism. Talking of fantasyland: The much touted ASEAN Economic Community, launched on January 1, has changed our lives, right? Wrong. They said it would consolidate trading rules, allow free movement of workers and introduce a single market for goods and services. All a pipe dream. Nothing has happened and nothing will for years to come. If you think this is unduly pessimistic just check out another analysis by Joshua Kurlantzick of the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, who also skewered this weeks fantasyland summit. His article, The Dark Heart of ASEAN, was even more devastating than those by Manning and others, for he argued that by hosting the ASEAN leaders, Washington allowed its interests to overwhelm its principles. He noted that since the US pivot to Asia in 2011, the regions political systems have regressed significantly, as best shown by Thailands sad slide from flawed democracy to military rule. Just as poignant has been the way Malaysian democracy has been stunted by the jailing of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, the repression of critics and the financial shenanigans of Prime Minister Najib Razak. Cambodia was headed toward a two-party democracy after the 2013 general election, but since then Prime Minister Hun Sen has forced opposition leader Sam Rainsy into exile and cracked down on other critics. As for Brunei, Laos and Vietnam, Kurlantzick calls them among the most repressive states in the world, with no evidence of political opening at all. Only in Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines has democracy and civic society advanced in any way; the rest of the region is going backward. It is no exaggeration to say that this anti-democratic regression lies at the dark heart of ASEAN. Until this changes, the grouping really will not matter and nor will any silly Sunnylands summits held in the future. [February 18, 2016] Leo Burnett/Arc and Thinfilm Announce Exclusive Technology Partnership Thin Film Electronics ASA ("Thinfilm") (OSE:THIN.OL; OTCQX:TFECY), a global leader in printed electronics and smart systems, today announced an exclusive partnership with Arc, the shopper marketing and activation agency inside Leo Burnett. The two companies will collaborate to deliver Thinfilm's NFC OpenSense technology to Arc and Leo Burnett clients across a variety of product categories. NFC OpenSense tags are thin, flexible labels that adhere to products and can be activated with the tap of an NFC-enabled smartphone. Each tag (News - Alert) is uniquely identifiable and can detect both a product's "factory sealed" and "opened" states. Once tapped, the tag wirelessly communicates with a smartphone, instantly delivering contextual brand content at shelf or when using the product at home. Thinfilm and Leo Burnett/Arc teams will work side-by-side, ensuring the technology is accessible to brands and creating custom NFC OpenSense solutions for agency clients. In addition, the combined team will help further shape the technology to ensure the technology is more attractive and accessible to brands. "Technology affords people the opportunity to plan, shop, and buy on their own terms anytime and anywhere, resulting in highly sophisticated shoppers and a highly competitive marketplace," said Nick Jones, EVP, Innovation & Growth Arc/Leo Burnett, "Thinfilm's NFC OpenSense technology is a game changer. It allows brands to connect with shoppers beyond the point-of-sale, delivering multiple messages throughout a product's lifetime." In June 2015, Thinfilm highlighted its NFC OpenSense technology at Leo Burnett/Arc's fifth annual FutureShop showcase in Chicago. Leo Burnett/Arc clients and staff learned firsthand how next-generation, mobile-centric retail marketing technologies can change the way brands communicate and the way consumers make purchase decisions. "Thinfilm is very excited to partner with a global leader and innovator in the field of digital communication and shopper marketing," said Davor Sutija, CEO of Thinfilm. "We look forward to working closely with the team at Leo Burnett/Arc to help provide the agency's clients with solutions that strengthe consumer relationships and ultimately, grow their businesses." About Thin Film Electronics ASA Thinfilm is a leader in the development and commercialization of printed electronics. The first to commercialize printed, rewritable memory, the Company is creating printed systems that include memory, sensing, display, and wireless communication, all at a low cost unmatched by any other electronic technology. Thinfilm's roadmap integrates technology from a strong and growing ecosystem of partners to enable the Internet of Everything by bringing intelligence to disposable goods. Thin Film Electronics ASA ("Thinfilm") is a publicly listed Norwegian company with headquarters in Oslo, Norway; product development and production in Linkoping, Sweden; product development, production, and business development in San Jose, California, USA; and sales offices in the United States, Hong Kong, and Singapore. For more information, visit www.thinfilm.no. About Arc Arc is the Intelligent Activation Agency within Leo Burnett Worldwide. Headquartered in Chicago, Arc provides brands with innovative, insightful and imaginative creative solutions rooted in understanding people and behavior through the lens of a shopper. As part of one of the world's largest agency networks, Arc boasts 26 offices in 22 countries with more than 1,000 employees. Arc works with some of the world's most valued brands including Coca-Cola, Fiat, Adidas, Samsung (News - Alert), Microsoft, McDonald's and P&G. To learn more about Arc, please visit www.arcww.com. About Leo Burnett Worldwide Leo Burnett Worldwide believes in using creativity to drive dynamic business change for its clients. Through a HumanKind approach to marketing, the agency puts a brand's purpose at the center of communications to transform human behavior. Part of Publicis Communications, Leo Burnett Worldwide is one of the world's largest agency networks with 85 offices and more than 8,000 employees. The global agency works with some of the world's most valued brands including Coca-Cola, Fiat, Kellogg's, Kraft, McDonald's, Nintendo, P&G, Samsung and Tata among others. Leo Burnett is the most awarded network in the world based on Advertising Age's (News - Alert) 2015 Awards Report. To learn more about Leo Burnett Worldwide and its rich, 80-year history of creating iconic brands, visit our site, Facebook page and follow us via @leoburnett. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160218005392/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 18, 2016] CM Telecom Expands Into South Africa and Hong Kong BREDA, The Netherlands, February 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Global mobile services company CM Telecom today announces it's continuing its expansion by opening new offices in Cape Town, South Africa and Hong Kong. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160215/333230LOGO ) CM Telecom sees growing demands in Asia and Africa for its services including Hybrid Messaging and authentication features such as two-factor authentication. CM Telecom expects to bring its quality in SMS delivery throughout the continents whilst addressing verticals such as banking, retail, healthcare, logistics and media. James Bayhack has been appointed as Country Manager of South Africa and Fred Siu is the new Country Manager for Hong Kong. They will also be servicing Africa and APAC respectively. Hodny Benazzi, General Manager at CM Telecom: "The expansion is the result of growing demands in Africa and Asia for our services. Although both markets are mature and large areas to cover geographically, the expansion brings unique opportunities, both for our products and for new acquisitions. Our products Hybrid Messaging, CM Direct, mobile payments and two-factor authentication through mobile messaging will contribute highly in both APAC and Africa. Furthermore, we can add value to the market with our powerful analytics features and API's, which truly distinguish CM Telecom from its competitors." "While our competitors operate in specific areas, like SMS or push messaging or payment services, CM's product offering spans all of these areas under one roof. Our Hybrid Messaging system combines multiple channels in one package, ensuring customers can deliver messages to audiences via one partner, whatever the platform," said Jeroen Van Glabbeek, CEO of CM Telecom. About CM: Launched in the Netherlands in 1999 and with more than 20,000 clients worldwide, CM Telecom's platform helps brands conduct critical business processes including customer interaction, marketing campaigns and transactions. Services include SMS tools, app development, push notifications and a Hybrid Messaging product, which combines multiple channels in one package - ensuring customers can deliver messages to audiences via one partner, whatever the platform. CM Telecom's platform is powered by its own self-built infrastructure, supported by a 24/7 network operations centre including in-house data centres and fibre networks across northern Europe. Next to Hong Kong and Cape Town, CM Telecom has offices in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Brussels, Amsterdam, Breda and The Hague. https://www.cmtelecom.com/ SOURCE CM Telecom [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] It's exactly a month away for the biggest media awards in the Ashanti Region, Kumasi, Foklex Media Awards, organizers of the event have come out to reveal that this year's awards is without one of the biggest radio stations in Kumasi, Kessben FM 93.3. According to the CEO of Foklex Media Awards, Mr. Frank Owusu, who disclosed this to seancitygh.com, the kick out of Kessben FM is by virtue of the latter's failure to accept and attend last year's awards. Mr. Owusu said Kessben FM refused to accept their nomination last year and also boycotted the awards event last year. "Last year, I gave them (Kessben fm) nominations and they neither accepted nor attended the show. By virtue of this, I am also taking them out of this year's awards. And they didn't also give me a reason for that. This year I have decided not to give nomination to any station that will not come. I am only giving the nomination to only the stations which will take part. " However, seancitygh.com's sources have it that Kessben FM's refusal to attend last year's event was as a result of the station's displeasure on the 3rd edition of the Foklex Media Awards when to them(Kessben fm), their anchor, Ali Baba Dankanbari should have won the Best Newscaster award instead of Wofa Kofi Appiah then of Metro fm in Kumasi. This 5th edition of the Foklex Media Awards comes off at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Kumasi on the 26th of March, 2016 at the rate of 50 cedis Organizers are yet to release the nominations shortly. The event awards radio personalitieswho have distinguished themselves in their work as far as the radio business is concerned in the Ashanti Region, Kumasi. Leila Djansi and Veronica Quarshie 18.02.2016 LISTEN Controversial Ghanaian filmmaker Leila Djansi has proposed that March 8, which is the International Women's Day, be set aside to celebrate female filmmakers in Ghana's movie industry. This follows reports that first female Ghanaian movie director and writer Veronica Quarshie has not been celebrated. NEWS-ONE reported on Tuesday that before Ghana's celebrated female directors Leila Djansi and Shirley Frimpong-Manso, there was a Veronica Quarshie. She wrote and directed a number of amazing Ghanaian productions from the 90s and that included all-time best Ghanaian movie Stab In The Dark. But she is not recognised among the female personalities whose efforts have sustained the industry this far. Leila Djansi, in her blog about Veronica Quarshie, said: I'd attribute the MIA period of Veronica to the influx of Nigerian films and the return to the obnoxious, fashion-conscious films and of course, financing. When GAMA got sold, the industry died. The Nigerian invasion only made Nollywood rich. It didnt do much for Ghana until Abdul Salaam in 2005 opened the floodgates with Divine Love, which pretty much took a little bit of the tone of Veronica Quarshies style, modernised it and others followed from there (sic). . According to her, this is where I use this blog and article to petition the Ministry of Women and the Silverbird Cinemas to show films made by women every year on the 8th of March, which is International Womens Day. It is unclear what Veronica is doing now but she had a stint with Ghana's movie industry when the industry was the sole preserve of men. She took women from obscure, stilted and gender imbalanced storylines to women who owned their space. Her technical storytelling and mise-en-scene were perfect. Her stories did not create women who were validated by love; love was just an icing on the cake. She told everyday stories using realistic plots and had a unique skill in portraying the Ghanaian culture in her films. She worked for Princess Films owned by Moro Yaro. Veronica Quarshie graduated from the Ghana National Film and Television Institute in 1989. She is married to Mr Nai, an editor, and they have a son. By Francis Addo (Twitter: @fdee50 Email: [email protected]) Shatta Wale and Jon Benjamin 18.02.2016 LISTEN King of African Dancehall Shatta Wale on Wednesday, 17th February, 2016, together with members of his management team, paid a courtesy call on the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Jon Benjamin, at his office in Accra. Among other things, the meeting was an avenue for both parties to discuss areas of partnership for the development of the country as a whole, together with stakeholders within the Creative Arts Industry and other sectors. Jon Benjamin and Shatta Wale Movement team Also, at the meeting, Shatta Wale presented a branded Shatta Movement T-Shirt, a customised Shatta JB shirt and copies of a compilation of Shatta Wale's songs on a compact disc to Jon Benjamin. Team Shatta Movement was led by Chris Koney, who is responsible for Public Relations. Other members of the team included Charles Nii Armah Mensah Snr (Shatta Wale's father), Julio Cyriaano Olympio, Personal and Business Manager, Cecil Cofie, Personal Assistant and Adelaide Sarpong, Administrative Secretary of Shatta Movement. Sorry, we can't find the content you're looking for at this URL. Two planes have collided on the ground at an airport in Detroit. 17.02.2016 LISTEN The wing of an American Airlines plane clipped the tail of a Southwest Airlines plane, while both were on the taxiway. It happened on Wednesday at 06:05 local time (11:05 GMT) at Detroit Metro airport. Passengers had to remain on board the planes but there are no reports of any injuries or fuel leaks. The Federal Aviation Authority has said it will investigate the incident. Passenger Fletcher Sharpe spoke to the BBC from the airport where he will have to wait until the afternoon for another flight. He said other passengers commented that the planes were close to each other, but he did not believe they would hit each other until the moment of impact. All of a sudden we heard a loud crunch and a scraping sound, he said. I thought we had run over something. I looked up and the right wing had lost a few pieces and the back tail of the other plane was smashed off. It was frustrating. I understand that thats a high stress job. Everyones depending on you and you have a lot of things on your mind. But it just seems like 101 to make sure you have enough room. You learn that in a car, or when youre walking. We just happy we werent in the air. Below freezing . Another passenger, Jim Bishop, told Fox 2 News Detroit that he had been kept on board for two and a half hours and information was sparse at first. He said: It was ten minutes of silence. Nobody said anything. Finally it came over the radio that there had been an accident and to stay calm. A steward walked past and I asked him he said hed been in the job for 35 years and this had never happened before. He didnt know what to do. The temperature was below freezing and the Southwest plane was being de-iced when the accident happened. Both planes were Boeing 737s. Southwest Airlines said the plane that had been hit would now be out of service for maintenance. It had been due to fly to Dallas, the airliner said, and 95 passengers would be moved to other flights. In a statement, the airline said: We appreciate the patience of our customers as we work diligently to get them safely to their final destinations. American Airlines apologised to customers for the inconvenience and said the 150 passengers who were on board also due to fly to Dallas were being put on other flights. -bbc 17.02.2016 LISTEN China has deployed surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island in the South China Sea, Taiwan says. Satellite images taken on 14 February appear to show two batteries of eight missile launchers and a radar system on Woody or Yongxing Island in the Paracels. The presence of missiles would significantly increase tensions in the acrimonious South China Sea dispute. Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi said reports were a Western media invention. But Mr Wang defended the limited and necessary self-defence facilities on islands inhabited by Chinese personnel as consistent with the right for self-preservation and self-protection. under the international law. Taiwans defence ministry said it had learned of an air defence missile system deployed by the Chinese on Woody Island. It would not say how many missiles had been deployed or when, but told the BBC they would be capable of targeting civilian and military aircraft.. The commander of the US Pacific Fleet confirmed the deployment to Reuters news agency. Adm Harry Harris said such a move would be a militarisation of the South China Sea in ways Chinas President Xi Jinping had pledged not to make. Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said there were serious concerns over Chinas unilateral move to change the status quo in the region, and we cannot accept this fact. China has been carrying out extensive land reclamation work in the region, which it says is legal and for civilian purposes. . But the work has angered other countries which also claim the territory, and there is growing concern about the implications of the area becoming militarised. The latest images of Woody Island were captured by Image Sat International . They show a close-up of a section of beach, the shape of which resembles the northern coastline as it appears on other images, and point out two missiles batteries. Each battery is made up of four launchers and two control vehicles. Two of the the launchers appear to have been erected, says the report. An image taken of the site on 3 February shows the beach empty. Fox News quoted a US defence official as saying the missiles appeared to be the HQ-9 air defence system, with a range of about 200km (125 miles). The news comes as South East Asian regional leaders end a two-day meeting in California where South China Sea had been a topic of debate. US President Barack Obama said the members had discussed the need for tangible steps to reduce tensions, including a halt to further reclamation, new construction and militarization of disputed areas. A Pentagon spokesman said the US could not comment on intelligence matters but watched such issues very closely. The United States continues to call on all claimants to halt land reclamation, construction, and militarization of features in the South China Sea, he said in a statement to the BBC. -bbc 17.02.2016 LISTEN A student leader from a top Indian university charged with sedition has been beaten up in a Delhi court by a group of lawyers. Kanhaiya Kumar was beaten by lawyers shouting slogans, reports said. The court has sent him to prison for two weeks, when the case will next be heard. Mr Kumar was arrested after a rally against the 2013 hanging of Mohammed Afzal Guru at which anti-India slogans were allegedly raised. Afzal Guru was convicted over a 2001 plot to attack Indias parliament charges he always denied. The attack was carried out by Kashmiri militants and left 14 people dead. The violence comes despite the Supreme Court of India laying down strict guidelines after a previous hearing into the case also turned violent. The top court has now rushed a delegation to the Patiala court house to assess the situation. Mr Kumar has reportedly received injuries as a result of the attack. . BBC News journalists at the Patiala court say that a brick was thrown towards media personnel covering the event. Tarique Anwar of the Indian web portal Firstpost was attacked outside the court house before Mr Kumar was brought to the court. He told BBC News that he had been attacked by lawyers as he attempted to take a picture of them beating up a supporter of Mr Kanhaiya. They deleted the picture and dragged me inside a court room where they beat me up, he said. Mr Anwar also alleged that police had done nothing to help him. The arrest of Mr Kumar on the charge of sedition sparked outraged protests from faculty members, university students and sections of the media, who called it an overblown reaction to student action. Political parties have also joined the protest, with opposition groups condemning the government action. However, angry government ministers have not backed down, and vowed to punish the anti-national elements. -bbc 17.02.2016 LISTEN The US Republican Presidential candidate Jeb Bush is pro-gun rights and behind in the polls, so when he purchased his first firearm, he had probably hoped to receive support on social media. The former Florida governors new handgun, inscribed with his name on the slide, has been re-tweeted more than 19,000 times and met with widespread mockery around the world. Bush tweeted a picture of his gun alongside the word America, seeking to burnish his pro-gun credentials and patriotism as his campaign moves into the conservative state of South Carolina. But if the USA is defined by its relationship to firearms, Twitter provided the answer for how best to represent other countries across the world. British comedian Joe Lycett put forward this entry for the UK. Lycett Twitter Mike Landers suggested that pies and curry would better represent some of Britains cities. Mike Landers Twitter Mike Landers Twitter Professor Herman van de Wernfhorst , a sociology professor from the University of Amsterdam suggested this for the Netherlands. Herman van de Werfhorst Meanwhile, Ingo Bousa from Bristol thought that Denmark could present a more peaceful interpretation of Jeb Bushs tweet. Ingo Bousa . But as the rest of the world gently mocked Jeb Bush, some conservative supporters in America showed their appreciation by tweeting pictures of handguns. Marine Spectre Twitter Science fiction writer John Joseph Adams decided that if his country was going to be defined by one weapon, then he wanted to highlight the impact of other weapons on fictional cultures. I never thought that my most re-tweeted tweet would consist of one word, a Twitter handle and a picture of a lightsaber he wrote after his picture of the Star Wars memorabilia was shared more than 1,700 times. John Joseph Adams Twitter Other science fiction fans were quick to follow Adamss lead. Lisa Morton from Washington DC tweeted a Star Trek phaser. Lisa Morton Twitter Others thought the Doctor should get involved. Sirosenbaum Twitter Or that Jeb Bush could use some magical assistance with his campaign. Garcia Hortolano Jeb Bush is pulling out all the stops to revive his flagging campaign to become the Republican presidential nominee, with his brother, former President George W Bush, joining him in on the campaign trail in South Carolina. He can only hope that the online reaction to his tweet will help help him catch up with frontrunner Donald Trump and Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who won the New Hampshire and Iowa contests respectively. -bbc 17.02.2016 LISTEN The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has kick-started its campaign for the November 7 presidential and parliamentary elections with the distribution of outboard motors, embossed with pictures of President Mahama and the campaign theme of the ruling party, 'Changing lives; Transforming Ghana.' The heavily state subsidized outboard motors, designed specifically for the tropical environment, were sold for GHc12,000 to the recipients, instead of the market price of GHc18,800. According to the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Isaac Ashai Odamtten, who distributed the 'campaign' motors, the supply of the fishing equipment was one of the several promises President Mahama had made to the fishing communities. The distribution of the outboard motors was held at the Tema Fishing Harbour on Monday. The handing over ceremony was preceded by the playing of the official 2012 campaign songs of the NDC, thus wooing some of the NDC supporters who graced the function to the dancing floor. Because of the way the whole programme was highly politicized, some neutral observers at the function held the view that all the recipients of the outboard motors were probably supporters of the NDC. Mr. Robert Kempes Ofosuware, who was the first to address the gathering, was happy to have been part of the team of the MCEs who lobbied for the outboard motors. He praised Mr. Odamtten for resiliently continuing with all the developmental projects he started when he was the MCE for the area. Mr. Kempes Ofosuware ceased the moment to enumerate the developmental achievements of President Mahama and Mr. Odamtten and urged the people to vote for the president. Nii Ashittey Odametey II, chief fisherman, was full of praise for the government and the MCE for getting them the outboard motors. He was happy that the price of the equipment was unbeatable because the outboard motor is very costly on the market. By subsidizing it for us, the government has really thought about the fisher folks and we are grateful for that. He, however, entreated the government to increase the supply to meet the high demand of the large number of fishermen at the Harbour. Nii Odametey said, presently there are about 800 registered fishermen at the Fishing Harbour, hence, the need for government to quadruple the supply. For his part, Mr. Isaac Ashai Odamtten, Tema MCE, said the first supply was just the beginning of more fishing gears that the government would be distributing to the fishing communities. He charged the fisher folks to maintain their outboard motors in good condition, so that they do not spend money buying new ones all the time. He further advised them to use their old outboard motors as backups to the new ones so that they do not have to stay home for months, as they raise money to maintain the new ones, should they develop faults. From Inusa Musah, Tema 18.02.2016 LISTEN About 50 people are feared dead in a serious road accident on the Tamale-Kintampo stretch of road. The Wednesday road accident has built heavy traffic on the Tamale-Kumasi corridor road, as vehicles queue in wait for the accident scene to clear. Reports indicate the accident happened around 20:00 hours when a Kumasi bound Metro Mass bus collided head on with a truck carrying tomatoes believed to be traveling from Navrongo. All the passengers on the Metro Mass bus are feared dead. Adom FMs Wiafe Akenten reports that efforts were made to rescue one person trapped in the vehicle. He is said to be alive and has been taken to the hospital. Rescue operations are still underway. More soon. -adomonline Folks, I have had several occasions to take on Re. Mensa Otabil and charlatans of his ilk who are abusing the pulpit to do dirty politics. I havent regretted for putting such politically motivated Men-of-God where they belong in public discourse regarding the challenges of development facing our country. They are self-seeking noise makers to disregard. Here is Mensa Otabil again, spewing pure garbage to annoy me. Lets hear him: Ghanaians should not be content with the provision of basic goods and services such as roads, water and electricity by the state. We cant just be happy because a road has been tarred. We cant just be happy that we didnt have electricity, now we have electricity. We cant be happy with minimals. Then again, he says So, I hope that as we celebrate this story, and I like how it was put earlier that its a revolution and its really a revolution, we have to battle, we have to fight, we have to wrest the destiny of our nation from incompetence and from people, who have determined to run us to the ground. We have to wrest the nation back and control it as citizens of this country and that is the challenge I want to put to you. (See http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Don-t-be-happy-with-tarred-roads-electricity-416577) Nonsense. Pure nonsense!! Has Mensa Otabil ever visited any of the deprived communities now enjoying the amenities being provided by the government to assess the people's feelings? If he hasn't, he should do so immediately to be properly informed. If he has, he won't go this way. Does Mensa Otabil know the value of such projects to a people who have over the years been denied such projects and their attendant benefits? Does he ever use any of the development projects provided by the government? If he does, he will be the most ungrateful person on earth to not appreciate the government for providing such amenities. In effect, Mensa Otabil has launched a senseless attack on the government for serving the needs of the people, using public funds to provide direly needed amenities to improve living conditions. It is a huge insult to the users of such amenities too. Is Mensa Otabil ever informed about the cries of Ghanaians to the government to provide such amenities so they could also move with the times? And is he aware of numerous petitions written to the government on that score and the threats by neglected communities not to participate in the electoral/political process unless their bad roads are tarred, school buildings rehabilitated or new ones built for them, electricity provided for them, and good drinking water given them? Is Mensa Otabil ever sensitive to the plight of the deprived communities in Ghana that are gradually being served with these amenities? Does he know how happy people in such communities become when the government heeds their plea to provide the essential amenities for them to enjoy? If he does he wont talk so loosely and unconscionably. Is he happy that the university that he has established is serving the needs of the people but shouldnt be acknowledged as such? Or that the beneficiaries should ask him to shut down the university because it is not the be-it-all-and-end-it-all for them in life? How low couldnt he have stooped in his madness to denigrate the government for purposes of sustaining the rogue politics of those he is in bed with? Such a Man-of-God is no Man-of-God, after all. If he were, he should be the first to acknowledge the fact that the development projects are initiated by the government after a careful assessment of the needs of the people and how to ensure that they are given their part of the national cake to enjoy. What he doesnt know is that he is playing into the hands of those vile politicians whose new-fangled buzz-word of incompetence defines their own lack of vision. They are bandying that vacuous word about as if it is enough to tell Ghanaians what they have up their sleeves to outdo President Mahama and his team. Standing outside and looking into happenings in government isnt the same as really being in government and seeing from within what is happening. Whatever Ghanaians need to live their lives in decency will be provided by the political authority that they have put in power to manage public funds (After all, they pay taxes and should have their interests catered for. If it is development projects that will serve their needs, they must be provided; and there is nothing wrong with doing so). Providing such projects doesnt preclude any higher level thinking by the people, especially if they know how to do things to keep the government on its toes. Folks, I see nothing wrong with the provision of development projects all over the country. Tarring roads is a major initiative to be lauded. Opening up the communication network as such expedites mobility and promotes economic activities that eventually reinforce efforts at national development. Why cant Mensa Otabil and those thinking like him take off their blinkers for once to see things beyond their noses? (And Mensa Otabil has a big nose at that!!). Those of us living outside Ghana can tell the difference between the wretched state in which our people live because of lack of social amenities of the sort that the Mahama-led administration and its predecessors have given the needy people. Hospitals and other health centres are being built to cater for their health needs; schools are set up to provide opportunities for children to be formally educated; roads are tarred to ensure mobility; airports are built and rehabilitated to allow for easy movement to and from the country; markets are constructed and furnished to improve the health situation; many other facilities are provided to ease the burden on the peopleand all these projects shouldn't be appreciated? And the people shouldn't be happy that the government is using their tax money (including whatever donors give Ghana) to serve their needs? Why does Mensa Otabil think that Akufo-Addo is still forcing to grab the attention of a segment of the deprived population living in the "Zongos" with his talk of establishing a "Zongo Development Fund" or to build hostels for Kakyayei? Or to make senior high school education free in Ghana? And he expects the people not to be happy that their needs are being served? Indeed, Mensa Otabils kind of dirty politics under the aegis of religion is appalling. Ever since he chose to see nothing good about an NDC government in power, he has carved a negative path to chart in public discourse and is known as such. When Kufuor entered office, he was instrumental in the activities of the so-called Men-of-God, led by the Methodist Samuel Asante-Antwi to denigrate Rawlings and his administration. They saw nothing wrong about the development project-focused efforts of the Kufuor government; and for Election 2008, nothing fed the NPPs electioneering campaign messages more than the development projects and social interventionist programmes (NHIS, Metro-Transport, Schools Feeding Programme, etc.) that Kufuor had carried out. They wished Akufo-Addo had won, but for reasons best known to them, the voters rejected him as they did again at Election 2012. Since then, the Mensa Otabils have lost their bearings and momentum and are firing on all cylinders but missing the target. Their kind of dirty politics has refused to wash with the people because the people know better!! And now that they have chosen the wrong topic for their vituperation, they are only fertilizing the ground for another defeat for Akufo-Addo thereby. Interestingly, Asante-Antwi has planted himself deeply in the NPP fold where he is presiding over the Sanhedrin tearing the party apart. Cowards like Mensa Otabil are afraid to declare their political stance but easily betray such a penchant through their public posturing and rogue politics under the guise of religion. God sees them through in all that they do and say; and we will also dent holes in their calling as such. True Men-of-God work for peace, unity, and progress, not what emanates from the vaul;t of the Mensa Otabils. Shame unto them!! If Mensa Otabil thinks he has the solution to Ghanas problems, why cant he throw away his cassock (if he ever has one) and join the struggle? In other countries, Men-of-God have vigorously participated in the political process, seeking the peoples mandate to rule. Examples exist all over the world. I challenge Mensa Otabil to do same and stop hiding behind the smokescreen that he has created as a so-called inspirational speaker to do dirty politics. If he thinks he has the solution to Ghanas problems, let him step forward to contest the general elections and stop annoying us with his kind of vain effusions. A true Man-of-God sees things from a wider angle and comments on them to build, not to destroy. If such a "Man-of-God" believes his own Biblical eye-opening maxim that it is God who appoints Kings, I don't think they will toe the kind of crooked path that they have chosen all these years that the Ghanaian electorate have rejected their sacred cow in his bid to rule them. Characters like him continue to embolden me to ask that the authorities should be bold enough to change the countrys tax regime for pastors/leaders of churches to pay tax as responsible citizens should. If I had the power to change that system, I wont hesitate at all to rope in this Mensa Otabil and all the charlatans abusing the loopholes in our system to turn themselves into potentatesof the kind that God himself wont tolerate!! For now, I will dismiss him as an irritant. Those for him the development projects (good roads, telecommunication, potable water, electricity, etc.) are provided know the value of such amenities and will continue to praise the government for serving their needs. Ingrates of Mensa Otabils kind can go to blazes!! I shall return President John Mahama has expressed deep concern over the death of 45 people following a gory road accident on the Kintampo-Tamale road Wednesday evening. Hours after the unfortunate accident, the President who tweets on the handle @JDMahama, tweeted, Received the sad news of an accident involving a M.M.T Bus on the Kintampo-Tamale road. Condolences to those who have lost loved ones. Mahama further tweeted, "Emergency services working to attend to injured passengers in the M.M.T. Bus accident on the Kintampo- Tamale road. Very sad news." Forty two passengers on a Metro Mass bus believed to be traveling from Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso heading to Accra had a head-on collision with three other cars at Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo Region. The accident happened around 20:00 GMT. In another development, the President also commented on the ferry accident which happened earlier at Makango, Tamale in the Northern Region where a ferry carrying 500 people sunk. "With the ferry incident, all passengers onboard the Yeji- Makonga ferry were rescued by a naval detachment. Cargo also salvaged," Mahama's tweet said. All 500 persons onboard the ferry were rescued. 18.02.2016 LISTEN The real culprit behind the Feb. 9 brutal murder of Akyem-Abuakwa North MP Joseph BoakyeDanquah-Adu may be in the predictable process of being let off the hook; and until such independent and reliable investigative agencies as the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Scotland Yard (SY) are brought in, and promptly so, it is virtually certain that the case would be closed shortly without real justice having been brought to bear on the head and shoulders of the killer. We are all fully aware of the fact that the real mastermind behind Mr. Danquah-Adusmurder is not the man the police want the public to believe they have in custody. I have already called for the 2016 Presidential Candidate of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), who also happens to be a cousin of the deceased, to promptly step into the fray and call for the immediate involvement or takeover of the case by either the FBI or Scotland Yard. Already, there are quite a slew of active assassination case files that the personnel of the Ghana Police Service appear to be having a difficult time resolving. Even where the criminal suspects involved have been reportedly apprehended and duly charged with murder, the judicial system has shown predictable signs of disturbing prosecutorial paralysis or incapacity. You may be apt in calling it judicial fatigue. I am here, of course, referring to the Adams Mahama assassination case, in which the younger brother of the suspended National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Mr. Paul A. Afoko, has been standing trial for the brutal acid-dousing murder of the former Upper-East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party. It is a clear case of assassination because Mr. Mahamas death came closely on the heels of violent factional clashes at the Bolgatanga regional headquarters of the NPP, which also directly and actively involved both Mr. Paul Afoko and the latters well-known political right-hand man and suspended NPP General-Secretary Mr. KwabenaAgyeiAgyepong. A letter written and widely publicized by Mr. Mahama about two weeks before he met his brutal death amply testifies to the preceding observation. The credibility of this strong circumstantial evidence is further boosted by the suspended NPP National Chairmans spirited, albeit woefully abortive, attempt to criminally concoct an alibi for his shortly to be arrested and indicted brother, Mr. Gregory Afoko, described at the time as a 51-year-old farmer, and two other accomplices, namely, Mr. IssahMusah and Mr. AsabkeAlangdi, who remains at large with his wife, largely through the criminal instrumentality of the prime suspect, according to Bolgatanga police investigators. In the case of Mr. Daniel Asiedu, the 19-year-old prime suspect in the stabbing death of Mr. Danquah-Adu, it was initially revealed by police investigators to the media that Mr. Asiedu had personally confessed to having been contracted with the sum of GH 2,000 (Two-Thousand Ghanaian Cedis) to execute the victim. But now it has come to light that the slain Abuakwa-North MPs killer has changed his story and is singing a different tune. In the latest report, Mr. Asiedu is alleged to be claiming that he had broken into the home of Mr. Danquah-Adu with the sole and unprompted purpose of robbing the late chartered accountant (See MPs Death: Suspects Account Full of Inconsistencies Attafuah Adomonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 2/17/16). Mr. Asiedu had even reportedly claimed to have used some of his blood money to buy himself a pair of shoes. As renowned criminologist and lawyer Prof. Kenneth Agyeman-Attafuah has pointedly observed, it well appears that some form of external pressure or duress has been meted the suspect to get him to do the politically correct thing, which is precisely what Mr. Asiesu appears to be doing presently. In sum, this new song-belting is aimed at letting the real criminal mastermind behind Mr. Danquah-Adus assassination off the hook. And this is precisely where unrelenting pressure needs to be mounted on police investigators in order to get them to revisit the topography and sociology underlying the gaping leap or gap between Mr. Asiedus original story of him having been contracted to rub out Mr. Danquah-Adu, to the present poppycockish narrative of the prime suspects having supposedly undertaken, solo, the common criminal act of burglarizing and robbing the victim which event, somehow, mysteriously went awry and culminated in the brutal stabbing death of Mr. Danquah-Adu. Indeed, even as Prof. Attafuah rightly points out, the sinuous intricacy with which Mr. Asiedu allegedly committed the crime for which he is presently charged, bespeaks of something far more complex and sophisticated than the common crime of burglary and/orrobbery. In other words, this repulsively bloody act of murder has all the classical markings of a deliberately and deftly planned, strategized and symphonically orchestrated crime in the striking manner of a contractual assassination. The plot is thick and heavy with official involvement. And the Ghanaian people and the family of the slain man have an inviolable right to get to the bottom of this most heinous of crimes against humanity. *Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs 18.02.2016 LISTEN The captivating title of this article probably compelled you to ascertain the nitty-gritty of my defiant assertion. People know me to be a 19 year old guy; so declaring that, "I Need a Wife, not a Girlfriend," certainly leaves them in a state of bewilderment. You may also allude to the shallow idea that I am apparently immature as a teenager. Thus marriage should however be the last thing to think of in my budding life at the moment. In fact, I read a fabulous article regarding the delicate matter in hand and I could not agree more with the writer. The title was, "He Is not your Boyfriend," and the author's intellectual thoughts correspond closely with mine. Yes, this all-important write-up seems to be a follow-up to one of my favourite articles, "A Letter to my Ideal Woman." A chunk of my peers claim to be in relationships or dating. I have always insisted that dating is a product of conventional wisdom, and therefore has no structural basis in the Holy Bible most of us believe in. I always laugh within me when friends bombard me with questions like, "Are you dating?" or "Do you have a girlfriend?" And I usually decline to answer them, but I will now refer to a striking statement in the aforementioned article (not mine). It reads, "I am not against relationship but my argument is that at this age your aim for being in a relationship should be marriage and not pleasure," satirically emphasising that, "Boyfriends [and girlfriends] are for JHS and SHS students, at your stage [as a university student] he [or she] should be regarded as a future husband [or a future wife]." Ha-ha, the girls I inevitably flirt with - apologetically speaking - can confirm that I jokingly talk about marriage or husband-wife relationship, and not dating. Come to think of it. I need to start planning my marriage even at this tender age rather than expending my youthful energy on a carnal venture known as dating. Folks, do you know why many contemporary marriages end up in divorce these days? Lots of adventurous youths are under the delusion that sexual affairs in the name of dating are normal. Strangely enough, we meditate less on the sacred essence of a honourable marriage God wants us to enjoy to the full in the near future. If this sorry state of affairs is not rectified, I bet you divorce cases will get out of hand in our part of the world. And I pray my heartfelt concern becomes an issue for discussion in all Ghanaian homes. Moreover, youths of today profess to understand the dynamics of near marital relationship through the stinking amorous relationships they have. Look! Marriage is a lifetime commitment. I read somewhere that marriage is both a natural and sacred union because it is rooted in the divine plan of creation. That is why I do not need a girlfriend for dating sake, but I need a virtuous woman as my wife who will rally support for my vision to establish a global empire with my gift, writing. And by wisdom I will soon run into her, my ideal woman, not in a haste though, because I mean business in life as a genius who will not settle for less concerning matters of love. I therefore challenge fellow unmarried youths to decide today if they need sexmates or better halves. Source: sirarticle.blogspot.com 18.02.2016 LISTEN I have noted with shock and dismay a petition by a so-called Women for Justice in the Ashanti Region, to the Speaker of Parliament calling on him to punish the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, for his disparaging remarks against President John Dramani Mahama and radio presenter, Valentina Nana Agyeiwaa. According the spokesperson for the group, Mrs Alice Anthony, the action of the MP has brought the office of the President into disrepute and cast a dark slur on Parliament, and therefore called on all women groups in the country to rise and speak against Mr Agyapongs brazen disregard for the dignity of the Ghanaian woman I find this call by this unknown group of women as rather very unfortunate and discriminatory. I also find the womens call a disgrace to womanhood. Much as I didnt agree with the manner and language in which Mr Agyapong responded to Valentina Nana Agyeiwaa, alias Afia Schwarzenegger, one was expecting such womens groups like the Women for Justice in the Ashanti Region, to have first condemned the behaviour of Afia Schwarzenegger, who even went to the extent of insulting the mother of the Member of Parliament, who is also a woman. Afia Schwarzenegger, knowing very well that Mr Agyapong is a businessman, invariably declared him a thief or someone who acquired his wealth through dubious means, by sarcastically asking Mr Agyapong on her radio programme to tell Ghanaians where he got his wealth from. This was in addition to some unprintable words she used on the MP when the MP had not done anything wrong against this radio presenter. The unprovoked attacks and insults by Afia Schwarzenegger on the Member of Parliament should have been condemned immediately after her programme by her employers, Despite Group of Companies, Okay FM, and indeed the National Media Commission (NMC) and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA). When the Despite Group of Companies, the NMC, the GJA and concerned womens group failed to condemn the unprovoked attacks by the radio presenter on the Member of Parliament, were we expecting Mr Agyapong to keep quiet when his integrity was at stake, and even been declared a thief or acquired his wealth through dubious means? As human beings, we all have our tolerance levels, and again, members of parliament and other public office holders or politicians generally, are not angels despite the fact the we expect higher level tolerance and good conduct from them. Mr Agyapongs response was therefore unacceptable, but we would have been spared this if the appropriate had acted appropriately immediately after he was attacked. The very late face-saving statement issued by the NMC did not have any effect as it failed to first condemn Afia Schwarzenegger, who in recent times has taken undue advantage of having free airtime provided by the Despite Group of Companies on both television (UTV) and radio (Okay FM) to disparage people in all spheres of our national life without anyone calling her to order. By grouping Mr Agyapong and Afia Schwarzenegger together for a simple condemnation was a failure on the part of the NMC. To the Women for Justice in the Ashanti Region, if anyone has disgraced or devalued womanhood, it is Valentina Nana Agyeiwaa (Afia Schwarzenegger) and not Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, therefore the members must be ashamed of themselves for shielding Afia Schwarzenegger with the petition to the Speaker of Parliament instead of calling the unprofessional radio presenter to order for at least insulting Kennedy Agyapongs mother on radio. We have people paid by the state to defend the President in all aspects including numerous communication team members who are there to respond on behalf of the President when attacked in the media. Because such people are professionals, society expects them to respond to any insults on the person or office of the President in a professional way, and not the way the fame-and-self-seeking Afia Schwarzenegger went about on the radio. In growing our democracy, lets learn to praise where praise is due and condemn when condemnation is due, instead of always using politics as a shield to cover wrong-doers. Unprofessional people like Afia Schwarzenegger should not have been given the unfettered space and free airtime on television and radio in Ghana. The good image of the media houses of the Despite Group of Companies has been greatly dented by Afia Schwarzenegger. By the way, who are the members of this so-called Women for Justice in the Ashanti Region? Dr Frankie Asare-Donkoh Political Scientist & Media and Communication Consultant 18.02.2016 LISTEN Pastor (Dr) Mensah Otabil is arguably the most respected voice of reason in Ghana today. As a leading pastor in the country with a large following, Pastor Otabil has established himself not only as a respected cleric, but also as an influential businessman and entrepreneur. As a young man, I've benefitted tremendously from not only listening to his talks, and the reading of his books, I also received my Bachelors degree from a university he founded, the Central University. At Central University, we were taught to think outside the box and to critically analyze issues before we accept or reject them. And that is exactly what I intend to do in this piece on what Pastor Otabil said concerning the role of the State in our lives. First of all, the notion that Ghanaians should not be content with basic goods and services provided by government is absolutely wrong. What then is the role of government, if not to provide 'basic goods and services'? For someone who believes in private enterprise as the main panacea for our economic challenges, one would expect that Pastor Otabil will rather encourage the government to only stick to the provision of basic goods and services such as the provision of good roads, water, electricity, and security. If we don't demand and expect these basic goods and services from the government, what then should we expect the government to provide? Secondly, it is absolutely wrong for Pastor Otabil to suggest that the State has hijacked and monopolized almost everything in the country. Let's analyze the details. We live in a free enterprise society where the private individual is free to establish whatever institution or organization he/she wishes to organize within the confines of our laws. And I believe it is within that framework that Pastor Otabil was able to put up his university, the Central University. Any Ghanaian who is ready and willing to put up an enterprise is allowed to do so. With the exception of some few natural monopolies such as the water and railway sectors, Ghanaians have absolutely unbridled freedom to establish whatever enterprise they're willing, ready and able to establish. So for the good pastor to suggest that the government has monopolized and hijacked everything from the citizens cannot be factual. Thirdly, the State should not and cannot 'get out of hospitals, schools, and everything.' And to be frank, it is surprising and shocking to hear such a statement from no less a person than from a 'man of God.' A statement like that coming from Pastor Otabil is disturbing and unfortunate. Why must the State get out of everything? Apart from the fact that it is the responsibility of the State to provide basic goods and services, it is equally the responsibility of the State (or the government) to provide health, education, and other essential services to its citizens, especially for those who cannot afford what the private sector is providing. The State has not stopped any private person from going into hospitals. The State has not stopped any private person from going into schools. And the state has not stopped any private person from going into the other sectors of national strategic importance in this country. If anything at all, it is rather the private sector that is failing this country. And let me explain that. When Ghana was plunged into a serious energy crisis for almost four years, what stopped the private sector in this country from taking advantage of the inefficiency and the incompetence of the government, to help solve the crisis? What stopped the entrepreneurs and the businessmen that Pastor Otabil is talking about, from putting together consortia and other deals to put up power plants and other energy infrastructures to help address the power crisis? Is it not the same "inefficient" and "incompetent" government that has to put deals together to resolve the crisis? And today Pastor Otabil is telling us that "we cant just be happy that we didnt have electricity now we have electricity"? Of course we should be happy we have electricity! Of course we should be happy we have tarred roads! These are the basics we expect from any functioning government. And these are the fundamentals of any economic development. We should be happy that our government is providing these basic essentials. No where in the world the private sector is providing road infrastructure. That is the work of the government. And if the government does that, of course we should be happy that our government is functioning. These are the "minimals" we should be happy with. To develop this nation, we need both the private sector and the public sector to play their respective roles effectively and efficiently. The government has not stopped any private person from putting up a hospital that can compete with Korle Bu or the Ridge Hospital or the Okomfo Anokye Hospital. Our entrepreneurs and private business people either do not currently have the capacity to put up such structures, or are also guilty of lacking the vision and the foresight to put up those structures. No one should put that blame on the government. And until our entrepreneurs and business community puts up some of these basic infrastructures in place, we should never asked the government to "get out of hospitals, schools, and everything." We still need the government to run these facilities. Sorry Pastor, you're absolutely wrong on this matter! Mahmoud Jajah [email protected] The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wants to replace the Ranger Station in Cornell with one on County S in the town of Anson. The proposal will be discussed by the Chippewa County Planning and Zoning Committee at its meeting at 7 p.m. tonight in room 302 of the County Courthouse, 711 N. Bridge St., Chippewa Falls. The facility would have over 9,000 square feet and cost an estimated $1.8 million. The DNR said the project is scheduled to get funding during the 2017-2019 biennium. I knew they were looking for new land, said Cornell Mayor Judy Talbot, adding that she did not know the DNR had selected a site in Anson for a ranger station. According to the DNR: Built in 1955, the Cornell Ranger Station sits on a two-acre parcel on Highway 64 on the west side of Cornell. The station was intended to serve as a residence for the forest ranger assigned to the station and to house equipment. Today, the station serves a fire protection area of about 450 square miles in 11 townships in Chippewa County. After 60 years of service, the Cornell Ranger Station is in substantial need for updating, and there is not enough storage space to accommodate all of the equipment at the station, the DNR says, noting the wiring is old and inadequate. The driveway for the ranger station enters onto Highway 64 on a large, sweeping curve, making visibility poor and presents a danger to the public. In the last 10 years, the staff from the ranger station have fought 139 forest fires that burned 145 acres. Staff also validates boat, snowmobile and ATV registration applications, and gives out maps of lakes along with water regulation information, as well as issuing about 200 burning permits a year. The staff includes the ranger, a forestry technician, a part-time laborer from March to November, two part-time forestry technicians who can serve as firefighters during periods of fire danger, and one conservation warden. Upon completion of the new station, if it is built in Jim Falls as proposed, two additional permanent staff will be moved into the new facility. One additional conservation warden and one additional forester will be moved from department-leased office spaces in Chippewa Falls to the new ranger station, says the DNR statement. According to the DNR, the consolidation will provide savings from not having to operate two Chippewa Falls offices, improve teamwork, and allow for better use of equipment and resources. A new station would have a two-bay heated drive-through vehicle storage garage, along with a two-bay unheated storage garage. The cost of operating a new station would rise to about $20,000, but savings would be realized from a reduction in maintenance costs, and no longer needing to lease two office spaces in the Chippewa County courthouse. 18.02.2016 LISTEN Since he indicated interest to vie for the office of the President of Ghana, he has done so with little regard for decorum. It is to be noted that since his interrogation in the alleged Diplomatic Passport scandal, he has turned rabid in condemning anybody he perceived as standing in his way to becoming the next President of Ghana after NDCS President. It is yet to be established on what justification he considers himself apt for the office he seeks so desperately if not as a fallback remedy to shore up his bankrupt life history. For one, Ghana has grown beyond the cowboy and flamboyant approach which he personifies. The uncouth manner of some of his political friends as well as his up- at- them- manner of doing things is enough to send the nation back to the dark days. He will bring back to government all those characters whose disposition is at variance with good conducts. Note that it took political wisdom for John Agyekum Kuffour to have distilled those elements from the nation and return discipline to the nation. If within the period for his government to leave office and he is still commissioning projects and giving cheques to contractors then the man should be encouraged to find somebody as committed as himself if not more. The nation can ill afford a President that will use her resources to services debts;aPresident who is prepared to buy everybody within his government to do his bidding. The fact that he does not lose sleep over the enormity of debt burden is a testimony to the fact that he would care less if Ghana is thrice in debt. Recall that no matter how anybody may hate PresidentJOHN AGYEKUM KUFFOUR, he has done for the nation what most other Presidents are incapable of doing. Even before Akufo-Addo has contested the office of opposition president he was said to be building a mini government house in his Nimahome, another case of clannishness. Truth is that Ghana has not the kind of money that will offset Akufo-Addo's debt and at the same time satisfy his expensive taste. Forget his claim of turning the nation into an industrial hub with his unknown business partners; the freebies campaign. The old man has done well for himself and will do himself a world of good to continue in that capacity rather than dabble into the Presidentship of Ghana as the last straw to save his royalty. And he does not also think that he is handicapped emotionally to lead a nation that produced academic stars. If he is not intimidated by the array of these stars to recant his ways I am sure the Ghana voters will place him where he belongs on November 7th 2016. The Executive Director of the National Service Secretariat (NSS), Dr. Michael Kpessa Whyte, has defended the initial selection of Dr. Karl Marx Arhin as the representative of the NSS on the National Election Steering Committee, saying nothing bars him as a citizen from holding that position even though he is a card bearing member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC.) The EC has come under intense pressure from opposition groups for the appointment of Dr. Arhin, a known NDC member unto the committee whose composition is expected to be neutral. These calls have resulted in the withdrawal of Dr. Aarhin. a Deputy Director of International Affairs of the NDC from the Committee. But speaking to Citi News, Dr. Kpessa Whyte said his outfit did not err in appointing him because his competence was considered above every other factor. Arhins appointment not wrong He argued that there was nothing wrong with Dr. Arhins appointment because he is first and foremost a Ghanaian citizen and as a citizen, he has certain obligations to discharge for the proper functioning of the state. Therefore given the opportunity, he is expected to discharge whatever responsibility assigned to him as a citizen and it is only after that, that other things matter. This whole thing about the appointment of Dr. Arhin and party affiliation is a clear case of misplaced priority, and Im so surprised the way we are going about it in this country, Dr. Whyte said. He also argued that in any case, that committee is made up of 18-members who have one vote each. What wins political parties election in this country and other countries, are credible alternatives demonstrated persuasively and convincingly to the people. President John Dramani Mahama has expressed condolence to families who have lost loved ones in Wednesday night's accident on the Kintampo-Tamale road. Fifry-three persons have so far been confirmed dead. In a tweet Wednesday night the President said: 'Received the sad news of an accident involving a M.M.T bus on the Kintampo-Tamale road. Condolences to those who've lost loved ones.' The accident which involved a Metro Mass Transit (MMT) bus and a truck load of tomatoes occurred around 8pm meters away from the Kintampo Township. Accra, Feb. 17, GNA - Accra Brewery Limited (ABL), the nation's premier beverage producer, is intensifying its campaign to discourage minors from consuming alcohol. The initiative is to caution and educate students and pupils about the dangers of alcohol consumption at an early age. The company has been carrying out the campaign since last year, targeting students in primary, junior high and senior high schools in the Greater Accra Region. Over the past few weeks, however, the campaign has picked up steam with talks at Christian Methodist and St. Thomas Aquinas Senior High Schools. The following schools will also be reached before the end of February; Accra Academy, Kaneshie Technical High School and Achimota School. As part of ABL's objective of creating a sociable world, the initiative, is to ensure that the company's products are developed, marketed, sold and consumed with high regard for individual and community well-being. The campaign meant to reach 8000 underage persons directly by March 2016, aims at educating the public, particularly persons under the age of 18 about the dangers of alcohol consumption. It is in pursuit of inculcating affirmative change in the younger generation that the company organised a seminar for over 1000 students, drawn from select second cycle schools within the Greater Accra Region, on the harmful effects of underage drinking. The facilitator of the anti-underage drinking campaign, ABL's Corporate Affairs Manager, Cyrus de Graft- Johnson, said ABL, as a good corporate citizen, has the mandate to prevent underage drinking to demonstrate the company's commitment to the well-being of society. He advised the students to desist from alcohol intake since it could jeopardise their future aspirations and also pose serious health issues such as impaired brain development and physical arm. 'In as much as making huge sales and profits are important, we would not renege on our commitment to promoting responsible alcohol consumption. It is our belief that alcohol consumption is for adults and not for people below the age of 18. The issue of underage drinking may not be a pronounced problem as of now, but we cannot sit and wait for it to take a deeper root in our society. As they say, prevention is better that cure'', Mr deGraft-Johnson said. While cautioning the students to discard the notion that alcohol could assist them study better, he is urged them to focus on their studies, read widely and take their education seriously. He said this interaction follows some other programmes which had been undertaken by the company since 2014 to impact positively on the youth. 'We are stepping up the pace to ensure that more underage persons are reached. We will welcome any collaboration with any institution that is ready to go on this journey with us. The school authorities have so far been very accommodating and we are grateful', he said. Some of the students who have so far participated in the interactive talk sessions said they had acquired valuable information. 'This seminar has made me understand that alcohol consumption, at my age, will impede my performance and mental development' said 15 year old Belinda Dogbe of Achimota Basic School. 'I will now politely refuse to go on any errand that requires me to buy alcohol for any adult', said 14 year old Samuel Ofoe of Kotobabi 2 JHS. Both students participated in a pre-valentine day talk session in partnership with Dream Believe Achieve, a mentoring group of young professionals. GNA 18.02.2016 LISTEN CDD-GHANA STATEMENT PROTESTING THE SHORT NOTICE OF PUBLIC INPUT INTO THE INTERCEPTION POSTAL PACKETS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS BILL, 2016 It has come to our notice that the Parliament of Ghana is considering the passage of a new legislation - Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunication Messages Bill, 2016. The Parliament put out a notice on Monday February 15, ostensibly, to solicit public input into the draft legislation, with Friday, February 19, as the deadline for submission of such inputs. We wish to express our profound dismay over the very short notice Parliament is giving to the public, for the submission of inputs into this piece of legislation. We also protest the fact that a copy of the said draft legislation was not published along with the public notice on Monday, or made available to the public via the official website of Parliament. Considering the implications and likely impact of such a bill on the rights of the citizens of Ghana, Parliament should have taken steps to: Widely publicize the bill so as to solicit input. Allow for more time to enable organizations and persons to send memoranda, and for public debate on the merits of such legislation. We are by this protest calling on Parliament to demonstrate credible commitment to the principles of open government in the discharge of its duties as a body of representatives of the people. As a tax-payer funded democratic governance institution, the Parliament of Ghana must eschew all inclinations towards tokenism. We demand that Parliament, in accordance with the principles of transparency and democratic governance, withholds a consideration of the bill until it is widely publicized and the public given adequate time to study and submit memoranda to the appropriate Parliamentary Select Committee. We call on all civil society organizations, including the faith-based ones, media and democracy-loving citizens to join us to protest the injustice and subterfuge that is about to be perpetrated on the blind-side of the citizens of Ghana. Dated: 18th February, 2016 Mina Okuru, Communications Officer 18.02.2016 LISTEN Minister of Transport, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey has urged operators in the air transport industry in Western and Central Africa to invest in the upgrade of their satellite technologies and the training of human resources in their respective jurisdictions. This, according to the minister, is to ensure the safety of aircraft and air passengers in the Western-Central Africa sub-region. Mr. Kwetey made the call while delivering the keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 23rd Satellite Network Management Committee Meeting (SNMC) at the Ghana Civil Aviation Training Academy on Monday in Accra. He stressed the need for the re-engineering of the satellite network in the sub-region in line with modern technological advancements considering the fact that most equipment started off with by most operators in the sector may now be approaching the end of their useful lifespan and therefore may not be as efficient as when first installed. Since installed equipment have to be operated and maintained by engineers and technicians in the various administrations, do in your deliberations come out with new ideas on how to train, equip and motivate them so that they can always give of their best, Mr. Kwetey stressed. The establishment and sustenance of this network, the sector minister said, is no doubt one of the achievements we as Africans can boast of. According to him, the satellite network has succeeded in bringing together people of various nationalities to work and strategize together to ensure that the African airspace becomes one of the safest in the world. He added that this clearly demonstrates the principles of cooperation and brotherliness enshrined in the charter of ECOWAS and the African Union. Details of the meeting Representatives of specialist companies and vendors of satellite communications technology from across the Western-Central Africa sub-region are attending the four-day SNMC meeting. The SNMC was established in 1994 after the completion of an Aeronautical Communication Satellite Project Network involving Ghana and a number of countries in the Western-Central Africa sub-territory. . The network, also known as AFISNET, seeks to ensure the safety of flights, with the Flight Information Regions of the Sub-region through the use of satellite technology for the dissemination of aeronautical information. To sustain the network interconnectivity, availability, member states, represented by their respective aviation administrations, meet once a year to deliberate on issues affecting the network so as to optimize the network performance. In his welcome remarks, Director-General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, Ing. Simon Allotey said the establishment of AFISNET had enhanced the dissemination of flight-related data in the Western and Central Africa sub-region. He stressed the need to align AFISNET's engineering strategy with ICAO's Global Air Navigation Plan to enhance air navigation capacity and efficiency in the implementation of the Aviation System Block Upgrade, commonly referred to as ASBUS. [email protected] BY Melvin Tarlue Scores of people in some rural communities have been allegedly fleeced of more than GH20,000 by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) under the pretext of offering them support and scholarships. Some of the victims are from the Ashanti, Eastern, Central, Greater Accra and Western regions. Two of the top officials of the NGO, the United Kingdom Scholarship, have been arrested by the police in Kasoa. The identities of the suspects have been given as James Atto Yeboah, 31, the Manager, and Augustine Mensah, 25, the Administrator. Three suspects who are on the run are an European woman, identified only as Lily, who is said to be the owner of the NGO; the Managing Director, Kofi Isaac, and the Supervisor, Prince Asante. Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Kasoa Divisional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr Joseph Oklu Gyamera, said the police started receiving complaints from some of the victims about the operations of the NGO in 2015. Following the complaints, he said, the police initiated investigations into the operations of the NGO, which led to the arrest of the suspects. 'Further investigations revealed that most of the victims were students, farmers and the aged,' he added. According to the police, field officers of the NGO were engaged to go round villages in the regions to register needy people at a fee for them to benefit from the support and scholarship programmes of the organisation. Interested persons were then made to pay registration fees ranging between GH10 and GH40, after which the field officers helped the would-be beneficiaries to fill forms with their personal details. After allegedly registering the people to ostensibly benefit from the NGO's support and scholarship programmes, the operators of the NGO and their field officers vanished into thin air. Arrest of suspects Following numerous complaints from some of the victims, the Kasoa Police arrested the two men believed to be the masterminds of the NGO, while a manhunt has been mounted for the three others who are on the run. Some of the areas whose residents have fallen victim to the operations of the NGO are Sefwi Wiawso and Asawinso in the Western Region; Obuasi, Adientem and Kuntanase in the Ashanti Region; Akraman and Supona in the Greater Accra Region, and Obosomase-Akuapem in the Eastern Region. In the Central Region, the group is said to have fleeced residents of communities such as Okroase, Panfokrom, Okyesowa and Babenso. They are said to have collected more than GH20,000 from residents of about eight villages. Field officer Mr Gyamera said the NGO promised to offer scholarships to students who registered with them, in addition to the provision of learning materials, including exercise books. According to him, the aged were promised bags of rice, gallons of oil and money at the end of every month, while farmers were promised money to help them expand their farming activities. Additionally, he said, five of the field officers, all women, claimed their lives were being threatened by some of the victims after their employers disappeared. He said the field officers claimed they had been promised a monthly salary of GH400 but they were only paid once out of six months. He said the field officers told the police that they were made to send the money collected from interested people through mobile money to the suspects. The field officers became suspicious when they realised that their employers were not fulfilling their promises to the people they had registered, he said. Advice to victims Mr Gyamera said the victims, who had also become suspicious when they realised that the phones of the operators of the NGO were off, threatened the field officers. After mounting a search for the suspects, he said, the police arrested Yeboah and Mensah at their hideout in a hotel in Kasoa on February 15, 2016 while they were recruiting a new set of field officers. He urged victims to contact the police and offer information on the other suspects and advised people in especially the rural areas to be careful when people came to them with proposals of improving their living standards by verifying the authenticity of the claims. Juba (AFP) - Gunmen in South Sudan opened fire on civilians sheltering inside a United Nations base with several reported killed, residents said Thursday, the latest in a string of atrocities in the war-torn nation. Gunfire broke out in the base in Malakal in the northeast on Wednesday night, with reports of gunfire continuing on Thursday morning. "They killed seven people and injured 32 people, including a young boy whose father was also killed," said resident Jacob Nhial, speaking from inside the UN base. Community leader Deng Amum, told Juba's Eye Radio that at least five people had been killed and 38 wounded in the battles. Rebels also reported the shooting, but the numbers killed could not be independently confirmed. Over 47,500 people live inside the Malakal base, among almost 200,000 civilians who have sought shelter behind the razor wire fences of eight UN bases across the country since civil war began in late 2013. "They used Kalashnikovs and machine guns... the situation is still tense," Nhial said. It was not immediately clear who the gunmen were. Malakal is in government control but frontlines with rebel areas are close by. In the past, the UN has said attacks on its bases in South Sudan may constitute a war crime. - 'Callous and cowardly' - Veteran opposition politician Lam Akol, who comes from Malakal in the northeastern Upper Nile state, condemned what he called the "callous and cowardly attack on innocent unarmed civilians." UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) spokeswoman Ariane Quentier said there had been "an incident" but was unable to confirm details. The UN mission has more than 12,000 peacekeepers, with half them deployed solely to protect the civilians in their bases. In April 2014, gunmen killed at least 48 civilians when they opened fire on terrified civilians inside a UN base in the town of Bor. At least 10 attackers were also killed when UN troops fought back. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and over two million forced from their homes since the war began, pushing the world's youngest nation to the brink of famine. Civil war erupted in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of planning a coup, setting off a cycle of retaliatory killings that have split the poverty-stricken, landlocked country along ethnic lines. Earlier this month Kiir named exiled rebel chief Machar as vice-president, as part of a repeatedly broken August peace deal. Machar has yet to return to take up the post and fighting continues, with the conflict now involving multiple militia forces driven by local agendas or revenge, who pay little heed to paper peace deals. Both the government and rebel sides have been accused of perpetrating ethnic massacres, recruiting and killing children and carrying out widespread rape, torture and forced displacement of populations to "cleanse" areas of their opponents. Over 2.8 million people need aid, almost a quarter of the country, while in war zone northern areas 40,00 are being starved to death with aid blocked amid violence. 18.02.2016 LISTEN Accra, February 18, 2016 - Following thirteen weeks of telecasting the stories of 10 MTN Heroes of Change finalists, the stage is set to reward the ultimate winner and category winners for Education, Health and Economic Empowerment at an awards ceremony scheduled to take place at the Accra International Conference Centre on 19th February 2016. The ultimate Hero of Change will receive GH100,000 to support his/her community project, whilst category winners receive Gh20,000 each. The remaining six finalists will each receive Gh5,000. Guests at the awards event will be entertained by Becca, Kwabena Kwabena, El Dunamis Minstrels, Abena of MTN Hitmaker Season IV and Steve Bedie. Commenting on the upcoming event, the Executive Director of MTN Ghana Foundation, Mrs. Cynthia Lumor, said, Each finalist has a story that demonstrates the humanity of people. Without exception, they each saw a human need that spoke to them, and they challenged themselves to do something. We are proud to showcase these brave, selfless people and reward them for their extraordinary work. We hope others will be motivated by their example. Members of the selection jury are Rev. Albert Ocran (Motivational Speaker), Dr. Doris Dartey (Communications Consultant), Mr. Mohammed Awal (Publisher) and Mr. Sidney Casely-Hayford (Economist). MTN Heroes of Change was launched in July 2013 with the aim of identifying and recognizing people who have been proactive about sacrificing their time and resources to improve their communities and brighten lives. Dr. Abrokwa-Yenkyira, a plastic surgeon and Founder of Grafts Foundation, emerged the ultimate winner for the maiden edition of MTN Heroes of Change in 2014. Fridays event will officially end Season II of the program. 18.02.2016 LISTEN It is very ironic for key NDC operatives like Mr. Kofi Adams to take a self-righteous stand on the question of President Mahamas patently unwise decision to accede to the resettlement of the two Saudi-born Yemeni graduates of the Guantanamo Bay Maximum Security Prison. What Mr. Mahama did has put all Ghanaians in harms way. And so it is nothing short of the downright preposterous for the National Organizer of the National Democratic Congress to call for Bishop Joseph Osei-Bonsu, the President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, to apologize to the very people for whose safety Bishop Osei-Bonsu constructively castigated the President (See Rev. Osei-Bonsu Must Seek Forgiveness Over Gitmo Two Comments Starrfmonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 1/25/16). It is also ironic on the part of Mr. Adams because like President Mahama, the political legitimacy of the NDC National Organizer directly hinges on the morally scandalous Indemnity Clause that was inserted into Ghanas 1992 Republican Constitution. I also seriously doubt that when the former Rawlings water-boy mentions the name of Divine Providence, or God, that Mr. Adams is referring to the same Supreme Deity that many a devout Ghanaian Christian confesses or professes to worship. Indeed, when Bishop Osei-Bonsu counsels President Mahama to balance compassion with common sense, he may be thinking about the inexcusable fact that there are hundreds of bona fide Ghanaian citizens who have been incarcerated without trial in the country for decades now. Needless to say, if any group of humans should be reckoned to be deserving of the sort of Christian Compassion that the former NDC-MP from Gonja-West is talking about, it is definitely these Ghanaians who have yet to be afforded their proverbial inalienable right to be arraigned and duly tried before a legitimately constituted court of the land. Not surprisingly, Indemnity Clause-protected certified terrorists like Messrs. Amaliba and Adams, as well as their brazen collaborators among the top-hierarchy of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), such as Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby, would have Ghanaians believe that the Gitmo Two are more deserving of justice merely because they had been taken prisoner on the killing fields of Afghanistan and Pakistan by the United States, whose leadership the key operatives of the ruling National Democratic Congress, beginning with Chairman Jerry John Rawlings, have been widely known to hate with a vengeance. Rather than further aggravate an already volatile situation, what NDC hacks like Messrs. Anyidoho, Adams, Asiedu-Nketia and Amaliba ought to doing presently is to be explaining precisely why they think President Mahama ought to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for legitimizing the Arabo-Islamist terrorist conduct in Ghana. Indeed, even as I write, several Yemeni nationals are reported to have been arrested in Accra, Ghanas capital, and charged with unlawful entry into the country. It constitutes the height of criminality for anybody to suppose that irreparably impairing the security of Ghanaians is the most godly foreign policy measure ever implemented by any postcolonial Ghanaian government. If anybody needs to seek forgiveness from Divine Providence, it definitely is the former Shit-Bomber and his associates, minions and hangers-on. We need to also hope and pray that a critical mass of terror-minded Yemenis does not mushroom around the presence of Messrs. Bin-Atef and Al-Dhuby in the country. One can easily fathom what the consequences would be by simply looking at the present political climate in Yemen. *Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs On Thursday, staff and parents of students at Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District received a letter from Jeffrey Holmes, Superintendent about active shooter swatting calls taking place at multiple school districts across the state. Swatting calls are hoax reports of threats made to police which insight panic. Police say similar types of false threats have occurred at multiple schools across the state Thursday. These threats included 911 calls to police across the state claiming that schools had an active shooter. 18.02.2016 LISTEN A senior lecturer at the Department of Population and Health of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Prof. Kofi Awusabo-Asare has observed that the newly introduced Community Day Senior High Schools (SHSs) will not work if government does not incorporate them into the national agenda. He believes the community day schools will not survive beyond a 10-year period because the programme was not a well-thought out national plan. Speaking to journalists after a presentation on the Computer Schools Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) in Kumasi, Prof Awusabo-Asare said the community day SHS programme appears not to have been rolled out on the basis of research, adding that history would have guided the policy implementers that day schools do not work in the country. Apam Secondary School was set up as a day school, but it was later converted to a boarding school because of what happened, he pointed out and asked the country to learn from such experience. The senior lecturer added that we don't study things and when someone says something we pooh-pooh it as being bookish. But that is how societies learn. Nobody is prepared to put in money to look at why it didn't work and then we can do to correct the system. The university don said the time has come for Ghanaians to sit down and develop a national plan on education in order to stop unnecessary interference from political actors. Prof Kofi Awusabo-Asare He said the four-year SHS system, as recommended by the Anamoa Commission, would have been superb if the government had not rejected it due to political expediency and reverted to three years. On the CSSPS, Prof Awusabo-Asare indicated that the SHS system should be made autonomous of the national system, while the country agrees on the distribution of 30 percent quota for the district and other stakeholders, including the faith-based organisations. He was speaking at the 36th Annual National Conference of the Association of Catholic Heads of Higher Institutions (ACCHHI) under the theme: '10 Years of CSSPS Operation Effect on the Stakeholders and the Way Forward.' . The learned professor called on the religious bodies to be proactive by coming up with programmes to improve the education sector. In his view, this would help deal with challenges of CSSPS that was implemented in 2005. National President of ACCHHI, Rev. Fr. Michael Elorm Gbordzor, on his part, said the education sector in Ghana was currently faced with serious challenges and there were several questions begging for answers. He mentioned inadequate supply of textbooks, inadequate training materials for technical and vocational institutions, among others, as some of the problems facing the education sector. He called on government to pay attention to proposals from bodies such as ACCHHI. From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi 18.02.2016 LISTEN THE Mpraeso Magistrate Court presided over by Her Worship Madam Mariam Salleh Sinare has remanded nine suspects out of the 11 who were arrested by the Nkawkaw Divisional Police Command for dealing in substances suspected to be wee. The suspects, currently in police custody, are to reappear before the court on 2nd March, 2016. Seventeen suspected wee dealers were initially arrested by the Nkawkaw Police Command at Apesika in the Kwahu East District of the Eastern Region, after the police seized 204 bags of Indian hemp. But they were screened to eleven. Chief Supt James Sarfo Peprah, the Nkawkaw Divisional Police Commander, said the 11 suspects were charged with the offence of possessing narcotic products contrary to section 2 ( 1 ) of PNDC Law 236/ 1990. According to Supt James Sarfo Peprah, two womenAmaliba Clemencia, 21, a physically challenged pregnant woman, and Adwoa Amaliba, 20, a nursing motherwere granted bail to the sum of GH 10,000 with a surety. . Chief Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah explained that the police, upon tipoff, gathered intelligence about the activities of farmers in the area and embarked on a dawn operation to arrest them. According to him, that was his first time of embarking on such an operation in that area. He added that the village comprises 21 houses and that they retrieved wee from almost every house. The Nkawkaw police chief further stated that the suspects attempted bribing the police with GH1000 after they were busted but the officers refused their offer. He said a Kia truck was used to convey the wee to the police station. Samples of the substances, as gathered, have been sent to the Police Laboratory for examination. FROM Daniel Bampoe, Mpraeso Magistrate Court 18.02.2016 LISTEN SCORES OF foreign students have trooped to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi to study the Doctor of Pharmacy Programme ('PharmD,') which the university has started. The Vice Chancellor of the KNUST, Prof. Otoo Ellis, who made the announcement, disclosed that the students are mainly from about twelve countries, especially in the West African sub-region, including Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire. He expressed delight over how foreign students are trooping to KNUST to study the 'PhamD' programme, which had been structured in a manner to make the students learn all the modern techniques and innovations in pharmacy. Prof. Otoo Ellis was speaking when top gurus from the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana and the Pharmacy Council visited KNUST to assess the programme. KNUST introduced 'PharmD,' which is a six-year programme at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences about four years ago and the first batch of trainees are expected to graduate in two years time. Prof. Ellis announced that the school through its Internal Generated Fund (IGF,) has embarked on massive infrastructural expansion to enable the six-year 'PhamD' programme go on smoothly. He disclosed that a centralized laboratory which boasts of equipment for the training of the students had been constructed at the cost of 6 million Euros and a five-storey block for lectures would soon be completed. . Dennis Sena Awitty, Executive Secretary, Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, stated that he and his team were highly impressed about the professional manner in which KNUST is running the 'PharmD' Programme. He especially expressed joy over the huge infrastructural investments KNUST has made for the programme, saying We commend you for your vision and boldness to start the programme here on your campus. From what he had witnessed, Mr Awitty was confident that the students KNUST would produce could work effectively across the globe after their studies. The Registrar of Pharmacy Council, Joseph Nyoagbe, on his part, said he was short of words over what he had seen, predicting that the school would produce exceptional students. FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi 18.02.2016 LISTEN The Member of Parliament for Klottey Korle constituency in the Greater Accra Region, Nii Armah Ashietey, can no longer stand attacks from some pro-government newspapers which have been running him down for the last couple of weeks. They include the Inquisitor, Informer, Enquirer and the Al Hajj newspapers which have questioned his credibility as a man of his own. He has come under a barrage of attacks from the aforementioned papers which claim he has been under the control and influence of certain people before, during and after last year's Klottey Korle Parliamentary primaries, which he lost to the daughter of former President Rawlings, Dr Zanetor Rawlings. It follows a court action instituted by Ashietey and one Nii John Coleman to demand justice to correct a wrong they said was of monumental proportion. Concern In a statement released in Accra yesterday, an obviously unhappy Ashietey, who is also a former Greater Accra Regional Minister, said it is unfortunate, malicious and provocative for these newspapers to suggest that I am not my own man and that I am a 'shameless boy-boy' all because he had instituted an action in court to right a wrong. We are in court to get the NDC to enforce its own rules that a member shall not qualify to contest primaries for any parliamentary seat if that member fails to satisfy the requirements for the election of a Member of Parliament a citizen of Ghana, 21 years and above, and a registered voter. That is all. I do not think that we are asking too much from the court to get the party to enforce its own rules, he stated. According to Ashietey, a number of friends, government appointees, businessmen and women and high-up NDC members supported his campaign during the primaries because they had the confidence, belief and conviction that all things being equal, he could retain the seat for the NDC in 2016. Justification . That notwithstanding, he indicated that these people have restrained themselves from the current court action for varying reasons that I very much respect, and it is most unfair for anybody to try and draw them into it. He therefore noted, These newspapers have no justification whatsoever to peddle malicious untruths to bring me to public ridicule since I have maintained a very cordial relationship with the press. It was for this reason he considered it extremely unfair for these newspapers to continue to unnecessarily attack his personality without any basis and for no wrong committed. That, he said, was because high-ranking NDC members know the support and contributions I made from 2002 to 2008 to wrestle the constituency from the hands of the opposition, adding, yet today, misguided young men refer to me as a boy-boy! In politics, I served the NDC in the Klottey Korle Constituency as a Branch Chairman and rose through the ranks to become Constituency Chairman, he touted his credentials. Apart from that, he emphasised, I was once the Chief Executive of the then Tema Municipal Assembly, twice Minister of State and presently the MP for Klottey Korle Constituency and member of the Judiciary Committee of Parliament. It is trite knowledge that for years I have shaped my personality as a firm and independent thinking individual making decisions on behalf of many Ghanaians. My working life, in politics and outside politics, attests to my high level of commitment to independent thinking and hard work, he bluffed. By Charles Takyi-Boadu Harry Anthony Attipoe speaking during the workshop 18.02.2016 LISTEN THE GREATER Accra Regional House of Chiefs in Dodowa has given kingmakers of Teshie Traditional Area two weeks to present the names of their prospective chiefs to the house in order to resolve the chieftaincy dispute in the area. Harry Anthony Attipoe, Registrar of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs gave the deadline during a workshop organized at Dodowa on Tuesday to educate people of Teshie on the installment and destoolment of chiefs. The order came after the three member committee formed by the Accra House of Chiefs to look into the Teshie chieftaincy issue had completed its work with the findings ready to be forwarded to the National House of Chiefs at Kumasi in the Ashanti Region for approval. But the Teshie kingmakers are yet to make the names of their eventual candidates known to the Regional House of Chiefs who have to forward them to the National House of Chiefs. The kingmakers are expected to submit names of potential candidates for the positions of Paramount Chief, Mankralo and Dzasetse. The registrar advised the kingmakers to always respect the installation and destoolment of chiefs as enshrined in Article 277 of the country's constitution. . He charged the kingmakers not to allow themselves to be compromised by wealthy people who might influence them to install them as chiefs since that would go a long way to haunt them and their future generations. The registrar further admonished the kingmakers to always ensure royals go through the right customary rites and legal requirements before being pronounced chiefs. He echoed the legal procedures involved in the installation and destoolment of a chief and reminded them of the state's endorsement of the chieftaincy institution hence the decision to give them legal protection. Mr Attipoe counseled the kingmakers not to install strangers as chiefs with the excuse that the purported candidate is not ready since it could denigrate the institution and create problem for the community. Emmanuel Adjei Annan, Council of State member advised the royal clans at Teshie Traditional Area to put aside their differences and unite for the betterment of the area. From Vincent Kubi, Dodowa 18.02.2016 LISTEN Mayor of Newark City, Ras Baraka exchanging pleasantries with Mama Julie, a top official of the KMA during his visit Kumasi and Newark City in New Jersey, US have established sister-city relations seven years after discussions began. Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka said the two cities would focus on education, health, technology and waste management. He expressed delight that Kumasi and Newark had finally agreed to work together for the mutual benefit of people of the two cities. Mr. Baraka made the disclosure on Tuesday when he paid a courtesy call on Kojo Bonsu, Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) in Kumasi. The Mayor of Newark City stressed the need for Kumasi and Newark City to work together to promote their developmental agenda. We have to build relationships to help each other find solutions to problems facing us, Mr. Baraka stated and expressed his joy over the agreement reached. He said both Kumasi and Newark City stand the chance of developing economically, politically, socially and culturally through the relationship. Kojo Bonsu also lauded the sister-city project, stressing that both cities would transform tremendously in a short period. . He said KMA could tap the knowledge of Newark City, especially in the areas of technology and waste management which had become a challenge in the city. Mr. Baraka also paid courtesy calls on the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at the Manhyia Palace and the Ashanti Regional Minister, Peter Anarfi Mensah. The Mayor of Newark City, who is expected to spend three days in Kumasi, also visited the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital to assess the medical facility. Mr. Baraka, who is passionate about education, also visited educational institutions in the city, including the Opoku Ware and St Louis Senior High Schools. The Newark City Mayor also visited historical places like the Elmina Castle at Cape Coast and other places in Accra. FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi Dr Charity sarpong 18.02.2016 LISTEN THE Eastern Regional Directorate of Ghana Health Service (GHS) has disclosed the alarming rate of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. It says the two diseases continue to increase over the years in the region. According to the Eastern Regional Director of the GHS, Dr Charity Sarpong, cases of hypertension have increased from 94,962 in 2014 to 109, 681 in 2015, while the cases of diabetes have also increased from 31,887 in 2014 to 36, 857 in 2015. Dr Sarpong made these known at the Eastern Regional Health Service Annual Performance Review Meeting 2015 on the theme: 'Enhancing Maternal And New-Born Survival Sustaining PICCAM' at the St Bakhita Church Conference Hall, Koforidua, Tuesday. She said the surge calls for urgent strategies to arrest the trend and the health sector will come out with strategies to address the high rate of non-communicable diseases annually. Dr Sarpong indicated that teenage pregnancy has decreased marginally in the region from 13,523 in 2013, 12,750 in 2014 to 12, 532 in 2015. In our mandate to reduce disease burden, especially HIV, TB, malaria, etc, the region registered appreciable reduction in cases. Activities undertaken such as EPI, enhanced surveillance and public education, training of health staff and ITN distribution have all contributed to the success story. We are indebted to our partners, including Malaria Care, NMCP, NACP, NTP, GHS/ MoH for their continuous support in these areas, Dr Sarpong said. Giving the statistics about the Regional Health Service performance in 2015 on maternal mortality, she said it has reduced from 192/100,000 lives births in 2013, 169/100,000 live birth in 2014 to 103/100,000 in 2015, adding that, with the implementation of the PICCAM strategy, the Eastern Regional Health Directorate is expecting further decline in 2016. NHIA Debts . Dr Sarpong mentioned that the delay in payment of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) claims was having negative impacts on the health institutions. Hospitals and clinics are unable to pay salaries of non-mechanised staff and utility bills. They are also unable to pay their creditors, hence, health facilities have been hit by shortage of essential drugs, medical and surgical supplies, which they are unable to pay the outstanding debts and often suppliers have been reluctant to work with them, the regional health director added. Agenda The performance review meeting was aimed at gathering all the management and representatives of healthcare providers in the region to come together and take critical decision, assess and review the services they provided to their clients from January to December in 2015. The annual review performance was also initiated to outdoor their achievements and identify the health challenges in order to enable them to decide the way forward for 2016. Eastern Regional Minister designate, Mavis Ama Frimpong, on her part, commended the efforts of the Eastern Regional Health Directorate. She added that the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council would collaborate with the Eastern Regional Health Services to facilitate their support to enable them to work effectively. From Daniel Bampoe, Koforidua Rev. Prof Emmanuel Asante Chairman National Peace Council 18.02.2016 LISTEN The Chairman of the National Peace Council, Most Rev Prof Emmanuel Kwaku Asante, has explained that Mr Francis Azumah was appointed to the 18-member Elections Steering Committee in his personal capacity and not as a representative from the council. Mr Azumah, who is the Executive Secretary of the Peace Council, has been described as a member of National Democratic Congress (NDC) who has contested Parliamentary elections in the party in Builsa North and therefore cannot serve on the ECs committee because of his partisan stance. According to Prof Asante, the Peace Council was not officially asked to nominate a representative and that there has not been any official communication to that effect. This is contrary to information by the EC that it wrote to various organisations for them to nominate representatives. Speaking on Accra based Neat FM on Thursday morning, Prof Asante said members of the council heard about the appointment of Mr Azumah in the media and congratulated him but as far as they were concerned, the appointment was in his personal capacity. The last time the board met, there was no letter before us from the Electoral Commission asking us to nominate someone As far as I am concerned as chairman, there is no such letter, Prof Asante said. Francis is somebody who does his work. As far as I am concerned I have no reason to believe that Francis is partisan in the way he does his work. Prof Asante said he may not know Mr Azumahs partisan stance because at the council they do not ask about peoples partisan position but concentrate on peace work. . Rather, he said Mr Azumah would have to respond to those allegations personally. Using himself as an example, Prof Asante said when he was appointed to serve on the 5-member committee that looked into the agitations for a new voters register, it was done in his personal capacity and not an official invitation to the council to nominate someone. On Wednesday, the EC dropped Dr Karl Mark Arhin from the election steering committee, following claims that he is a member of the NDC. Dr Arhin had been appointed to the committee as a representative of the National Service Scheme (NSS) as part of the ECs plan to use National Service personnel as Election Officers. The NSS is now set to withdraw him and appoint a replacement in the light of the feedback on his partisan status. The Electoral Commission inaugurated an 18-member steering committee to oversee and ensure the smooth conduct of this years general elections. The committee which is chaired by the Chairperson of the EC, Mrs. Charlotte Osei includes acting boss of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) Joseph Whittal and COP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, the Director-General of Police Operations. Other members of the committee are Col F. Ogbe, Deputy Director General of Joint Operations from the Ghana Armed Forces, Mr Samuel Asare Akuamoah, Deputy Chairman in charge of operations at NCCE, Mr Bernard Ntim, Head of Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring Unit at the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Francis Azuimah, Executive Secretary of National Peace Council, Mr George Sarpong, Executive Secretary, National Media Commission (NMC), and Sylvester K. B. Rabbles, Director of Prisons Operations, Ghana Prisons Service. -Daily Graphic A Manchester Crown Court in the United Kingdom has increased the jail term of a Ghanaian immigrant, Francis Kofi Okrah, for raping a 22-year-old lesbian. Okrah, 36, is reported to have appealed his seven year jail sentence but had six weeks added to it. According to a report by the Daily Mail, Okrah had gone to the court to have his jail term reduced claiming his trial was unfair because his barrister hadn't made his victim cry in the witness box. Okrah said his defence lawyer Nicholas Clarke had been 'too soft' on his victim and should have cross-examined her hard enough to reduce her to tears during his trial. He was convicted of raping the lesbian who he lured to his flat on the pretext of helping her re-charge her phone. The victim whose name was not mentioned was said to have ended up on her own after a night out in Manchester in 2010 and was at the train station at 2.30am when she realised her mobile phone had run out of battery. Isolated from her friends, she met Okrah by chance and he invited her back to his home, then in Beswick, to charge her phone. Having been drinking, she 'naively' agreed, the court heard. She told Okrah she was a lesbian and not interested in him but, after falling asleep on his bed, she woke up to find him raping her. Despite screaming at him to stop, he carried on regardless telling her 'he wanted to make her pregnant'. Swabs were taken from the victim; but a DNA match to Okrah was not made until 2013 when he was arrested on suspicion of another offence. He told the court the woman had consented but the jury found him guilty of rape in November 2013. He then tried to challenge his conviction, claiming Mr Clarke had been too soft on the woman after she described her ordeal to the jury from the witness box. He argued the barrister was wrong when he 'refused to cross-examine the complainant so as not to make her cry'. Okrah also claimed the jury should not have been told about her sexual orientation or his immigration status. He even complained that Mr Clarke's closing speech to the jury was 'ill-advised and inappropriate'. But Appeal Court judges were so horrified by Okrah's complaint that they instead gave him an extra six weeks behind bars for wasting their time. Judge Munro told him: 'No point you raise renders the decision of the jury arguably unsafe.' She said Okrah's barrister was simply 'not entitled to cross-examine a victim for the purpose of making her cry'. The jury was fully entitled to know the victim was a lesbian and to be told of Okrah's status as an illegal over-stayer, she added. And Mr Clarke's closing speech was 'carefully crafted and delivered', she concluded. Judge Munro, who was sitting with Lord Justice Simon and Mr Justice Hickinbottom, dismissed the appeal. Condemning Okrah's challenge as 'wholly without merit', she ordered him to serve an extra 42 days in jail for wasting judicial time. An unemployed, Kweku Edoe, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison by an Accra Circuit Court for robbery and causing harm to a shop attendant at Taifa. The judge said he put into consideration the fact that he was armed, amount of money he took, and the harm inflicted on the victim. He was convicted on his own plea and sentenced to 25 years for robbery, and 5 years on causing harm, to run concurrently. Brief Facts Complainant Comfort Fosuah is a boutique attendant and stays at Taifa, whilst the accused, Philip Kweku Edoe, is unemployed and claims he stays at Kaneshie. On 27/ 1/ 2016, at about 10: 00 a.m. The complainant was in her shop when the accused person went there and pretended to buy some dresses. After selecting what he needed, the complainant then gave him the cost as GH1,250.00. The accused person told the complainant that she had inflated the price of the dresses, and in the course of rechecking, he attacked and stabbed the complainant on the forehead with an unknown object. The complainant became dizzy and fell; the accused came out of the shop with his booty and stopped a taxi cab to flee, but the complainant regained consciousness, came out of the shop, and raised the alarm. The accused was arrested by a mob and handed him over to the police for investigation. By Maame Agyeiwaa Agyei ([email protected]) Tougher penalties for repeat drunken drivers, once a tough sell to Wisconsin lawmakers, have won widespread backing in the state Capitol in recent weeks. But with stronger penalties now a step from becoming law, legislators have not addressed how theyll pay for more prison time for repeat offenders a figure that could top $100 million annually. The Assembly passed a bill Tuesday to make all fourth-time drunken driving offenses felonies and boost maximum penalties for subsequent convictions. The bill passed the Senate last month and cleared the Legislature with just a single dissenting vote. A spokeswoman for Gov. Scott Walker, Laurel Patrick, said Wednesday that he plans to sign the bill. A fiscal estimate from the state Department of Corrections pegs the bills cost as indeterminate, noting the many variables tied to such a prediction. Some, such as judicial sentencing of convicted drunken drivers, are out of the hands of state agencies or lawmakers. But the estimate gives eye-popping figures for what the bill could cost the state. It says an influx of drunken-driving convicts into Wisconsins prison system could cost the department between $97.9 million and $129 million a year in additional operating costs. Those figures dont include the potential cost to local county jails that also could have to house more inmates. Supporters of the bill contest the reliability of those figures. They say harsher penalties could deter some from choosing to drink and drive, while noting the bill would allow judges to collect larger fines from convicted drunken drivers. The last time Wisconsin lawmakers tightened drunken driving penalties, in 2009, they increased fees to offset the changes. No such changes were included as part of this measure. Influx of inmates expected The Department of Corrections estimate says the bill could boost the states prison population by more than 1,000 inmates in the first year after its enactment. The inmate increase could be more than 3,600 over the long term. Additional costs also would come from building new facilities to house the extra inmates, according to the estimate. It says the department would need to build three new facilities to house all the new inmates in the first year alone. Twelve new facilities at an estimated cost of $157 million would be needed to accommodate all of the additional inmates after the law had been in place for several years, the estimate says. The bills Assembly sponsor, Rep. Jim Ott, R-Mequon, dismissed the estimate in a Tuesday news conference. He said it fails to account for his belief that tougher penalties would, over time, discourage people from drinking and driving. That fiscal estimate is an overestimate, Ott told reporters. My feeling is, theres going to be less convictions because there is going to be a deterrent effect. To say this is going to have a big fiscal impact I think drunk driving has a big fiscal impact on Wisconsin. Supporters of the bill also say its impact on state finances wont be immediate. The measure takes effect in 2017, meaning any impact on the current two-year budget, which runs through June 2017, would be minimal. The nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau has not assessed the bills impact on the state budget. Thats because it was never referred to the legislative Joint Finance Committee a requirement that, under state law, applies only to bills that appropriate money or deal with taxation. State easy on repeat offenders The last major change to drunken driving laws came in 2009. That change made drunken driving a felony on the fourth offense if its committed within five years of the third offense. Otherwise, its a felony on the fifth offense. Since then, bills to crack down further on repeat offenders have been proposed. In 2013, Ott and the bills Senate sponsor, Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, proposed making drunken driving a felony on the third offense. But that bill died after lawmakers balked at the cost. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, in a 2013 statement to the State Journal, questioned if spending hundreds of millions of dollars is the best way to prevent people from driving drunk. Wisconsin laws go easy on repeat drunken drivers, compared to how theyre treated in other states. Most states are quicker to treat repeat drunken driving offenses as felonies, according to the advocacy group Mothers Against Drunk Driving. As of June 2015, 34 states treated drunken driving offenses as a felony after four or less convictions, according to a MADD publication. Three other states, Alabama, Arkansas and Wyoming, had laws that mirror Wisconsin. The Electoral Commission (EC) says it will not dissolve the 18-member Steering Committee it set up to play what it says is a key role ahead of the November election. The Committee has been hit by allegations that it comprises some sympathisers of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), prompting the EC to get rid of one member, Dr Karl Mark Arhin. A political pressure group, the Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA), has consistently called on the EC to disband the committee entirely, but the commission stated Thursday that it was not considering that option. 'In the Commission's view, it is important to have a committee of that nature; that's the Election Steering Committee and so they will be part of our preparation towards the elections. They have very key roles to play especially because the representatives come from institutions that we deal with on regular basis so far as elections in this country are concerned. "One or two biased members can't stop us," the Director of Public Affairs at the Electoral Commission, Christian Owusu Parry, told Accra-based Citi FM. According to him there are administrative decisions that the commission is empowered by the constitution to make and for that reason does not need to consult political parties for approval. He said such decisions are taken at the administrative level and that political parties are consulted on key issues when the need arises. M r Parry said the electoral commission did nothing wrong with the constitution of the committee. He explained that the EC wrote to specific institutions to send one delegate to represent them on the committee and that it was the obligation of those institutions to conduct background checks on the political leanings of such delegates. He added that the EC was in no position to doubt the integrity or question the political leanings of the people the institutions send to them. Mr Parry said he did not see how mere accusations of political leanings of one or two members should call for the scrapping of the entire committee which by its nature is very necessary. He said having an electoral management body to take those administrative decisions was key to the successful conduct of the November elections. The Electoral Commission inaugurated an 18-member steering committee to oversee and ensure the smooth conduct of this year's general elections. The committee which is chaired by the Chairperson of the EC, Mrs. Charlotte Osei includes acting boss of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) Joseph Whittal and COP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, the Director-General of Police Operations. Other members of the committee are Col F. Ogbe, Deputy Director General of Joint Operations from the Ghana Armed Forces, Mr Samuel Asare Akuamoah, Deputy Chairman in charge of operations at NCCE, Mr Bernard Ntim, Head of Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring Unit at the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Francis Azuimah, Executive Secretary of National Peace Council, Mr George Sarpong, Executive Secretary, National Media Commission (NMC), and Sylvester K. B. Rabbles, Director of Prisons Operations, Ghana Prisons Service. The Prime Minister of Togo Komi Selom Klassou, has announced he will be among the VIPs attending the Africa Hotel Investment Forum, being held under the patronage of Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe, President of Togo, in Lome in April. Mr Klassou said: Togo has dynamic plans to develop and expand trade and tourism and we are pleased to welcome this important conference to our country. I am confident it will provide an excellent platform to discuss the way ahead. The Prime Minister will be joined by African government ministers, tourism experts, international hotel investors and leading business executives. Last month, Ethiopian airlines announced that it will be flying, in partnership with Asky Airlines three times a week from Addis Ababa to New York via Togos Lome airport, further strengthening the countrys international links. Added to this, Lomes new airport terminal is set to increase passenger and cargo volumes significantly, and the planned expansion of its sea port will triple its current capacity. Matthew Weihs, managing director of Bench Events, which organises AHIF, said: We are delighted to welcome the Prime Minister and other ministers to our conference. This is an important time for Togo and for the west of Africa as it positions itself to become a strategic investment destination. As business and tourism grows, so too will the demand for hotel capacity. He continued: We have a conference programme packed with influential speakers sharing their insights on highly topical issues. Were looking forward to some lively and enlightening discussion. Industry leaders will highlight developments in the tourism sector and ministers will provide a direct link to the latest government thinking. There will also be numerous opportunities for networking and face-to-face discussion. The forum will also be the venue for the release of two eagerly-awaited pieces of market intelligence. First is W Hospitalitys influential Pipeline Report, which will be presented by its author, Trevor Ward, W Hospitality Groups Managing Director. It will give a comprehensive update of the planned hotel development across Africa by international chains. Second, figures presented by Thomas Emanuel, Director of Business Development at STR Global, will provide an unparalleled assessment of hotel room revenues over the past year in several major African markets. The forum will start with roundtable discussions covering a variety of hot topics including: security, building human capital and how to increase revenue. Among those guiding the discussions will be Alain Sebah, CEO Golden Tulip French Speaking Africa, Louvre Hotels Group and John Addo Kufuor, Chief Executive Officer, Africa Regent Hotel. After a welcome by Komi Selom Klassou, Prime Minister of Togo, the full programme will get underway and this includes: Opportunities and challenges in west Africa Bernadette Essossimna Legzim-Balouki, Minister of Commerce, Industry, Private sector and Tourism of Togo Mossadeck Bally, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Azalai Hotels Sade Hughes Managing Director, Mixta Hospitality and Retail Limited Ghaby Kodeih Managing Director, Societe dHotellerie, de Restauration et de Loisirs S.A. Cesse Kome, President, Koira Holding Regeneration and reinvention Adji Oteth Ayassor, State Minister, Minister of Economy and Finance of Togo Ashok Gupta, Managing Director & CEO, Kalyan Hospitality Development Togo SAU Belise Kariza, Chief Tourism Officer, Rwanda Development Board Air connectivity in west Africa Henok Teferra, Chief Executive Officer, ASKY Airlines Behramjee Ghadially, Senior Network Planning Manager, Arik Air What do the investors say? Joram Sengendo, Private Equity Hotel Investments, CDC Group Alexander Smertnik, Understanding the requirements of development banks Abdoulaye Fall, Vice-President Operations, ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development Julien Lefilleur, Head of MAS Division, Proparco Moseketsi Mpeta, Head of Light Manufacturing & Tourism, Industrial Development Corporation Marieme Travaly, Principal Investment Officer, IFC Why investors should be focused on the mid-market Alain Sebah, CEO Golden Tulip French Speaking Africa, Louvre Hotels Group Togo attracts a variety of visitors keen to explore its beautiful scenery and enjoy its tropical climate. Latest figures from the World Travel and Tourism Council show that travel and tourism directly accounted for 3.1% of total GDP in 2014 and is forecast to rise by 6% in 2015, and by a further 2.2% each year from 2015 to 2025. On a wider analysis, the total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP was 6.7% in 2014 and is forecast to rise by 5.4% by the end of 2015. The AHIF conference will take place on April 5 and 6 at the new landmark Radisson Blu Hotel du 2 Fevrier in the capital. To see the full AHIF Togo programme, visit: www.africa-conference.com/togo/index.php/programme. The chief Executive Officer of Unity Group of Companies which comprises of six components has launched a peace campaign towards election 2016. The peace campaign which is under the auspices of the organization and it facilitators is to promote peace and ensure stability in election 2016. Nana Oto Darko in his opening remarks at the event stated that, the objective of this project is to become a voice that promote peace, shared values, rule of law, human right, social and economic standards and to stop ambush politics in Ghana The General Manager of Unity Oil Mr. Alfred Arthur Frimpong, reading a speech on behalf of Dr.kwame Kyei said Ghana is said to often lead other African nations for her most powerful and open democracies in West Africa and across the continent. The Republic of Ghana had till now experienced decade of relatively stable political progress. The 1992 constitution approved by referendum, establishes the multi- party system of Ghanas democracy. Nana Odupon Okomfo Abeka Sikafo II, President of Ga Chief Priest Association also expressed his appreciation to Dr. Kwame kyei for seeing this as a real privilege to tour the 10 regions and maintain peace rather than to fight against the harmony we have enjoyed for years. One of The facilitators, Steven Ackah from Ankoma foundation in an interview added, the new flagship programme is to enhance peaceful character among the youth as well as to enrich cultural discussion as we spur growth and prosperity in 2016. We want to strengthen our communities in Ghana by acting as ambassadors for peace in 2016. Other dignitaries present at the launch included Odineho Nii Kofi Abra II, Nii Otukpe I Head of klornaatope, Nii Adama pataku IV Chief of Akanmejeya, Naa Kordei I Queen mother of Jamestown, Naa Dede Alba Ohetse of sempe manye, Naa Gbegbe I , Naa Otobia from Adonten Otublonum, The team members supporting this great initiative include Samuel Nana Yaw Sarfoh a facilitator, Ghana Beye yie morning show crew, light TV crew and partner Organisation Ankoma Foundation. Access to quality education and study materials has remained a great challenge for rural and small town dwellers in Ghana. Many young people in these communities are forced to engage in trade and other income generating activities to finance their education. For these people, their parents are hardly able to afford the cost of their education. This is the typical story of so many students in the New Abirem area where Newmont Ghanas Akyem mine operates. Benedicta Hevi is one of such a Senior high school graduate living in Afosu, one of the Akyem Mines host communities. After graduating from senior high school, Benedictas dream of becoming a nurse hanged in a balance as her parents did not have the required funding to enroll her in a nursing training college. Determined to fulfill her ambition, the passionate young lady engaged in petty trading to raise money for her school. She could however save just a meager amount as she had to support financial responsibilities at home. The savings were coming up slowly because I was saddled with other responsibilities at home. I would sometimes sell to student nurses and go home so broken hearted over my inability to join them, she said. Luck however smiled at Benedicta when she was chosen to benefit from Newmont Akyem Development Foundations (NAkDeFs) scholarship scheme for needy but brilliant students within the mines host communities. Benedicta is now in her second year of training to become a nurse, having been part of the first batch of beneficiaries who were enrolled onto the scholarship scheme. In line Newmonts purpose of creating value and improving live through sustainable and responsible mining, the foundation has awarded 938 more needy but brilliant students within the mines host communities with educational scholarships worth over GH 1 million in bursaries. The scholarship covers academic user fees, accommodation and books for their entire duration in school. Executive Secretary of the Foundation, Paul Apenu, explained that the NAkDeF scholarship programme falls under the Human Resources Development goals of the Foundation. The Scholarship seeks to support hardworking but needy students within Newmont Akyem Mines Communities and Im glad were already seeing positive results so far. He added. The Newmont Akyem Development Foundation was established in 2014 to drive socio-economic development within Newmont Ghanas Akyem communities. It was modeled after Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation (NADeF) established in 2008 for the same purpose in Ahafos host communities. The company contributes US$ 1 per ounce of gold sold and 1% of annual net profit to the foundation. So far, Newmont Ghana has contributed about US$ 3.9M and US$ 24M to NAkDeF and NADeF since 2014 and 2008 respectively. The embattled new medical superintendent of the Upper West Regional Hospital, Dr. Barnabas Gandao, has been sworn into office despite agitations by some staff over his appointment. Since Monday, some nurses and doctors have refused to work in protest to Ganado's his appointment. They prefer Dr. Chris Opoku Fofie, a Gynecologist at the hospital, who say has laboured enough and deserve the position. According to them, about ten doctors who were posted to the hospital in 2006, Dr. Fofie was the only one who has stayed on. Although he travelled abroad to further his education, he returned to work at the same hospital after his studies. This in their view, should be enough to earn him the position. However, earlier today, Dr. Gandao was introduced to the staff of the hospital although the event was boycotted by some unit heads of the hospital. The new medical superintendent of the hospital said he bears no grudge with any staff and called for calm. What they were expressing was an appreciation of someone who has done well for them and I dont have any doubt that that person could not have stopped them from doing that demonstration, said Dr. Gandao. He adds that he is assured of the full support of the extended management who will now trickle down the information and the assurances to all the workers. He assured that no staff member will be victimised although they rejected him, adding, I dont have enemies, only friends yet to be known," he told Joy News correspondent Rafiq Salam. 18.02.2016 LISTEN Militant Islamist group al-Shabab has denied that its intelligent chief has been killed in a Kenyan air strike in southern Somalia. Mohammed Karatey and 10 other al-Shabab commanders were killed in the strike on 8 February, the Kenyan army said. He played a key role in last months deadly attack on a Kenyan military base in neighbouring Somalia, it added. But al-Shabab, which is part of al-Qaeda, said Karatey was alive and there had been no attempt on his life. Kenya was only trying to win public support for its military campaign in Somalia by alleging he had been killed, a spokesman for the group said on local radio. Al-Shabab said it had killed about 100 Kenyan troops in the attack on base in southern Somalias el-Ade town on 15 January. Kenyan confirmed the attack, but declined to give casualty figures. It has since carries out a series of strikes targeting the militants in Somalia. . The Kenyan army said Karate was at an al-Shabab camp to preside over the passing out parade of dozens of recruits, including suicide bombers, when he was killed. More than 40 other militants were also killed when the camp, between the towns of Buale and Sakow, was targeted, the army added. Last April, the US State Department designated Karatey, also known as Abdirahim Mohamed Warsame, as a terrorist. He played a major role in the massacre of 147 people mostly students at Kenyas Garissa University last year, it added. Kenya contributes more than 4,000 troops to the 22,000-strong AU force that is in Somalia helping the UN-backed government battle al-Shabab, which is part of al-Qaeda. Its troops first entered Somalia in 2011 in an effort to stop the militants from carrying cross border attacks and kidnapping people. Al-Shabab, which is fighting to establish an Islamic state in Somalia, was ousted from the capital, Mogadishu, in August 2011, but still has a presence in large areas of southern Somalia and often stages attacks across the country. -bbc 18.02.2016 LISTEN A 52-year old peasant farmer at Kpedzegblo near Adidome in the Volta Region, Mr. Godson Aho, has commended former President J.A. Kufuor and President John Dramani Mahama for the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and sustaining it over the years. According to Mr. Aho, politicians normally abandon projects or programmes initiated by their predecessors, but that has not happened under President Mahama, especially, regarding the implementation of the NHIS. He noted that but for the NHIS he wouldn't have known how he and his family would have survived the hash economic conditions. Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Chronicle at Adidome, Mr. Aho said it saddened him anytime he hears that the NHIS was collapsing at a time when the less privileged in society like him appreciate and cherished the scheme so much. He commended the staff and management of the NHIS at Adidome, the district capital of the Central Tongu District, for their professional competence. He called on all stakeholders of the scheme to be committed to the sustenance of the NHIS to serve the people, particularly, the poor in society. The Central Tongu District Manager of the NHIS, Mr. Jonathan Tsewor, who is also responsible for North Tongu, said the management of the NHIS had embarked upon a vigorous public education to create awareness on the importance of the capitation. Mr. Tsewor disclosed that since the introduction of capitation in the Volta Region last year, over 38,000 people have been registered under the concept. He noted that capitation would go a long way to help address such problems as lack of money from service providers, since money would be provided in advance. He continued that the problem where valid NHIS card holders engaged in what he described as provider shopping moving from one health facility to the other in search of quality service would be a thing of the past, because valid card holders, under capitation, would have to select only one health facility. You see, capitation has come to promote quality health service to patients under the scheme, because hospital managements would do well to provide the best service to their clients. The number of clients that attend a health facility would determine how much money the facility would get, he stressed. Mr. Tsewor also noted that the introduction of capitation would enable the scheme management to save money, because the practice, where card holders move from one health facility to the other, which was a cost to the management, would stop with the selection of one facility under capitation. He appealed to organisations to provide the needed assistance to the NHIS, by helping the scheme offices with logistics such as vehicles to aid educational activities, because the scheme did not have enough vehicles to carry out public education. Mr. Tsewor also appealed to politicians to help the scheme by registering the less privileged in society, as well as influence people who might not register, not because they did not have money, but were just adamant to register. He said the staff of the scheme were committed to ensuring that they work hard to meet the expectations of the people, and appealed to valid card holders of the NHIS to observe the rules and regulations that govern the scheme. From Samuel Agbewode, Adidome 18.02.2016 LISTEN Bolgatanga, Feb 18, GNA - The Christian Children Fund of Canada (CCFC), an International NGO, has donated assorted medicines to the Upper East Regional Health Directorate to be distributed to district health facilities in the Region. The Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service , Dr Kofi Issah, who received the items, commended the NGO for the donation and indicated that it would not only help curb infant and maternal mortality in the Region, but would also help address the problem of nutritional deficiency in children and pregnant women. 'The Regional Health Directorate will undertake effective monitoring and supervision to ensure that the medicines are not kept on the shelves but are given to children under five and pregnant women to help prevent illness improve upon their nutritional status, as well as reduce the incidence of infant and maternal mortality,' Dr Issah said. Dr Issah said that the Regional Health Directorate was doing everything possible to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and called on other development partners to emulate the CCFC by partnering with the Directorate to achieve the goals. The Programme Manager of CCFC, Mr Evans Sinkari, indicated that his outfit which was established in1996 in the Northern Region, over the years had contributed significantly to complimenting government's efforts at addressing the health needs of people in Northern Ghana. He said the donation was the third time the CCFC was helping the Regional Health Directorate to deliver efficient health services to the people. He disclosed that CCFC in collaboration with its local partner, Tumakavi Development Association, would be implementing a fifteen year new project which has components of education, health and livelihood empowerment in the Builsa North and the Kassena-Nankana West Districts, all aimed at supporting the Ghana Health Services to administer quality health care services. GNA Accra, Feb 18, GNA - The Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS) has outlined e-bills payment as one of its key programmes for the year. This means GhIPSS will undertake a number of activities to encourage the payment of bills through the various electronic payment options available, instead of queuing up at outlets to pay with cash. GhIPSS has a number of electronic payment options particularly the Automated Clearing House (ACH) which comes in the form of Direct Credit and Direct Debit payment options. These two can be used to drive the e-bills payment in the country. The Chief Executive Officer of GhIPSS, Mr Archie Hesse, in an interview hinted that his outfit will be working with financial institutions and service providers, to achieve this goal. In view of this, GhIPSS last week, with support from Stanbic Bank organised a stakeholders forum on Direct Debit, during which there were frank discussions on how to drive patronage for the payment system. Analysts say utility companies can use Direct Debit to receive payments electronically which should lead to significant increase in their collection rate. Using the Direct Debit to receive payments, Mr. Hesse explained will also be cheaper, more convenient and allow for effective auditing and transparency for the companies. He said this would be extremely useful particularly when these companies are complaining about customers not paying regularly or defaulting. While Direct Debit is available for the service providers, customers on their own can pay their bills using Direct Credit by asking their bankers to do so on their behalf. Patronage for Direct Credit has been impressive but GhIPSS wants to encourage the public to also use this payment option to pay their bills. Mr. Hesse explained that bank account holders can simply request their banks to pay their utility and other bills on their behalf through Direct Credit. The GhIPSS Boss said with a number of strategies in place in partnership with the financial institutions, there should be enough public awareness about these payment options for bills payment. He said the cash-lite agenda was important and urged the public to embrace it wholeheartedly. GNA Accra, Feb 16, GNA - RAmy Martin Cognac will celebrate the launch of its new global campaign, One Life/Live Them in Ghana on 26th February in Shaka Zulu Bar and Restaurant in Accra. The campaign tagline, One Life/Live Them, recognizes individual's multi-talents and features personalities who exemplify the spirit of living life with many passions. Remy Martin is a classic alcoholic beverage. A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, said 'The One Life/Live Them tagline would identify today's consumers who were not only defined by one talent or skill, but are multi-faceted and applauded them for their achievements in life. In Ghana, the campaign would feature influencers such as Jay Foley who is a Radio Presenter /General Manager, TV Host and an Aspiring Pilot and Steve Adusei, a Photographer, CEO and Petrol Head whose diverse personal and professional paths and interests are a true reflection of the One Life/Live Them concept. Mr Alvin Saal, RAmy Cointreau Marketing Manager, Ghana noted that using multiple skills and expertise to achieve excellence was the legacy of RAmy Martin. 'We know how fulfilling it is to bring talents out and with the One Life/Live Them campaign, we have created a platform to celebrate the projects and talents of Very Slash People (VSPs,)', he added. Slash personalities (slashers) are multi-talented individuals pursuing many passions The statement noted that globally the One Life/Live Them campaign has featured 'Slashers' such as Hollywood Actor/Producer/Musician/Home Renovator, Jeremy Renner (USA), DJ/Author/Originator, DJ Jimmy Jat (Nigeria), and Speaker/Idealist/Poet/Jock, Mayihlome Tshwete (South Africa). In Ghana, the RAmy Martin One Life/Live Them launch event, guests will experience Slash lifestyle of featured Ghanaian Slashers, Jay Foley and Steve Adusei and enjoy classic RAmy Martin cocktails. 'We are very excited to launch the One Life/Live Them campaign in Ghana and celebrate with a new generation of RAmy Martin consumers who are seizing the many wonderful opportunities that life can offer,' says Boban Tomic, Head of Sales and Marketing for MDL/Finatrade, exclusive marketer and distributor of RAmy Martin in Ghana. GNA The Assembly on Thursday passed a pair of bills that would prohibit the flying of drone aircraft over state prisons and enhances penalties for using drones while committing a crime. Assembly Bill 670 prohibits the flying of drones over state prisons and creates a $5,000 penalty. It also allows municipalities to create ordinances designating certain areas as no-drone zones. The bill comes in the wake of cases across the country in which smugglers flew drugs, pornography or other contraband over prison walls. Wisconsin has not yet reported similar problems, though in December a drone that lost contact with its operator landed inside a state prison in Waupun. Assembly Bill 671 creates an enhanced penalty for using a drone to commit a crime. If the underlying crime is a misdemeanor the penalty increases to $10,000 and a year in county jail. If the underlying crime is a Class A misdemeanor, it can be enhanced to a felony subject to a $10,000 fine and up to two years in prison. If the crime is a felony, the penalty can be enhanced with a $5,000 fine and up to five years in prison. Brother Kofi Asamoah, Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress has called for a complete structural transformation of the national economy in order to rescue Ghana from the crises of underdevelopment. He was speaking at a public forum held at the Hall of Trade Unions on The Impact of the 24th February Coup Detat on Trade Unionism in Ghana as part of activities marking the 50thanniversary of the overthrow of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, first President of Ghana by the Central Intelligence Agency of the USA and its local collaborators. According to him, the coup detat of 24th February 1966, brought in its wake a ferocious swing in government economic policy from development to management. This he noted, ushered in the period when employment concerns of many Ghanaians were relegated to the background and vigorous efforts towards employment creation were halted. The Role of the NLC in the Sabotage of Workers Kofi Asamoah recounted with pain that by the time the National Liberation Council handed over power in 1970, more than 64,000 direct public sector jobs had been cut adding that registered unemployment by late 1970 had jumped to between 350,000 and 600,000. The result of this dastardly act was that whilst there was a drastic reduction in the membership and influence of the unions, many labour leaders had to take refuge under beds for fear of persecution and several others simply fled the country. This man hunt and intimidation continued right under the Busia regime. The role of the Coup in the Ideological degeneration of Trade Unionism Trade Unions the world over are formed and made to function on the basis of ideology. Kofi Asamoah therefore holds that the 24th February Coup made a conscious effort at the elimination of ideological manifestations of the activities of trade unions in Ghana, adding that this loss of an ideological grounding has led to the festering of the fragmentation within the trade union movement. Worse still, critical historical documents of the Congresses of the TUC cannot be found and might have been lost forever in what the TUC Secretary General has likened to ISIS destruction of archeological material and historical sites. In a brief remark, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, a leading member of the Socialist Forum of Ghana stated that on the 31st of December 1963, J.W Russel, British Ambassador in Addis Ababa sent a cable to the Foreign Office in which he made some ghastly comments about Kwame Nkrumah. Mr Pratt said: the coup of February 1966 was not about bad governance or dictatorship of Nkrumah and the CPP, but was a crime committed against an independent people striving to break away from the yoke of colonialism. According to him, the forces that overthrew Nkrumah did so purely because they wanted to hold back Ghanas progress in the continuing domination of Africa in the fashion of classical colonialism. In the cable sent to the Foreign Office, J.W Russel said Nkrumah is our enemy, he is determined to complete our expulsion from an Africa he aspires to dominate absolutely. We must find blacks who can, and although it would be counterproductive publicly to damn them with our old colonial kiss, yet surely it is not beyond our ingenuity to find effective ways of affording them discreet and legitimate support? I cannot for the life of me see why we should subscribe our conscience to help the Saltimbance of Accra engross the rest of Africa Nana Frimpongmaa Sarpong Kumankuma, daughter of the former National Organiser of the National Young Farmers League, Sarpong Kumankuma, also called on progressive forces to unite in their effort towards the building of a new society based on the principles of equality for all. 50 years after that sordid incident that halted the rapid transformation of our dear country, the time has come for each and every one of us to move on and to work towards the realization of the State we yearn to see. Every single day must count in the mobilization of the disadvantaged and the workers of this country towards national reconstruction she said. The Trades Union Congress says it will continue to engage and build alliances with progressive forces to ensure that the alternative path to development is realized in the shortest possible time. Mr Kofi Asamoah has thrown a challenge to progressive forces to mobilize and build alliances to galvanise public support for an alternative development paradigm in the face of neoliberal hegemony. The public forum which was jointly organized by the Convention Peoples Party and the Socialist Forum of Ghana was chaired by Mr Justice Kofi Henaku, SFG Secretary. Accra, February 18, 2016 - Vodafone Ghana Foundation has supported Dream-Believe-Achieve Foundation in organising a mentoring programme for the Sunday school children from the Perez Chapel in Accra. Dubbed; Braveheart, it is a mentoring programme which aims at instilling in students fundamental principles and building their core value system. It also looks at nurturing the children in order to help accomplish their dreams in the near future. Commenting on the project, founder of Dream-Believe-Achieve Foundation, Ms. Brooke Nuwati, restated the objective of the project, with the hope that the mentees will exhibit a high sense of responsibility, following their successful completion of the programme. According to her, the program, which was organised a year ago on Valentines Day, has become a look-forward event which seeks to give children good start in life. The Dream-Believe-Achieve initiative is an ongoing one; its not only held on Valentines Day; the project provides a friendly environment for knowledge sharing with some fun activities to keep the children entertained whiles being educated, she noted. She was optimistic that the skills acquired by the pupils will yield the necessary fruits as they interact with their peers and community. For her part, Head of Vodafone Ghana Foundation, Nana Yaa Ofori-Koree, said the objective of the Dream-Believe-Achieve project was in line with Vodafones vision to develop the full potential of students to positively impact society. Some topics which were treated on the day included Carrier Counseling, Sex Education, Underage Drinking, Personal Hygiene & Grooming and Communicating with Confidence. 18.02.2016 LISTEN Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) Ecological Zone have called on the government to, as a matter of urgency, inject GHc 200 million into the operations of SADA. The CSOs are also calling on parliamentarians to boycott parliamentary sittings if the 2016 Supplementary Budget Statement and Economic Policies of the Government does not make provisions for the authority. The call was made on Tuesday during a press briefing after a sensitization on the SADA law and the SADA strategy in the Upper East Region. SADA is a State agency responsible for coordinating a comprehensive development agenda for the Savanna Ecological Zone comprising the Northern, Upper East, Upper West Regions and encompassing parts of Brong-Ahafo and Volta Regions. It was established by an Act of Parliament SADA Act 805 on 17 September 2010. But it was dissolved and a new Board formed, following a misappropriation of funds in its previous operations in 2014. New initiatives such as the recently launched SADA Agriculture Investment Guide, the SADA Zone Master Plan Project, the initiative to establish the Savannah Development and Investment Bank, the SADA Business and Investment Forum have been introduced. But the CSOs have indicated that, despite all these laudable initiatives, government under the leadership of President John Mahama has starved SADA of the necessary resources to function, with no single budgetary allocation disbursed. According to the CSOs, starving SADA of resources is not only retrogressive and a betrayal of the trust of Ghanaians but a threat to the democratic governance and practice adding that, a failure to fund SADA is a failure to bridge the developmental gap between the savannah zone and the rest of the country . 'It is important to remind Ghanaians that annual budget allocations to SADA and introducing levies on all non-petroleum imports to fund SADA are legal requirements under Section 18 of the SADA Act of 2010, Act 805, therefore government has been engaging in illegalities over the years by failing to do what is expected of it under the law. Mr. Aberinge Milton, who read the press release on behalf of the CSOs called on government to demonstrate practical commitment to its own words by ensuring that at least Ghc200 million is allocated and disbursed to SADA in the 2016 Supplementary Budget Statement and Economic Policies of the Government which is being prepared. They are further calling on government and for that matter parliament to immediately pass a Legislative Instrument to operationalize the SADA Law. Meanwhile, the New Board and Management of SADA have been urged to take bold steps in retrieving all funds that were misappropriated and mismanaged by the leadership of the old SADA. From William Nlanjerbor JALULAH, Bolgatanga 18.02.2016 LISTEN Authorities at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have temporary banned Hall week celebrations and singing of morale Jamma songs on campus, Mr. Vincent Lomotey, the University Public Relations Officer (URO) has said. The embargo comes on the heel of the clash between the University Hall (Katanga) and Continental Hall (Conti). According to him, the KNUST authorities are determined to institute lasting measures to prevent the long lasting rivalry between the two halls, which re-ignited two days ago, resulting in the stabbing of two students. Speaking to The Chronicle via phone yesterday, Mr. Lomotey, however, said the ban is on all hall week celebrations on campus and that, it is not limited to Katanga and Unity Halls. If any hall wants to celebrate their week, they have to write the Dean of Students, Mr. Kofi Owusu Darko for approval before they can go ahead with their Hall week celebration, he indicated, adding a code of conduct would be made known to the Halls before they can go ahead with their hall week celebration. He said the embargo on hall week celebration and singing of Jama songs is an initial step to control Students, adding that it may not be indefinite. Mr. Lomotey said one of the students who got injured during the Tuesday clash had recovered and had gone home with the father. On the sanctions for students who perpetrated these attacks, the KNUST PRO indicated that, the authorities wanted the students who were attacked to recover first, before taking any action. He noted that, the office of the Dean of Students and security agencies have taken the issue up and are digging for facts to bring the perpetrators who were behind these attacks to book. From Richard Owusu Akyaw, Kumasi 18.02.2016 LISTEN Paris, 17 February 2016 Eutelsat Communications (NYSE Euronext Paris: ETL) has crossed the threshold of 6,000 channels broadcasting via its fleet, further consolidating its position as a premium satellite operator and service provider to the global broadcasting industry. This new record reflects three key trends where Eutelsat continues to outperform: strong channel growth in fast growing markets; continued deployment of pay-TV platforms; and a diversified offer of Free-to-Air channels. Strong channel growth in emerging markets Eutelsat continues to register strong channel growth in fast growing markets, notably in the Middle East and Africa, with one out of three channels on its satellites targeting these fast-growing regions. In Sub-Saharan Africa, half of the 1,136 satellite channels broadcast today are transmitted by Eutelsat. The share of Eutelsat channels in the total satellite offer in the Middle East and North Africa is even higher, with two out of three channels choosing Eutelsat, notably the 7/8 West neighbourhood where 80 channels were added in October 2015 on the new EUTELSAT 8 West B satellite. Record Pay and Free-to-View platforms Eutelsat is an industry-leading partner of Pay and Free-to-View platforms, reflecting an exceptional inventory of regional video neighbourhoods hosting high power satellites with bandwidth to grow. A total of 50 platforms have selected a Eutelsat video neighbourhood, with Africa showing the most pronounced regional dynamic as the continent accelerates the transition to digital. Over the last 12 months, six platforms have launched or expanded their activities at Eutelsats African video neighbourhoods at 7 East, 16 East and 36 East. Industry-leading Free-to-Air line-up With over 2,200 channels available free-to-air, Eutelsat is the satellite company broadcasting the highest number of subscription-free channels. New features will be introduced in 2016 giving channels higher visibility and offering viewers more information on the exceptional line-up of free content. The launch will start with the HOT BIRD position that offers over 400 subscription-free channels across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Through continued investment in advanced broadcasting infrastructure, Eutelsat will continue to develop its offer in mature video markets and accelerate partnerships in fast-growing regions, notably Latin America that is set to benefit from two new satellites: EUTELSAT 117 West B and EUTELSAT 65 West A. Renewed capacity across Eutelsats global footprint will also answer viewer demand for higher signal quality. HDTV already accounts for over 12% of the total channel count and continues to rise, notably in Europe and the Middle East. Ultra HD, the next step-up in image quality, represents a future driver for growth. Eutelsat has been validating the Ultra HD broadcast chain with leading players and is now transmitting its first commercial Ultra HD channels in Russia and Europe. Commenting on the new milestone of 6,000 channels, Michel Azibert, Commercial and Development Director at Eutelsat, said: Broadcasting is at the heart of Eutelsats DNA. We have invested in and developed video neighbourhoods across the globe, spearheaded the transition to new formats and compression rates, partnered with anchor Pay and Free-to-View platforms and developed solutions in step with changing viewing patterns. In the fast-evolving world of video content distribution we are continually focused on supporting broadcasters to enhance their relationship with viewers and expand their reach. The milestone of 6,000 channels sets a new record for Eutelsat and reflects our resolve to be the satellite company of choice for the broadcasting community. Right behind its headquarters in Accra is a new ultra-modern Data Centre that will house all of Tigos network infrastructure with adequate room to host and store data for other companies. The $5.1million will ensure that all customer data are properly stored and managed, in full compliance of Ghanas Data Protection Act, Act 843. The 3-Tier facility has dual multi-layer power supply to all systems and this will guarantee consistent service availability to all its IT Infrastructure. It boasts of the latest high-tech security, including multi-factor verification, internal and external CCTV coverage. At the official opening of the Data Centre, the Chief Technical and Information Officer, Ron Reddick, said it has a rack capacity of 110 which can provide the necessary infrastructural space for the many customer oriented projects. This Data Centre will store all our computer systems and associated components and this includes redundant or backup power supplies, redundant data communications connections, environmental controls such as air conditioning and fire suppression and various security devices he explained. He revealed in the coming months, Tigo will roll out several enhanced technologies including server and application hosting for Tigo business and many more. IT operations are a crucial aspect of most organisational operations around the world as companies rely on their information systems to run their operations. With an ultra-modern Data Centre in place Tigo Ghana has reinforced its business continuity and integrity process in the storage and management of information. Cape Town (AFP) - A subdued President Jacob Zuma on Thursday called for all South Africans to work together to boost the ailing economy and beat resurgent racism, as calls mount for him to step down. After taking a battering in a series of rowdy parliamentary sessions, during which he was told he was unfit to lead the nation, Zuma's reply was unusually restrained and sombre. He admitted the economy was in trouble and called on the private sector to help the country avoid a looming downgrade of its debt to junk status. "We can still succeed if we work together," he said, calling for consensus across political party lines. "We have solved major problems no one thought we would solve, because we are a unique nation," a reference to the peaceful ending of the racist system of apartheid. "We can make a visible difference and make progress...together we can move South Africa forward," he added. It was a change in tactics by a president who recently said his first loyalty lay with the ruling African National Congress (ANC). Zuma also called for solidarity in the battle against racism, which he described as "an enemy of humanity". Nation building was as important as economic renewal to "heal the scars of apartheid", he said. The tanking economy and regular eruptions of public racism have dominated South Africa's politics for months. Zuma was replying to the debate on his state of the nation speech last Thursday, when he was prevented from speaking for more than an hour by interruptions from opposition parties. Two major climb-downs recently have weakened a man formerly dismissive of the opposition. He was forced to reverse a decision after appointing a lawmaker seen as a stooge in place of a respected minister of finance, after the move plunged markets into chaos. And his lawyers admitted in a constitutional court case that he was obliged to repay some of the millions of dollars of taxpayers' money spent on his private residence -- something he had resisted for two years. Despite his more conciliatory tone, the opposition returned immediately to the attack. "President Zuma (is) so out of touch with the country and its dire economic reality that his presidency must be brought to an end," said Mmusi Maimane, leader of the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA). A motion of no-confidence in Zuma will be heard in parliament on March 1, but is unlikely to succeed as the ANC hold an overwhelming majority of seats. Juba (AFP) - Aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said Thursday that at least 18 people had been killed in fighting in South Sudan, including two of its local staff members. "This attack on civilians is outrageous and we demand that armed groups stop these actions," said Marcus Bachmann, coordinator of MSF projects in South Sudan, in a statement. An outbreak of fighting at a UN peacekeeping base sheltering civilians in South Sudan has killed at least seven people and injured 40, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday. Violence between the ethnic Dinka and Shilluk communities broke out overnight and continued into the day at the base in the northeast town of Malakal, he said. Ban condemned the fighting and expressed concerns about the rise of ethnic violence in the more than two-year conflict. He warned "all parties against stoking ethnic disputes and calls on them to refrain from any actions or statements that could further escalate the situation," according to a statement from his spokesman. Over 47,700 people live inside the Malakal base, among almost 200,000 civilians who have sought shelter behind the razor wire fences of eight UN bases across the country since civil war began in late 2013. No weapons are allowed on the bases. The UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said peacekeepers fired tear gas to break up crowds in the crowded camp. "Violence involving the use of small arms, machetes and other weapons broke out," UNMISS said in a statement. Resident Jack Nhial, speaking from inside the UN base, said at least 12 people had been killed. "They used Kalashnikovs and machine guns... the situation is still tense," Nhial said, adding the peacekeepers were now patrolling the base in tanks. - 'Callous and cowardly' - It was not immediately clear who the gunmen were. Malakal is in government control, but frontlines with rebel areas are close by. In the past, the UN has said attacks on its bases in South Sudan may constitute a war crime. Veteran opposition politician Lam Akol, who comes from Malakal in the northeastern Upper Nile state, condemned what he called the "callous and cowardly attack on innocent unarmed civilians." The UN mission has more than 12,000 peacekeepers with half of them deployed solely to protect the civilians in their bases. In April 2014, gunmen killed at least 48 civilians when they opened fire on terrified civilians inside a UN base in the town of Bor. At least 10 attackers were also killed when UN troops fought back. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and over two million forced from their homes since the war began, pushing the world's youngest nation to the brink of famine. Civil war erupted in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of planning a coup, setting off a cycle of retaliatory killings that have split the poverty-stricken, landlocked country along ethnic lines. Earlier this month Kiir named exiled rebel chief Machar as vice-president, as part of a repeatedly broken August peace deal. Machar has yet to return to take up the post and fighting continues, with the conflict now involving multiple militia forces driven by local agendas or revenge, who pay little heed to paper peace deals. Both the government and rebel sides have been accused of perpetrating ethnic massacres, recruiting and killing children and carrying out widespread rape, torture and forced displacement of populations to "cleanse" areas of their opponents. Over 2.8 million people need aid, almost a quarter of the country, while in war zone northern areas 40,00 are being starved to death with aid blocked amid violence. A survivor of the Tamale-Kintampo road carnage has blamed the driver of the Metro Mass reckless driving as the cause of the accident. The driver said he wanted to hurry up to the station to pick passengers for the return journey, Sumeila said. He was really speeding. I have never seen a bus ran so fast. Describing how the accident occurred, the survivor who has lost both legs said, the driver refused the plea of passengers to reduce his speed. According to Sumeila, the driver veered off the road, hit two cattle on the side of the road before ramming headlong into a cargo truck which was moving from the opposite direction. Fatalities: At least 63 persons have been confirmed dead, with 23 others severely injured. The fatalities include a 3-month-old baby, pregnant women and the two drivers. Survivors: In a miracle arising out of the tragedy, an eight-month-old baby survived, but her mother perished. The survivors have since been airlifted to hospitals in Techiman, Sunyani and the Komfo Anokye Teaching hospital where they are receiving treatment. At least three persons with serious degree of injuries have been rushed to Accra for treatment. Delayed emergency response: It has been revealed that emergency response arrived four hours after the accident had occurred. Many people have raised questions about the emergency response to disasters. The Director of Institutional Care Division at the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, has said survivors should have been sent to different hospitals early to aid immediate care and for ease of treatment. The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Ambulance Service, Professor Ahmed Nuhu Zakaria, explained that emergency response for the accident delayed because of logistic constraints. There is only one ambulance in Kintampo he said. Listen to audio Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com/Austin Brako-Powers/Twitter @Kwabena_Brako Juba (AFP) - Fighting at a UN peacekeeping base sheltering civilians in South Sudan has left at least 18 people dead, the medical charity MSF said on Thursday. Two of the fatalities were local staff members who were attacked in their own homes, it said. "This attack on civilians is outrageous and we demand that armed groups stop these actions," Marcus Bachmann, coordinator of MSF projects in South Sudan, said in a statement. "People came to the... site looking for protection and this should be a sanctuary respected by all parties." Earlier, the United Nations reported that violence between ethnic Dinka and Shilluk communities broke out overnight Wednesday at the base, located in the northeast town of Malakal, and continued into the day. It gave a toll of seven dead and 40 injured. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the fighting and expressed concerns about the rise of ethnic violence in the more than two-year conflict, according to a statement from his spokesman. Over 47,700 people live inside the Malakal base, many of whom came from areas where no aid or shelter had been available for months. It is one of eight UN bases providing a haven since a civil war began in late 2013. The bases, sheltered around 200,000 people, are protected by razor wire and no weapons are allowed in them. The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said "violence involving the use of small arms, machetes and other weapons broke out." Peacekeepers fired tear gas to break up crowds, it said. MSF said an initial surge of violence lasted around three hours, forcing around 600 people, mostly women and children, to gather inside the organisation's hospital. "More casualties are currently arriving," it said. Resident Jack Nhial, speaking from inside the base, said the assailants "used Kalashnikovs and machine guns... the situation is still tense." Peacekeepers were now patrolling the base in tanks, he said. The UN mission has more than 12,000 peacekeepers, with half of them deployed solely to protect the civilians in their bases. Malakal is in government control, but frontlines with rebel areas are close by. - Conflict and hunger - South Sudan's civil war erupted in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of planning a coup, setting off a cycle of retaliatory killings that have split the poverty-stricken, landlocked country along ethnic lines. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and over two million forced from their homes, pushing the world's youngest nation to the brink of famine. Over 2.8 million people -- almost a quarter of the population -- need aid, while in war zone northern areas 40,00 are being starved to death with aid blocked amid violence. Both the government and rebel sides have been accused of perpetrating ethnic massacres, recruiting and killing children and carrying out widespread rape, torture and forced displacement of populations to "cleanse" areas of their opponents. Earlier this month Kiir named exiled rebel chief Machar as vice-president, as part of a repeatedly broken August peace deal. Machar has yet to return to take up the post and fighting continues, with the conflict now involving multiple militia forces driven by local agendas or revenge, who pay little heed to paper peace deals. The UN has previously said attacks on its bases in South Sudan may constitute a war crime. In April 2014, gunmen killed at least 48 civilians when they opened fire on terrified civilians inside a UN base in the town of Bor. At least 10 attackers were also killed when UN troops fought back. A bill to make it easier for private companies from outside Wisconsin to buy ailing public drinking water systems is coming under fire from critics who say it would hamstring the ability of citizens to block sales of vital public assets. The proposal, scheduled for a vote in a state Senate committee Thursday, would make a public referendum on the sale of water and sewage disposal systems optional instead of mandatory as is currently the case. And if residents gathered enough signatures to force a vote, it would take place before the terms and conditions of a sale are known. I dont know why we would want to go out of our way to make it easier for private, for-profit companies to come in and own our water utilities, said Amber Meyer Smith, a lobbyist for Clean Wisconsin. I would think we would want the highest and best level of accountability with something as important as water quality. The legislation was introduced at the request of a private water and sewer corporation based in Pennsylvania that may wish to acquire water utilities here, said Rep. Tyler August, R-Lake Geneva, the proposals lead author. August said he was surprised by opposition because the state would continue to regulate water quality, sewage discharges and rates paid by customers for private systems just as it does for public ones. This idea that these companies can come in and do whatever they want to is just factually incorrect, August said. August said he wasnt aware of any municipalities that are interested in selling, but this would streamline a path for any that wanted to unload failing systems that required costly maintenance and repairs. Making votes by the public optional would cut down on the wasteful expense of having a referendum even when there is no opposition to a sale, Tyler said. But opponents noted that the state provides loans and grants to municipalities that need to make repairs, and they scoffed at the idea that private owners would simply absorb costs instead of passing them on to ratepayers. If a private utility is going to buy a municipal system, they arent doing it to break even, which is what these systems do, said David Lawrence, executive director of the Wisconsin Rural Water Association. They are going to do it to make money. Aqua America representative Jim Bilotta told legislators the company can be especially helpful to smaller communities because its assets create economies of scale that can result in lower rates. The Assembly has already passed its version of the legislation, Assembly Bill 554. Senate Bill 432 goes before the Senate public works committee Thursday. Passage would pave the way for a vote of the full Senate. A spokeswoman for Gov. Scott Walker didnt respond to a request for comment. Republicans control both houses of the Legislature, but a Democratic member of the committee said he would fight the bill. This means that out-of-state water barons and corporations could control our shared, public water, Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, said in a statement. Larson noted that loss of local control preceded lead-poisoning of water in Flint, Michigan, but August said the Flint case was irrelevant because a state-appointed emergency manager, not a private water company, had taken control from locally elected officials. Under current law, a municipality that wants to sell a water or sewer utility goes to the state Public Service Commission, which sets the terms of sale. Then the deal must be approved by the majority of voters. Current law allows Wisconsin companies to buy utilities, but there are none in the market now, August said. PSC records indicate Superior has the only major water system in the state that is privately owned. There are about 100 major publicly owned systems. Beloits water system was owned by Alliant Energy until 2005 when the city purchased it, said PSC spokeswoman Elise Nelson. Aqua America Inc., Associated Builders and Contractors and the League of Wisconsin Municipalities registered in favor of the legislation. Curt Witynski, assistant director of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, said the group supports the legislation because it typically pushes for laws that put decision-making in elected officials hands instead of referendums. Investor information published by Aqua America indicates that the corporation increased earnings 15 consecutive years through 2014. It operates water and sewer utilities serving 3 million people in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, Indiana and Virginia. 18.02.2016 LISTEN Accra, Feb. 18, GNA - Mr Robert Le Hunte, the Managing Director of HFC Bank, has paid a visit to some customers of the Bank located at the Central Business District in Accra. He was accompanied by the branch manager, Mr Michael Nartey. The visit forms part of the Bank's efforts at deepening its relationship with customers and also in keeping with its core value of customer focus. Mr Le Hunte, since his appointment in June 2015, has embarked on such visits to both individual and corporate customers to familiarise himself with the Ghanaian terrain as well as the needs and expectations of customers. Commenting on the visit, Mr Le Hunte said, 'I find it rewarding to meet and interact with our cherished customers who are the very reason for which we are in business. It also gives me first hand appreciation of the customers' needs and an understanding of their banking needs so that we can create tailor made solutions for them.' The HFC Bank had recently launched a suite of deposit products under the theme 'You Deserve More, Make the Switch Now'. The suite of savings products are HFC Brainy Child account, HFC Smartsave account, HFC IDO account, HFC Susu Plus, HFC Premium Savers account, HFC Homesave Plus account, HFC 55 Plus account. The Bank is a leading Universal Banking Institution in Ghana and the most diversified financial institution. As a one-stop financial institution, its services include Commercial Banking, Investment Banking, Mortgage Banking and Micro Finance. The HFC Bank has been instrumental in the development of the mortgage industry in Ghana and continues to be the number one home loan provider in the country with over 30 per cent share of the mortgage industry. The HFC Bank is now a subsidiary of the Republic Financial Holding Limited, one of the largest and most successful independent commercial banks in the English-speaking Caribbean with over 176 years of banking experience. GNA Accra, Feb. 18, GNA - An Export and Import (EXIM) Bank bill which is currently before Parliament has received attention with the document going through a second reading. The bill is to provide legislation to back a project that will see Ghana provide some financial assistance to its local firms engaged in the business of export and import. Ghana is pushing for a law that would help for the establishment of an Export and Import Bank aimed at transforming the local economy into a strategic position as an export-led economy. When approved, the proposed EXIM Bank would operate like similar institutions in other countries. The Ghana EXIM Bank is aimed at promoting the nation's drive towards achieving a more diversified economy that would be able to resist external shocks alongside an improved capacity to produce goods and services in a competitive global market place. The Bank would operate as a quasi-government institution and act as an intermediary between the government and exporters to issue export financing. It would also operate as a non-deposit bank and assist exporters to compete internationally by providing insurance and finance facilities to support their overseas activities. Mr Cassiel Ato Forson, Deputy Finance Minister, moved the motion for the second reading of the Bill. Mr James Klutse Avedzi, the Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament, who seconded the motion, told Members that historically, Ghana has made efforts through a number of initiatives that are reflected in institutions and structures to support the export sector of the economy. These institutions and programmes, he said, include trade promotion and export finance or guarantee institutions, EXIM Guarantee Company limited and export development and agricultural fund. The second reading, however, generated a lively debate in Parliament with most members kicking against plans to make the proposed bank independent of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), and rather to be superintended by the Minister of Finance. The MPs for Tamale South, Manhyia South, Tema East and Wenchi, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Dr Matthew Opoku-Prempeh, Mr Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover and Prof George Gyan-Baffuor, respectively, among many others, argued that according to the country's laws, all banks were subject to the regulations of the BoG. But the legislators contended that empowering the Minister to superintendent over the Bank would create an institution parallel to the BoG which might cause some conflict. But the MPs for Old Tafo and Bawku Central, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei and Mr Mahama Ayariga, respectively, countered those arguments, saying the EXIM Bank was a special kind of bank and different from the traditional banks in the country, for which reason if the laws establishing it were different it would not be out of place. Dr Akoto Osei, who made reference to the United States, Chinese, Indian and other EXIM banks, said none of them was regulated by the central banks of the countries within which they were established. He said EXIM banks were different from other banks and that they were established with the sole purpose of ensuring an increase in a country's exports. That distinction, he argued, needed to be made clear, adding that "maybe Parliament should be the body to regulate it". Although there is an impressive development in the export sector, the perceived idea of transforming Ghana's economy into an export-led one has made it necessary to adopt a policy to drive this laudable idea. The Government, consequently in the 2015 budget statement, announced its intention to establish an EXIM Bank to lead in the strategic positioning of Ghana as an export-led economy. The proposed bank is envisaged to promote the acceleration of Ghana's drive towards achieving a more diversified economy to make it resilient to external shocks, alongside an improved capacity to produce goods and services in the competitive global marketplace. The bill, therefore, seeks to establish an EXIM Bank which is a quasi-governmental institution that will act as an intermediary between national governments and exporters to issue export financing. GNA Kona (Ash), Feb. 18, GNA - Barely 24 hours after the nation had been badly shaken by a gory road crash at Kintampo that claimed dozens of lives, there had been another crash, this time at Kona in the Sekyere-South District. Seventeen (17) people suffered deep cuts and broken bones, when a mini-bus and a Nissan Pick-up collided head-on. The District Police Commander, Mr Akwasi Asante, told newsmen that nobody has been confirmed dead. The condition of many of the victims, however, was critical and had been rushed to the Agona Government Hospital. The two vehicles were coming from opposite direction and that they were yet to determine the cause. GNA Accra, Feb. 18, GNA - LeapFrog Investments, an international company, which provides investment, insurance, savings and pension services to countries across the world has appointed Dr Felix Olale, as its new leader for African healthcare. Before joining LeapFrog as a partner, Dr Olale worked as the Chairman of the Exclesoir Group, a US and Kenyan based company, as its advisor and developer of healthcare systems and has experience with private equity and healthcare spanning across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. In a statement sent to the Ghana News Agency on Thursday, Asian healthcare investments of LeapFrog would be also be led by LeapFrog Partner and Co-Head of Asia, Mr Michael Fernandes. Prior to joining LeapFrog, Michael managed Khazanah Nasional Berhad's healthcare portfolio, consolidated under IHH Healthcare and listed in Singapore for a $7 billion valuation. LeapFrog's companies so far serve 52 million people across 21 markets with financial services, and the firm intends to achieve similar large-scale results in healthcare. LeapFrog Investments is a specialist investor in emerging markets, seeking the growth opportunity presented by two billion emerging consumers in Africa and Asia. LeapFrog's portfolio companies currently provide insurance, savings and pensions products to 52 million people across 21 markets including Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and The Philippines. LeapFrog uses a profit-with-purpose approach to investing, recognising its ability to generate strong results and change many millions of lives. LeapFrog has unlocked over a billion dollars of investment from leading global institutions that share this vision. Dr Andrew Kuper, Founder and CEO of LeapFrog, said the two healthcare leaders had a distinctive combination of experience as investors, operators, advisors and medical innovators. 'They have successfully performed at the highest level and across several continents and LeapFrog aims to generate the same extraordinary results in Healthcare as we have in Financial Services hence their appointments', he added. 'Tom Verghese, an Associate Director, would also play a pivotal role in Africa investments as he previously focused on healthcare transactions for CDC and for Excelsior Group, where he was part of transactions teams, and advised leading private equity firms focused on Africa. The statement also said LeapFrog had also hired Roshni Bandesha, who was a Research Analyst at McKinsey and Co in New Delhi where she covered healthcare across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and co-wrote a field-defining global health advocacy report to bring on board her rich experience. GNA 18.02.2016 LISTEN Accra, Feb 17, GNA - The Minister of Communications, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, has told the management and staff of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), to rely on each other and pull together individual strengths to deliver the organisation's mandate. The Minister said this at the opening ceremony of the 2016 edition of GIFEC's annual retreat for staff members, adding that, 'It is also important that before we leave here we would begin to see ourselves not as individuals on a quixotic mission; nor as separate units, struggling on our own, against all odds.' He said that the essence of the retreat was to conduct a critical analysis of the past achievements, look at the programmes for 2016 and the immediate future 'and ask whether as a team, we are achieving the objectives of the Fund's mandate.' 'In a world of growing challenges, vulnerability and shrinking budgets, we cannot afford not to stand together or work in isolation or let divisions stand in the way of harnessing the much strength in our single GIFEC team. When this happens, we would be doing a disservice to the people and the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) development mandate we serve,' Mr Boamah said. He congratulated GIFEC for the various achievements chalked over the years, adding that a lot of projects had been lined up for execution this year and entreated that the procurement activity begin early to avoid delays in project implementation. Mr. Kwabena Owusu Akyeampong, the Administrator of GIFEC, said the essence of the retreat, among other things, was for staff to be abreast with activities planned for the year in order to remain focused on the task. He said considering the fact that 2016 was a critical political year it was of essence that 'the project implementation paradigm would be adhered to in order to ensure services are delivered to clients within a certain time frame'. The two-day retreat dubbed 'time for reflection and renewal,' was held in Takoradi. GIFEC is an implementing agency under the Ministry of Communications, whose mandate is to provide Universal Access to Electronic Communications to promote social and economic development for people through best practices. GNA We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. Angered by bills in the state Legislature they consider anti-immigrant, thousands of Latinos and their allies descended Thursday on the state Capitol in what they hoped would be a persuasive show of unity and opposition. The rally, called A Day Without Latinos and Immigrants in Wisconsin, also sought to convey the economic power of the Latino community by illustrating what would happen if thousands of Latino employees and business owners didnt show up for work. Numerous local businesses, including a McDonalds in Middleton and the popular restaurant Quiveys Grove in Madison, closed Thursday, either in solidarity with their Latino employees or because they did not have enough staff to open. The Capitol Police Department estimated the crowd size inside the Capitol and on the grounds at 14,000. The Madison Police Department estimated there were 20,000 people on the streets around the Capitol at the peak of the days march. No arrests or incidents related to the rally were reported by either department. Many protesters were Madison students, some of whom marched in throngs from West and East high schools. Early estimates showed about 4,500 students, or 16 percent of the districts total enrollment, were absent Thursday, compared with 1,500 students and 5.5 percent on a typical day, said district spokeswoman Rachel Strauch-Nelson. The primary goal of the day was to defeat two anti-immigrant laws moving through the Legislature, said Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of Voces de la Frontera, the rallys main sponsor. One bill, SB 533, would place restrictions on a local governments ability to issue identification cards to people such as immigrants who are in the country illegally. It has passed the Assembly and the Senate and is awaiting action by Gov. Scott Walker. The other bill, AB 450, would withhold state funding from so-called sanctuary cities. These are cities where public employees are prohibited from inquiring about someones citizenship status. The bill has passed the Assembly and is awaiting action in the Senate. Jennifer Mancera, 30, of Madison, who attended the rally, said she takes the legislation personally because, at one point, I was an illegal immigrant. At the end of the day, these bills push away people who are only trying to make this a better country, she said. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, told reporters Thursday that protesters misunderstood the impact of the sanctuary cities bill. The goal of the legislation is to make sure that people who commit crimes are punished, Vos said. The basic idea that fear is being instilled is not coming from the Wisconsin Legislature. Its coming from the activists who want to try to pursue a political agenda. Dave Gorak of La Valle, executive director of the Midwest Coalition to Reduce Immigration, also took issue with the rally, calling it outrageous. These people have no respect for our laws or our sovereignty, yet they want us to respect them for attempting to cut the legs off our enforcement policies, he said. However, Middleton dairy farmer Thomas Wagner, 62, said he doesnt think legislators understand the consequences of what theyre doing. He came to the rally to support the 13 Latinos who work for him, more than half of his farms workforce, he said. He and his brothers would not be able to continue operating their 1,700-head dairy operation without them, he said. We need these people in our state, he said. They are good, honest, hard workers. East High sophomore Alexandra Miranda, 15, came to the rally with her parents and two younger brothers. She said most of her friends also chose the rally over classes. This means a lot to me because I dont want my family to be torn apart, she said. Her brothers stroller was festooned with white balloons saying, Wisconsin is not Arizona. Javier Hernandez, 39, of Madison, waved a huge homemade white flag with red letters reading, The Land is to Who Works It. Each young person in a large group of students from the Watertown area held a placard with an individual letter that together spelled out, One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Neumann-Ortiz said her organization was keeping a list of businesses that had closed and said she was confident the number would end up being in the hundreds across the state. If you have a climate that is so unwelcoming that people leave your state, industries are going to die, she said. La Brioche, a bakery and restaurant in Madison that employs about 40, was among those that closed Thursday. We have a fair number of Latino employees, so it will be obvious to them where we stand on these issues, and I hope for some sort of ripple effect if enough people understand the negative aspects of this legislation, said owner David Yankovich. La Brioche and another Madison bakery, Le Petit Croissant, planned to make sandwiches to pass out at the rally so that people would not spend money at restaurants that remained open. Carrie Barndt, who owns six area McDonalds restaurants, said she closed the one on Allen Boulevard in Middleton Thursday because so many employees, both Latino and non-Latino, asked for the day off. She consolidated the remaining employees at the other five locations. At least half a dozen businesses on State Street in Downtown Madison were closed either part or all of the day on Thursday in solidarity with the rally. Tutto Pasta, Casa de Lara and Endless Knot closed for the day, while Hawks Bar and Grill, Roast Public House, and Himal Chuli were planning to reopen for dinner. Amy Moore, owner of Little Luxuries on State Street, said she did not close for the event because she wanted to be open for people who are Downtown for the event or not. She noticed an uptick in shoppers because of the rally specifically those in need of gloves and socks. you are here: budget Recognized 50% of NPAs in asset quality review in Q3: SBI Bhattacharya is expecting more capital from the government for public sector banks in the upcoming Budget. She says SBI will look at divesting non-core assets and paring stake in subsidiaries next yea business WTI price may touch $50/bbl by year-end: Fat Prophets While the news of capping crude production has been positive for the oil industry, markets are not really convinced if capping would happen any sooner, says David Lennox, Fat Prophets. Aveo shot up more than 8% in early morning trade today. Shares hit a high of $3.22, giving Aveo a 1.59% gain for the year. Aveo Group [ASX:AOG] is a market leader in the Australian retirement community. Aveo now operates 95 retirement communities, running some 17,000 homes. They have a clear lead on their competitors. Yet that doesnt mean Aveo plans to stop expanding. Today, Aveo confirmed its commitment to acquire Freedom Aged Care. Freedom operates 15 aged care communities throughout four Australian states. They have 533 more units in the pipeline, which will add to Aveos existing projects. Aveo offered $215.5 million to take over Freedom, not including additional costs. Aveo shot up more than 8% in early morning trade today. Shares hit a high of $3.22, giving Aveo a 1.59% gain for the year. Source: Google Finance Acquiring Freedom was obviously the right decision to make. One of the attractions for the takeover was Freedoms private care model. Aveo can now adopt this strategy for its own operations. We will progressively roll that model out to certain parts of our business, Aveo CEO Geoff Grady said. Why the deal was worth millions Aveo funded the deal with: $83.5 million in scrip plus a $10 million cash payment to vendors; $88 million in debt owed to lenders; Deferred payments of $34 million in present value terms over a four year period. So what does all this mean? First, the scrip offer. This just means that a takeover will be funded partly or wholly by shares. Freedom shareholders will be offered Aveo shares as compensation. The second part consists of debt owed to lenders. Aveo will use borrowed money to partly pay for the takeover. This will supplement the existing script offer. The third item is deferred payments. Along will borrowing extra funds from lenders, Aveo will delay repayments. Meaning they will take funds used to pay debt to fund the acquisition. Now, if a company went to all this trouble you would expect the takeover to value to shareholders. And it has; or, at least, its expected to. The acquisition will boost Aveos return on retirement assets to 8% by FY18. And, by FY17, the acquisition will gradually increase earnings. The acquisition now put Aveos on track to meeting its FY16 earning guidance. Earnings are already up around 89% from prior corresponding period. And things are only expected to get better. Its a huge turnaround. In under a year, Aveo will be able to make their investment profitable. We have strong momentum across the group and total sales volumes in the second half are expected to exceed the first half, Mr Grady said. Aveo is strictly playing the retirement market. But selling existing real estate is also adding to Aveos earnings. The immediate future is looking bright for Aveo. A long term investment in Aveo also looks promising. With Australias population getting older, its likely to expand Aveos reach. The graph below shows various age groups and their expected growth within Australia. Source: Demographics Treasury Australia Straight away its clear that Australias population is expected to age over the next few decades. The 85+ age group is a clear stand out, increasing more than all other age groups combined. Whether this ageing population will find themselves in an aged care home remains uncertain. Medicine and technology is helping the elderly live highly active lives at home. However, the numbers are promising. Aveo might not count every citizen over 60 as a client. But it does increase their potential market base. There is the prospect for Aveo to capture more market share within Australia in the near, and long term, future. Harje Ronngard, Junior Analyst, Money Morning PS: Aveo could be setting itself up for a great year in 2016. But theyre not the only ones. There are many companies within Australia primed for a stellar year. The added advantage of the current bear market is that it makes all these stocks cheap. So your ultimate returns could be higher. The problem is picking the right companies Thankfully, Money Mornings Publisher Kris Sayce has done the hard work for you. Hes has written a new report, The Five Best ASX Stocks for 2016, showing you what stocks to buy in 2016. And, hell also show you a sneaky way to play the property market. To get your free copy of the report, click here. Infant formula contributed 53% of A2Ms total revenue. And the party may not be over yet. Chinas slowdown is on everyones lips this year. Australian companies who have gotten the worst end of the stick are miners. A contributing factor towards the commodities decline has been lack of demand. And everyone is pointing the finger at China. Chinas slowdown is almost like a sickness. Everything theyre associated with gets caught up in the negativity. However, you should always have a healthy dose of scepticism within the market. Yes, Chinas economy is slowing down. But that doesnt mean everything affiliated with China is doomed. Last year, Australias dairy industry enjoyed huge share price gains thanks to China. The industry benefited largely because of baby formula which was aggressively in demand. Supermarkets could barely keep formula on shelves, thats how popular it was. Two stand out winners from the dairy industry were Bellamys Australia [ASX:BAL] and a2 Milk [ASX:A2M]. Each company experienced sales and earnings explosions last year. Some analysts believe it couldve been a one-off. But the evidence is against them. Yesterday, A2M gave investors a look at their results for the second half of last year. A2Ms overall revenues surged 86% to $128.5 million. Infant formula contributed 53% of A2Ms total revenue. And the party may not be over yet. Chinas demand for infant formula is expected to continue into 2016. A2Ms new product, Platinum Formula, catapulted sales in the second half of last year. And its expected to continue into 2016. A2M CEO, Geoff Babidge, expects baby formula to continue dominating their product portfolio. He explains: We are still going to have a portfolio of products but clearly, the forecasts and growth projections that we have in the not too distant future of infant will be beyond 60 percent [of revenue] and heading further north. The clear growth market will be China, but there is opportunity for us [A2M] to take infant [formula] into new markets, Babidge added. As A2M announced their great start to FY16, shares opened up 21% higher than previous close. However, it seems investors still have fears about Chinas future prosperity. Its also believed some shareholders were just collecting profits by selling out. Regardless, shares proceeded to trade down to $1.925 apiece. Meaning shares only posted a 2.4% gain for the day. Source: Yahoo Finance Will a2 Milk continue its growth in 2016? Growth for A2M may not dwarf figures of last year. But the one child policy is over, and further growth will be inevitable. The Chinese government say about 40 million births were prevented because of the policy. Although the number is probably much higher. With the policys recently abolishment, demographics are certainly going to change. Mothers all over China have the chance to have a second child, where they didnt before. The United Nations has predicted the Chinese population to peak around 2034. This will make an already enormous market even bigger. And what will it need? Baby products and infant formula. Even travel agencies are trying to get in on the lasting Chinese demand. A&A Travel has been subletting parts of their building to store infant formula. A freighting company is using the extra space to store the precious product. The goods are then shortly shipped over to China, priced up to $100 per tin can. Everyone is trying to get in on the sustained market. The consensus is for the momentum to continue into the second half of this year. Full-year revenues are expected to climb 125% from previous levels. Some are saying that regulatory changes will stunt the growth of companies like A2M. The changes strictly state that infant formula must be sold on online Chinese stores. The policymakers are trying to put an end to the infant formula black market. Yet the market is so massive A2M is likely to be fine. The company has upgraded profit guidance for a third time this financial year. Regulatory changes have been included, yet it hasnt affected A2M. The market is obviously growing. And whos to say latest guidance isnt conservative? An added advantage A2M has over competitors relates to the contents of their products. A2M products only contain A2 proteins. Other dairy products commonly contain both A1 and A2 proteins. What does this mean? A2 proteins are less likely to cause stomach discomfort. And when we consider demographics, this is very important. Peoples of East Asian decedents commonly experience stomach discomfort when consuming regular dairy products. In fact, 90% of East Asian descendants experience some discomfort. This means A2Ms products are in high demand for two reasons. Their products cater to the growth of dairy consumption in China. And their products cater to those who experience stomach discomfort. This is why I believe A2M has an advantage in a market that is continuing to grow. But whether investors can get over their fears of Chinas slowdown remains to be seen. Harje Ronngard, Junior Analyst, Money Morning PS: Infant formula had a great year in 2015. And it could continue into this year. But there are also other industries and stocks you should be looking out for. According to Money Mornings Publisher Kris Sayce there are five stocks that will define 2016. In Kriss report, The Five Best ASX Stocks for 2016, he will reveal the hottest stocks to watch out for in 2016. Hell also let you in a secret, sneaky way to play the Australian property market. To download your free copy of the report, click here. The Wisconsin Legislature has passed a bill that would stall Milwaukee's efforts to provide local photo IDs to the homeless, immigrants in the country illegally and others who have difficulty obtaining state IDs. The Republican bill would prohibit towns and counties from spending money on or issuing photo IDs. It would also prohibit using city or village ID cards to vote or obtain public benefits, like food stamps. Opponents call the bill anti-immigrant and say it's aimed at Milwaukee plans to issue local IDs to assist with everyday tasks like opening a bank account. The bill's supporters say it will reduce confusion and fraud. February 18, 2016 Ankara Bombing Fails To Achive Strategic Changes The bombing in Ankara yesterday killed 27 mostly military people. It was a big car bomb and a suicide attack.The Turkish government claims that the person who did this was one Saleh Nejar and also claims that he is connected to the Syrian Kurdish group YPG. There is no way to verify this. But the YPG has so fare never used any car bombs or done any suicide attacks. It never touched any target in Turkey. It officially denied to have taken any part in it. The Turkish group PKK has done vehicle bomb attacks and a few suicide attacks but not in Ankara or any other major west-Turkish city. Its attacks are usually operational, not strategic like this one. In the last Turkish version of its magazine the Islamic State had called for attacks in Turkey and on Turkish soldiers. It is the entity that has most to win through such an attack that would predictably be blamed on the Kurds. It is the most plausible culprit. The attack could also have been arranged by the Turkish secret service MIT. But the number and type of casualties seems to be too high and valuable for a stage-managed false flag attack. The Turkish government first claimed that that the PKK was responsible for the attack and send fighter jets into the Qandil mountains in Iraq to bomb some PKK positions. The Turkish Prime Minister then blamed the Syrian YPK and then the Syrian President Assad. Next will be Russia, the Jews and the Illuminati. The Turkish government called in the ambassadors of the permanent members of the UN Security Council to present its evidence. A "western diplomat" told the Wall Street Journal that the evidence shown was "not conclusive". That is the diplomatese expression for "bullshit". The Turkish attempt to use the attack to change the U.S. and EU relations to the YPK failed. The YPK and its associated Arab and Turkmen forces is a very valuable asset for the U.S. to fight the Islamic State. It will refrain from condemning it as long as that is the case. The YPG groups in west Syria are fighting together with others under the label Syrian Democratic Forces. These and the mysterious additional attendants are pressing Jihadi forces in the Azaz pocket at the Turkish border. They are now seeing more resistance. The Turks use artillery to protect the Jihadis in Azaz and the number of enemies has grown. One "rebel" tells Reuters that 2,000 "rebels" with some tanks came from Idleb through Turkey to Azaz. That number is dubious. The British MI6 outlet SOHR as well as a Turkish pro government daily put the numbers at 350 on Monday and another 500 on Wednesday. To transport the tanks through Turkey would likely have been too much a hassle. I doubt that any reached Azaz. I suspect that many of these "rebels" in Azaz are actually Turks of some radical nationalist and Islamist faction as well as Grey Wolf fascists which have strong connections to the MIT. Pictures show such "rebels" in Latakia with Turkish and Islamic State flags and in Azaz with their typical Grey Wolf hand sign. The more "rebels" join the fight in the pocket the less will be in Idleb and elsewhere. The Syrian army and its allies will be happy when lots of the "rebels" join the Azaz pocket and are kept there by the YPG. There is no urge yet to eliminate them. The Syrian army today liberated Kinsaaba in Latakia near the Turkish border. It was the last bigger holdout of "rebels" in the governate. The Syrian troops in north Latakia can now mop up what is left of the "rebels" and then move to the eastern ridge of the Latakia mountains. From there they can look down onto Idleb province and the city of Jisr al Shughour. When the big battle for Idleb province begins during the next months that city will be their first target. Yesterdays attack in Ankara has moved less than expected. While the Turks would like to enter Syria and fight the Syrian government troops as well as the YPG they are to afraid of the Russian forces to go alone. NATO and the U.S. are for now unwilling to give them any cover. Posted by b on February 18, 2016 at 19:20 UTC | Permalink Comments Fifteen years before lead contamination of a Michigan citys drinking water became a public health crisis, Madison was on its way to eliminating its worst risks through a costly effort that replaced more than 8,000 lead water pipes. There are cheaper ways to meet federal standards, but none as effective, said the consultant whose work helped drive the effort. Wherever there is a lead pipe in any city, it should be replaced, said Abigail Cantor, an independent consultant whose tests on old pipes sparked the citys 11-year, $15.5 million effort to replace every lead pipe in the water system. Madison is believed to be the only community in the country to have taken such a radical step. Cantor has been honored in Wisconsin and nationally for her research, and the citys solution has caught the attention of experts and utility officials elsewhere. But an update the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is making to its lead and copper regulations isnt likely to substantially change an approach Cantor says is dangerously simplistic. The federal rule doesnt take into account the complex nature of drinking water systems, which can deliver hazardous, temporary spikes in lead levels that arent detected by infrequent federally mandated sampling, Cantor said. Even water systems that are in full compliance with federal standards can still have up to 10 percent of tested households exceeding the federal action level for the toxic metal. The stakes are high because lead causes irreversible brain damage. Scientists have grown more concerned recently about its effects on children. In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control cut by half the blood level that is considered high. The metal has also been linked to heightened risk of fetal death and other problems. The first step toward addressing risks from tap water should be to do what Madison did, said Cantor, who continues to investigate water supply problems for clients from her West Side office. When samples show too much lead in more than 10 percent of samples, the EPA calls for adding chemicals that create a coating on pipe interiors that prevents water from absorbing the poisonous metal. Cantor said it works well on new lead pipes. But the problem is the pipes in this nation are not nice clean new lines, Cantor said. They are filled with a lot of precipitants ... what I call a soup of metals and microbiological issues. Even after Madison replaced most of its lead pipes, spikes in lead content were discovered. The city countered the problem, but it illustrated one of scores of complex, difficult-to-predict interactions that occur in water supplies. The chemistry and biology of water varies widely depending on its sources in hundreds of lakes, rivers and underground aquifers. Variable factors such as purification methods, temperature, storage time and materials that have accumulated for decades in pipes add another layer of unpredictability, Cantor said. Madisons decision to replace its pipes was anything but easy, with strong objections to the cost and scale of the effort. Even nearby communities with similar water chemistry have not opted for a similar approach. Even if the chemistry is right, economic sustainability is another hurdle, said Gregory Harrington, a UW-Madison professor who specializes in water supply engineering. In other words, is the community willing to pay for that solution? Differences in Flint What happened in Flint, Michigan, has commanded international attention in part because state officials misled the public about lead levels after tests showed serious problems. In Wisconsin, after samples of Madisons drinking water found too much lead in 1992, the state Department of Natural Resources issued a series of consent orders to make sure Madison found a solution. Nearly 10 years later, rather than using the conventional and relatively inexpensive solution of chemical additives, the city persuaded the DNR that it should replace every lead pipe in the city, said Joe Grande, the Madison Water Utilitys quality manager. EPA rules can require limited, gradual pipe replacement, but only if chemicals dont work, and only until standards for 90 percent of tested taps are met. It was a very unusual route, Grande said. I dont know of any utilities that have opted to do lead service replacement instead of corrosion control. Lead pipes connecting homes to iron water mains were installed in the early part of the 20th Century. Leads flexibility meant it resisted cracking when the soil shifts. But over the years, evidence mounted showing the metal leached into the water and caused permanent health problems. A 1991 EPA rule required sampling of water from homes known to have lead connections. Water systems needed to take steps if tests showed more than 10 percent of samples had lead concentrations exceeding 15 parts per billion. Madisons showed 16 parts per billion or less in 90 percent of samples in 1992, and the water utility began testing chemicals to reduce pipe corrosion and keep the lead in check. Cantor worked for a private consultant the utility hired, conducting trials with the chemicals on sections of old pipe. Basically I just questioned authority, because what the regulation was telling us to do didnt match up with what I was seeing in the field, Cantor said. The unique and complex chemistry and biology of Madison water and the residue in its pipes didnt react as expected. One type of phosphate that was supposed to reduce lead actually increased it fourfold, Cantor said. Another phosphate did lower lead levels to some extent, but there were concerns because phosphates act as plant nutrients. Pumping nutrients into the water supply at the front end would tend to boost the fertilizing potency of sewer water discharged at the other end. The areas sewage treatment plant had recently spent millions of dollars to reduce the areas nutrient discharges, which cause excessive algae and weed growths in lakes and streams, and officials didnt want to offset those gains, Grande said. But the alternative, replacing lead pipes, would be costly, and the water utility was legally responsible only for the lead pipe that ran from the iron water mains under the streets to the property line of a home or business. The rest of the lead connection leading to the tap was the property owners responsibility. Grande said the DNR insisted on a guarantee that all the lead would be replaced, so the city passed an ordinance requiring residents in older properties to replace their pipes, setting off a backlash over costs that would run to thousands of dollars for each homeowner. We had to figure out a way, particularly for low-income people, how they were going to be able to afford that, said Sue Bauman, who was mayor from 1997 to 2003. It was controversial, and we went around and around about it, Bauman said. People didnt want to pay to have their laterals (pipes) done, but they also didnt want the chemicals put in the water. In the end, the city agreed to pay up to $1,000 of the property owners cost. An agreement was signed with the DNR on Dec. 21, 2000, and work was soon underway. Lead levels rose again Even after most of Madisons lead pipe had been replaced in 2007, tests were showing surprising spikes in lead concentrations in some areas, Grande said. The utility determined that the culprit was manganese, a metal component in material that accumulates on interior surfaces of water pipes, Grande said. Manganese was absorbing small amounts of lead that appears naturally in the water. Over time, it concentrated the lead until it reached levels that posed health concerns. The utility began a program of flushing water through the pipes to remove clinging contaminants. Cantor said flushing programs are an important step. Iron and manganese in mains and inside a homes plumbing can concentrate lead and then release it, she said. She recommends that homeowners have samples tested for lead at private or state laboratories. Many water utilities across the country wrestle at one time or another with lead problems. Some Wisconsin water systems outside of Madison are considering replacing at least some pipes, including connections on private property, but most use phosphate additives to control lead, DNR spokesman George Althoff said. Some communities have considered a half measure: Just replacing the public portion of the lead service lines while leaving the property owners portion untouched. But research suggests it should be all or nothing because disturbing one end of the pipe can shake loose hazardous sediments at the other. Grande said he didnt expect to see many emulate Madisons approach because of the price tag. Estimates to replace the lead water service lines in Flint, for example, start at $60 million and go up dramatically from there. But Madison officials say it was money well spent. Hopefully our example will be spread widely and it will provide an alternative approach, Grande said. We found it very successful. We are the most effective way to get your press release into the hands of reporters and news producers. Check out our client list. The Canada Revenue Agency confirmed that it is currently in the process of probing and auditing sales of new homes for possible tax evasion, according to an investigative report by The Globe and Mail. The development came in the wake of a previous report that discovered several instances of brand-new homes in Metro Vancouver being sold as owner-occupied, which would make the sale price cheaper as such a transaction would not require the buyer to pay the requisite goods and services tax (GST). The practice has been cited as one of the main drivers of the continuous price increases in the region. Other pressing issues that Canadian housing authorities are planning to address include undeclared income or capital gains, especially among property owners who evade investment taxes by stating that their purchases are their principal residences. In line with these developments, the British Columbian government said that it would be improving the collection of data concerning real estate transactions, with the results to be forwarded to the Canada Revenue Agency. Finance Minister Mike de Jong noted that the regulatory changes are necessary to create a mechanism that would ensure that all the parties involved in every transaction report their tax-related information accurately. All of that needs to happen. To the degree that we can enhance enforcement process by governments sharing information that assists in enforcement, we should be exploring that, de Jong said. A man may not care for golf and still be human, but the man who does not like to see, hunt, photograph or otherwise outwit birds or animals is hardly normal. He is super-civilized, and I for one do not know how to deal with him." -- Aldo Leopold ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) Asked about Donald Trump's views on immigration, Pope Francis said Thursday that anyone who wants to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border isn't Christian. Trump, a leading U.S. Republican presidential candidate, has promised to build a wall along the Mexican border from Texas to California and expel 11 million people who are in the country illegally if elected president. The Pope's comments en route home from Mexico came hours after he prayed at the Mexico-U.S. border for people who died trying to reach the United States. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," Francis said. "This is not in the Gospel." Not having heard Trump's border plans independently, Francis said he'd "give him the benefit of the doubt." But he added: "I'd just say that this man is not Christian if he said it this way." Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, another Republican presidential contender, has also supported building a border wall, and joked that he will make Trump pay for it. Trump, a Presbyterian, last week criticized Francis' plans to pray at the border. He said the move was ill-informed and showed Francis to be a political figure being exploited by the Mexican government. "I don't think he understands the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico," Trump said in an interview with Fox News. "I think Mexico got him to do it because they want to keep the border just the way it is. They're making a fortune, and we're losing." Asked if he felt he was being used as a pawn of Mexico, Francis said he didn't know. "I leave that judgment to you, the people." But he seemed quite pleased to hear that Trump had called him a "political" figure, noting that Aristotle had described the human being as a "political animal." Sorry, Texas. OPEC and Russia are not going to save the North American shale oil revolution. Too many analysts and oil and gas executives are clinging to a fantasy in which the worlds largest oil-producing governments divvy up the energy market in a way that satisfies the 19 countries that produce more than a million barrels a day of petroleum. In this dream sequence, oil companies then adhere to the quota and triple the price of oil so that everyone can make a decent profit at $90 a barrel. Thats pretty much what Russias and Saudi Arabias oil ministers have said is necessary to take 1.5 million barrels of surplus oil off the market. Since that wont ever happen, those ministers joined Venezuela and Qatar on Tuesday in offering to freeze exports at January 2016 levels to stabilize prices but only if other governments agree to do the same. That last condition, which Saudi Arabia and Russia add to every proposal made to manipulate the market, makes the new proposal dead on arrival. What they are really saying, using diplomatic language, is that Iran and Iraq must drop their bids to sell more oil, and thats a pledge neither country can make. Irans government just traded away years of nuclear weapons development to save the countrys economy, and the pressure to deliver is on. Moderate Iranian President Hassan Rouhanis future depends on boosting oil exports by a million barrels a day, attracting $200 billion in foreign investment and raising the average Iranians standard of living. He cant afford to freeze exports unless he wants to hand power over to hardliners in the 2018 election. In neighboring Iraq, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi boosted exports to finance his governments battle against Islamic State. Total revenues, though, have slipped, and the national oil company has had a hard time paying foreign contractors. Other members of OPEC, notorious for cheating on past quotas, are equally desperate. Nigeria, Venezuela, Angola and Ecuador face economic collapse, and those governments must maximize production to raise hard currency. Antitrust laws, meanwhile, prevent private oil companies from participating in any agreement to manipulate the market. Producers in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Norway and Mexico represent a quarter of global production, and will act independently. U.S. companies are also competing for the first time in decades on the global market and began exporting crude last month, something executives told Congress would save the industry. Since then, the price for Brent, the international benchmark, has closed in on the price for West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark. That smaller differential has made imports more attractive to refiners on the East and West coasts, according to Platts, a data company that tracks energy prices and inventory. Iraq and Saudi Arabia offered substantial discounts off the Brent price to secure greater U.S. market share, the company noted. Imports rose 480,000 barrels a day in January compared with last year, averaging 7.86 million barrels. That offset a 417,500-barrel-a-day cut in U.S. shale production, Platts reported, and increased crude and refined product inventories. U.S. exports were minimal. While the U.S. will likely continue to import significant volumes of crude in the foreseeable future, the import/export balance is likely to see only moderate increases on the export side from the current 600,000 barrels a day, Platts concluded. Global energy markets are simply too complex and geopolitically fraught for a handful of producers to manipulate crude prices. While an unexpected, violent attack on the oil supply could send prices skyrocketing, the fundamentals of supply and demand control the day-to-day market to the benefit of low-cost producers. Prices are floating at $30 a barrel, far below the price needed to add new wells, because there is a 1.5-million-barrel daily surplus, and storage tanks are filling up. Demand may grow 1 million barrels a day by the end of 2016, but thats about equal to what Iran wants to add to the market. Only natural well decline absent new drilling will balance the market, and that will take at least a year. Unfortunately, small U.S. companies that drill and hydraulically fracture horizontal wells are on the wrong side of the price point. About 60 U.S. exploration and production companies are at risk of bankruptcy this year, according to consulting and accounting firm Deloitte. We could see E&P bankruptcies surpass Great Recession levels, said John England, Deloittes vice chairman and U.S. oil and gas sector leader. Access to capital markets, bankers support and derivatives protection, which helped smooth an otherwise rocky road for the industry in 2015, are fast waning. Smartly managing the best reserves to produce the cheapest oil is the only way to survive this market. Believing OPECs and Russias weekly press releases intended to manipulate the market is not. Krysti Papadopoulos, payload engineer with XCOR Aerospace, told a gathering at the Petroleum Museums monthly Lunch and Learn program that Midlands history in exploring for natural resources makes space exploration a natural fit for the Tall City. Another benefit is that the areas numerous engineers and technicians have skills that can easily transfer to aerospace. As the company moves forward with its development of the Lynx Mark I spacecraft which will take customers on a 30- to 40-minute ride from Midland International Air & Space Port into suborbital, black space and back again more positions will open up in areas such as marketing and procurement. She followed the lead of senior XCOR officials in declining to give a timeline of when the Lynx will take off from Midland International or when residents could view test flights of the spacecraft. For now, she told the crowd, the Lynx engine and spaceship itself remain under construction and testing in Californias Mojave Desert. Even so, much of XCORs engineering and research and development teams are in Midland near Midland International. Having a space port can be an important business draw as commercial space develops, attracting not only competing companies taking passengers into space but ancillary businesses that will make up the supply chain, she said. I would like to see a business incubator for small businesses wanting to work in commercial space, Papadopoulos said. Theres a lot of money going into small companies working in space software companies, imaging companies. They need places with area that will let them fly their drones or test equipment. Already, more than 300 people have signed up to fly on the Lynx Mark I, which will have room for a pilot, a passenger and science payload, at a cost of $150,000 each. That price tag is exciting for scientists, who are currently paying millions to send experiments into space via NASA, she said. Papadopoulos showed the audience an animation of a Lynx Mark I taking off from a Midland International runway, heading skyward at an 80-degree angle and, within three minutes, reaching suborbital space. Papadopoulos said she expects that the third generation of the Lynx, the Mark III, will be configured to launch small satellites into dedicated orbits. That will benefit universities and companies such as Google that are waiting years to launch their small satellites, used for communications or GPS applications such as Google Earth. In the not-so-distant future, Papadopoulos envisions humans engaged in space settlement, asteroid mining and space tourism, paving the way for companies that could become what she called the Exxon Mobils, the Chevrons, the Conocos of space. The Midland Vet Center, which serves combat veterans across the Permian Basin, will be holding an open house on March 4 for residents to speak with counselors and staff and learn about the services offered. Though the center is not new to Midland, staff realized not many people know about it or where its currently located: 4400 N. Midland Drive, Suite 540. "Were doing (the open house) because were realizing that so many people dont know who we are or what we do, said LeAnne Thornton, a readjustment counseling technician. Its just kind of a day that will be open so that people can come in and get to know us. The Midland Vet Center specializes in providing counseling for combat PTSD, traumatic brain injury and military sexual trauma. For sexual trauma services, veterans do not have to have experienced combat. The center also provides marital and family counseling for family members of veterans. All services are free for combat veterans and their families, Thornton said. Basically, we provide any kind of counseling for our combat veterans, she said. The center currently serves about 90 clients in Midland and 55 in San Angelo, Thornton said. Not only will counselors be available to speak to the public during the open house, but a Mobile Vet Center from Amarillo will be there for the public to explore. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Vet Center Program serves combat veterans nationwide. Originally established in 1979 when Congress realized that a significant number of Vietnam era veterans were still experiencing post-war adjustment issues, vet centers are community-based programs that serve combat veterans, and/or victims of MST, and their families. About 20 percent of veterans who served in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom have PTSD, about 12 percent of Gulf War (Desert Storm) veterans have PTSD, and it is estimated that about 30 percent of Vietnam veterans have PTSD, according to VA statistics. Among those veterans who use VA health care, about 55 percent of women and 38 percent of men have experienced sexual harassment when in the military, according to the VA. Though MST is more common in women, more than half of all veterans with MST are men, according to the VA. For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser It's "Business Time" for the Newport Folk Festival. On Wednesday (Feb. 17), the legendary Rhode Island music festival announced the latest addition to its lineup: a reunited Flight of the Conchords. Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, a.k.a. Flight of the Conchords are set to play on Friday, July 22, as the night's headliners at the Newport Folk Festival, Consequence of Sound reports. Best known for their HBO show (which ran for two seasons between 2007 and 2009), Flight of the Conchords have not toured since 2013. This performance will mark the comedic folk duo's first live performance since that year's Funny or Die Oddball Festival. It is yet to be seen whether or not the Newport Folk Festival appearance will mark a full reunion or tour for Flight of the Conchords. Since their last live trek, Clement has been busy acting in things such as What We Do in the Shadows and Rio 2. Meanwhile, McKenzie has worked as a music supervisor for The Muppets and Muppets Most Wanted as well as acting in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Flight of the Conchords' Friday night reunion at the Newport Folk Festival is likely no coincidence - as of this writing, that is the only day of the fest that has yet to sell out. FotC join a solo set from Father John Misty, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Ray LaMontagne, The Oh Hellos, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Villagers and more in the 2016 Newport Folk Festival lineup. More artists are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. The 2016 Newport Folk Festival will take place in Newport, Rhode Island, from July 22 to 24. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Ennio Morricone and Quentin Tarantino have quite the impressive working relationship, having teamed up on Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight, allowing for the legendary composer to create great scores for new movies while Tarantino gets the sound he's always wanted. According to a new interview with the 87-year-old composer, it looks like they're going to work together again on Tarantino's next movie, though nobody knows what kind of film it will be. You can check out more buzzing news coverage from Music Times right here! Speaking with Deadline earlier this week, Morricone shared the news that Tarantino asked him to score the next project he's working on. While he doesn't know what movie the acclaimed director is going to make, the fact that Morricone is known for Westerns could be a hint! "Tarantino has already told me that there will be a next movie that we are going to make together. ... I told him that in the future I would like to have much more time. I would like to start working with him even long before in order to have the time to work, to think about the music, and also to exchange more ideas with him about what I am going to score for him," the composer revealed, according to SlashFilm. "I never ask any director to work with me, but it was Tarantino who told me, 'OK, there will be a next time.'" The composer also spoke about how he likes working with Tarantino, especially regarding the creative freedom he's allowed while writing. "Quentin Tarantino didn't give me any kind of specific indication. He didn't express any requirements, so this gave me a lot of freedom," he said. "But at the same time, it put on me a much bigger responsibility. I was motivated only by the willingness to do better than I had done in the past and to give him a unique score." Check out Ennio Morricone's score for The Hateful Eight right here: 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Despite her brother-in-law's best efforts, Kylie Jenner has finalized her endorsement deal with Puma. According to Complex, rumors of the seven-figure deal started to circulate about a week ago, and Kanye West, husband of Kylie's half-sister Kim Kardashian, was not a fan. The rapper, who has his own deal with Adidas tweeted his thoughts about it: 1000% there will never be a Kylie Puma anything. That's on my family! 1000% Kylie is on Yeezy team!!! - KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) February 9, 2016 Puma we gone give you your measly million dollars back!!! Never try to divide the family!!! - KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) February 9, 2016 Though Kanye was very clear about how he felt, it seems he doesn't have the authority to speak for Kylie. According to Sneaker Bar Detroit, Puma made the following statement about the deal: "I am pleased and excited to be able to confirm that Puma is indeed working with Kylie Jenner," Adam Petrick, global director of brand and marketing for Puma, said in a statement. "Kylie will be featured in the brand's spring/summer women's training campaign launching in April 2016. Kylie represents a fresh and exciting new era for fashion and we couldn't think of a more fitting and influential female to headline this campaign for Puma." According to TMZ, though Kylie has signed a deal with Puma, she is still able to rock her Adidas Yeezys. Also, the deal is for six months only. Maybe Kanye can hang in there for half a year. We will keep you posted on this deal as more information develops. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. 5 Seconds of Summer may have a legion of dedicated fans who love their music, but the "Jet Black Heart" band has just as many detractors. And on Wednesday night (Feb. 17), the haters came out in full force when 5SOS won the Worst Band award at the 2016 NME Awards. But don't worry, in true 5 Seconds of Summer fashion, the band took the distinction in stride. 5SOS had some stiff competition to become the absolute worst. They beat out other divisive acts such as One Direction, Little Mix, U2, Nickleback and British duo Sleaford Mods for the distinction. But, readers of the British publication were not feeling 5 Seconds of Summer's brand of pop-punk and voted them as their least favorite act for the second year in a row. Despite the fan-voted derision, 5 Seconds of Summer celebrated their win for Worst Band on Twitter, with member Ashton Irwin embracing the title. NME worst band 2 years running, we are unstoppable at being the worst (@Ashton5SOS) February 18, 2016 5SOS weren't the only act to get a negative distinction at the NME Awards. American republican presidential candidate Donald Trump won Villian of the Year over David Cameron, Kanye West, Simon Cowell and others. On the other side of the coin, The Maccabees took home Best British Band, Charli XCX won Best British Solo Artist while Run the Jewels took home the Best International Band and Taylor Swift the Best International Solo award. Other winners at the NME Awards include Rat Boy (Best New Artist), Foals (Best Album, What Went Down) and The Libertines (Best Fan Community, Music Moment of the Year for their secret Glastonbury set). 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Last month, one of C-Murders TRU-Bossalinie Records artists revealed that the incarcerated rapper was planning to release a joint album with Boosie Badazz. It turns out that the project is a real thing and the two recently updated fans with the tracklist and cover art for Penitentiary Chances. According to a tracklist shared by HipHopDX, Penitentiary Chances will consists of 20 tracks, including its first single, Under Pressure. The album will feature guest spots from underground rappers like Dinero, 2Meka and Vs, as well as Snoop Dogg, who appears on a track titled, Its Hard 2 Be Black. The song, which highlights the life of a black man in America, was originally released back in December 2014. In the past, Snoop and C-Murder collaborated on the track Down For My Ns. The Penitentiary Chances project reportedly came about while Boosie and C-Murder were both incarcerated in Louisiana's Angola Prison. C-Murder is currently serving a life sentence following the rapper's conviction in the 2002 shooting of 16-year-old fan Steve Thomas at a now-closed nightclub in Harvey, Louisiana. The teen reportedly used a fake ID to get into the club where he was beaten by C-Murder's entourage before the rapper shot him. Boosie was released from prison in March 2014. The rapper served a 52-month sentence for a drug conviction and probation violation. In 2010, he was indicted on first-degree murder and drug charges. He was found guilty of the latter and eventually sentenced to eight years in prison. Penitentiary Chances is slated to be released on April 15. Check out the tracklist below: 01. The Beginning 02. Under Pressure Feat. Calliope Bub 03. In The Pen 04. Dear Supreme Court 05. 4, 3, 2, 1 06. Dear Cee, Dear Boosie 07. Strapped Up Feat. Vs 08. Black Babies Dont Mourn 09. Dont Rush 2 Grow Up Feat. Calliope Bub 10. A Political Prisoner Speaks 11. God Im Sorry 12. Blame My Mother 13. When We Came 2 The Can Feat. Calliope Bub 14. 2 Legit Feat. Calliope Bub 15. Remember Me Feat. Yella, Cuttboy G, Dinero and 2Meka 16. This Aint Living Feat. Vs 17. Miller Time Feat. Mac Milli 18. Its Hard 2 Be Black Feat. Snoop Dogg 19. For My Homies Thats Dead Feat. Calliope Bub 20. The End 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. We have independently selected these offers and products because we love them and we think you might like them at these prices. E! has affiliate relationships, so we may earn a commission if you buy something through our links. Items are Please enable JavaScript to experience the functionality of this website. - MWEB Adult Content Warning Please be notified that on occasion this blog will have adult language in its posts. If you are under the legal age in your community, please proceed with caution. Sarkodie should have been bigger than ... Update at 5 p.m.: Sacramento, CA Board of Equalization Vice Chair George Runner reacted to the High Speed Rail Authoritys 2016 business plan by calling it a desperate attempt by the rail authority to lay as much track as possible to make it difficult to derail the project. He argues that switching construction to the Bay Area amounts to nothing more than kicking the can down the road. Runner charges, As I warned in 2008, this project is now a far cry from what voters narrowly approved. The project is more than twice as expensive as initially promised and has suffered numerous setbacks and delays. This isnt what Californians expected; they clearly deserve another chance to vote on the issue. Original Post at 1oam: Sacramento, CA The states High Speed Rail Authority will release a revised plan for the bullet train, and it is anticipated to be slightly less expensive. It is a requirement that the state legislature receive a revised plan update every two years, and the authority is planning to deliver it on Friday. The Associated Press, via the San Jose Mercury News, is reporting that the new cost estimate will be $64-billion, compared to the current $68-billion. In an effort to keep costs in check, the first stretch will now reportedly run from the Central Valley over to San Jose, as opposed to the Central Valley down to Los Angeles. The goal is to have that stretch completed by 2025. California voters approved Proposition 1A in 2008 which set aside the initial $9.95-billion for the bullet train, however, its popularity has waned in recent years, according to public polls. The project has also faced opposition, including lawsuits, from residents and communities that will be impacted by its construction. Carol Wick, the long-time head of Orange County's domestic abuse shelter, is no longer CEO. The board of directors for Harbor House of Central Florida announced Thursday that it Wick was no longer in charge and they would begin a nationwide search for a new CEO. Earlier today, the Harbor House Board of Directors approved a leadership change and Carol Wick is no longer the CEO. Her legacy will live long at Harbor House due to her commitment to the mission, fundraising efforts and the recent ground breaking for the Morgan & Morgan Home: a safe haven for families. "The Board is focused on the mission of Harbor House and raising awareness to end domestic violence and saving lives. We appreciate all Carol did for the organization and wish her well in her future endeavors," said Audra Hollifield, Chairman of the Board. RELATED Harbor House Crisis Hotline 407-886-2856 FL Coalition Against Domestic Violence Legal Help Line: 1-800-500-1119, press 3 An interim CEO will be announced in the next few days. In a statement Thursday, Wick said the decision to leave was not hers. However, she was proud of Harbor House's accomplishments and where the group stood in the community. Carol Wick oversaw numerous expansions and advancements since joining Harbor House in 2006. Under her tenure, Harbor House developed the R3 app, which helps people recognize the signs of abuse and help victims get assistance. Former Chief Judge Belvin Perry worked with Wick throughout her tenure at Harbor House. He said Wick was instrumental in helping victims come out of the shadows. "She was the catalyst for change in this community when it came to domestic violence," said Perry. "She was always over at the courthouse, she was always in my ear. A lot of the changes we have seen here in our domestic violence cases, are handled by the courts, by law enforcement and how they are looked upon in the community -- without Carol Wick, I don't know if that would have happened." Harbor House also built the Paws for Peace Kennel, an on-site kennel for the pets of domestic violence victims. Last year Harbor House broke ground on an emergency housing facility, the Morgan & Morgan House: A Safe Haven for Families. Wick was also instrumental in forming the Orange County taskforce on domestic violence. "The system we have here in Orange County is one of the best in the nation, and she did not rest on the past, she was always moving forward with the future," Perry said. "She will be missed." In her statement, Wick also took time to praise the staff. "After 10 years as Chief Executive Officer of Harbor House, I have nothing but the highest regard for the staff, the clients, and the crucial mission of that astounding, life-saving organization. "For me, this work has been so much more than just a job; it has been a calling. I am passionate about the work weve done, and have been tremendously honored to guide an organization whose sole purpose is to help the innocent survivors of domestic violence. "Over the past decade, careful attention to detail has resulted in unprecedented growth in volunteer and funding support, and an innovative approach to the challenges inherent in domestic violence have enable us to have a profound impact on our immediate community and beyond. "While it was not my decision to leave, I am particularly proud of where the organization stands. "I want to express my unyielding gratitude to the countless individuals and organizations in the community who have given my professional life its purpose and its joy. "Know that I am excited about the projects that I am working on and continuing to work for survivors. "Thank you for your continued support and understanding." A second man has been arrested in connection with the shooting at an Orlando nightclub that left two people dead and eight others injured earlier this month. Orlando Police said they have arrested Luis Gadiel Cruz Nazario, 21, in connection with the Feb. 7 fatal shooting at Glitz Ultra Lounge on Universal Boulevard. Late last week, police said that they had arrested Jose Jaime Brull Lopez, 23, on the night of the shooting, according to an Orlando Police arrest affidavit. A total of 10 people were shot at the nightclub. Joseph Lugo Villalobos, 22, and Jonathan Avila Rojas, 33, died of gunshot wounds. The shooting was not a random act, and a fight between two groups escalated into the shooting incident, Orlando Police Chief John Mina said last week. According to the affidavit, the nightclub was "packed with approximately 200-300 patrons" when the fight broke out just before 1 a.m. Mina said that despite extensive security measures in place at the club, there was either a lapse in those measures that night or insufficient training by club staff. According to the affidavit, there were at least 12 unarmed security officers working inside the nightclub. He urged club management to install metal detectors, increase the number of and retrain its private security and increase the number of police extra-duty officers. Several off-duty Orlando police officers were working there that night. They typically stay outside, the affidavit said. People also were checked as they came in the door. The Glitz Ultra Lounge parking lot was an active scene Sunday morning and afternoon. (Stephanie Bechara, staff) GET OUR APP Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Download it here. The field of candidates in the May 7 election for Plainview mayor has doubled this week, with two more hopefuls throwing their hats into the ring. Joining first-term incumbent Wendell Dunlap and first-term city council member Lionel A. Garcia are Texas Department of Criminal Justice employee John Hopkins and Plainview school teacher Michael Varner. According to City Secretary Belinda Hinojosa, Hopkins filed to run for Plainview mayor on Tuesday while Varner entered the race Wednesday afternoon. The filing deadline is Friday. Varner teaches economics at Plainview High School while Hopkins, according to his Facebook profile, is a lieutenant at the T.L. Roach Unit in Childress. Three spots on the Plainview City Council also are to be filled by the May 7 election. Susan Blackerby, incumbent for District 5, currently is running unopposed. Shes held that post since December 2013. John Gatica, former Houston School principal, has filed for the District 6 seat being vacated by Lionel Garcia. Also up for election this cycle is the District 7 seat, now held by first-term City Council Member Eric Hastey. It has not yet drawn any formal candidates. Three seats on the Plainview Board of Education also are up for election May 7, and at last report there were four candidates split between the three races. Precinct 1 incumbent Adam Soto, current school board president, is seeking to retain the post that he has held since May 2002. Precinct 7 incumbent Sylvia De La Garza will be facing Robert Nava for that seat. De La Garza was first elected in May 2008. In Precinct 6, newcomer Cheryl Dickerson has filed to run. That seat is currently held by Veronica Salazer-Isaguirre, who was elected in May 2012. Information about running for a seat on the school board is available at the PISD Administration Building at 10th and Portland, while candidate information for the municipal races is available from City Secretary Belinda Hinojosa at City Hall, 901 Broadway. The final day to file for election is Feb. 19 Early voting runs from April 25 to May 3. Election Day is May 7. What: Shares of VimpelCom , one of the largest telecom service providers in the former Soviet provinces of Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, to name a few, soared by 15% during Wednesday's trading session after reporting its fourth-quarter results, and announcing a key legal settlement. So what: Today's headline was expected to be the company's Q4 report, but the primary reason shares of VimpelCom rallied was based off an announcement that it had reached a legal settlement with U.S. and Dutch regulators over anti-corruption laws. VimpelCom had been under a long-running investigation into bribery in Uzbekistan. Today's deal, which still needs to be agreed upon in court, would have VimpelCom admit to wrongdoing in Uzbekistan, and pay fines equating to $900 million. What's important about this is VimpelCom had already set aside $900 million for this litigation, meaning the fines -- should the courts agree -- won't exceed its initial estimates. In other words, it removes a big cloud of uncertainty that had draped VimpelCom's stock. In addition to its legal settlement, VimpelCom reported fourth-quarter organic revenue growth of 1%, and organic EBITDA growth of 5%. Image source: Flickr user Marjan Lazarevski. Now what: The good news for shareholders is that they can finally turn their attention to the important catalyst driving VimpelCom -- i.e., earnings -- as opposed to focusing on the "what if's" concerning its legal issues. When it comes to earnings growth, VimpelCom does have challenges to overcome. The company's growth has been pretty tepid -- think low single-digit percentages -- and it's dealing with a major devaluation in the Russian ruble, which is hurting its results. Weakness throughout Russia and its surrounding territories tied to the collapse in crude prices is the icing on the cake. Slowly, but surely, this economic weakness trickles down to consumers, making them think twice about their discretionary spending habits. On the flip side, VimpelCom also has plenty of opportunity to build out its infrastructure, and partner with its peers, to take advantage of consumers' insatiable appetites for data. The rollout of 4G and LTE services in select regions presents an important opportunity for device upgrades, and thus, data plan upgrades. Right now, I'd consider VimpelCom to be modestly attractive, but would caution that it's only for consumers with a strong stomach for volatility. If you're willing to hold VimpelCom for the long term, the upgrade cycle to new devices could wind up paying off nicely. The next billion-dollar iSecret The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something at its recent event, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here. The article The Primary Reason VimpelCom Ltd. Shares Soared (Hint: It Wasn't Because of Earnings) originally appeared on Fool.com. Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate When it became clear that Luminaria 2015 would have to be severely truncated because of stormy weather, Executive Director Kathy Armstrong and the rest of the team started talking about how they could salvage all of the work that couldnt be shown as scheduled. It was a quick start because a lot of artists schedules do fill up very quickly, said Armstrong. The creative team folded the work that had to be canceled for the eighth annual edition of the arts blowout in October into a new series dubbed Luminaria Take Two. The first offering was in November, and featured a collaboration between visual artist Chris Sauter and the band Buttercup dubbed Platos Drums. The series wraps up with outings Friday at the San Antonio Museum of Art and Wednesday at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. Both evenings have more of an emphasis on installation art and performance. Free guides to the Take Two series will be available at both sites. The guides include performance schedules so that audience members who want to see specific works can plan their visits. The lineup includes works from the San Antonio Film Festival and performances by Hyperbubble; the San Antonio Jazz Ensemble; Rattletree Marimba; Alyson Alonzo; the Overtime Theater; Gregg Barrios and Gemini Ink; and Debora Keutzpal Vasquez, Bianca Sapet and Zombie Bazaar Panza Fusion. More Information Luminaria Take Two When and where: 8 p.m. to midnight Friday, San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave.; 7-10 p.m. Wednesday, River Walk Plaza and Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle. Food: The museum Take Two will include food trucks and beverage vendors. Food trucks will not be at the Tobin Center, but the bar will be open. Admission: Admission to both events is free. Those who would like to see the "Corita Kent and the Language of Pop" exhibit at the museum Friday will be asked to buy a timed ticket; the suggested donation is $10. (The rest of the museum galleries will not be open.) Those who want to see the dance performances at the Tobin Center are advised to print out a ticket from tobi.tobincenter.org; those without tickets will be able to line up and will be admitted as space permits. Brunch: Artists Debora Keutzpal Vasquez, Kevin McClellan and Sarah and Victor Pagona will discuss their work and creative process at 11 a.m. Sunday at VFW Post 76, 10 10th St. Tickets, $39, can be purchased at luminariasa.org. Seating is limited to 16. Workshop: Oui Danse founder and artistic director Brice Moussett will lead a contemporary dance class at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Trilogy Dance Center, 2602 N. Loop 1604 W. The $29 fee can be paid at luminariasa.org. Information: luminariasa.org See More Collapse There also will be visual-art installations, including a piece by Jonathan Sims, who has created a piece consisting of structures with ever-shifting geometric glyphs projected onto them. The artist now lives in New York, but he called San Antonio home for about eight years before moving north three years ago. Where I cut my teeth (as an artist) was in San Antonio, he said. So he is excited to be showing an installation outside the museum. The piece includes some symbolism meant to evoke ancient imagery, he said. Its nice to know my projections are going to be a few feet away from other ancient, beautiful artifacts that people in San Antonio can come and see. Wednesdays Take Two marks Luminarias return to the Tobin Center, which was part of the footprint in 2014. The Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater will host dance performances by Seme Jatib, Oui Danse and Alante Flamenco, as well as films by Stuart Allen, Liz Rodda and Ronnie Cramer. The River Walk Plaza will be home to films by Cramer, Richard Edson and the San Antonio Film Festival as well as installations by Marmon Mok and Momo and Pompa as well as a performance by Andro Ray. Jatib will present Media Naranja, a dance work that includes video by Pete Barnstrom. In English, the title translates to Better Half, though the literal translation is half an orange. It comes from a saying, Jatib said: In Mexico, when you find the love of your life, you say you found your half orange, because it completes your orange. The piece explores couplehood, and includes video from interviews she conducted with friends about their relationships. The piece hasnt changed since October. I can say the piece matured, she said. You cook it slowly, and the taste is better, I think. Always, with more rehearsal, more time to work, is a much better result. Armstrong, who is hard at work on the 2016 edition of Luminaria, is pleased with the Take Two series. It really is a good introduction to the arts in our city, she said. dlmartin@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Former Disney Channel Star Orlando Brown got into some more legal trouble last month, getting slapped with battery and drug charges following an incident outside a California police department, according to police. Brown, 28, was arrested on charges of domestic battery, obstructing an officer, possession of drug paraphernalia, bringing a controlled substance into a jail and possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, said Torrance Police spokesman Sgt. Paul Kranke in an interview with mySA.com. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate People constantly groan that todays creators of TV, movies and music just dont make em like they used to. Well, the producers of Fuller House have listened and complied. The Netflix reboot of the 80s and 90s family comedy Full House, which starts streaming on the service Friday, definitely feels like a throwback. The dialogue has a minimum of snark; the characters are relatively wholesome; the situations have a comforting predictability; the kids are, for the most part anyway, respectful. And then theres the boisterous laugh track. It felt surreal watching, a trip back to the land of old sitcoms. I think that there has been a dearth of good, solid, family programming with great, you know, values but, at the same time, is entertaining, is how Bob Boyett, executive producer of the new and old versions of the show, explained the TV return. I think theres an appetite for family programming again. I mean, we went through that phase of families watching television together when they had one television in the home. Then, when every kid had a television in their bedroom, things changed. Now, families are, I think, looking for an opportunity to spend time together. More Information Old is new on TV Television's reboot list seems to be growing by the minute. Here are shows that already have been revived on the small screen and others that are hotly anticipated: "Doctor Who": The British classic, which ran from 1963 to 1989 on the BBC, returned in 2005 to air in both Britain and the United States (on Syfy channel, then on BBC America) with new incarnations of the Doctor, played by Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith and, currently, Peter Capaldi. "Dallas": The Texas oil saga, which made J.R. Ewing a household name and aired from 1978 to 1991 on CBS, was revived in 2012, aired for three seasons on TNT, and featured new and old generations of the Ewing clan. "The Muppets": "The Muppet Show" (1976 to 1981) returned with a new title on ABC last fall and brought back lots of originals, led by Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, while introducing newcomers. "The X-Files": The sci-fi/conspiracy drama ran from 1993 to 2002, and returned to Fox in 2016 with originals David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson and more in six new episodes. "Gilmore Girls": The comic charmer, starring Lauren Graham and Alex Bledel as a single mom and her daughter, aired from 2000 to 2007, first on the old WB network, then on CW. It will see new life with most of the originals in a limited series on Netflix in 2017. "Twin Peaks": David Lynch's eerie cult favorite, which ran from 1990 to 1991 on ABC, is scheduled to bow with a mix of old and new characters on Showtime in 2017. Jeanne Jakle See More Collapse Moreover, the fact that the same actors including John Stamos, Bob Saget, Dave Coulier and Lori Loughlin have returned to reprise their roles adds to Fuller Houses nostalgic feel. Whats unique about this show is we never lost that human connection between these actors and characters, Boyett said. I mean, this is a family of people that have stayed close all through the years, and that comes through on the screen. Primarily, the show explores the second and third generations of Full House. At its center is the recently widowed D.J. Tanner-Fuller (Candace Cameron Bure), who is now a veterinarian and mother of three young boys. Helping her out is Stephanie Tanner (Jodie Sweetin), the musical younger sister, whos single, outspoken and can walk a bit on the wild side; and Kimmy (Andrea Barber), the funny, bordering on obnoxious, next-door neighbor. She and her teenage daughter Ramona move in with D.J. to help her out with the boys. All three actresses were moved when they reunited on the re-created set. It was overwhelming, Barber said, sort of like walking into an archaeological site that had just been unearthed after 20 years. It was like coming home again to your childhood home. Getting to act on the stage with these lovely ladies again, its a dream come true. I had to pause and stop and take more than a few moments because the emotions really got to me, and I was just crying because I was flooded with so many memories, Cameron Bure recalled. A beautiful moment, added Sweetin. Stamos (Jesse), Loughlin (Jesses wife, Becky), Saget (Danny) and Coulier (Joey), mainstays of the old show, are listed as special guest stars here for a reason. In the intro, Joey talks about his successful job in Vegas and the other three explain that theyre moving from the shows setting San Francisco to Los Angeles, where theyve all landed hot new jobs. As the episodes unfold, the producers said, their visits will become more sporadic. The series opener, however, is a reunion of all of them and should be pure catnip to fans. Its packed with nostalgic winks at Full House Jesses obsession with Elvis and his own good looks, Joeys love of Bullwinkle and favorite catchphrases. It even takes some lighthearted shots at the Olsen twins, who played baby Michelle in Full House. After all, they are the only original cast members not involved with the comeback. Wheres my little sis? Stephanie asks in the opener. Michelle sends her love but shes busy in New York running her fashion empire, Danny says. This is followed by all the cast members turning and looking meaningfully at the camera. I wanted to create an episode that was for the fans that, in essence, was almost the last episode of Full House that we never got to do, said Jeff Franklin, creator of Full House and head writer/executive producer of the reboot. Those fans know the show inside and out probably better than I do. Theyve watched 192 episodes over and over and over. So we wanted to combine that with setting up the new show. For everyone else but the diehards, however, the introductory episode may be cheesy as heck. In fact, my husband commented that it seemed more like a Saturday Night Live send-up of the old Full House than a contemporary show. Is Fuller House great comedy? Does it contain the subtlety and sophistication that weve grown used to in the best of the current sitcoms? After three episodes, I wasnt impressed. But hey, the old series wasnt my cup of java, either. My prediction: Devotees of Full House on ABC and in syndication will devour all 13 episodes of this comeback with grateful gusto. Jeanne Jakles column appears Wednesdays and Sundays in mySA, and she blogs at Jakles Jacuzzi on mySA.com. Email her at jjakle@express-news.net SAN ANTONIO A free chance to tour a part of the city's underworld that is rarely seen by the public, Robber Baron Cave, is coming up on April 9. The cave, located a mile south of 410 on Nacogdoches Road in Alamo Heights, is the states lengthiest and second oldest, with a storied history to match. Much mystery and lore surround the hidden gem, but what is known is that the massive maze cave, with 5,340 feet of mapped passages, served a variety of purposes throughout the 20th century. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Courtesy Texas Forest Service Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Courtesy Texas Forest Service Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Courtesy Texas Forest Service Show More Show Less 5 of 5 They say where theres smoke theres fire, and Wednesday night many San Antonians said they could smell it in the air, but didnt know its point of origin. The San Antonio Fire Department confirmed between 8 to 10 calls were made for an odor of smoke from areas at Brooks City Base on the South Side all the way out to Hardy Oaks Boulevard on the Far North Side roughly around the same time. MORELIA, Mexico (AP) Pope Francis urged Mexico's young people to resist the lure of easy money from dealing drugs and instead value themselves during a visit Tuesday to the heartland of the nation's narcotics trade. "Jesus, who gives us hope, would never ask us to be hit men," he said. Francis brought a message of hope to Mexico's next generation during a youth pep rally in Morelia, capital of Michoacan state, a major methamphetamine production hub and drug-trafficking route. It was by far the most colorful event of his visit, featuring butterfly-winged dancers and mariachi bands and a crowd so enthusiastic that Francis got pulled over by people grabbing at him. Improvising at times from his text, Francis told the crowd that he understood that for young Mexicans it was difficult to feel their worth "when you are continually exposed to the loss of friends or relatives at the hands of the drug trade, of drugs themselves, of criminal organizations that sow terror." But, he insisted, by following Christ they would find the strength to say "it is a lie to believe that the only way to live, or to be young, is to entrust yourselves to drug dealers or others who do nothing but sow destruction and death." Francis offered a similar appeal to Mexican priests and nuns during a Mass earlier in the day in a Morelia stadium. There, he told the country's clerics that they must fight injustice and not resign themselves to the drug-fueled violence and corruption around them. "What temptation can come to us from places often dominated by violence, corruption, drug trafficking, disregard for human dignity and indifference in the face of suffering and vulnerability? What temptation might we suffer over and over again when faced with this reality, which seems to have become a permanent system?" Francis asked. "I think we can sum it up in one word: resignation." It was a clear reference to the situation in Michoacan as well as the nation at large, where gangs and drug lords have thrived thanks in part to the complicity of police and other public authorities. That corruption came to light most recently in the case of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who escaped for a second time from a maximum security prison in July, and was recaptured after an October meeting with actor Sean Penn. While Francis gave a message of hope to residents of Morelia, his visit was also a symbolic vote of confidence for the city's archbishop, Alberto Suarez Inda. Like Francis, Suarez Inda has called for Mexican bishops to be closer to their people and not act like bureaucrats or princes. Last year Francis made him a cardinal an unambiguous sign that Francis wants "peripheral" pastors like Suarez Inda at the helm of the church hierarchy. Since beginning his Mexico trip Friday night, Francis has repeatedly taken to task the Mexican church leadership, many of whom are closely linked to Mexico's political and financial elite and are loath to speak out on behalf of the poor and victims of social injustice. "Sometimes the violence has made us give up, either out of discouragement, habit or fear," said Fausto Mendez, a 23-year-old seminarian who attended Tuesday's Mass. "That's why the pope comes to tell us not to be afraid to do the right thing." "Although he spoke strongly to the bishops, it was also directed at us," said Uriel Perez, 20-year-old seminarian at Tuesday's Mass. "Because the pope is demanding and he wants us to be prepared and on the streets shoulder to shoulder with our flock." Priests have also been victims of the violence. Since 1988, 38 priests have been killed and two more are missing, according to the Catholic Multimedia Center, which tracks violence against religious people in Mexico. Twenty-eight were killed since 2006, half of them in regions plagued by drug violence, including Michoacan , Guerrero and Veracruz, including some who suffered signs of torture. Much of Michoacan is part of a region called Tierra Caliente, or the Hot Lands, known for both its blistering temperatures and brutal tactics by gangsters eager to control lucrative drug-production territory and smuggling routes. By 2013, the pseudo-religious Knights Templar cartel was widely kidnapping and extorting money and dominating the state's economic and political scene, so much so that local farmers took up arms against them. But the uprising by the vigilante-style "self-defense" forces brought little peace to the state, with the groups fighting among themselves even as new criminal gangs sprang up. "I'm excited about the pope's visit, but the reality is that people are afraid. Right now there is a festive atmosphere and a lot of police, but in the day-to-day it's not that calm. Crime has risen," said Yulisa Duran, an 18-year-old nursing student sitting with her boyfriend in Morelia's main square. As Francis entered the final stretch of his five-day trip to Mexico, his motivations for coming became clear. For starters, it's likely the trip might not have taken place at all, at least now, had Francis not needed to be in the region for his historic encounter Friday with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a meeting months' in the making. It's also clear that Francis has some serious issues with the Mexican church hierarchy, which, for its part, also has some issues with him. In coming to Mexico, the pope did it on his own terms: Praying at the shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe and visiting the most impoverished and crime-ridden areas, rewarding "his" bishops with his presence and sending a message to others with carefully chosen words and deeds. He scolded church leaders for being too tied to their own privilege and power while staying quiet as their people suffer. He urged seminarians to be pastors of God and not "clerics of the state." He prayed at the tomb of Samuel Ruiz, a bishop who was a thorn in the side of the Mexican hierarchy for his defense of the indigenous. What Francis didn't do is also significant: He did not hold any public event in Mexico City, domain of the conservative Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, and cancelled a scheduled cultural encounter. It seems the frosty sentiment is mutual: When he came to the historic center for his meeting with the Mexican president and bishops, the central Zocalo square was oddly empty. Francis wraps up his five-day visit on Wednesday by traveling to Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, for a cross-border Mass expected to focus heavily on the plight of migrants. ___ Associated Press writer Jacobo Garcia reported this story in Morelia and AP writer Nicole Winfield reported from Mexico City. AP writers Peter Orsi and Mark Stevenson in Mexico City contributed to this report. ___ Nicole Winfield on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nwinfield This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Texas had the most hate groups in the United States dedicated to promoting anti-LGBT sentiment and racism in 2015, according to a new report from the Southern Poverty Law Center. Additionally, rhetoric by Texas politicians could be partially to blame for a 14 percent rise in the number of hate groups across the country, the report's author said. The number of those groups increased from 784 groups in 2014 to 892 in 2015, the report says. RELATED: Pope vs. Trump: 'Not Christian' to only build border walls Mark Potok, the report's editor, told The Dallas Morning News that the behavior of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. Greg Abbott, both Republicans, introduced harmful rhetoric to the mainstream political discourse. "We're living in an era of incredible political irresponsibility," Potok told the newspaper. RELATED: Meet Amy Lindsay, the porn actress who starred in a Ted Cruz ad Cruz spoke at a conference in November organized by Kevin Swanson, a Christian pastor who has repeatedly called for LGBT people to be killed, according to the report. Cruz himself has also included people in his presidential campaign that are "violently" anti-LGBT, Potok told the newspaper. The report also blasts Cruz for incorrectly suggesting that Robert Lewis Dear, Jr., the suspected shooter in the Nov. 27 shooting at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado, was a "transgendered (sic) leftist activist." RELATED: Protesters perform exorcism on Ted Cruz at New Hampshire event: 'He's possessed by a demon!' The freshman senator also advocated for instituting religious tests to bar Syrian refugees who are Muslim while admitting those that are Christian, the report notes. "We can't roll the dice with the safety of Americans and bring in people for whom there is an unacceptable risk that they could be jihadists coming here to kill Americans," Cruz said, adding that "there is no meaningful risk of Christians committing acts of terror." RELATED: KKK plans protest of Syrian refugees in Texas Potok also cited Abbott to the newspaper, who "virtually endorsed" the beliefs of conspiracy theorists who posited that the federal government's Jade Helm 15 military exercise was a secret plot to impose martial when he ordered the Texas State Guard to monitor the operation. Other Texas events were of note: the city of Irving received its own section in the report, citing Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne's trumpeted beliefs that an Islamic tribunal designed for civil arbitration purposes was attempting to institute Sharia law in her city; a series of armed protests staged by the Bureau of American Islamic Relations; and the saga of Ahmed "Clock Boy" Mohamed, who was placed in handcuffs after a teacher believed a homemade clock designed by the high school student was a bomb. The report also named the Houston-based Conservative Republicans of Texas, headed by Steve Hotze, to their list of hate groups. The group campaigned against Houston's nondiscrimination ordinance which would have barred discrimination against Houstonians on the basis of race, gender identity and sexual orientation among other categories by dubbing the ordinance the "Sexual Predators Act." Hotze's group routinely referred to people who are transgender as "perverts" and "pedophiles." Scroll through the above slideshow for a look inside the state's most notorious hate groups. jfechter@mySA.com Twitter: @JFreports A 31-year-old woman allegedly ran over another woman four times with her vehicle Thursday after the two got into an argument at an Austin apartment complex, according to court documents. Deidre Anessa Walker was arrested on felony charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a controlled substance between 4 and 400 grams. She also was arrested on an out-of-county misdemeanor charge, according to online jail records. She is currently being held on a $180,000 bond. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A woman was found dead in a creek with multiple stab wounds Wednesday afternoon on the North Side. SAPD Sgt. John Kellogg said the body was found by two passers-by who flagged down an officer at about 2 p.m. in the 700 block of Isom Road. Investigators discovered the womans body underneath a sheet with multiple stab wounds, Kellogg said. The woman was found in a creek which runs just behind the Wood Hollow Apartments, where on Feb 4. an unarmed man wanted on felony warrants was fatally shot by a San Antonio Police officer. RELATED: SAPD chief said officer thought man was holding a gun before fatal shooting Kellogg said the body was there for some time but investigators have not yet determined for how long, noting she doesn't appear to be a juvenile. The Bexar County Medical Examiner collected the body Wednesday evening to perform an autopsy. jbeltran@express-news.net COURTESY/COURTESY OF THE BEXAR COUNTY SHE This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A San Antonio Police Department officer who was previously disciplined for drunken driving in 2013 has been indefinitely suspended by the department for a new incident. SAPD spokesman Sgt. Jesse Salame confirmed Thursday that Officer Robert Romo received the suspension on Feb. 16. The details surrounding Romos suspension, however, were not immediately available. Salame confirmed the suspension stems from a new incident and is separate from his previous arrest. RELATED: City of San Antonio issues $81,000 cost estimate for open records request of police emails According to previous coverage from MySA.com, Romo was arrested in January of 2013 after being pulled over while driving with a blood alcohol content nearly twice the legal limit. Shortly after his arrest, authorities said Romos eyes were bloodshot, and he was swaying back and forth before he was taken into custody. RELATED: 5 San Antonio police officers, 3 firefighters suspended in May According to suspension records obtained by MySA.com under Texas public information laws, more than 40 San Antonio Police officers served suspensions over a six-month period from May through November of last year. A request for suspension documentation of SAPD officers from December and earlier months in 2015 submitted to the city late last year has not yet been returned. Suspension coverage from mySA.com in 2015: This is a developing story. Check back with MySA.com for more details soon. Text "NEWS" to 72727 to sign up for breaking news from mySA mdwilson@express-news.net Twitter: @MDWilsonSA This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate An Oregon man who has spent more than 15 years living inside of a decommissioned Boeing 727 airplane converted into a home wants to build another in Japan. RELATED: Northside ISD students built these awesome tiny homes from shipping containers Bruce Campbell (not that Bruce Campbell) acquired his current Boeing 727 in 1999 and stuck it on a 10-acre lot in the Portland woods. Since then, he has updated his website AirplaneHome.com, which charts the progress he's made to turn the plane's cabin into suitable living quarters. "If a conventional home is a legacy age family Chevy or Ford, an airliner home is a fresh new Tesla or Porsche Carrera," Campbell told mySA.com. RELATED: Texas professor living in dumpster for science: 'My life is a lot better now' Boeing first commissioned the 727 in 1960 and only planned to build 250 at the model's outset, according to the company website. By the time Boeing ended production on the 727 in 1984, the company had manufactured 1,832 of the planes. RELATED: East Texas man turns mobile home into large two-story tin 'castle' with scrap parts Campbell said in an interview that the plane's design "seemed to offer the most attractive overall characteristics. It's a reasonable size home for an individual or small family, but not so large that it can't be transported over public roads." The renovated 727 contains many of the amenities found in a normal home: a kitchen, sleeping space with a cot, laundry area and a bathroom. "Airliners, free of hundreds of passengers and the clutter of their seats, are a sheer thrill to live within," Campbell said. "They impart a near science fiction aura to an otherwise ordinary life, truly." RELATED: Texas professor who lived in dumpster launches tiny apartment project The next step? Campbell, who spends half of the year in Japan, is looking for a decommissioned Boeing 747-400 which seats a maximum of 660 passengers, more than three times as many as the 727 to create a new home in the Japanese city of Miyazaki. United Airlines, British Airways and Delta Airlines all have 747-400 in use. Campbell said he believes "a superbly executed second project which very nearly fully preserves the original aircraft in all its sleek gleaming majesty will attract a great deal of world press interest for a very long time, and thus be of considerable promotional value to a partner airline." jfechter@mySA.com Twitter: @JFreports This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Sinaloa drug cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman claims that prison guards are "turning me into a zombie" because they won't let him sleep, according to the drug lord's lawyer. RELATED: 'La Patrona,' financial operator for Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman captured in Mexico Guzman's lawyer Juan Pablo Badillo told Radio Formula that guards at the Antiplano maximum-security prison near Mexico City the same prison Guzman escaped from in July 2015 prior to his recapture in January have made his client feel he is a victim of "physical and mental torture." "He told me, literally, 'Every two hours, at night, they wake me up to take roll," Badillo told the radio station. "They are turning me into a zombie. They do not let me sleep. All I want is just for them to let me sleep." RELATED: Alleged Sinaloa cartel hit man 'The Surgeon' arrested for drug possession near Texas border Badillo alleged that prison officials are denying Guzman proper access to legal counsel, only allowing the drug lord about half an hour a week to speak to lawyers. "It is brutal torture,' he told me," Badillo said. "This is what was done by Stalin in the '40s and '50s in Russia." RELATED: 3 men arrested in connection with killing of 7-month-old baby, family in Mexico drug gang shootout Guzman escaped from his cell in the Antiplano prison in July through a tunnel dug through the cell floor. Mexican Marines captured Guzman at a home in Los Mochis on January 8. Six of the drug lord's associates and one marine died in the firefight. Guzman was later taken back to the Antiplano prison, where officials have taken extra precautions such as installing steel bars in cell floors, moving the drug lord from cell to cell in an isolated segment of the prison and increasing the number of security cameras, according to Business Insider. jfechter@mySA.com Twitter: @JFreports In elementary school, I was taught that presidents serve four-year terms. Apparently that number is off by three or so Ive learned recently from listening to Republican politicians. See, according to former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), the first year of a presidents term doesnt really count. After all, both have argued that George W. Bush kept us safe, suggesting that 9/11 didnt stain Ws otherwise spotless safety record because it occurred too early in his presidency. Also, according to Republican Senate leadership, the last year of a presidents term doesnt count either; thats why President Obama shouldnt get to nominate a replacement for late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Finally, it turns out the second-to-last year of a presidents term also doesnt count. How can you tell? Because Republican senators obstructed nearly all of Obamas judicial picks last year, too. And obviously per their recent rhetoric about Scalias successor they would have only done that in a year when the president was already a lame duck. By process of elimination, then, U.S. presidents really serve one-year terms, occurring just once every four years. The other three-quarters of the time, presidents presumably disappear into the ether, like Brigadoon. Seriously though, Ive been puzzled by how much of the should-Obama-get-to-choose-a-judge debate has been framed as a last-year-of-presidency issue. Republicans strategy of blocking everything this president wants to do, and everyone he wants to appoint, did not exactly begin when we rang in the recent new year. It may be convenient for Republicans to blame their latest bout of obstructionism on some unwritten election-year rule, but its also pretty bogus. Republicans were just as dedicated to Confirmationus Interruptus in 2015. Last year, the Republican-controlled Senate confirmed just 11 federal judges, the fewest in any year since 1960. Only one appeals court judge was confirmed, the lowest number since 1953. As a result, there are 76 vacancies (including Scalias) for Article III judgeships, nearly twice as many as there were when Republicans regained Senate control in January 2015. Another way to measure just how aggressively Republicans have obstructed the judicial confirmation process is to look at the number of judicial emergencies, a term used when judges cant keep up with growing caseloads. That figure has nearly tripled over the past year, from 12 in January 2015 to 31 today. Now, its not like Democrats always rubber-stamped Republican presidents judicial nominees (see: Robert Bork). But this level of jurisprudential sabotage is nearly unprecedented. Republican senators have created at least four choke points in the confirmation pipeline. In some cases, theyve delayed setting up the local committees that vet possible nominees. Sen. Ted Cruz and his fellow Republican senator from Texas, John Cornyn, have used such delays to make their state ground zero for judicial emergencies. Elsewhere, Republicans refuse to return blue slips, the century-old forms that give home-state senators an effective veto over any judicial nominee. In some instances, senators have publicly endorsed a candidate but then never actually delivered this paperwork, which is necessary for the nominee to get a confirmation hearing. Rubio, for example, publicly recommended Mary Barzee Flores to fill a district court vacancy in Florida. But nearly a year after Obama nominated her, Rubio still hasnt returned his blue slip. In other cases, the Senate Judiciary Committee has received blue slips, but delayed holding hearings or votes on nominees; or Senate leadership has put off floor confirmation votes. The nominees in question dont look especially controversial or unqualified either. Last years lucky 11 judges waited an average of 283 days between their initial nomination and a confirmation vote, according to the Alliance for Justice, a coalition of mostly liberal advocacy organizations. Senate obstructionism isnt reserved for judicial branch openings alone. A January analysis from Politico found that more than a quarter of the administrations most senior executive branch jobs more than 100 overall were missing permanent occupants. Meanwhile, senators congratulate themselves for getting back to the business of governing. Hmm. Maybe its not the president whos been vacationing in Brigadoon all this time. crampell@washpost.com You do not have to be Protestant or a member of his church to admire and respect the work of the Rev. Buckner Fanning. He put into practice what he preached and reached across faiths to bring communities together. Born in Houston in 1926, Fanning never set out to be a preacher but found his calling while attending Baylor University and went on to Southwester Baptist Theological Seminary after graduating college. Fanning was a nationally recognized evangelist by the time he arrived in San Antonio in 1959 to head a fledgling church at 319 E. Mulberry. Fanning grew the Trinity Baptist Church congregation to 10,000 members long before mega churches had become commonplace. One of San Antonios most prominent Protestants, he reached out to leaders of different religions, sometimes even swapping pulpits with Jewish leaders. A storyteller at heart with an engaging voice, his 30-second television commercials filled with modern-day parables touched the hearts of television viewers regardless of their religious leanings. Many San Antonians still have fond memories of those television spots, launched in the 1970s. Fanning used his prominence in the community to unite and never for political purposes. Much to the chagrin of some local politicians, he refused to tell his congregation how to vote. During his phenomenal 42-year career as pastor of the near downtown church, he earned larger-than-life status. Even after his retirement in 2001, his occasional sermons always woven with biblical and real-life references and laced with wit and humor drew large audiences. Former Mayor Henry Cisneros summed it up best when he told the Express-News Fanning was among a small group of religious and civic leaders who set the tone for San Antonio for decades. Fanning leaves an indelible mark on this community. Johnny overload Re: In Texas, Manziels influence still felt, Sports, Monday: May we please stop hearing about Johnny Foul Ball? This kid was graced with talent and given great opportunity. So far, all he has accomplished is to provide a horrible example. Enough. There are more deserving young people in the world. Patrick Donnelly A genuine threat While GOP and Demo hopefuls scream, holler and fearmonger about illegals invading us and mighty ISIS invading America with only 35,000 mercenaries, North Korea, much like Japan after World War I, slowly but surely builds its military might. A little missile test disguised as satellites here, another one disguised as satellites there. Now we come to find out North Koreas latest test passed over the Super Bowl area. People, I dont know about you, but to me we got a big problem in North Korea, one that has atomic strength and is willing to use it. Steve Ochoa Hasta la vista, Ted A few years ago, a number of people wanted to amend the natural-born citizen clause of the Constitution to let Arnold Schwarzenegger run for president. Now, the same folks argue for amending it to prevent Ted Cruz from running. Isnt there a contradiction here? Wayne Haymes, Leon Valley Women in military Re: Cruz slams draft for women, front page, Feb. 9: Ted Cruz was unfair in his comments about women registering for the draft. Many women, like men, want to serve in the military for different reasons. I was in the military when the draft was in effect, and I went in voluntarily because I wanted to serve like my dad and uncles before me. Best experience of my life. Cruz and fellow Republicans want to sound like tough military leaders, but if it came time to fight for their country, they would probably lead from behind and get military exemptions so they or their kids would not serve. If push came to shove, both men and women should register to serve. There are many jobs to be done besides front-line fighting. Women could do other jobs to help the warriors who fought. Think nurses, cooks, communications, etc. David C. Kellum Sacrifice of serving Re: First boots to go, Your Turn, Dec. 11: As a former U.S. Army paratrooper, I am also disgusted with crybaby mamas boys complaining about the possibility of having to go to combat. The letter writer states he is a Marine, but apparently fails to recognize that currently all military branches are volunteer. When one joins the military, he or she must remember that the possibility of going overseas or into combat is real, regardless of political views. If someone joins the military to get an education or military retirement, or because its cool or prestigious to wear the uniform, or any other reason, keep in mind that for most benefits, there are sacrifices to pay. Raul L. Aguirre, Converse Faith as an issue Re: Modern Pharisee, Your Turn, Feb. 9: The letter writer made the following statement, You can call Cruz a clever politician, but please dont call him a Christian. As a Christian, I have disagreed with and could challenge Ted Cruz and all of the candidates words and actions, but because we are all sinners and all human, it is impossible to know their hearts. That is between each of them and God. There is only one determination for what makes someone a Christian. That is to believe and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the one and only son of God, that we are sinners and that He died to pay for our sins, and acknowledge that we make him the lord and savior of our lives. If the candidates have made this commitment to our savior, their failures and bad choices will be setbacks and may cost them the election but will not determine their eternal rest in heaven. Lets pray for Gods wisdom in making our choices. Jacque Petterson Obey the law Re: Man killed by officer in blink of an eye unarmed, front page, Feb. 6: Simple answer to prevent shootings: Obey the law. By having warrants for his arrest and not obeying the officer, the deceased helped with his own shooting. The society that glamorizes thug life is a major contributor to the shootings around the country. By the expedient of obeying the laws of the land and obeying the officer pointing a gun at the suspects, the shootings could all be prevented. Maybe the community needs to look into the root of the problem instead of blaming the officer for doing something that will haunt him for the rest of his life. Dennis W. Ewing Sr. Office work Re: Administration deems 22 Clinton emails top secret, Nation & World, Jan. 30: Doing her State Department work on her home computer and not knowing the difference between unclassified and top secret is ridiculous. Assuming President Barack Obama saw the emails, he should have had her take the computer back and start doing her work at the office. She just doesnt understand the importance of what she is responsible for. By Richard Smith and Clive Serial capital raiser Deutsche Bank (which tapped the markets first here in 2008 and then, oopsie, were still a little bit short of the readies again here in 2014) is telling anyone wholl listen that it really doesnt need any more capital. But who knows? Over to Deutsches regional head of Group Audit: Mr Roesch, the regional head of Group Audit, set out, in an email, his final reading of the investigation. He referred to a multi organ failure which had contributed elements to the risk situation. The key contributors the conclusion of into TPFs without NPA and appropriate infrastructure report and the resulting failure to margin TPFs at all which were booked as proxies as Resurrecting Faders in circumstances where they were not margined until October 10th/13th. Other contributors were late bookings (although that was almost irrelevant in the light of the failure to margin), incorrect mapping of GES into the DBX system (the Ignored Payments error), the Russell Multiplier error and the back-and-forth with regards to PIC, GM and PWM. Therell be more on the origin of that jargon-laden passage in a moment. The point is: since Capital is a function of Risk, one needs to know ones exposure to make the correct determination. That can be tricky when youre suffering multi organ failure in your Operational Risk program. Its also worth reminding ourselves of the six phases of banks rights-issue-related PR, which go something like this: We utterly refute the notion that well ever need to raise capital We dont need to raise capital because of (insert vaguely plausible reason here) We have no immediate plans to raise capital We might consider strengthening our capital position in favourable market conditions We have today announced our intention to raise capital as we believe this can be done on favourable terms Well take capital at any price (no one ever says this) Deutsche Bank appear to have reached phase 2 saying that earnings, or cost cutting, or better trading conditions next year, or a crock of gold at the end of rainbow, will remedy the problem of shrinking capital buffers. Another oft-deployed method of rescuing a troubled bank is a merger. Mergers are sometimes a sensible option. The theory goes that by merging, the relative strengths offset the relative weaknesses. Keen eyed readers might conjecture that is it just as likely that the weaknesses could get added together and doubled up. This is often an observed outcome. Overall, the number of sensible bank mergers is much, much smaller than the number of bank mergers. In particular, Deutsche, already a TBTF entity, is just too damn big to merge with anyone else. That game is over. But it can still demerge, yet another way of quietly raising capital, and thats just what its trying to do, via a flotation of Postbank, a wonderfully dull German retail bank that has more than 10 million customers. DB took majority control of Postbank in 2010, and bought it out completely as recently as 2012. It turns out that no-one else wants Postbank much. Demergers have their PR phases, but with Postbank, the press is refreshingly downbeat: Deutsche Bank faces delays in its plan to part company with Postbank, with only a portion of the retail banking business likely to be sold in a share flotation this yearDeutsche Banks management have given up hope of being able to deconsolidate Postbank this yearDeutsche Bank would now prefer to sell Postbank to a competitor because this might fetch a higher price than a sale of shares. So just maybe that next rights issue is a bit further up the agenda than DB want us to believe, after all. Now, when it comes to banks, prospective investors concentrate on asset quality. Due diligence (in the case of a merger or disposal) or the prospectus (in the case of a rights issue or other public capital raising) will give all sorts of data about loan performance, provisions, sectors, capital structure and so on. But where do the data come from? Given the scale and complexity of a Too Big to Fail entity like Deutsche Bank, it is fanciful to think that that the CEO, the CFO or the banks auditors can grasp what is really under the hood. In providing data for due diligence or a prospectus, the banks systems will be used to extract and consolidate these financials, and document the risks and assumptions which go with them. This is where it gets a bit sticky for Deutsche Bank. Banks try their upmost to keep a lid on how badly messed up they might be in terms of IT systems, operational processes and effective management of the products and services they provide. But occasionally, we get a chance to lift the lid. One such opportunity came as a result of litigation in 2013. The plaintiff (known as the claimant in the English court system) was Deutsche Bank AG. The defendant was a company-of-convenience called Sebastian Holdings Inc. The court described the defendant (well abbreviate them to SHI) as a special purpose vehicle, incorporated in the Turks and Caicos Islands, which has at all material times been owned and controlled by Mr Alexander Vik, who is its sole director and a man of considerable means, (a multi-billionaire) with recognised business acumen and money-making skills. One reason that banks hate having to show up in court is that the court may extract, via discovery, full disclosure of just how bad the banks IT systems and operational controls really are. This is exactly what came out in Deutsche Bank AG vs. Sebastian Holdings Inc. (SHI), presumably at Mr Viks instigation. Given the sums at stake, Deutsche evidently decided that the embarrassment was worth it. Although Deutsche cant have enjoyed it, the result is black comedy for onlookers, and a sharp lesson about managing a global investment bank. The claimant was listed as Deutsche Bank AG ; two entities of Deutsche Bank were involved in the back story, Deutsche Bank Switzerland (DBS) and Deutsche Bank AG (DBAG, great acronym), along with the rather amorphous DB Prime Brokerage business unit, whose foreign exchange trading part is described in section 121 of the courts judgement as: a low-profit margin operationally-focused business where revenues are generated by the bank charging transaction fees for trades done with other executing brokers. That sounds quite dull (all back-to-back trades, collateral under Deutsches control, no principal risk), but the way Deutsche Bank did it, it was anything but dull; positively hair-raising, in fact. It all went rather splendidly wrong in 2008, when Vik, who thought hed been running with a trading limit of US$35 million, suddenly got a margin call for US$500 million+. It looks as if Deutsche Bank only discovered roughly what theyd been really doing when they got a chunky margin call from another foreign exchange broker. Had Deutsche Bank calculated the margin correctly, months earlier, then Vik might have had a chance to cut his position before it got so enormous. As it was, it just blew up in his face one day. He did make profits in prior years, so the net cost to him from the whole Deutsche Bank adventure was only about US$100 million or so, in the end, plus legal costs. Deutsche Bank had to fess up (they were giving testimony under oath) that they were completely ill-equipped to handle the needs of a sophisticated investor such as Vik. As the judge said in the judgement: DBAG now admits a number of failings on its part in the course of handling SHIs trades. First, in circumstances which I shall describe more fully later, it accepted, when it had a discretion whether to accept or reject them, particular types of trades under the FXPBA, Naked Capitalism here: this is the foreign exchange private brokerage arrangement the service which Deutsche Bank provided to Vik Exotic Derivative Transactions (EDTs)and Other Complex Transactions (OCTs) which, by reason of their terms, could not be booked, valued or margined on its GEM (Deutsche Banks forex markets Trading website which Vik used to initiate trades) and ARCS VaR (used to calculate Deutsche Banks Value at Risk) computer systems at the time. When the market moved against SHI in the course of 2008, and in particular in the autumn of that year, on its case DBAG became entitled to call for margin in substantial sums. It did not do so until it became apparent to it, as a result of another bank, Morgan Stanley (MS), seeking collateral in respect of Mr Saids trades with it (using DBAGs name and credit under the FXPBA) and from 2 direct trades that Mr Said had concluded with DBAG, that there was a deficiency in margin put up by SHI, which then led to the margin calls under the FXPBA to which I have already referred. These were made between October 13th and October 17th 2008 and were paid between 14 and 22 October 2008, without protest. Furthermore, in the course of reporting the situation to SHI and making these margin calls, DBAG discovered two other major computational errors on the GPF account under the DBX system (the Russell Multiplier Error and the Ignored Payments Error) which reflected other deficiencies in that computer set-up. Although the latter would have impacted on earlier trading in amounts not calculated by the experts, on discovery on 16 October and 22 October 2008 respectively the errors were corrected. The effect of the errors was that assets in the Cash and Securities Accounts on the GPF platform had been overstated by US$115m and US$315m respectively. It is in these circumstances that a deficit emerged on the GPF account which led to a disputed margin call on that account on 22 October 2008. DBAG was less than straightforward about its margining and computational difficulties. In short, Deutsche Bank had enormous difficulty in recording trades which Vik submitted through their systems, and knock-on difficulties in calculating their own exposure as a result of executing the trades which Vik submitted. It got worse, because as a direct result, Deutsche Bank could not quantify its own exposure. As Viks positions went more and more underwater, Deutsche Bank was simply incapable of making timely and accurate margin calls: It has been accepted by DBAG since February 2012, but not before, that it did not accurately record the details of the EDTs and OCTs and that it did not accurately value them on a mark to market basis nor require collateral in respect of them at any stage prior to the margin calls in October 2008. The computer system operated by DBAG and its Prime Brokerage (PB) desk was not capable of recording transactions of such complexity nor of producing valuations on a MTM basis nor of calculating margin requirements by reference to exposure (MTM) or what is known as VaR (value at risk), which is intended to reflect the loss involved in the liquidation of the assets in question. SHI says that, in consequence of this inability to record and report on the exposure and margin generated by Mr Saids trading, whether or not there was an agreed limit on Mr Saids authority to US$35 million worth of exposure or an agreement to limit SHIs liability to that figure, the effect of DBAGs failures was that SHI was ignorant of the true figures (in the persons of both Mr Said and Mr Vik) and was unable to appreciate the risks being run on the EDTs. Had there been any appreciation that the exposure and margin requirement exceeded US$35 million, and in particular to the extent that it did, steps would have been taken to close out those transactions and reduce the exposure to manageable levels. Although the forensic accountancy experts instructed by the parties differ on matters of detail, both agree that by April 2008 the collateral requirement of Mr Saids trading, if properly calculated in accordance with DBAGs maximum entitlement would have been of the order of US$90 million and, after dropping below the US$35 million limit in May and June 2008, from July onwards fluctuated between US$50-100 million until September and October when it leapt, with some fits and starts, to US$400 million and, at its peak at the time of the margin calls, to US$800-$900 million. Thats an impressive outcome on a $35Mn trading limit. How did it happen? It appears that Deutsche Bank couldnt bring themselves to admit, to their high rolling billionaire client, Mr Vik, that they couldnt actually book and process the exotic options trades that he wanted to do. So they kind of ploughed on anyway with their fingers crossed and some IT bodges, and a teeny tiny Ops guy trying to make it all happen while the higher ups studiously ignored his occasional bleats. This is just the sort of thing that happens when a trading operation is totally dominated by its bonus-driven Front Office, and lo, via email, Naked Capitalism has a strong opinion, from Someone who Was There at The Time, on just when the rot set in: The discovery document tells a simple story of consequences. Deutsche management voluntarily ceded Risk control to its Front Office more than a decade ago, and this is the result. Pre 2000, the New Product Review process was a corporate center function, NPA. Nothing new was transacted until it was vetted by all affected parties in the firm (ops , legal, IT risk, Front Office, accounting, compliance). Up to 2000, NPA rejected most of the new products proposed, due to operational limitations. But this is what happened next: In 2000 the firm transferred the NPA process to the businesses . Transferring this basic Operational Risk function to the business was the death knell. Heres why new product vetting matters. Vanilla products (such as, say, US Treasuries or currency pairs) are already available for trading and have been for decades, sometimes centuries. Their method of trading, the legal implications, the risks of both the banks and their customers positions, the systems and operational processes needed to support them and how they can be accounted for are reasonably well understood. Note that the risks are understood just because a bank understands a risk does not mean that it has gone away. But with a new product, none of that exists. Theres inevitably going to be a period of trial-and-error while the banks and their customers figure out (often through attendance at the School of Hard Knocks) how a product can be managed and with what risks being incurred. Most of all, the systems to process them need to be understood, and then built. Theres a lead time, usually long. Deutsche Banks profit centre managers couldnt be bothered with any of this boring homework. Their incentive structures bonuses were dependent on client fee income from the likes of Alexander Vik. If they said no to a request from Vik to trade in a product, they lost the opportunity to earn a fee, and they might lose Viks business altogether. As our insider rightly says, this is a structural problem. Fee income had a higher priority in Deutsche Bank than risk management. Unless Deutsche Bank stops the cultural rot, this wont be the last time it finds itself in this sort of difficulty. Something else needs fixing too: the rot has already left a hideous legacy in Deutsches systems. Once of the juiciest pieces entered into evidence in the Vik case was the internal Audit Report which laid bare just what a pile of awfulness Deutsche Banks back-end systems now are, even according to their own internal assessment, which furnished our opening quote. Audit reports usually come with added whitewash. Goodness knows, then, what the plain truth would look like. The judgment has the highlights of the Audit Report. We dont think it matters much what these firm-internal acronyms mean; you will get the idea: Mr Eggenschwiler, the Global Head of CRM PWM commented that the suggestion that margin levels were insufficient to collateralise the exposures told less than half the story because the reality was that the FXPB process and systems did not and could not reflect the true position or exposure. As their systems could not handle the TPFs, it did not matter how diligent CRM was or how much collateral they might have had because the margin requirement was unknown as a result of the absence of proper booking. He made much the same point in relation to stress testing, commenting, as indeed was the fact, that what was booked on GEM had very probably been stress tested but the TPFs were not correctly reflected in GEM or were completely absent which meant that they would not be subject to such tests. If trades were not booked properly onto the systems, everything was affected downstream so far as CRM was concerned. These appear very fair points to make. To summarise: garbage in, garbage out, in Deutsche Bank, as elsewhere. Deutsche Bank won the Vik case, and are now trying to get their money back. They were successful in advancing the argument that if you gamble, you can expect to lose, and the house you gamble in cant be expected to pay your losses, even in an ineptly-run casino, where, every so often, the roulette wheel leaps from its bearings, mows down a high-roller, and clobbers the croupier. Naturally, the badly burned Alexander Vik is now doing a very passable impression of a turnip from which it will be mighty tricky to extract blood: Deutsche Bank AG told a London court that Norwegian entrepreneur Alexander Vik had lied, hidden assets and transferred his trading company to a friend to escape a $250 million debt stemming from his failed lawsuit against the German lender. It is, we suppose, comforting to know that billionaires can also plead poverty. Under new management, Deutsche Bank recently promised to rip out its IT. Can we cheerfully conclude, then, that once the proposed mega-IT implementation and migration project has been completed, all will be well? Nope: call us a bunch of naysaying Cassandras if you will, but anyone who has been in the bank IT game for any length of time knows that the delivery record of such major programmes is, to put it as nicely as we can, rather variable, or more bluntly, apocalyptically dreadful. In the Vik case, Deutsche ended up looking like a bunch of no-hopers with junk systems and spineless shirking management. They dont necessarily stand out from their peers in that respect; theres yet more good cheer in that last link: Peter Roe, analyst at TechMarketView, noted the bank has a better IT track record than most. Historically Deutsche Bank had one of the more centralised approaches to IT, suggesting that other banks are in an even worse mess, he said. More centralized is relative. The FT, back in October 2015, spelt out what it means in Deutsches case, with more indications that the Front Office has been running riot for a long time. In discussions with colleagues, [Cryan] has expressed alarm about the Horlicks, or total mess, the bank has made of its technology by allowing individual teams and traders to operate on their own incompatible platforms. By operating a deliberate strategy of pitting teams against each other, in an attempt to spur them on, the bank has found itself riddled with different systems all of which must be reconciled, often by hand, before trades can be processed and recorded. Even DB insiders say nasty things (FT again): Kim Hammonds, who Deutsche hired from Boeing two years ago as its chief information officer, has told colleagues that its IT systems operate by trial and error an approach akin to her former employer sending aircraft into the sky, watching them crash, and then trying to learn from the mistakes. The learn from the mistakes bit may not be going too well; also from the October 2015 FT, another recent boob that looks very like another Prime Brokerage-style coup: The German banks IT systems were called into question again last week when the Financial Times revealed that its London foreign exchange desk paid $6bn to a US hedge fund by mistake and only recovered it the next day. Fat fingers, if that is what this was, are a pretty well-known problem. Whatever: seven years after the Vik incident, it appears that Deutsche is still screwing up in Prime Brokerage in much the same way. Clearly, though, its not just the Prime Brokerage department that has a problem: Deutsche now has, for example, more than 100 different booking systems for trades in London alone, and has no common client identifiers. It has even been unable to retrieve some of the data requested by regulators which contributed to its failure in this years US bank stress tests. The next time you read about how the Federal Reserve, the ECB or whoever has done stress testing of the big banks, and the banks have passed, you might want to consider the validity of those sorts of stress test exercises in the context of the above remark, and our little glimpse of Deutsche, with its better IT track record. Well now turn our attention to other potential stakeholders who really should be concerned; first of all, potential investors in any possible Deutsche Bank capital-raising. Being charitable, we could say that, if these are transactions entered into on a commercial basis, then the rule of buyer beware applies and its all just business. We do hope, though, that regulators insist that the prospectus for any public capital raising spells out fully the IT risks which Deutsche Bank has. In the light of the judgement which the English High Court handed down concerning Deutsche Bank, it would probably be more accurate to describe these as IT problems rather than IT risks. As for the Deutsche Bank managers who purport to manage the bank and allocate bonuses, the Deutsche Bank risk managers, the auditors who audit it, and the regulators who regulate it, all on the basis of the pitifully incomplete and unreliable business data that comes from Deutsche Banks shambolic systems: theyve clearly all got their fingers crossed. Sarbox enforcers are, as usual, AWOL. Potential investors in a capital raising should take all that into account too. One other group ought to take an interest in this story too: if taxpayers ever end up on the hook for Deutsche Bank, they might want to ask their government why they didnt do more to make sure that the hook which they got skewered on was allowed to become quite so sharp and painful. Mr Vik already knows how that feels. Lastly, remember the suggestion of Peter Roe, analyst at TechMarketView: other banks are in an even worse mess. Further reading: More astonishingly awful risk mismanagement from Deutsche Bank was covered at Naked Capitalism here and here ($12Bn worth of a mismarked leveraged super senior trade: CDOs, another new product, natch, this time in Deutsche Banks giant derivatives book, second only in size to JP Morgans). The recent FT story, accessible by Googling Deutsche Bank to rip out IT systems blamed for problems, is illuminating, particularly the incredulous comments by people who cant believe its that bad, and the insiders who coolly affirm that its easily that bad, and worse. Yves here. For a good, layperson-friendly overview of the Italian bank rescue vehicle, see Wolf Richter. The Bruegel overview of the post states, They argue that rather than spending time revising rules that have already been agreed, alternatives should be considered to make the guarantee schemes as effective as possible. Thats bureaucrat-speak for, Time to go back to the drawing board. By Silvia Merler, an Affiliate Fellow at Bruegel and previously, and Economic Analyst in DG Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission (ECFIN) and Narcello Minenna, Head of Quants at Consob, PhD Lecturer at London Graduate School of Mathematical Financeand adjunct professor of Quantitative Finance at the Bocconi University. Originally published at Bruegel The Italian banking system has had a dramatic few months. Several controversial resolution operations were carried out at the end of 2015, and the new year has opened with market turmoil. This has increased pressure on the Italian government to conclude negotiations on a guarantee scheme for banks non-performing loans (NPLs) with the European Commission. The legal measure establishing this scheme known as GACS was signed by the President of Italy this week. We look at the causes of the markets loss of confidence in the Italian banking sector, and review the structure of the Italian guarantees scheme (GACS) in light of solutions that other countries have adopted in response to the same problem. We argue that there are still several important issues with the scheme, which could jeopardize its activation or prevent it rebooting the NPL securitization market in Italy and properly supporting the banking system. An effective alternative to GACS would be a securitization scheme based on banks gradual disposal of a mix of good and bad loans. Italy is facing hard times. Although the BTP-Bund spread appears still under control at an altitude of around 150 bps, strong signals highlight market uncertainties. First of all, the collapse of the banks sectorial index (FTSE Italy All Share Banks) has lost about 30% so far this year. The Italian banking system is choked by 350 billion euros of non-performing assets (NPA), almost of Italian GDP and 4 times the figure for 2008. In addition, about 60% of these NPA are non-performing loans and, therefore, are impaired assets. For a bank-centric country like Italy, this is a very serious problem, not only for the financial system and for the investors but also for the real economy. For years banks have cut off credit to households and businesses, with obvious negative side effects on production and consumption. Added to this are investors concerns about how bad debt can be managed within the new banking resolution regime, which came into force on 1st January. Banks Resolutions of 2015 The two episodes of resolution conducted in 2015 do not set a good precedent. In July 2015, the authorities proceeded with the liquidation of the Bank Romagna Cooperativa (BRC). Although this has gone largely unnoticed abroad, the resolution of the BRC was the first bail-in in Italy. As it was carried out before 2016, the operation only required a minimum bail-in, limited to shareholders and subordinated bondholders; the latter were retrospectively reimbursed by the sectorial guarantee fund. The subordinated bonds of BRC were wholly owned by small investors. The BRC case has therefore brought to light a problem that is very widespread in the Italian system, where about a third of all bonds issued by banks are held by families: these small investors have little awareness of the risks they are buying into. The problem became even clearer on 22 November (just over a month before the entry into force of the new European rules on the bail-in), when the government announced it would save 4 regional banks. Depositors and senior bondholders were protected, but shareholders and holders of subordinated notes have lost about four billion and one billion euros respectively. Moreover, a significant share of these subordinated bonds were sold to retail investors. To limit the bail-in to a minimum and keep the state formally outside the operation, the resolution fund was involved, contributing with 3.6 billion euros. Funded by contributions of the Italian banks, the resolution fund does not constitute public capital. But since the resolution fund isnt sufficiently capitalized, three major Italian banks advanced the money. The result is that in order to complete this intervention, it has been decided to commit in advance future contributions of the Italian banks to the resolution fund, reducing leeway for the foreseeable future. The New BRRD Framework The massive ongoing sell-off of banks shares is tangible proof that today confidence of operators in Italian banks and in the ability of the Italian authorities to manage these problems is dangerously low. Under the new BRRD framework, the bail-in should include at least the 8% of the liabilities and can affect shareholders, bondholders (subordinated and perhaps senior) and corporate deposits. The directive provides some possible exceptions: authorities may decide to exclude specific categories of liabilities from the bail-in, if there is a tangible risk of systemic crisis. But in a country where 30% of bank bonds is in the hands of families, even a limited bail-in could have painful effects. Moreover, solutions that discriminate among bondholders (like the one applied in Portugals Novo Banco) may increase confusion among investors even further. It has long been known that this would happen. On August 1, 2013, the European Commission enacted the communication on the banking sector (unanimously agreed by member states) which has de facto integrated the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, by establishing the criteria that the Commission would have applied to assess the presence of State aids in the event of bank rescue. Among these criteria there was burden sharing, meaning that state intervention could only take place after the preliminary zeroing of shares and subordinated bonds. In addition, it is worth recalling that the European agreement on the text of the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) was reached in December 2013, and therefore two years ago it was already very clear that the Directive (including the new rules on the bail-in) would have entered into force on 1st January 2016. Recent comments from Rome, criticizing the lack of a transition period and calling for the revision of the current regime, are surprising. The NPL Issue in the Eurozone Its probably this confused reaction which worries investors. The problem of NPLs is not just an Italian issue. Even at the European level, there are a worrying 1 trillion euros of NPLs, about 9% of Eurozone GDP. However there is an important difference in timing. Apart from a few exceptions (such as Hungary), the other major European economies took measures to counter the problem several years ago. In some cases interventions came directly from national governments. Germany has provided 240 billion euros to its banks, and another 20 billion euros were bestowed in the form of state guarantees (so-called contingent-liabilities); France also has granted government guarantees to its troubled banks and at times the government has even nationalized some credit institutions (as in the case of BNP). These countries were able to manage the impact of financial assistance provided to the banks on their public accounts relatively well. For Germany, in particular, the public debt is firmly under control (71% of GDP) and thanks to an absolutely laughable service cost of debt the federal budget surplus is nearly 1% of GDP. Some peripheral countries (Ireland and Spain) have addressed banking system problems by resorting to bad banks co-funded by the state. A bad bank is a kind of sweeper that takes over the problematic assets from banks balance sheets and raises the funds it needs by issuing Asset-Backed Securities (ABS), split into several tranches with different risk levels: from the riskiest (junior) to that one with an intermediate-risk (mezzanine) up to the safest (senior tranche). The Experiences of the Irish and Spanish Bad Banks: NAMA and SAREB In Ireland at the end of 2009, the government after the financial crisis and of the outbreak of the housing bubble created NAMA (National Asset Management Agency), a bad bank that has bought 74 billion euros of non-performing property development loans to the price of 32 billion euros, using cash from the placement of state-guaranteed bonds. The impact of this intervention on Irish public debt was devastating, jumping from 42% of GDP in 2008 to 62% in 2009, before reaching the current level of 96% of GDP. The success of this intervention for the private sector is controversial; in the last few years NAMA has reported profits of several hundred million Euros. On the other hand, non-performing loans still represent a very high proportion (nearly 20%) of the total loans disbursed by the Irish banking system. In August 2012, the Spanish government pressed by the European institutions calling for the recapitalization of a seriously troubled banking system created SAREB (Sociedad de Gestion de Activos procedentes de la Reestructuracion Bancaria), which it holds 45% through a purposely established Fund (FOBR). SAREB bought 88 billion euros worth of non-performing real estate loans present in the balance sheets of four banks at a price of around 40 billion euros. The financial coverage came from Europe in the form of EFSF loans (allocated on an ad hoc reserve within the same EFSF) and from the ECBs declaration that it would accept securities issued by the bad bank and guaranteed by the Spanish State. In exchange for this support, the country has been required to implement a strict program of domestic reforms. GACS: The Italian Bad Banks The Italian story is different. When the country was hit by the crisis, its sovereign debt was already around 100% of GDP, leaving little room for maneuver to support the banking system. Some interventions have been made, for example through subsidized loans to banks (so-called Monti-bonds), or admitting the inclusion of Deferred Tax Credits (DTC) in the capital of the banks. But it was not enough and, unfortunately, the stock of public debt (now equal to 132% of GDP) still significantly limits the alternatives available to the government. In this context, it is creating an Italian bad bank that buys NPLs from the banks and collects the necessary funds by issuing ABSs. Unlike the past experiences of Spain and Ireland (where the transfer of the foreclosed assets took place at a given price preliminarily agreed between political and financial representatives), this project arrives with the European rules on State aids and bail-in now in force. In exchange for the guarantee received, banks will have to pay a remuneration to the State at market terms. Lets examine in detail the final version of the plan (so-called GACS Garanzia sulla Cartolarizzazione delle Sofferenze) agreed on January 26 between the Italian Ministry of Finance (Mr. Padoan) and the European Commissioner for Competition (Ms. Vestager). The idea underlying the provision of a government guarantee is simple: it should provide coverage that allows the gap between the net book value and the market value of the NPLs to be adjusted. This should allow demand and supply of NPLs to intersect, and give banks the opportunity to dispose of many of the impaired assets that are choking their balance sheets, without having to account for further significant credit losses that given the investigations launched by the European Commission in 2015 about the eligibility of DTC for capital purposes have no benefits if not in terms of lower taxes. It is evident that these losses cannot disappear, but they will be properly managed over time according to the structuring of the bad bank and its funding. The overall architecture of the GACS is quite complex due to several reasons. First, there will not be a single bad bank but many, and each originating bank will have the possibility to activate the state guarantee on-demand. Furthermore, this guarantee will only cover the risks of the senior tranche (the least risky) of the ABSs issued by the bad bank. This means that the State guarantee will become effective only when the losses on the pool of NPLs that comprise the assets of the bad bank will have already completely eroded the subordinated tranches, first the junior and then the mezzanine (if any). From the press releases published by the Italian Treasury on 27 and 28 January, it also emerges that the senior tranche will have access to the state guarantee only if preliminarily endowed with an investment-grade rating; those listed in the Press Release are: BBB-, BBB and BBB+. We are therefore talking about notes with a rating in line with that of the Italian Republic (BBB). Takins into consideration the procedures followed by the rating agencies to assess the various ABS tranches, it is clear that the possession of a rating between BBB- and BBB+ by the senior tranche will be closely linked to the quality of the collateral portfolio and to the thickness of the subordinated tranches. Suppose, for example, that Italian banks offload the entire stock of gross NPLs present on their balance sheets: 201 billion euros. On average, banks have already written down these gross NPLs by 56%; therefore, the amount of net NPLs involved in the disposal revolves around 89 bn. In recent months, however, the market has begun to use more conservative estimates in the assessment of bad loans, also in the wake of the haircut applied to NPLs in the four banks resolved last November. The average loss given default expected by the market on the same assets, however, is close to 80%. In other words, the market value of the same portfolio of gross NPLs revolves around 40 bn. Therefore there is a gap of about 50 bn. between book value and market value. With these numbers, the quickest way to get a rating on senior notes in line with the conditions established by the Italian Treasury is to opt for a capital structure of the ABS in which the overall thickness of the junior tranche (and of the mezzanine one, if any) amounts to at least 50 billion euros. However, despite being the most immediate, this solution presents a number of unknowns related to the placement of the subordinated tranches and to the fairness of the price paid by the banks for the state guarantee. These unknowns could jeopardize the effective ability of the State guarantee to achieve its goals. GACS: Some Issues One issue concerns the appeal of the junior tranches of the securitised loans. In order to understand better, lets simplify the problem. Considering an ABS composed of a senior and a junior tranche, the latter large enough to absorb all the additional expected losses on the assets transferred to the bad bank. In this context, if the originating bank underwrites the entire junior tranche (full capital retention), the GACS would likely miss the target of supporting the recapitalization of Italian banks. In fact, as noted, in the current system of risk-weights defined by the Basel Committee, this tranche generates a capital absorption equal to 100% of its nominal value. Where will the bad bank find the inflows needed to pay the potentially exorbitant coupons required by the market? Of course, everything has a price and, thus, with a high enough coupon even these securities could be placed to institutional investors, like some vulture funds. But this alternative to capital retention raises another question: where will the bad bank find the inflows needed to pay the potentially exorbitant coupons required by the market? For now, this question remains unanswered, but it is of large consequence. The size and profitability of the junior tranche are a crucial variable in determining whether this will be appealing to investors, and this in turn is crucial in order to ensure the effective take off of the Italian market for State-guaranteed NPL securitizations. On February 10th Commissioner Vestager, while declaring that the Italian Treasury scheme is free of any State aid said that the effectiveness of the state guarantee on the senior tranches is conditional on selling more than half of the non-guaranteed and risk-bearing junior tranches to private investors. A second issue is the price of the state guarantee. It is closely linked to the size of the provisions already made by banks on their impaired assets and to the attachment point of the subordinated tranches. The higher the banks provisions against NPLs and/or the larger the subordinated tranches, the lower the market value of the guarantee should be . These aspects, however, are still unknown. The algorithm to calculate the price of the guarantee was announced by the Italian Treasury in late January: it will be the average of the CDS spreads of a basket of Italian private issuers (financial and otherwise) that have a rating close to that of the senior tranche. The pricing method identified by the Italian Treasury might be fair (ie, a true market price), but it might not. It will depend on the choices about capital structure and on the specific levels of provisioning on the NPLs that the Italian banks will decide to offload. In any case, from a technical point of view, the metric used for the pricing does not correctly reflect the operating logic of the guarantee. The role of the guarantee is to give a credit enhancement to NPL-backed senior unsecured tranches, which are already rated, say, BBB. Hence, the price of such a guarantee should be the difference between the average spread required by the market on BBB-rated NPL-backed senior unsecured tranches and the market spread of a sovereign bond of the same maturity issued by the Republic of Italy. The Italian Treasury had adopted a completely different pricing criterion. This means that it could deliver improper benefits either to banks or to the state, depending on the relative positioning of the market spreads respectively on NPL-backed BBB senior notes, BBB corporate & financial Italian issuers, and Italian government bonds. Before it can reboot the NPL securitization market in Italy and properly support the banking system, GACS must overcome difficult challenges. In fact, the banks may never activate the state guarantee because they consider it too expensive or, conversely, they may abuse it because it could turn out to be very cheap. This second scenario would obviously be problematic in terms of compliance with the European rules on state aids. After all, Ms. Vestager announced that the European Commission would closely monitor the evolution of the events for a reason. GACS is free of any State aid for now, but only the concrete implementation of this scheme will reveal whether Italian taxpayers are safe and whether Italian banks will be able to use to the state-guaranteed securitization plan. An Alternative to GACS An effective alternative to GACS would be a securitization scheme based on the banks gradual disposal of a suitable mix of good and bad loans. Such a bad bank would be more financially sound, because the cash-flows produced by the performing loans would support the payment of the coupons on the asset-backed notes. The state guarantee to be paid at market conditions should be attached to the mezzanine securities in order to further improve the overall credit quality of ABS and reduce the junior tranche. This would help to overcome the above mentioned placement problems on such tranches. Under this scheme banks could consider paying for the state guarantee, as this would mean swapping any upfront loss from disposing net NPLs today with the cost of a guarantee spread during the life of the securities issued by the bad bank. In addition, a similar securitization scheme would provide senior notes and mezzanine-guaranteed notes of good quality. This would increase the chance of making these notes eligible for Quantitative Easing on the assets of the private sector in accordance with the ECBs decisions regarding the possibility to purchase senior and mezzanine tranches, the latter to be guaranteed by a national or supranational entity. Such an alternative setup would help Italian banks to offload their NPLs, and free up space in their balance sheets to restart credit to the economy. It would also have the significant advantage of keeping the risk exposure to the state under control. The Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) aims to limit the impact of aid to banks on the public sectors balance sheet, something that is especially useful for countries with high debt levels, like Italy. Rather than spending time and energy revising rules that have already been collectively negotiated and agreed upon, it would be better to consider alternatives to make the guarantee schemes as effective as possible. You Can Taste the Need for Regulating Corporations When Parmesan Cheese Is Fake TruthOut (resilc) Only in America. Global Warming Crushes Records. Again. Bloomberg (resilc) The real value of taking your business offshore PhysOrg (Robert M) Reporting of clinical trial results by top academic centers remains poor MedicalXpress (Robert M) China? Japan Shelves Plan to Let Pension Fund Directly Invest in Stocks Wall Street Journal In search of a global-scale alignment of the progressive forces failed evolution How to resolve a systemic sovereign debt crisis Vox EU. Makes a tame case for not relying much on bail-ins. Draghi Faces New Dilemma With Pummeling of Eurozone Bank Stocks Wall Street Journal Brexit? EU summit: Crunch time for Camerons reform hopes BBC EU Diplomats Warn of Disagreements on U.K. Demands Ahead of Summit Wall Street Journal Irish Housing Madness Returns Ed Moloney Russian Central Bank shutting down banks that staged fake cyberattacks to rip off depositors Boing Boing. We dont need such crude methods to take money from bank customers. In America. We have default interest rates of 29.99% and 34.99%. Big Brother is Watching You Watch Imperial Collapse Watch The NSAs SKYNET program may be killing thousands of innocent people ars technical (guurst) It is bad karma that they are calling the program SkyNet, with a straight face, on top of the bad karma its actions are creating. Start Preparing for the Collapse of the Saudi Kingdom Defense One (resilc). Useful but it appears to overstate its case. For instance, I had thought it was pretty well understood that the succession posed a big risk to the viability of Saudi Arabia, in that the old king was well liked, while the son was not and was widely seen as thuggish. And Yemen is not a proxy war. Supreme Court Trench Warfare 2016 President Obama Sides with U.S. Corporate Tax Cheats Bill Black, New Economic Perspectives Flint residents paid Americas highest water rates Detroit Free Press Going Negative Negative interest rates are a gigantic fiscal failure Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Telegraph. A Tory and a monetarist calls for New Deal type spending. Central banks: Negative thinking Financial Times. A very good overview. Google the headline. New documents show rising caution at the Federal Reserve after global turmoil Washington Post Negative interest rates are a gigantic fiscal failure Telegraph (David L) Fed must act on economic anger, says official Financial Times Gasoline Is Trading as If U.S. Nearing Recession, Goldman Says Bloomberg (resilc) The Decline Of The Coal Industry Is Long-Term And Irreversible OilPrice (resilc) Class Warfare Antidote du jour: From @SamWoodsTB via @birds_central, this is a Blakistons Fish-Owls, the largest owl in the world. Wish the photo gave a better sense of scale: And a bonus video from Chuck L: See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. Yves here. Recall that there was a huge buyout boom in 2006 and 2007, and ratings agencies were predicting a refinancing train wreck in 2014 to 2014. That didnt happen due to QE and ZIRP. This refinancing bulge is more compressed in time and more imminent. By Wolf Richter, a San Francisco based executive, entrepreneur, start up specialist, and author, with extensive international work experience. Originally published at http://wolfstreet.com/2016/02/12/how-financial-chaos-begins/>Wolf Street Most of the defaults, debt restructurings, and bankruptcies so far this year and last year were triggered when over-indebted cash-flow negative companies could not make interest payments on their debts. During the crazy days of the peak of the credit bubble two years ago, they would have been able to borrow even more money at 8% or 9% and go on as if nothing happened. But those days are gone. Now the riskiest companies face interest costs of 20% or higher if theyre able to get new money at all. Hence, the wave of debt restructurings and bankruptcies. But thats small fry. Now comes the wave of companies whose debts mature. They will have to borrow new money not only to fund their interest payments, cash-flow-negative operations, and capital expenditures, but also to pay off maturing debt. That refinancing cliff is going to be the biggest, steepest ever, after the greatest credit bubble in US history when companies took on record amounts of debt, and it comes at the worst possible time, warned Moodys in its annual report. In its report a year ago, Moodys had already warned that the refinancing cliff for junk-rated US companies over the next five years at the time, from 2015 through 2019 would hit $791 billion. Of that, $349 billion would mature in 2019, the largest amount ever to mature in a single year. But Moodys pointed out that near term risk remains low as only $18 billion, or 2% of total speculative-grade issuance comes due in 2015. And thats how it played out last year. Since then, the refinancing cliff has gotten a lot bigger, according to Moodys new annual report. The amount in junk-rated debt to be refinanced over the next five years, from 2016 through 2020, has surged nearly 20% to a record of $947 billion. This is an increasingly steep cliff, with the largest portions due in the later years of the period, including $400 billion to mature in 2020, the highest amount of rated debt ever to mature in one year. And near term? Moodys Senior Analyst Tiina Siilaberg warned that there would be a significant wave of new issuance in late 2016 and 2017. At the worst possible time because a range of macroeconomic factors will make it more difficult for lower-rated companies to tap the debt capital markets in order to refinance their debt obligations. One of those macroeconomic factors is the spread between yields of these lower-rated junk bonds and Treasuries, which has totally blown out. For debt rated CCC/Caa1 or lower, the average spread has shot to over 20%, where it had been on October 6, 2008, right after the post-Lehman panic. And yields for these bonds have soared to over 21% on average. Among the other macroeconomic factors, Moodys lists the slowdown in China and volatility in oil prices. And theres another factor that will make it more difficult for lower-rated companies to refinance: worried regulators have been cracking down on banks exposure to leveraged loans, which are so risky that even the Fed has been fingering them publicly. Banks sell these leveraged loans to loan mutual funds or repackage them into collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) which they then sell in tranches to institutional investors. When leveraged loans mature, companies have to come up with the money, but Moodys warns that rising defaults and the impact of the Dodd-Frank Acts risk retention rule will make it more difficult for existing CLOs to supply corporate financing. This leaves Moodys refinancing index, which measures if theres sufficient liquidity in the credit markets to deal with the refinancing cliff, at 2009 levels, which indicates that the refinancing conditions are weaker than normal, said Moodys in its laconic manner. And the refinancing cliff is getting bigger: In the current downgrade tango, companies at the lower levels of investment grade are getting downgraded one or two notches and end up with a junk credit rating, thus increasing the total amount of junk-rated debt that needs to be refinanced over the next five years beyond the $947 billion. The telecommunications, technology, and media sectors are weighed down by the highest debt burden. But as energy companies and much of the remaining commodities sector have gotten run over by the commodities rout, their credit profiles have sharply deteriorated. And a number of these companies at the lower levels of investment-grade will likely be downgraded into junk. For example, energy companies that Moodys still rates Baa3, so one notch above junk, have $34 billion in debt maturing over the next five years. But there is a high risk that investment-grade issuers in these sectors will be lowered to speculative-grade, Moodys said. This trend has been playing out in Moodys Liquidity Stress Index, where the energy sector continues to fuel liquidity downgrades and defaults. These companies are already grappling with cash flow constraints, and they will be tapping the markets just as increased regulation and slowing growth in China make the credit markets more risk-averse. But its not limited to energy and commodities. Other companies in sectors like brick-and-mortar retail, restaurants, or telecommunications (Sprint is the biggie here) are heading down the same path toward the cliff. And when these companies cant refinance their maturing debts, they go over the cliff or rather their stockholders and creditors will go over the cliff. So its not contained. Read This is How Financial Chaos Begins The Naples Airport's new executive director, Christopher Rozansky, mingles with people during an event hoste by The Greater Naples Chamber in Naples, Fla. on Thursday, February 18, 2016. (Logan Newell/Special to the Daily News) SHARE The Naples Airport's new executive director, Christopher Rozansky, poses for a portrait during an event hoste by The Greater Naples Chamber in Naples, Fla. on Thursday, February 18, 2016. (Logan Newell/Special to the Daily News) The Naples Airport's new executive director, Christopher Rozansky, mingles with people during an event hoste by The Greater Naples Chamber in Naples, Fla. on Thursday, February 18, 2016. (Logan Newell/Special to the Daily News) The Naples Airport's new executive director, Christopher Rozansky, is announced during an event hoste by The Greater Naples Chamber in Naples, Fla. on Thursday, February 18, 2016. (Logan Newell/Special to the Daily News) People mingle during an event hoste by The Greater Naples Chamber in Naples, Fla. on Thursday, February 18, 2016. (Logan Newell/Special to the Daily News) By Laura Layden of the Naples Daily News It's official. Christopher Rozansky will be the next executive director for the Naples Airport Authority. At a board meeting Thursday, the authority unanimously authorized its chairman, Donna Messer, to sign an employment agreement with Rozansky. Messer, who was not at the meeting, was expected to sign the contract later in the day. John Nocera, vice chairman of the airport authority, said it was hard to talk about accepting a contract with someone other than Ted Soliday, who has been on the job for more than 20 years. Soliday, who is retiring, said it was difficult for him to hear those words, too. The Naples Airport Authority operates the Naples Municipal Airport, which handles more than 99,500 general aviation takeoffs and landings each year and will soon have its first scheduled flights since 2007. Rozansky, 37, won the endorsement from the airport authority's board at a Feb. 1 meeting. He was recruited for the job. "I enjoy working in communities that are right there along the coast. It's a beautiful place to live and I'm looking forward to the challenge," he said in a phone interview on his way to Naples. He has served as the director of the Venice Municipal Airport in Sarasota County since 2010 and has worked in the aviation industry for more than 15 years. Rozansky, chosen from a field of four finalists, made his first public appearance on Thursday evening, doing an impromptu meet-and-greet at a Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce event, sponsored by the airport authority and held at the Naples airport. Earlier in the day, Rozansky was house hunting, trying to make the most of his visit. Rozansky will start his new job March 28, working alongside Soliday to learn the ropes for a few weeks. He will officially become the executive director on April 16. His contract is through Sept. 30, 2019. According to his contract, Rozansky will have an annual base salary of $175,000. In 2012, Rozansky was named to a list of the Top 40 airport business men and women under 40 years old by Aviation Pros, a trade website. He's worked in seven airports across five states, including the Collin County Regional Airport in Texas, where his title was operations manager and he oversaw about $70 million in airport improvement projects. His last day at the Venice airport is March 11. He expects to spend his first three months on the job in Naples getting to the know the members and employees of the airport authority, city and other elected leaders and the community. "The airport is a big part of the community and I want to make sure we continue to operate the airport with the community that surrounds it in mind," he said. SHARE By June Fletcher of the Naples Daily News Compared with some other parts of Florida and the nation, Collier County residents have a lot of purchasing power, a new report says. But Lee County? Not so much. New York financial technology company SmartAsset.com compared the median income and cost of living data in counties nationwide to find where people have the most purchasing punch. The result: Collier County ranked seventh in the state and 556th in the nation, while Lee County was 18th in the state and 1,218th in the nation. Yet Collier was the only county in the southern portion of Florida which made the top ten in terms of rankings. The others were all in the northern part of the state: in order, St. Johns, Clay, Santa Rosa, Seminole, Nassau and Wakulla. "Residents of Collier County can be pretty encouraged by this ranking," said A.J. Smith, vice president of content strategy, adding that dollars go further in Collier than they do in 80 percent of the country. To calculate the rankings, SmartAsset looked at the cost of living in 3,135 counties food, housing, taxes, transportation, education and child care, health care, and miscellaneous expenses like clothing, personal care items and household cleaning products using government data sources. It then extrapolated two different cost of living numbers: one reflecting a baseline cost of living in each area and the other based on expenditures typical to an adult with no dependents making the county's median income. It combined these two numbers using a weighted average based on how close the county's median income was to the minimal livable income, and subtracted income taxes. Purchasing power was calculated by determining the weighted cost of living as a percentage of the area's median income. SmartAsset determined Collier's cost of living to be $37,233 and median income to be $56,250, for a purchasing power index of 72.72. Lee's purchasing power index is 67.44, based on a cost of living of $34,193 and median income $47,908. SHARE By Patricia Sette Recently, a controversy involving academic freedom at Mount St. Mary's University in Maryland has made headlines across the country. Events at that university have an eerie similarity to what's been happening the past year at Ave Maria University (AMU). A loss of confidence in Mount St. Mary's leadership has resulted in faculty demanding the resignation of its president, Simon Newman, who, like AMU's president, Jim Towey, did not rise through the ranks of academia. Newman is being roundly criticized in national media for a questionable scheme to rid the school of struggling freshman, whom he described as "bunnies" that needed to "drown" or be "shot." The criticism only intensified after Newman fired several faculty members opposed to his plan. To date, more than 8,000 academics have signed a petition condemning Newman's actions and the university's faculty voted 87-3 requesting the president resign by Feb. 15, which he has refused to do. Newman has also faced charges that he seeks to diminish the university's Catholic identity and that the school is deviating from its original vision. If this part of the story seems like deja vu all over again, it could be because it calls to mind very similar criticisms leveled at Towey and his administration during the past year. Unhappiness over perceived changes in AMU's direction was already being voiced informally around the campus and town when AMU faculty members Tim McDonnell and Joe Burke took the step of bringing their concerns before the board of trustees last February. Tenure does not exist at AMU, and by the end of that academic year, McDonnell and Burke were fired. Since that time, another faculty member was dismissed for speaking up, and yet two more have been given notice of termination when their contracts expire. Long-time supporter Michael Novak, the first member of the board of trustees, is no longer on the board after suggesting that the trustees survey the faculty to learn what concerns they might have, and colleagues say it was not his idea to leave. An ensuing atmosphere of stress and fearfulness has arguably hindered AMU's ability to attract talented people to its ranks. A nationwide search to replace former vice-president of academic affairs and dean of students, Michael Dauphinais, was eventually halted, and faculty who were present at a meeting with Towey last summer say the reason given was a lack of applications from qualified candidates. The position is now being filled on an interim basis by faculty member Gabriel Martinez. All this has happened at a university whose seal is emblazoned with the words "Ex Corde Ecclesiae," the title of an encyclical issued by Pope John Paul II, and which means "from the heart of the church." That papal letter articulated the hallmarks of a truly Catholic university, describing it as "animated by a spirit of freedom and charity; it should be characterized by mutual respect, sincere dialogue, and protection of the rights of individuals." As Patricia McGuire, president of Trinity College in Washington, D.C., wrote recently in the Chronicles of Higher Education: "Being Catholic does not shroud a university in some invisible cloak of protection against the customary exercise of faculty rights and academic freedom, including the right to be critical of the administration." Now that the issue of faculty rights is a hot topic in the news, could attention suddenly swivel from the firings at Mount St. Mary's to the firings at AMU? Given the fact that academics across the country are rallying to defend academic freedom in a newly energized way, the possibility doesn't seem farfetched at all. - - - More news and information about Ave Maria can be found in The Ave Herald (www.aveherald.com), which Patricia publishes along with her husband, David Shnaider. Rabbi Fishel Zaklos, right, works with his construction crew as they create a menorah from Lego blocks. Slated to be 12 feet high, the menorah will be the centerpiece of the Chabad Center's public Chanukah festival December 1 at the Village on Venetian Bay. SHARE By Lance Shearer Somewhere between "many hands make light work," and "too many cooks spoil the broth," a menorah is taking shape. The Chabad Jewish Center of Naples has a history of creating unusual menorahs for Hanukkah, and this year will be no exception. Last year they built an aluminum menorah that towered more than 30 feet high, and had to be lighted with a cherry picker. This year, said Rabbi Fishel Zaklos, they decided to get the children of the Chabad Hebrew School involved, and create a kid-friendly menorah with the help of the younger members of the congregation. "We wanted Hanukkah to be interactive, and have a menorah the kids themselves are building," said Zaklos. "It gets them involved, and starts the festivities a week early." The result ? a menorah built entirely of Legos, the classic child's building blocks, that will stand 12 feet tall once it is finished, and be the centerpiece of Chabad's Hanukkah festival on Dec. 1. Turning a mass of plastic blocks into a religious icon is no easy task, but all the kids and adults working on it had plenty of ideas on how to accomplish it. Five boys aged 7 to 9 years old worked away with Zaklos and a couple adults on a recent Sunday afternoon in the multi-purpose at the Chabad Center on Seagate Drive. Footing was treacherous underfoot, with Lego blocks in a rainbow of colors all over the floor. A sound reminiscent of windchimes filled the room, as Legos were sorted, shuffled through or kicked aside. As the menorah climbed upward and outward ? it will be as wide as it is tall ? the children had to stand on chairs to add blocks to the top of the structure. The adults directed the kids, the kids directed the other kids, and sometimes the kids directed the adults. "If you make it up to the ceiling, how will you get it out the door?" asked Jared Bialek, age 8. "Rabbi Fishel, you got it wrong," Bialek added later, when an out-of-sequence color was discovered, and a small section had to be dismantled and rebuilt. "It's not as easy as it looks," said Zaklos. For the project, Chabad is using the larger Duplo brand Legos, and finding enough has been a challenge. "We literally couldn't find them," said Zaklos. "We went to Walmart, Target and Kmart all over the area. Toys R Us in Naples loaned us some." When complete, the menorah is expected to contain approximately 10,000 Lego pieces. Chabad member Maurice Tordjman is the group's unofficial architect, and he was figuring it out on the fly. "We spoke to an architect who has done similar projects with Lego, and he said it couldn't be done," said Tordjman, "but we talked to the engineers at the Lego company, and they thought it was great. They gave us some helpful tips." Annie Katz helped round up the proper colors of tile, as her son Gabe, 7, added them to the menorah. "We came for Sunday school, and the rabbi said, ?Gabe, are you coming to help with the menorah?'" she said. "Once he found out it was building with Lego, that was it. ?I love Legos. I'm coming,' he said." She hunted for orange pieces, which always seemed to be in short supply for the builders. "OK, we'll open another box," said Zaklos, joking that finding enough pieces would be another Hanukkah miracle. Hanukkah, also spelled as Chanukah, is known as the Festival of Lights. It begins each year on the 25th day of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, but like Easter, does not correspond to a fixed day in the Gregorian calendar used in the U.S. The menorah symbolizes a miracle of ancient Judaism, when celebrants were rededicating the Holy Temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabean Revolt in the second century B.C. The Jews only had enough oil to light the flame for one night, but it nevertheless kept burning for eight. While the menorah is a candelabrum with eight branches, one for each of those nights, it actually contains nine flames. The center flame, the "shamash" or servant flame, rises from the base, and serves to light the others. One more flame is lit each night of Hanukkah until all eight, plus the shamash, are lit. This menorah will be lit at a festival on the south side of the Village on Venetian Bay, marking the beginning of Hanukkah, at sundown on Wednesday, Dec. 1. In addition to the Lego menorah, this year's festival will also feature arts and crafts, 12 booths for children, live holiday music, and traditional Hanukkah foods. Admission is free, and all are welcome. "Hanukkah propagates the universal message that ultimately good will prevail over evil, freedom over oppression, and light over darkness," said Zaklos. "Today, we rededicate ourselves to making this world a better and brighter place." The Smokehouse Bay Bridge is the cause of legal disputes between the city and the Esplanade. Lance Shearer/Eagle Correspondent SHARE By Alexi C. Cardona of the Naples Daily News Negotiations between Marco Island and the Esplanade may soon come to a final resolution. On Tuesday, the council approved 4-2 a settlement agreement with changes that would limit the city's exposure to future lawsuits and damage claims. Councilors Joe Batte and Victor Rios voted against the agreement, and councilman Larry Sacher was absent. Batte wanted the city attorney and the Esplanade's attorney to bring forth an agreement acceptable to both parties before it was voted on. In a memorandum to the council, city attorney Alan Gabriel explained that he received more proposed revisions to the settlement from the Esplanade on Feb. 8. Most of the changes are inconsequential, he said, but the proposed changes that try to modify the city's sovereign immunity rights are of concern. Under the Florida Statutes, local governments have certain protections against being sued. Ken Jones, the Esplanade's attorney, proposed in the agreement that the city's liability for claims should be the limit of its insurance coverage. Gabriel objected, stating that the city's insurance coverage is $2 million with a $100,000 deductible. The city attorney will make the changes to the agreement as directed by council and return the documents to the Esplanade for approval. The council's vote gave the Esplanade a week from Tuesday to sign the agreement and return the documents to the city or the deal is off. The city and the Esplanade have been at odds over the city's construction of the Smokehouse Bay Bridge and the resulting property damage to the Esplanade. If the agreement is approved, the city will pay the Esplanade $24,000 for easement rights; $23,000 for the Esplanade's claim of loss of riparian rights; and $36,915.43 for the Esplanade's attorney's fees and out-of-pocket expenses. The Esplanade will execute the easements, which will include a 5-foot strip adjacent to the bridge retaining wall running 170 ft. along the Esplanade property line and the area extending the existing Esplanade sidewalk to the bridge walkway. In other business n The council unanimously approved on first reading an ordinance that would regulate the use of fertilizers containing nitrogen or phosphorous. n The council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the city to buy a replacement audiovisual system for council chambers. n The council unanimously approved a resolution approving the site development plan amendment that will allow for a 12,636-square-foot community center at Mackle Park. Ali MacGraw and Ryan ONeal; Photo by Jason Gillman SHARE Ali MacGraw and Ryan ONeal; Photo by Jason Gillman By Harriet Howard Heithaus of the Naples Daily News Love means you never have to say you're forgotten. If Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal were crafting an update of their 1970 cinema behemoth, "Love Story," that may be how they'd recast its signature line, "Love means you never have to say you're sorry." The line took on a life of its own, being dragged through a Top 40 song for the Sounds of Sunshine vocal ensemble and as the butt of jokes for years, from the comedy film, "What's up, Doc?" to an episode of TV's "The Simpsons." The film, too, has persevered, whether as what one critic called a model of "well-executed treacle" or as what fans see as one of the most sincere of the genre. That's how O'Neal and MacGraw, who quite coincidentally had never worked together again, were cast for a very different romance, A.R. Gurney's "Love Letters," opening Tuesday at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, Fort Myers. A producer saw the fourth-decade reunion photos of "Love Story," including an updated photo of the two, and said: Perfect. MacGraw and O'Neal use the same words. "It's perfect. It's a perfect piece of theater writing, and a tribute to that is how many people have been doing it, how many decades they've been doing and how many languages they've been doing it in in French, in Chinese, in Japanese. I mean, it's unbelievable," declared MacGraw in a recent phone interview with her co-star. "I love doing this play with Ryan I hope I get to do it for a long time," she said. "But for the moment it's only till June." The two have been touring intermittently since last summer. "They're threatening us with Australia," said O'Neal. But the only fears that threat poses are that their pets will forget them. At 72 and 74, MacGraw and O'Neal have settled into a silvery elegance onstage and a comfortable demeanor off, kidding each other and the writer while they plot ways to take their three rescue dogs (two of his, one of hers, plus a rescue cat) on their "Love Letters" travels. The play sounds simple enough: It's read as correspondence between Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III, two well-to-do New England playmates who meet at a birthday party. But Gurney shades his characters subtly; their bonding correspondence spans half a century of defenses and desires. Each is on a downhill roll toward a different destination artistic independence (Melissa), wearing the family mantle as a U.S. senator (Andrew) pulled into other orbits of lovers, family and fame, but always with arms outstretched to each other. While the finale could be technically in the same pocket as that of "Love Story," Gurney's handling is light years more wrenching. "The ending of this pretty intense, and we have to get it together," said MacGraw of the close. "They have to carry me out," O' Neal added slyly. "Let's face it, I carry you out," shot back MacGraw, a smirk radiating from her voice. "She's so strong," he returned with a mock sigh. "I love my character. She's a wannabe bohemian,"MacGraw continued. "She's probably not all that talented, but wants to live that sort of life, in spite of the fact that she's rich and brought up in that rather specific northern New England money way. I like them both. They're touching. And they're funny. Or shall I say Gurney has written it funny." "To a point," O'Neal added. She likes her protagonist's character, too, especially O'Neal's shaping of Andrew "the charm and vulnerability that Ryan brings to this part. I know the what character's biography says but this is not the whole story. ... This is a very three-dimensional character that Ryan has created." Both seem still slightly surprised they hadn't worked together in the intervening years after their "Love Story" film success. MacGraw went on to a series of action films such as "Convoy," "The Getaway" and "Just Tell Me What You Want" as well as appearances on the prime-time TV series"Dynasty." O'Neal won further cinema acclaim in "Paper Moon" as a grifter saddled with delivery of a child (played by his daughter, Tatum) and recently has shown up in the recurrent role of Max Keenan, a criminal under protection on "Bones." But they had only been paired for an award presentation to "Love Story" director Arthur Hiller. "And we were asked to christen a few ships on Valentine's Day," O'Neal said. No, not kidding there, he added. "Love Letters" has not only been a great reunion for them, it has been a great reunion with the public who knows them. "There is a moment when we enter the stage that I can tell the audience recognizes us, with warmth," he said. "That doesn't hurt when you sit down in front of a thousand strangers and they know you." "And wish you well," MacGraw added. "And then the work begins." SHARE Music for a Summers Day Oil on linen, 40 by 30 inches by Stephen Shortridge. The DeBruyne Fine Art Gallery will host the exhibit through the end of March. Still Life with a Toucan Oil on canvas, 28 by 25 inches by Laura Shechter, 1993. The Harmon-Meek Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and will feature the exhibit through March 4. The Wizard Lilianne is part of The Art of the Needlework exhibit, which opens Thursday at noon. The Art of the Needlework: The Neapolitan Chapter of the Embroiderers' Guild of America is hosting its biannual exhibit Thursday through Saturday in the auditorium at Moorings Park, 120 Moorings Park Drive, Naples. The collection illustrates various techniques, including thread painting, drawn thread, gold work, Japanese embroidery and the counted cross-stitch. The chapter makes periodic contributions to Habitat for Humanity. Exhibit hours are noon to 4 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Entry donation is $5. DeBruyne Fine Art: The Gallery will host an exhibit for Idaho artist Stephen Shortridge from Thursday through the end of March. Shortridge is a former Hollywood actor who in 1985 decided to pursue a painting career, his real passion. From his studio in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, he creates his "romantic impressionist" oils. The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. 275 Broad Ave. S., Naples. 239-262-4551. debruynefineart.com Harmon-Meek Modern: Featuring the work of Tobi Kahn through March 12. A special opportunity to meet the New York artist will take place 6-8 p.m. Thursday. Kahn's art is in more than 30 public collections. Harmon-Meek Modern is open noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday at 382 12th Ave. S., Naples. 239-262-2699 The Harmon-Meek Gallery: The gallery will present Laura Shechter's retrospective exhibition through March 4. Her work is in the permanent collection of over 40 major museums and public collections. The Harmon-Meek Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 599 Ninth St. N., Naples. 239-261-2637. Naples National Art Festival: The 37th version of the Naples National Art Festival is this weekend at Cambier Park, 755 Eighth Ave. S., Naples. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Jazz Tribute: The Naples Jazz Orchestra will perform a tribute to American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist and arranger Billy Strayhorn at the Golden Gate High School Auditorium at 7 p.m. Sunday. Strayhorn is best known for his successful collaboration with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington, which lasted nearly three decades. Strayhorn's compositions include "Take the 'A' Train," "Chelsea Bridge" and "Lush Life." $25. 2925 Titan Way, Naples. naplesjazzorchestra.com Strings Galore: Naples Harp Ensemble presents its Annual Gala Harp Concert on Sunday at the Naples United Church of Christ, 5200 Crayton Road. Featuring guest vocalist Zofia Majewski and directed by Dickie Fleisher, principal harpist of the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra. Two concerts at 3 and 5 p.m. Free. 239-261-5469 Third on Canvas: Each February, artists paint the wonderful buildings, original cottages, fountains, plazas and courtyards of the Third Street South Historic District. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at Third Street South, downtown Naples. Art auction and bid for these art pieces is 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 27. Profits benefit PAWS Assistance Dogs and Friends of Foster Children. thirdstreetsouth.com Free Concert: Local pianist Alden Gatt and Manhattan School of Music's baritone Ben Dickerson will perform a recital of song repertoire at the United Church of Christ, 5200 Crayton Road at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28. The program presents tender and soaring lieder by Brahms, heartbreaking romances by Rachmaninoff, playful melodies by Poulenc and transcendent songs by Vaughan Williams. Alden and Ben are the winners of the Marilyn Horne Song Competition, and they recently performed in Carnegie Hall as part of the Song Continues Masterclass series. Admission free, and a freewill offering will be collected. 239-261-5469 Art Classes at Estero Art League: Artist Shirley Blake offers a one-day class on abstract from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 25. Judy Ladd offers a series of four afternoons on "drawing to painting" beginning at 1 p.m. Feb. 29. All classes available to members and nonmembers. Other classes include ceramics, painted scarves and pastels. esteroartleague.com. 239-498-5216 Clay Hand-building & Raku Techniques: 6-9 p.m. Mondays or 1-4 p.m. Thursdays. Five-week class led by award-winning artist Richard W. Rosen at the Rosen Gallery & Studios, Naples Art District, North Line Plaza, 2172 J&C Blvd., Naples. No experience necessary. Limit seven people. $195 plus materials ($30). Reservations required. 239-821-1061. rictra@earthlink.net Compiled by Sebastian Gonzalez "Impending" is a 2012 piece by Naples artist Arturo Samaniego. He claims a South Florida artist copied and sold his piece and he is looking to take legal action. SHARE Artist Arturo Samaniego is shown in portrait Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 at his studio gallery, Samaniego Fine Art, in Naples, Fla. Samaniego said a woman on the east coast copied, recreated and sold one of his best known works, "Impending," a woman standing in the sea looking out at a wave. "I found out Sunday after a friend told me seeing it on Facebook," Samaniego said. "I was completely taken back." (Corey Perrine/Staff) Artist Arturo Samaniego is shown in portrait Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 at his studio gallery, Samaniego Fine Art, in Naples, Fla. Samaniego said a woman on the east coast copied, recreated and sold one of his best known works, "Impending," a woman standing in the sea looking out at a wave. "I found out Sunday after a friend told me seeing it on Facebook," Samaniego said. "I was completely taken back." (Corey Perrine/Staff) Artist Arturo Samaniego is shown in portrait Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 at his studio gallery, Samaniego Fine Art, in Naples, Fla. Samaniego said a woman on the east coast copied, recreated and sold one of his best known works, "Impending," a woman standing in the sea looking out at a wave. "I found out Sunday after a friend told me seeing it on Facebook," Samaniego said. "I was completely taken back." (Corey Perrine/Staff) Artist Arturo Samaniego is shown in portrait Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 at his studio gallery, Samaniego Fine Art, in Naples, Fla. Samaniego said a woman on the east coast copied, recreated and sold one of his best known works, "Impending," a woman standing in the sea looking out at a wave. "I found out Sunday after a friend told me seeing it on Facebook," Samaniego said. "I was completely taken back." (Corey Perrine/Staff) Related Photos Naples artist says his painting was copied By Kristine Gill of the Naples Daily News In his 2012 oil-on-canvas piece titled "Impending," Naples artist Arturo Samaniego painted a nude woman standing in the ocean with her back to the viewer, looking at a wave in the distance. He based the painting on a photograph he took of a model. "In the ocean, just like in life, waves form in the distance," the 53-year-old said. "And eventually they're going to catch up with you." True to the theme, Samaniego says the actions of another artist will soon have consequences. He claims that a smaller painting done by a Florida artist named Robin White, who is based on the east coast, is a direct copy of his work. That painting was recently sold to a Naples Realtor. A Facebook photo of White shows her standing alongside the buyer, Cindy Reyf. In White's painting, a wave forms in the background, while in the foreground a woman stands in the left corner of the frame, her arm outstretched, wet hair falling down her back. Reyf said she saw the piece at a Feb. 13 art show in Fort Lauderdale. White wasn't planning to sell it until Reyf said she offered to pay $100 for it. "I bought it to match colors in my house," Reyf said. Reyf also said White told her she had Googled "woman in water" and found a photograph of a girl she decided to paint. The image wasn't signed and White said she wasn't sure who took it. When a mutual friend of White's and Samaniego's saw the photo with Reyf, he said he thought right away that White's piece was a copy of Samaniego's. "About a month and a half ago, she posted an image of one of her works in progress," said Richard Sullivan, a Naples man who runs art festivals. "It was a black and white print on canvass and I recognized it immediately." Sullivan asked White about how she came up with the image and the idea. She told him she was going to do a study on an existing piece and that it was for her personal use. "I was like, yea, sure," Sullivan said. "I thought that was kind of odd. Then the other day she posted that she had sold the painting at a showing. Well, I had to let my friend Arturo know." Samaniego said he reached out to White on Facebook but said his comments have been ignored. Now, he says he plans to take legal action to protect his copyright. "It hurts an artist in many ways," said Samaniego, who sold "Impending" to a collector for $5,000 in 2012. "People are paying you for your idea and you're not getting the benefit of the sale. Plus a collector's unique piece is tainted by knock-offs." Reyf said White never tried to pass the painting off as her own idea, but experts say intent doesn't matter when it comes to violating copyright laws. Those laws go into effect the moment an artist creates something, said Barbara Hoffman, a copyright law attorney in New York. "An artist, who is the original author of the work, under copyright law, has certain rights to control its use," Hoffman said. "The most important right is copying of the work or reproduction of the work or creation of derivative works." If White had decided, without seeing Samaniego's piece, to paint a woman in the ocean, that would be OK, Hoffman said. "Copyright doesn't control the idea. It controls the person's expression of an idea, which is that image," she said. "Sometimes if something looks substantially like the first work, there's a presumption that it was copied, especially if the person had access to the image." While copyright law kicks in automatically upon creation, Samaniego will first have to register the copyright to bring forward a lawsuit, Hoffman said. Artists who already have registered copyrights can sue for damages up to $150,000. Without the advance registration, it can be more difficult to determine damages and lawsuits can become costly, with little guaranteed payout. To win a case, the original artist would have to show that the copied image was substantially similar, according to a reasonable person. One of the remedies in this situation is to have the piece destroyed, Hoffman said. Reyf said when copyright infringement was first alleged, White reimbursed her the $100 she paid for the piece, took the painting back and destroyed it herself. But at this point, Samaniego said he would not be content with a simple apology from White. "If you're a teenager dabbling in Picasso, that's one thing," he said. "If you're an artist showing in galleries, you should be fully aware that copying another artist's work straight up is a major no no." An example of a Florida panther. SHARE By Daily News Staff One stretch of Southwest Florida highway has racked up more than half of the young year's total of Florida panther roadkill. So far in 2016, four endangered wildcats have been killed by vehicles on State Road 82 west of Immokalee, near where Collier, Lee and Hendry counties' borders meet. In all, seven panthers have been roadkill victims in 2016. The most recent roadkill, a 4-year-old male, was found Wednesday about a mile east of State Road 82 and Corkscrew Road. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported it Thursday. A 4-year-old female panther was found dead Jan. 30 on State Road 82, west of Church Road; a 2-year-old female panther was found Feb. 12 on S.R. 82 near Sparta Avenue in Lehigh Acres; and a 6-month-old kitten was found dead Monday, also west of Church Road. Biologists suspect the kitten was the orphaned offspring of the older female found in January. The Florida Wildlife Federation has seized on the S.R. 82 panther roadkill streak as a reason to oppose a federal permit for a proposed sand mine in Immokalee. Scientists estimate that as many as 180 panthers are left in the wild, but their growing population is prompting debate over how best to manage the species. Bonita Springs resident Jerry Sauber speaks against a proposed fire station during a town hall-style meeting Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 at Bonita Springs Fire Station #4. Concerned citizens packed a conference room to voice opinion over a 1.3-acre site at Hickory Boulevard and McLaughlin Road for the potential fire station. Most echoed a sentiment against. (Corey Perrine/Staff) SHARE Patrons listen during a town hall-style meeting Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 at Bonita Springs Fire Station #4 in Bonita Springs, Fla. Concerned citizens packed a conference room to voice opinion over a 1.3-acre site at Hickory Boulevard and McLaughlin Road for a new proposed fire station. Most echoed a sentiment against the potential edifice. (Corey Perrine/Staff) Bonita Springs Fire Chief Joseph V. Daigle speaks during a town hall-style meeting Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 at Bonita Springs Fire Station #4 in Bonita Springs, Fla. Concerned citizens packed a conference room to voice opinion over a 1.3-acre site at Hickory Boulevard and McLaughlin Road for a new proposed fire station. Most echoed a sentiment against the potential edifice. (Corey Perrine/Staff) By Maryann Batlle of the Naples Daily News The second time Bonita Springs Fire District saved Jerry Sauber's life was in 2012. Sauber, a resident of Little Hickory Island, said he passed out and his blood pressure was crashing. His wife called 911. "And, boy, the firemen came in like they were saving the (Twin) Towers in New York," Sauber said. "I owe my life to them." Sauber says his story is graphic evidence that there is no need for a new fire station in the quiet beachside neighborhood. That's why he was one of more than 100 people who attended a town hall meeting held by the Bonita Springs fire district commissioners. Back in December, a developer offered 1.3 acres at Hickory and McLaughlin boulevards, near the center of the island. In exchange, RYD International, based in Estero, asked for permission that would allow it to build on the rest of the land it has there. RYD pitched is as a "public-private partnering." The fire district said a new station could improve response times. Hickory Island response times meet the district's goal of six minutes about 14 percent of the time, said Chief Joseph Daigle. "The fact of the matter is there is a reduced amount of fire and EMS coverage on that beach," Daigle said. But, like Sauber, speaker after speaker rejected the notion their island needs a fire house on that corner. Linda Hamilton, whom residents at the meeting credited with organizing the community response, lives on McLaughlin Boulevard. "It's a pristine residential area," Hamilton said. "Putting a fire station dead center in our island is completely unconscionable for the quality of life of our residents." At one point, several people yelled "hell no" after a fellow resident at the podium prompted them to give the board their opinion. Fire commissioners listened. They unanimously decided to decline the developer's offer. It was a strange agreement to begin with and commissioners saw that, Sauber said. "We want (Little Hickory) to remain old Bonita Springs," he said. "Listen, nobody is as close to death on that island as I am, and I depend on those guys to come get me when I need them. And I'm sure they will." An aerial view of the Collier Hogan well on Thursday, July 24, 2014. Scott McIntyre/Staff SHARE By Maryann Batlle of the Naples Daily News Lee commissioners have rejected a state senate bill that aims to regulate an oil drilling method known as "fracking." In a letter dated Tuesday, they ask a Senate committee to reject SB 318. Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, sponsored the bill. DOCUMENT: Read the letter from commissioners. Commissioners argue Richter's bill usurps local authority. "Counties should be permitted to enact and maintain regulations that are more stringent than those contained within SB 318," the letter states. Lee County has joined the city of Bonita Springs and the village of Estero in opposing SB 318 in public. Both south Lee cities also passed fracking bans last year. Hydraulic or acid fracturing, called fracking for short, is the process of drilling into the earth and then injecting a high-pressure mixture to force oil out of the ground. The mixture can contain undisclosed chemicals, sand and large volumes of water. Florida's legislators are considering two companion bills that would regulate oil and gas operations in Florida Richter's SB 318 and HB 191, which is sponsored by Rep. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero. The bills would pre-empt local fracking ordinances not in existence before Jan. 1, 2015, leaving the state to enforce rules related to the contentious oil drilling practice. Commissioners argue in their letter that Richter's bill "does not guarantee complete disclosure of chemicals used" and that it fails to guarantee local governments will know what those chemicals are before drilling happens. FracFocus, an online chemical reference that would house the state's fracking data, concerns commissioners too. "Trade secrets would not be posted to FracFocus, so the online registry would be incomplete," the letter states. "Please vote no on SB 318 as written." Naples resident Suzanne Listo boards a Collier Area Transit bus heading from the Intermodal Transfer Station at the Collier County Government Center on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, in East Naples. The Collier County bus service celebrated its 15th anniversary on Friday. (David Albers/Staff) SHARE Riders board a Collier Area Transit bus heading from the Intermodal Transfer Station at the Collier County Government Center on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, in East Naples. The Collier County bus service celebrated its 15th anniversary on Friday. (David Albers/Staff) Bus driver Joseph Confidant greets passengers on a Collier Area Transit bus heading from the Intermodal Transfer Station at the Collier County Government Center on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, in East Naples. The Collier County bus service celebrated its 15th anniversary on Friday. (David Albers/Staff) Passengers wait for their busses in a waiting area at the Collier Area Transit Intermodal Transfer Station at the Collier County Government Center on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, in East Naples. The Collier County bus service celebrated its 15th anniversary on Friday. (David Albers/Staff) Passengers circulate around the Collier Area Transit Intermodal Transfer Station at the Collier County Government Center on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, in East Naples. The Collier County bus service celebrated its 15th anniversary on Friday. (David Albers/Staff) By Greg Stanley of the Naples Daily News After 15 years with a public transit system it's clear that more and more people in Collier County are riding the bus. Ridership has steadily increased each year since the Collier Area Transit rolled out its first fleet on a sunny Thursday in 2001. During its first year of service, officials at the time hoped that the transit would one day serve more than 200,000 riders a year. The transit, which celebrated its 15th anniversary Friday, has dwarfed that goal, giving well over a million rides in each of the last five years. The main question surrounding the bus system has changed from wondering if anybody in the county would use it to wondering how the county should best keep up with demand, said Commissioner Donna Fiala. "Our numbers keep growing," Fiala said. "In East Naples, we're seeing more and more retirees use it people in assisted living facilities who maybe don't drive anymore are taking it to the mall and doctor's appointments. But what I would love to see is more people, especially during season, be able to use the buses to get to work." With population increasing and affordable housing for the workforce harder and harder to come by, public transportation is become all the more important, said Corine Williams, transit manager. New neighborhoods and developments, especially those outside the urban area, need to be built with the transit in mind, Williams said. "Affordable housing is a problem for a lot of individuals and it's tied to this idea of sprawl where people live far away from where they work," she said. "So we want to be part of the effort to review development plans. We want to make sure transit has a seat at the table so it's there at the beginning phase of any project. Whether it's through a dedicated right of way or fixed routes, the idea of transit should be there for any current or future developments." For all the system's growth in ridership, number of routes, bus stops and stations, it has continued to lag in frequency of trips. There is typically an hour wait between buses and cutting that wait-time down has long been one of the top priorities for the transit as it looks to the future. But increasing the frequency of the routes all depends on finding funding, Williams said. "Frequency is a big issue, not just for us, but for everyone who uses transit services," Williams said. "We're not New York where you'll see a bus every 10 minutes. As funding comes available we will look at increasing the frequency of routes, especially the very high volume routes. We want to meet that need." Part of the issue is the system relies heavily on federal and state grant money money that can be used to buy buses, build shelters and pay for infrastructure and capital upgrades. That money typically cannot be used to pay salaries for bus drivers, gas or maintenance costs. Those ongoing operational costs need to be funded locally, primarily through county gas taxes and rider fares. "As we continue to grow we need to find additional dollars to support the system we have," Williams said. "One thing we're looking at is working with large employers and other organizations to see if there are ways we can help their employees and they can support the system." The county is starting a program that offers a 10 to 15 percent discount on monthly bus passes for employees of companies with more than 300 and 500 employees. "Our hope is that large employers and their employees will consider an alternative way of getting to work," Williams said. "When you think about it a month bus pass is $35. Compared to the cost of buying gas, insurance, wear and tear and buying a car, that's nothing." SHARE By Liz Freeman of the Naples Daily News Arthrex is once again being recognized for its achievements. Fortune magazine has ranked the global medical device manufacturing company headquartered in North Naples third of the 15 best workplaces for manufacturing and production in the United States for 2016. Rankings are based solely on employee feedback stemming from surveys of thousands of employees through Fortune's "great places to work" evaluations. Privately-held Arthrex, a leading design and manufacturer of orthopedic surgical devices, was founded in 1984 by Reinhold Schmieding. "Arthrex and its more than 2,000 Southwest Florida employees are extremely proud to be ranked as the third best company to work for in America for manufacturing and production," Schmieding said in a statement. "Arthrex has a special dedication to its employees and its surgeon customers around the world in making people better with innovative surgical devices designed, engineered and made right here in Southwest Florida. In receiving this recognition we are also proud to represent Florida and our Southwest Florida community." The company has experienced huge growth in production, revenue and in its workforce, with numerous accolades from industry leaders. With 13 locations around the world, Arthrex has 3,192 employees globally, 2,246 of which based in the U.S., according to Fortune. Most of the U.S. employees are in Southwest Florida. On Thursday, Gov. Rick Scott will be at the company's headquarters at 1370 Creekside Blvd. to announce new jobs at Arthrex in connection to an expansion at the company's Ave Maria manufacturing plant. Details will be announced Thursday, Arthrex spokesman Lisa Gardiner said. Dudley Goodlette, chairman of the board of directors for the Greater Naples Area Chamber of Commerce, said the Fortune recognition for Arthrex comes as no surprise. "I'm proud of Reinhold (Schmieding) and it's a great recognition for a terrific company," Goodlette said. Arthrex has been named several times to Fortune's best workplaces since 2015. "This is the fifth Fortune designation we have received," Gardiner said. Last year, the company was ranked fourth in best workplaces in manufacturing and production, it was ranked 50 for best workplaces for diversity, and it ranked 91 for best workplaces for millennials. In addition, Arthrex was ranked 94 among Fortune's top 100 companies to work for in 2015. Employee ratings for Arthrex were 95 percent or higher for the company offering great challenges, atmosphere, rewards, communication, leadership and pride, according to Fortune. The review was based on 1,015 employee surveys. Employees overwhelmingly said they feel good about the way the company contributes to the community and they take pride in telling others they work for Arthrex. Some of the other companies in the top 15 manufacturing and production companies are top-ranked Hilcorp, an oil and gas company headquartered in Houston with 1,400 employees, and the second ranked is Tactical Electronics, headquartered in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, with 68 employees. Coming in fourth ranked after Arthrex is Stryker, a medical device manufacturer headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with 22,992 employees globally with 12,579 in the U.S. An Aedes aegypti mosquito is photographed through a microscope at the Fiocruz institute in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016. The mosquito is a vector for the proliferation of the Zika virus currently spreading throughout Latin America. New figures from Brazil's Health Ministry show that the Zika virus outbreak has not caused as many confirmed cases of a rare brain defect as first feared. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) SHARE By Liz Freeman of the Naples Daily News Two more cases of travel-related Zika virus has been confirmed, bringing the statewide number to 24, according to the Florida Department of Health. The new cases are reported in Miami-Dade. The state's public health emergency spans nine counties, including Lee County, which has had three travel-related Zika cases. All of the cases involve people who have traveled out of the country and were diagnosed with the mosquito-borne virus after their return. About one in five people infected become symptomatic, which generally involves a low-grade fever, rash and joint pain. Pregnant women are at risk if their unborn babies are exposed to the virus, which can lead to birth defects. Researchers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control are examining the link between Zika and birth defects. The state health department encourages residents to drain standing water in any containers, which is the breeding source for mosquitoes; cover exposed skin with long-sleeved shirts and pants, and to wear mosquito repellent outdoors. For more information, go to www.FloridaHealth.gov. An Aedes aegypti mosquito is photographed through a microscope at the Fiocruz institute in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016. The mosquito is a vector for the proliferation of the Zika virus currently spreading throughout Latin America. New figures from Brazil's Health Ministry show that the Zika virus outbreak has not caused as many confirmed cases of a rare brain defect as first feared. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) SHARE By Elliott Jones of TCPalm Florida's new Zika hotline is getting dozens of calls, including from out-of-state tourists concerned about visiting a state where mosquitoes are common, according to the Florida Department of Health. They're being assured the mosquito-born virus isn't spreading in Florida, although health officials have confirmed that 22 travelers contracted it overseas and then came back to Florida. In humans, the virus typically only survives three to 10 days, said Jorge Rey, director of the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory in Vero Beach. There is international concern about Zika, which in Brazil is being linked to birth defects in infants born to women who had Zika. The World Health Organization and federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued travel alerts about Zika. Last week, the state Health Department established the Zika public information hotline that has received 440 calls as of Tuesday. Most are about travel to nations with Zika outbreaks, such as Brazil or Colombia, or about travel to Florida and the symptoms of Zika. "Our call center is assuring visitors that it is safe to travel to Florida," Gambineri said. "There is no evidence of Zika virus spreading in Florida." The hotline number is 855-622-6735. Get more details from the Treasure Coast Newspapers. SHARE Southwest Florida U.S. Rep. Curt Clawson didn't go to the nation's capital to coast. Instead, he's demonstrating he went there to protect our water and natural resources, with the coast among his priorities. Anyone who has settled in Southwest Florida for its enticing coastline and alluring environment we figure that's just about everyone should join us in extending kudos to Clawson for all he's done for the region's key attraction in recent days. To recap what Clawson, R-Bonita Springs, elected in 2014, accomplished in a week: --- The House approved Clawson's bill to reclassify 17,044 acres around the Ten Thousand Islands into a permanently protected area, part of the Coastal Barrier Resources System. The bill creates 40,000 continuous acres of coastline, from Marco Island to Keewaydin Island to Rookery Bay, that's designated as federally protected if there's damage from storm surge or wind from tropical storms. His measure doesn't hurt private property rights; in fact, it extends flood insurance to 1,600 land owners. --- The path was cleared for overdue maintenance of Gordon Pass, the Naples Bay-to- Gulf connection last dredged in 2010. A year's work by Clawson and U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, whose district includes part of Collier, culminated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers agreeing to budget $2 million for dredging it this year. The congressmen took action after reviewing reports from Naples officials regarding the increasing number of boats damaged from hitting the sand shoal. "Gordon Pass is the main channel serving Collier County's commercial fishing industry, charter vessels, and recreational watercraft, and is one of the economic engines to our region's tourism economy. The safe operation of this waterway is paramount to Collier County," Clawson said in a statement. -- Days later came a similar announcement that two major waterway projects will begin this year in Lee County. The Corps set aside $900,000 to dredge sections of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway that's navigated by about 155,000 boats annually and $3 million to open the entrance channel at Fort Myers Beach. --- With Lake Okeechobee releases down the Caloosahatchee River threatening coastal estuaries, Clawson joined in a bipartisan push to expedite any Everglades-restoration projects the federal government has ready. Heavy rains resulted in the lake rising to a level that threatens the security of its berm, so the Corps, state and water managers began emergency releases in late January. In recent days, there was a shift to begin directing some of the floodwater south toward the Everglades. In a statement, Clawson acknowledged recent progress to build a water storage reservoir near the river but included what we consider an important few words about getting the releases to flow south toward the Everglades. Those words are "after natural filtration." After all, pollution sent in a new direction is still pollution. Any such idea, we believe, won't go anywhere with Clawson if it harms the coast. SHARE Bill Linehan, Naples Bundy The Bundy family joined with hard-core militiamen to take over the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. Heavily armed right-wing, anti-government militants threatened violence against federal police. The America haters not only had a cache of weapons but had explosives. Not one Republican candidate nor one conservative letter writer has condemned these seditionists. The elder Bundy violated 20 years of court orders and owed over $300,000 in fees, according to news reports. When federal police tried to apprehend this racist, anti-American who said "I don't recognize the federal government," Fox's Sean Hannity called Bundy a "hero" and a "patriot." Conservatives defended the armed seditionists preaching a "civil war" and attacked the federal police. When a black teenager walking along a street in Chicago threatening no one was shot 16 times and the video was kept secret for a year, conservatives weren't outraged about the killer cop, they were outraged about Black Lives Matter protests. Conservatives supported police when unarmed blacks were killed but attacked police when heavily armed seditionists pointed weapons at police and preached "civil war." Could you imagine if these had been armed members of the Black Panthers or the nation of Islam? Fox News would demand to know why the anti-American thugs weren't dead. Conservatives attack Black Lives Matter but support Redneck Lives Matter ... SHARE Robert P. Sanchez, Naples No fable In the fable about the Pied Piper of Hamelin, the children happily follow the flutist to their doom. The mesmerizing music was irresistible to the innocent victims. The piper's malice was motivated by revenge against the townfolks who reneged on a debt: the failure to pay for services rendered. I can't help but analogize this dark tale to what is currently playing out in this election year here in America, not in Hamelin. The beguiling tunes are now the fear-inducing threats of chaos and end-times that all-too-often are attributed to foreigners and conspirators bent on destroying our vaunted "American way of life." Resistance to change and close-minded rejection of those who hold different beliefs and enjoy various other lifestyles make many folks vulnerable to simplistic solutions. Constantly flexing our military and economic muscles and adopting a garrison mentality can leave us at odds with the rest of the world. These responses can deprive us of the healthy inflows of fresh ideas and energy. When fear and distrust displace the "can do" and hopeful nature of the American people, we shall have indeed played into the hands of those who do not wish us well. Let's be cautious about following the "would-be" pied pipers out there. This is not Hamelin. SHARE Charles J. Theisen Jr., Naples War funds New York Times writer Carl Hulse's recent column discusses "Executive branch overreach? Lawmakers blame themselves." Quoting from a congressional position paper: "Congress' refusal to use its powers to do its duty is the root cause of Washington's dysfunction and of the public scorn it invites." Hulse writes: "One prime example of how Congress is refusing to use its powers is the debate over whether to provide President (Barack) Obama with an authorization for the use of military force against the Islamic State. ... Lawmakers would rather avoid taking a war vote always a wrenching proposition that can look quite different in retrospect and instead let the White House take responsibility. That approach lets Congress off the hook, but in the long term it erodes its power." Congress authorized $58 billion in "war funds," which support the military-industrial complex, but refuses to authorize taxes to fund this war. Instead of blindly funding war, I suggest our tax dollars (or those we borrow from China) would be better spent providing financial support to countries like Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan that are hosting refugees. Congress and the administration could support a United Nations program that would enable the refugee villages to export products around the world without duties, and the companies that locate at the villages should be free from taxation for some specified period. That may help the refugees begin to introduce some sort of normality to their horrible existences, and further, the United States and European Union could support schools for the children. SHARE Heather Geronemus, a national board member of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) By Heather Geronemus Seven years ago, my father, Dr. Robert Geronemus, a prominent doctor specializing in kidney disease, walked across the street after dining with colleagues attending a medical conference in Miami. In that same instant, a 42-year-old man who carelessly chose to drive drunk crossed the intersection, plowed into my father, threw him 75 feet, and fled the scene while my father died on the street. No family should have a loved one taken so violently by this completely preventable crime. The Florida Legislature has an opportunity to save lives and protect residents and visitors from drunken drivers. Sen. David Simmons, R-Longwood, and Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, have authored legislation that would require all drunken driving offenders to install an ignition interlock device in their vehicle after conviction for six months. The Legislature should immediately pass SB 1244 and HB 555. Requiring ignition interlocks for all drunken drivers is just good common sense. These small, in-car devices prevent someone who is impaired from starting his or her car. The driver blows into the device, and the car will not start if alcohol is detected at a pre-set level. Under Florida's current law, ignition interlocks are required for repeat offenders and first offenders with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15 percent nearly twice the nationwide illegal limit of 0.08 percent blood alcohol concentration. Since 2006, Mothers Against Drunk Driving has advocated for every state to pass all-offender ignition interlock laws. Twenty-five states have these laws and have seen dramatic decreases in drunken driving deaths. Arizona and West Virginia, for example, have reduced drunken driving fatalities by 50 and 40 percent. A new report by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) shows that across the nation, ignition interlocks have stopped more than 1.77 million would-be drunk drivers from starting their cars. Right here in Florida, 49,744 drunken driving attempts people with an illegal 0.08 percent blood alcohol concentration have been prevented by an ignition interlock. That's an alarming number of drivers who, if not for an ignition interlock could have turned their vehicle into a weapon aimed at anyone who crossed their path. Imagine how many drunken drivers are on Florida's roadways today because we aren't requiring ignition interlocks for all offenders. Tragically, we only hear about them after they've torn yet another family apart. We all deserve better. Florida residents and visitors deserve to drive without fear that the driver next to them has recklessly chosen to drink and drive. We can no longer take away a drunken driver's license and hope for the best, even when offenders are participating in other alcohol-related programs. Studies show that 50 to 75 percent of drunken driving offenders continue to drive on a suspended license. The only proven countermeasure to keep a drunken driver from repeating the offense is putting technology an ignition interlock between the driver and his or her car. Please ask your legislators to support SB 1244 and HB 555 to help protect families from the devastation of losing someone to the selfish actions of a drunken driver. Let this lifesaving technology do its job and help us create a state and a nation of "no more victims." __ Heather Geronemus of Plantation is a MADD national board member. American House Senior Living Communities is hosting a Founders Day celebration on Wednesday, February 24, from 4:30 pm until 6:30 pm to commemorate the first depositors at its new independent living community in Bonita Springs. The public is invited to join the future first residents along with the American House executives and staff for light refreshments and learn more about Phase III, the third phase of the companys walkable senior living community comprised of 88 independent apartment-style rentals with lanais and complete concierge services. The new construction is being built on American Houses beautiful 26-acre campus at 11400 Longfellow Lane (nearby Joannes House at Hope Hospice). The new building complements American Houses recently opened 22 independent, 68 assisted living and 40 memory care rental apartments that offer comprehensive senior living options and quality care so residents can live the life they imagine. Scheduled for completion in late Fall 2016, Phase III offers 13 different floor plans ranging from one bedroom to two bedroom plus den ranging in size from 617 square feet for the one-bedroom/one bath model to 1,190 square feet for a two-bedroom/two bath plus den model. Each rental home comes equipped with a kitchen and washer and dryer. Basic cable and all utilities (excluding telephone) are included in the monthly rental fees. Concierge services include an elegant restaurant-style dining room that serves both breakfast and dinner daily, a casual bistro for lighter fare, a spa with beauty salon and massage room, weekly housekeeping, home repairs and maintenance. Key common area amenities include a large outdoor swimming pool with lounge areas, a putting green, a one-half mile walking path, chapel, exercise room with state-of-the-art cardiovascular and resistance weight machines, Anytime Cafe equipped with Wi-Fi, a large veranda with outdoor kitchen/grill and outdoor seating, several community rooms for group activities and private family get-togethers, and a bocce ball court. Covered parking and scheduled transportation services are available. Additionally, small pets are welcome. There is a tremendous demand for our model of comprehensive senior living for residents living in Southwest Florida, believes American House founder Bob Gillette. With our diverse lifestyle and fitness programming, American House provides the perfect blend of freedom and opportunity our residents enjoy the privacy of their own apartment while taking advantage of programs, social events and services as they choose maintenance-free living means you never have to worry about anything except the life you imagine, he adds. Combined with our Coconut Point location (now under construction south of Coconut Point Mall off U.S. 41 and Coconut Road and due to open in late Summer 2016), American House now offers Southwest Florida residents a combined 400 independent living, assisted living and memory care rental apartments in Estero and Bonita Springs, reports Gillette. Reservations are now being accepted for Phase III in Bonita Springs. Contact executive director Erin Sakmar 239-494-8668. Leasing is currently underway for the Coconut Point location at the leasing center at 8350 Hospital Drive, Suite 124 in Estero. Call sales manager Kristen Rickard 239- 319-2575 for more information. The Employment Law Practice Group at Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A. will host the firm's 24th Annual HR Law & Solutions seminar on Monday, April 4 at the Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort & Spa. This annual seminar is designed to update and educate business owners, managers, and human resource professionals on legal issues in the workplace. Topics and speakers include: Employment Law and Legislation Update presented by Attorneys Robert Shearman and Vicki Sproat. The Intersection of Immigration and Employment Law: What You Need to Know and Probably Dont presented by Immigration Attorney Tulio Suarez. Breakout sessions include: Welcome to the Company, Please Sign Here presented by Attorneys John Agnew and Suzanne Boy; Youre From the Government, and Were Here to Help presented by Attorneys John Potanovic and Bob Shearman; and Tips to Recognize, Reduce, and Deal with Workers Compensation Fraud in the Workplace presented by Attorneys David Roos, Michael McCabe and Tania Ogden. The conference will also feature two guest speakers. SHRM speaker Jennifer Shirkani will present Ego vs. EQ: How Top Business Leaders Beat Eight Ego Traps with Emotional Intelligence and Social Media Lawyer Ethan Wall will discuss Lawful and Unlawful Use of Social Media for Hiring and Retention. Continuing education credit is available from the HR Certification Institute (HRCI) and from the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). Registration is $40 per person and includes a continental breakfast, plated lunch, and valet parking. For more information on the seminar or to register, visit http://www.henlaw.com/hr-law-solutions-seminar/. Cape Coral Mayor Marni Sawicki will report on a wide range of projects underway to support continued growth in Southwest Floridas largest city. The presentation takes place at the Real Estate Investment Societys (REIS) March 8th luncheon meeting. Mayor Sawickis presentation will include updates on major roadway improvements and utilities expansion, efforts to streamline development approvals and permitting, and insight on emerging growth corridors and business districts. She will also report on projects that are driving commercial development, such as Bimini Basin, downtown redevelopment, the Veterans Clinic, Lee Memorial Outpatient Center, and the NW Cape Coral 7 Islands Vision Plan. Following her presentation, Mayor Sawicki will respond to questions of specific interest to the real estate investment and development industry. Marni Sawicki was elected mayor of Cape Coral in 2013. She also serves as executive director of the Southwest Florida Manufacturers Association and is president and CEO of Indigo Pros, Inc., a business consulting firm. She has a background in the broadcasting and insurance professions. The meeting is sponsored by State Insurance Agency and will begin promptly at 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, March 8 in the Osprey Room at Pelican Preserves Clubhouse, on Treeline Avenue at Colonial Boulevard, one mile east of I-75 exit 136 in Fort Myers. Admission is $30.00 for members and $40.00 for guests, which includes lunch. Reservations are required by March 2nd and may be made at the REIS web site: www.reis-swfl.org. Veterans Florida, a non-profit created by the Florida Legislature to attract and retain veterans, has selected Florida Gulf Coast University as one of five institutions of higher education to deliver the Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program, a new entrepreneurial training initiative for veterans in the state seeking to start their own businesses. Florida Gulf Coast University, along with the University of West Florida, University of North Florida, Florida Atlantic University, and Hillsborough Community College, were selected as network partners of the program. In this role, each institution will dedicate existing small business development resources to deliver the program, which is comprised of three phases: Phase 1: An online entrepreneurial development training covering the basics of entrepreneurship Phase 2: In-class training at one of the five participating institutions of higher education during which veterans will receive face-to-face instruction from business experts and refine their business concepts and plans Phase 3: Ongoing mentorship and follow-up support from Florida SBDC business consultants to help veterans launch and run their business The program is available to veterans who are active duty or have been honorably discharged; reside in Florida, or plan to locate to Florida; and demonstrate a strong interest in entrepreneurship. The program is provided at no cost. Travel expenses, including lodging and meals, for the on-site training will be covered for all participants. Space is limited. The expected launch of the program website (www.FloridaVetBiz.org) is early February 2016, at which time the application will be available. The program is expected to begin March 8, 2016. For more information, please contact 239- 590-7324 or aridgway@fgcu.edu. Florida Gulf Coast Universitys Institute for Entrepreneurship is extremely excited to be serving the men and women who serve our country, and is privileged to offer entrepreneurial training and guidance in their support, said Dr. Sandra Kauanui, Director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship. Our main goal is to mentor the servicemen and women, and instill a technique for building a successful and sustainable business. The funding for the program is made available through a $1 million appropriation by the Florida Legislature. The University of West Florida, through its Florida SBDC Network and Military and Veterans Resource Center, will serve as the host partner to administer the program. The Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program offers veterans in the state access to high value, entrepreneurship education through our world-class state universities and colleges, said Bobby Carbonell, Executive Director of Veterans Florida. This education will empower the next generation of great veteran entrepreneurs to make lasting contributions to the states economy. Veterans Florida was established by the Florida Legislature in 2014 as part of the Florida GI Bill to serve as an innovative corporation to encourage recently retired or separated military personnel to make Florida their permanent residence. The 501c(3) corporation will reinforce Florida's standing as the most veteran-friendly state in the nation by helping veterans to bring or develop the skills needed by Florida businesses to the state. The board of directors is comprised of nine individuals from across the state. For more information, visit www.veteransflorida.org. Founded in 1992, Florida Gulf Coast University is a member of the State University System and combines innovative programs, a technology friendly campus, and an outstanding faculty to create one of the most exciting environments for higher education in the United States. FGCU serves a student population of over 14,000 and is committed to academic excellence and public service. Professors are dedicated to helping their students reach their full potential in academics and leadership by delivering personalized, innovative, and hands-on learning experiences to their students. FGCU also works closely with Veterans to ensure the servicemen, women, and their families get the education and support they need to excel in their futures. The Institute for Entrepreneurship is facilitated by Florida Gulf Coast Universitys Lutgert College of Business and U. A. Whitaker College of Engineering. Dr. Sandra Kauanui is the Director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship as well as the Chair of the Management Department for the Lutgert College of Business and has worked hard, along with her colleagues in engineering, to develop an outstanding program to facilitate growth and entrepreneurship within the community. The Institute provides students with genuine support and a strong foundation of knowledge from which to pursue entrepreneurial aspirations. This is accomplished through the combined efforts of FGCU faculty, student graduates, and a variety of community partners in Southwest Florida. The Institute strives to create camaraderie between these groups, and emphasize the need for an entrepreneurial spirit between FGCU and its constituents. For more information on the Institute for Entrepreneurship, please contact aridgway@fgcu.edu. Institute for Entrepreneurship FGCU Lutgert College of Business 3339 Lutgert Hall 10501 FGCU Boulevard South Fort Myers, FL 33965 239-590-7324 http://www.fgcu.edu/CoB/IFE/index.html The Adjutant General of Florida, Major General Michael A. Calhoun, presided over the recent promotion of Naples resident Jim Demarest to Colonel in the Florida Air National Guard. Colonel Demarest serves as the State Judge Advocate General, responsible for providing full spectrum legal counsel and support to the command and staff at Joint Forces Headquarters, located in St. Augustine, Florida. In this role he oversees the delivery of legal services to over 2,000 members of the Florida Air National Guard. I am extremely thankful for the confidence placed in me by our State leadership, and for the support of my family said Colonel Demarest during the promotion ceremony. I look forward to continuing my service to our state and nation. Colonel Demarest was joined by his wife Karysia, and daughter Gabriela, at the ceremony. Colonel Demarest moved to Naples in 1995 and practiced law for over 9 years before moving into business consulting for Fortune 500 and Global 2,000 companies. In June of 1982, Colonel Demarest earned his commission from the United States Air Force Academy. He completed pilot training in 1983 and was assigned to fly F-15s at Bitburg Air Base, Germany. Col Demarest served on active duty for 10 years with assignments in fighter operations, and joined the Florida Air National Guard as a JAG in January 2009. Byron Donalds, a Financial Advisor with Moran Edwards Asset Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors (www.MoranEdwards.com), will host a seminar titled, Strategies to Weather VOLATILITY in the Market, scheduled for the following dates and times at the Wells Fargo Building located at 5801 Pelican Bay Boulevard in Naples. Monday, February 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Monday, February 29 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The seminar will cover the following topics: Will your asset allocation help achieve your goals? Can fixed income investments still deliver good returns? Do you need a robust retirement tracker? Seating is limited. Make a reservation by calling 239-513-2511. Donalds has been a trusted financial advisor for the past decade. Prior to joining Moran Edwards Asset Management Group, he worked for CMG Surety, LLC and TIB Bank, both of Naples. He is also a political strategist and commentator and serves as a trustee for Florida Southwestern State College. Donalds attended Florida State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and marketing. Larson on Wallace incident: 'It is what it is' Kyle Larson responds to his wreck with Bubba Wallace and Wallace's retaliation at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Organisational culture guru Edgar Schein has recognised and endorsed the work of local business author Gabrielle ODonovan. Schein, Professor Emeritus at the MIT Sloan School of Management, the business school of the Massachusetts Institute in the United States, has made his mark in fields such as career development and group process consultation and is considered as the founding father of organisational culture. Having read her book The Corporate Culture Handbook, which was published by Liffey Press in 2006, Schein referred to Gabrielle's award-winning culture transformation programme for HSBC Hong Kong in his fourth edition of Organisational Culture and Leadership, reproducing her Characteristics of a Healthy Culture a framework of cultural assumptions. In his book, Schein credits her new 23 dimensions of culture as noteworthy. Having paused her work in the academic field (as Associate Professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and at the Danube University Krems in Austria) to focus on her work as a practitioner, Gabrielle only learned of this great achievement when an American academic who lectures in Trinity College approached her with a query. It's such a huge honour for anyone in the field of culture and change to have their work recognised by Schein, says Gabrielle. For Schein to allocate two and half pages of his own book to my work is quite simply unbelievable and a great personal thrill for me. Both Schein and Gabrielle have had their work recognised by the American Society of Training and Development. Schein received a Lifetime Achievement Award in Workplace Learning and Performance in 2000, while Gabrielles culture transformation programme for HSBC received an Excellence in Practice Award in 2005. She has a masters degree in Training and Development from the University of Sheffield in Yorkshire. Scheins earlier edition of Organisational Culture and Leadership inspired the design of my culture transformation programme for HSBC, says Gabrielle. She says she has her own ideas and definitions on the nature of culture, the levels of culture and how best to implement culture change in the workplace. His work also inspired my articulation of new cultural assumption in The Corporate Culture Handbook. So it really rounds the circle for me to see my work incorporated in his revised edition. Learning about this now has injected great creativity into the new change management book which I am currently writing. And its been heartwarming to get such a positive response from the local community in Clonmel on a recent trip home. When she is not writing Gabrielle, who is London- based, works as a self-employed consultant for major banks, technology firms and government agencies. The Pride of Tipperary Sarah Dillon hosted a successful Winter Ball recently in aid of Pieta House fund-raising over 4383 for the charity. Sarah is in her third year studying Psychiatric Nursing in Dublin City University and is particularly passionate in caring for those who suffer from mental illnesses. The Winter Ball was a fantastic success and I was overwhelmed by the support from the community. My goal of raising awareness of mental health and getting people to speak about this real issue was most definitely achieved on the night. As a community we need to take more time to listen, acknowledge the dark moments but remember there is always hope. It could be your mother, your father, your sister, your brother, your son, your daughter or your friend. When I is replaced by we illness becomes wellness. Sarah had three guest speakers on the night. Liz Quish, a counsellor who works for Pieta House, spoke about the organisation and the wonderful support they provide to the community. Counsellor and Psychotherapist Donna Been spoke about mental health in our community and how mental health professionals help people cope and Seamus Hennessy, all-Ireland winning hurler who is currently an ambassador for Pieta House, heading up the mind your mind suicide awareness campaign, spoke about his own personal and touching story on the night. Pieta House is a free, accessible organisation for those who are in suicidal distress or engage in self-harm. The vision is to have a world where suicide, self-harm and stigma have been replaced by hope, self-care and acceptance. Sarah wishes to thank all the local businesses for their sponsorship and spot prizes on the night: Aherlow House Hotel, Tipperary Co-op Super Value, Anna from Bluebell Cupcakes, Jean and Shauna for the cupcakes designed specifically with the Pieta House logo, the Concannon family from Galway, Colm O Keefe for lighting on the night, Ann from Joe Whelans, Dee Morrissey, Kissanes Pharmacy, Kielys Lounge, Dillons Joinery, Dorethy Flowers, Hourigan for Men, St. Anthoneys Nursing Home and Finesse Hair Salon. The Winter Ball would not have been possible without the tremendous generosity and support from my family, friends and the whole community and I want to thank everyone most sincerely for donating to such a worthy organisation that is most definitely needed in our society, said Sarah. A big thank you goes to Sharon O Dwyer and Brian English who helped me in so many ways since winning the pride especially with organising the event. Finally a special thank to my wonderful family - Mam, Dad, Maria and Sean who have supported me since winning Pride of Tipperary. Without their continued support the event would not have been possible. WASHINGTON A public interest coalition is calling on bank regulators to declare the drinking water contamination in Flint, Mich., a "disaster" and encourage lenders from around the country to extend credit to the area in order to counteract the damage. John Taylor, president of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, said in a letter to the Federal Reserve, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Wednesday that the designation would help the area "repair and replace damaged pipes" a cost that the city's mayor has estimated at $1.5 billion. Taylor said that some lenders will not offer home loans to the area out of concerns that the drinking water to those properties is dangerously unsafe. "The pieces are in place for a disaster designation for Flint under the CRA," Taylor said, referring to the Community Reinvestment Act. "Extraordinary efforts, including a focusing of bank CRA activities, are warranted to assist residents of Flint reclaim their lives and property." The crisis in Flint's water supply began in April 2014, when the city began drawing its drinking-water source from the Flint River to cut costs. The city had been served by the greater Detroit water system up to that time. In the fall of 2015 reports began emerging that Flint's drinking water contained levels of lead that were orders of magnitude higher than the maximum levels allowed by law. Lead is a potent neurotoxin that can cause severe developmental disabilities in children. The Federal Emergency Management Agency declared the Flint water crisis a federal emergency in January; the NCRC said that enables the banking agencies to declare an emergency as well. The agencies had declared a similar emergency in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Under the CRA, agencies can waive certain requirements in a disaster situation, namely by allowing banks that are not in a disaster area to lend or invest in repairing damage and acquire CRA credit for those activities. NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow praised Morocco's long-standing contribution to political dialogue and practical cooperation with NATO, during the first day of his first official visit to Rabat on 18 February 2016. He underlined Moroccos contribution to international security and stability, as a force of moderation and a voice of reason, in a fast changing and turbulent regional security environment. Ambassador Vershbow held bilateral talks with Mr. Abdellatif Loudiyi, the Minister-Delegate for National Defence, with General Bouchaib Arroub, Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces of Morocco, and with Mr. Youssef Amrani, Minister Advisor to the King for International Relations. In his bilateral meetings, Ambassador Vershbow stressed that the security of NATO member countries is closely linked to the security of its neighbours in the South, and thanked Morocco for facilitating the achievement of a political solution to the crisis in Libya. On 19 February, the Deputy Secretary General will meet with Mr. Nasser Bourita, Minister-Delegate for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and with other high level government officials. He will also give an address on NATO-Morocco Cooperation in the 21st century at a Public Diplomacy seminar in Rabat. Ambassador Vershbow and his interlocutors will discuss NATOs continued commitment to working with Morocco, in the framework of the Mediterranean Dialogue. Initiated in 1994, the Mediterranean Dialogue aims to contribute to regional security and stability through enhanced political consultations and tailor-made practical cooperation between NATO and its members: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. Over half of rice-based cereal for children exceed new EU arsenic limits Basmati rice from India was the cleanest in terms of arsenic content Organic baby cereals contaminated with high levels of inorganic arsenic, the most dangerous form Cleaning up arsenic in the food supply is more important than economics (NaturalNews) The European Union (EU) is making great strides to clean up the food supply. One of the toxic elements they are now seeking to limit is arsenic. The most infamous place to find arsenic is in rice products, since rice readily takes up arsenic from the soil and water that its grown in. When EU regulators tested brand-name rice cereals, the results were telling. The general population has been consuming excessive amounts of arsenic in basic brand-name cereals, many of which are adored by kids.Products like Kellogg's Rice Krispies and Heinz Smooth Baby Rice far exceeded the new EU arsenic limits. In fact, 58 percent of cereals tested exceeded the new arsenic limit for babies and children.Arsenic's toxicity is linked to heart disease, skin, bladder and lung cancers. It doesn't matter if people eat organic rice products or non-organic; either kind could contain high levels of arsenic. It comes down to the quality of water and soil the rice is grown in. Government bodies generally have limited resources to check food products for toxic elements like arsenic, but that is all changing, especially in the European Union.tested a slew of rice cereals in Great Britain and found that over half of them contained unhealthy levels of arsenic. The new regulations are set to take hold in summer 2015 as part of a new Food Standards Agency initiative. If products don't meet the new standards, they are to be removed from stores until they test in compliance.While short-term, low-dose exposure to arsenic is not immediately detrimental, it's the long-term exposure that should have people concerned. To top it off, people in Britain consume on average five times more rice today than they did 40 years ago. In some places in the world, rice is a staple crop, eaten daily.The new EU arsenic standards promise to keep arsenic levels below 200 parts per billion for adult rice products. When different types of rice were tested from around the world, the results varied, with red rice from France containing the highest levels of arsenic -- 310 ppb. Italian brown rice contained 160 ppb on average, but basmati rice from India was the cleanest, measuring only 40 ppb arsenic.The limit for children's rice products is stricter -- not to exceed 100 parts per billion. According to the US FDA, the form of arsenic most detrimental to one's health in the long run is inorganic arsenic. The EU arsenic tests found that Kellogg's Rice Krispies and Kallo Organic Puffed Rice Cereal contain a high concentration of the more dangerous inorganic arsenic. These products were tested several times; each test showed inorganic arsenic exceeding limits by far.Kallo Foods' Organic Puffed Rice Cereal contained 323 parts of arsenic per billion! Another baby rice product called organic wholegrain baby rice by Organix exceeded standards, reaching levels as high as 268 ppb.Kellogg's Rice Krispies measured well over the limits set for children too, clocking in at 188 ppb. Baby Organic Rice Cakes by Boots hit 162 ppb while Organic Wholegrain Banana Porridge by Organix peaked at 142 ppb arsenic.Some think that the arsenic limits are too strict and could hurt businesses and the economy, but Andrew Meharg, professor of Biological Sciences at Queen's University Belfast, thinks the limits are actually lenient. He said, "The European Union is going to set standards for arsenic levels in baby rice at 100 parts per billion. To my estimation that is far too high. It should be at least half that."The bottom line should always be about preserving human health and increasing food safety -- not putting extra pennies in the pockets of business owners and their shareholders. Thankfully, groups like the Rice Association in the UK "welcome" the initiative to establish new arsenic limits in rice. The three companies with the highest arsenic levels, Boots, Organix and Kellogg's, also want to take the safety of their products seriously. The balance between preserving big business and protecting consumer health teeters, but looking around today, with cancer rates spiking, it's never been more important to protect consumer health. (NaturalNews) Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, a company started by a third-generation master soapmaker, produces all-natural soaps using high-quality ingredients like organic essential oils, natural vitamin E extract from sunflower seeds and citric acid. No chelating agents, dyes, whiteners or synthetic fragrances are added to Dr. Bronner's soaps, and their eco-friendly packaging uses plastic cylinder bottles that are made from 100 percent recyclable materials.Considering the company's environmentally sensitive business model, it's no surprise that Dr. Bronner's Soaps is outspoken about the dangers surrounding GMOs and the impacts of intensive pesticide application on GM crops.Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps recently made a bold move after running a full-page ad warning about the negative impacts of GMOs. Entitled "Herbicide and Insecticide Use on GMO Crops Skyrocketing While Pro-GMO Media Run Interference: Former EPA Senior Scientist's New Article Sets Record Straight," the ad summarizes a paper written by Dr. Ramon J. Seidler called, "Pesticide Use on Genetically Engineered Crops," which describes the widespread failure of the Bt insecticidal trait in GM corn.Written by the company's president, David Bronner, the ad describes how plants genetically modified to tolerate heavy doses of glyphosate have contributed to the emergence of superbugs, as pests become resistant to herbicides. The ad compares the overuse of antibiotics in factory farms and the development of "supergerms" to pesticide overuse and "superweeds" and "superbugs."Dr. Bronner's ad also acknowledges the adverse environmental impacts that neonicotinoids (neonics) are having on non-target organisms such as pollinator insects, and the way they're polluting our food and water."We are running these ads because the public needs to know that rather than reduce pesticide inputs GMOs are causing them to skyrocket in amount and toxicity," said David Bronner.Dr. Bronner's soaps was ready to pay nearlyfor the ad to be published on page 1 of the October 24 issue ofmagazine. However, after working out all the details and being one email away from submitting payment,magazine's East Regional Sales Manager canceled the ad at the last minute, stating that the CEO along with the board were "concerned about backlash" and "potentially getting into a battle with the GMO industry."Only revealed by her first name, Laurie, the sales manager wrote magazine also refused to run the ad after attempting to sideline it into a small biotechnology journal rather than their main journal. However, the ad did run between October 15 and November 1 inandmagazines."I'm concerned how cowardly the leading scientific publications in the world are being here, although I appreciate Science's upfront explanation in writing.andmagazines, along with the scientific enterprise in general, are already embroiled in this mess," Bronner said.In the ad, Dr. Bronner's highlights the way mainstream pro-GMO media promote GM crops while ignoring the complete failure of Bt crops, as well as the dangers that they pose to people and the environment.The ad also warns about the government rubber-stamping the pesticide industry's next-generation herbicide-tolerant crops resistant not only to glyphosate but also to high doses of 2,4-D and Dicamba, leading to huge increases of chemicals being sprayed on our food."The truth of the matter is the chemical industry has bought the seed industry and both political parties in this country, has pulled the wool over our media, political and scientific elites." Wikipedia founder threatens to sue news website for revealing pornographic origins of faux encyclopedia Differing stories: Former Bomis employee says nearly all web traffic was for porn, while Wales claims almost none of it was Wikimedia Commons loaded with child pornography and other illegal material (NaturalNews) The dirty past offounder Jimmy Wales' prior internet ventures continues to come to light, with new evidence now showing that the misinformation website's early launch was made possible, in part, by money obtained from a sleazy porn network.A dot-com "bust" search engine called "Bomis," reveals an extensive report by WND.com's Judith Reisman, promoted nude images and other soft-core pornography in order to fund the original creation of. And Wales has apparently tried, ironically, to cover this up by repeatedly altering Bomis'entry.report from 2005 claimed that Wales "repeatedly revised the [Wikipedia] description of a search site he called Bomis, which included a section with adult photos called 'Bomis Babes.'" The originalentry explained that Bomis Babes was "soft-core pornography," but Wales allegedly later changed this verbiage to "adult content section."He also, on numerous occasions, attempted to remove all references to pornography from the Bomisentry, though the page today admits that Bomis "focus[ed] on X-rated media," and included "erotic images," "adult pictures" and other "explicit material.""Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia's creator, made his original fortune as a pornography trafficker," wrote Reisman in her piece on's origins. "Wales' cult of far-leftist volunteer editor zealots labor minute-by-minute to mislead readers who think Wikipedia's half-truths -- and worse -- are a legitimate 'encyclopedia.'"The following screenshot taken in 2004 shows the type of content actively promoted by Bomis, with censors blacking out female nudity:Other screenshots captured by WND.com reveal that Bomis offered a special "premium" service as well where users could pay to see lesbian activity and other pushing-the-limit "soft-core" pornography. After this was reported, Wales reportedly threatened WND.com with legal action, accusing the site of making reckless, irresponsible and defamatory claims against him."I have never made any 'fortune', as a pornography trafficker or otherwise, and I have never been a 'pornography trafficker' at all," claimed Wales in a letter to WND.com, asking the news site to alter or remove Reisman's expose.But Wales did, in fact, use money from Bomis' pornography offerings to jumpstart the creation of, though he denies that this money represented anything close to a "fortune." Even so, as much as 99% of the search queries conducted on Bomis were for "nude women," admits Wales, after earlier denying that 99% of the site's revenue came from "adult" advertisers.In Wales' account, he made very little money from Bomis before it went belly-up, and he only collected a "modest salary as programmer and CEO." But the fact that the site trafficked pornography is simply undeniable, and Wales is now struggling to come up with a viable story as to the origins of his latest undertaking,As far as what Bomis was primarily used for, it's clear from early imagery and screenshots of the site that pornography was a major driver of the site's content. A 2010 report in theshows an early photo of Jimmy Wales surrounded by two scantily clad Bomis Babes wearing nothing but short T-shirts and panties:Wales can whine all he wants about supposedly being defamed and libeled, but even his former employees know what Bomis was all about. One former Bomis employee who spoke directly tohad this to say about the site:"We all used to bike to work together in 1998 in Pacific Beach, San Diego," stated one former Bomis employee toabout his relationship with Wales while working for the company. "99% of his traffic was for porn . I refused to index porn, so that was the end of my job. Really, it was just a sleazy porn ring search engine."Even some of the content ontoday is questionable in terms of containing adult, and in some cases illegal, sexual material. Larry Sanger, who leftin 2002, says that Wikimedia Commons, which includes, and, is "rife with renderings of children performing sexual acts," asreportedSanger first notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about this back in 2010, but the agency has yet to take action. Meanwhile, Wikimedia's Foundation Deputy Director Erik Moeller expressed somewhat of a sympathetic tone with regard to pedophilia in general, stating to the media, "If the child doesn't want it, is neutral or ambiguous, it's inappropriate."This implies that if a child is willing, pedophilia is just fine, in Moeller's eyes, though he reportedly responded to allegations of supporting pedophilia by stating that he has "never defended the 'right' of pedophiles to abuse children."But he does, admittedly, defend what he says is "the right of children of comparable age to engage in consensual, harmless sexual interactions with each other -- what's commonly called 'playing doctor', and also safe sex among teens." Moeller has also made statements in defense of underage children engaging in sexual behavior and also believes the definition forneeds to be modified to be less inclusive."The real issue for Wikipedia and sites like it is who is monitoring the content?" reads a quote published by, taken from an earlier writing in condemnation of themodel. "Who is accountable? And who exactly is responsible? Anonymous editors and contributors and a complete lack of transparency presents a real risk of uncensored content being distributed worldwide."We've repeatedly warned our readers to avoid usingbecause of the site's obvious bias against natural and alternative medicine. Published author, columnist and podcast host Mike Bundrant is currently working on an extensive book project to exposeas a deceitful propaganda website that's not looking to find the truth, but rather to censor it.You can learn more about the book,, here:(Photo credit: Lane Hartwell/WikiMedia) (NaturalNews) It has become increasingly apparent that a number of key figures promoting vaccines and GMOs are really nothing more than thugs, industry shills or criminals pushing corrupt practices and phony science.In an attempt to continually inform and update our readers, it is a primary goal of Natural News to identify these charlatans and keep pressure on other media to better scrutinize individuals who portray themselves as independent "experts" who are doing nothing more than conveying the "truth" about vaccines.Here are three of the most notorious hucksters still on the scene:Thorsen is a scientist who formerly worked for the CDC. Over the last several years, he oversaw millions of dollars in grant money that was used to conduct research to "prove" that vaccines have no link to autism. Dr. Thorsen's research papers include the famous "Danish Study" entitled "Thimerosal and the occurrence of autism: negative ecological evidence from Danish population-based data."Thorsen was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice in April 2011 on charges of money laundering and wire fraud, allegedly diverting millions of dollars he received via grant money from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earmarked for research to his own personal bank account.According to bank account records, Thorsen purchased a home in Atlanta, a Harley Davidson motorcycle, an Audi automobile, and a Honda SUV with funds that he received from the CDC grants.He faces 13 counts of wire fraud and 9 counts of money laundering. He is currently being held by Danish authorities and is awaiting extradition to the U.S. If convicted on all counts, he faces hundreds of years in jail and tens of millions of dollars in fines.Ross is one of ten discredited and compromised physicians who have recently branded Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of a popular daytime health information program, a "quack" because Oz provides information about non-traditional, alternative medical treatments to his audience. Ross and the other physicians penned a letter to Columbia University to have Oz, a licensed cardiothoracic surgeon who is the chief of cardiac surgery at the university, thrown off its faculty.Ross is a convicted criminal and Medicaid fraud artist. He was "convicted of racketeering, mail fraud and conspiracy," and was "sentenced to 47 months in jail, $40,000 in forfeiture and restitution of $612,855" in a scheme to defraud the Medicaid system, reports the U.S. Right to Know campaign on a web page dedicated to describing Ross' questionable practices as executive director of the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH).In fact, more than half of the doctors signing the letter have ties to the ACSH , a discredited industry front group steeped in chemical denialism. This is the same group that once solicited money from Big Tobacco, claiming it would counter "pseudoscience" about cigarette smoking. The organization has also soft-peddled asbestos, Agent Orange, chemical endocrine disruptors, pesticides and herbicides.Virtually no other media outlets reported these facts, but they were happy to merely parrot the charges Ross and the others made against Oz without digging further.Entine is a biotech shill and formercontributor who is a noted pesticide apologist and has committed physical violence against his wife and psychologically traumatized his own daughter, according to court documents.According to the documents, which were reviewed by Natural News editor Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as part of a five-part series published last fall , reveal how his wife pleaded for court protection against domestic violence and child abuse and sought a restraining order to halt Jon Entine from "physically, verbally and / or psychologically abusing, annoying, harassing or injuring" herself or their young female daughter.Entine has professional ties to Monsanto , the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Procter & Gamble and other similar corporations, all of which push for GMO foods and widespread vaccination on a global scale. He is a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a research fellow at George Mason University, and was a paid lecturer at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.As Adams noted, "Entine is a key 'attack operative' for the biotech industry well known for authoring wildly defamatory character assassination articles to target GMO skeptics and scientists who disagree with the biotech industry's contrived safety claims." The Flint water crisis Was there a cover-up? (NaturalNews) In an extremely unsettling report by Reuters it seems that Michigan officials were actually aware of a serious problem with the water supply in the city of Flint but took measures to block an investigation into an outbreak of Legionnaire's disease.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is said to be undertaking a full review of the way the water crisis was handled, which led to contaminated drinking water seriously poisoning 87 people 10 of whom died.The responses from the state and federal government have provoked a great deal of criticism over the past few months and it seems that more could have been done to prevent this crisis.The city of Flint has seen a lot of publicity over the past year or so, starting back in April 2014 when a state-appointed official made the decision to switch the city's water supply over, according to. Flint used to get most of its water from the nearby city of Detroit, which not only supplied the water but also took responsibility for controlling chemicals in the water supply.The switch seemed logical stop using water from Detroit and start using the water available in the Flint River, saving the city money. According to, the city of Flint is bankrupt and, along with the rest of Michigan, is actively trying to save as much money as possible.However, without Detroit's corrosion-preventing treatment, the water from the river corroded the city's lead pipes, leaching poisonous metals into the water supply and exposing as many as 8,000 children to elements that have lifelong effects on their nervous systems. According to Curt Guyette, an investigative journalist, some of the water samples tested so high for lead that they were "more than twice the amount at which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies water as hazardous waste."As if this wasn't bad enough, the impoverished residents of Flint were consuming the water and complaining loudly to every official within earshot that there was something wrong with it. The water had changed color, had a smell to it and was clearly not right. However, they were reassured time and time again that things were fine.In a report by Fox2Now.comit seems that Jim Henry, Genesee County Environmental Health Supervisor, is accusing the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality of deliberately blocking the attempts of his office to involve the national health authorities such as the Centers for Disease Control.Henry stated, "You could see that it was an intentional, deliberate method to prevent us from doing our job." The EPA is now reviewing what could have been done differently after these accusations have come to light, and a great deal of public criticism about the way the crisis was handled has been directed at the state government.The story of the Flint Water Crisis is a complete tragedy lead does irreversible damage to the brains of developing children and unborn babies . Those exposed will likely suffer from low IQs and have learning difficulties and could require assistance for their entire lives. However, the fact that Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality took measures to actively downplay the discolored, smelly water makes this crisis an absolute atrocity. Negligent state officials caused residents' deaths and destroyed thousands of children's lives just to save money; whether those responsible for the disaster will be held accountable by government or citizens remains to be seen.Two citizens have now set up a non-profit food and water laboratory to pick up where the EPA failed in Flint, with the goal of preventing U.S. children from being exposed to toxic chemicals in water supplies. The Flint municipal water has since been switched back over to the supply from Detroit however, the damage has already been done and will impact the city for generations to come. Your chemical-sending robotic toilet will turn you into an obedient pharma slave Totalitarian medicine is already on the rise... and human doctors won't be needed for long A huge wakeup call is coming soon for human doctors: You are about to become OBSOLETE! (NaturalNews) Before long, your pill-pushing doctor will be replaced by a pill-pushing AI toilet that's tag-teamed with a Terminator-style compliance android or drone.Why? Because today's pharma-bribed doctors do almost nothing that can't be done by a sophisticated drug vending machine owned and operated by the pharmaceutical industry. Modern doctors, in other words, are little more thanwho offer absolutely nothing to patients that can't be done more cheaply and efficiently by automated systems. (And believe me, Big Pharma can't wait to take human doctors out of the loop entirely. It's one less group of people they have to bribe...)By turning "medicine" into a pill-pushing scheme for profit, Big Pharma, the FDA and the U.S. government have all taken the art out of healing, eliminating any value of having a human being engaged in the practice of real medicine. Now, it's all just symptom diagnosis and drug prescriptions. And that process can be easily handled by automated systems.In fact, much of the so-called "diagnosis" of disease and the prescribing of pharmaceuticals can be accomplished by an INTELLIGENT TOILET!Every time you urinate into the toilet, chemical sensors analyze biomarkers for "disease" (which means whatever the drug companies define as "disease" so they can sell you more drugs). The Intelligent Toilet compares your biomarkers to a database of disease markers that are approved by the corrupt, pharma-controlled government, then writes prescriptions for drugs that claim to "treat" those conditions.Your toilet -- which has been licensed as an M.D. by your state medical board -- then uploads your prescriptions to the nearest pharmacy, which dispenses your drugs while billing Obamacare to rake in the profits. The pharmacy automatically sends an order to the drug companies to refresh the pills at a 50,000% profit because the whole industry is run by Martin Shkreli douchebags. Everybody gets rich in the new "sick care" economy, right?Meanwhile, your COMPLIANCE with the drugs is also analyzed by your M.D. toilet, which looks for chemical markers in your urine to confirm you're consuming the drugs. If you don't comply with the drug prescription, you will have your government food stamps restricted or other government benefits reduced until you comply. Now, your toilet is not only your doctor... it's also your slave master.All the humans who used to be actual doctors, meanwhile, are given jobs cleaning the toilets... or turned into soylent green to feed the hungry population of chemically obedient slave citizens whose only purpose is now to VOTE in elections, since nearly all their jobs have already been replaced by Google robots (that spy on everyone while carrying out all the menial labor jobs in society).Those humans who refuse to participate in this whole system will beto eliminate them "for the public good." Can't have "anti-government" people disrupting this health care system, can we?Welcome towhich has already begun in California with SB 277 and the vaccine obedience laws. With medical kidnappings now taking place across America -- where hospitals kidnap children to make money by forcing them into toxic cancer treatments -- there's no limit to the horrors against humanity that will take place when Big Pharma meets AI robots andRemember, all the vaccine-pushing doctors across America have already established their belief that. If the state wants to force an intervention upon you or your child (vaccine, chemotherapy, SSRI drugs, etc.), you have no choice in the matter!Even the American Medical Association has utterly abandoned all principles of medical ethics, refusing to speak out against totalitarian medical interventions like SB 277 or forced chemotherapy on children whose parents are thrown in jail and charged with "kidnapping" their own children by removing them from malicious oncology clinics.What's especially noteworthy in all this is that compared to robots, humans should be bringingto medicine via compassion, empathy and intuition combined with knowledge. Yet today's doctors abandon compassion and empathy, functioning as nothing more thanwhich is precisely why they will soon be obsolete. (When you take the art out of medicine, it all collapses into the formulaic dispensing of high-profit medications and chemotherapy agents.)All the doctors who are pushing pills today and thinking they're set for life with a cushy job and wealthy income are about to find out just how expendable they really are in the totalitarian medicine economy.What a typical doctor learns in six years of med school can be downloaded to your electronic toilet in ten seconds as a database. When there is no art in medicine, human doctors soon become obsolete. And when they are obsolete, the pharma-industrial complex will rapidly find a way to eliminate them from the system.Listen to my full podcast of this dystopian totalitarian future of automated medicine at this link at HealthRangerReport.com And check out these websites to stay informed: With kangaroos, wallabies, koalas and so many other marsupials, or pouched animals, roaming around Australia, it shouldn't be surprising that there once was a marsupial lion. That sort of creature roamed the Down Under continent about 50,000 years ago, reigning as the top predator for its time in the area. While that was known, the precise behaviors of these animals remained somewhat of a mystery -- until now. Prehistoric claw marks recently found in a place called Tight Entrance cave on the south-western tip of Australia have provided paleontologists with all the information they need to create a much more detailed profile of the extinct marsupial lion, Thylacoleo carnifex. Most closely related to plant-eaters like possums and wombats, T. carnifex weighed upward of 220 pounds and was equipped with a powerful jaw and large, sharp claws. The animals are thought to have died out about 40,000 years ago, shortly after humans arrived in Australia, according to a news release. In the latest study, Gavin Prideaux and Samuel Arman, researchers from Flinders University in Adelaide, examined hundreds of scratch marks on the cave's walls and identified a large set of marks that were clearly those of the marsupial lion. Ultimately, the markings yielded two key findings: The lions were good climbers and reared young inside the cave. Many of the claw marks were gouged into steep surfaces, up to three meters from the cave floor, even though there were paths through the cave with more gradual inclines. "They could have chosen longer routes to the exit with gentler slopes, but the distribution of claw marks shows that, habitually, they did not. Clearly they were excellent climbers and would easily have been able to climb trees," Arman said in the release. This, combined with previous bone evidence of the animals' robust build and meat-slicing teeth, suggests T. carnifex was a "stocky-yet-agile predator" that likely climbed trees to hunt and ambush prey. (Scroll to read more...) "We assumed that they were at least partly arboreal," Mike Archer, a paleontologist from the University of New South Wales, added. "The hind foot has an opposable first toe, the front arm is grasping and the fore limbs are extremely powerful, which is typical of animals that climb, having to pull their body weight up. And their claws are quite capable of maintaining them in trees." Of the thousands of claw marks analyzed, researchers found many that varied in size. This led them to believe young spent a lot of time in the caves, perhaps while their parents were out foraging. "The largest of the scratch marks could only have been made by adults of T. carnifex. Many of the smaller marks were made by juveniles: they have the same form as that of the adults, but do not match claw marks made by other known cave dwellers," researchers said in the university's release. "Marsupial lions, like all marsupials, would have given birth to extremely underdeveloped young that could not be left alone until becoming at least partially weaned." Therefore, caves would have provided necessary protection from predation, as well as a climate-controlled environment. Researchers also believe the animals hunted in packs, as they were well-adapted to capturing and consuming large prey. This strategy would have allowed them to prey on Australia's largest marsupial: The rhinoceros-sized Diprotodon optatum, bones of which have been found previously with T. carnifex bite marks. Their findings were recently published in the journal Scientific Reports. Related Articles Giant Prehistoric Bird Named Gastornis Roamed Balmy Arctic 50 Million Years Ago For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN). -Follow Samantha on Twitter @Sam_Ashley13 Twenty wolves were killed in northern Idaho as an effort to boost the elk population there, according to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Agents from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services killed the wolves from a helicopter during the first week of February. The Defenders of Wildlife, a national non-profit wildlife and habitat conservation organization, condemned the aerial wolf killing that took place in the Clearwater Region of Idaho as being "based in anti-wolf politics" and not being grounded in actual science. "Killing wolves isn't going to bring back the elk, and it doesn't address the real issues causing the decline," Suzanne Stone, the Defenders of Wildlife Northwest Representative, said in a statement. "Scientists point to a significant change in habitat conditions in the Clearwater National Forest - due to invasive species and fire suppression-causing elk populations to drop naturally. Killing wolves is simply a scapegoat for these much bigger issues." Defenders of Wildlife is fighting back by submitting a petition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Secretary Tom Vilsack, requesting he bar the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services from regulating native predators for the purpose of elevating game populations, like elk. The petition will also stress the need for the Forest Service, which is responsible for protecting America's national forests, to exercise its jurisdiction to prevent the wolf killing. When the wolves were named an endangered species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's recovery plan in 1987 aimed to reintroduce the animals in the northern Rocky Mountains, specifically reintroducing them into Idaho in 1995 and 1996. In 2002, the Idaho Wolf Conservation and Management Plan was adopted by the state legislature, which named the Idaho Fish and Game responsible for wolf management once the wolves were taken off the endangered species list. In 2006, Idaho and the U.S. Department of Interior entered into an agreement which deemed Idaho an agent for day-to-day wolf management for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. However, in 2010, Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter gave that responsibility back over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service for good. In 2011, Congress required the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to republish the 2009 delisting rule which removes protections for gray wolves in Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Utah because they are no longer listed as endangered and turns over wolf-management policies to the states. Since then, the Idaho Fish and Game has been in charge of wolf management and placed them in the same category as big game animals with hunting seasons, much like the ones they have for black bears and mountain lions. When lawmakers asked an Idaho board how many wolves were killed so far in 2016 and what the cost of the effort has been, the board refused to comment, stating that they did not want to discuss the project as it was ongoing in northern Idaho, according to the Associated Press. However, a 2014 Idaho Wolf Monitoring Report said that there were 360 wolf mortalities in that year, with 256 of those wolves taken for legal harvest and 67 wolves killed by the agency in the entire state of Idaho. For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN). -Follow Catherine on Twitter @TreesWhales A young Franciscana dolphin died after a vacationer pulled it from the water so he and other beach dwellers in Santa Terisita, Argentina, could take selfies, touch and cuddle it. The tragic incident has raised concern among conservationists and animal activists about the publics' mishandling of wild animals. "This is more than upsetting," Lori Marino, executive director of The Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy, told The Huffington Post in an email. "It is an indictment of how our species treats other animals as objects for our benefit, as props, as things with value only in relation to us. This is a terribly painful story but it goes on, writ large, every day all over the world." Video footage of the incident shows the animal being scooped up by a man and passed around for petting and photos. The small dolphin, no more than a few feet long, was then left to die in the mud, where it can be seen lying motionless. Following the dolphin's death, the Argentine Wildlife Foundation (AWF) released a statement urging people to return dolphins encountered near the shore to ocean waters. Franciscana dolphins, also known as La Plata dolphins, are one of the smallest dolphin species in the world, measuring only four to six feet long and weighing up to 115 pounds. They are also characterized by a brownish color. (Scroll to read more...) Found only in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, Franciscana dolphins are a rare breed indeed: it is estimated that roughly 30,000 exist in the wild. As a result the animals are listed as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. Sadly, at no point in the video does it appear that anyone in the crowd suggested returning the animal to the water. "The potential for recovery of this species is very low," the AWF wrote. "The Franciscan, like other dolphins, cannot long remain above water. It has a very thick and greasy skin that provides warmth, so the weather will quickly cause dehydration and death." Since dolphins are mammals that breathe air most people assume the animals can survive when held out of the water but this is not the case. In addition to their skin drying out, they can also overheat because they cannot regulate body temperature. Experts say this is what likely killed the baby dolphin in Argentina. Dolphins, porpoises and whales aren't designed to support their own weight outside of buoyant water. When they are stranded on land or held up as these human did, their rib cages can collapse, causing serious organ damage. The stress that results being pulled out of the water and manhandled is enough to cause cardiac arrest, as is frequently the case when animals are captured in the wild. Experts suggest the best way to handle a beached animal is to alert the proper authorities and try to keep the animal floating in water so that its skin remains wet. Humans should also refrain from excessive touching or petting, which can cause anatomical damage and transmit disease to the animal. Related Articles Seven 'Cold-Stunned' Sea Turtles Rescued In Florida, Four In Need Of Tumor Removal Surgery Elephant Orphanage To Open In Tanzania [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW] For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN). -Follow Samantha on Twitter @Sam_Ashley13 Millions of public school students will soon have their personal information and school records handed over to a nonprofit community organization. The Concerned Parents Association fought for the data in federal district court and won over the objections of the California Department of Education. The nonprofit said it needs the information to see if California schools are violating the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and other related laws. The database it will have access to includes all information on children, kindergarten through high school, who are attending or have attended a California school at any time since Jan. 1, 2008. The database contain students' names, social security numbers, home addresses, course information, behavior and discipline information, progress reports, mental health and medical information, along with suspensions, expulsions and more. That doesn't sit well with privacy groups. Beth Givens with Privacy Rights Clearinghouse said it's "shocking that the court would release this sort of information." Eva Velasquez with the Identity Theft Resource Center agreed. "A lot of that information could be used to commit identity theft if it gets into the wrong hands," she said. The attorney for the Concerned Parents Association, Rony Sagy, told NBC 7 the information will only be accessible to a handful of people and will have a "Special Master" who will certify that security measures are followed. "The issue isn't why they want it," said Velasquez. "The issue is that it creates vulnerabilities and access points." Students and parents can opt-out of the list by following detailed instructions from the district court. However there appears to be very little being done on the state or local level to inform parents of the disclosure. To find out more about the court case and how to opt-out, visit the ID Theft Center's website at this URL: http://www.idtheftcenter.org/alertcaparents.html. The form, which you can find here, must be submitted by April 1. SAN FRANCISCO Federal prosecutors recommended Wednesday that a judge sentence a former California state senator convicted of racketeering to 8 years in prison, saying such a sentence would reflect the "breadth and length" of his crimes and act as a deterrent to others. Leland Yee is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 24 after pleading guilty in July to one count of conspiracy to engage in racketeering. Yee was charged with soliciting and accepting bribes in exchange for providing help from Sacramento and conspiring to import weapons and ammunition into the U.S. "The offenses committed by Yee were no one-time straying by a public official from lawful and ethical conduct," prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo. Reached by phone on Wednesday, Yee's attorney, James Lassart, said he was too busy and could not talk. Yee was arrested in 2014 as part of an organized crime probe centered in San Francisco's Chinatown that ensnared Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow, the head of the Chinese fraternal organization the Ghee Kung Tong, and others. A jury convicted Chow last month of racketeering, murder and scores of other crimes. As part of his plea agreement, Yee acknowledged accepting $11,000 in exchange for setting up a meeting with another state senator, $10,000 for recommending someone for a grant, and $6,800 for providing a certificate on California State Senate letterhead honoring the Ghee Kung Tong. He also acknowledged that he discussed helping an undercover FBI agent buy automatic weapons from the Philippines that were intended to be brought to the U.S. for distribution. Apple supporters turned out late Wednesday in San Francisco to support the company's decision to fight a federal magistrate's order to help the FBI hack into an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino, California shooters. Thirty people rallied at the Apple store in downtown San Francisco to tell the FBI to "keep your hands and your eyes off my iPhone." Apple has said following the federal magistrate's order could potentially undermine encryption for millions of other users. "I don't think it's worth compromising hundreds of millions of iPhone users around the world just to extract the data from this one phone," said Jacob Hoffman-Andrews with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group based in San Francisco. Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook's response, posted early Wednesday on the company's website, set the stage for a legal fight between the federal government and Silicon Valley with broad implications for digital privacy and national security. U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym had ordered Apple to help the FBI break into an iPhone belonging to Syed Farook, one of the shooters in the Dec. 2 attack that killed 14 people. Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, died in a gun battle with police. The ruling by Pym, a former federal prosecutor, requires Apple to supply software the FBI can load onto Farook's county-owned work iPhone to bypass a self-destruct feature that erases the phone's data after too many unsuccessful attempts to unlock it. The FBI wants to be able to try different combinations in rapid sequence until it finds the right one. The Obama administration has embraced stronger encryption as a way to keep consumers safe on the Internet but has struggled to find a compelling example to make its case. Cook said "this moment calls for public discussion, and we want our customers and people around the country to understand what is at stake." He argued that the order "has implications far beyond the legal case at hand." He said it could undermine encryption by using specialized software to create an essential back door akin to a "master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks." "In the wrong hands, this software which does not exist today would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone's physical possession," Cook wrote. "The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a back door. And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control." Federal prosecutors told Pym that they can't access Farook's work phone because they don't know his passcode and Apple has not cooperated. Under U.S. law, a work phone is generally the property of a person's employer. The magistrate judge told Apple in Tuesday's proceeding to provide an estimate of its cost to comply with her order, suggesting that the government will be expected to pay for the work. Apple has provided default encryption on its iPhones since 2014, allowing any device's contents to be accessed only by the user who knows the phone's passcode. Previously, the company could use an extraction tool that would physically plug into the phone and allow it to respond to search warrant requests from the government. The magistrate's order requires that the software Apple provides be programmed to work only on Farook's phone, and said Apple has five days to notify the court if it believes the ruling is unreasonably burdensome. It was not immediately clear what investigators believe they might find on Farook's work phone or why the information would not be available from third-party service providers, such as Google or Facebook, though investigators think the device may hold clues about whom the couple communicated with and where they may have traveled. The phone was running the newest version of Apple's iPhone operating system. It was configured to erase data after 10 consecutive unsuccessful unlocking attempts. The FBI said that feature appeared to be active on Farook's iPhone as of the last time he performed a backup. Farook and Malik took pains to physically destroy two personally owned cell phones, crushing them beyond the FBI's ability to recover information from them. They also removed a hard drive from their computer; it has not been found despite investigators diving for days for potential electronic evidence in a nearby lake. Farook was not carrying his work iPhone during the attack. It was discovered after a subsequent search. The judge didn't spell out her rationale in her three-page order, but the ruling comes amid a similar case in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Investigators are still working to piece together a missing 18 minutes in Farook and Malik's timeline from that day. Investigators have concluded they were at least partly inspired by the Islamic State group; Malik's Facebook page included a note pledging allegiance to the group's leader around the time of the attack. Nearly four months after it was first detected, officials announced Thursday a leak of natural gas from a Southern California Gas Co. storage well in Porter Ranch has been permanently capped. The utility temporarily stopped the leak last week by building a relief well more than 8,600 feet long and was injecting cement into the faulty well at the Aliso Canyon Storage Facility for a permanent cap. Local, state and utility officials made the announcement at a news conference on Thursday. "We have good news," said Jason Marshall, chief deputy director of the California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas and GeoThermal Resources. "The leak in Aliso Canyon storage field is permanently sealed." Final tests on the integrity of the cement cap were completed late Wednesday and air quality in the area has returned to normal levels, said Marshall, noting the California Air Resources Board and South Coast Air Quality Management District had also confirmed the flow of gas had stopped. Thousands of families who relocated to temporary housing to get away from the noxious smell will have eight days to move back. People living in temporary housing with extended leases will have until those leases run out to return home. "While the leak has been stopped and the well permanently sealed, we have much work to do, partnering with state and local agencies to help the local community and impacted residents return to normal," said Dennis V. Arriola, chairman, president and CEO of SoCalGas. Arriola added that the utility started inspection of the other wells at Aliso Canyon to verify those could be operated safely in the future and that operations will shift to determining the cause of the leak. The blowout at the largest natural gas-storage facility in the West was first detected on Oct. 23, and has spewed more than 2 million tons of climate-changing methane. Residents have complained of headaches, nausea, nosebleeds and other symptoms. Public health officials blame the woes on an odorant added to the gas and said there shouldn't be long-term health problems. Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency because of the leak, and SoCalGas is facing nearly a dozen lawsuits from regulators, residents and the city. On Wednesday, SoCalGas pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges involving reporting of the leak to authorities and discharging contaminants into the air. The company is charged with three counts of failing to report the release of hazardous materials from Oct. 23 to Oct. 26, and one count of discharging air contaminants, beginning Oct. 23 and continuing for the duration of the leak. "We do not believe a criminal prosecution is warranted here," said SoCalGas spokesman Mike Mizrahi. "We will look forward to presenting our evidence to the district attorney through the legal proceedings." Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Garcetti said the city's Emergency Management Department will open an office in the Porter Ranch area to offer residents such information as potential refunds for city services, updates from the county assessor about possible impacts on tax bills, disaster relief for businesses and access to mental health services. "Stopping the leak is only the first stage of recovery,'' Garcetti said. "Thousands of lives were upended by this disaster and the city of Los Angeles is here to help people return to their homes, start doing business again and get back to normal as quickly as possible.'' As of last week, 4,645 households were living in temporary housing at Gas Co. expense. Another 1,726 households have already returned home, according to the utility. The Gas Co. said it also has installed 5,467 air scrubbers at Porter Ranch-area homes and performed "weatherization'' work on 5,410 homes. LA County health officials said testing and air monitoring will continue in the area. Residents can get updates on the Aliso Canyon leak, including the return home process, at SoCalGas' website here. The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report. Illinois lawmakers and special interest groups had mixed reactions to Gov. Bruce Rauners budget proposal Wednesday, with some commending the governor's plea to end a historic budget stalemate and others expressing concern over potential compromises. Rauner addressed the Illinois General Assembly to propose a budget plan for the 2017 fiscal year, which begins in July. The state has been without an official budget since July of last year. During his speech, Rauner claimed that Illinois finances were in peril long before this fiscal year. The truth is, we havent had a truly balanced budget in Illinois for decades, Rauner said. In ways both obvious and hidden, weve overspent, and raised taxes to cover it up. The state is accruing billions of dollars in debt as a result of court-mandated spending and floundering revenue. "Although we succeeded last year in eliminating an inherited $1.6 billion budget hole without a tax hike, we are now in our 8th month without a state budget and court orders are forcing us to spend beyond our means," Rauner said. "Shocking, yes. Acceptable, not even close." Senate Majority Caucus Whip Iris Y. Martinez voiced frustration over Rauners inability to pass a budget. The budget stalemate could soon result in layoffs at public universities and community colleges and further cuts to social services. Its frustrating that the governor gave his budget speech for next year when there is no budget for this year, Martinez said. Im committed to adequately funding K-12 education, but its hard to get past the fact that college students and state universities arent receiving state aid. Sen. Melinda Bush stressed the impact the budget stalemate has had on social services and higher education. A long-term, partisan agenda does nothing for the charities that are closing or the college students that are dropping out because of a lack of grants, Bush said in a statement. These people need a real, balanced budget proposal, right now. Sen. Tom Cullerton worried that Rauner overlooked some important programs during his speech. Sadly, the governor made no mention of vital programs- seniors and veterans services, drug prevention programs to address our ever-growing heroin epidemic and funds to repair roads and bridges, Cullerton said. I urge him to consider communities needs and put forward a responsible budget to fund important services for the people of Illinois. Sen. Laura Murphy commended Rauners call for the state to live within its means but stressed the importance of investing in Illinois neediest populations. Rauner maintained in his address that funding for early childhood education and the General State Aid foundation level remain among his top priorities, but Sen. Kimberly Lightford said funding may not be enough. Funding our schools without reforming our unfair education system does more harm than good, Lightford said in a statement. No matter how much wealth you have, throwing money at a problem is not going to solve it without understanding the real issues at hand. Senate President John J. Cullerton applauded Rauner for making education a priority, but claimed Rauner's budget speeches "don't help Illinois." "The governor can be a vital ally in resolving what's become the defining crisis of our time," Cullerton said in a statement. "But reform won't come by simply throwing money at the existing system. We need a complete overhaul." Sen. Pat McGuire agreed with Rauners education initiatives but showed concern over the lack of attention the governor placed on the states strained social services. The governor mentioned human services only in passing neat the tail end of his speech, McGuire said. I am stunned by the governors avoidance of the day-to-day toll his inflexibility is taking on the elderly, the disabled, the homeless, and our neighbors and family members battling mental health. The budget impasse hinges on Rauners Turnaround Agenda which is focused, among other things, on weakening unions. Rauner will not agree to tax increases proposed by Democrats until the demands of his agenda have been met. Rep. Lou Lang claimed Rauner did not introduce a budget during his speech and was simply advancing his Turnaround Agenda. Rather than introduce a complete and balanced budget as required by the Illinois Constitution, Governor Bruce Rauner today punted, Lang said in a statement. Instead, he presented for the 1,547th time his discredited Turnaround Agenda and he renewed his budget hostage pledge for a second year. Sen. Linda Holmes also expressed concerns about Rauners agenda. In one plan, Governor Rauner continues to ask that we enact his highly partisan agenda before anything else can get done, Holmes said in a statement. In the other, he asks for authority to make cuts that he already possesses through selectively vetoing appropriations. The reason hes presenting his second budget today while his first one remains unpasted is because he declined to use that very authority before. Still, Rauner said if reforms are not put in place, "cuts will have to be made." He suggested if lawmakers don't want to work together on those cuts, that they give the Executive Branch "the flexibility to reallocate resources and make reductions to state spending as necessary." Pope Francis said Thursday that Donald Trump is "not Christian" if he wants to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border. Trump immediately fired back, saying it is disgraceful for a religious leader to question a person's faith. The rare back-and-forth between pontiff and presidential candidate was the latest astonishing development in a U.S. presidential race that has been roiled by Trump's freewheeling rhetoric and controversial policy proposals, particularly on immigration. The front-runner for the Republican nomination, Trump has said that if elected, he will build a wall along the Mexican border from Texas to California and expel 11 million people who are in the country illegally. The Pope's comments en route home from Mexico came hours after he prayed at the Mexican border for people who died trying to reach the United States. Asked what he thought of Trump's pledge, Francis said: "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the gospel." Not having heard about Trump's border plans independently, Francis said he'd "give the benefit of the doubt." But he added: "I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that." Trump, a Presbyterian, shot back within minutes, describing himself as a "very nice person" and a "good Christian." "For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful," he said at a campaign stop in South Carolina, which holds a key primary on Saturday. "I am proud to be a Christian and as president I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened." He also said the Mexican government has disparaged him to the Pope and separately invoked the Islamic State group, saying that if it attacks the Vatican, "I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president because this would not have happened." While Trump has made his plans to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border a centerpiece of his campaign, other candidates have similar positions. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson are among those who have explicitly called for construction of a wall. Other Republican candidates, including Ohio Gov. John Kasich, have called for enhanced border security and fencing but stopped short of backing a wall or other structure along the entire length of the border. The U.S. government has built some 650 miles of wall along the 1,954-mile U.S.-Mexico boundary. Marco Rubio, a Catholic seeking the GOP nomination, said in response to Francis' comments that Vatican City has a right to control its borders, and so does the United States. Rubio said he has "tremendous respect and admiration" for the Pope, but added, "There's no nation on earth that's more compassion on immigration than we are." A Trump aide, Dan Scavino, meanwhile, tweeted out a photo showing Vatican City surrounded by what he called "massive walls." [[369293961, C]] Jeb Bush said he didn't question Trump's Christianity nor anyone else's, "because I honestly believe that's a relationship you have with your creator." "I support walls and fencing where it's appropriate," he told reporters in Columbia. Trump has been critical of the pope's visit to Mexico. He said last week that Francis' plans to pray at the border showed he is a political figure being exploited by the Mexican government. Asked Thursday if he felt he was being used as a pawn of Mexico, Francis said he didn't know. "I'll leave that up to your judgment and that of the people," he said. He seemed pleased to hear that Trump had called him a "political" figure, noting that Aristotle had described the human being as a "political animal." Here is the full question and answer aboard the papal plane Q: Good evening Your Holiness. Today you spoke eloquently about the problems of migrants. On the other side of the frontier there's a very tough electoral campaign going on. One of the Republican candidates for the White House, Donald Trump, in a recent interview, said you are a "political man" and that maybe you are a pawn of the Mexican government as far as immigration policy is concerned. He has said that if elected, he would build a 2,500-kilometer long wall along the border. He wants to deport 11 million illegal immigrants, thus separating families, etc. I would like to ask you first off what do you think of these accusations against you, and if an American Catholic can vote for someone like this. A: Thank God he said I was a politician because Aristotle defined the human person as "animal politicus." So at least I am a human person. As to whether I am a pawn, well, maybe, I don't know. I'll leave that up to your judgment and that of the people. And then, a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the gospel. As far as what you said about whether I would advise to vote or not to vote, I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt. Here is Trump's full response In response to the Pope:If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISISs ultimate... Posted by Donald J. Trump on Thursday, February 18, 2016 (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Bill Cosby is demanding that the accuser in his criminal case repay a confidential sex-abuse settlement because she cooperated with police who reopened the case and arrested him last year. Cosby filed a sealed breach-of-contract lawsuit this month that said the settlement barred Andrea Constand from "voluntarily" discussing the case with law enforcement. The suit said Constand had no legal duty to cooperate with Pennsylvania authorities because she lives in Canada. The interviews she and her mother gave to investigators last year were therefore "voluntary" and violated the settlement terms, the suit said. "Despite being under no legal obligation to discuss any aspects of the events and allegations, ... and despite being expressly prohibited from disclosing such information to anyone, Andrea Constand volunteered to participate and disclosed such information to the district attorney and others," Cosby's lawyers wrote in a redacted suit filed Thursday. Cosby faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of sexually assaulting Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. He has not yet entered a plea, but his lawyers have vowed to clear his name. Constand, 43, is now a massage therapist in Toronto. The former "Cosby Show" star has repeatedly denied all allegations of sexual misconduct. He has previously said that in Constand's case, the sex was consensual. His lawsuit against her also names her mother and lawyers as defendants because they also cooperated with Montgomery County authorities last year. The suit accuses them of inviting media coverage or making public statements about the case. Constand's lawyers have said the agreement has a provision that allows them to speak to law enforcement about the case. Any such prohibition would amount to obstruction on the part of the lawyers who drafted the document, lawyer Dolores Troiani testified this month, when Cosby first appeared in court for a pretrial hearing in the criminal case. Cosby, 78, filed the sealed breach-of-contract suit Feb. 1, a day before that hearing. His lawyers were then ordered to file a redacted version of the suit and did so Thursday. The lawsuit is the actor's latest counterattack against complaints from dozens of women that he drugged and molested them. He has defamation suits pending against accusers in Boston, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles. The lawsuit filed against Constand seeks the repayment of the still-secret settlement he paid her in 2006, plus interest. He also seeks damages from Constand, her mother, her two lawyers and the parent company of the National Enquirer, which has published numerous stories on the case. Cosby, the lawsuit said, has suffered "serious and irreparable harm" and should be compensated by damages "to be proven at trial." Troiani declined to comment Thursday on behalf of herself or Constand. However, in filing a response to Cosby's bid to keep the case sealed, she and partner Bebe Kivitz said they want to defend the lawsuit in public to respond to charges that they engaged in unethical or potentially criminal acts. "Cosby is requesting the court permit him to make accusations and statements regarding the underlying settlement while restricting the ability of the public to scrutinize those accusations," their response said. The suit accuses Constand of "unjust enrichment" from the settlement. The amount of the settlement has never been disclosed. The president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) will testify in favor of having armed special police on community college campuses. Mark Ojakian, president of CSCU, will testify on Thursday before the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee in support of Raised Bill 25, which would allow armed officers on all state community colleges. In December, the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education board approved a resolution that changes the boards policy barring weapons on campus, with the exception of Naugatuck Community College. The General Assembly is now expected to take up a bill during next years regular legislative session that would allow armed, special police forces to patrol the states 12 community college campuses. Ultimately each college would decide whether it wants armed police on its campus. Currently, the type of security personnel varies by school. The police forces would be similar to those on the four state university campuses and at the University of Connecticut. Besides being certified in Police Officers Standard Training, or POST, the officers would receive special training in community policing on a college campus and train with the nearest state university force. The move to allow armed security on Connecticuts campuses comes amid a spate of mass shootings, including at Umpqua Community College in Oregon on Oct. 1, and one day after 14 people were shot dead in California. The state hired a consulting firm to assess each of the campuses. The firm determined that campus security would be enhanced by armed officers who are POST-certified and that the current policy, which prohibits weapons on community college campuses except for Naugatuck, would have to be changed. Ojakian, president of the Connecticut State College and University System, said having armed officers will make students and faculty feel safer, while improving the schools response to a potential armed shooter. We saw that there are mass shootings going on in this country. And we need to be better prepared to deal with those situations, said Ojakian, who was Gov. Dannel P. Malloys chief of staff during the deadly 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting. He said the move to change the weapons policy is part of an overall effort to look at campus safety, as well as mental health services available at the community colleges. He said the ultimate goal is to have consistency across the whole system, with adequate numbers of police who have adequate training. With the special police force designation, officers at each campus would be legally protected from lawsuits and departments could be eligible for emergency personnel vehicles. Ojakian, who has been visiting each campus, said hes heard from students who support having armed security. He said he hopes, after meeting with each community college president, that each school will ultimately agree to one model of armed security. This is something students want, he said. They want to feel safer on their campus. An online fundraiser set up to help a Fairfield mom and her three children who were stabbed during what police called a violent domestic dispute on Tuesday morning in Fairfield has raised more than $180,000 and $60,000 of those donations came in since yesterday. More than 1,700 people have donated to a GoFundMe page set up to the help 50-year-old Kathleen Andrews and her three children with medical expenses, as well as other expenses that arise as they recover. Police found them when they responded to 22 Mountain Laurel Road around 6 a.m. on Tuesday to investigate reports of an assault. When officers arrived, 51-year-old Christopher Andrews, came out of the house with a weapon, confronted police and refused orders to drop the weapon, police said. Fairfield police officer Sean Fenton, a veteran with more than 20 years on the force, opened fire, shooting and killing Andrews, police said. It's not clear what kind of weapon Andrews' had. When police rushed into the house. they found Kathleen and the couple's three children, ages 12, 13 and 15, suffering from cuts and blunt force injuries. A father is dead and his wife and three children were stabbed and slashed after a violent domestic dispute that escalated to a police-involved shooting Tuesday morning in Fairfield, Connecticut, according to police. LifeStar airlifted one of the children to Yale-New Haven Hospital. The other two were taken to Saint Vincents Medical Center in Fairfield. Kathleen and Christopher were brought to Bridgeport Hospital, where Christopher Andrews was pronounced dead. Fenton has been temporarily reassigned from his patrol activities, but police said he prevented further tragedy. "Officer Fentons quick action in responding to this incident prevented further serious injury to family members," a statement from Fairfield police said. "Per policy he has been temporarily reassigned from his patrol activities." You can make a donation to help the Andrew's family on GoFundMe. The newest reintegration center in the Connecticut correctional system is housed at York Correctional Institution in Niantic. Its the first such facility for female inmates after the state opened a pair of facilities at Cybulski Correctional Institution for males and inmates who are veterans. The centers are a key part of Gov. Dannel Malloys Second Chance Society initatives aimed at providing better resources and opportunities for nonviolent offenders. Tymesha Byrd is serving her third sentence for larceny. She was convicted of stealing credit card and using it. "I own what I did Byrd said. I'm responsible for what I did but I also know that my yesterday's mistakes is not today's." Byrd says the two-week old program has already opened to her eyes to skills like better listening as a parent, job training, and personal budgeting that she knows she will need once shes released from prison. Byrd is up for parole in April. "It gives me an opportunity to come out much more successful than coming in here." Gov. Malloy told a group of inmates during his visit that the reintegration center is meant to change outcomes for all inmates, ensuring that they dont return to prison. "I think part of what we're trying to do is make reintegration centers is to make your success much more likely and through that program make it easier for employment opportunities to present themselves and also help families recover. That ultimately needs to be part of our mission." The governor has proposed eliminating bail or misdemeanors and raising the age of a juvenile in the criminal justice system from 17 to 20 as the next phases of his Second Chance Society proposals. Changes to prisons, and reducing the numbers of facilities and inmates are also paramount. The governor said Wednesday the conversation is shifting about how these issues should be addressed. "For the longest time we had it wrong. We're going to lock everybody up forever. We're going to forget that they're there. No job, no housing, can't even apply for a student loan Malloy quipped. We've got to change that." A Syrian national with links to Syrian Kurdish militia carried out the suicide bombing in Ankara that targeted military personnel and killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens of others, Turkey's prime minister said Thursday, and vowed to retaliate against these groups. Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters during a visit to Turkey's chief of military staff that the Syrian man he identified as Sahih Neccar, had carried out the attack in cooperation with Turkey's own outlawed Kurdish rebel group. Authorities had detained nine people in connection with the attacks and were trying to identify others. Turkey's military, meanwhile, said its jets conducted cross-border raids against Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq, hours after the Ankara attack, striking at a group of about 60-70 rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. "It has been determined with certainty that this attack was carried out by members of the separatist terror organization together with a member of the YPG who infiltrated from Syria," Davutoglu said, referring to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, known as the PKK, as well as the Syrian Kurdish militia group, the People's Protection Units. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which killed military personnel and civilians, although suspicion had immediately fallen on the PKK or the Islamic State group. The leader of the main Syrian Kurdish group, Salih Muslim, denied that his group was behind the Ankara attack and warned Turkey against taking Syria ground action. The car bomb went off late Wednesday in Turkey's capital during evening rush hour. It exploded near buses carrying military personnel that had stopped at traffic lights, in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters and lodgings. The blast was the second deadly bombing in Ankara in four months. Davutoglu said Syria's government, which he accused of backing Syrian Kurdish militias, is also to blame. And in an apparent reference to the U.S., he called on Turkey's allies to stop its support for the Syrian Kurdish group. Turkey regards the Syrian Democratic Union Party, and its military wing, the People's Protection Units, as terrorists because of their affiliation to Turkey's outlawed Kurdish rebel group. The Kurdish militia, however, has been fighting the Islamic State group, alongside the United States. "Those who directly or indirectly back an organization that is the enemy of Turkey, risk losing the title of being a friend of Turkey," Davutoglu said, in an apparent reference to Washington. "It is out of the question for us to excuse a terror organization that threatens the capital of our country." Earlier, Yeni Safak, a newspaper close to the government, said the bomber had registered as a refugee in Turkey and Turkish authorities were able to identify him from his fingerprints. In October, suicide bombings blamed on IS targeted a peace rally outside the main train station in Ankara, killing 102 people in Turkey's deadliest attack in years. The attack drew international condemnation and Turkish leaders have vowed to find those responsible and to retaliate against them with force. The military said Thursday that Turkish jets attacked PKK positions in northern Iraq's Haftanin region, hitting the group of rebels which it said included a number of senior PKK leaders. The claim couldn't be verified. Turkey's air force has been striking PKK positions in northern Iraq since a fragile two-and-a-half year-old peace process with the group collapsed in July, reigniting a fierce three-decade old conflict. "Our determination to retaliate to attacks that aim against our unity, togetherness and future grows stronger with every action," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday. "It must be known that Turkey will not refrain from using its right to self-defense at all times." The attack came at a tense time when the Turkish government is facing an array of challenges. Hundreds of people have been killed in renewed fighting following the collapse of the peace process and tens of thousands have been displaced. Turkey has also been helping efforts led by the U.S. to combat the Islamic State group in neighboring Syria, and has faced several deadly bombings in the last year that were blamed on IS. The Syrian war is raging along Turkey's southern border. Recent airstrikes by Russian and Syrian forces have prompted tens of thousands of Syrian refugees to flee to Turkey's border. If you fill prescriptions at your local pharmacy, listen up. The NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters are looking into prescription- and pharmacy-related medical mistakes investigated by the state. Hundreds of thousands of prescription medications are filled at pharmacies all across Connecticut every week, but what happens when there is something wrong with the pills prescribed to you? There are roughly 3,500 practicing pharmacists statewide and the Troubleshooters have learned less than three dozen pharmacists have reached settlement agreements with the Department of Consumer Protection in recent years. Prescription errors impact families and pharmacies and West Hartford Attorney Kerry Wisser has worked with a number of affected individuals in his 30-year career. This one relates to a newborn baby. Newborn babies often suffer from something called thrush, which is just an infection in their mouth, It's a yeast type of infection from breast feeding, Wisser said. Wisser said his client wasnt given the prescribed liquid steroid needed to make her baby healthy. In this instance, the pharmacy gave the medication to the mother of a liquid Phenobarbital. Phenobarbital is utilized for epilepsy or other seizure disorders, so the baby was given that for, I think a period of seven days, twice a day. The baby was very lethargic; the baby had constipation and other issues like that, he said. Fortunately, the child is OK. Another client ended up at the hospital after being instructed to take a pill twice a day instead of once. Over the years, the meds for that changed and in the last incident, when he was prescribed 100 mg/pl by mouth, which is once a day, unfortunately there was a pharmacy error where unfortunately the prescription saying 100/mg/2 pills per day by mouth, so over a period of a month or more, the effects of that were in addition to the removal of excess water and salt. He also had complete depletion of potassium in his body. So, emergently, he ended up in the emergency room because he had cardiac arrhythmias, meaning irregular heart rate. He had respiratory issues; he had muscle issues all as a result of lack of potassium," Wisser s Prescription errors can lead to additional health problems, hospital stays and even death, Wisser said. Getting specific details about potential pharmaceutical errors are not easily accessible. You can tell if they've had some disciplinary action that was taken against them in the past. You know, there is information available, but not every single detail, to protect the consumer, Jonathan Harris, the Commissioner of the Department of Consumer Protection, said. The Troubleshooters requested the actions taken against pharmacists in Connecticut over the past two years from the DCP. The Drug Control Division of the DCP investigates complaints about prescription errors and pharmacies for the Commission of Pharmacy to review. Issues including wrong drugs, strengths, directions, patients, quantity, expired or mixed medications as well. According to state records, at least three pharmacists surrendered or had their licenses revoked based on allegations of drug or alcohol abuse. A dozen other disciplinary cases involve prescription errors, but finding out specific details is next to impossible. You can get the minutes from the pharmacy commission and you can get the results of the investigation and what disciplinary action was taken, you know what the reason for it, but what you cant get is just the investigative files of all the details of what happened and that is for protection of confidentiality and were not just saying that, its what is required under law, Commissioner Harris said. In April 2015, the state accepted a $20,000 settlement from pharmacist Ajay Desai, who was accused of selling and billing for the brand name drug Lipitor while dispensing a generic drug to patients for part of 2012. We reached the pharmacist by phone, and he said he had no comment. The license of pharmacist Jane Beeba is no longer active in Connecticut. From August 2009 to August 2014, the DCP alleges Beeba forged and filled drug prescriptions for tramadol, which is an Opioid paid reliever, in violation of the law. Beeba never got back to us for a comment. Margie Giuliano, the executive vice president of the Connecticut Pharmacists Association, said these findings are not unusual. I think theyre very typical and I think it is important to say that pharmacists dont get up every day thinking that they are going to go in and have a prescription error, Giuliano said. Most, Giuliano said, have systems in place to prevent prescription errors, but even still, they do happen and she added her pharmacists are very concerned about the so-called workload issue. In late 2014, Giuliano wrote a letter to the Commission of Pharmacy, partly stating, filling prescriptions is becoming unsafe due to the inadequate staffing levels that are currently being maintained. The letter also likened pharmacy operations as no different as a fast food establishment. So we formally sent the commission asking them to address the issue, I know in the process of doing this, first step is to commission the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy to develop a survey that they could ask pharmacists about workload, metrics and the impact on public safety," Giuliano said. More than 600 pharmacists were surveyed and the conclusion reads in part, Pharmacists have noticed an impact on patient safety related to them due to the push for increased speed or increased services. For now, the commissioner, lawyer and pharmacist all have the same recommendations for the consumer and that is to be your own best advocate. Get to know your pharmacists like you do your doctor, research the drugs youre being prescribed, and if you cant read the doctors handwriting, ask for a print-out instead. Double and triple check your medications before you leave the pharmacy and dont be afraid to ask questions. If you have a general complaint related to a pharmaceutical concern, you can email it to dcp.frauds@ct.gov and if you have a specific question, email dcp.drugcontrol@dcp.gov Dallas police confirm that a body found Friday morning has been identified as a pregnant mother who had been missing for a week. The Dallas Police Department said a body was found along the 1200 block of Presidio Avenue at about 10 a.m. The Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office identified the body as missing 24-year-old D'Lisa Kelley late Friday afternoon. Kelley was last seen on March 7, according to police. She was supposed to be attending a wake in Dallas that day, but never showed up. The Facebook page "Help Find Lisa" - set up by members of Kelley's family - states that she was pregnant and had a son. Kelley's sister told police that the 24-year-old accidentally called her the day she disappeared. Kelley's sister said there was an argument on the other line of the call. "We are concerned due to the fact that there was an unintended phone call," said Maj. Robert Sherwin with Dallas police. "A conversation that her sister heard where she's arguing with someone and then no one sees her. That's obviously a concern to the police department." Lt. Max Geron, with the Dallas Police Department, tweeted that Kelley's death is now a homicide investigation. A cause of death has not been determined. The Senate's second-ranking Republican left open the possibility of a confirmation hearing for President Barack Obama's nominee to fill the vacancy on the Supreme court. In a radio interview on Wednesday, Texas Sen. John Cornyn did not rule out Judiciary Committee hearings while also saying he agreed with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that the selection of a replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia should rest with the next president. "It's entirely up to the chairman of the Judiciary Committee whether even to schedule a hearing on the president's nomination," Cornyn said on "The Mark Davis Show," a talk show on Dallas-area radio station KSKY. "And were the nomination to get out of the Judiciary Committee, it's entirely within the control and discretion of the Senate majority leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell, whether to schedule it for a vote. Which does demonstrate that majorities do matter." Later in the day, Nevada Sen. Dean Heller became the first Republican senator to break with his party's leader and say the president should nominate a replacement for Scalia. Obama has challenged Republicans to live up to their avowed adherence to the Constitution and agree to vote on his nominee. Despite widespread GOP insistence that he leave the decision to the next president, Obama said Tuesday he had no intention of abdicating his responsibilities before leaving office early next year. He chidingly told the Senate he expects "them to do their job as well." "The Constitution is pretty clear about what's supposed to happen now," Obama said before returning to Washington from California. McConnell has said he doesn't think Obama should put a candidate forward. The Kentucky senator joined several Republicans up for re-election in declaring that Obama should let voters in November weigh in on the direction of the court through their vote for president. Obama rejected that notion, insisting he will put forward a replacement and believes the Senate will have "plenty of time" to give the nominee a fair hearing and a vote. Democrats say Obama has every right and a constitutional duty to fill vacancies on the court until he leaves office next January. The pace of judicial confirmations always slows in presidential election years, thanks to reluctance by the party out of power in the White House to give lifetime tenure to their opponents' picks. In the past, lawmakers have sometimes informally agreed to halt hearings on lower court nominations during campaign season. But Obama argued that "the Supreme Court's different." McConnell has shown no signs of shifting his opposition, and several lawmakers facing heated elections have backed him up. But the party may still be searching for a strategy. Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said he would wait "until the nominee is made before I would make any decision" about holding hearings. Cornyn said the presidential election should be a referendum "on who makes that appointment because I think many people simply feel like they don't recognize their country anymore." He added, "It's entirely up to the Senate whether to confirm that nomination, and I think we should not, and we should defer that to the next president." If Republicans indicate they may hold hearings, Obama would have greater reason to name a "consensus candidate," a moderate nominee that Republicans would be hard-pressed to reject. If there's virtually no chance of Republicans bending, Obama might pick a nominee who galvanizes Democratic support and fires up interest groups in the election year. Obama would not tip his hand much. He said he'd pick someone that would pass muster for honor and integrity even among ideological opponents. He would not comment on whether he would consider appointing a candidate during a congressional recess, a last-ditch maneuver that would inflame partisanship in Congress. If Senate Republicans hold fast to their vow not to confirm anyone Obama nominates, the Supreme Court will operate with eight justices not just for the rest of this court term, but for most of the next one as well. High court terms begin in October, and the 80 or so cases argued in the course of a term usually are decided by early summer. The court would be unable to issue rulings on any issue in which the justices split 4-4. The Dallas School Superintendent Wednesday said officials acted decisively on improprieties at Gilliam Collegiate Academy with goals in place to add collegiate programs elsewhere. The South Oak Cliff High School offers up to 60 hours of college credit and associate degrees to high school graduates. Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa said Dallas wants to expand the program at other high schools to help keep families from leaving for the suburbs or private schools. Thats why we had to jump on it, and we had to make sure we were decisive about what action we took, Hinojosa said. We want families to choose us and they have to have the confidence theyre going to get something thats legitimate. A report was released Tuesday on accusations confirmed by a professional standards investigation of former Gilliam Principal Tamara Francis and former Assistant Principal Reginald Samuel. They were placed on administrative leave in September 2015 after a tip to superiors from a counselor at the school. The investigation was completed in January, but only released after a request from The Dallas Morning News. Investigators sustained infractions of grade manipulation, bullying staff with profanity and intimidation, favorable treatment for certain students, misuse of the school gym for non-school activities, misuse of computer passwords and misuse of school funds. Interviews with four students are mentioned in the report. Hinojosa said a follow up investigation found no other such improprieties currently at other Dallas schools. The new superintendent of less than a year said he does not believe the violations are the result of undue pressure to perform from his predecessor, Mike Miles. No, I dont think so. I think it was just an isolated incident that we luckily found because our people spoke up, Hinojosa said. It comes as Dallas city and school leaders work on new cooperation to better coordinate school facilities and housing development. The Dallas City Council heard a briefing by school officials Wednesday. We impact their world and they impact our world and we werent even talking to each other, Hinojosa said. So now hopefully now we can figure out how we can make better decisions together. One example is the Knox-Henderson area of Dallas. Bonham Elementary School on Henderson Avenue closed four years ago because of declining enrollment as childless singles in big new apartment complexes replace single family homes and smaller apartment buildings. Katie Mondragon who lives in Knox-Henderson now said she started in Dallas schools, but her parents moved her to the Richardson ISD as a child. DISD doesnt really have a good reputation for great schools, so we moved to Lake Highlands, she said. Now Bonham Elementary is set to re-open next year as Solar Preparatory School for girls. Mondragon and her husband are considering having children and the improved school could keep them in the neighborhood. If theyre upping their game, thats awesome, she said. Wed definitely consider staying in the area with a nice school. A lawyer for the former Gilliam officials told The Dallas Morning News they deny all the allegations and will fight for their jobs. On a Sunday evening last spring, two men wearing body armor and armed with assault rifles abruptly stopped their car outside a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Garland. An approaching security officer thought it was a prank, but quickly realized he was mistaken and ran behind a tree as shots erupted. A nearby police officer who spotted one of the men with a rifle unholstered his pistol and killed both men, staving off an attack that authorities say was by followers of the Islamic State terrorist group. "My training kicked in, and I did what I was trained to do," said Garland Officer Gregory Stevens, one of the first witnesses Wednesday at the trial of a Phoenix man charged with helping to plan the May 3 attack and supporting the Islamic State. Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem, a 44-year-old moving company owner, is accused of hosting the two gunmen at his home to discuss plans for the attack, going target shooting in the remote Arizona desert with the pair and providing the guns used at the contest. Kareem is believed to be the first person to stand trial in the U.S. on charges related to Islamic State. Prosecutor Kristen Brook portrayed Kareem as being obsessed with Islamic State and went so far as to indoctrinate a child in his neighborhood by showing him Internet videos of the group's militants burning a Jordanian pilot in a cage. She said he was instrumental in helping Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi in their thwarted attack on the cartoon contest. "The defendant was the third man on a team set on mass murder," she said. Kareem's lawyer rejected the government's characterization of him being the driver of the attack. Daniel Maynard said Kareem had no knowledge that Simpson and Soofi were going to Texas to carry out an attack. "This is an overactive imagination for the government," he said. The U.S. government began its case against Kareem by explaining to the jury the origins and methods of Islamic State and describing how he became an avid follower in early 2015. Brook said Kareem, Simpson and Soofi watched terrorism videos, beheadings and Islamic State propaganda clips, and had a reverence for anything coming from Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born cleric killed in a CIA drone strike in 2011 who remains an admired figure among radicals. She said they originally wanted to acquire explosives to blow up the stadium hosting the 2015 Super Bowl and a nearby shopping center. When that plan failed to materialize, they allegedly set their sights on the cartoon contest in Garland. Brook cited tweets by Simpson in which he posted a photo of al-Awlaki and said "when will they ever learn," after learning of more prizes available to people participating in the contest. Bruce Joiner, the security officer who first encountered Simpson and Soofi outside the contest and was shot in the leg during the attack, said he was struck by the huge grin on Simpson's face in the moments before shooting erupted. "I have never experienced anything like that before." The captain of the doomed freighter El Faro emailed his superiors asking about changing the route home the day before his ship sank in a hurricane near the Bahamas, according to testimony Tuesday at an investigative hearing. The email from Michael Davidson asked whether he could take a slower route home from Puerto Rico through the Old Bahama Channel after trying to outrun Hurricane Joaquin. The El Faro never made it that far. The ship sank Oct. 1 after losing propulsion while sailing from Jacksonville to Puerto Rico, killing all 33 aboard. Investigators are seeking answers about who bears responsibility for the ship sailing into a hurricane. Philip Morrell, vice president of marine operations for Tote Services Inc., told a U.S. Coast Guard investigative panel that it is not company policy for captains to ask for permission about voyages or routes. Morrell said the email showed common courtesy by the captain, not evidence that management dictated the ship's route. Investigators asked Morrell why another Tote official, John Fisker-Anderson, replied "authorized'' if Davidson did not need permission to change his route. Davidson had also described Hurricane Joaquin's behavior as erratic and unpredictable in his email. "It's clear in our manuals that he doesn't need our permission. He advises us, it's a one way conversation,'' Morrell said. The panel also sought answers about why the El Faro had taken the longer, safer route near the coast of Florida in 2015 during Tropical Storm Erika. The ship could have taken that route on this trip as well, and the panel sought to learn whether the decision to take the faster route was influenced by Tote officials. Keith Fawcett, a member of the Coast Guard's investigation board, said that company emails show that there was a lot of discussion between Davidson and Tote officials about Erika, a storm much weaker than Joaquin. Fawcett said the emails mention risk assessments for Erika and other safety precautions. Fawcett noted the lack of emails about Joaquin. "Did you send any risk assessments to Capt. Davidson about Hurricane Joaquin?'' Fawcett asked. "Not to my knowledge,'' Morrell said. The 40-year-old freighter, which is longer than 2 football fields, was also scheduled to have its engine boilers serviced in November, Morrell confirmed. But he said the maintenance was routine. It is still not know what caused the vessel's loss of power before it sank. Morrell said the ship performed as well as newer ships, and had similar repair requirements. It was scheduled to be dry docked and sent to Alaska in 2016 where it was to serve as a backup for another cargo ship. Some family members in attendance sobbed as the panel held a moment of silence for the victims. "The fact that we are seeing this hearing speaks to the severity and preventability of the El Faro tragedy. We're just not supposed to see maritime tragedies like this in this day and age,'' said Jason Itkin, a lawyer representing the family of Anthony Shawn Thomas, one of the sailors who died. Morrell said since the El Faro's sinking, the entire Tote fleet has been outfitted with updated weather reporting systems that provide routing help to captains. Asked why the company waited so long to give their ships this technology, Morrell said he didn't know. The hearings resume Wednesday and are expected to last through next week. In a moment filled with powerful political symbolism, Pope Francis prayed Wednesday at Mexico's dusty northern border for the thousands of migrants who have died trying to reach the United States and appealed for governments to open their hearts, if not their borders, to the "human tragedy that is forced migration." "No more death! No more exploitation!" he implored. It was the most poignant moment of Francis' five-day trip to Mexico and one of the most powerful images in recent times: History's first Latin American pope, who has demanded countries welcome people fleeing persecution, war and poverty, praying at the border between Mexico and El Paso, Texas, at a time of soaring anti-immigrant rhetoric in the U.S. presidential campaign. Francis stopped short of calling for the U.S. to open its borders during a Mass celebrated just yards (meters) from the frontier. But in his homily, beamed live into the Sun Bowl stadium on the El Paso side, Francis called for "open hearts" and recognition that those fleeing gangland executions and extortion in their homelands are victims of the worst forms of exploitation. "We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis which in recent years has meant the migration of thousands of people, whether by train or highway or on foot, crossing hundreds of kilometers through mountains, deserts and inhospitable zones," he said. "They are our brothers and sisters, who are being expelled by poverty and violence, drug trafficking and organized crime." Francis also praised the work of activists who "are on the front lines, often risking their own lives" to help those caught up in the migration crisis. "By their very lives, they are prophets of mercy," he said. And then, in a pointed message, Francis added a politically charged greeting to the 30,000 people gathered in the Sun Bowl to watch the simulcast on giant TV screens. "Thanks to the help of technology, we can pray, sing and celebrate together this merciful love which the Lord gives us, and which no frontier can prevent us from sharing," Francis said in Spanish. "Thank you, brothers and sisters of El Paso, for making us feel like one family and the same Christian community." Immigrants gathered in El Paso said they were greatly moved by the pontiff's words. Angelica Ortiz, who was among some 500 people who were invited to be on the U.S. side, could barely speak after the pope's prayer, saying in Spanish, "I'm overcome by emotion, a lot of emotion." Francis, a son of Italian immigrants to Argentina, had wanted to cross the border in solidarity with other migrants when he visited the U.S. last fall. That wasn't possible for logistical reasons, so he did the next best thing on Wednesday by coming within a stone's throw of the fence to pray and lay a bouquet of flowers next to a large crucifix that is to remain at the site as a monument to his visit. While migrant activists on both sides of the border cheered the gesture, Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump criticized it as a politicized and ill-informed move. "I don't think he understands the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico," Trump said in an interview last week with Fox television. "I think Mexico got him to do it because they want to keep the border just the way it is. They're making a fortune, and we're losing." He and GOP hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz have vowed to expel all the estimated 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally and build a wall along the border from Texas to California. Asked to comment on the criticism, the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the pope is concerned about the plight of migrants everywhere, not just in the United States. "The pope always talks about migration problems all around the world, of the duties we have to solve these problems in a humane manner," Lombardi said Tuesday. The border Mass, celebrated in a dusty field along a highway that runs parallel to the Rio Grande, marked the climactic end of Francis' five-day swing through some of Mexico's poorest states, where drug-fueled violence has soared thanks to the complicity of police and other public institutions. Francis took both church and state to task for failing their people and urged the next generations to resist the lure of the drug trade. In a speech Wednesday to workers and employers, Francis warned that without job opportunities, Mexico's youth risk being seduced into the drug trade. "Poverty becomes the best breeding ground for the young to fall into the cycle of drug-trafficking and violence," he said. He urged employers to think instead of the Mexico they want to leave for their children. "Do you want to leave them the memory of exploitation, of insufficient pay, of workplace harassment?" he asked. "What air will they breathe? An air tainted by corruption, violence, insecurity and suspicion or, on the contrary, an air capable of generating alternatives, renewal and change?" "God will hold today's slave-drivers accountable," he warned. Francis began his final day at Prison No. 3 in Ciudad Juarez, a city once considered the murder capital of the world. As a prison band serenaded him with their own mariachi compositions, Francis greeted a few dozen inmates who had been selected for the honor because of their good behavior. Looking on from the barred window of the lockup, a cluster of guards could be seen watching Francis' encounter as the smell of fresh paint indicated a last-minute spruce-up for the occasion. Francis told 700 or so inmates gathered outside the prison's chapel that they cannot undo the past. But he said they must believe that things can change, and that they have the possibility of "writing a new story and moving forward." Francis' message of hope came just days after a deadly riot at Monterrey's Topo Chico prison, where rival gang factions bloodied one another last week with hammers and makeshift knives. Eight more inmates were injured Tuesday in a brawl at another prison. Not long ago Juarez was wracked by violence as cartel-backed gang warfare fed homicide rates that hit 230 per 100,000 residents in 2010. A rash of killings of women, many of them poor factory workers who just disappeared, attracted international attention. Times have changed, though. Last year, the city's homicide rate was about 20 per 100,000 people, roughly on par with Mexico's nationwide average of 14 per 100,000 and well below current hotspots of drug violence, such as the Pacific resort city of Acapulco and surrounding Guerrero state. Many businesses that closed during Juarez's darkest years have reopened. Tourists are again crossing over from the United States and people say they no longer have to leave parties early to avoid being on the streets after dark. "At least now we can go out. We can walk around a little more at that time of night," said resident Lorena Diaz, standing under a huge banner of Francis hanging from her balcony. Diaz, who along with about 30 family members secured tickets for Wednesday's Mass, welcomed Francis' calls for Mexicans not to tolerate corruption and violence. "He's telling us to get out of the trenches, not to close ourselves off," she said. Ted Cruz defended his trustworthiness and aired his grievances against Republican rivals Wednesday, saying Donald Trump's threatened lawsuit over a campaign ad would be dismissed as frivolous and Marco Rubio has no evidence to back up his claims of untoward campaigning by the Texas senator. "Look, ethics matter," Cruz told reporters. The Texas senator has been fighting back against the claims from Trump and Rubio all week, but the press conference marked his most forceful and focused defense as Saturday's South Carolina primary neared. Cruz, who graduated from Harvard Law School and previously worked as Texas's top lawyer, dismissed Trump's threat earlier this week to bring a defamation lawsuit over a television ad Cruz is running. The ad in question features footage of Trump in a 1999 interview supporting abortion rights. Trump has since said he is now anti-abortion. But Cruz, who said he would like to take Trump's deposition himself, said a lawsuit against the ad has no chance. Trump's attorney sent Cruz a letter on Tuesday saying the ad was "replete with outright lies, false, defamatory and destructive statements" and Cruz could be held liable for damages if it's not taken down. Cruz dismissed Trump's demands, calling it "one of the most remarkable letters I have ever read." "You have been threatening frivolous lawsuits for your entire adult life," Cruz said, speaking directly to Trump. "Even in the annals of frivolous lawsuits, this takes the cake." Trump, who holds a strong lead in South Carolina, retorted that Cruz was a liar who is making desperate moves to inflate his campaign, which Trump said was "going up in flames." "I am pro-life and I do not support tax payer funding for Planned Parenthood as long as they are performing abortions," Trump said in a statement. Trump also repeated his threat to possibly bring a lawsuit over Cruz's eligibility to be on the ballot, given that he was born in Canada. Cruz and legal experts have said he is eligible because his mother was a United States citizen at the time of his birth. "Time will tell, Teddy," Trump said in his statement. Cruz went through a litany of other accusations that have flown back and forth between his campaign, Rubio and Trump about dirty tricks leading up to the South Carolina primary. He denied being involved with anything untoward and called for anyone with evidence to come forward. Trump and Rubio are "repeatedly putting forth fabrications with no evidence, no basis whatsoever, just trying to throw mud and attack," Cruz said. "The insults and the falsehoods and the fabrications have no business in politics. It is incumbent upon all of us to speak the truth." Rubio was asked Wednesday to come up with evidence that Cruz's team was behind a fake Facebook page wrongly claiming that U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy had switched his endorsement from the Florida senator to Cruz. "It's just a pattern of people around his campaign that have continuously done things like that," Rubio said. The Florida Supreme Court ordered a new trial Thursday in the infamous case of a Miami woman who was found guilty of killing her 3-year-old son and sentenced to death. For the second time, the court vacated the conviction of Ana Maria Cardona, 54, citing improper comments made by a prosecutor in the closing arguments. Cardona received the death penalty in 2011 after she was found guilty of torturing and killing her son, Lazaro "Baby Lollipops" Figueroa, in 1990 and discarding his body outside a Miami Beach mansion. Police dubbed the boy "Baby Lollipops" because he was wearing a T-shirt with a lollipop image when he was found. During the trial's closing arguments, the prosecutor repeatedly called for "Justice for Lazaro." Cardona's complaint spelled out nine errors, from prosecutorial misconduct to personal attacks on Cardona, as reasons to overturn her conviction. The Supreme Court, in a 28-page decision, said the trial judge erred in allowing prosecutors to repeatedly use the phrase "justice for Lazaro" to the jury. Prosecutors were also wrong, the justices added, in describing the defense case as "diversionary" and calling Cardona herself a "drama expert" who belonged on Spanish-language telenovela program. Cardona's lawyers objected 58 times but Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Reemberto Diaz overruled nearly all of them. "As we have stated for decades, we expect and require prosecutors, as representatives of the state, to refrain from engaging in inflammatory and abusive arguments, to maintain their objectivity, and to behave in a professional manner," the justices wrote in a 6-1 opinion. "All of these arguments used by the prosecutor in this case were clearly improper." Justice Ricky Polston dissented but did not issue an opinion. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said prosecutors will try Cardona on murder and other charges a third time in a case that his riveted South Florida for decades. "While we are saddened by todays Florida Supreme Court decision in the Ana Cardona murder case, we are prepared to retry this homicide," Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. "The cruelty involved in young Lazaro Figueroas murder deserves our fundamental commitment." It's the second time the Florida Supreme Court has vacated a conviction in the case. Cardona was originally tried in 1992 and found guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse. She was sentenced to death, but the court reversed the convictions. According to testimony at both previous trials, Lazaro's badly beaten and scarred body was found by utility workers in Miami Beach on Nov. 2, 1990. Police did not immediately know the boy's identity and decided to call him "Baby Lollipops" as they distributed fliers door-to-door and held frequent news conferences. Eventually, the investigation led Miami Beach detectives in December to Cardona, who had moved with her other two children and her companion to a motel in Osceola County. She initially claimed, police said, that the boy had fallen and hit his head on a tile floor while jumping on a bed. She also claimed her companion, Olivia Gonzalez, had left the boy in front of the Miami Beach home. Cuba and the United States have signed an agreement that would allow commercial flights between the two countries for the first time in over 50 years but one family isn't too happy about the pact, saying they were the majority shareholders of Cuba's state airline before Fidel Castro took over and they want to be compensated. Jose Ramon Lopez says he has been waiting patiently for 57 years. He says he's the heir and majority owner of the Cuban state airline, Cubana De Aviacion. Lopez said his father was the majority owner of both the airline and Jose Marti National Airport before it was seized by Castro's Communist government. "The Cuban government and the United States signed a joint agreement in Havana allowing for commercial flights." With the historic agreement in place, Lopez argues that he owns the rights to Cubana De Aviacion and Jose Marti Airport, and that the Cuban government owes him money if they start operating in the United States. "It's not their planes. The company belongs to Jose Ramon Lopez, who in federal court of the United States was declared the heir to La Cubana Aviacion," Cuban expert Andy Gomez said. With the federal probate decision, if the Cuban planes land on U.S. soil, Lopez could possibly put in a claim to try and seize those planes as his property. Published reports on negotiations between the U.S. and Cuba mention that President Obama can't prevent these planes from being seized by the U.S. courts. Lopez said he was never compensated. In 1954 Pan American Airlines sold its minority stake, making Lopez's father the majority shareholder. He even has the documents to prove it, including a title that his father bought the airline and airport in 1952. "Now that he hears that his family, his company is going to be used by the Cuban government to possibly fly to the United States in the future, what rights do they have vis a vis his rights," Gomez said. Right now the civil aviation agreement will only allow U.S. carriers to start flying between the two countries sometime in the fall. While there are no immediate plans for Cuban-operated airlines, Lopez said he plans to keep his legal battle going to get his company back. This may be the first of many claims as normalization between the two countries continue. President Barack Obama says his upcoming visit to Cuba will advance U.S. efforts to restore ties with the communist nation and improve the lives of Cubans. Obama will be making the first trip to Cuba by a sitting president in more than half a century. First lady Michelle Obama will accompany the president on the trip which will include a two-day stop in Argentina In a series of tweets Thursday morning, Obama confirmed the visit and said that while there has been significant progress, "We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly." [[369262271, C]] White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes says the U.S. still has "serious differences" with Cuban President Raul Castro's government. He says Obama will raise issues of human rights and political freedoms in discussions with Castro. Rhodes says the U.S. doesn't want to "impose change" but believes Cuba will benefit from free expression of universal rights. Obama's brief stop is planned for March 21-22. Though Obama had long been expected to visit Cuba in his final year, word of his travel plans drew immediate resistance from opponents of warmer ties with Cuba including Republican presidential candidates. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, whose father fled to the U.S. from Cuba in the 1950s, said Obama shouldn't visit while the Castro family remains in power. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, another child of Cuban immigrants, lambasted the president for visiting what he called an "anti-American communist dictatorship." "Today, a year and two months after the opening of Cuba, the Cuban government remains as oppressive as ever," Rubio said on CNN. Told of Obama's intention to visit, he added, "Probably not going to invite me." [[300645971, C]] With less than a year left in office, Obama has been eager to make rapid progress on restoring economic and diplomatic ties to cement warming relations with Cuba that his administration started. Following secret negotiations between their governments, Obama and Castro announced in late 2014 that they would begin normalizing ties, and months later held the first face-to-face meeting between an American and Cuban president since 1958. But Obama, facing steadfast opposition to normalized relations from Republicans and some Democrats, has been unable to deliver on the former Cold War foe's biggest request: the lifting of the U.S. economic embargo. Opponents argue that repealing those sanctions would reward a government still engaging in human rights abuses and stifling democratic aspirations. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican born in Cuba, called the visit "absolutely shameful." "For more than 50 years, Cubans have been fleeing the Castro regime," said Lehtinen, the longest-serving Cuban-American in Congress. "Yet the country which grants them refuge the United States has now decided to quite literally embrace their oppressors." Obama and supporters of the detente argue the decades-old embargo has failed to bring about desired change on the island 90 miles south of Florida. Still, while Obama has long expressed an interest in visiting Cuba, White House officials had said the visit wouldn't occur unless and until the conditions were right. [[341648412, C]] "If I go on a visit, then part of the deal is that I get to talk to everybody" including political dissidents, Obama told Yahoo News in December. "I've made very clear in my conversations directly with President Castro that we would continue to reach out to those who want to broaden the scope for, you know, free expression inside of Cuba." Officials didn't immediately specify what had changed in the last few weeks to clear the way for the trip, first reported by ABC News. But on Tuesday, the two nations signed a deal restoring commercial air traffic as early as later this year, eliminating a key barrier to unfettered travel that isolated Cuban-Americans from their families for generations. Hundreds of thousands more Americans are expected to visit Cuba per year under the deal, which cleared the way for the U.S. Department of Transportation to open bidding by American air carriers on as many as 110 flights a day. Currently, there are about one-fifth as many flights operating between the two countries all charters. For Obama, the diplomatic opening with Cuba reflects one of the crowning achievements of a foreign policy rooted in a belief that the U.S. should test opportunities to ease hostilities with its historical enemies. Last month, the Obama administration lifted economic sanctions against Iran's nuclear program, following a diplomatic deal that has raised hopes about warmer ties between the U.S. and Tehran. Yet those achievements have been offset by deepening security challenges in Iraq, Syria, Libya and elsewhere as Obama nears the end of his term. According to the State Department historian's office, President Harry Truman visited the U.S.-controlled Guantanamo Bay and its naval base on the southeast end of the island in 1948 and former President Jimmy Carter has paid multiple visits to the island since leaving office in January 1981. Not since President Calvin Coolidge went to Havana in January 1928 has a sitting U.S. president been to that city. TV reality-star Big Ang died in the early hours of Thursday at a hospital in Brooklyn after a yearlong battle with stage 4 brain and lung cancer. "Mob Wives" producer Jennifer Fraziano said the 55-year-old, whose real name is Angela Raiola, died surrounded by family and friends. Raiola's friend Vinne Medugno posted a message to fans on her official Twitter account, informing them of her death. "It is with sad regret that we inform you that at 3:01 a.m. Angela Raiola peacefully ended her battle with cancer, and was called home," the message reads. "She was surrounded by nothing but love from her immediate family, and closest friends. YOU, (Her fans) were some of the most special people in the world, and she loved you immensely." This is @vinniemedugno on behalf of the family of Angela Raiola, please see below: pic.twitter.com/wiuPApr9Lw Angela Raiola (@biggangVH1) February 18, 2016 Late Wednesday evening reports that Raiola had died circulated on social media, prompting Medugno to clarify in a Twitter post that Big Ange was still alive, fighting and "in the hospital surrounded by her loved ones." Please see below: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... pic.twitter.com/xxd2p7Ftqb Angela Raiola (@biggangVH1) February 18, 2016 The mother of two and grandmother of six had undergone several surgeries since she was diagnosed last March with throat and lung cancer. In a teaful interview on "The Dr. Oz Show" last month, Raiola said her family was her reason to keep fighting. "I look at my kids and my grandchildren and I know how much they need me," Raiola told Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of the syndicated TV series. [[238430011, C]] The native New Yorker's hair, once long and dark, was pale and cut close-shaven in anticipation to losing it to chemo. Raiola was the niece of the late Salvatore "Sally Dogs" Lombardi, who was a reputed captain of the Genovese crime family. After gaining celebrity on "Mob Wives," Raiola got her own spinoff series, "Big Ang" and "Miami Monkey." Officials in the town of Greenwich are reviewing whether access to the municipal pool they are planning to build should be limited to only residents. The New York City suburb's residents-only beach policy was struck down by the Connecticut Supreme Court in 2001. But the Greenwich Time reports some town leaders say the pool can safely be restricted because it is being built with tax dollars and is not a natural resource. Town attorney Wayne Fox said it would be legally defensible if Greenwich decided to impose a residents-only policy. The town's old pool, at Byram Park, had been open to residents or anyone with a guest pass before it was closed last year. Design plans for the new pool are still to be completed. State representatives make the laws the rest of us have to follow, but they dont always follow their own rules. NBC10 Investigative Reporter George Spencer went to Harrisburg to dig through the allegations, and found two representatives were not in the room, or even in Harrisburg, when budget-related votes were cast on December 22, 2015. Yet, somehow, their vote buttons were pushed. I consider it voter fraud on the floor of the House, Republican Representative Daryl Metcalfe said. Metcalfe was among the first to notice several colleagues missing. Democrat Peter Daly told NBC10 he was in western Pennsylvania at legal hearings for his private practice at the time of the vote, and Democrat Leslie Acosta said she was out of the country in Nicaragua, caring for her sick father. Yet, both of their names were listed as voting yes to the budget. Rep. Daley said he was as surprised as anyone. I said, Im on leave. I sent the leave in, thats what Im required to do. I should not be voting, Daley said. Other members had apparently "punched in" votes for the absent members', swaying the outcome in favor of supporters. I watched Rep. Schlossberg lean over and push Rep. Daleys button, Rep. Metcalfe said. So-called "ghost voting" is against the rules set by these lawmakers, which state "No member shall be permitted to vote and have his or her vote recorded on the roll call unless present in the hall of the house during the roll call vote." When NBC10 combed through every voting record for that December 22nd day, the NBC10 Investigators discovered Acosta and Daley were listed as voting five times each between late morning and mid-afternoon, before they were finally marked on leave for the last vote of the day. Barry Kauffman of Pennsylvania Common Cause says ghost voting can change outcomes and fuel public cynicism. What this really comes down to is government integrity, and the ability for the public to hold their officials accountable, Kauffman said. In order to hold those officials accountable now, the NBC10 Investigators contacted Allentown Rep. Mike Schlossberg, who Metcalfe allegedly saw double-voting. Rep. Schlossberg did admit to NBC10 that he pressed another Rep.s button that day, and that its a practice that happens in the House from time to time. Rep. Schlossberg says House votes happen so quickly, members sometimes vote for an absent neighbor who is in the restroom or away from their floor desk. He insists a miscommunication left him thinking Rep. Daley was nearby. I think it is safe to say that this is something that happens, from time to time, in the House from both parties. Calling it voter fraud is a serious over-exaggeration, without question, Schlossberg said. House Democratic Caucus spokesperson Bill Patton told NBC10 the practice of one representative voting for another doesnt happen very often. Patton said members are supposed to put themselves "on leave" when they're away. Rep. Daley did just that, but the request never made it onto the record, until the final vote. Rep. Acosta admits she forgot to submit the leave request, leaving members like Rep. Metcalfe to notice and speak up, as he did that day. Rep. Acosta declined an on-camera interview, and said she did not want to get anyone in trouble. That persons vote that was their vote, was cast by somebody that they dont elect, that they most likely dont even know, Metcalfe said. Hes called on the House Ethics Committee to investigate, but the committee will neither confirm nor deny that it actually is. Both parties say theyre looking at ways to prevent voter fraud, including ID badges that must be swiped to cast a vote. Theyre also considering a rule change that would allow a member to cast a vote in another members name through a tracking process, so everyone can know who is casting a vote for whom. And for now, its still a mystery as to who pushed the voting button of the other representative. There are new calls for action against a birth control device that some say is dangerous and harmful to women. Women across the country have reported numerous health problems which they claim were related to the birth control device Essure. Now a Pennsylvania congressman is speaking out, claiming hes also uncovered hundreds of unreported deaths. Essure is a metal coil implanted into a womans Fallopian tubes thats designed to block pregnancy. Tamara Monroe of Levittown told NBC10 she immediately experienced problems when she used it. It was a horrible experience, Monroe said. I had a lot of fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, very bad abdominal pain, heavy bleeding. Monroe isnt the only one who reported a bad experience with the device. A Facebook Page devoted to complaints about Essure has more than 27,000 followers. Those complaints drew the attention of Bucks County-based congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Pa. 8th District). On Wednesday, Fitzpatrick announced he was pushing to have Essure pulled from the market until further safety studies are done. He also called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to pull its approval. Women are being harmed, Fitzpatrick said. Citizens are being harmed. Fitzpatrick claimed the FDA did not adequately follow up on the device after complaints were made. Fitzpatrick also said there are massive inconsistencies regarding the number of deaths linked to Essure. Theyve been telling me that with respect to Essure there have been five fetal deaths, Fitzpatrick said. If you actually read the narratives of those reports that have been filed, those complains, the number exceeds 300. At a recent FDA hearing about the device, several doctors spoke in favor of Essure. Bayer HealthCare, the maker of the device, also sent NBC10 a statement on Fitzpatricks comments: We are aware that Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick held a press briefing on February 17th related to Essure permanent birth control. It is not true that an investigation revealed unreported deaths with Essure. Bayer reports adverse events to FDA consistent with FDA regulations. The referenced data is also publicly-available. While no method of contraception can offer 100% efficacy, Essure offers women a highly effective method of permanent birth control. Irrespective of the type of birth control a woman uses, when pregnancies do occur, there can be complications. It would be irresponsible to suggest that Essure causes fetal deaths when, after an unsuccessful Essure procedure, an undesired pregnancy cannot be carried to term. In the post-market data, there is no data showing any increased risk of miscarriage and other complications compared to pregnancies in similar-age populations. Ectopic pregnancies and blighted ovum are not considered fetal deaths and can occur for a multitude of reasons not related to Essure. Moreover, the medical literature on pregnancy outcomes with Essure primarily comes from closely-monitored, desired pregnancies after Assisted Reproductive Technology1 and does not report high rates of premature membrane rupture, preterm labor or delivery, or serious complications. The Congressman's statements repeat unfounded allegations from an unsealed legal or qui tam complaint. These allegations were made over a year ago and the United States Department of Justice thoroughly investigated them. After its investigation, DOJ declined to intervene and prosecute the case. The qui tam plaintiff also voluntarily dismissed the case. DOJ has closed its investigation. The matter is now fully concluded. Bayer is also aware of quotes on the number of members of a private Facebook group. It is unreliable to cite that number of group members as if it were the number of Essure patients experiencing adverse events from the device. Without transparency, the public cannot confirm how many members of the page are Essure patients, let alone confirm the nature of their health complaints, if any. As the federal authority responsible for assessing the continued safety and efficacy of medicines and devices, FDA held a meeting of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee in September to seek expert advice on the safe and appropriate use of Essure. Contrary to other reports, the post-market data disclosed and discussed at this meeting did include ectopic pregnancy and preterm pregnancy complications. There was agreement among the Panel members that Essure is an important contraceptive option and the Panel provided advice for FDA and Bayer to consider. We anticipate FDA to release a communication on that discussion by the end of this month. Choice of contraception and the decision to use a permanent method is a very personal one that should be made between a woman, her partner and her healthcare provider. Not every option is right for every woman. This is why choice is so critical. Tubal ligation and, actually, pregnancy itself, carry risks, which can be serious. Bayer is particularly concerned about statements that may be creating an atmosphere of unfounded fear, or that may be encouraging women who are not experiencing adverse symptoms from Essure to seek removal of Essure. The safety and efficacy of Essure, the only FDA-approved method of permanent birth control with a non-surgical procedure, is supported by more than a decade of science, as well as real world clinical experience, with the product studied with more than 10,000 women since Essure was first developed. Staff members at a Delaware elementary school are apologizing after a sarcastic Hurt Feelings Report was accidentally sent to parents. The Lombardy Elementary School, located in Wilmington, mistakenly emailed the report to parents as an attachment. The sarcastic form states that its purpose is to assist whiners in documenting hurt feelings. A spokesperson for the Brandywine School District told NBC10 in Philadelphia that a Lombardy Elementary School staff member accidentally attached the form to an email informing parents of upcoming school events and news. The attachment was something that had been sent to them from a person external to the school, the spokesperson said. It was not an official document of Lombardy Elementary or the Brandywine School District. This was an embarrassing mistake, but it was just that a mistake. It should not have happened, and we apologize for the error. The report refers to those who complain about hurt feelings as whiners. In one section of the document it also asks for the name of the person who "hurt your pansy a** feelings. Under the Injury section of the form, it asks, Did you require a tissue for tears? It also lists I am a wimp, I have woman/man-like hormones, I am a crybaby, and Two beers is not enough, as possible reasons for filing the report. Tell us in your own sissy words how your feelings were hurt, as if anyone cared, the report states. The principal of Lombardy Elementary sent a recorded phone message to all parents apologizing for the form, the spokesperson said. The spokesperson also told NBC10 a corrected email was sent to parents Wednesday afternoon. Parents told NBC10 the email was an unfortunate mistake but they dont believe it was a reflection of the school. A suspected serial killer has been linked to the death of a New Jersey high school student whose naked, battered body was found alongside a highway 50 years ago. State police and Monmouth County prosecutors announced their findings Wednesday. They said a new analysis of evidence links Robert Zarinsky to the 1965 death of 18-year-old Mary Agnes Klinsky. An autopsy determined the Raritan High School senior had been sexually assaulted and died from skull fractures caused by significant blunt-force trauma. Zarinsky was serving life for another teenage girl's killing when he died in prison in November 2008. He was about to stand trial for the 1968 murder of a 13-year-old girl. Prosecutors say DNA evidence excluded everyone but Zarinsky as a suspect in the Klinsky killing. They would not elaborate on the other corroborative evidence, but said investigators know Zarinsky was in the area where Klinsky was last seen and was very familiar with the area where she lived and where her body was found. Klinsky, one of nine children, was last seen headed to a corner mailbox to send a letter to her fiancee in the Navy. Items of evidence were secured from the crime scene and during the autopsy, authorities said, but the scientific technology at the time did not detect a DNA profile of the suspect. "The dogged determination of our investigators and those at the New Jersey state police has provided closure for the Klinsky family," acting county Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said. "After more than half a century, they know who killed their sister and the residents of Monmouth County have a clearer understanding of the murderous reach of one of our most notorious serial killers in our history." Two of Klinsky's siblings met with investigating officers shortly before the charges were announced, Gramiccioni said. He said the family members commended the work of all the law enforcement agencies involved and indicated they are gratified that their sister can now rest in peace." A San Diego County man was awarded $600,000 in damages after he was hospitalized for four days by a vicious and "unprovoked" attack by San Diego County Sheriffs deputies, who left him with fractures to his face, a nearly severed ear and a collapsed lung. A federal jury determined Deputies Richard Meharg and Kenneth Feistel used excessive force when they unlawfully arrested Morgen Johnson on Oct. 18, 2012, at his home in unincorporated San Diego County. That night, Johnson's wife, Zana Licht, heard him crying in another room after she went to bed after 10 p.m. He then began throwing things and yelling at himself for several minutes because he was distraught about his finances and his business, according to a complaint filed against the deputies and the county of San Diego. Licht tried to console her husband, who told her that it is not about her. After receiving a report of yelling from neighbors, three deputies were dispatched to the home and knocked on the front door. The complaint states Johnson and Licht dont use their front door because it is sealed shut, so Licht instead opened the garage door. As she did so, she held out her arms and told the deputies everything was OK and she was uninjured. Johnson, who was only wearing a pair of shorts, soon joined her, raised his hands and told the deputies they were not needed and should leave, the complaint says. Within seconds of Mr. Johnson entering the garage and telling the deputies to leave, defendant Meharg rushes at him, grabs him and slams him onto the cement floor in the garage, the plaintiffs said in the claim. The move caused Johnson to suffer a severe head injury. Another deputy allegedly put his weight on Johnsons legs as Meharg began punching Johnson in his face, head and ribs, the complaint alleges. Feistel then sicked his sheriffs K-9 on Johnson, according to the complaint. The dog tore into the side of Johnsons neck, nearly bit his ear off and gnawed his back multiple times. Johnson said Feistel then pulled out a large flashlight and began beating him on the back and side, hitting him 10 to 20 times. The complaint alleges Meharg kicked Johnson in the head multiple times, following it up with a shot from his stun gun. Meanwhile, Licht was yelling at the deputies to stop as she saw blood pouring from her husband's face, the claim describes. Paramedics were finally called as the deputies got Johnson in handcuffs. Johnson was taken to the hospital, and Meharg told Licht he wanted to search her house. She alleges that when she refused, saying not after what you have done to my husband, the deputy pushed her against a car, handcuffed her and told her to let him in the house or she would go to jail. She gave him the verbal permission to go inside. Licht said deputies questioned her inside the house while others searched her home and took pictures without a warrant or her consent. Johnson was admitted to the hospital for a four-day stay. He was treated for facial fractures, a broken nose, large cuts on the head and neck, a cut that nearly severed half his ear, four fractured ribs, a spinal fracture and a punctured and collapsed lung. He had to undergo several surgeries in the process of recovery. The force and violence used by defendants which resulted in these injuries was wholly unnecessary, unjustified and grossly excessive, says the claim. In their reports, the deputies wrote that Johnson violently assaulted and resisted them, the complaint says. Johnson was later booked into jail on a felony charge and misdemeanor charge. When the case went to trial, jurors unanimously found Johnson not guilty on all charges. As a result of the incident, Johnson racked up more than $100,000 in medical bills, he said in the complaint filed in federal court. He claimed he and Licht are entitled to damages for emotional distress as well as Johnsons physical injuries. On Feb. 1, jurors in the civil case against the county returned their decision and found Meharg arrested Johnson without probable cause a violation worth $20,000 in compensation. The jury also ruled that Meharg and Feistel used excessive force as Johnson was taken into custody, for which the victim should be awarded $580,000. A county spokesman said the county cannot comment on the case at this time, but they are evaluating possible next steps. The attorneys representing the County will need to present the verdict to the Board of Supervisors and a decision will be made on what to do from there. To ease persistent traffic congestion in the South Bay, county officials on Wednesday unveiled plans for new rapid transit buses connecting Otay Mesa to downtown San Diego. Construction begins this year on the $113 million transportation project; service is expected to start sometime in 2018. The new MTS South Bay Rapid buses will run from the Otay Mesa Port of Entry and will have limited stops before arriving in downtown San Diego. The commute is estimated at 20-25 minutes. The buses will stop in Chula Vista and National City along Interstate 5 before arriving near the Santa Fe Depot in downtown. Rapid buses have already eased travel for many commuters in the North County, connecting them to downtown with limited stops. San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox said he hopes the new buses will alleviate the infamous freeway and highway congestion in the South Bay. We have a terrible problem in South County, he said Wednesday. There are 85,000 cars a day on Interstate 805, SR-125. Cox called the South Bay Rapid a critical link. An Indiana college employee believed to be behind the "horrific" slayings of his niece and her 4-year-old son was found dead of an apparent suicide, authorities said. Lucius "Lu" Oliver Hamilton III was found at the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Indianapolis Wednesday afternoon. Police attempted to make contact with Hamilton in his room, but he was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Boone County Sheriff's office. Authorities believe Hamilton is connected to the killings of his 31-year-old niece, Katherine Janet Giehll, and her 4-year-old son, Raymond Peter Giehll IV, according to police. Both victims were found shot to death inside a Zionsville home just before 9 a.m., police said. Authorities believe the motive for the murders was "strictly for financial gain from a family trust." "Through many investigative techniques, we were able track Hamilton down to a specific location in downtown Indianapolis where he cowardly took his life instead of choosing to face justice for his actions," Sheriff Michael Nielsen said. "My heart goes out to the Giehll family and to the first responders that witnessed this horrific scene. The murders prompted a multi-agency hunt for Hamilton, who was last known to be driving a van checked out from Wabash College, where Hamilton worked, according to authorities. He was last seen on campus that same morning. In my 32 years of law enforcement I have never witnessed a crime so heinous and heartbreaking," Nielsen said in an earlier statement. Students and faculty at the school were ordered to shelter in place and classes were canceled as police scoured the campus earlier Wednesday. Hamilton is listed as a senior major gifts officer on the school's faculty website. The university urged Wabash College students and staff to stay indoors around noon Wednesday at the request of Crawfordsville police, who began raiding all buildings on campus. Multiple officers could be seen canvassing the area. The shelter in place warning was lifted shortly before 2:30 p.m. "It became apparent this was serious when the dean addressed the students," said freshman Kaleb Hobgood. Daniel Craig, a senior at the school, told NBC 5 he had been huddled in the school's library for more than two hours with hundreds of other students. "The cops are going around evacuating each building, going into search and then clearing it and making sure Lou Hamilton is not there," Craig said. Local police have begun searching campus buildings. The shelter in place order remains in effect. Wabash College (@WabashCollege) February 17, 2016 Crawfordsville is about 50 miles northwest of Indianapolis. "Its disappointing," Hobgood said. "You see this stuff on the news all the time but you never really think it can happen to people close to the facility... It just makes it a little more close to home to know that its somebody weve been around every day." A 35-year-old man was arrested Wednesday in the fatal stabbing of a man inside a downtown D.C. nightclub, police announced Thursday. Antoine Byrd stabbed 29-year-old Robinson Pal before midnight Jan. 31 inside Barcode, a popular nightclub located in the 1100 block of 17th Street NW, police said. A witness told police Pal pointed out a person in the club who had robbed him, according to the arrest warrant. When Pal approached the alleged robber, later identified as Byrd, he grabbed Pal by the neck while another man stabbed Pal in the upper body, the witness told police. The witness told police he was stabbed in the hand while trying to grab the knife. Pal of Riverdale, Maryland, died at the hospital about an hour after the stabbing, according to the arrest warrant. The witness was treated and released. Pal was scheduled to fly to California the next day for a vacation before starting a new job. Byrd has been charged with murder one while armed. He was not charged in the stabbing of the witness. After years of delays and setbacks, D.C.'s streetcar system will begin carrying passengers Feb. 27, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Thursday. Last week, both the D.C. Fire and EMS Department and the District Department of Transportation said they believed the project was ready to open, following a lengthy period of test runs along the H Street NE/Benning Road corridor. The streetcars' grand opening will begin at 10 a.m. on launch date, a Saturday. A ceremony will be held at the intersection of 13th and H streets NW, and streetcar service will begin shortly after that. Rides will be free to the public "for an introductory period," according to the streetcar's website. Permanent fares will be announced later. These will be the first streetcars to carry passengers in the city in more than 50 years. The cars will run in a 2.4-mile segment from Union Station along H Street NE, to Benning Road NE. The launch is major news, especially after Bowser's transportation chief suggested last year that the streetcar line might never open. Bowser promised last May that the line would open. The system had been delayed for years; the streetcars were initially expected to roll out in December 2013. Maryland's Court of Appeals has placed on hold the trials of three Baltimore officers charged in the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray. Trials for the three other officers charged in the case had been previously delayed. On Thursday, the court of appeals ordered the trials of Lt. Brian Rice and officers Edward Nero and Garrett Miller be delayed until a decision can be made on whether another officer, William Porter, can be forced to testify against them. Porter went to trial late last year; the trial ended with a hung jury. He was expected to be retried later this year. Prosecutors still wanted to use Porter's testimony against the other officers, but Porter's lawyers say that would violate his fifth amendment rights. Nero, Rice and Miller are all charged with assault, misconduct and reckless endangerment. Rice is also charged with manslaughter in the death of Gray, who died April 19, 2015, a week after he suffered a broken neck in the back of a police van. Nero's trial had been scheduled to begin Monday. His attorney couldn't comment because of a gag order. Two masked men knocked on the door of a home in Rockville, Maryland, Wednesday afternoon and robbed a woman in her 80s and man in his 70s, police say. A home on Arlive Court, near Potomac Woods Park, was invaded while an 86-year-old woman and 77-year-old man were home, Montgomery County police said. The couple's son said police told him they believe the crime was random. The suspects posed as electricians and tied up the man, he said. "I believe what [police] say, that it's just a random act, somebody looking for their next high," the man said, identifying himself only as Jordan. Two men wearing masks knocked on the door of the home and the man who lives there answered, according to the preliminary investigation. The men flashed handguns and forced their way inside, police said. They tied up the male resident, ransacked the home and left about 15 minutes later. The victims were not hurt, their son said. "My dad, he's taking it pretty good. My mom, she's pretty nervous," the couple's son said. "When I walked in, I saw the look on his face and he was pretty upset." The male resident of the home was knocked to the ground and tied up with cable from a fax machine, his son said. "My mom, one of the guys actually had a little bit of a heart and helped her out and put a cushion under her." Not much was taken from the house, the couple's son said, noting that an inexpensive guitar had disappeared. Police responded about 1:20 p.m. A witness told News4 she saw two men walking in the area wearing identical outfits: black hooded sweatshirts, dark khaki pants and brown shoes. No one had been arrested as of Wednesday evening. Police advise residents to always keep their doors locked and be cautious about opening the door to a stranger. A former New Hampshire sheriff's deputy was indicted Thursday on charges of sexual abuse involving six inmates, according to court documents. Ernest Justin Blanchette, a 36-year-old former deputy with the Belknap County Sheriff's Office, is accused of raping female inmates over whom he had authority and forcing inmates to have sex with each other while he watched. "This was a person who was entrusted with the care and transport of these inmates, and he breached that trust," said Belknap County Attorney Melissa Guldbrandsen. Blanchette is charged with nine counts of aggravated felonious sex assault. According to court documents, Blanchette assaulted the victims while driving a transport van between different locations, including to dentist appointments and family court, between February of 2013 and September of 2014. He is accused of bringing the victims to secluded areas to assault them. In some cases, Blanchette unlocked at least one victim's handcuffs, according to the documents. In one case, he allegedly gave an inmate a handcuff key. "What we have shown here is we are willing to investigate any allegations of a crime whether the criminal is a standard defendant or the criminal is law enforcement officer," Guldbrandsen said. Necn also tracked down court documents in Franklin that show Blanchette's wife filed for a restraining order in October of 2015. She wrote a long letter to the court that describes domestic violence and her concern for Blanchette's mental stability. A woman answered the door at Blanchette's last known address in Franklin. She wouldn't disclose her relationship to the defendant, but said, "I have absolutely no comment." Guldbrandsen calls the situation troubling as these charges play in to the public's distrust of police. "It adds to the perception of law enforcement officers being corrupt," she acknowledged. "But in the state of New Hampshire, we have outstanding law enforcement officers, and I really see this as an aberration." Blanchette resigned from the Belknap County Sheriff's Office last year. He's being held on $100,000 cash bail until his cases go to trial. Blanchette faces 10 to 20 years behind bars for each of the nine felony charges against him. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney. Andy Sexton, CEO of the Matthew Project, introduces a series of tributes from the charity to its founder, Peter Farley. Andy Sexton, CEO of the Matthew Project, introduces a series of tributes from the charity to its founder, Peter Farley. Cliff look alike at Cromer Church breakfast Cliff Richard tribute performer Will Chandler will be the speaker at a special Mens Breakfast at Cromer Parish Hall next month, and all men are welcome to come along. Read more Heartsease Lane Methodist church to close As part of a reorganisation of the Norwich Methodist Circuit, Heartsease Lane Methodist Church will be closing towards the end of the year. Read more Free Julian of Norwich reflection and prayer day The Friends of Julian of Norwich present a free Quiet Half-Day with Robert Fruehwirth, author and former Priest Director of the Julian Centre, on Saturday November 12, 10.30am-2pm. Read more What it means for us to repent Nigel Fox believes that now is the time for a tide of repentance, and shares his thoughts about what that actually means for our society. Read more Christmas card shop opens in Norwich church Thousands of Christmas cards from around 30 local Norfolk charities have gone on sale today (October 19) at the Original Norwich Charity Christmas Card Shop inside St Peter Mancroft church in Norwich city centre. Read more Revelation Christian Resource Centre and Cafe Revelation in Norwich is a Christian resource centre, offering a bookshop, a meeting place and a welcoming refuge for refreshment open to visitors of any faith or none. Read more Farewell as Yarmouth church leader moves on Captain Marie Burr, the Salvation Army leader in Great Yarmouth, has paid tribute to everyone at the church and charity after she left her post at the end of last month to move to a new role. Read more Norwich Cathedral chorister in BBC final Norwich Cathedral chorister Alice Platten has her sights set on being crowned BBC Young Chorister of the Year after reaching the final stages of the prestigious nationwide competition. Read more Norwich to hear pastor, Policeman and tramp tale Essex Baptist Pastor Dave McDowell has been a Policeman, fed orphans in India and lived under a boat as a tramp. He will tell his remarkable story at the October dinner of Norwich FGB on Wednesday October 26. Read more Pioneer UK leader speaks at Sheringham church Ness Wilson, national leader of the Pioneer network of churches, was the main speaker at a day of teaching and worship held at Lighthouse Community Church in Sheringham on 12 October, to be followed up by Word and Worship sessions at October half term. Read more Norwich event to give tips on bouncing forwards St Stephens in Norwich will be hosting an evening in October with Patrick Regan OBE, as he explores themes from his book Bouncing Forwards. Read more Youth for Christ lights a fire in north Breckland North Breckland Youth for Christ will be putting on a mini residential camp this year to coincide with Bonfire Night. Read more Delia Smith interviewed at Norwich church Top TV cook and well-known writer Delia Smith spoke about her faith at SOUL Churchs weekly Chapel gathering on October 11. Read more Children's Christian holiday club in Briston A half term childrens holiday bible club is taking place in Briston next week, and there is no charge to take part in the fun. Read more Ashill church puts on music to touch the soul The Fountain of Life Church in Ashill is hosting an afternoon concert in early November with classical, jazz, opera, ballads and pop classics. Read more Fakenhams new rector is officially installed Rev Tracy Jessop has been officially installed as Rector for Fakenham during a service at Fakenham Parish Church on Tuesday September 27, fourteen months after their last reverend retired. Read more Norwich homeless charity holds information evening Homelessness charity St Martins is holding an information evening on Thursday 3rd November at The Forum in Norwich for anyone who would like to know more about the work of the charity and to potentially become a volunteer. Read more It's been an incredibly interesting week for Apple, to say the least. Late on Tuesday, a federal judge issued an order instructing Apple to assist the FBI in unlocking an iPhone 5c used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. Notably, the FBI didn't want Apple to break any type of encryption, but rather wanted Apple engineers to come up with a piece of software that would bypass iOS' built-in security mechanism that wipes a device clean after 10 failed passcode entries. Following that, the FBI would ideally be able to initiate a brute force attack in order to access the device and discover pertinent information about the attack. As part of the order, the judge explained that if Apple objected to the ruling for any particular reason, or if it found it too burdensome, it had five days to respond with a filing of its own. But as it turns out, all Apple needed was about 12 hours. Earlier today, Tim Cook published an arguably scathing letter wherein he articulated why Apple is steadfastly refusing to comply with the judge's order. In a letter titled "A Message to Our Customers", Cook explains that the implications involved with Apple complying are far-ranging and potentially grave. The full letter reads as follows: "The United States government has demanded that Apple take an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers. We oppose this order, which has implications far beyond the legal case at hand. This moment calls for public discussion, and we want our customers and people around the country to understand what is at stake. The Need for Encryption Smartphones, led by iPhone, have become an essential part of our lives. People use them to store an incredible amount of personal information, from our private conversations to our photos, our music, our notes, our calendars and contacts, our financial information and health data, even where we have been and where we are going. All that information needs to be protected from hackers and criminals who want to access it, steal it, and use it without our knowledge or permission. Customers expect Apple and other technology companies to do everything in our power to protect their personal information, and at Apple we are deeply committed to safeguarding their data. Compromising the security of our personal information can ultimately put our personal safety at risk. That is why encryption has become so important to all of us. For many years, we have used encryption to protect our customers personal data because we believe its the only way to keep their information safe. We have even put that data out of our own reach, because we believe the contents of your iPhone are none of our business. The San Bernardino Case We were shocked and outraged by the deadly act of terrorism in San Bernardino last December. We mourn the loss of life and want justice for all those whose lives were affected. The FBI asked us for help in the days following the attack, and we have worked hard to support the governments efforts to solve this horrible crime. We have no sympathy for terrorists. When the FBI has requested data thats in our possession, we have provided it. Apple complies with valid subpoenas and search warrants, as we have in the San Bernardino case. We have also made Apple engineers available to advise the FBI, and weve offered our best ideas on a number of investigative options at their disposal. We have great respect for the professionals at the FBI, and we believe their intentions are good. Up to this point, we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help them. But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone. Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation. In the wrong hands, this software which does not exist today would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someones physical possession. The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor. And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control. The Threat to Data Security Some would argue that building a backdoor for just one iPhone is a simple, clean-cut solution. But it ignores both the basics of digital security and the significance of what the government is demanding in this case. In todays digital world, the key to an encrypted system is a piece of information that unlocks the data, and it is only as secure as the protections around it. Once the information is known, or a way to bypass the code is revealed, the encryption can be defeated by anyone with that knowledge. The government suggests this tool could only be used once, on one phone. But thats simply not true. Once created, the technique could be used over and over again, on any number of devices. In the physical world, it would be the equivalent of a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks from restaurants and banks to stores and homes. No reasonable person would find that acceptable. The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers including tens of millions of American citizens from sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals. The same engineers who built strong encryption into the iPhone to protect our users would, ironically, be ordered to weaken those protections and make our users less safe. We can find no precedent for an American company being forced to expose its customers to a greater risk of attack. For years, cryptologists and national security experts have been warning against weakening encryption. Doing so would hurt only the well-meaning and law-abiding citizens who rely on companies like Apple to protect their data. Criminals and bad actors will still encrypt, using tools that are readily available to them. A Dangerous Precedent Rather than asking for legislative action through Congress, the FBI is proposing an unprecedented use of the All Writs Act of 1789 to justify an expansion of its authority. The government would have us remove security features and add new capabilities to the operating system, allowing a passcode to be input electronically. This would make it easier to unlock an iPhone by brute force, trying thousands or millions of combinations with the speed of a modern computer. The implications of the governments demands are chilling. If the government can use the All Writs Act to make it easier to unlock your iPhone, it would have the power to reach into anyones device to capture their data. The government could extend this breach of privacy and demand that Apple build surveillance software to intercept your messages, access your health records or financial data, track your location, or even access your phones microphone or camera without your knowledge. Opposing this order is not something we take lightly. We feel we must speak up in the face of what we see as an overreach by the U.S. government. We are challenging the FBIs demands with the deepest respect for American democracy and a love of our country. We believe it would be in the best interest of everyone to step back and consider the implications. While we believe the FBIs intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products. And ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect. Tim Cook" Seven months before Microsoft first released Windows 10 last summer, Neeraj Rajpal, CIO of legal giant Morrison & Foerster, said the pain of upgrading roughly 2,000 users to a new OS outweighed the potential benefits to the company. "I need a compelling reason, (and right now) I don't see it," he told CIO.com in January. Today, more than 200 million devices run Windows 10, including 22 million in business and education, according to Microsoft. Rajpal has also since changed his mind and expects to eventually deploy the new OS across his organization, thanks to a number of notable improvements, including better power management, Windows search, tablet mode, the Cortana voice assistant, and Office 2016 integration. "There are a lot of things [that are better in Windows 10,]" he says. Windows 10: To upgrade or not to upgrade? It's difficult to accurately gauge the temperature of the entire business community, but interviews with a sample of senior IT executives indicate that unlike the troubled Windows 8 upgrade cycle, the shift to Windows 10 in large organizations is much less painful and often without a lot of drama. "We're surprised at how well the upgrades have gone," says Stanley Morency, interim CIO of the Kent School District in the state of Washington, which includes 28,000 students and more than 26,500 Windows devices, roughly 1,000 of which currently run Windows 10. Morency expects to finish the massive upgrade by September. [Related: 10 hurdles to Windows 10 adoption] Among the leading reasons to upgrade to Windows 10, according to the IT executives we interviewed, are enhanced security, the return of the Start menu and the need to replace aging hardware. There are pain points, of course. Jacky Wright, Microsoft's vice president of strategic enterprise services, concedes that the applications ecosystem "has been a bit slow," as software developers and manufacturers struggle to finish work on drivers and ensure app compatibility with the OS. For Rajpal, this lack of proven app compatibility with Windows 10 is a major concern, and he says he won't deploy the OS across Morrison & Foerster until he is sure the firm's critical applications will run smoothly. However, the CIO also emphasized that he is sold on Windows 10 and will upgrade his workforce as soon as developers deliver what the company needs, likely by next year. Though Microsoft's Edge browser has garnered generally positive reviews, its lack of support for extensions is another common user complaint, according to Wright. Microsoft said in October that Edge would support browser extensions at some point this year. Windows 10 upgrade a competitive advantage for SAIC When Department of Defense (DoD) CIO Terry Halvorsen declared that the millions of Windows PCs within the Pentagon and other agency installations around the world had to be upgraded to Windows 10 by the end of 2016, Robert Fecteau knew he faced an important opportunity and a challenge. Fecteau is the CIO of SAIC, a technology and engineering company that works closely with the DoD and other defense contractors. Because so many of his clients will eventually move to Windows 10, developing expertise with the OS early on was a competitive advantage for the company. "Because we are a federal systems integrator, we need to have experience we can transfer to our customers," he says. SAIC and Fecteau are currently in the early stages of upgrading roughly 9,600 computers from Windows 7 to Windows 10. Although some enterprises including Microsoft choose to upgrade without wiping hard drives, Fecteau opted for clean installs, a choice that gives his IT staff more control over configuration but also results in more downtime while images are installed on thousands of systems, he says. Windows 10 auto update challenges, privacy concerns The Kent School District's IT team wanted to get familiar with Windows 10 as quickly as possible, so it participated in an early adopter program. It was a good learning experience, but working with an OS that constantly receives regular updates and changes regularly is a challenge, according to Leslie Binions, the district's lead technical support manager. The team's experience moving from Windows XP to Windows 7 was somewhat simpler, because the OS was mature when the district deployed it, he says. [Related: Should you migrate to Windows 10 in 2016?] Some IT executives, though, are intrigued with the concept of "OS as a service" and embrace the regular updates. "I like the new philosophy," says Matt Cochran, IT manager for Hendrick Motorsports. However, Cochran says he still put some critical devices on a "long-term servicing branch" so IT could update them manually to ensure there aren't any glitches. Businesses that run the enterprise edition of Windows 10 can also use the system center configuration manager to turn off auto updates and make sure new code is tested before it goes live. "The last thing we'd want is for one of our planning or buying systems to suddenly be incompatible," says Sam Chesterman, worldwide CIO of IPG Media Brands, whose team manages more than 7,000 Windows machines. Chesterman and his staff are currently piloting Windows 10 on between 70 and 100 devices, he says, and the company plans to eventually upgrade all of its machines to the new OS. While he's generally satisfied with Windows 10 so far, Chesterman say he is concerned about data privacy and wonders if Cortana will eventually run afoul of European privacy regulations or the Safe Harbor agreement that regulates data transferred between Europe and the United States. "If I can't be absolutely sure that data collected in Europe by Cortana won't become a problem, I'll simply disable it," he says. Microsoft said last month that 22 million businesses and educational organizations run Windows 10. However, that's still a small fraction of all Windows PCs in the global enterprise. In other words, plenty of time exists for serious problems to emerge, but for now the move to Windows 10 looks like Microsoft's smoothest major OS transition in years, albeit a slow one. This story, "CIOs cautiously embrace Windows 10" was originally published by CIO . Disney might bring to mind a warm and fuzzy happy ending, but such was not the case for a 31-year-old man who sent out a distress call from his boat, was rescued by a Disney cruise ship near Cuba, and then arrested in Miami for his alleged involvement with an Anonymous cyberattack against Boston Childrens Hospital. After Martin Gottesfeld and his wife pulled a ghost and vanished, relatives and his employer reported them missing. The FBI had been investigating him since October 2014, when the agency searched his house for evidence linking him to a cyberattack on the hospital. According to the DOJ press release, a few days ago, FBI counterparts in the Bahamas contacted Bostons FBI to report that Gottesfeld was not a registered guest on the Disney cruise ship which rescued him at sea. The case is linked to Justina Pelletiers custody case, which garnered national attention in 2013 and 2014. She went to the Boston Childrens Hospital for the flu, having previously been diagnosed with mitochondrial disorder. But the hospital disagreed with that diagnosis and instead claimed her pain and symptoms were a result of mental illness. Fourteen months after the Department of Children and Families took custody of Pelletier, she said, I feel like a prisoner. In March 2014, Gottesfeld tweeted a link to a Pastebin post doxing the judge and doctor, as well as demanding for the hospital to fire the doctor or feel the full unbridled wrath of Anonymous. A link to the same dox was included in the description for an #OpJustina video. Reuters reported that in 2014 he admitted to posting the video, but denied taking part in the attack. A cyberattack was launched against the hospital server listed in the same Pastebin post about a month later. At the time, cybersecurity experts told the Boston Globe that there was no direct evidence linking Anonymous to the attacks, but it bore the hallmarks of an attack by Anonymous. According to the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney, Gottesfeld allegedly posted the YouTube video claiming Anonymous will punish all those held accountable and will not relent until [Patient A] is free. The YouTube video directed viewers to a posting on the website pastebin.com that contained the information about the hospitals server necessary to initiate an attack against that server. The DOJ claims the attack continued for at least seven days, disrupting the hospitals network and day-to-day operations, taking down the hospitals website and disrupting research being conducted at the hospital. The press release added: The hospital had to re-allocate its resources in a significant way to ensure that patient care was not affected during this period. In an effort to ensure the attack did not compromise patient information, the hospital decided to shut down the portions of its network that communicated with the Internet and its e-mail servers. This effort successfully prevented the attackers from accessing any patient records or other internal hospital information. Responding to, and mitigating, the damage from this attack cost the hospital more than $300,000. If convicted of conspiracy, he could face up to five years in jail, a $250,000 fine and restitution, and three years of supervised release. You've probably heard a lot of denigrating of the wealthy lately. Well, when was the last time you got a donation from someone who is broke? Microsoft announced that their Employee Giving Program raised $125 million for non-profits worldwide in 2015, with 71% of the company's 118,000 employees participating in donating time and money and the company making its own financial donations. Microsoft has a matching contributions program where it will give 100% of employees' donations, up to $15,000 for each employee. Total donations were up 7% from the previous year. In the Puget Sound region near Seattle alone, where Microsoft is headquartered, more than 42,000 employees gave $62 million to over 4,000 non-profits. "These results show how, more than ever, Microsoft employees live our mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. We believe Microsoft Philanthropies rounds out our ability to reach our mission, as well as to reach everyone. In the case of our Employee Giving Program, that means supporting more than 18,000 nonprofits that do invaluable work every day to strengthen communities and better our world," Mary Snapp, corporate vice president and head of philanthropies at Microsoft, wrote in a blog post. Microsoft began its charitable giving in 1983 when it was a much smaller company. In over 30 years since the program started, the company's employees have donated over $1 billion. In addition to matching contributions, Microsoft donates $25 per hour whenever an employee volunteers for any non-profit. In 2015, employees volunteered 570,000 hours, making for $14.25 million in cash donations. Microsoft employees have donated more than 3 million volunteer hours over the life of the company. Last year, Microsoft added a new program specifically for technology skills called Tech Talent for Good, which matches talented technologists inside the company with non-profits who need specific technology skills. Microsoft also donated $1 billion in cloud computing resources to 70,000 non-profits worldwide. The tech sector has been particularly good about charitable work, both time and money. Salesforce was launched with the emphasis on giving back, and CEO Marc Benioff pretty much single-handedly funded the construction of a $100 million children's hospital. Google and Facebook also give generously, and Tim Cook's first act as CEO of Apple was to institute a charitable matching program. Crisis meeting scheduled HUNGERFORD began mobilising this week as anger over the threat to the town library gave way to action. The bitter backlash has bolstered an instant grassroots campaign and as this newspaper went to press: n The Friends of Hungerford Library had met formally and elected a committee n A public meeting had been arranged n A petition opposing the closure of Hungeford Library had attracted nearly 1,000 signatures West Berkshire Council has announced that the Church Street community hub is among eight facing closure as part of its plans to save 17.5m. The campaign group Friends of Hungerford Library has called a public meeting, scheduled for 7pm tomorrow night (Friday) at the Croft Field Activity Centre and all are welcome to attend. Committee member Geraldine Fost said: Our Facebook page has almost 3,000 members and its growing all the time. But we have very little time to get things done. Although people will want to let off steam at the meeting on Friday, its important that we harness that and translate it into action. She said people would be watching the reaction of district councillors and added: We want to know theyre on board. Meanwhile, town mayor Martin Crane was demanding answers from the architects of the proposal. He said: It appears that portfolio holder Hilary Cole (Con, Chieveley) is unable to provide the financial evaluation undertaken by West Berkshire Council before determining that it could save 730,000 by closing eight out of nine libraries without my submitting a Freedom of Information request. Its all very strange and theyre keeping us in the dark. How can we respond to this consultation process in a meaningful and constructive manner? Im told that the running costs of our library are around 65,000 so it would seem remarkable that the district council could make such an overall saving without selling off the properties involved in which case, serious concerns are raised about the future of the town council, which occupies space in the library building. He added: I see no financial analysis that must have been prepared before such a proposal was arrived at. Unless we can see how the district council arrived at such a proposal, we cannot respond in an informed and as constructive manner. Mr Crane also wanted to know whether other options had been considered, such as reducing opening times and sharing resources, and added: This lack of transparancy is very unhelpful and, in my view, totally unnecessary. 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). One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 NOTICE: This Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) is intended for persons living in Australia. Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) summary The full CMI on the next page has more details. If you are worried about using this medicine, speak to your doctor or pharmacist. Why am I using Zarontin? Zarontin contains the active ingredient ethosuximide. Zarontin is used to control epilepsy in children and children. Zarontin is used to control petit mal seizures. For more information, see Section 1. Why am I using Zarontin? in the full CMI. What should I know before I use Zarontin? Talk to your doctor if you have any other allergies, medical conditions, take any other medicines, or are pregnant or plan to become pregnant or are breastfeeding. For more information, see Section Do not use if you have ever had an allergic reaction to Zarontin, succinimides or any of the ingredients listed at the end of the CMI.For more information, see Section 2. What should I know before I use Zarontin? in the full CMI. What if I am taking other medicines? Some medicines may interfere with Zarontin and affect how it works. A list of these medicines is in Section 3. What if I am taking other medicines? in the full CMI. How do I use Zarontin? Swallow Zarontin capsules while with a full glass of water. For Zarontin syrup, shake the bottle well and accurately pour the dose with a medicine measure before taking it. More instructions can be found in Section 4. How do I use Zarontin? in the full CMI. What should I know while using Zarontin? Things you should do Remind any doctor, dentist or pharmacist you visit that you are using Zarontin. Tell your doctor immediately if you are having thoughts about suicide or self-harm. If you become pregnant while taking Zarontin, tell you doctor. If you are breastfeeding, watch your baby carefully. Things you should not do Do not stop using this medicine unless your doctor tells you to. Do not give Zarontin to anyone else, even if their symptoms seem similar to yours or they have the same condition as you. Driving or using machines Zarontin may cause dizziness, light-headedness, tiredness, drowsiness and affect alertness. Make sure you know how you react to Zarontin before you drive a car, operate machinery, or do anything else that could be dangerous if you are affected. Drinking alcohol Drinking alcohol when taking Zarontin can make you more sleepy, dizzy or lightheaded. Looking after your medicine Keep your capsules or syrup in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 25C. Keep it where children cannot reach it. For more information, see Section 5. What should I know while using Zarontin? in the full CMI. Are there any side effects? Speak to your doctor or pharmacist if you have any less serious side effects and they worry you. Tell your doctor as soon as possible if you: have thoughts of suicide or self-harm, notice unusual changes in mood or show signs of depression. Call your doctor straight away, or go straight to the Emergency Department at your nearest hospital if you notice any of these serious side effects: more frequent or severe seizures, severe depression, apparent intentions of suicide, aggressive behaviour, frequent infections, frequent nosebleeds, persistent nausea or vomiting, sudden signs of allergy, severe skin rash. For more information, including what to do if you have any side effects, see Section 6. Are there any side effects? in the full CMI. Why am I using Zarontin? Zarontin contains the active ingredient ethosuximide. Zarontin belongs to a group of medicines called anticonvulsants. These drugs are thought to work by controlling brain chemicals which send signals to nerves so that seizures (fits) do not happen. Zarontin is used to control epilepsy in children and adults. Epilepsy is a condition where you have repeated seizures. There are many different types of seizures, ranging from mild to severe. Zarontin is used to control petit mal seizures. Zarontin may be used alone, or in combination with other medicines, to treat your condition. Your doctor may have prescribed Zarontin for another reason. Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why Zarontin has been prescribed for you. There is no evidence that Zarontin is addictive. What should I know before I use Zarontin? Warnings Do not use Zarontin if: you have an allergy to ethosuximide, other medicines which contain succinimides or any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet. Always check the ingredients to make sure you can use this medicine. Symptoms of an allergic reaction to Zarontin may include (shortness of breath, wheezing or difficulty breathing, swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body, rash, itching or hives on the skin. Check with your doctor if you: any other medicines, especially barbiturates or any other anticonvulsant medicines any other substances, such as foods, preservatives or dyes. have allergies to: liver problems kidney problems systemic lupus erythematosus frequent infections such as fever, chills, sore throat or mouth ulcers. Have or have had any medical conditions, especially the following: During treatment, you may be at risk of developing certain side effects. It is important you understand these risks and how to monitor for them. See additional information under Section 6. Are there any side effects Pregnancy and breastfeeding Check with your doctor if you are pregnant or intend to become pregnant If it is necessary for you to take Zarontin your doctor can help you decide whether or not to take it during pregnancy. Zarontin may affect your developing baby if you take it during pregnancy. However, it is very important to control your fits while you are pregnant. Talk to your doctor if you are breastfeeding or intend to breastfeed Your doctor will discuss the possible risks and benefits of taking Zarontin during breastfeeding. If you do breastfeed, watch your baby carefully. If your baby develops a skin rash becomes sleepy or has unusual symptoms, do not breastfeed again until you speak to your doctor. If you have not told your doctor or pharmacist about any of the above, tell him or her before you start taking Zarontin. What if I am taking other medicines? Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any other medicines, including any medicines, vitamins or supplements that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop. Some medicines and Zarontin may interfere with each other. These include other medicines used to treat fits and convulsions, such as phenytoin and valproic acid. These medicines may be affected by Zarontin, or may affect how well it works. You may need different amounts of your medicine, or you may need to take different medicines. Your doctor or pharmacist will advise you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure about what medicines, vitamins or supplements you are taking and if these affect Zarontin. How do I use Zarontin? How much to take Your doctor will tell you how much syrup or how many capsules you will need to take each day. This may depend on your age, the severity of your condition and whether or not you are taking any other medicines. Your doctor may recommend that you start with a low dose of Zarontin and slowly increase the dose to the lowest amount needed to control your epilepsy/convulsions. Follow all directions given to you by your doctor carefully. They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet. Use Zarontin until your doctor tells you to stop. If you do not understand the instructions on the bottle, ask your doctor or pharmacist for help. When to take Zarontin Take the daily dose of Zarontin in two divided doses. Take Zarontin at about the same time each day. Taking Zarontin at the same time each day will have the best effect. It will also help you remember when to take the capsules or syrup. It does not matter if you take Zarontin before or after food. How to take Zarontin If you are taking Zarontin capsules: swallow Zarontin capsules whole with a full glass of water. If you or your child are taking Zarontin syrup: Shake the bottle well and accurately pour the dose with a medicine measure before taking it. Shaking the bottle and using a medicine measure will make sure that you get the correct dose. You can get a medicine measure from your pharmacist. Ask your pharmacist for ways to accurately measure the dose. If you forget to use Zarontin Zarontin should be used regularly at the same time each day. If you miss your dose at the usual time, take it as soon as you remember, and then go back to taking your medicine as you would normally. If it is almost time for your next dose (within 4 hours), skip the dose you missed and take your next dose when you are meant to. Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose you missed. This may increase the chance of you getting an unwanted side effect. If you are not sure what to do, ask your doctor or pharmacist. If you have trouble remembering to take your medicine, ask your pharmacist for some hints. How long to take Zarontin Continue taking Zarontin for as long as your doctor tells you to. Zarontin helps control your condition but does not cure it. Therefore, you must take your medicine every day, even if you feel well. Do not stop taking Zarontin, or lower the dosage, without checking with your doctor. Do not let yourself run out of medicine over the weekend or on holidays. Stopping Zarontin suddenly may cause unwanted effects or make your condition worse. Your doctor will slowly reduce your dose before you can stop taking it completely. If you use too much Zarontin If you think that you have used too much Zarontin, you may need urgent medical attention. You should immediately: phone the Poisons Information Centre (by calling 13 11 26 (Australia) or 0800 764 66 (New Zealand)), or contact your doctor, or go to the Emergency Department at your nearest hospital. You should do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning. What should I know while using Zarontin? Things you should do If you are about to be started on any new medicine, remind your doctor and pharmacist that you are taking Zarontin. Tell any other doctors, dentists, and pharmacists who treat you that you are taking this medicine. If you are going to have surgery, tell the surgeon or anaesthetist that you are taking this medicine. It may affect other medicines used. If you become pregnant while taking Zarontin, tell your doctor. Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. If you do breastfeed, watch your baby carefully. Tell your doctor if you feel Zarontin is not helping your condition. Your doctor may need to change your medicine. Tell your doctor if, for any reason, you have not taken Zarontin exactly as prescribed. Otherwise, your doctor may change your treatment unnecessarily. Be sure to keep all of your doctor's appointments so that your progress can be checked. Your doctor will check your progress and may want to take some tests from time to time. This helps to prevent unwanted side effects. Call your doctor straight away if you notice any of the following: increase in seizures (fits) itchy red skin rash or hives, fever, enlarged lymph glands These symptoms may mean that you have a severe hypersensitivity reaction to this medicine. You may need urgent medical attention. yellowing of the skin and/or eyes, swelling of the face, strong stomach pains, generally feeling unwell with tiredness, weakness and vomiting These symptoms may mean that you have a serious condition affecting your liver. You may need urgent medical attention. Suicide, mood and behaviour changes Tell your doctor immediately if you have any thoughts about suicide or self-harm, any unusual changes in mood or behaviour, or you show signs of depression Some people being treated with anti-epileptics such as Zarontin have thoughts of harming or killing themselves. Patients and caregivers should be alert and monitor for these effects. Signs and symptoms of suicide include: thoughts or talk of death or suicide thoughts or talk of self-harm or harm to others any recent attempts of self-harm increase in aggressive behaviour, irritability or agitation feelings of depression. Mention of suicide or violence must be taken seriously. If you or someone you know is demonstrating these warning signs of suicide while taking Zarontin, contact your doctor or a mental health professional right away. Things you should not do Do not give Zarontin to anyone else, even if their symptoms seem similar to yours or they have the same condition as you. Do not take Zarontin to treat any other complaints unless your doctor tells you to. Do not stop taking it unless your doctor tells you to. Driving or using machines Be careful before you drive or use any machines or tools until you know how Zarontin affects you. Zarontin may cause dizziness, light-headedness, tiredness, drowsiness and affect alertness. Make sure you know how you react to Zarontin before you drive a car, operate machinery, or do anything else that could be dangerous if you are affected. Children Children should not ride a bike, climb trees or do anything else that could be dangerous if they are feeling drowsy or sleepy. Drinking alcohol Tell your doctor if you drink alcohol. Drinking alcohol when taking Zarontin can make you more sleepy, dizzy or lightheaded. Your doctor may advise you to avoid alcohol while you are being treated with Zarontin. Looking after your medicine Follow the instructions in the carton on how to take care of your medicine properly. Keep your capsules in the pack until it is time to take them. If you take the capsules out of the pack they will not keep well. Keep your capsules or syrup in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 25C, away from moisture, heat or sunlight; for example, do not store it: in the bathroom or near a sink, or in the car or on window sills on hot days. Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines. Keep it where young children cannot reach it. A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines. Getting rid of any unwanted medicine If you no longer need to use this medicine or it is out of date, take it to any pharmacy for safe disposal. Do not use this medicine after the expiry date. Are there any side effects? Zarontin helps most people with epilepsy, but it may have unwanted side effects in a few people. All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. However, you may need medical treatment if you get some of the side effects. If you are over 65 years of age you may have an increased chance of getting side effects. See the information below and, if you need to, ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any further questions about side effects. Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking Zarontin. If you get any side effects, do not stop taking Zarontin without first talking to your doctor or pharmacist. Less serious side effects Less serious side effects What to do dizziness or light-headedness feeling tired or drowsy headache weakness, unsteadiness when walking mood changes such as feelings of extreme happiness, irritability or excitement hiccoughs loss of concentration disturbance of sleep frightening dreams abnormally suspicious thoughts increased libido indigestion, stomach pain or discomfort nausea (feeling sick) or vomiting cramps loss of appetite loss of weight diarrhoea swollen gums or tongue itchy red skin rash or hives excessive hairiness, especially in women short sightedness vaginal bleeding allergic reaction blood in the urine. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist if you have any of these less serious side effects and they worry you. Serious side effects Serious side effects What to do have any thoughts of suicide or self-harm notice any unusual changes in your mood or behaviour show signs of depression. Tell your doctor as soon as possible more frequent or more severe seizures (fits) severe depression, apparent intentions of suicide aggressive behaviour frequent infections with fever, chills, sore throat, swollen glands and mouth ulcers frequent nosebleeds, unusual bleeding or bruising, tiredness, headache, shortness of breath when exercising, dizziness or pale skin persistent nausea or vomiting, loss of appetite, generally feeling unwell, fever, itching, yellowing of the skin and/or eyes, dark coloured urine, light coloured bowel motions, pain in the abdomen. These may be signs of a liver problem. sudden signs of allergy such as rash, itching or hives, swelling of the face, lips, wheezing or difficulty breathing severe skin rash, itching, hives, blisters or peeling skin, which may be accompanied by fever, chills, headache, swollen glands, stomach pain or aching joints and muscles severe whole body skin condition with severe blisters and bleeding in the lips, eyes, mouth, nose and genitals. Call your doctor straight away or go straight to the Emergency Department at your nearest hospital if you notice any of these serious side effects. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice anything else that may be making you feel unwell. Other side effects not listed here may occur in some people. Reporting side effects After you have received medical advice for any side effects you experience, you can report side effects to the Therapeutic Goods Administration online at www.tga.gov.au/reporting-problems . By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine. Always make sure you speak to your doctor or pharmacist before you decide to stop taking any of your medicines. Product details This medicine is only available with a doctor's prescription. What Zarontin contains Active ingredient (main ingredient) Capsules: Ethosuzimide 250 mg Syrup: Ethosuzimide 250 mg/5 mL Other ingredients (inactive ingredients) Capsules: macrogol 400 gelatin glycerol sorbitol vanillin methyl hydroxybenzoate propyl hydroxybenzoate sunset yellow FCF. Syrup: sodium citrate sodium benzoate saccharin sodium sucrose glycerol imitation raspberry flavour purified water citric acid monohydrate. Potential allergens benzoates saccharin sugars Do not take this medicine if you are allergic to any of these ingredients. What Zarontin looks like Zarontin capsules 250 mg are clear orange soft gelatin capsules, available in bottles of 100 and 200 capsules (AUST R 94175) Zarontin syrup is a clear yellow to pink solution, available in a 200 mL bottle (Aust R 79031). Global vaccine experts and officials from all 26 African "meningitis belt" countries will convene in Ethiopia next week in advance of the Ministerial Conference on Immunization to celebrate one of Africa's biggest public health achievements--the introduction of a vaccine that in five years of use has protected more than 235 million people in 16 countries, nearly eliminating meningitis A disease on the continent. With this "stunning success," high-ranking government officials and experts behind the MenAfriVac vaccine will be available to discuss, on 22 February, what is now required to sustain this success, and which countries have already taken steps to start integrating the vaccine into their national childhood immunization programs. A recent study found that if no subsequent immunization program was implemented after a large one-off vaccination campaign, countries could expect to see epidemics come roaring back after approximately 15 years. Members of the media are invited to interview experts, as well as attend sessions of the Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP) Closure Conference, organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the international global health nonprofit PATH. Sessions include a keynote on the project's lifeline and highlights, the development of the vaccine, and its introduction. WHAT:Media Availability, Expert Sessions and Lunch AVAILABLE: Steve Davis, President and CEO, PATH Dr. Marc LaForce, former leader of the Meningitis Vaccine Project Dr. Marie-Pierre Preziosi, Medical Officer at the World Health Organization and former leader of the Meningitis Vaccine Project Other experts TBA WHEN:Monday, 22 February, 2016 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM: Reporters invited to attend conference opening session 12:30 - 1:30 PM: Lunch Experts available for interviews by request throughout the day WHERE:Sheraton Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Adults who use marijuana are five times more likely to develop an alcohol use disorder (AUD) --alcohol abuse or dependence-- compared with adults who do not use the drug. And adults who already have an alcohol use disorder and use marijuana are more likely to see the problem persist. Results of a study by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and the City University of New York appear online in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. "Our results suggest that cannabis use appears to be associated with an increased vulnerability to developing an alcohol use disorder, even among those without any history of this," said Renee Goodwin, PhD, associate professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health. "Marijuana use also appears to increase the likelihood that an existing alcohol use disorder will continue over time." The researchers analyzed data from 27,461 adults enrolled in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions who first used marijuana at a time when they had no lifetime history of alcohol use disorders. The population was assessed at two time points. Adults who had used marijuana at the first assessment and again over the following three years (23 percent) were five times more likely to develop an alcohol use problem, compared with those who had not used marijuana (5 percent). Adult problem drinkers who did not use cannabis were significantly more likely to be in recovery from alcohol use disorders three years later. "From a public health standpoint we recommend that further research be conducted to understand the pathways underlying these relationships as well as the degree to which various potentially vulnerable population subgroups -- youth, for example -- are at increased risk," noted Goodwin. "If future research confirms these findings, investigating whether preventing or delaying first use of marijuana might reduce the risk of developing alcohol use disorders among some segments of the population may be worthwhile." Antibiotics may be linked to a serious disruption in brain function, called delirium, and other brain problems, more than previously thought, according to a "Views and Reviews" article published in the February 17, 2016, online issue of Neurology, a medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Delirium causes mental confusion that may be accompanied by hallucinations and agitation. Medications are often the cause of delirium, but antibiotics are not necessarily the first medications doctors may suspect. "People who have delirium are more likely to have other complications, go into a nursing home instead of going home after being in the hospital and are more likely to die than people who do not develop delirium," said author Shamik Bhattacharyya, MD, of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Mass., and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. "Any efforts we can make to help identify the cause of delirium have the potential to be greatly beneficial." For the study, researchers reviewed all available scientific reports and found case reports on 391 patients, over seven decades, who were given antibiotics and later developed delirium and other brain problems. A total of 54 different antibiotics were involved, from 12 different classes of antibiotics ranging from commonly used antibiotics such as sulfonamides and ciprofloxacin to intravenous antibiotics such as cefepime and penicillin. About 47 percent had delusions or hallucinations, 14 percent had seizures, 15 percent had involuntary muscle twitching and 5 percent had loss of control of body movements. Plus, EEG, a test that detects electrical activity in the brain, was abnormal in 70 percent of the cases. 25 percent of the people who developed delirium had kidney failure. The researchers identified three types of delirium and other brain problems related to antibiotics. Type 1 was characterized by seizures and most often associated with penicillin and cephalosporins. Type 2 was marked by symptoms of psychosis and associated with procaine penicillin, sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones and macrolides. Both Type 1 and Type 2 had a quick onset of symptoms, within days. Once antibiotics were stopped, symptoms also stopped within days. Type 3 was characterized by abnormal brain scans and impaired muscle coordination and other signs of brain dysfunction, and was only associated with the drug metronidazole. The beginning of noticeable symptoms took weeks instead of days. Symptoms also took longer to go away once the antibiotic was stopped. Bhattacharyya noted that all of the patients had an active infection that could not be ruled out as the cause of the delirium and other brain problems. A scale used to determine whether side effects can be attributed to a drug found that the association was possible in most cases. When infections that affected the central nervous system were not included, the association was probable. "More research is needed, but these antibiotics should be considered as a possible cause of delirium," said Bhattacharyya. "Recognition of different patterns of toxicity could lead to a quicker diagnosis and hopefully prevent of some of the negative consequences for people with delirium and other brain problems." Early rehabilitation following a traumatic spinal cord injury may lead to better functional outcomes for patients at the time of their discharge and in the subsequent year, according to research presented this week at the Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting in Sacramento, Calif. Approximately 12,000 Americans experience traumatic spinal cord injuries each year. While the number of Americans who experience these injuries has not significantly increased or decreased in recent decades, the average length of stay in acute-care and rehabilitation settings after these injuries has declined dramatically. However, the length of stay in acute-care settings still varies widely, and this could potentially be due to underlying illnesses and medical needs separate from the spinal cord injury. Those who fall into longer acute-care stays, and begin rehabilitation later, may miss a window of opportunity to take advantage of neuroplasticity, or the brain's ability to adapt to neurological changes and fine tune itself to meet the patient's needs. This critical time period led researchers from Johns Hopkins, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Northwestern University to examine patients' outcomes after being discharged from rehabilitation as well as one year after their injury to determine if earlier rehabilitation can positively affect those outcomes when compared to rehabilitation later in the recovery process. "We were interested in whether earlier rehabilitation would be associated with improved outcomes," explains Lead Investigator in the study, Kurt Herzer, MSc; a fellow in the Medical Scientist Training Program at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. "In other areas of medicine, we tend to recognize that the time between an acute health event and treatment matters. For example, many patients are familiar with the adage that 'time is muscle' following a heart attack, and that delays in treatment increase the likelihood of damage to the heart. Our study is interested in a similar type of relationship between time and outcomes, but extending to the post-acute care setting the time from spinal cord injury to rehabilitation." Herzer's team conducted a retrospective study using data from the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems - a network of federally funded facilities that has collected data on demographic and clinical characteristics for approximately 13 percent of all spinal cord injury cases in the United States since 1973. Herzer's team looked at data for 3,937 people who sustained a traumatic spinal cord injury between the years of 2000 and 2014. The patients were, on average, 41.5 years old at the time of their injury and were admitted to a Spinal Cord Injury Model System facility within 24 hours of sustaining the injury. The majority of those studied were white males (62.8 percent of the population was white and 79.2 percent was male) and nearly 17 percent had the most severe level of spinal cord injury (C1-C4), which includes paralysis in the hands, arms, trunk and legs. The researchers looked at the number of days between the injury and admission to inpatient rehabilitation. They also looked at various measures to evaluate each patient's outcome. These included the Functional Independence Measure (called FIM) motor score which assesses physical disability at discharge and one-year post injury; discharge to a private residence; and the Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique (called CHART) to assess physical independence and mobility at one-year post injury. As they reviewed the data, the researchers took into consideration severity of illness, which could impact the time a person stayed in acute care. Additionally, they looked at Medicare data for terminally ill patients within different regions of the United States to better understand providers' practice patterns within a given region and their likelihood of using acute care more versus less aggressively regardless of patients' health statuses. "This additional information gave us the opportunity to improve our ability to make inferences about the relationship between time from injury to rehabilitation and subsequent outcomes," explains Herzer of the Medicare data reviewed. Ultimately, Herzer's team found, for patients suffering from spinal cord injuries, earlier rehabilitation was associated with modest improvements in functioning and physical independence. More specifically, they found the average time to rehabilitation was 19 days during the time period studied. When they accounted for patients' health statuses, they found a 10 percent greater time to rehabilitation was associated with a relative decline of four percent in the FIM motor score and 5.3 percent in the CHART physical independence score at one-year post injury. Finally, they found no association between longer time to rehabilitation and the likelihood of being discharged to a private residence, one-year FIM motor score or the CHART mobility score. "This study shows, following spinal cord injury, patients might benefit from entering inpatient rehabilitation at the earliest, clinically appropriate opportunity," says Herzer of the results. "Patients and caregivers can discuss with their medical teams the plan and timing for transfer to rehabilitation and any concerns they may have about delays. Healthcare providers could similarly consider the value of additional days in the hospital as it relates to their treatment plans." The researchers caution that this observational study using data from the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems has limitations, and additional research is needed to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between timing of rehabilitation and outcomes. Additionally, Herzer notes an opportunity to identify possible solutions that could improve the likelihood that patients receive earlier rehabilitation. He says this will likely require improved communication between hospital providers and rehabilitation professionals, better education of hospital providers about the possible benefits of earlier rehabilitation, and enhanced discharge planning across the care continuum. Young women demonstrate less strength and neuromuscular control after puberty, and this may make them particularly susceptible to Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries, according to research presented this week at the Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting in Sacramento, Calif. The findings of this study suggest early strength training could help prevent this common knee injury that can often have a significant, long-term impact on musculoskeletal health and physical function. The ACL is one of four ligaments that help hold the knee together. Females have up to eight times the risk of sustaining an ACL injury when compared to males, and this difference between the sexes typically appears during puberty (roughly ages 11 through 14). It is suspected this higher risk is based on alterations in neuromuscular control the ability to control the body when in motion and inadequate strength development in females during that time. Researchers from the University of Florida recently studied neuromuscular control and strength development through different phases of female maturity to determine the role they play in females' increased risk of developing an ACL injury during physical activities, such as jumping. "Compared to males, females tend to develop different strategies of movement during maturation, which place them at a higher risk of injury," explains Lead Investigator in the study, Daniel Herman, MD, PhD; assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Florida. "Studies have shown that we can correct these strategies with injury prevention programs, but it would be best if we could prevent these high-risk strategies from developing in the first place. We feel that improving strength development during maturation may be the key." Dr. Herman's team studied 56 healthy middle-school-aged females. Based on the Maturation Observational Scale - which differentiates puberty based on indicators such as growth, breast development, menstruation status, body hair, acne and sweating during physical activities - 18 of the participants were considered pre-pubescent (being just under 12 years old); 21 participants were considered in puberty (around the age of 12); and 17 were considered post-pubescent (being just under 14 years old). The researchers asked each participant to perform three jump landings where they jumped from a box to the ground and immediately jumped vertically as high as possible after landing. Using the Landing Error Scoring System, or LESS, - which uses an 18-point checklist for evaluating motion from both the side of the body (e.g., knee bending) and the front of the body (e.g., knees coming together or apart) - and two-dimensional video, the researchers were able to assess the neuromuscular control of each participant during the exercise. Additionally, they tested the participants' strength in knee extension and flexion as well as hip extension and abduction. Dr. Herman's team found that post-pubescent participants had higher knee flexion strength when compared to those who were pre-pubescent, but there were no other differences in strength between the groups. The post-pubescent group also had higher LESS grades, which indicates worse neuromuscular control, than both the pre-pubescent and pubescent group. Finally, the post-pubescent group had strong negative correlations between knee extension and LESS and hip abduction and LESS. "Males tend to have significant increases in strength as they mature; this allows them to cope with the increases in weight and height that they also experience during maturation," says Dr. Herman. "The lack of group differences between the females in this study suggests a lack of similar increases in strength during maturation. These differences have been noted in other studies, but this is the first to our knowledge which demonstrates such a strong direct correlation between neuromuscular control and strength. We think that a relative lack of strength to cope with increases in size and height serves to drive the differences in motion patterns that we see develop between males and females during maturation." Dr. Herman notes that more research should be conducted in this area, but these results already point to an opportunity to add to middle school physical education curricula by adding basic strength training during this critical time period of growth and development for young females. A new study of firefighters suggests that insomnia and nightmares may increase the risk of depression by impairing the ability to access and leverage emotion regulation strategies effectively. Results show that a high percentage of participants reported clinically significant insomnia symptoms (52.7 percent), depression symptoms (39.6 percent) and nightmare problems (19.2 percent). Further analyses revealed that the indirect effects of overall emotion regulation difficulties were significant both for the relationship between insomnia and depression and nightmares and depression. Limited access to emotion regulation strategies - such as problem-solving skills and the ability to decrease negative emotions - emerged as the strongest, most significant indirect effect for both relationships. "Our study findings suggest that firefighters with sleep difficulties are likely to experience greater struggles accessing strategies to regulate their emotions, especially when feeling upset. This, in turn, may lead to or worsen feelings of depression and low mood," said lead author Melanie Hom, a doctoral candidate in the Laboratory for the Study and Prevention of Suicide-Related Conditions and Behaviors within the department of psychology at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. "These results are important because they provide a plausible explanation for why and how sleep problems may contribute to depression, which are critical questions for prevention and intervention." Study results are published in the February 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, transient insomnia symptoms occur in 30 to 35 percent of the population. Chronic insomnia, which occurs at least three times per week for at least three months, affects about 10 percent of adults. Approximately 2 to 8 percent of the general population has a current problem with nightmares, and trauma-related nightmares are the most consistent problem reported by people who have post-traumatic stress disorder. Led by Hom and under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Joiner, the research team analyzed responses from 880 current and retired United States firefighters between the ages of 18 and 82 years. Participants completed a web-based survey of behavioral health. Self-report measures included the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, Insomnia Severity Index, PTSD Checklist, and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. "Firefighters are typically faced with many demands, including difficult work schedules, and they often both witness and experience traumatic events," said Hom. "It is not surprising that firefighters may experience sleep problems and depression, but it is critical that greater efforts be made to prevent and treat these problems." According to the authors, the findings suggest that emotion dysregulation may be an important therapeutic target for reducing depression risk among firefighters and other individuals who experience insomnia and nightmares. The study was supported by grants from the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation; National Institutes of Health; and Military Suicide Research Consortium, an effort supported by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. To request a copy of the study, "The Association between Sleep Disturbances and Depression among Firefighters: Emotion Dysregulation as an Explanatory Factor," or to arrange an interview with the study author or an AASM spokesperson, please contact Communications Coordinator Lynn Celmer at 630-737-9700, ext. 9364, or [email protected]. The monthly, peer-reviewed Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine is the official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, a professional membership society that improves sleep health and promotes high quality patient centered care through advocacy, education, strategic research, and practice standards (http://www. aasmnet. org). The AASM encourages patients to talk to their doctor about sleep problems and visit http://www. sleepeducation. org for more information about sleep and a searchable directory of AASM accredited sleep centers. Source: American Academy of Sleep Medicine A new study shows that women with diabetes during pregnancy face a significantly higher risk of having a low milk supply. The Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center study, published online in Breastfeeding Medicine, adds to evidence that maternal glucose intolerance may impede lactation. Although insulin resistance is common among obese women, and obesity is a risk factor for poor lactation outcomes, the study is believed to be the first to examine maternal diabetes as a risk factor for low milk supply. "This study shows the importance of further research to determine how maternal glucose intolerance may impede lactation, so that targeted therapies may be developed to increase milk supply," says Sarah Riddle, MD, a pediatrician in the Center for Breastfeeding Medicine at Cincinnati Children's and the study's lead author. "There are limited evidence-based strategies for helping mothers to increase milk supply, and low milk supply is often cited as the reason for new mothers to stop breastfeeding earlier than planned." The study was conducted using existing electronic medical records of 641 women who made first visits to the Center for Breastfeeding Medicine between June 1, 2011, and May 31, 2013. All women were no more than 90 days postpartum and highly motivated to breastfeed. Mothers with a diagnosis of low milk supply but no other lactation problems, such as latching onto the breast, were compared to mothers with lactation problems but without low milk supply. Nearly 15 percent of those in the first group had a history of diabetes during pregnancy, while just over 6 percent with lactation problems but not low milk supply had maternal diabetes. Prof. Elisar Barbar THOUGHT LEADERS SERIES ...insight from the worlds leading experts Please can you give an overview of your research interests? In my lab, we focus on understanding structure, assembly and regulation of the LC8 protein interaction network, the array of LC8 interactions with diverse partners which affect multiple cellular functions in biomedical systems. Most proteins are involved in interactions with one or a few functional ligands, but some proteins, like light chain 8 (LC8), have numerous binding partners. LC8 interacts with more than 100 functionally different proteins, from viral proteins to motor proteins to proteins involved in cell division. LC8-IDP Interactions | Protein NMR in a New Era of Biomedical Research Play LC8-IDP Interactions | Protein NMR in a New Era of Biomedical Research from AZoNetwork on Vimeo. While LC8-binding proteins have many different functions, we've proposed that they all share a common feature, namely, all are members of a relatively new class of proteins, often called intrinsically disordered proteins or IDPs, that lack in whole or in part a stable tertiary structure. IDPs do not fold into a tightly packed native state that presents one or a few specifically arranged active sites for binding of a protein or other substrate. Instead, IDPs sample multiple inter-converting conformations that have varying degrees of disorder, and a subset of these can bind specifically to several other folded proteins. The intrinsic, or inherent, attributes of IDPs are that they are disordered before they bind a partner protein, they retain some degree of disorder after they bind, and disorder is an important aspect of their function. What is special about LC8, a protein that is essential to the life of the cell, is that it binds disordered proteins and mediates their dimerization. Being a dimer itself, LC8 binds two chains of a disordered protein and brings them together to form a duplex scaffold onto which other proteins assemble with higher affinity than when they bind a monomeric IDP. How important is NMR in your work, and what benefits does it provide over other analytical techniques? To characterize important features of an LC8-IDP duplex, we need an atomic level description of its structure. The techniques available for characterization of high resolution structure such as X-ray crystallography or cryo-electron microscopy require a stable protein with a unique conformation. They are not suited to characterization of complexes involving intrinsically disordered proteins. For our studies, NMR is superior to the other techniques because NMR monitors regions of disorder in large multimolecular complexes. We can identify and characterize various conformations sampled in disordered proteins and identify conformational changes that accompany binding, both at the site of binding and, more importantly, at sites distant from binding. In LC8-IDP duplex scaffolds, some disordered regions form higher order structure, and we can identify those regions by NMR. Please can you give an example of your research into an LC8 partner? One LC8 partner is dynein intermediate chain (IC), a protein from the dynein motor, a large complex whose role in the cell is to move molecular cargo from one place to another. There has been fascinating research done on how this complex moves along microtubules. But we are interested in a different region of dynein, the one that latches onto cargo we ask what determines where cargo binds to the complex, what regulates when this cargo moves and finally how/why the complex releases the cargo when it reaches its destination? An interesting aspect of this process is that there are additional proteins that bind dynein and direct, or regulate, cargo binding and, like LC8, these proteins bind to a disordered IC region, making it a hub of cargo regulatory activity. This is where NMR comes in this disordered region can only be studied using NMR. When a regulatory protein binds the complex, we use NMR not only to identify specific regions of a disordered protein that interact with the regulatory protein, but also to monitor conformational changes in regions that retain disorder in the complex. Thus, the disordered region is important because this is where regulators bind dynein and tell it what cargo to carry and when to move it. Among the regulators that bind this domain are proteins associated with Huntington's disease or mental retardation, systems with important biomedical implications. What has your research shown? We showed that a key domain of dynein IC that is central to dynein function is intrinsically disordered. This large domain of about 300 amino acids is the site of dynein intermediate chain/light chain assembly, and the region to which many cargo regulating proteins bind. We showed cases where binding at one site in the long disordered chain alters binding of a regulator protein at a distant site on the same disordered chain. One change in the amino acid sequence in one disordered region can determine whether a protein binds or does not bind to a completely different disordered region. Thus, one genetic mutation that affects the protein sequence in a disordered region can affect binding at a distant site, and make a qualitative difference in cellular function. This may be the molecular basis of some diseases. We perform NMR experiments that tell us which specific amino acid residues, or mutations, are associated with an essential cell function. If a disease is traced back to the loss of that cell function, this molecular structural knowledge may lead to a treatment of the disease. Another interesting feature of disorder in dynein intermediate chain is its effect on tissue-specific differences such that the same protein works differently in the brain than in muscles. The only difference between brain vs. muscle IC is the length of disordered linkers. To determine why a small increase in the length of a disordered linker determines what happens in the brain relative to what happens in muscles tissues, we require atomic level techniques. Our data imply that changing the length of a disordered region can have a big effect on the population of transient structures that determine how this protein behaves, although the sequence of the rest of the disordered protein hasn't been altered. Even though there are recent beautiful X-ray and cryo electron microscopy structures of this complex, they do not answer this question because disordered structure is not evident in these images. Disordered linkers are also the sites of phosphorylation events which determine the function of the proteins. We've shown that phosphorylation in a disordered linker can affect binding at a distant disordered site by changing the conformations of a family of transient, interconverting structures. We don't see on-or-off conformations but rather a dynamic shift in an array of related conformations. This is a type of structural biology we can observe only with NMR. How were these complexes traditionally studied and why is NMR so useful in your studies? These large complexes have traditionally been studied by X-ray crystallography or cryo-electron microscopy but regions of disorder are silent in crystallography. Because it's disordered, we see everything except this region, a problem if this is where we want to study molecular activity. This illustrates why NMR is useful: disorder limits the use of electron microscopy or crystallography, but can be characterized using NMR. You can identify the sequences that are disordered, then determine exactly which disordered amino acids bind another protein and when/why one regulator binds while another does not. For example, in a virus protein with a disordered region that binds LC8, if LC8 does not bind this protein, the virus loses its ability to produce disease-causing infections. NMR can identify binding sites in these regions and potentially identify drugs that interfere with the LC8-virus protein interaction. So far I've talked about how beautiful NMR is and how it's the technique that reports changes in specific amino acid residues in disordered proteins. While this is true, there are quite a few challenges to using NMR on disordered proteins, compared with folded proteins. With disordered proteins, you notice very limited peak dispersion in NMR spectra. You also have multiple conformations that are difficult to sort out and that can result in exchange broadening, meaning peaks disappear in the spectrum. But NMR peak broadening before disappearance can also tell us about the conformational properties of disordered regions as they begin to interact with LC8 and other proteins. How important is basic science to creating treatments for diseases? Does your research focus on any particular disease? We focus on the basic science that identifies molecular processes that have an essential function in cells. Our goal is to understand fundamental cellular functions of LC8-IDP protein complexes in biomedical systems. Then we can apply what we understand in a broader arena that includes how a disease disrupts the fundamental functions of LC8-IDP duplexes. This in turn can lead to how this disease might by treated by drugs that prevent the disruption. Several diseases tie into our studies of the disordered dynein IC where regulators bind dynein and tell it what cargo to carry and when to move it. Among the regulators that bind this domain are the proteins associated with Huntington's disease or mental retardation. We study other LC8-IDP duplexes, not associated with dynein, that are also involved in interactions with a lot of proteins. Examples include the nuclear pores, which require LC8 for their assembly and some viral infections such as Ebola and rabies virus. For example, in rabies virus there's an LC8-IDP interaction we are looking at now with a virus protein. The interaction of this protein with LC8 makes the difference between whether mice infected with the virus live or die. One small but crucial change in that interaction determines whether the virus is lethal in mammals. What are your thoughts on funding for NMR in the US and Europe? During a year on sabbatical in Germany and France, I was very fortunate to have access to super high field 900+ NMRs. I was surprised at how much funding there is for NMR instrumentation in Europe. In Europe they dont have an instrument in every lab but rather have instruments in central facilities. These facilities have managers who reach out to users and provide help and expertise, allowing people who may not normally have access to NMR the ability to use the instrument. Also, they are very good in outreach activities to communities and high schools, making them aware of the importance of basic science. I've reviewed proposals by European investigators that propose basic science experiments without having to link it to disease because basic science is considered important enough. In the US, it seems there is more push to link research to a disease cure rather than to furthering our understanding of the basic science that serves as the foundation for development of cures. And we lack the types of centralized facilities Europe has. I was pleased to lead efforts to attract federal funding for an 800 MHz here at Oregon State by creating a facility that will service researchers in our region. Many researchers want to use NMR once they have access to an instrument, qualified people running it and people like me who are enthusiastic about making it accessible. When this happens, the power of NMR becomes apparent to researchers in many disciplines. What do you think the future holds for protein research using NMR? I think these are very exciting times for NMR and NMR-based research on disordered proteins. We try to push the envelope in the kinds of questions we ask regarding large, complex and dynamic protein assemblies. We ask questions that a few years ago were only a dream because of the difficulty of working with disordered protein complexes. Now, we have considerable advancements in higher fields, cryoprobes that allow data collection on dilute samples, pulse sequences that allow data collection in five dimensions (and so decrease peak overlap) and computational techniques that make use of only sparse NMR data. Along with NMR advancements, we have new creative approaches to the routine preparation of complexes of disordered proteins, and enhanced multidisciplinary approaches. Together this positions us to make these dreams more of a reality. In summary, NMR is a powerful technique because it can monitor in large disordered complexes regions of disorder and regions of interaction, and identify which amino acids are involved in interactions. That information can be used to identify changes in structure at the site of binding and also at a distant site and whether there is self-association. You cannot get this information about disordered proteins using any other technique. About Elisar Barbar I'm a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Oregon State University and my primary tool is NMR. The research in my lab is focused on large macromolecular complexes organized around a unique type of scaffold first described by us, a duplex formed by the association of the folded protein LC8 with two chains of a fully or partially disordered protein. In demonstrating that an LC8-containing duplex scaffold is a central component of numerous essential cellular systems, we applied NMR techniques to elucidation of the roles of protein disorder in cell function. I am pleased to lead the recent successful efforts at Oregon State University for funding of major instrumentation grants for a multi-user 800 MHz NMR. The new instrument will be the highest field NMR in the state of Oregon, will support other universities in the region, stimulate new collaborative projects, and, most crucially, will allow us to keep developing innovative approaches towards revealing how dynamic large protein complexes work. About Bruker Bruker is market leader in analytical magnetic resonance instruments including NMR, EPR and preclinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Bruker's product portfolio in the field of magnetic resonance includes NMR, preclinical MRI ,EPR and Time-Domain (TD) NMR. In addition. Bruker delivers the world's most comprehensive range of research tools enabling life science, materials science, analytical chemistry, process control and clinical research. Bruker is also the leading superconductor magnet and ultra high field magnet manufacturer for NMR and MRI solutions. Think of the different shows currently playing on Broadway. How many of those casts include actors under the age of 16? It might be surprising to learn that right now, at least 10 do. Broadway productions like Les Miserables and Matilda, the Musical regularly involve children and, though few have ever heard of it, it is the job of the kid wrangler to supervise them and keep them motivated and engaged while on set. Before moving to Lynchburg in 2010, Niki White filled that role behind the scenes of Disneys Tony award-winning musical The Lion King. Over the past few months, Whites former and current careers have collided as shes worked tirelessly to bring together a production of The Lion King Jr. at Forest Middle School, which opens today. The Texas native, who teaches at both Forest Middle and Jefferson Forest High School with her husband Spencer, moved to New York City in 1992 to try her hand at acting after graduating from Southern Methodist University. She landed roles off-Broadway and even performed on the stage of the Kennedy Center before her dreams of stardom came to an abrupt end when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 28 just six months into her marriage. Cancer sort of changed everything, White says. I decided, my gosh, the life of an actor is so hard, I really just want to work a job where I can spend time with my husband and my dog and get health insurance. Once she entered remission, she struggled for a year to find her next career path. In a stroke of luck or perhaps fate; after all, Disney is known for its little bit of fairytale magic The Lion Kings original kid wrangler, whom White knew, told her she was moving and she wanted White to take over the position. The company only needed a commitment of a year. White ended up staying for more than a decade. Im often thankful because I wouldnt have ended up at Lion King and I know that was the place I was sort of meant to be and I found my niche there, she says. That niche, it turned out, was working with the young Simbas and Nalas who joined the cast for intervals of about 6 months, although a few have stayed on longer; 60 to 70-something of them from the time she began working with the production in January of 2000, White recalls. During her time on Broadway, White helped the young actors with their homework and created fun activities for them to do while offstage during performances. She was like a second mom to me, says 17-year-old Alphonso Jones Jr., who played Simba on Broadway from 2009 to 2011. She showed the same kind of love that my mother shows me. She was that parental figure toward me. I could talk to her about anything and she always made me laugh and we always played around. Its like she was a big kid, but she was still our disciplinary figure. White also translated the directors notes into what she refers to as kid-speak and accompanied her actors to and from rehearsal, where she often played the other roles to help them run lines or learn blocking. The kids are very separate in our show because theyre principles, not ensemble, says Whites friend Tom Reynolds, who has worked as a stage manager for The Lion King on and off for 10 years. They do their thing in Act I and then they disappear in Act II. If theres no effort made, they might get a little lost. Immediately, [the kids] have a guardian and a buddy, so when they come into the theater and meet all these people, they still have that rock, that person thats always there that they can go to and trust. She really [was] the kids liaison to the rest of the building. Part of keeping the kids engaged involved planning events, like a Cookie Day competition that has become a serious Lion King set tradition during which cast members bake cookies and a group of judges choose a winner. A couple times people were accused of stuffing the ballot box, White says, explaining the intensity of the contest. And it was one of the kids, so its not like I [could] say a lot about it! It was big-time and it was big-time fun. She and the kids also babysat the other cast members dogs in their dressing room, proving that cats and canines can, in fact, get along. They even participated in a New Orleans-style funeral for a goldfish. The womens ensemble dressing room had a fish tank and the fish died, she says. So we had this full out New Orleans [funeral] at intermission [with] the wailing, and the parading around and all that stuff, and then we took it to the toilet in the womens dressing room and flushed it. During Halloween one year, White ran all of the kids stage cues backstage dressed as a banana. She painted her face yellow and put the brown spots on her face, Jones says. Its a part of the show when she walks me to all my cues and all the places I come on and offstage they call it running cues so I had to run cues with a banana. It was just so freaky; I did not like it whatsoever. The hardest part of working as the kid wrangler, White says, was the goodbyes, which happened frequently because the children would age out of their roles. White hosted a Happy Trails Potluck party for each of her kids, making them personalized, handmade goodbye presents and surprising them with a special secret performance. When it was Whites turn to leave The Lion King, the cast invited back every one of the kids shed worked with to her potluck. One of the costumers made her a Nala Barbie, outfitted in the roles costume and hairstyle, and cast members performed and gave speeches. The current group of kids even wrote her a song. There [were] probably about 50 of us, Jones says. That means she really meant a lot to a lot of different people. She really did treat us like her kids that she never had and I think that was like the best thing about her. Since moving to Lynchburg, White has transitioned into another career, one that also includes working with those 18 and younger. She and her husband have inspired the same sense of loyalty among students that White did with her Lion King kids. Over the summer, a group of recent Jefferson Forest grads joined them to begin creating the complex and larger-than-life costumes that helped make the Broadway production so iconic, an element White felt she needed to incorporate in the local production because she knows them so well. The former wrangler says it has been a whirlwind to relive her time with the musical and shes treasured the opportunity to bring it to the Lynchburg stage. I never thought you could have two niches, says White. I sort of feel like I found a niche here too also in theater, also with kids. The jury was in session until 6:45 p.m. Monday, hearing closing arguments from six attorneys in the federal trial related to the 2014 killing of reserve police Capt. Kevin Quick. A new preschool will open in the Hill City next year and will have room for about 70 new students from six weeks to five years old. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia honored two local college professors this week for superior accomplishments in teaching, research and public service with a plaque and $5,000. Each year, SCHEV highlights college-level professors from across the state and this year, Lynchburg College professor of international relations and political science Sabita Manian and Sweet Briar College professor of mathematical sciences Jim Kirkwood were among the 13 honorees given Outstanding Faculty Awards. Kirkwood is the second professor from his department to be honored with the award in the last three years. All 13 winners were recognized during a ceremony Tuesday attended by Gov. Terry McAuliffe at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond where they received an engraved plaque and $5,000. This years recipients were selected from a pool of 92 nominees. Manian has taught at LC since 2001, where she has received two of the colleges top faculty awards, the Shirley E. Rosser Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Thomas C. Allen Award for Excellence in Academic Advising. She has taught subjects relating to global politics and foreign policy and has given academic presentations in more than seven countries. Her research interests include global sex trafficking, gender politics and international policy considerations in Asia, the Middle East and ethnography of Indo-Caribbeans in St. Lucia. Lynchburg College President Ken Garren nominated Manian for the award. In my nearly 54 years as professor, academic dean and president, I must say in summation that Dr. Sabita Manian is one of the most brilliant, accomplished, and inspirational individuals I have ever met, he said in a news release from the college. Manian also trains the students who represent LC in the Model United Nations policymaking simulation conference every year and recently led the effort to create a new Liberal Arts Studies major, an interdisciplinary program designed for students who want to integrate courses from several other programs in their college experience. Kirkwood, known as a prolific writer of textbooks and for his quiet leadership, has taught at Sweet Briar for more than 30 years. In a news release from Sweet Briar College, President Phil Stone said Kirkwood was one of the first community members to step forward to make sure the college would operate normally this fall following the June settlement to keep it open. Stone said one question he heard repeatedly from students debating their return was whether Kirkwood would be teaching. In her letter supporting Kirkwoods nomination for the award, longtime colleague Pam DeWeese, a SBC professor of Spanish now serving as interim dean and vice president for academic affairs, said, His patience and quiet sense of humor have won over generations of Sweet Briar students who entered believing that they were not math people, but who graduated with majors or minors in mathematics. In acknowledging the award, Kirkwood gave a nod to the college, his department and colleagues. Its just a tremendous honor, he said. It was a shock and extremely flattering but almost more important to me is the recognition for the college that we deserve. Faculty in the math department have won it twice in the last three years and thats unbelievable for a place this size. Since 1987, 354 faculty members including the 2016 recipients have received this honor. Virginias all-institutions-eligible faculty recognition program is unique among the states. SCHEV is the Commonwealths coordinating and planning body for postsecondary education. RICHMOND Bedford and Botetourt counties could be getting a boost for tourism marketing on the back of a lodging tax. The two counties requested legislation to allow their Boards of Supervisors to raise the transient occupancy tax, applied to short-stay rental rooms, from five percent to seven percent. The additional revenue would be dedicated specifically to tourism initiatives. Bedford County Administrator Carl Boggess said he was not aware of any specific tourism-related initiatives for the county and said the Fiscal Year 2016-17 budget likely would not include the increase. Del. Terry Austin, R-Botetourt County, said the two counties brought him the request, which passed the Senate Committee on Finance on Wednesday. I did request that they come to me with unanimous consent. I was a little apprehensive that they may not do that, but they did, Austin said. I personally think we need to give localities the tools they need to operate with, and I think thats what were doing here. The tax applies to rooms intended for dwelling and sleeping at hotels, motels, boarding houses, travel campgrounds and other facilities offering guest rooms, according to the bills impact statement. It does not apply to banquet or meeting rooms, or rooms rented by the same group or person for more than 30 continuous days, the impact statement said. The Botetourt County bill is more specific than Bedfords, dedicating any money over the current five percent rate to advertising for the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau. According to the impact statement accompanying the bill, Bedfords five percent lodging tax collected $404,000 in Fiscal Year 2014. Bedfords tourism marketing program would gain $168,000 by Fiscal Year 2017, if the entire two percent tax was added. The following year, that number was projected to reach $191,000, and would continue to rise. The bill would allow Bedford and Botetourt counties to add the tax, but would not require it. If they decide to pursue an additional tax, supervisors would have to hold a public hearing before taking a vote. Lodging taxes have generated $8,680 for Appomattox County since 2013, about $511,000 for Amherst County since 2007 and $173,000 for Campbell County since 2012. Lynchburg, which implemented a lodging tax in 1978, generated just over $2 million in revenue from the tax in fiscal 2015. Any Virginia county may impose a lodging tax at two percent, though many counties, including Bedford and Botetourt, are permitted to tax at five percent. Any revenue after the first two percent must go to tourism initiatives, the impact statement said. Boy Thunder's secret identity will be revealed in January's Batman/Superman: World's Finest #11 - but who is he? Boy Thunder is secretly "someone DC fans have known for decades" - but who? Home News Sports Social Obituaries Events Letters Looking Back Health Jewels Stitch in Time Two wanted men arrested by local law enforcement after vehicle pursuit February 17, 2016 Boundary County Sheriff's officers arrested two men yesterday on Brown Creek Road following a 2 mile vehicle pursuit. William Woods, age 25, described by a Sheriff's Office news release as "semi-transient," who has been living in and around Boundary County, was arrested for violating the conditions of his parole. He was wanted by the Idaho Department of Corrections. Also arrested was Dustin Koehler, age 23, of Bonners Ferry. Mr. Koehler was wanted for an outstanding felony arrest warrant, and was also charged with attempting to elude police officers in yesterday's chase. Law enforcement officers had been actively attempting to locate Mr. Woods because of his outstanding warrant. He presented significant concerns to law enforcement for both public and officer safety, due to information that he had allegedly threatened to shoot law enforcement officers and had reportedly used firearms to threaten others. In yesterday's pursuit, Mr. Koehler was driving, with Mr. Woods as passenger. After officers brought their fleeing vehicle to a stop on Brown Creek Road, Mr. Woods attempted to escape from the vehicle into a wooded area. He was captured and arrested by officers. Mr. Koehler also fled the stopped vehicle. He was located a short time later hiding on a brushy hillside. William Woods has a record of previous arrests for offenses of possession of a controlled substance and for possession/delivery of a controlled substance with intent to manufacture. Members of the United States Border Patrol, Bonners Ferry Police Department, and the Boundary County Sheriffs Office assisted in the investigation. Questions or comments about this article? Click here to e-mail! Home News Sports Social Obituaries Events Letters Looking Back Health Jewels Stitch in Time ITD releases video on auto safety around snowplows February 17, 2016 You're driving cautiously down a slick, snowy Boundary County winter highway late at night. Rounding a curve, you come up behind a late-night, hard-working snowplow, clearing the road. We've all been in that situation before. Your first thought is usually, "Whew! I'm glad the snowplows are out clearing these roads!" Often the second thought is, "Hmm. I'd sort of like to get around this snowplow, but these are awfully slick roads, and that plow is pretty big, and the snow is spraying everywhere . . . " The Idaho Transportation Departments Winter Safety Campaign has produced a new video that offers information on staying safe around snowplows. To view the video, you can go to this link: https://youtu.be/6VVqkGry8Pc The video also is available via Twitter, at the handle @IdahoITD. "ITD plow drivers try to be as predictable as possible by not making sudden lane changes or speed changes so that the surrounding traffic doesn't get surprised by a maneuver," said ITD Maintenance Manager Dan Bryant. "In return, we ask that travelers not crowd the plow. Be patient. Don't tailgate. Don't squeeze through in half a lane or cut back in front of us. Do not drive through the snow plume coming out of the plow funnel. Sometimes cars are way too close to the back of the snowplow truck. We don't want to impede traffic. Drivers can work their way around us safely." The ITD Winter Safety Campaign helps drivers plan and prepare for challenging driving conditions by providing them with helpful information. This includes webpage links to neighboring states 511 traveler information for drivers who are traveling to Oregon, Washington, Montana, Nevada, Utah or Wyoming. More information, and other safety tips, are available on the ITD Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/IdahoTransportationDepartment Questions or comments about this article? Click here to e-mail! Home News Sports Social Obituaries Events Letters Looking Back Health Jewels Stitch in Time Valentine's Dance, Singing Valentines at BFHS February 17, 2016 by Mary Fioravanti There are usually numerous activities buzzing around the Bonners Ferry High School on Valentine's Day. In past years, the BFHS Foreign Language Society (FLS) puts on an annual Valentines dance, which includes a photographer for taking portraits. This year the dance was at the BFHS gymnasium on Friday, February 12. The purpose of this Valentines dance was to raise money for supporting the high school's children's international student, Ivonne, and to supply money for senior scholarships. Ivonne has been sponsored by the FLS club for nine years now, since she was six. She lives in Quito, Ecuador. The Valentine's Dance is held each year to provide Ivonne with adequate school supplies and to meet her living needs, according to Linda Hall, the high schools FLS advisor. Last year the dance raised about $600 to be used for clothes, housing services for her family, immunizations and treatments, and to send her some birthday money. But dancing is not all thats happening at the high school around Valentine's Day . . . Singing Valentines hit the town as a sweet surprise last Thursday, making peoples days much brighter than they were expecting. The Bonners Ferry High School Honor Choir serenaded special loved ones again this year just before Valentine's Day with a live performance of love songs to sweep those Valentines off their feet. Many people were touched and hearts warmed when they heard the Honor Choir singing just for them. The singing Valentine tradition started about 13 years ago, estimated Dawn Carpenter, who helps out with every musical activity at the high school. She noted that the tradition started with former Bonners Ferry High School choral director Vicki Blake. Singing Valentine delivery day began with Honor Choir members meeting at the school to practice just before beginning the long day ahead of them. They started early in the morning at 8:00 a.m., finishing up somewhere around 4:00 p.m. after literally singing all day! This is also astonishing due to the fact that the last couple of years they've finished their Cupid duties in the darkness of night, as late as 9:00 p.m. The choir, along with choral director David Carpenter and bus driver Gary Umphress, romantically rambled all over Bonners Ferry, Moyie Springs, Paradise Valley, and Naples, making lovely music for those who had pre-ordered the musical Valentines. Traveling to wherever the sender requested, the Honor Choir happily showed up singing at the doorstep of the surprised recipient of the singing Valentine. The Choir then handed over a rose and a card, and recited a poem to the receiver, finishing with one last song and wishing everyone a "Happy Valentine's Day!" This year the singing Valentine song selection included "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," "L-O-V-E," and "My Girl." The songs were quite versatile, for example, when singing to men, they replaced "My Girl" with "My Guy." Singing to people on Valentines Day, Reaffirms my belief that everyone needs human connection, said choral director David Carpenter, when asked what his favorite thing was about the special singing event. Other students in the Honor choir agreed in unison that they love to make people happy! Questions or comments about this article? Click here to e-mail! Where have our callaloo crabs gone? There is urgent need for legal protection and sustainable management programmes for our crabs, lobsters, conch, cascadura, crayfish and black conch, and other shellfish. During the past four to five years market shoppers can often hear the question being asked, Where have all the big crabs gone? or Dey asking so much for dem little crab! Blue crabs (Cardisoma guanhumi) are becoming scarce. This is a fact known to all market shoppers whether in Trinidad or in Tobago. The demand for crabs has increased, while the crab habitat has gradually been reduced. In addition, there has been uncontrolled hunting of our crabs. There is an urgent need for a management programme with the emphasis being placed on sustainability of our blue crab resources otherwise it can be predicted that within the next 20 to 30 years crab and callaloo and crab and dumplins, our Tobago specialty, will be delicacies of the past. In TT , we do not have a closed season for the taking of crabs, neither is there a size limit, daily bag limit, sanctuary or any no hunting areas in either Trinidad or Tobago. The open season for crab hunting is 24 hours on each of the 365 days in the year, and crabs of any size and in any quantity may be taken. To compound the issue, is the continuing loss of crab habitat: our wetlands that are being reclaimed for building development. In Trinidad, over the past 60 years, the wetlands at Mucurapo, Westmoorings, Bayshore, Point Lisas and elsewhereblue crab habitat, have been lost forever to housing and industrial development. Similarly, in Tobago most of the blue crab habitat at Lowlands, Bon Accord, Golden Grove, Buccoo, Bacolet, Roxborough and elsewhere has been lost forever to housing development. In the absence of enforced legislation that provides for the protection of what remains of our crab population, combined with a vigorous conservation education programme to sensitise our people to the benefits to be derived from the sustainable management of this population, one can predict within the not too distant future the extirpation of the crabs for our favourite crab dishes. The Government must act now to prevent this from happening. While the above appeal is for immediate action to protect what is left of our crab populations, we must recognise that, in addition to crabs, our lobsters and queen conch in Tobago, and our cascadura and black conch in Trinidad are facing similar threats, due to the absence of legal protection and continued over harvesting. The Caribbean spiny lobster - Panulirus argus The governments of most Caribbean and Central American countries (except Trinidad and Tobago) have enacted conservation legislation to sustainably manage this important marine resource. These laws include: (a) a minimum size limit; (b) a daily catch or bag limit per person; prohibition of the taking of berried females; (d) prohibition of the taking of moulting individuals; (e) the requirement of a fishing permit; and, importantly (f) a closed season for the taking of lobsters. These laws are vigorously enforced and the penalties for their contravention are very high. The Caribbean countries which observe a closed season for the taking of lobsters include: Belize mid-February to mid- June; The Bahamas: April 1 to July 31; Jamaica: April 1 to June 30; Dominican Republic: April 1 to July 31; Haiti: April 1 to September 30; St. Lucia: May 1 to August 31; St Vincent and the Grenadines: May 1 to August 31; Grenada and Carriacou: May1 to August. Studies by the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute have determined that the annual breeding season for Caribbean spiny lobsters is between the months of March and July. Beginning in March 2010, a simultaneous closed season for the taking of spiny lobsters during the four-month period, March 1 to June 30 was adopted by the Central American countries from Belize to Panama. This fourmonth closed season was subsequently observed in 2011, 2012 and again in 2013. The queen conch - Strombus gigas In many Caribbean countries the queen conch is recognised as a very important food source both for local consumption and for export, and in some of these countries is second only to the spiny lobster as a fishery of economic importance. As for lobsters, conservation laws have been enacted to sustainably manage this important resource throughout the region, with the exception of Trinidad and Tobago. These measures include: (a) the requirement of a fishing permit (Bahamas); (b) prohibition of foreign registered boats; (c) a minimum size limit; (d) a daily catch or bag limit per person; and importantly, (e) rigorous enforcement of a closed season for the taking of conch. In addition, in the Bahamas there are closed areas or No-take Zones. The Caribbean countries that observe a closed season for the taking of queen conch include: Belize: July 1 to September 30; The Bahamas: July 1 to September 30; Jamaica: July1 to October 31; The Cayman Islands: May 1 to October 31. It is to be noted that during the breeding season (March to September) conch migrate to shallower waters where they are unfortunately most vulnerable. The only queen conch farm in the world is located in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Most of the produce from this farm is sent to the USA where it is packaged and exported to various countries including Trinidad and Tobago. Recently, large quantities of cleaned and packaged conch imported from Grenada have become available here. The fishing for conch is prohibited in the USA, Honduras, Colombia, Venezuela and Haiti. We need to act now to help ensure the sustainability of our shellfish fisheries and prevent over-extraction of this valuable resource. The law makers must understand this and take urgent action to end this continuing destruction. Yes, I like my crab and callaloo and my crab and dumplin but we must take the necessary steps now to ensure that generations yet unborn will also enjoy these delicacies. For more info on our natural environment, you can contact the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists Club at admin@ttfnc. org or visit our website at www.ttfnc.org and our Facebook or You- Tube pages. The clubs next monthly meeting will be held on March 10 at St Marys College, Portof- Spain. Lecture: Amphibians of the Aripo Savanna by Renoir Auguste. Mille Fleurs on verge of collapse The tour took her and a team of journalists to Stollmeyers Castle; Whitehall; Mille Fleurs; Presidents House and the Red House where restoration projects are being carried out by the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (Udecott). A recent statement from the Office of the Prime Minister said that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has taken over the chairmanship of a Cabinet committee established to oversee the restoration of the Red House; Presidents House; Stollmeyers Castle; Whitehall and Mille Fleurs. The committee comprises Finance Minister Colm Imbert; Robinson-Regis, and Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi. Speaking to journalists at the end of the tour, Robinson-Regis said, As I said previously, this is a very heart-rending feeling to see the buildings have come to this state, but I also feel a sense of hope because I know that the Prime Minister is very serious in his determination along with the Cabinetappointed committee to ensure that the buildings are restored, because as I said, our history is very important. Our heritage is very important, so I am looking forward to working with the committee on ensuring that this in fact happens. The committee will hold its next meeting on March 1 and Robinson-Regis said that meeting will decide on which one of the buildings will be given priority. She said that in some instances the restoration will have to be done simultaneously because the objective is to make sure that we retain these buildings because they are important for our heritage, and for the people of Trinidad and Tobago. She added that taxpayers have already spent a significant amount of money on the restoration, and the Government doesnt want any further losses either of money, or of heritage buildings. She said she welcomed the media tour because the public needed to see the state of the buildings, and understand why it was necessary to have them restored even during a time of stringency. If we dont do it now, it is going to get even worse. You saw Mille Fleurs. Mille Fleurs may have to be demolished given the state that its in and another five years is going to make it worse, and it will cost even more, but its important that our heritage be restored and even during a time of stringency there are some things that must be done, and we feel very certain that this is very important for our history, and for our people going forward. In response to a question, she said she was very disappointed that nothing was done to have the buildings restored during the last five years especially given the fact that there was quite a lot of money apparently available but it didnt seem as though that was a priority and thats unfortunate because five years have passed and these buildings have again deteriorated even further. She said the roof of Presidents House collapsed in 2010 and there was an undertaking given to the President at the time that there would be a restoration and nothing was done so its really sad. She said that upon his return from the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Belize, the Prime Minister will make a comprehensive statement in Parliament on the project to restore the countrys historic buildings, and his statement will include details of how much money was spent on the buildings, and how they will be used after the restoration is completed. At the start of the tour at Stollmeyers Castle, built between 1902 and 1904 as a retirement home for US immigrant Charles Stollmeyer, the Project Manager for the Restoration Project, Jamie Rodriguez said the work was 85 percent completed. At neighbouring Whitehall, the onetime Office of the Prime Minister, Chairman of UDeCOTT, Noel Garcia said the problem was the roof. He said once the repairs to the building are completed the country will have a building for the next three decades. In response to a question from journalists, Garcia said one of the suggestions UDeCOTT will make to the Cabinet committee is to appoint a curator for each of the buildings to ensure that they do not return to the current state of disrepair. Viewing the extensive collapse at Presidents House, Robinson-Regis said she was saddened at the state of the building because our history is wrapped up in these buildings, and history is a very important part of any nations culture. You have to recognise your countrys history and move your country forward based on the history that it has experienced. We cannot let this kind of deterioration continue. There Were Rules on Handling Asbestos. They Were Ignored (Newser) What was already the worst refugee crisis to hit Europe since WWII is only expected to get worse when spring arrives, and the continent isn't even close to prepared for it, the Washington Post reports. Its a very dangerous situation," one expert says. Approximately 75,000 refugees arrived in Europe during the first six weeks of 2016; that's 25 times more than during the same period in 2015. Europe was supposed to use the winter to prepare for the new wave of refugees. Instead, its plans started falling apart. According to the Guardian, countries that were once pro-refugee are starting to tighten up their borders. And a group of Eastern European countries is formulating a plan to seal up their borders to trap refugees in Greece, which the Greek government states will lead to a "security and humanitarian emergency within days." The arrival of this year's refugees could cause even more "disorder and political disruption"as the Post puts itthan in 2015 while dooming the era of borderless travel in Europe. Refugee sorting locations in Greece have failed to open and the system to distribute refugees isn't working, among other problems. Meanwhile, an EU document released by Wikileaks highlights military operations to stop smugglers bringing refugees into Europe and calls for the EU to push for a "reliable" government in Libya to help with the crisis, RT reports. But one migration expert says whatever happens in Europe this spring is largely a result of its own political infighting. Its a crisis of Europes own making, she tells the Post. If Lebanon and Jordan can manage it, why cant the richest region in the world? Its politics. (Read more refugees stories.) (Newser) In August, a previously unseen JRR Tolkien retelling of a 19th-century Finnish epic was published. Now the world will get to experience two other lost Tolkien gems: a pair of poems the Lord of the Rings author penned for an English student publication in 1936, the New York Times reports. A Christmas poem called "Noel" and an early version of "The Shadow Man" (a later version of which is included in Tolkien's 1962 poetry collection The Adventures of Tom Bombadil) were discovered by Stephen Oliver, the principal of Our Lady's School in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, after he received a call from a Tolkien scholar who said Tolkien had referenced the poems in a note, the Catholic Herald reports. Wayne Hammond let Oliver know that JRR's note had mentioned a magazine called the Abingdon Chronicle, which turned out to be the annual Our Lady's publication during that time period (Tolkien became familiar with the school while living nearby in Oxford). At first Oliver wasn't able to hunt down the 1936 edition in the school's archives, but he finally hit upon a copy while getting the school ready for a commemorative event for ex-students. "Both poems are very atmospheric and imbued with an air of mystery," Oliver says, per the Guardian. "I was very moved when I first read them." "Noel" is "set in scenery that would not be out of place in Middle-earth," the Guardian notes, while Oliver says "The Shadow Man" is "a very beautiful story, about two people finding each other and thereafter casting only one shadowit feels like a poem about marriage." He says the school plans to have the poems anchor an exhibit on the school's history. (A $92,000 Middle-earth map filled with Tolkien's notes was discovered last year.) (Newser) Two Los Angeles police officers are facing life in prison for allegedly sexually assaulting four women multiple times while on duty in Hollywood, NBC Los Angeles reports. According to the Los Angeles Times, James Nichols, 44, and Luis Valenzuela, 43, were charged Tuesday with multiple crimes, include rape. The alleged sexual assaults started in 2008 when Nichols and Valenzuela became partners and continued into 2011. The pair have been under investigation since at least 2013. The Los Angeles Police Department says both officers have been removed from duty. All four of the victimsranging in age from 19 to 35 at the time of the assaultswere arrested multiple times by Nichols and Valenzuela on suspicion of narcotics-related offenses. CBS News reports the officers would allegedly threaten further arrests if the women didn't have sex with them. Charging documents say the sexual assaults mostly happened while Nichols and Valenzuela were on duty and sometimes took place in their police vehicle. On at least one occasion, the officers allegedly restrained one of the victims during an assault. And Valenzuela has been charged with pointing a gun at one of the women. The officers are scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday and will likely be held on more than $3 million bail. (Read more police misconduct stories.) (Newser) At least 28 people are dead after an explosion struck three military vehicles and a civilian vehicle Wednesday in Turkey's capital of Ankara, CNN reports. Another 61 people were reported injured. According to the BBC, most of the victims are believed to be Turkish soldiers. The vehicles were stopped at a traffic light near Turkey's parliament during the evening commute when a car bomb exploded nearby, Al Jazeera reports. The blast could be heard around the city. Multiple officials, including Turkey's deputy prime minister, are calling the attack the work of terrorists. The country is becoming a popular target for ISIS, with multiple deadly explosions in the past months. While no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, Turkish officials believe it was possibly carried out by the Kurdistan Worker's Party. "Our determination to respond in kind to attacks taking place inside and outside our borders is getting stronger with such acts," the BBC quotes a statement from Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following Wednesday's attack. (Read more Turkey stories.) (Newser) President Obama next month will become the first sitting US president to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge's trip to Havana in 1928. Obama announced the trip on Twitter Thursday, and ABC News reports that he'll be there March 21-22. The visit will mark a watershed moment for relations between the US and Cuba and will be part of a broader trip to Latin America, reports the AP. (President Harry Truman visited US-controlled Guantanamo Bay on the southeast end of the island in 1948, and former Jimmy Carter has paid multiple visits to the island since leaving office.) Word of Obama's travel plans drew immediate resistance from opponents of warmer ties with Cubaincluding Republican presidential candidates. Ted Cruz, whose father fled to the US from Cuba in the 1950s, said Obama shouldn't visit while the Castro family remains in power. Marco Rubio, another child of Cuban immigrants, lambasted the president for visiting what he called an "anti-American communist dictatorship." "Today, a year and two months after the opening of Cuba, the Cuban government remains as oppressive as ever," Rubio said on CNN. Told of Obama's intention to visit, he added, "Probably not going to invite me." (An Alabama tractor-maker is the first US firm to set up shop in Cuba since the revolution.) (Newser) Conspiracy theorists have some out-there questions about the death of Antonin Scalia, but the Washington Post is focused on a more practical matter: his professional ties to the owner of the luxury ranch where he was staying in Texas. Scalia wasn't being charged for his visit to the private Cibolo Creek Ranch, which is owned by businessman John B. Poindexter. "He was an invited guest, along with a friend, just like 35 others," Poindexter tells the Post. The reason for the newspaper's inquiry? Poindexter owns the manufacturing firm J.B. Poindexter & Co., and the Supreme Court declined to hear an age-discrimination case last year against one of the company's subsidiaries. The Post story says not much is known about the relationship between Scalia and Poindexter, but Mark Berman and Jerry Markon write that the odd circumstances at least raise questions about whether Supreme Court justices are held to stringent enough disclosure standards and whether they have too much leeway in deciding whether to recuse themselves from particular cases. The issue came up previously with Scalia, when he visited a hunting camp in 2004 with Dick Cheney while Cheney's energy's task force was mired in a lawsuit. "I do not think my impartiality could reasonably be questioned," said Scalia, as recounted in New York. He also laid out his case in an unusual 21-page memo. Click for the full Washington Post story. (Read more Antonin Scalia stories.) (Newser) Roof-high swarms of tumbleweed are attacking a town in Australia and "it's not funny anymore," a resident tells the BBC. For some time, residents of Wangaratta in rural Victoria have been forced to spend hours a day digging out homes and cars buried beneath a fast-growing tumbleweed called panicum effusum or "hairy panic," so named for the long hairs on the edges of its leaves. Locals say the weed, benefiting from extremely dry conditions, has taken over a neglected farm nearby and is now spreading. One woman tells 7 News she spent eight hours cleaning out her backyard only to return to a waist-high tangle the next day. The weeds don't pose a fire hazard and likely aren't harmful to animals once dried, but the clean-up is "physically draining and mentally more draining," a local says. "It makes it difficult to get the car out in the morningif you can find it," a man adds, per Australia's ABC News. But he admits "it's a first-world problem" and he's trying to look on the bright side. "We are looking at ways to capitalize on this stuff, whether we go into the production of scarecrows or raise some money and get some goats in to eat this stuff away," he quips. Officials held an emergency meeting on the issue on Thursday and are considering sending street sweepers to assist residents. (Americans faced similar trouble in 2014.) (Newser) A former Navy crewman was executed Wednesday in Georgia for killing a fellow sailor whose remains were found buried in two states. Travis Hittson, 45convicted in the April 1992 killing of Conway Utterbeckwas declared dead at 8:14pm after receiving an injection of barbiturate pentobarbital at the state prison in Jackson. When asked if he wanted to make a final statement, Hittson said, "No, sir. I'm alright." Hittson blinked repeatedly for several minutes and then appeared to take several deep breaths before becoming still about four minutes after the warden left the execution chamber. The AP recounts the crime: Hittson's lawyers had said he was mistreated as a child and constantly craved the approval of others. That, they said, combined with alcoholism and relatively low intelligence, made it easy for his direct supervisor in the Navy, Edward Vollmer, to manipulate him into killing Utterbeck while the three were visiting Vollmer's parents' home in central Georgia. Hittson told investigators he and Vollmer went out drinking one night and Vollmer said Utterbeck planned to kill them both and that they needed to "get him" first. Upon returning to the house, Hittson shot Utterbeck in the head, according to court filings. They buried Utterbeck's torso in Georgia and the rest of the remains in Pensacola, Florida, where they were stationed. Hittson confessed months later and also implicated Vollmer, who reached a plea deal and is serving a life sentence. (Read more Georgia stories.) (Newser) A freelance photographer has captured an image that is "really something"so much so that it's been named the World Press Photo of the Year, beating out a record 82,950 other images. Now in its 59th year, "the most prestigious prize in photography," as the Guardian puts it, hands 10,000 euros (about $11,000) and a Canon camera to the photographer whose image "captures or represents an event or issue of great journalistic importance in the last year." That photographer was Australian Warren Richardson, and that event was the border crossing from Serbia into Hungary of a man and his child on August 28. Says jury member Vaughn Wallace: "We've seen thousands of images of migrants in every form of their journey, but this image really caught my eye." Wallace continues, "It causes you to stop and consider the mans face, consider the child. You see the sharpness of the barbed wire and the hands reaching out from the darkness." Richardson tells the Guardian he was with about 200 Syrians in an apple tree farm as they searched for a way to cross. "We played cat and mouse with the police the whole night," he says in a press release. "I was exhausted by the time I took the picture. It was around three o'clock in the morning and you can't use a flash while the police are trying to find these people, because I would just give them away. So I had to use the moonlight alone." It's the first black and white photo to win the top prize since 2009. See a selection of additional winning photos in the gallery. (Read more photograph stories.) (Newser) A toddler who went missing from her home in Lorain, Ohio, on Wednesday was found alive early Thursday thanks to one man's spontaneous detour. Lana Lowther, 2, was reported missing from her house around 8:45pm while wearing only footed pajamas, reports Cleveland.com. Authorities and volunteers, assisted by helicopters, tracking dogs, and thermal imaging cameras, searched for her until 1am, but to no avail, per the Chronicle-Telegram. Minutes later, around 1:15am, Andrew Tornabene was making the short drive home from his sister's house when he decided to deviate from his traditional route and look for the girl he'd heard about on social media. About half a mile from her home, he saw Lana "staggering on the corner and falling into the snow," per Fox 8 and ABC 5. He jumped out of his car and "she threw her arms up and grabbed me," Tornabene says. "She was shivering." He says he put Lana in his vehicle to warm upit was about 22 degrees outsidethen called police. There were cheers on the other end. Lana was taken to a hospital with signs of exposure but "she's doing well," her mom tells WKYC. "I'm just so thankful she was found." Police aren't sure how Lana was able to leave her home or where she was in the hours she was missing. Officials say her body temperature suggested she may not have been outside for the entire duration of her absence, per ABC 5. "If someone took her, shame on you," Lanas grandmother says. "All I can say is, whoever found her, thank you." (Elsewhere in Ohio, a baby survived a horrific ordeal because a car was kept running.) (Newser) Two days before a judge moved forward with the sexual assault case against him, Bill Cosby sued his accuser, claiming she breached a confidentiality agreement signed as part of a 2006 settlement. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports specific allegations weren't made clear on Tuesday when a judge partially lifted a seal on the suit, naming Andrea Constand, her lawyers Dolores Troiani and Bebe Kivitz, her mother, and the publisher of the National Enquirer as defendants. All apparently signed a confidentiality agreement when Constand settled a civil suit against Cosby, whom she accused of drugging and molesting her in 2004. Cosby's lawyers have repeatedly accused Constand's attorneys of breaching the agreement in the past, reports the New York Times, describing Cosby's latest move as "aggressive." During a pretrial hearing earlier this month, Troiani said the agreement barred Constand from initiating a criminal case against Cosby. However, she argued Constand was in her rights to cooperate with authorities who reached out to her, like the Montgomery County DA who reopened the criminal investigation into her alleged assault. Cosby lawyer Monique Pressley suggested Troiani "divulged what was in the confidential settlement agreement to the district attorney before they made the request for the file." The Hollywood Reporter points out Cosby's lawyers also hinted at legal action after Cosby's deposition in the 2006 civil case became public in July. "How that deposition became public without being court-sanctioned is something we are going to pursue and deal with very vigorously," a lawyer said. It's not the first time he's tried to turn the tables on accusers. (Read more Bill Cosby stories.) (Newser) There may be a lively debate about whether President Obama should be able to fill Antonin Scalia's seat on the Supreme Court, but one person with a unique perspective thinks it's a no-brainer: "I think we need somebody there now to do the job, and let's get on with it," retired justice Sandra Day O'Connor tells Fox 10 Phoenix. Two political science professors couldn't agree more, and they float an intriguing idea in a Baltimore Sun op-ed: Obama should put O'Connor herself back on the court, write William Blake and Hans Hacker. They note the historical precedence of Charles Evans Hughes leaving the court in 1916 and rejoining it in 1930, and they run through a number of reasons why an O'Connor pick makes sensestarting with her age of 85. That might normally rule out a nominee, but in this unique situation, it's an asset. "She is more than capable of serving on the court for a year or two, after which she could retire and the new president could use his or her political mandate to appoint a younger justice." Obama has little practical chance of moving the court much to the left anyway, while Republicans could hardly object to a Reagan appointee returning. What's more, O'Connor's "jurisprudence doesn't fit neatly into an ideological box," so both sides could live with it. A court mired in 4-4 decisions is awful for the country, and picking O'Connor is a solid compromise to keep it functioning in the short term, write the professors. "The one thing this election season has taught us is that the traditional political playbook no longer works," they write. "The same logic applies to this Supreme Court vacancy." Click for their full column. (Read more Sandra Day O'Connor stories.) (Newser) What may have started out as a concerned citizen's plea to city officials to take care of an ongoing issue quickly denigrated into a case study of entitlement and privilege that's now being "crucified" across the Internet, per the San Francisco Chronicle. Tech entrepreneur Justin Keller, who launched the website Commando.io, penned an open letter Monday to the mayor and police chief of San Francisco, where he's lived for three years, to sound off about his "concern and outrage" regarding the city's homeless and drug problem, the Guardian reports. "The city is becoming a shanty town Worst of all, it is unsafe," he wrote on his personal blog. He noted his parents had been in town over the weekend and had run into three intimidating situations involving homeless or seemingly high people. "What are you going to do to address this problem?" he asked. "I know people are frustrated about gentrification happening in the city, but the reality is, we live in a free market society." "The wealthy working people have earned their right to live in the city," he added. "They went out, got an education, [worked] hard, and earned it. I shouldn't have to worry about being accosted. I shouldn't have to see the pain, struggle, and despair of homeless people to and from my way to work every day." He noted the city had made the homeless and "riff raff" disappear during the Super Bowl. In addition to Keller being dressed down on Twitter, a homeless person interviewed by the Guardian simply said of such "tech bros" that "they dont care about nobody but themselves." Keller updated his blog to apologize for using the word "riff raff," saying it was "insensitive and counterproductive." But in an email to the Guardian, he said, "I in no way meant to vilify homeless or drug users, my frustration was that we as citizens don't feel safe. Instead of crucifying me, we all as citizens should be crucifying the city and elected government officials for ineptness." (Read more homeless stories.) (Newser) The latest to tussle with Donald Trump: Pope Francis. When asked Thursday about the presidential contender while returning from a six-day visit to Mexico, he responded, "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," reports the New York Times. That appears to refer to Trump's promise to build a border wall between Mexico and the US (and make Mexico pay for it). The pope wouldn't weigh in on whether Americans should vote for Trump, though: "I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that [about the wall]. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt." Trump responded quickly, notes Politico: "For a religious leader to question a persons faith is disgraceful. I am proud to be a Christian and as president I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened." Trump also noted that "If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president because this would not have happened. ISIS would have been eradicated unlike what is happening now with our all-talk, no-action politicians." He said Mexico must have been talking disparagingly about him and using the pope as a "pawn" because "they want to continue to rip off the United States, both on trade and at the border, and they understand I am totally wise to them." He also responded at a South Carolina rally, and made sure to note that "I like the pope." In other news, during his news conference on the papal jet, Pope Francis also appeared to suggest Catholic women could use contraception if there is a concern of contracting the Zika virus, CNN reports. But abortion is still totally off the table in such a case, he said. (Read more Donald Trump stories.) (Newser) More good news for Kanye West: First, fans set up a website to raise money for him after he announced that he was $53 million in debt. And now the Philly police department is reaching out with a job offer: "We R hiring," reads the tweet. "Starting salary of $47,920; u could be debt-free by the year 3122!" The tweet is complete with a photo of West's head superimposed onto an actual city cop. The Hollywood Reporter notes that the same department tweeted in December that Star Wars spoilers should be a crime. (Leaked audio has surfaced of a not-happy West backstage at Saturday Night Live.) Sir Paul McCartney may have won more than twenty Grammy Awards through these years but this does not guarantee that Tyga will grant him entry in his Grammy's after party. In a video clip originally captured by TMZ via Yahoo Lifestyle, Paul McCartney together with his wifeNancy Shevell, Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins and Beck crowded in front of Tyga's self-hosted party at Argyle in Hollywood after this year's awarding ceremony. But the doormen did not let the musicians in. The 73-year old former Beatles member, however, took the situation lightly by saying, "How VIP do we gotta get? We need another hit, guys. We need another hit." Beck, who won last year's controversial Best Rock Album category with 'Morning Phase' joined the McCartney saying, "Next Year." The next day, the 26-year old rapper stood in his defense on Twitter saying that he did not know 'the legend' will be attending his party. "Why would I deny @PaulMcCartney stop it. He's a legend," Tyga wrote as mentioned in CNN. He added another Tweet saying, "I don't control the door. I had no knowledge SIR PAUL was there. I just performed and left." Rapper Bow Wow, however, gave a rather nasty comment to TMZ via Vanity Fair saying " Maybe it's the fact that we're younger than Paul . . . and we really club and we really go out." The British veteran musician with his other mates may not have been granted entry in a party expected to have lots of hot girls and lap dancing, but he did not take it seriously and head directly to Hyde for the Republic Records bash, Billboard reported. Paul McCartney's collaboration with Kanye West entitled "All Day" with feature performances from Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom was nominated this year in the Best Rap Performance category. However, it lost giving way to Kendrick Lamar's "Alright" to covet the award, according to a list from The Guardian. Duggar family first generation parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, received criticisms online when it was learned that they are visiting their daughter Jill and husband Derick Dilliard while they are currently on a missionary work in Central America. As mentioned in Inquistr, the Duggar parents went to an unnamed placed in Central America last week, a decision that has been questioned by a lot of fans saying they should not have gone together and leave their children in Arkansas on their own. While Jim Bob and Michelle were away, it was thought that the burden of taking care of their kids were on Jana Duggar who also did the same in the heights of Josh Duggar's scandal. After all the scandals the family had faced last year, having an impromptu vacation is also deemed as inappropriate to do. There have been several speculations why the Duggar parents decided to fly to a depressed area in Latin America. One of this is related to Derick's earlier blog post stating the difficulties in their missionary work. Also, there were rumors that Jill is pregnant in the Zika virus-infested place! Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's visit was written in Jill and Derick's page last week. "Jill's parents surprised us recently with an impromptu visit for a few days. It was great to have them with us and get to show them the work the Lord is doing here. Israel just turned 10 months and now enjoys eating fruits and veggies. Some of his favorites are bananas and avocados. He weighs a whopping 23 pounds and is cruising everywhere! We've had to baby proof our house, adding cabinet locks and outlet covers that Grandma C (my mom) sent down. Israel definitely enjoyed all the attention when Grandma and Grandpa Duggar came to visit," Derick wrote as mentioned in SheKnows. The blog post was accompanied with some shots of the family with cute baby Israel who got a lot of praises from their followers in social media. "Wow Israel has gotten so big !! He is such a cutie." "Hope you are enjoying your trip. OMG Israel is so big! How do you keep up with him. Is he starting to walk yet?" Derick has been updating about their missionary work in Central Africa. Despite the looming Zika virus in the region, they have pursued their mission to help the villagers with the coordination of leaders in their Church. "For the past month, we have come alongside the S.O.S. (Seekers of Souls) leadership of the existing church where we are serving, as well as begun the groundwork for an additional bible-centered fellowship in another village that has been plagued with violence," he wrote as mentioned in Enstarz. At least five people were killed after a car bomb reportedly exploded in the busy streets of Ankara, the capital city of Turkey on Wednesday night. At least 10 people were injured. The nation's Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag has called the bombing an act of terrorism. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has canceled a trip to Brussels to attend a meeting with President Recep Tayyip and state officials. "According to preliminary assessments, five people died and 10 people were injured," Ankara Governor Mehmet Kiliclar said to the state-run Anadolu Agency, reported by the New York Times. "It is believed that a bomb-laden car caused the explosion." Some local news outlets have reported that 11 people were killed. Kiliclar said that the explosion, which happened near parliament and military headquarters, could have been targeting a group of buses with military personnel onboard. The military has condemned the attack, calling it "contemptible and dastardly." "I heard a huge explosion. There was smoke and a really strong smell even though we were blocks away," a witness told Reuters. "We could immediately hear ambulance and police car sirens rushing to the scene." The authorities do not know who was responsible for the bombing. Terrorists, like the Islamic State and Kurdish fighters, have conducted attacks in Turkey in the past. In October, the Turkish government blamed the Islamic State for carrying out two suicide bombings outside of a main train station in the city that killed 102 people. The suicide bombing in Istanbul this past January that killed 10 German nationals was also blamed on the Islamic State. The most recent bombing comes at a time when Turkey has been facing intense pressure at its Syrian border as pro-government forces backed by Russia airstrikes continue to advance in northern Syria. Kurdish fighters have also been active around the border, forcing Turkey to carry out cross-border strikes. On top of these problems, Turkey has also been dealing with the increased influx of Syrian migrants. Turkey has taken in 2.5 million Syrians since the Syrian Civil War started. Batteries of advanced surface-to-air missiles as well as a radar system have been spotted on Woody Island of the Paracel Island chain in the hotly disputed South China Sea raising concerns among territorial claimants that Beijing is seeking to upset the politico-military equilibrium in the region to its favor. The deployment of an advanced surface-to-air-missile (SAM) system by the Chinese military in one of the disputed maritime territories has just convinced its neighbors of China's hegemonic aspirations in the hotbed zone. "It is a common concern of the international community that China tries to change the situation and increase tensions in the South China Sea by carrying out extensive and rapid land reclamation, building its base in the region and utilizing it for military purposes," remarked Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga as quoted by CNN. According to images from civilian satellite ImageSat International (ISI), two batteries of sophisticated HQ-9 SAMS (probably a knock-off of the Russian S-300) have been visibly identified since February 14. Previous satellite images in February 3 showed the absence of such military hardware on the island. However, China repeatedly denied allegations of the country's attempt to change the status quo in the heavily contested South China Sea albeit with strong-worded insistence on sovereign claims. "China has given a commitment of not engaging in so-called militarization, and we will honor that commitment. And we cannot accept the allegation that China's words are not being matched by actions. [But] there are some necessary facilities for self-defense...China has a right to protect its own territorial sovereignty," said Chines Foreign Minister Wang Yi as mentioned in a Fox News report. The provocative move by China is bringing the US closer to the ongoing territorial dispute among contesting neighbors according to analysts. "President Obama did say the United States was duty-bound to keep the region stable by ensuring freedom of navigation, which meant they would continue with military patrols and flybys. Something like this by China will definitely be seen as a provocative move not just by the United States but all the countries in the region," explained Al Jazeera's Marga Ortigas. The government arrest of a left-wing student leader on sedition charges is triggering large nationwide student-led protests across India's collegiate institutions which pits the militant student against PM Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist-oriented Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Kanhaiya Kumar, a left-leaning student leader who denounced the execution of Kashmiri separatist Afzal Guru, was accused by BJP members of espousing anti-India sentiment. The JNU student leader was detained for allegedly leading commemorative protests against Afzal Guru's execution in 2003 for attacking the Indian parliament in 2001 in a report by the International Business Times. As student-police confrontation heightens in New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), students skipped their classes to join the protests that is spreading to nearly 20 universities and colleges across India. "The government does not want students to have a say. Federation, a leftwing It wants to dictate what students think, understand and say," remarked Rahila Parween the Delhi unit of the All India Students' as quoted by Gulf Times. However, a BJP-linked student group slams left-wing students' union for its anti-India comments. "You cannot be an Indian if you celebrate the death anniversary of a terrorist," said Saurabh Sharma, the nationalistic student group Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad according to a Business Insider report. The protests came as BJP-led parliamentary leaders released strong-worded statements on the recent student protests against what the government perceives as anti-national activities in campuses. "Nation is watching, and in coming days India won't tolerate such anti-national elements. If anti-national activities happen in Universities then Govt needs to look into what strict measures need to be taken," said BJP MP Mahesh Giri as stated in Zee News report. International statesman and former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali died aged 93 on Tuesday at Al Salam Hospital in Cairo. After an illustrious law career in Egypt and witnessing the historic 1978 Camp David Conference between his country and erstwhile enemy, Israel. His successful diplomatic stint in negotiating the Egyptian-Israeli peace deal catapulted him to the global diplomatic scene which led to his election as the United Nation's Secretary-General from 1992 to 1996. Shortly after the announcement of his death, the 15-member Security Council observed a minute's silence to honor the elderly statesman. "He showed courage in posing difficult questions to the member states and rightly insisted on the independence of his office and of the secretariat as a whole," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said as quoted by Arabian Business. The Holy See also sent a telegram expressing Pope Francis' heartfelt condolences to the Egyptian diplomat who was also a Coptic Christian in Muslim majority country. "Recalling Mr. Boutros-Ghali's generous service to his country and to the international community, His Holiness offers the assurance of his prayers for the late Secretary-General's eternal rest, and he invokes the divine blessings of peace and strength upon the members of his family and all who mourn his loss," the Vatican telegram reads as quoted by Radio Vaticana. Boutros-Ghali lead the post-Cold War United Nations from 1992-1996, an uncertain and tumultuous time when many former communist countries of Eastern Europe fell into chaotic and bloody disarray after the demise of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. He also struggled to contain the humanitarian crises in Somalia and Rwanda as a result of genocidal civil wars in those countries. His constant disputes with Washington under the Clinton administration resulted to his losing UN's top job to a fellow African, Kofi Annan. "Boutros-Ghali found himself facing criticism from many quarters and was often at odds with the U.S. The Clinton administration blocked him from a second term," Michele Kelemen reported for NPR's Newscast Unit. Sandra Day O'Connor believes that President Barack Obama should be the one to name the Supreme Court justice replacement for Antonin Scalia. O'Connor, who served on the Supreme Court from 1981 to 2006, spoke about the Republicans' decision to postpone the hearings on a replacement judge nomination until Obama's successor is in office. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) had said shortly after news of Scalia's death surfaced this past Saturday that the Senate would not be holding hearings this year. "I don't agree," O'Connor said to the Phoenix-based FOX affiliate KSAZ in response to the Senate's decision. "We need somebody in there to do the job and just get on with it." O'Connor added that the upcoming presidential election "creates too much talk around the thing that isn't necessary." The Republican presidential hopefuls have unsurprisingly sided with the Senate's decision. Marco Rubio, the senator of Florida, said that although he respects O'Connor, he believes that "the Supreme Court can function with eight justices [and that] this is going to be an issue in the campaign." "I think that hearing would end up very politicized," GOP candidate and Texas senator Ted Cruz said reported by CNN. "I think this is a matter of policy -- that during a lame-duck period, we should not be confirming a Supreme Court nomination." For the rest of America, a CBS News poll is reporting that the public is split on who should be nominating the next judge. 47 percent of the people stated that Obama should be able to name the nomination where as 46 percent stated that they would prefer that the nomination be made by the next president. The poll, conducted from Feb. 12 to Feb. 16 reached 2,007 adults from across the nation. New Delhi : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said that he and his cabinet colleagues will meet President Pranab Mukherjee today to discuss the law and order situation after the row over arrest of JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case. Delhi Cabinet will meet the President at 2 pm today. Delhi Cabinet will meet Honble President at 2 pm today to discuss Delhi law and order situation (sic), Kejriwal tweeted. Earlier in the day, Kejriwal alleged that Delhi Police is openly flouting Supreme Court orders and wondered what instructions Commissioner BS Bassi has from his bosses after an attack on Kumar and mediapersons at Patiala Court premises. The Delhi Chief Minister further said that Had Delhi Police been under our control, then those raising slogans against Mother India and pseudo patriots goons would have been in jail. They (Centre) are not able to handle both. The CM has been demanding that the Centre hand over the Delhi Police to the city government. Last week, the AAP government had ordered a magisterial probe into the alleged shouting of anti-India slogans by a group of students at the JNU here. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : Jawaharlal University Nehru Students Union President Kanhaiya Kumar would have never thought that some bantering against the political lords in the country would actually leave him behind bars. And, to mount the trouble he would even be called an anti-national, thrashed and kicked by lawyers in court premises and pressed with sedition charges openly. But, yes, all this happened in JNUSU Presidents worst nightmare coming true in events that unfolded last week. Indias premier institution JNU was marred by controversies after anti-national slogans were heard in an event organised on February 9. The protege, who were apparently demanding justice for Parliament attack terrorist Afzal Guru soon were involved in clashes, protests and sedition charges. The protagonist of the event was eventually declared Kanhaiya Kumar who was framed for his anti-national remarks and taken into custody by Delhi Police. Till now, there was confusion and apparent thoughts but after JNUSU Presidents arrest, the drama was actually unfolding on the stage. It was evident that Delhi Police had no proof of the timeline of incidents. First it was thought they were caught in a clash like situation between JNU students and ABVP workers but later another theory became the centre of attraction. Was the whole concept fractured and served those having political ambitions. Was it political vendetta? The storm intensified overnight with protesters dubbing the arrest of students union leader Kanyaiya Kumar as an act of vendetta by the Centre. In the court, Kumar told the court that his arrest was political as he had defeated the candidate of the right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in the university elections. The JNUSU too described the arrest as shocking and Kanhaiyas arrest beyond the grounds of credibility. Congress too, took to stage with Rahul Gandhi accusing Modi government of bullying an institution like JNU, he however asserted that anti-India sentiment is unquestionably unacceptable. The Left criticised the government for arresting the students and likened the developments to situations during Emergency. Then what was more shocking was that after the heckling of Kanhaiya at Patiala House Court, Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi said that they will not oppose if he applies for bail. Speaking to the reporters, Bassi said, "I am not giving Kanhaiya Kumar a clean chit but if he applies for bail we are not going to oppose it." The Supreme Court also held Bassi personally responsible for Kanhaiyas safety after being told that he was "badly beaten up" while being brought to court premises. He has been safely taken into custody till March 2. Another important question is why the government rushed in? Notably, one of the event organiser Umar Khalid is still missing and police has no clue about his whereabouts or personal details leaving aside a photograph. The whole issue has given way to several stifled voices who have risen against the 'sedition' storyline, and now with the ABVP revolt, grave thoughts are in discussion against folks who raised anti-national slogans. On Thursday morning 3 ABVP members of JNU wrote a stinging letter and resigned citing campus politics. Pradeep Narwal, Joint Secretary of JNU unit of ABVP, Rahul Yadav, President of ABVP unit of JNU's School of Social Sciences (SSS) and its Secretary Ankit Hans have all said they have quit. Several videos have already pointed to "veiled persons shouting anti national slogans" during the protest which sparked off government action. Kanhaiyas speech video has found its way back into the debate from newsroom to social media triggering the same question: Is this sedition? But, one must elaborate here that how can a mere expressions of hate, and even contempt for ones government can be contemplated as sedition in our free democratic country. And, if Kanhaiya has not committed sedition will he be released soon? Only if the political vendetta subsides! For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. San Francisco: A US appeals court rejected today a challenge to a settlement between Apple and consumers which could have voided a USD 450 million payout deal in the Apple e-books antitrust case. A three-judge panel dismissed criticism of the settlement by plaintiff John Bradley that a lower US court had erred in considering the settlement for damages before Apples appeals of its liability in the case are heard. In July 2013, US District Judge Denise Cote ruled that Apple was liable of conspiring with five book publishers to fix e-book prices, a decision upheld by an appellate court. Apple has launched an appeal in the case to the US Supreme Court. Bradleys attorney, Steve Miller, had argued that Cote should not in November 2014 have approved the UDS 450 million settlement while the appeal on Apples liability was still unresolved. Bradley challenged the fairness, reasonableness and adequacy of the settlement. If the Supreme Court upholds Apples liability in the case, Apple will pay plaintiffs the full USD 450 million. If the liability ruling is reversed, Apple will pay just USD 70 million. The district courts failure to defer its ruling will lead to confusion and uncertainty and potential future litigation, said the Bradley brief. But the US appeals court roundly rejected this argument. Evaluation of the fairness and adequacy of every settlement requires a court to asses the likely future legal proceedings, namely the relative probabilities of various outcomes if there was no settlement and the parties went to trial, said the appeals decision. The District Court did not abuse its discretion. The ruling was lauded by plaintiffs attorneys Hagens Berman, which said consumers could ultimately recover more than twice their losses if the Supreme Court upholds the lower court rulings. The decision today affirms the contingent settlement structure we fashioned to maximize the potential amount of recovery and get money back into consumers hands as fast as possible, said attorney Steve Berman. We hope to close the chapter on Apples e-book conspiracy soon. New Delhi: According to the Intelligence reports, 10 Democratic (DSU) activists, led by Umar Khalid in JNU had organised the event to commemorate Afzal Gurus death anniversary. Anti-India slogans were raised there however it has no mention of Kanhaiya Kumar, JNU Student's Union president who is under arrest on sedition charges. The report also mentions the name of Umar Khalid, A PhD student from School of Social Sciences, the main organiser of the event. Khalid is another name which has emerged lately in the JNU row giving it a new twist. Now the question arises who is Umar Khalid? Umar Khalid is a member of the now dissolved Democratic Students' Union (DSU). One of the organisers of the controversial event that took place on February 9. Pursued his M.A. in history and M.Phil from JNU and has been doing field work in Jharkhand, reportedly. One of the applicants who sought permission for organising the events on JNU campus. Delhi police are on the outlook for Umar. Some reports even suggest that he once visited Pakistan and point towards him of having terrorist links but contrastingly, Umar doesnt have a passport, how could he even step out of the country to visit another? This absurdity needs to be explained. Now- what is DSU? Umar was a part of DSU which upheld Maoism. The self-claimed progressive organisation was dissolved when Umar with 10 others resigned from the organisation for various reasons. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: A case was registered today against a person for allegedly threatening a woman scribe on Twitter that she will be gangraped in two days after she uploaded photos of the protest march to condemn the attack on journalists in Patiala House court in New Delhi, police said. Following a complaint by the woman, a case was registered against a person with the Twitter account Amendra Kumar Singh, a senior police official said. The woman journalist had uploaded photos of the protest organised at South Mumbai here organised by Mumbai Press Club along with other media organisations like TV Journalists Association, Bombay News Photographers Association among others, they said. A twitter account by the name of Amendra Kumar Singh in a tweet had threatened the woman journalist, they said. A case under section 354(a)1 (outraging modesty), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) of IPC has been lodged at Azad Maidan police station and no arrest has been made in this connection, police said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : JNU students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar and some journalists were yesterday attacked in a court complex here by rowdy lawyers. On Thursday, JNUSU President Kumar moved Supreme Court for bail. The hearing has been scheduled for tomorrow. Despite instructions by the apex court to ensure security at the Patiala House Court, where violent men in black robes had attacked journalists on Monday, Delhi Police failed to prevent the attack on Kumar, who has been accused of sedition. He was later safely taken to Tihar where he is kept in jail No. 3, same as Afzal Guru. Let us take a look at some of the top developments on Thursday i.e. February 18. 1. Kejriwal meets President Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday with his cabinet colleagues met President Pranab Mukherjee and discussed the law and order situation after the row over arrest of JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case. Later speaking to reporters, Kejriwal said, "Is there a new law that you can hit someone and roam around freely? Government can't catch 4-5 students who made anti-national slogans, how will they catch people behind the Pathankot attack." 2. SC to hear Patiala House Court violence matter again tomorrow The Supreme Court today asked people to be careful while issuing statements on the ongoing row over arrest of JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar under sedition charge and posted the hearing for tomorrow again. Meanwhile, Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi told media, "Patiala House court situation was handled well by us; Using force in court would've been counter-productive." 3. Students refuse to appear before JNU panel JNU teachers have questioned the scope of the university probe panel inquiring into the raising of alleged anti-national slogans on campus and demanded that more members should be included into the high-level committee. The members of the students council, who have been asked to appear before the committee, have also refused to participate in enquiry process citing unjust academic suspension of 8 students. While the students are boycotting the classes demanding release of the JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar, the teachers are divided over the disruption of classes. The members of JNU students council were asked to appear before the probe panel for seeking clarifications regarding the February 9 incident. 4. Court attack: BJP MLA Sharma joins police probe BJP MLA O P Sharma who was caught on camera beating a CPI activist at Patiala House court on Monday, joined the probe into the assault case today, a day after he was served summons by Delhi Police. Sharma, a first-time MLA, presented himself before the Tilak Marg police station today. The police had yesterday issued summons to him as well as three lawyers in connection with assault on journalists and JNU students and teachers at the court complex on Monday. Delhi Police has been under attack for not taking action against those involved in the assault at the court complex on Monday and yesterday. 5. Rahul Gandhi discusses JNU row with President Rahul Gandhi took the battle over the JNU row and the alleged targeting of students in various parts of the country to President Pranab Mukherjee. Accompanied by senior leaders and also the young MPs of the party, the Congress Vice President highlighted the lawlessness in Delhi in the wake of Patiala House court attacks and the way the government has handled the JNU row as also the Rohith Vemula suicide and the agitation in FTII in Pune. He was accompanied by Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of the party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and several other party leaders and MPs. Only yesterday, Congress had demanded immediate removal of Police Commissioner BS Bassi. Citing the attacks in Patiala House court here, Congress had yesterday alleged that jungle raj is prevailing in Delhi. 6. Reconsider decision of march: JNU VC JNU Vice Chancellor Jagdesh Kumar has appealed to the students to reconsider their march to Jantar Mantar this afternoon in protest against arrest of their president in a sedition case, citing safety reasons. While we appreciate your right to protest, we are apprehensive of your safety outside the campus. We, therefore, appeal to you to reconsider your decision for undertaking the march outside the campus, the VC said in an advisory issued to students. The students and teachers of the varsity have decided to march from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar at 2:30 PM demanding release of JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who was arrested Friday last in a sedition case, in connection with an event against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, where anti-national slogans were alleged to have been raised. JNU Students Union Vice President, Shehla Rashid Shora, who will be leading the march, had yesterday written to the VC informing him of the march and requesting him to ensure security arrangements. The varsitys Chief Security Officer had also sent a communication to police yesterday requesting the force to make adequate security arrangements for students during the march and till they are back in the campus. 7. 'There should be no 'Taliban culture' in India' There should be no Taliban culture in India and the law should be allowed to take its course, say ABVP office-bearers who have resigned from the party in protest against the Centres handling of the raging row at JNU and legitimising actions of right wing fascist forces. JNU is the most nationalist institution in the country. I do not support the governments stand over the issue. Let Supreme Court find Kanhaiya guilty and award him life imprisonment. But let the law take its course. There should be no Taliban culture in India, said Pradeep Narwal, former Joint Secretary of JNU unit of ABVP. Pradeep Narwal, Joint Secretary of JNU unit of ABVP, Rahul Yadav, President of ABVP unit of JNUs School of Social Sciences (SSS) and its Secretary Ankit Hans, had yesterday resigned from the BJP student wing, saying they cannot be mouthpiece of such a government which has unleashed oppression on student community. We are going to fight for JNU. If law find Kanhaiya guilty, let him be punished. If Umar Khalid is guilty he should be jailed. But do not attack the entire university, students and teachers. Let there be space for voices of dissent, he added. 8. Shiv Sena hits out at Congress, SP Amid the ongoing JNU row, the Shiv Sena today hit out at the Congress and SP, saying that the recent Assembly bypoll results in various states reflect that people have rejected the idea of politicians backing the students indulging in protests. After looking at the results of byelections, it is clear that the tamasha (Congress Vice-President) Rahul Gandhi indulged in Jawaharlal Nehru University and Hyderabad Central University is unacceptable to the people, the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana. Those (students) supporting Yakub Memon in Hyderabad University and Afzal Guru in Jawaharlal Nehru University are a threat to the nation. Those (politicians) supporting them (students) have lost in bypolls of seven states, the ruling alliance partner said. Notably, the BJP and its allies made gains in the Assembly bye-elections held recently, winning seven of the 12 seats in eight states as the party inflicted blows on ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and Congress in Karnataka. Mocking the Samajwadi Party for losing 2 out of 3 seats in Uttar Pradesh, the Sena said people have started putting an end to caste-based politics, and pointed out that Muslim appeasement also did not help the SP. The results have laid bare the discontent of people towards the (Akhilesh) Yadav government. They had invited Pakistani artists to appease Muslim vote bank. But nothing, including the hate speeches, worked for the party. People have started putting an end to caste-based politics, it said. 9. Kanhaiya's parents worried The attack on JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar inside Patiala House court complex has left his parents worried, but they are showing exemplary courage at this difficult juncture and are confident he will come out clean, CPI said today. CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy said the party men are in regular touch with his parents who have shown confidence in the organization during this crisis hour. Kanhaiya is a leader of All India Students Federation (AISF), students wing of CPI. His parents live in Bihat village of Bihars Begusarai district. One of our colleagues spoke to them (Kanhaiyas parents) yesterday. Naturally, they are worried...yesterday there was an attack on him. But they are showing exemplary courage at this difficult moment. His parents said they have full confidence in the party, Reddy told PTI. The leader said Kanhaiyas family is poor and cant afford even a television set and they watch news on neighbours TV. His mother is an anganwadi worker. His father is suffering from partial paralytic stroke. I spoke to him the other day. They are courageous and they are confident that he will come out clean, he added. A group of lawyers had yesterday attacked Kanhaiya, arrested on sedition charges, while he was being produced at the court complex. 10. Know facts first, asserts Jaitley Union minister Arun Jaitley today emphasised on the importance of knowing facts especially for journalists and politicians, saying that people cant indefinitely live under the impression that they know most of the things. He was speaking at the launch of India-2016, a book which contains wide ranging details from achievements of the government, its policies, programmes and other aspects related to development. I think the kind of detail that India 2016 carries is a must read for everyone particularly for journalists and politicians. It is very necessary. Because while we are in ignorance of large number of facts which are contained here, we cant indefinitely live under the impression that we know most of the things. Because once we go through the book, you would realise how much we dont know, he said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The first women-led mosque has opened in Copenhagen, Denmark. This mosque is created to challenge the otherwise patriarchal structures and domination by males in the existing mosques. According to Sherin Khankan, founder of Mariam Mosque, "Many women and young people dont even go into the mosques as you enter into a male dominated and patriarchal space in which a man has the floor, a man leads prayers, men are in focus and dominate. That is why we are now setting up a mosque on womens terms. Traditionally, there has to be a segregation of men and women even in the mosques, both sit separately during services. Khankan, who is serving as one of two imams at Mariam Mosque, called the house of worship a "feminist project." However, the mosque will also be open to men except for Friday prayers, but all imams will be female. Though this is not for the first time when a womens mosque has opened, such mosques have also existed in China for several hundred years. Morocco in 2006 became the first Arab country to allow the training of female religious leaders. For long there has been an ongoing debate whether women can or should serve as Imams? But this can be put to tradition as Islam doesnt oppress women, neither it curbs their freedoms. We have normalized patriarchal structures in our religious institutions. Not just in Islam, but also within Judaism and Christianity and other religions. And we would like to challenge that, Khankan told to a leading daily. Khankan is a well-known author and political commentator in Denmark. She firmly believes in the teachings of Islam and highlights the feminist and reformist readings of Islam. It has also given prior importance to gender equality which she says the Copenhagen mosque will use as its foundation. Mumbai: Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor feels women in both urban and rural areas across the country are the real heroes. The 30-year-old Prem Ratan Dhan Payo actress, known for voicing her opinion on gender issues, says women in India are brave and are empowering themselves. I feel that women today, here and in Indias smaller cities, rural areas and everywhere, are our everyday heroes. They are bold, brave, standing out and empowering themselves. They are compassionate, giving and sensitive to the needs of others around, Sonam told reporters here. She will be seen in Neerja a biopic of Neerja Bhanot, a Pan Am flight attendant who died saving passengers on a hijacked plane. Sonam said Neerja represents the Indian women, who are ready to face any challenge with courage. Neerja as an empowered and brave young woman embodies the characteristics of women today... brave and ready with what life throws at you. This is what Neerja did under an extraordinary circumstance with a resolve and defiance that was parallel to none... She was speaking at the inauguration of FICI FLO Film Festival. The three-day event will showcase more than 40 films themed on women empowerment, gender equality and social change. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was present at the event, said movies should be used to spread awareness among people. People worldwide, specially in India, love, dream and idolise films. Our lives are impacted by what happens in films. Although one may say that films are based on imaginary stories but mostly they are a reflection of what has been happening in the society, he said. Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao also attended the event. Neerja, directed by Ram Madhvani, hits theatres tomorrow. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Los Angeles: Hollywood star Johnny Depp said he will again visit Australia despite his wife Amber Heard is still facing charges over its quarantine law. In April 2015, the 52-year-old actor was accused of failing to declare his two Yorkshire terriers, Boo and Pistol, when he flew into Australia on his private jet to film Walt Disney Pictures Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. When asked whether he still loves Australia, Depp said, Of course. I love Australia. think that guy, Barnaby? He invited me to stay at his house, for some reason. Barnaby Joyce, Australian Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, had said, There is a process if you want to bring animals: you get the permits, they go into quarantine and then you can have them. But if we start letting movie stars even though theyve been the Sexiest Man Alive twice to come into our nation [and break the laws], then why dont we just break the laws for everybody? For all the Latest Entertainment News, Hollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : If you are too worried about over eating, it may not entirely be your fault. There are many reasons that can make you do so. If you just cant stop yourself from eating over and over these might be the possible causes behind it. You eat your food too quickly One should eat slowly, chew each bite carefully. The act of chewing is part of the process that helps your brain realise that youre full, so the more you chew, the better. Eating from large plates and bowls If you eat from large plate or bowls chances are you will end up over eating the food. Using a smaller plate can help you cut down the amount of food you eat by 20 percent. You are stressed out When you are stressed out, you are likely to eat more food than normally you do. This happens because your body releases the hormone cortisol to keep you on your toes and ensure your survival in case youre in danger. You dont pay attention to what you eat A study conducted by researchers at Cornell University found that people who were not paying attention to what they were eating were more likely to overeat. You are probably in a messy environment A study published in the journal Environment and Behavior found that women who were in messy kitchens and felt like the situation was out of control tended to eat more than women who were in clean kitchens. For all the Latest Lifestyle News, Food News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kathmandu: Nepal government today formulated a plan of action aimed at ending the energy crisis in the country within a couple of years. The meeting of the council of ministers endorsed th action plan on ending the energy crisis period within two years, according to cabinet sources. The meeting held at the residence of Prime Minister K P Oli directed the ministry of energy to prepare concrete action plan for removing the general power shortage within a year and absolute power shortage within two years. National Energy Crisis Reduction and Electricity Development Decade was declared starting this year, said government spokesperson Sherdhan Rai. As per the plan, power outage will be ended within a year by developing solar and wind energy as well. However, within next two years, the load shedding will be solved through generating hydro-electricity. The current electricity demand in Nepal stands at 1,400 MW and the country has about 850 MW of electricity during the peak season. Nepal recently marked 105 years of construction of the first hydropower plant in the country and it is probably the first nation in Asia to produce hydropower. However, the current hydropower generation is little more than 300 MW, though Nepal has the potential to generate 83,000 MW of hydro electricity. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Children affected by Massachusetts whooping cough outbreak were all vaccinated Remember the whopping cough outbreak in the posh Cape Cod area of Massachusetts? Well, it turns out, all of the children affected by the outbreak had been vaccinated. Around 15 children at Falmouth High School reportedly contracted the respiratory illness, also known as pertussis, thereby sparking a wave of panic about a corresponding increase in vaccine exemptions. No matter how hard the mainstream media tries to cover it up, however, the truth is, those who were vaccinated were not protected at all. Are vaccine exemptions the culprit? Repeating the official narrative for CBS Boston, I-Team correspondent Lauren Leamanczyk attributed the outbreak to vaccine exemptions. She then went on to reveal apparently undisclosed data which show that vaccine exemptions have increased fourfold over the past 25 years. Of course, correlation does not necessarily imply causation. In her story, Leamanczyk quotes the words of Dr. Sharon Daly, Chief of Pediatrics at Cape Cod Hospital, who claimed that outbreaks increase when vaccination rates decrease. The implication, thus, is that the Falmouth outbreak was triggered by unvaccinated children. A few paragraphs into her story, however, Leamanczyk eventually concedes that all of the children who developed whooping cough had been vaccinated for it. Now, even if some of the unvaccinated children at school acted as carriers of the disease, the fact alone that vaccinated children only vaccinated children were actually diagnosed with the cough proves that whopping cough vaccines are a failure. Leamanczyks article even suggests that the rise in philosophical exemptions is the culprit for the outbreak, but the thing is, Massachusetts doesnt even allow for philosophical exemptions: Only religious and medical exemptions are permitted in the Bay State! As stated bluntly and correctly by Natural News: Vaccines either work or they dont. Period. Blaming unvaccinated individuals for spreading disease to vaccinated individuals makes no sense, and only further exposes the vaccine agenda for what it is: A complete myth. Whooping cough vaccines making disease more virulent If anything, vaccinated individuals are actually the ones responsible for spreading disease. In the case of whooping cough, a study out of the Netherlands found that whooping cough has mutated genetically and become more virulent as a result of whooping cough vaccines, which would explain why outbreaks are escalating. Another study published in the journal Infection Control Today admits that the vaccine strategy [has] not completely eradicated strains of the bacteria, but rather led to an increase in diversity, meaning deadlier strains that are more virulent and perhaps more contagious. Learn more about vaccines and Big Pharmas biggest deceptions by visiting TruthWiki.org. Source used: NaturalNews.com Science.NaturalNews.com Submit a correction >> Students Call Out Florida Senators Stalling Bill Recognizing Right to Carry Guns on Campus There are many things that we see in the younger generation that makes us concerned for the future of the united States. However, there are also many things that we see in the younger generation that give us hope that many will have courage when it is time to take a stand. Such an instance occurred in Florida as students are calling out state senators over the fact that they are infringing upon their rights by not acknowledging their right to keep and bear their arms on campus. One campus carry bill has already passed in the Florida State House. However, a companion Senate bill has been put on the backburner, even though it has a couple of committee endorsements. So, who is to blame in the matter? Apparently it is Senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla (R-Miami). Guns.com reported in January: A Miami area Republican is refusing to schedule a hearing on a proposal to allow concealed carry on public college and university campuses. The measure, backed by State Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker, had already won approval from the Criminal Justice and Higher Education committees but is stalling in the Judiciary Committee where the chair, Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, is refusing to schedule a hearing on the bill. Last April, de la Portilla did much the same thing to stop the progress of a similar bill by Evers saying at the time, there doesnt seem to be too much support for that bill. Now, a student group is calling him and other senators out. In an open letter from Bekah Hargrove, state director for Florida Students for Concealed Carry, she wrote, Senator Diaz de la Portilla has taken it upon himself to unilaterally decide the future of a bipartisan bill that the vast majority of legislative members support. He has made a mockery of the American legislative branch and turned Floridas legislative process into a one-man show, without respect for the safety of college students. In fact, Senator Diaz de la Portilla has continued to ignore campus rape survivor, Shayna Lopez-Rivas who has been attempting to schedule a short meeting with him since October of 2015, the letter continued. She asserts that if she had been old enough to have a gun and if she had been allowed to carry on campus, she never would have been raped. Yet Senator Diaz de la Portilla does not want to give her the time of day, so she has made all of her emails to him public on social media in an effort to share her story. According to Ms. Lopez-Rivas, Senator Portilla would rather have me be raped again than even schedule a bill. Hargrove claims that the Florida senator is ignoring his job description by ignoring his role as a servant to the people and refusing meetings with the bill sponsors. While Hargrove acknowledged that the senator could vote no on campus carry, he should at least put the bill up for a vote. However, if he is unwilling to do that, Hargrove writes, He should be removed from his office. Finally, she called out those complicity with Senator Portilla. If this type of behavior is permitted to continue, the legislative system will be fundamentally changed forever. Senator Diaz de la Portilla represents exactly what is wrong in politics and the people must not let him continue to act as judge, jury, and executioner. Senate President Andy Gardiner is just as much to blame. Senator Gardiner has the power to ensure the campus carry bill gets a vote, but refuses to do anything and uses Senator Diaz de la Portilla as a scapegoat. She then asked that others contact the senators to voice their opinion. Senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla [email protected] Phone: 850-487-5040 Senate President Andy Gardiner [email protected] Phone: 850-487-5013 Submit a correction >> Why does the U.N. care more about climate change than issues like child marriages around the world? The United Nations, along with various world leaders, have often met to discuss an issue that no one on the planet has ever proven exists: man-caused climate change. In fact, the U.N. just sponsored a massive gathering in Paris, France, to highlight the supposed issue, where leaders like President Obama committed their countries to global carbon reduction goals that are both unnecessary and unrealistic, given the current depressed state of the world economy. Clearly the U.N. and Obama, and most other Left-wing leaders all over the world care about this climate change issue. But arent there more important issues in the world that deserve their attention issues that are not only appalling but also real? You know like the issue of middle-aged men marrying 12 year old girls? A real issue Yes, that really happens. And whats more, it happens a lot so much so that entire organizations have formed to combat it. As reported by the UKs Mirror, so-called child marriages were highlighted in a video recently that has been viewed nearly two million times and has utterly shocked the civilized parts of the world. To highlight the problem, one group recently made a video in Lebanon and many passersby who did not know it was a staged event voiced outrage. The paper, on its web site, reported: A little girl of 12-years-old, wearing make-up, poses for photographs as she appears to marry a middle-aged man in this shocking wedding video. This horrifying footage also seems to show her suit-clad husband, who is at least four decades older than her, clinging on to her. Shot in Lebanon, the video has sparked an international outcry. Again, though, the supposed child bride and her groom were actors that had been hired by the activist group KAFA, which means enough in Arabic. The Mirror reported that a video of the fake wedding amassed in excess of 1.7 million views following its release. The video offers a glimpse into a world where thousands of young Lebanese, Syrian and other girls are forced into marriage, and often the groom is far, far older than his bride. In fact, the report said, nearly 15 million girls some as young as eight years old have been forced to marry men that are sometimes in their 60s and 70s. Indeed, the United Nations Population Fund says that more than 1.2 billion girls will be forced into child marriage by 2050. The practice itself is shocking Since the release of the video, the Lebanese government has introduced legislation it hopes to pass that would require all marriages to be registered in an attempt to outlaw underage marriage. At present in the country, parents can give permission for their children to marry as young as nine; a girl herself can give consent on her own at age 14. Activist Maya Ammar said the video was meant to be compelling. The scene [showing the child marriage] was supposed to seem shocking because the practice itself is shocking, she said, the Mirror reported. Some experts who study the issue say that its possible one-third of girls from low- to middle-income families are married before they turn 18 years old. And whats more, a third of those are believed to be of an age less than 15. When shooting the video, a number of passers-by expressed shock and outrage over the alleged marriage. Many were threatening the older groom, who would often tell those who complained that it was none of their business. The law allows this, he says at one point. Her parents gave permission. What law? responds a women whose face is blurred out. Her parents are criminals. Shes 12. Shes like my daughter. Im taking her with me, she said. Girls as young as 12 can be married in Trinidad and Tobago, while in Syria the law permits 13-year-olds to be married. In the U.S., the age is 18 without parental consent; in Massachusetts, however, girls as young as 12 and boys as young as 14 can marry with parental consent, while in Texas the age is 14 for girls but 18 for boys. So far, no global conference on finding ways to prevent child marriage has been sponsored by the U.N., however. Sources: The Mirror United Nations The Vatican Submit a correction >> DANBURY The record-breaking cold last weekend led to the busiest couple of days this winter for city firefighters, but for the most part, they werent fighting fires. Crews answered at least 18 calls for broken water pipes and eight for broken sprinkler systems from Saturday to Monday, Assistant Fire Chief Mark Omasta said. Folks call the Fire Department when theyre not sure what else to do, he said. Yes, when we get the call, we show up. Omasta said the department makes sure residents are safe, but property owners are responsible for any repairs. We try to mitigate any hazards, he added, We shut off water and make sure electricity is off. Then folks need to get a plumber. Most of the buildings affected in Danbury this week were businesses and apartment complexes, Omasta said. Including medical calls, fires and accidents, the Danbury Fire Department had more than 160 emergency calls during that time period. Of those, only two involved fires. Danbury broke a 1979 record Sunday when temperatures dipped below zero into the negative double digits, according to the Connecticut Weather Center. Meteorologists recorded -10 degrees around 6:30 a.m., breaking the old record of -6 degrees. With sub-zero temperatures, water in unprotected pipes and meters can freeze and expand within hours. Pipes running through uninsulated exterior walls or other unheated spaces usually are at the highest risk, although pipes in heated rooms also can freeze if exposed to cold drafts, according to a warning issued last week by Aquarion Water Co. Frozen pipes can then burst and require expensive repair work. noliveira@newstimes.com, 203-731-3411, @olivnelson This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Republican presidential candidates and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are all feeling the Bern, according to a Quinnipiac University National poll released Thursday. American voters back Sanders over all GOP candidates by margins of 4 to 10 percentage points in head-to-head presidential matchups, according to a Quinnipiac University National poll released Thursday. The closest Republican contender is Ohio Gov. John Kasich who trails Sanders 45 - 41 percent. Sanders standing against GOP presidential candidates is better than Clinton, who trails or ties leading Republicans in the November face-off, the Hamden, Conn-based university poll found. Sanders has the highest favorability rating of any candidate and the highest scores for honesty and integrity, for caring about voters' needs and problems and for sharing voters' values. He ties Clinton and Trump on having strong leadership qualities and falls behind Clinton and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on having the right kind of experience to be president. It's certainly Sen. Bernie Sanders' moment. The Vermont firebrand leads all potential GOP rivals in raw numbers and raw emotion with the best scores for favorability and several key character traits, Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, said in a statement about the latest poll. The candidate running best against Sanders is Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and he's in fourth place with 6 percent in the Republican presidential pack, unlikely to make it to the main event, Malloy said Sanders has a lackluster 51 percent favorability rating, but that's better than all the rest. Most of the top candidates have negative scores." The poll also found Sanders campaign would be hurt if former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg enters the race as a third-party candidate against him and Donald Trump or Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. A Bloomberg run would hurt Sanders more than either Republican, the poll found. Presidential matchups among American voters show: Sanders over Trump 48 - 42 percent; Sanders tops Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas 49 - 39 percent; Sanders leads Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida 47 - 41 percent; Sanders beats Bush 49 - 39 percent; Sanders edges Kasich 45 - 41 percent. Clinton with 44 percent to Trump's 43 percent; Cruz with 46 percent to Clinton's 43 percent; Rubio topping Clinton 48 - 41 percent; Bush at 44 percent to Clinton's 43 percent; Kasich beating Clinton 47 - 39 percent. If Bloomberg mounts a third party run, results are: Sanders and Trump tied 38 - 38 percent, with 12 percent for Bloomberg; Sanders tops Cruz 39 - 33 percent, with 14 percent for Bloomberg. To read the complete findings of the poll: http://www.quinnipiac.edu/news-and-events/quinnipiac-university-poll/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2324 When you think entrepreneur, who comes to mind? For many, the word conjures images of Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel and Elizabeth Holmes, high-profile millennials who launched their companies in their teens or early 20s. But are these young founders emblematic of their generation as a whole? A recent study by the Small Business Administrations Office of Advocacy suggests that despite the much-publicized number of young people dropping out of college to start their own businesses, fewer millennials are actually choosing an entrepreneurial path than in previous generations. For example, in 2014 -- according to data from the U.S. Census -- less than 2 percent of millennials said they were self-employed. Thats less than a third of the rates of entrepreneurship among generation X (7.6 percent) and baby boomers (8.3 percent). As the study is careful to point out, part of this discrepancy can be attributed to millennials youth. In general, older, more established and connected individuals are more likely to start their own business than younger ones, with self-employment rates peaking at 53. Related: 5 Facts About Evan Spiegel, Snapchat's Often Controversial Co-Founder The age factor doesnt explain away everything, however. At age 30, 6.7 percent of baby boomers (those born between 1944 to 1962) were self-employed. For generation X (those born from 1963 to 1981), that rate crept down slightly to 5.4 percent. And then we have those pesky millennials. At age 30, only 4 percent report being self-employed. In fact, when it comes to entrepreneurship, rates are noticeably slumping across the board -- except for those 50 and over, the only demographic to see a slight uptick in self-employed rates from 1988 to 2014. So what gives? Why arent more millennials following in the path of the Zuck? There are multiple compelling possible reasons, including the hypothesis that after entering the job market during the financial crisis, millennials are more risk averse than previous generations. And while millennials are better educated than those that came before, they are also strapped with higher amounts of college debt, which makes borrowing more money to start a venture more difficult. Considering all these factors, its not fair to blame millennials for failing to start businesses at rates enjoyed by previous generations. Despite their entitled reputation, in many ways millennials were handed a raw deal. Still, declining rates in self-employment in the demographic is a problem, not just for millennials but for future demographics (sorry, generation Z). Entrepreneurs, after all, create jobs. Just ask Mark Zuckerberg. Last we checked, Facebooks full-time employee count was north of 12,500. Related: Stop Calling 20- and 30-Something's 'Entitled' Related: An SME Lending Specialist The Automation Expert A Start-up Data Miner Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BETHEL An increased demand for medical offices has prompted a local real estate firm to create a team specializing in the health care sector. Members of the medical community can sometimes find it very difficult to navigate the real estate world, said Stacey Terezakis, an associate with Connecticut Healthcare Realty, which was formed by Scalzo Group. By using our experience and understanding their unique needs, we can help those in the medical industry navigate the waters. Paul Scazlo, president of Bethel-based Scalzo real estate group, said the idea for the new division began more than a year ago after they hired Patricia Voorhees, a former GE Capital executive who specializes in mergers and acquisitions. After conducting a study on the area, Scalzo said, Voorhees saw the writing on the wall. There really is tremendous growth in the medical industry today, driven in part by the aging demographics of the region, Scalzo said. We decided to form a group and put together the kind of tools that could provide unique services to those in the industry. With a number of deals already in the works, Scalzo said the new team will be meeting next week with an undisclosed Fairfield County hospital about a new 25,000 square foot facility in the region. Theyve also assisted a number of smaller practices including dentist offices and ophthalmology services. Terezakis noted that many of these smaller practices are moving closer to the communities they serve and into spaces once reserved for more traditional retail operations. That provides a really unique set of challenges for those in the medical industry, she said. Besides the zoning that can come into play, there is also the issue of fitting out the space for the needs of the medical practice, which can include a complex system of water, sewer and IT infrastructure to accommodate the business and the various exam rooms and other equipment that will be needed. Norm Urquhart, a real estate agent working with the team, said having retail space often provides additional value for medical facilities because they dont have to lease square footage associated with a lobby, hallway or elevator space typically found in an office building set up. That could shave as much as 20 percent off a potential lease, he said. Morris Gross, vice president of facilities and corporate real estate for the Western Connecticut Health Network, said additional parking often required by towns for medical offices is also a unique factor in the medical industry. The medical world is clearly shifting nationally from more inpatient services to more outpatient services, and the providers want to be in the community and very accessible to the public, he said. People like Scalzo who have been taking the proactive steps and put a team of professionals into place who have this kind of experience makes it a lot easier for people like me. When someone has a need, they already understand all the details. dperrefort@newstimes.com; Approval based on pivotal Phase III RESPONSE trial that showed patients achieved hematocrit control without phlebotomy2 DORVAL, QC, Feb. 18, 2016 /CNW/ - Health Canada has approved Jakavi (ruxolitinib), for the control of hematocrit in adult patients with polycythemia vera (PV) resistant to or intolerant of a cytoreductive agent. Jakavi is the first targeted treatment approved for this type of blood cancer, a myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN). PV is an incurable condition that causes an over-production of blood cells.3 Without treatment to slow down the production of blood cells, PV can lead to serious complications such as heart failure, heart attack and stroke.3 "Some patients with PV become resistant or intolerant to a cytoreductive therapy. There are no standard treatments for these patients, and this is an area of unmet clinical need," said Dr. Vikas Gupta, Director of the Elizabeth and Tony Comper MPN Program at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto and President of the Canadian MPN Group. "This approval is good news for patients with PV and extends the role of ruxolitinib in the management of MPNs." "PV patients have been waiting a long time for a new treatment option. The approval of Jakavi in the PV setting in Canada is a step forward in the right direction for patients. We look forward to this new treatment being made available to patients through provincial drug plans as quickly as possible," said Cheryl Petruk, President of MPN Network of Canada, a group supporting Canadians with PV and other myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), a group of blood cancers that originate in the bone marrow where blood cells are created.4 About the RESPONSE study The approval of Jakavi is based on clinical efficacy in patients with polycythemia vera demonstrated in a Phase III study (RESPONSE) versus best available therapy (BAT). A higher proportion of patients in the Jakavi group achieved the primary composite endpoint and each of its individual components. Significantly more patients in the Jakavi group (20.9%) compared to the BAT group (0.9%) achieved the primary composite endpoint (p<0.0001). Hematocrit control was achieved in 60% of patients in the Jakavi group compared to 19.6% in the BAT group and 35% reduction in spleen volume was achieved in 38.2% of patients in the Jakavi group compared to 0.9% in the BAT group.2 Both key secondary endpoints were also met: The proportion of patients achieving a complete hematologic remission at week 32 was 23.6% in the Jakavi group compared to 8.9% in the BAT group (p=0.0028), and the proportion of patients achieving a durable primary response at week 48 was 19.1% in the Jakavi group and 0.9% in the BAT group (p<0.0001), which represent 91.3% (n=21/n=23) of patients in the Jakavi group who achieved the primary endpoint at week 32 and maintained it at week 48.2 About polycythemia vera (PV) Polycythemia vera (PV) is an incurable blood cancer associated with an overproduction of blood cells in the bone marrow.4 PV affects roughly 47 to 57 people per 100,000 in the United States5 which is approximately 17,000 to 20,000 people in Canada.6 The disease is driven by the dysregulation of the JAK-STAT pathway7 and is typically characterized by elevated hematocrit, the volume percentage of red blood cells in whole blood, which can lead to a thickening of the blood and an increased risk of blood clots, as well as an elevated white blood cell and platelet count.4 If left untreated, this can cause serious cardiovascular complications, such as stroke and heart attack,3 resulting in increased morbidity and mortality.8 Patients with PV may have an enlarged spleen and symptoms that are frequent and burdensome, and can develop myelofibrosis.3 About Jakavi The Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) pathway regulates blood cell production and is known to play a key role in the underlying mechanism of PV.7 Jakavi specifically targets the JAK-STAT pathway. The recommended starting dose of Jakavi in PV is based on platelet count and is 10 mg given orally twice daily for counts greater than 200,000/mm3 and 5 mg given orally twice daily for platelet counts between 50,000 and <100,000/mm3 ; doses may be titrated based on safety and efficacy.2 Jakavi is also approved in Canada for the treatment of splenomegaly and/or its associated symptoms in adult patients with primary myelofibrosis (also known as chronic idiopathic myelofibrosis), post-polycythemia vera myelofibrosis or post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis. It is available in four strengths; 5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg and 20 mg tablets.2 Jakavi is approved in more than 80 countries for patients with myelofibrosis and in the European Union for PV.9 Important Safety Information Jakavi can cause serious side effects, including a decrease in blood cell count and infections. Complete blood count monitoring is recommended. Dose reduction or interruption may be required in patients with any hepatic impairment or severe renal impairment or in patients developing hematologic adverse reactions such as thrombocytopenia, anemia and neutropenia. Dose reductions are also recommended when Jakavi is co-administered with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors or moderate CYP3A4 and CYP2C9 inhibitors. Rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, severe lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption. Patients receiving Jakavi should be monitored for non-melanoma skin cancer, pulse rate, blood pressure and hemorrhage. Use of Jakavi during use of contraception in women of childbearing potential, pregnancy is not recommended, and women should avoid becoming pregnant during Jakavi therapy. Women taking Jakavi should not breast feed. Appropriate precautions from male patients should be taken to avoid fathering a patient during treatment. The most frequently reported hematological adverse reactions in patients with polycythemia vera (any CTCAE grade, N=110 patients from Jakavi arm of RESPONSE) included anemia (43.6%) and thrombocytopenia (24.5%). The four most frequent non-hematologic adverse reactions reported at a higher frequency in the Jakavi group than in the BAT group were diarrhea (14.5%), muscle spasm (11.8%), dizziness (11.8%) and dyspnea (10.0%) respectively. The most frequent non-hematological laboratory abnormalities (any CTCAE grade) in the Jakavi group were hypercholesterolemia (30.0%), gamma glutamyl transferase (Hyper) (29.1%), bicarbonate (Hypo) (28.2%), lipase (Hyper) (28.2%), raised alanine aminotransferase (22.7%), glucose (Hypo) (22.7%), and raised aspartate aminotransferase (20.9%) respectively. For additional product information, please refer to the Jakavi Canadian Product Monograph. Disclaimer The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by words such as "hope," "will," "as soon as possible," "expected," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential additional marketing approvals or new indications or labeling for Jakavi, or regarding potential future revenues from Jakavi. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of management regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that Jakavi will be submitted or approved for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Neither can there be any guarantee that Jakavi will be submitted or approved for sale in any additional markets or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that Jakavi will be commercially successful in the future, or will achieve any particular level of revenue. In particular, management's expectations regarding Jakavi could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including unexpected clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; unexpected regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; the company's ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; general economic and industry conditions; global trends toward health care cost containment, including ongoing pricing pressures and reimbursement issues; unexpected safety issues; unexpected manufacturing issues, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. About Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., a leader in the healthcare field, is committed to the discovery, development and marketing of innovative products to improve the well-being of all Canadians. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. employs approximately 700 people in Canada. For further information, please consult www.novartis.ca. Located in Dorval, Quebec, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. is an affiliate of Novartis AG, which provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, eye care and cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals. Novartis is the only global company with leading positions in these areas. In 2014, the Group achieved net sales of USD 58.0 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.9 billion (USD 9.6 billion excluding impairment and amortization charges). Novartis Group companies employ approximately 120,000 full-time equivalent associates. Novartis products are available in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com. Jakavi is a registered trademark of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. References: 1 MPN Research Foundation, Polycythemia Vera (PV), What is PV? Accessed February 5, 2016 at: http://www.mpnresearchfoundation.org/Polycythemia-Vera--28PV-29 2 Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., JAKAVI (ruxolitinib tablets) Product Monograph, November 23, 2015, pp 35-37, page 20, page 3. 3 National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. What Is Polycythemia Vera? Accessed February 5, 2016 at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/poly/ 4 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Polycythemia Vera Facts. Available at: http://www.lls.org/content/nationalcontent/resourcecenter/freeeducationmaterials/mpd/pdf/polycythemiavera.pdf. Accessed on February 5, 2016. 5 Mehta J, Wang H, Iqbal SU, Mesa R. Epidemiology of myeloproliferative neoplasms in the United States. Leuk Lymphoma. 2014 Mar; 55(3):595-600. Accessed February 5, 2016 at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23768070 6 Statistics Canada, Canada's population estimates, first quarter 2015. Accessed February 5, 2016 at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/150617/dq150617c-eng.htm 7 Schafer AI. Molecular Basis of the Diagnosis and Treatment of Polycythemia Vera and Essential Thrombocythemia. Blood. 2006; 107(11):4214-4222. 8 Finazzi G and Barbui T. How I Treat Patients with Polycythemia Vera. Blood. 2007; 109(12):5104-5111. 9 Novartis International AG, Press Release, Novartis receives EU approval for Jakavi in polycythemia vera, first targeted therapy approved for patients with this rare blood cancer, March 17, 2015. Accessed February 5, 2016, at: https://www.novartis.com/news/media-releases/novartis-receives-eu-approval-jakavi%C2%AE-polycythemia-vera-first-targeted-therapy SOURCE Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. For further information: Novartis Media Relations: Daphne Weatherby, Novartis Pharma Communications, +1 514 633 7873, [email protected], +1 514 234 4095, [email protected] WHY RAND PAUL LOST; WHY FREEDOM IS FALTERING By Chuck Baldwin February 18, 2016 NewsWithViews.com Name whatever strengths and weaknesses one wants to ascribe to the other presidential candidates, but the only constitutionalist in the race was Senator Rand Paul. And now that he has suspended his campaign, it leaves the field void of a voice for constitutionalism. As I have said repeatedly, the only litmus test that the American electorate should have for supporting or not supporting a candidate for federal office is whether or not that candidate will preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States--including the Bill of Rights--and the principles contained in the Declaration of Independence. Everything else is way down the list of importance. Religion, race, party label, business experience, personal wealth, likeability, etc., mean nothing compared to ones fidelity to Americas founding documents and principles. The reason America is in the miserable shape its in today is primarily because the American electorate is itself mostly ignorant of constitutional principles and, therefore, is either incapable or unwilling to hold their civil magistrates accountable to the Constitution. And, yes, the biggest reason for this vast ignorance and indifference is that the pulpits of America have abandoned the principles of Natural and Revealed Law upon which our founding documents were founded and framed. Recently, Paul Craig Roberts asked the biting question, Are Americans Too Insouciant To Survive? A very real possibility exists that they are. See Dr. Roberts column here. But the problem is more than mere insouciance. There has been a dramatic shift in philosophy in the so-called freedom movement since Ron Pauls presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012. Where once the cry was we want to return government to the Constitution, now the cry is we want to get rid of government altogether. Jason Charles recently wrote an excellent column in this regard: The reason Rand Paul failed was because he attempted the impossible. He tried to maintain as best as possible a purist approach toward the constitutional principles his father used to attract so many people to the liberty movement in the first place, all the while also trying to appease the GOP gatekeepers. There is no question that the GOP saw the Ron Paul revolution as a threat to their big government hegemony, their military adventurism, corporate fascism and Wall Street cronyism. He simply was and is too much like his father for the GOP elite to stomach knowing full well he would work to dismantle their power systems from inside. The GOP power-base has never been in the people; it has always resided in the corporate fascist superstructure called the American empire. By playing ball with the GOP in the way of establishment endorsements, he lost his father's base years ago, and by going against the establishment in the way of NSA spying, the wars abroad, the Federal Reserve, drones, and the War on Drugs he was fighting a losing battle in the GOP. His presidential campaign was quite literally a no win situation for no other reason than the political landscape has changed greatly since his father ran. Charles goes on to say: Many in the movement who used to be proponents of the constitutional system are now unabashedly anti-government. Though they will attempt to give you philosophical arguments as to why we don't need a government of any sort what they are really doing is lashing out at a system they feel has failed to make room at the table for their ideas. What these young people suffer from is a severe case of old fashioned butt-hurt, and they are seeking alternative ideas that de-emphasize political solutions as a means of winning back our country. The proponents of anarchism have filled the void left by the Ron Paul Revolution with hate for government and as a result this disillusionment with the political process has devolved into pure unadulterated anarchism. The biggest problem with anarchism is not that it isn't reasoned in its arguments, quite the contrary; there are many well-spoken and articulate proponents of anarchist principles. The main problem is it becomes a breeding ground for anti-authoritarian, anti-government hate. The liberty movement has digressed into pure anti-authoritarianism having forsaken the constitutional solutions advocated by Ron and Rand Paul for the last 12 years. The total distrust for government has reached a climax in this country, and we are seeing the fabric of society begin to fray and devolve into balkanized groups of blacks against whites, whites against Mexicans and Muslims, liberals against conservatives, and males against females. Every one of these groups has descended into a mob mentality, and feel government is only good when their ideology and power-block is in control. So whether you are talking about the Black Lives Matter groups, the illegal alien mass migration, or the disenfranchised tea party constitutionalists, all are feeling government has abandoned them and have caused irrevocable harm towards their lives and well being and thus they all have consciously or subconsciously taken on an anti-authoritarian/anti-government bent. There simply is no political solution being advocated by any of these groups which makes for a very dangerous political climate. It truly is an us-against-them mentality. [Tens] of millions [of people] in this country . . . have a disdain for government and authority. See the column here. To be sure, many within government have contributed significantly to the distrust and unrest Charles references above. NO DOUBT. There have been far too many examples of government abuse, cover-up, and deceit over the past several decades. Further exacerbating the situation is that the various branches of government that were designed to serve as a check and balance to the abuses committed by the other branches have refused to fulfill their constitutional functions. In addition, the vast majority of State governments have abdicated their guardianship of the liberties of the people of their states against federal usurpation. Plus, the mainstream media and church pulpits have largely abdicated their role of watchmen over the peoples liberties. Therefore, the frustration, distrust, and unrest being felt among large segments of the population (left and right, black and white, etc.) is very legitimate. The problem arises when people abandon peaceful, lawful, moral, and constitutional solutions. And, unfortunately, I sense that the so-called liberty movement is more and more being taken over by anti-government haters and hotheads who truly oppose ALL government--not just civil government. This does not bode well for the future of our movement or our country. As I documented in this column on February 11, 2016, the U.S. Justice Department is already ramping up anti-terrorism policies to bring so-called domestic terrorists into the same legal classification as Islamic terrorists. The broad, undefined, and subjective term of material support is all that is necessary for American citizens to be categorized as terrorists under these new federal protocols. See my February 11 column here. Add to the above the fact that the U.S. military has specific units devoted to the task of using the Internet and social media as a propaganda vehicle to manipulate (and no doubt to provoke and incite--or to identify, as they would say it) anti-government haters. No doubt, this is for the purpose of utilizing the new terrorist protocols against them. Of course, these government provocateurs can then use their toady friends in the news media and in radical left-wing groups such as the SPLC to brand all of us with the tainted and disgraced ensign of the government haters. See these reports. [Report one] [Report two] Therefore, if the freedom movement is going to have any success moving forward, it must distinguish and separate itself from the anti-government haters who, wittingly or unwittingly, are trying to take all of us into a downward spiral of an unconstitutional, unlawful, and immoral conflict with God-ordained authority. Let me be clear: Americas form of government (a constitutional republic) is the greatest form of government ever invented by man. From the preaching of the Colonial pastors, to the patience and restraint of the colonists even after the Boston Massacre, to the battles of Lexington and Concord, to the forming of a Continental Congress, to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, to the establishment of our U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights: our founders were divinely led. They did not act as a mob. They had the approbation of both Natural and Revealed Law and acted as a Body Politic. As a result, they enjoyed the propitious smile of Heaven on their sacrifice. And the peace, prosperity, and liberty that their posterity has enjoyed--even to this very moment--is the result of the thoughtful, deliberate, reasoned, disciplined, and just manner in which they proceeded. We cannot even begin to entertain the notion of revolution until we have an understanding of, respect for, and commitment to the immutable principles of liberty to which all peoples and nations are held accountable. Finding examples of corruption and injustice within government is EASY. The hard part is having the reason and wisdom to know what is the right thing to do about it. And for that to take place, we need the instruction of those who successfully paved the path of liberty before us. The last thing we need is a bunch of hotheads and anti-government haters to speak for us. The Ron Paul Revolution of 2008 and 2012 was just; it was lawful. It brought our country to the precipice of real and lasting change for the better. Plus, knowing Ron Paul personally, I can attest that he is one of the kindest and most compassionate men I have ever met. He is filled with love; there is not a hateful bone in his body. Ron Pauls legacy is currently being threatened by a spirit of anti-government hatred that has poisoned the liberty movement--including the hearts of many professing Christians within the movement. In short, the Ron Paul Revolution has been supplanted. The spirit of hatred among so-called Christians is being manifested in many ways: hatred against Muslims; hatred against minorities; hatred against civil government in general; hatred against anyone who disagrees with them; ad infinitum. Sadly, I blame Christians--and especially pastors--the most for denying our country the amazing opportunity it had to lawfully and radically resurrect Americas undergirding principles of liberty that Ron Paul represented. Ron was not defeated by the Republican establishment, though they did everything in their power to defeat him. He was not defeated by the mainstream media, though they did more than their fair share to defeat him. He was defeated by Americas pastors and churches. Can one imagine what life would be like in America (and around the world) today had Ron Paul been President of the United States for these past almost eight years instead of Barack Obama? Oh! What a thought! Obviously, Ron Pauls voice in Congress was the glue, as well as the guiding light, that held the liberty movement intact and on track. Currently, both Donald Trump (from the right) and Bernie Sanders (from the left) are the ones who are reaping the political benefits of the frustration, distrust, and unrest being felt by a large host of the American citizenry. Unfortunately, neither of these men has Ron Pauls constitutional acumen or commitment. Sadder still is the way the Ron Paul Revolution is being hijacked by anti-government haters who are doing more to facilitate and enable those forces that are looking for an excuse to further erode our liberties than they are to help preserve our liberties. If liberty is to peacefully survive in this country, true freedomists must quickly distinguish and separate themselves from these anti-government haters and hotheads and find a way to reclaim and explain the just and lawful principles of constitutionalism that Ron Paul, and so many of us, fought so hard for. P.S. I recently delivered what I believe is one of the most important messages I have ever brought. It is entitled The Right Of Revolution As Justified In Natural And Revealed Law. The DVD of this critical message is absent my personal commentary on recent events and contains only the Biblical and Natural Law principles that have been so long forgotten and that are so desperately needed. I urge readers to get this DVD. To order my sermon DVD The Right Of Revolution As Justified In Natural And Revealed Law, click here. President Muhammadu Buhari today appointed Mr. Tolu Ogunlesi as his Special Assistant on Digital/New Media. The appointment was contain... The appointment was contained in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina.Ogunlesi, who is a renowned blogger and journalist, graduated from the University of Ibadan in 2004, and obtained a Masters degree in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, UK, in 2011.Before his appointment, Ogunlesi had worked as a Features Editor and Editorial Board member of NEXT Newspaper. He also worked as a West Africa Editor for The Africa Report magazine from 2014 to 2015.Ogunlesi is a two-time winner of the CNN Multichoice African Journalism Awards, and a 2015 New Media Fellow of the United States State Departments International Visitor Leadership Programme.Adesina said Ogunlesi will be assisted by Bashir Ahmad, who is a Personal Assistant to the President on New Media. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Thursday asked the Federal High Court in Lagos to make an order empowering it to seiz... The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Thursday asked the Federal High Court in Lagos to make an order empowering it to seize all assets belonging to a former Niger Delta militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo).It sought an order authorising it to attach the properties belonging to Tompolo by seizure pending his arrest or appearance in court for arraignment.The commission said since the court ordered Tompolos arrest, the combined team of the police and the military have been combing the creeks in search of him to no avail.The property, as listed by EFCC, include 1, Chief Agbamu Close DDPA Extension Warri (Effurun), Delta State; properties of Mieka Dive Ltd and Mieka Dive Training Institute Ltd at No. 77, Lioth Street, ODPA Ugborikoko, Uvwie Local Government Area, Delta State, and all properties of Global West Vessel Specialist Ltd.Others are all properties of Muhaabix Global Services Ltd, a River Crew Change Boat named MUHA 15, property known as Tompolo Dockyard by the end of Enerhen Road, Effurun, Warri, and property known as Tompolo Yard, at the end of Chevron Clinic Road, next to Next Oil, Edjeba, Warri.The rest are the Diving School at Kurutie, at Escravos River, property known as Tompolo House at Oporaza Town, opposite the Palace, as well as any other property discovered by EFCC, moveable and immoveable, belonging to Tompolo.The application, filed by EFCC lawyer Festus Keyamo, is dated February 18.EFCC said rather than present himself to the court, Tompolo engaged the services of Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), who sought to quash the order of arrest.Since the order for the arrest of the first accused person (Tompolo), the combined team of the Nigerian police and the military has been combing the creeks and the entire nation for the arrest of the 1st accused person, but he continues to abscond and conceal himself, EFCC said.The commission said its operatives carried out investigation and received intelligence report that the properties belong to Tompolo.Justice Ibrahim Buba had on January 14 ordered Tompolos arrest. He renewed the order on February 8.He later dismissed Tompolos application seeking to quash the warrant of arrest.EFCC, in the 40-count, said 47-year-old Tompolo is wanted in a case of conspiracy, illegal diversion of N34 billion and N11.9 billion belonging to the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).The money, the prosecution said, accrued from the public private partnership agreement between NIMASA and Global West Vessel Specialist Limited.The alleged offence contravenes Section 15 (1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.EFCC said since the issuance of the warrant of arrest, Tompolo has absconded and concealed himself from all security forces in the country to frustrate the execution of the warrant of arrest.The case comes up Friday. Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has said the capital projects embarked upon by his administration, including an airstrip are not... Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has said the capital projects embarked upon by his administration, including an airstrip are not only timely, but are meeting peoples needs, contrary to the claim by a former governor of the state, Otunba Niyi Adebayo. Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Iidowu Adelusi, in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday, the governor said the claim by Adebayo in Abuja on Tuesday that the airstrip project was ill-timed was borne out of malice because Adebayo failed to utiilise the opportunity given him by the people of the state by executing projects he (Adebayo) could be remembered for.Ekiti people should thank God that the APC people left this State, if not, this state would have collapsed. I learned that they have resurrected and then met in Abuja. Let them gang up again, I will floor them come 2018. I am their headache and their game plan is to be lying against me. Let them keep lying. If they have anything incriminating against me, they would have published it. But they dont have anything, thats why they resorted to fabricating lies to assist them.The governor noted that all the states created at the same time with Ekiti 20 years ago have either built an airport or airstrip. The governor said when he conceived the idea to dualise Ado township roads, this same opposition party, then known as the Alliance for Democracy (AD), said the project was ill-timed and not well conceived, but the people of the state are now enjoying the amenities. Let us do a comparison between the former All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administrations in Ekiti State and point out which has enhanced or retarded the progress of the state. Niyi Adebayo and Kayode Fayemi administrations plunged the state into debt. Hardly can you identify any project done by the APC led government, yet the state was plunged into huge debt. If anybody is not happy with my administation, they are the APC members who Ekiti people stopped from further plundering the state by voting them out on June 21, 2014.Despite the huge debt we met, the state has progressed and we have embarked on numerous capital projects such as the Funmilayo Olayinka Women Centre, the extension of the dualisation of the Ado-Ikere Road, the construction of a modern and befitting Ojaba Market.We will soon embark on the flyover project in Fajuyi area of Ado-Ekiti. We have done roads in Petim area of Ado, De Head-Police headquarters, Erio township road, Afao Road, the dualisation of Awedele Road among others.We know that APC leaders are stunned and dazed that there is no way they can stop our wheel of progress.Let them continue to gather together and they will be scattered because the people of the state have rejected them, he said. Governor Fayose added that he and his party, the PDP, are not afr aid of the 2018 governorship poll in the state, since the people are solidly behind him and the party.Meantime, a chieftain of the APC, Mr. Olusegun Osinkolu, has said the reconciliation meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday, where all interested parties in Ekiti State chapter of the APC resolved to subsume their groups into APC and pay total loyalty to the party, signaled that the end will surely come for Governor Ayodele Fayoses reign in Ekiti politics in 2018. A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday further adjourned hearing in a suit filed by Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, to challenge ... A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday further adjourned hearing in a suit filed by Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, to challenge the propriety of the charges of false assets declaration instituted against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.The Supreme Court had in its judgment delivered on February 5, validated the charges filed against the Senate President and his trial before the CCT.The CCT had also after the judgment of the Supreme Court fixed March 10 for the Senate Presidents trial to resume.But despite the recent developments, the resolve of the Senate President to pursue his case before the Federal High Court in Abuja remained firm on Thursday as his lawyer, Mr. Ajibola Oluyede, urged the presiding judge, Justice Abdukadir Abdu-Kafarati, to direct that the matter should proceed to hearing.But the judge said the case by his record was not fixed for hearing, rather for report of service.The case was adjourned till March 1 for hearing. Kogi State Governor, Mr. Yahaya Bello, on Thursday met President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. That was the first ... Kogi State Governor, Mr. Yahaya Bello, on Thursday met President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.That was the first time Bello would be meeting the President publicly since his recent inauguration as the state governor.He arrived the Presidential Villa at a time Buhari was meeting the nations service chief and the Inspector-General of Police.The governor waited patiently for the meeting to end before he met with the President.The meeting lasted for about 20 minutes.As he emerged from the Presidents office, Bello joined some Muslim faithful to pray inside the Villas mosque located behind the Presidents office.After the prayer session, Bello declined comment when State House correspondents approached him for an interview. Troops of 7 Division Garrison comprising 112 Battalion and Armed Forces Special Forces Battalion yesterday carried out a joint clearanc... Troops of 7 Division Garrison comprising 112 Battalion and Armed Forces Special Forces Battalion yesterday carried out a joint clearance patrol on suspected Boko Haram terrorists locations at Kwaptara, Mijigete, Garin Boka, Mosole, Ngubdori, Maasa, Dukje and Gulumba in Dikwa and Bama Local Government Areas of Borno State. During the operation the troops also rescued 195 persons held hostage, recovered 300 cows, 200 sheep and 130 goats rustled by the insurgents. The troops also recovered military items such as camouflage uniforms as well as rifle magazines and grenades.A statement from Army headquarters said, The troops discovered Boko Haram terrorists camp, patent medicine outfit and major market at Gulumba. Quite a number of Boko Haram terrorists were killed and several items were recovered.This includes 2 logistic trucks, 180 motorcycles, 750 bicycles and various perishable and non-perishable items such as a 100 KVA Mikano generator and grinding machine the statement signed by Col. Sani Usman said. The unprecedented feat was achieved through the renewed cooperation and support of the public who provide timely information to the troops.Consequently, we would like to thank all those good citizens who provide the timely information and enjoin all to see the fight against Boko Haram terrorists as a collective responsibility to enable us clear the remnants of the insurgents in the north east and other parts of the country, it added. The Nigerian Medical Association on Thursday in Abuja dissociated itself from the proposed strike by health workers in Nigeria over all... The Nigerian Medical Association on Thursday in Abuja dissociated itself from the proposed strike by health workers in Nigeria over alleged breach of agreements with government, describing it as illegal.The NMA will however wish to caution that issues which have been concluded in the past negotiations or supported by government circulars and memoranda should not be reinvented or distorted in this impasse, the association warned in a statement by its Chairman, Publicity and Publication Committee, Dr. Obitade Obimakinde.The organisation also called on security agencies to beef up security around hospitals and give maximum protection to doctors.The Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations had threatened to embark on a nationwide strike following the expiration of their two weeks ultimatum.Obimakinde informed Nigerians that doctors were not part of the planned withdrawal of services in hospitals nationwide by health workersHe said, Medical doctors are reporting promptly and available at their duty posts. We are carrying out the responsibilities of saving lives as much as possible within the limits of available facilities and resources provided by the hospitals. We also call on the law enforcement agencies to intensively guarantee protection of doctors in the discharge of their legitimate duties.The workers had earlier handed the government a 15-day ultimatum with effect from February 3, 2016, to accede to their 10-point demand or risk nationwide strike. The Federal Government will not reverse the decision to sack 13 Vice Chancellors appointed by the administration of former President Goo... The Federal Government will not reverse the decision to sack 13 Vice Chancellors appointed by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, the government said Thursday.The government had last week announced the sacking of 12 VCs of federal universities as well as that of the National Open Universities of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. Vincent Tenebe.The decision, which has drawn protests from different groups and civil societies, has generated controversies within the academic circle.But Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, at the flag off of the 2015/2016 annual school census in Abuja, reaffirmed the sacking of the VCs by the federal government.Asked why the VC of NOUN Prof. Tenebe, whose tenure had not expired, was removed, the minister explained that he was removed because of the petitions against him.He said: Do you reverse government decision simply because somebody has criticized them? I dont think there is any decision of government not going down well with everyone in the country.The ministry has received communications from some people who feel like this and we are looking at this.What I am saying is that they have already written to us. We are looking into their complaints. We will reply them.Adamu said that all states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) would be included in the school census.He said that the exercise would aid educational planning, administration and inform decision making by government.According to the minister, the current trend in the conduct of the annual school census was informed by the provision of the Nigeria Education Information System (NEMIS) policy of 2007 which provided for the collection of data from schools.He said: The Education Management Information System (EMIS) process has since been decentralized to the states to enhance efficiency in the collection, collation, management and dissemination of education data in Nigeria so as to ensure the availability of credible, reliable and timely education data.The states therefore conduct the ASC exercise while the Federal Ministry of Education through NEMIS co-ordinates and monitors the process.He said that the ministry has concluded arrangement to host the NEMIS software on the internet for real time online data entry and processing.This will further ensure uniformity in data reporting so that end-users will have timely reports for decision making and research. I am optimistic that, beginning from this year, Nigerias education data, at the basic and secondary school levels, will be cleaner, more accurate, more accessible and up-to-date, he added.Earlier in his address, Minister of the FCT, Musa Bello, said that the census was required to keep up to date and comprehensive data in schools in terms of infrastructure, numbers of students and personnel.The annual school census is very important because it is the foundation upon which all our planning and therefore policy directions are built.I learnt that UNICEF has already supported the FCTs 2016 school census by printing 7,234 census forms to cater for all public and private schools minus the tertiary institutions within the territory, he said. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has said that with the renewed fight against graft in the country, corrupt Nigerians will ... The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has said that with the renewed fight against graft in the country, corrupt Nigerians will have no hiding place.The EFCC Zonal Head, South-South, Mr. Ishaq Salihu, made this remark during a stakeholders meeting with pipeline surveillance contractors organised by the 2 Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.Salihu explained that measures have been put in place to ensure that Nigerians who stole from the nations coffers and take their loot outside the shores of the country were forced back home and prosecuted.The anti-graft chief pointed that the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari had shown the political will to fight corruption, even as recommended that stiffer punishment should be meted out to those involved in corrupt practices.He specifically said that the Federal Government had entered a treaty with the government of the United Arab Emirate to ensure that Nigerians who stole the nations money to purchase any item in Dubai would be back home and prosecuted.There is now a political will to fight corruption. The President Muhammadu Buhari administration has shown this. We went to Dubai and signed a treaty that all those who took the nations money and bought items would be brought back home and prosecuted.Those involved in corruption should be made to face stiffer punishment. Only very few in the country are getting what should be used for the development of this country.Now, there is a deliberate shift and anybody that does not believe that the narrative has changed is living in a dreamland. We can stem the tide of corruption by giving timely information to EFCC and other security agencies.When you see a person who has no source of livelihood, you say the person has made it. But at the end, you realise that the person has kidnapped somebodys daughter, Salihu said.He expressed dissatisfaction that some Nigerians were involved in arms deal scandal, oil scam and pension scam, adding that the EFCC and other security agents were security agents were trying their best to tackle corruption and other social vices.Earlier in his welcome address, the Commander, 2 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Brigadier General Stephenson Olabanji, described the gathering as one that would afford stakeholders the opportunity to deliberate on how best to solve the problem of oil theft and illegal bunkering.Olabanji said, The Federal Government has been battling several challenges among which was the militancy and agitation for resource control, especially in the Niger Delta region.The region has no doubt being the nerve centre of the Nigerian economy because oil produced in the region has been a major source of funding for the economy. Operation Pulo Shield therefore launched with the mandate to curb the growing menace of oil theft, oil bunkering and illegal refining of petroleum products.In achieving this mandate, the Brigade has continued to conduct its operations against illegal oil bunkering, oil theft and operation of illegal refineries, which has continued to affect the Nigerian economy.He, however, enjoined participants at the stakeholders meeting to be forthright in the deliberations and evolve a concrete plan of action that would lead to the end of the activities of criminal elements sabotaging the collective interest of the people. Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party have appealed to aggrieved members of the party to sheath their swords and accept its newly ele... Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party have appealed to aggrieved members of the party to sheath their swords and accept its newly elected National Chairman, Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff.Their plea followed the nationwide condemnation that has trailed Sheriffs appointment by the members of the partys National Executive Committee at their meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.For example, ministers who served under former President Goodluck Jonathan have threatened to leave the party because of his emergence.They said they were not bound to remain in the former ruling party, adding that Sheriff must be relieved of his appointment in not more than a week.Also, a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-kayode, has called for payers to salvage the party.Majority of the members of the Board of Trustees of the party had walked out of the meeting where his candidature was approved.The former governor was accused of having a close link with the members of the Boko Haram sect, an allegation he has denied on many occasion.But the governors said the choice of Sheriff was in the best interest of the PDP, stressing that he would complete the tenure of the North-East as specified by the partys constitution and organise a national convention for the election of substantive officers.In a statement by the coordinator of the Forum, Mr. Osaro Onaiwu, the governors argued that while it was normal for dissent in a large and national party like the PDP, members should not lose sight of the bigger picture, which is to re-strategise ahead of 2019 and other coming elections in Edo and Ondo States in 2016.The statement said, It has come to our notice that some members of our great party have expressed their reservations on the emergence of the new National Chairman, Modu Sheriff.As is expected, not everybody can be on the same page in such matters even though of the same party. We wish to appeal to our members to keep the bigger picture in mind, which is to reposition ahead of 2019 with individuals that have the track record in power play.It is in this regard that our esteemed members should think carefully before joining the crowd of those baying death to the PDP.As a national party, it is important that every matter is looked at from all sides and not just the negative narrative of the opposition party.None of our leaders have been arraigned for terrorism related charges unlike some leaders of the ruling party; it is this we should take clear cognisance of.He added that there was no way the international community will not, at least, have an idea of those who he said aided and funded Boko Haram.For our party to make the expected headway, we must remain united, discuss our disagreements as a family and refrain from joining those whose desire is to see that the partys resurgence never happens, he added.The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, said that the newly appointed national chairman would serve out the tenure of a former National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Muazu who resigned in May. In a keynote address at the public presentation of a book, Nigerian Century written by Dare Babarinsa at the Shehu Musa Yaradua centre i... In a keynote address at the public presentation of a book, Nigerian Century written by Dare Babarinsa at the Shehu Musa Yaradua centre in Abuja, President Buhari said with the abundant human and natural resources in the country, with proper harnessing, the country would attain its greatness. The president, who was represented by the former governor of Ekiti state and deputy chairman of the All Progressive Congress in the South, Segun Oni noted that only a Nigeria could have given meaning to the indomitable spirit, boundless energy, collective creativity, cultural diversity and unique sense of enterprise of Nigerians.Yes our land is blessed by Providence with riches in oil and gas, iron ore, gold, limestone and almost all the minerals of this earth. Our soil can grow almost any crop and our vegetation supports animal life as varied as creation can manifest.Our rivers and coast lines are rich with fishes and various kinds of life. Yet, despite these bounties from nature, I have no doubt that the greatest blessings of Nigeria are the people of Nigeria, the wonderful people that gives expression to thegrandeur and majesty of our beloved country he said.President Buhari recalled that though Nigeria was born in adversity, nurtured to adolescence in the turbulence of the colonial period and its majesty was forged in the furnace of hard experience of the post-colonial era the country has been able to over come its challenges to emerge as the biggest economy in Africa.Today, our country has the fastest growing economy in Africa and one of the fastest in the world. Our dominance is not so much because of our wealth, but because of the tremendous energy and resourcefulness of our people. How many countries of the world can parade the likes of Professor Wole Soyinka, Jay Jay Okocha, King Sunny Ade and Alhaji Aliko Dangote literally under the same roof? he asked rhetorically.While paying tribute to the nations pre-independence leaders, the president equally hailed former presidents Olusegun , Umaru Yaradua and Goodluck Jonathan for nurturing the countrys democracy for the last sixteen years. We are in debt to the Founding Fathers of our Republic, Herbert Macaulay, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and many other heroes of the anti-colonial struggle.They hoisted for us the banner of freedom that we are still enjoying till today. As President, the experience of each of my predecessors as Chief of State have provided a guiding map for us in moments of hard decisions and when we have to embrace the loneliness of power. The twelve men; Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa, General J.T.U Aguiyi-Ironsi, General Yakubu Gowon, General Murtala Muhammed, General Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Shehu Aliyu Shagari, General Ibrahim Babangida, Chief Ernest Shonekan, General Sani Abacha, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Mallam Umar Musa YarAdua and Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan; each have had the unique experience of modulating and moderating the sometimes turbulent temper of our great country he said.President Buhari said though there are still challenges facing the nation, its leaders are equal to the task and are ready to deal with the challenges frontally.In a century, our country has travelled a long distance. Our resilience had been tested by the turbulence of the sixties, the bloodletting of the Civil War era and the inclement uncertainties of military rule. In the past 16 years, we have enjoyed uninterrupted democratic governance under my leadership and those of my three immediate predecessors, Chief Obasanjo, late Mallam Umar Musa and Dr Jonathan.We are still facing challenges that are providing new tests for our resilience and capability for growth, prosperity and sustenance in an atmosphere of security and strict adherence to the Constitution and the Rule of Law.I can assure you that our great country and her leaders are equal to the challenges ahead. All the outstanding men and women featured in this historic compendium provide the evidence that our country must embrace her destiny which is greatness the president said. In his remarks, former president Olusegun Obasanjo who was represented by Prince Julius Adelusi Adeluyi enjoined all Nigerians to contribute to the greatness of the country. According to President Obasanjo, as long as Nigeria has life, we should give it hope.We should all resolve to heal Nigeria he said. The chief presenter of the book, former governor of Lagos state and national leader of the All Progressive Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu called on the Nigerian government to discourage the teaching of foreign history in Nigerian schools, nothing that Nigerians children must be taught the history f their nation. He said the 500-page book, Nigerian Century is a compendium that we can brandish that Nigeria is bigger than 419 and Boko Haram. The book was reviewed by publisher of Ovation, Dele Momodu. -- A recorded voice message threat that prompted the evacuation of all borough schools Thursday morning was a hoax, officials said. Mayor Richard LaBarbiera said the threat was received at the board of education's general phone line. "As a parent I am most sensitive to everyone's anxiety and want to ensure everyone that all the students are 100% safe and under the care of our PD while we work through this situation," LaBarbiera said in a Facebook message posted as authorities investigated. The school superintendent "exercised extreme caution" and ordered the district-wide evacuation, the mayor added. The threat was not specific to a school. Last month, more than 26 Bergen County schools were locked down or evacuated after what police described as an automated phone threat. It was not clear if Thursday's threat was related to those incidents. Please be advised that all students in all schools have all and or are returning to their classrooms and resuming their normal schedules. Posted by Mayor Richard LaBarbiera on Thursday, February 18, 2016 Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook. demola.jpg A screen shot of Al Demola from a now defunct YouTube video promoting a waterproofing company. (YouTube.com) ( ) The former customers of a New Jersey businessman with a shady history say he seems to be giving the state of New Jersey the proverbial finger. Al Demola of Cranbury signed an agreement with the Attorney General's office and the Division of Consumer Affairs in January, agreeing to pay $177,373 to settle allegations that he and his company, Titan Shelters, sold bomb shelters to three customers but never delivered the goods. The payment was due Feb. 3. When the payment wasn't made, Consumer Affairs issued a Notice of Noncompliance, giving Demola and the company five additional days -- until Feb. 10 -- to pay. But by the end of business on that day, no payments were made, Bamboozled has learned. "No payment has been received to date," a spokeswoman said. "The Division is currently considering legal action to enforce compliance." In the suit filed by Consumer Affairs in March 2014, the state alleged Demola and Titan Shelters were in violation of the Consumer Fraud Act, the Home Improvement Contractors' Registration Act and advertising rules, The complaint outlined allegations made by customers featured by Bamboozled in 2014. Demola's attorney, James Lisa of Jersey City, said Demola hasn't paid because he's ill. "Mr. Demola has been very sick. He's been unable to work and for that reason, he has been unable to make the payments to resolve the situation in that he has admitted no liability or wrongdoing," Lisa said. "As soon as he's well enough he's going to make restitution as agreed upon." Lisa said he notified the state of Demola's illness and "sent over documentation" on Feb. 12, which is two days after the extended deadline. Lisa wouldn't discuss the nature of the illness but he said Demola is not currently hospitalized and that his client will be returning to the hospital. He was unable to offer any timeframe. Tina Greene, one of Demola's unhappy customers, said she doesn't believe Demola is sick. "He used these tactics on us all the time. He's already used this one on me. It's not new to me," she said, adding that Demola told her he had a heart attack last year and that's why he said his phones were cut off. "I'm not sure I feel sorry for him right now." Tina Greene and her husband Jerry stand on their property in the area where their bomb shelter was to be installed. Greene took a $12,000 loan from a bank recommended by Demola to pay for the shelter she never received, documents show. She's now stuck with $188 monthly payments, which she was hoping she could get rid of with the settlement. Greene likened Demola to the character J. Wellington Wimpy from the Popeye cartoons. "Demola's like, 'I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today,'" she said. Greene said the state should take stronger action against Demola, who Greene said has a history of flouting the authorities. "He's gotten over on them just as much as he's gotten over on everyone else," she said. "How much more are they going to allow?" "They gave him the benefit of the doubt, and he keeps on thumbing his nose like he doesn't care," she said. "I want someone to make him care about what he did." Ken Clayton and his partner Scott Olson said at one point during their dealings with Demola. he told the, too, that he was not well. Ken Clayton (left) and Scott Olson stand on their property in the space where Titan Shelters was supposed to install a bomb shelter. "He obviously didn't care how other people were feeling when he took their money, so why should we care about him?" Clayton said. "There are sick people in jail." The couple had signed a contract with Demola and Titan Shelters for the installation of a $21,000 shelter. They also took a loan with the bank recommended by Demola. They're still making payments on the loan. "He should face criminal charges," Clayton said. "He's dodged every opportunity he could to set things straight. I don't think he will ever pay." The bomb shelter victims aren't the only ones with allegations against Demola. Before he started offering survival shelters, he was linked to a series of waterproofing companies that left consumers saying they were scammed. There was even a $200,000 judgment against one of the companies linked to Demola. That hasn't been paid. Given Demola's history of complaints and the fact that he hasn't paid the settlement, we asked Consumer Affairs what the next steps might be. The agency had no further comment, nor would it confirm whether it received something in writing from Demola's attorney. So we turned to Tom Calcagni, a former head of Consumer Affairs who now works in private practice. Calcagni, of Calcagni & Kanefsky in Newark, said with the consent judgment, the state agreed to dismiss its complaint and give up its ability to pursue the civil fraud claims against Demola and Titan Shelters. But the parties agreed that the court would retain jurisdiction to enforce the consent judgment in the event of noncompliance. "In other words, with the defendants' failure to make good on the settlement payments, the state can apply to the court to enforce the judgment, which may include seeking liens against and seizure of Demola's assets," Calcagni said. We're not sure what kinds of asset are in Demola's name -- no real estate, according to public records -- but Demola and his wife Kim Costa filed for bankruptcy in 2013. The case was dismissed because they didn't file all the required information with the court, records show. If Demola was to file for bankruptcy again, the consent judgment wouldn't automatically get top status under the bankruptcy code simply because it is a deal with the state, said Ilissa Churgin Hook, a bankruptcy attorney with Hook & Fatovich in Wayne. "If the debtor -- assuming he files again -- and the state dispute the treatment of the state's claim(s) against him, the bankruptcy court would have to examine the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act and determine whether each of the specific sections of that statute referenced in the final consent judgment provide for a debt that is entitled to priority status under the bankruptcy code," Hook said. And that's just the money part. Demola's victims wanted to know at what point the case might become a criminal one. Calcagni said the Division of Criminal Justice, the criminal arm of the Attorney General's office, probably already know Demola hasn't paid the settlement and are evaluating whether criminal charges are appropriate. "That Demola seems to be ducking his civil restitution obligations makes this case far more attractive from a criminal perspective," Calcagni said. "Based on my experience as not only a former Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs but as the State's former First Assistant Attorney General, the most likely criminal charge here is `theft by deception,' which, given the loss amount, would be graded as a third degree and carry a range of three to five years in state prison." The state does not need to choose one path over the other, Calcagni said. Consumer Affairs can apply to the court to enforce the consent judgment while Criminal Justice independently moves forward with its criminal prosecution, he said. We reached out to Criminal Justice for an update on the case, but it referred us back to Consumer Affairs. We'll keep you posted on what happens next in this case. Staff researcher Vinessa Erminio contributed to this report. Have you been Bamboozled? Reach Karin Price Mueller at Bamboozled@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KPMueller. Find Bamboozled on Facebook. Mueller is also the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Stay informed and sign up for NJMoneyHelp.com's weekly e-newsletter. Screen Shot 2016-02-18 at 12.56.28 PM.png Lisa Smith, also known as Lisa Edmonds, and her son Kristian "Frank" Edmonds were charged with numerous theft and burglary charges in connection with a real estate scheme, officials announced on Feb. 18, 2016. (Photos provided) CAMDEN -- Authorities are seeking additional victims of an alleged real estate scheme in which a mother and son pretended to be real estate agents in order to rent or sell foreclosed properties throughout South Jersey. The Camden County Prosecutors Office said 51-year-old Lisa Smith, of Philadelphia, and her 28-year-old son Kristian "Frank" Edmonds, of Sicklerville, are facing theft and burglary charges in connection to more than 20 cases in which victims were defrauded after trying to obtain lodgings or buy homes in Camden, Burlington and Gloucester counties. Smith and Edmonds are accused of using keys from real estate lockboxes or having new keys made so they could access foreclosed properties, which they had no legal rights to, in order to make money off unsuspecting buyers or prospective tenants. To hide their scheme, authorities said Smith and Edmonds would have utilities turned back on illegally or remove winterization stickers on the homes. In one case, authorities said, new residents moved into one residence only to discover all of the home's plumbing was removed. In April 2015, Smith also allegedly posed as a real estate agent and presented a fake purchase agreement in order to secure one $27,500 check and one $18,000 check from a victim in exchange for two separate foreclosed properties in Sicklerville and Camden. The victim in that case never gained access to the home or received repayment. Later that year, authorities said Smith accepted $3,000 from a victim who wanted to rent a foreclosed property in Sicklerville's Avandle West Development, despite the fact Smith, who also goes by the name Lisa Edmonds, was unauthorized to rent it. The burglary charges stem from Smith -- whose real estate licenses and eligibility for a broker's license were revoked for the rest of her life in March 2010 -- and Edmond separately accessing properties in Woodlynne and Winslow Township, respectively, without permission. The pair operated under a number of names including Sterling Realty Investments, which is based in Philadelphia and had its business license revoked in 2009 for not filing reports, and Washington Township-based Real Estate Queens Realtors, which has no record of any state business filings. Two other businesses the two were affiliated with, Angel Home Savers LLC and Breeze Capital Consulting Group LLC, are located in Collingswood. Authorities are asking anyone who might have been victimized by Smith and Edmond or their companies to contact Camden County Prosecutor's Office Detective Grace Clodfelter at 856-225-8479 or email ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org. Michelle Caffrey may be reached at mcaffrey@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ShellyCaffrey. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. VINELAND -- A 27-year-old South Jersey man was killed after crashing into a tree early Thursday morning, police said. Andrew Devecchis, of Vineland, was traveling southbound on Delsea Drive when his vehicle crossed over into the northbound lane, ran off the roadway, and smashed into a tree, according to authorities. Devecchis was driving a 2007 Ford F150 when the accident occurred at roughly 1:30 a.m. Devecchis succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, police confirmed. The Vineland Police Department Traffic Safety Unit responded to the scene. Brittany Wehner may be reached at bwehner@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @brittanymwehner. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. THE CRAFT Fairuza Balk is a witchy high-schooler in 'The Craft' (COLUMBIA) By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes. And it's headed to an arthouse near you. A huge hit on the festival circuit, "The Witch," opening Friday, is an old-fashioned black magic story. So old-fashioned, in fact, that it's set back in Pilgrim days, with a 17th-century farm family facing all manner of most grievous enchantments. It's a nice twist on the headed-back-to-Broadway "The Crucible" - what if those hysterical girls were right? - and a starkly beautiful, deeply creepy nightmare. And it's inspired a witchy retrospective at BAM, which has programmed a solid salute to nearly a hundred years of crafty films. They had to do some digging. Sorcery was a quietly taboo topic in Hollywood for years, as nervous censors saw any mention of Satan or black magic as possibly blasphemous. (A comic or obviously fairy-tale witch, as in "The Wizard of Oz," was, however, allowed.) But the characters came back in force during the '50s horror boom, and haven't gone back in the broom closet since, with their koo-koo witchcraft haunting everything from Broadway musicals to TV sitcoms. Below, a coven of 13 of the most bewitching films. Bell, Book and Candle (1958) James Stewart and Kim Novak reteamed after "Vertigo" for this far sunnier film, an impish romantic fantasy which cast the catlike Novak as a Manhattan sorceress. She never looked slinkier, and Jack Lemmon adds laughs as a bohemian warlock. Black Sunday (1960) No, not the terrorists-at-the-Super-Bowl movie, but a creepy classic from director Mario Bava, with European scream goddess Barbara Steele as a resurrected villain. Bava's debut and an immediate (if immediately censored) international hit. The Blair Witch Project (1999) The "found-footage" movement it began has turned into its own shaky-cam curse. But this micro-budgeted movie earned its shudders honestly - and did it without "jump scares," gore effects or other lazy tricks. Just be sure to avoid the sequel. The City of the Dead (1960) It's a little disorienting - a British film set in a not-very-convincing New England - but it has a great and shocking beginning, and goes on to tell a nicely spooky, if budget-cramped, tale of modern sacrifice. Released here as "Horror Hotel." The Craft (1996) It's, like. totally MTV witches, as four misfit high schoolers discover spells and sorcery. A good guilty pleasure, with nice work from young Robin Tunney and Neve Campbell, and a never more bizarrely fierce Fairuza Balk as a vengeful Goth. The Devil Rides Out (1968) Solid Hammer horror, with Christopher Lee in a rare heroic part, fighting off a pack of devil worshippers. The effects are a bit lacking, but Richard Matheson contributed a good script and former Blofeld Charles Gray makes a fine warlock. Haxan (1922) The oldest film on this list and perhaps the most modern, this Swedish/Danish faux documentary details centuries of Satanic history. Banned for years because of violence and nudity, it reappeared in the '60s, narrated by William S. Burroughs. Night of the Demon (1957) A producer-mandated closeup of the title creature is unfortunate, but otherwise this is smart and serious, with Dana Andrews battling a sorcerer in '50s Britain. Based on an M.R. James story, it was cut and released here as "Curse of the Demon." Night of the Eagle (1962) Witchy goings-on in academia, in a story already filmed as "Weird Woman" with Lon Chaney Jr. There's one quick, bad effect, but the spooky use of sound is excellent, as are the quietly intense actors. Released here as "Burn, Witch, Burn." Rosemary's Baby (1968) Between Frank Sinatra and Woody Allen, poor Mia Farrow even hooked up - onscreen, at least - with Lucifer in this witchy tale of the Devil's honeymoon. At least she got that fab apartment in the Dakota, though. A Roman Polanski classic. The Seventh Victim (1943) A low-key look at a New York cult, its images cast long shadows on films from "Rosemary's Baby" to "Psycho." Full of fatalism, the film had a worried studio asking what its message was. Said lauded producer Val Lewton, "Death is good." Suspiria (1977) Gothic surrealism from auteur Dario Argento, with American student Jessica Harper uncovering ugly secrets at a German dance academy. Also a mad killer, maggots and the witchy "Three Mothers." Highly stylized and recommended. Witchfinder General (1968) One of Vincent Price's best films casts him as a ruthless 17th-century inquisitor. Full of violence and nudity, it was badly cut in Great Britain, but released here uncut as "The Conqueror Worm" - and became a good reminder that the real monsters weren't those who burned at the stake, but those who kindled the flames. Stephen Whitty may be reached at stephenjwhitty@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwhitty. Find him on Facebook. a-bronx-tale-paper-mill-playhouse Veteran Broadway composer Alan Menken was inspired by doo-wop and early rock in creating the songs for "A Bronx Tale: The Musical." (Jerry Dalia/'A Bronx Tale: The Musical at the Paper Mill Playhouse) NXT SUPERSTARS FIN BALOR AND BAYLEY AT IPLAY AMERICA WWE's NXT brand will be at Convention Hall in Asbury Park on Friday February 19. Tickets are pretty scarce for this show, but if you're missing out you can still catch two of the top stars from NXT in Freehold on Saturday. The charismatic NXT Champion Finn Balor, and NXT Women's champion Bayley will be appearing at iPlay America for a special meet and greet session at 10 a.m. Balor, who signed with NXT last year, is known for his hard-hitting, death defying aerial artistry, as well as his wild "demon" persona. Bayley has worked her way up from plucky fan favorite to one of the premier women's wrestlers in the world. Fans can purchase two types of tickets -- a regular "Meet & Greet" pass which will get you an autograph and photo with the wrestlers, or a "VIP Package" which offers a pre-signed autograph, a personal photo op, and allows for you to get something personal signed by both wrestlers. $25-$80. Saturday, 10 a.m. 110 Schanck Road, Freehold. 732-577-8200. NXT Champion Finn Balor (left) and NXT Women's Champion Bayley (right) will be a part of a special meet and greet at iPlay America in Freehold this Saturday. "FANTASIA" IN CONCERT The music from one of Disney's most beloved animated films, "Fantasia," comes to life on Friday at the NJPAC, courtesy of the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra will be conducted by Tony award-winning composer Ted Sperling (he snagged the award for 2005's "The Light in the Piazza"). He will conduct the symphony as scenes from "Fantasia" and "Fantasia 2000" play on the big screen behind the orchestra. 39.50 - $79.50. Saturday, 8 p.m. 1 Center Street, Newark. 1-888-GO-NJPAC. SEASIDE HEIGHTS POLAR BEAR PLUNGE Seaside Heights bursts back to life on Saturday for the annual polar bear plunge. The plunge, which benefits the Special Olympics, is one of the biggest charity, and party days in the famed beach town. Last year the plunge raised over $1.6 million for Special Olympics, and they are looking to top that number this year. If you have not registered to take part in the plunge, you need to be in Seaside between 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. to sign up. Cost for 'day of' sign-ups is $125 per person and will take place at 62 Grant Avenue. The plunge itself will commence at 1 p.m.. This has always been one of the most popular plunges of the year, so we recommend you get there early in order to get a prime plunging spot. $125. Saturday, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (sign-up/check-in), 1 p.m. (plunge). Country star Kacey Musgraves will headline The Starland Ballroom in Sayreville this weekend. KACEY MUSGRAVES AT STARLAND BALLROOM One of the rising stars in the country music world, , will be headlining the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville on Saturday. The multi-Grammy and Country Music Award winner -- who has opened for the likes of Eric Church and Katy Perry -- will be bringing the second leg of her "The Kacey Musgraves Country & Western Rhinestone Revue' tour to New Jersey in support of her 2015 record "Pageant Material." Speaking of support. The Cactus Blossoms will be in tow for this tour. $29.50-$35. Saturday, 7:30 p.m. 570 Jernee Mill Road, Sayreville. 732-238-5000. ATLANTIC CITY HOME SHOW How many winters in a row have you come up with a home improvement plan, but failed to see it through in the spring? This year, change all that by checking out the Atlantic City Home Show, Friday through Sunday. The show, which is free to the public (you do need to register however), will be held at the Atlantic City Convention Center, and will feature over 150 home improvement companies. If you're a fan of the DIY Network or HGTV you'll be stoked that Jeff Devlin will be hosting three home improvement workshops. If you're a fan of free money, you'll be stoked that you can win $5,000 to improve your home by entering a free contest. Free. Friday (1 p.m. - 7 p.m.), Saturday (11 a.m. - 7 p.m.), and Sunday 11 a.m. - - 5 p.m.). 1 Convention Boulevard, Atlantic City. 888-228-4748 THE COMEDY GET DOWN AT THE PRUDENTIAL CENTER The Prudential Center in Newark will play host to one of the biggest comedy shows of the year on Saturday. The " " will feature stand-up routines from: D.L. Hughley ("The Hughleys," "The Original Kings of Comedy"), Cedric the Entertainer ("The Soul Man," "The Original Kings of Comedy"), George Lopez ("The George Lopez Show," "Lopez Tonight"), Eddie Griffin ("Malcolm & Eddie," "Undercover Brother"), and Charlie Murphy ("Chapelle's Show," "Black Jesus"). $49.75-$89.50. Saturday, 8 p.m. 25 Lafayette Street, Newark. 973-757-6600. "A BRONX TALE: THE MUSICAL" AT The PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE It's not everyday that Hollywood royalty decides to direct a musical for a New Jersey stage, but that's exactly what's happening with "A Bronx Tale: The Musical" at The Paper Mill Playhouse. Legendary screen actor, and Oscar winner Robert DeNiro has stepped behind the curtain to direct the musical based upon the 1993 crime drama. The film, written by Chazz Palminteri (who also wrote the book for the musical), revolves around an Italian-American teen who must choose between the working class life of his father, or the world of organized crime led by a local mob boss. The musical will run until March 6. $37 - $134. Now - March 5. Wednesdays (7:30 p.m.), Thursdays (1:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m.), Fridays (8 p.m.), Saturdays (1:30 p.m., 8 p.m.), and Sundays (1:30 p.m., 7 p.m.). 22 Brookside Drive, Millburn. 973-376-4343. Bill Bodkin can be reached at bodkinwrites@gmail.com. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook. Tickets are now on sale for the 8th annual New Jersey Wine & Food Festival April 1 - 3 at Crystal Springs Resort in Vernon. The festival, one New Jersey's premier food and wine events, attracts top chefs from around the U.S, plus the world's best winemakers and craft spirits producers. The festival kicks off on April 1st with two exclusive dinners, including the Top Chefs & Top Wines, featuring five chefs, each preparing one course that is paired with a highly rated boutique wine. Chefs include Dale Talde, who recently expanded from Brooklyn to Jersey City; acclaimed Michelin star pastry chef Marc Aumont of NYC's Gabriel Kreuther; and Restaurant Latour Chef de Cuisine Martyna Krowicka. Also on April 1, Crystal Springs' award-winning Wine Cellar will welcome Sebastiano Rosa of renowned Tuscan winery Sassicaia & Biserno. Chef Anthony Bucco will be partnering with guest chef Mark Ladner of Del Posto (NYC) to create a unique 6-course menu. April 2 events include a chef and New Jersey farmer showcase; a prosecco breakfast and a bartender competition, along with spirits tastings and winemaker seminars. Always a hot ticket, Secrets of the Crystal Springs Cellar returns with a tasting of rare wines from the Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning Wine Cellar led by VP of Hospitality & Wine Director Robby Younes and Chef Bucco. The Grand Tasting on April 2 is the festival's centerpiece, a walk-around tasting with 25 top New Jersey and New York chefs and more than 30 wineries. Confirmed restaurants include Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen, Mistral, Maritime Parc, The Bernards Inn, Ninety Acres at Natirar, The Orange Squirrel, Osteria Morini, Terre a Terre, Hamilton Pork, The Kitchen Step, Escape, Redux, Pig & Prince, Hotel du Village, Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern, Spuntino Wine Bar, BURG, Villalobos, Axia, Taverna, Crystal Tavern, Lunello and Andre's. The festival concludes on April 3 with a Champagne Brunch in the Crystal Ballroom. For the full schedule of events, and ticket prices, go to njwinefoodfest.com. Peter Genovese may be reached at pgenovese@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PeteGenovese or via The Munchmobile @NJ_Munchmobile. Find the Munchmobile on Facebook and Instagram. otis.jpg Newark Community Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Otis Rolley, pictured here during his 2011 campaign for mayor of Baltimore. An attempt to oust Rolley from his position has sparked conflict between the Newark City Council and the city's administration. (File photo) NEWARK A surreptitious effort to oust the head of one of Newark's top economic development agencies has sparked conflict between Mayor Ras Baraka's administration and members of the City Council. At a preliminary council meeting Wednesday afternoon, local activist Tyrone "Street Counselor" Barnes accused West Ward Councilman Joe McCallum of approving unauthorized bonuses for employees of the Newark Community Economic Development Corp., and signed off on a "lavish" contract for its president and CEO Otis Rolley. McCallum was not present at the meeting, and police eventually removed Barnes after council members and Corporation Counsel Willie Parker attempted to keep him from speaking. The councilman struck back Wednesday night, claiming the accusations were part of an orchestrated attack by Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Baye Adofo-Wilson. Multiple sources in City Hall said Wilson has been among a number of administration officials negotiating to oust Rolley and his chief financial officer, Kevin Seawright, to leave the CEDC. "I don't appreciate the director of economic development giving someone a script to try to impugn my integrity, and I won't have it," McCallum said. "I'll put my integrity against anybody. They should have known that before they came at me with that nonsense." City Communications Director Frank Baraff said Wilson had no relationship with Barnes and categorically denied any influence on public comments during Wednesday's meeting. Joe McCallum While funded by Newark, the CEDC is a quasi-governmental agency governed by its own board, and the council and other city officials have no direct power regarding personnel decisions. Its board of directors was scheduled to hold its monthly meeting Thursday morning. Rolley, who ran for mayor of Baltimore in 2011, was handpicked by Baraka's administration to run the Brick City Development Corp. in August 2014, and Seawright followed shortly thereafter. Three months later, the agency was re-launched under its new name. Rolley is also a sitting member of the city's Central Planning Board. In an interview, Barnes a vocal Baraka supporter who was among a number of activists involved in a December anti-violence protest turned skirmish - denied that anyone had influenced him into making the comments. "I think this is a misuse of public trust," he said. "If you suck from the poor and serve your own interests, you're going to hear about it." Both Rolley and Seawright remain in their positions as of Thursday. Neither could be reached for comment, and current CEDC chairwoman Joyce Harley did not return calls from a reporter. After McCallum's comments Wednesday night, other council members also expressed their dismay at what they viewed as underhanded tactics by the administration. Central Ward Councilwoman Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins noted that Barnes was reading from a sheet of paper during his comments, and wondered aloud how he became privy to discussions held during private CEDC board meetings. "We live a public life so we know that we're going to be attacked. But when you get set up by somebody from the inside to attack you, then that should teach all of us a lesson," she said. Councilman At-Large Luis Quintana urged Business Administrator Jack Kelly to "take charge" of his team of directors, warning that the airing of personal grievances in public forums could lead to legal disputes. Many also took issue with what they felt had been an attempt to bypass the executive body's authority. "If there are some concerns on the city side, the administration's side, than rather than feeding this chatter of campaign, then come before this body...and have a conversation with the council about what your concerns are," said North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos Jr. "The fact that there is this kind of chatter campaign going on is what leads to what happened here today." Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NEWARK -- Investigators with the Essex County Sheriff's Office have arrested and charged a 49-year-old Delaware man after he was allegedly observed selling narcotics near Davenport Avenue and North 11th Street, said Sheriff Armondo Fontoura. Michael Williams, of Middletown, was allegedly found in possession of multiple quantities of cocaine and heroin on Wednesday, Fontoura said. Officers also allegedly found him in possession of a 25-caliber handgun, he added. http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2016/02/south_carolina_fugitive_arrested_in_newark.html Williams now faces charges of unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, possession of a weapon while committing a narcotics crime and other drug-related offenses. Following his arrest, Williams was transferred into custody at the county correctional facility, where he's being held on bail $75,000. Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Corey Hamlet (Essex County Correctional Facility) NEWARK -- The alleged kingpin of the Grape Street Crips gang in Newark Wednesday learned that he faces the potential of a mandatory sentence of life in prison as federal prosecutors filed notice that they intend to seek tougher penalties because of prior convictions. Appearing before U.S. District Judge Madeline Arleo, Corey Hamlet, 39, of Belleville and eight other alleged members of the gang were told the government would try to extend their imprisonment if they are convicted on drug and other charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Osmar J. Benvenuto told Arleo that prosecutors would seek so-called "enhanced" penalties because the alleged gang members had prior drug-related convictions. In Hamlet's case, the potential additional penalty adds to the legal challenge he already faced. Prosecutors last week filed conspiracy charges against him related to four murders, three attempted murders, robbery, extortion and drug dealing. Some of those complaints carry penalties, that, if maximized, would result in a life sentence. With the enhanced penalty, however, the discretion to set a penalty below the maximum is removed. If convicted of a charge of conspiracy to sell crack cocaine, Hamlet could be imprisoned for life. According to court records, Hamlet has drug-related convictions in 1997, 2001 and 2006. Besides Hamlet, other alleged gang members who face mandatory life sentences if convicted on certain charges include Rashan Washington, who Benvenuto said has two prior felony drug convictions; and Khalil Stafford, who also has two prior felony drug convictions, he said. Other alleged gang members who also face additional penalties of at least a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison if convicted are: Aaron Terrell, Tony Phillips, Justin Carnegie, Ahmed Singleton, Eric Concepcion and Hanee Cureton. Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook. BAYONNE -- City school board trustee Christopher Piechocki resigned from his post on Tuesday because his brother is dying from brain cancer, he told The Jersey Journal today. "My brother is terminally ill with brain cancer and is under hospice care and has taken a turn for the worst," he said. "I need to be able to support him and my family at this time." Piechocki, a real estate agent who previously spent 13 years working as a special education teacher in Jersey City, is the third trustee to resign from the nine-member board within a two-month span. He was appointed to the board in Oct. 2014 and then successfully ran in last November's election to stay on the board for a three-year term. In a statement on Facebook, Piechocki said his brother has been fighting "a courageous 28 month battle with terminal brain cancer" but that "it has become apparent to me that his journey is coming to an end." He criticized those spreading rumors about the reasons for his resignation. "I pray for the demented people who make up their own stories of my misfortune and hope that they will never have to endure the pain and suffering that my brother, myself or my family have had to deal with over the past several years," Piechocki said. In a statement praising Piechocki for his service on the board, Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis also denounced "those who choose to engage in the spread of baseless rumors and innuendo about his decision," calling those actions "shameful." "Chris' decision to step down from the Board, while unfortunate, is completely understood. Public service is a noble calling, but I am firm in my belief that family should always come first, especially in a time of crisis," Davis said. "I extend my heartfelt thanks to Chris for his service to our community, and offer my thoughts and prayers to him and his family during this very difficult time." With Piechocki's departure, the board is left with only two members -- appointed trustees Mikel Lawandy and Theodore Garelick -- who have served on the board for more than a month and a half. The remaining members -- president Joseph Broderick, vice president Denis Wilbeck, Ava Finnerty and Christopher Munoz -- took office last month as part of the first wave of trustees to be elected in over 35 years. Jonathan Lin may be reached at jlin@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @jlin_jj. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. HOBOKEN -- Responding to concerns of local businesses, the City Council Wednesday night approved what it called a "compromise" Washington Street redesign plan that includes a stretch of unprotected bike lanes, while leaving room for double parking and preserving all existing curbside spaces. "Compromise was all we wanted and we got it," said Crystal Koenig, manager of Schnackenberg's Luncheonette on Washington Street, who was among about 50 members of the public at the City Hall council meeting for the vote. What the council ultimately hashed out and approved during the meeting was a plan that includes 6-foot-wide Class II, or unprotected, bike lanes on both sides of Washington Street from its southern end at Observer Highway up to 8th street, roughly its midpoint. The lane would be painted onto the blacktop, with no raised barrier separating it from automobile or pedestrian traffic, and would run between the street's traffic lane and curbside parallel parking spaces. From 8th Street north to 14th, there would be no specifically designated bike lane, but rather, symbols known as "sharrows" -- a pair of arrows above the image of a cyclist -- will be painted on the traffic lanes indicating motorists and cyclists are expected to share the traffic lane. The Class II bike lanes and the sharrow lanes will both allow the continued practice of double parking by shoppers in cars, delivery vans, police making motor vehicle stops, or ambulances and fire trucks responding to emergencies up and down the full length of Washington Street. The redesign plan includes much more than bike lanes, with key elements intended to improve pedestrian safety, vehicular traffic flow and emergency response times. The $15 million plan also includes replacement of the street's water mains, and construction of an emergency power grid to keep the lights on and other systems working at critical sites in the event of outages. The council is expected to vote on a bond issue of $10 million or so in March, to pay for the plan, which will use another $5 million raised through a low-cost loan from the state. The inclusion of Class II bike lanes in the redesign plan was intended as a compromise worked out Tuesday night by the council's parking and transportation committee, after businesses and residents vehemently opposed Class I, or protected, bike lanes originally proposed to run the entire length of Washington Street on both sides. The protected lanes were backed by Mayor Dawn Zimmer to provide safe bike access to Washington Street. But the protected bike lanes, which would have included raised barriers, would have been positioned between the sidewalk and parking spaces, forcing parked cars farther out toward the center of the street, and physically narrowing the traffic lanes too much to allow double parking without completely blocking traffic. In a packed council meeting on Feb. 8, some business owners said their sales would be cut in half by the limitation, while other opponents of the lanes raised concerns about public safety. But even the Class II spaces raised concerns among business people and Councilman Michael Russo that they would require elimination of 30 or more curbside parking spaces along the northern half of Washington Street, because some adjustment would have to be made to the angle of parking spaces there to accommodate the lanes. That prompted Councilman Ravinder Bhalla to propose an amendment scrapping the Class II lanes altogether in that area, and instead substituting the sharrows, a proposal embraced by all but one of the nine council members, Council President Jennifer Giattino, who cast the sole vote against the redesign plan. Bhalla issued a statement Thursday hailing the redesign plan's approval. "While I supported the integration of 'Class I' protected bike lanes on Washington Street, it was the will of the Council to approve unprotected Class II bike lanes from Observer Highway to 8th Street, and shared bike lane markings north of 8th Street," Bhalla stated. "This policy change, while a compromise, represents substantial progress towards the integration of bike lanes on Washington Street in our efforts to make it a Complete Street for use of all modes of transportation." Giattino, who was among the parking committee members who had come up with the original Class II compromise, said she was not comfortable with council members making design changes normally left to engineers. Bike JC, a Jersey City-based group that promotes bike safety whose members often ride in, to or through Hoboken, issued a statement lamenting the Washington Street plan. "We're extremely disappointed about this huge missed opportunity on a vital street where many of our members regularly do business," the statemetn read. "Ultimately this decision trades safety for double-parking." Zimmer, who spoke at the start of the meeting, took the position that no bike lanes were better than unprotected ones, and offered to have her administration assess the impact of the Class II configuration after a year for possible reconsideration of the issue. The mayor had attended the parking committee meeting Tuesday night, and her Class I-or-none position on Wednesday confounded some council members, who said they thought she had left the committee meeting in agreement with the Class II compromise. That was a misinterpretation, the mayor said. "Its not better than nothing," Zimmer said of the Class II plan, in terms of bike access. "We have a policy difference." Mary Kelly, a member of the Hoboken Quality of Life Coalition, a local non-profit group, applauded the council's compromise plan. Kelly said she used to commute in Manhattan on a bike, and that protected lanes would be ideal. But the reality of Hoboken, and Washington Street in particular, she said, was that cars were king. "Everybody double parks in Hoboken," Kelly said. "It's our culture. And it may very well be that it needs to be changed. But you can't snap your fingers and make it happen." Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook. jersey-city-city-hall-real-estate-welcome-to-jersey-city-sign.JPG A Hudson County judge on Feb. 11 ordered Jersey City not to charge a man who had filed an OPRA request for traffic summons data. (Jersey Journal file photo) A Hudson County Superior Court judge last week ordered Jersey City to provide traffic summons data at no cost to a man who had requested it under the state's public-records law. The city initially told the man, Edward Correa, that it did not have a report with the information that he requested -- in April, he asked for four years' worth of data regarding traffic summonses -- and that producing the data would cost him $1,024. Correa, who requested similar data from two Morris County towns, eventually received the records -- except for the names and address of those who received summonses. He asked the courts to step in to require the city to release all the data without the $1,024 charge. Judge Joseph Turula ruled on Feb. 11 that Correa is entitled to all of the data he requested, names and address included. Turula also said that the state's Open Public Records Act limits service charges to instances of extraordinary expenditures of time and effort, according to the eight-page ruling. "It is inconceivable that obtaining that information would constitute (an) extraordinary expenditure of time," Turula said. Turula is the same judge who in November accused Jersey City of acting like King George III or mafia assassins when the city's attorneys asked him to recuse himself from pre-trial motions in the reval case because he owns property in Jersey City and is a Republican. "We're happy with both the results of the case and the reasoning of the judge," said Correa's attorney, Walter Luers. "We hope that this case will increase transparency both in Jersey City and across the state." Turula also ordered the city to pay Correa's legal fees. Jersey City has seen the number of OPRA requests skyrocket in recent years. Last year, more than 2,000 OPRA requests were filed with the City Clerk. In 2006, there were 607 requests. City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill noted the number of OPRA requests the city receives when asked to comment today on Turula's decision. "In this case, we were instructed by the state police that it would be a violation of state code to release certain information, so the court's ruling today provides clarity for Jersey City and other municipalities pertaining to this specific type of request," Morrill said. Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. heinlein 2.jpg John Heinlein of North Bergen, seen here on the set of the NBC show "The Blacklist," angered passengers on a bus when he reported an unattended bag. (John Heinlein photo) John Heinlein didn't think he was being a hero. But he didn't think he was the bad guy, either. But it sure seemed that way to the North Bergen man who was shocked at the reaction he received for reporting an unattended bag on a bus that was traveling from South Carolina to Manhattan earlier this month. Heinlein, 47, said he had a difficult time getting police to respond, and after the bus was stopped and evacuated near the Holland Tunnel, other passengers aimed their anger at him, he said. "I just think in this day and age people should not react like that," said Heinlein, an aspiring actor and a construction worker. "They should be more serious about the situation. The passengers, the bus driver, the state police, most people were like 'So what.'" Authorities have not responded to requests for comment on the incident. At a rest area in North Carolina, passengers noticed a man who was "staying so close to his bag," Heinlein said. The man put the bag beneath the bus in the luggage hold during a stop in Virginia, but the man was no longer on board when the bus pulled out of a rest area in Delaware, Heinlein said. "The bus driver kept pulling away, and we said the guy is not on the bus," Heinlein said. "He pulled out and left the guy in the rest area. "I called Delaware State Police because maybe he had medications in the bag, and he needs them. ... Delaware said there was nothing they could do unless the man called himself. Then when we started going, I said wait, 'I'm on a bus with a bag and the passenger is not on the bus.'" As the bus continued on the New Jersey Turnpike, Heinlein remembered signs in New York saying "If you see something, say something." So he tried the New Jersey State Police. "I said 'I'm on the Turnpike and I said there was a bag on the bus and the passenger isn't on the bus anymore.' They said there's nothing they can do about it," Heinlein said. "Now people on the bus were hearing me, and they were making fun of me, saying I got a bomb, saying 'Click your heels together and you're gonna blow up.'" While still an hour out of New York and heading toward the Holland Tunnel, Heinlein said he called Port Authority Police and was told there was nothing they could do. He then tried to reach a friend at the North Bergen Police Department, but he was not there at the time. He was told to call again when the bus was in North Bergen. "Everyone is complaining 'I got to get to work,'" Heinlein said. "The bus driver pulls over, and he wants to fight me. Everyone is teaming up on me like I'm doing something wrong." As the bus rolled toward the tunnel toll booths, "I called 911, described the bus, said the bag was on the bus, and the person was not. Everyone was yelling at the bus driver, 'Keep going!' and I'm like 'Stop the bus!' Port Authority police surrounded the bus and stopped it." As police boarded the bus, a man who had been riding with Heinlein said Heinlein was crazy and had a bomb. "I said 'Listen, I'm the one that called," Heinlein said, adding that police patted him down. The bus was evacuated, and Heinlein was separated from the other passengers -- who were not pleased with the unexpected stop. Inside the bag, police found 16 cartons of cigarettes. The bus was then swept by dogs, and the other passengers continued to New York as Heinlein gave police a statement. "Ninety-nine percent of me was positive the guy didn't have something in his bag, but it was that one percent I was struggling with," Heinlein said, adding that Port Authority officers told him he had done the right thing. The officers drove Heinlein into New York to retrieve his bag from the bus and drove him home. "People should take these things more serious in these times," he said. A spokesman for the Port Authority Police Department said its officers took the matter seriously and stopped the bus before it entered the tunnel. Mortgage Rates A Montclair real-estate broker is hoping to lure home buyers from Jersey City and Hoboken to the suburbs. AP Photo/John Bazemore (John Bazemore) As cities like Hoboken and Jersey City try to attract millennials and baby boomers with promises of trendy bars and walkable downtowns, a Montclair real-estate broker is hoping to lure city dwellers to the 'burbs. Melody Kettle, of Keller Williams NJ Metro Group, is hosting a sightseeing and home tour of Montclair next month aimed at home buyers from Jersey City and Hoboken. A bus will pick up interested home buyers from the Hoboken PATH station on Saturday, March 19 at 9 a.m., bring them to Montclair and return to Hoboken in the afternoon. The development boom along the Gold Coast has been attracting young professionals and empty nesters to flee the suburbs but Kettle thinks a tour of Montclair -- one of dozens places that has been called New York City's sixth borough -- will make them flee right back. "We want to definitely try to change their minds," she said. Jessica Williams, of Hoboken-based real-estate agency Keller Williams City Life, called Kettle's idea smart, but doesn't believe the market for homes in the suburbs is any larger now than it was in the past, while the buyers' pool here is "nothing short of tremendous." "Certain suburban townships are being revitalized, which will obviously attract new, particular buyers," Williams said. "But the variety of neighborhoods in our 'urban' market is rapidly expanding, and suburban residents have taken note of that as well. Many are looking to purchase along our distinctive waterfront." Williams added that Montclair is an "awesome community." To join Kettle's tour of Montclair, contact her at 973-223-0439, or at melodykettle@me.com. Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. JERSEY CITY -- A three-alarm fire in the Heights this morning sent multiple people to the hospital, including a toddler, a Jersey City spokeswoman said. The fire started sometime after 4 a.m. at 33 Irving St. and quickly spread to the neighboring buildings, spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said. Upon arrival, the firefighters found a heavy fire burning from the first and second floors of the home and called for a second and third alarm, Morrill said. All five residents of the burning home escaped the blaze, but one toddler did suffer a burn to the elbow. The other four adults were also brought to Jersey City Medical Center-Barnabas Health for evaluation, Morrill said. At one point, a firefighter became trapped in the home after his foot fell through the floor, but he was rescued without injury after calling mayday, Morrill said. The fire was placed under control shortly after 5 a.m. Heavy damage was reported to 31 Irving St. and 35 Irving St. had minor exterior damage, Morrill said. According to radio transmissions, the fire also spread to a home at 120 North St., which sits behind 33 Irving St. A total of eight people were displaced and The American Red Cross is likely working to assist those residents, Morrill said. When Steven Siegel stumbled upon a junkyard in Jersey City in the late 1980s, he found what he calls a "photographer's paradise." Amidst the scrap metal and other debris was a veritable subway car graveyard. Siegel found decommissioned New York City subway cars covered in graffiti stacked on top of each other, while others were lying on their sides. From 1988 to 1990, Steven Siegel and his friends visited the junkyard -- trips that eventually yielded a series of surreal photos he dubbed "Subway Dream." Because the cars were piled haphazardly, Siegel and his friends were able to create what he calls "which way is up" type shots inside the cars. Siegel says these cars were the last generation of subway cars that were covered in graffiti. Siegel, who lives in New Milford and works as a lawyer, called it "one of the greatest photographic locations I would ever encounter in my life." While the junkyard -- which is situated south of Liberty State Park -- remains, Siegel says the MTA no longer uses it to scrap old cars. Click through the gallery above to see some of Siegel's amazing shots. You find yourself asking, which way is up? Patrick Villanova may be reached at pvillanova@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @pvilla_nova. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. Oil and gas industry to Louisiana: 'We're just as broke as you are' You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close 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. Former legislative candidate John Blue of Council Bluffs found a new home for leftover campaign funds Wednesday. Blue, who ran unsuccessfully for an Iowa House seat in 2014, decided not to run for office again and donated unused funds to the Heartland Family Service Therapeutic School. He said Iowa law requires political candidates to donate unused campaign money to charities. Blue considered different nonprofit organizations and settled on HFS. I did a lot of research and found that, with some organizations, a lot of money donated went to administrative fees, he said. I know this wont. But Blue also had personal reasons for choosing the HFS school. He drives a special education bus and last year drove some of the students to the HFS school. In addition, his wife, Jean, teaches special education at the school. These kids are all special to me, he said. The money will go toward programming at the therapeutic school, said Ryan Mahnke, program director. The school serves 78 K-12 students from 19 southwest Iowa districts stretching from Denison in the north to Hamburg in the south, Mahnke said. It has about 45 staff members. We cover a very wide area, he said. It is the schools second school year in the building at 2912 Ninth Ave., which was once Lee DeForest School, then St. Albert Primary School, then a temporary school for Council Bluffs Community School District students whose facilities were being renovated. HFS did a $1.2 million renovation when it moved in, with the help of a $500,000 matching grant from the Charles E. Lakin Foundation, according to Angie DiSalvo, communications director for HFS. Work included replacing floor coverings, removing asbestos and remodeling the kitchen. In addition, common areas were opened up to allow for easier supervision of students. On May 16, 2015, a new playground was installed. Its a great facility for what we need, Mahnke said. An Oakland man, who holds a key position with a local ward of the Church of the Latter Day Saints, has been charged with six counts of sex-related crimes. James Raborn, 26, has been charged with two felony counts of sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist, two misdemeanor counts of counts of sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist as well as single misdemeanor counts of dissemination or exhibition of obscene materials to minors and purchase or possession of a depiction of a minor in a sex act. The charges stem from alleged sexual relationships with two 16-year-old females. No-contact orders, which prohibit Raborn from contacting the victims orders were filed on Wednesday. Raborn was arrested on Feb. 12 and posted $65,000 bond one day later. Raborns attorney, Jordan Glaser, said his client plans to plead not guilty. According to Raborns arrest affidavit, he works as a ward young men president for LDS. According to the LDS webpage, the ward young men president serves as a member of the ward priesthood executive committee and the ward council. As a member of this committee and council, he participates in efforts to build faith and strengthen individuals and families. Investigators interviewed a representative with the LDS church who said that Raborn was a member of its clergy. Investigators with the Pottawattamie County Sheriffs Office said that Raborn met the two 16-year-old girls in his role as ward young men president. In the arrest affidavit, the two victims are listed only as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2. Jane Doe 1 reportedly met Raborn in July of 2015 and later introduced him to Jane Doe 2. According to the arrest affidavit, Jane Doe 1 met with authorities on Nov. 12, and Jane Doe 2 was interviewed on Dec. 4. Both reportedly said they performed sexual acts with Raborn and received explicit pictures from the suspect. Jane Doe 1 reportedly told authorities that she was aware that Raborn was married with children. With a search warrant, investigators searched residences in Oakland and Red Oak and allegedly found explicit pictures of Jane Doe 2 as well as text messages between the two of them describing their relationship. The two victims also turned in gifts of jewelry, clothes and memorabilia, which they allegedly received from Raborn. If convicted of sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist, a Class D felony, Raborn could receive up to five years in prison. Raborns next court date is a preliminary hearing on March 9. Community Its now easier than ever to connect and chat with others in your local area. You can connect with your community by asking general questions, give area updates and recommendations and even let your community know about local events that are taking place. While a suspect was arrested early Wednesday morning for a firearms-related incident in Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation, members of the small community remain concerned about their safety. While a suspect was arrested early Wednesday morning for a firearms-related incident in Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation, members of the small community remain concerned about their safety.Gun violence is very rare in our community, Sagamok Anishnawbek Chief Paul Eshkakogan told NorthernLife.ca. They're very concerned about the safety of our community.Eshkakogan said there was a sense of relief after police arrested Trystan Ashley Sago, 32, around 12 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 17.But now the community needs to try and make sense of what happened, he said.Members of the community held a healing circle Wednesday, and plan to host two more Thursday to allow people to share their concerns and discuss ways to improve safety.Sagamok Anishnawbek is located about 100 kilometres west of Sudbury, just south of the town of Massey.The First Nation has 1,600 residents, and for the most part, is no different than most other communities of that size in Canada, said Eshkakogan.He said police informed the council Wednesday morning that a man in the community had been shot around 9:30 a.m. that day. The man was reportedly injured, but not killed.The local elementary school was put in lockdown shortly thereafter, and community members were told to stay in their homes and lock their doors.Members of the Anishinabek Police Service Sagamok Detachment or the Ontario Provincial Police were out in full force Wednesday, searching the community and checking any vehicles that entered or left Sagamok.Eshkakogan said both police forces did a good job keeping community members informed about the search.We kept open lines of communication here at the (band) office, he said.OPP Cst. Don Bissonnette said the police service plans to release more information about Wednesday's incident Thursday evening.The incident remains under investigation.Any person with information regarding this incident should contact the Anishinabek Police Service (APS) Sagamok Detachment or the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) at 1-888-310-1122.Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit information online at www.tipsubmit.com where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000. Marymount student second in national art contest Grade 11 Marymount Academy student Casey McGee recently placed second in a Historica Canada contest for her artwork submission, entitled The Unknown Soldier. Grade 11 Marymount Academy student Casey McGee recently placed second in a Historica Canada contest for her artwork submission, entitled The Unknown Soldier. Supplied photo. Grade 11 Marymount Academy student Casey McGee recently placed second in a Historica Canada contest for her artwork submission, entitled The Unknown Soldier. The How We Remember Contest, which accepted written submissions and artwork, reflects on the subject of Canadas role in the First and Second World Wars. This piece was the strongest as it conveyed the most meaning, without being overly literal and illustrative, said Scott Waters, one of the contest's jurors, commenting on McGee's piece. Its iconic stoicism combined nicely with a playful quality and allowed the piece to occupy varying emotional terrain. It was also a technically strong painting. McGee said she was thrilled that she placed so well in the contest and it has encouraged her to continue with her drawing and learning. I always carry around my sketchbook with me where ever I go, and this contest was really great in that it combined my love of art and my love of history, she said. Marymount Academy principal Lucie Cullen also said she's thrilled with McGees second place win. Casey is a gifted artist and a strong learner, said Cullen. At Marymount we always seek out opportunities as a staff for our students to thrive and really excel. Casey is a great example of this as she was able to showcase her talent on a national level we are very proud of her. Cambrian VP delays retirement, takes on new role Cambrian College's vice-president, academic is delaying her retirement to take on a new role. Sonia Del Missier will take on the role of vice-president, international, innovation and pathways this spring. Supplied photo. Cambrian College's vice-president, academic is delaying her retirement to take on a new role. Sonia Del Messier has agreed to extend her tenure at the college for an additional year to spearhead three of Cambrians strategic initiatives the development of an internationalization strategy; the establishment of a teaching and innovation hub; and the further development of educational pathways to and from other post-secondary institutions. She will assume the newly-created role of vice-president, international, innovation and pathways this spring. Del Missier, currently the college's vice-president, academic, had been planning to retire this June. But Del Missier will now leave the college in the summer of 2017, after 39 years of service to Cambrian. Sonia Del Missier is the perfect choice to lead the next stage of development in these critical areas, said Cambrian president Bill Best, in a press release from the college. "I am thrilled that she has agreed to remain with Cambrian in this new capacity. Over the course of her career, Del Missier has received numerous awards, most recently a Community Builders Award for Education (2015), and she has served countless organizations that have benefited, and continue to benefit, from her leadership and volunteer efforts. These have included the United Way, the Canadian Cancer Society Sudbury and District, the Rotary Club of Sudbury Sunrisers, the University of Sudbury, and Laurentian University. Macdonald-Cartier student takes on Parliament Hill Grade 10 Ecole secondaire Macdonald-Cartier student Magalie Malette is attending a youth conference focused on politics in Ottawa this week. Grade 10 Ecole secondaire Macdonald-Cartier student Magalie Malette, seen in this 2013 file photo, is attending the Forum for Young Canadians in Ottawa this week. File photo. Grade 10 Ecole secondaire Macdonald-Cartier student Magalie Malette is attending a youth conference focused on politics in Ottawa this week. The Forum for Young Canadians aims to provide youth aged 15 to 19 who are engaged and passionate about politics with the opportunity to understand political issues and to have an unforgettable experience on Parliament Hill. Active in her school and keenly interested in politics, Malette is a member of the theatre group Les Draveurs and of the specialized science, math and technology program "La 4e dimension," a press release said. The teen is always looking for new challenges and the Forum for Young Canadians is an opportunity to make a difference, to collaborate with others and transform her ideas into community action. At the forum, Malette will have the opportunity to delve into public affairs and Canadian politics and to see up close how a country is governed. Project aims to get more women in politics Greater Sudbury is looking for ways to encourage more women to get involved in politics. Next week, city councillors will review the Women in Politics initiative, which aims to develop strategies to get more gender balance in the political arena. Evelyn Dustrisac is the Greater Sudbury city councillor for Ward 4. Greater Sudbury is looking for ways to encourage more women to get involved in politics. Next week, city councillors will review the Women in Politics initiative, which aims to develop strategies to get more gender balance in the political arena. File photo. Greater Sudbury is looking for ways to encourage more women to get involved in politics. Next week, city councillors will review the Women in Politics initiative, which aims to develop strategies to get more gender balance in the political arena. Through conversations and research staff has uncovered a common thread: women typically don't make the move from considering running for office to actually throwing their name into the ring until they are asked to do so or they are told that they should, the report says. Additionally, there is a fear of the unknown when it comes to politics and quite a bit of stigma that is attached not only to politics in general but those who run and are elected. As one councillor stated during an interview, 'knowing how few women there are, you don't know what you're getting yourself into.' " The initiative coincides with the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote in Canada, which is coming up in 2018, also when the next municipal election is scheduled. It also marks four years since the provincial election. In Greater Sudbury, four of the 12 members of city council are women, or about 30 per cent. That's slightly higher than the provincial average of 27 per cent. The statistics in the table reveal that across Ontario, when women make the decision to run they are 10 per cent more likely to be elected than their male counterparts, the report says. The rate was even higher in Sudbury in the 2014 local vote, where four of the eight women who ran won a seat on city council. They are Ward 4 Coun. Evelyn Dutrisac, Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh, Ward 11 Coun. Lynne Reynolds and Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann. What staff is looking to do is plant a seed amongst women in our community to encourage them to consider running for office, the report says. The community is asking them to take a leap into the unknown. Through this project, staff is also seeking to demystify the political process for women in our community, and make it familiar, real and relatable to their everyday lives. By finding out what holds women back from running for office, the project aims to find ways to address these barriers. The demands on female politicians differ from those of their male counterparts and often they have to take on a different voice or approached to it, the report says. Research suggests that by building a network, framing up a system and bringing together women who have gone through the process with those who are considering it, we can build a safety net of sorts for those women who would like to run but may be reluctant to do so for a variety of reasons. The efforts will culminate in two events. The first, scheduled for September, is called Women in Government Day, and will bring together women interested in running for office with women who have already gone through the process. It is hoped that the day will facilitate open discussions with respect to the barriers women face, both perceived and actual and identify solutions to address them and provide them with the tools to do so and ultimately encourage more women to seek office in our community, the report says. A second event, referred to in the report as "mentor speed dating," will match potential candidates with a mentor who will support them as they decide whether to run for office. It is the ultimate hope that by stripping away as many of the unknowns as possible ... this project will encourage more women to join in the political process and run as candidates in our next election. City councillors will be asked to endorse the initiative at their Feb. 23 meeting. LINCOLN (AP) An effort to impose new regulations on Nebraskas oil and gas industry drew support Wednesday from environmental advocates but opposition from company officials, who say the proposals are unnecessary and redundant. The bills were introduced in response to a public outcry that began when a Colorado energy company sought state approval to discard oil and natural gas wastewater underground in northwest Nebraska. Terex Energy Corp. later scrapped its plan, but landowners and environmental groups argue that it highlights the need for more state regulations to protect the groundwater. One measure would require companies to carry at least $1 million in liability insurance for injection and disposal wells and at least $5 million for any site that disposes of more than 500 barrels of wastewater a day. The people who are in business to make a profit from wastewater disposal should have sufficient insurance coverage so that landowners and taxpayers are not left holding the bag, Sen. Ken Haar, of Malcolm, the bills sponsor, said in testimony to the Legislatures Natural Affairs Committee. Industry officials argued that the bill was too vague because it doesnt make clear whether the insurance requirement applies to each well a company owns or all of them collectively. Dana Wreath, a vice president at Berexco LLC, a Kansas-based drilling company, said his firm already has insurance for its wells in Nebraska, but smaller businesses may not be able to afford it. Chris Peterson, a lobbyist for the Nebraska Petroleum Producers Association, said the bill could have a chilling effect on the industrys growth in the state. Oil and gas drilling is a far smaller industry in Nebraska than in Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas and other nearby states. A second bill by would mandate the disclosure of a wells location to nearby local governments and periodic testing at each site, among other requirements. Sen. Ken Schilz of Ogallala, the committee chairman, said he introduced the bill in response to public input last year during a series of hearings focused on Nebraskas gas and oil industry. The measure would change the mission of the Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which is required by law to foster, encourage and promote the development of oil and natural gas. Critics have said the state commission needs to regulate the industry instead of being a cheerleader for it. Jane Kleeb, director of the progressive group Bold Nebraska, said the bill represents a step in the right direction to protect the states water although it doesnt go as far as her group would like. We dont feel that we should be accepting fracking waste, Kleeb said. She also raised concerns about fracking linked to earthquakes in Oklahoma and other states. Leon Rodak, a vice president for the Kansas-based Murfin Drilling Co., said many of the requirements proposed in the bill already exist in state regulations. Rodak said the industry has operated in Nebraska for roughly six decades, yet the state has never seen a major leak or environmental problem. DAVENPORT, Iowa Against a "changing media landscape," Lee Enterprises is optimistic about its future as digital revenues continue to rise and it draws strong audiences to multiple platforms, company executives told shareholders Wednesday. "We're upbeat about our accomplishments, and were on a positive, transformational path," said Mary Junck, the company's chairman, president and CEO, during the annual shareholders meeting at the publisher's downtown Davenport headquarters. Before a standing-room-only crowd, most of whom were Lee employees, she said: "Digital revenue is on a strong trajectory. Subscription revenue continues to grow, and the audiences in our markets are huge across all age groups and platforms." Lee is the parent company of The Times Media Co., which publishes the Times of Northwest Indiana, nwi.com and assorted niche publications. Davenport, Iowa-based Lee is also a leading digital and print provider of local news and advertising in about 50 other markets across the nation. Junck, 68, who also was elected to her new position as Lee executive chairman, said the company is seeing a shift in its audiences. "Our audience is migrating from using print exclusively to using a combination of print and digital or digital only," she said. During a board of directors meeting following the shareholders meeting, Kevin Mowbray was elected president and chief executive officer in a leadership transition first announced in December. Mowbray, 54, had served as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Mowbray was publisher at The Times Media Co. in Munster from 2004 to 2005. Suburban Newspapers of America honored The Times as national Newspaper of the Year in 2005. At that time, Mowbray also was Lee vice president for publishing, with responsibility for markets in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. In 2015, Lee reported a 28 percent growth in its total digital revenue. "These gains can be attributed to our ever-expanding suite of digital products and the talent and expertise of our sales force," Junck said, adding that "digital subscription revenue has also been a key contributor to our growth." Junck and Ron Mayo, Lee vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer, both told shareholders that the company continues to focus on paying down its debt. Junck said the strong free cash flow "has fueled aggressive deleveraging and kept us ahead of schedule in retiring debt, which we strongly believe drives long-term shareholder value." Mayo said the company has reduced debt by $80.5 million in the past 12 months, including $21.9 million in the first quarter of 2016. Lee also is reviewing its real estate portfolio "with plans to monetize those assets where beneficial," he said. The undepreciated book value of its portfolio is worth about $200 million. ''We expect to reduce debt even further in the March quarter of 2016 as we continue to use all of our available free cash flow to reduce debt," he said. Carol Alexander, of Taylorville, Ill., a Lee retiree and shareholder, raised questions about the company's ability to meet the 2022 deadline to pay off its debt, as well as declining numbers in circulation, audience reach and print advertising. "We have reduced our debt each and every year, and our forecast shows we will continue to pay down our debt and meet our obligations," Mayo said. To the questions about circulation, Junck said, "There is no doubt we are in a changing industry. The mix of our audience is changing. Print-only is going down, but digital is going up." The Times reporter Joseph S. Pete contributed to this report. SCHERERVILLE Three new businesses will open soon in a new strip mall at the Crossroads of America, the intersection of Indianapolis Boulevard and U.S. 30. Valparaiso-based gourmet burger chain Burgerhaus, Jimmy Johns and Batteries Plus will locate in the new 5,000-square-foot strip mall on the southwest side of the intersection, Schererville town manager Bob Volkmann said. The retail development in front of the landmark Crossings of Schererville office building had been planned for a decade, but was stalled during the Great Recession. More development is coming soon, including the next phase at the Shops on Main lifestyle center at Main Street and Indianapolis Boulevard. Nordstrom Rack plans to open a much-anticipated 25,000-square-foot store there. Volkmann said there had been talks with many other retailers, including J. Crew, but that nothing was official. Regency Center Communications Manager Eric Davidson said he could not confirm any rumored tenants for Shops on Main, such as Ann Taylor. Everybody, all the stores there, are really busy, Volkmann said. Theres a lot of traffic. Whole Foods has said its doing very well, above expectations. Josh Halpern, president of Alberts Diamond Jewelers, also is moving forward with plans for the Shoppes on The Boulevard retail center at the site of the former Krispy Kreme at 320 Indianapolis Blvd. The project will include a 10,000-square-foot building and a 4,200-square-foot building. Construction is expected to start in the spring, and businesses should be open before the end of the year. With the Nordstrom Rack, retails getting some momentum, Schererville Town Councilman Kevin Connelly said. While retail has been booming in Schererville on U.S. 30 and especially Indianapolis Boulevard, the town wants to redevelop its downtown as well, Connelly said. The hope is to make it more of a destination like downtown Valparaiso. Wed love to see the main corridor of the downtown district get cool restaurants and complement what wed already have, he said. Schererville is offering incentives to lure businesses downtown, including tax-increment financing funding and facade grants that will match up to $15,000 in renovations. When it comes to whodunnits on either film or stage, Alfred Hitchcock is the ultimate master. Audiences will get to enjoy the antics and storyline of one of Hitchcock's famed films when "The 39 Steps" hits the stage of Munster's Theatre at the Center. The production runs today through March 20. "There are only four people in the ensemble. There are changing scenes and so many costume changes," said David Perkovich, director of "The 39 Steps." Perkovich said the detailed, madcap production, which was a hit in London's West End as well as on Broadway, is interesting to direct as one must be very aware of timing, character development and the comedic aspects of the piece. The director added the production intertwines a spy story and a love story but "it's still a comedy." Starring in the production are Matt Mueller, from Chicago's acting Mueller family; Linda Gillum; Norm Boucher; and Kevin McKillip. The ensemble group plays more than 150 characters during the duration of "The 39 Steps." The storyline which is based on a 1915 book by John Buchan, revolves around Britain's Richard Hannay, played by Mueller, who gets into a variety of adventures, while helping female spy, played by Linda Gillum. After a mysterious tragedy occurs, Hannay is on the run from the spy ring and the police as the mystery is attempted to be solved. "It's challenging in a good way," said Mueller, about portraying various characters with different dialects, in the theatrical work. "It's fast-paced and it's funny." Gillum said she's enjoying the portrayal of the multiple characters and as an actress, she said you can't let all the comic antics and the "silliness" get in the way of fleshing out the personalities in the piece. "You have to make the audience believe this person is now that person (but with a hat on)," Gillum said, about all the quick changing and personality switches. "This is a different kind of show for Theatre at the Center," said Perkovich. He added it's a bit more abstract then other productions normally presented on that stage. For Mueller, the style of comedy in the show is very specific. "And if it's not sharp and specific, it's not funny," Mueller said. It takes focus to deliver, he added. Perkovich explained "The 39 Steps" has often been staged in smaller proscenium venues. With the Theatre at the Center's stage being semi in the round, the director said he has to mount the show "to fill (and fit) the stage." There'll also be a homage to Hitchcock, during the production, the director said. FYI: "The 39 Steps" runs today through March 20 at Theatre at the Center, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster. The show is recommended for adults and children 11 years old and up. Ticket prices are $40 to $44. For more information, call (219) 836-3255 or visit TheatreAtTheCenter.com. VALPARAISO Defense attorney Larry Rogers told jurors Wednesday the case against his client, Steven Lindsey, is built upon a false positive gunshot residue test "They looked at every piece of evidence with the eye that Steven must have done it," he said. The claims were made as prosecutors began a third attempt at proving Lindsey, 36, guilty of murdering his wife, Melinda Lindsey, 23, by shooting her in the head as she was in bed at the couple's home along Ind. 149 in Center Township. The first attempt in September ended with a mistrial after a last-minute witness came forward claiming an earlier person of interest carried out the home invasion and slaying. The case was then tried over nearly three weeks in November, but ended in a hung jury. Porter County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Matt Frost told jurors during opening arguments Wednesday that evidence points to no one but Steven Lindsey. "Steven Lindsey is the murderer, he is the killer of his wife," Frost said. Evidence began with the playing of two 911 calls Lindsey placed on the morning of the slaying. Marsha Kistler, a Porter County 911 dispatcher, testified that she could not understand any of the first call, which was made up of a series of drawn out moans and cries by Steven Lindsey. During the second call, which came six minutes later at 6:25 a.m., Lindsey said, "They shot my wife." He also said, "I couldn't do anything." Frost told jurors that after Lindsey hung up on the first 911 call, he called his brother for 40 to 50 seconds and then called back to 911 and said, "They took my wife and I heard a gunshot." Lindsey later told police he was attacked while sleeping on a couch, rendered unconscious, bound and moved to his toddler daughters bedroom, where he awoke to the sound of a gunshot that turned out to be someone shooting his wife in their bedroom. The invasion came after weeks of harassment by a stalker/thief, he said. Frost said Steven Lindsey and his wife had been having problems, in part because she wanted to return to her former job as an exotic dancer. They were also falling behind in their bills and Melinda Lindsey had purchased a $1.1 million life insurance policy. Rogers dismissed the life insurance policy as a motive, saying the couple had fallen behind on the premium payment just before the killing. He said Melinda Lindsey had been stalked before her death and had been in a series of earlier relationships, most of which were violent. DYER Construction of a Christian academy led to a brawl after iron workers refused to sign a labor agreement with an area union, according to a federal lawsuit. D5 Iron Works alleges in a lawsuit filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois that members of Iron Workers Local 395 attacked workers Jan. 7 at the construction site for Plumb Creek Christian Academy at the southwest corner of 213th Street and Calumet Avenue in Dyer. The school is part of Dyer Baptist Church. Officials from Iron Workers 395, based in Portage, did not return calls for comment Wednesday. Officials from the church also did not return calls seeking comment. Thomas Williamson Sr., is accused of approaching workers from D5 Iron Works Jan. 6 at the construction site to solicit a labor agreement that would call for union members to work the job. The workers told Williamson to leave the construction site. The next day, Williamson allegedly returned to the construction site and continued arguing with workers about joining a labor agreement. According to the lawsuit, Williamson was heard saying, "I'm taking this back to Old School." Williamson and 11 other men associated with Iron Workers Local 395 returned about 3 p.m. that day and began kicking and punching workers, according to the lawsuit. Some of the union workers were allegedly wearing steel-toe boots during the attack, and others were using wood to hit the workers. The members of Iron Workers 395 were yelling that the area was "395 territory" during the attack, the lawsuit alleges. One worker, Scott Kudingo, had to have his jaw wired shut because of the beating. D5 Iron Works is asking in the lawsuit for $3 million in damages along with attorney's fees. Dyer Police Department Cmdr. Don Foley said Wednesday that officers did respond to a fight at 3:02 p.m. Jan. 7 at the construction site. The suspects had left by the time police arrived. Foley said the incident was still under investigation, and the case had not been presented to the Lake County prosecutor's office. INDIANAPOLIS A majority of state representatives voted Thursday that it should remain acceptable for an Indiana employer to be able to fire an otherwise satisfactory worker for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. In the first full chamber vote on LGBT issues this year, 59 House Republicans rejected an amendment to Senate Bill 20, proposed by House Democratic Leader Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, that would have prohibited employers from discriminating in the workplace based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Seven Republicans, including state Rep. Tom Dermody, R-LaPorte, joined the 28 Democrats in attendance, including all six from Northwest Indiana, to support the anti-discrimination proposal. This shows you how far the public needs to push some of its representatives to bring our laws in line with the attitudes and beliefs of the people, Pelath said. The four Region lawmakers who voted against LGBT workplace protections were state Reps. Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron; Bill Fine, R-Munster; Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point; and Hal Slager, R-Schererville. State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, was absent. Aylesworth said he opposed the measure not out of animus toward LGBT Hoosiers, but because it wasnt the right moment to consider the proposal. I think that issue deserves a full-fledged House debate, not just an amendment on a bill where you cant really give it the time needed to carry out a thorough, thoughtful debate, Aylesworth said. Pelath called that reasoning, which was echoed by House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, just ridiculous. This is one of the most widely debated issues in the state of Indiana, Pelath said. You mean to tell me you dont know what you think? Pelath said now that most House Republicans are on record in favor of LGBT discrimination in the workplace, he will continue pushing for votes to learn their stances on LGBT discrimination in housing and service at businesses. A Senate plan to bar all LGBT discrimination, with exceptions for religious groups, never received a vote after leaders concluded the measure was unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled chamber. This shows you how far the public needs to push some of its representatives to bring our laws in line with the attitudes and beliefs of the people. state House Democratic Leader Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City I think that issue deserves a full-fledged House debate, not just an amendment on a bill where you cant really give it the time needed to carry out a thorough, thoughtful debate. state Rep. Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron PORTAGE Mayor James Snyder told an overflow crowd Thursday that his administrations work isnt done in making Portage the best city in Northwest Indiana. Snyder gave his annual State of the City address at Woodland Park. The event was sponsored by the Greater Portage Chamber of Commerce. Outlining accomplishments of his first term as mayor and introducing and thanking various department heads, employees and other elected officials, Snyder said the work isnt over and that the city has entered the State of Custodial Care. Snyder said he has formed an Efficiency and Excellence Commission tasked with finding more ways the city can become efficient and excellent. This committee will provide a road map of custodial care for Portages future, said Snyder, announcing committee members as Jim Fitzer, Ron Necco and Porter Superior Court Judge Julia Jent. The committee, he said, will provide the citys own Kernan-Shepard-type report, referring to a 2007 report suggesting ways to streamline state government. Snyder also renewed the call for Porter County to construct a county building in the citys downtown district and called on residents to contact their county commissioners and councilmen. It is imperative to get that county courthouse downtown between the Fire Department and Police Department, he said. He also defended the citys recent proposal to increase sanitary sewer rates, saying the city has done everything in its power to become as efficient as possible, but there is a need to raise the funds for the sustenance and critical care of the city we love. Snyder also announced that Portage Police Detective Sgt. Joe Mokol has been hired as the citys new street and sanitation department superintendent. Mokol will replace long-time superintendent Steve Charnetzky, who retired at the end of January. Mokol will start the new position Monday. He also announced the hiring of John Kolb as assistant superintendent of streets with Randy Reeder remaining the assistant superintendent of sanitation. Snyder also said the city will be implementing a general services division that will provide maintenance operations across city properties. He also promised those in attendance an ordinance review to change regulations that are outdated and cumbersome, implement an online permitting system for residents and build a robust code enforcement system to keep the city clean. CROWN POINT It was Darrell Josleyn's lifelong dream to be a policeman, and he accomplished that goal in 2005. Now, a rare form of bone cancer is threatening to take that dream away. The Crown Point police officer thought the pain in his back in September was a pinched nerve. Josleyn, 40, went to the doctor and an MRI and X-rays of his hip revealed erosion of the pelvis bone and four masses on his pelvis. That was two days before a family vacation to Disney World was to begin. Instead of Disney World, he met with the head of the orthopedic oncology department at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. There, CT and bone scans showed a rare form of epithelioid angiosarcoma cancer. It was confined to his right pelvis. After a round of chemotherapy, three doses over a nine-week period that started in October, he underwent surgery Jan. 12, during which the right pelvis and the top of his femur were replaced with prosthetics. The surgery lasted 19 hours, but four hours later the hospital discovered the new implants had been displaced and he was back in surgery a few hours later. The second surgery held up better, and he was soon assigned to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago to learn how to walk again with his bionic parts. For the first week, every time he stood up he would black out. He was told this is normal because he had been confined to his back for about three weeks. Eventually, he was able to walk 20 feet with the help of a walker. "I didn't have much control of my right leg," Josleyn said. Now he's able to walk about 130 feet in six minutes with his walker. "I'm still trying to get my muscles and nerves back, which they say could take months," Josleyn said. "They're starting to work, but they are very weak. I've started to climb steps, which is going better than I expected." He said parts of the leg feels normal, "but the front half feels numb and the muscles are not engaging very well." He said he doesn't trust his leg. "I'm terrified I will fall. I've had my moments of depression and felt things are never going to get better. I've got a lot of support from my family and friends, and the staff at RIC is great. They haven't let me quit." He expects to be allowed to go home Feb. 26 and hopes to continue his therapy at a Crown Point facility with the goal of getting back to his job as patrolman, where he also is a field training officer. And, so far, he's followed the advice of his oncologist. "He suggested I stay off the Internet and not Google information about my cancer," he said. HAMMOND Hammond High School junior Tenesha Smith remembers when her sister got a $150 fine for jaywalking across Hohman Avenue. "We were hanging out around Eggers Middle School, and she got a ticket when she crossed the street," Smith said Wednesday. "I never saw anything wrong with jaywalking before. I didn't think it was a big deal, but now I realize it's an issue and why," the 17-year-old said. A few years ago, a Hammond family filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Department of Justice saying Hammond police unfairly issued jaywalking tickets, mostly to minority teens in Hammond. Hammond Police Chief John Doughty said officers continue to see jaywalking problems at all Hammond schools, especially on busy 169th Avenue near Morton High, and Calumet Avenue near Hammond High. He said there was far less jaywalking at Clark Middle/High School. As a result, the Justice Department's Community Relations Service department held a two-day session Tuesday and Wednesday at Morton High in Hammond allowing students from all five high schools (in addition to Morton, Hammond and Clark, the district includes Gavit and the Area Career Center) to discuss jaywalking and solutions to the problem. Kenith Bergeron, the Justice Department's senior conciliation specialist for Region V in Chicago, served as facilitator. Hammond schools Superintendent Walter Watkins and Doughty heard comments from more than 100 students. Doughty said there has been a disconnect between authorities and teens, but he said the goal of police officers is to keep teens safe. He said officers recently underwent training, and will begin building a better relationship with young people. "I took a lot of notes because what you said was insightful," he told students. "It's about respect, treating young people with the respect they deserve, and in turn, getting respect." Eighty-five percent of the students enrolled in the School City of Hammond are minority, mostly Hispanic, and Doughty does not believe that police target minorities. "We looked at that to make sure that officers were not racial-profiling, and we did not find that they were doing that," Doughty said. Smith believes it will be important for police and teens to approach each other with respect. "If a teen comes toward an officer with an attitude, that's going to make that officer have an attitude. If a teen is respectable, it will be a better situation," she said. Gavit High School junior Emily Munoz said some of the solutions include changing the way officers act toward teens in general and teens having a better understanding of the consequences for jaywalking. Gavit junior Kyle Heard said the students who attended the two-day session will be responsible for going back to their schools and communities and talking about the issues with classmates, family and friends. "I'm going to share what I learned here about the laws regarding jaywalking," he said. "Learning the laws and how to follow them will help my fellow classmates do better." WASHINGTON A U.S. magistrate's order for Apple Inc. to help the FBI hack into an iPhone used by the gunman in the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, sets up an extraordinary legal fight with implications for ordinary consumers and digital privacy. The clash brings to a head a long-simmering debate between technology companies insistent on protecting digital privacy and law enforcement agencies concerned about becoming unable to recover evidence or eavesdrop on the communications of terrorists or criminals. On Wednesday, the White House disputed the contention by Apple's Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook that the Obama administration is seeking to force the software company to build a "backdoor" to bypass digital locks protecting consumer information on Apple's popular iPhones. The early arguments set the stage for what will likely be a protracted policy and public relations fight in the courts, on Capitol Hill, on the Internet and elsewhere. "They are not asking Apple to redesign its product or to create a new backdoor to one of their products," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. "They're simply asking for something that would have an impact on this one device." Within hours of the judge's order Tuesday telling Apple to aid the FBI with special software in the case, Cook promised a court challenge. He said the software the FBI would need to unlock the gunman's work-issued iPhone 5C would be "too dangerous to create" and called it "undeniably" a backdoor. Cook compared it to a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks, and said there was no way to keep the technique secret once it's developed. "Once the information is known, or a way to bypass the code is revealed, the encryption can be defeated by anyone with that knowledge," Cook said. At the center of the debate are the private data carried on nearly 900 million iPhones sold worldwide: Photographs, videos, chat messages, health records and more. There was swift reaction on the presidential campaign trail, where Donald Trump told Fox News that he agreed "100 percent with the courts." Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, who fought encryption in the 1990s, said she thought the government should be able to access the phone. On Twitter, Edward Snowden called it "the most important tech case in a decade." But Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., called the Justice Department's request "unconscionable and unconstitutional." The ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym represents a significant victory for the Justice Department. Federal officials until now have struggled to identify a high-profile case to make its concerns resonate. But in siding with the government, Pym, a former federal prosecutor, was persuaded that agents investigating the worst terror attack on U.S. soil since Sept. 11 had been hobbled by their inability to unlock the county-owned phone used by Syed Farook, who along with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people in December before dying in a police shootout. The dispute places Apple, one of the world's most respected companies, on the side of protecting the digital privacy of an accused Islamic terrorist. "We have no sympathy for terrorists," Cook said. Apple has provided default encryption on its iPhones since 2014, allowing any device's contents to be accessed only by the user who knows the phone's passcode. The phone Farook was using, running the newest version of Apple's iPhone operating system, was configured to erase data after 10 consecutive, unsuccessful unlocking attempts. The magistrate ordered Apple to create special software the FBI could load onto the phone to bypass the self-destruct feature. The FBI wants to be able to try different combinations in rapid sequence until it finds the right one. The next step wasn't immediately clear. The judge gave Apple five days to contest the order as unreasonably burdensome. GARY Indiana University Northwest students interested in becoming an attorney have a new opportunity for financial assistance and professional experience through the Indiana University Regional Law Scholars program. The program is a partnership between the IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis and each of the university's five other regional campuses. Julie Smith, McKinney School of Law student recruitment director, visited IUN last week while on a tour of regional campuses. "It's very, very well-received," Smith said of the program. "It gives us an opportunity to keep great IU students in the IU family." Alumni and current students at IUN, as well as campuses in South Bend, Kokomo, Richmond and New Albany, are eligible to apply for the program. For the fall 2016 semester, students must submit a law school application to McKinney by March 1, and be nominated for the award by their own campus by March 31. Three award recipients will be selected by April 15. They will receive a minimum of a half-tuition scholarship, as well as experiential learning opportunities or a paid research assistant position after completing 31 credit hours. While the application timeline is tight for next fall's law school class, Smith said the campus visits she's doing this winter will help in "building a pipeline for next year and beyond." Anna Rominger, dean of the IUN School of Business and Economics, is a campus pre-law adviser, and said IUN is setting up a selection process to determine nominees for the Regional Scholars Program. "This could get them the funds to get there," she said of the Indianapolis school. "There are not always a lot of scholarships available for law school." IUN offers a pre-law minor that generally includes about 20 students each year, Rominger said. The minor has five required courses, and one elective. "These courses are great foundations for them," Rominger said. "They're going to get introduced to a lot of concepts." The scholarship portion of the program pays up to half the cost of tuition about $12,600. IUN alumnus Eden Strange, already admitted to IUPUI's law school for the fall, made the trip to Gary from his Indianapolis home to reconnect with IUN and learn more about the Regional Law Scholars program. "It would mean the world to me," Strange, a logistics manager for Fed Ex in Indianapolis, said. Opportunities for networking and forming connections through the program would also be valuable, he said. "I could stay in the IU family; it's right there in Indy," Strange said of IUPUI law school. The Regional Law Scholars program joins existing agreements the IUPUI McKinney School of Law has with nine private institutions in Indiana and Illinois: Marian University, Wabash College, Bradley University, Franklin College, the University of Southern Indiana, DePauw University, Albion College, Anderson University and Butler University. SPRINGFIELD To many in the General Assemblys Democratic majority, what Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner left out of his budget address Wednesday was as notable than what he included. Without a budget in place for the current year, Rauner proposed increasing elementary and secondary education funding for the fiscal year beginning July 1 and, as he has repeatedly over the past year, called for the Legislature to enact portions of his turnaround agenda before hell agree to raising taxes to close the multibillion-dollar hole in the budget. The governor also outlined two paths he said the lawmakers could take in addressing next years budget: Either you give the executive branch the authority to cut spending to live within our revenues, or we agree together on economic and governmental reforms to accompany a negotiated balance of spending reductions and revenue that ensures that Illinois can be both compassionate and competitive. What Rauner didnt address in the speech, Democrats said afterward, was how much hes proposing to spend overall and on what or how he intends to address the crisis facing public universities and community colleges. They havent received any state funding amid this years budget impasse, now in its eighth month. The governors preferred budget plan, which was posted on the state website, calls for spending about $36.3 billion if lawmakers agree to structural reforms and government transformation. Otherwise, he proposes spending $32.8 billion, with the General Assembly giving him authority to move money around to balance the budget. I had low expectations in listening to the governors speech this afternoon, said Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago. For a whole year, we have heard the same story about how we must turn around this state, and what we have done is essentially turned it back. Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, said the speech didnt move the state any closer to ending the current standoff or coming to an agreement on next years budget. We have pending issues that are severe in nature that have to be dealt, Manar said. Higher ed is certainly at the top of that list. He said the lack of attention given to the issue in the speech shows how divided the Legislature is from the governors office and provides evidence that the governors office isnt listening to the outcry thats coming from every direction across the state. The outcry was evident before and after the speech as students, staff and supporters from Eastern Illinois and Chicago State universities, among others, chanted and demonstrated at the Capitol, even briefly blocking Rauner from entering the House chamber to deliver his message. Dan Crews, who is among the 177 Eastern employees whove received layoff notices this month, said the situation has created uncertainty about the future of the university and the Charleston community. This whole process has caused a lot of people, me included, to lose faith in our leaders, he said. Southern Illinois University President Randy Dunn also was concerned by the lack of attention paid to higher education. I came with a lot of questions, and Im not sure that, given the speech itself, any of those questions got answered today, Dunn said. At the same time, I understand this is the first step in a long process. The governors written proposal likely didnt allay Dunns concerns. Rauner is proposing a 20 percent cut to what universities received in fiscal year 2015. Not surprisingly, Republican lawmakers viewed the speech differently. They said the governor laid out a path forward and again made clear his willingness to compromise on some of his policy priorities. Sen. Dave Luechtefeld, R-Okawville, said the governor did a good job of making his openness to compromise clear. Right now, whats happening is (Democratic House Speaker) Mike Madigan is basically trying to show the governor whos boss, and thats kind of sad because people are suffering, Luechtefeld said. I really believe that there are doable reforms. Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, said Rauner laid out a blueprint for how to address the budget. In every comment Ive heard from the governor for this first year of his serving in office, hes continually said, I will work with you, and I will compromise with you, Barickman said. Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, said there was a vast improvement of communication and outreach to the Democrats on Rauners part. I think the governor is very sincere when he says, Ill work with you. Here are the plans; here are the different directions we can go, Brady said. But to many Democrats it came across as more of the same from Rauner. Hes still sticking with hes not going to do anything unless we adopt his turnaround agenda, said Rep. Pat Verschoore, D-Milan, and theres no way that I can vote for that when it basically attacks working, middle-class people. SPRINGFIELD Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner offered lawmakers two distinct options Wednesday to end Illinois' historic budget stalemate: Implement his cost-saving proposals in exchange for a $36 billion budget, or give him authority to make $4 billion in cuts. Rauner's second budget address, delivered eight months after the current fiscal year's budget should have taken effect, reinforces what he's said in the past about his openness to raising taxes but only if lawmakers are willing to give him some of the reforms he wants. "You choose," he told lawmakers. "But please, choose now." Without some reforms, he added, "We cannot in good conscience raise taxes on the hard-working families of Illinois." Democrats who control the Legislature already have balked at the idea of giving Rauner unilateral power to make cuts, repeatedly dismissed his suggested reforms, such as curbing the power of unions, and say the solution is a combination of spending cuts and raising taxes on the wealthy. The speech only made them dig in harder. "We're all better served ... if we follow the traditional approach, people become reasonable with each other, move away from extreme agendas, recognize that the No. 1 problem facing the state of Illinois is the budget deficit," said House Speaker Michael Madigan, who's been Rauner's chief political rival during the stalemate. Rauner's budget with cuts would be $32.8 billion, because the state doesn't have enough revenue to match a $36 billion spending plan that would cover all expected state agency operations. Even members of his own party said nearly $4 billion in cuts is an unappealing option. "My belief is those reductions would be so steep as to be harmful to the state overall, if we only dealt with reductions," said Rep. David Harris, the Revenue and Finance Committee's ranking Republican. He said the state must find additional revenue, whether through taxes or cost-saving reforms. Sen. Christine Radogno, the Republican leader in the Senate, praised Rauner's speech. "I thought it was a fair assessment of what our choices are right now given the extremely serious financial condition that we're in," she said. "It was delivered without rancor and with a sincere invitation once again to the Democrats to come to the table and negotiate a good path forward for the state." Illinois faces a roughly $5 billion budget deficit this year, and its unpaid bill backlog could reach almost $26 billion by 2020 if current revenue and spending policies continue. Since the beginning of this fiscal year in July, several social service programs have closed or seen massive cuts, and officials at the state's public colleges and universities are worried their institutions will be permanently harmed if a budget doesn't come soon. A roar of chants calling Rauner to fund higher education filled the third-floor rotunda during the budget address, with hundreds of Illinois college students yelling, "Save our schools!" Demonstrators booed him following his speech. The predicament of giving a budget address for the future while still having no spending plan for the current year mystified Democrats. "We're more than halfway through a budget year with no budget, and now we are debating what could best be described as sketches for a budget for next year, so it almost wasn't a budget address," Senate President John Cullerton said. Many of the sticking points in the ongoing battle haven't changed, including negotiating a new labor contract with the state employees' union that would save $3 billion over three years. Rauner wants state labor regulators to determine whether the negotiations with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees are at an "impasse," a declaration that would open the door for him to impose his on terms on state workers. Democratic leaders have remained steadfast in their support for AFSCME, which has been one of the party's biggest political allies over the years. Rauner, a wealthy former venture capitalist, also remained steadfast in the pro-business political philosophy that helped him defeat Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn in 2014, emphasizing that the key to the budget crisis includes reducing worker compensation costs, passing tort reform legislation and lowering property taxes. "To create jobs and raise incomes, we've got to change our state's reputation as being hostile to business," Rauner said. CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico Pope Francis was wrapping up his trip to Mexico on Wednesday with a politically charged visit to the U.S. border for a huge open-air Mass as he focused on problems of violence, exploitation and migration, a hot issue for the U.S. presidential campaign. He also visited a major prison just days after a riot in another lockup killed 49 inmates and he urged decent treatment for workers in a city famed for low-wage assembly jobs. The altar for Wednesday's Mass is snug against the U.S.-Mexico border, with just a highway between its edge and the Rio Grande. Clearly visible is the skyline of El Paso, Texas, where at least 30,000 people were expected at the Sun Bowl for a simulcast of the ceremony. Francis was expected to stop at the border fence and give a blessing in honor of migrants on the other side, as well as those who died trying to get there. Migration is a theme close to the pontiff's heart. He has demanded that countries welcome those fleeing poverty and oppression and denounced what he calls the "globalization of indifference" toward migrants. Late Tuesday, the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the pope is concerned about the plight of migrants everywhere, not just in the United States. "The pope always talks about migration problems all around the world, of the duties we have to solve these problems in a humane manner, of hosting those who come from other countries in search of a life of dignity and peace," Lombardi said. Francis came to the border metropolis of Juarez after flying out of Mexico's capital with a final tour in the popemobile and serenades by mariachi bands. His whirlwind five-day visit has focused heavily on the injustices faced by Mexico's poorest, most oppressed and vulnerable to the country's drug-fueled violence. And he has taken Mexico's political and religious leaders to task for failing to do good for their people. The pope makes a point of going to prisons on nearly every foreign trip, part of his longtime ministry to inmates and his belief that the lowest in society deserve dignity and hope. Mexico has about 250,000 prisoners, including about 8,000 female inmates. On Wednesday, Francis told the 700 or so inmates gathered in the prison chapel that they cannot undo the past. But he said they have the possibility of "writing a new story and moving forward." "You have known the power of sorrow and sin and have not forgotten that within your reach is the power of the resurrection, the power of divine mercy which makes all things new." He urged the inmates to use their experience in prison for good, to help end the cycle of violence that has torn Mexico apart in recent years. "The one who has suffered the greatest pain, and we could say has experienced hell, can become a prophet in society," he said. "Work so that this society, which uses people and discards them, will not go on claiming victims." President Barack Obama is set to make a trip to Cuba next month, an official visit that is seen as a key next step in bridging the half-century-long divide between the two nations. Washington. bureau reporter Geoff Bennett filed the following report. Barack Obama will do something next month that no sitting American president has done in nearly 90 years. Hes making a trip to Cuba. "The opening to Cuba holds out real promise to improve the lives of the Cuban people. This is really at the core of our policy," said Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes. The White House says the visit, scheduled for March 21 and 22, will include a meeting between Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro. It's the next major step in the ongoing process to normalize diplomatic relations with the island. That process, first announced in December 2014, following secret negotiations, has since quickly progressed. Embassies in Havana and Washington, D.C., reopened last summer, and just this week, the U.S. Transportation Secretary was in Havana to sign an agreement reestablishing scheduled air service between the two countries. White House sources say Obama hopes the new commercial openings in Cuba will give rise to political ones in the Castros' Communist regime. "Increased trade, commerce and travel is going to benefit U.S. companies that are very interested in operating in Cuba. But ultimately, it's going to directly benefit the Cuban people," Rhodes said. However, word of Obamas Cuba visit brought immediate criticism from Republican presidential candidates Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, both the sons of Cuban immigrants to the U.S. "I think it's a real mistake," Cruz said. "I think the president ought to instead be pushing for a free Cuba." In a series of tweets, Obama said he intends to raise Cuba's human-rights issues directly with Castro. 14 months ago, I announced that we would begin normalizing relations with Cuba - and we've already made significant progress. President Obama (@POTUS) February 18, 2016 Our flag flies over our Embassy in Havana once again. More Americans are traveling to Cuba than at any time in the last 50 years. President Obama (@POTUS) February 18, 2016 We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly. America will always stand for human rights around the world. President Obama (@POTUS) February 18, 2016 Next month, I'll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people. President Obama (@POTUS) February 18, 2016 Here's how we're looking at the road ahead: https://t.co/a0KcsmpF39 President Obama (@POTUS) February 18, 2016 White House officials say the president will meet with Cuban dissidents when he makes that historic visit to Cuba next month. To the naked eye, there was nothing to be seen at a natural gas well in eastern Texas but beige pipes and tanks baking in the sun. But in the viewfinder of Terry Gosneys infrared camera, three black plumes of gas gushed through leaks that were otherwise invisible. Holy smoke, its blowing like mad, said Mr. Gosney, an environmental field coordinator for EnCana, the Canadian gas producer that operates the year-old well near Franklin, Tex. It does look nasty. Within a few days the leaks had been sealed by workers. Efforts like EnCanas save energy and money. Yet they are also a cheap, effective way of blunting climate change that could potentially be replicated thousands of times over, from Wyoming to Siberia, energy experts say. Natural gas consists almost entirely of methane, a potent heat-trapping gas that scientists say accounts for as much as a third of the human contribution to global warming. THAT the playwrights Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen, mainstays of the fast-emerging company the Debate Society, create such meticulously realized and unified worlds is even more remarkable when you consider their history something that, for a moment recently, they seemed reluctant to do. You shouldnt tell that story, Ms. Bos, 33, instructed Mr. Thureen, 34, when the conversation turned to the eight months they dated, at Vassar College in the late 1990s. I wont tell that story, he responded. Their director, Oliver Butler, 34 sitting across from Ms. Bos at a table on the roof of the Bushwick Starr, where their new Blood Play begins previews on Wednesday looked curious, adding quietly that he didnt know the story. Then came a dramatic pause. We had a terrible breakup, like horrific, Ms. Bos blurted out. Awful, Mr. Thureen added with alacrity, as if finishing her sentence. The exchange was like a scene from one of their plays: oddly funny, unexpected and charged with meaning, yet impossible to entirely understand. The curly-haired sparkplug Ms. Bos and the gaunt, fair Mr. Thureen, who also star in their own works, have chemistry, onstage and off. CLUB MASTER HOANG is a communication place for Vietchidao members. NEW POST EVERY WEEK-END. - CLUB MASTER HOANG est le lieu de communication pour les membres de Vietchidao. A VOUS VOIR TOUS LES WEEK-ENDS. In the 11 months since a county prosecutor in New Jersey ruled the violent deaths of John and Joyce Sheridan a murder-suicide, their disbelieving family has been waging a determined effort to have the case reopened. On Wednesday, friends of the family released a letter supporting their cause that was signed by some 200 people including three former governors, a former state Supreme Court justice and several former high-ranking prosecutors. The powerful group of signatories is an indication of the Sheridans deep political connections and also of an investigation that may very well have been flawed. (I wrote about the case for the Feb. 7 issue of the magazine.) John Sheridan, 72, the chief executive officer of Cooper Hospital in Camden and a former state transportation commissioner, and his wife, Joyce, 69, a retired teacher, were found dead in September 2014 by firefighters responding to a blaze at their home in Skillman, north of Princeton. Both had been stabbed. The fire was ruled arson. Six months later, Geoffrey Soriano, the prosecutor in Somerset County, issued a finding that John Sheridan had stabbed his wife to death, stabbed himself and then set fire to the master bedroom. No motive was identified other than Sheridans alleged anxiety over a pending negative report about the hospitals cardiac unit. More significantly, one of the weapons was missing. Detectives recovered the knife that caused Joyces stab wounds, but an autopsy showed that a different knife caused Johns wounds and investigators did not have it. Andrzej Zulawski, a Polish director who blended surrealism, horror and psychic excess in the emotionally savage films The Important Thing Is to Love, Possession and My Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days, died on Wednesday in Warsaw. He was 75. The cause was cancer, a spokesman for the Polish Film Institute said. Mr. Zulawski, known primarily to a small art-house and film festival audience, made no concessions to logic, ordinary human motivations or audience squeamishness in directing his overwrought films, for which French critics created the adjective Zulawskien, meaning over the top. In Possession (1981), the only film by Mr. Zulawski to be released commercially in the United States, Isabelle Adjani played a woman who, as her marriage disintegrates, indulges in a mad affair with a squidlike creature that evolves into a simulacrum of her husband, played by Sam Neill. In one of the films most memorable moments, she throws herself against the walls of a metro underpass in West Berlin and convulses, with fluids oozing from every orifice. The critic J. Hoberman, writing in The New York Times in 2012, described Mr. Zulawski as an auteur to be approached with trepidation. He added: His movies are seldom more than a step from some flaming abyss, with his actors (and audience) trembling on the edge. Typically shot with a frenzied, often subjective moving camera in saturated colors that have the over-bright feel of a chemically induced hallucination, these can be hard to watch and harder to forget. Opening night of a newly incorporated jazz groups residency can be a crapshoot. Conventional wisdom holds that as time progresses, the music will only get better. But there are provisos and exceptions, most of which were manifest in the Dave Holland Trios jubilant, blazingly exploratory first set at the Village Vanguard on Tuesday night. The trios members Mr. Holland on acoustic bass, Kevin Eubanks on electric guitar and Obed Calvaire on drums werent just opening a weeklong run at the club but also kicking off a five-week international tour. And there was a mix of anticipation and surprise in their push-pull rapport during an hourlong set, which moved through four compositions with no pauses. Now here come the few provisos: Mr. Holland and Mr. Eubanks have a working history stretching back to the late 1980s, before Mr. Eubanks joined the band on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, remaining 15 years at its helm. Several years ago, Mr. Holland reunited with Mr. Eubanks in a heavy-gauge jazz-funk band, Prism, laying the groundwork for ongoing dialogue. And there was a test run around that time for a trio with Mr. Calvaire, a drummer equally capable of flitting grace and heavy churn. But the dynamic frequency of the group here, in its proper debut, felt like something just uncorked. Much of that had to do with Mr. Eubanks, a guitarist with an extravagant expressive palette and a technique that merges postbop fluency with flamenco and classical fingerstyles as well as the lilt of West African blues. He ran his semi-hollow body guitar through variable distortion, yielding a gnarly tone but at a moderate volume, as if to preserve a zone of control. His touch along the fretboard could seem molten or flinty or lacy, all within a single zippering phrase. Admit it: Youve missed Craig Ferguson. But now hes back, examining the historical foibles of his adopted country in Join or Die. Mom tackles addiction with the help of the surgeon general. And the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates answer questions at town hall meetings. Whats on TV JOIN OR DIE WITH CRAIG FERGUSON 11 p.m. on History. After becoming an American citizen Mr. Ferguson had Join, or Die Benjamin Franklins 1754 chopped-up-snake cartoon rallying colonists divided over whether to fight the French and their American Indian allies tattooed on his arm. In this new series, he debates historical events, alongside celebrities and experts, with his typical irreverence. First up: Biggest political blunder, in which Jimmy Kimmel, the public relations man Howard Bragman and the comedian Jen DAngelo examine the exploits of Rod R. Blagojevich, Herman Cain, Eliot Spitzer, Larry Craig, Christine ODonnell and Dick Cheney, with the No. 1 blunderer chosen by the studio audience. (Worst medical advice follows at 11:30.) If nothing else, this frivolous show underscores how relatively bland the late-night landscape has become since Mr. Ferguson left it, Neil Genzlinger wrote in The New York Times. THE BIG BANG THEORY 8 p.m. on CBS. The gang celebrates Bernadettes pregnancy by singing karaoke. In Life in Pieces, at 8:30, John tries to make himself look younger. In Mom, at 9, Christy and Bonnie work to give Marjorie a perfect wedding day. The episode will be followed by a public service announcement about addiction from Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, the surgeon general. And in 2 Broke Girls, at 9:30, Caroline recounts her riches-to-rags saga at a storytelling night and catches the attention of a Hollywood studio executive. Its easy to look at the shooting now and think, It was so obvious what they were going to do! But in 1999, it wasnt obvious, as Dominus points out, said Elizabeth of Littleton, Colo., home of Columbine High School. Klebold is sharing painful memories from which she will not earn a cent, by the way; her portion of the proceeds goes directly to charities dedicated to helping the mentally ill. I respect her greatly. Some of the most powerful comments came from readers who shared their own stories of spiraling out of control in adolescence, and the perspective it lends them on Klebolds story. When I was a high school student attending a small town school in the Pacific Northwest in my junior year in 1973, I and a friend drew up plans to bring guns to school to wreak havoc. Fueled by alienation and rage, we had easy access to an assortment of handguns and hunting rifles. We spent a few weeks planning the attack. But in the end, we did nothing, said afd of Seoul, South Korea. One positive change is that todays kids are much more alert to the possibilities of danger and the frailties of the system that is suppose to guide and protect them. As a consequence, they are much quicker to report anything that looks suspicious. It is still up to the adults in charge to act on dangers that are now well known and ever present. Im going to say something very personal, something Ive never told anyone else in the world, and something that I will only share anonymously. I was a very angry teenager as well. I struggled and had absolutely no friends. I fantasized about hurting people. I was a deranged loner and in a different set of conditions I might have done something very bad, said Luke. It is really disturbing to think how it might have turned out differently. Three years ago, I made a near-fatal suicide attempt that no one in my life could possibly have seen coming. It is truly incredible how much suffering you can hide from those closest to you I applaud Ms. Klebolds courage in writing this; my heart goes out to her, her husband, and the victims families, said Alana K of New York. Who will read the book, and who wont? And why? I must applaud Dominus on a brilliant review...While admittedly a large part of what compels the reader forward through this book is morbid fascination, it is steadily supplanted by sharing the profound and unrelenting grief Klebold articulates movingly and eloquently, said Stewart Mawdsley of Edmonton, Canada.Sue Klebolds mea culpa will do little to staunch the stacking of victims of these tragedies like so many cords of wood, said Dean Charles Marshall of California. I wont be reading A Mothers Reckoning because I see it as just more of the problem than part of the solution. We all want Sue Klebold to have been a horrible parent, an easy target to pin responsibility. Because none of us want to be Sue Klebold, said Cathy of Hopewell, N.Y. I will do her the grace of reading her book, a penance for how much I want her to be the problem. Openings and Events On Thursday, be sure to check out the Bergdorf Goodman pop-up of Beau Souci, a line founded by Paola Russo, owner of the Los Angeles concept boutique Just One Eye. Designed by Aurelie Larrousse, who graduated from Studio Bercot in Paris, it marries French chic with SoCal cool in looks like a gold and silver watersnake leather skirt ($2,750) paired with a plain white tee ($140). Also on Thursday, Lady Gagas longtime stylist Brandon Maxwell will celebrate the debut of his namesake line at Bergdorf Goodman with a shopping event from 1 to 3 p.m. during which you can try on glam pieces like a one-shoulder gown with a wave slit ($2,895). And La Garonne will unveil a retrospective of Yohji Yamamoto runway looks, including a houndstooth crinoline dress from fall 2003 and a printed cape from the current spring collection, that highlight the iconic designers focus on androgyny and deconstruction. At 465 Greenwich Street. The British heritage brand Belstaff has a SoHo pop-up closing Saturday. Youll find lots of luxe biker jackets like a nappa satin leather moto in a lovely brick shade ($2,495). At 63 Greene Street. Hitting the Racks Kicking off its country focus for 2016, Opening Ceremony has teamed with another beloved downtown emporium, Pearl River Mart, on a China-themed capsule. It includes an all-American varsity jacket embroidered with phoenixes and dragons ($450) and a classic cheongsam recast in denim ($295). At 35 Howard Street. Children with attention-deficit problems improve faster when the first treatment they receive is behavioral like instruction in basic social skills than when they start immediately on medication, a new study has found. Beginning with behavioral therapy is also a less expensive option over time, according to a related analysis. Experts said the efficacy of this behavior-first approach, if replicated in larger studies, could change standard medical practice, which favors stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin as first-line treatments, for the more than four million children and adolescents in the United States with a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or A.D.H.D. The new research, published in two papers by the Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, found that stimulants were most effective as a supplemental, second-line treatment for those who needed it and often at doses that were lower than normally prescribed. The study is thought to be the first of its kind in the field to evaluate the effect of altering the types of treatment midcourse adding a drug to behavior therapy, for example, or vice versa. Federal authorities have dismissed charges against six former employees of the website Rentboy.com, while continuing to move forward with a case against the chief executive on counts of money laundering and promoting prostitution, according to court documents posted on Wednesday. On Friday, Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom granted a motion by the United States attorneys office in Brooklyn to dismiss the charges against the former employees. The move came less than a month after the former chief executive, Jeffrey Hurant, was indicted and two days after he was arraigned and pleaded not guilty. At the time that Mr. Hurant and the six others were originally charged in August, the authorities, who raided and shut down the website, called it the largest online male-escort service and described it as an Internet brothel that made millions of dollars by promoting prostitution. The original complaint against the seven defendants laid out prosecutors allegations and descriptions of the service in lurid details, including a list of sexual terms and definitions they said they culled from the website. Though the site had a disclaimer noting that paying for sex was illegal, the entire website is designed for the purpose of advertising prostitution, the complaint charged. The next Elon Musk may soon be working at a City University of New York campus in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, perhaps joined by the next Sergey Brin in Flushing, Queens. And they could be creating hundreds of jobs. At least that is the hope of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, which with CUNY will announce on Thursday a new visa program intended for immigrant entrepreneurs. The plan, called IN2NYC, is to have 80 entrepreneurs set up shop on CUNY campuses, advising professors and students while working to build companies in exchange for a special temporary work visa that is exempt from the quotas. New York is the first city in the country to offer such a program. The entrepreneurs will qualify for a skilled-worker visa, known as an H-1B. Applicants need an employer to sponsor them for the visas, which are extremely limited: The visas are capped at 65,000 a year, with another 20,000 available for foreign students who have earned graduate degrees in the United States. Last year, 233,000 people entered the lottery for the visas, with about two-thirds of them losing out. But people working with nonprofits and institutions of higher education are exempt from the caps, and IN2NYC will use its partnerships with CUNY to help the entrepreneurs get the visas. The Manhattan district attorney has moved to recuse himself from the criminal investigation into an allegation that former Gov. Eliot Spitzer assaulted a 26-year-old woman at the Plaza Hotel, saying the close ties between his office and Mr. Spitzer had created an apparent conflict of interest. The district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., made a formal request on Wednesday to the deputy administrative judge for New York City courts to have the case transferred to the district attorneys office in another borough, Mr. Vances aides and court officials said. The request was expected to be granted, but the judge, Fern A. Fisher, had not taken action by Wednesday night. Mr. Vances request comes as the investigation has hit a wall, law enforcement officials said. The woman, who initially said she had been choked by Mr. Spitzer, declined to press charges and has since left the country, these officials said on Wednesday. We are at a standstill now, absent a complainant, said Stephen P. Davis, the deputy commissioner of public information for the New York Police Department. If she would change her mind we would have to reconsider, but what we would have to have is her telling us what happened and saying she wants to press charges. The mayors press team decided that the only way to engage with a message they found ridiculous was by way of ridicule. The mayor and I talked, and agreed that America could use more pastrami sandwiches and less firearms, said Peter Kadushin, a spokesman for the mayor who came up with the idea for the tweet. Mr. de Blasios effort at poking fun became the object of a little poking back. Should a mayor, who ran on battling income inequality, be endorsing a $20 sandwich? Was the mayor hinting at Americas struggles with obesity with a sandwich large enough for two European tourists? A spokesman for the city health department offered some advice for anyone considering making the sandwich a breakfast staple. Pastrami is a proud New York City tradition, but it has excess sodium, the spokesman, Christopher R. Miller, said. As everything in life, it should be eaten in moderation. Updated, 10:01 a.m. Good morning on this nippy Thursday. Rise and shine! You may be just waking up, but at New York Today we have been awake for awhile now, putting together a column of news and events we hope can help you better start your day. And were not the only New Yorkers working during the wee hours. In 2014, according to data from our friends at the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 108,000 people in New York City said they usually depart for work between midnight and 4:59 a.m. If these people have a full-time job, then theyre working the graveyard shift, said Lia Bolden, a data dissemination specialist at the bureau. They make doughnuts and bagels, or are nurses and doctors, or make deliveries. Thank goodness for them, says the city that never sleeps. A New York City correction officer on duty at Rikers Island when a homeless veteran overheated before dying in his cell pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a felony charge that she lied about checking on inmates that night, the authorities said. The officer, Carol Lackner, 36, pleaded guilty in State Supreme Court in the Bronx to first-degree falsifying business records and was sentenced to five years of probation, prosecutors said. She faced additional counts when she was indicted in December 2014. The Correction Department said on Wednesday that Ms. Lackner, who had been suspended since she was charged, had been fired. The charges against Ms. Lackner stemmed from her actions during and after a night shift that began on Feb. 14, 2014. That night, Jerome Murdough, a 56-year-old former Marine being held on trespassing charges, overheated as the temperature in his cell climbed to over 100 degrees, the authorities said. He was pronounced dead soon after. Ms. Lackner, a correction officer since 2006, indicated in a logbook that she had checked on inmates in the area of the jail complex where Mr. Murdough was housed when video footage showed she had not, the Bronx district attorneys office said. A White House spokesman criticized Senator Chuck Schumer of New York sharply on Wednesday, questioning his credibility on national security issues after Mr. Schumer and New York City officials challenged the Obama administrations decision to reduce financing for a grant program that supports local counterterrorism efforts. Mr. Schumer, a Democrat set to become the partys Senate leader, drew the administrations ire after complaining this week about a plan to cut annual funding for the Urban Area Security Initiative to $330 million from $600 million. Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, and the citys police and fire commissioners joined Mr. Schumer in denouncing the move on Wednesday. A short time later, the White House spokesman, Josh Earnest, took aim at Mr. Schumer. At some point, Senator Schumers credibility in talking about national security issues, particularly when the facts are as they are when it relates to homeland security, have to be affected by the position that hes taken on other issues, Mr. Earnest said. Senator Schumer is somebody that came out and opposed the international agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He was wrong about that position, Mr. Earnest added, and when people look at the facts here when it comes to funding for homeland security, theyll recognize that hes wrong this time, too. Another: The 20 wealthiest Americans, a group that would fit comfortably inside a luxury private jet bound for a private Caribbean island, are worth more than the poorer half of the American population, according to a recent report from the Institute for Policy Studies. Forbess wealthiest 100 are worth as much as all 42 million African-Americans, the report says. Correctly, we suspect that the system is rigged, our government has become coin-operated and that weve been sidelined, Wendell Potter and Nick Penniman write in their eye-opening new book about money in politics, Nation on the Take. They call for a profound course correction, like those the United States has periodically undertaken before. So its healthy for American voters to be demanding change. But when societies face economic pain, they sometimes turn to reforms, and other times to scapegoats (like refugees this year). So the historic question for 2016 is which direction the popular revolt among American voters will ultimately take. A President Trump or President Cruz would build walls and waterboard suspected terrorists, a President Clinton or President Sanders would raise the minimum wage and invest in at-risk children. It seems to me to make more sense to target solutions than scapegoats, but sense is often in short supply in politics. After a characteristically brilliant speech by Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic nominee for president in 1952 and 1956, a supporter is said to have bellowed, Every thinking American will vote for you! Legend has it that Stevenson shouted back: Thats not enough. I need a majority! In the solutions domain, a starting point should be to reduce the influence of money in politics. All of my children, including my sons, describe themselves as feminists. Indeed, I once wrote about my oldest sons firm belief that its very important for everyone to be a feminist. And yet, none of them, including my daughter, was moved by the fact that, if elected, Clinton would be this countrys first female president. The particular phenomenon of young women expressing no fealty for Clinton on the basis of gender is a head scratcher for many older Americans, particularly pioneering feminists, who have been part of the struggle to bring womens rights as far as theyve come. Kate Cronin-Furman and Mira Rapp-Hooper point out in an article on Vox that this is understandable for young women who exist in educational environments where they regularly equal or even outperform young men. But they caution that these young women, upon entering the work force, are likely to encounter what they call late-breaking sexism, defined as the sudden realization that you dont have the same opportunities as a man, that you will struggle to have both a family and a career, that your participation in the public sphere will always be caveated by your gender. My children were 7 and 4 on 9/11. That day, after working late into the night trying to make sense of the trauma and the tragedy, I finally made it home. They were asleep, but I woke them. I told them what they already knew, that some bad men had done a bad thing, but I reassured them that they were safe and would remain so. From that year to this one, America has been at war. Indeed, if you are under 30, this country has been at war for half or more of your life. Therefore, the most noninterventionist, least hawkish candidates probably hold more appeal than the others, even with the current threat of the Islamic State. Pope Francis trip to Mexico ended on Wednesday in Ciudad Juarez, a city once made hellish by drug violence and still gripped by poverty and crime. He did not seem afraid, and brought with him only smiles and hugs, and words of solace and encouragement. He visited a prison, greeting inmates one by one, urging them to live as prophets, to turn their suffering toward goodness. Work, he said, so that this society which uses people and discards them will not go on claiming victims. He prayed at the border for the migrant dead, and condemned the grave injustices done to those who are forced by poverty and violence to journey north. If only that message of decency, of human worth, could have been amplified, in English, to the United States, across the river to Texas, and beyond to Washington. Maybe wed better refrain from having any new opinions until after the election. Follow the leader. Mitch McConnell says the Senate shouldnt do anything about the Supreme Courts vacancy as long as Barack Obama is president. Not even go through the motions of pretending to think about it. Weve hit a whole new level in the politics of obstruction. Why stop there? For the next 11 months its probably better if we let everything go except for the purchase of food staples. Dont even bother to fake it. Virtually every Republican with a job more elevated than zoning commissioner thinks the best thing to do with any Supreme Court nomination is to act as if it isnt there, like a wad of gum on the sidewalk. Delay, delay, delay! cried Donald Trump at the last debate. Some listeners might have presumed he was calling for the return of the former House majority leader who resigned during a campaign finance scandal and later rehabilitated himself by doing the cha-cha on Dancing With the Stars. Exactly the kind of guy Donald Trump would like. But in this case he was talking about stonewalling any Supreme Court nomination. In the days since Justice Antonin Scalias death, there has been plenty of talk about the substantial impact his absence will have on the Supreme Courts docket. Id like to shift the focus to the Roberts court itself. Fate has handed the justices a chance to hit reset. If that seems an uncharitable, even tasteless observation, so be it. Ive become increasingly concerned, as my recent columns have suggested, that the conservative majority is permitting the court to become an agent of partisan warfare to an extent that threatens real damage to the institution. Justice Scalias outsize role on and off the bench contributed to that dangerous development to an outsize degree. Im not claiming that he was completely responsible. Given the Supreme Courts place in American life, there is no way it can avoid getting singed by the polarizing politics of the day. Nor was Justice Scalia solely to blame for the courts drop in public esteem as demonstrated by a Gallup Poll in September showing that more people disapprove of the Supreme Court (50 percent) than approve of it (45 percent). While this is a notable departure from the historic trend, other governmental bodies have fared far worse (Congress has a 16 percent approval rating), and the court is to some degree caught in the back draft of generalized public mistrust of government. Its a situation that nonetheless calls for concern and exquisite care. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. appeared to reflect that concern, and not for the first time, when he spoke earlier this month at New England School of Law in Boston. Contrary to the impression created by highly partisan Senate confirmation hearings, he said, Supreme Court justices are not in pursuit of an agenda and dont work as Republicans or Democrats. The battle between Apple and law enforcement officials over unlocking a terrorists smartphone is the culmination of a slow turning of the tables between the technology industry and the United States government. After revelations by the former National Security Agency contractor Edward J. Snowden in 2013 that the government both cozied up to certain tech companies and hacked into others to gain access to private data on an enormous scale, tech giants began to recognize the United States government as a hostile actor. But if the confrontation has crystallized in this latest battle, it may already be heading toward a predictable conclusion: In the long run, the tech companies are destined to emerge victorious. It may not seem that way at the moment. On the one side, you have the United States governments mighty legal and security apparatus fighting for data of the most sympathetic sort: the secrets buried in a dead mass murderers phone. The action stems from a federal court order issued on Tuesday requiring Apple to help the F.B.I. unlock an iPhone used by one of the two attackers who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, Calif., in December. If the Republican Party remains divided for much longer, it will start getting more difficult for a mainstream candidate to win the nomination. Yet Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and John Kasich all have incentives to stay in the race, preventing the party from getting behind one candidate. On Super Tuesday, March 1, 25 percent of the delegates to the Republican national convention will be awarded. If the mainstream field hasnt been narrowed by that point, it will become very hard to avoid serious damage to the candidate who ultimately emerges as the partys anointed favorite. The top mainstream candidate could easily fall more than 100 delegates short of what he might have earned in a winnowed field. He would even be in danger of earning no delegates at all in several of the largest states because of one number: 20 percent. Two officers from the Los Angeles Police Department have been charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting four women over the course of more than two years, prosecutors said on Wednesday. The officers, James Nichols, 44, and Luis Valenzuela, 43, were each charged with multiple counts of sexual assault, including rape, according to a statement from the office of the Los Angeles County district attorney, Jackie Lacey, on Wednesday. Prosecutors also charged Mr. Valenzuela with one count of assault with a firearm, accusing him of pointing a gun at one of the victims. The criminal complaint said most of the assaults happened while the officers were on duty and armed and that some took place inside a police vehicle. The officers are scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, and prosecutors said they would ask that bail be set at more than $3.8 million for Mr. Nichols and more than $3.7 million for Mr. Valenzuela. If convicted, both men face a sentence of life in prison. Indiana University Bloomington will review the handling of 18 sexual misconduct cases after the associate dean who led hearings on the cases was publicly accused of sexually assaulting a woman. Jason Casares, who is in charge of the universitys office of student ethics, was put on paid administrative leave after the accusations surfaced in an open letter published online this month by his accuser, Jill Creighton, who is the assistant director for global community standards at New York University. In her letter, Ms. Creighton says Mr. Casares assaulted her while they were at a convention for the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors, in Fort Worth in December. Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center paid a ransom in bitcoins equivalent to about $17,000 to hackers who infiltrated and disabled its computer network, the hospitals chief executive said Wednesday. It was in the hospitals best interest to pay the ransom of 40 bitcoins after the hacking that began Feb. 5, the C.E.O., Allen Stefanek said. The F.B.I. is investigating the attack, often called ransomware, in which hackers encrypt a computer networks data to hold it hostage, providing a digital decryption key to unlock it for a price. The quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom and obtain the decryption key, Mr. Stefanek said. Bitcoins, an online currency, are hard to trace. The Los Angeles hospital network was operating fully again Monday, and patient care was not affected by the hacking, Mr. Stefanek said. Neither law enforcement officials nor the hospital gave any indication of who might have been behind the attack or whether there were any suspects. Extremist groups thrived in the United States last year as the divisive rhetoric of national political leaders fueled Americas anxieties over the countrys shifting demographics, according to a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The center found that the number of hate groups organized against racial, religious, sexual or other characteristics rose to 892 in 2015, up from 784 a year earlier. The 14 percent increase came after three years of declines in extremist groups. Mark Potok, the author of the report, portrayed the shift as a product of white Americans heightened fears over their shrinking majority during a presidential election. I have been writing these year-in-hate and extremism essays for 20 years now and only very rarely, if at all, have we seen a year like last year, Mr. Potok said. Chapin, South Carolina - 17 February 2016 1. Various of South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Marco Rubio walking to stage 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Gov. Nikki Haley, (R) South Carolina: When it was time to look at this presidential race, I thought from a different perspective. That this is serious. That this matters. So I thought first and foremost as a mom, who wants her children to be safe in our country. Who wants her children to have the education and the opportunities so that they can be better than we were, which is what my parents wanted for us. Im a military wife of a combat veteran. I want a president who is going to have the backs of our military veterans and those in active duty. 3. Various of crowd 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Gov. Nikki Haley, (R) South Carolina: But I want a president who understands that they have to go back to Washington, DC and bring a conscience back to our Republicans. 5. Wide of crowd 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Gov. Nikki Haley, (R) South Carolina: So I wanted somebody with fight, I wanted somebody with passion, I wanted somebody that had conviction to do the right thing but I wanted somebody humble enough that remembers that you work for all the people and I wanted somebody that was gonna go and show my parents that the best decision they ever made for their children was coming to America. We say that everyday is a great day in South Carolina. If we elect Marco Rubio everyday will be a great day in America. Help me welcome the next president of the United States. Lets go to the polls on Saturday. 7. Various of Haley and Rubio 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Marco Rubio, (R) Presidential Candidate: Last year the country learned what an inspiration South Carolina is for all of us because as the governor said, you had a tough year between floods and two incredible tragedies that were- any other state, any other community in the country would have reacted very differently to these things but this state came together in a way that served as an example to the nation. 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Marco Rubio, (R) Presidential Candidate: And 2016 is a time where we must decide now what kind of country will we leave behind because if we stay on the road that we on now, a road that quite frankly both political parties have put us on, if we stay on the road we are on right now, we are going to be the first Americans that leave their children worse off than themselves. 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Gov. Nikki Haley, (R) South Carolina: Lets make Marco Rubio the next president of the United States. God bless. 11. Haley and Rubio waving to crowd It is not brand new, but it is new to this Congress and probably new to an awful lot of people in the country, he said. How Times reporters cover politics. We rely on our journalists to be independent observers. So while Times staff members may vote, they are not allowed to endorse or campaign for candidates or political causes. This includes participating in marches or rallies in support of a movement or giving money to, or raising money for, any political candidate or election cause. Learn more about our process. President Obama on Tuesday made the same point, saying people have paid little notice to the incendiary fights over court picks that have become commonplace in the Senate. But this is the Supreme Court, and its going to get some attention, he said. Mr. Obama, looking a little uncomfortable in his tortured explanation of how he came to support a filibuster against Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., also owned up to the fact that both parties had been guilty of judicial power plays. Whats fair to say is that how judicial nominations have evolved over time is not historically the fault of any single party, he said. The rapidly escalating fight over the Scalia vacancy is exposing this reality. Capitol Hill might be quiet because of the weeklong Presidents Day recess, but top aides are busy digging up what senators from the other party said at various points in the running judicial wars to be ready to throw it back in their faces when they weigh in from the opposite direction on the current fight. At the same time, they are combing the remarks of their own bosses to be just as ready when some long-forgotten attack on the other side comes back to haunt them. PHOENIX Federal prosecutors opened their case here on Wednesday against a man accused of being the mastermind behind a thwarted attack last year at an anti-Islam cartoon exhibit in Texas that left two gunmen dead in a shootout. In her opening statement, an assistant United States attorney, Kristen Brook, accused the man, Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem, of being the bankroller, the trainer and the motivator in a plot to travel to Garland, Tex., and open fire on an event that showcased artwork and cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. The gunmen, Elton Simpson, 30, and Nadir Soofi, 34, were shot and killed. Ms. Brook described Mr. Kareem as the third man on a team set on mass murder with a desire to kill disbelieving Americans. The trial is the first by the federal government linked to a terrorist act inspired by the Islamic extremists. The defense lawyer, Daniel D. Maynard, rejected the governments characterization of Mr. Kareem as being the instigator of the attack, labeling the accusations as a case of overactive imagination by the government. The chief of the Colombian police force, Gen. Rodolfo Palomino, resigned Wednesday amid accusations of illegal enrichment and sexual misconduct with young cadets. The concerns raised about General Palomino involve the purchase of a luxury home outside Bogota that was apparently incompatible with his police salary, allegations of illegal wiretaps against journalists and accusations that he took part in a male prostitution ring that is said to have forced cadets to cater to high-ranking officers and even to lawmakers. Colombias inspector general has opened an administrative investigation into the accusations. The United States official who described the missile batteries, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, did not give details about how many missiles were on the island, known as Woody Island, or how long they had been there. But another official said they appeared to be operational. Taiwans Defense Ministry also issued a statement on Wednesday saying that antiaircraft missiles were present on the island. The Chinese Defense Ministry did not confirm or deny the deployment, but noted that the Chinese Navy and Air Force had maintained forces on the Paracel Islands for many years. What we consider before using anonymous sources. Do the sources know the information? Whats their motivation for telling us? Have they proved reliable in the past? Can we corroborate the information? Even with these questions satisfied, The Times uses anonymous sources as a last resort. The reporter and at least one editor know the identity of the source. Learn more about our process. The Paracel Islands have always been a part of Chinas territory, the ministry said in a statement. China has the legitimate and legal rights to deploy defense facilities within its territory, in order to defend the sovereignty and security of the country. It dismissed the reports about the missile deployment as hype by certain Western media outlets. Tensions are also rising elsewhere in the region. The United States is in formal talks with South Korea about moving an antiballistic missile system to the peninsula to deter an attack from North Korea. The Chinese government has objected to the system, known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or Thaad, saying it would be a threat to its security. The Chinese missile deployment in the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea was reported by Fox News, which said pictures from ImageSat International showed that two missile batteries had appeared on the island sometime between Feb. 3 and Sunday. The missiles have a range of about 200 kilometers, or 125 miles, and are capable of destroying aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, according to Missile Threat, a website run by the George C. Marshall Institute in Arlington, Va. The Interior Ministry said Wednesday that it would allow no more than 80 migrants a day to apply for asylum at southern border crossing points. The interior minister, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, also said that Austria would set a daily entry limit of 3,200 people who are seeking international protection in a neighboring country. That is an allusion to Germany, which has been the main destination of choice for most of the migrants. She said that crossings would be temporarily closed to migrants once one of the daily limits was reached, but that further requests for asylum would remain possible for those already inside Austria. About 200 people a day now apply for asylum in Austria. Initial scenes of generosity and jubilation gave way to the reality that the welcome mat was wearing thin. Germans have shown an increasing lack of patience with Chancellor Angela Merkels policies. For their part, the migrants, many of whom gave up everything in hopes of a new life, have struggled to adapt to a new climate and culture. We asked recent arrivals about their new life in Germany. A selection of the responses were published here. Thousands of opposition supporters called for the government to resign Wednesday, accusing it of violating the Constitution in reaching deals with Serbia and Montenegro. The opposition said that more than 100,000 people participated in the rally, while the police said about 15,000 did. The opposition rejects a deal between Kosovo and Serbia reached last year, giving more powers to ethnic Serbs in Kosovo, a minority in a country where ethnic Albanians predominate. The opposition also rejects a border demarcation deal with Montenegro. Opposition supporters have tried to disrupt the work of Parliament with tear gas, pepper spray and whistles. Bill Cosby is seeking the return of money he gave in a confidential financial settlement to a woman who accuses him of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2004, according to a complaint filed Thursday. The civil complaint, filed in United States District Court in Philadelphia, says the woman, Andrea Constand, broke the terms of a 2006 confidential agreement by, among other things, voluntarily cooperating with Pennsylvania prosecutors last year. After reopening the investigation the Montgomery County district attorneys office in December charged Mr. Cosby with sexual assault in Ms. Constands decade-old case. She has said he assaulted her at his suburban Philadelphia home. The complaint does not disclose the size of the settlement Ms. Constand received beyond describing it as a substantial financial benefit. The complaint shows that, in addition, Mr. Cosby is also suing Ms. Constands mother, Gianni, and Ms. Constands two lawyers for breaking the confidentiality agreement by cooperating with prosecutors, or for publicly disclosing information about the case. When slaves fled American and British farms and townhouses, their owners often placed detailed newspaper ads offering rewards to anyone who returned the fugitives. The written notices described the runaway slaves mannerisms, clothes, hairstyles, skin markings, teeth and skills, as well as information about plantations that the escapees might have tried to reach, hoping to reunite with family members or less cruel past owners. New databases are enabling historians and descendants of slaves to piece together family trees and identify patterns in the lives of runaways. These searchable listings indicate how often slaves managed to leave with their children, how some were able to pass for white and how many recaptured slaves kept trying to escape. Among the new website projects are Runaway Slaves in Britain, set up by the University of Glasgow, and Freedom on the Move, based at Cornell University and covering American newspapers. The content can be harrowing. The scars mentioned in the brief ads make clear how often the men, women and children in captivity were whipped, beaten and shot, were forced to wear metal collars and had their faces branded. Some advertisers offered bounties for the escapees corpses or decapitated heads. Even at that time, he had an ardent following among vanguard German and Austrian artists. Many of them Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Max Beckmann and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff in Germany; Egon Schiele and Richard Gerstl in Vienna were his juniors by two decades or more. And they looked to him as an active model for a new strain of modernist art that came to be called Expressionism. What did they see in his example? The same basic thing they saw in older heroes like Gauguin and van Gogh: a willingness, amounting to a compulsion, to use art as a vehicle of emotion in extremis. In addition, Munch brought to his work an up-to-the-minute content, new-century attitudes toward sex, psychological disturbance, occult spirituality and utopian politics. There were, of course, generational and personal factors that set Munch apart. He was old enough to have had a kind of lived experience of 19th-century Romanticism unavailable to younger artists; he would circle back to it as he grew older. And where a fixation on mortality in his art had roots in childhood his mother died of tuberculosis when he was 5, his sister when he was 14 the morbidity that ran through Expressionism was a reflection of the present, a time gearing up for the Armageddon of World War I. Whatever the differences, younger artists learned from Munch; and he from them. And patterns of influence and affinity are what the exhibition organized by the art historians Jill Lloyd and Reinhold Heller in cooperation with the Munch Museum in Oslo spells out. Some are easy to illustrate. In a small, dim, chapel-like gallery Peter de Kimpe is the installation designer youll find the The Scream, in the 1895 pastel version sold at Sothebys a few years back. The image is now pure Pop, but it wasnt always. When it was new, many artists took it seriously. HAMDEN, Conn. It is called An Gorta Mor, or the Great Hunger, an evocative term that still fails to convey the full horror of the Irish potato famine, perhaps the single worst catastrophe in 19th-century Europe. Between 1845 and 1852, Ireland lost more than a quarter of its population to starvation, disease and emigration, while its English overlords hemmed, hawed and, in at least one prominent case, cited Gods will as justification. And yet there is just one painting known to exist that captured the famine as it was unfolding: An Irish Peasant Family Discovering the Blight of Their Store, which depicts a family peeling away the hay and earth protecting its store of harvested potatoes, only to find the dark of rot. The white-haired patriarch looks to the heavens; his black-shrouded wife stares at the betraying ground; the faces of the young adults and children around them convey the awful realization. The painting, by the little-known Irish artist Daniel Macdonald, is notable on many levels, beginning with the time and place of its unveiling: at the British Institution in London in 1847, a famine year so bleak that it became known as black 47. Instead of being offered another image of a sentimentalized Ireland, British patrons were confronted with an artistic rendering of the human misery caused in good part by the socioeconomic policies of their own country. Macdonald is the intriguing subject of In the Lions Den: Daniel Macdonald, Ireland and Empire, an exhibition at Irelands Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University. The show seeks to resurrect what museum officials see as an undeservedly forgotten artist and his daring, evocative work, especially Blight of Their Store, which the institutions curator, Niamh OSullivan, described as the only known painting that deals with the famine at the time of the famine. Angela Raiola, the formidable but lovable reality TV star known as Big Ang who attracted a cult following on VH1s Mob Wives, died early Thursday in Manhattan. She was 55. Ms. Raiola died from complications of cancer in a hospital after she contracted pneumonia, Jennifer Graziano, the shows creator and executive producer, said. Big Ang, whose nickname stemmed from her larger-than-life personality (and her apparent fondness for augmentation by plastic surgery), was a niece of Salvatore Lombardi, known as Sally Dogs, of the Genovese crime family. She had been open not only about her illness, but also about her past struggles, including a felony drug conviction. Even as her health worsened, Ms. Raiola documented her life on Mob Wives and Couples Therapy, also on VH1. The cameras rolled as she detailed her discovery of Stage 2 throat cancer and, later, the removal of a lemon-size tumor from her throat. She also documented a medical visit in which a doctor told her she had to have a biopsy on her lung. A longtime smoker, she was frank about how difficult it was for her to kick the habit. The murder last month of a 13-year-old Virginia girl who had communicated with one of her suspected killers through Kik, the popular messaging app that offers its users anonymity has reignited worries about teenagers use of social media. It is only the latest in a wave of stories that underscore the hazards facing young people in cyberspace. In her discursive new book, American Girls, the journalist Nancy Jo Sales examines the effects that growing up in the turbulent seas of social media are having on American girls. It looks not only at high-profile cases of predatory assault and cyberbullying, but also at how day-to-day life inside an online bubble can narrow ones view of the world and warp relationships and self-esteem. She writes about 13-year-old girls being asked for nude photos by male acquaintances, being slut-shamed by classmates, and using a special app to edit photos of their backsides. She writes about 16-year-old girls meeting strangers on Tinder (By Tinders own account, in 2014 more than 7 percent of its users were between the ages of 13 and 17) and middle schoolers sexting in class. This book does an unnerving job of depicting the highly sexualized environment teenagers inhabit today on the web and the social anxiety created by spending hours a day online. But American Girls is hardly groundbreaking in its revelations. Many of its findings were chronicled more succinctly in Anderson Coopers 2015 CNN special #Being13: Inside the Secret World of Teens, most notably the stress caused by the minute-by-minute monitoring of ones status and popularity, the bullying and harassment that take place routinely online, and exposure of younger and younger children to overtly sexual content on the web. At the end of 2008, during the depths of the global financial crisis, two top officials at the law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf invited a young colleague, Zachary Warren, to dinner at Del Friscos, a Midtown Manhattan restaurant. Mr. Warren was 24 years old, a couple of years out of Stanford and headed to law school at Georgetown in the fall. Over steaks and red wine, the group discussed the troubled state of Deweys business. Though Mr. Warrens title was client relations manager, his unenviable job was to prod partners to get their clients to pay their bills. He knew next to nothing about accounting. In what seems a classic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, that dinner precipitated a chain of events that imperiled Mr. Warrens legal career and could have landed him in jail. In March 2014, two years after Dewey collapsed in bankruptcy and long after Mr. Warren had left the firm, he was indicted on multiple felony counts for what the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., called a massive effort to cook the books. By then, his co-defendants the firms top lawyers and administrators had trouble remembering who Mr. Warren was. WASHINGTON A senior House Democrat who is among his partys top voices on trade came out against the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership on Thursday, further darkening the congressional outlook for the landmark agreement. The opposition of the Democrat, Representative Sander M. Levin, who represents suburban Detroit, was not a big surprise, given the objections to the pact by the Ford Motor Company and organized labor. But he had worked with the administration throughout the yearslong negotiations, and his arguments will provide grist for other Democrats to reject the agreement, one of the presidents top priorities. The Trans-Pacific Partnership, which was signed by the countries trade ministers this month after negotiations were completed in October, is not likely to come to a vote in Congress until years end, if then. The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, opposes bringing it to a vote in his chamber before the November elections. People in both parties say the agreement, which would be the largest regional trade alliance in history, currently lacks sufficient support. Speaking to reporters at a gathering sponsored by The Christian Science Monitor, Mr. Levin said that while his position has never been no T.P.P., he believed that the agreement fell short, particularly in four areas. He cited weaknesses in the protection of worker rights; penalties for nations that manipulate their currencies to underprice their exports; rules that would guard against the use of materials like auto parts from nations primarily China that are not parties to the agreement; and a dispute-resolution system that corporations have used to challenge countries environmental, health and labor safeguards as anti-trade. VEVEY, Switzerland The Swiss food giant Nestle said on Thursday that net profit fell by more than a third last year as it missed sales forecasts. The company, based in Vevey, Switzerland, estimated similar results for this year, saying it was becoming harder to raise prices in a tough economic environment. Like its rivals, Nestle, the maker of Nescafe instant coffee and Kit Kat chocolate bars, has had to contend with slower growth and changing consumer preferences in emerging markets, notably in China. Its sales in India have also been dented by a recall of its Maggi brand of instant noodles over reports that some samples contained high levels of lead. The company is changing some of its recipes to appeal to health-conscious consumers and is expanding its offerings for online sales. Nestle said net profit fell more than expected in 2015, to 9.1 billion Swiss francs, or $9.2 billion, compared with 14.5 billion francs the previous year. The company said the sharp decline was mostly because of its sale of part of its stake in the cosmetics company LOreal in 2014. Health care providers are required to tell patients of any breaches that compromise their personal information or health data, but a typical ransomware attack would not fall into that category. The attackers do not need to gain access to the underlying data in order to encrypt it and prevent others from viewing it. Once compromised, an organization has little choice but to pay up or say farewell to its data, according to Levi Gundert, who oversees information security strategy for Recorded Future, a threat analysis firm. Theres really no workarounds for it, he said. Its very frustrating for both law enforcement and the victims themselves. Hollywood Presbyterians attackers demanded their payment in the form of 40 Bitcoins, a difficult-to-trace currency that has become the currency of choice for online criminals. Ransomware attacks are on the rise, industry researchers say, because they work. A research team at Dell gathered data from one ransom-payment server and found that it collected $1.1 million in a six-month period. McAfee Labs, Intels security research unit, detected 638,000 new ransomware variants in 2014. Last year, that number shot up to nearly 3.8 million. Many ransomware attacks are random, and comparatively low-tech and blunt. Victims are most often infected by clicking a malicious link in an email or by malware delivered through a web browser, frequently hidden in advertisements. The average payment demanded is just $300, according to the security firm Symantec, a sum that is within reach for the individuals and small businesses that most often fall prey to these schemes. The biopic Race looks at the life of the Jesse Owens, following him through his competition in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, where he grabbed the worlds attention by winning four gold medals in track and field. The film also sheds light on the racial turmoil of the time, both in the United States and in Germany with the rise of the Nazi Party. Stephen Hopkins, the director, brings these themes together in this scene, where Owens (Stephan James) walks into the Olympic Stadium for the first time to compete in front of an enormous crowd with Hitler watching from his box. In an interview, the Mr. Hopkins discussed the scene and the cinematic tricks he used to create it. Here are excerpts from that conversation. Q. What were your initial considerations when deciding to make this movie? A. One of the big questions I asked myself was how this 22-year-old African-American man, with all the pressures that he had to go through from politicians and activists telling him not to go or to go, and his own fear that if he went and lost, how shameful it would have been how could he have walked into that stadium and kept his head? Thats where this shot came from. I thought if I could imagine what it felt like for him to walk into this gladiatorial arena and pull this off, I thought I could work outwards from there. I worked out this shot in my head before the script was written. To the Editor: Re As Apple Resists, Encryption Fray Erupts in Battle (front page, Feb. 18): I value my privacy as much as anyone and zealously guard my personal data to the best of my ability. But I must take umbrage at Apples position regarding the unlocking of a terrorists cellphone. This is not a fishing expedition. It is a single request for a single telephone in the aftermath of a heinous act, a request that has the imprimatur of a legally sought and granted court order. As much as Apple would like to believe that privacy is absolute, it is not. Not when the society that provides it is placed at grave and continuing risk. Apple has an obligation to that society to provide whatever protection is in its power to achieve. RICHARD M. FRAUENGLASS Huntington, N.Y. To the Editor: Maybe its time to try a Solomonic solution to the standoff between Apple and the Federal Bureau of Investigation over a phone used by one of the killers in the San Bernardino, Calif., terror attack. BERLIN At the end of Bertolt Brechts Life of Galileo, there is a sharp exchange. Andrea Sarti, a student of the astronomer, says, Unhappy is the land that breeds no hero. To which Galileo shoots back: No, Andrea. Unhappy is the land that needs a hero. Michael Wolffsohn, a German historian, mentioned Galileos line the other evening with reference to Syria, an unhappy land of the dead and dying in need of heroes to redeem humanity. The hopelessness of resistance does not diminish its redemptive power in terrorized societies; in fact, hopelessness may even be one of the defining characteristics of heroic resistance. Abdalaziz Alhamza, the young man sitting beside Wolffsohn at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin, prompted the historians reflections. We dont have the necessity today to resist in Germany because this is a free country, Wolffsohn said. Resistance is the readiness to incur lethal personal risk. That is what Alhamza has done. He is from Raqqa, the stronghold of the Islamic State, a town now synonymous with beheadings, immolation, enslavement of women and every form of barbarism. Alhamza, who is 24, left Syria two years ago and in April 2014 founded a resistance organization called Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently (R.B.S.S). ISIS has killed four of its members. The global public health emergency involving deformed babies emerged in 2015, the hottest year in the historical record, with an outbreak in Brazil of a disease transmitted by heat-loving mosquitoes. Can that be a coincidence? Scientists say it will take them years to figure that out, and pointed to other factors that may have played a larger role in starting the crisis. But these same experts added that the Zika epidemic, as well as the related spread of a disease called dengue that is sickening as many as 100 million people a year and killing thousands, should be interpreted as warnings. Over the coming decades, global warming is likely to increase the range and speed the life cycle of the particular mosquitoes carrying these viruses, encouraging their spread deeper into temperate countries like the United States. Recent research suggests that under a worst-case scenario, involving continued high global emissions coupled with fast population growth, the number of people exposed to the principal mosquito could more than double, to as many as 8 billion or 9 billion by late this century from roughly 4 billion today. The tech industrys battle with the United States government over encryption has reached a fever pitch. Ever since the former National Security Agency contractor Edward J. Snowden revealed in 2013 that the agency was hacking some tech companies and cozying up to others to gain user data, Silicon Valley behemoths have had an uneasy relationship with the United States government. Apple, which encrypts its iPhones, has been one of the most outspoken on the issues of encryption and privacy, saying it cannot give authorities access to peoples private data and information. That outspokenness reached a new height on Tuesday after a federal court order was issued requiring Apple to unlock the iPhone of one of the attackers in the December mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. Timothy D. Cook, Apples chief executive, published a strongly worded letter opposing the order and argued that unlocking one iPhone could lead to a slippery slope. We fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect, Mr. Cook wrote. The Supreme Court struck down Arizonas law in 2013, in a 7-2 ruling in which Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the majority opinion. At the time, Mr. Kobach, a Republican, argued that Kansas law was different from Arizonas because Arizona was rejecting voter registrations that were not accompanied by proof of citizenship. Kansas, on the other hand, would still accept such applications, Mr. Kobach said, but placed them in suspense until the proof of citizenship was provided. Later in 2013, the two states sued the federal government to allow them to set up what was essentially a two-tiered voting system in which their residents could vote in federal elections if they did not have proof of citizenship documents, but not in state races. The states initially won the case when a federal judge in Wichita sided with them, but that decision was later overturned by an appellate court. The A.C.L.U. also sued Kansas in state court over the two-tiered voting system. Last month, a state judge sided with the A.C.L.U., but Mr. Kobach is appealing the decision. Since the Kansas law took effect in 2013, more than 35,000 registrations have been in suspense, according to the lawsuit, about 14 percent of registrations filed during that period. More than 44 percent of the people whose application were put in suspense were ages of 18 to 29 and nearly 54 percent were unaffiliated with a party. Mr. Kobach said that there are now fewer than 11,000 applications in suspense. Some of those applications had been approved after further documentation was provided, he said, and others had been thrown out because they had been on file for more than 90 days. The A.C.L.U. is also challenging Mr. Kobachs decision to start throwing out registrations that have been in suspense for at least 90 days. About 12,000 have been purged, according to the lawsuit, though Mr. Kobach challenged the accuracy of that figure, saying his office has not calculated that number. Paul Davis, a Democrat and the former State House minority leader who ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor in 2014, filed his own federal lawsuit last year, challenging the purging of the voter rolls. That case is pending. Mr. Kobach said it was misleading to say that registrations were being purged because the people whose voter applications were in suspense had never officially been registered to vote. LAS VEGAS When it comes to labor powerhouses in Nevada, few organizations quite match the Culinary Workers Union: 57,000 strong, more than 50 percent Latino, with an 80-year history of labor advocacy on the Strip and a record of turning out its members in political campaigns. But to the increasing distress of the two Democratic presidential contenders, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Hillary Clinton, the union has decided to sit out the Democratic presidential caucuses here on Saturday, setting off a free-for-all for its members and adding to the increasingly tense and unsettled political atmosphere here. Both campaigns have pressed union leaders to change their minds and step in at the last minute, though chances of that appear remote. Union leaders said they were staying on the sidelines because the demands of mobilizing behind either Mr. Sanders or Mrs. Clinton would divert resources, distract members and potentially polarize the union just as they are entering critical contract negotiations. The Culinary Workers will instead focus its resources on the general election, in which Nevada is almost certain to be pivotal. But the decision to stay out also appears to be, at least to some extent, a legacy of the bitter Democratic caucus battles of 2008, when the union endorsed Barack Obama in the final weeks of the campaign. Mrs. Clintons supporters took the Culinary Workers to court to challenge its voting procedures, while an angry Bill Clinton went casino to casino, urging workers to defy their union and support his wife. What lies ahead for the Supreme Court when it returns to the bench on Monday, a week after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia? Q. Will Justice Scalias vote count in cases argued before his death? A. No. And the majority opinions he was drafting will need to be reassigned to other justices. Q. Would a new justice be able to vote on cases argued before he or she was confirmed? A. No. Cases in which the current justices were deadlocked, 4 to 4, would require rearguments to allow a new justice to participate. In 2006, after Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. replaced Justice Sandra Day OConnor, the court had two cases reargued, apparently to resolve deadlocks her retirement created. In at least one of them, the result seemed to change. Q. Which pending cases seem headed for a 4-to-4 split? A. The court will work hard to try to render decisions in the cases before it, perhaps by finding narrow ways to rule, and it may call for rearguments in the ones in which it remains deadlocked, in the hope that a new justice will arrive soon. The Supreme Court in recent years has split, 5 to 4, in only about 20 percent of its decisions, with unanimous or lopsided votes much more common. WASHINGTON There is a reason Republican senators are so adamant in their refusal to let President Obama appoint a successor to Justice Antonin Scalia, a towering figure in conservative jurisprudence. An Obama appointment would be the most consequential ideological shift on the court since 1991, creating a liberal majority that would almost certainly reshape American law and American life. At-risk precedents run from campaign finance to commerce, from race to religion, and they include some signature Scalia projects, such as the Second Amendment, said Lee Epstein, a law professor and political scientist at Washington University in St. Louis. Some would go quickly, like Citizens United, and some would go slower, she said. But theyll go. Every time the party in the White House changes, there is a potential impact on the court as the new president tries to mold it when openings develop. But Mr. Obama has a relatively rare opportunity to make a third appointment at a crucial moment. The court is now divided on many issues, the president said on Tuesday. This would be a deciding vote. WASHINGTON The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday added three countries to a growing list that would prohibit people who have visited those nations in the past five years from entering the United States without a visa. The new countries are Libya, Somalia and Yemen. The department indicated that other nations could be added. The Obama administration previously announced changes to the visa-waiver program that would make it harder for travelers to enter the United States from Europe if they had dual citizenship from Iran, Iraq, Sudan or Syria, or had visited one of those countries in the last five years. The restrictions announced on Thursday would not apply to those with dual citizenship in Libya, Somalia or Yemen, the agency said. The changes to the visa-waiver program come after the terrorist attacks in Paris on Nov. 13 that killed 130 people and wounded 368. Because the attackers were all European citizens who were eligible to receive visa waivers, some lawmakers and counterterrorism officials feared that terrorists could exploit the program and travel to the United States to commit similar attacks. KAMPALA, Uganda Ugandans went to the polls on Thursday to choose presidential and parliamentary candidates in an election riddled with irregularities even before voting began. Polling stations in some parts of the capital, Kampala, did not open until after noon nearly six hours late, and three hours before their scheduled closing time. Some did not open at all. At one polling station, voters waited seven hours for ballots to arrive, and when they did, they were for parliamentary candidates only. And the leading opposition candidate for president, Kizza Besigye, was arrested after trying to get into a police command center in the Naguru neighborhood of Kampala, the police said. Mr. Besigyes party, the Forum for Democratic Change, alleged that the command center was a vote-rigging center. He was with people knocking on gates and banging cars, said an assistant police commissioner, Polly Namaye. Mr. Besigye was later released, his lawyer said. Nollywood resonates across Africa with its stories of a precolonial past and of a present caught between village life and urban modernity. The movies explore the tensions between the individual and extended families, between the draw of urban life and the pull of the village, between Christianity and traditional beliefs. For countless people, in a place long shaped by outsiders, Nollywood is redefining the African experience. I doubt that a white person, a European or American, can appreciate Nollywood movies the way an African can, said Katsuva Ngoloma, a linguist at the University of Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo who has written about Nollywoods significance. But Africans the rich, the poor, everyone will see themselves in those movies in one way or another. In Yeoville, a neighborhood in Johannesburg that is a melting pot for migrants, a seamstress from Ghana took orders one recent morning for the latest fashions seen in Nollywood movies. Hairstylists from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, working in salons or on the street, offered hair weaves following the styles favored by Nollywood actresses. Nigerian movies express how we live as Africans, what we experience in our everyday lives, things like witchcraft, things like fighting between mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws, said Patience Moyo, 34, a Zimbabwean hair-braider. When you watch the movies, you feel it is really happening. One way or another, it will touch your life somewhere. KINGSTON, Ontario It is easy to pick out the short-timers from the lifers on Jeff Peterss beef and pork farm. The 14 black-and-white Holstein dairy cows stand in sharp contrast to the farms regular herd of chocolate brown Limousin beef cattle in the open winter barns. The dairy cows are ex-cons of a sort, and look the part in their old-time prisoner colors. Mr. Peters is one of eight Ontario farmers who, for more than five years, have hosted the remnants of the dairy herd that once lived on a farm at an 85-year-old prison complex here. And for most of that time, the farmers, along with hundreds of local residents and a few celebrities, have been fighting to reopen the farm and send the cows home. Years of weekly protests and fund-raisers had led nowhere. In October, however, the Liberal Party defeated the Conservative government, which had closed the farm. While the new government has yet to make any firm commitments, the new Liberal member of Parliament from the Kingston area campaigned to bring farming back to the prison. Among Mr. Peters and the rest of the protesters, there is a growing feeling that their efforts will finally be rewarded. On a recent winter day, in a barn shared with a handful of noisy chickens, Mr. Peters fed one of the newest members of the prison farm herd, Terry, with an oversize baby bottle. WASHINGTON President Obamas decision to travel to Cuba next month and meet with President Raul Castro reflects his determination to do as much as possible before he leaves office to pry open the historic and ideological barricades that have separated the United States from its neighbor since the Cold War. It also represents something of a familiar gamble for Mr. Obama, who in becoming the first sitting American president to visit Cuba in 88 years will be testing his conviction that aggressive engagement, rather than harsh isolation, is the best way to prod an adversary to change. In announcing the trip on Thursday, Mr. Obama was betting on the power of his office and the force of his personal diplomacy to persuade Mr. Castro to do more to open his mostly state-run economy and respect human rights. The Cuban leader has been unwilling to take those steps since the two presidents announced in December 2014 that they would move toward normalized relations after a half-century of hostility. If Mr. Obama is wrong, the visit could instead highlight the deep differences that persist between the two nations. ABOARD THE PAPAL AIRLINER Inserting himself into the Republican presidential race, Pope Francis on Wednesday suggested that Donald J. Trump is not Christian because of the harshness of his campaign promises to deport more immigrants and force Mexico to pay for a wall along the border. A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian, Francis said when a reporter asked him about Mr. Trump on the papal airliner as he returned to Rome after his six-day visit to Mexico. The popes remarks came during a wide-ranging, midair news conference in which he also waded into the question of whether the Roman Catholic Church should grant an exception to its prohibitions on abortion and birth control in regions where the Zika virus is causing a public health emergency, including in much of Catholic-dominated Latin America. Researchers say pregnant women are especially at risk, noting that the virus may be responsible for a spike in cases of microcephaly, a condition in which newborns have unusually small heads and brains. KABUL, Afghanistan Afghan security forces, possibly accompanied by NATO advisers, raided a hospital south of Kabul and abducted and then killed at least three men suspected of being insurgents, hospital officials and residents said on Thursday. The raid began late Wednesday in the Day Mirdad district of Wardak Province, 100 miles from Kabul, the capital, at a hospital run by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, an international aid agency. Initial reports differed about whether the units involved in the four-hour raid, whose members descended from helicopters, belonged to the Afghan Army or the police. The number of casualties was also not clear, with different accounts suggesting that between three and five people had been killed. The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan denounced the raid, which it said the Afghan Army had conducted, as a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions. Medical facilities and medical staff are to provide treatment to anyone in need, and patients are to be granted safety according to humanitarian law, Jorgen Holmstrom, the groups country director, said in a statement. We will further investigate this violation and let those responsible be held accountable. A plant known as hairy panic has left parts of a small town in southeastern Australia overwhelmed with tumbleweeds, and global news media attention, with residents and journalists recording bizarre scenes of dry, yellow grass piling up around cars and doorways. The windblown grass has become a major nuisance in Wangaratta, in Victoria State, where some people have had to dig their way in and out of their homes, according to Australian news reports. In some cases, they removed the tumbleweeds with leaf blowers. It makes it difficult to get the car out in the morning if you can find it, one Wangaratta resident, Jason Perna, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Images of hairy panic blanketing parts of Wangaratta were picked up by international news outlets, including the BBC and CNN, bringing an unusual amount of attention to the town with a population of 17,000. Leaders of the European Union nations will meet on Thursday and Friday in Brussels in an effort to agree on changes to rules intended to persuade Britain to remain a member of the bloc. If all 28 member nations agree to the changes, Prime Minister David Cameron will call a referendum on British membership in the bloc, probably for June. But there are no guarantees that the leaders will reach a deal on all the outstanding issues. Even if they do, Mr. Cameron could face a tough campaign to overcome antipathy to Brussels within his Conservative Party and to convince his nation that the benefits of remaining in the union outweigh the drawbacks. Here are some of the key issues in the negotiations: Q. What does the British government want? A. Mr. Camerons demands go to the fundamental nature of Britains relationship with the European Union, including the rights of Europeans who move to Britain and the relative power of countries that use the euro as their currency versus those, like Britain, that do not: The right to restrict welfare payments for four years for European Union citizens who move to Britain to work, including in-work benefits that typically supplement low-paid employees (this is sometimes referred to as an emergency brake). The right of citizens to move and work across European borders is one of the blocs core principles, and the British demand is seen in some countries, especially those in Eastern Europe, as impinging on that right. Rules to ensure that banks and investment firms in Britain, which has elected to keep its own currency, are not at a competitive disadvantage in Europe to those based in countries that use the euro. WARSAW Lech Walesa, the former shipyard worker who helped bring about the collapse of Communism in Poland and then served as the countrys president, faces new accusations that he was an informant for the secret police during the Communist era. For many years, accusations of collaboration have dogged Mr. Walesa, the leader of the Solidarity movement, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 and served as president from 1990 to 1995. A special court cleared him in 2000. But he faces new allegations from a trove of documents that prosecutors confiscated on Tuesday from the home of the widow of Gen. Czeslaw Kiszczak, who as interior minister helped crush Solidarity in 1981, when martial law was imposed, and was briefly, in 1989, the countrys final prime minister under the Communist regime. The documents include 350 pages of secret-police files that have never been open to public view. They mention a man called Bolek, which is said to have been Mr. Walesas code name, according to Lukasz Kaminski, the head of the Institute of National Remembra nce, a government-run commission established in 1998 to investigate crimes committed during the Nazi occupation and Soviet domination. BAGHDAD In blaming a Syrian Kurdish militia supported by the United States for a deadly car bombing in Ankara, Turkey added new urgency on Thursday to a question its president recently posed to the Obama administration: Are you on the side of a NATO ally Turkey or its enemies? The militia, which adamantly denies any role in the bombing, is the administrations most important ground force inside Syria in the fight against the militants of the Islamic State. But it is also fast becoming an enemy of Turkey, which views the militia as a national security threat because of its links to another Kurdish militant group that is battling for autonomy within Turkey. More broadly, the situation crystallizes what critics say has long been the problem with United States policy in the Middle East. Though the region is undergoing historic and violent change, with multiple insurgencies, failed states, various proxy wars that have sucked in world powers and the possible breakdown of the entire post-World War I regional order, the United States has focused on only one small part of that: defeating the militants of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. CAIRO Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, an Egyptian journalist and historian who was an alter ego to President Gamal Abdel Nasser and for a time became an informal adviser to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, died here on Wednesday. He was 92. His death was reported on Egyptian state television. He recently had kidney failure and received dialysis. Mr. Heikals career was defined by his close partnership with Nasser, whom he helped write landmark speeches and a political manifesto, The Philosophy of the Revolution. Under Nassers patronage, Mr. Heikal became the editor in chief of Egypts flagship state newspaper, Al Ahram, and transformed it into the Arab worlds most influential publication not least because of Mr. Heikals own weekly column, Frankly Speaking. JERUSALEM Two 14-year-old Palestinian boys fatally stabbed an off-duty Israeli soldier and wounded another Israeli man on Thursday in an Israeli supermarket in the occupied West Bank where Israelis and Palestinians work and shop together. Armed civilians shot and wounded both assailants at the scene. The attack was the latest in more than four months of violence, and it came as senior Israeli officials clashed over the degree of force to be used against Palestinian minors wielding knives. Palestinians using guns, knives and vehicles as weapons have killed at least 28 Israelis since Oct 1. Israeli forces have killed at least 160 Palestinians during the same period, as many as two-thirds of them assailants, according to the Israeli authorities. The others died in clashes with Israeli security forces. The Israeli military identified the off-duty soldier who was killed on Thursday as Sgt. Tuvia (Yanai) Wiessman, 21, a resident of a nearby Jewish settlement, Maale Mikhmas. The Palestinian news media identified the assailants as Ayham Bassam Ibrahim Subih and Omar Salim Rimawi, residents of Beituniya, a Palestinian town on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Ramallah. Stare, wrote Walker Evans, the canonical 20th-century photographer. It is the way to educate your eye, and more. Stare; pry; listen; eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long. The British photographer Paul Graham, among Evanss most consequential heirs, does a lot of staring and also waiting as he roams the streets of New York, where he has lived since 2002, or the industrial pockets of suburban America, anticipating some wisp of an instant worth shooting, one to remind us we are all residing on the same planet, all of us in our own skins. I spend time going to thrift stores looking for clothes, Mr. Graham once told a packed theater audience of students about how he approaches picture-making, explaining the hours he might loiter in a strip mall waiting for something ordinary to happen. Boredom is part of my work. I accept it and embrace it. He was describing the off-handed concentration with which he looks at the normal flow of everyday activity and documents it in narrative sequences. His photographs fall into the tradition of social documentation epitomized by Evans in the 1930s and also Robert Frank in the 1950s, but Mr. Graham presents his work, both on the wall and on the page, in a way that places it firmly on 21st-century conceptual art-making soil. His current retrospective at Pier 24, an internationally regarded private museum of photography in San Francisco, is called The Whiteness of the Whale (through Feb. 29), and includes three bodies of work that constitute an informal American trilogy: American Night (1998-2002); A Shimmer of Possibility (2004-06); and The Present (2009-11). The catalog has been published by Michael Mack. The best music festivals dont strive to offer something for everybody. They go deep, programming live performances like a set by an inspired disc jockey, where each selection responds to and illuminates the rest. They dont confine themselves by genre, but they do flaunt their particular aesthetics, with the promise that the main draws and the unknown quantities are worth hearing side by side. Image Blood Orange is in the Moogfest lineup. Credit... Emily Berl for The New York Times Moogfest returns this year, May 19-22, after a hiatus and a change of location: from Asheville, N.C., where Moog synthesizers are made, to Durham, N.C. Its lineup suggests a sci-fi dance party with a Ph.D. in STEM subjects: electronics-loving headliners on a spectrum from pop to avant-garde including Grimes, Miike Snow, Gary Numan, Blood Orange, Laurie Anderson, Odesza, the Orb and Oneohtrix Point Never, along with electronic-music pioneers, songwriters, producers, composers and D.J.s. Geeky and proud of it, Moogfest has symposiums on topics like Afro-Futurism and Transhumanism, as well as Durationals experimental performances by musicians like the rocker EMA and technology-minded art installations, including one that plans to repurpose old telephone switchboards into working modular synthesizers. The Big Ears Festival, in Knoxville, Tenn., March 31-April 1, shares some headliners with Moogfest: Laurie Anderson, the Sun Ra Arkestra and the band Sunn O))). Other performers are just as varied, among them the jazz saxophonists Kamasi Washington and Anthony Braxton, the songwriter Angel Olsen, the 1970s Krautrock experimenters Faust and the Knoxville Symphony playing Philip Glass; John Luther Adams; and, from the National, Bryce Dessner. Fans of Lou Reeds Metal Machine Music can hear live drones created with his original setup. Implicit in the lineup is the idea that at their more daring fringes, styles and genres melt into an impulse toward the incantatory and ecstatic. I was a slow and lazy reader as a kid. The Prince and the Pauper was the only non-school book I would read, over and over, between television, records and radio, until I picked up my aunts copy of In Cold Blood and she didnt ask for it back. Then I remember Ed Sullivan on the cover of Esquire magazine the next year in a group of celebrities who had not been asked to Capotes Black and White Ball. After The Prince and the Pauper, there was a lot more Mark Twain to like. I used to think that Hemingway was just being racist when he said that Adventures of Huckleberry Finn falls apart in the second half. I thought he minded Huck breaking the fugitive slave law and siding with Jim, going downriver with a runaway. But I read it again years later and was dismayed to discover that Hemingway was right. Twain resolves his story in a disappointing fashion. (To reread fiction is a danger. You are older and end up unable to forgive Anna Karenina.) However, In Cold Blood is the only book by Capote I like. Elizabeth Hardwick showed Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffanys to be a retread of Isherwoods Sally Bowles in The Berlin Stories. Gore Vidals portrait of Tennessee Williams includes the most wonderful put-down of Capote. Julian is the only novel by Vidal that I like. These were the people I read in the late 1960s and early 1970s when trying to imagine sophisticated New York. Writers who appeared on The Dick Cavett Show. Kurt Vonnegut and Janet Flanner were even from Indianapolis. When I first got to New York on my own, I picked out my fro and put on a wide tie and went to the Algonquin Hotel and rang the little bell on the little round table, because back in Indiana Id read a biography of Dorothy Parker. Then I got into the Beats and threw away that tie. What book that you read for school had the greatest impact on you? Black Reconstruction in America, by W. E. B. Du Bois. He set out to say that something more than race trumping class happened in the defeat of Reconstruction, that capital used race to re-enslave everyone, white and black. He wants us to feel how much the Republic lost out, how its most hallowed moment, the Civil War, was betrayed, and how much this betrayal had gone to the very center of the nations political and moral life. And it expressed itself in more ways than racism and the oppression of blacks. At the core of white resistance to Reconstruction was the refusal to recognize federal authority. This must have been Professor Foners class. Meanwhile, the secessionist mood never went away, and we are once again tormented by white supremacist backlash. If you had to name one book that made you who you are today, what would it be? Notes of a Native Son, by James Baldwin. His voice is irresistible, so literary and real. His prose has so much depth and character. He who did not believe in the distinction Philip Rahv made between what he called paleface and redskin highbrow and lowbrow, patrician and plebeian was saying what his freedoms as a black writer were. In these essays, his moral compass is never off. Whom he could forgive and what he could not forget were part of the same grace. He realized early on in his writing life how provisional and vulnerable the whole machinery of social existence really is, because we are human. Though his era and the Harlem and Paris he describes have become historical, his voice will never age. I remember leaning on a ledge on campus, absorbed in that Beacon Press edition with Baldwins face on the cover. His enormous eyes. Id read one of his novels before I could understand it, but I didnt fall for him until years later, on that leafy October late afternoon. It was one of those great moments of feeling your mind free up. My father said every Thanksgiving that Victor Hugo and Richard Wright were his favorite authors. Now I had mine. If you could require the president to read one book, what would it be? I wouldnt dare, our president is so well read. But any U.S. president: the speeches of Abraham Lincoln. What author living or dead would you most like to meet, and what would you like to know? I am tempted to answer Villon, just to ask in the name of queer history if anything had gone on between him and Charles of Orleans. I would say Rimbaud if I had the nerve, but he would snub me even in my own fantasy. I would like to ask Christopher Marlowe what had been Shakespeares problem with him, and what happened at that inn the day he got killed in a brawl. But if I only get one choice, then it would have to be Shakespeare and the two-part question: Who is the Fair Youth addressed in your sonnets, and what was he to you? Disappointing, overrated, just not good: What book did you feel you were supposed to like, and didnt? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing? Most deconstruction I have encountered. (Oh, and maybe Oliver Sacks.) Whom would you want to write your life story? Virginia Woolf. What do you plan to read next? Street Justice: A History of Police Violence in New York City, by Marilynn S. Johnson. Starting at 14, he spent 45 hours a week bagging groceries and stocking shelves after school and on the weekends. Raymond saw what the crack trade had done to the neighborhood and wanted no part of it. His friends say he had a powerful, even rigid sense of morality, lecturing them about the dangers of drugs and gangs, refusing to try even a puff of weed. We always tell him hes different, Baptiste says. Joissin noted wryly that Raymond was not afraid to not be popular and to not be liked. His unwavering rectitude kept the gangs from bothering him. The police, however, were a different story. As soon as I had a little hair on my chin, I was getting stopped almost once a week, he says. One day at a Haitian street fair when he was 16, Raymond ran into a family friend who had become a police officer. To Raymonds surprise, his friend raved about the job about the benefits and the pension and the possibility of being promoted. Raymond decided to enter the police academy as soon as he was old enough. Even then, he says, he had vague ambitions of becoming a different kind of officer one who would go after actual criminals. But he mainly saw the job as a way to pay the bills. And thats how he might still see it if, about three years before he joined the force, a friend hadnt lent him a copy of The Destruction of Black Civilization. The book, a work of Afrocentric history by Chancellor Williams, is a classic of its genre. Raymond still recalls the pride that rushed through your veins as he realized, he says, that the history of black people didnt begin with slavery. In high school, his work schedule got in the way of his studies, and he had never liked reading. Now he couldnt get enough of it. He read Malcolm X and Marcus Garvey. He says he started an email correspondence with Tim Wise, an activist and writer known for his books on critical race theory. As he read that the slave patrols of two centuries ago had evolved into the police departments of today, it occurred to him that the cops who stopped him in his youth werent intentionally racist; they were merely complying with the demands of a system that was historically rooted in keeping you down. Then, in 2008, he joined the system himself. At first, and for most of his career, Raymond worked out of Transit District 32, the division of the Transit Bureau responsible for policing the Brooklyn sections of the 2 and 3 lines and several other stretches of the subway system. Many of his colleagues spent their time writing tickets or arresting people for theft of service a minor violation better known as turnstile hopping. (From 2008 to 2013, fare-beating arrests shot up to 24,747 from 14,681, according to a 2014 Daily News analysis of public data.) Legally, individual officers have the power to decide how to deal with certain minor offenses. Some officers, trying to increase their totals of summonses and arrests for the month, hide in bathrooms and closets meant for subway employees, peeking out through vents so they can jump out at anyone foolish or desperate enough to vault the turnstiles. If the offender, typically a teenager, lacks an ID or has a criminal record, the officer can make an arrest. According to a recent analysis by the advocacy group the Police Reform Organization Project, 92 percent of those arrested for theft of service in 2015 were black, Hispanic or Asian. Those offenders who arent arrested are generally summoned to court to pay a $100 fine. If they fail to pay it or forget the court date or miss an appearance for any reason, the judge signs an arrest warrant. Raymond didnt hide on the job. At the academy, he says, future officers were trained to remain present and visible while working in uniform, partly so passengers could find a police officer when they needed one. On Oct. 8, 2015, for example, a group of teenage girls approached Raymond at the Pennsylvania Avenue stop in Brooklyn and pointed out a man who had been following them. Had Raymond been hiding, he says, they might never have found him. Raymond stopped the man, asked him some questions and ultimately arrested him for stalking. He does these honorable things, said Willie Lucas, one of the other black officers who worked in Raymonds district. The first time I worked with him, we were doing patrol out in the East New York area. There was a mother, she may have been a teenager, and she was in some kind of distress, crying and really upset. Her baby may have been around 3 or 4 months old. I remember him going to talk to her and help her out. He was willing to ride with her to the Bronx, all the way out of his jurisdiction. Travis Lett is a bearded, hippie-chic chef who runs a trio of popular restaurants in the beachside community of Venice, Calif. The flagship is Gjelina, a loud, fashionable and vegetable-centric neighborhood spot as well known for the attractiveness of its clientele as for its pizzas and salads, slathered toasts and smoky pastas. The restaurant is an aspirational lifestyle camp, replete with fire pit and sloe-eyed waiters. Thankfully, little of that scene is documented in Gjelina: Cooking From Venice, California, Letts excellent cookbook, which came out in the fall. The restaurants dining room and patrons are largely omitted from its pages. Instead, the food dominates. There are dozens and dozens of recipes set alongside luxurious portraits of simple ingredients, simply prepared, though in riots of contrast: sweet against salty; spicy against sour; crunchy against smooth. I have spent the last few months cooking from the book, bringing a little California warmth and brio into my chilly East Coast kitchen, along with a lot less meat. I wanted the restaurant to offer something that didnt demand too much attention but at the same time had the ability to inspire if you paused and truly looked, Lett writes in the introduction. The same goal animates his recipes. Cooking them carefully can lead a home cook down fascinating paths. Shortly after they married in 1983, Morgan and Susan Snyder moved to Westchester County to be near Mr. Snyders job. We discovered the city once we got to Westchester, Mrs. Snyder said. But a night out in the city meant they often had to rush to catch the train home. It felt like in order to get to know New York City, you had to live there, she said. Much as they might have liked that, Mr. Snyder soon took a job in Washington, D.C. The couple, who had met at the University of Delaware, settled into a big suburban house in Northern Virginia, where they reared their four children. They always harbored the idea of moving to Manhattan when the children now 18 to 28 were grown. Mrs. Snyder, who is retired from the graphic design field and who, like her husband, is 58, wanted to be able to walk places. In Virginia, people would drive two blocks to their friends house, she said. People would say, Do you need a ride back? Its dark. Seth Rudetsky is not a household name except on Broadway, where he is so well known and well connected that he is sometimes referred to as the mayor of the place. A hazard of being around him is that you feel you have spent the rest of your life in slow motion. Mr. Rudetsky, who is 48 and likes to say he suffers from adult A.D.D., is a multitaskers multitasker. Several days a week he is the afternoon D.J. on Seths Big Fat Broadway, a show on Sirius/XM satellite radio, where he is also the host of a weekly talk show, Seth Speaks, not to be confused with Seths Broadway Chatterbox, a weekly talk show he does live at the Midtown cabaret Dont Tell Mama, or Rhapsody in Seth, his one-man autobiographical play, or, for that matter, This Week in the Life of Seth Rudetsky, a weekly column he writes for Playbill.com. Mr. Rudetsky also writes books, organizes theater cruises and is a prolific contributor to YouTube, where he posts what he calls deconstructions clips where he lip-syncs and then analyzes the Broadway performances of Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Betty Buckley and the like. He is a gifted pianist, in demand as an accompanist, and there is hardly an AIDS benefit for which he has not written a number. He talks like a record at 78 r.p.m., seldom pausing for breath and starting new words before the old ones are entirely finished. On top of this usual workload (not to mention a husband and teenage daughter), Mr. Rudetsky is now appearing at the Nederlander Theater eight times a week in Disaster!, a musical that he also wrote, together with Jack Plotnick, and for which he is the musical supervisor and song arranger. Disaster!, which opens March 8, is a spoof of 70s movies like Airport and The Poseidon Adventure, and serves up a full menu of calamity earthquake, tidal wave, fire, sharks, piranhas, giant rats to the accompaniment of Top 40 songs from the same era. For a jukebox musical, it has attracted an unusually high-profile cast, including a Rent-certified heartthrob (Adam Pascal), a Xanadu and Rock of Ages veteran (Kerry Butler) and two Tony Award winners (Roger Bart and Faith Prince) who, like everyone else connected with the show, are counting on theatergoers wanting to relive a cultural moment many people would just as soon forget. As we motored out of Patong Beach Harbor, members of the mostly Thai eight-person crew shot off fireworks to scare away the bad spirits and encourage the good ones to join us aboard. A traditional bouquet of good-luck flowers adorned the bow. The junk featured a broad foredeck, upon which teak deck chairs lined a row of tables, all protected from the bright sun by a tarp. Most of the 15 divers onboard set up shop here, sucking down water mixed with electrolytes, making entries into dive logs and comparing notes. Forrister flirted with an attractive Swedish banker 10 years his senior. Among us was an affable 40-year-old Swiss-German man, who had had a stroke decades ago that left his legs virtually useless; scuba enabled him to experience the extraordinary freedom that water confers. Two paying clients, dive instructors hailing from Britain and France, offered good-natured recommendations on equipment and diving techniques. At night waves gently slapped the sides of the boat and lulled us to sleep in our bunks. Each day began with a bell at 6:30 a.m., a briefing at 7 and a dive at 7:15. Once we dried off from our first dive of the day, our two diminutive female Thai cooks brought out a multicourse breakfast of Thai and Western dishes. Few of our shoreside meals had matched these delicious home-cooked feasts, which included sauteed whole fish, spicy massaman curry, tom yum goong (spicy shrimp soup), larb gai (spicy ground chicken), fried spring rolls and pad thai. And there was always a vegetarian option. We repeated this process in the midmorning, midafternoon and evening. A refrigerator full of Singha and Chang beer awaited us after our last dive of the day. A workable buddy system still continued to elude Forrister and me. He didnt want me to tell him what to do, nor did I want to, but safety demanded communication. His was not the petulance of a teenager but the forming confidence of a newly emerged adult, committed to doing things on his own. We worked on some navigational skills underwater and our signals got tangled, mostly around who was supposed to do what. Our dive master, Johnathan Winter, who was in his 40s and otherwise a man of great sense and knowledge, noticed our difficulties and advised me to remind Forrister who was paying for the trip. Do you have any children? I asked. Nope, he answered. On the eastern side of the islands, which faced the Thai coast and were relatively protected from strong currents, we met forests of soft corals, beds of anemones with their waving tentacles offering refuge for bright orange clownfish right out of Finding Nemo. Yet the miniforests of corals in neon pink, purple, orange and yellow were more Peter Max-inspired crazy than anything Pixar offers up, their stalks so delicate that one swipe of a fin can destroy years of growth. Some gorgonian fan corals grew larger than a linebacker. Other huge, white, feathery soft corals reminded me of an ostrichs rear end. About them swam the worlds most colorful fish, including my favorite, the powder blue surgeonfish, whose flanks bore a splash of blue as rich as the sky on the finest spring day. In the profusion of color, we almost missed a pair of bright yellow tigertail seahorses with tails interlocked. The scruffy six-inch male appeared a little beleaguered, his stomach distended with some 1,500 eggs deposited earlier by the female. Hed bring them to term, then spit out a host of tiny progeny. Forrister and I learned to swim right up to the coral and peer at the teeming reef from inches away. That way I spotted an unfortunately named varicose wart slug, its black four-inch form exquisitely decorated with a Warhol-esque pattern of tiny fried eggs. The islands western shores revealed a wholly different character. Calm, sandy-bottomed waters gave way to strong currents and jumbles of house-size boulders that formed avenues and alleys, caves and twisting passages. Three-quarters of the way through our trip, we dove on Elephant Head Rock, off Island No. 8, which possessed a city blocks worth of narrow passages through a boulder field. We negotiated this three-dimensional labyrinth, levitating up over rocks by holding our breath to become more buoyant, then exhaling to sink back down and kicking through dark passages. Forrister and I worked in harmony, changing leads effortlessly, following colorful fish, peering under boulders and pointing out hidden creatures. Few soft corals lived here, but the angelfish popped psychedelically against the gray backdrop. Only hours later did I realize that we had achieved perfect balance underwater. A baby with a shrunken, misshapen head is surely a heartbreaking sight. But reproductive health experts are warning that microcephaly may be only the most obvious consequence of the spread of the Zika virus. Even infants who appear normal at birth may be at higher risk for mental illnesses later in life if their mothers were infected during pregnancy, many researchers fear. The Zika virus, they say, closely resembles some infectious agents that have been linked to the development of autism, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Schizophrenia and other debilitating mental illnesses have no single cause, experts emphasized in interviews. The conditions are thought to arise from a combination of factors, including genetic predisposition and traumas later in life, such as sexual or physical abuse, abandonment or heavy drug use. Although there is no absolute proof that the Zika virus is behind the surge in microcephaly in Brazil and outbreaks of Guillain-Barre syndrome in six countries, the worlds leading health authorities are close to certain that it is. With each passing day, the evidence that it is the cause mounts, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said recently. Dr. Bruce Aylward, who is leading the World Health Organizations response, said on Friday: At this time, the virus is considered guilty until proven innocent. Many rumors blaming other potential causes have arisen, and the authorities have worked hard to debunk them. Here is a look at the most prominent theories making the rounds on social media, along with responses from scientists. New York Universitys Fales Library, the home of one of the nations largest and most prestigious collections in food studies, will host a panel discussion entitled FOOD STUDIES 20 YEARS IN: Is the Food Movement Really Changing Food? on Tuesday, March 8, 2016, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the Fales Library, third floor, Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, 70 Washington Square South, (at LaGuardia Place). [Subways A,C,E, B,D,M to West 4th Street; 6 line to Astor Place; R train to 8th Street.] Among the biggest selling points for acceptable foods these days is what the food does not contain, how it was not raised or kept healthy. For example, some of the nations largest food chains have pledged everything from cage free eggs to grass fed beef, while gluten free shows up in the oddest places. But is this just a lot of highly visible marketing or has the Food Movement actually begun to have an impact on what were eating? asks Clark Wolf, founder and president of Clark Wolf Company. Please join us for a lively panel of Food Studies faculty, family, and friends as we take a hard look at just where the more serious study of food is getting us. The panelists include: Mitchell Davis--executive vice president, The James Beard Foundation David Kamp--author, The United States of Arugula Jasmine Nielsen--executive director, Just Food Krishnendu Rayprofessor and chair, NYU Department of Nutrition, Food Studies & Public Health Host: Clark Wolf, food and restaurant consultant. Wolf has more than thirty years of experience in the food industry and is founder and president of Clark Wolf Company, a New York City and Sonoma County, California based food and restaurant consulting firm. MEDIA ONLY: Reporters interested in covering or attending the event must contact Christopher James at 212-998-6876 or email christopher.james@nyu.edu. Suggested donation: $10. All gifts support the Marion Nestle Food Studies Collection. To RSVP or for more information about the event, please write to rsvp.bobst@nyu.edu with your name and title/date of the event. Reception to follow. FOOD STUDIES 20 YEARS IN: Is the Food Movement Really Changing Food? part of Fales Librarys Critical Topics in Food Series, is sponsored by New York University Fales Library; Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health; and Clark Wolf. About Fales Library and Special Collections: The Fales Library is housed in the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library on Washington Square, flagship of NYUs global library system. Fales Library, comprising nearly 358,000 volumes and over 11,000 linear feet of archive and manuscript materials, houses the Fales Collection of rare books and manuscripts in English and American literature, the Downtown Collection, the Marion Nestle Food Studies Collection and the general special collections of the NYU Libraries. The Fales Collection was given to NYU in 1957 by DeCoursey Fales in memory of his father, Haliburton Fales. It is especially strong in English literature from the middle of the 18th century to the present, documenting developments in the novel. The Marion Nestle Collection is a vast collection of books and manuscripts documenting food and foodways with particular emphasis on New York City. The Downtown Collection, founded in 1993, documents the downtown New York art, performance, and literary scenes from 1975 to the present and is extremely rich in archival holdings, including extensive film and video. The NYU Division of Libraries is a global system comprising five libraries in Manhattan and one each in Brooklyn, Abu Dhabi and Shanghai. Its flagship, the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library on Washington Square, receives 2.6 million visits annually. For more information about the NYU Libraries, please visit http://library.nyu.edu The horrific terrorist shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino shook all of us. But tragedy should not provide an automatic mandate for government to encroach upon the publics civil liberties. On Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym ordered Apple to provide reasonable technical assistance to the FBI to help bypass or disable a security function on the iPhone of one of the shooters. Apple, to its credit, has made it clear it will fight this order. Law enforcement officials have been unable to access data on the shooters phone and hope to disable an iPhone security feature that automatically erases data after a certain number of incorrect password attempts. This would allow law enforcement to run software that would try myriad passwords until the correct one is found. It may be tempting to think that this case is so exceptional that it requires extraordinary cooperation from Apple. Further, such cooperation ultimately would be innocuous to everyone else. After all, any workaround developed to help the FBI crack the shooters password would only be used in this case, right? Wrong. Once created, the technique could be used over and over again, on any number of devices, Apple CEO Tim Cook explained in a message to Apple customers. In the physical world, it would be the equivalent of a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks from restaurants and banks to stores and homes. No reasonable person would find that acceptable. While it may seem harmless for a company like Apple to just cooperate and help the FBI crack a phone, there is a wide range of repercussions that need to be considered. To date, governments have shown few reasons for confidence in their ability to respect electronic privacy and security. And, just as it would be wrongheaded and immoral to rush into blanket gun control laws or immigration restrictions in response to the massacre in San Bernardino, it, too, is wrong to exploit a tragedy to undermine electronic security. The battle between Apple and law enforcement officials over unlocking a terrorists smartphone is the culmination of a slow turning of the tables between the technology industry and the U.S. government. After revelations by the former National Security Agency contractor Edward J. Snowden in 2013 that the government both cozied up to certain tech companies and hacked into others to gain access to private data on an enormous scale, tech giants began to recognize the U.S. government as a hostile actor. But if the confrontation has crystallized in this latest battle, it may already be heading toward a predictable conclusion: In the long run, the tech companies are destined to emerge victorious. It may not seem that way at the moment. On the one side, you have the U.S. governments mighty legal and security apparatus fighting for data of the most sympathetic sort: the secrets buried in a dead mass murderers phone. The action stems from a federal court order issued on Tuesday requiring Apple to help the FBI unlock an iPhone used by one of the two attackers who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, in December. In the other corner is the worlds most valuable company, whose chief executive, Timothy D. Cook, has said he will appeal the courts order. Apple argues that it is fighting to preserve a principle that most of us who are addicted to our smartphones can defend: Weaken a single iPhone so that its contents can be viewed by the U.S. government and you risk weakening all iPhones for any government intruder, anywhere. There will probably be months of legal tussling, and it is not at all clear which side will prevail in court, nor in the battle for public opinion and legislative favor. Yet underlying all of this is a simple dynamic: Apple, Google, Facebook and other companies hold most of the cards in this confrontation. They have our data, and their businesses depend on the global publics collective belief that they will do everything they can to protect that data. Any crack in that front could be fatal for tech companies that must operate worldwide. If Apple is forced to open up an iPhone for a U.S. law enforcement investigation, whats to prevent it from doing so for a request from the Chinese or the Iranians? If Apple is forced to write code that lets the FBI get into the Phone 5c used by Syed Rizwan Farook, the male attacker in the San Bernardino attack, who would be responsible if some hacker got hold of that code and broke into its other devices? Apples stance on these issues emerged post-Snowden, when the company started putting in place a series of technologies that, by default, make use of encryption to limit access to peoples data. More than that, Apple and, in different ways, other tech companies, including Google, Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft have made their opposition to the governments claims a point of corporate pride. Apples emerging global brand is privacy; it has staked its corporate reputation, not to mention invested its considerable technical and financial resources, on limiting the sort of mass surveillance that was uncovered by Snowden. So now, for many cases involving governmental intrusions into data, once-lonely privacy advocates find themselves fighting alongside the most powerful company in the world. A comparison point is in the 1990s battles over encryption, said Kurt Opsahl, general counsel of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a privacy watchdog group. Then you had a few companies involved, but not one of the largest companies in the world coming out with a lengthy and impassioned post, like we saw yesterday from Tim Cook. The profile has really been raised. Apple and other tech companies hold another ace: the technical means to keep making their devices more and more inaccessible. Note that Apples public opposition to the governments request is itself a hindrance to mass government intrusion. And to get at the contents of a single iPhone, the government says it needs a court order and Apples help to write new code; in earlier versions of the iPhone, ones that were created before Apple found religion on privacy, the FBI may have been able to break into the device by itself. You can expect that noose to continue to tighten. Experts said that whether or not Apple loses this specific case, measures that it could put into place in the future will almost certainly be able to further limit the governments reach. Thats not to say that the outcome of the San Bernardino case is insignificant. As Apple and several security experts have argued, an order compelling Apple to write software that gives the FBI access to the iPhone in question would establish an unsettling precedent. The order essentially asks Apple to hack its own devices, and once it is in place, the precedent could be used to justify law enforcement efforts to get around encryption technologies in other investigations far removed from national security threats. Once armed with a method for gaining access to iPhones, the government could ask to use it proactively, before a suspected terrorist attack leaving Apple in a bind as to whether to comply or risk an attack and suffer a public-relations nightmare. This is a brand new salvo in the war against encryption, Opsahl said. Weve had plenty of debates in Congress and the media over whether the government should have a backdoor, and this is an end run around that here they come with an order to create that backdoor. Yet its worth noting that even if Apple ultimately loses this case, it has plenty of technical means to close a backdoor over time. If theyre anywhere near worth their salt as engineers, I bet theyre rethinking their threat model as we speak, said Jonathan Zdziarski, a digital forensic expert who studies the iPhone and its vulnerabilities. One relatively simple fix, Zdziarski said, would be for Apple to modify future versions of the iPhone to require a user to enter a passcode before the phone will accept the sort of modified operating system that the FBI wants Apple to create. That way, Apple could not unilaterally introduce a code that weakens the iPhone a user would have to consent to it. Nothing is 100 percent hacker-proof, Zdziarski said, but he pointed out that the judges order in this case required Apple to provide reasonable security assistance to unlock Farooks phone. If Apple alters the security model of future iPhones so that even its own engineers reasonable assistance will not be able to crack a given device when compelled by the government, a precedent set in this case might lose its lasting force. In other words, even if the FBI wins this case, in the long run, it loses. LOS ANGELES Los Angeles 2024s submission to the International Olympic Committee on its vision, games concept and strategy for a third Olympic Games in Southern California was met with solid reviews on Wednesday. The 64-page bid Stage I document, the first of three major submissions bid cities must make to the IOC in the next year, profiles a diverse city that has reinvented itself since hosting the 1984 Games, and a bid that boasts a wealth of existing venues and is aligned with the IOCs Agenda 2020 reforms. Nothing but strong encouragement right now, U.S. Olympic Committee chief executive Scott Blackmun said of his interactions with IOC members at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway this week. I think the people we are talking to at the IOC are very happy that theyve got multiple strong bids. I think L.A. is certainly one of those. But will Los Angeles strength on paper translate to enough votes from a Eurocentric IOC membership to win the 2024 bid over a field that also includes Paris, Rome and Budapest? The IOC will select the 2024 host city on Sept. 15, 2017 in Lima, Peru. The Stage II submission on governance, legal and venue funding is due Oct. 7. A Stage III submission dealing with Games delivery, experience and venue legacy has a Feb. 3, 2017 deadline. Its our job to do what we can to (show the IOC that) what were putting forward is the very best Olympic bid that Los Angeles is capable of delivering in its most unique form, said Casey Wasserman, chairman of LA 2024, a private nonprofit bid committee. And we believe this Stage I deliverable is the first step in that process. There is no question our job is to be humble in our approach and get to know the membership as well as possible because, frankly, the Summer Games is their most important asset and for them to vote for you that means they need to trust you and like you and respect you. This bid is a part of the process, but its not how these things are determined entirely, and we are fully aware of that, and were going to work tirelessly to make sure the members have faces and people and personalities and stories and histories that connect to the technical plan. But officials for the four bid cities are limited in how much contact they can have with IOC members because of reforms implemented in the wake of the 2002 Salt Lake City bribery scandal. One of the challenges with the new bid rules is that there are less opportunities for the bid cities to interact with the IOC, Blackmun said. In the case of this bid, one of the things that I think is critically important is will we be able to demonstrate the incredible passion that Mayor (Eric) Garcetti and Casey and (LA 2024 CEO Gene Sykes) all have for the Olympic Games and for the power of sport to really make a difference around the world. So were going to be looking for as many opportunities as we can to have those meaningful interactions. While Stan Kroenkes $2.66 billion stadium in Inglewood is not listed among the competition venues in the Stage I submission, Wasserman said the new home of the Rams will have a high profile role in a Los Angeles Olympics. LA 2024 officials are engaged in ongoing discussions with officials working on the Inglewood project. In terms of the Kroenke group, let me start by saying everything in our plan is a certainty, so any changes we make to the plan will be an improvement on the existing plan, Wasserman said. And when the Kroenke plan became a certainty, it was too late in our process to include that in a meaningful way other than to reference that it was a certainty and was going to be happening. But its suffice to say that the most expensive and most technologically advanced stadium ever built will certainly be a key part of our plans going forward, and I would stay tuned for that. When asked if a 400-meter running track would fit in the Hollywood Park venue, Wasserman said, Its a process, so when were ready to tell people how well use all of our facilities on a definitive scale beyond where were at today well do that at the right time but not today though. Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff said Wednesday, Havent studied a track at all inside of the stadium. Sykes said the group has received assurances that the 2024 Games would receive National Security Special Event status like the 2002 Salt Lake Games did, making it eligible for federal funding for security. LA 2024, Sykes said, has been made comfortable that our view of that is reinforced by the appropriate people at the federal level, too. Contact the writer: sreid@ocregister.com The death of a 27-year-old Laguna Hills woman, whose body was found in the Cleveland National Forest last year, prompted state Sen. Janet Nguyen to introduce a bill Wednesday calling for stiffer penalties for dumping a body. Erica Alonso went missing in February 2015 and was found April 27. The Orange County coroner ruled her death an overdose of drugs and alcohol. While Ms. Alonsos death may not have been a homicide, the individuals who moved her body chose to interfere rather than cooperate with authorities, Nguyen said in a statement. Alonsos father, Isaac Alonso Sr., met with Nguyens staff to propose the legislation. He was very passionate, Nguyen said. I would have done exactly the same, if not more than what he has done. The current penalty for dumping a body is up to one year in jail and up to $10,000 in fines. Nguyens bill increases the concealment of a body due to an accidental death from a misdemeanor to a wobbler, meaning a judge could impose a stiffer sentence. Nguyen said she was not aware that crime carried such little consequence. I was in shock, she said. The ramifications of these careless actions are immeasurable and I believe a judge deserves discretion in cases like this to administer a higher penalty. The disappearance and death of Erica Alonso was unsettling to residents throughout Orange County and was especially heartbreaking to Ms. Alonsos parents, who endured prolonged suffering due to the delayed investigation caused by the removal of her body. Alonso was last seen around 3:45 a.m. on Feb. 15, 2015, leaving her boyfriends Irvine home after a night out at a Costa Mesa nightclub. On March 25, O.C. sheriffs officials found her 2014 Honda Civic in an Aliso Viejo neighborhood. California Department of Transportation biologists found her body in a dirt area a mile east of the Ortega Highway near San Juan Capistrano. It is still not clear how her body ended up there. An autopsy revealed she ingested a lethal combination of GHB and alcohol, with a blood alcohol level of 0.22. The bill is expected to be heard by the Safety and Appropriations committees sometime in the spring. I think its a no-brainer, Nguyen said. Im hoping they would approve it. The question is if the governor signs it. Contact the writer: 714-796-2478 or lcasiano@ocregister.com BRUSSELS Prime Minister David Cameron faced off Thursday against the 27 other European Union leaders, telling them to grant his country a new deal to settle the festering issue of their relationship or face a possible divorce as soon as this summer. Cameron said he was battling for Britain at a Brussels summit and for a less intrusive EU that would benefit other countries, too. But French President Francois Hollande struck a cautionary note, warning that no individual leader should be allowed to stop closer European cooperation. Its the EU in question, not just one country in the EU, Hollande said as he arrived. I want Britain to stay in the EU. But I hope most of all that Europe can advance, can be stronger. Cameron is seeking changes to the U.K.-EU relationship that will let him urge Britons to vote yes to continued membership in a referendum that could come as early as June. A British official, speaking anonymously, said the 28 leaders first discussion session Thursday ended without a breakthrough. Britain, which has one of the strongest economies in Europe, has been a magnet for hundreds of thousands of workers from eastern EU nations who are seeking higher-paying jobs. Britain has no power to stop immigration from other EU nations, leading some in Britain to say that immigrants are taking their jobs. The EU immigrants can also claim unemployment, child care and other benefits in Britain, which Camerons government says is straining the countrys budget. Since none of the 27 other leaders wants to see Britain leave, there is broad consensus, if not agreement, on a deal. It would give Britain more powers to limit benefit payments to workers from other EU countries for several years something Britain says will slow immigration. SANTA ANA A 47-year-old Fullerton man was charged Wednesday with sexually assaulting three underage female relatives, with one allegation dating back to Christmas Day 2003. Amador Estrada was charged with three counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor younger than 14 and one count of attempted lewd act on a child younger than 14, all felonies. Estrada was arrested Friday and booked on suspicion of molesting four girls, but so far has been charged in connection with three of the alleged victims, according to Fullerton police Sgt. Kathryn Hamel. The other alleged sexual assaults happened on June 19, 2012, and Oct. 21, 2009, according to court records. The alleged victims are now 19, 17, 15 and 9 years old, Hamel said. This story was updated to correct the age of the suspect at the time of his arrest. Her goal in life is to grant wishes like a princess in a fairy tale. What better way to pay back the wish that was granted to her more than two decades ago? Ayesha Kazim, 30, of Orange recently signed up to volunteer at Make-A-Wish. She works for Disney (a fitting job for someone who dreams of granting wishes) in the online travel department. Shes awaiting her first Make-A-Wish assignment. She already has figured out what shes going to tell the first person she meets with a life-threatening illness. Im here, she will say. My parents didnt think I would be here. So dont ever give up. Disney said it will donate $5 up to $1 million for every picture shared on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram that shows someone wearing mouse ears. Kazim had her picture taken in mouse ears Tuesday at Disneyland, where she was telling her story to offer hope to people who may be going through similar horrors to those she endured as a child. *** Kazim carries a scrapbook with a kindergarten photo of her holding a book under her right arm and smiling. She remembers the pain. I couldnt hold that book with my left arm, she said. She was living in Olney, Md., at the time, and she remembers wearing a purple sweatsuit when the phone call came with her test results. She was rushed to a hospital in Washington, D.C., where she had the first of five operations. That scrapbook also holds a drawing a doctor made of the tumor. When she was 5, she got a diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancer of the muscle tissue. Doctors gave her parents a best- and worst-case scenario. At best, she might live to see her 16th birthday. At worst, she had about six months to live. She went through chemotherapy and radiation, and by the time she was 7, the cancer had spread to her shoulder. She had lost all her hair, and her brother pushed her in a wheelchair. She remembers her father praying in the hospital. Her family grimly braced itself for what would happen next. It was at one of the low points that Kazims family was connected with Make-A-Wish. She wanted to go visit a Disney park in Europe but she told she couldnt stray very far from her hospital. So she choose Disney World, which was a two-hour flight away. This was going to be our last trip as a family, she said. To think about it that way is terrifying. *** It wasnt the end. It was the beginning. Kazim remembers eating peanut butter ice cream with Reeses Pieces for breakfast. She remembers how nice everyone was to her and her family her father, Fazlur; her mother, Seeta; a brother, Ijaz; and a sister, Samina. It was a magical trip, she said. My dad said he didnt realize how compassionate people could be. She remembers Chip and Dale, the chipmunk characters, pushing her wheelchair. She rode Space Mountain 10 times in a row. I never thought about why we were there, she said. We were just there. My whole family acted normal, and it was perfect. Something else happened to Kazim on that trip. She fell in love with Disney and Make-A-Wish. That trip reaffirmed what my parents taught me about charity, caring and giving, she said. Thats what Disney is all about hopes and wishes and dreams coming true. *** Kazim has been cancer-free since she was 7. She still has trouble moving her left arm, but shes doing physical therapy to help her deal with the pain. And in July 2012, her boyfriend, Suresh Francis, proposed to her at Walt Disney World in Cinderellas Castle. Kazim and her husband live in Orange, just a few miles from Disneyland. Working at Disney has fulfilled one of her lifelong dreams. Occasionally, she will handle the travel arrangements of a child with cancer. I say, Oh, my God, I had cancer, too, she said. I make a connection with them. And when they say this might be our last trip, I tell them, Once you get here, everything is going to be fine. Contact the writer: ksharon@ocregister.com A woman who was arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting three fugitives last month described to police how she frantically drove them around in her green Lexus as they tried to buy a used car, according to a search warrant obtained Wednesday by The Orange County Register. The warrant identifies Ly Hoa Le as one of several people arrested in connection with the Jan. 22 escape of Hossein Nayeri, 37; Bac Duong, 43; and Jonathan Tieu, 20; from Orange County Central Mens Jail. Duong, who the document says has known Le for 10 years and calls her mom, turned himself in on Jan. 29 after spending a week as a fugitive. Nayeri and Tieu were captured in San Francisco the following day. RELATED: Anatomy of a jailbreak: How three inmates carried out their escape from Orange County Central jail Le has not been charged with a crime pending the ongoing investigation, the Orange County District Attorneys Office said Wednesday. But the search warrant provides new details on how she allegedly drove the men around in the hours after their escape. After the jailbreak, sheriffs investigators conducted witness interviews and learned that all three men were driven to Lees Sandwiches in Westminster by an older Asian woman in a green Lexus, according to the warrant. Authorities reviewed the restaurants surveillance video and observed a dark-colored sedan with an unknown female driver and three passengers that resembled the escapees. Investigators determined that Le was the driver of the dark sedan, the warrant says. After her arrest on Jan. 29, Le told police that on Jan. 22, the morning of the escape, she was running errands when Duong called her between 10 and 11 a.m. and asked for a ride to pick up a car. Le said she hadnt heard from Duong for several months prior to the call. She told police that she considers Duong, a Vietnamese immigrant, an adopted son. She said he refers to her as mom because she took care of children in the neighborhood. Le thought she was only picking up Duong, but was surprised to see two other men with him, the search warrant says. Duong then told her the three of them had just escaped jail, the document says. Prior to this, Le said, she didnt know about the jail escape. She then drove along Beach Boulevard, where the inmates intended to purchase a car. During the drive, Tieu phoned a friend and then asked Le to drive them to Lees Sandwiches at Bolsa Avenue and Moran Street in Westminster. When they arrived at the restaurants parking lot, the three escapees got out of her car. Tieu then got into an older Lexus four-door sedan that was occupied by three other unknown men, while Duong and Nayeri got back in Les car, the search warrant says. Le then followed the other car to a house where Duong and Nayeri told her to go inside. Le said she wasnt paying attention to where she was going because she was scared and nervous that they would kill her, according to the warrant. She went into the garage, where the escapees asked her to buy them a car. She told them No, the search warrant says. After about 15 minutes, they let Le leave. Later that day, Duong phoned Le again and asked her to pick him up because he was stranded, but she didnt go, the document says. Le said Duong called her several more times but she did not answer the phone. Le also said she never saw the escapees with a gun and did not provide them money, the warrant says. Police say the fugitives later stole a white van that they drove to San Francisco. It all started when the men escaped sometime after a 5 a.m. headcount on Jan. 22, cutting through barriers, squeezing through a plumbing tunnel and rappelling off the roof using bed sheets as a rope. They werent discovered missing until after a second headcount around 8 p.m., giving them a head start of several hours. As the manhunt continued, authorities announced the arrest of at least 10 individuals, some with Asian gang ties, in connection with the escape, but so far only one individual has been charged with allegedly helping the men. A woman at the Huntington Beach apartment listed as Les residence in the search warrant wouldnt comment Wednesday. An associate of Duongs, Loc Ba Nguyen, 50, is accused of smuggling tools that helped the inmates escape. Also arrested was Nooshafarin Ravaghi, 44, who worked in the jail as an English as a Second Language teacher and is accused of providing Nayeri with a Google Earth map of the roof of the jail. Orange County prosecutors have not filed charges against Ravaghi. All three of the escapees are accused of violent crimes: Duong is charged with attempted murder; Tieu is charged with murder and attempted murder; and Nayeris charges, which include torture, aggravated mayhem and two counts of kidnapping, stem from accusations that he kidnapped a marijuana store owner and severed his penis. Contact the writer: kpuente@ocregister.com Federal agents executed a search warrant at a home in Corona on Thursday, where the brother of one of the shooters in the Dec. 2 attacks in San Bernardino resides. FBI investigators were seen removing bags, envelopes and a computer tower among other items. An Orange County computer forensics technician, who walked out of the home,confirmed he was affiliated with the FBI. FBI Spokeswoman Laura Eimiller confirmed that federal agents executed a search warrant at a residence in Corona Thursday morning to seek evidence in an ongoing investigation. Eimiller could not say whether it was the home of Syed Raheel Farook whose brother, Syed Rizwan Farook, was one of the shooters responsible for killing 14 and wounding 22 others at the Inland Regional Center. The affidavit in support of the warrant has been sealed by the court and we are, therefore, prohibited from commenting on the nature of the search, Eimiller said by email. Raheel Farook, his wife Tatiana, their child and his father, Syed Farook, all live in the Corona townhouse. The elder Farooks ex-wife, Rafia Farook, has also been living there, apparently since moving belongings out of the Redlands townhouse she shared with the shooters her youngest son, Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik. But Rafia Farook hasnt been seen in two weeks, said neighbor Brittani Adams, 25. FBI agents arrived by 5 a.m. and made a sweep of the Gallery neighborhood, asking residents questions about Raheel, who sometimes goes by Raj, and his wife, and showing photos of many of the family members. They went around the whole neighborhood, Adams said. She and 24-year-old husband Dane Adams, who live two doors down from the Farooks, talked with agents who came at 7 a.m. The Adams were asked a list of questions about Raheel and Tatiana Farook. The agents also showed them photos of Raheel, Tatiana, Syed and Rafia Farook; Tatianas sister Marya Chernykh Marquez, her husband Enrique Marquez, who has been charged with buying weapons used in the terrorist attack and engaging in a sham marriage, and the father of her child. The FBI asked if they knew who each person was, Brittani Adams said. Adams said FBI agents also searched the cars outside the Farook home, including a white Toyota 4Runner belonging to Tatiana Farook and a small black Lexus thats been showing up randomly, Adams said. A black Lexus with a license plate number matching a car that belongs to Rafia Farook, Farooks mother, was seen at the home Thursday morning. At 7 a.m., FBI agents told Adams they were trying to obtain a search warrant for the house. The unfolding events were stressful, said Adams, who was home with sons Kaiin, 3, and Kaiden, 1. We thought it was all over and everything. We thought the neighborhood had gone back to its peace. Now here they are, back searching, Adams said. They and other neighbors believed the Farooks were moving out, especially after seeing a rental truck parked in the driveway in late December. However, Raheel Farook had helped his mother, Rafia, move belongings out of the Redlands townhouse that day and then brought the truck to his house. Raheel and Tatiana Farook dont seem to be capable of inflicting the kind of violence his younger brother and sister-in-law did, Adams said. It makes you wonder if they are involved. You can only just hope that they are not, she said. I need to know Im safe in my own home, in my community. She and her husband gave the Farooks daughter a present for Christmas to try to smooth over strained relations. Raheel Farook couldnt stop thanking them. The next day, he and his wife gave presents to the Adams children. Everything went back to normal until today, she said. Raheelwas described by a former neighbor as a clean-cut, personable loan officer. In high school, Raheel organized an event to resolve conflict and address racism in 2002. He joined the U.S. Navy and earned medals in the countrys war on terrorism, The Associated Press reported. In 2013, he married Russian native Tatiana Gigliotti, whom the Adams, described as a mail-order bride. Gigliottis sister, Marya Chernykh, is married to Enrique Marquez Jr., who is accused of supplying rifles and explosive powder used during the San Bernardino attack. Marquez is also accused of two counts of marriage fraud. He has pleaded not guilty. His trial has been postponed to July. A federal prosecutor has said Marquez did not participate in and was not aware of the San Bernardino attack. The search warrant served Thursday comes two days after a federal magistrate ordered Apple Inc. to help the FBI hack into an encrypted iPhone used by Rizwan a case that has pitted federal officials against privacy advocates. Apple has declined to help the FBI, saying the move would be a dangerous precedent. The phone was provided to Rizwan by San Bernardino County, where he worked as a government health inspector. Prosecutors say they dont know whether anything relevant is on the phone but cant access the information because they dont know the password and Apple wont cooperate. While the FBI has proposed a solution that the agency says would limit the hack to Rizwans phone, Apple has said the technique could allow the government to reach into anybodys device. http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js The story is developing. Check back for updates. Irvine-based logistics firm Ingram Micro Inc. will be acquired for $6 billion by Chinese shipping company Tianjin Tianhai, the companies said Wednesday. The all-cash deal amounts to $38.90 per share for Ingram, a distributor of information technology products and services, and is expected to close in the second half of 2016. Once the deal closes, Ingram Micro will operate as a subsidiary of Tianjin Tianhai under HNA Group, the largest stockholder of Tianjin Tianhai. The purchase is further evidence of Chinas determination to acquire overseas technology assets to replace imports and boost its domestic capabilities. Earlier this month another Irvine firm, circuit maker Multi-Fineline Electronix, announced it would be acquired for $610 million by a Chinese manufacturer. Ingram Micro was the sixth largest publicly traded company in Orange County last year, employing nearly 1,000 local employees in its workforce of some 22,000 people, according to the Orange County Business Journal. In 2014, the company restructured in an effort to save $100 million. Last fall, Ingram Micro announced it would acquire the e-commerce division of Dutch company DocData for $175 million. Ingram Micro Chief Executive Alain Monie said in a statement that the acquisition would enable the companys growth while remaining relatively stable. Innovation, new services introduction, brand management and ensuring the stability and continuity of the businesses joining their enterprise are fundamental to HNA Groups overall strategy, Monie said. As a part of HNA Group, we will have the ability to accelerate strategic investment, as we continue to capitalize on the constant evolution of technology and emerging trends by adding expertise, capabilities and geographic reach. Ingram Micro is expected to keep its Irvine headquarters and its executive management team will remain intact. Monie will continue leading the company in the post, according to the Tuesday announcement. Tianjin Tianhai said in a statement that the combination should expand its geographic reach as well as its product and service offerings. It is based in the port city of Tianjin and specializes in bulk overseas shipments between China, South Korea, Japan and other Asian countries. The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of both companies. Bloomberg News contributed to this report. TEL AVIV, Israel Israel is using its world-leading expertise in cyber security to take on the growing threat of the global pro-Palestinian movement to boycott Israel. The Israeli government recently allotted nearly $26 million in this years budget to combat what it sees as worldwide efforts to delegitimize the Jewish states right to exist. Some of the funds are earmarked for Israeli tech companies, many of them headed by former military intelligence officers, for digital initiatives aimed at gathering intelligence on activist groups and countering their efforts. I want to create a community of fighters, said Sima Vaknin-Gil, the director general of Israels Ministry for Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy, to Israeli tech developers at a forum last month dedicated to the topic. Initiatives are largely being kept covert. Participants at the invite-only forum, held on the sidelines of a cyber technology conference, repeatedly stood up to remind people that journalists were in the room. Among the government officials involved in the efforts are some of Israels top secret-keepers, including Sima Shine, a former top official in the Mossad spy agency, and Vaknin-Gil, who recently retired as the chief military censor responsible for gag orders on state secrets. Israel has established itself as a world leader in cyber technology innovation, fueled by graduates of prestigious and secretive military and security intelligence units. These units are widely thought to be behind some of the worlds most advanced cyber-attacks, including the Stuxnet virus that attacked Irans nuclear energy equipment last decade. Each year, these units churn out a talent pool of Israelis who translate their skills to the corporate world. Now Israel is looking to harness their technological prowess for the fight to protect Israels international image. Vaknin-Gil said her ministry is encouraging initiatives to expose the funding and curb the activities of anti-Israel activists, as well as campaigns to flood the Internet with content that puts a positive face on Israel. She said some of these actions will not be publicly identified with the government, but that the ministry will not fund unethical or illegal digital initiatives. Established about 10 years ago, the pro-Palestinian BDS campaign is a coalition of organizations that advocate boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel. Inspired by the anti-apartheid movement, BDS organizers say they are using nonviolent means to promote the Palestinian struggle for independence. The movement has grown into a global network of thousands of volunteers, from campus activists to church groups to liberal Jews disillusioned by Israeli policies. They lobby corporations, artists and academic institutions to sever ties with Israel. The movement has made inroads. U.S. and British academic unions have endorsed boycotts, student governments at universities have made divestment proposals, and some famous musicians have refused to perform in Israel. The BDS movement also claims responsibility for pressuring some large companies to stop or modify operations in Israel. In its latest push, it has urged top Hollywood actors to reject a government-paid trip to Israel being offered to leading Oscar nominees. Omar Barghouti, co-founder of the BDS movement, said quite a few web pages that BDS websites linked to have mysteriously disappeared from the Internet. We assume Israels cyber sabotage is ongoing, but we are quite pleased that its detrimental impact on the global BDS movement has been dismal so far, he said. Israel says the movement is rooted in anti-Semitism and seeks not to change Israeli policies, but ultimately to put an end to the Jewish state. Many online activists driving anti-Israeli campaigns on social media are tech-savvy, second- and third-generation Muslims in Europe and the U.S. who have grievances against the West and also lead online campaigns against European and U.S. governments, said Elad Ratson, who tracks the issue for Israels Foreign Ministry and spoke at last months cybersecurity forum. He said they often create code that allows activists to blast thousands of messages from social media accounts creating the illusion that many protesters are sharing the same anti-Israel or anti-West message online. Israeli officials lobby Facebook to remove pages it says incite violence against Israelis, and there has been talk of advancing legislation to restrict Facebook in Israel. A Facebook representative met with Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan in Israel last week about the matter. Ratson said social media giants are beginning to close inciting users accounts. Twitter said in a statement this month that since mid-2015, it has closed more than 125,000 accounts that were threatening or promoting terrorist acts, primarily related to ISIS, the Islamic State group. But he said Islamist activists are simply moving to Darknet sites not visible on the open internet. Some Israeli tech companies are starting to build sly algorithms to restrict these online activists circle of influence on the Darknet, so activists think their message is reaching others when in fact it is being contained, Ratson said. Other Israeli companies work on forensic intelligence gathering, such as detecting digital or semantic signatures buried in activists coding so they are able to track and restrict their online activity. Firewall Israel, a non-profit initiative sponsored by the Reut Institute, an Israeli think tank, is building an online platform to help pro-Israel activists around the world communicate about anti-Israel activism in their communities. At a recent event the initiative held at Campus Tel Aviv, a Google-sponsored event space for entrepreneurs, an Israeli web expert taught young activists how to mine the internet for BDS activities. Delegitimizers are engaged in a Disneyland of hate, Igal Ram of Firewall Israel told seminar participants. We want to act against the people who run the Disneyland and the useful idiots who help. Inspiration, an Israeli intelligence analysis company founded by Ronen Cohen and Haim Pinto, former military intelligence officers, launched a technological initiative some months ago to collect intelligence on BDS organizations in Europe, particularly Scandinavian countries, the U.S., and South America, Cohen said. He said the initiative aims to dismantle the infrastructure of groups he said were responsible for incitement and anti-Semitism against Israel. He declined to give specifics. Its no different than an operation, which you sometimes read about in the newspaper, in Syria or Lebanon, Cohen said. Its the kind of thing that, if you want to do it in the future you cant work in the open. Robert Kline has worked with scores of Hollywood elite. He has a lot of stories, from starting in the mailroom at MCA Universal and delivering contracts to Ronald Reagan when the former president was still an actor to, years later, rebuking Orson Wells for his chronic lateness to the set. And theyre all true! Kline said of those stories. Hes also been a producer and filmmaker in his own right, with scores of titles to his name. At 20th Century Fox, where he was a senior vice president, he helped produce the miniseries How Green Was My Valley and Orson Welles: Great Mysteries. He later co-founded the Lifetime network, produced the Oliver Stone film Heaven and Earth and made or produced movies on Desert Storm, John F. Kennedy, Reagan, the Vietnam War and more. All of which makes him the perfect person to host an Oscars event. The evening, held four nights before the Academy Awards themselves, will be a mix of clips from this years nominated films, discussion and Klines insider knowledge (and perhaps a little gossip) of the industry. Kline usually puts on A Night at the Oscars with his wife and producing partner Stephanie Heredia, but this year itll be a mostly one-man show, he said, since Heredia is tied up with another project. Kline has a privilege few of us do hes a voting member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences. But the audience at Night at the Oscars can make their own picks, too. Ballots are handed out with the nominees for the major categories, and the audience votes. After the winners are announced on Sunday, those who came closest in their predictions will win prizes, usually DVD collector sets. Despite all his experience, though, Kline gives props to the audience. With all that I know about film, having been head of three studios and produced features and a Golden Globe winner, once the lights go out, the audience knows as much about film as I do, he said. They know what they like and dont like. So who does Kline predict will win? Leonardo DiCaprio will win best actor for The Revenant, he thinks. Kline had his money on Cate Blanchett to win best actress for Carol, but hes since switched his choice to Brie Larson for Room. Best supporting actor might go to Sylvester Stallone for his role in Creed, partly, perhaps, for sentimental reasons. It was 40 years ago that Stallone was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Rocky. Best director could go to Alejandro Inarritu, for The Revenant. It was an unbelievably challenging movie to film, (with) below zero (temperatures), Kline said. And best picture? Its hard to say. This year is particularly interesting because there are three films coming down to the finish line: Revenant, The Big Short and Spotlight, with each garnering recent awards. There is no dominant movie. Hell vote for Spotlight. As for the recent controversy about a lack of diversity among nominees, Kline plans to address that as well at the event, with a segment of the handful of films generating criticism because their non-white casts havent drawn nominations. Those include Straight Outta Compton, Creed and Concussion. The problem is, whos at the studios where the movies get green-lit? Not at the Academy at Oscar time. I have never heard anybody, in an industry known for its liberalism, ever say, Im not going to vote for this person because theyre black. Kline said hell discuss some of the recent initiatives the Academy has announced to bolster the standing of women and minorities in the industry. Its the second year in a row . . . that 20 top actors catagories, not one person of color has been nominated, Kline said. Hopefully, well have a candid interaction (about that topic). The event is now in its 12th year, and its third year at the ornate Regency Theatre in San Juan Capistrano. Its outgrown the San Juan Capistrano library where it started, Kline said. Being in a movie theater, with its seats, with the big screens, is a atmosphere more consistent with film. It brings about 150 people. When Kline brings the event to the Cinemas Palme dOr in Palm Desert the next night, it draws about 400 people, he said. Also as part of the event will be a tribute to Matt Damon, who Kline thinks is underrated as an actor, and Ridley Scott, who just directed Damon in The Martian, one of this years nominees. Contact the writer: aboessenkool@ocregister.com SANTA CLARITA Southern California Gas Co. pleaded not guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor criminal charges stemming from a weekslong leak of gas from a storage well that led thousands of nearby Los Angeles residents to relocate. The utilitys attorneys entered the pleas in Los Angeles County Superior Court in suburban Santa Clarita. We do not believe a criminal prosecution is warranted here, SoCalGas spokesman Mike Mizrahi said outside court. The complaint brought by the county district attorney includes three counts of failing to report the release of a hazardous material and one count of discharge of air contaminants. If convicted, the company could be fined up to $1,000 per day for air pollution violations and up to $25,000 for each of the three days it didnt notify the state Office of Emergency Services of the leak. The company said it discovered the leak Oct. 23 and notified state regulators. But it failed to let state emergency officials know until Oct. 26, California Attorney General Kamala Harris said in one of more than two dozen lawsuits filed against SoCalGas. Residents of the nearby Los Angeles community of Porter Ranch began complaining of symptoms ranging from nosebleeds to nausea. Nearly 6,500 families have temporarily relocated to short-term housing such as hotels and rental houses. The leak was stopped last week, but the families wont start moving back until state authorities have certified that cement pumped into the well has permanently plugged it. The well that ruptured was more than 60 years old and was originally drilled to pump oil from deep underground. It was reused in the 1970s to pump natural gas into the empty oil wells for storage and withdraw it when demand spiked. LAKE FOREST City Councilman Adam Nick has dropped his lawsuit against a county prosecutor whom Nick alleged had lied to the media and defamed him. Nick and Deputy District Attorney Jess Rodriguez resolved the suit on Feb. 9 with a joint statement, emphasizing that Nick never admitted to stealing a rivals campaign signs. While the two men disagree whether Nick actually committed a crime, they claimed inaccuracies in the news reporting led to the lawsuit, according to the joint statement released through the Orange County District Attorneys Office. Nick didnt receive or pay any money from the settlement, said Brent Lehman, Nicks attorney. I got what I wanted, Nick said Tuesday in a phone interview. My intention was never to get money; my intention was to get the record straight. The DAs Office declined to offer additional information or comments on the matter. In February 2015, the DAs Office charged Nick with misdemeanor petty theft and receiving stolen property on suspicion of removing campaign signs that belonged to fellow Councilman Scott Voigts. Authorities said Nick was driving in the early morning in October 2014 when he instructed a passenger to get out of the car and remove a campaign sign for Voigts. A sheriffs deputy spotted Nicks car and found 10 of Voigts campaign signs in the back of the car, authorities said. Nick denied that the deputy searched his car and said he took Voigts signs to move them to a better location. Prior to the incident, Nick had proposed an amendment to the city code that stiffened penalties of misdemeanor theft for stealing or tampering with campaign signs. The DAs Office dropped the charges in July. As part of an agreement with prosecutors, Nick donated $1,000 to the Victim Witness Emergency Fund and performed eight hours of community service. Nick also wrote a letter saying he had directed someone to remove illegally placed campaign signs, Rodriguez said. Nick said that the letter was not an admission of guilt and that he paid the donation and performed community service as a good-faith gesture. In October, Nick filed a libel lawsuit against Rodriguez, alleging the prosecutor deliberately made false statements to a City News Service reporter incriminating him and damaging his reputation. City News Service provides Southern California news to about 150 news agencies. A City News Service article published July 16 on Patch.com quoted Rodriguez saying, Nick sent a letter acknowledging his role in the crimes, but didnt explain what that role was, according to Nicks lawsuit. Nick said Tuesday he reviewed records after filing the lawsuit and realized Rodriguez didnt portray him as a criminal. Regrettably, some of Mr. Rodriguezs statements were misinterpreted, and the resulting headlines portrayed Mr. Nick as admitting to theft and attributing to Mr. Rodriguez innuendos that suggested that Mr. Nick had admitted to the commission of a crime, the joint statement said. Rodriguez contacted City News Service to correct the inaccurate reporting, though some articles havent been corrected, the joint statement said. Quite frankly, Im not comfortable with the idea that there was an error, City News Service President Douglas Faigin said Wednesday in a phone interview. Accuracy is our most important concern. Faigin said his reporter wrote the first July 16 article stating Nick admitted to stealing signs based on an email from Rodriguez. The article was updated twice in the next four hours after Nicks defense attorney called the reporter saying Nick didnt admit to committing any crime and Rodriguez sent a new email clarifying his previous statement and apologizing, Faigin said. Its sometimes convenient, as we see in a political environment, for public officials to blame the media when they see things they dont like, Faigin said. Upon Nicks request, Judge James J. Di Cesare dismissed the case with prejudice, which means Nick cannot refile a suit against Rodriguez on the same claim. Read the joint statement by Nick and Rodriguez here. Contact the writer: 949-445-6397 or tshimura@ocregister.com SANTA ANA A gang enforcement officer and a suspect were wounded after they exchanged gunfire Wednesday afternoon, police said. At about 3:30 p.m., gang officers were in the alley, near the 2700 block of West McFadden Avenue, and came into contact with a male, a suspected gang member, and the gunbattle ensued. The officer was grazed in the upper torso with at least one round, and the suspect was hit at least once, Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said. He said both were in stable condition. Two handguns officers believe belong to the suspect were found at the scene, police said. The officer and the suspect were taken to different hospitals, said Capt. Larry Kurtz of the Orange County Fire Authority. The officer was treated and released. The suspect, who was not identified, was in surgery Wednesday evening. He is expected to arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of a police officer, among other charges, Bertagna said. The neighborhood where the shootout took place is plagued with gangs, Bertagna said. This is a problem area for us, he said. Theres a lot of gang activity ongoing in this area. The street where the shooting occurred is across from a gang injunction zone, Bertagna said. Injunctions are civil orders restricting the actions of individuals who police have identified as criminal street gang members in designated safety zones, where investigators have documented increases in gang activity and crime. Antonio Mejia, a mechanic who works near the scene of the shooting, said he heard at least three rapid-in-succession gunshots. Jose Luis Flores, a clerk at a nearby Metro PCS store, said he saw part of the exchange. The cop kneeled and unloaded his gun at the guy, Flores said. It startled me. On January 5, a man was found with a gunshot wound to his upper body nearby in the 2600 block of West MacFadden Avenue. He was taken to a hospital in serious but stable condition. Since January, there have been 51 shootings in Santa Ana and 82 assaults with deadly weapons, Bertanga said. Most of those incidents were gang-related. Contact the writer: 714-796-7865 or afausto@ocregister.com BREA Two Long Beach men came out of a sushi bar early Thursday morning wearing the restaurants aprons, to look like they worked there, but officers did not believe them and arrested the pair on suspicion of burglary, police said. A local called 911 shortly before 2:30 a.m. after seeing a man pry open the front door at Ichiban Restaurant, 1015 E. Imperial Highway, prompting Brea police, an Orange County Sheriffs Department helicopter and two Fullerton K-9 units to respond. After hearing the bark of police dogs outside the restaurant, the two men stopped ransacking the restaurant and came out quickly wearing aprons they found inside, Brea police Lt. Darrin Devereux said. Charlie Parker, 33, and Robert Forbes, 31, both of Long Beach, were arrested on suspicion of burglary in the parking lot near the brand new BMW 7 Series with paper plates they drove there in, Devereux said. Were looking into a possible connection to other recent restaurant burglaries, Devereux said. Police are also looking into the cars ownership, although one of the men says it belonged to his brother. Officials were still interviewing the men around sunrise, and said they were grateful for the caller that alerted them to the break-in. The arrest wouldnt have been possible without that citizens tip, Devereux said. Contact the writer: 714-796-7802 or aduranty@ocregister.com I was filling up my car at a gas station last week in Westminster and noticed a Pontiac Chieftan, like the 1949 model my grandfather drove in Detroit until the 1960s. As the owner drove off, I choked on stinky exhaust from the era before catalytic converters and other pollution controls. Only older Californians remember how polluted Southern California used to be. I experienced it in 1964 when my family drove out here to Disneyland. We took Dinah Shores advice to See the USA, in your Chevrolet, in our case, a light-blue 64 Impala that for a week contributed to the pall of smog choking the Southland. We had pollution in Michigan, of course, largely from the auto factories that cranked out the Chevys and Pontiacs, but the winds generally blew it over to Canada. Southern California has whats called an inversion layer. According to an article by Cal State Northridge, In a typical situation, the atmosphere becomes cooler as elevation increases. An inversion occurs when a section of the atmosphere becomes warmer as the elevation increases, which creates stable atmospheric conditions that trap the smog. Well before autos and manufacturing, Spanish voyagers in 1542 referred to San Pedro Bay as the Baya de los Fumos the Bay of Smoke. But it was factories and flivvers that added the deadly, unnatural element to naturally occurring pollution. In 1804, William Blake damned the dark, satanic mills of the early Industrial Revolution. But it should be remembered that smokestacks to many also embodied progress and prosperity. My parents always lamented over when the smoke stopped gushing from the smokestacks of the Detroit factories at the beginning of the Great Depression of the 1930s and the hard years that followed. In 1997, the South Coast Air Quality Management District published a 50-year retrospective of what in 1947 was called the Los Angeles County Air Pollution Control District. It recorded, World War II dramatically increased the regions industrial base and resulting air pollution. The citys population and motor vehicle fleet grew rapidly as well. As a result, according to weather records, visibility declined rapidly from 1939-43. In October 1943, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors appointed a Smoke and Fumes Commission to study the problem. Following their recommendations, supervisors in February 1945 banned emissions of dense smoke and established an office of Director of Air Pollution Control. The 1945 date is significant because the action was taken as wartime victory was assured, and the fighting soon was winding down. Marilyn Monroe and other Southland war factory workers soon would be seeking other employment. In the decades since, California and the rest of America have enacted stern anti-pollution measures, enforced by the AQMD, the state and federal EPAs and other agencies, sharply reducing the lung-burning particulates and other pollutants. On the worst days, some still is visible, floating over to the Inland Empire. Libertarians have offered alternatives to strict regulations for of dealing with what are called negative externalities, with the best-known method developed by the late Nobel economist Ronald Coase. In the case of air pollution, all of us have a property right to clean air. If a factory or vehicle pollutes, we have a right to negotiate with the factory or vehicle owners. A Mises.org summary of the Coase argument explains, We cant say what solution the participants might arrive at the factory might shut down, the people affected might be paid to move, or the factory might install pollution control devices or simply compensate those affected for suffering the pollution. The states cap-and-trade carbon dioxide auctions are a cynical implementation of Coases idea because, instead of the people being compensated, the state government gets the money and wastes it on boondoggles like high-speed rail. Well, at least today, we can breathe easier. Justice Antonin Scalias unexpected death leaves a personal, intellectual and ideological vacuum on the U.S. Supreme Court. This vacancy has set in motion political jockeying, both on the presidential campaign trail and in Congress. With four generally conservative justices and four progressives, the decision to appoint the next associate justice has already turned into political currency. At No Labels, we believe there is a different approach that of compromise in the national interest. To continue to politicize this issue would be detrimental to our government the Supreme Court is our last stronghold in the delicate balance of power instituted by our founders. The next nominee should be carefully considered and selected primarily on respect for the Constitution not chosen simply to fulfill a political agenda. President Obama has said he will appoint a new justice to the bench. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the president should wait until a newly elected president takes office. Senate Republicans, and some presidential candidates, have called to block approval of the presidents eventual nominee. This posturing by both sides accomplishes nothing for our country, except to have the president send a nomination to the upper chamber that will not be acted upon and leave the Supreme Court with only eight members for more than a year. Surely our elected leaders can do better than that. Each side is taking a big risk in not finding a way to confirm a presidential nominee to the court before the November elections because neither side can know now which party will occupy the White House and control the Senate next year. Would it not be in the national interest for President Obama and Sen. McConnell to talk with each other to see whether they can agree on a nominee who is the first choice of neither but acceptable to both? The implication in selecting someone along party lines or because of party politics further perpetuates the partisan divide that has already harmed not only the perception of politics in this country, but the actual execution of it. The nomination for the next Supreme Court justice must reflect this underlying understanding the bench should represent conservatives, liberals and moderates. It should have nine sitting justices. It should base decisions primarily on an interpretation of the Constitution, not ones own political affiliation, without fear of reprisal. Ronald Reagan was the last president to appoint a justice to the bench during an election year. He chose Anthony Kennedy in November 1987 to fill the void left by a retiring Justice Lewis Powell. A Democratic-controlled Senate unanimously confirmed Kennedy in February 1988. It can be done this time, too election year or otherwise. If ever there was a time to compromise for the good of our country, it is now regarding the selection of our next Supreme Court justice. Jon Huntsman Jr. is a former Utah governor; Joe Lieberman is a former U.S. senator from Connecticut and vice presidential nominee. WASHINGTON The long-serving senator professed outrage. How dare the opposition refuse a vote on a high-level presidential judicial nominee? Do not continue to treat the third branch of our federal government the one branch intended to be insulated from political pressures with such disregard that we filibuster its nominees, he thundered. Do not perpetuate this campaign of unfairness. Vote for him or vote against him, but just vote. The opposition leader was equally emphatic in his position of denying the president. History will look kindly on us for doing so because never has a president of the United States been more ideological in his selection of judges, he declared. The aggrieved party? Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah. His confident opponent? Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. They were locked in a Senate-shaking battle in 2003 over Miguel Estrada, a former assistant solicitor general who was nominated by President George W. Bush to an appeals court post but could never clear a Democratic filibuster. Now the two lawmakers have swapped uniforms. In the aftermath of Antonin Scalias death and the surprise court vacancy, Hatch, a senior member of the Judiciary Committee and its former chairman, is the one determined not to go forward on a nominee; Schumer, a longtime central figure in judicial confirmations, is aghast at such disrespect. The dirty little not-so-secret fact about the Senate is that both sides have engaged in ruthless tactics to deny presidents not of their party the chance to make lifetime appointments to courts where they could influence public policy long after that president is gone. Veteran senators develop remarkable dexterity, capable of seamlessly flipping their stance on filibusters and obstructionism depending on whether they are in the majority or the minority or who is in the White House. Each side has tried to take advantage at one point or another of trying to use cloture or not want to bring a nominee up for a hearing, said Ben Nelson, a onetime centrist Democratic senator from Nebraska. He was a leader of the so-called Gang of 14 that came together to avert a Senate meltdown when Democrats were blocking Estrada and other Republican nominees. It is not brand new, but it is new to this Congress and probably new to an awful lot of people in the country, he said. President Barack Obama on Tuesday made the same point, saying people have paid little notice to the incendiary fights over court picks that have become commonplace in the Senate. But this is the Supreme Court, and its going to get some attention, he said. Obama, looking a little uncomfortable in his tortured explanation of how he came to support a filibuster against Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., also owned up to the fact that both parties had been guilty of judicial power plays. Whats fair to say is that how judicial nominations have evolved over time is not historically the fault of any single party, he said. The rapidly escalating fight over the Scalia vacancy is exposing this reality. Capitol Hill might be quiet because of the weeklong Presidents Day recess, but top aides are busy digging up what senators from the other party said at various points in the running judicial wars to be ready to throw it back in their faces when they weigh in from the opposite direction on the current fight. At the same time, they are combing the remarks of their own bosses to be just as ready when some long-forgotten attack on the other side comes back to haunt them. And there are many of them. All of these judges are entitled to an up-or-down vote, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the majority leader now resisting action on Obamas nominee, said in a 2007 radio interview as he urged Democrats to continue to confirm Bush administration judges in the final years of his term. It is a well-established practice that in presidential election years, there comes a point when judicial confirmation hearings are not continued without agreement, Sen. Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, who has been the chairman and the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said in 2004. He now wants a hearing and a vote on a nominee. One particular comment in 2007 by Schumer is receiving the most attention. During a speech to the American Constitution Society, he said, Given the track record of this president and the experience of obfuscation at the hearings, with respect to the Supreme Court, at least, I will recommend to my colleagues that we should not confirm a Supreme Court nominee except in extraordinary circumstances. Under attack over their handling of the vacancy, Senate Republicans have raised this comment, as Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican and a member of the Judiciary Committee, did in a Texas radio interview. Were embracing this precedent that Sen. Chuck Schumer advocated for back in 2007, which strikes me if its good enough for them when theyre in the majority, then its good enough for us when we are, said Cornyn, suggesting it was hypocritical for Democrats to now complain. Schumer says that his remarks are being distorted, and that he was talking about cases in which nominees were out of the mainstream or refused to be forthcoming at hearings. He said he never advocated taking no action. Bottom line is very simple, he said on a conference call with reporters Wednesday. There should be a hearing and a vote on who the president nominates. No doubt the members of each side will continue to remind those on the other of what they said and did in the past. But the real question is who will win the argument today. ATLANTA When rapper Killer Mike spoke before Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at an Atlanta rally on Tuesday night, he sparked controversy by telling supporters that a uterus doesnt qualify you to be president of the United States. Killer Mike is the latest Sanders surrogate to use impolitic comments about Hillary Clinton, raising tensions between the two campaigns as they head into pivotal contests in Nevada, South Carolina and a string of Super Tuesday states on March 1. It comes weeks after former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright implied at a Clinton rally in New Hampshire there was a special place in hell for women who dont support Clinton, a line that angered some female supporters of Sanders. The rapper, whose real name is Michael Render, suggested at a rally before 4,800 people at Morehouse College that Clinton would be slow to move on issues of racial justice. His comments referenced a recent conversation he said he had with anti-racism activist Jane Elliott. When people tell us, Hold on, wait awhile. And thats what the other Democrat is telling you. Hold on, Black Lives Matter. Just wait awhile. Hold on, young people in this country, just wait awhile, the rapper said. But I talked to Jane Elliott a few weeks ago, and Jane said, Michael, a uterus doesnt qualify you to be president of the United States. You have to be you have to have policy thats reflective of social justice. Sanders did not address the comments during the Atlanta rally and it wasnt clear if the senator heard them he was off stage at the time. The campaign did not immediately address the remarks. Clinton campaign spokeswoman Karen Finney responded to the rapper on Twitter, Based on her uterus? Must be ignoring @HillaryClinton lifetime of doing the work breaking down barriers for all. NARAL Pro-Choice America, a reproductive rights organization supporting Clinton, called it inappropriate and sexist and urged Sanders to denounce the comments. The rapper defended himself on Twitter, citing Albrights remarks. Albright later wrote in The New York Times that it was the wrong context and the wrong time to use that line. Killer Mike cited a prominent female supporter of Sanders, former Ohio State Sen. Nina Turner, writing on Twitter that i dont and never will Hate or think less of woman. Sen. Nina Turner is my Next Great Political Champ but Im sorry No HRC for me. Sanders vowed to run a positive, issue-based campaign and he frequently says hes never run a negative ad during his congressional career. But some of his top surrogates have made statements at rallies that may have crossed the line. At an event in Burlington, Iowa, actress Susan Sarandon said she had gotten a lot of flak as a woman for not just, you know, voting genitalia and going for the women candidate. She said, I would love to see a woman president. I believe one day there will be a woman president. But its even more important that that woman be the right person. She added that she was so disappointed and devastated when Hillary Clinton voted for the (Iraq) war and I was so moved when Bernie Sanders stood in what was an unpopular position and said what he said which unfortunately for all of us came true. Cornel West, a Princeton University professor and civil rights activist who has campaigned with Sanders, pointed to Clintons ties to Wall Street, telling a Davenport, Iowa, audience that we will not be led astray by our dear sister Hillary Clinton. We know the difference between a genuine Democrat small D and a Wall Street Democrat capital D. SAN FRANCISCO A central California school district settled a free speech lawsuit brought by a high school junior who was sent home for refusing to change out of T-shirt that read, Nobody Knows Im a Lesbian. The deal approved Tuesday night requires the Manteca Unified School District, which serves the cities of Stockton, Lathrop and Manteca, to adopt a policy clarifying that students may wear clothing with statements celebrating their or their classmates cultural identities, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. The case is the latest in a long line of legal disputes over the clothing messages that school and college officials may prohibit for the stated purpose of maintaining discipline. Taylor Victor, 16, and her mother sued two Sierra High School administrators who told the girl in August that her shirt was an improper display of sexuality that violated the schools dress code and might be disruptive. A teacher had her called to the office when she showed up in the shirt, according to court documents. The law on this is very clear: public schools cant censor the personal beliefs of students, ACLU attorney Linnea Nelson said. The message of Taylors T-shirt expresses the most fundamental type of speech already protected by the First Amendment, the California Constitution and the California education code. Under the terms of the settlement, the high school administrators deny violating Victors free speech rights and they and the district deny any wrongdoing. District officials did not have immediate comment Wednesday. Victor, who was open at school about identifying as a lesbian, said she had reviewed the districts dress code before deciding to wear the shirt. Not finding any rules prohibiting pro-gay messages, she says she chose to go home instead of change. I knew that rule did not exist, and I knew that was my free speech right to wear that shirt to school, Victor said in an interview. In other recent cases, Ohio University last year agreed to revise its student conduct code and pay $32,000 to a student who sued after a campus group was told not to wear T-shirts bearing a sexually suggestive double entendre. In 2013, a Connecticut school district agreed to let a high school student wear a T-shirt with a slash mark through a gay pride rainbow after facing the threat of legal action from the ACLU. But federal courts have allowed some limits on student speech. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that an Alaska school acted within its discretion to discourage illegal drug use when it suspended a student who displayed a banner reading Bong Hits 4 Jesus at an Olympic torch relay. And the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in 2014 that administrators at a Northern California high school plagued by racial strife lawfully banned T-shirts bearing the American flag while the campus commemorated Mexican Heritage Day. With the central California settlement in the works last week, Taylor was given the go-ahead to wear the disputed T-shirt. I wore the shirt on the first day I was allowed to, she said. My mom bought me the same shirt in a different color, and she bought me a sweat shirt that says Dare to be Different in rainbow colors. Public Corruption in Chester County, PA I believe an unlikely mix of alleged drug trafficking related politicos and alleged white nationalist related politicos united to elect the infamous Bloc of Four in the abysmal voter turnout election of 2005. During their four year term the drug business was good again and white nationalists used Coatesville as an example on white supremacist websites like Stormfront. Strong community organization and support from law enforcement, in particular Chester County District Attorney Joseph W. Carroll has begun to turn our community around. The Chester County drug trafficking that I believe centers on Coatesville continues and I believe we still have public officials in place that profit from the drug sales. But the people here are amazing and continue to work against the odds to make Coatesville a good place to live. FULLERTON The first time she tried to get away, she says, she made it a half-block before her captor grabbed her hair and yanked her back into a work truck. The second time, she said, she didnt make it out the front door. I didnt want to be with him anymore. I didnt want to have sex with him, and we started fighting. He started hitting me, the Garden Grove woman testified Thursday in Spanish through a court interpreter during the rape and kidnapping trial of Isidro Garcia. I would just lay down on the bed and curl into a ball, and he would just kick me. The woman said she lived in fear for a decade, routinely raped, abused, and eventually forced into marriage and motherhood by Garcia, 42, her mothers ex-boyfriend. She was 15 in 2004, when her family reported her missing. She is now 26. Garcia, her husband, has pleaded not guilty in Orange County Superior Court in Fullerton. His attorney said the young woman left with Garcia willingly as a way to get away from her mother. The woman acknowledged Thursday that over the past decade she and Garcia exhibited many trappings of a happy couple, including photos of their wedding, the birth of their daughter and her birthday parties. But she also testified that for a decade she felt an underlying fear that Garcia would beat her, separate her from her child and arrange for her deportation. Did you smile? Deputy District Attorney Whitney Bokosky asked the woman, Yes, the woman answered. Were you happy? Bokosky asked. No. The woman not identified by the Register because it is alleged she is a victim of sexual assault described a life of constant observation and submission, saying Garcia was always by her side during the first few months, living with her in rooms they rented in Stanton and Tustin, and working with her cleaning buildings at night. She also described isolation, saying shed arrived in the United States less than a year earlier, spoke no English and didnt know where or how to contact her family. During testimony Wednesday, the woman accused Garcia of targeting her from the time she arrived in Santa Ana, saying he raped her and drove a wedge between her and her mother. By 17, the woman said, she was resigned to living with Garcia. The two married in 2007 and she gave birth in 2010. By then, the woman said she had her own car and cellphone. But she said she still worried that she could be arrested, deported or taken away from her child if she went to police. On her younger sisters 21st birthday in April 2014, the woman said she set up a Facebook profile under her own name, rather than her alias, and contacted her family. Garcia was initially angered, the woman said, but agreed to let her continue meeting with her mother and sisters after she convinced him they wouldnt be arrested. After a lawyer told the womans mother that she wouldnt get in trouble for going to authorities, she contacted police. Garcia was arrested after they confirmed that the woman had been reported missing in 2004. The turning point, the woman said, was seeing a 2004 article about her disappearance in a Spanish language newspaper. The woman said she realized her family still loved her and hadnt given up on her. The woman remained composed through more than seven hours of testimony Wednesday and Thursday. My pastor tells me if I dont cry and dont show all the emotions, it means I am over it, she told the prosecutor. Earlier in the day, Superior Court Judge Michael Leversen ruled that Elizabeth Smart, a well-known kidnapping victim and victims rights advocate, would not be able to testify as an expert witness during Garcias trial. Prosecutors wanted a jury to hear details about Smarts 2002 ordeal in the mountains near Salt Lake City and get a first-person account of how a teenage rape victim can be held captive over a long period even when escape seems possible. Leversen let Smart, 28, testify early Thursday away from a jury. But after hearing Smart, he ruled that she could not be an expert witness in the Garcia case because in his view the cases are too different. On Thursday, Smart said she believes the woman in the local case stayed with Garcia because she felt a form of duress that prevented her from running off when it seemed possible. She was held hostage, Smart said, when Bokosky asked why she believes the woman stayed with Garcia for 10 years, adding that the woman was held by verbal chains instead of physical chains. Staff writer Ian Wheeler contributed to this report. Contact the writer: semery@ocregister.com SAN FRANCISCO Federal prosecutors recommended Wednesday that a judge sentence a former California state senator convicted of racketeering to 8 years in prison, saying such a sentence would reflect the breadth and length of his crimes and act as a deterrent to others. Leland Yee is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 24 after pleading guilty in July to one count of conspiracy to engage in racketeering. Yee was charged with soliciting and accepting bribes in exchange for providing help from Sacramento and conspiring to import weapons and ammunition into the U.S. The offenses committed by Yee were no one-time straying by a public official from lawful and ethical conduct, prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo. Reached by phone on Wednesday, Yees attorney, James Lassart, said he was too busy and could not talk. Yee was arrested in 2014 as part of an organized crime probe centered in San Franciscos Chinatown that ensnared Raymond Shrimp Boy Chow, the head of the Chinese fraternal organization the Ghee Kung Tong, and others. A jury convicted Chow last month of racketeering, murder and scores of other crimes. As part of his plea agreement, Yee acknowledged accepting $11,000 in exchange for setting up a meeting with another state senator, $10,000 for recommending someone for a grant, and $6,800 for providing a certificate on California State Senate letterhead honoring the Ghee Kung Tong. He also acknowledged that he discussed helping an undercover FBI agent buy automatic weapons from the Philippines that were intended to be brought to the U.S. for distribution. DAMASCUS, Syria Germany revived calls Wednesday for a no-fly zone in northern Syria an idea that once might have greatly helped the beleaguered rebels and protected civilians from bombardment but now is more complicated, dangerous and unlikely due to Russias air campaign supporting President Bashar Assad. The proposal came amid international efforts to coax at least a temporary truce and as the government allowed humanitarian aid to head for besieged areas around the country, part of an effort described by a Russian official as a first step to implementing an agreement reached among world powers in Munich last week. U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura has been trying to secure aid deliveries and to improve the chances of restarting peace talks before the end of February. But those efforts have been clouded by a major government offensive north of Aleppo, where various forces backed by regional and international rivals are clashing over a crucial strip of land linking Syrias largest city to the border with Turkey. The violence in Aleppo, which has sent tens of thousands of people fleeing toward the border, led to the collapse of indirect talks between the Syrian government and its opponents earlier this month. It appears also to have revived a longstanding proposal to establish a no-fly zone in northern Syria, which was floated repeatedly by Turkey and other Assad opponents throughout the 5-year-old war. German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed support Tuesday for the idea and repeated it Wednesday in parliament. She said it could be done by an agreement with Assad, his backers and the coalition fighting the Islamic State group a proposal that analysts say is now unrealistic and more an attempt to appease Turkey. At a news conference, Merkel said such an agreement would be a sign of goodwill, suggesting she was referring to a more informal deal to halt aerial attacks, and that this could help lead to the overall cessation of hostilities agreed upon in Munich. Enforcing a no-fly zone has become considerably more difficult since Moscow began its air campaign in Syria on Sept. 30. Russias Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov shrugged off Merkels proposal, saying it would require Damascus consent and U.N. Security Council approval. Fed up of DIY haircuts, the residents of Norman Wells, an isolated town in northern Canada, are desperately looking for a professional hairdresser. Theyve been cutting their own hair for the past two years and frankly, theyve had enough of it. Located near the southern edge of the Arctic Circle, with a population of about 800 people, Norman Wells has always been a small community with more pressing small-town problems. Food products need to be flown in, prices are higher, and sometimes the residents need to go without supplies because the planes dont come in. But they never realised that something like the lack of professional hairdressing could be a nightmare until their hairstylist moved out due to the lack of housing in town. Its been a long struggle for us, Nicky Richards, the towns economic development officer in charge of the hairdresser recruitment effort, told The Guardian. We just dont have anyone. Its something that people down south dont ever think about because they dont have to worry about it. Photo: Nicky Richards So Richards is making the towns plight public, hoping to catch the attention of professional hairstylists who might be interested in helping them out. She says that many residents refrain from cutting their hair, waiting for a chance to travel south to get a decent haircut. Others just trust their friends to do the best they can. Women have had to resort to messy box dyes to color their own hair, while some men have actually used sheep shears to tame their messy locks. We have a couple of shaggy people around here for sure, Richards said, speaking to CBC News. I cut my bosss hair all the time. We had a friend that lived out in the bush that every time hed come in Id cut his hair. I cut my husbands hair. But I mean, its just with the clippers, Im not a hairdresser, so everybodys got the same kind of buzzed haircut. She doesnt trust herself to cut her own hair though, so she just waits until she has an opportunity to travel out of town. Whenever I get out of town, thats like the first thing, Oh my God! Im going to get my hair done! she joked. Photo: Nicky Richards But that isnt a sustainable solution, given that the nearest hairdressers are at least a 17-hour drive or a four-hour, $800 flight away. So on behalf of the town, Richards is looking to lease out a workspace at the local Yamouri inn, already furnished with chairs, mirrors and a sink, previously used by several hairdressers who came and went over the years. The new stylist will only have to bring their tools and styling products to set up shop. And Richards assures them that business will be great. I know that the hairdressers that were here before, on a long-term basis, were always busy, she said. When anybody from the whole region needs a haircut, they come here. Susan Colbeck, another Normal Wells resident who works at the local branch of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, hopes that the recruitment effort will raise awareness about the untapped business opportunities in Canadas north. We definitely need someone, she said. Anyone who came here would be loved so much. Sources: CBC News, Global News The Government Accountability Office will investigate PR and advertising spending after a request from Senate Budget Committee Chair Mike Enzi. Enzi, in a Feb. 5 letter to GAO Comptroller General Gene Dodaro, noted "federal resources dedicated to public relations activities is largely unknown," pointing to a Congressional Research Service estimate of $892.5M in fiscal 2013. Enzi had previously requested an accounting from the Office of Management and Budget but the OMB said it could not process the request. The senator's GAO request is twofold: 1) spending across the federal goverment on PR activities, including contracts and internal agency support; and 2) federal agencies spending the most on PR and for what purpose. Technology PR veteran Scott Friedman has launched a new shop, The Lede Agency. The Lede Agency offers branding, corporate communications, content, media relations and social media services for tech clients, with a specialized focus on disruptive innovation, the process by which companies offer a new technology, product or service, thereby establishing new value. Uber and AirBnB are recent examples of this disruption at work in today's marketplace. Scott Friedman True disruptive innovation will create a new market or realign existing value chains, through disintermediation, for example, Friedman told ODwyers. The key from a communications perspective is recognizing when an innovation is truly disruptive and then conveying its potential impact in a meaningful way." Friedman, who also serves as Lede principal, was previously global technology practice chair at APCO Worldwide, which he joned in 2013. Prior to APCO, Friedman was North American regional director at Text100, where he served for nearly a decade, and was also a VP and technology practice leader at MSLGroup, which he joined in 1995. Friedman's former clients include IBM, Computer Task Group, eBay, Hitachi, PerkinElmer, BlackBerry, Raytheon and Staples. Friedman was a technology journalist prior to entering the PR field. The Lede Agency has already signed on several clients, according to Friedman, including an e-learning company for healthcare providers and an IT services firm. The agency is based in New York. Data released by Facebook has revealed that Fine Gael are the most discussed political party on Facebook in Offaly since November. By Damian Moran e-mail: damian@offalyexpress.ie Twitter: @offaly_express Across the county, Fianna Fail were the second most discussed party while Sinn Fein are in third spot. The Labour Party come fourth in the rankings for conversations in Offaly, followed by the Green Party, then Renua, the Social Democrats, the Anti Austerity Alliance and the People Before Profit Alliance. Facebooks data has also revealed that health, the economy and infrastructure were the most discussed election-related issues in Offaly. After that came crime and corruption, social welfare, housing, flooding, education and abortion. In terms of personality politics, Taoiseach Enda Kenny was the most discussed political leader in Offaly, with Tanaiste Joan Burton coming second. Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein was third in the county ahead of Fianna Fails Micheal Martin. Eamon Ryan of the Green Party was the fifth most discussed leader. Elizabeth Linder, Facebooks Politics & Government Specialist for the Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region, said: As February 26th approaches, we seeing the level of election-related conversation on Facebook get louder and louder across the counties, including Offaly. There have been over three million interactions on Facebook related to the General Election already. As this data for Offaly shows, weve been able to really dig down into these interactions and understand what issues voters really care about. What is clear is that there is a lot of interest in the election throughout the county. We expect to see even further activity from Offaly based Facebook users over the rest of the campaign. OFFALY DATA Parties Ranked 1. Fine Gael 2. Fianna Fail 3. Sinn Fein 4. Labour 5. Green Party 6. Renua 7. Social Democrats 8. Anti Austerity Alliance 9. People Before Profit Alliance Leaders Ranked 1. Enda Kenny (Fine Gael) 2. Joan Burton (Labour Party) 3. Gerry Adams (Sinn Fein) 4. Micheal Martin (Fianna Fail) 5. Eamon Ryan (Green Party) Issues Ranked 1. Health 2. Economy 3. Infrastructure 4. Crime and Corruption 5. Social Welfare 6. Housing 7. Flooding 8. Education 9. Abortion Loading... OilVoice will be with you shortly... Random thoughts from a Brit in the North West. Sometimes serious, sometimes not. Quite often curmudgeonly. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) Sioux City police have apprehended a man suspected in an early morning stabbing that left another man dead. Vernon Mace, 50, died Wednesday morning after being treated for multiple stab wounds. Police responded to a report of a man who had been stabbed around 2 a.m. Mace was taken to the Sioux City Mercy Medical Center and later died. Police say they apprehended a man and planned to charge him with second-degree murder charge. Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Within hours of voting in December for a U.N. Security Council resolution mandating the delivery of humanitarian aid in Syria and an end to the bombing of civilians, Russia dispatched planes to pound a town there held by U.S.-backed rebels. As Syrians in besieged towns continued to starve, Moscow joined with Iran to support an offensive that has allowed the Bashar Assad regime to retake key areas around the city of Aleppo while cutting off the supply lines of 400,000 more civilians. The Obama administration responded to this ruthless and criminal strategy by soliciting Moscows terms for a truce. Friday in Munich, it weakly agreed to a bad deal that will allow the Russian-Iranian-Assad forces to expand on their gains and to seize a commanding position in any negotiation about Syrias future. Hours later, Russian planes were bombing again. The salient feature of the agreement struck by Secretary of State John Kerry is a partial cessation of hostilities after a week. That has allowed Russian planes to continue an aerial campaign that, as documented by human rights groups, has included dropping cluster munitions on civilian areas. It could allow Shiite fighters from Lebanon and elsewhere, commanded by Iran, to cut off the last supply route to the half of Aleppo held by U.S.-supplied rebels. That would put Moscow and its allies closer to their main goal: to eliminate any forces in Syria other than the Assad regime and the Islamic State. Russia has given itself leave to continue bombing terrorist groups, which it defines as including the rebels in Aleppo. For the West, the reward for accepting all this is the promised opening of humanitarian access to civilian areas now being subjected to a surrender or starve strategy, such as the town of Madaya, where some 20,000 civilians are trying to survive by eating grass and insects and where children are dying of starvation. This is not the first or second time such promises to allow aid deliveries have been made. As Kerry put it, What we have here are words on paper. What we need to see in the next few days are actions on the ground. Vladimir Putins record does not suggest Russias actions will extend beyond the token. In Syria, he has pursued the same tactics he adopted in Ukraine: Gain a decisive military advantage, then offer lopsided terms for a cease-fire. After winning far-reaching political concessions in Ukraine, Putin never respected the cease-fire nor subsequent security measures his envoys agreed to. Fighting continues to this day. In Syria, he has less reason to keep his word, as no Western sanctions or other tangible measures penalize his intervention there. Kerry continues to suppose that sheer jawboning will eventually persuade Putin to abandon the Assad regime and agree to a political settlement that ousts the Assad clique and empowers Syrias Sunni majority. In the real world, the best-case scenario after five years of U.S. inaction is a partial peace that leaves Syria partitioned into zones controlled by the Assad regime and the Islamic State, with a few opposition and Kurdish enclaves squeezed in. Even that would require the Obama administration to aggressively step up its military support for rebel groups and to confront Russia with more than rhetoric. There was no hint of such U.S. resolve in Munich. PM Modi's external & domestic affairs performance: The difference is between chalk & cheese Feature oi-Shubham By Shubham Narendra Modi had scripted history in 2014 to come to power. His decisive victory, first since Rajiv Gandhi's landslide win in 1984, came against the background of a stagnation the previous UPA government had created. Twenty-one months since Modi assumed office, if one wants to analyse how the story has gone so far, there will be two angles to define it, and both very important. To sum up in one statement: While Modi has performed impressively in external affairs, his record in the internal affairs has been far from satisfactory. In fact, the difference is like between chalk and cheese. Modi has done well in foreign affairs Modi's foreign policy actions took off the day he assumed office when heads of state and representatives from India's neigbours in South Asia, including Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, attended his swearing-in ceremony. Since then, Modi made moves in the foreign policy domain that seemed perfect in serving India's interests---be it bringing back the focus on the neighbourhood, reaching out to the US even by inviting its President Barack Obama to the Republic Day programme---something that never happened before, matching China's strategic manouvrings and thinking out-of-the-box ways to break ice with arch-rivals Pakistan. Evacuating Indians from Iraq,Yemen and Libya were also considered high points in Modi government's diplomacy in the last 21 months. The new regime under Modi kick-started India's foreign policy orientations, something that former prime minister Manmohan Singh had also understood but couldn't proceed because of obstacles put up by his own party--the Congress. His absorbing addresses to Indians abroad were something that the current generations haven't seen for a long, long time while New Delhi kept on discovering countries, big or small, keeping in mind its own strategic benefits. The only goof-up that the Modi government might have made in the foreign policy realm was in Nepal in the wake of its newly promulgated constitution last year which saw a psychological gap growing between the two neighbours over India's alleged intervention in Nepal's internal affairs. But there have been too many lows in domestic affairs But if Nepal has been a rare low point in Modi's performance in the external affairs, his government's show in internal affairs has been far from satisfactory and just as India has felt more confident in asserting its views in international relations under Modi, internally it is feeling that much under-confident in cementing a strong domestic bond. This is a real paradox but it is true. Be it on economy or social cohesion, Modi govt is yet to deliver Initially, the BJP leaders and MPs made pro-majority remarks that don't go with the idea of India and gradually, extreme polarisation started taking shape over incidents like murder of MM Kalburgi in Karnataka and Mohammad Aqhlaq in UP and the spate of returning awards in protest. But things went too far with the back-to-back instances of Rohith Vemula's suicide in a Hyderabad university and the ongoing fiasco in the JNU, the attack on students and journalists outside the court and its snowballing effect across the nation and even internationally. The PM, though made a statement that he is the country's PM and not just the BJP, but it couldn't control the damage much as his own party leaders and supporters continued to target various social sections-be it students, teachers or Opposition leaders. Nationalism doesn't deliver at home as it does abroad, especially in times of peace The problem with the Modi government is that its supporters are trying to pursue the same nationalistic zeal in both foreign and domestic affairs. But while it can pay off in strategic affairs, it will certainly not deliver while handling a country's internal affairs, more so in a complex democracy like India. The over-enthusiastic right-wing elements have rigidly taken a nationalist stand on the JNU issue while one should have used more administrative skills to handle it. And since nationalism is a blunt weapon during peace, it led to disaster in no time. Democracy is not just about numbers A brute majority in Parliament doesn't necessarily make one a natural boss in a democracy. There are more to the numbers in social science which Prime Minister Modi needs to bring under focus fast. Then only can problems that unfolded in Dadri or JNU can be averted. If pro-nationals know about this JNU research today, Sunny Leone could also be in trouble Feature oi-Shubham It's too serious an ambience now. Whenever you want to speak in public, you are brushed either as an anti- or pro-national (necessarily in that order). Members of the JNU is now being targetted---both verbally and physically---for allegedly raising anti-India and pro-terrorist slogans. Here goes another opportunity for the angry voices to vent more anger against the prestigious institute of the country. According to a Times of India report published two years ago, a research paper of a JNU graduate said that the character called Savita Bhabhi, India's first comic porn star, was inspired by the takeover of television by a Gujarati joint family. The paper by Anannya Bohidar titled 'Rethinking Gujarati Identity through the Image of Savita Bhabhi' looked into the inception of the character of Savita Bhabhi who makes sexual adventures. The paper juxtaposed Savita Bhabhi with other cultural products of our times and tried to conceptualise the porn comic's multifaceted image with other popular media like daily soaps, weekend comedy or films that have projected Gujarati identity in various forms, said the report. Now, in todays' context when a lot is being said about the JNU's feeding on tax-payers' money, the nationalists could feel even more outraged to see these types of researches in the university, irrespective of their intellectual appeal. Masculinist right wing vs intellectual Left wing The masculinist right-wing nationalists would be certainly hating such research practices for they would see this as an attempt to tamper with the 'pure culture' that is Indian. They will not have the patience to know where the limits of liberal arts end and those of illiberalism begin and hold the JNU responsible for moral degradation of both Indian men and women. For the Left-leaning intellectuals and academics, the exact opposite holds true. The collateral damage of this clash of viewpoints could be the likes of former pornstar Sunny Leone, who is an actor is Bollywood. She was put to an embarrassing test in an interview with the country's right-wing media that treats women as objects. If this research paper comes to the notice of the Bhakts today, then they will waste no time in landing on the same side of the media, who they targetted at the Patiala Court house earlier this week. Alliances, be social or political, are always bizarre in this country. Bengaluru-based doctor, Pan Am hijack survivor recalls Neerja's courage India oi-Preeti Bengaluru, Feb 18: It has been almost 30 years when ill-fated Pan Am-73 flight, carrying 400 people on-board, was hijacked on the runway of Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan in Sept, 1986. The flight was hijacked by four heavily-armed terrorists, who were dressed as airport security guards, and entered the aircraft while firing shots from an automatic weapon and seized control of the plane. [Who is Neerja Bhanot] Then, the flight's senior air-hostess, 23-year-old Neerja Bhanot took the charge of saving hundreds of lives on her shoulders and as a responsible person, she guided the pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer to get off the plane, so that it could not take off. One of the hundreds of survivors, Bengaluru-based Dr Kishore Murthy recalled the memories of horrific incident, in front of a leading newspaper. While talking to the daily, Dr Murthy, who is now 61-year-old, said that at the time when plane was hijacked, he was 31-year-old and he still vividly remembers that he was sitting in the sixth row from front. The flight was on its way from Mumbai to New York via Karachi and Frankfurt, when Dr Murthy was heading to New York to present a paper on 'Rheumatic heart disease and hypertension among pediatric patients aged below eight'. He also revealed that among Indian passengers, 13 were from Karnataka, out of whom two died and four were injured. "She was very caring towards all the passengers, especially the elderly and children. I didn't see her lose her cool for even a moment. She was very efficient during the crisis", Dr Murthy was quoted as saying. Dr Murthy is presently working as a management expert with St John's Hospital in Bengaluru. Dr Murthy's wife, Dr Veena Bharathi, has also worked closely with Neerja's family to document her life, since 1996. Dr Veena said that Neerja, whose birthday was on Sept 7, had made plans for a family-get-together on her birthday, but she had no idea that her family would be mourning her untimely death on that day. OneIndia News Jats reject CM Khattar's offer, protests spread across state India oi-PTI Chandigarh, Feb 18: Jat protesters on Thursday rejected Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's offer to enhance quota for economically backward classes with the agitation spreading to Faridabad, Kaithal and Karnal disrupting rail and road traffic. In view of the blockades set up by the agitators, Haryana Roadways suspended its bus services on many affected routes. The Jat continued to block roads in Rohtak-Jhajjar, the epicentre of the protests, disrupting supply of milk, vegetables, fruits and other items on the national highway connecting Rohtak with other parts of the state and NCR. A day after holding talks with the Chief Minister, All India Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti's national president, Yashapal Malik told PTI that, "We reject the offer, it is not technically viable. It is illegal and cannot be implemented." "We (Jats) cannot be befooled once again, we have been fighting for our right for several years now. The agitation has further spread to Kaithal, Faridabad, Karnal, Palwal today and by tomorrow, it will cover entire Haryana," Malik said. 'We reject the offer, it is not technically viable' Jat and Khap leaders had held a four-hour long meeting with Khattar and some of his ministers here yesterday during which the CM had announced enhancement of the reservation quota under EBC and the annual income ceiling from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh. The Chief Minister had announced an enhancement of the quota of reservation for Economically Backward Classes in the state from 10 to 20 per cent, but the community remained adamant on their demand for reservation under OBC category. The protests continued at other places including Sonipat, Bhiwani and Hisar. Malik said the Jats will fight for their rights and continue to protest till they get it. "People (who do not belong to the Jat community) have also come out on the streets in support of our demand," Malik said when asked about the inconvenience caused to passengers and students due to the stir. PTI LINCOLN A measure to tighten up Nebraska's prescription drug monitoring program aimed at preventing abuse passed in the Legislature on Thursday. No senators opposed the bill (LB471), which now advances to the desk of Gov. Pete Ricketts for his approval. An emergency clause on the bill means it would take effect almost immediately with the governor's signature. "It's a huge win," Omaha Sen. Sara Howard said after the vote. Howard, whose mother was also a state senator, lost her older sister to a prescription drug overdose in 2009. Her bill will require all dispensers to report Nebraska prescriptions into the prescription drug monitoring system and will prohibit patients from opting out of the program, which tracks medications to help prevent abuse. Howard beamed a smile as the final vote on her bill was tallied. Lawmakers aren't allowed to leave their seats during final votes. But Omaha Sen. Tanya Cook, who also served with Howard's mother, called her desk phone. "I said, 'I would come up and hug you, but we're not allowed to get out of our chairs,'" Cook said. JNU row: Revealed! Why 3 ABVP leaders quit; read resignation letter here India oi-Mukul New Delhi, Feb 18: It looks like JNU controversy will not be over soon . After Opposition which has been lashing out at Modi government for "legitimising" actions of right wing fascist forces in entire episode, now ABVP members have taken cudgel against the Centre. Recipe for national crisis: Simmer Kashmir, add protests, and serve hot in the Parliament Criticizing government for the way it handled JNU row , three members of ABVP resigned on Wednesday. Not only that, they also wrote strong worded letter saying that they can't be part of the NDA government which encourages hooliganism in the name of nationalism. Here's full text of the letter. Pradeep Narwal, Joint Secretary of JNU unit of ABVP, said he has quit the student wing of the BJP. Rahul Yadav, President of ABVP unit of JNU's School of Social Sciences (SSS) and its Secretary Ankit Hans also announced their resignation. In a joint statement, the three leaders said they have decided to quit ABVP as they have serious differences over the way the NDA government was handling the issue, adding there is a difference between "interrogation and crushing ideology and branding entire Left as anti-national." They also expressed deep anguish over assault on mediapersons and JNU students and teachers in Patiala House Court complex on Monday as well as attack on JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar in the same court complex today, alleging that the government was "legitimising" the action of right wing fascist forces. "We are resigning from ABVP and disassociating ourselves from any further activity of the party as per our difference of opinion over the current JNU incident and long standing difference of opinion with MANUSMIRITI (Smriti Irani) and Rohith Vermula incident. "Anti-national slogans on February 9 in university campus were very unfortunate and heart breaking. Whosoever responsible for that act must be punished as per the law but the way NDA government is tackling the whole issue, the oppression on professors, repeated attacks on media by lawyers and Kanhaiya Kumar in court premises (today) is unjustifiable," the statement said. When contacted, a senior ABVP leader said the organisation has not received their resignation. The three students further said, "We think there is a difference between interrogation and crushing ideology and branding entire left as anti-national. We cannot be mouthpiece of such a government which has unleashed oppression on student community. "Every day we see people assemble at front gate with Indian Flag to beat JNU student, well this is hooliganism not nationalism, you cant do anything in the name of nation, there is a difference between nationalism and hooliganism," it added. The JNU students are on strike demanding release of JNUSU President Kumar. He was arrested on Friday last in connection with a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy registered over holding of the event at the varsity during which anti-India slogans were alleged to have been raised. Members of the ABVP had objected to holding of the event following which Vice Chancellor had withdrawn the permission for it. However, the organisers had gone ahead with the event. OneIndia News (With inputs from PTI) 'Kantara' impact: 'Daiva Narthakas' above 60 years of age to get Rs 2,000 monthly allowance Late actor Puneeth Rajkumar to be conferred with 'Karnataka Ratna' award on Nov 1 Karnataka to strengthen ATS and up the number of prisons JNU row: ABVP holds counter protest India oi-PTI Bengaluru, Feb 18: Akhil Bharatiya Vidya Parishad (ABVP) today organised a "Nation First Tricolour March" here against an event in support of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and alleged anti-India sloganeering at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. Terming the the JNU event "anti-national", they called on the people to unite and ignite the spirit of patriotism in the country. The ABVP students formed a human chain and marched with a 200 metre-long tricolour shouting patriotic slogans near Freedom Park here. Student leaders demanded that those who have indulged in alleged anti-national sloganeering at JNU campus should be arrested immediately and strict action should be taken against them. They claimed that their march is for national integration. ABVP said similar protest marches had been organised in different parts of Karnataka including Putturu near Mangaluru and Davanagare. PTI JNU row: Protests, counter-protests in several states India oi-PTI Patna/Vadodara, Feb 18: Protests against the arrest of JNU students' union leader Kanhaiya Kumar on sedition charge spread to more states today and there were also counter-protests with police having to use mild force in Patna to defuse a clash. Tamil folk-singer Kovan was among 57 people detained in Chennai during a protest march taken out against the arrest and attack of Kumar in Patiala House court in Delhi. Posters in support of JNU students opposing the arrest of Kumar were also found at University of Baroda in Vadodara even as the escalating JNU row echoed in Kerala Assembly. Amid chanting of 'Vande Mataram' slogans, members of ABVP, the student outfit of RSS, staged counter-protests in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata, demanding action against 'anti-national' elements in Jawaharlal Nehru University(JNU) in the national capital. Student leaders of CPI's student wing AISF and workers of RJD's youth wing clashed with BJP workers outside the BJP office in Patna over arrest of Kumar, who hails from Bihar. Patna City Superintendent of Police Chandan Kushwaha said a group of workers of AISF and the youth wing of Lalu Prasad's party reached Bihar's state BJP office to protest the arrest. As BJP workers protested, a clash broke out in which stones and water bottles were hurled from both sides. Police used mild force to separate the rival protesters, the City SP said. Station House Officer of Kotwali police station Ramesh Kumar Singh said that the AISF and RJD workers arrived at the BJP office without any prior information. The BJP which had given notice to take out a march from its office to Income Tax roundabout was not allowed by the police to go ahead and stopped at the party office itself. The City SP said the situation has been brought under control and additional police force deployed at the spot to prevent further clashes. "We had taken prior permission for taking out a march which was not permitted. The workers of AISF and RJD armed with lathis were allowed to come upto our party office and attack us without any prior notice," BJP state Vice President Sanjay Mayukh said. In Chennai, the protesters were part of cultural outfit Makkal Kalai Ilakiya Kazhagam, Revolutionary Students' Youth Front (RSYS) and five other student organisations. They were also protesting against ABVP, the student wing of RSS. They were picked up by the police within 15 minutes of the protest. They were protesting in front of Shastri Bhavan in Nungambakkam. Kovan, who had already been arrested and slapped with a sedition case earlier for singing a song that allegedly insulted Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, reportedly sang a song against the Central government. PTI Partial solar eclipse on Diwali: Can you perform Lakshmi Puja on Oct 25? JNU row: Rahul Gandhi faces sedition case India oi-Jagriti New Delhi: Meeting with protesting students in JNU campus in connection with 'ant-national' activities row has become set-back for Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. A sedition case has been filed against Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi for supporting protesting students in the university campus, reported the Navbharat Times. The decision has been taken in the wake of a plea filed by a lawyer and BJP leader in a court in Allahabad. Rahul Gandhi paid a visit to the JNU campus and alleged that those who want to gag the voice of students are the real anti-nationals. "Kanhaiya Kumar just put forward his expression but the government is labelling him as an anti-national," Rahul Gandhi had said. JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, arrested on sedition charges, was on Wednesday sent to judicial custody till March 2. Hafiz Saeed on JNU row: Indian government fools its own people On the night of February 9, some students organised a meet at JNU to mourn the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front co-founder Maqbool Bhat. Anti-India slogans were allegedly raised at the gathering. Kanhaiya Kumar, from the Leftist All India Students Federation (AISF), was arrested on February 12 on charges of raising anti-India slogans during a meeting on Kashmir in the campus. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, February 18, 2016, 9:08 [IST] JNU row: Rahul Gandhi to meet President Mukherjee India oi-PTI New Delhi, Feb 18: Rahul Gandhi will take the battle over the JNU row and the alleged targeting of students in various parts of the country to President Pranab Mukherjee when he meets him on Thursday. Accompanied by senior leaders and also the young MPs of the party, the Congress Vice President is expected to highlight the "lawlessness" in Delhi in the wake of Patiala House court attacks and the way the government has handled the JNU row as also the Rohith Vemula suicide and the agitation in FTII in Pune. Party sources said Gandhi will be accompanied by Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of the party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and several other party leaders and MPs. Only on Wednesday, Feb 17, Congress had demanded immediate removal of Police Commissioner BS Bassi. Citing the attacks in Patiala House court here, Congress had yesterday alleged that "jungle raj" is prevailing in Delhi. JNU students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar and some journalists were yesterday attacked in a court complex here by rowdy lawyers. Despite instructions by the apex court to ensure security at the Patiala House Court, where violent men in black robes had attacked journalists on Monday, Delhi Police failed to prevent the attack on Kumar, who has been accused of sedition. On Monday too, journalists were attacked by such elements. The Congress Vice President had led protests over the Rohith Vemula issue in Hyderabad and also the FTII students agitation in Pune. PTI Kanhaiya's parents in Bihar provided police security India oi-IANS By Ians English Patna, Feb 18: The parents of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, accused of sedition, were on Thursday provided police protection in their village in Bihar, an official said. Security forces have been deployed at Kanhaiya's native village Bihat in Begusarai district after the Jawharlal Nehru University Student Union (JNUSU) president was roughed up in a New Delhi court on Wednesday. "Some police officers in plain clothes have been deployed outside his home, where his parents and other members of the family live. It is being done for security purposes after Kanhaiya was attacked and badly beaten in the premises of a court in Delhi," a district police official said. Kanhaiya faces sedition charges for raising anti-national slogans at an event in JNU last week, a charge he has denied. He was arrested by the Delhi Police on February 12. On Wednesday, he was remanded in judicial custody today till March 2. Hours after the assault on Kanhaiya, Bihar Police headquarters alerted Begusarai authorities and directed them to tighten the security cover at his native village. Kanhaiya's father Jaishankar Singh and his mother Meena Devi live at his native village, considered a stronghold of the Left politics in Bihar. Earlier his father said: "My son is not anti-national. He is a nationalist like the hundreds of thousands of youth of his age." IANS Kejriwal assails Centre over Patiala House Courts attacks India oi-PTI New Delhi, Feb 18: Attacking the Modi government for "not following" the Supreme Court order for maintaining peace at Patiala House Courts, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday, Feb 18 said such a situation could lead to "dictatorship" and insisted courts be "shut down" if issues like what is anti-national are to be adjudged outside judiciary. Reacting to attacks on mediapersons and JNU students and teachers in Patiala House courts complex despite the directives of the apex court to maintain order there, the Chief Minister said, "This was a message that the Centre was giving to the Supreme Court that do whatever you like, we will not follow your orders. It has given an open challenge." Talking to reporters after meeting President Pranab Mukherjee on the JNU row, the Chief Minister said if Supreme Court's order is not followed barely 200 meters from where it sits, "then there will be no such thing called Constitution. Then it will be the Centre and the Prime Minister's dictatorship. This is something very serious. There is no judiciary after that." Questioning the failure of the police to arrest Delhi BJP MLA O P Sharma, accused of beating up a student in the court complex, Kejriwal said "A BJP MLA and some anti-social elements attacked students, journalists and innocent people at the Patiala Court. When those who attacked the journalists, students at the Patiala Court were asked why did they attack, they said they were shouting pro-Pakistan slogans. If anyone raises pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans should we kill him? "It's like if anyone commits murder and police asks about the reason for it, the accused will say he was raising pro-Pakistan slogans. And then police will let him off.Is this a new law in this country?" Flanked by his Cabinet colleagues, Kejriwal said that a "new law" is being followed in the country where anyone can be killed on the pretext of raising anti-national slogans. "Why is O P Sharma still free...is this a new law... who will decide whether it is against the nation? Then shut down the Supreme Court and High Court," Kejriwal said. He said the Centre had yesterday given an open challenge to the apex court saying "we don't follow your orders. Do whatever you want. This is dangerous for the nation." He said if the Centre could not arrest those involved in the act, then how can they arrest Pathankot terrorists. Kejriwal alleged that the Centre was not arresting the accused to keep the pot boiling over the issue. PTI Rahul Gandhi will be seen in new avatar after Bharat Jodo Yatra: Digvijaya Singh Fact Check: This image of a massive gathering is not from the Bharat Jodo Yatra Rahul seeks Prez's intervention to check 'lawlessness' India oi-PTI New Delhi, Feb 18: Upping the ante on the JNU row and Patiala House court violence, Rahul Gandhi today dubbed them as a "blot" on India's image and sought President Pranab Mukherjee's intervention for immediate action to "check the state of lawlessness and subversion of democratic rights". "It is not the Government's job to destroy our educational institutions and crush expression of all students. Across the country, RSS is trying to impose a flawed ideology on the students of this country," he told reporters here. Leading a delegation of party leaders to the President, the Congress Vice President also launched a counter attack on the BJP for its "anti-national" dig at him, asserting that "nationalism is in my blood. I have seen my family sacrifice again and again and again for this nation." "The country is gripped in a serious crisisThe scenes of utter lawlessness playing out on the premises of the court in the heart of the capital are an affront to the democratic ideals of the country" the delegation said in a memorandum submitted to the President. Besides the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, the delegation included Leader of the party in Lok Sabha Mallikarun Kharge, Deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma besides senior leaders Shiela Dixit, Randeep Surjewala Ajay Maken and Manish Tewari. They told the President that despite a "direct order" from the Supreme Court to ensure adequate security outside Patiala House court, the government has "refused" to prevent attacks on journalists and students. The Supreme Court- appointed panel to assess the situation was itself subjected to abuse and assault. "Such lawlessness in defiance of a Supreme Court directive on two occasions by the same set of people, some of whom are identified with the ruling dispensation on various fora, cannot be but without the tacit support, encouragement or at best, the indifference of the ruling establishment", it told the President. Expressing concern over the incident, the Congress leaders sought President's "assistance in ensuring that immediate action is taken to check the state of lawlessness and subversion of democratic rights". Alleging that across the country, whether in JNU or Hyderabad Central University, in FTII and other places of learning, students are being "bullied and threatened", the delegation told the President that "As the patron of Universities, we call upon you to protect their freedom and uphold the values that built our nation". Gandhi said if somebody has said anything against thie nation, they should be punished according to law. He also referred to the suicide by Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad and accused the government of "crushing" him. The Congress Vice President expressed concern that people were being beaten inside the Court and the police are "just watching." "This is sending a very, very bad signal not only in this country but also abroad. It is damaging India's image and is putting a blot on it", he said. PTI 'No problem' was Gogoi's guiding mantra; Cong stalwart had said it helped him take hard decisions Tarun Gogoi alleges tacit support of PM Modi in JNU police attack India oi-PTI Guwahati, Feb 18: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today alleged there was "tacit support" of the Prime Minister for the police attack on students in JNU and said the BJP-led Centre is attempting to "impose" RSS ideology on educational institutions of the country. "There has to be the tacit support of the Prime Minister for the police attack on the students in JNU. The Delhi police commissioner has not said anything on it. There has to be some power backing him," Gogoi claimed while addressing the media here. "If (JNU students union president) Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested under charges of sedition, then why is the police commissioner saying they will not oppose if Kanhaiya applies for bail. On what charges was he (Kumar) arrested if he will be allowed to go on bail?" Gogoi asked. "Look at JNU, Hyderabad University, FTII-Pune incidents and the imposition of RSS members in our Dibrugarh University managing committee. The BJP government is attempting to impose RSS ideology on educational institutions. Smriti Irani is listening to the RSS only," he said. "There is intolerance in anything spoken against the Prime Minister or BJP, thereby violating the basic principle of democracy and the right to freedom of speech. Everyone has the right to express views," Gogoi said. Referring to the Jawaharlal Nehru University row, he said "JNU is not just a top university in the country but in the world. With intellectuals and students, it is natural that there will be difference in opinions." "But BJP supporters opposed that. There is nothing in Kanhaiya's speech that is anti-India," the Congress Chief Minister said. "If the students had violated the law, then arrest them. But the government cannot take the law into its hands. It is a very dangerous trend to impose RSS ideology. It is a fascist tendency that only they will give directions," Gogoi said. PTI Thanks to Bengaluru court violence probe, police will never reign in on the advocates India oi-Vicky Bengaluru, Feb 18: The Supreme Court is seized off a matter relating to the violence that took place at the Patiala House Court in Delhi where the case relating to Kanaihya Kumar, the JNU student leader is being heard. Despite several restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court, there was violence at the court yesterday. Will the Supreme Court shift the case out of the Patiala House court? If such an order is passed it would border on desperation and also indicate the failure of the machinery which cannot guarantee security in a court premises. However, the other issue is with regard to the police as it is their duty to ensure security at the courts. It is a catch-22 situation. The Supreme Court and the police will both not reign in the trouble making advocates and this has to do with a case that relates to the violence that took place at a court in Bengaluru on March 2 2012. Following this incident and the subsequent investigation, the police across the country chose not to interfere too much with the advocates. Police averse to acting against advocates: In the month of March 2012 a major scuffle broke out between journalists, advocates and the police. The problem began when advocates objected to journalists taking pictures of mining baron Janardhan Reddy. When journalists protested a major scuffle broke out and violent scenes were witnessed in which 60 were injured. The government had ordered a probe by the special investigating team. This was challenged by the advocates who alleged bias. The advocates went up to the Supreme Court which directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe into the matter. The CBI registered cases against journalists, advocates and also police personnel. The police were however unhappy with the manner in which this case was handled. A few officers were named in the chargesheet and this was challenged. The police argued that they could be blamed for excesses as they were only controlling the mob. Booking the police was not fair as they did their job in trying to controlling the violence which was going out of control. Let judiciary handle the advocates The police have found the handling of the Bengaluru case extremely unfair. Ever since this incident, the police across the country shy away from trying to control advocates. They feel that the Supreme Court never reigns in on the advocates. Moreover, if the police trying controlling a group of advocates indulging in violence, they are more likely to get punished as the judiciary always stands as one. The administration of a local court is under the High Court. In the case of the Patiala House court it is the Delhi High Court which has the administrative control. Police officials say let either the Supreme Court or the administrative court control the advocates. We are clueless as to what we need to do and if we have to resort to a lathi charge which is the last resort then a host of cases are filed against us. Looking at this scenario, it becomes amply clear that the police want the courts to take action against the advocates. The million dollar question is will courts act against advocates? The answer may just be no. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, February 18, 2016, 10:22 [IST] UN envoy: Divisions in Yemen are blocking new peace talks International oi-PTI United Nations, Feb 18: The UN envoy for Yemen has said that deep divisions between the warring parties in Yemen are preventing him from calling for a new round of peace talks. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told the UN Security Council yesterday that the parties are divided over whether a new round of talks should be convened without a cessation of hostilities. He said he hasn't received sufficient assurances that if he called for a cessation of hostilities it would be respected. The Arab world's poorest country has been plagued by fighting between its internationally recognised government, backed by a Saudi-led, US-supported coalition, and Shiite Houthi rebels allied with former President Ali Abdulla Saleh. Peace talks had been expected to resume the week of Jan. 11 but were postponed following renewed fighting and airstrikes. Cheikh Ahmed urged the Security Council to act to implement a cessation of hostilities as soon as possible. The UN envoy painted a grim picture of a country gripped by deteriorating security, a humanitarian crisis, and an upsurge in attacks by "terrorist groups." "Many parts of Yemen are again witnessing airstrikes and extensive ground fighting," he said. "There has also been a significant increase in the number of missiles fired indiscriminately into Saudi Arabia." Cheikh Ahmed said the absence of a national government in many parts of Yemen has facilitated the expansion of extremist groups. "Al Qaida and the Islamic State are present in many parts of Yemeni territory," Cheikh Ahmed said. "There are reports of their growing influence in large areas of the governorate of Hadramout and their control of its port, maritime traffic, and illegal oil trade." The UN humanitarian chief warned Tuesday that a catastrophe is unfolding in Yemen. Stephen O'Brien cited more than 35,000 casualties since March 2015 including over 6,000 deaths; at least 7.6 million people lacking access to food; more than 3.4 million children out of school; and nearly 600 health facilities and over 1,170 schools unfit for use because of the conflict. AP Nikki Haley endorses Rubio for race to White House International oi-PTI Washington, Feb 18: Indian-American South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has endorsed Marco Rubio, which will give a major boost to the Florida Senator's presidential ambition ahead of the state's pivotal Republican primary. "I wanted somebody with fight. I wanted somebody with passion. I wanted somebody that had conviction to do the right thing, but I wanted somebody humble enough that remembers that you work for all the people," Haley said yesterday at Chapin in South Carolina as she announced to endorse Rubio for president. "I wanted somebody that was going to go and show my parents that the best decision they ever made for their children was coming to America. We say that every day is a great day in South Carolina. Ladies and gentlemen, if we elect Marco Rubio, every day will be a great day in America!" Haley said. The two-term Republican governor of South Carolina is considered to be a highly popular Republican leader in the country and a potential vice presidential pick. However, if Rubio bags the party's nomination she is unlikely to be on his ticket because the two leaders are from the same region of the country and both of their parents are immigrants. "You know that I always say I am the proud daughter of Indian parents. That reminded us every day how blessed we were to live in this country," she said in her brief remarks. Haley said she wants a president who is going to have the backs of military veterans, and those in active duty. "I want a president that knows that when we fight wars, we win wars. I want a president that understands we have to stop the federal mandates that have been pushed on the states like Obamacare and the EPA," she said. "But I want a president who understands that they have to go back to Washington DC and bring a conscience back to our Republicans. Our Republicans need to remember what we are about, which is about balanced budgets, cutting debt, building reserves and making sure that they understand that this guy, he is all about term limits in DC, and that is what we want to see in a president," Haley said. Haley's endorsement is seen as a big boost for Rubio, but this does not guarantee him a win in South Carolina, despite the fact that the Indian-American is one of the most popular governor's in the state's history. PTI Obama expected to visit Cuba in March: report International oi-PTI Washington, Feb 18: US President Barack Obama is likely to make a historic visit to Cuba next month, the first sitting American president to go to the island nation in 80 years, as the two Cold War-era foes make efforts to normalise their ties, a media report has said. The news was first reported by ABC News which said that the announcement could be made today. "The trip is planned for March 21-22 before the president flies to Argentina," the news channel reported yesterday. Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio, who is of Cuban descent, slammed Obama for his planned trip to Cuba. Rubio said if he was the president, he would not visit the island nation unless it were a "free Cuba". The Cuban government is "an anti-American communist dictatorship. They are a repressive regime," he said. The White House did not immediately comment on the potential trip of the US President to Cuba. Obama's reported to visit Cuba comes roughly 15 months after his pledge with Cuban leader Raul Castro to reopen diplomatic channels following a prisoner exchange and the humanitarian release of US contractor Alan Gross in December 2014. Thereafter the two countries have moved ahead to restore diplomatic ties after decades and the US lifted sanctions on Cuba. The two countries have also decided to resume direct flights. Calvin Coolidge was the last US president to visit Cuba in 1928. He went there to address the Sixth Annual International Conference of American States in Havana. Former US president Jimmy Carter visited Cuba twice in 2002 and 2011, but two decades after he left the office. PTI What does the US actually want in Syria? Aid deliveries to besieged Syrian towns is beginning of end of civilians suffering? International oi-Jagriti Washington, Feb 18: The United States (US) is seeing aid deliveries besieged Syrian towns as a "step forward" ahead of a meeting with Russia in Geneva on how to implement a Syria truce. US and Russia is set to hold consultations on how to implement a Syria truce on February 19. Around 100 trucks of humanitarian aid have been delivered to five besieged Syrian towns on February 17. "This is hopefully the beginning of the end of Syrian civilians' suffering," Almonitor quoted the UN's Jan Egeland as saying. "This is a step forward," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told journalists at the State Department press briefing Feb. 17. "[But] I would be clear that this is just a first step in dealing with the significant problem of humanitarian assistance in besieged areas. ... The Assad regime should have allowed this access long ago." "We are hoping to build on this access," Toner said, adding the United States was concerned Assad's regime had described the permission to let the aid convoys in as a temporary. "We obviously want to see permanent access." Syria Crisis: Some facts need to know about it "We understand the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) cessation of hostilities task force will convene Feb. 19 in Geneva under UN auspices," the US official said. "The ISSG cease-fire task force, to be co-chaired by the United States and Russia, is supposed to include both political and military officials. Russia has been pressing for more intensive US-Russian military to military consultations on Syria, which to date the United States has been reluctant to pursue." But the consultations between military officers would be necessary to implement any eventual cease-fire and police it, Toner said. With progress to show on the humanitarian front, American and UN officials hope to reconvene talks by Feb. 25 between the Syrian government and opposition in Geneva that were suspended earlier this month. Syrian crisis: People survive on cats and grass, says Report "The Geneva talks [are] set to begin again ... between the opposition and regime next week, having some concrete progress to point to on the ground, whether with regard to cessation of hostilities or access to besieged areas," said US State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner. "But US officials and regional experts were cautious about prospects for a partial cease-fire to get off the ground, with the regime and its backers pursuing what they described as a strategy to seal off the Turkish-Syrian border and encircle Aleppo." OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, February 18, 2016, 13:53 [IST] University of Texas allows guns in classrooms International oi-PTI Chicago, Feb 18: The University of Texas at Austin has begrudgingly agreed to allow students to carry guns into classrooms, months after state lawmakers passed a bill outlawing gun bans at public universities. "I do not believe handguns belong on a university campus, so this decision has been the greatest challenge of my presidency to date," university president Gregory Fenves said in a statement yesterday. "I empathize with the many faculty members, staffers, students and parents of students who signed petitions, sent emails and letters, and organised to ban guns from campus and especially classrooms." Some faculty members have threatened to quit rather than allow students to carry guns in their classrooms, saying the presence of such weapons is too threatening in an environment that is meant to encourage debate. The issue is particularly sensitive given that the University of Texas at Austin was the scene of one of the nation's first mass shootings on a college campus. Troubled former Marine Charles Whitman killed 14 people and wounded some 30 others after opening fire from an observation platform on the university's clock tower in 1966. Gun rights activists have responded to a series of more recent campus shootings by arguing that students cannot trust the police to protect them from random acts of violence and should be able to arm themselves. Lawmakers in the politically conservative state with a cowboy ethos and frontier history agreed and passed a bill in August prohibiting gun bans on public college campuses. Fenves noted that the presidents of every large private institution in Texas -- including Baylor University, Southern Methodist University and Rice University -- have exercised their right to continue to ban guns on campus. "The presence of handguns at an institution of higher learning is contrary to our mission of education and research, which is based on inquiry, free speech, and debate," he said. "However, as president, I have an obligation to uphold the law." Guns can still be banned at sporting events, in university bars and medical facilities, certain laboratories and college dorms. The University of Texas at Austin is one of the largest public institutions in the United States with more than 51,000 students and a stellar academic reputation. It is the flagship of the University of Texas system, which educates more than 214,000 students. AFP IB note to universities: Afzal Guru fire could spread New Delhi oi-Vicky New Delhi, Feb 18: The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has warned that the protests relating to Afzal Guru could turn into a chain reaction across the country. While it began at the JNU, a similar protest was witnessed at the Jadhavpur University as well. The IB in a report submitted to the Home Ministry states that similar protests could take place in other universities as well. The report states that several students could be lured into the protests and the administration of the universities need to on alert. While on one hand there would be efforts to stage such protests, on the other hand the message that those controlling such events have a larger agenda. Further the report also directs the police to keep a watch on pro Naxalite groups who have become an integral part of such protests. There has been a deliberate attempt made by some groups to make an icon out of Afzal Guru who was hanged after being held guilty in the Parliament attack. While the death anniversary of Afzal Guru was only observed in Kashmir in the past two years, this year there was a specific plan to observe it in the National Capital. The organisers were aware that holding such an event in the capital would not only give them more publicity, but it would also turn into a chain reaction. The IB has stated that the administration of the colleges must be on guard and ensure that there is no anti India activity on the campus. Several outsiders may enter into the campus and provoke students, the IB has also warned. The report further states that some players from across the border would be making attempts to stoke emotions within colleges as it is guaranteed to have a large impact and also turn into a chain reaction. There has been an uproar over the Afzal Guru issue. Those protesting his hanging say if one goes through the order of the Supreme Court there is a clear sign that there has been miscarriage of justice. His case started off on a very bad note. He could not afford a good lawyer and he had written to the court about the same, those supporting him say. What has upset the Afzal Guru supporters: They further add that a junior lawyer was appointed despite him protesting. Afzal had said he felt that the lawyer being allotted to him was biased. The court said that this lawyer would only assist the court. Afzal was finally handed out a death sentence on the basis of his so-called confessional statement. Signatures from him were obtained by force and the police wrote what they wanted. Even the judgment says that the conviction was based on circumstantial evidence. It is also said he had identified the bodies of the slain terrorists. He protested that this was untrue and the confession was forced. The court then told him that he could cross-examine the witnesses. Do you think that someone like Afzal, with no expertise whatsoever, can conduct a cross-examination in such a high-profile case, his supporters also say. CPI(M) pushes the ball in Congress's court on alliance New Delhi oi-Shubham New Delhi, Feb 18: The CPI(M) leadership on Thursday gave an indirect signal to the Congress on the question of alliance with the latter for the West Bengal Assembly elections due in some time. [The BJP gave it a full toss but yet the Left is clueless on alliance with Congress] The CPI(M), in an effort to form a secular and democratic alliance against the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and BJP, has said that it would consider if an offer comes from the Congress. A close meeting was also held between General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and state CPI(M) leaders like Biman Bose and Surjya Kanta Mishra, said television reports. The Bengal CPI(M) leadership is likely to take a call. The Left parties will meet again at 11.30 am on Friday and the Central Committee has left it to the Politbuo to decide on future steps. State Congress leader Abdul Hannan, who recently said that his party is willing to make an alliance, welcomed the decision taken by the Left party. Oneindia's take: The Left's inability to take a fast decision has two main reasons. First, the party which has never abandoned the theoretical foundation of its ideology even in the most difficult of times, is not sure about proactively joining hands with the Congress, traditionally its main enemy in Indian politics. For many, the result is unknown, especially in states like Kerala and Tripura where it may see an erosion in base. Joining the Congress amid a noise and publicity could see a clash of conflicts within the CPI(M), even in Bengal where the party doesn't have any big leader now. The second factor could be an apprehension about the Congress's decision. The CPI(M) will be remembering how it had pulled out of the UPA government of Manmohan Singh in 2008 on the India-US nuclear deal. What if the Congress high command doesn't come forward after the Left takes a decision? That will be a utter humiliation for the latter. 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. Learn more Komfie Manalo, Opalesque Asia: A survey by alternative assets event producer Context Summits has found that a huge majority of institutional investors plan to increase allocations to hedge fund managers in 2016. Context Summits surveyed at least 200 investors who attended the event Context Summits Miami 2016 and found that some 79% of them are committed to raise their exposure to hedge funds this year. The poll also found that 96% of investors plan to allocate in two or more funds in 2016. In total, nearly 500 investors and 450 managers representing over $1.5tln in combined assets attended the three-day conference, which connects private fund managers with qualified investors via one-on-one meetings. "This survey provides invaluable insight into allocation trends for 2016 and offers a snapshot of the conversations between managers and allocators at our Summit," said Mark Salameh, co-founder and chief executive officer of Context Summits. "We believe this year presents a unique opportunity for many managers to distinguish their story and attract institutional capital, particularly considering findings in this survey coupled with the current macro environment and broad range of strategies represented at our Summits." More tha...................... To view our full article Click here Komfie Manalo, Opalesque Asia: North Dakota's head of Department of Mineral Resources Lynn Helms has expressed concern over reports hedge funds and other investors are buying oil assets in the states. Indeed Helms has "big concern" over the issue that he has ordered background checks on potential buyers, reported Reuters. "It is a big concern," Helms told reporters during a conference call about North Dakotas monthly oil production. He is concerned that some buyers of the states oil assets may not have sufficient knowledge in running oil or natural gas facilities. Th...................... To view our full article Click here I must start by clarifying: I am no fan of today's Democratic Party, and I strongly suspect the leftist hypothesis that today's "Jackass Party" is beyond reforming is most likely true. But until strenuously tested, it is merely a hypothesis, while the Left treats it as a religious dogma that must be protected from all rational scrutiny. Alannah as Marie Curie--Are leftists being SCIENTIFIC about change? (Image by twid) Details DMCA For the sake of our nation's common good--most likely for the sake of saving human civilization from encroaching climate destruction--I think we must expose the hypothesis that Democrats are beyond reform to testing by a purely rational experiment. The experiment I propose is massive organized voter revolt, by means of Revolt Against Plutocracy 's Bernie or Bust pledge . If Democrats won't reform--say, by dumping Hillary Clinton for Bernie Sanders--in the face of massive organized voter rejection of Clinton, U.S. voters will have compelling public proof that the Left has been correct all along. In other words, voters will know as fact what the Left has long asserted as dogma: that the Democratic Party establishment is so addicted to feeding at the corporate trough that it's willing to sacrifice even the presidency for that purpose. To the extent that it will insist on nominating Hillary Clinton, the foremost exemplar of corporate trough-feeding, a presidential candidate diametrically opposed to the party's New Deal and Great Society heritage and largely detested by the party's progressive base. Now granted, this is a social science experiment, one being conducted on an institution (the Democratic Party) whose own nature depends on changing human opinion, so the experiment lacks both the rigor and enduring validity that characterize the physical sciences. Perhaps a different experiment from the organized rejection of Hillary Clinton would yield a different result, or perhaps a similar experiment conducted years down the line (after opinion supporting the Democratic Party has had time to change) would again come out differently. But social science experiments differ from physical science ones in another crucial way: that experimenters have far less control over establishing the best experimental conditions and must often wait on history to supply them. And often, what we need to know in a social science experiment is not whether a certain result will be possible years down the line, but whether it's possible now. I'd argue that the repeated long-term raising and quashing of populist hope , combined with the Democratic presidential run of a candidate (Bernie Sanders) sufficiently uncorrupted by money to work for that hope, offers the perfect experimental conditions for organizing massive voter revolt against the party establishment and testing whether this revolt has a reforming effect on Democratic Party behavior. If the party machine still pushes to nominate Clinton despite a massive refusal by its base to vote for her (as expressed in the Bernie or Bust pledge), we'll have compelling public evidence--as compelling as one can achieve in the social sciences--that the Left has been right all along in asserting the Democratic Party is beyond reform. And we couldn't have that evidence at a better time than now, since the unwillingness of Democrats to reject "fossil fool" candidate Hillary Clinton, bought off by oil and gas money, means a "just plain silly" energy policy heavy on fracking, when it's imperative to keep 80 percent of fossil fuels in the ground. If the Democratic Party establishment is sufficiently hell-bent on maintaining its corruption to foist climate criminal Clinton on voters vehemently opposed to her, then that, alongside Republicans' outright climate change denial, is truly dismal news for humanity. But it's news both the climate movement and U.S. voters desperately need to know. And, given voters' desperate need to know the truth about Democrats, we arrive at a very unflattering picture of the U.S. political Left, who'd rather treat Democrats' imperviousness to reform as religious dogma than risk putting it to a much-needed empirical test. This dogma reflects, on the one hand, very bad will. Why? Because in a two-party system desperately needing reform (with the very climate at stake), the only obvious fast path to reform is to overhaul Democrats, the better of the two major parties. But the Left, ideally situated to exercise pressure on Democrats, instead prefers a self-righteous standoffishness from that party and blanket condemnation of its voters to trying to organize them to make demands on the party--demands which, if unmet, would prove to Democratic voters the party's incapacity for reform in a way leftists' mere preaching of their anti-Democrat gospel never could. Such as the demand made in the Bernie or Bust pledge: to nominate Bernie Sanders and reject Hillary Clinton--at the cost of pledgers voting Green or writing in Sanders if the demand is not met. At the small cost of potentially electing Sanders (a vastly superior candidate to any other with a shot at winning), the Left could have definitive public proof of what it claims to know anyway: that the Democratic Party establishment is too corrupt to let Sanders win. For people so cocksure of knowing something--something I myself suspect is true--leftists seem very afraid (as I am not) of putting it to an empirical test. As stated, this reflects considerable bad will. For any good-willed person, knowing the urgency of reform, wants the Democratic Party to be reformable even if highly skeptical of that prospect. Any path to reform not involving reforming Democrats likely involves electing Republicans while a third party like the Greens becomes viable--at the price of considerable social pain, climate destruction, and (quite probably) protesters being labeled terrorists and hauled off to dark sites, or even shot in the streets. I personally see no potential avenue to reforming Democrats but a willingness to play "electoral chicken"--threatening to withhold votes from Hillary Clinton if she's nominated--but given the likely level of social pain involved, I fully understand why a man of conscience like Noam Chomsky encourages voters in swing states to vote for Clinton in the general election if she's the nominee. But without such organized electoral chicken, what real prospect do progressives (above all, climate justice ones) have of exercising any influence over Clinton, who will drop all pretense of being progressive and will simply "guilt" progressives with lesser-evil argument (probably even citing Chomsky) once she's the nominee? But beyond bad will, leftists' unwillingness to put their dogma of Democrats' incapacity for reform to an empirical, voter-convincing test reveals the Left's loss of any instinct for political organizing. For Sanders supporters, especially young ones (many, veterans of the Occupy movement), have poured immense energy and enthusiasm into his campaign. And beyond that energy and enthusiasm, what makes Sanders supporters such ripe subjects for leftist organizing, is that Sanders places strong emphasis on the need for political revolution. Granted, Sanders' view of revolution may be a laughably tame one; but frankly, the only fault I find with it is his persistent unwillingness to identify Clinton and the Democratic Party establishment as outright enemies of the needed revolution. Given the increasing nastiness and dishonesty of the pro-Clinton party establishment's attacks on Sanders , along with the undemocratic measures they've taken from the get-go to sabotage his campaign and thwart his nomination, convincing Sanders supporters that Clinton's the foremost enemy of his revolution should not be terribly hard. Yet failure to do so, should Clinton win the nomination and Sanders then endorses her (as he's virtually certain to do), will cause his supposed revolution to disappear without a trace once she's nominated; one can't simultaneously endorse a candidate and make that candidate a target of revolution. The sad truth about Bernie is that of his conflicting beliefs in lesser-evilism and revolution, revolution is the one he's willing to sacrifice. But the Left should have seen, as Revolt Against Plutocracy did, the immense opportunity to organize the undoubtedly large number of his supporters who feel Bernie should have sacrificed lesser-evilism instead. What, after all, is the point of invoking political revolution you intend to call off within months if you're not nominated? Yet the Left still has the prospect of organizing Bernie's revolution-minded supporters--by putting its resources behind the Bernie or Bust pledge . Whether the Left exploits this unique organizing opportunity--to build a movement that could endure and grow no matter who gets elected--is ultimately a choice between science and religion. As philosopher Daniel Dennett notes in his book Breaking the Spell , a chief function of the concept of "the sacred" is to forbid empirical investigation of religious beliefs. In leftists' refusal to support demands that put the Democratic Party to the test--even though Democrats failing that test could reward the Left (and the Green Party) richly--I see an equally dogmatic defense of leftists' sacred, identity-giving belief that Democrats are beyond reform. And the related dogmatic belief that any candidate running as a Democrat must be denied support--even if he's attempting a hostile takeover of the party. Yet only by putting their religious dogma to an empirical test--whether the Democratic establishment still embraces Clinton despite organized voter rejection--can leftists hope to exploit the unique organizing opportunity Sanders' candidacy offers. 1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war. 2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war. 3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength. 4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war. 5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites. 6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination. 7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N. 8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N. 9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress. 10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N. 11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.) 12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party. 13. Do away with all loyalty oaths. 14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office. 15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States. 16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights. 17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks. 18. Gain control of all student newspapers. 19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack. 20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions. 21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures. 22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms." 23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art." 24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press. 25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV. 26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy." 27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch." 28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state." 29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis. 30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man." 31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over. 32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc. 33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus. 34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities. 35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI. 36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions. 37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business. 38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand. 39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals. 40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce. 41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents. 42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems. 43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government. 44. Internationalize the Panama Canal. 45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike. This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source. Reprinted from Consortium News (Updated from the original publication on Feb. 14, 2011) Twenty-five years ago, as Americans were celebrating Valentine's Day, Iraqi husbands and fathers in the Amiriyah section of Baghdad were peeling the remains of their wives and children off the walls and floor of a large neighborhood bomb shelter. The men had left the shelter the evening before, so their wives would have some measure of privacy as they sought refuge from the U.S.-led coalition bombing campaign, which was at its most intense pre-ground-war stage. All of the more than 400 women and children were incinerated or boiled to death at 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 13, 1991, when two F-117 stealth fighter-bombers each dropped a 2,000-pound laser-guided "smart bomb" on the civilian shelter at Amiriyah. It was one of those highly accurate "surgical strikes." The first bomb sliced through 10 feet of reinforced concrete before a time-delayed fuse exploded, destroying propane and water tanks for heating water and food. Minutes later the second bomb flew precisely through the opening that had been cut by the first and exploded deeper in the shelter creating an inferno. Fire rose from the lower level to the area where the women and children were seeking shelter -- and so did the boiling water. Those who did not burn to death immediately or die from the bombs' impact were boiled or steamed to death in the intense heat. The bombs hit toward the end of the month-long bombing campaign to "soften up" Iraq before the U.S.-led ground invasion to drive Iraqi troops from Kuwait. The aerial bombing had begun on Jan. 17, 1991; the coalition flew over 100,000 sorties, dropping 88,500 tons of bombs. U.S. government documents show that the bombs were targeted on civilian as well as military infrastructure. They were very accurate. This is not to suggest that the targeters knew that some 400 women and children would be killed at Amiriyah. No, it was just one of those unfortunate mistakes to which many Americans have become accustomed, even inured -- whether the unintended-but-nevertheless-dead victims be in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, wherever. Indeed, the stealth aircraft and the ordnance were a proud paragon of precision performing their mission. How was the Air Force to know that the targeting information was based on spurious "intelligence" reports that the shelter had become a military command site? Actually, Brigadier General Buster Glosson, who had overall responsibility for targeting, later commented that the "intelligence" pointing to military use was not "worth a sh*t." Human Rights Watch noted later in 1991: "It is now well established, through interviews with neighborhood residents, that the Amiriyah structure was plainly marked as a public shelter and was used throughout the air war by large numbers of civilians." A BBC correspondent, Jeremy Bowen, was among the first TV reporters to arrive on the scene. He was given access to the site and found no evidence of military use. The Pentagon later admitted that it had known that "the Amiriyah facility had been used as a civil-defense shelter during the Iraq-Iran war" from 1980 to 1988. So who was held responsible for this horrible "mistake"? Are you kidding? What planet did you say you were from? A Time to Witness In "Death of a Salesman," Arthur Miller puts these words into the mouth of Willy Loman's wife, Linda, words that I believe also apply to the "small" people huddled that night in the shelter in Amiriyah: "I don't say he's a great man. ... But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He's not to be allowed to fall in his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must finally be paid to such a person." This imperative was brought home to me when my friend Art Laffin of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in Washington, DC, called me on Feb. 12, 2003, as a fresh wave of "coalition" attacks on Iraq loomed. Art had visited the huge underground coffin at Amiriyah. He said: "I was there, Ray; I saw it; I talked to the men." Art told me of a memorial liturgy to be held in front of the White House the next day, marking the 12th anniversary of the precision bombing at Amiriyah, lest the massacre be forgotten. Last Saturday, more than 18,000 people packed the convention center in Denver to hear the Senator lay out his agenda for restoring our middle class, giving hope to the millions who are trying to keep their heads above water. According to the Denver Post, Saturday's events "showcased" the differences in campaign styles. "Clinton's campaign hosted a small event that featured party leaders and teary families affected by gun violence" while Sanders had a huge rally a few hours later. That evening, both spoke at a Democratic Party dinner and fundraiser. Of course, Clinton has the support of Colorado's Democratic Party hierarchy. A SuperTuesday state, Colorado holds a caucus on March 1st with 79 delegates at stake. On Sunday, using a bullhorn, Sanders spoke to 300 people, unable to get into Bonanza High School in Las Vegas, before he entered the gymnasium filled to capacity with 1,700 supporters. The Nevada caucus will be held this Saturday but polling is very difficult in the state, especially in and around Las Vegas, because the area suffered from so many foreclosures. Nevertheless, Sanders is experiencing success in bringing caucus goers to his side. A Clinton gaffe has undermined her support. In looking ahead to a possible tie with Bernie, she did not want a picture to emerge that she had lost the Latino and black vote -- supposedly her strongest constituencies -- so she put the fabrication out there for public consumption that "Nevada is 80% white." Understandably, this has been viewed as an insult by those same constituencies. Michigan Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Reprinted from Consortium News As a teacher in the mid-1970s, my middle-school students in Far Rockaway, Queens, one of the poorest communities of New York City, were celebrating Mayday, the international workers holiday. Marilyn, the proud-queen of the Mayday show, was dressed in a redesigned wedding gown, surrounded by the girls in the class who were admiring her classy attire. When it came time to kick off the Mayday festivities, Marilyn rose to take her place at the Maypole, but she never made it to a full standing position. She grew extremely dizzy, fell back into her chair and was taken to the emergency room. I then learned that places where my students lived, played and studied were laced with lead-based products and their minds were being dulled and poisoned, even as I tried to expand them. Now, four decades later, there is the case of Flint, Michigan, where an entire city has had its water systems poisoned by lead. Many in the community and environmental activists around the country are outraged at what was allowed to happen to Flint and the slow reaction of state and federal officials. And the more the people of Flint find out about what their politicians and officials knew and didn't do, the angrier the citizens are getting. According to the Centers for Disease Control, "Lead is a neurotoxic substance that has been shown in numerous research studies to affect brain function and development. Children who have been exposed to elevated levels of lead are at increased risk for cognitive and behavioral problems during development. Exposure to lead can result in a variety of effects upon neuropsychological functioning including deficits in general intellectual functioning, ability to sustain attention on tasks, organization of thinking and behavior, speech articulation, language comprehension and production, learning and memory efficiency, fine motor skills, high activity level, reduced problem solving flexibility, and poor behavioral self-control." Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, an Environmental Protection Agency whistleblower, worked at the EPA for some 18 years and is the author of No Fear: A Whistleblowers Triumph over Corruption and Retaliation at the EPA. Her lawsuit led to the "No Fear Act," passed to protect government whistleblowers from intimidation and retaliation. In a recent interview, with Dennis J Bernstein, Coleman-Adebayo called for a full-scale criminal investigation to ascertain, and if need be punish, EPA and Michigan officials at the highest level for their part in poisoning the water and the people of Flint. DB: What I hope to cover in our interview is, first, if the EPA has the resources to investigate and the criminal mandate, if you will. And then I want to get into if they have the will to do it. So let's start with what's possible. What do you think the EPA could and should be doing? MC: The EPA has the legal authority to prosecute. In fact, as you said, there are criminal ... there are violations. There are provisions [of] The Clean Air Act that provide for criminal prosecutions. [...] A lot of people really don't understand the breadth of the EPA, and the provisions by law that the EPA has to go against environmental criminals. ... EPA has 200 fully authorized federal law enforcement agents. And these agents actually are authorized to carry firearms in order to carry out their responsibility. At EPA we have about 70 forensic scientists and technicians. We have ... 45 attorneys at EPA who do nothing but litigate environmental criminals. And so it's not the most extensive array of personnel but we certainly have the resources. It certainly does not take the 200 [environmental] law enforcement officers to arrest a governor, or even other people who have been involved in this criminal act, in Michigan. So we have the authority. But the second question that you asked, "Do we have the will?" [...] I think that's really where the fault line lies. And that is what the agency has shown, is that it may have the authority, but it certainly does not have the will to protect the people of this country from environmental criminals. DB: I do want you to hone in on this. It's sort of an institutional decision that the EPA made not to prosecute in certain communities. You want to talk a little bit about the so-called sacrifice zones? MC: Well, sacrifice zones are essentially primarily African [-American], Hispanic communities, low-income white communities that no longer have the [economic] ability to flex their muscles, in the overall environment, in the overall economics of our economy, of our country. For example, Flint, Michigan, used to be an area where a lot of African-Americans [moved to] who were escaping from state-sponsored violence in the South, from the Ku Klux Klan, the White Knights, and all the organizations that were dedicated to killing black people in the early 1920's, 30's, 40's. So a lot of these people who live in Flint now migrated from the rural South into cities like Detroit, into Flint, trying to escape state-sponsored violence. And they went to Flint seeking economic value, jobs in the auto industry. And, then, of course ... it's another economic betrayal, where these industries basically pick up through NAFTA and other kinds of economic [incentives] and they leave these cities. And they go to Mexico, or to some other place where they can pay workers very low wages, with almost no benefits, leaving these communities without a way of really recovering from that kind of economic devastation. ... (Image by Tumisu) Details DMCA are at the forefront of the future. Their technological know-how creates innovative ideas and products at the blink of an eye. The landscape of technology is constantly changing and engineers help it evolve into something that could benefit all of humanity. One of these things is the self-driving car. Google, who quietly launched their own automobile company last year, is making great strides to lead the market in self-driving cars. They are now looking to make new hires to help them reach this goal and create an errorless self-driving car. Available Jobs Google is currently on a hiring spree and they're looking to fill 36 job listings. One job listing is for a marketing manager. This person needs to have a marketing strategy ready to inspire the world and make them see the endless possibilities with self-driving cars. With Google's history of inspiring innovation, this can surely be done. Another job opening is for a manufacturing process engineer that will design the factory stations and the floor plan, and will make the work environment conducive to producing the vehicles. Other job postings include engineers and people to work on the hardware of the car. Google is also hiring a policy analyst to deal with policy makers both outside and inside the government. This is coming off of recent news that the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration announced that Google's self-driving technology is now considered a driver. Increasing Production Google parent company Alphabet is trying to drive the production of self-driving cars. These new job listings indicate that they are pushing hard to be the first one to bring this type of vehicle to market. It looks like Google won't be manufacturing and selling the cars themselves. They will try to team up with an existing car company that'll eventually bring the driverless car to the market. Some companies might not want to partner up with Google since they've helped build the relationship between vehicle and driver. It also seems that Google will test these cars as self-driving taxis before they sell them to the general public. These rides will be much cheaper for the passenger and much more efficient. The Risk of Self-Driving Cars As this newer technology develops, we need to be fully aware of what it means for society. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Kayla Matthews Social Media Pages: Kayla Matthews is an IT journalist and blogger. You can also find her work on The Huffington Post and MakeUseOf. The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors. OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help. If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership. There is no doubt that Olmert was deeply immersed in corruption, like many in the top echelons of Israeli government today. However, the justice system in Israel today appears to operate as an arm of Netanyahu's efforts to consolidate his autocratic rule by a series of targeted prosecutions of his potential political opponents. High profile corruption cases are litigated out of compliance with the fundamentals of due process... (Image by Kan-Naim.co.il) Details DMCA Figure : Former PM Ehud Olmert and his former personal secretary/confidant Shula Zaken (turned prosecution witness under a plea bargain deal), on the background of the monstrous Holyland project in Jerusalem , built outside normal zoning codes, and where bribes were paid to Olmert by developers. _____ OccupytTLV, February 16 - Request to Inspect former PM Ehud Olmert's Arrest Warrant was filed by this writer earlier this week in the Jerusalem Magistrate Court. [1] The Arrest Warrant, public judicial record by Israeli law, fails to appear in the case docket... Israeli law, like the law in civil societies, prohibits the imprisonment of any person without a "lawfully made arrest warrant". Warrantless imprisonment is a fundamental violation of Civil and Human Rights. Without recorded arrest warrants, human dignity and liberty are under permanent threat. However, it is obvious that the authorities in Israel do not comply with Israeli law in this matter in recent years. Current conditions in this regard in Israel fit a dictatorship. Therefore, the filing of the Request to Inspect of former PM Ehud Olmert 's Arrest Warrant was only meant to demonstrate the absurd: Even a former PM is imprisoned with no arrest warrant... Israeli and international media widely covered former PM Olmert imprisonment on Monday. [2] The Guardian UK, for example, stated in its headline that Olmert " begins 19-month prison sentence". However, that is fact is not clear at all... The imprisonment followed a dramatic ruling by Presiding Judge Avital Chen of the Jerusalem Magistrate Court on February 10, which was also widely covered by media. However, Judge Chen's ruling also failed to appear in the court file docket for a couple of days, and appeared only after its absence from the docket was widely publicized by this author... And today, Yediot daily reports that the Judge Chen's February 10, 2016 Judgment record pertaining to Olmert's imprisonment is unclear. Due to ambiguity in Judge Avital Chen's Judgment it remains unclear, what Olmert's prison term is. [3] Therefore, it turns out that the Request to Inspect Olmert's Arrest Warrant was fully justified... The ambiguity regarding Olmert's prison term is related to the overlapping prison sentences in a couple of cases, where former PM Olmert was convicted. The bulk of the prison term is related to his conviction in the Holyland corruption trial in the Tel-Aviv District Court. However, in that case too, following intensive efforts for over a year, requests to inspect the Tel-Aviv District Court file and the Supreme Court file (where an appeal was conducted for over a year) -- the authentic judgment record is nowhere to be found... [4] Such circumstances stand contrary to Israeli law, which provides that judicial decision and judgment records are public records, which "any person may inspect" (but not motion and response records, in contrast with US and state laws). Moreover, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel conducted a 12 year long petition on the right to inspect judicial records. In its 2009 judgment in the petition, the Israeli Supreme Court declares that the right to inspect judicial records is "a fundamental principle in any democratic regime", and "a constitutional, supra-statutory right". Albeit, there is no constitution in Israel... Moreover, concomitantly with such highfalutin declarations, the Israeli courts implemented over the past decade fraudulent computerized case management systems in the courts, which permit false docketing in court cases, the publication of sham/simulated judicial records, and more. Based on submission, authored by this writer, the UN Human Rights Council Periodic Review of Israeli (2013) noted in its Professional Staff Report (page 4, p 25) "lack of integrity of the electronic record systems of the Supreme Court, District Court and Detainees' Courts in Israel". [5] With it, the profound corruption of the Israeli justice system over the past decade should be considered equivalent to unannounced regime change, stripping the fundamental protection of rights, still provided in the written law. [6] There is no doubt that Olmert was deeply immersed in corruption, like many in the top echelons of Israeli government today. However, the justice system in Israel today appears to operate as an arm of Netanyahu's efforts to consolidate his autocratic rule by a series of targeted prosecutions of his potential political opponents. High profile corruption cases are litigated out of compliance with the fundamentals of due process... The warrantless imprisonment of former PM Ehud Olmert is only the latest reminder of the nature of the Israeli regime today... LINKS [1] 2016-02-14 State of Israel v Ehud Olmert (38168-01-16) in the Jerusalem Magistrate Court -- Request (#2) to inspect transcripts , arrest warrant [bi-lingual Hebrew-English filing] https://www.scribd.com/doc/299222225/ Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). General Motors has a very short memory. And no loyalty. In 2009, GM received a massive and generous bailout of $49.5 billion from U.S. taxpayers. The U.S. government, and the U.S. taxpayers, lost $11.2 billion on its investment in General Motors. The government sold its stock in GM for $38.3 billion in December of 2013. In 1953, President Eisenhower nominated GM's CEO, Charles Wilson, to be Secretary of Defense. During his confirmation hearing, Wilson said, "I thought what was good for the country was good for General Motors and vice versa." Sadly, while this was true in 1953, it is no longer true. Buick now makes four of the seven models sold in the U.S. overseas: one in China, one in Poland, one in Canada and one in South Korea. Neither China, nor Poland, nor South Korea helped to save GM, but their economies are the beneficiaries of the "new" General Motors. To be fair, I must admit that the government of Canada (and the province of Ontario) invested $13 billion to help save GM, a small fraction of the tab paid for by U.S. taxpayers. Canada lost about $3 billion as a result of its investment. Canada may deserve to have one Buick model made in Ontario. Based on this math, the United States deserves to have at least four Buick models made domestically. The U.S. invested four times as much as Canada and should get four times the result. Instead, we got shafted. The new General Motors was created to save jobs in the United States. The U.S. government appointed a "car czar" (first Steven Rattner, currently Ron Bloom) and controlled the majority of the GM board of directors. However, none of these officials did anything to ensure the long-term creation of jobs here in the United States. GM will begin selling its made in China "Buick Envision" in the United States this year. This Envision model is a compact crossover produced at a plant in the Yantai, Shandong province. This will be the first, and hopefully the last, car to be imported from China. Buick sells the Encore subcompact crossover, imported from Bupyeong, South Korea, at its American dealerships. The Buick Regal was manufactured in Russelsheim, Germany from 2009 to 2011, and then moved to Oshawa, Ontario, Canada where it is now made. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Reprinted from Smirking Chimp The big Republican knock against Bernie Sanders -- and, to some extent, the knock on Hillary Clinton and any Democrat -- is that they want the US to be more like Europe, particularly Northern Europe. Bernie's socialist policies might work fine for Scandinavia, Republicans say, but they're pretty much DOA in the good old US of A. Marco Rubio even went so far as to joke at a recent debate that Bernie would actually be better off just running for president of Sweden. Now, Sweden doesn't actually have a president (it's a constitutional monarchy with a king as its head of state and a prime minister as its head of government), but Rubio's point here is still pretty obvious. Basically, he's saying that even if it were a good idea, Bernie Sanders' Sweden-style socialism would never work in the US because dammit, this is the United States and we don't like commies here. Conservative columnist David Brooks gives another version of this argument in his latest op-ed for The New York Times. He writes... "There's nothing wrong with living in Northern Europe. I've lived there myself. It's just not the homeland we've always known. Bernie Sanders' America is starkly different from Alexander Hamilton's or Alexis de Tocqueville's America, or even Bill Clinton's and Barack Obama's America." But is that really true? Is Sweden-style social democracy really as alien to the American way of thinking as David Brooks says it is? Do Americans really prefer our way of doing things to the Scandinavian way of doing things? Well, contrary to what you might hear on Fox So-Called News, they don't. Americans actually really like socialism, in particular Swedish-style democratic socialism, the kind Bernie Sanders is promoting as part of his political revolution. A couple of years ago, Harvard University business professor Michael Norton and Duke University Psychology professor Dan Ariely conducted a study in which they showed Americans three different pie charts. The first pie chart represented how wealth is distributed here in the US, with the richest 20 percent of all Americans controlling 84 percent of all wealth. The second pie chart represented how wealth is distributed in Sweden, a much more equal society in which the richest 20 percent of the population controlling a much smaller share of all wealth -- around 18 percent. The third chart represented an imaginary society in which wealth was distributed equally among all sectors of the population. After showing people these three charts, Norton and Ariely then asked them which style of wealth distribution they preferred. The responses to this question were stunning. A full 92 percent of people said they preferred a Swedish style of wealth distribution. Seventy-seven percent, meanwhile, said they actually preferred a perfectly equal distribution of wealth. So what's the takeaway from all this? Prchard Parks Maya Clinard Orchard Parks Maya Clinard, far right, took runner-up in singles at this past weekends Section VI Girls Tennis Championships at... Boys soccer peaking into sectionals It was not an ideal start to the 2022 season for the Orchard Park boys soccer team, dropping its first... PDX To Japan An afternoon Delta flight to Tokyo's Narita airport takes off from Portland International Airport on Thursday, August 27, 2009. (The Oregonian/File) Japanese and American officials have struck a deal to open Tokyo's Haneda airport to daytime flights to and from the United States, but that could be bad news for Portland's only nonstop flight to Asia. Aviation officials agreed Thursday to set aside five slots at the airport for trips to and from the U.S., Reuters reported. That opens the centrally-located airport to tourists and business travelers who don't want to make the trip from the outlying Narita airport, which has historically handled international flights. But Delta, the operator of Portland's daily nonstop fight to Narita, says opening up Haneda will siphon business from the other airport. That could make flights there from smaller markets, like Portland, less competitive and lead to their eventual cancellation, Delta said previously. "Tokyo-Haneda will remain a severely restricted airport with limited competition," Peter Carter, Delta's chief legal officer, said in a statement Thursday. "Delta is committed to doing our best to maintain the viability of our current Asian route structure and our Narita hub for as long as possible, recognizing that commercial impacts are imminent." Other airlines, which operate in alliances with Asian carriers that already have operations at Haneda, are more pleased with the arrangement. The Portland-to-Tokyo link opened in 2004 under Northwest Airlines, and the Port of Portland kept it going with a $3.5 million subsidy in 2009, when economic recession had curbed on air travel. It now operates without subsidies, and the Portland market is the smallest to boast non-stop flights to both Asia and Europe. The daily flights run at nearly 90 percent capacity, and it carries a high number of local passengers for a market its size, Delta said. -- Elliot Njus enjus@oregonian.com 503-294-5034 @enjus On a bitterly cold late afternoon in early January, a group of armed ranchers, construction workers and small business owners stormed an isolated federal bird refuge in southeastern Oregon. They refused to leave unless certain demands were met. The occupiers, mostly men, came from at least 10 different states. Almost none had Oregon roots. But it was here at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in the vast Oregon desert that they had chosen to make a stand against the U.S. government. Most breaking news stories come and go quickly. This one would last an astonishing 41 days. Our reporters filed relentlessly, generating 356 stories during the occupation - an average of nearly nine stories a day. Our online broadcast unit produced 110 separate spot news segments and explainer videos. In the field, reporters and photographers captured audio and video clips and uploaded more than 2,500 photographs, filling daily galleries on OregonLive. But we weren't content to just cover the news. Our reporters produced one enterprise scoop after another. One story detailed how the militant leaders spent months plotting to takeover the bird refuge. Another story featured interviews with local residents who said they were being followed, harassed or intimidated by men driving out-of-state trucks. A team in Portland and our reporters in the field profiled every key player in the standoff. Reporters also laid out the history of the land battles. The occupation took a huge toll on Burns, a small town that had suffered economically in recent years. We told that story, too. Our coverage was a true manifestation of our digital first approach, generating more than 17 million page views on OregonLive during the occupation. Our stories were shared more than 750,000 times, and our web videos were watched more than 1 million times. Readers posted about 250,000 comments. Contributions poured in from our entire staff - from our TV critic monitoring reaction on the late night comedy shows to our pop culture writers. And our newspaper staff carefully curated the best of our coverage for print readers of The Oregonian. Through it all, we deployed our secret weapon: Senior watchdog reporter Les Zaitz. Zaitz is a 40-year veteran reporter and editor who is one of the best sourced reporters in all of Oregon. But in rural parts of the state, no one can compete with him. He lives on his own ranch two hours from Burns. While city slickers parachuted in from out of state and out of town, Zaitz had been on the ground weeks before the occupation began. He was the first reporter to write about the growing tensions centered around the legal battles of local ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond. His two-part curtain raiser ran in the last days of 2015. It would be the first signal to the public, and to the media, that trouble was brewing in Burns. By the time other news outlets descended on Burns, Zaitz had already developed and cultivated the key sources. When the occupation began, he had about 1,000 followers on Twitter. When it ended, his following had grown to 12,500. Zaitz saw first hand the impact the occupation had on Burns. "The town and the area found itself divided - family against family, neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend - in ways that were painful to observe," he said. "The constant presence of militia and protesters added an element of danger. Many worried what could happen with so many volatile opinions, backed by guns, in town." Covering the story came with its own set of complications. Burns is five hours from our Portland newsroom. Cell service was spotty and the refuge was another 30 miles beyond Burns, leaving a lot of ground to cover. "We had to figure out on an hourly basis where to deploy reporters and photographers, trying to anticipate in a very unpredictable climate where the next story would break," said Zaitz, who helped manage our reporting team in Burns. "And then there was the very pragmatic challenge of getting our team enough rest to sustain the day-after-day demands of the story." To address this, we cycled in waves of reporters and visual journalists. Some of our reporters volunteered to make the trip from Portland to Burns three separate times. More than 65 people in our newsroom contributed to the coverage - a few working virtually every day. We burned through most of our news travel budget in just the first few weeks. It was all in service to the story. And our readers noticed, flooding the newsroom with well wishes, encouragement and pie. That's right. Pie. Zaitz proclaimed his love of good pie on social media. And readers sent lovingly homemade creations from as far away as Baltimore. "I wanted to thank you for the excellent journalism and commend all of you for providing unbiased, content-rich coverage, especially for something that is so incredibly emotional," wrote Laura Bynum, from Washington, D.C. Added Syd Kanitz of Portland: "I have not missed a story in The Oregonian. This is what good journalism is all about." The standoff started Jan. 2, just a couple of days after we lost several good journalists after a round of buyouts. But our coverage proved that when big news breaks, Oregon's largest newsroom will always rise to the occasion. Portland State University PSU wants a payroll tax to add millions annually for student scholarships and other programs. (Mike Zacchino) Portland's chamber of commerce is exploring ways to preemptively kill a proposed payroll tax on metro-area businesses that would generate between $35 million and $40 million annually for Portland State University. The Portland Business Alliance says it views the payroll tax as a "statewide issue." State Sen. Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose) apparently agrees, and she introduced legislation last week on behalf of the PBA that is tailor-made to stop the proposed eight-year payroll tax before it can get to voters in the fall. The bill would bar any of Oregon's seven public universities from receiving money from a payroll tax imposed by a "metropolitan service district." Oregon has just one such service district, the Metro regional government. If the PSU tax gets to the ballot this fall and is approved by voters, Metro would administer and collect the revenue in conjunction with the state's Department of Revenue. The Salem intrigue comes nearly nine months before voters would determine the fate of the payroll tax. Sandra McDonough, the chamber's chief executive, said she's not sure the Legislature will vote on the amendment during the short February session. The business alliance asked Johnson to intervene on the issue. The Democrat, whose district covers some large Northwest Portland industrial employers, tacked the proposal onto an unrelated bill that would phase out the state's liquor control agency role in purchasing, importing, warehousing and retailing of distilled liquors. McDonough said the chamber is "in a very difficult position" because it's long been a strong PSU supporter. This time, she said, the university "elected not to sit down in a collaborative way about this issue." "It will be a very unfortunate situation if we're put in a situation where we have to raise money or have a public battle with one of our very important partners," she said in an interview. Scott Gallagher, a PSU spokesman declined an interview request but issued a statement to The Oregonian/OregonLive and Willamette Week: "Given the crisis in college affordability, we can't imagine that the Legislature would want to tie the hands of universities that are trying to make college more accessible for all our citizens." At a House Committee Hearing on Revenue last week, several legislators appeared unaware of the PSU tax proposal. "I'm just asking why you didn't come here before now?" State Rep. Cliff Bentz, (R-Ontario) asked of a PSU lobbyist. The proposed payroll tax would generate revenue for need-based scholarships for Portland-area students, allow the school to hire more counselors and professors and contribute to emergency tuition aid programs. If approved, the tax would expire Dec. 31, 2024, unless it gets reauthorized by voters. Employers would be charged a payroll tax of one-tenth of one percent on wages paid in the metro area. Metro's attorney filed ballot language with the Multnomah County elections office last week, an initial step toward qualifying for the ballot. Opponents have until close of business Feb. 24 to challenge the ballot language. -- Andrew Theen atheen@oregonian.com 503-294-4026 @andrewtheen THURSDAY, Feb. 18, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Smoking is common among the homeless, and it's costing them a large share of what little money they have, a new study finds. The research, surveying over 300 homeless adults who smoked, found that on average, they spent $44 on tobacco in the past week. Meanwhile, their average income for the month was around $500, and one-third or more said they had difficulty finding shelter, food, clothing or a place to wash, the research showed. "What does $44 in a week mean?" said lead researcher Dr. Travis Baggett, of Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston. "It's a very high amount when people are really struggling." Other experts said the findings, published online Feb. 17 in the New England Journal of Medicine, highlight an issue that has gotten little attention: An estimated three-quarters of homeless U.S. adults smoke, and help getting them to quit is lacking. The health consequences are clear. Smoking-related health conditions -- such as heart disease and certain cancers -- are the leading causes of death among the homeless, said Molly Meinbresse, director of research for the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, in Nashville. The new findings underscore the daily, practical hardship of smoking. "Smoking places an extremely high health and financial burden on people who are homeless," said Meinbresse, who was not involved in the study. But effective help with quitting can be hard to come by. Meinbresse said that health care clinics for the homeless often do screen patients for tobacco use, and offer advice on quitting. "However," she added, "programs that may involve group counseling and support are not consistently available." That's a significant shortcoming, according to Baggett, because medications that curb nicotine craving are "just one piece" of a successful quit effort. In general, he said, research shows that smokers often need counseling -- as well as support from family and friends. When a smoker is homeless, that support system is often absent, and there are all the added stressors of day-to-day living. The tobacco habit, Meinbresse said, is often related to that stress -- as well as mental health issues, alcohol or drug abuse, or a history of trauma. Plus, when most of the people around you are smoking, it's that much harder to quit. "Social norms have a lot to do with smoking and your ability to your quit," said Dr. Donna Shelley, an associate professor of population health at NYU Langone Medical Center, in New York City. Shelley, who was not involved in the new research, studies smoking cessation among the homeless and other disadvantaged groups. She said the high rates of smoking among not only the homeless, but poor Americans in general, are "disturbing." "The fact that they're spending their scarce resources on tobacco is tragic," Shelley said. On top of the financial drain, she added, a smoking habit can limit a poor or homeless person's housing options: Nationwide, public and low-income housing sources are increasingly going smoke-free. The new study findings are based on surveys of 306 homeless adults in Boston, all of whom smoked. Half said they'd had problems finding shelter or clothing in the past month, while slightly smaller numbers said they'd had difficulty finding food, a place to wash or a bathroom to use. Despite those hardships, they were spending an average of $44 a week on tobacco, the study revealed. To some people, Baggett said, it might be easy to dismiss homeless smokers as having "bad priorities." But, he stressed, they are addicted to nicotine: His team found that the greater a survey respondent's nicotine dependence, the more he or she spent on tobacco. Ideally, Shelley said, smoking cessation for the homeless would be "comprehensive," helping them deal with the life issues that feed their nicotine dependence. Getting more programs into homeless shelters would help, according to Shelley, since that's a point where people would be receiving other services, such as mental health treatment and help with substance abuse. Meinbresse said her group "strongly believes" smoking cessation should be a top priority for any organization that serves the homeless. "Addiction to tobacco," she said, "should not be an additional burden that these individuals have to face when the struggle to find housing, health care, employment and food is already hard enough." More information SmokeFree.gov has more on quitting tobacco. This story has been updated with a response from Precision Castparts. A toxic air pollution problem that state regulators described two weeks ago as limited to one Southeast Portland neighborhood continues to implicate new areas throughout the city. Maps newly released to The Oregonian/OregonLive by Oregon's top environmental regulator show elevated levels of heavy metals in tree moss in two Portland neighborhoods. The maps, based on U.S. Forest Service research, show a much higher concentration of lead in North Portland's Kenton neighborhood than in other parts of the city. They also reveal a sprawling nickel plume centered in Southeast Portland's Brentwood-Darlington neighborhood. Neither state regulators nor the Forest Service has identified sources for either metal. The nickel plume stretches north of Precision Castparts, an industrial manufacturer that has been called one of the country's top polluters. Federal records show the company released 158 pounds of nickel to the air in 2014. Jay Khetani, a Precision Castparts spokesman, said almost all of the nickel the company uses is in low-toxicity alloyed forms. He said the company looks forward to reviewing the tree moss data. "We do use nickel," he said, "but cannot of course establish a linkage to the tree moss data." The lead concentration is centered on a residential tract across the road from a string of industrial sites on North Columbia Boulevard. The health implications aren't clear. The maps only show concentrations of metals found in moss. The state Department of Environmental Quality said testing of soil and air in each neighborhood would be needed to establish the level of health risk for residents, and no such testing has occurred. Lead is a potent neurotoxin that can cause miscarriages, developmental problems in young children and irreversible brain damage. Nickel can cause asthma and lung cancer. A Department of Environmental Quality spokeswoman downplayed the maps' significance, saying they don't prove Portlanders nearby are breathing dirty air. "Just because the moss maps show a hot spot doesn't mean it's that hot or relevant -- it's just showing the highest value in the moss dataset," said Jennifer Flynt, an agency spokeswoman. "We can't know the significance of these values until they are calibrated with monitor data." But the agency's limited testing in Portland has shown a strong correlation between high concentrations of other metals in moss and nearby air pollution. When the agency monitored air near a Southeast Portland cadmium and arsenic hot spot, it found alarming levels of the two carcinogens. A nearby stained glass maker, Bullseye Glass, voluntarily halted use of the metals. Another glassmaker in North Portland also voluntarily stopped. The latest revelations continue the state's slow-motion response to a growing scare about the air that thousands of people breathe every day. The Department of Environmental Quality has not released maps for every air pollutant for which the Forest Service collected data in Portland, leaving open the possibility that more hot spots for hazardous metals will emerge. The Oregonian/OregonLive received the latest maps only after telling Gov. Kate Brown's office about the Department of Environmental Quality's failure to promptly release them. The Forest Service also has not released the maps and has denied three requests by The Oregonian/OregonLive to speak with the researchers who did the work. It was those Forest Service scientists who ripped the curtain off a toxic air pollution problem that has festered in Portland for a decade. Regulators have long known the city's air carried metals like cadmium at levels well above health goals. With only limited monitoring, it wasn't clear exactly where. And regulators didn't aggressively investigate. But after federal researchers plucked moss off of 346 trees citywide, they began detecting high concentrations of metals near industrial sources. Portlanders are now for the first time seeing exactly who is more likely to be impacted by the state's loosely regulated toxic air pollution. -- Rob Davis rdavis@oregonian.com 503.294.7657 @robwdavis pope francis donald trump Pope Francis, left, told reporters Donald Trump, right, "is not Christian" if he plans to deport immigrants and force Mexico to pay for a wall along the border. (Left: AP Photo, Right: The Austin Chronicle via AP) Pope Francis told reporters Donald Trump "is not Christian" because of his promises to deport immigrants and make Mexico pay for a wall along the nation's southern border. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," Francis told journalists during a flight, according to reports from national news outlets. The pontiff's remark came just hours after the end of his six-day visit to Mexico, where he held Mass so close to the border that thousands on the American side flocked to see the service. Trump, never one to back down from a fight, quickly responded on Facebook: "If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS's ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened. ISIS would have been eradicated unlike what is happening now with our all talk, no action politicians. "The Mexican government and its leadership has made many disparaging remarks about me to the Pope, because they want to continue to rip off the United States, both on trade and at the border, and they understand I am totally wise to them. The Pope only heard one side of the story - he didn't see the crime, the drug trafficking and the negative economic impact the current policies have on the United States. He doesn't see how Mexican leadership is outsmarting President Obama and our leadership in every aspect of negotiation. "For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful. I am proud to be a Christian and as President I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened, unlike what is happening now, with our current President. No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man's religion or faith. They are using the Pope as a pawn and they should be ashamed of themselves for doing so, especially when so many lives are involved and when illegal immigration is so rampant." Trump's social media director, Dan Scavino, also had something to say: Amazing comments from the Pope- considering Vatican City is 100% surrounded by massive walls. pic.twitter.com/g3iVLDVGe5 Dan Scavino (@DanScavino) February 18, 2016 If American Catholics take Francis's criticism to heart, the pontiff's comment could be a detriment to the billionaire businessman's campaign. According to data from the Pew Research Center, there are roughly 24.5 million Republican or Republican-leaning Catholics in the United States. Pew estimates more than half of them believe Trump would be a good president. Daniel Burke at CNN suggested the comment could also open "Francis to criticism that his papacy is too partisan and his policies too liberal. Polls indicate that while Democrats adore the Pope, Republicans view him a little less favorably." Asked if American Catholics should not vote for Trump, Francis responded: "As far as what you said about whether I would advise to vote or not to vote, I am not going to get involved in that," the pope told reporters, according to CNN. "I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that." -- Melissa Binder mbinder@oregonian.com 503-294-7656 @binderpdx WEDNESDAY, Feb. 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- A quick improvement in symptoms before a stroke patient arrives at the hospital doesn't necessarily mean a better outcome, a new study finds. "Patients with very early rapid neurological improvement when first examined at the hospital still need to be considered for therapy to dissolve blood clots, given the high rate of unfavorable outcome," study author Dr. Clotilde Balucani said in a news release from the American Stroke Association (ASA). Her team was slated to present the findings on Wednesday at the association's annual meeting, in Los Angeles. The study included 1,700 stroke patients, average age 70, who were assessed for symptoms such as facial droop, difficulties with speech, weak hand grip and arm strength. However, about a fifth of the patients showed a rapid improvement of stroke symptoms like these. Those patients were less likely to have high blood pressure and diabetes than others with stroke, the researchers noted. Patients whose symptoms rapidly improved before they arrived at the hospital were more likely to be discharged home, Balucani's team reported. But not all of them fared so well: A third to nearly half of them remained hospitalized. "A significant percent of patients with rapid neurological improvement do not have a good outcome," said Balucani, who is research assistant professor in neurology at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn. She believes that doctors "should strongly consider giving these patients intravenous medication to dissolve blood clots" for these cases. Two experts in stroke care agreed that when it comes to initial stroke symptoms, looks can be deceiving. In the past, patients whose symptoms quickly resolved "were not given 'clot-buster' medications," said Dr. Paul Wright, chair of neurology at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y. "However, physicians noted that there were patients who initially improved, only to ultimately worsen. "The importance of this study is to consider a shift in the mindset -- to now consider treatment with the clot-buster medications, whereas in the past this would not be done," Wright said. "This would especially hold true if the patient has a low likelihood of bleeding with the clot-busting therapy," he said. In the end, Wright said, "there is nothing worse than holding off on giving a patient clot-buster treatment due to rapid improvement, only to see them worsen the following day. By that time, the horse has left the barn." Dr. Rafael Ortiz is director of stroke at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. He stressed that certain patients are also more prone to a bad outcome after stroke than others. "Hypertension and diabetes correlated with the poor outcome of the patients [in this study], so it is important that patients are well-educated and treated for prevention of these conditions," Ortiz said. Stroke is a leading cause of disability and the fifth most common cause of death in the United States. When a stroke occurs, immediate treatment is critical. Findings presented at medical meetings are typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. More information The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about stroke. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. THURSDAY, Feb. 18, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Medical researchers conducting the majority of clinical trials in the United States fail to report their results in a timely manner, new research reveals. Less than one-third of clinical studies performed at major academic medical institutions are published within two years of completion -- a lapse that deprives the scientific community of time-sensitive, valuable information, investigators said. "The reasons are unclear, but the consequences are profound," said study co-author Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a professor of medicine at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn. "By not reporting results, the scientific findings literature is harmed because it is incomplete," Krumholz said. "Patients are harmed because their doctors have access to only part of the evidence that has been generated, and the people who agreed to be in the studies are dishonored." Randomized clinical trials are the best way to assess the effectiveness and safety of medical drugs and devices, the study authors explained. However, "the culture of medical research has evolved to the point where it is common practice not to report or publish studies, leaving it to the discretion of the researchers," Krumholz said. To evaluate human-study reporting practices at leading academic medical institutions, the investigators examined information from the ClinicalTrials.gov database in 2013. This database is the largest such registry in the United States. The researchers focused on U.S. studies with registrations indicating that all data-collecting efforts were scheduled to conclude at some point between 2007 and 2010. Krumholz and colleagues identified more than 4,300 completed studies, conducted by 51 well-known academic institutions. "We found that none of the prominent academic centers were doing well. All had many studies that were either not reported or published, or certainly not done within even two years of completing the studies," Krumholz said. Even when the government mandates the results be made public, they often go unreported, he added. Overall, only 29 percent of the studies were published within two years of completion, the investigators found. And the findings of only 13 percent were reported on the ClinicalTrials.gov website in the same time frame. Eventually, two-thirds of the studies were published, though often long after the two-year wrap-up mark, according to the report in the Feb. 17 online edition of the BMJ. Publication patterns varied widely, Krumholz and colleagues found. While some major academic medical centers published the findings of roughly 40 percent of their fully completed studies within 24 months, others reported less than 11 percent of their findings in that time frame. With regards to the ClinicalTrials.gov website, reporting patterns ranged from less than 2 percent to about 40 percent. Similar variations were seen in reporting results from completed stages of ongoing clinical trials. Unfortunately, "there is little consequence to not publishing," Krumholz said, calling this an increasingly common and "perplexing" practice. "We have tried to understand what accounts for the lack of publication," he said. "Certainly, undesirable results might be part of the issue. The bottom line, though, is that it is an abrogation of our responsibility as scientists and health care professionals," Krumholz added. Another study published last March in the New England Journal of Medicine found that only about one out of 10 clinical trials met federal requirements to report results on ClinicalTrials.gov within one year of the study's completion. In 2000, Congress authorized the creation of ClinicalTrials.gov to publicly report information about clinical trials. Later, a new law expanded the website's mandate, requiring sponsors of most trials to report basic summary results so Americans could have access to the data, according to background notes in the NEJM study. "There's been a lot of prior concern that industry often withheld evidence that came to light later about their medical products, and that medical journals were selectively reporting the positive results from trials," Dr. Monique Anderson of Duke University, an author of the 2015 study, said at the time. Jeff Francer, vice president of law for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group, said that "biopharmaceutical companies remain committed to enhancing public health through responsible clinical trial data sharing." Francer said his organization and its European counterpart -- the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations -- abide by a set of principles detailing their trial-data sharing goals. Under these principles, he said, "member companies have committed to enhance clinical trial-data sharing with qualified researchers, share results with the patients who participate in clinical trials, enhance public access to clinical study information, and reaffirm their commitment to publish medically significant clinical trial results." More information There's more on ClinicalTrials.gov at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Financing energy projects may become more feasible should Midland County Commissioners designate the county as a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) district. Commercial, industrial, agricultural and nonprofit organizations could then use the designation to finance comprehensive energy efficiency, water efficiency and renewable energy projects. PACE financing does not require any up-front capital, spreads costs from between 10 to 20 years and up to 100 percent of the projects costs could be covered under a special assessment. PACE is essentially a tool for private sector businesses for allowing property owners to finance energy efficiency and rural energy projects over longer periods of time, said Cory Connolly, Levin Energy Partners clean energy project manager. Sponsored by Midland Tomorrow, Connolly spoke Tuesday to a roomful of interested people at the Great Hall, including four Midland County commissioners, about the benefits of PACE. The designation could provide more comprehensive projects and more projects across the state. It could also save property owners money, allow contractors to close bigger and better deals; and improve the business climate. A lot of these energy efficiencies take eight, 10, 12 years to pay back, Connolly said. The financing available to do this is typically a three- to five- year payback. So, your payback doesnt match your lending arrangement. In 2010 Michigan passed statute PA 270, enabling local government units to establish PACE districts. The statute requires that projects, which are typically over $200,000, be cash flow positive, including any and all fees associated with the project. They cant be approved if youre not saving more in utility costs than the property owner is spending on the loan, Connolly said. A rule of thumb, if somebody is spending $5,000 a month on utility bills, this is a great tool for them. Lean & Green is one of two organizations that offers local government units an opt-in program to PACE. Payback on the loan is through a property tax special assessment voluntarily entered into by the property owner only for that property. Effectively the energy savings becomes the budget for your project. Those will pay for loan payments and plus, Connolly said. Midland County Treasurer Cathy Lunsford, who attended the seminar, didnt feel she had enough time to study the issue before commenting. Of the 83 counties in Michigan, 18 have agreed to participate in the PACE program, covering 53 percent of Michigans population. There have been 32 states that have passed these statutes. Local governments must adopt it for local businesses to take advantage of it, Connolly said. He was adamant in stating that there is no county money at risk. There are no taxpayer dollars used, he said. Time used by local government is expected to be incorporated into the financed amounts so that the local government can be compensated. Were very true to this. We really want no taxpayers dollars at any point. If the county wishes to join, the next step would be to create a resolution of intent, publish a PACE report followed by a public hearing and a vote on the resolution. Its free to all local governments in the state of Michigan, Connolly said. We have a network of vendors we work with that are interested in doing this kind of financing. Each local government unit can create its own program and either run the program itself, which costs money, resources and time or they can name a third party. Our approach is we will do this for free for local governments across the state of Michigan as a third party administrator, Connolly said. There is no term or commitment by local government. Just as easily as they can join, they can walk out. Levin Energy administers the program and receives payment through an administrative fee only if a property owner undertakes a project. To view Tuesdays PowerPoint presentation, visit the Midland Tomorrow website at: midlandtomorrow.org. The Mid-Michigan Section of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International) will meet Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Bavarian Inn Lodge and Conference Center, One Covered Bridge Lane, Frankenmuth. The meeting will take place in conjunction with the Saginaw Valley Engineering Councils annual National Engineers Week Banquet. National Engineers Week will be observed Feb. 21-27. The Collegiate Chapters of the Mid-Michigan Section of SAE International will report on their efforts to compete in the SAE Collegiate Design Competitions. The Collegiate Design Series events include the Clean Snowmobile Challenge, Formula SAE, Supermileage and the Mini Baja. This competitive annual design series involves over 140 colleges worldwide. Students from Central Michigan University, Kettering University, Saginaw Valley State University and the University of Michigan-Flint will participate. The student chapter presentations will cover the challenges they face and real-world lessons in project management, design, cost analysis, manufacturing and teamwork. The students will display their vehicles. Douglas Patton, 2017 SAE president will be in attendance to view the students achievements. Social hour is at 6 p.m. and dinner is at 7 p.m. The program begins at 8 p.m. The menu is Bavarian Inn style chicken dinner buffet. The dinner cost is $35 for SAE and Saginaw Valley Engineering Council members, $30 for retirees, $20 for students and $40 for non-members. This event is open to the public. For more information and dinner reservations, contact Bernard Santavy at 810-635-7948 or SAEMidMichSec@cs.com. Dinner tickets may also be purchased online at www.midmichigansae.org. Retired Midland County Sheriff John S. Reder died Wednesday, spurring those who knew him to pass on their memories of the man who served the community in law enforcement but did so much more. This is a huge loss to the entire community of Midland, Sheriff Scott Stephenson said. John Reder was not only a fantastic sheriff but a very generous man. Reder hired into the sheriffs office as a deputy in 1967, when he was just 24 years old. After promotions through the years, he was selected as sheriff in 1990, when then-Sheriff James McNutt left the office to serve as a state representative. He was a friend to so many people in this community and a mentor to every deputy he ever hired, Stephenson said. Reder cared about his employees, and being hired by him made them a sort of family, complete with cards containing articles cut from the newspaper to marking life events. It was not uncommon for Reder to call deputies off the road and into his office, where theyd be given a container of homemade chicken noodle soup for someone in the community, and instructed to take it to their home. John felt that he wanted to have someone in uniform deliver that and let them know the sheriffs office cared about the people in the community, Stephenson said. He had the respect of all his deputies and everyone in the community. Reder served as sheriff until 2004. After retirement, he would visit senior citizens and talk, and was active in his church. The Reder stories are being swapped all over the place, Stephenson said, adding one involved making sure the button on the deputies back pocket was buttoned. Since being elected sheriff, Stephenson said he has found himself in new situations that led him to call Reder for advice. He was a great mentor. Reder was one of the founders of the Michigan Sheriffs Association Mission Investigation Team, which was enacted to conduct investigations of wrongdoing within sheriffs offices, Stephenson said. And its been successful ever since, he added. Reder began his career as a patrolman in 1967, and was inducted into the U.S. Army in 1968. He was promoted to a sergeant at the sheriffs office in 1970, then promoted to lieutenant and assigned as chief jailer in 1972. In 1975, he was awarded as an outstanding officer in the sheriffs office by the Midland Exchange Club. He also was promoted to administrative captain that year. The Smith Miner Funeral Home is handling funeral arrangements. METAMORA, Mich. (AP) Residents of a small community in eastern Michigan who oppose a proposed square-mile gravel mine have an unlikely opponent: the Boy Scouts. The Boy Scouts' Michigan Crossroads Council, along with American Aggregates of Michigan, applied in November for a zoning change that would allow mining at a scout camp located a mile from the village of Metamora in southern Lapeer County, The Detroit News (http://detne.ws/1PQvMa7 ) reported. The Metamora Township Board of Trustees imposed a four-month moratorium on new mines in December so it could study the issue. For the past 31 years, the Boy Scouts have been pushing for the project and working with different companies to bring it to fruition. This is the group's third attempt at persuading the township to approve a mine. The scouts have said the money it receives for gravel extracted from the mine would help maintain the camp for years to come. In the earlier attempts, local officials accused the Boy Scouts of hiding its intention to build a mine and trying to "bribe" the township with land. "Scouting teaches us to be a good neighbor. This isn't being a good neighbor," said resident Simon Andzelewski, a former Eagle Scout who began a Facebook page against the project. "They're acting like a big business." The current proposal calls for the extraction of 30 million tons of sand and gravel from the 497-acre mine over 30 years. Many residents and most local businesses are concerned that the mine would bring 100 double-bottom dump trucks through the village each day. They're also worried about noise and dust from the mining operation, as well as the impact on property values. "We're in the fight of our lives," resident Linda Egeland said. "Metamora will become a place not to live, a place not to visit." Some argue that the Boy Scouts, whose Outdoor Code calls for members to be conservation-minded and considerate in the outdoors, are shirking their role as caretakers of the environment. But the Boy Scouts and American Aggregates claim the residents' fears are exaggerated. They've compiled 1,200 pages of studies in an effort to show the project meets state and federal requirements meant to protect the environment, Boy Scouts spokesman Chuck Truza said. "It won't be left a big hole," he said. "We plan to be there a long time." ___ Information from: The Detroit News, http://detnews.com/ CINCINNATI (AP) The Latest on questions about the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs medical center (all times local): 3:30 p.m. Ohio's Democratic U.S. senator is calling for quick, thorough investigation of the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs hospital after whistleblowers raised concerns the quality of care for veterans has been hurt by management issues there. The allegations surfaced in a report by WCPO-TV and the Scripps News Washington Bureau that said nearly three dozen current and former medical center employees have expressed urgent concerns. Sen. Sherrod Brown, of Cleveland, describes the accusations as "appalling." Brown is on the Senate veterans' affairs committee and says there should be action to hold people accountable for failures that have negatively affected veterans' care. Republican Ohio U.S. Sen. Rob Portman in Cincinnati on Wednesday also called for quick action by federal authorities to "get to the bottom" of the allegations. ___ 1:15 p.m. Ohio's Republican senator wants quick federal action to probe what he calls "very troubling" allegations raised about management and veterans' care at the Cincinnati VA hospital. Sen. Rob Portman, of the Cincinnati area, commented Wednesday on a WCPO-TV and Scripps News Washington Bureau report that nearly three dozen current and former medical center employees have expressed urgent concerns about quality of care. The Department of Veterans Affairs said recently it has opened an investigation into its Cincinnati hospital. It offered little detail. Portman says he wants the Office of Inspector General to move quickly to "get to the bottom" of allegations, and he's also reached out to the Senate committee on veterans affairs. The hospital annually delivers medical care to more than 43,000 veterans from southwest Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. To the editor: As I read about allegations of political interference in the regulatory affairs overseeing the Flint water system, old wounds from the past are reopened. After working 26 years in environmental law enforcement, I can recall many times when the performance of the career of public service I chose was diminished by high level government officials preventing me from doing my sworn duty. I empathize with the recent statement from the Genesee County officer that state officials impeded his work to get the CDC involved in the health of his constituents. All should know it is almost routine for political forces to subtly and, at times, overtly apply pressure on conscientious regulators. This has happened in Midland County during my employment with the DNR and DEQ. This newspaper does not allow the space for details. Not being privy to whether a large local employer directly resulted in this influence, I do know that officials in the executive office of these agencies acted as if that influence had been exercised. In another instance, a well-respected local water quality official was ostracized for taking forceful action against the City of Midland for unaddressed untreated sewage bypasses. Influence does happen and it is often, only by an aggressive investigative press, that this behavior ever comes to light. The Michigan constitution states that the environment and public health are of paramount concern, but lacks an environmental or public health bill of rights that would clearly address politicizing of public expectations. The Midland Daily News may want to assess its own effectiveness as an investigative reporting organization. GREGORY EAGLE Midland Chainsaw Man Season 1: The anime community is now buzzing about Chainsaw Man. Although the manga has been out for Read more WASHINGTON, February 17, 2016 Along with the leaders of the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations, President Barack Obama yesterday reaffirmed their commitment to a regional order in which international rules and norms and the rights of all nations, large and small, are upheld. The president spoke at the end of the U.S.-ASEAN conference in Rancho Mirage, California. ASEAN members are Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei and Burma. When ASEAN speaks with a clear, unified voice, it can help advance security, opportunity, and human dignity, not only for the more than 600 million people across ASEAN, but for people across the Asia-Pacific and around the world, Obama said. The leaders discussed many issues, from economic development to reinforcing the rule of law to security, the president said. In the security realm, he added, the leaders discussed the need for tangible steps in the South China Sea to lower tensions. These steps include a halt to further reclamation, new construction and militarization of disputed areas, he said. Freedom of Navigation, Unimpeded Commerce Freedom of navigation must be upheld, and lawful commerce should not be impeded, Obama said. I reiterated that the United States will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, and we will support the right of all countries to do the same. The United States will continue to work with allies and partners in the region to strengthen their maritime capabilities, Obama said. We discussed how any disputes between claimants in the region must be resolved peacefully, through legal means, such as the upcoming arbitration ruling under the U.N. Convention of the Law of the Seas, which the parties are obligated to respect and abide by, he added. Libya Situation Reporters asked the president about the situation in Libya and potential further actions against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. I have been clear from the outset that we will go after [ISIL] wherever it appears, the same way we went after al-Qaida wherever they appeared, he said. As evidence, he pointed to a U.S. attack that killed one of the terror groups most prominent leaders in Libya. We will continue to take actions where weve got a clear operation and a clear target in mind, he said. And we are working with our other coalition partners to make sure that, as we see opportunities to prevent [ISIL] from digging in in Libya, we take them. Obama said the United States is working closely with other countries and the United Nations to get a government in place in Libya. HONOLULU, Hawaii (Feb, 16, 2016) -- Soldiers of 2-6 Cavalry, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, and Coast Guardsman of the Coast Guard Station Barbers Point and Coast Guard Boat Station Honolulu, conducted joint over water rescue training off the coast of Honolulu, Feb. 16. The training was conducted to prepare Army pilots for interacting with Coast Guard rescue teams in the event of a downed Army aircraft over water. Knowing the Coast Guard's processes and procedures are paramount to ensuring a swift and safe recovery. "This training was for us to cross-train with the coast guard and for the aviators to get familiar with their aviation life support equipment as it would be used in a real world situation," said 1st Lt. Eric Bowerman, an S3 Planner and Kiowa Pilot with 2-6 Cavalry. "For them to train on this is a relatively low stress environment, it will help them be more prepared should this happen," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kyle Swope, the planner of this exercise. As aviation officers, these Soldiers need to be familiar with rescue operations to ensure the Soldiers at their command can be properly trained. "To be the leader of pilots and troops, we need to be familiar and comfortable enough with our equipment to be able to use it in an emergency situation," said Bowerman. "We also need to be familiar with their processes to sustain you in the water and extract you." "Rehearsals pay off big dividends," said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Ron Green, lead instructor pilot. "If you get to practice what may actually happen, you're that much better prepared if something goes wrong along the way. If the helicopter crashes in the water you know about what to expect when the coast guard arrives on scene to get you out of the water." One of the major differences between an Army extraction from water and a Coast Guard extraction from water is the inclusion of a dedicated rescue swimmer. "The biggest lesson learned is to trust the rescue swimmer that is in the water," said Bowerman. "Take all orders from them, they are the experts in getting you from the water into the air." This type of realistic training is invaluable for Army pilots located in the Pacific Theatre. Over water missions are common occurrences for these pilots, and being prepared for the worst-case scenario helps to bolster their confidence and ability to execute. "I think this brings a level of realism to the training. In an actual emergency situation these are the people who are going to arrive, and this is really their whole mission," said Lt. Col. Aaron Martin, Commander, 2-6 Calvary. "It exercises their capability and it helps us see exactly how they work as opposed to the Army extraction and Army rescue systems." The biggest Wellington export of recent years has been Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" and "Hobbit" trilogies, filmed in and around New Zealand's second largest population center. But the recent city export that has a really good beat one that you can dance to, in fact has nothing to do with Middle Earth or its assorted Tolkien denizens. Rather, it's the result a kind of spontaneous musical combustion that ignited around 10 years ago at a tiny Wellington coffee shop called the Deluxe Cafe and that has since been fanned into a global conflagration of sorts. "That really was the catalyst," says Andy Morely-Hall, "caffeine." Thus was the Wellington Ukulele Orchestra born in late 2005. Parenting it were two uke-playing java junkies named Age Pryor and Bret McKenzie, who converged on the space to begin the day with a song in their heart and caffeine firing through their synapses. "That's how it all started ... just two people strumming in a cafe, playing in the style that would become the orchestra," notes Morley-Hall. "It was never intended to be anything more." But ... surprise, surprise. The member billed as "the most handsome and talented of the especially handsome and talented Morley-Hall clan" is around 16 stops into the 40 stops comprising the orchestra's second-ever stateside tour, and he says the reception has been "very exciting." It's the tour bringing them to downstate Illinois for the first time ever, via the stage of the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (the addition of the "International" into their official marquee billing reflects their globally touring status of late). Generating the excitement on both sides of the fence: The sonic spectacle of eight tandem uke players (down from the usual dozen for stateside touring purposes) having their creative way around songs from all genres and origins ... from American pop to native New Zealander sounds easily adapted to their deceptively simple mesh of synchronized strumming and intricate harmonics. Plus charismatic stage presence, achieved through a colorful fusion of creative apparel and playful attitude. Back at the start in the Deluxe Cafe, the magic hour began around 8 a.m., and thanks to the "gentle" nature of the star instrument, it was a perfect fit for what might seem like an unusual time of the day for live music. Morley-Hall's entree into the growing coffeehouse klatch happened when he wandered into the Deluxe one morning for his caffeine fix, and "there were now four or five people sitting around a table playing and singing cover versions of songs." Then: "Hey, Andy, you can sing, can't you?" "At the time I was really just playing guitar with friends and other musicians, but I went to a local ukulele shop and spent about $50 on an entry-level uke. I returned with it to the Deluxe: 'Well, here I am!'" Soon the membership peaked at an even dozen, crossing gender lines and involving members all actively involved in other music pursuits, chief among them McKenzie, co-founder of one of New Zealand's most popular pop-rock bands, Flight of the Conchords (commitments to which have reduced his participation with the uke orchestra in recent years, including the current stateside tour). World of mouth began circulating, "and more and more people beginning showing up over the next few months ... to the point they had to stop letting people in, since they couldn't serve the people who'd come for just the coffee." That forced the now officially christened Wellington Ukulele Orchestra into the streets of the city, enlivening festivals and art fairs with their increasingly polished sound. It didn't hurt, notes Morley-Hall, that the group came along just as the whole uke renaissance was in full swing via the likes of Jake Shimabukuro (who played the BCPA in during the 2011 season), Canada's James Hill and a host of other youthful talents. Ever since, Wellington's most infectious musical export has been traveling the world, strumming their hearts out, with no end in sight. "When I first picked up the instrument, I had this kind of warm feeling overcome me," says Morley-Hall. "And when I hear more than one played together, it becomes almost disarming. That's the appeal, I think: it's so unthreatening that you can't help but kind of love it." Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird created the series in Dover, New Hampshire. The negatives for that first comic, printed in 1984, have surfaced and the owner, a Colorado collector, came to Biddeford In September to look around. BLOOMINGTON A mother who faces a sentencing hearing on child endangerment charges related to the beating death of her son is not fit to care for her infant daughter, a McLean County judge ruled Thursday. Danielle Bagley, 24, formerly known as Danielle Fischer, and her husband, Kam Bagley, were in court Thursday for a hearing on the custody of their daughter, who was taken into state custody last year shortly after her birth. Shortly after the start of her December trial on child endangerment charges related to the 2013 death of her son, Robbie Cramer, the mother pleaded guilty to the allegations that she failed to take her son to the doctor and left him with the man who battered him. Murder charges were dismissed against the mother because the state violated her right to a speedy trial on those charges. Danielle Bagley's former boyfriend Nicholas Compton is serving life in prison for killing the 3-year-old boy. Testimony at Compton's trial showed the toddler suffered physical abuse over 10 days before his death from internal injuries. Judge Kevin Fitzgerald ruled Thursday that both parents are in denial as to what role the mother's negligence played in her son's death. The judge agreed with Assistant State's Attorney Madeline McLauchlan that the baby girl would be at risk of harm if she was sent home with the Bagleys. Danielle Bagley faces a decade in prison when she is sentenced April 22. Citing statements in a report prepared for the hearing, the judge noted that the baby's father "doesn't think mom did anything wrong" in her son's death. A better understanding by Kam Bagley of what led to Robbie's death is necessary, said the judge, in order for the father to evaluate the risks his daughter may face with Danielle Bagley. "He may have to make a choice down the road between mom and (his daughter)," said the judge. In her argument for state custody, McLauchlan said dismissal of the murder charges does not mean the state lacked enough evidence to prove the accusations. The prosecutor also faulted Kam Bagley's lack of specific knowledge of what happened to Robbie. Kam Bagley testified Thursday that he did not attend court proceedings for Compton or his wife. "He made no effort to find out if mom's version of non-culpability has any merit to it," said McLauchlan. Brenda Temke, court-appointed guardian for the baby, said the baby's father "has blinders on," adding that "the risk of harm to his daughter is huge if he fails to see the part his wife played in the death of her other child." Danielle Bagley's lawyer Mathew Koetters argued that a two-month delay in Bagley's sentencing put her at a disadvantage for the hearing. A resolution to the criminal case would allow her to talk freely with counselors without a fear that her statements would be used against her in court, said Keotters. "There's a significant cloud hanging over her head. ... She's accepted as much responsibility as she feels she can right now," said Koetters. The judge set a one-year goal for return of the baby to the Bagleys. A July 19 hearing is set to review that goal and subsequent developments, including the outcome of her sentencing. SPRINGFIELD To many in the General Assemblys Democratic majority, what Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner left out of his budget address Wednesday was as notable than what he included. Without a budget in place for the current year, Rauner proposed increasing elementary and secondary education funding for the fiscal year beginning July 1 and, as he has repeatedly over the past year, called for the Legislature to enact portions of his turnaround agenda before hell agree to raising taxes to close the multibillion-dollar hole in the budget. The governor also outlined two paths he said the lawmakers could take in addressing next years budget: Either you give the executive branch the authority to cut spending to live within our revenues, or we agree together on economic and governmental reforms to accompany a negotiated balance of spending reductions and revenue that ensures that Illinois can be both compassionate and competitive. What Rauner didnt address in the speech, Democrats said afterward, was how much hes proposing to spend overall and on what or how he intends to address the crisis facing public universities and community colleges. They havent received any state funding amid this years budget impasse, now in its eighth month. The governors preferred budget plan, which was posted on the state website, calls for spending about $36.3 billion if lawmakers agree to structural reforms and government transformation. Otherwise, he proposes spending $32.8 billion, with the General Assembly giving him authority to move money around to balance the budget. I had low expectations in listening to the governors speech this afternoon, said Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago. For a whole year, we have heard the same story about how we must turn around this state, and what we have done is essentially turned it back. Not surprisingly, Republican lawmakers viewed the speech differently. They said the governor laid out a path forward and again made clear his willingness to compromise on some of his policy priorities. State Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington said: In every comment Ive heard from the governor for this first year of his serving in office, hes continually said, I will work with you, and I will compromise with you. State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, said, There was a vast improvement of communication and outreach to the Democrats on Rauners part. I think the governor is very sincere when he says, Ill work with you. Here are the plans; here are the different directions we can go, Brady said. On the Democratic side of the aisle, state Sen. Andy Manar of Bunker Hill said the speech didnt move the state any closer to ending the current standoff or coming to an agreement on next years budget. We have pending issues that are severe in nature that have to be dealt, Manar said. Higher ed is certainly at the top of that list. He said the lack of attention given to the issue in the speech shows how divided the Legislature is from the governors office and provides evidence that the governors office isnt listening to the outcry thats coming from every direction across the state. The outcry was evident before and after the speech as students, staff and supporters from Eastern Illinois and Chicago State universities, among others, chanted and demonstrated at the Capitol, even briefly blocking Rauner from entering the House chamber to deliver his message. Dan Crews, who is among the 177 Eastern employees whove received layoff notices this month, said the situation has created uncertainty about the future of the university and the Charleston community. This whole process has caused a lot of people, me included, to lose faith in our leaders, he said. The governors written proposal likely didnt allay concerns about higher education. Rauner is proposing a 20 percent cut to what universities received in fiscal year 2015. A new study that involved eight-year-old kids in 16 countries provides perceptions on how they view and feel about their lives. The study is fronted by researchers at the University of York and The Children's World. Science Daily reports that the researchers asked the children about their lives which include their personal well-being, overall happiness, family and home life, school life, friendship, possession, money, local area, time use and views on children's rights. The results show that the children were happy with their lives. On the other hand, about 6 percent of the children had low self-esteem particularly children living in England, South Korea and Ethiopia. "This project is groundbreaking. This report presents, for the first time, 8-year-old children's perspective on their lives and well-being. The Jacobs Foundation continues to support 'Children World' because we are convinced that it will deliver unique information valuable for everyone who is interested in understanding and improving the lives of children and youth," Simon Sommer, Head of Research at Jacobs Foundation that funded the work, said. On the other hand, Futurity reports that the researchers thought that children who are living in England were happy with their family at home rather than with their friends at school. Findings of the study have made child experts worry a lot. "It's deeply worrying that eight-year-old children living in England are less happy than children are living in a wide range of other countries across the world. Many of these children say they don't like school and also report being bullied. If primary age school children in England and lagging behind those in other countries then tackling this challenge should be a priority for the British Government as well as for schools in the coming months," Sam Royston, the Policy Director at The Children's Society, explained and suggested. The Children's World plan will continue further with Italy, Indonesia and Finland which are joining in the second wave of the study. The third wave will begin in September 2017 and the findings will be issued in early 2019. "This remarkable achievement teaches us first and foremost that children know better than anyone else about their lives and that any effort to improve it needs to be inclusive of their voice," Professor Asher Ben-Arieh, one of the principal investigators and co-chair of the International Society of Child Indicators, concluded. The United Nations (UN) recently condemned all sides of Afghanistan's conflicts for recruiting children as soldiers. Although the government forces have worked to lessen underage recruits, the number of children trained by insurgent groups as fighters keeps on surging. ABC News reported that Leila Zerrougui, UN representative for children and armed conflict, blamed the Afghan Local Police, as major perpetrators in the surge of child soldier recruitment. The local police forces, which have been widely criticized as unprofessional and corrupt, often operate independently from central oversight. According to Zerrougui, despite the efforts of the Afghan government, insurgent groups continue to recruit more fighters under the age of 18 in areas where the fighting is fiercest. She added that the Taliban forces, who have been fighting against the government for more than 15 years, mainly recruit children in provinces bordering Pakistan and other neighboring areas. Zerrougui added that child soldiers are deprived of the minimum of their basic rights. "They are not going to school, they are deprived of access to health. They are targeted by armed groups and they are prevented from having hope for the future." In a report by the Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international non-governmental organization based in New York, Taliban forces have been recruiting underage fighters since mid-2015, in violation of international laws. The organization said that their new research has found out that the Taliban forces train and deploy underage fighters for various military operations, including the production and planting of improvised bombs. Patricia Gossman, senior Afghanistan researcher, said that the Taliban's apparent strategy to throw increasing numbers of children into battle is as cynical and cruel as it is unlawful. "Afghan children should be at school and at home with their parents, not exploited as cannon fodder for the Taliban insurgency." "The Taliban should immediately stop recruiting children and release all children in their ranks, even those who claim to have joined willingly," Gossman added. United States First Lady Michelle Obama praised Kate Middleton for being a "passionate voice" for mental health. The Duchess of Cambridge recently served as guest editor of The Huffington Post UK website to raise awareness about children's mental health issues. BBC News reported that Obama said she was pleased Middleton is a shining "bright light on mental health." This is after the duchess launched the blog series 'Young Minds Matter' at The Huffington Post website. "The Duchess of Cambridge has been a passionate voice on so many important issues, and I'm grateful that she is using her day as guest editor to shine a bright light on mental health, particularly children's mental health, and on the tens of millions of people who suffer in silence," Obama expressed. On her post "Let's Make a Real Difference for an Entire Generation of Young Children", Middleton said that mental health problems should no longer be seen as "taboo". She added that she and her husband, Prince William, would not hesitate to seek help if their children George and Charlotte need it. "What I did not expect was to see that time and time again, the issues that led people to addiction and destructive decision-making seemed to almost always stem from unresolved childhood challenges," Middleton wrote. "It became clear to me that many children - even those younger than five - have to deal with complex problems without the emotional resilience, language or confidence to ask for help." "We hope to encourage George and Charlotte to speak about their feelings, and to give them the tools and sensitivity to be supportive peers to their friends as they get older. We know there is no shame in a young child struggling with their emotions or suffering from a mental illness," the duchess added. The duchess has been guest editing last Wednesday from a temporary newsroom in Kensington Palace. Her role includes commissioning blogs, articles and videos from selected people and organization dedicated to the psychological well-being of children. If Vanessa Hudgens knew that her sweet vacation would turn into an investigation nightmare, she wouldn't have gone to Coconino National Forest in Sedona, Arizona with boyfriend Austin Butler. Hudgens came under fire right after their pictures appeared on Instagram, which showed some carvings on the rock formation. According to a Yahoo News report, the 27-year-old actress, together with her boyfriend, went to Sedona during Valentine's Day Weekend. Being in a romantic mood and atmosphere, the couple took pictures of themselves against the rock formations. The only thing though is that the photo captured images of a heart with "Austin + Vanessa" scratched onto the rock's face, leaving authorities to wonder whether the celebrity couple had something to do with the defacement. The Instagram post was made by Hudgens on Monday, a day after Valentine's. Since the investigation, the post has already been deleted, albeit, the pictures are still circulating on social media. In a report by NBC News, National Forest Service Officer Brady Smith said that, "We have found that when one person carves something, it encourages others to carve." He also mentioned that preventing people from carving on the rock surfaces has been a challenge. Defacing Arizona rocks is classified as a Class 2 misdemeanor, carrying a penalty of imprisonment for 6 months maximum and/or a $5,000 fine. According to Smith, since the incident is still being investigated, he can no longer say much more about it. According to one officer from the Coconino National Forest, "Officials at the Coconino National Forest became aware of the incident when the media alerted them of the situation." He also added that, "There is no deadline for this investigation -- it takes as long as it takes." As for any comment from Vanessa Hudgens or her rep regarding the Arizona incident, it's still a waiting game for the press. For sure, it would be a long while before she'll visit the Sedona again. A boy from Milwaukee, Wisconsin died after his tonsils were removed through an outpatient tonsillectomy. Although the exact cause of death is still unknown, the boy was prescribed with oxycodone, an opioid pain medication, which is also labeled as a narcotic. Nine-year old Solomon Womack was brought to the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin to undergo an outpatient tonsillectomy on Feb. 9. In a report by KTLA, an account coming from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office stated that Solomon was given oxycodone at the clinic and was sent home at around 3:30. At around 5:30 P.M., he was given another dose of oxycodone, which his father got from a pharmacy. The instructions for the prescription were 4.8 ml of oxycodone, to be administered orally every four hours or as needed. According to Yahoo News, that night, his parents noticed that after about an hour and a half after the dose was administered, Solomon was having difficulty breathing. They immediately called 911 and the boy was brought to the Children's Hospital. Three days after the incident, Feb. 12, Solomon was pronounced brain dead. His organs were donated by his parents. The Office of the Medical Examiner stated that the cause was undetermined although they said that toxicology tests would be undertaken. The Chief Operating Officer of the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Marc Gorelick, said, "The loss of a child is a tragedy and something no family should have to endure. On behalf of all of our doctors, nurses and medical staff, I want to express our sadness and deepest sympathy to the family." He further added that, "While I cannot comment on a specific case, serious complications from standard procedures are extremely rare." The Oxycodone was being sent to a third party to be tested. Once the toxicology reports are in, it might be able to shed more light to the underlying cause of death of Solomon Womack after a tonsillectomy. Missouri legislators are thinking about allowing both parents to share an equal custody of their children after a divorce. This will allow both parents to spend equal time with their children, making it less difficult for the kids to live in a single parent household. The current law states that judges award enough, but not necessarily the same time for the divorcing parents to spend with their children. However, a national movement is suggesting that judges should give equal amount of time for the parents to be with their child/children. According to ABCNews.com, a Senate bill that was read in the assembly would probably change from "significant but not equal" to "approximate and reasonably equal" time. In other cases, if both parents are deserving and capable of raising the child, the custody is usually granted full custody to the mother. In an interview with a local station KY3, Andrea Bishop who is the executive director of the Betty and Bobby Allison Ozarks Counseling Center said that the most common thing the children need is to have both their parents with them. "There are some exceptions when the parent has really just lost the privilege of being a parent." However, Bishop also explained that in some cases, it is better for the child to have a parent that's completely not around than to have one who is there only on several occasions. This would create an illusion of a family to the child, which can hurt them in the long run, parenting.com reported. Shared parenting system has already been proposed in 18 states in the past years, according to the National Parents Organization, which promotes laws relating to that. Utah and Minnesota passed the shared parenting laws, while Missouri, Massachusetts, and Kentucky have shared parenting bills in the legislatures. Other states which thought of the same bill last year are expected to bring it up to their respective legislature again this year. A founder and board of chairman of a group based in Boston explained that parents sharing equal amount of time is much better for a child than the decision of the judge to let one parent win and the other parent losing. He also said that the bill doesn't mean that mothers are stripped off of their custody, but it will allow the judge to start thinking that both parent deserve the same amount of time with the child, and base the decision from there. Video Credit: youtube.com/childrenrights This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. American readers had a double whammy of romantic holidays this past weekend: the single persons binge-eating celebration known as Valentines Day, and Presidents Day, when we honor the unilaterally unattractive men (primo hunk Obama being the only exception) whove held the highest office on American soil. For comic fans, an extra day off meant more time to catch up on backlogged floppies and tradesor a chance to treat your sweetheart to a screening of Deadpool. Our own Sean Edgar reportedly called the film this generations Citizen Kane, whatever that means. If youre not busy watching the Merc with a Mouth and sobbing tears of cinematic joy, this Wednesday brings a whole new batch of sequential goodness to consume. 1 of 11 American Vampire Vol. 8 Writer: Scott Snyder Artist: Rafael Albuquerque Publisher: Vertigo/ DC Comics Scott Snyder's modern horror opus began in the tinsel town glitz of 1925 and has evolved through the decades at a deceptively rapid pace. Even if ferocious antihero Skinner Sweet and valiant Pearl Jones receive the most dialogue, the winding history of the United States itself stands as the most dynamic character in American Vampire. In this volume, Snyder returns with the carved, moody linework of Rafael Albuquerque to usher his monster mash into the Cold War '60s. Volume Eight collects issues six to eleven of Second Cycle, and furthers the story of evolved vampires battling Lovecraftian terror looming under the earth's crust. Like a cross between Hellboy and James Bond's Moonraker (shoosh, Roger Moore wasn't that bad), this storyline mixes genres to reveal the most innovative horror epic in all comics. More valuable, its Grand Guignol adventure holds a fascinating mirror to a country discovering its own bloodlust and redemption. Sean Edgar 2 of 11 Avengers: Standoff: Welcome to Pleasant Hill #1 Writer: Nick Spencer Artist: Mark Bagley Publisher: Marvel Comics Can it possibly be Marvel-Event-o'clock again already? The excellent (if much-delayed) Secret Wars just wrapped and we're already swimming in teasers for this summer's Civil War 2. Standoff risks getting lost in the mix (a fate that can befall even the best eventsjust ask Original Sin) but writer Nick Spencer has been on a roll with Superior Foes, Ant-Man and Sam Wilson, and odds are good this crossover is where we'll see Steve Rogers don his fancy new Cap duds for the first time. Artist Mark Bagley is the definition of a known quantity, pumping out work of the same caliber and style in speedy fashion since his mid-90s debut. Constant crossovers are the price of admission for following major superhero titles these daysbest to just kick back, hope for the best and enjoy the spectacle. Steve Foxe 3 of 11 Batgirl Vol. 2 Writers: Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher Artist: Babs Tarr, Bengal Publisher: DC Comics Despite an abundance of solar-powered alien gods and light-spectrum militias, a charismatic hipster with crazy coding skills may be the most impressive character in the DC Universe. Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher and Babs Tarr introduced a Barbara Gordon tailor-made for millennials in 2014; she nests in a gentrified neighborhood, works at a tech-startup and battles against thin analogies for revenge porn pariahs. Add in an Action Bronson cameo and Barbara could easily grace a Vice cover. This second trade moves the character further into the DCU as she works alongside her father, Jim Gordonwho now plays substitute Batman in a giant mech suitto combat established baddies like Livewire and new chic threats like Velvet Tiger. The collection also includes the third Batgirl annual with fluid art from Bengal (who covers the second story arc here), Dave Lafuente, Ming Doyle and Helen Chen. Though DC may be going back to a more basic superhero foundation with its looming revamp this summer, Batgirl remains an accessible and sassy gateway for new and younger readers. Sean Edgar 4 of 11 Bill & Ted Go To Hell #1 Writer: Brian Joines Artists: Bachan, Jeremy Lawson Publisher: BOOM! Studios Fact: 2016 is the 25th anniversary of the release of the Bill & Ted sequel, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. Fact: Some people (including, for example, this comics fan) actually prefer Bogus Journey to Excellent Adventure. With that in mind, I'm completely stoked for the release of Bill & Ted Go To Hell, featuring the return of the Grim Reaper, the dorkiest form of Death ever committed to page or screen. Bill & Ted, now dads, have to storm the inferno alongside their pals Billy the Kid and Joan of Arc to free their pale, board-game addicted, upright-bass player and friend. Writer Brian Joines and penciller Bachan are the team behind BOOM!'s earlier Imagine Agents, and the exceedingly radical colors come to us from We(l)come Back colorist Jeremy Lawson. History vs. Hell: Most excellent. Tini Howard 5 of 11 Bitch Planet #7 Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick Artist: Valentine DeLandro Publisher: Image Comics Bitch Planet has been rocking the comics world (and beyond, truthfully) since its first issue, following inmates Kamau Kogo, Penny Rolle, and Meiko Maki as they seek to escape their misogynistic incarceration. Bitch Planet #6 took a break from the main plot to explore the life of Meiko Maki, similar to the third issue's spotlight on fan-favorite Penny Rolle, but with this second arc kick-off, we find ourselves outside the walls of the prison. The world of Bitch Planet is a character study in and of itself, with each issue uncovering more of what has changed (and what has stayed disturbingly the same) in this chilling near-future, bolstered by Kelly Sue DeConnick's clever and nuanced justifications for the sci-fi twists to our reality. With original series artist Valentine DeLandro back to inaugurate President Bitch, this issue is the perfect place to hop on before election season ramps up. Tini Howard 6 of 11 The Eltingville Club HC Writer/Artist: Evan Dorkin Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Evan Dorkin has seen a lot. The cartoonist and writer has been engaged in all manner of nerd culture since the '80s, whether through his flippant Milk & Cheese comic, scripting runs on Space Ghost Coast to Coast or work on the animal-adventure award magnet Beasts of Burden with Jill Thompson. After decades of comic conventions, message boards and Tweets, The Eltingville Club is the only natural response. A beautiful articulation of I-don't-give-a-fuck insider honesty, the comic follows four archetypical fanboys who seethe, argue and ruin genre culture in all of its forms. Though various publishers and press tout the need for more diversity in the field, Dorkin takes the opposite approach here, showing the toxic mindsets that keep the medium stagnant. The results are as depressing as they are hilarious, skewering back-issue hoarding, rampant misogyny and convention crowds that rival any Renaissance depiction of hell. This hardback collects both issues of The Eltingville Club as well as every appearance of this shitty quartet throughout House of Fun, Dork and other odds and ends. Sean Edgar 7 of 11 Midnighter Vol. 1 Writer: Steve Orlando Artists: ACO, Various Publisher: DC Comics The winner of several year-end Best New Series honors and a GLAAD Media Award nominee, DC cult favorite Midnighter is finally "Out" for the trade-waiting reader. Acclaimed by critics and fans for writer Steve Orlando's biting dialogue and primary artist ACO's absolutely insane page layouts, this volume collects issues one through six of a series that's just as much about getting over a breakup as it is about shattering skulls with a smile. Midnighter's superpower, for the uninitiated, is a computer in his brain that allows him to see the outcome of every fight before it happens. "But wait," you say, "this book's about a breakup? Does that power apply to relationship fights, too?" Worry notas always, Midnighter is a few steps ahead. Tini Howard 8 of 11 Power Man and Iron Fist #1 Writer: David F. Walker Artist: Sanford Greene Publisher: Marvel Comics With love for Luke Cage back on the rise after Mike Colter brought him to brawny life in 2015's Netflix hit Jessica Jones, this ongoing series is long overdue. Danny "Iron Fist" Rand and Luke (apparently returning to the "Power Man" moniker after loaning it to teen hero Victor Alvarez) are back at itif a little reluctantly, as their reunited adventure begins by picking up an old friend as she's released from jail. Hot off of too-hip-to-handle miniseries Secret Wars: Runaways, artist Sanford Greene brings his expressive, dynamic style to the Heroes for Hire duo. With rising star David F. Walker (Shaft, Cyborg) in charge of the script, it's gonna be a Sweet Christmas indeed. Take my money, honey. Tini Howard 9 of 11 Snowfall #1 Writer: Joe Harris Artist: Martin Morazzo Publisher: Image Comics Joe Harris and Martin Morazzo are no strangers to environmental science-fiction: their gonzo Great Pacific tackled sustainability, ocean conservation and recycling, among zanier plot lines. Their new series Snowfall is likely to feel even timelier given the mild, late-arriving winter experienced by the eastern coast of the United States this year. The year is 2045 and it no longer snows. The terrorist/activist known as the "White Wizard" wages a weather war against the system. Image has a crowded field of excellent titles these days, but Harris and Morazzo have proven they can hit this beat before, and Snowfall looks to be a chiller-thriller perfect for a frosty February launch. Steve Foxe 10 of 11 Mighty Thor #4 Writer: Jason Aaron Artist: Russell Dauterman Publisher: Marvel Comics Marvel recently pressed the relaunch button on its publishing line, introducing a host of new titles bolstered by esteemed creators and number one issues. A few upstarts aside (Karnak!?), Jason Aaron's pocket of ancient myth and ensemble drama still stands as the publishing slate's greatest achievement. Mighty Thor has long surpassed its twistcancer-afflicted Jane Foster now wields a mythological hammer against the oppression of a patriarchal worldto immerse readers in an avalanche of refined character beats, violence and romance. In other words, it's a Jason Aaron superhero comic book. Penciller Russell Dauterman and colorist Matthew Wilson usher Aaron's ambition into two glorious dimensions; hyper-detailed avatars of lore thrust in endless battle against LSD sunsets. In another era, Mighty Thor would have been an epic poem that eclipsed Beowulf and Njal's Saga. Luckily, it's a damn fine comic book today. Sean Edgar Deadline has reported that The Hunger Games star Josh Hutcherson is going from bread puns to alien invasions courtesy of Hulus newest comedy pilot. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldbergs half-hour comedy Future Man follows janitor by day and world-ranked gamer by night Josh Futterman (Hutcherson). After mysterious future visitors claim he is the one to save the world from an imminent super-race invasion, Futterman must suit up to prevent human extinction. Were curious to know if Hutchersons character will end up in another gut-wrenching love triangle, or if fighting off alien invaders doesnt leave much romance time for the male hero. Also: Isnt this essentially a remake of The Last Starfighter? Someone tell Max Landis; hes going to be excited. The pilot is written by Kyle Hunter and Ariel Shaffir, while Rogen and Goldberg will executive produce and direct the Sony Studios TV backed project. Hutcherson will also serve as a producer via his production company Turkeyfoot. Kiera Knightly could go from pirate queen to Russian emperor for Barbra Streisands biopic of Catherine the Great, the longest-ruling female leader of Russia. The British actress, perhaps best known for her role as Elizabeth Swan in Disneys Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, has been in talks to star as the prolific Russian monarch since last year. Talks for securing Knightlys involvement with the project have been slowly progressing, according to reports from The Hollywood Reporter. Barbra Streisand will direct the film, written by Kristina Lauren Anderson and produced by Gil Netter. The script sat at the top of 2014s Black List, a compilation of the best unproduced screenplays. The biopic will center on Catherine in her early years, trapped in an abusive marriage to Emperor Peter III. The film will see her journey breaking free from the inept rulers grasp, and her eventual rise to power through her use of cunning and intellect. The Hours and The Hunger Games actress could be stepping into some villainous shoes. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Julianne Moore is in talks to play the big bad in the follow-up to the surprisingly well-received 2014 British spy actioner Kingsman: The Secret Service. Little to no details are being shared about the role, though that comes as no surprise considering that the comic book series the first film was based on didnt have a sequel. Kingsman 2s plot will be almost entirely original, and thus, guarded heavily by the studio. It has been confirmed, however, that the storys location will jump from London to the United States. Moores wide-range and seemingly endless talent would make this type of character an interesting one to see her play. However, her busy schedule may prevent her from sealing the deal on the role. Matthew Vaughn will return to direct the sequel, while Kingsmans young star Taron Egerton will also reprise his role. The original film follows Egertons character, Eggsy, a wayward youth who learns he shares DNA with some of the Royal Crowns most lethal and brightest operatives. Colin Firth (The Kings Speech) starred in the original film as well, but will not be returning as the studio has ditched initial plans to bring the character back from its grave. Kingsman: The Secret Service opened to a surprising $414.4 million worldwide with only an $81 million production budget. Shooting for the sequel will begin this summer. A series of rumors about Apple working with UnionPay to bring Apple Pay to China have been bouncing around since 2014 (one and two) but today is the day that Apple has made it official as our cover graphic denotes. Reuters notes in a new report late today that Apple launched its mobile payment system in China on Thursday in a bid to convince the hundreds of millions of users of the country's entrenched, dominant services to switch. Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay, told Reuters in an interview in Beijing that "We think China could be our largest Apple Pay market." Bailey added that "China UnionPay and our Apple Pay solution have a huge advantage, given the footprint of China UnionPay. Its merchant acceptance network far exceeds what any of the other mobile platforms have today." In an early boost, China's biggest lender, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC), was among the banks that said earlier this week that customers would be able to use Apple Pay from Thursday. For more on this, read Reuters full report here. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Comments are reviewed daily from 4am to 6pm PST and sporadically over the weekend. In a fascinating new interview we learn that just a little over a year ago, Apple had a problem: The iPad Pro was behind schedule. Elements of the hardware, software, and accompanying stylus weren't going to be ready for a release in the spring. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook and his top lieutenants had to delay the unveiling until the fall. That gave most of Apple's engineers more time. It gave a little-known executive named Johny Srouji much less. Srouji is the senior vice president for hardware technologies at Apple who is 51 years old and an Israeli who previously worked at both Intel and IBM. He runs the division that that has chip facilities in Cupertino and Herzliya Israel. The division is responsible for making processor chips, the silicon brains inside the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. The original plan was to introduce the iPad Pro with Apple's tablet chip, the A8X, the same processor that powered the iPad Air 2, introduced in 2014. But delaying until fall meant that the Pro would make its debut alongside the iPhone 6s, which was going to use a newer, faster phone chip called the A9. This is the stuff that keeps technology executives up at night. The iPad Pro was important: It was Apple's attempt to sell tablets to business customers. And it would look feeble next to the iPhone 6s. So Srouji put his engineers on a crash program to move up the rollout of a new tablet processor, the A9X, by half a year. The engineers finished in time, and the Pro hit the market with the faster chip and a 12.9-inch display packed with 5.6 million pixels. When the original iPhone came out in 2007, Steve Jobs was well aware of its flaws. It had no front camera, measly battery life, and a slow 2G connection from AT&T. It was also underpowered. A former Apple engineer who worked on the device said that while the handset was a breakthrough technology, it was limited because it pieced together components from different vendors, including elements from a Samsung chip used in DVD players. "Steve came to the conclusion that the only way for Apple to really differentiate and deliver something truly unique and truly great, you have to own your own silicon," Srouji says. "You have to control and own it." One of Jobs's trusted advisers, Bob Mansfield, Apple's top hardware executive at the time, recruited Srouji to lead that effort. Srouji, then at IBM, was a rising star in the arcane world of semiconductor engineering. Mansfield promised him an opportunity to build something from scratch. The first public signs of Srouji's work came in 2010 with the debut of the iPad and iPhone 4. The processor, the A4, was a modified version of a design from ARM Holdings, a British company that licenses mobile technology. The A4 was designed to power the handset's new high-definition "retina display." Srouji says it was a race to get that first system-on-a-chip produced. "The airplane was taking off, and I was building the runway just in time," he says. Over the next few years, Apple kept making improvements to its designs, introducing chips to accommodate fingerprint identification, video calling, and Siri, the iPhone's voice-activated assistant, among other enhancements. Srouji admits that it lags behind Samsung in some areas of chip development, such as adding a modem to the central processor to conserve space and power, yet he hints that might not be forever. He refused to get more specific by saying "I don't want to go into Wi-Fi specifically. Read the full BloombergBusiness interview by Brad Stone, Adam Satariano and Gwen Ackerman for more interesting details. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Comments are reviewed daily from 4am to 6pm PST and sporadically over the weekend. Back in January a UK report stated that "Following the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris, David Cameron has pledged to introduce legislation that could lead to the banning of WhatsApp, Snapchat and iMessage. If re-elected, Cameron has said he will resurrect the Communications Data Bill, known more colloquially the "Snoopers' Charter", which would to give security services the right to listen in on private communications in a bid to thwart terrorist activities. Previously the bill had been blocked by the Liberal Democrats, but without any opposition the new legislation could mean the end of WhatsApp, iMessage and FaceTime being used legally in the UK." In the video below, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, makes his argument against encrypted apps. So with WhatsApp being in the same boat as Apple is now, is it any wonder that WhatsApp is applauding Tim Cook's stance on fighting the government? Late this afternoon The Verge posted a report about WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum sharing Cook's letter in a Facebook post. Koum gave the Apple CEO his full support. "We must not allow this dangerous precedent to be set," Koum wrote. "Today our freedom and our liberty is at stake." Then again, perhaps it's the WhatsApp App itself that's at stake. Time will tell which side eventually wins this war, but governments around the world are determined to turn the tables on the stance that technology companies are taking on this issue of not complying with court orders. The Verge noted that "WhatsApp has faced down similar court orders before. In December, the program was banned from Brazil for a full day after the company refused to comply with two local court orders." About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Comments are reviewed daily from 4am to 6pm PST and sporadically over the weekend. Recalling the conversion of the Ninivites after the preaching of Jonah, Pope Francis implored God so we may receive the gift of tears, which is the gift of Gods mercy that transforms the heart from within. His homily in Ciudad Juarez was a call for us not to forget that immigration today is mostly forced, where thousands leave their homeland due to poverty and violence. The Pope expressed a desire not to forget the human tragedy that immigration is today. Pulsar aqui para espanol Below is my quick translation of what I believe is the heart of his homily, words spoken directly to a city plagued by violence, drugs, and where thousands wait for a better future just a few yards further north. Mass began after he blessed a cross that overlooks the border. Here in Ciudad Juarez, as well as in other border areas, thousands of immigrants gather from Central America, other countries, as well as so many Mexicans who seek to cross to the other side. It is a journey full of terrible injustices, enslavement, kidnappings, and extortion. Many of our brothers and sisters are the fruit of human trafficking. We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis that the past few years of immigration has signified, as thousands of people migrate be it by train, road, or by foot, crossing hundreds of kilometers. This human tragedy that is forced immigration is a global phenomenon. This crisis that may be measured in numbers, we want to measure with names, stories and families. These are brothers and sisters who are expelled due to poverty, violence, drug-trafficking and organized crime. Faced by a lack of legal measures, there is a web that entraps and always destroys the poorest. They not only suffer from poverty, but they must also suffer all these kinds of violence. This is an injustice found more among the young who are persecuted and threatened when they attempt to separate themselves from violence and the hell that are drugs. And what can I say about the many women who have unjustly lost their lives! Let us ask our God for the gift of conversion, for the gift of tears. Let us ask him that we may have an open heart like the Ninivites. No more death and exploitation! There is always time to change, there is always a way out, an opportunity, there is always an opportunity to implore Gods mercy. Several years after World War II, while Europe still faced a major crisis of displaced people and refugees, Pope Pius XII wrote the Apostolic Constitution Exul Familia Nazarethana where he addressed the need for nations to open their doors to these people and encouraged pastoral action by the Church. Citing the Holy Family as the archetype of every refugee family, he invoked their protection over all migrants and refugees who whether compelled by fear of persecution or by want, are forced to leave their native land, their beloved parents and relatives, their close friends, and to seek a foreign soil (EF 1). Pulsar aqui para espanol During his speech to a Joint Session of Congress in September 2015, Pope Francis stated that the world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War, presenting great challenges and hard decisions. The acceptance of refugees in the United States and Europe has led to inflammatory speech, many stating that Syrian refugees should be welcomed by Middle Eastern nations instead. The fact is that Jordan currently is housing 937,830 Syrian refugees, Lebanon over 1.8 million, and Turkey 1.7 million (numbers from the United Nations Refugee Agency, December 2015). Pope Francis received a round of applause when he stated that in treating refugees, we must do unto others as you would like them do unto you. The Church has always been the home for immigrants and refugees, especially when these share in the one faith of the Church. In the year 1215, the Fourth Lateran Council decreed that bishops have the responsibility to provide priests for those far away from their homelands: We find in most countries, cities and dioceses in which people of diverse languages who, though bound by one faith, have varied rites and customs. Therefore we strictly enjoin that the Bishops of these cities or dioceses provide the proper men, who will celebrate the Liturgical functions according to their rites and languages. They will administer the Sacraments of the Church and instruct their people both by word and by deed (EF 19). Each nation has the responsibility to protect its borders and determine who is allowed to cross them. In developing immigration policy, the Church encourages government leaders to be compassionate, recognizing the humanity of each person who approaches. By traveling to the US-Mexico border this month, Pope Francis reminds the world of his words to Congress: if we want security, let us give security; if we want life, let us give life; if we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities. I will always be grateful for the security, life and opportunity the United States gave me when my native country was not able to provide these. Fleeing quickly due to my fathers persecution by terrorists and assassination attempt, the compassion and graciousness of the United States not only kept my father alive, but gave us peace and security. The soul of this nation is rooted in the opening of doors to others. Like the Holy Family, our ancestors (by blood or by faith) have been immigrants in a foreign land. We must do unto the immigrants knocking at our door today as we would like to be done unto us. All pictures are mine, all rights reserved. Pictures of Muisne and Cabo San Francisco, Ecuador, 2005 News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. "We're not used to seeing growth in our check business," said Deluxe's Tracey Engelhardt, who reports a 6% to 7% increase in revenue for check orders from businesses and consumers in each of the last three quarters, driven by various factors originating from the pandemic. Prof. Samii: Iran to become world's neurology hub in 5-10 years 02/18/16 Source: Tehran Times TEHRAN - Professor Majid Samii, the internationally renowned neurosurgeon, has said that Iran will become the world's neurology hub within the next 5 to 10 years. "Given that the science and neurology center in Tehran will soon be completed, I'm pretty sure that many patients from all continents will refer to this center to receive treatment," Samii told IRNA news agency on Tuesday. Professor Majid Samii at the cancer research center in Rasht Some of the world's greatest neuroscientists are invited to join this center as well as talented Iranian doctors and specialists, he added. "I've always intended to impart my knowledge to my colleagues and never been into politics," he said, adding "money doesn't matter to me and what I care most is to help and treat patients." Every year scientific conferences in different fields of neuroscience will be held in Iran's science and neurology center in attendance of world's most experienced specialists, he explained. He went on to say that Iranian especially women are very keen to learn and have a great potential to improve and succeed. Samii was born in 1937 in Tehran. After finishing his high school education in Iran, he moved to Germany and started his medical study at University of Mainz. In April 1970 and in the age of 32, he started his career as associate professor and vice director of neurosurgical department at university of Mainz. One year later, in 1971, he became the professor of neurosurgery. In 1979, Professor Samii established the world's first educational course in skull base surgery in Hannover. Aside from his regular courses in Germany, he started to plan similar educational courses in many countries all over the world to enhance the knowledge of neurosurgery. He was the founding president and founding member of several national and international foundations and societies. During his scientific life, Professor Samii received many honorary professorships, honorary doctorates and visiting professorships from all over the world. Iran: Supreme Leader warns Guardian Council critics to be silent 02/18/16 Source: Radio Zamaneh Iran's Supreme Leader, speaking on Wednesday February 17, less than 10 days before the election, condemned criticism directed at the Guardian Council and warned against "infiltration of the elections by the enemy" and "attacking the Guardian Council". Guardian Council Ayatollah Khamenei stated that "attacking the Guardian Council and questioning its decisions" is part of the enemy's plans for the coming elections. The Guardian Council is responsible for approving candidates to run in the elections. For the current elections, the council has disqualified over 50 percent of parliamentary candidates as well as over 80 percent of Assembly of Experts candidates. Reformists have said that the disqualifications are akin to a form of fixing the election results since the majority of their candidates have been left out of the race. After their attempts to lobby the Guardian Council members and Ayatollah Khamenei failed to yield any results, reformists together with the Rohani administration and its supporters have gone on to urge the public not to boycott the elections. President Hassan Rohani has called on voters to vote with great care and make sure the most qualified people get the seats. Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani has questioned the legitimacy of the Guardian Council Source: (Jahan Eghtesad daily) Ayatollah Khamenei's vocal support for the Guardian Council comes after moderate cleric Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani severely condemned the council for its disqualification of Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the late leader of the Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini. Iranian Banks Reconnect With Global Banking System 02/18/16 Source: RFE/RL Iranian banks are starting to get reconnected to the international payments system known as SWIFT, allowing the resumption of cross-border transfers for the first time in four years. The move follows the lifting of economic sanctions last month under the landmark nuclear deal with world powers, which enabled Iran's Central Bank and 15 other banks to restore access to SWIFT starting on February 13, banking officials said on February 17. The banks' inability to make foreign transfers had become a political issue recently, with conservative critics complaining that the nuclear deal championed by President Hassan Rohani was not delivering promised benefits. Reuters reported that the lack of bank access due to sanctions imposed in 2012 had been slowing the resumption of oil shipments to Europe. Officials did not name the banks reconnected to SWIFT, but Iranian media said they included Bank Melli, Iran's largest bank. Onur Ozan, a manager at Belgium-based SWIFT, said the network is still working on reconnecting other Iranian applicants. Iranian banks linked to the Revolutionary Guards remain under U.S. sanctions and U.S. banks are still prohibited from doing business with Iran. Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP Court Overrules EU Fund Freeze On Iranian Bank Source: RFE/RL An EU court has ruled that the bloc had unfairly frozen the assets of an Iranian bank for six years, dismissing an appeal brought by the European Council. Mellat Bank The European Court of Justice said on February 18 that Bank Mellat's funds should not have been frozen between July 2010 and January 2016. The court said it rejected the logic tying the bank to Iran's nuclear and missile programs. The European Council froze the funds of a number of Iranian financial entities from 2010 to combat Iranian activities that could have led to it developing nuclear weapons. In 2013, the EU General Court annulled the measures concerning Bank Mellat, prompting an appeal to the European Court of Justice. Bank Mellat's lawyers have said the ruling would have major implications for legal action it could take over losses and damage to its reputation. The EU lifted economic sanctions against Iran last month as part of an international agreement over Tehran's nuclear program. Based on reporting by AP and Reuters Copyright (c) 2016 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org Major oil producers agree to keep production 02/18/16 Source: Press TV Iran says a quadripartite meeting that it hosted on Wednesday with the visiting oil ministers of Venezuela, Iraq and Qatar over measures to boost oil prices had ended with an agreement for OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers to keep their current output ceiling to help stabilize the market and boost the prices. Iran hosted oil ministers of Venezuela, Qatar and Iraq on Wednesday to discuss market conditions. "It was decided that OPEC and non-OPEC producers keep their current ceiling to help stabilize the market and improve the prices to the benefit of both the consumers and the producers," Zangeneh told reporters after the meeting. "This issue is supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran," he has been quoted by the media as saying on Thursday. The Iranian oil minister said this is the first step and the next steps to improve the current market conditions need to be taken likewise. He emphasized that this is the start of a serious cooperation between OPEC and non-OPEC states to stabilize the market. "An agreement for all to cooperate in boosting the prices is something Iran is happy to see happening," Zangeneh said. "Iran supports any measure to stabilize the market and improve the prices." The Iranian minister further emphasized that his Venezuelan, Qatari and Iraqi counterparts also agreed that there needs to be mechanism to monitor the conditions of the market as well as its behavior. He also said that he had discussed Iran's status and the prospects for its return to the market now that the sanctions have been lifted in the meeting. "They had a logical attitude toward this issue," Zangeneh said without providing further explanations. Oil ministers from Venezuela, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Russia had earlier on Tuesday met in Doha to discuss ways to stabilize the market. They had announced at the end of the meeting that they had agreed to freeze output in a bid to shore up prices after a 70 percent drop due to chronic oversupply. The best 2-in-1 laptop 2022: our picks of the best convertible laptops These are the best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy right now The latest Acer Aspire R 14 ($699.99 as tested), a midrange convertible-hybrid laptop, has been updated with new features that push it from average to the top of the class. Last year's $770 Acer Aspire R 14 (R3-471T-77HT)( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) was one of the first reasonably priced, large-screen laptops with a multimode form factor. At the time, we dinged it for having a low 1,366-by-768-resolution screen and no support for 5GHz Wi-Fi, since many midrange laptops were coming out with higher-resolution displays and dual-band Wi-Fi. Acer rectifies those shortcomings with the latest Aspire R 14($699.99 at Acer Canada)(Opens in a new window). The system has been upgraded with a 1080p HD screen and dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and adds a USB-C port; and at $699.99 (as tested), it costs $70 less. All that, along with all-day battery life and improved 3D gaming performance, help the latest Aspire R 14 earn our Editors' Choice for midrange convertible-hybrid laptops. Design and Features The dark-silver Aspire R 14 measures 0.73 by 13.5 by 9.6 inches (HWD), and weighs 4.07 pounds. That's pretty slim for a laptop with a 14-inch screen, and it is both thinner and lighter than the previous version, as well as the Toshiba Satellite Radius 14 E45W-C4200X( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window). It's a bit thicker and heavier than the Lenovo Yoga 3 14($949.00 at Lenovo)(Opens in a new window), but still easily transportable. If you really need portability, the HP Spectre x360 13t (13-4003)( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) measures 0.63 by 12.79 by 8.6 inches (HWD), and weighs 3.26 pounds, while the 12-inch Toshiba Satellite Radius 12 (P20W-CST3N01) measures 0.61 by 11.8 by 8.2 inches and weighs 2.9 pounds, but its keyboard is less comfortable to use, and it costs $100 more. Thanks to its convertible design, you can use the Aspire R 14 like a traditional laptop in Notebook mode, or flip the screen around to use it in Tablet mode (formerly known as Pad mode), fold the keyboard back and face down, with the screen facing toward you (Display mode), or stand the system upside down in Tent mode for movie viewing. Because of its screen size, it can get a little uncomfortable when you have to hold the system in the crook of your arm in Tablet mode for an extended period of time. The hinges have a bit more friction once you tilt the screen back beyond 120 degrees. That makes the system more stable when you're using the touch display. The 14-inch, 1,920-by-1,080-resolution IPS touch screen shows accurate colors when you view the display from various angles. Both the touch screen and the touchpad work well, with no lag. The backlit, chiclet-style keyboard is easy to type on. Connectivity is much improved over the last iteration. There's a USB-C port on the left side, which you can use with the latest speedy external hard drives and solid-state drives (SSDs). Also on the left are a headset jack, an HDMI port, a Kensington lock port, and two USB 3.0 ports (the previous Acer Aspire R 14 has just one). On the right, you'll find a jack for the AC adapter, the Power button, an SD card slot, a USB 2.0 port, and the volume control. Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth handle wireless connections. That's an improvement over the last model, which has 2.4GHz Wi-Fi only. The sound system detects the screen's position, and directs the audio output from the left and right speakers accordingly. Many new Acer laptops have a blue-light-reduction mode called Bluelight Shield. The company claims that it helps reduce eyestrain, particularly if you like to use your laptop in a dimly lit room. The 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD are excellent for a sub-$700 system, and should certainly be enough for multitasking. I had dozens of browser tabs open during testing, without any perceptible slowdown. There are a several extra programs and utilities, preloaded on the system, including Amazon, Flipbook, Foxit Phantom PDF viewer, Kindle, Netflix, and Wild Tangent games, all of which are removable. The laptop is covered by a one-year warranty. Performance The Aspire R 14 comes with a powerful 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-6200U processor with Intel HD Graphics 520. The system made short work of the PCMark 8 Work Conventional test. Its score of 2,780 points is only slightly behind last year's Intel Core i7-equipped Acer Aspire R 14 (2,896) and the Toshiba Satellite Radius 12 (2,921). And it fared better than the HP Spectre x360 13t (2,707). Multimedia performance is equally good. The Aspire R 14 was our second-place performer on the Handbrake test, with a time of 2 minutes 31 seconds, just behind the Toshiba Satellite 12 (2:30). That's slightly more than a minute faster than the Toshiba Satellite Radius 14 (3:34). Its results on the Cinebench (286 points) and Photoshop (4:33) tests were also near the top of the mark, though the previous Acer Aspire R 14, with its Intel Core i7 CPU, was a smidge faster on both Cinebench (302) and Photoshop (4:01). This laptop is speedy enough for complex multimedia editing sessions if you're a photo and video hobbyist. The Aspire R 14 puts in a good showing for 3D gaming performance, nabbing first place on the 3DMark Cloud Gate (5,482 points) and 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme (370) tests. Its frame rates on Heaven (20 frames per second or fps) and Valley (24fps) at Medium-quality settings aren't what we consider smoothly playable, but they still are better than the single-digit and low-teen frame rates the competition returned on the same tests. You should have no problem playing games like Minecraft and Diablo III on the Aspire R 14 at Medium-quality settings. Battery life was excellent. The system lasted 9 hours 37 minutes in our rundown test, which is almost an hour longer than the HP Spectre x360 (8:45). Last year's Acer Aspire R 14 lasted 9 hours 35 minutes, due to the extra drain from the Intel Core i7 processor balancing the power savings from the 1,366-by-768-resolution screen. The Toshiba Satellite Radius 14 lasted just 6:47, and the Toshiba Satellite Radius 12 lasted a longer 7:45, but the latter also has a smaller display. The battery leader in the category is the Acer Aspire R 13 (R7-371T-50ZE)($937.99 at Office Depot & OfficeMax)(Opens in a new window), which, with its smaller screen and slower processor, lasted 10:57. Conclusion The latest Acer Aspire R 14 is a reasonably priced convertible-hybrid laptop with a lot going for it. Its improvements over its last iteration include a large 1080p HD touch screen, forward-looking technology like a USB-C port, dual-band Wi-Fi, a powerful sixth-generation Intel Core i5 processor, and strong battery life, all at a really good price for a midrange laptop. It has a larger screen, better battery life, and better 3D performance than the HP Spectre x360 13t (13-4003), our former Editors' Choice, for $300 less. True, the Aspire R 14 is slightly larger and heavier than the HP Spectre x360, but not prohibitively so. As such, the Aspire R 14 is our Editors' Choice for midrange convertible-hybrid laptops. Acer Aspire R 14 4.0 Editors' Choice (Opens in a new window) See It $699.99 at Acer Canada (Opens in a new window) MSRP $699.99 Pros Nice price. Solid convertible design. Full 1080p HD touch screen. USB-C port. Stereo speakers adapt to screen position. Strong performance, particularly in 3D gaming. Excellent battery life. View More Cons Feels large in Tablet mode. Lots of bloatware. The Bottom Line The latest Acer Aspire R 14 convertible-hybrid laptop features a solid, versatile design, a 14-inch 1080p HD screen, strong performance, and excellent battery life. "Ooh, that's pretty." I almost never hear that about Android phones. It's not that they're bad-looking; it's that conservatism generally reigns supreme. The Nextbit Robin ($399) breaks the mold. It's the most attractive Android phone on the market, although you're paying for the standout design. It's also a high-quality, unlocked phone from a team that includes Google and HTC alumni. If you're interested, you need to be on board with the progressive Robin experience, which offloads your data to cloud storage when the phone's internal storage is full. You also need to trust that the company will fix bugs and deliver upgrades with time. Design and Features Nothing is truly original. The Robin's design owes a bit to Nokia's work in brightly colored polycarbonate, but it has a more rectangular body than any Lumia ever did. It comes in two designs: one is light blue with white sides and a white back, and the other is dark blue all around with a light blue power button. The dual front-facing speakers are a very HTC touch, although it's initially distracting that the bottom one isn't a home button. You have to swipe up on the display to get Marshmallow's virtual home button. At 5.9 by 2.8 by 0.3 inches (HWD) and 5.3 ounces, the Robin is not a small phone. The pretty much standard-issue 5.2-inch, 1080p IPS LCD has very little side bezel, but those front-facing speakers take up a lot of room on the top and bottom. The matte body feels smooth, and not at all slippery. The power button on the right side, next to the nano SIM card slot, doubles as a fingerprint scanner, and it's super-fast and accurate. It's faster than any of Samsung's current fingerprint scanners; once I set up my fingerprint, waking up the phone was so instantaneous that I wondered if it was doing the fingerprint check at all. (It was.) On the back, there are four little lights below a Nextbit cloud logo that pulse when the phone is uploading or downloading data to cloud storage. The phone comes with a flat, tangle-free USB-A-to-USB-C cable in a gorgeous light blue. It only transfers data at USB 2.0 speeds, though the Robin's port supports USB 3.0. And both the cable and the phone support Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0. Additional cables cost $15-20 based on length. The phone doesn't come with an AC adapter; you can buy one for $15. The company also sells three different varieties of cases for $15, $25 and $35, as well as screen protectors for $15 and $25. Nextbit's Cloud If you buy this phone, you'll have to have faith in Nextbit. That's very visible in the way Nextbit's cloud works. In fact, Nextbit's cloud is the flagship feature of the device: the phone automatically offloads up to 100GB of cloud storage when its 25GB of available on-device storage (32GB total) is full. You can toggle whether this happens only on Wi-Fi, and/or whether it happens only when you're connected to a charger. If you turn off the Only on Wi-Fi option, you'll really give your data plan a workout. I slugged a bunch of large apps and several gigabytes of movies and music into the phone. When I added enough to reduce the storage to about 2.2GB, the phone started shuffling apps into the cloud, alerting me that I had saved 530MB of storage. When the apps were in the cloud, their icons became gray. Tapping on a gray icon reloads it from the cloud storage. This also works for photos, which store a lower-resolution copy on the device and keep the full copy in the cloud. But right now the cloud system only works for apps and photos. It doesn't work for music or videos, and it doesn't back up your app data and game levels (which stay on the phone when the app has been offloaded). Nextbit is working on all of these things, execs say. I think offloading music would be a huge boon for those of us who haven't gone to a primarily streaming lifestyle. Android and Performance The Nextbit Robin runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow, with an update to 6.0.1 in the works. It has a pretty intense launcher skin, but Nextbit is very publicly hack-friendlythe Robin has an unlocked bootloader and Nextbit encourages you to root your phone and install whatever you want. The cloud-based offloading feature works with alternative launchers like Google Now and Nova, but not entirely different ROMs like Cyanogen. The phone's lock screen is gorgeous, with a simple, elegant clock. The launcher's custom icons are also elegant, with a bold and minimalist design. (Did I mention the phone was designed by HTC alums?) But Nextbit jumps on the Huawei bandwagon of ditching widgets and the app drawer, and making the home screen an iPhone-like, rearrangeable list of icons. You can move them around and put them in folders. If you pinch, you then get a second overlay screen you can drop Android widgets onto, but that defeats one of the central points of widgets, which is that they're supposed to be right there. That's one reason I like Android more than iOS, which requires an extra swipe down to see your notification widgets. There's also an annoyingly persistent app-sorting icon that takes up the lower right position in the four-by-four app grid, and can't be moved or removed. Performance-wise, the phone has a 1.8GHz Snapdragon 808 processor with 3GB of RAM and few surprises. It kills lower-end devices like the Huawei Honor 5X and the LG G Vista 2 on benchmarks, but it isn't class-leading. Gaming performance is fine, although I've seen better; there's mostly a bit of load delay in super-intensive games like Asphalt 8. With 39fps in the GFXBench T-Rex test, it can handle the frames that games are putting out. For a phone that's so passionately cloud-based, I wasn't thrilled by the Robin's LTE or Wi-Fi performance. I compared it with the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, which has impeccable RF performance. On LTE, I got -4 to -5dBm of better on the Note 5, which could make the difference between making a call and not. Moreover, while the Robin has dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, I consistently got slower Wi-Fi speeds on the Robin connected to our 100Mbps Verizon FiOS test router than I did on the Note 5. The Robin had no problem getting 10-20Mbps down on Wi-Fi, even at 40 feet from the router, but I couldn't reach higher speeds while the Note 5 had no problem showing 70+Mbps down. That said, I'm more than pleased with the Robin's broad LTE banding, which outpaces similar phones like the OnePlus 2 in carrier compatibility. The Robin has LTE bands 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/20/28, which covers you for AT&T, T-Mobile, Canada, Europe, and some of Asia. The only ones missing are AT&T's new bands 29 and 30, which it isn't really using yet. OnePlus splits these bands up into regional models, so you never have all of them in one unit. The phone supports voice-over-LTE (VoLTE), but not Wi-Fi calling, and it has Bluetooth 4.1 LE and NFC for pairing. Call quality is very good. The earpiece is really powerful, and voice quality is rich, especially with voice-over-LTE. Noise cancellation is generally solid; it has some minor issues with wind noise, but most phones do. The speakerphone is also top-notch. The phone's 2,680mAh battery lasted for 5 hours, 56 minutes of full-screen LTE video streaming, which is good but not extraordinary. It's a bit better than the OnePlus 2 (5 hours, 19 minutes), but much shorter than the Note 5 (7 hours, 35 minutes). Photos and Multimedia The Robin's dual front-facing speakers promise serious audio. They deliver, although they need to be fine-tuned. Most of the notches on the volume slider increase the volume by 2-3dB, but the very last one jumps by 7dB and makes the speakers clip. That's fixable in the firmware. See How We Test Cell Phones The phone has a custom camera app with some manual controls. It sometimes didn't choose the most sensible auto-exposures (often picking a bright background to a dark foreground), but tapping for manual exposure fixed that. The main camera is super-sharp in good lighting and decent in low light, although low-light images can be quite noisy. The front-facing camera tends to blow things out with brightness outdoors and get noisy in low light. There's an HDR option that takes clear photos, but it has a shutter lag bug that Nextbit says it's fixing. The main camera records 4K video at 30 frames per second, and the front camera records 1080p video at 30 frames per second, with both clinging desperately to those 30fps as the lights go down, making videos noisier and noisier until they black out. I actually prefer that to the other option, which is cutting the frame rate to maintain sharpness. 4K video is pretty noisy in any indoor situation, so I'd suggest sticking to 1080p. Slow-motion video and panorama features are coming in an upcoming firmware update, Nextbit says. Otherwise, music and video playback through the Robin is fine. There's no wired way to hook it up to a big screen (for now, at least), although the phone supports wireless screencasting. Conclusions Are you comfortable with paying for design? If not, stop reading, you're done here. The $399 Nextbit Robin is out-specced by the $349 OnePlus 2, and certainly by the beastly Moto X Pure Edition, among other unlocked phones. You're paying a premium for design here. And it's definitely a work in progress; everything from the Robin's camera modes to its much-vaunted cloud offloading are evolving. But the Robin stands out. Unlike the OnePlus 2, it won't be mistaken for any other phone, and unlike the Moto X Pure, the design is tasteful and refined. Unsurprisingly given Nextbit's HTC pedigree, the phone makes me think of the HTC One A9, another phone that manages to outweigh its specs because of its design. There are a lot of questions around Nextbit that are similar to the questions around OnePlus. Will the company deliver software updates on a regular basis? Will it be able to make enough phones? Nexbit will only offer 6,000 devices to start, but told me, "We are working to bring our capacity to meet demand before this becomes an issue. We are not trying to limit availability." Can it live up to that promise? I've known some of the Nextbit team for a long time, and they're passionate, competent, and experienced. Still, let's make sure they can produce and update phones before you drop $400 for one. I'm giving the Robin a good rating, but proceed with caution. Nextbit Robin (Unlocked) 3.5 (Opens in a new window) Check Stock $208.97 at Amazon (Opens in a new window) MSRP $399.00 Pros Beautiful design. Automatically offloads little-used apps to the cloud. Loud front-facing speakers. Good voice quality. View More Cons Software is a bit rough around the edges. Doesn't offload music or videos. A bit expensive for the specs. The Bottom Line The Nextbit Robin is a beautiful unlocked Android phone with an innovative approach to cloud storage, but you need to believe in the company's vision and be willing to pay a premium for design. Apple has some heavyweight supporters in its encryption battle with the FBI, but a number of politicians, particularly the GOP presidential hopefuls, are not on board. In a series of tweets, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said a recent court order requiring Apple to unlock a seized iPhone "could be a troubling precedent." "We know that law enforcement and intelligence agencies face significant challenges in protecting the public against crime and terrorism," Pichai said. "We build secure products to keep your information safe and we give law enforcement access to data based on valid legal orders. But that's wholly different than requiring companies to enable hacking of customer devices and data." Pichai's tweets come after a court ordered Apple to help the iPhone unlock an iPhone owned by one of the San Bernardino shooters. The iPhone 5c is currently locked, and the FBI does not want to trigger an auto-wipe function if it makes too many incorrect password guesses. So it wants Apple to remove the remote-wipe function so it can start an automated password-guessing process. Apple, however, has refused to comply. It says the order is a slippery slope because if Apple creates a workaround for the FBI, what's to stop that from falling into the hands of terrorists or other criminals, who might use it for nefarious purposes? "The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customersincluding tens of millions of American citizensfrom sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals," Cook wrote in a Tuesday letter(Opens in a new window) published to the company's website. The memo attracted the attention of everyone from WhatsApp creator Jan Koum to Internet rights advocates(Opens in a new window) to presidential hopefuls. http://www.apple.com/customer-letter/ - I have always admired Tim Cook for his stance on privacy and Apple's efforts to... Posted by Jan Koum on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 (Opens in a new window) The Reform Government Surveillance campaign, meanwhile, of which Microsoft is a member, on Wednesday said(Opens in a new window) "it is extremely important to deter terrorists and criminals and to help law enforcement by processing legal orders for information in order to keep us all safe. "But technology companies should not be required to build in backdoors to the technologies that keep their users' information secure," it continued. "RGS companies remain committed to providing law enforcement with the help it needs while protecting the security of their customers and their customers' information." Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, meanwhile, criticized Apple(Opens in a new window) for denying the government request. "To think that Apple won't allow us into [the] cell phone? Who do they think they are?" he said during a Wednesday Fox & Friends interview. "No, we have to open it." During a CNN town hall on Wednesday, Sen. Ted Cruz had a similar take(Opens in a new window), as did Ben Carson(Opens in a new window). Sen. Marco Rubio, however, acknowledged(Opens in a new window) the unintended consequences of creating a backdoor. "I don't have a magic solution for it today it's a complicated new issue," he said. Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton went a step further, saying(Opens in a new window) that Apple is protecting a dead ISIS terrorist's privacy over the security of the American people. "The problem of end-to-end encryption isn't just a terrorism issue. It is also a drug-trafficking, kidnapping, and child pornography issue that impacts every state of the Union," Cotton said in a statement. "It's unfortunate that the great company Apple is becoming the company of choice for terrorists, drug dealers, and sexual predators of all sorts." Apple started encrypting its mobile OS by default beginning with iOS 8, and Google did the same with Lollipop. The move was in large part a response to the Edward Snowden docs and revelations that the feds were using more invasive technology to spy on citizens than most people thought. States like New York(Opens in a new window) and California have introduced bills that would ban the sale of encrypted devices. Last week, however, two members of Congress introduced a bill that would thwart state efforts to weaken smartphone encryption. PCMag Live: Ultimaker 2+ 3D printer, Apple vs FBI, Twitter bans (Opens in a new window) Today we discussed Apple's battle against the government, possible "shadow bans" by Twitter and an unexpected ingredient in Parmesan cheese. Our product of the day was the Ultimaker 2+ 3D printer.Ultimaker 2+ review: https://www.pcmag.com/review/341812/ultimaker-2Wood in Parmesan cheese: http://www.geek.com/news/fda-discovers-that-100-real-parmesan-cheese-youre-eating-may-be-wood-2-1647488/Apple vs. FBI: /news342052/apple-fights-chilling-order-to-unlock-shooters-iphone Posted by PCMag (Opens in a new window) on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center has paid the ransom demanded by hackers after being under seige for more than a week. The hospital paid 40 bitcoin ($17,000) to regain control of its computer network, Allen Stefanek, the hospital's president and CEO, said in a statement(Opens in a new window). Earlier reports put the ransom amount at about $3.4 million, but that was "false," according to Stefanek. Staff began noticing "significant IT issues" on Friday, when the hospital declared an internal emergency. In the days since, computer-based tasks were carried out via pen and paper, hundreds of patients were diverted to nearby hospitals, and the Radiation and Oncology departments were temporarily shut down. "The quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom and obtain the decryption key," Stefanek said. "In the best interest of restoring normal operations, we did this. "HPMC has restored its electronic medical record system ('EMR') on Monday, February 15th. All clinical operations are utilizing the EMR system. All systems currently in use were cleared of the malware and thoroughly tested. We continue to work with our team of experts to understand more about this event." The hospital did not provide any additional information on how the attack occurred. Ransomware typically suggests than an employee on the inside clicked a bad link or downloaded a malicious attachment. The software then takes over and locks the system, and hackers demand money for its return. Stefanek said patient and employee data was never compromised. The FBI has taken control of the hospital's ransomware case, but declined to comment further on the ongoing investigation. This type of attack recently forced Israel's Electricity Authority to shut down its PCs. Google Translate this week added 13 languages, bring its total to 103 dialects that cover 99 percent of the online population. So if you speak Amharic, Corsican, Frisian, Kyrgyz, Hawaiian, or Kurdish (Kurmanji), or want to communicate with someone in Luxembourgish, Samoan, Scots Gaelic, Shona, Sindhi, Pashto, or Xhosa, Google's got you covered. "The 13 new languageshelp bring a combined 120 million new people to the billions who can already communicate with Translate all over the world," Sveta Kelman, senior program manager for Google Translate, wrote in a blog post(Opens in a new window). In December 2014, the product supported 90 languages worldwide; 20 more were added last summer. The process is not easy, though. According to Kelman, Google needs a significant amount of translations to already be available on the Web; from there, the team relies on machine learning, licensed content, and the Translate Community. Along the way, they pick up a few fun facts, like that Samoan is written using only 14 letters, and South Africa's Xhosa features three kinds of clicks, represented by the letters X, Q, and C. Meanwhile, the addition of Luxembourgish completes Google's list of official EU languages covered by Translate. "We've come a long way with over 100 languages, but we aren't done yet," Kelman wrote, encouraging folks to get involved with Translate Community(Opens in a new window), which calls on users to help with translations. Just in time for International Mother Language Day on Sunday, anyone can go online to help translate phrases or validate existing translations. In other translation news, Microsoft today updated(Opens in a new window) its Translator apps for iOS and Android with some handy new features. The Android app is getting a new artificial intelligence-powered, on-device translation engine for those times when you don't have Internet access, or don't want to spend an arm and a leg on international roaming fees. Microsoft said the technology brings the "highest-quality offline translation" to your Android mobile device. The iOS version is getting a new image translation feature that uses "state-of-the-art" optical character recognition to translate text from your camera roll or saved pictures. As of yesterday, Indonesians can no longer access Tumblr because the government doesn't want its citizens to browse the blogging site's copious amounts of adult material, the BBC reports(Opens in a new window). The ban is part of a larger crackdown against pornography, and Tumblr is one of 477 sites that will be banned, according to an official in the country's Communication and Information Ministry. That official, Azhar Hasyim, told local media(Opens in a new window) that Indonesia had not communicated with Tumblr in advance, but would notify it later and provide an opportunity to remove the objectionable content. "Once they have agreed to clean up their websites from pornographic content, then we will immediately reopen the access," Hasyim said. Tumblr and parent company Yahoo are unlikely to comply, for freedom of speech reasons but also because porn is available on every corner of Tumblr. When Yahoo announced plans to acquire Tumblr in 2013, one of the first questions posed to Marissa Mayer was whether she was concerned about buying a company known for distributing adult content. She pointed to the NSFW tag, which lets people flag pornographic content. "People looking for that kind of thing can find it and those who don't won't find it and also make sure not to find it by accident," she told(Opens in a new window) George Stephanopoulos at the time. Indonesia, meanwhile, is not one to shy away from banning sites it finds objectionable. The government also banned Vimeo, Reddit and Imgur(Opens in a new window) last May, though YouTube is allowed. Soon after Netflix's expansion to Indonesia last month, meanwhile, the country's largest Internet service provider, PT Telekom, blocked it. A spokesman for the ISP told(Opens in a new window) the country's Indo Telko that Netflix will only be restored when it addresses its concerns and follows the country's regulations, while the government made clear it had nothing to do with the blocking. Of course, Indonesians can use private VPNs to circumvent the blocks, although Netflix has promisd to crack down on that loophole. The Obama administration has reached new levels of cyber espionage, according to the New York Times, which reported(Opens in a new window) this week on an expansive plan to disable Iran's nuclear infrastructure should it ever threaten military conflict. The plan, which involved thousands of military and intelligence personnel, is currently shelved due to the nuclear agreement between Iran and Western countries that took effect in January. But intensive planning began in 2009, soon after President Obama took office. The proposed operation would have implanted a digital "worm" in the computer systems of Iran's Fordo nuclear facility, according to the Times. The hacking plan, code named Nitro Zeus, was uncovered during the filming of a documentary by Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney about the escalating conflict with Iran in the years leading up to last year's nuclear deal. If a deal never materialized, disabling nuclear facilities using cyber attacks was the main military option short of all-out war. The Times confirmed the cyber attack plan by conducting its own interviews; the White House and the Pentagon refused to comment. That the plan never went into action may be a good thing, since a similar hacking plan hatched by the Bush Administration and continued during Obama's term erupted into a worldwide computer virus in 2010, dubbed Stuxnet, after an Iranian nuclear engineer used his infected computer to browse the web. Stuxnet infected millions of computers but did little damage to the intended Iranian nuclear targets. In retaliation, Iran kicked its own hacking apparatus into high gear. In addition to creating military options if negotiations fail, the U.S. is also thought to use cyber attacks as alternatives to diplomacy. Chinese officials have complained that attacks on its government websites originate in from U.S. IP addresses. Apple Inc.s refusal to help the FBI search the iPhone of a terrorist has added pressure on Congress to balance the needs of privacy and law enforcement in encrypted communications something it has tried but failed to do for years. These complex issues will ultimately need to be resolved byCongress, the administration and industry, rather than the courts alone, since they involve important matters of public policy, said Representative Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee. A federal judge on Tuesday, Feb. 16 ordered Apple to help the FBI gain entry into an encrypted iPhone used by Syed Rizwan Farook. Farook, along with his wife, shot and killed 14 co-workers in San Bernardino in December, before they were killed by police. The FBI wants to know where they had been and who helped them. Apple is refusing to cooperate. Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown, D-San Bernardino, issued a statement Thursday chiding Apple. I understand that it is important that government strike a balance between national security and privacy rights, she said. However, when an ISIS inspired terrorist attack results in the deaths of 14 Americans, it is completely reasonable to investigate the encrypted information on the dead perpetrators iPhone. I believe that it is a fallacy that compliance with this court order would irreparably disrupt this balance. There are two main legislative efforts taking shape in Congress to resolve the standoff. Republican Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, and Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia plan to introduce legislation to create a federal commission to study the issue and make recommendations. Separately, the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate intelligence panel Richard Burr of North Carolina and Dianne Feinstein of California are considering legislation that would compel companies to assist law enforcement. They havent put forward a proposal yet or indicated when they will do so. The U.S. attorney should be able to fully investigate the San Bernardino terrorist attack that killed 14 Californians, and that includes access to the terrorists phone, Feinstein said in a statement. Its not unreasonable for Apple to provide technical assistance when ordered by the court. Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, said Apples response means they are unwilling to compromise and that legislation is likely the only way to resolve this issue. Meanwhile, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, criticized the White House for failing to put forward proposals of its own. The administrations current posture appears to have encouraged at least one technology provider to go out of its way to refuse to assist law enforcement even in circumstances where it once helped to provide lawful access to encrypted devices in response to court orders, Grassley wrote in a letter to FBI Director James Comey. While Apple and the U.S. face what is likely to be prolonged legal battle, critics say the standoff over access to encrypted data has far broader implications than just one court case and needs to be resolved. Despite many invitations from law enforcement groups to work collaboratively, these technology companies are spending their lobbying resources on fighting congressional efforts to make it easier for law enforcement to conduct investigations, Reynaldo Tariche, president of the FBI Agents Association, said in a statement. The group is encouraging Congress, the president, and other officials to demand that these companies fulfill their legal and civic obligation, Tariche said. Staff Writer Jeff Horseman contributed to this report. At least one Inland congressman isnt too happy with Apples intent to defy a court order to assist the FBI in unlocking the iPhone of San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook. I dont know why there is a controversy, quite frankly, said Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona. Weve got 14 people that are dead and we have a judge whos made an order and Apple should comply with it or be held in contempt. A dead person has no right or expectation to privacy, he added. The FBI is not asking for the keys to the kingdom. Theyre simply asking Apple to unlock the phone to get to the facts to protect the public. If this is their way of cooperating, God help us. Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Redlands, whose district includes the site of the terror attack, is urging Apple to cooperate with law enforcement. As the investigation into the attack at the Inland Regional Center continues, its imperative that the technology community works with law enforcement and intelligence agencies to uncover critical information related to the terror attack, Aguilar said in a written statement. We must do everything in our power to learn more about how ISIS operates so we can destroy their system of recruitment and radicalization, and to prevent the violence we saw in San Bernardino from spreading to other communities throughout our nation. In a statement, Rep. Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley, said: This is largely a matter for the courts at the moment, and Im hopeful that Apple will find a way to continue cooperating with law enforcement. We need to find a sensible way to gain access to any useful information that may be on the terrorists phones, while protecting the privacy of communications for others. Balancing the right to privacy with the need for security is always tough, and this situation is no exception. A federal judge in Riverside has ordered Apple to help the government unlock Rizwan Farooks iPhone. Federal investigators are trying to learn more about the Dec. 2 mass shooting by Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, that killed 14 and injured 22. The couple later died in a shootout with police. In a statement on Apples website, Apple CEO Tim Cook said opening a backdoor to an encrypted device would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect. San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos said Wednesday, Feb. 17, that he plans to join district attorneys associations in filing a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the FBIs attempt to force Apple to hack the county-owned iPhone controlled by San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook. Ramos called Apples opposition to Tuesdays ruling that ordered Apple to assist the FBI a slap in the face to our victims. The DAs comments came as Inland residents weighed the competing interests of public safety and public privacy. Apple CEO Tim Cook said Wednesday that his company will fight a federal magistrate judges order requiring the electronics giant to cooperate with federal authorities, who are trying to obtain emails, text message and phone numbers from the device. They want to determine whether anyone conspired with county health inspector Farook and wife Tashfeen Malik on the Dec. 2 shooting that killed 14 people and wounded 22 at the Inland Regional Center. Farook and Malik were killed in a subsequent gun battle, and the FBI has been unable to break the encryption of the phone it seized in a search. Apple is concerned that opening a so-called backdoor into a cell phone or tablet could have privacy consequences for other users. I think that if ever there was an exception to the rule, this is it, Ramos said. Were talking about victims in my county who have lost loved ones who actually continue to fear for their lives, want to know if they were targeted, whether or not there are any others out there. And to not allow the FBI to get into this one phone I think is a huge public safety issue for all Americans, Ramos said. San Jacinto resident James Godoy, whose wife, Aurora Godoy, died in the Dec. 2 shooting, said Apple should be compelled to cooperate with the FBI. The government taps into stuff as it is, Godoy said. Why cant they do it with Apple? It sounds kind of odd. Who does it hurt? Nobody. But Karen Fagan, ex-wife of shooting victim Harry Hal Bowman, said the FBIs request is going too far. I know that it is a tempting argument to say that we should allow government access to private information in order to make people feel safe. After all, the argument goes, people who arent breaking the law have nothing to hide. While that may be true, American citizens have been granted privacy rights, and this request breaches those rights, Fagan said. ITS GOING TO BE A FIGHT Ramos said he expects this case to go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Its going to be a fight. But Ill tell you this, Im ready to fight. This is a fight that needs to be won. Im not going to sit back and let them keep victims, or future victims, in the dark, he said. A friend-of-the-court brief, officially known as an amicus curiae, is usually filed by a party that is not directly involved in a case of public interest such as civil rights or privacy but still could be affected by a ruling. Such briefs often seek to raise awareness about some aspect of a case that the judge might otherwise miss. Former U.S. District Judge Stephen G. Larson, founding partner of Larson OBrien in Los Angeles, is filing such a brief to weigh into the Apple case on behalf of San Bernardino victims and family members. Larson is also a former federal prosecutor who for several years worked with Eileen M. Decker, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, who successfully sought the court order against Apple. Larson, who grew up in San Bernardino County and still lives there, said he also is friends with Ramos. Decker and Ramos sought him out to file the brief, Larson said. The victims have the greatest interest of all in finding out why this terrible event took place and what our government and law enforcement can do to bring everyone involved in this to justice and ensure the best that we can, something like this never happens again, Larson said. Larson said he is not charging the victims to represent them. Godoy said data on Farooks iPhone could be helpful in explaining some planning or motive behind the terrorist attacks. He added the information may provide more evidence in the federal governments case against Enrique Marquez Jr., the 24-year-old Riverside man accused of supplying rifles and explosive powder used in the massacre. Its not like anybody is defending Apples privacy, Godoy said. Ideally, they should have done it on their own accord. PHONE SECURITY IMPORTANT Inland iPhone owners on Wednesday said they value their safety but also their privacy. Shortly after emerging from the Apple Store in Temecula, Kim Hyde, of Hemet, said this is a situation when the company should cooperate with the government. I just think that in the case of terrorism we have to band together against the terrorists, said Hyde, 48. We have to do what it takes, whether or not it impinges on our civil liberties. But Derek Drago, 44, of Murrieta, said he understands Apples position. They want to have security for their customers, and thats the most important thing, said Drago. Murrieta resident Mike Anderson, 64, who was shopping nearby at the Promenade mall with his wife, Kim, said he believes that people should dump their Apple products and boycott the company. If we could find more information on who else they were talking to, that would be awesome, said Kim Anderson, 58. Monique Hayward, of Temecula, said she owns an iPhone and iPad Mini. As she stood on the sidewalk in front of the Apple Store, the 25-year-old health care worker conceded the government should be able to override privacy protections under special circumstances. I mean, I dont like the idea of someone being all in my phone, said Hayward. But you never know I could be a terrorist. CALVERT: APPLE SHOULD COMPLY At least one Inland congressman isnt too happy with Apples intent to defy a court order to assist the FBI in unlocking the iPhone of San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook. I dont know why there is a controversy, quite frankly, said Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona. Weve got 14 people that are dead and we have a judge whos made an order and Apple should comply with it or be held in contempt. A dead person has no right or expectation to privacy, he added. The FBI is not asking for the keys to the kingdom. Theyre simply asking Apple to unlock the phone to get to the facts to protect the public. If this is their way of cooperating, God help us. Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Redlands, whose district includes the site of the terror attack, is urging Apple to cooperate with law enforcement. As the investigation into the attack at the Inland Regional Center continues, its imperative that the technology community works with law enforcement and intelligence agencies to uncover critical information related to the terror attack, Aguilar said in a written statement. We must do everything in our power to learn more about how ISIS operates so we can destroy their system of recruitment and radicalization, and to prevent the violence we saw in San Bernardino from spreading to other communities throughout our nation. In a statement, Rep. Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley, said: This is largely a matter for the courts at the moment, and Im hopeful that Apple will find a way to continue cooperating with law enforcement. COUNTY MAY REVIEW POLICY County employees continue to use the phones issued to them, and they have the ability to configure security settings. Spokesman David Wert said the county could tell employees they cant create their own passcodes or cut off the iCloud, as Farook did, but the county could not stop them from doing so. The county will most likely consider all of this as it reviews existing policies and creates new ones. San Bernardino City Councilmember Fred Shorett said he is a strong supporter of privacy issues and the government staying out of business matters. He wondered Wednesday who would be trusted with the information that could be unlocked if Apple unwound the encryption that would erase data if too many wrong passcodes were entered. Theres got to be a balance and theres got to be good judgment. I dont like the courts ordering a private-sector company what to do, but theres been a major crime committed here, Shorett said. County Supervisor Josie Gonzales said its important for the FBI to gain access to the phone but that further discussion is necessary before having Apple hack into the phone. Its not just about Dec. 2. There are millions and millions of people that would be impacted, she said. Staff writers Stephen Wall, Alejandra Molina, Tom Sheridan, Jennifer Iyer and Jeff Horseman contributed to this report. UPDATE (Thursday, April 28): Shooters brother, 2 Russian women arrested on marriage fraud charges Federal agents on Thursday, Feb. 18, executed a search warrant at the Corona house where the brother and mother of one of the San Bernardino shooters lives. Investigators removed a computer tower, large envelopes and bags, among other items, from a house on Forum Way. No one was arrested. FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller confirmed that federal agents served a search warrant at a residence in Corona on Thursday morning to seek evidence in an ongoing investigation. She would not say whether it was the home of Syed Raheel Farook, whose brother, Syed Rizwan Farook, was one of the shooters who killed 14 people and wounded 22 others at the Inland Regional Center on Dec. 2. The affidavit in support of the warrant has been sealed by the court and we are, therefore, prohibited from commenting on the nature of the search, Eimiller said by email. Although the shooters are dead Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, were killed in a gun battle four hours after the attack the probe into the crime continues. Investigators are still trying to determine whether the couple acted alone or were directed by others. The FBI described the assault as a terrorist attack, and court documents say the couple were Muslims radicalized by propaganda from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS. The FBI is also trying to account for who the terrorists spoke with or met, if anyone, during an 18-minute period after the attack, during which the terrorists movements are unaccounted for. Thursdays raid came one day after Apple said it would disobey a court ruling that required the company to assist the FBI in hacking Rizwan Farooks iPhone in order to obtain text messages, emails and other possible evidence. While the FBI has proposed a solution that the agency says would limit the hack to Rizwan Farooks phone, Apple has said the technique could allow the government to reach into anybodys device. SEVERAL POSSIBLE TARGETS Raheel Farook, his wife, Tatiana, their child and his father, Syed Farook, all live in the Corona townhouse. Tatiana and her sister, Mariya Chernykh, are under scrutiny after Riverside resident Enrique Marquez Jr. reportedly told investigators that he was being paid $200 a month for marrying Chernykh. Both women are Russian natives, and there is concern that the marriages were arranged to illegally ease the womens path to U.S. citizenship. Agents of Homeland Security Investigations the investigative arm of Immigration and Customers Enforcement participated in Thursdays search, but that does not mean that evidence was being sought against the Russian women. ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said HSI is the second-largest contributor of resources to the federal Joint Terrorism Task Force behind the FBI. Marquez is facing a July trial after an affidavit written to obtain an arrest warrant said Marquez admitted supplying rifles to Rizwan Farook and that he plotted terrorist attacks with Farook against Riverside City College and motorists on the 91 freeway. Marquez, who was also accused of marriage fraud, has pleaded not guilty to all charges. A federal prosecutor has said Marquez did not participate in and was not aware of the San Bernardino attack. Rafia Farook, mother of Rizwan and Raheel, has also been living at the Corona home, apparently since moving belongings out of the Redlands townhouse she shared with the shooters. Because the FBI isnt divulging details, its unclear whether agents seized any of Rizwan Farooks former possessions. Rafia Farook hasnt been seen in two weeks, said neighbor Brittani Adams, 25. Like Raheel, Rafia Farook has not been charged with any crime. Raheel was described by a former neighbor as a clean-cut, personable loan officer. In high school, Raheel organized an event to resolve conflict and address racism in 2002. He joined the U.S. Navy and earned medals in the war on terrorism. QUESTIONS ABOUT FAMILIES FBI agents arrived by 5 a.m. Thursday and made a sweep of the Gallery neighborhood, asking residents questions about Raheel, who sometimes goes by Raj, and his wife, and showing photos of many of the family members. They went around the whole neighborhood, Adams said. She and husband Dane Adams, 24, who live two doors down from the Farooks, talked with agents who came at 7 a.m. The Adams were asked a list of questions about Raheel and Tatiana Farook. The agents also showed them photos of Raheel, Tatiana, Syed and Rafia Farook; Tatianas sister, Marya Chernykh Marquez and Enrique Marquez. The FBI asked if they knew who each person was, Brittani Adams said. Adams said FBI agents also searched the cars outside the Farook home, including a white Toyota 4Runner belonging to Tatiana Farook, and a small black Lexus thats been showing up randomly, Adams said. A black Lexus with a license plate number matching a car that belongs to Rafia Farook was seen at the home Thursday morning. At 7 a.m., FBI agents told Adams they were trying to obtain a search warrant for the house. The unfolding events were stressful, said Adams, who was home with sons Kaiin, 3, and Kaiden, 1. We thought it was all over and everything. We thought the neighborhood had gone back to its peace. Now here they are, back searching, Adams said. They and other neighbors believed the Farooks were moving out, especially after seeing a rental truck parked in the driveway in late December. However, Raheel Farook had helped his mother, Rafia, move belongings out of the Redlands townhouse that day and then brought the truck to his house. Raheel and Tatiana Farook dont seem to be capable of inflicting the kind of violence his younger brother and sister-in-law did, Adams said. It makes you wonder if they are involved. You can only just hope that they are not, she said. I need to know Im safe in my own home, in my community. Adams and her husband gave the Farooks daughter a present for Christmas to try to smooth over strained relations. Raheel Farook couldnt stop thanking them. The next day, he and his wife gave presents to the Adams children. Everything went back to normal until today, she said. Stacy Mozer, who lives down the street from Farook, said he was alerted to the search when his wife was leaving for work about 6:15 a.m. He said that law enforcement and media presence in the neighborhood had died down recently. He had hoped it would stay that way. Its been a lot of hassle, Mozer said. Hopefully if (the family) knows anything they could report it. Erin Long, who lives across the street from the house that was raided, said that the Farook family members have kept to themselves after the attack. Before the attack, she said, she would frequently talk with them when they ran into each other. Long said the neighborhood was shaken by the law enforcement and media presence after the attack. But more than two months afterward, things have settled down, she said. Everyone has just gone back to normal, long said. I mean, you cant just live in fear. Just before 4 p.m. Thursday, a woman walked out of the home carrying an envelope and was picked up by a man driving a blue Honda Accord. Both declined to talk to the media and sped away as reporters approached the car. The latest: investigators brought a computer tower and several items in Manila envelopes from the home pic.twitter.com/gEQI3kgcy1 Ali Tadayon (@PE_alitadayon) February 18, 2016 http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js The story is developing. Check back for updates. John Kasich said Wednesday that he disagrees with Apples CEO that the government overreached in ordering the company to help the FBI hack an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the shooters in San Bernardino. The Ohio governor told reporters, I dont think its an example of government overreach to say that, you know, we had terrorists here on our soil and weve got to understand more detail about who they may have been communicating with. Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, murdered 14 people Dec. 2 before the couple was killed by police. The phone was recovered from their vehicle in the aftermath of the attack. Apple CEO Tim Cook says helping authorities unlock the shooters phone could undermine encryption for millions of other users. Kasich said if he was president he would resolve the problem quietly, adding some of these things just shouldnt be talked about in public. For Donna Morin, growing up during the Great Depression meant learning how to be creative at a young age. She watched her parents turn ordinary household objects into toys, so she quickly began to do the same, turning clothes pins into dolls. As Morin entered high school, she expanded her creativity to classroom bulletin boards, filling them with what she describes as cartoon-like drawings that celebrated various holidays and school activities. It would not be until much later, however, that Morin would find her way into art as a profession. Now she has found her art in collections and exhibitions throughout the country, most recently as part of the Riverside Arts Councils Artscape exhibit at the Riverside County Administrative Center. I was an average student in high school, said the 76 year-old Morin. It wasnt until I was married and raising children that I began to think about college seriously. She enrolled in one course at a time, obtaining a BA after 25 years. Then with children grown and on my own, I went to Claremont and graduated with an MFA in 1988 at the age of 45, she said. Having spent many years working in retail, including ten years at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and another ten years at Gearys in Beverly Hills, Morin went on to what she may have least expected when she was younger. She started teaching college in 1988, as soon as she received her MFA. She taught drawing and painting courses at La Sierra University, Cal State San Bernardino and San Bernardino Valley College from 1988 until retiring in 2012. Born in Pontiac, Michigan, Morin lives in Loma Linda. Morin said she has been through many stylistic phases in her work but she has always leaned toward using geometric abstraction and strong color contrasts. There is a certain rhythm in geometry that provides a balance to an uncertain world, she said. And for me, color is about the joy of being alive. Art making, she said, is different for everyone. Her own personal meaning includes an awareness of the world and the phenomenon of seeing. I am fascinated by color, transparencies, color overlays that make new neutrals contrasting brights to become even brighter, she said. Art and art making says, I came to the planet, I was here and I want to share what I noticed and experienced. For more information on Donna Morin, visit donnamorin.com. Patrick Brien is executive director of the Riverside Arts Council, a private, nonprofit corporation. Contact the council at info@riverside, 951-680-1345 or riversideartscouncil.com. Contact the writer: community@pressenterprise.com CORRECTION: Hal Snyder, Mary Humboltm Pati Weir, Rosanna Scott and Earl Shade were the founders of Victoria Avenue Forever. Frank Heyming is the groups vice president. Because of a reporting error. Heymings role was incorrect in a previous version of the story. Also, Victoria Avenue Forever aims to preserve and replace trees and roses along the roadway in Riverside. Because of a reporting error, the groups purpose was mischaracterized in a previous version of the story. How do you rescue a painted mural of Riversides historic Victoria Avenue from a restaurant wall set for demolition? Very carefully, according to Frank Heyming, vice president of the greenbelt preservation group Victoria Avenue Forever and not without quite a bit of luck. Victoria Avenue Forever was founded in 1990 to preserve and replace trees and roses on the citys greenbelt area. The mural, of an orange grove harvest scene, was also created some 25 years ago, Heyming said, at Food Connection restaurant on Indiana Avenue and Adams Street not far from Victoria Avenue. The artist was prolific Southern California muralist and painter Marv Brehm. Over the years, Food Connection customers enjoyed the artwork, Heyming said. Janet Gless, when she heard of the mural removal, indicated her orange grove workers used to love sitting under the mural, he said. Former Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge, now director of UC Riversides Center for Sustainable Suburban Development, also remembered having meetings under the mural, Heyming said. But Food Connection closed in 2014, and the owner of the gas station next door bought the property to build a market. A friend gave Heyming a call: He asked if there was anything that could be done to save the mural. Heyming and Drew Oberjuerge, executive director of the Riverside Art Museum, went to see the new owner, who was glad to donate the mural to the museum but needed the removal done quickly. The mural had been painted on canvas that was glued to the drywall; members of Victoria Avenue Forever found a painting company with experience removing wallpaper. Using large putty knives, the painters were able to peel the edges back and slowly pull the canvas off the wall, Heyming said. The adhesive had been applied lightly in the center. Once the edges were loosened, the mural came off in one piece with no damage and just in time, Heyming said. Demolition workers were pounding on the roof, he said. Experts from the museum said the 29-foot-by-4-1/2-foot canvas should be rolled picture side out. Heyming provided a large carpet roll tube for storage, and the mural was presented to the museum during this months First Sunday event downtown. Museum Executive Director Oberjuerge said the mural will be installed at Eastside Library this winter. We are so grateful to Victoria Avenue Forever for connecting the dots to ensure this piece of art about Riverside stays in Riverside and continues to be seen by others, she said. Heyming is proud of the role his group played in rescuing the mural. Because someone knew of Victoria Avenue Forever, a little piece of history was saved, he said. Contact the writer: community@pressenterprise.com Murrieta police officers arrested a 22-year-old man who they say is suspected of committing sex acts with a girl under 15 years of age, authorities said. Stephen Jackson of Murrieta was arrested Tuesday, Feb. 16, on suspicion of two counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object with a person under 16, one count of oral copulation with a person under 16, one count of communication with a minor to commit oral copulation and sexual penetration, one count of furnishing alcohol to a minor and one count of annoying or molesting a minor, Murrieta police officials say. Jackson was booked at Southwest Detention Center in French Valley with bail set at $5,000. He had not been released as of Thursday afternoon, online jail records showed. Police say that Jackson is suspected of having a relationship with the girl for about a month, from December 2015 to January 2016. They say that he and the girl had been talking on the social media app KIK, and that the girls parents found out about the alleged relationship when they checked her phone. In this case, had the parents not taken the time to inspect the victims phone and this app specifically, these crimes may have never come to light, wrote Sgt. Phil Gomez in a news release. Murrieta police officials are still investigation allegations Jackson and the girl were in a sexual relationship. They are asking anyone with information that could help their investigation to contact Detective John Therein at 951-461-6346. Contact the writer: 951-368-9693 or agroves@pressenterprise.com A month after a lottery ticket worth $528.8 million was sold at a Chino Hills 7-Eleven, its purchaser still has not come forward. The ticket was one of three that matched all six winning numbers of the $1.586 billion Powerball draw. The other tickets were purchased in Florida and Tennessee, and the winners have claimed their portions of the jackpot. The purchaser of the Chino Hills ticket has a year to claim his or her prize. If the prize goes unclaimed, the money will be spent on California public schools. If the winner does come forward, he or she will have an option of receiving the prize in a 29-year annuity, or a lump-sum payment of $327.8 million before taxes. A Florida couple was awarded their Powerball prize Wednesday. Seventy-year-old Maureen Smith and 55-year-old David Kaltschmidt decided to take the lump sum payment of about $327.8 million. Kaltschmidt said at a news conference Wednesday they didnt inform family members until last week that they won. The winning ticket was purchased at a Publix grocery store in Melbourne Beach. John and Lisa Robertson of Munford, Tennessee, cashed in their ticket last month, also taking the lump sum. The Chino Hills ticket earned a $1 million payout for the 7-Eleven stores owner, Balbir Atwal. The Indian immigrant said he plans to share the winnings with family, friends, and store employees. Donald Trump has hit back at President Barack Obamas assertion that the Republican presidential frontrunner wont be in the Oval Office next year. Interesting how President Obama so haltingly said I would never be president, Trump tweeted Wednesday, Feb. 17. This from perhaps the worst president in U.S. history! Interesting how President Obama so haltingly said I would never be president This from perhaps the worst president in U.S. history! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2016 http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js At a press conference following a summit with Southeast Asian leaders in Rancho Mirage on Tuesday, Obama said hes confident Trump will not be his successor. And the reason is I have a lot of faith in the American people, the president said. And they recognize that being president is a serious job. Its not hosting a reality show or talk show. Its not promotion or marketing Its not about pandering and what will get you in the news on any given day. Updated to include response from Donald Trump. ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) Pope Francis said Thursday that Donald Trump is not Christian if he wants to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border. Trump immediately fired back, saying it is disgraceful for a religious leader to question a persons faith. Trump, a leading U.S. Republican presidential candidate, has said that if elected, he will build a wall along the Mexican border from Texas to California and expel 11 million people who are in the country illegally. The Popes comments en route home from Mexico came hours after he prayed at the Mexican border for people who died trying to reach the United States. Asked what he thought of Trumps pledge, Francis said: A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the gospel. Not having heard Trumps border plans independently, Francis said hed give the benefit of the doubt. But he added: I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. Trump, a Presbyterian, shot back within minutes. For a religious leader to question a persons faith is disgraceful, he said at a campaign stop in South Carolina, which holds a key primary on Saturday. I am proud to be a Christian and as president I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened. He also said the Mexican government has disparaged him to the Pope and separately invoked the Islamic State group, saying that if it attacks the Vatican, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president because this would not have happened. Trump last week said Francis plans to pray at the border showed he is a political figure being exploited by the Mexican government. Asked if he felt he was being used as a pawn of Mexico, Francis said he didnt know. Ill leave that up to your judgment and that of the people, he said. He seemed quite pleased to hear that Trump had called him a political figure, noting that Aristotle had described the human being as a political animal. Here is the full question and answer aboard the papal plane: Q: Good evening Your Holiness. Today you spoke eloquently about the problems of migrants. On the other side of the frontier theres a very tough electoral campaign going on. One of the Republican candidates for the White House, Donald Trump, in a recent interview, said you are a political man and that maybe you are a pawn of the Mexican government as far as immigration policy is concerned. He has said that if elected, he would build a 2,500-kilometer long wall along the border. He wants to deport 11 million illegal immigrants, thus separating families, etc. I would like to ask you first off what do you think of these accusations against you, and if an American Catholic can vote for someone like this. A: Thank God he said I was a politician because Aristotle defined the human person as animal politicus. So at least I am a human person. As to whether I am a pawn, well, maybe, I dont know. Ill leave that up to your judgment and that of the people. And then, a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the gospel. As far as what you said about whether I would advise to vote or not to vote, I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt. Israeli border police officers body-search a Palestinian at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Israel has significantly beefed up security outside Jerusalem's Old City lately, especially at Damascus Gate which has been the scene of numerous Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilians and security personnel over the past five months. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty) FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015, file photo, Apple CEO Tim Cook discusses the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus during the Apple event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. Apple has spent years setting itself up as the champion of individual privacy and security, a decision thats landed it in the governments crosshairs over an iPhone allegedly used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. The high-profile case presents risks for Apple almost no matter what it does, and may spill over into the broader tech industry as well, potentially chilling cooperation with federal efforts to curb extremism. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File) President Barack Obama talks to media in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, at the bottom of a meeting, where he announced that former IBM CEO Sam Palmisano, former National Security Adviser Tom Donilon are being appointed as the Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, of the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Rain drops falling upon the Elizabeth Peratrovich Day Parade is nothing new for those who march in it, and this year's honorary grand marshal Ray Dugaqua led the parade through the rain with a mile-wide smile. On Tuesday, Dugaqua buttoned up his red coat and hit the throttle on his motorized wheelchair, proudly followed by a group of just over 25 people. Peratrovich was a champion for civil rights, long before Martin Luther King took up the fight. She provided crucial testimony and a memorable speech that helped ensure the passage of Alaska's Anti-Discrimination Act in 1945. For Dugaqua, being the grand marshal was cause to celebrate and an opportunity to interact with youngsters. The local Boy Scout Troop walked in the parade and showed great interest in the purpose of the event, who Peratrovich was and what she contributed to society. "I am so glad they were full of questions," Dugaqua says with a grin and a chuckle. "I was so happy with the participation of the younger people and the questions that were asked." Dugaqua attended high school at Mt. Edgecumbe, and has spent most of his life in Alaska. He moved to Petersburg four years ago and lives in the local hospital's Long Term Care unit. He said he cherishes Petersburg because of the wonderful people. He remembers going to Juneau with his grandparents as a child and seeing signs up in stores that said "No Dogs or Indians Allowed." And he remembers his parents telling him, "You can't go in there. We're not allowed to go in there." But thankfully the world has changed for the better since his childhood, and having a parade and a day to honor people like Elizabeth Peratrovich means a lot to Dugaqua. "Every parade is emotional for me," he says. Barbara Erickson, president of Alaska Native Sisterhood (ANS), said she was honored to participate in the parade alongside Dugaqua. "That was the highlight of my parade this year, having him in the parade," she says of Dugaqua. "He is a respected elder that my family knew from back when, and he's just a real blessing to our community. He's like a ray of sunshine." Erickson, much like Dugaqua, has a strong desire to help younger generations learn about their Native heritage. She is organizing a program to educate kids about Native history because she knows first hand the struggle that comes with failure to identify with a culture at a young age. "When I grew up I didn't really know what the heck it meant to be Native, other than my mother was a great food preparer," Erickson says. When it comes to facing discrimination she knows times have changed, and raising awareness of heritage can only help the goal of gaining true equality. Erickson has a simple message for others to live by, or at least think about: "Just be your best self every day. Smile at your neighbors, lend a helping hand and talk to people," she says. "Keep going on a good path and don't be mean to each other." Kochanny: We did one last hike before the longest day of the year sports MEDIA QUESTIONNAIRE Name of Publication Established (Give exact date) ADDRESS TELEPHONE FAX NO NAME OF EDITOR Name of Printer Language Frequency Please attach a copy of declaration certificate Off Days Please specify whether morning, evening or state the date of issue Date on which the first issue was brought out Any special edition Price per copy Annual subscription Editorial Objectives and policy Appeal to any special community, class or section News services subscribed to Special regular features (i.e Womens or Children page etc) & when appearing The second annual Yeti Trans NZ will hit the media stands in less than 10 days. If youre keen to follow the adventures of kiwis, expats and foreigners navigate their way through the diverse and wild forests of New Zealand, then tune into Pinkbike for the official daily recaps and www.transnz.com for links to media coverage in four different languages.The event will kick off on February 28 in the Craigieburn region, located just outside Christchurch on the central Eastern coast of the South Island. 130 riders will land just days before the race, and be swept up by a crew of 40 volunteers, all under the orchestration of event director, Megan Rose who has spent the last two years fine tuning the courses and logistics to provide a unique experience for riders who dare to take on this adventurous rendition of enduro racing. said Megan Rose, Trans NZ founder and event director.Fifteen countries and six continents are represented, including 23 percent calling themselves natives, and 77 percent foreigners who are curious to see what this wicked riding is all about. Riders will be up against 131km, 6315m of climbing, and 7881m of descending, over the course of five days of racing on primarily natural terrain with a mix of steep, technical, trails, some fast flow, and rocky technical moves. The race will conclude on March 3 in Queenstown, the mountain bike epicenter and adventure capital of New Zealand, including a stage through the Queenstown Bike Park.Zac Williams (NZL) returns to fight for the top spot of the Open Men category after placing second last year. Kashi Leuchs (NZL), Aaron Bradford (USA) and Darcy Neniska (CAN) will be in the mix fighting for the podium. There is a clean slate for the Open Womens field to battle it out and establish their pecking order throughout the week.The Yeti Trans NZ supports local trail projects that in turn provide new and different tracks to race on. Most recently, Rose threw in $1000 along with Extra Mile Trail Building , owned and operated by Tom Hey, to ensure a new trail project sponsored by the Queenstown Mountain Bike Club (QTMBC) , would be underway in time for the final day of the event. Rose has another surprise for racers on day one., Rose said. .The Yeti Trans NZ will be posting regular updates on Facebook and Instagram throughout the week, and daily video recaps on Vimeo . Hashtag your photosto make their way onto the live stream of the Yeti Trans NZs Media HQ . For more information email megan@ridingbc.com or visit www.transnz.com Via The New Yorker, a report by Jon Lee Anderson: Haiti Has a President. While Anderson doesn't even mention cholera (let alone dengue, chikungunya, and Zika), he provides a discouraging backdrop to the public health of the country. Excerpt: If only the Presidential election were the end of Haitis problems. Last week, the U.N. World Food Program (W.F.P.) warned that 1.5 million Haitians are at risk from severe malnutrition; the number has doubled since September, due to a combination of prolonged drought, the climate phenomenon known as El Ninoand, of course, the conditions of extreme poverty in which the vast majority of the population lives. It is Haitis worst food crisis in fifteen years. In some parts of the countryside, farmers have experienced crop failures of as much as seventy per cent, and in one of the worst affected areas scores of children have starved to death. The W.F.P. has launched an appeal for eighty-four million dollars to help stave off the crisis. If the past is anything to go on, the U.N. will only manage to raise part of that money. After the catastrophic 2010 earthquake, foreign governments and international donor agencies made pledges of over thirteen billion dollars, of which less than six hundred and fifty million reached the Haitian government. Even before the earthquake and the inadequate aid allocations, however, Haiti was in a state of chaos, and in so many ways that it had become difficult, even for relief experts, to see how to fix it. Whoever becomes the nations next President will become, in effect, the caretaker of a large slum. During our several encounters in Port-au-Prince, Martelly was rueful about his own lack of achievements. He had decided, however, that the ultimate solution to Haiti was an ambitious program to educate its people. Nearly half of all Haitians are illiterate, and that, he said, had to change. We need to have another Haiti in twenty years. Look at Cuba, its got all those qualified people. Were living the opposite experience. From Our Firehouse to Yours COOKS - It is sort of strange how things get started, some projects take a lot of time and thought, others are off the cuff ideas. In the case of... Seul Choix Haunted GULLIVER - The big fundraiser for the Gulliver Historical Society, Haunted Lighthouse is coming this weekend to a real haunted Lighthouse located in Gulliver, Mich. Seul Choix Pointe Lighthouse is... Under the Presidents proposal, $493 million would be spent on the Europa mission through 2021 versus the $2.1 billion needed to keep the mission on track to launch in 2022. In political terms, pushing the missions launch out a dozen or more years may be the equivalent of postponing it forever. For the mission to fly, it would need continuous support from at least two more Presidential administrations and as many as six to eight new Congresses. Its hard to imagine any mission sustaining support for that long. Its also hard to imagine how NASA could keep a high caliber engineering and science team together for what might be fourteen or more years (with a possible six or seven additional years of flight following launch to arrive at Europa). On a very practical engineering level, many of the technologies available to design into a mission today will be obsolete and no longer available by the late 2020s. The mission design would need to be continuously tweaked to substitute new technologies. Why might the Presidents budget officials be opposed to the Europa mission? The explanation given in the proposal document is that launching a Europa mission before the late 2020s would lead to an unbalanced planetary program that would not support the program laid out in the last Decadal Survey. This statement assumes that the cap on the total planetary budget would remain fixed at around the $1.5 billion proposed for this year. Here are the possible explanations Ive been able to think of for the Administrations lack of support for the Europa mission (the first two are consistent with the explanation in the budget document): Delaying the Europa mission prevents a bulge in spending requirements. For the rest of this decade, NASAs new mission spending is dominated by the expensive Mars 2020 rover. The budget proposal also shows sharp budget increases late in the decade for the Discovery and New Frontiers programs. Launching the Europa mission by 2022 as mandated by Congress would require either greatly increasing overall planetary funding or cannibalizing other programs. (Note: I would like to see a much larger planetary budget.) The budget officials (and perhaps NASAs senior managers) prefer cheaper Discovery and New Frontiers missions to the Flagship Europa mission. Experience has shown that large Flagship mission are more likely to have large cost overruns that play havoc with NASAs budget. Countering this, the generous money that Congress has provided the mission so far as matured the design much more than is typical at this stage of development. That maturity makes cost overruns less likely. Europa isnt Mars, and studying and eventually getting humans to Mars is NASAs current overriding goal. Pure politics. Several of the Congressional leaders who are strongly backing the Europa mission and planetary exploration in general are highly conservative politically. While they favor spending more money on planetary missions, they also want to cut funding for missions for NASA to study the Earth, especially climate change. Essentially proposing to push out the launch of a Europa mission to forever may be part of a hardball negotiating tactic to trade more funding for the Europa mission for also fully funding the Presidents generous proposed budget for Earth science missions. At the moment, we are left with the Europa mission as a formally approved mission on NASAs books with an engineering and science team, a selected suite of instruments, and no target launch date. The interesting politics will be whether or not Congress forces the addition of the many hundreds of millions of dollars into NASAs planetary budget over the next several years needed to launch as early as 2022 without cannibalizing other planetary programs. (For more on this, see this previous blog post.) The Europa mission isnt the only areas in which the Administration and Congress disagree on NASA budget and policy. While outside the scope of this blog post, they also disagree on the amount that should be spent on Earth science (as noted above), developing commercial launch capabilities, and developing the Orion and Space Launch System programs. Outside of these areas, though, there is a consensus on spending levels, and the final budget is likely to be similar to the proposed budget. SpacePolicyOnline has a very good summary of the overall NASA budget and areas where the Administration and Congress are likely to disagree. For the planetary program, Casey Dreier at The Planetary Society has good commentary on the proposed planetary budget. Budget Details Each budget proposal comes in two parts. The first proposes spending for the next fiscal year (FY17 in this case) and is the starting point for the eventual law allocating funding for the next year. The second part projects notional funding for four additional years (FY18 to FY21 in this case). These notional budgets are not acted on by Congress, but provide agencies with guidance for future years. For agencies like NASA whose projects typically take several years to implement, these notional budgets take on particular importance. The agency cannot issue multi-year contracts that are inconsistent with the notional out year budgets. These creates a problem if, for example, Congress provides generous funding for the Europa mission next year but the notional budgets are inconsistent with the necessary multi-year contracts. The numbers for the following charts come from NASAs budget documents except as noted. Via The Guardian Nigeria: Experts berate govt over Lassa fever outbreak. This is not a report on the Lassa outbreak in the neighbouring state of Benin; Benin City is in Edo state, in southern Nigeria. Vice-Chancellor of University of Benin, Prof. Faraday Orumwense, has constituted a committee to sensitize the university community on ways to prevent the spread of Lassa Fever disease with its collaboration with government and non-governmental organizations towards eradicating the monstrous disease just as other stakeholders call on government to be proactive in disease control management to achieve realistic results. Speaking at a workshop organized by the management of the University of Benin, recently, Orumwense said the essence of the committee is to assist the government and members of the public on ways to curtail the incidences of Lassa fever on campuses and the community. Guest lecturer and resources person at the distinguished University of Benin lecture entitled: Combating Lassa Fever: A National Health Challenge, held at the university campus, Agbonlahor, said the budgetary allocations for the treatment of Lassa fever by the Federal government in the past 47 years was a waste of public funds. Agbonlahor, a former Vice-chancellor of the Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State and a Professor of Microbiology noted with regret that Nigeria, in the past 47 years, made much noise in the name of creating awareness during outbreaks without any concise effort on addressing the issues adequately before another outbreak occurred. For the past 44 years, Lassa fever has remained an annual budget of death for the poor people of Nigeria because we have lived in a state of denial of the disease and handled it with a characteristic laxity, laissez-faire, negligence, sloppiness, slackness, disregard and triviality. Agbonlahor stressed that inconsistency on the part of government and failed government policies occasioned by lack of political will by past governments robbed the nation the possibility of attaining the threshold of discovering the Lassa fever vaccine, adding that while Illiteracy, harmful traditional, cultural, customs and religious beliefs have been largely attributable to under reporting of Lassa fever cases. Via the Daily Express: ZIKA IS HERE. Trinidad and Tobago has confirmed its first case of Zika, the mosquito-borne virus linked to birth defects in babies which is causing global alarm. The sobering announcement was made yesterday afternoon by Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh. Speaking at a Rapid Response Unit mosquito eradication exercise in the community of Penal Rock Road, Deyalsingh said: At 2.30 p.m. today the first case of the Zika virus was confirmed. Laboratory (tests) confirmed the case (through) Carpha (the Caribbean Public Health Agency). A 61-year-old female who recently travelled to New Zealand. A report in the Jamaica Gleaner also notes that since New Zealand is not known to have Zika cases, it's uncertain how the woman was infected. Curtis Lambert Wins Inaugural Unibet Poker UK Tour February 18, 2016 Matthew Pitt Editor The inaugural Unibet Poker UK Tour took place at Brightons Rendezvous Casino this weekend and attracted 245 players to its 220 buy-in event, surpassing the 40,000 guarantee by 9,000. Claiming the lion's share of the prize pool, and the coveted Unibet Poker UK Tour trophy, was local player Curtis Lambert. Unibet Poker 2016 UK Tour Brighton Results Place Player Prize 1 Curtis Lambert 11,000* 2 Paulius Mikenas 9,800* 3 Mohammed Khan 8,000* 4 Neil Whitby 3,560 5 Guannan Li 2,710 6 Paul Scorer 2,220 7 Yusuf Caner 1,750 8 David Pearman 1,320 9 Philip Lee 930 *Denotes a three-handed deal Lambert's Hendon Mob page shows five live cashes prior to this victory, four coming in 2011 and the latest in April 2015. All five cashes were enoyed in Brightons casinos, with his April result being a runner-up finish in a 77 buy-in event at the Rendezvous Casino for 1,400, which happened to be Lamberts largest score to date. With only 15 players remaining in the hunt for the title, Lambert found himself in the envious position of being the chip leader and he used his dominant position to navigate his way to the final table, and then march on to victory. Mohammed Khan, Paulius Mikenas, and Lambert struck a deal with three players remaining, which locked up at least 8,000 for the trio. Khan fell in third place before Lambert sent Mikenas to the rail in second place to become the tournaments champion. "I didnt realize this event was taking place this weekend, so I turned up on Saturday expecting to play the regular 50 tournament," Lambert said after his victory. "I managed to spin that up into the buy-in for the Main Event and, despite bluffing off most of my stack in the first level, I always believed I could go far. "I'd like to thank Unibet, Caesars, and the Rendezvous for putting on such a great tournament. I can't wait to play the Unibet Open London event and hopefully continue the run good!" Unibet Open London Is Next For Lambert Lambert is now heading to the famous Grosvenor Casino Victoria, also known as "The Vic," on March 3 for the opening leg of the 2016 Unibet Open tour. London is the first of four stops on the 2016 edition of the Unibet Open and Lambert hopes to follow in the footsteps of Paul Valkenburg, Pratik Ghatge[/URL], and Iaron Lightbourne in becoming a Unibet Open London champion. PokerNews' Live Reporting team will be on the ground throughout the London Main Event, say make sure you bookmark our live reporting pages to stay up-to-date with all the goings-on at what will be a fun and exciting tournament. Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+! European Union Declares Germany's Online Gaming Laws Are Illegal February 18, 2016 Jason Glatzer Editor Good news for online gamblers in Germany, as the Court of Justice for the European Union (CJEU) recently ruled against the country's restrictive online gaming laws. The court case involved the country's online sports-betting laws, however, it is believed by advocates that the logic and legal arguments should be able to be applied to overturn other online gaming regulations, including for online poker. The ruling isn't a surprise to many following the legal developments surrounding online gaming in Germany. PokerFuse reported that in October Judge Advocate General Maciej Szpunar issued an opinion warning that the country is required to rewrite gaming laws that are in contradiction to that of European Union (EU) legislation. "Further to a judgment of the Court from which it can be inferred that a national law is not compatible with EU law, all organs of a Member State concerned are under an obligation to remedy that situation," Judge Advocate General Szpunar stated late last year. History of German Online Gaming Legislation Poker gained in popularity throughout the last decade, and the country was on the the game's center stage when Pius Heinz became the first German poker player to win the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2011. The same year Heinz won the WSOP Main Event, the country enacted a gaming law with no restrictions on the amount of licenses that could be granted. While many applauded this at the time, just a few months later 15 of the 16 German states prohibited online poker after approving the German Interstate Treaty on Gambling. Many online gaming operators chose to ignore this legislation believing that it was not in compliance with that of EU law. Impact May Go Beyond Germany The CJEU ruling also could prove to be good news for online poker players living in countries with restrictive gaming laws, such as Sweden. According to Poker Industry Pro, the Swedish gaming regulator granted the state gaming monopoly Svenska Spel a three-year license extension expiring in 2018, the country is also already working on new gaming laws. It is believed that some Swedish legislators are reacting to the European Commission's referral to the European Court of Justice in October 2014, which claims that the country's online gaming monopoly is "imposing restrictions on the organization and promotion of online betting services in a way which is inconsistent with EU law." Some legislators, led by Sweden's Minister of Public Administration Ardalan Shekarabi, are pushing for a new online gaming regime before the country's general elections in September 2018. Stay tuned at PokerNews as more develops in the German gaming marketplace. *Image courtesy of Priit Kallas/FreeImages.com. Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+! Following Apple Inc.'s refusal of a duly issued federal court order to assist the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the procurement of data from the phones of the terrorist attackers in the San Bernardino, CA, shooting, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) National President Nathan Catura issued the following statement: "Tim Cook has grossly misrepresented the intentions of the FBI and the federal government. His implication that the US government wants to break into Apple customers' phones is akin to police searching a person's home without a warrant. "Before the FBI or any law enforcement agency is able to search someone's phone, they must first obtain a court order issued by a federal judge or magistrate. In this case, it is outrageous for the CEO of one of the largest technology companies to suggest that federal agents are invading individuals' privacy after the lawful presentation of a federal court order. Tim Cook is employing fear-mongering tactics to prevent law enforcement from performing their duties. "For the safety of all Americans, it is imperative that we continue to support and protect our national interest and national security. That is the goal. Unfortunately, Tim Cook is neglecting this fact which begs the question: how many more lives will be ruined or lost because the likes of Tim Cook and other billionaires who have a financial stake in the industry don't believe in American jurisprudence? "This is a country of laws and no one, not even Tim Cook, is above that. He stands here, without any legal merit, actively choosing to ignore a federal court order. His arrogance has given him a false sense of superiority when it is in fact his responsibility as an American citizen to recognize and adhere to our system of laws, which were put in place to ensure both individual and national security. Tim Cook does not get to decide what laws he must comply with. That's not the American way of justice. "It's time for Apple and Tim Cook to abide by the law and do their part to prevent another terrorist attack on American soil." About FLEOA The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (www.fleoa.org) is the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan professional association that exclusively represents over 26,000 active and retired federal law enforcement officers from over 65 agencies. Vigilant Solutions' license plate recognition (LPR) cameras and commercial LPR data are being used by Lee's Summit (MO) Police Department to improve safety for its residents, including the recent location and arrest of a homicide suspect. Located in the metropolitan area of Kansas City, MO, Lee's Summit covers around 65 square miles and is home to roughly 100,000 residents. Lee's Summit Police Department has a single mobile license plate reader system and also leverages Vigilant's network of commercially available LPR data to supplement its own data for investigative purposes. Detective and Criminal Intelligence Officer Mark Phillips manages the agency's LPR program. Detective Phillips explains, "The system is incredibly valuable in helping locate vehicles of interest. In 2015 alone, we recovered 101 stolen vehicles with the use of our LPR system, some of which resulted in arrests. While it is nice to return stolen vehicles to their owners, this is not the only reason we look for these vehicles. Stolen vehicles are often used to perpetrate other, more serious, crimes. It is important to locate these vehicles as soon as possible in order to improve the chances of returning the vehicle to its owner and to reduce the likelihood that a more serious crime may occur that may endanger our citizens or officers. Considering that the system was only in use for roughly nine months last year, these are extremely impressive results, equating roughly to a vehicle recovery every 2.5 days." Vigilant's commercial data network adds roughly 36,000 monthly LPR detections in Lee's Summit and almost one million monthly LPR detections in the surrounding Kansas City metro area; this is in addition to any data collected by the agency's system. All LPR data is anonymous in nature and does not contain information on drivers or registered owners. Connecting an anonymous license plate number to a registered owner is done only with a permissible purpose as defined by the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA), and this does not occur within the Vigilant Solutions system. Detective Phillips concludes, "The historical LPR data offered by Vigilant has proven valuable in a number of investigations here in Lee's Summit. For example, last summer the data was useful in locating and arresting a dangerous homicide suspect. We had a license plate number for the suspect's vehicle. We searched the historical LPR data for this vehicle and found very limited data in the prior 30 days. But, because of several detections dating back several months, we were able to focus our search efforts around a certain location in Kansas City. With this information, we were able to locate the suspect's vehicle and establish surveillance which ultimately led to this individual's apprehension and arrest by members of Kansas City Police, Federal Marshals, and ATF. Our community is certainly a safer place with this individual off the street." About Vigilant Solutions Based in Livermore, CA, Vigilant Solutions is a pioneer of innovative intelligence solutions that help law enforcement protect officers, families, and communities. For additional information, visit www.vigilantsolutions.com. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Marco Rubio is ducking and dodging questions while sticking to his talking points during a woeful performance at the CNN Republican town hall. Rubio danced around and did not give an answer to the question of whether or not Apple should be forced to unlock the San Bernardino killers iPhones. Rubio said that he would not visit Cuba as president unless it were a free Cuba. Sen. Rubio was on the wrong side of the warming relations with Cuba. Even a majority of Cuban-Americans favor President Obamas warming of relations with Cuba. Rubios college plan involved people being given higher education accreditation for life experiences. This would do nothing to lower the cost of college. Rubio also advocated that students raise the money through a student investment plan. In other words, students would have to go out and raise their own money for college. His two more concrete proposals were income based student loan repayment and legislation that would require colleges to tell students how much they will earn with their degrees. On national security, Rubio damned Republicans with faint praise by claiming that he has the most foreign policy experience of anybody in the field. Sen. Rubio claimed that he had a whopping five years of foreign policy experience. It is easy to see why Rubio hasnt been able to wow Republican voters. Rubio has the slickness that the Republican establishment loves, but he is an unexciting candidate. When asked about his lack of experience, Rubio called Obama and failed president and touted his own experience in the Florida state legislature. Rubio needed a performance that dazzled Republican voters and took the focus off of Trump and Cruz. Instead, Rubio relies on his talking points and demonstrating why he has yet to win a primary or a caucus. Sen. Rubios problem is that he sounds like the third or fourth best Republican candidate. If anyone listens to what Rubio is really saying, they will soon realize that he isnt saying much. Trump and Cruz have clear messages. It is unclear what, if anything, Sen. Rubio stands for. Marco Rubio has taken the Romneyesque route of taking both sides of an issue while not saying much of anything. Rubio is doing nothing to dispell the notion that he is an over focus-grouped talking points machine. Anderson Cooper asked Rubio if he had ever personally felt the sting of racism. He couldnt name a time when he had been discriminated against, so he moved on to a pre-programmed series of talking points about his parents and racism. The establishment is rallying behind Rubio because they believe that he is their only hope to stop Trump, but through the first half Sen. Rubio is a dull candidate who is having a very bad night at the CNN Republican town hall in South Carolina. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print As soon as Ted Cruz took the stage at the CNN town hall, things got ugly. The Republican presidential candidate completely trashed Donald Trump for threatening to sue him. Cruz was asked about his reaction to the cease and desist letter that Trump sent him. Sen. Cruz said, Ill confess. I laughed out loud. This has not been a typical race by any sense, and I dont think anybodys surprised that Donald is threatening to sue people. Hes done that most of his adult lifeThis letter really pressed the bounds of the most frivolous and ridiculous letters Ive ever seen. Cruz went on to describe the letter and trash Trump, It is quite literally the most ridiculous theory that Ive ever heard, that telling the voters what Donald Trumps actual record is, is deceitful and lying. Later Cruz trashed Trumps pro-life stance and falsely accused Planned Parenthood of committing multiple felonies. Cruz said that he has four points of evidence against Trump. His own words, Trumps appearance on the debate stage where he supported Planned Parenthood, Trumps advocacy of his sister for the Supreme Court, and Trumps past donations to Democrats. Ted Cruz has found his line of attack on Donald Trump, and it is that Trump is a secret liberal who cant be trusted by real conservatives to uphold conservative values. In other words, Sen. Cruz is trying to push the Republican contest further to the right. Ted Cruz is making his move to take out Trump. He has obviously gotten under Trumps skin, and just when you think that the Cruz and Trump cant sink any lower, they take the Republican Party even deeper into the mud. The 2016 Republican primary has turned into a dream come true for liberal and Democrats as Trump and Cruz are leading the GOP to a crushing defeat in 2016. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Justice was delayed in the case of insurrectionist Cliven Bundy, 69, but he did not escape in the end. After being arrested upon his arrival in Portland Oregon on February 10, he was denied bail Tuesday as a flight risk, and indicted Wednesday along with his son Ammon, who led the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, his son Ryan, and two other men, Ryan Payne, and Peter Santilli. Together, the five men are facing 16 felony charges for the 2014 Oregon standoff, the event which emboldened the Bundys to seize the wildlife refuge. Bundys sons, Payne, and Santilli have already been indicted for their role in the seizure of and 41-day standoff at the wildlife refuge. According to the indictment, The defendants recruited, organized, and led hundreds of other followers in using armed force against law enforcement officers in order to thwart the seizure and removal of Cliven Bundys cattle from federal public lands. Bundy had trespassed on the public lands for over 20 years, refusing to obtain the legally-required permits or pay the required fees to keep and graze his cattle on the land. The 51-page indictment lists the charges as follows: One count of conspiring to commit an offense against the United States; One count of conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer; Four counts of use and carry of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence; Two counts of assault on a federal officer; Two counts of threatening a federal law enforcement officer; Three counts of obstructing justice; Two counts of interference with interstate commerce by extortion; and One count of interstate travel in aid of extortion. The penalties are stiff, ranging from five years for conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States to 20 years for an assault on a federal officer, with $250,000 in fines for each of the charges listed. In the words of U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada Daniel G. Bogden, Persons who use force and violence against federal law enforcement officers who are enforcing court orders, and nearly causing catastrophic loss of life or injury to others, will be brought to justice. The rule of law has been reaffirmed with these charges. Bundy is also facing five counts of criminal forfeiture, which could cost him to the tune of $3 million plus cattle at Bunkerville Allotment and Lake Mead National Recreational Area in Nevada. Worse yet, from a patriots standpoint is the loss of the firearms used on April 12, 2014 in the standoff with federal authorities, including but not limited to the handgun possessed by Ryan C. Bundy. So not only did Bundy not get away with essentially appropriating public lands for his own use and without payment, but he now stands to lose his own land and the cattle he refused to move that resulted in the armed standoff with Bureau of Land Management agents. All five men are behing held at the Multnomah County Detention Center in Portland. Those involved in the wildlife refuge standoff will face trial in Oregon before being returned to Nevada for prosecution for their 2014 charges, while Cliven Bundy will first face federal prosecution for the 2014 charges in Nevada. This is a sordid and sorry end to the inglorious Bundy rebellion. These men thought they were the patriots of 1776. They were instead proved by their own words and deeds to be champions of white privilege and common thieves, a new iteration of the outlaws who once plagued the Americas western frontier. Justice was delayed due to the nature of the well-defended Bundy ranch, including a .50 caliber machine gun, but it caught up with those earlier outlaws, who were also well-armed, and now it has caught up with Cliven Bundy. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print MSNBC gave Donald Trump a campaign commercial that was disguised as a town hall, and the critics noticed Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinskis fawning treatment of Trump. Video of MSNBCs Trump town hall: It was clear that viewers were not going to be treated to a real town hall event when Scarborough and Brzezinski spent the first twelve minutes of the program lobbying softballs to Trump. At nearly the midway point of the show, Trump finally took a question from the audience, but those questions were very few and far between as most of the program was dedicated to Scarborough fawning over Trump and wishing that the program was three hours long instead of an hour. Media critics also noticed that MSNBC allowed Scarborough and Brzezinski to hold a Trump lovefest that was a disgrace to journalism. Lloyd Grove of The Daily Beast was kinder to Scarborough and MSNBC, Its hard to see how Morning Joe co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, the interrogators in Wednesday nights MSNBC Exclusivenamely, a hastily scheduled town hall in Charleston, South Carolina, featuring the Republican frontrunner and counterprogrammed against CNNs non-Trump town hallcould have contained the sheer relentlessness of Hurricane Trump as it spouted slogans and sentence fragments from the tape loop whirling wildly inside its fevered eye. For starters, Joe and Mika could have challenged Trumps talking points by pinning him down and forcing him to answer. Other journalists have not been afraid to make Trump answer by making him stay on topic, but Joe and Mika are Trump approved media friends, so there was no chance of that happening at the MSNBC town hall. Slates Isaac Chotiner zeroed in on the softballs that were sent Trumps way, Scarborough and Brzezinski hosted what appeared to be a rehearsed and safe town hall, in which American voters asked the candidate such hard-hitting questions as Why did you decide to run for president? and how will you set yourself apart from other Republicans? It was completely worthless television, except in one sense: The program highlighted the many ways in which the medias coverage of Trump has been soft, insufficient, and without substance. Erik Wemple of The Washington Post also pointed out how the MSNBC morning hosts let Trump off the hook, Any hourlong session with Donald Trump that doesnt ask him about those obscenities (racism and bigotry) is a puff session. Allowing this fellow to pronounce on entitlement reform, strategies on ISIS, campaign tactics, Iraq, Jeb Bush, healthcare reform, gun rights, Supreme Court nominations and other such topics without grinding through an extensive accounting of his racism and bigotry is an outrage only sightly less egregious than the candidates own. It was obvious for all to see that Donald Trump got his buddies Joe and Mika to give a free hour of advertising disguised as a town hall days before the South Carolina Republican primary. MSNBC has not offered to give Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders their own individual town halls. Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, John Kasich, Jeb Bush, and Ben Carson would also like an hour of free advertising. MSNBC is putting Clinton and Sanders on the same bill for a town hall, but Donald Trump was given his own special event with his friends. What MSNBC televised wasnt journalism. It was a Trump informercial. The network and their morning hosts deserve to be savaged for such an obvious ratings grab. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Nothing says political savvy and thick skin like a Donald Trump rebuttal. A thin-skinned and grammatically confused Trump fired back at the Pope after the Pope questioned Trumps Christianity. The Republican presidential front-runners reply assaulted the Pope for daring to question his Christianity, saying no leader should have the right to question another mans faith. Trump wrote that right after he insulted President Obama and insinuated he was not a Christian by saying, I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened, unlike what is happening now, under our current President. Time correspondent Phil Elliot shared Trumps rebuttal: Donald J. Trump fires back at the Pope. To be appreciated in its entirety. pic.twitter.com/F1Sq01gf76 Phil Elliott (@Philip_Elliott) February 18, 2016 Trump started off with a threat, basically saying when ISIS attacks the Vatican, the Pope will only wish Trump had been President because this would not have happened. Trump thinks the U.S. President is in charge of the Vatican and that only his presidency can save the Pope. The Republican front-runner ended with a petulant and bizarrely thin-skinned neener-neener at the Pope for questioning his Christianity, and to prove how wrong that is to do, Trump then did it to President Obama. Pope Francis said of Trumps wall policies, a person who thinks only about building walls and not of building bridges, is not Christian. Trump V Pope Francis doesnt seem like the best plan on the surface, with the Popes approval rating around 60%, which is close to Trumps rating as well. That is to say, Trumps unfavorable rating, which is hovering around 58%. But the Trump supporters do not care. They wouldnt care if Donald Trump got in their face and spit on them. They are angry, and they hate a lot of people, so much so that they will overlook any insults lobbed their way just for the chance to aim the Donald and his mouth at the people they dont like. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print One can hardly report and comment on real liberal politics and ignore real liberal politicians concerns and questions about another real liberal politician seeking the Democratic nomination for the presidency. That being said, since there is an unofficial purity test for the true progressive, Senate Democrats are beginning to ask some pertinent questions about their Senate colleague Bernie Sanders (VT). And although seldom reported, they are the same questions many Democrats are privately asking and no, questions to a Democratic candidate are not attacks from corrupt Americans; they are just questions. Since the progressive purity issue arose a fair number of Senate Democrats are refusing to stay silent any longer and criticized Sanders platform as naive and took particular exception to his condemnation of Hillary Clinton as a fake progressive. For what is likely a good reason, the Senate Democrats are asking for the Vermont independent and self-described socialist to be put under the microscope. One hopes the Senate Democrats want to learn about how Senator Sanders intends on delivering on his ambitious plans other than parroting political revolution. This is especially true after Democrats have witnessed President Barack Obama, and many fellow Democrats failure to sway Republicans for the past seven years to support the same proposals Senator Sanders is proposing. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) said, You need to start asking him questions about his plans and his background. How hes going to address foreign policy and national security, how hes going to pay for his free higher education and health care proposals. There are a lot of unanswered questions. With all due respect to Senator Shaheen, one question has been loosely answered; Senator Sanders has alluded to how he will pay for his proposals besides starting a political revolution. A better, and harder to answer, question might be how he intends to convince majority Republicans to support huge tax hikes he says are key to implementing and paying for his proposals. Shaheen began making that argument about ten days ago and she has been joined by a growing group of Senate Democrats after Senator Sanders claimed that Clinton is a only a progressive some days. Other days she says she is a moderate. According to many Democrats, that accusation pales next to another Sanders claim that You can be a moderate. You can be a progressive. But you cannot be a moderate and a progressive. Many ardent Progressives would argue that being a progressive is being a moderate; at least within traditional Democratic circles. Still, it is never a good idea for a Democrat to demand purity. As one liberal pundit put it, Staking out an extreme left wing position like this is a mirror image of the Tea Party right; those who tolerate only the most ideologically pure in their ranks, and drive out any who believe in compromise. No small number of Senate Democrats agree that ideological purity is not the purview of any other progressive. A staunch liberal, and progressive Senator, Brian Schatz (D-HW) said, Hillary Clinton is a progressive and I dont think any other progressive gets to judge and be the gatekeeper of progressivism. We need to remember who our real adversary is, and thats the tea party and what theyve done to the country. Mr. Schatz brings up an important point that is beginning to concern many Democrats; divisiveness over who is the real progressive Democrat is not conducive to Party unity going into a general election. Some Senate Democrats went farther and claim that although Senator Sanders caucuses with Democrats but identifies as independent, he is not really a Democrat; something Bernies enthusiastic supporters celebrate and revere him for. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), a well-known liberal Democrat said, Hillarys a progressive in the way she views the issues every day. Bernies a Democrat some days. And thats a fact with evidence. Some members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, of which Senator Sanders is the only Senate member, were irritated at any attempt to label Mrs. Clinton. Representative Karen Bass (D-CA) said, I certainly think she is progressive enough. One could ask progressive enough for what? Although there are a lot of positions that Senator Sanders has that I agree with in theory, I also believe that we are not going to get them done in this current political environment. Senators Schatz, Boxer, Shaheen and Representative Bass should beware of being labeled corrupt, deceitful and ideologically impure because that is precisely what anyone, Democrat, progressive or liberal faces for asking questions that warrant an answer from a candidate seeking to be the Democratic Partys standard bearer. Particularly after criticizing the Party for several years; a fact that many skeptical Democrats want an answer to as well. A Missouri Democratic Senator, Claire McCaskill said what her Democratic colleagues are really unhappy about is that they are labeled as the establishment by Sanders who condemns Clinton for her ties to the Democratic Party. McCaskill said, All of us are laughing going like, How did we become establishment? Ive been fighting the establishment my whole life. It feels weird that theyre dismissing all of the senators that are supporting Hillary Clinton by lumping us into some category that most of us find distressing and unfair. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WS) echoed McCaskills sentiments saying the backing of 13 female senators shows that Clintons support isnt establishment. After all, they are 13 of just 46 women senators to have served in the history of the chamber; they arent the establishment. Whether or not any progressive, pure or polluted, thinks these Senate Democrats questions and concerns are borne of a corrupt, deceitful, or establishment mindset is irrelevant. They are valid concerns that will pale in comparison to what Republicans have in store for a Sanders nomination; why else are Republican PACs pouring money into helping Senator Sanders win the nomination and providing his supporters 25 years worth of the GOPs debunked Clinton smears and criticisms? These Senate Democrats deserve answers as much as any American voter, especially after being assailed by another Democrat and are likely as worried about Democratic Party unity going into a general election as many Democratic voters who have not worked with Mr. Sanders for over a decade. It bears repeating, queries from members of the Democratic Senate are nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to the mountain of questions and criticism the GOP, Karl Rove, and Koch brother PACs have amassed and it is a sure-fired bet they will not be dissuaded one iota by accusations of corruption and deceit like timid Democrats. Via Diario de Noticias: Cresce numero de vitimas da sindrome de Guillain-Barre no Rio. [Number of Guillain-Barre syndrome cases grows in Rio] Edited excerpt from the Google translation: The number of victims of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disease that can lead to complete paralysis of body muscles and death, increased at least five times this year in hospitals in Rio. The finding is of members of a network of doctors who exchange of information on the subject, who have attended patients in public and private hospitals. All had been infected by viruses before zika to express Guillain-Barre syndrome, according to the diagnosis. A member of the medical team, the neurologist Osvaldo Nascimento, a specialist in peripheral nervous system diseases at the University Hospital Antonio Pedro (HUAP), the Federal Fluminense University (UFF), said on Tuesday, February 16, the syndrome incidence rate in the population was always 0.5 to four cases per 100 thousand inhabitants. In the first 45 days of 2016 there were 20-30 diagnoses he said. The numbers are not accurate because the information exchange takes place via an informal network, which is still being formalized. "It's still a rare syndrome, but this increase attracts attention. These 20-something cases are what we know; there are still those who have not come to hospitals, since 80% of patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome still have very good performance. When it's preceded by Zika virus, however, the trend we see is that there is a more serious involvement of the nervous system," said Nascimento, professor and research coordinator and graduate in neurology at UFF. He said he personally attended six patients whose cases were preceded by Zika. "We do not know how it will be in the coming months. Maybe it will become something seasonal: it may behave as Ebola did in Africa. Everyone was scared, but it was not as bad as it could have been. With Zika it is different because the vector is easier," he said. Portfolio English Edition's premium content is available only for subscribers Learn about the hottest news of the day, along with immediate follow-up analyses and 1000's of exclusive articles with full access to the premium content. Register and apply for a 14 days free trial period. In the opening minutes of " Zoolander 2," Justin Bieberis chased down and riddled with bullets, and haters be all like, " This is the feel-good movie of the year." If only that were true. Fifteen years ago, the preposterousness of dueling vacuous narcissistic self-important male models ( Ben Stiller'sDerek Zoolander and Owen Wilson'sHansel McDonald) was prima facia comedy gold. But with the ascent of social media and selfie-sticks making their way up to the oval office, art imitating life is less funny than it is reflective of an unfounded obsession with ourselves. (With his dying breath, Bieber uploads one last photo to Instagram,but not before considering a few effects to enhance it. OK, that was funny.) Someone is killing pop stars and in their final selfies they all sport the same pouty squint (one headline reads, " Madonna strikes last pose"). As those looks resemble his trademark " Blue Steel" expression (Deja vulander?) it draws Derek from his self-imposed exile in a remote cabin somewhere in " Extreme Northern New Jersey." Simultaneously, Hansel is retrieved from his retirement in a sandy dune in " Uncharted Malibu territory." The plot, if you can call it that, is strategically masked by a procession of cameos Katy Perry, John Malkovich, Kiefer Sutherland, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ariana Grande, Susan Sarandon, Willie Nelson I couldn't write 'em down fast enough. Apparently back in the Garden of Eden, there was not only Adam and Eve, but Steve, too, in whom was manifest the Fountain of Youth. Anyone drinking the blood of one of his direct descendants could have everlasting beauty. But first they have to get past a line of rock stars who are the designated protectors, like Sting, who, looking a lot like Randy Quaidthese days, could use a little drip himself. Movies like these are why theaters started serving alcohol. ADVERTISEMENT The original was a cult favorite, but like the sequel to 1994's " Dumb & Dumber," this one, if it is possible, insults the legacy. (For instance, the hotel the two stay at in Rome is unnecessarily called, Palazza d'Caca. I mean, seriously, that is what passes for comedy in some circles.) Even Penelope Cruz, who heads Interpol's "fashion police" (yeah, that's kind of funny), seems miserable though she looks fabulous. Will Ferrelland Kristen Wiigco-star. Runway far from this one. 1 Honk Flags are at half-staff this week for the sudden and unfortunate death of U.S. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia. Hollywood hasnt featured the high court in many films I had to play Matlock just to find these: "The Pelican Brief" (1993) A riveting John Grisham thriller that stars Julia Roberts as a law student who postulates that two Supreme Court Justices were killed so a Louisiana oilman could drill on protected marshland. Denzel Washington co-stars. ADVERTISEMENT "Half Past Dead" (2002) Dont get your hopes up, its a Steven Seagal action film. Linda Thorson ("The Avengers") is a Supreme Court Justice who is held captive after traveling to a prison to witness an execution. "Idiocracy" (2006) President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho (Terry Crews) transforms the Supreme Court into the Extreme Court in this Mike Judge comedy of a dumbed-down future. Co-stars Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph. "JFK" (1991) Oliver Stone weaves so many JFK conspiracies you may not know what actually happened on the grassy knoll, but youre sure someone does and that theyre keeping their mouth shut. Kevin Costner stars as New Orleans D.A. Jim Garrison, who brought the only prosecution in the 35th presidents assassination. The real Jim Garrison has a cameo as Chief Justice Earl Warren, whose commission was charged with the investigation. The train for Chicago leaves at 1:15. The train for Milwaukee leaves at 1:30. The train for Fargo leaves when the small hand is on the 1 and the big hand is on the 9. For pity's sake, those North Dakotans aren't that dim. I suppose there are jokes told on every state and profession and ethnic group. Usually they are good-hearted ribbing. This one could carry some city snobbery. Do the urban "elites" think themselves superior to rural people? Probably. Do folks from the East Coast and the left coast call the Midwest "fly over country?" Yes, they do. Hopefully people with wisdom and experience realize the strengths and weaknesses of people regardless of where they live. Despite variety in class and culture, can we affirm diversity and enjoy folks who are in some ways unlike us? Hopefully. We humans are multicultural. I rather think that our creator loves that. Though by nature we prefer our own "tribe" and hang out with people like ourselves, we can grow to appreciate humanity's vast variety. Rich or poor, rural or urban, black or white, young or old, male or female, conservative or liberal can we co-exist? Yes, we can. Yes, we can even come to enjoy the mix. It's one of the tests of life that God gives us. Will we love only our own, or expand the borders of our goodwill? The Lord created the church in part for just this cause. He wants a people of love whose welcome is wide. He's got a big, big house. His love is large. In heaven, we'll see it clearly. ADVERTISEMENT "After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands." (Revelation 7:9) Donald Trump calls Fox reporter Megyn Kelly a bimbo. He calls Mexican immigrants criminals and rapists. He calls Rosie O'Donnell fat, ugly, disgusting and a slob. He calls Black Lives Matter protesters thugs. And his poll numbers continue to rise. As one of his supporters put it, Trump is "saying what a lot of Americans are thinking but are afraid to say because they don't think that it's politically correct. But we're tired of just standing back and letting everyone else dictate what we're supposed to think and do." People are tired of the pressure to be politically correct. Everyone has heard stories about its excesses, like the job advertisement seeking "reliable and hardworking" applicants that was rejected because it might offend unreliable or lazy people. Much of Trump's appeal is that he is viewed as taking a stand for freedom of speech, courageously resisting the "thought police." A look at the background of the term is helpful for understanding how political correctness became such a loaded phrase that it can fuel a presidential race. Political correctness first came into common usage among Marxists in the early 20th century when Communist ideology provided a "correct" position on nearly every aspect of politics, and those who failed to toe the line were censured. ADVERTISEMENT American liberals began to use the term in the 1960s, usually ironically, poking fun at themselves as a kind of in-joke. It wasn't until the late 1980s that the phrase entered common usage. After Allan Bloom published "The Closing of the American Mind," an attack on liberal ideological conformity in academia, "political correctness" became a pejorative term used by conservatives to write off liberal ideas. The term has been loaded with political weight and negative connotations from the very beginning. On both sides of the political spectrum, the concept of political correctness is used to shut down dialogue. Clearly, it's not something Americans will ever agree to strive for. But let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Just because the phrase is useless as a rallying cry doesn't mean there is no validity to any of the ideas behind it. In its most basic form, political correctness is choosing words thoughtfully so as to avoid causing pain to historically marginalized groups. And while there are certainly examples of this being taken to ridiculous extremes, there are plenty of other examples we can agree on. For example, few today would suggest we should stand up for our right to free speech by calling someone the n-word. In fact, we exercise this kind of judgment every day without resenting the restrictions on our freedom of speech. When you thank your hostess for a delicious meal even though you hate lima beans, you don't call it censorship; you call it good manners. When you tell your 4-year-old daughter that her drawing is beautiful even though she made you look like a sickly space alien, you don't call it political correctness; you call it supportiveness. When you swallow what you really think and tell your co-worker that you love her new hairstyle, you don't call it caving in to the thought police; you call it being considerate. Willingly restricting our freedom to say whatever we think is a natural part of functioning as a member of a larger group, and those who refuse to edit themselves are considered boorish jerks. Defying political correctness can have the same effect, becoming a thinly veiled excuse for rudeness (see: Trump). ADVERTISEMENT We need to reframe the whole idea of being thoughtful with our words in terms of kindness, respect and good manners. We need to rethink this aspect of PC as a Personal Choice that we make because we care about others, rather than as People Controlling what we can and can't say. Reframing the conversation away from political correctness also can help with the frustrating sense that the rules are too numerous and changing too fast to know what the right word is. People want to throw off the burden of being PC because they feel doomed to failure. Political correctness implies there is one correct word, and all others are wrong. Thinking in terms of thoughtfulness and kindness shifts the focus away from the right word to the right attitude: valuing interpersonal relationships over our right to say whatever we like. It also takes the blame out of making mistakes. It's OK to unintentionally use the "wrong" word and offend someone if we are willing to learn and do better. Making small changes to the way we speak because we care about others should be something we can all agree on. Kami Jordan, of Rochester, is the Diversity Council's office and communications coordinator. I have been vaguely aware of Milo Yiannopoulos for a while. He is a gay Brit who works for Breitbart News. Lately he has been embroiled in controversy on Twitter and on college campuses, but I hadnt paid enough attention to know what the fuss was about. Now Milo has come to town. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports on his appearance earlier today: Protesters gear up for conservative pundit Yiannopoulos at University of Minnesota. Stephanie Taylor admits that shed never even heard of the guy a week ago. But on Wednesday night, she led a boisterous protest at the University of Minnesota against a conservative pundit named Milo Yiannopoulos for spreading what she called hate speech. We have pretty much gotten to the point where hate speech is when you disagree with a liberal. It was the second campus protest in a week for Yiannopoulos, who was shouted down Feb. 9 at Rutgers University in New Jersey by activists smeared in fake blood. Anti-Vietnam war protesters made liberal use of fake blood. Not quite sure what it signifies here. So why is Yiannopoulos so controversial? Among his favorite themes: what he calls the myth of a rape culture on college campuses. Of course it is a myth. Just ask Rolling Stone. Does anyone actually believe the ridiculous one in five claim? or the frequently cited statistic that women are paid less than men for the same work. Absurd, he says, saying the claims dont hold up to scrutiny. Hes right, that claim (or statistic) is absurd. Men and women are paid, on the average, different amounts for different jobs, not the same job. Wage discrimination is illegal. Far from being hate speech, neither of the cited propositions is even controversial among those with minimal knowledge of the facts. But at American universities, hysteria is the order of the day: Critics have blasted him as an anti-feminist troll and crank of the far right. In the world of higher education, pointing out facts that are inconvenient for left-wing narratives makes you a crank of the far right. Yiannopoulos appeared along with Christina Hoff Sommers, presumably also a crank of the far right. His appearance at the U, titled CALM DOWN! Restoring Common Sense to Feminism, was briefly interrupted by five protesters shouting and sounding noisemakers. They were quickly escorted out by campus police. The protest was organized by the U chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). His message is pretty overtly sexist, said Taylor, 28, a 2012 graduate of the Us Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies program. Of course she is! Outside the packed auditorium, activists held protest signs saying End rape culture and Rape culture is not a myth. Taylor insisted that the protest was not meant to shut down free speech. But we think its important to have a clear message that hate speech isnt tolerated on this campus. Today, anyway, non-leftist speech was tolerated, Ms. Taylor notwithstanding. But that wont be the case for long if the liberals get their way. Ryan Crocker was the U.S. ambassador to Iraq during the surge of 2007. Crockers diplomacy played a substantial role in the success of the surge. Only the president who ordered it and general who conceived and carried at out deserve more credit, in my opinion. A few days ago, Crocker spoke to a group at the Atlantic Council. C-SPAN covered the event. Crocker said that during his recent visit to the Middle East, he heard two views about the general situation in the region. The first view is that an axis consisting of Iran, Russia, and Assad (along with Hezbollah) is dominating the region, and that the United States is basically on the sidelines. Not a pretty picture. The second view is uglier still. It holds that the U.S. is the fourth member of the axis. I dont consider this view tenable; nor did Crocker endorse it. There is good reason to believe that President Obama wants to cooperate with Iran and sees it as a potential ally in the subduing of some of our enemies in the region. But no such alliance has been cemented, thanks primarily to Irans resistance. And I dont see the U.S. as a collaborator with Syria or Russia. On the other hand, its not difficult to understand who some in the region view the U.S. as part of the Iran-Russia-Syria axis. Obama recently concluded a deal which gives Iran the financial means to continue its march towards regional domination (without eliminating Iran as a potential nuclear power). In Syria, Obama is bombing, albeit rather fitfully, Assads enemies in Eastern Syria, while doing precious little to support Assads enemies in other parts of the country. Furthermore, Obama worked with Russia to find an excuse not to attack the Assad regime after it crossed the so-called red line on using chemical weapons. Thus, its reasonable for interested bystanders in the region to ask: what would Obama be doing differently if he were not a silent partner of Iran, Russia, and Syria. As the old-time communist left would say (with characteristic intellectual dishonesty), Obama is objectively their partner. Heres the key point, though: perceptions like the one Crocker reports matter vitally. If key players in the Middle East view the U.S. as basically sidelined (viewpoint #1), it will be difficult for the U.S. to obtain their meaningful cooperation in the fight against ISIS or in any venture that might impede Iranian aggression. If key players view the U.S. as part of the Iran-Russia-Syria axis, it will be impossible to secure cooperation. Indeed, it may well be impossible to prevent those who can from enlisting, to one degree or another, in the axis. I havent read the New York Times editorials on the Scalia succession, and Im not going to unless they pop up on my screen by accident. But I did happen to stumble across their 1987 editorial on why the Senate was correct to reject Robert Bork, and one of the reasons was that. . . well, take in this paragraph for yourself, but not with a mouthful of milk or coffee: The Presidents supporters insist vehemently that, having won the 1984 election, he has every right to try to change the Courts direction. Yes, but the Democrats won the 1986 election, regaining control of the Senate, and they have every right to resist. This is not the same Senate that confirmed William Rehnquist as Chief Justice and Antonin Scalia as an associate justice last year. Every right to resist since they won the mid-term election, eh? Actually, the entire editorial, if you have the time to waste, is an ironic case of why Bork should have been confirmed. But in the twisted hall of mirrors that is the NY Times editorial page. . . I probably should add a question mark to the title of this post, since I cant say with high confidence that the South Carolina primary actually will be the end of the presidential campaign for Jeb Bush. But yesterday, according to multiple reports, the joyful warrior was noticeably deflated when he appeared at the campaign event, following word that Nikki Haley was about to endorse Marco Rubio. The Washington Post says that a Bush rally at a country club turned into something of a therapy session, as the country club Republicans in attendance counseled the candidate on how to turn things around. The problem is that its almost certainly too late for that. Bush has thrown everything he has into South Carolina. His brother has campaigned for him; he wooed Nikky Haley; he got Lindsey Grahams endorsement; he produced back-to-back good debate performances in which he proved he could go toe-to-toe with his boogeyman, Donald Trump. Yet, as far as I can tell, the best he has show for it is the rumor of an internal poll from his PAC that shows him in third place, one point ahead of Rubio, with half the support of Ted Cruz and less than half of Trumps support. And this was before Haley endorsed Rubio. Meanwhile, other polls show Bush well behind Trump, Cruz, and Rubio, battling John Kasich (hardly Mr. South Carolina) and maybe Ben Carson for fifth place. Fox News has one out today. It puts Trump in the lead with 32 percent support. He is followed by Cruz (19), Rubio (15), Bush and Carson (9), and Kasich (6). If the final results resemble these numbers, or the RCP average (which flips Carson and Kasich but otherwise is about the same as the Fox News poll), Bush will be under intense pressure to leave the race. Nor, it seems to me, is he likely to resist the pressure. Whats in it for Bush to remain in the race? Surely, he cant relish the notion of a resounding loss to Trump in Florida, his home state. What is the rationale for a candidate to continue running for president when he has failed to finish in the top three in the first three contests (assuming thats the case in Florida), cant clear 10 percent in the national polls, and (as Dan McLaughlin at NR points out) struggles to break even in his favorability rating among Republicans? There is none. The deflated look that reporters say they detected from the candidate yesterday suggests that Jeb Bush understands this. Jeff Mason covers the White House for Reuters. At Obamas press conference in Rancho Mirage, California yesterday, Mason asked Obama an obvious question (video below). The White House has posted the transcript of the press conference here and here. In the video excerpt below, Mason asks Obama how he squares his recent lecture on the Senates constitutional duty yada yada regarding the replacement of Justice Scalia with his own support for the filibuster of Justice Alito in 2006. Obama hemmed and hawed and filibustered in the style to which we have grown accustomed when he has no good answer to a straightforward question. Here is Obamas answer in its entirety: Look, I think whats fair to say is that how judicial nominations have evolved over time is not historically the fault of any single party. This has become just one more extension of politics. And there are times where folks are in the Senate and theyre thinking, as I just described, primarily about, is this going to cause me problems in a primary? Is this going to cause me problems with supporters of mine? And so people take strategic decisions. I understand that. But what is also true is Justice Alito is on the bench right now. I think that, historically, if you look at it, regardless of what votes particular senators have taken, theres been a basic consensus, a basic understanding, that the Supreme Court is different. And each caucus may decide whos going to vote where and what but that basically you let the vote come up, and you make sure that a well-qualified candidate is able to join the bench, even if you dont particularly agree with them. And my expectation is, is that the same should happen here. Now, this will be a test one more test of whether or not norms, rules, basic fair play can function at all in Washington these days. But I do want to point out, this is not just the Supreme Court. We have consistently seen just a breakdown in the basic functions of government because the Senate will not confirm well-qualified nominees even when theyre voted out of committee, which means that theyre voted by both parties without objection. And we still have problems, because theres a certain mindset that says were just going to grind the system down to a halt, and if we dont like the President then were just not going to let him make any appointments. Were going to make it tougher for the administration to do their basic job. Were going to make sure that ambassadors arent seated, even though these are critical countries and it may have an effect on our international relations. Were going to make sure that judges arent confirmed, despite the fact that Justice Roberts, himself, has pointed out theres emergencies in courts around the country because there are just not enough judges and there are too many cases, and the system is breaking down. So this has become a habit. And it gets worse and worse each year. And its not something that I have spent a huge amount of time talking about, because, frankly, the American people, on average, theyre more interested in gas prices and wages and issues that touch on their day-to-day lives in a more direct way, so it doesnt get a lot of political attention. But this is the Supreme Court. And its going to get some attention. And we have to ask ourselves as a society a fundamental question: Are we able to still make this democracy work the way its supposed to, the way our Founders envisioned it? And I would challenge anyone who purports to be adhering to the original intent of the Founders, anybody who believes in the Constitution, coming up with a plausible rationale as to why they would not even have a hearing for a nominee made in accordance with the Constitution by the President of the United States with a year left, practically, in office. Its pretty hard to find that in the Constitution. I was driving in my car down the California coast this morning doing what any sensible person would dolistening to Rush Limbaughwhen all of a sudden I heard my name! RUSH: I ran into something I found from 1978, Steven Hayward over at Power Line found it, reprinted it, and its some guy from 1978 named Harry Jaffa, How to Think About the American Revolution. But its not what you think. Its an explanation of the modern left, and particularly how the modern liberal and the modern radical have become the same thing. Hes referring to my post here a couple of days ago quoting Harry Jaffa on the character of the modern left. But it was Rush sequel after he came back from commercial break that had me chuckling: Im gonna link to this article from this guy named Harry Jaffa. I do not know who he is. I didnt bother looking him up. I just trust that Steven Hayward at Power Line knows enough about the guy to quote him. First, thanks much for the Rush vote of confidence in the editorial judgment of Power Line. Second, I suppose we shouldnt fault Rush too much for not knowing who Jaffa was, as hes not exactly talk-radio friendly material most of the time. But I imagine Rush would like to know that Jaffa was the author of the famous Goldwater line, Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice; moderation in the defense of justice is no virtue which could, come to think of it, be Rushs slogan, too. In any case, I told a fair bit of that story in this CRB article on the 50th anniversary of that great speech. But obviously Ill need to correct Rushs lacuna by sending him the book Im currently trying to finish writing by the end of the month. Lots more later after it finishes the editing process and heads toward publication, but I might as well give the first peek at an early cover mockup: A Federal High Court, Abuja, has fixed March 3 to decide whether it would try MTN Nigeria and its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ferdi Moolman, for copyright infringement. Justice Nnamdi Dimgba fixed the date at the Thursday hearing in a charge filed against MTN and Moolman over alleged infringement of copies of the musical works of an Abuja-based musician, Dovie Omenuwoma-Eniwo (a.k.a. Baba 2010). The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), in 2015, filed the two-count-charge against MTN and Moolman, sequel to a petition filed by Baba 2010. However, following a report of settlement between MTN and Baba 2010 over the infringement, their lawyers, Mena Ajakpoui and Rockson Igelige, had respectively asked for the withdrawal of the charge by NCC. Lawyer to NCC and the commissions Director of Prosecution, Abdul-Ter Kohol, however said that the crime had been committed and the restitution provided by the alleged offenders (MTN and Moolman) was not a barrier to their prosecution. The court therefore adjourned to decide whether or not the compensation paid to Baba 2010 by the accused persons over the alleged infringement was adequate to stop NCC from prosecuting MTN and Mr. Moolman. NAN reports that at the hearing of the case, Mr. Igelige moved an application seeking the court order permitting his client (Baba 2010) to withdraw his complaint against the accused persons (MTN and Moolman). He contended that he filed a civil suit against MTN in another Federal High Court upon which his client amicably and satisfactorily settled with MTN. He said the NCC did not inform his client before going ahead to file the criminal charge against MTN and its CEO. Mr. Igelige also argued that he did not make any complaint against Mr. Moolman, the second accused person in the petition written to NCC. He argued that with the combined reading of sections 17, 355 (1) and 494 (1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, his client had the right to withdraw his complaint which would in turn terminate the trial. Mr. Kohol opposed the application contending that it is misconceived, frivolous and not known to law. He said besides the fact that the applicant did not seek the leave of court before filing the application the statutory parties to criminal trial are the prosecution (NCC) and the accused (MTN and Moolman). The lawyer argued that the applicant, like any other informant of a prosecuting agency, could not withdraw a criminal charge he did not file in court. Mr. Kohol said that section 24 of the NCC establishment Act permits for both criminal and civil actions to be filed and heard simultaneously in copyright infringement cases. He therefore urged the court to hold that MTN and Moolman had already committed the crime and the restitution made to Baba 2010 cannot assuage their prosecution. (NAN) Nigerias crude oil export operation has suffered a serious setback following a major crack-up of a giant underwater pipeline at the Forcados export terminal. Following the incident, crude oil lifting has now been suspended at that platform, officials said. The pipeline, described as a big artery in the nations oil production was said to have suffered a huge rupture under circumstances that are at the moment still hazy. Nigeria is already bleeding from the impact of low oil prices, with revenue dipping month after month. With export now cut as a result of the incident, oil revenue will descend even lower until the pipeline is fixed, an insider at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation told PREMIUM TIMES. Industry experts say repairing the pipeline might cost the country as much as 100 million dollars. Sabotage by Niger Delta militants is completely ruled out but the same cannot be said at the moment of rogue elements within the system who are known to have in the past orchestrated similar damages in the hope of benefitting from the repairs and clean-up contracts that must follow. Forcados terminal in Delta State is one of Nigerias biggest terminals with capacity to export about 400,000 barrels of oil a day. Illegal interference with pipelines, with attendant leaks, has always dwindled crude oil receipts into Forcados, a terminal operated by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC). Oil majors most hit by disasters at this terminal include Shell and Septlat. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the latest incident at Forcados occurred about 10.55pm last Saturday but it wasnt until Sunday that Shell discovered a spill. Forcados is made up of two parts: namely the Tank Farm which receives crude oil produced from oil wells in Delta, Ondo, Edo and parts of Bayelsa States, and the Crude Oil Loading Platform where ships must come to lift crude. The affected pipeline links the tank farm and the platform. Insiders say it is a very mighty pipe on the waterbed going to the sea. The ruptured section of this key pipeline is located at Tokebeleu, near Ojulagha, an Ijaw village in Delta State. In a written response to PREMIUM TIMES enquiry, Precious Okolobo, Media Relations Manager of Shell, said his company was already investigating the source of a crude oil spill observed on water around Forcados Terminal on Sunday February 14. He said the initial investigation would enable the company to quickly determine what suitable response was further needed. According to Mr. Okolobo, Shells joint venture and third party production into the terminal has been suspended as a precautionary measure while the companys Emergency Response and Oil Response teams have been activated to manage the incident. In what appears as a large-scale disaster management, Shell said booms and other oil containment resources were being deployed to the area to try to stop the spread of spilled oil. The support of industry group, Clean Nigeria Associates (CNA), has been enlisted for a comprehensive response to the spill, Mr Okolobo said. The relevant authorities including security agencies have been informed of the incident, preparatory to a joint investigation visit which will determine the cause and volume of oil spilled. The spokesperson for the NNPC, Ohi Alegbe, declined to comment for this story. With the Hall of Fame Nominating Committee diligently trying to come up with horses worthy to be on this years ballot, we could be looking at two of the surest bets in a long time that Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra will be elected to the Hall in their first year of eligibility. So lets take a break from the Derby trail and turn the clocks back to those glorious years when Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra became the greatest rivals to never meet. Theirs was a rivalry of the mind and heart, leaving us with perpetual thoughts of what might have been. Turning to Zenyatta for now, during her reign from 2008-2010 she infiltrated the imagination and touched people in an almost spiritual-like manner never seen before in Thoroughbred racing. An Amazon of a mare who was a fierce warrior on the battlefield, she was like a lap dog in the friendly confines of her barn. Because of the intense off-the-track rivalry with Rachel Alexandra, one of the most brilliant fillies of all time, Zenyatta had her detractors, with Rachel supporters criticizing her for racing almost her entire career on synthetic tracks, rarely leaving California, and on several occasions at Del Mar just barely beating fillies who were far inferior to her. Ironically, many believe it was her final start and only career defeat in the Breeders Cup Classic at Churchill Downs that was her greatest and most courageous performance. There is a fine line between excuses and reasons, and in Zenyattas case, she could answer her critics with reasons, most of which few people, if any, were aware of. Not that a horse who won her first 19 starts needed any reasons or excuses. The bottom line bond is that whatever mystical hold horses have had over humans for centuries seemed to manifest itself through Zenyatta. So, here are several things you might not have known about this remarkable Thoroughbred. DISLIKE OF SYNTHETIC SURFACES As mentioned earlier, many of Zenyattas detractors liked to point out that, with the exception of three races two victories in the Apple Blossom Stakes at Oaklawn and a courageous head defeat in the Breeders Cup Classic, all of Zenyattas races were on a synthetic surface, which they felt detracted from her amazing 19-race unbeaten streak. What people didnt realize was that Zenyatta actually detested synthetic surfaces, and had such a dislike for Del Mars Polytrack, she refused to even gallop over it, which is why trainer John Shirreffs kept her stabled at Hollywood Park to train over the dirt training track. The fact that Zenyatta won the Clement Hirsch Stakes three times at Del Mar, struggling each time to win by narrow margins, showed how great and competitive she really was. She did work over Hollywoods Cushion Track and won several stakes over it, but that surface had worn down and kept being replaced with dirt, which was basically piled onto what little Cushion Track remained. But Del Mar was a totally different story. Each time after she won the Clement Hirsch, she refused to train at Del Mar, Shirreffs recalled. We would take her out to the track and she would gallop about a half-mile and pull herself up into a jog, then jog to the nearest gap and go off. There was no sense going on with her. We would take her out there every day and say, OK, lets see how far she wants to gallop today. And every day thats as far as she would gallop. What are you going to do, hit her with the stick to try to make her go? She just hated that track. She tolerated it in a race, but after she ran she was done with it. So, each time we shipped her back to Hollywood Park and trained her on the dirt. She did handle Santa Anitas Pro-Ride surface well enough to win six races over it, but that was because this version of it acted more like dirt, and lets face it, a great horse will run on any surface, just as Zenyatta managed to win three stakes at Del Mar despite hating the surface. Santa Anitas Pro-Ride surface went through many changes, Shirreffs explained. They werent using the Australian material. They got it from local businesses and theirs was not spongy. Rebound is important to muscles and helps with fatigue, and a spongy track works well for absorbing shock, but does not return that energy back. In simple terms, it acts too much like a pillow, so thats why she could handle this Pro-Ride because it had a rebound effect. And we all know how Zenyatta liked to bounce off the ground to propel that massive stride of hers. Santa Anita provided that, while Del Mars Polytrack did not. TRAVELING Throughout 2010, racing fans back east kept urging Shirreffs to ship Zenyatta to Saratoga to perform on racings greatest stage, where she would be treated like royalty and given a heros welcome. But what no one realized was that her trip to Oaklawn Park that April had taken a lot out of her physically, and Shirreffs did not want to risk another long trip, with the Breeders Cup at Churchill Downs. Another reason Shirreffs remained in California instead of shipping back east was that he felt a responsibility to support the grade I races back home, and because of Zenyattas massive frame and high-strung nature, shipping her was not easy. We always had to be careful with her weight, Shirreffs explained. We wanted to make sure she didnt lose too much weight. And there was the dehydration factor. When Zenyatta returned from Oaklawn she had become dehydrated and had lost weight. In addition to running in the Apple Blossom, Zenyatta spent a good deal of her time at Oaklawn outside the barn, posing for pictures with the fans and media, and all that activity likely added to the stress. The day after the Apple Blossom, we had people lined up the entire length of the shedrow waiting to have their picture taken with her, Shirreffs said. One time, she was grazing between the barns and some lady walked up to her and grabbed the side of her halter and lifted her head up away from the grass so she could have her picture taken with her. You want to yell, Dont do that, but you dont want to startle the horse, because then Zenyatta would think something was wrong. So it made sense why Shirreffs was reluctant to take Zenyatta on another long trip, especially to Saratoga, where she would get little down time, with visitors flocking to the barn at all hours of the day. He certainly did not want to risk getting her dehydrated and losing weight with another cross-country trip scheduled in two months. DISLIKE OF THE STARTING GATE This is another thing most people didnt know about Zenyatta, and is why she broke so slowly every race. She was so big in the gate and so claustrophobic that until she actually cleared the starting gate and the open doors she would not get in gear, Shirreffs said. Some horses break like Quarter-Horses, but she wanted to get completely out of the gate before she clicked into gear and thats why she was so far back in every race. Most people werent aware of her dislike of the starting gate. We tried schooling her in the gate, but the starter finally said, Theres no sense breaking her anymore, because this is as good as its going to get. In the Breeders Cup at Churchill Downs she not only broke slowly as usual, but two horses crossed over into her path and that pushed her back even farther. DISLIKE OF THE LIGHTS In the Breeders Cup Classic run at night at Churchill Downs, Zenyatta looked as if she were going to go by Blame, but seemed to pause just a little nearing the finish line, and then put her head in front after the wire. Did the lights affect her in any way? Without a doubt, Shirreffs said. No doubt at all about that. First off, it was cold that night and she had never raced in cold weather before. When she ran at Hollywood Park in the evening, the lights were high overhead. Its like a harness track with a big bank of lights around the outside. At Churchill Downs, it was night and the lights at the sixteenth pole to the wire are not only very bright, theyre only about 15-feet high. At the finish line they have a light thats on a pole and its very low to the ground. We were worried about that when we saw it the day before. It was a concern. Also, Garrett Gomez, who was on Blame, had been beaten three times by Zenyatta on Life is Sweet, so he knew what was coming and knew he had to save something for the end. I think it was a combination of both things. Also, Blame was virtually unbeatable at Churchill Downs, his home track, and often trained there early under the lights. Did Zenyatta get distracted by the lights just enough to get her beat a short head? No one can say for sure. The bottom line is that Zenyatta ran a sensational race that night, and it appears that there were several factors that contributed to her defeat a horrible start, dropping some 20 lengths back, a traffic-laden trip, some hesitation by Smith nearing the head of the stretch and altering course, the lights at the finish line, and a great effort by Blame. THE DANCE So, did Zenyatta actually break into her patented dance steps before a race to put on a show? She was very strong and needed to stay in control," Shirreffs said. "That was just her way of expressing all that pent up energy and adrenalin she had going when she went to the races. When she was going to the races her adrenalin would really kick in. She just had all this energy and that was the only way she knew how to let it out, through that extension of her legs. In California where it was warm, we were very careful how much we warmed her up, because, as she did in her dance, she would warm herself up pretty good before the race. One day early in her career, I believe it was before her first Vanity, she got really hot warming up and thats when we decided to teach her in the morning. We took her and stood her at the quarter pole, because we knew from the quarter pole to the gate it was just an eighth of a mile walk and not a big deal. So she would back up and stand and wait for the other horses to warm up and then go to the gate. If we had warmed her up like a normal horse she would have wound herself up too much. That night at Churchill Downs, thats when she really needed to warm up and not just stand there, and that might have also affected her, because she had never been in a cold climate and didnt do what a normal horse would do to warm up in the cold. FROZEN FANS AT KEENELAND If there was one image to aptly demonstrate the love and adulation people had for Zenyatta, it was the hundreds of fans waiting for hours in the freezing cold outside the Keeneland sales pavilion to get one last look at the great mare before she was sent to Lanes End Farm. Standing in the snow at night, bundled up in thick layers of clothing, people kept reaching out to touch her as she walked by. Boy, I cant believe all those people stayed that long in that cold waiting for her to arrive, Shirreffs said. When we got there, the ramp leading to the barn area and sales pavilion was too steep, so we had to take her down to where the unloading ramps were and then walk her back up the road in the dark on the ice to get her to the sales walking ring where the people could look at her. I took her to the outside edge of the ring so people could reach over and touch her. And she was pretty cool about that. I just know it was so cold that night; we were really bundled up. A lot of these people were from Kentucky and they hadnt been to her races in California. They had read about her or seen her on television and they wanted to see her in person. It was really heartwarming. So, now we have a better idea who Zenyatta was. She was a complex individual and her complexities dictated her career in many ways and how she had to be trained. She was a perfect horse when you took the tack off her and led her out in the afternoon and let her graze, Shirreffs said. She was as content as can be and people could do anything they wanted with her; she was beautiful about that. Put the saddle on her and point her toward the racetrack and, boy, you better stand back. She was a totally different horse. No truer words were ever said about Zenyatta. She was a totally different horse, the likes of which we will never see again. The Nigerian troops on Wednesday destroyed patent medicine outlet and major market operated by Boko Haram insurgents and rescued 195 captives at various locations of Borno State. A statement by the spokesman of Nigerian Army, Sani Usman, said quite a number of insurgents were killed and a lot of items were recovered during the raid. The Nigerian troops of 7 Division Garrison comprising 112 Battalion and Armed Forces Special Forces yesterday carried out a joint clearance patrol on suspected Boko Haram terrorists locations at Kwaptara, Mijigete, Garin Boka, Mosole, Ngubdori, Maasa, Dukje and Gulumba in Dikwa and Bama Local Government Areas of Borno State. The troops discovered Boko Haram terrorists camp, patent medicine outfit and major market at Gulumba. Quite a number of Boko Haram terrorists were killed and several items were recovered. This includes two logistic trucks, 180 motorcycles, 750 bicycles and various perishable and non-perishable items such as a 100 KVA Mikano generator and grinding machine. In addition, they also rescued 195 persons held hostage, recovered 300 cows, 200 sheep and 130 goats rustled by the insurgents. The troops also recovered military items such as camouflage uniforms as well as rifle magazines and grenades. The unprecedented feat was achieved through the renewed cooperation and support of the public who provide timely information to the troops. Consequently, we would like to thank all those good citizens who provide the timely information and enjoin all to see the fight against Boko Haram terrorists as a collective responsibility to enable us clear the remnants of the insurgents in the north east and other parts of the country, Mr. Usman, a colonel, said. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has accused Rickey Tarfa, a senior Nigerian lawyer, of having a long history of manipulating courts and improperly communicating with judges. The EFCC had, on Tuesday, arraigned Mr. Tarfa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, before a Lagos State High Court on a two-count charge of obstruction of justice and attempting to pervert the course of justice. Mr. Tarfa had fought back, dragging the anti-graft agency before a court to enforce his fundamental rights. According to court documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES, in one of the allegations, Mr. Tarfa made phone contacts with Justice Mohammed Yunusa in a case before the judge. The commission provided phone numbers of Mr. Tarfa, the judge, and bank documents detailing money transfer from the lawyer to Justice Yunusa. Based on intelligence report available to the Commission that the Applicant in a desperate bid to pervert the cause of justice in earlier proceedings involving the suspects on the subject matter was using his GSM .. to communicate with Honourable Justice M. N. Yunusa in a case before His Lordship, the 1st Respondent requested the Applicant upon his arrest to respond to the allegation and surrender his mobile Apple I-Phone 6, colour black with MTN No. .., the EFCC stated in a counter affidavit deposed to by Moses Awolusi, an EFCC investigator. That based on investigations and data analysis of the Applicants mobile phones startling revelations about secret, unhealthy communications between the Applicant and judicial officers emerged. That investigations revealed that whilst Suits Nos. FHC/L/CS/715/2015 between Rana Prestige Industries Nigeria (owned by the suspects) and EFCC and FHC/L/CS/716 between Hair Prestige Manufacturing Nigeria and EFCC were pending before His Lordship Justice M. N. Yunusa of the Federal High Court Lagos Judicial Division were ongoing, the Applicant and Honourable Justice Yunusa of the Federal High Court were in constant communication outside the court through their mobile phone numbers i.e. GSM 080xxxxxx belonging to Justice Yunusa and GSM 080xxxxx belonging to the Applicant Rickey Tarfa SAN respectively. Now shown to me is the call/message logs marked Exhibit E revealing communication between the Applicant and Honourable Justice M. N. Yunusa during the pendency of the said proceedings. That I am aware that a petition regarding this unethical practice between the Applicant and Honourable Justice M. N. Yunusa is already pending against Justice M. N. Yunusa before the National Judicial Council (NJC) and Honourable Justice M. N. Yunusa has been asked to respond to same by the NJC. The EFCC had accused Mr. Tarfa of wilfully obstructing two of its officers from arresting Gnanhooue Sourou and Nazaire Odeste, the owners of Rana Prestige Industries. According to the Commission, the senior lawyer had blocked the operatives attempt to arrest the two suspects, accused of committing financial crimes, by keeping them in his car for hours. The commission noted that the arrest of the suspects was based on reasonable grounds that Mr. Tarfa obstructed the operatives of the EFCC from performing their statutory duties on 5th February 2016 between the hours of 12noon and 5pm when he willfully locked up in his Black Mercedes Jeep with Registration No. KJA 700 CG Lagos suspects wanted for economic and financial crimes in circumstances explained above. The EFCC also stated that from its investigations, Mr. Tarfas law firm, Rickey Tarfa & Co. with Access Bank Account with account no. 0000964760 paid N225,000 into Justice Yunusas bank account. I know from facts revealed during investigation that the said bribe of N225, 000.00 Two Hundred and Twenty Five Thousand Naira) was accepted and acknowledged by Justice Yunusa in a text message to the Applicant wherein he said, Thank you my senior advocate. I also know that investigations has revealed that the applicants law firm was in the habit of asking the Chief Registrar of the Lagos Judicial Division of the Federal High Court to assign his cases before His Lordship Honourable M. N. Yunusa in furtherance of the understanding between the Applicant and the particular judge. I also know that investigations has revealed that even the junior counsel in the law firm of the applicant also engaged in the corrupt practices of their boss by manipulating the Federal High Court Registry to fix and assign cases filed by them to particular judges. Attached and marked Exhibit P herewith are text messages on the assignment of the applicants firms cases to Justice Yunusas court. The Commission further stated that Mr. Tarfa had, in April last year, attended a book launch in honour of Ibrahim Auta, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, in the company of Gabriel Igbinedion, who was the chief launcher. Mr. Tarfa introduced Mr. Igbinedion to judges and senior lawyers who attended the programme, according to the EFCC. That I know as a fact that inspite of the Applicants knowledge of Rule 3(f)(j) of the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers which stipulates that A judicial officer and members of his family shall neither ask for nor accept any gift, bequest, favour, or loan on account of anything done or omitted to be done by him in the discharge of his duties the Applicant did not advise his client not to donate the said sum of N8 million to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court. Now shown to me and marked Exhibit Q is Thisday edition of 3rd May 2015 capturing the proceedings of the launching including role of the Applicant. That I know as a fact that the Applicants client, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion made the donation of N8m in the referred occasion to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court inspite of knowledge by Chief Gabriel Igbinedion that his son Michael Igbinedion who had been convicted was awaiting the sentence of the Federal High Court in criminal proceedings pending against Chief Gabriel Igbinedions son (Chief Michael Igbinedion) before the Federal High Court. That I know as a fact that a few hours after the donation of the said sum of N8 million to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court by the Applicants client, Chief Gabriel Igbinedions convicted son was sentenced to a year imprisonment or N1 million through a questionable plea bargain which was condemned by all right thinking Nigerians. The Nigerian Army said on Thursday that troops fighting insurgency in the North East under Operation Lafiya Dole had killed some Boko Haram insurgents near the Sambisa forest and recovered several items. According to a statement issued by acting Army spokesman, Sani Usman, some of the suspected insurgents were killed during an ambush operation at two of their crossing points on Wednesday night. Mr. Usman said the troops of 81 Battalion and 251 Task Force Battalion laid ambush for the terrorists at Komala and Musafanari general area in Borno. He said others escaped the attack with gunshot wounds while no casualty was recorded on the part of the military. According to Mr. Usman, the troops recovered one AK45 rifle with registration number 56-2614519 in addition to a magazine containing nine rounds of 7.62mm (Special) and six motorcycles. He said the troops also recovered two bags of salt and other assorted food items as well as various Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from the suspected insurgents. He said items recovered from the insurgents indicated that they were out for a nefarious mission which was aborted by the timely ambushes. The spokesman said that troops were poised to clear remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists in the region. Mr. Usman appealed to the public to support security agencies with timely and useful information on the activities and movements of insurgents to ensure prompt response. (NAN) Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, on Thursday said the new national chairman of the PDP, Ali Sherriff, would end up working for the ruling APC in 2019, against his claim that PDP would reclaim power in 2019. Mr. Ganduje said this on in Abuja while fielding questions from journalists at the monthly APC media roundtable. According to him, the new PDP chairman does not have the clout to restore power to any party. Mr. Sherriff had on Wednesday said that he would ensure power return to the PDP. I do not wish to engage in cross fire, but I will like to tell you that it is the normal utterance of one who wants to impress his followers. I believe it is an empty threat. Looking at the antecedents, the history of the chairman himself, we all know he is a cross-carpeter. He is always on the move in changing from one party to another. Even when he was in All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) for eight years, he was working for the Peoples Democratic Party. Even the APC started with him, and then he went back to the PDP and we were happy. I am sure in the long run he will work for us, and that is what I believe. We are happy because we believe in the long run he would work for us; find out his history, you will believe me, he said. On establishing state police, which some states have been clamouring for, the governor said the time was ripe to allow states to be in charge of their own policing and security. Given the situation we find ourselves, I think there is no better time we need the state police than now because the security at the moment requires intelligence information. It involves people who are conversant about the society, who are conversant with the tradition, who are conversant with the culture, the governor said. (NAN) The spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, on Thursday pleaded not guilty to an amended seven-count charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Mr. Metuh is standing trial at the Federal High Court for allegedly receiving N400 million from the immediate past National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki. Mr. Dasuki, a retired army colonel, is also standing trial for allegedly laundering $2.1 billion. During the proceedings, counsel to the EFCC, Silvanus Tahir, told the court that the charges against Mr. Metuh had been amended. One of the counts reads: That you Olisa Metuh and Destra Investments Limited on or before the 24th November, 2014 in Abuja within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable court took possession of the sum N400,000,000 (Four Hundred Million Naira) only, paid into the account of DESTRA INVESTMENTS LIMITED with DIAMOND BANK Plc. Account No. 0040437573 from the account of the National Security Adviser with the Central Bank of Nigeria without contract award when you reasonably ought to have known that the said sum formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity of Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd) the then National Security Adviser (To Wit; criminal breach of trust and corruption) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2), (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act. Justice Okon Abang then asked the PDP spokesperson to take a fresh plea to the amended charges, to which he pleaded not guilty. Onyechi Ikpeazu, counsel to Mr. Metuh, asked the court to allow his client to continue on the earlier bail with same terms and conditions since he never defaulted. Mr. Abang granted the request and adjourned to February 25 for adoption of written addresses on the no case submission made by the defence. The governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, on Thursday met President Muhammadu Buhari for the first time since he assumed office. Mr. Bello is the fourth democratically elected governor of the state, and was sworn in January 27, amid controversy. He was sworn in without a deputy after James Faleke, a man nominated by his party, the All Progressives Congress, to be his deputy, made real his threat not to present himself for swearing in with Mr. Bello. Mr. Faleke believes that he should have been pronounced governor after the APC candidate in the election, Abubakar Audu, died before the election was concluded. He is arguing that the election had been won and lost before Mr. Audu died, and that the supplementary election which had Mr. Bello as APC candidate was unnecessary. He is currently challenging INECs return of Mr. Bello in court. Images of the meeting with Buhari below. The Ijaw Youths Council has faulted the deployment of more troops to secure oil facilities in the Niger Delta. The group said such deployment had yielded little results in the past. Eric Omare, the spokesman for the IYC, in a statement issued in Yenagoa Thursday, advised the Federal Government to pursue a policy of closer engagement with the people of Niger Delta. He said that such constructive engagement would help to achieve lasting peace and to ensure optimal crude oil and gas production. Mr. Omare said sending more troops to the oil communities often led to avoidable conflicts and made the people to feel as if they were in conflict. From our experience of attack on oil facilities in the Niger Delta region, sending more troops to the region is not the solution to the problem. It is a matter of common knowledge that incidents of oil theft, kidnapping and attacks on oil pipelines have been on the increase despite the presence of military men. The IYC has always maintained that in some cases security agents, contractors and even oil company workers are complicit in these illegalities going on in the Niger Delta region. Instead of sending more troops, we call for quality intelligence gathering on the role of oil companies workers, contractors and security agents on the attacks on oil facilities. Ultimately, the solution to the problem of attacks on oil facilities lies in constructively engaging the people and communities of the Niger Delta where oil facilities are located, Mr. Omare said. The IYC spokesman said sending more soldiers to region would only complicate the already complex situation. Mr. Omare called for an incentive-based legal framework to make communities where oil facilities are located stakeholders in the oil produced in their communities. According to him, the incentive will give them a sense of belonging to protect the oil facilities in their communities. He said that it would also save the Federal Government the colossal financial resources involved in massive troops deployment. (NAN) A former governor of the defunct Mid-West region and Bendel State, Samuel Ogbemudia, has pledged to support Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State for the rest of his life, saying Mr. Oshiomhole had transformed the south south state. I will continue to work with you until my grave, Mr. Ogbemudia was quoted by the governors spokesperson, Peter Okhiria, as saying on Wednesday. He made the pledge when Mr. Oshiomhole the former governor at his residence in Benin. I have withdrawn my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), so, I am at home as a non-political, non-partisan politician. But every human being is a political animal, and I cannot say I have left politics. But as I have said, I have been with you from the day you started helping me when I was Minister of Labour. That day I called you, and you asked me, What do you want me to do for you? and I said, I dont want strike throughout my tenure, and you said, we were elected to cause you discomfort, and if I dont do it again, it means I am failing in my duty. I said, No, you wont fail. And throughout my tenure there was no strike and we worked well together. So, as you have come here, I didnt see any other way to thank you than to make sure I work with you, and I will continue to work with you until my grave. Speaking on the issue of job creation, Mr. Ogbemudia said: Since the oil price is dwindling, our future now lies on agric. I think anybody living today, and cannot find a white collar job, can get two or three of these ponds, mobile or earth ponds, and produce fish that will give you at least half a million every six months. There is somebody I know who has about two hundred of those ponds. If Edo people handle it, it can produce enough fish for export for the country. In his remarks, Governor Oshiomhole paid tributes to the former two-time governor for his exemplary leadership in the State and the inspiration he has provided for humanity. I have come to pay you an official visit. There is no Edo man of my age who does not have a kind place in his heart on account of the solid foundation that God used you to lay for our state. Now occupying the office, I see what is happening. I am appreciative the more that your solid foundation you laid, you did out of your conviction; they reflect the purity of your heart, and your genuine commitment to uplifting the quality of life of our people. So, whatever you did, you did, not because you needed votes. You did because in your heart believed that your people deserved good governance and that government must lay solid foundation, build infrastructure, address all of the issues that you did, set up institutions, encourage people to go to farms, set up technical schools, and in fact, I cant list them. Even you cannot remember all of the actions. And to imagine that you did them as a military man, the people of my generation cannot but appreciate and salute your leadership and exemplary leadership. Even under the military, you were concerned about my personal wellbeing. So, sir, you have always been there for me, even in my days in labour. And I am very happy. I decided to come this time in a more formal way than I have done in the past. According to Governor Oshiomhole: Your decision to withdraw from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and remain a father of all of us, even as you remain politically concerned about the future of our state, but without being so on a partisan platform, for us, it is yet another example. I have come to congratulate you on your decision. I believe all of us will learn from you. You are still mentally alert, and available to reflect on issues around us, and to proffer advice and suggestions to the stewards of the State. May God continue to lead you as a shining example of how we can find peace and relevance beyond the bounds of partisan politics. So, today it is basically to congratulate you for that laudable decision that you have taken. And may God grant you much longer life, good health, more wisdom, and never be tired to advise the government of the day. A Former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory and one of the aspirants in the April 11, 2015 governorship elections in Akwa Ibom State, John Akpanudoedehe, on Wednesday wrote to his supporters, announcing his decision to withdraw the case he filed against the candidacy of the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate in the polls, Umana Umana. Following the December 5, 2014 primaries, Mr. Umana had emerged the APC flag bearer. But, Mr. Akpanudoedehe had challenged his candidacy by asking the Federal High Court to declare that he was the rightful candidate who scored the lawful votes cast during the partys congress. Although Mr. Umana had gone ahead to contest against the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Udom Emmanuel, and lost, Mr. Akpanudoedehe continued with the case, till July 6, 2015, when Justice Evoh Chukwu struck it out for lack of diligent prosecution. Dissatisfied, Mr. Akpanudoedehe challenged the ruling and requested to be re-listed for hearing. But, the case had been pending in court throughout the sitting of the Elections tribunal over the petition filed by Mr. Umana against the election of Mr. Emmanuel as governor. With the recent ruling of the Supreme Court setting aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal and confirming Mr. Emmanuel as the duly elected governor, Mr. Akpanudoedehe on Wednesday wrote to his supporters to inform them of his decision to discontinue the case. The events surrounding our partys primary election and the gang up against my supporters and I represented the deepest and the lowest blow by man in our political life, Mr. Akpanudoedehe said. The opponent came, not to do politics, but to destroy us; to destroy our character and our lives. We thank God for everything. We are all witnesses to the Supreme Court ruling of Wednesday, February 3, 2016, which affirmed the election of Mr. Udom Emmanuel of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the Governor of Akwa Ibom. As a consequence of that ruling, I have consulted with my legal team and I have been informed (even though I also know it myself) that going ahead with the pre-election matter I instituted at the Federal High Court, Abuja, to right the wrongs of the said primary election will now amount to an academic exercise. Though, we can pursue the case to make a point, however, that point will be completely useless, he stated. Thanking the entire Akwa Ibom people, particularly his supporters for their steadfastness in the face of blackmail, betrayal and backstabbing by a section of our party, the former minister urged them to accept the Supreme Court verdict as final. We should accept this reality and move on. The only thing left for us now is the future. We have to harmonise and come together to rebuild the party, and re-strategize on how we can wrest power from the opposition party in the state in the nearest future, he said. 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"The talks centred on Polish-German bilateral relations, the situation in Ukraine as well as security in the region in the context of the Ukrainian conflict and the approaching NATO summit in Warsaw", PAP was told on Wednesday by Marcin Przydacz from the President's Office. He added that President Duda had outlined Poland's security policy priorities in the context of the Warsaw NATO summit. Duda and Tillich also discussed energy issues. "The president presented Poland's reservations about the Nord Stream 2 project as a political project running contrary to the position of the European Commission, breaking up European solidarity and being incompatible with the goals of an energy union", Przydacz said. In the context of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline construction, Tillich underlined that Germany was interested in maintaining good relations with Poland, according to the Polish official. "He acknowledged that the Nord Stream 2 issue posed a certain problem in those relations. He expressed understanding for Poland's argumentation", Marcin Przydacz said. This year's 25th anniversary of the Polish-German treaty on good neighbourhood and friendly cooperation was also mentioned by the Polish president and the Bundesrat head, Marcin Przydacz told PAP. (PAP) For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME. Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire. Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever. Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation. View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union. Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history. Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words. Recently, while discussing options with a client who was in the process of completing an Advance Directive, we arrived at a section that addressed organ donation. The client, who is 87 years young, shook his head in disbelief that this possibility was even suggested. He questioned that at his age, who would want his worn-out organs? We have heard similar comments before, but I will venture to say that many of the 121,443 people in our country currently waiting for an organ transplant would quickly volunteer to receive one of his organs. It is a common myth that older adults are undesirable candidates for organ donation. There is no age limit to register as a potential donor. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website, www.organdonor.gov, identifies the nations oldest organ donor as a former Texan named Carlton, who upon his death at age 92, donated his liver and gave a 69-year-old woman a second chance at life. This site also mentions a man from South Korea who was a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. He became an organ and cornea donor at age 86. Strict medical criteria are used at the time of death to determine the suitability of organs and tissues for transplant. Even someone with a history of a variety of medical conditions may have some organs and tissues that can be donated. There are very few diseases that automatically disqualify someone from organ donation. Registering as a potential donor will allow physicians to determine at the time of death whether or not all or some organs can be used, instead of an individual assuming that he/she is not qualified to become a donor. The decision of whether or not to offer ones organs and tissues for donation is a very personal one. The information that follows is shared in order to inform individuals of some of the issues surrounding donation, so that decisions can be based on an accurate understanding of these issues. There are a few basics that are important to realize. The first is that it would be unethical for a health care provider to withhold treatment specifically because someone has expressed the desire to donate his/her organs. An individual who seeks medical care or requires emergency treatment due to trauma or illness should receive all medical interventions that are appropriate under the circumstances without regard to the potential for organ donation. Second, there is no charge for a person to donate their organs. Any fees related to the removal of organs are the responsibility of the transplant recipient. Third, the donation of organs will not alter the appearance of a body so as to prevent an open casket at a funeral. Currently, the average wait for an organ in the United States is five to seven years, and an average of 22 people die every day because a suitable organ is not available. A single individual can save up to eight lives through organ donation, and improve the lives of numerous others through tissue donation. The organs that can be donated include the kidneys, pancreas, liver, heart, lungs and intestines. Corneas and tissues such as bone, skin, heart valves and veins can also be donated. Statistics from the Department of Health and Human Services indicate that 29,532 people received organ transplants in 2014, and over 1 million more received cornea and tissue transplants. Of these transplants, the age bracket that provided the highest number of donated organs from deceased individuals was the 50-64 group (10,758 organs). This number fell sharply for the 65+ age group, who provided 4,592 organs from deceased individuals. Also noteworthy is the fact that of the 29,532 recipients, 61.6 percent of them were age 50+. So not only are older adults potentially eligible to donate organs, but they are also potentially eligible to receive them. Another option that is available is to donate ones entire body to science for use by researchers and medical educators. There are a number of organizations that can assist with this process. Certain conditions when present may render one ineligible for entire body donation. In some cases, both organ/tissue donation and entire body donation may be possible. Each individual organization has guidelines in place regarding eligibility and procedures. If an individual decides to donate organs or his/her entire body, it is important to notify loved ones about this decision and to register with an appropriate agency or organization. Ones wishes are more likely to be followed if loved ones are aware of them and they have been documented in writing. An assumption that one is too old or frail to make this type of gift is an incorrect one. If you believe that donation is the right choice for you, then indicate that choice and let medical science take care of the technicalities at the appropriate time. Keystone Elder Law will hold a free seminar to discuss legal documents such as Advance Directives and long-term care planning on Thursday, Feb. 25 at the Days Inn South in Carlisle. Please call our office at 717-697-3223 for additional details. PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island, Feb. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- REBRAND recently launched the first-ever Hall of Fame for branding expertise worldwide, in partnership with London-based VIM Group, the global brand implementation experts. Beyond the global agencies with offices in Europe such as Interbrand, FutureBrand, MetaDesign, Landor, and Brand Union, there are talented other firms representing the only honorees from their respective countries. Among that list are: Brandient, the Romania-based consultancy that developed the highly acclaimed Romanian National Olympic and Sports Committee identity Brandoctor in Croatia that helped strengthen Froddo children's shoe brand towards successful extension into other markets KW43, known for their work with brands like Mont Blanc, Deichman Shoes, and Thuringer Energie Make in Denmark that helped Danish brands like Rosendahl reclaim their prominent, luxury retail presence Porkka Kuutsa Oy in Finland, that revitalized Ekovilla to greater market share, also working with such clients as Granlund and Efora Radley Yeldar in the UK, having worked with such clients as the GREAT Britain campaign and TEDx House of Parliament Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160217/334380LOGO Marc Cloosterman, CEO of VIM Group, said "We are honoured to partner with REBRAND for this very important recognition of the value of rebranding to the global economy. Paying tribute to the value of good rebranding cases, both creatively and in terms of implementation, is what REBRAND has brought the industry, now already for more than a decade. We congratulate all the Hall of Fame winners for their long lasting contribution to the sector!" There were 25 consultancies from around the world that merited this first phase of the REBRAND Hall of Fame. Future phases will include individuals and organizations with widely acclaimed contributions to branding beyond the REBRAND 100 winners. "It was high time this distinct expertise that drives valuation of public and private companies be given its proper acknowledgement and respect," said Anaezi Modu, Founder and CEO, REBRAND. "Branding deserves it's own celebration for successful integration of various capabilities, and for the exceptional work elite brand professionals do to further causes and to touch many aspects of our lives." About VIM Group As one unified organization, VIM Group ensures that brands are consistently delivered around the world. Implementation of brand properties across all touchpoints, both digital and on the ground, is their business. As the category's founder, VIM Group has completed over a thousand brand implementation projects. Their global network brings unrivalled experience and knowledge to clients such as Deutsche Telekom, Airbus Group, Danfoss, Suzuki, ING Group and DHL. About REBRAND REBRAND is the world's leading platform for brand transformation insights, case examples, programs, and expertise. Celebrating 10+ years of excellence, its renowned REBRAND 100 Global Awards is the most highly-respected, juried recognition for repositioned brands, having reached participation from 51 countries in over 40 industries. Featured in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, Bloomberg News, articles and books, the competition has contributed to an unrivaled global library of transformed brands. Past winners have included American Airlines, Audi, Cancer Research UK, Fiji Airways, Hyatt Hotels, and National Bank of Kenya. Contact: REBRAND Andrea Walker 1-401-785-1412 awards@rebrand.com SOURCE REBRAND DUBLIN, Feb. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5dh9sk/world_injection) has announced the addition of the "World Injection Molded Plastic Market - Opportunities and Forecast, 2014 - 2020" report to their offering. The world market for injection molded plastics is expected to be worth $162 billion by 2020, registering a CAGR of 4.9% from 2015 to 2020. Much of the growth for injection molded plastics market shall come from packaging end use segment and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.9% during the forecast period. Increasing demand of injection molded plastics in several end use industries such as automotive, packaging, electronics & consumer goods, building & construction, medical disposal, and technological advancements (such as computer aided engineering and automation in injection molding process) is augmenting the growth of the market. Furthermore, low labour cost, minimum waste production, faster production, and ability to process multiple raw materials simultaneously are further boosting the market growth. However, volatility in crude oil prices and high initial tooling cost of injection molding would impede the overall market growth. Packaging will remain the dominant market application during 2014-2020. This is primarily due to its increasing adoption in consumer goods, healthcare and cosmetics products. Healthcare segment is the fastest growing end use market owing to its increased usage in the production of tubes and housings for needles, pregnancy test devices, and surgical blades among others. Key findings of the study: Healthcare to be the fastest growing end use industry segment. Packaging to remain dominant application segment throughout the forecast period. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene segment to exhibit highest growth during the forecast period. Rising demand of packaging in automotive and consumer goods to make polypropylene the most lucrative segment, specifically due to its low cost, easy to mould nature and heat resistance. North America and Europe are the dominant geographies, collectively held about 66% market share in 2014. Companies Mentioned: BASF SE China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Dow Chemical Company E. I. DuPont De Nemours and Company and Company Eastman Exxon Mobil Huntsman Corporation INEOS Group Holdings S.A. LyondellBasell Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) Key Topics Covered: Chapter 1 - Introduction Chapter 2 - Executive Summary Chapter 3 - Market Overview Chapter 4 - Market by Type Chapter 5 - Market by Application Chapter 6 - Market by Geography Chapter 7 - Company Profiles For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5dh9sk/world_injection Media Contact: 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 Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com SOURCE Research and Markets LONDON, February 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ICAP Securities & Derivatives Exchange (ISDX), the alternative UK investment exchange, will take centre stage at the leading event for UK private investors. The Master Investor Show 2016 takes place at the Business Design Centre, Islington, London, on Saturday 23rd April. As headline sponsor, ISDX Chief Executive, Patrick Birley, will deliver a keynote speech to 8,000 event delegates on the rise of their fully regulated UK based stock exchange. In turn, delegates will find out the advantages of investing in some of the 85 companies that have securities on the ISDX. ISDX has started to succeed in reaching out to new companies to join the ISDX, particularly up and coming SMEs looking for first time access to public markets. ISDX prides itself on running a well- regulated, transparent, and easily accessible operation that works to keep processes as simple as possible. ISDX's headline sponsorship of the Master Investor Show is the start of a strategy to communicate its mission and values to a wider investor audience. The Master Investor Show attracts a diverse audience of private investors and creates opportunities for delegates to speak directly with CEOs and founders of exhibiting companies. Swen Lorenz, CEO of Master Investor, commented: "The Master Investor Show aims to showcase cutting-edge investment platforms to private investors. ISDX is backed by ICAP, one of the most successful City firms. We couldn't be happier to have them as partner of our annual flagship event." ISDX CEO, Patrick Birley, is looking forward to discussing investment opportunities with delegates. Patrick commented: "As well as being there to tell our story, we also see it as a great opportunity to listen and we are keen to hear the views of a wide range of investors on how we can make things better." Visit http://www.masterinvestor.co.uk/show to register a free ticket to the event. Journalist-only passes to the event VIP Lounge are also available upon request. About Master Investor Ltd. Master Investor is a free Internet platform, incorporating a monthly e-magazine with 65,000 readers, which delivers independent, financial commentary and analysis to UK private investors and traders. In 2015 a new management team relaunched the Master Investor brand and product portfolio with the backing of Jim Mellon, one of the UK's best-known financiers. About ISDX ICAP Securities & Derivatives Exchange ("ISDX") is a London-based market providing UK and international companies with access to capital through its listed and growth markets. The ISDX Growth Market is a venue for small and medium sized companies seeking to raise growth capital, to achieve an independent market valuation and to enhance their corporate profile as they grow. ISDX is a Recognised Investment Exchange (RIE) under the Financial Services & Markets Act 2000, a Recognised Stock Exchange under the Income Tax Act 2007 and a member of the ICAP Group. ISDX also works closely with the Social Stock Exchange, providing investors with a segment where they can easily access investments with a positive social or environmental impact. Media enquiries: james.hudson@masterinvestor.co.uk SOURCE Master Investor Ltd. FALLS CHURCH, Va., Feb. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CirrusWorks, Inc. announced today that it has entered into an agreement with immixGroup, an Arrow Electronics company, to offer its Governor bandwidth optimization tool on immixGroup's contract vehicles. The Governor is a next generation bandwidth management engine that does not require rules, policies or deep packet inspection. The solid-state appliance is designed for zero-configuration installation into almost any LAN configuration, enhancing Internet performance in a fully encrypted network environment. "As local, state and federal agencies are rapidly adopting cloud migration strategies, they need a network performance tool to ensure optimal bandwidth capacity for their public Internet traffic," said David Giannini, CEO of CirrusWorks, "and that bandwidth optimization tool must fully comply with their security, management and control requirements." The CirrusWorks Governor automatically adjusts bandwidth utilization based on user demand in real time, regardless of what users are doing or how data is encrypted. "The Governor is extremely effective in unpredictable, high traffic network environments," said Giannini, "maximizing your investment in bandwidth, LAN infrastructure and network support costs, and ensuring fast and reliable Internet performance for all users, all the time." About CirrusWorks: CirrusWorks is the leader in dynamic bandwidth management. Its proprietary Governor product optimizes traffic during peak congestion periods to ensure fast and reliable Internet performance for all users all the time. CirrusWorks is enabling organizations to improve network performance and avoid costly bandwidth upgrades simply, efficiently and more effectively. For more information, please visit http://www.cirrusworks.net. This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE CirrusWorks, Inc. Related Links http://www.cirrusworks.net WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA astronaut Jeff Williams will take time out of the final preparations for his launch to the International Space Station for live satellite media interviews from 7 to 8 a.m. EST Monday, Feb. 29, to discuss his upcoming mission aboard the world's only orbiting laboratory. These interviews will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website. Williams will participate in the interviews from the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, following a 30-minute b-roll feed on NASA TV highlighting his previous missions and ground training, which begins at 6:30 a.m. To participate, media must contact Karen Svetaka at 281-483-8684 or [email protected] no later than 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 26. Media participating in the live shots must tune to NTV-3. Satellite tuning information is available at: http://go.nasa.gov/1pOWUhR A native of Winter, Wisconsin, Williams will launch to the space station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft on March 18 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, along with crewmates Oleg Skriprochka and Alexey Ovchinin, cosmonauts with the Russian space agency Roscosmos. This mission will be Williams' fourth spaceflight and third long-duration stay on the space station, a first for an American, and will be his first return to the station since its completion in 2011. Williams served as the flight engineer and lead spacewalker for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-101 mission in 2000. He was a flight engineer for space station's Expedition 13 in 2006, when the station had only two modules and three crew members. In 2009 and 2010, he served as a flight engineer on Expedition 21 and commanded Expedition 22, when the Tranquility module and cupola were added to the station. During that mission, he also became the first astronaut to interact live with NASA's social media fans and followers. During his upcoming six-month mission, Williams will become the American with the most cumulative days in space -- 534 -- surpassing Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly, who will wrap up his one-year mission on March 1. Williams also is expected to be at the station for arrivals of two American cargo spacecraft -- the SpaceX Dragon and Orbital ATK Cygnus -- as well as the deployment of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), a demonstration of expandable habitat technology that will be attached to the station for two years. After arriving at the station, Williams, Skriprochka and Ovchinin will join Expedition 47 NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, Roscosmos cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Tim Peake. Together, they will facilitate about 250 research investigations and technology demonstrations, which aren't possible on Earth, to advance scientific knowledge of Earth, space, physical and biological sciences that will benefit humanity. Station research also will enable future long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space and on the agency's journey to Mars. Williams is scheduled to return to Earth with Skripochka and Ovchinin in September. For NASA TV schedule and video streaming information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv Follow Williams on social media at: https://twitter.com/Astro_Jeff https://www.facebook.com/NASAAstronautJeffWilliams/ https://www.instagram.com/astro_jeffw/ Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO SOURCE NASA Related Links http://www.nasa.gov LOS ANGELES, Feb. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- After a lifetime of working for a secret international group, John Murray finally reveals his journey with the help of his wife, Sharon, and co-writer Abby. His memoir, Code Name: Papa My Extraordinary Life While Hiding in Plain Sight, details his time within an organization that, while not connected to the US government, operated with the full blessing of top people in our government. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160217/334553 Murray stated, "With this book, I hope to educate the public and open up the conversation about what our country and others have really done on dangerous secret missions to help the world." In forty-three chapters over the course of several decades, the highlighted missions include the deaths of eight counter covert operators in a major Las Vegas hotel conference room during a mission that has stayed in Vegas until now; a European mission to save sex slaves from major drug dealers; a successful all-out effort to save a small European country from takeover, and much more. Amazon Reviews: "I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in what really happens to bad people who threaten the safety and well being of our world. It was a page turner that I could hardly put down." "I typically do not take the time to write reviews. However, this book was so incredibly riveting that I felt compelled to let other Amazon members know that it's an honest-to-goodness page turner. I can't wait to see what happens next...hopefully a sequel and movie!" "The story is riveting, once you start reading you won't want to put it down! Learning about these undercover missions involving the cooperation of several nations is mind boggling." A Vietnam vet, John Murray, later known as "Papa," has spent the majority of his adult life working as an undercover agent for the U.S., Canadian and various European governments. During this time, he rose from agent to the head of US Operations. Now retired, he and his wife are living in a small rural Western town. As 'normal' as he tries to live, he will always be haunted by the visions of what he saw and what he tried to prevent or rectify. To learn more, please visit http://www.codenamepapa.com/. For further information, to request a review copy, or to set up an interview with John Murray, please contact Kelsey McBride at Book Publicity Services at Email or 805.807.9027. SOURCE Book Publicity Services Related Links http://www.codenamepapa.com WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Water Systems Council, the only national, nonprofit organization solely focused on household wells and small water well systems, has published a new Well Owners Manual that is now available for free to well owners across the U.S. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160217/334438 The Water Systems Council received a grant in 2015 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide technical assistance, training, and educational programs to owners of private and small community water wells. A portion of the EPA grant monies was used to produce the new Well Owner's Manual. The 32-page manual includes sections on water well systems, well maintenance, selecting a well contractor, protecting your wellhead, water well testing, and understanding water well test results. The manual also includes a well owner's checklist and information on the wellcare Hotline, a free hotline that provides advice on protecting, maintaining, testing, and conserving drinking well water supplies, at 888-395-1033 or online at wellcarehotline.org. In addition, each manual comes with a free membership offer for the wellcare Well Owners Network, which provides members with quarterly newsletters featuring tips and tools on caring for well systems, septic systems and well water as well as discounts on water test kits. Launched in 2009, the wellcare Well Owners Network has more than 10,000 members nationwide. "WSC is committed to ensuring that Americans who depend on water wells have safe, reliable drinking water," said Margaret Martens, WSC Executive Director. "The EPA grant has enabled us to expand our efforts to educate well owners, consumers and policymakers about water wells and the importance of protecting America's groundwater resources." Copies of the Well Owner's Manual are being distributed by WSC as well as each of the six RCAP (Rural Community Assistance Partnership) regional offices. Those offices can be found on the RCAP website at rcap.org/regions. Well owners can order a free hard copy of the Well Owner's Manual by sending an email to [email protected] or download a PDF of the manual from the WSC website. For more information, visit www.wellcarehotline.org. Contact: Margaret Martens, Executive Director Water Systems Council Email 202-625-4387 SOURCE Water Systems Council Related Links https://www.watersystemscouncil.org Ever since George W. Bush went home to paint puppies, Republicans have generally lauded him as a tough commander-in-chief who kept us safe. But Donald Trump is torching that party mantra. South Carolina, which will stage its GOP primary on Saturday night, is arguably the state that will make or break Trump and Jeb Bush. Its a state, long dominated by the Republican establishment, that has revered the Bush family. It saved George H. W. Bushs candidacy in 1988, and Dubyahs candidacy in 2000. It was their firewall. And yet, over the last few days, Trump has been pounding that wall with rhetorical TNT, saying heretical stuff that no Republican ever dared utter before. Conventional wisdom, as voiced by the Bush camp, is that this time Trump has really truly finally gone too far, that what hes saying in a place like South Carolina is tantamount to political suicide. But I wouldnt bet on that. Trump, of course, is right on this one issue. Dubyahs elective war in Iraq was a destabilizing, multi-trillion-dollar disaster fought on false premises that stains him forever as one of the worst presidents in history. Still, you just dont say stuff like that to a Republican audience during a debate. Whatever I may think of Trump, Ive gotta give him points for moxie. Jeb, looking like a high school nerd whod just been hit by a bullys spitball, tried to defend his brothers actions during the debate, lauding Dubyah for building a security apparatus to keep us safe. Trump picked up the keep us safe mantra like it was an old chair and smashed it against the wall. The World Trade Center came down during the reign of George Bush. He kept us safe? That is not safe, Trump said. George Bush had the chance (to stop al Qaeda, pre 9/11) and he didnt listen to the advice of the CIA. Bush fans in the audience duly booed, but, again, Trump was right. It has long been documented that the CIA, in its Daily Briefs to President Bush in 2001, rang the bell about al Qaedas imminent intentions on May 1, June 22, June 29, June 30 (Bin Laden Threats Are Real), July 1, July 24 and, most infamously, on Aug. 6 (Bin Laden Determined to Strike the U.S.), which warned of a potential New York attack with hijacked planes. A CIA briefer flew to Texas that day to stress the threat in person. Thats when Bush reportedly responded with my favorite gem of all time (imagine if Obama had ever said something like this): All right. Youve covered your ass now. Longtime GOP strategist Curt Anderson said: Everything we know about political strategy suggests that Trumps decision to attack George W. Bush will backfire. But whats happening this year reminds me of screenwriter William Goldmans quip about Hollywood: Nobody knows anything. These establishment Republicans may well discover, in the Saturday balloting, that Trumps voters (a hefty, potentially winning share of all voters) are fine with their candidate dissing Dubyah so vociferously. They dont cleave to conservative orthodoxy. Some of them realize that the Iraq war went wrong; some of them know about the pre-9/11 warnings; and, just as likely, a lot of them simply dont care one way or the other. Because theyve moved on, because they generally feel betrayed by the party establishment, because theyre simply stoked by Trumps ire, because they dig his style. So what were watching in South Carolina is a party in the throes of sorting out its identity crisis. If Trump parlays populist anger into a decisive victory, smashing the traditional GOP paradigm and breaking the Bush dynasty, then we may be witnessing the birth of a new GOP and the furtherance of a frontrunner who will be tough to stop. Dick Polman is the national political columnist at NewsWorks/WHYY in Philadelphia (newsworks.org/polman) and a Writer in Residence at the University of Philadelphia. Email him at dickpolman7@gmail.com. Bhubaneswar, Feb 17 : Five suspected terrorists of banned outfit Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), who had escaped from a ajil in Madhya Praddesh, have been arrested in Odisha's Rourkela city, police said on Wednesday. The five terrorists, including a woman, were absconding from Khandwa Jail in Madhya Pradesh and were nabbed late Tuesday from a house in steel city of Rourkela in a joint operation by Odisha police, Telangana police and Intelligence Bureau. The arrested have been identified as Mohammad Khalid, Amjad Khan, Zakir Khan, Mahboob Khan and his mother Najma, said Director General of Police (DGP) K.B. Singh. Special Director General of Police (Intelligence) Arun Sarangi said they were arrested after three-hour-long operation jointly conducted by tactical unit of Odisha's special operation group, Telangana police and Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials. "All are involved in the activities of SIMI in Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. They were using a false identity and staying in Rourkela to collect money through dacoity for their other operations. All five hail from Madhya Pradesh and are also wanted by NIA," said K.B. Singh. The five were also involved in a bank robbery and are suspected to be involved in several terror activities outside the state, said Sarangi. The arrested people belong to Khandwa region of Madhya Pradesh and are reported to be involved in at least 17 other cases. The police said at least five guns and several bullets have been seized from their possession. Bogota : Bogota, Feb 18 (IANS/EFE - The head of Colombia's national police force stepped down on Wednesday amid allegations he created and set in motion a male prostitution ring within that institution. The inspector general's office announced on Tuesday that it was investigating Gen. Rodolfo Palomino over his alleged role in the prostitution ring, as well as for suspected illicit enrichment and illegal wiretapping. "I've made the decision ... to ask the president (Juan Manuel Santos) to remove me from the post of National Police director," Palomino, accompanied by his wife and top police brass, said. He asserted his "absolute innocence" and urged the IG's office, which probes allegations of misconduct by those who have public duties or manage state funds, to conduct a thorough investigation. "Just as the attorney general's office has been investigating and thus far has not found evidence linking me (to the scandal), I'm sure the inspector general's office won't find anything either," Palomino said. A national police captain's testimony was key to the decision to launch the inquiry, Inspector General Alejandro OrdoAez said. Investigators have not yet indicated who received sexual favours from young cadets or what was offered in return, although Colombian media have speculated that gifts and promotions may have been exchanged. "This 'modus operandi' allegedly took place with the aid and complicity of (senior) national police officers," including Palomino, OrdoAez said. Santos accepted Palomino's resignation, which he termed an act of "loyalty", and named Gen. Jorge Hernando Nieto as his replacement. Washington, Feb 18 : US President Barack Obama is set to visit Cuba in March, a move which would make him the first sitting US president to step foot on the island in over 80 years, the media reported on Thursday. The White House is expected to announce the details of the trip later on Thursday, diplomatic sources told CNN on Wednesday. "We can confirm that the administration will announce the President's travel to Latin America, including Cuba, in the coming weeks," a senior administration official said. Officials said Obama could visit the island to witness a signing of a peace accord between the government of Colombia and the FARC rebel group. Obama committed $400 million to the Colombian government in his most recent budget proposal to implement the deal. The visit to Cuba would be the culmination of the process of normalisation of relations announced by the Cuban and US governments in 2014, and the first time that a sitting US president will step on Cuban soil since Calvin Coolidge in January 1928. As part of the restoration of relationships, Cuba and the US signed a historic agreement on civil aviation on Tuesday which will allow regular commercial flights between the two countries for the first time in over five decades. The agreement represents a potential for dozens of daily connections, with 20 daily flights to Havana and 10 daily flights to other airports on the island. The American embassy was reopened and a US flag raised at the compound on Havana harbour in August 2015. Since then, high level US officialstravelled to the island, including Secretary of State John Kerry and Transportation Chief Anthony Foxx. Tokyo, Feb 18 : Japanese car-making giant Toyota on Thursday announced it was recalling some 2.9 million sport utility vehicles (SUVs) worldwide due to safety concerns. The recall will include RAV4's of model years 2006-2012 and 2012-2014, and the Vanguard vehicle, EFE news reported. In the US alone, about 1,124,000 RAV4's will be recalled, after it was found the seat belts might not properly hold passengers in case of a serious accident, the company said. "In the event of a very severe frontal crash, the lap belt webbing could contact a portion of the metal seat cushion frame, become cut, and separate. If this occurs, the seat belt may not properly restrain the occupant, which could increase the risk of injury," it said. The recall applies to to North America, Europe, China and Japan. The world's largest car maker has been notified of two crashes - one in the US and the other in Canada - where seat belts in the vehicles' back seat had detached, though it was not known if any casualties resulted. Owners of those RAV4 models to be recalled will be notified by first class mail and Toyota dealers will install resin covers to the metal seat cushion frame for free, the company added. Islamabad, Feb 18 : Veteran Pakistani politician Syeda Abida Hussain has urged Islamabad not to get into a bear hug with India as long as Prime Minister Narendra Moodi is in power. "Modi is distinctly anti-Muslim and more particularly anti-Pakistan. He is not going to let any progress made on Pakistan-India relations," Abida Hussain told The Nation newspaper. She urged the government to improve relations with other neighbouring countries, particularly Iran, rather than wasting time "on futile efforts to get close to India", the daily said. The politician disagreed with the perception that Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would like to record their names in history by resolving their outstanding disputes. "Despite his good gestures, Modi is not going to encourage progress on the bilateral talks. So long as he is in power there would be no improvement in relations," she said. "As things stand today, Indians are not going to concede an inch on Kashmir and we are also not going to concede much because of our water interests in Kashmir and our commitment with Kashmiris. This being the case, how can we expect much from India?" she asked. Abida Hussain said there was little chance of any breakthrough on the resumption of composite dialogue between New Delhi and Islamabad. "Frankly, I don't think we will get anywhere with the talks." She added: "It is a reality that establishments on both sides of the border are not much enthusiastic to normalise the relations." Abida Hussain served as Pakistan's ambassador to the US from 1991 to 1993. "If we take a very cool view of the current situation, we should adopt the policy of 'live and let live' with India," she said. "We should not be unduly enthusiastic in our desire to improve relations. We should not get into a bear hug with India which does not in any way promote Pakistan interests." Nonetheless, Pakistan should ensure that hostility between India and Pakistan does not increase, she added. Abida Hussain also opposed open trade with India which she believed was not beneficial for Pakistan. "We should have limited trade with India to protect our industry and agriculture." Abida Hussain has at various times held the portfolios of education, science and technology, agriculture and environment. In April 1999, she resigned as minister following allegations of power theft. Kolkata, Feb 18 : A woman student of the Jadavpur University has lodged a police complaint after she received death threats for her post on Facebook. Triparna Dey Sarkar, a post-graduate student of the university, complained to Jadavpur police after Facebook posts on her wall threatened to "set you on fire" and demanded she be hanged. Sarkar said she was dubbed a "traitor feminist" by a Facebook Group named 'narendra modi sena west bengal2' after she uploaded a post saying "Kashmir mange azadi, Manipur mange azadi, Kerala ko chheen lenge (Kashmir demands freedom, Manipur demands freedom, we will snatch Kerala)". Sarkar later posted that she would continue to be a feminist so long as patriarchy existed in society. The student clarified she neither raised any secessionist slogans nor opposed parliament attack mastermind Afzal Guru's hanging. "I am a patriot. I have faith in the Indian Constitution. I am proud to be an Indian." Sydney, Feb 18 : Legendary Australia spinner Shane Warne suffered a snake bite on his head after he dipped his head into a box full of the reptiles on a reality show that he is participating in. After bravely facing boxes filled with African clawed frogs, scorpions, Madagascan hissing cockroaches and rats, Shane was presented with a box of snakes in an episode of "I'm A Celebrity A Get Me Out Of Here!" on Wednesday - and got a nasty snake bite on the head for his trouble. While the snakes used are not venomous, they are more than capable of delivering a nasty bite - and Warne is absolutely terrified of the creatures. "Shane has made no secret that snakes are one of his greatest fears so it's amazing that after being bitten he bravely continued with the trial. When Shane puts his mind to a task, he won't let anything stop him," executive producer of the show Stephen Tate was quoted as saying by Daily Telegraph on Wednesday. The medics treated the bitten area with antiseptic and will monitor Warne for any signs of infection. With a medic present at every trial, Warne received treatment as soon as the trial ended - and while he's been left with some small marks, there will be no permanent scarring. New Delhi, Feb 18 : Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the Narendra Modi government was imposing right-wing RSS ideology on the student community in India. "They (the government) are trying to impose the flawed RSS ideology on students... to crush their imagination, their dreams," Gandhi told reporters here after meeting President Pranab Mukherjee over the escalating student agitation in the national capital and elsewhere in the country. Gandhi led a delegation of Congress leaders who submitted a memorandum to the President, expressing concern over the "scenes of utter lawlessness" which were "an affront to the democratic ideals of this country". "The scenes of utter lawlessness playing out on the premises of the court in the heart of the capital are an affront to the democratic ideals of this country," the memorandum said. "Journalists, students and teachers are being physically assaulted inside and outside the court premises by a BJP legislator and workers, while the police look the other way and the government remains complacent and silent," it added. The memorandum accused the BJP-led central government of lending tacit support to hoodlums. "Such lawlessness, in defiance of a Supreme Court directive, on two occasions by the same set of people, some of whom are identified with the ruling dispensation on various fora, cannot but be without the tacit support, encouragement or at best, the indifference of the ruling establishment," it read. The Congress memorandum also expressed concern over the attack on journalists, saying it did not "bode well for democracy". "The attack on the journalists appears to be designed to intimidate and threaten the fourth pillar of democracy. This does not bode well for our democracy. This is unacceptable," it said. Gandhi last week visited the Jawaharlal Nehru University and met protesting students on the campus. He was strongly critici\sed by BJP president Amit Shah for siding with the "anti-national" elements. Gandhi hit out at his detractors and said: "Nationalism runs in my blood. I have seen my family sacrifice for the nation again and again." "The Congress party and its leadership condemn any expression of anti-nationalism outright. Those indulging in such behaviour must be identified and dealt with strictly," Gandhi said. Bhubaneswar, Feb 18 : The Odisha Police on Thursday started interrogating the five suspected terrorists of the banned outfit Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) after taking them on a 13-day remand. The Rourkela Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) court on Thursday allowed the Special Task Force of Odisha Crime Branch to take the SIMI members on 13 days remand against the 30 days sought by police. Along with the STF, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and police from other states will interrogate the five arrested persons to unearth information about their terrorist activities across the country, said DGP K.B. Singh. Singh said the terrorists will be brought to Bhubaneswar for interrogation. Special Director General (Crime Branch) B.K. Sharma said they will be quizzed about their terror module and activities in and outside the state. "A sustained interrogation of the accused is required for comprehensive investigation into the criminal activities in the state and across the country. We would interrogate them about their terror activities, local links, associates and their purpose of staying in Odisha," said Sharma. He also said that other agencies of different states have already arrived to interrogate them relating to crimes in their states. An eight-member team led by Crime Branch Special Task Force IG Arun Bothra reached Rourkela and started their interrogation. Meanwhile, an insurance agent Naveen Sahu who had helped the five arrested SIMI operatives to prepare forged documents to get fake identities, was arrested on Thursday. A joint team of Special Operations Group (SOG), Telangana Police, Odisha Police and Intelligence Bureau had on Wednesday arrested Mehboob Khan alias Guddu, Zakhir Khan alias Sadiq, Amjad Khan alias Dawood, Saliq alias Sallu and Najma (Mehboob's mother) from a rented house in Rourkela. Police also cordoned off a house rented by Zakhir in Nangamahal area of Bhadrak district in the state a few months back. New Delhi, Feb 18 : Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli's six-day visit to India from February 19 will be the first bilateral visit by a prime minister from the Himalayan nation since 2011. "This is the first bilateral visit by a Nepal prime minister since that of then prime minister Baburam Bhattarai in 2011," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said at a media briefing here on Thursday. In 2014, then prime minister Sushil Koirala visited India for the swearing-in ceremony of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Oli will be accompanied by a high-level delegation that will include the finance and home ministers, deputy foreign affairs minister, chief advisor to the prime minister, chief executive of the National Reconstruction Authority and 13 MPs from various political parties. On Saturday, the day after his arrival, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will call on Oli after which the visiting dignitary will meet Prime Minister Modi. This will be followed by delegation-level talks and signing of agreements. Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will then call on the Nepalese prime minister. Oli will also call on Vice President Hamid Ansari and President Pranab Mukherjee later in the day. On Sunday, he will leave for Dehradun where he will visit the Tehri hydel power project. After returning to New Delhi the same day, the Nepalese prime minister will meet leaders of various political parties. On Monday, Minister of State for Power Piyush Goel will call on Oli after which the visiting dignitary will address the Indian Council for World Affairs. In the evening, Oli will attend a business meeting. On Tuesday, he will leave for Bhuj in Gujarat to take stock of the earthquake reconstruction work there. Later in the day, he will leave for Mumbai where he will meet Maharashtra Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao. Oli will depart from India on Wednesday. Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston New Delhi, Feb 18 : Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday said the grant of 'One Rank One Pension' to those who took premature retirement from the armed forces could be considered with certain conditions. "We want to differentiate between voluntary retirement for better prospects and premature retirement in the interest of the Army," Parrikar said in response to a question on the demand by ex-servicemen to include early retirees in the OROP scheme. "...need to differentiate who is retiring for his own benefit and who is retiring for the nation's benefit," he said in an interview to Karan Thapar on India Today TV. He said the issue will be looked into by the one-man judicial committee formed on the matter. On equalisation of pensions, another contentious issue between the government and armed force veterans, Parrikar said the committee can look into this as well if they wanted, adding that "feasibility" was the main issue. The minister said the incremental value of pensions in case of equalisation will be "fractional". "The sum is small," he said, "whether it is feasible to do it every year will be referred to the committee." "It took me two months to get this table (of pensions under OROP) out after putting all my department on work," the minister said. On "discrimination" against the armed forces vis-a-vis the 7th pay commission report, Parrikar said he will wait for the whole analysis of the report. "All the legitimate concerns of the armed force will be addressed," he assured. New Delhi, Feb 18 : Energy, connectivity and people-to-people contact will figures among the issues that will come up for discussion during Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli's six-day visit to India from February 19. "During the visit, we expect discussions on all issues of mutual interest," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said during a media briefing here on Thursday. "Bilateral cooperation, particularly in the key areas of energy, connectivity, and people-to-people linkages will form the main focus of the visit, he said. The visit of Oli, who will be accompanied by his wife Radhika Sakya, is the first bilateral visit by a prime minister from the Himalayan nation since 2011. "This is the first bilateral visit by a Nepal prime minister since that of then prime minister Baburam Bhattarai in 2011," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said at a media briefing here on Thursday. In 2014, then prime minister Sushil Koirala visited India for the swearing-in ceremony of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. In August 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went on a bilateral visit to Nepal which was the first by an Indian prime minister in 17 years. Modi again went in November 2014 to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit in Kathmandu. The high-level delegation that will accompany Oli will include Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Kamal Thapa, Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel, Home Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet, Chief Advisor to the prime minister Bishnu Prasad Rimal, chief executive of the National Reconstruction Authority, 13 MPs from various political parties, the chief secretary of Nepal and other high officials as well as business representatives. On Saturday, the day after his arrival, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will call on Oli after which the visiting dignitary will meet Prime Minister Modi. This will be followed by delegation-level talks and signing of agreements. Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will then call on the Nepalese prime minister. Oli will also call on Vice President Hamid Ansari and President Pranab Mukherjee later in the day. On Sunday, he will leave for Dehradun where he will visit the Tehri hydel power project. After returning to New Delhi the same day, the Nepalese prime minister will meet leaders of various political parties. On Monday, Minister of State for Power Piyush Goel will call on Oli after which the visiting dignitary will address the Indian Council for World Affairs. In the evening, Oli will attend a business meeting. On Tuesday, he will leave for Bhuj in Gujarat to take stock of the earthquake reconstruction work there. Later in the day, he will leave for Mumbai where he will meet Maharashtra Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao. Oli will depart from India on Wednesday. Rome, Feb 18 : Muslims hope that Pope Francis will visit Rome's mosque during the current Catholic Jubilee Year of Mercy, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Italy said on Thursday. "We hope the Pope's visit to Rome's mosque will take place during the Jubilee," Rayed Krimly told Adnkronos International (AKI). "We are still waiting for an answer from the Vatican to fix a date for this visit, but we all know how full the Pope's diary is," said Krimly, who is also president of Rome's mosque and Islamic Centre, and headed a delegation of Muslims who last month presented an official invitation to Francis to visit the mosque. The Vatican audience took place on January 20, just days after Francis made a landmark visit to Rome's synagogue. Chandigarh, Feb 18 : Clashes erupted between two groups in Haryana's Rohtak town on Thursday evening as the agitation by Jats spread in the state and threw normal life out of gear in many districts. Pro and anti-Jat reservation protestors clashed near the district court complex in Rohtak. Several people were beaten up in the process and people threw chairs at each other during the clash. Two motorcycles were set on fire during the clash. Reports from Rohtak said that the Haryana Police tried to remove Jat protestors from the Jind chowk area but had to retreat as the protestors pelted them with stones and bricks. Authorities in Rohtak and other districts ordered imposition of prohibitory orders, banning the assembly of five or more people at a place. The agitation by the Jats in support of their demand for reservation continued to affect normal life in various districts for the fifth day on Thursday. Even as the protests by the Jats -- demanding reservation in jobs and educational institutions -- spread to more areas on Thursday, losses continued to mount for the railways, roadways, transporters and other private operators due to road and rail blockades put up by agitators. Parleys between Jat leaders and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday had failed to resolve the deadlock on the issue. The Haryana cabinet met here on Thursday to review the situation arising out of the ongoing agitation by Jats. Agriculture Minister O.P. Dhankar said that an all party meeting has been convened here on Friday to discuss the issue, and the cabinet has appealed to the agitating Jats to call off their agitation in the larger interest of the state. He said that the administration and police were fully alert to meet any eventuality but as a result of the agitation, supply of essential commodities like LPG, petrol and necessary services like ambulances have been adversely affected, causing problems to the people. Road and rail routes were blocked around Rohtak town, 75 km from Delhi, and at other places in Jhajjar, Sonipat, Hisar, Bhiwani, Kaithal and Jind districts. The Rohtak-Delhi railway track has also been blocked. No state roadways buses are able to leave or reach Rohtak town. People in Rohtak faced inconvenience as essential supplies were disrupted. Students were unable to attend classes due to blockades. Some schools and colleges have been shut since Monday. "At several places, protestors blocked highways and roads by parking trucks and other vehicles and putting up make-shift barricades of cut trees and big stones. It seems the Haryana government and police are mere mute spectators as people continue to suffer," Rohtas Kumar, a college student in Rohtak, said. Paramilitary forces have been deployed in and around Rohtak and other affected districts. "Loss to the railways due to cancellation of over 25 trains and diversion of others can run into several crores of rupees daily," a senior railway official of Ambala division told IANS. Protestors in Hisar district, 240 km from here, blocked the NH-10 (Delhi-Hisar) and the Hisar-Chandigarh highway, as well as railway lines in the area also, including the Hisar-Bhiwani and Hisar-Ludhiana tracks. Jat leaders warned that the agitation will not be withdrawn till the Khattar government came out with substantive action on their demands. "The Khattar government did not show any sign to resolve the matter. They did not come up with any concrete proposal for the Jat community at a meeting held in Chandigarh yesterday (Wednesday)," said Jat leader Satbir Punia, who attended the meeting. The Haryana government on Wednesday announced doubling of quota for the EBC (Economically Backward Classes) category to 20 percent after the meeting. The Jats have rejected the move. Khattar on Thursday again appealed to the protestors to remove the blockades, saying his government "is trying its best to resolve the issue". Surajkund (Haryana)/New Delhi, Feb 18 : All the 46 central universities in the country will fly the national flag on their campuses to signify a "strong India", said a resolution adopted at a meeting of vice chancellors chaired by HRD Minister Smriti Irani on Thursday. The first flag will be hoisted at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), a proposal presented by the minister and backed by all the 46 vice-chancellors, according to human resource development ministry officials. "At a central place in every university, the national flag will be flown prominently and proudly," said the resolution passed at the meeting in which the vice-chancellors of central universities were also present. Irani had called the meeting of VCs following widespread protest over the suicide of Dalit scholar of Hyderabad University Rohith Vemula. The decision came following the row over the arrest of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who was arrested on February 12 on sedition charges for allegedly raising anti-national slogans at an event organised at the university campus on February 9. According to HRD officials, the proposal for hoisting the national flag atop a 207-feet pole was put forward by the minister and it was unanimously agreed upon by all the VCs. The other important resolutions also passed in the meeting included a transparent proactive mechanism for grievance redressal of the university community, including students, staff and faculty; steps to appoint an anti-discrimination officer; increasing cost-effective and transparent access to higher education; and commencing an online admission process, Among the other resolutions were that universities must make sure that instruction in English and an Indian language as applicable to the state is available to ensure that no student is deprived of higher education due to language limitation and institutionalising a suitable redressal mechanism/strengthening the existing system to ensure a healthy, safe and congenial work environment for women, students, staff and faculty. Mumbai, Feb 18 : Actress Vidya Balan says shooting for film "Te3n" starring Amitabh Bachchan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui was a sort of preparation for her role in Sujoy Ghosh's "Kahaani" sequel. "We shot for 'Te3n' and in 'Te3n' I have a special appearance but it was still fun because Sujoy produced the film and I went back to Kolkata for the shoot, and the team was more or less the same." "Ribhu (Dasgupta) is a very interesting director, and of course Mr. Bachchan and Nawaz, so it was a good team and I think that was some sort of a preparation for me to get back into 'Kahaani'," said Vidya at the unveiling of the Gaurang Summer Collection. Vidya, who has often claimed that Bengal is her second home, had to reiterate it again when a journalist mistook her for being from Bengal, perhaps considering her popular Bengali roles in "Parineeta" and "Kahaani". "I'm from Kerala, but I'm born and brought up here, but I do consider Bengal my second home," she said. After numerous reports of the sequel being shelved and delayed, Sujoy this month clarified that the film was definitely on and was in pre-production stages. About working on the sequel to her 2012 hit film, Vidya said: "I'm very excited to say the least, we start shooting next month and that's all I'm allowed to say because Sujoy Ghosh will slit my throat otherwise. Yes, I'm looking forward to shooting again for 'Kahaani' with Sujoy." Vidya had bagged the Filmfare Award for best actress and also won numerous other awards for "Kahaani". : , ; Lucknow, Feb 18 : Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday launched a frontal attack on Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati, saying she was unlike her mentor and party founder Kanshiram, who "did a lot for Dalits". Addressing a Dalit convention called by the Congress' state unit, he also accused the BSP chief of not allowing Dalit leadership to come up in Uttar Pradesh and in her own party. "She never allowed any one from the Dalits to come up, out of fear," he said, adding this provided a huge opportunity for the Congress to fill in the vacuum. "Dalits have always been looking upto the Congress and we are committed to changing their pitiable condition in Uttar Pradesh," he assured the gathering. With the rise of regional players like the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the BSP, the Congress was pushed to the sidelines in the state and the Dalit convention is being seen as an attempt by the party to rally the community behind it. Congress recently surprised many in the state when it won the Deoband seat in Saharanpur in the bypoll. Residential property sales across Canada edged upwards from December to January with annual transactions increasing by 8% compared to a year ago. The data from the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) also shows that home prices were up 17% year on year but not everywhere with British Columbia and Ontario seeing values fall slightly. Month on month sales increased by 0.5% and this lifted national sales activity to the highest level since late 2009. The number of local housing markets was almost equally split between those where sales were up from the month before, and those where sales were down. Monthly sales increases in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Lower Mainland of British Columbia fuelled the national sales increase and offset monthly sales declines in Calgary, Edmonton and the Okanagan Region. Single family home buyers in the GTA and Lower Mainland of British Columbia had been expected to bring forward their purchase decisions before tightened mortgage regulations take effect in February 2016, said CREA president Pauline Aunger. If listings in these and nearby markets were not in such short supply, January sales activity would likely have reached even greater heights. Meanwhile, other major urban housing markets have an ample supply of listings, particularly where some home buyers have become increasingly cautious amid an uncertain job market outlook, she added. CREA chief economist Gregory Klump pointed out that single family homes in the GTA and Greater Vancouver areas were in short supply amid strong demand in contrast to side lined home buyers and ample supply in a number of Alberta housing markets. Tighter mortgage regulations that take effect in February may shrink the pool of prospective home buyers who qualify for mortgage financing and cause national sales activity to ease in the months ahead, he added. A breakdown of the figures shot that actual, not seasonally adjusted, is now 2.6% above the 10 year average for the month of January. Activity was up compared to January 2015 among roughly two thirds of all local markets. B.C.s Lower Mainland and the GTA again contributed most to the national increase. Greater Vancouver saw the biggest rise in annual prices with growth of 20.56% followed by the Fraser Valley up 16.94% and Greater Toronto up 10.69%. Home prices in Victoria increased 7% and were up 5.5% in Vancouver Island. By contrast, home prices fell by 3% in Calgary, by 2% in Saskatoon, and by less than 1% in Regina. While home prices have begun to decline in Calgary and Saskatoon only fairly recently, they have been trending lower in Regina since early 2014. Prices crept higher on a year on year basis in Ottawa by 1.10%, increased by 1.48% in Greater Montreal and were up 6.57% in Greater Moncton. The actual, not seasonally adjusted, national average price for homes sold in January 2016 was $470,297, up 17% year on year but continues to be pulled upward by sales activity in Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto, which are among Canadas most active and expensive housing markets. If these two housing markets are excluded from calculations, the average is a more modest $338,392 and the year on year gain is reduced to 8%. Even then, the gain reflects a tug of war between strong average price gains in housing markets around the GTA and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia versus flat or declining average prices elsewhere in Canada. If British Columbia and Ontario are excluded from calculations, the average price slips even lower to $286,911, representing small a decline of 0.3% year on year. The number of newly listed homes fell by 4.9% in January compared to December which more than reversed monthly gains that were posted in the final two months of 2015. Canadas largest urban housing markets contributed to the monthly decline in new listings, including the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Calgary, Edmonton, the GTA, Hamilton-Burlington, Ottawa and Montreal. The national sales to new listings ratio rose to 59.2% in January due to the drop in the new supply of listings, the ratio's highest since November 2009. A sales to new listings ratio between 40% and 60% is generally consistent with balanced housing market conditions, with readings below and above this range indicating buyers and sellers markets respectively. The ratio was within this range in about 45% of all local housing markets in January. A little over one third of all local housing markets recorded a ratio above 60% virtually all these housing markets in British Columbia and Ontario. The number of months of inventory is another important measure of the balance between housing supply and demand. It represents the number of months it would take to completely liquidate current inventories at the current rate of sales activity. There were 5.3 months of inventory on a national basis at the end of January 2016, down from 5.4 months at the end of last year and the lowest level in nearly six years. The national figure is being pulled lower by increasingly tighter housing markets in B.C. and Ontario. This is particularly true in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, the GTA and Hamilton-Burlington, where months of inventory are currently sitting at or below two months. Two storey single family homes continue to post the biggest year on year gains with growth of 9.97% followed by one storey single family homes up 6.86%, townhouse/row units up 6.46% and apartments up 5.16%. Arian Eghbali # 1 Credit Repair Specialist Many thanks to Arian Eghbali for your amazing service. Ben Bernanke, The Former Federal Reserve Chairman. Arian Eghbalis Enrich Financial has been hailed as the number 1 credit repair company by Raji Rab the Democratic Party Challenger in the 30th District of California. This recognition is another proof that Enrich Financial is an influential credit repair company that has helped numerous clients find financial security and freedom from debt. And aside from this recent recognition, Enrich Financial was also cited as the top credit repair company by CBS news reporting clients receiving sound financial advice and credit repair help in Lost Angeles, CA. Arian Eghbali, CEO of Enrich Financial, has also received numerous citations and awards in recognition for his service through his credit repair company. He has been the recipient of a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition that highlights his companys invaluable service to the community. And possibly the most valuable of all was a letter citing the company and CEO Eghbalis services from the President of the United States, Barack Obama. Enrich Financial has been serving Los Angeles, CA for years. It has changed the lives of people by providing key financial services which will improve his financial status, help him pay off existing loans and to eventually be free from debt. The credit repair firm believes that when a persons credit standing has been improved he will be able to live a better and more productive life. Arian Eghbali, CEO of the #1 Credit Repair Company in Los Angeles, Enrich Financial, Receives Recognition from Three Principal Entities in the State . CBS NEW NBC NEWS Aside from this Congressional Recognition, Enrich Financial has also received several recognition for its services and tireless efforts in the field of credit repair. One of the most recent, and possibly most humbling, is a letter citing the company and CEO Eghbalis services from U.S. President Barack Obama. For more information about Enrich Financial, fill out a form at: http://www.enrichfin.net or call 800 610 4575. Perfect Mothers Get Depressed by Kimberly Thompson, PhD Perfect Mothers Get Depressed discusses some of the common beliefs mothers have that may seem harmless enough on the surface, but that can lead to depression. Praeclarus Press is featuring a new webinar on postpartum depression and offers a full list of books and resources to help professionals work identify depression in new mothers. On February 25, 2016, please join Praeclarus Press for webinar with Kimberly Thompson, PhD, author of Perfect Mothers Get Depressed: Why Trying to be Perfect and Please Everyone Increases Your Risk of Postpartum Depression. What happens when a mother tries to do everything right, is afraid to let others know how she really feels, and is surrounded by others who do not support her? Shes at risk for postpartum depression. Perfect Mothers Get Depressed discusses some of the common beliefs mothers have that may seem harmless enough on the surface, but can lead to depression. Based on the authors research this book describes the dilemma mothers face and giving specific things they can do to recover. Praeclarus Press founder, Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, applauds the new guidelines issued by US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommending that all pregnant and postpartum women be screened for depression. Dr. Kendall-Tackett, author of Depression in New Mothers, is at the forefront of emerging discussions regarding childbirth, breastfeeding, postpartum depression, and trauma. Praeclarus Press is dedicated to raising awareness for women's mental health and families affected by postpartum depression. According to Dr. Kendall-Tackett: "Postpartum depression is a serious problem that affects 15% to 25% of new mothers in the US. The USPSTF guidelines are a great first step in raising awareness of this issue. Praeclarus Press features a number of books and webinars that will help professionals effectively screen for and treat depression in mothers." Promoting "excellence in women's health" is the central mission of Praeclarus Press, and by providing books, webinars, white papers, etc. using the most current research, the press serves to educate, inform and create awareness. Please visit the website to learn more about Praeclarus books on postpartum depression: Maternity Leave: A New Mother's Guide to the First Six Weeks Postpartum by Cheryl Zauderer, PhD, CNM, NPP, IBCLC; Perfect Mothers Get Depressed by Kimberly D. Thompson, PhD;A Breastfeeding-Friendly Approach to Postpartum Depression by Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, PhD, IBCLC, FAPA; Transformed by Postpartum Depression by Walker Karraa, PhD; A Mother's Climb Out of Darkness by Jennifer Hentz Moyer; Community Support for New Families by Jane Honikman, M.S. In addition to books, webinars on mental health and depression are also regularly produced and can be accessed when they are recorded live, or purchased after the recording. Praeclarus Press is a small press that specializes in womens health founded by health psychologist Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, PhD, IBCLC, FAPA. It features books, webinars, and products that support women's health throughout their lifespan. Based in Amarillo, Texas, the mission of Praeclarus Press is to produce materials that change womens lives. Together We Bake is such a unique organization and we admire the work they do. We are happy to be able to support this great organization once again for 2016 Three times definitely a charm for Together We Bake (TWB) and Instant Checkmate(ICM), one of the worlds largest people search engines. For the third consecutive year, ICM has renewed its annual corporate sponsorship of TWB with a donation of $10,500. The mission of Together We Bake--a comprehensive workforce training and personal development program that enables women in need of a second chance to gain self- confidence and food services skills--dovetails with Instant Checkmates corporate social responsibility. One of the San Diego-based companys primary goals is to reduce criminal victimization by providing the general public with a tool to learn more about the people in their lives. ICMs database offers instant access to information including criminal, sex offender and marital records. "Helping the community is part of what Instant Checkmate is all about, so of course we understand the importance of giving back, says Kris Kibak, CEO of Instant Checkmate. Together We Bake is such a unique organization and we admire the work they do. We are happy to be able to support this great organization once again for 2016." Instant Checkmates donation will sponsor one woman per each of TWBs three sessions this year. Centered on a micro-baking business where participants become proficient in food production, food safety education and customer service, TWB is a multi-pronged success story. The program continues to thrive, with an 83% program completion rate, a recidivism rate of 8% (this towers over the national average) and a 55% employment rate for graduates working to re-enter society and forge a positive future. TWB graduates are empowered and ready to forge a positive future, says Stephanie Wright, who co-founded TWB in 2012 with Tricia Sabatini. Our program is specifically designed to meet the needs of women emerging from the corrections system or are in other transitional situations and we are extremely grateful for the support of Instant Checkmate. Please visit I nstant Checkmate and Together We Bake for more information. About Instant Checkmate: Instant Checkmate is an online service that provides people finder, public record, and criminal record information to individuals on a subscription basis. Instant Checkmate aggregates data from federal, state and local sources, which have been processed and made available electronically. Some of the databases used by Instant Checkmate include state sex offender information, court dockets, census records, county arrest records and other public records. Instant Checkmate compiles public records and creates user-friendly reports describing people living in the U.S. Instant Checkmate is not a consumer-reporting agency, does not provide consumer reports and may not be used for consumer credit, employment, insurance, tenant screening or any other purpose subject to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. For more information, please visit http://www.instantcheckmate.com. About Together We Bake Founded in 2012, Together We Bake is an empowerment based job training program for women in need of a second chance within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Together We Bakes mission is to provide a comprehensive workforce training and personal development program to help women gain self-confidence, transferable workforce skills, and invaluable hands-on experience which will allow them to find sustainable employment and move toward self-sufficiency. The MIAMI Association of REALTORS (MIAMI) is pleased to announce Miami native Jorge L. Guerra Jr. as the 2016 chairman of its Young Professionals Network Leadership Board. He and the 2016 YPN Board were installed Feb. 12 at MIAMIs Annual Inaugural and Awards Luncheon. MIAMIs YPN Council is a dynamic group of young professionals dedicated to supporting the growth and professionalism of the South Florida real estate community. Its a group that stays abreast of the latest Realtor tools, technology, resources and networking opportunities. MIAMI represents more than 41,000 residential, commercial and international real estate professionals. At Miami YPN, we take pride in helping young Realtors grow as professionals while expanding their knowledge of emerging industry trends, Guerra said. Guerra broker and owner of Real Estate Sales Force (RESF) leverages the latest technology to aggressively market properties worldwide. Guerra, a third-generation entrepreneur, uses social media, HD virtual walk-throughs, aerial video, grassroots branding campaign and online applications to help grow his brokerage to over 300 agents and growing. Guerra opened RESF in 2005 and today, the firm has offices in Coral Gables, Hialeah, Downtown West Palm Beach and Key Largo. Before opening his firm, Guerra was one of Dorals leading real estate agents. He twice sold 550 homes in one day. The Builders Association of South Florida named Guerra Broker of the Year in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Guerra was also a finalist for Best Broker of the Year in the South Florida Business Journals 2006 Up & Comers issue. In 2006 and 2012, the Latin Builders Association named RESF the Real Estate Company of the Year. Guerra serves as executive board member and education chair for the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, which works to advance sustainable Hispanic homeownership. Guerra is an active member in the community and resides in Coral Gables along with his wife, Dinorah, and two children, Dominic and Alec. Announcing the 2016 YPN Leadership Board Joining Guerra on the 2016 MIAMI YPN Leadership Board are Vice Chairman Alberto Carrillo of Related ISG International Realty; 2015 Chairman Christina Pappas of The Keyes Company, Inc.; Broward Chapter Chair Neal Oates Jr., CIPS, SFR of World Renowned Real Estate; 2015 Broward Chapter Chair Saria Finkelstein, CLHMS of Keller Williams Realty; Jonathan J. Alfonso, Esq. of LUXE Properties; Sarah Elles Boggs of Luxe Living Realty; George CancioBello of Lifestyle International Realty, LLC; Dania Diaz, TRC, MRP, CNE of RE/Max Advance Realty; Raul Estrada of Dash; Jorge H. Fernandez of Caribe Homes Realty; Paola M. Garcia-Carrillo, CLHMS of Residence Realty Inc.; Fernando J. Grullon, MBA of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty; Irina Kim Sang, MBA, M.Phil, TRC, CIPS of Coldwell Banker Residential R.E.; Miguel A. Salvat of YES Real Estate Services; Brian Sharpe of Sharpe Properties Group; Albert Vasquez, ABR, SRS of Keller Williams Realty SW Partners; Wesley Ulloa, CLHMS of LUXE Properties. Danielle Blake, the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Housing, is the MIAMI Association of REALTORS liaison for the Young Professionals Network Leadership Board. Miami YPN uses social media to communicate with the real estate community. Join the Miami YPN Facebook Group at facebook.com/groups/MiamiYPN. Follow @MiamiYPN on Twitter or use #MiamiYPN to join the conversation. About the MIAMI Association of REALTORS The MIAMI Association of REALTORS was chartered by the National Association of Realtors in 1920 and is celebrating 96 years of service to Realtors, the buying and selling public, and the communities in South Florida. Comprised of six organizations, the Residential Association, the Realtors Commercial Alliance, the Broward Council, the Jupiter Tequesta Hobe Sound (JTHS) Council, the Young Professionals Network (YPN) Council and the award-winning International Council, it represents more than 41,000 real estate professionals in all aspects of real estate sales, marketing, and brokerage. It is the largest local Realtor association in the U.S., and has official partnerships with 136 international organizations worldwide. MIAMIs official website is http://www.miamire.com. ### TUNE, the leading enterprise platform for marketers and their partners to measure results on mobile, announced today that renowned inventor, thinker and futurist Ray Kurzweil will be the keynote speaker at Postback 2016, the mobile event of the summer. Ray Kurzweil is Director of Engineering at Google and the principal inventor of the first CCD flatbed scanner, omni-font optical character recognition, print-to-speech reading machine for the blind, and text-to-speech synthesizer, and more. He has been named the restless genius by The Wall Street Journal and the ultimate thinking machine by Forbes magazine, and has written five national best-selling books, including The Singularity is Near and How to Create a Mind. Kurzweil will join TUNE CEO Peter Hamilton at Postback 2016 to discuss the future of mobile and how close technology is to reaching the point of singularity. The future is approaching faster and faster, said TUNE Mobile Economist John Koetsier. Few people understand whats coming as well as Ray, and I cant wait to hear from him on the future of mobile, the future of tech, and the future of what it means to be human. Postback, the mobile event of the summer, is designed to educate, connect and inspire the fast-growing mobile community. Marketers, agencies and partner networks flood Seattle for the celebrated conference, featuring two full days of mobile marketing insights, forward-thinking speeches, and networking via party-boat cruises and EDM dance parties. This years conference takes place July 21 - 22, 2016 in Seattle, Wash. Registration is currently open. Learn more at http://www.tune.com/postback. About TUNE: TUNE is the leading enterprise platform for marketers and their partners to measure results on mobile. Driven by industry-standard products like the TUNE Marketing Console and HasOffers, TUNE's products have become the most used measurement technology by the 100 top-grossing apps across all platforms. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington with more than 350 employees in eight offices worldwide, TUNE is the most widely adopted solution to measure mobile marketing performance and is trusted by brands such as Expedia, Sephora, Trulia, Alaska Airlines, EA, DraftKings, and more. Trees Grow Faster with More CO2 Surely at least one warmist believes in the Paris climate agreement. Dr. Patrick Moore, PhD ecologist and President of Ecosense Environmental Inc. has offered a bet of US$100,000 that global CO2 emissions will be higher in the year 2025 than they were in 2015. His offer was made a month ago to his nearly 10,000 followers on Twitter (@EcoSenseNow) and was re-tweeted to tens of thousands more, yet no one has taken the wager. The warmists claim that 97 percent of climate scientists believe that human CO2 emissions will cause dangerous climate change, Dr. Moore stated. The UN Paris climate summit was hailed as an historic agreement that is our best chance save the planet. If that is so then surely they believe CO2 emissions will come down during the next ten years, as pledged by all the countries attending the meeting. Yet no one seems willing to put their money where their rhetoric is. In recent years fossil fuel use and attendant CO2 emissions have increased dramatically, especially in China and India, yet satellite and weather balloon data show little or no additional warming over the past 20 years. Dr. Moore denies claims that CO2 is a pollutant and is skeptical that it will cause much warming of the climate. The Earths climate has warmed slightly over the past 300 years since the peak of the Little Ice Age around 1700. Humans did not cause the end of the Little Ice Age, and I do not believe human emissions of CO2 are the cause of the continued slight warming over the past 50 years, said Dr. Moore. But surely the people who do believe in catastrophic global warming have faith that world governments will heed their warning, as expressed in the Paris Agreement. Or are they just playing a game with the world?" In fact CO2 is one of the most important foods for life on Earth, Dr. Moore continued. If there was no CO2 in the atmosphere, this would be a dead planet, as plants require CO2 to exist, and animals require plants to exist. It has been clearly demonstrated that increased CO2 in the atmosphere is causing a 'greening of the Earth', especially in arid regions such as the Sahel in sub-Saharan Africa." Dr. Moore was on the crew of the first Greenpeace campaign against US H-Bomb testing in Alaska in 1971 and then served for 15 years in the top committee as Greenpeace became the worlds largest environmental activist organization. He departed in 1986 over policy differences. Today Dr. Moore is the President of Ecosense Environmental Inc., Senior Fellow with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, and a director of the CO2 Coalition, which will hold its inaugural public meeting at the Princeton Club in New York City March 29. Media inquiries: pmoore@ecosense.me 604-220-6500 At Istation, we work collaboratively with educators to develop innovative approaches for personalized learning. The endorsement by the state of Colorado creates even more exciting opportunities for collective impact. Istation is pleased to announce it has been identified as an approved supplemental program by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) in conjunction with the Colorado READ Act. Passed in 2012, the Colorado Reading to Ensure Academic Development Act (READ Act) focuses on kindergarten through 3rd grade literacy and assessment as well as on students with a significant reading deficiency. The act also delineates requirements for parent communication and provides funding to support intervention. In conjunction with these efforts, the CDE is required to identify quality reading instruction programs and professional development programs that educational agencies can use. Responding to the news that Istation would be included on the CDEs Advisory List of Professional Development and Instructional Programming, Istations CEO Richard Collins said, "We are honored to have been selected by the state of Colorado as a trusted reading program. At Istation, we work collaboratively with educators to develop innovative approaches for personalized learning. The endorsement by the state of Colorado creates even more exciting opportunities for collective impact." The Advisory List comprises vendors that have been approved as comprehensive core programs, English language development programs, intervention programs, supplemental programs, tutoring programs and professional development. Identified as a supplemental program, Istation works cohesively with core curriculum requirements; develops language skills for early and advanced readers in English and Spanish; identifies the need for and guides educators through student interventions; employs a team of experienced educators who offer robust professional development and strengthens the school-to-home connection by offering the program at both a students school and home. About Istation Istation is an award-winning comprehensive e-learning program used by more than four million students across the world. Known for its accurate assessments, engaging curriculum and trusted teacher tools, Istation helps students in prekindergarten through 12th grade achieve academic growth. Istations computer-adaptive assessments (known as ISIP) immediately place students on personalized instructional paths unique to their needs. An animated, game-like interface effectively engages students so that they dont even know theyre being evaluated. Along with its highly interactive digital curriculum, Istation provides teachers with access to thousands of lessons perfect for instructing small groups or an entire class. Comprehensive progress reports are also immediately available for educators, administrators and parents. Istation offers its ISIP assessment in Early Reading, Advanced Reading, Reading en Espanol and Math. Istation instruction is available in Reading, Reading en Espanol and Math. Students can also use their Istation subscriptions at home. Since its founding in 1998, Dallas-based Istation has seen tremendous growth. The companys animated program is now helping students in 44 states and four countries learn and grow. The most effective approach for securing payment card transactions is a multi-tiered approach which includes implementing end-to-end encryption (E2EE) and tokenization in addition to support for EMV. According to a new special report from Boston Retail Partners (BRP), the threat posed by data security breaches continues to consume retailers resources. While only 22% of retailers currently support EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) transactions, another 53% of retailers plan to implement this capability within 12 months. According to the BRP SPECIAL REPORT: Payment/Data Security in an Omni-channel World, 38% of retailers indicate that payment/data security is a top priority. Hackers and fraudsters are becoming increasingly sophisticated; requiring retailers to reanalyze and revamp their current security protocols in order to adequately protect the interests of themselves and their customers, said Perry Kramer, vice president and practice lead, Boston Retail Partners. The good news is that retailers realize the magnitude of payment risks and continue to focus resources to lock-down payment and data security across all touchpoints. While the use of EMV-compliant payment solutions weakens the incentive for thieves to steal credit card information by requiring that the physical card be present at the transaction, EMV adoption in and of itself does not do anything to actually reduce the risk of a breach, said Ryan Grogman, vice president, Boston Retail Partners. The most effective approach for securing payment card transactions is a multi-tiered approach which includes implementing end-to-end encryption (E2EE) and tokenization in addition to support for EMV. This Special Report provides insight into BRPs 2016 POS/Customer Engagement Survey and highlights the payment security objectives and challenges facing leading retailers today. Specifically, this report addresses topics such as: EMV compliance progress, alternative payment type adoption, payment card processing architecture approaches and the increased shift to online fraud. To download the complete BRP SPECIAL REPORT: Payment/Data Security in an Omni-Channel World, visit: https://bostonretailpartners.com/2016-special-report-payment-security/ The Special Report sponsors are Manhattan Associates (platinum), Aptos (gold), Demandware (silver), Omnico (silver) and UTC Retail (silver). About Boston Retail Partners Boston Retail Partners (BRP) is an innovative and independent retail management consulting firm dedicated to providing superior service and enduring value to our clients. BRP combines its consultants' deep retail business knowledge and cross-functional capabilities to deliver superior design and implementation of strategy, technology, and process solutions. The firm's unique combination of industry focus, knowledge-based approach, and rapid, end-to-end solution deployment helps clients to achieve their business potential. BRPs consulting services include: Strategy | Business Intelligence | Business Process Optimization | Point of Sale (POS) Mobile POS | Payment Security | E-Commerce | Store Systems and Operations | CRM Unified Commerce | Customer Experience & Engagement | Order Management Merchandise Management | Supply Chain | Information Technology | Private Equity For more information on BRP, visit http://www.bostonretailpartners.com. Corey North at work at the Florida Talking Books Library When I first started working here, I couldnt figure out why they would hire people who have a disability. Now, when I see the changes in them, its just amazing When Corey North came to Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), a state agency that helps people with disabilities find jobs, he knew exactly where he wanted to work the Florida Talking Book Library. I tried to get him to apply for other jobs because the library didnt have any job openings, but he always said no, says his VR counselor, Joyce Barros. I wasnt really trying to work at other places, so she [Joyce] was about to get on my case, but then I got the job so she didnt have to, Corey says with a grin. He is persistent and determined, and he waited until a position opened up, Joyce explains. He must get the credit for being so determined and persistent, maybe a little bit stubborn, but it really paid off for him. She is proud of Corey and the progress he has made since she first started working with him. Every time I saw him, I felt that he was more self-confident. He didnt seem as forgetful, and he started developing ways to remember better. We give our customers the tools, but it only works if they pursue it. In his case, he did, and thats why it worked. Corey is forgetful because he developed dementia at a young age due complications from brain surgery to have a tumor removed. It affected his mood and mobility, and often left him unable to remember instructions. So Corey came to VR in 2008 for help in finding a job, he needed to find a work environment where he would feel comfortable. His mother volunteered as a recording producer at the Florida Talking Book Library in Daytona Beach, so Corey decided to go with her. Corey worked alongside other employees and volunteers at the library inspecting the plastic cases that hold the media when they came in. Each book is recorded either on a cassette or special jump drive and housed in a plastic box. We inspect them to see if they have the wrong card in them or if theyre dirty, and then get them ready to ship back out, explains Corey. After years of volunteering, Corey finally learned the library had a full-time job opening. The library was willing to split it into two part-time positions so Corey and another young man with disabilities could both become employed. Corey applied for the job and was quickly hired. He works 15 hours a week, says his supervisor, Melody Kauffman. He helps unload the truck and sort the boxes, and he sorts the digital material in the mail room. Hes working in the mail room when he gets here in the morning and then he does inspections. Corey pretty much can do whatever I need him to do. Hes done really well. And just like that, Corey has come out of his shell. When he used to come in, he really didnt talk to anybody. He was quiet, Melody explains. Now, hes right there with the boys, yacking and talking. Youll see him out there talking the whole time hes inspecting. You know, hes really changed a lot. Melody is happy to have Corey as a member of her staff. Hes quite an asset. Hes easy to talk to, and he asks questions when he doesnt understand. Coreys just a good guy to work with. Hes learned a lot since hes been here. Hes gotten more responsible, and he likes the responsibility. Melody hopes that other employers will give people with disabilities a chance. When I first started working here, I couldnt figure out why they would hire people who have a disability. Now, when I see the changes in them, its just amazing. If you have trouble reading print as the result of an eye problem, a reading disability, or difficulty holding a book because of a disability, you can apply for library services. The Florida Talking Books Library is under the auspices of the Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/nls/) and each state has its own library. For more information how you can become a member of the Florida Talking Book Library, go to http://dbs.myflorida.com/Talking%20Books%20Library/index.html. About Vocational Rehabilitation Floridas Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is a federal-state program committed to helping people with disabilities become part of Americas workforce. The employer-focused website, https://abilitieswork.employflorida.com/, allows businesses to search at no charge for employees who are ready to go to work, as well as to post available jobs. VR has 90 offices across Florida, and last year helped 5,760 Floridians with significant disabilities find or keep a job. For more information about VR and its services, call (800) 451-4327 or visit http://www.Rehabworks.org. "As cyber security continues to be an increasingly important board room concern, our cyber program will to evolve and address the concerns of the mortgage industry," said Todd Young, President, Risk Management, RiskPro Partners. Traditional and off-the-shelf cyber risk programs have been unsuccessful in addressing the unique needs of the mortgage industry. RiskPro Partners CyberSafe Mortgage program supports the industry by offering a program that balances risk assessment, insurance protection and security analytics. Both Fannie Mae (Federal National Mortgage Association) and Freddie Mac (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation) have encouraged the industry to better manage their cyber exposures. CyberSafe Mortgage utilizes a range of specialty tools to help the industry with their unique cyber exposures. The risk solution includes access to an industry focused cyber insurance program, tailored for the mortgage industry, through a partnership with BDI Solutions & Services. Additionally, through an exclusive partnership, RiskPro Partners offers access to SparkCognition, Inc. SparkCognition is the worlds first cognitive safety & security analytics company. As the sea of cyber risk and exposures grows for mortgage firms, we are confident our partnership with RiskPro Partners will build islands of protection that will give your mortgage firm the cyber advantage you will need when responding to confidential data breach. says Michael Flanagan, CEO, BDI Solution & Services. As cyber security continues to be an increasingly important board room concern, our cyber program will continue to evolve and address the concerns of the mortgage industry. said Todd Young, President, Risk Management, RiskPro Partners. About RiskPro Partners CyberSafe Mortgage Program: CyberSafe Mortgage is a program of RiskPro Partners. Headquartered in Dallas, RiskPro Partners offers a market leading cyber risk practice dedicated to delivering an industry focused approach to helping firms better manage their cyber exposures. About BDI Solutions & Services: Headquartered in Chicago, BDI provides underwriting specialties, acting as program managers on behalf of a number of Lloyds syndicates. BDI designs market leading cyber products, in an industry framework, to cover security & privacy liabilities. CyberSafe Mortgage dovetails cyber risk and exposure and bridges the gap of traditional policies. CyberSafe Mortgage delivers information security capability & experienced network of professionals that support firms in managing ethical obligations, contractual requirements and incident response planning. Contact Information: To learn more how RiskPro Partners CyberSafe Mortgage program can help your mortgage firm, please contact us at 512 355-7697 or visit us on the web at http://www.riskpropartners.com. On January 27, 2016, the Fourth Court of Appeals issued a new opinion in a case involving a transgender father, Dino Villarreal, and his plight to have the right to see his two children. The new opinion was issued to replace the original opinion issued on August 12, 2015. The case is currently pending before the Texas Supreme Court. Both opinions concluded that Dino lacked standing to seek child custody and visitation rights. On this same date, the full panel of the Fourth Court of Appeals denied a Motion for En Banc Reconsideration of the prior decision. Three Justices who were not on the original three-justice panel wrote separate opinions, with Justice Rebecca Martinez, and Justice Luz Elena Chapa dissenting, and Justice Alvarez concurring. Dino Villarreal is a transgender man seeking to adjudicate paternity in a case of first impression. According to his appellate brief, Villarreal alleges he raised his two sons, along with their mother, Sandra Sandoval, from the time they were infants, until the children were 11 and 9 years old, respectively. When the romantic relationship between Villarreal and Sandoval ended, Sandoval allegedly denied Villarreal any right to continue in his role as the childrens father. Villarreal alleges he has now not seen his children since December 24, 2013, other than a one-week period of possession granted by District Court Judge Gloria Saldana, whose order is now the subject of the pending appeal. Villarreal is transgender. This fact was allegedly known to Sandoval when she allowed the father-son bond to form over the lifetime of each child, according to the brief filed by Villarreal. The 4th COA is split on this landmark legal issue. Justice Chapa dissented, arguing the panel should have denied the Petition for Writ of Mandamus.Justice Chapa argued that procedurally, the panel should not have granted the relief requested. Justice Rebecca Martinez dissenting opinion focused on Dino Villarreals right to bring his lawsuit. Justice Martinez argued that Dino asked for 'equal dignity' in the eyes of the law, and that both the Constitution and the trial court granted him that right. Justice Martinez concluded that Dino is a male as a matter of law. Dinos case is currently pending before the Texas Supreme Court in Case No. 15-0483, where he has asked for the Court to review the decision by the Fourth Court of Appeals. The Whitley Law Firm, P.C., is comprised of attorneys Deanna L. Whitley and Shellie R. Reyes. Their practice area focuses on family law and appellate law, including an emphasis on same-sex legal issues, and other issues faced by the LGBT community in the greater San Antonio area. For more information about The Whitley Law Firm, P.C., or for continuous updates regarding the case, visit http://www.whitleylawfirmpc.com. Photos available upon request. As social becomes central to everyday business, brands require tools that are as capable as they are intuitive. Sprout meets those demands." - Justyn Howard, CEO & Cofounder, Sprout Social Sprout Social, whose social business and advocacy platforms serve more than 16,000 leading brands globally, has closed a $42 million investment from Goldman Sachs, Merchant Banking Division and New Enterprise Associates, bringing its total capital raised to $60 million. This investment will help Sprout continue the aggressive expansion of both its products and customer base, as brands increasingly rely on social as a key part of the customer experience. Our team has earned a reputation for building elegant, powerful software that people love to use, said Justyn Howard, CEO and Cofounder of Sprout. As social becomes central to everyday business, brands require tools that are as capable as they are intuitive. Sprout meets those demands, and well continue to improve every aspect of our products and business to create the most compelling social tools for our customers. Sprout currently serves more than 3,000 agencies, 8,000 small businesses and 5,000 mid-market and enterprise customers around the world. Because Sprout balances usability, product capability and competitive pricing, it enjoys a unique position in the market. Justyn and his team have done an impressive job building this high-growth, profitable company within the social media management software market, shared Jason Kreuziger, a Vice President in the Merchant Banking Division of Goldman Sachs, who will join Sprout Socials board of directors as part of this investment. The business performance of Sprout meets or exceeds that of best-in-class SaaS companies, while the products ease of use and scalability has led to its adoption in customers ranging in size from SMBs to Fortune 500 enterprises. Were excited to add another world-class investor to the Sprout team, Howard added. Our decision to work with Goldman Sachs was based largely on its team, who share our passion for helping businesses succeed as social evolves and reaches further across organizations. ABOUT SPROUT SOCIAL Sprout Social offers social media engagement, advocacy and analytics solutions for leading agencies and brands, including Hyatt, Uber, Zendesk, Microsoft and Zipcar. Available via web browser, iOS and Android apps, Sprouts engagement platform enables brands to more effectively communicate on social channels, collaborate across teams and provide an exceptional customer experience. Bambu by Sprout Social, a platform for advocacy, empowers employees to share curated content across their social networks to further amplify a brands reach and engagement. Headquartered in Chicago, Sprout is a Twitter Official Partner, Facebook Marketing Partner, Instagram Partner Program Member, LinkedIn Company Page Partner and Google+ Pages API Partner. Learn more at sproutsocial.com and getbambu.com. ABS Group Ltd., a leading provider of project certification and quality assurance services for offshore wind assets, has received a contract to provide third-party certification and design verification services for Hexicon AB for the planned Dounreay Tri Floating Offshore Wind Farm demonstrator project in Scotland. The Dounreay Tri Project, expected to be operational in 2018, is being developed by Hexicon and its partners to pilot a novel floating foundation design for offshore wind. When completed, the project will consist of two wind turbines, up to 6 MW each, mounted on Hexicons platform that will be located offshore northern Scotland. According to Hexicon, the platforms allow wind turbines to be deployed efficiently in remote areas where winds are stronger and more stable and the platforms are not limited by water depth. Wind energy parks can therefore be operational out of sight and in areas where the environmental impact is minimal. ABS Groups certification scope will cover independent verification of the design basis, detailed design, manufacturing inspections, installation supervision, commissioning supervision and in-service inspections. Work has commenced with ABS Group providing preliminary planning and advice in support of Hexicons development process and will continue in subsequent certification phases over the duration of the project. We are excited to have engaged ABS Group in the Dounreay Tri Project, says Marcus Thor, Project Director at Hexicon. In a groundbreaking project like this, it is important to have partners with verification and certification experience working with novel technology developments in addition to vast experience within the offshore industry. We are proud to support Hexicon on this innovative design project, says Thomas Adams, Vice President of Power Business Development for ABS Group. Development of these types of new technologies will benefit the offshore wind industry through more cost-effective and adaptable projects. About Hexicon Founded in 2009 and based in Stockholm, Hexicon AB is an offshore renewable energy design and engineering company that provides know how, solutions and IP rights in relation to its floating foundations. Hexicons vision is to be the worlds leading designer and developer of the most cost-efficient and state-of-the-art floating solutions for the growing market of offshore renewable energy. About ABS Group ABS Group of Companies, Inc. (http://www.abs-group.com), through its operating subsidiaries, provides technical and certification services to support the safety and reliability of high-performance assets and operations. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, ABS Group operates with more than 2,000 professionals in over 35 countries. ABS Group is a subsidiary of ABS, a leading marine and offshore classification society. Open source CMS, DotCMS wins honors as one of the most promising web content management systems of 2016. Weve challenged the status quo by making CMS software that removes barriers to growth and is easily employed by mainstream companies, not just Fortune 1000 brands. DotCMS, maker of the popular Java open source content management and digital experience platform, has today been recognized as a Most Promising Web Content Management Solution Provider for 2016 by CIOReview. The list of high performing content management solution providers is published in a special edition of CIOReview - the technology magazine for corporate and enterprise IT decision makers. The edition features a hand picked group of content management system providers that are recognized for their promotion and advancement of content management technologies. We see our select group of WCM solution providers as being leaders in the crowded marketing technology and CMS field today. Our list has been compiled by the CIOReview editorial board and a panel of expert advisors for the purpose of recognizing and highlighting the companies demonstrating outstanding performance in the market today, said Jeevan George, Managing Editor, CIOReview. According to the company profile included in the edition, dotCMS has been successful in taking a non-traditional approach to content management and digital experience management. With the introduction of their new product, CTO, Will Ezell underscores their approach; With dotCMS Enterprise Cloud, we set out to remove the constraints that limit growth and the barriers to development that are typically found with content management and Software-as-a-Service. Developers can take advantage of all of the cost saving benefits and flexibility of running on the cloud in a SaaS model (dotCMS uses Amazon AWS) without running into the traditional constraints associated with building and growing digital businesses. dotCMS CEO Tim Brigham commented on the news: Weve been fortunate in that over the years, weve enjoyed the opportunity to work with many outstanding companies and help them solve real-world problems with our CMS technology and do it in a way that brings agility and flexibility to developers and marketers. All along, weve challenged the status quo by making software that removes barriers to growth in digital business and is easily employed by mainstream companies, not just Fortune 1000 brands. The listing and feature article are available for review on the CIOReview website. A reprint of the article is now available on the dotCMS website. About dotCMS DotCMS is a leading open source CMS and digital experience platform. The company is privately held and headquartered in Miami, Florida, and has an active open source community that has generated more than 300,000 downloads. The software is available for download on the company's website: http://dotcms.com/download We urge the President and the Senate to choose leadership over partisanship and restore the Court to its full complement of nine justices as soon as possible. The American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity (AAAED), an association of equal employment opportunity (EEO), diversity and affirmative action professionals, acknowledged the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Gregory Scalia on February 13, 2016. AAAED expresses condolences to the family of Justice Scalia, said AAAED President Marshall Rose. While we did not agree with him on issues related to equal opportunity and affirmative action or on other civil rights issues, we recognize Justice Scalias long tenure as a Supreme Court justice, President Rose added. AAAED also calls upon the President of the United States and the U.S. Senate to exercise their constitutional responsibilities and secure a replacement with alacrity. Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution provides that the President shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Judges of the supreme Court. We urge those duly elected by the people to choose leadership over partisanship and take action to restore the Supreme Court to its full complement of nine justices as soon as possible, stated President Rose. Founded in 1974 as the American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA), AAAED is a national not-for-profit association of professionals working in the areas of compliance and diversity. AAAED has more than 40 years of leadership in providing professional training to members, enabling them to be more successful and productive in their careers. It also promotes understanding and advocacy of affirmative action and other equal opportunity and related compliance laws and regulations to enhance the diversity tenets of access, inclusion and equality in employment, economic and educational opportunities. For more information about AAAED, go to http://www.aaaed.org. Information about the AAAED 42nd National Conference and Annual Meeting may be found at http://www.aaaedconference.org. ### We are proud to be a member of the MSP 500 list as it demonstrates our unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation and growth. Spectrum Technology Solutions, a managed IT and cloud service provider and consulting firm, announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Spectrum Technology Solutions to its 2016 Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 list in the MSP Pioneer 250 category. This annual list recognizes North American solution providers with cutting-edge approaches to delivering managed services. Their top-notch offerings help companies navigate the complex and ever-changing landscape of IT, improve operational efficiencies, and maximize their return on IT investments. In todays fast-paced business environments, MSPs play an important role in helping companies leverage new technologies without straining their budgets or losing focus on their core business. CRNs MSP 500 list shines a light on the most forward-thinking and innovative of these key organizations. The list is divided into three categories: the MSP Pioneer 250, recognizing companies with business models weighted toward managed services and largely focused on the SMB market; the MSP Elite 150, recognizing large, data center-focused MSPs with a strong mix of on-premise and off-premise services; and the MSP Hosting Service Provider 100, recognizing MSPs focused primarily on off-premise, cloud-based services. Spectrum Technology Solutions specializes in helping business owners and executives think about IT in a way that helps them increase revenue, lower costs and build enterprise value, said Wayne Klug, President and CEO, Spectrum Technology Solutions. We are proud to be a member of the MSP 500 list as it demonstrates our unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation and growth. MSPs meet a critical need in the IT market, providing customized, turnkey services that allow for predictable operational expenses, effective control of expenditures, precise allocation of limited resources and convenient access to on-demand and pay-as-you-go technology, said Robert Faletra, CEO, The Channel Company. We congratulate the service providers of the MSP 500, who continually reinvent themselves to successfully meet their customers changing needs, helping businesses get the most out of their IT investments and sharpen their competitive edge. The MSP 500 list will be featured in the February 2016 issue of CRN and online at http://www.CRN.com/msp500. Tweet This: @TheChannelCo names @stsarizona to @CRN 2016 MSP 500 list #CRNMSP500 http://www.crn.com/msp500 About Spectrum Technology Solutions Spectrum Technology Solutions was established in 2009 and is a full service technology solutions provider dedicated to providing efficient, reliable and quality professional technology services to businesses in the Phoenix metro area. Spectrum has assembled a team of highly skilled and experienced professionals who provide expert solutions and solve the most difficult IT problems. http://www.stsarizona.com About the Channel Company The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. http://www.thechannelco.com Melanie Turpin The Channel Company (508) 416-1195 mturpin(at)thechannelco(dot)com Lisas genuine integrity is readily recognized. She has established a reputation as an employee advocate who can be trusted to champion the needs of the employee while serving the best interests of the company, said Alok Kulkarni, CEO of Cyara. Cyara announced today that Lisa Dedrick has been added as the companys first director of human resources. Lisa has over a dozen years of experience helping companies in the Silicon Valley find and employ top talent and was most recently Director of Human Resources at Shipwire Inc., an Ingram Micro Company. Lisa earned a Masters HR Certification in Human Resources Management and Services (MSHR) from Cornell University. My approach in HR has always been to effectively link business strategy with a targeted people strategy to propel performance, increase engagement, and strengthen the employer brand both internally and externally, Lisa said. I am energized by Cyaras global culture and their unique position in the market, she added after attending the companys global kickoff in Melbourne, Australia, her first week on the job. Lisas genuine integrity is readily recognized. She has established a reputation as an employee advocate who can be trusted to champion the needs of the employee while serving the best interests of the company, said Alok Kulkarni, CEO of Cyara. We are delighted to have Lisa join us, especially at this very exciting time for our company. We look forward to Lisa helping us to continue to grow a world-class team and corporate culture, he added. Company Growth The current expansion in staff and space is a result of their rapid 82% growth globally and over 100% in North America in the past year and the addition of over 50 new big brand customers. With recent hires and active recruiting for several key jobs in the company, Cyaras staff is expected to grow by 60% this year. With the growth, Cyara has outgrown their current office space in Melbourne, Australia, in just one year, and it was three times the size of their previous location. They will soon move to another location in Melbourne that will double their space. The HR position will be based in Redwood City, CA, where the company has recently acquired office space that will be Cyaras first permanent home in the Bay area. About Cyara Cyara accelerates the delivery of flawless customer experiences for voice and digital channels at scale while reducing the risk of customer-facing defects. As the global, market-leading provider of an omnichannel customer experience testing and monitoring platform, Cyara was named a Gartner Cool Vendor in CRM Customer Service and Customer Support, 2015. Every day, millions of flawless customer interactions are delivered by some of the most recognizable brands in the world utilizing the Cyara Platform. For more information, please visit http://www.cyara.com, or connect with Cyara on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Company Contact: media(at)cyarasolutions(dot)com Representatives with Crescent Harbor Modern (https://crescentharbormodern.com/) announced today that the company has added a variety of new Sonneman Lighting products to its online lighting store. Every year, Sonneman Lighting introduces a new, modern series of urban lighting fixtures, and we keep thinking that they will not be able to outdo their current offerings but, time and time again, they do, said Tim Fossett, president and spokesperson for Crescent Harbor Modern, which is the online arm of The Lighthouse, a family-owned lighting company founded in 1972. They have always come up with one of the most hip, fun lines of contemporary urban lighting fixtures. Sonneman Lighting is unique in that their contemporary fixtures are very urban and have clean, crisp lines that will brilliantly accent your home in a contemporary fashion. Fossett explained that the newly added products include: Sonneman Grapes LED Pendants (crescentharbormodern.com/solipe), Sonneman Starflex LED Pendants, and the Sonneman Aquo LED Light Bars. Sonneman Grapes, Fossett pointed out, are luminous LED spheres in multiple sizes, arrayed in precise or random patterns, in clusters, or as single points of light. A precisely crafted metal hemisphere with an infinity wave captures a crystal semisphere through which LED illumination is projected. Grown in three sizes and two finishes, Grapes offers broad variety and infinite possibilities to provide spectacular illumination to spaces from the most intimate to the vastest. The Sonneman Starflex is a technological high-wire acrobatics suspended in perfect balance, transforming its posture at a feathers touch. Five arms of glare-free LED light simultaneously adjust in a coordinated star-like movement. Starflex can remain freely adjustable or set to hold its perfect pose. Sonneman Aquo LED Light Bars, according to Fossett, are liquid in motion forms fluid shapes that ebb and flow in a continuous dynamic rhythm of change. This action regularly produces sensual shapes that, once captured, offer inspiration for form development, Fossett stressed, before adding, Their new sconce, surface, and bath introductions flow from the rhythm of water in motion. For more information, please visit crescentharbormodern.com/sonneman-lighting and crescentharbormodern.com/about-us About Crescent Harbor Modern Crescent Harbor Modern is the online arm of The Lighthouse, a family-owned lighting company founded in 1972. The company specializes in a high-touch customer service approach to retailing lighting fixtures, ceiling fans and other related items. Contact Details: Tim Fossett President 88 York Street US Route One Kennebunk, Maine, 04043 Toll Free Phone: 1-888-355-9525 Local Phone: 1-207-985-3535 Fax: 1-207-985-4569 Source: Crescent Harbor Modern ### Glunz & Jensen FlexScan 1800 I believe that the FlexScan will deliver a return on investment within a maximum of 2 years, depending on the amount of sleeves produced. The FlexScan makes history by innovating the entire process of flexo plate production around the world. FlexScan 1800 digitally scans for low and high spots on round sleeves and thereby eliminating the need for a full test run on a flexo printing press. At the same time the FlexScan delivers a quality report (PDF or in print), with relief depth/height that is used to document the quality of incoming or outgoing sleeves. This process can be done in 20 minutes compared to more than 2 hours with the current quality control process in the market. This will enable our customers to cut repro time up to 80 % on each sleeve or adaptor and secure an optimal prepress workflow along with the highest possible print quality, says Sren Jrgensen, General Manager at Glunz & Jensen. A much anticipated addition to the production line Todays development in the flexo industry is driven by trends as high quality, speed and low cost in production. As a market leader with a reputation of bringing the most innovative technologies to the market, Glunz & Jensen is constantly looking for areas to optimise processing of flexo plates. With the FlexScan, we have managed to innovate on all critical parameters such as time, waste and quality; features that were extremely important to long-time Glunz & Jensen client, RC Group, who initiated the project and has participated as a test partner of the FlexScan 1800. Henrik Kofoed, Group Sales Manager at RC Group says: I believe that the FlexScan will deliver a return on investment within a maximum of 2 years, depending on the amount of sleeves produced. The FlexScan makes history by innovating the entire process of flexo plate production around the world. Finally, the flexo market will have a tool to benchmark quality, and be able to work with international quality standards and documentation. FlexScan 1800 will be available globally from February 2016 and can be seen in our Flexo Centre in Rosate, Milan. Read more about FlexScan 1800 here [NHS Students] will appreciate being able to chat directly with admissions counselors early in their research process to find the best school for them. CollegeWeekLive, the leading website where students and colleges connect online, is proud to announce it has partnered with the National Honor Society (NHS), a program of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), to give students, especially juniors and underclassmen, unprecedented access to college admissions representatives as they narrow down their list of top schools for consideration. This alliance will provide colleges and universities with a unique opportunity to recruit high-achieving students across the country. CollegeWeekLive and the National Honor Society have joined forces to create the first-ever NHS Virtual College Fair. To be held on May 17, 2016, this exclusive event will enable colleges to attract the more than one million students who are members of the National Honor Society. NHS student members will participate in the event by live chatting with admissions counselors and current students at premier colleges and universities around the world. National Honor Society students are highly motivated to find their right college match and they will appreciate being able to chat directly with admissions counselors early in their research process to find the best school for them, said Dr. Jonathan Mathis, director of the National Honor Societies including NHS, the National Junior Honor Society, and the National Elementary Honor Society. Were thrilled to share online tools with our students to help them realize their college dreams. Its rewarding to give colleges the opportunity to connect directly with students who not only have top academic skills, but who exemplify strong character and leadership, said Sumant Mauskar, president of CollegeWeekLive. The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the leading organization of and voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and school leaders from across the United States and 35 countries around the world. The association connects and engages school leaders through advocacy, research, education, and student programs. NASSP advocates on behalf of all school leaders to ensure the success of each student and strengthens school leadership practices through the design and delivery of high quality professional learning experiences. Reflecting its long-standing commitment to student leadership development, NASSP administers the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National Elementary Honor Society, and National Association of Student Councils. For more information about participating in the virtual college fair, please contact colleges@collegeweeklive.com or 800-828-8222. ABOUT THE NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY The National Honor Society is the nation's premier organization established to recognize outstanding high school students. More than just an honor roll, NHS serves to recognize those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. These characteristics have been associated with membership in the organization since its beginning in 1921. For more information, please visit http://www.nhs.us. ABOUT COLLEGEWEEKLIVE CollegeWeekLive is the leading digital solution for students and colleges to chat online. More than one million students from 192 countries rely on CollegeWeekLive to help navigate college admissions. The site enables students to have unscripted live chats with college students and admissions counselors from hundreds of colleges and universities. Students, parents, and counselors visit CollegeWeekLive to engage directly with universities at every stage of the enrollment process. For more information, please visit http://collegeweeklive.com. Quickview airHD With the range of capability weve built into this new Quickview, its poised to disrupt the entire market for sewer zoom assessment cameras A quantum leap in zoom assessment technology, the new cable-free Quickview airHD camera captures high-definition (HD) video from sewers, and transmits it wirelessly to a touchscreen tablet for live viewing. With the Quickview app installed, the tablet offers fingertip control of zoom, illumination, and tilt, as well as image capture and video recording/playback/annotation/sharing. And because the camera has motorized tilt, as well as in-manhole centering capability and hands-free stabilization, set-up takes virtually no time at all, and both the operators hands remain free to operate the tablet. With the range of capability weve built into this new Quickview, its poised to disrupt the entire market for sewer zoom assessment cameras, says Rich Lindner, President of Envirosight. No other model offers HD video or wireless operation, let alone both. And anyone with a tablet device can view and control the camera using the provided app. Now add to that hands-free stability and in-manhole adjustment for centering and tiltthe new Quickview airHD camera simply removes any reason why a municipality wouldnt use zoom assessment as a front-line tool for understanding sewer condition. At the heart of the new Quickview airHD is an HD zoom camera with 30X optical zoom (plus 12X digital) paired with Envirosights new Quad-Haloptic light engine. The camera is tuned to deliver maximum detail from within pipes, and the light engine combines four offset LED/reflector pairs to surround the camera with powerful, focused illumination that is perfectly aligned for maximum range and optimum viewing at any distance. The camera acts as an ad-hoc Wi-Fi network, allowing any device running the Quickview app to connect for full control, or as a view-only client. The camera is powered by a lightweight, rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Two batteries are supplied with each system to allow continuous operation on a swap-out basis. The Quickview app, which offers all viewing and control functions, installs on iOS and Android tablets. With it, an operator can connect to the camera head to stream live HD video while controlling the cameras zoom, focus, illumination intensity and tilt. Alternately, bystanders can connect in view-only mode to observe inspections in progress. Within the app, an operator can capture video and still images, organize them in the onboard library, review and annotate footage, and easily share results. Static and dynamic text (including camera tilt, GPS coordinates and illumination settings) can be overlaid on video, and the app is easily updated as new feature enhancements become available. The Quickview airHD camera head connects to the pole with a secure quick-release. To adapt to the widest range of manhole depths, the 4-foot pole jackknifes open to 8 feet. Either or both halves of the pole can then telescope for a maximum length of 12 or 16 feet. Available pole extensions adapt the system to deeper manholes and catch basins. A centering foot at the base of the pole maintains the cameras centerline view in pipes ranging 6 to 48 inches diameter, and is adjusted simply by pressing down against its internal gas spring (a reciprocating ratchet holds the position). For complete stability, a clamp on bracket holds the top end of the pole, simultaneously freeing the operators hands for operating the tablet. Except for the pole and centering foot, all system components travel in a hard-shell roller case. The new Quickview airHD is available for on-site demonstration from Envirosights worldwide network of regional sales partners. About Quickview Trusted by more than 2000 users worldwide, the patented Quickview zoom survey camera evaluates pipelines, manholes and tanks from street level. Contractors use it to survey pipe condition before bidding services, and to document completed work. Municipalities use it to identify and prioritize maintenance issues, avoid confined-space entry, and inspect hard-to-reach infrastructure. Departments of transportation use it to assess culvert and storm pipe condition with minimal exposure to traffic. Quickviews patented Haloptic illumination technology delivers more light precisely where its needed, and requires no midstream realignment. The Quickview and Haloptic names and logos are trademarks of Envirosight, LLC. Quickview carries patents 6,538,732 and 7,009,698. About Envirosight LLC Randolph, New Jersey-based Envirosight provides sewer inspection solutions to municipalities, contractors, departments of transportation, and civil/environmental engineers. Envirosight is committed to ongoing innovation, delivering products that enhance user productivity and inspection detail. Envirosight serves customers through a trained network of regional sales partners who deliver localized support and expertise with rapid turnaround. Visit Envirosight online at http://www.envirosight.com At Jade Mountain, eternal romance rules. The "The Timeless Treasure of Love promotion is geared towards couples married 20 years and more and staying at Jade Mountain for a minimum of 4 nights. Couples will be able to take advantage of special complimentary anniversary amenities including a couples massage, a complimentary renewal of vows ceremony followed by a private dinner set up at a location of choice and a special session with the resort photographer. "The Timeless Treasure of Love promotion is available in selected suite categories for travel March 15- December 19, 2016. The promotion must be booked no later than April 30, 2016 Daily Rates start at US 1495 in a star pool sanctuary and are subject to 10% service charge and 10% VAT. A variety of meal plans, including an all-inclusive option, can be added to the daily rate. For more information contact your favorite travel agent or call 1-800-223-1108 or visit http://www.jademountain.com "The Timeless Treasure of Love offer is combinable with other promotions such as the Take 5 5th night free offer but restrictions may apply. To be eligible, "The Timeless Treasure of Love must be pre-booked and a copy of the wedding certificate is required at check-in. Rising majestically above the 600 acre beach front estate of ANSE CHASTANET, JADE MOUNTAIN is a cornucopia of organic architecture celebrating Saint Lucias stunning scenic beauty. Each of the 24 infinity pool sanctuaries at Jade Mountain is a carefully designed, individual work of art. With the 4th wall entirely open, all sanctuaries celebrate unparalleled views of the Pitons and the Caribbean Sea while at the same time allowing for complete privacy. Expect grand sweeping spaces where bedroom, living area and the extravagant private infinity pool glide into one another to form extraordinary platforms floating out into nature. With his Jade Mountain, architect owner Nick Troubetzkoy has created a stage-like setting from which to embrace the full glory of St. Lucia's World Heritage Pitons Mountains and the Caribbean Sea a view you are not likely to ever forget. What Ive really wanted to do with Jade Mountain is reevaluate and redesign the basic concept of a holiday hotel experience. I wanted to create individualized spatial environments that would enable guests to forget about the furniture or the fact that theyre in a hotel room in essence, to forget about everything but experiencing the psychology of the space on an emotional, almost spiritual level, explains Troubetzkoy. Integral to the sanctuaries is the Jade Mountain Club where guests can enjoy a romantic meal, savoring Jade Cuisine, the creation of consulting chef, James Beard Award winner Allen Susser. Fresh produce gets delivered daily from the resorts organic farm, Emerald Estates. No meal is complete without sampling one of the resorts chocolate concoctions made with chocolate produced from their own beans and in their own chocolate laboratory. Hovering in space above the Jade Mountain Club is the Celestial Terrace, ideal for star gazing, a private dinner and a popular location for a vow renewal. Jade Mountain guests enjoy privileges at sister resort Anse Chastanet with its two beaches, additional restaurants, bars and a great range of soft adventure activities, from scuba diving to jungle biking. The beaches and the historical plantation of Anse Mamin offer additional options for couples seeking a special location for their celebratory dinner or vow renewal. For press information, contact: Martha Morano, Morano Public Relations, 212-860-5566, email martha(at)moranopr(dot)com For resort photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kkvszo3ppjor3f0/AAA5QChEAWYHcN6YwoqAKJ3-a?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/sh/h4jii3xtrixe95w/oboaoaZIDC We are excited that we were able to come to Florida and showcase our fine vendor partners to the local self-storage owners and operators, Ian Burnstein, CEO of the SBOA stated. The Storage Business Owners Alliance (http://www.thesboa.com), the premier buying group for the self-storage industry, hosted its inaugural Self-Storage Summit on February 8th and 9th, 2016 at the Renaissance Hotel in Boca Raton, Florida. More than 170 self-storage owners, operators, developers, brokers and bankers joined the complimentary two-day event featuring keynote speaker industry veteran Dean Jernigan of Jernigan Capital. Guests were treated to presentations and panels from some of the best and brightest in the industry. There was plenty of valuable networking time as well. The complimentary event was sponsored and underwritten by excellent sponsors including storEDGE, CubeSmart, Jernigan Capital, SBOA Merchant Services, OpenTech Alliance, Find Local Storage, The BSC Group, SBOA Tenant Insurance, Storage Collections, Supply Side USA, FocalRack, TCG Communications, AlphaStaff and List Self Storage. We are excited that we were able to come to Florida and showcase our fine vendor partners to the local self-storage owners and operators, Ian Burnstein, CEO of the SBOA stated. The event was a great opportunity for people to hear about important issues in our industry and network in a more intimate setting, Burnstein added. The event was so successful that another event is already in the planning stages for later in 2016. The event was a great format and venue for us to be able to talk to industry experts about what is happening in our sector, Shawn Hill of The BSC Group stated. We were able to meet with many clients and spend quality time in a relaxed environment, Hill added. This event is presented exclusively by the Storage Business Owners Alliance (SBOA), an organization that allows small to medium-sized self-storage owners and operators to increase profitability through enhanced buying power. The SBOA offers numerous products and services at advantaged price levels. To learn more about the money-saving opportunities available through the SBOA, please visit http://www.theSBOA.com. ### If you are attending IBM Interconnect, we encourage you to attend the following sessions: 1) Title: DTA-3268: How Nationwide and Tasktop Achieved Continuous Visibility across the DevOps Lifecycle Who: Carmen DeArdo, Nationwide Insurance, and Mik Kersten, Tasktop When: Monday, Feb. 22, 2016: 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Where: Mandalay Bay SOUTH Session Description: When Nationwide embarked on a DevOps transformation journey, the goal of automating build and release practices was a no brainer. The surprise that emerged during the journey was the need to automate the processes that drove the development, release and support processes. Multiple processes and sources of work existed across development, project management and IT service management, and all were disconnected. This talk overviews the conceptual framework that Nationwide and Tasktop created to provide end-to-end continuous visibility across the DevOps lifecycle. It reviews the detailed implementation of the solution, which leverages IBM Rational Team Concert (RTC) and IBM UrbanCode as the integration hub. 2) Title: DOD-3557: Connecting Heterogeneous Tools in a DevOps World with Rational Lifecycle Integration Adaptor Who: Trevor Bruner, Tasktop, and Jared Pulham, IBM When: Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016. 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Where: Mandalay Bay SOUTH - Lagoon E Session Description: Cross-department communication and information flow and is key to successfully building software. Too often organizations rely on email chains and spreadsheets. Hear how IBMs Rational Lifecycle Integration Adapter has evolved to help companies break these barriers. Encouraging better team collaboration and project information awareness across all these tools gives project teams the best chance for success and delivery outcome. With Rational Lifecycle Integration Adapter, your team members get the information they need in the tool they are most comfortable with. Learn how you can connect your development tools using a combination of OSLC and traditional REST services to let your people stay in their tool of choice and still communicate. 3) Title: DOD-2925: Integrate All Your SDLC Tools for Complete DevOps Visibility Who: Jeff Downs, Tasktop When: Thursday, Feb 25, 10:30 AM 11:20 AM Where: Mandalay Bay SOUTH - Lagoon E Session Description: Rational Lifecycle Integration Adaptor 1.1.4 (RLIA) combines OSLC linking capabilities originally provided through RLIA Standard Edition with synchronization features in a single release to support integration methodologies for all project teams. Jeff Downs, Sales Engineer from Tasktop, will demonstrate various integration workflows that leverage both synchronization and OSLC linking; e.g., requirements traceability between Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management 5.0.2 and HP Application Lifecycle Management 12. 4) Title: ICE-3751: Accelerating Boschs Electric Drive Development with IBM Continuous Engineering Solutions Who: Joerg Spranger, Robert Bosch GmbH, and Amin Jbabli, IBM When: Tuesday, Feb 23, 1:15 PM 2:15 PM Where: South Seas H Mandalay Bay SOUTH Session Description: Todays automotive suppliers must address pressures to innovate quickly, while also managing the intense challenge of delivering vehicle quality. This session will share first-hand experience addressing these challenges in Bosch's development of safety-critical electric drives. We will share a brief overview of Jazz solution capabilities that were adopted to leverage Bosch's core systems engineering processes. You will gain deep business insights about how Bosch accelerated its product development cycles by enabling Continuous Integration, Continuous Build, Continuous Test and in parallel increased product quality using IBM solutions for software and systems engineering. About Tasktop Over one million users employ Tasktops ALM and SLI integration technology to transform the productivity of software delivery, by connecting the development, testing, Agile planning, PMO and operations functions into a unified software development and delivery team. Tasktop customers are the global leaders in financial services, insurance, government and manufacturing, and include 34 of the Fortune 100, 11 of the top banks in the world and five of the top ten US insurance companies. Partners, including CA, HP, IBM and Serena, rely on our independent, vendor-neutral role to connect their customers software delivery disciplines via OEM distributions of our products. Tasktop has defined the Software Lifecycle Integration (SLI) category to fulfill our mission to connect the world of software delivery. For more information about Tasktop and SLI, please visit: http://tasktop.com Twitter: @tasktop The release of iTimeKeep V2 demonstrates our ability to deliver the solutions that todays law firms need in order to increase efficiency and competitiveness. Bellefield Systems, LLC, the leader in mobile and anywhere time entry solutions for firms of all sizes, announced that it has released the latest version of its flagship product iTimeKeep. The latest version, iTimeKeep V2, includes several new first-of-its kind features and updates that will enable attorneys and global law firms to reach true mobility. iTimeKeep V2, represents the future of time entry - redefining timekeeping as it is known and accepted within the legal industry. Bellefield developed iTimeKeep V2 in order to enable attorneys to work smarter, not harder; for firms to increase efficiency and accuracy as timekeeping intersects with the firm processes and for law firm administrators to be able to make better decisions faster. iTimeKeep V2 sets the gold standard for the industry in efficiency, security, usability and simplicity. New features of iTimeKeep V2 include: *Universal Visibility, which allows attorneys to view and edit all entries from their mobile device or desktop, and also shows whether those entries were entered by the attorney or his/her secretary. *Real-time Submission of timecards, making timecards immediately available on the firms billing system. *Smart Timers are synchronized across all devices. *Smart Validations allow each time entry to maintain compliance, in real time according to the firms billing guidelines and rules. *Firm Abbreviations and Shortcuts are always available when creating a timecard. *Progress tracking allows attorneys to have the ability to stay on top of their billable hours in order to meet quotas. *iTimeKeep for the Apple Watch, the first of its kind timekeeping app for the legal industry, makes time entry as easy as talking to your wrist. Not only is iTimeKeep V2 Bellefields largest release yet, it is one of the most significant legal technology advances to be released this year. Partnerships with technology leaders, such as Microsoft Azure, have led to the development of a ground-breaking cloud and mobile platform which present the timekeeping platform of the future. The newest version of iTimeKeep has everything we wanted. One of the most impressive updates with this release is the universal visibility for attorneys, and the even more seamless integration with our billing system, said Charles Collins, Applications Development Supervisor, at Ward and Smith. Bellefields Apple Watch app is very forward thinking, and we look forward to our attorneys embracing new technology that can make them more productive from anywhere they work, Mr. Collins further stated. Corey Drake, with Lightfoot, Franklin, White, LLC, also commented on the V2 release by stating, We are very impressed with the latest release of iTimeKeep. It includes a number of upgrades that help make entering time even faster and more efficient than ever before. In addition to the release of iTimeKeep V2 being a huge success with clients for its functionality, efficiency and simplicity, clients have also been equally impressed with the customer support team at Bellefield. The upgrade process was quick, simple and straight forward, and Bellefields support team is second to none in the legal industry, said Mark Staton, of Pessin Katz Law. Innovation is at the core of everything we do at Bellefield, and one way to uphold our commitment is by continuously advancing our solution, said Gabriela Isturiz, President and CEO. The release of iTimeKeep V2 demonstrates our ability to deliver the solutions that todays law firms need in order to increase efficiency and competitiveness. Bellefield prioritizes simplicity, ease of use and engagement via all native apps in order to create the mobile timekeeping solution that attorneys love. Isturiz continues, From contemporaneous timekeeping all the way to wearables, Bellefield continues to deliver a mobile and everywhere timekeeping solution that is secure, reliable and scalable for firms of all sizes. About Bellefield Bellefield is committed to helping lawyers improve their work lives by developing innovative and intuitive applications that solve real-world challenges. Bellefield does this by identifying a problem, evaluating it from many different perspectives, and working tirelessly to create the best possible solution. Bellefields flagship product iTimeKeep ranks #1 as the most adopted Mobile Time Entry Solution for attorneys for the third consecutive year. Founded by software veterans Gabriela Isturiz, Daniel Garcia, and John Kuntz, Bellefield is an independent, privately held company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. To learn more, visit Bellefield Systems. About iTimeKeep iTimeKeep is a game-changing mobile application that simplifies contemporaneous time entry while eliminating the burdens of complicated and invasive time capture applications. Upon hearing the frustrations of attorneys required to use technology that is counterintuitive to the way they work, Bellefield developed iTimeKeep to give them the ability to easily get the job done anytime and everywhere, increasing adoption and improving internal operations. iTimeKeep is delivered as a Time Entry as a Service (TEaaS) model in order to maximize the benefits of mobility to firms, without taxing on their resources. iTimeKeep was recently ranked by ILTA as the most adopted Mobile Time Entry solution for attorneys for the third year in a row. To learn more, visit iTimeKeep. We are excited to have Boat Ed as the Premier Sponsor for the IBWSS. Their support will help further our shared interest in new boating and water safety trends and initiatives at this years IBWSS Boat Ed has recently been announced as the Premier Sponsor for the 20th International Boating & Water Safety Summit (IBWSS), held March 6-9, 2016, at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay in San Diego, CA. The announcement was made by the National Safe Boating Council (NSBC), the National Water Safety Congress (NWSC), and the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA). The IBWSS is the premier event for training, awareness, meeting and networking for anyone involved in boating and water safety in support of the National Recreational Boating Safety Strategic Plan, 2012-2016. Boat Eds long-standing support of the IBWSS reflects the companys commitment to promoting education initiatives and making recreational boating safer. Boat Eds support is driven by its dedication to providing print and online boating education courses to boaters in the United States and Canada. Were grateful for the opportunity to partner with the IBWSS. Were all in this together, and the IBWSS conference is a valuable time where we can all collaborate and advance the recreational boating and water safety mission, said Mitch Strobl, VP of Business Development for Boat Ed. We all share a common interest of keeping the waters safer for all. The NSBC, NWSC, and NASBLA are instrumental drivers of that mission; the impact these organizations have is immeasurable, and were thankful to join arms and march forward with them. We are excited to have Boat Ed as the Premier Sponsor for the IBWSS. Their support will help further our shared interest in new boating and water safety trends and initiatives at this years IBWSS, said Richard Moore, Chair of the NSBC. Boat Eds history in recreational boating safety spans over 20 years. In 1995, Kurt and Cindy Kalkomey incorporated Boat Ed to offer boating safety education and certification tests. Since then, Boat Ed has expanded across all of North America, now educating in all 50 U.S. states and Canada. Its our distinct pleasure to once again welcome Boat Ed as the Premier Sponsor of this years IBWSS. Their sponsorship and their commitment to providing education are to be commended. said Brian Westfall, President of the NWSC. Boat Ed continues to be a leading innovator in helping state agencies, the boating public, and boating organizations like ours promote safe boating on Americas waterways, remarked Darren Rider, President of NASBLA. The 2016 IBWSS is co-hosted by the NSBC, NWSC, and NASBLA and it is produced in part with a grant from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, administered by the U.S. Coast Guard. To learn more about Boat Eds Premier Sponsorship for the 2016 IBWSS, and for information on registration, exhibits, sponsorships and advertising, visit http://www.IBWSS.org. About Boat Ed Boat Ed and http://www.boat-ed.com, owned by parent company Kalkomey Enterprises, Inc., is the official provider of recreational safety education materials for all 50 U.S. states and Canada. Our print and Internet courses have been providing official safety certification since 1995. We provide safety courses in boating, hunting, bowhunting, and off-road vehicle and snowmobile operation. For more information, visit http://www.kalkomey.com. There are very few young men who have ever reach the rank of Eagle Scout, nor is there very many who are accepted into an Ivy League school. But for one Farmington High School senior, he has been able to achieve both. For Michael McNamara, his senior year will be one he shall never forget. From building benches at WashingtonFranklin Elementary as part of his Eagle Scout project to being accepted to Yale University, it is easy to say his time has not been wasted. Its been kind of a strange feeling this semester, McNamara said. Knowing that it is going to end soon and I am closing the chapter on my public education. Although he maybe closing a chapter in his life, he will have left an indelible mark on his time with the Farmington School District through his Eagle Scout Project in which he constructed benches in the bus shelter at Washington-Franklin Elementary School. I was looking to do my project for the school district, but was originally running into some trouble because of all the renovations being done at all the schools in the district, McNamara said. I noticed there was a bus alcove at WashingtonFranklin and thought it looked like the perfect place for benches. Once his mission was decided upon last October, McNamara had met with Superintendent Matt Ruble and Dr. Lori Lamb, the school principal, about his idea. I presented Mr. Ruble and Dr. Lamb with some sketches of what I wanted to do, McNamara said. I also ran it by a few teachers at WashingtonFranklin beforehand and they approved it wholeheartedly. With everyone on board, McNamara began his journey of building the benches, and like most things rewarding, the project seemed to be more challenging than originally planned. The first hiccup in the road came from the Eagle Scout Review Board who suggested the brackets they were intending to use were not strong enough since the benches were to be used on a daily basis. They suggested to switch to more of an industrial grade so the benches would stand the course of time. According to McNamara, the first part of construction was setting the legs for the benches. We had to cut holes in the asphalt where the legs were going to go and pour concrete in the holes, McNamara said. Once the concrete had set, we drilled holes in the concrete and set the bolts, the brackets and then the benches on top of the brackets. McNamaras father, Brian, who helped and guided his son through the project, explained the second hiccup in their original plan. We didnt realize, initially, the slope of the ground where we were building the benches, Brian said. So Michael had to cut all of the legs to a different length in order for the benches to be even. With more than 100 man hours invested, and with the help of his father and his brother John, McNamara completed his project on Jan. 31. Since the projects completion, the school has already began using the benches as the pick-up location for students who ride home from their parents. But more importantly, the project has been also used to teach character to the young students at the elementary school. We have moved to using a new program at our school character council like they have been using at the middle school and Lincoln Intermediate, said Donna Womack, the school librarian. To see a student come back and do something like this is a wonderful case of a good role model for our students. As a role model, McNamara can offer much more than just building benches. He can also show the younger student the dedication and commitment it takes to become a successful student. Currently ranked number one in his class, McNamara has achieved many accolades. He is a National Merit Scholar, a member of the Scholar Bowl team who went to the state tournament last year, an accomplished musician, playing both the French horn and the trumpet and participates in a host of other activities. In addition, he is an incoming freshmen at Yale University, receiving early admission to the prestigious university just prior to Christmas break. McNamara will be following in his brothers footsteps who is presently a junior at the university. I toured the school and it made a good impression on me, McNamara said. I think I want to major in engineering, but I want to truly know that is what I want to do, so I am keeping my options open for now. Although McNamara is keeping his options open on his major, he is pretty sure he will be playing music. With his big brother the drum major for the schools marching band, he is pretty confident he will be part of the rank and file once he arrives. I think I am predestined to play with the band, McNamara said. They let me play on the field with them in the Yale versus Harvard game. With his academic career at Farmington finishing in roughly four months, the elder McNamara stated how very pleased they were with the school district. For the kids to get into Yale, lighting had to strike twice, Brian said. We had Mr. (Matt) Ruble who was very supportive. When Michael finished Calculus his sophomore year and his brother John his freshman year, Matt was supportive when we ask to take math courses through an online program at Stanford University. The same when they took Latin through the University of Missouri. I dont think that would have happened at other school districts. With a sense of satisfaction about his work as a Farmington Knight and scout with Troop 471, McNamara will leave for New Haven, Connecticut to begin a new chapter this fall knowing his time here was well spent. New www.sdp-si.com website One of the ideas behind the new site was to make their jobs easier by providing improved and direct access to detailed part data, technical information and resources, thereby saving them considerable time in finding the parts or information required. SDP/SI Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instrument, a leader in providing mechatronic based design, engineering and manufacturing services for critical motion control applications launches newly redesigned website. The new website provides visitors instant access to thousands of small mechanical components, design tools, technical resources and a new comprehensive online store. Among the many visitors to the SDP/SI website are Design Engineers working in the aerospace, defense and medical sectors, says Cris Ioanitescu, Application Engineer and Product Support Manager. One of the ideas behind the new site was to make their jobs easier by providing improved and direct access to detailed part data, technical information and resources, thereby saving them considerable time in finding the parts or information required. The many new features of the SDP/SI website include expanded product data, improved search and navigation, updated online store with multiple search and compare functions. The new design is clean, well-organized and responsive on all platforms, including tablet and mobile phone. SDP/SI, ISO 9001 + AS9100 certified, provide complete mechatronic engineered solutions and services which include design, prototype, testing and manufacturing. Visit the newly redesigned website at http://www.sdp-si.com to learn more about SDP/SI, their full range of products and capabilities. About Designatronics Designatronics, Inc. manages its brands to develop comprehensive mechanical solutions for industrial and commercial markets, including aerospace and defense, satellites, automation, oil and gas, and medical. Integrated design, engineering, manufacturing, assembly and testing are provided in one location. SDP/SI offers off-the-shelf mechatronic components and custom design, engineering and manufacturing services, prototype to large production runs. SI - Sterling Instrument specializes in high-quality precision gears and custom gear assemblies for the most demanding applications. QTC Metric Gears supplies North America with metric gears. Quality Bearings & Components the bearing marketplace, offers bearings and bearing maintenance equipment. For more information, visit http://www.designatronics.com. AllSeated, the fastest growing, collaborative network for the events industry, today announced the appointment of Mindy Weiss to its Board of Advisors. Mindy joins a robust and influential Board, including Chairman, Arthur Backal as well as Harriette Rose Katz, who have both been instrumental in driving East Coast adoption of AllSeated. Since coming out of Beta in 2014, AllSeated has experienced tremendous growth, and solidified its position as a disruptor in the social events industry. With over 100,000 annual events powered by its collaborative platform, AllSeated is quickly becoming the industry standard platform for event planning. The Company has over 25 percent of all US event planners, a significant percentage of US venues and tens of thousands of brides registered and strongly engaged on its platform. We are thrilled that Mindy Weiss is joining our Board of Advisors and very much look forward to harnessing her passion and ideas to help drive our growth on the West Coast, said Yaron Lipshitz, CEO of AllSeated. AllSeated is committed to bringing innovation to the events industry, and our growth over the past year validates the fact the industry is thirsty for change. We look forward to powering collaboration for the events industry and building on this momentum in the coming year. I am extremely passionate about the need for disruption in the events industry and what AllSeated brings to the table for true collaboration, said Mindy Weiss, Celebrity Event Planner. Not only can everyone touching the event work together in real-time, but the tools that AllSeated provides, such as the 3D Viewer to walk the event space virtually and preview the layout, are truly enhancing the planning experience. I am excited to join AllSeateds Board of Advisors and help digitize the industry. More about Mindy Based out of Beverly Hills, Mindy Weiss is a full-service event planner with more than 20 years of experience that has successfully grown her brand to become a lifestyle expert with books, product lines and spokesperson partnerships. Mindy has planned celebrations all over the world, written 3 best selling books - The Wedding Book, The Wedding Planner and Organizer and The Baby Keepsake Book and Planner, designed a highly successful line of wedding stationery with Wedding Paper Divas and will be launching a bridal jewelry line later this year. She is well-known for creating Weddings, Parties and Baby Showers for clients including: Fergie & Josh Duhamel, Ellen Degeneres & Portia Rossi, Jessica Simpson, Lala and Carmelo Anthony, Serena Williams, Nicole Richie and Joel Madden, Heidi Klum, Pink, Gwen Stefani & Gavin Rossdale, Kimberly Williams & Brad Paisley, Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan. About AllSeated AllSeated is the fastest growing and most collaborative network for the events industry, powered by state of the art, cloud-based event planning tools. AllSeated brings together hosts, venues, planners and vendors to collaborate seamlessly on every aspect of event creation including seating charts, guest lists, scaled floor plans, 3D table layouts, event timelines and more. AllSeated is used today by tens of thousands of event professionals including The Mandarin Oriental, Marriott, The Plaza, United Nations, LinkedIn, Davids Bridal, celebrity event planners Harriette Rose Katz and Arthur Backal, and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. AllSeated was created by a team of experienced event professionals and technology mavericks with a mission to move the events industry into the 21st century. AllSeated is headquartered in San Francisco, CA with offices in New York City and Israel. The Company is backed by Magma Ventures. For more information, please visit http://www.AllSeated.com. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. We are excited to provide our new cutting edge analytics and forensics capabilities to our global customer base said Charley Rich, VP Product Management at Nastel Technologies. Nastel Technologies, a global provider of software for Application Performance Monitoring (APM), delivering real-time application analytics, transaction tracking and forensics will present Application Analytics for DevOps at IBM InterConnect 2016 in Las Vegas. The presentation will be delivered on February 22nd at 7 pm in the Expo Theater in the Mandalay Bay Solution Expo. Many organizations struggle with adopting DevOps. These businesses have invested in a large assortment of tools to make this work and yet there is still finger-pointing instead of collaboration. Nastel AutoPilot provides forensics for IT. Analyze the data from multiple sources, compare behavior across different times and locations, create metrics and search for the patterns that emerge. Join Nastel Technologies and learn how AutoPilot can help by providing: continuous monitoring, tracking and analytics. Nastel AutoPilot creates and analyzes shared metrics across HDFS, Logstash, Flume, Syslog, Kafka, MQ, Spark, Log4j, JMS, Java and other data sources; tracks transactions across applications; and provides an easy-to-use natural language to inquire or subscribe to live metrics. Nastel is also exhibiting at IBM InterConnect 2016 in booth 660. Nastel will be demonstrating its new AutoPilot Insight solution and end-user monitoring capabilities. AutoPilot Insight helps businesses gain instant insight into application performance by providing: a unified application analytics platform, automated transaction tracking, a wide array of data collectors and an English-like query language. All of this is built on an elastic architecture using clustered computing and NoSQL. jKool will also be presented in the Nastel booth and show a solution that provides real-time analytics for the Internet of Things (IoT). 2015 was an outstanding year for Nastel, with large wins, happy customers and new product innovation. Our laser focus on ensuring the highest levels of customer satisfaction combined with our relentless technical innovation has been the key to our revenue growth. With the addition of our new cutting edge analytics and forensics capabilities we are excited to provide continued competitive advantage to our global customer base said Charley Rich, VP Product Management at Nastel Technologies. Recently, Nastel was honored by Gartners recognition of its accomplishments in the 2015 Magic Quadrant for Application Performance Monitoring Suites The chosen APM solution for over 200 Fortune 500 and Global 2000 corporations, Nastel AutoPilot has earned a reputation for helping companies significantly reduce the frequency and duration of costly application outages. By providing real-time analytics and transaction tracking across multiple event sources, Nastel AutoPilot is able to evaluate situations in IT Operations as a whole as opposed to just individual events. This powerful approach can infer a root-cause from multiple events and deliver meaningful, actionable alerts at the same time it prevents false alarms. About Nastel Technologies Nastel Technologies is a global provider of application performance monitoring solution with real-time analytics, comprehensive transaction tracking and forensics. Nastel is a privately held company headquartered in New York, with offices in the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany and Mexico, and a network of partners throughout Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia. For more information, visit us at http://www.nastel.com. We are excited about the possibilities with Watson Analytics and thankful we made the investment with IBM, Teresa Zobrist, CEO of Smart Merchandiser. Smart Merchandiser, a visual eCommerce merchandising solution, was selected as a Finalist for the IBM Beacon Award in the Outstanding Service on Bluemix category at the 2016 IBM PartnerWorld Leadership Conference. The IBM Beacon Awards recognize IBM Business Partners who have delivered exceptional solutions using IBM products and services. With the help of IBM, who accepted Smart Merchandiser as an Independent Software Vendor into their Global Entrepreneur Program in September 2014, Smart Merchandiser SaaS was successfully launched on IBM Bluemix in July 2015 for IBM WebSphere Commerce. With the delivery of Smart Merchandiser SaaS on the Bluemix cloud, more online retailers can afford to utilize the tools powerful online merchandising features to increase their sales revenue and greatly improve their merchandising teams productivity. The SaaS tool combines visual assets such as digital catalog layouts and product thumbnails with in-depth web and social analytics and inventory insight to revolutionize the eCommerce merchandising process. Weve seen a 60 percent increase in productivity, which has freed up the team to do in-depth personalization and testing on the site, something our manual processes didnt allow for previously. -Victoria Reuter, eCommerce Director at JanSport Leveraging the Bluemix platform also allows Smart Merchandiser to expand its capabilities more rapidly by consuming readily available APIs in the Bluemix marketplace, in turn offering a much more intelligent solution to online merchandisers. Besides bringing together analytics data from multiple vendors such as Google Analytics, IBM Analytics and Omniture, ratings and reviews from BazaarVoice and Power Reviews, social intelligence from Twitter, Facebook, Smart Merchandiser is looking ahead to consume Watson Analytics to boost its cognitive ability. We are excited about the possibilities with Watson Analytics and thankful we made the investment with IBM, Teresa Zobrist, CEO of Smart Merchandiser. About Smart Merchandiser Smart Merchandiser is the brainchild of Zobrist Consulting Group, a team that drew from nearly 15 years of experience developing fully integrated eCommerce stores to create a solution that combines real-time analytics with visual assets. Built and deployed in Bluemix, Smart Merchandiser SaaS is available as an integrated service for IBM WebSphere Commerce. Smart Merchandiser has served various leading apparel, accessory and retail brands in the U.S., including Calvin Klein, The North Face, JanSport, Lee, Wrangler, Vans, Timberland and is excited to offer the tool for retailers in Europe. For more information, visit http://www.smartmerchandiser.com and follow on Twitter @Smart_Merch. The AI market promises to be one of the fastest growing business and technology markets over the next decade Trends Equity, Inc. and strategic research partner Lux Research, Inc. today announced AI World Conference and Expo, to be held November, 79, 2016 at the Hilton Parc 55, San Francisco. The conference and exposition is designed to enable global 2000 business executives learn from, and network with, the leaders of the applied AI industry. According to Eliot Weinman, conference founder and CEO of Trends Equity, The AI market promises to be one of the fastest growing business and technology markets over the next decade. Over the past few years weve seen dozens of AI companies quickly acquired by the likes of Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, IBM and others, and according to Venture Scanner, there are 930 global companies, across 13 categories in artificial intelligence that have raised $4.4 billion. Even though the definition of AI remains open, forecasters are trying to quantify AI in dollar terms: Market intelligence firm Tractica forecasts cumulative revenue of $43.5 billion during the ten-year period from 2015 through 2024, Market Research Store predicts AI revenues will be $40 billion in the single year of 2022. This report states that the U.S. currently represents the largest market, and the fastest growing segment is Expert Systems which are increasingly being used in aviation, defense and financial institutions. Reports and Reports believes the advertising and media, finance, and retail sectors will be the main drivers and that total market size will be just $5.05 billion in 2020. The wild range of these forecasts reflect AIs broad applicability and potential, but also confusion, risk, and opportunity to form the future, offers Mark Bunger, conference co-chair and VP of Research with Lux Research. At AI World Conference and Expo we seek to separate the nonsense from the insights, the goldmines from the landmines, and the reality from the hype. Weve created a comprehensive 3-day program that includes more than 40 sessions and workshops, mentor opportunities and entrepreneurial pitches along with an exhibition showcasing leading AI innovators, explains Mr. Weinman. In addition to assisting business leaders to gain a firm grasp on what AI can do to help their companies become more competitive, the objective of the event is also to act as a catalyst and facilitator for the many channels of the emerging AI ecosystem. Theres still time to get involved with the conference and we invite all innovative users, solution providers, entrepreneurs, investors, and media and association partners to join us in advancing the AI industry. About Trends Equity For more than 25 years, the principals of Trends Equity have built industry-leading publications and events in diverse high tech markets such as mobile commerce, telecommunications, enterprise IT, application development and robotics. The company principals have been strategic advisors and partners with many of the world's leading computer software, hardware, services, research, associations and publishing firms. To learn more, please visit http://www.trendsequity.com. About AI Trends AI Trends, a publishing product of Trends Equity, is the leading industry media channel focused on the business and technology of AI. It is designed for business executives wishing to keep track of the major industry business trends, technologies and solutions that can help them keep in front of the fast moving world of AI and to gain competitive advantage. To learn more, please visit http://www.aitrends.com. About Lux Research Lux Research provides strategic advice and ongoing intelligence for emerging technologies. Leaders in business, finance and government rely on us to help them make informed strategic decisions. Through our unique research approach focused on primary research and our extensive global network, we deliver insight, connections and competitive advantage to our clients. To learn more, please visit http://www.luxresearchinc.com. Media and Marketing Contact Kathleen Walsh kw(at)trendsequity(dot)com +1 508 599-4420 x703 Krow PSA is a game-changer for our industry delivering the next generation of service delivery and customer success, said David Vanheukelom, CEO, Krow Software. Krow Software, the Project & Professional Services Automation Company built native on the industrys leading platform from Salesforce today announced explosive growth and customer success since launching only six months ago. This rapid growth has accelerated Krows position as a new industry leader in the Professional Services Automation software category. Recent customer wins include Micro DateNet, ICS Plus, RedPoint CRM, Venture Forth, DMLogic, Safety Skills, Avolve Software, Private Health, Mwendo, Industry Weapon, Invictus Consulting, JigSaw24, Native Rank, and many more. Krow PSA is a game-changer for our industry delivering the next generation of service delivery and customer success said David Vanheukelom, CEO, Krow Software. Our rapid growth has proven that delivering a unified solution from sales to service delivery is a key strategy for companies looking to secure customer retention and revenue growth for the longer term. Customer Highlights Customer Reviews of Krow Software from the Salesforce AppExchange include: As a Salesforce Partner and ERP consulting firm, we have been seeking a complete PSA solution to be added to our consulting practice. We found Krow after implementing a few others and evaluating dozens of others PSA solutions. Without a doubt, Krow is the most amazing. Feature rich, beautifully designed and goes way beyond what others deliver in functionality at a fraction of the cost, - Marvin Fischer, Micro DataNet. We are thrilled to have found Krow. We are a very small project-based company. Our project management needs are pretty robust compared with the size of our company. It's been a challenge to find a software tool that is flexible and agile enough to handle our needs, while still being super easy and fast to use. This is project management software that serves us, rather than the other way around, - Stephanie Morgan, ICS+. "As a Salesforce Partner we needed a tool that would assist us in managing multiple projects and Krow was the answer. By using the Resource Manager I can quickly see which employees are over or under utilize." - Daniel Warren, RedPoint CRM. "Krow has become an indispensable tool for our business. We work on engineering projects and managing the resources can be a huge challenge. The PM functionality has helped us get on top of our projects, while also allowing the company to manage internal marketing and sales campaigns." Dan Manojlovic. Mwendo. About Krow Software Krow helps companies transform service delivery and client success with our next-generation Project & Professional Services Automation (PSA) solution built 100% native on the industry's leading cloud platform from Salesforce, delivering a 10x faster deployment than traditional solutions. Krow provides a single application to manage the performance & profitability of every project, delivering visibility across your business from marketing, sales, and support to services, operations, and finance. http://www.krowsoftware.com Morrison & Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce that Jonathan Levine has joined the firms New York office as a partner in its Business Restructuring & Insolvency Group. Mr. Levine comes to the firm from Andrews Kurth, where he represented ad hoc bondholder groups, indenture trustees, and creditor committees. His addition follows the recent arrival of Peter Declercq and Sonya Van de Graaff as business restructuring and insolvency partners in London. Ive known Jon for nearly a decade and have seen what an outstanding lawyer he is from working opposite him in a number of different matters, said Brett Miller, managing partner of the New York office and a partner in the Business Restructuring & Insolvency Group. Jons practice and his strong corporate background complement our current restructuring capabilities, and make him a great resource for our clients. Jons addition is also particularly timely, given the significant uptick in bankruptcy filings so far in 2016 and the current uncertain global economic climate. The growth of our global restructuring platform is a key component of MoFo's strategic development, said Lorenzo Marinuzzi, global co-chair of the firmwide Business Restructuring & Insolvency Group. Jon brings distinguished restructuring experience to MoFo, strengthening an already impressive bench of high-caliber lawyers. We are thrilled to have him join our team. Mr. Levines practice involves the representation of official and ad hoc creditors and equity committees, significant strategic and financial investors, and debtors/issuers in complex chapter 11 reorganizations and out-of-court restructurings. Mr. Levine regularly advises indenture trustees, hedge funds, and other market participants on a variety of matters. He earned his J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law and his B.A. from Stanford University. Ive worked with numerous lawyers from Morrison & Foersters Business Restructuring & Insolvency Group over the years, and the client-focused culture of the firm was a huge draw for me, said Mr. Levine. Joining the firm gives me the opportunity to expand my practice and represent clients on particularly critical matters. I look forward to beginning the next chapter of my career in the company of attorneys who set the bar in the practice of bankruptcy law. Morrison & Foersters Business Restructuring & Insolvency Group has one of the strongest practices in the industry and has advised on many of the most complex matters in recent years. Its most recent high-profile cases include representing: The creditors committee in the chapter 11 case of Energy Future Holdings Residential Capital as the debtor in its chapter 11 case The chapter 11 trustee for MF Global The winding-up board of LBI (formerly Landsbanki) through its cross-border restructuring and its recently filed composition ABOUT MOFO We are Morrison & Foerster a global firm of exceptional credentials. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, investment banks, Fortune 100, and technology and life sciences companies. The Financial Times has named the firm to its lists of most innovative law firms in North America and Asia every year that it has published its Innovative Lawyers Reports in those regions. In the past few years, Chambers USA has honored MoFos Bankruptcy and IP teams with Firm of the Year awards, the Corporate/M&A team with a client service award, and the firm as a whole as Global USA Firm of the Year. Our lawyers are committed to achieving innovative and business-minded results for our clients, while preserving the differences that make us stronger. President Barack Obama declares state of emergency in Flint, Michigan, as hundreds of thousands remain without access to safe drinking water. The Michigan House approved the $28 million dollars in aid funds requested by Governor Rick Snyder following President Obamas declaration. Despite the influx of funds, Gov. Snyder estimates the deteriorated water system could cost upward of $767 million dollars to repair, if it is even a possibility. Politicians have also brought forward legislation that, if approved, could send up to 600 million dollars to the city to repair the aging infrastructure and treat those exposed to lead in their drinking water. Pelican Water Systems, producers of high-quality and affordable water filtration systems, is responding to the situation by offering their 6-Stage Reverse Osmosis water filtration system at a discounted price in an effort to help residents gain access to safe water. The filtration systems remove up to 98% of lead from water. Pelican systems are NSF-certified and also filter 96% of fluoride and 97% of arsenic out of tap water sources. Offering up to a year of purified drinking water through the use of additional filters, Pelican Water Systems provide some of best longevity for water filters on the market today. Systems are designed to fit compactly under counter and are able to be simply and quickly installed by anyone. Many believe the lead crisis was prompted by a money saving measure to find cost savings through less expensive water resources instituted by a state appointed emergency-manager in 2011. At that time, the water supply began to be drawn from the Flint River, which is extremely corrosive since older water lines through the city contain lead. The result was caustic waste leaching off of the pipes and into homes. While the water could have been treated with an anti-corrosive agent, it was not. Residents began consuming water laced with dangerously high lead levels for an extended period of time. First reported in January of 2015, ongoing testing have detected levels as high as 397 parts per billion in some homes. While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes that there is no level at which lead in the water is safe, they generally only get involved when lead levels reach 15 parts per billion or greater. City officials urged residents to stop consuming city water in October of 2015 following the detection of high levels of lead detected in childrens blood samples. Residents were also advised not to use unfiltered water for cooking or bathing. The consumption of lead through water can have serious and long-term health implications including damage to the nervous system, stunted growth in children, and the development of some learning and behavior disabilities. In adults, prolonged exposure can cause high blood pressure and problems in the kidneys. While funds are now funneling into the impoverished city, a long-lasting remedy to the tainted water supply may still be many months away from realization. A proposed action plan is not expected until mid-April, and even then real results could be months away. About Pelican Water Systems PelicanWater.com is the official, factory-direct retail website for Pelican Water Systems, providing professional knowledge and leading technologies in whole house water filtration, countertop water filtration systems, UV bacteria disinfection systems, as well as salt-free water softening and conditioning systems. Pelican Water products use cutting-edge technology and enable customers to go green by eliminating wasteful and harmful salt brine discharge that is polluting our valuable fresh water resources. For over a decade, Pelican Water has stayed true to their mission statement: being a company that helps families enjoy cleaner, safer, better-tasting water in their homes in an environmentally-friendly way. Pelican Water has been and continues to be the global market leader in salt-free water softening system. For more information about Pelican Water Systems, visit PelicanWater.com. What I really love is redoing my patients' smiles, creating that perfect smile that reflects their true self. It's something that's part science and part art Seven months ago, Dr. Gulia Omene took over the ownership of a popular dental practice in Paoli, and with the transition behind her, the cosmetic and family dentist is now ready to highlight the new dental services she has to offer local families. To that end, as of February 1, 2016, Omene Family and Cosmetic Dentistry is offering more than $500 off the popular Invisalign clear braces, a cosmetic dental procedure, to all patients who schedule an appointment before February 29, 2016. The treatment normally costs $4,750, but Dr. Omene is offering a special price of $4,199 until the end of the month. In addition, Dr. Omene recently updated the practice's website, which emphasizes her warm, personalized approach to dental services. As an experienced cosmetic dentist, she says the goal is to make patients feel at ease from the moment they first visit the website. At the new Omene Family and Cosmetic Dentistry office, she looks forward to helping both new and existing patients learn to love their smiles. "What I really love is redoing my patients' smiles, creating that perfect smile that reflects their true self. It's something that's part science and part art," Dr. Omene said. Dr. Omene recently relocated to Paoli with her husband and two young daughters. She's also an active member of the American Dental Association, the Academy of General Dentistry, and the Pennsylvania Dental Association, as well as an Assistant Editor of the Pennsylvania Dental Journal. Like the practices previous owner, Omene Family and Cosmetic Dentistry will operate as a single-dentist family practice, so every time a patient and their family comes in for an appointment they will see the same dentist, whether for routine checkups or cosmetic procedures. Dr. Omene hopes this will build a lasting doctor-patient relationship, wherein she gets to know her patients while they in turn always feel comfortable with her. "Most of our patients have been with us for a long time, we like to think of them as an extension of our family, we like to treat them that way," Dr. Omene said. "Our big focus is making sure our patients are educated on both how to get the best oral health they can and also all the options available to them to improve their smile." About Omene Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Omene Cosmetic and Family Dentistry is a Paoli, Pennsylvania-based company that provides the cosmetic dental services that families want and need including teeth whitening, dental implants, veneers, Invisalign, and more. Owner Dr. Gulia Omene is an active member of the American Dental Association, the Academy of General Dentistry, and the Pennsylvania Dental Association. Dr. Omene is committed to both excellent patient care and building long-lasting patient-doctor relationships. For more information on the Omene Dentistry dental clinic, please call (610) 981-1711 or visit http://www.omenedentistry.com to learn more. Taste to Educate Menu We are so honored to have had the support of local companies like Continental. With their help, we are able to continue helping childhood cancer survivors take back their lives and realize their dreams of a college education. On January 30, 2016 at Seattles Impact Hub, Cancer for College held its 9th annual Taste to Educate fundraising dinner, sponsored in part by Continental Van Lines, a Seattle Moving Company. Cancer for College, originally founded in San Diego, California by two-time cancer survivor, Craig Pollard, is a non-profit organization that since its inception in 1994 has granted over 2.5 million in college scholarships to childhood cancer survivors across the country. As a nationally recognized non-profit organization, CFC recognizes the financial consequence families face after paying for a childs life-saving cancer treatments. With savings depleted, there is often no money left for aspirations like a college education. This years Taste to Educate was hosted by Cancer for Colleges Pacific Northwest Director, Abby Houck. At the age of nine, Houck was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, and remained in treatment for over two years. Despite the financial burden of treatment costs, Houck did not let go of her aspiration to attend the University of Washington in Seattle. With the financial aid provided by Cancer for College, Houck fulfilled her dream and graduated from the University of Washington in 2012. She has since dedicated her time to helping other childhood cancer survivors achieve their dreams of attending college. Guests of the Taste to Educate fundraiser were treated to a live performance from musical group Rockys Revival, several auction items including a signed Felix Hernandez jersey and tickets to a live comedy show performed by Will Ferrell and friends. The dinner featured a four course meal with wine pairings from Tsillan Cellars, Fielding Hills Winery, Chelan Estate Winery, and Cairdeas Winery. In just three hours, Taste to Educates sold-out event brought in over $50,000 in college scholarship donations; exceeding last years contributions by over 40%. We are so honored to have had the support of local companies like Continental. With their help, we are able to continue helping childhood cancer survivors take back their lives and realize their dreams of a college education, stated Houck. This is Continentals second year partnering with Cancer for College and sponsoring their annual Taste to Educate fundraising event. CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will offer skills sessions Feb. 20, from 1 to 5 p.m., and March 10, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center. Hunter education is required to buy a firearms hunting permit in Missouri for any hunter born on or after Jan. 1, 1967. Hunters must complete step one, a knowledge portion, and step two, a skills session, in order to become hunter education certified. Either of these two scheduled skills sessions will meet the step two requirement. Hunter education has reduced hunting accidents and deaths by more than 70 percent since it became mandatory, said DeeDee Dockins, MDC outdoor skills specialist. This is why we recommend all hunters become hunter-education certified. Before registering for a skills session, individuals must first complete part one online, through self-study, or by attending a classroom session. To attend the skills session, they must bring their skills session qualifier certificate or a student manual with their completed review questions. Hunter education student manuals are available everywhere hunting permits are sold. Manuals are also available by mail. A final exam is administered at the end of the skills session. Students must be 11 years of age at the start of the class and those 15 and under must provide proof of age. Students are asked to arrive at least 15 minutes before the beginning of the skills session to make time for registration. Hunter Education Program provides a foundation in hunting safety and ethics. It instills responsibility, improves skills and knowledge, and encourages interaction between beginner and veteran hunters. Missouri hunter education includes information on how firearms work and firearm safety, wildlife identification, game care, survival and first-aid skills, hunting techniques, awareness about wildlife conservation and management and rules and information unique to hunting in Missouri. To register for one of these two skills sessions, or to find other courses and more information on hunter education in Missouri, go online to mdc.mo.gov. Outdoor Living Brands World-Class Franchise Opportunities Continued stress from our hectic lives, a desire to spend more quality day and evening time outdoors with family and friends or to simply enjoy nature has increased the interest in all four of our brands, said Outdoor Living Brands' CEO Chris Grandpre. Fresh off a record year with recent accolades from Entrepreneur Magazine recognizing three of its key brands, Outdoor Living Brands (OLB) has launched its 2016 season by opening approximately 40 new locations across 19 states and Canada, proving that serving homeowners and the outdoor living category is big business. Entrepreneur Magazine recently named Mosquito Squad as the number one ranked franchise in the pest control category, with an overall ranking of #249 on the top franchise lists. Outdoor Lighting Perspectives was ranked at #362, closely followed by Renew Crew at #375. These awards follow notable accolades from Inc. Magazines Fastest Growing Companies and other industry resources. Outdoor Living Brands now boasts 318 franchises in 42 states. Chris Grandpre, Chairman and CEO of Outdoor Living Brands, said the concept of enjoying an outdoor living lifestyle, whether through creating a comfortable outdoor space, lighting it, maintaining it, or protecting it from mosquitoes and ticks, continues to be a priority for homeowners. Continued stress from our hectic lives, a desire to spend more quality day and evening time outdoors with family and friends or to simply enjoy nature has increased the interest in all four of our brands, he said. We expect each of our businesses to post substantial increases in 2016, especially our Mosquito Squad and Renew Crew business units. To support its rapidly growing franchise structure, Outdoor Living Brands has increased corporate staff, appointing long-time Archadeck franchisee Michael Reeder as Vice President and Brand Leader for Archadeck. As one of the top performing Archadeck offices for more than a decade, Reeders team generated sales of more than $2 million while receiving high customer satisfaction ratings. Outdoor Living Brands also added staff in its information technology, on-line marketing and franchise operations teams to support new technology launches across all brands. Grandpre added that this is the time to join the outdoor living business, if not to leverage the fact that Americans are more and more desirous of spending time outside, then due to the increase in mosquito and tick borne illnesses. Just in the last few weeks, every major news outlet including Time Magazine and USA Today have covered the challenge of controlling mosquito borne illness such as Chikungunya and Zika, while the spread of Lyme disease was reported to be more geographically diverse than we ever anticipated. For information on acquiring an Outdoor Living Brands franchise, visit http://www.outdoorlivingbrands.com About Outdoor Living Brands Outdoor Living Brands is a national franchisor specializing in the outdoor living industry. With 318 franchised locations, its award-winning brands include Archadeck Outdoor Living, Mosquito Squad, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives and Renew Crew. Outdoor Living Brands' franchise concepts have been continually recognized for excellence by many organizations, including Inc. Magazine (Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011), Franchise Research Institute for franchise excellence (2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010) and Franchise Business Review for franchisee satisfaction (2013, 2012, 2011, 2010). For franchise information, visit http://www.OutdoorLivingBrands.com. This honor measures our continued dedication to providing partners and end-users with best in breed integrated business communication solutions and customer service. CallTower is proud to be named among the top five Conferencing Providers for 2015, by the Telecom Association. Over 3,800 members of the Association voted across the United States and highlighted CallTowers mission to deliver best in breed enterprise-class communications solutions for growing organizations nationwide. The distinction of Top 5 Best Conferencing Provider in the industry is determined by reviews from the members of the Telecom Association. This honor showcases CallTowers long-term commitment of providing next generation business communication solutions and customer service excellence. "Our association members are heavily experienced technology industry consultants and channel sales partners that have compared all the best and affordable vendors against one another before recommending one or two to their business clients who view them as trusted advisors," stated Telecom Association's Executive Director, Dan Baldwin. "They know which vendors to watch out for and which ones to recommend so having them review CallTower as the Top 5 means CallTower is both trusted and proven in the Conferencing and Wholesale Conferencing categories." According to CallTowers, Chief Product Officer, Shaun Chambers We are honored to once again be recognized by members of the Telecom Association for our dedication to conferencing. It's not by chance that CallTower received this award; this is our fourth consecutive year being championed in this category. This honor measures our continued dedication to providing partners and end-users with best in breed integrated business communication solutions and customer service." About Telecom Association Founded in 1996, Telecom Association is a professional membership organization of 3,800 individual members and over 50 telecom and technology vendors that help businesses with their phone, voice, Internet and data network integration needs. About CallTower CallTower exists to enable people to easily connect to transact business communications. CallTower is a leading provider of cloud-based, enterprise-class unified communications solutions for growing organizations worldwide. We provide, integrate and support industry-leading, cloud-based, Unified Communications and Collaboration services for business customers. We enhance our clients strategic and operational capabilities by integrating VoIP service, mobile applications, email hosting, unified messaging, instant messaging, audio, web and video conferencing, collaboration tools, contact center, cloud services and global networks solutions into one reliable platform. Attorney Joseph M. Lichtenstein, founder of the New York-based medical malpractice firm the Law Firm of Joseph M. Lichtenstein, will be lecturing to his colleagues at the American Association of Justice 2016 Winter Convention. On March 1, the final day of the conference in Boca Raton, FL, Mr. Lichtenstein will present a lecture, entitled "Dealing With Defense Oriented Literature," part of a broader specialized CLE track, "Overcoming Obstacles in the Medical Negligence Case." The American Association of Justice (AAJ) is the largest trial lawyer organization in the country that works with injured plaintiffs. Mr. Lichtenstein regularly serves as a faculty member at the annual AAJ conferences. The 2016 Winter Conference, which is being held from Saturday, Feb. 27 to Tuesday, March 1, allows plaintiff lawyers and other legal professionals to earn up to a year's worth of CLE credits. The lecture caps a busy winter for The Law Firm of Joseph M. Lichtenstein, which has experienced a number of internal staff additions in recent months. This February, the firm is welcoming their new Associate Theodore McKinley Thornton. Mr. Lichtenstein believes that Mr. Thornton is both a highly motivated and creative lawyer who will be a valuable addition to the firm. The firm also recently welcomed Marjorie Cusick as a new senior paralegal. Cusick has decades of experience as a paralegal and office manager handling complex litigation. Looking forward, the firm will be trying a number of complicated medical malpractice cases involving newborn children in 2016. In 2012, Mr. Lichtenstein overturned the maternal forces of labor defense, which had previously stood for 20 years and was a major obstacle in many malpractice cases. About The Law Firm of Joseph M. Lichtenstein The Law Firm of Joseph M. Lichtenstein is a New York, New York-based law office that provides the victims of medical malpractice with the legal representation they need. The Law Firm of Joseph M. Lichtenstein P.C. has a proven record of achieving substantial verdicts as high as $47 million, with frequent seven-figure settlements, even in cases other firms determined were too difficult to prosecute. For more information on the Law Firm of Joseph M. Lichtenstein, please call (888) 392-3104 or visit http://www.medicalattorneyny.com to learn more. We have a fantastic past, but we will not live in the past, you have to grow from the past. And that's what we've been doing. The Forum Group officially passed the 100 employee mark in early February thanks to its aggressive hiring strategy. Frank Fusaro, President and CEO of The Forum Group, is well aware of how crucial these new hires are to the growth of the firm. "In this or any business, there's no standing still; you're either going to grow, or you're going to contract. We have a fantastic past, but we will not live in the past, you have to grow from the past. And that's what we've been doing," said Fusaro. The 42-year-old company currently employs over thirty individuals who have been with the company for 20 years or more, and has had another ten retire after a successful career with the firm, an almost unheard of statistic in the staffing industry. Now, The Forum Group isn't just "replacing" departed employees, but aggressively hiring to continue to grow the business. Over the past three years, The Forum Group has engaged approximately 40 extremely talented individuals and is committed to ambitiously growing their team well beyond the 100 employee milestone. Fusaro has never been one to rest on his laurels. In addition to his work with The Forum Group, Fusaro is the past President and current Chairman of the Board of Columbus Citizens Foundation, a 600-member philanthropic organization. He conceived of and developed the Foundations Adopt-a- Scholar Program, which has raised more than $15 million in scholarship funding for children of need. He also serves on the Board of the Cooleys Anemia Foundation and directs an annual fundraising event on their behalf, which has now raised more than $3 million for research and patient services. Additionally, Fusaro directed the Annual Columbus Day Parade on Fifth Avenue for an eight-year period and received the title of Commendatore of the Legions of Merit, presented by the President of Italy, for his leadership in the Italian-American Community. Fusaro firmly believes that a successful company cannot afford to rest on past successes and he's looking forward to further growth in 2016. About The Forum Group The Forum Group is a New York, New York-based leader in the staffing, vendor management and consulting fields, providing clients with the finest in human capital, process management, and financial consulting services. For nearly 40 years, the Forum Group has developed the areas of staffing expertise most sought by clients, large and small. Accordingly, the company services clients ranging from entrepreneurial startups to Fortune 100 global giants. For more information on the Forum Group, please call 212-687-4050 or visit Forumgrp.com to learn more. North Americas largest and most prestigious design event for interiors, ICFF, will premiere ICFF Miami October 5 & 6, 2016, at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The Fair will present hundreds of leading brands addressing every facet of better interiors for residential, hospitality, commercial and high end retail. The event will feature lighting, furniture, seating, wall coverings, carpet and floorings, kitchen & bath, accessories, textiles and materials, shown by top names and emerging designers from around the globe. Registration opens June 28, 2016 at http://www.icffmiami.com. Luxe Interiors + Design will join ICFF Miami with a major pavilion feature showcasing the finest luxury brands offering classic contemporary styling. The ICFF team has been working to bring the ICFF to Miami Beach for over two years, said Kevin OKeefe, ICFF Event Director. You can be very sure we will deliver a spectacular platform to our exhibitors and attendees in October expect a landmark event in the design industry. The event will be introduced to over 700,000 qualified architects, designers, developers, and retail showrooms who participate in ICFF, the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), GlobalShop, and the Hospitality Design Expo, as well as those who receive design:retail, Contract, Kitchen + Bath Business, and Hospitality Design magazines. Additionally, Luxe Interiors + Design will share the event with tens of thousands of key architects and interior designers, high-end retailers and their more than 400,000 affluent readers. Miami is one of the strongest marketplace for our Luxe Interiors + Design brand, said Janice Browne, SVP, Group Publisher, of Luxe Media Group. It is a hotbed of luxury development and a preferred investment destination for high wealth individuals from all over the globe. The Miami market is a leading global center of luxury, ranking with New York as the only North American cities that make the top ten list of the Wealth Report, issued annually by London-based real estate consultancy, Knight Frank. ICFF Miami exhibitors can expect to meet the architects, designers and developers that drive regional luxury development as well as high end retail showrooms, and a fine complement of design and retail influencers from the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America. Member of the press who would like additional information on ICFF Miami should contact Kristen Jenkins, White Good, 717.396.0200; ext. 206 or at kjenkins(at)whitegood(dot)com. For ICFF Miami marketing opportunities, please contact Heather Wood, ICFF Marketing Manager, at heather.wood(at)icff(dot)com or at 770.291.5426. About ICFF and ICFF Miami ICFF is the premier North American global Design showcase for interior furniture, seating, carpet and flooring, lighting, outdoor furniture, materials, wall coverings, accessories, textiles, kitchen and bath and fabricators, attracting more than 700 exhibitors and 32,000 attendees from around the world. The 28th annual ICFF is scheduled for May 14-17, 2016, at New York Citys Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Visit http://www.icff.com for more information. The first annual ICFF Miami will debut on October 5 & 6, 2016, at the Miami Beach Convention Center, presenting hundreds of leading brands and addressing every facet of better interiors for residential, hospitality, commercial and high end retail. Visit http://www.icffmiami.com for more information. About The Design Group The Design Group, part of Emerald Expositions, is the media and event nexus for North Americas design industry. The Design Group comprises ICFF, the Hospitality Design Expo, GlobalShop and the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), as well as major media platforms that include Hospitality Design, Contract, design:retail and K+BB. ### Cornerstone Research, a leading provider of economic and financial consulting and expert testimony, announced today that the firm is promoting four staff members to Vice President: Eric Bickford, Kivanc Kirgiz, Jennifer McCabe, and Dina Older Aguilar. The firm is also promoting three staff to Principal: Vivek Mani, Pierrick Morel, and Eric Tam; and one to Senior Advisor: Carlyn Irwin. The group of leaders we are advancing this week have many decades of combined experience in economic and financial consulting with our firm, said Cornerstone Research President and CEO Michael E. Burton. These individuals are terrific mentors to their colleagues and exemplify our dedication to delivering outstanding value to our clients and experts. Promotions to Vice President Eric Bickford consults on matters involving securities and investment activity, financial institutions, and labor and compensation issues. He addresses institutional practices and factors related to trading data in equity and debt markets. Mr. Bickford analyzes large datasets on compensation, mutual fund accounting records, client fixed-income trading records, intraday equities trading, and brokerage account information. He is based in the New York office. Kivanc Kirgiz specializes in large-scale antitrust and competition matters. He consults on collusion, price-fixing, monopolization, exclusionary conduct, and merger matters. Dr. Kirgiz also has extensive experience in Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) litigation, especially in company stock drop and excessive fees litigation, and in actuarial malpractice cases. He is located in the Washington office. Jennifer McCabe consults on a variety of financial institution matters, including regulatory and civil investigations related to manipulation of financial markets, as well as matters involving consumer finance products. Many of these involve analyzing large, complex transactional datasets. Ms. McCabe is based in the Washington office. Dina Older Aguilar is one of the leaders of Cornerstone Researchs healthcare practice. She specializes in complex business litigation matters that involve issues related to antitrust, intellectual property, consumer fraud and product liability, and labor. Ms. Older Aguilar works on cases involving healthcare, agriculture and biotechnology, petroleum, automotive, computer hardware and software, financial services, and consumer products. She is also a testifying expert and is based in the San Francisco office. Promotion to Senior Advisor Carlyn Irwin is a testifying expert and litigation consultant with more than twenty years of experience and a particular focus on accounting matters. Ms. Irwin analyzes financial and economic issues, prepares damages claims, and conducts financial forensic analysis. She is a CPA, certified in financial forensics, accredited in business valuation, and a certified fraud examiner. She is based in the Los Angeles office. Promotions to Principal Vivek Manis work spans antitrust and competition, financial institutions, intellectual property, and securities. Mr. Mani is experienced in all phases of the litigation process, working with experts to prepare reports and testimony. Based in New York, he has extensive experience leading case teams on high-stakes matters involving complex statistical analysis of large proprietary datasets. Pierrick Morel focuses on matters relating to securities, finance, and financial institutions. He has experience with cases involving intellectual property, general damages, bankruptcy, and forensic accounting. Mr. Morel performs complex quantitative analyses that draw on his expertise in research engineering, mathematical modeling, economics, and finance. He is based in the Los Angeles office. Eric Tam has more than a decade of experience working on cases involving financial institutions and securities. He has particular expertise at the intersection of finance and data analytics, with extensive experience in matters requiring sophisticated analyses of large volumes of information. Mr. Tam works in the Menlo Park office. About Cornerstone Research Cornerstone Research provides economic and financial consulting and expert testimony in all phases of complex litigation and regulatory proceedings. The firm works with an extensive network of prominent faculty and industry practitioners to identify the best-qualified expert for each assignment. Cornerstone Research has earned a reputation for consistent high quality and effectiveness by delivering rigorous, state-of-the-art analysis for over 25 years. The firm has 600 staff and offices in Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Menlo Park, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. Please visit Cornerstone Researchs website for more information about the firms capabilities in economic and financial consulting and expert testimony. Twitter: @Cornerstone_Res Duck Donuts: warm, delicious, and made-to-order. Duck Donuts is excited to join forces with franchise owners Mark and Susan Griffin to debut 4 locations in the Sunshine State. With its robust and growing retail market, Orlando is the ideal region to introduce our uniquely delicious donut experience. Russ DiGilio, founder and owner of Duck Donuts Franchising Company LLC, is bringing his nationally acclaimed warm, delicious, made-to-order donuts to Orlando, Florida. Duck Donuts will open four new locations in the Orlando region beginning this summer. Lauded as the most visited destination in the country, Orlando welcomed 64 million visitors last year, an all-time record for the U.S. travel industry. Duck Donuts is excited to join forces with franchise owners Mark and Susan Griffin to make our debut in the Sunshine State. Recently named by Expedia as the Destination to Watch for 2016 and a legitimate foodie destination, Orlando is the ideal region to introduce our uniquely delicious donut experience, says DiGilio. And Orlando is a robust and growing retail market#1 in the country according to Forbes. We first experienced Duck Donuts in 2007 while vacationing in Duck, North Carolina. After our kids had their first Duck Donuts, it quickly became a must do part of our vacation each year. With each summer visit to Duck Donuts, we discussed how incredible it would be to bring this experience from one of the places we love to another place we loveOrlando! Our goal is to bring visiting families the opportunity to have the same type of positive experience and make the same great memories here in Orlando that we have made at Duck Donuts each year, says Mark Griffin. Each of the four Orlando Duck Donuts stores will range from 1,200 SF to 1,500 SF and will include indoor and outdoor seating. Duck Donuts is a family establishment focused on bringing custom donut creations to families across America. Orlando, a world-famous community built on making memories, tourism, and dining choices is a natural fit for us. Mark and Susan are excited to be a valuable addition to the Orlando business community, DiGilio says. Donuts are made fresh to order 7 days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. For Grand Opening specials and donut topping updates, visit the Duck Donuts Orlando Facebook page or connect on the web at DuckDonuts.com. Stay tuned for 25 more Duck Donuts locations soon-to-be announced. ABOUT DUCK DONUTS Duck Donuts was founded in 2006 by Russ DiGilio in Duck, North Carolina. His intention? To solve a family vacation problem: Our family wanted a place to buy warm, delicious, made-to-order donuts, and when we couldnt find one, we decided to start our own. By 2011, Duck Donuts had expanded to four Outer Banks locations and the donut business was so successful that DiGilio was continuously approached about franchise opportunities and by fans who begged for a Duck Donuts in their communities. The first franchise opened in Williamsburg, VA, in 2013 and there are now over 20 open franchise locations. Future Duck Donuts store openings are scheduled for: Rockville, MD March 2016 Lancaster, PA April 2016 Mechanicsburg, PA May 2016 Avalon, NJ May 2016 Wilmington, NC May 2016 Woodbridge, VA Summer 2016 THE DUCK DONUTS EXPERIENCE We discovered that the most powerful marketing advantage we have is the aroma of warm donuts wafting from every store. Our light vanilla cake donut is a little crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, made fresh right in front of you, hand-dipped in hot icing, and sprinkled with your choice of delicious toppings and drizzles. Its that simple. Children love to stand on the strategically placed step in the waiting area, allowing them to see the entire process, as the donut machine cooks and carries their donuts down the line, where they are dipped, topped, packaged, and served warm in the box. Duck Donuts serves its own signature coffee blendsRiptide Roast, Light House Blend, and Sunset Pier Decaf with new special seasonal flavors changing throughout the yearand offers breakfast options, as well as catering services at most locations. Indoor and outdoor seating is available at most locations. For customers who dont yet have a location in their neighborhood, or wish to gift a delicious box of Duck Donuts to someone far away, order specialty Flash Frozen donuts at DuckDonuts.com. To learn more or to share your Duck Donuts experience, Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, or send us a Tweet. As we continue to expand and create a national footprint, Chriss breadth of experience and passion will allow us to dive deeper into our existing marketspace. Rightpoint, a technology and design services company headquartered in Chicago with offices in Detroit and Denver, announced that Chris Miller has been named Director of Business Development. Chris will work out of Rightpoints corporate headquarters in Chicago. In his role, Chris is responsible for leading the business development team and expansion of Rightpoints services. Chris will also be part of Rightpoints leadership team. He is a strategic addition to Rightpoint as the company continues to innovate at the intersection of business, marketing and technology. Prior to Rightpoint, Chris worked for 10+ years at SoftwareONE, most recently as Vice President, Southeast Asia where he oversaw sales and operations, as well as global and international strategies. There he helped lead and direct all sales and business development across five countries within Southeast Asia. Chris brings more than 20 years of experience in business development space. Chris brings a tremendous amount of sales leadership best practices to Rightpoint. We couldnt be more excited to have someone of his caliber join us. said Rightpoint Co-founder Ross Freedman. As we continue to expand and create a national footprint, Chriss breadth of experience and passion will allow us to dive deeper into our existing marketspace. Its exciting to be joining the Rightpoint team, said Chris. The digital landscape is constantly changing and I am passionate about bringing the right solutions to clients. Rightpoints business development team is a key component to their success, and I look forward to helping lead more client success in my new role. About Rightpoint Rightpoint is a technology and design services company serving Fortune 1,000 companies. The company makes experiences that amplify brands and business through creative and technology services including web, mobile, social, IoT, eCommerce and cloud. With a client base of more than 250 companies, Rightpoint was named to Forbes 2014 list of America's Most Promising Companies and Crains 50 Fastest Growing Companies in Chicago in 2015. For more information, visit rightpoint.com and follow @Rightpoint. We looked for a solution that could provide the reminders needed for good clinical care based upon evidence based medicine and selected Simbiote to accomplish this goal. Simbiote, a leader in care management, population health management solutions, announced today an agreement with Harbor Health Services to provide automation for risk stratification, care monitoring and dynamic real time point of care alerts to improve quality and meet value based care requirements. Based in Mattapan, MA, Harbor Health Services, was the first community health center in the US, founded in 1965 as Americas Health Centers. Our unique solution automatically adds qualifying at risk patients to disease registries each day, monitors chart data for gaps in care and presents them at the point of care where providers can then take action during the visit. This automation and point of care support will help Harbor Health on their mission to improve quality said Maria Walker, VP of Sales. Doctor Bob Hoch, CMO for Harbor Health Services shares We always assumed an EHR would give us good point of care reminders. In reality, our EHR does not do this well currently. We looked for a solution that could provide the reminders needed for good clinical care based upon evidence based medicine and selected Simbiote to accomplish this goal From a financial perspective, Harbor Health wanted a way to support care teams to improve quality measures, which in turn supports higher pay for performance revenues. They knew CareSentry would reinforce that the right care was provided at the right time, and documented correctly. Abby Sharpe, Director of Clinical Applications said We wanted a solution that was user friendly for the providers, which was seamlessly integrated into our workflow and easy for staff to know exactly what to do. About Simbiote Development Simbiote is a healthcare technology company providing unique automated point of care technology which seamlessly integrates with EHRs to improve clinical and financial outcomes. Simbiote provides care management, disease registry, population health management and clinical research patient recruitment solutions. Visit http://www.simbiote.com About Harbor Health Services: Harbor Health Services, Inc. is a nonprofit, public health agency committed to providing quality, comprehensive health care to underserved populations in urban Boston neighborhoods, the South Shore of Massachusetts and Cape Cod. Harbor administers a Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) that provides multidisciplinary care to frail elders to improve longevity and quality of life. Harbors Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program serves more than 3000 women and their children. Visit http://www.hhsi.us Robert J. Scott Entering into cloud computing contracts without understanding the inherent risks can cripple an otherwise healthy organization. One of todays hot topics in technology transactions is cloud computing. Businesses are focusing on the potential cost savings, profits and agility to be found in the cloud. Entering into cloud computing contracts without understanding the inherent risks can cripple an otherwise healthy organization. On February 25th, Robert J. Scott, Managing Partner in technology law firm, Scott & Scott, LLP, will cover how to address these risks through proper contracting and risk transfer using insurance in Texas Lawyers In-House Counsel CLE series. The ability to safely leverage cloud-based technology offerings is becoming increasingly important as cloud adoption continues to grow. Robert J. Scott will address the various legal challenges for businesses utilizing or providing cloud computing services. He will identify the three areas that present the highest risk - business, legal and regulatory - and offer suggestions for mitigating those risks including the place for cyber risk insurance. Rob will highlight contract issues that should be covered in agreements, such as: What happens if there is a data loss? What jurisdiction will prevail if there is litigation? What regulatory issues affect the business? What is the document retention policy? Will encryption be used in data storage and transmission? How and in what format will data be kept? What tools will be available to access data for any e-discovery needs? What country will data be stored? What indemnification does the vendor offer for infringement of third-party intellectual property rights? Texas Lawyer's In-House Counsel CLE series presents sessions on the best practices for in-house counsel in a variety of practice areas. For more information about the workshop or to register please click here. About Robert J. Scott Robert represents mid-market and large enterprise companies in software license transactions and disputes with major software publishers such as Adobe, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle and SAP. He has defended over 225 software audit matters initiated by software piracy trade groups such as the BSA and SIIA. He is counsel to some of the world's largest corporations on information technology matters including intellectual property licensing, risk management, data privacy, and outsourcing. Robert ensures that Scott & Scott, LLP continues its focus on cost-effective strategies that deliver positive results. He is regularly called upon by his peers and the media to share his expertise. -30- Joint research with Cubas leading scientific institutions such as its Molecular Immunology Center could lead to breakthroughs in cancer treatment and prevention. Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba (MEDICC) today recommended specific actions by President Obama to improve Americans health through greater cooperation between the United States and Cuba. Most important, the organization says, is for the president to authorize Cuban-developed pharmaceutical products be reviewed through the same regulatory process as medicines from other countries, without the extra hurdles they now face. This step, plus other executive actions outlined in a white paper released today, could have far-reaching benefits for the health of thousands of Americans. For example, approximately 75,000 of the 29 million diabetics in the U.S. will require amputation from diabetic foot ulcers. International scientific articles show that a Cuban medication, unavailable in the U.S., reduces the risk of diabetic foot amputation by over 70 percent in countries where it is accessible. Numerous Cuban innovations, such as a promising lung cancer vaccine that could extend life and quality of life, are helping patients worldwide but not in the U.S., said MEDICC executive director Dr. Pierre LaRamee. Joint research with Cubas leading scientific institutions such as its Molecular Immunology Center could lead to breakthroughs in cancer treatment and prevention. With the presidents moonshot commitment to fight cancer, all research leads and partners should be explored. The MEDICC white paper A Safer, Healthier Future through U.S.-Cuba Cooperation highlights actions the president can take, including general authorizations for: Cuban-developed pharmaceutical and other medical products to be subject to the same regulatory tests as those from other countries, eliminating extra hurdles and making U.S.approved Cuban medical treatments more quickly available to American patients. U.S. pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies to include Cuban hospitals and health centers in their clinical trials, potentially speeding up the approval process of new U.S. drugs by expanding the pool of qualified participants required for testing. Cubas Public Clinical Trials Registry, accredited by the World Health Organization, has experience with testing similar to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirements. U.S. persons to travel to Cuban for medical treatment, providing Americans with more medical options, including Cuban services and treatments recognized worldwide. U.S. federal agencies to actively communicate and collaborate with Cuba to maximize bilateral cooperation, jointly addressing health emergencies in the U.S., Cuba and globally, including natural disasters and epidemics such as Ebola, dengue and Zika. Since 1997, MEDICC has worked to enhance cooperation among the U.S., Cuban and global health communities aimed at better health outcomes and equity. MEDICC produced the feature film Salud! and publishes the MEDLINE-indexed journal MEDICC Review. MEDICC supports research in Cuba by U.S. health professionals, assists U.S. students and graduates of Havanas Latin American Medical School to return to U.S. underserved communities, and organizes Community Partnerships for Health Equity to improve health care and access in communities including: South Los Angeles and Oakland, CA; Albuquerque, NM; Bronx, New York; Summit County, Ohio; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Red Mesa, Navajo Nation; as well as with four California Endowment Building Healthy Communities sites (Kern County, Del Norte County, San Diego and South Los Angeles). See: http://www.medicc.org and http://www.medicc.org/mediccreview 'This solution is particularly important to us because it was based on our new IIoT platform, SensorInsight, and is deployed in East Africa for Oxfam,' said Steven Gerhardt, Managing Partner and CEO at Element Blue. Element Blue, a leading IT consulting firm and solution provider of IBM software products, today announced that it has been awarded the prestigious IBM Beacon Award for its SensorInsight platform solution. The awards recognize IBM Business Partners who have delivered exceptional solutions proven to drive business value and transform the way their clients, their industries and the world do business in the following industries: energy, public safety, transportation, water, building, social services and agencies. "We are honored to have received the Beacon Award for Community Service and its significance in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). This solution is particularly important to us because it was based on our new IIoT platform, SensorInsight, and is deployed in East Africa for Oxfam," said Steven Gerhardt, Managing Partner and CEO at Element Blue. Element Blue's Community Service Award entry is focused on its work with Oxfam International, a global organization working to right the wrongs of poverty, hunger and injustice. Oxfam saves lives, develops long-term solutions to poverty, and campaigns for social change. In Africa, Oxfam worked alongside local communities to expand the network of independent water points across Northern Kenya and Ethiopia. Lack of access to safe, reliable water is an ongoing problem in East Africa. With thousands of water points in place, Oxfam needed a system in place for monitoring and maximizing the efficiency of the water lifecycle. Providing visibility and trend analysis with SensorInsight, it allows NGOs and government agencies to respond more quickly to fluctuations and situations with the water supply. The Oxfam project is an example of how SensorInsight with IBM's integrated software greatly improved aspects of water and resource management. Vincent Njorge, Element Blues Managing Director, Africa, accepted the award Wednesday night during the 11th Annual IBM PartnerWorld Leadership Conference in Orlando, FL. To keep up with the emerging cognitive era, IBM Business Partners must deliver innovative solutions that unlock the value of data for customers in a whole new way, said Marc Dupaquier, general manager, IBM Global Business Partners. As a Beacon Award winner, Element Blue embodies this ideal, consistently presenting clients with new ways of solving problems and transforming their industries with IBM solutions. New this year are awards for cloud computing innovation and smart solutions for industry segments such as banking, insurance, retail, travel and transportation, energy & utilities, telecommunications, healthcare and government. These additions underpin the growing importance of developing the industry and technical skills needed to help clients increase business growth, customer satisfaction and profitability. IBM also announced winners of the new IBM ChoiceAwards, honoring Business Partners which have demonstrated business excellence in delivering IBM-based solutions. The 2016 award is Element Blue's fourth Beacon. About SensorInsight Headquartered in Houston, Texas, SensorInsight is a company that creates and markets an Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) platform designed to provide insight across specific domains, energy and utilities, transportation, manufacturing, healthcare, and smarter cities. The platform works by providing deep analytics and complete access to your existing systems data. SensorInsight industry packs provide tailored domain specific reports, alerts and analysis based on common issues for a particular industry. About Element Blue Element Blue is an award winning solution provider and a leading IBM Premier Partner providing leading edge software solutions. Element Blue service lines include Digital eXperience with Web/Mobile/Touch screen technology, Leading edge Analytics, Managed Cloud Hosting and Support and Managed Services. Unveiling the future of Tech innovation @ Singapore! We are happy to have partnered with Singapore EDB in setting up this co-innovation Lab,which will be the platform for developing solutions that can transform operations for the complete eco-system of the aerospace industry - PR Venketrama Raja,VCMD,Ramco An engineering lab the first of its kind in Asia to develop advanced aviation IT solutions such as wearables for ground engineers and drones to inspect aircraft on the tarmac was declared open today in Singapore by Ramco Systems ("Ramco") with Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) as the first anchor partner. Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), the MRO Lab combines engineering and research talent from Ramco, a global aviation software specialist, with AFI KLM E&M as Ramco's first co-innovator partner for the MRO Lab. Launched at the Singapore Airshow, the lab will work on next-generation applications and develop intellectual property ("IP") to solve major problems facing the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) industry. The formation of the Lab comes amidst rising concerns that the global MRO industry is trailing in innovation and could face major bottlenecks amidst continued growth in international air traffic, as well as expansion of airports. The Lab is located at Ramcos regional headquarters in Singapore, which has emerged as a major regional aviation hub and an innovation centre for the airline sector, including advanced materials and engine efficiency. The Lab is Ramco's most significant aviation investment in Asia to date. The Lab will gradually scale up to employ more than 50 global innovators in Singapore, who will work on solutions such as: Internet of Things, or embedded sensors for aviation components; Machine learning equipment which can cut down on manual maintenance and checking; Analytics for engineering planning and optimisation to reduce aircraft on ground (AOG); Robotics for the shopfloor and drones to inspect aircraft on the tarmac; and Wearable devices including Google Glass for on-ground engineers. The facility will serve as a collaborative platform for airlines and disruptive tech companies, which Ramco and AFI KLM E&M intend to facilitate with other aviation-related researchers. P R Venketrama Raja, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, at Ramco Systems, said: With its strategic location and business-friendly environment, Singapore is growing in prominence as a preferred investment hub. We are happy to have partnered with Singapore EDB in setting up this co-innovation Lab, which will be the platform for developing solutions that can transform operations for the complete eco-system of the aerospace industry. We are pleased that Ramco has chosen Singapore to establish their largest Innovation Lab outside of India, said Lim Kok Kiang, Assistant Managing Director, Singapore Economic Development Board. Through this Lab, Ramco will work with leading aerospace companies and airlines in Singapore to co-develop and catalyse lead adoption of transformative digital solutions. The collaborations will enable delivery of greater value and new services offerings for the industry from Singapore. Franck Terner, EVP of AIR FRANCE KLM Engineering & Maintenance, welcomed the opening of the centre, saying: We are proud to extend our R&D capability and anchor it in the heart of Singapore, one of the worlds greatest innovation platforms. In being able to benefit from the combined expertise of two acknowledged MRO sector players, the MRO Lab Singapore will be able to offer in very short order innovative solutions that are likely to deliver real benefits to our clients. Virender Aggarwal, CEO of Ramco Systems, said: Innovation and disruptive technologies are key to the growth of the aviation MRO industry, where many manual procedures could be improved. This Lab positions us at the forefront of research in this sector, which will benefit airlines across Asia, if not the world. We are glad to have an anchor customer in AFI KLM E&M who shares the same passion to develop solutions that can transform operations in the aerospace industry. We intend to tap the brightest minds in Asian aviation to develop bespoke, future-ready IPs that bring MRO into the 21st century. Our heartfelt thanks to the EDB and AFI KLM E&M for their support, he added. About Ramco Systems: Ramco is a fast growing enterprise software player disrupting the market with its multi-tenanted cloud and mobile-based enterprise software in the area of HCM and Global Payroll, ERP and M&E MRO for Aviation. Part of the USD 1 billion Ramco Group, Ramco Systems focuses on Innovation and Culture to differentiate itself in the marketplace. On Innovation front, Ramco has been focusing on moving towards Cognitive and Robotic ERP with features such as Mail It a feature which enables users to transact with the application by just sending an email; HUB It - a one screen does it all concept built to address all activities of a user; Thumb It mobility where the system presents users with option to choose rather than type values and Prompt It a cognitive ability which will let the system complete the transaction and prompts the user for approval. With 1600+ employees spread across 20 offices, globally, Ramco follows a flat and open culture where employees are encouraged to share knowledge and grow. No Hierarchies, Cabin-less Offices, Respect work and not titles, among others are what makes the team say, Thank God its Monday! Winner of ISG Award for Innovation; Chosen as Preferred Next-Gen MRO IT Vendor by ARSA; Winner of HR Vendors on the Year Award 2015; Winner of CIO Choice Honor & Recognition 2016 For more information, please visit http://www.ramco.com/aviation Follow Ramco on Twitter @ramcosystems For further information, contact: Vinitha Ramani +91 44 3090 4204 vinitharamani(at)ramco(dot)com Fisher House Foundation president David Coker joined Congressman Raul Grijalva, representing Arizonas 3rd Congressional District, Congresswoman Martha McSally, representing Arizonas 2nd Congressional District, and Jennifer Gutowski Acting Director, Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (SAVAHCS) today to dedicate the newest Fisher House at the Tucson VA Medical Center. This home will provide lodging for up to 16 families of eligible Veterans and military at no cost, allowing them to be close to their loved one at the most stressful time during the hospitalization for a combat injury, illness or disease. The Arizona Fisher House will not only create an instant community for its residents, united by their common mission of supporting a sick or injured loved one, but it will also provide each individual with a secure and private refuge after a long day at the hospital to rest and recharge. The 16-suite, 14,000 sq.-ft. comfort home joins the more than 65 Fisher Houses operating in the United States and Europe, and was gifted to VA as part of todays ceremony. Each bedroom suite comes equipped with a private, handicapped-accessible bathroom, and common areas that include a spacious kitchen, large communal living, dining and family rooms, laundry room and patio. Fisher House Foundation didnt do this alone, said Mr. Coker. So many people in Arizona and throughout the country contributed to making this dream possible, and its something that should make all of us proud. Arizonians do care about their Veterans and their families and this home is just one more example of that. The Arizona Fisher House will be a safe, comfortable environment for families, said Ms. Gutowski. It will be a place where families can spend quality time together while their loved one is healing. I look forward to a long and rewarding partnership between the Tucson VA and the Fisher House Foundation. All of us together will pave the way to provide exceptional care and comfort to our Veteran and active duty service member families during their time of need. Construction of this Fisher House was supported by: Arizona Fisher House, The American Legion Sons of the American Legion American Legion Auxiliary, An Anonymous Donor, Click Family Foundation, Harriet and Lt. Commander Murray Lloyd Hammock, USNR, MCS Charitable Foundation, Susan Bring and Vantage West Credit Union. About Fisher House Fisher House Foundation is best known for a network of comfort homes where military and veterans families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. These homes are located at major military and VA medical centers nationwide, and in Europe, close to the medical center or hospital it serves. Fisher Houses have up to 21 suites, with private bedrooms and baths. Families share a common kitchen, laundry facilities, a warm dining room and an inviting living room. Fisher House Foundation ensures that there is never a lodging fee. Since inception, the program has saved military and veterans families an estimated $320 million in out of pocket costs for lodging and transportation. Fisher House Foundation also operates the Hero Miles Program, using donated frequent flyer miles to bring family members to the bedside of injured service members as well as the Hotels for Heroes program using donated hotel points to allow family members to stay at hotels near medical centers without charge. The Foundation also manages a grant program that supports other military charities and scholarship funds for military children, spouses and children of fallen and disabled veterans. http://www.fisherhouse.org About the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System The Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (SAVAHCS) located in Tucson Arizona has been serving Americas heroes, our Veterans, since its dedication on October 13, 1928. SAVAHCS currently serves over 170,000 Veterans located in eight counties in Southern Arizona and one county in Western New Mexico. SAVAHCS is a 277-bed hospital providing primary care and sub-specialty health care in numerous medical areas for eligible Veterans. Many SAVAHCS services are tailored to meet the unique needs of Veterans that are not readily available in the private sector. They include: Spinal cord injury, blind rehabilitation, geriatric rehabilitation, amputee programs, prosthetics, post-traumatic stress disorder treatment, extensive array of mental health programs, Transition and Care Management for recently separated service members formerly known as Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND), and Polytrauma Network Site case management programs. SAVAHCS also provides our Veterans with quality care at our seven Community Based Outpatient Clinics located at Safford, Casa Grande, Sierra Vista, Yuma, Green Valley, Northwest and Southeast Tucson. In fiscal year 2015, SAVAHCS treated over 8,000 inpatients, performed over 5,100 surgeries and completed an excess of 680,000 outpatient visits. http://www.tucson.va.gov / http://www.facebook.com/VATucson / http://www.twitter.com/TucsonVA HI RES EVENT PHOTOS AVAILABLE FROM AESTILL(at)FISHERHOUSE(dot)ORG. Sydney Fontaine Forestal drinks a YogaRita margarita at El Pinto Restaurant while upside down for National Margarita Day. When things get a bit intense, participants are free to go into downward facing dog and grab a sip of the YogaRita margarita to take off the edge El Pinto Restaurant in Albuquerque celebrates National Margarita Day with YogaRitas. This distinct style of yoga allows participants to detox while they retox. Each Sunday participants enjoy a laughter filled yoga flow while having the option to drink a margarita before, during, and after the yoga practice. It is a fantastic way to start Sunday funday. The YogaRita Margarita is low calorie, with fresh squeezed lime, and full of complexity created from a smokey mezcal float. YogaRitas is lead by El Pinto's YogaRita Guru, Sydney Fontaine Forestal, who mixes yoga, barre, Pilates, and a splash of modern dance to keep participants laughing while their gluteus maximus screams. To keep things fun, a micro mini pig is a regular participant, and there is usually a little to much cowbell keeping rhythm with the music. "YogaRitas is a distinct fun filled practice, all the while it is serious in its workout," explains YogaRita director Sydney Fontaine Forestal. She continues, "When things get a bit intense, participants are free to go into downward facing dog and grab a sip of the YogaRita margarita to take off the edge." To celebrate National Margarita Day, El Pinto Restaurant and Cantina will honor happy hour prices on all margaritas all day Sunday and Monday. The Sunday YogaRita classes are at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Each last for an hour. Serving of the YogaRita margarita starts at 11 a.m. A $5 donation is requested for the class and El Pinto provides participants $5 off brunch and drinks, making the event essentially free. No reservations are needed for YogaRitas. Enter the main entry of El Pinto and you will be directed to a dedicated heated patio to join 50 to 60 other YogaRita enthusiasts. No experience is necessary in yoga. Please bring a yoga mat, but El Pinto has a few on hand that can be borrowed. Over the 53 year tradition of El Pinto, the restaurant has helped to put New Mexican cuisine on the map as it has prepared green chile based cuisine within the White House presidential kitchen and provided take-out direct to Air Force One on the tarmac in Albuquerque. In addition to serving presidents, cabinet secretaries and military generals, local residents continue to independently voted El Pinto Restaurant the Best New Mexican Restaurant for multiple years running as well as its patios as the Best in the City in the annual Albuquerque The Magazine readers poll. El Pinto's Red Chile Ribs were named in Food Network's Top 5 Restaurants as the #3 ribs in the nation. About El Pinto Restaurant & Salsa Co: Established 53 years ago, El Pinto is a quintessential icon for New Mexican cuisine. Conveniently located in the North Valley of Albuquerque just off I-25, the serene patios located under beautiful cottonwood trees provide an iconic experience. El Pinto is known nationally for its fire-roasted green chile and fresh flavorful salsa distributed across the nation in local grocery stores. The salsa and green chile factory is located on the same grounds as the restaurant. For an authentic taste of New Mexico, visit El Pinto for its fresh iconic food, traditional margaritas, and award winning chile. http://www.elpinto.com The Indigent Defense Committee of the State Bar of Georgia will explore the future of Georgias indigent defense system and other topics facing the public defender system in the panel discussion Fulfilling Promises: The Next Decade of Public Defense in Georgia from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday, March 4, at Georgia State University College of Laws Marjorie and Ralph Knowles Conference Center. Former Chief Justice Norman Fletcher will give opening remarks, and a panel of indigent defense advocates will discuss the role of public defenders in rural and urban areas, public defender workloads, representation of juveniles, and innovations and opportunities that exist to fulfill the promise of Gideon v. Wainwright. Gideon is the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision holding that the Constitution requires states to provide a lawyer to criminal defendants without the ability to hire an attorney. Gideons promise is about more than just guaranteeing that defendants have a lawyer, its a promise of effective and meaningful representation, said Lauren Sudeall Lucas, a member of the State Bars Indigent Defense Committee and assistant professor of law and director of the soon-to-be-introduced Center for Access to Justice at Georgia State. This discussion will center around what Georgia can do to ensure that promise is being kept. Last year marked the 10th anniversary of Georgias statewide public defender system. Under the guidance of Gov. Nathan Deal, Georgia has become a leader in reforming the criminal justice system, Lucas said. She is hopeful the same spirit of reform might inform the discussion of Georgias indigent defense system. We are in a far better position than 10 years ago, but there is still progress to be made, Lucas said. This forum will examine the current state of the system and discuss what opportunities there are for change over the next 10 years. We hope this event contributes to a longer and broader conversation about the steps needed to truly fulfill the promise of Gideon. Panelists include Russell Gabriel, director, Criminal Defense Clinic, University of Georgia School of Law; Atteeyah Hollie, staff attorney, Southern Center for Human Rights; Vernon Pitts, Atlanta Circuit public defender; and Leisa Johnson, Dougherty Circuit public defender. There will be a question-and-answer session following the discussion. Bryan Tyson, director of the Georgia Public Defender Council, also will deliver remarks. The event is open to the public and there is no cost to attend. Seats are limited; R.S.V.P. by Monday, Feb. 22, to GPDCat10(at)gmail(dot)com. Lunch is included. Top Real Estate Web Design Firms 10 Best Design is excited to release a new award this month: the Best Real Estate Web Design Firm award. The February award acknowledges leading real estate web development business representatives who break the mold when it comes to designing sites that build the customer's online presence and power. The companies that topped the list are 1000 Watt, NoFavorite and Real Geeks. As the premier real estate web design firm, 1000 Watt understands that web design is not a game. Rather, it is a complex process that requires ongoing mediation, experimentation, and optimization. In recognizing that site creation is just the beginning of this effort, the 1000 Watt developers work with sophistication and innovation to continually update the real estate firm's site so that it is always enhanced for key factors like connectivity and functionality. The 1000 Watt professionals are also excited about developing and sustaining high quality relationships with each real estate business representative to ensure that the company's interests are protected and respected. NoFavorite, another leading real estate web development agency, is a team of forward-thinking, fabulous web design experts who work with relentless sophistication and speed to put together incredible sites for clients who want their brand to perform exceedingly well in the ecommerce sector. The professionals of NoFavorite know that the best sites are those that stand out and strike the viewer as highly inventive and original. As such, they maintain an innovative approach to the web design and development process. The end result is a highly creative site that distinguishes the real estate client from all competitors. Choose NoFavorite to obtain an impressive return on investment that keeps the business moving forward. Based in Kailua, Hawaii, Real Geeks also distinguished itself as one of 10 Best Designs impressive real estate web design firms. Real Geeks is known for optimizing the business owner's online presence with passion and precision. The company has extensive experience working with individual agents and realtors, and they love making the client an integral component of the entire marketing campaign. In terms of web design, the techies of Real Geeks are passionate believers in the power and importance of originality. As such, customers won't find them creating look-a-like, generic templates and content. Rather, each page designed by the Real Geeks techies is optimized for innovation and creativity. Other factors that the firm's marketing mavens will optimize include engagement, cross compatibility, and functionality. For more information, visit http://www.10bestdesign.com. eTech SmartHome Support Solutions We believe ISPNs eTech solution fills the expanding demand of connecting and supporting the Internet of Things where more and more IP enabled devices are entering the marketplace. ISPN, an industry-leading managed service provider specializing in Hosted ISP Services, Email services, Network Diagnostics, and 24/7 Technical Support services, will exhibit and highlight its eTech platform to Telcos and ISPs from across the country at the Rural Telecom Industry Meeting & Expo (RTIME). RTIME will be held at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resorts in Lake Buena Vista, Florida from February 21-24, 2016. The eTech Smart Home Support platform functions as a uniquely integrated piece of the diverse support solutions ISPN provides to its partners. ISPNs managed ISP solutions, which include the proprietary NetEngine, NetPatrol, eScout and HelpDesk products, are supporting hundreds of thousands of households nationwide. Click to tweet @ISPNtweets highlights eTech Smart Home Support http://ow.ly/Yo4CD #eTech #managedIT #IoT #smarthome #techsupport The eTech solution offers existing partners an all-encompassing enhanced device support option to the end-user. Providing services beyond the scope of normal connectivity troubleshooting, ISPNs eTech team presents a no cost, branded, remote repair opportunity for its partners. eTech Smart Home Support allows the end users to keep all the devices in their home connected and protected. Support is available 24/7 to assist end users in setup, connectivity, and security. From the tablet or television or even the refrigerator, eTech enables the end user access to resources to take advantage of all the new technologies within the home. The Smart Home Solution presents an advanced level of remote support options to the end-user, while adding a revenue stream and eliminating costs to the Telco. Nima Moaveni, ISPNs Director of Sales Operations states, It is ISPNs mission to create an environment that caters to the changing needs of an ISP. We work hand in hand with our partners to implement new and innovative services focused upon quality and customizability. These options allow each Telco or ISP to take advantage of ISPNs knowledge and expertise, while also developing a solution to fit each organizations unique needs. We believe ISPNs eTech solution fills the expanding demand of connecting and supporting the Internet of Things where more and more IP enabled devices are entering the marketplace. ISPN is exhibiting in Booth 408 at RTIME from 4pm-6pm Monday, February 22 and 11:30am-4:30pm Tuesday, February 23. ### About ISPN Since 1994, ISPN has provided Managed Internet Services including, Hosted Server Solutions, Email Services, Network Diagnostics/Engineering/Monitoring, Technical Support and PC Repair to broadband providers nationwide. With its innovative and customizable platforms, ISPNs transparent managed solutions allow organizations to take advantage of economies of scale and improve quality and performance of their IT operations. For more information, please visit http://www.ispn.net, LinkedIn, and follow @ISPNtweets. #### Parents with children on the autism spectrum want the best help possible for their kids, which can be expensive. Were thrilled to raise funds to help families take advantage of all Hope Center has to offer. Dusty Wallace Insurance celebrates the beginning of the latest charity campaign in their ongoing community enrichment program serving the families of the northern Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. Hope Center for Autism provides a wide range of services in support of children and families affected by autism. Donations to this valuable community resource are being accepted at: http://www.hopecenter4autism.org/donate/. Early intervention is crucial for the 1 in every 45 children who are diagnosed with autism. Hope Center for Autism was founded as a different way to serve local families affected by autism, utilizing the valuable input of concerned parents voicing what would be most beneficial to their children and families. Hope Center develops individualized programs which address specific needs, seeking to help each child reach their full potential in all areas of their development. One-one-one Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Therapy is the backbone of Hope Center, believing that until behavior modified, other therapies will be ineffective. With a strong emphasis on parent involvement and training, they maintain a supportive environment of dignity and respect, in which the whole family may find a new normal. The ultimate goal is to create independence for those with autism, to teach the children how to care for themselves and learn the skills needed to provide for themselves in the future. Hope Center for Autism truly does provide hope for so many families, stated Dusty Wallace, owner of Dusty Wallace Insurance. Parents with children on the autism spectrum want the best help possible for their kids, which can be expensive. Were thrilled to raise funds to help families take advantage of all Hope Center has to offer. The team at Dusty Wallace Insurance is hard at work mobilizing support for Hope Center among their network of professional and personal contacts, inviting them to actively participate not only contributing financially, but also by helping spread the word to others in their own circles of influence. The cause is also featured in the agencys monthly magazine, which is delivered to thousands of households in the greater Fort Worth-Flower Mound-Dallas area. The electronic flipbook version of the current issue of Our Hometown magazine may be accessed here: http://dustywallaceinsurance.com/Our-Hometown-Magazine_32. All those who donate a minimum of $5 will be acknowledged in a future issue of Our Hometown. Committed to raising as much money as possible for area families affected by autism, the agency itself has pledged to donate $10 to Hope Center for each and every referral they receive for an insurance quote, with no purchase necessary, making it simple for everyone to contribute. Readers who wish to refer a friend and/or make a personal donation may do so here: http://dustywallaceinsurance.com/Providing-Hope-To-Children-With-Autism_22_community_cause. Dusty Wallace Insurance will continue to seek out new ways to support the local community, promising to unveil a new campaign every few months. Concerned members of the community may submit ideas for future initiatives here: http://dustywallaceinsurance.com/Add-Community-Cause_35. Those selected will be contacted by a representative of the agencys Community Program. To view past causes, visit: http://dustywallaceinsurance.com/community-cause. More information about the agency and Hope Center for Autism are available at: http://dustywallaceinsurance.com/ and http://www.hopecenter4autism.org/. About Dusty Wallace Insurance A family owned and operated firm serving families from Flower Mound, TX, Dusty Wallace Insurance has one simple mission: to provide the finest insurance and financial services in the industry, while delivering consistently superior service. Dusty Wallace and his team of caring professionals believe in protecting all the things which are most important to their clients (their families, homes, cars and more), and in helping to prepare long-term strategies to enable financial success. The dedicated experts at Dusty Wallace Insurance may be reached by calling 972-539-7162. Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) Logo With the stability of our organization, especially now that we are part of SMPTE and with the strength of our newly expanded and reinvigorated Board, it is a terrific time to pass the baton to the next generation of capable and committed leadership Past News Releases RSS 2016 HPA Award Winners Unveiled HPA Tech Retreat UK to Feature the... HPA Tech Retreat UK Unveils... Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) President Leon Silverman has announced he will be stepping down as president of the organization that he helped found to make room for the next generation of leadership and a newly expanded Board of Directors. In his traditional remarks made today during the opening session of the 2016 HPA Tech Retreat, Silverman also announced that the HPA Board has elected Seth Hallen to succeed him. Hallen, SVP of Global Creative Services at Sony DADC New Media Solutions, has been an HPA Board Member since 2007, working closely with Silverman and the Board on a number of key initiatives and management of the organization. Silverman will continue to serve on the Board of Directors in the newly created role of Past President. In 2002, Silverman spearheaded a coalition of post production executives to help launch the Hollywood Post Alliance. Originally envisioned as a place where individuals and companies would share information, build a community voice, and provide education, the HPA quickly established its role as an important trade organization. The HPA has grown and taken root under his stewardship, and formalized an alliance with the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) in November 2015. Silverman, winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the HPA Awards in November, 2015, said, Launching and leading HPA, shoulder to shoulder with a dedicated and impressive board, staff, and volunteers, has been one of the most exciting and rewarding accomplishments of my career. It has been a true honor to work together with so many colleagues within our phenomenal community, especially during these exciting times of industry transition and expansion. With the stability of our organization, especially now that we are part of SMPTE and with the strength of our newly expanded and reinvigorated Board, it is a terrific time to pass the baton to the next generation of capable and committed leadership. Seth is a passionate leader with the focus and vision for the future that is needed to continue the growth of the HPA. Equally important, he is a wonderful friend, and a great team builder. I am proud to be working with Seth and the broadened HPA Board as we head towards a future in which our HPA mission and message is increasingly relevant. Newly elected HPA Board Member Bill Roberts, CFO of Panavision, will assume Treasurer responsibilities on the Board of Directors as Phil Squyres steps down from the post he has held since HPAs founding. Squyres will remain on the Board. The HPA Board of Directors has grown over the past year with a number of key additions, including newly elected Board members Craig German, Senior Vice President at NBC Universal; Jenni McCormick, Executive Director of American Cinema Editors (ACE); and Chuck Parker, CEO of SohoNet. Wendy Aylsworth, Past President of SMPTE, was appointed as SMPTE representative on the HPA Board. Barbara Lange serves as Executive Director of SMPTE and HPA. The new Board members join Mark Chiolis, Carolyn Giardina, Vincent Maza, Kathleen Milnes, Loren Nielsen, and Vice President Jerry Pierce on the HPA Board of Directors. Hallen commented on his new role, The HPA is a unique and important place where creative talent, technical talent, and companies join forces to learn and share as they expand their perspectives and shape our industry. It is a distinct honor to continue the important work that Leon has undertaken for this organization that I love, and I am clearly dedicated to making the next phase of HPA a great one. Enabling our industry to evolve by fueling our community with ideas, opportunity and recognition remains our goal. I look forward to working with our incredibly talented and dedicated board and continuing our collaboration with our colleagues at SMPTE, and the staff, volunteers and community that are the heart and soul of HPA, as we build upon the work of the past 14 years and look toward the future. Also today at the HPA Tech Retreat, the Hollywood Post Alliance formally and officially assumed its new moniker - the Hollywood Professional Association. The organizations new name was revealed last year at the 2015 HPA Tech Retreat, and the transition to the Hollywood Professional Association identity formalizes the broader mission and focus of the organization while acknowledging the changing nature of the industry. Along with the name, a new corporate identity was unveiled. HPA and SMPTE Executive Director Barbara Lange noted, The nature of the work and responsibilities that our community is engaged in has changed, and will continue to change. After carefully exploring how to address this growth, it became clear that Professional more accurately and inclusively identifies the creative talent, content holders, global infrastructure of services as well as emerging processes and platforms. As an organization, we are dedicated to seeing beyond the horizon to the wider future, and bringing a wide array of individuals and companies into the organization. Our new name and identity makes that statement. # # # About the Hollywood Professional Association Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) serves the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide creativity, expertise, support, tools and the global infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television, commercials, digital media and other dynamic media content. Through its partnership with the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), the leader in the advancement of the art, science and craft of the image, sound, and metadata ecosystem, the HPA continues to extend its support of the community it represents. Information about the HPA is available at http://www.hpaonline.com. 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Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Food 4 Kids has provided thousands of hungry grade school children with a consistent and reliable source of nourishment, and this charity drive will directly support those efforts Mig Financial Group, a Texas-based insurance firm with offices serving Dallas, Fort Worth, and the surrounding communities, is joining the North Texas Food Bank in a charity effort to provide low income grade school children with healthy and nutritious food. Elementary school students benefitting from a no-cost or reduced-price school meal program will often face food insecurity when school meals are not available on weekends. The North Texas Food Banks Food 4 Kids program has consistently provided weekend backpacks stuffed with nonperishable, kid-friendly food to more than 11,000 hungry children attending 330 schools in Rockwall Dallas, Denton, Fannin, and Collin counties since 2012. Food 4 Kids has provided thousands of hungry grade school children with a consistent and reliable source of nourishment, and this charity drive will directly support those efforts, says Vince Migliaccio, founder and manager of Mig Financial Group To publicize the charity event, Migliaccio and his team are building a social media platform and launching a community email bulletin to reach like-minded families throughout eastern Texas. As well, the firm will produce a feature article of the Food 4 Kids charity drive in the next edition of Our Hometown, a monthly online magazine published by Migliaccio Financial. Last year, the Migliaccio team embarked on a permanent community improvement campaign, and as part of this effort will be working with another new Texas-based charitable organization or worthwhile cause every 60 days. Those who wish to join Migliaccio Financial in supporting the North Texas Food Bank during this charity event are invited to visit the Migliaccio website and make a personal contribution from this page: http://www.migfinancialgroup.com/Nifty-50--Feeding-Our-In-Need-Youth_20_community_cause. Those interested in learning more about the other charities and causes supported by Migliaccio Financial can review the firms Community Causes listing here: http://www.migfinancialgroup.com/community-cause. About Mig Financial Group As a Personal Financial Representative in The Colony, agency owner, Vince Migliaccio knows many local families. His knowledge and understanding of the people in his community helps provide customers with an outstanding level of service. Vince and his team look forward to helping families protect the things that are important - family, home, car and more. They can also help clients prepare a strategy to achieve their financial goals. To contact an expert at Mig Financial Group, call (972) 538.8000. Photo Courtesy of azbigmedia.com If a company wins an ILoA Award, it shows they truly are the cream of the crop among Arizona businesses. This past weekend, AZ Business Magazine once again hosted the Industry Leaders of Arizona Awards at the Chateau Luxe in AZ where GlobalTranz won the Innovation Award. Only three of the eight companies being recognized were nominated for a specialty award including GlobalTranz. For us to win the Innovation Award means a lot to our team here at GlobalTranz. Our whole business is based on being the most innovative logistics software and brokerage firm in the country. This award demonstrates our success at achieving that goal here in AZ. Andrew Leto, CEO and Founder of GlobalTranz The ILoA Awards were sponsored this year by leading AZ businesses like the AZ Central Credit Union, Lovitt & Touche, and RSM, among others. Awards were given to the top businesses among: Staffing Agencies Distribution/Logistics Companies Retail Businesses Healthcare Services And Hospitality There were three specialty awards given: the Community Impact Award, the Founder Award, and the Innovation Award. GlobalTranz was specially recognized for their innovative one-stop-shop approach to providing innovative solutions for LTL, FTL, Supply Chain Logistics and Warehousing. The Industry Leaders of Arizona Awards recognize the contributions and impact of Arizonabased companies on both the economy of Arizona and in the communities they serve. If a company wins an ILoA Award, it shows they truly are the cream of the crop among Arizona businesses. AZ Big Media Editor in Chief Michael Gossie As one of the fastest growing companies in AZ with a vast network of freight agents throughout the U.S., GlobalTranz has a huge impact on Arizonas economy. The universal popularity of their proprietary freight management and customer relations software makes them a force to be reckoned with not only in Arizona but on a global scale. "Cresa was proud to present the Innovation Award to GlobalTranz at the Industry Leaders of Arizona Awards ceremony last week. Says Gary Gregg, Managing Principal of Cresa, event sponsor and building broker partner of GlobalTranz "Andrews visionary leadership coupled with the development of innovative technology is reflective of the purpose of the award. Congratulations to Andrew and the entire GlobalTranz team." Over the last few months GlobalTranz has received statewide recognition for their enormous success as an Arizona business, which includes being recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in Arizona for three years straight. By receiving the Innovation Award at the 2016 Industry Leaders of Arizona award ceremony, GlobalTranz continues to attract the positive attention of business leaders within and outside of the State of Arizona. About GlobalTranz Founded in 2003, GlobalTranz is a privately held, Phoenix-based logistics company specializing in freight management services including LTL, Full Truckload, Supply Chain Management, and Domestic Air/Expedited shipping. Their team focuses on innovative technology and partnering with sales professionals that possess energy, insight and a fervent customer service mentality. GlobalTranz has created a one-stop-shop for its customer base of over 25,000 shippers through providing Less-Than-Truckload, Full Truckload, Supply Chain and Expedited Services. In 2015, Transport Topics Announced GlobalTranz as the 14th Largest Freight Brokerage Firm in the US. GlobalTranz is a leading company in the $157 Billion Dollar third-party logistics industry, with annual revenue of $484M and growing every year. Led by Founder, Andrew Leto, GlobalTranz currently has 500+ employees and is growing rapidly. ### For additional information please contact: Todd S. Bookout Marketing Director Phone: 480.339.5722 E-Mail: tbookout(at)globaltranz(dot)com There will be a swap meet area where customers will have a chance to choose from an assortment of open box items and for those looking for package deals there are great discounts on parts and labor. 4 Wheel Parts, the global leader in off-road performance product sales and installation, is commencing its 2016 Truck & Jeep Fest tour in San Mateo, California February 20-21. The nations largest touring off-road exhibition will showcase product demonstrations, display custom trucks and Jeep and offer factory direct pricing and giveaways at the San Mateo County Event Center. Admission is free for 4x4 enthusiasts who will have a chance to interact with aftermarket industry experts, popular brand manufacturers and off-road vendor representatives. Attendees will have a firsthand opportunity to see new and innovative 4x4 products in a family-friendly setting. Local Bay Area Jeep clubs Diablo 4 Wheelers and Wandering Wheelers will be onsite along with the San Jose Trucks club. Additionally, hourly drawing giveaways will award winners with items donated by vendors. Grand prizes of $500 4 Wheel Parts shopping sprees will be awarded on both Saturday and Sunday. With a wide array of vehicles from mild to wild including King of the Hammers rigs, Truck & Jeep Fest is fun for the whole family, says Oakland 4 Wheel Parts Store Manager Pete Cate. There will be a swap meet area where customers will have a chance to choose from an assortment of open box items and for those looking for package deals there are great discounts on parts and labor. Manufacturers representatives will be available to lend their expertise on assorted parts and accessories spanning from tire and wheel combinations to suspension kits to light bars for trucks, Jeeps and SUVs. Event-exclusive discounted rates including free mount and balance on any set of 4 tires after purchase, will be honored at all 4 Wheel Parts locations. The San Mateo Truck & Jeep Fest is the initial stop on the 2016 North American Tour that will travel to Honolulu, Hawaii; Puyallup, Washington; Edmonton, Canada; Dallas, Texas; Ontario, California; Denver, Colorado; Orlando, Florida and Columbiana, Ohio. . The Northern California event comes on the heels of last weekends recent Grand Reopening celebration in Sacramento as 4 Wheel Parts continues its national expansion initiative. What: San Mateo Truck & Jeep Fest Free Admission Where: San Mateo Expo Center 1346 Saratoga Drive San Mateo, CA 94403 When: Saturday, February 20, 2016 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday, February 21, 2016 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. About 4 Wheel Parts 4 Wheel Parts is the global leader in off-road truck, Jeep and aftermarket performance products. With 73 locations across the U.S. and Canada and growing, 4 Wheel Parts Service Centers install all the products they sell. Maintaining the nations largest inventory of off-road tires, wheels, Detroit lockers and lift kits, 4 Wheel Parts serves customers across the country and around the globe. Life is Better Off-Road. Visit them at 4wheelparts.com or call toll-free 877-474-4821. 'Nice and Slow' by Maude E. Grider 'Nice and Slow' is a standalone contemporary romance novel with a fairy tale ending. Maude E. Grider's book 'Nice and Slow' was recently published, available in ebook format. It is a standalone contemporary romance novel with a fairy tale ending. It follows the heroine, young Jasmine Johns, on her journey as she navigates her way from her late teens through young adulthood, overcoming trials and tribulations as she tries to obtain happiness while she pursues a nursing career. Jasmine encounters many obstacles on her journey to obtain her goal. Her biggest obstacles to her pursuit of happiness and career goal are two Alpha males battling for her attention and love. As far back as she can remember Jasmine's lifelong ambition has been to become a nurse. At eighteen years old, Jasmine has morphed into a gorgeous young black woman. She is ready to enter college, the first step to pursing her long term goal to become a nurse practitioner, when she meets Paul Shelton. Paul Shelton is a suave, sexy African-American businessman-entrepreneur who owns a successful soul food restaurant, a legitimate gentlemen's club, and a questionable private escort service. Paul is smitten with the beautiful black beauty Jasmine, and pursues her relentlessly to become involved in his life. His goal is to convince her being associated with his businesses is more profitable than pursuing a college degree. Paul meets Jasmine when she is eighteen and he is thirty-two. He teaches Jasmine about sex, love, and life. Paul declares his love for Jasmine. But his love is not enough. Jasmine chooses obtaining her nursing degree over being with Paul, and leaves him broken-hearted. Jasmine completes her nursing degree and lands a job with a prosperous cardiology practice where she encounters Harold Allen. Harold Allen is a handsome, rich, blue eyed doctor who becomes infatuated with Jasmine and tries to buy her affection. When fate returns Paul back into Jasmine's life, Harold refuses to step aside and allow Paul to resume his relationship with Jasmine. Harold will stop at nothing to keep Jasmine and Paul apart. Will Jasmine choose Paul, or Harold? Or will she choose neither? About the author: Maude E. Grider lives in Birmingham, Alabama. She has always had a fascination with romance and wrote short romantic stories when she was a teenager. She dedicated herself to a nursing career and parenting her two male children. Now she has retired from nursing and spends her time reading and writing. About eBookIt.com Since 2010, eBookIt.com (based in Sudbury, Massachusetts) has helped thousands of authors and publishers get their books converted to ebook format, and distributed to all the major ebook retailers, including Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Apple iBookstore, Kobo, Sony Readerstore, Ingram Digital, and Google eBookstore. ### If you are new to iQ you can schedule a demo and learn more about this opportunity. PSFK iQ - Where Innovators Turn for Research. Our professional-grade research platform is designed specifically for Retail and CX leaders who want to know whats next. Whether youre staying current on trends or need a real-time research partner to help you get ahead, count on PSFK iQ to deliver the info you need to make your next move. 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? Cookies What are cookies ? How do we use cookies? How to control cookies? 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You can delete all cookies that are already on your computer and you can set most browsers to prevent them from being placed.Most browsers allow you to:If you chose to delete cookies, you should be aware that any preferences will be lost. Also, if you block cookies completely many websites (including ours) will not work properly and webcasts will not work at all. For these reasons, we do not recommend turning cookies off when using our webcasting services. It was 1974 and Mildred Taylor an African-American writer born in Jackson, Miss., had just won a contest sponsored by the Council on Interracial Books, an organization that encouraged the publication of diverse books. Taylor made the rounds to interested publishers, selecting Dial Books for Young Readers to publish the novella that would become Song of the Trees, the first in a stirring saga of a land-owning African-American family living in segregated Mississippi during the Great Depression. Regina Hayes was to be Taylors editor its a relationship that has lasted for 40 years and counting. Taylor was nowhere near to finishing telling the story of that Mississippi family, which was closely based upon her own. In fact, Taylor is currently at work on the final book of the series, to be released in 2017. In 1976, Dial published Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, the second book about the Logan family. The novel is narrated by nine-year-old Cassie Logan, who along with her siblings grapples with the racism and violence directed at African-Americans in their rural community. The book won the 1977 Newbery Medal, further establishing Taylor as a writer of power and influence and the Logans as a family to be reckoned with. To commemorate the 40-year anniversary of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Dial has released a new edition, featuring cover art by Caldecott Honor artist Kadir Nelson, a selection of Taylor family photographs, a new authors note from Taylor, and an introduction written by National Book Award Medalist Jacqueline Woodson, which recounts how deeply the Logan family influenced her own life and writing. Its no surprise to Regina Hayes, currently editor-at-large at Viking, that Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is still so highly valued after all these years. When the manuscript came in and I read it, I actually got tingles in my spine, she recalled. The storytelling was powerful, the characters were fully realized, and there was a passion to the writing that left a deep impression. I knew it was an important book. A Roll of Thunder in Brooklyn Coinciding with the release of the anniversary edition is an exhibition devoted to Taylor and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, at the Brooklyn Public Librarys Central Library, running through April 24. Childrens book historian Leonard S. Marcus curated the exhibit, which includes historical materials, correspondences, photographs, and original book art. Marcus pointed out what he believes to be highlights of the exhibit, including a letter from Hayes to Taylor that reveals a late moment in the writing process when Taylor was struggling with determining how to end the book and to find a title. She had unleashed so much dramatic material, some of it quite disturbing, that figuring out how to bring the story to a close in a way that felt realistic and not pat was bound to have been a challenge, especially in a book for young readers, Marcus said. Also featured in the exhibit is a fax from Coretta Scott King to Taylor, which demonstrates the far-reaching impact of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry beyond the childrens book world. Marcus emphasized how, in 1976 when the book was published, there were still very few books for children about African-American lives and culture, and perhaps even fewer that dealt so unflinchingly with racism. Speaking at the exhibits opening reception on February 12, Marcus noted that Roll of Thunder was published the same year as Alex Haleys Roots. Like the former, it urged readers to begin to take seriously family heritage... and to recognize that whatever group you belong to has great significance, Marcus said. Also on display in the exhibit is Jerry Pinkneys cover art for the first edition of Roll of Thunder, and Wendell Minors art for one of the books sequels, Let the Circle Be Unbroken. Kadir Nelsons newest cover for the book a striking painting of Cassie Logan has been placed alongside its predecessors. It is of course always interesting to see original art for a book, and in this case to compare Kadir Nelsons radiant, poster-like new cover image with the subtle narrative watercolor that Jerry Pinkney painted for the original cover 40 years ago, Marcus told PW. And Wendell Minors cover image for Let the Circle Be Unbroken is vintage Minor, a convincing reconstruction of a historical moment that would otherwise be lost to us. Fittingly, also on display at the library in tandem with the Taylor exhibit is one devoted to Kadir Nelsons book art, which spans his career. Regina Hayes and Eileen Kreit, president and publisher at Puffin, also spoke at the Roll of Thunder reception. They announced that, in upcoming months, new editions of all of the titles in the Logan Family saga will be rejacketed with covers by Kadir Nelson, and released from April to June of this year. Kreit referred to the 40th-anniversary exhibit as marking an amazing moment for an unprecedented book, and Hayes delivered a message from Taylor, busy completing the final Logan story. She is delighted with the 40th anniversary edition and deeply honored. She wishes she could be here... which isnt true, she joked. She lives on her mountain in Boulder and its very hard to make her come down. Kreit and Hayes also spoke about a childrens fiction writing contest being launched through Penguin Young Readers and We Need Diverse Books, in honor of Taylor and the Logan Family saga. Open to talented, ethnically diverse authors writing for readers ages 814, the contest is similar to the one that helped facilitate the publication of Taylors first book. The submission period begins in April and details can be found on the contests web site. Though the book was published in a different era, Hayes believes that time has not lessened Roll of Thunders power or significance, which is in itself significant: The themes in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry are certainly just as relevant today as they were in 1976, Hayes said. In fact, it is shocking how relevant they are, how much still needs to change. In a final bit of housekeeping before the Supreme Court decides whether to hear Apples appeal in its e-book price-fixing case, an appeals court this week has affirmed the companys 2014 settlement with the 33 states and a consumer class. In a brisk, eight page ruling, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals dispatched with a single objectors attempt to overturn the settlement, saying the challenge was devoid of merit, and has done nothing to cast any doubt on the settlement agreement, which was approved by Judge Denise Cote in 2014. In court papers, the objector, John Bradley, was described as a serial objector with no real stake in the settlement. The decision comes as the Supreme Court is slated to decide tomorrow whether to take up Apples appeal in its e-book price-fixing case. If the high court declines to hear Apples appeal, Judge Denise Cotes 2013 liability finding against Apple will be considered final, triggering $400 million in consumer rebates. If the case is remanded for further proceedings, Apple will pay $50 million to consumers. If reversed, Apple will pay nothing. The Supreme Courts decision on Friday will cap an eventful week, with Apple in the news for resisting a court order to hack the phones of the San Bernadino terrorists. In addition, the sudden passing of Judge Antonin Scalia has added another wrinkleFridays conference will be the courts first since the conservative judges death last weekend. There has been much speculation about whether or not the court will or should take the case, including an in-depth symposium at the Truth on the Market blog, as well as speculation about what Scalias absence might mean for Apples chances. Update: Supreme Court spokesperson has confirmed that the conference scheduled for tomorrow to consider Apple's appeal has been postponed. Next on the To-Do List: Ikigai Many moons ago, I worked as a career counselor, first for a college and then for a nonprofit in a... Voters need a third option at the polls I ran for a public office a few years ago. After winning a battle with Genesee County Parks the NRA... Wendy Wolcott best choice for Mott College We have a very special candidate running for Mott Community College Board of Trustees in Wendy Wolcott. Mrs. Wolcott is... Smith and Goyette are not fine men I am responding to Tamara Carlones editorial regarding Davison School Board members Matthew Smith and Nicholas Goyette. I disagree with... As expected, Illinois House members easily endorsed a resurrected measure designed to cut Gov. Bruce Rauner out of contract negotiations which apparently are not going as AFSCME wanted. The interest arbitration amendment, now contained in House Bill 580, still must be approved by the Senate. But given how handily it was endorsed when it last appeared there as Senate Bill 1229, HB580s approval seems equally likely. It could come as early as next week when lawmakers are expected to return to Springfield. That doesnt mean taxpayers, who will bear the short and long-term costs associated with a new contract with the states largest employee union and a handful of others, shouldnt tell senators what they think about what we see as a bad deal for Illinois. They should also contact House lawmakers about the bill, which will almost certainly come before the House again for another override vote, if the governor is forced to reject it. Theres no doubt he will. As he told lawmakers Wednesday, Political attempts by the Legislature to intervene at the 11th hour, and alter a binding contract, are a direct attack on Illinois taxpayers -- a direct attack on all the people across Illinois whose services depend on state funding. We simply cant afford to increase the cost of our bureaucracy by three billion dollars. Legislation to force that kind of spending, and blow a giant hole in our budget, will be vetoed. Yes, every vote matters The House appears to be a handful of votes shy of the 71 needed for an override. We cant imagine that House Speaker Michael Madigan hasnt already done the math. And only he knows whether HB580 is aimed primarily at continuing the flow of union dollars to his loyal members campaign coffers, or a real attempt to impact the negotiations. Either way, voters and taxpayers cannot afford to remain on the sidelines. Contacting lawmakers may not change a majority of minds, for example, Q-C lawmakers who cosponsored both bills, but it might strengthen the resolve of opponents to a provision backers continue to erroneously suggest is all about fairness. As weve said before, it is anything but fair to make it possible to bypass a business-minded elected negotiator, and put contracts governing tens of thousands of public employees in the hands of an unelected arbitrator. One who would have no responsibility to consider the interests of taxpayers or the financial problems of our state, which are legion. Democrat backers say theyre looking out for state employees and residents because interest arbitration will ensure there is no work stoppage. But proponents did not address how taxpayers are better served. Tellingly, House backers of HB580 refused to even acknowledge any connection between the costs of a new contract on future budgets or the increased pension obligation incurred from more generous wages and benefits. In defending the bill Tuesday, lead sponsor Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch said, HB580 merely keeps the governor at the table. Under his bill, however, the CEO that voters elected to do their negotiating is likely to quickly find himself in the back of the room, powerless to look out for the public interest. Write, call, email lawmakers If, like us, you think thats bad business for our broke and broken state, take a moment to share your concerns with lawmakers listed below. Tell them they should let a longstanding and effective process continue; one in which, despite their claims, the union retains the power to force Gov. Rauner to return to the table. All AFSCME has to do is to convince the state labor board to reject his claim that the talks are at an impasse. State Sen. Neil Anderson, 1825 Avenue of the Cities, Suite 1, Moline, IL 61265; 309-736-7084; visitsenatorneilanderson.com/Contact.aspx -- State Sen. Chuck Weaver, 64 Prairie Street Suite 4, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-343-8176; chuck@senwaver.com -- State Rep. Don Moffitt, No. 5 Weinberg Arcade, Galesburg, IL 61401; 309-343-8000; fax 309-343-2683; visit moffitt@grics.net -- State Rep. Pat Verschoore, 1504 3rd Ave., County Office Building, 2nd Floor, Rock Island, IL 61201; 309-558-3612; fax 309-793-4764; repverschoore@72nddistrict.org -- State Rep. Mike Smiddy, PO Box 604, Port Byron, IL 61275; 309-848-9098; repsmiddy@gmail.com It's fitting the Azubuike African American Council for the Arts is named for the Swahili word meaning the past is our strength." The year-old organization's leader, Gaye Shannon Burnett, of Rock Island, and owner of Studio 56 at Bucktown Center for the Arts, 225 E. 2nd St., Davenport, will host a PBS documentary tonight on the strength of that past for African-American artists. "Against the Odds: Artists of the Harlem Renaissance" -- shown for free at 7 p.m. -- is part of the celebration of Black History Month and creativity of black art and culture. That Renaissance happened in Harlem mainly in the 1920s and '30s, and the film includes archival footage, newsreels, and photos "that speak to the influential force and vibrancy of artistic and political personalities that shaped the movement," according to a synopsis. The movement of black writers, artists, musicians, photographers, poets, and scholars (many of whom fled the oppressive South, to freely express their creativity) has profoundly influenced Ms. Burnett. "It's always been inspirational to me. I grew up reading Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou. I was always a member of the NAACP," the Rock Island High School alum said this week. "I taught my kids about that -- the music, the painters. Just different people who have always been part of what I've used to inspire me." Ms. Burnett's influential high school art teacher was Charles White, who bore the same name as a famous Harlem Renaissance artist. There also was a Harlem Renaissance librarian -- Regina Andrews (1901-1993), who worked at the New York Public Library's 135th Street branch -- whose mother was born in Davenport. Ms. Andrews was born in Chicago. The Azubuike council is dedicated to preserving the African-American experience. It seeks to "enrich the quality of life in the Quad-Cities community through the exploration and celebration of African American history, culture and art," and to provide youth with "inspirational activities that enlighten and educate, while celebrating the diversity of African-American culture," according to its website, azubuikegallery.wix.com/azubuike-arts-center. Ms. Burnett, an abstract painter and quilter, has had her Bucktown studio (in Suite 106) for four years, and she displays work of other African-American artists, including photographer Joe Obleton, who's on the Azubuike board. Last summer, it offered the first "Urban Exposure" program, led by Ms. Burnett's son, filmmaker Jonathan Burnett. It's geared to young people (age 17-25) who don't have the experience of making films, including studying acting for film. The program also includes stage movement, singing and dance, and guest workshops -- a positive and proactive outlet for self-expression. "We want to give a voice to kids who may not have a voice, or a way to express themselves," Ms. Burnett said. "Storytelling is really important, and doing it in a constructive manner where you can show somebody a way they can understand, empathize with how you feel." The eight-week program offers basics on writing, filming and editing, and last year's short films (about 5-8 minutes each) were shown at the Figge Art Museum on Aug. 20. Ms. Burnett hopes to grow the program this summer, with a bigger premiere and a reception. Azubuike partners with the Sankofa Performing Arts Ensemble at Rock Island High School, which Ms. Burnett started seven years ago. She also plans on expanding that program, which has done plays in Rock Island and Davenport, and will feature past members in another black history event Feb. 26 during Bucktown's Final Friday. From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Studio 56 will host Drop Me Off In Harlem A Salute to The Harlem Renaissances Cultural Revolution," a celebration featuring poetry, monologues and music. Ms. Burnett will display works from Harlem Renaissance artists, as well as books, on the second floor at Bucktown through the end of the month. "I'm trying to pick out elements of the Harlem Renaissance that don't get publicized and people don't know about," including books on black women writers, she said. The Renaissance (primarily 1917-1935) aimed to portray African-American artists in a more positive light, Ms. Burnett noted. A graduate of the University of the District of Columbia, where she was a theatrical arts major and dance minor, Ms. Burnett also is an Army veteran and is busy collaborating with many Q-C organizations, including Rock-Island based Afro Legacy. "I'm looking to work together with as many agencies as there are," she said, including River Music Experience to produce a documentary on the black music experience from the "Great Migration period (when African-Americans moved from the South). Ms. Burnett led the collaborative quilt project -- "Wrapping Ourselves in Gods Love" -- done by Q-C African-American breast cancer survivors, funded by the Komen Foundation (which runs the annual Race for the Cure). While she hasn't had breast cancer, Ms. Burnett said her mother and aunt were cancer survivors. She's working again with the Komen Foundation on a documentary of area African-American breast cancer survivors. Ms. Burnett said black women tend to get diagnosed later in life, and therefore have a greater risk of an earlier death, so prevention and early detection are essential. She also works with Living Proof Exhibit, which has an annual art exhibition by cancer survivors and patients and provides free art therapy classes. They will be working with survivors to write small inspirational books for other women facing breast cancer. Ms. Burnett teaches Saturday morning art classes for younger kids at her Bucktown studio. Another big upcoming event she's helping plan is the free "Gathering of Women's 10th Anniversary Tea Party," honoring past local AfricanAmerican women who make a difference on Feb. 27, at 2 p.m. at the Rock Island Holiday Inn. For more information on her gallery, visit facebook.com/Studio56FineArt. HILLSDALE -- In another contentious meeting Tuesday, members of the Hillsdale Village Board failed in an attempt to suspend the village police department for one year. The motion, made by board member Jan Lease and seconded by June Cole, failed on a 3-to-3 vote, with the mayor, Mike Lambrecht, breaking the tie, voting against the suspension. Ms. Lease said she made the motion to try to save money for the financially strapped village. Last month, Rock Island County Sheriff Gerry Bustos said the village receives coverage from the county regardless of whether the village of about 500 has a contract with the department or not. Mayor Lambrecht, though, said removing the chief would be cutting the people's services for a year. Arguments ensued on whether or not the village could suspend the police department. At past meetings, board members have discussed the merits of cutting hours or entirely removing the department on a temporary basis. The police budget is $91,090 out of a total village budget of $281,000. The budget runs from April 1 to March 31. Village clerk Jane Lundquist anticipates the actual expenses of the police department will be under budget. Ms. Lease suggested the savings from removing the police department on a trial basis could be used to replenish the village's sewer account. She suggested transferring $42,000 a year of that money to the account. In other business, the board approved paying $12,692 to Sikich LLP, of Naperville, and Ancel Glink attorney Paul Keller, of Chicago, for services related to a forensic audit. The audit, approved by the board last August, was part of an ongoing investigation into village finances. Mayor Lambrecht said the audit is complete, and Sheriff Bustos has a copy of it. The mayor said he also has a copy but would not release it until the investigation is complete. Sheriff Bustos said Wednesday the investigation into the village still is ongoing. MIAMI (AP) A Florida mother condemned to die for the beating death of her young son known as "Baby Lollipops" deserves a new trial because of inflammatory and improper statements made by prosecutors during closing arguments, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The justices tossed out the 2011 murder conviction and death sentence for Ana Maria Cardona, 54, marking the second time the court has reversed her case. Cardona's original 1992 conviction and death sentence was overturned because prosecutors failed to disclose key evidence to the defense. This time, the court found that Miami-Dade prosecutors crossed the line in closing arguments during the second trial, repeatedly attempting to stir up juror emotions and sympathy for the 3-year-old victim, Lazaro Figueroa. Testimony showed the boy had been severely beaten and suffered from chronic neglect, weighing only 18 pounds when his body was found in some bushes in Miami Beach in 1990. Police dubbed the boy "Baby Lollipops" because he was wearing a T-shirt with a lollipop image when he was found. The Supreme Court, in a 28-page decision, said the trial judge erred in allowing prosecutors to repeatedly use the phrase "justice for Lazaro" in closing arguments to the jury. Prosecutors were also wrong, the justices added, in describing the defense case as "diversionary" and calling Cardona herself a "drama expert" who belonged on Spanish-language telenovela program. Cardona's lawyers objected 58 times but Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Reemberto Diaz overruled nearly all of them. "As we have stated for decades, we expect and require prosecutors, as representatives of the state, to refrain from engaging in inflammatory and abusive arguments, to maintain their objectivity, and to behave in a professional manner," the justices wrote in a 6-1 opinion. "All of these arguments used by the prosecutor in this case were clearly improper." Justice Ricky Polston dissented but did not issue an opinion. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said prosecutors will try Cardona on murder and other charges a third time in a case that his riveted South Florida for decades. "The cruelty involved in young Lazaro Figueroa's murder deserves our fundamental commitment," Rundle said in a statement. According to testimony at both previous trials, Lazaro's badly beaten and scarred body was found by utility workers in Miami Beach on Nov. 2, 1990. Police did not immediately know the boy's identity and decided to call him "Baby Lollipops" as they distributed fliers door-to-door and held frequent news conferences. Eventually, the investigation led Miami Beach detectives in December to Cardona, who had moved with her other two children and her companion to a motel in Osceola County. She initially claimed, police said, that the boy had fallen and hit his head on a tile floor while jumping on a bed. She also claimed her companion, Olivia Gonzalez, had left the boy in front of the Miami Beach home. Two juries rejected the defense case, finding Cardona guilty of killing her son and of regularly abusing the child. The jury in the second trial recommended the death penalty by a minimal 7-5 vote, which the judge then imposed. Under a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, Florida judges will no longer have final say in imposing capital punishment. A bill currently proposed in the state Legislature would switch that authority solely to juries and would require a minimum 10-2 vote to impose death. As the H Street streetcar meets its possible end by the end of this month, various news outlets, organizations, and businesses have confessed their own feelings on one question: to kill or not to kill the streetcar? While controversy has circled around the project since the very beginning, there are still many who hope for the development to come to fruition. After years of construction and $160 million spent on the project, the H Street Main Street Executive Director Anwar Saleem says that he as well as other businesses on H Street are excited for the streetcar to one day open its doors to the public. DDOT Director Leif Dormsjo, though, is ready to pull the plug if any additional "fatal flaws" are found during the top-to-bottom peer review by the American Public Transportation Association. "Fatal flaws" or not, Hill Now polled their readers with the simple question, "Should D.C. pull the plug on the H Street streetcar project?" and almost 65 percent said, "No," with comments revolving around the basic idea, "We're in too deep at this point." For the Washington, D.C. organization, The Coalition for Smarter Growth, they have not only been crossing their fingers for the streetcar to continue, but have been urging D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to "do everything she can to make our H Street/Benning streetcar investment work." Washington Post columnist Clinton Yates, though, has urged Bowser to do everything in her power to kill the streetcar project. According to Yates, Bowser will save time, money, and lives if the project comes to an end. He further describes the project as "a slow-moving dinosaur," "laughable," and "mind-boggling." While Dormsjo says that he is not so much against the project as he is against a flawed project, he still has few to no positive words on the project, saying it was developed in "an unprofessional and haphazard, contradictory and inconsistent manner." POLL: Should D.C. Scrap the H Street Streetcar Project? [Hill Now] D.C. Group Launches Email Campaign to Save H Street Streetcar [Hill Now] Talks of scrapping D.C. streetcar project roil H Street businesses [The Washington Times] Mayor Bowser should shut down streetcar operation, concede it was a bad idea [The Washington Post] H Street streetcar archive [Curbed DC] Press release submitted by American Red Cross (Feb. 17, 2016) During Red Cross Month in March, the American Red Cross encourages eligible donors to join in its lifesaving mission by giving blood. Since 1943, every U.S. president has designated March as Red Cross Month to recognize how the Red Cross helps people down the street, across the country and around the world. Red Cross Month is a celebration of the everyday heroes, like Karla Essmiller, who are the face of the Red Cross in their communities. Essmiller began donating blood and even coordinated a few blood drives when she was in college. Donating blood is a simple gift that I can make that may help up to three people live another day, she said. That makes me feel like a hero! The Red Cross depends on blood donor heroes across the nation to collect enough blood to meet the needs of patients at approximately 2,600 hospitals nationwide. Donors of all blood types are needed to help accident and burn victims, patients undergoing organ transplants, those receiving cancer treatments and others who rely on blood products. Make an appointment to become a hero to patients in need by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Upcoming blood donation opportunities: IL Rock Island Moline 3/2/2016: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m., American Red Cross of Quad Cities, 1100 River Drive, PO Box 888 _______________ Whiteside Rock Falls 3/2/2016: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m., Rock Falls Blood Donation Center, 112 W. Second St. IA Lee Keokuk 3/3/2016: 12 p.m. - 6 p.m., Trinity United Methodist Church, 2330 Plank Road IL Henry Geneseo 3/3/2016: 12 p.m. - 6 p.m., First United Methodist Church South Campus Building, 302 N. State Street _______________ Carroll Savanna 3/7/2016: 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., West Carroll High School, 500 Cragmoor Drive _______________ Whiteside Fulton 3/8/2016: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., Robert Fulton Community Center, 912 4th Street IA Lee Keokuk 3/9/2016: 12 p.m. - 5 p.m., Keokuk Labor Temple, 301 Blondeau Street IL Henry Kewanee 3/9/2016: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m., First Christian Church, 105 Dwight St. _______________ Whiteside Rock Falls 3/9/2016: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Rock Falls Blood Donation Center, 112 W. Second St. _______________ Henry Cambridge 3/10/2016: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m., St John's Vianney Church, 313 S West Street _______________ Whiteside Tampico 3/10/2016: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Tampico United Methodist Church, 202 Lincoln Stret, PO Box 336 _______________ Lee Dixon 3/14/2016: 12 p.m. - 4 p.m., St. Anne Elementary School, 1112 N. Brinton Ave _______________ Henry Galva 3/15/2016: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 214 N. W. Second Ave _______________ Mercer Aledo 3/15/2016: 11:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., VFW Hall, 106 SW 3rd Ave. How to donate blood Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or drivers license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements. Blood donors can now save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, prior to arriving at the blood drive. To get started and learn more, visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site. About the American Red Cross The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nations blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross. The states response: Just be sure to tip that colander back far enough to show your face. Its part of a strange but not unprecedented legal battle that recently was won by the Madison resident, though to call it a battle may be an overstatement. After his attorney sent a letter Jan. 25 to the state Department of Transportation, the Division of Motor Vehicles responded by letter Feb. 4 to say his clients request would be accommodated. That decision has generated quite a bit of buzz, both in Wisconsin news reports and from atheist groups. Attorney Derek Allen playfully describes it as my most famous case. Allen, who practices law about a half-hour south of Madison at Shannon Law Office in Evansville, said he took the case because he went to college with Schumachers brother and had heard Schumacher was having trouble with the DMV frowning on his colander. Its a First Amendment issue, Allen said, and similar cases in Utah, Texas and Massachusetts were resolved in favor of the Pastafarians. I had actually heard of this issue, Allen told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, maybe spending too much time on the Internet. So, what is Pastafarianism? A website devoted to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (and bearing a spaghetti-fueled re-imagining of Michelangelos Creation of Adam) insists that its not a joke, that it is backed by hard science. It teaches that religion does not require literal belief in order to provide spiritual enlightenment. It also teaches that humans evolved from intrepid pirates, and that the Pastafarian afterlife features a beer volcano and stripper factory. And it has been embraced by some in the Madison atheist community, who successfully argued in December 2013 for placing a Flying Spaghetti Monster display among the holiday displays at the Wisconsin Capitol. The specific belief cited by Schumacher is the one encouraging adherents to wear colanders in their drivers license photos. Because, as the website asks, why not? It seemed to be most states had just sort of allowed it, Allen said. I thought he was on pretty sound legal ground. Thats because its not up to the government to decide what qualifies as a religion, Allen said, and expressing ones religion through kitchen-ready headgear should be allowed at the DMV as long as it doesnt interfere with the purpose of the drivers license, specifically to identify a driver by face. If the government wanted to get in the business of defining what is and is not a religion, just as a mental exercise its tough to draw that line, he said. He noted in his letter to the DOT that other religious headwear, such as turbans, may be worn as long as they are pushed from the forehead until a full facial image is shown. Deputy DMV Administrator Kristina Boardman acknowledged that guideline in her Feb. 4 response. Your client, who claims to be a practicing Pastafarian, may wear what he described as his religious head covering as long as he is able to comply with the requirement for a full facial image, she said. She told the Journal Sentinel that the agencys decision was made in consultation with our legal counsel. Schumacher hasnt followed through with his plan yet, according to Allen, who last heard his client was traveling out of the country. Schumacher likely will go for his new drivers license photo after he gets back. As for Allen, he now can add a little bit of Pastafarian law to his legal resume. He also said he takes his client at his word and isnt interested in deciding whether any clients religion is legitimate. Its not something I want the government deciding either, he said. The Pardee RAND Graduate School (PardeeRAND.edu) is home to the only Ph.D. and M.Phil. programs offered at an independent public policy research organizationthe RAND Corporation. When I showed up at the obstetrical urgent care unit at Brigham and Women's Hospital, the care I received was swift and appropriate. I saw a nurse quickly and a doctor soon after. They asked relevant questions and immediately put a plan for further evaluation in place. Only then did the nurse turn to the computer to enter everything into the electronic record. As she worked her way through the required documentation, she asked several more questions. Any allergies that weren't already in the system? Surgeries she should note? And, of course, importantly, had I been to an Ebola-infected country recently? In September 2014, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital missed acting upon the fact that a patient had just returned from West Africa, even though it was documented in his record. He came down with Ebola, but wasn't treated with appropriate precautions, and many patients and staff were put at risk. The hospital was publicly criticized for its behavior. The hospital administration responded by blaming its electronic health records (EHR), since the system didn't bring the travel history to the forefront as part of the doctor's workflow. Since then, hospitals have scrambled to systematically screen for the often-fatal virus that took more than 10,000 lives in the past three years. Hospitals have incorporated a relevant screening question into their EHR, like the one I was dutifully asked during my recent urgent care visit. A win for technology and public health? Not exactly. First of all, each hospital had to implement the question themselves. Different sites are asking different questions, sometimes only in the emergency department, other times elsewhere. Hospitals implemented them at different times, some more swiftly than others. Importantly, a year ago already, the World Health Organization (WHO) was tracking fewer than 100 new cases of Ebola per week. As of December 2015, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone had stopped the chain of transmission, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) removed enhanced precautions for people traveling to those countries. And all in all, though many did die in this terrible epidemic, there were only tens of cases of Ebola treated outside Africa, mostly aid workers transported home, and no new cases diagnosed in the United States since 2014. The WHO reported only 7 cases and 1 death outside Africa, none of which were recent. And yet many hospitals in the United States are still asking every emergency patient if they've traveled to Africa. But what aren't they asking? Well, as a pregnant woman, they should have asked me whether, at any time during my pregnancy, I had traveled to any countries with Zika, a virus that is transmitted to people by mosquitoes, thought to be connected to birth defects in pregnant women, and currently spreading rapidly throughout South and Central America. The existing system is too slow to respond and when it does, it finds itself chasing the past. But hospital EHRs are not yet prompting for Zika-related screening. It will likely take a while, and maybe a public embarrassment like what happened in Texas, for the electronic systems to be modified to include a new screening question. Does this process need to be so slow? Why should each hospital's IT staff have to manually update every public health question? Requiring each individual system to change the same setting is by design inefficient and prone to delays, inaccuracies, and inconsistencies. And yet this is how it is done today: manual decisions, site by site, slowed by different administrative and technical hurdles. Instead, using infrastructure already in place like WHO and CDC guidelines, the public health authorities could easily set up a system that automatically incorporated alerts in a timely way. Kenneth D. Mandl and Isaac S. Kohane argued for this years ago, asking why hospital systems must reinvent everything themselves, like spell check and word processing and mapping: Only a small subset of loosely coupled information technologies need to be highly specific to health care. Many components can be generic. That is, instead of demanding that hospitals or EHR vendors be public health experts, why can't the CDC do what it does best and automatically push its information out to everyone? Of course, individual institutions have different needs. There could be a delay in implementation pending approval by the appropriate hospital committee, but if the hospital committee didn't take action to opt out or modify it for individual needs, the alert could by default be put into place, meaning no hospital would miss an important alert. Similarly, no longer could relevant questions be pulled without hospitals worrying about being the first to stop the screening, which is the current situation and leads to the risk of adding but never subtracting screening questions. Instead of waiting for everyone to catch up on the weekly Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which in late January recommended that, Health care providers should ask all pregnant women about recent travel, providers across the country could be confident that their daily tools always reflect best public health practices. Indeed, just last week the CDC updated their guidelines again, recommending that providers caring for pregnant women who have traveled to areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission should be offered serologic testing, even if asymptomatic. It is unreasonable to expect individual providers or even hospitals to keep up on their own. The Ebola virus is more fatal and in many ways was much scarier than any current virus, but the more scientists learn, the more they realize how much more difficult it may be to contain Zika. Thus it should be out with Ebola, in with Zika, in terms of questions for all pregnant women. The existing system is too slow to respond and when it does, it finds itself chasing the past. Like security protocols at airports, where travelers are required to remove shoes because someone in 2001 hid explosives in his sneaker soles, instead of anticipating the next creative attack, the U.S. public health system finds itself asking about yesterday's Ebola and not today's Zika, because the gears of change move too slowly. But the limitation is not the technology. Technology systems should be the first to respond, even more quickly than official government responses. They should be deployed more nimbly to support faster, more informed decisionmaking. Just as my iPhone automatically receives Amber Alerts as soon as they are issued by authorities, EHR could easily reflect the most relevant public health issues. It is shocking that health care providers are still asking about Ebola when Zika is already all over the news. The tools and the technology exist, but smarter ways to use them must be implemented. Shira Fischer is an associate physician researcher at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation. This commentary originally appeared on The Health Care Blog on February 17, 2016. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis. How should the United States prepare for a future characterized by the rise of new adversaries, rapid change, and declining defense budgets? Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Paul Selva have pointed to wargaming, which famously helped the United States to prepare for the Second World War. They argue that wargames offer the Department of Defense a relatively inexpensive but powerful way to explore possible future conflicts, test ideas, and ultimately identify ways to prevail. Accordingly, the Pentagon is seeking to employ wargames more broadly and to use game results more directly to influence its strategy, policy and programs. These are laudable goals. Nevertheless, creating, orchestrating, and observing recent games across the Department of Defense and conferring with the broader gaming community has made us aware of a number of potential challenges. These are important to keep in mind for a reinvigorated wargaming enterprise to succeed.... The remainder of this commentary is available on warontherocks.com. Stacie L. Pettyjohn is a political scientist and David A. Shlapak is a senior international policy analyst at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation. They are the co-directors of the RAND Center for Gaming. This commentary originally appeared on War on the Rocks on February 18, 2016. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis. For more comfortable regularity, choseAfter 35, your system naturally slows down, Dr.suggests a daily laxative which stimulates both the mind and the intestines to aid easy '' without strain or griping.- use daily!Also featuringNow comes inThe Dr.blamedfor not reminding him to check out the latest posts fromHe thought he would teach her a painful lesson with a hot pot of coffee, later that dayNo Mr. Stone, don't do it, you can just read the blog's handy archived postings. Feb. 17 marks the fifth anniversary of the uprising against Moammar Qaddafi and Libya's turmoil is again in the news. In 2011, NATO intervened successfully to support Qaddafi's overthrow, but then backed off in favor of a Libyan solution to Libya's problems. The result was a civil war in 2014 that split the country in half, followed by the spread of multiple Salafi jihadist groups. As Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told Congress this month, Libya is now home to the second-largest and fastest-growing Islamic State group affiliate outside Iraq and Syria. With thousands of fighters, its Libya bridgehead in and around the town of Sirte is a major threat to the security of Libya, as well as Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Mali, Niger and Chad. It could become a jumping off point for terrorist attacks in Europe. The debate over whether or not to use military force against the Islamic State group's Libya branch is increasingly intense. Opponents of direct military action against the group at this point are right. Such action only offers a quick fix. Opponents of intervention, however, fail to realize that military action is likely needed for a more difficult task restoring Libya's sovereignty. Many Libya experts argue against the use of force in Libya on the grounds that another foreign military intervention in Libya will meet with massive resistance from a Libyan population they judge to be unusually suspicious of outsiders. True, some Libyans, such as the Islamic State group, will surely use a foreign intervention to their advantage. But for most Libyans, a range of other factors will determine how they react to foreign boots on their soil. Foremost among these will be whether their lives are improving. If de facto arguments against the use of force in Libya are overblown, calls for direct military action against the Islamic State group are grounded in a misdiagnosis of Libya's underlying problem. As in Syria, the group thrives in Libya thanks to a civil war that has destroyed the Libyan state. If nothing is done to resolve the underlying problem of Libyan statelessness, direct action against the Islamic State group will only open the door to the spread of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, Ansar al Sharia or one of the other Salafi jihadist groups operating in the region. The best option right now is thus to use force selectively to support the strengthening of the Libyan state. Specifically, the international community needs to be far more assertive about the use of economic and military power to coerce key players in Libya to get behind the U.N. brokered unity government and begin the task of rebuilding the country. This strategy is more difficult than striking the Islamic State group, but promises a more lasting effect. So far, economic and travel sanctions have been put on the table in an effort to influence the leaders of both warring factions the rump parliament in Tripoli and the internationally recognized government in Tobruk. These sanctions should be exercised immediately to pressure these leaders to fully support the unity government. In addition, the United States, France, Italy and the U.K. should all lean much more heavily on the Egyptian government to end its support for controversial Libyan army chief General Khalifa Hiftar, who must be forced to accept a greatly diminished role in Libya's future. These measures alone, however, may not be sufficient to force the parties to fully support the unity government, end Libya's civil war and restart reconstruction. The United States must therefore be prepared, if possible through NATO, to take military action against groups that undermine the unity government. That action should include training and arming militias that do support the government and using force directly or indirectly against select groups that do not. Demonstrating willingness to use NATO airpower to restore a legitimate government in Tripoli (as opposed to, say, attacking Islamic State group positions in Sirte with airstrikes, special operations ground teams or both, as has been suggested) could go a long way toward pushing the feuding sides back together. The United States and its allies must also be prepared to immediately deploy forces into Tripoli to ensure the security of a new government. The failure to provide security for the post-Qaddafi government was the main reason for its demise and Libya's subsequent spiral into civil war. The United States and its allies should be prepared to demonstrate their willingness to use force in protecting the government, while also seeking to negotiate local truces with the militias that now control the capital. The international effort cannot stop with physical protection for the Libyan government, however. Continued pressure on the political parties will be necessary to promote agreements on the economic, security, and religious issues that divide the country. This will take time. Simultaneously, once a legitimate government is established in Tripoli, pro-government militias should receive training, arms and direct support for a counter-Islamic State group campaign. Preparations for the eventual pacification of Benghazi will also be needed. In short, coercion has a significant role to play in restoring statehood in Libya and, eventually, helping Libya counter the Islamic State group. A similar strategy worked in Bosnia in the 1990s, when U.S. airpower and sanctions resulted in the Dayton Peace Accords. There is no guarantee that it will work today in Libya and every certainty that it will not be easy. Nevertheless, an engaged effort at coercive diplomacy is a far better option than settling for a quick fix action against the Islamic State group or allowing the status quo, on which it and other terrorist groups feed, to continue. The longer the international community waits to take action, the worse the situation will get. Christopher S. Chivvis is the author of "Toppling Qaddafi" and associate director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation. This commentary originally appeared on U.S. News & World Report on February 17, 2016. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis. It looks like the time has come for Orange TV to take off in Spain, as the telco has reported three times the amount of users it had a year ago. By the end of 2015, Orange TV reached 306,000 homes, driven by convergent offers through a growing fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network. Although it has been operating in the country since 2006, Orange's pay-TV platform first exceeded the 100,000 subscriber barrier in January 2015.The TV figures only refer to Orange's packages and dont include Jazztel's clients after their merger, as the pay-TV service has been distributed to Jazztel customers since the end of January.Oranges fibre business is also growing at great pace. 2015 ended with 809,000 FTTH subscribers, 3.9 times more than in 2014, after adding nearly 250,000 subs during Q4.Indeed, the telco is carrying out an aggressive fibre strategy and plans to connect ten million homes before the end of the year, up from its current 6.8 million homes. Concurrently, the company is offering ADSL clients the option to migrate to 30Mbps-fibre connections with no extra cost, even though it sometimes has to use third-party telcos' networks to achieve this.Despite of the growth in pay-TV and FTTH, most of Orange's 4.25 billion income in Spain was generated by its mobile business. The French telco has 19 million clients in the country, of which 15.2 million are mobile and 3.75 million are fixed.Its income is actually 2.3% lower than in 2014, something the company intends to solve by reducing costs.Although a final agreement has not yet been reached with the unions, the telco also intends to fire over 400 workers before April. Fourteen people arrested in Russia on suspicion of assisting Islamic State MOSCOW, February 18 (RAPSI) Fourteen individuals have been arrested in the Moscow Region on suspicion of elaboration of forged documents for the Islamic State militants, RIA Novosti reported Thursday citing the Federal Security Service (FSB). According to the FSB, the arrested persons have allegedly prepared forged documents for those who were going to leave for Syria illegally for joining ISIS, a terrorist organization banned in Russia, as well as for people sent to Russia as terror group leaders for carrying out acts of terrorism and extremism. Illegal migrants were also the gangs clients, the FSB said. The Islamic State is currently one of the major threats to global security. Over three years, these terrorists have managed to seize large areas of Iraq and Syria. The organization is also attempting to spread its influence to North Africa particularly, Libya. The area controlled by ISIS covers up to 90,000 square kilometers. As we see a surge in inflation globally, it is now critical that everyone is aware of the implications this will have along every step of the insurance and reinsurance value chain. American officials have begun expressing concerns about the state of the European Union. In particular, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Feb. 12 that America has a "very strong" interest in the United Kingdom staying in the EU. Until now, the United States has seen the European Union's problems as something for the Europeans to settle among themselves. The U.S. did not see Europe's problems as directly affecting U.S. interests, nor did it see itself as capable of influencing EU policy. It was too monumental to influence. The extent of EU fragmentation has changed this calculation for the United States. The deep fissures within the European Union will be reflected in NATO. U.S. policy in Europe is focused on security, while European powers are shaping their relationships on the continent largely based on other factors. For example, German concerns regarding the new Polish government and the Hungarian Fidesz government are guiding Berlin's relationships in Central and Eastern Europe. This approach differs from the commitment the U.S. is making to the defense of Eastern Europe from the Baltic countries down to Romania, as part of its strategy to contain Russia. Some Europeans are in favor of the U.S. approach, some may actually send forces and some want nothing to do with it. But their decisions will be more complex and not as focused on the threat itself. Also important to the U.S., the flow of refugees from Syria has potential implications not only for Europe, but for terrorist capabilities elsewhere. The inability of the European Union to develop a coherent refugee program exacerbates its inability to deploy the forces needed to patrol the Mediterranean. After months, it is still unclear when the Europeans will deploy a sufficiently effective force. They want that force to come from NATO, which means that the U.S. will participate. On Feb. 11, NATO announced the deployment of ships in the Aegean Sea, following a request from Germany, Turkey and Greece to help reduce human trafficking in the area. The Americans are concerned, however, about deploying a force in such a chaotic political environment. During the Cold War the mission was simple, there was political consensus and plans were made. There was friction of course, particularly because the French still wanted to be seen as a great power, but it was within bounds. For a while after the fall of the Soviet Union, there were few missions involving NATO. With the re-emergence of Russian power and the complexities of refugee policies that involve everything from fighting the Islamic State to rules for maritime interdiction of refugees, U.S.-European coordination becomes important again. The U.S. is discovering that the EU's fragmentation and odd decision-making process is affecting NATO. The military confrontation between Russia and Turkey, a NATO member, must by definition be a matter of interest for NATO. That in turn intersects the refugee question, which intersects the issue of Schengen zone, the European free movement area. Purely NATO issues, purely EU issues and hybrid issues litter the landscape. It boggles the European mind. The American mind is paralyzed. For all its unilateral actions, the notion of a trans-Atlantic alliance remains a conceptual foundation of U.S. defense policy. It is assumed, not necessarily with reason, that in extreme circumstances all of NATO will act together. American war-fighting is built on the principle of coalition war-fighting. The United States engages its military in the Eastern Hemisphere. Its forces are larger than European forces, but much of that force is devoted to the logistics of power projection. The fighting force the U.S. can deploy in the Eastern Hemisphere is a fraction of the force it needs to get them there and feed them. The United States relied on a coalition of the willing in Iraq. NATO was not there. The British were. Britain was the only European country that both participated in the coalition of the willing and sent substantial forces. The U.S.-British bilateral relationship is a foundation of U.S. policy. It is also a force within NATO that tries to align the members. The American fear is that while it values the U.S.-British relationship, Britain's exit from the EU would poison British-EU relations and would create an even more difficult situation in NATO. It is forgotten that the U.S. was the first major advocate of European integration. The idea of European economic integration was part of the Marshall Plan. It was the Europeans who resisted the concept at first, while the U.S. saw this integration as both strengthening Europe's shattered economies and undergirding a common defense against the Soviets. The United States sees no downside in EU unity, because it believes this unity will strengthen NATO. This may be a dream, but it is the dream of the Atlanticists. Thus, the United States is frustrated because it is unable to do anything about Europe's economic problems, but it does want to limit the damage. And therefore, it does not want Britain to leave the EU. But the EU's divisions are real. For example, the national interests of Germany and Italy diverge on banking regulations and the future of the banking union. Their disagreements will spread to other areas and will therefore affect NATO. In my view, NATO is a military alliance, and a military alliance must have a military. Many European countries do not have significant militaries. They simply have military gestures. Second, military alliances require a mission. There was a clear one in the Cold War. But there are many potential missions now, and each can be approached in many different ways. This cannot be the basis of a military alliance, as each action must be placed in the hands of the political committee and there can be no prediction on what they will do. The complexity of missions and the divisions in the alliance preclude decision-making. Privacy Overview This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. And so the painfully slow process of agreeing on a new president for Lebanon continues. A breakthrough - of sorts - was reported last month when candidate Samir Geagea announced he was pulling out of the race and would endorse his rival, Michel Aoun, potentially arresting Christian indecision over which candidate to support. However in November last year, Sa'ad Hariri, Geagea's longstanding ally in the Sunni-Christian political alliance - the March 14th bloc - announced he was nominating alternative Christian candidate Suleiman Franjieh. This has triggered another stand-off and there remain two candidates to choose from: Aoun or Franjieh. Under Lebanese constitutional law, the president of the country must be a Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of the house a Shi'ite Muslim. The role of speaker has long been occupied by Amal leader Nabih Berri, and, owing to the strength of the Shi'a dominated March 8th alliance (Amal and Hizbullah). this has never been challenged. Currently Tamam Salam is acting as interim prime minister as a compromise candidate but he wields little influence. A parliamentary vote is necessary to elect the new president and that is scheduled for 2 March. The March 8th alliance has demanded agreement on a candidate from all sides before the vote and, in the absence of this, has boycotted earlier attempts to hold the vote that requires the presence of 86 lawmakers to be valid. The battle to agree on a president has been hampered by the political weakness of and divisions within the March 14th Sunni-Christian alliance. The alliance was first fractured in 2006 when Michel Aoun announced he was joining the March 8th bloc. Since that time, despite the pressure of the Syrian war and Hizbullah's involvement in it, this Christian/Shia alliance has remained firm. Thus divisions within the Christian community have continued over whether to support Aoun as part of March 8th, or Geagea as the March 14th candidate. The Christian-Sunni alliance has also been under pressure because of weak Sunni leadership. This has been caused by Hariri's self-imposed exile and the vast differences in socio-economic status within the Sunni community. The secular, Beiruti, Hariri-led political clan look and behave very differently to Sunni communities in northern Lebanon, particularly in the rural areas close to the border with Syria. Rafiq Hariri was reportedly adept at financially co-opting the lower socio-economic strata of the Sunni community as he recognised the importance of maintaining political cohesion. His son Sa'ad, perhaps in part due to his prolonged exile, has been less careful. It is possible therefore that his decision to back Franjieh is part of a deal whereby he would become prime minister and resuscitate his leadership in Lebanon. The effect of this weak leadership has been a noted rise in Sunni support in the north of Lebanon for Da'esh (ISIS) and Jabhat al-Nusra. As neither group comes across as being particularly tolerant of religious pluralism, this must be concerning moderate Sunnis and Christian supporters of March 14th alike. In fact, the inherent tensions in the alliance have been increasingly exposed by the Syrian war. Da'esh aside, the closeness of the Hariri family with the Saudi government, which is believed to be funding militants that attack Christian communities in Syria, will no doubt have cast doubts in many people's minds as to the long-term sustainability of a Sunni-Christian alliance. Ironically it is Hizbullah that stands to gain from Hariri's decision to back Franjieh; as a friend of Syria, it is unlikely he would oppose Hizbullah's support for Assad. Hariri's nomination of Franjieh therefore has been criticised by some in the Sunni community as a tacit acknowledgement of the rising power of March 8th. There is little doubt that the Shi'ite/Christian alliance currently appears more stable and, despite the Syrian war, still wields more political power in Lebanon. This is in no small part due to the smart leadership provided by Hasan Nasrallah. Thus far, he has managed to avoid major political fallout despite both the high death toll from Syria within the Shi'a community, and the unpopularity of Hizbullah's alliance with Assad across Lebanon. This is possibly due to the fact that, when all is said and done, ordinary Lebanese across the religio-political spectrum understand that it may be the presence of Hizbullah that will ultimately protect them from a Da'esh invasion. With regards to the presidency, the Lebanese will not view Geagea's latest decision with a great deal of excitement. For one thing, none of the Christian candidates have a blameless record from the civil war; they all remain part of the established political elite which to most appear more concerned with political manoeuvring and power plays than the wellbeing of ordinary Lebanese. Secondly, unless Hariri backs down over Franjieh, which currently he shows no sign of doing, the stalemate will persist. And meanwhile, the power cuts continue, the potholes in the roads widen and the garbage piles up... The recent Congressional testimony of Director of National Intelligence James Clapper sharply frames the conundrum the United States faces when countering the Islamic State and other jihadists. The ISIS threat is growing, yet America's ability and capacity to counter it is not. This doesn't necessarily mean that the United States is about to suffer a series of ISIS-directed or inspired attacks, though the intelligence assessment suggests that threat is growing. In the last decade and a half, there has not been a single successful terror attack directed by a foreign terror organization against the homeland. ISIS as well, since its emergence in 2014, has been unable to do that. (The shootings in San Bernardino, Cali., appear to have been a case of lone-wolf terror, inspired by ISIS and general jihadist ideology, but neither planned nor directed by ISIS operatives.) What it does mean, however, is that ISIS, along with the phenomenon of global jihad it represents, is here to stay -- not as an existential threat but as chronic one, and a serious challenge to global security. Here are five reasons why. First, it's been almost two years since ISIS declared its so-called Caliphate. And while the United States and its allies have achieved some clear gains -- depriving ISIS of a quarter of its territory in Syria and Iraq -- the group has now spawned a genuinely regional and international presence. It has 50 affiliates in 21 countries and has managed to pull off attacks either directed or inspired against three of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- France, Russia, and the United States. Its affiliates have carried out deadly attacks in West Africa, Tunisia, Turkey, Lebanon, and Indonesia. Its media operations have only grown in sophistication, and ISIS seems to have little difficulty recruiting local partner organizations, and even less trouble in exploiting the hopes and fears of disaffected Muslims who then become lone wolves. Second, ISIS isn't some externally created terror organization, the product of one evil mind. It is an outgrowth of a broken, angry, and dysfunctional Middle East where the lack of effective leadership and representative institutions, and the pestilence of bad or no governance, have created ample space for the organization to rise. Driven by a vicious extremist Islamic ideology which draws upon actual Islamic texts, and by conventions and practices plucked from an earlier age, the group has carved out a role for itself and feeds largely on sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shia. It fashions itself as the protector of the former against the latter, and as a bulwark against Western presence and expansion in the Arab and Muslim world. Truly defeating ISIS would mean addressing the underlying dysfunction and division that are now loose in the lands of the Arabs -- in Libya, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Egypt -- and having Muslims rise up to delegitimize their own extremists. ISIS thrives, or at least is able to survive, in a broken Middle East and in a badly divided Muslim world. The United States cannot fix either. Third, the Paris attacks last November were supposed to be a transformative moment in the war against ISIS, and yet that moment proved to be far less consequential in mobilizing the international community or regional powers to concerted action. The inconvenient and painful reality is that there is no effective coalition, either in the region or among the international community, that is seized with the ISIS problem. Russia has its own agenda for Syria, which puts supporting the Assad regime ahead of concerted action against ISIS. Turkey, itself a victim of ISIS terror, seems far more worried about stopping Kurdish empowerment and separatism in Syria than about striking ISIS. No external power, including the United States, wants to deploy ground personnel in the thousands to root out ISIS, nor thinks that this idea is wise or feasible. The Arab states are unwilling and unable to join the military fight on the ground and to deploy their own forces. The Saudis are more concerned about the Houthis in Yemen, whom they see as Iranian clients. Indeed, Riyadh supports a variety of groups in Syria that are almost as extreme as ISIS. Like Russia, Iran seems more focused on bucking up Assad than on countering ISIS. In short, there is simply not enough will or skill in the region or abroad to mobilize any kind of grand and sustained coalition against ISIS that might bring about some determinative victory. Fourth, ISIS is a serious threat to international security. But ISIS isn't Nazi Germany or Japan during the 1930s; it's not going to take over Western Europe or parts of Asia. That's the good news. The bad news is that the threat hasn't created the kind of urgency that produces grand coalitions to wage total war. Moreover, as it seeks to inspire and recruit among disaffected Muslim populations, particularly in Europe, ISIS wages an asymmetrical war in the shadows -- it does not offer hard targets that are easy to identify and destroy. Indeed, massive refugee flows into Europe from Syria and Iraq create easy pathways for ISIS operatives that aren't easy to spot and are even harder to pre-empt. Fifth, the cruel reality is that there may be no determinative or final victories in the fight against ISIS. And we need to be careful in thinking that such a fix exists. After all, 9/11 led to the longest wars in U.S. history, and, in a cruel irony, to the emergence of al-Qaeda in Iraq, the forerunner to ISIS. The civil war in Syria then allowed ISIS to complete its rise. Fourteen years after 9/11, Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda central, an organization we thought we had destroyed, may be a shadow of its former incarnation, and yet its affiliates in Iraq, Yemen, and North Africa are still capable of carrying out terror attacks. ISIS is far more capable, and is entrenched with a greater reach, even if its operational capacities to carry out attacks in the United States are still quite limited. The tools at hand are limited and imperfect: They include support of local forces with airstrikes and special forces to deprive ISIS of territory in Iraq; looking for a political solution in Syria to erode ISIS's gains; countering its message on social media; disrupting its finances; and attacking its oil facilities. These aren't transformational tools that offer total victories. And they will take much time to work. It's just as well. Even if the United States and its partners manage to inflict massive damage to the Caliphate, retake Mosul and Raqqa, and have success in the deadly whack-a-mole game we play with ISIS all over the world, the long war against global jihad will continue. And there's likely little we can do to alter that all-too-painful reality. (AP photo) Property details: INVESTMENT PROPERTYDEMING, LUNA COUNTY, NEW MEXICOI own a nice acre lot near Deming, New Mexico with close access to Interstate 10. This land is in an excellent location down the road from Las Cruces, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. Tucson, Arizona is a 3-hour drive west on I-10. Local pick up for this sale is not necessary despite it saying so in the shipping instructions.TERMSI am selling the lot for $1,900 (monthly payments accepted). There is no minimum which must be met on the bid. The bi... Price: $ 5 Seller State of Residence: Illinois State/Province: New Mexico City: Deming Type: Homesite, Lot Zoning: Residential Zip/Postal Code: 88030 Location: 880**, Deming, New Mexico You will be redirected to eBay Nearby 88030 , We're sorry, this article is not currently available By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 02/18/2016 ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. star Angela "Big Ang" Raiola has passed away at age 55 following a tough battle with cancer.Raiola, who first appeared on in 2012 and later landed two spinoffs Big Ang and Miami Monkey, died early Thursday after suffering from brain, lung and throat cancer."It is with sad regret that we inform you that at 3:01AM Angelia Raiola peacefully ended her battle with cancer, and was called home," Raiola's friend Vinnie Medugno wrote on her Twitter account."She was surrounded by nothing but love from her immediate family, and the closest friends. YOU, (her fans) were some of the most special people in the world, and she loved you immensely. Thank you for your love, prayers, and unconditional support of Angela right to the very end."Raiola is survived by her husband Neil Murphy, two children and six grandchildren.Medugno continued in the statement: "She truly went out richer than any monetary value could ever amount to. The family asks for privacy and peace during this most difficult time. In typical Big Ang fashion, we knew she would say 'Love you my babies!' This page will remain open as a celebration of who she was and will always be."Raiola was the niece of Salvatore "Sally Dogs" Lombardi, who according to People, was a captain of New York's infamous Genovese crime family."We are all heartbroken about the passing of our 'Big Ang.' Angela Raiola was an incredibly strong, one-of-a-kind woman who taught us all to enjoy life to the fullest," VH1 told People in a statement. "We send our deepest sympathies to Angela's family and ask that her fans keep them in their thoughts as well."Raiola's health crisis began when doctors reportedly found a lemon-sized tumor in her throat and then the smoker of 40 years underwent two surgeries to remove it in March 2015.In early February, Raiola's sister Janine Detore revealed the reality TV star had been hospitalized for Stage 4 lung and brain cancer. After nearly a month of chemotherapy, one of her two tumors increased in size.A GoFundMe page had been created for Raiola, and as of last month, donators had raised over $25,000 for alternative cancer treatments such as cannabis oil.The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice even posted a message on social media in honor of Raiola's memory, tweeting Thursday, "So sorry to hear about @biggangVH1 passing away. She was certainly one of a kind and such a beautiful person. Prayers for her &her family." HOME > The Bachelor > The Bachelor 20 'The Bachelor' Ben Higgins: Emily Ferguson's reaction to being dumped made it harder for me because she showed the maturity I questioned By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 02/18/2016 star ADVERTISEMENT Higgins, 27, took Ferguson, 23, on a brief one-on-one date in his hometown of Warsaw, IN, during which she actually got to meet his parents. While Ferguson thought the date was indicative of how strongly Higgins felt for her, the Bachelor viewed it as more of a test. "[The extra time] with Emily is something I really needed. I had been so impressed with how far she had come just as a woman in the past few weeks, but I would be lying if I said I didn't have questions about whether or not she could really be my wife, Higgins "Sometimes it can be hard balancing my admiration and appreciation for someone as a person with whether or not we are actually a match, and that is where I was with Emily." Higgins explained there was no opinion he trusted more than that of his parents. "I knew that if anyone could give me perspective and help me make that decision, it was them. Besides, I had already been to Emily's [Las Vegas] home and met her mom, it seemed only fair that she got to see my home and meet my parents too," he said. While Higgins' mom and dad thought Ferguson was fun and beautiful, they both worried she was too young for their son. It wasn't really about age, but more so the fear she wasn't mature enough or ready to settle down yet and be a wife. Ferguson talked about how many goals she still had left to accomplish without including Higgins in that future plan. "Talking to my parents as the day went, I knew what I had to do. I could tell that as I was talking to my mom and dad I was really not only trying to convince them of how great Emily was, I was also trying to convince myself. Not that I don't think she is amazing, but I was trying to convince myself that I really could see myself with her long term. I knew what I had to do," Higgins explained. "The hardest part of that was the boat ride back to the girls' house. It was not far but it felt like forever to me because I knew I was about to let go of a really wonderful woman. And as she realized we were headed back to the house and not on to the next part of the date, it got really, really awkward." But Ferguson took the split very well, as she was gracious and kind to the Bachelor despite getting her heart broken. "If Emily's reaction while we were breaking up wasn't a sign of the maturity that people don't often give her credit for, I don't know what will," Higgins said. "I was so impressed and as much easier as that made it for me, it also made it harder because she was showing the maturity that I was questioning that she had with my parents. Life decisions can be hard sometimes." airs every Monday night from 8-10PM ET/PT on ABC. About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON GOOGLE NEWS star Ben Higgins says it wasn't easy to let Emily Ferguson go after she met his parents but it was necessary.Higgins, 27, took Ferguson, 23, on a brief one-on-one date in his hometown of Warsaw, IN, during which she actually got to meet his parents. While Ferguson thought the date was indicative of how strongly Higgins felt for her, the Bachelor viewed it as more of a test."[The extra time] with Emily is something I really needed. I had been so impressed with how far she had come just as a woman in the past few weeks, but I would be lying if I said I didn't have questions about whether or not she could really be my wife, Higgins wrote in his People blog."Sometimes it can be hard balancing my admiration and appreciation for someone as a person with whether or not we are actually a match, and that is where I was with Emily."Higgins explained there was no opinion he trusted more than that of his parents."I knew that if anyone could give me perspective and help me make that decision, it was them. Besides, I had already been to Emily's [Las Vegas] home and met her mom, it seemed only fair that she got to see my home and meet my parents too," he said.While Higgins' mom and dad thought Ferguson was fun and beautiful, they both worried she was too young for their son. It wasn't really about age, but more so the fear she wasn't mature enough or ready to settle down yet and be a wife. Ferguson talked about how many goals she still had left to accomplish without including Higgins in that future plan."Talking to my parents as the day went, I knew what I had to do. I could tell that as I was talking to my mom and dad I was really not only trying to convince them of how great Emily was, I was also trying to convince myself. Not that I don't think she is amazing, but I was trying to convince myself that I really could see myself with her long term. I knew what I had to do," Higgins explained."The hardest part of that was the boat ride back to the girls' house. It was not far but it felt like forever to me because I knew I was about to let go of a really wonderful woman. And as she realized we were headed back to the house and not on to the next part of the date, it got really, really awkward."But Ferguson took the split very well, as she was gracious and kind to the Bachelor despite getting her heart broken."If Emily's reaction while we were breaking up wasn't a sign of the maturity that people don't often give her credit for, I don't know what will," Higgins said. "I was so impressed and as much easier as that made it for me, it also made it harder because she was showing the maturity that I was questioning that she had with my parents. Life decisions can be hard sometimes."airs every Monday night from 8-10PM ET/PT on ABC. THE BACHELOR 20 THE BACHELOR SPOILERS MORE THE BACHELOR 20 NEWS << PRIOR STORY Julianne Hough won't be returning as a judge for Season 22 of 'Dancing with the Stars' NEXT STORY >> Exclusive: 'Survivor: Kaoh Rong' castoff Darnell Hamilton talks (Part 1) Get more Reality TV World! Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or add our RSS feed. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Two former hosts of Airbnb filed a complaint against the company being an illegal business, recent reports say. The lawsuit was filed last Friday, Feb. 12 by couple Francesco Plazza and Sylvie Naude. Naude, who owns Indigo House, a Midtown-based firm, reveals as per The Real Deal that Airbnb is a non-certified real estate broker, asserting that the fees being collected by those who arrange rentals through their company are against the law. "What may seem a novel and convenient enterprise is, at bottom, entirely illegal," a statement in the complaint reads. According to The Real Deal, Airbnb collects fees for every rental transactions they facilitate which is equal to 6-12 percent of the rental charge. Such transaction is in violation of Sec. 440 of New York Real Property Law (NYRPL) as well as Sec. 349 of New York General Business Law. Business Wire verified that the lawsuit is dubbed Plazza v. Airbnb, Inc., 16-cv-01085. In view of this, the couple's lawyers, Jeffrey Norton of Newman Ferrara LLP and Lucas Ferrara are currently taking action on this recent complaint by the former hosts. "Airbnb's business model falls squarely within New York real estate broker licensing requirements. There are very limited exceptions to this law and Airbnb does not qualify," Norton said. The source says these lawyers are pursuing to have Airbnb pay for the damages tantamount to the charges the company collected from the hosts and guests for the past six years, including the 400 percent penalty charged for the fees collected from the former employees and the punitive damages as well. The suit further explains that these damages are applicable to all Airbnb users. Meanwhile, Airbnb denied the allegations. "The claims in this lawsuit have no merit and we are confident that the case will be dismissed," said an Airbnb spokesperson. Earlier this week, independent data analysts Murray Cox and Tom Slee released a report asserting that Airbnb had purged over 1,000 controversial listings from its site just prior to its much-hyped release of New York City user data late last year. On the other side, a hospitality research firm released a report saying no solid evidence is found to intensify the allegations against Airbnb, as per TRD. The school year begins, and students line the halls of the Zell B. Miller Learning Center, walking to class or just burning time. Many of these students go to school on some form of the HOPE Scholarship, the legacy project of the buildings namesake. Sexual battery reported to university police University police received a notification from the University Health Center on Friday, Feb. 26 about a sexual battery that occurred at an off-campus location some time between Feb. 16 and Feb. 26. The majority of American renters are cost-burdened, spending more than 30 percent of their income on rent, according to a study released in October by the Department of Numbers. Denis Jasarevic, better known as Gramatik, hails from Slovenia and is known for his mixture of hip-hop and electronica. He will be performing The United State Congress has apportioned nearly $114 million to update the Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory in Athens. In addition to around $45 million that was dedicated to the project in the United States Department of Agricultures 2015 budget, this sets the total spending at about $160 million on the renovations. Jim Schultz/Record Searchlight Reno Justin Riddle reads the criminal complaint filed against him during his Wednesday arraignment. SHARE By Jim Schultz of the Redding Record Searchlight A 44-year-old Redding parolee arrested last week on suspicion of kidnapping an 11-year-old boy may have had his eyes set on other members of that boy's family, including his teen-age sister, family members said. Reno Justin Riddle pleaded not guilty to felony kidnapping and misdemeanor resisting arrest charges during his arraignment on Wednesday in Shasta County Superior Court. In attendance at Riddle's arraignment was the young boy and his mother, who said after court she knew Riddle for "hanging out" and shoplifting at the convenience store where she works. The Record Searchlight is not releasing the name of the boy or his family because the court lists him as a confidential victim in the criminal case. The boy's mother described Riddle as a man with a record of "book and release" by law enforcement authorities. "I hope this ends here," she said. But even more troubling is that she said her 17-year-old daughter recognized Riddle from his jail booking photo broadcast by news outlets as the same man who had followed her as she was walking home a few weeks ago. That encounter so scared and unnerved the teen she sought refuge in a nearby store and alerted security personnel, her mother said. In a frightening episode that has angered scores of North State residents, Riddle was arrested early Saturday for allegedly kidnapping the boy Friday evening. He's being held in Shasta County Jail in lieu of $205,000 bail. Police said Riddle has a long criminal history that includes convictions for domestic violence, criminal threats and unlawful sexual intercourse. One of Riddle's friends, contacted by police, told investigators Riddle had spied on him "on more than one occasion" from the outside of his house while he was nude inside his bedroom. Police said last week's incident began after Riddle approached a group of children in the 1700 block of Azoulay Court and asked whether they could help him fix his bike. He also asked the children for directions to an apartment complex. Once near the apartment complex, Reno began to talk to the children about drugs and began to smoke out of a clear glass pipe, police said. All of the children, except the 11-year-old, left to go find tools to help Riddle fix his bike. The man, who told the kids his name was " Reno," put his arm around the boy, firmly grabbing his shoulder and leading him toward Victor Avenue, police have said. The man began to talk about drugs with the boy and said, "I think we can be good friends," according to police. The boy asked Reno whether he could let him go, and Reno told him "no" while tightening his grip on the boy's shoulder, police said. At the same time, police said, the boy's sister happened to drive by on her way home and saw the man holding onto her brother's shoulder. She yelled in the man's direction and he let the boy go and ran away, dodging traffic as he crossed Victor Avenue, police said in a report. The boy was not injured, police have said. Riddle was found by police near Cypress Avenue and Larkspur Lane at about 4:30 a.m. Saturday. According to police, Riddle tried to run away from officers but was eventually arrested and taken to Shasta County Jail. In a police report filed Wednesday in court, it says Riddle denied kidnapping the boy but also admitted he had tied his shoelaces "extra tight" because he knew he would be running from police. But, he said, that had nothing to do with the alleged kidnapping. That report also said Riddle made a statement to police that he was considering committing "suicide by cop" when he got out of jail. Riddle, being represented by the Shasta County Public Defender's Office, is scheduled to have a Feb. 25 preliminary hearing to determine whether he'll stand trial. SHARE By Alayna Shulman of the Redding Record Searchlight Some local parents are outraged that the sensitive personal information of 10 million California public school students will be released to a third party because of a controversial court ruling. The electronic data up for release includes Social Security numbers, addresses, mental and physical health evaluations and more, though parents can may be able to have their child's information excluded if they fill out a form by April 1. A lawsuit between disability advocacy groups and the California Department of Education is at the center of the data release. Because the Morgan Hill Concerned Parents Association and California Concerned Parents Association sued the department alleging it wasn't providing adequate services to students with disabilities, Judge Kimberly J. Mueller ruled that the data of any student from a California public school since January 2008 needed to be released to the parents' groups but not the public so that attorneys could analyze it for their case. The parents' group insists the data will be supervised and only handled by a few select people. In addition, a provision of the ruling says that the data will only be turned over if the groups demonstrate that it will be secure. But some still worry that having a third party access the information opens up the door for data breaches or misuse of it. "It could absolutely be hacked and/or unethically sold or given away," said Richard Gallardo, a Shasta County parent. Gallardo said a provision in the ruling that the data will eventually be destroyed isn't assuring enough. "This is very sensitive data going to a third party," he said. "That is just not inclusive enough to do with the private data of our kids." While parents can object to the release by April 1, some are concerned that not enough of them even know what's happening in order to do so. Since the court is not accepting calls about the case, it's also unclear whether the objection form will actually prevent students' data from being released or simply serve as a letter of protest. "I don't think parents realize how big this is," said Tracee Mann, a Shasta County parent and homeschool teacher. "That's going to be pretty scary, when you start thinking about how big these records really are." In an email from Shasta County Office of Education officials to local superintendents obtained by the Record Searchlight, the officials are instructed to post a notice on their websites beginning Feb. 1 about the data release and parents' legal right to opt out. It was not immediately clear how many of them have complied, but Mann said she has heard from parents who said they aren't aware of the case. Mann also pointed out how former students no longer affiliated with the school district that has their data may not know what's going on either. "What if they were in the military and deployed how are they going to get (the opt-out form)?" she said. "The records are going back so far, that's a massive amount of people they're grabbing data from." The Department of education and advocacy groups both blame each other for the data release. In a statement from State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson's office Tuesday, Torlakson said his department "has consistently fought requests" to release the information, noting that the department gave over a list of student information with personal details removed only to be met with another request for the sensitive data. The advocacy groups characterize it differently. On the Morgan Hill group's website, it says the organizations continually tried to get the data from the Department of Education in anonymous format, but the department refused. It was that refusal that triggered the ruling about the data, the group says, noting that it comes with "aggressive steps" and a "tight protocol" to protect it. To object to the data release, you can print a form off at cde.ca.gov/morganhillcase and mail it by April 1 to: United States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller, c/o clerk of the court, Robert T. Matsui United States Courthouse, 501 I Street, Room 4-200, Sacramento, CA 95814 Attn: Document filed under seal. The court says it will not accept phone calls about the matter, but objecting parents or former students 18 and older also can opt out by sending a letter of objection by the same date. For instructions on how to do that, go to cde.ca.gov/re/di/ws/documents/order2016jan26.pdf. Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight Good News Rescue Mission Food Services Manager Daniel McAllister, left, talks with Rep. Doug LaMalfa on Wednesday. SHARE Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight Rep. Doug LaMalfa, left, and Good News Rescue Mission Executive Director Jonathan Anderson walk into the Victory House as the congressman toured some of the facilities at the mission on Wednesday. By Joe Szydlowski of the Redding Record Searchlight The North State's congressman got a tour of the Good News Rescue Mission's facilities Wednesday, including its nearly finished Victory House. Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) also updated the Mission's Executive Director Jonathan Anderson on federal legislation that would augment mental health services. "It would help the money flow where it needs to be," LaMalfa said. "Mental health is a big component of what you see." Because many homeless people are veterans, fixing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is also a high priority, LaMalfa said. It has been the target of intense scrutiny over wait times for medical procedures. He also praised the Rescue Mission's programs and the help it provides to people with addictions and those without homes. "What you see here are smiles and hope," he said. Anderson took LaMalfa around the Rescue Mission's administrative campus and to Victory House, a soon-to-be completed shelter for women and children. That new facility will allow the Rescue Mission to separate homeless women from those participating in the mission's drug rehab programs, Anderson said. "We have a lot of women in the shelter and (the homeless ones sometimes) bring drugs in and try to entice the recovery women," he said. When the Mission conducted a similar split for men, the treatment center's success rate went up, he said. The Victory House is expected to open in April, said Ken White, spokesman for the mission. During the tour, LaMalfa also met Daniel McAllister, who came up to Redding in December 2004 to enroll in the mission's 18-month treatment program after his cousin, one of its alumni, suggested it. He said he was using methamphetamine to cope with anything that upset him. "If something was going bad in my life, I would go get high," he said. He is now the Mission's Food Services manager. Anderson also spoke about the mission's college readiness program, a partnership with local law enforcement to prepare some offenders to attend higher education, he said. The average GPA is 3.5, Anderson said. "Wow. They have motivation," LaMalfa replied. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fish culturist Beau Hopkins (left) and driver Jeff Freund catch juvenile winter-run salmon in a tank at Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery at the base of Shasta Dam on Wednesday. About 200,000 of the fish were released into the Sacramento River at the John Reginato River Access off South Bonnyview Road in Redding. SHARE Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight Juvenile winter-run salmon are loaded into trucks Wednesday at the Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery. Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released about 210,000 juvenile winter-run salmon Wednesday from the Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery into the Sacramento River at the John Reginato River Access off South Bonnyview Road in Redding. By Damon Arthur of the Redding Record Searchlight For the second year in a row, federal officials on Wednesday released hundreds of thousands of endangered salmon into the Sacramento River in Redding to compensate for a massive summer fish die-off. Wednesday's release of fingerling winter-run chinook salmon was the first of two batches both about 200,000 fingerling-size fish being released this week. This year's release is about twice as many as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service typically releases into the river annually. For the past two years, the agency has released more fish to make up for young salmon that were killed by warm water in the river during the summer and fall. John Rueth, assistant hatchery manager at the Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery at Shasta Dam, said there is more at stake this year because of the high numbers of young fish that have died in the past couple years. "This is the second year we have had a bad year with the fish," Rueth said. "If we have a third year, we could see real bad numbers with the fish." It isn't likely the fish will go extinct, he said, but it will make it more difficult to restore the salmon run to previous high numbers. "It's going to put a big hit in how fast the fish recover," Rueth said. This past summer and fall about 97 percent of the winter-run, which also spawn in the Sacramento River, died before they reached Red Bluff on their way to the ocean. In 2014, about 95 percent of the winter-run eggs and recent hatches in the Sacramento River were killed by water temperatures above 56 degrees in the summer and fall. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which operates Shasta Dam, said that because of the drought there was not enough cool water in Lake Shasta to keep the fish from being killed by the warm water. Winter-run salmon, which spawn in the river only in the Redding area, once thrived in the mountain streams above Lake Shasta. But Shasta and Keswick dams now block their access to the ancestral spawning areas. Rueth said the fish released this week will travel about 50 miles a day. Fisheries officials had waited for a rainstorm to muddy up the river water to give the fish cover from predators such as trout and birds. The fish are also released at night when it is harder for the birds to find them, he said. John McManus, executive director of the Golden Gate Salmon Association, said the fish face many dangers in the water, including bureau-operated water pumps at the south end of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. "In the Delta they face the prospect of being pulled off their natural course by the huge diversion pumps that siphon water for use by large agricultural interests in the western San Joaquin Valley," McManus said. Shane Hunt, a bureau spokesman, said the Delta Cross Channel Gates will be closed while the fish migrate to the ocean. Keeping the gates closed prevents the salmon from being drawn to the interior of the delta, he said. If bureau officials begin seeing the little salmon showing up at screens installed at the pumps they may be slowed or the pumps may be shut off, he said. The bureau is pumping water out of the delta and into canals that send the water to the San Luis Reservoir west of Los Banos, Hunt said. Before the fish were loaded up into trucks and hauled to the river, fish and wildlife officials placed radio tags in 285 of the salmon. The fish are anesthetized, sliced open with a scalpel and the tag is placed inside the fish, which is then sewn up and placed in a tank to be hauled to the river. When the fish pass by one of 70 sites set up along the river and in the Delta they transmit a signal that lets wildlife officials know about their progress toward reaching the ocean and how many of them are surviving, Rueth said. The fish release at a boat ramp near South Bonnyview Drive also drew a crowd of onlookers Wednesday night. Johna Allen of Redding said she heard the fish were going to be released Wednesday night and brought her two grandsons Jesse Roehl, 15, and Rafael Roehl, 4, to watch the tanker trucks full of fish back down the boat ramp and let the fish go. After the salmon shot out of tubes at the back of the tanker trucks, some of them wiggled around for a while in the shallow water near the bank. "They were, like, so cute," Rafael said. "I like to touch one." SHARE Truck crash on I-5 causes long backup The slow lane of northbound Interstate 5 was closed most of the day Wednesday for guardrail repairs after a semitrailer jackknifed just before 8 a.m. and blocked the northbound freeway about 30 miles north of Redding. The left lane was open for traffic while the repairs were made at the Dog Creek location, the California Highway Patrol and California Department of Transportation said. Traffic was diverted at Riverview Drive in Lakehead, about 3 miles south of the crash location, right after the crash. Just before 9:30 a.m., northbound traffic was able to use the freeway shoulder and the left lane with the CHP running breaks to move traffic through. Traffic backed up for several miles. The CHP reported minor injuries in the wreck. Cause of outage under investigation A two-hour power outage affected about 300 customers and knocked out traffic lights Wednesday evening in the area of Hilltop Drive and East Cypress Avenue. Redding firefighters went to the area on the south side of East Cypress Avenue between Interstate 5 and Larkspur Lane after receiving reports of traffic lights failing. Initially dispatchers reported the possibility of a blown transformer, but Redding Electric Utility spokesman Pat Keener said the cause was under investigation. Electricity was restored sometime between 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., Keener said. Anderson woman faces drug charges A 54-year-old woman on probation was taken to jail Wednesday after authorities say they found an ounce of crystal methamphetamine and evidence of sales. Tamela Worley, 54, of Anderson, faces drug charges after members of the Shasta County Sheriff's AB 109 team searched her home on Virginia Avenue in Anderson, said Sgt. Jason Barnhart. He said agents found about an ounce of meth and other evidence of sales at the home. They took her to the Shasta County Jail, but a nurse who examined her said she has a medical issue and needed to be seen by a doctor. She was taken to the hospital and released from custody, deputies said. Worley is on probation for previous drug sales convictions, Barnhart said. She has been arrested three times on drug charges since 2010, he said. She faces charges of possession of meth for sales and maintaining a home where drugs are used or sold. Vehicle rollover blocks roadway The southbound lanes of Buenaventura Boulevard were temporarily blocked just south of Teton Drive Wednesday night due to a vehicle rollover. The crash was reported about 6:55 p.m., according to dispatch reports. The overturned vehicle had one occupant, but there was no word on injuries. The vehicle landed on its roof and was totaled, an officer said. SHARE By David Benda and Jenny Espino of the Redding Record Searchlight With Costco terminating its contract to build a new store on Oasis Road in north Redding, the talk has turned to where the big-box retailer will go now. Leaders in Anderson see opportunity. But Redding officials are upbeat their city still holds the advantage over their neighbors. "They are not in distress. They are not struggling. They just see an opportunity to do better," Redding Vice Mayor Brent Weaver said of Costco's current location on Dana Drive. "When all of the factors are weighted out, Redding is head and shoulders above any other competition for Costco in the region." A representative for the firm that procures sites for Costco was tight-lipped Wednesday about the company's future plans. "My relocation efforts are to take care of my members. No other comment," Mike Dobrota, vice president of Northwest Atlantic, said in an email. Bill Dreher, an independent retail analyst who has followed Costco for years, said the warehouse retailer draws upper-end department store customers at a more frequent rate, which means it's a huge draw for any shopping center. "Costco is very desirable," Dreher said. "Costco itself attracts a high-income demographic customer." One of the sites getting attention in the wake of Tuesday's developments that Costco was abandoning construction at Oasis Towne Center is a 16-acre, undeveloped property west of Interstate 5 at South Bonnyview Road and Bechelli Lane. The large property, made up of three parcels, is owned by Eugene and Donna Rother and has been in the family's control since 1945. Reached at his home, Eugene Rother, 75, said the property was purchased by his father, Henry Rother, who passed it down to him after his death in 1997. About 18 months ago, he and his family removed about 13,000 pounds of trash caused by homeless encampments, he said. Whether Costco is interested in the Rother property is unclear. "I'm not at liberty to say," he answered. But any buzz in the area would make sense. Directly across or east of the freeway is the Kenworth property, just north of the Churn Creek and South Bonnyview roads and I-5 interchange. Planning Manager Kent Manuel confirmed on Wednesday a development company is talking to his division about 200,000 square feet of retail space, with a grocery store as its main anchor. Manuel declined to identify the company, given that its plans are not yet firm, though it has completed a traffic study. "We anticipate it, but it may not happen," he said. Years ago, Raley's was eyeing that spot. A 57,000-square-foot Raley's store would have been part of the 230,000-square-foot Bonnyview Retail Center. Some of the work to set the table for such a center has been done. In 2008, the now-defunct Redding Redevelopment Agency spent about $7.5 million to widen the southernmost stretch of Churn Creek Road in an effort to make the road safer, extended utilities in the area and improved drainage. Redding City Manager Kurt Starman has said that the land is ripe for retail development. In a 2013 article about the property, commercial real estate agent Ken Miller said there is interest. But he believed the city might have to "unwind" some of the costly conditions for approval if it wants to see retail thrive in that area. One traffic issue discussed during a 2008 Redding Planning Commission meeting was Churn Creek at Hartmeyer Lane, just south of the proposed Bonnyview Retail Center. It's a busy intersection with trucks coming out of the heavy equipment rental yards nearby. City planners proposed forcing big rigs to turn right and drive east along Churn Creek Road, across a narrow bridge to a roundabout that the shopping center developer would have built at Rancho Road. But the Planning Commission balked at that idea. Would Costco move to Anderson? The City Council there moved ahead with an incentive package to attract more retail development there. Then there's Shasta County Supervisor Les Baugh, who on Facebook last week listed 10 reasons why Costco needs to move to Anderson. Baugh's wife, Susie, is Anderson's mayor. But where in Anderson? There's a large parcel at the Riverside Avenue/I-5 interchange. The property is on the east side of the freeway across from the Gaia Hotel. During the housing boom, a Sacramento developer was marketing the freeway frontage property for a major shopping center. Property around the roundabout east of the Shasta Factory Outlets also is being heavily marketed for retail. Anderson City Manager Jeff Kiser said the city's development fee moratorium isn't specific to any vendor, but he wasn't shy about showing his enthusiasm for Costco. "We have the infrastructure in place. We have people ready to help and we have the right business climate," he said. He noted the distance between Redding and Anderson isn't really all that much, when one considers the drive Costco members would have made from south Redding to what would have been its new site at Oasis. "The driving is null and void. It's where Costco wants to be," Kiser said. Shasta County Supervisor Les Baugh, who lives in Anderson, said he is still waiting for his phone to ring. "Costco has not given me a call but I am ready to give them a tour," he said. He'd take executives to the newly annexed 300-acre property, show them the roundabout near the outlets and point out the visibility to the freeway, he said. Still, he acknowledged Costco's first contact would be with city administrators. Between Redding and Anderson there's the Churn Creek Bottom property where Boise, Idaho, developer Hawkins Companies proposed a 740,000-square-foot shopping center near Knighton Road. However, voters rejected that idea in June 2012. Why Redding is taking lead on state homeless program The Housing and Homeless Incentive Program will help connect the unsheltered population with housing services and medical care. SHARE Go for it, Senate Republicans, but not the wrong way. Aim to cling to the legacy of the great, recently departed Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, to keep a decent balance on the court, to save the Constitution from rips, tears and a trash basket. But don't imitate a president forever turning his back on Congress by turning your back on him. Give him a chance to hang up his arrogant ideological stridency for once. It's truly a hard time right now. Scalia, besides being a buoyant, loving, good man, was one of the best things to ever happen to the court. Give him a decision to write, even a dissenting decision, and what you got was something exceptionally lucid, stylistically powerful and profound in what it said. An underlying message was almost always opposition to the love affair of liberals with what they stupefyingly and contradictorily called "a living Constitution." What they meant by the word "living" was that it was actually burial time for the centuries-old document and birth time for their own modernist attitudes, progressive values and maybe, too, the public mood of the moment. Occasionally the Constitution needs amending, and there's an amending process available, but these people essentially aimed to replace it with oligarchical moral superiority. They just didn't get it that the Constitution it is the major means by which we retain the essentials of our republic, not least of all our rights. Here's what Scalia taught: Court decisions should be based on the original meaning of the Constitution's text. And here's what he got: Quite a few liberal academics, judges and politicians gradually converting to his view. It doesn't follow that they thereby eschewed all the old stuff, and the conservative Scalia wasn't wholly pure, either. But he was miles closer to the goal than most liberals, and if someone too far gone is nominated to replace him, the person should be rejected. At least, however, the nominees should be considered, and Senate Republicans are saying nothing doing. They don't even want to hold hearings or any of the rest of it, but why not? By interrogation and examination of records and more, they can decisively demonstrate that a nominee is unfit if in fact he or she is. Any accusation of unfair play will be scooted aside. And President Barack Obama can hardly complain about a rejection since, as a senator, he himself fought against two nominees made by President George W. Bush, essentially saying he didn't like their political ideas. Among the many issues that should be raised in detail by the Republicans: to what extent can a president rewrite federal laws or extinguish state laws of his own accord; does the person agree with the Democratic desire for new restrictions on free speech; does the nominee think it constitutionally permissible for an organization to have the legal power to require dues from someone who has refused to join, even if it is a public employee union? There is plentiful precedent for rejecting nominees, even precedent for leaving vacancies open for long periods of time. There would still be problems for Republicans. With Scalia gone, the court has one less conservative, leaving three conservatives, four liberals and one person in between. If there is a four-four tie in deciding cases, the lower court ruling is affirmed, meaning conservatives lose on some major matters and liberals on others. These matters can be reconsidered with a nine-person court, however. What we don't know is who the next president will be or even who will control the Senate. Any party that gets the presidency will almost surely have more court vacancies to fill in the coming term. Whatever happens, sticking up for the Constitution right now without establishing a liberal majority is worth doing but it should be done in a way that relays fairness and conscientiousness. Jay Ambrose is an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service. Readers may email him at speaktojay@aol.com. SHARE Costco has a big store in Redding, and would like to have a bigger store in Redding. With gas pumps. Oh, if only things were that simple. The ill-fated negotiations, stretching across decades, are a three-way affair. In this case, we know the least about Costco's part of the talks. It's clear the retailer wants to build a bigger store on the interstate, but only a few people who read this will have been behind closed doors to hear what they really think. The city of Redding is of course a key player. There's continuity there; City Manager Kurt Starman has been at this stretching back to his former job as the city's No. 2 executive. And then there's Don Levenson, who inherited the potential and headaches of the property at the northeast corner of the Oasis Road/Interstate 5 intersection from his father, Norman. His company, LD&C of Los Angeles, is now back at the starting blocks with neither an anchor tenant nor any deal with the city. Of course, there are any number of other players, such as the federal government, which everyone hoped would come through with a grant for the interchange improvements and never did. There's the regulatory agencies. There's Caltrans. There is the city of Anderson, which would gladly take Costco that sales tax would be transformative for a city budget the size of Anderson's. And so on. But the real news, as of Tuesday night, is that the deal on the Levenson property is dead. So what happens now? It's useful to step back and look at what each party needs and wants. Redding needs to keep the sales tax from Costco, which is almost certainly worth more than $1 million a year based on a very conservative assumption about Costco's annual sales. It also needs to ensure that any new development comes with sufficient new lanes and signals and other infrastructure so it doesn't ruin the area for generations to come. And it needs to make sure that any deal with a developer is a net positive for taxpayers. The city wants to see Costco expand as soon as possible. It'll mean an instant boost to its coffers. Costco may not need anything. Perhaps it can stay where it is. But it wants to expand, obviously. And it wants to drive a hard bargain on the cost of any property it acquires. Costco drives up the value of all the commercial land around it because other businesses want to be close to it, and leveraging that fact helps it pay less for property. Levenson's wants and needs may be in past tense, for the moment. But it's important to note that he planned to make his money by developing the rest of the shopping center around Costco. If there's not an opportunity for an owner to do something like that in a different location, it will change the dynamics of a deal. At this point, finger pointing is tempting but not useful. Many of those saying the city bungled this deal are not any more privy to the discussions than we are. And we reckon they'd be the first to scream if city leaders incompetently approved a lousy deal for taxpayers. We're more inclined to believe what Costco said in its letter, which is that its employees and consultants on the project "appreciate the cooperation and dedication the city and its representatives have demonstrated over the past several years." Hopefully that goodwill will hold and another suitable site will be located. If not, Anderson is certainly interested. SHARE Two years ago I was asked to leave my position as superintendent of Red Bluff High School District. I was hired to bring a fresh perspective and to make needed changes in the district. I would like to communicate the vision created during my tenure that all students leave RBHS prepared for college, career and life has resulted in some positive changes for students in Red Bluff. The skills our students need for the 21st century are different. Changes were needed along with increased accountability to ensure we were providing a relevant education for all students. When Ron Fisher and Dr. Terrie Poulos was recommended for leadership positions, I approved their hiring. They had the experience and supported our vision/mission. To date, there have been many changes at the high school to support student learning. Here are some of the highlights: A seven-period day that allows students to take additional courses and meet state requirements for graduation and university requirements. This also provides freshmen the opportunity to take electives to explore their interests and possible career paths. Increased course offerings in the following areas: anatomy, environmental science, mass media, auto upkeep, children's literature, agriculture farm class, agriculture soils chemistry, Project Lead the Way computer science, construction skills, construction skills class at Salisbury, mass media, cake decorating, art, honors Spanish, and Spanish for Spanish speakers. There are plans to expand courses in health occupations, agriculture, Computer Science, and to add engineering courses and to create other elective classes for next school year. AVID a program I brought to RBHS before I left and is now offered to grades 9-11. Next year it will be offered to grades 9-12. AVID is a program whose mission is "to close the opportunity gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society." Diploma-bound students who receive special-education services are now being taught in core classes with their peers by general education staff, which is consistent with the law. There is a learning center to support students who struggle academically. Some classes are co-taught by general education and special education teachers with student tutors. There continues to be an online credit recovery program to allow students to make up classes they failed without having to go to an alternative placement. Soon students will have an opportunity to have credit recovery classes offered during the school day, not just after school. Improved Career Technical Education (CTE) courses enabled the district to receive the Gold Ribbon Award. The state superintendent of instruction visited and was impressed. RBHS is now aligned with requirements for a compliant CTE program. School leaders know that it takes three to five years to turn around and move an organization forward. Progress has been made in Red Bluff for all students in Red Bluff due to the efforts of Principal Fisher, Dr. Poulos and the staff. This is a great start and I hope it continues. Students in addition to foundational skills need to communicate effectively, collaborate with others, think critically and be creative in problem solving. I remember hearing on many occasions from alumni and community members that "RBHS is a great place to work." My hope is that this changes to "RBHS is a great place to learn." Lisa Escobar now lives in Seattle, Washington. She lived in Red Bluff when she was superintendent of the Red Bluff High School District. Officials behind "Star Wars" creator George Lucas' bid to build a museum along Chicago's lakefront are considering other cities and sites for the project, a city of Chicago lawyer told a federal judge Wednesday, indicating the lawsuit filed to block the proposal has put the project in jeopardy. Attorney Brian Sieve made the comments during a hearing related to a lawsuit filed by the preservation group Friends of the Parks to block the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Advertisement The "uncertainty and delay ... has caused the museum to, frankly, consider other cities and other sites that it may relocate to and that may put the entire project in jeopardy," Sieve said. Asked after the hearing which cities were courting the museum, Sieve did not say. Advertisement On Tuesday, the city filed a motion asking U.S. District Judge John Darrah to lift an order barring the start of construction before the legal fight is resolved. The judge said he would issue a ruling April 21. After Friends of the Parks filed the lawsuit, Lucas raised the possibility that he might move the project to Los Angeles. A spokesman for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Wednesday referred questions to Lucas about whether Los Angeles is pitching itself as a backup location. Through a spokeswoman, Ariel Investments President Mellody Hobson, Lucas' wife and a prime mover behind the project, and museum President Don Bacigalupi both declined to address the city lawyer's comment that museum officials are considering other cities because of the court case delay. Lucas selected Chicago for the site of the museum in 2014 after a national park board had rejected a plan to build his museum at a San Francisco site overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Oakland, Calif., also has expressed interest in luring Lucas to the city if the Chicago venture collapses. Sieve said the lawsuit could prevent Chicago from having "a valuable resource" that residents will be able to enjoy. Darrah replied that Friends of the Parks could argue "that all the citizens of Illinois would lose out if the museum was there." The Lucas camp wanted to break ground on the project this spring, and the city wants the ability to move forward with unspecified preliminary work while the court case is pending. Friends of the Parks' attorney Tom Geoghegan said he is always open to discussions with the city but said it is premature to talk about starting any activity at the site until the judge rules on the case. The parks group said it is not opposed to the museum coming to Chicago but wants it to be built at a different location. It has previously suggested the vacant Michael Reese Hospital site as an alternative location. On Wednesday, the group suggested that the museum could be built west of Lake Shore Drive, on a deck over railroad tracks, similar to Millennium Park. However, it was unclear how much that would cost or who would pay for it. Advertisement "It would be a shame if the city lost this opportunity because the mayor didn't seriously make an effort to find a site that is not subject to 100-year-old public trust doctrine making it illegal to build on the lakefront," Friends of the Parks Executive Director Juanita Irizarry said in a statement after the hearing. Geoghegan is seeking information about the site selection process, including documents and depositions with city and Park District officials that may shed light on how the lakefront property was chosen. Lucas wants to house his collection of artwork and showcase exhibits and films at the futuristic-looking building between Soldier Field and McCormick Place. The museum has the approval of the Chicago City Council, the Plan Commission and the Chicago Park District, which has entered an agreement to lease the land near Lake Michigan at a cost of $10 for 99 years. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Friends of the Parks says the museum project violates the state's public trust doctrine, will benefit a private party more than the public and will tarnish the lakefront. The group contends the land selected for the museum site is held in the public trust because it is formerly part of Lake Michigan, and that the land should be protected and preserved for the state's residents. Darrah ruled Feb. 4 that Friends of the Parks adequately states a claim and that the lawsuit can move forward. No construction can take place at the site until the case is resolved. The judge said at the end of the hearing that he would consider letting the city go forward on preliminary work if Friends of the Parks and the city came to an agreement on that action. Advertisement As proposed in Chicago, the privately funded 300,000-square-foot museum is slated to be built on 17 acres of lakefront property. The project is expected to cost more than $300 million. The museum, designed to include several theaters, a library and an observation deck, will charge an admission fee but also will have several free areas. The plan also calls for nearly 4.6 acres of park land and improvements at the site. poconnell@tribpub.com Twitter @pmocwriter Chicago takes great pride in all things craft, homegrown and small-batch. That's obvious in the city's rapid growth of the craft beer industry, but support for locally made craft spirits is just as strong. While several small Chicago distilleries are planning expansions, West Loop-based CH Distillery (564 W. Randolph St.) is making moves with a second production facility in Pilsen. And despite the brown spirits revolution other distilleries are riding out, vodka is CH's leading lady. Construction on the 20,000-square-foot Pilsen distillery (1611 S. Clinton St.) will begin soon, according to co-founder Tremaine Atkinson, who said he hopes to have the facility running by the end of the year. The new location will be able to produce 20 times the amount of alcohol CH is making at its West Loop facility and tasting room. The young distillery opened in August 2013, and less than two years later, Atkinson said he started looking for property to expand to keep up with demand. "It happened faster than I thought it might," he said about the distillery's growth. Advertisement The Pilsen distillery will focus mostly on producing vodka, CH's flagship product. Currently, the West Loop location is producing about 18,000 gallons per year. The new facility will have the ability to produce 360,000 gallons of vodka a year, allowing the West Loop spot to focus more on rum, gin and collaborations with other local makers, such as Dark Matter and Fat Rice. "That's one of the fun things about being a craft vodka producer; in an unexpected way, you feel like a little bit of a renegade," Atkinson said. "Everybody else seems to be focusing on brown spirits." Advertisement Right now, CH only distributes in-state with no plans to go national at the moment, Atkinson said. Unlike most other craft and luxury brand vodkas, CH makes its product from scratch. "There are really just a handful of smaller producers like us who are actually making the vodka all the way from scratch," Atkinson said. While "from scratch" can sometimes spike the price on certain products, CH vodka retails for $20 a bottle. "There's no reason for someone to have to pay more than that for a really good bottle of vodka," Atkinson said. There are no plans for a second tasting room at CH's Pilsen facility, but Atkinson said there's more land to work with than just what the distillery is being built on. Fingers crossed for a vodka swimming pool (is that safe?). @OhItsHeather | hschroering@redeyechicago.com Want to learn how to brew beer or make an excellent cocktail? Click here for classes in Chicago. Government may consider reducing duty on import of processing machinery for the tea and coffee industry with a view to boost domestic production and exports. The industry has demanded reduction of duties on imports of machineries used in processing of tea and coffee. While the duty on coffee processing machines are about 30 per cent, on tea machines it is about 10 per cent. The Commerce and Industry Ministry has suggested its Finance counterpart to consider the industry's demand, sources said. There are few tea and coffee machinery manufacturers in India and there is a need for modern technology to move up to the value chain, they said, adding that India mainly imports these machines from countries like Germany, Japan and China. The total coffee production in India was about 3.3 lakh tonnes in 2014-15, which is 4 per cent of global production. In the same fiscal, the exports from India were 2.8 lakh tonnes. Its share in the world's exports is only 4.2 per cent. Brazil is the main competitor in the coffee sector. Similarly, India's total tea production in 2014-15 stood at 12,000 million kg, which is 24 per cent of the total world's production. In the last financial year, India exported 200 million kg of tea and its share in global exports was 11 per cent. The main competitors in tea sector are China, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Indonesia. The industry has argued that reduction in import duty on the machinery would help in enhancing production and increase exports from India. The city has challenges, mainly in the areas of basic infrastructure such as roads, high quality water supply, Metro system and cheap housing -- prerequisites to attract investments and human capital. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis promised to take on competition from any state in the process of setting up an international finance centre. However, experts said the lack of basic infrastructure, like roads and housing, would hamper Mumbais chances of boasting an IFC. During a Make in India Week event in Mumbai, Fadnavis said the city had every ingredient to make Mumbai an IFC. The IFC is a doable and an achievable goal. . . even if we are not the first, we have lots of advantages, Fadnavis said. Maharashtras rival Gujarat is setting up a world-class city near Ahmedabad called the GIFT City. Some of Indias top financial companies have already taken space in GIFT City to set up their offices. But Ahmedabads gain could be Mumbais loss, even though Fadnavis plan is to convert the Bandra-Kurla Complex into an IFC with separate tax regulations. Experts said this would not be easy, though Mumbai is for all practical purposes the primary financial hub in India. For example, the city already has all the prerequisites, including regulators, stock exchanges, commodity exchanges, mutual funds, investment banks and a talent pool, among others. Besides, the city already offers easy access to the latest financial instruments. The city is also a hub of forex transactions, houses the major stock markets and offers the latest facilities in the money market. Treasuries of all major banks operate from Mumbai. Location was not important in contemporary time but such infrastructure would add to the strength of Mumbai as a financial centre, said experts. But the city has challenges, mainly in the areas of basic infrastructure such as roads, high quality water supply, Metro system and cheap housing -- prerequisites to attract investments and human capital. Congestion on roads has become chronic and the time taken to commute is almost double the global average. Besides, property prices are high, causing firms to move out to other locations. D R Dogra, MD & CEO of CARE Ratings, said: These issues have to be addressed as soon as possible. "Because while the trickle-away is slow today, it could accelerate as other states provide comparable, if not better, facilities. Also, he said, there was a need for hotels close to the business hubs to make it accessible to foreign investors who see Mumbai as an international financial centre. Economist Percy Mistry, who headed a committee in 2005 to suggest ways to make Mumbai an IFC, had said last year, unless Mumbai became a truly global city on the lines of New York and London, it could never succeed. The reports suggestions were never implemented. Interestingly, experts said if GIFT City was developed the way it had been envisaged, new business, especially in the exports and IT spaces, might move there. However, it looks unlikely that any other city will be able to take over as the financial centre, as Mumbai still has the cosmopolitan advantage as well as history to ensure that it is the preferred destination. "And to my mind, GIFT is not being developed to immediately take on this role and the way it develops will determine its potential to do so in future, added Dogra. Image: Traffic snarls are a daily sight in Mumbai. Photograph: Reuters 'What is holding this government to ransom is the Parivar,' says Saisuresh Sivaswamy. 'It is this group's thought process, ideals and philosophies that course through the veins of India's elected government. And it is this that is holding the government, and through it the country, to ransom.' As I write this, a full 48 hours have passed since the orchestrated assault on journalists inside New Delhi's Patiala House court complex on Monday. In this time, neither the prime minister nor the information and broadcasting minister and his junior minister -- all loquacious gentlemen, both online and off -- have uttered a single word condemning the attacks. Why should they react to each and every violent incident, I can hear the supporters of this dispensation scream. And there is this argument, obviously coming from a federal high horse: Law and order is a state subject, should the Union government intervene every time something happens somewhere? As for the first line of defence, while it is true that the central government has many things to bother about other than a violent incident in a court complex, Monday's event was not just another fracas that this country is full of. It was not a random attack, but an assault on the Press (spelt with a capital P). Which, for the benefit of an inexperienced bunch, is the fourth pillar of democracy, the other three being the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. Ordinarily, an attack on any of these pillars is a matter of grave concern, but not so to our Facebooking, blogging, tweeting ministers and their ilk. The inference from such silence can only be: Either their silence is a sign of their tacit approval for the attack on the media -- 'news traders', the prime minister had himself described the fourth estate to us as early as 2009, when he was campaign manager for a man he was to cast aside five years later; and to one of his ministers goes the eternal credit of dubbing us 'presstitutes', oh, such is the high regard they hold the fourth estate in -- or, they believe the media -- English media, specifically -- deserves the beatings. As for the second argument trotted out by the apologists of the dispensation, the federal line, it doesn't hold, especially since the I&B minister was not constrained by any such principle when two of Times Now correspondents were beaten up in Uttar Pradesh earlier this month. 'Attack on journalists in Uttar Pradesh is condemnable. An independent probe into the incident should be carried out,' he had tweeted then. Alas, a more egregious attack happens in the nation's capital, inside the court premises, at a time when the I&B minister was physically present in the court, and yet he finds no time, or words, to condemn the attack. The inference is clear. This government has taken the George W Bush line, from another era, another war, to heart. Either you are with them, or against them. This is the doctrine that runs through this government's interactions and dealings with the other three pillars of democracy. It is this very same 'with us or against us' doctrine that has paralysed Parliament into a standstill, its legislative powers suborned by the arrogance of parliamentary numbers unseen in 30 years. Homilies aside about the greatness of democracy, the need for consensus, an inclusive India, all of which is geared to an audience in world capitals where alone this government measures its worth, for those of us in India it has been week after week of the sorry sight of an administration that knows not how to administer, a government ill-equipped to govern, ministers powerless and speechless before the Prime Minister's Office. The prime minister is right, one family is indeed holding this country to ransom, but it is not the one in New Delhi. What is holding this government to ransom is the Parivar. It is this group's thought process, ideals and philosophies that course through the veins of India's elected government. And it is this that is holding the government, and through it the country, to ransom. Of course, there would have been nothing wrong had the prime minister said so when he, in many commentators' words, blitzed an election campaign that shocked and awed in equal measure two years ago. Or maybe he did, but so shocked and awed were we that one did not see the signs that were evident even then. For it was no secret that even as he ran a campaign focusing on the big picture stuff like boosting economic growth, restoring dignity and respect to the prime minister's post, at another level his cohorts were saying and doing the same old, usual things that has kept the Bharatiya Janata Party in the reckoning. It was a mask worn to perfection. It was all like what has been happening these last few days. Like when goons are having a field day in the court premises, picking and choosing their prey with delight, the government was elsewhere, wearing the Make in India mask and pitching to a still sceptical global industry. It is the mask that enables the government to hide its true intentions. Which is to control and corrupt an established system to its image. So when the government chafes at the Rajya Sabha playing hard ball with it over important legislation, in particular one bloc standing in its way, it wants the legislation of its choice, cast in its image with no scope for amendments or improvements and wants others to go along with it. It displays none of the finesse required to deal with its opponents in a democratic manner. I have the might of numbers, so the right is naturally mine, goes its thinking, unmindful of the fact that checks and balances were built into the democratic system precisely to prevent such an ODing on power. When it tries to change the convention of judges' appointments, bringing political sanction over the method of brother judges choosing each other, it wants to directly control the judiciary, which has not hesitated to pull up the government for its various acts of omission and commission, even Constitutional overreach. A 'committed judiciary' is what one erstwhile strong prime minister had sought; her successor wants more, a bespoke judiciary. But the mask comes in handy to cover up the real intentions, whereby one can talk of the horror of 'judges electing themselves.' So, whether it is the refusal to adapt to parliamentary methods while dealing with the Opposition, trying to muscle in on how judges are appointed, and turning a blind eye to journalists being assaulted in the course of duty right in the capital city, they are all part of the same mindset. One that seeks to control, corrupt, and ultimately recast. Words to the contrary that spew out on a regular basis are nothing but a mask. It is the studied silence that tells you when the mask has slipped. IMAGE: Then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi at an RSS shakha. There are signs of China's external behaviour becoming more aggressive in the coming years. If that happens, strategic implications for neighbours having territorial disputes with China can become deeper and imperatives can rise, says D S Rajan. China continues to be aggressive on territorial issues like the construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea with airport facilities and building a base in Djibouti, located in the Horn of Africa. This approach seems to be at variance with Chinese President Xi Jinping's declared stand to treat 'development and security interests in a balanced way.' Being noticed at such a time are opinions of influential Chinese scholars in favour of their country's more assertiveness, which raise eyebrows internationally. They include the need for China to establish bases in countries considered by it as allies. India cannot miss the obvious strategic meaning of the view that Pakistan is 'the only one real ally' of China. Yan Xuetong, a prominent scholar in the People's Republic of China, occupying the position of director of the Institute of International Relations at the Beijing-based Tsinghua University -- an institution termed by the country's State media as 'China's MIT', in his recent book, The Transition of World Power: Political Leadership and Strategic Competition, has called for China's adoption of a more assertive foreign policy. In the book, the scholar has also described Pakistan as China's 'only one real ally.' An interview with Yan on the book has appeared in the international press. Yan Xuetong's views cannot be taken as reflecting the thinking of either the Chinese Communist Party or the government. However, the fact that China's State media have come out with favourable comments on the book may suggest that Yan enjoys some official patronage. The scholar is a strong supporter of Xi's 'new' foreign policy outlook; he had admitted that 'it is seemingly more assertive, but in reality is more conducive to peace.' He also supports Xi in matters of freedom of speech in China by saying that the system of 'remonstrating' to the authorities -- as practiced during the imperial rule in China -- is more efficient way of correcting strategic mistakes than freedom of speech. Looking at such a background, one is tempted to feel that what Yan said in the interview is not merely the viewpoint of a scholar, but also has indirect backing of the authorities. Most striking is Yan's opinion that China should adopt a more assertive foreign policy. He considers that the country's South China Sea policy is not overly assertive as it is only intended to safeguard China's own interests and contrasts this with its previous policies which in his view were not forceful enough. Yan argues that only the Philippines and Vietnam have major disputes with China in the South China Sea, whereas Singapore and Thailand -- two long-time allies of the United States in the region -- have become much closer to China in recent years. The Tsinghua scholar further says that 'China should build military alliances as the US does' and describes the country's 'non-alliance' principle as 'unfortunate'. According to him, 'the principle adopted by the PRC in 1982 was right as it served the country's interests well for two decades when China was a very weak power. Since then China has become the world's second-largest power, and the non-alliance principle no longer serves its interests. The major obstacle to China abandoning its non-alliance principle is years of propaganda criticising alliances as part of a Cold War mentality.' On how China should build alliances, Yan observes that 'it is impossible to change the nature of China's relations with other countries with just economic assistance or loans. China's One Belt and One Road initiative for economic development across Eurasia cannot fundamentally change the nature of relations.' 'China should limit its economic assistance, including outright aid and loans, to 1 per cent of its annual foreign reserves, which amounted to about $35 billion in 2015. The current amount has been way too high given China's capabilities. China should scale back this economic assistance and switch to military aid. Military aid should be given to friendly countries to improve strategic cooperation and secure political support.' 'But China should be very cautious about participating in military conflicts in the Middle East. China should learn a lesson from Russia's military involvement in Syria. The more allies China makes the more balanced and stable its relationship with the US will be.' 'The more China shies away from alliances, the greater the chance that Washington will contain China, therefore resulting in an unstable relationship.' As Yan sees, for its own interests, China should consider having military bases in countries it considers as allies, but it is too early to say where such bases can be, since China now has only one real ally -- Pakistan. The scholar points out that 'North Korea is not an ally of China despite the alliance treaty signed between the two countries in 1961, adding that in 2013, China publicly denied that it had an alliance with North Korea and declared that the two simply had normal relations. If North Korea is not entitled to nuclear weapons, then China and the US should guarantee North Korea its security in return for denuclearisation.' Yan's opinions need analysis in the context of evolution of China's security-oriented diplomacy which began in 2009. To recapitulate the events, China recalibrated the strategic focus in its diplomacy to 'core interests' in 2009, with the proviso that the country will make no compromises on core interests and protect them even by military means. Identifying China's 'core interests,' Dai Bingguo, who played a major role in the country's foreign policy making, said in end July 2009 that 'the PRC's first core interest is maintaining its fundamental system and State security, second is State sovereignty and territorial integrity and the third is the continued stable development of the economy and society.' In specific terms, Tibet, Xinjiang, Taiwan and South China Sea Islands as well as strategic resources and trade routes were listed under the 'core interest' category. The rationale given by China for the recalibration was that 'China is going global and its international influence is becoming more visible and assertive and the international environment and domestic conditions are changing.' Xi Jinping reiterated the rationale in his speech delivered at the Chinese Communist Party Politburo Study session convened on January 28, 2013 that 'China will never pursue its development at the cost of sacrificing interests of other countries... We will never give up our legitimate rights and will never sacrifice our national core interests. No country should presume that we will engage in trade involving our core interests or that we will swallow the 'bitter fruit' of harming our sovereignty, security or development interests.' The subsequent 18th CCP Congress document echoed the same spirit. It proclaimed that China's 'banner is to forge a win-win international cooperation'; at the same time it laid emphasis on making 'no compromises' on issues concerning 'national sovereignty and security of core interests'. Most significant has been the document's clarification that 'the two aspects are pillars of Chinese diplomacy and do not conflict with each other' (People's Daily, November 16, 2013). The Chinese foreign minister explained his country's new foreign policy direction on March 8, 2014 by saying that the PRC 'will play the international role of a responsible, big country.' This signalled a firm shift in the direction so far existed of the PRC's external course -- 'hiding one's capacities and biding one's time' (veteran leader Deng Xiaoping's famous 24-character maxim of tao guang yang hui). Notable in the recent period has been the central point in Xi Jinping's major speech at the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs in November 2014. He underscored the 'importance of holding high the banner of peace, development and win-win cooperation, pursuing China's overall domestic and international interests and its development and security priorities in a balanced way, focusing on the overriding goal of peaceful development and national renewal, upholding China's sovereignty, security and development interests, fostering a more enabling international environment for peaceful development and maintaining and sustaining the important period of strategic opportunity for China's development.' 'These efforts will ensure the realization of the "two centenary goals" (doubling the 2010 GDP and per capita income of urban and rural residents and finishing the building of a society of initial prosperity in all respects when the CCP celebrates its centenary in 2020 and turning China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious when the PRC marks its centenary in 2050) and the Chinese dream of the great renewal of the Chinese nation.' Against the background given above, it can be assessed that Yan's themes of China's adoption of a more assertive foreign policy, scaling back of economic aid and switching to military aid, building military alliances and establishment of overseas bases in countries of allies, are suggestive of China's external behaviour becoming more aggressive in the coming years. If that happens, strategic implications for neighbours having territorial disputes with China can become deeper and imperatives can rise for the former to counteract; the result can be a further increase in regional tensions. In the interest of regional peace and prosperity, all stake holders should sit together and arrive at an understanding on preventing emergence of such situation. D S Rajan is a Distinguished Fellow, The Chennai Centre for China Studies. Travis Hittson A former Navy crewman was put to death Wednesday in Georgia for killing a fellow sailor whose remains were found buried in two states. A former Navy crewman was put to death Wednesday in Georgia for killing a fellow sailor whose remains were found buried in two states. Travis Hittson, 45, was executed by a lethal injection of pentobarbital at 8:14 p.m. at the state prison in Jackson. He was convicted in the April 1992 killing of Conway Utterbeck. Hittson accepted a final prayer and recorded a final statement, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections. On his final day of life, Hittson met with two relatives, four friends and eight members of his legal team. Hittson was scheduled to die at 7 p.m. but, as is usually the case, there were delays while the state waited for all the courts to decide whether the execution should be stopped. The State Board of Pardons and Paroles, which is the only entity in Georgia authorized to commute a death sentence, rejected Hittsons request for clemency after a hearing on the matter Tuesday. Hittson's lawyers had argued his life should be spared because he's shown great remorse and because Vollmer manipulated him into killing Utterbeck. SCOTUS denied a stay of execution for Travis Hittson shortly prior to his execution. No dissents were noted. Hittson was mistreated and neglected as a child and constantly craved the approval of others, his lawyers have said. That, combined with alcoholism and relatively low intelligence, made it easy for his direct supervisor in the Navy, Edward Vollmer, to manipulate him into killing Utterbeck, Hittsons lawyers argued. Hittson's lawyers appealed a state court judge's decision, denying a request to throw out Hittson's death sentence. But a Butts County judge denied that request and Hittson's lawyers appealed that decision to the Georgia Supreme Court. "Mr. Hittson was robbed of a fair and reliable sentencing trial when the prosecutor was permitted to sandbag the defense with the testimony of a state psychologist, Dr. Robert Storms, who revealed off-the-cuff but nevertheless callous statements allegedly made by Mr. Hittson about the victim, during a pre-trial evaluation," the petition said. During the trial, the trial judge had said he would not let Storms take the stand unless Hittson's lawyers presented psychiatric mitigation evidence during the sentencing phase of the trial, the petition said. Even though Hittson's defense team did not present such evidence, the judge let Storms testify anyway, the petition said. For this reason, Hittson's defense team "was utterly disarmed by the prosecution's tactic, abetted by the trial court's disregard of both governing law and its own assurances," the petition said. State lawyers said those arguments have previously been raised and rejected by the courts and are procedurally barred. Hittson, Utterbeck and Vollmer were stationed in Pensacola, Florida, in April 1992 when they went to Vollmers parents home in Warner Robins in central Georgia for a weekend. Hittson told investigators he and Vollmer went out drinking the second night they were there, leaving Utterbeck at the house. As they were driving back to the house, Vollmer told Hittson that Utterbeck planned to kill them both and that they needed to get him first, according to court filings. When they reached the house, where Utterbeck was sleeping in a recliner, Vollmer put on a bulletproof vest and took a sawed-off shotgun and a handgun from his car and gave Hittson an aluminum baseball bat. On Vollmers instructions, Hittson hit Utterbeck several times in the head with the bat and then dragged him into the kitchen where Vollmer was waiting, according to court filings. Vollmer stepped on Utterbecks hand and Hittson shot him in the head, according to court filings. Vollmer said they needed to cut up Utterbecks body to get rid of the evidence, according to court filings. Hittson told investigators he began to cut the body with a hacksaw but he became sick and Vollmer finished dismembering the body, according to court filings. They buried Utterbecks torso in Houston County in central Georgia and brought the rest of the remains back to Pensacola and buried them there. When investigators began questioning Utterbecks shipmates months later, Hittson confessed and also implicated Vollmer, according to court filings. He led investigators to Utterbecks remains and other crime scene evidence. Hittson was convicted of malice murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and theft by taking. He was sentenced to death for the malice murder conviction. Vollmer reached a plea deal and is serving a life sentence. He was denied parole in 1999 and again last year. Reconsideration of his case is set for 2020, parole board spokesman Steve Hayes has said. Hittson is the 2nd person Georgia has executed in 2 weeks. Brandon Astor Jones, 72, died by lethal injection in the wee hours of Feb. 3 for a 1979 Cobb County murder. There are at least 3 men who have run out of regular appeals and could see execution dates set soon. Hittson becomes the 2nd condemned inmate to be put to death in Georgia this year and the 62nd overall since the state resumed capital punishment in 1983. Only Texas (534), Oklahoma (112), Virginia (110, Florida (92) and Missouri (86) have carried out more executions since the death penalty was re-legalized in the USA on July 2, 1976. Hittson becomes the 7th condemned inmate to be put to death this year in the USA and the 1429th overall since the nation resumed executions on January 17, 1977. Sources: MSNBC, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, DPN Twitter feed, Rick Halperin, Feb. 17, 2016 'The message the government is sending out is you are not safe if your dare oppose this regime.' 'The entire incident gives you an understanding of what happened in Germany during the Third Reich.' 'This is jingoism and not nationalism of any kind.' IMAGE: Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad 'activists' during a protest outside the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in New Delhi, February 16, 2016. Photograph: Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters Almost ten days after alleged anti-national slogans were raised at the Jawaharlal Nehru University and its students union president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on charges of sedition, the issue has escalated further with lawyers attacking students and media persons on the Patiala House court premises on Tuesday and Wednesday. Yogendra Yadav, below, left, the distinguished social scientist and psephologist, spoke to Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com on how the raging debate is not about Afzal Guru or Kashmir, but about the freedom of expression. How do you view the political scenario in the country post the JNU incident? What appeared to be a minor incident of a somewhat thoughtless action by students and an equally thoughtless reaction by the government now appears to be something much bigger, especially after the incident involving the chaos and violence at the Patiala House court. It is quite clear that this was not an accident. This is meant to send a signal. JNU was deliberately chosen to send a message to all the dissenters, to all those who disagree with this regime. What happened at the Patiala House court on Wednesday shows it was the same place, the same people, the same action and the same inaction by the police. The entire incident gives you an understanding of what happened in Germany during the Third Reich. Journalists are being beaten up inside a court room. Can you recall a time when such incidents have taken place in our country? I cannot recall anything of this kind. The fact that it is happening for the second time within three days right in the middle of the national capital and that too within a judicial complex gives you an idea that it is not a minor intransigence. It is not an accidental overstepping by a fringe element. The message has been sent. And the message is no matter who you are, no matter where you are located, if you dare oppose this regime, you are not safe. This is exactly the same thing which happened during the Third Reich in Germany. The writer Chetan Bhagat tweeted on Tuesday that 'Modi hate' can blind you to the point that you even tacitly support anti-India protesters. Would you like to comment? I need not comment on this specifically, but the idea that those who are supporting the right of free expression are supporting 'India hate' is ridiculous. Pakistan recently punished someone who was a Virat Kohli fan for waving the Tricolour. Anyone in Pakistan who opposed this kind of action by the Pakistani State is not an opponent of Pakistan, and could be a supporter of freedom, a supporter of sanity and a supporter of civility. This is what we are doing. I have said repeatedly that what happened in JNU with the slogan shouting by a few fringe students was thoughtless at best, mischievous at worst. No one is supporting that. The real question is how do we respond to that. Does the State respond to the incident like Pakistan, wherein the State uses its entire might and uses draconian colonial laws? Do you think we are entering a hyper-nationalist phase? I would not call it hyper-nationalism because to call it hyper-nationalism is to grant this is nationalism. I do not find anything nationalist about bringing down the reputation of the nation. What the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) are doing is to bring disrepute to the great Indian tradition of nationalism. The tradition, which had people like Rabindranth Tagore who questioned the very idea of nationalism, people like Mahatma Gandhi who argued for the rights of those who are outside the boundaries of their own nation. This is simple degradation. This is jingoism. This is not nationalism of any kind. Why is the culture of violence being perpetrated in our society? Today, we see goondaism in the name of nationalism. I do not think it is society's pathology or society's flaw. This is clearly, really, politically orchestrated. Those shouting anti-India slogans at JNU were Kashmiri students. Where have we failed as a nation in assimilating these students into the Indian mainstream? Kashmir is a complex issue, which we need to discuss and debate, but what is going on in the JNU debate is not the Kashmir question. Incidentally, the boy was not from Kashmir. The main accused is from Nagpur and he (Umar Khalid) is an atheist. He has nothing to do with Kashmir. No one cares about the facts unfortunately. Somewhere, we have failed to bring Kashmiri youth into the Indian mainstream. Where have we failed? Undoubtedly, that is a larger question. At the moment, the BJP and its cohorts are trying to confuse this debate and draw you and me into a debate on Afzal Guru and Kashmir. But this is a debate about freedom of expression. The debate should be about what is possible about the law of sedition in such cases. A Bharatiya Janata Party MLA called Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi a traitor and said he should be either be hanged or be shot for siding with people who shouted anti-India slogans. BJP MLA from Baytoo in Barmer Kailash Choudhary, while addressing farmers during a kisan sammelan in his constituency, said the Congress leader whom his partymen call rajkumar had no right to be in India for having gone to the people who shouted Pakistan Zindabad slogans and idolized 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. The MLA said, Some people raised slogans praising Afzal Guru, about breaking India and of Pakistan Zindabad and if Rahul Gandhi, who is called the Congresss rajkumar, goes and sides with these people, stands with them and supports them. It is treason. Rahul Gandhi is a traitor; such a traitor should be punished and should be hanged and shot, he added. The comments were initially circulated on Whatsapp. When asked if he had indeed made these statements, Choudhary at once agreed, and was quoted as saying to The Indian Express, Yes, I said it. If he goes and supports such anti-national peoplehe should be shot. I am a nationalist and if anyone raises a finger at Bharat Mata, I will not tolerate it. State Congress president Sachin Pilot reacting to the comments, demanded that the BJP sack the legislator for his derogatory remark. Kailash Choudharys statement in Kisan Sammelan in his home constituency of Bayut in Barmer district is highly objectionable and deplorable, Pilot said in a statement. Choudharys statement actually expose BJPs real face and character in public, the BJP should sack him from membership from the party. His statement falls under the category of criminal act under laws, and a case should be registered against him, Pilot demanded. -- With inputs from PTI Image: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi addresses students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University on Saturday. Photograph: PTI India has sought from Pakistan details about the charges against a 31-year-old Indian engineer who has been sentenced to three years in prison for espionage by a Pakistani military court. The sentence against Mumbai resident Hamid Nehal Ansari came over three years after he went missing in Pakistan after illegally entering the country from Afghanistan reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online. "Our Mission in Islamabad has sought consular access for him. We had sought it earlier also. We have also sought details of the charges under which he has been detained and for which he has been convicted," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. Ansari was convicted on Sunday in Kohat, a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, and was shifted to Peshawar Central Prison. He has a right to appeal under the Pakistan Army Act. India had sought consular access for Ansari and asked Pakistan to ensure his safety and security. According to Pakistan media, Ansari had confessed to illegally entering Pakistan from Afghanistan for espionage. Over three years after Ansari went missing in Pakistan where he had allegedly gone to meet the girl he had befriended on the Internet, authorities last month admitted that he has been in army custody and facing a trial in military courts. Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, arrested on on sedition charges, on Thursday moved the Supreme Court for bail which it will hear on Friday. His bail petition was mentioned before a bench of justices J Chelameswar and A M Sapre by senior advocate Soli J Sorabjee and Raju Ramachandran who wanted it to be heard on Thursday itself. However, when the bench suggested that they would consider it for Friday, they agreed. Kumar said in his petition that there was no need for his custodial interrogation as he has already been sent to judicial custody. In the petition, filed through advocate Anindita Pujari, the accused claimed his innocence and said no purpose would be served by keeping him in the jail as the police have been finding it difficult to produce him even in the court. Kumar has submitted that there is a threat to his life and there was a need for the apex court to intervene for safeguarding his life and limb. Meanwhile, security has been tightened at Kanhaiyas house in his village in Bihar in view of a likely threat to his family. Policemen in plain clothes have been deployed near his house to provide security to his family, a district police official said. Kanhaiyas father Jaishankar Singh and his mother Meena Devi, live in Bihat village in Begusarai district, considered a stronghold of the Left in Bihar. His parents are poor. His father Jaishankar is partially paralysed, while his mother is an anganwadi worker and earns Rs 3,000 per month. Security was tightened at his house following a directive from the Bihar police headquarters. The district police was asked to deploy security forces at his house. The JNUSU president, who has been booked for sedition in connection with an event at the university where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised last week, was arrested by the Delhi police on February 12. He was remanded to judicial custody till March 2. -- With inputs from M I Khan Upping the ante on the Jawaharlal Nehru University row and Patiala House court violence, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday dubbed them as a blot on Indias image and sought President Pranab Mukherjees intervention for immediate action to check the state of lawlessness and subversion of democratic rights. It is not the governments job to destroy our educational institutions and crush expression of all students. Across the country, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is trying to impose a flawed ideology on the students of this country, he told reporters. Leading a delegation of party leaders to the President, the Congress vice president also launched a counter attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party for its anti-national dig at him, asserting that nationalism is in my blood. I have seen my family sacrifice again and again and again for this nation. The country is gripped in a serious crisisThe scenes of utter lawlessness playing out on the premises of the court in the heart of the capital are an affront to the democratic ideals of the country the delegation said in a memorandum submitted to the President. Besides the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, the delegation included Leader of the party in Lok Sabha Mallikarun Kharge, Deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma besides senior leaders Sheila Dixit, Randeep Surjewala Ajay Maken and Manish Tewari. They told the President that despite a direct order from the Supreme Court to ensure adequate security outside Patiala House court, the government has refused to prevent attacks on journalists and students. The Supreme Court-appointed panel to assess the situation was itself subjected to abuse and assault. Such lawlessness in defiance of a Supreme Court directive on two occasions by the same set of people, some of whom are identified with the ruling dispensation on various fora, cannot be but without the tacit support, encouragement or at best, the indifference of the ruling establishment, it told the President. Expressing concern over the incident, the Congress leaders sought Presidents assistance in ensuring that immediate action is taken to check the state of lawlessness and subversion of democratic rights. Alleging that across the country, whether in JNU or Hyderabad Central University, in Film and Television Institute of India and other places of learning, students are being bullied and threatened, the delegation told the President that As the patron of Universities, we call upon you to protect their freedom and uphold the values that built our nation. Gandhi said if somebody has said anything against the nation, they should be punished according to law. He also referred to the suicide by Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad and accused the government of crushing him. The Congress vice president expressed concern that people were being beaten inside the court and the police are just watching. This is sending a very, very bad signal not only in this country but also abroad. It is damaging Indias image and is putting a blot on it, he said. Image: Rahul Gandhi and other senior Congress members handing over a memorandum to President Pranab Mukherjee about the current lawlessness in the country and the attack on students. Photograph: PTI Thousands of students from universities and colleges across Delhi staged a massive protest in New Delhi on Thursday to condemn the arrest of Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader Kanhaiya Kumar on sedition charges. The students, who massed near Mandi House in the heart of Delhi, demanded the immediate release of Kanhaiya Kumar, who was sent to judicial custody till March 2 by a court on Wednesday. The students from Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Milia Islamia took part in the protest, shouting slogans like Janwad pe hamla band karo (End attacks on democracy). Students wear T-shirts saying 'Mera yaar Kanhaiya' as they begin their protest from outside Mandi House. Photograph: ANI/Twitter The protestors are marching to Jantar Mantar. Photograph: @sourav_mukherji/Twitter The protestors demanded the immediate release of JNU student's union leader Kanhaiya Kumar. Photograph: @sourav_mukherji/Twitter Thousands of people spilled out on the streets, chanting slogans and carrying red rose. Photograph: @basithcg/Twitter A protestor with a 'I am with JNU' placard at the rally. Photograph: ANI/Twitter Social activist and former Aam Aadmi Party leader Yogendra Yadav was also present at the rally. He has decried the whole incident saying that the BJP is bringing disrepute to nationalism. Photograph: @_YogendraYadav/Twitter Indian-American South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has endorsed Marco Rubio, which will give a major boost to the Florida Senators presidential ambition ahead of the states pivotal Republican primary. I wanted somebody with fight. I wanted somebody with passion. I wanted somebody that had conviction to do the right thing, but I wanted somebody humble enough that remembers that you work for all the people, Haley said at Chapin in South Carolina as she announced to endorse Rubio for president. I wanted somebody that was going to go and show my parents that the best decision they ever made for their children was coming to America. We say that every day is a great day in South Carolina. Ladies and gentlemen, if we elect Marco Rubio, every day will be a great day in America! Haley said. The two-term Republican governor of South Carolina is considered to be a highly popular Republican leader in the country and a potential vice presidential pick. However, if Rubio bags the partys nomination she is unlikely to be on his ticket because the two leaders are from the same region of the country and both of their parents are immigrants. You know that I always say I am the proud daughter of Indian parents. That reminded us every day how blessed we were to live in this country, she said in her brief remarks. Haley said she wants a president who is going to have the backs of military veterans, and those in active duty. I want a president that knows that when we fight wars, we win wars. I want a president that understands we have to stop the federal mandates that have been pushed on the states like Obamacare and the Environmental Protection Agency, she said. But I want a president who understands that they have to go back to WashingtonDC and bring a conscience back to our Republicans. Our Republicans need to remember what we are about, which is about balanced budgets, cutting debt, building reserves and making sure that they understand that this guy, he is all about term limits in DC, and that is what we want to see in a president, Haley said. Haleys endorsement is seen as a big boost for Rubio, but this does not guarantee him a win in South Carolina, despite the fact that the Indian-American is one of the most popular governors in the states history. In 2012 elections, she had endorsed Mitt Romney, the partys eventual nominee. As per the average of all major polls compiled by RealClearPolitics.Com, on average Rubio is currently ranked third with 17.7 per cent, a GOP race which is led by Donald Trump with 33.3 per cent and Ted Cruz with 22 per cent. Even in South Carolina, where the Republican presidential primary is scheduled for Saturday, Rubio (16.8 per cent) is placed third after Trump (34.5 per cent) and Cruz (17.3 per cent). We were excited when we got the word that this was a real possibility, Rubio said after bagging Haleys endorsement. For us and for me, I have said this before, and I would say, despite the endorsement I would say this, she represents everything I want the Republican Party to be about: fiscal responsibility, a limited federal government, all the things that our government should be about and all the things our party should be about, she embodies, Rubio said. The Democratic National Committee National press secretary Mark Paustenbach said given Haleys weak record in South Carolina, her decision to endorse a candidate with little record of his own makes perfect sense. Its no surprise Haley feels comfortable lending her name to Rubio, a candidate whose campaign has been desperately trying to hide his own lack of actual accomplishments, he said. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush who was hoping to get Haleys endorsement expressed his disappointment over the decision of Haley. Image: Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio appears with South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley at an event in Chapin, South Carolina. Haley endorsed Rubio in the state's upcoming primary. Photograph: Aaron P Bernstein/Getty Images Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is under fire for spending a whopping Rs 63.8 crore on his foreign trips and living at least every fifth day of his tenure out of the cash-strapped country. The ministry of foreign affairs informed the National Assembly on Wednesday that Sharif has spent a total of 185 days abroad in 65 foreign tours with accompanying staff of 631 officers. Sharif came to power in June 2013 and has been regularly going abroad, despite growing criticism by opposition and media. In stark contrast to his stay abroad during his tenure, Sharif visited the National Assembly just 35 times during his 940 days in power. According to the data provided the National Assembly, Sharif visited Britain 17 times, spending about two months in the UK, of which 32 days were listed as official stay while 24 were listed as transits. However, during each transit, Sharif stopped for at least a couple of days which cost the exchequer Rs 13.78 crore. After the UK, Sharif spent most of his time in the US, visiting the country for 18 days. He also visited Saudi Arabia five times, followed by the US and China which he visited four times. Turkey was Sharif's another favoured destination which he visited at least once every year. The Supreme Court on Thursday virtually paved the way for government formation in Arunachal Pradesh by vacating its order on maintenance of status quo, after being satisfied with the Gauhati high court order staying the disqualification of the 14 rebel Congress MLAs. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice J S Khehar, on perusing the records regarding disqualification of 14 rebel Congress MLAs, said it is prima facie satisfied with the high court order. "Prima facie we are not inclined to interfere with the high court order, we are satisfied with it. Having seen the original records which are put before us by the Registrar General of Gauhati high court, the order of January 7 calls for no interference at this stage. "Accordingly, the ad-interim order passed is vacated," the bench also comprising Justices Dipak Misra, M B Lokur, P C Ghose and N V Ramana said. The bench also transferred the case regarding disqualification of the 14 legislators from the single judge to the division bench of the high court and asked it to expeditiously decide the matter within two weeks. The bench, however, made it clear that any further action taken will be subject to the outcome of the matter pending before it. Hours after the Union Cabinet had on Wednesday decided to recommend revocation of President's Rule in Arunachal Pradesh, the apex court had ordered maintenance of status quo in the crisis-ridden state till it examined judicial and assembly records on disqualification of the 14 rebel Congress MLAs by former Speaker Nabam Rebia. The interim order had came after senior lawyers F S Nariman and Kapil Sibal, appearing for Arunachal Congress leaders, had sought maintenance of status quo till their plea seeking to restrain Governor J P Rajkhowa from swearing in a new government in Arunachal Pradesh was decided. The bench had directed the Secretary General of Arunachal Pradesh Assembly and the Gauhati high court Registry to furnish records, pertaining to the proceedings conducted by Speaker Nabam Rebia under Xth Schedule of the Constitution pertaining to disqualification of the MLAs, by Thursday. The bench, while noting that some part of the records was also in the safe custody of the Gauhati high court, had directed the Registrar General of the High Court to ensure that the sealed record pertaining to the disqualification of the 14 MLAs, was produced in this court. Nariman and Sibal had also mentioned before the bench, which is hearing a batch of pleas on constitutional powers of the Governors, that Union Cabinet had recommended revocation of President's Rule in the state. Both senior lawyers had urged the bench to consider their plea for interim relief on Wednesday, apprehending swearing-in of a new chief minister by Thursday. Nariman had said the Governor had on January 26 dismissed the chief minister and his council of ministers even when the assembly was in suspended animation. "Governor cannot pass any such order during subsistence of proclamation," he had said, adding that even the Gauhati high court should not have stayed the disqualification of the 14 MLAs as Chief Whip of the party was not impleaded in the case. The bench had then said that the interim order of the high court came on the ground that these 14 MLAs were not served notice. "If you have some evidence that they (rebel MLAs) were served notice before being disqualified by the Speaker, then its altogether a different matter," the bench said. Nariman had denied having any such record with him and said that an ad-interim order passed by the high court cannot be passed in the limited powers of judicial review. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for some rebel Congress MLAs, had opposed the plea and contended that this petition was not maintainable. He had said the hearing was deferred on December 14 to 15, 2015 after the Speaker was informed that notices have been not served. The bench then said it wanted to see the original records of proceedings which happened on December 14 and 15 and posted the matter for further hearing on Friday. Public beheading in KSA (file photo) February 17, 2016: Saudi Arabia beheaded one of its citizens and two Yemeni nationals on charges of drug trafficking, bringing to 63 the number of decapitations in the kingdom since the start of year. February 17, 2016: Saudi Arabia beheaded one of its citizens and two Yemeni nationals on charges of drug trafficking, bringing to 63 the number of decapitations in the kingdom since the start of year. Saudi national, Daifallah al-Omrani, was executed in the northern region of Tabuk after his conviction for smuggling amphetamines, the Saudi Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. Yemeni nationals Ahmed Mubarak and Abdul Salam al-Jamali were beheaded in the southwestern city of Jizan, on charges of attempting to smuggle hashish into the kingdom. According to an AFP count, Saudi Arabia carried out 153 executions, including 71 foreign nationals, in 2015. This number of executions in terms of annual basis in Saudi Arabia has been unseen since 1995. The kingdom practises 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, Feb. 17, 2016 Uzbekistan: Prisoner of conscience "saying his last goodbye to his sisters" Publisher Forum 18 Author Mushfig Bayram Publication Date 17 February 2016 Cite as Forum 18, Uzbekistan: Prisoner of conscience "saying his last goodbye to his sisters", 17 February 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c56f1c4.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. When the sisters of Muslim prisoner of conscience Khayrullo Tursunov visited him in labour camp in late 2015 "he sounded like he was saying his last goodbye to his sisters because he thought the end of his life is coming", relatives outside Uzbekistan told Forum 18 News Service. "Khayrullo was either tortured in prison or is in deep depression, his sisters did not know the exact reasons." Other prisoners of conscience punished for exercising their freedom of religion or belief including the Muslims Zoirjon Mirzayev and Tajik citizen Zuboyd Mirzorakhimov have given up hope of amnesty and seem set to serve out their terms, their relatives told Forum 18. Prison officials told Baptist prisoner of conscience Tohar Haydarov he will not be freed on parole this year as he had hoped. "Tohar's personal Bible was taken away from him about a year ago and he is trying to recite Bible verses from memory," a fellow Baptist told Forum 18. The Deputy Head of the Interior Ministry's Chief Directorate for the Enforcement of Punishments which has responsibility for Uzbekistan's prisons refused to discuss the situation of these prisoners of conscience with Forum 18. Egypt: Authorities order closure of renowned torture rehabilitation centre Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 17 February 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Egypt: Authorities order closure of renowned torture rehabilitation centre, 17 February 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c574904.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Moves by the authorities to shut down the renowned El Nadeem Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence appear to mark an expansion of the ongoing crackdown on human rights activists in Egypt, said Amnesty International today. Earlier today, members of the security forces entered the Center and presented an order to shut down operations. No explanation was provided as to why the order was issued. "The El Nadeem Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence provides a lifeline to hundreds of victims of torture and the families of people who have been subjected to enforced disappearance. This looks to us like a barefaced attempt to shut down an organization which has been a bastion for human rights and a thorn in the side of the authorities for more than 20 years," said Said Boumedouha, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa Programme. "The authorities must freeze the order to close the Center and provide it with a clear explanation of the reasons behind the order. The El Nadeem Center must be given an opportunity to challenge the order before a court." The Center has been licensed since 1993 and has provided hundreds of torture victims with vital services including counselling and legal assistance. Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International Bahrain: Release Ebrahim Sharif Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 17 February 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Bahrain: Release Ebrahim Sharif, 17 February 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c575bf4.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Bahrain authorities should immediately release opposition political leader Ebrahim Sharif. Sharif is facing a lengthy prison sentence solely for peaceful criticism of the government. Sharif, the long-time secretary general of the National Democratic Action Society, has been in detention since his arrest on July 11, 2015, on charges that he encouraged the overthrow of the government and "incited hatred" in a speech he gave the day before. According to Sharif's lawyer, the speech constitutes the only evidence that prosecutors have supplied to support the charges. The 19-minute speech is available online. After reviewing the speech, Human Rights Watch could not find any language suggesting that Sharif called for violence. "Most high-profile critics of the government are in jail or in exile, yet Bahrain's allies in Europe and the United States babble on about a reform process," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director. "Anyone with an Internet connection can see for themselves just how ridiculous these charges are." A Bahraini court will deliver its verdict on February 24, 2016. Sharif is accused of violating articles 160 and 165 of Bahrain's penal code, which prohibit advocating "the overthrow or change of the country's political, social or economic system with the use of force, intimidation or such other illegal methods" and any act that "expressly incites others to develop hatred or hostility towards the system of government." But Sharif's speech repudiated violence and supported peaceful protest, as this excerpt shows: "The nature of the political movement in this country has been, from the beginning, peaceful and moral. The opposition understands well that violence is the domain of the authority. Violence is where the authority has the upper hand over opposition, but morality is where the opposition has the upper hand. Violence is the authority's playing field, not ours. This was understood by all of the opposition, all of the youth and citizens, and this is why the slogan was raised, 'peaceful, peaceful,' from the very first day of the political movement on the 14th of February." Authorities rearrested Sharif less than a month after his release from prison on June 19, 2015, nine months before the end of a five-year sentence. Sharif was one of 21 opposition activists Bahraini authorities alleged had been involved with a group calling for democratic reforms and a republican form of government. They were found guilty of attempting to change the constitution and monarchical system "by force." The court reasoned that "force" does not necessarily entail "the use of weapons; rather force may be exercised in other actions, such as organizing and leading popular demonstrations as a tool to pressure the government." In a January 12, 2015 letter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sharif's wife, Farida Ghulam, described the trial as "a farcical attempt to demonize the peaceful exercise of freedom of expression." "The continued detention of Ebrahim Sharif is one more piece of evidence, if any were needed, that Bahrain is a serial abuser of the right to free speech," Stork said. Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Syria: Great Danger to Civilians in Azaz Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 18 February 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Syria: Great Danger to Civilians in Azaz, 18 February 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c5761a4.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Attacks on Azaz and a neighboring town in northern Aleppo, Syria, hit two hospitals and a school used by displaced Syrians, killing at least 20 civilians. Witness statements and evidence of the aftermath indicates that the attacks on February 15, which also wounded 38, were part of the joint Russian-Syrian offensive in the area. According to the United Nations, between February 1 and 16, at least 70,000 civilians fled the offensive to cut access between Aleppo city and the Turkish border. The area around Azaz has become the center of a multisided battle between various local, regional, and international actors. "At this rate there will be little left, with schools, hospitals, and other facilities civilians depend on being wiped out," said Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Thousands of people fleeing the conflict are moving from place to place, but with the Turkish border closed, there's nowhere for them to go. Turkey should open its borders to all who need protection." Syria and Russia should stop attacks targeting schools and hospitals and cease any indiscriminate attacks, including the use of cluster munitions, Human Rights Watch said. They should also stop using explosive weapons with wide-area effects, such as ballistic missiles, in populated areas. Satellite imagery procured by Human Rights Watch shows a massive influx of displaced persons at a camp on the Syrian side of the Bab al-Salama border crossing with Turkey between December 9 and February 16. Human Rights Watch spoke with a camp leader who said that his camp, located at the border, had received more than 2,400 new families since February 1 and had no more space for new arrivals. Turkey should allow civilians trying to flee the area and who are currently stuck at its borders to enter and seek protection. On February 12, the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Unit (YPG) forces, backed by Russian airstrikes, captured the Minnigh airbase, south of Azaz, from anti-government rebels, then continued their advance to the outskirts of Azaz, joined by allied armed groups from the Syrian Democratic Forces. Russian and Syrian government attacks continued in the area. Turkey began shelling YPG positions around Azaz from its border on February 13. On February 15, between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m., the entrance of the Women and Children's Hospital, located in Azaz city, was struck by what local activists described as a ballistic missile. The hospital was in use at the time as a medical facility. Two activists in Azaz told Human Rights Watch that it was across the road from a garage that served as a transport hub, and that the road saw heavy traffic. Syria Charity, which operates the hospital, told Human Rights Watch that 15 staff members were injured in the attack, four of them severely wounded. A Human Rights Watch arms expert reviewed photographs of a missile that struck a field nearby and failed to detonate, identifying it as a ground-fired 9M79-series Tochka ballistic missile. The crater by the hospital, approximately seven meters across, is consistent with ballistic missile impact. Only Syrian government forces have used ballistic missiles in Syria's armed conflict so far. Syria stockpiles several types of ballistic missiles, according to the authoritative publication The Military Balance, from the International Institute of Strategic Studies. They include Scud missiles, variants of Scud missiles, SS-21 Tochka missiles, and Luna-M missiles. Three local activists told Human Rights Watch that after the hospital was hit, there were also airstrikes on the city. While the Kurdish YPG forces and allied armed groups advanced to the outskirts of Azaz, the hospital was located in the city proper, four to five kilometers from the front line. Four local residents told Human Rights Watch there was no military target nearby. An activist and a doctor, both in Azaz, told Human Rights Watch that the Azaz National Hospital was also struck during the same period. The National Hospital was located near the frontlines and had been evacuated 10 days earlier, the activist said. The doctor, who works at the Azaz Ahly Hospital, said it is the only one of three hospitals in Azaz that remain open after the February 15 attacks. In addition to local residents, Azaz city hosts nearly 12,000 newly displaced persons from around Aleppo. The number of displaced living in Azaz has increased significantly in the last two weeks, as people fleeing aerial bombardment and ground battles in other parts of Aleppo governorate have sought shelter there, unable to cross the border to Turkey. Deliberate or reckless attacks against civilians and civilian structures committed with criminal intent are war crimes. The laws of war require that the parties to a conflict take constant care during military operations to spare the civilian population and to "take all feasible precautions" to avoid or minimize the incidental loss of civilian life and damage to civilian objects. When used in populated areas, ballistic missiles with large payloads of high explosives have a wide-area destructive effect, and it is not possible when using them to distinguish adequately between civilians and fighters, which almost inevitably leads to civilian casualties. Using these weapons against Azaz, a civilian populated area, would constitute a war crime. Hospitals and other medical facilities are civilian objects that have special protections under the laws of war. Also at 8:30 a.m. on February 15, in the village of Kaljabrin, about eight kilometers southeast of Azaz, a school where displaced people had been staying was attacked, also likely by Syrian government forces. Mazen Ibrahim, a director at the Resala Foundation and a displaced person who was staying at the school, told Human Rights Watch that he and his relatives heard the previous day that Kaljabrin would be attacked soon. Most of the displaced left the night before, but fearing shelling en route, a group, including Ibrahim's family, planned to leave that morning. As he stood in the street waiting for a van to transport them, the school was struck. Fifteen of his relatives were killed or injured in the attack, he said, ranging in age from one month to 60 years. Human Rights Watch reviewed footage of the victims after the attack, as well as photographs showing the remnants of a ballistic missile lying in fields near Kaljabrin that day. Human Rights Watch's arms expert identified the item as a 9M79M Tochka missile, with a range of 180 kilometers. Human Rights Watch cannot establish the type of warhead carried by the missile, or whether it struck the school. Descriptions of the attack by residents are consistent with a cluster munition attack. Tochka missiles can carry a 9N24 warhead containing 50 explosive submunitions. Two people present during the attack said they heard multiple smaller explosions, indicating that the missile may have been carrying a cluster munition warhead. Ibrahim said he heard "fire all around" and "many" explosions. He said: "when it was over, people were dead." Human Rights Watch reviewed video footage of people killed and wounded in the attack; the damage and wound patterns are consistent with fragmentation injuries caused by exploding submunitions. Doctor Mohammed al-Laqhini, director of the Azaz Ahly Hospital, which received injured people from both incidents, told Human Rights Watch that a security guard and an ambulance driver from the Women and Children's Hospital were among the injured, and that he saw women and children among the victims. A list compiled by local activists recorded 20 deaths and 38 injured in the attacks on Azaz and Kaljabrin that day. A representative of the Independent Doctors Association, which runs a field hospital on the Syrian side of the Syria-Turkey border, told Human Rights Watch the hospital received 49 injured people on February 15, after attacks on Azaz, Kaljabrin, and Tel Refaat, another town nearby. "Syrians fleeing bombing in the Azaz enclave aren't even safe in the places they've sought shelter, but there are so few places for them to go," said Houry. "In just one day, this small area saw two hospitals and a school housing the displaced hit, injuring or killing dozens." A total of seven medical facilities and two schools were struck in Syria on February 15, killing nearly 50 civilians, according to international organizations working in the country. In Maaret al-Nu`man, in Syria's Idlib governorate, a hospital supported by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) was also struck, the group reported. A representative of the group told Reuters he thought that either Russia or Syrian government forces were responsible. MSF confirmed that at least 11 died after the hospital was struck by four missiles that hit within a few minutes of each other. Ayman al-Yasouf, a pharmacist who rushed to the scene, told Human Rights Watch that the strike happened around 9:10 a.m. "[The hospital] was three stories high and the entire building is now on the ground and completely destroyed," he said. He added that the nearby National Hospital, where those injured in the MSF strike were taken, was struck multiple times that morning, starting at 11:15 a.m. In late January 2016, Syrian government forces, backed by Russian airstrikes, began an offensive in northern Syria to break the siege imposed by armed opposition groups on the towns of Nubbul and Zahraa and to cut off the city of Aleppo from Turkey. In line with Turkey's one-year-old border closure policy with Syria, only those with serious medical injuries are allowed to cross at the Oncupnar/Bab al-Salama border crossing. The rest have fled to Azaz and Afrin or to eight camps for internally displaced people located east of Azaz along the border. Aid workers say the camps sheltered 40,000 displaced Syrians before the recent crisis and are now filled beyond capacity. Selected quotes from witnesses: "I cannot describe [the scene], people were scared, afraid, terrifiedthey kept asking me, 'Doctor, what should we do, where should we go, how can we evacuate?' One person fainted. [Many people] were crying We had to evacuate six infants, nine children, nine women, all of them patients. Some patients were transferred to other hospitals, and some had to get homes, there is no place to go. Five thousand people benefit from our care each month and now we are closed." - Dr. Zakaryia Mubara, director of the Women and Children's Hospital "The first strike happened at 9:10 a.m. and the Syria Civil Defense rushed to try to save people. The hospital was new, about four months oldit was three stories high and the entire building is now on the ground and completely destroyed. At 9:30 a.m. as the Civil Defense was trying to rescue people, the hospital was struck a second time. There were 30 injured from the strikes and they were taken to the National Hospital, four kilometers away, which itself was struck at 11:15 a.m. and then two more times at 11:45 a.m. and then 12:15 a.m." - Ayman al-Youssef, pharmacist and head of the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations, who witnessed the aftermath of the strike on the MSF hospital Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Kazak State Tightens Grip on Internet Publisher Institute for War and Peace Reporting Author Gaziza Baituova & Vasilina Atoyanz-Larina Publication Date 15 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol RCA Issue 781 Other Languages / Attachments Russian Cite as Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Kazak State Tightens Grip on Internet, 15 February 2016, RCA Issue 781, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c5785e4.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. New legislation introduced in Kazakstan has raised concerns over both citizen's digital freedom and data security. A range of laws that came into force on January 1 positions the state as the intermediary for all online traffic. One law makes it an offence for a communications provider to deny government requests for information deemed suspicious. The new system will require all Internet users in Kazakhstan to install a "national security certificate" which will effectively position the government as a middleman between users and all websites and online. The government says that the certificate ensures that every connection will be encrypted and help protect Kazak citizens from terrorist propaganda, child pornography and online fraud. But opposition journalist Sergey Duvanov said these latest moves were extremely concerning. "Now, people in uniform can take possession of all information exchanged online," he told IWPR. "They are formally guarding our national security, but in fact they turned into internet inspectors." The development and investment ministry will issue the certificate through its committee on connection, IT penetration and information. This means that the state-owned service provider will have access to all encrypted Internet traffic and will not only be able to read and log users' requests, but even edit incoming and outgoing data. Although the law was supposed to come into effect on January 1, questions remain about its implementation. The move was announced in a November 2015 press release from Kazak state communications provider KazakTelecom. It said the security certificate would be mandatory and that it would provide a step-by-step guide to installation. However, this press release was later deleted from the website, and on December 4 KazakTelecom told Digital Report, an IT news website specialising in the post-Soviet region, that users could refuse to install the security certificate. There would be no sanctions for those who did so. However, KazakTelecom was unavailable for comment when IWPR tried to clarify the current status of the certificate. IT specialists point out that even if it is deemed to be voluntary, anyone who does not install the certificate is likely to face difficulties accessing the internet and services such as email, online retailers and banks. Gmail and Amazon, for instance, require their own security certificate, so anyone trying to access them from within Kazakstan would be blocked from establishing a secure connection until their browser recognises the new state certificate. Despite the potential consequences of allowing the government access to all online transactions, digital expert Adil Nurmakov said that there was unlikely to be much debate about the new legislation. "Regular [internet] users including journalists are not experts on information security. For this reason this news was more broadly discussed on Russian IT community forums and by the foreign press. People [in Kazakstan] do not fully understand what the security certificate initiative means for them," Nurmakov told IWPR. "Since online users almost automatically click "I accept", most Kazakstanis would just accept the new national certificate without knowing details about it," agreed Shavkat Sabirov, the head of the Internet Association of Kazakstan forum. As well as privacy issues, the new move has raised concerns over data security. Once the security certificate is introduced, personal data including bank transactions, passwords and private photos stored online will be available to cyber criminals as well as the state, said Erlan Kemeshev, a lawyer. The business community appears to be as much in the dark about the possible implications as private internet users. An employee of a bank in Almaty, who asked to remain anonymous, told IWPR that her senior management still did not know how the security certificate could impact on their own work. "We are in the same position as our clients," she said. IT specialist Artyom Tihonov warned that the new system would leave users far more vulnerable to fraud. He said that the third party inserted between a bank and each client would give fraudsters another opportunity to steal data. In cases of fraud, Tihonov said that the burden would be more likely to be borne by the consumer. "If there is an incident and a bank client loses money as a result of the certificate implementation and a leak of client personal data, the client will suffer, whereas the bank [will be likely to] wash hands off the affair," he said. A further law included as part of the internet legislative package which also came into effect on January 1 further increases government access to private data. "Owners of net and communications providers would have to improve communication [with the state] to avoid new administrative sanctions," Kemeshev explained. One new article made it an administrative offence for a communications provider to deny a state request for access to supposedly "illegal information". "We live in a police state where the secret service doesn't worry too much about adhering to various procedural safeguards especially when it comes to operative search activities and preventing extremism and radicalism," said Evgeniy Zhovtis, the head of the Kazak International Bureau on Human Rights. "The procedure of how this certificate is going to be used is not well articulated which creates uncertainty and gives broader authority to the secret service," agreed Ayna Shormanbaeva, the head of the International Legal Initiative, a Kazak NGO offering legal advice. Kazakstan has the highest rate of internet penetration in Central Asia at 55 per cent, accord to Freedom House. But it is also regarded as "not free" and falls in the lower half of the Internet freedom index. In 2015 criminal liability for disseminating rumours was introduced, and penalty for defamation was toughened. Also, according to Freedom House, the government repeatedly bans certain online content, ranging from coverage of Kazak citizens fighting with the Islamic State (IS) to political criticism. Gaziza Baituova is an IWPR contributor in Almaty. Vasilina Atoyanz-Larina is an Almaty-based journalist. IWPR staff in Central Asia also contributed to the report. Copyright notice: Institute for War & Peace Reporting Yemen: UN envoy calls on Security Council to support efforts towards cessation of hostilities Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 17 February 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Yemen: UN envoy calls on Security Council to support efforts towards cessation of hostilities, 17 February 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c5797340d.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 17 February 2016 - A deep divide between the warring parties in Yemen, following the collapse of a truce, is forestalling the next round of peace talks, the United Nations envoy told the Security Council today as he depicted a tragic picture of the political situation there. "The parties are divided over whether a new round of talks should be convened with or without a new cessation of hostilities," said Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy, in a briefing to the 15-nation body. "I have not, unfortunately, received sufficient assurances that a new cessation of hostilities, should I call for one, would be respected." As the Secretary General has stated repeatedly, there is no military solution to this conflict, he said, stressing that a recommitment to a cessation of hostilities is the practical expression of this truth as it leads to a permanent ceasefire. He then urged the Council to support this step and promptly take action towards its implementation. His briefing comes two months after the warring parties met in Switzerland, for the first face-to-face talks of the peace process. Those talks produced agreements on several measures and provided much-needed practical and moral support to the Yemeni people, including the delivery of humanitarian aid to the city of Taiz and the release of some prisoners. Recalling that the announcement of a cessation of hostilities on the first day of the talks was accompanied by the creation of a De-escalation and Coordination Committee, he noted that the talks have served as the beginning of a process toward ending the war, and the parties left the negotiation table in a positive spirit, with practical proposals, recommendations and hope for a better future for Yemen and the Yemeni people. Tragically, the security situation in Yemen has deteriorated since the end of the talks, he said, citing the latest UN reports that more than 6,000 Yemenis have lost their lives since March 2015, and more than 35,000 have been injured. "Many parts of Yemen are again witnessing airstrikes and extensive ground fighting," Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed said, pointing to a significant increase in the number of missiles fired indiscriminately into Saudi Arabia, a notable upsurge in the number and magnitude of attacks carried out by terrorist groups in Aden, Lahej, Abyan, Shabwa and Sana'a. "The list goes on," he said, with attacks on Yemeni Army checkpoints and residences of key security officials, the assassination of prominent political and security officials in the South of the country, and the 28 January attack on the Presidential Palace in Aden, which resulted in the death of eight people including civilian bystanders. Earlier today, a suicide bomber attacked a Yemeni army camp in Aden, reportedly killing at least ten people, said Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed. Al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are present in many parts of Yemeni territory, he said, adding that there are reports of their growing influence in large areas of the governorate of Hadramout and their control of its port, maritime traffic, and illegal oil trade. "A new cessation of hostilities will open the way of new talks and agreements on Yemen's return to a peaceful and orderly transition," he said. On Tuesday, the Security Council heard a briefing by Stephen O'Brien, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, who called for an end to the "humanitarian catastrophe" unfolding in Yemen. Separately today, Adama Dieng, Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide and Jennifer Welsh, Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect, issued a joint statement expressing concern at the heavy toll on civilians of the conflict in Yemen. The two Special Advisers noted that one year after the escalation of the conflict in Yemen, the world is witnessing the erosion of respect for international humanitarian and human rights law on a daily basis in the country. Civilians and civilian infrastructures continue to be targeted by all parties to the conflict, to the point that the attention of the international media has largely become saturated. "We call on the international community - and notably on the Security Council - to take action to end this unacceptable situation," they said, underlining that serious abuses and violations of human rights law and of international humanitarian law by all sides and their allied forces have been extensively documented, including by the United Nations. Evidence gathered suggests that some of these violations may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. "We acknowledge that the parties have expressed regret at the number of civilian casualties and have committed to the principle of accountability," the Special Advisers observed. "We now expect that commitments by the Yemeni authorities and by Saudi Arabia to conduct credible and independent investigations into all alleged violations and provide reparations to victims will be swiftly implemented," they said. Darfur: amid fresh violence, thousands of displaced people now gathering near UN mission base Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 17 February 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Darfur: amid fresh violence, thousands of displaced people now gathering near UN mission base, 17 February 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c57b3e40d.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 17 February 2016 - The number of civilians fleeing the recent conflict in the Jebel Marra area in Sudan's Darfur region has jumped to 73,000 from 38,000, according to United Nations estimates, as some 30,000 people flocked to Sortony, where the displaced have been gathering next to a base operated by the African Union-UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). Civilians have been leaving the Jebel Marra since hostilities between the Government and a faction of the Sudan Liberation Army escalated in mid-January, and arriving in three main locations in North Darfur state, including an established camp for the displaced in Tawilla, which has accommodated 18,000 individuals since mid-January. "The situation remains very fluid, and the United Nations and partners have teams on the ground working to assess the needs of those who have recently arrived in Sortony and Tawilla," said Marta Ruedas, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan. "Identifying the needs of vulnerable people is a painstaking exercise, but one that is necessary in order to provide timely and targeted humanitarian relief." Food and other emergency relief including water, shelter, medical supplies and nutrition supplements were provided to the newly displaced earlier this week, and the UN and partners are working to provide additional humanitarian assistance, according to a press release from the Office of the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator. Thousands are also reported to have fled into Central Darfur but the UN has not yet been able to verify reported displacement or ascertain and respond to humanitarian needs, despite several requests to the authorities to access the relevant areas, the statement said. Senior UN relief official calls on Israel to halt demolitions in West Bank immediately Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 17 February 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Senior UN relief official calls on Israel to halt demolitions in West Bank immediately, 17 February 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c57b9f40b.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 17 February 2016 - A senior United Nations humanitarian official today called for an immediate halt to the destruction of Palestinian-owned property in the occupied West Bank and for respect for international law. "The number of demolitions for just the first six weeks of 2016 is greatly alarming," said Robert Piper, the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance and Development Aid for the occupied Palestinian territory, in a press release. "Over 400 Palestinians have been displaced from their homes - equivalent to over half the total number of Palestinians displaced in all of 2015," he added. According to the UN, between 1 January and 15 February, Israeli forces destroyed, dismantled or confiscated 283 homes and other structures, displacing 404 Palestinians, including 219 children, and affecting another 1,150 Palestinians, who lost structures related to their source of income. Over 100 of the demolished structures were already provided as humanitarian assistance to families in need, often in the wake of an earlier demolition. These incidents reportedly occurred in 41 Palestinian locations, many in Palestinian Bedouin or herder communities in Israeli-controlled Area C. "Most of the demolitions in the West Bank take place on the spurious legal grounds that Palestinians do not possess building permits," said Mr. Piper, "but, in Area C, official Israeli figures indicate only 1.5 per cent of Palestinian permit applications are approved in any case. So what legal options are left for a law-abiding Palestinian?" Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has noted that the Israeli zoning and planning policy in the West Bank is "restrictive and discriminatory." Under international humanitarian law, the destruction of property in an occupied territory is also prohibited unless absolutely necessary for military operations. "International law is clear - Palestinians in the West Bank have the right to adequate housing and the right to receive humanitarian assistance," said Mr. Piper. "As the occupying power, Israel is obliged to respect these rights." Takata is unable to produce a sufficient number of airbags to replace the faulty ones. (Photo: Pixabay) Frankfurt: Automakers have held a crisis meeting to see how they can help Japanese airbag manufacturer Takata after the recall of millions of vehicles worldwide due to a fault in the airbags, a German magazine reported on Wednesday. According to the monthly Manager Magazin, Takata is unable to produce a sufficient number of airbags to replace the faulty ones. And it was impossible to find an alternative manufacturer in time, the magazine said. At the crisis meeting, it was discussed whether a buyer could be found for embattled Takata or whether to help it out financially, the report said. Also at the meeting, German automakers in particular discussed a possible solution for Takata's plant in Freiberg in eastern Germany, which has not been affected by the fault, the magazine continued. Neither Volkswagen and its Audi brand, nor Daimler's Mercedes-Benz nor BMW were willing to comment on the report. A week ago, the manufacturers recalled a total of 2.5 million vehicles in the United States because of the fault. The recalls became necessary after it was found that the Takata airbags can rupture and hit occupants of a car with shrapnel.At least 10 deaths, including nine in the United States, have been tied to the faulty airbags. Automakers worldwide have been forced to recall more than 20 million cars to have the airbags replaced. Investigators suspect that the airbag inflators and the propellant inside can deteriorate, especially in consistently hot and humid conditions, causing them to misfire. ISIL 'losing appeal' in Iraq, but threat should not be underestimated UN envoy Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 16 February 2016 Cite as UN News Service, ISIL 'losing appeal' in Iraq, but threat should not be underestimated UN envoy, 16 February 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c57bbc40b.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 16 February 2016 - Iraq has been steadily gaining ground against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as Da'esh), which is gradually losing its appeal to the disenfranchised population, the United Nations envoy for that country told the Security Council today, as he also warned that its threat should not be underestimated. Briefing the 15-nation body, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Jan Kubis, said the liberation and holding of Beiji, Sinjar, and most of all Ramadi, and continuing clearance of the surrounding areas from ISIL fighters, have instilled the people of Iraq with hope that the country can and will be liberated from ISIL. The success also demonstrates the increasingly resolute and effective support to Iraq of the global coalition to counter ISIL and provides lessons for preparations to liberate the remaining territories, most notably of Mosul, he said. Turning to the issue of Turkish forces present in Camp Bashiqa, mutually acceptable results have not been achieved so far, he said, reiterating the calls made by the Secretary-General for a solution in full respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq - the principles set forth in the UN Charter. Pointing to an absence of political consensus, Mr. Kubis said the stability, security and unity of Iraq hinge on an effective and inclusive political system and equality in decision-making at the federal and local levels. Tangible solutions must include amendments to or adoption of priority legislation, followed by swift implementation, such as the Accountability and Justice Law, the National Guard Law and the General Amnesty Law. Full and equal participation of the Sunni component in, and its co-ownership of, the national reconciliation programme is still a challenge, he said. The absence of a single framework or vision for national reconciliation in Iraq is both symptomatic of long-existing problems and further impedes efforts to advance inclusive national and community dialogue and historic compromise. Efforts by Sunni political forces and their leaders to unify their stance on national reconciliation, effective federalisation and decentralisation, and how to more successfully counter ISIL are equally necessary, he added. The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), which Mr. Kubis heads, organized a series of events earlier this month to mark World Interfaith Harmony Week in Najaf, Baghdad and Erbil. The events promoted dialogue on preventative steps to address drivers of violent extremism, in consonance with the United Nations Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism. Turning to the safe return of the internally displaced persons (IDPs), he emphasized that the stabilization phase of Tikrit is almost complete, with 90 per cent of its population, or 167,000 people, have now returned home. So far, more than 500,000 displaced Iraqis have returned to their home communities. The Government intends that up to 900,000 will return in 2016, despite several complicated factors, such as a huge number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) laid by ISIL, as well as devastating destruction to infrastructure and homes. Iraq's persistent and rapidly-deepening fiscal crisis and growing budget deficit, compounded by the security and humanitarian situation and drastic decline in global oil prices, has almost halved the State's planned income since then, and the Kurdistan Region faces at least a situation as grave as that of Baghdad, he noted. If left unaddressed, such an unsustainable situation may seriously undermine the renewed morale of pro-government forces and confidence of the people, including youths, communities, minorities and IDPs that they can have a future in Iraq, he added. On the human rights front, Mr. Kubis supported the calls of the Human Rights Council, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, that Iraq should consider becoming a Party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and to the Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions 1949, and that the Iraqi criminal code be amended to grant Iraqi courts the jurisdiction to deal with international crimes. The humanitarian crisis in Iraq is highly complex, and is expected to widen and worsen this year. Today not only 3.3 million IDPs, but altogether some 10 million Iraqis - almost one third of the population - urgently require some form of humanitarian assistance, he said. Concluding his remarks, he informed the Security Council of the news that Amer al-Kaissy, UNAMI's liaison officer abducted in April 2015 in Diyala, was found dead, strongly urging the Iraqi authorities to conduct immediately a thorough and transparent investigation into this abduction and murder and hold the perpetrators accountable. In a statement today, the Secretary-General condemned the "shocking murder," verified on 15 February, and expressed his condolences to his family and friends. Sudden Massive Snap Exercise and Mobilization of Russian Forces in Black Sea and Caspian Region Appears Aimed at Turkey Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Pavel Felgenhauer Publication Date 11 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 29 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Sudden Massive Snap Exercise and Mobilization of Russian Forces in Black Sea and Caspian Region Appears Aimed at Turkey, 11 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 29, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c58a674.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Link to original story on Jamestown website On Monday, February 8, Russia's defense minister, Army-General Sergei Shoigu, announced that the military forces of the Southern and Central Military districts, the Aerospace Forces (Vozdushno Kosmicheskikh Sil-VKS) the airborne troops (Vozdushno Desantnye Voyska-VDV), the military transport air force (Voenno Transportnaya Aviatsiya-VTA), the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla were being mobilized for full battle readiness. The VKS will, according to Shoigu, "prepare to perform massive air raids and to repel massive air attacks" while army units and the VDV are testing the ability of rapid long-distance deployment. The time frame of this latest Russian snap exercise or the exact number of troops have not been announced. The massive mobilization of forces and their forward deployment began without prior warning. Shoigu ordered his deputy Anatoly Antonov-a career diplomat employed by the defense ministry since February 2011-to "inform foreign military attaches about the snap battle readiness exercise" as it was already in progress (Mil.ru, February 8). The use of military maneuvers as a covert prelude to war is traditionally seen by Russian generals as the best way to achieve strategic and tactical surprise. Military exercises can disguise the massive prewar troop movement that would otherwise be virtually impossible to hide. The invasion of Georgia in 2008 and the occupation of Crimea in 2014 were preceded by massive exercises. The present snap exercises involve mass troop movement close to the Ukrainian border, and the Ukrainian military command is reportedly worried. The commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and chief of the General Staff, Army-General Viktor Muzhenko, told Interfax-Ukraine: "The Russian [military] told us these [maneuvers] were a preparation for further exercises the coming summer, but we will be on the lookout and prepared to meet the possible threat posed by the deployment of battle-ready forces on our borders" (Interfax, February 8). It may indeed be true that the present snap exercise is not a cover to invade Ukraine. But Russia's stated excuse-that the current exercise is only the groundwork for further, possibly even more massive maneuvers in the summer-sounds ominous. Nevertheless, the mobilization of the Caspian Flotilla is most likely not aimed at Kyiv. Late last year, the Russian Navy fired long-range cruise missiles from ships on the Caspian Sea at targets in northern Syria, close to the Turkish border. It is technically possible to lob maritime Kalibr cruise missiles from the Caspian at Ukraine; but the overall pattern of these February snap exercises points in a different direction. If Ukraine was the simulated prime target, both Central and South Military Districts would have been equally engaged as frontline forces, with reinforcements coming from the Urals and Siberia. Instead, Russian military experts believe the present snap exercises are aimed primarily at Turkey and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, if they intervene in the fray. Shoigu's order for the VKS to "prepare massive air raids and repel massive air attacks" also does not seem to be directly aimed at Ukraine, which has a small outdated air force, incapable of carrying out "massive raids" deep into Russia to destroy strategically important targets. According to Colonel (retired) Viktor Murakhovsky, the editor of Arsenal Otechestva, the snap exercises are intended to send a powerful political message "to some addresses, particularly Turkey." Preparing for deep, long-range operations, some of the units will be moved up to 3,000 kilometers, and a Central Military District tank army will be relocated to Russia's southern border region. In addition to Turkey as a possible recipients of Russia's "message," Murakhovsk cited Ukraine and the United Kingdom, "who decided to run reportedly anti-Russian military exercises in Jordan" (Mk.ru, February 9). Captain First Rank (retired) Oleg Odnokolenko, the deputy editor of Nezavisimoye Voennoye Obozreniye, notes the lack of announced time limits to the present snap exercise, which indicates "it will last as long as needed." Odnokolenko compares the present snap exercise with prolonged Russian military maneuvers in the summer of 2008 that lulled the Georgians into false sense of security. But in fact, Russian troops were at that time standing by in a heightened state of readiness, primed to go into combat immediately. Today, according to Odnokolenko, the Russians are ready to take on the Turkish military and prevail: The Russian Hmeymim airbase, near Latakia, in Syria, has been reinforced with brand-new Su-35 and Su-34 jets, S-400 and Pantsyr antiaircraft missiles, as well as new electronic warfare equipment. Russian warships with guided missiles are positioned off the Syrian coast ready to intervene, if the Turks dare to interfere with the Russian VKS military operations in Syria. Of course, Turkey is a NATO member, but according to Odnokolenko, "the US and NATO may decide to shy away from a fight." "Russia may today have fewer [nuclear-tipped] missiles than at the height of the Cold War," continues Odnokolenko, "But our missiles are not rusty" (Ng.ru, February 9). In an interview this week in Moskovskiy Komsomolets, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Turkey of colluding with the Islamic State (formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-ISIS) to counter the VKS bombing campaign in Syria. The Turks, according to Lavrov, are seeking Western and US endorsement to intervene in Syria directly to create a border "safe zone" for refugees that will be designated "free of ISIS." Such action would grossly violate international law and may lead to a major military confrontation, he noted. Lavrov asserted that the US and other US-led anti-Islamic State coalition members would not allow Turkey to make such irresponsible moves (Mk.ru, February 11). Last January, President Vladimir Putin cautioned the West not to become involved in any possible future Russo-Turkish confrontation: "NATO must defend its members against attack, but no one is attacking Turkey. NATO nations, including Germany, must not help Turkey defend its interests inside Syria." Putin warned: "If challenged, Russia will defend its interests using all available means" (see EDM, January 14). The present snap exercise strongly resembles a massive combat prewar troop deployment aimed to take on Turkey if it attempts to intervene in Syria to curtail the Russian-led offensive in Aleppo, Idlib and Latakia provinces, which is decimating the Syrian opposition. The Russian military deployment must deter both Turkey and NATO, ideally splitting the Alliance. If deterrence fails, the deployed troops will likely be ready to go into action. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Russian Defense Ministry Holds More Exercises in Dagestan Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Mairbek Vatchagaev Publication Date 11 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 29 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Russian Defense Ministry Holds More Exercises in Dagestan, 11 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 29, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c58ad14.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Link to original story on Jamestown website Following the military exercises conducted in Dagestan last month by the snipers of the Southern Military District motorized infantry, during which troops learned speed shooting at the Dalny shooting range near the city of Buinaksk (Arms-expo.ru, January 17), a new round of military exercises was held on January 27, in the city of Kaspiisk. During the drills, which were held at the Russian Caspian Fleet's Skorpion facility, 200 marines practiced air dropping military equipment. A week later, military units involved in electronic warfare and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) held training exercises in the mountains of Dagestan. The drills involved suppressing a simulated enemy using the new Leer-3 UAV electronic warfare system (Arms-expo.ru, February 4). The next day, the Caspian Fleet launched drills designed to improve joint operations with Russia's air force. The joint exercises, which involved assault companies of the Caspian Fleet's infantry battalion and Southern Military District air force units, were held at the Adanak shooting range in Dagestan's Karabudakhkent district (Kavkazsky Uzel, February 5). During the exercises, the military drilled firing at ground targets, landing troops in full gear, and search-and-destroy operations targeting commanding posts and units of a simulated enemy. The Russian military has held such exercises in Dagestan several times per month since Russia started its operations in Syria. The drills have been held across the entire Southern Military District, which covers the Southern, North Caucasian and Crimean federal districts. Given the fact that the Southern Military District includes the Black Sea and the Caspian See fleets as well as the 4th command of the Air Force and Air Defense, and that the exercises take place in areas that constantly experience counterterrorist operation regimes, the Southern Military District is the most combat-ready of all of Russia's military districts. Similar exercises were held in Chechnya and North Ossetia over the past month. Dagestan stands out because it has several large shooting ranges, including a shooting range for the Federal Security Service (FSB), and an industrial infrastructure oriented to military production. None of the other North Caucasian republics have a combination of such facilities. The Dagdizel plant in Kaspiisk is one of the largest military production facilities in Dagestan. During the Soviet period, Dagdizel was one of the leading military enterprises producing diesel engines and torpedoes and, in all, produced dozens of products for the military. The factory was built back in 1932 and, after the demise of the USSR, barely survived by switching to civilian production (Riadagestan.ru, June 21, 2014). In 2012, the company's output was about $2 million, equal to the average Russian company, but in 2013 it received military contracts worth over $48 million, which meant a 24-fold increase of financing by the state. This, however, did not save Dagdizel from a critical financial condition bordering on bankruptcy (Yug.svpressa.ru, February 24, 2015). Many of the components for Russian torpedoes were produced in Ukraine, but after Russia annexed Crimea, those supplies stopped. This negatively affected the production quality of the torpedoes, since Russia had to quickly come up with replacement components of its own (Kavpolit.com, October 23, 2014). In 2016, Dagdizel plans to start producing the ZU-23/30 M1-4 anti-aircraft system, which is an upgraded version of the outdated ZU-2 anti-aircraft system (Kavtoday.ru, February 6). Other important military industrial enterprises in Dagestan include three aircraft production-related companies-Kontsern KEMZ, Aviaagregat and Buinakskiy Agregatny Zavod. The government asked these enterprises to ramp up production of components that were previously imported. Within the import-substitution strategy of the Russian government, Kontsern KEMZ, which is located in Kizlyar, is expected to produce ten new components for the Russian air force, with mass production expected to start in 2016 (RIA Novosti, January 3). However, due to the stifling effect of the economic sanctions on Russian industries, these plans are unlikely to be implemented soon. Russia's Ministry of Defense decided that Aviaagregat in Makhachkala and SAT Ltd. will jointly produce the SP-10 training airplane, which was initially produced by Aviaagregat using domestically produced components only. The cost of the first SP-10 was about $85,000 (Argumentiru.com, January 4). However, the plant is capable of producing only 28 such airplanes over two years. Dagestan's governor, Ramazan Abdulatipov, has been trying to raise awareness of the importance of government contracts for republican enterprises. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has promised to provide large contracts to Dagestani military enterprises (Realdagestan.ru, February 26, 2015), but his promises never materialized. Dagestan has a substantial military-industrial sector on its territory and is arguably the most advanced in this regard in the entire North Caucasus. This means that Moscow will likely go to extraordinary lengths to neutralize any threats to the country's territorial integrity that emerge in the republic. Since Dagestan is a Muslim-majority republic that could be influenced by the Islamic State, especially since it has an international border, Moscow is likely to pour large investments into the republic to prevent Dagestani youth from being swayed by political Islam. This means that Moscow will try to replicate its experience in Chechnya in Dagestan. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Ukraine Cuts Russian Gas Imports to a Minimum Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Oleg Varfolomeyev Publication Date 11 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 29 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Ukraine Cuts Russian Gas Imports to a Minimum, 11 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 29, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c58b264.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Link to original story on Jamestown website Ukrainian gas consumption fell significantly last year, as GDP declined by more than 10 percent, and the output of the domestic industry in particular, which is heavily depends on natural gas, plunged by more than 13 percent. This allowed Ukraine to reduce gas imports from Russia to a minimum. Moreover, Ukraine is going to further reduce consumption and imports this year, while gas production could grow thanks to tax cuts. As a result, Ukraine may be able to avoid purchasing any gas supplies from Russia in 2016. Ukraine's gas consumption plunged to 31.0 billion cubic meters (bcm) last year, from 38.9 bcm in 2014, according to the national oil and gas company Naftohaz Ukrainy. Gas consumption fell across the country, most significantly in the war-affected industrial provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk, said Naftohaz. Domestic gas production decreased less significantly, to 19.9 from 20.5 bcm (Naftogaz.com, January 29). As a result, gas production exceeded imports for the second straight year. Imports fell to 15.3 bcm in 2015, from 19.5 bcm in 2014, and imports from Russia in particular plunged to only 6.1 bcm, from 14.5 bcm a year earlier. For comparison, Ukraine imported 45 bcm of gas from Russia in 2011. At the same time, Ukraine almost doubled gas imports from the EU to 9.2 bcm last year (Naftogaz.com, January 29). Ukraine has not been buying gas from Gazprom since last November, as no agreement was reached on prices. The CEOs of Gazprom and Naftohaz, Alexei Miller and Andriy Kobolev, respectively, discussed gas prices for the first quarter of 2016, in Berlin, on December 23, but no agreement was reached again (Apostrophe.com.ua, December 24). Having diversified its import sources, mainly thanks to reverse gas flows from Slovakia, Ukraine is now free to choose between various suppliers. Given the virtual state of war with Russia and Gazprom's reluctance to amend the contract with Naftohaz, which was signed for ten years in 2009, but has not been adhered to for the last several years, Ukraine prefers gas from the European Union. Furthermore, gas from the EU is cheaper. In early January, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced that no gas would be imported from Russia for a certain period. He said Russia set its price for Ukraine at $212 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas for the first quarter of 2016, while Ukraine could import gas from the EU at some $200 (Pravda.com.ua, January 10). Moscow has been dropping hints that Kyiv simply has no money to buy gas from Gazprom. "We understand that they do not buy gas not because the price is high, but because there is no money," Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak said (TASS, January 14). However, Kyiv has secured international loans for gas purchases at lower prices than Gazprom's. Naftohaz concluded agreements to buy gas at prices up to $211 in December-March, using a $300 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Contracts were awarded to Noble Clean Fuels Limited, Engie SA, Axpo Trading AG, E.ON Global Commodities SE and Eni Trading & Shipping S.p.A, said Naftohaz (Naftogaz.com, January 14). Ukraine also expects $500 million from the World Bank for gas (Rian.com.ua, January 13). Kyiv is going to cut gas imports further to 11-13 bcm in 2016, Ukrainian Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn announced on January 27. He said Ukraine could do without Russian gas imports this year, pumping in gas from the EU only. At the same time, he said Kyiv wanted to reach a new agreement on prices with Russia by the end of March, in order to have a wider choice of gas suppliers (UNIAN, January 27). With the help of recent tax cuts for gas producers, Kyiv hopes to increase domestic production this year, so there will be less need for imported gas. From January 1, rent rates for non-state-owned gas producers were cut to 29 percent from 55 percent for wells up to five kilometers deep, and to 14 percent from 28 percent for deep wells. For the state company Ukrhazvydobuvannya, a subsidiary of Naftohaz, the tax rate will fall to 50 percent from 70 percent from April (Zn.ua, December 24). The lower tax rates are likely to prompt gas producers to renew investment programs abandoned after tax hikes in 2014 and may attract new investors into Ukraine's gas industry, thereby further reducing the significance of Russian gas for the national economy. Ukraine's moves to reduce gas imports naturally provoke dismay in Russia, which planned to sell at least 42 bcm of gas to Ukraine per annum, in line with the 2009 contract. Gazprom has billed Naftohaz $2.5 billion for the third quarter of 2015, when Naftohaz did not buy its gas at all. Gazprom argues that Naftohaz has to pay for 10.5 bcm of gas (a quarter of the 42 bcm) according to the take-or-pay clause in the 2009 contract (Newsru.ua, January 19). Ukraine is not going to pay the bill, while it is awaiting a verdict on the contract from the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce late this year or next year, in the hope that it will be possible to amend the contract in Ukraine's favor. Irrespective of the outcome of the dispute, it is possible to say that Ukraine no longer depends on Gazprom's gas. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Are Chechen Special Forces Fighting in Syria? Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Mairbek Vatchagaev Publication Date 12 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 30 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Are Chechen Special Forces Fighting in Syria?, 12 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 30, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c58b7dd.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Link to original story on Jamestown website After the Kremlin denied having ground troops in Syria, the Russian leadership was surprised by Ramzan Kadyrov's statement that Chechen special forces were fighting in the Middle East against the Islamic State (IS). A trailer for a program produced by the Russian federal TV channel Rossiya 1 (Russia.tv, February 7) states that "Chechen special forces obtain information about the structure and the number of terrorists in the Islamic State and identify targets for Russian airstrikes" (Kommersant, February 8). Last October, Kadyrov did ask Russian President Vladimir Putin to dispatch his men to Syria to fight the Islamic State (RIA Novosti, October 2, 2015), and it is likely that the Kremlin approved the Chechen ruler's initiative. Kadyrov said in the Rossiya 1 program that he "sent the republic's best fighters there" (Vesti.ru, February 7). On February 8, however, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that in regard to Russian forces in Syria, the public should first of all rely on the "statements of the Russian defense ministry," which, he said, "makes it clear that the position of our government is that we rule out a ground operation" (Vesti.ru, February 8). Officials in Grozny then realized that their statements did not please Moscow. Even if Chechen special forces were participating in the Syrian conflict, the Russian authorities apparently did not intend to make it public. The Russian foreign ministry also refuted Kadyrov's claims, stating that there are no Russian ground forces in Syria. Following Peskov's statement, Kadyrov's spokesman, Alvi Kerimov, hastily stated that Kadyrov "never said that Chechen units are fighting in Syria." According to Kerimov, "some young volunteers are in Syria" (Chechnyatoday.com, February 9), which is even more improbable. An official source in Grozny clarified that the Chechens who are fighting the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq are not serving in the Russian military or police (Kavkaz.versia.ru, February 9). The same thing happened earlier in eastern Ukraine, where Chechens fought on the Russian side against the Ukrainian authorities. First, Kadyrov confirmed that his men were taking part in the conflict, but later his spokesman tried to take back his words (Onkavkaz.com, July 31, 2015). It is possible that the involvement of Chechen forces in the conflict in Donbas was part of the plan to prepare them for the conflict in Syria. Instructors from the Alpha group of elite Russian forces, which is part of Directorate "A" of the Center of Special Operations of the Federal Security Service (FSB), have taken part in training the Chechen special forces. A former member of Alpha, Major Daniil Martynov, is officially an aide to Kadyrov (Aif.ru, May 21, 2014). A new training center for Chechen special forces was built in the city of Gudermes (Vesti.ru, February 21, 2015). Kadyrov is even hoping to turn that center into an international training camp for the security services. Chechen special forces also participated in drills in Syria, which allowed them to become used to the Middle Eastern environment. Their victory in an international competition of security services held in Jordan gave them the image of a new unit that is not part of the FSB or Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) and is prepared to carry out special operations abroad (TASS, April 23, 2015). The Chechen special forces' advantages include the fact that they are Muslims and look Middle Eastern. Thus, the Russian government probably preferred the Chechen forces over others for deployment in Syria. However, Alexey Malashenko, the chairman of the Carnegie Moscow Center's Religion, Society, and Security Program, disagrees and says that "dispatching young people to Syria is useless" (Kavkazsky Uzel, February 9). Nevertheless, the newspaper Novaya Gazeta quoted a source as saying that "back in October of last year, two weeks after the start of the Russian forces' operation in Syria, two dozen servicemen unexpectedly left Chechnya's Sever battalion, which is part of the Russian interior ministry and has been implicated in the murder of the Russian opposition figure, Boris Nemtsov. Sources in the Chechen diaspora alleged that the servicemen who were dismissed went to Syria to fight as "volunteers" (Kavkazsky Uzel, February 9). Some observers pointed out that Kadyrov had exposed his network of agents in the Islamic State. In fact, Kadyrov may have done it on purpose to sow distrust in the ranks of Islamic State. Now the rebel organization may start to distrust the Chechens who want to join the organization, fearing infiltration by Kadyrov's agents (Novayagazeta.ru, February 9). Some Russian experts draw an even more far-reaching conclusion-that Kadyrov's statement was a signal to Moscow (Echo.msk.ru, February 9). However, Kadyrov is completely dependent on Putin and quite concerned about being reappointed to the position of republican governor when his term runs out in a month and a half. Kadyrov is not in a position to make demands on Moscow. Instead, to be reappointed as governor of Chechnya, he has to show his utmost loyalty to the Kremlin. Kadyrov's statement appears to be circumstantial evidence that Russian ground forces are involved in the Syrian conflict-a claim that the Russian defense ministry has vigorously rejected. When Chechens turned out to be playing an important role in the armed rebel coalition that is fighting Bashar al-Assad, the Russians realized that they should neutralize the Chechen groups and undermine their reputation among the other rebel groups in the Middle East. Russian officials understood that the rise of the Chechens in the Middle East would sooner or later affect the situation in the North Caucasus, where an underground armed Islamist opposition already exists. Officials in Moscow believed that the Chechens fighting in the Middle East would eventually return to Russia with their newly acquired fighting skills, experience and connections with other radicals. Moscow is not willing to admit that its forces are fighting in support of the Syrian government, because Russian Muslims are Sunnis and would not support such operations on behalf of al-Assad, who in the view of many Russian Muslims is an enemy of Islam. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Coming Arms Race in the Balkans? Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Ebi Spahiu Publication Date 12 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 30 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Coming Arms Race in the Balkans?, 12 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 30, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c58bda4.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Link to original story on Jamestown website On December 2, 2015, Montenegro was formally invited to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The military alliance saw its last enlargement round in 2009, when Albania and Croatia were admitted. The acceptance of these states was widely seen as a stepping-stone in ensuring long-term stability in the Western Balkans, following decades of ethnic unrest (Illyria Press, December 2, 2015). But Montenegro's membership in NATO occurred against the background of street protests by government opponents in Podgorica, widely believed to have been sparked and backed by Russia and Serbia (Balkan Insight, January 14). The case of Montenegro, combined with recent military advances made by leaders in Croatia and Serbia, are a reflection of this wider competition unfolding between regional powers as a result of the West's strategic influence and Russia's ambitions to reinstate its historical footprint in the Balkans. Serbia has perhaps most clearly demonstrated how the struggle for influence in the Balkans between Russia and the West is translating into what increasingly looks like a budding arms race in the region. When Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic visited Moscow last October, Belgrade and Moscow signed a deal for the purchase of over $2.5 billion in Russian armaments (Mapo.al, November 3). Although few details were initially released to the media regarding the deal, military experts in Belgrade were quick to deny that these arms sales would cause any diplomatic friction between Serbia and the European Union (Balkan Insight, October 27, 2015). More recent reports, however, confirm that EU-candidate Serbia plans to buy S-300 air-defense missile systems (Transitions Online, January 13) and MiG-29 warplanes from Russia (Illyriapress.com, February 3). The Serbian leader and Russian defense officials have since stated that these procurements come as a response to neighboring Croatia, which has been seeking to purchase surplus M270 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) from the United States. The M270 MLRS has a range of about 300 kilometers (Total Croatia News, December 29, 2015). In recent interviews and public appearances, Vucic has repeatedly expressed his apprehensions about reports that Croatia is considering purchasing heavy artillery and rocket launchers from its Western allies: "We do not interfere in what other countries are doing, we do not feel threatened. But we feel there are some problems, and that is what we have been talking about with our partners in Moscow. The thing is, some countries in our region have begun ordering ballistic missiles. I do not know why anyone in our region would have ballistic missiles," Vucic claimed to Russia's Sputnik News service (JutarnjiList, December 12, 2015). Several previous bilateral meetings and agreements have aimed to strengthen military cooperation between Russia and Serbia. But Belgrade's recent heavy procurement of Russian air-defense arms has raised concerns among some local analysts, who see Russia's overall growing involvement in the region as a destabilizing factor (Lajmi.net, January 14). The two countries' officials have announced that a joint military exercise will take place in Serbia in the second half of 2016, thus marking a significant symbolic step forward in their close military cooperation, which was reignited during President Vladimir Putin's visit in October 2014. The Russian leader was greeted with a lavish military-style parade, the first of its kind to be held in Belgrade since 1985, in which over 3,000 Serbian soldiers participated (Balkan Insight, October 16, 2014). However, Serbian security officials and analysts have actively denied that Serbia's military cooperation with Russia could lead to friction between its neighbors or the EU. Moreover, they highlighted the fact that Serbia cooperates with the military forces of over 60 countries, while retaining close relations with NATO through the Partnership for Peace (PfP) program (Balkan Insight, January 25). Nevertheless, neighboring countries are still wary of the underlining consequences that a Russian military presence may have on the long-term stability of the region. In addition to Croatia's suspicions of Russian moves in Serbia as well as Montenegro's apparently foreign-fueled internal crisis, Bulgaria is also taking steps to terminate its military reliance on Russia. In particular, Sofia has signed a deal with Warsaw for Polish defense contractors to upgrade and repair Bulgaria's outdated fleet of MiG-29 fighter jets (The Sofia Globe, January 12). This move has caused friction along the Moscow-Sofia axis as Russia had previously held a contract to repair Bulgarian MiGs through 2015. That said, the regional rivalry between Croatia and Serbia still remains the most noticeable challenge at the moment. It has particularly intensified since Croatia's latest military parade showcasing its military prowess as well as commemorating the 20th anniversary of operation "Storm," which reclaimed Croatian territory from Serbian forces in 1995 (EUinside.eu, August 11, 2015). The event itself enflamed nationalist rebukes between Belgrade and Zagreb and has led to diplomatic tensions at the highest levels (EUinside.eu, August 11, 2015). Reportedly, the Croatian government is sending a list of conditions that Serbia must first meet for Zagreb to agree to any future face-to-face meetings between the two countries' presidents. These conditions include resolving the issue of missing persons during the Balkan wars of the 1990s, the return of lost property and cultural treasures, war reparations, as well as the resolution of outstanding bilateral border disputes on the Danube River (Illyria Press, February 3). Border and ethnic disputes remain at the forefront of issues in the Balkans-a region where all countries aspire to join the EU (so far only Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia have) and several (namely Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina) still await NATO membership. But security risks continue to threaten the stability of this fragile European region, which suffers from high levels of corruption, the strong grip of organized crime, often even at the highest levels of politics, as well as growing instances of religious radicalism and right-wing nationalism. However, governments are taking few steps to address the root causes of these phenomena-namely corruption, red tape and high unemployment (Clingendael.nl, October 2014; Imf.org, March 15, 2015). Instead, political leaders have turned to military build ups as a means to ensure power and rally internal support among voters driven by radical ideas and a nationalist fervor-a move that, in the past, has often led to violence and internal divides. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Moscow's Confrontational Policy Turns Russia From an Ally to a Threat for Armenia Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Armen Grigoryan Publication Date 12 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 30 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Moscow's Confrontational Policy Turns Russia From an Ally to a Threat for Armenia, 12 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 30, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c58c46e.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Link to original story on Jamestown website On February 8, a number of units of Russia's Southern Military District as well as the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla were put on a high alert, and massive snap exercises followed. According to Russian officials, this and similar such snap exercises would be organized during the year, in order to ready troops for a larger exercise, codenamed "Kavkaz" (Caucasus), planned for late 2016 (Gazeta.ru, February 8). The current drill, planned to go on until February 13, will involve up to 50 naval vessels, 200 airplanes and helicopters, and nearly 8,500 personnel. Russian sources noted that the need to test the readiness of troops deployed in that region was now also affected by the tensions in relations with Turkey and the possibility of a deployment of additional North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) units in the Black Sea region (Gazeta.ru, February 11). Russian independent military experts' views about the rationale of the current exercises are rather skeptical. In Pavel Felgenhauer's opinion, the exercises may be related to the siege of Aleppo by the Syrian army backed by the Russian air force and a possible future escalation, perhaps even a ground operation of the Russian army in Syria (Nv.ua, February 9). He also notes the Russian military's propensity to use military exercises as a disguise for massive troop movement in preparation for war, like happened ahead of Russia's invasion of Georgia in 2008 and the occupation of Crimea in 2014 (see EDM, February 11). Previously, Felgenhauer has warned that practicing such snap exercises on a regular basis could result in a confrontation with NATO (Novaya Gazeta, June 6, 2015). Another Russian analyst, Alexander Golts, has also suggested that the February snap exercises could be in preparation for a large-scale operation in Syria in order to secure Russia's relative success in Aleppo. But this could lead to a deeper confrontation with Turkey (Yezhednevnyi zhurnal, February 9). Earlier-after allegations that another Russian military aircraft had violated Turkey's airspace, putting the Turkish air force on "orange alert" on January 31-Golts argued, in an interview with Deutsche Welle, that the possibility of a local conflict involving Russian and Turkish units could not be excluded (Deutsche Welle-Russian service, February 1). The 102nd Russian military base in Armenia has also been involved in the recent massive snap exercises. And some Armenian analysts have repeated their warnings about Yerevan possibly being dragged directly into the Russo-Turkish confrontation (see EDM, December 11, 2015). The Russian ambassador to Armenia, Ivan Volynkin, did not exclude the possibility of using the 102nd base in a theoretical armed conflict against Turkey, suggesting that bilateral agreements regulating the status of the base allow the Russian side to make its own decisions on the matter (Lragir.am, February 9). Armenian officials mostly avoid discussions about the possibility of becoming involved in the confrontation with Turkey. The only exception to date has been a statement by Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan, who vaguely commented that Armenia would not stand aside in the face of regional challenges (Lragir.am, February 10). Meanwhile, the intensity of pro-Russian propaganda in Armenia has increased, sometimes taking rather bizarre forms, such as widespread praise in the media for a proposal made by some members of the Russian State Duma to denounce the 1921 peace and friendship treaties between Russia and Turkey (Lenta.ru, February 8). Andranik Migranyan, a professor at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), was recently invited to a conference in Yerevan as a keynote speaker. Migranyan, who is known for his "patriotic" (in contemporary Russian jargon) views, then proceeded to give an interview in which he declared, in a pejorative outburst, that Armenians should be happy about Russia's anti-Turkish sentiment, instead of complaining about the possible dangers (Tert.am, February 4). The MGIMO professor's diatribe, together with his previously expressed views, compelled some journalists to openly question the motives of those who continue to invite him to conferences in Armenia. The extreme level of Migranyan's rhetoric could also be demonstrated by his praise of Adolf Hitler as he reprimanded opponents of the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014 (Izvestia, April 3, 2014). The campaign of pro-Russian propaganda currently targeting Armenia takes on many forms, including outright falsification. For example, a summary of Golts's above-cited interview was published on an Armenian website with the addition of a provocative statement, falsely ascribed to Golts, that in the case of a further confrontation with Russia, Turkey will fall apart (Armlur.am, February 2). For analysts who follow Golts's publications and are familiar with his professional reputation, it was almost certainly clear that he would not make such remarks. In fact, this statement about Turkey more closely matched the style of someone like fringe Russian nationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky. However, many less well informed readers may easily have been misled. Several likely explanations exist for the intensive and often extreme forms of propaganda now directed at Armenia. First of all, serious economic decline (see EDM, January 5, 2015; January 28, 2016) has stimulated domestic discussions about the future of Armenia's relations with Russia, including questions about Russian arms supplies to Azerbaijan and, more generally, Moscow's ambiguous role in the Karabakh conflict resolution process. The economic slowdown in Russia and the surrounding region has also raised questions about the seeming pointlessness of Armenia's membership in the Eurasian Economic Union, the restrictions put by Russia on Armenia's energy cooperation with Iran, and other issues. Through all this, the main Armenian political forces have retained their allegiance to Russia. But the observable attempt to use propaganda to reactivate and intensify Armenians' negative sentiments and fears of Turkey may be trying to sustain the image of Russia as an indispensable protector of the Armenian population. Alternatively, Russia may be attempting to use the threat of an open conflict with Turkey to bolster its hold over Armenia in order to draw out more concessions from the latter. For instance, a frightened Yerevan hoping to stay out of a war with Ankara could perhaps be more conducive to allowing a Russian "peacekeeping" operation in Karabakh. And once Russia and Turkey begin engaging in future talks aimed at improving relations, Moscow might be able to use a pliant Yerevan as a bargaining chip in such negotiations by forcing Armenia to make concessions required by Turkey. In any case, Armenia's strong dependence on Russia has now become not only a source of democratic deficit as well as of economic and demographic problems, but also a security threat for Armenia, as regional security risks continue to grow. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Munich Security Conference Debates Russia's War in Ukraine (Part One) Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Vladimir Socor Publication Date 16 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 31 Related Document(s) Munich Security Conference Debates Russia's War in Ukraine (Part Two) Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Munich Security Conference Debates Russia's War in Ukraine (Part One), 16 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 31, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c58d164.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Link to original story on Jamestown website Russia's seizure of Ukrainian territories, and its continuing military operations in Ukraine's east, receded from center stage at the Munich Security Conference on February 12-14. Instead, the calamities visited upon Europe by wars in Syria and the wider Middle East (uncontrolled mass migrations into Europe, cross-border terrorism, breakdown of the consensus over fundamental values in the European Union, potential denial of free access by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization into the Levant)-all this concentrated the attention of NATO's top annual event this year. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko did bring Ukraine back to center stage for only as long as he held the podium. A diminishing sense of urgency, however, can also become a blessing in disguise. It can, at least temporarily, relieve pressure from Western partners on Ukraine to fulfill the political "obligations" to Russia's proxies under the Minsk armistice. Ukraine had held the front and center stage at the Munich Security Conferences in February 2014 and February 2015. Within days of the former, Russia intervened militarily in Ukraine's Crimea; and within days of the latter, Russia massively breached the Minsk Two armistice by seizing Ukraine's Debaltseve. Both moves stunned the Western powers, and incidentally exposed the practical irrelevance of the debates just held. This year's conference was held not only in Syria's but also in Russia's shadow. The reflexive notion took hold again that the West needs Russia's cooperation to deal with those predicaments. The Barack Obama administration and the German hosts of the conference seemed to share that conception, although Russia itself exploits or inflicts those Western predicaments. Along with that mental reflex, Russia's bold military intervention in Syria simply left the collective West no choice but to seek accommodation with Moscow in that theater. As the Munich conference proceeded, Russian forces were bombing local forces in Syria backed by the United States; and, to Turkey's discomfiture, Russia opened a representative office of Syrian Kurds in Moscow (with Donetsk-Luhansk and Abkhaz representatives attending the ceremony). All this further complicates Ukraine's situation vis-a-vis Russia and the international position more generally. Moscow's Syria operation has to be seen as an indirect envelopment of Ukraine. It is Ukraine that remains the prime target of Russia's great-power ambitions. By intervening in Syria-a secondary theater for Russia, but of primary importance to the West-the Kremlin is acquiring leverage over Ukraine's Western partners. If Russia comes to be seen as the West's necessary helper, the Kremlin could then leverage its "help" in trade-offs at third parties' expense. All this holds potential implications for Ukraine and other "areas of priority interest" to Russia (see EDM, December 10, 2015). How to re-engage Russia became a central theme for the West at the Munich conference. The German hosts twice invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to honor the event with his presence (The Moscow Times, January 21; RIA Novosti, January 27)-a throwback to past NATO summits at which former Secretaries-General of the Alliance sought Putin's participation so eagerly as to undermine their own negotiating leverage. In the run-up to this conference, the chairman of NATO's Military Committee, General Petr Pavel (a Czech officer), requested a direct telephone conversation with General Valery Gerasimov to check hotline-type communication channels between NATO Headquarters and Russia's Ministry of Defense. The latter, however, publicly dismissed NATO's request as superfluous, "a chat for the sake of chatting" (Interfax, February 5). And Putin tasked Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to stand in for him at the Munich conference. In his speech at the conference, Medvedev employed the usual technique of presenting the West with a bill of Russian historical grievances, followed by warnings that a "new cold war" is imminent. This only serves to package Russian demands for concessions at the expense of countries such as Ukraine; or more generally for Western "understanding" of Russia's conduct. Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaite and Foreign Affairs Minister Linas Linkevicius responded that no cold war is imminent, but two actual Russian wars are ongoing, in Ukraine and in Syria (Ukrinform, UNIAN, February 13, 15). According to Medvedev in Munich, "there is a civil war in Ukraine." To resolve that conflict Ukraine must amend its constitution, enact a "special status" for Donetsk and Luhansk [Russian-controlled areas] by agreement with their leaders, authorize the holding of local elections in Donetsk-Luhansk, again by agreement with them, and recognize the validity of those elections' outcome. Acknowledging that such unilateral concessions to Russia could destabilize Ukraine's government and politics, Medvedev nevertheless insisted that it is the "Ukrainian president's, parliament's and government's responsibility to achieve a constitutional majority" to enact those measures. Failing that, it would mean that "Ukraine has neither the will nor the wish to fulfill its obligations under the Minsk agreements" (Interfax, Euronews, February 14). President Poroshenko, speaking after Medvedev as scheduled, adjusted parts of his prepared speech to respond: "There is no civil war, there is Putin's aggression in Ukraine," necessitating that Ukraine spend 5 percent of its annual gross domestic product on defense [this compares with 1 to 2 percent for most NATO member countries]. Poroshenko recalled that the West's "blind eye to the 2008 war" against Georgia had encouraged Russia to move against Ukraine in Crimea and Donbas. Economic sanctions are "not a punishment on Russia, but an instrument to keep Russia at the negotiating table, because there is no other instrument." Poroshenko disagreed with the argument that relaxing the sanctions would facilitate a dialogue between the West and Russia. He appealed for the sanctions to be maintained until Russia withdraws its troops and Ukraine regains access to its own border with Russia (Ukrinform, February 13). Medvedev adhered to the standard Kremlin line on the economic sanctions: "They [the West] introduced the sanctions, it is up to them to start lifting the sanctions"; Russia shall not seek the sanctions' removal, but would lift its counter-sanctions on the basis of reciprocity. The European Union-Russia trade turnover dropped from 450 billion ($501 billion at the current exchange rate) in 2014 to 217 billion ($242 billion) in 2015, thus "the sanctions hurt both sides," Medvedev noted, implying that Russia's pain threshold is higher (Euronews, February 14). Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Moscow Once Again Trying to Put the Kurds in Play Against Turkey Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Paul Goble Publication Date 17 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 32 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Moscow Once Again Trying to Put the Kurds in Play Against Turkey, 17 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 32, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c58e0f4.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Link to original story on Jamestown website The Kremlin is once again seeking to use the Kurds, the largest stateless national group in the world, for Moscow's own purposes. In particular, Russia has opened a quasi-diplomatic representation office in Moscow for Syria's Kurds. Moreover, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the outspoken leader of the fringe nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) who is believed to have close ties to the Kremlin, has said that Russia would recognize an independent Kurdistan if Turkey sends its forces into Syria (Svopi.ru, February 13). But counter-intuitively, these signals actually highlight the limits on Russia's ability to exploit the Kurdish issue given that an independent Kurdistan would threaten Russian allies as well as Turkey and could pose problems for Moscow within the confines of the former Soviet space. In short, although Moscow is quite ready to exploit the Kurds against its opponents, it is not ready to support their national aspirations and will again betray them when that suits Russia's purposes. Moscow has a long history of playing the Kurdish card against Turkey, a history that extends back to the 1920s. During the Cold War, this took the form of Soviet support for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Turkey-a group that Ankara considers a terrorist organization. Indeed, for much of the post-World War II period, Moscow's support played a key role in the ability of the PKK to cause trouble for Turkey. But throughout that time, the Kremlin promised more to the Kurds than it was ever prepared to deliver, encouraging Kurds to think that Moscow would ultimately back their national aspirations and then disappointing them when larger geopolitical calculations took precedence. The same thing appears to be happening now. Aleksey Volodin, a Russian military commentator, argues that the opening of "a social-diplomatic mission of Syrian Kurds" in Moscow is "a signal to Russia's 'partners' " about Moscow's support for the Kurds. He notes that there are some 40 million Kurds in the world, about half of whom live in Turkey. Other major centers include Iran (7.5 million), Iraq (7 million), and Syria (2.5 million). He does not mention Armenia or Azerbaijan, where there are still small Kurdish populations; but he does refer to the fact that there are 70,000 Kurds in the Russian Federation, most of whom came there from Central Asia after 1991 (Topwar.ru, February 10). Volodin is careful to note that "the social-diplomatic mission of Syrian Kurdistan in Moscow" is not a full-fledged embassy as there is no such state as Syrian Kurdistan. But he stresses that this is "the only such mission" of its kind for the Kurds "beyond the borders of the Middle East." The Moscow analyst adds that the opening of this office is a political response to Ankara's actions not only in Syria but also in support of the Crimean Tatars, thus suggesting that Russia is also ready to play ethnic politics inside another country. All this, in addition to Zhirinovsky's threat, is certainly music to the ears of many Kurds. But then, at the end of his commentary, Volodin makes clear that Moscow is prepared to deliver far less than it appears to be offering. He writes that the new Moscow office is designed to allow Russia "to listen to and unite all those Syrian forces that really are prepared to preserve a united Syria," something that an independent Kurdistan would almost certainly preclude. As Ukrainian analyst Sergey Klimovsky notes, Russia has even more to fear from an independent Kurdistan than does Turkey. Ankara has already shown itself willing to deal directly with the Kurdish autonomy in Iraq, cooperating economically and militarily with Mosul over the last three months in order to fight the Islamic State (formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-ISIS). Thus the Turkish government could quite possibly cope with an independent Kurdistan that did not threaten its own territorial integrity. Indeed, Moscow's only option would seem to be restarting the PKK campaign within Turkey against Ankara-which, in fact, it may already be attempting (Caucasreview.com, February 14; see EDM, September 22, 2015). However, there is an even more compelling reason why Moscow will not proceed very far along that path: an independent Kurdistan would not only threaten the borders of Russia's allies in the Middle East and of Bashar al-Assad's Syria in the first instance, but it would threaten Russia as well. According to Klimovsky, the appearance of an independent Kurdistan-whatever its borders-would "provide 'a bad example' to Chechnya, Dagestan and Tatarstan," now within the Russian Federation. Thus, while other world powers are committed to a status quo in Syria as far as international borders are concerned, Moscow is even more so, even though, in Klimovsky's words, "the independence of Kurdistan would represent a serious step toward the end of ISIS," the fall of the al-Assad regime, and the end of the war in Syria, something powers other than Russia profess to want. He ends by saying that he hopes that "an independent Kurdistan will be proclaimed in 2016 and that Ukraine will be one of the first states to recognize it." Klimovsky is almost certainly overly optimistic given that Russia is not the only country that opposes an independent Kurdistan or that has betrayed the Kurds in the past. And consequently, even if Russia is overruled by facts on the ground, others may not be. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good: The Case of Belarus Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Grigory Ioffe Publication Date 10 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 28 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good: The Case of Belarus, 10 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 28, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c58eed4.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Link to original story on Jamestown website On February 1, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Sochi. The meeting was not planned in advance: Lukashenka had reportedly only called his Russian counterpart on January 28 to request this engagement. This puzzled political commentators. After all, the two heads of state met on December 15 and then on December 21 in Moscow, and were further scheduled to meet again at the end of February, in Minsk, during the session of the Supreme Council of the Union State of Russia and Belarus (Svaboda.org, February 2; Regnum, February 5). Most experts have hypothesized that this unexpected February 1 get-together was organized to discuss aid to Belarus. In 2016, Minsk is expected to spend $3.3 billion on repaying its existing loans, including $1.8 billion as early as February. At the same time, on December 1, Belarus had only $4.176 billion in hard currency reserves (Svaboda.org, February 2). Other possible topics of discussion include the implications of Russia having canceled its free trade agreement with Ukraine when the latter's free trade agreement with the European Union came into effect. At the same time, Belarus's free trade agreement with Ukraine remains in force, which may become a new bargaining chip for Lukashenka, along with the proposed Russian airbase on Belarusian territory and other issues (Svaboda.org, February 2). Frequent contacts at the highest level belie the discouraging trends of Eurasian economic integration. Notably, the first anniversary of the Eurasian Economic Union has passed by this year with nary a comment. "Knowing how diligently the current Russian government beats the drum on all TV channels over even the most insignificant occasion, anyone who sees that lacking in this case would reasonably determine that there is nothing to celebrate," writes economist Oleg Cherkovets. Indeed, in 2015, Russia's trade exchange with Belarus was 38.7 percent lower than in 2014 ($30.1 billion versus $21.7 billion). While shrinking trade is unavoidable during an economic crisis, the degree of decline of Russia's trade with Belarus and with other members of the Eurasian Union exceeds the overall rate of decline (by 34 percent). Throughout the first ten months of 2015, the share of all those members (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan) in Russia's foreign trade amounted to just 8.2 percent. But while trade with the integration partners accounted for as much as 49.7 percent of Belarus's overall trade, problems are looming. For example, with its more than 100 million hectares of arable land, Russia currently lacks about 100,000 tractors. The domestic capacity for producing tractors has shrunk over the 1990s and is being regained only slowly. Nevertheless, tractors are not being bought from Belarus, which has excessive tractor-producing capacity (Pravda, February 5). Also, Russia has not yet delivered on its promises to lend Belarus $2 billion. Under this situation, putative Western donors might be best advised to loosen the purse strings. But this is not happening either. In his January 12 interview to this author (Sovrep.gov.by, January 13), the speaker of the upper chamber of the Belarusian parliament and a former prime minister (2010-2014), Mikhail Myasnikovich, lamented that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is backtracking on its earlier willingness to resume its loan program for Belarus. According to Myasnikovich, without political will from the top, low-level operators can always find reasons not to restart the program. That would lead to autarchy and shield Belarus from the West. To make his point more suggestive, Myasnikovich invoked a short story titled "Blue Leaves" that he read as a child. In it, a girl was assigned to draw a broadleaf tree but lacked a green pencil. So she asked her classmate to lend her one, but that person set so many conditions that the girl decided against borrowing and used her own blue pencil instead. The leaves in her picture became blue as a result. Meanwhile, pressure from some corners in the West continues to push the European Union to maintain its Belarusian sanctions in place. On October 31, 2015, the EU suspended its travel restrictions against 171 Belarusians, including Lukashenka, his two sons, the chairwoman of the Central Electoral Commission, the minister of information, the current chairman of the Belarusian KGB as well as his predecessor. Economic sanctions on ten enterprises have been suspended as well. However, the ultimate decision on these sanctions is to be taken prior to February 29, which is when the period of suspension ends. The EU's Foreign Relations Council is scheduled to discuss the fate of the sanctions-i.e. whether to remove them altogether or to re-impose and, possibly, suspend them again-on February 15 (Tut.by, February 1). Last week (February 2-3), Zhanna Litvina, a board member and the former head of the non-governmental organization (NGO) Belarusian Association of Journalists, and Ales Belyatski, the head of the human rights watchdog Viasna, paid a visit to Brussels. There, they held talks with Helga Schmid, Deputy Secretary General for the European External Action Service (EEAS), and Stavros Lambrinidis, the EU's Special Representative for Human Rights. The Belarusian guests argued that after the release of political prisoners in August 2015, "no other positive changes have occurred in Belarus in the area of democracy and human rights and that the presidential elections in October were replete with violations and falsifications." In response, they received the EU's assurance that regardless of the decision to be taken on February 15, Brussels' attention to human rights and freedoms in Belarus would remain a priority (Tut.by, February 3). The current debate in Europe over whether or not to maintain sanctions on Belarus illustrates the well-worn notion that "perfect is the enemy of the good." It is true that-with or without Western sanctions-the political culture in Belarus and across much of the post-Soviet space has resisted any kind of fast transformation to reach Western standards. And yet, keeping these sanctions in place would be a gift to Belarus's eastern neighbor as well as further consolidate and reward those inside Belarus who would like to avert any positive or pro-European domestic changes whatsoever. At the same time, the Belarusian population, which itself is gradually turning away from the EU (see EDM, January 22), might lose patience with Europe entirely. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation The government may bring down export duty on high grade iron ore from the present 30 per cent to 10 per cent while completely withdrawing this levy on Goa ore having less than 58 per cent iron content, which could be big relief to the mining industry. The changes, which may be part of budget 2016-17 proposals, are expected to help the mining industry find new export markets at a time when ore prices have hit a decade-low of $29 per tonnes and demand has plummeted. We expect budget to come in support of the mining industry where both production and exports have fallen sharply on account of global slowdown and resultant fall in prices, mines secretary Balvinder Kumar told FC, adding: We have asked the finance ministry to withdraw 10 per cent export duty on Goa ore with less than 58 per cent iron content while bringing down the duty on other grades of ore to 10 per cent from present 30 per cent. Iron ore exports attract a 30 per cent duty. The duty is levied across-the-board, without any distinction on the basis of quality. Late last year, the government had come to Goa mining industrys aid by reducing export duty on low-grade iron ore fines with iron content of less than 58 per cent to 10 per cent. It also exempted pellets from exports duty to promote value addition in the country. This (export duty cut) would give a positive signal that the government is taking note of severity of problems being faced by the mining industry. But mere export duty cut would not help the sector and the Centre should also look at reducing railway freight on ore meant for exports and bring them at par with domestic freight, federation of Indian mineral industries secretary general R K Sharma said. Market conditions and wrong set of policies, he said have caused over one million job losses, both direct and indirect, in the sector and the problem could only aggravate if affirmative action is not taken by the Centre.Low demand and high taxes have shrunk iron ore exports from a high of 127 million tonnes (mt) in 2011-12 to less than 5 mt in 2015 (January-December). The current level of exports is also mainly due to shipments by state-owned miner NMDC to honour long-term supply contracts with mills in Korea and China. Moreover, iron ore production during 2011-12 to 2015 has also declined from 227 mt to 129 mt, while FoB price of ore had plummeted to $29 a tonne from over $165 a tonne in 2012-13.In this scenario, a 30 per cent duty has further outpriced Indian ore in the global market. Court orders to stop mining in several states due to the absence of environment and forest clearances have also hit the industry. This has caused dislocation to the extent that the country last year became a net importer of the mineral. The mines ministry has made a case for further reduction in exports duty on low-grade Goa ore fines as its local consumption is negligible and almost entire production is exported to countries like China and Japan. Peak exports from Goa stood at 54 mt in 2010-11. But this plummeted over the next two years after court imposed mining ban in the state over complains of illegal mining.Globally, better grade of ore is available at competitive prices. So, why will anyone buy it from here (Goa)? We need to make the industry competitive or else, I fear, the exports will not happen, said Ambar Timblo, MD of Fomento Resources. Apart from iron ore, the mines ministry has also requested the finance ministry to consider raising the import duty on aluminium products by 2.5 per cent to 7.5 per cent and not raise the same on aluminium scrap. The aluminum association of India has urged safeguard duty on aluminium and the mines ministry has asked the finance ministry to expedite the case. Russian Prison System Plans to Increase Pressure on Muslim Inmates Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Valery Dzutsati Publication Date 10 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 28 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Russian Prison System Plans to Increase Pressure on Muslim Inmates, 10 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 28, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c58f524.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Link to original story on Jamestown website The Russian federal prison authority plans to ramp up the fight against the so-called prison jamaats, according to the newspaper Kommersant. Officials say that Islam is spreading rapidly among inmates and may be a security danger in light of the threat the Islamic State poses to Russia. According to the newspaper's sources in the Russian state penitentiary service, the number of Muslim inmates in Russian prisons further increased in 2015. The sources claimed that informal networks of Muslims in Russian prisons spread extremist literature and recruit supporters. In particular, the officials reported that Valery Ilmendeyev, an inmate in a prison in Ulyanovsk, spread the sermons of Said Buryatsky, a radical Muslim preacher who was killed in Ingushetia in 2010 (Kommersant, January 26). The prison officials' promise of a new crackdown on Muslim inmates in Russian prisons signals the failure of government policies. Muslim inmates have been abused in Russian prisons for years, yet their number and influence has apparently grown. Russian prisons are known for dire conditions and the cruelty of their personnel, but the prison authorities are often especially harsh on the Muslim inmates, sometimes intentionally insulting their faith (Newsru.com, April 21, 2009). Russian courts routinely replace capital punishment with life imprisonment. According to estimates, in some maximum-security prisons in Russia, half of the inmates serving life terms are Muslims either from the North Caucasus or Volga region. Many of the inmates from the North Caucasus and Volga in these institutions were imprisoned on terrorism charges. Some witness accounts suggest that the Russian security services use inmates serving life sentences for their own purposes-for example, blaming such inmates for crimes they did not commit, so that the security forces can inflate the number of "solved" cases (Zeki.su, February 16, 2013). However, by no means all Muslims sentenced for terrorism are terrorists. A Moscow district military court recently sentenced five members of the Hizb ut-Tahrir movement to prison terms in Chelyabinsk. Two organizers received 16 and 17 years in prison and the other three received terms of 5-6 years. Their crimes involved secret meetings, religious conversion and spreading extremist literature. According to prosecutors, "Members of the cell agreed with the conception of building a worldwide caliphate step by step" and plotted to overthrow the government (Kavkazskaya Politika, February 5). Thus it appears that the "crime" of the Hizb ut-Tahrir members was secretive meetings and wishful thinking about a coming age of Islam. The term "extremist literature" in Russia is also quite broad, so much so that well-regarded Islamic works, including a translation of the Koran, have been outlawed in the country, (Memohrc.org, September 27, 2013) According to Russian prison officials, only about 9,000 Muslims are inmates in the country's prison colonies. The number of official Muslim jamaats (communities) in the prisons is estimated to be 950, and there are 61 mosques and over 230 prayer rooms to serve the Muslim population in Russian prisons. The word "official" is probably the key here, since the government is concerned mostly about the "unofficial" Muslim jamaats that it cannot control. Clerics from the Spiritual Board of Muslims visit prisons to deliver sermons. But those Muslims who do not trust the official clergy are left to their own devices, and prison officials do not know what they are up to, which apparently unnerves them (Kommersant, January 26). Prison administrations in Russia have often relied on the informal leaders among inmates to keep the prison population under control. When the influx of Muslims into Russian prisons increased after the second Russian-Chechen war, so-called "Green Prisons" (Zelyonaya Zona)-correctional facilities dominated by Muslims-appeared in the Russian prison system. The usual methods of governance do not work in such prisons, and the Russian prison administrations now have to adjust to the changing patterns in the prison population. Along with Russia's high Muslim birthrate and insurgency-related crimes in the North Caucasus and elsewhere in Russia, migrants from Central Asian countries also have an impact on the growth of numbers of Muslims in the Russian penitentiary system. A right-wing Russian opposition activist, Daniil Konstantinov, ended up in prison in 2012 for participating in civil protests in Moscow. According to Konstantinov, he was impressed by the Muslims' ability to resist the prison authorities. One Muslim, Konstantinov recalls, was beaten repeatedly for being religious, but he refused to stop praying. After some time, the inmates who participated in the beatings of the Muslim were contacted by "serious Islamists" from outside the prison, who threatened to "cut their heads off" if the beatings did not stop. They stopped. Denis Sokolov, a North Caucasus expert at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, says the prison jamaat "provides physical protection for Muslims and protection against the degrading practices of Russian prisons. Islam allows Muslim inmates to somehow reconcile themselves with the reality and remain human. The prison jamaat is not necessarily about recruitment for the insurgency and something illegal" (Kommersant, January 26). The announcement by the Russia federal prison authorities of another crusade against Islam in the prison system suggests it is quite concerned about the spread of Muslim prison jamaats. It also suggests the actual number of Muslims in Russian prisons is substantially higher than the official number. The official numbers of Muslims must be substantially lower than the actual ones to cause such alarm among the Russian authorities. Another side of the story is the emergence of "Green Prisons"-a new phenomenon that is forcing prison officials to rethink their tried-and-true methods to suppress and control prison populations. So far, it appears the officials have done little to break down Muslim solidarity groups. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Tajikistan: Severe Crackdown on Political Opposition Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 18 February 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Tajikistan: Severe Crackdown on Political Opposition, 18 February 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c590944.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. The Tajik government is arresting, imprisoning, and torturing members of the country's peaceful political opposition, Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee said today. The government is also targeting perceived critics abroad, seeking their detention and extradition back to Tajikistan, and has forcibly disappeared critics abroad only to have them reappear in Tajik custody. Tajikistan's deteriorating human rights situation worsened dramatically in the last year with the forced closure of Tajikistan's leading opposition party, the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) in September 2015. In March, an opposition figure, Umarali Kuvvatov, was shot dead in Istanbul in circumstances that point to involvement or acquiescence by the Tajik government. "Tajikistan is in the midst of the worst political and religious crackdown since the end of the country's civil war, with hundreds of people landing behind bars for no other reason than their peaceful political work," said Steve Swerdlow, Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Tajikistan's human rights crisis is expanding by the day, but the response of Washington, Brussels, and other international partners has fallen seriously short." Recent research by Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee uncovered a wide-ranging campaign by Tajik authorities to detain, imprison, and silence peaceful opposition activists and perceived critics at home and abroad. Dushanbe has sought the detention and forcible return to Tajikistan of peaceful political activists in Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Turkey, and elsewhere. Since a wave of arrests that began on September 16, Tajik and other observers, including the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, estimate that Tajik police and security services have arrested hundreds of members of the Islamic Renaissance Party on politically motivated charges. A major trial of 16 senior party leaders began on February 9, 2016. Authorities have also targeted lawyers, journalists, and ordinary citizens who have posted statements critical of the government of President Emomali Rahmon on social media. Hundreds of perceived critics and their family members have fled the country, according to observers' estimates. Some have been tortured in detention. In December 2015, Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee interviewed 30 political activists and their relatives in Moldova and Turkey. Earlier, the organizations conducted research in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and phone interviews with activists in Germany. The groups found a range of egregious violations during the crackdown. In addition to Kuvvatov's killing, another activist, Maksud Ibragimov, was stabbed, forcibly disappeared in Russia, returned to Tajikistan, and sentenced to 17 years in prison. Two others have been forcibly disappeared - in Russia and Tajikistan - and 10 others detained abroad on extradition requests by Tajik authorities in Russia, Belarus, Moldova, and elsewhere. At least 20 peaceful activists have already been imprisoned, with sentences ranging from three to 29 years. Some 200 members of the IRPT have been arrested, while others and their relatives are under house arrest. Five lawyers have been detained, and others harassed. Tajikistan should immediately and unconditionally release everyone imprisoned on politically motivated charges, Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee said. It should also allow the Renaissance Party, Group 24, and other peaceful opposition groups to operate freely and exercise the freedoms of assembly, association, expression, and religion, in accordance with international human rights norms and Tajikistan's constitution. Tajik authorities should ensure all detainees and prisoners their due process rights, including access to counsel of their choosing and visits with relatives. Tajik authorities should also meaningfully investigate all allegations of torture and enforced disappearances, including disclosing the whereabouts of those forcibly disappeared. Tajik authorities should also immediately stop persecuting lawyers who seek to represent opposition members. While the US, European Union, and other international actors have expressed concern about some aspects of the crackdown, the international response has been largely muted. These actors should publicly and privately press the Tajik government to end its crackdown on political opposition parties and enact targeted measures, including visa bans against Tajik officials if there is no improvement. They should further use Tajikistan's upcoming review by the UN Human Rights Council on May 6, to raise strong concerns on the crackdown, putting authorities on notice that further measures could be taken in case the situation continues to worsen. The US government should also designate Tajikistan a "country of particular concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), for its systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious and political freedoms without further delay, the organizations said. Such a designation by the Obama administration would send a strong message to the Tajik government that its crackdown should end immediately, and would afford the executive branch with the authority to enact a broad range of targeted measures, including curtailing all aid not related to humanitarian programs, such as military assistance, and banning visits to the US by Tajik officials deemed to be participating in severe human rights abuses. "Tajikistan's opposition and the lawyers who represent it are under attack. The time for mere statements of concern has long passed," said Marius Fossum, Norwegian Helsinki Committee regional representative in Central Asia. "Now is when Tajikistan's international partners, including the US and EU, should send President Emomali Rahmon a clear message: repression will no longer be cost-free." For further background and reporting on Tajikistan's political crackdown, please see below. Activists Targeted Abroad The Tajik government has aggressively targeted numerous peaceful political activists living abroad, seeking their extradition, with Tajik authorities implicated in enforced disappearances, torture, and at least one extrajudicial killing. When returned, activists received lengthy prison sentences on politically motivated charges. Those targeted are largely members of now outlawed peaceful opposition parties but also include ordinary citizens who have criticized the government or President Rahmon on social media. Tajik security services, operating alongside local authorities abroad and sometimes using private citizens, have targeted activists and perceived critics in Russia, Turkey, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. Campaign Against "Group 24" Kuvvatov, a former businessman with ties to President Rahmon's family, founded the opposition movement "Group 24" in spring 2011, to seek democratic reforms. The group also accused the Rahmon government and ruling elite of systematic corruption. Largely made up of activists and migrants living outside the country, it gained popularity with a younger generation of supporters by using social media, television appearances, Internet radio discussions, and YouTube videos to disseminate its calls for reform, democratic protest, and criticism of the government. Beginning as a clandestine group of 24 activists, Group 24 became widely known in mid-2012 after a news conference and a series of TV appearances on the opposition TV channel K+ in Moscow, organized by Kuvvatov. In October 2014, Group 24 earned authorities' wrath by calling over social media for mass, peaceful demonstrations in Dushanbe, the capital, on October 10. In response, authorities blocked up to 300 various websites, according to media reports; shut down all SMS/texting services over several days; and placed large numbers of police in central Dushanbe. Tajikistan's prosecutor general issued a statement accusing Group 24 of plotting a coup, causing mass disorder, and spreading extremist materials. On the day before the planned protest, Tajikistan's Supreme Court ruled Group 24 was a terrorist organization, making membership or association with the party a criminal offense. Internal Affairs Minister Ramazon Rakhimzoda confirmed authorities' attempts to track down Group 24 members abroad in January 2015, saying that several party members had been detained in Russia and were facing extradition. In interviews with Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee between September and December 2015, Group 24 activists described a sustained campaign by Tajik authorities in various countries to have them detained and extradited to Tajikistan, to face prosecution and imprisonment. They said that police and security services in Tajikistan were systematically summoning their relatives in the country for questioning, and sometimes threatening them with prosecution. Some Group 24 activists said Tajik security services had attempted to kidnap or kill them. Killing of Umarali Kuvvatov in Turkey In 2012, Kuvvatov left Tajikistan for Russia. In Moscow, he frequently criticized President Rahmon on television. Fearing Tajik security services would attempt to forcibly return him to Tajikistan, he relocated to Dubai later that year. In December 2012, he was arrested there on a Tajik extradition request. After he spent 10 months in detention, United Arab Emirates authorities pardoned Kuvvatov and he relocated to Kazakhstan and then Kyrgyzstan seeking refuge. But in 2013, Kuvvatov told Human Rights Watch that Tajik security services, with the cooperation of local informants, had made several attempts to kidnap him in both countries, and he subsequently fled to Istanbul, where he sought asylum with the United Nations refugee agency. In December 2014, Turkish police detained Kuvvatov for alleged visa violations. Tajikistan submitted a formal extradition request in January 2015, charging him with extremism, fraud, and hostage-taking. Kuvvatov maintained that the charges were retaliation for his peaceful opposition activities. He was released on February 3. On March 5, Sulaimon Kayumov, a Tajik citizen living in Istanbul, invited Kuvvatov, his wife, Qumrinisso, and their two sons to dinner. Qumrinisso Kuvvatova told Human Rights Watch that shortly after the meal, Kuvvatov and the whole family started feeling ill. Suspecting they had been poisoned, the family quickly got up to leave. When they reached the street, an unknown assailant shot Kuvvatov in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Kuvvatov's wife and two sons were hospitalized and diagnosed with food poisoning. The Istanbul-based Council of Forensic Medicine later confirmed that clozapine - a drug ordinarily used to treat schizophrenia - was found in Kuvvatov's blood and stated that the findings supported a theory that Kuvvatov and his family had been poisoned. Turkish and Tajik media reported that Kayumov had arrived in Turkey only two weeks before the murder and after the murder immediately fled to Almaty, Kazakhstan, where he was denied entry and was immediately returned by Kazakh authorities to Istanbul, where he is currently on trial for the murder. While the prosecutor is seeking a life sentence, observers close to the trial told Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee that they fear the prosecution has stalled the case due to political pressure from Dushanbe. Six other Tajik citizens were indicted for Kuvvatov's murder, but Kayumov is the only one currently on trial. Activists told Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee that Kuvvatov feared attempts on his life and that he told Turkish police that President Rahmon was planning to have him killed because of Kuvvatov's knowledge of the president's "secret dealings." Kuvvatov had told Human Rights Watch that he had unsuccessfully requested protection and the services of a bodyguard from Turkish authorities. These and other circumstances of the shooting, combined with sustained efforts by Tajik authorities over three years to detain him in various countries, support the claim of many observers that Kuvvatov's killers were acting on orders from or with the approval of Dushanbe. Following Kuvvatov's death, Group 24 members elected Sharofiddin Gadoev, Kuvvatov's cousin, as the group's new leader, and Sobir Valiev, a former businessman, as Gadoev's deputy. Tajik authorities have sought the extradition of both men, from Spain and Moldova, respectively. Detention of Sobir Valiev in Moldova Sobir Valiev, who was also deputy head of the newly formed Congress of Constructive Forces of Tajikistan, another peaceful opposition group, was detained on August 11, 2015, at the request of the Tajik government, by Moldovan migration police in Chisinau. Tajik authorities are pursuing Valiev's extradition on extremism charges that appear politically motivated. Valiev, 28, told Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee that Tajik police and security services began pursuing him and harassing his family members in Dushanbe in 2014, after he began publicly criticizing the Tajik government and calling for democratic reforms via YouTube videos and other Internet platforms such as Internet-based radio service Zello, a direct-messaging service popular among many Tajiks. On March 14, after Valiev became deputy head of Group 24, representatives of Tajikistan's Internal Affairs Ministry tried to summon him for an interrogation in Dushanbe, although he was already living outside the country. Within the next few days, unidentified people sprayed the word "traitor" on the walls of Valiev's family home. Fearing further persecution, Valiev's family fled to Turkey. Valiev's father and wife told Human Rights Watch that in late 2014 and early 2015, Tajikistan's security services interrogated them on several occasions in Dushanbe, threatening "serious consequences" if Valiev did not return to Tajikistan. At the time, Valiev, who had acquired Kyrgyz citizenship, was living in Kyrgyzstan and frequently traveling to Turkey for business. Tajik authorities have charged Valiev with "public calls for carrying out extremist activity" (article 307(1)(2)) and "organizing an extremist community" (article 307(2)(1)) of Tajikistan's criminal code - charges they have used in a number of cases that appear politically motivated. After appeals from Human Rights Watch, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, and Moldova-based organizations, Moldovan authorities released Valiev from detention, but the extradition request is still pending. Valiev's wife's relatives, who live in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, told Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee that Kyrgyz authorities summoned them for interrogation in January 2016, and told them they will have "serious problems" unless Valiev and his wife return to either Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan and "surrender." Seeking the Extradition of Shabnam Khudoydodova in Belarus On July 15, 2015, Belarusian authorities detained Shabnam Khudoydodova, a peaceful Tajik activist and Group 24 member, in the city of Brest, Belarus. Khudoydodova, who lived in St. Petersburg, had called for democratic reforms in Tajikistan in a series of online posts. After learning on July 12 that Tajik authorities might be preparing to forcibly return her to Tajikistan, she fled to Belarus, planning to go to Poland to apply for asylum. She was detained after Polish border guards refused her entry. Tajik authorities have charged her with extremism and are seeking her extradition. She remains detained in Belarus. Disappearance of Ehson Odinaev in Russia On May 19, 2015, Ehson Odinaev, 24, an outspoken critic of the Tajik government, left his apartment in Russia and has not been seen since. He was also a member of Group 24 and Youth of Tajikistan for Revival (YRT) and very active in social media, under the nickname "Sarfarozi Olamafruz." Several months earlier, Tajik authorities had declared him wanted on charges of unspecified "cybercrimes," registering his case with Interpol. For several months before his disappearance, he told friends and family that he was under surveillance and noticed that he was sometimes followed. After his disappearance, Odinaev's brother discovered that his brother's apartment in Novosibirsk contained bugging devices. Odinaev's relatives have repeatedly reported his disappearance to Russian and Tajik authorities but have been unable to get any information regarding his whereabouts. They fear he was forcibly disappeared by Tajik authorities, returned to Tajikistan, and is being held incommunicado there or has been killed. Fearing persecution themselves, Odinaev's mother and brother fled Russia in January to Moldova, where they plan to seek asylum status with the UN refugee agency. Imprisonment of Umedjon Salikhov On March 4, 2015, a Dushanbe court sentenced Umedjon Salikhov to 17 years and six months in prison on various extremism charges. He had agreed to return to Tajikistan from Russia after Tajik security services threatened to prosecute his relatives in Tajikistan and was detained immediately on his arrival to the Dushanbe airport in October 2014. During the trial, prosecutor Abdulfattokhi Khabib alleged Salikhov had distributed extremist materials via social media, including on Odnoklassniki, a Russian social networking site, Facebook, and YouTube, in which he called on young people in Tajikistan to join Group 24. The prosecution also accused him of the crime of insulting the president, by stating that President Rahmon had sold Tajik land to China and should resign. Salikhov has denied membership in Group 24 and maintains his innocence. He was represented by a human rights lawyer, Buzurgmehr Yorov, who was himself recently imprisoned in connection with the political crackdown. Judge Khotam Rajabzoda found Salikhov guilty of anti-constitutional activity (article 307.1), organizing an "extremist organization" (article 307.2a), organizing a "criminal community" (article 187.1), and public insult of the president (article 137.2). Imprisonment of Firdavs Mukhiddinov and Farhod Karimov Ten days after Salikhov's conviction, judge Rajabzoda, presiding over the same Dushanbe court, sentenced Firdavs Mukhiddinov, 25, and Farhod Karimov, 20, to 16 years and six months each in prison on various extremism charges. Activists told Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee that Karimov, who denied membership in Group 24, had confessed only to possessing an "insulting" photograph of President Rahmon on his computer, which he said he had received from a former classmate. Mukhiddinov's parents said that he had been working in Russia and participated on one occasion in a Group 24-organized demonstration in Novosibirsk. Authorities arrested him upon his return to Tajikistan. The court found the defendants guilty of anti-constitutional activity (articles 307.1 and 307.3), organizing an "extremist organization" (article 307.2a), and of organizing a "criminal community" (article 187.1). Imprisonment of Mukhammadrizoi Shamszoda and Makhmadali Jobirov On April 8, 2015, a Dushanbe court sentenced Mukhammadrizoi Shamszoda and Makhmadali Jobirov to three years and six months each on charges of membership in Group 24 and possession of Group 24 materials. Judge Safarbek Nuralizoda, who presided over the court, highlighted in his ruling Jobirov's alleged active role in disseminating Group 24 materials online, allegedly encouraging young people to join the party, and his close association with Group 24 leader Umarali Kuvvatov in Moscow. The prosecution also accused Shamszoda of possessing Group 24 materials. The two were sentenced for anti-constitutional activity (article 307.3). Imprisonment of Shamshullo Rakhimov Group 24 activists told Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee that a Dushanbe court sentenced 23-year-old Shamshullo Rakhimov to eight years and six months on October 13, 2015, immediately after he agreed to return voluntarily to Tajikistan from Moscow. Like other activists, Rakhimov had joined Group 24 while living in Russia. The court sentenced him on charges of participating in illegal demonstrations, calling for "mass disorder" in Tajikistan, and distribution of photographic and video material allegedly calling for a violent overthrow of the government. He was also convicted of insulting the president. Imprisonment of Ilhomiddin Aliev In a similar case, on October 29, 2015, a Dushanbe court sentenced Ilhomiddin Aliev to three years on charges of anti-constitutional activity (article 307.3) for expressing support for Group 24 on social media, including exchanging audio, video, and photographic material online. Aliev was arrested after returning from St. Petersburg, where he had worked as a migrant laborer. Imprisonment of Ilhomiddin Allanazarov Also in October 2015, a court in southern Khatlon province sentenced Ilhomiddin Allanazarov to three years for cooperating with Group 24 on the basis of statements he had made during live meetings on the Internet-based radio service Zello. At his trial, Allanazarov confessed to participating in the online meetings. Persecution of "Youth for the Revival of Tajikistan" Tajik authorities have also pursued charges against activists from a group known as the Youth for the Revival of Tajikistan (YRT), which is mainly based in Russia. The group is separate from Group 24, but Tajik authorities have often considered them the same organization. Tajikistan's Supreme Court declared the group an extremist organization in October 2014. Stabbing, Abduction, and Imprisonment of Maksud Ibragimov On July 24, 2015, a Dushanbe court sentenced Maksud Ibragimov, a peaceful youth activist and the YRT leader, to 17 years on charges of extremism following a deeply flawed trial. He is a Russian citizen and had lived in Moscow for more than 10 years. He was detained in Russia in October 2014, on a Tajik extradition request, but then released. In November 2014, unidentified assailants stabbed him six times on a Moscow street. On January 20, 2015, his relatives reported that police from Moscow's Preobrazhenskaya district detained him, took him to a police station, and told him to write a statement about the stabbing. Witnesses reported that as soon as he left the police station, several unidentified people kidnapped him, drove him to the airport, and forced him onto a plane to Dushanbe, where he was arrested when he landed. Ibragimov told his lawyer later that he had been tortured into telling the Tajik media that he had returned to Tajikistan voluntarily.| Enforced Disappearance of Nematullo Kurbonov Colleagues of Nematullo (aka Hakikatparvar) Kurbonov, a YRT activist, told Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee that he disappeared after returning to Tajikistan from Russia on or around October 10, 2014. He had been charged with anti-constitutional activity (article 307). Activists believe that he was forcibly disappeared by Tajik authorities and may be in a detention facility, although his whereabouts remain unknown. Detention of Sokhibnazar Abdunazarov and Mekhrubon Sattarov Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee have learned that Russian migration officials also detained Sokhibnazar Abdunazarov and Mekhrubon Sattarov, both YRT activists, in Moscow in December 2014 under Tajik extradition requests detailing charges of anti-constitutional activity (art. 307.3) solely for their membership of YRT. They were held for a year by Russian migration authorities, released on January 21, 2016, and then re-arrested within days, ostensibly for violating migration regulations. Both are in detention in Moscow. Detention and Release of Abdurakhim Vosiev On November 12, 2014, police in Moscow arrested Abdurakhim Vosiev, a YRT activist on a Tajik extradition request. Tajik authorities charged him with founding an "extremist community" (article 307) and making calls to "mass disorder and the violent seizure of power" (article 307.1). Fellow activists told Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee that the accusations are retaliation for participating in peaceful demonstrations in Russia that were critical of the Tajik government. While he has been released following 12 months of detention, he still faces the possibility of extradition. Detention of Oyatullo Gilyaev and Roziya Abdurakhmonova In December 2014, Russian migration officials in Novosibirsk arrested Oyatullo Gilyaev and Roziya Abdurakhmonova, YRT activists, on Tajik extradition requests. The two had participated in peaceful protests organized by Group 24 in Novosibirsk. Both remain in detention in Russia. Criminalizing Domestic Opposition Campaign Against the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) Following a long and harsh government-orchestrated campaign over many years, the government sought decisively to suppress the activities of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), the country's leading opposition party, in the period leading up to Tajikistan's parliamentary elections in March 2015. The party is the second largest in Tajikistan, with an estimated 43,000 supporters, and had been the only Islamic political party ever legally registered in Central Asia. Under the 1997 peace deal that ended Tajikistan's civil war, the IRPT, the political heir to the United Tajik Opposition, was guaranteed 30 percent of government posts. But over the past two decades, President Rahmon has effectively marginalized the party and the wider political opposition through a series of laws curtailing political and religious freedoms and a campaign of outright harassment of party members. In one case, Umedjon Tojiev, an IRPT member, threw himself out a third-floor window of a police station in the northern city of Isfara on November 2, 2013, after being tortured to incriminate himself in crimes of extremism, various human rights organizations and media reported. He died from his injuries on January 20, 2014. In the March 2015 elections, for the first time since the 1997 peace deal, authorities prevented the IRPT from winning any seats in parliament. Monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said the vote was marred by ballot-stuffing and government intimidation. In August, the Justice Ministry revoked the IRPT's status as a national party, effectively making its activities illegal. Following clashes on September 4 between government forces and militants loyal to Tajikistan's deputy defense minister Abduhalim Nazarzoda that left at least 17 fighters and nine police officers dead, authorities arrested dozens of senior IRPT leaders, accusing them of involvement in the violence, despite a clear lack of evidence. Nazarzoda was killed in a special operation on September 16. Beginning on September 16, Tajik authorities detained dozens of IRPT members, allegedly to "prevent new terrorist acts andcrimes of an extremist nature." They also accused the party of involvement in a violent attack on a police station and weapons depot that began on September 4. In late September, Tajikistan's Supreme Court declared the IRPT a terrorist organization - as it had done nearly a year earlier to the exiled opposition parties Group 24 and Youth for the Revival of Tajikistan. A closed trial of 17 senior IRPT leaders on extremism charges, including Umarali Husaynov, Zarafo Rahmoni, Mahmadali Hayit, and Rahmatullo Rajab, began on February 9, 2016. Detention and Torture of Umarali Husaynov Umarali Husaynov (also known as Saidumar Khusaini), the party chairman, who had served two terms in parliament, was among those arrested on September 16, 2015. On September 28, a lawyer for Husaynov, Buzurgmehr Yorov, who was arrested shortly thereafter, stated in an interview that officers from the Police Unit for Combating Organized Crime had tortured his client in detention. Zaynab Husaynova, Umarali's daughter, told Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee: Police from the department responsible for fighting terrorism placed a bag on my father's head when they arrested him and then beat him. His interrogators offered him the post of a government minister or to be Dushanbe's deputy mayor if he would agree to publicly renounce the IRPT, but he refused. Husaynova said that authorities tried to arrest several of Husaynov's relatives, including herself. "I hid for ten days after my father's arrest before fleeing the country," she said. "Now, each time I call home to speak with my family [from abroad], authorities come by the house afterward and interrogate my mother." Other relatives, she reported, have been fired from their jobs and given large fines on the pretext of trumped up administrative violations. Detention of Zarafo Rahmoni Zarafo Rahmoni, 44, the party's legal advisor, was also arrested on September 16. The only woman known to be among the IRPT members arrested since mid-September, Rahmoni is a well-known lawyer and political figure who frequently represented the IRPT at domestic and international conferences. Rahmoni's sister, Guldasta Khojaeva, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Tajik Service that Rahmoni has been suffering from a heart condition and kidney ailment since her arrest. Her family has sent letters to the heads of the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) and the prosecutor general's office urging them to transfer her to a hospital. The prosecutor general's office has insisted it did not receive the letter and is unaware of any health problems affecting Rahmoni. Rahmoni has been charged with affiliation with a criminal organization and inciting religious, racial, and interethnic hatred (article 189). She denies the charges. Rahmoni is in a GKNB detention facility in Dushanbe. Detention and Torture of Mahmadali Hayit and Rahmatullo Rajab Others arrested on September 16 include Mahmadali Hayit, the IRPT deputy chairman, and Rahmatullo Rajab, a senior IRPT party member. IRPT activists told Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee that both have been tortured at the GKNB's detention facility in Dushanbe. One lawyer reported that when he visited, he saw Hayit in torn clothes. In April 2013, Hayit was savagely beaten by two unidentified assailants outside his home. Rajab's relatives told Human Rights Watch that he has been kept from communicating with or seeing his relatives for more than a month and prison officials have not allowed him to meet with them privately. Prison officials have threatened Rajab's family that they will detain Rajab's son, who lives in Russia, if they speak to the media about Rajab's ill-treatment. Rajab's family says that the lawyers they sought to hire to represent Rajab refused to take the case following intimidation by authorities. Imprisonment, Torture, and Harassment of Muhiddin Kabiri's Relatives In its September 17, 2015 statement, Tajikistan's prosecutor general accused Muhiddin Kabiri, chairman of the IRPT now living abroad, of direct involvement in the violent clashes in September between government forces and men loyal to Deputy Defense Minister Abduhalim Nazarzoda. The statement alleges that Kabiri ordered Nazarzoda to instigate armed attacks on government structures and that, acting on orders from Kabiri, Nazarzoda had organized more than "20 illegal groups" in recent years. Kabiri and other party officials have repeatedly publicly rejected accusations that the party was involved with or supported the alleged mutiny by the deputy defense minister and say that Nazarzoda has never been a party member and has had nothing to do with the party. Fearing prosecution on bogus charges, Kabiri went into self-imposed exile in Turkey in June 2015. Following the September events and informed by Turkish authorities they could not guarantee his safety, Kabiri fled to Western Europe, where he has had to frequently change locations and hide his whereabouts. In Kabiri's absence, Tajik authorities have systematically targeted his relatives still in Tajikistan, repeatedly arbitrarily detaining and interrogating them about Kabiri and the party. The government has confiscated much of Kabiri's and his relatives' property and prevented his relatives from leaving the country. On December 15, the day Kabiri was scheduled to give an online public presentation about the situation of his party at a Washington, DC, event organized by Freedom House, authorities came to the home of Kabiri's 95-year-old father and detained him with seven other family members. They were forced to record videos denouncing Kabiri that were later placed on YouTube. At least four of Kabiri's male relatives - Rustam Imomov, Hikmatullo Saifov, Mahmad Rahmatulloev, and Jamshed Narziloev - have been detained since September on various politically motivated pretexts. Some have been subjected to torture or ill-treatment. Kabiri told Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee that he learned in early February 2016 that one of his relatives, Rustam Imomov, arrested on September 16, 2015, and held in a GKNB detention facility, had been sentenced to 17 years in prison on various extremism charges. Kabiri said that Imomov was brutally beaten in detention, but agreed to sign a false confession on extremism charges after interrogators detained his wife and threatened to rape her in front of him. On October 21, GKNB officers detained Hikmatullo Saifov, Kabiri's driver and distant relative, and tortured him for several hours to get him to allege that Kabiri had been involved in the alleged mutiny by Nazarzoda. IRPT activists reported that interrogators applied pressure with their hands to the spot on Saifov's torso where his appendix been removed two months earlier, causing excruciating pain. An IRPT activist who witnessed the incident and was later released said that the repeated pressure led to a rupture in his wound and resulted in Saifov's hospitalization at a military facility. He is now in a GKNB detention facility. Kabiri and his relatives in Istanbul have also received threats and have been subject to surveillance outside their home and the school attended by Kabiri's grandchildren. Russian authorities have detained Kabiri's nephew's family and other relatives living in Russia at the request of Tajik authorities. Imprisonment of other IRPT activists On February 8, 2016, Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee learned from various sources that at least eight IRPT activists, including Imomov, have been convicted on various extremism charges. They include Zayniddin Yusupov (sentenced to 10 years in prison), Asomiddin Abdurakhmanov (10 years), Tavakkal Boboev (18 years), Umarsho Davlatov (15 years), Mahmadali Islomov (five years), and Zavkibek Rahmonov (four years). Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Kyrgyzstan: Freedom of religion or belief without state permission = murder? Publisher Forum 18 Publication Date 18 February 2016 Cite as Forum 18, Kyrgyzstan: Freedom of religion or belief without state permission = murder?, 18 February 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c592f950.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. After the December 2015 murder in Kyrgyzstan of Ahmadi Muslim Yunusjan Abdujalilov, an independent human rights defender has noted this month (February 2016) to Forum 18 News Service that "the authorities turn a blind eye to hate speeches on TV, other mass media, and mosques about Ahmadi Muslims and other vulnerable religious groups". They also noted that, in addition to attacks by Muslim Board imams, the Ahmadis were refused state registration. "All of this created a tense situation and hatred against the Ahmadis." Osh Regional Police spokesperson Jenishbek Ashirbayev told Forum 18: "There are two sides of the issue, one is the murder, and the other is the unregistered freedom of religion or belief of the Ahmadis". Asked why the authorities are seeking to punish the Ahmadis instead of investigating the murder, Ashirbayev reiterated that both the murder and the Ahmadi Community's activity are being investigated. Asked what the freedom of religion or belief of the Ahmadis has to do with the murder, he referred Forum 18 to the NSC secret police. New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is likely to slash corporate tax rate by about one per cent and may put an end date for certain exemptions availed by the industry, in his Budget for 2016-17, tax experts said. "To begin with, one per cent cut in the corporate tax rate, gradual phasing out of accelerated tax depreciation and a sunset clause for the tax deductions, coupled with reduction in MAT, will set the tone for this year's Budget," KPMG (India) Partner Tax Vikas Vasal said. Jaitley in his last Budget had announced phased reduction in corporate taxes over four years to 25 per cent from present 30 per cent, and also simultaneous withdrawal of exemptions. Economic Laws Practice Partner Rohit Jain said since the government is pushing domestic manufacturing, in the next Budget it would be a challenge to do away with exemptions. "The reduction could be one per cent or so in the next Budget. The minister might put an end date to certain exemptions and pave the way for gradual withdrawal," Jain added. Currently, there are various tax concessions under the Income-Tax Act, 1961. The prominent ones are accelerated depreciation on various assets; weighted deduction for capital expenditure incurred on various projects; weighted deduction for expenditure incurred on manufacture or production of specified articles; expenditure incurred on scientific research; various skill development projects etc. "In an event of a phase out approach, a reduction of 1-1.25 per cent in the corporate tax rate could be expected," Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP Partner CA Gupta said. Also, there is a possibility that no extension of sunset clause in existing case and/or a sunset clause is introduced in particular cases, he said. "It would be an ideal situation if the complete phase out is undertaken only when the corporate tax rate is reduced to 25 per cent," Gupta added. The basic rate of corporate tax in India is at 30 per cent, which is higher than the rates prevalent in other major Asian economies, making domestic industry uncompetitive. Moreover, the effective collection of corporate tax is about 23 per cent after taking into account various exemptions. The Finance Minister had earlier said. "We lose out on both counts, i.e. we are considered as having a high corporate tax regime but we do not get that tax due to excessive exemptions. A regime of exemptions has led to pressure groups, litigation and loss of revenue. "It also gives room for avoidable discretion. I, therefore, propose to reduce the rate of corporate tax from 30 per cent to 25 per cent over the next four years." Government will have to cough up at least 1.26 trillion rupees to keep its current ownership of state banks. Mumbai/New Delhi: India is preparing to pump in a higher-than-anticipated capital sum into poorly performing state banks, government sources said, a move that could see New Delhi infuse as much as $34 billion additionally and make it harder to hit planned deficit targets. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in August pledged to put in 700 billion rupees ($10.2 billion) into state-run banks through four years to March 2019 as part of a broader banking reforms programme. It had then said the lenders would raise another 1.1 trillion rupees from the financial markets. But a surge in provisions for bad loans in a central bank-directed balance sheet clean-up exercise has sent several lenders into losses, hammering their stock prices and limiting their ability to secure external funding as the economy wobbles. It also means Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will have to squeeze the national budget to foot the bill."Indian public sector banks may find it difficult to raise capital, given their currently weak operating performance," Standard & Poor's credit analyst Deepali Seth said in a report, highlighting a risk of further rating downgrades. "These banks will therefore have to rely more on government support for capital infusions."Two senior government officials with direct knowledge of the matter said a new capital-infusion plan was being formulated that Jaitley might propose as early as the end of this month when he presents the federal budget. They did not say how much more the government was targeting injecting into the banks. A finance ministry spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.India Ratings and Research, a local affiliate of Fitch, reckons the government will have to cough up at least 1.26 trillion rupees, nearly double of what it originally planned, to keep its current ownership of state banks. But the figure might swell to as much as 3 trillion rupees if the lenders fail to raise funds from markets, it said. "Right now it's a tightrope walk," said Abhishek Bhattacharya, co-head of financial institutions at India Ratings. A sharp slowdown in India's nominal economic growth, which drives tax revenues, has already made it tougher for Jaitley to meet a target of trimming the fiscal deficit to 3.5 percent of GDP in the year that begins in April from the 3.9 percent budgeted for this year. Bhattacharya said the extra burden of capital infusion could add 35-40 basis points every year to the deficit over the next three years.In a Twitter post on Friday, the finance ministry quoted Jaitley as saying that the government is "committed to protect the banks and give them the capital requirements"."Bad loans are there but banks are equipped to deal with these issues," Jaitley said. Growth capital Banks are the main source of funding for infrastructure and other investment projects, and capital constraints at the banks could throttle a nascent recovery.Big quarterly losses at lenders including Bank of India and Indian Overseas Bank mean some of them will need more capital sooner than expected to grow lending. Bank credit growth last fiscal year fell to its slowest in nearly two decades. With all state-run banks, including top lender State Bank of India, trading at a steep discount to their book values, selling shares at dirt-cheap valuations is not an option. Ashwani Kumar, chairman at Dena Bank that is in talks with the government for capital support, said the original capital infusion plan was based on parameters including profitability of lenders, pace of bad loan additions and banks' ability to raise funds from the market."If those parameters don't hold good, they have to put in more money," he said. Apothecary Salon & Spa ready to pamper locals at Burton Lane location More than two years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic upended the lives and careers of millions of Americans. Some folks took the opportunity to learn more about themselves. A pair of Abilene High School students have progressed to the next step in achieving one of the highest honors in K-12 education. Nathaniel Pigott and Luke Shelburne, seniors at the high school, are among approximately 15,000 finalists across the country for the National Merit Scholarship Program. The pair were originally singled out in September as semifinalists, along with Abilene Christian High School's Coleman Haley and Wylie High School's Bethany Witemeyer. The status of Haley and Whitemeyer in the competition was not immediately available. Pigott, son of Kelly and Susan Pigott, is currently ranked first in his class and is active in Revolution Strings, orchestra, Key Club and Calculus Club. After graduating from AHS, Pigott is considering attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Rice University or Trinity University to study linguistics and history. Shelburne, son of Ian and Danetta Shelburne, is currently ranked second in his class and has recorded a perfect score on the ACT. He is involved in choir, Pure Gold, Student Council, UIL Academics, Key Club and is a two-time winner of the Carson Scholar Award. Shelburne plans to study social and environmental sciences in a dual degree program at Columbia University in New York City and Sciences Po, a university located in Paris, France. The roughly 15,000 finalists will be reduced to about 7,400 scholarships that will be announced throughout the remainder of the school year, with awards expected to total more than $32 million, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corp., which runs the program. There are three different types of scholarships offered by the program, with 2,500 National Merit awards offering $2,500 each up for grabs for all students in the competition, the scholarship corporation said. There are also 1,000 corporate-sponsored awards for students who fulfill specified criteria and 3,900 college-sponsored awards for students attending specific institutions. High school juniors take the PSAT exam in the fall, with scores used to calculate semifinalists for the National Merit Scholarship in their senior years. In between breaking down and adding slings to service issued-shotguns at the Warren Dodson Police Training Complex, Abilene Police Officer David Varner shared his road to recovery from colon cancer, revealing a smile every chance he could. Varner, 53, is a 30-plus-year veteran of the force, has been away from his normal patrol duties for several months now and returned to work a couple weeks ago. "That's the longest I've been off since I was 12 years old," he told the Reporter-News. After getting clearance from his physician to return to work, Varner spends part of his days at the academy training grounds preparing less lethal shotguns (that shoot beanbags instead of bullets) for training purposes. Just because Varner is back to work does not mean his battle with cancer is done. He is scheduled to meet with his team of cancer specialists at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "I'm going back to Houston Sunday, with appointments Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday," he said. Varner will meet with the cancer specialists to determine the next phase of treatment for the colon cancer that had also spread to his liver. A geneticist will do a profile to try to determine if his cancer is hereditary or caused by something else. But he said his cancer indicator numbers are down drastically. "I've gone from 295 in October or November to 9.5 now," Varner said. "I'm not complaining at all." Even when things felt grim, the husband and father of two daughters said he didn't feel like he would pass away. "To tell you the truth, I never thought about dying," he said. A large reason for Varner's strength is the support he's received via his Christian faith and growing support group. "If God himself landed at my house and sat on my couch and said 'David, what can I do for you besides take away the cancer?' I couldn't tell him anything,'" he said. "Everybody from the newest guy to the oldest guy (on the force) has bent over backward to help me. You can't drown when everybody is holding you above water. That's what everybody is doing right now. If I wanted to feel sorry for myself, how could I? What would I feel sorry about?" Varner added people have secretly paid for meals, openly asked to come do yard work and much more. "I've got all these people praying for me. People I don't even know," he said. "My girls get a little aggravated but I think cancer's probably the biggest blessing I've ever had in my life. I tell my family, 'The people have always had halos and wings that I've been around, I've just never seen them till now.'" Twitter: ARN_Titus A distant conflict made such an impact on a McMurry University student in the mid-1990s that by the time she left with a degree, her course was set. Today, Shannon Sedgwick Davis is chief executive officer of the Bridgeway Foundation, the charitable arm of Bridgeway Capital Management Inc. In 1994, when an estimated 1 million people were killed in the Rwandan genocide, Davis was two years into getting her degree in political science at McMurry. The faraway massacre of people she knew little about lit a fire in Davis. The horror of it struck a chord. 'My heart has always beat just a little faster in terms of justice issues,' Davis said Wednesday night during the first of two talks in McMurry's Ubuntu speaking series. Davis will deliver a second address at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Matthews Auditorium in Old Main on the McMurry campus. The talk is free and the public is invited. The word 'ubuntu' is a South African word meaning, 'I am because we are,' emphasizing the strength of community. After earning a bachelor's degree at McMurry, Davis got a law degree from Baylor Law School. Since becoming a lawyer, she has been involved in international human rights issues. Today, in addition to her work with the Bridgeway Foundation, Davis also is on the advisory board of The Elders, an international organization of public figures founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007. Davis said she first heard the word 'ubuntu' at a meeting of The Elders when former Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu, one of the members, used it. 'We are inextricably connected' is the way Tutu described the meaning of the word, Davis said. And that is what she felt 20 years ago when she first learned about what was happening in Rwanda and knew she had to be involved in some way to prevent future atrocities. 'I wanted to fight for that not to be the case anymore,' she said. The format for Wednesday night's presentation was conversational, with McMurry political science professor Joel Olufowote asking Davis questions. Olufowote jokingly referred to Davis as a 'rock star humanitarian,' because of her credentials in fighting for social justice on an international stage. Under Davis' guidance, the Bridgeway Foundation help fund fighters in Central and East Africa in tracking down the notorious warlord Joseph Kony, founder of the Lord's Resistance Army. The LRA was accused of kidnapping children and turning them into killers and sex slaves. Davis didn't just direct operations from the safety of her home in San Antonio, where she lives with her husband and two young boys. Instead, she took several trips to the war zone, flying into remote areas of Africa on a helicopter and visiting with villagers affected by the atrocities. Davis said the efforts of Bridgeway and other organizations to assist in taking down the LRA has resulted in a 96 percent decrease in violence in the region in recent years. Kony still is at large, but he has been rendered powerless, she said. 'We cut the snake off the head,' she said, 'and never got the head.' Olufowote asked Davis, who is petite, if she ever was afraid during her trips to Africa. She replied that her passion for her work overrode any fears she might have. And, seeing the terror that the villagers endured made her work seem safe by comparison. Davis said she heard African mothers talk about hiding their children under banana leaves so that Kony's men wouldn't find them. 'I have very little to fear relative to them,' she said. MUMBAI: India has received total investment commitment worth Rs 15.20 lakh crore from domestic and foreign manufacturers during the Make in India Week providing a major boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modis campaign to turn India into a global manufacturing hub. The week-long summit, which was flagged-off by the Prime Minister on February 13, also saw the host state Maharashtra walking away with over Rs 8 lakh crores or 52 per cent of the proposed investments. Speaking to reporters on the concluding day, Amitabh Kant, secretary, department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP), said the summit was a phenomenal hit as it received investment proposals much more than what the government had anticipated. Expressing confidence that 85-90 per cent of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) would be converted into actual investments, Mr Kant said the aim is to have at least 10 states that could grow at over 12 per cent per annum with Maharashtra becoming the gateway for the rest of the country. Stating that at least 30 per cent of the total investment commitments were from foreign manufacturers, Mr Kant added that it would take atleast 2-3 years for the actual execution of these projects. Seeking to increase the share of manufacturing sector in Indias GDP from 15 per cent at present to 25 per cent by 2022, Mr Kant said, We have already opened the economy across sectors to the world. We are now showcasing, connecting and collaborating for manufacturing in the country. The summit is not just about manufacturing alone, but Indians turning innovators and Indians turning inventors. The multi-sectoral exhibition, the biggest ever in the history of India saw participation from over 9,000 Indian companies and 2,000 foreign companies besides the Swedish, Finnish and Nepalese PMs. Lockheed ready to make F-16s in India: US fighter jet maker Lockheed Martin on Thursday said that it is ready to manufacture F-16 aircraft in India and supports the ongoing talks between the two countries to set up the first manufacturing facility, which could be one of the largest projects under the Make in India initiative. We are ready to manufacture F-16 in India and support the Make in India initiative, Phil Shaw, chief executive of Lockheed Martin India told reporters at the Singapore Airshow 2016. But the official did not commit any time-frame to have the plant operational, saying the group supports the ongoing government-to-government talks. Mr Shaw expressed strong interest in having the F-16 made in India soon without elaborating on the time-frame, linking it to the progress of the government-to-government talks. Currently, Lockheed Martin manufactures one jet a month from its plant in the US and has a series of contracts and joint ventures in India with over 1,000 employees. It has supplied six C130J Super Hercules planes to India in 2011 and will be delivering another six helicopters next year. Industry observers said Lockheed Martins wish to manufacture F-16 is based on the strong demand from the Indian armed forces and would want to lower the cost of the planes for exports by using the low-cost capability in India. The making of F-16, which will be among the largest projects under the Make in India initiative, will be conditional to the Indian government making contractual commitment to buy the fighter jets for its armed forces, said the source. IKEA plans to double its India sourcing: Swedish retail major Ikea on Thursday said that it plans to double its sourcing from Indian suppliers over the next five years. The company currently procures materials worth 300 million euros per annum. We source materials like textiles, carpets and plastics among others from about 50 suppliers in India. We want to double our sourcing from India in next five years besides expanding our supplier base, said Patrik Antoni, country communication manager at the Make In India Week. He further added that his company also wanted to tie-up with home appliances manufacturers in India. OK, Texans. It's our turn now. We've watched the presidential nominating battle in Iowa, New Hampshire and, next up, Nevada and South Carolina. Texas and 12 other states follow on Super Tuesday. Enough states are in the South that it's nicknamed the SEC primary, after the Southeastern Conference. Party primary elections are Tuesday, March 1. Early voting lasts through Feb. 26. If you registered at least 30 days before the election, and have the proper photo identification (see list), you can vote at any early voting location in your county. On election day, you have to vote in your home precinct. And don't forget: in addition to helping pick presidential nominees, voters also are nominating local and legislative officials. Most statewide offices governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general are selected in the off-year elections in the even-numbered years between presidential elections. The statewide offices on the 2016 ballots are for six-year terms one Texas Railroad Commission seat, and three justices each for the Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals. In Texas, you register by party every two years by voting in a party primary. Any registered voter, including Independents, can vote in either major party primary but not both. When you vote, your registration certificate will be stamped with that name. If you vote in the Republican primary, you are limited to voting in the Republican primary runoff. You cannot vote in the first Republican primary and then cross over and vote in the Democratic runoff, or vice versa. If you don't vote in either party's initial primary, you are free to vote in either party's runoff. And though we aren't necessarily encouraging this, if you are a Republican horrified by the prospect of having Hillary Clinton as the Democratic Party's presidential nominee, you can vote in that party's primary for Bernie Sanders. Or, if you are a Democrat enamored of Republicans Ted Cruz or Donald Trump, you can vote in the GOP primary for either of them. If you hate them, you can vote for someone else. To vote, you must present one of these photo ID cards: a Texas driver's license, election certificate, identification card or Concealed Handgun License, issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety; a U.S. Military photo ID; a U.S. Citizenship certificate with a photo; or a U.S. passport. For Republicans, the process for selecting party delegates to county, Senate district, state and national conventions begins at precinct conventions held after the polls close March 1. Democrats this year are dropping the precinct conventions, and instead will begin their delegate selection process at county or state senate district conventions. To attend Democratic or Republican precinct conventions, you will show your voting card stamped with the party's primary in which you voted. For information, the state Republican website is www.texasgop.org, and the Democratic website is www.txdemocrats.org. The Libertarian and Green Parties also will be on the ballot in November. They will, however, choose their candidates at party conventions later in the year. The Texas Libertarian website is lptexas.org. The Texas Green Party website is txgreens.org. Cops for Christ ... If Texas Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton said it's OK for police officer in Childress to put 'In God We Trust' decals on patrol cars, surely sheriff cars in Brewster County can put crosses on their cars. Gov. Greg Abbott sent a memo to Paxton endorsing the crosses, saying they 'neither establish a religion nor threaten any person's ability to worship God, or decline to worship God, in his own way.' At least some killjoys didn't like it, including The Freedom From Religion Foundation. Their leaders said it violates the U.S. Constitution's prohibition on establishing a state religion. And, the Texas branch of the American Civil Liberties Union chimed in. Executive Director and former Abilene Reporter-News Editor Terri Burke said putting Christian crosses on public patrol vehicles 'excludes vast swathes of the population who do not share the same religious convictions. 'Blurring the lines between church and state particularly the enforcement arm of the state sends the message that some groups are second-class citizens.' Burke said. On the other hand, if some religion is good, more must be better, right? Creative Texans could make patrol cars look like religious versions of NASCAR's race cars. We also could put the symbols on police uniforms, so officers could compete for showmanship with stock-car drivers advertising Pennzoil and Goodyear and other stuff on their jumpsuits. That 10-4 with you, Jesus? Email Dave McNeely at davemcneely111@gmail.com. WASHINGTON Last I checked, presidents are elected for four years, not three. Which means President Obama should quickly nominate a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia. Then the Senate should play its assigned role. For the Senate to shut down the confirmation process would be bad for the court, bad for the country and, ultimately, bad for Republicans. It would be bad for the court because it would leave a vacancy for more than a year, stretching across two terms and, in any number of important cases, preventing a majority from having a definitive say. (A four-four split affirms the lower court ruling and lacks value as precedent.) It would be bad for the country for similar reasons. Citizens deserve conclusive answers on issues important enough to reach the high court, and divisive enough to split the justices, whether that involves Obama's executive actions on immigration, Texas' restrictive abortion law or the role of public-sector unions. They also deserve a functioning political process. Refusing to go forward would serve to deepen and entrench the existing partisanship and ensuing gridlock. Finally, a Senate work stoppage would, actually, be bad for Republicans. In the capital these days, everything is political, every institution politicized. That may be inevitable and irreparable, yet tables here have a way of turning. One party's obstructionism ends up hurting it down the road. Of course, a president in the final year of his second term, confronting a Senate controlled by the opposite party, is in a different position than one facing a high court vacancy earlier. This reality appropriately shapes and constrains the president's choices about who can win confirmation. Throw in the filibuster, and it is clear how severely limited are Obama's options. Indeed, considering that any nominee must clear a 60-vote threshold, what is the risk Republicans perceive in following the regular order of holding hearings? And as a pure matter of ideological calculation, might not conservatives be better off with what would have to be a consensus Obama nominee than gambling on winning the White House? What if instead they face a justice nominated by newly elected Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, and a Senate controlled by Democrats? At some point, with a lame-duck president and an election looming, confirming a new justice is simply not feasible. But as the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patrick Leahy, tartly noted, 'It is only February.' Running out of time is not a credible claim. Listen to the Republicans, in the Senate or on the campaign trail, arguing for inaction. Their claims proceed from the position of raw power, not constitutional language. Unpack this statement by Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, who will face the first, critical choice, of whether to hold hearings on Obama's nominee. 'Given the huge divide in the country, and the fact that this president, above all others, has made no bones about his goal to use the courts to circumvent Congress and push through his own agenda,' the Iowa Republican said in a statement, 'it only makes sense that we defer to the American people who will elect a new president to select the next Supreme Court Justice.' A divided country elected this president and this Senate. Doesn't it make sense, in Grassley's terms, that we 'defer' to the votes they already cast? As to circumventing Congress and misusing the courts gee, we've seen an awful lot of conservatives turning to the courts to try to circumvent the legislative process. (See, Obamacare.) History offers no refuge for Republicans here. Grassley's argument that it has been 'standard practice' that nominees are not confirmed during an election year conveniently ignores the fact that such vacancies are thankfully rare. There is no standard practice. The presidential candidates have been even more strident. I'll single out Ted Cruz, because he's both a former Supreme Court clerk and a current member of the Judiciary Committee. 'We should not allow a lame-duck president to essentially capture the Supreme Court in the waning months of his presidency,' Cruz told ABC's George Stephanopoulos on Sunday. Capture? Read the Constitution, Senator. The president 'shall nominate.' Not 'shall' unless some unwritten nominate-by date has passed. So much for strict constructionism and conservatives who bleat about their fealty to the constitutional text. The Senate is authorized to advise and consent. It is not entitled to conduct a constitutional sit-down strike. Email Ruth Marcus at ruthmarcus@washpost.com. Nostalgia buffs, we return you to the spring of 2012: Everyone's talking about TV's "Mad Men," Mitt Romney is fending off Rick Santorum in the Republican primaries and a gallon of gasoline costs oof! $4.68. Remember the pain of high gas prices? How long ago it seems. Another Romney challenger, Newt Gingrich, pledged that if elected he'd give Americans $2.50-a-gallon gasoline. People scoffed, but it's a funny thing: Gingrich would have made good on his pledge, and more. The average price of a gallon of gas is about $1.70 nationally and dropping. Obviously, Americans don't have President Gingrich to thank, or President Barack Obama, either. The price of oil, the major component in gasoline, is determined by complex, global forces of supply and demand beyond the direct control of any White House occupant. But the other funny thing about Gingrich's dream is how unsatisfying it turned out to be: Now that we have cheap gas, we should feel a lot better than we do. While every visit to the pump produces a giddy feeling of savings, those extra dollars are not jolting the economy. Growth is anemic, consumers are cautious and markets are in the tank. Maybe you feel it yourself: how filling up the car for $25 instead of $70 represents more a breather from managing other bills than an excuse to splurge. Economists disagree on what percentage of the savings at the pump is being spent rather than saved or used to pay down bills, but no one can dispute that the big picture looks weak and unsettled. Shouldn't all that gas money have pumped up the economy? John Williams, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, acknowledged last month that the Fed "got it wrong" on its assessment of cheap oil's impact. Williams said that when the U.S. imported much of its petroleum, a big drop in oil prices acted like a fat tax cut. Instead of sending money to the Middle East, cash went into the pockets of consumers who could spend it on new refrigerators or dinners out. Then the U.S. went deeper into the energy business, fracking for oil to get the U.S. closer to energy independence. About one-quarter of the petroleum consumed by the United States is imported. Sounds great, but the 70 percent plunge in oil prices since 2014 is killing the energy sector and putting pressure on banks that lent to it. Oil and gas companies are cutting investment, laying off workers and taking a chunk of GDP growth with them. At best, cheap oil now looks to be a wash: Any boost by consumer spending is offset by the energy recession. Oil prices have tumbled for a number of reasons, including weakening demand from China and Saudi determination to keep pumping out supply, low prices or not. The U.S. economy is being affected, in part, because it had been feasting on a jobs-producing energy production boom here that has now been tempered. But that boom helped pull us out of the Great Recession when the U.S. economy didn't have many bright spots. And we're still better off being more vulnerable to a world economic slowdown and less vulnerable to unpredictable conflict in the oil-producing Middle East. It's smart to be less dependent on foreign oil. That was Gingrich's dream, and that's what happened under the Obama administration. But in a global economy, opposing forces in trade and business can balance each other in broad, unexpected ways. As Michael Levi, an energy expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, told us: "The rise in U.S. oil production didn't eliminate the U.S. relationship with the rest of the world. It changed it." And that's OK. Even if cheap gas does no more than cushion against the energy recession, consider that a positive function of the globalized economy, acting as a hedge by balancing out wins and losses. In this case, the longer gas stays cheap, the more comfortable Americans will feel spending that savings. But oil prices won't stay low forever. As they rise, U.S. energy companies will benefit, more people will go to work. Bottom line: The more ways the U.S. taps into the global economy, the more ways it produces for the world, the better. Chicago Tribune Advertisement - Continue Reading Below This just in... Some notable civil rights activists known to be a thorn in side of the Peoples Republic of China blamed Beijings influence for visa troubles that kept them out of Taiwan for an international conference on religious freedom this week. Blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng, World Uyghur Congress President Rebiya Kadeer and Uyghur activist Dolkun Isa were forced to miss the first Asia-Pacific Religious Freedom Forum because they couldnt legally enter Taiwan. Chen Guangcheng, who now lives in the U.S., said he was invited by the forums organizers, but did not get a visa from Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy over which authoritarian Beijing claims sovereignty. "If we don't put the universal value of human rights in the right position, but continue to ignore it, we will spoil the dictators so they will not abide the law," he told RFAs Cantonese service. Rebiya Kadeer told RFA's Uyghur Service that she believed she was excluded as a result of pressure from Beijing, which wants to keep the Taiwanese in the dark about the treatment of her people. "China did not want its severe human rights religious abuses against people of East Turkestan, and the reality of how they are suppressing the Uyghur people for all kinds of reasons, to be publicized in Taiwan, so they pushed Taiwanese government not to give us a visa," she said. Kadeer currently lives in the U.S. "It would have been a great opportunity for me to meet Taiwanese people, and the Asia-Pacific Religious Freedom Forum would have been a great stage for me to show the reality of Uyghurs right at the moment, such as how Uyghurs are migrating to other countries because of the religious repression against them," she added, using the Uyghurs' preferred name for their region, which China calls Xinjiang. In a statement to the forum, World Uyghur Congress Executive Secretary Dolkun Isa said he was disheartened when I learned that my inability to take part in the forum was likely because of pressure from the Chinese government on the Taiwanese. The forum is jointly hosted by several groups in the U.S. and Taiwan and is chaired by former Republic of China Vice President Annette Lu. The ROC is Taiwans official name. I believe that any discussion taking place around religious freedom must focus some attention on the treatment of Muslims in China, Uyghurs living in East Turkestan in particular, as the issue is too often overlooked, Isa said. While the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) decisively defeated the pro-China Kuomintang (KMT) in January, the DPP wont assume power until May 20. Rebiya Kadeer, president of the World Uyghur Congress, gives a speech in Tokyo, June 20, 2013. AFP KMT vs. DPP When Isa visited Taiwan 10 years ago to take part in an event held by the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), a Washington, D.C.-based group that advocates for the protection and promotion of the human and cultural rights of indigenous people and minorities, he said he encountered no obstacles. The DPP was in power at the time. The Uyghurs are a mostly Muslim, Turkic-speaking minority group that lives in northwestern Chinas Xinjiang region where it has complained about pervasive ethnic discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression by Beijing. In 2009, after the KMT regained control, the WUC said false reports circulated that Isa had entered Taiwan with 11 other Uyghurs ahead of the World Games, which took place in Kaohsiung in July that year, and would pose a security threat. In response, Taiwan issued a ban on Isas travel to the country, it said. Chen gained international recognition for organizing a landmark class-action lawsuit against authorities in China for excessive enforcement of the one-child policy. For the lawsuit, Chen was detained whether in prison or under house arrest until he fled in 2012 to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and eventually to the United States. But his activism started earlier as Chen, who has been blind since childhood, first gained recognition as an advocate for the disabled and the poor. Chen has also visited Taiwan before. In 2013 he address Taiwans parliament where he was warmly greeted by more than 500 people who packed the parliamentary auditorium. Reported by RFA's Cantonese and Uyghur services. Written in English by Brooks Boliek. Authorities in the northern Chinese province of Hebei have charged a local rights activist with "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble" after he held a placard up on a street in his hometown in support of the 2014 pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. Pei Guodong, 61, has been force-fed intravenously since beginning a hunger strike in protest at his formal arrest and charging by state prosecutors in Hebei province's Weichang Manchu and Mongol autonomous county on Nov. 21, his lawyer told RFA on Thursday. "He has been on hunger strike for more than three months now," his lawyer Li Weida said. "He is taken to the hospital for intravenous feeding on a daily basis now, where he is force-fed via a tube in his nose." "When I visited him, he told me that his whole body feels extremely weak." Li said Pei also suffers from heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes, all of which are made worse by his hunger strike. "This is seriously damaging his health," Li said. Pei is on hunger strike in protest over what he describes as a "miscarriage of justice," his relatives have said. According to the official indictment against Pei, he took a photo of himself holding a banner on Oct. 1, 2014, shortly after the start of the Occupy Central pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, which read: "Unequivocal support for the people of Hong Kong in their fight for democracy and universal suffrage." Pei had then sent the photo to the Weiquanwang rights website, "causing serious disruption to public order," the indictment said. Petitioning activities The indictment also mentioned Pei's long-term petitioning activities during the 1990s. "There is ample evidence to show that the material facts of Pei Guodong's crimes are clear, and that his actions have harmed public order," the indictment said. Li said officials had ignored a request for bail at a pretrial meeting earlier this month. "So far we have had no reply, and the trial date hasn't been set yet," he said, adding that Pei denies all of the charges laid against him. "He believes that none of his actions constituted a crime, and that he was merely carrying out normal activities as a citizen," Li said. "The indictment accuses him of support for the Occupy Central movement in Hong Kong, but also of bad-mouthing officials at the police department and the county government, and disrupting public order, as well as petitioning in 'non-petitioning areas,'" he said. "But these actions of Pei Guodong fall within the rights of a citizen as guaranteed in the constitution," he said. Pei's son Du Yanwei told RFA that his family is very worried about him. "The main thing is that he's on hunger strike, and the court has refused us permission to visit him," Du said. "The family is very worried, because we have no other way to deal with this than via a lawyer." He said Pei is no stranger to mistreatment at the hands of the government. "The police in the local police station beat him up and really hurt him, as well as my cousin, who was only 13," Du said. "[Pei's] leg was crippled after he had surgery in 1999, and he started petitioning in 2000, starting at the county government." "They wouldn't do anything, so he has been petitioning for 17 years now." Subject to persecution Sichuan-based rights activist Huang Qi said the ruling Chinese Communist Party has cracked down harshly on anyone voicing support for the pro-democracy movement, which camped out in Hong Kong's main thoroughfares for 79 days in a bid for fully democratic elections. "In mainland China, anyone who supports the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong will be subject to persecution by the authorities," Huang said. "A lot of people have already gone to prison for that, and I think that this crackdown on Occupy Central supporters will continue," he said. Beijing characterized the 2014 Occupy Central movement, during which student-led protesters camped out en masse on Hong Kong's streets in a campaign for fully democratic elections, as influenced by "hostile overseas forces." Last December, a court in the southern province of Guangdong handed down an 18-month jail term to an activist who showed online support for Occupy Central. Ye Xiaozheng, known online by his nickname Humian Yizhou ("a boat on the lake"), was sentenced by the Huicheng District People's Court in Guangdong's Huizhou city for "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble." The Occupy movement campaigned for Beijing to withdraw its electoral reform plan, which it says was "fake universal suffrage," and to allow publicly nominated candidates to run for chief executive in 2017. The controversial election reform plan, which offered a one-person, one-vote in 2017 elections for chief executive, but required candidates to be vetted by Beijing, was voted down on June 18, 2015 by 28 votes to eight in Hong Kong's Legislative Council, leaving the city with its current voting arrangements still in place. Reported by Xin Lin for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie. A Myanmar worker stands amid piles of logs at a holding area along the Yangon River in Yangon, July 23, 2015. Kachin state government authorities in northern Myanmar seized more than 20,000 metric tons (22,046 U.S. tons) of illegal timber near the countrys border with China over the last five years, a high-ranking forestry official said Thursday. Aung Naing, Kachin state minister of forestry and mines, told RFAs Myanmar Service that authorities confiscated nearly 10,600 metric tons (11,685 U.S. tons) of teak and other illegally harvested wood in 2014-2015 alone, the greatest amount seized during the five-year period. Authorities confiscated most of the timber in Mansi township near Bhamo district, an area rife with illegal logging activities, although last years major seizure occurred in the Mawein and Lawsar areas near Chibwe township in Myitkyina district, where authorities arrested illegal Chinese workers and seized heavy machinery, he said. Other arrests were made in the Kha-yar, Weigyi and Sinbo areas. In some cases, the timber had been transported from Sagaing region and Shan state and was on its way to China from the Mansi area where the government has no control, Aung Naing said. Besides illegal logs, authorities also confiscated illegal narcotics and vehicles and detained 150 illegal Chinese nationals last year in Waingmaw township of Myitkyina district, he said. Smugglers took advantage of the instability in the region, he said. But whenever there is stability, our departmental officials and the police are able to patrol the area and stop their operations. Clashes between government troops and Kachin rebels during the past few years have brought instability to the area, and displaced thousands of civilians, forcing some across the border into China. Aung Naing said he had issued instructions for government employees not to get involved in any illegal operations with huge trucks transporting contraband items, including logs and other forest products, from Kachin state to China. Timber exports banned Myanmar banned timber exports in 2014, but observers contend that Chinese loggers often make deals with local warlords, and in some cases local Myanmar army officers, to ship logs across the border into southern Chinas Yunnan province. By law, all timber from Myanmar must be transported to the port in the commercial capital Yangon and exported from there. In January 2015, Myanmar army officers raided an illegal logging operation in a remote region of Kachin state, arresting 155 Chinese nationals. Six months later, the Myitkyina district court sentenced 153 of them to life in prison for illegal logging and handed down 10-year sentences to two Chinese minors for the same offense. But in the end, Myanmar officials pardoned and deported them. A Sept. 2015 report by the London-based group Environmental Investigation Agency said traders and officials from both countries work together to illegally transport teak and rosewood to feed Chinas huge demand for luxury wood, which is used for furniture and flooring. The report noted the lack of enforcement by the Myanmar government while China failed to respect the sovereignty law of its neighbor. Reported by Kyaw Myo Min for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Neerja, a flight attendant on board a Pan Am Mumbai-New York flight, who was shot dead by terrorists during the hijacking in 1986 while trying to save the lives of Passengers. Mumbai: Actress Sonam Kapoor is "disheartened" that her upcoming true-life inspired drama "Neerja" will not release in Pakistan. The movie, slated to release in India tomorrow, has been banned by Pakistan for allegedly showing the country in bad light, a fact denied by the actress, who portrays slain flight attendant Neerja Bhanot in the film. "Extremely disheartened that Neerja isn't releasing this Friday in Pakistan. She was awarded by them & I hope they will salute her again," Sonam tweeted. "She saved Pakistani lives, and I can guarantee that Pakistan hasn't been shown in a poor light, I really hope and pray Neerja releases When Neerja releases worldwide and people see how fair the film is, I'm hopeful that it will result in a solution to a release in Pakistan," the actress said. Neerja, a flight attendant on board a Pan Am Mumbai-New York flight, who was shot dead by terrorists during the hijacking in 1986 while trying to save the lives of Passengers. Leaders from an alliance of seven of Myanmars armed ethnic groups that did not sign a peace accord with the government last year held an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss their strategy for dealing with the incoming government and current clashes in Shan state. The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) is holding a three-day meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand, to discuss peace negotiations with the new National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government, which officially comes to power on Apr. 1. The UNFC did not sign the governments nationwide peace agreement (NCA) last October because it objected to the exclusion of all armed ethnic groups and disagreed with the political dialogue framework drafted by the signatories. UNFC representatives also are discussing how to foster an all-inclusive peace process and end the recent military clashes between the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S) and ethnic Palaung/Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in northern Myanmars Shan state. The TNLA is a member of the UNFC. Some ethnic groups have signed a cease-fire agreement [with the government] and are already beginning political talks, Nai Hong Sar, the UNFCs vice chairman, told RFAs Myanmar Service. At the same time, theres been fighting between Palaung troops and the RCSS, so we need to sit down together and draw up some appropriate plans that would suit the situation on the ground. The RCSS, the political organization that oversees the SSA-S, signed the NCA between the government and eight of the countrys armed ethnic groups last October. The TNLA, however, was excluded. A month later, Myanmars army teamed up with the RCSS, and launched an offensive against the holdout rebel TNLA army in Shan states Namhkam township. The most recent hostilities between the two groups have forced 3,000 villagers in the area to flee their homes. Participants at the UNFC meeting are discussing an agenda for future political dialogue, matters related to a constitution for a federal union which the armed ethnic groups are calling for, and a ceasefire between RCSS/SSA-S and TNLA, Nai Hong Sar said. Lieutenant General Nban La, UNFC chairman and vice chairman of the Kachin Independence Oganization (KIO) stressed the importance of discussing such issues. If we make mistakes, these would hugely affect our people and our country, he told RFA. So we must always keep that in mind and minimize our mistakes as much as possible. Otherwise, these talks will not lead us to the goals we want, but to more suffering. We already have suffered a lot. Meeting participants also are mulling whether the UNCF should accept the Rakhine National Organization and Arakan Army as members. Reported by Aung Moe Myint for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. The UN war crimes court in The Hague will hand down on March 24 its long-awaited verdicts on wartime Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic. The presiding judge in the case at the UN's International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) made the announcement on February 18. Karadzic, who is accused of masterminding Serbian atrocities throughout Bosnia's 1992-95 war, faces 11 charges including genocide, murder, and rape. He has always denied he was responsible for crimes during the war that left some 100,000 people dead. Prosecutors said Karadzic should be sentenced to life imprisonment if he is convicted. Closing arguments in the trial concluded in October 2014. Based on reporting by AFP and AP BRUSSELS -- EU leaders are expected to strike a deal in the next two days to clear the way for British Prime Minister David Cameron to call a U.K. referendum as early as June on continuing membership in the European Union, according to diplomats closely following the negotiations. The February 18-19 summit in Brussels is the culmination of weeks of negotiations on reforms contained in a proposal submitted this month by European Council President Donald Tusk to avoid the potentially catastrophic departure of a key EU member in what's been dubbed a "Brexit." Cameron has countered Euroskeptics at home by pushing to keep Britain in the bloc if it can guarantee reforms that include increased power for individual members. EU officials told RFE/RL that significant progress had been made in the last few days and weeks toward a compromise acceptable to all 28 EU member states. But they acknowledged that the details would still need to be agreed among attendees in a session that could extend into the early hours of February 19. The agenda for the bloc's heads of state and other officials also includes discussion of the ongoing migrant crisis, although no specific decisions are likely to emerge on how to cope with Europe's largest wave of refugees since World War II. British critics have objected to a range of EU policies and quotas, but officials have particularly emphasized areas like bureaucracy, competitiveness, economic governance, and social payments and remittances. U.K. challenges to the European Union's commitment to the free movement of people are likely to prove especially contentious, with policies coming under enormous strain as Syrian refugees and other migrants pour into Europe on an unprecedented scale. Sticking Points The specter of possible exceptions for individual members has sometimes dogged the reform talks. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel lent force to British concerns on February 17 by telling lawmakers that "these are not just about Britain's individual interests on some issues or questions; rather, it's about several points that are justified and understandable," according to AFP. The most serious dispute, on benefits payments to foreign workers, pits London against a number of relatively recent EU entrants from postcommunist Central and Eastern Europe. Cameron has been keen to stem the flow to Britain of labor migrants and Tusk has suggested an emergency brake on benefits for EU workers in the United Kingdom. Some eastern members agree in principle to such a mechanism but disagree on details, including its duration. Tusk's original proposal also envisaged the benefits exception as available to all EU member states seeing a large influx of labor migrants from other EU countries, but a compromise could see that field narrowed to three countries -- Ireland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom -- who opened their labor markets to citizens of new eastern members when the latter joined 12 years ago. Another dispute concerns the possible indexing of child benefits for U.K. workers from elsewhere in the bloc. France has also signaled its unhappy with another British request that could allow countries that don't use the euro -- such as Britain -- greater access to decision-making in the powerful Eurogroup, comprising eurozone finance ministers. 'Taking Stock' Of Migrants On the current migrant crisis that threatens to rebuild borders swept away under the Schengen agreement, diplomatic sources told RFE/RL that EU leaders at the summit will merely "take stock of the [migrant] situation without taking any decisions." The prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia met in Prague on February 15 to discuss "an alternative plan" to stem the flow of migrants to Europe by bolstering Macedonia's and Bulgaria's borders with Greece -- a move that some observers see as just the latest threat to EU unity on a fraught issue. Earlier this month, the EU gave member Greece three months to fix its border problems or risk suspension from the "borderless" Schengen zone. Greece's neighbor, Turkey, is hosting millions of migrants who have fled fighting in Syria during the five-year war devastating that country. If there is a deal in Brussels, Cameron is likely to call a referendum in the United Kingdom -- which hasn't had a direct vote on a major EU issue in more than 40 years -- that could be difficult to predict. The European Union and the euro were buffeted by a sovereign-debt crisis in Greece that finally abated after public-spending and other reform commitments salvaged a massive bailout deal in 2015, but only after considerable brinksmanship and talk of a possible "Grexit." TEL AVIV, Israel -- When Avraham Meker moved from his native Georgia to Israel in 1974, he had a transformative experience while getting a glass of water at a kibbutz dining hall. "I saw four taps," recalls Meker, who grew up in Georgia's second city of Kutaisi. "I opened one and water came out. A second was milk. A third was soda water, and a fourth was hot water. I didn't even finish my food. I looked for a phone and called my mother and said, 'Mom, we have reached the land of milk and honey.'" Forty years after the Jews of Georgia began their wholesale immigration to Israel, the tables have turned. Veteran Israelis now seek out Georgian cheese-filled bread, steaming meat dumplings, and herb-laced stews, including at a newly opened 150-seat temple to the cuisine on swish Rothschild Boulevard in central Tel Aviv. It is one of more than a dozen Georgian restaurants operating nationwide, serving Israelis and about 140,000 Georgian emigres, according to Meker. In their mutual appreciation for eggplant, meat, and spice, Israel and Georgia have found a bond strengthened by inexpensive travel to the former Soviet republic, a large community of Russian-speaking immigrants in Israel, and the buzz of Tel Avivs celebrity chefs. On a recent Monday afternoon, Dalia Heilpern, 55, rolled khinkali, the Georgian meat dumpling, in the spacious kitchen of the newly opened Supra restaurant. Heilpern's family traces its roots to Iraq, but Georgian cuisine found her while she ran an Israeli restaurant in Vienna with fellow Israeli business partner Yoram Sabi. Located in a neighborhood peppered with Georgian emigres, the restaurant filled with regulars who begged Heilpern to prepare their national specialties. "I said, 'I'm sorry. I know what is hummus. I know what is falafel. I don't know this food you are speaking about,'" Heilpern recalls. "They said, 'I will bring my grandmother and she will [teach] you how to do it.'" WATCH: Cooking Khinkali: Georgian Meat Dumplings Heilpern's growing expertise led her and Sabi to launch a catering business together that served Georgian food worldwide, including in Belgium, the United States, Russia, and France. Still, in Israel, the cuisine that had become her specialty remained anonymous. "When I was coming to Israel to visit, nobody knew Georgian food," she says. "Maybe in [the port city] Ashdod some woman would make [it] at home, but there was no restaurants." In 1998, they moved their company to Israel. These days, Heilpern says, "in every place there's a Georgian kitchen," a development that gave her and Sabi the confidence to open Supra, the Georgian term for a feast that can last for hours or for days. The menu is mostly Georgian classics, with a nod to Middle Eastern street food. For example, at Supra, the common sandwich in a pita known as a shawarma -- usually meat and vegetables drizzled with tahini sesame paste -- is grilled chicken thighs and lamb topped with eggplant and ground walnuts. Supras third co-owner, Mickey Mirel, said serving walnuts reminds him of his Georgian grandmother, who spent hours a week crushing the nuts in their home city of Ramle, outside Tel Aviv. "As a boy, people laughed at me for being Georgian," Mirel says. "Being Georgian was not seen as being sexy. But now they understand the Georgian culture is full of culture, full of joy, full of passion." Mirel has been part of the transformation. For seven years, his stage persona -- Tash Tash -- was the house entertainer at Nanuchka, a hedonistic, 20-year-old Georgian institution in south Tel Aviv. Among his hits is a Hebrew song called I Also Want To Be A Georgian. The music video features a pale, bespectacled Israeli man in an argyle sweater who receives a Georgian makeover. Gone are the glasses, the sweater is replaced with a tight black button-down, and the man guzzles liquor straight from the bottle at a dance party: WATCH: I Also Want To Be A Georgian -- Mickey Mirel Mirel said he thought about opening his own restaurant after Nanuchkas owner, Nana Shrier, was swept up in the vegan wave washing over Tel Aviv. In 2014, she banished meat, eggs, and cheese from the menu. The joyous atmosphere and drunk clientele tottering on the bar have remained. But Mirel said his fans begged him to open his own restaurant where they could chew on shashlik, or grilled meat, while listening to his music. In addition to Supra and Nanuchka, this month a third Georgian restaurant is slated to open in central Tel Aviv. Proprietor Lily Ben Shalom shot to national prominence in 2014 as a contestant on the reality TV cooking show Game Of Chefs, where she wowed the judges with the sour plum sauce tkemali. Ben Shaloms TV appearance coincided with a highly televised visit by Israeli celebrity chefs to Georgia, on a junket sponsored by Tbilisi. Eyal Shani, known in Israel as the man who invented whole roasted cauliflower, waxed poetic about Georgia's raw and rustic cuisine, where most people make their own wine. Fellow judge Michal Ansky has since opened a private tour company that arranges culinary romps to Georgia. Anksys customers are among the some 60,000 Israelis who visit Georgia annually, according to Israel's Tourism Ministry, and the number is growing substantially each year. Georgia has become a popular alternative to Turkey, which drew half a million Israeli visitors a year before relations between Jerusalem and Ankara deteriorated in 2009 over Israels policies in the Gaza Strip. Israel and Georgia have a visa-free travel agreement. In January, El Al became the third Israeli airline to offer direct 2.5-hour flights between Tel Aviv and Tbilisi, in addition to Georgian Airways. Eka Tsiskarishvili says the spike in Israeli visits to Georgia is bringing new crowds to her 25-year-old restaurant, tucked into a stone alley in downtown Jerusalem. Tsiskarishvili, 40, grew up in Tbilisi and Moscow and moved to Israel in her 20s. When her father opened Kangaroo, she said, most of the customers were immigrants from Russia who were raised on summer trips to Georgia and on Georgian wine, favored by the Kremlin. The veteran Israeli clients were disoriented. "My dad would tell me it was hard to explain where Georgia was," Tsiskarishvili explains. "He had to explain via Armenia because there are lots of Armenians in Jerusalem's Old City, and Armenia is also in the Caucasus. But about Georgia, people knew nothing. In contrast to the changes under way in Tel Aviv, the menu at Kangaroo focuses on classics: flavorful stews served in ceramic pots, expertly rolled fluffy breads and dumplings, all eaten in an airy room lined with Georgian tapestries and knickknacks. But innovation has made it to the wine list, which includes imported Georgian Saperavi red wine along with bottles from the 6-year-old Israeli Kadma winery. Tbilisi-born owner Lina Slutzkin spent two decades in high tech before she studied winemaking. She imported 20 handmade clay casks from Georgia, which she uses to ferment red grapes in a modified homage to Georgia's 8,000-year-old wine tradition. In Georgia, the qvevri, or casks, are buried underground; in Israel, Slutzkin keeps them upright to better monitor their temperature. Meker, who maintains a list of a dozen restaurants operating in Israel, says it is a golden moment for the cuisine of his ancestors. When he first arrived in Israel, Meker said he visited a Georgian restaurant where he ate a khachapuri cheese bread so repellent he could not finish it. Now, the taste has improved. Still, he says that the realities of life in Israel, with its high cost of living, can add a sour note. "I prefer the Georgian food in Georgia because it costs a third less," Meker says. Heilpern, of Supra, welcomes the new class of Georgian restaurants. Theres enough water in the sea for everyone, she says. Try making your own Khinkali (Georgian dumplings) with this recipe: An EU court has ruled that the bloc had unfairly frozen the assets of an Iranian bank for six years, dismissing an appeal brought by the European Council. The European Court of Justice said on February 18 that Bank Mellat's funds should not have been frozen between July 2010 and January 2016. The court said it rejected the logic tying the bank to Iran's nuclear and missile programs. The European Council froze the funds of a number of Iranian financial entities from 2010 to combat Iranian activities that could have led to it developing nuclear weapons. In 2013, the EU General Court annulled the measures concerning Bank Mellat, prompting an appeal to the European Court of Justice. Bank Mellat's lawyers have said the ruling would have major implications for legal action it could take over losses and damage to its reputation. The EU lifted economic sanctions against Iran last month as part of an international agreement over Tehran's nuclear program. Based on reporting by AP and Reuters Iranian banks are starting to get reconnected to the international payments system known as SWIFT, allowing the resumption of cross-border transfers for the first time in four years. The move follows the lifting of economic sanctions last month under the landmark nuclear deal with world powers, which enabled Iran's Central Bank and 15 other banks to restore access to SWIFT starting on February 13, banking officials said on February 17. The banks' inability to make foreign transfers had become a political issue recently, with conservative critics complaining that the nuclear deal championed by President Hassan Rohani was not delivering promised benefits. Reuters reported that the lack of bank access due to sanctions imposed in 2012 had been slowing the resumption of oil shipments to Europe. Officials did not name the banks reconnected to SWIFT, but Iranian media said they included Bank Melli, Iran's largest bank. Onur Ozan, a manager at Belgium-based SWIFT, said the network was still working on reconnecting other Iranian applicants. Iranian banks linked to the Revolutionary Guards remain under U.S. sanctions and U.S. banks are still prohibited from doing business with Iran. Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP An Iraqi court has sentenced 40 men to death for their role in the 2014 massacre of hundreds of army recruits by the Islamic State (IS) group. A spokesman for Iraq's judiciary, Abdel Sattar Bayraqdar, said on February 18 that the Central Criminal Court in Baghdad handed down the sentences in accordance with the country's antiterrorism law. Bayraqdar said the court acquitted seven other defendants in the case for lack of evidence. He did not provide other details, and it wasn't immediately clear whether the verdicts could be appealed. In a similar trial in July 2015, 24 men were sentenced to hang over the massacre committed during the first days of the IS's group's lightning offensive in Iraq in June 2014. The militants said at the time that it had executed 1,700 soldiers who had fled Camp Speicher, a base near the city of Tikrit, but Human Rights Watch estimated that 770 soldiers had been killed. Based on reporting by AFP and dpa Iraq has informed an international watchdog agency of the theft last November of an industrial radiography device that carries potentially fatal radioactive substances. Iraqi officials told Reuters that they fear the "highly dangerous" radioactive materials in the device could be used as a dirty bomb or other weapon if acquired by the Islamic State (IS) group, which occupies parts of Iraq. The International Atomic Energy Agency said on February 17 that Iraq reported the stolen material in November, but had not requested assistance in recovering it. Reuters reported that the device, used in oil and gas development, was stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer that disappeared from a storage facility near the southern city of Basra. While the device belonged to U.S. oil-field-services company Weatherford, the firm said it was not responsible for the theft because it did not "own, operate or control" the bunker where the device was stored. Iraqi police and intelligence forces are working "day and night" to locate the material, Reuters said. The U.S. State Department said it was aware of the theft but had seen no sign that IS or other militant groups have acquired it. Based on reporting by AP and Reuters The government of Iraq's Kurdish region has challenged Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi to deliver on an offer to pay 400,000 public workers' salaries. Abadi said on state television this week that he was prepared to cover the Kurdistan regional government's payroll as long as it stopped exporting oil independently. While taking up the offer on February 17, Kurdish officials questioned whether Baghdad is serious. The Kurdish government has been hit by plummeting oil revenues and has been unable to pay its workers' salaries on time, but officials point out that Baghdad's budget has also been ravished by falling oil revenues, and it too may have trouble making the payments. By one estimate, Baghdad is not making enough from oil exports to cover its own employees' salaries. The Kurdish region needs 890 billion Iraqi dinars ($760 million) a month to pay salaries. Baghdad and Irbil have been at odds for years over sharing oil revenue. Baghdad's move is aimed at stopping the Kurds' recent decision to bypass the central government and export oil through a pipeline to Turkey. Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP ASTANA -- A court in the Kazakh capital, Astana, has sentenced five men to prison for membership in a banned Islamic group. The Sary Arqa district court sentenced on February 18 the leader of the Tablighi Jamaat Islamic group to two years in prison. Khalymbakhi Khalym was found guilty of membership in the group and inciting social discord. Four other defendants were found guilty of taking part in the activities of the banned group, and sentenced to one year in jail each. The men went on trial in January. Tablighi Jamaat is officially banned in Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Islamic groups have been under increased scrutiny from the Kazakh authorities since a suspected Islamist militant carried out the country's first-ever suicide bombing in the northwestern city of Aqtobe in 2011. Mumbai: Varun Dhawan, who displayed his dance streak in his last release ABCD 2 is leaving no stone unturned while taking training under the guidance of action director Allan Amin. Varun is undergoing the training currently in Abu Dhabi, the location where the film is been shot with the entire cast. Well this time not an actor himself, but the action director Allan Amin has injured himself while training on the sets. Varun took to his Twitter account and bows his action director for his strength and dedication. Standing with the champion action director of #dishoom #allanamin.He got 9 stitches but was right back on set. pic.twitter.com/zp591LJvnB Varun Dhawan (@Varun_dvn) February 18, 2016 Besides Varun Dhawan, Dishoom also stars John Abraham, Akshay Khanna, Saqib Saleem, Jacqueline Fernandez and Nargis Fakhri. WASHINGTON -- A U.S. federal judge has thrown out a defamation lawsuit brought by a close business associate of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev's former son-in-law, who was found dead in an Austrian jail cell last year. The lawsuit filed by Devincci Hourani was the latest skirmish in an ongoing family feud tied to Nazarbaev's relatives and allegations of extortion, money laundering, murder, nepotism, and millions of dollars in assets in the Central Asian nation. "This case shows how small the world has become," Judge Rosemary Collyer quipped in her February 18 order dismissing Hourani's lawsuit against Psybersolutions LLC, a U.S.-based political consultancy. Hourani accused the firm of "assassinating his character" with a public relations campaign to connect him to the death of a woman believed to be the mistress of Rakhat Aliev, the ex-husband of Nazarbaev's daughter, Darigha Nazarbaeva. The woman, Anastasya Novikova, died in 2004 after she fell from the upper floor of a Beirut apartment owned by Hourani and his brother. Aliev served as a top tax official, deputy foreign minister, and deputy chief of the main Kazakh security agency. Beginning in 2007, however, after Aliev publicly challenged Nazarbaev's longtime reign, Darigha divorced him and prosecutors opened criminal cases against him. In 2008, a Kazakh court convicted Aliev of plotting to overthrow the government and organizing a criminal group that abducted people. He was found hanged in a Vienna jail in February 2015 after Austrian authorities charged him with the murder of two Kazakh bankers in 2007. Austria investigators ruled his death a suicide. http://www.rferl.org/content/rakhat-aliev-kazakhstan-found-dead-austrian-jail/26865793.html Hourani, a native of Lebanon, was a longtime investor in Kazakhstan in the 1990s and 2000s, with millions in assets in oil, broadcasting, and publishing, among other ventures. His brother, Isaam, was married to Aliev's sister. Hourani has also accused the Kazakh government of expropriating billions of assets from his family's holdings in Kazakhstan. In June 2015, Hourani sued Psybersolutions in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging that the company defamed him by trying to link him to Novikova, Aliev's alleged mistress who fell to her death from the Beirut apartment. But Judge Collyer rejected Hourani's arguments, in part, she said, because Hourani had received prior publicity due to his relationship with Aliev and the controversy surrounding Novikova's death. None of the court documents indicate what Psybersolutions' underlying goal was, or whether the company, which the court said was registered in Wyoming and has an office in Washington, had been paid by another person or company. The lawsuit wasn't the first filed by Hourani in U.S. courts related to Kazakhstan. In a case filed in 2010, Hourani sued a man named Alexander Mirtchev, whom he accused of working on behalf of the Kazakh government to seize control of the Hourani family's assets in Kazakhstan. That case was dismissed in 2013. A voicemail left at the law firm representing Hourani was not immediately returned. Ukraine's state gas company says Mexican prosecutors have ordered a seized ship belonging to a Crimean company to be returned to Ukraine rather than Russia. Naftogaz, the ultimate owner of the ship, published the announcement on its website on February 18. The ship, Titan-2, belongs to Chornomornaftogaz, a Naftogaz subsidiary registered in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula whose forced annexation by Russia in 2014 triggered international condemnation and Western sanctions against Moscow. The vessel had been leased and subleased since 2003, until its latest operator, the Mexican company Oceanografia SA de CV, went bankrupt. Local financial institutions then seized the ship. "This is the first case that another country's authorities have officially recognized the ownership rights of Chornomornaftogaz, which was re-registered in Kyiv after the Russian occupation of Crimea, of its property," the statement reads. Titan-2 is a crane vessel designed to assemble, service, and disassemble floating drilling platforms. The transfer of the ship to Ukraine would give Kyiv the decision on how it should be used going forward. Mexico's prosecutor's office has not publicly commented on the case. In the first 10 months after Russia's takeover of Crimea, the Kremlin-imposed authorities on the peninsula seized more than $1 billion in real estate and other assets from Ukrainian owners, the New York Times has estimated. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague said on January 6 that it would consider a case presented by Ihor Kolomoyskiy, Ukraine's third-richest person, who claims that he lost $15 million after the annexation because he was deprived of the right his company had to operate a passenger terminal at Crimea's Sevastopol International Airport until 2020. As of September 2015, Ukraine estimated its losses from the Crimea annexation to be 1.2 trillion hryvnas ($55.5 billion). In January, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Ukraine would file lawsuits against Russia in international courts over the Kremlin's seizure of the peninsula. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has extended its monitoring mission in Ukraine for another year, until the end of March 2017. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose country currently chairs the OSCE, said the cease-fire in eastern Ukraine is "still fragile" and complained that OSCE monitors still do "not have full access to the entire area of conflict." Nearly 700 monitors from 46 OSCE participating states work day by day to give us objective data on compliance with the cease-fire and on the withdrawal of weapons in eastern Ukraine," Steinmeier said. He called on all sides in the conflict to adhere to the terms of the Minsk peace agreement, "to strictly adhere to the cease-fire" and to give the mission unhindered access to all areas, "without exception." More than 9,000 people have died since the conflict began in April 2014. Based on reporting by AFP and Interfax The owner of Moscows Domodedovo airport, the biggest in Russia, has been detained by law enforcement officers. Dmitry Kamenshchik is facing charges linked with security measures at the airport at the time of a terrorist attack in 2011, according to a spokesman for the Investigative Committee, the state body which conducts criminal investigations. According to the Investigative Committee, Kamenshchik was responsible for introducing a new system for checking people entering the airport. Investigators believe those changes weakened security at the airport. The Investigative Committee brought charges against three other people -- current and former Domodedovo employees -- earlier this month. At a briefing earlier this week, Kamenshchik, showing documents and video footage, dismissed the committee's charges against the three, telling reporters there was "no crime." More than 30 people were killed in a suicide bombing at Domodedovo airport in January 2011 as a bomber blew himself up in the airport's arrival zone. Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP Pakistani officials say at least nine security forces personnel have been killed in two separate attacks in the northwestern Mohmand district. Local officials say two members of the Khasadar force of tribal police died in Darwazgai Yaka Ghund area early on February 18 when militants attacked a security checkpoint. Seven other personnel of the Khasadar force were killed in an attack against a checkpoint in Post Pandiali area. A breakaway faction of Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jamat ul-Ahrar, has taken responsibility for both attacks. Mohmand is one of several districts that make up Pakistan's tribal belt near the Afghan border where the military has been battling Al-Qaeda and Taliban-linked militants for more than a decade. Last month, Taliban gunmen stormed a university in the northwestern town of Charsadda, killing 21 students and teachers. The four attackers were all killed in a shoot-out with police. Two patients and a caretaker have been killed in an attack on a clinic in Afghanistan run by a Swedish charity. The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) accused the Afghan Army of carrying out the raid on the clinic in the central province of Wardak late on February 17. In a statement on February 18, Jorgen Holmstrom, country director of SCA, called the attack a gross violation of humanitarian principles and called for those responsible to be held accountable. "Medical facilities and medical staff are to provide treatment to anyone in need and patients are to be granted safety according to humanitarian law," he said. Provincial government spokesman Hemat, who like many Afghans goes by one name only, said a special forces unit conducted an operation in the Tangi Saidan area of Wardak and killed four insurgents. He said he was unaware of a raid on a hospital, but a provincial official and some local residents said the facility had been hit. Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters The Russian state security service says it has dismantled an "international criminal group" suspected of forging documents for people wanting to fight with the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria and militants coming to Russia. The Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on February 18 that 14 suspected members of the group had been detained in a "multi-stage operation" in the Moscow region. The group is suspected of making documents for citizens of Russia and other former Soviet countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States who travelled to Syria to take part in combat actions, the FSB said in a statement. It added that the members of the group also made fake documents for illegal migrants and militants sent to Russia by the IS group to carry out terrorist and extremism-related crimes." Russian authorities estimate that some 3,000 Russian citizens have joined IS in Syria. Based on reporting by AFP, TASS, and Interfax Russia has been sending in thousands of recently mobilized troops to reinforce the defense of the southern region of Kherson, where Kyiv's forces have been making major advances in their offensive to retake territory occupied by Moscow, the Ukrainian military said, as fresh Russian strikes on civilian targets were reported on October 21. "Up to 2,000 mobilized Russians arrived in the temporarily captured Kherson region to replenish losses and strengthen units on the contact line," the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement on October 21. Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, Russian protests, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. "At the same time, the occupation authorities issued an order to prepare for the evacuation of the so-called banking institutions and Russian medical workers and teachers," the statement said. Ukraine is trying to drive Russian forces in Kherson back east across the Dnieper River that bisects the country. Russian soldiers on the western bank, where the city of Kherson is located, are reportedly close to being cut off from supply lines and reinforcements. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office said on October 20 that Ukrainian forces mounted 15 attacks on Russian military strongholds in the Kherson region in what appears to be the start of a major push to liberate the region and the strategic city of Kherson. Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said the Kremlin's forces repelled Ukrainian attempts to advance with tanks on the Kherson villages of Sukhanove, Nova Kamyanka, and Chervoniy Yar. Neither claim could be independently confirmed. The city of Kherson, with a prewar population of about 284,000, was one of the first urban areas captured by Russia when it invaded Ukraine, and it remains the largest city it holds. The city is an important objective for both sides because of its key industries and a major port on the Dnieper River. Moscow-installed officials have urged residents to evacuate and allow the military to build fortifications. Officials said 15,000 residents of an expected 60,000 had been relocated from the city and surrounding areas as of October 20. Kherson is one of the four partially occupied Ukrainian regions that Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally seized following Kremlin-orchestrated referendums denounced as sham by Ukraine and the West. Putin declared martial law in the Kherson, Luhansk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions on October 19 in an attempt to assert Russian authority in the annexed areas as Moscow faced battlefield setbacks, a troubled troop mobilization, increasing criticism at home and abroad, and international sanctions. In a video address to EU leaders gathered for a summit in Brussels on October 20, Zelenskiy warned that Ukraine suspects Russia has mined the dam and units of the Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant on the Dnieper River in southern Ukraine, and if it were blown up, more than 80 settlements, including Kherson, would be in danger of flooding. Zelenskiy said Ukrainian workers have been thrown out of the facility, leaving Russians in control. He asserted that Russia "has already prepared everything to carry out this terrorist attack." He called for an international observation mission and the return of Ukrainian personnel to ensure the mines are removed from the dam and its units. Zelenskiy's comment came two days after Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-appointed head of the Kherson region of Ukraine, announced an "organized, gradual displacement" of civilians from four towns on the right bank of the Dnieper River to the left side. Saldo accused Ukrainian forces of planning to destroy the dam and also warned of "an immediate danger of flooding." The Moscow-appointed deputy head of the Kherson region, Kirill Stremousov, encouraged people to cross over to the left bank of the Dnieper River and posted a video of a column of buses on Telegram. Kyiv has denounced Moscow's move, calling it a "deportation" of Ukrainian civilians to Russia. Over the past 10 days, Russia has also unleashed a wave of deadly attacks on Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure using artillery, air strikes, and Iranian-made suicide drones that destroyed 40 percent of the country's energy grid and prompted Kyiv to introduce rolling electricity restrictions for the first time since the start of the Russian invasion eight months ago. WATCH: Ukrainian forces first got their hands on FH70 155-millimeter howitzers courtesy of Italy in May and received training in Estonia. RFE/RL journalists met with a frontline FH70 crew and watched them in action against Russian forces. Early on October 21, a series of blasts rocked the Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhya, authorities said. Missiles hit an industrial facility in Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. Separately, Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Sinegubov said five people had been wounded. No further details were immediately available about the Zaporizhzhua blasts. Zelenskiy told EU leaders that the Russian attacks against civilians and infrastructure are aimed in part at provoking a new wave of migration of Ukrainians to EU countries. "Russian terror against our energy facilities is aimed at creating as many problems as possible with electricity and heat for Ukraine this fall and winter and for as many Ukrainians as possible to go to your countries," he said. This should be "answered immediately," primarily by more air-defense systems sent to Ukraine, the president said, speaking by video conference from Kyiv. "We must do everything possible to make it completely impossible for Russia to destroy our energy system with missiles and drones," Zelenskiy said in the virtual speech, calling on Ukraine's partners to provide systems "to create a truly reliable air shield." With reporting by Reuters, AFP, dpa, and BBC NORAK, Tajikistan -- Thirteen residents of the Tajik city of Norak have been jailed for raising the Islamic State (IS) group's flag in a public place. Interior Ministry officials told RFE/RL on February 18 that a court in Norak found the 13 men guilty of publicly calling for extremist activities to overthrow the government and organizing a criminal group. The men were sentenced to prison terms between 10 and 27 years. The youngest in the group is 21, the oldest 74. The convicted were arrested in August after they raised a black flag looking similar to the one known as the IS flag in downtown Norak. In August, seven men raised a similar flag in Tajikistan's southwestern Shahrtuz district. They were sentenced in December to prison terms between seven and 27 years. Tajik authorities say some 500 Tajik nationals are fighting alongside IS militants in Syria and Iraq. Turkey says its warplanes have bombed Kurdish positions across the border in northern Iraq, following a deadly bomb attack in the Turkish capital. The military said the jets struck the Haftanin area late on February 17, targeting a group of 60-70 rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Earlier, a vehicle full of explosives was detonated in Ankara as military buses were passing by, killing 28 people. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said nine people were arrested in connection with the attack, which he said was carried out by the armed wing of the Syrian Kurdish PYD party in cooperation with PKK militants in Turkey. A PKK official and the PYD head denied the allegations. Also on February 18, security sources said a bomb killed at least six Turkish security force members travelling in a vehicle in the country's mainly Kurdish southeast. Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP Dhanush will begin shooting for this project in the first week of March. After months of speculations, Dhanush has officially announced his next film with Gautham Menon. The actor, who is currently shooting for 'Kodi', took to his social media to put rumours to rest and make an official announcement. According to reports, the script was written keeping actor Suriya in mind. However, as the actor refused to be a part of it, Dhanush was approached for the same. The movie is said to be an action film and is likely to be completed in two months straight. Read: Dhanush to make his Hollywood debut in a film opposite Uma Thurman Dhanush will begin shooting for this project in the first week of March. He will complete the film before he heads to Paris for the shooting of Marjane Satrapi's film 'The Fakir'. Kyiv says it is "fully ready to decisively defend its interests" against a lawsuit brought by Russia. The Finance Ministry issued the statement on February 18, after Russia announced it had filed a lawsuit against Ukraine in the High Court in London after the government in Kyiv defaulted on $3 billion in bonds. Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on February 17 that the case will seek to recover the principal in full, $75 million of unpaid interest, and legal fees. The Eurobond was issued by the government of former President Viktor Yanukovych in late 2013 and bought by Russia in its entirety. Russia declined to take part in a $15 billion restructuring that Ukraine negotiated with its other Eurobond holders last year. Moscow wants to be treated as a sovereign debtor and has demanded better treatment than private creditors. Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters WASHINGTON -- VimpelCom, the Dutch-headquartered telecom that operates one of Russias largest mobile communications providers, says it has agreed to pay $795 million to resolve U.S. and Dutch investigations into a bribery scheme in Uzbekistan. The U.S. Justice Department said in an announcement on February 18 that VimpelCom had admitted bribing officials in Uzbekistan to gain licenses.The Amsterdam-based company confirmed the settlement deals in a statement. It was the most significant development to date in the spiraling multinational investigation into alleged bribery and other illegal payments by several major telecoms looking to invest in the Central Asian nation. VimpelCom CEO Jean-Yves Charlier said in a statement that the "wrongdoingwhich we deeply regret, is unacceptable." The Justice Department said VimpelCom had admitted to a conspiracy to pay more than $114 million between 2006 and 2012 to an Uzbek official in order to enter the Uzbek market, one of the largest in the region. That official is identified only as "an Uzbek government official, who was a close relative of a high-ranking government official and had influence over the Uzbek governmental body that regulated the telecom industry." Previous court records, legal documents, and other media accounts point to that official as Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of authoritarian Uzbek President Islam Karimov. VimpelCom "built their business in Uzbekistan on over $114 million in bribes funneled to a government official," Preet Bharara, the U.S. District Attorney for the District of New York, said in a statement. "Those payments, falsely recorded in the companys books and records, were then laundered through bank accounts and assets around the world, including through accounts in New York." As part of the settlements, the Justice Department said, VimpelCom, agreed to pay a $230 million criminal penalty to both U.S. and Dutch authorities, as well as a $375 million penalty to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The deal was announced as the Justice Department filed a civil complaint seeking the forfeiture of $550 million in Swiss bank accounts tied to corrupt payments that VimpelCom and two other companies made to the Uzbek official. The corruption allegations date back several years, though it wasnt until early 2014 when VimpelCom and two other companies -- MTS and Scandinavian giant TeliaSonera -- announced they were under investigation for possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. U.S. authorities have aggressively used the 39-year-old statute to investigate corruption around the world, such as last years probe of world soccers governing body, FIFA. Other Legal Troubles U.S. authorities have also used a related program called the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, to seize U.S.-based assets from individuals and entities who have laundered funds or received ill-gotten money. The Justice Department said the VimpelCom case was the largest ever under the six-year-old program. VimpelCom is controlled, through a series of intermediary companies, by Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman. The company, which is traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange, last year hinted at looming criminal liability, saying it was putting aside nearly $1 billion to deal with potential liabilities. MTS is Russias largest mobile phone operator, controlled by Russian conglomerate Sistema, whose majority shareholder is billionaire Vladimir Yevtushenkov. In addition to legal action in the United States and the Netherlands, VimpelCom has faced legal troubles in Norway related to its Central Asian projects. VimpelCom's minority shareholder is Telenor ASA, which is majority-owned by the Norwegian government. Telenors links with VimpelCom and questions of whether government-owned shares were tainted by illegal payments sparked sharp political debates in Oslo last year. Vimpelcom's former chief executive officer was detained last year by Norwegian police. The government also forced the resignation of Telenors chairman in October. The other company facing potential U.S. liability is TeliaSonera, a Swedish-Finnish communications giant. Swedish authorities have aggressively investigated Uzbek-related bribery allegations after reports on Swedish television, and four senior executives later resigned. A criminal investigation by Swedish prosecutors may return indictments in that case sometime this year. Last March, the U.S. Justice Department asked Sweden to seize $30 million in funds held in the Scandinavian bank Nordea in connection with the probe. Gulnara Karimova, the presidents eldest daughter, spent years in the limelight as an aspiring pop star, fashion designer and famous socialite. Central Asian watchers at one point speculated she might succeed her aging father, who recently celebrated his 78th birthday. But she appeared to fall out of favor in 2014 as the multinational corruption investigation gathered steam, and photographs were published last year that purported to show her under house arrest in Uzbekistan. In the state of Rhode Island, overturning an official Decree of Divorce, rendered by a Judge after a testimonial hearing, requires an appeal. This must be done within a short and specified timeframe, after the entry of the Order of Divorce. An agreed upon, or Nominal divorce cannot be appealed. Unfortunately, the appeal process is costly and drawn-out because the RI Supreme Court will need to thoroughly review the lower Courts decision before it will decide to overturn the same. These appeals are usually unsuccessful except in the case of exceptional and compelling circumstances as the Supreme Court will give the Lower Court Judge a lot of discretion. However, this does not mean you are stuck with a court decision, or agreement forever. When the terms of your divorce or custody agreement no longer fit your present circumstances, petitioning the Court for modification can help alter the terms accordingly. Below are common examples of situations that warrant a divorce modification. 1. Moving out of state or a long distance from an ex-spouse. 2. A needed increase or decrease of alimony. Spousal support is not mandatory in the state of Rhode Island. It depends upon the income and situation of the spouses. 3. Substantial increase or decrease of income for former spouse under a child support order. 4. A child is not being properly supervised by parent or current partner of parent due to psychological or substance abuse problems. 5. A teenage dependent becomes difficult to manage and increased custodial or financial assistance is required to address the issue. 6. Division of property is found to have been unfairly divided due to NEW information that was not previously known and could not have been discovered by you. If you have questions regarding a divorce modification or custody modification within the state of Rhode Island, contact us today. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. In a society obsessed with women who are young, single and beautiful, it is truly refreshing to see a pageant that focuses on older married women who have successful careers and life experiences. The Mrs World pageant will be held in China from March 1 to 12 and will have around 50 contestants from all around the world. Iris Maju, who was crowned Mrs India World and who is from Kochi,will be taking part in the Mrs World competition and is preparing hard for the competition that will have rounds that will judge the talents, accomplishments and skills of the candidates. Iris is learning the martial art form kalari and is also practising yoga for the fitness aspect. She says, I will be performing kalari for the talent round and I am learning it from a kalari school in Fort Kochi. My aim is to take kalari to the International platform with the message of women empowerment. There are a lot of crimes against women and kalari can be used to defend ourselves. The reason I chose kalari is that it is a performing art as well as good for my physical and mental strength. It is not easy to learn kalari for me at this stage but I want to give it my best shot. I spend two hours each day for my martial art practice; and I have been doing yoga for a long time. Iris explains that there would be a gown round and the National Costume Round, in which she will be dressing up in a handwoven sari with a peacock and mango design designed by a prominent brand. Iris adds, The peacock is the national bird of India and mango is the national fruit. A lot of encouragement has been flowing to Iris and she has been preparing for the past six months. Iris has planned her routine well. She explains, In the talent round, I want to use the International platform fruitfully and pass on the message to reach the people of the world. Neither is she nervous and is all praise for her supportive family. Her husband, a Colonel in the Army based in Shillong, their son and the in-laws always cheer her on. It looks like nothing was found at this location. Maybe try a search? Search for: Search When Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission in October 2014, many celebrities extended their support for the scheme. They took to the streets with brooms, sweeping and even picking up garbage. Ktown actor Vishal has gone one step further, and is raising funds to build toilets. As an extension of the campaign towards installing toilets, Vishal is addressing a niche group of people including businessmen, doctors, industrialists and corporate leaders at Rajapalayam today to raise funds for constructing 1,000 sanitation facilities in the municipal town situated in Virudhunagar district. During the shoot of his upcoming flick Marudhu, he found the town lacking in basic amenities. Emphasising on derth of facilities for women, Vishal said he felt very sad to see women wearing veils as they ventured to an open field to relieve themselves under cover of darkness, before sunrise or after sunset, adding that it could also prove dangerous. When the Kathakali actor found out that at least one toilet for each household was required, the idea of bringing all the affluent people of the district under one roof and discussing a fundraiser for the cause, came up. It costs Rs 20,000 to build a toilet, out of which, the government is providing Rs 8,000. I think the rest of the amount, is not a big deal. Even if each individual comes forward to contribute the deficit for one toilet, I am confident of getting 1,000 proper latrines in Rajapalayam. Thats why I am convening a meeting to explain the need of the hour to the gathering, which is hygiene and sanitation, the actor concludes. Join Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and the comical duo of Donald and Goofy as 25 of your favorite characters surprise and captivate at every turn. See the Fairy Godmother transform Cinderellas rags into a beautiful ball gown in a split second; the Toy Story gang defy the dimensions of Andys toy box with the help of the green army men; and the spectacular stage debut of Rapunzel and Flynn Rider as they rise into the sky amidst the floating lanterns. With special appearances by Snow White, Tinker Bell and Aladdins Genie. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit theberglundcenter.com. 1 or 4 p.m. The Berglund Center, Roanoke. $20-$45. 853-5483. McChoco Potato fries is the latest item on menus produced by McDonald's Japan in Tokyo. (Photo: AFP) Tokyo: Customers like Shigeaki Yamaguchi may be the last hope for McDonald's Japan as it battles slumping sales in the wake of an embarrassing string of food scandals. At a location in Tokyo's busy Shinjuku district, Yamaguchi munched on the chain's newest culinary offering -- french fries drizzled in brown and white chocolate syrup. "Delicious," the 37-year-old proclaimed as he dug into the sticky 330 yen ($2.90) mass known as the McChoco Potato. "The reason I came is that I wanted to taste products that didn't exist until now." Love them or hate them, social media spun into a frenzy over chocolate fries, and customer numbers rose in January for the first time in several years -- just as the salty-sweet creation launched. "The chocolate fries have been extremely popular with customers, and actually not just customers in Japan," the unit's president Sarah Casanova said last week. "They have made the news and blogs and SNS (social networking services) all over the world." Still, food industry watchers warn it will take more than the apparent success of chocolate fries to save the fast-food chain's bacon. Market share in Japan slipped to 10.4 percent in 2014 from nearly 14 percent five years earlier, according to market research firm Euromonitor, putting the chain well behind ubiquitous convenience stores stocking a wide range of food, and Japanese quick-service chains. McDonald's Japan last week reported an annual loss of 34.7 billion yen ($304 million), its second straight year in the red and the biggest shortfall since opening its first store in Tokyo's posh Ginza district in 1971. "Undoubtedly, 2015 was the most challenging year we have faced in our 45-year history," Casanova said. US-based McDonald's is mulling the sale of some if its stake in the Japan unit, which has closed hundreds of its 3,000 locations and renovated others in recent years. Some analysts speculate the buyer will be the Japan-based owner of the 7-11 chain of convenience stores. Too late to go back Sales went into a steep dive after a mainland Chinese supplier was discovered to be mixing out-of-date meat with fresh produce. Then bits of plastic were found in a sundae and pieces of vinyl in chicken nuggets. The apparent discovery of a human tooth in a box of french fries was, for many consumers, the icing on an increasingly unappetising cake. Vows to improve food quality and win back "customer trust" followed, along with a press conference where Casanova bowed deeply to the cameras -- a common act of contrition by executives at crisis-hit Japanese firms. A new mix-and-match menu with burgers, side dishes and desserts has also been in the offing as well as a focus on local produce, such as using cheese from northern Hokkaido or sweet potatoes from southwestern Japan. The company held a burger-naming contest this month, garnering some five million suggestions on what to call its new sandwich. The lucky winner gets 1.42 million yen ($12,400) in cash -- enough, the chain says, to buy the yet-to-be-named burger every day for a decade. "It seems like they're tightening control over management and offering new products," said a hopeful Yamaguchi, who works in advertising. But his co-worker Yosuke Ota was less convinced. "I'll always have doubts after the scandal," he said. Food industry analysts are also sceptical. "Some of the company's efforts, such as store renovations and a new menu worked out, but the rising customer numbers are mostly due to reversing a sharp drop a year ago," said Yuri Gorai, a research analyst at Euromonitor. "Monthly sales are not back to the same level as they were before the food scandals." Japanese customers expect high quality food, so the chain must re-focus on sourcing locally, said Seiichiro Samejima, a fast food sector analyst at Ichiyoshi Research Institute. "The company needs to appeal to customers by telling them they're not using Chinese products but rather safe, domestically sourced ingredients," he added. McDonald's Japan got off to a strong start in the early years under former President Den Fujita who combined American and Japanese management styles. Things changed under Fujita's successor who boosted the number of franchised stores and sourced huge amounts of food as cheaply as possible from overseas suppliers, said Hosei University professor Kosuke Ogawa, who authored a book on the company's failure in Japan. "But it's too late to go back," Ogawa said. Are firefighters lives worth more than just photo opportunities? This question seems foolish to most, however the recent actions of the Virginia House and Senate members makes no sense to firefighters. These politicians are the first to seek our endorsement and support when they are running for their political position. They want to have photos made with us and then use them during their campaign to show how much they support our profession and for putting our lives in harm's way. Many of them touting we are the Commonwealth's first line of defense. As firefighters we understand the risk we take, the fact that we will not become rich in this profession, and the possibility we may not return home from our shift. Recently there were Senate and House bills that dealt with occupational cancer. As firefighters we are exposed to byproducts of combustion from fires for extended periods of time while fighting fires trying to save lives and property. Studies have proven that firefighters are anywhere from 1.14 percent to 2.02 percent more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than the general public. Currently, we have limited coverage but the cancer that we are the most susceptible to is not covered. This legislation was intended to correct that. Firefighters are not asking for anywhere near as much in return as we do by placing ourselves in harm's way while protecting the citizens of this great commonwealth. We do ask that we are taken care of should we contract one of these horrible diseases, that our retirement is enough that our members can live comfortably for what is left of their life (many live less than five years post retirement) and that our families be taken care of should we be killed in the line of duty. Delegate Greg Habeeb, R-Salem, made a comment that everyone gets cancer and we should not have this. Habeeb, we have had members exposed to burning byproducts of who knows what over the past week while answering calls in your district. I am sure the voters and supporters in the 8th district appreciate the support you showed by this comment. Thank you for not supporting those who protect your supporters. TOBY MARTIN President Roanoke County Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Local 3194 VINTON THERE are just days to go before beauty queen Laura Gregory finds out if she has won the Miss Tourism Sri Lanka title. Laura, from Laughton en le Morthern, will be Ms England in the beauty pageant final on Sunday. Twenty ambassadors from across the globe have been touring Sri Lanka to experience charity dinners, street parades, street food markets and cultural events before the final grand pageant. Organisers hope the event will promote Sri Lanka as a tourist destination and aim to make the beauty contest a regular event. Laura (28) is already a former Miss Intercontinental England and last year was one of the five winners of Miss Scuba UK. She travelled to Sri Lanka on February 7 to take part in the Miss Tourism Sri Lanka contest. Laura said: Weve been touring different regions within the country and taking part in activities provided by the sponsors of the event, giving us the opportunity to see the country and also an opportunity to mix with the other contestants, women from all over the world. My time in Sri Lanka began in Colombo with a welcome meeting with the officials and discussion of the itinerary for the following two weeks. The next day the competition got started when we had our first mini pageant, Miss Photographic. We all had professional hair and make-up and dressed in our swimwear provided by sponsors. The best photograph will win a prize on the night of the final. That evening a media conference was held at the Hilton, our host venue for the final. The next day we visited Nuwara Eliya which is known as Little England, probably due to the influence of colonial architecture and vast tea tree estates. The plush green rolling hills reminded me of the Peak District but on a larger scale, and was of course much warmer. I also spotted an old horse racing track. In Nuwara Eliya we stayed in a new hotel called The Blackpool Hotel. The weather was cooler there as its high up in the hills. The hotel organised many activities for us including learning about tea right from tea plucking to the making of tea, and tea tasting. The hotel is heavily involved in the community employing locals and getting fresh ingredients from local businesses and donating to the local schools. We visited the oldest school in Nuwara Eliya to donate some books to their library on behalf of the hotel. The children were very excited to meet us and even did a welcome song on our arrival. On our final night we had a cheese and wine tasting evening with live musicians and we were all given a personalised gift including a shawl with our name printed on it. At each hotel we have had a spectacular welcome with music or dancing and the hospitality and warmth shown to us by the Sri Lankan people has been second to none. On another day we arrived in Kandy at Hotel Tree of Life. It seemed to be a very eco-friendly nature resort. I had a cookery class by the poolside. TWO people have been charged with attempted murder in Rotherham. The man and woman were charged following an assault on Tuesday afternoon where the victim sustained head injuries and slash wounds to his throat. Terry Baxter (29) and Stacey Ellis (28), both of Blyth Road in Rawmarsh, appeared at Sheffield Magistrates Court this morning, both charged with attempted murder and robbery. They have been remanded until their next appearance at Sheffield Crown Court. Police officers were called to an area off Eldon Road on Tuesday just after 4pm following reports that a man had been attacked. The 30-year-old victim was taken to hospital where he remains in a stable condition with serious injuries, which are not considered to be life threatening. Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111, quoting incident number 717 of February 16. Composition of the Far Eastern Diamond Cluster The Far Eastern Diamond Cluster includes (Fig. 1.): 1. Diamond-mining companies of ALROSA Group: ALROSA; ALROSA-Nyurba; Almazy Anabara; Nizhne-Lenskoye. 2. Diamond manufacturing entities of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Diamond cutting industry of Yakutia According to the Guild of Diamond and Jewelry Manufacturers of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), there were 10 diamond cutting factories and one individual entrepreneur in Yakutia in 2014: Yakut Diamond Company (its share in total production is 41%); DDK (31%); Sakha Diamond (9%); EPL Diamond (9%); Tunalgy (5%); Komdragmetall RS (Ya) (4%); Choron Diamond (0.4%); Kristall-99; Sole Proprietor Markov L.V.; Grigori; Kimberlite. All the above factories operate in the City of Yakutsk. Two factories stood idle: Nyurbinski Jewelry Making and Diamond Cutting Factory and Pokrovski Diamond Cutting Factory. Diamond production and sales posted by Yakutias manufacturers in 2006-2015 are given in Table. 1. Table 1 Performance of diamond cutting industry in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in 2006-2015 3. Jewelry manufacturers in Yakutia and in the Far East of Russia. The jewelry industry of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) According to the Ministry of Industry of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), jewelry was produced by 12 companies and 22 individual entrepreneurs: Yakut Diamond Company (its share in total production reached 37%); EPL Yuvelir (11%); Dragotsennosti Yakutii (18%); Zoloto Yakutii (4%); Sakha Taas - Yakutsk; Kierge; Standart; Zvezda Yakutii; Sakha Taas; Sakha Stil; GBPOU RS (Ya) STK; Mamont VG; individual entrepreneurs in Yakutsk, and in the Aldanski, Tattinski and Churapchinski Districts. Jewelry production and sales posted by Yakutias manufacturers in 2006-2015 are given in Table 2. Table 2 Performance of jewelry industry in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in 2006-2015 Thus, the trends noted in the development of the diamond cutting and jewelry making industries in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) show that currently these industries are in a state of crisis. This is due to low profit margins in diamond manufacturing (which reached 2% or 3% in 2014, according to ALROSA) suppressed by high rough prices; lack of working capital experienced by diamond and jewelry manufacturers caused by a high level of lending rates imposed by commercial banks, as well as by a drop in demand in the global luxury markets. 4. Diamond selling entities: Diamond Sorting Center of ALROSA (in Mirny); The Yakutsk Diamond Trading Enterprise (YaPTA), a subordinate unit of the United Selling Organization (USO) of ALROSA; Diamond Exchange (Vladivostok). 5. Training of personnel for diamond-mining, diamond-cutting and jewelry industries: HR Training Center of ALROSA; North-Eastern Federal University named after M.K. Ammosov; Far Eastern Federal University. Fig. 1. Far Eastern Diamond Cluster Prospects for the effective development of the Far Eastern Diamond Cluster include: 1. Establishing a diamond exchange in Vladivostok, which will improve the competitiveness of diamond-mining, diamond-cutting and jewelry industries of the area. The Far Eastern Diamond Cluster will be an inter-regional and inter-industry cluster. 2. Diamond output in Yakutia is expected to go down to 32-33 million carats in 2016-2017 due to a slowdown in the economy and weaker demand for rough in the world. Still, Yakutia will account for the bulk of Russia's diamond production. This will allow ALROSA Group to maintain the existing level of prices for rough diamonds in the global diamond market, and generally maintain flat its overall rough sales in US dollars, while increasing its sales in rubles. 3. Creation of a diamond exchange in Vladivostok will provide additional opportunities for diamond manufacturers in Yakutia to increase sales and attract investments. Yuri Danilov, Ph. D., CEO of the Expert Information and Analysis Center at Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University Russian diamond mining giant ALROSA will hold an auction of polished diamonds at its offices in the Israel Diamond Exchange (at its Israeli unit, Arcos Diamonds Israel Ltd) between February 15 and February 25. The polished auction will offer a wide range of polished diamonds in all sizes. Companies that are interested in participating in the polished auction are welcome to contact Arcos Diamonds Israel. Participation in the polished diamond auction is subject to approval from ALROSA Moscow. Arcos Diamond Israel Ltd. is a subsidiary of ALROSA for diamond sales in Israel. Memories can be vile, and its true for a few St Anns High School students who cant let go of a harrowing incident that took place on campus in 1999. On a cold November evening, students and parents attended the schools annual day celebrations in Secunderabad. As part of the programme, a van full of 11-year-old students made their way to the centre of the field. What was supposed to be an adorable sight of little kids dressed in Santa costumes waving at the crowd soon turned into a scene out of a horror movie. Someone with zilch foresight came up with the idea of giving those children lit (Diwali) sparklers. One kid brought the sparkler into the (matador) van, from her window. And in that van were at least a dozen children, wrote Archana Suresh, a city-based author, in her recent social media post. Few minutes later, someone opened the door of the vehicle and each kid that tumbled out was on fire. In that van was my sister Asheta Suresh. Hundreds of parents and siblings sitting as spectators, watched in horror... many of us were unable to fathom what was happening, wrote Archana. Reminiscing about the past, Asheta talks about the incident that changed everybodys lives and forced her to live inside a shell where she was insecure about her scars she suffered 18 per cent burns on her legs that also threatened her ability to walk. I got burnt right behind the knee, which made it difficult for me to walk and I was bedridden for three months, says Asheta, who also had to give up running. It took a long while to heal, and the thing with burns is that they have a long-lasting impact. Even now, if I stand for a long time, my scars start to itch. Having gone viral on social media, people cant stop lauding the bravery of students, who have not only made peace with their demons but have also moved ahead in life. This post is dedicated to many like Asheta, who despite the accident that nearly robbed them of their childhood wear those scars with pride. When shes not looking gorgeous, Asheta, a power yoga instructor, helps people in Hyderabad stay fit, wrote Archana. She then went on to share names of other students who were in the same bus and have achieved success in their lives. Kanika Kumar, another friend of Ashetas, gives talks across the globe. Aniesha Rao, you are wished a ton of happiness on your wedding! Sania Biabani has moved to the US to do bachelors in nutritional sciences". "Sanjana Jagan is a knowledge manager in Bengaluru and has a little daughter. Supriya Dass has a degree in Occupational Therapy from Florida, US. She says, I am an occupational therapist in the US. "I worked on the burn, ICU for three years and dealt with children and adult burns survivors. I go to a camp every year now for kids surviving burns as an adult counsellor or survivor empowering other young adults to make perceived weaknesses their strengths! Stellar Diamonds said it exported a diamond parcel of 3,341 carats from trial mining of its Baoule kimberlite project in the Aredor area of Guinea to Antwerp. The diamonds, it said, would be cleaned and assorted prior to an auction slated for March. This third diamond sale will form part of the on-going trial mining evaluation of the Baoule pipe in order to determine the diamond grade and value of the deposit, it said in a statement emailed to Rough & Polished. Stellar was planning to mine and process 100,000 tonnes of kimberlite, which was now more than 70 percent complete. The company said it was still targeting a resource in the region of 3 million carats at Baoule. It had recovered 8,830 carats to date from the trial mining. Stellar raked in more than $700 000 last year from two diamond sales totaling 5,173 carats. Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished Driven by dip in global prices, India's gold imports increased by 85 per cent to USD 2.91 billion last month. In January last year, gold imports were worth USD 1.57 billion, according to the Commerce Ministry data, according to a report in Economic Times. In December 2015, the imports of the yellow metal had more than doubled, year-on-year, to USD 3.80 billion. The prices have been declining at global as well as domestic markets. However, the higher import impacts the country's current account deficit (CAD). India is the largest importer of gold in the world, the demand of which mostly comes from the jewellery industry. India imported 850 tonnes of gold during January-September period of 2015, as against 650 tonnes in the year-ago period. In the July-September quarter of the current fiscal, CAD rose to USD 8.2 billion or 1.6 per cent of the GDP, from 1.2 per cent or USD 6.1 billion in the April-June quarter. Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished US President Barack Obama is likely to make a historic visit to Cuba in the coming weeks as part of a broader trip to Latin America, US media reported. ABC News said that the announcement could be made Thursday, paving the way for the first sitting American president to visit the island nation in 80 years, as the two Cold War-era foes are on the path of restoring normal relations. In December, Obama had expressed interest to meet political dissidents in Cuba to help "nudge the Cuban government in a new direction". Havana welcomed it but cautioned White House not to meddle in the country's internal affairs. The ABC reported that Obama's Cuban tour is scheduled for March 21-22, after which the president flies to Argentina. Republican presidential aspirants Marco Rubio,and Ted Cruz, both sons of Cuban migrants, slammed Obama for his planned trip to Cuba. The White House did not comment on the reports. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News Republican presidential aspirant Ted Cruz has called for a massive expansion of the US military, saying its current size is far below than what is needed to keep America safe. The Texas Senator said at a CNN town hall in South Carolina Wednesday that President Barack Obama's proposal to downsize the US Army to 450,000 is far below what is needed to keep this country safe. If elected, he intends to increase it to a minimum of 525,000 soldiers. Noting that the strength of the US Air Force fleet has been reduced to about 4,000 planes, Cruz said the US needs to increase it to a minimum of 6,000 planes so that America can project power, and use its air power superiority. He also wants to increase the Navy fleet to 350 ships. "We need an overall force level of 1.4 million troops at a minimum. We need to dramatically expand missile defense as we see asymmetric threats, rogue nations, we need to be able to defend ourselves. We need to expand cyber defense," Cruz said. Cruz, who is currently running behind front runner Donald Trump in polls, also called for a change in America's foreign policy and military policy on identifying and defeating the real enemies. He said he has got strong disagreements with the mistakes of the Obama- Clinton foreign policy in the last seven years, citing the example in Libya. Toppling the Libyan government was a catastrophic mistake, which meant that the US handed that country to radical Islamic terrorists. He said that rather than engaging in trying to topple governments in the Middle East and nation build, I think the focus of the military needs to be defending this country, protecting the US' national security interests. "Instead of getting in the middle of civil wars, we ought to be focusing on the enemies of America. We ought to be utterly destroying ISIS. We ought to be using overwhelming airpower, we ought to be arming the Kurds, we ought to be using the tools we have to utterly, and completely destroy them," Cruz added. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News President Barack Obama is scheduled to make an historic visit to the communist island nation of Cuba next month, the White House revealed on Thursday. Obama first announced the trip in a post on Twitter, and the news of his visit was later confirmed by White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest. "We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly," Obama said on Twitter. "America will always stand for human rights around the world." He added, "Next month, I'll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people." In a statement, Earnest said the president and First Lady Michelle Obama will travel to Cuba on March 21st and 22nd before visiting Argentina on March 23rd and 24th. Obama will use the trip to build on the progress the U.S. has made toward normalizing relations with Cuba, Earnest said. The trip will include a bilateral meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro as well as engagement with members of civil society, entrepreneurs and Cubans from different walks of life. With the move, Obama will become the first sitting president to visit Cuba since President Calvin Coolidge addressed the Pan-American Conference of Western Hemisphere leaders in Havana in 1928. Obama has taken a number of steps to normalize relations with Cuba, including re-opening the U.S. embassy in Havana and enacting regulatory changes that allow more Americans to travel to and do with Cuba. However, the president has acknowledged that full normalization of American-Cuban relations requires action by Congress, including legislation to end the trade embargo. The news of Obama's trip to Cuba drew criticism from Republicans on the presidential campaign trail, including from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., whose father was born in Cuba. "I was saddened to hear, but I wasn't surprised," Cruz said of the president's trip, noting that he would not visit Cuba "as long as the Castros are in power." Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., the son of Cuban immigrants, made similar remarks, blasting the Cuban government as an "anti-American Communist dictatorship." For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News A new study has established the efficacy of testosterone gel in men 65 years of age or older, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. For the study the researchers collected data on roughly 800 men over the age of 65. They found that using the topical gel treatment restored most men's testosterone levels back to those common in men between the ages of 19 and 40. "This was the first time that a trial demonstrated that testosterone treatment of men over 65 who have low testosterone would benefit them in any way," said Dr. Peter Snyder of the University of Pennsylvania, who helped lead the study team. "The trial showed that testosterone treatment of these men improved their sexual function, their mood, and reduced depressive symptomsand perhaps also improved walking." "Men in the testosterone group were more likely than those in the placebo group to report that their sexual desire had improved since the beginning of the trial," Snyder and colleagues wrote. "Testosterone treatment showed no significant benefit over placebo with respect to vitality." For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio appeared to have laughed after a supporter recommended that Hillary Clinton be tortured by waterboarding. The incident occurred during a rally speech in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Rubio was speaking about his plans to keep Guantanamo Bay open. He said, "If we capture a terrorist alive when I'm president, they're going to Guantanamo, and we're gonna find out everything they know." "We're keeping Guantanamo. Forever. OK? We're keeping it forever. It's a good base," he added. At that time, a supported from the crowd shouted, "Waterboard Hillary!" indicating rival Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Rubio appeared to laugh at the comment, but quickly maintained his composure and said, "I don't wanna know what he said. Please don't The press is here, I didn't even hear, I didn't know what they said. I know it wasn't a bad word, that's all. That's all that matters." Meanwhile, Rubio refused to reveal whether he'd reinstate waterboarding, a form of water torture that was banned by the Obama government, if he was elected. Later, Rubio made it clear that going forward he will address the audiences if "something outrageous, over the top and egregious" language were used during his speech. The incident begs the question: Do candidates have a responsibility to admonish their supporters for rude or racist shouts? There have been horrible things said at many rallies, and Democrats used to trot out big signs of George W. Bush with a Hitler mustache. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com More Political Blogs Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has been known to vehemently attack his political opponents, and it seems not even Pope Francis will be spared the real estate tycoon's wrath. In a statement released Thursday, Trump lashed out at the pope for remarks criticizing his proposal to build a wall along the border with Mexico. Francis told reporters aboard his plane that the idea of building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico is "not Christian," although the pontiff said he would not get involved in telling Americans who to vote for. Trump subsequently accused the pope of questioning his faith, which he described as "disgraceful" in his harshly worded statement. "I am proud to be a Christian and as President I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened, unlike what is happening now, with our current President," Trump said. "No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man's religion or faith." He added, "They are using the Pope as a pawn and they should be ashamed of themselves for doing so, especially when so many lives are involved and when illegal immigration is so rampant." Trump claimed Francis would wish and pray he were president if the Vatican is attacked by the terrorist group known as ISIS. The billionaire's social media director Dan Scavino also weighed in on Twitter, noting that Vatican City is completely surrounded by massive walls. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News A lawyer shouts slogans at Patiala House Courts where JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar was being produced in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The lawyers' body in Delhi district courts virtually came in defence of the attackers in black robes in the Patiala House courts, including Vikram Singh Chauhan who was garlanded in Karkardooma courts, to whose bar he belongs. Claiming that certain "outsiders" in lawyers' robes indulged in violence, the Coordination Committee of all District Court Bar Associations demanded a "fair" inquiry into the incidents. Condemning the violence, Advocate R K Wadhwa, chairman of the committee, said in a press release they would request the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court to ensure that entry to the court premises should be monitored and security of judicial officers, lawyers and litigants be given "prime importance". "We condemn the manner in which protestors/demonstrators were allowed to enter the Patiala House court complex. We condemn violence in any form which was the direct consequence of unverified entry of outsiders inside the court premises," he said. Meanwhile in Karkardooma courts, lawyers held a candle light march for national integrity and against "victimisation" of lawyers. Chauhan, who has been bragging on social media about how the lawyers had taught "anti-nationals" a lesson in Patiala House complex, was garlanded. However, Advocate Mahesh Sharma, President of Shahdara Bar Association, rejected media reports in this regard. "Advocates are being shown in bad light. They are termed as goons and criminals. It is wrong," Sharma said. Chauhan, who was caught on camera assaulting journalists and others in the court premises, was one of the three lawyers summoned by the Delhi police in connection with the February 15 attack. The three lawyers, however, did not appear before the police. The coordination committee also said they would stage a protest march at India gate tomorrow against the alleged anti-national activities at the JNU complex. : . 506 505 701 . Palestinian Foreign Ministry: General strike is form of resistance RAMALLAH October 20. 2022 (Saba) - The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs today, Thursday, considered that the comprehensive strike that pervades the homeland is a form of popular resistance in rejection of the ongoing Zionist escalation and its crimes. Aggression destroys crusher of Amran Cement Factory AMRAN, Feb. 18 (Saba) The Saudi aggression war jets waged on Thursday several raids on the crusher of Amran Cement Factory for the second time. The hostile raids destroyed the crusher which is located in al-Marha mountain overlooking the factory and Amran city, a local official explained to Saba. Last Tuesday, the Saudi aggression war jets targeted the crusher, causing severe damage to it. The crusher has already gotten out of order since the beginning of the aggression operations in Yemen. Targeting the crusher came after several days from the aggression bombing on the factorys gate, which claimed lives of 17 people and tens wounded from the factory staff and guards and citizens. BA Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [18/February/2016] The management conducted a detailed inquiry, found the physical education teacher guilty and filed a complaint with the Jalahalli police on Tuesday night, after consulting the girls parents. (Representational image) Bengaluru: A 16-year-old class nine student was allegedly raped on several occasions by her physical education instructor after he lured her into his sisters house outside the school premises under Jalahalli police station limits. The accused, Lakshmikantha, said to be around 35 years old, sexually assaulted the girl three to four times between June and November last year. The victim shared the horrendous ordeals with her friends, who brought it to the notice of the school management. The management conducted a detailed inquiry, found the physical education teacher guilty and filed a complaint with the Jalahalli police on Tuesday night, after consulting the girls parents. The police registered an FIR immediately under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and the victim was subjected to a medical examination. But the physical education teacher has been missing since the school initiated the inquiry and is yet to be arrested by the police. The place of crime, where he allegedly sexually assaulted the girl, is outside the school premises, which is the accused sisters house. The victim said that she was assaulted about three to four times between June and November, said Mr T.R. Suresh, DCP (North Division). But the school authorities found out only in January-end when the girl's classmates informed a teacher, after which an inquiry was initiated by the school management, Mr Suresh said. After conducting the inquiry, the school management consulted the girls parents before filing the complaint. By then, the accused had quit work and gone underground, police sources said. The Jalahalli police have recorded the statements of the victim and her parents, while a team of police officials has been dispatched to nab the teacher. He has been booked under Section 376 of IPC (for rape) and Section 6 of the POCSO Act (aggravated penetrative sexual assault). Chennai mediapersons stage demonstration in front of Press Club on Wednesday condemning the attack against journalists in Patiala House courts in New Delhi. (Photo: DC) Chennai: About 100 city-based journalists Wednesday staged a demonstration here criticising the alleged inaction of Delhi police over the attack on reporters by some lawyers on the premises of a court in the national capital. The protesters included senior editors who staged the demonstration outside Chennai Press Club here carrying placards and banners that read Save Journalists, Save Freedom, Save Democracy, Attack on journalists at Patiala House court complex yesterday was anti-national. The journalists, belonging to various media organisations, condemned the beating up of their Delhi counterparts by groups of advocates, and the alleged inaction of the Delhi police. They urged the Centre to take action against the goons who attacked the media representatives in Delhi besides urging it to protect freedom of expression. Journalists, students and teachers of JNU were beaten up allegedly by groups of lawyers, drawing criticism from the press amidst calls to the home ministry to look into the dereliction of duty by police, which has been accused of being a mute spectator during the incident. A first-of-its-kind journey along India and Pakistan border What binds the two most talked about nations - India and Pakistan together? What makes the Pentagon had said the decision to sell the F-16 jets to Pakistan should not be a cause of concern for New Delhi. New Delhi: Sticking to its position, India on Thursday said it disagreed with the US' rationale that supply of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan will help combat terrorism but at the same time noted that its ties with Washington were not a single-issue relationship. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said the US' decision to sell eight F-16 jets "will create negative sentiment" in the India-US relationship. "We have our concerns and we do not agree with their rationale. They said F16 will be used for combating terrorism. It will be to fight against terrorists. We do not agree with that rationale," Swarup said. He was asked about US' reaction on India's opposition to the decision. On Saturday, India had summoned US Ambassador Richard Verma to convey its "displeasure and disappointment" over the decision. However, Swarup added that the relationship with the US "is not a single issue relationship". Rejecting India's disappointment over the issue, the Pentagon had yesterday said the decision to sell the F-16 jets to Pakistan should not be a cause of concern for New Delhi as the regional security situation was taken into account. "We don't think it should cause concern for India," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook had said. Asked about Pakistan's view that it was "surprised and disappointed" over India's reaction to the US decision, Swarup said it was on expected lines. "We are not surprised at the Pakistani reaction. That was on expected lines," he said. The Obama Administration said on February 13 it had decided to sell eight nuclear-capable F-16 fighter jets worth nearly USD 700 million to Pakistan despite mounting opposition from influential lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties. These additional F-16 aircraft will facilitate operations in all-weather, non-daylight environments, provide a self-defence/area suppression capability, and enhance Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter terrorism operations, the Pentagon had said. I give my consent to Sakshi Post to be in touch with me via email for the purpose of event marketing and corporate communications. Privacy Policy Hyderabad: AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday accused the NDA government of intentionally using the JNU incident to ignite passions across the nation to divert attention from crucial issues. The MP told the media at Darussalam, the party headquarters here, that the nation was facing a tough time due to plummeting value of the Rupee, decreasing exports and increasing tensions. In this backdrop, the BJP-led NDA government had deliberately created a controversy over the JNU issue to divert public attention, he said. Union home minister Rajnath Singh did not even verify whether the Twitter account of Hafeez Saeed was fake or real before rushing to say that the terror mastermind was behind the JNU incident, the Hyderabad MP said. Reminding that the JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar was associated with the Communist party, Mr Owaisi said that though he has ideological differences with the Communists, they could never be considered anti-nationals. Condemning the attack on journalists in Delhi, he said that the sedition case against JNU student union leader Kanhaiya Kumar would not stand before the court of law in view of judgments of Supreme Court in cases against Arundhati Roy, Kedarnath and Binayak Sen and others. Another car wash company is coming to Salina The growth of car wash services have been increasing in Salina the past few years, with another coming after approval by the city. Ramdev said that the political leaders should go beyond vote bank politics and should not compromise with the nation's sovereignty and unity. (Photo: PTI) Ahmedabad: In an apparent attack on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for his support to the protesting Jawaharlal Nehru University students, Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Thursday said that association with anti-nationals is treachery, adding that the political leaders should go beyond vote bank politics and should not compromise with the nation's sovereignty and unity. "It is necessary to know who raised anti-national slogans. But it is clear that the mass which gathered there was not nationalist. Association with the anti-nationals is also treachery. Involving in anti-national activities and supporting it has been considered as crime, both legally and spiritually. The political leaders should go beyond vote bank politics and should not compromise with the nation's sovereignty and unity," Ramdev told the media here. "Supporting the people who raise 'anti-national' slogans is wrong. It is the responsibility of the government to see to it that action is taken against any anti-national element and innocents are not caught. The anti-national slogans are not right for the unity and sovereignty of the nation," he added. Earlier, a case has been registered against Rahul Gandhi in an Allahabad district court for his remark on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) incident. The PIL filed in the court states that Gandhi took 'anti-national' stand by voicing his support for the JNU students. The matter will be taken up for hearing on March 1. Condemning the attack on journalists outside the Patiala House Court premises here on Monday, the Congress vice president had earlier alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was trying to crush the opinion of the people. He said that the Congress party would not accept it and would fight this out. "The RSS backed people are being appointed as vice-chancellors in the universities and the voices of the students are being gagged. They are suppressing the voice of the Indian students whether in Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow and in all the universities across the country. We will not accept this, we will fight against this," Gandhi told the media on the sidelines of his public rally in Sivasagar, Assam. JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar, arrested on charges of sedition, being produced at Patiala House Court in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar, arrested on sedition charges, moved the Supreme Court on Thursday for bail, which it will hear tomorrow. His bail petition was mentioned before a bench of justices J Chelameswar and A M Sapre by senior advocate Soli J Sorabjee and Raju Ramachandran who wanted it to be heard today itself. Read: Will produce evidence against Kanhaiya to support FIR in court: Bassi However, when the bench suggested that they would consider it tomorrow, they agreed. Kumar said in his petition that there was no need for his custodial interrogation as he has already been sent to judicial custody. Read: JNU row: There should be no 'Taliban culture' in India, says resigned ABVP members In the petition, filed through advocate Anindita Pujari, the accused claimed his innocence and said no purpose would be served by keeping him in the jail as the police have been finding it difficult to produce him even in the court. Kumar has submitted that there is a threat to his life and there was a need for the apex court to intervene for safeguarding his life and limb. Read: Kanhaiya Kumar beaten by lawyers in court, to be in jail custody till March 2 On Wednesday, Kanhaiya Kumar said he is an Indian who has full faith in judiciary and the Constitution, a statement the police latched on to say that it will not oppose his bail. Read: Release Kanhaiya, withdraw 'concocted' sedition case: CPI "I have said earlier too. I am an Indian. I have full faith in the Constitution as well as the judiciary of the country," Kumar told metropolitan magistrate Lovleen when he was produced for remand proceedings. read: We were abused, called Pakistan agents: senior lawyers tell Supreme Court "The media trial against me is painful. If there is evidence against me that I am a traitor, then you please send me to jail. But if there no evidence against me, there should be no media trial," he said in a statement. Kanhaiya was attacked by a group of persons when he was being escorted by police from the vehicle to the court room during which even the cops with him were beaten up. New Delhi: JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who was sent to judicial custody in Tihar Jail till March 2 following his arrest last week, moved the Supreme Court requesting for bail on Thursday. The plea will be heard before the court tomorrow. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court warned everyone to be careful while issuing statements. We are keeping an eye on the law and order situation in Patiala House Court. Everyone should be careful while issuing the statements, the court observed. Here are the latest developments: 1. The Supreme Court-appointed team and Delhi High Court registrar submitted their report regarding the Patiala House court violence on Thursday. Delhi Police will submit their report tomorrow. The apex court will hear the matter tomorrow morning. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Rajeev Dhavan, Dushyant Dave and others earlier informed the bench that a group of men in lawyers robes, in open defiance of the Supreme Court order, barged into the Patiala House courts complex and assaulted a journalist and Kanhaiya Kumar. They said the group, which was seen raising the slogan Vande Mataram and waving the Indian flag on the court premises, was led by lawyer Vikram Chauhan. 2. Rahul Gandhi takes the battle against the Centre to President Pranab Mukherjee. The Congress vice president said RSS was trying to impose its "flawed" and "dead" ideology on the students of the country but his party will not allow it. Speaking to the media after submitting a memorandum to the President, he also referred to the suicide by Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad and accused the Hindutva organisation of "crushing" him. 3. The Bar Council of India on Thursday condemned the attack on journalists at the Patiala House court complex and apologised to media and JNU students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar for the same. It also sought a report from the Patiala House court bar council in this regard. 4. BJP MLA OP Sharma, who was caught on camera beating a CPI activist at Patiala House court on Monday, joined the probe on Thursday into the assault case, a day after he was served summons by Delhi Police. Sharma, a first-time MLA, presented himself before the Tilak Marg police station today. The police had issued summons to him as well as three lawyers in connection with assault on journalists and JNU students and teachers at the court complex on Monday. 5. The Supreme Court expressed concern over the state of affairs saying it was concerned about the law and order situation at Patiala House Court. The top court also asked lawyers not to give undue statements to inflate the issue. It is also likely to take a decision on unruly lawyers who shouted slogans and attacked people at the court. 6. JNU students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who has been booked for sedition in connection with a pro-Afzal Guru event in JNU where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised last week, has been arrested by Delhi Police. He has been remanded to judicial custody till March 2. 7. Kanhaiya was earlier attacked by lawyers despite Supreme Courts order to provide him with full security. He was reportedly punched and kicked as he was taken inside the courtroom. About a dozen lawyers threw rocks at reporters and protesters at the Patiala House court on Wednesday. Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/18/2016 -- The global glass tableware market is expected to grow at a healthy rate during the period 2011 2017, with growth largely contributed by Asia Pacific and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) regions. The market was estimated to be worth USD 6,200 million in 2011. Despite the approaching saturation in Western markets for regular glassware products, development of designer glass tableware and multipurpose glass tableware has created new opportunities, and the market is expected to sustain the growth trends. The report analyzes the global glass tableware market based on the major product types, such as dinnerware, flatware, and beverage-ware. The beverage-ware market segment holds the highest market share followed by dinnerware. The beverage-ware market is further segmented into barware, stemware, and others, for in-depth analysis. It is estimated that more than fifty percent of the total growth in the global glass tableware market during 2011 2017 is expected to be contributed by the beverage-ware segment alone, which makes it the best segment to invest in. Complete Report with TOC @ http://www.mrrse.com/glass-tableware-market The beverage-ware market in North America and Eastern Europe is expected to see moderate growth due to changing preference for crystal beverage glassware, which looks more elegant and attractive. For the same reason, it is preferred in the hotel industry, which is a potential end customer for the global glass tableware market, especially glassware. However, with the fast economic growth in Eastern markets such as Asia Pacific and Latin America, and the resultant rise in consumerism, the global glass tableware market is expected to see a moderate to high growth across various geographies. Among the geographical markets, Latin America and Asia Pacific are the fastest growing regions, but EMEA holds the largest market share as in 2011. However, Asia Pacific is expected to surpass the EMEA glass tableware market by 2017 due to fast economic growth, growing tourism industry, and the rising middle class population. The maximum growth in the global glass tableware market is forecasted in the Asia Pacific region, which is estimated to account for approximately fifty percent of the total market growth during 2011 2017. The glass tableware market growth in Egypt is relatively slow as compared to European regions, largely due to low demand for glass beverage-ware. Cultural barriers towards alcohol consumption have negative effect on the beverage-ware market, especially stemware and barware markets. Inquiry on this report @ http://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/1101 Globally, the glass tableware market growth is supported by many social, economic and demographic factors. The major contributors are economic development in emerging countries, development of new and novel glass tableware products, improvement in manufacturing and packaging technologies, and growing disposable household income. Consumers now prefer to dine out and travel frequently, which is driving the growth of the hotel industry, and in turn the growth of the glass tableware market. Rise in disposable income has augmented the use of glass tableware at home, which is further driving the market growth. Request a Free Sample Copy of the Report @ http://www.mrrse.com/sample/1101 Leading players in the global glass tableware industry includes renowned names such as Arc International, Libbey Inc., Bormioli Rocco group, WMF, and Lenox Corporation. Arc International is the global leader with the highest market share, and is closely followed by Libbey Inc. The Egyptian glass tableware market is dominated by companies such as Egyptian Glass co., and El Nasr Glass & Crystal Co. About MRRSE MRRSE stands for Market Research Reports Search Engine, the largest online catalog of latest market research reports based on industries, companies, and countries. MRRSE sources thousands of industry reports, market statistics, and company profiles from trusted entities and makes them available at a click. Besides well-known private publishers, the reports featured on MRRSE typically come from national statistics agencies, investment agencies, leading media houses, trade unions, governments, and embassies. Visit us @ https://twitter.com/MRRSEmrrse Burlingame, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/18/2016 -- Located near the San Francisco International Airport, First Business Flights is now providing cheap international flight tickets to Singapore. With their skilled team of professionals, they specialize in offering cheap international tickets to almost all major destinations across the world. 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For more information, please visit https://www.firstbusinessflights.com New Delhi: Attacking the Modi government for "not following" the Supreme Court order for maintaining peace at Patiala House Courts, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said such a situation could lead to "dictatorship" and insisted courts be "shut down" if issues like what is anti-national are to be adjudged outside judiciary. Reacting to attacks on mediapersons and JNU students and teachers in Patiala House courts complex despite the directives of the apex court to maintain order there, the Chief Minister said, "This was a message that the Centre was giving to the Supreme Court that do whatever you like, we will not follow your orders. It has given an open challenge." Talking to reporters after meeting President Pranab Mukherjee on the JNU row, the Chief Minister said if Supreme Court's order is not followed barely 200 meters from where it sits, "then there will be no such thing called Constitution. Then it will be the Centre and the Prime Minister's dictatorship. This is something very serious. There is no judiciary after that." Questioning the failure of the police to arrest Delhi BJP MLA O P Sharma, accused of beating up a student in the court complex, Kejriwal said "A BJP MLA and some anti-social elements attacked students, journalists and innocent people at the Patiala Court. When those who attacked the journalists, students at the Patiala Court were asked why did they attack, they said they were shouting pro-Pakistan slogans. If anyone raises pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans should we kill him? "It's like if anyone commits murder and police asks about the reason for it, the accused will say he was raising pro-Pakistan slogans. And then police will let him off. Is this a new law in this country?" Flanked by his Cabinet colleagues, Kejriwal said that a "new law" is being followed in the country where anyone can be killed on the pretext of raising anti-national slogans. "Why is O P Sharma still free...is this a new law... who will decide whether it is against the nation? Then shut down the Supreme Court and High Court," Kejriwal said. He said the Centre had yesterday given an open challenge to the apex court saying "we don't follow your orders. Do whatever you want. This is dangerous for the nation." He said if the Centre could not arrest those involved in the act, then how can they arrest Pathankot terrorists. Kejriwal alleged that the Centre was not arresting the accused to keep the pot boiling over the issue. Lambasting the Modi government over its "failure" to arrest four students who raised anti-nationals slogans at the JNU, Kejriwal said if the Centre cannot not bring to justice those involved in the act, how can they arrest Pathankot terrorists. "Why has the Centre not been able to arrest (those involved in anti-India sloganeering) so many days after the incident. There can only be two reasons. "Either the Centre does not want to arrest them so that the pot keeps boiling over the issue. Or is it that despite a force of 80,000 police personnel, the paramilitary forces, RAW, IB at their disposal the Centre is unable to arrest four students. If they cannot even arrest four students who raised anti-national slogans, how can they arrest Pathankot terrorists. They have failed, they don't want to arrest them," Kejriwal said after meeting the President. He said all political parties, students and teachers have been demanding action against those involved in anti-India sloganeering. "That the Centre has been unable to arrest those who gave anti-national slogans raises questions. No person belonging to any political party or ideology will tolerate anti-India activities. No student or teacher is saying that they support anti-India activities. Everybody is demanding action," the Delhi Chief Minister said. The delegation also apprised the President of threat calls to Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra over the on-going JNU row. "He has been receiving a calls since morning saying 'You have been speaking a lot over the JNU issue'. I want to say that we are not afraid of such calls. Do whatever you want. "It is a serious matter. If Ministers receive calls like this, it is not right from the country's point of view," Kejriwal said. Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/18/2016 -- The report "Paints & Coatings Market by Resin Type (Acrylic, Alkyd, Epoxy, Polyurethane, Polyester, & Others), by Technology (Waterborne, Solvent Borne, High Solids, Powder & Others), by Application (Architectural & Paints And) - Global Forecasts to 2020", analyzes the global paints and coatings with respect to market drivers, restrains, opportunities, and challenges, in different regions. Browse 87 market data tables and 69 figures spread through 181 pages and in-depth TOC on "Paints & Coatings Market - Global Forecasts to 2020" http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/paint-coating-market-156661838.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. Make an Inquiry Before Buying of this Report @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=156661838 The demand for environment friendly, non-hazardous, VOC complaint paints and coatings has increased from the end-user industry since the last decade. The market of paints and coatings is segmented by different resin types such as acrylic, alkyd, epoxy, polyurethane, polyester, & others. The Asia-Pacific region is the fastest growing segment of the global paints and coatings market and is mainly attributed to high economic growth rate followed by growing industrial industry especially in China and India. The Asia-Pacific and RoW markets are estimated to show an excellent growth in the next five years with the allied industries expected to stabilize the overall business need in the respective regions. Asia-Pacific is the largest market, both in terms of volume and value, followed by Europe. China, Brazil, India, and other countries of Middle East are expected to persist as successful paints and coatings markets. The key players in the paints and coatings are Akzo Nobel NV (Netherlands), BASF SE (Germany), PPG Industries Inc. (U.S.), The Sherwin-Williams Company (U.S.), The Valspar Corporation (U.S.), Nippon Paint Co. Ltd (Japan), and Kansai Paint Co. Ltd. (Japan) and others. The paints and coatings demand, in terms of value and volume, depicts the current and future projections according to the parallel economic and industrial outlook. This analysis covers important developments, investments & expansions, partnerships & agreements, and mergers & acquisitions of the leading global companies. The global market value of the paints and coatings market is projected to be around $181.3 billion by 2020 and is projected grow at a CAGR of around 5.0% between 2015 and 2020. The high demand from residential, non-residential, automotive, and other industrial application will increase the overall paints and coatings market. For more Info Speak to Analyst @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalyst.asp?id=156661838 Browse Related Reports: Coating Resins Market by Type (Acrylic, Alkyd, Vinyl, PU, Epoxy, Amino, UPR, SPR & Others), by Technology (Waterborne, Powder, High Solvents, High Solids, UV Cure), by Application (Architectural, Automotive, Wood, & Others) - Global Forecast to 2019 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/coating-resins-market-72316133.html Waterborne Coatings Market by Resin (Acrylic, Polyester, Alkyd, Epoxy, Polyurethane, PTFE, PVDF, PVDC, & Others), by Application (Architectural, Automotive, General Industrial, Protective, Wood, Marine, Packaging, Coil, & Others) - Global Forecast to 2019 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/waterborne-waterbased-coatings-market-205422792.html About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is world's No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers. We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository. Contact: Mr. Rohan Markets and Markets UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ Magarpatta city, Hadapsar Pune, Maharashtra 411013, India Tel: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit MarketsandMarkets Blog @ http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/chemical Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets Miami, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/18/2016 -- Help Students Ltd. announces the launch of its online platform with the aim of offering free help to high school students in all the courses. From now on, every high school student and everyone who wishes to enter tertiary education will have the 24-hour ability to find a teacher who can provide them with direct online help. This can be done via chat for the courses that interest them or by leaving a question or exercise concerning a course and receive an answer as soon as possible, so everybody can have equal chances in gaining access to tertiary education, regardless of their financial means. Help Students platform aims at taking the student teacher relationship to a new level. Every teacher can enroll in the platform, and their goal will be, of course, to provide knowledge to all the students who are eager to learn and to help them fulfill their goals. Access to the website is possible through all the devices that have the ability to connect to the internet, like mobile phones, tablets and computers. The main aim of this platform is and will always be to provide free help to high school students, and especially students who are preparing to sit their university entrance exams, so as to improve the students' knowledge level and better prepare them in their attempts to enter tertiary education. Love for teaching should know no limits, singularities or segregation. About Help Students Ltd. Help Students Ltd. is the result of the extensive collaboration of researchers and programmers from all around the world, and it is fully tested and aimed at the goal it is meant to serve. It is now available in the USA, the U.K, Greece, Canada and Australia. From the beginning of May it will also be available in Germany, India, France, Russia, China and by the end of 2016 in all the countries worldwide. We hope that this platform will be met with enthusiasm and anticipation, and that everyone will embrace this effort. Contact: Alex Tsak, Team Manager Help Students Ltd Tel. +30 211 2104995 Address: 201 South Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL, USA Gotze Delchen 5, Petrich, Bulgaria Prasinou Lofou- Theatre Square (Minoti)- Athens, Greece Email: info@help-students.com Website: https://www.help-students.com Archaeologists excavating the Nahal Ein Gev II site in the Jordan Valley, Israel, have discovered the remains of an ancient settlement of the Natufian culture a culture that existed from 12,500 to 9,500 BC in the Levant. Nahal Ein Gev II (NEG II) is located in Nahal (wadi) Ein Gev, at the middle of a perennial stream that flows west to the Sea of Galilee, said team member Dr. Leore Grosman, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The site is situated on a flat alluvial terrace on the right bank of a prominent meander in the streambed about 2 km east of the Sea of Galilee at the Natufian times. At NEG II, the archaeologists found human remains, flint tools, faunal assemblage, ground stone and bone tools. A rich art assemblage including personal ornaments, modeled limestone items and engraved bone and stone objects was retrieved from the site. Of the 210 personal ornaments recovered from the site, the majority are beads, mainly disc- or cylindrical-shaped, the scientists said. In addition to the personal ornaments, 20 complete and fragmented art objects were recovered. Two unique incised stone objects are worth mentioning. The first is a fragment of a limestone object decorated with a linear pattern on all three of its preserved faces. The decorative lines cover the objects entire surface. The linear patterns are slightly different on each face, but all include deeply incised curved lines overlapped by a second layer of more delicate straight lines. The depth and density of the lines suggest a three-dimensionally carved object, although the decorative approach is two-dimensional. On one face, a wave-pattern was created by a parallel series of horizontally arced lines. On the opposite face a set of curved lines arranged in a vertical-oblique direction transforms the stone surface into a wavy textured relief. The direction of the peak of the arc is altered every few lines. On the third, narrow face, the delicate lines are better preserved than the deep parallel incisions with an oblique orientation. The second incised stone object is carefully shaped by polish. Linear patterns are engraved on both faces on one there is a series of diagonal lines and on the other a dense group of curved lines that emanates from a slightly deeper straight line. The researchers said: the excavated area revealed an extensive habitation with deep cultural deposits (2.5 to 3 m deep) and the site is estimated as covering roughly 1,200 sq.m. Surprisingly, the village differs markedly from others of its period in Israel. Although attributes of the lithic tool kit found at NEG II places the site chronologically in the Paleolithic period, other characteristics such as its artistic tradition, size, thickness of archaeological deposits and investment in architecture are more typical of early agricultural communities in the Neolithic period, said Dr. Grosman, who is the lead author of a paper published online in the journal PLoS ONE. Characterizing this important period of potential overlap in the Jordan Valley is crucial for the understanding of the socioeconomic processes that marked the shift from Paleolithic mobile societies of hunter-gatherers to Neolithic agricultural communities, he said. NEG II was occupied in the midst of the cold and dry global climatic event known as the Younger Dryas (10,900 9,600 BC), where temperature declined sharply over most of the northern hemisphere. Affected by climatic changes, Late Natufian groups in the Mediterranean zone became increasingly mobile and potentially smaller in size. However, excavations at NEG II show that groups in the Jordan Valley became more sedentary and potentially larger in size. The buildings represent at least four occupational stages and the various aspects of the faunal assemblage provide good indications for site permanence, Dr. Grosman said. In addition, the thick archaeological deposits, the uniformity of the tool types and the flint knapping technology indicate intensive occupation of the site by the same cultural entity. This shift in settlement pattern could be related to greater climatic stability due to a lesser effect of the Younger Dryas in the region, higher cereal biomass productivity and better conditions for small-scale cultivation. _____ Grosman L. et al. 2016. Nahal Ein Gev II, a Late Natufian Community at the Sea of Galilee. PLoS ONE 11 (1): e0146647; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146647 [JAKARTA] Family support is key for women to excel in the science profession and to help balance career and family life, says an Indonesian female scientist who has won an award for her contribution to science. My husband, my parents, my brother and sister, my in-laws they all support me, which is really important. By Sri Fatmawati of the Sepuluh Nopember Intitute of Technology Sri Fatmawati of the Sepuluh Nopember Intitute of Technology (ITS) was honoured at the 2016 Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early Career Women Scientists in the Developing World held last 13 February in Washington DC, United States. She was awarded for her work in analysing the medical and pharmaceutical potentials of plant and fungi extracts normally used in herbal medicine. She joined four other winners from different parts of the world in the programme run by The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) and the Elsevier Foundation. The awards have been designed to honour a new generation of role models, says Ylann Schemm, programme director at Elsevier Foundation. We are celebrating these five female scientists not only because of their excellent science, but also for the sheer determination they have shown in surmounting the obstacles many face working as women in low resource and sometimes even conflict settings, he adds. The other winners are Sushila Maharjan (Nepal), Magaly Blas (Peru), Etheldreda Nakimuli-Mpungu (Uganda) and Ghanya Al-Naqeb (Yemen). Fatmawati says that support from her university is important to her as a scientist but support from her family roots her more. The biggest challenge for female scientists is time management but with family support, one can stand out among male and female scientists in Indonesia and Asia-Pacific, stresses this biologist who has also received the Pemenang Fellowship International L'Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science for research analysing substances from sponges that can lead to treatments for malaria, cancer and Alzheimers disease. My husband, my parents, my brother and sister, my in-laws they all support me, which is really important. We work together and it helps my time management in being a mother, a wife and a scientist, she says. Fatmawati advises young female scientists to be consistent in their science path because the world needs them. [Do well] in your chosen science field because the world is waiting for our work for humanity, she says. She also notes that female scientists should never forget their role in raising the future generation, which she points out starts from the family. She maintains a blog, Dapur Fatma Fukuoka (Fatma Fukuokas Kitchen), where she collects her recipes for her children as well as makes notes about the science in the kitchen. Her devotion to family also shows in her Facebook page where she posts more about her cooking along with family photos rather than showing her scientific achievements. This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets South-East Asia & Pacific desk. An initiative to harmonise how African research grants are managed is good news, writes Linda Nordling. When Tanzanias national science funding body, the Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), got a budget increase in 2010, it did not spend it all on research. Rather, COSTECH spent a significant chunk of the windfall on expanding its administrative capabilities such as financial management and quality review systems. The reasoning behind this choice was sound. The funder was expecting its income both from the Tanzanian government and from international donors to balloon in coming years. In order to spend these growing research funds wisely, COSTECH needed to modernise its grant-giving practices. Good financial practice, it knew, doesnt come cheap. Now, a nascent initiative to create an African grant management standard could help other institutions improve their administration practices, making them more attractive to donors in turn. But the initiative will only fulfil this promise if African researchers engage with its design to make sure it addresses their problems. It also could mean better information on who funds what in Africa a question that is harder to answer than it sounds, given the multiplicity of donors funding research on the continent. Red tape burden Research grant management may not be the sexiest topic as we consider Africas scientific renaissance. But it is an important one, and one that poses major problems for researchers on the continent. The main challenge is not administration in the national funding system, as in the case of Tanzanias COSTECH. Rather, the international donor funding that bankrolls much of the continents research comes with stringent auditing requirements. But the initiative will only fulfil this promise if African researchers engage with its design to make sure it addresses their problems. Linda Nordling Often, each foreign-funded research project that an African institution participates in comes with its own particular reporting criteria. Where institutions get their funding from a variety of donors, these criteria turn into a morass of red tape, which often overwhelms these institutions scanty grant management capacities. As a result, African scientists themselves tend to spend a lot of time dealing with grant administration, rather than focusing on their research. It is just one of the many ways in which they are at a disadvantage compared with their better-resourced colleagues in the global North. For instance, universities in the United Kingdom and the United States employ many grant managers to help institutions cope with the administrative burdens of winning competitive grants. Pooling best practice There are initiatives to boost research management capacity in Africa through regional research and innovation management associations, so-called RIMAs. The southern African one, SARIMA, is the continents biggest, with around 400 institutional members. Its eastern, central and western counterparts (EARIMA, CARIMA, and WARIMA) are smaller but nevertheless active in their corners of the continent. These initiatives will be backed by a new initiative launched in Nairobi last month (27-28 January) to harmonise financial reporting requirements across Africa. The Good Financial Grant Practice (GFGP) initiative, which is being implemented by the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) in partnership with NEPAD (the New Partnership for Africas Development) Agency and the African Organisation for Standardisation, aims to produce a standardised management system for African institutions and donors by the end of 2017. The idea grew out of a discussion that began in 2012 between major funders of medical research and development aid in Africa, according to the AAS. Two of these funders the Wellcome Trust and Medical Research Council, both in the UK are funding development of the standard. The idea is to canvass African researchers as well as international donors as to what should be in the joint standard. The consultation started in Kenya last month. This month, funders will meet in London to discuss what they want out of a joint grant practice. And a West African meeting is due to take place in Dakar, Senegal, in early March. Researchers take note The initiative, launched in Nairobi, Kenya, is an important step in bolstering Africas scientific autonomy. By consolidating their financial reporting to donors, African research institutions will save time and money that they would otherwise spend on grant administration. And by adopting the standard, they also furnish funders with a guarantee as to their ability to manage grants boosting their credibility as grant-seekers. Indeed, the GFGP initiative is great news for Africa if it is truly shaped in the interest of the continents researchers.For that to happen, the researchers must in turn engage with the initiative to make sure it meets their needs. And African researchers must also accept that they may need to be more open about their sources of funding.Because, on the other side of the grant management coin is a long-standing ambition to map who funds what in Africa especially when it comes to medical research to avoid overlaps or gaps in this multi-funder landscape.A common standard for grant management will ultimately help those funders and observers who want better oversight of international funding in Africa.Journalist Linda Nordling, based in Cape Town, South Africa, specialises in African science policy, education and development. She was the founding editor of Research Africa and writes for SciDev.Net, Nature and others. FLORENCE, S.C. Following a town hall meeting Thursday morning at the Pee Dee State Farmers Market, presidential candidate Jeb Bush told the Morning News that he feels good about his campaign moving up in recent polls. Ive seen polling thats done, tracking polls, that show that were close to second place (in South Carolina), Bush said. Trumps pretty far ahead. I dont know how people are going to make that final decision. Bush said he will continue to work hard until the end. Thursdays stop was the former Florida governors third appearance in Florence ahead of Saturdays Republican primary. A crowd of supporters turned out to hear the candidate speak. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), U.S. Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.) and professional fisherman Roland Martin were touring with Bush on Thursday morning. Graham said Bush is head and shoulders above everybody else in the race and understands the job of the presidency because his brother and father were presidents. During his brief speech, Graham gave Bush supporters what he called a quick foreign policy test. He asked the crowd: How many of you believe that Putin is not our friend? How many of you believe that its not a good idea to outsource our national security to China when it comes to North Korea? How many of you believe that George W. Bush is not responsible for 9/11? Each question in the quiz resulted in the majority of members of the crowd raising their hands. Graham said Donald Trump is 0 for 3 and any person who cant answer those questions should not be the Republican Party nominee or president of the United States. The bottom line is, we owe it to those fighting this war to pick a commander in chief worthy of their sacrifice, Graham said. Martin, who has fished with both George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush, spoke about Bushs time as governor of Florida. Im endorsing Gov. Jeb Bush because hes one of the finest sportsmen I can think of, Martin said. He was our governor for eight years in Florida. He did so many neat things. Martin said Bush brought together entities to save the Everglades, supported Florida fisherman and during his term as governor gun ownership increased while crime with guns decreased. I just want to tell you as a sportsman, we have no better ally in Washington than Jeb Bush, Martin said. And thank you sir for a job well done and next is commander in chief. Before introducing Bush to the crowd at Thursdays campaign event, Rice compared the last seven years in Washington to the dreary weather South Carolina has experienced the last few months. Its time for a little bit of change, isnt it? You know how you feel when the clouds part and the dreariness left and the suns finally shining? Rice asked the crowd. Thats how its going to feel in November when we elect Jeb Bush. Bush made a few commitments Thursday morning. The first one is I wont blame my predecessor for whatever problems exist, he said. When I put my hand on the Bible, I will accept personal responsibility for whatever the challenges are. Finally, let me just tell you something that grounds my philosophy about life and about politics, which is I believe life is a gift from God, Bush said. That its divinely inspired that we all have a purpose in life, that if all of us reach our full potential, nothing will stop the United States of America. Bush told the Morning News that if hes elected president of the United States, during his first few hours he will announce the move of the American embassy from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Jerusalem and will work with Congress to fix things instead of using executive power and eliminate executive orders that he says are unconstitutional. WASHINGTON, S.C. The Faith and Politics Institute will lead a bipartisan Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage to South Carolina on March 18-20, 2016. A delegation of up to three dozen members of Congress will take part in a journey that explores the unique role of faith and the civil rights history of South Carolina. The pilgrimage will make stops in Columbia, Orangeburg and Charleston and listen to the stories of civil rights luminaries, religious leaders and historians. U.S. House of Representatives Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn (D-SC) and U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) along with Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and civil rights movement icon U.S. Representative John Lewis (D-GA) will co-host the pilgrimage the weekend of March 18-20, 2016. Participants will learn about South Carolina civil rights pioneers such as Septima Clark and about the 400-year old Gullah Geechee cultural heritage. The delegation is scheduled to visit such historic sites as Zion and Brookland Baptist Churches and that of the Orangeburg massacre where three students were killed on February 8, 1968 while demonstrating against segregation. Participants will also discuss the impact of the 2015 Charleston killing, and the reactions of the victims family members on the community, South Carolina and nation. The pilgrimage culminates in a Sunday worship service at the historic Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. The murders of nine people of faith at Mother Emanuel AME church in Charleston is a cornerstone of the pilgrimage that will connect participants to the ongoing conversation of racial healing and reconciliation in America today. In the wake of the massacre, the faith and courage demonstrated by the survivors, members of the victims families and the Mother Emanuel AME church allowed the nation to witness the power of love and forgiveness, which holds open the door to increased understanding and reconciliation. On this journey, many who led the civil rights movement and lived its history will lead efforts to support effective government by bringing members of Congress together in a spirit of openness, honesty and reconciliation across lines of race, religion and political affiliations for the purpose of working together in service to our nation and the world. The leaders of the pilgrimage will hold media briefings during the course of the weekend. Since 1998, The Faith and Politics Institute has led annual bipartisan Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimages to five southern states affording hundreds of members of the U.S. House and Senate an experiential journey through the American civil rights movement as well as international trips. Described by some members as one of the most valuable experiences of their time in Congress, the bipartisan pilgrimages offer opportunities for engaged and reflective dialogue that transcends politics. New Delhi: The nation has been shaken by the level of defiance to top court orders followed by attacks in court premises, pushing the country to another level of lawlessness. Donning the role of a 'true patriot', Advocate Vikram Singh Chauhan took the sole responsibility on himself of leading the court attacks on two consecutive days in the national capital. JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who was produced in court on Wednesday afternoon, faced a few blows right in the middle of Patiala House court premises, in the presence of lawyers and cops. The ambush was led by none other than Chauhan. This was not Chauhans first. His act of hooliganism was caught on camera earlier too when he, along with fellow lawyers, attacked journalists, students and JNU faculty members on Monday outside the same court. What could be the reason behind this? A glance through Facebook may perhaps have an answer - power? Chauhan is seen photographed with the top BJP leadership right from Rajnath Singh to LK Advani. He has also posted pictures of himself standing next to BJP leaders such as JP Nadda, Nirmala Sitharaman, Anurag Thankur, Sushil Modi, Dharmendra Pradhan and Kailash Vijaywargiya. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh with Vikram Singh Chauhan (Photo: Facebook) While the cover photo of his page shows Chauhan posing with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the profile photo is of him with veteran BJP leader LK Advani. Vikram Singh Chauhan with BJP veteran leader LK Advani. (Photo: Facebook) With more than 300 likes on Facebook, Chauhan describes himself as a lawyer and also a worker of BJP. Vikram Singh Chauhan with BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman (Photo: Facebook) Vikram Singh Chauhan with BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur. (Photo: Facebook) Vikram Singh Chauhan with BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya (Photo: Facebook) Vikram Singh Chauhan with BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (Photo: Facebook) Chauhans Facebook timeline shows as many as nine posts between February 11 and 15 in which he urged lawyers to reach the court on time to demonstrate patriotism and teach the traitors a lesson. Speaking to various sections of the media, Chauhan remained thoroughly defiant and threatened to resort to violence once again in the future if people continued to raise anti-India slogans. "People who said 'Pakistan Zindabad' have been made heroes and we are being called gundas," he said. Chauhan also claimed that it was he who sent out an invitation to others to join in the proceedings at Patiala House court when Kanhaiya was brought in for questioning on Monday. He led the large group of lawyers who barged into the court complex carrying flags and shouting slogans of "Bharat Maata Ki Jai" and "Vande Mataram". In complete defiance of the Supreme Court order which limited the number of people inside the courtroom, allowing only five reporters and two supporters of the arrested students to attend the hearing, Chauhan went ahead with his team and attacked Kanhaiya. As Kanhaiya Kumar was being brought to the court, lawyers started rounding him up and assaulting him. Police who remained mute witnesses to the blatant attack on both ocassions. So far there has been no case filed against him. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declined to receive an honorary doctorate from Banaras Hindu University, citing his policy of not accepting such degrees, official sources said here on Thursday. Modi will be visiting BHU on February 22 to attend its convocation during which the University had proposed to confer him with honorary Doctorate of Law. BHU, in a statement, had said it proposed to confer Doctor of Laws (LLD) (honoris causa) on Modi in recognition of his "yeoman services as an innovator, reformer and an outstanding leader in public service and governance". It had requested for his consent but the Prime Minister has said he will not accept the doctorate, the sources said. This is not the first time that Modi has declined such a doctorate. In the run up to his US visit in 2014, a university in Louisiana had proposed to confer an honorary doctorate on the Prime Minister in recognition of his contribution towards social transformation, especially for empowering women and minorities in Gujarat, to which he did not agree. Even as chief minister, he has declined several honorary doctorates from various universities. Visakhapatnam: The bus tour which was initiated by the HCU students concluded at Andhra University on Wednesday. The JAC of University of Hyderabad kicked off a bus tour on February 10, demanding justice to HCU scholar Rohith Vemula who recently committed suicide, and toured various universities in both Telugu states. Various student unions also supported it and joined the week-long bus tour. Speaking on this occasion, Prof. Sharon Raju, a faculty of Andhra University, said that they would fight until justice is served to the family of Rohith. We ask the government to hasten the inquiry and punish the culprits in the case. To prevent the suicides of students and employees from the marginalised sections of the society, the government should bring a new law for them". "Union government should also form a judiciary committee to study the caste-based discrimination and prejudice in various universities. We would take up the Chalo Delhi programme to protest against the injustice meted by the Central government to Rohith on February 20, added Prof. Raju. Lucknow: Taking on BSP chief Mayawati, a key contender for power in Uttar Pradesh, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused her of not "encouraging Dalit leadership" in a bid to keep her "firm grip on power". He also attacked the Modi government, accusing it of "killing" Rohith Vemula, the Dalit scholar from Hyderabad University, whose suicide triggered a nationwide outrage. "Mayawati did not utilise the platform provided by Kanshiram...she did not encourage Dalit leadership in the party in a bid to keep her firm grip on power," he said addressing a 'Dalit concalve' at party office here. He alleged the BSP chief, in fact, "crushed and suppressed" emerging Dalit leadership. "Mayawati failed to ensure proper benefit to the Dalits. She did not promote young Dalit leadership when she became the Chief Minister. She tried to crush and suppress Dalit leadership and attempted to concentrate all power in her hand," he alleged. Claiming that the Dalit youth are now "frightened" by Mayawati's leadership, he said this presents an opportunity before the Congress. Congress now wants to give them the space to transform Uttar Pradesh, he said. "Congress has a big opportunity since Dalits have now started raising questions as to why they have not got any benefits in the last ten years. "We want to invite you (Dalit youths) to Congress and give you powers because you have not progressed the way you should have," he said. BSP's emergence on the Uttar Pradesh's political landscape led to gradual erosion of the solid Dalit vote base of the Congress, which it is trying to regain. Speaking about his Hyderabad visit after the suicide by Dalit research scholar Vemula, Rahul said, "Rohith was killed by the government of India. He was supressed by the government and forced to commit suicide. An RSS man is heading the institution there and voice of Rohith was not heard." Congress has kept the heat on the NDA government over Vemula's suicide with its Scheduled Caste department raising it in several places across Uttar Pradesh during the party's ongoing Bhim Jyoti yatra. He said, "Dalits are asking themselves whether Congress could give place to Dalit youths and leaders in the party. We want to take Dalits with us as they did not get desired progress in UP and in the country". On his visit to Dalit homes, Rahul said, "BJP men termed my visit as 'dhong' (drama) but he want to tell them that a true Congressmen has concern for the poor...they (BJP) will not understand it." Attacking BJP and RSS, Rahul said they were trying to "hamper progress" of the country by "imposing" their ideology but Congress would not let that happen. "BJP and RSS are trying to hamper growth of the country by imposing their ideology. Congress is fighting with RSS and it will not let it succeed in its designs," Rahul said. He said while Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not like MNREGS scheme launched by UPA, his Finance Minister Arun Jaitely says "there is not such programme like MNREGS". "I asked Jaitley that Modiji termed it a bad scheme, while you consider it a good one. Why you don't say this outside. We will save MNREGS and fight for rights of the minorities and Dalits," he said. He also alleged that BJP and RSS were trying to impose their ideology on the education system, too. Members of BJP Yuva Morcha displayed black flags and raised slogans against Rahul Gandhi when he came to attend 'Dalit Conclave'. The BJPYM members staged the protest against Rahul near RTO office for his support to "anti-national elements", BJPYM state general secretary Abhijat Mishra said. There was a report of clash between the members of Congress and BJP, after which police used mild force. Mishra claimed that some morcha members had been detained by police but the exact number was not known. Kochi: The 12-hour hartal called by the BJP in Ernakulam district to protest the police lathi charge against party workers at Tripunithara affected life partially in the district as public transport facilities remained off roads. Most business establishments and shops also remained closed as BJP workers were seen forcing the closure of shops that remained opened in the city. Private vehicles including some autorikshaws and taxis operated in the city. Most government and private offices reported a sharp fall in attendance as people were unable to reach their offices due to lack of transport facilities. Attendance at the District Collectorate in Kakkanad was down by nearly 70 per cent as no bus services were available. In Infopark, the hub of IT industries in Kochi, all offices functioned with reduced staff. Nearly 50-60 per cent of the staff attended offices, but, other stayed away because of paranoia, said Rishikesh Nair CEO of the Infopark. At Cochin airport, all flights operated normally though there was a slight fall in the number of departing passengers because of the strike. Works on the Kochi Metro rail remained unaffected. Earlier in the morning, activists of the Hindu Aiyavedi took out a march from the Ernakulam Town hall demanding action against the culprit police officers. The BJP called for the hartal as part of the protests mounted by it and the ABVP in connection with the suicide attempt by a dalit girl student of RLV College in Tripunithura. The BJP and ABVP leaderships allege that the police have failed to take action against SFI activists involved in the incident. According to the ABVP, the girl a former activist of SFI, joined the ABVP after which SFI activists launched a slander campaign including graffiti in the campus against her. The FIR was registered based on the video clip obtained from the channels office on 11 February. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Amid mounting outrage over JNU row, it has emerged now that JNUSU leader Kanhaiya Kumar was slapped with sedition charge based on a video clip of the controversial event at the university aired by a Hindi news channel. According to the FIR, police slapped the case of sedition against JNUSU president Kumar on 11 February after obtaining the video clip of the event, held two days earlier, from the channel though policemen were present at the event. Police had arrested Kumar on 12 February, accusing him of making anti-India remarks at the event organised by a Leftist students' union to protest against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Students of JNU have been maintaining that Kumar never raised such objectionable slogans. The FIR was registered based on the video clip obtained from the channels office on 11 February. The FIR said after receiving information from JNU about possible trouble at the event, three constables were sent in civil clothes there. HC Rambir No. 2923/SD, CT Karmbir No. 1664/SD, CT Dharmbir No. 3846/SD were sent in civil dress to the Sabarmati Dhaba and were briefed accordingly, the FIR said. There were some policemen in uniform too. In the later stages of investigation, the police acquired two more video clips. The footage was broadcast on February 10 evening, following which the police sent a letter to the channels editor and obtained the video clip in a CD the next day. According to the FIR, the video showed that students raised pro-Pakistan slogans at the event. It said 80-90 students were present at the event. Police said they have identified 10 students, including Umar Khalid. Noam Chomsky backs kanhaiya Kumar Eminent scientists and writers from across the world, including renowned thinker Noam Chomsky and Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, have joined the chorus of protest against the arrest of JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case. A statement signed by 86 academicians from renowned universities abroad condemns the culture of authoritarian menace that the present government in India has generated and said those in power are replicating the dark times of an oppressive colonial period and of the Emergency of the mid-1970s. The statement also condemned police's action in this matter. Belagavi: The Kalasa-Banduri Naala project, which will bring a mere 7.5 tmc feet of water to the Malaprabha in Karnataka from Goa's Mandovi river, could prove a huge financial burden on the state . The project , which cost Rs 94 crore in 2008, will today need Rs 758 crore to implement. And if the Mahadayi Water Tribunal delays it further, the cost could go up even more. Over Rs 100 crore has already been spent on the initial phase of the Kalsa nala by the state government which has chosen to go ahead with it although it has not received all the Central clearances yet. Once the tribunal gives its okay more work on the project will begin in the dense forest on the border between the two states. Going by documents provided under RTI, the government is exploring all legal options to fight Goa on the project. It has spent a whopping Rs 9 crore as fees for lawyers arguing its case for the last several months. Legal bigwigs like Fali Nariman are assisting it in its case before the tribunal. CM Siddaramaiah and several other leaders from the state have failed to persuade the Centre and Goa to resolve the dispute out of court. Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka are now likely to meet to discuss whether the project can be implemented without the tribunal's clearance. Meanwhile, leaders from Hubli-Dharwad, Nargund, Navalgund, Badami, Ron Gadag and several surrounding villages are on an indefinite dharna in various parts of north-Karnataka to bring pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and resolve the dispute. The Union Water Resources Ministry had cleared the project in 2002, encouraging Karnataka to begin work on it at Kankumbi. Bengaluru: Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind, said Albert Einstein. On Saturday, a student from the Indian Institute of Science, who also happens to be an alumnus of Jadavpur University, posted the Einstein quote on the institutes Facebook page. This was enough to fetch him a volley of death threats, with right-wing nationalists telling him, in so many words, that he will be shot for talking against the constitution. As hundreds of students, intellectuals and artists and young people angered by the incarceration of JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar and the way he was beaten by a group of lawyers as he was taken to court on Wednesday, gathered in the IT capital, the sense of unease over freedoms curtailed has grown. Over the last month, the student, who wishes to remain anonymous for his own safety, says his Facebook profile had been hacked as well - a complaint that has now become a refrain amongst liberal-thinking students across educational institutes. Now, even Einstein is being called anti-national! he laughed. "I have always had these views, but death threats are definitely a first. This is no atmosphere for researchers, we're always afraid of being misunderstood. However, I want to stay and fight. The sense of menace underlying the torrents of abuse thrown at anyone who isn't fervently right-wing has seeped insidiously into daily life, with violence and sabotage quickly becoming the norm. The protest at Town Hall on Thursday evening was a far-cry from the violent outbursts being reported across the country. The organisers - the Consortium of Academicians and Researchers - didn't expect more than a 100 people to show up and were visibly overwhelmed by the support they received when thrice that number turned up. Speaking at the Capital Link Greek Shipping Forum, Henriette Brent-Petersen, of DVB Bank said, "2015 changed the perception of shipping and this will continue in 2016. The mindset of the banker will now not see all sectors with the same glasses. Banks will look more carefully at the demand side, as demand is different for each sector, she said, warning, "It is going to get worse in 2016." Generally, the bankers said 2015 was "a good year for their shipping business" but very challenging. Richard Jansen, Deutsche Banks global co-head of transportation, took the opportunity to deny rumours the bank was quitting shipping. "I wouldnt be sitting here if we would be exiting the building, he said, adding DB is absolutely rock solid. Carsten Wiebers, director Kfw Ipex-Bank, said 2015 "was an excellent year for the shipping franchise" after "having digested the KG issues". He noted shipping is under the scrutiny of the [financial] regulators, "though it is a small part of the bank's business" this is putting pressure on the bank". All bankers agreed, with Citi's Michael Parkers assessment, "the money is there for the right things", but as he also said "there is no can that can be kicked down the road". Bankers said funds will be available to those who have funds to take advantage of opportunities, but for most it is going to be tough sailing. Jansen said "banks and customers are going to have some difficult discussions". Michail Zekyrgias, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, believes 2016 will be a buyers market. "There will be distress opportunities for buyers to explore. Jan Erik Gross, HSH Nordbank, said, "we are in crisis and facing a landslide, but this offers opportunities", advocating consolidation, as larger operators have more bargaining power. Gunner Cerig of EY said shipping companies could no longer rely on banks to provide a solution. He said owners approaching a bank "must have a clear plan to deal with a problem, a clear structure which is often not the case in family companies". But, Evan Cohen, principal, DC Maritime Partners, chimed in: "Private owners want to stay in business, while equity investors will be ready to move on." The call came at a high-level meeting organised by the Dutch Presidency of the EU Council in Amsterdam on Monday. ECSA president Niels Smedegaard, also ceo of ferry operator DFDS, said that short-sea shipping has been on the EUs agenda for quite some time but a number of long-standing problems remain unresolved. The market share of short-sea shipping in Europe has stagnated, and worse still, declined in recent years, he pointed out, despite the benefits that moving goods and people by sea around Europe instead of using other transport modes would bring in terms of decongesting land-based transports, easing pressure on logistics chains and dramatically reducing air emissions. Short sea shipping is an often overlooked segment of the EU transport system, one that has huge potential, which could be unleashed if the many legislative and administrative weighing it down were treated in a holistic manner, added ECSA secretary-general Patrick Verhoeven. There are many low-hanging fruits and we are ready to work closely with EU policy makers to find the best way forward. In particular, ECSA laments the absence of a true Single Market for shipping which it says disproportionately affects short sea opearators. For example, the European Commission in 2010 proposed legislation to rationalise and streamline the administrative formalities for ships calling at EU ports by moving to paperless environment, but so far the desired goal of a harmonised EU Single Window (data entry point) has failed to materialise, ECSA says. At the Amsterdam meeting EC deputy director-general DG Move, Fotis Karamitsos, commented that the EU Single Window is within reach. The technology is available, it is now only a matter of political will. The shipping industry should continue its campaign for a more workable solution. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday virtually paved the way for government formation in Arunachal Pradesh by vacating its order on maintenance of status quo, after being satisfied with the Gauhati High Court order staying the disqualification of the 14 rebel Congress MLAs. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice J S Khehar, on perusing the records regarding disqualification of 14 rebel Congress MLAs, said it is prima facie satisfied with the High Court order. "Prima facie we are not inclined to interfere with the High Court order, we are satisfied with it. Having seen the original records which are put before us by the Registrar General of Gauhati High Court, the order of January 7 calls for no interference at this stage. "Accordingly, the ad-interim order passed is vacated," the bench also comprising Justices Dipak Misra, M B Lokur, P C Ghose and N V Ramana said. The bench also transferred the case regarding disqualification of the 14 legislators from the single judge to the division bench of the high court and asked it to expeditiously decide the matter within two weeks. The bench, however, made it clear that any further action taken will be subject to the outcome of the matter pending before it. Hours after the Union Cabinet had yesterday decided to recommend revocation of President's Rule in Arunachal Pradesh, the apex court had ordered maintenance of status quo in the crisis-ridden state till it examined judicial and assembly records on disqualification of the 14 rebel Congress MLAs by former Speaker Nabam Rebia. The interim order had came after senior lawyers F S Nariman and Kapil Sibal, appearing for Arunachal Congress leaders, had sought maintenance of status quo till their plea seeking to restrain Governor J P Rajkhowa from swearing in a new government in Arunachal Pradesh was decided. The bench had directed the Secretary General of Arunachal Pradesh Assembly and the Gauhati High Court Registry to furnish records, pertaining to the proceedings conducted by Speaker Nabam Rebia under Xth Schedule of the Constitution pertaining to disqualification of the MLAs, by today. The bench, while noting that some part of the records was also in the safe custody of the Gauhati High Court, had directed the Registrar General of the High Court to ensure that the sealed record pertaining to the disqualification of the 14 MLAs, was produced in this court. Nariman and Sibal had also mentioned before the bench, which is hearing a batch of pleas on constitutional powers of the Governors, that Union Cabinet had recommended revocation of President's Rule in the state. Both senior lawyers had urged the bench to consider their plea for interim relief yesterday, apprehending swearing-in of a new Chief Minister by today. Nariman had said the Governor had on January 26 dismissed the Chief Minister and his council of ministers even when the assembly was in suspended animation. "Governor cannot pass any such order during subsistence of proclamation," he had said, adding that even the Gauhati High Court should not have stayed the disqualification of the 14 MLAs as Chief Whip of the party was not impleaded in the case. The bench had then said that the interim order of the High Court came on the ground that these 14 MLAs were not served notice. "If you have some evidence that they (rebel MLAs) were served notice before being disqualified by the Speaker, then its altogether a different matter," the bench said. Nariman had denied having any such record with him and said that an ad-interim order passed by the High Court cannot be passed in the limited powers of judicial review. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for some rebel Congress MLAs, had opposed the plea and contended that this petition was not maintainable. He had said the hearing was deferred on December 14 to 15, 2015 after the Speaker was informed that notices have been not served. The bench then said it wanted to see the original records of proceedings, which happened on December 14 and 15 and posted the matter for further hearing on tomorrow. Contrary to a stereotypical view that some people have of me, I entertain a sneaking admiration of Jawaharlal Nehru University. Billed by Indira Gandhi as a centre of excellence when it was established in the early-1970s, around the time I was an undergraduate at St. Stephens College, situated at the other end of Delhi, JNU epitomised the exact opposite of our undergrad experience. For a start, it was socially varied. Yes, St. Stephens had a fairly representative student body in terms of geographical spread. The college residence (as the hostel was called) had a generous sprinkling of students from Patna, Hazaribagh, Jaipur, Calcutta, Lucknow and the north-eastern states. Southern and western India was, by contrast, under-represented. However, the overwhelming majority were from similar English-medium schools and, consequently, shared not only a common language but broadly similar social assumptions. There was a seamless and untroubled transition from the public schools and Christian-run schools to Stephens. By contrast, JNU was far more socially diverse. Its admissions policy was structured to ensure that people with access to less privileged undergraduate education were accommodated. The ridiculously cheap (often verging on near-zero cost) fees also made it possible for students with modest parental income to receive quality education. A consequence of this social levelling was that the student body had a far richer and varied social connect. Second, unlike Delhi University where the engagement between students and teachers was nominal at the post-graduate level, except at the Delhi School of Economics, JNUs healthy student-teacher ration made it possible for teachers to engage more closely with their students. This, quite naturally, facilitated a better quality of education. Whereas the Stephanians compensated this shortcoming with a vibrant culture of peer group support, it discriminated against those who needed constant encouragement and even some spoon-feeding. Finally, the collegiate atmosphere of the two institutions was markedly different. Some of this may be explained by the fact that Stephens was essentially for undergraduates while JNU catered to post-graduate and research students. Stephanians were usually disdainful of activism. This is not to imply that they were apolitical. I can recall the unending early-evening adda sessions at the University Coffee House that used to be located at the rear corner of the vice-chancellors office. It was here that some of us got to be friends with the likes of Arun Jaitley, an ABVP activist and an office bearer of the Delhi University Students Union. And it was at the Coffee House that we met the hostel girls from Miranda House and Indraprastha College and other students from Hindu College. Many of these Coffee House friendships have endured over the years. I am not in a position to accurately reflect the quality of social life in JNU. From what my contemporaries tell me, their late-night sessions at the various dhabas and hostel rooms were equally enthralling with the presence of women students adding to the attraction. However, there was one major difference. At Stephens the overwhelming majority shunned political activism. This was partly due to a sharp abhorrence of the senselessness of a preceding generation that had chosen to abandon their studies and go underground to join the Naxalite movement in some corner of Bihar. Their traumatic experiences usually marked by an overwhelming sense of futility narrated to us by those who had returned to complete their education, proved a major deterrent. Thus, even the handful of us who were excited and inspired by Jayaprakash Narayans total revolution call, were not enthralled by the idea of abandoning studies for a year. In the three years I spent at St. Stephens, the high points of political excitement were a boisterous meeting of Tariq Ali (organised on a Sunday evening by Stephanians who were now in JNU) and convivial discussions with the likes of the amiable Piloo Mody of the Swatantra Party. The political fare offered at JNU was both more varied and limited. All the 57 varieties of Marxist thought may have been rigorously dissected but it was all Left politics and more Left politics. In an article celebrating the JNU ambience, Professor Peter DeSouza a truly wonderful individual whose political orientation is far removed from mine has argued that in JNU the liberal persuasion was not allowed the space it should have been given by the Stalinist Left. The political spectrum was wide but could have been wider. Analytical thinking was feeble and ideological camps gave protection to the less capable. DeSouza was, predictably, rationing his criticism in view of the present controversy over the explosion of azadi sloganeering in JNU, but the thrust of his observations are apparent. Despite the apparent civility and the openness, JNU of the late-1970s was also defeating the very purpose of a university and becoming an ideological centre. The ideological cronyism that often marked its academic appointments ensured that belief systems were reproduced and perpetuated over generations. With activism being marked by astonishing sets of certitudes, it was only natural and, indeed, inevitable that the ambience would turn roguish once there was a challenge to the existing ideological ecosystem. I sensed some of this in early-2014 when I was invited to deliver a post-dinner talk on the Narendra Modi phenomenon. There was a large audience who heard me and then posed both friendly and hostile questions. That, after all, is the hallmark of student meetings. However, what was disconcerting was that it ended with a bout of voluble and excitable war of slogans between supporters and opponents of our present Prime Minister. Today, after Mr Modis victory in 2014, and the growing marginalisation of the Left, it is this sloganeering that has become the norm with absolutely absurd fringe groups using the campus as a safe house. Whether its Students Union President is guilty of sedition or was a mere useful idiot in a more sinister game that he had failed to grasp is for the courts to decide. But what seems apparent is the fact that blind hatred towards a regime, the growing obsolescence of a belief system and the rise of alternative challenges has propelled a move towards unacceptable extremism. What has stunned me is not a possible police flat-footedness but the inability of the larger JNU community (and its fellow travellers) to acknowledge that even intellectual permissiveness has its limits. And that wider society also matters. Events being triggered from the JNU campus last week are leaving the country in turmoil. It is unlikely that even an interim calm can be restored unless Kanhaiya Kumar, the student union president who has been thrown into jail on the charge of sedition, is honourably set free. Even the report of the police now appears to suggest that he had not made any so-called anti-national speech, not that such a speech category exists in our laws. If anything, the impassioned and well-rounded speech Mr Kumar made when some others were raising offensive slogans was in defence of the Indian Constitution, and was in the nature of throwing a challenge to the idea of nationalism embedded in Hindutva. This was in keeping with his CPI affiliation. Nevertheless, last Tuesday, JNU students and teachers, as well as Delhi journalists, were physically assaulted by a group of BJP-oriented lawyers at the Patiala House court where they had peacefully assembled in connection with the sedition case, and the police mutely looked on. A Delhi BJP MLA was also among the assaulters, who were encouraged by the polices inaction. The following day, Mr Kumar was himself badly beaten up by the Hindutva-oriented goon squad of lawyers when he was brought by the police to appear before the court. The police had been admonished by the Supreme Court in light of the previous days event and charged with maintaining order in the district court premises. But it remained impassive as BJPs goons ran amok. A committee of top-notch lawyers sent by the Supreme Court to Patiala House courts for a report were also showered with abuse and chased away by the Hindutva lawyers. These shameful happenings were taking place in the heart of New Delhi, a stones throw from Parliament House. From the first day when trouble erupted in JNU until the physical attack on Mr Kumar, the police has given the impression of doing the bidding of the BJP government at the Centre. Eventually, the Supreme Court said Mr Kumars safety in Tihar jail would be the personal responsibility of Delhi police commissioner B.S. Bassi, whose conduct so far suggests that his agenda is to ingratiate himself with his political masters. So repugnant to the idea of civilised debate on nationalism have recent goings-on been that three leaders of the ABVP, RSS student wing, in JNU have resigned in protest. They have asked some basic questions. Meanwhile, unrestrained by any sense of political morality, a Delhi BJP MP has called for the removal of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, CPI leader D. Raja and CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury from Parliament for supporting anti-national students. On the same ground, a Rajasthan BJP MLA has asked for Mr Gandhi to be hanged and shot. Why is the BJP leadership silent? You've seen them everywhere in parks and wetlands across metro Detroit-- dense thickets of the 10-foot-tall grass towering over highways and parks, obscuring views and crowding out native habitats.That's Phragmites , and it's earned a reputation as the poster child of non-native species invading southeast Michigan.The plant has served as kindling for 100-acre-plus fire disasters, most notably near Great Lakes Crossing in 2012 and on Harsens Island in 2013 . Despite the plant's ubiquity, it provides little shelter for wildlife. And seeds carried by wind or animals spread quickly to new areas, taking root and starting new invasions in natural areas all across metro Detroit.Invasive species know no jurisdictional boundaries," says Brittany Bird, vice chair of the new Oakland County Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA). "We can pour tons of money into controlling an invasive on our side of the fence, and it comes back every year from the neighbors who are not doing anything to control it.CISMAs are a new model of collaborative management unfolding across the state. They are designed to get people working together to address the threats posed by invasive species.The approach is just beginning to develop in southeast Michigan. The Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program , launched by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in 2014, awarded $4.2 million to groups in its first year for projects ranging from mapping oak wilt on private lands to creating a network for data on invasive species.The program recently announced another $3.6-million round that will expand the range and impact of the program around the state. Two of the grants are going to groups in metro Detroit.This funding is creating an opportunity for people to work together to address problems, says Spencer Kellum of The Stewardship Network . Kellum coordinates funding proposals for two CISMAs in southeast Michigan, the Oakland County CISMA and another focused on coastal Lake St. Clair. Among their many goals, the CISMAs aim to make the issue of rapidly spreading phragmites and other troublesome invasive species a lot more manageable.We have, in Oakland County alone, 62 cities, villages, and townships that all have independent home rule, says Bird, The county doesnt step in and have jurisdiction over them. So youre having to knit together each of those interests and bring them to the table and come to consensus and agreement.So far, the Oakland County CISMA has brought 19 parties to the table -- a mix of cities, townships, county agencies, land conservancies, and nonprofits -- to pool resources and knowledge about the different invasive species that affect each area.In the last couple of years, theyve all signed memoranda of understanding, agreeing to work together to fight six invasive plants : phragmites, black swallow-wort, flowering rush, japanese knotweed, European frogbit, and Chinese yam.And they just received notice that they were successful in their grant application to the MDNR. The Oakland County CISMA will receive $243,775 to develop a collaborative strategic plan for to detect, prevent, and control invasives in Oakland County.We can start to, on a larger scale, map out where some of the satellite populations are where it seems to be starting to spread, says Bird. For example, only three townships in Oakland County are heavily impacted by swallow-wort, but its starting to spread east. Because of the CISMA's shared knowledge, townships just starting to see black swallow-wort can now begin attacking the species earlier than if they hadnt known it was an issue.As part of the grant project, Bird plans to develop a mobile app for Oakland County residents to use to input locations of invasive species so that the CISMA can better utilize the areas population to understand which areas are most in need of care.Bird says the organization also plans to hire a third-party coordinator to oversee their workings and progress, as well as to identify and prioritize emerging invasive species. The coordinator position would serve not only the Oakland County CISMA, but also a new one growing around Lake St. Clair.The Lake St. Clair Collaborative Invasive Species Control also received a grant -- $254,526 to facilitate interjurisdictional collaboration to manage a host of invasives like phragmites along coastal Lake St. Clair.The CISMA includes a mix of 17 partners including local, county and state agencies, as well as nonprofit organizations.Much of our focus is higher up in the watershed," says Bill Parkus, an environmental planner with the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments . "Were focusing on going after phragmites along the county roads, in natural green infrastructure areas such as county parks, as well as sites of recreation and ecotourism.Phragmites is the Lake St. Clair CISMA's number one target, says Parkus, who estimates about 17,000 acres of phragmites across the entire watershed. But black swallow-wort, Japanese knotweed, European frogbit, and flowering rush are also priorities.Success will look like 500 to 1,000 acres of invasive vegetation on the rununder management pressure. says Parkus. He says the grants would help make the issue more manageable for communities, so that areas only need some annual maintenance to remain free of invasive species.The grant will also fund a project to detect and map invasive species in the network. Parkus says he hopes to train about 50 individuals to determine how much work different regions need to manage their invasive species issues.According to Kellum, the two CISMAs will work with the Stewardship Council and each other to mobilize new areas for collaboration and care for their shared land and water. Their ultimate goal: bringing people together.All of a sudden were in a room together talking about these problems, and theyre trying to sort out how we can efficiently work across organizational boundaries, says Kellum.This story is a part of a statewide Invasive Species Community Impact Series. Support for this series is provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. CHIZ: ANTI-DISCRIMINATION BILL TO SAFEGUARD RIGHTS OF LGBT Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero is urging the government to take proactive steps in safeguarding the rights and welfare of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community by passing the anti-discrimination bill. "I ultimately believe that each and every Filipino should have equal rights, access to basic social services, and should be protected from all kinds of discrimination," said Escudero, the frontrunner in all pre-election surveys for vice president. In 2014, Escudero co-authored Senate Bill 2358, also known as the Anti-Discrimination bill, along with his presidential running mate Sen. Grace Poe, which makes any form of discrimination a "crime against humanity and human dignity." The bill prohibits discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, race, religion or belief, sex or gender or sexual orientation, language, disability, educational attainment and other forms of discrimination. "Naniniwala ako na sino ka man, saan ka man nanggaling, dapat pantay ang pagtingin sa'yo ng estado at pantay ang mga karapatang tinatamasa mo bilang isang mamamayan," said Escudero. Citing a basic principle in social justice that those who have less in life should have more in law, the veteran legislator said the LGBT community, a sector of society that is often neglected, is also repeatedly stigmatized by different discriminatory remarks. "Sabi nga ng UN Declaration of Human Rights, na kung saan signatory ang Pilipinas, ang pagkilala sa pantay-pantay ng karapatan ng lahat sa lipunan ang magsisilbing matibay na pundasyon ng kalayaan, hustisya at kapayapaan sa buong mundo," he said. Press Release February 18, 2016 Legarda Receives France's Prestigious Legion of Honor Award French President Francois Hollande, thru French Ambassador to the Philippines Thierry Mathou, has bestowed upon Senator Loren Legarda the title of Chevalier dans l'Ordre de la Legion d'Honneur (Knight in the French National Order of the Legion of Honor). The Legion of Honor is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 and is one of the most prestigious French distinctions. Legarda was given the award for her "truly invaluable contribution in strengthening the bilateral ties between Philippines and France." "This award is a profound recognition that kinship and cooperation have no bounds. We are all soldiers of the bigger cause called humanity. The distinguished history of the award, and its long list of illustrious awardees leave me grateful and humbled; but more importantly, tremendously inspired to live up to the noble principles this award represents," Legarda said during the conferment ceremony held at the residence of Ambassador Mathou in Makati City on February 18. The Senator expressed her appreciation to the French Government not only for the recognition but also for the many opportunities to work with the French Embassy in Manila, through its immediate past Ambassador Gilles Garachon, and added, "I am confident that Ambassador Thierry Mathou will be a perfect collaborator as well." When she was the Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in the 15th Congress, Legarda shepherded the treaty concurrence process, resulting in the adoption of 16 treaties under her watch. Among these was the Protocol Amending the Agreement between the Philippines and France for the Avoidance of Double Taxation. "There have also been many opportunities for cooperation in the field of cultural and heritage preservation; but nothing can be more pronounced than our joint initiative on climate action," said Legarda, who was helpful in the preparations for the visit of President Hollande to the Philippines in 2015. Legarda, who chairs the Senate Committee on Climate Change, helped in crafting the Manila Call to Action for Climate Change, which was signed by President Hollande and President Benigno Aquino III and which the Senator read side by side with French actress Marion Cotillard in Malacanang. Legarda was also invited by President Hollande as the Philippines' representative to the Summit of Consciences for the Climate last year, which was spearheaded by Hulot as part of their commitment to ensuring the success of the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference. "I believe in our two countries determination to succeed in ensuring climate resilience and the protection of the planet. We are in this together. I personally commit, in my capacity as the recently appointed United Nations' Global Champion for Resilience, as a lawmaker, an environmentalist and most especially as a mother, to support France as it takes the lead in assuring that the nations deliver what they promised at the Paris Climate Change Conference last December," she stressed. "My journey as a 'legionnaire' has begun. I recognize that as in any award, there are responsibilities. I intend to fulfill these by serving as a vanguard of our countries' great alliance," Legarda concluded. All the three Opposition parties in West Bengal the Congress, the Left and the Bharatiya Janata Party seem to be in a dilemma. The absence of an alliance will ensure that Mamata Banerjee, chief of All-India Trinamul Congress, has another term as chief minister. And even if the Congress and the Left manage to form an alliance, their collective vote share would still be marginally less (Congress 9.5 per cent + Left 29.6 per cent = 39.1 per cent) than the vote share of the Trinamul Congress in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections (39.3 per cent). In politics, two plus two hardly makes a four. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Trinamul Congress left behind the combined Left with more than 10 per cent votes, while the BJP emerged as the third-largest party with 16.8 per cent votes. The Congress ended up with less than 10 per cent votes. In the 2016 Assembly elections, even if the vote share of the Trinamul Congress declines by few percentage points, victory for the party is ensured. After the massive defeat of the Left in the 2011 Assembly elections, one would have hoped that there would be a revival of the Left Front, but that has not happened. The vote share of the Left declined from 50.2 per cent in 2006 to 41.1 per cent in 2011 and further to 29.6 per cent during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and it ended up with the same number of seats in the Lok Sabha as the BJP from the state (two seats each). The Congress witnessed a steep decline in vote share and was at the fourth position. It cannot even dream of being a formidable Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, forget plotting a return to power. The BJP is on the rise in West Bengal and sure to perform well during the forthcoming Assembly elections. However, it is not a force to pose a serious challenge to Ms Banerjee. The BJP emerged as a strong political force in urban West Bengal. Of the 16.8 per cent votes it got in the state overall, in urban constituencies it polled 24.5 per cent votes, marginally less compared to the Lefts 25.9 per cent urban votes. Even in semi-urban constituencies it polled 21.9 per cent votes. There seems to be some attraction for the BJP amongst the middle class, of which 21 per cent voted for it. But not enough to give Ms Banerjee sleepless nights. With only few months to go for polls, it seems unlikely that either the Left, the Congress or even the BJP can pull off some miracle to win the hearts of voters in such a big way so as to register victory in elections. Also, I dont think the Banerjee government will mess things up so badly to make things difficult for itself. The vote share of the Trinamul Congress in parliamentary elections has increased by 18 per cent in the last decade (from 21 per cent in 2004 Lok Sabha elections to 39.3 per cent during the 2014). During the same time period its vote share in Assembly elections increased by 12 per cent (26.6 per cent in 2006 to 38.9 per cent in 2011). This was due to, in no small measure, the huge support Ms Banerjee has of the states women voters. Surveys by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in 2011 and 2014 show women votes for Ms Banerjee were three-four per cent higher as compared to that of men enough to put the party much ahead of others. In such a situation, the only hope for the Opposition parties to pose a challenge to the Trinamul Congress is to form an alliance a common platform to contest against Ms Banerjee. Leaders of the Congress and the Left have made an effort to form an alliance, but the question is, will they be able to win? It seems unlikely. It is difficult to imagine how the workers of these two parties, who have opposed each other for several years, can work together. And even if they do, given the limited support base which the Congress has in the state at this moment, and with drastically reduced electoral support of the Left, an alliance may not be able to muster votes sizeable enough to defeat the Trinamul Congress. The Trinamul Congress has made heavy inroads amongst the states lower-class voters (43 per cent in 2014) and the poor (38 per cent) who were once the backbone of the Left vote bank in the state. Amongst the lower-class voters, only 27 per cent voted for the Left, while of the rich, 42 per cent voted for it. Findings of the CSDS surveys indicate that the Congress is left with supporters only amongst the Muslims (out of which 24 per cent voted for the Congress in 2014). Given the numbers and politics on ground, it is difficult to assume that the alliance of the Congress and the Left can result in a complete merger of their vote share. It is, thus, important for the Congress to win back the lower-class voters if it aims to stage a comeback. But thats not going to be an easy task for a party that stands fourth in the ranking. Press Release February 18, 2016 Sugar barons sweeten Sen. Marcos' VP bid The country's sugar barons have thrown their support behind the vice presidential bid of Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos, Jr. This developed after Marcos joined leaders of the country's sugar industry in a dinner at the Manila Polo Club on Tuesday and outlined to them his platform of government, especially with respect to agriculture and in particular the sugar industry. "I would like to be very active in all agriculture. Let us just say that I would work very hard for agriculture in general, and the sugar industry in particular," Marcos told the sugar barons. Among those present in the dinner were Confederation of Sugar Producers Association (CONFED) Negros-Panay Chapter president Francis Dela Rama, National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP) president Enrique Roxas, PANAYFED (Panay Federation of Sugarcane Planters) president Danilo Abelita and UNIFED (United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines) president Manuel Lamata as well as several other leaders of various sugar planters association. Marcos vowed to support policies to enhance the industry as he noted sugar's status as the prime dollar earner for the country for a long time and to address as well the persistent problem of sugar smuggling.' After hearing the senator's stand on issues affecting the sugar industry, Dela Rama asked his fellow sugar producers: "Well, gentlemen, are we for it?" The question was met with a unanimous "yes" across the table. Marcos has been pushing for improved government support to arrest the continuing decline of the country's agriculture industry. "We have no credit facilities, our irrigation is shot, and support for farmers is very weak," said Marcos, as he warned that the coming ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) integration that would remove tariff barriers among member countries would pose more threat to our agriculture. "We can't continue to do this if we want to have an agriculture sector left intact. Our farmers cannot compete if we don't support them," he said. An avalanche near Alpine Meadows ski resort struck a bus Thursday morning and pushed it 30 feet into a house after a storm passing through the Sierra brought nearly two feet of snow to resorts across the region, officials said Thursday. The avalanche hit the bus traveling on Alpine Meadows Road in North Lake Tahoe, said Ron Carson, a spokesman with the North Tahoe Fire Protection District. No one was injured in the incident. U.S. officials in Yemen wrongfully confiscated the passport of Mosed Omar a seriously ill San Francisco resident and longtime U.S. citizen after coercing him into signing a false statement he could neither read nor understand, a federal magistrate has ruled. By the time staff members at the U.S. Embassy thrust the paper at Omar, he was weakened from nine hours without food, water or medication, his vision was blurred from diabetes, and he was told he had to sign the document to get his passport back, U.S. Magistrate Jacqueline Scott Corley said of the January 2013 incident. The statement, which Omar signed in his own name, said he was actually someone else. The State Department then accused him of committing fraud and withheld his passport, keeping him in his war-torn native country for the next 13 months, until U.S. officials provided a temporary document that allowed him to return home. The undisputed evidence is that (Omar) had no knowledge of the statements content and was coerced into signing it, Corley said in her ruling Tuesday. She said there was no reasonable basis for the revocation of his passport. In a previous ruling, she had ordered the department to return the passport. Omars case, apparently, is not unique. Other Yemeni Americans have made similar complaints, and nine civil rights organizations asked the United Nations in 2013 to look into unfair confiscations of passports at the U.S. Embassy in Yemens capital city of Sanaa. The United Nations did not respond, but the embassy appeared to improve its practices before shutting down last February at the outset of a Saudi Arabian-led bombing campaign against Houthi rebels, said Omars attorney, Nasrina Bargzie of the Asian Law Caucus. Corleys ruling calls into question the State Departments revocation of dozens of other Yemeni Americans passports based on similar coerced confessions, Bargzie said. Her group has asked the departments inspector general to investigate the complaints. Omar, now 64, moved to the United States in 1972 and became a citizen in 1978. He worked in a Detroit auto factory for 10 years before moving to California, where he owned small grocery stores. He lives in San Francisco with some of his children and grandchildren. Responding to State Department warnings of the worsening situation in Yemen, Omar went there in July 2012 to bring back his youngest daughter, who was then 13. He remained there and said he heard nothing until January 2013, when an official said there was good news about his daughters passport and told him to come to the embassy. Omar said his passport was then taken away and he was interrogated at length, with limited help from an interpreter and no food or medicine. Weak and desperate, he said, he signed the statement, which turned out to include an admission that he had obtained the passport under a false name. I thought my life was over, Omar said Wednesday in a statement released by his lawyers. I did not know if I would ever see my family again. Corley said the State Department kept his passport without an explanation until February 2014, when he was given a temporary document that allowed him to return to San Francisco. His daughter is still in Yemen. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@egelko Firefighters in Alameda rescued a man Wednesday morning who was trapped on rocks for 45 minutes and repeatedly struck by waves after his boat capsized in San Francisco Bay. Along with personnel from the Coast Guard and Alameda Police Department, 18 firefighters swarmed the location of the reported capsizing near the Encinal Boat Ramp about 11 a.m. They found the boat against rocks about a quarter to half a mile away from the ramp and a man stranded nearby on a rock breakwater. High-speed trains would roll into the Bay Area from the Central Valley years before they start going to Los Angeles, under a dramatic strategy change that the state is on the verge of approving. One big reason: The Caltrain commute line between Gilroy and San Francisco is poised to get an early infusion of cash to help pay for its $1.7 billion conversion to electric power. That conversion is essential for high-speed rail. Plus, the South Bay, Peninsula and San Francisco constitute a huge potential market for bullet trains. A promise of early Bay Area service could build political support for the overall system and attract private investment that is badly needed to build out the $68 billion rail line. Initially, the California High Speed Rail Authoritys business plan called for building the Burbank-to-Los Angeles portion before laying down track to connect the Central Valley to San Francisco. But the Southern California stretch needs a labyrinth of tunnels and bridges to cross the Tehachapi and San Gabriel mountains a costly undertaking that threatens to hold up completion of the full line for decades. Under the plan the rail authority is considering, bullet trains could be zipping up and down the Peninsula ahead of what had been the systems 2028 targeted opening date. Rail authority chairman Dan Richard stopped short of confirming the plan to leapfrog the Bay Area ahead of L.A., saying only that whatever we announce will be the most rational way to build a system, so we can get the trains running and attract private sector money as soon as possible. Randy Rentschler, spokesman for the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission, said that just as Caltrain electrification could boost prospects for high-speed rail down the line, a firm high-speed rail plan could boost prospects for Caltrain electrification in the near term. High-speed rail is going to provide a host of infrastructure investments that benefit the system we already have, Rentschler said. Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press Despite state and federal money, the Caltrain electrification project still has at least a $440 million funding gap. It could be five to seven years before the line is actually electrified and there are new train cars to go with it. There are ways to cut costs, but theyll be inconvenient for passengers. Analysts say shutting down Caltrain on weekends could reduce the projects costs by about $150 million. There will definitely be weekend and overnight work, said Caltrain spokeswoman Jayme Ackemann. But to what extent and for how long, we cant say yet. The bottom line is that Caltrain electrification is still dogged by big questions and so is high-speed rail. Not only does the system still face technical, legal and financial hurdles, but ballot measures are circulating to redirect voter-approved money to other uses. So, no matter which way the high-speed trains head first, theyve got a long way to go. Speechless: Three of the protesters who disrupted San Francisco Mayor Ed Lees big speech to 800 guests at a business breakfast at the Fairmont Hotel the other day were arrested after they were escorted from the ballroom. The hotel wanted these people off their premises, and that is their right, said police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza. They called the police and signed a citizens arrest for trespassing. Connor Radnovich/The Chronicle The troubles started when Lee began speaking to a sold-out ballroom at the Mayors Economic Forecast breakfast Tuesday. A man in the back of the room began shouting over the mayor, voicing his anger over the Mario Woods police shooting and the displacement of poor people from the city. Sympathizers who were planted around the room including at least two seated among the breakfast guests joined in the heckling. Lee stopped speaking for a time while hotel security removed the protesters, who were cuffed and taken to Central Station. Ilyich Sato, 41, of San Francisco, was cited for allegedly trespassing and disrupting a public meeting, and was booked for an outstanding warrant in San Mateo County for allegedly failing to appear on a fare evasion charge, according to police. Max Leung, 44, also of San Francisco, was cited for allegedly trespassing and disrupting a public meeting. Both he and Sato were described in a Facebook posting as members of the Justice for Mario Woods Coalition. The third person arrested was identified as Betty Rose Mackey, 52, of San Francisco. She was cited for allegedly trespassing, disrupting a public event and for misdemeanor battery on a hotel employee, according to police. She did not return our call seeking comment. But she told the online news site 48hills.org that she had bought four tickets to the breakfast at a cost of $460 and had been on her way out the door with the other two when they were arrested. District attorneys spokesman Alex Bastian said Sato was released to San Mateo County to face his outstanding warrant there. San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or e-mail matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON California Democrats quickly took opposing sides in the battle that has erupted between Apple and the FBI over unlocking an iPhone used by terrorists in the San Bernardino massacre, reflecting deep conflicts over how to reconcile privacy and security in the age of smart phones and freelance terrorism. The debate does not fall along party lines. National security hawks such as Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, a Democrat, want stronger government tools to combat terrorism, while liberal Democrats and libertarian-minded Republicans, including some in the Tea Party wing, support stronger privacy protections on constitutional grounds. Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump and the Obama administration appear to be on the same page, arguing that Apple should unlock the phone. The government is basing its demand on a law dating to 1789 called the All Writs Act, a catch-all statute that authorizes federal courts to issue whatever orders they find necessary to fill in legal gaps left by Congress, so long as they are agreeable to the usages and principles of law. A federal judge agreed Tuesday, issuing a court order compelling Apple to create specialized software to unlock San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farooks iPhone Rep. Zoe Lofgren, the San Jose Democrat who represents Silicon Valley and often champions the tech industrys causes, denounced the governments case, calling it an astonishing overreach by federal authorities and blasting the governments reliance on an 18th century statute to secure a court order. In a phone interview, Lofgren called Tuesdays court order unprecedented. The government, she said, is commandeering an American company to force them to write part of an operating system. She took issue with White House Press Secretary Josh Earnests description of the court order as a one-time request for data from one phone. Lofgren said complying with the judges order would create an open door to hackers and foreign governments to get all our information and hack the private information of every American. Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, argued that the phone in question is owned by the county of San Bernardino, where Farook worked. The U.S. attorney should be able to fully investigate the San Bernardino terrorist attack that killed 14 Californians, and that includes access to the terrorists phone, Feinstein said in a statement. I understand there are privacy concerns, but in this case the phone is owned by the county which has consented to a search and there is a valid search warrant. Its not unreasonable for Apple to provide technical assistance when ordered by the court. Earnest made the same point Wednesday about the ownership of the phone, adding, Obviously, the Department of Justice and the FBI can count on the full support of the White House as they conduct an investigation to learn as much as they possibly can about this particular incident. Trump weighed in from a Fox News show, criticizing Apple for proclaiming it will not comply with the order. Who do they think they are? Trump asked. No, we have to open it up. The encryption issue has come up in criminal cases, and in ordinary deaths, where family members have sought to extract financial documents or cherished photos from the device of a deceased loved one. Lofgren said the House cast two votes recently on amendments where majorities of Republicans and Democrats voted against forcing tech companies to create so-called back doors that allow encryption on devices to be penetrated. She said the House Judiciary Committee, on which she sits, is debating the issue now. Almost all the members understand that if you require a back door in encryption, youre going to weaken the security entirely, Lofgren said. She said it was wrong for a single magistrate to try to pre-empt a policy decision ... that is being vigorously debated in the House. She also warned that if the government wins this fight, it will lose the war. Trying to force Apple to unlock the shooters iPhone will only encourage tech companies to create code that they cannot themselves break, Lofgren said. Its a losing battle. Since the San Bernardino shooting, Feinstein has been pushing legislation to require social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter to alert federal authorities if they spot online terrorist activity. Terrorists have taken to social media to spread propaganda and inspire homegrown attacks that are not coordinated by overseas terrorist groups. She attempted to get the language into an intelligence authorization bill last year but was blocked by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., amid heavy pressure from the tech industry. Feinstein is also working with Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., on legislation to require companies to unlock data under court order. Carolyn Lochhead is the San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: clochhead@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carolynlochhead This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Apple has sent a strong message to law enforcement: We will work with you, but not for you. The public declaration came after a federal judge in Riverside issued a court order Tuesday compelling Apple to create specialized software to unlock San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farooks iPhone 5c essentially hacking the companys own device. Apple CEO Tim Cook, as well as privacy advocates, industry leaders and cybersecurity experts, have fired back, warning that the FBIs request could establish a dangerous precedent in which tech firms must undermine their own security measures and work against the best interest of their customers. Up to this point, we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help them, Cook wrote in a letter posted on the companys website. But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. What the FBI wants Apple to create is, in simple terms, malware. The court order compels the Cupertino company to build an update to iOS 9 that would specifically compromise security protections in the mobile operating system on Farooks phone. Investigators need Apples help to do several things, among them: Bypass auto-erase: If Farook enabled his phones auto-erase function before he and his wife killed 14 people and died in a gunfight with police on Dec. 2, the FBI would have only 10 tries to guess his home screen pass code before triggering a fail-safe that deletes all data on his phone. Let computers help: Apples security measures prevent intruders from using Bluetooth or USB rather than fingers to input pass codes, greatly slowing the rate at which investigators could crack the home screen. Add its seal of approval: Apples devices require proof that updates are coming from the company itself, so the FBI needs Apples imprimatur to ensure that any update can be successfully uploaded to Farooks phone. Do no harm: Attempts to tamper with an iPhone could harm data, so investigators want an assurance that any modification wont lose any of Farooks information. Cooperation with orders Though Apple has earned a reputation as a defender of customer privacy, the company complies with court orders regularly forking over data that dont threaten to undermine the trust users place in its products. It frequently hands over unencrypted information stored, for instance, on iCloud, the companys cloud storage service. The company has done just that in the San Bernardino investigation, court documents show. But the last time Farook backed up his phone was more than a month before the attack offering the FBI an obvious incentive to crack his phone. Apple, however, insists it doesnt have software lying around that solves the issue and says creating it would establish a master key that defeats the protections on many of its devices. The government suggests this tool could only be used once, on one phone, Cook said. But thats simply not true. Breaking security As mobile computing supplants desktop computers, the security of smartphones becomes just as important. If we break that, were breaking the fundamental security of our banking system, of our corporate secrets, of our personal security around all our communications, Georgia Tech Professor Peter Swire said in an interview on Here and Now, an NPR and WBUR program. Its national security versus cybersecurity, said Swire, a privacy expert who has been called on by Congress and two presidents to consult on such issues. In question is whether the federal government can reasonably compel a company to develop technology it doesnt want to develop to put its seal on software that it would otherwise not have created, said Chris Soghoian, a technologist with the American Civil Liberties Union. If Apple is forced to create new code to appease law enforcement inquiries, the same requests could one day reach Google, Microsoft or any technology company that users trust with their most sensitive data, said Nicholas Weaver, a computer security researcher at the International Computer Science Institute in Berkeley. Thats the dangerous part. Apples message has as much to do with business as it does with ideology, according to a statement from Forrester Research. Apple clearly believes that consumers have changed, and that they now care enough about privacy that it will influence the products that they buy and the brands that they choose, the technology and market research company said. Its the right thing for Apples brand to fight the judges order. An Apple spokesman said the company plans to challenge the court order. This could set the stage for a lengthy legal battle. Sean Sposito is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: ssposito@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @seansposito Google CEO Sundar Pichai has backed Apple in its battle with FBI over opposing a US court's ruling. Washington: Google CEO Sundar Pichai has backed Apple in its battle with FBI over opposing a US court's ruling to unlock the iPhone of a Pakistani-American terrorist who shot dead 14 people in California, saying forcing companies to enable hacking could "compromise" user's privacy. In a series of tweets, Pichai said that although Google gives "law enforcement access to data based on valid legal orders", but it is "wholly different than requiring companies to enable hacking of customer devices and data," which could set a "troubling precendent". "Forcing companies to enable hacking could compromise users privacy," the Indian-American CEO said as he supported Apple CEO Tim Cook's stand. "We know that law enforcement and intelligence agencies face significant challenges in protecting the public against crime and terrorism," Pichai said. "We build secure products to keep your information safe and we give law enforcement access to data based on valid legal orders," he said. "But that's wholly different than requiring companies to enable hacking of customer devices and data. Could be atroubling precedent," he said as debates are on the merits of the case between Apple and federal law enforcement agencies. Apple, which is eyeing big on the Indian market, yesterday opposed a US court's ruling to unlock the I-Phone of San Bernardino gunman Syed Farook who shot dead 14 people and injured 22 others last December. In an open letter to its customers, Cook said building a backdoor access to encrypted data on the iPhone of the gunman would be "too dangerous" to create. Cook's response came after a federal judge ordered Apple to provide investigators access to Farook's iPhone after the company "declined to provide" it voluntarily. The White House Press Secretary, Josh Earnest, has said this is one of request and this does not require Apple to redesign some element of its software, or to create anew backdoor. "It's a very specific request that the Department of Justice has made, and a judge agreed with them," Earnest said. Meanwhile, leading Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz supported the FBI on the issue. "I believe they (Apple) should (be compelled to enforce the court order)," the Texas Senator said during a CNN town hall." They have a binding search order. And, listen, any time you're dealing with issues of security, and civil liberties, you got to balance them both. I think we can walk and chew gum at the same time. We can protect yourself from terrorist, and also protect our civil rights," Cruz said. Another presidential candidate, Marco Rubio, said, "Apple is under court order and I'm sure they're going to appeal it. They need to follow whatever the court order is ultimately." Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. TEHRAN, Iran Iran appeared Wednesday to back a plan laid out by four influential oil producers to cap their crude output if others do the same, though it offered no indication that it has any plans to follow suit itself. The agreement reached in Doha the day before by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Venezuela is aimed at stabilizing global oil prices, which recently plunged to less than $30 per barrel, a 13-year low. But Iran is keen to boost exports to regain market share now that sanctions related to its nuclear program have been lifted under a landmark agreement. Iran supports any measure to boost oil prices, Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said after talks with his counterparts from Iraq, Venezuela and Qatar. The decision taken to freeze the production ceiling of OPEC and non-OPEC members to stabilize and boost prices is also supported by us, he added, in comments posted on the ministrys website late Wednesday. Irans envoy to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Mahdi Asali, had earlier blamed the fall in prices on oversupply, and said it was up to Saudi Arabia and others to cut production. He said the four nations that participated at the Doha gathering could stabilize oil prices on their own if they cut their production by 2 million barrels a day. These countries increased their production by 4 million barrels when Iran was under sanctions, Asali was quoted as saying by the Shargh daily. Now its primarily their responsibility to help restore balance on the market. There is no reason for Iran to do so. The four countries made their announcement after an unexpected meeting in the Qatari capital that pointedly did not include Iran. They agreed to act only if other producers made similar freezes. Iran has said it hopes to put another 500,000 barrels a day on the market. Figures from the International Energy Agency show it pumped 2.9 million barrels daily in December, before sanctions were lifted. Iran used to export 2.3 million barrels per day, but its crude exports fell to 1 million in 2012, when sanctions were tightened. On Tuesday, Irans oil minister said it had no intention of giving up its share of the market. Zanganeh acknowledged that global markets are oversupplied, but said Iran will not overlook its quota, according to comments carried by his ministrys Shana news service. Even with Irans cooperation, it was unclear whether the Doha plan would be enough to put a floor under prices. The United Arab Emirates energy minister, Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei, refused on Wednesday to discuss the Doha proposal after giving a keynote address at a Dubai conference in which he mentioned low oil prices only in passing. I will only talk about this conference, he said, before smiling and walking away from reporters shouted questions. He later took to Twitter to say his countrys oil policy is open to cooperate with all producers toward mutual interest of the market stability and we are optimistic on the future. Kuwait, another OPEC member, signaled it is willing to go along with the Doha plan. Tech companies have spent years developing better, cheaper devices to immerse people in digital worlds. Yet they are still figuring out how to make virtual reality the kind of technology that people cannot live without. So for inspiration, they are turning to science fiction. At Oculus, a leading virtual reality company, a copy of the popular sci-fi novel Ready Player One is handed out to new employees. Magic Leap, a secretive augmented reality startup, has hired science fiction and fantasy writers. The name of Microsofts HoloLens headset is a salute to the holodeck, a simulation room from Star Trek. Like many other people working in the tech space, Im not a creative person, said Palmer Luckey, 23, a co-founder of Oculus, which was bought by Menlo Parks Facebook for $2 billion in 2014. Its nice that science fiction exists because these are really creative people figuring out what the ultimate use of any technology might be. They come up with a lot of incredible ideas. New generation Those ideas are especially relevant now, as some of the biggest technology companies are nearing a major push of a new generation of virtual reality products. In the next few months, virtual reality headsets from Oculus, Sony and HTC go on sale. Venture capital money is pouring into the industry. But how people will interact with the imaginary worlds remains largely unknown territory. And that is where science fiction comes in. Science fiction is shaping the language that companies are using to market the technology, influencing the types of experiences made for the headsets, and even defining long-term goals for developers. Science fiction, in simplest terms, sets you free, said Ralph Osterhout, CEO of the Osterhout Design Group, which builds augmented reality glasses. Perhaps no fictional work resonates more throughout the industry these days than Ready Player One, written by Ernest Cline and being made into a movie by Steven Spielberg. Much of the action in the book takes place inside the Oasis, a global virtual reality network. Characters in the network attend school, socialize and take part in a high-stakes treasure hunt. Through virtual reality, they can inhabit the perspectives of actors in classic movies. The book was published in 2011, around the time Luckey began building an early prototype of the Oculus headset. Luckey said he appreciated Clines portrayals of characters controlling their avatars through full-body suits rather than plugging Matrix-style cables into their brains. One of the things I like about Ready Player One is all of the depictions in the book are pretty feasible, Luckey said. None of it is crazy, far-out tech. Oculus gave out 3,000 copies of the book to people attending an Oculus developer conference last year. For good measure, Oculus named the meeting rooms at its headquarters after famous fictional versions of virtual reality, including the holodeck, the Oasis and the Matrix, from the movie of the same name and, before that, William Gibsons Neuromancer. Cline said he wrote Ready Player One partly because he could not figure out why virtual reality had not taken off in the real world. I think that was the same impulse that drove Palmer, said Cline, who has visited Oculus several times to speak to employees. Growing up with Neuromancer and Max Headroom, it had the same effect on me as a writer as it did on businesspeople. Techies do not need any encouragement from their employers to read or watch science fiction, long a pillar of geek culture. Throw a rock in Silicon Valley and you are likely to hit a software engineer who can cite how long it took the Millennium Falcon to make the Kessel Run in Star Wars. (Less than 12 parsecs, according to Han Solo, whose use of a term for distance one parsec equals about 3.26 light-years rather than time has been the subject of entire articles.) The genre has influenced many corners of technology, from smartphones to robotics to space exploration. But there is something unique about the interplay between science fiction and virtual reality, a technology that is essentially an instrument for fooling people into believing they are someplace and often someone they are not. Virtual reality is a medium, like television or video games, that can borrow liberally from the virtual worlds experienced by fictional characters. Writers on staff Magic Leap in Dania Beach, Fla., which counts Google as one of its big investors, has gone even further than most companies by hiring three science fiction and fantasy writers on staff. Its most famous sci-fi recruit is Neal Stephenson, who depicted the virtual world of the Metaverse in his 1992 novel Snow Crash. Stephenson whose title is chief futurist declined to say what he is working on at Magic Leap, describing it as one of several content projects under way at the company. More broadly, Stephenson said science fiction books and movies are often useful within tech companies for rallying employees around a shared vision. My theory is that science fiction can actually have some value in that it gets everyone on the same page without the kind of expensive and tedious process of PowerPoint, he said. But the influence of the genre within tech companies is surprising and mysterious to me as well, he added. Dystopian aspects There is a regular theme in science fiction that its fans in tech talk less about, though: the dystopian aspects of virtual reality. Addiction, disconnection from relationships in the real world and alienation from the environment are often side effects in narratives about virtual reality. It is hard to make that into a selling point for the technology. Entrepreneurs are optimistic and upbeat by nature, which is why I enjoy hanging around with them, Stephenson said. Theyve got an admirable ability to completely ignore the more dystopian elements youre talking about and see the cool stuff and positive potential of where it might go. Of course, authors and filmmakers get to overlook details of their own like the tough technological challenges that real tech companies face. You never have to reboot the damned thing in sci-fi books, said Genevieve Bell, a cultural anthropologist who works at Intel and has written about the interplay between technology and science fiction. The mechanics are less interesting to most science fiction writers than the experience. Sometimes science fiction plants seeds in the minds of inventors that take years to sprout. The holographic chess game that Chewbacca played on a tabletop aboard the Millennium Falcon was pretty far-out in the 1970s, when Jeri Ellsworth saw it in the original Star Wars. It took several decades before technology caught up. In 2013, Ellsworths startup, CastAR, gave the first public demonstration of the companys augmented reality glasses, which overlay digital imagery on the users view of the real world. By now, the experience shown in the demonstration should come as no surprise the glasses enabled the person wearing them to play a holographic chess game on a tabletop. Its something Ive been dreaming about my entire life, Ellsworth said. The inmate killed in his cell at a Sacramento-area prison this week was identified by officials Thursday as 53-year-old Darryl Staples, who was serving a life sentence for beating a Mill Valley man to death with a fire extinguisher in 1983 after the victim let him stay at his home. Around 8:20 p.m. on Monday, officers found Staples unresponsive in his cell at the California State Prison-Sacramento facility in Represa, just north of Folsom (Sacramento County), said Lt. Tony Quinn, a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Staples had been incarcerated since 1983 when he pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of Edward Lewis, a 76-year-old retired hardware salesman, who was found bludgeoned in the bedroom of his home on Meadow Road. Lewis had a penchant for taking in strangers after his wife died a few years earlier and had befriended a number of people by making a room available, Mill Valley police Capt. Peter Brindley told The Chronicle shortly after Lewis death. Some fellas had been staying with him recently, Ray Dudley, one of Lewis neighbors said after the slaying. They left, but I guess you could say that he was a trusting sort and I think it backfired on him this time. Several items were stolen from the home, including Lewis Ford station wagon. Two days after Lewis body was discovered, the stolen car was spotted in Bakersfield, where Staples and another man were arrested by California Highway Patrol officers. The other man was released, but Staples was charged and eventually pleaded guilty to first-degree murder to avoid a possible death sentence. Staples cellmate, Rambo Martin, has been identified as a suspect in the homicide, though officials have not said how Staples was killed or what the motive for the attack may have been. Martin is serving an eight-year sentence for an assault with a firearm conviction in San Bernardino County as well as another conviction for assaulting a prisoner with a deadly weapon in Kern County. California State Prison-Sacramento houses roughly 2,300 general population inmates and caters to prisoners serving long sentences who have been troublesome at other institutions or who require specialized mental health care, according to the Department of Corrections. Kale Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfkale Washington: Apple Inc opposed a court ruling on Tuesday that ordered it to help the FBI break into an iPhone recovered from a San Bernardino shooter, heightening a dispute between tech companies and law enforcement over the limits of encryption. Chief Executive Tim Cook said the court's demand threatened the security of Apple's customers and had "implications far beyond the legal case at hand." Earlier on Tuesday, Judge Sheri Pym of US District Court in Los Angeles said that Apple must provide "reasonable technical assistance" to investigators seeking to unlock the data on an iPhone 5C that had been owned by Syed Rizwan Farook. That assistance includes disabling the phone's auto-erase function, which activates after 10 consecutive unsuccessful passcode attempts, and helping investigators to submit passcode guesses electronically. Federal prosecutors requested the court order to compel Apple to assist the investigation into the Dec. 2 shooting rampage by Farook and his wife, killing 14 and injuring 22 others. The two were killed in a shootout with police. The FBI has been investigating the couple's potential communications with Islamic State and other militant groups. "Apple has the exclusive technical means which would assist the government in completing its search, but has declined to provide that assistance voluntarily," prosecutors said. US government officials have warned that the expanded use of strong encryption is hindering national security and criminal investigations. Technology experts and privacy advocates counter that forcing U.S. companies to weaken their encryption would make private data vulnerable to hackers, undermine the security of the Internet and give a competitive advantage to companies in other countries. In a letter to customers posted on Apple's website, Cook said the FBI wanted the company "to build a backdoor to the iPhone" by making a new version of the iPhone operating system that would circumvent several security features. "The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers - including tens of millions of American citizens - from sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals," Cook said. He said Apple was "challenging the FBI's demands" and that it would be "in the best interest of everyone to step back and consider the implications." In a similar case last year, Apple told a federal judge in New York that it was "impossible" for the company to unlock its devices that run an operating system of iOS 8 or higher. According to prosecutors, the phone belonging to Farook ran on iOS 9. Prosecutors said Apple could still help investigators by disabling "non-encrypted barriers that Apple has coded into its operating system." Apple and Google both adopted strong default encryption in late 2014, amid growing digital privacy concerns spurred in part by the leaks from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. Forensics expert Jonathan Zdziarski said on Tuesday that Apple might have to write custom code to comply with the order, presenting a novel question to the court about whether the government could order a private company to hack its own device. Zdziarski said that, because the San Bernardino shooting was being investigated as a terrorism case, investigators would be able to work with the NSA and the CIA on cracking the phone. Those US intelligence agencies could likely break the iPhone's encryption without Apple's involvement, he said. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. The East Bay man suspected of committing a double homicide on San Franciscos Twin Peaks over the weekend has been charged with murder, officials said Wednesday. Richard Contreras, 26, of Richmond, was charged with double murder and attempted murder, among other offenses, said Max Szabo, a district attorney spokesman. Officers responding to reports of a shooting on Twin Peaks lookout around 2 a.m. Sunday found three men suffering from gunshot wounds, said San Francisco police Sgt. Michael Andraychak. Contreras, believed to be the shooter, fled in a gray GMC Yukon Denali that he carjacked and was later apprehended by a SWAT team at his home in Richmond, police said. He reportedly knew the men he is suspected of shooting. Julio Peraza, 21, and Rene Mora, 19, both of Santa Rosa, died from their wounds. An 18-year-old man was also shot and hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, police said. Richmond police said Contreras is the same man who crashed a stolen car into an AC Transit bus in September 2014, injuring 11 people. Contreras ran a stop sign in Richmond and hit the bus so hard it careened into the side of a house, injuring a mother, her baby, and a 3-year-old child inside, Richmond police Lt. Andre Hill said. Seven passengers and the bus driver also received minor injuries. Contreras ran away from the crash but was arrested on warrants a few months later, Hill said. The Contra Costa County district attorneys office charged Contreras with unlawful driving, leaving the scene of an accident and violating probation, said Bobbi Mauler, a district attorney spokeswoman. He received a split sentence in December 2014: two years mandatory supervision and one year in jail with 112 days of credit for time served at the Martinez Detention Facility, according to Contra Costa Superior Court officials. Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno The personal information of 10 million California students, including not only names but also health records and Social Security numbers, must be provided under federal court order to lawyers suing the state Department of Education in a data dump that has some parents and privacy experts fuming. The order issued this month by a U.S. District Court judge in Sacramento the latest development in a long-running legal case over state oversight of special education has prompted both the plaintiffs and defendants to point fingers over the impending release of records on every child who has attended a California public school since 2008. The private data, likely to be released this year, will be handed over under seal, monitored by a special magistrate as well as a security expert, and available only to a handful of legal representatives. In addition, parents can pull their kids off the disclosure list by filling out a form and mailing it by April 1 to the judge, Kimberly Mueller. Statewide concerns But the court seal and opt-out provision havent dispelled statewide concerns over the use of student data, the lack of parent notification and the possibility of a security breach. On Wednesday, many districts across the state were scrambling to provide information and inform parents. Parents deserve to know when the government is sharing their childrens most sensitive information, said Jim Steyer, the founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, a family advocacy group based in San Francisco. While we understand the plaintiffs in this lawsuit are obtaining this data for limited purposes with good intentions, he said, the court and the parties should be doing everything they can to ensure that the parents of the millions of affected children know why their Social Security numbers, behavioral and medical records, and other information are being shared. Widespread data storage The case comes amid a national conversation over student privacy, with concern growing over information security as schools increasingly use computers, online learning programs and cloud-based software to teach children and store data. Student information is no longer sitting in filing cabinets its stored on multiple computers at schools, district offices and state buildings. The federal Department of Education has created a special office dedicated to data privacy, confidentiality and cybersecurity in schools, explaining, Gone are the days when textbooks, photocopies, and filmstrips supplied the entirety of educational content to a classroom full of students. The federal court case in Sacramento was initiated in 2008 by Morgan Hill parent Linda McNulty, through her organization California Concerned Parents, to address what she believed was a failure of the state to monitor school district compliance in providing special education services. The lawsuit gained class-action status in 2012. Special-needs students Since then, the plaintiffs have fought to get state data without identifiable student information to bolster the allegations, information the state has declined to provide, McNulty said. The plaintiffs believe the data will reveal violations that could include a failure to identify special-needs students at an early age, or a disproportionate identification of Latino children as mentally disabled. The attorneys dont need to know who the kids are, just what happened to them, McNulty said. We have been over and over and over possible alternatives to get this data, she said. The state has completely stonewalled us over the last three years. State officials deny the claims in the lawsuit, and said Wednesday they were also trying to protect student privacy. Were in a lawsuit that we are fighting vigorously, said Peter Tira, a spokesman for the state Department of Education. We are obligated by a court order in this case to produce this information, but at this point, the information has not yet been turned over to the plaintiffs and we are continuing to fight to protect students rights in this case with every legal means and resource at our disposal. Tira said the state provided all the information it had on special education students last year, with identifying information redacted, but that the plaintiffs continued to pursue deeper access. Opt-out information For now, the state and school districts are posting the opt-out information on their websites, but many districts have yet to directly notify families of the court order. In San Francisco, where the district has put the information on its website and plans to put it on every schools individual site, a few concerned parents have contacted officials to question the release, said district spokeswoman Gentle Blythe. We want to make it clear that were not a party to the litigation, Blythe said. We dont know what information the (Department of Education) needs to release. We just want to make sure parents can file a form to opt out. Data already available Not all parents are concerned, however. Thats because dozens if not hundreds of people already have access to the same student data, from the school secretary who processed the parent emergency information forms to teachers who input grades, as well as district staff and state workers, said San Jose mom Nancy Jacques, a member of California Concerned Parents. Under the court order, the data will be handled carefully, she said. My sons data is more protected in this circumstance, she said, than it is when its traveling from districts to the (state) with access by many people. The plaintiffs attorneys need the vast amount of data, McNulty said, because they plan to study random samples in a bid to bolster their suit. Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker How to opt out For more information on the federal court order related to California student records, or to get an opt-out form, go to www.cde.ca.gov/re/di/ws/morganhillcase.asp. Stephanie Wright-Hession / Special to The Chronicle / Stephanie Wright-Hession / Special to The Chronicle At the Marina Bay Yacht Harbor, the sunset transforms the calm waters into a reflective surface with mirror images of clouds, a soft blue sky and the masts of petite sailboats berthed together in a neat row. From its location in the Inner Harbor Basin, boaters venture out to the San Pablo Bay and beyond. The San Francisco Bay Trail edges the marina and makes its way along the shoreline to Point Isabel. Enjoyed by pedestrians, joggers and cyclists, its also popular with bird watchers, who keep a lookout for great blue herons, sandpipers and other shorebirds. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A Los Angeles home known as the porn magnate's house in the 1998 Coen brothers film "The Big Lebowski" has been donated to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The structure was designed by the venerable John Lautner, famous for working alongside Frank Lloyd Wright and for designing Bob Hope's Palm Springs home in 1973. According to the LA Times, the current owner, James F. Goldstein, bought this Beverly Hills property for just $185,000 in 1972. RELATED: Actor Jeff Bridges lists his California home at $29.5M Goldstein has agreed to donate the famous residence, along with four additional acres that he later purchased, to the museum with a $17 million endowment for maintenance. LACMA director Michael Govan told the Time that he saw this as a significant Los Angeles property. "For me it ranks as one of the most important houses in all of L.A.," Govan said. "And as one of the most L.A. houses, because of its connection to the view, that long view toward the ocean." The panoramas can be admired from the inside of this triangular concrete structure, with its walls of uninterrupted glass, which continue to other sides of the newly donated home. SEE ALSO: The last home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright hits the market at $3.6M A bonus to this sizable gift? There's a James Turrell art piece tucked into the hill below the house. It was added in 2005 and is entitled "Above Horizon." Turrell is famous in Houston for "Twilight Epiphany" Skyspace. In total, this donation is estimated to be about $40 million. Homeowner Goldstein called that figure conservative. Wonder what Jackie Treehorn would make of such a gift. Magnolia Pictures The military action we see in Tobias Lindholms new film might technically be called a peacekeeping mission, but the movies title, A War, is more to the point. The story is a familiar one of the consequences of decisions made in the heat of battle, and the possibility of meting out justice in the wake of such choices. Lindholm interweaves the stories of a Danish commander in Afghanistan with the struggles of the mans wife raising their three children back home. Again, nothing new, but the crisp and intelligent handling proves that commonplace material can still pack a punch. The dark Chilean drama The Club offers a harrowing portrayal of evil, but the film seems so eager to immerse us in the depths of malevolence that it begins to feel assaultive. Pablo Larrain, who has undeniable talent as a filmmaker, doesnt seem to know where to go with his story except to up the ante with shock tactics. The movies extended opening is its strongest sequence, gradually making clear the nature of the handful of adults who quietly reside in a yellow house in an out-of-the-way coastal village. Four men and a woman live there and when a fifth man is brought to join them, what we have begun to suspect is confirmed: Its a house for priests who have committed heinous acts, including but not limited to pedophilia. The degree of evil at issue here becomes disturbingly clear when a local fisherman (Roberto Farias) stands outside the house and loudly begins to describe, in horrifying detail, the sexual abuse he endured as a boy from one of the residents. This is the emotional climax of the opening, and be assured its strong stuff. It has immediate and abrupt consequences. The resulting publicity prompts the Vatican to send a Jesuit priest and psychologist (Marcelo Alonso) to investigate the residence and possibly close it down. We begin to wonder: Is the yellow house a place of penitence, as the church would have it, or a place to hide evildoers from public view? And what is the Jesuits agenda? As the investigation continues, the air of moral queasiness grows. The residents transgressions are awful, and regret seems in short supply, while defensiveness, rationalization, quibbling and defiance are the order of the day. One of the priests was involved in a baby-peddling scandal, although he sees himself as someone who tried to find good homes for unwanted children. And its not just the men the female overseer (Antonia Zegers) is a nun capable of equal or worse corruption. But as it progresses to a perhaps ironic conclusion, the story seems to lose all restraint in depicting iniquity there is an ugly sexual scene involving the victimized fisherman, and the ending takes place after a sequence of violence involving animals that feels over the top, even if born of righteous anger. The film is well acted, with especially strong work by Alonso and Zegers. And director Larrain has a powerful knack for depicting human monsters. But he stacks the deck so heavily that at times the film can seem like simple-minded anti-clericalism, and at least some viewers are bound to resist. Walter Addiego is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: waddiego@sfchronicle.com The Club Drama. Starring Marcelo Alonso, Roberto Farias, Antonia Zegers. Directed by Pablo Larrain. In Spanish with English subtitles. (Not rated. 98 minutes.) 1 Rancher jailed: Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who came to Oregon to support the armed occupation of a national wildlife preserve led by his sons, will remain in jail pending trial after prosecutors called him lawless and violent. U.S. Magistrate Judge Janice Stewart said Bundy should not be released because there is a risk he wont show up for future court dates. Bundy, 69, was arrested in Portland last week on charges stemming from a 2014 armed standoff with federal officials who were rounding up his cattle over unpaid grazing fees. 2 Rail crossings: The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded nearly $10 million in grants to upgrade or close dozens of railroad crossings in eight states, including a $1.1 million grant to Louisiana. The FRA says four people have been injured in 11 accidents at 15 Louisiana crossings since 2000. The other states receiving grant money are Arkansas, California, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin. SENECA, S.C. A three-way feud among the GOPs leading White House contenders escalated Wednesday, with Republican Ted Cruz daring Donald Trump to sue him and dismissing Marco Rubios charges of dishonesty just days before South Carolinas high-stakes primary. Yet it was Rubio who may have scored the days biggest win as he secured the coveted endorsement of South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. While a major development, Haleys endorsement did little to quiet the intensifying clash between Cruz, Trump and Rubio over alleged ethical violations in the days leading up to Saturdays South Carolina contest. The Texas senator has been trying to beat back charges of dishonesty from Trump and Rubio for weeks. He shifted his defense to the next level during an afternoon news conference that highlighted Cruzs extensive legal training. You have been threatening frivolous lawsuits for your entire adult life, said Cruz, a Harvard Law School graduate who served as Texas top lawyer, speaking directly to Trump. Even in the annals of frivolous lawsuits, this takes the cake. Trump threatened earlier in the week to bring a defamation lawsuit against Cruz over a television ad that attacks the Republican front-runners conservative bona fides. Specifically, the ad features footage of the billionaire businessman in a 1999 interview supporting abortion rights. Trump now says he opposes abortion. Trumps attorney sent Cruz a letter Tuesday charging the ad was replete with outright lies, false, defamatory and destructive statements and saying Cruz could be held liable for damages if its not taken down. Cruz on Wednesday said a lawsuit against the ad has no chance, and said he would like to take Trumps deposition himself. He also announced plans to run the contested ad more frequently. The prospective legal battle marks another extraordinary step in the turbulent 2016 Republican primary season. Polls suggest Trump continues to hold a big lead in South Carolina and in upcoming states, as Cruz works to rally the Republican Partys most conservative wing and Rubio tries to consolidate mainstream Republicans behind his candidacy. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich continue to battle for a spot at the table, while retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson struggles for relevancy. Haleys endorsement was a major setback for Bush in particular, who told NBC News on Monday that she is the probably the most meaningful endorsement if there is one in the state. Suddenly backed by Haley, Rubio continued his assault against Cruzs campaign tactics. He accused Cruz supporters of using push polls and creating a fake Facebook page wrongly claiming that South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy had switched his endorsement from the Florida senator to Cruz. Its just a pattern of people around his campaign that have continuously done things like that, Rubio said as he campaigned in Mount Pleasant. Cruz denied being involved with anything untoward and called for anyone with evidence to come forward. Trump and Rubio are repeatedly putting forth fabrications with no evidence, no basis whatsoever, just trying to throw mud and attack, Cruz said. The insults and the falsehoods and the fabrications have no business in politics. It is incumbent upon all of us to speak the truth. Edward Snowden and others on Twitter rallied on Wednesday in support of Apple Inc's opposition to a US court order to help federal investigators by unlocking an iPhone used by one of the shooters in December's deadly attack in San Bernardino, California. "Apple" and "San Bernardino" were trending heavily as topics on Twitter following Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook's decision to fight the order by a federal judge in Los Angeles that Apple provide "reasonable technical assistance" to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the case. Cook on Tuesday called the order, issued that day, "a dangerous precedent," adding in a statement on Apple's website that "The implications of the governments demands are chilling." Cook's and Apple's response to the demand was viewed positively overall on Twitter, according to social media analytics firm Zoomph. Snowden was among several high-profile digital privacy advocates who weighed in. The @FBI is creating a world where citizens rely on #Apple to defend their rights, rather than the other way around. https://t.co/vdjB6CuB7k Edward Snowden (@Snowden) February 17, 2016 Snowden, who is accused of violating US espionage laws by leaking details of government surveillance programs, now lives in Russia. Prominent technology writer and entrepreneur Anil Dash also tweeted: Apple showing exceptional leadership resisting demands to weaken its encryption. https://t.co/LH2W3Ae8Mq pic.twitter.com/b0E1YycljX Anil Dash (@anildash) February 17, 2016 Several Twitter and Facebook users applauded Apple's statement by using the hashtag #standwithapple. But the support on Twitter for Apple's stance was not unanimous. Ian Bremmer (@ianbremmer), the president of Eurasia Group, a political risk research and consulting firm, tweeted: Didn't realize you can just oppose a judge's order as if it was a request. #Apple #ThinkDifferent ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) February 17, 2016 Current and former Apple employees also weighed in, wishing Cook the best in his opposition to the order. Ive said it before, and I say it again: @tim_cook is amazing and I stand behind every bit of this. Thank you, Tim.https://t.co/yZvBvLYT24 Jade Pennig (@zahnster) February 17, 2016 Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Fairfield PD Two men pulled what looked like a real gun on an unwitting woman after she stumbled upon the duo mainlining crank in a Fairfield park bathroom Thursday morning, officials said. The black weapon, it turns out, was a BB gun, but looked like a semi-automatic pistol, police said. The rumour mills had them allthe alleged device was touted to have a 2K display with a Snapdragon 820 chipset apart from a USB Type-C port and a few other specifications. (Photo: GizmoChina) Just a week more and the flagship Mi 5 will be launched in Barcelona by the Global VP of Xiaomi, Hugo Barra. The device was delayed big time and was rumoured to launch in Q4 last year. However, Xiaomi finally revealed that the Mi 5 will be unveiled at the MWC in Barcelona on February 15. The rumour mills had them allthe alleged device was touted to have a 2K display with a Snapdragon 820 chipset apart from a USB Type-C port and a few other specifications. However, recent news and information from the CEO himself confirmed that the device would sport a huge battery and only a full HD display. Now that the launch is near, Xiaomis flagship smartphone seems to be gearing for shipping and the retail package gave out all the information about the Mi 5 and the companys secrets were jeopardised. GizmoChina, a Chinese tech website famous for such type of leaks, gave out the entire specifications of the Xiaomi Mi 5. They got hold of a label from the retail packaging which mentions the detailed specifications of the said smartphone. The retail package label that was obtained. (Photo: GizmoChina) As for the details, the Xiaomi Mi 5 will sport a 5.15-inch full HD 1080p display with a Snapdragon 820 chipset buzzing at 2.15GHz. The rear and front cameras will have a 16MP sensor and 4MP ultrapixel sensor respectively. USB Type-C, NFC and a fingerprint sensor will also be included in the feature list. Lastly, the battery that will provide the juice for the device is said to be a 2910mAh. As for the pricing, the GizmoChina predicts the device to be retailed at just 1900 Yuan (Rs 20,000 approximately). However, the actual price will be announced at the MWC launch. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Michael Mina is a chef who is known for being in control. That meticulous nature has come in handy as he has built the Mina Group, which includes 27 upscale restaurants nationwide and over 2,000 employees. So it was a surprise in the restaurant industry when Mina revealed that he is stepping down as CEO of his own company. To fill the position, Mina is bringing on Bill Freeman, former head of East Coast Italian chain Bertuccis, as well as national seafood restaurant chain McCormick & Schmicks. The news, first reported by the San Francisco Business Times, comes as the Mina Group is making big moves locally. At the end of March, Bourbon Steak in Union Squares Westin St. Francis will close, with a search for the steak houses new location looming. The Mina Test Kitchen will flip to an Indian theme March 1, while Restaurant Michael Mina has a new chef to replace departed star chef Ron Siegel. Perhaps most significantly, Mina is building a Mediterranean-themed restaurant in the Salesforce building at 350 Mission St. Mina himself, however, was quick to point out that hes not resigning from the company. He said that the addition of Freeman will allow him to focus more on the creative side and the restaurant groups daily operations, as well as on building up the companys in-house talent. As far as a model for the new partnership, Mina deflects comparisons to the Wolfgang Puck empire, and instead cites Washington, D.C., chef Jose Andres and his ThinkFoodGroup company, which brought on former Ruby Tuesday President and Chief Operating Officer Kimberly Grant to help expand the business in 2014. In that model, Andres one of the most forward-thinking chefs in the country gets to spend more time in the kitchen for research and development. Mina said the decision to bring on someone to take over the business side of the company came about after the group opened back-to-back projects recently, Bourbon Steak & Pub at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara and Locale Gourmet Market in St. Petersburg, Fla. I found myself more distracted than I like to be, said Mina. I kept getting pulled out of the meetings and kitchen. It dawned on me that weve become a bigger business. Dealing with the never-ending minutiae on the business side trying to decipher labor laws and negotiating contracts, for example was not where the chef felt his time was best spent. The curse of growth is that you grow, so you have more to do, said Mina. At one of his regular meetings with the companys top brass, including Mina Group President Patric Yumul, the group concluded that they wanted help. Mina said that Freeman shares his vision for quality, and having him on staff will allow the company to maximize its efforts and make better decisions. Bill brings a whole other dynamic to that group that we really needed, said Mina. In the near future, the Mina Group will continue along its familiar trajectory, opening one or two projects per year, leaning especially toward ones involving partnerships with hotels. Included in that number is the continued expansion of successful restaurant brands, such as Bourbon Steak, which has outposts in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Miami and Washington. In addition to Freeman, Mina also recently brought on Cynthia Billeaud as vice president of operations and human resources. Billeaud previously worked with New York City chef Daniel Boulud. She will help with Minas plans to acquire and foster talent for the Mina Group. That value on hiring and fostering talent is a sentiment reinforced by another chef who has corporate experience: Pascal Rigo, owner of La Boulangerie de San Francisco, whose high-profile expansion of his French bakery chain with Starbucks fizzled last year. To have a partnership succeed, said Rigo, you need to surround yourself with competent people who share the same vision. You always need good people, he said. Thats the reality of it. Sarah Fritsche is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: sfritsche@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @foodcentric The report comes as Apple has challenged a US court order to provide assistance to the FBI to crack an iPhone used in attacks in San Bernardino. (Photo: AFP) Washington: Last year's deadly attacks in Paris "would not have happened" without the use of encrypted communications to enable the perpetrators to avoid detection, the NSA chief said in an interview. National Security Agency director Michael Rogers was quoted in a Yahoo News report Wednesday as confirming speculation about the use of encryption in the November massacre on the streets of Paris by supporters of the Islamic State organization that killed 130. Rogers told Yahoo that "some of the communications" of the Paris attackers "were encrypted," preventing intelligence officials from picking up the trail. As a result, he was quoted as saying, "we did not generate the insights ahead of time. Clearly, had we known, Paris would not have happened." Rogers, who made the comments last week, has joined US law enforcement officials in warning about the dangers of new encrypted devices that make it difficult if not impossible to tap, even with a warrant. The report comes as Apple has challenged a US court order to provide assistance to the FBI to crack an iPhone used in attacks in San Bernardino, California, opening a new front in the encryption debate. Rogers has said he supports the use of encryption for online security but has cautioned about the use of devices, which cannot be decrypted, even with legal authority. "Is it harder for us to generate the kind of knowledge that I would like against some of these targets? Yes," Rogers told Yahoo. "Is that directly tied in part to changes they are making in their communications? Yes. Does encryption make it much more difficult for us to execute our mission. Yes." Rizwan Farook, who along with his wife Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people and wounded 22 others in a shooting rampage in San Bernardino, California. (Photo: AP) Washington: San Bernardino County authorities owned the Apple iPhone seized from a vehicle used by the San Bernardino shooters and gave federal investigators permission to search the phone's contents, a government court filing showed. The iPhone 5C is the subject of a federal court order on Tuesday demanding that Apple Inc help the US government to unlock it, reopening a debate on the legal, political and technological repercussions. Rizwan Farook, who along with his wife Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people and wounded 22 others in a shooting rampage in San Bernardino, California last December, was assigned the phone by the county health department he worked for, prosecutors said in the document filed on Tuesday. The health department has "given its consent" to authorities to search the device and to Apple to assist investigators in that search, the document said. The Los Angeles-based prosecutors said, however, that despite the phone's owner giving both Apple and federal authorities permission to search the phone, the FBI has been "unable to search" its contents because it is "locked" by a "user determined, numeric password." The court filing said the FBI has not even tried to guess or try out various possible passwords because the phone's operating system code contains a "user enabled 'auto-erase function' that would, if enabled," result in the permanent disabling of access to information stored on the device. While investigators apparently are unsure whether the auto-erase function on the county phone used by Farook is actually enabled, "trying repeated passcodes risks permanently denying all access to the contents," the government filing said. Consequently, "the government has not been able to attempt to determine the passcode and decrypt the files...and the FBI cannot do so without Apple's assistance." On Tuesday, federal magistrate judge Sheri Pym agreed with prosecutors and ordered Apple to "assist in enabling the search" of the county phone used by Farook. Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said in a statement that the company would fight the order. Cook said that even while the FBI's intentions were good, "it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Federal prosecutors are seeking a 10-year prison sentence for Keith Jackson, the former San Francisco school board president and political fundraiser who admitted arranging for then-state Sen. Leland Yee to accept bribes from undercover agents in exchange for political favors. Jackson has engaged in corruption of the political system, the prosecutors said in papers filed late Wednesday. Yees lawyer, meanwhile, has asked a federal judge to sentence the former legislator to 51 to 63 months in prison, rather than the eight-year term recommended by federal prosecutors. Attorney James Lassart said federal agents manipulated Jackson into enlisting Yee in various corrupt schemes. He also urged the judge to consider Yees long history of public service and personal sacrifices. Yee and Jackson pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy to commit racketeering. They admitted that Yee, D-San Francisco, with Jacksons assistance, accepted tens of thousands of dollars in payments from undercover agents posing as campaign contributors in exchange for votes on legislation, other political favors, and an agreement to import firearms illegally from the Philippines. Son pleads guilty Jackson, 51, also admitted taking payments from agents posing as mobsters for a cocaine deal and a supposed murder for hire. His son, Brandon, and sports agent Marlon Sullivan have pleaded guilty to similar charges. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer is scheduled to sentence all four men on Wednesday. The case arose from a five-year undercover investigation centering on a Chinatown community organization led by Raymond Shrimp Boy Chow, who was convicted last month of conducting a racketeering enterprise and ordering the murder of the organizations former leader. Jackson was a consultant to Chows group, and federal agents said he led them to Yee. Jacksons plea agreement recommends a prison sentence of six to 10 years. Jacksons lawyer urged a six-year term in a filing Wednesday, but prosecutors argued for 10 years, describing Jackson as a quintessential bag man and the entry point to corruption in the Bay Area. Plan to run guns It was Jackson, not an undercover agent, who initially suggested bribing Yee and using the senator to run guns from the Philippines, prosecutors said. They also said Jackson deserves punishment for his willingness to guide his own son into criminal activity. In seeking an eight-year term for Yee, prosecutors described him as a cynical and corrupt politician whose sentence would send a message to other public officials. But Yees lawyer argued that Yee, 67, was a dedicated public servant who has already been punished with public exposure and humiliation from his prosecution. Defenses argument Yee allowed his desire to raise campaign funds in order to be competitive in the race for secretary of state to compromise his judgment, Lassart wrote, referring to the state senators short-lived campaign in 2014 to become Californias top elections official. He also argued that, while Yee admitted taking bribes, there was no evidence that he accepted more than $50,000 not the $60,000 or more that would call for an increased sentence. Likewise, Lassart said, prosecutors failed to show that Yee knew the arms deal was for 200 or more weapons, the threshold for a higher prison term. But prosecutors said Yee had told a federal agent he could arrange to have a ship sent to the Philippines to bring back cargoes full of weapons. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@egelko This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate An "open letter" written by a tech entrepreneur named Justin Keller to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and Police Chief Greg Suhr has many city residents calling his article "tone-deaf" and "aggravating." The letter, which was posted to his own website Monday, addresses his personal concerns about the "increasing homeless and drug problem that the city is faced with," saying that in his three years of living as a San Francisco resident, it is "without a doubt it is the worst it has ever been." As he says, his parents were forced to endure sights of homeless people. One "distraught and high person" even tried to "show his genitals" in the general direction of his parents. (Hopefully, they don't try to visit again this May 15. Or this Sept. 26.) In another unrelated incident, a clumsy man who apparently gave Keller the impression of homelessness tried to catch a free movie at the Kabuki theater. "About two hours into the film, a man stumbled in the front door. He proceeded to walk into the theater, down the aisle to the front, wobbled toward the emergency door, opened it, and then took his shirt off and laid down," he recalled. Keller also reminds readers that the Super Bowl seemed to cause the "riff raff" to "up and vanish." Never mind that the magical vanishing was actually a strong-armed uprooting forcing the homeless to areas far from Super Bowl City, like Division and 13th streets. Keller was pretty much universally right about one thing: San Francisco residents are frustrated about the gentrification happening in the city. However, he tacks on an poorly delivered addendum. "The wealthy working people have earned their right to live in the city. They ... earned it," he writes. "I shouldn't have to worry about being accosted. I shouldn't have to see the pain, struggle, and despair of homeless people to and from my way to work every day." Needless to say, his article was not well-received. The city has thus far made weak strides toward combating homelessness in the city. The "emergency" El Nino shelter installed at Pier 80 during Super Bowl festivities lacked working plumbing, and advocacy groups so far oppose the city's handling of the displaced. Read Keller's open letter here. Im writing to you today to announce the death of the Republican Party. It is no longer a living, vital, animate organization. It died in 2016. RIP. It has been replaced by warring tribes: Evangelicals opposed to abortion, same-sex marriage and science. Libertarians opposed to any government constraint on private behavior. Market fundamentalists convinced that the free market can do no wrong. Corporate and Wall Street titans seeking bailouts, subsidies, special tax loopholes and other forms of crony capitalism. Billionaires craving even more of the nations wealth than they already own. White working-class Trumpoids who love Donald Trump and are becoming convinced that the greatest threats to their well-being are Muslims, blacks and Mexicans. Each of these tribes has its own separate political organization, its own distinct sources of campaign funding, its own unique ideology and its own candidate. Whats left is a lifeless shell called the Republican Party. But the Grand Old Party inside the shell is no more. I, for one, regret its passing. Our nation needs political parties to link up different groups of Americans, sift through prospective candidates, deliberate over priorities, identify common principles and forge a platform. The Republican Party used to do these things. Sometimes it did them easily, as when it came together behind William McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt in 1900, Calvin Coolidge in 1920 and Ronald Reagan in 1980. Sometimes the Republican Party did these things with difficulty, as when it strained to choose Abraham Lincoln in 1860, Barry Goldwater in 1964 and Mitt Romney in 2012. But there was always enough of a Republican Party to do these important tasks to span the divides, to give force and expression to a set of core beliefs, and to come up with a candidate around whom Republicans could enthusiastically rally. No longer. And thats a huge problem for the rest of us. Without a Republican Party, nothing stands between us and a veritable Star Wars cantina of self-proclaimed wanna-be nominees. Without a Republican Party, anyone who is able to raise (or already possesses) the requisite money to run for president can run even if he happens to be a pathological narcissist who has never before held public office, and even if hes a knave detested by all of his Republican colleagues. Without a Republican Party, its just us and them. And one of them could even become the next president of the United States. 2016 Robert Reich Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich is Chancellors Professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley and Senior Fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. To comment, submit your letter to the editor at www.sfgate.com/submissions. Ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Kazuya Maruyama speaks to reporters at a press conference after a meeting at parliament in Tokyo. (Photo: AP) Tokyo: A Japanese lawmaker is being criticised for saying President Barack Obama was a descendant of black slaves and so would have been an unthinkable presidential choice in America's early history. Kazuya Maruyama, a lawyer-turned-lawmaker in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling party, apologised hours after making the remark at a parliamentary constitutional panel, saying it was misleading. "Today, America has a black person as President. A person who inherits black people's blood. Frankly speaking, they were slaves," he said Wednesday, then went on to explain how civil rights improved in the US. "Back at the beginning of US history, it would have been unthinkable that a black person, a slave, would become President. That's how dynamic a transformation this country makes." Opposition lawmakers demanded Maruyama resign over the comment, but it wasn't clear what they considered insulting, except it could have sounded racist and seemed mistaken about his ancestry. Obama's father was from Kenya. The president has spoken often about America's racial history and what it means for him to be the first black US president. Japanese often exercise self-restraint or overreact to certain words and actions to avoid controversy. A zoo last year was accused of insulting British royals by naming a baby monkey Charlotte for the British princess, but it kept the name as the public's choice. The US Embassy declined to comment. "It was outrageous. The remark could have been interpreted as an insult to the US president. It's an extremely serious problem that could even hurt Japan's diplomatic relations," said Yosuke Kamiyama, a member of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, during a parliamentary session Thursday. Maruyama denied any racist intent. The remarks were made as he questioned experts about a revision to Japan's constitution, which has never been amended since it was drafted by the United States during its post-World War II occupation. He noted there would be no problem if Japan becomes America's "51st state" and that would allow people from "the state of Japan" to become US president. Then he mentioned Obama. He quit the constitutional panel Thursday but refused to resign as lawmaker. Several lawmakers in Abe's party have recently been hit by scandal. A communications minister was criticised for warning television networks their licenses could be stripped if they aired "biased" political news. A parliamentarian who admitted to adultery resigned. The economy minister quit over a bribery allegation. Some threw stones, sticks and bottles while police fired tear gas and used water cannon to force the group, which had pushed its way across the border line, back onto Serbian territory. Budapest: Hungarian prosecutors charged on Thursday a Syrian migrant with committing an "act of terror" during fierce clashes with border forces last year, in the first case of its kind under tough new laws. The September 16 disturbances occurred when several dozen migrants demanded to be allowed to cross Hungary's southern border with Serbia at Roszke, a day after the frontier was sealed with razor wire. Some threw stones, sticks and bottles while police fired tear gas and used water cannon to force the group, which had pushed its way across the border line, back onto Serbian territory. The incident left around 15 police and 100-150 migrants injured. A spokesperson for prosecutors in Csongrad county told the MTI news agency Thursday that Ahmed H., 40, incited the crowd to violence, repeatedly threatened the security forces and then joined the subsequent disturbances. "In order to cross the border illegally and coerce state bodies, the man committed a criminal act of violence against persons amounting to the crime of an act of terror," Ferenc Szanka said. Prime Minister Viktor Orban was criticised over the treatment last year of hundreds of thousands of migrants seeking to travel onwards to northern Europe before his government stopped the influx by closing its borders. Tough new laws passed in September made it a crime, rather than an infringement, to illegally cross the border and made damaging frontier fences punishable with several years in prison. More than 1,000 migrants have been arrested and detained in custody since then, with the majority then expelled from the country. Orban's government, long accused of eroding democratic norms in the ex-communist country, is now planning tough anti-terror measures including restrictions on the Internet and curfews, sparking a fierce debate. While the right-wing government says it currently faces no direct terrorist threat, it says the potential is high, and has proposed changing the constitution to bring in the measures. Critics including opposition parties and rights groups say a vaguely defined threat could allow the government to suddenly clamp down on civil liberties in the 10-million-strong EU member state. Orban says that all European governments should have the powers necessary to protect its citizens. The radioactive matter, which was stored in a protective case, the size of a laptop computer, was seized from a storage facility near the Iraqi city of Basra last November, Daily Express reported. (Representational Image) London: Islamic State terrorists in Iraq may have stolen a case of extremely radioactive material which they could fashion into a so-called dirty bomb for Western targets, according to a media report. The radioactive matter, which was stored in a protective case, the size of a laptop computer, was seized from a storage facility near the Iraqi city of Basra last November, Daily Express reported. It quoted an Iraqi security source as saying: "We are afraid the radioactive element will fall into the hands of Daesh. They could simply attach it to explosives to make a dirty bomb." The theft has only come to light now, which means ISIS scientists could have been working on converting the irradiated material into a bomb for more than three months, raising fears that they could attempt to smuggle the material into Europe to cause devastating casualties. According to the newspaper, the material was originally taken to Iraq for scientific purposes by a petroleum company, which was using the material to test for flaws in materials used for oil and gas pipelines. But experts fear it could easily be converted into a crude nuclear bomb. The material was taken from a warehouse belonging to the US-based oil company Weatherford outside of an ISIS controlled area. However, it is feared it may have been stolen by people looking to sell it on to the terror group. "If they left it in some crowded place that would be more of the risk. If they kept it together but without shielding. Certainly it's not insignificant. You could cause some panic with this. They would want to get this back," said David Albright, a physicist and president of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security. The theft was discovered after an Iraqi government document discussing the potential consequences of the material leaking came to light. The document, dated November 30, 2015, and addressed to the Iraqi environment ministry's Centre for Prevention of Radiation, describes "the theft of a highly dangerous radioactive source of Ir-192 with highly radioactive activity belonging to SGS from a depot belonging to Weatherford in the Rafidhia area of Basra province". A spokesperson for Basra operations command, responsible for security in Basra province, said army, police and intelligence forces were working "day and night" to locate the material. Local hospitals have also been put on red alert for anyone being admitted with burn injuries caused by radioactivity. Holmstrom says his organisation has worked in Afghanistan since 1980 as "a neutral party" and that all three victims were Afghan citizens.(Photo: AP, representational Image) Stockholm: A Swedish non-government organisation says two patients and a caretaker were killed during an overnight raid by Afghan forces on one of its clinics in Wardak province. Jorgen Holmstrom, country manager for the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, said Thursday there is indication the attack was carried out by the Afghan National Army, condemning it as a "gross violation of humanitarian principles and the Geneva Convention." Holmstrom says his organisation has worked in Afghanistan since 1980 as "a neutral party" and that all three victims were Afghan citizens. A Wardak official, Akhtar Mohammad Tahiri, confirmed that Afghan special forces conducted the raid on the Swedish clinic in Tangi Saidain district, insisting the three killed were members of the Taliban. He says two people were also wounded in the raid. Smoke from a fire billows following an explosion as police and rescue services work on the area in Ankara. (Photo: AP) Ankara: A Syrian national with links to Syrian Kurdish militia carried out the suicide bombing in Ankara that targeted military personnel and killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens of others, Turkey's prime minister said Thursday, and vowed to retaliate against these groups. Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters during a visit to Turkey's chief of military staff that the Syrian man he identified as Sahih Neccar, had carried out the attack in cooperation with Turkey's own outlawed Kurdish rebel group. Authorities had detained nine people in connection with the attacks and were trying to identify others. Turkey's military, meanwhile, said its jets conducted cross-border raids against Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq, hours after the Ankara attack, striking at a group of about 60-70 rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. "It has been determined with certainty that this attack was carried out by members of the separatist terror organization together with a member of the YPG who infiltrated from Syria," Davutoglu said, referring to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, known as the PKK, as well as the Syrian Kurdish militia group, the People's Protection Units. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which killed military personnel and civilians, although suspicion had immediately fallen on the PKK or the Islamic State group. The leader of the main Syrian Kurdish group, Salih Muslim, denied that his group was behind the Ankara attack and warned Turkey against taking Syria ground action. The car bomb went off late Wednesday in Turkey's capital during evening rush hour. It exploded near buses carrying military personnel that had stopped at traffic lights, in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters and lodgings. The blast was the second deadly bombing in Ankara in four months. Davutoglu said Syria's government, which he accused of backing Syrian Kurdish militias, is also to blame. And in an apparent reference to the U.S., he called on Turkey's allies to stop its support for the Syrian Kurdish group. Turkey regards the Syrian Democratic Union Party, and its military wing, the People's Protection Units, as terrorists because of their affiliation to Turkey's outlawed Kurdish rebel group. The Kurdish militia, however, has been fighting the Islamic State group, alongside the United States. "Those who directly or indirectly back an organization that is the enemy of Turkey, risk losing the title of being a friend of Turkey," Davutoglu said, in an apparent reference to Washington. "It is out of the question for us to excuse a terror organization that threatens the capital of our country." Earlier, Yeni Safak, a newspaper close to the government, said the bomber had registered as a refugee in Turkey and Turkish authorities were able to identify him from his fingerprints. In October, suicide bombings blamed on IS targeted a peace rally outside the main train station in Ankara, killing 102 people in Turkey's deadliest attack in years. The attack drew international condemnation and Turkish leaders have vowed to find those responsible and to retaliate against them with force. The military said Thursday that Turkish jets attacked PKK positions in northern Iraq's Haftanin region, hitting the group of rebels which it said included a number of senior PKK leaders. The claim couldn't be verified. Turkey's air force has been striking PKK positions in northern Iraq since a fragile two-and-a-half year-old peace process with the group collapsed in July, reigniting a fierce three-decade old conflict. "Our determination to retaliate to attacks that aim against our unity, togetherness and future grows stronger with every action," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday. "It must be known that Turkey will not refrain from using its right to self-defense at all times." The attack came at a tense time when the Turkish government is facing an array of challenges. Hundreds of people have been killed in renewed fighting following the collapse of the peace process and tens of thousands have been displaced. Turkey has also been helping efforts led by the U.S. to combat the Islamic State group in neighboring Syria, and has faced several deadly bombings in the last year that were blamed on IS. The Syrian war is raging along Turkey's southern border. Recent airstrikes by Russian and Syrian forces have prompted tens of thousands of Syrian refugees to flee to Turkey's border. A Syrian refugee with her children prepares food near her tent in a camp for Syrians in the Chouf mountain town of Ketermaya, Lebanon. (Photo: AP) Geneva: The United Nations plans to make its first air drops of food aid in Syria, to Deir al-Zor, a town of 200,000 besieged by Islamic State militants, the chair of a UN humanitarian task force said on Thursday. UN aid agencies do not have direct access to areas held by Islamic State, including Deir al-Zor, where civilians are facing severe food shortages and sharply deteriorating conditions. Jan Egeland, speaking to reporters in Geneva a day after UN aid convoys reached five government-besieged areas, said the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) had a "concrete plan" for carrying out the Deir al-Zor operation in coming days. He said the WFP hoped to make progress reaching "the poor people inside Deir al-Zor, which is besieged by Islamic State. That can only be done by air drops," said Egeland. "It's a complicated operation and would be in many ways the first of its kind," Egeland said, giving no details of the air operation which is far more costly than land convoys. Deir al-Zor is the main town in a province of the same name. The province links Islamic State's de facto capital in the Syrian city of Raqqa with territory controlled by the militant group in neighbouring Iraq. Egeland chaired a three-hour meeting of the humanitarian task force on Syria, where he said that many member states pledged support for the attempt to reach Deir al-Zor, citing "excellent cooperation" between Russia and the United States. Russia is Syria's main ally in the five-year war, while Western and Arab states support rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad. UN aid agencies say they do not have access to areas held by Islamic State. In the past 24 hours, 114 UN trucks delivered life-saving food and medical supplies to 80,000 people in five besieged areas, Egeland said, heralding progress but calling for access to more than 4 million people in hard-to-reach areas of Syria. Ankara: Twenty-eight people were killed and dozens wounded in Turkey's capital Ankara on Wednesday when a car laden with explosives detonated next to military buses near the armed forces' headquarters, parliament and other government buildings. The Turkish military condemned what it described as a terrorist attack on the buses as they waited at traffic lights in the administrative heart of the NATO member's capital. The attack, the latest in a series of bombings in the past year mostly blamed on Islamic State, comes as Turkey gets dragged ever deeper into the war in neighbouring Syria and tries to contain some of the fiercest violence in decades in its predominantly Kurdish southeast. President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey's determination to fight those behind such acts would only get stronger and that it would not hesitate to exercise its right to self defence. "We will continue our fight against the pawns that carry out such attacks, which know no moral or humanitarian bounds, and the forces behind them with more determination every day," he said in a written statement. Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Numan Kurtulmus said 28 people including soldiers and civilians were killed and 61 wounded in the blast, which occurred near a busy intersection less than 500 meters from parliament during the evening rush hour. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag described the attack as an act of terrorism and told parliament, which was in session at the time, that the car had exploded on a part of the street lined on both sides by military vehicles. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who had been due to attend meetings in Brussels on the migration crisis on Thursday, canceled the trip, an official in his office said. Erdogan postponed a planned visit to Azerbaijan. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing. A senior security source said initial signs indicated that Kurdish militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) were responsible. Separate security sources in the southeast, however, said they believed Islamic State militants may have been behind it. "I heard a huge explosion. There was smoke and a really strong smell even though we were blocks away," a Reuters witness said. "We could immediately hear ambulance and police car sirens rushing to the scene." RUSH HOUR A health ministry official said the authorities were still trying to determine the number of dead and wounded, who had been taken to several hospitals in the area. Ankara police said they were examining CCTV footage of the car used in the attack. Images on social media showed the charred wreckage of at least two buses and a car. The explosion, which came shortly after 6:30 pm (1630 GMT), sent a large plume of smoke above central Ankara. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg condemned the attack. "NATO allies stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight against terrorism," he said in a statement. Turkey faces multiple security threats. It is part of a U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in neighboring Syria and Iraq, and has been shelling Kurdish militia fighters in northern Syria in recent days. It has also been battling PKK militants in its own southeast where a 2-1/2 year ceasefire collapsed last July, plunging the region into its worst violence since the 1990s. The PKK, which has fought a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy, has frequently attacked military targets in the past, although it has largely focused its campaign on the mainly Kurdish southeast. More than 100 people died in Ankara last October in an attack blamed on Islamic State, when two suicide bombers struck a rally of pro-Kurdish and labor activists outside the capital's main train station. A suicide bombing in the historic heart of Istanbul in January, also blamed on Islamic State, killed 10 German tourists, while a bomber killed more than 30 people in the town of Suruc near the Syrian border last July. The Kerr County man suspected in the shooting deaths last week of his wife and son died Tuesday night at a San Antonio hospital from injuries that authorities suspect were self-inflicted. Kerr County Sheriff Rusty Hierholzer on Wednesday reported the death of Mark Cornbread Cormier, 54, at San Antonio Military Medical Center. Hed been treated there for a gunshot to the head sustained Friday in connection with the incident that left Candace Candy Cormier, 61, and Jeremiah Cormier, 10, dead. The investigation is continuing, Hierholzer said. Were still looking at their computers, and trying to determine a motive. RELATED: Kerr County slayings suspect reportedly asked for forgiveness He said a wounded Mark Cormier appeared at a neighbors home in the Shalako subdivision off Goat Creek Road (FM 1338) early Friday and asked their forgiveness for unspecified acts. Emergency responders arrived to find the bodies of Candy Cormier, a real estate agent, and her adopted son in their home. Mark Cormier, who owned a chimney sweep business, declined to speak to investigators prior to boarding an ambulance, Hierholzer said, and was left unresponsive by a heart attack suffered on the way to the hospital. Hierholzer said two pistols were recovered at the scene and no one else is suspected of involvement in the shootings. zeke@express-news.net China's Ministry of Defence confirmed that 'China has deployed weapons on the island for a long time'. (Photo: AFP) Beijing: China confirmed that it has weapons on a disputed island in the South China Sea, state media said on Thursday, as US Secretary of State John Kerry slammed Beijing for "militarisation" of the strategically vital region. The US and Taiwan both said China had deployed missiles to Woody Island, part of the Paracels chain, after Fox News reported the surface-to-air weapons had arrived there in the past week. Beijing claims all of the Paracels, though Hanoi and Taipei have overlapping claims. China seized several islands from South Vietnam in a brief, bloody battle towards the end of the Vietnam War. China's Ministry of Defence confirmed that "China has deployed weapons on the island for a long time", reported the Global Times newspaper, which has close ties to the ruling Communist party. It did not specify which weapons were on the island. But it attempted to downplay the deployment, saying recent reports were an example of Western media playing "the same old tune" about a "China threat", the newspaper cited the ministry's news office as saying. "China has the fair and legal right to deploy defence facilities within the boundaries of its own territory," the report added. Tensions in the sea -- through which one-third of the world's oil passes -- have mounted in recent months since China transformed contested reefs in the Spratly islands further south into artificial islands capable of supporting military facilities. Washington says Beijing's actions threaten free passage in a strategically vital area and has sent warships close to the disputed islands to assert freedom of navigation, raising fears of escalation. "There is every evidence, every day, that there has been an increase of militarisation of one kind or another," Kerry told reporters in Washington on Wednesday. Beijing meanwhile has insisted it has the right to build "self-defence" systems in the region. A Thursday editorial in the Global Times argued that the US has "injected the most military elements in the region". If China has in fact placed surface to air missiles on the island, they might make "jet fighters from the US... feel uneasy when making provocative flights in the region. To us, that's a proper result". Two separate groups of militants struck almost simultaneously at a police checkpoint in the Pandyali area of Mohmand district where they killed seven, and at a solar-powered tube well in Michni area of the same region where they shot dead two police who were standing guard. (Photo: AP) Peshawar: At least nine tribal police personnel and seven terrorists were killed on Thursday in three separate incidents at a tribal agency in Pakistan's restive northwestern region bordering Afghanistan. The first incident occurred at Karpa Latri camp area in Lower Mohmand Agency where some unidentified terrorists armed with automatic weapons opened indiscriminate fire on a security picket, killing seven Tribal Police personnel also known as Khasadars, on the spot. According to officials, the victims were stationed at the security picket when militants ambushed them early this morning. The second incident was reported from Darwaz area in the same agency where two Khasadar personnel were killed when unknown militants opened fire, killing them on the spot. The victims were guarding a solar-powered tube well in the area when militants struck. Security officials rushed to the spot and launched a search operation. The terrorists, however, managed to escape. The bodies of the deceased were shifted to a nearby hospital. Later, security forces conducted an operation in the area and killed seven terrorists. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia didn't pay for a trip to the 30,000-acre luxury ranch in West Texas where he was found dead on Saturday, according to a news report. John Poindexter, owner of Ciblo Creek Ranch, told The Washington Post that he didn't charge Scalia for the stay or pay for his flight to Texas. RELATED: 11 things to know about the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and what happens next "I did not pay for the Justice's trip to Cibolo Creek Ranch," Poindexter told the Post. "He was an invited guest, along with a friend, just like 35 others." The ranch owner did not give the identity of Scalia's friend to the Post. Poindexter also told the newspaper, "The Justice was treated no differently by me, as no one was charged for activities, room and board, beverages, etc. That is a 22-year policy.'' That's different from what Poindexter previously told the San Antonio Express-News. "All the guests were friends of mine, I paid for all of them. There were no politics, no jurisprudence in the slightest," he told Express-News reporter John MacCormack. "This was strictly a group of friends that the judge decided to join. He was coming with his son who had to drop out for reasons I don't know," Poindexter said. "It was an honor to have him. He was widely admired. There were no speeches. He wasn't asked any hard questions, it was all about the outdoors and Texas, and what it's like to being a Supreme Court Justice," he said. It's not clear what relationship Scalia and Poindexter shared or who else was at the ranch, but the Post reported that in 2015 the Supreme Court declined to hear a case about an age discrimination lawsuit against a subsidiary Poindexter's Houston-based manufacturing firm J.B. Poindexter & Co. RELATED: Cibolo Creek Ranch owner recalls Scalia's last hours in Texas These questions are just the latest in a series of confusing, befuddling and unclear events surrounding Scalia's death. William O. Ritchie, former chief of criminal investigations for the District of Columbia police department, wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday that he was "stunned" that there was no autopsy ordered for Scalia. "You have a Supreme Court Justice who died, not in attendance of a physician," Ritchie wrote. "You have a non-homicide trained US Marshal tell the justice of peace that no foul play was observed. You have a justice of the peace pronounce death while not being on the scene and without any medical training opining that the justice died of a heart attack. What medical proof exists of a myocardial Infarction? Why not a cerebral hemorrhage?" RELATED: 10 conspiracy theories people are making up about the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Presidio County Judge Cinderela Guevara declared Scalia dead after speaking with law enforcement officers over the phone, a process allowed under Texas law. Guevara defended her decision and method of handling the declaration in a statement issued to The Associated Press, saying Scalia's attorney told her the family believed he died of natural causes and didn't want an autopsy performed. "I respected the wishes of the Scalia family, Guevara said. "I did this based upon credible reports to me from law enforcement and from Justice Scalia's personal physician." jfechter@mySA.com Twitter: @JFreports The law was passed by Sindh provincial assembly on Monday, making the province the first in the country to allow the minority community to register their marriages. Karachi: A Hindu lawmaker has sought an amendment to the recently adopted law on Hindu marriages in Pakistan's Sindh province over a controversial clause that a marriage will be dissolved if either spouse changes religion. The law was passed by Sindh provincial assembly on Monday, making the province the first in the country to allow the minority community to register their marriages. This was after the National Assembly committee on law and justice last week approved the draft law on Hindu marriages, paving the way for registering marriages in Pakistan's minuscule Hindu minority after decades of delay and inaction. It marked the first step to help over 3 million Pakistani Hindus, majority of them living in Sindh, to register their marriages. However, the clause about automatic dissolution of a Hindu marriage in case of a change of religion by either partner has drawn criticism with many describing it as a veiled effort to facilitate forced conversions, which has been a major issue faced by Hindus in Sindh. Ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) lawmaker Ramesh Kumar Vankwani yesterday got support of the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights for amending the bill. Interestingly, Vankwani was part of the panel which passed the bill last week but has now become its vocal critic demanding removal of the dissolution clause. "The clause 12 can be misused to forcefully convert married Hindu women the same way young girls have been kidnapped and forced to convert to other religions," he said. Vankwani said the clause was against the basic humancrights of Hindus living in Pakistan. Senator Farhatullah Babar of Pakistan People's Party also supported removal of what he termed the "repressive" clause. "It amounts to promoting forced conversions not only of young unmarried girls but also of married Hindu women. It is a grave human rights violation of the Hindus," said Babar. There is also debate about the Hindu marriage law fixing the minimum age of 18 years for marriage with Hindu parliamentarians like Vankwani saying that Hindu men and women cannot marry until they are 18. There is growing consensus that the issue of age should be left to the "discretion" of Hindu lawmakers but the removal of the regressive clause is problematic as religious groups involved in forced conversion of Hindu women are opposing it with the support of right-wing political parties. After Sindh, other provinces and parliament are also planning to pass the Hindu Marriage Law. There is an imbalance in the argument at the heart of the 2016 presidential campaign that threatens to undercut the Democrats chances of holding the White House. You might think otherwise. The divisions among Republicans are as sharp as they have been since 1964. Donald Trump might be building on the politics of resentment the GOP has pursued throughout President Obamas term. But Trumps mix of nationalism, xenophobia, a dash of economic populism and a searing critique of George W. Bushs foreign policy offers a philosophical smorgasbord that leaves the partys traditional ideology behind. Jeb Bush, the candidate who represents the greatest degree of continuity with the Republican past, is floundering. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, both Cuban Americans, are competing fiercely over who is toughest on immigration. So much for the party opening its doors to new Americans. As for the less incendiary John Kasich, he probably wont be relevant to the race again until the primaries hit the Midwest. Add to this the GOPs demographic weakness young Americans are profoundly alienated from the party, and nonwhites will only be further turned off by the spectacle created by Trump, Cruz & Co. and the likelihood of a third consecutive Democratic presidential victory is in view. But then comes the imbalance: If there is a common element in the rhetoric of all the Republican candidates, it is that Obamas presidency is an utter disaster, and he is trying to turn us, as Rubio keeps saying, into a different kind of country. Youd imagine from hearing the Republicans speak (Kasich is a partial exception) that we are in the midst of a new Great Depression, have just been defeated in a war, have lost our moral compass entirely, have no religious liberty, and are on the verge of a dictatorship established by a slew of illegal executive orders. Oh, yes, and the president who brought about all these horrors has lost the authority to name a Supreme Court justice, no matter what the Constitution which should otherwise be strictly interpreted says. You can laugh or cry over this, but it is a consistent message, carried every day by the media whenever they cover the Republican contest. The Democrats offer, well, a more nuanced approach. True, Hillary Clinton has embraced Obama more and more, seeing him as a life raft against Bernie Sanders formidable challenge. In particular, she knows that African American voters deeply resent the way Obama has been treated by Republicans. (No other president, after all, has been told that any nomination he makes to the Supreme Court will be ignored.) Tying herself to Obama is a wise way of shoring up her up-to-now strong support among voters of color. But ambivalence does not win elections. Democrats need to insist that while much work remains to be done, the United States is in far better shape economically than most other countries in the world. The nation is better off for the reforms in health care, financial regulation and environmental protection enacted during Obamas term and should be proud of its energetic, entrepreneurial and diverse citizenry. If Clinton, Sanders and their party dont provide a forceful response to the wildly inaccurate and ridiculously bleak characterization of Obamas presidency that the Republicans are offering, nobody will. And if this parody is allowed to stand as reality, the Democrats will lose. 2016, Washington Post Writers Group E-mail: ejdionne@washpost.com Twitter: @EJDionne DANBURY Amid a series of thefts from cars in at least four nearby towns, Danbury police have arrested a man they said got into as many as 20 unlocked cars in the area of Spruce Mountain Road and stole a variety of small items, including loose change and prescription medication. Authorities said they learned of the overnight rash of thefts at 9 a.m. Wednesday, when a Spruce Mountain Road man who had left his work truck unlocked called police to report that several items were missing from the car. While speaking with the resident, officers learned State Police had information on a possible suspect, identified as 21-year-old Alexander Hulse, of Miry Brook Road in Danbury. State Police said they developed information on a suspect, but did not provide details. When officers arrived at Hulses home, he admitted to going into several cars overnight and even brought police to his room to see the stolen items, according to the report. Police said the items included $26 in coins, a lighter, an iPhone, three GPS devices, three prescription pill bottles, a JanSport book bag and a Nordic jacket. The arrest comes at a time when area police departments are grappling with an increase in thefts from unlocked cars. In Brookfield, for instance, about 10 such cases were reported, mostly on or near West Whisconier Road, on Friday and Saturday last week. Other towns recently targeted are Redding, where two unlocked cars parked on the same driveway were ransacked Monday night; Newtown and Bethel. Police in Newtown say similar cases have also been reported in Waterbury, Middlebury and Brewster, N.Y. Danbury police said there was no indication that Hulse was involved in other recent incidents, and Newtown police said it did not appear he was behind the recent thefts in that town. Still, Redding Police Chief Douglas Fuchs said the department will certainly be looking into a possible connection with Hulse. Hulse was charged with fifth-degree larceny and was held on $5,000 bond. He also had an arrest warrant for third-degree assault and disorderly conduct, but police did not provide details on those charges. Authorities reminded residents to lock their cars, take their keys and not leave any valuables behind. noliveira@newstimes.com, 203-731-3411, @olivnelson This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SACRAMENTO In a dramatic shift in Californias plans to build the nations first high-speed rail system, state officials announced Thursday that they want the first segment to run between Bakersfield and the Bay Area instead of Bakersfield and Los Angeles County. Under the proposed revision, the first 250-mile leg would stretch from Bakersfield to San Jose, with the trains expected to be operational in 2025. By then, officials said, Caltrain will be completely electrified and, using those tracks, the rail will be immediately able to connect to San Francisco. By building in the booming Bay Area, the state hopes to attract private investments and support for the project, both of which have been lacking. Dan Richard, chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, said the change in plans to build to San Jose first needs approval by the authoritys board. The change would drop the overall price tag from $68 billion to $64 billion. High-speed rail can't get to the Bay Area fast enough, so this is great news for our entire region, said Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco. The rail line has been a priority for Gov. Jerry Brown, who joined state political leaders last year to break ground on the initial 29 miles of the line in the Central Valley. The trains would eventually run as fast as 220 mph between San Francisco and Los Angeles, but how the state will come up with the tens of billions needed to build the project is still unknown. Rail authorities have also said the high-speed rail line might one day be connected to Las Vegas via a system built by XpressWest, a private company that plans to build high-speed trains from Las Vegas to Southern California. The Republican majority in Congress has vowed not to contribute more federal funding to the project. Still, Richard said, the authority intends to ask for $2.9 billion in federal funding. Political opposition We understand the realities in Washington, but we think we will make a good case, Richard said. The project, which is two years behind schedule, has been tied up in lawsuits and bashed by Republicans. This is just another tactic that they are using to keep a dying project on life support, said Assemblyman Jim Patterson, R-Fresno. Its a desperate attempt to put down some track and get some of this money spent before more people realize the authority is out of control and is building something the people never gave them permission to build. In 2008, California voters approved Proposition 1A, a $9 billion bond to cover the states portion of building the rail system. In the years since, cost estimates for the project have doubled and public support has waned. Game-changer With Thursdays announcement, Carl Guardino of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group said potential investors will give the rail project a serious look. This is a game-changer for not only the Silicon Valley, but the entire Bay Area, Guardino said. The rail authority originally planned to build from Bakersfield to Burbank before connecting the Central Valley to San Francisco. However, the path to the Los Angeles area posed several issues particularly engineering a route through the Tehachapi and San Gabriel mountains. Richard said the change allowed the rail authority to build a segment of the track with funds already being appropriated, such as $500 million in cap-and-trade revenue in the governors current budget. Richard said the authority will continue to move forward with investments and environmental reports in Southern California so that when the money becomes available, it is ready to build. Its longer and more expensive to get to L.A., Richard said. Looking at the available funds, we just couldnt get there. Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez KABUL Afghan security forces, possibly accompanied by NATO advisers, raided a hospital south of Kabul and abducted and then killed at least three men suspected of being insurgents, hospital officials and residents said Thursday. The raid began late Wednesday in the Day Mirdad district of Wardak province, 100 miles from Kabul, the capital, at a hospital run by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, an international aid agency. Initial reports differed about whether the units involved in the four-hour raid, who descended from helicopters, belonged to the Afghan army or the police. The number of casualties was also not clear, with different accounts suggesting that between three and five people had been killed. 1 Stranded trucks: Hundreds of trucks and cars were stranded at two Greek-Bulgarian border crossings Wednesday after a blockade by Greek farmers was met with a retaliatory blockade by angry truck drivers on the Bulgarian side. Greek authorities said there were 820 trucks, about 320 cars and six buses stranded on the Greek side of the main Promahonas-Kulata crossing. About 1,000 trucks and 500 cars were on the Bulgarian side. Farmers have been blockading highways across Greece for weeks to protest a government-planned pension reform that critics say will increase social security contributions to unsustainable levels. 2 Sexual misconduct probe: The head of Colombias police resigned Wednesday amid accusations of illegal enrichment and sexual misconduct with young cadets that threatened to tarnish the reputation of one of the South American nations most-prestigious institutions. Gen. Rodolfo Palominos resignation came a day after Colombias inspector general opened an administrative probe into the accusations. The most damning charges are Palominos alleged participation in a male prostitution ring, dubbed the Community of the Ring by local media, that allegedly forced entry-level cadets to cater to high-ranking officers and even members of congress. WASHINGTON President Obama is planning a historic visit to Cuba in the coming weeks, senior Obama administration officials said Wednesday, becoming the first president to step foot on the island in nearly nine decades. Obamas brief visit will be part of a broader trip to Latin America that the White House will announce Thursday, said the officials, who requested anonymity because the trip hasnt been officially announced. The visit is expected to take place in mid-March, one official said. Title 14, Section 1211 Sec. 1211.102 Definitions. (a) NASA and the Administrator mean, respectively the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or his authorized representative (see Sec. 1204.509 of this chapter). (b) Extraterrestrially exposed means the state or condition of any person, property, animal or other form of life or matter whatever, who or which has: (1) Touched directly or come within the atmospheric envelope of any other celestial body; or (2) Touched directly or been in close proximity to (or been exposed indirectly to) any person, property, animal or other form of life or matter who or which has been extraterrestrially exposed by virtue of paragraph (b)(1) of this section. For example, if person or thing A touches the surface of the Moon, and on As return to the Earth, B touches A and, subsequently, C touches B, all of these A through C inclusive would be extraterrestrially exposed (A and B directly; C indirectly). (c) (c) Quarantine means the detention, examination and decontamination of any person, property, animal or other form of life or matter whatever that is extraterrestrially exposed, and includes the apprehension or seizure of such person, property, animal or other form of life or matter whatever. (d) Quarantine period means a period of consecutive calendar days as may be established in accordance with Sec. 1211.104(a). (e) United States means the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and any other territory or possession of the United States, and in a territorial sense all places and waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Gabriel Bouys/AFP / Getty Images CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico Pope Francis concluded an emotional, provocative journey through Mexico Wednesday, symbolically tracing the path of migrants headed for the United States and ending up at the border that divides and unites two societies. Thousands of people gathered on both sides of the border an election-year lightning rod that represents the tumultuous issue of immigration to say Mass with the pope and hear his message of the need for fair wages, human dignity and an end to the violence convulsing Mexico. SEOUL North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently ordered preparations for launching terror attacks on South Koreans, a top Seoul official said Thursday, as worries about the North grow after its recent nuclear test and rocket launch. In televised remarks, senior South Korean presidential official Kim Sung-woo said North Koreas spy agency has begun work to implement Kim Jong Uns order to muster anti-South terror capabilities that can pose a direct threat to our lives and security. He said the possibility of North Korean attacks is increasing more than ever and asked for quick passage of an antiterror bill in parliament. North Korea has a history of attacks on South Korea, such as the 2010 shelling on an island that killed four South Koreans and the 1987 bombing of a South Korean passenger plane that killed all 115 people on board. But it is impossible to independently confirm claims about any such attack preparations. The South Korean presidential official did not say where the latest information came from. Earlier Thursday, Seouls National Intelligence Service briefed ruling Saenuri Party members on a similar assessment on North Koreas attack preparations, according to one of the party officials who attended the private meeting. During the briefing, the NIS, said the attacks could target anti-Pyongyang activists, defectors and government officials in South Korea, the party official said. Attacks on subways, shopping malls and other public places could also happen, he said. Meanwhile, President Obama slapped North Korea with more stringent sanctions Thursday for defying the world and pushing forward with its nuclear weapons program. The new measures are intended to deny North Korea the money it needs to develop miniaturized warheads and long-range missiles required to deliver them. ANKARA, Turkey Turkey blamed Kurdish militants at home and in neighboring Syria on Thursday for a deadly bombing in Ankara and it stepped up pressure on the U.S. to sever ties with the Syrian Kurdish militia that has been a key force against the Islamic State group in the complex Syrian conflict. The blast at rush hour Wednesday killed 28 people and wounded dozens more in a car bombing that targeted buses of military personnel. Ankaras second bombing in four months came as Turkey grappled with an array of serious issues, including renewed fighting with Kurdish rebels, threats from Islamic State militants and the Syria refugee crisis. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said a Syrian national with links to Syrian Kurdish militias carried out the attack in concert with Turkeys own outlawed Kurdish rebel group, the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which has waged a 30-year insurgency. He also blamed the government of President Bashar Assad for allegedly supporting the Syrian Kurdish militia. Turkish leaders pledged to retaliate for the Ankara attack, and the military said its warplanes conducted cross-border raids within hours against PKK positions in the Haftanin region of northern Iraq, striking about 60-70 rebels, including senior leaders. The report could not be independently verified. Turkey had been pressing the U.S. in recent weeks to cut off its support to the Kurdish Syrian militias that Ankara regards as terrorists because of their affiliation with the PKK. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Washington to choose between Turkey and the Syrian Kurdish group as its partner. The U.S. already lists the PKK as a terrorist group. But in the complicated tangle of friends and foes in the Middle East, Washington relies heavily on the Syrian Democratic Union Party, or PYD, and its military wing, the Peoples Protection Units, or YPG, in fighting extremists from the Islamic State group. The U.S. has rejected Turkish pressure to brand those Kurdish groups as terrorists. Turkey also wants the United States to stop providing weapons to the Syrian Kurdish militias, arguing that the arms end up with the PKK. Those who directly or indirectly back an organization that is the enemy of Turkey risk losing the title of being a friend of Turkey, Davutoglu said in an apparent reference to Washington. It is out of the question for us to excuse a terror organization that threatens the capital of our country. HARARE, Zimbabwe Crocodiles, Lacoste shirts, DNA tests and accusations of stealing underwear and radios. Sniping around these topics highlights the intensifying battles in Zimbabwes faction-ridden ruling party over who will succeed President Robert Mugabe, in power for 36 years. Mugabe, the worlds oldest head of state, recently warned officials of his ZANU-PF party to stop insulting each other. A lot of the bitter quarrels, which come ahead of Mugabes 92nd birthday on Feb. 21, happen on Twitter and other social media platforms, providing Zimbabweans with a stream of nasty, colorful and sometimes entertaining quips that would have been unthinkable not long ago. None of Mugabes current close allies has challenged his rule, which began with independence from white rule in 1980 and has been marked by economic hardship and contentious relations with the West. The disputes within the ruling party are the result of Mugabes failure to groom an obvious successor, said Gabriel Shumba, a human rights lawyer and chairman of the South Africa-based Zimbabwe Exiles Forum. It has become so heated because Mugabe has deliberately kept the lid on the discussion, Shumba said. In a new challenge to Mugabe, his former vice president, Joice Mujuru, this month registered a rival political party and plans to run for president in elections scheduled for 2018. Mujuru was fired from her position in December 2014 after 10 years as Mugabes deputy on allegations of plotting to unseat the veteran ruler, accusations she denied. The 60-year-old then formed her own movement called Zimbabwe People First. A key figure in succession talk is Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is also justice minister and a veteran associate of Mugabe dating to the guerrilla war against minority rule in what was then Rhodesia. He is widely known in Zimbabwe as the Crocodile because he was a member of a guerrilla group with that name. His supporters have begun identifying themselves as Team Lacoste, because the French designer label has a crocodile logo. Then there is G40, short for Generation 40, a group that is associated with Mugabes wife Grace, who has raised her political profile. Higher Education Minister Jonathan Moyo coined the G40 term, which refers to young ruling party members vying for leadership opportunities. Grace Mugabe tore into Mnangagwas faction last week. I dont lose sleep over being labelled G40, said the first lady in the local Shona language at a rural rally on Friday. She criticized party youths wearing Lacoste labels and said political rivals were out to kill her family. Chris Mutsvangwa, the minister of war veterans who is close to Mnangagwa, has said Moyo should take a DNA test to prove he does not come from a bloodline hostile to Mugabe. Hellaby Holdings, the diversified investment company, posted a 65 percent drop in first-half profit with revenue from three of its four segments falling, but says it expects a better second half as it tries to sell its loss-making footwear division. Net profit fell to $4.7 million, or 5.1 cents per share, in the six months ended Dec. 31, from $13.5 million, or 13.1 cents, a year earlier, the Auckland-based company said in a statement. This was at the upper end of their forecast, the company said, having downgraded its earnings outlook last year. In December, it said earnings were likely to fall in the first half of the financial year, projecting trading earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of between $16.5 million and $20.5 million, "well below" the $28.7 million in the year earlier period. Trading ebitda fell 34 percent to $19 million in the first half, on a 2 percent fall in revenue to $379.9 million. The board today confirmed its earlier outlook for a better second half, and said group earnings for the full year "will be broadly in line with the record results achieved last year," when the company posted an annual profit of $23.4 million, or 28.6 cents per share. The Hellaby group is moving to a new focus, building on our existing base," said managing director Alan Clarke, who started the role in November. "I believe we have a great future as a long term business builder and owner. We do not have to develop new sectors as some of the current sectors we operate in offer considerable scope for attractive long term expansion." The board declared a 9 cent dividend, with a March 23 record date, payable on April 1. The shares fell 6 cents to $2.58, and have fallen about 6 percent this year. Operating profit in the company's oil and gas services segment fell 91 percent to $711,000, on a 19 percent fall in revenue to $83 million. In December, it warned sales in the division would be "well down" due to delays in several large contracts which are now scheduled for the second half of the year. "While this is disappointing, timing of major refinery shutdown contracts is the reason for this very soft result," Clarke said. "While the earnings in the resource services group are lumpy, they are in fact predictable over a longer period, with sustained growth achieved in the last 25 years and margins available through these specialised technical services that are attractive." The company is exploring several investment opportunities, he said, and is looking to expand geographically and provide new services. Its equipment division also faltered, with operating profit down 20 percent to $3.6 million, on a 10 percent rise in sales to $104 million. The group's sales and maintenance of market share came at the cost of margin, Clarke said, as sales of new equipment were affected by a slowing economy. The challenge for this group is that margins are small and the investment is large, and this is an important consideration for determining our future strategy," Clarke said. Clarke reiterated the company's plans to sell its "non-core" footwear division, Hannahs and Number One Shoes. This is despite the segment narrowing its loss to $587,000 in the first half, from $1.7 million a year earlier, on a 2.8 percent fall in sales to $66.6 million. Hannahs had some same-store sales growth, but Number One Shoes sales shrank year on year. The automotive business showed sales growth of 27 percent to $125 million, though operating profit fell 4.6 percent to $11.5 million. Clarke said the group was a "well-managed delight", and the company's purchase last June of Melbourne-based JAS Oceania had opened up the Australian market. "With the Australian auto electrical operations now established, there are a number of excellent opportunities we are assessing for expansion," Clarke said. "The automotive group has positive growth prospects with good margins in large markets." BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Mainfreight Investor Day / Market Update GFI - Greenfern - Offer closes 27th Oct MCY - Quarterly Operational Update VCT - Operational performance for the 3 months ended 30 Sept 2022 NZL - Forestry Estate Acquisition October 21st Morning Report Air New Zealand Limited Retail Bond Offer Books Close Spark welcomes C-band spectrum allocation AIA - 2022 Annual Meeting Chair & Chief Executive Addresses MOVE Completes Purchase of Vessel for Trans-Tasman Service Port of Tauranga has confirmed a review of its capital structure is planned for 2017, by which time New Zealand's biggest port operator will be over the hump of its spending programme and able to contemplate options such as a return to shareholders. The company will have completed a five-year, $350 million capital expenditure programme in 2017, including dredging its shipping lanes to accommodate larger ships, adding cranes, straddle carriers and tugs, expanding its wharf and marshalling areas, and buying property. Revenue from what will be the first New Zealand port able to host container ships with a capacity of 6,500 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units) at low-water tides will begin to kick in next year, with freight sent to the port by Kotahi, the logistics venture owned by Fonterra Cooperative Group and Silver Fern Farms. The guarantee of freight "has allowed our board to be very rational about this - it's not just build it and hope they will come," said chief executive Mark Cairns. Port of Tauranga's board flagged in early 2015 its intention to review its capital structure in 2017 and the company affirmed the plan to analysts yesterday. A special dividend could be an effective way to return any funds to shareholders because the company has accumulated imputation credits. The imputation credit account stood at $67.9 million at the end of the 2015 financial year, although it has since declared an interim 2016 dividend of 23 cents a share, of which about 8.9 cents was imputed, or tax paid. First-half profit dropped 9 percent to $38.6 million as export log volumes fell and after the year-earlier result was inflated by a one-time gain. Operating income fell 9.8 percent to $121.9 million, while operating earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation rose 3.4 percent to $62 million. The company warned shareholders at their annual meeting last October that earnings growth may stall in 2016 because of uncertainty about log and dairy export volumes, which could counter the benefits of increased container traffic. Yesterday, the company affirmed that full-year profit was likely to be unchanged at about $79 million. In the first half, log exports fell 16 percent to 2.4 million tonnes, although dairy volumes were up 29 percent and container volumes rose about 10 percent to 470,928 TEUs. Port of Tauranga is aiming to be the key hub port in the North Island servicing a future shipping trade expected to be characterised by fewer, larger vessels that need deeper berths. Freight would be brought around the coast from smaller ports to fill the big ships or carried by rail or road. The company said that it is about a third of the way through its project to dredge Tauranga's harbour channels to a depth of 14.5 metres inside the harbour and 15.8 metres outside the entrance, work that's expected to be completed in July. The shares fell 0.3 percent to $18 yesterday and have edged up 2.6 percent in the past 12 months. The stock is rated a 'sell' based on the consensus of five analysts polled by Reuters. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Mainfreight Investor Day / Market Update GFI - Greenfern - Offer closes 27th Oct MCY - Quarterly Operational Update VCT - Operational performance for the 3 months ended 30 Sept 2022 NZL - Forestry Estate Acquisition October 21st Morning Report Air New Zealand Limited Retail Bond Offer Books Close Spark welcomes C-band spectrum allocation AIA - 2022 Annual Meeting Chair & Chief Executive Addresses MOVE Completes Purchase of Vessel for Trans-Tasman Service EXCLUSIVE: One of the classified email chains discovered on Hillary Clintons personal unsecured server discussed an Afghan nationals ties to the CIA and a report that he was on the agencys payroll, a U.S. government official with knowledge of the document told Fox News. The discussion of a foreign national working with the U.S. government raises security implications an executive order signed by President Obama said unauthorized disclosures are presumed to cause damage to the national security." The U.S. government official said the Clinton email exchange, which referred to a New York Times report, was among 29 classified emails recently provided to congressional committees with specific clearances to review them. In that batch were 22 top secret exchanges deemed too damaging to national security to release. Confirmation that one of these exchanges concerned a reported CIA asset means the emails went beyond issues like the drone strike campaign. Democrats repeatedly have said some messages referred to this, reinforcing Clinton's position that the documents are over-classified. Based on the timing and other details, the email chain likely refers to either an October 2009 Times story that identified Afghan national Ahmed Wali Karzai, the half-brother of then-Afghan president Hamid Karzai, as a person who received regular payments from the Central Intelligence Agency -- or an August 2010 Times story that identified Karzai aide Mohammed Zia Salehi as being on the CIA payroll. Ahmed Wali Karzai was murdered during a 2011 shoot-out, a killing later claimed by the Taliban. Fox News was told the email chain included then-Secretary of State Clinton and then-special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke and possibly others. The basic details of this email exchange were backed up to Fox News by a separate U.S. government source who was not authorized to speak on the record. Capt. Trevor Aldridge, 88th Fighter Training Squadron flight commander and native of Wichita Falls, Texas, has been in the Air Force for six years and is the Instructor of the Week at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, for the week of Feb. 16-22, 2016. Most significant accomplishments: Aldridge led his squadrons conversion to electronic grade books which saved resources and time previously used on creating and maintaining individual physical grade books. He led a class of twelve, including all of the student pilots of Norway and Denmark, successfully through the Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals program with no syllabus deviations and ahead of their squadrons timeline. He was voted by two classes as the most valuable instructor pilot in IFF. Aldridge was selected to plan the squadrons deployment to Nellis Air Force Base to support U.S. Air Force Weapons School and Red Flag 16-2. He is also responsible for the anniversary celebration of the 35th Anniversary of the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program. I am a native of Wichita Falls, Texas and graduated from Texas A&M in 2009 and completed the ENJJPT program in 2011 where I earned my pilot wings, said Aldridge. I then flew the F-15C stationed out of Kadena Air Base, Japan. I recently returned to the 88th Fighter Training Squadron to instruct students on basic fighter maneuvers, air combat training and surface attacks. Commanders comments: Captain Aldridge ensures top-notch student training in the Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals program through his dedication both as a flight commander and an Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals instructor pilot, said Lt. Col. Richard Blagg, 88th FTS commander. His additional help in squadron activities, TDYs, and process-improvement demonstrate his ability to go above and beyond. He is an invaluable asset to the squadron, group, and wing with a bright future ahead. Commander of the 19th Air Force, his wife and the 19th AF Command Chief from Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, visited Sheppard Air Force Base for a familiarization tour of the 80th Flying Training Wing, Feb. 10-12, 2016. Maj. Gen. James Hecker graduated from the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program at Sheppard in 1990 as part of Class 91-01. This is Hecker and Chief Master Sgt. Robert Boyers first visit to Sheppard while serving in their new positions as commander and command chief after assuming command of the 19th Air Force in June of 2015. The 19th Air Force annually trains more than 30,000 U.S. and allied entry-level undergraduate flying training to advanced combat crew training students each year. While visiting, Heckers wife, Terrie, toured various base facilities that support the ENJJPT Program personnel and their families. She also met with downtown country sponsors and the senior national representatives of the 13 NATO-partner nations that support the ENJJPT program. "You are doing an incredible job here at the 80th, said Hecker. This ENJJPT Program sets you up for future success and equally important is the partnerships we gain. I flew in class 91-01 and we didn't know a year later, we'd go to war with all these nations for the next 25 years. ENJJPT is hosted by the 80th FTW and has delivered more than 7,100 pilots since the program began 35 years ago, in 1981. ENJJPT pilots flew 52,000 sorties with 61,000 flight hours last year, making it the second busiest joint-use airfield in the Air Force, outside of a combat zone. The 13 NATO countries participating in the program include Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom and the U.S. Graduates from ENJJPT have supported every major military operation since the Program's inception. These include Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn and Odyssey Dawn, and Inherent Resolve. The 80th does a great job of balancing the flying mission with international partnerships, Hecker said. The international spouses meeting and country sponsors provide an amazing inclusion and team support for the families of the European pilots stationed here. We are impressed with the uniqueness of what you do here." Hecker finished his tour of the 80th FTW by officiating the retirement of Lt. Col. David Toogood, the ENJJPT Senior National Representative for the United States. Toogood will remain in the Wichita Falls area, serving as President and CEO of Work Services Corporation. Camelot said: No, you come here on behalf of a political interest. Who might that be ? Click to expand... Limbaugh Unloads on Nikki Haley: GOP Wants to Drive Out All the Conservatives They are not liberals. They are conniving parasites who use the cloak of government force to steal the wealth which wage earners, business and investors have worked to create See the following and get back to me.JWK To support Marco Rubio or Jeb Bush or is to support our Global Governance Crowd and their WTO, NAFTA, GATT, and CAFTA, all used to circumvent America First trade policies, while fattening the fortunes of international corporate giants who have no allegiance to America or any nation. See Gov. Nikki Haley endorses Sen. Marco Rubio ahead of SC GOP primary Keep in mind that Marco Rubio not only supports giving amnesty to 10 -20 million foreigners who have invaded our borders, but Marco Rubio also spit on our Constitution by supporting fast trade promotion authority which allows our President to exercise Congress exclusive power to fashion regulations of commerce with foreign nations.It is amazing how many snakes have come together to support our Washington Establishments pick for president.JWK An unidentified man wearing board shorts walked into the womens bathroom of Evans Pool, in the heart of Seattle, on Monday evening.The women inside the locker room at the time attempted to kick him out, but the guy refused and said the law has changed and I have the right to be here.The man was referring to a local rule passed in December that mandates all public restrooms to allow transgender people to use bathroom assigned to their gender identity.The rule applies to schools, businesses and parks.Seattle Parks and Recreation is facing a first-of-its-kind challenge to new rules allowing people to use bathrooms according to their personal gender identity.NBC NEWSSeattle Parks and Recreation is facing a first-of-its-kind challenge to new rules allowing people to use bathrooms according to their personal gender identity.The state ruling enacted by the Human Rights Commission of Washington was met with criticism by some in the state who thought the rule went too far.this is way to funny!!!gotta love this stuff The US Marine Corps is planning to deploy the first F-35B unit to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan within a year. We are operating the airplane, training in the airplane, making us ready to deploy to the Pacific, Lieutenant General Jon M. Davis, deputy commandant for aviation Said. The US Air Force is planning to deploy its first units to RAF Lakenheath In the UK by 2020. The Marine Aviation unit scheduled to transition to Japan is VFMA-121 Green Knights, currently operating from Yuma AZ. An initial deployment of pilots alongside 10 aircraft will be relocated to Japan starting January 2017, with another six scheduled for July of that year. The unit with 10 F-35B fighter jets has been declared operationally capable since August 2015, becoming the first F-35 unit to be ready for combat. By the time the Green Knights move to Japan the Corps is expected to have three F-35 squadrons available in the USA. Marine F-35 squadrons will routinely deploy to Japan on six month rotations as part of the services unit deployment program. In addition to land basing overseas the F-35B will also be ready for future deployments aboard the US Navys fleet of amphibious carriers. The F-35 is expected to make its international public debut in July at the International Air Tatoo and Farmborough Airshows in the UK, where the aircraft will be shown in flight and on static display for the first time, out of the USA. BENGALURU: According to a recent study by Mesfin M. Mekonnen and Arjen Y. Hoekstra, water scarcity is on the rise and it is way worse than previously anticipated. The authors said that fresh water scarcity is increasingly perceived as a global systemic risk and that previous global water scarcity assessments, measuring water scarcity annually, have underestimated experienced water scarcity by failing to capture seasonal fluctuations in water consumption and availability. The report reveals that nearly 4 billion people of the entire 7.5 billion have water scarcity for at least a month in a year. When taken into consideration the people living under conditions of moderate to extreme scarcity, the overall count rises to 4.3 billion. It is further estimated that the number of people hit by the water scarcity between 4 to 6 months a year ranges from 1.8 2.9 billion. This is an issue which should be taken seriously by India as majority of its people are hit by the crisis.Of the 4 billion considered for the study, almost 1 billion are Indians while another 0.9 billion comprises of the Chinese. This means almost 80 percent of the population suffers from water scarcity for almost a whole month. The remaining 2 billion is largely occupied by Bangladesh with 130 million people, followed by the U.S. with another 130 million, Pakistan with 120 million, Nigeria with 110 million and Mexico with 90 million. Livemint observes that the issue doesnt end there. Almost 180 million Indians struggle without water around the year. It is the highest count when compared to other hotspots that include Pakistan which comes second on that list with 73 million people suffering from water scarcity, followed by the Egypt (27 million), Mexico (20 million), Saudi Arabia (20 million) and Yemen (18 million). Read Also: TED2016 Rose to Their Feet for a 10 Year Old Indian Girl U.S. to Boost Economic Engagement with Asean NEW DELHI: As American space agency Nasa looks forward to sending astronauts to Mars, it has invited the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) for a possible international collaboration. Several space agencies of different countries are also expected to attend the meeting in Washington next month. "We are looking to send astronauts to Mars. In order to do that, you need certain robotic missions to begin with. Early next month, there will be a meeting in Washington. The Isro has also been invited for the meeting to discuss the future collaborations for the mission to Mars. We think it will be more of an international consortium. "There are potential opportunities to collaborate in future," said Jakob van Zyl, Associate Director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Nasa scientist was delivering a lecture on its Mars mission and its finding on the Red Planet at American Centre in New Delhi. There is also a Isro-Nasa Mars Working Group in place, which has been looking into opportunities for enhanced cooperation in Mars exploration including potential coordinated observations and analysis between Isro's Mars Orbiter Mission and Nasa's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN). The UAE has also signed a cooperation agreement with the Isro for its Mars Mission, the first to be undertaken by any Gulf nation. Read Also: 80 Percent of Indian Population Suffers from Water Scarcity: Study TED2016 Rose to Their Feet for a 10 Year Old Indian Girl BENGALURU: With many young and innovative startups disrupting healthcare industry and giving legacy systems a run for their money, the patients of all demographics are benefitting from the whole new experience. The Forbes has rounded up five such healthcare tech startups that you should look at in 2016. Oscar Health Promising better care through technology, data and design, Oscar Health, a healthcare tech startup, founded in 2012 enables users to purchase insurance through its app or website, directly or from an insurance marketplace. The members can use the app to consult a doctor from any location. In order to foster healthy lifestyle, Oscar Health provides a rewards program where members can earn up to a dollar a day and improve their health habits. The company also provides a free fitness tracker to monitor progress. Read Also: 8 Startups That Can Disrupt the Healthcare Industry in 2016 16 Innovative Startups to Watch for in 2016 STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Police are searching for three male suspects in two armed robberies where two victims were assaulted within minutes of each other early on Thursday morning on Park Hill Avenue in Clifton. At least one of the victims was pistol whipped in the robberies that occurred between about 2:45 and 3 a.m., according to a spokesman for the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. The suspects made off with loot including two cell phones, headphones, an iPad, a wallet, a shoulder bag, and money from the two victims, police said. A 24-year-old man was walking to a bus stop when he was approached by three male robbers, police said. A suspect punched the victim in the face with a closed fist and one of the suspects brandished a firearm. The victim did not go to a hospital, police said. The second male victim entered 280 Park Hill Ave. and went into an elevator. He was followed inside by three male robbers. A suspect struck the victim in a face and head with a firearm, causing lacerations, police said. The victim was transported in stable condition to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, according to police. A search of the area resulted in no arrests and the investigation is ongoing. Police do not yet have descriptions of the suspects other than that each robbery was done by three black males, according to a the police spokesman. Staten Island Ferry Molinari accident Whitehall Ferry Terminal The scene outside of the Staten Island Ferry at Whitehall Street in Manhattan. (Staten island Advance/Jillian Jorgensen) (Staten Island Advance Photo) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A second suspect has been arrested in the beating of a tourist who declined to purchase Statue of Liberty tickets outside the Staten Island Ferry terminal in Manhattan. Teresa Thorson, 19, of 86th Street in Brooklyn, was taken into custody at the 1st Precinct in Manhattan on Wednesday. Robert Anderson, 25, of Brooklyn, also has been arrested in the incident and both suspects have been charged by police with assault, according to a spokesman for the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Information. The 33-year-old tourist from Arizona suffered a skull fracture when he was punched by both of the suspects after he declined Thorson's alleged offer of the tickets, according to police. A blow to the face caused the victim to hit his head as he fell to the ground, police said. Police responded to the Whitehall Ferry Terminal on Monday at about 3:30 p.m. and found the victim unconscious from his head injury. He was transported by EMS to Bellevue Hospital where he was kept overnight for observation, police said. Continued violence and harassment of tourists has been an ongoing issue. On Tuesday, the Advance reported on a task force, headed by Staten Island Young Democrats president Dominick DeRubbio, formed to stop tourist harassment outside of Whitehall Ferry Terminal. The task force has garnered the support of Staten Island Community Board 1, Borough President James Oddo and the Staten Island Ferry Riders Committee. Other community members and organizations have also pledged their support. "It's more or less a public scandal in the Whitehall terminal," said Nicholas Zvegintzov, chairman of the Staten Island Ferry Riders Committee and chairman of the CB1 Transportation Committee. "They are harassing people, they're crowding around tourists. In our view, they're giving a bad impression of New York." Last June, Oddo and Manhattan Borough President Gail Brewer wrote to Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver and DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, asking them to dedicate more resources toward addressing criminal activity at the Whitehall terminal. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - William Morris, a native Staten Islander and WWII veteran, was invited to Sacred Heart in West Brighton on Wednesday to talk about "The Soldier That Wagged Her Tail" as part of the school's Black History Month celebration. The book, written by his Emmy-winning daughter Dolores Morris, tells the story of war, day-to-day soldier life, love, and family from the eyes of his smallest and most loyal companion, a terrier dog named Trixie, who he met during combat. "You can read similar stories like this in a history book but when you hear a first account like this it's really special and it brings it to life for the children," said Celeste Catalano, Sacred Heart's principal. At 96-years-old, Morris enthusiastically retold stories of war, made jokes, and energetically engaged the seventh and eighth grade students about the book. Students asked Morris about segregation during the war, his most vivid memory during his time away, and what he would do if Trixie were here with him right now. "I would hug her and kiss her," Morris said, pausing to wipe the tears from his eyes - it was Trixie who helped save his life during combat. One student asked Dolores how she felt about her father, his time at war and his accomplishments. "I'm very, very proud of him," she said. "I'm just happy that Trixie brought him home." After dozens of questions, Morris helped two brave students put on an original World War II gas mask - a piece of equipment he says thankfully he never needed to use. A WWII-era canteen was passed around for the children to inspect, as well as photos and a capture flag and belt. The students were each provided copies of the book prior to the question-and-answer event, courtesy of Fidelis Care. "We are honored to celebrate the accomplishments of WWII veteran Mr. Morris who selflessly contributed to the safety of our nation," said Fidelis Care Marketing Director George Rodriguez. "Mr. Morris is a true hero and we thank the Archdiocese of New York for allowing us to partner with them to honor him during Black History Month," he said. Morris was recently awarded the Albert V. Maniscalco Community Service Award during a ceremony at Borough Hall. The Albert V. Maniscalco Community Service Award celebrates the civic-mindedness and tireless energy of an individual or organization that help make Staten Island a better place. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Citing the borough's ongoing drug crisis and a surge in domestic violence, Staten Island's City Council contingent has made a plea for a $3.03 million budget boost for the Richmond County District Attorney's Office. The additional funding in the city's Fiscal Year 2017 budget would allow for the hire of additional staff, including supervisors, junior and senior prosecutors, victims advocates and community liaisons, and to modernize the office's operations, according to a joint letter, penned by Council members Steven Matteo, Debi Rose and Joseph Borelli, and sent to Mayor Bill de Blasio and Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. Specific changes suggested in the letter include a Crime Strategies Unit; programming and staffing to handle the heroin and opioid epidemic; creating a separate Domestic Violence Bureau; an Elder Abuse and Financial Crimes Unit; and technological updates for case management and intelligence-driven prosecution "In Fiscal Year 2016, the city allocated $9.61 million for the RCDA office, which is just about three percent of the overall criminal justice budget," the letter reads. "To put this figure in perspective, Staten Island has about six percent of the city's population and four percent of its total arrests. This allows a per capita District Attorney budget of $20.54 per resident, which is the lowest in the city. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office leads the city with a per capita budget of $60.11." "To better prevent crime and effectively prosecute drivers of crime, the Richmond County District Attorney's Office must be adequately and fairly funded by the City of New York," said District Attorney Michael E. McMahon in a statement. "It's just that simple." The budget process for Fiscal Year 2017, which starts on July 1, 2016, will begin next month with oversight hearings by the City Council. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A captain who collapsed aboard a container ship in the waters off of Staten Island was rescued early Thursday morning by the FDNY and the U.S. Coast Guard. The ship named Laura was inbound in the vicinity of St. George when the captain of the vessel collapsed on the bridge, according to Charles Rowe, a spokesman for Coast Guard Sector New York based in Rosebank. The Coast Guard crew was notified at 12:14 a.m. and responded to the ship along with the FDNY. EMS was called at 12:15 a.m. and the EMS traveled with Marine 9 based on Front Street in Stapleton to the ship. A person with a minor injury was transported to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, according to a spokesman for the FDNY/EMS. The ship is registered in Panama, the Coast Guard spokesman said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Buffalo recently weighed a proposal to roll back last call from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m. It failed: The final vote went 7-3 with one abstention, according to WKBW in Buffalo. The proposal had us thinking: Does New York City need a change to its last call, or is it just fine when it is -- 4 a.m.? Let's discuss below. While most states (or counties) across America have last calls in place, it's worth noting that some locations don't have a last call at all: Atlantic City, N.J. and Nevada. Most of New Jersey's municipalities require bars stop serving at 2 a.m. although the state does not have a required last call. Alaska's last call is at 5 a.m., while many other states force bars to stop serving at 1 or 2 a.m. Some locations in Mississippi have last call as early as midnight. nws Schumer Sen. Charles Schumer at the FDR Boardwalk in South Beach on Wednesday urges the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to speed up its approval of a planned seawall project there. (Staten Island Advance/Rachel Shapiro) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers needs to speed up its approval process so a planned East Shore seawall can be constructed sooner to prevent future storms from devastating Staten Island again, Sen. Charles Schumer said Wednesday. The $579 million project calls for a buried seawall, levee and floodwall and requires funding from the federal, state and city governments. Construction is supposed to begin in 2018 and slated for completion in 2021. "It's an amazing thing that the ocean this far away could go half a mile up and destroy so many homes here on the East Shore," Schumer said while standing on the FDR Boardwalk in South Beach. "We vowed then afterward, the devastation, the homes lost and the deaths that we would never let it happen again." He authored the Senate bill to get $60 billion for New York and New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy, part of which was for resiliency "so that God forbid when another Sandy came, we would be protected. And one of the parts of that resiliency was the Army Corps seawall project." Phase 1 of the project is from Fort Wadsworth to Oakwood Beach. Phase 2, from Great Kills to Tottenville, has not been approved. Schumer (D-N.Y.) is asking the Army Corps to use an expedited "director's report" for its internal review, instead of a planned, more burdensome "chief's report." "Quite simply we're here to say, 'They got to do this sooner rather than later,'" he said. "No one disagrees that we ought to get this done. But the speed at which they're getting it done is too slow. If we don't build this wall yesterday, we're asking for trouble." The "never before used expedited process" excludes "an unnecessary extra step of bureaucracy" -- a civil works review board that is similar to the review that the headquarters does. Whether the Army Corps is open to changing its protocol, Schumer said, "They need a push." Rep. Daniel Donovan (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) also supports an expedited process. "I expect the Corps to take the shortest possible route to construction," he said in a statement. "No bureaucratic obstacle should stand in the way." Donovan was recently named chairman of the House Homeland Security subcommittee with jurisdiction over disaster preparedness, and intends to make resiliency a major focus of his work. Borough President James Oddo has often repeated that the project is better done sooner rather than later. "The seawall project is vitally important to the future of the East Shore and those who live in our shore communities, and I support all efforts to expedite it," he said in a statement. "The project simply must be built as soon as possible to provide the East Shore with the level of protection it needs. ... I am hopeful the Army Corps will consider this reasonable proposal and act on it." Comic Con New York Larry Scott, dressed as the Mad Hatter from Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland," poses for a photo while tending his booth, Tiny Top Hats, at New York Comic Con, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015. The pop culture convention features the latest in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies and television. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Students and staff at Staten Island's New Dorp High School have big plans to host their own version of the Comic Con convention. New Dorp's Comic Fest event will take place on Saturday, May 21, and is open to the public. Students will have a gallery display and actual graphic novels they created themselves for sale. Vendors, raffles, a costume contest and Live Action Role Play (LARP) arena are all scheduled for the event. New Dorp parent Shawn Fisher said the event has been in the works for more than two years. "Two and a half years ago when my daughter started high school she approached her teachers with the idea of the school holding its own Comic Con. Her teachers liked the idea and attempted to move forward through the miles of red tape the New York Board of Education requires any innovative thought to navigate through. In what Star Trek's Scotty would call a Miracle of Biblical proportions the City has approved what may well be its first ever public school Comic Con at New Dorp High School. Of course the staff and students were given no budget and incredibly small window of time to pull this off but with the determination of Batman they're moving forward non-the-less," Fisher posted on his Facebook feed, and shared to the school's Facebook page. Two and a half years ago when my daughter started high school she approached her teachers with the idea of the school... Posted by Shawn Fisher on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 The school is closed this week for winter vacation, but anyone interested in renting a table, attending, donating or volunteering can e-mail comicfestival@newdorphs.org. X00050_9.JPG Stations on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Line include Bayonne and Jersey City, where passengers can switch to a PATH train into Manhattan. (Advance file photo) By James Oddo, Steven Matteo, Debi Rose and Joseph Borelli Dear Mayor de Blasio: In your recent State of the City address, you proposed the construction of a streetcar that would connect communities along the Brooklyn and Queens waterfronts for 16 miles. Ostensibly, your full-throated endorsement of the $2.5 billion Brooklyn-Queens Connector, or BQX, is welcome news to those of us in Staten Island who have been pursuing a similar project to connect the transportation-barren communities in our borough to the extensive mass transit system utilized by the rest of the city. However, we were extremely disappointed to learn that your support for the BQX has no correlation at all to your potential support for the West Shore Light Rail project in Staten Island. This was even more surprising given the fact that the city's initial "buy in" would only be about $5-$7 million to fund a study for the West Shore Light Rail, as opposed to the billions of taxpayer dollars you appear ready and willing to commit for the BQX project. The so-called "Alternative Analysis" for the West Shore Light Rail would provide a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of the proposal and determine what mass transit options are feasible for the corridor. Most importantly, it is a critical next step toward receiving any federal funding. Of course, these projects are not - and should not be - mutually exclusive. We firmly believe government should be in the business of investing in transportation infrastructure and providing inexpensive, efficient mass transit, with priorities going to communities that have experienced strong growth and lack such infrastructure. That is why it so puzzling that your plans for "transportation equity" have left out the borough with the fastest population growth in the previous decade and the fewest public transportation options. Additional service and a new fleet for the Staten Island Ferry are much-needed and welcomed, but we feel obligated to remind you how challenging it is for so many Staten Island commuters to trek to the St. George Ferry Terminal in the first place. Most of our residents get to work in Manhattan or other boroughs via express bus or cars, a journey that takes an average of 69 minutes, which is among the longest commutes in the country. You have stated repeatedly that we must "reduce our reliance on cars." Many Islanders would gladly ditch their vehicles if they had a viable alternative - such as a rail or bus-rapid-transit link that connects the borough's West and South shores to New Jersey and Manhattan via the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail. Such a link would not only take thousands of cars off the roads, easing congestion and saving wear-and-tear costs, it could potentially open up millions of dollars of new economic activity each year, with acres of relatively inexpensive manufacturing and commercial properties along the route. It is no secret that Staten Island's transportation infrastructure is woefully inadequate and outdated and in critical need of investment. That need is made exponentially more urgent with substantial commercial and housing developments rapidly coming to the North Shore, and many budding business ventures on the West and South shores. The status quo is no longer an option. While we do not always agree on policy or politics, we know you are a man who believes in fundamental fairness and equity. Thus, we appeal to you in that regard, and request on behalf of the residents of Staten Island that you fund the study for the West Shore Light Rail in the Fiscal Year 2017 budget. Thank you for your time, courtesy, and consideration. [Editor's note: This letter was signed by Borough President James Oddo, along with Staten Island City Council members Steven Matteo, Debi Rose and Joseph Borelli.] 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. Greater Albany Public Schools asked voters for a $55 million bond measure 10 years ago, the one that eventually built Timber Ridge School. It failed the first time out, so district officials spent a good two years researching, rewriting, tweaking and otherwise digging into how to try again. I followed school board meetings and budget meetings and wrote regular updates on their progress. Building a new school is a big project in a city the size of Albany, so the bond request hit our front page more than once. One day, my boss was curious about how the Man on the Street felt about the $55 million measure. He sent me down to Pop's Branding Iron to talk to the regular morning coffee groups. I'll never forget the reaction of a nice fellow sitting by himself in one of the booths. He asked me a few questions about the bond measure before offering his opinion. Then he said he hadn't known about the measure, but he was sure if it was important, he'd read about it in the paper. This was after I'd been writing about this proposed measure for two years. I was reminded of this conversation by two things that happened in the last 24 hours. First, I was at a meeting last night of the Central Linn School Board, which is also contemplating a good-sized construction bond measure. People in the audience suggested the district first survey the community to see what voters might support. The chairman told them two surveys already had been sent out, in two different years, to every mailing address in the district, and had garnered just 40-some responses. A flutter from the audience: several murmurs of, "I didn't get one." Bond discussions also had been a part of regular school board meetings, the chairman went on. Information about this particular bond meeting had been included in a district newsletter and posted on the district website. "I'm sorry I didn't come to your house," he said dryly. That was last night. This morning, I was talking to the nurse at the Sweet Home School District, who was collecting information on how many children had been sent home today for Exclusion Day. This is the day you have to have a complete immunization record (or an exemption) on file at school, or you don't get to come in. Sweet Home schools ended up having 47 students still on their exclusion list as of yesterday, and this morning 29 of them had to be sent home. That is in spite of the nurse sending home letters once a month, every month, starting in October; calling families' homes; holding two free vaccine clinics and even offering coffee cards and other prizes as incentives for getting paperwork in. Next year, she said, she's contemplating a mobile vaccine van. She was only half-kidding. I told her to split the cost with Central Linn and add a broadcast recording about upcoming bond measure discussions. So here's the $64,000 question: What's the best way to communicate important information to make sure everyone hears about it, without actually offering them $64,000? By clicking Agree, you consent to Slates Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and the use of technologies such as cookies by Slate and our partners to deliver relevant advertising on our iOS app to personalize content and perform site analytics. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about our use of data, your rights, and how to withdraw consent. Agree Our hope, says Greg Anderson, half of the Anderson & Roe Piano Duo, with everything we do is that well excite and energize audiences of all types. Its not unusual for classical musicians to make similar statements but a quick look at the program the duo has on tap for a Sunday concert in Corvallis suggests that the duo is serious about the claim. Sure, the program includes classical selections Mozart and Busonis Duettino Concertante, Schuberts Ava Maria, Ravels La Valse, Brahms Variations on a Theme by Haydn and Virtuoso Hungarian Dance No. 5 but youll also see some pieces that dont often get played inside the concert hall: Daft Punks Lose Yourself to Dance, for example, or Michael Jacksons Billie Jean, or What a Wonderful World, all arranged for the duos two-piano attack. Its the sort of risk-taking that has characterized the duos work since Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe met in 2000 as freshmen at Juilliard, and it shows not just in the duos repertoire, but in its appearances and frequent video work. The Anderson & Roe Duo almost certainly is the only classical music ensemble to have appeared both on public radios Performance Today and MTVs Total Request Live. And, in fact, the groups most recent video, posted on its website, www.andersonroe.com, is a two-piano arrangement of Taylor Swifts Shake It Off. Despite the range of music on the program for Sunday, concertgoers will notice a dance theme running through the selections, Anderson said in a recent telephone interview with The E. The Daft Punk selection, for example, is Lose Yourself to Dance. Jacksons moonwalk, of course, was a trademark of Billie Jean. Ravels La Valse, of course, is dance music for the destruction of society. I think all music tends to stem from the idea of dance, Anderson said. And that certainly applies to the three pieces on the program from Astor Piazzolla, music that Anderson called extremely spicy and seductive and dangerous. The dangerous part applies as well when Anderson and Roe perform one of the pieces in four-handed mode that is to say, with the two pianists at the same piano. Anderson still recalls a time during one of those four-handed performances when his elbow caught his partner full in the face. I said, Im so sorry, do you want to stop? I mean, my elbow hurts. Roe did not want to stop. The concert continued. Its that kind of moment although, preferably, one without injury that keeps the duo energized for live performances. We love the thrill and surprise of a live concert, Anderson said. People dont know what to expect. That (moment) might only happen once. We have to find new ways to keep them on the edge of their seats. Hopefully, we have a lot of ideas. SCIO In between bites of grilled cheese sandwiches, high school seniors Dakota Christianson and Baylee Evans talked about how much they loved the free weekly lunch at Scio Christian Church. Ive been coming all four years, Evans said. Every Wednesday. People look forward to this, Christianson added. For the last five years, the church has provided free Wednesday lunches to Scio High School students, and 125 teens usually attend. The church also has provided an annual meal to local public safety workers for eight years, and has held a free Thanksgiving feast for the community for 21 years. But on Feb. 10, Scio Christian Church was advised by the Linn County Health Department that it was operating a restaurant without a license. The notice was made in consultation with the state of Oregon Public Health Division. Leon Rothauge, youth pastor, said the church has three months to get commercial grade dishwashing machines, as well as steel triple sinks in its two kitchens. Those improvements could cost several thousands of dollars, even if the church gets the equipment used. If youve ever priced commercial dishwashers, theyre not cheap, Rothauge said. But Rothauge and Minister Mike Owens said they aim to keep the meal site open for the community. We think its important. Theres a lot of people in need here, Owens said. Many of the health code requirements, such as food handlers cards and sanitation rules, are already essentially being followed, church officials said. Frank Moore, director of the Linn County Health Department, said that Scio Christian Church was first notified of the safety issue in November 2013. The church is classified as a benevolent restaurant as it provides food to community members in general, rather than just church members, he added. From a food-borne illness standpoint, if you are serving food to the general public, you need to make sure you are meeting state law standards. Our biggest concern is the safety of the public, Moore said. We certainly will work with them in a supportive way to help them meet the criteria, Moore added. The countys stance has church members frustrated, but Rothauge and Owens realized there was little they can do to change the situation besides adapt. As he ate lunch, Christianson said he wasnt too worried about the future of the meal site, as he believed residents would step up to donate. And thats already been happening with the food for the weekly high school lunches. Rothauge said that for this Wednesdays meal he spent $50 on chips, as bread, cheese, butter and cookies were all given to the church by residents and businesses such as Shirley Mays restaurant, 36065 Highway 20. Mary Baker and Sherry Warmoth have made and donated cookies for the Wednesday lunches since that program started about five years ago. Its usually about 10 dozen a week, and she makes about 10 dozen a week, too, Baker said. My name isnt Baker for nothing, Baker said. Warmoth said Wednesday was the highlight of her week because of how appreciative and polite students are. Some kids say its the best meal they get all week. This area is going to send out to the world a lot of good people, Warmoth said. Devin Hamlin, a Scio High School senior and church member who was helping prepare meals on Wednesday, said that the free lunch provides a non-threatening way to expose students to the church. It helps us to plant the seed, he said. Plus, students dont have to spend their own money on food, Hamlin added. About 10 or more volunteers help prepare and serve the meals every week. Hamburger, pizza, tacos and nachos are the most popular meals for the Wednesday lunches. Donations can be mailed to Scio Christian Church at P.O. Box 171, Scio, OR 97374. For more information, call Mike Owens at 503-394-3166 or Leon Rothauge at 208-412-2748. This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted. Best Canadian Blog 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 About Kate Why this blog? Until this moment I have been forced to listen while media and politicians alike have told me "what Canadians think". In all that time they never once asked. This is just the voice of an ordinary Canadian yelling back at the radio - "You don't speak for me." (goes to a private mailserver in Europe) I can't answer or use every tip, but all are appreciated! Katewerk Art Support SDA I am not a registered charity. I cannot issue tax receipts. Reconnaissance Man Economics for the Disinterested ...a fast-paced polar bear attack thriller! Want lies? Hire a regular consultant. Want truth? Hire an asshole. Weather Shop Click to inquire about rates. Dow Jones What They Say About SDA "Smalldeadanimals doesn't speak for the people of Saskatchewan" Former Sask Premier Lorne Calvert "I got so much traffic after your post my web host asked me to buy a larger traffic allowance." Dr.Ross McKitrick Holy hell, woman. When you send someone traffic, you send someone TRAFFIC. My hosting provider thought I was being DDoSed. - Sean McCormick "The New York Times link to me yesterday [...] generated one-fifth of the traffic I normally get from a link from Small Dead Animals." Kathy Shaidle "Thank you for your link. A wave of your Canadian readers came to my blog! Really impressive." Juan Giner - INNOVATION International Media Consulting Group I got links from the Weekly Standard, Hot Air and Instapundit yesterday - but SDA was running at least equal to those in visitors clicking through to my blog. Jeff Dobbs "You may be a nasty right winger, but you're not nasty all the time!" Warren Kinsella "Go back to collecting your welfare livelihood."Michael E. Zilkowsky Intelliweather Seismic Map Comments Policy Read this Best Of SDA Hide The Decline The Bottle Genie (ClimateGate links) You Might Be A Liberal Uncrossing The Line Bob Fife: Knuckledragger A Modest Proposal (NP) Settled Science Series Y2Kyoto Series SDA: Reader Occupation Survey Brett Lamb Sheltered Workshop Flakes On A Plane All Your Weather Are Belong To Us Song Of The Sled The Raise A Flag Debacle (Now on Youtube!) (.mwv Video) Abuse Ruins Life Of Girl Trudeaupiate Kleptocrat Jeans Child Labour I Concede Small Dead Feminist Protein Hoser: THK Interview The Werewolf Extinction Dear Laura (VRWC) We Wait Blogging The Oscars Jackson Converts To Islam Just Shut The HELL Up Manipulating Condi Gay Equality Rights Mid-valley schools reported sending home a few more students this year than last year for incomplete shot records, but they expect most students to turn in paperwork by today. Wednesday was exclusion day, the day when schools send home students if they dont have complete immunization records or exemption forms on file. In Linn County, Greater Albany Public Schools topped the list with 47 students sent home, down just one from last year. We started the day with 106. Fifty-six students brought documentation with them today, or got their immunizations this morning before they came to school, said Carlene Vey, the districts nurse clerical assistant. Another three were done by shortly after noon. Vey said she was glad to see the numbers didnt go up from last year. We couldnt post these kind of results without the diligent work of our school office managers who work with parents throughout the year to ensure compliance with these regulations, she added. Kudos to them and all the hard work they do in our schools every day. Karyn Walker, immunization coordinator for the Linn County Public Health Department, said she sent out many more reminder letters to families with incomplete or missing records this year than last year 1,221, compared with last years 969 but figures thats because of a change in Oregon law. Parents who had signed a paper in past years to excuse their children from one or more shots a paper now called a nonmedical exemption were required to renew those files this year. In spite of the reminders, not everyone did so, she said. Schools said they were seeing the same issue. In Corvallis, district nurse Trish Pokrzywa said one school was working on paperwork for 100 students with nonmedical exemptions, but by the time exclusion day rolled around, the entire district was down to just 40 students sent home. They did an awesome job, Pokrzywa said. In Sweet Home, Joan Pappin said the district had 47 students still on its list as of Tuesday but had whittled it down to 29 by Wednesday morning. She guessed about half simply hadnt renewed exemption forms, in spite of monthly letters, calls, two free clinics and an offer for coffee cards and other prizes as incentives. I hope its not like this next year, because this is crazy, she said. The Linn County Health Department was able to bring some records up to par ahead of the deadline. Calapooia Middle School seventh-grader Brianna Stephens was one of the students to take advantage of that opportunity, receiving her missing a tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis combination shot from Walker last week. It is awesome that they make it easy here. We cant get into the doctor in time, said her mother, Amy Stephens. Oregon pharmacists also are allowed to give immunizations to children down to the age of 7, Walker said. Thats a rule that changed this spring. Exclusion day is in February because schools and health departments say it takes a few months to calculate official enrollment, figure out whos missing which shots and send out the first round of reminder letters. Time is also given for families to file paperwork or catch up on the required vaccines. State law requires up-to-date vaccines or nonmedical exemptions to be on file for all students in public or private schools, preschool, Head Start or certified child care facilities. Oregon law changed in 2014 to require families who choose the exemption form to first prove they have spoken with their medical provider or have been a part of a specific online webinar with information about each vaccine. Two years ago, Oregon led the nation in the number of kindergartners with nonmedical exemptions on file, at 7 percent of students in the 2013-14 school year. After the new requirement passed, the exemptions dropped 17 percent. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention now estimates Idaho as the state with the most nonmedical exemptions on file, at 6.2 percent for last years kindergarten class. Vermont is next with 5.9 percent and Oregon follows at 5.8 percent. San Mateo, CA (94402) Today Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 64F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low around 55F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0213d88)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f015c188)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0213d88)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f015c188)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0210808)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f015c188)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f015c188)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e2573030)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f00f3e60)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f00f3e60)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612efe49cf0)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e877b4e8)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612efe49cf0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e877b4e8)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612efe74f60)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e877b4e8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e877b4e8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e2573ec8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612efef7310)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612efef7310)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0b17658)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0b17aa8)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0b17658)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0b17aa8)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0b13718)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0b17aa8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0b17aa8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e5b87308)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0798560)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0798560)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0301f58)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0329c50)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0301f58)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0329c50)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0313208)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0329c50)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0329c50)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e2573000)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f02ecf18)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f02ecf18)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 The Coalition's proposals to cap negative gearing for housing investors will restrict the supply of rental properties and push up rents, said John Flavell, the chief executive of mortgage broker Mortgage Choice. Mr Flavell made his comments after the company unveiled an interim net profit of $10.1 million, up 12.4 per cent on on stronger revenue, sending the stock up 6 per cent on Thursday. The housing market is "a very finely balanced and actually pressured system at the moment", he said and warned both sides of politics not to make changes to the tax incentives provided to property investors. "Any changes you are going to make could have some very deep and significant impacts, and I would be surprised if anybody would be bold enough to do anything." The Coalition is considering limiting the number of properties that can be negatively geared, or the amount of annual tax deductions that can be claimed by investors. Labor has said it will limit negative gearing to only new homes from July 1, 2017, onwards and halve the capital gains tax deduction on investment assets. Former Defence minister and Labor frontbencher Joel Fitzgibbon says it's "absolutely possible" that the Rolex watches given to Tony Abbott and former ministers Stuart Robert and Ian Macfarlane by a Chinese businessman could have been bugged. Intelligence sources also said the issue of China actively targeting Australian MPs is one actively discussed in the intelligence community and that at the very least, gifts of any kind should always be checked. Left Rolex is real. Right Rolex is fake. Mr Fitzgibbon said on Thursday that when he was Australia's Defence Minister between 2007 - 2009 he gave every gift he ever received to the then Defence Signals Directorate (now Australian Signals Directorate ASD) for X-raying. "When I was Defence Minister, if I was given so much as a USB drive, I'd hand it over to DSD," Mr Fitzgibbon told Fairfax Media. Seventy cancer patients at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital have been given incorrect doses of a chemotherapy drug for up to three years, an ABC 7.30 investigation has revealed. Medical oncologist Dr John Grygiel had prescribed the same flat dosage of the drug carboplatin to patients with head and neck cancer without adjusting their individual test results and characteristics, according to the report aired on Thursday night. All 70 patients were administered the incorrect dosages for up three years and in some cases were given as little as 50 per cent of the correct dosage, 7.30 reported. "Obviously we're very, very sorry that this has happened," said Associate Professor Richard Gallagher, director of St Vincent Hospital's Head and Neck Service. SWEET HOME Sweet Home merchants donated more than $1,500 in gifts that were raffled off Saturday morning during the second annual Sweetheart Run held at Sankey Park. Merchants also donated $1,000 to help offset event costs, according to Pat Gray of the organizing committee. Gray said 116 people participated in the event that included a 5K walk/run, a 10K run and a 1 mile fun run for kids. The weather was perfect, cool, with a slightly overcast sky, Gray said. There was no rain, which was perfect for running, or even just standing around watching others run. Proceeds from run entry fees and the raffle, estimated at about $2,000, will be used to fund kids programs with the Sweet Home Boys & Girls Club and projects in the city parks this summer. Last years proceeds paid for 13 scholarships for kids who would not have been able to participate in the Boys and Girls Club summer program and transportation costs so approximately 70 kids could travel on the weekly excursions, Gray said. Proceeds from the 2015 event were also used to help purchase a new sound system that was used during the Thursday night movies in Sankey Park and the Harvest Festival the first weekend in October. Both events were well attended by kids and their families, Gray said. Following the singing of the national anthem by Mary Rouse, a junior at Sweet Home High School, 23 kids kicked off the event by running the Kids Mile. The Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians donated $2,000 that paid for timing, finisher medals and running gloves for all of the participants. Denim & Pearls Catering prepared a biscuits and gravy breakfast. Local support groups included the Sweet Home Chamber of Commerce, S.A.F.E., Running Princess and the East Linn Museum that set up tables on the bridge and in the park. Overall awards were given to Scott Swanson, Sweet Home, first male finisher and Dale Looney, Philomath, first female finisher in the 5K run and Wesley Anderson, Sweet Home, first male finisher and Brenda Legee, Lebanon, first female finisher in the 10K event. Members of the Sportsman Holiday Court assisted the Mayor James Gourley with the awards presentation. The popular blog, Run Oregon, gave the event several compliments and can be found at http://runoregonblog.com/2016/02/16/race-recap-2016-sweetheart-run-10k/. A transgender escort has been arrested in Sydney after allegedly infecting a man with HIV, police say. The 38-year-old, who police said identified as a woman, was arrested at a Surry Hills hotel this week after allegedly infecting a West Australian client with the virus last year. WA detectives will seek to extradite her to Perth when she appears in Central Local Court on Thursday on a grievous bodily harm charge. But the woman's arrest in Sydney has now sparked an investigation by the NSW Sex Crimes Squad. Police said the woman was working as a prostitute in Redfern before her arrest, and detectives will investigate whether any of her Sydney clients are infected. A Wollongong man who used power of attorney to fleece his father out of more than $157,000 in life savings will spend at least a year behind bars. Shane Williams was debilitated by anxiety, depression and alcoholism when he signed power of attorney documents at a January 14, 2014 meeting at a Wollongong solicitor's office, the Illawarra Mercury reported. The papers named Williams' 27-year-old son Toby Di Comun Williams as the principal. They required him to keep his own money and property separate from his father's, to act honestly and not to gain a benefit from his position unless authorised. Instead, Di Comun Williams sealed his father's financial ruin with a year of indulgent spending on holidays to Japan, Melbourne, Cairns and Port Douglas, hotel stays, a skydiving jaunt, car repayments and a deposit on a brand new car for his partner. He opened new accounts to aid the deceit and used credit cards in his father's name to make thousands of dollars in purchases. In all, he transferred $44,089.83 directly into accounts in his own name. He used another $26,777.98 to pay a car debt for himself and his partner. Another $86,572.31 went in transactions from savings, credit card transactions and incurred debt left on credit cards in his father's name. Canberra is ready, willing and able to welcome hundreds of Syrians and Iraqis fleeing bitter civil war the only element missing is the refugees themselves. "The ACT government is ready to welcome more refugees. The ACT's network of support services is ready to be put in action. The community is ready to offer their support, and I welcome every opportunity to progress this issue with the Federal government," ACT Multicultural Affairs Minister Yvette Berry, said. Multicultural Affairs Minister Yvette Berry is confident refugees will receive a warm welcome in Canberra. Credit:Jamila Toderas That may take a while. "It is not possible to put a time frame on how long it will take to process the full cohort as processing time varies according to the circumstances of individual applicants," said a spokeswoman for Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton. Labor backbench veteran Mary Porter will formally resign from the Assembly on Friday, sparking a countback expected to see lawyer Jayson Hinder elected in Ginninderra. Ms Porter gave her valedictory speech on Thursday, bringing to a close nearly 12 years of service in territory politics. After she hands her resignation to Speaker Vicki Dunne, the ACT Electoral Commission will be asked to launch a countback process in which Ms Porter's own votes from the 2012 poll will elect her successor. From left, Labor colleagues Andrew Barr, Yvette Berry, Chris Bourke, Mick Gentleman, Meegan Fitzharris and Simon Corbell farewell Mary Porter, centre, on Thursday. Credit:Elesa Kurtz Electoral Commissioner Phil Green said the countback would happen early next month, meaning a new member could be elected in time for the next sitting period which starts on March 8. "Candidates who stood in the electorate unsuccessfully at the last election will be eligible to apply for the casual vacancy," he said. Major construction work for the tram project will not begin until October, coinciding with the ACT election, according to the latest plans released on Thursday. The news means that if the opposition Liberals win the October election, they would not have to reverse significant construction work, but they would still face the major expense of compensating the Canberra Metro consortium for cancelling the $698 million project. An artist's impression of the Capital Metro Gungahlin tram line. Works approval documents released for comment by the National Capital Authority show construction is expected to begin at Flemington Road in October this year, with the main Gungahlin construction compound completed by the end 2016, along with earthworks and some roadwork. The National Capital Authority has called for comment on the works application by March 18 and will hold a public information session in the city on March 1. Jobs growth in 2015 "could have been overstated by as much as half" say Goldman Sachs economists, who now expect two RBA rate cuts this year, most likely in May and July. Previously the investment bank expected rates to stay steady into 2017, a position that, ironically, was based upon an unexpectedly strong October labour report. (Before that point they had been expecting a cut.) But the level of scepticism has obviously increased since then. Now they expect an unattractive correction in what they now see as the overly rosy employment data over the coming months. It's one of a number of factors that have raised the odds of the central bank being "dragged into a deeper easing cycle", the economists write in a note to clients. For one, they predict inflation will come in lower than expected on the back half of the year. Also, the renewed pulse of monetary easing by overseas central banks, including the move to negative rates in Japan and a further dip below zero in Europe, and dwindling odds of a more aggressive US tightening, "leaves Australia vulnerable to a higher exchange rate and tighter financial conditions should the RBA elect to leave interest rates unchanged," the economists write. All part and parcel of the spike in market volatility this year. Indeed, "perhaps the strongest reason for the need for additional monetary easing" are tightening financial conditions, with Goldies' "financial conditions index" "well above" where it was prior to previous hikes. Thanks to our relatively high rates, they believe the "search for yield" dynamic will provide further support for the Aussie dollar. The economists also raise the spectre of an early Federal election in March or April, bringing with it the risk of government belt-tightening following the post-election May budget. That would pile more pressure on the RBA to "accommodate the fiscal tightening" by easing monetary policy. Banks are likely to withhold 10 to 15 basis points of the 50-point combined move, the economists reckon. "In terms of timing, we believe the May to July period is the most likely, taking account of the political (both in the US and Australia) and RBA Governor succession (due in September 2016) calendars." Abi Jones was fossicking around on Facebook the other night, as you do, when she landed on a complaint from a Woolworths customer that a piece of fruit was rotten inside. "I scrolled down four hours worth of posts and maybe 18 out of 20 were negative," she said. "I am going, are you kidding me? They can't tell that [fruit is rotten on the inside[". She thought she'd write something nice, "on behalf of the customers who don't complain just for the sake of complaining". A high-ranking official from the Reserve Bank says it is hard to see how the recent turmoil in global stock markets has been triggered by a genuine deterioration in the global economy. RBA assistant governor Malcolm Edey said there had been "relatively little new economic data" this year to justify the volatility, particularly when China's economy - despite slowing recently - was still growing at a reasonable rate. Rates have now been on hold since August last year when they were cut to the record low 1.5 per cent. Credit:Nicholas Rider The argument supports comments from RBA governor Glenn Stevens last week who said financial markets were "dropping their bundle" lately. Dr Edey told a meeting of shareholders in Sydney on Thursday that recent stock price movements ought to be put in perspective. But while the offer was big, Branson was having none of it. "I went to the press conference and ripped up the [Singapore Airlines] cheque, to much applause from Virgin staff but an absolute gulp from my fellow shareholders. "I was desperately trying to work out, when I was talking to Singapore Airlines, whether this was a bluff or not. "Did they really have the cards in their hands that they claimed to have? Did they really have Singapore government behind them? "The size of the cheque just made me suspicious that the consequences [for Singapore Airlines] of us not disappearing were large. The cheque was far too big. I mean if they had offered us $50 million I might have thought they were a bit desperate. Every idea that is going to make a real difference in the world is going to come from entrepreneurs. "But at $240 million I thought they must have been really desperate." History has delivered the verdict. Ansett declared itself bankrupt within 24 hours of that game of brinkmanship ending. Within a year, Virgin was worth $2.4 billion, having become a member of a new Australian aviation duopoly. Branson's risk one that would be considered reckless by most corporates standards paid off in spades. Virgin played a high-stakes game by choosing to stay in the market. At the very least Branson and his shareholders could have lost the $10 million they had invested and the opportunity to pocket another $240 million. Understand the downside But, like many risk takers, Branson says he always measures what he can afford to lose. "The most important thing is protecting the downside. "In business, as in adventure or anything, protecting the downside is critical. "You can take risks but you have to be able to work out what the worst is that can happen." Branson says he is all too aware of the need to have partners willing to share that vision. It's a lesson he learnt early in his commercial career, when he embarked on his first foray into the aviation industry with the creation of Virgin Atlantic. Having already started a successful record company, he took a punt that the travelling public would relish the experience of a different kind of airline, one that was service driven. He put the proposal to aircraft manufacturer Boeing. Even though Boeing was underwhelmed by Branson's tales of his record company's success in signing the Sex Pistols and the Rolling Stones, the American manufacturing giant ultimately agreed to take a punt. As Branson remembers it, he told Boeing: "If we are successful, we will buy lots of planes from you in the years to come. "But if not successful I don't want to bankrupt my record company." The deal was done on the condition that Branson wanted to be able to hand the plane back at the end of the first year. "My instinct was that it would work and people would like what were going to do," he said. "And they agreed." Unfortunately his bankers didn't share his optimism. Returning home from Virgin Atlantic's inaugural flight, Branson found a banker sitting on his doorstep. The banker brought the message that Virgin's overdraft had been exceeded and its loan was being called. Branson survived because he managed to find another bank one that extended his company a much larger overdraft. Part of the process While Branson has had his share of failures, he acknowledges that falling down occasionally is all part of being an entrepreneur. Branson has candid advice for those trapped by their fear of risk. "I think saying yes in life is far more exciting than saying no. "If you want to become an entrepreneur you have to be bold and take a risk. "Maybe it's a second mortgage out on the house or giving up a good job. You may end up getting divorced. "I mean it's hard work building a business. So every single entrepreneur is a risk taker, by definition." It's a view commonly held that Australians are not generally risk takers in business. We discourage risk and punish failure and lack what Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens described as "animal spirits". But Branson sees us through a different lens. The 12th Annual Bridal Show at Santiam Place in Lebanon will be held today from noon to 5 p.m. at 139 Main St. Sally Skaggs, owner and operator of Santiam Place, started the bridal show when she saw a need in the community. We have a lot of local professionals who can take care of all the needs for folks, she said. Each wedding professional will have their own booth and guests can walk around from booth to booth to ask questions or test products as available. Onsite will be Mr. Formal, jewelry vendors, It Works, accessory vendors including Miche Bag Company, a barbecue caterer, nail vendors, make-up vendors such as Mary Kay, Pure Romance, a personal security vendor and more. A hair dresser will be doing up-dos at the event and Chic-ee Chic-ee Bridal Boutiquee will have dresses available for brides to try on. Skaggs will also be available to show the Santiam Place Wedding & Event Hall, which offers a place for both indoor and outdoor weddings and other events. We will have the whole shebang here, Skaggs said. Brides can purchase everything they need including gifts and accessories right here. Admission is two cans of food, which will be donated to the Lebanon Soup Kitchen. When guests arrive, they will be asked to fill out an information sheet for door prizes. We want our guests to know that we dont sell their information, but we do need it for the door prizes, Skaggs said. Each vendor will have a door prize available to win, and some vendors will be offering specials at the bridal show. For more information on the bridal show, go to www.santiamplace.com or call 541-259-4255. In other words, Apple is acknowledging that it isn't encryption that protects the personal data of its customers, but the company's stubborn insistence on keeping its software proprietary and its refusal to accept open-source software. That, however, is hardly perfect protection. The most striking aspect of Apple's message to customers on Tuesday wasn't the rejection of US authorities' demand that the company help them break the encryption of an iPhone owned by Syed Rizwan Farook, who was involved in last year's murders of 14 people in San Bernardino, California. It was Apple's admission that it has the technological capacity to help, despite previous statements to the contrary. "For devices running iOS 8 or higher, Apple would not have the technical ability to do what the government requests take possession of a password-protected device from the government and extract unencrypted user data from that device for the government." The Federal Bureau of Investigation, clearly, wasn't satisfied with this answer. In the Farook case, presumably after trying all the other ways of getting at an iPhone user's data, it actually provided the judge with a technical description of what it wanted Apple to do. Here it is, cited in Judge Sheri Pym's order: "Apple's reasonable technical assistance may include, but is not limited to: providing the FBI with a signed iPhone Software file, recovery bundle, or other Software Image File ("SIF") that can be loaded onto the SUBJECT DEVICE. The SIF will load and run from Random Access Memory and will not modify the iOS on the actual phone, the user data partition or system partition on the device's flash memory. The SIF will be coded by Apple with a unique identifier of the phone so that the SIF would only load and execute on the SUBJECT DEVICE. The SIF will be loaded via Device Firmware Upgrade ("DFU") mode, recovery mode, or other applicable mode available to the FBI." As Apple explained in less technical language in its message to customers, this amounts to designing a special version of the iOS operating system that could be loaded onto Farook's iPhone to give the FBI access to the data stored on it. The FBI and the court are not actually asking the company to decrypt the phone: They just want the custom iOS version to disable the feature that erases the data on the phone after 10 unsuccessful attempts to break the password. Disabling it would allow officials to just break the password by "brute force", bombarding the phone with tens of millions of possible character combinations. Apple can no longer say that is not technically possible, because it is. Instead, in the message to customers, it talks about the absence of guarantees that the iOS version allowing for the unlimited electronic input of passwords will be used only once. The iPhone maker also accuses the government of asking it to hack its own customers, though technically, the FBI intends to do the hacking itself it just needs an opening to do it. But for those following the issue closely, a tit-for-tat dynamic is apparent: Chinese land reclamation activities lead to US Navy freedom of navigation operations, which lead to the construction of runways for Chinese military aircraft, which leads to further condemnation from America, Australia, and other Asian countries. In September 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping stated that China did 'not intend to pursue militarisation' of the Spratly Island group, also located within the South China Sea. The news that China has placed surface-to-air missiles on Woody Island, part of the disputed Paracel Islands group in the South China Sea, will surprise many observers. Though, to Australian or American eyes, China's conduct appears revisionist and dangerous, through Chinese eyes American actions seem antagonistic and aggressive. Each side believes its own actions to be clearly defensive, and the adversary's decisions clearly offensive. Australia has obvious interests in the South China Sea a significant proportion of our trade passes through these waters, and Australian aircraft fly over this area daily. The risk of conflict in this area is relevant to Australia's economy and security. The destruction of a Malaysian Airlines flight, MH17, over Ukraine shows that jittery soldiers can't always distinguish a civilian aircraft from a military one. But rather than thinking about how this tit-for-tat cycle of escalation might be stopped, it seems that all parties involved are focused only on their next move, as if the next freedom of navigation operation or the next upgrading of Chinese military facilities will convince the adversary to back down. Australia's National Security Committee of Cabinet is reportedly considering whether or not the Royal Australian Navy will conduct a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea. But what signal, exactly, would this action send? Will adding our minor strategic weight to that of the United States change China's thinking? Or will it only further fuel this cycle of action and reaction? It is tempting to think that an Australian freedom of navigation operation would represent an end-point the culmination of a careful policy process that influences Chinese decision-making and furthers the cause of peace in Asia. It is more likely to be simply another chapter in the action-reaction cycle. CRAFT UNCLAPSED: DISCOVERING CONTEMPORARY GREEK JEWELLERY Hellenic Museum, city, until April 3 Approaching the Hellenic Museum past the crims outside the Magistrate's Court is the perfect start to your visit: you enter this classical sanctuary conscious of the hapless nature of humans and the fine line between getting away with it, and coming a cropper. Danae Natsis' brooch Archipelago, 2013, uses anodised niobium, shibuichi, and remainium. Questions of identity are central to policing and court procedure, and, so it seems, for RMIT PhD graduate and jeweller Nicole Polentas, who has brought together the work of 11 jewellers who live in Greece, and 11 others whose Greek cultural heritage is evident in their names. Might we have expected more regional variation in materials? Possibly not, given the internationalist nature of contemporary jewellery, however, pumice stone for Vivi Touloumidi's huge brooches was sourced on the island of Yali, on a trip from her home in Germany for the purpose; and Erato Kouloubi's environmental concerns are expressed in the use of tar and plastics gathered from Greek beaches. Hanging Rock by Michael Sollis. James O Fairfax Theatre, National Gallery of Australia, Saturday, February 27 at 7pm and Sunday, February 28 at 2pm. Tickets: nga.gov.au/calendar or 6240 6701. Composer and musician Michael Sollis is perhaps best known in Canberra as the director of the Griffyn Ensemble. At this concert he will be without the regular members of the ensemble but will present the premiere of his sonata for cello and piano, Hanging Rock, with two guest Australian musicians: cellist Rachel Johnston and solo improviser, composer and chamber musician Ashley Hribar. Cellist Rachel Johnston. Sollis says, "This is a special event and part of the Griffyn series nine different events to celebrate 10 years of us working together as an ensemble." The series will continue with Ear of the Cat as part of the Canberra International Music Festival on Saturday and Sunday, April 30 and May 1. In the intimate space of the James O Fairfax Theatre images from the current Tom Roberts exhibition will be projected onto a screen and interspersed with film footage from early 20th-century Australia to which Hribar and Johnston will give musical responses. Set in Sydney in 1983, The Blind Giant is Dancing stars Dan Spielman (Stone's real-life husband) as Allen, a political idealist struggling with ethical and personal dilemmas. Stone is Louise, Allen's wife, a staunch feminist who works in a women's shelter. Stone says she's relishing "a grown-up role". Returning to live theatre is not only important, says the 30-year-old actor, it's essential. "It's very good for particular acting muscles," Stone explains. "I'm surprised and delighted they are still there. They need a bit of exercise but they are there." After three years behind bars as Lorna Morello in the US prison drama Orange is the New Black, Sydney actor Yael Stone is out of Litchfield Penitentiary and into Belvoir's new production of Stephen Sewell's The Blind Giant is Dancing. "I've played a lot of joyful and innocent young women on stage before," she says. "But Louise is different. She's highly educated and she's making very adult decisions and having to deal with the repercussions. It's wonderful to step up and embody that kind of intellect. "I'm at a different stage of my life now and perhaps the roles start to reflect back at you," Stone adds. "I consider myself a feminist and I'm certainly always questioning the status quo in my own life, so to be playing a woman who's intellect is much greater than mine, and whose access to words is greater than mine, is wonderful. I get to feel what it's like to be inside her." Australian actor Yael Stone plays Lorna Morello in Netflix's popular series, Orange is the New Black. Season four launches June 17. Credit:Lionsgate Stone first appeared on a Sydney stage in Michael Gow's play The Kid at Griffin Theatre. It was her first job out of NIDA and her performance won her a Sydney Theatre Award for best newcomer in 2008. From there she performed in Frankenstein, Elling and Honour for the Sydney Theatre Company, and in The Book of Everything, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll and Diary of a Madman (with Geoffrey Rush), for Belvoir, the latter taking her on tour to New York. Inspired, Stone moved stateside in late 2011 with the idea of co-founding an experimental theatre company. Within months, she had her big break in TV with Orange is the New Black. An Aboriginal member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly has been told she cannot speak her first language, Warlpiri, in the chamber without the explicit permission of the Assembly or the Speaker. Bess Nungarrayi Price, Minister for Local Government and Housing in the Country Liberal Party government, last week wrote to the Speaker of the NT Assembly, challenging her ruling. Bess Price, a minister in the Northern Territory government, on the road to Yuendemu in Walpiri country, north-west of Alice Springs. Credit:Glenn Campbell In that letter Ms Price said: "I am seeking permission to use my first language to make statements or answer questions should I see fit, with an appropriate English interpretation following." Ms Price told the ABC: "I think all other countries that don't have English-speaking parliamentarians use interpreters. The UN uses interpreters and they are made available. "Public numbing and indifference" towards state abuses in Nazi Germany resembles that enabling Australia's immigration detention centres, a prominent psychiatrist says, also likening public complicity in the detention regime to the White Australia policy. On Thursday Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, in Washington to discuss border protection at a Five Country ministerial meeting, repeated the Turnbull government's insistence that asylum seekers and refugees in Australia for medical care, and their families, would be returned to Nauru once their treatment has finished. "The government has been consistent all along in relation to our strong stance to make sure we keep our borders secure," he said. A taxi driver was sitting in a cab rank hoping to get a fare at the end of his shift when someone started tapping on his window. There was no way he could have ever "contemplated the devastating consequences" of what would happen in the next 90 seconds, a court heard on Thursday. The driver was a man named Amarjot Singh Randhawa and he was parked, with his doors locked, outside a shopping centre in Castle Hill in Sydney's north west in May, 2012. Andrew Heffernan, 23, had been drinking with friends at the Hillside Hotel before he walked to Old Castle Hill Road and approached Randhawa just before 1am. It was standing room only in a Waterloo community hall on Thursday, two months after the area's public housing tenants first learned their homes were to bulldozed to make way for a "vibrant new community" as part of a massive overhaul of the inner city suburb. "What about the old community," one questioner put to the Family and Community Services Minister, Brad Hazzard. "What, did it die or something? When was the funeral?" Mr Hazzard brought assurances but few concrete answers for many who attended the first major public forum setting out how their homes would be redeveloped alongside the state government's plans for a new Waterloo Metro station. Leaflets distributed around the 250-strong crowd said work on the area's masterplan was about to begin, with the first tenants to be relocated from mid next year. On the same week Jeff Seeney expressed interest in running for Canberra, the Crime and Corruption Commission has announced it will not be investigating conduct related to the Royalties for Regions scheme he headed. Treasurer Curtis Pitt asked the corruption watchdog to look into issues raised in the Auditor-General's report into the scheme and whether it "contained information that may indicate corrupt conduct". Jeff Seeney rejected the Royalties for Regions report as "completely misunderstanding and misrepresenting" Credit:Renee Melides The Auditor-General found the $509 million program did deliver "much-needed infrastructure to regional communities", but did not represent the best value for money and projects were approved without a cost-benefit analysis. SALEM The Linn County Board of Commissioners fired another shot over the State Capitol this week, presenting House Speaker Tina Kotek with a legal opinion that increasing the states minimum wage without providing compensation to local governments is unconstitutional. The House committee was expected to vote on the matter this morning, which would then send the bill to the floor for a final vote. Over the last two weeks, Commissioner Roger Nyquist has met with several members of both the Senate and House committees dealing with proposed minimum wage hikes. This week, Nyquist provide legislators with a nine-page brief prepared by the law firm of Rietmann & Rietmann that disputes Legislative Counsels opinion that increasing the minimum wage is not a program or project that would fall under Article XI-15 of the State Constitution dealing with mandates and compensatory funding. Partners are Nathan Rietmann of Salem and Emily Rietmann of Hermiston. Its pure politics, Nyquist told fellow commissioners John Lindsey and Will Tucker Wednesday morning. They are drawing this thing up as they go along. The whole process is disheartening. Nyquist said he was disappointed that his testimony before the House committee was limited to just two minutes, even though he is a sitting county commissioner. Nyquist said the more he talks with legislators, the more he realizes they dont understand the constitutional issue at hand. The more I lay this out for them, the more they realize its real, Nyquist said. Were doing everything we can, but none of this is good. Nyquist said some legislators on both sides of the aisle understand the issue, but Im not sure they will stand up to leadership on this issue. The Rietmann & Rietmann opinion is that since Jan. 1, 1997, local governments have not been required by law to participate in a program or project mandated by the state that does not include financial reimbursement. On Feb. 6, Legislative Counsel issued an opinion that stated in part, Although the issue is not free from doubt, we believe that an Oregon court would conclude that the text of Article XI, Section 5 does not apply to a bill that increases the state minimum wage. But Rietmann & Rietmann contends the Legislative Counsels opinion was based on a hypothetical consideration. Oregon courts do not decide abstract or hypothetical cases, the Rietmann & Rietmann brief notes. It further suggests that a court would consider the text, context and enactment history of both Article XI, Section 5 and SB 1532-A as our office has done. Consideration of these factors leads to the conclusion that SB 1532-A is a bill imposing an unfunded mandate on local government without the mean of Article XI, Section 5. The brief also states that the state appears to be shifting the cost of providing a public safety net onto local governments and private employers, which is what Article XI was intended to block. Linn Countys legal and policy concerns with SB 1532-A are real and substantial, the brief states. In fact, Linn County is prepared to pursue legal action to protect Linn County and its 120,000 constituents from the unfunded mandate the measure would impose if the measure is enacted in its current form. The county has notified the state that it will not conform to higher minimum wages if enacted by the state. Five other counties Yamhill, Wasco, Klamath, Douglas and Coos have sent letters of support to elected officials. Labor had committed to a non-government chair of the corruption watchdog oversight committee while in opposition. Trading places: Jeff Seeney has been moved to the ethics committee. Credit:Glenn Hunt The entire PCCC current membership was swapped out in the change, with Toowoomba North LNP MP Trevor Watts named chair. The opposition has resolved the year-long standoff over who would chair the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee, by moving Jeff Seeney to the Ethics Committee. But when the LNP put forward former deputy premier Jeff Seeney as chair, the Labor members of the bipartisan committee refused to accept the nomination. The resulting stalemate held up PCCC business, with the government only able to appoint a permanent chair to the Crime and Corruption Commission by subbing in a member of the cross bench to approve its nomination. But while the LNP refused to nominate anyone but Mr Seeney and Labor vowed to accept anyone except Mr Seeney, the committee remained deadlocked. That was broken on Thursday, when Leader of the House Stirling Hinchliffe announced a committee membership shake-up, following Warrego LNP MP's Ann Leahy's forced resignation from two committees after an averse Ethics Committee report. Peter Russo, the acting chair of the PCCC, will now sit on the Finance and Administration Committee, while Mr Seeney will sit on the Ethics Committee which will be chaired by Labor MP Don Brown. The Ethics Committee discovered Mr Smith assisted Ms Leahy to draft an email which dealt with confidential Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Commission business after it summonsed him to attend a private hearing dealing with Ms Leahy's matter in November. The Ethics Committee discovered Jake Smith assisted Ann Leahy to draft an email which dealt with confidential Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Commission business. The government used Mr Smith's inclusion in an Ethics Committee report which found LNP MP Ann Leahy guilty of contempt and misleading parliament, to execute a co-ordinated campaign against the long-time staffer, who has been a political thorn in the side of Labor since the early 2000s. The Queensland Parliament has found its first scandal of the year, with Labor setting up what it hopes will be a prolonged attack on a key political nemesis, Lawrence Springborg's chief-of-staff, Jake Smith. But while Ms Leahy was found to have misled the committee through omission, when she neglected to name Mr Smith when asked if she received assistance with the email, as well as contempt of parliament when she disclosed confidential committee matters, Mr Smith was not admonished nor found guilty of any wrong doing. The committee also unanimously recommended parliamentary rules be changed to allow third parties like Mr Smith to assist committee members, when necessary. That didn't stop Labor, which finally believed itself to have an opening to "exorcise the body politic here in Queensland" of a "shadowy figure". Using private member statements, senior Labor MPs, led by Jackie Trad called on Mr Springborg to "do the right thing and stand aside" Mr Smith. "This is a critical test of his Leadership," Ms Trad said, having to shout to overcome the cacophony of complaints from the Opposition side of the chamber. "If he does not act decisively to stand Mr Smith aside by the end of the day he will have failed the test." A Victoria Point doctor who allegedly sexually assaulted a patient hired a standover man to intimidate her into signing a false document purporting that she had withdrawn a complaint, police have alleged. A female patient made the sexual assault complaint about the 65-year-old man in September 2011 but he was not charged by police. A 65-year-old doctor allegedly hired a standover man to force a woman to sign a statement. Credit:AFR He did, however, have his medical registration cancelled. Police have alleged that, in January 2014, in a bid to have his licence reinstated he produced a document claiming the victim had withdrawn the complaint. A scheme to send warning letters to alleged copyright infringers has been scrapped by telcos and rights holders because it is too costly. The Copyright Notice Scheme Code would have seen internet service providers (ISPs) send letters to customers on behalf of film studios if they detected a user had infringed copyright by downloading content without paying for it. Months of negotiations on the so-called 'three strikes' scheme have reportedly come to naught. The "graduated response" scheme would begin with a gentle warning to customer account holders whose IP addresses matched those of illicit downloaders, escalating to a "third strike" which could trigger legal action. On Thursday, Village Roadshow's Graham Burke an outspoken campaigner for anti-piracy measures in Australia told CNET the parties had abandoned the scheme because "it was too much of an imposition to ask the ISPs, and also from our own point of view, the amount it would cost". The former state director told police he always expected his fraud to be picked up. Damien Mantach used holes "big enough to drive a bus through" in the Victorian Liberal Party's financial system to crudely scam $1.5 million in party funds. "For people who come from a business background, they find that very, very strange and they sometimes would think that we should be applying better business practices. "And the answer is 'Yes, you should be', because obviously you can see there were holes in this big enough to drive a bus through." Mantach pleaded guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday to 44 counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception. He used 53 fake invoices to add extra costs onto printing, charged for research that was never done, and billed for online advertising that was never created. "I profoundly breached trust, which I should not have done," Mantach said. Eight men accused of using live rabbits to bait greyhounds to race faster at a Victorian track have made their first appearances in court since being charged with criminal offences over the scandal that rocked the sport. Former trainer Anthony Mills and son Stuart, part of a family that was once famed within the greyhound racing industry, and former Greyhound Racing Victoria official Robert Smith were among those to appear before Dandenong Magistrates Court on Thursday. Trainers Anthony Mills and and his son Stuart were among eight men who appeared at Dandenong Magistrates Court on Thursday on animal cruelty charges. Credit:Pat Scala Six other men, including Darren McDonald, a dual Australian trainer of the year, had their cases called but were not in court. A 15th man is to face court at a later date. A controlled burn around Wye River to reduce bushfire risk months before the Christmas Day blaze was cancelled because of the Environment Minister's concerns about koalas being a "hot topic" in the media, leaked documents suggest. Minister Lisa Neville unequivocally denied she made the request, which is detailed in an extract from a Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning "burn journal" leaked to Fairfax Media. It comes as the Inspector General for Emergency Managements hands his report into the Christmas Day fire that destroyed 116 homes in Wye River and Separation Creek to the government on Friday. The leaked entry, dated March 5 last year, states "Minister Lisa Neville Not to burn Wye River next week due to Koalas being a hot topic in the media". It was unlawful for the company Roy Morgan Research to make a new mother who was still on maternity leave redundant, a federal court has found. Jaye Heraud had worked as a director in the company's Melbourne office for a year, before she started about nine months of maternity leave in 2013. It was unlawful for Roy Morgan to make a mother redundant while on maternity leave. Credit:Louise Kennerley While she was on leave, Roy Morgan restructured its business, blaming the loss of major clients including News Ltd and the emergence of a new competitor. Roy Morgan said a consequence of the restructure was redundancies. The owner of the popular Irish pub J.B. O'Reilly's in Leederville is seeing red after the WA Health Department told him to remove his tobacco memorabilia signs or face prosecution and hefty fines. Almost every inch of the popular watering hole in Cambridge Street is littered with antique signs and memorabilia, including a number of collectable tobacco signs dating back more than 120 years. But the "advertising" has been deemed a breach of the Tobacco Act even though most of the brands are no longer available to purchase and ironically, despite the fact that J.B. O'Reilly's doesn't sell any tobacco products in the pub. J.B. O'Reilly's owner Paul North told WAtoday on Thursday he was gobsmacked when a letter arrived from the department telling him to pull down his 25 vintage smoking signs. A Transperth bus driver has apologised to an elderly lady for closing the bus door on her arm as she tried to exit and then dragging her one metre before realising her mistake. Byford grandmother Heather told Radio 6PR on Wednesday she was catching the bus home from Armadale on Tuesday when the incident happened around 2.30pm. She said the female bus driver did not get off the bus to check if she was ok, despite the incident leaving her bruised, bleeding and in shock. "[I was] trying to get out of the bus, you know I've got my silly nanna's trolley and put that down first ... and then I got down myself," she said. Linn County Sheriff Bruce Riley said his deputies gained valuable experience and put in some long hours while helping to back up the sheriffs department in Harney County during the month-long occupation of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Burns. Riley answered a state-wide call from Harney County Sheriff David Ward for help to deal with the influx of visitors, hostile or otherwise, that swelled the town of Burns, population 2,728, by nearly 1,000. Eight Linn deputies were dispatched. Harney is the largest county in the state, with just four full-time deputies. The visiting deputies were tasked with securing the town while the FBI focused on the occupation of the refuge. At its peak, assisting deputies formed nine two-man teams to patrol the town and its outskirts. Riley said sending deputies to assist was an easy call. When the bells rung, you just go, he said. It wasnt about taking sides either way, it was about helping a fellow sheriff who was overwhelmed. Riley said the occupation gave deputies experience in dealing with armed occupations. Thats not the kind of training you can get from a table top or a FEMA-sponsored training event, he said. And if we think that it couldnt happen here, were fooling ourselves. Linn County Sheriff Sergeant Dave Opel was one of the eight who traveled to Burns. He said deputies worked to keep the peace, running night and day teams with 12-hour shifts. He said a lot of the concern was that personnel records for refuge employees, as well as local law enforcement, had been hacked. Our main focus was to patrol the residences of the employees who had been compromised, in order to ensure their safety, he said. In the early stages of the occupation, there were rumors that some of the militants might try and take over the Harney County Sheriffs Office. Given the manpower in Harney County, Riley said the militants could have pulled it off. Opel said he carried a list of the major players identified with the occupation and encountered many out-of-state license plates and rental cars. He and his cohorts patrolled an area that extended 10 miles south and 20 miles west of town. Opel and his deputies also prepared for the possibility of being taken hostage by militants, which had become a concern after some militants were allegedly stopped in Washington with large collection of firearms. We all traveled in teams and were careful at traffic stops, because you never know. The FBI is being praised for how it handled the occupation, opting to wait out the occupiers and avoid any confrontation. The side effect was a large amount of invested time from local law enforcement. As a result, Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer wants the federal government to reimburse law enforcement and ultimately make the occupiers foot the bill, and introduced a bill to that end. Blumenauer estimates the occupation cost state and local law enforcement agencies $100,000 per week. Oregon State Sheriffs Association Executive Director John Bishop says the federal government has plans to reimburse the deputies for travel time, lodging and other expenses they incurred while assisting. He said sheriffs offices are reporting all their expenses related to the occupation to the FBI and ultimately to the Department of Justice. Bishop said it is also possible the State of Oregon could provide some funds for the reimbursement. Its going to be a big price tag when its all over, Riley said. Washington: Apple's refusal to help the FBI search the iPhone of a terrorist has added pressure on Congress to balance the needs of privacy and law enforcement in encrypted communications something it has tried but failed to do for years. "These complex issues will ultimately need to be resolved by Congress, the administration and industry, rather than the courts alone, since they involve important matters of public policy," California Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said. A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Apple to help the FBI gain entry into an encrypted iPhone used by Syed Rizwan Farook. Farook and his wife shot and killed 14 co-workers in San Bernardino, California, in December, before they were killed by police. The FBI wants to know where they had been and who helped them. Apple is refusing to co-operate. There are two main legislative efforts taking shape in Congress to resolve the stand-off. Republican representative Michael McCaul, of Texas, chairman of the House homeland security committee, and Democratic senator Mark Warner, of Virginia, plan to introduce legislation to create a federal commission to study the issue and make recommendations. Dynel Lane is accused of cutting a stranger's unborn baby from her womb. Credit:Matthew Jonas Though he charged Lane with attempted first-degree murder, Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett did not file murder charges against her because the coroner found no evidence the baby lived outside the womb, the AP reported. That controversial decision led Colorado Republicans to introduce legislation that would have made it possible for prosecutors to file murder charges against someone responsible for killing a foetus, according to the AP. The proposal was rejected by Democratic politicians in the state. District Attorney Stan Garnett shows pictures of the defendant, Dynel Lane, accused of cutting a stranger's unborn baby from her womb, pretending to be pregnant on a screen in a Boulder District courtroom. Credit:Matthew Jonas When Wilkins arrived at Lane's home on March 18, their encounter began innocently enough, according to the victim's testimony Wednesday. The women, who had never met before, sorted through maternity clothes together, Wilkins said, before striking up a conversation about pregnancy, shopping and their partners. When Michelle Wilkins woke, she realised she had "a really big cut across my stomach". Credit:Matthew Jonas "Several times I told her I had to go and I thought she was lonely because she just kept talking over me," Wilkins said. "I felt like I was being thoughtful, you know, and listening to her and being kind to her. But eventually I said, 'I really have to go.'" Wilkins said she was then lured by Lane to a downstairs basement to look at more clothes. The court heard how Emergency Dispatcher Beth Kemper instructed Wilkins to keep pressure on her wounds, and to stay awake. Credit:Matthew Jonas When she turned to leave, she said, Lane attacked. "She was pulling at my sweater, kind of scratched at me," Wilkins said. Confused, she asked Lane if she had a spider or a bug on her shoulder. Dynel Lane has been charged with attempted first-degree murder. Credit:Matthew Jonas "I think I got it," Lane allegedly replied. And yet, Wilkins said, Lane hit her again and a chaotic physical altercation ensued. Wilkins said they wrestled as she tried to escape. Lane eventually pushed Wilkins into a bedroom and ended up on top of her, straddling her chest and pinning her to the ground, Wilkins said. Wilkins said her attacker initially attempted to smother her with a pillow; after she managed to knock the pillow out of her attacker's hands, she said, Lane attempted to choke her using her bare hands. She also recalled Lane smashing a glass bottle over her head, covering her face and chest in a wet substance that mixed with her own blood. When she eventually lost consciousness, Wilkins said, Lane's hands wrapped around her throat. What happened next, according to Wilkins, almost defies imagination. When she regained consciousness, Wilkins said, she realised she had "a really big cut across my stomach." She attempted to stand and lock the door to the room, but her legs were weak and she fell forward, landing on top of her hand, she said. "I just felt the blood seeping through my pants and I could feel my intestines outside of my body," she told the hushed courtroom. Realising she was too weak to escape the home or outrun her attacker, Wilkins said she locked the door, then happened to spot her mobile phone, allowing her to make an emergency call. In an audio recording of the 911 call, Wilkins told dispatcher Beth Kemper that her attacker stabbed her in the stomach with a knife and a broken glass as she was getting ready to leave the house. The dispatcher kept Wilkins on the phone for about six minutes, asking her to press a towel or anything else nearby on the wound until officers arrived at the scene "Don't go to sleep," the dispatcher repeatedly said. "She cut me," Wilkins said during the call. "I'm pregnant." Though her memories of the hours after the attack are fuzzy, Wilkins told the courtroom that she remembered a police officer holding her hand and asking doctors to give her anaesthesia at the hospital because her physical pain was too great. Breaking into tears, she recounted the day after the attack, when it became clear that her unborn daughter - Aurora - had been killed. In their opening statements, prosecutors portrayed Lane as a woman who was "obsessed" with pregnancy before the attack, according to the Denver Post. Though she wasn't pregnant, prosecutors said, Lane told family, friends and even her own boyfriend that she was expecting a baby boy, going out of her way to post photos of her growing belly. "She was obsessed with pregnancy - in a bizarre way," Garnett told jurors as he showed them photos of Lane pretending to be pregnant. The prosecutor said Lane had even picked a name for her imaginary child: "James." Defence lawyers argued on Wednesday that the attack was unplanned and driven by impulse, according to the Denver Post. At no time did Lane plan to kill Wilkins, public defender Jennifer Beck told jurors. The foetus was discovered in a bathtub by Lane's partner, according to the AP. After driving to the hospital with the baby, Lane told hospital staffers she'd had a miscarriage, but refused a check-up. She eventually admitted to investigators that the child wasn't hers, police said. Joining the dots between Syria and Chechnya, De Waal spoke of a Russian style of conflict that dovetailed with Assad's merciless shelling of opposition strongholds. The streets of Aleppo, once Syria's largest city and commercial heart, earlier this month. Credit:AP "Overwhelming force [is] your basic strategy," he said. "You treat every enemy city as Berlin, and you pulverise it. There is no subtlety, no regard for collateral damage or civilians." In Ukraine, Moscow's below-the-radar military and economic intervention was conducted in parallel with a seeming indifference to decisions made via diplomatic channels, in which it too participated. The Chechen capital Grozny in February 2000, on the day that acting president Vladimir Putin declared the liberation of the city. Credit:AP Less than a military victory, Putin was more intent on continued instability and the role it gave him in the diplomatic process of managing that instability even at the cost of having sanctions imposed on him. Just as Putin foreshadowed George W. Bush's "you're with us or against us" rhetoric in justifying ruthless attacks that reduced the Chechen capital Grozny to rubble, the Russian leader's strategy in Syria seems bent on a similarly destructive us-and-them outcome. A Chechen woman in downtown Grozny after Putin's liberation announcement in February 2000. Credit:AP As collated by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the victims of Russian air strikes include 965 IS fighters killed, compared with 1233 non-IS rebels and as many as 1380 civilians. Putin's targeting of non-Islamic State forces, while echoing the Assad line that all non-regime fighters are terrorists, points to an outcome in which the last armies standing are those of the regime and IS, leaving the US and its allies two options: back the Assad regime or withdraw. Russian air force general Alexander Kharchevsky adjusts a helmet on Vladimir Putin, then Russia's acting president, before he flew into Chechnya in a fighter jet on March 20, 2000. Credit:ITAR-TASS via AP A civil war rebadged as a counter-terrorism operation is much easier to fight because human and civil rights get sidelined; bombing becomes indiscriminate; and there is no distinction between civilians and insurgents. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev describes "pacified" Chechnya as "one of the business cards of Russia a good, unique example in history of [the] combat of terrorism". As Russia engaged in Syria late in 2015, Moscow analyst Maxim Trudolyubov wrote in The New York Times: "[The Chechen] war defined Mr Putin as a leader. His goal, then in Chechnya [and] now in Syria, is to tame a restive region by giving a free hand to a loyal warlord, no matter how brutal, who will crush all jihadists, separatists and rivals in order to maintain stability." Australian Federal Police officers and their Dutch counterparts collect human remains from the MH17 crash site. Credit:Kate Geraghty And as in Ukraine, diplomacy buys time while arguing that its bombing missions in Syria would continue until March 1, the Russians were party to a negotiation last week that called for a "cessation of hostilities" within a week but days later Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a conference that its chances of success were only 49 in 100. In the process, however, Moscow has talked its way back to the centre of events in the Middle East and a humbled Washington looks on as Russia's battlefield decisions narrow American options. A pro-Russian rebel sniper on the outskirts of Shakhtersk in eastern Ukraine, July 2014. Credit:Kate Geraghty Moscow justifies its interventions as responses to decisions in the West its campaign in Ukraine was part of its response to the eastward expansion of NATO, and it supports Assad because of Western demands for regime change, which took place with such disastrous results in Iraq and Libya. And in Putin's intervention there are the threads of a compromise solution to the Syrian crisis that were it to come to pass, would cause Washington and some European capitals to gulp, but which would appeal mightily to Middle Eastern leaders who don't let democratic niceties get in the way of their hold on power. By making it clear that it is more interested in preserving the Syrian regime than it is in preserving Assad the man, Moscow has opened the possibility that the region's leaders will welcome Russia as a superpower player who will protect their tinpot regimes. Summerville, South Carolina: The Republican South Carolina governor who last year led the removal of the Confederate flag from the state Capitol grounds will endorse Senator Marco Rubio for their party's 2016 White House nomination, a source familiar with the situation said. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Nikki Haley seized the spotlight in January when in the Republican response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech she set herself apart from the party's presidential candidates by calling for tolerance on immigration and civility in politics. Republican presidential candidate Senator Marco Rubio has won a key supporter in Nikki Haley. Credit:AP Last year she gained national attention by leading a successful campaign to remove the Confederate battle flag from the state Capitol grounds after the killing of nine black churchgoers in Charleston. The Civil War-era emblem of the Confederate South is long associated with slavery. South Carolina has an intrinsic relationship with the GOP - it is Christian, conservative and proud of its military traditions. For this reason it has a history of correctly picking the eventual Republican nominee. But last election it failed to do so, selecting Newt Gingrich rather than Mitt Romney. Donald Trump with South Carolina supporters on Monday. Credit:Bloomberg There were those at the time who believed this was an anomaly. Now it is beginning to look as though the abandonment of the establishment's chosen candidate, Romney, was in fact a sign of the grass roots rebellion to come, a rebellion none could have foreseen was to be led by Trump. And all the signs are that the rebellion is snowballing rather than waning, and that the party has no idea how to counter the threat posed to it by Trump. Donald Trump, 2016 Republican presidential candidate, campaigning in South Carolina on Monday. Credit:Bloomberg In recent days he has merrily attacked the party position on a host of issues, further defining his populism and economic nationalism. He has refused to promise cuts to a popular public health program for the elderly and voiced support for Planned Parenthood, a government-funded women's health service that, alongside other services, provides abortions. Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida and 2016 Republican presidential candidate, speaks during the Republican presidential candidate debate in South Carolina on Saturday. Credit:Bloomberg He is opposed to free trade and immigration reform, both policies backed by the GOP's donor class. Even some South Carolinian veterans back Trump's comments on the Iraq war. Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush in New Hampshire last week. Credit:AP "At the end of the day, a lot of good Marines and sailors and airmen died over something that wasn't there," one veteran at a Trump rally, Mark Jebbens, told The New York Times. "So you've got to ask tough critical questions. In the military we called it a debrief or a hot wash." Conservative pundits reacted to Trump's heresies with horror and predicted a swift rejection from the South Carolina electorate. So far Trump's lead has held steady. Jonathan Bush, 84, with signs for his nephew, Jeb Bush in South Carolina last week. Credit:AP Should he go on to win the primary, it would be the clearest signal yet that the party's establishment has lost its formerly vice-like grip on its voters and that a new, deeply conservative but less ideological bloc of Republicans has seized control of the GOP. Watching Trump and his fans at rallies you get the sense that the Republican Party has simply forgotten how to talk to the people it once relied upon to turn up and vote for whatever candidate it was pushing. Theodore Kraemer, 8, in New Hampshire last week. Credit:AP It's clear that many of them like Trump, not despite his failure to abide by the written and unwritten laws of the party, and certainly not despite his often profane and divisive language, but because of it. Perhaps John Baldwin, a used car dealer from Greenville, South Carolina, put it best when he told The Los Angeles Times: "We're voting with our middle finger." In normal circumstances it would be hard to consider any candidate who had polled so highly in Iowa only to win New Hampshire and then South Carolina as anything but the presumptive nominee. And should Trump win on Saturday as expected, this is the straw the GOP will cling to: that nothing in the 2016 race so far remotely resembles normal circumstances. Important questions from the past Trump blames George W. Bush for the September 11 attacks. Is this fair? It is something akin to a biblical truth in the Republican party that Bush "kept us safe" from terrorism; a belief Republicans justify by blaming the September 11 attacks on Bill Clinton, who left office almost nine months earlier. Trump argues Bush might have been able to prevent the disaster but "he didn't listen to the advice of his CIA". It is a matter of record that Bush was provided with several detailed warnings that al-Qaeda planned a spectacular attack on the US homeland in the northern summer of 2001. The Bush administration mostly dismissed concerns about non-state actors as an obsession of the Clinton administration. Instead Bush and his closest advisers, Vice-President Dick Cheney and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, focused on state-sponsored threats, which might explain their quick pivot to Iraq after the September 11 attacks. Trump went even further in Saturday night's debate, saying the Bush administration "knew" there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and lied in order to justify the war. This is almost certainly a bridge too far, as the evidence indicates the Bush administration, like the governments of many allied countries, believed former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had a WMD program he was concealing from the world. However, an official Senate report on the use of intelligence before the Iraq War concluded the Bush administration exaggerated evidence in order to take advantage of a climate of fear after the September 11 attacks. PHILIPSBURG:--- On Tuesday February 16, 2016, Mrs. Connie Gumbs-Francis was awarded the Vocational Service Award for 2016. President Marcellia Henry stated that To be eligible for the award, the nominee (individual or organization) had to demonstrate the following attributes: Leadership of the highest standard and a proven track record in the area; Exemplification of the Rotary spirit of Service Above Self; Involvement at the community level in activities; and High ethical and moral standards displayed in performance / work related to selected area of vocational service. Mrs. Gumbs-Francis was nominated because of her passion for youth development and her outstanding vocational service in community. Mrs. Gumbs-Francis is the Director and founding Member of the St. Maarten Youth Council Association. Her duties include management of the Rupert I Maynard Youth Community Center, and programming for the STAR After School Program. She is the initiator and coordinator of the Sint Maarten Youth Parliament since 2010, and is a member of the Rights of the Child Steering Group. To list a few more of her noteworthy accomplishments, Mrs. Gumbs-Francis was bestowed a Royal Decoration for prolong outstanding service to the community in 2015, and is a Member in the Order of Orange Nassau. She is the founding member and secretary of the Saint Martin United NGO Federation, the current secretary of the Victorious Living Foundation, and Captain of the 2nd St. Maarten Girls Brigade. Mrs. Connie Gumbs-Francis personifies the criteria outlined for the Vocational Service Award and after reviewing all nominees our club was proud to select and recognize her for the work she does for youth and the community of St. Maarten. Past recipients of this award include: Dr. Judith Arndell, Mary Bryson, and Urmain Dormoy. Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise meets every Tuesday at the Ginger Bread Cafe Restaurant at the Belair Hotel at 7:00AM to 8:00AM. . For more information on the club visit us at sxmsunrise.org or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , we are also on Facebook: Rotary Club of Saint Martin Sunrise. PHILIPSBURG:--- Police and Detectives are presently investigating a shooting which took place on Tuesday February 16th at approximately 10.00 p.m. in area of Zorg en Rust in Dutch Quarter. The investigating officers on the scene learnt, that an argument had taken place involving two men with the initials C.M. and H.E., in connection with and ongoing feud between them. During the confrontation shots were fired. C.M. was arrested as a suspect on the scene in connection with the investigation. A search of the suspects home was also done and an amount of drugs were found and confiscated for further investigation. No one was hurt during the shooting. Student arrested for drugs and weapon possession On Wednesday February 17th at approximately 12.00 p.m. a sixteen year old student with initials E.C. attending secondary school was arrested by police on the L.B. Scot road. The police was called because this student and some other friends were busy smoking drugs in the area. During students arrest a search of his school bag was done and four small plastic bags each containing an amount of marihuana and a brace knuckle was found. The drugs and weapon were confiscated for further investigation. The student was taken to the Philipsburg police station for questioning. The police department is again taking this opportunity to advise all parents to monitor their children and their activities during and after school hours. Monitor their behavior to see if there any changes that could indicate that they may be using marihuana. Signs of Marijuana Use Physical Change: Bloodshot eyes Fast heart rate Sleepy, lethargic Lack of coordination Increase cravings for snacks Change in Actions: Confusion and lack of focus Unusually talkative Dropping studies or usual activities Misjudging time Secretiveness For further information search the Internet for Signs and Symptoms of marijuana use. @theCUBE Headlines Six Premier Big Data Events in 2016 The Cube Goes to Europe Posted by Publisher Hardware BOSTON, MA and PALO ALTO, CA (Marketwired) 02/17/16 theCUBE, the leading live interview show covering enterprise technology and digital innovation, today announced that it will cover six Big Data events in 2016. theCUBE is expanding its coverage of Big Data to help audiences navigate the complexities of using data to achieve positive business impacts. theCUBE is excited to be adding Spark Summits to our upcoming schedule and we look forward to increasing our European presence in 2016. Our Spark Forecast, which we will be releasing next week, underscores Sparks significance in the Big Data ecosystem and its importance in the evolution of the data-driven enterprise, said David Vellante, co-host of theCUBE. theCUBE covers leading enterprise technology events and delivers insight to its audience with unscripted interviews from the show floor, live and on demand. theCUBE has built a large community of customers, practitioners, journalists, analysts, bloggers, and opinion-makers the Do-ers in our business. It produces a variety of media assets including interviews, CUBEgems, CUBEcards, and morethat showcase the vision, products, technologies, and people from events. We create a body of evidence in the form of independent high-quality content assets and social interactions that help define the narrative, document an event, and deliver value long after the close of the event. Spark Summits, the premier Big Data event series dedicated to Apache Spark, assemble the best engineers, scientists, analysts, and executives from around the globe to share knowledge and receive training on the open-source powerhouse. Wednesday, February 16 February 17, 2016 Sheraton Hotel, New York, NY : The Customer Journey Danny Rogers CEO, Terbium Labs, Beth Logan Sr Director of Optimization, DataXu George Gilbert, Big Data & analytics analyst from Wikibon Ian Stoica, CEO at Databricks; Matei Zaharia, CTO at Databricks; Ali Ghodsi, VP of engineering and product management at Databricks; Arun Murthy, founder and architect at Hortonworks; and Ken Tsai, VP, head of cloud platform & data management, product marketing at SAP. After the presentation of the Spark forecast report, a panel discussion will describe different visions of customer journeys, emphasizing vendors different value propositions for a range of customer needs. The Hadoop vendors want to coopt Spark with their management and storage layers. Databricks wants to be the nexus of the ecosystem. Public cloud vendors want to use their operations expertise to democratize access to the technology. Hear from several customers who are well into their journey with Spark which value propositions match their needs and why. @theCUBE presents our sixth year covering this important #BigData event, (concurrent with Strata + Hadoop World) where Big Data and new business imperatives intersect. We dive into the business impacts of data-oriented technologies, where guests share insights, use cases and best practices in data applications. Tuesday, March 29 March 30, 2016 Fairmont San Jose, San Jose,CA : After covering Hadoop Summit San Jose for four years, @theCUBE heads across the pond for its first Hadoop Summit Europe, featuring luminaries, practitioners, and thought leaders covering a range of business and technical topics. Thursday, April 13 April 14, 2016 Dublin, Ireland : @theCUBE will follow up its live coverage of Spark Summit East by broadcasting from the larger Spark Summit West, the premier Big Data event series dedicated to Apache Spark. Spark Summits assemble the best engineers, data scientists, analysts, and executives from around the globe to share knowledge and receive training on the open-source powerhouse. Monday June 6 June 8, 2016 Union Square Hilton, San Francisco, CA @theCUBE will return to Hadoop Summit San Jose for the fifth consecutive year. theCUBE will interview guests from feature sessions, which are voted on by the public and selected by a committee of industry luminaries. Topics range from deep-dive technical content across a wide range of advanced and basic topics and projects to more business-focused presentations. Tuesday, June 28 June 30, 2016 Convention Center, San Jose, CA @theCUBE presents the seventh year at this #BigData event, (concurrent with Strata + Hadoop World) where Big Data and new business imperatives intersect. We dive into the business impacts of data-oriented technologies, where guests share insights, use cases and best practices in data applications. Tuesday, September 27 September 29, 2016 Pillars 37, New York City, NY TheCUBE is the leading live interview show covering enterprise technology and innovation. It features top industry analysts and practitioners, technologists, and consultants dedicated to improving the adoption of technology and business systems through open-source sharing of free advisory knowledge. In 201, theCUBE covered more than 48 large shows and an equal number of smaller events, interviewing 1,000+ guests on the mega trends disrupting IT including cloud, mobile, social, Big Data, DevOps, hyper-scale, virtualization, next-generation data centers, and the consumerization of IT. Watch the live show Explore the archives Follow us on Twitter Subscribe to our YouTube channel Listen to our Podcasts on and Visit us on Facebook Find us on LinkedIn Jennifer Leslie (925) 271-8213 Love Them or Leave Them: New Index Reveals Small Businesses Most, Least Recommended Brands WALTHAM, MA (Marketwired) 02/18/16 , today announced the findings of its first quarterly SMB Trust Index(SM), highlighting the sentiments of more than 6,000 North American small business owners toward the products and services they are most and least likely to recommend to their peers. This first publicly available Net Promoter Score (NPS) report for small business technology brands reveals how they stack up to each other and the competition. include: WordPress, with a NPS of 73, ranks highest among small business owners, followed by Authorize.Net and MailChimp. Yelp and Groupon are at the bottom of the barrel with scores of -66 and -65, respectively. Facebook continues to lose ground, falling out of the top 10. MailChimp and Square both saw their scores rise by three points. The availability of NPS data on local marketing providers will impact how business owners make buying decisions, says Greg Sterling, VP of strategy for Local Search Association. That, in turn, could radically affect how brands act in the market. The number of small and medium businesses (SMBs) adopting cloud-computing services, such as those highlighted in Alignables SMB Trust Index, is growing at a staggering rate. According to Compass Intelligence research, the American SMB cloud computing and services market is poised to hit $55 billion in 2016, up 450 percent from 2011. There is certainly huge opportunity for brands in this market, but in selling to small businesses, success revolves around gaining a disproportionate share of the available market, says Eric Groves, co-founder and CEO. To claim this share, brands must be both present and trusted among the small business community. These net promoter scores reflect just how well some brands are and arent doing that. Insights from the index include: When brands survey existing customers to determine NPS, true brand sentiment is only partially captured. Of course, those who use a brand are in general more likely to recommend it than are the others who have decided to not work with that brand. This situation can lead to disparities in reported NPS and actual NPS. For instance, OnDeck has self-reported a NPS of 73, yet the Alignable SMB Trust Index (which surveyed a population representative of all small business owners) shows OnDecks NPS is actually closer to -50. With more than 6,000 small business owners sharing their honest thoughts on multiple brands for the benefit of business owners they dont even know, its clear they welcome the opportunity to help others make informed business decisions. As borders vanish with technologys growth, social networks are becoming the environment small business owners seek to share insights, concerns and opinions with one another. A from the Local Search Association shows that SMBs receive on average 17 sales calls a month. Though overwhelming, this number is unsurprising, considering the multiple names on the SMB Trust index that are actively pitching their products and services to small businesses. This overload causes small business owners to turn to each other to figure out which brands are worthwhile and trustworthy. The index shows WordPress and Authorize.net are worthy of referrals, while Groupon and Yelp miss the mark. Small business owners find themselves inundated by vendors marketing to them, and the decision-making process can be overwhelming, says Venkat Krishnamurthy, Alignable president and co-founder. Its never been more important for entrepreneurs to have a solid network where they can seek advice and ideas from one another. To view Alignables SMB Trust Index, see . Additionally, to help understand what makes a brand strong as well as weak, Alignable created word clouds from the comments on four of the more popular brands in this version of the SMB Trust Index. Head to Alignables to see those. More than 6,000 North American small business owners have used Alignables platform to provide detailed ratings and reviews of the brands theyre most and least likely to recommend to other business owners. Between June 1, 2015, and December 31, 2015, 6,496 Alignable members rated these brands on a sliding scale from 0-10. The scores were calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors (everyone who rated a brand 0-6) from the percentage of promoters (everyone who rated a brand 9-10). Relative position changes from Q3 to Q4 were generated from the 25 percent net new ratings added to the database in the quarter. Far more opinions than a single brand can reach or leverage, the businesses on Alignables platform candidly and openly stated who they are most and least likely to recommend to other business owners. The was introduced by Fred Reichheld of Bain & Company in 2004, and was based on research supported by Satmetrix. It helps to measure the likelihood that consumers will recommend a brands products or services to one another. Net Promoter, Net Promoter Score, and NPS are registered trademarks of Bain & Company Inc., Satmetrix Systems, Inc., and Fred Reichheld. is the free social network for small business owners. Using Alignables platform, small business owners connect with others nearby, within their industries, and across North America based on their interests. More than 7,000 communities across North America are using Alignable to build business networks to grow their businesses and succeed. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, Alignable is a privately held company with the backing of prominent investors in small business, networking and data, including Mayfield, Saturn Partners, NextView Ventures, Boston Seed, CrunchFund, Kensington and Lead Edge Capital. Kristin Farrell Information Builders Announces iWay Hadoop Data Manager for Data Lake Creation and Management NEW YORK, NY (Marketwired) 02/18/16 Information Builders, a leader in (BI) and analytics, information integrity, and today announced iWay Hadoop Data Manager, a modern, native approach to Hadoop-based data integration and management that ensures high levels of capability, compatibility, and flexibility. Many organizations struggle with making Hadoop the centerpiece of their big data strategy because of the cost and knowledge base of developer tools, user interfaces, and professional skills required for the environment. In addition, organizations must ensure Hadoop can extend, reinforce, or replace existing BI and data warehousing strategies and tools, but need clarity on which approach is best. iWay Hadoop Data Manager provides a simplified, easy-to-use interface to generate portable, reusable code for data integration tasks in Hadoop, including data ingestion, transformation, and cleansing. By eliminating Hadoop coding, it enables a more rapid response to business requirements using less-expensive skill sets. Modern data integration often requires rapid ingestion of data into a data lake from varied data sources, while minimizing the impact on their performance. iWay Hadoop Data Manager hides the complexity of data ingestion, replacement, and de-duplication using Sqoop, Flume, and Information Builders iWay Service Manager without programming. Organizations dont have to be left wondering if their big data integration choices are limited to complex native scripting on one hand and non-Hadoop tools on the other. With iWay Hadoop Data Manager, complexity, cost, and training are reduced to provide businesses much more sophisticated big data integration that sets the course for future success, said Gregory Dorman, senior vice president and general manager of iWay Software. Visit our , for more information on iWay Hadoop Data Manager and other integration solutions from Information Builders. Information Builders helps organizations transform data into business value. Our software solutions for business intelligence and analytics, integration, and data integrity empower people to make smarter decisions, strengthen customer relationships, and drive growth. Our dedication to customer success is unmatched in the industry. Thats why tens of thousands of leading organizations rely on Information Builders to be their trusted partner. Founded in 1975, Information Builders is headquartered in New York, NY, with offices around the world, and remains one of the largest independent, privately held companies in the industry. Visit us at , follow us on Twitter at , like us on , and visit our page. Kathleen Moran Information Builders (917) 339-6313 Lillian Dunlap LEWIS (781) 761-4500 Sept. 30, 1951 Feb. 17, 2016 James Jim Michael Johnson, 64 of Lebanon passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, at the Oregon Veterans Home Lebanon. Jim was born on Sept. 30, 1951, in Lebanon the son of Robert and Jacquelyn (Whitmore) Johnson. He attended school in Lebanon and graduated from Lebanon Union High School in the class of 1969. After high school, he enlisted in the Navy and began what would become a 27-year career in Naval Aviation Maintenance, serving during the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. He was commissioned as a Naval Officer in 1980 and retired as a lieutenant commander in 1996. He attended the University of Washington where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics and later received a Master of Arts Degree in Computer Resource Management from Webster University. After his military career, Jim returned to Lebanon where he has resided since. He was an active member of St. Martins Episcopal Church where he served several years as Senior Warden and Parish Administrator as well as many other responsibilities. He also was a member of the Parkinsons Support Group, Vietnam Veterans Association, and American Legion Post 51. He enjoyed woodworking and model trains but his passion was spending time with his family. Jim married his high school sweetheart, Kathren Vaughan, in Lebanon on June 11, 1971. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Kathy of Lebanon; son David and wife Bethany Johnson and daughter Jacquelyn of Mulino; and daughter Lisa Johnson and son Camron Fambro of San Diego, California. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Kim. A funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22, at St. Martins Episcopal Church, 257 E. Milton St., Lebanon. Burial with military honors will follow at the Lebanon IOOF Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to: Parkinsons Resources of Oregon, the Oregon Veterans Home Lebanon or St. Martins Episcopal Church in care of Huston-Jost Funeral Home, 86 W. Grant St., Lebanon, OR 97355. Orion Labs Raises $9 Million From Avalon Ventures and Motorola Solutions Venture Capital SAN FRANCISCO, CA (Marketwired) 02/18/16 today announced that it has secured $9 million in new financing from Avalon Ventures and Motorola Solutions Venture Capital. Orion creates group voice communication accessories that bring people together across any distance. Its accessories incorporate the best features of two-way radios and group messaging, bringing simplicity and style to anyone who needs to be readily connected to a group without the distraction of a screen. Using Orion, groups of people can easily talk to each other throughout the day, anywhere in the world, while being physically engaged in the moment. Consumer wearable devices have the potential to transform the way people communicate, said Paul Steinberg, Motorola Solutions chief technology officer. Orions team, products, and technology are at the forefront of innovation in this exciting space. Our strategic investment highlights Motorola Solutions commitment to innovation around smart wearable devices. With this round, Orion has now raised $16.25 million in funding. Since the launch of its first product, Orion has seen impressive growth across the company with a focus on building out research and development, engineering and marketing capabilities. This new round of funding will fuel market expansion, company growth and product innovation. We built Orion to encourage a world powered by voice, said Orion founder and CEO Jesse Robbins. This funding round affirms our vision to propel voice communication into the future with innovative technology that complements the lifestyles of our growing community of users and potential partners. Discover more about Orion and its products by visiting . Orion is a San Francisco-based company dedicated to connecting people through seamless voice communication. Orions core belief is that you should be able to communicate with people who arent by your side, without yelling or getting distracted by your phone, giving you more time and ability to focus on the moments and people around you. The Orion experience connects people in conversation across any distance as though they were in the same room. Founded in 2013, Orion is backed by leading investors and global communication brands. To learn more, visit . | | | Exabeam Wins 2016 IBM Beacon Award for Outstanding Security Solution SAN MATEO, CA (Marketwired) 02/18/16 , a leader in user behavior analytics (UBA) for security, was named a winner of a 2016 IBM Beacon Award for Outstanding Security Solution. Each year, this honor is awarded to a select number of IBM Business Partners who have delivered exceptional solutions to drive business value and transform the way clients and industries do business in the future. The 2016 awards recognize achievements across a wide-range of solution areas, including IBM Watson, cloud and analytics that are helping to bring clients into the cognitive era. Today, enterprise security is a data problem, said Nir Polak, CEO of Exabeam. Exabeam leverages data science to battle cybercrime so that companies can catch the bad guys before the breach. Were especially honored to receive this award because its based on the word of our customers. If theyre happy, then Exabeam is doing its job. The Beacon Awards are an integral part of IBMs Business Partner recognition program. Announced at the IBM PartnerWorld Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida, United States, the winners are selected by a panel of expert judges consisting of IBM executives, industry analysts and members of the press. IBMs Beacon Awards recognize Business Partners who have demonstrated business excellence in delivering IBM-based solutions to clients around the world to drive transformation and business growth. This years awards recognized Business Partner achievements across 24 award categories. To keep up with the emerging cognitive era, IBM Business Partners must deliver innovative solutions that unlock the value of data for customers in a whole new way, said Marc Dupaquier, general manager, IBM Global Business Partners. As a Beacon Award winner, Exabeam embodies this ideal, consistently presenting clients with new ways of solving problems and transforming their industries with IBM solutions. For more information about the IBM Beacon Awards, including details on the winners and finalists, please visit: . To learn more about IBM PartnerWorld, a comprehensive program that offers marketing and sales resources, training, certification and technical support to help create new revenue and market opportunities for IBM Business Partners, visit . Exabeam will be exhibiting its solution in booth #414 of the Security section at IBM InterConnect in Las Vegas, Feb 22-26. Exabeams solution leverages existing log data to quickly detect advanced attacks, prioritize incidents and guide effective response. The companys Stateful User Tracking automates the work of security analysts by resolving individual security events and behavioral anomalies into a complete attack chain. This dramatically reduces response times and uncovers attack impacts that would otherwise go unseen. Built by seasoned security experts and enterprise IT veterans from Imperva, ArcSight and Sumo Logic, Exabeam is headquartered in San Mateo, California and is privately funded by Aspect Ventures, Icon Ventures, Investor Shlomo Kramer and Norwest Venture Partners. Visit us on or and follow us on . Chris Fucanan AquaLab PR (916) 684-9781 Guest Editorial By Russell Pearce, Former President of the Arizona Senate | February 17, 2016 This nation has a suicide pact To clear the air on the 14th Amendment, Enough Es Enough: This nation has a suicide pact and several of your presidential candidates are promoters of the destruction of this republic Are they confused, corrupt or don't care? The issue is back and as usual the liberal media has it all wrong and as do some so called conservatives, and even more disturbing is the ignorance by presidential candidates who have not taken the time or are not smart enough to read the 14th Amendment and understand it even though it is in plain English. Nor have they taken the time to read the debate that took place in 1886. They want to be the leader of this great nation and yet are confused on the Constitution. They have no clue about the 14th Amendment (http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/14thamendment.html)? This is a critical Constitutional issue. This abuse of the 14dth Amendment is the suicide of this Republic. The 14th Amendment had a very specific purpose; it was not to reward law breakers and create an incentive to break into our country and have jackpot babies. It was to fix a terrible abuse of the slaves after a terrible Supreme Court Decision called the Dred Scott decision. Want to know where your member of Congress stands on the conservative spectrum? Ask where they stand on the 14th Amendment Citizenship Clause and Birth Right Citizenship. We have allowed this perversion of a very critical issue that is very costly and destructive and one of the most stupid abuses of the Constitution, a clear lack of common sense. The 14th Amendment was to right a wrong in dealing with slaves and their children. It is the legacy belonging to a moral Republican Congress and that of the African Americans, in righting a wrong. We must restore common sense and sanity to this nation, such as demanding we enforce our current laws by eliminating illegal sanctuary policies, secure our border, eliminate any and all rewards for breaking the law and apply the 14th Amendment as intended. Stop Birth Right Citizenship NOW. Stop the UnConstitutional order by this corrupt President with his blanket illegal amnesty of groups of illegals. * No Amnesty * No jobs * No Free taxpayer stuff * Secure the border now * Enforce our laws * Stop UnConstitutional Declaration of Citizenship to those born to non-citizens * Overturn the Plyer vs Doe an illegal opinion from the most far reaching liberal Supreme Court in history The Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment states that U.S. citizens are "all persons born or naturalized in the United States and SUBJECT TO THE JURISDICTION THEREOF." Federal law uses almost identical language. "Subject to the jurisdiction thereof." "Subject to the jurisdiction thereof" is an essential part of the definition. They meant what they said and history confirms the importance of and necessity of those five words. American Indians, despite their GPS birth location, did not receive U.S. Citizenship until it was conferred by congressional acts in 1887, 1901 and 1924, long after ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment. To adopt such a stupid approach to citizenship is amazing. A very liberal activist court overturned two previous court decisions: the 1873 Slaughterhouse Cases and Elk v. Wilkins (1884). In those cases, the Supreme Court made it clear that the original intent of the 14th Amendment was primarily to grant equal rights to freed black slaves and that the phrase "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" required that the petitioner for citizenship be "completely subject to their political jurisdiction, and owing them direct and immediate allegiance." These cases excluded children born to foreign diplomats and Native American Indians and were quite clear that the meaning of the 14th Amendment would not include all children of immigrants. Let alone "illegal aliens" most of whom would have been covered by less political jurisdiction than even those born on Indian reservations, which were partially under U.S. jurisdiction. If one is in a country illegally they cannot have a legal domicile in that country. Domicile refers to a "legal" residence. For nearly two centuries, the Supreme Court faithfully made it clear and citizenship consistent with the Constitution and the intent of our Founders. In 1884, in Elk v. Wilkins https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/112/94/case.html , the Court held that even though Indians were born in the geographical boundaries of the United States they were not Citizens of the U.S. In 1942, a federal court in the District of Columbia re-confirmed the conditions of citizenship: "Of course, the mere physical fact of birth in the country does not make these children citizens of the United States ... This is fundamental law and within the recognized exception not only to the Constitutional provision relative to citizenship ... from the very first settlement of the Colonies." "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the States wherein they reside." The language is clear, the debate was clear. The drafters of this amendment clearly had no intention to mandate birthright citizenship for immigrants. Focus on text, in this case the text fits in exactly with the intent of the drafters, as demonstrated by the Senate floor debate. Mr. HOWARD: I now move to take up House joint resolution No. 127. (H.R. No. 127) proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States. "I do not propose to say anything on that subject except that the question of citizenship has been fully discussed in this body ... it is simply declaratory ... This will not, of course, include persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens, ..." Senator Trumbull continues, "Can you sue a Navajo Indian in court? Are they in any sense subject to the complete jurisdiction of the United States? By no means. We make treaties with them, and therefore they are not subject to our jurisdiction. If they were, we wouldn't make treaties with them." Sen. Howard concurs with Sen. Trumbull's construction: In other words, only children born to American citizens can be considered citizens of the United States since only a American citizen could enjoy the "extent and quality" of jurisdiction of an American citizen now. "Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America. It reads in part: I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen..." It is clear: The Constitution of the United States is clear and the 14th Amendment did not change how we recognize citizens, it was a clarifying Amendment to protect African Americans and give them the recognition they deserve. It does not grant citizenship at birth to just anyone who happens to be born within American jurisdiction. A child's birth parents determines the child's citizenship--not geographical location. The Center for Immigration Studies http://www.cis.org/births%20by%20immigrants is an independent research institute which examines the impact of immigration on the United States. * births to immigrants at all-time high nearly 1/4 of new mothers are foreign-born * 383,000 or 42 percent, of births to immigrants are to illegal alien mothers. * The issue of births to illegals also shows that a "temporary" worker program would inevitably result in the permanent addition of hundreds of thousands. * In 2002, births to Hispanic immigrants accounted for 59 percent of all births to immigrant mothers. * The states with the most dramatic increase in births to immigrants in the last decade are Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada, Nebraska, Arkansas, Arizona, We the People have been ignored on this issue. As Daniel Horowitz has stated so well: "The reason the birthright discussion is so important is because it sheds so much light on the transmogrification of the judicial system as it relates to popular sovereignty and the social contract. Not only do we have judges like Brennan bestowing citizenship and education rights on illegal immigrants from the high perches of the bench, they have invalidated almost every attempt by the states and federal government to keep out illegal immigrants. A California judge recently invalidated detention for all illegal immigrants with children, essentially mandating their irrevocable disappearance into the American population. Immigration transformation pursued outside of the democratic process is even worse than having courts decide societal issues, such as abortion and gay marriage. In addition to the courts, we have unelected bureaucrats and the U.N. transforming entire communities through refugee resettlements without the consent of the people. And although our current immigration system was formed by the Hart-Cellar Act ("Kennedy bill") in 1965, the supporters of the bill lied to the American people and publicly ruled out the transformational outcome that indeed took place. For decades, illegal aliens have been counted in the census and have now permanently distorted the very representation the civil society needs to fight on behalf of their sovereignty. * We'd be adopting the revolutionary-era feudal system of English Common law rooted in the fact that men are subjects of the state by virtue of being born on the soil. This is antithetical to the consent-based notion of citizenship expressed by our Founders. Although many of our laws are built upon common law, this certainly was not one of them, and this segregation-era court was incorporating it into American law, ironically, at a time when England was abandoning feudalism. As Thomas Jefferson wrote precisely in a discussion on immigration in Notes on the State of Virginia [Query 8, 211], our Constitution is a composition of the "freest principles of the English constitution." * By adopting jus soli as a constitutional mandate (not just policy) for automatic citizenship based on soil, and not jus sanguinis - right of blood - all children born to American citizens abroad would not automatically be citizens, as noted by then-Chief Justice Fuller in his dissent in Wong Kim Ark. Fuller further noted in his masterful dissent that by mandating automatic citizenship for all children of immigrants - no matter the circumstances - the Fourteenth Amendment would have the power "to cut off the legislative power from dealing with the subject." Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution grants Congress plenary power over naturalizations. Fuller observes that, "the right of a nation to expel or deport foreigners who have not been naturalized or taken any steps toward becoming citizens of a country is as absolute and unqualified as the right to prohibit and prevent * their entrance into the country." Unless there would be no other way to read the plain language of the 14th Amendment other than a mandate granting territorial jurisdiction instead of political jurisdiction (before 1898 nobody read it this way), it is simply imprudent to interpret it in the most stringent way - having the effect of almost completely voiding out an enumerated power of the people's representatives governing the most vital aspect of a society. Accepting the notion of automatic birthright citizenship for legal immigrants as a constitutional mandate is hard enough to swallow. Yet, the conservative pundits in the political class want to extrapolate this terrible decision to children of illegal immigrants. As if it wasn't enough to accept the activist 1898 court case from the segregationist justices, proponents of anchor citizenship for illegal immigrants rely on footnote 10 in William Brennan's Plylor v. Doe (1982) opinion - a decision that absurdly forced taxpayers to fund K-12 education for illegal immigrants. In that footnote, which is nothing more than dicta (non-binding comments not relevant to the case), Brennan quotes "one early commentator" noting that "given the historical emphasis on geographic territoriality, bounded only, if at all, by principles of sovereignty and allegiance, no plausible distinction with respect to Fourteenth Amendment 'jurisdiction' can be drawn between resident aliens whose entry into the United States was lawful, and resident aliens whose entry was unlawful. There you have it. Until the end of time, American citizens - through their elected representatives - have no recourse to prevent future illegal immigrants from obtaining citizenship against the will of the people - because of the non-binding footnote of the most radical justice of the 20th Century, which in itself, relied on a decision reversing precedent and the English feudal system. In reality, there is a huge difference between the legal permanent resident who was the subject of the 1898 court case and the illegal immigrants of today, even if we were to fully accept the concept of birthright citizenship based on nothing more than geographical jurisdiction. The justices in Wong awarded the child citizenship because his Chinese immigrant parents were "domiciled" in America (legally, before the ban on Chinese immigration). As Prof. Eastman notes, "Domicile" is a legal term of art; it means "a person's legal home," according to Black's law dictionary, and is often used synonymously with "citizenship. Undoubtedly, those here in contravention to our laws, unlike Wong Kim Ark's parents, cannot unilaterally declare domicile in our country. Russell Pearce, former President of the AZ Senate, Chief Deputy of Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, Judge and leading national advocate of the Constitution as written and the rule of law. Jan. 26, 1954 Feb. 11, 2016 Susan Marie (Kirk) Crowson went home to be with the Lord on Feb. 11, 2016, surrounded by the love of her family and friends. Susy was born Jan. 26, 1954, to Raymond and Patricia Kirk of Halsey. She grew up on the family farm in Halsey (she was always very proud of being a farm girl) and graduated from Central Linn High School in 1972. She graduated from Southern Oregon College in 1976 with a degree in elementary education. Susy started her teaching career at Grant Watts Elementary School in Scappoose teaching second grade from 1977 to 1985. Susy met her future husband, Jerry Crowson, while stopped at a red light in Medford. She flashed her amazing smile at him from her little orange Volkswagon and the rest was history. They were married on March 17, 1979. When her children, Rachel and Alex, were born, Susy took a break from her career to be at home to raise them. Susy returned to teaching in 1997 at View Acres Elementary School in the North Clackamas School District. She taught at View Acres until illness forced her to retire in 2015. Susy was an institution at View Acres, greeting everyone with a smile and Good Merry Morning! She taught hundreds of kindergartners, first and second graders to love learning and to be, like her own children, confident, kind human beings. Her sense of humor, warmth, kindness, ever-present smile, and exuberance made her a favorite of students, families, colleagues and friends. Susys family was the most important thing in her life. Her husband, children and grandchildren are so blessed to have had her as theirs. Susy had a special fondness for babies, laughter, music (especially James Taylor), pansies, a cute pair of shoes and a purse to go with them. Each year she made her own valentines to send for her favorite holiday. Susy is survived by her mother, Pat Pence; husband Jerry Crowson; daughter Rachel Rowlison (Brad); son Alex Crowson; granddaughters Sadie Rowlison and Violet Rowlison; brother Mike Kirk (Wendy); many nieces and nephews; and more friends than can be imagined. A celebration of life will be at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 10, at the Willamette Christian Church in West Linn. A private burial was held at Willamette Memorial Park in Albany. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Susys Fight at gofundme.com or to the charity of your choice. Condolences for the family may be posted online at www.fisherfuneralhome.com. Response to Brad Burdick regarding bike lanes Hello Brad, thanks so much for your reply to my editorial about supporting bike lanes through Cave Creek/Carefree. Your reply was well reasoned and insightful; however, I feel there is a touch of anger and bitterness to the tone of your reply. Do you feel out of control with where your hard earned tax money goes? Do you have nothing going on in your life except to worry and complain what your tax dollars are being used for? Do you have hobbies or anything to move your energy away from this issue that you are clearly upset with? Do you think about this on a daily basis? Were you home schooled or bullied as a youngster? Whatever your motivation is, your way of thinking is not forward, it seems a bit dangerous. My friend, you have a lot of opposition on your view with this issue. The bottom line is this, regardless of what you may believe who you assume I am a fan of politically, rider safety and happy folks who come through Cave Creek riding bikes. We all have families, wives, girlfriends, kids, grandkids, jobs, responsibilities, shop owners, etcwe would like to be reasonably safe, I would hope that you would want any of your family riding a bike to feel safe. Bike lanes help that. They are not the best solution but it is what we have at our disposal at the moment. We do spend money and visitors and new folks can rent bikes. You know that with our amazing weather, folks from less friendly climates come here too and spend money boosting the local economy while enjoying what we have to offer. So, you are not only affecting the locals, you would be affecting the visitors as well because, you know, they ride too and like the same amenities as we do. Brad, come join us and find out what is all about. Take a cruise around town on two wheels. Turn your frown upside down. D. Whitehill Email Back TO: Carefree Town Council RE: Long term residents point of view NO unfortunately Im currently unable to attend Council and/or P&Z meetings. But YES I am a voter, and YES, after 23 years am very concerned about what I see and hear may be taking place in Carefree. Council and P&Z purposefully avoiding transparency as they consider increasing building heights. Zoning changes subverting the General Plan over protests of concerned nearby residents. Take a look at the planned Eastwood development, aka Sardine Village where Pima and Cave Creek Rd intersect. Spending large sums on fancy Entry/Welcome pillars. Did Sarah Palin have the right descriptor - something about lipstick and pigs?? And what about that mysterious outfit acquiring big chunks of office/retail square footage in downtown Carefree believe their signage reads Available! Is it unreasonable to perceive a purposeful strategic shift in the very nature of Carefree being undertaken by our political class? Should we wonder if this brand of governance on the local level reflects the voter rejection of incumbents at the federal level this cycle? Is a long term decline in sales tax revenue resulting in a move toward out of place tall buildings and greater density zoning to drive revenue through more aggressive permitting fees? Is it reasonable to postulate these changes will over time fundamentally change the nature of Carefree, while reducing property values? I have anecdotal evidence among my circle of friends making downsizing decisions and leaving Carefree out of their location choices. My invitation to the council is this. Discontinue your lack of transparency, present realistic financial projections that might, or might not, justify dramatic shifts in revenue generation strategy, then let we voters decide! Thank you, and look forward to any clarification you can provide to all the citizens of Carefree. Vance Howe Carefree Back Carefrees Future Matters Friends of Carefree, there was a Special Meeting of the Town Council February 11 at 3 p.m. This meeting was rescheduled from the original date of February 12. Councilman Orrico was unable to attend the February 11 meeting. Whether due to the date change, the meeting time, or other reasons I counted only 3 members of the public in attendance besides Jim and I. Items 1, Gateways Construction Project: [This item was continued from the February 2 council meeting.] The Mayor turned the meeting over to Councilwoman Price for an update on the Gateways Project which included an introduction of contractors and committee participants, the design review, and the cost summary. Howard Bertram (Bertram Signs & Graphics) described the signage design and materials. Brian Gold (Let There Be Light) explained the methodology behind the design chosen to light the various Gateway signs. Next August Reno (August Reno Architects) explained the overall design and some of the challenges they faced in finalizing the column and arch designs for the two Gateways (minor details remain). Councilwoman Price thanked all the contractors present, as well as all who contributed to the project, especially for their generous donations of time and/or materials which will save the town a substantial sum. She provided a slide which contained the project cost details. (See the photo of that information below) The bottom line cost for the two Gateways will be approximately $454,014 which includes a 15 percent contingency. There was no specific line item in the Town Budget for the Gateways Project so funds will continue to flow from the $1.5M Economic Development category. The project budget had been estimated at $500,000. In response to a question from Councilman Farrar, Councilman Miller mentioned that estimate was for four Gateways. When asked when the construction project would be completed Councilman Miller responded, June, when the Bike Lane Project wraps up. Ms. Price showed a slide of the plaques planned for the Gateways and read the acknowledgments to be included. The Council stood and applauded the contractors and other contributors to the project. The Mayor thanked everyone. Item 20, Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at approximately 3:40 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Jim Van Allen and John Traynor Dont forget to visit www.CarefreesFutureMatters.com Back Bike lane fraud Although not a town resident, I live nearby and frequent many businesses in town. The destruction of the western flavor so many of us wish to preserve continues. Condominium developers, cyclists and fast food joints should all be shunned. To quietly accept these changes makes us all complicit, in my view. The condos are ugly, the bike lanes are ugly we have all the fast food we need. Regarding cyclists and their safety; they want three feet but they ride the white line and it is even worse when they ride in a pack. I for one will not move from my travel lane to make them comfortable. Maybe we should consider barrier walls like on the freeway, so they can come to town and buy Gatorade and play Lance Armstrong. (Well said Mr. Burdick.) Sadly, I find myself reluctant to come to town due to the changes. Alan Wise Email Back Two Cave Creek trail connections Our trails in Cave Creek bind the community together in a way no other town in the Phoenix Valley is interconnected for equestrians, hikers and bicyclists. These trails are like strings that may seem individually unimportant, but enough strings can even unite a town too tough to govern. During my 8 years on the town council, I have worked with staff and volunteers to expand and unify the trail system. Like our open space, trails define a town that values our High Sonoran Desert environment, and thereby adds value to all properties in Cave Creek. As many of our businesses have seen, trails also draw customers and tax money to Cave Creek. If we are to have a town that provides important services and preserves open space without property taxes, a feature of Cave Creek I support, this will be another step in building our revenues. Those who have lived in Cave Creek for decades recall being able to ride or hike virtually anywhere in this quirky rural town. Everybody seemed to know everybody else (for better or worse) and few people worried about property boundaries and restrictions. But Cave Creek is moving forward in the 21st century when it is project that our population will double. Land owners have rights to develop and/or profit from their land as homes and investments. Meanwhile our citizens want to protect the small town flavor as much as we can. Trails play a critical part in that effort. With our present 50 miles of trails, critical connections enable trail users in the eastern part of Cave Creek non-motorized free and convenient access to trails on the western side of town. And vice versa. Moving from trail segments to a coherent system throughout Cave Creek has been an exciting process. But as both private and commercial properties are developed, establishing interconnected trails will only become more difficult in the future. I am very pleased that within the past couple of weeks we have been able to move ahead with two major trail connections. At the February 2 Town Council meeting Call to the Public representatives of Canyon Ridge Estates announced their support for a trail connection at the west end of Surrey Road. It was a major change that involved 180 shift in their policy. The Surrey road connection will give easier access to Desert Foothills Land Trust trails in the Go John Preserve, and into the Cave Creek Regional Park. Trails in that park were recently connected under Carefree Highway to about a hundred miles of trails in the Phoenix Preserve. Another important connection has been in litigation for years. This is a trail connection east and west near Morningstar Road. Some of our residents have unofficially used it for may years, but were more recently blocked from access. Trail users (hikers, equestrians and mountain bike) have waited for this connection for a long time and our lawyers have now announced that the town may proceed with a variety of legal requirements. We have never had two more important trail segments in Cave Creek. Both trails must be surveyed and then constructed to Maricopa County standards. I will work to ensure that process moves forward as quickly as possible as our equestrians, hikers and bicyclists wait for an official opening. Please contact me or Bambi Muller in Town Hall for further information. Thomas McGuire Cave Creek Town Councilman Back Bern baby Bern Bernie Sanders was red-hot in Iowa snatching half of the caucus votes from rival Hillary Clinton. Easily done with Hillarys junkyard dog demeanor and his Ill give it to you for free campaign message. In New Hampshire Bernie was white hot setting Mrs. Clinton back on her heels again. Game over; not quite. Outside of the college campuses and the white liberal precincts Sanders enters where live businesses that he has vowed to rob, black and Hispanic neighborhoods, cities, counties, even states that still look worship-fully upon the countrys First Black President, Bill Clinton, now touring with the Red Queen. Then there is the money. Can you say George Soros, billionaire, market manipulator, backer of Barack Hussein Obama and...Hillary Clinton. It seems Sanders only hope is that the FBI comes calling with an indictment issuing Hillary a new orange pantsuit, but not even then. With Hillary out he would still face the BBB, Bidden, Bloomberg and, perhaps Governor Moonbeam, Jerry Brown. Flame out Bernie; your fifteen minutes are about over. Randy Edwards Cave Creek Back Military preparing to fight climate change instead of wars? When our national focus was still sane, the United States Department of Defense had a singular goal: defending the U.S., while maintaining the capability to wage war on two fronts. What did that look like? If the United States were drawn into a two front war like World War II, we would be able to triumph. So what happens when you take on so many priorities that the objective actually becomes more elusive? We should ask the Pentagon after they implement Directive E 4715.21, or the directive relating to Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience. The directive comes as a direct result of Executive Order 13653, Obamas effort to institutionalize his stance on climate change within the government. The thinking goes, If the effects of climate change are imminent, shouldnt we make the appropriate preparations? What could go wrong? For starters, what happens when the military is procuring weapons based not solely on cost, reliability and effectiveness? Does the introduction of climate sustainability disrupt this already cumbersome balancing act? Producing cost effective, functioning technology is already a challenge that the defense establishment grapples with; doesnt this create more problems than it solves? This is corroborated by the Daily Callers report, which excerpts the report by saying The way in which DoD acquires its weapons platforms and supplies will also see significant changes. According to the document, the assistant secretary of defense for acquisition will overhaul policies to integrate climate change considerations into mission area analyses and acquisition strategies across the life cycle of weapons systems, platforms, and equipment. Thats pretty bad, but it gets worse. It also creates climate boards that will integrate the new standards into all layers of the services. Worse still, the militarys tactical aims are being complicated, according to Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning, Sergeants leading a platoon should not be worried about the environmental sensitivity of a rice paddy that needs to be traversed to achieve their mission, while providing the maximum security for the personnel under their command. Tank commanders should be afforded all the training they need no matter how much fuel is expended in the process. And Naval Captains should run their ships at the speeds that are necessitated by the immediate needs of the situation. Instead, President Obama would install bureaucratic boards and other second guessers along with real time tactical climate change assessments that would be held over officers heads should they choose what was deemed to be a climate change insensitive course of action. A three year moratorium on the Obama climate order should be instituted by Congress to assure that the full impacts can be realized before doing great damage to the technical capabilities of our armed forces, as well as damaging our capability to project force. If we want to return to the original mission of our military, which is readiness, Congress itself must be ready to flex its Article I muscles. Our safety may very well depend on it. Dustin Howard Americans for Limited Government Back Historical society obstructs science education Over 40,000 children visited the once top rated Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum in Phoenix every year. Most were brought by teachers or scout leaders to participate in structured earth science education programs. School busses arrived almost daily, and came from as far away as Yuma. Then, the Arizona Historical Society gained control of it in 2010. In early 2011, the AHS inexplicably locked the doors even as children were still scheduled for field trips. Every year since, the AHS has accepted and spent the full mineral museum budget, but has refused to operate the museum. Now, Senate Bill 1440 would reopen the museum and restore the K-12 education programs by transferring all mineral museum assets to a state agency willing and able to operate the mineral museum. The AHS is now using public funds to hire lobbyists to oppose the bill. The AHS has no plans for the building, but does not want to allow others to reopen the mineral museum for students and teachers. Dick Zimmermann Tempe Back A sixth letter to America Many things that are going on in America today show what happens when a nation denies Gods Word and then follows mans ideas of what is right. The nation becomes morally corrupt. In The Holy Bible, the Word Of God, (Psalm 14:1), it says, The Fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. One of the latest examples of a corrupt America is evident when you see what happened in the case where concerned American Christians video-taped those involved in the sale of human baby body parts. One of the investigators was indicted and threatened with a 20 year imprisonment. Meanwhile those who were doing abominable works werent touched. Apparently, the ungodly law, passed and re-approved, by this nations top court, is so revered, there is no oversight whatsoever on those practicing this terrible inhumane injustice. So revered that law enforcement even overlooked the fact some of those body parts were taken from babies delivered alive and then butchered for those body parts. Yes America, we are not only committing a crime against God, we are committing a heinous crime against humanity. And yes, senators and congressmen/women, you could have stopped it in 1973, and even now, if you have the guts to stand on Gods Word. And His Word is Thou shalt not kill, and he is talking about the innocent, not the murderers. So ask the present sitting Supreme Court justices to reverse or annul Roe v. Wade and to vote on it within three months. Those judges who vote to continue the murdering of unborn babies are disobeying Gods Law, and therefore, not holding their offices in good behavior. Meanwhile, start impeaching those justices who completely disregarded Gods laws by approving same-sex marriage. They not only threw your law out, but also completely disregarded the will of the people. Wake up America! Manuel Ybarra, Jr. Coalgate, Oklahoma Back BY LINDA BENTLEY | February 17, 2016 Alabama voters seek declaratory judgment regarding Cruzs eligibility Not every citizen is entitled to run for the Office of President of the United States; only natural born citizens BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Earlier this month, Attorney Thomas E. Drake, II, on behalf of five registered Alabama electors: Sebatian Green, Shannon Duncan, Katheryne Spears, Kyle Spears and Jerry Parker, filed a declaratory judgment action in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama against Rafael Edward Ted Cruz, seeking judgment of the court declaring Cruz ineligible to qualify/run/seek and be elected to the Office of President of the United States of America. Because Cruz was born on Dec. 22, 1970 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the complaint asserts Cruz is not a natural born citizen of the United States and alleges he is a natural born citizen of Canada and should be disqualified from seeking the office of President of the United States. Plaintiffs allege Cruz cannot be a natural born citizen of two countries, stating, This would violate elementary rules of logic. At the time of Cruzs birth in Calgary, the complaint alleges he became a Canadian citizen and claims the United States could not confer citizenship upon him under any law or legal theory that exists. It goes on to state, Natural born means native born within the United States or its dominions/territories. Canada is not a territory of the United States. Plaintiffs claim it is irrelevant whether Cruzs mother was/is a U.S. citizen and only if she were serving as an ambassador to a foreign country, or stationed in another country while serving in the military, would it not bar Cruzs candidacy. While plaintiffs concede Cruz is a valid citizen of the United States, they adamantly argue he is not a natural born citizen and, more specifically, his citizenship was conferred by other means. Article 2, Section 1, Clause 5 of the U.S. Constitution states: No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States. Emerich de Vattels 1758 Law of Nations, which the framers appear to have relied upon, describes in book one, chapter 19 212. Of the citizens and natives: The citizens are the members of the civil society; bound to this society by certain duties, and subject to its authority, they equally participate in its advantages. The natives, or natural-born citizens, are those born in the country, of parents who are citizens. As the society cannot exist and perpetuate itself otherwise than by the children of the citizens, those children naturally follow the condition of their fathers, and succeed to all their rights. The society is supposed to desire this, in consequence of what it owes to its own preservation; and it is presumed, as matter of course, that each citizen, on entering into society, reserves to his children the right of becoming members of it. The country of the fathers is therefore that of the children; and these become true citizens merely by their tacit consent. We shall soon see whether, on their coming to the years of discretion, they may renounce their right, and what they owe to the society in which they were born. I say, that, in order to be of the country, it is necessary that a person be born of a father who is a citizen; for, if he is born there of a foreigner, it will be only the place of his birth, and not his country. The framers of the Constitution included the clause, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution so as not to exclude themselves from becoming president, since they were all born abroad. While no term limits were set, President George Washington established a tradition by retiring after two terms in office a tradition that wasnt broken until 1940 when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected to a third term and likely the event that prompted the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states: No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term. Section 2 of the 22nd Amendment required, in order for it to become operative, ratification by three-fourths of the states within seven years from the date of its submission to the states by Congress. The amendment was passed by Congress on March 21, 1947 and was ratified by the requisite 36 of the then-48 states on February 27, 1951. There were others who sought a third term prior to Roosevelt. However, none won their partys nomination. Plaintiffs allege Not every citizen is entitled to run for the Office of President of the United States; only natural born citizens, claiming they have a legally protected right to vote for lawfully qualified candidates and unqualified or ineligible candidates must be removed so as not to siphon off votes from those lawfully on the ballot. February 17, 2016 A shift in Earths magnetic poles may hold the secret to climate change As scientists study the causes and severity of climate change, they have looked to Earths atmosphere for answers. But that may be the wrong place to find a satisfying and correct solution, says William Goodenough. Instead, the key to unlocking the global-warming riddle could lie in the planets magnetic poles, which have been shifting from their traditional locations at the same time that the Earth has experienced erratic, unpredictable behavior with the weather, he says. It seems very likely that a magnetic-pole shift event is causing the unstable weather conditions we are experiencing today, and could cause sustained changes to the Earths climate conditions, Goodenough says. If true, that would mean that climate change is being driven by natural forces, and not by humans spewing CO2 into the atmosphere, as many scientists and politicians claim, Goodenough adds. According to NASA, NOAA, and the ESA the magnetic North Pole has been creeping northward from Canada toward Russia by more than 1,000 miles since the early 19th century, when explorers first located it precisely. It is moving faster now, actually, as scientists estimate the pole is migrating northward about 40 miles per year, as opposed to about 10 miles per year in the early 20th century, NASA reported in 2012. NASA also says that is nothing new. Throughout Earths 4.5-billion-year existence, the space agency says, the two magnetic poles have swapped positions about every 500,000 years or so; however, poles shifts have not been identified or studied. Although the scientific community doesnt link the shift to climate change due to its interdisciplinary nature, Goodenough says the connection is worth exploring and is demonstrable. Climate science is a murky science, Goodenough states. When dealing with temperature variations and trends that might be influenced by humans, we do not have an instrument that tells us how much change is due to humans and how much to Mother Nature. Goodenoughs background is as a technical analyst, not a climatologist, but it was while he was involved in his line of work analyzing aerospace GPS capabilities that he began to form his thesis. Fascinated by the fact Earths magnetic poles were relocating, he began a 12-year study that resulted in his analytical abilities converging with the climate-change arena, where political debates have gotten as much attention as scientific research. The Earth has two magnetic sources of energy. The first is the Earths dynamo system that provides Earths shield and is expressed at the geophysical North and South Poles. The second is a magnetic bond between the Earth and the sun and is expressed as the North and South Magnetic Poles. Goodenough says magnetic pole relocation affects Earth in two ways: It alters the direction of the enormous current flow through the Earth, theoretically causing magnetic chaos in the Earths core, which in turn weakens the Earths magnetic shield that protects the planet from damaging solar particles. It changes the direction of the interaction between the geophysical and the magnetic North Poles by moving the coldest area of the Arctic, thereby altering the climate. Each set of poles (North and South) interact to determine the temperature profile relative to their respective pole. The altered pole temperature profiles cause significant climate change, Goodenough says. We are currently witnessing an unstable and changing climate. We are not experiencing abnormal total Earth temperature changes. Although Goodenough is convinced that the shift of the magnetic poles is the true cause of climate change this thesis needs more study, and he says there are several interested parties that would benefit from such research. The fossil fuel industry is one example, he says. If we can show its a certainty that global warming is from this natural shift and not CO2, then fossil fuels wouldnt have the bad name they do right now in all this. The reason theres so much contention about global warming is pretty simple to understand. In climate-change science we basically cannot prove anything about how the climate will change as a result of adding extra greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. So we are left to argue about claims that cant be proven. Thats what it boils down to. William Goodenough is author of The Three Concepts of Climate Change: Is AGW Politics or Science. Visit www.whyclimatechange.net. BY LINDA BENTLEY | February 17, 2016 CAVE CREEK A year ago, Darrell and Meridy Hulsing and Collin TC Thorstenson filed a notice of claim against the town with a $10 million settlement demand. The town didnt respond to the notice or settlement demand and a complaint was subsequently filed. BY LINDA BENTLEY | February 17, 2016 Councilman Mike Farrar stated, These will be iconic structures CAREFREE During a special council meeting last Thursday Councilwoman Melissa Price provided council with an update and breakdown of the costs for the towns gateway construction project. Price said, Im convinced the gateways will separate us from the surrounding communities, as she thanked those who served on the gateway committee. Price also recognized the businesses that agreed to contribute financial support to the project, including Manship Builders, August Reno Architects, LLC, Anasazi Stone Company, Inc., Bertram Signs & Graphics, LLC, Cave Creek True Value Building Supply, Let There Be Light, LLC and Ts Construction & Development, Inc. BY LINDA BENTLEY | February 17, 2016 Not every citizen is entitled to run for the Office of President of the United States; only natural born citizens BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Earlier this month, Attorney Thomas E. Drake, II, on behalf of five registered Alabama electors: Sebatian Green, Shannon Duncan, Katheryne Spears, Kyle Spears and Jerry Parker, filed a declaratory judgment action in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama against Rafael Edward Ted Cruz, seeking judgment of the court declaring Cruz ineligible to qualify/run/seek and be elected to the Office of President of the United States of America. February 17, 2016 Parade, Mutton Bustin & Kickoff Dance set for March 19 CAVE CREEK Mark your calendar to attend one of the Valleys biggest and most anticipated events, the Annual Cave Creek Fiesta Days Rodeo, presented by Sanderson Ford, set for Fri., Sat., and Sun., April 1, 2 and 3 in Cave Creek! February 17, 2016 As scientists study the causes and severity of climate change, they have looked to Earths atmosphere for answers. But that may be the wrong place to find a satisfying and correct solution, says William Goodenough. Instead, the key to unlocking the global-warming riddle could lie in the planets magnetic poles, which have been shifting from their traditional locations at the same time that the Earth has experienced erratic, unpredictable behavior with the weather, he says. My View BY DON SORCHYCH | February 17, 2016 Cave Creek candidates for mayor and council have to have their bona fides in town hall by June 1. The town is estimating the necessary packets will be available by the end of March, allowing candidates two full months to collect signatures. We are told the dark side (DS) is meeting secretly in Carefree to plot their takeover of council and mayor. When I authored the abbreviation of DS for the dark side I knew they would trash it in some way, and of course they did. Guest Editorials: By JOHN TRAYNOR | February 17, 2016 I was utterly amazed to discover that this Carefree Mayor has tripped to the level of the Towns P&Z Commission blogger in attacking those who disagree with the new party line. Is it possible that paid outside opinion is advising that the only way to prevent people from questioning certain new initiatives, and their cost, is to label those raising awareness as ill-informed crackpots, and then accuse them of manufacturing facts. No Mayor Peterson, the facts stand. If the P&Z workshops were intended to begin a series of dialogues with residents on building height, why then are they not given greater visibility, and why not do a much better job disclosing content well before scheduled meetings? By William Heuisler | February 17, 2016 Did Arizona newcomer Alexander Meluskey break Arizona election laws to help McCain? Meluskeys entry into McCains Primary splits McCain-opponent-votes 3 ways. Accidental? Check McCains 34-year-record. He has arranged Primary opponents in most of his elections. And Meluskeys campaign slogan Principles not Politics begs voters to examine his record. In 2012 Alex Meluskey moved his one-man printing business from Pennington, New Jersey to Scottsdale, Arizona. In 2014 this brand new Arizona Republican ran an illegal campaign for PC. (2) Coincidently Meluskeys campaign helped fulfill McCains promise to purge Conservatives. About 150 days after Meluskey broke Arizona law to win Precinct Committeeman (PC) in Precinct 59 he announced his candidacy for the Arizona Senate seat of John McCain. Amazing ambition; this principled printer must be very wealthy. But an examination of Meluskeys New Jersey and Arizona business, Optimum Graphics USA LLC shows moderate income. And according to his September 2015 FEC report he loaned his campaign $201,298.00 and raised $66,247.00. (7) By Matt Barber | February 17, 2016 This cannot be good for free speech and the open exchange of ideas. Not for Christians and conservatives anyway. Twitter announced on Wednesday that it has assembled a new Twitter Trust & Safety Council to ensure that people feel safe expressing themselves on Twitter. Whos for safety? By Russell Pearce, Former President of the Arizona Senate | February 17, 2016 To clear the air on the 14th Amendment, Enough Es Enough: This nation has a suicide pact and several of your presidential candidates are promoters of the destruction of this republic Are they confused, corrupt or don't care? The issue is back and as usual the liberal media has it all wrong and as do some so called conservatives, and even more disturbing is the ignorance by presidential candidates who have not taken the time or are not smart enough to read the 14th Amendment and understand it even though it is in plain English. Nor have they taken the time to read the debate that took place in 1886. Established in 1744, Sothebys is the worlds largest, most trusted and dynamic marketplace for art and luxury. We empower our international community of collectors and connoisseurs to discover, acquire, finance and consign fine art and rare objects. 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These Terms of Use will inure to the benefit of, and are intended to be enforceable by, Sotheby's successors, assigns and licensees. There are no third party beneficiaries to this Agreement. 19. Further Inquiries . You may direct questions about these Terms of Use, or other issues, to: Sotheby's 1334 York Avenue New York, New York 10021 Attn: Website Management Last Modified: April 26, 2019 Active Threeway Monitors Monitors / Monitoring By Bob Thomas French speaker makers Focal continue their campaign of innovation, with this classy new threeway monitor design. Focal have built up a stellar reputation in the domestic hifi and studio monitor markets over the last 30 years by producing some of the most highlyregarded active and passive loudspeakers to come to market. By keeping design, development and production of cabinets, transducers and amplification inhouse, Focal have been able to optimise their products for their intended markets and endusers. Focals latest nearfield studio monitor, the Trio6 Be, is a case in point. Their flagship SM9 (which I reviewed in the January 2013 edition) created the demand for a more affordable monitor that could be easily integrated into smaller studio spaces but that would also deliver the high SPLs required, in particular, by EDM artists, producers and engineers. Sitting mid-way, in terms of price, between the SM9 and the Twin6 Be, the Trio6 Be features new Focal midrange and bass drivers, new Focal amplifiers and a cunning construction that allows operation in vertical and horizontal mirrorimage orientations. The workings of the Trio6 Be are contained in a substantial, stylish, textured grey and black rectangular enclosure made of 22mm MDF. The largest frontpanel features are two 8.5inch diameter openings, one of which is filled by the new eightinch woofer, and the other by a rotatable circular aluminium baffle that carries the new fiveinch midrange/woofer, a pair of port vents and the oneinch, inverteddome, pure beryllium tweeter from the SM9. A narrow, rectangular bass reflex port runs across the width of what is the bottom of the front panel when the Trio6 Be is used in its vertical orientation. The cones of both the new fiveinch and eightinch drivers are constructed from Focals proprietary W glassfibre/foam/glassfibre sandwich, to maximise damping, rigidity and mass. The metal rear panel is completely devoid of heatsinks well come to the why of that later but it does carry the balanced XLR input (switchable between 10 and +4 dBu) and the recessed slotted potentiometers that set the Trio6 Bes twoband shelving EQ and its variabledepth 160Hz notch filter. Two TS jack sockets allow the connection and daisy-chaining of the standard latching footswitch (not supplied) that activates the Focus function: a mode in which the speaker switches to twoway operation, disabling the bass woofer. With Xray vision, youd be able to see the three internal amplifiers 100W ClassAB for the treble, 150W ClassG for the midrange and 200W for the bass and the ABS and glassfibre cover on the rear of the circular baffle that protects the higherfrequency units from passive crosstalk between them and the woofer. Installing the Trio6 Be is not exactly an onerous process at least, not once youve wrestled the two 20kg enclosures onto a pair of sturdy stands and removed the transducers individual protective transit covers. The first decision is which orientation to mount them in. Personally, I think that Id tend to go for the vertical position in small, narrow or acoustically suspect rooms but, because my listening room has a good acoustic and is fairly large, I went for the horizontal option. The Trio6 Be leaves the factory with the rotatable baffle in its vertical orientation; changing to the horizontal involves removing four Allen bolts (courtesy of the supplied key), grasping the two vents, pulling the baffle slightly forward and rotating it by 90 degrees. If youre going to be working at a distance of less than 1.5m away from the Trio6 Be in horizontal mode, Focal recommend that you set them up with the bass drivers on the inside and a tweetertotweeter distance of 1.8 to 2 metres. At greater distances you can set up with the bass drivers on the outside, which is precisely what I did. Since theyre frontported, you can back the Trio6 Be up against a wall without any phase issues arising. The two shelving EQs deliver 3dB of boost or cut, so theyre really there to give you a gentle tailoring rather than anything else. The notch filter delivers 3dB of adjustment at 160Hz, enabling you to compensate for any lowmid reflections from your console. As I didnt have any problems in the room, I left everything flat, ran the Trio6 Be pair in over a few days and, once I was happy that nothing was changing noticeably from day to day, I started listening in earnest. Listening to the Trio6 Be in its threeway mode across a range of material reminded me very much of the SM9. The clarity, detail and balance throughout the frequency spectrum that had so impressed me on that stunning monitor were all there on the Trio6 Be, as was the effortless, smooth highfrequency reproduction (extending out to 40kHz) that, to me, characterises the sound of Focals inverteddome beryllium tweeter. I felt that I did detect a slight difference in that the Trio6 Be sounded to me slightly more forward and perhaps slightly punchier in the mid-range, giving it possibly a slightly tighter control of transient detail. In the lower frequencies, the Trio6 Be sounded solid, controlled and well extended. Lacking an auxiliary bass radiator, the Trio6 Be doesnt get quite as low down as the SM9, but the 5Hz difference at the 3dB point between the SM9s 30Hz and the Trio6 Bes 35Hz is a pretty moot point anywhere other than a highend control room. More important to me was that tracks by the likes of Deadmau5, CoH and others of that ilk could be cranked up to the point where I could physically feel the bottom end without the two Trio6 Bes sounding as though they were under any strain whatsoever unlike my neighbours goodwill! Returning to more reasonable volume levels with the highly detailed recording of baroque instruments and voices on LArpeggiatas CD Via Crucis and, in particular, the track Maria, which features the Corsican male vocal quartet Barbara Furtuna accompanied by theobro lutes, baroque guitars, dulcimer, cornet and double bass, I was struck by the ease with which the Trio6 Be was able to resolve extremely fine transient detail across the entire frequency range. This review coincided with the arrival of the September 2015 issue of SOS, containing an article on the recording of the Chris Thile, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer and YoYo Ma CD The Goat Rodeo Sessions. Since I own the CD, I spent an enjoyable (and instructive) time going through the tracks on the Trio6 Be, listening out for examples of the various techniques employed and the points made by Richard King in the article. Another key listen was a track from the CD Spes by the choir Cantus on the Swedish 2L label. The actual setup and recording of the track Frode Fjellheims Njoktje (The Swan), featuring the composer on lead vocal and synthesiser can be seen on an HD YouTube video, and listening to the track alongside the video was again interesting and instructive, the Trio6 Be bringing out some very fine, lowlevel detail in the recording. Superb though the performance of the Trio6 Be was, perhaps the most impressive part was that, throughout the review, the back panels never felt unduly warm, despite the complete absence of the usual essential external heatsink. This review was the first time that I have knowingly encountered ClassG audio amplifiers. As youll see in the explanatory box, the basic premise of this class of amplifiers is that an increase in the level of an input signal is accompanied by an instantaneous increase in the effective rail voltage sufficient to amplify that signal. In the Trio6 Be, the rail voltage is supplied by a pulsewidth-modulated power supply. This type of power supply often found in incar amplifiers is able to maintain a constant rail voltage across a wide range of loads, unlike a conventional supply that can sag (and thus limit the amplifier output) under a heavy load, such as a large transient. Electric guitarists are familiar with this effect in valve amplifiers, where it is often considered desirable, with the opposite being true in a studio monitor. I do wonder if this combination of ClassG amplification and solid multiple rail voltages from the PWM power supply in the Trio6 Be might partially account for the high level of transient detail. Having explored the 35Hz to 40kHz (3dB) threeway performance of the Trio6 Be, it was time to switch to its twoway Focus mode using (in my case) an elderly footswitch, at which point the bass driver is turned off and the tweeter and fiveinch transducer are electronically revoiced to deliver a 3dB bandwidth of 90Hz to 20kHz. In this mode, the Trio6 Be enables you to check how your mix will transfer to lowerquality basschallenged systems, and will throw up any issues in the high bass and mid-range that need addressing for those types of systems. For me, this is an invaluable facility as it also enables you to focus in on any midrange and highfrequency issues. The addition of the footswitch remote control means that you can switch to Focus mode without moving from your listening position, which is an impossibility on the SM9. By any measure, the Focal Trio6 Be is a monitor of extremely high quality. In threeway mode it delivers a level of transient detail, frequency balance and clarity that is of the highest order. In the twoway Focus mode it turns into a tool for detailed analysis of the mid-range and higher frequencies, and for checking how a mix transfers to lowerquality systems. Designed to answer the demand for a more affordable SM9 that is able to deliver the performance required by EDM and similar genres, and that is more easily integrated into less than perfect audio environments, I think the Trio6 Be has succeeded on all counts without sacrificing the accuracy, balance and superb sound quality that characterise all of Focals monitors. Of course, more affordable is a relative term, but the price of the Trio6 Be is more than reasonable given the superb performance of which it is capable. If youre in the fortunate position of being able to purchase a monitor at this price then you simply must audition it. Alternatives At this level of performance in addition to Focals own SM9 youll no doubt be assessing alternatives from all the major manufacturers. The likes of Adam, ATC, Dynaudio, Eve, Genelec, Neumann and PMC all have products that are as capable of unlocking your wallet. Class-G Amplification Although we love their sound quality, ClassAB amplifiers are inherently inefficient, dissipating some 40 to 50 percent of their power as heat. Wed all like Class AB to be more efficient, as that would enable amplifiers to be made smaller and lighter, and would obviate the need for the relatively massive heatsinks that are essential to their design. In pursuit of these goals (and lower costs) many manufacturers nowadays are abandoning Class AB and switching instead to Class-D PWM amplification, which offers efficiencies in the order of 90 percent. Class G, in essence, is a more efficient version of Class AB. The output power of any amplifier depends on the voltage in its power rail the higher the rail voltage, the more power the amplifier can output before clipping. However, musical signals are, by nature, highly dynamic and the signal transients and peaks that would drive an amplifier towards its maximum output tend to be of extremely short duration. This means that, for most of the time, the amplifiers available power is not being fully used, and that which is not used is dissipated as heat. ClassG amplifiers are designed to minimise this inefficient power dissipation by employing multiple pairs of power rails in increasing voltage steps. One pair of rails supplies a low voltage that is used to amplify lowlevel signals. As the signal level increases and these rails approach their clipping point, the amplifier switches in the next higher pair of voltage rails, and so on. The rails in the chain are switched on sequentially (and instantaneously) as and when required, thereby increasing the power of the amplifier only for the time necessary to amplify the signal being fed to the amplifiers output stage. This concept is somewhat analogous to the variable displacement technology used in some highperformance, multicylinder car engines, in which the outer pair (or pairs) of cylinders are deactivated by the engine management system when their power is not required, in order to improve fuel economy. They are reactivated instantly when the driver puts his or her foot down. Pros Highly impressive dynamics, detail and overall balance. Wide frequency bandwidth. Useful twoway Focus mode. Uservariable orientation. Front-facing bass reflex port makes positioning easier. Can go very loud indeed. Cons Still reassuringly expensive. Summary The Trio6 Be is designed to be more easily integrated into lessthan-perfect acoustic environments while still delivering an extremely high level of audio performance. Its adoption of ClassG amplification means that it can deliver high SPLs without the need for massive heatsinks. Superb, and highly recommended. What you need to know about Powerball and the $550 jackpot SWEET HOME The public is invited to learn more about the new Sweet Home Heath Center that opened in December during an open house from 5:30 to 7 p.m. today, Thursday, at 799 Long St. Light refreshments will be provided. The full-service facility is a joint venture of the Community Health Centers of Benton County and the Linn County Health Department. A similar program has operated in Lebanon since 2008. Among the services provided are primary care; acute care; management of chronic conditions; health screenings; access to affordable medications; dental care, behavioral health, mental health and addiction services; WIC (supplemental nutrition for women, infants and children) and immunizations. The health center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and can be contacted at 541-766-6835. The center is funded by a $650,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The clinics are considered Federally Qualified Community Health Centers of Benton and Linn counties. There are two centers in Corvallis and one each in Monroe, Alsea and Lebanon. The goal is to provide primary health care services to rural, underserved areas, Frank Moore, Linn County Public Health Director, said in December. Benton County has four clinics and has experience preparing grant applications. Its an arduous process completing a 100-page application. Moore told the Linn County Board of Commissioners Wednesday morning that business has been brisk during the first two months of operation. Moore added that partnering together has many benefits, including decreased administrative costs. Benton County taxes are not used to fund the center. Funds come from user fees and the federal grant. Linn County had already offered mental health and limited alcohol and drug counseling services in the building for many years. The center is not directed toward low-income families. It is a full-service primary care clinic. Oak Creek to host outdoor 2022 World Cup watch party A partnership between Morans Pub in South Milwaukee and the city of Oak Creek will offer residents food, drinks, music and games on Nov. 25. In case you happened to miss it, heres a brief summary of what happened Monday in the Oregon House of Representatives: Representatives themselves took turns reading the full text of proposed bills, to fulfill the requirements of a rarely invoked constitutional rule that each bill be read in its entirety before lawmakers can vote on the measures. (The House could have suspended that requirement with a two-thirds vote, but Republican legislators, angry over how Democratic leaders are pushing through major policy initiatives during this short session, declined to provide the necessary votes.) It took three hours on Monday, for example, to get through the 51 relatively noncontroversial pages of House Bill 4014, which would allow out-of-state businesses to enter Oregons growing marijuana industry by removing a two-year residency requirement. The House approved that measure on a 48-11 vote. Oh: Did we mention that the House also read and passed the 18 pages of House Bill 4036, a measure that would make sweeping changes to Oregons energy policy by eliminating coal power in Oregon by 2030 and doubling the states renewable energy standard by 2040? No? But, you know, it was near the end of the day, and representatives didnt have much time left to debate a bill that would affect every resident of Oregon. This is the same bill that was negotiated behind closed doors by representatives of Oregons utilities and environmental groups. Utilities were worried about the prospects of a possible ballot measure this November that could have presented even more aggressive goals; in essence, Pacific Power executives told us recently, the company felt it needed more time and flexibility to make the transition away from coal power than the ballot measure would have allowed. We also can understand why Pacific Power would want to avoid a campaign in which radio and TV ads would constantly try to link the company with dirty coal. But at least one representative admitted on Monday that he didnt understand the bill, and were confident he wasnt the only one. Maybe the Senate will offer additional opportunities for understanding. Perhaps the Senate will be able to discover how much more Oregonians will pay for power under the bill and whether it will have any appreciable impact on Oregon emissions of greenhouse gases; both, to some extent, are still open questions. But if this is what legislative leaders mean when they say they need to occasionally use these short sessions to tackle complex matters to keep potentially harmful ballot measures at bay, well, we have to start wondering whether we wouldnt be better off with the heat and dust of an election campaign. At least then those of us who dont have the luxury of having bills read to us would have adequate time to actually read and research the proposals on our own. (mm) House does well to honor heroes Last week, the House took time from its schedule to pass a resolution honoring Army Spc. Cody Patterson of Philomath. You might recall that Patterson died with three others in a suicide attack in October 2013 in Afghanistan. The resolution is part of the Heroes Highway Project, and Pattersons name will appear on a roadside sign to recognize his sacrifice. Albany Rep. Andy Olson, one of the driving forces behind the project, read the Patterson resolution last week. Several representatives made a point of paying their regards to Pattersons family members, who made the trip to Salem. Its important to take the time to honor our fallen heroes, and it was nice to see the House do that. (mm) Welcome to SwanseaOnline - your home for the best news, sports and what's on coverage of the city. Never miss a Swansea story with our daily newsletter Sign up to comment on our stories here Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Swansea City news | Ospreys news | InYourArea An artist's conception of two black holes merging, much like the one that produced the first detected gravitational waves. Before confirmation of the first direct observation of gravitational waves rippled through the world, the search had already begun for visible signs of the event that generated the powerful waves in space. Two separate groups scanned the sky in the region where the historic discovery originated, in hopes of spotting light generated by the event. "This first attempt to detect visible light associated with gravitational waves was very challenging, but it paves the way to a whole new field of astrophysics," Edo Berger of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said in a statement. [Stirred, Not Shaken - How Colliding Black Holes Make Waves] Using laser beams, scientists have detected the physical distortions caused by passing gravitational waves. See how the LIGO observatory hunts gravitational waves in this Space.com infographic (Image credit: By Karl Tate, Infographics Artist) Berger was the principal investigator of a team that used the 4-meter Blanco telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile to make a detailed search for the origination of the gravitational waves identified by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). Einstein's general theory of relativity predicts that the movement of massive bodies distorts the space-time through which they travel. Last week, scientists announced the first confirmed detection of such waves, produced by colliding black holes. The detection was kept under wraps until the results were verified and published in a scientific journal. But before announcing the news to the world, the scientists contacted two other teams already in place to follow up on any potential gravitational wave observations. Berger's team made a detailed search of the region of sky where the preliminary signal was detected. The size of the area was daunting 700 square degrees of sky, or about 2,800 times as large as the full moon but astronomers combed the area thoroughly over a period of three weeks hoping to find a visible signal that corresponded to the crashing black holes. Although they did not detect any unusual bursts of visible light, their observations were used to place constraints on the brightness for future attempts. At the same time, a second team used the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) in Hawaii to search for changes in the night sky. The instrument rapidly mapped the part of the sky where the signal originated. Computers then compared the new map to one made previously and identified any changed objects. "We didn't find anything in our data that was likely related to the gravitational wave source," Stephen Smartt, director of the Astrophysics Research Centre at Queen's University Belfast and leader of the Pan-STARRS follow-up team, said in a separate statement. "We discovered over 50 new sources that are normal supernovae exploding stars that we find all the time. We didn't see any hint of unusual behavior." Back in September, researchers didn't yet know that the gravitational waves detected by LIGO were from two merging black holes, Berger told Space.com in an email. Black holes don't radiate light directly, and LIGO scientist Vicky Kalogera told Space.com that it seems unlikely there would be any matter near a black hole binary that would give off secondary light. But that doesn't mean people aren't looking. There are "several new papers that come up with exotic scenarios" that could produce light from a double black hole merger, Berger said in an email. "These papers are mainly driven by the LIGO discovery and I expect that more will show up in the coming days and weeks," he said. "Whether any of these theoretical ideas turn out to be correct is unclear at the present. We will continue to observe future [binary black hole] mergers from LIGO to find out." Like the observations made at Cerro Tololo, the Pan-STARR search will give scientists a little more information about what happened when the pair of black holes collided. Both teams stand ready to search again when LIGO makes its next detection. Gravitational waves can come from other sources besides a double black hole mergers, like exploding stars or the collision of two neutron stars (the dense, left-over cores of dead stars). Scientists know that most of those scenarios will generate light that telescopes could potentially detect. "LIGO has opened a brand-new field of astronomy, and confirmation from facilities like Pan-STARRS will be very important to understanding them," Pan-STARRS Director Ken Chambers, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii, said. Follow Nola Taylor Redd on Twitter @NolaTRedd or Google+. Follow us at @Spacedotcom, Facebookor Google+. Originally published on Space.com. NASA dunked a Boeing CST-100 Starliner capsule to test its ability to perform an emergency water landing. The test, in a tank at the Langley Research Center, was designed to see how the commercial crew capsule would perform should it have to make a splashdown. The capsule is designed to land on solid ground, using airbags to cushion its landing. [NASA] More News Eutelsat says it remains committed to its customer broadband business despite selling a 50 percent stake in Ka-Sat to ViaSat. The company said Wednesday that a joint venture approach allows it to leverage skills in direct-to-consumer sales other companies have, an approach Eutelsat also plans to use in Africa. The satellite operator reported that revenues increased 7.1% for the six months ending Dec. 31 to nearly 775 million euros ($863 million). However, on a "like-for-like" basis, at constant currency and excluding non-recurring revenues, the increase was 1.5%. The increase, outgoing CEO Michel de Rosen said, was "in line" with company expectations, and that it was on track for revenue growth for the full fiscal year of two to three percent. [SpaceNews] ISRO plans to double its average launch rate to 12 a year in the next five years, a space agency official said Wednesday. YVN Krishna Murthy, ISRO's scientific secretary, said during the "Make in India" conference Wednesday that ISRO is also planning to launch its second lunar mission, Chandrayan 2, in 2017 or 2018, featuring a lander and a rover. ISRO's budget, Murthy said, should be about $1.1 billion this year, up from $0.9 billion last year. [PTI] Technicians have cleaned mold-contaminated cargo bags destined for the International Space Station. Crews disinfected all the cargo bags carrying equipment to be flown to the station next month after black mold was found on two of them. The source of the contamination isn't clear, but apparently is not the fault of Florida's humid climate: the mold was found in tests performed in Houston, before the bags were shipped to Florida, although the results of the tests weren't available until after the cargo was loaded in the Cygnus spacecraft. That decontamination work has delayed the launch of the Cygnus from March 10 to March 22. [Florida Today] Georgia legislators are making some modifications to a commercial space bill under consideration. The changes would remove a section that prohibits local officials from enforcing noise regulations against spaceport operators, and gives local residents and businesses a two-year period to file a "nuisance claim" after the first launch from a state spaceport. Other sections of the bill, including liability protections modeled on laws in other states, would remain in place. A hearing about the bill by the Georgia House's judiciary committee is tentatively scheduled for next week. [Camden County (Ga.) Tribune & Georgian] Want to get these briefings even earlier? Here's the signup. The FAA and the NTSB don't see eye-to-eye on some safety recommendations made after the SpaceShipTwo accident in 2014. The NTSB, in its final report last summer, recommended the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation assigned dedicated safety inspectors to individual operators. The FAA countered that, given its small workforce, its limited number of inspectors should be familiar with a range of launch systems. The NTSB said last month that the FAA's response was "unacceptable" because it describes a system similar to that in place prior to the accident. [Parabolic Arc] Astronomers have solved the case of the missing asteroids. In a paper published in the journal Nature, researchers said they believe why there is only about one-tenth as many asteroids orbiting close to the sun as models predict. They argued that thermal forces cause asteroids to break apart, either because of thermal stresses as they heat up or because they spin up due to solar radiation. [Los Angeles Times] NASA is looking to the long term with a Star Trek "replicator" competition for students. The competition, open to K-12 students, challenges them to create a digital 3-D model of a "non-edible, food-related item" that could be 3-D printed by an astronaut in the year 2050. "We want students to 'boldly go where no one has gone before' with 3-D printing, by making designs that help astronauts eat nutritious meals so they can 'live long and prosper' in locations beyond the International Space Station," the contest website states. Submissions are due May 1. [SPACE.com] Helpful Astronaut Application Tips The deadline for submitting applications for the next round of astronaut selections is today. If you're looking for some last-minute advice, the satirical publication The Onion has you covered. It notes that astronaut requirements include "Fifty or more hours logged driving space shuttle around empty NASA parking lot," "Spotless interstellar criminal record," and, perhaps most importantly, "All candidates screened for their ability to procure $18 billion in funding each fiscal year." Good luck! This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry. When an upcoming book The Man Who Dared To Think Beyond, is the showcasing of Mithila at the global level. Vivekanand Jha Ranchi: It was in the year 2009-... Optimization Are you frustrated with a slow pc or a hard disk not performing as it should? Try SLOW-PCfighter to speed up boot time on a slow PC, or try a free scan of FULL-DISKfighter to recover space on a full disk. The latest offering is DRIVERfighter to update your driver updater. Get complete PC optimization and extend the life of your PC with these must-have software tools. HBO RENEWS VINYL FOR SECOND SEASONLOS ANGELES, Feb. 18, 2016 Following the critically acclaimed launch of the shows first season, HBO has renewed the drama series VINYL for a second season, it was announced today by Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming. Created by Mick Jagger & Martin Scorsese & Rich Cohen and Terence Winter, the show is a ride through the sex- and drug-addled music business of the early 1970s at the dawn of punk, disco and hip-hop.VINYL kicked off its ten-episode first season Sunday, Feb. 14 with a two-hour pilot directed by Scorsese, from a teleplay by Terence Winter and George Mastras, and story by Rich Cohen & Mick Jagger & Martin Scorsese and Terence Winter, with other hour-long episodes debuting subsequent Sundays.Starring Bobby Cannavale as Richie Finestra, a record label president who is trying to save his company and his soul without destroying everyone in his path, the first season of VINYL also stars Olivia Wilde, Ray Romano, Ato Essandoh, Max Casella, P.J. Byrne, J.C. MacKenzie, Birgitte Hjort Srensen, Juno Temple, Jack Quaid, James Jagger and Paul Ben-Victor.Among the early critical raves, the Hollywood Reporter called VINYL rich, brilliant & addictive, adding, Theres nothing like it, while New York magazine hailed it as the first new must-see series of 2016, noting, Cannavale is so perfect. Rolling Stone described the show as excellent, and the Washington Post said it was flawless, with TV Guide concluding that VINYL was explosively entertaining.Season one credits: VINYL was created by Mick Jagger & Martin Scorsese & Rich Cohen and Terence Winter; executive producers, Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger, Terence Winter, Victoria Pearman, Rick Yorn, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, John Melfi, Allen Coulter and George Mastras; executive music producer, Mick Jagger; showrunner, Terence Winter. Sneak Peeks MEETING EACH OTHERS PARENTS PROVES DISASTROUS ON AN ALL-NEW EPISODE OF YOUNG & HUNGRY,AIRING FEBRUARY 24 ON FREEFORMJerry OConnell & Cheryl Hines Guest StarA surprise visit from Gabis dad throws a wrench in her plans for romance, on an all-new episode of Young & Hungry, airing on WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (8:00-8:30 p.m. EST) on Freeform, the new name for ABC Family.In Young & Parents, Gabis awkward double date seems tame compared to an embarrassing encounter in the bedroom. When Sofia feels shes been discriminated against, she calls for a boycott. Meanwhile, talk of the future has someone taking a step back.Launch to date, Young & Hungry is the networks #1 comedy of all time in Becomers 12-34 and Women 18-34 and wins its cable time period across the key target demographics. The series and cast have been nominated for five Teen Choice Awards since its premiere in the summer of 2014.Young & Hungry is produced by David Holden, Ashley Tisdale, Jessica Rhoades, Caryn Lucas, and Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum, in association with CBS Television Studios. Gabi Moskowitz, of BrokeAssGourmet.com, is a San Francisco-based food blogger and contributed to the development of this project. The series stars Emily Osment, Jonathan Sadowski, Aimee Carrero, Kym Whitley and Rex Lee. European Union laws require you to give European Union visitors information about cookies used on your blog. Note: I'm not savvy enough to know about blog cookies; if there's a concern on your part, it's probably best not to visit my pages. The new municipal pool in Byram doesnt have completed design plans, but discussions have begun about who will be able to dive in. Town department heads have begun to consider whether access to the pool should be limited to Greenwich residents only. Town Attorney Wayne Fox said the decision on access would be up to the town. If a residents-only policy were to be instituted, he said it would be legally defensible. We have taken a look at it, Fox said. These are policy decisions that need to be made by the Board of Selectmen about what kind of access they want to permit to the pool. But I am of the opinion that if the town wants to do it, they have the right. The towns residents-only beach policy was struck down by the Connecticut Supreme Court in 2001 after a lawsuit was filed by Stamford attorney Brendan Leydon. As a result the town instituted a policy by which non-residents can purchase guest passes to beaches and pay to park. Some officials argued Monday there could be a different policy for the pool. This pool is something that is being created with town tax dollars and Greenwich residents should be given priority when it comes to use of the pool, Republican First Selectman Peter Tesei said. The old pool was closed last summer due to nearby soil contamination. The Byram Park facility is not expected to reopen until construction on the new pool is complete. But the current policy allowed residents with a beach card or anyone with a guest pass to access the pool when it was open. Republican Selectman John Toner said restricting access is a good idea. The pool is not a natural resource, he said. Its something that were going to build and $11 million for it is a lot of money. But Democratic Selectman Drew Marzullo said there are many factors to be considered before a decision is made, including the potential for a repeat of the fight that led to the beach policy being struck down in court. While this may be legally defensible, do we as a town want to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in court litigating such? Marzullo said. Thats one issue. The other is how will this be implemented? When a town resident wants to bring, lets say his or her grandchild who lives in New York for a swim, then what? They can swim in the ocean but cant at the pool? This is wrought with obstacles including perception. Tesei said priority access for residents means a resident should be able to get a non-resident in as a guest same as what was in place for the beaches before the court ruling. While the state Supreme Court decision found Greenwich had to allow public access to its beaches and parks, including Byram Beach and the nearby park, Fox said there are key distinctions when it comes to a pool. In the Leydon decision, the Supreme Court determined that the beach was an area where people could congregate and take part in their constitutional right to free speech and assembly, Fox said. But it would be looked upon differently when it comes to a small pool. People would still be allowed to go to the beach or the park but a pool is looked upon differently. Because a pool has limited capacity, Fox said different standards can be applied to it. He noted pools are often behind gates and are not considered natural gathering areas like a beach or park could be. Fox said other municipalities, including New Canaan and Trumbull, have resident-only policies in place for their municipal pools. So he feels it would stand up to a lawsuit if a policy were put in place and subsequently challenged. What the town wants to do about a policy is another question entirely and something that is up to the selectmen to decide, Fox said. Fox said his office looked into the matter as part of the conditions placed on funding for the pool last year by the BET. In order for money to be spent on design and other pre-construction work, the BET placed conditions that had to be met, including creation of a policy for use. It was a very general question but it led to the examination of what the policy could look like, Fox said. The issue was brought up by the BET Budget Committee this month during budget discussions with town Director of Parks and Recreation Joe Siciliano. Were meeting to put some options on the table, Siciliano said, adding that a residents-only policy is a possibility, as is continuing the current policy. The possibility of limiting access on certain busy days is also being considered. Actual plans for the pool, which have not been finalized, are expected to be revealed this year. The pool is being built through a public/private partnership between the town and the Junior League of Greenwich. Last year the town approved $9.5 million to remediate contaminated soil in the park and build the new pool. The BET placed conditions on the release of the money though and will hear a status report on the project in the coming months. The BET is going to want to know the answer to the policy questions before we vote in March or April, BET Budget Committee Chairman James Lash told Siciliano. Tesei said he had not received any direct communication from the BET about this issue but he is open to discussing it on the Board of Selectmen. kborsuk@scni.com Months out from the 2016 United States general election, voter discontent has reached a fever pitch: 72 percent say their elected officials cant be trusted, per a Washington Post / ABC News poll, and two-thirds believe the nations political system is dysfunctional. In fact, 21 percent of people want the eventual president-elect to tear down the various levers of government and start over from scratch. Many Americans express this anger on Twitter. Some start brawls at campaign rallies. A few, well, are running for president. But most people simply unplug. Voter turnout in the U.S. ranks among the worst in the industrialized world: Just 42 percent of eligible Americans voted in the 2014 midterm elections, the lowest level since the U.S. Census Bureau began tracking voter activity in 1978. In the coming presidential election, only 41.2 percent of registered voters aged 18 to 24 are expected to participate, according to Tufts University research. It is indisputably a problem. But heres a question nobody has an answer to: Can business solve it? Savvy entrepreneurs might see all the signs of a good opportunity. A need in the market? Ample room to scale? A ready-made set of early adopters who love politics and, with the right product, might be able to help draw in others? Its all there. But while many startups have tried, most have failed. DemDash, a self-described new platform for citizens to engage with their democracy, tried to get 10 percent of San Franciscans to use it during a 2012 election, but mustered only 2 percent and is now gone. VoterMind made educational apps. Gone. VoteIQ, the nations first major political social networking site? Gone. Some have garnered a modest amount of venture capital: Votizen raised $2.25 million (it was bought and closed), and Versa raised $1.3 million (ditto). And then there are the petition sites. People love petitions. Its why the for-profit Change.org (which bought Versa) has pulled in more than $42 million in funding to date. ColorOfChange.org launches successful petitions too, but is a nonprofit. And although both have lofty purposes, their impact is largely around single, hot-button issues -- the kind of stuff that gets people momentarily fired up, but not the stuff that keeps them engaged in the long term. The track record here is not good. So why the hell would anyone else try to build a business aimed at increasing civic engagement? Frankly, there isnt a lot of clear, measurable demand in the space, says Matt Mahan. And yet there is in a kind of diffuse and vague sense, in that everybody has something they care about, everybody has something theyre worried about, everybody has some change they want to see in the world. And so Mahans going for it. Mahan is the co-founder and CEO of Brigade, a free app that was launched in mid-2015. Its a social network, essentially. But instead of seeing your friends baby photos, you see their political positions, and youre challenged to take a stand on issues as well. Brigade has raised $9.5 million in venture funding from Silicon Valley rainmakers such as Ron Conway and Marc Benioff. And it has good pedigree: Mahan headed up another civic-minded startup, Causes, that arguably came closer than anything else to making civics profitable. And its executive chairman is Sean Parker, the social media wunderkind who co-founded Napster and was Facebooks first president. Theyre up against a steep challenge, yes. But that just means theyll have to be as creative as possible. Step #1: Study what worked and riff on it In 2004, Mahan was earning a bachelors degree in social studies at Harvard University. Elsewhere on campus, classmate Mark Zuckerberg was launching a little thing initially called The Facebook. Thats where social discourse moved, and I quickly became excited about that as an opportunity to insert civic discourse as well, Mahan says. So he launched what he believes is Facebooks first political campaign. Harvards endowment had recently increased its investment in some oil companies that allegedly propped up Darfurs genocidal regime, and Mahan organized a student protest. Harvard eventually divested. That opened my mind to the idea of the internet as the platform for democracy, he says. In 2007, at Zuckerbergs suggestion, Mahan joined a company called Causes. Facebook had just opened itself up to third-party apps -- the decision that, yes, also brought you FarmVille and Mafia Wars -- and Causes turned political action into an easy, viral experience. Critics may call it clicktivism, but it had an impact: Across 156 countries, 186 million registered users generated more than $48 million for nonprofits and put 34 million signatures on petitions. By 2012, Mahan was Causes president and CEO. And then he took an extreme risk: He tried moving the service off of Facebook. We didnt own the primary relationship with the user; that was Facebook, he says. And we didnt own the primary communication channel between users; that was also Facebook. But he misjudged how much Causes could do on its own. Over the next two years, activity plummeted from around 40 million monthly active users to between a million and 1.5 million. There was a bright spot, though: Causes seemed to confirm that young people do want to be more civically engaged, and theyll do it using a for-profit service. And so Mahan and some colleagues decided to start fresh. Causes was folded, as was a sister company, the aforementioned Votizen. They relaunched as Brigade. The goal this time: Own the conversation from the start. They couldnt just be a Facebook feature, a little part of something else. They had to be a brand that stood for something, and that users want to identify with. People are generally frustrated, and if they believed that they could be involved in shaping the world and creating that outcome, they would do it, Mahan says. They come to Brigade because they expect to take action. You dont have that expectation on Facebook or Twitter. No consumer is on Facebook or Twitter to be activated to do something concrete. Thats the point of Brigade. Step #2: Prove youre on to something Civics groups are by nature optimistic. The business community can be far more skeptical. So the Brigade team needed to answer a question early on: Whats the evidence that this will work? Its a question they heard frequently from potential funders. So often the way venture capital is deployed is about pattern matching. Its about saying This looks like this other thing that was successful and therefore Im willing to invest, says Brigade co-founder and president James Windon. At a time when venture capital dollars are flowing into this Silicon Valley ecosystem and driving innovation, its not necessarily flowing into the civic space because theres not something you can point to as being massive and successful, particularly from the citizen perspective. Thats why Brigade began by building a simple, hopefully addictive service. When any social network is effective, its because it stroked the ego of the user first, says the companys head of design, Marc Hemeon. Heres what happens when you open the app: Youre asked what you think. Who doesnt like that, right? You can select from a menu of topics -- abortion, climate change, gambling and so on. Each will prompt a series of statements -- Gun control is an effective way to reduce violent crime, for example -- and you can tap agree or disagree. You could do that all day, if you want. Or you could dive into the comments and debate with other users. Or connect with friends and compare ideas. Or, rare as it is in this politicized age, you could admit youre unsure on a subject, and Brigade will display other user opinions to help guide you in one direction or the other. Beta testers took close to a million positions during Brigades first week of public release. That was good data for the company: It could now show that yes, people care about issues, and yes, they want to announce those opinions in a social format. Next up: What else will people do? Step #3: Find other ways to be useful Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is a nonpartisan nonprofit with 150,000 members but is puzzling over how to increase its reach. There wasnt a seamless way for people to engage in the political and policy discussions surrounding our community, says founder and CEO Paul Rieckhoff. And there wasnt a way for people outside of our community to understand what was going on. Then Brigade reached out, asking if the IAVA would like to run petitions on the app and get people responding to more veterans-related issues. The organization was glad to participate. We need tools to help us punch above our weight class and help us amplify our voices, Rieckhoff says. There are a lot of groups like this, which are hungry for civically minded, highly engaged people. Brigade is inviting them into what it calls impact partnerships, so that it can present users with a curated set of nonprofits and advocacy organizations from across the ideological landscape. The more users find causes theyre passionate about, the theory goes, the more theyll return to Brigade to stay involved. This is the beginning of a complex puzzle for Brigade: What brings people back? How can you keep the conversation going once agree and disagree get old? How can you be a hub for all things politics the way that Facebook is a hub for all things social? Among the kinds of discussions these questions lead to: I dont talk politics with a lot of my friends. Its not worth hurting friendships, Hemeon says. Thats one of the challenges facing Brigade: How do you activate around things that you care so passionately about, but you cant even talk about with your good friends? His answer: Well introduce you to new friends. Its a puzzle hes eager to figure out. Brigade is also experimenting with localized services. There are roughly 520,000 elected officials across all strata of U.S. government, and more than 500,000 of them occupy seats at the local level -- city councils, school boards and all the other officials whose names you probably dont know. Last October Brigade launched an experiment to see how valuable it could make itself on a hyperlocal level. In advance of some municipal elections, the app rolled out local voter guides to users in Californias Bay Area and Manchester, New Hampshire. They contained detailed information on the candidates and ballot initiatives, personalized voting recommendations, an invitation to pledge who youre voting for and a handful of other services. On election night, Brigade got a nice surprise: With the exception of one contested district supervisor race, Brigade users vote pledges paralleled the final election outcomes for all San Francisco candidates and ballot propositions. If that can be replicated in other elections, Brigade could make a case that its data is highly valuable to pollsters, lobbyists, brands and many other well-paying entities. Step #4: Prioritize the problems Open the Brigade app. Select a subject -- lets go with Campaign Trail Mix. A card pops up: Republican presidential candidates have better ideas for solving the countrys problems than Democrats, it says. Agree, or disagree? Either way, youll get the results: Only 26 percent of users tapped agree for that. Now try gun control. Abortion. A pattern becomes clear: The people who use this app -- perhaps because 51 percent of millennials identify as Democrats or lean left, compared with 35 percent who identify as Republican or lean right -- are predominantly liberal. This would seem to be a challenge for Brigade, a company that wants to be all inclusive. But Mahan brushes it aside. Its a problem, yes, but its not the most pressing problem. For now, he says, the goal is to demonstrate the right kind of user behavior and retention. He can worry about balancing out the user base later. Brigades brain trust knows the app has a lot to overcome. Even its pitch presents challenges because while the company wants to increase voter participation, theres no evidence that a product like this has that power. Plus, low voter turnout is a complex problem. Forty-three percent of nonvoters report family incomes below $30,000 per year, finds the Pew Research Center. Many of these people have trouble getting time off work to vote or cant get transportation to the polls. Its unclear where an app like Brigade fits into their lives, or if it fits at all. But the way Brigades founders see it, there are still many layers of more-accessible voters it can reach. One of the benefits we have is were dealing in subject matter that naturally lends itself to social promotion, says Windon. Whether its an advocacy campaign for Black Lives Matter or an awareness-raising campaign to change the way we think about campaign finance, the essence -- the purpose -- is to grow. If we can build the type of technology that makes it easy, effective and rewarding for users to pull their friends into campaigns, ideas or issues, well be able to structure interactions that allow the platform and the network to grow. Once theyre there, Brigade will have ever-more challenges to overcome. They already have a taste of whats next: Many beta users said they enjoy taking positions but, Mahan says, they have a hard time articulating why theyre doing it and what its building. So now he and his team are busily answering that call, wrestling with how to make all those agrees and disagrees build to something something more substantial for each user -- a deeper, richer profile in the app, the digital sum of an individual persons political will. People need to understand why, Mahan says, an idea that says as much about politics as it does about his ambitious, young company. They have to have a sense of purpose. Related: Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Editors note: Jim Douglas is the former governor of Vermont. These are excerpts from his Feb. 9 address at Ferguson Library in Stamford, which was part of the Civility in America series sponsored by The Dilenschneider Group, along with the Hearst Connecticut Media Group and the library. The nature of civil discourse throughout the country is far from perfect, especially in the political sphere. Today, politicians focus more on blaming their opponents than on offering actual solutions themselves. The days of compromise and cooperation have been replaced with a new era of filibustering and gridlock. Partisan rhetoric is abundant, while solutions are scarce. The result is a Washington that is broken. Politicians refuse to work across the aisle, and as a result, nothing substantive gets done. The halls of Congress are dominated by people who were unable or unwilling to even pass a budget for several years and who continue to create crises, solve them at the 11th hour and then expect us all to be grateful and relieved. But this wasnt always the way it was. Years ago, Democrats and Republicans worked together by putting pragmatism above ideology. In the 1950s, we had a Republican president work with a Democratic Congress to pass an interstate highway program that changed our nations transportation infrastructure for generations. Less than 10 years later, we passed landmark civil rights legislation through bipartisan cooperation. When southern politicians threatened to kill the legislation through a filibuster, the Senate Democratic Majority Leader reached out to the Republican Minority Leader to gather Republicans to vote to end the filibuster. He did just that, and the historic bill passed nine days later. Nowadays, members of Congress refuse to work together on serious reforms to important programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Even worse, every several months, politicians get bogged down in rhetorical mudslinging and partisan tactics on essential issues such as passing a budget or raising the debt ceiling. Its no wonder Congress has a 13 percent approval rating. The decline in civil discourse can be attributed in large part to the rise in political polarization. In quite the contrast to the pragmatism of past generations, todays politicians on both sides of the aisle seem to be competing in a contest to see who is the most ideologically pure. The fighting between parties has evolved into further fighting within parties. Many of these intra-party factions hold a vision for a party that is committed to ideological purity, with little or no room for compromise. Unfortunately, without compromise, a divided government quickly descends into gridlock. Constant gridlock creates a state where civil discourse is eroded and replaced by partisan rhetoric. . . . Nationally, the problem of the decline in civil discourse and the rise of political polarization is more challenging to address. However, there are a number of reforms that can be implemented to address these problems and ultimately foster a government that works for the American people. The first proposed reform is changing how Congressional districts are drawn. Gerrymandering is the process of designing some of such a bizarre shape that its obviously an effort to create a constituency favorable to a particular party or candidate. It takes its name from Elbridge Gerry, governor of Massachusetts two centuries ago, who was in office when the state senate districts were drawn in an extremely contorted way. Gerrymandering has contributed to the polarization of the country. One commentator observed that were a 50-50 nation, but we have 90-10 districts. Very few seats in the United States House are competitive: theyre crafted by state legislators to favor the candidates of their party. If politicians draw the maps, the results will be political. But there are alternative structures to avoid political gerrymandering. Some states have created independent bodies such as nonpartisan commissions or judicial boards to design their districts. Better yet, theres the Iowa system, where its done by a computer! A dispassionate, impartial, nonpartisan redistricting process would make a tremendous difference by eliminating all those safe seats. It would force candidates and, later, officeholders to the political center. The second possible reform deals with term limits. Ive long opposed term limits for public officials. Ive bought into the oft-used argument that We already have term limits: theyre called elections. Its a snappy line, but incumbents almost always win re-election if they seek it. Less politically motivated redistricting would help, but officeholders have great advantages over their challengers: they can churn out press releases, deploy their large staffs, distribute federal grants that add to our huge debt and attract far more campaign contributions because donors rightly assume that theyll probably prevail. Those who spend money on candidates, you see, like to give to winners. I understand the arguments against term limits: Ive long asserted them myself. But when a poll concluded that the American people are more comfortable with a colonoscopy or head lice than with the U.S. Congress, something is terribly wrong. The performance of our federal government could hardly be any worse than it is today, so Im now willing to give term limits a try. . . . Finally, one small reform we can put forward is to alter the structure of the Congressional workweek. Congress currently runs on a schedule that has long weekends to accommodate frequent trips home. This makes it difficult for members of Congress to get to know their colleagues in the other party, since it eliminates the possibility of personal relationships that might arise if Congress had to stay in Washington over the weekend. Independent Senator Angus King says, as a result, it is really easy to demonize your opposition if you dont know them. King proposes changing the congressional structure so that members work in D.C. for three weeks at a time, followed by one week off. This is a simple, institutional reform to build relationships between members of different parties who might not otherwise know each other. Governing in this era of polarized political discourse is a challenge for any leader. To effectively steer the course of divided government, one has to place civility, respect, pragmatism and cooperation at the core of ones efforts. Nationally, the system requires serious reform to mend the underlying impediments to a functioning government. But for any leader, its easy to grandstand, filibuster, or attack ones opponents. The real challenge is getting things done when government is divided, parties are polarized and politics is gridlocked. That requires overlooking party labels and embracing a pragmatic approach to produce real results through cooperation, respect, and compromise. http://donpolson.blogspot.com/ Bringing you the very best information, analysis and opinion from around the web. NOTE: For videos that don't start--go to article link to view. O ne of the UKs leading energy suppliers has said Britain must stay in Europe to keep household bills prices down. Iain Conn, chief executive of British Gas owner Centrica, said that only by staying in Europe could Britain exert its influence to keep energy supply across the continent efficient. Prices are going to become really important for British consumers and we need to do everything we can to make sure that the market in Europe is as competitive as possible, Conn said during a grilling about rising gas profits at Centricas residential supply business, British Gas. The UK imports more than half of its gas from Europe, mostly from Norway, and the volume is expected to climb over the next decade. Its very hard to see what we can do to drive competition in Europe if we are outside. Thats why I think were better off in, Conn said. Nigel Farage and George Galloway Discuss UK EU Referendum At the group level, Centricas adjusted, pre-tax profits fell from 1.3 billion in 2014 to 1.1 billion in 2015, as low commodity prices continued to affect the companys exploration and production business. But the shares rose 4% to the top of the Footsie as the company insisted that it was expecting to increase its cash flow during 2016. Centrica said it would cut its full-year dividend by 1.5p a share from 13.5p to 12p a year. The company is making 750 million of cuts over the next five years as it restructures the group to focus on customer supply. Centrica said it would make savings of 200 million by the end of this year, after cutting 3000 jobs, two-thirds of them in the UK. In total, Centrica will cut 6000 jobs by 2020. The UKs energy suppliers are currently being investigated by the Competition and Market Authority and Centrica, as the biggest supplier in the market with 15 million customers, is under particular scrutiny on prices. British Gas profits climbed by almost a third in 2015 to 574 million as customers turned up the heating, after winter temperatures in 2015 turned colder. The 31% increase in profits in the main customer business comes despite plunging global gas and oil prices. Centrica said the increase in British Gas profits was mostly down to the increased consumption in power by householders. Conn said the 2015 profit figure, of 55 per customer was only slightly lower than the average British Gas profit over the last five years of 586 million. British Gas is the only company to have cut gas prices three times during the last year, and bills have fallen by 100 on average. Centrica is preparing to rationalise its exploration and production business but Conn said it was not a wise time to sell assets and that any exit would take time. B AE Systems may have its critics just go to the defence contractors annual meeting, where shouts of bloody murderers are de riguer but theres little arguing at least with the companys financial performance. Comparing it with the basket-case which is Rolls-Royce may be damning it with faint praise, but the latest results paint a picture of a business with fingers in plenty of pies. International defence spending has bottomed out, and theres more visibility over the UK market following the completion of the Governments defence review. The Saudis have splashed out on Hawk jets and theres the prospect of more orders of the Eurofighter Typhoon jet to come. And dont forget BAEs cyber-security business, which racked up 1.85 billion in sales and only looks likely to grow further. Just ask the likes of TalkTalk and HSBC. Given its relative health, the recent commentary in some quarters that it should take over Rolls to create an industry champion will be enough to bring shareholders enjoying rising dividends for the 12th year in a row out in a cold sweat. Lets hope Charles Woodburn, BAEs chief executive in waiting, doesnt suddenly decide he has a transformative deal in him when he takes the helm. T he Prime Minister is approaching the moment of truth in his attempts to convince other European leaders that they should back his EU reform proposals. If they do, Mr Cameron will be able to enter the referendum on Britains continued membership of the union very much on the front foot. If he returns from Brussels with a watered-down deal, his critics will be waiting to pounce. The decision by influential activist Tim Montgomerie to quit the Conservative Party over the Prime Ministers stance on the EU has already given Mr Cameron a headache. Either way, the wrangling over a set of reforms which are fundamentally both sensible and moderate shows that the EU needs to change. At its heart it remains an important institution: in maintaining peace, in giving European countries more heft as a trading bloc and in pushing key shared policy goals in areas such as reducing air pollution. Yet the EUs tentacles reach their bureaucratic tips into far too many areas breeding resentment and increasing the potential for disagreement among member states. Mr Cameron is right to have set out to achieve reforms that are practical. When the referendum comes it is important that we vote with our heads as well as our hearts. The Prime Ministers hard-headedness at the negotiating table is also significant for its own sake it has served as a reminder of what can be achieved by high-level diplomacy and by taking the lead in our relationship with Europe. Whatever happens next, the kind of genuine engagement we have seen from Mr Cameron in recent months must be the hallmark of our future relationship with the EU. David Cameron's EU negotiations explained The vaccine debate A photograph which has been made public of two-year-old Faye Burdett shortly before she died from meningitis B is heartrending. Her parents shared the image to raise awareness of the infection and to urge an expansion of the Governments vaccination programme. Hundreds of thousands of people have added their names to a petition calling for all children to be inoculated. As things stand, only children born after July 1 2015 automatically receive the Men B vaccine, which was licensed in 2013 after a decade of medical trials. Small babies are most at risk from the infection and, with global stocks of the vaccine currently limited, there is logic in the way the immunisation scheme has been introduced. It is also important that understandable anxieties about the parameters of the programme dont lead people to conclude that there is some sort of meningitis B epidemic on the horizon. Yes, it is a frightening infection, but the number of cases in the UK is relatively low (around 1,000 a year) and is declining. Such is the weight of public opinion, however, that it makes sense for the issue to be debated in parliament. The case for expanding the vaccination programme has merit but the pros and cons must be considered carefully. A concert hall for all One of the worlds great conductors, Yuri Bashmet, director of the New Russia State Symphony Orchestra, has intervened in the debate about the building of a new London concert hall, saying that policymakers should trust Sir Simon Rattle. Hes right. As he says, we should be thinking about the next 50 or 100 years, not just our own lifetimes. The probable cost of the proposed centre for music, 278 million, is substantial but this is an investment for future generations. A great city needs a great concert hall and Sir Simon a true musical titan knows what hes talking about. The boss at one of Londons top model agencies says efforts to curb the use of skinny models are doomed to fail because designers want young, flat-chested girls. Carole White, co-founder of Premier Model Management, said fashion houses and designers wanted models with straight up and down measurements and who were strange beings, almost aliens. Her comments - as the worlds top models and designers arrive for the start of London Fashion Week tomorrow - will reignite the size zero row over whether the industry should do more to promote healthy body images. White, one of the worlds top model agents, said those at the very top of the fashion trade want the lanky girl at school who is hunched over because shes taller than the boys and embarrassed. She admitted many body shapes on catwalks are unrealistic for the average female consumer. The agency boss, 64, also hit out at recent reports that some designers were asking models to sign contracts ensuring that they eat on set - saying the move was scandalous and achieved nothing. White - whose business launched the careers of supermodels Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Linda Evangelista and Cindy Crawford - added: The designers want straight up and down - no boobs." "They want their clothes to fall as they designed them. Which is unrealistic when mostwomen have boobs. I cant change that. Its just how it is. However, campaigners and health groups today said more needed to be done by the fashion and advertising industries to promote healthy body images. Fashion Icons - Sketched 1 /37 Fashion Icons - Sketched Fashion icons over the years 1944 Dorian Leigh Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 1946 Rita Hayworth Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 1947 Carmen Dell'Orefice Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 1950 Jean Patchett Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 1955 Dovima Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 1956 Suzy Parker Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 1963 Veruschka Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 1965 Jean Shrimpton Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 1966 Twiggy Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 1970 Marisa Berenson Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 1973 Lauren Hutton Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 1977 Jerry Hall Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 1982 Elle Macpherson Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 1983 Anna Bayle Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 1985 Iman Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 1988 Linda Evangelista Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 1991 Naomi Campbell Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 1995 Cindy Crawford Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 1996 Kate Moss Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 1997 Sophie Dahl Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 2000 Gisele Bundchen Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 2004 Lily Cole Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 2008 Agyness Deyn Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 2011 Karlie Kloss Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 2013 Cara Delevingne Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 2014 Jourdan Dunn Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally 2015 Kendall Jenner Shira Barzilay/Courtesy of Long Tall Sally Russell Viner, from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: There are seemingly two trends in our society when it comes to body image. One that obesity is normal and two, the image the fashion industry projects, that stick thin is normal. These two things are creating a perfect storm. Fashion, media, television are all projecting this image that the ideal body is unachievably skinny. I think all forms of media should pull together and promote a constant message about being a healthy weight for you. Whites business, which she co-founded in 1981 with her brother Chris, featured in a 2010 Channel 4 documentary called The Model Agency. She added: The thing is with models, its a bit like being a ballet dancer - you have certain requirements. Its like being a runner - youre not going to be obese and be a runner are you? There are requirements in measurements. Its all relevant to the type of modelling that you do. The very skinny ones are normally really young girls, which is what we are looking for when we are scouting in schools and look for the very tall girl who is hunched because she is taller than all the boys and embarrassed. When we are looking for catwalk and high end, they are different. I cant change that. If you look through the history of fashion, designers have always wanted girls who are flat-chested, not developed, which is a young girl. Someone 16 to 19 who hasnt changed i to a womans body. Thats why models start young. Scouts go to schools to seek the lanky girl who does the scoring in netball. White - who recently released a tell-all book about her career called Have I Said Too Much? - attacked scandalous reports that designer Rose & Willard was making models sign contracts ensuring they eat while on set. I thought it was scurrilous, she said. It was a stunt. It was probably against the models human rights. I am sure it is. To actually say that you are going to force someone - to sit down and watch them eat, thats outrageous. What does it achieve? Nothing. All the models I have are healthy girls. Model agents are so careful to make sure the girls understand nutrition and being healthy. No one wants an unhealthy girl. I have been doing this for ever and have come around maybe five girls who are ill or are sliding in that direction. Its not a model illness, it is a mental illness. In recent years models such Molly Bair, from the US, and Swedens Chloe Memisevic have made headlines for their thin frame on London catwalks. Last year London model Charli Howard, 23, a UK size 6-8, hit the news when she blasted her ex-model agency for telling her she was out of shape. She said: Im human. I cant miraculously shave my hip bones down. Yves Saint Laurent had one of its adverts banned by the Advertising Standards Authority, which ruled the fashion brand had been irresponsible for using a female model with very thin legs and visible rib cage. Banned: the Yves Saint Laurent advert has been criticised for showing an 'unhealthily thin' model (Picture: PA) Beth Willis - co-founder of Bridge Models agency, whose models are all UK size 10 and above, said: If designers want their clothes to be shown on a blank canvas, then they should put the clothes on a coat hanger. Why does having a womanly figure have to be seen as having a negative effect on the product? That is a very damaging projection. Clothes are designed to be worn, so it makes sense for them to be worn by a variety of shapes including women with curves and curvy figures. It is frustrating to hear people say nothing can be done to change the industry. An average size in the UK is a 16, so the market is there and alienating those women makes no sense. Last September, it was announced that MPs would investigate whether very thin models should be banned from British catwalks after a petition calling for health checks during fashion week reached 30,000 signatures. Caroline Nokes MP, who heads the all-Parliamentary group on body image, is now collecting views of fashion industry experts to determine if legislation is needed to protect models. Denise Hatton, chief executive of YMCA England - a founding partners of body confidence campaign Be Real Campaign said it was not just the fashion industry that needed to promote a healthy body image. She added: Media, advertising and celebrity culture overwhelmingly influence how we see ourselves and young people are being bombarded with images of idealised body types that, for the majority of the population, are simply unobtainable. Anyone criticising New York Fashion Week should avoid doing so in the company of design duo Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne. Coming out in defence of their city yesterday, the DKNY double act said 'don't knock New York' via a series of black sweatshirts printed with the phrase. Identical styles featuring the phrase 'designers know nothing yet' also carried a message from the designers. Apparently riled by criticism of New York's fashion credentials and the regularly aired idea that the creativity on display here is a poor understudy to that which is being generated by its European cousins, the designers vehemently defended their fashion capital's honour. JP Yim/Getty They were right to do so. While New York will always be known for its commercial collections and big budgets brands, it's becoming increasingly productive where generating new talent is concerned. Chow and Osborne, who are also behind the emerging label Public School, are among those who populate this new world of American fashion. It is undoubtedly this that made them a no brainier choice to head up DKNY, a brand looking to rediscover it's fashion credentials. Unveiling their second womenswear collection yesterday, Chow and Osborne looked to the early days of DKNY and the streetwear boom that came with it during the early Nineties for inspiration. JP Yim/Getty To this effect, the logo with which DKNY has long been synonymous was turned on its head with jackets and hooded tops printed with the words 'insert logo here'. A Nineties mood continued on the non branded pieces too with wide turn-up jeans, rubber sole boots and baggy pinstripe dungarees on offer. In their collection notes, the designers referenced girl bands of the Nineties and 'the clothes kids were wearing' when DKNY launched as their starting point. It was an influence that was present throughout with low slung cargo pants and puffa jackets reminiscent of those made popular by female hip hop stars such as TLC's Lisa Lopes. JP Yim/Getty Knotted crop tops and lightweight parkas also ensured that the U.K's girl groups - most notably All Saints - were gifted with their own fashion comeback. The collection, certain to appeal to millenials who can't get enough of a Nineties inspired grunge aesthetic at the moment, was commercially very clever. But it wasn't all about clothes for cool kids. The Public School designers are known for their contemporary take on tailoring and accordingly, their was plenty of that here. Silk jumpsuits and deconstructed slip dresses inset with panels of wool were among the most appealing on the runway blazers with raw, intentionally unfinished edges proved that DKNY could do quietly functional clothes as well as screaming statements. M ilton Jones, as audiences know him, is not fully of this world he exists in a haze of detachment, in a cloud of eccentricity, not quite with us. The resulting one-liners, which prod at cliche and twist the norm, have made the high-haired comic a favourite on Mock The Week and see him raptously received on the likes of Live At The Apollo. Still, audiences arent getting the real Milton: There is a part of me that regrets calling the act by my own name, he says, noting the difference between his calm, quiet sharpness in real life and the bemused onstage oddity who leaves audiences howling. When someone meets me after a gig, I can sense them glazing over after a bit thinking, youre quite dull really. Theres no way of keeping up the intensity of one-liners off stage, even if I wanted to. But there are degrees of character like when I do a panel show, it will never be quite the same as full on late night Comedy Store stand-up. I used to say, the thicker the crowd, the higher the hair has to go. 'Youve got to move your audience along slowly... Its quite hard to change their expectations, its quite hard to reinvent yourself completely' Jones has honed his character since first making his name winning the Perrier comedy award for best newcomer in 1996, but theres a sense hed like a little change. Artistically, sometimes I feel like Im writing old jokes with new words. Youve got to move your audience along slowly, though. I remember supporting Rory Bremner years ago and he did ten minutes without impressions and you could sort of feel the audience thinking: Do the funny voices! Your audience is expecting a certain kind of thing. Its quite hard to change their expectations, its quite hard to reinvent yourself completely, for me to just start doing political stuff or something. One-liners, though, have worked for Jones, and hes worked for them: I put in several hours every morning, at least. One liners are very labour intensive, because even if I spend all morning on one that works, thats 10 seconds of my act. Since Ive done telly, Ive had to triple my output because it all disappears on Dave, basically. In character: Milton Jones is not the man he plays on stage Idil Suk / Idil Suk Jones, who lives in London, is gearing up for Stand up for Shelter, an annual money-raising gig that supports the homeless charity. It feels like a very London thing, he says, The scale is bigger and there are more places where it can happen. Living in London youre confronted with the realities, good and bad, of accommodation and lack of accommodation all the time. I remember my dad coming back from America years ago and saying they have people just sitting in the street begging for money and now we just take that as normal. It pains me how weve come to accept that. 'Sometimes swearing is used as a crutch for where theres no actual joke.' Housing is something hes conscious of personall: My children arent in trouble but there is a massive accommodation problem coming down the pipeline. Our kids might have to live abroad or in a completely different place to where are. And maybe thats not a bad thing, but it will affect stuff. We need people fighting for fairness. The gig will see him perform alongside the likes of Dara O Briain and Nish Kumar at the Eventim Apollo on February 24. Jones is at odds with many of his contemporaries including atheist O Briain for his open Christianity. Not that a difference in opinion has ever bothered him: Ive always taken the view that you say what you like and Ill say what I like. Its like all comedy: some of its quite lazy. I mean, the issue is the truth - I dont feel offended on Gods behalf! His act has also long differed to many of his contemporaries for staying clean: I dont have a problem with swearing per se, I think its more to do with the spirit of whats behind what you do. If what I do works, it brings joy. The problem I do have is that sometimes swearing is used as a crutch for where theres no actual joke. Besides stand-up and panel show work, Jones also regularly appears on radio, though his ambitions are to create another sitcom. His previous effort, Milton Jones's House of Rooms, ran for just one curious, charmingly surreal episode, before Channel 4 decided it didn't work. Id like to do House of Rooms mark two. We were very disappointed. A week doesnt go by without someone contacting me saying Why did that go wrong? When is it coming back? Im sure it wasnt everyones cup of tea, but it seemed a great shame. But Dan Evans, the guy I wrote it with, were looking to something similar. Still, Jones is as measured about it, as he seems to be about everything: It doesnt matter what I do, I know there will be some people who tweet me and say I hope you die. But as long as you accept that, thats ok. Stand-Up for Shelter comes to the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith on Wednesday February 24. Tickets 32.50, shelter.org.uk. All profits go directly to Shelter. Follow David Ellis on Twitter @dvh_ellis Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout A woman sat next to me on the Tube this morning looking shellshocked. She told her friend a tale of woe: I carted the kids across London to a butterfly sanctuary for a half-term treat yesterday. It was closed. They wouldnt stop crying and I couldnt find anything else to do. Her friend empathised because most London parents have been there. As app inventor and father of two daughters Max Jennings says: Weve all woken up and thought, What on earth will I do with the kids today? There are so many great things going on in London but they are easy to miss. No one has time to browse thousands of listings and it seemed bizarre in 2016 that there was no app to bring it all together. Jennings, his brother Duncan and his friends Richard Foister and Daniel Bower have set up Hoop, a free app that makes it easy to find great things to do with your kids. There are so many wonderful apps out there for adults to find events, says Jennings. Ive used Dojo, Y Plan and Four Square, but there are none for children. They say that at any one time there are 10,000 events across the city and a quarter of them are free. Big kid: Hoop co-founder Daniel Bower / Daniel Hambury/Stella Pictures Parents dont have a lot of spare time, says Jennings. So they want information quickly, which is why we made an app rather than a website. You can carry it around in your pocket. Its colourful and deliberately gender neutral, so dads, mums and anyone else helping with childcare can all enjoy using it. Enter your location, the date you need the activity, how old the children you need to entertain are, how long you are willing to travel and whether you want to pay, and it does the rest for you so you can concentrate on enjoying the company of your children. At the moment, they say they arent focused on profit but at some point down the line they will look to integrate ticketing and booking. We Could Be Heroes is drawing the crowds this half-term week its a mask-making workshop with plenty of glitter at the Museum of London as is Fun DMC disco at the Southbank and The Doodle Dance Show in Stratford. For drama, head to Claytime at the Little Angel Theatre its a play with clay where the children give the actors ideas for a story to be literally formed in front of their eyes. Jennings and Bower, who used to work at Voucher Codes, had the idea when Jennings got fed-up of scouring local noticeboards for child-friendly activities and dragging his three-year-old daughter across Tube zones for a hotly tipped event only to discover it was targeted at an older audience. Things to do in London this half term 1 /16 Things to do in London this half term Mini Vault festival The Vaults, Leake St, SE1 7NN Feb 13 - 14 and Feb 27 - 28 Circus acts, magicians, theatre, live music, storytelling, games, face painting, interactive installations... you name it, this festival for kids has it all. Highlights include new show Pirates of the Carabina and poetry with the legendary Roger McGough. It promises to leave all entertained. vaultfestival.com/mini-vault Imagine Childrens Festival Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, SE1 8XX, now until Feb 21 This festival is celebrating theatre and entertainment for children, and boasts an impressive line-up, including Michael Morpurgos I Believe in Unicorns and Showstopper! The Improvised Musical. Elsewhere, there's a celebration of the centenary of Roald Dahl's birth, which includes The Wondercrump World of Roald Dahl and Dahl's last story The Minpins, shown with live orchestral accompaniment. Better yet, there are plenty free events on too. southbankcentre.co.uk Victor Frankowski Go skiing The Snow Centre, St Albans Hill, Hemel Hempstead, HP3 9NH It might be in Hemel Hempstead, but it's a darn site cheaper than going to the Alps and, besides, the little ones likely won't know the difference. The centre is extremely family friendly, and offers lessons for parents and adults alike, no matter what skill level you're at. thesnowcentre.com Go Trampolining Oxygen Freejumping, Unit 15 Vision Industrial Park, Kendal Avenue, W3 0AF You know what to expect: lots of bouncing, endless fun. Fortunately, there's no wind or rain to contend with at this indoor trampolining centre. It offers special family-friendly sessions, and slots for the under fives as well. It might just exhaust them enough they'll fall asleep and be all adorable afterwards, too. For teenagers, the trampoline dodgeball promises to be winner. oxygenfreejumping.co.uk Story Stock Bush Theatre, 7 Uxbridge Rd, London W12 8LJ, Feb 17-19 This travelling circus brings workshops, readings and live literature shows to the Bush Theatre this month. Contributors bringing stories to life include Childrens Laureate Chris Riddell (Goth Girl), Judith Kerr (Tiger Who Came to Tea) and Jamila Gavin (Coram Boy). Shows include The Hip Hop Shakespeare Show, Michael Morpurgos I Believe in Unicorns and The Harry Potter Show. storystock.co.uk Spaced-themed fun There's intergalactic fun for everyone in the capital. Highlights include iconic tourist spot Madame Tussauds, a bar from one of Londons most popular brewers (maybe leave the children at home for that one?) and an exhibition at the Science Museum which recreates some of what its like to be an astronaut. If theres an aspiring Tim Peake in the family, none of it is to be missed - click through to our gallery for more. standard.co.uk Bocketts Farm Park Young Street, Fetcham, SurreyKT22 9BS Granted, this is five minutes outside of the M25, so it's not technically London, but it's worth the journey and you'll get some clean air, too. Bocketts is a terrific little farm with goats, pigs, ponies, ducklings and a few more including a tarantula. Make sure to get involved with feeding time. During the half term, they'll be hosting a reptile roadshow, have a magician performing throughout the day and some Halloween themed trails. There are plenty of play spots, too. bockettsfarm.co.uk Go ice skating Montgomery Street, Canary Wharf, E14 5AB, Now until Feb 27 This large ice-rink earned itself plenty of fans over Christmas, but it's still open. They keep the ice in pretty good nick, and there's a pop-up serving food and drink. Don't miss London's only skate path, either. If you're just there to watch, bask in the glory of the heated viewing deck. Oh, and the seal skating aids are simply adorable - so pop back now, when it's less crowded than over the festive period. icerinkcanarywharf.co.uk Family Art Workshop: Protest and Survive Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Rd, SE1 6HZ, until May 30 Undoubtedly a heavier day out, but certainly one to make the entire family think. Political artist Peter Kennard leads workshops exploring life in times of war and conflict. You can also see what life was like at sea by exploring the nine decks of HMS Belfast, or learn more about the Home Guard. or iwm.org.uk The Science Museum Exhibition Road, SW7 2DD The always marvellous Science Museum are upping their game with a series of half-term activities, including workshops and events. They're promising a Star Wars extravaganza, journeys through space, all the excitement of the Red Arrows and a chance to do your own aerial acrobatics. sciencemuseum.org.uk V&A Museum of Childhood Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 9PA The V&A's museum of childhood is a fascinating spot. If you haven't been, make sure to go parents will get just as much out of it as children. Highlights this half term include three different Play-Doh workshops, a children's book swap and a variety absorbing displays. vam.ac.uk Treat the children to a little luxury London is, by anyone's standards, a land of many, many opportunities. It's a playground for the adventurous, serving up some of the finest dining and drinking spots beside unrivalled galleries, bucketfuls of immersive theatre and pop-ups all vying to be the capital's quirkiest. But will somebody please just think of the children?! What is there to do for them amongst all this hedonism? ...Well, as it turns out, rather a lot. And it's not all face-painting and bouncy castles London's little ones can be part of a play, get involved with Formula One or go to their own rave. Click below to flick through our gallery above for suggestions: there's even a couple of things to cheer up the teenagers. standard.co.uk The app is made in Clerkenwell using clever in-house technology and a small team of researchers work from home to find good events and report them accurately because, as Bower says: There is nothing worse than travelling across town to do an arts and crafts workshop and find its not appropriate. Or you cant find anything to do and end up doing something safe rather than exciting. Baby discos are popular and Jennings and his daughter discovered them through Hoop. He says: I didnt appreciate how much great stuff there is in London before. Whats impressive is the variety. Im looking forward to going to kids comedy classes with my daughters when they are slightly older they can do their own improv. At the moment we go to Baby Broadway, where people from the West End do musicals with kids in the mornings. My kids love that they are going to new things. Hoop your way to parenting glory. hoop.co.uk @susannahbutter A n online teen soap taking the US by storm could help drive down rates of sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy among young Londoners, the shows producer claimed today. East Los High is in its fourth season on US television streaming service Hulu. It features love triangles, heartbreak and the usual high-school mean boys and bad girls, plus a lot of Glee-like dancing. But it is unique because its screenwriters collaborate with social scientists and health workers to address issues such as sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy, mental health, coming out and immigration but without preaching. After the main show, online content explores the issues raised and acts as a catalyst for conversation on social media. Executive producer Katie Elmore Mota said she believed the format could be replicated to reach young Londoners particularly young black people, who are disproportionately at risk from STIs, according to figures from Public Health England. We talk about subjects that perhaps no one else is, she added. The big issues are sexual health, as youre navigating it for the first time. We want to make sure people have the information to make the best decisions for themselves, and are seeing, thinking and talking about safe sex so they take care of themselves. What we do can work in London. PHE figures show 15- to 24-year-olds in Hackney have the highest rate of chlamydia 4,270 cases per 100,000 people in that age group. High rates were reported in Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark and Wandsworth. Lambeth was the worst for gonorrhoea, with 634 cases per 100,000 people. The most recent Office for National Statistics data, for 2013, showed Croydon had the highest teen pregnancy rate in London 232 pregnancies per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 17. East Los High focuses on Latino teens in Los Angeles and has an all-Latino writing team, but Ms Mota said the issues were the same around the world. When the project started 53 per cent of Latina girls had had a pregnancy by the age of 20, and that rate has since declined, but its still quite high, she said. Best TV dramas 2016 1 /38 Best TV dramas 2016 The Missing The addictive and twisty second series of the BBC's crime anthology series BBC/New Pictures/Robert Viglasky Dark Angel Joanne Froggatt stared as Victorian mass murderer Mary Ann Cotton in this ITV drama ITV Close to the Enemy Stephen Poliakoff's post-war drama thriller BBC/Little Island Pictures Ordinary Lies The BBC anthology drama returns with more twisted tales BBC/Red Productions/Adrian Rogers The Night Of Riz Ahmed stars in HBO's critically acclaimed crime mini-series HBO Cold Feet The classic ITV comedy-drama returns - and it's just as good as it ever was ITV Victoria ITV have given Poldark some stiff competition with this period drama about a young Queen Victoria ITV Poldark The BBC's hit drama returns with more brooding, and less naked scything BBC/Robert Viglasky One of Us The BBC kept everyone guessing with this claustrophobic four-part whodunit Ripper Street The fan-favourite Victorian police drama returned for Series 4 BBC/Tiger Aspect 2016/Bernard Walsh The Secret Agent Toby Jones led the cast in the BBC's Joseph Conrad adaptation BBC/World Productions/Mark Mainz/Matt Burlem The Living and the Dead The BBC's gothic romance debuted in full on iPlayer BBC Preacher AMC's adaptation of Garth Ennis' cult comic book is available week-by-week on Amazon Prime Amazon / AMC Versailles A raunchy royal romp around the court of King Louis XIV, spicing up Wednesdays on BBC Two Canal +/ BBC Locked Up The Spanish prison drama came to the UK thanks to Channel 4's Walter Presents series Channel 4 / Global Series Peaky Blinders The Birmingham-set gangster thriller was more popular than ever in its third series BBC/Caryn Mandabach Productions Ltd/Tiger Aspect/Robert Viglasky The A Word The BBC gave us a nuanced and emotional take on autism BBC/Fifty Fathoms Marcella Anna Friel stars in ITV's British take on the Scandi-noir thriller ITV Grantchester James Norton is back as the crime-solving vicar ITV / Lovely Day Stag The comedy-thriller from the team behind The Wrong Mans is both hilarious and chilling BBC/Des Willie/Hal Shinnie/Matt Burlem Vinyl Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger present a glossy drama about the Seventies music industry HBO American Crime Story: The People vs OJ Simpson Cuba Gooding Jr leads an all-star cast in a dramatic re-telling of the 'trial of century' BBC/Fox Happy Valley Sarah Lancashire returned as Sgt Catherine Cawood for a second series of the gritty crime thriller BBC/Red Productions/Ben Blackall The X Files Mulder and Scully return for a brand new set of mysteries War and Peace The BBC's epic adaptation of the Russian literary classic BBC/Mitch Jenkins Call the Midwife The BBC period drama moved into the Sixties for Series 5 BBC/Neal Street Productions/Sophie Mutevelian Dickensian Charles Dickens' most famous characters collide in this historical soap BBC Jericho ITV's British western set in the wilds of Yorkshire Silent Witness The hugely popular detective drama returns for a 19th series We wanted to talk about making sure if you are going to have a child, here are the resources to be the best parent you can, and the complications of being a parent. It makes for better drama, but its got to be entertaining, edgy and sexy and beautiful to watch. The team also explore pressures from dating apps such as Tinder. Tinder is sex on call, and you have to take that into account, she said. Dr Cath Mercer, sexual health ex-pert at University College London, said: We need to change peoples mindsets about testing for STIs. This would be a way of sneaking in the science and health messages without lecturing. I dris Elba, Helena Bonham Carter, and Benedict Cumberbatch are among 145 stars to put their names to an emotional open letter urging David Cameron to save children at the Calais Jungle camp. The urgent call asks the Prime Minister to step in and allow unaccompanied children living in the notorious camp to be reunited with their families in the UK. It comes ahead of plans by French authorities to demolish its southern part on Monday and destroy the temporary homes of over 3,000 people. This section of the camp is predominantly occupied by unaccompanied children and families. Call: Benedict Cumberbatch / John Phillips/Getty Figures from Help Refugees show that there are 440 children living in this section of the camp, 291 of whom are unaccompanied. The letter states: "This is a humanitarian crisis that needs to be acknowledged as such and it is imperative that we do everything we can to help these innocent and highly vulnerable refugees, especially the minors, as swiftly as is humanly possible." Bob Geldof, Danny Boyle, Bianca Jagger, Russell Brand and Stephen Fry are among other signatories. Another, Jude Law, said: "Last week I visited the camp, and met some of these unaccompanied children who have no choice but to endure the horrific conditions of the Jungle. "These are innocent, vulnerable children caught up in red tape with the frightening prospect of the demolition of the Jungle hanging over them. David Cameron and the British Government must urgently work with the French authorities to alleviate this humanitarian crisis." A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in Glasgow for allegedly trying to hack into FBI computer networks. Police Scotland questioned the boy earlier this week watched on by FBI agents flown in from the US, according to the Daily Record. He was arrested on Tuesday over the Computer Misuse Act, which covers hacking and unauthorised access to computer material. A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "Following a search of a property in the Glasgow area on Tuesday February 16, a 15-year-old male was arrested in connection with alleged offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. "He has since been released and is the subject of a report to the procurator fiscal." Reports suggested the boy could be extradited to America. Last week another teenager, in the East Midlands, was arrested for an alleged attempt to hack into the emails of CIA director John Brennan. A top chef who was branded a black b****** by an irate customer has described it as the worst experience of his 30-year career. Malcolm John was confronted by Kevin Boxall, 43, who came in to Brasserie Vacherin in Sutton High Street to complain about an alleged assault at the venue two weeks earlier. Mr John said he had no knowledge of the incident and told him to report it to the police but, not satisfied, Boxall became angry and called him a black b******. Embarrassed in front of shocked customers and staff, the chef escorted him from the restaurant, only to be called a black c*** from the pavement. He told the Standard: Although Id been racially abused Id got him out of the building and I was prepared to continue my day as if nothing had happened. But he then proceeded to racially abuse me again from outside the restaurant. At that point I thought enough was enough. I went outside, I restrained him and I held him there until the police arrived. The chef says he forced Boxalls arm behind his back and sat him down on a chair for five minutes until he could be arrested. Speaking after Boxall was found guilty of racially aggravated harassment yesterday, the Savoy-trained restaurateur said he had been left in shock by Boxalls abuse. Bistro: The abuse continued on the pavement outside / Malcolm John He said: I felt a raft of emotions. Im 53 now, I can look after myself obviously. But Ive never been racially abused like that in this country. It was the worst time Ive had. Thats never happened to me in 30 years. It was a shock to the system. I couldnt believe somebody would walk into my business and do that to me. I even asked him to say it again and he did. I was shocked. Mr John, who was born in St Vincent but moved to the UK at a young age, said: This shows there are bigoted people out there but its not something that anybody should have to put up with in your working life. We shouldnt have to accept racial or sexual harassment. The chef, who also runs French bistros in Chiswick and Croydon, added: Ive had a few emails and tweets today saying well done Malcolm, congratulations. But I dont see its anything to get congratulated about. I didnt do it to get glory, I did it to get justice. I didnt do anything I wouldnt expect any member of the public to do. Boxall, of Wales Avenue, Carshalton, was convicted of racially aggravated harassment at Croydon Magistrates Court following the June 30 incident. He was fined 930 and told to pay 620 in costs, plus a 15 victim surcharge. E mergency services across London are making final preparations for Europes biggest disaster drill. Exercise Unified Response will simulate a tower block collapsing into Waterloo Underground station packed with passengers, London Fire Brigades commissioner Ron Dobson said. The four-day exercise, starting on February 29, aims to test the contingency planning of more than 70 organisations, from mortuaries to the Governments Cobra committee. It will be staged at Littlebrook power station, near Dartford Crossing, and include 2,000 volunteers playing casualties amid upturned Tube trains and thousands of tons of rubble. Mr Dobson said the techniques being tested could also be used in a terror incident. Following the Paris suicide bombings and gun attacks in November, which killed 130, London firefighters wearing bulletproof vests have been trained to work alongside police while gunmen are still at large. The 1 million (770,000) drill is funded by the European Union and will include specialists from Hungary, Italy and Cyprus. Mr Dobson said it would test if they could get to trapped survivors faster than the July 7 terror attacks in 2005, and help reduce their trauma. He described Tube tunnels as the worst place possible for rescues, with moving trains and live wires adding to the danger. Speaking at the Brigades HQ, Mr Dobson added: We needed to create a realistic scenario, theres hundreds of thousands of tons of rubble. The idea is theres been the collapse of a high-rise building above Waterloo station thats gone down into the station itself (and) caused some collapse in the tunnels, there are some Underground trains caught up in it and people trapped. Theres lot of other hazards down there we need to be careful of. In something like 7/7 you have to take them from the Tube train, along the lines and out the platforms. One of the things we were criticised for on 7/7 was confusion between emergency services. It took us too long to agree there wasnt a chemical involved. That wouldnt happen in future. Speaking about techniques learned since the Paris attacks, the commissioner added: We need to be able to get to the people who are rescuable and their lives can be saved before the terrorists have moved on.@_MarkBlunden A fundraising appeal to help a homeless woman who claimed to have confronted a store thief and retrieved stolen goods has been "paused" after police made two arrests. It is understood a 29-year-old woman, of no fixed address, has been questioned by police on suspicion of conspiring to burgle and possessing Class A drugs along with a 42-year-old man, also of no fixed address, has been quizzed on suspicion of burglary. An online appeal was set up by Lush employees after their Oxford branch was targeted on February 10 - with more than 9,000 donated by members of the public to help Lottie Pauling-Chamberlain and her dog Marley, who have been sleeping outside the store for around five years. Lush spokeswoman Stephanie Boyd said: "We have paused the page while the police investigation is going on." Staff at the beauty and cosmetics store discovered that a laptop and a large box of cosmetics worth more than 1,000 had disappeared in the night when they opened the shop last week. Twenty-four hours later, Ms Pauling-Chamberlain marched into the shop with the stolen products, claiming she had successfully challenged the man who took them. Store manager James Atherton, 26, said at the time that staff were "completely surprised" to be reunited with the items. "We were amazed and just so joyful. It was fantastic. We weren't expecting to get them back at all," he said. "She confronted him as he walked out. She said 'I know you are not from Lush', and took the stuff back. This was around 4am." Before fundraising efforts were suspended, the branch thanked the public on its Facebook page and said: "We want to ensure that your donations go towards what Lottie needs, and that her actions help to spur our community into larger action for vulnerable people. "We would love for all people moved by this story to get involved with their local community outreach projects and charities." A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: "A 29-year-old woman of no fixed abode has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a burglary other than a dwelling with intent to steal, and on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs. "A 42-old man of no fixed abode has been arrested on suspicion of burglary." They added: "Both have been bailed until May 19." A migrant teen accused of taking part in four gang rapes of a 14-year-old schoolgirl in Austria is thought to have moved to the UK. The unidentified boy is said to have been one of a group of six youths who spent months terrorising the girl at the school in Graz. In one incident, which is said to have taken place in May last year, the group of 14 to 15-year-old school friends allegedly dragged the girl from the school's toilets, stripped her naked, and gang raped her in the canteen. A spokesman for the Graz prosecutor Hansjoerg Bacher said all six boys are from migrant families, adding that they were being investigated for four alleged rapes. He said all six of the suspects had been released on bail, and that one of the boys had since travelled to the UK. He said: "We have not interviewed him because he is in England. We are in contact with his parents but we do not know when he will be returning. "We are in contact with the family defence lawyer. The boy is in England with his parents. He moved after the case became public although it is not believed that the move was connected with the allegations. "It was already planned family move. We do not know when it will be possible to interview the boy about the allegations and at the moment he has not been interviewed." The UK Border Agency declined to comment. P olice today appealed for help after a series of robberies in which lone women were targeted in Westminster. Five women have had jewellery stolen since October last year, all in similar attacks, the Met said. On each occasion the women were by themselves and had items of jewellery ripped from them. Some victims were targeted as they entered their homes. But despite the similar nature of offences, Scotland Yard said there was no evidence to link the crimes at this stage. On October 22, a 40-year-old woman had her rings stolen after she was pushed to the ground by two suspects who approached her from behind in Randolph Crescent at 6.10pm. Five days later, a 36-year-old woman also had her rings and watch stolen when she was pushed to the ground by two men as she entered a block of flats in Prince Albert Road at 7pm. On January 12, a 27-year-old woman was robbed by a man as she entered an address in Northwick Terrace at 6.15pm. The womans ring was stolen after a struggle. Loading.... A 41-year-old woman also had her ring stolen when she was approached by two men after leaving an address in Blomfield Road at 3pm on January 25. The latest robbery took place on Tuesday, February 2 when a 44-year-old woman was robbed by a man who approached her from behind as she walked along Acacia Road. The man stole the rings before he made off on a moped at around 12.20pm. The victim told the Standard when the masked man drove off he said Im sorry Im doing this for my kids. None of the victims needed hospital treatment but did suffer from minor injuries. No arrests have been made. In Camden, police have also stepped up foot patrols after masked robbers strangled a mother until she lost consciousness. The woman told how she was terrified she and her toddler were being kidnapped. She said she was grabbed around the throat and choked until she passed out. When she came to, her diamond engagement and wedding rings were both missing. The attack took place in Belsize Park Gardens at 7.50pm on January 26. Detective Superintendent Jess Ruddell said: "These offences have naturally caused a great deal of distress for the victims, especially as jewellery of a sentimental value was taken. We are following up every investigative lead to catch the people responsible. "I would stress that at this stage there are no firm investigative links between these incidents, but that in no way undermines our determination to solve them. "I would like to ask for the public's help - if you have seen or heard anything that may help us solve any of these robberies then please get in contact. "Also if you have been offered jewellery for sale in suspicious circumstances please let us know." Anyone with information is asked to call the police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. S cotland Yard has been told by it needs to take steps to improve Londoners' safety by the police watchdog. A lack of trained detectives, delays in assigning investigations to officers and a lack of basic equipment" are undermining the forces overall performance. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) also said the force needed to improve its care of vulnerable people, particularly children. The Met was one of 18 police forces that requires improvement after an assessment of all 43 in England and Wales. The report states: HMIC judges that overall the Metropolitan Police Service requires improvement in the way it keeps people safe and reduces crime Delays in allocating crimes to officers for investigation, together with a shortage of trained detectives and some basic equipment for frontline officers, is undermining the forces overall investigation performance. The force generally provides a good service in identifying vulnerable people and responds well to them, so the public can be confident that many victims are well supported. However, we found several areas where improvement is needed to ensure the service is consistent, and the force keeps vulnerable people safe, particularly children. The Met said it was disappointed with the judgment and added steps were being taken to address concerns raised. Scotland Yard said work was under way to introduce a new model to speed up investigations while unprecedented investment was being made over the next four years to equip frontline officers with cutting-edge mobile devices. It added the technology would enable officers to provide a faster and more effective response to crime across the capital. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Mark Simmons said: "The Met has been making huge strides in reducing crime and making London safer, but we clearly need to focus more on how well we are investigating crimes, protecting the vulnerable and making sure offenders are better managed. "Londoners should be reassured that much of this work started some months ago and is starting to deliver results but we need to demonstrate that we will maintain the determination to drive forward further improvements in the future. Across the country, police bobbies are now spending as little as half their time on the beat, HMIC said. HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoe Billingham said frontline officers are increasingly tucked away after being diverted on to tasks that stop them from pounding the streets. Chandigarh, 27 th November 2018: The Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 399 of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976 as extended to the Union Territory, Chandigarh by the Punjab Municipal corporation Law (Extension to Chandigarh) Act, 1994 (Act No. 45 of 1994), intends to amend the Chandigarh Water Supply Bye-Laws 2011 as amended from time to time and as in accordance with the provision of sub-section (1) of Section 401 of the Punjab Municipal Corporation (as extended to UT Chandigarh) Act, 1994, read with sub section (2) of section 7A of the capital of Punjab (Development &Regulation) Act, 1952, the Administrator UT Chandigarh after according approval to the same propose to issue the draft of notification which is hereby published for information of the persons likely to be affected thereby. Draft BYE-LAWS Short Title:- 1. These Bye-laws may be called the Chandigarh Water Supply Bye-laws, Amendment 2018. 2 A trainee vicar raped two teenagers after sending them sexual social media messages and using his position as a youth worker to groom them. Timothy Storey, 35, befriended the girls, now both in their 20s, while working as a youth leader at their church and summer camps. Over time his behaviour became more and more sexually motivated, sending them a string of lewd text and social media messages. One of the girls was also subjected to a series of intimate phone calls and sexually assaulted twice, once in 2008 and again the following year. A second victim was assaulted at his home after he invited her out to a concert. The pair came forward to police after reading news reports in May 2014 of his conviction for grooming young girls and encouraging them to pose naked on webcams. Storey, of Peckham Grove, Peckham, was convicted at Woolwich Crown Court today of three counts of rape and one sexual assault. He will be sentenced at on April 15. Detective Constable Paul Hill, of the Met's Sexual Offences Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said: "The victims in this case were young teenagers when Storey assaulted them, having been groomed from a very young age. In his position as a youth leader he manipulated the victims and forced them to engage in sexual acts that they did not want to do. "They have shown courage in coming forward after so many years to tell us what happened to them. He said: "Storey thought he had got away with it, but the victims in this case were determined to see him brought to justice. With appropriate support from the police and our partners I urge any other victims of Timothy Storey to come forward and tell us what has happened to them." A spokeswoman for the Diocese of London said: "Timothy Storey has today been convicted of a series of appalling crimes and we are profoundly sorry for what his victims endured." She said the diocese first received complaints about Storey in early 2009 and spoke with police and withdrew him from ordination training. Anyone with further information is asked to call the police non-emergency line on 101. P arents were today racing to buy dwindling supplies of the meningitis B vaccine, as the number of names on a petition demanding that it be offered more widely neared record levels. High Street pharmacists and private clinics were inundated with requests after horrific pictures of two-year-old Faye Burdett hours before her death were released by her family. Children older than one are not eligible for the vaccine on the NHS, and a worldwide shortage has sparked a frantic scramble from parents seeking to protect their toddlers. Children are considered at highest risk up until the age of five. A petition to Parliament calling for the vaccine to be offered free on the NHS to children aged up to 11 was today due to break records and gain more than 500,000 signatures. What are the symptoms of meningitis? Only one other government e-petition has passed the 500,000 mark the call for Donald Trump to be banned from the UK. Boots said it had run out of supplies and CityDoc, the largest supplier of the vaccine outside of the NHS, said it was unable to offer it to new patients. Christina Firth with her three-year-old daughter Isobel Today other clinics were suspected of increasing their prices as demand soared to crazy levels. Supplies are not expected to return to normal until June. It was terrifyingyoud do anything for your children Christina Firth, pictured above, bought the vaccine from Boots for her three-year-old daughter Isobel three weeks ago after a previous meningitis scare saw her hospitalised for five days. They did a lumbar puncture and a brain scan, said the mother, from Walthamstow. It was the most terrifying time of my life, but luckily it wasnt meningitis. With all the stories coming out recently, Isobels grandmother wanted to get all the grandchildren done. You would do anything, as most parents would, to protect your children. Meningitis is every parents worst fear. She added: The awful thing is that we are in the lucky position where we can afford to pay for it. Its not cheap. There are lots and lots of parents who would not be able to afford it. Another parent, Liz Gresham, who was on the same birth board online forum as Fayes mother Jenny Burdett, paid 150 each for her children Charlotte, three, and Harry, two, to have the first dose of the vaccine at CityDoc. She had had meningitis as a 25-year-old and knew of its dangers. She said: I was still concerned about it, especially after Faye passed away at the weekend. Its not 100 per cent we will get the second dose. There has been a big rush of people in the last couple of days trying to get it. I have had meningitis myself and came close to dying. The thought of this little girl, who was so vulnerable... I think the whole situation hammers home the need for all children to be covered. Its all gone a bit crazy in the private sector. Dr Eoghan MacSweeney, commercial director of CityDoc, said it was getting hundreds of calls a day but was unable to take on new patients. He compared it to the panic caused by now-discredited concerns about a link between the MMR vaccine and autism, when parents sought single measles and rubella vaccinations for their children. Demand has also been fuelled by the Department of Healths decision last year to restrict the meningitis B vaccine to two-month-old babies, with boosters at four and 12 months. I think people thought its an infants disease, and its not, Mr MacSweeney said. Its also a disease of toddlers as well. The NHS decision to introduce a cut-off point created a surge in demand last year that probably swept up a lot of vaccines. The death of this child has raised awareness and demand even further. There is now a bottleneck within a bottleneck. After Faye died on Valentines Day, her mother Jenny, from Maidstone, Kent, published photos of her daughter lying in her hospital bed covered in a rash. She said: We campaign for change in her memory. There needs to be a roll-out programme to vaccinate all children, at least up to age 11. Former England rugby captain Matt Dawson urged people to sign the petition after positing pictures of his son Sami being treated for meningitis at Great Ormond Street Hospital. He said he was also indebted to staff at Chelsea and Westminster hospital for spotting the seriousness of the two-year-olds condition. Sami has recovered. Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord. Ab-out 1,000 people a year, mainly babies and children, contract meningitis B. About one in 10 will die and one in three suffer debilitating side-effects. Supplies of the drug Bexsero, which is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline began running out last month, although Public Health England said the NHS vaccination programme was not affected. DoctorCall, which has a Harley Street clinic and charges 195 a dose, has had to set up a waiting list. Depending on their age, children need two or three doses. The Department of Health said: Our thoughts are with Fayes family at this difficult time. When any immunisation programme is introduced there has to be a date to determine eligibility: a decision based on the best independent clinical recommendation to ensure we protect those children most at risk. When our vaccination programme was introduced last year, England be-came the first country to protect babies from this disease. All children now aged up to nine months should have been offered the vaccine. A paramedic who was injured trying to stop a patient falling off the back of an ambulance at Heathrow airport has been sacked after being unable to return to work. David Morris, 46, who is married with a six-month-old son, has been forced onto benefits after losing his appeal against dismissal by London Ambulance Service after being judged incapable to work. He and a colleague were called to Heathrow in June 2014 to take a woman who had fallen ill to hospital. When she was being lifted into the ambulance, its tail-lift broke and the trolley-bed began to roll back, injuring him as he tried to stop it crashing to the ground. I tried to grab it as it dropped, but a 4st trolley bed and 16st patient was too much for me, he told the Standard. It came down on my shoulder. He was diagnosed with a compressed fracture of his collarbone and tore ligaments and tendons in his shoulder and arm. He later underwent surgery in a bid to ease the constant pain. He was unable to pick up his newborn son, Jago, for six weeks after his birth. His contract was terminated last April and he heard last month that his appeal against dismissal had been rejected, despite a plea by his wife Sally to LAS chief executive Dr Fionna Moore. Mrs Morris said: He has been injured in the line of duty and they do not care. They dismissed him through ill health. He is injured. This was Dave going beyond the call of duty. He has not even had an official word of thanks for saving this woman. The fault with the tail-lifts had been on LASs risk register since 2012. It has admitted liability but Mr Morris is yet to receive compensation. He said: I was injured because of LAS negligence. The whole thing has been awful. I wouldnt work for the LAS again if they doubled my wages, I feel so strongly about the way I was treated. He said his sacking has prevented him getting a job with other ambulance services. Mr Morris attempted to return to a desk job at LAS but said that made his shoulder worse. Mrs Morriss maternity pay runs out in April and she fears having to return to work before her sons first birthday because she works as a cabin crew attendant with British Airways on long-haul routes and can be away for days at a time. LAS human resources director Paul Beal said: We have tried to find an alternative role for David but he is not able to carry out non-operational duties. "We supported him at work following his injury until he left the service last year and the NHS Litigation Authority is looking at his claim for compensation. T he Feminist Library in south London claims it faces "homelessness" if Southwark Council follows through with a plan to double its rent. Campaigners say the library, a wide-ranging archive of feminist literature which has been located on Westminster Bridge Road for 30 years, will be forced to close down on March 1 unless it agrees to pay an increased rent from 12,000 to 30,000 a year. The move has sparked a campaign to fight the decision, with a special appeal established for supporters to donate to an emergency fund. A spokeswoman for the library said: It is ironic that the Feminist Library is in danger of being made homeless on March 1, when March is Womens History Month and March 8 is International Womens Day. Many libraries, womens organisations, and longstanding community projects have been forced to close in the current climate of austerity, including Lambeth Women's Project, Peckham Black Women's Centre, and the London Irish Women's Centre. Southwark Council forcing the Feminist Library to pay market rent immediately is another symptom of this. Unhappy: Campaigners at the Feminist Library have condemned Southwark Council / Feminist Library Southwark Council said the library has not paid rent in seven years and instead only pays a 12,000-a-year service charge. A council spokeswoman said the library had been offered rent of 18,000, in addition to the service charge, or help with finding alternative premises. Councillor Fiona Colley, cabinet member for finance, said: For the past seven years the Feminist Library hasn't paid any rent for its premises. Whilst we recognise and appreciate the work thats been done by the library, we have a very clear duty to ensure our assets are being managed responsibly, and that we are being fair to other tenants who are paying open market rent. We have offered the Feminist Library a new lease with rent levels that reflect what other organisations in the building are paying. We have also given the library the time to find alternative premises. I have personally offered to meet with them to discuss the situation and try to find a way forward that meets both our needs, but at a time when the council's funding from government is being cut by 47m we are simply unable to continue to subsidise their rent. A Feminist Library spokeswoman said they sincerely hoped the council would negotiate with them regarding the rent payment. The council added that as a gesture of goodwill it had extended the period which the library needed to make a decision by until April 30. T he partner of an award-winning nurse who died after setting himself on fire outside Kensington Palace claims he was "treated disgustingly" by the hospital trust that employed him. Amin Abdullah was sacked from his job at Charing Cross Hospital in December, but days before an appeal hearing into his dismissal he decided to douse himself in petrol outside the London home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The 41-year-old of Notting Hill had slipped into a severe depressive and suicidal state after losing his job. He was admitted to St Charles Hospital in west London for treatment - failing to return to their care after being allowed out. Emergency services were called in the early hours of the morning to the scene near the palace on February 9 and tried to save him by extinguishing the flames. But he died a short time later. His partner of 12 years, Terry Skitmore, 62, criticised Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust for the way they treated Mr Abdullah. He told the Press Association Mr Abdullah had an "exemplary background" - even winning an award for excellence when he graduated from Buckinghamshire New University. "I want to get the message out there about the way that the whole thing was terribly handled - it was badly handled because of a bad culture that they have. It just seems to be that if anyone steps out of line they are literally just crushed into the ground," he said. "They treated him disgustingly - it pushed him into the depression and got us in the position we are in today." It is understood Mr Abdullah was one of 17 people to sign a petition in support of a colleague after a patient complained. Mr Skitmore said he also wrote a letter backing up his colleague by rejecting the claims and stating that the patient was known to complain. Mr Skitmore said this letter was only meant for his colleague but was mistakenly attached to the back of the petition, and Mr Abdullah was charged with writing an "untrue letter" and not using the correct complaints procedure. At the beginning of December he was officially dismissed on the grounds of gross misconduct. Deputy divisional director of nursing at the trust, William Gage, acknowledged that Mr Abdullah's conduct was a "foolish mistake" but continued to uphold the dismissal. Mr Skitmore said: "At the most he should have been given a warning, not dismissed." Mr Abdullah had been an inpatient at St Charles for nearly three weeks when he was let out to go home and collect some clothes - something Mr Skitmore knew nothing about. Mr Skitmore said Mr Abdullah's body is yet to be released and as a result he cannot organise his funeral. "I can never bring Amin back, he will never walk through the door again and that breaks my heart, but if I can get justice and save one other person or more then at least he wouldn't have died for nothing," he said. An Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust spokeswoman said: "We are saddened to hear of Mr Abdullah's death and would like to offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time. "The trust will engage fully with any investigations into Mr Abdullah's death." Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, which runs St Charles Hospital, said it will "get to the bottom of what happened" and take any necessary action. Reporting by PA S adiq Khan has admitted representing unsavoury individuals as a human rights lawyer after facing questions over alleged links to extremists. Labours mayoral hopeful claimed the views of some of the individuals he had represented during his legal career had made him feel deeply uncomfortable. Among those he has defended were Louis Farrakhan, the controversial leader of the Nation of Islam, when he tried unsuccessfully to visit the UK. He also campaigned to prevent the extradition to the US of Babar Ahmed who later pleaded guilty to terrorist offences. Mr Khan told the Jewish News: I have never hidden the fact that I was a human rights lawyer. Unfortunately, that means that I had to speak on behalf of some unsavoury individuals. Some of their views made me feel deeply uncomfortable, but it was my job. But he added: Even the worst people deserve a legal defence. The Tooting MP defended himself against desperate attempts to link him to extremism. He has been accused of appearing at a series of events alongside known extremists while his former brother-in-laws links to Islamist group Al-Muhajiroun have been revealed. Mr Khan previously described radicalisation as a cancer eating at the heart of our society and urged the Government to do more to tackle the threat. He has been courting the Jewish vote since effectively disowning former mayor Ken Livingstone, who had a poor relationship with the community, last year. He said the rise of anti-semitism was deeply distressing and upsetting and the Jewish Londoners more than most suffered at the hands of extremists. I accept that the Labour Party in the last two elections is not the natural place where Londoners of the Jewish faith have placed their vote. So thats why its really important for me to spend time understanding the issues, talking and listening, he said. A Soho office space is catering for thirsty workers by offering them unlimited beer on tap for free. At WeWork, workers renting desk space have been able to enjoy a tipple in the office since last April. But the rental company's bosses were unaware that they needed a licence to serve alcohol at the premises. Westminster Council today granted the office rental business permission for the tap to remain after the firms lawyers made the case to a committee. Explaining the concept to the committee, solicitor for WeWork Craig Baylis said: "It's Friday, and I've had enough. "I go to the beer tap, help myself with my mug or whatever then I go back to my office and drink my beer while I finish off my work. "There's nothing to stop anyone from taking the beer back to their screen." He added the beer tap was available for office workers to help themselves to "whenever they want" but was not a facility that was "abused". "Those using the office space don't want to spend their entire day drinking free booze," Mr Baylis said. Despite the application being approved, committee chair councillor Angela Harvey pointed out that beer was the only alcoholic beverage on offer, telling Mr Baylis: "So, it's just beer for the boys then". The WeWork brand has eight other hireable office spaces, which offer a free licensed beer tap, across London including in Spitalfields, Old Street, Moorgate and the South Bank. WeWorks offers office space for hire across the world, with desks available in Soho from 475 per month. The firm says on its website: "We are helping to create a world where people work to make a life, not just a living. There has been a macro shift towards a new way of workone focused on a movement towards meaning. WeWork is accelerating this movement." O ne of the worlds top conductors has backed plans for the 278 million Centre for Music in London, saying a great city needs a great concert hall. Yuri Bashmet, director of the New Russia State Symphony Orchestra, urged decision makers to trust Sir Simon Rattle, who has said that the capital lacks a world-class venue and has complained of the poor acoustics at the Royal Festival Hall and the Barbican. Chancellor George Osborne and Mayor Boris Johnson have commissioned a 5.5 million development project to build a business case for a 1,900-capacity, state-of-the-art facility on the site of the current Museum of London near the Barbican and it is scheduled to open in 2023. Sir Simon, 61, who is due to return to Britain as principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra in 2017 after 15 years at the Berlin Philharmonic, has championed the scheme despite opposition over the cost and location from other musicians, including cellist Julian Lloyd Webber. Mr Bashmet, who, along with recently departed LSO head Valery Gergiev, is regarded as one of the two best conductors in Russia, said the Barbican, Festival Hall and Royal Albert Hall were very good, but that all great cities needed to think of the future. He said: Ive played in halls all over London and England, from small, but beautiful, places to the Barbican and Albert Hall. Ive never had a problem in any of them, or thought the acoustics were bad. But I think you should trust Simon Rattle. He knows better. When you play somewhere like Vienna, or even Dallas, you can feel the difference. I remember feeling that in Birmingham. The citys Symphony Hall, where Sir Simon was music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra for 18 years, is said to be the best concert hall in Britain. Mr Bashmet added: I understand it is a lot of money, but these decisions have to be made not only for today, but 50 or 100 years time. Great concert halls inspire people. Mr Bashmet, 63, who grew up learning classical music, but wanting to be in The Beatles, said he had invited classical and contemporary artists from all over the world to his Winter International Arts Festival in Sochi which runs until February 21 because he believed music helped people transcend cultural differences and political conflicts. He said the nuisance of audience members filming or taking photographs on their phones only troubled him during very precise classical performances, but otherwise he said it was best to view the trend with good humour rather than reprimand first-time concert-goers and put them off returning. The festival, now in its ninth year, places great emphasis on its youth music academy. Mr Bashmet said he tells his students: You have to learn the technical ability, so the instrument is part of your body. But then what do you want to say with your music? If you can feel like the composer is like your brother or sister then the audience will feel it, too. J eremy Corbyn's top aide is due to whip up activists at a rally in the London seat of a popular Labour MP dogged by rumours of deselection. Left-winger Andrew Fisher, once suspended from Labour, will address the Corbyn-supporting Momentum group in MP Stella Creasys Walthamstow constituency next week. Ms Creasy faces a resurgent far-Left in the area, where some local party figures suspect plans are being made to deselect her. Mr Fisher has caused anger in the past over his comments, including in 2014 when he referred to Tony Blair as a scumbag and to Ed Milibands frontbench as complete shite. His suspension was triggered by a tweet in which he appeared to encourage voters to back a Class War candidate over a Labour one in Croydon South at last years general election. He was later reinstated. Of his planned appearance at the Waltham Forest Momentum rally, a local Labour member said: This is the leaders office sticking two fingers up at moderate MPs. The Standard reported last year how left-wingers in the area connected to Momentum, from Labour and other groups, held a joint meeting at which deselection was discussed. Left-wingers then won key posts in the constituency Labour party, while Ms Creasy was subjected to a protest for backing air strikes on Islamic State. She would not comment today, nor would Mr Fisher or the Labour party. It comes as a leaked email suggested Momentum wants its meetings to replace those of the Labour party in another part of the capital. An email from Lambeths Momentum branch to supporters suggested that as local Labour branches were not effective, the group should become a replacement space for activism. D avid Cameron was set to warn European leaders today that he will walk away from the most important European summit of his career without a deal that is the right one for Britain. The Prime Minister set off to Brussels amid new signs that EU leaders are at loggerheads over his key demands. A leaked copy of the final draft of the UKs new membership deal revealed that Mr Camerons flagship call for treaty change to bind any agreement is being opposed. In addition, vital passages designed to protect the City of London from domination by the single currency club have been redrafted, apparently at the behest of the French. David Cameron's EU negotiations explained Mr Cameron was expected to say he would be battling hard at the summit and had made good progress so far. But allies made clear he would not sign up to a deal that failed to deliver a new relationship between Britain and Europe. The new document had been expected to be published last night by European Council president Donald Tusk but was delayed, indicating disputes were raging in sensitive areas. They were leaked after being circulated this morning in Brussels. The leak suggests that key arguments will go to the wire, probably being kept back to when the 28 EU leaders thrash out the most fraught issues at a meeting tomorrow that has been dubbed the English Breakfast. Downing Street said it would not comment on the leaks, but a UK official stressed: All of the substance remains on the table. If we get agreement we will be delivering real change in our relationship with the EU. Mr Cameron is pressing for an agreement in the hope of dashing home to announce that the in-out referendum will be staged on June 23, his favoured date. Before flying to Brussels, Mr Cameron was expected to find time to hold fresh talks with Boris Johnson, amid reports that the influential Mayor of London is leaning to the out camp, along with Michael Gove, the Justice Secretary. Q&A the sticking points Q How close is a deal? A Lots of key details remain blank, indicating big arguments ahead. The 28 leaders will vent their differences this afternoon, then leave top officials, called sherpas, to try to negotiate compromises while they go off to dinner. David Cameron will hold meetings late into the night if necessary. The 28 meet again tomorrow for a gathering dubbed the English Breakfast. If all goes well, a deal should emerge by lunchtime. Q Where are the sticking points? A Countries, including Poland and Hungary, loathe the emergency brake on benefits that Mr Cameron claims will slow mass migration. They want to stop other countries copying it and are insisting cuts to Child Benefit and tax credits apply only to new workers, not the two million already in the UK. France fears measures to protect the City of London from euro-zone domination could give London a sneaky advantage and is also resisting treaty change. But any country could derail talks by making new demands: What if Greece or Italy threatened a veto unless given more help with refugees? Q What happens next? A Mr Cameron plans to rush back to No10 to trumpet any deal and announce June 23 as the date for the in-out referendum. Then all hell could break loose as Cabinet outers like Iain Duncan Smith and Chris Grayling are allowed to speak their minds for the first time. A Grassroots Out rally in London will provide a platform for dissenters Senior figures in the Stay campaign concede that it would be a huge setback for Mr Cameron if Mr Johnson, who friends say is conflicted, opposes Mr Cameron. Tory MPs predict a weekend of sheer hell if a deal is struck and Cabinet ministers are allowed for the first time to speak their minds. Chris Grayling, the Commons leader, and Ian Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, are both likely to vent misgivings. A taste of what is to come was given by Tory MEP Daniel Hannan who dismissed the deal as mere sound and fury and added: Privately, the Eurocrats were whooping and high-fiving and turning cartwheels because so little has been asked for. The leak of the latest draft suggests France has watered down protection demanded by the UK for the City against future regulations designed to stabilise the euro-zone. The new draft declares that a single rulebook is to be applied by all credit institutions and other financial insititutions in order to ensure a level playing field. This appears to widen the rules beyond banks, and could be quoted to counter attempts to seek future exemptions for non-euro countries. An earlier draft promising different provisions for countries like the UK has been replaced with specific provisions. A sentence implying that the emergency brake will only apply to those countries the UK, Ireland and Sweden that did not use transitional controls to curb migration has been removed. A clearer commitment to the UKs right to opt-out from ever closer union was understood to be being drawn up to provide a last-minute gain for Mr Cameron. But it will be left to the leaders tomorrow to decide whether the opt-out is given the strength of a treaty change. Mr Tusk warned that there was no guarantee that we will reach an agreement. T he family of murdered soldier Lee Rigby today criticised Apple over the firms battle to stop the FBI accessing a killers encrypted iPhone. Fusilier Rigbys uncle, Ray McClure, claimed the tech giant was protecting a murderers privacy at the cost of public safety. Apple has been ordered by a US court to help investigators hack into the device belonging to Syed Farook, who shot dead 14 people at a staff party in California in December with his wife Tashfeen Malik. The FBI claims Farooks passcode-locked iPhone 5c contains crucial information, but Apple chief executive Tim Cook yesterday said that the company would fight the order. Mr Cook said Apple had no sympathy for terrorists, but that creating a backdoor in its operating system would threaten customers security. Fusilier Rigby, 25, was murdered by two Islamist extremists near the Royal Artillery barracks in Woolwich in May 2013. Mr McClure told the BBC: Valuable evidence is on that smartphone and Apple is denying the FBI access to that information. Fusilier Lee Rigby was murdered by Islamist extremists in 2013 If a court issued a warrant in the UK or United States to search somebodys house, you wouldnt stop them, you would allow them in why should a smartphone be any different? If Mr Cook has no sympathy for terrorists, why is he stopping the FBI accessing those phone records? I would hate to see on the streets of London another murder like what happened to Lee Rigby, Id hate to see another attack like what happened in Paris. How many victims of crime are not getting justice because of Apples stance? Im not saying take encryption off the iPhone but there has to be a balance. Where there is a legally obtained warrant for information we should be helping the authorities get that information. The FBI has been examining to what extent the couple communicated with Islamist groups before they opened fire at a Christmas lunch for the San Bernardino county department of public health on December 2. The iPhone would include Apple encryption software if its operating system was up to date. Assistance Apple has been ordered to provide includes disabling the phones auto-erase function, which wipes all data after 10 consecutive unsuccessful attempts to input a passcode. It also includes helping investigators with a brute force attack, in which thousands of possible codes are inputted by a computer rather than by hand. Farook, 28, reportedly used a four-digit passcode, meaning there are 10,000 possible combinations. Mr Cook wrote in open letter: We oppose this order, which has implications far beyond the legal case at hand. Compromising the security of our personal information can ultimately put our personal safety at risk. That is why encryption has become so important to all of us. When the FBI has requested data thats in our possession, we have provided it. We have also made Apple engineers available to advise the FBI... we have worked hard to support the governments efforts to solve this horrible crime. We have no sympathy for terrorists. Apples stance has been backed by Googles chief executive Sundar Pichai and Amnesty International. A baby dolphin has died after it was snatched out of the sea by beachgoers who passed the creature around to pose for selfies. Huge crowds surged around the young dolphin on a beach in Santa Teresita in Argentina after a man scooped it from the sea. Men, women and children pawed at the dolphin and passed the creature around to pose for pictures. The dolphin quickly overheated and died while out of the water, and its little body was later left discarded on the sand. The creature was a La Plata - or Franciscana - species, found in the waters around Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. With only 30,000 left in the world, it is considered to be a vulnerable species. In the wake of the incident, The Argentine Wildlife Foundation issued a statement warning against taking creatures from the sea. It said: "The Franciscana, like other species, cannot remain for much time outside of the water. "It has thick fatty skin which gives it heat and means that taking it out of the water rapidly causes it to dehydrate and die. "This occasion serves to inform the public about the urgent necessity to return these dolphins to the sea as soon as possible if they find them on the shore. "It is fundamental that people help to rescue these animals, because every Franciscana counts now." B loodthirsty Islamic State militants have beheaded a 15-year-old boy for listening to western pop music, it has been reported. Sources told the Kurdish news agency ARA the teenager, named as Ayham Hussein, was captured by jihadis at his fathers grocery store before being hauled before a Sharia Court which ruled he should be executed. He was beheaded in public on the streets of Mosul, the northern Iraqi city occupied by IS since June 2014. His body was said to have been returned to his family on Tuesday following the execution which has reportedly sparked outrage among residents. It is believed to be the first incident of its kind in Mosul. IS has previously issued statements claiming songs and music are forbidden in Islam because they prevent one from the remembrance of God and the Koran. T he Pope has questioned whether Donald Trump is a true Christian over the Republican presidential hopefuls controversial views on immigration. Trump has promised to build an $8 billion barrier along the US-Mexico border from Texas to California and kick out 11 million undocumented immigrants if elected president. In previous comments the real estate magnate also blamed the border for allowing killers and rapists to come into the country. After visiting the Mexican border today and praying for migrants who have died trying to reach the US, Pope Francis was asked about Trumps views. He said: A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel." The Pope said he was prepared to give Trump the benefit of the doubt, but went on: "I'd just say that this man is not Christian if he said it this way." This afternoon, Trump hit back in bizarre fashion, saying only he could save the Vatican from an attack by Islamic extremists. During a Carolina speech he said: If and when the Vatican is attacked by the ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS's ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president. F rance is expected to a pass a new law giving employees the right to ignore work emails when they clock off for the day. The right to disconnect legislation is being drawn up to protect workers from the risk of burn out, which is seen a growing concern in the age of smartphones and permanent connectivity. Workers will be free to completely ignore their bosses if they email or phone outside of their official hours. The reform is expected to be put forward by labour minister Myriam El Khomri in the coming weeks, according to local reports. It comes after French firm Technologia produced a study which found 3.2 million workers in the country were at risk of burning out. Jean-Claude Delgenes, of Technologia, told The Local: We have poor self-control when it comes to new technology. Work spills over into people's private lives. The difference between work and social life used to be clearly distinct. The idea has support from business leaders including Bruno Mettling, director of mobile phone giant Orange. He said: There are risks that need to be anticipated and one of the biggest risks is the balance of a private life and professional life behind this permanent connectivity. Professionals who find the right balance between private and work life perform far better in their job than those who arrive shattered. B arack Obama will pay a historic visit to Cuba next month becoming the first US President to set foot on the island in nearly seven decades, the White House is expected to announce today. The communist nation was estranged from its superpower neighbour for half a century until Mr Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro acted to relaunch ties in 2014. They have since re- opened embassies in Washington and Havana and moved to restore commercial air travel. Mr Obamas visit, long expected in his final year as President, is seen as a key next step to bridging the divide. In December he told of his wish to meet political dissidents in Cuba to help nudge its government in a new direction. News of the visit by Mr Obama, left, sparked anger from opponents of warmer ties with Cuba. Among them were Republican presidential candidates including Ted Cruz, whose father fled to the US from Cuba in the 1950s. Mr Cruz said the President would be acting as an apologist and should not go while the Castro family remains in power. Florida senator Marco Rubio, another child of Cuban immigrants, said Mr Obama would be visiting an anti-American communist dictatorship. He added: Today, a year and two months after the opening of Cuba, its government is as oppressive as ever. Mr Obamas brief visit will be part of a broader trip to Latin America he is undertaking next month. With less than a year left in office, he is eager for rapid progress on restoring economic and diplomatic ties with Cuba to cement the reconciliation process his administration started. Following secret negotiations between both governments, the two leaders announced in late 2014 that they would begin normalising ties. The first face-to-face meeting between a US and Cuban leader since 1958 was held last April in Panama. On Tuesday both nations signed a deal restoring commercial air traffic, possibly this year. This would eliminate a barrier to unfettered travel that isolated Cuban-Americans from their families for generations. Hundreds of thousands more Americans are expected to visit Cuba every year under the deal. No sitting US President has been to Cuba since Harry Truman visited US-controlled Guantanamo Bay on the south-east end of the island in 1948. A Canadian zoo was criticised after an otter got tangled in a pair of trousers and died. Logan, a 12-year-old American river otter, drowned after becoming caught in the trousers at Calgary Zoo, which keepers had given it to play with. Animal welfare campaigners have criticised the zoo, which admitted the item of clothing was unauthorised. It said it had carried out an investigation and disciplined two workers for breaking zoo rules. Colleen Baird, the zoos general curator, said: This error is simply unacceptable We will be reinforcing our protocols with every member of our animal care staff to prevent an incident like this from ever happening again. Julie Woodyer, from animal welfare group Zoocheck, told Canadian broadcaster CBC: "It smacks of the kinds of things you might see at a roadside zoo, not in a professional operation." F ans have been treated to the first trailer from the upcoming Absolutely Fabulous film showing Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley back in character as Eddie and Patsy. The one minute clip is filmed in the style of a spoof advert, with a narrator telling viewers to be sure to choose something cool, something refreshing, something absolutely fabulous. Patsy and Eddie have reunited for the film and can be seen enjoying the life of luxury in the South of France. The trailer which features the track Je t'aime shows the double act riding a speed boat with topless men and sipping on cocktails. They can also be seen strolling along the waters edge and riding a jeep before Eddie looks delighted as she is kissed on the cheek by a young man who then hands her a rose. The hotly anticipated film adaptation has been a long time in the pipeline. It will follow the Champagne swilling duo as they flee to the French Riviera after being blamed for a "major incident at an uber fashionable launch party". Famous faces from the original BBC series have also reprised their roles including Julia Sawalha as Eddie's long-suffering daughter Saffy, June Whitfield as Mother and Jane Horrocks as Bubble. Guest appearances are expected to include Lulu, Emma Bunton and Kate Moss as well as Rylan Clark, Cara Delevingne and Kim Kardashian. The film is due set for release in July. T he announcement of the new Samsung Galaxy smartphone is imminent, and theres plenty of speculation around new features and specs. With nothing concrete yet, anything scraps of information are merely rumour for now - but it could give a strong idea of what the S7 will bring. Here are nine rumours and expectations for the Galaxy S7. 1) Its being announced on Feb 21 at 6pm Launching new tech is a big deal nowadays, and the Samsung Galaxy S7 is expected to be one of the juiciest reveals at Samsungs UNPACKED Event. Tune in to a live stream of the show here to catch the announcement as it happens. 2) Its potentially arriving in March With pre-orders taking place in late February and early March, its expected that the S7 will be released on March 11 in Europe. 3) There will likely be three new models As with the S6, there are expected to be three versions of the S7. As well as the standard model, supposedly with a 5.1 display, therell be the S7 Edge, boasting a 5.5 screen with curved edges, and the even bigger S7 Edge+ at 6. Its expected that UNPACKED will reveal the S7 and the S7 Edge, with the Edge+ due to arrive later in the year. 4) It will probably come in three colours Dont take everything you see on Twitter as gospel, but if theres any truth to this supposed leak, expect a choice of black, silver, and gold when it comes to the S7. 5) The price will be more competitive According to Dutch website Tweakers, the Galaxy S7 will begin from 699.99, which equates to 540. The same site pegs the S7 Edge price as 799.99, which is 50 less than the launch price of the S6 Edge. 6) It might come with a free Gear VR headset Now heres an exciting incentive to get in there early its rumoured that pre-orders of the S7 will bundle in a free Samsung Gear VR headset. The design of the virtual reality headgear allows Galaxy phones to be clipped onto the front of the device. The best iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s cases - in pictures 1 /6 The best iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s cases - in pictures Ted Baker iPhone 6/6s Case with Mirror 29.95, Proporta, proporta.co.uk Skinnydip iPhone 6/6s Krusty O's Case 16, Skinnydip London, skinnydiplondon.com Rock Dr.V iPhone 6s/6 View Case in Gold 19.99, MobileFun, mobilefun.co.uk Spigen iPhone 6/6s Air Skin Soft Clear Case 12.99, Mobile Madhouse, mobilemadhouse.co.uk Olixar Maze Hollow iPhone 6s/6 Case 15, MobileFun, mobilefun.co.uk 7) It should be water resistant Water damage can still be a killer for a lot of smartphones but that could change with the S7. Rumours of water-resistance have been around for a while, and a video from Samsung Mobiles Twitter feed strongly suggests that the new Galaxy will be untroubled by splashes. Change your idea of what a phone can handle on 2.21.16. #TheNextGalaxyhttps://t.co/saU2TutJ5T Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) February 17, 2016 8) Itll feature a bigger battery than the S6 The eternal smartphone battery battle continues and the S7 is set to increase the size from previous models. The new phone is expected to feature a 3,6000mAh battery a big step up from the 2,550mAh battery found in the S6. 9) It should run the Android Marshmallow OS Now that Androids Marshmallow OS has been confirmed to rollout on the S6, its thought that the S7 launch will include the same OS at launch. How much of the information around the S7 will prove to be true, and will Samsung have any surprises in store? Tune in on Sunday to find out. ELKO Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt hosted his third Law Enforcement Summit since taking office, which brought together sheriffs, chiefs, district attorneys, city attorneys, program managers and other officials Wednesday. The summit focused on how Nevada law enforcement could more effectively address emerging criminal trends and work together to create potential solutions, said the Attorney Generals office in a statement. These summits poise my office and law enforcement agencies across the state to provide the most efficient and professional enforcement of the law possible, said Laxalt. Hosting the summit in Elko County has further strengthened our collaboration with rural law enforcement, he said, and I look forward to working together to make Nevadas communities safer. The event took place at the Elko Conference Center. It was widely attended by more than 120 law enforcement officials, and built on topics from prior summits, as well as new issues relevant to respective communities. Todays summit continues to open lines of communication between the rural counties and law enforcement throughout the state, said Douglas County District Attorney Mark Jackson. The summit agenda included presentations and updates on contemporary topics challenging law enforcement, such as cyber security, body cameras, elder abuse, key pieces of legislation and new developments in the law. Holding the summit in Elko County demonstrates the states commitment toward addressing the statewide criminal issues and trends, as well as law enforcement issues unique to the rurals, added Elko Police Chief Ben Reed. Founded nearly 125 years ago, the Daughters of the American Revolution is an organization with a rich history. Members gather together to not only honor their heritage, but also to honor those who make a difference in the community. On Wednesday, members of DAR came together at the St. Francis Episcopal Church in Scottsbluff to honor local students who have excelled in, as George Washington said in his Farewell Address in 1796, promoting as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge, thus developing an enlightened public opinion. In other words, students who are good citizens. The main characteristics we look for when awarding the Good Citizen Award is dependability, service, leadership and patriotism, DAR member Evelyn Fegler said. Area schools choose a senior to represent their school and those students are then judged on their high school interests and awards, community and home involvement, future plans and extracurricular activities. Recipients of the Good Citizen Award are senior Jonah Wright of Scottsbluff High School, senior Megan Gifford of Banner County High School, senior Jessi M. Smith of Bayard High School, senior Jayden DeCora of Bridgeport High School, senior Hadley Jean Kirk of Gering High School and senior Laurisa Gonzales of Morrill High School. It feels pretty great to know that the things that Ive done in my community are being recognized, Smith said. It means the things Ive done havent gone unnoticed and to me, that is very satisfying. To the award winners, who also read their essays during the ceremony, America is a place that every person in the country should be proud to be a citizen of. Everyone has a lot of influence on what goes on in our country and I think that is very special, Wright said. A lot of countries dont have that. Its an honor to be an American citizen, said Smith, who will be attending the University of Nebraska at Lincoln next fall. Theres so many things in other countries that just arent good and to be an American means I have freedoms that are incredible. I can do the things I want to do and say the things I want to say. Most people dont have that opportunity. Of the six Good Citizen winners, Wright was selected to be the local chapters state representative. I worked hard on my application so to see it pay off means a lot, Wright said. Im waiting to hear more about the next steps for the state competition. The DAR also honored the fifth through eighth grade essay winners, who studied and wrote their essays on The Stamp Act. The essay topics are different every year, DAR member Janet Gifford said. I think its good for them to learn the history of our country and how things happened. It makes them aware of the different events and gives them a love of country when they realize what the men, women and families went through back in the colonial days. Essay winners included eighth grader Mercy McAndrew, seventh grader Lydia Connot, sixth grader Sarah Connet. Gifford said there were no fifth grade entries this year. Christopher Columbus was the essay topic for the 9-12th graders. This years essay winner is Megan Gifford, who compared Columbus sailing of the Atlantic Ocean to Charles Lindberghs flight across the Atlantic Ocean. For members of the DAR, the importance of youth learning the details of our countrys past cannot be understated and can be seen in the many ways the organizational perpetuates the memory and spirit of the men and women who achieved American Independence. I think if they are going to be citizens and vote, they need to know what kind of country we have and what has worked and what has made our country great, Fegler said. In order to build on the foundation of our country, they need to know makes up that foundation. ELKO The roads may get worse before they get better, according to County Roads Supervisor Terry Lister. The February thaw is causing havoc on several roads throughout the county. Many roads, such as Last Chance, have standing water and potholes caused by snowmelt. Assistant County Manager and Natural Resources Manager Randy Brown said Wednesday that staff is trying to identify the high priority roads. Were going to do the best we can to try to get those roads back to where they need to be at least passable and go on, he said. As Terry reminded me this morning, just keep in mind this is still February. We still have about 198 percent of snowpack up there. Be ready for March and April. Lister said some of the roads are too wet to grade properly. He said the problem roads are Last Chance Road, Coal Mine Canyon and South Fork. He said despite the thaw, when crews grade the roads they are pulling up ice that is underneath the mud and water. He said the puddles are not going to go away. We have so much low-lying snow, I dont think weve even begun to see the worst of it yet, Lister said. I think the biggest thing is everybody really needs to have a lot of patience and wait this out. Ryndon resident Charles Schaer asked the commissioners why his dirt road wasnt being maintained. He brought photos of a foot-deep trench down the middle of his road. Commissioner Glen Guttry told Schaer that unfortunately when many subdivisions were built, the County accepted them for public access but did not agree to maintain those new roads. The companies that built them were supposed to set up something like a homeowners association to maintain the roads. Commissioner Delmo Andreozzi said there are 15,000 miles of roads in Elko County that arent in the maintenance system. Brown said for many years there were no laws governing subdivisions in Nevada and there are 64 major subdivisions in Elko county that were created with no requirements or criteria. Its the same old thing, theres great need, huge need for road repairs everywhere in the (county) and theres a very limited source of revenue, Guttry said. I hate to tell you, but we do have a really good road plan and we have one and a half million dollars a year in additional funding that were going to address some of these high populated areas and connector roads like in Ryndon and the one Im familiar with is Indian Hills, but to do any other roads, theres just no money for it. The commissioners and Brown suggested to Schaer that if he gets enough of his neighbors to agree, they could set up a general improvement district to maintain the roads. Brown said he and others tried several years ago but it didnt go through because 66 and 2/3 of the property owners have to agree. CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) Wyoming lawmakers are considering asking the state to create a database of health procedure costs. The move would allow insurers and employers to compare prices throughout Wyoming, which has some of the most expensive health care in the country. The Casper Star-Tribune reports that the House touched on the issue Monday as part of an overall discussion on the budget bill. A footnote in that bill suggests the creation of the statewide database, although it makes participation optional for health care facilities. The Wyoming Business Coalition on Health has already started its own database. CEO Anne Ladd says the information can help lower costs for insurers, employers and patients. She says the information will allow the business community to have a conversation about curbing the rising costs of health care. The Winter Farmers Market at Aulicks TLC will be back Saturday with the Special Olympics Scottsbluff County Coyotes making a visit as the markets non-profit organization. There will be a market basket raffled off with proceeds going to the group. The Green Valley Homesteaders will be playing music to another full house of vendors with baked goods, homemade crafts, soap, root vegetables, eggs and much more. If you sell alcohol at a retail outlet TiPS training is for you and your staff. TiPS Off Premise Training is specially designed for people who sell alcohol and work in the retail liquor, convenience store, or grocery industry. The program is based on ideas from those people. TiPS for Off Premise has a special focus that takes into account the setting and demands of your job and the seller-customer and seller-management relations within your industry. Monument Prevention Coalition has scheduled the TiPS Training Off Premise for Feb. 22 from 6-9 p.m. The training will be held at Western Nebraska Community College, Harms Building Room A-103, 1601 E. 27th Street in Scottsbluff. There is no cost to attend this training. After completion of this training and successful completion of the test, you will be certified for three years. Please contact Erin Sorensen, Training Academy Coordinator, at 308-487-3600 or esorensen@pphd.org; or call Lanette Richards at Monument Prevention Coalition, 308-635-6162 or Brenda McDonald of Panhandle Prevention Coalition, 308-762-2545, to register for this training. This page may have been moved, deleted, or is otherwise unavailable. To help you find what you are looking for: Enter Search Term(s): Still cant find what youre looking for? Send us a message using our contact us form. To report a broken link or other problems with the website, please include the URL. Thank you for visiting state.gov. 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She also left behind multiple sculptures and other artwork she completed over the years. Sadly, Sweetwater also put on hold her unfinished museum and one very important sculpture that was nearly complete. My mom was working on the Rosa Parks statue up until just a few days before she passed, said Alice Digenan, one of Sweetwaters three daughters. Sweetwater often portrayed strong women in her work. The Sarah Winnemucca sculpture she completed a number of years ago commemorates a Paiute leader who lobbied for Native American rights. Sweetwater started the Rosa Parks piece two years ago with a similar idea in mind, that of showing respect and celebrating one of our nations greatest female role models. Rosa Parks was hugely important in our history, said Digenan. A lot of my moms choices in art go back to when she was 6 with polio. Afro-American nurses took care of her. This was during the time when Texas was segregated. She hoped to eventually make this piece 6 feet tall and have it installed in the Afro-American museum in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, cancer took the artist before she could complete her goal. Now Digenan, her family, and a host of local friends and supporters are hoping to make at least part of this dream come true. The Parks sculpture still needs to be bronzed before it can be submitted to a museum for possible consideration. The estimate to finish the Parks statue is around $7,000. During the Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Picture This owners Dale and Vicki Andrus hosted an impromptu music jam where people could make donations. Some money was collected but they are still far from the goal. People interested in contributing to the cause can contact Digenan at 934-3258. Sweetwaters family has also placed some of her prints and other artwork for sale at the Elko County Art Club Gallery located at 407 Railroad St. Sales from these items will be used to promote the clubs scholarship fund and a Rotary scholarship. Sweetwater was a member of the art club and a Rotarian who traveled abroad several times to help administer the polio vaccine to children. The black nurses who took care of my mom sparked her interest in justice, feminism and other cultures, Digenan recalled. On the block of clay where Rosa Parks gestures from her bus seat, Sweetwater inscribed these words: Why do you push us around, Rosa asked the driver. I dont know but the law is the law and youre under arrest. They messed with the wrong one, people chanted outside the jail. I am endorsing Ted Cruz because he is the most consistent conservative in the field. He is the only candidate with a perfect 100 percent rating by the American Conservative Union. Ted Cruz has also taken the lead in fighting for state control over public lands by sponsoring an amendment last year to prohibit federal ownership of more than 50 percent of the land in any state. Last month before the GOP debate in Las Vegas, Cruz told the Las Vegas Review Journal, We have never had a president who is as vigorously committed to transferring as much federal land as humanely possible back to the states and back to the people. I also really admire Ted Cruzs principled honesty. While the other candidates were groveling for votes in Iowa, Cruz came right out and told the Iowa farmers he would end their grain subsidies. That honesty brought out the condemnation of the Iowa governor, but the voters still gave Ted Cruz a big win in the first contest of the 2016 Presidential Primary. I also like Cruz tax plan the best. He has proposed a flat 10 percent tax on individuals and a 16 percent rate on businesses. No payroll taxes, no IRS and no reason for lobbyists to buy congressmen. He has also publicly proclaimed that he would rescind every one of President Obamas illegal executive orders on his first day in office. I also still consider Cruz an outsider, since he is still serving his first term in the U.S. Senate. He also has openly fought with and alienated the establishment within the Senate. And finally, I give Ted Cruz more points for his service as Texas Solicitor General. In 2008, he stood in opposition to his home-state President George W. Bush, the Mexican government and the World Court when he went before the U.S. Supreme Court to argue in support of the death sentences handed down to an illegal immigrant that had been convicted of taking part in the gang rape, torture and murder of two Texas teenagers. Ted Cruz won that case. Thursday, 18 February 2016 23:50:08 (GMT+3) | Sao Paulo Brazil exported 4,000 mt of wire rod to the US in January, against 15,000 mt in December, according to the local ministry of development, industry and foreign trade, MDIC. All the exports were from ArcelorMittal and consisting of the drawing grade product, priced FOB at $500/mt, roughly stable since November. A source linked to such exports told SteelOrbis that the reduced volume exported to the US in January was due to the shortage of material available for export, due to the reduced production at the companys Joao Monlevade plant, in the state of Minas Gerais. He added that the average monthly sales of around 8,000 mt should resume in March 2016. He mentioned that the last negotiations are also being closed at $500/mt for the basic commercial grades, but for some sales of special alloys products they were closed at up to $600/mt, both FOB conditions. President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday qualified as "gung-ho" and "inappropriate" the approach of National Tax Administration Agency (ANAF) to the case of the Antena Group televisions. "I believe you have reached an unpleasant, useless situation. Firstly, I believe the freedom of expression in media cannot be suppressed for banal administrative reasons. Secondly, this gung-ho approach of the ANAF - I find it at least inappropriate, if not questionable," Iohannis answered questions on ANAF's action towards the Antena Group televisions.He mentioned he has learned from some talks that the decision-makers in this case show openness."Certainly, through tranquil and calm discussions, convenient solutions will be found eventually," the head of state concluded.Private TVs of the Antena Group got a five-day eviction notice on Monday from the Bucharest Public Finances Regional General Directorate of the ANAF. Tax authorities are thus attempting to enforce a court sentence of 2013, confirmed on an appeal in 2014, against Dan Voiculescu, a former senator and owner of the two TV stations, convicted to a 10-year prison term in a case of fraudulent privatization of a research institute. The sentence included the confiscation of Voiculescu's real estate to cover his share of prejudices of 60 million euros. President Klaus Iohannis sent a condolence message to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, following the terrorist attack in Ankara. "I have received with deep sorrow the news on the 17 February 2006 attack in Ankara. I wish to express personally and on Romania's behalf condolences to the victims' families, and voice our solidarity with the Turkish authorities in these difficult moments. Romania stands next to you, more determined than ever to cooperate with Turkey and with the international community in the fight against terrorism," the President's message is quoted in a release of the Presidential Administration.A car bomb aimed at military vehicles killed at least 28 people and wounded 161 in Ankara on Wednesday evening, according to a spokesperson of the Turkish government quoted by AFP.AGERPRES Ready or not, the voting has begun. In the next few days Nevadans will add their voices to the presidential nomination mix. According to the latest CNN poll, Donald Trump holds a strong lead here on the Republican side while Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders are running neck-and-neck. Because of our states relatively balanced demographics and prior accuracy at picking the eventual candidate, all eyes will be on us when Democrats caucus on Saturday and Republicans on Tuesday. Well, maybe more eyes will be on South Carolina during Saturdays GOP primary there. After all, they have more delegates than we do. But the outcome in Nevada will also echo for a full week leading into Super Tuesday. Across America, voters have been considering the candidates positions on social issues and the extent to which they believe the federal government should be involved in them. The dwindling field still offers a full spectrum of choices: all the way from democratic socialism to crony capitalism. Here at the Free Press we have tried to focus our attention on western issues. Of the remaining candidates, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has been one the most vocal when it comes to matters close to home, calling for the Department of the Interior to move its headquarters out of D.C. and into the region most affected by its policies. That is not just a symbol, he told the Free Press when he visited at the end of January. I think people care more about lands where they live. Theyre more respectful of the lands. Theyre good stewards of the environment. So shifting this is important. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson also expressed knowledge of western issues when he came to Elko in mid-December. Clearly when youre talking about mining in this area, it is a huge part of the economy here in terms of employment, and obviously if you just restrict all of those lands from mining its going to have a massive impact on people here, he said. Carson suggested it would be better for sage grouse to fly to another patch of sagebrush than put thousands of people out of jobs. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is expected to speak in Elko on Monday. We dont know what he will have to say about mining or sage grouse, but we do know he has been a strong supporter of transferring federal land to states. In 2014 he proposed an amendment that would limit federal ownership to 50 percent of any state which is much less than the 80-or-so percent under federal control in Nevada. Billionaire Donald Trump has spoken against the transfer of federal land, but also against federal overreach by suggesting the Environmental Protection Agency should be dismantled. Thats not a surprising position for a real estate developer to take. Like Trump, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has not come to Elko but he released an energy policy last fall pledging to work with Congress to ensure that states and tribes not the federal government have the primary role in oversight of energy development within their borders, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has not ventured out to Elko either but he has sponsored legislation to ban fossil fuel extraction on public land, and he told the Reno Gazette-Journal that we must end the sweetheart mining concessions and (oil and gas) leasing rate practices that allow these industries to profit at the expense of American taxpayers. Finally, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton briefly addressed public lands during her visit to Elko earlier this week, pointing out that the federal government owns a lot of land, obviously in a state like Nevada the big proportion of it. We dont know how much of the above information voters will use when they go to caucus, but we hope many local Democrats and Republicans make their voices heard along with those from the more heavily populated parts of our state on Saturday and Tuesday. Happy caucusing. Billy Busch is expanding Kraftig beer to several new markets in Missouri, including Kansas City and Kirksville. The expansion set to begin next week will fill out distribution statewide in Missouri, and add another Illinois market, Busch told the Post-Dispatch. Last year, Kraftig expanded sales to Texas, Rolla and Springfield, Mo. Beginning next week, Kraftig will expand sales to Kansas City, Hannibal, St. Joseph and Kirksville, Mo., and Quincy, Ill. The brewer tapped several wholesalers to handle the distribution: Kansas City-based Central States Beverage Co.; Quincy-based Mississippi Belle Distributing Co.; Hannibal-based Mark Twain Distributing; Kirksville-based Lloyd Distributing Co.; and St. Joseph-based OMalley Beverage. Were rounding out the state, Busch said of Missouri. Its our biggest expansion in the state since we started. Since founding the William K Busch Brewing Co. 2011, the maker of Kraftig lager and Kraftig light beer grew production to 13,000 barrels in 2015, a 17 increase in Missouri versus 2014, and a 9 percent increase in the St. Louis area. The growth in Missouri came as overall beer sales in fiscal 2015 dropped 3 percent. Our goal is to hit 17,000 barrels this year, Busch said. Its our goal to be a national brand someday. By comparison, the St. Louis Brewery, maker of Schlafly Beer and St. Louis largest craft brewer, produced just under 60,000 barrels in 2015. Since Kraftig launched, the number of breweries locally and nationally has grown substantially, making it more difficult for regional brewers to expand distribution nationally, said Eric Shepard, vice president and executive editor of industry publication Beer Marketers Insights. There were 4,144 breweries in the U.S. as of the end of November, according to the Brewers Association trade group, topping a record set in the 1870s. In 2011, the sky was the limit, Shepard said of smaller brewers seeking a nationwide footprint. In the last two years, theres so much competition and so many more players, the idea of going national has gotten riskier. Another challenge brewers face is consumers increasingly turning to local options, according to Shepard. Local is more of a cachet now than it was in 2011, he said. Building a local following and expanding in your own state or region is a safer model because of increasing competition. Busch remains bullish on Kraftigs growth potential despite an increasing number of beers consumers have to choose from. Kraftig stands apart from craft beer and other lagers, he says, by adhering to Reinheitsgebot, the German beer purity law that restricts ingredients to water, barley, yeast and hops. Busch is the great-grandson of Anheuser-Busch founder Adolphus Busch, but he never worked at A-B. Billy Busch says he founded Brentwood-based William K Busch Brewing to create another chapter in the familys brewing history following the 2008 sale of St. Louis-based A-B to InBev. Kraftig is currently produced at the City Brewing Co. in La Crosse, Wis., and Busch said he continues to scout for property in the St. Louis region to build his own brewery. Busch is seeking to take full ownership of the family-owned Grants Farm animal park in south St. Louis County to keep it in the Busch family and build a small brewery for production of draft beer on a portion of the land, he said. If he buys the Grants Farm property, Billy Busch said hed still pursue building a larger Kraftig brewery elsewhere in St. Louis. Our goal is to build a brewery here in the next several years, Billy Busch said. If Im fortunate enough to buy Grants Farm, we would build a small brewery there for our draft needs. We dont want to hurt the character and integrity of Grants Farm. However, four Busch family members oppose the sale to Billy Busch and instead are pursuing a sale of 198 acres of Grants Farm land to the St. Louis Zoo. Those Busch heirs who oppose the land sale to Billy Busch filed a lawsuit last year, and a hearing in the case in St. Louis Circuit Court is set for March 28. ELKO Police arrested an unregistered sex offender, who is on lifetime supervision, Tuesday evening. Officers previously had a couple of contacts with Jess M. Willer, 24, of Elko. During this we learned that he was a sex offender on lifetime supervision. He had some very specific parameters about not possessing devices that can access the Internet, said Lt. Ty Trouten. Willer was also found in possession of a smartphone. Trouten said there are certain time constraints police must know to be able to identify if an offender has registered within the required time frame. Weve been looking for him, after these two contacts, because we now have the significant time passage we could articulate he hadnt registered, he said. Willer was arrested on Idaho Street for use or possession of drug paraphernalia and failure to obey sex offender registration laws. His bail was listed at $5,640. Alison Sweeney is a natural to headline this years Working Womens Survival Show. After all, shes been a working woman since she was 4 years old. Sweeney, best known for 22 years as bad girl Sami Brady on NBCs Days of Our Lives, got her start when her pre-K teacher, an aspiring actress, suggested to Alis mother that her kid was a natural. My mom thought it would be cute and fun, Sweeney says. I went to my first audition, for a commercial, and I got the job. As predicted, Ali was a natural. I just loved it. I loved everything about it, she says. I started and I never really stopped. Sweeney had done plays, workshops and more commercials by the time she was 16 and landed the job of Sami, a character who would prove pivotal to the drama on Days from 1993 until 2014, when she broke fans hearts by announcing that she would leave the show. Days of Our Lives was a huge, incredible opportunity, she says. The show was such a blessing for me. I watched it, and I was excited just to audition. I never conceived that I would stay so long and still love it so much. After 22 years, though, she wanted both a change and a more flexible schedule, one that would give her more time with her children and more time to explore her other interests. My kids were getting older, and the show took a lot of time away from them, says Sweeney, 39. I needed to find a better balance of home and work, and I also wanted to grow as an actress. It was a big leap of faith that something was out there. Sweeney had also been host of NBCs The Biggest Loser for eight seasons, leaving that role last year. The Biggest Loser, in which contestants compete on teams to lose weight, was another good fit for Sweeney because she had struggled with her own weight when she was a teenager. Today, My goal is just to be healthy, she says, and thats what I encourage everyone to do. Expectations about body image are what get us into trouble in the first place. In addition to healthy eating, I love being outdoors and doing fun things with my kids, Sweeney says. She and her husband, Dave, a California Highway Patrol officer, have a son, Ben, 11, and daughter, Megan, 7. But Sweeneys interests dont stop at acting or hosting. In 2004, she wrote a memoir, All The Days of My Life (So Far), but she also thought she had a novel in her. A few years ago, in secret, she started one. I wrote it for myself, she says. I always need a creative outlet, and it was just to have a creative outlet. I didnt intend for anyone else ever to read it. Then her agent asked her if she might want to write something. I told him I had 150 pages of a novel in my computer. He yelled at me and said Id better send it to him right then. The result was The Star Attraction, published in 2013 to good reviews and a nice cover blurb from popular novelist Jodi Picoult. (I was flattered, Sweeney says.) She followed up with Scared Scriptless in 2014, with the third, Opportunity Knocks, due in April. All three are set behind the scenes in Hollywood, Sweeney says. There is an ongoing thread of characters that appear in them. The first book was about a publicist, the second about a script supervisor, and the third is about a makeup artist. A minor character in the first book is the main character in the third. I write a lot about all the crazy behavior Ive seen in Hollywood, she says. Its so much fun to pull back the curtain. Meanwhile, Sweeney has built yet another career on a series of Hallmark movies, including the Murder, She Baked franchise on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel. The fourth, A Fudge Cupcake Mystery, is due in April, following Chocolate Chip Cookie Plum Pudding and Peach Cobbler entries. Sweeney is both star and executive producer of the franchise, which starts production on a fifth movie in June. Being able to produce really adds to the fun, Sweeney says. She has also directed episodes of both Days of Our Lives and ABCs General Hospital, and directing is something else she enjoys and would like to do more of. I love the variety, she says. I love getting to experience all the different aspects of a project. Speaking to crowds like the one expected at the Working Womens Survival Show is something relatively new, but Sweeney says she hopes to put herself out there more. I share my story, and then people share their stories with me, she says. A lot of interesting things come out of it. Opening myself to others encourages people to open themselves up, and I get great feedback. Its fun and rewarding. What Alison Sweeney at the Working Womens Survival Show When 3 p.m. Feb. 20; show runs 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Feb. 19, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Feb. 20, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 21 Where St. Charles Convention Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza, St. Charles How much $7.50-$9.50, free for children 6-11 More info wwssblog.com UPDATED at 10:30 a.m. Thursday with name of victim ST. LOUIS One person was killed and one person was injured after a car slammed into the back of a tractor trailer on Interstate 70 near Riverview Boulevard on Wednesday, police say. Police identified the man who died as Thomas Crittenden, 46, of St. Charles. Police say an 18-year-old male was the passenger who was seriously hurt. His name was not released. The crash happened about 4:20 p.m. Wednesday and prompted the closure of the westbound lanes of the interstate. The lanes reopened at about 8 p.m., the Missouri Department of Transportation said. St. Louis police said an accident reconstruction team was sent to the scene. Crittenden was driving west on I-70, weaving in and out of traffic, police say. His car struck the back of a tractor-trailer, which had stopped in heavy traffic. Crittenden died at the scene. The driver of the tractor-trailer was uninjured. Wentzville School District leaders are moving ahead with plans to build two elementary schools simultaneously to alleviate crowding. They have announced the pending purchase of 20.5 acres on West Meyer Road in Wentzville to build the district's 11th elementary school. The 10th elementary school will on 31 acres on Highway Z at Perry Cate Boulevard in Wentzville. A district spokeswoman said they cannot disclose the purchase price until the sale is final. The new schools will allow sixth grade to be added to all elementary schools beginning in 2017-18. In April 2015, voters in the WSD passed a 25-cent tax increase to fund phase II of Liberty High School, additions at four schools, classroom updates at Wentzville Middle, security upgrades and a new elementary school. The passing of Proposition E, along with higher assessments and having healthy reserves put us in a position where we could increase what we are paying towards our existing debt, allowing us to consider this option without having to go back to the voters for an additional tax increase," Superintendent Curtis Cain said in a statement. Wentzville's enrollment has grown by 500 to 600 students yearly since 2001. The pending purchase of the land is contingent on zoning and development approval through the city of Wentzville and access approval by the Missouri Department of Transportation. The district hopes to close on the land purchase by the end of March and begin construction this summer. A Boundary Committee made up of parents, staff and community members will help determine the attendance area for the new elementary schools, as well as the redistricting of the remaining elementary buildings to allow room for sixth graders and future growth. WASHINGTON Sen. Claire McCaskill, who recently served on a jury in St. Louis County, has introduced legislation removing an exemption that allows her colleagues in Congress to not do the same if called in their hometowns. Her "Civic Duty Act" is co-sponsored by Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. It's a one-sentence bill that repeals a provision in a 1991 bill appropriations bill that says, in part, that no member of Congress "shall be required to serve on a grand jury or petit jury." An explanation on the measure by the staff of McCaskill, D-Mo., says the bill, if passed "would remove the exemption and require members to find time in their schedules to serve on juries alongside their constituents." McCaskill, a former prosecutor in Kansas City, served on a jury that sided with a plaintiff in a lawsuit against a QuikTrip after a 2014 fall there. The jury awarded the plaintiff $45,000, but that was reduced to $33,750 because the jury determined the plaintiff was 25 percent responsible for the fall. McCaskill Tweeted about the experience during jury selection, and posted a photo of the jury after the case was decided. In one post, she said that being called to a jury reminded her of the television show, "Perry Mason," which helped inspire her to become a lawyer. WASHINGTON Donald Trumps extraordinary and rough public spat Thursday with Pope Francis about the Republican front-runners religious faith may not have the same immediate political effect as if it had happened later in the 2016 presidential campaign. The southern-tinged March 1 Super Tuesday primaries in more than a dozen states will include a couple of big states with substantial Catholic populations. But many states voting that day will also be among the least Catholic in the country. It wont be until March 15, with primaries in Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Florida and North Carolina, that substantial Catholic populations will be a big part of a single-day vote in the GOP primaries. About 10 percent of South Carolinians, where Republicans are furiously stumping before their Saturday primary, identify as Catholics. Thats opposed to 28 percent in Illinois, 21 percent in Florida, 18 percent in Ohio and 16 percent in Missouri, according to a 2015 Pew Research Center in-depth study on religion and politics. Some of the nations most Catholic cities will also vote on March 15, including Chicago (34 percent), Miami (27 perent) and St. Louis (25 percent). The March 1 Super Tuesday of primaries and caucuses will include Massachusetts, at 34 percent tied with New Jersey and New Mexico as the second-most Catholic states behind Rhode Island. Texas, at 23 percent Catholic, also will vote that day, although it has a favorite son, Sen. Ted Cruz, in contention. Many of the rest of the Super Tuesday primary states extend across an evangelical belt from Oklahoma City to Savannah, Ga. Tennessee is 6 percent Catholic, Alabama 7, Arkansas and Oklahoma 8 apiece, and Georgia 9, according to Pew. All will have Republican primaries on March 1. A leading expert in politics and religion cautioned against making any assumptions on what effect Trumps heard-around-the-world exchange with the outspoken pontiff will have on the Republican primary. Akron Universitys John Green, who is in South Carolina this week observing the campaigns, agreed that the March 15 primaries will be the first big crush of white Catholics who could affect the outcome, in part because the populations of Catholics in the south are heavily Latino and would be more likely than white Catholics to vote in Democratic primaries. That factor also applies to Nevada, where the population is 25 percent Catholic, and where Republicans will caucus on Tuesday. But Trump himself is the wild card in the extraordinarily rough-and-tumble spats he has been having with everyone from Fox News anchors to ex-Republican presidents to, now, the leader of 1.3 billion Catholics. Ordinarily my reaction would be that this is likely to hurt the candidate with Roman Catholics, and given the popularity of Pope Francis outside the Catholic community, it could hurt the candidate with those folks as well, said Green, director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron, and author of several books on religion and politics. I put it that way because Donald Trump seems to be the exception to the rule. Many things he has said so far would have ended the career of other politicians. The pope-Trump spat began when the pope, traveling back to the Vatican from a visit to Mexico, was asked about immigration reform. Trump has centered his campaign around the call for a wall on the Mexican border and the expulsion of millions of people in the United States illegally. A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian, Francis said. This is not the Gospel. Trump hit back hard, calling the popes words disgraceful and declaring: No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another mans religious faith. Trumps social media director, Dan Scavino, tweeted that the Vatican itself was surrounded by walls. Green pointed out that when the pope addressed a joint session of Congress last fall, he tried to be nonpartisan, even while exhorting Republicans and Democrats to avoid a mindset of hostility toward one another. Trump is viewed by the general public as the least religious candidate, according to more recent analysis by Pew. Only about three in 10 of adults who responded to an early January Pew poll said they thought that Trump was religious, while almost seven in 10 said that of Republican rival Ben Carson. So its in character for Trump to counterattack, and the fact that he is widely considered as nonreligious doesnt make him seem as if he is attacking one of his own. Trumps response didnt surprise me, because he tends to respond angrily to criticism, Green said. I think it is quite unusual to have a religious leader, particularly the pope, come out and make that bold of a statement about a politicians faith. Former Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez, pictured on Wednesday. SAMUEL SANCHEZ With two weeks to go before deputies meet to vote on the investiture of the next prime minister of Spain, Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez has yet to secure a strong enough alliance to ensure that his bid will be successful. If he fails in his attempt to form a government, as he was tasked to do following the general election of December 20, Spain will be forced to hold fresh elections this year. But even that would yield a similar situation of political fragmentation, warn the experts. If there are new elections, we will go through the same situation we are experiencing now, said former Spanish leader Felipe Gonzalez on Wednesday. Gonzalez, a Socialist like Sanchez, also sent out a message to Popular Party (PP) leader Mariano Rajoy, who formally won the election with 123 seats but fell short of a congressional majority and has been unable to muster enough backing for a reinstatement bid. The man who governed the country between 1982 and 1996 also issued a warning against the anti-austerity party Podemos, although he did not mention it by name Rajoy should not place obstacles in Sanchezs way if the latter finally manages to close a deal with other parties and form a government, said Gonzalez at a Madrid conference about the future of Spain. The man who governed the country between 1982 and 1996 and oversaw milestones such as Spains membership in the European Economic Community and NATO, also issued a warning against the anti-austerity party Podemos, although he did not mention it by name. Left-wing populism wants to replace representative democracy with direct democracy. It encourages regressive utopias. It has the same basis as [French far-right leader] Marine Le Pen, said Gonzalez. Across-the-board condemnation Podemos, which is trying to convince the Socialists to create a joint coalition government, scandalized politicians and legal experts this week with a working document that proposed assigning key positions in the judiciary based not just on merit, but also on their commitment to the governments program. These positions would include the Attorney General, the justices who sit on the Constitutional Court, and the members of the oversight body, the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ). Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias (left) scandalized the legal profession this week with his demand for loyalty to the government. J.P.GANDUL (EFE) This is the first time that loyalty to the government is expressly stated as a requirement for appointing top legal positions, and legal associations of all kinds have called it an attack against their independence. This is one of the greatest aberrations I have heard in recent times, said Emilio Frias, spokesman for the conservative prosecutor association Asociacion de Fiscales. The Socialist spokesman in the Senate, Oscar Lopez, said on Wednesday that Podemos is proposing a democratic involution because of its obsession with taking control of the secret services (Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias has stated his desire to oversee the National Intelligence Center), the police, the judges, the prosecutors and the public broadcaster. Lopez also criticized Iglesias for telling the Socialist leader to stop being arrogant. Pablo Iglesias and humbleness are an oxymoron, said Lopez. Iglesias has stated that in this joint coalition government, he wants to be the deputy prime minister. The Ciudadanos connection Meanwhile, the Socialists are deep in talks with the other emerging party to perform well at the election, Ciudadanos, in a bid to secure its support on March 2 and 3. But so far the pro-market party, which has 40 seats in Congress, is promising no more than an abstention at the investiture session, which would not be enough for a congressional majority and require support from third parties. Ciudadanos also says it will not join any government led by either the PP or the Socialist Party, but remain in the opposition. We are working toward a complete agreement, which we still dont have, said party spokesman Jose Manuel Villegas. The party line is that we will either vote against [Pedro Sanchez] or we will abstain. Both parties already agree on several major issues, such as lifting parliamentary immunity for deputies under official investigation for corruption, and keeping such individuals off election lists. They also want to encode housing, electricity, water supply and healthcare into the Constitution, as fundamental rights that every citizen is entitled to. But there are still sticking points over tax and labor reform, and over Ciudadanos desire to eliminate provincial authorities in order to streamline government. English version by Susana Urra. ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE Pope Francis said Thursday that Donald Trump is "not Christian" if he intends to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border. Trump immediately fired back, saying it is disgraceful for a religious leader to question a person's faith. Trump, a leading U.S. Republican presidential candidate, has promised to build a wall along the Mexican border from Texas to California and expel 11 million people who are in the country illegally if elected president. The Pope's comments en route home from Mexico came hours after he prayed at the Mexico-U.S. border for people who died trying to reach the United States. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," Francis said. "This is not in the Gospel." Not having heard Trump's border plans independently, Francis said he'd "give him the benefit of the doubt." But he added: "I'd just say that this man is not Christian if he said it this way." Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, another Republican presidential contender, has also supported building a border wall, and joked that he will make Trump pay for it. Trump, a Presbyterian, last week criticized Francis' plans to pray at the border. He said the move was ill-informed and showed Francis to be a political figure being exploited by the Mexican government. "I don't think he understands the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico," Trump said in an interview with Fox News. "I think Mexico got him to do it because they want to keep the border just the way it is. They're making a fortune, and we're losing." On Thursday, he responded to the Pope's comments during a campaign stop in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. "No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man's religion or faith," he said. "They are using the Pope as a pawn and they should be ashamed of themselves for doing so, especially when so many lives are involved and when illegal immigration is so rampant." He also said the Mexican government has disparaged him to the Pope and separately invoked the Islamic State group, saying that if it attacks the Vatican, "I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president because this would not have happened." Asked if he felt he was being used as a pawn of Mexico, Francis said he didn't know. "I leave that judgment to you, the people." But he seemed quite pleased to hear that Trump had called him a "political" figure, noting that Aristotle had described the human being as a "political animal." LONDON MARKET OPEN: UK retail sales fall adds to investor gloom Friday, October 21, 2022 - 09:01 Both the pound and London share prices were losing ground early Friday, after two UK economic indicators made for depressing reading, compounding the sense of unease caused by preparations to pick the third prime minister so far this year. The FTSE 100 index opened down 21.47 points, 0.3%, at 6,922.44. The FTSE 250 was down 99.48 points, 0.6%, at 17,289.45 and the AIM All-Share down 0.88 of a point, 0.1%, at 785.56. The Cboe UK 100 opened down 0.2% at 692.34, the Cboe UK 250 down 0.4% at 14,779.33, and the Cboe Small Companies down 0.1% at 12,259.67. Following the resignation of Liz Truss, the Conservative Party now begins the process to select a new leader, with the result to be announced no later than next Friday. "Normally, a PM resignation means uncertainty and limited visibility; it's not a preferred scenario for the market. But the little time Liz Truss stayed in power was so hectic that investors welcomed the news that she departs sooner rather than later," said Swissquote Bank's Ipek Ozkardeskaya. Amongst those believed to be in the running are former chancellor Rishi Sunak, leader of the house Penny Mourdaunt, and even former PM Boris Johnson. "Whoever it is, the main challenge for the next PM will be to reassure the markets! We expect to see some more bumpy trading for the British assets until the dust settles," Ozkardeskaya added. Sterling was quoted at $1.1199 early Friday, lower than $1.1294 at the London equities close on Thursday. UK retail sales suffered a bigger-than-expected decline in September, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics. Retail sales fell 6.9% annually in September, with the decline accelerating from a 5.6% fall in August. It also was worse than FXStreet-cited market consensus, which had expected a fall of just 5%. On a monthly basis, retail sales fell 1.4% in September, with the decline easing slightly from 1.7% in August. However, sales saw a steeper fall than expected, with consensus expecting a 0.5% drop. Meanwhile, consumer confidence rose slightly in October but remains near historic lows as the UK grapples with the "new abnormal" of soaring energy, food and mortgage costs. GfK's long-running consumer confidence index clawed back two points but continues to languish at an overall score of minus 47. Among retailing stocks, Next was 2.3% lower, while JD Sports Fashion lost 4.4% and Frasers shed 3.3%. Elsewhere, InterContinental Hotels Group was down 2.3%, on news that its chief financial officer, Paul Edgecliffe Johnson, will leave to become CFO of sports betting firm Flutter Entertainment. Flutter was down 1.6%. IHG reported strong revenue growth in the third quarter, with revenue per available room rising 28% year-on-year. RevPAR now exceeds pre-pandemic levels, it noted. The hotel owner said demand remained "robust", and it managed to open 51 hotels during the quarter, despite an industry-wide slowdown in hotel opening activity. In the FTSE 250, Asos lost 4.1%. The stock was cut to 'reduce' by HSBC. Elsewhere, food delivery firm Deliveroo said gross transaction values rose 8% annually in the third quarter to 1.70 billion, as orders fell 1% to 72.8 million. However, it lowered its guidance range for GTV growth for the full year to 4% to 8% in constant currency, compared to a previous range of 4% to 12%. It expects a slight improvement in the margin for earnings, aiming to reach breakeven earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation at some point between the second half of 2023 and the first half of 2024. Deliveroo shares rose 1.9% in early trade. On AIM, Orosur Mining surged 22%. The South America-focused mineral exploration and development company shared "encouraging" drill results from Pepas and Pupino. Holes PEP005 and PEP007 returned "substantial gold intersections", including 80.55 metres at 3.05 grams per ton gold. "PEP001 was clearly a spectacular result, but being only the first hole, caution was warranted. It is encouraging therefore that further holes have confirmed this first result and we eagerly await results from better positioned holes," CEO Brad George said. In European equities on Friday, the CAC 40 in Paris opened down 1.1%, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt opened 0.9% lower. The euro stood at $0.9774 early Friday, against $0.9822 on Thursday. Against the yen, the dollar was quoted at JP150.42, up versus JP149.77. Gold was quoted at $1,620.01 an ounce early Friday, lower than $1,641.90 on Thursday. Brent oil was trading at $92.03 a barrel, lower than $93.29 late Thursday. In Asia on Friday, equities traded mostly lower. The Japanese Nikkei 225 index closed down 0.4%. In China, the Shanghai Composite closed up 0.1%, while the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong was down 0.1% in late trade. The S&P/ASX 200 in Sydney closed down 0.8%. Still to come on Friday's economic calendar is eurozone consumer confidence at 1500 BST. Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Raul Castro and Barack Obama in Panama last April. Jonathan Ernst (Reuters) US President Barack Obama announced on Thursday that he would travel to Cuba on March 21 and 22 and hold talks with Cuban President Raul Castro during the trip. I'll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people, Obama said on his Twitter account. We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly. America will always stand for human rights around the world, the president said. The trip, which will be part of a broad multi-nation tour of Latin America, is expected to be a high-point toward ending 56 years of chilled relations between Havana and Washington. The two countries began building a framework to initiate a process of normalizing diplomatic relations in 2014. We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly. Last July, Cuba and the United States formally established relations. A month later, John Kerry became the first US Secretary of State in more than half a century to go to Cuba, where he helped inaugurate the reopening of the US Embassy in Havana. With this trip, Obama hopes to make history by becoming the first sitting president in more than 80 years to travel to the island. In 1928, US Republican President Calvin Coolidge visited Havana to speak at the Sixth Annual International Conference of American States, which would later become the Organization of American States (OAS). Former US President Jimmy Carter visited Havana in 2002 but he was no longer in the White House. In an interview with Yahoo! News last December, the US leader said he wanted to go to Cuba but only if the conditions were right. If I go on a visit, then part of the deal is that I get to talk to everybody, Obama said. Ive made very clear in my conversations directly with President [Raul] Castro that we would continue to reach out to those who want to broaden the scope for, you know, free expression inside of Cuba. Outside pressure on Congress has been growing to lift the five-decade-old trade embargo This will be the third time that Obama and Castro meet face to face. But even though the trip will capture the worlds attention, there are some political risks involved. Obama will arrive in Cuba to try to cement his presidential legacy but without accomplishing what has been a sore point between the two sides. Cuba has said that full diplomatic relations cannot be achieved unless the US economic and trade embargo is lifted. Even though Obama has eased some restrictions for US citizens traveling to Cuba and agreed to allow direct flights between both nations, it would take an act of Congress to lift the more than 55-year-old embargo. There have been various bills filed in the House of Representatives calling for the end of sanctions, but for the moment, its sponsors do not have enough support to push them through their respective committees. Obamas trip to Cuba will no doubt became a major issue in the US presidential race Obama could fail in accomplishing full diplomatic relations with the Communist island government, but the outside pressure on Congress has been growing. US air carriers have already filed their paperwork to obtain licenses to begin flights to Cuba by the fall. Vacation cruise lines have also submitted their petitions to include Cuba as one of their stops in the Caribbean. On Thursday, US Trade Secretary Penny Pritzker and Cuban Trade Minister Rodrigo Malmierca will finalize their second round of talks aimed at pushing for bilateral trade. While they both said at the beginning of their meeting that there were a lot of issues to be discussed, both officials acknowledged that there is pressure by US businesses who do not want to miss any opportunities in Cuba. Obamas trip to Cuba will no doubt become a major issue in the US presidential race. While some candidates such as Republican senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, who are both of Cuban origin have criticized Washingtons policy toward Havana, the issue has mostly been ignored in debates and campaign speeches. But the candidates are aware that there is broad support by US citizens for the normalization of relations with Havana, and they know how unpopular not to say impossible it would be to halt the process initiated by Obama. English version by Martin Delfin. Politicians and police officials are divided over a Tuesday incident in which the Madrid security commissioner was forced to seek refuge inside a downtown bar after a group of around 300 protestors chased him down the street. The marchers were police officers demonstrating against a decision by the capitals security department head, Jose Javier Barbero, to scale down the municipal riot squads (UCS). Barbero and the municipal police chief, Andres Serrano, were forced to wait inside a bar near the central Puerta del Sol square until the commissioners official car showed up at the door. We will not allow an investigation into non-existent crimes in what constitutes some kind of witch-hunt or attempt at coercion The acting government of the Popular Party (PP) has played down the incident. Acting Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said Barbero was getting a taste of his own medicine, alluding to public harassment suffered by PP politicians in recent years over home evictions. Fernandez Diaz reminded Barbero that the latter had earlier defended such actions, known popularly in Spanish as escraches, as freedom of expression. Now that he is the Madrid City security delegate, now that he is an authority figure and part of the caste, what used to be freedom of expression has morphed into a criminal act, even an act that could be construed as promoting hate, said the acting minister. The regional premier of Madrid, Cristina Cifuentes also of the PP told the Cope radio station that she would have liked to have heard some kind of condemnation from this series of conglomerates that form the groups that support Podemos, back when the public harassment was aimed at PP politicians. Back then, said Cifuentes, these groups defended such acts as legitimate freedom of expression. But when it happens to them, it is fascism. Acting Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said the Madrid security chief simply got a taste of his own medicine. Luca Piergiovanni (EFE) Ever since last Mays municipal elections, the city council has been controlled by Ahora Madrid, a leftist alliance that includes Podemos. The Socialist Party, Ciudadanos and Podemos came out in defense of the security commissioner, saying that they oppose any kind of harassment of an elected official. Concepcion Causapie, the Socialist spokeswoman in the Madrid council, said it was a very serious attack and asked for an investigation. Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias condemned any protests that may lead to physical assault, and added that acts aimed at holding politicians accountable are fine. Meanwhile, different municipal police unions expressed conflicting opinions about Tuesdays protest. The three groups that organized the rally the CPPM, CSIT and CSIF insisted that it was peaceful at all times and that the security commissioners freedom of movement was never compromised. The demonstration was over Barberos plans to eliminate one of the citys two riot police units. The tone of the protest only became angrier when Barbero decided to cross the square with a defiant attitude, and against his bodyguards advice to get into his vehicle, the unions said in a statement. We will not allow an investigation into non-existent crimes in what constitutes some kind of witch-hunt or attempt at coercion. Another union called the incident an embarrassing spectacle But another union, the UPM, said the 300 protestors did not represent the entire police body of 6,130 officers, and called the incident an embarrassing spectacle. This group also condemned the attempt to politicize the staff, the way our intelligence is being insulted with statements full of unfounded rumors, plus the victim syndrome and the growing ridicule to which some spokespeople are exposing themselves. Meanwhile, the APMU union rejected Barberos attempts to make it seem like our colleagues were protesting for ideological reasons, rather than out of labor concerns, which was really the case. English version by Susana Urra. Iraqi Kurdish troops have been working with American ground and air force personnel since the early 1990s and have developed a close and often innovative battlefield relationship. To the Americans the Kurds are the most trusted Iraqi troops they work with but because of Iraqi government pressure the U.S. cannot supply the Kurds with the special radios and other equipment needed to enable qualified Kurds to call in American air strikes. This is because the Iraqi government is dominated by Iraqi Shia Arabs who are, in turn, heavily influenced by Shia Iran. Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria do not want their Kurdish minorities to get too strong and then unite to form an independent Kurdish state. To the Arabs the Kurds display many annoying characteristics. For one thig the Kurds are far less corrupt, especially when it comes to military matters and particularly when it involves the Americans and other Western nations that provide training and aid. As a result of all this the Kurds and Americans have developed informal but highly effective methods to provide U.S. air support to more Kurdish units. This is done by identifying those Kurdish troops (usually veteran officers and NCOs) who know how to identify and describe (to trained air controllers) targets for an air strike. These improvised air controllers use their cell phones and an improvised security system to contact a local joint (U.S.-Kurdish) headquarters where Kurdish speaking American (sometimes Kurdish-Americans) air controllers handle contact with the bombers overhead and pass on the target coordinates. Both the American and Kurdish troops recognize that Kurdish ground troops with prompt American air support are one of the most effective weapons available against ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) in Iraq. The Iraqi government tolerates this arrangement because Kurdish forces are vital for pushing ISIL out of Mosul and the Kurds have promised that their troops will be withdrawn once the Iraqi army and militia forces are in control of the city. The offensive is supposed to take place by mid-2016, a year later than originally planned. Everyone understands that the offensive will not work without the help of the Kurds. In January 2016 China put another Type 082B minesweeper into service. This is an updated version of the 400 ton Type 082 that first appeared in 1985. The first of the B version showed up in 2005 and eight are now in service. The Type 082B is a 575 ton non-metallic ship that is 55 meters (179 feet) long. Top speed is 46 kilometers an hour with a crew of 50. It is equipped to detect and destroy surface and bottom mines. It is armed with a twin 25mm autocannon. It draws only 3.3 meters (11 feet) of water, enabling them to operate close to shore. This ships can also carry and deploy six naval mines. The only equivalent American ships are the Avengers, which began appearing in 1987. These are 1,300 ton, 72.3 meter (224 foot) long ships that draw only 4.8 meters (15 feet) of water. The crews are trained in navigating shallow areas. The Avengers are armed with two .50 cal. (12.7mm) machine guns, two 7.62mm machine guns, two 40mm automatic grenade launchers, and have a crew of 84. While China has continued to upgrade its mine clearing (or countermeasures) ships the United States and most Western navies have switched to mine detecting sleds towed by helicopters as well as unmanned, remotely controlled surface and underwater vehicles that detect and destroy mines. China has yet to introduce anything along these lines. Naval mines remain a serious danger. While often ignored, naval mines are still a formidable weapon. But they just don't get any respect. The historical record says otherwise. Modern naval mines were widely used for the first time over a century ago, during the Russo-Japanese war (1904- 1905). These were contact mines, floating in shallow water and kept in place with an anchor and chain. When the tide was right they would be just below the surface, ready to explode whenever struck by a ship. Some 2,000 of these mines were used to destroy sixteen ships during the Russo-Japanese war. That's one ship lost for every 125 mines used. During World War I (1914-18), modern mine tactics were developed still more. Thousands of mines were laid to provide defensive barriers against enemy movement in the North Sea. Mines were used offensively by secretly placing them across known enemy sea routes. More than 1,000 merchant and war ships were lost because of the 230,000 mines used. That's over 200 mines used for every ship lost. During World War II a total of 2,665 ships were lost or damaged to 100,000 offensive mines. That's one ship for every 37 mines. Some 208,000 mines were used defensively to inhibit enemy movement and tie up his resources. Naval mines achieved several striking successes during World War II. In the Pacific naval mines proved more destructive to the Japanese war effort than the atom bombs. During a ten week period between April and August 1945 12,000 mines were dropped off the Japanese coast by American bombers. These destroyed 1,250,000 tons of Japanese shipping (670 ships hit, 431 destroyed). That's 18 mines for each ship hit. The Americans had air superiority, so losses during these 1,500 missions amounted to only 15 planes, most of them to accidents. Had these missions been flown against opposition, losses would have been between 30 and 60 aircraft, plus similar losses to their fighter escorts. Still, these air delivered mines proved to be a devastating weapon. A conventional submarine campaign was also waged against Japanese shipping. Comparisons to the mine campaign are interesting. A hundred submarines were involved in a campaign that ran for 45 months from December, 1941 to August, 1945. Some 4.8 million tons of enemy shipping was sunk. For every US submarine sailor lost using submarine launched torpedoes, 560 tons of enemy ships were sunk. During the mine campaign 3,500 tons were sunk for each U.S. fatality. On a cost basis the difference was equally stark. Counting the cost of lost mine laying aircraft (B- 29's at $500,000 each) or torpedo armed submarine ($5 million each), we find that each ton of sunk shipping cost six dollars when using mines and fifty-five dollars when using submarines. This data was classified as secret until the 1970s. It indicates that mines might have been more effective than torpedoes, even if the mines were delivered by submarine. The Germans waged a minelaying campaign off the east coast of the United States between 1942 and 1944. Only 317 mines were used, which sank or damaged 11 ships. This was a ratio of 29 mines used for each ship hit. In addition, eight ports were closed for a total of 40 days. One port, Charleston, South Carolina, was closed for 16 days, tying up not only merchant shipping but the thousands of men, warships, and aircraft dealing with the situation. American submarines also waged a limited mine campaign in the Pacific. For 658 mines used, 54 ships were sunk or damaged (12 mines per ship). No subs were lost. Considerable Japanese resources were tied up dealing with the mines. On the Palau atoll the port was closed by the mines and not reopened until the war ended. Even surface ships were used to lay mines. Three thousand mines were laid by destroyers. Only 12 ships were hit but these were barrier fields, not the ambush type mine fields that a submarine can create by sneaking into an enemy held area. During World War II there was a major effort to develop better mine clearing methods. These efforts ended in 1945 but were resumed because of the experience in Korea during the early 1950s. The Soviets had provided North Korea with 3,000 mines, many of 1904 vintage. These were used to defend Wonson harbor (on the east coast of North Korea). It took several weeks for UN forces to clear these, at a loss of a dozen ships hit. Half of these ships were destroyed. When the Korean War ended in 1953 the United States and Western nations in general realized they could no longer ignore naval mines. During the Vietnam War over 300,000 naval mines were used, primarily in rivers. The vast majority were not built as mines but were aerial bombs equipped with magnetic sensors instead of fuzes. These bombs/mines used a small parachute to insure that no damage occurred on landing. In shallow water these makeshift weapons sat on the bottom and performed as well as mines. In North Vietnam, Haiphong Harbor was actually mined with 11,000 of these "destructors," as the U.S. Air Force called them, and less than a hundred conventional mines. Haiphong Harbor was shut down completely for months, and it took years to clear out all the American mines. The "destructor" mine design was so successful that it is still in use, using more modern electronics, as the Mk 62 mine. During the 1991 Gulf War the Iraqis laid over a thousand mines off the Iraqi and Kuwaiti coast. The predominantly U.S. naval forces did not have sufficient mine sweeping resources to deal with this situation and had a helicopter carrier and cruiser hit and damaged while trying to clear the area. This effectively prevented any U.S. amphibious operations, although the Marines were not going to be used for a landing anyway. It took over a month of mine clearing after the fighting ceased to eliminate all the mines. In the meantime, two U.S. warships were damaged by these mines. In 2003, the Iraqis again tried to use mines, but were hampered by prompt American, British, and Kuwaiti action. All this provided more encouragement to develop and build more effective mine detecting and clearing equipment. Despite that in any future war naval mines will again surprise everyone with how effective they are. It is feared that terrorists might get their hands on some bottom mines, but so far, there do not appear to have been any attempts. The drug violence is getting worse. At least 18,650 people were murdered in Mexico in 2015. That is a 7.6 percent increase over 2014. The murder rate for 2015 was 16 per 100,000. The high point during the Calderon Administration (2006-12) was 20 per 100,000. Guerrero state remains the most violent. Its murder rate is 57 per 100,000. When Calderon was in charge he pursued a kingpin strategy which concentrated on cartel leaders and sought to arrest them or kill them while attempting to arrest them. The current president (Pina) initially criticized the kingpin strategy. However, once in office, Pena has followed a very similar path. By 2015 security forces had killed or captured several senior leaders in the Knights Templar, Sinaloa, Los Zetas and Gulf cartels. At that point it was believed that there were only two major cartels left. For many this was astonishing good news. Here is the bad news: several hundred cartel factions or splinter cartel cells are still engaged in violent organized criminal activities. This new claim contrasts sharply with another recent government assessment which said nine major cartels and around 45 smaller organized criminal gangs were operating in the country. Was the 2015 analysis fantasy for the press? Perhaps, but many in the government believe they have a deal to make all Mexicans aware of current intelligence on the cartel situation. Thus the view that by 2015 only the Sinaloa cartel and the Jalisco New Generation cartel were still working and functioning as major organizations within Mexico. That qualifier, working and functioning as major organizations was a key point. The government also emphasized that the Jalisco New Generation is a very dangerous and powerful organization and is capable of carrying out coordinated military-style attacks (which it continues to do). The high-level of coordination indicates it is well led and has internal discipline. However, the government continues to pressure the leadership in both of these powerful organizations. Sinaloa now has only two effective senior commanders, Ismael Zambada and Fausto Meza. By mid-2015 the Gulf cartel was essentially leaderless; all that is left of the organization are gunmen. The gunmen are still dangerous and they are fighting for power. Architects and construction engineers have noticed that drug tunnels beneath the U.S.-Mexico border have become increasingly sophisticated. Security personnel now routinely find tunnels over 100 meters in length (some have exceeded 150 meters). Joaquin Guzmans escape tunnel was around 1500 meters long. Mexican and American police have found evidence that the tunnel builders are using sophisticated directional drilling technology that the oil industry uses to drill oil wells and lay pipelines. This makes sense as South American drug gangs acted in a similar fashion when they hired experienced ship builders and former submarine crew members to improve the design of their semi-submersible drug smuggling submarines. February 15, 2016: Federal police at the Mexico City airport inspected a four-kilogram box of lollipops. The police discovered each lollipop contained a capsule of methamphetamine. Someone in Sinaloa state was trying to send the speed pops to Omaha, Nebraska. Pope Francis has been visiting Mexico. Today he held a mass in San Cristobal (Chiapas state). Some of the prayers were read in Tzotzil and Tzeltal (Mayan languages). Later in the day the Pope said that mass in Mexico could be conducted in Nahuatl (Aztec language). On January 1, 1994, Mayan Indians, led by the enigmatic Sub-Commandante Marcos, entered San Cristobal and nearby Tuxtla Gutierrez and launched a very peculiar insurrection, the Zapatista Rebellion. The Zapatista movement (Zapatista Army of National Liberation, EZLN), protested the treatment of indigenous peoples in Mexico. The government says that Sub-Commandante Marcos was the nom de guerre of Rafael Guillen (Rafael Sebastian Guillen Vicente). February 14, 2016: Investigators working for the Nuevo Leon state prosecutors office have found luxury prison cells in the Topo Chico prison (located in the city of Monterrey). Topo Chico is where 49 prisoners were killed in a riot on February 11. The luxury cells were more like apartments. The niceties included aquariums and saunas. One cell had a bar. The state attorney general also announced that the warden and superintendent of Topo Chico have been arrested on charges of drug trafficking and failure to maintain security measures. February 11, 2016: At least 49 prisoners were killed and more than a dozen injured when a fight between gangs in Nuveo Leon states Topo Chico prison became a riot. Police reported that no prisoners escaped during the riot. The state believes two factions of Los Zetas cartel were involved in the fight that led to the riot. February 9, 2016: Investigative journalists in Texas claim that the Zetas cartel made use of a network of ovens to dispose of the bodies of murder victims in Coahuila state. Most of the victims were killed from 2011-2013. That is the time frame in which the Zetas were seizing control of state and local governments in Coahuila. February 8, 2016: Security personnel arrested at least 12 people in Michoacan state who were carrying banners announcing the creation of a new organized criminal gang. The new crime gang is called La Nueva Familia (LNF). It is supposedly a descendant of La Familia Michoacana. February 4, 2016: Federal prosecutors have ordered security forces to find and question actress Kate del Castillo. She is a friend of Sinaloa cartel senior commander Joaquin Guzman and helped arrange actor Sean Penns infamous interview with Guzman. According to prosecutors, in 2015 Guzman may have given del Castillo money to start a business. If he did, that means del Castillo may be involved in money laundering. Del Castillo claims she has done nothing wrong. February 2, 2016: Mexicans abroad sent home $24.8 billion in 2015. That is a record figure. Most of the income was earned in the United States. Mexico earned $23.6 billion from oil sales. That means the country earned more from overseas workers than oil. A spokesman said this has not happened since the government began keeping track of overseas income in 1995. February 1, 2016: - A birthday party in Coyuca de Catalan (Guerrero State) turned into a murder spree, leaving nine people dead. On January 31 a woman was murdered in the same town when gunmen opened started shooting at her car. A series of firefights between cartel gunmen and security forces erupted in the city of Matamoros (Tamaulipas state). At least eight people were killed. Seven of the dead were cartel gunmen. The other victim was a 13 year old girl caught in the crossfire. January 31, 2016: The government announced the arrest of a man who was once a senior commander in the Beltran-Leyva cartel. Francisco Javier Hernandez Garcia was arrested in Sinaloa state. He took control of the cartel in 2014. Three soldiers and two gunmen were killed in a firefight in La Huerta (near the city of Mocorito, Sinaloa state). Two cartel gunmen and four soldiers were also wounded in the firefight. January 30, 2016: Police arrested 22 members of the Sinaloa cartel and killed two others in an operation on the U.S. border (Arizona-Sinaloa). The two cartel gunmen who were killed in a firefight with Mexican federal police. The Federales had surrounded a building in the border town of Sonoyta (across from Lukeville, Arizona). The gang members were involved in narcotics trafficking and human smuggling. Authorities described the operation as a sting. The operation was named Operation Diablo Express. January 29, 2016: The government said that it is cooperating with the American request to extradite Sinaloa cartel commander Joaquin Guzman to the US. Mexico officially renamed its capital city. The capitals new official name? Mexico City. Ah, but wasnt that its name already? That is what almost everyone in the world called it. But its official name was the Federal District (hence the abbreviation DF). The new Mexico City has a population of around nine million. Another thirteen to fourteen million people live in the surrounding suburbs. Dirty Little Secrets Spain Creates Some Scary Specialists by James Dunnigan February 17, 2016 Spain is expanding its Special Operations forces to include an organization dedicated to counter-terrorism. The existing Special Operations Command (SOC) includes small units from the army (commandos), navy (marine commandos) and the air force (air rescue and aerial support for all special operations units). The new GOE unit (Grupo de Operaciones Especiales, or special operations group) includes commandos specializing in counter-terror operations as well as training similar forces foreign countries. GOE can also handle nuclear terrorists, disabling bombs, cyber-terrorism and civil affairs. The SOC only has a few thousand personnel, including support troops out of a total armed forces of 140,000. Despite the low oil prices and economic sanctions Russia has found the cash to buy desperately needed new fighters for its air force. As the years went by Russian air force generals pointed out that the Cold War era MiG-28s and Su-27s were falling further behind the regularly upgraded Western fighters. Finally new Russian fighters began arriving in 2013 when the first of 60 Su-30SM fighter bombers entered service. Before the first Su-30SM order Russia had only eleven Su-30s in service, far fewer than China and India. All Russia could afford until 2013 was the older Su-27. Russia has sent Su-30SMs to Syria where they are gaining valuable combat experience and are, so far, holding up well. The Su-35S, which spent two decades in development and was delayed by repeated problems with new technology (electronics and engines). This delayed delivery of aircraft reliable enough for regular combat until early 2016. Thus the Su-35S is now being put to the test with four recently arriving in. The Su-30SM is a Russian Air Force version of the Su-30MKI that has been exported (to India, Algeria, and Malaysia) since 2002. It is a two-seat jet fighter-bomber similar to the American F-15E. Since the early 1990s Russian defense manufacturers have survived on exports. The Russian military halted most equipment purchases after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. That collapse was largely due to financial and economic mismanagement by the communist government. The Soviet Union was, literally, bankrupt and it took most of the 1990s to sort it all out. After 2000 the Russian military gradually resumed buying. Initially, the armed forces could not afford the best stuff (like the Su-30MKI). That gradually changed and now the Russian military is catching up. The Su-30SM is the first Su-30 model for the Russian Air Force that uses thrust vectoring (the ability of the engine to direct its exhaust a bit and enhance maneuverability). The Su-30MKI, even though equipped with Western electronics, costs less than $50 million each, about half of what an equivalent F-15 costs. The Russian version will have Russian electronics and other Russian made gear but otherwise be nearly identical to the Su-30MKI. The Su-30MKI/SM each weigh about 38 tons and each can carry more than eight tons of bombs and hit targets over 1,500 kilometers away. The Su-30SM is able to use a large range of missiles and smart bombs. The Su-35 is a 34 ton fighter that is more maneuverable than the original, 33 ton, Su-27, and has much better electronics. The Su-35 began in the late 1980s as a customized (for more maneuverability) version of the Su-27. Development continued the resulted in the Su-35, an aircraft that can cruise at above the speed of sound. It also costs at least fifty percent more than the Su-27. That would be some $60 million (for a barebones model), about what a top-of-the-line F-16 costs. The Su-27 was originally developed to match the F-15, which is larger than the single engine F-16. The larger size of the Su-27/35 allows designers to do a lot more with it in terms of modifications and enhancements. The Su-35 has some stealth capabilities (or at least be less detectable to most fighter aircraft radars). Russia claims the Su-35 has a useful life of 6,000 flight hours and engines good for 4,000 hours. Russia provides world-class avionics, plus a very pilot-friendly cockpit. The use of many thrusters and fly-by-wire produced an aircraft even more maneuverable than Su-30s (which were Su-27s tweaked to be extremely agile). The Su-35 was in development for two decades before it was declared ready for production in 2005. But even then there were problems with the new engines that gave it its superior performance. Russia says the engine problems are solved, but only time will tell if that is true. The Su-35 is not meant to be a direct rival for the F-22 because the Russian aircraft is not nearly as stealthy. The Su-35 carries a 30mm autocannon (with 150 rounds) and up to eight tons of munitions, hanging from 12 hard points. This reduces stealthiness, which the F-22 and F-35 get around by using an internal bay for bombs and missiles. But if the maneuverability and advanced electronics of the proposed Su-35 live up to the promises, the aircraft would be more than a match for every fighter out there except the F-22. Since the Su-35 is to sell for well under $100 million each, there should be a lot of buyers. Russia still has a smaller force of modern fighters than China and India (who could afford the most modern Russian warplanes) and far behind the United States. Whether or not Russia catches up soon depends, as it did throughout the Cold War, money. In the West Bank the knife terrorism campaign organized by the local leadership (Fatah) continues. This is all about making the corrupt and incompetent Fatah more popular in the West Bank but opinion polls show that many (but not most) Palestinians would vote for Hamas if elections were held right now. Moreover polls show enthusiasm for the knife terrorism campaign is waning. While Hamas is hated by the people of Gaza, West Bank Palestinians dont experience Hamas cruelty daily while they do endure the corrupt and inept rule of Fatah. The Fatah pro-terror media campaign has distracted many Palestinians from their problems with Fatah but also convinced many that Israel is refusing to negotiate peace when in fact it is the Palestinians who turned down two peace deals in the 1990s and instead tried terror campaigns to get more. Both of these intifadas failed and Fatah has sold the illusion that the third intifada (the knife intifada) will succeed. It isnt and that is one reason Hamas has not gotten involved. Since 2000 Palestinian media constantly pushed the idea that Israel has no right to exist and must be destroyed. Palestinians who disagree with this must either emigrate or keep silent. For most Palestinians it is easier to simply praise the knife until it all blows over. The knife terrorism campaign has, since September, left 27 Israelis (and one American) dead and over 250 wounded. But 170 Palestinians have died (65 percent of them while attacking). Palestinian media depicts unsuccessful attacks that result in attackers being killed or wounded as Israeli attacks against random (and innocent) Palestinians. Over all the knife terrorism does nothing for the Palestinians except increase their poverty and Fatah propaganda about how glorious it is to die. Fatah and Hamas are holding another round of unifications talks in Qatar during February but there is still no agreement. Meanwhile Fatah leaders announced that they would never negotiate with Israel again. At the same time Hamas officially (via diplomats from major Moslem nations like Turkey) let Israel know that Hamas was not planning any major attacks and was not joining in the Fatah sponsored knife terrorism campaign in the West Bank. Hamas could not say this itself because it has to pretend to be mobilizing for war with Israel and constantly supporting like-minded groups. Hamas is still doing the supporting and many Islamic terrorist groups have sanctuary inside Gaza. While not technically a violation of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas it is seen as a way for Hamas to facilitate attacks against Israel without having to take responsibility. Both Israel and Egypt disagree which is why Gaza remains largely inaccessible because of the blockade Egypt and Israel enforce. In Gaza Hamas is believed to have over a thousand men working on new attack tunnels into Israel. So far this year at least a dozen Hamas men have died because tunnel collapses brought on by heavy rains. Much of the work involves rebuilding a combat tunnels destroyed by Israel during the mid-2014 50 Day War. Fatah accused Hamas of wasting the lives of their members working on tunnels, especially the ones used mainly for smuggling goods (which Hamas taxes heavily). Israelis living near the Gaza border complain that they can sometimes hear (or feel) Hamas tunnel building efforts. In 2014 the Israeli military said they would erect a detection system to locate new tunnels so they could be destroyed. The detection system has been delayed because of defense spending cuts but now the government says the detection system is coming soon. There is some urgency to this because Hamas is admitting that it has to do something spectacular to divert the Gaza population from the miserable economic situation Hamas has caused. By continuing to shelter Islamic terror groups that keep firing rockets into Israel (in violation of the ceasefire deal with Hamas) Israel keeps limiting access to Gaza. Israel believes that Hamas will again be extending its tunnels into Israel and growing pressure Hamas is under means Israel has to deploy the new tunnel detection sensors quickly. By providing sanctuary to Islamic terror groups that operate in Egypt Hamas has made an enemy of Egypt. Thus since 2012 Egypt has been limiting the ability of Gaza residents to enter or leave Gaza via Egypt. Worse, the Egyptians have gone after the smuggling tunnels. The most successful tactic has been filling the smuggling tunnels with water. This began in 2013 when the Egyptians dug small canals for seawater that could then be pumped into tunnels discovered. It was eventually found that flooding permanently destroyed the tunnel better than any other method because it caused the sandy soil in the area to collapse and remain unstable. It is believed that only about twenty tunnels are still operating and every week several of those are discovered and flooded. The army engineers have learned that you have to not only flood the tunnels but keep flooding them because the Palestinians can obtain pumps to remove the water and repair the damage. But if you keep the tunnel flooded long enough it collapses and has to be rebuilt as if there were never a tunnel there in the first place. Egypt has also created a buffer zone along the border by moving Egyptians out and destroying all buildings. This means tunnels from Gaza now have to be over a kilometer long and deeper as well to evade detection. To make matters worse Egyptian police watch buildings within a few kilometers of the Gaza border for signs of a tunnel entrance. The police are less likely to take bribes from smuggling tunnel operators because Gaza based Islamic terrorists have killed a lot of Egyptian police and soldiers in the last few years. Hamas publicizes its preparations for another war with Israel. Hamas believes that if they can inflict enough damage on Israel by killing or capturing soldiers and civilians they can prompt Moslem and Western countries to pressure Israel to allow more access to Gaza and send more aid. Hamas also hopes that Israel bombs and ground forces do enough damage inside Gaza to allow Hamas to get away with portraying itself as a victim and again persuading other nations to help. This will be difficult because the Arab donors no longer trust Hamas (or Fatah either) and are put off by the recent Iranian announcement that it was still subsidizing Hamas, which has run Gaza and its 1.5 million Palestinians since 2005. Iran has supported Hamas early on. There were recently more rumors that Iran had stopped supporting Hamas. Iran had decreased its support, in large part because of the sanctions and low oil prices but never cut off Hamas completely. Although Sunni Hamas sometimes persecutes Shia, Iran supports energetic Hamas efforts to attack Israel. Hamas also supports Islamic terrorists active in Egypt and that has turned Egypt completely against Hamas and helped put Egypt firmly into the anti-Iran Sunni coalition. The Iran link makes Hamas an enemy as far as most Sunni Moslem nations are concerned. Hamas has made a lot of bad decisions since 2005 and the Iran link is seen as one of the worst. In response to Arab states who have cut aid to Gaza and the West Bank Palestinian leaders have quietly told the reluctant Arab donors that if they do not increase aid there will be violent Palestinian protests (in Gaza, West Bank and Jerusalem) against the Arab donors as well as Israel. These Arab donors (mainly Gulf oil states like Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait) have lost patience with the Palestinians and not only cut donor aid (which was being stolen or misused by corrupt Palestinian leaders) but also openly allied themselves with Israel against Iran. The Arab world still technically backs the Palestinians and their effort to destroy Israel but have lost confidence in the Palestinians. Israel recently revealed that in the last few months it has been subject to a growing number of Internet based attacks from Iran. Some of the attacks were serious but Israel would not reveal the extent of the damage done and much about these attacks is still under investigation. While Israel has some of the best Internet defenses on the planet, many of the recent Iranian attacks relied more on psychology than software skill. This method of attack is known as spear fishing (phishing as hackers spell it). Spear fishing is a fishing operation where targets are carefully chosen and researched before putting together the attack. Despite the Israeli Defense Ministry having software and user rules in place to block spear fishing attacks there are so many email accounts to attack and you only have to get one victim to respond to a bogus email with a vital attachment that must be opened immediately. Among the targets for these attacks were over a thousand active duty and retired generals as well as senior civilian officials in the government and the Internet security industry. Despite this recent Iranian activity the Internet based attacks on Israel were down in 2015. Israel Cyber War experts still believe that Israel has a considerable edge in technology over the rest of the world. Israel continues to openly proclaim that their main priority in Syria is eliminating the Iranian presence. When pressed Israeli officials admit that this means preferring an Islamic terrorist group, even ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) running Syria if that meant Iran was gone. To Israel Iran is a more formidable threat than any Sunni Islamic terrorist group. On the plus side Israel believes the Russian intervention in Syria will, in the short term, lessen the possibility that Iran backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon will start another war with Israel. A growing number of Israelis believe that Syria cannot be saved as a unified state but that peace will come only when Syria is partitioned. This is anathema to most Arabs and some are already accusing Israel of working on some secret scheme to make partition happen. Israeli leaders openly admit that they doubt Hezbollah (in Lebanon) or Hamas (in Gaza) will start another war with Israel in 2016, but beyond that there is still a major threat from these two groups. Both Israel and Russia have come to an understanding that they will not get in each others way in Syria and that deal seems to be working. In Egypt the Islamic terrorism is declining but not disappearing. A massive military presence in northern Sinai (near Gaza) has largely suppressed (but not eliminated) the Islamic radical groups that have long thrived up there. Yet there are still Islamic terror attacks every week. Most now occur in the more populated parts of Egypt along the Nile River. In 2015 138 police were killed in Islamic terrorist violence. But most of the dead since the military staged a coup in mid-2013 have been soldiers, civilians and Islamic terrorists. Security forces are still arresting several hundred people a week. Most are quickly released, some are prosecuted and some are simply never heard from again. In 2014 a former general ran for president and won but Egypt is again the police state it was before the 2011 revolution. And as with the pre-2011 Mubarak dictatorship the current government has largely eliminated large-scale demonstrations and is concentrating on Islamic terrorist groups, which the Mubarak government fought and defeated in the 1990s. The economy is worse than it was under Mubarak and at least the government is paying more attention to that. February 17, 2016: Israeli warplanes fired three missiles at a Syrian army base south of Damascus. This created more explosions as ammunition and explosives exploded as well. This was the first such attack in 2016 and there were several in 2015. Israeli warplanes have made dozens of attacks in Syria since 2013, several of them to destroy Russian weapons being moved to Lebanon (by Hezbollah) and all to prevent more violence against Israel. February 8, 2016: Hamas denied Israeli accusations that Islamic terrorists wounded in Egypt, including members of ISIL, have been treated in Gaza hospitals. Many Palestinians who have left Gaza confirm that Hamas has long supported other Islamic terror groups and that includes treating wounded holy warriors. February 7, 2016: In Gaza a senior Hamas military leader (Mahmoud Eshtewi) was executed after confessing to spying for Israel. Eshtewi admitted that he supplied Israel with information about where the most senior Hamas military commander (Mohammed Deif) was during the mid-2014 50 Day War with Israel. The subsequent Israeli missile attack wounded Deif and killed his wife and child and other Hamas personnel. A year later Israel confirmed that Deif was still alive and hiding in Gaza. Israel considered Mohammed Deif a mass murderer and have been after him since the 1990s. Apparently Eshtewi was able to contact Israel (or was contacted) and obtained a high enough price to sell out Deif. Exactly how Eshtewi was found out is unclear and this was very embarrassing for Hamas as Eshtewi was a Hamas member since the 1990s but was quickly suspected of being the informant and was arrested in January 2015. January 31, 2016: In Gaza Hamas held a military parade to commemorate the many Hamas members killed or injured in the last month building or repairing tunnels. Part of the parade featured a captured Israeli Merkava tank. The tank seemed real from a distance but if you got closer (as many cell phone photos did) you could see that it was a fake. The tank was a realistic shell of a Merkava mounted on a truck. Up close you could see the truck wheels underneath the tank. At the same time Fatah officials were admitting that since the knife terrorism began in September 2015 Palestinian security forces had disrupted 200 attacks on Palestinians and arrested over a hundred Palestinians in the process. Hamas publicized this admission mainly because this Fatah cooperation with Israel only occurs when Fatah is going after Hamas members in the West Bank. Fatah has always maintained some cooperation (or collaboration as Hamas would put it) with Israel in order to keep Palestinian security forces from being outlawed and destroyed by the Israelis. Wellesbourne Airfield "She loved baking, music, fashion and make-up and she treasured the times she spent with her family. "This has sent a shockwave through the family and we are all absolutely devastated. "Rest in peace Beth until we meet again, we will always love you." Bethanys brother Jason and his partner Emma Homer- Hill added: Beth was a source of great joy and laughter in our family. She had an amazing ability to bring fun and excitement into our lives. She was devoted to our children and her love and care for them is testament to the fine and wonderful young woman she was. Our loss and grief feels too heavy to bear. Growing up in Bidford Bethany was a popular girl, the youngest of seven siblings with four brothers and two sisters. Rachel Lamont, a former neighbour of Bethany in Bidford said: My two children grew up playing with Beth and the other children in the street I'm still in shock that such a vibrant lady with so much to give has been taken away far too soon, my heart goes out too her family and friends RIP Beth sleep tight xx. Bethany loved children, and with six nieces and nephews, she regularly helped babysit for family members. Chloe Butler, 16, Bethanys niece, said: "I will miss my 'Bethy' so much, especially her infectious laugh and how she lit up my day with so many happy snap chats about wild and random things. She has been a shining light all of my life. Growing up Bethany attended Bidford Primary School before going on to study at Stratford High School. A statement from Bidford Primary School said: Bethany was a cheerful, bright little girl and an equally loving, caring Auntie to her nephews and nieces. Her support with these family members has been greatly valued and we will miss her." Bethany, who had a flair for maths, continued her studies at Stratford College, taking vocational studies and with an emphasis on business. A statement on behalf of the learning development team at Stratford College said: We remember Beth very fondly indeed. She was a highly successful student at the College, possessing a lively and bubbly personality. Having made a huge impact on both her teachers and peers, Beth will be fondly remembered. Friends have also been quick to pay their respects to Bethany and her family. Tam Bartlett, a close friend of Bethanys said: Beth Marie Hill you were a bright intelligent girl with a heart of pure gold. You were beautiful inside and out and I will never forget the memories we share! It's your time to brighten up the night sky and grow your wings but you will never be forgotten rest in peace. Another friend Jordan Prosser added: Beth was a lovely girl who I grew up with, I regularly played around Bidford, at each other's houses! She was joyful and full of spirit at all times, it's so sad she's gone so soon! RIP beautiful - behave up there. Others turned to facebook to pay tribute to Bethany. Sarah Harris wrote: RIP. Sweet dreams Hun. Always had a smile on your face. Thinking of your family at this difficult time. Still in shock. Xx Hayley Grubb added: RIP hun. Still cant believe youre gone, you were such a kind hearted girl, thoughts are with your family. If you would like to leave any tributes to Bethany Marie Hill email us a news@stratford-herald.com Around 3,500 military officers take part in a special operation in Guerrero state. EFE More information Mas de medio centenar de asesinatos en seis dias de visita papal Not even the message of peace that Pope Francis delivered throughout his five-day official visit to Mexico could put even a temporary stop to the slaughter in the country. At least 52 homicides more than eight a day were reported across what is one of the most dangerous nations in the world during Franciss stay. At dawn Saturday just hours before Jorge Mario Bergoglio was due to arrive in Mexico City 13 people were killed in San Ignacio, Sinaloa, near the state border with Durango. Among the dead were five women. Authorities said the massacre was the product of an ongoing dispute between rival gangs who are fighting for control of the area. Two people have been arrested. At least 52 homicides more than eight a day were reported across Mexico during Franciss stay In a shootout between other gangs in Maloya, also in Sinaloa state, three people were shot dead and a house firebombed with grenades, according to the daily Noroeste. Over the past nine months, attacks by organized crime groups in the south of the state have become more frequent and forced many residents to flee. On Sunday, two days before Pope Francis was to travel to volatile Michoacan, two men were gunned down on the street in broad daylight in Uruapan, the second largest city in the state, while they were drinking beer. In the same city, the body of a man covered in gunshot wounds was found near a shopping center, while authorities earlier uncovered another body of a 25-year-old victim, who showed signs of having been tortured, in a secret garbage dump. Another nine murders took place in Morelos over the weekend. According to official statistics, an average 46.6 intentional killings took place every day in Mexico last year. In theory the homicide figure for the duration of the papal visit is lower, but at the same time it is difficult to pinpoint as the data was gathered from media reports and local prosecutors offices. Similar murders took place in Guerrero where 14 people were reportedly killed within a five-day period. In Acapulco, tourists at a beach fled after a street vendor was gunned down One person was killed after the Mexican military engaged in a shootout with armed men in San Miguel Totolapa, in the states Tierra Caliente region on Friday. Authorities arrested one alleged attacker. In the Pacific resort of Acapulco, which is heavily guarded by the military, one man was gunned down at the Tamarindos beach area while another victim was beaten to death at Hornos beach. At another nearby beach popular with tourists, a street vendor was gunned down and a second person was wounded. Authorities had to cordon off the area while vacationers fled. Other murders took place in Tijuana where six people, including an elderly man, were killed in less than 12 hours on Sunday San Luis Potosi and Veracruz. In a brief ceremony in Ciudad Juarez that ended his trip, Pope Francis said: The night can seem vast and very dark, but in these days I have been able to observe that in this people there are many lights who proclaim hope. English version by Martin Delfin. Wellesbourne Airfield If you want to get rail investment, you need to have confidence, you need to have ambition, and you need a compelling case, and I think the three things you need are coming together here. The document, A Joint Vision for the North Cotswold Line, has been drawn up by train operator the Great Western Railway. Its aim is to lobby all interested parties, local authorities and LEPs to consider what they would like to see regarding further expansion of Cotswold Line services to meet the year-on-year and above the national average passenger growth experienced along the line. It was agreed to set up a Steering Group to take the proposals forward which include the reopening of the Stratford to Honeybourne link by 2024. Once a consensus view can be reached it's hoped the vision will form the basis of a business case by Great Western Railway and asset operator Network Rail as part of their investment plans. The Stratford to Honeybourne line would give Stratford direct connections with Oxford, London and Worcester, while Evesham would be able to have a direct service to and from Birmingham taking just one hour. Worcestershire, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire County Councils all support the re-opening, while Stratford-on-Avon District Council has submitted an 'expression of interest' in bidding for 500,000 from the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership to fund a new feasibility study. Fraser Pithie, from the Stratford-Worcester-Oxford (SWO) group, set up to promote the development of the line, said: " We are encouraged by the vision and that Great Western Railway can see the potential for re-opening Stratford-Honeybourne providing there is local support for it. "We are confident that real local support exists because a majority of local parish and town councils have confirmed to us they support the reopening of the line." SWO says Evesham Town Council, Chipping Campden Town Council, Mickleton Parish Council (PC) Pebworth PC, Bidford on Avon PC, Aston Cantlow PC, Henley in Arden and Beaudesert Joint PC, and Honeybourne PC all support reopening the Stratford to Honeybourne line. Wellesbourne Airfield It is highly likely most, if not all, of the decisions made on each of the applications in question will also be endorsed by councillors. Up to 3,500 homes could eventually be built at Long Marston Airfield, with the 400 dwelling application marking the start. File photo of Carson Block, director of research and founding partner of Muddy Waters Research LLC, speaks during an interview in New York, October 16, 2014. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid By Svea Herbst-Bayliss and Lawrence Delevingne NEW YORK (Reuters) - Prominent short seller Carson Block is eyeing Europe and corporate bonds in his expanding hunt for securities that he expects will tumble. Europe has caught Block's attention because he believes investors there do not scrutinize corporations and their management with the same vigor as in other parts of the world. "You just find a lot of filth there," Block told Reuters when speaking of European securities on the sidelines of the Absolute Return Symposium in New York on Wednesday. The short seller's publicly disclosed recent forays into Europe include a bet against French supermarket operator Casino Group, where Block is wagering the company's stock will fall because of its high debt burden. He is also shorting the stock of Rallye SA, the majority shareholder of Casino, and TeliaSonera, a dominant telephone company in Finland and Sweden. Block recently launched a $100 million hedge fund after years of churning out research at his firm Muddy Waters LLC. He is best known for targeting the shares of China-based companies that he believed were frauds. Block, a trained lawyer who started his career as an equity analyst, also said he expects become more active in shorting corporate bonds, something activists have generally shied away from. Credits rated just above junk status, or BBB-, are a category of bonds where Block expects to find plenty of opportunity to find new short ideas. "We are going to do more credit-based shorts going forward," Block said. He also noted that he his avoiding shorting biotechnologies, addling they "do not make for good shorts" because the companies' scientific claims are hard to verify or discredit. A lengthy research report in 2011 that alleged Chinese forestry company Sino-Forest Corporation was a fraud cemented Block's reputation and he has since become a well-known name in the relatively small community of short sellers, or firms that focus on betting against securities. He distributed the research for free and said that it took him years to create the hedge fund, which was officially born through a regulatory filing in January. Even as his focus moves to other geographies, Block has not forgotten about Asia. "We always pay attention to China because we love to short stock frauds," he said. Creating the hedge fund was a long time in coming, Block said, adding that for now, he is happy staying at a relatively small size. (Story refiles to remove duplicate quote) (Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss, editing by G Crosse) A Dell logo is pictured on the front of a computer in this photo illustration in the Manhattan borough of New York October 12, 2015. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Dell Inc [DI.UL], the world's third-biggest maker of computers, is set to gain unconditional EU antitrust approval for its $67 billion bid for data storage company EMC Corp, two people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Dell unveiled the deal in October last year, the largest ever in the technology industry sector, and designed to enable Dell to better challenge rivals Cisco Systems Inc, IBM and Hewlett-Packard in cloud computing, mobility and cyber security. European Commission spokesman Ricardo Cardoso declined to comment on Thursday. The Commission is scheduled to give its ruling on the deal by Feb. 29. "The transaction is on schedule under its original timetable and original terms," a Dell spokesman said in a statement. EMC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. EMC shares closed 0.56 percent higher at $25.12. Dell founder and Chief Executive Michael Dell took the company private three years ago with the help of private equity firm Silver Lake. The computer maker has arranged a debt package for up to $49.5 billion to help finance the EMC deal, the second-largest M&A financing on record. (Additional reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York; Editing by Greg Mahlich and Chris Reese) DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Kosmos Energy (NYSE: KOS) announced today that it has been informed by Tullow Oil plc (Tullow), operator of the Jubilee Unit, of a change to operating procedures on the Jubilee field Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO). Following a recent inspection of the turret area of the Jubilee FPSO by SOFEC, the original turret manufacturer, a potential issue was identified with the turret bearing. As a precautionary measure, additional operating procedures to monitor the turret bearing and reduce the degree of rotation of the vessel are being put in place. SOFEC will now undertake further offshore examinations and Tullow will work with SOFEC to determine what further measures will be required. Oil production and gas export is continuing as normal. About Kosmos Energy Kosmos Energy is a leading independent oil and gas exploration and production company focused on frontier and emerging areas along the Atlantic Margin. Our assets include existing production and other major development projects offshore Ghana, as well as exploration licenses with significant hydrocarbon potential offshore Mauritania, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Suriname, Morocco and Western Sahara. As an ethical and transparent company, Kosmos is committed to doing things the right way. The Companys Business Principles articulate our commitment to transparency, ethics, human rights, safety and the environment. Read more about this commitment in the Kosmos 2014 Corporate Responsibility Report. Kosmos is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is traded under the ticker symbol KOS. For additional information, visit www.kosmosenergy.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that Kosmos expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Kosmos estimates and forward-looking statements are mainly based on its current expectations and estimates of future events and trends, which affect or may affect its businesses and operations. Although Kosmos believes that these estimates and forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, they are subject to several risks and uncertainties and are made in light of information currently available to Kosmos. When used in this press release, the words anticipate, believe, intend, expect, plan, will or other similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Kosmos, which may cause actual results to differ materially from those implied or expressed by the forward-looking statements. Further information on such assumptions, risks and uncertainties is available in Kosmos Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings. Kosmos undertakes no obligation and does not intend to update or correct these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release, except as required by applicable law. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160217006684/en/ Kosmos Energy Investor Relations Neal Shah, +1-214-445-9628 [email protected] or Rhys Williams, +1-214-445-9693 [email protected] or Media Relations Thomas Golembeski, +1-214-445-9674 [email protected] Source: Kosmos Energy WASHINGTON, DC -- (Marketwired) -- 02/18/16 -- More than 300 security experts from around the globe gathered in Marrakesh, Morocco February 12-13 for the seventh annual Marrakesh Security Forum, hosted by the Moroccan Center for Strategic Studies (CMES) in partnership with the African Federation for Strategic Studies. Government officials, academics, think tank experts, journalists, and others from the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union, and other institutions and countries the world over -- including the US, Spain, France, Russia, China, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal, the UAE, Turkey, Egypt, and Tunisia, to name a few -- participated in nine discussion sessions centered on the theme "Africa and the War against International Jihadism." Presentations addressed topics including terrorist funding; intelligence and shared security challenges; challenges to security and borders control in Africa; the emerging threats of cyber-terrorism, chemical and biological terrorism; strategies to manage the return of foreign terrorist fighters; and more. A framework document issued at the start of the conference noted that "10 African countries in total have had deadly bombings that caused five victims or more," and that "certain countries in 2015 have experienced their first attacks of wide scale." The document concluded that "the staggering increase of terrorist attacks is mainly the work of Boko Haram and to a lesser degree of Shabab." Over the course of the conference, there was consensus that military action alone will not be enough to stem the tide of terrorism as the number of extremist groups and attacks proliferates in Africa; that underlying socio-economic issues and border security must also be addressed; and that a key element is improved cooperation among international security services. One session was dedicated to the Moroccan model of fighting radicalization and violent extremism. A panel of speakers that included Dr. Ahmed Abbadi, Secretary General of the Rabita Mohammedia Oulemas; Mr. Driss El Yazami, President of Morocco's National Center for Human Rights; Mr. Nizar Baraka, President of Morocco's Economic, Social, and Environmental Council; and others discussed Morocco's multidimensional approach to the issue. This includes implementing economic development programs, strengthening human rights, and structuring Morocco's religious sphere to promote a moderate and tolerant version of Islam. "The fight against terrorism requires equal parts hard power and soft power, to fight both violence and the extremist ideologies that fuel it. That's why a year ago today the White House hosted its first Summit on Countering Violent Extremism," said former US Ambassador to Morocco Edward M. Gabriel. "Morocco is a leader when it comes to this multidimensional view of counterterrorism; and the Marrakesh Security Forum shows that it is willing to engage with us and the world as an active partner in this fight." The Moroccan American Center for Policy (MACP) is a non-profit organization whose principal mission is to inform opinion makers, government officials, and interested publics in the United States about political and social developments in Morocco and the role being played by the Kingdom of Morocco in broader strategic developments in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. This material is distributed by the Moroccan American Center for Policy on behalf of the Government of Morocco. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC. Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/2/18/11G083537/Images/msf_logo_jpg-1a3805fcae3abc0491965380e7d73a62.jpg Source: Moroccan American Center for Policy NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News: Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE/Euronext Paris: PM) today informs its stockholders its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). PMI makes available free of charge on its website at www.pmi.com, its Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, reports filed pursuant to Section 16 of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after PMI electronically files or furnishes such materials to the SEC. All of these documents will be provided free of charge to any shareholder requesting a copy by writing to: Philip Morris International Inc., 120 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10017, U.S.A., attention: Corporate Secretary. These documents are also available on the SECs website at www.sec.gov. ### About Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) PMI is the worlds leading international tobacco company, with six of the world's top 15 international brands and products sold in more than 180 markets. In addition to the manufacture and sale of cigarettes, including Marlboro, the number one global cigarette brand, and other tobacco products, PMI is engaged in the development and commercialization of Reduced-Risk Products (RRPs). RRPs is the term PMI uses to refer to products with the potential to reduce individual risk and population harm in comparison to smoking cigarettes. Through multidisciplinary capabilities in product development, state-of-the-art facilities, and industry-leading scientific substantiation, PMI aims to provide an RRP portfolio that meets a broad spectrum of adult smoker preferences and rigorous regulatory requirements. For more information, see www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160218005955/en/ Investor Relations: New York: +1 (917) 663 2233 Lausanne: +41 (0)58 242 4666 or Media: Lausanne: +41 (0)58 242 4500 Source: Philip Morris International Inc. A Boeing 737 MAX takes off during a flight test in Renton, Washington January 29, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Redmond/Files SINGAPORE (Reuters) - China's Okay Airways has signed a commitment for 12 Boeing (NYSE: BA) 737 jets worth $1.3 billion at list prices, as the privately owned carrier looks to expand its fleet to tap the mainland's growing air travel market. The order includes 11 737 Max jets, the upgraded version of Boeing's narrowbody aircraft line. The deal was signed at the Singapore Airshow. The agreement also includes options for another eight 737 Max planes, Boeing said in a statement. The order is not part of the deal that Boeing signed with China last year to supply 300 aircraft worth $38 billion at list prices, Wang Shusheng, the company's chairman, told reporters on Wednesday. Okay Airways, China's first privately owned airline, currently has a fleet of 18 aircraft, and expects to grow the fleet to 80 by 2020. Wang also said the airline was looking into purchasing wide-body aircraft, which would account for about 30 percent of the total capacity by 2020, to accommodate longer routes in future. The company said it would make a decision on the wide-body aircraft later this year. "Next we would like to use wide-body aircraft to fly to destinations that exempt visa requirement for the Chinese," said Wang. Wang said his airline would soon start flying to Osaka, and is in discussion with authorities on opening new routes to popular tourist destinations in Japan. (Reporting by Fathin Ungku and Rujun Shen; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during the inauguration ceremony of the 'Make In India' week in Mumbai, February 13, 2016. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui By Promit Mukherjee MUMBAI (Reuters) - A week-long "Make in India" fair closed on Thursday with $222 billion in investment pledges, but thin attendance by foreign firms at the event launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi means many are unlikely to actually happen. The Mumbai jamboree was the biggest in India, but earlier events such as the "Vibrant Gujarat" launched by Modi when he led the state have only seen 13 percent of deals implemented, according to independent research. Amitabh Kant, Secretary of India's Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), told reporters investment commitments had reached 15.2 trillion rupees ($222 billion). The commitments fell some way short of the 25 trillion rupees announced at the three-day Vibrant Gujarat event a year ago. Kant said he expected 80-85 percent of the pledges to convert into serious business, much of it from foreign investors. It can take 18 months to three years for a memorandum of understanding to yield a final investment, he added. "This was the biggest multi-sectoral event ever done across Asia," he told a briefing, describing the event as a success. Research commissioned by the free-market Friedrich Naumann and Cato institutes has found the rate of conversion of such pledges into real investments in India has typically been far lower - with no state exceeding 20 percent. Among investments signed in the last seven days were a commitment by Oracle Corp (NYSE: ORCL) for $400 million to set up nine business incubation centers. Though some participants who spoke to Reuters lauded the event, several complained about a lack of foreign involvement. "The response is overwhelming, but mostly from Indians. There are Indians everywhere. Usually in Germany, in events like these, stalls are thronged by foreigners," said Ingo Eibbeck, a representative of German manufacturer Schneider International. (Editing by Rafael Nam and Douglas Busvine; Editing by Mark Potter) Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico (L) looks at Czech Republic's Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka during an extraordinary Visegrad Group summit aimed at resolving the migration crisis in Prague, Czech Republic, February 15, 2016. REUTERS/David W Cerny BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Slovakia's ruling leftists are on course to win the March 5 parliamentary election with 34.6 percent support, but will likely lose their outright majority, the final poll by the Focus agency said on Thursday. Prime Minister Robert Fico's Smer party would win 62 seats in the 150-member parliament, the poll showed, and would have a narrow majority of 77 seats together with the Slovak National Party, its most likely coalition partner. Smer now has an outright majority, holding 83 seats. (Reporting By Tatiana Jancarikova; Editing by Dominic Evans) Former Madrid regional premier Ignacio Gonzalez, whose government is under scrutiny over Punica. julian rojas The administration of former Madrid regional premier Ignacio Gonzalez, of the Popular Party (PP), allegedly used money from two government agencies to pay for work to improve the online media profiles of Gonzalez and two top aides. The allegations are part of the ongoing High Court investigation into the Punica graft case, which affects former officials in Madrid and other parts of Spain. The Civil Guard found three envelopes containing 82,000 in 50 bills in a search of Punica fixer Alejandro De Pedros home Judge Eloy Velasco lifted the seal on the proceedings last week, and EL PAIS has had access to court papers indicating that the Canal de Isabel II regional waterworks company and computer agency Agencia Informatica ICM were unlawfully used to fund image improvement campaigns for certain politicians. Besides Gonzalez, who presided the region between September 2012 and June 2015, the other alleged beneficiaries of the campaign were his justice and education commissioners, Salvador Victoria and Lucia Figar. Besides funding this reputation-enhancing work, the judge suspects that the water corporation also manipulated public contracts, inflating the real amounts to free up money for a slush fund for the Madrid branch of the PP. This secret fund was emptied out by Punica mastermind Francisco Granados when he left his position as secretary general of the Madrid PP, said party sources. Esperanza Aguirre announcing her resignation last Sunday. Samuel Sanchez (EL PAIS) Adrian de Pedro Llorca, brother of Alejandro de Pedro, the man who owned the online media network tasked with improving the politicians public images, has told the judge that part of this job was paid for by Canal de Isabel II. Another witness who worked for De Pedro has confirmed this information, saying she was asked to make an annotation for 140,000 owed to them by the Madrid government, to be paid by Canal de Isabel II. De Pedro was allegedly also paid by another regional agency, ICM, which answered to Salvador Victoria. During a search of De Pedros home, the Civil Guard found three envelopes containing 82,000 in 50 bills. The Punica investigation could ultimately also affect Esperanza Aguirre, a long-serving regional premier who was in office between 2003 and 2012. Aguirre a veteran conservative politician and the first Spanish woman to be named an Honorary Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire resigned her position as head of the Madrid PP on Sunday, citing the raft of corruption cases affecting the PP. She herself is not officially the target of any graft investigation. English version by Susana Urra. Republican Governor Dennis Daugaard of South Dakota listens to remarks during a "Growth and Jobs in America" discussion at the National Governors Association Winter Meeting in Washington, February 23, 2014. REUTERS/Mike Theiler By Brendan O'Brien (Reuters) - South Dakota would be the first U.S. state to dictate what bathrooms transgender students are allowed to use in public schools if Republican Governor Dennis Daugaard signs a bill into law. The state Senate on Tuesday voted 20-15 to send a bill to Daugaard that requires transgender pupils to use restrooms and locker rooms in public schools that correspond to their gender at birth and not the gender that fits their current identity, legislative records showed. "This bill is about protecting young children who are too innocent ... to understand the complexity of life," Republican Senator David Omdahl said before voting for the bill. Staff in Daugaard's office were not immediately available for comment. Daugaard has said that he will research the issue before deciding whether to sign the legislation, local media reported. The bill also requires schools to provide "reasonable" accommodations for transgender students. Those accommodations include a single-occupancy restroom, a unisex restroom, or the controlled use of a restroom, locker room or shower room. "South Dakota lawmakers are sending a message that it's okay to segregate, humiliate, and bully transgender students," the American Civil Liberties Union said in an online post on the organization's website. The passage of the bill comes two weeks after a U.S. appeals court heard arguments over whether a high school in Virginia should be ordered to allow a transgender student to use the boys' bathroom, even though he was born a biological female. In December, a suburban Chicago school district reached an accord with the U.S. government over locker room access for a transgender student after the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights found the district discriminated against the student. (Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Fiona Ortiz and Alan Crosby) Traditional one section, one dwelling suburbs face much greater intensification under proposed upzoning changes. Auckland Mayor Len Brown has bowed to public pressure and will hold an extraordinary meeting on controversial "upzoning" plans allowing greater housing density in the city. Residents' groups have been aghast at the proposed changes which would provide for significantly more development of townhouses and apartments in suburbs which have traditionally had one dwelling per section. The plans were a surprise, and came without consultation under rules allowing the council to make "out of scope" submissions to the independent panel considering the city's incoming Unitary Plan. READ MORE * How do the upzoning plans affect you? See the maps * Auckland residents concerned over proposed zoning changes * Even Paritai Drive affected by upzoning Opposition to the proposals also came from some local boards and councillors, who have called for Auckland Council to change its stance. Mayor Len Brown said after meeting with a delegation of five councillors he had agreed to hold an extraordinary meeting of the council on the issue next Wednesday. The discussion would be based on matters raised during a briefing to councillors on Thursday afternoon about how the Unitary Plan is progressing, Brown said. The council's Unitary Plan committee had been well within its rights to propose the upzoning changes, he said. However council also recognised the need to address the concerns of the community, and "sometimes you have to be a little bit flexible in this space", Brown said. The Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (PAUP) will replace the legacy regional plans of the old Auckland councils. The current Auckland Council makes submissions on the plan like any other submitter. The Independent Hearings Panel will make its recommendations in July, and the council will get to vote on the final decisions later this year. Residents' lobby group Auckland 2040 says it will be happy with no less than a complete withdrawal of the council's out of scope submissions. "I think the mayor has seen the light," spokesman Richard Burton said. "We're talking about a thoroughly undemocratic process, one that denies tens of thousands of Aucklanders the ability to participate in a process that affects their most valuable asset, their house." Consultation on the PAUP as a whole had been thorough, he said. "Then the council of its own volition, completely out of left field, goes and zones 20,000 properties - just on the isthmus - to a different zoning, and not only doesn't bother to tell anybody but deliberately tries to hide it." A legal challenge to the proposals would be a last resort as there wasn't much time before the hearings panel was due to make its recommendations, Burton said. Auckland 2040 hoped the panel would see the extent of the zoning changes and the paucity of evidence supporting them and would throw them out, he said. However property developers' industry group The Property Council blasted the politicians opposing the upzoning changes for boosting their re-election chances at the expense of young homebuyers. Soaring Auckland house prices were creating systemic social injustice, inequity and major economic risk, and upzoning was needed to allow for more homes, branch president Phil Eaton said. "Now, baby boomers have essentially locked an entire generation out of their own homes. Young people and families will never be able to work and live in Auckland, and 'Generation Rent' is the legacy these councillors will leave behind," Eaton said. At the first Auckland mayoral debate of the 2016 election campaign on Monday, right wing candidate Stephen Berry said groups such as Auckland 2040 were "neighbourhood busybodies... artificially inflating the cost of property". Bus driver strikes caused morning traffic to build on the North Shore, but it was surprisingly light south of Auckland in Manukau. After an easier-than-expected morning commute during Friday's bus strike, Aucklanders faced a slow drive home. However, a spokeswoman for the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) said the city's motorways were no busier than on a normal "heavy" Friday. "This is certainly a 'heavy' Friday but it's not chaos or anything like that," she said. She noted the rush had started about 3pm - an hour earlier than usual - and said the peak was expected to last a bit longer than usual as people staggered their journey home. READ MORE: * Recap: Auckland bus strike * Bus strike: What you need to know By 4.30pm the southern motorway was heavy from the city to Takanini, the northern motorway to Constellation Dr and the northwestern to Lincoln Rd. CHRIS MCKEEN/FAIRFAX NZ Some commuters took to social media in the morning, commenting that Auckland traffic seemed better than usual. There had been more incidents on the motorways, causing traffic to back up in places, but an incident team had been on standby to make sure they were cleared more quickly than usual. Auckland may have prepared for Friday's bus strike like it was a national crisis, but feedback suggests the industrial action was not all that bad traffic-wise. While some commuters may have experienced some traffic this morning, it was less than groundbreaking for Auckland. Others dusted off the bikes, banded together to carpool or set those alarms half an hour earlier - perhaps unnecessarily. Travellers described easier-moving traffic than usual and scooter riders praised the safety of not having buses cramming the roads. One Auckland man created a poll asking tweeters to vote whether bus strikes should happen everyday. He even described the morning's traffic as "amazing". Auckland Transport took to twitter soon after 9am, thanking commuters for doing their part. Fairfax Media's Auckland bureau put a call out to its suburban papers to report back with their traffic woes, but the response in the main was: what traffic woes? Western Leader editor Melanie Louden said four of her staff had arrived at work early. "One reporter left home 30 minutes early in anticipation of chaos and got to work 45 minutes early," she said. "We're all reporting an easier drive to work than ever." Auckland Chief News Director David Gadd described his commute up Auckland's Southern Motorway as "a dream". More than 1000 NZ Bus drivers and 89 Howick & Eastern drivers took industrial action on Friday morning, picketing bus depots as they protest for pay rises and better breaks between shifts. Around 20 striking NZ Bus drivers gathered on the footpaths at an intersection in Sandringham to demonstrate. Their signs made their demands clear: "People before profit"; "More family time"; "Fatigue free rosters"; "Pay the workers, not the shareholders". Motorists tooted their support for the demonstrators as they drove past. Most people look at retiring at 65, but that was when McGee first started working for NZ Bus. 12 years later, he was fed up with their working conditions. "I don't know what they think keeps people here, but there's one thing that's absolutely tremendous as a bus driver, and that's the camaraderie that develops amongst us, and that's what I would suggest keeps so many people working for this company." No NZ Bus Auckland services operated during the strike, including its Metrolink, North Star, Waka Pacific and Go West services. Howick & Eastern buses ran with decreased frequency. New Zealand Transport Agency wanted to thank Auckland motorists for changing their usual travel patterns, which they said helped minimise disruption. Transport Agency's Auckland highway manager Brett Gliddon said the usual morning peak hour had started earlier on Friday morning and lasted a little longer, but traffic flows had remained steady. "Some sections of the network were less busy than usual." "We really appreciate that people have listened to our advice to do their part by working from home, ride-sharing or using other public transport today, it shows the benefits to the transport network when people adapt their travel to suit the conditions," he said. Ride sharing company Uber did its bit to help congestion by setting up a car-pool like system with the hashtag #KeepAucklandMoving. Users were encouraged to share a ride with a friend by offering 50 per cent off their fares if they do. Commuters took to social media to comment, but many posts were commenting on the freeflowing traffic and empty lanes. Air New Zealand has downplayed the likelihood that airlines would want to offer long haul services from Wellington Airport. Wellington's deputy mayor is accusing Air New Zealand of orchestrating an anti-Wellington campaign to restrict competition in its opposition to the capital's $300 million airport extension plan. On Monday the Board of Airlines Representatives (BARNZ), a lobby group for airlines, released a report undermining Wellington Airport's claims that extending its runway by 350m could provide New Zealand with a $2 billion economic boost. The proposed extension would allow wide-bodied aircraft to fly long haul into the capital. Monique Ford Wellington deputy mayor Justin Lester claims an airline campaign against the runway extension is being run with the commercial interests of Air New Zealand in mind. Wellington Airport has indicated it may need central and local government contributions to make the project viable. BARNZ claimed its report, written by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER), proved the runway project did not stack up financially, but the airport was motivated by the knowledge that it could use the increased asset value to ramp up landing charges on users, mainly Air New Zealand and Qantas. But Wellington deputy mayor Justin Lester said BARNZ was being misleading as Wellington Airport had already stated publicly that airlines that did not use the extension would not pay for it. Lawrence Smith John Beckett, executive director of the Board of Airline Representatives New Zealand says the airlines cannot trust the assurances of Wellington Airport that existing users would not end up paying for a $300 million runway extension. Lester claimed BARNZ was simply doing the bidding of Air New Zealand, which would prefer to keep as many long haul flights as possible landing in Auckland, rather than face competition from new services into the capital. "It's an Auckland-based lobbyist and they're doing it on behalf of Air New Zealand," Lester said. "This is anti-Wellington. I think this is about restricting competition. I think this is what's in the best interests of Air New Zealand and that's operating out of Auckland." Air New Zealand said in a statement that its opposition to the runway extension was not anti-competitive, but because it did not believe long haul flights into Wellington made financial sense. "[W]e do not believe, due to fundamental airline economics, that we or any other airline can make long haul flights from Wellington economically viable." BARNZ executive director John Beckett denied its activities were against Wellington or competition, saying the airlines wanted to discuss with Wellington Airport how to increase flights into the capital. BARNZ said its report showed the runway extension would be "wasteful" from a national perspective, with a risk of "catastrophic" failure if no airlines ultimately agreed to fly long haul into Wellington. Air New Zealand had paid for "a good share" of the NZIER report BARNZ commissioned, Beckett said, but he would not give details. Other airlines which currently flew into Wellington had contributed "substantially" to the cost of the report, he said. While Wellington Airport had told the airlines that they would not pay for the runway unless they used it, Beckett said the airport had not responded to requests for a contractual guarantee that this would be the case. The airlines did not trust the word of Wellington Airport, Beckett said. "It's awful, but most business can be conducted by just talking and shaking hands and then having a simple letter. "Unfortunately, with Wellington Airport it has to be checked by lawyers, and checked very thoroughly by very competent lawyers, otherwise it just doesn't count." Wellington Airport said in a statement said it had provided a paper and held discussions directly with airlines, had asked them for proposals and had given assurances that airlines that do not use the runway extension would not be asked to pay for it. At this stage it could do no more. "Until the consent is granted and funding is in place any contract could not be finalised, but we have made a verbal undertaking and the Commerce Act sets the rules clearly," a spokesman said. Robbie Robertson, of Te Aroha, has waited 84 years for his real 21st Robbie Robertson is excited about finally being able to celebrate his 21st birthday this month - at 84 years of age. The Te Aroha man was born on leap day, February 29, which only happens every four years, so he hasn't had too many "real" birthdays. "This is what I call my real 21st," he chuckles. TERESA RAMSEY/FAIRFAX NZ. Robbie and Bev Robertson at their Te Aroha home. He doesn't feel like he ever missed out on a birthday celebration though. "Mum and dad always had a party for me," he said. He did celebrate his 21st year - just not on his actual birth date. It was a bit of a do, with about 160 friends and relatives, he said. Robertson is the youngest of seven children. He was born in Takapuna, Auckland, and grew up in nearby Devonport. He met his second wife Bev on a blind date in Kerepehi on the Hauraki Plains, when he was working as a tanker driver. They were married in 1958 and had three children, and now have eight grandchildren. Robbie Robertson also has a daughter and two grandchildren in Australia from a previous marriage. To celebrate his 21st, a trip back to Devonport is planned for March to reminisce with old friends. It's also likely that a bit of a fuss will be made in Te Aroha on February 29. A regular at the Te Aroha Drop In centre, Bev Robertson said quite a few people there were scouting the Waikato town for 21st birthday cards. Robbie Robertson calls into the Drop In Centre every day for a "cuppa and a chat", and Bev Robertson volunteers there once a week. Being born on leap day has never felt like a disadvantage - it's given him a reason for an extra special celebration every four years. "Over the years I've met a lot of people who have come to my birthday on leap year," he said. Despite relatives coming over from Australia to celebrate with him this year, Robbie Robertson is expecting a low key affair. "I'm hoping the 29th is a nice day and I can sit on the deck and have a drink and if anyone wants to, they can pop in." He feels quite lucky to be able to celebrate his 21st birthday twice though. "Not everybody has two 21sts." Firefighters holding the roof down on the Seaview Motel, Kaikoura Esplanade. A branch blown off a tree landed on hut and car at the A1 Motorcamp in Kaikoura. The Maori Ford Bridge has been cleared but the road on the other side is really only passable with a 4wd. The swimming hole near the bridge at Spring Creek. This is the Maori Ford Bridge across the Waihopai River at about 7.30am. An aerial view of the Wairau River in flood after a downpour on Wednesday night. Image taken from a drone. An aerial view of the Wairau River in flood after a downpour on Wednesday night. Image taken from a drone. An aerial view of the Wairau River in flood after a downpour on Wednesday night. Image taken from a drone. The river is very high under the Wairau River Bridge on State Highway 6 after heavy rain over night. The river is very high under the Wairau River Bridge on State Highway 6 after heavy rain over night. The river is very high under the Wairau River Bridge on State Highway 6 after heavy rain over night. More rain in Marlborough further topped up soil moisture levels on dry pastures giving farmers some relief for the remainder of the summer. No major damage was reported after another burst of rain overnight in the region following a heavy deluge on Thursday. Marlborough District Council hydrologist Val Wadsworth said the extra rain which followed up the first event would help retain soil moisture levels into March. MARLBOROUGH DISTRICT COUNCIL An aerial view of the Wairau River in flood after a downpour on Wednesday night. READ MORE: * Torrential rain in Marlborough Restrictions on irrigation would decrease as river levels remained high, he said. Wairau Valley farmer Evan White said the rain had "greened everything up." White's farm received 160mm of rainfall over the past two days. "It's what we usually get for the whole year," he said. White said he had turned off the irrigators before the rain as a "punt". "We needed this rain, it was getting very dry the previous seven days. "Everything had greened up nicely and topped right up." Highest rainfalls were recorded at Top Valley (29mm), Wakamarina (21.9mm) and Rai Valley (15.6mm), and Waihopai (10.7mm), all well below the previous days recordings. In contrast eastern areas received little rain with Flaxbourne (1mm) and Te Rapa (2.5mm). River levels remained high with the Wairau River recording 161cum/sec, and the Branch River 102cum/sec on Friday morning. Marlborough Roads reported no further damage with Waihopai Valley Rd open, including Maori Ford Bridge. Wairau Bar Rd and Northbank were also open, although there was still road scouring, and surface water on both roads from the rain deluge on Wednesday. Debris was being cleared from a ford on the Rainbow Rd today. Skies in the region were starting to clear by mid morning. A milk tanker driver who crashed into a century-old bridge while following his GPS has taken the bold step of apologising directly to the community affected, writing a letter in the local paper. The move has been applauded by the police who shared the letter on their Facebook page, saying it took "a lot of courage to put pen to paper like this in a public forum and apologise". In October 2015, Ashburton-based Mitchael Robertson drove a 42-tonne truck over the bridge, but it got wedged and he faced plummeting 38 metres into the river. The bridge was built more than 108 years ago to carry horses and carts over the Waikato River and is rated to a 3-tonne maximum for each vehicle. READ MORE: GPS following crash truckie to face charges The incident caused traffic chaos in Cambridge as the bridge's traffic flow was reduced to one lane. Many residents ended up being late for work and school. Christel Yardley/Fairfax NZ Waipa District Council contract engineer Eddi Shadrock on the Victoria Bridge soon after it was damaged last October. Robertson was later charged and also lost his job. This week Robertson took the bold step of apologising to the entire community, by way of letter to the editor in the Cambridge Edition. In the letter, he explained that the October trip was his first to Cambridge. "I did not know the road or the area at all and relied heavily on my GPS," he wrote. "When I found myself being diverted by roadworkers off my intended route to Tirau, I was relying on my GPS for an alternative route and I was feeling anxious as I also have time constraints to deliver milk." He said it was late at night and he did not see signs alerting drivers to the weight restrictions in the dark. It was only when he was on the bridge that he realised he was overweight, but by then he was unable to reverse. "I would like to offer a genuine apology to the people of Cambridge for the inconvenience caused," he said. Robertson said he had lost his job because of the incident. He had struggled to find work since, but couldn't afford to relocate. He said he was nervous about letter of apology because he had seen a lot of nasty comments about the incident on Facebook not long after it happened. "You never know what sort of response you're going to get." But he pushed forward and put pen to paper - and if the over 100 comments on the Cambridge Police Facebook page are anything to go by, it's been a positive result. Commenters has said writing the letter was a decent, gutsy thing to do and that they were proud of him "I feel much happier now," he said. In their post, the Cambridge police applauded his decision to write an apology letter. "We just wanted to acknowledge the courage of the driver for writing this letter," the poster write. "Yes, he was in the wrong at the time but it takes a lot of courage to put pen to paper like this in a public forum and apologise. "The bridge is fixed. Life goes on. All the best to that driver in the future. Good on ya mate." Kelly Crook at her sentencing in the High Court at Wellington on Thursday for being an accessory to the murder of Matthew Stevens. A woman who admitted luring Lower Hutt man Matthew Stevens to his murder, and then tried to clean up the crime scene, has been sentenced to three years and four months in jail. Kelly Leigh Crook, 29, was sentenced at the High Court at Wellington on Thursday morning for her role in luring Stevens, 32, to a deadly ambush on November 27, 2014. Justice Susan Thomas sentenced Crook on charges of causing grievous bodily harm to Stevens with intent to injure him, and with being an accessory after the fact to his murder. SUPPLIED Matthew Stevens, of Lower Hutt, was murdered in 2014. Family members sobbed in the public gallery as details of the crime were read to the court. Crook's partner of three months, Darrin John Wilkie-Morris, had threatened Stevens with violence previously, the Crown summary read during the sentencing said. Crook lied to Stevens that night in a Facebook conversation, telling him Wilkie-Morris was was out of town. MAARTEN HOLL/ FAIRFAX NZ The site on Paekakariki Hill Road where Matthew Stevens' body and car were found. In doing so, Crook had "lured" Stevens to her home, Crown prosecutor Kate Feltham told the court. Stevens accepted Crook's invitation and said he would come over. Meanwhile, Crook was passing the information on Stevens' movements to Wilkie-Morris and their friend, Stuart Graham Wilton. The two men had left the house and been driving around Lower Hutt waiting for Stevens to arrive at Crook's flat in Oxford St, Epuni. Stevens arrived there about 10.40pm. Crook took him upstairs into the bedroom and lounge and began socialising but, unknown to him, she had told Wilkie-Morris and Wilton and they arrived at the house. The men went upstairs and Wilkie-Morris hit Stevens in the head and knee with a hammer, and Wilton stabbed him three times, killing him. The summary said a 10-year-old girl at the house saw Stevens' body. The trio attempted to clean up the crime scene, then drove Stevens' body in a van to the top of a steep bush-covered gully at the Paekakariki Hill Road summit. Stevens' body was rolled down the drop and the car was pushed over at the same place. Then the trio went back to Crook's flat and continued with the cleanup, laundering towels and clothes and concealing weapons. Crook later told the police she helped with the cleanup and the attempt to get rid of Stevens' body because Wilton had threatened her. Her lawyer, Paul Paino, said Crook had a turbulent adolescence and a history of "bad relationships", and she felt remorse for her part in the killing. The police evidence backed up her claim that she had not known the men were bringing weapons to the confrontation, and that she had run screaming for someone to take the hammer away when she saw it, Paino said. In sentencing Crook, Thomas said the death had devastated Stevens' family. His younger sister, Emma Stevens, read an emotional victim impact statement, telling Crook the family felt the pain of his absence every day. He was about to qualify as a truck driver before he was killed. She relived the imagery of his final moments "like a horror movie": "You robbed him of his plans and dreams in life, and you robbed us too," Stevens said. She told Crook she had lured her brother and dumped his body "like he had no value". "Knowing that your faces were the last he saw ... who are you to do this to him?" Stevens said she remained unable to return to work and had moved in with her parents as she struggled to process the way she lost her only sibling. Wilton has already pleaded guilty to murdering Stevens, and has been sentenced to serve at least 11 years of a life term. Both Wilkie-Morris and Crooks were initially charged with murder too. Wilkie-Morris pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of causing grievous bodily harm, and being an accessory after the fact of murder. Jessie-James Mount, Nathan Martinsen and Dylan Gullett said their rogue flatmate threw the Hamilton East parties in January 2015. An internal investigation found police were justified in shutting down two out-of-control parties and making 13 arrests in a Hamilton suburb last year. The Independent Police Conduct Authority received three separate complaints about police actions at the parties that raged over two nights on the weekend of January 16 and 17. The fracas terrorised residents in Wellington St and prompted numerous 111 calls as youths pelted officers with bottles. The authority found police followed correct guidelines and used reasonable force in arresting four people who were obstructing them, but were not justified in using force against a woman by pushing her with a shield. "The woman had not attended the party and was looking for her son, who had called her in distress ... she did not pose a genuine risk to police at the time," the report read. READ MORE: * Hamilton tenant 'outraged' after riot party * Flatmates kick out teen behind riotous Hamilton party Police also failed to provide a person they arrested with a blanket and a phone call while in custody, the report noted. The report did not name the complainants or officers involved but the young men who lived at the Hamilton East property at the time blamed the parties on a rogue flatmate. Jessie-James Mount, 21, Nathan Martinsen, 20, and Dylan Gullett, 23, said in January last year that their flatmate was arrested and was charged with disorderly behaviour. "He had only been living with us for about a month, " Mount said. "He had the parties for his 19th birthday. We didn't agree to it, but we've been left to pick up the mess." Police suggested at the time that the second party, held on the Saturday night, was deliberately held to bait police. The report noted the crowd at the second party was noticably more aggressive. A total of 13 people were arrested over both nights but only one, the 19-year-old who lived at the rented Wellington St home, was charged. Half of those arrested were aged under 17, with the youngest being 14-years-old. Waikato District Commander Superintendent Bruce Bird said police in attendance on the two nights faced physical and verbal abuse by a large number of intoxicated people, including people who had not even been at the parties. "In both instances police had the consent of the occupier to close down the parties and we did so in accordance with our policy around out of control gatherings," Bird said. "I'm pleased that has been recognised by the IPCA's findings. "In these tense situations we don't always get it right. We acknowledge that we made errors but overall, given the complexity of the challenge of managing these volatile situations driven by alcohol, I'm pleased that my staff once again demonstrated high levels of professionalism." Text in which the author defends ideas and reaches conclusions based on his / her interpretation of facts and data More information Ten questions and answers about the Zika virus The possibility that a mosquito bite during pregnancy could be linked to severe birth defects in newborns has alarmed the public and astonished scientists. On February 1, 2016, WHO declared that cases of microcephaly and neurological complications associated with Zika virus infection constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Since then, evidence supporting these associations has become more and more compelling. The principal mosquito species transmitting Zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses is Aedes aegypti, an especially formidable and widespread foe. More than half of the worlds population lives in areas where this mosquito is present, suggesting that the virus could eventually spread beyond the current outbreaks concentrated in Latin America and the Caribbean. The elimination of breeding sites the most effective way to protect populations is vital but extremely challenging Currently available diagnostic tests are imprecise and reliable for only a few days during infection. Licensed vaccines are some years away. No treatments are available and no preventive therapies exist to protect vulnerable groups, especially pregnant women. For all these reasons, WHO and FAO recommend stepped-up personal and population-wide measures for mosquito control as the best immediate line of defense. An integrated approach that tackles all life stages of the mosquito, uses multiple measures, and fully engages communities is the best battle plan. The elimination of breeding sites the most effective way to protect populations is vital but extremely challenging. Over the years, this species has developed a preference for breeding in the small artificial containers found in abundance in crowded urban areas. Female mosquitoes can lay their eggs wherever rain collects or water is stored, in containers as small as plastic cups and bottle caps or as ubiquitous as used tires. Communities in affected and at-risk countries have a responsibility to identify and eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites by emptying, cleaning, and then covering containers that can hold even small amounts of stagnant water. Nothing can be missed. As just one example, larvae have been found in vases in cemeteries and water bowls for pets. Doing so in the context of the Zika emergency will also protect populations from outbreaks of other diseases spread by this mosquito. As a further contribution to mosquito control, WHO and FAO are joining forces to advise countries and communities on the safe use of insecticides, another vital component of integrated control. Our organizations have identified a set of recommendations to ensure these tools are used safely, also by avoiding the contamination of food. FAO is supporting WHO in alerting rural communities, where most instances of insecticide poisoning occur, to these recommendations and their correct implementation. WHO and FAO are joining forces to advise countries and communities on the safe use of insecticides, another vital component of integrated control Given the complexities and challenges of fighting a mosquito like this one, WHO and FAO are exploring new techniques, including new biological methods of control, and new applications of existing technologies. One example is the sterile insect technique, which involves the mass release of male insects that have been sterilized by low doses of radiation. When sterile males mate, the females eggs are not viable, and the insect population dies out. The technique, jointly developed by FAO and the International Atomic Energy Agency, has been successfully used, on a large scale, for more than 50 years to control agriculturally important insect pests, including fruit flies, screw worms and moths. The technique might be useful for mosquito control, but would need to be implemented as part of the integrated approach recommended by WHO. Later this month, a national meeting called by Brazils Ministry of Health will review efforts to step up the control of mosquito-borne diseases, including Zika. WHO, FAO, UNICEF, IAEA and many other UN agencies, which are already working in the country, will be offering more advice on what should be done, in the context of this emergency, by individuals, communities, governments and the international community to boost mosquito control as the most immediate line of defense. Actions are needed on a scale that matches the level of public alarm and the growing certainty of the science. If the presumed associations between Zika, microcephaly, and neurological complications are confirmed, the consequences for the nearly 30 countries with recently detected Zika outbreaks will be staggering. Margaret Chan is Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO).Jose Graziano da Silva is Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). A male teacher is accused of serious misconduct after he formed a relationship with a 13-year-old pupil who later died. A teacher accused of forming an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old pupil who later died made an emotional apology to the girl's family. The man had a decade's experience teaching but claimed the troubled young teen one-third his age made an "ultimatum" he couldn't refuse. He and his partner, also a teacher, allowed the girl to stay at their house when she ran away from home. "I'll never forget the look on her face, the commitment in her voice, when she said 'If you don't do this for me, I'm going to go. I'm going to run'," he told the Education Council's disciplinary tribunal on Thursday. READ MORE: Male teacher accused of inappropriate relationship with 13-year-old who later died The Education Council has alleged he told the girl he loved her, gave her gifts, encouraged her emotional dependence on him, and counselled her without training or parental permission. It said that, from late 2013 to early 2014, "prolific" texts and emails were exchanged between him and the girl. The intermediate school teacher said he sent them only to keep her in high spirits, and he always aimed to get her the help she needed. "I never wanted it to be this way but I lacked the skills to extricate myself," he said on Thursday morning, during the hearing attended by the girl's family. "I know that saying sorry isn't enough," he said, addressing the girl's parents. "I tried my best to keep [her] safe." However, he struggled under cross-examination from council lawyer Dale La Hood to take responsibility for the "intensity" of the relationship. La Hood said that, if he really wanted to stop the relationship before it became improper, he would not have sent "volumes and volumes" of emails and texts. The teacher said the girl once told him, "This is a weird friendship, eh?", to which he responded that they were not supposed to be friends. The girl first arrived at the teachers' house during a storm, and stayed over in a spare room. She insisted the couple not contact her family, the man said. "I should've gone to see the principal the next day, despite her wishes." He now knew he was wrong. "I did it because I cared," he said. "She would seek my place out as a safe place to stay." Once, when the girl was in hospital, a nurse walked in on him holding her hand. He said police investigated the incident and cleared him of any wrongdoing. The tribunal, sitting in Wellington, has the power to deregister him as a teacher. The relationship developed as the man's partner was seriously ill. He apologised to her too. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this. I should've listened to you from the outset." The woman admitted the tribunal's accusations, but argued that they did not amount to serious misconduct. She faces accusations including having an inappropriate relationship with the girl, and failing to get professional support for her, when she knew she was at risk of self-harm. One of the woman's ex-colleagues described her as a "bubbly" person who confronted issues with her illness and the troubled young girl. "We soon put two and two together that the girl who had passed away was the girl [she] had been trying to help." A doctor giving evidence on Thursday afternoon said "chronic morbidity" damaged for a time the teacher's well-being, mood and ability to work. The woman's current principal said the teacher "got involved in this situation because of her partner". The name of the teachers, pupil, school, and geographical location where the events occurred are suppressed. The hearing continues on Friday. The alternative flag design is not safe in Waipa district. A flag destroyer is on the loose in the Waipa district, cutting down and stamping on the proposed alternative New Zealand flag. The offender has already damaged two of the Kyle Lockwood designed blue and black silver fern flags in the area. One was flying free in front of the Waipa District Council building in Te Awamutu. READ MORE: * Flag debate: Full coverage * Flag change referendum gets a nod from The Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper * John Oliver names his favourite New Zealand flag design * 'Put politics aside when it comes to choosing a new flag' * Flag referendum: Wheres does the $26 million go? * An open letter to New Zealand on the flag debate The other was overlooking Growing Spectrum plant nursery in Kihikihi. Owner of the nursery, Peter Fraser, said his flag went missing sometime over Waitangi weekend despite tough security measures. "It's got a steel wire that holds it up the flag pole and it's padlocked in place. They managed to prise the padlock open and haul it down. Then, they slashed the flag and left the main body of the flag tied to the poles, they cut it off." His flag had been flying since the beginning of the year and he will be investing in another one, with higher security measures. "It will have a bigger padlock and I hope they don't try and chop the pole down because it's a steel pole and they might damage their axe." Although Fraser thinks the offenders are right to be making a point, he hopes the thief will express their opinion without silencing others. "Everybody is entitled to their own opinions too; that's democracy. And I like the new flag. I think it's a great concept and I think it's a huge opportunity for New Zealand to market themselves under a new image." Waipa District Council have also had its flag vandalised. Staff had raised it alongside the old flag at 9am on Wednesday. By 10am, a staff member found it lying on the ground with a footprint stamped on it. A council investigation revealed the rope mechanism used to hoist the flag had been cut, causing it to fall to the ground. Council have replaced the rope and posted a crime-scene video on Facebook, which already has more than 2000 views. Voting for the second flag referendum starts on March 3. OPINION: Local elections turnout in New Zealand has been declining since the 1980s and has been less than 50 per cent since 1998. New Zealand isn't alone in this declining voter turnout is an international trend. However, the challenges of the coming decades make it more important than ever before for Kiwis to participate in this year's local elections. Local voter turnout varies significantly across different age groups and geographic areas but, overall, there are not enough New Zealanders currently participating in the local government process by having their say on the issues that matter, by voting or by standing for office. LGNZ's ten-month Vote16 campaign, running until the October 8 polling date, aims to lift voter numbers above 50 per cent nationally for the first time since 1998. Advocating for stronger local democracy is one of LGNZ's seven key policy priorities. Strengthening local democracy involves supporting decision-making abilities at the community level through locally and democratically elected representatives including identifying ways to make it easier for Kiwis to get out and vote. An example of this is the plan to offer an online voting option in 2016, with eight councils set to take part. Local government's aim is to deliver top quality value to New Zealand communities while shaping those communities into places in which all Kiwis want to live, work and play. What is also clear from the results of The New Zealand Local Government Survey released in 2015 is that local government has a real opportunity to improve its engagement with communities and businesses across New Zealand on the infrastructure, services and local issues that matter most to our communities. Research tells us it is the visible, tangible services that matter most to communities. As well as reporting and engaging on overall management and finances, communities want to know more about the specific issues that matter to them whether it's clean rivers, vibrant places to raise their families, efficient transport infrastructure, or strong local economies, so they can decide how well their council and its councillors will deliver on their campaign promises. With this information in mind, it is our aim to expand engagement with our communities on these local issues and others all key to building stronger, more resilient communities. Ultimately, how well local government performs impacts on how well communities, citizens and businesses prosper both now and into the future. Local government in New Zealand faces major challenges, from economic, environmental and climate change issues to major infrastructure development, all in the face of rapid demographic change. More than ever before, we need elected representatives with the abilities and diversity of skills to meet these challenges. Our citizens also need representatives that understand the unique issues and opportunities their communities face each day and who have the passion to make our cities, towns and regions the best they can be. It's communities that produce such people and communities that nominate and elect them. Encouraging talented, committed people to stand for office and voting in your local elections are the most powerful ways you can influence positive outcomes in your community. Research also shows us there is a significant number of citizens who are interested in the local government process but don't vote, or, who want to vote but say it's too hard to find the information they need to make an informed decision. LGNZ's Vote16 campaign will address these issues ensuring voters have access to the information they need about candidates standing in their community and about the voting process, including when, where and how they can vote. I urge New Zealanders to discuss the issues that are important to them whether its infrastructure, local economies, our green spaces, or others and find out how they can get involved and have their say in how to shape the future they want. This is important at any time, but even more so now in election year. By choosing to stand in your community or by voting this October, you ensure the right decisions are being made about the issues that matter to you. You will have a direct role in shaping the future of your community. Lawrence Yule is the president of Local Government New Zealand. Taxi drivers from all over Spain arrived in Madrid on Thursday to protest plans for liberalizing the passenger transportation sector. Around 2,000 drivers and their relatives 5,000 people in total, according to organizers marched to the headquarters of the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC), located in downtown Madrid, where they arrived at around 12.40pm. We dont like to protest, but we feel ready to take extreme measures to defend our rights The Spanish Taxi Federation (Fedetaxi), which organized the march, handed CNMC representatives a letter asking for the agency to defend Spains taxi drivers. It is serious for a public agency such as the CNMC, which should defend the interests of Spaniards, to become an executioner for 100,000 families who live off the taxi sector, said Miguel Angel Leal, president of the Madrid taxi drivers federation. We dont like to protest, but we feel ready to take extreme measures in order to defend our rights, added Leal, saying that political parties are sensitive to our situation and that he felt confident the CNMCs proposal would not make much headway, as the laws are made by governments, not by judges. Other marchers underscored the fact that this issue had also come up in other parts of Europe. We criticize the fact that sector liberalization would entail unfair competition from portals such as Uber. The problem is no longer Spanish, it is European, said Miguel Barcelo, a 54-year-old taxi driver who traveled to Madrid from Mallorca. The problem is no longer Spanish, it is European The protest began in Columbus Square and ended on Alcala street, where the CNMC is headquartered. Marchers walked behind 12 taxis, occupying three lanes on Recoletos and bringing traffic down to a crawl. Jose Antonio Bolivar, an executive at Teletaxi Granada, was one of the marchers. The liberalization of the sector will lead to more encroachment on our turf and end the livelihood of 100,000 families who face ruin, he said. One driver, Federico Rico, had traveled more than 1,000 kilometers to participate in the protest: although of Spanish origin, he now lives and works in France. Some protestors said the march had not been bigger because not all taxi associations and federations had joined in. This is not the first time that Spanish taxi drivers have rebelled against the ride-hailing app Uber. On July 1, 2014, Barcelona taxi drivers staged a 24-hour protest, while an earlier simultaneous stoppage was held in Madrid and Barcelona on June 11. English version by Susana Urra. Rajoy and Sanchez during their meeting last week in Congress. EFE The Popular Party (PP), which has been struggling to find support to form a coalition government after the December general election, has offered Socialist secretary general Pedro Sanchez and the leader of Ciudadanos, Albert Rivera, positions as deputy prime ministers in a broad partnership for a new government. Interim Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy did not have a problem working with Sanchez as a deputy leader even after the Socialist chief attacked him personally during the campaign debates, said Javier Maroto, national sectorial deputy secretary for the PP on Thursday. Ciudadanos has rejected the offer, saying its priority is to negotiate with the Socialists Maroto also said Rajoy was willing to offer a second deputy prime minister post to Rivera, whose party was quick to reject the offer. Ciudadanos deputy secretary general Jose Manuel Villegas told EL PAIS that its priority was to negotiate with the Socialists, whose leader is the person charged by King Felipe to try to form a government. Rajoy is not the candidate. There is nothing to talk about, he said. For his part, Socialist leader Sanchez has insisted that he will not join a government led by Rajoy. The two met briefly in Congress last week but no agreements were hammered out. Sanchez has been holding talks with the different parties after King Felipe charged him to form a government when Rajoy told the monarch that he did not have enough support for a coalition. The first investiture session in Congress will be held on March 2. A third deputy prime ministers position would go to a member of the Popular Party Rajoy has been pushing for a grand coalition between the Socialists and Ciudadanos after failing to win an absolute majority in the December 20 election. Pablo Iglesias, the leader of Podemos, which is now the third political force in Spain, has demanded that he serve as deputy prime minister and take over 15 ministries as part of his proposal to form a leftist coalition with Sanchez. The Socialists have publicly rejected this offer, but Sanchez said he would meet one more time with Iglesias before the investiture session. During a news conference, Maroto said the PP had no problem with the Socialists and Ciudadanos taking two deputy prime minister posts with Rajoy at the helm because it considered it reasonable to share in a coalition. A third position of deputy prime minister would go to a member of the PP, he explained. English version by Martin Delfin. Kiwifruit exporter Zespri is to contribute $400,000 over the next three years to Surf Life Saving New Zealand in Bay of Plenty help make local beaches safer. The sponsorship, which will benefit 19 clubs, is a way for Zespri and the kiwifruit industry to give back to the region which supported them so strongly during the dark days of the vine disease Psa-V says Zespri Chief Operating Officer Simon Limmer, who announced the sponsorship last night. Lifeguards Perry Farrell (left) and Vivian Conway take students from Te Puna School through beach education at Mount Maunganuis Main Beach. Photo: Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media Services Surf lifesaving clubs and their members in Bay of Plenty, Coromandel and Gisborne will benefit from free lifesaving training for local lifeguards which typically cost hundreds of dollars, the expense of which has until now been borne by individual lifeguards and clubs. Simon says around 85 per cent of Zespri Kiwifruit is grown in these regions and they were also the ones most affected when Psa-V threatened to destroy the industry. The kiwifruit industry went through a roller-coaster of the ride from 2011 to 2013 and it was these communities which supported us. The good news is the industry today is even more profitable and now its time to give back. Maketus Mark Redmond will be attending Surf Life Savings National Lifeguard School in Whangamata this weekend. Photo: Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media Services While the Zespri brand isnt well known in New Zealand, its among the most recognized fruit brands in the world. Zespris brand value is very much around vitality and that is an excellent fit with surf lifesaving. Zespri board vice-chairman Bruce Cameron says when the sponsorship proposal was put to the board, it took just minutes to approve and he believes the majority of growers will support the move. Our beaches are very much a part of our lifestyle and where we play. Paul Dalton, chief executive of Surf Life Saving New Zealand says Zespris sponsorship offers a great opportunity for lifeguards and for a long-term relationship between the two organisations. Paul Dalton, chief executive of Surf Life Saving New Zealand and Zespri Chief Operating Officer Simon Limmer at last nights launch of Zespris sponsorship. Photo: Elaine Fisher. This is all about giving back to the community and making our beaches safer. Reducing drowning makes a real difference, as does making our beaches safe and enjoyable. Surf Life Saving New Zealand Eastern Region Manager Chris Emmett says that with 1200 lifeguards from the 19 clubs in this region, offering training at no cost to participants will make a huge difference to beach safety. Training courses typically cost hundreds of dollars and the cost has until now been borne by individual lifeguards and clubs. We rely on the support of our partners to do what we do. In a typical season, lifeguards rescue 1,200 people nationwide and prevent thousands more from getting to the point of needing rescue in the first place so this support will literally help us save lives. As the first step in the sponsorship, representatives from clubs from the Coromandel to Opotiki were presented with Zespri branded recuse tubes at the launch last night. As the primary regional partner for Surf Life Saving New Zealand in the Bay of Plenty, Zespri will provide free training opportunities for all local lifeguards in the Eastern Region over the next three years, as well as providing rescue tubes and additional equipment to the Zespri Clubs of Year. Surf lifeguards save around 450 lives a year in our region and provide a vital service to the families who live and work in our regions, says Simon. Zespri will contribute $400,000 over three years to this initiative in the Eastern Region, as well as supporting Surf Life Saving New Zealand as a National Partner. The free training on offer to Eastern Region lifeguards includes inflatable rescue boat (IRB) training, Patrol Captain and Intermediate Lifeguard courses. A number of scholarships will also be available for Surf Life Savings National Lifeguard School and BP Leaders for Life development programmes. Winners of the Zespri Club of the Year will also receive additional lifesaving equipment, with $5000 of equipment going to each of the three winning clubs across the Bay of Plenty, Coromandel and Gisborne. Chris Emmett says the partnership will have a real impact on the training and development of lifeguards and will enable Surf Life Saving in the Eastern Region to provide a better service to the local community, including many of those involved in the kiwifruit industry. With Zespris strong presence in the region, its great to know that their support will have such a direct impact. A giant version of the alternate New Zealand flag will be flying from Tauranga City Councils flagpole on the Elizabeth Street west roundabout in about a weeks time. Its going to take that long to make a one-off 3mx6m flag large enough to be flown from the flagpole, says Mayor Stuart Crosby. Despite some critical reviews at the Berlin Film Festival, Hollywood actor Temuera Morrison says his latest movie Mahana is some of the greatest work he has done. Lee Tamahoris adaptation of Witi Ihimaeras 1994 novel Bulibasha: King of the Gypsies has debuted (under the alternative title of The Patriarch) at the Berlin Film Festival to less than enthusiastic notices. SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully Google Ad The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression A Tauranga resident believes the Historic Villages recently revealed million dollar debt is a ruse to justify the city council charging the TECT $1 million for the village green. Citizens have been led to believe the village was paying its own way for years, now suddenly there is a million dollar debt, says Hylton Rhodes. Police can confirm a man was arrested last night in relation to an incident last week where a child was taken in Palmerston North. The man appeared today and has been remanded in custody to reappear on March 10 in the Palmerston North District Court. Inspector Sarah Stewart says she hopes this development will provide reassurance to the community, and she would like to thank members for their support and assistance throughout our investigation. There are a number of suppression orders in place arising from the court appearance, including iderntification of the victim. As the matter is before the courts, police are unable to comment further. SOURCE: New Zealand Police A man accused of abducting a child in Palmerston North has made a brief appearance in a Bay of Plenty court. The man, who has interim suppression on his name, occupation and age, was remanded in custody after appearing in Rotorua District Court yesterday. In case you needed another reason to finish your high school education or go to college, a new survey just announced that education helps decrease your chances of getting Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia. The Framingham Heart Study research that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine was a comprehensive look at risk factors associated with heart disease and stokes. Their research found that participants with better cardiovascular health were less likely to develop mental illnesses. The research methods The Framingham Heart Study began in 1975. It included 5,205 people 60 years and older. Researchers found a gradual decrease of about 20 percent in the number of new dementia cases each decade, and were older when the disease was discovered in patients who were evaluated 40 years later. The importance of these findings Claudia Satizabal, one of the authors of the study and instructor in neurology at the Boston University School of Medicine, spoke with National Public Radio about the cardiovascular findings. She believes that better management of cardiovascular disease may have the potential to reduce the effects of dementia. Researchers further explained that better control over cholesterol, blood pressure and heart and lunch health should help push off the risk. This is important because researchers believe that long-term cost of dementia care might not be nearly as expensive as health policy and research funding professionals predicted. Dr. Kenneth Langa, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan weighed in on the findings, and spoke with The New York Times. "There's more studies suggesting that the risk is going down and we might have to rethink some of the projections of how big a problem dementia will be 30 years from now," Dr. Langa explained. Dr. Langa is also working on a study that found that dementia has declined across the nation by 21 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to the Times. "[These results suggest] that even without a big breakthrough in medication or a vaccine that would stop the Alzheimer's process, that we can do things that lower the risk of dementia long-term." Overall, dementia will still be a problem. However, this research suggests that perhaps by getting a better education not only do you make your brain stronger, but it also gives you the means to provide a better lifestyle for yourself, explained Dr. Langa in a separate interview with NPR. Born in 1974, Stephane received a Bachelors Degree in Engineering and Yacht & Powercraft Design from Solent University in the UK and has arrived in Viareggio with more than 18 years of experience in the naval architecture of sailing yachts. Burak Akgul, Managing Director of Sales, Marketing and Design commented on the new design influence entering the yard: After many years of cooperating with Naval Architects, we are delighted to welcome Stephane into the world of building large sailing yachts. He will join the Design Team headed by Franco Romani to enhance Perini Navis cooperation with the industry's naval architects - with many of whom the company has long standing collaborative relationships - as well as further developing the naval architecture-specific practices undertaken internally. We have known Stephane since the very beginning of his career and had the chance to appreciate his skills and talent over the years. Were all thrilled to have him in the family. I am very proud to have had the chance to join the Perini Navi family, adds Stephane Leveel, and excited to have the opportunity to see the sailing yacht world from the Builders perspective. Perini Navi has created the biggest fleet of large sailing yachts in the world and the possibility to participate firsthand the creation process is unique. The new helm of Northrop & Johnson Australia is Managing Director Cameron Bray. Bray is a Gold Coast native with extensive yachting experience. He has worked in various sectors of the industry, including as a captain, sales broker, retail charter agent and yacht manager, around the world. Bray eventually returned home to Australia to put down roots and open his own firm, Bray Management, where he utilized the extensive skills he developed throughout his career. Bray Management is now becoming Northrop & Johnson Australia. "Northrop & Johnson is a market leader. The companys global intelligence tools, marketing and website add to its personable approach and company culture, which feels very much like a big family. Joining forces with the dynamic team at Northrop & Johnson felt like a natural progression for [Bray Management]. We can now offer complete end-to-end service to Australian clients, both locally and globally, with a dedicated office and team on the ground. Were really excited to join the Northrop & Johnson family," says Cameron Bray. Currently, Bray is on the superyacht Australia committee, which aids in the development and advancement of Australias superyacht community. Joining Bray in Northrop & Johnsons Australia office is Charter Manager Crystal Corrin. Crystal hails from a small town in the Wide Bay region. She has lived on the Gold Coast for more than 10 years and has a broad skill base, including corporate sales and account management in various industries. Northrop & Johnsons Australia office will provide yacht brokerage, charter management and retail charter services. Armenian should prevent Turkeys intention (video) After yesterdays terrorist act in Ankara Erdogan canceled his todays visit to Azerbaijan. According to the words of Sergey Minasyan it allowed Ilham Aliyev to take a breath, as the Azerbaijani side cannot give an unequivocal answer to anti-Russian statements expected from Erdogan in Baku. In the context of Russian-Turkish conflict, Baku faces a serious problem. Here [in Baku] both the political and the societys liking if for Turkey, but Azerbaijan never forgets about the Russian factor and refrains from making a definite choice, said the political analyst, who is sure that at the moment Turkey will be warier in the issue of Armenia, I am sure that Armenias air defense is readier for possible cases, besides, Russias air force wont lose the opportunity to take a revenge on Turkey, he noted. In reply to the question what steps Armenia should take in the case of tension between Russian and Turkey, Sergey Minasyan answered, We must aim at refraining from any military clash. Turkey is evidently leading an adventurous policy with its western partners, and will try to get involved in Artsakh issue. Armenian should work with western partners trying to prevent it. SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Google Ad Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully Google Ad The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression No monument in Yerevan will be demolished (video) No monument in Yerevan will be demolished, assures Minister of Urban Development Narek Sargsyan, he personally guarantees it, Just in front of Dolmama, on the corner of Abovyan Street there is a monument-building, which belongs to the same developer and there are also cellars, which have been fully preserved and developed, I am sure these cellars also wont be demolished. When there is a task, the limitations will be mentioned in the task so that the buildings and cellars are preserved if they are valuable. I havent been in the cellar of that tavern, I dont know. Some days ago the author of Old Yerevan project Levon Vardanyan announced that the building on Aram 30 isnt worth being included in his project. A1+ asked Narek Sargsyan whether he will insist on including Aram 30 in the project, Levon Vardanyan is the architect of the project, and the instructions are given by the authorities, in this case by the Municipality and me, as I have signed the agreement with the developer. We will simply include Aram 30 in the instructions. As for the terms of the projects construction, he assured that already this year the activities will be noticeable. Narek Sargsyan is also surprised at the news spread on media, I have heard the news, that the gallery may be demolished, hurry to help, there is no such thing. They have simply said that once there was uproar about the construction of that building, it was in the 1970s, I was a student, I remember them saying that it contradicted the conception of Tamanyan. But it was built and now it is the essential part of the Republic Square, and no one is going to demolish it. According to the Minister of Urban Development there are buildings, which must be demolished only if strictly necessary, such was the Afrikyan building, There was an issue connected with street widening. In reply to the question by A1+ whether it was necessary to demolish the building of Youth Palace, Narek Sargsyan answered, I didnt work during those years, I have simply heard, if there was constructive necessity, they shouldnt have announced tender, it should have been given to the developer and made him build a building like the previous one correspondent to modern demands. But tender was held and a Japanese company won, but fortunately that building wasnt constructed, as it had enormous sizes. At present we, to be honest, are looking for legislative solutions, in order to take drastic steps in such cases. We want to add sanctions, in order to make them either sell their land, if they dont have investments, or start construction activities so that the city wont be in such situation, because it also affects investors. They come, see the situation and dont want to invest. This Page Is Under Construction - Coming Soon! Why am I seeing this 'Under Construction' page? There is nothing like ice cream to brighten a rainy and gloomy weekday, so I thought it would be fun to meet a girlfriend for a midday treat at a new ice cream shop on U.S. 1 in Hobe Sound. Ice Cream & More is not your everyday ice cream shop. It serves only local Florida Working Cow ice cream, which goes "from moo to you in 48 hours." Working Cow ice cream has been manufacturing super premium ice cream since 1993. The ice cream manufacturer said it uses local dairies and ingredients whenever possible and does not use artificial hormones or high fructose corn syrup. There were several fabulous flavors to choose from so I tried a selection of single scoops different from the typical choices. I chose of a sampling of flavors starting with Gator Tracks, a low-fat and sugar-free option, captain's butterscotch, salted caramel and fried ice cream. My friend ordered a more traditional favorite, pistachio. The first one we sampled was the gator tracks ($3.95), more commonly known as moose tracks, but this is Florida. This was filled with chocolate ribbons and miniature peanut butter cups threaded throughout a smooth and creamy vanilla ice cream. This combination still tasted like a splurge, despite the lower fat content and the elimination of sugar. The next flavor was captain's butterscotch ($3.95,) a fully loaded scoop of vanilla ice cream filled with miniature peanut butter cups and thick swirls of dreamy butterscotch. There was no shortage on flavor with this unique mix of ingredients. The salted caramel ($3.95) was the next scoop we sampled and it was by far the favorite. The thick and creamy waves of caramel that rolled throughout a rich sea of vanilla ice cream was simply delectable. The crunchiness of nutty pecans added just the right amount of texture to this dessert. This would be the perfect ending to any meal. The next one we tried was the fried ice cream ($3.95). Fried ice cream is a dessert that has been around since the early 1890s. It is traditionally a scoop of ice cream with a breaded coating that is deep fried to create a crunchy coat around the frozen treat. The outside coating usually has cinnamon and sugar blended into the breading. This ice cream flavor embraced the essence of that traditional dessert and created a creamy cinnamon-flavored ice cream. If you like cinnamon, this is a fun flavor to try for something different. Last but not least was the pistachio ($3.95). We were both surprised to find whole pistachios, not just chips, throughout this ice cream. You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream, and I am definitely screaming for Ice Cream & More! Karen Lennon dines anonymously at the expense of Treasure Coast Newspapers for #TCPalmSocial. Contact her at yourmobilechef@gmail.com or follow @urmobilechef on Twitter. ICE CREAM & MORE Orlando Rivera, 33, 1800 block of California Boulevard, Port St. Lucie; carrying a concealed weapon. Dealmas Johnson, 51, 1500 block of Avenue B, Fort Pierce; attempted first-degree murder, premeditated; possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon. Shane Chavez, 47, 7000 block of Roberts Road, Fort Pierce; DUI, alcohol or drugs, fourth or subsequent offense. Debora Plowden, 29, 2800 block of Oleander Boulevard, Fort Pierce; warrants for sale, manufacture or deliver or possession with intent to sell, manufacture or deliver cocaine, possession of cocaine. Donald Allen, 30, 100 block of Hilton Drive, Fort Pierce; warrant for cruelty to animals. Andrew Green, 32, 700 block of Altura Street, Port St. Lucie; aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill. Charles Simmons, 25, 1200 block of 29th Street, Fort Pierce; warrants for burglary of a conveyance, grand theft. Tavaris Alexander, 28, 800 block of Kilpatrick Avenue, Port St. Lucie; possession of heroin with intent to sell, manufacture or deliver; fleeing/eluding police failure to obey officer's order to stop. Robert Hayling, 35, 1800 block of 17th Street, Fort Pierce; driving while license suspended, habitual offender. Cody Pyke, 35, 4100 block of U.S. 1, Fort Pierce; burglary of an unoccupied dwelling while unarmed; larceny/grand theft; warrant for giving false information to a pawnbroker, dealing in stolen property. Jennifer Ackerman, 37, 2400 block of Delano Drive, Port St. Lucie; warrant for violation of probation, felony charge. Arrested in Martin County. Chad Carter, 45, 400 block of Brocksmith Road, Fort Pierce; warrant for violation of probation, robbery. Oscar Alayo, 41, 100 block of Seventh Avenue, Fort Pierce; driving while license suspended, habitual offender. Juan Olloque, 29, 3200 block of U.S. 1, Port St. Lucie; aggravated battery, causing bodily harm or disability. Karl Kelly, 20, 300 block of Greenway Terrace, Port St. Lucie; possession of a weapon or ammunition by a state delinquent adult; sale of marijuana; possession of marijuana with intent to sell, manufacture or deliver; burglary of an unoccupied conveyance while unarmed. Willis Gene, 57, 4400 block of Abovo Street, Port St. Lucie; out-of-county warrant, Martin County, violation of probation, driving while license suspended with knowledge. Angelica Rensing Cowdell, 59, 1900 block of Brisbane Street, Port St. Lucie; out-of-county warrants, Martin County, organized fraud, grand theft. Ernso Mardy, 55, 500 block of 14th Street, Fort Pierce; fraud impersonation giving false identification to an officer. James Chauncey, 68, 300 block of Hosbine Street, Fort Pierce; tax fraud. Richard Wodicker, 63, Jupiter; hit-and-run failure to stop/remain crash involving injuries other than serious bodily injuries. Pedro Lopez De Haro, 32, Okeechobee; readmit, driving while license suspended, prior conviction. Norman Moody, 41, Fort Lauderdale; driving while license suspended, third or subsequent offense. Jenna Kissam, 20, 600 block of Homeland Road, Port St. Lucie; warrant for violation of probation, DUI, 0.15 or more, damage to person or property of another. Erman Hinton, 62, 4400 block of 25th Avenue, Vero Beach; warrant for DUI, unlawful blood alcohol level of 0.15 or higher with a person under 18. Carlos Baca, 34, 7500 block of Salerno Road, Fort Pierce; warrant for violation of probation, battery. Latasha Holley, 45, 1000 block of 21st Street, Fort Pierce; warrant for violation of probation, battery. SEBASTIAN Some parents didn't catch wind of a Thursday morning bomb threat at Sebastian Elementary until their children were already evacuated to City Hall. Nicole Fairbend said she was angry she didn't hear about what was happening with her first-grade daughter until she took her younger children to day care. School officials said automatic calls about the situation went out to the children's emergency contact phone numbers on file. They also urged parents and guardians to update their information. A threat was made to Sebastian Elementary at 10:52 a.m. Thursday. A caller to the school said a bomb would be coming to the campus, said Dale Simchick, chairwoman of the Indian River County School Board. Administrators immediately locked down the school until it became apparent no one was coming, then decided to evacuate the campus in case a bomb was already in the building, Simchick said. "They covered it both ways to be cautionary," Simchick said. About an hour after the initial threat, district officials sent automated messages to emergency contact phone numbers listed for Sebastian Elementary parents, Simchick said. The message was sent in English and Spanish to landlines and cellphones, she said. The program is capable of calling multiple phone numbers for each student but cannot send text messages. The district waited until it decided where the students would go before putting in the call, so parents could have the necessary information, Simchick said. William Mitchell, who has a daughter in fourth grade, said: "This is crazy, especially in Sebastian; you'd never expect this." He also said he received no information from the school about the threat or evacuation. Sebastian police spokesman Cmdr. John Blackledge said police will continue to investigate who made the threatening phone call to the school. Investigators do not plan to release the audio of the call or describe the characteristics of the caller before the case is complete, Blackledge said. Police reached out to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office and Patrick Air Force Base for bomb-sniffing dogs, Blackledge said. The two entities provided four dogs to scour the school for devices. At 2:15 p.m., Police Chief Michelle Morris said the sweep was complete and no devices were found. While waiting for parents to pick up their children, the city hosted almost 500 children in City Council chambers, City Manager Joe Griffin said. The Disney movie "Up" was played on the big screen, while the school district brought in boxed lunches for the students and teachers. "Everyone pulled together to make this happen," Sebastian Police Deputy Chief Greg Witt said. Meanwhile, kindergarten classes were away on a field trip at the Brevard Zoo when the evacuation happened, school officials said. Parents met their students at City Hall when they returned from the trip. Richard Storts arrived at City Hall and picked up his grandson about 12:30 p.m. "The schools handled this well," said Storts about the evacuation, though he was surprised an incident like this would happen in Sebastian. "It doesn't make sense." His grandson Adam Storts, 9, said he was in math class when the evacuation announcement was made on the public address system. "I thought it was a bit scary, but I tried not to think about it," the third-grader said. Staff writer Elliott Jones contributed to this report. WHAT PARENTS SHOULD KNOW Indian River County School District uses a system called "Connect Ed" to mass message information to parents and guardians. School principals are capable of sending messages about events, meetings and report cards throughout the year. The superintendent uses the program to announce school closings and emergencies. If a parent or guardian did not receive a phone call about the bomb threat on Thursday, they should contact the school Friday to ensure their information is up to date. SOURCE: Indian River County School District TALLAHASSEE A House committee agreed Thursday not to allow land and water conservation money to be used for sewer lines and pumps and pipes for water supply projects. That was one of the changes Rep. Matt Caldwell made to his bill dealing with state lands after meeting with environmentalists. They were pleased with the progress, but aren't ready to support the bill because they still have concerns about it and its Senate version hasn't changed. They contend dollars from Amendment 1, approved by voters in 2014, shouldn't be used for water and sewer projects. Although Caldwell, R-Fort Myers, removed the provision in HB 1075 that would have allowed that, an attempt to remove it from the Senate version failed in a committee hearing last week. Sponsor Sen. Wilton Simpson, however, vowed to work with environmentalists to improve his bill, SB 1290, which hasn't been scheduled for its next committee stop. The provision deals with which water projects can receive money through the Florida Forever land-buying program. Currently, water supply projects that "meet the needs of natural systems and the citizens of the state," such as reservoirs, can receive money from the program, but pumps, septic-to-sewer conversions, treatment plants and pipes cannot. Amendment 1 sets aside one-third of real estate transaction tax revenue to buy, restore and improve land and water resources through 2035. Environmentalists wrote and pushed the measure on the ballot to revive funding for Florida Forever after it dropped during the economic recession and want the money used to buy land for conservation instead of water projects. This year, more than $880 million is available. CHANGES AND CONCERNS Here are other changes Caldwell made to HB 1075, along with remaining concerns from environmentalists: He removed a requirement that the state review its lands every 10 years and determine whether they should be sold if they aren't meeting the goals for which they were bought. Environmentalists claimed that would cause the state to get rid of land needed for conservation. The bill allows private landowners to take ownership of public land that abuts at least 30 percent of the private property. In exchange, the private owners agree not to allow development on their land. Caldwell added the exchange must result in positive conservation benefits that outweigh negatives or neutral effects. The Conservancy of Southwest Florida wants the bill to prohibit state parks from being swapped, lobbyist Stephanie Kunkel said. Caldwell softened a requirement that the state consider getting rid of land that isn't meeting the goals for which it was purchased, such as conservation or invasive species control. The bill now calls for a review and potential changes to those goals first, said Sierra Club lobbyist David Cullen. There are still concerns the Department of Environmental Protection could change the use of lands from conservation to something else, Cullen said. The bill reads that land bought by the state must be used for "conservation or recreation" purposes or both, rather than the purpose for which it was acquired. Cullen said that allows the agency to override a decision made by the governor and the state Cabinet with recommendation by experts on how to use a property and could jeopardize state parks. "Every absurdity has a champion to defend it." So said Oliver Goldsmith, an Anglo-Irish novelist of the 18th century. Goldsmith's words apply today with respect to the millions of taxpayers' dollars being spent to fight All Aboard Florida the Miami-to-Orlando passenger rail project slated to begin running through our region in late 2017. There is no shortage of champions willing to defend the absurd proposition that All Aboard Florida can be defeated by legal means. Two examples will suffice. Citizens Against Rail Expansion in Florida lauded Martin County commissioners for their "courage and leadership" after the commission unanimously approved an additional $850,000 to fight the project. The new allocation brings Martin County's total to $2.4 million. Cue the strings section for this inspirational word from County Commissioner John Haddox. "This is not the time to waiver or show any sign of weakness," Haddox said at the commission's Feb. 9 meeting. "Today is the day we take a firm stance and demonstrate our solidarity with thousands of residents." All that was missing from Haddox's battle cry was the theme song from "Rocky." Courage? How is it courage when commissioners are inundated with messages urging them to stay the course? This is, after all, an election year. Incumbent candidates don't gain votes by challenging popular opinion. Instead, you go with the flow. You appease constituents in the faint hope the project can be stopped. The marketplace, not litigation, will ultimately determine the fate of All Aboard Florida. In the current situation, courage would be the voice of dissent. It would entail asking tough questions, such as: 1) What is a reasonable expectation of success? 2) At what point do we terminate our legal challenges? 3) Should we be spending this money on other projects? No Martin County commissioner asked tough questions at the Feb. 9 meeting. There was no voice of dissent. Commissioners gushed about continuing the fight. Five champions defending an absurd proposition. Commissioner Doug Smith even hinted at a future allocation. "There will be a third ask," Smith said. Translation? Taxpayers can expect to pony up more money once the new allocation is exhausted. You would never know the county has a $258 million infrastructure backlog. Indian River County, which has spent a little more than half of the $2.7 million it allocated for the All Aboard Florida battle, has its own champions of the absurd. In a letter to the editor, Indian River County Commissioner Bob Solari equated All Aboard Florida with cancer. "When my wife, Jackie, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, I did not say that I would only fight so hard and spend only so much," Solari wrote. "My response was to use every past experience and every resource available to fight the best battle possible. Fortunately we won that battle." Solari says All Aboard Florida merits the same, all-out response one would give to save a loved one with cancer. Here's where I part ways with the commissioner. Cancer treatment is dictated by the severity of the cancer. If we accept Solari's analogy, All Aboard Florida is not Stage 1, 2 or 3 in other words, treatable. It is late Stage 4. The cancer has spread and the patient in this case, the Treasure Coast should begin making final plans. We're reached the point where it is foolish and financially irresponsible to continue fighting the project. Here's another shortcoming in Solari's analogy. The "every resource available" that he wants to spend fighting All Aboard Florida is not his money, but yours. How generous of him. I'm flabbergasted by the exuberance of elected officials to spend OUR money in the face of insurmountable odds. Private organizations such as Citizens Against Rail Expansion in Florida and Florida NOT All Aboard can spend all the money they want fighting the rail project. Not public officials. They are accountable as stewards of taxpayers' money. I continue to oppose the rail project. But I don't view it as a cancer. I consider it something less than that, maybe a recurring hemorrhoid or gastrointestinal disorder. All Aboard Florida may diminish our quality of life, but it wont kill us. And if were able to somehow negotiate a train stop none is planned for our region it may provide opportunities weve been too obstinate to consider. Zakharyans statement is incorrect Economist Artak Manukyan considers the statement made by the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Yervand Zakharyan to be incorrect that by taking new loan from the World Bank, the electricity price wont increase. The economist is sure that Mr Zakharyan should have spoken not about the possible electricity price hike, but about its decrease starting from August 1, 2016, The PSRC justified the electricity price hike by the necessity to pay off 24 billion AMD debt of the ENA. We are already paying off that debt and it will be paid off until August, consequently there will be no need for paying 7 drams more for 1 kW. The economist cannot understand the fact that Armenia borrows money from the World Bank. For several hours the economist had been looking for some information about lending money to Armenia on the website of the World Bank, but in vain, It is strange that the World Bank doesnt provide any information about such a deal, in spite of the claims that that structure is one of the most transparent ones. It looks like Donald Trump will participate in the March 3 Republican presidential debate in Detroit to be carried on Fox News. You could say that he and Fox were eyeball-to-eyeball, and Trump blinked. The expression comes from the Cuban missile crisis, when Secretary of State Dean Rusk said the U.S. and the Soviet Union were "eyeball-to-eyeball, and I think the other fellow just blinked." On Jan. 28, four days before the Iowa caucuses, the Fox News Channel carried the Republican debate in Des Moines. Trump refused to take part. Why? Because Fox refused to remove Megyn Kelly as a moderator. Trump objected to Kelly's tough questions about his attitude toward women in the Aug. 6 Republican debate on Fox. She asked him if his demeaning references "sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president?" The day after that debate, an angry Trump said Kelly's questions were unfair. He said viewers could see blood coming out of Kelly's eyes and "wherever." Previously, Trump had a cordial relationship with Fox, considered by many to be an ally of the Republican party. He appeared on the Fox News Channel and Fox Business scores of times. He was on Fox even after his put-downs of Kelly. But Trump and Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes were no longer chummy. In fact, Ailes helped compose a sarcastic news release issued after Trump announced he was skipping the Jan. 28 debate. "We learned from a secret back channel that the Ayatollah and Putin both intend to treat Donald Trump unfairly when they meet with him if he becomes president," it said. While Fox put on a two-hour, prime-time, Trump-less debate with seven candidates, Trump put on a rally in support of wounded veterans. Both events were in Des Moines. Trump is not a veteran himself. He received draft deferments as a student and then a medical exemption because of bone spurs in his feet. Early in his campaign, Trump claimed Arizona Sen. John McCain, severely wounded in Vietnam, was no war hero because he had been captured. The Jan. 28 debate attracted 12.5 million viewers. That's about half as many as watched the Aug. 6 debate but still a lot of viewers for a cable channel. CNN and MSNBC covered parts of the Trump rally and drew about 2.7 million viewers combined. Analysts concluded that Trump's counter-programming stole some viewers from the debate. Even though he had been leading in the polls, Trump finished second in Iowa behind Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and barely ahead of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. Before the caucuses, Cruz mocked Trump, calling him "Ducking Donald" for ducking the debate. A Cruz page on Snapchat, a smartphone app, featured a duck with Trump's hairstyle next to a headline asking, "Where is Ducking Donald?" A Cruz spokesman said, "If you want a job, you have to show up for the interview." After the Iowa caucuses, Trump told Fox News host Bill O'Reilly that skipping the final debate before the Iowa caucuses might have cost him the victory in that state. Trump said he will take the stage March 3 in the next debate on Fox. Trump told reporters at a rally in New Hampshire before winning the GOP primary there, "I think some people were disappointed that I didn't go into the debate." The moderators of the March 3 debate will be the same as usual for Fox: Bret Baier, Chris Wallace and, yes, Megyn Kelly. Paul Janensch, a seasonal resident of Vero Beach, was a newspaper editor and taught journalism at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. His email address is paul.janensch@quinnipiac.edu. Vaio on Wednesday announced Phone Biz, a Windows 10 mobile phone. The device doesnt have a SIM, leaving users free to select their own carriers. The Phone Biz lets users easily access corporate apps, Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Exchange, as well as the Azure cloud, according to Vaio. The OS is synced with the latest version of Windows 10. Users can manage settings from the same Microsoft account as their PCs. The Phone Biz incorporates Microsofts Continuum feature, which lets users connect phones to TVs or monitors, if they want to work on a larger screen. The Phone Biz supports single sign-on and connection speeds of up to 225 Mbps. The position and size of tiles are customizable, and the phone comes with the Cortana digital assistant. The phone can use encryption or a virtual private network. It includes built-in GPS and supports remote data erase and remote locking. Admins can change users access to apps and data remotely. The Phone Biz will be available on NTT DoCoMos network. It reportedly will begin selling in Japan in April for about US$430. More About the Phone Biz The Phone Biz has an aluminum body and a full high-definition tempered glass screen. It has a microUSB 2.0 port, said Vaio. Four versions will be available. Two use eight-core 1.5-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processors. One of them has a 5.5-inch 10801920 screen and the other a 5-inch 7201280 screen. The other two are 5-inch devices with 7201280 screens. One has a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and the other a 1.1 GHz quad-core processor. RAM ranges from 1 GB to 3 GB, and internal storage from 8 GB to 16 GB. Rear cameras are 8 MP or 13 MP, depending on the model, and front cameras range from 1 to 5 MP. None of the features is particularly outstanding, said Mike Jude, a program manager at Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan. However, the Continuum capability that allows the phone to serve as a platform or CPU for a desktop makes the Vaio phone better suited for business use than personal use, he told TechNewsWorld. With Sony, its all about design, so this phone is incredibly good-looking, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. Sony has a minority stake in Vaio, which it spun off in 2014. Alternative platforms often work far better in Asia than they do in the U.S., Enderle told TechNewsWorld. The Asia-Pacific region as a whole is more accepting of diversity, making it a far better geography to launch a phone like this. Fighting an Uphill Battle Worldwide smartphone shipments hit a record in Q4 2015, totaling nearly 400 million units, IDC reported. That is nearly 6 percent higher than the same quarter in 2014. As a whole, 2015 was a record year for phone shipments. However, the Windows Phone OS share of the market has been hovering around 2 percent since March, according toNetmarketshare. That hasnt deterred Microsoft, which last fall announced that several Japanese companies would be making Windows 10 phones. That said, Windows Phone never really caught on that much, because its highly dependent on a very good network connection, said Frosts Jude. With active tiles, you need a reliable data connection and, if youre roaming, that might be hard to come by. The current push in Japan indicates Microsoft is fighting for a beachhead and have found Asia a far better geography to get one, Enderle said. Microsoft isnt giving up on mobile as theSwiftKey purchase clearly showcases, he noted. Its looking for a geography to take back and use as a springboard to once again become relevant in this space. CEO Tim Cook on Tuesday brought Apples dispute with the FBI to the public. Cook penned an open letter explaining the companys resistance to a federal magistrates order to create software that would let authorities access data in an iPhone used by the shooters in last years San Bernardino terrorist attack. Carrying out the order could undermine the security of all iPhone users, Cook argued. The United States government has demanded that Apple take an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers. We oppose this order, which has implications far beyond the legal case at hand, he wrote. Apple has complied with the FBIs request for information regarding Syed Farooks iPhone, having provided all of the data in the companys possession, according to Cooks letter. The problem surrounds the FBIs request that Apple provide a back door to the iPhones encrypted data, something Cook said is too dangerous to create. Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation. In the wrong hands, this software which does not exist today would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someones physical possession, Cook said. Even though the FBI promised that the custom software would be used only in the San Bernardino investigation, Apple is concerned that it might be leaked or used later. That could undermine encryption for millions of other users, according to the letter. Electronic Privacy One of the issues raised by the FBIs request concerns the publics expectation of privacy regarding data stored on a phone, which could include everything from bank account information to medical records. The stakes are high for companies that promise to protect their customers sensitive data. This is definitely a question of privacy, said Michael E. Dergosits, a partner in Dergosits & Noah. Already there are programs that run on our phones like Google Maps that ask for personal information like your location or current position, so right now theres a great sharing of personal private information on the phone amongst applications, he told TechNewsWorld. Presumably, the owner of the phone can change settings to block this transmission of information or install security software, Dergosits continued. Those kinds of issues are already prevalent. But I think what were talking about is balancing interests between personal and public safety and personal privacy whether the federal government or state and local law enforcement should be in a position to be able to demand access to those kinds of capabilities. The big issue here is the publics perception of whats private, he said. Right now, theres a high expectation of privacy regarding information stored on a persons cellphone. Thats not the case when it comes to other types of searches, such as airport scans or voluntary background checks. If you have a document on the front seat of your car when you get pulled over, you cant have an expectation of privacy because its in plain view. But if you have it an envelope in your trunk inside a piece of baggage, then it would seem that your expectation is that you wouldnt want it to be within plain view or where anyone could see, Dergosits explained. If youre randomly stopped, the law enforcement [official] has to have some sort of probable cause for opening up a closed container that might have something private in it, he said. If they dont have probable cause, then they have to get a warrant. The same goes for going to a venue like an airport or concert venue, or somewhere where youre subject to search. Thats your personal choice to submit to that search. Talking to the People Cooks tactic of publishing an open letter was a smart way to democratize the issue and communicate Apples message directly, sidestepping the media spin, suggested Burghardt Tenderich, associate director at the USC Center for Public Relations. The strategy is to create a grassroots feeling to this, he told TechNewsWorld. They want to take it away from a discussion between the CEO of the worlds second most valuable company and the FBI, and really take it to the people. Because this issue directly affects Apples customers, it makes sense for the company to talk to them directly, Tenderich reasoned. It also gives the company complete control of its message. I would say the intention is probably to prevent this from happening, because according to Tim Cook, they have good technical reasons to believe that this isnt in the best interest of the public, said Tenderich. Maybe its also a defense strategy in case they are forced to develop this software, he added. They can point to this letter to say look, we fought this battle on your behalf.' Apple did not respond to our request for further details. New Delhi, India, February 18, 2016: Axis Bank has signed an agreement with Coursera, the worlds largest open online education provider, to nurture and up skill its human capital through online certification courses from top Universities globally. Banking sector in India is witnessing a major evolution with technology and innovation rapidly altering the existing landscape. To keep up with the pace of this evolution, it is imperative to equip employees with specialized skill sets. Axis Bank is taking talent management to the next level by offering its employees access to a world-class online certification programme. Coursera will design tailor-made curriculums relevant for the Banks employees, in sync with industry demand, covering topics like leadership, data analytics, innovative thinking, etc., chosen from among 1700 courses offered by top universities across the world. Speaking on the partnership, Mr. Rajesh Kumar Dahiya, Group Executive, Axis Bank, said As one of the leading employers in India, we are focused on bringing innovation to our employee development processes. We believe Coursera would be a great vehicle for delivering world-class training for relevant skills. By offering our employees learning opportunities with the worlds top universities, we hope to not only increase the value they gain as individuals but also the value they bring to the organization and the economy as a whole. Mr. Nikhil Sinha, Senior Advisor, Coursera, further added, This unique and highly scalable program will give Axis Bank employees access to industry relevant, flexible online courses and certification from top universities around the world. Axis Bank is the first Indian company to use Coursera courses in this way, and we will be working with a select number of other companies in India to develop and attract the countrys top talent. Technuter.com News Service As anyone who has experienced it will tell you, ransomware can be a nightmare. Once it infects a network, it can encrypt all the files and will demand payment (nearly always Bitcoin) before it hands over an unlock key. These attacks often come with a warning that unless the ransom is paid within a set time, the key will be destroyed and the user will never be able to access their data. While finding you've been infected with ransomware is bad, it can be especially problematic for organizations such as hospitals. Such was the case for the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, which had its network locked up by a ransomware attack on February 5, and has only recently regained control of its systems after paying $17,000 to the attackers. After the ransomware was discovered, staff at the hospital were forced to use land lines, fax machines, and keep paper records for the ten days that the network was locked down. Some patients had to be sent to other hospitals for procedures such as CT scans. Reports claimed that the attackers had originally demanded 9000 bitcoins, or about $3.5 million, to release the system. But it appears that this was negotiated down to 40 bitcoins, equal to around $17,000. Speaking about the hospital's decision to pay the ransom, CEO Allen Stefanek said in a statement: "The malware locks systems by encrypting files and demanding ransom to obtain the decryption key. The quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom and obtain the decryption key. In the best interest of restoring normal operations, we did this." CSO reports that it's highly unlikely the hospital was specifically targeted, and that the ransomware was likely down to an employee clicking on a malicious link or downloading an unexpected attachment on a hospital computer. The hospital has stressed that there is no evidence to suggest any patient records were compromised. It will continue to work with security consultants, local authorities, and the FBI, who are investigating the matter. Its a sad reality that Adderall and other stimulant drugs commonly prescribed to treat ADHD double as study drugs used for boosting performance in school. Now emergency room visits from the abuse have risen significantly among young adults. Research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that misuse of Adderall, for instance, had been highest among those ages 18 to 25, who mostly obtain the drug from loved ones or friends without a doctors prescription. This veers away from the popular belief that Adderall abuse most commonly occurs among older kids and adolescents. The 18-25 age group accounts for 60 percent of non-medical Adderall use for ages 12 and above. In college, especially, these drugs are used as study-aid medication to help students stay up all night and cram, warns study author and mental health professor Dr. Ramin Mojtabai, calling for greater education on the serious adverse effects and long-term consequences of using the drugs. The brand name for dextroamphetamine-amphetamine, Adderall is usually prescribed for ADHD, narcolepsy and related disorders. While it does improve focus, says Mojtabai, it can also disrupt sleep and lead to serious cardiovascular conditions such as high blood pressure and stroke. The drug may also lead to a greater risk for mental health issues, such as depression, bipolar disorder and aggressive tendencies. The team examined 2006 to 2011 data, noting a higher rate of misuse and emergency room visits climbing 67 percent and 156 percent respectively related to Adderall use despite the unchanging number of prescriptions. This suggests illegal or inappropriate access to the stimulant. [It could be] the result of diversion, people taking medication that is legitimately prescribed to someone else, explains first author Dr. Lian-Yu Chen of this trend. These stimulant drugs should be watched the same way authorities have started monitoring prescription painkillers in recent years, advises Mojtabai. A physician, he says, should be able to check in a database if the patient is actually getting multiple drugs from different doctors a red flag for abuse or diversion. The researchers emphasize that these ADHD drugs are not harmless study aids. [T]here can be serious health risks and they need to be more aware, adds Mojtabai. The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. A previous study discovered that college students justified their use of stimulant medications in a number of ways, including improved intellectual performance. "We discovered that these students frame stimulant use as both physically harmless and morally acceptable," the authors write, noting that many were unaware of the side effects. Photo: Tony Webster | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Even after two decades since their discovery, "hot Jupiters" are still puzzling objects. Astronomers have found five new Jupiter-like exoplanets which can also help shed some light on the quest for extrasolar world. Hot Jupiters are termed as such because they are gas giant planets that orbit very close to their parent star, just like the planet Jupiter. These hot giant planets, however, are much closer to their parent star than Jupiter is to its own. Planets that exist beyond the Solar System are difficult to detect since they cannot be observed directly by astronomers; however, the proximity and size of these planets are easy to spot since they create a large cut in brightness when passing in front of their parent stars. Wide Angle Search For Planets-South Or WASP-South The team from Keele University used an advanced planet locator instrument called Wide Angle Search for Planets-South (WASP-South) to look for planet-like transits. It contains eight cameras observing specific areas in the southern part of the sky. Found in the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), the instrument provides valuable information on the planetary nature of exoplanets. The team also used the advanced photometer and spectroscope. Five New Hot Jupiters Named WASP-124 b, WASP-119 b, WASP-129 b, WASP-126 b and WASP-133 b, the five exoplanets have distinct characteristics of their own. WASP-129 b has the longest orbital period while WASP-133 b has the shortest. Though WASP-133 b has the shortest orbital period, it is a little bigger than Jupiter. Out of the five exoplanets, WASP-126 b is the most fascinating since it orbits the brightest star. Coel Hellier, one of the study authors, suggested that this can be a good target for more detailed study for atmospheric characterization. The exoplanets' masses varied from about 0.3 to 1.2 times the mass of Jupiter. In terms of orbital periods, it ranged from 2.17 to 5.75 days with their radii between one to 1.5 times the radius of Jupiter. The study's findings show that the WASP instrument used in detecting exoplanets is efficient in providing valuable data about the exosolar world. These planetary systems are good targets for further detailed observations from Earth. The findings of this study were published in the open access arXiv journal. Photo: Kevin Gill | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. "Don't be evil," was the corporate motto of Google. The company eventually dropped the mantra when it became Alphabet. Nonetheless, old Google's manifesto declaring that it will be a company that does good things for the world even if it passes on a few short term gains still lives on in new Alphabet's Jigsaw division. According to a Medium post written by Alphabet Chairman, Eric Schmidt, what was once Google Ideas, the internal think tank and policy organization of Google, will now be Jigsaw. It will take over the same functions as Ideas with a few added initiatives. Moreover, however, Jigsaw will also serve as an incubator to "use technology to tackle the toughest geopolitical challenges, from countering violent extremism to thwarting online censorship to mitigating the threats associated with digital attacks," shares Schmidt. Along with Google itself, Jigsaw will now be the 10th business unit housed under Alphabet. In addition, the same man who headed Google Ideas will continue to head Jigsaw, Jared Cohen. He's still certainly the man for the job especially with his proven track record. Cohen has worked with the U.S. State Department under both Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton, and even convinced Twitter to stay online during the tumultuous 2009 Iranian presidential elections. Regardless of the name change, the division's focus remains the same. It's more of a rebranding instead of substantial change in direction or focus. Initiatives like Project Shield (a tool used to prevent DDoS attacks) and Digital Attack Map (which helps track cyberattacks around the world) from Google Ideas will continue to move forward at Jigsaw, for example. But why the name "Jigsaw"? "For one thing, the new name acknowledges that the world is a complex puzzle of physical and digital challenges. For another, it reflects our belief that collaborative problem-solving yields the best solutions," describes Schmidt. Moving forward as a technology incubator, Jigsaw will now also be making investments and will help in building companies that will connect the last few billion of the world's population. At the same time, Jigsaw sees itself as the protector of those coming to the Internet for the first time by helping defend them against censorship, corruption and other security threats online. Photo : R. Nial Bradshaw | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A study analyzed babies born between 1977 and 1982 in Ontario, Canada, specifically newborns with extremely low birth weight (ELBW) at 2.2 pounds or even less. The participants were interviewed starting age 8 all the way to their 36th year in several points in their lives. The survey focused mainly on the presence of bullying. The findings were compared to the data of babies born with normal birth weight starting at 5.5 pounds and up. All the participants were born during the same period and all the interviews were done at similar intervals. Researchers from the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at the McMaster University found that ELBW babies experienced higher chances of bullying as children. While bullying is common in nearly one-third of children around the world, preemies carry increased bullying risks that affect their chances of developing anxiety and antisocial behaviors. The amplified bullying risks also affect their chances of developing depression or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or both during their adult years. Lead author Kimberly Day said that being bullied has a lasting effect among the prematurely born babies that stretches into their 30s. Day said that parents, clinicians and teachers must be informed about the long-term effects of bullying on a person's mental health. Keeping a close eye on bullying practices and creating interventions are equally important. "Their risk for anxiety disorders is especially high, particularly among those who are exposed to bullying on a regular basis," said senior author Dr. Ryan Van Lieshout, a behavioral neurosciences and psychiatry assistant professor of McMaster University. The study found that bullied preemies were twice as likely to have mental health issues compared to normal-weight infants who had the same experience. In their 30s, bullied preemies were three times more likely to have anxiety problems including social phobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder to name a few. The rates go up based on the frequency of bullying. "It calls on all of us to reach out and protect these children. This study is extremely valuable," said Dr. Debra Pepler, York University's LaMarsh Centre for Research on Violence and Conflict Resolution senior executive member. The American National Institutes of Health and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research funded the research. The study was published in the Pediatrics journal. Photo: Richard Welter | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Neanderthals and modern humans may have interbred 50,000 years earlier than previously thought, a new study found. Early modern humans were said to have originated from Africa, while Neanderthals lived outside that continent. The two species found each other and eventually interbred after the so-called "out of Africa" migration less than 65,000 years ago. In the new study, however, a team of international researchers were able to find the first proof that early modern humans migrated out of Africa even before this time. The study findings may pave the way for more information about the patterns of migration that transpired many years ago. Interbreeding Long Before The Great African Exodus Present-day Europeans, Asians and Eurasians have Neanderthal traces in their genomes. Even if they were raised out of Africa and were raised with other humans, their DNA cannot hide the fact that they have Neanderthal origins. Modern Africans, however, do not have fragments of Neanderthal DNA in their genomes. This means that sexual contact with Neanderthals only transpired among those modern-day humans who left Africa. Study co-author Ilan Gronau says Africans today may not have the chance to interbred with Neanderthals. Opposite Gene Flow "One very interesting thing about our finding is that it shows a signal of breeding in the 'opposite' direction from that already known," says co-team leader Adam Siepel. He pertains to their discovery of human DNA in Neanderthal genome, instead of Neanderthal DNA in the human genome. The researchers were able to make this discovery after studying the remains of a particular Neanderthal woman found in the Altai Mountains. They assume that this so-called "Altai Neanderthal" was one of those who left Africa earlier than the rest of her group. The team also analyzed two Neanderthal remains found in caves located in Croatia and Spain. Both samples do not have modern human DNA. The scientists also analyzed the DNA of another extinct human called Denisovans, who are considered, along with the Neanderthals, as human cousins. Both lived in the same cave, but at different periods of time. The findings of the Denisovan DNA analysis show that the species do not have DNA of modern humans, but the Neanderthals do. However, this does not signify that modern humans never had sex with Denisovans nor European Neanderthals. The study was published in the journal Nature on Wednesday. Photo: Erich Ferdinand | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Calgary's decision to remove fluoride in drinking water about five years ago may have worsened tooth decay in kids, a new study in Canada revealed. Led by Lindsay McLaren of the University of Calgary, a group of researchers compared second grade students in Calgary and Edmonton. Calgary has stopped injecting fluoride in drinking water, but Edmonton still uses it. The team found that during the study, there were more cavities in both Edmonton and Calgary, but the incidence of dental caries was much worse in Calgary than in Edmonton. The cause-effect link is evident and clear, McLaren said, as they designed their research to be accurate as possible. McLaren said they had considered many different factors. "In the end, everything pointed to fluoridation cessation being the most important factor," she said. Can Calgary Reconsider Policies? Health Canada, which is responsible for public health in the country, regulates the quality of drinking water by working together with territories and provinces. The fluoridation of water supplies are decided by each municipality in collaboration with territories or provinces, or in consultation with residents of the area. Associate Minister of Health in Alberta, Brandy Payne said it is still too soon to reconsider fluoridation policies in view of the study. The findings are relatively new, she said, so they are going to examine the report first and they will "go from there with an evidence-based decision." The issue of fluoridation has long been a topic of debate in Calgary. Fluoride is known to be beneficial in reducing the incidence of cavities, but it also has harmful effects. Fluoride can cause enamel and skeletal fluorosis, where the teeth would experience intrinsic discoloration. The accumulation of fluoride may even lead to the calcification or hardening of joints and bones, damaging them and causing severe pain. Covering Dental Health Care But water fluoridation is the cheapest and most economical method to protect children's dental health, particularly for families who cannot afford dental care, said Denise Kokaram, the Program Lead of the Alex Dental Health Bus conducted by the Alex Community Health Center. "It's not unusual for us to see a child with almost full-mouth decay in the population that we're looking at," Kokaram added. Considering they are in Calgary, Kokaram said they shouldn't be seeing the high degree of tooth decay, but they are. "To think of that rising [number of cases], and those children suffering and in even more pain, when it's such an easy thing to remedy or at least assist with," she said. The Alex Community Health Center, a non-profit organization, has treated about 1,700 children and youth in 2015. Of that number, about half had tooth decay. The Alex is continuing to gather its own statistics to follow the decay rate among children and youth. In 2011, the city council of Calgary had voted 10-3 in favor of stopping the use of fluoride in drinking water. One council member who voted for the removal of fluoride argued that helping families who cannot afford dental care is better than putting fluoride on water supplies. But McLaren and her colleagues are firm in their report, which is featured in the journal Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology. Photo : Jan Fidler | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Public health officials in Quebec, Canada are looking for passengers who traveled from Montreal to Toronto by Megabus in August 2015. The passengers will be tested for any potential signs of tuberculosis, because there is a report that a person with the infectious lung disease is on the same bus. So far, the province's Ministry of Health and Social Services has managed to contact most of the passengers from the affected Megabus units, but there are still many others who need to be contacted. "It is strongly recommended that all passengers of this bus undergo testing for tuberculosis," the ministry said. Even if passengers are not displaying any symptoms, officials said it is still advisable for them to undergo screening. The bus ride to Toronto and the bus ride that returned the tuberculosis patient to Montreal both stopped over Kingston, Ontario. Passengers who were on the following journeys are being sought: Megabus #771, which departed on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015. - Montreal to Kingston trip, with the departure time of 4:30 p.m. - Kingston to Toronto trip, with the departure time of 7:35 p.m. and the arrival time of 10:15 p.m. Megabus #718, which departed on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2015 - Toronto to Kingston trip, with the departure time of 1:30 p.m. - Kingston to Montreal trip, with the departure time of 4:20 p.m. and the arrival time of 7:15 p.m. Residents in Quebec are urged to call 811, while those who are outside the province can call toll-free 1-844-817-0200. Public health officials will conduct a screening. Treatment will be recommended if necessary. People who are infected with TB often do not show symptoms, but they can spread the infection by coughing or other means. The infectious disease can lie dormant for years in some people until the symptoms manifest. If left untreated, the disease can be fatal. Statistics show that about 1,600 people in Canada develop TB every year. In 2010, approximately 1.4 million deaths related to TB were recorded worldwide. The rate of TB in Canada is considered as the lowest around the world, experts said. Despite this low incidence, however, certain populations in the country are disproportionately affected. Photo : Haydn Blackey | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Could it be that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration greatly underestimated the rate of fetal deaths among women who became pregnant after they used a contraceptive device from Bayer? Madris Tomes, founder and CEO of Device Events, thought so. The private analyst combed through FDA's public database, which said there are five fetal deaths in women who turned pregnant after the use of Essure, a two-metal coil product inserted into the fallopian tubes to block pregnancy. Surfacing in Tomes analysis are actually 303 fetal deaths linked to the contraceptive. My system searches the (fuller) narrative, said Tomes in an interview, pertaining to her keywords like stillbirth, fetal death and miscarriage instead of broad headings such as death, injury or "malfunction" used in FDAs probe of adverse events. Tomes said she was an FDA consultant or data analyst employee for four years before she set up her own firm last summer to analyze the regulatory agencys public data. Tagged as an alternative to tubal ligation, Essure was approved in 2002, and since then the FDA has received thousands of complaints revolving around the breakage, movement or injury caused by the device. Dozens who attended an FDA meeting back in September called for the withdrawal of the product, raising uncertainty around its safety. Pennsylvania representative Mike Fitzpatrick, who has earlier filed a bill for Essures removal in the market, sent the FDA a copy of Tomess report and urged for a review of the immense discrepancy in figures. He has also called the agency to pull its prior approval. Women [and] citizens are being harmed, said Fitzpatrick, who claimed that the FDA did not sufficiently attended to complaints against Essure. If you actually read the narratives of those reports that have been filed, those complaints, the number exceeds 300, added the Republican representative. Tamara Monroe, a Levittown resident, said in an NBC10 interview that she had problems using Essure, including a lot of fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, heavy bleeding and very bad abdominal pain. Several physicians vouched for Essure at a recent FDA hearing, while Bayer HealthCare said in a statement sent to NBC10 that it is irresponsible to suggest that its product causes fetal deaths when an unwanted pregnancy cannot be carried to term in the event of an unsuccessful Essure procedure. The safety and efficacy of Essure, the only FDA-approved method of permanent birth control with a non-surgical procedure, is supported by more than a decade of science, as well as real world clinical experience, with the product studied with more than 10,000 women since Essure was first developed, part of its statement read. The FDA will decide later this month on the use of Essure on the market, if the product label will be changed or further clinical trials will be recommended. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Scottish scientists said beavers are good for environment. Findings showed that beavers can help minimize pollutants, lower the instances of downstream flooding and improve biodiversity. Researchers from the University of Stirling in Scotland analyzed the habitat of beavers that were reintroduced in the Tayside region in 2002. They studied the head water streams and compared the data with and without active beaver population. Lead researcher Dr. Nigel Willby said that the beavers' skills in building dams help revive damaged streams. The resulting dams help store flood water and reduce pollutants. "What we found was, downstream of these dams, the water level doesn't get to the same height as it does upstream," said study co-author Dr. Alan Law who took part in the 13-year research program. "Also, the time it takes to get to this height is much longer, by several hours." The beavers' behavior also helped increase the surrounding habitat's complexity and the number of species in the area by as much as 28 percent. The resulting beaver dams caused a 20-fold increase in aquatic plant life and seven-fold surge in organic matter retention. Phosphorous levels in abundant beaver areas were reduced by almost half while nitrate levels spiraled down by over 40 percent. "The beavers' engineering is therefore transforming low quality habitats in regions where the animal has long been absent. These benefits, however, must be weighed against the potential for occasional negative impacts on fisheries, forestry and farm crops," said Willby from the University's School of Natural Sciences. Willby said that the findings provides an opportunity for open talks about the advantages and disadvantages of beavers in the Scottish countryside. The research was published in the Freshwater Biology journal on Feb. 11. Andrew Bauer, National Farmers' Union (NFU) Scotland policy deputy director, said that based on statistics, there would always be small land areas where the environmental benefit are greater than the problems these animals might cause. Bauer said that the benefits need to be analyzed by the environment minister in comparison to the potential damage in farmland, woodlands and flood banks in Tayside. Photo: Bill Damon | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Apple has recently uploaded an open letter penned by its CEO, Tim Cook, as a response to FBI's demands that it create a special version of the iOS mobile operating system that could be used as a backdoor to iPhones. The demand was made in connection with the San Bernardino terrorist attack last December, wherein a young married couple who sympathized with the Islamic State killed 14 people and injured 22 others. The FBI is looking to extract the contents of the iPhone 5c the terrorists used to make progress in the investigation. Apple, however, stood its ground. "The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor. And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control," Tim Cook wrote. In response to Apple's open letter, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, perhaps the most famous whistleblower in the world, has called for Google to stand on the same side as Apple in a bid to protect the privacy and security of users. "The FBI is creating a world where citizens rely on Apple to defend their rights, rather than the other way around," Snowden said. Soon after, Google, Apple's biggest rival in the mobile device industry as the creator of the Android mobile operating system, revealed its stance in the issue, countering what Snowden claimed was silence that meant the company was siding with the government. A series of five tweets by Google CEO Sundar Pichai shows that while the company allows law enforcement agencies to gain access to data stored within its secure products if handed valid legal orders, ordering companies to hack the devices and data of their own customers sets a "troubling precedent." Pichai ends the tweets by stating that he is looking forward to an open discussion on the ongoing issue. Not everybody is taking the side of Apple in the issue, however, with the more vocal parties calling for Apple to give in to FBI's demands being relatives of the victims of the San Bernardino attack. "I feel like now there are a whole bunch of terrorists running out and buying iPhones, like the little 'I' in iPhone should be for ISIS," said Mandy Pifer, who lost her fiance Shannon Johnson in the attack. Johnson was deemed a hero as he shielded survivor Denise Peraza from the bullets that were fired by the terrorists. Pifer added that while a lot of Apple's questions on the effects of creating a backdoor on user privacy were hypothetical, the fact is that her fiance was among those killed, and that missing pieces in the case can be extracted from the iPhone 5c one of the attackers used. All in all, the ongoing feud between Apple and the FBI highlights the delicate balance between individual privacy and authorities' need for information to defend the public from incidents such as the San Bernardino attack. The outcome of the case will have a wide reach in the tech industry, as other big companies such as Amazon with its public cloud services and Salesforce with its apps could someday also be forced by the FBI or any government agency to break down the walls of security built to protect the users of their products. According to Gartner VP Neil MacDonald, the heart of the issue is the fact that there is no such thing as a "backdoor" that only the government or a law enforcement agency can use, as once such a workaround is created, hackers can take advantage of it for their illegal purposes. MacDonald adds that the term is a misnomer by itself, as it is simply a "door" that bad guys will find a way to use to steal the sensitive information Apple's iOS is meant to protect. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Evidence have been piling up that fish grown in the wild is very different from those raised in a hatchery. A new research suggests that hatcheries produce genetic changes in salmon making them far different in many ways compare to wild ones. Researchers from Oregon State University found genetic evidence that wild and hatchery steelhead trouts are different at the DNA level and this difference happens at a surprising speed. This difference can actually be passed onto next generations. Published in the journal Nature Communications, the study shows that fishes that were raised in hatcheries produced offspring with unique genetic make-up compared to the offspring of wild fish. The fish born in the hatchery showed differences in the expression of 700 genes. Inbreeding And Genetic Changes A fish hatchery is a place for artificial breeding, hatching and rearing of animals like fishes. With fish stocks depleted in many parts of the world, fish hatcheries boomed in the last couple of decades. There are, however, associated problems linked with aquaculture. One problem that emerges is inbreeding. With only a small number of stocks in hatcheries, inbreeding can potentially create unhealthy and malformed populations. "A fish hatchery is a very artificial environment that causes strong natural selection pressures," said Professor Michael Blouin of the integrative biology in the OSU College of Science. "A concrete box with 50,000 other fish all crowded together and fed pellet food is clearly a lot different than an open stream." The researchers are certain on what traits are being expressed by hatcher fish, but some are associated the immune system and tissue regeneration. This might explain why fishes in the hatchery are more prone to disease outbreaks, metabolism and wounds. The study sheds light on hatcheries and their effects to fishes. If these genetic changes are better understood, it can give valuable information on measures to address the problem. It could open doors in exploring other ways of raising fishes in hatcheries that could reduce detrimental genetic changes. Difference Between Hatchery And Wild Salmon Streams and hatcheries are the same in the sense that they provide necessary conditions for young salmon fishes to live like food, space, water and shelter. However, years of culturing under artificial conditions created changes to hatchery fish. Hatchery fishes are used to hand-feeding or just waiting for food to arrive while wild fishes hunt for their food. Hatcheries provide shelter for fish while wild fish rely on natural shelter in streams. Wild fish are known to survive and withstand the severities of the natural environment long enough to reproduce. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Google Translate now supports 103 languages after the company's announcement of the additional 13 languages to the platform. The most recent update adds support for Amharic (the second most widely spoken Semitic language after Arabic), Corsican (used on the French island of Corsica and Napoleon's first language), Frisian (the native language of more than half of Netherlands' Friesland province), Kyrgyz (used in Kyrgyzstan), Hawaiian, Kurdish (Kurmanji), Luxembourgish, Samoan (which uses only 14 letters), Scots Gaelic, Shona, Sindhi, Pashto and Xhosa. While some of these are lesser-used in the world compared to others, such as Engish and Chinese, having these languages on Google Translate widens the reach of the service. In fact, Google Translate says that it now caters to 99 percent of the global online population, which is a huge achievement for the service that was launched in April 2006. The idea to develop Google Translate was first given form back in 2004, when Google co-founder Sergey Brin became immensely frustrated with translation software that the company was licensing. Brin ran an email written in Korean through the software, and the translation read "The sliced raw fish shoes it wishes. Google green onion thing!" The initial Google Translate platform utilized machine-learning based translation systems to convert text between English, Chinese, Arabic and Russian. Today, the 103-language platform utilizes human volunteers in addition to machine learning to ensure the accuracy of the translations being churned out by Google Translate. Google, however, did not reach its current success with Google Translate all by itself. It also had the help of the service's users in the Translate Community that aided in the improvement of the service and the addition of new languages. Figures reveal that more than 3 million people have added about 200 million translations to the platform's database. Google has also updated its breakdown page for Google Translate, showing the six ways that users can utilize the service and which languages are supported by each one. Type, by typing into the keyboard Talk, to have a bilingual conversation Snap, to translate images containing text See, to see instant translations using a smartphone camera Write, by drawing characters and letters Offline, to get a translation without an Internet connection 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A 31-year-old man suspected of carrying out a cyberattack on a Boston hospital two years ago was arrested by authorities on Wednesday after he and his wife were rescued from a stranded boat off the coast of Cuba. Federal authorities have been in search of Martin Gottesfeld after he was charged of hacking the Boston Children's Hospital's computer system in April 2014. He was identified through a video clip posted online where he said that he carried out the cyberattack on behalf of the international hacktivist group Anonymous. The hacking was intended to impair the ability of the hospital's staff to treat a teenage patient, who was the focus of a well-publicized custody battle between the state and the patient's parents. In his video, Gottesfeld claimed that Anonymous would "punish" all the people accountable for the custody battle and that the group will not stop until the patient is "free." He allegedly posted a link to a PasteBin.com page as well, which was meant to provide other hackers vital information on how to access the hospital's system. According to the Justice Department, the 2014 cyberattack disrupted Boston Children's computer network and shut down its website. It also severely affected the hospital's medical operations and research work. Boston Children's had to spend more than $300,000 in order to restore the damage done by the hacking. Law enforcement officials received a report from Gottesfeld's relatives and employer last week stating that he had been missing for the past few weeks. He and his wife were later discovered by the crew of a Disney cruise ship after they received a distress call from the couple. Gottesfeld was arrested immediately upon reaching Miami and is now facing one count of conspiracy, which can result in a five-year sentence and a fine of $250,000. It is still unclear whether Gottesfeld had retained a lawyer. On Wednesday, officials from Boston Children's Hospital thanked members of law enforcement agencies for investigating the cyberattack on their computer network and apprehending the hacker. They said that the security systems they have placed on their network prevented any illegal access to confidential information. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The next time you buy another batch of "100 percent parmesan" cheese, you might need to double-check if the contents match the label. According to a new report published by Bloomberg, many cheese products offered in supermarkets that claim they are made from pure parmesan are actually mixed with cheaper and sometimes even inedible substitutes. The article referred to an inspection conducted by officials from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Castle Cheese factory in Pennsylvania in 2012. Castle, which has supplied its cheese products to Associated Wholesale and Target for 30 years, has been found to include cheaper cheese variants and cellulose (wood pulp) in its offerings. The FDA said that some suppliers of grated parmesan add amounts of the anti-clumping agent cellulose, or use cheddar in place of authentic Romano cheese, to bolster the contents of their products. Four years after the FDA inspection of Castle's facility, the company's president, Michelle Myrter, is expected to make a guilty plea to criminal charges this month. She faces a prison sentence of up to a year and a fine of $100,000. Is Cellulose Safe To Eat? Cheese technologist Dean Sommer of the Center for Dairy Research in Wisconsin explained that cellulose is a safe additive to food products, especially when kept to 2 to 4 percent levels. In a test of other well-known cheese products sold in supermarkets, some have been shown to contain levels of cellulose in their mixtures. These include Jewel-Osco's Essential Everyday 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese (8.8 percent) and Wal-Mart's Great Value 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese (7.8 percent). While Whole Foods' 365 Everyday Value Cheese do not include cellulose in the list of ingredients on its label, testing showed that the product had 0.3 percent of the additive. Kraft's cheese products, on the other hand, had contained 3.8 percent of cellulose. Michael Mullen, a spokesman for the Kraft Heinz Company, said that they are committed to keeping the quality of their products. Meanwhile, Wal-Mart spokesman John Forrest Ales said that they are questioning the reliability of examining a single sample of their cheese product. The company's compliance team is also checking the validity of the recent findings. Jewel-Osco and Whole Foods Market have each launched their own investigations as well. We strongly believe that there is no cellulose present, says Blaire Kniffin, a spokeswoman for Whole Foods Market. "But we are investigating this matter. Photo: Rachel Hathaway | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Pentax recently filled a major gap in its digital single-lens reflex lineup with the K-1, the first ever full-frame DSLR camera from the manufacturer. Pentax's parent company, Ricoh, touted a full-frame prototype a year ago, and Pentax finally delivered. The manufacturer built a DSLR camera able to go head to head with the likes of Sony, Nikon and Canon. The magnesium alloy body of the K-1 is weather-resistant and dustproof, so you can have photo shoots even in harsh conditions. It packs a 36.4-megapixel sensor, a top sensitivity of 204,800 ISO and a top shooting speed of 4.4 fps. What the Pentax's camera interestingly offers over its rivals is a 3.2-inch LCD screen, which is very useful in low or high angle shooting. The LCD element pulls out from the main body of the camera, enabling you to use the DSLR in less standard angles. Another special mention goes to the price of the device. The K-1 requires you to shell out $1,799 for a full-frame camera, which is a great deal when compared to comparable DSLRs from other brands. In case you're thinking about purchasing a slightly more affordable DSLR, check out our comparison list. Other unique features on the K-1 include the "operation assist light," or small LEDs that let the photographer tweak setting in low-light conditions or swap memory cards. Moreover, the photographs taken with the full-frame camera will be sharp due to the five-axis image stabilization. Resolution and fidelity are ensured thanks to the near 100 percent viewfinder coverage. Additional features count the 1/8000 second lightning-fast shutter speed and the ability to capture video of 1080p/30fps. An optical low-pass filter (OLPF) would have been welcomed, but Pentax assures its customers that the K-1 reduces moire in a similar fashion, by "applying microscopic vibrations to the image sensor." Two new lenses make their debut alongside the camera: the HD Pentax-D, FA 28-105mm f/3.5-5.6 compact zoom lens and the HD Pentax-D, FA 15-30mm f.2.8 ultra-wide angle zoom. The latter seems to be targeted at landscape shots in lower lighting conditions. The K-1 also works with Pentax's medium-format 645 lenses, provided you have the appropriate adaptor. Also, if the 1.6 magnification does not faze you out, Pentax K-mount APS-C lenses will work with the new full-frame camera. Pentax promised to roll out more lenses for its latest camera, and we will keep you posted as soon as it does. The K-1 will start shipping to its first users in April. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Microsoft Surface Book is now available in several markets in Europe. Customers from the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, France and Austria can now purchase the device through a number of retailers at varying prices based on their preferred specifications. Dubbed as "the ultimate laptop," the Surface Book is priced in the United Kingdom between 1,299 (around $1,800) and 2,249 (around $3,200), with the higher price reserved for the laptop's Intel Core i7 model. Apart from the Microsoft Store, customers can also purchase the device through other UK retailers such as John Lewis and Currys & PC World. "Surface Book combines the 6th Generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and up to 16 GB of memory with optional discrete graphics for an unparalleled laptop experience," states Microsoft in the product's description. Microsoft first launched the Surface Book in October last year, touting the powerhouse as being designed particularly for mobile consumers who seek "maximum performance." According to the company, the Surface Book is designed to be capable of handling any task while keeping users and data protected through enterprise-level encryption from its built-in TPM chip. Other security features include BitLocker, Enterprise Data Protection, Trusted Boot and Windows Defender. The 13.5-inch Microsoft Surface Book also comes with a 3,000 x 2,000 267 dpi PixelSense display that consumers can easily detach when they need to perform other tasks. These include using the device as a tablet or as a standard clipboard, which may be highly appealing to business-focused consumers. Microsoft also claims the Surface Book has a battery life of up to 12 hours on a single charge. Other notable highlights include RAM options of 8 GB or 16 GB and storage options of 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB. The Surface Book runs Windows 10 OS and offers the regular 30-day trial of Microsoft Office. The device launched in North America a few weeks following the October unveiling, while other markets were left waiting for a wider release. Early this year, Microsoft started accepting preorders in a number of other markets. Last month, the company released the Surface Book in China, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia, and now it's further expanding the device's availability. Customers from Germany, France and Austria can purchase the Surface Book from the Microsoft Store in their respective country, at prices that range from 1,649 to 2,919. In Switzerland, customers will find the device to be priced between CHF 1,699 and CHF 2,999. Other retailers that listed the device in their stores include Very, Amazon, Selfridges and Harrods. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In order to win big bucks and other prizes on the popular game show Wheel of Fortune, a contestant has to be a good speller and be on top of their guessing game. However, that doesn't mean they need to be a pro when it comes to geography. While each contestant hopes they make the most money throughout each round to be able to go for an even bigger prize, like a new car or $30,000, there is a beloved Prize Puzzle Round in each episode where one of the three contestants are given a dream vacation. Even if they don't take home the big prize, a free trip to Bahamas is a nice consolation gift. During an episode that aired on Wednesday night that featured couples, husband and wife David and Keri Dailey ran into some luck when their spin landed on the Express spot during the Prize Puzzle Round. This meant that the couple was able to keep calling out letters without needing to spin the wheel. They were then successful at solving the puzzle that read "Gondola Ride Through Venice," winning the round and the trip. It may appear obvious to the majority of the Internet exactly where host Pat Sajak would be sending the pair. So, he innocently said, "Let's check your geography knowledge. What country do you think we're sending you to?" It wouldn't be Wheel of Fortune without the hilarious fails that always wind up happening. This is probably the most embarrassing one as of late. "Paris," Mr. Dailey said without a pause. This response, of course, mortified his wife, prompting the husband to come to his senses and correct himself. "France," he then said. Even though he may be a master spinner of the wheel, Dailey certainly failed his geography lesson. When we think of Paris, we think of the Eiffel Tower, croissants and rose wine. When we think of Venice which is in Italy, for those of you who are still left scratching your heads the first image that pops into our minds is a gondola ride. "Do we still get it?" Mrs. Dailey asked, hoping her husband didn't screw up their next vacation. "Apparently, you know your husband well," Sajak said after bursting out in laughter. The couple did, in fact, get to keep their trip, even making it to the Bonus Round. Sajak had to troll the pair one more time, asking where they were going again. Mrs. Dailey firmly responded "Italy," and the couple won a total of $60,432 in the episode. Watch the hilarious geography fail in the clip below. Source: Uproxx 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Dmitry Kiselyov, host of the Russian TV program News of the Week, announced on Feb. 14 that he has a new prerogative besides domestic reportage: trashing the Obamas and exposing "American corruption." To do this, the television personality plans to release a documentary on the subject - and apparently it involves airing a 10-minute video of a computer-animated Michelle Obama hanging out during a trip to Spain taken six years ago. First reported by the New York Observer for the American press, the Observer calls the clip a "trailer," but it resembles a news package more than anything else - albeit with some unusual additions for a presumably hard-hitting piece. Titled "Emperor Obama: The first US family spends taxpayers' money," the video features a recreation done entirely in CGI of FLOTUS' departure during a 2010 trip from a hotel in Spain that has since been purportedly named "Villa Obama." Redolent of a hotel-themed expansion pack for The Sims, the animation includes shots of people rolling out a red carpet, bodyguards with rage-contorted faces heckling admirers on the sidelines, and cartoon paparazzi taking pictures of Michelle, Malia and Sasha with an alleged 40 of their closest friends. The highlight? A quick bit with a photographer actually getting tasered. The video is interspersed with supposed figures of how much "tax-payer money" went toward the jaunt, though sources for the data go unnamed. From what viewers can garner from an on-screen flash of Michelle Malkin's Culture of Corruption - a 2009 critique of the Obama administration doused with an inarguably right-wing bias - that flashes onscreen toward the end, the tome might be the inspiration and/or source material behind the Russian doc. The segment is entirely in Russian, but you can get the gist of the weird factor, with everything from random shots of a "Villa Obama" sign to a CGI'ed First Lady, which starts sometime around the 2:23 mark. Watch it in the video clip below. Source: The New York Observer | YouTube 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The NSAs SKYNET program may be killing thousands of innocent people This is NSA script that may have horribly gone wrong. Thousands of innocents may have been killed by Hellfire and other missiles fired by Predator drones because the algorithm for tracking these people might have been horribly wrong. Unlike the SKYNET in the Terminator series which turns against humans when it gains intelligence, NSAs SKYNET may have actually cost hundreds of innocent lives due to a faulty programming. SKYNET is a surveillance program run by the US National Security Agency (NSA) and used by it cell phone metadata to track the GPS location and call activities of suspected terrorists. The data is then fed into the computers manning Predator UAVs (drones) which fire Hellfire missiles on such identified targets. In 2014, the former director of both the CIA and NSA proclaimed that we kill people based on metadata. Now, a new examination of previously published Snowden documents suggests that many of those people may have been innocent. Last year, the leaked documents detailing the NSAs SKYNET programme published by The Intercept showed that NSA had used a machine learning algorithm on the cellular network metadata of 55 Million people in Pakistan to rate each citizens likelihood of being a terrorist. According to the new examination, NSA made some elementary errors in their machine-learning algorithm, which lead to the generation of thousands of false leads, potentially exposing innocent people to remote assassination by drone. One of the leaked slides claimed that SKYNET has a false-positive rate of 0.008%, in some cases, and the NSA was using about 55 million peoples phone records for SKYNET. Basically, SKYNET works like a typical modern Big Data business application. The program collects metadata and stores it on NSA cloud servers, extracts relevant information, and then applies machine learning to identify leads for a targeted campaign. But, Ars Technica points out that, even at this minute rate, many innocent people are possibly mislabeled. Some of the NSAs tests even saw higher error rates of 0.18%, which means mislabeling nearly 99,000 people out of the 55 Million. United States uses such Predator drones to target terrorists and enemy combatants who are located in inaccessible regions. The number of Predator sorties carried out by NSA is not known, also NSA has never released figures of persons killed during such sorties by Hellfire missiles. US regularly undertakes such sorties in the hilly areas of Pakistan to kill the Taliban militias as well as in Iraq to kill the IS militants. Since 2004, the United States government has carried out hundreds of drone strikes against alleged terrorists in Pakistan and killed somewhere between 2,500 and 4,000 people, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism reported. Based on the new examination, the number of innocents killed using the SKYNET may be quite high. Its a small step from applying SKYNET logic to look for terrorists in Pakistan to applying the same logic domestically to look for drug dealers or protesters or just people who disagree with the state. Killing people based on metadata, as Hayden said, is easy to ignore when it happens far away in a foreign land. But what happens when SKYNET gets turned on usassuming it hasnt been already? A 40 anos de Malvinas "Revisar el pasado es pensar el futuro". La frase de la presidenta de Telam, Bernarda Llorente, resume el espiritu del documental coproducido entre la agencia de noticias y el canal publico de TV sobre la cobertura que los medios de comunicacion hicieron del conflicto, plagada de censura y mentiras. Una autocritica necesaria para mirar hacia adelante en un (ya viejo) contexto de fake news y negocio informativo. The OECD slashed its growth forecasts for all major economies apart from China, which the think-tank said was also facing challenges. Global growth this year is expected to match expansion of 3pc in 2015, which was the slowest pace in five years. This is down from a forecast of 3.3pc just three months ago. Growth in 2017 is now projected to be 3.3pc, from 3.6pc in November. The UK economy is forecast to grow 2.1pc this year, down from a forecast of 2.4pc in November, while growth is expected to slow to 2pc in 2017. Only India was singled out as "bright light" in 2016, with growth now expected to be slightly higher this year, but lower in 2017. Catherine Mann, the OECD's chief economist, urged policymakers to devise a plan to tackle the challenges facing the world economy at the G20 meeting next week in Shanghai, China. Trade, investment and wage growth remained too weak, she said. International police have arrested five directors of Chinese bank ICBC following a money laundering investigation. Spanish police and Europol made the arrests in a probe known as Operation Shadow. The authorities said they believe the branch was used by criminal gangs to move as much as 40m into the financial system. The Chinese embassy in Madrid told Bloomberg that they were not consulted by the authorities and that as far as it is aware the bank was compliant with Chinese and Spanish laws. Europol said that in May 2015 its agents dismantled a criminal network suspected of importing goods from China without declaring the trades on customs forms, avoiding import and export taxes. That investigation was known as Operation Snake, and the bank arrests are related to the previous probe. "Investigations later revealed that the criminal network targeted by Operation Snake deposited the money earned into ICBC, which is accused of sending the funds to China without checking their origin as required by law," Europol said. Drinks can maker Rexam said it was on track to complete a merger with American packaging company Ball by the end of June, as it it unveiled flat annual profits. The FTSE 100 company made 362m in underlying pre-tax profits in 2015, an increase of 1pc on last year, driven by rising sales and higher volumes in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The company's strong growth in the Middle East was boosted by its recent acquisition of United Arab Can Manufacturing, while falling aluminium prices - the main raw material used in producing cans - also provided a helpful tailwind. However, restructuring charges and costs related to the forthcoming merger with Ball meant that actual pre-tax profits fell by 27pc to 250m. American-based drinks can manufacturer Ball is in the process of acquiring Rexam and the deal is expected to complete in the first half of 2016. As part of the acquisition, the two companies are selling 1bn worth of assets to satisfy US competition authorities. The combined group would have 22,500 employees and 10bn in annual turnover, providing cans for beverage giants such as Heineken and Coca-Cola. We've noticed you're adblocking. We rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism. We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. Thank you for your support. Saudi Arabia has shocked oil markets by rejecting any prospect of a cut to its oil production, causing prices to fall by as much as 3.5pc. Adel al-Jubeir, the kingdoms foreign minister, said Riyadh was still "not prepared" cut production, dashing simmering hopes that talks with Russia about capping output would help reduce the glut of global oil. "If other producers want to limit or agree to a freeze in terms of additional production that may have an impact on the market, but Saudi Arabia is not prepared to cut production," Mr al-Jubeir told AFP. "The oil issue will be determined by supply and demand and by market forces. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will protect its market share and we have said so," he said. It's open Tory warfare in the Commons. David Cameron is throwing a string of barbs undermining Boris Johnson's apparent suggestion there could be a second referendum after a No vote. Every line is being met by a shake of the head by the London Mayor. Arms are firmly folded. Labour MPs - for once - are the ones hollering "more!" Extraordinary stuff in the Commons. Labour MPs cheer on Cameron and shout 'more, more' as he demolishes Boris Johnson. Strange times #Brexit Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) February 22, 2016 As for Michael Gove, the Justice Secretary who also backed Brexit over the weekend, he is nowhere to be seen on the front bench. Mr Cameron finishes his statement with a clear barb at Boris: "I'm not standing for re-election. I have no other agenda..." Ben Riley-Smith, Political Correspondent The former president of Brazil, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, deemed the comeback of the incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro, unlikely. | Read More TS Govt will promote agriculture sector: KCR Hyderabad, Feb 18 (INN): Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has stated that the Telangana Government would take all steps to promote the agriculture sector in the State. Addressing a review meeting here on Thursday, the Chief Minister said a strategic approach needs to be adopted to develop the agricultural sector. He said that latest technologies should be adopted to ensure that the lakhs of farmers do not remain dependent only on weather conditions. He said different strategy should be adopted to deal with conditions likes good monsoon and drought. The Chief Minister directed the officials to take stringent measures against the spurious seeds and fertilizers. He said that the farmers should be imparted relevant information on weather conditions and crops suitable for prevailing weather conditions. He also stressed on mechanisation of agricultural sector and promotion of Green House cultivation and micro-irrigation. Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy and senior officials were also present in the review meeting. News Posted: 18 February, 2016 Telugu man goes missing in California A Telugu man, Siva Rama Prasad Moparthi, has been found missing from 3.45 am on February 13 in California. He came to USA to attend his daughter's marriage. He is 57 years old. Family members and relatives of Prasad were worried about his disappearance. After searching about Prasad through known people, they registered a complaint with police as he has been missing since five days. Sacramento County Sheriff's Department is seeking public's help to find Prasad Moparthi who was last seen around 4 p.m. leaving the Grand Island Mansion in Walnut Grove. According to relatives, two people spotted Moparti as he was walking along Grand Island Road away from the mansion. He is 5 foot-10 inches tall, weighs 180 pounds and was last seen wearing traditional dress in brown/gold colored top with a cream-colored undergarment. However cops has filed this missing case and is in search of him. If any one has any information about his whereabouts, they can email the details to tags.member@gmail.com News Posted: 18 February, 2016 A Hanoi court Tuesday sentenced two young men to jail for stealing from a Luxembourg man in July. Nguyen Tien Sy, 21, and Vuong Dinh Quan, 18, stole a laptop, a camera, and passport from Kenvin Marchetti, 24, from the latter's apartment on July 6 and pawned them for VND5.7 million (US$273). According to a police report, after being arrested, Sy and Quan returned the money as well as a watch, a belt, and a pair of shoes they also stole from him. Elephants in a street parade held during this year's annual coffee festival in the Central Highlands town of Buon Ma Thuot on March 9. Overworked, underfed and uncared for, domesticated elephants in Vietnam are dying in increasing numbers. A group of students from the Ho Chi Minh City College of Culture and Arts recently had a frightening experience in Dak Lak Province when a tamed elephant at a tourist spot suddenly rushed at them. The pachyderm, Y Mol, only backed off after its mahout, Y Suong, jabbed it repeatedly on the head with a spur. But Suong said the big animal was not attacking the students. "She was just hungry. She wanted to grab some sugarcane the students were teasing her with instead of feeding her right away." (They were swinging the sugarcane in order to get the elephant to swing her head and trunk accordingly.) Y Mol, who was captured and tamed nearly 40 years ago, is emaciated and hungry all the time. It belongs to the September 2 Tourism Company in Dak Lak, and carries tourists around. Virtually all the domesticated elephants in the province are suffering the same plight as Y Mol, dying a slow death as they are overworked, starved and provided with no healthcare. Dak Lak is famous for its tradition of capturing and taming elephants though this has been banned since 1985. The number of tamed elephants in Dak Lak has plummeted from 502 in 1990 to around 50 now. Slogging on empty stomach Like many other elephants in Dak Lak, Y Mol works through the day, carrying four or five tourists per trip for several kilometers by road and crossing the Se Re Pok River. For this drudgery, they get just a few sticks of sugarcane or a banana tree. Y The K'nul, a mahout at the Spa Ban Don Eco Tourism Area, said after their working day is over, the elephants are taken to the forest and tied to a tree with a 50-meter chain for grazing. Early morning the following day, the mahouts take them for a bath before taking them back to the tourist area. On April 9, a 63-year-old female elephant named Buon Nhang, belonging to a local resident, died of overwork and lack of food. On February 11 another animal, H'plo, a 35-year-old female, died under similar circumstances. It had been working at the Ban Don Tourism Center in Yok Don National Park. Y Suong, Y Mol's mahout, said female elephants breed between 15 and 45 years. But at 43, Y Mol has never had a calf because the owners had not allowed her to mate. Of the 50 or so domesticated elephants in Dak Lak, 15 belong to tourism companies and the rest are owned by individuals. They are chained in the forest and not allowed to forage for food while there is no veterinary care. Hoang Van Xuan, deputy director of Yok Don National Park, said the park has four tamed elephants to serve tourists. "We hire local mahouts and pay them good salaries, but they do not love the animals like people love animals they own." He said forests in the province are deteriorating and there is not enough food for the elephants. Usually, captive elephants are fed by the owners with large quantities of leaves, vegetables and fruits, but in Dak Lak, they are given meager portions during the working day and let to graze, tethered, at night. Elephants in the wild, depending on the species, consume between 660 pounds and 330 pounds of food a day, according to the online biology dictionary, and consume almost 200 liters of water. When the elephants fall sick, owners in Dak Lak let them loose in the forest to hunt for herbs with which they are believed to treat themselves. However, Xuan said, the food tamed elephants get is not enough and it is almost impossible for the animals to search for herbs and regain their strength. "It is easy to understand why the elephants are dying one by one." A study by the Tay Nguyen University in 2011 found that domesticated elephants were dying due to overwork, lack of rest, insufficient food, attacks by humans for ivory and tail hair, and lack of veterinary care. In the past, owners let tamed elephants wander in the forest and only brought them back to the village when they were needed for a particular work or event, the report said. But with the elephants being used mainly for commercial purposes, with a focus on tourism and festivals, they were being over-exploited and neglected at the same time. "If there is no successful elephant conservation, the "elephant legend' in Dak Lak and Vietnam's Central Highlands will disappear," Cao Thi Ly, the study's author, had warned. The study estimated that the number of wild elephants in the country had declined to between 83 and 110 individuals. Earlier this month, a four-ton wild elephant was found dead in a forest in Quang Binh Province with its head, legs, and skin removed. Locals said the forest had been home to two adult elephants, a male and a female, but the male had been poached for it tusks two years ago. Richard Thomas, a spokesman for the international wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC, said the main threats to Asian elephants are habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation, and that the species is facing a "very real threat of extinction" in Vietnam. "For domesticated elephants, a robust registration system should be put in place to make clear how many there are in captivity. This should be combined with regular health checks and reports on how the animals are faring," Thomas said. Vain efforts Last year Dak Lak authorities set up an elephant conservation center and announced several policies to help elephant owners. Pham Van Lang, deputy director of the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Center, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is seeking the government's approval for a plan to create protected forests and provide veterinary care for tamed elephants. "We are waiting for approval. Meanwhile, elephants at tourism companies continue to die of overwork," the Lao Dong (Labor) newspaper quoted him as saying. Another policy announced in 2012, to give cash awards to owners and mahouts of elephants that give birth, has also proved unfruitful. The owner of a female elephant that gives birth will get VND400 million (US$19,100) and its mahout, VND168 million. The mahout of a bull that impregnates a female will receive VND6 million. But the prizes have yet to be claimed. The mahouts fear most tamed elephants cannot reproduce because they are overworked and underfed. Elephant protection measures in Vietnam have been too few and far between to have any impact, experts say. Thomas of TRAFFIC said: "There is hope for Vietnam's elephants currently - but it will take urgent and focused conservation action in order to protect the remaining fragile populations, and ultimately introduce a mechanism by which remnant populations can be reunited once again to create an elephant-friendly and rich biologically diverse landscape. RELATED CONTENT Old elephant dies of overwork in central Vietnam Like us on Facebook and scroll down to share your comment "It was a national tragedy when Vietnam lost its last rhino; one hopes the lesson learned from that catastrophe has been taken onboard and the same fate will not befall the country's Asian elephants." By Vietweek Staff, Thanh Nien News (The story can be found in the April 19 issue of our print edition, Vietweek) * Khanh An contributed to this report Customers at a branch of ICBC (Industrial and Commercial Bank of China) in Xing county, central Chinas Henan province, on Jan. 26, 2014. Du Ronghai received an urgent phone call from his private banker at Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. about an investment opportunity promising a 10 percent annual return. Only for the privileged few, he was told. Du, who owns an apparel manufacturer in southern China, said he hopped on a plane the next morning for a four-hour flight from his home city of Harbin. That afternoon, at an ICBC office in Guangzhou, he looked at the sales contract he was required to read in person and invested 3 million yuan ($488,000), his first foray into the high-yield world of shadow banking. The employee kept telling him the product, called a trust, was so good that bank staff were pooling money to buy it, he said. I knew nothing about it, but the return was very, very tantalizing, and the way they presented it was like if I dont buy it now, someone else will grab it in seconds, said Du, who at the time, about two years ago, had almost 30 million yuan parked at Beijing-based ICBC in deposits earning less than 3 percent annual interest. I was thinking, if I cant trust ICBC, who else can I trust? More than 700 ICBC clients including Du invested 3 billion yuan in what was known as Credit Equals Gold No. 1. The product was issued by China Credit Trust Co., one of 67 companies with license to act as intermediaries between banks and borrowers in providing shadow financing. In January, it almost became the nations biggest trust default in at least a decade, jolting global markets until an 11th-hour bailout. Mixing funds The drama highlighted the risks of shadow banking, which over the past three years has evolved from underground lending among individuals and small companies into a complex and interconnected web, estimated by JPMorgan Chase & Co. to be valued at $7.7 trillion, involving the nations biggest banks, state-owned firms, local governments and millions of households. The mixing of funds makes it more difficult for the government to rein in the nations credit supply and to shield its state-controlled banks from rising defaults as the economy cools. Banks had an estimated 6.6 trillion yuan of off-balance-sheet loans channeled mostly through trusts to risky corporate and local-government borrowers, according to Mike Werner, a Hong Kong-based analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. That figure is equal to more than 80 percent of banks shareholder capital and has increased 65 percent annually for the past three years, Werner wrote in a Jan. 22 note. Chain reaction As Chinas top legislators start their annual meeting in Beijing tomorrow to set economic targets, efforts by policy makers to crack down on unregulated lending threaten to undermine financial stability. The failure of one product could lead to defaults of many others in a chain reaction, said Christine Kuo, a Hong Kong-based analyst at Moodys Investors Service. The fall of shadow banking, starting with trusts, will spill over to the whole financial system, trapping banks and other stakeholders. Thats why the government is extremely cautious for fear that any misstep may trigger a systemic crisis. At stake is what the China Trustee Association, an industry trade group, estimates are $1.8 trillion of products developed by trust companies. Lenders also created $1.6 trillion of high-yield wealth-management investments, up 40 percent in the nine months through Sept. 30, according to JPMorgan. Channeling capital Banks have more than their reputations on the line. They have channeled their own capital as well as clients money through trusts to risky borrowers theyre normally prohibited from lending to, such as coal mines and property developers, according to the Trustee Association. About 5.3 trillion yuan of trust products will come due this year, up from 3.5 trillion yuan in 2013, Haitong Securities Co. estimated in January, warning that the trust industry can no longer shoulder risks tied to offering implicit guarantees, as companies lack sufficient capital to bail out investors. At least 20 trust products have run into difficulty making payments since 2012, according to Beijing-based China Securities Co. All have avoided default as issuers or third parties such as state-owned bad-loan managers and guarantee firms eventually repaid investors in full. The government is faced with a dilemma, Moodys Kuo said. It knows that the implicit guarantee cannot last forever, but at the same time it is very worried about triggering a systemic crisis. Yield-hungry Chinas trusts are unique in that they can invest across all asset classes from loans and real estate to bonds and commodities, under China Banking Regulatory Commission supervision. Cooperating with trusts helped banks get around regulatory restrictions to expand lending and offer new products to yield-hungry investors. It also helped the trust industry take off after six periods of ups and downs since its inception in 1979. Before 2010, lenders used trusts to offer off-balance-sheet loans directly to property developers and local-government financing vehicles. At the end of 2010, more than half of Chinas 3 trillion yuan in trust assets originated from banks, mostly funded by wealth-management products sold to banks clients, Trustee Association data show. Regulators intervened in January 2011 by requiring banks to reduce such tie-ups and bring business with trusts onto their balance sheets. Trust firms were told to hold capital against certain loans. As a result, the official level of cooperation between banks and trusts fell to 20 percent of the total 10.9 trillion yuan in trust assets at the end of last year, Trustee Association data showed. Masked exposure The decline masked the extent of banks exposure to trusts as lenders responded by creating new, more-intricate structures that allow them to invest clients funds as well as their own capital in high-yielding trusts that divert money to riskier corporate and local-government borrowers, according to Stephen Green, Standard Chartered Plcs Hong Kong-based head of China research, and Bernsteins Werner. The practice often involves so-called trust-beneficiary rights, which are the legal rights to trust products. Typically, another company will be brought in to buy the trust product and then sell the rights to the bank, enabling it to book the loan as a financial asset held under a repurchase agreement. Such assets require a capital charge of 25 percent compared with 100 percent for booking a loan, Green wrote in a November note. Sometimes another bank will be brought in as an intermediary to create an interbank exposure that allows for lower risk-weightings and credit costs than a standard loan. More lax Credit-underwriting criteria for such loans, with most going to industries such as mining, property development and local-government borrowing arms, are often more lax than those applied by banks or debt capital markets, making them vulnerable in an economic slowdown, according a November report by McKinsey & Co. and China Ping An Trust Co. Trusts are arguably the second-most risky financing channel for companies, after underground financing, Zhang Zhiwei, an economist for Nomura International Hong Kong Ltd., wrote in a Jan. 28 note. Fewer than 10 percent of trust firms are formed by the private sector, with the rest owned by large state-owned enterprises, financial conglomerates and local governments, the McKinsey and Ping An Trust report said. The state-owned companies often own each others shares, and the government is involved in appointing the heads of these firms. Top shareholders The top three shareholders of Beijing-based China Credit Trust are state-owned enterprises, including Peoples Insurance Company (Group) of China Ltd., which owns a 33 percent stake and is the trusts biggest investor. Credit Equals Gold, the trust product Du bought, was structured to allow ICBC to offer an off-balance-sheet loan to Shanxi Zhenfu Energy Group, according to brokerage China Securities. Buyers staged protests at an ICBC branch in Shanghai in January, demanding the lender repay investors the principal and full amount of interest owed after the coal miner went bankrupt in 2012. ICBCs Beijing-based press officer declined to comment about the matter. China Credit Trusts board secretary didnt answer several phone calls. Du said he tried to collect his money soon after learning of the possible default. He failed, discovering that his account manager had left ICBC for another bank, he said. Implicit guarantee As a conduit for banks, trusts won customers who believe banks will be held responsible if anything happens to their investments, and behind banks is the Chinese government, said Liu Jun, a Wuhan-based analyst at Changjiang Securities Co. Thats how perception of the implicit guarantee was formed and later reinforced with repeated bailouts. Since trusts gained popularity in 2010, the CBRC, which also supervises banks and companies that dispose of bad loans, has required trusts to ensure repayment to investors and prevent the chaos that led to several rounds of government-led restructuring and consolidation of the industry. That forced trusts, eager to retain their licenses, to dig into their own pockets or issue new products to pay off old ones. The regulator recently issued a notice making trust companies and some employees liable for life for products created under their watch even after they leave the companies, two people familiar with the matter said on Feb. 28. The CBRC, created in 2003, also has the power to decide on top executives of eight financial institutions, including China Credit Trust and the nations four bad-loan disposal companies, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. The leaders of the five state-controlled banks, including ICBC, are appointed by the ruling Communist Partys personnel department. Bailout discussions The regulator named Deng Hongguo, who was in charge of three policy lenders including China Development Bank Corp. at the time, as China Credit Trusts chairman in 2010. The previous year, the CBRC appointed Lai Xiaomin, its equivalent of chief of staff, as president of China Huarong Asset Management Co., the nations biggest bad-debt manager. During the bailout discussions on Credit Equals Gold, Huarong was approached to take part in the rescue, according to a person with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because the information is private. Huarong rejected the idea, partly because involvement might derail a planned initial public offering, the person said. Chinese authorities are seeking to rein in shadow financing by tightening liquidity and to reduce leverage in the economy after the credit-to-gross-domestic-product ratio rose 42 percentage points from the beginning of 2009 through September to 163 percent, according Nomura. The nations borrowing spree since 2008 has evoked comparisons to debt surges that tipped Asian nations into crisis in the late 1990s and preceded Japans lost decades. Accumulating risks Wu Xiaoling, a former deputy governor of the central bank, said on Feb. 10 that Chinas financial risks are accumulating and the government should allow investments such as trusts and wealth-management products to fail under the precondition that the banking system remains stable. China needs a default, but not now, said Xu Gao, Beijing-based chief economist at Everbright Securities Co. A default would lead to an exodus of capital from similar financial assets, followed by a bank run, as liquidity is quickly drained in the financial system. Nobody will be willing to lend to each other -- just like what happened when Lehman went bankrupt. This is simply unaffordable to the government which has repeatedly vowed to avoid systemic risks. Distress record China has a record of bailing out banks in distress. In the late 1990s, it injected 270 billion yuan of capital into the four largest lenders, which were then on the brink of bankruptcy, and carved out 1.4 trillion yuan of nonperforming loans from their books. Since 2003, the government has spent $79 billion recapitalizing the firms and wiped away another 1.4 trillion yuan of bad loans. A bailout might not be as easy this time around. Chinas nebulous world of shadow banking, which includes trusts and wealth-management products, as well as guarantor and underground financing, accounted for 84 percent of GDP in September 2013, rising from 70 percent at the beginning of that year, according to JPMorgan. The worlds second-largest economy grew 7.7 percent in 2013, the same rate as in 2012. Expansion is forecast to be 7.5 percent this year, the weakest pace since 1990, based on the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey. Biggest crisis The biggest crisis in Chinas trust industry was the 1998 collapse of Guangdong International Trust & Investment Corp., which borrowed domestically and overseas on behalf of Guangdong province. It left creditors including Germanys Dresdner Bank AG and Chicago-based Bank One Corp., which later merged with JPMorgan, with $3 billion of unpaid bonds. The bankruptcy marked the first time Chinese authorities didnt bail out a state-owned borrower. Only 50 of more than 240 trust companies survived. Since then investors have been shielded from default risks as trust companies provided an implicit guarantee, especially when retail customers are involved, for fear of social instability and reputational damage. As a result, Chinese have pumped more money into risky assets with the belief that they will be rescued, creating a so-called moral hazard. In the event of default, investors tend to go to the distributor, usually a bank, for repayment. When Credit Equals Gold ran into difficulty, ICBC, as distributor and custodian, was actively engaged in discussions even as it publicly rejected calls to bail out investors. Among options discussed by ICBC, China Credit and the Shanxi provincial government was a plan for ICBC to lend billions of yuan to the trust company to enable repayment, according to a person briefed on the discussions. The sides disagreed on the size of the loan and interest rate. Disgruntled investors Buyers of Credit Equals Gold eventually had their principal repaid in full before the Jan. 31 due date. Despite taking a cut on the last interest payment, investors have had an average annual return since 2011 of about 7 percent, more than double the benchmark one-year rate on deposits. Still, about 20 investors from Shanghai, Zhejiang, Beijing and Guangdong provinces gathered at ICBCs Shanghai branch again last month to demand unpaid interest plus compensation for the cost of transportation and hotels. Disgruntled investors yelled at ICBCs local officials, asking for an immediate solution and threatening to escalate their case to Beijing by having the Chinese Communist Partys Central Commission for Discipline Inspection investigate whether any corruption was involved in the products design and distribution. For Du, the roller coaster of Credit Equals Gold didnt stop him from putting more of his savings into trusts. He said he has recently bought similar products from other banks, including China Minsheng Banking Corp. (1988) and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Co. (600000), and will continue to invest. The risk is not with trusts, its about which bank you plan to partner with, said Du. Im totally done with ICBC and now going with the smaller ones because they are more willing to honor what they said. Heads up to prevent injury from falls Morning walks in my neighborhood are one of the most enjoyable parts of my day. I love the coolness of daybreak and the special sightings of the stag and two does that frequent our open space. I also enjoy my walk because each day at... Signs that point to the best time for retirement Ive been thinking a lot about retirement lately. One of our amazing staff members, who has been with Senior Concerns for the last 13 years, retired last month. It just doesnt seem real. I always thought of Dana as young. Certainly not the person to... Rethinking the mandatory retirement age How old is too old for working at a job? Last week a news story hit my inbox and it really got me to thinking about age and retirement. The article noted that Target Corp. abandoned its mandatory retirement age of 65 for its CEO,... Tips to promoting a healthy nights sleep for children Question: Help, please. My daughter is almost 2 years old and has been an easy child to put into her own bed. Yet in the past few weeks she is purposefully stretching out the bedtime routine longer and longer. She wants more: more stories, more... Not too long ago, taking the United States' wild, messy, unreliable system of medical records online seemed like a worthy goal. "To improve the quality of our health care while lowering its cost, we will make the immediate investments necessary to ensure that, within five years, all of America's medical records are computerised," President Obama said. "This will cut waste, eliminate red tape and reduce the need to repeat expensive medical tests." While the shift Obama and many others pushed may have improved care, electronic medical records led to quite the unique hostage situation in Los Angeles this week. There, a hospital fell prey to a cyberattack and has escaped its plight by paying hackers a $US17,000 ($23,740) ransom. Allen Stefanek, president and chief executive of Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, explained the situation in a statement. Greg Craven, the Vice-Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University, made the comments on Thursday following Mr Piccoli's call for some courses to have a cap on the number of taxpayer-funded places reinstated. A University vice-chancellor has launched a scathing attack on NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli, accusing him of "attacking students with shameful elitism". Mr Piccoli spoke out this week after a Fairfax Media investigation in January revealed universities across the state were earning millions of dollars in revenue by admitting students with marks below the minimum advertised for entry. An analysis of confidential new Australian Catholic University data obtained by the Herald has revealed that Professor Craven's university has some of the lowest entry standards in the state. Greg Craven, the Vice-Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University. Credit:Louise Kennerley NSW school-leavers with ATARs as low as 19 are being accepted to the university, with more than one hundred students with sub-50 ATARs enrolling in courses such as commerce, nursing and double degrees in teaching. 8.55am: There are reports westbound traffic is backed up all the way to the airport after a four-car crash outside the Royal Military College at Duntroon. Eastbound traffic heading to Fyshwick is also slow going although one of the cars has been moved off the road. One car has been moved off the road. 8.51am: It looks like there may have been four cars involved in that crash outside the Royal Military College at Duntroon. Again, avoid the area because even though one lane east and westbound have reopened, it's still going to be congested for a while. 8.48am: One lane east and westbound on Morshead Drive have reopened following a three-car crash outside the Royal Military College at Duntroon. Traffic is jammed so police are warning motorists to avoid the area. 8.40am: We're hearing that there's traffic chaos outside the Royal Military College at Duntroon after a three-car crash on the Morshead Drive/Staff Cadet Avenue roundabout. Both sides of the road are affected and cars are not going anywhere. 8.38am: Both sides of Morshead Drive are blocked by a three-vehicle crash outside the Royal Military College on Staff Cadet Avenue. 8.35am: There's been a crash outside the Royal Military College on Morshead Drive in Campbell. It looks like it's on the roundabout of Morshead Drive and Staff Cadet Avenue. There are other changes surrounding the Majura Parkway with new traffic lights at the intersection of Monaro Highway and Morshead Drive now operational. Motorists travelling northbound from Fyshwick to the airport and Queanbeyan have been encouraged to use either the Fairbairn Avenue exit off Majura Parkway or Morshead Drive. If you see any accidents or have any info on the morning commute, let us know whenever it is safe to do so:morningblog@canberratimes.com.au or tweet us @canberratimes. The National Portrait Gallery is open until 7.30pm for an interactive event called "Victorian pursuits". There will be tarot reading, close shaves and mug shots on offer. More details here. Ben and Jerry's Openair Cinema is on at Canberra's central lakeside venue on Patrick White Lawns. Until 21 Feb. See 2015's best political cartoons at the Behind the Lines exhibition at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House. Click here for your full guide to what's going on around the capital this weekend. Touch or click through for more David Pope Today: Sunny. Light winds becoming westerly. Min 12, Max 31. Saturday: Partly cloudy. Cloud clearing to a mostly sunny afternoon, light winds. Min 14, Max 28. Sunday: Partly cloudy. Slight (30%) chance of a shower, light winds. Min 14, Max 28. Jose Lacoto managed to run up a $30,000 credit card debt. But he's still puzzled why his bank gave him the card, why they did not check his income status - only a simple check, he says, would have revealed he had no chance of repaying the debt. Jose Lacoto was lured in by zero per cent interest. Credit:Michelle Smith Big banks have been accused of using predatory advertising tactics to push "debt trap" zero per cent balance transfer cards on consumers right when they are at their most vulnerable - just after Christmas. Banks wait until people have spent up big on presents, and are stressing over mounting credit card balances, before swooping with an advertising blitz selling balance-transfer credit cards just after December 25. That is, before interest, before stay-in-business capex, before tax, before providing for mine rehabilitation. And Goldman Sachs is predicting it will fall further. Illustration: Kerrie Lieshman. That, at a coal price of $US52 a tonne, half the coal industry is in the red at the gross level suggests nobody globally is making a profit at the net level. There are mines for sale everywhere, yet here are the governments of NSW and Queensland backing new mines all over the place. Major projects proposed There are close to 20 major greenfield mine developments well advanced in the two states' respective mining departments. Beside's Adani's Carmichael project the biggest new coal mine in the world these include the greenfield mine proposals from GVK's Alpha and Alpha West mines, the Liverpool Plains (Shenhua's Watermark and BHP's Caroona mines), the Bylong Valley (KEPCO), the Hunter Valley (Rio's Warkworth and Salim Group's Mount Pleasant mine proposal) and Wollongong (Jindal Steel's Russell Vale Collieries mine and POSCO's Hume Coal). This is before counting the multitude of mine extension requests also being processed, all by an industry that is in aggregate losing money with every tonne of existing coal produced. Meanwhile, none other than the Queensland Resources Council, the peak body for coal miners in that state, is crying out for government support. Things are that bad. Its chief, Michael Roche, denies this means subsidies, but subsidies are precisely what they are chasing: lower council rates, royalty breaks, tax breaks, discounts from rail and ports operators. Fortescue chairman Andrew Forrest was accused of rampant self-interest last year, even market rigging, when he quite sensibly called for restraint from BHP and Rio producing too much iron ore. Why would the government support a policy and a production schedule that drove down the price of its greatest export, he asked. Surely that is not in the national interest, said Forrest. Surely he is right. But here we are, not just doing it in iron ore but doing it to four of our five biggest exports all the bulk commodities iron ore, coking coal, thermal coal and LNG. LNG has been a failure LNG in particular has been a gross failure of policy. Three separate LNG plants were built concurrently at Gladstone, leading to global oversupply. The price of gas has crashed, valuable farmland has been torn up for coal seam gas exploration and foreign buyers now pay less for our gas than we do. Australian industry is now paying 60 per cent more than the global price of gas even though Australia is soon to become the world's largest exporter of the stuff. The failure of energy policy is taking its toll on the efficiency of the entire economy. It should be said that such a dramatic crash in the price of oil and gas could not have been reasonably anticipated. Nonetheless, there are serious competition issues with the tight cabal of gas producers. No such problem in coal, just a mad surfeit of the stuff, and a wall of desperate sellers, despite the bizarre rush to open new mines. Equally bizarre is that while economic reality has been so thoroughly ignored via this supply-deluge policy, the Coalition has taken the axe to ARENA (Australian Renewable Energy Agency) and CSIRO, the very two organisations who could contribute most to Australia's revolution in new energy. Spectacular falls for fossil fuels The spectacular fall in the price of fossil fuels means the revolution in new energy will take a little longer than it might. Cheaper gas and coal mean more competition for renewables. Still, the writing has been on the wall for some time. Typical of investment banks, whose research folk are usually careful not to offend their corporate clients, Goldman Sachs is late coming out with its structural decline thesis coal futures have told the story for some time. Still, its research should not be ignored. This is a big call on coal's structural, rather than cyclical, decline. "Unlike most other commodities, thermal coal is unlikely to experience another period of tightness ever again because investment in new coal-fired generation is becoming less common and the implied decline in long-term demand appears to be irreversible," the Goldman analysts wrote. "Ever again" and "irreversible" are words uncommon to finance and politics. Decline faster than expected Tim Buckley, director of the Australasia Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), a green think tank, has been saying it for some time. Even so, the sheer pace of decline has surprised him. It is all happening faster than we anticipated, he told BusinessDay. "The seaborne coal industry is suffering both excessive supply and a faster than expected decline in global demand. Chinese coal net imports fell 11.6 per cent year on year in January 2016. This is the third year of declining import demand from China, given the 30 per cent decline over 2015 and the 11 per cent decline in 2014." Worse still for Australian thermal coal exporters, says Buckley, India's coal imports are down 16.5 per cent year on year in the 10 months to January 2016 (India works on a financial year end of March). "The rate of decline in Indian imports has accelerated with every month this new financial year, and runs contrary to the Australian government's forecast of double-digit growth in Indian thermal coal imports." Even ignoring carbon budgets and stranded asset risks, he says, a temporary greenfield mine moratorium across the NSW and Queensland coal export sector would clearly be in Australia's own national strategic interest. A further slide in Telstra and losses in the banks and miners has taken a bit of the shine off a strong week for shares. The ASX 200 ended the day 39 points lower, or by 0.8 per cent, to 4953, but jumped 187 points, or 3.9 per cent, for the week. Telstra's 2.2 per cent decline today capped a 5.2 per cent fall for the week, after the big telco reported earnings on Thursday. CSL was the other big detractor over the five sessions, falling 1.5 per cent, after bouncing 1.1 per cent today. BHP lost 2 per cent as the week's resources rally ran out of puff, but was up an impressive 10 per cent for the week. The Big Australian reports on Tuesday. Rio fell 1.8 per cent today but managed a 5.3 per cent gain over the week. South32 gave up some of its impressive recent gains, down 5.9 per cent. The big banks all fell today, with Westpac the best, dropping 0.7 per cent, and NAB the worst, down 2.1 per cent. The Big Four were all well up for the week, though, mostly in the order of 5 or 6 per cent, although CBA was up a mere 2.8 per cent. Among reporting stocks today, Santos fell 4.2 per cent on massive writedowns, and Medibank fell 0.8 per cent on its profit update. Sims Metal Mgt tanked 13 per cent to be the worst on the day among the top 200. Evolution Mining shareholders look set to benefit from an 87 per cent increase in the gold miner's first half revenue, with the company reaffirming it will review its dividend policy at the end of June given its strong cash generation. Evolution, Australia's second largest gold producer, swung to a statutory net loss after tax of $15.5 million for the December, from a profit of $43.1 million a year earlier, despite an 87 per cent increase in sales revenue to $607.1 million. Evolution Mining will review its dividend policy after strong cash generation in the first half. Credit:Bloomberg The decrease was due to acquisition and integration costs of $54 million and fair value accounting adjustments of $38.4 million incurred in the completion of its Cowal, Mungari and Phoenix project acquisitions, along with a subsequent $35.3 million goodwill write-off. However, the miner reported a 150 per cent increase in underlying profit to a record $107.9 million due to the Cowal and Mungari acquisitions, which bumped-up gold production volumes to 377,869 ounces for the half. When Monique van Nieuwland heard a Hollywood costume designer was looking for a weaver two years ago, she thought she'd give it a go. Little did she know she'd be creating works for Geoffrey Rush on a major blockbuster, Gods of Egypt, and the commission would be one of the biggest challenges of her career. The Netherlands-born Canberra weaver, who trained at the Australian National University School of Art and is a long-time member of Craft ACT, had answered a callout via email, and was surprised to get a call shortly after from Liz Keogh, who had worked on action movies such as Dark City and I, Robot. Van Nieuwland quickly agreed to take on the work, especially when told of star-studded cast, including Rush, Gerard Butler, Brenton Thwaites and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, but the novelty of dressing a bona fide movie star quickly wore off once she got started. It's an entertaining, intimate, and ever-so-slightly manic reflection on French's life. ("Prepare to have the living shit talked out of you," she warns the audience, as she embarks on her mission to compress 58 years into two hours.) 30 Million Minutes is an up close and personal, autobiographical show that takes its name from the amount of time French has spent on earth. Dawn French needs no introduction. The devilishly funny dame is one half of arguably the most famous British female comedy duo of all time, though she's just as well-known for starring in the long-running, popular BBC sitcom The Vicar of Dibley as for her pioneering sketch work on French and Saunders. The show may leave you wishing French's career was addressed at greater length she did, after all, devote more than a few million minutes to it but it's impossible to complain with such a warm blend of personal anecdote and self-deprecating humour on offer, especially when it's fringed by deliciously silly physical comedy. French draws much of her material from recollections of family and childhood. She grew up on an RAF base. One of her earliest memories, documented by video, is of meeting the Queen Mother as a five-year-old and mistaking her for a witch. French also re-enacts perverted games she played as a girl, and tells affectionate tales of her two grannies one good, one evil. There's a poignant invocation of her father, an air force sergeant who secretly battled severe depression and committed suicide when French was 19. Some hilarious stories of her redoubtable (and quite shameless) mum had the audience cackling with delight. French touches on the remorseless intrusiveness and cruelty of the British tabloid media once in an extended segment celebrating, and poking fun at, her body; and again in a tribute to her adopted daughter Billie. Those hideous headlines stand in stark contrast to the confidence and magnanimity of the performer's own storytelling. Indeed, Dawn French is the sort of natural raconteur witty, insightful and verbally secure who can make the hours fly by. And the only thing that can shut her up seems to be her own irrepressible talent for clowning, which bubbles to the surface at regular intervals. You know those infamous Oscars gifts bags which contain week-long holidays and expensive toilet paper? Well, they're not actually gifted by the Academy. And the Academy are getting pretty sick of being associated with the often-tawdry contents of the bags, which this year include sex toys and a breast lift voucher. Anne Hathaway and James Franco host the 83rd Annual Academy Awards on February 27, 2011 in Hollywood. Credit:Kevin Winter So what's a powerful film organisation to do? Sue, of course. According a Variety, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last week filed a lawsuit against the marketing company which organises the expensive gift bags. Three years after quitting television, Andrew Denton is back with both a mission and a new medium. The 55-year-old media maverick has spent the past 12 months making a 17-episode podcast about the right to die with dignity. "I wanted to inform the debate and I wanted to inflame the debate," he says. "I want politicians and doctors to stop sitting on their hands while Australians needlessly suffer." Andrew Denton addressed the National Press Club on Wednesday. Credit:Edwina Pickles His interest in the topic was sparked by the awful experience of watching his father, author and broadcaster Kit Denton, die slowly and painfully in 1997. In the series Better Off Dead he interviews a woman planning her own death who has since passed away; Tasmanian nurse Cathy Pryor, who was convicted over the assisted suicide of her cancer-ridden father but freed after 12 days in prison; and former Victorian Director of Public Prosecutions John Coldrey, who in 2003 gave an 18-month suspended sentence to a man found guilty of assisting his wife's suicide by asphyxiating her with a plastic bag. The 10-part Netflix series examines the case of Steven Avery, a 53-year-old man from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, who was found guilty in 1985 of rape, exonerated after almost two decades and then, stunningly, found guilty in 2005 of a second crime, murder. Avery is currently serving a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. "We're prepared to continue to follow these cases and if enough story develops that warrants that to happen [we will]," Moira Demos told Fairfax Media. "Life goes on, the story is not over." The producers of the documentary series Making a Murderer may produce a sequel to the controversial project which challenged America's justice establishment when it premiered in December. The documentary brought the case into the media spotlight, compounding the embarrassment of the Manitowoc County district attorney's office, which had prosecuted both cases. Making Making a Murderer: creators Laura Ricciardi (left) and Moira Demos (right) with cinematographer Iris Ng. Credit:Netflix Demos and co-creator Laura Ricciardi are coming to Australia in March to appear in an exclusive talk with Charlie Pickering at The Sydney Morning Herald Spectrum Now Festival presented by ANZ. Pickering, the festival's Talks ambassador, will interview the filmmakers on stage at The Star Event Centre on March 10, followed by an audience Q&A. It is the first time the pair has appeared on stage at a festival to discuss the film, and both see it as an opportunity to bring new context to the debate about the series, and about the inequalities in America's justice system. "We're thrilled to have a more in-depth conversation, rather than a short interview or three minutes on a late night show, that's a different thing," Demos says. "To have the time to discuss the filmmaking, the process of making it, and what we can learn from it, that's very exciting. We made this series to start a dialogue and we want to be part of that dialogue." Alan Jones has delivered a blow to Bronwyn Bishop's hopes of holding on to her safe Liberal seat by throwing his support behind a former Wallaby who will contest preselection for Mackellar. In a letter to Liberal preselectors, obtained by Fairfax Media, the conservative broadcaster recommends Bill Calcraft, a member of the Jones-coached 1984 Grand Slam Wallabies side. "Let me say bluntly, there could be no better candidate," Jones wrote. Mr Calcraft, who has returned to Australia after a long career in business in Europe, was coached by Jones at Manly Rugby Club before being called up to play for Australia. Cardinal George Pell has responded to attacks on his refusal to travel to Australia to face the child abuse royal commission in person, including a provocative song penned by comedian Tim Minchin. In a strongly-worded statement, Cardinal Pell said he considered himself an ally of abuse victims and was willing to meet with them, listen to them, and express his ongoing support. "The past few days has seen a great deal of incorrect information relating to Cardinal George Pell and his upcoming royal commission appearance," Cardinal Pell's office said in a statement on Thursday. "The Cardinal is anxious to present the facts without further delays. The Employment Department has managed to get its proposed new deal on wages and conditions over the line in a staff ballot, by just 49 votes. The result was a case of third-time lucky after the workforce in Public Service Minister Michaelia Cash's own department twice rejected deals, most recently in December by a similarly close margin. Of the 1655 votes cast, 876 public servants voted yes to the deal that pays average wage increases of 2 per cent a year and 779 voted no, a winning yes-vote margin of 49 votes, or 3 per cent. Elsewhere in the 150,000-strong Australian Public Service, mixed results are coming back from the present round of workplace ballots as departments and agencies try to extricate themselves from pay disputes that have been rumbling on since 2013 in some cases. A 10-year-old girl has told police how she escaped from two men who tried to abduct her as she walked home near a primary school in Sydney's south-west. The girl said two men in a white van pulled up next to her on Sutton Road in Ashcroft, not far from Ashcroft Public School, about 5pm on Thursday, and the passenger tried to strike up a conversation with her. The men, who were described as having distinctive tattoos, then got out of the van and grabbed her around the mouth and on the arm, the girl said. She told police she bit and kicked the men, who lost their grip on her, and she was able to run away. The girl initially started running to a friend's house, before she headed home and raised the alarm. The van continued to follow her, she said, and parked outside her home for a short time before leaving. A plan to offer Circular Quay retail leases including two linked to the former NSW Labor minister Eddie Obeid to the open market was delayed against the wishes of the state maritime authority, the Supreme Court has heard. Mr Obeid, 72, has been charged with misconduct in public office for failing to reveal his family had an interest in two Circular Quay cafes when making representations to a senior bureaucrat about the plight of retailers who wanted their waterfront leases renewed. Former Labor minister Eddie Obeid, left, and junior counsel Jeffrey Tunks leave the Supreme Court during a break on the first day of the trial. Credit:Kate Geraghty The Crown alleges Mr Obeid breached his duty to act "solely in the public interest" by keeping his family's interest a secret. The former upper house MP has pleaded not guilty to the charge. It is now believed that Cr Jones may have had a stroke. After initially being taken to Ipswich Hospital, Cr Jones was transferred to the Princess Alexandra Hospital where he remains. Lockyer Valley mayor Steve Jones remains in a critical condition after being rushed to hospital on Thursday. Lockyer Valley mayor Steve Jones has died on Saturday morning. Credit:Michelle Smith Lockyer Valley mayor Steve Jones has been taken to hospital after he collapsed during a meeting with other south-east Queensland mayors in Ipswich. Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale called triple-0 after Cr Jones fell ill. Somerset mayor Graeme Lehmann was also present. A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman said paramedics were called to treat Cr Jones at 3.36pm, when he was suffering shortness of breath. The spokesman said Cr Jones was transported to Ipswich Hospital in a stable condition. There's no place like home for small sharks in north Queensland, with research suggesting small-bodied sharks don't venture far from their feeding grounds. A study conducted along north Queensland took blood and muscle samples from 150 sharpnose sharks from five different bays between Bowen and Cardwell to determine how far small-bodied sharks travelled within a year. Sharpnose sharks only reach about 80 centimeters in length. Griffith University Postdoctoral research fellow Samantha Munroe said sharpnose sharks were chosen due to the speed of their reproduction cycles, giving birth to roughly 90 offspring in their nine-year lifetime. "They are very abundant in north Queensland and we thought they probably represented a very important link in the food chain and ecosystem up there," Ms Munroe said. When Sean Price - the convicted rapist who murdered 17-year-old schoolgirl Masa Vukotic - pleaded guilty last month to threatening to kill a prison guard his chances of never being released from prison increased dramatically, a court has heard. Chief Crown prosecutor Gavin Silbert, QC, told the Supreme Court on Thursday that Price's guilty plea in the Sunshine Magistrates Court meant he was now formally classified as a "serious violent offender" under the Crimes Act. Sean Price after a hearing in the Victorian Supreme Court in December. Credit:Mal Fairclough Mr Silbert said under the law, Justice Lex Lasry was obliged to take this into account when deciding what sentence to impose on Price for Ms Vukotic's murder. The prosecutor told the court the Crown had always pushed for Price, 32, to be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole but their argument was now strengthened by his classification as a serious violent offender. A Melbourne man who was allegedly murdered by an ex-Australian Defence Force soldier was kicked out of the Finks bikie gang for excessive drug use, and was on parole at the time of his death. Stuart Townsend, 26, was allegedly shot by Lachlan James Floyd, who up until recently, was a member of the Mongols bikie gang, as well as being a former soldier. Ex-bikie Stuart Townsend: Died at Monash Medical Centre. Mr Floyd, a 28-year-old from Ascot Vale, appeared before the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday charged with murdering Mr Townsend. A limited amount of Kanye West's Yeezy Boost 350 shoes go on sale nationally on Friday and 'sneakerheads' in Perth have joined in on the apparent mass hysteria surrounding them. With just 30 pairs available at Perth based store Cabinet Noir, 300 hopefuls are one step closer to getting their hands on the prized sneakers - but only through a raffle. The line outside Cabinet Noir on Wednesday to get a raffle ticket for Friday's release of Yeezy Boost 350 shoes. Credit:Nine News Perth Although the shoes retail for $260 a pair store manager Edward Maradona said the resell value of the limited edition kicks can be as high as $2000 and they didn't want people to exploit the market. "It's a big resell business for a lot people, that's why we try to do the raffle," he said. A Perth family's request to host a fireworks display to spread their loved one's ashes over the Canning River was approved by the City of Canning on Tuesday night. It is understood the unique memorial ceremony, if given the final green light by the Department of Mines of Petroleum, will be the first of its kind to be legally carried out in Western Australia. The woman's ashes will likely be shot up into the sky during a fireworks display in March. The deceased woman's partner told the City of Canning in a letter written in January that it was her wish to have her ashes released with fireworks. "She wanted to use the Shelly foreshore as this is where we attended Australia Day for many years with the children," he said. The future of the town's beloved jacaranda - the winner of a 'Perth's best jacaranda" competition' - was another bone of contention. He said the DAP "ignored" the council recommendation, rendering its ratepayer-funded public consultation process and factual analysis pointless. "For an unelected panel to put that to one side was inappropriate," he said. He said the public - and councils - could not appeal via the state tribunal. Mr Bull called for equal representation of councils and industry on DAP panels, or to reverse the balance of power. If the local residents aren't happy with the way they are applying the town planning scheme, they can't vote them out Dan Bull While development was needed, particularly as the train station precinct would see heavier use once the rail link was active, but increasing density had to be done right, he said. Despite having experts as part of the process, it troubled him that they had the power to completely remove power from councils, and thus from residents, on major developments that had impact on amenity. "If the local residents aren't happy with the way they are applying the town planning scheme, they can't vote them out," he said. "Residents all through the metro area have been raising problems with the DAP process in Subiaco, South Perth, just to name a couple." Perth MP Alannah MacTiernan had voiced her opposition to the DAP in the form of a deputation at its meeting. After the meeting, Ms McTiernan said the DAP had disregarded what she regarded as a "pretty progressive and reasonable", "contemporary" town planning scheme that represented "the genuine effort of the council to encourage some development." She said while Perth DAPs were implemented as impartial bodies to apply town planning schemes that councils sometimes found hard to enforce, they were increasingly ignoring the "clear language" of the schemes to give developers everything they wanted. "There is research being done showing they are ignoring plot ratios without any demonstrated benefit other than development. You can't get any trees on some of these sites apart from a few potted lemons and that is support to contain the urban heat island effect," she said. Town planner and Bayswater resident Greg Smith said while there were many troubling issues with the DAP approval, the main one was that while it had at first rejected the development because of the height contravention, it had in the second instance "ignored" this, and in so doing, "acted as though [planning law] was a "complete irrelevancy". "There are lots of issues you can look at and see that the decision was fundamentally flawed, but that takes the cake," he said. Bayswater Deserves Better convenor Keith Clements said the process had castrated the council. "We are getting screwed," he said. The hashtag #ScrapTheDAP, used in the past by numerous community associations, has re-emerged on Twitter following the decisions. Department of Planning Director General Gail McGowan said DAPs were independent bodies that made planning decisions in the same way councils did. "These decisions are based on individual local council's planning schemes and policies. Prior to making a decision DAPs receive a 'responsible authority report' report from the relevant local government in which the local government provides a recommendation to the DAP. "In this case the City of Bayswater's report recommended to the DAP on 26 October 2015 that the application be approved. However, the DAP decision was to refuse the application due to concerns with some elements of the design. The applicant lodged a request for review of the decision to the State Administrative Tribunal and the application has now been approved by the DAP only after modifications made through the mediation process. "In Western Australia, there is no third-party appeals process for either DAP or local council planning decisions." Planning Minister John Day said the DAP system was working. "Since being introduced in 2011 there have been 994 DAP applications," he said. The unit, Colonel Warren said, "will kind of begin the process of generating the combat power that's necessary to ... progress this campaign with an eventual goal of Mosul". Australian troops are training Iraqi soldiers for the fight against the so-called Islamic State, helping improve the Iraqis' basic skills such as marksmanship, combat tactics and leadership. Credit:Gary Ramage Army Colonel Steve Warren, the Baghdad-based spokesman for the US-led coalition in Iraq, confirmed to reporters that the unit's headquarters element had arrived at the Kurdish frontline position in Makhmur. The move was first reported late last week by Agence France-Presse. Washington: Parts of the Iraqi Army's 15th division, a unit of around 1000 soldiers, have moved into Iraqi Kurdistan in recent days, according to a senior US military official. He added that the retaking of Mosul - an Iraqi city that fell to Islamic State in June 2014 - is still a long way off. The arrival of the Iraqi units in Makhmur, a small town roughly 105 kilometres south-east of Mosul, is but a small part of the campaign to expel IS from the country. A French fighter jet taking off from the deck of France's aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, at the start of France's bombing of Islamic State in Mosul and Ramadi in November. Credit:AP Currently, Iraqi units are finishing clearing the city of Ramadi in Anbar province to the south and it is unclear where they will focus their efforts next. The city of Fallujah and its surrounding towns are still held by the extremist group, while there is international pressure to clear out Mosul, one of IS's largest strongholds. Makhmur is a Kurdish base and is home to a small contingent of US advisers who help coordinate airstrikes and train Kurdish units there. It is one of the larger bases close to Mosul and is just one part of a network of outposts that litter northern Iraq and help form a defensive line along the Tigris and Great Zab rivers. Parts of the 15th division have already received some US training, though it is unclear if they will receive any more prior to heading back into combat. Pope Francis walks towards a cross along the bank of the Rio Grande River in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Pope Francis said a prayer at the cross for the migrants that have died crossing the US border before Mass. Credit:AP "If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS's ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened. The billionaire businessman and politician declared that when the Vatican is attacked by the Islamic State, the Pope would be praying for a Trump presidency. "ISIS would have been eradicated unlike what is happening now with our all talk, no action politicians." Mr Trump, who boasts he would somehow force Mexico to pay for the wall he promises to build along the US border, suggested that Pope Francis has been unduly influenced in his views by the Mexican government. "The Mexican government and its leadership has made many disparaging remarks about me to the Pope, because they want to continue to rip off the United States, both on trade and at the border, and they understand I am totally wise to them," he said in a written statement. "The Pope only heard one side of the story - he didn't see the crime, the drug trafficking and the negative economic impact the current policies have on the United States. He doesn't see how Mexican leadership is outsmarting President Obama and our leadership in every aspect of negotiation. A day earlier the Pope had held a mass at Ciudad Juarez, directly across the border from El Paso in Texas, during which he prayed for those who had lost their lives or been driven into the hands of smugglers and drug gangs while seeking to cross into the US. Of course, this has happened in Egypt, Iraq and Russia, among other places. But in sub-Saharan Africa, the strongmen have a very specific need to appear democratically elected. This region is more dependent on foreign aid than any other, and Western donors like democracy, though there is a continuing debate about whether the donors care about it as much as they used to. Cooperation on counter-terrorism and competition with China are other strategic issues the donors are now balancing. Pedestrians walk past campaign posters for long-time President Yoweri Museveni, as well as for local members of Parliament, in Kampala on Wednesday. Credit:AP Uganda is gearing up for elections on Thursday, and the country, a reliable Western ally and the recipient each year of $US750 million ($1.05 billion) in US aid, is much harder to read than the others. Analysts call Uganda "dictatorship light". Museveni, a university-educated rebel who seized power in 1986, is still genuinely popular but at the same time repressive, acting as if his perch were shaky. Foreign journalists have recently been arrested. Opposition politicians are routinely harassed. At the same time, Uganda feels much freer than, say, Ethiopia or Rwanda, two countries with impressive development whose opposition has been effectively neutralised. Ugandans love talking about politics, and many openly criticise their leader, which in Rwanda or Ethiopia would be a very dangerous no-no. Uganda's long-time President Yoweri Museveni campaigning in Kampala on Tuesday. Credit:AP Museveni is known as a deft manager, and this campaign season one of his new tactics, a group the government calls the Crime Preventers, is a perfect example of how he constantly keeps people guessing. Are the Crime Preventers simply volunteer citizens organised by the government to battle petty crime and safeguard the exercise of democracy? Or is their true purpose to crush any election-related protests? "This is what none of us can ever understand," said one Western diplomat with years of Uganda experience, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "Museveni steals when he doesn't need to". A supporter holds a flag of Uganda's long-time President Yoweri Museveni at an election rally in Kampala on Tuesday. Credit:AP Uganda's economy has been steadily growing. Crime in the capital is relatively low. New schools, new roads, new malls and new bridges are popping up everywhere. Bulldozers are common sights, along with the ubiquitous Chinese foreman taking a drag on his cigarette, squinting under the sun at Ugandan labourers digging a ditch or performing some other rudimentary road-building task. Many supporters said they credited Museveni with bringing peace, nothing to sneeze at in light of Uganda's violent history. A supporter holds a poster of opposition leader Kizza Besigye in front of a line of riot police near the village of Kyanji, outside Kampala, on Tuesday. Credit:AP When Museveni went into the bush to start a rebellion in the early 1970s, Uganda was sinking into the blood-soaked thrall of Idi Amin, a buffoonish dictator accused of cannibalism. When asked about cannibalism after he fled into exile, Amin did not exactly deny it. "I don't like human flesh," he told an interviewer. "It's too salty for me". This election cycle, some detractors have tried to say that Museveni is even worse than Amin. The charge has not really stuck. The presidential challengers, most analysts say, are uninspiring and well-worn themselves. The leading opposition figure is a former army doctor, Kizza Besigye, who is now making his fourth bid for president and who was briefly arrested this week at a campaign event. Next comes Amama Mbabazi, a former prime minister who claims to be a new voice even though he was in the ruling party for years. A Ugandan riot policeman runs past a burning barricade left by angry supporters of opposition leader Kizza Besigye on Monday. Credit:AP There are five other challengers; most Ugandans do not seem to know much about them. Some analysts say the electorate is becoming lethargic, with opposition sympathisers tired of trying to defeat Museveni and concluding that elections here are mostly a sham, to bestow legitimacy. This fatigue seems to be what seeped into Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, where the most recent elections were less competitive than those that came before. Opposition leader Kizza Besigye speaks to the media at his residence in the town of Kasangati, outside Kampala on Tuesday. Credit:AP But others warn that Uganda may be approaching a tipping point, especially because Museveni seems to be making plans either to extend his reign beyond what is now legally possible or to hand power over to his son. One army general who complained about this was recently jailed. The Ugandan Constitution says candidates for president cannot be older than 75, meaning that this should be Museveni's final term - unless the constitution is changed, and there is already talk of doing that. Then there are the Crime Preventers, more than 100,000 citizens who have been deputised to control crowds, arrest suspects, guard ballot boxes and gather intelligence. Their political bent is no secret. Opposition leader Kizza Besigye addresses crowds of cheering supporters outside Kampala on Tuesday. Credit:AP Zereth Adio, a Crime Preventers zone coordinator, said her group was preparing for trouble from "those opposition guys". When asked which candidate most Crime Preventers supported, she said, "the Old Man" - the name many Ugandans use for Museveni. All four other Crime Preventers present said they would vote for the Old Man. Residents on a balcony wear a white substance on their faces on Monday to protect against tear gas as they watch riot police chase angry supporters of opposition leader Kizza Besigye. Credit:AP "This is what I worry about," said Kabumba, who spoke from behind his desk in a dimly lit office in central Kampala. "Just beneath the facade of democracy is a real military government. The chance of a peaceful transition of power is slim to zero." But then he laughed. Senator Orrin Hatch, a Republican from Utah and a former chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, a panel member and the second-ranking GOP leader, said that while the final decision will be Senator Grassley's, they did not see much point in holding hearings. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's courtroom chair is draped in black to mark his death as part of a tradition that dates to the 19th century. Credit:AP "We have a coequal and independent right to handle this as we see fit, and we're not required to rubber-stamp this for the president," Senator Cornyn said on Wednesday on radio. After the host of the radio program, Mark Davis told Senator Cornyn that "there can be no surrender on this," the senator assured listeners of the conservative talk-radio station that Senator Grassley would "stand firm" against consideration of anyone nominated by President Obama. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer at Yale Law School on Wednesday. Credit:AP Senator Grassley told Iowa radio reporters on Tuesday that he would "take it a step at a time" and "wait until the nominee is made before I would make any decision" on hearings. A junior Judiciary Committee member, Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, said on Tuesday that Republicans would "fall into the trap of being obstructionist" if they reject a President Obama nominee sight unseen. Another junior GOP senator, Dean Heller, from Nevada, suggested on Wednesday that a blockade would be unwise. "The chances of approving a new nominee are slim," he said, "but Nevadans should have a voice in the process." The US Supreme Court. Courts are watching Trump's tweets. Credit:AP Senator Grassley's spokeswoman Beth Levine suggested on Wednesday that the six-term veteran, who has participated in hearings for 13 previous Supreme Court nominees, would continue to weigh his colleagues' counsel, saying it would be "odd" for Senate Republicans to "signal to the White House precisely what the conference is going to do until at least they've had a chance to discuss it in person." Senator Hatch, who served as the Judiciary Committee's chairman or its ranking Republican from 1993 through 2004 and continues to sit on the committee, said in an interview that he worries a political spectacle amid a presidential race could be "demeaning" to the nominee, the Senate and the panel's reputation for conducting fair and serious work. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor speaks at San Jose State University in San Jose, California in 2014. Credit:AP One presidential candidate, Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, sits on the committee and would probably participate in a confirmation hearing. "My own personal feeling is, and this would absolutely be up to Senator Grassley and Senator McConnell, is that it would be better to not even have hearings," SenatorHatch said. "We are in the midst of one of the most obnoxious, terrible presidential campaigns that I've ever seen. I don't want to see the courts be smeared by being in the middle of the process." Senator Orrin Hatch in Utah in 2014. Credit:AP Senate Democrats kept pressure on their GOP counterparts on Wednesday. Senator Charles Schumer, a Democrat from New York, speaking on a conference call, promised a surge of grass-roots outrage if the blockade goes forward. "We're already seeing the Republicans begin to crack," he said. Senator McConnell's silence has only added to the intrigue. Advisers on Wednesday continued to point to the Saturday statement, which other Republicans interpreted as a vow not to act in any way on the nominee but did not specifically spell out the leader's view. His only communication with fellow Republican lawmakers has been a couple of emails sent to senators, according to a senior GOP aide familiar with the brief missives. In one note, Senator McConnell made clear that he did not expect the president to try to resort to a recess appointment before the Senate comes back into session on Monday, and the other included an attachment to a Wall Street Journal editorial critical of Senator Schumer for a 2007 speech on Supreme Court nominations. Otherwise, the aide said, McConnell told his colleagues only that they would discuss the issue early next week. There have been a dozen recess appointments to the Supreme Court, nine of which took place before the Civil War, and all but one were eventually confirmed by the Senate. Dwight Eisenhower made three recess appointments: Earl Warren, William Brennan and Potter Stewart. Under a unanimous 2014 ruling, the Supreme Court gave broad discretion to the Senate when it came to defining a recess. The president can still make recess appointments when the Senate is away, but recent congressional leaders have foreclosed that possibility by scheduling brief pro forma meetings that keep the Senate in session. The current New Group production of Sam Shepard's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Buried Child celebrated its official opening night yesterday. The newly extended run is scheduled through April 3 at the Pershing Square Signature Center. Ed Harris and Amy Madigan lead the cast of the New Group production of Buried Child. ( Allison Stock) Directed by Scott Elliott, the production features Oscar and Tony Award nominee Ed Harris (Pollock) as Dodge, Golden Globe Award winner and Harris' wife, Amy Madigan (Field of Dreams), as Halie, Rich Sommer (Mad Men) as Bradley, Paul Sparks (House of Cards) as Tilden, Nat Wolff (Paper Towns) as Vince, Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story) as Shelly, and Larry Pine (Casa Valentina) as Father Dewis. The full cast of Sam Shepard's Buried Child, now playing at the Pershing Square Signature Center through April 3. ( Allison Stock) Buried Child returns to the city 20 years after its last major New York production. The plot is described as follows: "Dodge and Halie are barely hanging on to their farmland and their sanity while looking after their two wayward grown sons Tilden and Bradley. When their grandson Vince arrives with his girlfriend Shelly, no one seems to recognize him, and confusion abounds. As Vince tries to make sense of the chaos, the rest of the family dances around a deep, dark secret. This wildly poetic and cuttingly funny take on the American family drama gleefully pulls apart the threadbare deluded visions of our families and our homes." Cast member Nat Wolff with his opening-night date, his mother Polly Draper. ( Allison Stock) For tickets and more information, click here. The Acting Company has announced plans to continue its 2016 John McDonald Salon Series with a reading of Noel Coward's comedy Present Laughter on February 22 at The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater at the West Side YMCA. Academy Award winner Kevin Kline, an alumnus of the Acting Company, will lead the cast as both codirector and star. Featured in the cast will be Tony winner Nina Arianda (Venus in Fur), Stephen DeRosa (On the Town), Carson Elrod (Peter and the Starcatcher), Francesca Faridany (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), Matthew Greer (Cabaret), Reg Rogers (You Can't Take It With You), Erika Rolfsrud (The Coast of Utopia), Susanna Stahlmann, and Michele Tauber. Kevin Kline will codirect the evening with Acting Company artistic director Ian Belknap. Noel Coward's 1939 comic play follows a few days in the life of the successful, self-obsessed light comedy actor Garry Essendine as he prepares to travel for a touring commitment in Africa. Amid a series of events bordering on farce, Garry has to deal with women who want to seduce him, placate both his long-suffering secretary and his estranged wife, cope with a crazed young playwright, and overcome his impending mid-life crisis. The Salon Reading Series will continue on April 18 with Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband, directed by Tony nominee Moritz von Stuelpnagel (Hand to God) and featuring Michael Urie (Buyer and Cellar) and Tony Award winner Gabriel Ebert (Matilda The Musical), also to be held at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater. The series will conclude on May 16 with The House That Will Not Stand by Marcus Gardley, to be held at Culture Project. For tickets to Present Laughter, click here. WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2016. After delivering more than 7,000 pounds of cargo to support dozens of science experiments from around the world, Orbital ATK's Cygnus cargo spacecraft is set to leave the International Space Station Friday, Feb. 19, 2016. NASA Television will provide live coverage of the event beginning at 7 a.m. EST. The Cygnus spacecraft, which arrived at the station Dec. 9, will be detached from the Earth-facing side of the station's Unity module using the Canadarm2 robotic arm, operated by ground controllers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA's Mission Control Center will maneuver Cygnus into place and Expedition 46 robotic arm operators Scott Kelly and Tim Kopra of NASA will give the command for its 7:25 a.m. release. Once the spacecraft is a safe distance from the station, its engines will fire twice, pushing it into Earth's atmosphere where it will burn up over the Pacific Ocean. The deorbit burn and reentry of Cygnus will not air on NASA TV. Experiments delivered on Cygnus supported NASA and other research investigations during Expeditions 45 and 46, in areas such as biology, biotechnology, and physical and Earth science -- research that impacts life on Earth. Investigations included a new life science facility that will support studies on cell cultures, bacteria and other microorganisms, a microsatellite deployer and the first microsatellite to be deployed from the space station. Experiments exploring the behavior of gases and liquids, clarifying the thermo-physical properties of molten steel, and testing flame-resistant textiles also were delivered. The Cygnus resupply craft launched Dec. 6 on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, for the company's fourth NASA-contracted commercial station resupply mission. For NASA TV schedule and video streaming information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv For more information about Orbital ATK's mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orbitalatk For more information about the International Space Station, and its research and crews, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2016 For a fourth year, the Ford Motor Company is supporting the military community by sponsoring 175 scholarships for workplace development training through the American Red Cross. The Red Cross Nurse Assistant Training Program is designed to teach students the information and skills needed to become Certified Nurse Assistants (CNA) who provide quality care in nursing homes and other health care settings. Military members, veterans and their families in Detroit, Mich., Nashville, Tenn., Washington, DC, Louisville, Ky., Atlanta, Ga., and the Florida region will be eligible for the scholarships. "Founded by a battlefield nurse, the Red Cross has supported men and women in uniform for more than 100 yearscombined with Ford's unwavering commitment of our nation's heroes, we have created a strong partnership to help build more resilient military families," said Koby Langley, a senior vice president overseeing military and veteran programs and support at the American Red Cross. "These scholarships will help military families by providing access to high-quality education and vital job development and work readiness resources to help graduates find employment anywhere in the world." "Military veterans and their families have sacrificed much to protect our freedom and way of life," said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. "We're proud to continue our work with the American Red Cross and provide opportunities for more veterans to build new careers in the health care field to strengthen their families and their communities." As part of this training, the Red Cross prepares students for upcoming job interviews; hosts job fairs so graduates can speak face-to-face with potential employers, and supports graduates' efforts at seeking financial independence. Graduates complete the program with nationally recognized CNA certification, First Aid/CPR/AED certification, supplemental life-skills, including financial management and career development, and a desire to serve their families and communities. Over the last three years, students from military families have completed the Ford grant program with a high pass rate greater than 90 percent and employment rate of nearly 75 percent. About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services: Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with community partners to advance driving safety, education and community life. For more than 60 years, Ford Motor Company Fund has operated with ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. The award-winning Ford Driving Skills for Life program teaches new drivers through a variety of hands-on and interactive methods. Innovation in education is encouraged through national programs that enhance high school learning and provide college scholarships and university grants. Through the Ford Volunteer Corps, 25,000 Ford employees and dealers work on projects each year that better their communities in more than 20 countries. For more information, visit www.community.ford.com . About the American Red Cross: The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. The first VFF consultative conference was held in Hanoi on February 16th (Photo: VNA) Head of the NA Committee for Deputy Affairs Nguyen Thi Nuong said the Resolution 1140/2016 of the 13th NA Standing Committee anticipates the number of officials working in centrally-run agencies and organisations to be elected to the 14th National Assembly will be 198, up by 15 compared to the previous tenure. Of the total candidates, 11 are from the Party agencies, 3 from Presidential offices, 114 from parliamentary agencies around 20 percent of whom are expected to be women and 10 percent ethic minority, and 18 from Government agencies. President of the VFF Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan said one of the leading missions of the committee is introducing eligible candidates to the 14th NAs tenure, through three consultative conferences. This is a significant stage to help the National Election Council build and announce the official list of candidates for NA deputies, he added. The VFF Central Committees Standing Committee will send a report on the outcome of the first consultative conference to the National Election Council and the NA Standing Committee on February 17th. The second and third consultative conferences are scheduled to take place in March and April./. For Dogs, its Trick and Treat Its almost Halloween, a great time to teach your dog a trick and give him a treat. Most trainers are fans of trick training. Its not as silly as it... Muzzle is not a bad word If you see a dog in a muzzle, you immediately think the dog is aggressive. Right? Well, this is not always true. Unfortunately, seeing a dog in a muzzle carries... Thu Thuy in ao dai in Ho Chi Minh city (Photo: dantri.com.vn) Thu Thuy is a freshman studying hotel and restaurant management and tourism at William Angliss Institute, Melbourne, Australia. She used to work as as a Master of Ceremonies (MC) for the Ho Chi Minh city Television Station (HTV). Always keen on ao dai, Thuy never forgets to bring hers along for her trips to take photograph. When arriving in Australia to study, her habit didnt change. So, the idea of establishing the project "Aodai around the world" was born. You can easily see ao dai on streets, or even see it each day. Ao dai can be worn in many different styles, from casual to chic, or from daily travel to major events in life. The feature of the ao dai is that it is for everyone. That's a beauty that few types of costumes have. When I asked international friends what they know about Vietnam, many answers were given. But three things in common are war, rice noodle (Pho) and ao dai. Thus, ao dai can be seen as part of our identity, part of where we come from," Thuy said. With the help of her older sister, who is a radio editor in Australia, and her older brother, a software engineer, Thuy has realized her idea. Initially, it was just a small project on facebook. There, she posted photos of girls taken with ao dai in many places. More and more people sent photos with ao dai in many places, so, Thuy established a website at aodaiaroundtheworld.com. The website has been completed thanks to contributions of the community. The website has an interactive map. People will post their photos and share stories/memories. All places people take photograph and check-in will be displayed on the map. Therefore, looking at the map, we can see that where ao dai has appeared in the world map. "My biggest target in the coming time is to spread love of ao dai to everyone as well as show that ao dai has traveled to many remote places," she said. On the occasion of the Lunar New Year of the Monkey, Thuy returned to Ho Chi Minh city to reunite her family. She didnt forget to bring ao dai to the motherland to complete her project on the land of Vietnam. She also took the chance to make a clip titled "Aodai around Saigon" on this occasion to tell the story of love and dreams of spreading Vietnamese soul through ao dai by a meaningful clip. The clip tells a story about a Saigon girl, born in the 1990s. She called the names of each street. Graduating from a university, she goes to a foreign country to study and bring her dream of promoting ao dai to around the world. On lunar December 24th, she and her ao dai, which have gone all over the world with her, return to the motherland. My imminent plan is to cover images of ao dai in all 63 provinces and cities of Vietnam. For this occasion, young people take many photos with ao dai so I call upon them to send photos to the website to cover all corners of Vietnam before going out to the world, Thuy said./. Apple CEO Tim Cook declared on Wednesday that his company wouldnt comply with a government search warrant to unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino killers, a significant escalation in a long-running debate between technology companies and the government over access to peoples electronically-stored private information. But in a similar case in New York last year, Apple acknowledged that it could extract such data if it wanted to. And according to prosecutors in that case, Apple has unlocked phones for authorities at least 70 times since 2008. (Apple doesnt dispute this figure.) In other words, Apples stance in the San Bernardino case may not be quite the principled defense that Cook claims it is. In fact, it may have as much to do with public relations as it does with warding off what Cook called an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers. For its part, the governments public position isnt clear cut, either. U.S. officials insist that they cannot get past a security feature on the shooters iPhone that locks out anyone who doesnt know its unique passwordwhich even Apple doesnt have. But in that New York case, a government attorney acknowledged that one U.S. law enforcement agency has already developed the technology to crack at least some iPhones, without the assistance from Apple that officials are demanding now. The facts in the New York case, which involve a self-confessed methamphetamine dealer and not a notorious terrorist, tend to undermine some of the core claims being made by both Apple and the government in a dispute with profound implications for privacy and criminal investigations beyond the San Bernardino case. In New York, as in California, Apple is refusing to bypass the passcode feature now found on many iPhones. But in a legal brief, Apple acknowledged that the phone in the meth case was running version 7 of the iPhone operating system, which means the company can access it. For these devices, Apple has the technical ability to extract certain categories of unencrypted data from a passcode locked iOS device, the company said in a court brief. Whether the extraction would be successful depended on whether the phone was in good working order, Apple said, noting that the company hadnt inspected the phone yet. But as a general matter, yes, Apple could crack the iPhone for the government. And, two technical experts told The Daily Beast, the company could do so with the phone used by deceased San Bernardino shooter, Syed Rizwan Farook, a model 5C. It was running version 9 of the operating system. Still, Apple argued in the New York case, it shouldnt have to, because forcing Apple to extract data absent clear legal authority to do so, could threaten the trust between Apple and its customers and substantially tarnish the Apple brand, the company said, putting forth an argument that didnt explain why it was willing to comply with court orders in other cases. This reputational harm could have a longer term economic impact beyond the mere cost of performing the single extraction at issue, Apple said. Apples argument in New York struck one former NSA lawyer as a telling admission: that its business reputation is now an essential factor in deciding whether to hand over customer information. I think Apple did itself a huge disservice, Susan Hennessey, who was an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at the NSA, told The Daily Beast. The company acknowledged that it had the technical capacity to unlock the phone, but objected anyway on reputational grounds, Hennessey said. Its arguments were at odds with each other, especially in light of Apples previous compliance with so many court orders. It wasnt until after the revelations of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden that Apple began to position itself so forcefully as a guardian of privacy protection in the face of a vast government surveillance apparatus. Perhaps Apple was taken aback by the scale of NSA spying that Snowden revealed. Or perhaps it was embarassed by its own role in it. The company, since 2012, had been providing its customers information to the FBI and the NSA via the PRISM program, which operated pursuant to court orders. Apple has also argued, then and now, that the government is overstepping the authority of the All Writs Act, an 18th-century statute that it claims forces Apple to conduct court-ordered iPhone searches. Thats where the clear legal authority question comes into play. But that, too, is a subjective question which will have to be decided by higher courts. For now, Apple is resisting the government on multiple grounds, and putting its reputation as a bastion of consumer protection front and center in the fight. None of this has stopped the government from trying to crack the iPhone, a fact that emerged unexpectedly in the New York case. In a brief exchange with attorneys during a hearing in October, Judge James Orenstein said hed found testimony in another case that the Homeland Security Department is in possession of technology that would allow its forensic technicians to override the pass codes security feature on the subject iPhone and obtain the data contained therein. That revelation, which went unreported in the press at the time, seemed to undercut the governments central argument that it needed Apple to unlock a protected iPhone. Even if [Homeland Security] agents did not have the defendants pass code, they would nevertheless have been able to obtain the records stored in the subject iPhone using specialized software, the judge said. Once the device is unlocked, all records in it can be accessed and copied. A government attorney affirmed that he was aware of the tool. However, it applied only to one update of version 8 of the iPhone operating systemspecifically, 8.1.2. The government couldnt unlock all iPhones, but just phones with that software running. Still, it made the judge question whether other government agencies werent also trying to break the iPhones supposedly unbreakable protections. And if so, why should he order the company to help? There was, the judge told the government lawyer, the possibility that on the intel side, the government has this capability. I would be surprised if you would say it in open court one way or the other. Orenstein was referring to the intelligence agencies, such as the NSA, which develop tools and techniques to hack popular operating systems, and have been particularly interested for years in trying to get into Apple products, according to documents leaked by Snowden. There was no further explanation of how Homeland Security developed the tool, and whether it was widely used. A department spokesperson declined to comment on specific law enforcement techniques. But the case had nevertheless demonstrated that, at least in some cases, the government can, and has, managed to get around the very wall that it now claims impedes lawful criminal investigations. The showdown between Apple and the FBI will almost certainly not be settled soon. The company is expected to file new legal briefs within days. And the question of whether the All Writs Act applies in such cases is destined for an appeals court decision, legal experts have said. But for the moment, it appears that the only thing certainly standing in the way of Apple complying with the government is its decision not to. And for its part, the government must be presumed to be searching for new ways to get the information it wants. Technically, Apple probably can find a way to extract the information that the government wants from the San Bernardino shooters phone, Christopher Soghoian, the principal technologist for the American Civil Liberties Union, told The Daily Beast. The question is, does the law give the government the ability to force Apple to create new code? he said. Engineers have to sit down and create something that doesnt exist in order to meet the governments demands. Soghoian noted that this would only be possible in the San Bernardino case because the shooter was using an iPhone model 5C, and that newer hardware versions would be much harder for Apple to bypass. But even thats in dispute, according to another experts analysis. Dan Guido, a self-described hacker and CEO of the cybersecurity company Trail of Bits, said that Apple can, in fact, eliminate the protections that keep law enforcement authorities from trying to break into the iPhone with a so-called brute force attack, using a computer to make millions of password guesses in a short period of time. New iPhones have a feature that stops users from making repeated incorrect guesses and can trigger a kind of self-destruct mechanism, erasing all the phones contents, after too many failed attempts. In a detailed blog post, Guido described how Apple could work around its own protections and effectively disarm the security protections. It wouldnt be trivial. But its feasible, he said, even for the newest versions of the iPhone, which, unlike the ones in the New York and San Bernardino cases, Apple swears it cannot crack. The burden placed on Apple will be greater but it will not be impossible, Guido told The Daily Beast. Griselda was demoted from a salaried position to an hourly wage because she had to take time off for her abortion. Halley had to borrow money and take out a payday loan at 17 percent interest to fund her own procedure. Ana had to travel over 300 miles to McAllen for an abortion because the wait times at the Austin clinics would have required her to wait until the second trimester, when the procedure would be too expensive. The stories of these three Latinas from Texas are among those included in an amicus brief filed by the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) in the upcoming Supreme Court case Whole Womans Health v. Hellerstedt, which is scheduled for oral arguments on March 2. The courts ruling is set to be the most important abortion decision since Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), with sweeping consequences for the sort of restrictions that states can place on abortion providers. But the most immediate effects of the decision will be felt disproportionately by one group: Texan Latinas, and especially those living in the Rio Grande Valley. For these women, the NLIRH says, barriers to abortion access have become extreme in the last three years. In 2013, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed HB 2 into law, requiring abortion providers to meet the same standards as ambulatory surgical centers and to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles. The controversial legislation has been the subject of multiple lawsuits and appeals but these requirements were ultimately upheld by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals last June. In the process, over half of the abortion clinics in Texas have closed. Now, the Supreme Court will decide whether or not HB 2s requirements constitute an undue burden to abortion access. In Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the court defined an undue burden as placing a substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion of a nonviable fetus. If the Supreme Court backs the Fifth Circuit, Texas could be left with about 10 clinicsone for every 26 thousand square miles.Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, executive director of the NLIRH, believes that the public might not realize how disproportionately Latinas would be affected by this case because of stereotypes about the communitys views on abortion.I think people carry assumptions about Latinas and our opinions about reproductive politics, she told The Daily Beast.Hispanic women do generally have lower abortion rates than white women or black women but, as the Guttmacher Institute notes, that changes below the poverty line, in which case Latinas have slightly higher rates than black women. Pew polling data also shows that Hispanic registered voters are slightly less likely than black and white voters to believe that abortion should be legal. But the NLIRH has been conducting polling of its own among Latino registered voters, asking more detailed questions about abortion beyond whether or not it should be legal. Two-thirds of their sample of 600, for instance, said they would support a close friend or family member who had an abortion. Gonzalez-Rojas believes the data suggests that Latinos are less opposed to abortion than outsiders might believe. For Latinas living in the Rio Grande Valley, the clinic closures and reopenings have made abortion access especially convoluted and, in some cases, impossible. When Vanessa, a mother of three, learned that the clinics near her in McAllen and Harlingen were closed, she tried to self-induce an abortion with herbs and injections. They didnt work. The clinic in San Antonio was too far away so she went to Mexico instead but couldnt get an abortion there, either. In the end, she carried the pregnancy to term and had a child she could not afford to raise. Vanessas story was recounted by Ana DeFrates of the NLIRH to the Dallas Observer last year. Many women in Vanessas position cannot share their stories publicly because they risk self-incrimination. But emerging evidence suggests that there are many more stories like hers in Texas. A recent study from the University of Texas at Austins Texas Policy Evaluation Project (TxPEP) estimated that at least 100,000 Texan women have attempted to self-induce an abortion. The study also found that Latinas living near the U.S.-Mexico border were significantly more likely to have attempted abortion self-induction themselves or know someone who had. One of the more common methods of self-induction is ingesting misoprostol, an abortion pill that can be purchased in Mexico or on the black market in southern Texas. Id go to Mexico if I had to, a Latina mother named Emiliana is quoted as saying in the amicus brief. I know that some people end up going to Mexico. There are several interrelated factors these self-induction attempts, black market pills, and furtive trips to Mexico: poverty, citizenship status, insurance coverage, and language barriers. It is a confluence of many issues that, if HB 2 were fully enacted, would serve as a de facto ban on abortion for Latinas in the Rio Grande Valley, Gonzalez-Rojas told The Daily Beast. Thirty-eight percent of Texans are Hispanic and the NLIRH estimates that this includes 2.5 million women of reproductive age. The four counties that comprise the Rio Grande Valley at the southern tip of the U.S.-Mexico border are all between 86 and 97 percent Hispanic.According to the Guttmacher Institute, Hispanic women are twice as likely as white women to experience an unintended pregnancy and, per Kaiser Family Foundation data, they are twice as likely to be uninsured in Texas. High rates of unintended pregnancy plus poverty minus health insurance is a recipe for problems accessing abortion. Due to the closure of clinics post-HB 2, too, many women have to travel longer distances to reach abortion providers. The states mandatory 24-hour waiting period can also necessitate multiple trips or taking extra time off from work or school. For example, Cecilia, a mother of three described in the amicus brief, had to wait until she could inconspicuously take two days off of work to have an abortion for fear of being fired if her employer knew why she was absent. For undocumented Latinas who cannot get drivers licenses or cannot afford to travel, getting out of the Rio Grande Valley might not be feasible. And, as Fusion reported, a network of internal border patrol checkpoints has historically put some Latinas in the position of risking deportation to reach abortion providers to the north. For now, the Fifth Circuit has allowed Whole Womans Health in McAllen, Texas, to stay open because it is the sole abortion provider in the Rio Grande Valley. The outcome of the upcoming Supreme Court case will determine how likely it is to keep its doors open. With the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, a 5-3 decision will roll back HB 2's requirements but a 4-4 tie will leave the Fifth Circuit's ruling in place. If the McAllen clinic closes again, Texan Latinas in the Valley may once again have to travel all the way to San Antonioor risk Mexicofor an abortion. ROME When Pope Francis announced he would be holding a large Mass on the U.S.-Mexican border as part of his apostolic journey to the region, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump accused the holy man of playing politics and not fully understanding the danger of the open border we have with Mexico. I think Mexico got him to do it, Trump said, because Mexico wants to keep the border just the way it isbecause theyre making a fortune and were losing. Well, Trump may have been rightat least about the Popes political intentions. During the flight back from Mexico on Wednesday night, Francis dabbled in the American presidential contest when he told reporters that Trumps promised immigration policy makes him un-Christian. A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not of building bridges, is not Christian. This is not the gospel, Francis said, no doubt being fully aware of the headlines his comment would generate. As far as whether I would advise to vote or not to vote, I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. It didnt take long for Trump to fire back that the Pope had gone too far, calling the pontiffs remarks disgraceful. No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another mans religion or faith, Trump said in statement on the campaign trail, adding, If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISISs ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president. The tit for tat may have ended there for now, even though reporters on the plane continued to prod Francis for more anti-Trump dirt. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that, the pope said, signaling an end to the discussion, according to reporters on the plane. We must see if he said things in that way and I will give him the benefit of the doubt. Francis also touched on a number of hotbed issues during his in-flight press conference, including whether or not he would condone abortion or birth control given the fast spread of the Zika virus and its apparent effects on unborn children. He stood by the Catholic Churchs long-standing mantra that abortion is an absolute evil but appeared to soften on the use of birth control. Avoiding pregnancy isnt an absolute evil, the pope said, referring to a precedent set by Pope Paul VI in 1968 when he wrote in the Humanae Vitae and said birth control could be used by nuns in certain areas where they were at risk of being raped. The pope also appeased the many Italian journalists on board by entertaining a few questions about a divisive parliamentary debate on same-sex marriage making headlines in Italy, seemingly endorsing the idea that a same-sex union bill would be OK if it passes. The law, which is set to go to a vote next week, would make Italy the last major European nation to recognize same-sex unions if it passes, or keep Italy as the only one that doesnt if it fails. I do not know how things are in the Italian Parliament. The pope does not meddle in Italian politics, he said, which raised eyebrows since no pope has ever taken that stand before. Instead he said that Catholic lawmakers had to vote with a well-formed conscience. Aside from the comments on Trump, though, the most important thing Francis may have said during the mile-high press conference was on the churchs ongoing battle with clerical sex abuse, which has been making headlines in recent weeks after it came to light that a special Vatican commission wasnt actually advising bishops on the topic and that many were told they didnt have to report sex abuse. Francis made it absolutely clear that, in fact, bishops have a moral obligation to do the right thing. A bishop who moves a priest to another parish when a case of pedophilia is discovered is an irresponsible man, and the best thing he can do is to present his resignation, the pope saidwhich certainly wont be the last word on the matter. With his surprising second-place finish in the New Hampshire primary, Ohio Gov. John Kasich has vaulted out of the pack of also-rans to become the latest hope of two distinct groups of people: Republican operatives fearing what Donald Trumps berserker candidacy might do to their party, and ordinary citizens simply hoping to have a sane presidential candidate to vote for. Until this past week, Kasich has not attracted much attention, mainly because the current dynamic of media coverage encourages histrionics and preening. But by appearing halfway normal, as he did at last Saturdays debate in South Carolina, and not engaging in theatrics about carpetbombing, waterboarding, or ripping up treaties, he has become the default choice of those who would worry if Kasichs opponents ever got their hands on the nuclear switch. He has the advantage (and disadvantage) of a long record. I had a chance to see him in action as I worked for him for 17 years on budget and armed services issuesalthough Ive had no connection to him in over a decade, or to his campaign, and am now a political independent. In the 1980s, at the dawn of his congressional career, many members of his own party considered Kasich a conservative bomb throwerhe would offer his own budget, something back-benchers werent supposed to do in those days. He has not changed ideologically or temperamentallyhis 2011 effort to roll back labor protection for state employees was too extreme and Ohio voters overwhelmingly defeated itbut while Kasich has remained a staunch conservative, much of his party has lurched so far right it has entered Bizarro World. This fact accounts for Kasichs reputation as a RINO (Republican in name only) and why it may be more difficult for him to win his own partys nomination than the general election. His apostasy in having Ohio accept Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act is unforgivable to Republicans who consider health insurance for the poor to be an instrument of Satan. Likewise, in 1994 he voted for an assault weapons ban, pure heresy for the burgeoning Ted Nugent wing of his party. Kasichs practice of occasionally dissing wealthy GOP donors who are accustomed to blind deference is considered a minus among the partys bigwigs. Those deeds might help, though, in a general election. So might his national security experience: 18 years on the House Armed Services Committee counts for far more involvement in that field than all his opponents combined. Refreshingly, as a congressman he avoided the kneejerk military interventionism that is now mandatory for GOP candidates. He opposed authorizing the Marines mission in Lebanon in 1983; the bombing of the Marine barracks in October of that year and President Reagans decision to quickly withdraw vindicated Kasichs stand. Similarly, he opposed President Clintons bombing of Serbia, which in his view amounted to a drive-by shooting with cruise missiles in a conflict in which no discernible U.S. interests were involved. He was also able to work across the aisle with Democrats to put a stake through the heart of the B-2 bomber, a Cold War anachronism, which at $2.2 billion a copy had become an unaffordable luxury. As Budget Committee chairman, Kasich was also present at the creation of the first balanced budget since the Eisenhower era. While other factors, such as an avalanche of revenues from the dot.com bubble, set the stage for the achievement, he had a formidable job just to keep his own colleagues on task. The defense hawks were always itching to bust the budget caps with more Pentagon spending. And then-Speaker Newt Gingrich, who appeared to suffer from ADD, occasionally threatened to derail the difficult march to a balanced budget with novel and unvetted policy visions. The general election downside? Just as there are legitimate questions about Hillary Clintons receiving $675,000 from Goldman Sachs for three speeches, Kasich as a nominee would surely face scrutiny over his eight years as a managing director at Lehman Brothers. The investment banks collapse in September 2008, the biggest bankruptcy in U.S. history, nearly pitched the global economy into the abyss. Lawsuits to settle the dismantling of Lehman are still reverberating through the financial world. Ohio voters gave him a pass, but national inspection of his record would be more thoroughcertainly if Clintons campaign had anything to do with it. Stories occasionally surface about Kasichs anger management problem. As a former employee, I can corroborate those allegations, as well as his tendency to preachy self-righteousness that is a constant temptation of professional politicians. These are, perhaps, pardonable sins both in view of the tasteless vaudeville act being played out by several of his GOP competitors, and his own positive accomplishments. Would Kasich make an acceptable president? We could do worseand I fear we probably will. Mike Lofgren is a former congressional staff member who served on the House and Senate budget committees. His new book, The Deep State: The Fall of the Constitution and the Rise of a Shadow Government, appeared Jan. 5, 2016. Under the theme Be a Global Citizen, pupils from the 4th to 8th grades will compete in three rounds including The Start of Something New (listening, reading, and writing skills, 45 minutes allowance for primary students, and 60 minutes allowance for secondary students), Making a Difference (testing mathematics and science knowledge according to Pearson/Edexcel standards, 60 minutes allowance for the 4th to 6th grades, and 80 minutes allowance for the 7th-8th grades), and knock-out Global Ambassadors to show their presentation skill. Photo: Thu Hang For each grade, the winner will receive a VND60 million full scholarship and VND5 million prize in cash, while the first runner-up will pocket a VND30 million scholarship and VND3 million prize in cash, and the second runner-up will benefit a VND15 million scholarship and VND1 million prize in cash. Besides, 15 outstanding ones will be financed to attend Edexcels international certification exams for primary and secondary school students. Each participant will receive a VND1 million scholarship. Organizers, the Vietnam Study Encouragement Association, EQuest Academy, and Pearson/Edexcel-UK's largest awarding organisation in Vietnam, should cover traveling/living expenses to competitors who enter the final round in Hanoi. In the 4th season, the organizing board is forecast to see over 25,000 competitors, two-time higher than last years event. Deadline for registration is February 28th. So far, as many as 15,000 pupils have registered to take part in the contest./. Jack Daniels launches single barrel rye The Jack Daniel Distillery has released the brands third offering within the Single Barrel Collection and first new grain bill in 100 years, Jack Daniels Single Barrel Rye, which includes Jack Daniels Single Barrel Select and Barrel Proof. This expression marks the first time consumers can experience a fully matured rye product from Jack Daniels. The newest member of the Jack Daniels family of brands will be on shelves across the US from this month. Rye was one of the earliest forms of American whiskey and as the master distiller at Jack Daniels, Im proud to honour that history with the release of Single Barrel Rye. There is a re-emerging trend of rye whiskeys and we are excited to be able to give friends of Jack Daniels a chance to experience it, says Jeff Arnett. You never want to over-barrel a rye whiskey so it was important for us to stay true to the style with grain forward character rather than barrel character while still allowing our barrels to interplay with the whiskey. Im confident that everyone will be as impressed as I am with the taste and character of this bold new rye offering. Each expression in the Single Barrel Collection offers a robust, full-bodied flavour complemented by Jack Daniels smooth charcoal-mellowed character. Together, Select, Barrel Proof and Rye combine to create the worlds finest collection of single barrel Tennessee whiskey. Rye is crafted using a unique 70% rye, 18% corn and 12% malted barley grain bill giving the whiskey a clean, sweet tone at the tip of the tongue with a more distinct and slightly shorter than other Single Barrel offerings. Rye also uses the same cave spring water from the Jack Daniels Hollow, proprietary yeast and charcoal-mellowing process thats been used in the distillerys 150-year-old Tennessee whiskey recipe. From there, the liquid enters a charred White American Oak barrel, crafted at Jack Daniels very own cooperage and set to age in the upper regions of the barrelhouse. In this resting place, the whiskey is exposed to the extreme temperature variations that a Lynchburg, Tennessee season brings. The interaction of the whiskey, the wood and the environment brings out distinct flavour profiles that transcend what you would expect of a rye whiskey to become Single Barrel Rye. Single Barrel Rye completes the distillerys journey into rye whiskies, following limited release batches of Rested Rye in 2014 and Unaged Rye in 2012, allowing fans to taste the maturing rye over time. Rye starts off lightly sweet and mid-palate opens up to a dried fruit and trail mix flavor, finishing slightly shorter than the other Single Barrels as Rye is much more about grain rather than barrel character. Rye is a complex and robust whiskey that brings something unique to the palates of Jack Daniels friends and whiskey enthusiasts alike. Jack Daniels Single Barrel Rye will be priced approximately US$49.99 per 75cl. It is 47% abv (94 proof). Distilled and bottled by Jack Daniel Distillery, Lynchburg, Tennessee. 18 February 2016 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor Country music filled the Hildebrand Equine Complex on Wednesday afternoon as hundreds of students, faculty, friends and family members gathered to mourn the loss of a beloved Texas A&M equine science professor and researcher. Josie Coverdale died Saturday from injuries sustained in a car accident on Raymond Stotzer Parkway on Friday morning. The 38-year-old Coverdale was most known for her role in shaping the equine industry "through the students she taught and the wonderful research she conducted," according to Carrie Hammer, a colleague and Coverdale's fellow graduate student at Iowa State University. Coverdale, a native of Krum, graduated from Texas A&M in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in animal science before obtaining a master's degree in equine nutrition and a doctorate in calf nutrition from Iowa State University. She joined the faculty at A&M as an associate professor in 2006, and had been a member of the Equine Sciences Initiative program for five years, a position that allowed her to travel internationally to share her expertise in equine nutrition. The memorial service was led by the Rev. John Reason, senior pastor at A&M United Methodist Church in College Station, and featured Coverdale's personal and professional colleagues as speakers. Speaking on behalf of the equine industry, Jim Heird, an executive professor and coordinator of the Equine Initiative, said Coverdale was not only well-known at A&M and in Texas, but internationally as well. "Josie was a superstar," Heird said. "She was the top young equine nutritionist in the country, if not the world. When she traveled around the world, she didn't do anything special; she just was herself -- open, friendly, inquisitive and wanting to share her knowledge." Coverdale was a member of the graduate faculty at A&M and taught many undergraduate and graduate courses in equine nutrition. As a former graduate student under Coverdale, Jessica Leatherwood said her one-time professor was always excited to help her students learn. "She developed us into sound scientists and competitive colleagues," Leatherwood said. "She taught us while working alongside us. Her generosity was more than I'll ever know." In honor of Coverdale's position as equine adviser for the Parsons Mounted Cavalry, the cavalry unit of the Corps of Cadets, three shots were fired from a cannon stationed in front of the complex to close the ceremony. Coverdale is survived by her husband, Mark. According to the Attorney General of Texas Office, officials were tipped that someone in Brazos County had uploaded multiple images of child pornography to an email account. Authorities executed a search warrant in College Station on Tuesday. According to police reports, Jose Raul Sustaita, 57, admitted to downloading the images on his phone. The investigators searched the phone and found a folder that contained child pornography. It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discover the The headlines were alarming. Traces of cancer-causing contaminants in New Orleans and Pittsburgh public drinking water supplies. Lead from water supply pipes in Boston tap water. In response, in 1974 Congress enacted the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), which was designed to protect public drinking water supplies. Forty years later, Congress has passed multiple amendments to the SDWA, and regulatory agencies have adopted complex and lengthy regulations designed to prevent crises like the catastrophe now occurring in Flint, Michigan. But Flint's water is still undrinkable and dangerous. If allegations prove accurate, government employees of both the city of Flint and the state of Michigan appear to have violated the SDWA by failing to comply with regulatory requirements designed to keep Flint citizens safe from lead-contaminated drinking water. But will anyone actually be prosecuted criminally for this disaster? Based on my experience litigating criminal and civil environmental cases, I know the law is complex. It remains to be seen whether anyone can or will be prosecuted criminally by either federal or state prosecutors for this disaster. Treatment and testing requirements The SDWA requires the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish national standards for contaminants, such as lead, in public water supplies that could adversely affect public health. As with most federal environmental regulatory programs, EPA has delegated implementation of the SDWA to states, who must establish and implement a regulatory program that is at least as stringent as the federal program. Both Michigan law and the SDWA require public water systems to monitor their water supplies and report monitoring results to state regulators. The sampling and monitoring must be conducted according to precise procedures in order to ensure accurate results. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEP) must report on multiple issues to EPA. For lead and copper contaminants, the protocols are spelled out in the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR), which EPA published in 1994. The rule's goal is to make water less corrosive and prevent the leaching of lead and copper from plumbing and drinking water distribution system components, including piping that feeds into homes and the taps from which the water flows. In November 2008, for example, following the collapse of the tahdiya (calm) agreement between Israel and Hamas, the military declared a 500-meter buffer zone on the Palestinian side of the fence. In May 2009, the military announced that anyone coming within 300 meters of the fence was endangering their life and would be subject to all possible action, including shooting. The military's announcement in the same year stated that "the area adjacent to the fence constitutes a combat zone." At the end of 2012, following the understandings reached between Israel and Hamas after Operation Pillar of Defense, the military announced that Palestinian farmers would be allowed to access land up to 300 meters from the fence. About 18 months later, following Operation Protective Edge, the military informed Israeli human rights organization Gisha that the no-go area for farmers had been reduced and they could now farm up to 100 meters from the fence, though without the use of vehicles. But the extent of the 'no-go' area has never been clear Over the years, the prohibition on the entry of farmers to areas close to the fence has gravely injured the livelihood of the landowners in the area. In addition, the precise scope of the no-go zone has been unclear over the years. The first reason for this is that the military has not clearly marked the area. The second is ongoing disparity between the military's official declarations and the actual implementation of policy. For example, the military has shot farmers who were working on their land under the mistaken impression that they were permitted to enter the area. This reality leaves the farmers in a state of constant uncertainty as to where they are permitted to farm and what level of danger they face. The testimonies collected by B'Tselem's field researchers in December 2015 reveal that many farmers in the Gaza Strip who own land near the fence have been forced to rent land elsewhere in order to make a living for their families, in the absence of any other source of income. Due to the military's ambiguity on the matter, even the farming of this land entails mortal danger, particularly during foggy weather or when demonstrations are taking place in the area. One farmer's testimony (below) tells of how a neighbour was shot dead while at work in his fields some 350m from a demonstration. The spraying operations conducted by the military in December form part of Israel's policy of restricting access to these areas of the Gaza Strip - a policy that the military has implemented for many years, as noted above. The crop spraying could also be considered a violation of Article 54 of the 1977 Protocol to the 1949 Geneva Conventions relating to the protection of victims of international armed conflicts, which prohibits the "starvation of civilians as a method of warfare". It states: "It is prohibited to attack, destroy, remove or render useless objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, such as foodstuffs, agricultural areas for the production of foodstuffs, crops, livestock, drinking water installations and supplies and irrigation works, for the specific purpose of denying them for their sustenance value to the civilian population or to the adverse Party, whatever the motive, whether in order to starve out civilians, to cause them to move away, or for any other motive." But Palestinians are not holding their breath for the international community to pursue any enforcement action against those responsible. There is no justification for this course of action Human rights NGO Gisha posted on its website a statement by the IDF Spokesperson in which the military justified these actions, saying: "The aerial spraying of herbicides and germination inhibitors was conducted in the area along the border fence last week in order to enable optimal and continuous security operations." This statement completely ignores the impact of the spraying on extensive areas due to the prevailing winds at the time of spraying, and the grave injury to the farmers' livelihood. It also highlights Israel's utilitarian approach to the Gaza Strip. When Israel so wishes, the area is described as a 'hostile state entity' for which - and for whose residents - Israel bears no responsibility. At other times, it is a 'zone' in which the military is entitled to undertake 'continuous security operations', as if it were part of Israel's own territory. The reality is that, even after the 2005 'disengagement' from Gaza, Israel continues to control many aspects of the lives of Gaza residents. The scope of this control imposes responsibility on Israel for the residents' wellbeing and welfare. Israel cannot merely regard the territory of the Gaza Strip as part of its own territory, while ignoring the people who live and work in the area. If the security establishment believes that a 'security zone' is needed between Israel and the Gaza Strip, it must establish this zone within Israeli territory. Testimony of Riad Salim Muhammd a-Niser , 54, married father of six, farmer, resident of al-Bureij Refugee Camp, Deir al-Balah District. Testimony given to Khaled al-'Azayzeh on 30 December 2015. I have been a farmer for 25 years. My five brothers and I have eight dunams of farmland near the border, east of al-Bureij Refugee Camp. Since the land is less than 100 meters away from the fence with Israel, we cannot cultivate it. To make a living, I rent 70 dunams (1 dunam = 0.1 hectare) of farmland located 300 meters away from the fence, east of al-Bureij. I pay 4,000 Jordanian dinars a year in rent. It's a relatively low price, because the land is close to the border and it's dangerous to work there because of the Israeli army's fire. I have to rent this land and cultivate it with my children, my brother, and my sister's children because I have no other work. We provide for our families with the living we make off the land. About 40 people rely on this land for their living. Sometimes I hire extra workers to help us farm the land. I grow wheat on 48 dunams and parsley on 12. I was planning to plant peppers and watermelons in the rest of the land in February. I sowed the wheat about a month ago and the parsley in April. I harvest the parsley once a month. Each dunam yields 1.5 tons of parsley. The price varies. Sometimes I sell 1.5 tons for 3,000 ILS, sometimes less, sometimes more. I began harvesting the parsley in July and I've already harvested it five times. The seeds for every dunam of parsley cost 1,200 ILS, and each dunam takes a truckload of fertilizer, which costs 1,200 ILS, and all sorts of chemicals, several times a month. One bag of 25 kg costs 125 ILS. I'm left with 1,000 ILS from every 1.5 tons of parsley sold. One morning around the end of December, I don't remember when exactly, I saw an Israeli plane spraying a white substance over the border area. It was flying very low, inside the Palestinian area, about 100 meters west of the border fence. Two days later, when I was in the fields I cultivate, I saw that the parsley had gone yellow, and realized it had been destroyed by the spraying. The wind blew the herbicides to our crops. We were supposed to harvest the parsley and sell it, but I had to gather it up and throw it out. Now I'm waiting for the parsley to grow again. Forty dunams of wheat were also destroyed. We have only eight left. I had made commitments to suppliers. I was supposed to sell them parsley, but because the crop was destroyed and I didn't deliver the goods, they had to buy parsley from other farmers and I lost their business. An airplane sprayed the border area in April 2015, too, and we lost crops on eight dunams of parsley, eight dunams of green pepper and eight dunams of watermelon. I plowed the land and sowed again. I lost about 19,000 ILS. At the time, people from the ICRC and the Ministry of Agriculture came by, took photos of the crop and assessed the damages, but I haven't received financial compensation from anyone. I buy herbicides, materials for treating the crops and seeds on credit, with the intention of paying back once I sell the crops, but I haven't had a crop and now I have debts I'll have to pay back. If the Israeli army goes on spraying around the border, I'll have to stop farming, and I don't know how my brothers and I are going to provide for our families. We have no source of income except farming. We suffer from Israeli military fire around the border area, especially when there are clashes. My children and I take risks and go out to protect our crops from the demonstrators, exposing ourselves to Israeli military fire. Testimony of H.A., 47, married father of six, farmer and resident of al-Musadar, a village that lies north-east of Deir al-Balah, some 450 meters from the border fence. Testimony given to Khaled al-'Azayzeh on 31 December 2015. I have a 50-dunam plot right next to the western side of the border fence, in the eastern part of the village of al-Musadar. My house is on this plot, but since my land reaches all the way to the border, I can only cultivate 25 dunams of it. The rest of the plot is right in front of me, but I can't reach it because the Israeli army shoots anyone who comes within 150 meters of the border. I planted wheat, barley, fava beans and peas in the part of the plot that I can cultivate. The cost of the seeds and the plowing, including renting a tractor, was about 5,000 ILS and I paid another 5,000 ILS for laborers to help me cultivate the land. On Tuesday, 8 December 2015, at around 7:00 AM, I was on the land near the house when an Israeli plane arrived and started spraying the areas around the border. It went about 200 meters into the Palestinian area. It flew very low, and right then the wind was blowing in the direction of our house. I didn't think these herbicides would be so devastating. The army sprays that area every year and so far, the damage hasn't been that bad. Usually, only plants up to 100 meters from the border are harmed. At that distance, people hardly grow anything, so there are no crops that get destroyed from the spraying, just grazing pastures. About two days after the spraying, I began to see the damage on the leaves of the plants. Five days later, I could already see the damage to the peas and the fava beans, which dried up. When I saw that, I couldn't believe it. My plants were burnt, right in front of me, and I realized I'd lost my crop and I wouldn't see even one shekel from it. They destroyed our crop for no reason. Ten days later, I lost any hope of getting anything out of my crop. I brought a tractor in and plowed the wheat and barley fields and replanted them. I left the peas as they were, because it costs a lot of money to plant it again and I won't make it in time for this season anyway. The wheat and barley I sowed now are also late, but I'm hoping they'll grow anyway. I have no source of income other than farming. I was really hoping for a good pea and fava bean crop. One kg of peas sells for 5 ILS now, and a kilo of fava beans is about 16. I put a lot of money into herbicides for this field before it got sprayed. Luckily, I get my fertilizer from my livestock, so I didn't have to pay for that. I have ten sheep and goats, which I can't graze near the fence now because the plants there have been poisoned. I'll have to buy animal feed at the market. I borrowed about 7,000 ILS for farming expenses, including hiring the tractor, paying laborers and buying materials. Now I can't pay back the loan because I lost the crop. I was also hoping that the income from the crop would help us build a house, after our house was destroyed in the last war. We live in a makeshift wood and tin structure on the first floor of what was our house. The conditions are very harsh. It's very hot in the summer, and now, in the winter, it's cold and the kids are always sick. I don't know why the planes sprayed like that for no reason, and why they let us put our heart and soul into working the land and then spray before we manage to harvest the crop. Testimony of Saeil Mustafa Abu Sa'id, 48, married and father of eight, farmer and resident of al-Bureij Refugee Camp. Testimony given to Khaled al-A'zayzeh on 30 December 2015. We live about 800 meters from the border fence, to the east of al-Bureij refugee camp. I own about 10 dunams of farmland near my home. My land is also about 800 meters from the fence. There's an olive grove on part of the land, and on the remainder I grow crops such as wheat, barley, and fava beans. I also rented another seven dunams next to my plot and used to grow vegetables there, but at the moment I'm not growing anything on it. There's also a well on my land. Over the years we've suffered a lot from shooting from the military watchtowers, particularly early in the morning, because of the fog, and in the evening. So I stopped going to my land at these times because I'm afraid they'll shoot me. Apart from the shooting, the Israeli military sprays herbicide all along the border at least once a year. Last year, an airplane sprayed the border area in December or January. At the time I had two dunams of fava beans, three dunams of eggplants, and two dunams of zucchini. On the rest of my land I'd planted wheat and rye. The spraying destroyed 80 percent of my crops. I'd put over two months' work into those crops - watering them, spraying them, fertilizing the land, and covering the zucchini with plastic sheets at night. Every dunam needed about 800 shekels worth of herbicide. The same thing happened this year. About two weeks ago, I was on my land one morning tending to my crops - fava beans, wheat, and barley. Suddenly an airplane appeared and sprayed over the border area, about 100 meters to the west of the fence, into the Palestinian side. As the plane turned around, it flew hundreds of meters inside Palestinian territory. It was flying low. At the time I couldn't tell whether the herbicide had affected my land, but a few days later I saw that my crops had begun to turn yellow. Some of the fava beans I had planted on two dunams of land had gone dry and yellow and were ruined, and four dunams of wheat and three of barley were also totally destroyed. I lost 2,500 ILS because of the spraying. Now I'm trying to repair the damage. I'm spraying a special substance to try and save what's left of the fava beans. Every four days I spray at least once, and it costs me 80 ILS every time. I hoped that the treatment would help and I'd be able to sell the crop on the market. Unfortunately it didn't work and I'll only be able to sell it as fodder for sheep. Fava beans sell for around 16 shekels a kilo at the moment, and I'd hoped to harvest 50 kilos a day. Now, because of the spraying by the Israeli military, I can't sell even a single kilo, and instead I'll have to sell it off as fodder for sheep at one shekel a kilo. Apart from the spraying, we also suffer from shooting by the military. On Friday, 25 December 2015, I was on my land at about 3:20 P.M. together with my neighbor Yusuf Mubarak Abu Sabika, 48. He was working on land he rented next to my land and he came over to talk to me. At the same time, some young people were holding a demonstration opposite the fence, to the east of al-Bureij. Yusuf and I were standing about 350 meters from the clashes. Someone called Yusuf on the phone and he moved about 50 meters away from me, toward the fence, to take the call. So by then he was 300 meters away from the clashes. The soldiers fired live shots at the demonstrators and two bullets hit Yusuf, one in the thigh and the other in the stomach. He took a few steps, clutching his stomach, and then he fell down. I was shocked when I saw he'd been injured. He's a farmer and had nothing to do with the demonstration. After a few minutes an ambulance came and took him to hospital. I went home and later learned that Yusuf had died. I lost a fellow farmer and a neighbor who had done nothing more than earn a living for his family. Testimony of Ghazi Ahmad Ibrahim a-Najar, 48, married and father of five, farmer and resident of the town of Khuza'ah to the east of Khan Yunis. Testimony given to B'Tselem field researcher Muhammad Sa'id on 30 December 2015. I own four dunams of farmland to the east of Khuza'ah, about 500 meters from the border fence. Apart from my own land, I rent a plot of 18 dunams to increase my income. Eight dunams of that plot are 300 meters from the fence and the rest are 400 to 600 meters from the fence. On Wednesday, 23 December 2015, at about 8:00 A.M., I was close to my land when I saw two Israeli military vehicles driving near the border and dust kicked up by tanks on the other side of the fence. I picked up my stuff and walked away until reached the home of my sister and brother-in-law, which is nearby and overlooks the border fence. A few minutes later I heard the military vehicles getting closer to the Palestinian area. I saw four bulldozers and two tanks start to flatten an area that lies about 50 meters from the border, on the Palestinian side. I stayed there and watched what was happening together with my sister and her husband. After about half an hour I saw two airplanes. One flew about 30-70 meters into the Palestinian side and the other stayed on the Israeli side. The planes and vehicles they went on working until about 9:30 A.M. The planes would disappear from a little while and then come back again. The substance sprayed from the planes scattered across a large area because of the wind and reached a distance of hundreds of meters. Two days after they sprayed the area, I was working on my land when I noticed white stains on the wheat. The stains spread over the course of the day, and then the leaves turned yellow and wilted completely, particularly in the area closest to the border. Four dunams of wheat were totally ruined, and now I have to plow the whole area and plant again. The rest of my land was also damaged, but only partially. All the farmers and residents in the Khan Yunis area know about these planes and have seen them several times over the past couple of years. Twice a year, in April and at the end of the year, they spray the weeds close to the border strip, but the spraying also affects our crops. It costs us a lot of money every time, not to mention the time and work we put into the crops. Testimony of Suliman 'Abd al-Karim Mahana, 60, married and father of thirteen, farmer and resident of the a-Sreij neighborhood in eastern al-Qararah, Khan Yunis District. Testimony given to Muhammad Sa'id on 29 December 2015. I have eight sons, all of whom work as farmers. It's our only source of income. I own 35 dunams of farmland in eastern al-Qararah, about 400 to 800 meters from the border fence. We sowed winter crops on the land and some of them had already grown and were ready for harvesting. I planted barley on 10 dunams closest to the border area, 400 meters from the fence. On five dunams of land at the same distance from the fence I planted bitter vetch, a legume that's used as fodder for livestock. Barley and bitter vetch don't need a lot of care, which is why I plant them on the land closest to the fence. On seven dunams that lie 500 meters from the fence I planted zucchini. On another seven dunams at the same distance from the fence I planted peas, and on six dunams that lie 800 meters from the fence I planted spinach. On Monday, 21 December 2015, at about 6:00 A.M., I was already awake and about to head out to my land when I heard a plane flying close to our house. I went up to the roof and saw a yellow agricultural airplane flying at a height of about 30 to 60 meters, about 100 meters west of the border on the Palestinian side. The plane was flying from north to the south, spraying a thick substance. The spraying went on for about two hours - every time the plane went away for a while and then reappeared. I don't know what substance it was spraying, but I could see it spread hundreds of meters from the fence because of the wind. The morning after they sprayed the area, I noticed new white stains on the leaves and stalks of the plants. I realized that it was because of the spraying the day before and asked my sons to harvest all the crops that were ripe that day, before they got any worse. Sure enough, over the next three days, the damage to the plants got worse and most of them dried up completely. The plants that suffered the worst damage were the leafy ones like spinach, barley, and bitter vetch. I have to plow and replant that land. The other plants were also damaged, but not as badly. Substances like the one they sprayed affect the plants' lifespan and the number of times you can harvest them. For example, zucchini usually yields 17 harvests a year, but now that it's been exposed to this material, I don't know whether it will flower again. Over the past couple of years we've gotten used to the Israeli military spraying herbicides from airplanes close to the border at this time of year. In 2014, after the last round of fighting, our crops were also very badly damaged after the herbicide reached our land. I'd estimate that my financial losses are around 5,000 dollars, not including work time. The Israeli occupation authorities persecute us and damage our livelihood all the time. We've also suffered many times from shooting and other obstacles that the military puts in the way of our work. They endanger our lives and our children's lives. Two years ago, one of my sons was injured by a bullet while he was working on our land. The bullet hit him in the spine, paralyzed him, and totally ruined his life. Testimony of 'Ali Salameh Abu Sawarin , 29, married and father of four, farmer and resident of the al-Muharabah area in Deir al-Balah. Testimony given to Muhammad Sa'id on 29 December 2015. I'm a farmer and I have eight dunams of land in the al-Qararah area northeast of Khan Yunis. I also rent a 60-dunam plot in the Wadi a-Salqa area, a little north of my land, to increase my income. Seven dunams of my land are 200 to 300 meters away from the border. I sowed seeds there about two months ago, in coordination with the ICRC. They sent officials and laborers, and a tractor and plow with ICRC flags on them, so we could plow and sow. We have been banned from farming there since before Operation Protective Edge. The rest of my land is 400 to 600 meters away from the fence. I sowed zucchini on 15 dunams, peas on ten, fava beans on ten, cabbage on six and spinach on eight. I left the rest empty. On Wednesday, 23 December 2015, around 8:00 AM, I was working the land in the Wadi a-Salqa area. I was watering the plants and treating them when I saw a yellow agricultural airplane flying along the border fence, at about a 100-meter height. While flying, the plane released a thick substance that flew hundreds of meters to the west because of the wind, and reached our land and our plants. The plane continued flying about a kilometer to the south, and then turned around and flew back. The spraying lasted for about two hours. The next day, white stains appeared on the leaves and stalks of the plants. From that moment, the more sun the plants got, the worse the damage got, until they finally dried up completely. That happened to most of my plants and crops, especially the leafy ones, which I can't sell anymore. The area that's 200 to 400 meters from the fence was the worst hit by the spraying. The rest of my land was also damaged, but less. I put a lot of money, work hours and effort into farming these fields and I lost them. The spraying isn't new. The Israeli occupation forces harm us, our livelihoods, and our children's livelihoods every time they do it. We feel that they're doing it deliberately. This article is based on one originally published by B'Tselem, with some additional reporting by The Ecologist. Also on The Ecologist: One of Europe's oldest forests is under threat from a new logging initiative backed by Poland's Environment Ministry. Bialowieza Forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that spans 1,600 square kilometres at the Polish-Belarusian border, is one of the most biodiverse spots on the continent - 32% is protected by government regulations, but only 17% is part of the national park. Now the Polish Environment Minister Jan Szsyszko is moving to rubber stamp a plan that would enable forest authorities to dramatically increase logging operations. It comes four years after the passage of a popular policy allowing very limited logging in the beloved Bialowieza Forest - a policy that has been disregarded by authorities, who have blown through their 10-year-limit in one of the three Forest Districts in less than half that time. Loggers have justified the increased activity by claiming they're trying to control a bark beetle outbreak that would impede future timber extraction. But scientists say it will likely die down naturally in the next two years and that the beetle shouldn't be treated like a pest since it is a key part of the forest's ecosystem. The current policy allows for an 10-year timber harvest of 48.5 thousand cubic metres. The proposed update would increase that number eightfold - permitting a harvest of 317.9 thousand cubic metres for the remaining six years. Eeurope's last great primeval forest Why is this forest worth protecting? Campaigners describe it as "the last large remaining fragment of the primeval deciduous forest of the northern temperate zone in Europe." It's by far the largest remnant of the original post-glacial forest that once covered most of northeast Europe, and remained almost untouched into medieval times. It was then claimed by successive Polish monarchs and Russian Tsars as a hunting reserve, and its unique population of European bison was long protected for that reason. The forest is home to an hugely diverse population of plants (5,500) and animals (11,500), as well as large carnivores such as wolves and lynxes and rare nesting songbirds, woodpeckers, and owls. Its free-ranging European bison were killed off completely under the German occupation in World War I, but a new herd was re-established in the 1920s from surviving animals in zoos and private parks. It is now the largest such population in the world, numbering some 800. Forest Management Plan ignored by loggers The logging matter seemed to be settled back in 2012 when, under pressure from organisations including the European Commission, the Environment Ministry passed a raft of regulations designed to protect the region, entitled the Forest Management Plan. The Forest Management Plan separated the forest into three territories, gave each with its own inspectorate, introduced more stringent limits on logging, and gave official protection to the forest's oldest trees. That plan, however, has not been enforced. SHARE Gleaner staff A Henderson County High student was taken by ambulance to Methodist Hospital after falling down a school stairwell Thursday afternoon. The 18-year-old senior fell down a couple of stairs in the blue unit and was found by another student, said Julie Wischer, a spokeswoman for Henderson County Schools. No one else was around when he fell and the student couldn't recall what happened. He was awake when found. He was taken to see the school nurse, who called an ambulance for the student based on his family history. He was still being evaluated as of Thursday afternoon, Wischer said. HCHS Principal Chad Thompson met the student's family at the hospital and took the student's belongings to them. SHARE Brenda Phillips Buffy House By Tom Lovett of The Gleaner A substitute principal has been named at Cairo Elementary School in the wake of the principal being arrested. Henderson County Schools announced Thursday that Brenda Phillips will serve as substitute principal until the case against Principal Buffy House is resolved. House was arrested in the early hours of Feb. 8 after allegedly pointing a loaded 9-mm handgun at her boyfriend and pulling the trigger. According to the police report, the gun did not fire because the safety was on. Phillips retired in 2001 after serving as the principal at Jefferson Elementary for 15 years. She also previously taught at Cairo for 13 years. Henderson County Schools spokeswoman Julie Wischer said no final decision on House's job will be made until her case is resolved. "At that point, House would either return to her job, resign or be terminated," she said. Wischer said Phillips' role is similar to that of a substitute teacher hired to replace a teacher taking medical leave. Superintendent Marganna Stanley selected Phillips to serve as a substitute, Wischer said, but added it would ultimately be up to Cairo's site based decision making council to select an interim principal if necessary. House, 47, is scheduled to be arraigned in Henderson District Court on March 8 on a charge of first-degree wanton endangerment. According to court records filed in the Henderson Judicial Center, House denies the accusations. In 2006, House, then teaching in Daviess County, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a controlled substance after selling drugs to an undercover officer. House went to the police and confessed, saying she was in an abusive relationship and her husband forced her to do it. The investigating officer testified on her behalf, and she received a suspended sentence. In 2008, House was hired as a teacher at East Heights Elementary School. Henderson School officials were aware of her arrest before she was hired. After spending five years as a fourth-grade teacher, House accepted the position of curriculum specialist at Niagara Elementary School. She was hired as the principal at Cairo at the beginning of the 2014-15 school year. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today: 1. OBAMA PLANS HISTORIC TRIP TO CUBA President Barack Obama's planned visit to Cuba in the coming weeks will make him the first U.S. president to set foot on the island in nearly seven decades. 2. TENSIONS ESCALATE BETWEEN TURKEY, KURDS AFTER ANKARA ATTACK Turkey's prime minister says his country will retaliate against a Kurdish rebel group he has held responsible for the attack in Ankara that killed 28 people, while a Syrian Kurdish leader denies his group is behind the blasts and warns Ankara against Syria ground action. 3. HOW APPLE ENDED UP IN US GOVERNMENT'S ENCRYPTION CROSSHAIRS Apple has positioned itself as a champion of user privacy -- and landed in the government's encryption crosshairs as a result. 4. WHAT'S AT STAKE AT EU SUMMIT Prime Minister David Cameron is bracing for a crucial European Union summit with continued British membership in the bloc on the line and the migration crisis bedeviling the continent is also high on the agenda. 5. REPUBLICAN FEUD RAMPS UP Republican Ted Cruz dares Donald Trump to sue him and dismisses Marco Rubio's charges of dishonesty just days before South Carolina's high-stakes primary. 6. WHERE PORN ACTORS COULD HAVE TO WEAR CONDOMS Condoms could be coming to porn studios across California if the state adopts proposed new regulations aimed at protecting actors who make adult films. 7. WHY SOUTH KOREA SAYS NORTH KOREA IS PREPARING ATTACKS A top Seoul official says North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently ordered preparations for launching "terror" attacks on South Koreans. 8. WHO FACES INDICTMENT IN NEVADA A federal grand jury has indicted Cliven Bundy, along with his sons Ammon and Ryan Bundy and two others, on charges related to an armed standoff near his ranch in 2014. 9. A LONGTIME AFRICAN RULER IS ON THE BALLOT Uganda President Yoweri Museveni faces his toughest challenge yet after three decades in power, amid delays blamed on slow delivery of voting materials. 10. WHAT JAPANESE COMPANY WILL RECOGNIZE SAME-SEX MARRIAGES Panasonic Corp. says it will recognize same-sex marriages in its employment policies in a rare move for a major Japanese manufacturer. This is the first in a series of articles written by high school and college participants, who are covering the upcoming 30 Hour Famine hosted at St. Philip Church on Feb. 27-28. Abby Kniffen is a Norwalk High School senior. For the past 13 years, Norwalk teenagers have participated in a life-changing event called the "30 Hour Famine" sponsored by World Vision. The reason for this gathering is that globally more than 17,000 children under the age of five die every day from malnutrition, starvation, and limited access to safe water, according to www.30hourfamine.org. In response, close to 200 teens from approximately 20 local schools and faith communities will fast for 30 hours to raise money to fight hunger both globally and locally. This year on Feb. 27-28 local teens will participate in the 30 Hour Famine during which time they will fast, pray, serve, play games, raise money and awareness about world hunger. In the days leading up to the Famine, participants collect food to stock the pantries at Norwalk's Manna House, part of The Open Door Shelter. They will also engage in service projects throughout Norwalk -- preparing food packages, visiting nursing homes, etc. -- in the hopes of assisting others. The Famine began in 2004 with 29 teens who raised about $4,000 and has been growing steadily ever since. In 2015, 201 kids from Fairfield County participated in the Famine and collectively raised nearly $54,000, saving the lives of 126 children. In total, since the first St. Philip-based Famine, local teens have raised approximately $300,000 and saved the lives of 725 children. This year, the Famine begins on Saturday, Feb. 27, kicking off at 9 a.m. at St. Jerome's Church. Students will participate in a two-mile "Hunger Walk" to Philip's Church. Once they arrive at the church, they will hear from 30 Hour Famine Keynote Speaker Dr. Sohi Ashraf. Dr. Ashraf is a Norwalk Hospital Resident who went on a humanitarian medical mission to Uganda. He will be speaking about his trip in Uganda and how his experiences as a child formed his desire to one day become a doctor and help those in the world's most destitute places. All are invited to hear Dr. Ashraf speak at 10 a.m. in the church on Saturday. After the keynote address, kids will go without food for the remainder of the day and into Sunday morning. To keep their minds off their own hunger, they will participate in numerous activities and community service projects. Each year's Famine has a specific theme; this year, the theme is "Hunger Free." Each participant works to raise awareness by fundraising. The money raised by the Famine is given to World Vision, a humanitarian organization that works to combat hunger around the world by providing food, supplies and education to children and families in developing countries. Local charities benefit from the Famine as well. One of these charities is The Open Door Shelter, which operates the Manna House kitchen and pantry in South Norwalk. Manna House provides meals as well as boxed and canned goods to families in our community. Between the kitchen and their food pantry, they provide approximately 60,000 meals per month to individuals and families locally. The students will break their fast at the 10 a.m. Mass on Sunday, Feb. 28. To learn more about the 30 Hour Famine and how you can participate, volunteer or donate, please go to http://stphilipnorwalk.weebly.com/30-hour-famine.html http://stphilipnorwalk.weebly.com/30-hour-famine.html . To the editor: It won't be long before you will see a Girl Scout Troop at your local supermarket asking you to support her troop and the Girl Scouts by buying Girl Scout Cookies. In recent years during cookie sales, popular flavors like Thin Mints have out-performed top national cookies including Oreos. These tasty indulgences have delighted us since 1936, and Girl Scouts all over the U.S. are responsible for selling nearly 200,000,000 (Yup. Million) boxes by going door to door, person to person, and now, even online through their Digital Cookie app. As you are buying your cookies, and enjoying them, you may not realize all the deep, social good they are doing. Let's start with the girls. Ask any woman who has been a Girl Scout and she will tell you that selling Girl Scout Cookies was not only fun, but helped build her courage and confidence. She will tell you that it encouraged goal setting, decision making, handling money responsibly, helped her learn to deal with the public, and also how to embrace fair business practices (e.g., how do you handle the unhappy customer who returns a half-eaten box of crushed Trefoils?). Many successful women business owners will tell you they got their entrepreneurial spark selling Girl Scout Cookies. What she may not have shared with you is all the good that selling cookies did for her troop and the community. Each year, an estimated $100,000,000-$140,000,000 goes back to the Girl Scouts all over the U.S. who sold cookies. In Connecticut, the number that is earned and returned is just under $2 million! Our girls use these funds for community service projects, to save for fun and educational troop experiences and outings, and to provide funding for other girls who otherwise can't afford to be Girl Scouts. And for those Connecticut customers who so choose, more than 125,000 boxes of cookies every year are donated to our service men and women overseas and at home through our Cookies for Heroes Program. Consider Eliana, a Cadette Girl Scout in Madison. Eliana has been saving her cookie earnings for a few years to host a free special movie event at a local cinema for girls in her surrounding communities. Modest donations will be suggested at the event and the proceeds will go to help buy pajamas for residents at a homeless shelter in New Haven. With 35,000 Girl Scouts in Connecticut and almost $2 million in cookie proceeds earned by the girls- that's large scale social enterprise! For adult Girl Scout Volunteers, the Cookie Program helps them to develop and build important skills. I remember my then stay-at-home mom served as our "Cookie Mom" for my troop in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn decades ago. Mom had to develop business, sales leadership, and organizational skills handling a myriad of order cards and balancing the 'books." When we were older, she went on to be a successful floor supervisor in a large retail store. And finally, the cookies do a world of good for the Girl Scout organization itself. The proceeds provide us the ability to work and live our Mission. In addition to our iconic and confidence-building outdoor programming for girls, we offer relevant programs that address key issues confronting today's girls physical and emotional health, financial literacy, anti-bullying, and STEM. So, the next time you see a girl outside the Stop and Shop selling Girl Scout Cookies, stop and ask her why she is motivated to sell cookies. Help her to live her dream and reach her goals. And while you are at it, enjoy indulging. You've earned it! Mary Barneby, CEO, Girls Scouts of Connecticut LINCOLN--Future high schoolers across Nebraska may need to pass a civics exam before grabbing their diploma. LB869, introduced by Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha, would require all high school students to pass a 100-question civics test. The questions would be from the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services' naturalization test. Krist said while this exam is just a stepping stone for moving forward, a U.S. citizen should be able to answer questions people entering the country are forced to answer in order to become citizens. Krist also emphasized the importance of students becoming engaged in government. "If students don't understand how the government works at the most basic level, how can we expect them to understand the importance of voting and engaging in the political process?" Krist asked. If passed, it would be up to the Legislature to decide what questions to include. They could customize the test and also incorporate Nebraska's state civics questions along with those of the federal government. Each school district would decide how to administer the test, which could be taken any time in grades nine through 12. Students would be allowed to repeat the test as many times as necessary to pass.The first graduating class affected by the bill would be students of the 2017-18 class. Last year, nine states passed similar legislation while 24 more, including Nebraska, are considering it this year. Neighboring South Dakota and nearby North Dakota were two of the states to pass the statute. In Arizona and Oklahoma, two other states where the civics test requirement has been adopted, Krist said only 4 percent of high school students passed. To Krist, that means we are facing a crisis in school today with students and their lack of civic knowledge. Lucian Spataro from the Joe Foss Institute, who testified at a Tuesday hearing in support of the bill, called it a quiet crisis in America. The institute is an Arizona-based nonprofit organization that advocates for civics education and civics involvement. Requiring the civics examination would shift the focus back to learning about government after educational institutions across the country have spent nearly all of their time on STEM content, or science, technology engineering and math, he said. "If tested, it's emphasized," Spataro said. "This will put American civics back on the front burner, encouraging students to be actively engaged and responsible citizens. Civics has suffered from the swing in the pendulum to STEM content. We don't have a level playing field today because most of the content on standardized tests is STEM content." Sen. Rick Kolowski of Omaha, who is a former teacher and principal, pointed out not only is it important to test the knowledge, but also is a way to heighten the youth engagement and apply what is learned to everyday life. Representatives from the Elm Creek School District, just west of Kearney, who testified for the bill at the hearing, was a prime example. Elm Creek students all take the civics exam and are required to pass before graduating. Audrey Worthing, a freshman from Elm Creek, started the idea as part of her FCCLA project to get the community more engaged. Now, Worthing is hoping what started in Elm Creek will be applied statewide. "Civics plus your support equals a changed world," Worthing told the Education Committee. "It's as simple as two plus two equals four to have this mandated. Personally, tests do overwhelm students, but it will help you in everyday life. It will help lead to active citizenship." One of Worthing's administrators, Elm Creek Superintendent Dean Tickle, backed up his school district's decision to enforce the graduation requirement. "We need to be fully aware of our liberties," Tickle said. "It's important to have an informed and engaged electorate." The Nebraska Association of School Boards was the main opponent of the bill, saying it disapproved of putting curriculum and graduation requirements together. The NASB wants the Legislature to allow the State Board of Education to do its job. Looking for the big games to watch in Week 9? We have them right here. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Singapore Thu, February 18, 2016 French-Italian turboprop manufacturer ATR will continue to push regional flights in Indonesia, which it calls a 'number one country partner', pointing to the potential that lies in the country's staggering number of airlines and aircraft backlog. ATR CEO Patrick de Castelbajac said 65 aircraft from the company were underway to be delivered to its biggest customer worldwide, low-cost carrier Lion Air Group, and national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, with a backlog of 260 aircraft still to be delivered from 2015. 'I think aviation is one of the keys to growth in the country,' de Castelbajac told a press briefing recently. At least 10 Indonesian airlines use ATR aircraft, which are used on 70 percent of the country's total routes. 'Growth in terms of people traveling has also been increasing,' he said. The number of passengers on international flights to and from Indonesia rose to 1.3 million in December 2015, up 30.6 percent from November, outpacing the growth in domestic flight traffic, which increased by 15.16 percent to 6.8 million passengers, according to the latest data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS). The Indonesian Air Carriers Association (INACA) predicts passenger numbers for scheduled airlines to grow by 10 to 15 percent this year. ATR believes the less than 100-seat turboprop aircraft fits well with the country's geography, where people need to move from one island to another, boosting demand for regional flights. Castelbajac said he still had faith in the Asian-Pacific market, particularly Southeast Asia, based on encouraging traffic growth. International traffic at Asian-Pacific carriers grew 7.9 percent to 276.3 million passengers in 2015, according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), higher than growth of 4.9 percent recorded in 2014. ATR's presence in the Asia-Pacific has grown 80 percent since 2010, according to the company's data, with the region's combined ATR fleet of 370 aircraft surpassing even that in the company's home base Europe. ATR acknowledged the overall economic slowdown that hit Southeast Asian countries, but saw the region as still booking high growth compared to global peers. 'There are more and more people flying, as many countries here are growing fast,' Castelbajac said. Indonesia itself saw economic growth slow to a six-year low of 4.8 percent last year, still handily beating developed nations' growth of zero to two percent. Lion Air Group general director Edward Sirait said ATR aircraft would be needed for the country's further flight growth. 'Because the airports developed by the Transportation Ministry fit that kind of aircraft characteristic, and because our market is of the commuter kind, not long haul,' he added. Edward cited as examples flights from Makassar in South Sulawesi to Wakatobi in Southeast Sulawesi and from Denpasar in Bali to Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara. He said that with the upcoming ATR shipment, the airline would try to open new domestic routes with the additional 14 aircraft for the company's subsidiary Wings Air and another 14 for full-service airline Batik Air, pending approval from the Transportation Ministry. The Transportation Ministry is slated to open 230 new flight routes to remote areas and establish new airports in 11 locations this year, according to state budget plans. The ministry has said in the past it aims to develop 100 airports to accommodate jet aircraft by 2019. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post New York Thu, February 18, 2016 Bombardier says it plans to cut approximately 7,000 jobs ' or about 10 percent of its global workforce' over two years, even as it adds jobs in growing areas of its business. The company said Wednesday that the job cuts will include production and non-production employees, with 2,000 of the positions being contractors. It had 70,900 employees worldwide at 2015's end, according to Bombardier. The positions to be eliminated are mostly in Canada and Europe, Bombardier said. The biggest cut ' 3,200 positions ' will be in the transportation segment. The aerostructures and engineering services unit will eliminate 2,500 jobs, while the product development engineering, aerospace division will cut 800 positions. The business aircraft segment will eliminate 500 jobs. Bombardier Inc. has been modifying production rates for some of its aircraft and said it is adjusting its workforce to meet market demand. In addition, aerospace development programs and projects are slowing down as expected, so employee levels are being looked at to match future workloads. At the same time, it says it will hire for other positions in growing areas of its business. Bombardier Inc. plans to hire for its C Series aircraft program and other areas. Bombardier said Wednesday that the job cuts and hirings will occur in 2016 and 2017. The company anticipates $250 million to $300 million in restructuring charges related to the job cuts. Bombardier also announced that Air Canada has signed a letter of intent for up to 75 C Series aircraft. Based on the list price of the aircraft, a firm order would be valued at about $3.8 billion. (ags) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Niken Prathivi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 Indonesian Formula One candidate Rio Haryanto is said to have gained more financial pledges from business circles but his management has refused to confirm the reports, saying they would make an official announcement in the near future. The latest side to throw its support behind Rio's bid to become Indonesia's first F1 driver was the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (Kadin), which said on Wednesday that it would hold a meeting later in the evening about a fundraising event for Rio. 'It is important for us to support all sporting deals for the country,' Kadin chief Rosan P. Roeslani said in Jakarta, as quoted by Antara news agency. Rio's media relations officer Cep Goldia said he could not make any further comments regarding Kadin's support or give any updates on Rio's chances of joining the Manor Racing team. 'We will possibly make an official announcement in the near future,' Cep told The Jakarta Post in an email, referring to a potential deal between Rio and the UK-based F1 team. A sum of A15 million is required for the 23-year-old Semarang local to be awarded the remaining seat on Manor after German driver Pascal Wehrlein signed a new deal with the team. A A5.5-million advance is need as a guarantee. The amount increased from an initial A3 million after Rio's camp failed to meet an earlier payment deadline. The fundraising event is expected to ease financial problems and pave the way for Rio to race on the F1 track. Rio has already received financial pledges from state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina amounting to A5.2 million, as well as the government with Rp 100 billion (US$7.4 million). However, the disbursement has been hampered by bureaucratic delays with Pertamina reportedly only willing to channel the money if Rio finds another backer. Despite the shortage of funds, Rio appears to have done more than just fine tune his driving skills to gather support over recent months. He has come out as a role model for youngsters, earning him deals with several commercial products. He has also set up a public funding movement via kitabisa.com, which as of Wednesday had collected Rp 249 million. He attended a meeting with businessman Sandiaga S. Uno, the chamber's deputy for small enterprises, cooperatives and the creative industry, on Tuesday, as well as with State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rod McGuirk (The Jakarta Post) Canberra, Australia Thu, February 18, 2016 Pope Francis' finance minister said Thursday that he is prepared to meet in Rome with Australian victims of clergy sex abuse who are angry the cardinal won't travel to Australia to testify at a government inquiry. Cardinal George Pell, whom the pope placed in charge of the Vatican's finances in 2014, is to testify for a third time at Australia's Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. But the inquiry ruled two weeks ago that the 74-year-old cleric could give evidence by video from Rome on Feb. 29 because he was too ill to fly to Australia. Many victims of sex abuse are angry that Australia's highest-ranking Roman Catholic will not give evidence in person. Australian musician and comedian Tim Minchin has recorded a hit song in which he insults Pell and urges him to return to Australia. Crowd funding raised more than 170,000 Australian dollars ($120,000) this week to send abuse victims from Pell's hometown of Ballarat to Rome in the hope they can watch his testimony there. Pell will cooperate with any arrangements the royal commission makes for where and how he gives evidence, his office said in a statement. "As Cardinal Pell has done after earlier hearings, he is prepared to meet with and listen to victims and express his ongoing support," the statement said. Pell is to give evidence about how church authorities responded to allegations of child sex abuse in Ballarat and in Melbourne, Australia's second-most populous city after Sydney. Pell is accused of creating a victims' compensation program mainly to protect the church's assets and of using aggressive tactics to discourage victims' lawsuits, all while he was a bishop in Australia. Pell also faces accusations from earlier in his career, when he was a Ballarat priest and auxiliary bishop and not in the ultimate position of authority, that he ignored warnings about an abusive teacher, attempted to bribe the victim of a pedophile priest to stay silent and was part of a committee that moved that priest from parish to parish. Pell denies any wrongdoing and defends his record on confronting the abuse scandal as archbishop of Melbourne, and later of Sydney. Pell said in a statement that his doctors say he should not take long-distance trips. A medical report said Pell suffers from hypertension, and from heart problems related to hypertension and ischemia. (rin)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Haeril Halim, Fedina S. Sundaryani, Hans Nicholas Jong and Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 A string of campaigns condemning the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in the country has grown stronger, as the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued an official statement on Wednesday, urging the government to prosecute LBGT people and campaigners. MUI chairman Ma'ruf Amin warned the government to tackle any potential moves by campaigners to legalize gay rights and urged it to issue regulations allowing for the prosecution of people who engaged in same-sex intercourse. 'LGBT [activity] is also against the national ideology of Pancasila as well as the 1945 Constitution. It also violates the MUI edict on lesbianism, sodomy and obscenities, which says that such kinds of sexuality are haram and count as crimes,' he told a press conference at his office. The MUI announced its harsh stance on Wednesday after getting support from dozens of Islamic organizations including the Islamic Dakwah Indonesia Institution (LDII) and Wahdah Islamiyah. 'We support the establishment of new regulations banning LGBT [sexual] activities and other deviant types of sexual intercourse and prosecution of those involved in LGBT activities and other deviant types of sexual intercourse, as well as parties that support, encourage or finance LGBT activities in Indonesia,' Ma'ruf said. The ulemas also described the LGBT community as a 'dangerous disease' that could spread HIV/AIDS and called on international organizations not to fund LGBT campaigns in Indonesia. If LGBT activities are not stopped, they could trigger further conflicts 'threatening morality and culture' Ma'ruf said. With several ministers issuing derogatory statements about LGBT people, the government has so far made only a half-hearted defense of LGBT people, saying that they should have the same rights before the law and access to employment as other citizens, but that they should not take part in any LGBT campaigns. Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) spokesperson Erlinda said the government must protect children from LGBT campaigns, citing the 2002 Child Protection Law, which states that children should be protected from acts deemed 'wrong'. 'Homosexuality violates existing laws and qualifies as a crime against human dignity. The laws must mandate the healing of all LGBT people,' she said, adding that the Marriage Law and the Pornography Law prohibited sexual orientations other than heterosexuality. The government must punish those who supported LGBT communities, she said, adding that there was a link between pedophilia and the LGBT community and that child sodomy must be punished severely. Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin openly called the LGBT community a threat to the country's values. 'Removed from the global network that led to the spreading of the LGBT issue in the country, we see it as a social problem that threatens religious life, the strength of family and national identity,' he said. 'It could also become a potential impediment to the legal system of marriage in Indonesia, which doesn't allow same-sex unions,' he added. However, the minister said he did not condone violence toward the LGBT community, saying that their rights were still protected by the nation's 1945 Constitution. Indonesia should take note of highly homophobic countries in which LGBT people avoided accessing medical services due to social stigma, said Richard Horton, the editor-in-chief of The Lancet, one of the world's prominent medical journals. 'When you get homophobic people and homophobia, what you do is you drive people away from the health system. People who might have HIV don't go to the health system to get tested or treated,' he said. 'If you sign up to be a doctor, then your job is to defend the community. That duty is not only providing clinical care but also being an advocate, sometimes against the government.' ______________________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anton Hermansyah & Arif Gunawan S. (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 One of the most prestigious apartment blocks in the heart of Jakarta, the Kempinski Residences in the Hotel Indonesia complex, has seen a sudden drop in demand following a Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) finding on dubious contracts involving Grand Indonesia and the Djarum group. The apartments, along with Bank Central Asia (BCA) Tower, are among 'unstated buildings' in a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract signed in 2004 by state-owned hotel operator Hotel Indonesia Natour and PT Cipta Karya Bumi Indah ' owned by Djarum's Hartono brothers. "Recently it has become illiquid. People are afraid to buy second-hand units or rent them because there are no assurances that the contracts can be renewed," apartment owner Christanto Wibisono told thejakartapost.com on Tuesday. The complex's 290 apartments were sold under building ownership certificates (SKBG) for a 30-year period up to 2035, the same expiry date as the BOT contract between developer Cipta Karya and land owner Natour. According to excerpts from the 2004 contract document obtained by thejakartapost.com, only four constructions were allowed to be built on Natour's land, namely a five-star hotel, two shopping malls and a parking lot. However, Grand Indonesia built two additional high-rise buildings, namely BCA Tower and the Kempinski apartments. The two additional buildings are yet to be estimated in terms of compensation from which Hotel Natour can benefit annually. Based on a 2010 contract revision, in which PT Grand Indonesia suddenly appeared to be taking over Cipta Karya, the SKBG contract of the Kempinski apartments had been extended for another 20 years, entitling new buyers of the apartments to 50-year ownership periods. As for existing owners, Grand Indonesia offered them renewed contract extensions for 50-year periods but charged them Rp 2 billion (US$150,000), which must be paid before Feb. 2. All of the apartments' owners strongly rejected the offer and are currently in negotiations with Grand Indonesia. Nontransparent A source from the new Hotel Natour board of commissioners, who preferred to remain anonymous, alleged that Grand Indonesia was not being cooperative or transparent in reporting the maintenance of Hotel Natour's assets currently under their management according to the new contract. 'Even the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry didn't know about the decision of appointing Grand Indonesia as the BOT rights recipient. The state as the owner of Hotel Natour will not fail. We can't ignore and omit actions that lead to potential losses to the state,' the board member said. Thejakartapost.com contacted Grand Indonesia's office on Wednesday afternoon but no one was available for comment. Meanwhile, an executive at Hotel Natour ' who also requested to remain anonymous ' said the BPK assessment was submitted to the ministry last week. He said the new board of directors was not involved in the case. 'The current board of directors is different to the board that took in charge in 2010 and signed the contract renewal. The new management started to helm Hotel Natour in November 2015,' the executive said. According to the SOE ministry's data, Aloysius Moerba Suseto was the president director of Hotel Natour during the BOT contract signing with Djarum group's Cipta Karya in 2004. He led the state-owned firm for ten years from 1999. Leaving the company in 2009, Suseto then-joined Djarum Group's telecommunication tower provider company PT Menara Sarana Nusantara Tbk as an unaffiliated director. I Gusti Hery Angligan succeeded Suseto's position in Hotel Natour before his resignation in 2011. (ags) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 Japanese Mitsubishi has said that it did not terminate its workers in Indonesia as claimed by a recent labor union report, but instead offered workers early retirement due to a decline in production caused by lower sales last year. Mitsubishi automobile assembly company, PT Krama Yudha Ratu Motor (KRM), said in a statement that 183 workers had accepted the offers, received retirement benefits and stopped working voluntarily without any force at all. 'The firm's move is due to lower car demand nationwide,' the statement from the firm's PR office reads. The remaining 1,600 workers are still working as per usual in its plant in Pulo Gadung, East Jakarta. The plant assembles spare parts for Mitsubishi commercial and passenger vehicles. The company also plans to open a new assembly plant in Deltamas, Cikarang, West Java, in 2017, and will hire more workers before then. Last week, the Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions (KSPI) announced that the Mitsubishi car producer had terminated some 200 workers. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Thu, February 18, 2016 As a nation based on Pancasila including faith in one God, there is no place for sinful sexual deviants. This is the message we have been hearing since a gay counseling service at the University of Indonesia was banned last month. Panic is spreading about a 'movement' that seeks to convert heterosexual youth among those with apparently little exposure to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Such anxiety has always been endorsed by religious figures. But we are now most alarmed by the stigma of LGBT citizens that has been endorsed by ministers and even the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI). After meeting with the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI), the KPI said it had banned 'promotion' of 'LGBT lifestyle' and activities from television programs. However, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan has asserted that LGBT people are citizens with equal rights. Although President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo campaigned on ensuring 'the state's presence', the state is increasingly provoking stigma and discrimination against minorities. In January authorities swiftly facilitated the eviction of members of Fajar Nusantara Movement (Gafatar), alleged to be a deviant faith group. Then the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued a fatwa proclaiming them as heretic; another edict on LGBT people is also expected. Official rejection and formal restriction of LGBT activities is a dangerous signal of even wider state embrace of moral and religious-related demands. Hundreds of bylaws regulate behavior and morality, as well as restrict minorities. Church and state is a lethal mix. At this rate we'll soon be back to burning witches; three Ahmadiyah minority members were killed in Banten in February 2011. Jokowi's silence about such divisive issues is increasingly endangering minorities, who are being kicked out of their homes here and there. Such events occurred during the 10 years under then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, but Jokowi was entrusted to make a difference. Proponents of curbing LGBT activities or people insist they are all for protecting citizens' rights and advocate efforts to 'guide' LGBT people away from 'deviance' ' despite grossly lacking evidence about 'cured' sexual orientation. Haedar Nashir, leader of Indonesia's second-largest Islamic organization, Muhammadiyah, has warned that no one should subject LGBT people to violence. Yet those who bully for whatever reason continue to find further justification to intimidate any 'deviant' minority. Without strong state defense of minorities, many would nod to the other part of Haedar's statement ' that 'human rights are not universal', but depend on the context of a nation, despite the Constitution's incorporation of UN human rights conventions. President Jokowi must remind the nation that Pancasila means equal treatment of minorities and restoring the rights of the hundreds displaced for having different beliefs. It means ensuring global, non-derogable rights including that of minorities to live in peace. Indonesia's foundation cannot be sacrificed by 'contextualizing' human rights. And if 'belief in one God' means kicking out sexual minorities, Indonesia will be on par with Hitler's Nazi regime, which crushed perceived moral decadence and 'impurity'. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Suzan Fraser (The Jakarta Post) Ankara Thu, February 18, 2016 A car bomb went off in the Turkish capital Wednesday near vehicles carrying military personnel, killing at least 28 people and wounding 61 others, officials said. The explosion occurred during evening rush hour in the heart of Ankara, in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters and lodgings. Buses carrying military personnel were targeted while waiting at traffic lights at an intersection, the Turkish military said while condemning the "contemptible and dastardly" attack. "We believe that those who lost their lives included our military brothers as well as civilians," Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said. At least two military vehicles caught fire and dozens of ambulances were sent to the scene. Dark smoke could be seen billowing from a distance. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Kurtulmus pledged that authorities would find those behind the bombing. He said the government had appointed seven prosecutors to investigate the attack, which he described as being "well-planned." Kurdish rebels, the Islamic State group and a leftist extremist group have carried out attacks in the country recently. In October, suicide bombings blamed on IS targeted a peace rally outside the main train station in Ankara, killing 102 people in Turkey's deadliest attack in years. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the bombing saying it exceeds all "moral and humane boundaries." Turkey is determined to fight those who carried out the attack as well as the "forces" behind the assailants, he said. "Our determination to retaliate to attacks that aim against our unity and future grows stronger with every action," Erdogan said. "It must be known that Turkey will not refrain from using its right to self-defense at all times." U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the explosion and "hopes the perpetrators of this terrorist attack will be swiftly brought to justice," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. Wednesday's attack comes at a tense time when the Turkish government is facing an array of challenges. A fragile peace process with Kurdish rebels collapsed in the summer and renewed fighting has displaced tens of thousands of civilians. Deadly bombings Turkey has also been helping efforts led by the United States to combat the Islamic State group in neighboring Syria, and has faced several deadly bombings in the last year that were blamed on IS. The Syrian war is raging along Turkey's southern border. Recent airstrikes by Russian and Syrian forces have prompted tens of thousands of Syrian refugees to flee to Turkey's border. Turkey so far has refused to let them in, despite being urged to do so by the United Nations and European nations, but is sending aid to Syrian refugee camps right across the border. Turkey, which is already home to 2.5 million Syrian refugees, has also been a key focus of European Union efforts to halt the biggest flow of refugees to the continent since World War II. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of refugees leave every night from Turkey to cross the sea to Greece in smugglers' boats. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg strongly condemned the "terrorist attack" and offered his condolences to the families of the victims. Stoltenberg said there can be no justification "for such horrific acts" and that "NATO Allies stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight against terrorism." German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: "In the battle against those responsible for these inhuman acts we are on the side of Turkey." Washington also condemned the attack, according to a statement by Mark Toner, deputy spokesman of the U.S. State Department. "We reaffirm our strong partnership with our NATO Ally Turkey in combatting the shared threat of terrorism," Toner said. After the attack, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu canceled a visit to Brussels Wednesday evening and attended a security meeting with Erdogan and other officials. Erdogan postponed a trip to Azerbaijan planned for Thursday. The government meanwhile, imposed a gag order which bans media organizations from broadcasting or printing graphic images of the dead or injured from the scene of the explosion and also banned reporting on any details of the investigation. Turkey has imposed similar bans after previous attacks. Last month, 11 German tourists were killed after a suicide bomber affiliated with the IS detonated a bomb in Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district. More than 30 people were killed in a suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near Turkey's border with Syria, in July. (ags) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rodney Muhumuza (The Jakarta Post) Kampala Thu, February 18, 2016 A child was killed and eight other children were seriously injured on Wednesday in an explosion in a suburb of the Ugandan capital, police said. The explosion happened Wednesday at a school playground in Kampala where children were playing with an explosive device that they did not recognize, police spokesman Fred Enanga told The Associated Press. The device was a suspected hand grenade, he said. The eight injured children were in critical condition in a hospital, Enanga said. He said he believed the incident had nothing to do with the presidential election scheduled for Thursday. Tensions have been rising ahead of the voting, which pits long-time President Yoweri Museveni against seven challengers. Museveni's main rival, Kizza Besigye, has said he doesn't believe the elections will be free or fair. Ahead of the polls, there has been a heavy security presence in Kampala, with heavily armed police patrolling the streets and armored vehicles parked at key junctions. Museveni, who took power by force in 1986, has vowed to "smash" those who threaten national security during and after the elections. (ags) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tama Salim and Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 Ahead of the House of Representatives plenary session to adopt a proposal for the amendment of the 2002 Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law, three political factions opposed to the amendment have pledged to halt the motion. Gerindra Party lawmaker Supratman Andi Agtas said on Wednesday that members of his faction would try to steer Thursday's plenary session towards a show of hands, a move which would allow the public to judge the stance of House members. 'We will demand a vote so that the public can see for themselves how consistent we are. It has nothing to do with taking credit for our action, this is a matter of principle,' Supratman told reporters at the House complex on Tuesday. Supratman, who is chairman of the House Legislative Body (Baleg), said that, once the House adopted the proposal, discussion could touch on issues beyond the four main points initially agreed upon by lawmakers, the government and the KPK. Among controversial new articles to be included in the amendment are the establishment of a KPK supervisory body, restrictions on wiretapping and asset confiscation by KPK investigators and granting KPK the authority to stop its own investigations. Meanwhile, in an attempt to block the planned amendment, Democratic Party lawmaker Irma Suryani Ranik revealed that her party had been engaged in intense behind-the-scenes lobbying. Irma said faction leader Edhie Baskoro 'Ibas' Yudhoyono and faction secretary Didik Mukrianto were presently trying to lobby other lawmakers to support the Democratic Party's stance. 'We hope that our friends, whom currently support the proposal, join our ranks along with the Democratic Party, Gerindra and the PKS [the Prosperous Justice Party],' Irma said on Wednesday. Irma said that although existing anti-graft laws had the potential to be abused by the KPK, there were other ways of resolving the issue without resorting to an amendment of the law. Irma, who is a member of House Commission III overseeing legal affairs, said that the four points of contention in the revision could also be solved with an improvement of standard operational procedures (SOP), for wiretapping, internal oversight and or investigator recruitment. 'We want the SOP to be discussed openly, in a forum with House Commission III so we can continue to supervise. There's not one institution in this country that can avoid being monitored,' he said. Another House faction that has pledged to block the amendment, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said that it had prepared a course of action for Thursday's plenary session. 'If you want a surprise, be sure to pay attention to the faction's stance tomorrow [Thursday],' Faction leader Jazuli Juwaini told reporters on Wednesday. President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, through his spokesman Johan Budi, said that he had closely monitored growing opposition toward the planned amendment and promised that he would review the government's support for the revision. Jokowi, who is on a working visit to the US, called Johan on Wednesday to express his growing concern that the revision would weaken the KPK. '[Due to] the growing public sentiment against the amendment, the President will evaluate the government's stance regarding the revision plan initiated by the House,' Johan said. Johan said that Jokowi would not allow for the weakening of the KPK. 'The President [also] stressed that he remained consistent with his stance that any revision should only be aimed at strengthening the KPK and the fight against corruption. If not, the President will withdraw from the deliberation.' Johan, however, said that he was only conveying the President's message, not representing the government's official stance. _____________________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Khoirul Amin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 Food and beverage producers have proposed to the government to establish bonded logistics centers in West Java, where dozens of food and beverage factories are located. Indonesian Food and Beverage Association (Gapmmi) chairman Adhi S. Lukman said on Tuesday that his association had proposed to the government to set up bonded warehouses for food and beverage businesses in industrial estates of West Java. '[Industrial estates in] Jababeka and Karawang will be our focus at the moment. Once bonded warehouses are established there, other industrial estates will follow,' he said. He added that compared to other areas, the two industrial estates were well prepared in terms of infrastructure to host stockpiles. Bounded logistics centers or bounded warehouses, locally abbreviated as PLB, serve to stockpile raw or intermediate goods to secure supplies for various industrial sectors without adding unnecessary logistical costs. Importing directly through the bonded warehouses would be rewarded by special tax treatment. Adhi said that for the food and beverage industry alone, bonded warehouses could particularly be used to store imported ingredients like sugar, salt, citric acid and milk, as imports of these ingredients were relatively in high volume but only sporadically stored. He noted that around 70 percent of the aggregate demand for milk and citric acid, as well as 80 to 100 percent of the demand for industrial salt and sugar, was met by imports. The association has apparently discussed the issue with a number of suppliers and investors who are said to have expressed interest in jumping into the warehousing business. The Industry Ministry's director general for industrial estate development, Imam Haryono, said his ministry was still discussing the proposal and would review it first. 'We'll see about the population there. If it represents [their interest], why not? Previously, there have been proposals to build the PLB near seaports and industrial sites,' he added. According to Tax Office data, as many as 10 companies have filed a number of locations to be used for bonded warehouses. Among the proposed locations are Karawang (West Java) for the automotive industry, Balikpapan (East Kalimantan) for the oil and gas industry, Bali for small and medium enterprises and Merak (Banten) for the synthetic textile industry. Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said previously that the bonded warehouses, if established, would help businesses push down their costs. Indonesia's logistics costs account for 24.6 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), according to the World Bank. According to the World Bank's ease of doing business ranking, Indonesia moved up from its revised 2015 position of 120th place to 109th in the 2016 report, lagging behind Southeast Asian peers Singapore (ranked first), Malaysia (18th), Thailand (49th) and Vietnam (90th). ' Tassia Sipahutar contributed to this story. ---------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nani Afrida (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 The country will establish soon a fire academy to improve the skills and professionalism of firefighters in handling crisis and emergency. The Home Ministry revealed on Wednesday that it was planning the academy's establishment, including its budget and curriculum. 'We are still discussing the concept and courses,' said the ministry's secretary-general, Yuswandi A. Temenggung. He also said that the academy would take on a design similar to that of the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) or Institute of Public Administration (IPDN). According to Yuswandi, the fire academy was important to educate and train firefighters so that they carried out their tasks more efficiently and provided better assistance. 'We also need a minimum service standard in preventing fires, as I believe the local government has its own standard,' he said. The ministry plans to build academy branches in West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and West Java. Minister Tjahjo Kumolo previously said that his ministry was planning the establishment of the academy. 'This is not a high school, but it is more like a vocational or academy,' Tjahjo said last week while visiting IPDN Lombok, as quoted by the ministry's website. Graduates of the academy will receive ikatan dinas, or a commitment to work for the government after graduation. He said that since the academy was being established to only educate firefighters, the branches would be built far from areas vulnerable to fires. The academy will be financed by the 2017 state budget. The ministry expects the academy to improve fire-extinguishing efficiency. Firefighters have been criticized by the public for their perceived lack of professionalism. However, Yuswardi said that people should not place the blame entirely on firefighters. 'We will look at capacity building, maybe their equipment or work standards. We need to improve and fix those matters. The central government has a duty to facilitate those issues,' Yuswardi said. Fires ravaged last year Sumatra and Kalimantan forests during the dry season, which was exacerbated by the El NiAo weather phenomenon. The government has said that last year's forest fires razed more than 2.08 million hectares, four times the size of Bali. Areas of Sumatra, Kalimantan, Singapore and Malaysia were blanketed by smoke for weeks. The most-populated settlements in the country are also vulnerable to fires. Hundreds of fires occur in Jakarta annually. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 The Cilincing Police in North Jakarta have arrested Marjan, 54, for allegedly sexually abusing seven children. Marjan was arrested at a rusunawa (low-cost apartment) in Marunda last Wednesday. Cilincing Police precinct head Comr. Muhammad Supriyanto said the suspect was taken into custody after the grandmother of one of the children filed a report against him. 'His victims were aged between five and 10 years old,' Supriyanto as quoted by tempo.co on Wednesday. He added that the suspect allegedly lured his victims with Rp 2,000 (14 US cents) so they would visit his apartment, where the molestation reportedly occurred. Police said the suspect admitted his wrongdoing, saying it was a 'mistake'. The police said the suspect would be charged with sexual abuse under the 2014 Child Protection Law, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years, imprisonment. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 Lawyers of Jessica Kumala Wongso filed a pretrial motion with the Central Jakarta District Court to challenge her suspect status in the murder case of Wayan Mirna Salihin, who died after drinking cyanide-laced coffee. Yudi Wibowo, one of the lawyers, said on Wednesday that having filed the motion, the team would face the first hearing on Feb. 23. Meanwhile, the Jakarta Police's general crime director, Krishna Murti, said that he had been informed about the pretrial. 'Once we receive a notification letter about the pretrial, the Jakarta Police's legal team will immediately prepare for the hearing,' Krishna said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com. Nonetheless, Krishna added that his team was optimistic that they could put Jessica behind bars as they had found two pieces of evidence that confirmed their allegations. Jessica, the sole suspect in the murder case, was charged under the Criminal Code for premeditated murder. The law carries the possibility of the death penalty, lifetime imprisonment, or a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The police suspect her of murdering Mirna, 27, who died after drinking the poisoned coffee at the Olivier restaurant in the Grand Indonesia shopping mall on Jan. 6. However, police have so far been tight-lipped on a motive behind the homicide. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 Two men were taken into police custody recently after they were caught stealing a rearview mirror ' thanks to bystanders who continuously honked horns to catch the suspects. Palmerah Police chief Comr. Darmawan said on Wednesday that the suspects, Surya and Sandi, stole the rearview mirror of a car parked on a road in Palmerah, West Jakarta, at the end of last month. Some bystanders who passed in a car, however, saw their actions and tried to catch the suspects, who fled on a motorcycle. The witnesses started to honk their car horn continuously to attract other people, wartakotalive.com reported. 'The horn managed to attract other bystanders, who eventually joined the chase. They then blocked and surrounded the suspects,' Darmawan said, adding that the suspects fell down during the chase. Darmawan added that the bystanders took the suspects to the Palmerah Police along with the rearview mirror as evidence. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Bogor Thu, February 18, 2016 The National Police's special economic crime directorate apprehended three men who were allegedly involved in making fake identity cards and family cards in Bogor, West Java. Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Agus Rianto said on Wednesday that the three suspects arrested on Saturday were being detained at the Criminal Investigation Corps. 'They allegedly made the fake cards that would be used for other criminal actions,' he said, as quoted by tribunnews.com. Agus said that the police were still searching for the people who ordered the fake documents. 'Fake IDs are the source of many other crimes. The case will be investigated further,' he said. He said the fake IDs and family cards could be used for opening bank accounts to launder dirty money. Besides apprehending the suspects, the police also confiscated evidence like blank ID cards, two personal computers, three printers and six stamps. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Erika Anindita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 The House of Representatives on Thursday postponed a plenary meeting to discuss revisions of the law governing the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) because House leaders were not available for it. Initially, the plenary meeting was planned so as to seek approval for the amendments of the 2002 KPK law as a House initiative. It was the second time the House delayed a plenary meeting to get the necessary approval. 'We've decided to postpone the meeting because most of the House leaders are not in Jakarta,' said House legislative body (Baleg) deputy chairman Firman Subagyo. Out of five House leaders, only House Speaker Ade Komarudin was in Jakarta for the meeting. House deputy speaker Fadli Zon is currently on duty in Aceh. There is no clear information on the whereabouts of the remaining three deputy speakers. Firman said the plenary meeting is now scheduled to be held on Feb. 23. The first canceled meeting had been scheduled for Feb. 11. As of Feb. 8, the House legislative body had harmonized 12 of the points included in the draft KPK law revisions. In a plenary meeting on Feb.10, the body agreed to further discuss the amendments, a decision that was supported by nine House factions, but not the Gerindra Party. On the following day, the Democratic Party withdrew its support for the revisions on the order of the party chairman, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) later also decided to reject the deliberation of the revisions, leaving them with support from only seven House factions. They are the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Hanura Party, the Golkar Party, the National Awakening Party (PKB), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the United Development Party (PPP) and the NasDem Party. The revision of the KPK law is listed as a priority in the 2016 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas). The House has 40 priority bills on the Prolegnas 2016, which must be finished this year. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 In a pre-deliberation talk on the revision of the Terrorism Law, the House of Representatives highlighted on Wednesday the importance of balancing the authority of law enforcers to prevent human rights abuses. United Development Party (PPP) lawmaker Arsul Sani said his party demanded that an extension of power for relevant authorities go hand-in-hand with a guarantee that basic human rights would be upheld. 'This could take the form of a specific article in the law on the compensation and rehabilitation of third parties. If there are ever any [unlawful arrests], the state's responsibility in the matter should be clear,' Arsul told The Jakarta Post. Arsul also said the PPP refused to extend the power of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), which has requested the authority to capture and detain suspected terrorists. Democratic Party lawmaker Erma Suryani Ranik said that the extension of authority sought in the revision of the 2003 Terrorism Law should not impinge on the basic freedom and democracy of citizens. In anticipation of the deliberation of the bill, the House has invited experts from the Netherlands-based International Center for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) to weigh in on the contentious issue of extending the authority of relevant institutions. 'Giving law enforcement more power is not an issue as long as you ensure that human rights are met,' said ICCT research fellow Tanya Mehra. Mehra's colleague, Christophe Paulussen, said there was a fine balance between extending the power of certain authorities while respecting other aspects. Paulussen listed a number of possible solutions used in other countries like the Netherlands, such as employing prosecutors who are well-versed in the field of intelligence to determine whether intelligence reports could be used as evidence in a court of law, while also allowing the defense to challenge the use of such information. He also brought up the idea of pretrial motions as a mechanism to ensure that people's rights as defendants in terrorism cases would remain protected in the event of unlawful arrest. 'You can [have judges] mention that [the arrest] was illegal, you can [have the court] give a reduction of a sentence, or when it's really serious, stop the entire case and have the prosecutor forfeit his or her right to proceed with the case,' the researcher added. Human rights watchdog Imparsial's director al-Araf has called on the government to give a guarantee on human rights protection in the terrorism bill. Earlier, House speaker Ade Komaruddin said that legislators would start discussing the revision of the law next week after the House's Steering Committee (Bamus) set the schedule. '[The deliberation of the draft] will be decided at the Bamus forum next week. Bamus will determine which internal House institution will discuss the antiterrorism bill,' Ade said at the House complex. The Golkar Party lawmaker said Bamus would also discuss plans to complete the draft bill, which was proposed and initiated by the government. Gerindra Party lawmaker Supratman Andi Agtas, who also chairs the House Legislation Body (Baleg), said that House leaders had already received a presidential mandate (Ampres), which would allow lawmakers to start deliberations on the Terrorism Law. _________________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Lita Aruperes (The Jakarta Post) Manado Thu, February 18, 2016 The aromatic fragrance from three burning joss sticks filled every corner of the plenary hall of the North Sulawesi Legislative Council (DPRD) as Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Andrei Angouw took the oath of office to become the council's new speaker. Standing beside a priest who wore the black Chang San robe and the red Hong Ling Dai scarf, Andrei looked a bit nervous in the beginning of the swearing-in ceremony held on Tuesday in the provincial capital of Manado. The 45-year-old businessman-cum-politician, however, managed to take his oath without a hitch as he placed his right hand on top of the Sishu Wujing, the authoritative texts of Confucianism. Andrei, who replaced fellow party colleague Steven Kandouw after the latter's inauguration as North Sulawesi deputy governor last week, is the first Confucian in the country to lead a legislative body in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country. 'This is the first time for the Confucianism ritual to be used in an official inauguration ceremony in Indonesia,' said Jimmy Sofyan Yosadi, the chief patron of the North Sulawesi chapter of the Indonesia Confucianism High Assembly (Matakin), who was present at the ceremony. 'Even though Andrei was a bit nervous, he finally made it.' Following decades of official discrimination, Chinese-Indonesians were finally allowed to openly express their culture and language when then president Abdurrahman 'Gus Dur' Wahid lifted in 2001 a 1967 government regulation banning Chinese cultural activities in public spaces. He also acknowledged Confucianism as a religion and made Chinese New Year a national holiday. The post-reform policy soon inspired many Chinese-Indonesians to enter politics and compete with other citizens to secure public posts at the local and national levels. Among notable Chinese-Indonesian politicians who made their way to the top are Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama, Ahok's younger brother Basuri Tjahaja Purnama, the former regent of East Belitung in Bangka Belitung, and M. Anton, the mayor of the East Java city of Malang. Ahok and Basuri are Christian while Anton is Muslim. Sofyan, who leads the province's Chinese Cultural Community, said the appointment of the Chinese-Indonesian and Confucian Andrei as DPRD speaker proved a growing public acceptance for members of minority groups to plays roles in Indonesian politics. 'We are very thankful and proud to see that,' he said. Data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) shows that Indonesia has 117,000 Confucianism followers, 0.05 percent of the country's 237 million people. A third of them live in Bangka Belitung province. The Christian-majority North Sulawesi, meanwhile, has fewer than 1,000 followers of Confucianism, a very small figure compared to the province's 2.2 million population. In his inauguration remarks, Andrei, who secured his reelection as councilor in 2014, said he was proud to be a Confucian and had implemented Prophet Kong Zi's teachings in his business and political careers. He also expressed gratitude to his parents for introducing him to Confucian values and gave his respect to friends, teachers and others. 'I thank my parents for teaching me such valuable life lessons,' he said. The Home Ministry's director general for regional autonomy, Soni Sumarsono, also welcomed Andrei's inauguration as the council's new speaker. 'This is what's wonderful in North Sulawesi. The people live in peace and harmony,' the province's former acting governor said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has asked Facebook and Google for their support for Indonesia's goals of more technopreneurs and a digital economy worth billions of US dollars. Jokowi and Indonesian delegates visited Silicon Valley in San Francisco, the US, on Wednesday to meet with a number of technology companies. In a meeting with Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of social networking giant Facebook, Jokowi welcomed Facebook's contribution to the development of the digital economy and digital culture in Indonesia. "I hope Facebook and Indonesia can work hand in hand in Indonesia's efforts to achieve the vision of becoming the biggest digital economy in Southeast Asia," the President said in a press statement on Thursday. Indonesia's vision of the digital economy includes potential value of $130 billion and the birth of 1,000 technopreneurs by 2020. Jokowi expressed similar hopes to Google CEO Sundar Pichai. "We hope Google can educate our information technology developers," he said while visiting Googleplex in Silicon Valley. Jokowi explained to the two digital giants that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) played a major role in Indonesia's digital economy, leading the government to prepare an action plan to accelerate digital access for SMEs. Furthermore, he said, Indonesia had issued a number of policies to reach the goal in 2020 such as an e-commerce roadmap,economic packages and greater access to financial support for SMEs and IT-based companies. Digitalization was very important, Jokowi asserted, especially as a support system in a country like Indonesia with 252 million people spread across a sprawling archipelago of thousands of islands. During the visit to the Googleplex, Jokowi and First Lady Iriana met with 39 IndoGooglers, Indonesian citizens who work at Google. The Indonesian delegation also witnessed the simulation of Google projects such as Google Apps and Google Loon. (rin)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 The public confidence in President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's leadership remains high despite recent scandalous events that highlighted his government's poor performance, an expert has said. Public policy expert Agus Pambagio said that to improve his image President Jokowi had to be more cautious and clear when communicating his policies as well as more assertive in his leadership. Agus admitted Jokowi's communication skills and leadership had improved during the first 15 months of his time in office. Recent incidents of poor coordination among ministries, which destabilized his Cabinet, have been resolved. 'Poor coordination among the ministries was a product of President Jokowi's first Cabinet reshuffle, which was in fact counterproductive to the President's efforts to run his government well. It is a duty of Cabinet ministers to assist the President,' Agus told thejakartapost.com on Thursday. He was commenting on the results of a survey conducted by Kompas daily newspapers' research department, which found that 84.4 percent of respondents thought Jokowi had done a good job. Most of the respondents said they were impressed by Jokowi's personal communication style and considered him to have improved the country's politics and social welfare. Concerning the current situation, Agus said, Jokowi has to careful in evaluating his Cabinet's performance ahead of his long-awaited second reshuffle. The second shake-up is aimed at supporting his government's efforts to achieve its development goals and to improve the country's economy, he added. 'Thus, he must take a firm stance and should be decisive regardless of the consequences,' the expert said. Agus urged Jokowi to articulate his programs better, while at the same time have his administration pay better attention to what he really wants to achieve. While praising the current administration's improved performance, Agus criticized Jokowi's leadership, such as his de-bureaucratizing of several ministries and non-ministry government institutions. 'He wants everything to run fast. Because of problems in his administration, his leadership has led to mal-administration, such as his decision to issue a presidential regulation on the high-speed railway project,' Agus said, adding Indonesia's bureaucracy had to support the government's effort to boost the economy. Agus also highlightedwhat he saw as a poor communication style by President Jokowi, who has not yet dropped his habit of giving off-the-cuff remarks to reporters covering the State Palace and responding to questions posed by journalists through doorstop interviews. According to him, Jokowi should be more careful when issuing statements during doorstop interviews to avoid a slip of tongue. 'It [a slip of tongue] has often happened. Hence, there should be a spokesperson to assist the President,' he said, adding that the appointment of former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) spokesman Johan Budi as a presidential spokesperson at the start of this month was the right decision. Published on Monday and evaluating 15 months of Jokowi's administration, the Kompas daily survey shows that Jokowi's image in the public eye has improved dramatically, now at 84.4 percent approval, up 11 percent on his last approval rating in October 2015. Meanwhile, 72 percent of respondents in the survey considered Jokowi's administration to have done a good job running its government. That figure is higher than results from most public surveys assessing the Jokowi-Kalla government over the last year. In general, the survey showed that respondents have been impressed by political and social-welfare progress during Jokowi's time in office. Over 50 percent of respondents appreciate his political actions so far, especially relating to freedom of speech. In the fields of social welfare and public service delivery on education and health, again, over a half of respondents were happy with Jokowi's performance. However, the public's appreciation in areas of economics and law seems low , with under half of the respondents satisfied. The public's satisfaction when looking at the government's controlling of food prices and the rupiah exchange rate and its creation of employment. Meanwhile, more than half of the respondents appreciated the government's empowerment of farmers and fishermen, its traditional-market development and equitable development stratgey, the survey said. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 Some of the residents of Jakarta's red-light district, Kalijodo in North and West Jakarta, have started packing their belongings and closing their shops following the first warning letter issued by the city administration telling them to move out in accordance with the shutdown plan for the infamous area. Despite complying with the city, some residents condemned the issuance of the letter as instructed by Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama on Thursday. The first warning letter states that residents must empty their buildings within seven days and if they fail to do so, the city administration will tear down the buildings. "What should we eat now? Ahok wants us to eat rocks!" a middle-aged woman in the area angrily told thejakartapost.com. Another resident, who owns a shop, also criticized the shutdown. "If we are relocated, what can we do?" said the shop owner, who asked for anonymity fearing police might arrest her, adding that she had never been bothered by Kalijodo's image as a prostitution and gambling hotspot. In the past four days, several local bars have shuttered their businesses. Prostitutes and their pimps have been lying low amid the controversy. The plan to shut down Kalijodo arose following a fatal drunk-driving accident earlier this month that left four people dead. The driver allegedly admitted to the police that he and his friends had been drinking in Kalijodo prior to the crash. Kalijodo residents' attorney Razman Arif Nasution slammed Ahok for issuing the warning letter to the residents. "What does Ahok think these people are? Animals? People have lived here since before Ahok was born," he said. However, despite the protests, many residents have registered themselves to live in the low-cost apartments provided by the city administration. The city is providing the accommodation for the relocation of residents who have Jakarta identity cards, while the city will help non-Jakarta citizens to return to their hometowns. There are at least 1,600 families of Jakarta origin living in Kalijodo as listed by the Jakarta administration, there are no data on the number of people from out of town living in the area. Separately, The National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas Ham) slammed Ahok for setting an unreasonable deadline for the residents to leave Kalijodo. After the first warning, the city administration gives the residents another four days making a total of 11 days to clear the area. Komnas HAM commissioner Siane Indriani urged the city administration to adopt a humane approach in the clearance plan despite agreeing with the crackdown on prostitution, gambling and the illegal alcohol trade. "Ahok can't just simply accuse residents of violating the law and expel them with an unreasonable deadline," she said on Wednesday. Siane acknowledged that Ahok's administration had plans to turn the area into an open green space, but it could not be done hastily. "It's unfair to the residents that they don't have enough time to prepare for the continuation of their lives," Siane added. Deputy chairman of Jakarta City Council Mohamad Taufik doubted that the city would carry out the shutdown in 11 days time and urged dialogue to prevent any unnecessary problems. (rin) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hans Nicholas Jong (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 With the fourth largest population in the world, Indonesia needs a bigger presence in the global medical and science communities to extend its influence, says a prominent public health scholar. Speaking at a public lecture on Wednesday, Richard Horton, the editor-in-chief of prominent medical journal The Lancet, said Indonesia's medical and science communities could raise their profile on the international stage by producing more scientific papers on various health concerns in the country. 'In other countries, such as the US, India and even China, their medical and science communities are a diplomatic tool for their nations to have influence at the highest level,' Horton told policymakers, businesspeople and academics at the annual Panglaykim memorial lecture hosted by the Panglaykim Foundation and Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He said that if one typed 'Indonesia' into the journal's search engine, only 33 entries would be found. Meanwhile, there are 1,500 entries for the US and 2,000 for China. As a developing country with a population of 250 million, Indonesia is still struggling with various communicable diseases such as dengue fever, polio and tuberculosis. The WHO recorded that Indonesia was the country hit hardest by the avian influenza outbreak with 195 confirmed cases and 163 deaths. A recent UN report also found that the country was one of two in the region to have seen an increase in the estimated number of new HIV infections among adolescents aged 14 to 19 between 2004 and 2014. Horton, currently the cochair of the WHO's independent Expert Review Group on Accountability for Women's and Children's Health, however, praised the findings of the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology on the Zika virus. The Zika virus was detected in Jambi during a dengue fever outbreak that hit the province from December 2014 to April 2015. After taking blood samples from patients, the institute noticed that many did not test positive for dengue fever, and carried out further research. It was subsequently found that one of the samples was infected with Zika. 'That's an extraordinarily important finding from an institution here in Indonesia that has direct relevance to the government's decisions because the emphasis now has to be in improving surveillance, making sure that the health system can detect and discriminate patients who might have mild illness and differentiating it from dengue virus infection,' Horton said. 'That's a wonderful example of how knowledge can have a direct, important role in shaping government thinking.' The honorary professor at the University College London also said it was important for the medical and science communities to hold the government accountable and make sure that political commitments were truly delivered. 'It's very important that the health community monitor the progress of universal health coverage, especially with this challenge of double burden [that Indonesia is facing],' Horton said. Horton was born in London and is half Norwegian. He graduated in physiology and medicine from the University of Birmingham in 1986 and received honorary doctorates in medicine from the UK's University of Birmingham and Sweden's University of Umea. He has written two reports for the Royal College of Physicians of London ' 'Doctors in Society' (2005) and 'Innovating for Health' (2009) ' and is author of Health Wars (2003). He writes regularly for The New York Review of Books. Joining The Lancet in 1990, Horton received the Edinburgh Medal in 2007 and the Dean's Medal from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2009. He is a council member of the UK's Academy of Medical Sciences and the University of Birmingham and a senior associate of UK health-policy think tank the Nuffield Trust. _______________________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 The Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) team of prosecutors demanded a panel of judges at the Jakarta Corruption Court to sentence North Sumatra Governor Gatot Pujo Nugroho, a Prosperous Justice Party politician, and his second wife Evi Susanti to four-and-a-half years and four years in prison, respectively, for their roles in a bribery scheme. The prosecutors said that the couple deserved the terms for their alleged roles as the financial backers in bribing two officials of the Medan State Administrative Court (PTUN). The bribery scheme was devised by prominent lawyer OC Kaligis, who had earlier been convicted in the case. The prosecutors charged the couple under the 1999 law on corruption for bribing state officials and judges. Gatot hired Kaligis for a petition registered at the PTUN Medan to challenge the decision of the North Sumatra Prosecutor's Office to issue a letter authorizing an investigation into Gatot's office for allegedly misusing social aid funds. The petition was approved by the court, allegedly thanks to US$18,000 paid by Kaligis through his aide Yagari 'Gerry' Bhastara Guntur. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 The State Palace denied a report that the Free Papua Movement (OPM) had set up a representative office in Wamena, Papua. 'I have sought confirmation of the report from the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister and have found that the rumor about OPM setting up a representative office is not true,' Presidential spokesman Johan Budi said as quoted by Antara. Johan said that rumor would not create security problems in Papua. Earlier, unconfirmed reports made the rounds saying that the OPM had opened an office in Wamena and that many countries in the Melanesian region had supported the move. President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has said that he would use a soft approach when dealing with problems in Papua. Jokowi said he would prioritize such an approach in addressing separatism, including by engaging in negotiation and dialogue, as well as by offering the possibility of granting clemency and unconditional release to political prisoners. In May last year, during his second visit to Papua, Jokowi said the release of political prisoners incarcerated in Jayapura was only the beginning. At the time, Jokowi granted clemency to five prisoners as part of his effort to foster peace in the restive province. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 Pope Francis will visit Indonesia in 2017 to attend the Asian Youth Day organized by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese Semarang, Central Java, an official has said. 'Pope Francis plans to visit Indonesia in July 2017, coinciding with the Asian Youth Day when Indonesia serves as the host,' Indonesian ambassador to Vatican Antonius Agus Sriyono said as quoted by Antara. Agus, a former deputy at the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister, said young Catholic from across Asia would participate in Asian Youth Day. Earlier this week, Pope Francis paid a visit to Mexico during which he urged Mexico's young people to resist the lure of easy money from dealing drugs. Francis brought a message of hope to Mexico's next generation during a youth pep rally in Morelia, capital of Michoacan state, a major methamphetamine production hub and drug-trafficking route. In January, Pope Francis sent a prayer for the victims of that month's terrorist attack in Indonesia. The pope said of the victims: 'May the Lord welcome them into his house.' Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 The Jakarta Police say they have made preparations to deal with poison-based terror attacks following the uncovering of a recent terrorist plot using cyanide-laced food delivered to East Java Police officers. "I have obtained information from [counterterrorism squad] Densus 88. We have told all of our officers to prepare for poisoning attempts," Jakarta Police chief Ins. Gen. Tito Karnavian told journalists on Wednesday. Poisoning as a terror-attack method against police officers has been attempted before. He said the police had prosecuted several people who had attempted to poison police personnel during the period of 2009-2010. In one of the cases that occurred in that period, the police arrested a suspected terrorist for attempting to poison beverages in the canteen of a sub-precinct police station in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta. Recently, the East Java Police issued a telegram in anticipation of a terror attack that might involve cyanide. Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan stated that the Islamic State (IS) movement was behind the poisoning attempts against the police officers. "The cyanide threat came from the radical movement Islamic State," Luhut said as quoted by kompas.com. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Safrin La Batu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 The Jakarta Police say their job is to control crime and criminals in Kalijodo, a red-light district located on the border of North and West Jakarta, not evicting people or demolishing buildings in the area. Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian said on Wednesday that the police's duty in Kalijodo was to control criminals and thugs as well as combat the distribution of narcotics and bootleg liquor. 'We are not going to carry out the evictions. That's not the police's domain,' Tito told reporters at the Jakarta Police headquarters. 'The evictions are the domain of the Jakarta administration,' he said, adding that the police would deploy up to 2,000 personnel to rid the area of criminals and thugs. 'We will start operations tomorrow [Thursday].' Data on Kalijodo shows that of its 3,052 residents, 1,405 have jobs that facilitate the sex trade. This includes 450 prostitutes, 300 waitresses, 100 security guards and parking wardens and 300 support workers such as cleaners. The remainder have jobs or businesses that are not part of the area's nightlife. Some residents have jobs unrelated to the nightlife, such as Hany, 43, who sells food in the area. Hany, who possesses a North Jakarta ID card, said she did not know where she would go if evicted. 'Although my life here is far from satisfactory, at least I can earn pin money,' she told The Jakarta Post recently. 'If the administration considers this place messy, it should clean it up, not evict people.' Resident Jok Ling Tang Ling, a 52-year-old single mother of three who is a neighborhood tailor, said the planned eviction would not only destroy her semi-permanent home but also affect her children's education. Two of her children attend Pondok Domba elementary school near Kalijodo while the other one attends a nearby state junior high school. 'Where would I go if evicted? A rusunawa [low-cost rental apartment] is definitely not an option because I cannot afford it. I am struggling to buy daily necessities, let alone pay rent,' she said. 'If we are moved from here, my children will need to use transportation to get home from school.' Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama intends to demolish structures in the 1.6 hectare Kalijodo area ' which contains not only cafes and bars but also residences ' to rid it of prostitution and gambling. He also wants to turn the area along Jl. Kepanduan II into a park, as stipulated in a 2014 bylaw on spatial planning. He said the first eviction notice would be sent out to Kalijodo residents on Thursday, adding that the second and last notices would follow soon after if the residents did not voluntarily demolish their houses. The administration has promised rusunawa units to families who have Jakarta ID cards, but the Housing and Administrative Buildings Agency has yet to determine the locations of the apartments. The agency head said on Tuesday that the administration would provide only 300 rusunawa units in two complexes in North and East Jakarta, but refused to name the exact locations. Kalijodo residents have insisted that they are not squatters, saying that some of them have deeds issued by the National Land Agency (BPN). 'Some residents here possess deeds. So if the administration says the land is included in city's green space plans, then the institution that issued the deeds should be questioned. If [the land] is in the [green] zone, the deeds should not have been issued in the first place,' said Razman Arif Nasution, a lawyer representing some of the residents. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nicole Winfield & Christopher Sherman (The Jakarta Post) Ciudad Juarez, Mexico Thu, February 18, 2016 In a moment filled with powerful political symbolism, Pope Francis prayed Wednesday at Mexico's dusty northern border for the thousands of migrants who have died trying to reach the United States and appealed for governments to open their hearts, if not their borders, to the "human tragedy that is forced migration." "No more death! No more exploitation!" he implored. It was the most poignant moment of Francis' five-day trip to Mexico and one of the most powerful images in recent times: History's first Latin American pope, who has demanded countries welcome people fleeing persecution, war and poverty, praying at the border between Mexico and El Paso, Texas, at a time of soaring anti-immigrant rhetoric in the U.S. presidential campaign. Francis stopped short of calling for the U.S. to open its borders during a Mass celebrated just yards (meters) from the frontier. But in his homily, beamed live into the Sun Bowl stadium on the El Paso side, Francis called for "open hearts" and recognition that those fleeing gangland executions and extortion in their homelands are victims of the worst forms of exploitation. "We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis which in recent years has meant the migration of thousands of people, whether by train or highway or on foot, crossing hundreds of kilometers through mountains, deserts and inhospitable zones," he said. "They are our brothers and sisters, who are being expelled by poverty and violence, drug trafficking and organized crime." Francis also praised the work of activists who "are on the front lines, often risking their own lives" to help those caught up in the migration crisis. "By their very lives, they are prophets of mercy," he said. And then, in a pointed message, Francis added a politically charged greeting to the 30,000 people gathered in the Sun Bowl to watch the simulcast on giant TV screens. "Thanks to the help of technology, we can pray, sing and celebrate together this merciful love which the Lord gives us, and which no frontier can prevent us from sharing," Francis said. "Thank you, brothers and sisters of El Paso, for making us feel like one family and the same Christian community." Immigrants gathered in El Paso said they were greatly moved by the words of Francis, who flew back to Italy after the Mass. Angelica Ortiz, who was among some 500 people who were invited to be on the US side, could barely speak after the pope's prayer. "I'm overcome by emotion," she said, "a lot of emotion." People at the Mass also expressed happiness with the pope's message. Wiping away tears, Angeles Arevalo said the pontiff's call for compassion toward migrants would be heard on both sides of the border. "They are watching us from there as well," she said, alluding to the simulcast in El Paso. Marielena Torres also felt Francis' words could bring changes in attitudes about immigration: "He is the Holy Father, and he can help a lot." Francis, the son of Italian immigrants to Argentina, had wanted to cross the border in solidarity with other migrants when he visited the U.S. last fall. That wasn't possible for logistical reasons, so he did the next best thing Wednesday by coming within a stone's throw of the fence to pray and lay a bouquet of flowers next to a large crucifix that is to remain at the site as a monument to his visit. While migrant activists on both sides of the border cheered the gesture, Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump criticized it as a politicized and ill-informed move. "I don't think he understands the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico," Trump said in an interview last week with Fox television. "I think Mexico got him to do it because they want to keep the border just the way it is. They're making a fortune, and we're losing." He and fellow GOP hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz have vowed to expel all the estimated 11 million immigrants in the US illegally and build a wall along the border from Texas to California. Asked to comment on the criticism, the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the pope is concerned about the plight of migrants everywhere, not just in the United States. "The pope always talks about migration problems all around the world, of the duties we have to solve these problems in a humane manner," Lombardi said Tuesday. The Mass, celebrated in a field along a highway that parallels the Rio Grande, marked the climactic end of Francis' five-day swing through some of Mexico's most marginalized places, where drug-fueled violence has soared thanks to the complicity of police and other public institutions. Francis took both church and state to task for failing their people and urged the next generations to resist the lure of the drug trade. In a speech Wednesday to workers and employers, Francis warned that without job opportunities, Mexico's youth risk being seduced into the drug trade. "Poverty becomes the best breeding ground for the young to fall into the cycle of drug-trafficking and violence," he said. He urged employers to think instead of the Mexico they want to leave for their children. "Do you want to leave them the memory of exploitation, of insufficient pay, of workplace harassment?" he asked. "What air will they breathe? An air tainted by corruption, violence, insecurity and suspicion or, on the contrary, an air capable of generating alternatives, renewal and change?" "God will hold today's slave-drivers accountable," he warned. Francis began his final day at Ciudad Juarez's Prison No. 3, where he told about 700 inmates at a chapel that they cannot undo the past but must believe that things can change. They all have the possibility of "writing a new story and moving forward," Francis said. His message of hope came days after 49 inmates died in a riot at different prison in northern Mexico prison, where prisoners fought with hammers and makeshift knives. Eight more were injured Tuesday in a brawl at yet another prison. Not long ago Juarez was the murder capital of the world as cartel-backed gang warfare fed homicide rates that hit 230 per 100,000 residents in 2010. A rash of killings of women, many of them poor factory workers who just disappeared, attracted international attention. Times have changed, though. Last year, the city's homicide rate was about 20 per 100,000 people, roughly on par with Mexico's nationwide average of 14 per 100,000 ' and well below current hotspots of drug violence, such as the Pacific resort city of Acapulco and surrounding Guerrero state. Many businesses that closed during Juarez's darkest years have reopened. Tourists are again crossing over from the United States and people say they no longer have to leave parties early to avoid being on the streets after dark. "At least now we can go out. We can walk around a little more at that time of night," said resident Lorena Diaz, standing under a huge banner of Francis hanging from her balcony. Diaz, who along with about 30 family members secured tickets for Wednesday's Mass, welcomed Francis' calls for Mexicans not to tolerate corruption and violence. "He's telling us to get out of the trenches, not to close ourselves off," she said. (+) Peter Orsi and Astrid Galvan contributed to this report. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Safrin La Batu (The Jakarta Post) Thu, February 18, 2016 The Jakarta Police are determined to pursue their case against two Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) lawyers who were arrested when providing legal assistance to labor organizations during a mass rally in October last year. The dossiers of the two persons, as well as 24 others, were completed on Wednesday and were immediately handed over to the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office, said Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Mohammad Iqbal. 'The case is going on. We are handing over the suspects and the evidence to the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office today,' he told the reporters at the Jakarta Police headquarters. The two lawyers were arrested and named suspects along with 23 labor union members and one student activist during the rally, which was held to demand a change in the minimum wage formula. Iqbal said the 26 people were charged for the misdemeanor of disobeying officers, which can result in a maximum penalty of eight months behind bars. 'The 26 people resisted the police's order for the rally to disperse after the allowed time for a rally at 6 p.m.,' he said. 'The police warned them three times but they ignored the warnings.' Some LBH lawyers and hundreds of labor activists conducted a rally inside the police headquarters on Wednesday, demanding the police cease the prosecution of the 26 people. LBH Jakarta director Alghiffari Aqsa said the 26 had begun to voluntarily disperse when the police came to beat and arrest them. 'The participants in the rally were trying to disperse themselves when police officers came and beat some of them and damaged their property [cars and sound systems],' he said. He added that even if participants had remained at the rally location after 6 p.m., the police should not have violently dispersed them because the rally was peaceful. He pointed out that conducting a rally after 6 p.m. only violated a recent Jakarta city regulation, but not the 1998 law on freedom of speech. LBH Jakarta, along with other organizations, previously reported the Jakarta Police to the ombudsman for maladministration, saying that the police had not followed proper procedures when arresting the 26 people and, later, when naming them suspects. One such procedure the police allegedly ignored was that police officers who arrested the rally participants did not wear uniforms. Asked whether LBH Jakarta will file a pretrial motion, Alghiffari said his organization had not thought of making such a move because the offenses charged were misdemeanors, which the police should not have made a fuss about. Alghiffari called the arrest of the 26 people a 'criminalization' of activists who demanded civil rights in public. Meanwhile, Iqbal said the prosecution of the 26 people could not be ceased because the dossiers were complete. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Sherdjoko, Rizal Harahap and Syamsul Huda M. Suhari (The Jakarta Post) Semarang/Pekanbaru/Gorontalo Thu, February 18, 2016 The simultaneous regional elections held on Dec. 9, 2015, have demonstrated Indonesia's peaceful democratic process as marked by the smooth swearing-in ceremonies on Wednesday for the winners of the races held concurrently nationwide. In total, 92 regional heads have been sworn in. The Constitutional Court received objections over 147 cases. Of them, 116 have received rulings while 31 are still waiting. In Semarang, the swearing-in ceremony for the 17 winning candidate pairs was held with the addition of a public party at the Pancasila Square, Simpang Lima, in which each region presented their different culinary specialties. The public was welcome to enjoy the food for free. Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo told newly sworn-in regional heads to make use of all information channels, such as text messages and social media, to build communication with their people. He also asked them to control the poverty rates in their regions. In Riau province, the four winning pairs in the Bengkalis regency, Meranti Islands regency, Indragiri Hulu regency and Dumai city elections were sworn in by acting governor Arsyadjuliandi 'Andi' Rachman on behalf of the Home Minister. Andi asked the four pairs of regional heads to firmly hold onto their commitments to run their administrations well and according to the prevailing regulations. 'As regional heads are directly elected by the people, regents and mayors have to really serve the people's interests,' Andi said. In Gorontalo, the three pairs of newly sworn-in regional heads expressed shared commitments on preserving nature and improving infrastructure. In Bandung, West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan told the six newly sworn-in regional heads to maximize budget spending for developments in their respective regions. 'Do the auction at the first trimester every budget year so the economic activities can run simultaneously and the work is not piling at the year end,' he said. West Nusa Tenggara Governor M. Zainul Majdi told the seven pairs of sworn-in regional heads to carry out their general administration tasks, including maintaining and improving national unity, while Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika reminded the six sworn-in regional heads to build synergy between regency, city and provincial administration policies. East Nusa Tenggara Governor Frans Lebu Raya reminded the nine pairs of newly elected regional heads of the importance of building good communications and cooperation between regents and deputy regents for the smooth operation of governance, development and public services. In Papua, the elections were considered peaceful both in the vote casting and in the handling of cases of electoral disputes in the Constitutional Court. _____________________________________ Arya Dipa in Bandung, Komang Erviani in Denpasar, Djemi Amnifu in Kupang and Nethy Dharma Somba in Jayapura contributed to this article. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Indra Harsaputra (The Jakarta Post) Surabaya Thu, February 18, 2016 Reelected Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini has decided to remain the top official in Surabaya, East Java, rather than run against Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial race. 'I will focus on realizing my campaign promises to the people of Surabaya, especially because of the close relationship I have with them. They elected me,' Risma, as the mayor is widely known, said prior to her swearing in at the Grahadi State Building, Surabaya, on Wednesday. She said she had not considered running in the Jakarta gubernatorial election, arguing that handling the welfare of Surabayans was difficult enough. 'We are not just helping the people but empowering them economically to make them independent,' said Risma who won the prestigious Bung Hatta Anti-Corruption Award last year. Several surveys, including one recently conducted by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, revealed that Risma, a member of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), would make for a strong contender against the popular Ahok. Risma was sworn in by East Java Governor Soekarwo along with nine other pairs of elected regents and vice regents who won the simultaneous regional election on Dec. 9, 2015. Those sworn in included Sidoarjo Regent Saiful Illah and Deputy Regent Muhammad Nur Syaifudin, Banyuwangi Regent Abdullah Anwar and Deputy Regent Yusuf Widiatmoko, Situbondo Regent Dadang Wigiarto and Deputy Regent Yoyok Mulyadi. Also sworn in were Mojokerto Regent Mustafa Kemal Pasha and Deputy Regent Pungkasiadi, Sumenep Regent Busyro Karim and Deputy Regent Achmad Fauzi, Gresik Regent Sambari Halim and Deputy Regent Qoshim, Lamongan Regent Fadli and Deputy Regent Kartika Hidayati, Jember Regent Faida M. and Deputy Regent Mukhid Muqit and Trenggalek Regent Emil Dardak and Deputy Regent Nur Arifin. Thousands of PDI-P members and supporters accompanied Risma and running mate Whisnu Sakti Buana to the Grahadi Building. The two rode in an open jeep while their supporters made the 2-kilometer journey on foot. 'The swearing-in ceremony is just a symbol to start the five years of work ahead. The most important thing is not the ceremony but the next five years of work in Surabaya,' Risma said. She added that her first move after being sworn in would be to distribute scholarships to Surabayan doctors, to support them to continue their studies and to improve their role in offering health services in the city. She said she would also offer scholarships to school and university students in Surabaya as part of a human resources development program in the face of the ASEAN Economic Community. Risma said she would also focus on flooding caused by the overflowing Surabaya River. She said she would consult with the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry to deepen and widen the river and get rid of the thick sedimentation. She will also ask those living along the riverbanks to move to apartments to prevent Surabaya from experiencing recurrent flooding, she said. East Java Parliament Watch coordinator Umar Salahudin said that problems related to infrastructure was work that Risma had to solve during her five-year term of office. Among the planned infrastructure projects are the construction of the eastern and western outer ring roads, the Middle East ring road and the frontage of Jl. Ahmad Yani. 'This infrastructure will hopefully be able to answer the problem of traffic congestion in Surabaya and facilitate investment in the city,' Umar said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tassia Sipahutar (The Jakarta Post) Rancho Mirage, US Thu, February 18, 2016 In a joint statement reached on Tuesday after considerable compromise, US-ASEAN leaders addressed the tension in the South China Sea, but without mentioning it explicitly in a clear attempt to avoid confrontation with China. They declared their position after their summit at the Sunnylands retreat in Rancho Mirage, California, for the two-day event. In their 17-point statement, US President Barack Obama and his 10 guests spent three paragraphs emphasizing their shared commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes without resorting to threats or the use of force, relating it to the mandate of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). China is claiming sovereignty over the majority of the territory of the South China Sea, but four ASEAN members ' Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines ' also have overlapping claims on the area. The leaders said that they had a 'shared commitment to maintain peace, security and stability in the region, ensuring maritime security and safety, including the rights of freedom of navigation and overflight and other lawful use of the seas, and unimpeded lawful maritime commerce as the described in the [...] UNCLOS as well as non-militarization and self-restraint in the conduct of activities'. Obama told a news conference that the leaders discussed the South China Sea conflict. 'We discussed the need for tangible steps in the South China Sea to lower tension, including to halt further reclamation, new construction and militarization of disputes area,' Reuters quoted Obama as saying. The US has criticized China's building of artificial islands and facilities in the sea and has sailed warships close to disputed territory to assert the right to freedom of navigation. Beijing accused Washington of seeking maritime hegemony through such patrols. On Wednesday, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hong Lei, said China welcomed the US-ASEAN consensus, but reiterated its opposition to Washington's involvement in the disputed waters. 'Relevant countries from outside the region should not flex their military muscles in the South China Sea and should not entice regional countries to carry out joint military exercises or patrol activities targeting a third party,' Hong told reporters. Apart from the security issue, the leaders also pledged their commitment on a number of other things, including the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that Indonesia holds close to heart. Regarding SMEs, the countries agreed to give mutual recognition of the importance of pursuing policies that lead to dynamic, open and competitive economies that support SMEs, especially with the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). Part of that support for SMEs is expected to come from increased access to technology and finance. All countries agree that the digital economy will provide an opportunity for those SMEs to accelerate or leapfrog their development. A session with CEOs of technology giants ' Microsoft, Cisco and IBM ' was held to paint a clearer picture for the leaders of technology in SMEs. For Indonesia, SMEs indeed play a crucial role for the economy. Combined with microenterprises, the sector accounts for a majority of all businesses across the country and employs more than 97 percent of the total workforce. Indonesian President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has even expressed his ambition to see thousands of new SMEs established during his term in office, with at least 1,000 of those new businesses operating in technology. Meanwhile, during the summit, Jokowi also shared Indonesia's experiences in dealing with terrorism and extremism. He brought up the government's success in defeating January's terrorist attack in Jakarta. 'A combination of hard and soft power is needed to deal with extremism,' the President said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Thu, February 18, 2016 Your comments on the government's demand that instant messaging apps remove stickers featuring same-sex couples, in the latest high-profile attempt to discourage visible homosexuality: Developed countries became so by looking into the future. Indonesia prefers to move backwards. Philippe Marland The Wahhabi ideology has encroached on Muslims here. The Christians aren't supportive either of the issue of same-sex marriage or rights for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders. Since the US legalized same-sex marriage, an avalanche of hate has gone viral worldwide. However, corruption and fraud are not considered worthy of castigation here. Offenders are never penalized for their crimes. Notime4hate When was the last time a country was overthrown by a digital sticker? There are scores of other problems that need more immediate attention. XS If you knew how many Indonesians belong to the LGBT community, you would not make such remarks. You would be amazed how many you would notice if you simply opened your eyes and looked around at your family, friends, colleagues ' perhaps even in the mirror. Jorith I believe all censorship of media is against the human rights of its audience, as it will always be orchestrated by politics. Politicians may not interfere with our personal thinking. Any country that allows them to has no right to call itself a democracy. Indolove Is this the same minister, Rudiantara, who bragged about Indonesia's freedom of speech? This moral dogma serves only to create stigma, discrimination and hatred. Trying to force the internet to conform to religious doctrine is harmful and wrong. 'The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.' ' Hannah Arendt Wildau Gay people are an embarrassment to a Muslim-majority country like Indonesia. They make a mockery of Islam. Gay people should go to France. The True Patriot ________________________________ Topic of the day Circumcision of women Half of girls under 11 years old in Indonesia are circumcised, according to the latest finding by UNICEF, raising awareness and a call for a ban on female genital mutilation in the predominantly Muslim country. What do you think? Send your thoughts by email, SMS, Twitter or Facebook. Include your name and city. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dylan Amirio (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 A crackdown on pornography and homosexuality on the internet continues with the Communications and Information Technology Ministry saying on Tuesday that it will block 477 websites including Tumblr, a popular microblogging platform. Tumblr gives users the ability to post multimedia and other content and is also widely used by artists and photographers to share their images. Explicit content is shared on Tumblr, although some of it is not intended to be pornographic material. 'Pornography is pornography,' the ministry's director general for e-business, Azhar Hasyim, said on Tuesday. 'Even though I admit Tumblr is a platform for artists, the main violation is the pornographic content. It doesn't matter what the intention is. It breaks the rules,' he said. The government said the blocking is aimed at keeping Indonesian internet users away from pornography and its elements. The decision was taken after a censorship panel meeting at the ministry concluded on Tuesday that more sites display overt pornographic content. Tumblr was included because of the staggering amount of pornographic material found and shared between users on the site, as well as the 'vulgar' amount of visual content regarding homosexuality, said Azhar. The ministry said the crackdown was not only driven by the ministry's censorship team, but was also in response to several complaints, even from the public, about the website's content. Azhar said the ministry had sent a letter to Tumblr, which is based in the US, on Wednesday to ask the company to tone down and/or filter its content in order to make it suitable for the 'positive-minded' Indonesian internet. He added the government will block the site soon, even if Tumblr has not replied to the letter. 'If they agree to adjust to our needs, then the site will be reopened in Indonesia, but in the meantime we will block it because of the vulgar content that must be prevented from being shared. So we block them first, then we'll talk,' Azhar said on Wednesday. The order to all Indonesian internet service providers (ISP) to block Tumblr and the other 476 'pornographic' sites was issued on Wednesday. Azhar said the sites would likely be blocked within two or three days. In addition, nine more sites exhibiting culturally sensitive content related to ethnicity, religion, race and intergroup relations (SARA) will also be blocked. Tumblr was established as a microblogging and social media site in 2007, offering a different blogging experience from other blog services at the time. Users ranging from amateur and professional artists to public figures are also known to use the site: notably US President Barack Obama. Aside from being utilized as a way to promote artistry, a number of small and medium-sized businesses in Indonesia also use Tumblr as a platform or as a method of promotion for their goods, similar to how Instagram is being utilized as an impromptu marketplace. In 2013, the site was purchased by ailing technology giant Yahoo! and as of January 2016 it had around 555 million users worldwide, with a majority of them from the US. Meanwhile, the ministry's censorship panel met with the Indonesian representatives of Twitter, LINE and BlackBerry on Wednesday to discuss the filtering and control of their content. The panel called for these services to 'do more' in filtering pornographic, radical and 'culturally sensitive' material from their content. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Vaishali Rastogi, Edwin Utama and Shiv Choudhury (The Jakarta Post) Singapore/Jakarta Thu, February 18, 2016 Indonesia's recent economic slowdown underlines the importance for business of competitive advantage. Although the long-term outlook for Indonesia's consumer market remains positive ' driven by long-term demographic and income growth ' understanding how Indonesia's consumers think and what drives their preferences is, and will continue to be, increasingly important. In the event of economic slowdown, businesses need to sharpen their competitive edge and target customers effectively. In the long run, Indonesia's growing consumer market will also mean greater competition for market share from existing and a growing number of new entrants. It is only by having an in depth understanding toward their unique preferences, innovative promotion and targeted campaign; will businesses succeed. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) recently surveyed more than 3,000 Indonesian consumers across all socioeconomic groups regarding their shopping behavior, spending levels, channel preferences, and brand experiences to understand how consumers reviews products and make purchasing decisions. The drivers of Indonesia's consumer market for both consumer durables (products purchase infrequently and are made to last) and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) market are middle class and affluent consumers or (MACs). They make up to 88 million people in 2014 and are set to increase to 141 million by 2020. This demographic group possesses at least Rp 50 million (US$3,700) in assets, and consists of two main consumer segments: 'Young professionals' and 'modern housewives'. Young professionals are working individuals or young couples living independently. In the past, this consumer group would likely have continued to live in their parent's household, but due to factors including urbanization, many recently start to live independently and began to purchase relevant goods. Meanwhile, modern housewives are married women aged 20 to 35, influencing the purchase of household groceries and personal products. These two consumer groups are both important and a growing consumer segment for consumer businesses, which brands will need to understand in order to tap into. Indonesia's consumer durables market faces several upcoming challenges in the near time. On average, less than one-third of consumers actually end up making a purchase. Consumers value the functional benefits of products and brands that create a consumer need, and then can clearly show how the product addresses those problems and needs. However, consumers also have low levels of brand loyalty and more than one-third plan to try different brand on their next purchase regardless of experience. One other challenge businesses faced is consumers are sensitive to the rise of electricity costs, hence, they may alter the way they use high volume electricity products and are looking for efficient products that add value ' products that do tasks more efficiently, for example washing machines that use less electricity and water. Another shift in the Indonesian consumer durables market is Indonesians are becoming more willing to borrow money to finance and purchase durable products. In 2014, 50 percent more consumers than in 2012 were willing to finance a durable product with credit. Greater affluence and affordability is leading to a greater penetration of durable goods. In the major durables category, the ratio of a product's price to overall household expenditures has fallen steadily since 2008, which means both household durables and consumer electronic products are becoming more affordable each year. This goes to show the significant and growing opportunity there is for brands, business and manufacturers, but only if they target these consumer effectively. Consumer durable businesses need to focus on the preference of young professionals and modern housewives. They are key opinion leaders within their families and communities, therefore are crucial drivers of sales for first time buyers ' their opinions and experience toward certain products and their recommendation is highly influential on the decision making process of others. Though Television remains the primary source of product information, but digital is growing fast in influencing brand choices. The Indonesian market began to use online digital sites for product comparison on features and prices, e-commerce and online purchases are rising dramatically. Nevertheless, in-store marketing still plays a significant role, by introducing consumers to the brand and demonstrating the efficiency, features, and durability of the product and making up 50 percent purchasing decisions. As for the FMCG market, modern housewives are still a critical segment for many FMCG categories over the next five years. They are considered to be the main influencer in the discussion and purchase of products within their family and community members. Even though promotions for FMCG products are still effective, Indonesian consumers only respond to offers for brands that are already within their preferred FMCG category to purchase ' products and promoted brands have to be already known and desired. Furthermore, Indonesians are also willing to trade-up to more expensive product versions within their preferred brand category. Another key trend is that Indonesian FMCG consumers make purchases across a wide range of retail channels and purchase products at different types of stores/establishment, depending on the product category. For example, when asked about their last consumer purchases, most Indonesians purchase cigarettes and powdered coffee at local grocery stores (warungs); whilst other products such as cosmetics, baby formula and food are frequently purchased at convenience stores. But, consumers shop for products in the likes of diapers at supermarkets or hypermarkets. According to our findings, a typical Indonesian consumer doesn't do their shopping in one place or type of store. These unique preferences of MACs in Indonesia for both consumer durables and FMCG market, will drive and determine the outcome of sales over the coming years. Businesses, brands and manufacturers need to stay ahead in the competition by having a 360 degree understanding of the needs as well as decision making drivers of Indonesian consumers generally; whilst paying special attention to the shopping preferences and behaviors of Indonesia's growing MAC group and begin to tap into massive current opportunities and potential profits for manufacturers and consumer businesses. ______________________________________ Vaishali Rastogi is a senior partner and managing director in the Singapore office of The Boston Consulting Group. Edwin Utama is a partner and managing director in BCG's Jakarta office. Shiv Choudhury is a principal in the firm's Singapore office. Several aspiring restaurant owners with ties to the Major Food Group (Parm, Dirty French, Carbone, etc.) pitched their plan for an expansive project at 105 Eldridge St. last night. But the panel charged with evaluating liquor permits voted against their proposal. We told you about this project earlier in the month. The location in question is a bi-level space in the same building housing Fontanas, the local rock bar going out of business in a few weeks due to escalating rent. At one point, downtown DJ Jack Abramcyk was planning a nightlife operation in this building. Information provided to CB3 in advance of yesterdays State Liquor Authority Committee meeting was scarce. When the agenda item came up at around midnight, a single applicant walked up to answer questions from board members. William Tisch said hes special projects manager at the Major Food Group. He handles the build-out of restaurants for the high-flying hospitality firm, but is not involved in operating any of its venues. Following some prodding from board members, who raised concerns about his lack of experience, Tisch said hes got four partners, referred to only as Dave, Michael, Dylan and Ryan. Dylan turned out to be Dylan Hales of The Randolph Group. The chef, sitting in the audience, was identified as Michael Hamilton (formerly of Kingswood in the West Village, we presume). The idea is to build-out a restaurant on the main floor (midnight closing time) with a lower level lounge open until 4 a.m. on weekends. The cuisine has been described as elevated pub food. It will offer sophistication at an affordable price, Tisch explained. Were trying to create a new genre. There will be a pool table and pinball machine downstairs. Three licensed security guards would be on duty after 8 p.m. While committee members expressed fears that the project is really a club masquerading as a restaurant, team members insisted it would be a low-key neighborhood spot. I would rather die than become a club owner, said Tisch. Committee member Andrew Chase noted that Eldridge Street (between Grand and Broome streets) is quiet in the evenings. How will you control your impact?, he asked. The applicants said there would be no rope line. Waiting customers would be herded into the restaurant space. They also speculated that Fontanas (which currently has three liquor permits) would not be replaced by another bar. The would-be operators said the building owner is looking at putting retail in the Fontanas space. The asking rent is a little out of control, they noted. Curiously, the neighboring space Tisch & Company plan to occupy was offered at a very reasonable rent. The two spaces are in the same building, controlled by the same owner. In the end, the committee voted the proposal down 4-3. The full board will weigh in later this month. Meanwhile, the applicants must decide whether to take their campaign for a liquor permit straight to the State Liquor Authority. The image of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi washed up on a Turkish beach was probably the most striking media photograph of last year, and arguably the jolt that was needed to alter the collective conscious on what has come to be known as the refugee crisis. The picture painted what words had failed to: a small life lost; a child who in another context could have been asleep and safe - but wasnt. It gave a human face to a movement of people that was previously easy to view as a critical mass; impossible to emotionally engage with. The picture painted what words had failed to: a small life lost; a child who in another context could have been asleep and safe - but wasnt. It gave a human face to a movement of people that was previously easy to view as a critical mass; impossible to emotionally engage with. The beginning of March marks six months since the events in Bodrum, so now seems like a good time to reflect on Europes continued handling of the crisis and ask what the consequences of the initial surge of responsibility have been. According to the Missing Migrant Project, part of the International Organization for Migration, 1,046,599 migrants (including asylum seekers) passed into Europe in 2015. The overall number is those who have arrived via land or sea so far in 2016 is 84,406. 78,333 of these have entered Greece alone. Over 8,500 arrived in the week up to 19th February. 410 are known to have drowned, or are missing. Another million are expected to cross the Aegean once the weather improves. The numbers are understandably hard to visualise. Its an ancient journey that refugees are currently taking: from Greece to Macedonia, up the Vardar river valley; to Serbia and eventually to Berlin. Its a route, says Macedonias foreign minister Nikola Poposki, used by the Romans, Ottomans and Crusaders. Its unfortunate that Greece, in the midst of a decade of financial woe, is the point at which those fleeing from the Middle East naturally land. Now, the European Commission has handed the country a list of ways that it needs to improve the way it deals with the influx of people. Meanwhile, Macedonia might be about to close its border to Middle Eastern refugees as it already has to those from North Africa - potentially blocking off a key route out of Greece. Further north, there are fears that Serbia might do the same thing. No straightforward solutions have yet been presented, and fears that the chance to reach Western Europe might soon vanish are palpable. According to UNICEF, You can feel the fear at the Macedonian border. A summit Brussels on the evening of 18th February, according to EU officials, looked unlikely to provide answers. And what of the refugees when and if they arrive on western shores? In Germany, Angela Merkels welcome culture is facing a serious challenge. Bavarian Premier Horst Seehofer is considering suing the government over what he has called her illegality; the notion, based on a law that says it is impossible to seek asylum in Germany after arriving by land, is quickly taking hold in conservative circles. The EU-supported law states that refugees must seek asylum in the first safe state that they enter. All of Germanys nine neighbours are safe states; entering via land and seeking asylum is therefore potentially a crime sanctioned by the government. In the context of Paris and Cologne, the current mood is reflective of this anti-Merkel train of thought. In terms of emotional response, the events that took place in Cologne on New Years Eve where multiple women were reportedly assaulted and robbed in and around the citys main train station may be seen as only second to Aylan Kurdis death. Predictably, the tide of sympathy for those embraced by Germany wavered, and in many cases soured, as a result. The facts of what happened remain murky. After media hysteria, it was claimed including by a senior official at the UN that initial reports that the majority of assailants were refugees werent in fact correct. Various sources place the number of refugees arrested in relation to the attacks between three and 18, and the number of arrests overall between 31 and 73. Whatever the truth and its likely to be a while before were able to establish what that is perceptions remain, and the right wing in Germany and elsewhere are further fuelled in their anti-migration rhetoric. All is hardly rosy for those reaching Britain, either. The Economist last week reflected on how, over the past decade and a half, those seeking asylum have been concentrated in certain locales including Middlesbrough, its close neighbour Stockton, and Rochdale in Greater Manchester. These areas all share similar social problems, poverty and unemployment key amongst them. Whilst it might seem that housing refugees in areas that already have problems isnt ideal - its true that new arrivals struggle to find work and the provision of English lessons is often patchy its not all bad news. Communities with a history of accepting those seeking asylum have naturally become more receptive to it; in Stockton, which has the countrys fourth highest number of refugees per resident, organically grown refugee support groups have bolstered the community. One-time refugee children have thrived, and have left to study at university. In the long-term, though, surely a policy that deliberately places refugees in deprived areas cant stand up? According to the International Monetary Fund, integrating refugees better into the job market would encourage economic growth. Placing often well-educated and skilled asylum seekers in areas that cant utilise their talents fully hardly seems wise. Maybe its time for the Home Office to rethink where it houses its new citizens if it wants to benefit them - and the country - in the long-term. Back in the Aegean, on 17th February the body of an as yet unnamed four-year-old Afghan boy arrived on the Greek island of Chios via boat. His family were amongst 600 to arrive on the island that Wednesday; he was reported to have died during the crossing. There are no images of him to bolster an Aylan Kurdi-esque wave of sympathy. As European leaders gather in Brussels to discuss potential answers - ostensibly over dinner - the trail of devastation elsewhere continues. Unfortunately, The Content Is Not Here You have arrived at this page because the page or post you were looking for no longer exists. Please check our main navigation pages for other content: Home Page Hillary barks like a dog During Her Campaign Speech | Main | Hillary Clinton on CBS Evening News: "I've Always Tried To" Tell the Truth to the American People ~ LOL February 18, 2016 Veterans Leader Sean Parnell: Marco Has the Best Record on VA Issues Veterans Leader Sean Parnell: Marco Has the Best Record on VA Issues Sean Parnell is a highly decorated combat veteran of the war in Afghanistan and is the New York Times bestselling author of Outlaw Platoon. He is also the co-founder of the American Warrior Initiative. Heres what he has to say about Marcos leadership on veterans issues: As a retired Army veteran wounded in Afghanistan, I have seen countless examples of true leadership and commitment to those who have served our nation in uniform. Sadly, these qualities have been sorely missing over the past seven years at both the commander-in-chief level and at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This years presidential election is a chance to put these issues front and center and elect a president who can actually reverse course, rebuild our military, and honor our veterans with real, fundamental reforms at the VA. There are many solid candidates running for the GOP nomination, all of which say good things about fixing the VA. All would be better than Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanderseach an apologist for a failed VA bureaucracy. I firmly believe Americas veterans deserve a president who isnt just outraged with the VAs ongoing problems and scandals, but also has a proven record of doing something about it. That is why, as a long-time advocate for veterans and VA reform, I feel a responsibility to set the record straight about the candidate who has truly made veterans issues a priority, doggedly fought for VA accountability, and ultimately gotten results for veterans. I can attest to the fact that Senator Marco Rubio is that kind of leader because I have seen it firsthand. Before the VAs recent scandals even became public and rocked our nation, Senator Rubio teamed up with House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller to introduce the VA Management Accountability Act of 2014, which would give the VA secretary the authority to fire VA managers who were failing at their jobs. To Senator Rubio, it didnt take a scandal for him to spring into action and lead on this accountability issue; he had already seen the cases of terrible treatment come through his Senate officeand resolved to take action. To Senator Rubio, this was also personal, as he saw his older brother, a former Green Beret, embroiled in a years-long dispute with the VA over dental care for an injury sustained while serving. One would think that Senator Rubios proposal for firing the people responsible for the VA scandals would find unanimous support in Congress, but it didnt. Entrenched public sector unions opposed the bill, as did their congressional allies, including then-Senate VA committee chairman Bernie Sanders who blocked it. Undeterred, Rubio worked at it, showing his passion for veterans but also the leadership skills to get things done for us. As he worked to advance the bill, there were no headlines to be had and it was an uphill battle yet Senator Rubio and his staff persisted. He went out and rallied public support for it. He quietly reached across the aisle and convinced Democrats and Republicans alike to co-sponsor the bill on its merits, resulting in a majority of senators backing it. Although then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid refused to hold a vote on it, Rubio would not accept defeat. Every day seemed to expose a new failing of the VA under President Obama and, when the House and Senate passed different bills to fundamentally reform the VA, Rubio was asked to join the conference committee that negotiated a final bill even though he does not even serve on the veterans committee that usually works on these issues. Ultimately, Rubio succeeded in getting new VA accountability measures passed into law as part of a larger VA reform bill. But when it comes to helping our veterans, hes not done. He has aggressively stayed on top of the administration to fully implement this law and fire all VA managers who are responsible for failing our veterans. He is again working with Jeff Miller on a new bill, the VA Accountability Act of 2015, which would expand the VA secretarys firing authority to any VA employee that fails our veterans a commonsense measure that the VA unions again oppose, that Senate Democrats are determined to block and that President Obama has already threatened to veto. In addition to prioritizing and fully implementing these accountability measures at the VA, Rubios record and agenda offer additional proof that hed be a president that takes care of our veterans and makes sure they have opportunities to achieve the American Dream after their service to our country is complete. Among many issues he has championed, Senator Rubio supports fundamentally reforming our VA health system and giving veterans real health care choices when the VA fails to take care of them. He knows its not just about accountability, but also giving veterans choices to access VA care or care from private providers. Senator Rubio and his office are always looking for the best ideas to help veterans, and always ahead of the curve on real policy reform. South Carolina voters and veterans will soon go to the polls to choose a president and commander-in-chief. There are lots of strong options. But if fixing the VA, rebuilding our military, and doing right by our veterans is a top priority for you, then Senator Rubio should be your first and only choice. I can attest that he is fully committed and capable of putting an end to the bureaucratic nightmares that have plagued the VA and our veterans altogether. We deserve nothing less. Wild Thing's comment............ Fantastic, this is wonderful. CNN had a town hall last night and Marco was so good. They had Ben Carson, Rubio and Cruz each one on separately which was nice. Then tomorrow night will be the rest of the candidates. Posted by Wild Thing at February 18, 2016 12:45 AM German, Chinese tourists drown in Koh Pha Ngan SURAT THANI: Two foreign men have drowned during separate swims in high surf on Koh Pha Ngan. By Bangkok Post Thursday 18 February 2016, 12:59PM Nurses and rescue workers try to save the life of a 48-year-old German tourist, who drowned after swimming in high waves yesterday (Feb 17). He died shortly later. Photo: Kusol Sattha rescue foundation Facebook A 48-year-old German national, whose name was withheld, drowned at Thong Nai Phan beach in tambon Ban Tai of Koh Pha Ngan yesterday afternoon (Feb 17), Pol Snr Sgt Maj Kongyut Numuen, a tourist police at Koh Pha Ngan said. Police and rescue workers went to the area and found the tourist lying unconscious on the beach after being taken to the sea by local residents and staffers of a nearby bungalow. He was given first aid, but died shortly later, Thai media reported. Police said the man, his wife and their two friends had been on Koh Pha Ngan since Feb 16. He went to swim yesterday amidst red flags put in front of the beach to warn about high waves. Meanwhile, near Sam Bay, a Chinese man drowned while swimming off Koh Nang Yuan in tambon Koh Pha Ngan, Thai media reported today (Feb 18). Municipal officials and rescue workers rushed to help the 34-year-old Chinese national, whose name was withheld pending notification of relatives. He was given first aid before being sent to Koh Pha Ngan Hospital, but was later pronounced dead. The bodies of the two tourists were being kept at Koh Pha Ngan Hospital as authorities were in the process of notifying their embassies. Read original story here. Navy Chief of Staff reviews Phukets efforts against IUU, human trafficking PHUKET: The Phuket Port In, Port Out (PIPO) authorities has reported 30 vessels suspected of engaging in illegal, unreported and unregistered (IUU) fishing since the facility opened in May last year, Royal Thai Navy Chief of Staff Adm Panlop Tamisanon announced yesterday (Feb 17). crimemarinemilitaryimmigrationMyanmar By The Phuket News Thursday 18 February 2016, 02:04PM Royal Thai Navy Chief of Staff Adm Panlop Tamisanon (right) praised the efforts by officers at Phuket's Port In, Port Out (PIPO) centre. Photo: Royal Thai Navy Twenty-two of those vessels are currently under investigation by police, Adm Panlop said. Adm Panlop visited the PIPO centre in Rassada to follow up on the governments efforts to eradicate IUU fishing and human trafficking in the fishing industry. Joining Adm Panlop in his tour of the centre were Royal Thai Navy Third Area Rear Commander Adm Sayan Prasongsomrit and PIPO Chief Capt Pidet Buthsood. Having the PIPO centre has proved essential and the officers here are doing a great job, Adm Panlop said. Since the centre opened on May 6, 2015 through to February 15, 2016, the centre recorded a total of 4,339 migrant workers, he added. These migrants are Thais, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodians, among others, Adm Panlop said. PIPO officials recorded a total of 2,996 Myanmar workers, which comprise 69.43% of all migrant workers known to be working in Phukets fishing fleet, Adm Panlop said. I also was told that from July 2015 to February15, 2016, officials conducted 9,384 inspections of boats weighing 30 gross tonnes or more arriving at the pier and 9,163 inspections of such boats departing the pier, he added. However, Adm Panlop did not comment on the difference in the number of inspections carried out of large fishing boats arriving and leaving Phuket, which allowed for 221 instances the such boats either not departing Phuket or leaving without reporting to the PIPO. The official visit yesterday followed a handful of raids carried out by the Royal Thai Navys Third Area Command, which is based in Phuket, that netted several fishing boats off Phuket .for suspected IUU fishing. On January 16, officials seized a boat fishing between Koh Lon and Koh Hae (See story here.) The raid was soon followed by the seizure of two Thai tuna vessels in violation of IUU fishing regulations about 75 nautical miles west of Phuket on January 30. (See story here.) Two more Thai tuna vessels were apprehended for IUU fishing violations in international waters west of Phuket last Sunday (Feb 14). (See story here.) Police silent on weapons seized at Phuket mayors home as raids unfold across island PHUKET: Police remained silent on dawn raids at a Phuket mayors home this morning where firearms were seized as 58 suspects arrested in an anti-crime blitz today were presented to the press this afternoon (Feb 18). corruptionpolicepatongtourismdrugseconomics By Eakkapop Thongtub Thursday 18 February 2016, 06:52PM An officer exits the home of Srisoonthorn Mayor Worawut Songyos while carrying a firearm found inside the house. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Police 58 suspects and seized more than 20,00 items in co-ordinated raids across Phuket today. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Police 58 suspects and seized more than 20,00 items in co-ordinated raids across Phuket today. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Police 58 suspects and seized more than 20,00 items in co-ordinated raids across Phuket today. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Police 58 suspects and seized more than 20,00 items in co-ordinated raids across Phuket today. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Police 58 suspects and seized more than 20,00 items in co-ordinated raids across Phuket today. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Pol Maj Gen Adis Ngamchitsuksri, Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), presented the 58 suspects along with more than 20,000 items seized in raids carried out by more than 300 officers islandwide from daybreak to noon. Among those arrested were 28 jet-ski operators, facing charges of breaking jet-ski regulations, said Gen Adis. Of the 58 arrested, 14 were wanted on warrants, he added. The remainder comprised three arrested for breaking immigration law; four arrested for working as illegal guides; another four arrested on drug charges plus one man arrested for marijuana possession; four people charged over illegal cosmetics, food products and psychotropic drugs. Among the items seized and presented to the press today were firearms ranging from pump-action shotguns to hunting rifles to semi-automatic handguns; as well as 38 bullets with loading magazines; counterfeit goods, cosmetics and illegal medicines, including fake Viagra and health products; and some marijuana. The officers worked in teams of 11, comprising officers from the CIB, Tourist Police, Marine Police, Highway Police, Railway Police, Technology Crime Suppression Division, Economic Crime Suppression Division, Human Trafficking Crime Suppression Police and the Public Sector Anti Corruption Commission. The raids targeted specified suspects and carried out with warrants, said Gen Adis. Phuket is a one of the most popular tourist destinations that generate a lot of income for the country, Gen Adis said. Today, our society is changing rapidly. We are dealing with all sorts of criminals and facing many illegal activities, so the CIB co-ordinated with local police to carry out raids in three Thailand tourist destinations: Phuket,Chiang Mai and Pattaya. Officers in Phuket fanned out across Phuket and raided 10 locations, he added. At 10am, teams of TCSD and Economic Crime Suppression officers raided shops near the Patong beachfront and seized counterfeit items there, he said. Two unregistered luxury cars were seized from secondhand auto dealers and 18 cars have been clamped so they cannot be removed while officers continue their investigation, Gen Adis noted. The anti-crime blitz will continue through Sunday (Feb 21), Gen Adis warned. We will be targeting all types of illegal activities, including loan sharks and places selling illegal pharmaceuticals, he said. However, at the press conference held at the Tourist Police headquarters in Phuket Town today, Gen Adis made no mention of CIB and CSD officers raiding the home of Srisoonthorn Mayor Worawut Songyos at 6:30am Officers seized firearms found in the home, then moved to the home of his relative, Jirayut Songyod, and his house with a warrant. The raids on the Songyos homes this morning follow Mayor Worawut last year filing a formal complaint in December 14 about overzealous police raiding homes of the Songyos family without a search warrant. That raid, carried out by more than 20 officers, was aimed at arresting Padungsak Songyos on a charge of issuing a bad cheque. (See story here.) Regus moves into Phuket with Royal Phuket Marina workspaces PHUKET: Global workplace providers Regus have opened their first business workspace venture with the launch of Phuket Regus Royal Phuket Marina. economicstourismmarine By The Phuket News Thursday 18 February 2016, 03:55PM Regus Royal Phuket Marina offers individuals and companies 103 short-term and long-term workspaces right by the waterfront with 24-hour access and parking Regus Royal Phuket Marina offers individuals and companies 103 short-term and long-term workspaces right by the waterfront with 24-hour access and parking. The centre, the 18th Regus centre in Thailand, reflects the increasing growth of businesses and of corporate needs in the area and a sign of the prosperity of the region, said the company in a statement issued yesterday (Feb 17). Regus Royal Phuket Marina offers individuals and companies 103 short-term and long-term workspaces right by the waterfront with 24-hour access and parking; an inspirational setting with state-of-the-art facilities, including world-class IT. The prestigious and professional waterside address boosts corporate image within Thailand, ASEAN and beyond, said the statement. The Regus Business Centre offices deliver a more customized office package than standard rentals, noted the release. This makes Regus not only ideal for Phukets many local start-ups but also for Bangkok companies looking for a Phuket satellite office and international companies establishing a base in Thailand outside the capital. Regus also enables businesses to grow and develop through its world-renowned flexible office solutions, it added. Fully-equipped for the tech-rich demands of businesses operating online and remotely, Regus Business Centre in Phuket promises fast connectivity as well as virtual office space and co-working arrangements. Alongside the office spaces, the centre boasts a business lounge, ideal for company leaders to network and invite their own clients too, as well as high-quality, well-equipped meeting rooms. The Royal Phuket Marina is a vibrant area with a good choice of restaurants, apartments and shopping, all of which adds to the upbeat energy of this part of Phuket. Within the Regus Business Centre, clients can take advantage of the gym and fitness facilities too and even enjoy businesses lunches at the on-site restaurant, read the statement. With Regus attracting noteworthy clients across the globe, the arrival of the office space brand in Phuket is expected to create a high level of interest. Founded in Brussels, Belgium, in 1989, Regus is based in Luxembourg and listed on the London Stock Exchange. The companys network of 2,600 locations in 106 countries encompasses 43 million square feet workspaces, occupied by clients including Google, Toshiba and GlaxoSmithKline. Save Milo: Online petition for orangutan at Phuket Zoo sparks probe PHUKET: An online petition that gained more than 5,000 signatures in less than two weeks has highlighted the plight of 13-year-old orangutan Milo, housed at Phuket Zoo. Meanwhile, wildlife officials are investigating whether the zoo even has the legal right to keep Milo behind bars. animalstourismenvironmentnatural-resourcescrime By The Phuket News Thursday 18 February 2016, 07:21PM As recently as Monday, tourists were geo-tagging their photos taken with Milo at Phuket Zoo and uploading them onto Facebook. Photo: Facebook As recently as Monday, tourists were geo-tagging their photos taken with Milo at Phuket Zoo and uploading them onto Facebook. Photo: Facebook As recently as Monday, tourists were geo-tagging their photos taken with Milo at Phuket Zoo and uploading them onto Facebook. Photo: Facebook The Change.org campaign is offering expert help for 13-year-old orangutan Milo at Phuket Zoo. Photo: Supplied The Change.org campaign is offering expert help for 13-year-old orangutan Milo at Phuket Zoo. Photo: The Phuket News The Change.org campaign is offering expert help for 13-year-old orangutan Milo at Phuket Zoo. Photo: Supplied The #SaveMilo campaign, listed on Change.org, saw signatures skyrocket last week as the campaign gained international momentum, while as recently as Monday (Feb 15), a tourist visiting Phuket Zoo posted a photo of himself posing with Milo on his Facebook page. Yet the campaign at this stage is aimed at only improving Milos health, and her living conditions, as regular visitors are concerned that she is unhealthy and depressed. Key campaigner Vicki Kiely told The Phuket News, I first visited her (Milo) years ago, but went back about five months ago, when I saw where she lived and how grossly overweight she was. She sleeps in a pitch black concrete cell under the steps of where the monkey show is and she gets limited hours to daylight Her teeth are bad and you can see she is desperately depressed. She folds her arms in boredom and disgust at the tourists. Ms Kiely has attempted to bring Milos condition to the zoo management, but to no avail. I email the zoo frequently asking may I work with her to improve her conditions and in turn I hoped I could improve the conditions of all the animals in there. She is the priority now, however, for me, as she is in the worst state. Ideally I would love if I could sit down and talk with the zoo owners, perhaps getting them to retire Milo. We have a sanctuary that will take her immediately in Indonesia. In the email repeatedly sent to Phuket Zoo Manager, Surapong Chanthaweewong, Ms Kiely also explained expert advice would be available to assist the zoo in improving Milos state and offered help to build an improved enclosure. Repeated attempts by The Phuket News have failed to elicit any formal response from the zoo. Reporters were even turned away from the front gate when attempting to present simple questions directed to Mr Surapong, who has not replied to any emails, messages or phone calls made. Yet Piyawat Sukon, who as Chief of the Khao Phra Thaew Non-Hunting Area Office in Thalang is responsible for the welfare of wildlife animals in Phuket and neighbouring provinces, said he had no knowledge of any orangutan in Phuket. Since learning of this, I have checked with our regional head office in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, and they have no records of any orangutans legally registered to be kept at Phuket Zoo, he added. In order for anyone to legally keep an orangutan in Phuket, they must first be issued a permit from the 5th Area office of the Department of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. From our initial investigation and after discussing this issue with them, Phuket Zoo seems suspicious and we are continuing our investigation. We are also involving the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division, as orangutans are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Mr Piyawat added. Wildlife officer Songchai Tongboonyang told The Phuket News that he already had inspected Phuket Zoo just earlier this month. But that was to investigate complaints about the tigers there. I had no idea there was an orangutan at the zoo, too. I thought all the orangutans in Phuket had already been shipped back to Indonesia, he said. Regardless, my report on that investigation has already been filed with Mr Piyawat, he said. Turkish Ambassador visits Phuket, but not without some complaints PHUKET: The Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the Kingdom of Thailand made a visit to the island yesterday (Feb 16) to discuss diplomatic relations between Turkey and Phuket. However, the meeting didnt go without the Ambassador making some complaints. tourismpoliticstransport By The Phuket News Thursday 18 February 2016, 10:17AM The Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the Kingdom of Thailand Osman Bulent Tulun and Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthamkul. Photo: PR Department When meeting Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthamkul, Ambassador Osman Bulent Tulun said, Phuket is a beautiful province and Turkish people are very much interested in visiting the island. Phuket welcomes about 20,000 Turkish tourists per year, and we have two flights per days leaving from Turkey for Bangkok. However, there have been some complaints sent to my office by people who have travelled here that I would like to share. And I would like Phuket officials to take these complaints on board and find to solutions to resolve them, he said. Many Turkish tourists have complained about the airport being overcrowded. They also pointed out about communication problems with officials. And lastly, complaints were made about the immigration checkpoint process where tourists said officials often request more documentation in addition to their with passports. This was especially the case for families with children and it caused inconvenience for them, he added. V/Gov Prajiad explained that some issue raised by Ambassador Osman will have to be raised at a meeting so that solutions can be found. However, he did tell Ambassador Osman that he understood the problem with the airport and explained that 300 flights arrive at the airport per day and that each takes only 7-8 minutes to offload. I think it will get better once the new terminal opens, V/Gov Prajiad said. We are pleased to have so many Turkish tourists visiting Phuket as this helps to boost the economy. Turkey is a place which connects with many European countries and our relationship with Turkey will definitely help the Thai economy, he added. How to watch and what to know about South Dakota State at North Dakota SDSU These are good times for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, having just completed a record 74 months of growth. Couple that with the companys recent investments in the Ontario auto manufacturing industry, and Reid Bigland had much to share with the media during the FCA press conference at the Canadian International Auto Show. Bigland, who is President and CEO of FCA Canada, began with a state-of-the-nation type of address, outlining some key statistics as FCA is launching their sixth generation of minivan, the Pacifica. The first five generations spanned more than three decades of production to the tune of an incredible 14.3 million vehicles. FCA has invested $3.7 billion on the retooling of the Windsor, Ont., plant, which has resulted in the creation of 1,200 new jobs. Originally shown to the public in Detroit last month, the Pacifica makes its Canadian debut at the Toronto show. Bigland explained how the companys goal was to reinvent the minivan, erasing the family haulers somewhat stodgy image. To that end, gone is the Town & Country nameplate, replaced with the Pacifica moniker. Perhaps an odd choice, given that the last time that name was used was for a lacklustre crossover. Bigland touched on more than 40 new-to-the-segment features included in the Pacifica. Some of the standouts include hands-free operation of the tailgate and sliding doors, twin 10-inch display monitors with built-in games for the kiddies, and a 360-degree camera, which means, Bigland says, that you will never again run over a tricycle or Cabbage Patch Kid, in the driveway. Much of FCAs global success in recent years has been thanks to the strength of the Jeep brand, which is celebrating its platinum jubilee this year. To mark the occasion, Jeep is releasing a series of 75th Anniversary editions of the Cherokee, Compass, Grand Cherokee, Patriot, Renegade, Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited. In a nod to the original Jeeps military heritage, each model will be painted green, along with bronze and orange exterior accents, and unique interior finishes, that include special badging. Also new to the Canadian market is an upscale version of the Cherokee, called the Overland. This model appeases Canadian consumers who want the brands traditional rugged character, but with a more luxurious experience. Known in the past for flashy press reveals, this years show stand was pretty basic. The CEO pointed out, however, that they couldnt let the show go by without a bit of sizzle, so they brought along a stunning 2016 Viper ACR. The most potent Viper ever created, the ACR is a street-legal track weapon that makes even the most jaded auto journalist stop and stare. Boasting 645 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque, the ACR holds the official record at 13 tracks around the world and yet can be driven home. SHARE: It may surprise you to learn that 2016 is the first year Ontario is officially celebrating Black History Month. Unofficially, the province first proclaimed the celebratory month in 1993 to mark the 200th anniversary of a law banning the importation of enslaved Africans into Upper Canada. Yet most Ontarians (and most Canadians) know nothing about slavery on this stolen soil. The word slavery does not appear in the provincial curriculum for mandatory high school courses in geography, history, and civics. Weve managed, for almost a quarter century, to commemorate something without discussing it. To acknowledge the abolition of slavery, and the larger ongoing struggle against white supremacy, is to acknowledge the plight of Africans to be free in every sense of the word, to liberate ourselves from a colonial tradition that keeps trying to commodify or erase us. Given this, wise people in our communities have recommended that February be a celebration of Black Liberation or African Liberation, rather than Black History. If we can make such a change for next year, I will be proud that Ontario only officially celebrated Black History Month once. We regularly fail to acknowledge histories that make our government and popular culture uncomfortable. By no accident, the highlight of black history in Canada, often to the exclusion of all other history, is the Underground Railroad, a series of safe houses and routes that American blacks used to escape enslavement into Canada in the late 18th and 19th centuries. This is a critical piece of our history, but it represents one stage of the Canadian black liberation project, not its happy ending. Black people who settled in places like Chatham, Owen Sound, Windsor, Fort Erie, and St. Catharines continued to face discrimination and segregation. The government used laws that had been created to justify separate Catholic and Protestant schools to also justify segregated schools for black children. Thanks to the continuous struggle of ancestors of the Underground Railroad, the last of those schools was closed in Merlin, Ontario in 1965. We no longer have segregated schools in Ontario, but black students now face a different form of educational exclusion because of how often they are suspended, expelled, or drop out. Although the drop out rate for black students is declining, about a quarter of all black students still dont graduate. At last count, black students represented about 12 per cent of the TDSBs population, and 31 per cent of its suspensions. This history of African liberation is alive, and the enduring need for it must never become fossilized to comfort those who dont want to hear it. Toronto Journalist Norman Richmond has been promoting the idea of an African Liberation Month for years. In a recent interview, he said we avoid challenging language to describe modern political struggles. If you want to get a grant from government, you say, were fighting for social justice, were not fighting for socialism were not fighting against imperialism, were fighting against globalization, said Richmond. We have to beat around the bush. Local educator and activist Dr. Ajamu Nangwaya agrees, and adds trade unions, school boards, corporations to the list of institutions who feel more comfortable with toothless black history celebrations that ignore class struggle, sexism, white supremacy, and other forms of oppression. Essentially, [institutions] have been allowed to co-opt it and channel its potential for radical consciousness-raising and political involvement into celebrating black firsts and black notables, Nangwaya wrote of the commemoration of black history in 2014. Maybe its naive of me to expect the government that just officially recognized Black History Month to now rename the occasion in dramatically more radical terms. But if people of African heritage mobilize to tell politicians how to name our struggle, who are they to argue? To quote Nangwaya, Denying a people their name is a classic method of colonization and cultural imperialism. It is used to weaken collective consciousness, which is critical to building a resistance culture. Many Canadians would likely squirm at the idea of a more militant recognition of the struggle for black liberation this is excellent evidence to push for it. The Africans who influenced the history we now celebrate did so in direct defiance of mainstream Canadian norms and expectations. They acted in spite of those who doubted, feared, or misunderstood their intentions, and so should todays black Canadians. A Black Liberation or African Liberation Month would more appropriately honour their legacy, and our ongoing fight for freedom. Desmond Cole is a Toronto-based journalist. His column appears every Thursday. SHARE: BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- A car bomb explosion near government buildings in Ankara killed at least 28 people and wounding 61 others on Wednesday, sparking condemnation from the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU). The Turkish government vowed not to yield to terrorism. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesperson Numan Kurtulmus on Wednesday confirmed that the explosion targeted military vehicles carrying armed forces personnel. "We do not yet know the perpetrators of this attack ... This attack did not only target our military personnel in those shuttles ... (but) openly targeted out entire nation," Kurtulmus said, vowing to track down those behind the attack as soon as possible. While calling on the international community to condemn the terror in the strongest terms, Kurtulmus also stressed that "plain condemnations" are now not enough for Turkey. Turkish military said the attack struck military service buses transporting personnel which stopped at a traffic light at 18:31 local time (1631 GMT), setting at least four buses ablaze near such government buildings as Turkish General Staff headquarters and the parliament. The Turkish General Staff admitted that there were military personnel among the casualties. The bomb attack targeted shuttles for military personnel and it happened at a time when a high-level security meeting, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was being held at the Presidential Palace, local NTV news broadcaster reported. "Turkey has never given in to terror and will never do," Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag told lawmakers in the parliament. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday condemned the deadly explosion, hoping the perpetrators of this terrorist attack will be swiftly brought to justice In a statement issued by his spokesman, Ban also sent his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, saying the UN stands in solidarity with the Turkish people and the government at this tragic time. Also on Wednesday, EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said the EU extends condolences to the families of the victims. The EU is with Turkey and its people in these difficult times and stand by all those who suffer from the consequences of such violence and of terrorism, she said in a statement. No organization has so far claimed responsibility for the attack and the government has immediately assigned seven prosecutors to investigate the incident, said Kurtulmus. Some analysts suspect that the outlawed Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) or the Islamic State (IS), which are listed as terrorist organizations in Turkey, are behind the attack. The PKK has resumed violence against the Turkish government after their peace process collapsed last summer. Turkish security forces have been fighting with the PKK in battlegrounds in the southeast since December. [ Editor: Jiaming ] Risk takers created the Texas oil industry and now you have to be a risk taker if you want to invest in an oil and gas stock at a time of low prices and high volatility. Case in point: Cabot Oil & Gasundefined . This is a stock that, at around $20 now, hit a 52-week low of $14.88 on Jan. 12. Since then the shares of the independent oil and gas company have surged 50% to a February high of $22.25, in part thanks to a rebound in the price of oil because of geopolitical developments. The stock is currently up 14.5% for the year to dat, against the 6% decline in the S&P 500undefined index and the 4.6% decline in the exchange-traded fund that tracks energy stocks, the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) . The Houston-based company is set to report fourth-quarter earnings results before the opening bell Friday. Like most upstream energy companies, Cabot has suffered amid the existing global glut of oil that continues to pressure revenue and profits. But few companies have taken the type of drastic cost cuts Cabot has to ensure its long-term stability. It significantly slashed its capital expense budget for 2015 and recently guided spending for 2016 to total at $325 million, or about half of its prior guidance of $615 million from October. Consider that for all of 2015 Cabot is projected to have spent around $775 million. This means 2016's capex will be a decline of almost 60%. Lower expenses will shore up Cabot's capital position, making its business more manageable and less risky amid the low oil price downtrend. Also, these measures will accelerate the pace at which Cabot can return to profitability, especially given the company's low-cost natural gas production capabilities in both the Marcellus Shale and the Eagle Ford shale. To that end, it makes sense the company expects to allocate about 90% of its projected 2016 expenses towards drilling, completion and facilities activities, especially since that's where the bulk of its profits are produced. For the quarter that ended December, the average analyst earnings-per-share estimate is a 3-cent loss on revenue of $333.56 million, compared to the year-ago quarter when Cabot earned 23 cents a share on revenue of $618 million. For the full year, earnings are projected to be 11 cents a share, down from 97 cents a year ago, while revenue of $1.42 billion would mark a year-over-year decline of 34.5%. In short, it's still a gamble to bet on any energy company. In the case of Cabot, the quick pace at which the company continues to reset its business is encouraging. If you want to take a risk, continue to hold these shares. This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned. NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Southwestern Energy Co. (SWN) shares are getting a boost, up 9.44% to $8.76 on Wednesday as oil prices jumped on Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh's comments that he supports a production ceiling to stabilize oil prices, Reuters reports. On Wednesday, Venezuela and Qatar met to broker a deal with Iran and Iraq in Tehran. This brought renewed hope to investors who became optimistic that top crude exporters could reach an agreement to curb output. Crude oil (WTI) is spiking 5.82% to $30.73 per barrel and Brent crude is surging 6.74% to $34.35 per barrel. However, Iran said it would resist any plan to restrain its oil output. "Most of it is just because oil found a little bit of a floor," Ken Polcari, Director of the NYSE floor division at O'Neil Securities told Reuters. Separately, TheStreet Ratings currently has a "Sell" rating on the stock with a letter grade of D. The company's weaknesses can be seen in multiple areas, such as its deteriorating net income, generally high debt management risk, disappointing return on equity, weak operating cash flow and generally disappointing historical performance in the stock itself. Recently, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. You can view the full analysis from the report here: SWN SWN data by YCharts NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Ingram Micro (IM) stock is advancing 21.74% to $36.10 in late morning trading on Thursday after the technology company agreed to be acquired by China-based Tianjin Tianhai Investment Co. in a transaction valued at approximately $6 billion. "This is a godsend for this industry," TheStreet's Jim Cramer said on CNBC's Squawk on the Street this morning, adding that the computer hardware and software industry has not been performing very well recently. "This was an important deal in the wake of ADT," Cramer commented, referring to home and business security provider ADT Corp. (ADT), which agreed to be bought by Apollo Global Management (APO) on Tuesday. Cramer explained that with the overall decline in stock prices, some firms see the opportunity to "strike." "I just think that it's a very positive trend, because there are so many tech companies that are just out there and not doing well," Cramer added. Cramer also warned viewers that the U.S. government may not like a Chinese firm buying an American tech company like Ingram Micro. The transaction, which is subject to regulatory and shareholder approval, is expected to close in the second half of 2016. Separately, Ingram Micro has a "buy" rating and a letter grade of B+ at TheStreet Ratings because of the company's good cash flow from operations, solid stock price performance and largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures. You can view the full analysis from the report here: IM TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. IM data by YCharts On Wednesday evening, Chinese e-commerce company JD.com (JD) hosted its first-ever U.S. fashion show as a part of New York Fashion Week. The show coincided with the company's official launch of its U.S. Fashion Mall on its marketplace and showcased five different designers who are selling their new lines on JD.com. The launch and fashion show mark another stage in the company's strategy to attract more international brands and products onto its site to better compete with its rival Alibaba (BABA) . Both companies are fighting fervently to get as much international inventory on their site as possible in order to draw more Chinese customers, who show strong interest specifically in international products. "We want to reach brands around the world and bring them to customers in China because we see such high demand," Belinda Chen, JD's general manager of international business development, said during a press conference before the show. Most recently, JD.com signed on Calvin Klein, part of Phillips-Van Heusen (PVH) , and Under Armour (UA) , but the marketplace is hoping that this week's fashion show will draw more attention to the new mall and drive more U.S. designers to jump on board. Though this week's fashion show was JD's first show in the U.S., the company previously held one in Italy during Milan Fashion Week. At the New York show, JD showed off five designers: Chi Zhang, Alicia Lee, Gioia Pan, Ruiping Guo, and Tim Cahill. Pre-sales for some of the items that were shown on the runway are currently available on JD.com. Here are some of the looks that JD chose to show off in New York, looks that Chinese customers are apparently interested in purchasing. First up was Alicia Lee, a Beijing-based designer. Next up was Ruiping Guo, a designer that emphasizes the detail with her needlework. Then Chi Zhang showed her line. Zhang has collaborated with Marvel Comics in the past and tends to show off bold looks. Up next was the Taiwanese designer Gioia Pan, known as the "Queen of Knits". Last on the runway was Tim Cahill's sportswear line. Cahill is a Shanghai-based Australian soccer player who decided to mesh his passion for sports with fashion. Ethan Allen (ETH) is looking for a little magic from Disney (DIS) to help sustain its growth in 2016. The company has teamed up with Disney to create a new line of furniture and home decor that will be introduced in stores in the U.S. and Canada later this year. "We believe it has tremendous potential. We have not, in all these 83 years, associated ourselves with any other brand. But Disney, and Ethan Allen, we are two great iconic American brands,' said Farooq Kathwari, CEO of Ethan Allen. "The objective really is to get children in and get their parents, and their parents happen to be mostly millennials. So it expands our reach to an age group that's very, very important." Kathwari discussed the Disney deal during a visit to the New York Stock Exchange Thursday. The deal is just one initiative the company has recently undertaken to boost sales. Ethan Allen has also been focusing on developing its digital platforms to help draw in more customers. In its last quarter, Ethan Allen's sales increased 5.3%. Kathwari is feeling good about 2016. "We feel confident. We always have to be somewhat cautious, but we are confident about the fact of what we can do in terms of our quality, in terms of our service," said Kathwari. "When you take a look at the economy, you look at the information coming in, there are lots of issues in the world, international issues, domestic issues. But as an enterprise, you really have to position yourself so that you're able to take advantage of challenges. So I think we are positioned well." Ethan Allen is adding two new manufacturing plants in North America this year, and set up a display of furniture on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange to show off American craftsmanship. Most of the company's furniture is built in America. Kathwari, who's been the CEO of Ethan Allen since 1987, recently won a proxy fight after an activist challenge from Sandell Asset Management. "It was somewhat of a surprise," said Kathwari, who discussed the lessons learned from the proxy battle. "What we learned was, instead of getting advisers and consultants, we could talk our shareholders, which we did. And then they know us, they know our perspective. And I'm very, very happy and pleased that we were overwhelmingly supported by our shareholders." Ethan Allen's board of directors was re-elected by a wide margin at the company's annual shareholder meeting late last year. PepsiCo (PEP) certainly has the financial firepower to do a big deal, but finding the right company is proving elusive. "We have yet to find that gem of a company -- there is nothing out there at the moment," said PepsiCo chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi on Thursday at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York conference (CAGNY). Nooyi added that "we don't shy away from investments that could grow this company." The long-time PepsiCo executive explained the company is having trouble either finding the right strategic fit, or is unwilling to pay high multiples for up-and-coming beverage or snack brands. Recently, PepsiCo was rumored to have been rebuffed by Greek yogurt maker Chobani to take a stake in the company. PepsiCo vice chairman and CEO Hugh Johnston declined to comment on the speculation in a Feb. 11 interview with TheStreet. He reiterated that PepsiCo averages less that $500 million in smaller "tuck-in" acquisitions each year, and "expects this policy to continue moving forward." But the company has the balance sheet to do something large. PepsiCo generated a massive $8.1 billion in free cash flow in 2015, created in part by billions of dollars in cost savings measures since 2010 and steady top line growth. It finished 2015 with about $11.9 billion in cash and short-term investments. For 2016, the company estimates it will have more than $7.1 billion in free cash flow. PepsiCo also has strong credit ratings from S&P and Moody's, which would allow it to borrow rather cheaply to fund a significant purchase if needed. PepsiCo's history is filled with big transactions, the most prominent being its combination with snack maker Frito Lay in 1965. In 1998, PepsiCo purchased Tropicana for about $3.3 billion. Then in 2000, the company plunked down a colossal $13.4 billion to buy Quaker Oats, which also gave it access to the coveted Gatorade brand. The company's purchase of Izze for an undisclosed sum in 2006 gave it access to the hot-selling sparkling water category, while in the same year it gobbled up juice brand Naked for an undisclosed amount. The company's last huge brand acquisition was Russian dairy products and fruit-juice maker Wimm-Bill-Dann for about $5.4 billion in 2010. The aye's have it and in spades. More than 70% of people surveyed in a TheStreet poll sided with Apple (AAPL) and CEO Timothy D. Cook on privacy issues, saying the tech giant should not help the government hack into an iPhone used by one of the shooters in December's tragic incident in San Bernardino, Calif. Of the more than 900 people who responded to the poll as of Thursday afternoon, over 600 (72%) said they agree with Apple's stance to refuse the request of a court order to unlock an iPhone 5c for the FBI. The remaining 28% of respondents said they agreed with the FBI on the issue. In a letter posted to the company's website, Cook said the request of the government, which was originally ordered by a magistrate judge in the state of California, would set a "dangerous precedent," threatening the security of Apple's customers, something it has long said it would not do. The FBI has asked Apple to create a new version of its popular iOS operating system and then install it on the iPhone 5c used by gunman Syed Farook. "Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation," Cook wrote in the letter to customers. "In the wrong hands, this software -- which does not exist today -- would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone's physical possession." By refusing the FBI's request, the company said it is not just focusing on the privacy of its customers, which it has long advocated for, but also has concerns about the FBI overreaching. Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple said the FBI "is proposing an unprecedented use of the All Writs Act of 1789 to justify an expansion of its authority." Apple has five days to challenge the order from California judge Sheri Pym, which Apple said it plans to do, setting the stage for a contentious legal battle that could have major consequences for law enforcement and the tech industry. Apple is a holding in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Exclusive Look Inside: You see Jim Cramer on TV. Now, see where he invests his money and why Apple is a core holding of his multi-million dollar portfolio. Want to be alerted before Jim Cramer buys or sells AAPL?Learn more now. Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush arrives to speak at a rally at Summerville Country Club in Summerville, S.C., Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) A police officer clears the area of an explosion in Ankara, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, after assailants exploded a car bomb near vehicles carrying military personnel in the Turkish capital, killing several people and injuring scores of others, officials said. The explosion occurred during evening rush hour in the heart of city, in an area close to where military headquarters and the parliament are located. (Mustafa Kirazli/Cihan News Agency via AP) In this Feb. 15, 2016, photo, Jane Sanders, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Detroit, Mich. Jane Sanders is playing a central role in her husbands surging presidential campaign. Momentum is on Bernie Sanders side after his 22-point win in the New Hampshire primary and a close finish in Iowa. His campaign, fueled by promises of political revolution and small dollar donations, has proven a surprisingly robust challenge to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) In this Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016 photo passengers enter the charter departures terminal of the a Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba. The United States and Cuba have signed an agreement on Tuesday, Feb. 16, to resume commercial air traffic for the first time in five decades, starting the clock on dozens of new flights operating daily by next fall. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan) This photo provided by the Dawson County Sheriff's Office, shows Sonserea Dawn Evans, jailed Feb. 12 in Dawson County, Georgia, on charges of aggravated battery and drug possession. Dawson County sheriff's investigators say Evans used methamphetamine to spike the drink of a Waffle House co-worker, who was hospitalized in a comatose state and is still recovering nearly two months later. (Courtesy of the Dawson County Sheriff's Office via AP) Once again, another infant has RL been Niftar in Eretz Yisroel. According to Ichud Hatzalah, when EMTs arrived at the call on Dolev Street in Rehovot, they found a four-month-old girl in cardiac arrest after an apparent choking incident during her sleep. No explanation given as to how this determination was made. EMT Itai Mendelson and others began CPR, joined by paramedics and advanced life support as they transported the infant to Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot where doctors pronounced the young child dead RL, joining the growing list of tragedies many infants and small children dying in the chareidi community around Israel. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) As the Takata air bag saga drags on, concerns are growing that tens of millions of U.S. drivers with cars that havent been recalled could be at risk of death or injury from the potentially defective devices. Federal safety regulators last month confirmed that a South Carolina mans death in December was caused by a drivers air bag inflator that wasnt under recall. It was the ninth Takata-related fatality in the U.S. In a Feb. 10 letter to Mark Rosekind, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., urged the agency to recall all Takata inflators in U.S. cars. He said the agencys current approach of issuing recalls piecemeal, appears to be confusing many consumers who wonder if their cars have an unsafe air bag that hasnt been recalled. Since 2008, 14 automakers have recalled 24 million vehicles to replace the inflators, which can rupture in a crash, shooting metal shards at the driver and passengers. Experts say there could be as many as 50 million Takata air bag inflators in cars that have yet to be called back for repairs. For drivers of those vehicles, finding out if their car has a Takata inflator can be tricky. They either have to convince a dealer to take apart the car to look, or get the automaker to tell them. Some, like General Motors and Ford, wont tell. Nissan and Toyota wont say if they will disclose a Takata inflator. Fiat Chrysler, Mazda, Mercedes and BMW say theyll tell if asked. NHTSA spokesman Gordon Trowbridge says the agency doesnt have the data yet to justify a recall of every Takata inflator. The agency has given Takata until the end of 2018 to solve the problem or issue a blanket recall. Takata says it continues to investigate the cause; NHTSA and the auto industry also have investigations under way. The death of Joel Knight, 52, underscores how perplexing the search for a solution is. On Dec. 22, Knights 2006 Ford Ranger struck a cow on a rural road near his home in Kershaw, South Carolina. He died after metal fragments from the drivers inflator impaled his neck. According to a law firm representing Knights family, the crash was moderate and otherwise survivable. NHTSA says Knights driver air bag hadnt been recalled because tests on hundreds of inflators like the one used in his Ranger did not show any failures. The passenger air bag had been recalled. Knights death fits into one prevailing theory about the cause of the ruptures: his truck was an older model, and spent a long period of time in a region with high humidity. Takata is nearly alone among inflator makers in using the chemical ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion that inflates the bags in a crash. Tests show that over time, high temperatures and humidity can degrade the chemical, causing it to explode with too much force, rupturing a metal canister thats supposed to contain the explosion. The pieces can hit a cars occupants. Initially, the recalls targeted older vehicles along the Gulf Coast, and NHTSA has ordered that dealers in those areas receive the bulk of replacement inflators as theyre made. But the latest recall from Volkswagen includes cars from 2014, and a recent Honda recall has a 2016 model. Recent events and recalls involving relatively new vehicles with these types of inflators raise serious questions as to whether Takatas ammonium nitrate propellant is inherently dangerous, Nelson wrote to Rosekind. I am concerned that the current approach may be needlessly incremental and fail to adequately protect public safety. Scott Upham, who runs a Rochester, New York, research firm that tracks air bag sales, estimates there are 50 million unrecalled Takata inflators on U.S. roads today. Until theyre all recalled and fixed people are going to keep dying, he says. Takata maintains that most of its inflators are safe, but says it agreed with government demands to stop making those with ammonium nitrate by 2018 except for inflators with a drying agent. All of the deaths have been caused by drivers inflators, and NHTSAs Trowbridge says all but a few thousand of those without a chemical added to keep them dry have been recalled. That means most of the unrecalled inflators are on the passenger side, where there have been fewer serious injuries. Still, the piecemeal approach to recalls has allowed the population of Takata inflators to grow so large that a total recall wouldnt immediately fix the problem because replacements cant be manufactured fast enough. Takata says it and other suppliers can make up to 1.5 million replacement inflators per month, meaning up to 18 million a year. But some of those must go to other countries, where about 30 million more inflators are being recalled. In the U.S., it would take about four years to replace inflators now under recall. So far, automakers have replaced about 5 million inflators. That low rate is due both to the limited number of inflators and to an issue common to most recalls: People dont take their cars in for repairs, even with a problem this serious. Two other senators want to make sure everyone with a Takata inflator can get a replacement. Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Edward Markey of Massachusetts, in a separate letter this month, asked NHTSA to recall all the inflators and force Takata to publish all makes and models for which it has supplied air bags since 2000. The public also should be allowed to see inflator test results, they said. Every consumer deserves to know whether their vehicle could be lethal in a fender-bender, the senators wrote. (AP) Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Marco Rubio are locked in a high-stakes political chess match in South Carolina, strategically moving money and other campaign resources around in a bid to pull ahead in the Republican primary race or at least keep their campaigns afloat. The maneuvering comes as some Republican leaders fear Donald Trump or Ted Cruz will begin piling up the delegates needed to secure the nomination before one of the more traditional candidates can concentrate the support of voters turned off by the brash billionaire and fiery Texas senator. Establishment Republicans believe either of those two could jeopardize the partys chances of winning in Novembers general election. We do need to get the field down to Trump, Cruz and somebody, said Henry Barbour, a Republican National Committee heavyweight from Mississippi. New Hampshire tried, but its clear as mud. Indeed, the only thing that is clear heading into Saturdays South Carolina primary appears to be Trumps grip on the lead. Cruz, the winner of the Iowa caucuses, is also in the mix for a strong finish. But the more mainstream lane populated by Bush, Kasich and Rubio is more jumbled. Bushs campaign now sees an opening to capitalize on Rubios fifth-place finish in New Hampshire, while Kasichs strong second-place showing there has given him reason to keep going. Rubios team, meanwhile, is quietly confident that South Carolina will prove to be a comeback story for the Florida senator. Kasichs finish in New Hampshire has scrambled what might have been a do-or-die contest between Bush and Rubio here. After initially viewing the first-in-the-South primary as too much of a long-shot for a moderate Midwesterner, Kasich abruptly changed his schedule to campaign in South Carolina almost every day. The newly confident Ohio governor also recently put a small batch of ads on television in South Carolina something he hadnt planned until after his New Hampshire success. Exceeding expectations is why were there, Kasich spokesman Chris Schrimpf said. For Kasich, exceeding expectations here would be to finish ahead of Bush, the former Florida governor. Bush has deep family ties to South Carolina his father and brother each won two primaries here and a poor showing Saturday could leave him without a compelling rationale to go on. Right to Rise USA, the heavily funded super PAC backing Bush, has reduced its radio and television ad spending by nearly $3 million across seven states that vote in the coming weeks, according to Kantar Medias Campaign Media Analysis Group (CMAG) data. The cuts impact some states that vote on Super Tuesday, the delegate-rich March 1 bonanza. The super PAC made the biggest change in Texas, where it cut more than $1 million in ads it had planned through the March 1 primary. The group also cut back in Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee and Oklahoma all Super Tuesday states as well as Michigan and Idaho. Right to Rise spokesman Paul Lindsay cast the moves as a delay in spending that will give us the opportunity to prioritize following South Carolina. Rubio is also trimming his ad spending, though his cuts come in South Carolina. According to the CMAG data, Rubios campaign has scaled back its remaining paid media in the state by more than half. However, his allied super PAC appears to be picking up the slack. Rubio aides said the moves were aimed at bringing the campaigns ad spending down to the level of its competitors in South Carolina, not a sign of financial troubles or an indication that he was lowering expectations. The winner here has emerged as the nominee in each presidential cycle from 1980 to 2008. But those typically were two-man contests. This time the large number of candidates means theres no clean divide on ideology, personality or anything else. Even before South Carolina votes, Republican leaders and even some voters say that candidates who arent competitive need to swallow their pride and let go of their presidential ambitions. Im just hoping through this election or maybe the next one we whittle it down a little to two or three really good candidates, said Bill Hann, a 69-year-old from Daniel Island who is still deciding between Rubio, Kasich and Bush. Just too many voices right now. Katon Dawson, a former South Carolina GOP chairman who remains unaligned, put it more bluntly. He said that if a candidate finishes in the single digits Saturday, you ought to quit. (AP) Dozens of missionaries from Canada are operating all over Israel according to Yad LAchim. The group of J Witnesses arrived in Israel and in recent weeks, they have visited at least ten cities around Israel, proselytizing to bring people to Christianity. They are going door-to-door trying to engage people in discussion to permit them to explain about life and its meaning. They are distributing missionary literature and BH Yad LAchim was notified immediately and responded to the call, working aggressively against them, including a media campaign warning Israelis of their actions. To date, Yad LAchim activists have found the missionaries operating in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Rehovot, Bat Yam, Holon, Yahud, Netanya, Yokneam and Tiveria. Yad LAchim is receiving calls on a daily basis, signaling the fervor of these activists in so many areas, working to chas vsholom take people from their Yiddishkheit. According to reports they come to homes in groups of three and at least one is a Hebrew speaker. They are also leaving literature in public areas, always pointing out to all the material is available free of charge. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) The photo shows representatives of Egged being menachem aveil in the Yavniel home of the Amdari family, whose 18-year-old son Levi Yitzchak zl was one of six victims in the number 402 bus crash on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway earlier this week. The father, Rav Hillel quoted the Steipler ZTL explaining that one who gets a drivers license must understand it is equivalent to a gun license. Rav Hillel added I do not know what will become of the driver but you are responsible to get good drivers, responsible individuals just as I do not give my car to one who does not know how to drive properly. The father added from his perspective, This is a gezeira min Shomayim and this is how the world turns and this is what must be. No one is guilty, not you, but we are to learn a lesson and drivers must be more cautious. I do not know what happened and what caused it. Perhaps he was occupied with something else. Everything is overseen in Shomayim but are nevertheless compelled to learn from this. The Torah commands us . One of the Egged representatives explained a cousin of his was killed in an accident returning from a yahrzeit of the Babi Sali ZTL. He commented I understand every word you are saying. I sit here speechless. I know the pain and I know exactly what you are explaining. The driver, Chaim Biton, who was released to house arrest, likely to face criminal charges as the preliminary investigation points to negligence on his part, leading to the fatal crash that left of 20 others injured. The niftar was a son of Rav Hillel Amdari, a prominent rov in Yavniel and member of the Breslov kehilla. Photos: The Egged representatives making a shiva visit. The mourning notice from Egged appearing in various chareidi newspapers this week (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem / Photo: Media Resource Group) The chareidi parties have already notified Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu they are adamantly opposed to his suggestion to open a casino in Eilat, casinos that would be exclusively for tourists, not Israelis. Shas has already announced It will never happen. Shas statement reads Casinos in Israel will serve the tycoons, owners of significant capital, and cause serious damage to the disadvantaged. Studies conducted worldwide have determined those affected by casinos are many who lost their property, causing the destruction of lower income families. The Shas statement adds Shas represents the poor and weak in Israel and works to in their interests and therefore will object adamantly to the establishment of casinos in Israel. Casinos will lead to the destruction of families and harm those who dont have anything. Joining in voicing objections to the initiative is Moshe Gafne of Yahadut Hatorah. He explains We will object to this vehemently for we have always been against this and we remain opposed now. We are hearing of this today for the first time. Gafne adds casinos lead to crime and unwanted phenomenon and everyone is aware of this. We have always objected and we remain vehemently opposed. The plan calls for casinos in Eilat for tourists and only persons with foreign passports would be permitted to enter. Opponents have already pointed out that among the many other issues, there is the simple fact that many Israelis have foreign passports as well so it will be close to impossible to prevent Israelis from visiting casinos. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Not too long ago, YWN-ISRAEL wrote of the plight of a troubled medical clown employed by Hadassah Hospital. That article contained a number of inaccuracies which the clown, Maya Ben-David requested we correct to set the public straight. The following article is the corrected version as understood today. Maya insists on telling readers We apologize for any inconvenience caused as a result to Hadassah Hospital & Dream Doctors project. I would like to express my gratitude to Hadassah, working with such a wonderful hospital and staff as well as extending my gratitude to the Dream Doctor Project for the great opportunities they opened for me in my life as medical clown. Maya, a veteran medical clown who works in hospitals in Israel, encountered financial difficulties due to the financial crisis faced by Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. She has however extricated herself from the financial hardships with the aid of an NGO that assists women in financial distress. As is the case at times in life, her salvation came from an unexpected place. When her computer broke, technician Eyal Ben-Yaakov spoke to her about an organization called Latet which assists women in financial distress. The organization assisted her in developing a business plan and provided support while she was recovering. Now, a year later, she is standing on her own and does not depend solely on her hospital income. The NGO worked with her in developing a business program performances and clown shows for children. At the same time her website was constructed with the assistance of a loan and a grant to buy required equipment. Later, she was assigned a mentor who accompanied her as she built the business. My mental health was not good and my economic situation was difficult. The coordinator of the NGO built a business model with me, supporting me in writing a vision for the future that detailed who I am and what I can to be so I would no longer have to be dependent on outside sources Maya explains. Maya explains at no time did she think of leaving Hadassah, explaining she arrived day in and day out to bring smiles to the faces of children. I never gave up she exclaims. When asked how she managed during the economic hardships, Maya explains simply this is the essence of a clown, to give hope and a spark of joy and optimism and this is what she did for herself during the hard times. In conclusion, Maya Ben-David thanks the director of Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital, Dr. Osnat Lev Tzion, who made great efforts to assist her along with the entire team of medical clowns to reduce the adverse impact of the crisis for all of them. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Health Minister Yaakov Litzman on Wednesday morning 8 Adar I spoke with Kol Chai Radio host Mordechai Lavi, confirming reports he is angered at Israel Police foot-dragging pertaining to unnecessarily detaining bodies and thereby delaying kvura, speaking specifically of this weeks tragic Egged 402 bus crash on Highway 1 in which six people were killed RL. Litzman explains the bodies were taken to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute, which he added is under the auspices of the Ministry of Health, his ministry. He stated so I am in charge and the professionals said there was no problem identifying four of the five bodies in question. Litzman explained that on the night of the fatal crash the professionals, which he explains are the medical pathologists, stated without a doubt that four of the five bodies were easily identifiable. However, police did not concur. Litzman explained that night he phoned Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan who is responsible for Israel Police, and the minister explain the police have issues. Litzman made a point of stating he in no way blames Erdan for the delay, citing the two are friends and maintain an excellent working relationship. Litzman feels that even the fifth body could have been identified but he is willing to accept the concerns of police regarding the one body, but not the other four. They all had ID cards he explained and identifying them was not an issue. He feels that the moment the professionals announced the bodies are identifiable, they would bring a halt to any and all police concerns but this was not the case. As such, he plans to work to amend regulations to avoid a reoccurrence in the future. As far as the Health Minister is concerned, the moment the medical examiner says the bodies have been identified, police have no right or justification to say otherwise. He hopes to be in contact with Erdan to advance amending regulations to avoid such situations in the future. Litzman worked hard along with others as the families want to bury their loved ones immediately but police would not hear of it. Following his interview Zaka CEO Yehuda Meshi-Zahav called and confirmed the details of the case as Litzman presented them. Meshi-Zahav explained the police wanted dental records, which were not required in this case. The families were clueless as to the identities of the dentists so police insisted on DNA, which took eight hours. Meshi-Zahav explained the entire confusion surrounded the fact that Chana Frankel ah had her sisters Rav Kav (bus smart card) and that was simply no cause for delaying kvura. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) In the shadow of ongoing Palestinian terror attacks and following the most recent tragedy, the fatal Egged 402 bus crash that claimed six lives RL, the Sanzer Rebbe Shlita has released a letter addressing the difficult period. In the letter he speaks of the threats posed to the tzibur by modern technology, warning of the , the kitrug that results from said technology. The letter was directed at everyone, but released for a Kinos in Elad held earlier in the week. The rebbe explains how blood have flown like water as a result of the heinous murderers and there can be no doubt that the klipa temeia is led by the cursed tomei technology that infects heart and soul. He speaks of the many tragedies that have befallen Klal Yisroel of late and the need to rid ourselves of this unclean technology. The rebbe calls on the tzibur to unite against these threats, to cleanse the camp of unwanted gashmiyus, at this appropriate time, the Shovavim. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) If timing played a role in the High Courts ruling, this former bus driver did not have a prayer. The High Court of Justice on Wednesday 8 Adar I rejected an appeal from bus driver Eduard Gelfund, who was driving a bus involved in a fatal accident near Eilat in 2008, as was reported by YWN. The area of the crash is known as Mt. Yuash Canyon about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) north of Eilat. The bus flipped and about 50 people were thrown from the vehicle, carrying tourists from St. Petersburg. Twenty-four of the passengers were killed in the crash as the bus fell some 70 meters into a ravine. The fatal crash occurred on December 6, 2008 on Route 12. In addition to the fatalities, 15 passengers were seriously injured and others were less seriously injured. Gelfund was blamed for the worst ever crash in Israel and convicted of manslaughter in 2013 in the Beersheva District Court. He was held accountable for losing control of the bus on a curvy area of the road with limited visibility. He was sentenced to eight years in jail and his license was suspended for 25 years. On Wednesday, 8 Adar I, just days after the fatal Egged 402 bus crash on Highway 1 that led to the deaths of six people, a three-justice panel of the court rejected Gelfunds appeal. The court explained that in this case there was no dispute that the accident occurred as Gelfund was passing another bus at a blind area of the road. The court added the driver was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol but simply drove recklessly, comparing his actions to one who crosses a solid line, a red light of drives with a suspended license. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) According to Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, Education Minister Naftali Bennett demanded that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu submit to a polygraph exam to determine who is leaking information form cabinet meetings regarding Hamas terror tunnels. Shaked made her remarks during an interview with Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) on Wednesday, 8 Adar I. YWN-ISRAEL recently reported officials in the Prime Ministers Office accuse Bennett of being the source of the leak. Shaked explained that in an effort to prove his innocence, Bennett is willing to take the test and is asking that all other cabinet members do the same. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) After his big win in the Iowa caucuses, Ted Cruz is one step closer to becoming the first Hispanic president in U.S. history. But thats not how he wants to be known. Cruz, whose father was born in Cuba, admits that his Spanish-speaking skills are lousy. He offers up only the occasional muchisimas gracias on the campaign trail. His positions on immigration, including ending birthright citizenship and building a border wall, put him at odds with many Hispanic voters and advocacy groups. They accuse him of ignoring his heritage and issues that matter to many Latinos. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio shares some of the same conservative positions on immigration, some of which antagonize the Hispanic community an ever-growing and increasingly powerful demographic in American elections. For both of the young senators, their heritage has not defined their supporter base or their political philosophies. But Cruz in particular has risked alienating many Hispanics by surrounding himself with conservatives such as Iowa Rep. Steve King, Cruzs national campaign co-chairman, who has compared immigrants living in the country illegally to drug mules and livestock. In appealing to conservatives in mostly white Iowa and New Hampshire, it wasnt necessary for Cruz or Rubio to appeal directly to Hispanic voters. But that could change quickly in Nevada on Feb. 23, where Latinos make up 28 percent of the population, although they made up only 5 percent of Republican voters in the 2012 caucuses. Cruzs top strategist, Jason Johnson, says the Texas senator can win the general election by capturing just 30 percent of Hispanics not much more than the 27 percent Mitt Romney got in his failed 2012 White House bid. Instead of luring more Hispanics to his side, Cruz is counting on bringing out millions of mostly white evangelical Christians and working class voters who sat out the past two elections. In the Democratic Party, youre the Hispanic guy, youre the African-American guy, youre whatever your little bloc is, youre pigeonholed and simply a quota representative, Cruz told The Associated Press in a November interview. One of the reasons Im a Republican is because we treat people as individuals. When I ran for Senate in Texas I didnt run as: Vote for the Hispanic guy.' Cruz said he ran for the Senate as the strongest conservative and thats exactly how Im running for president. As a teenager in Cuba, his father Rafael Cruz joined an uprising against Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, during which time he was arrested and beaten. In 1957 two years before Fidel Castro took power the elder Cruz fled Cuba for the U.S., a story that Cruz often recounts on the campaign trail. He told AP that nothing sums up why he ran for office more than his fathers journey and fulfillment of the American dream. Being the son of an immigrant who has fled oppression makes you appreciate how precious and fragile our freedom is, and is integral to who I am, Cruz said. But I think a great many of Hispanics in this country are tired of being stereotyped or taken for granted by the Democratic Party. Cruz was born Rafael Edward Cruz in 1970. He spoke no Spanish at home and his parents spoke only English when around him. Cruz described in his 2015 autobiography A Time for Truth how as a child he was known by the nickname Felito. The problem with that name was that it seemed to rhyme with every major corn chip on the market, Cruz wrote. Fritos, Cheetos, Doritos and Tostitos a fact that other young children were quite happy to point out. Cruz changed his name to Ted when he was 13 a move that infuriated his father. For about two years, his father, who now travels the country campaigning for him, refused to call him Ted. By distancing himself from his cultural heritage, hes opening himself to criticism from the other Cuban-American in the race. Rubio and Cruz clashed over their Spanish-speaking skills in last weekends GOP debate, with the fluent Rubio criticizing Cruz for not speaking Spanish. Cruz lashed back in heavily accented Spanish, a rare display of his limited knowledge of the language. Alfonso Aguilar, president of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles, said Cruz doesnt fundamentally understand the Latino community. The Washington-based group of national conservative and Republican leaders has criticized both Cruz and Donald Trump for their opposition to legalizing people who are in the county illegally. Cruz and Rubio have turned their back on our community and are catering to the anti-immigrant fringe of the Republican Party, said Dolores Huerta, a longtime civil rights activist. They really dont share the values of the Latino community even though they happen to be Latinos themselves, Huerta said. We have to vote our values and for the people who are standing up for us. We cant vote for somebody just because they happen to be of Latino descent. (AP) During her visit to Israel, US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power met with Zaka Chairman Yehuda Meshi-Zahav for the first time since the UN Committee on NGOs granted consultative status (on January 26, 2016) to the Jerusalem-based international humanitarian voluntary organization. Meshi-Zahav thanked Ambassador Power for her relentless activities within the last six months in particular to help ensure that Zaka received advisory status, despite the five consecutive rejections and the systematic bias within the UN that Power claims has extended well beyond Israel as a country to Israel as an idea. The Zaka Chairman noted that Ambassador Power took on herself the challenge or mission impossible in her own words of ensuring that Zaka would indeed receive UN consultative status. Meshi-Zahav stated, Without doubt, it is thanks to the tireless support of US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power, together with the Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, that Zaka was finally able to take its rightful place at the UN, as an NGO that offers humanitarian aid and specialist emergency response to mass casualty incidents around the world, regardless of religion, race or creed. As an expression of our gratitude and esteem, Zaka has extended an invitation to Ambassador Power to be our guest of honor at a tribute event in New York later this year. Speaking before a model UN at a school in Even Yehuda on Monday, noted that Israel is just not treated like other countries and cited Zaka as an example of this systematic bias. Zaka not only works here in Israel, but it responds to natural and manmade disasters worldwide, as it did in New York after 9/11, and in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. Yet when Zaka was nominated in 2013 for accreditation by the UNs NGO committee and this accreditation is what gives NGOs the right to participate in UN meetings, the right to assert their voices, the right to raise causes that really matter in the world when Zaka was put forward it was denied approval. Five subsequent times the committee met, and five times member states blocked Zaka not because of the quality of its work, people werent that interested in the quality of its work, but simply because Zaka is an Israeli organization. Photo: (left to right) US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power and Zaka Chairman Yehuda Meshi-Zahav. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem / Photo: Zaka) The Chief Rabbinate of Israel views itself under attack on several fronts. Private kashrus agencies which it does not recognize have already received legal backing to operate; an egalitarian prayer area has been approved near the Kosel to the exclusion of Chief Rabbinate control; the Reform Movement has been given the authority to have its beis din oversee a convert toiveling in a Chief Rabbinate run mikve, and the challenges to its supreme authority as the overseer and regulator of religious services in Israel appears to be rapidly waning. Various organizations continue petitioning the Supreme Court on religious matters including marriage and burial, slowly but steadily chipping away at the Chief Rabbinate of Israels autonomous regulatory authority. Pictures of laminated ID cards for a certified mohel with names and photos of non-Jews have been circulating during recent days, leaving rabbonim in the Chief Rabbinate of Israel Bris Unit angered and perplexed. The licenses show the name of the organization Moreshet Avot, The Institute for Certifying Mohels in Israel as the certifying organization, stating the persons whose name and photo appear is a certified mohel. In fact, this institute advertises heavily in the chareidi tzibur, offering courses for milah, kashrus mashgiach, sofer STaM and more. Making things worse, the card issued is strikingly similar in appearance to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel license identity cards. The Rabbinate officials explain that the word mohel should not be used for this will cause confusion or chas vsholom worse scenarios. The rabbonim explain most people can study and learn the practical skills required but being a certified mohel involves much more than this. Chief Rabbinate attorneys have been given the case to probe the legality of the cards. Attorney Harel Goldberg is working with a representative of the Health Ministry to investigate the matter. Goldberg explains the case is receiving high priority in his office. According to officials in the Moreshet Avot Institute, a bris is viewed as a religious ceremony in Israel and not a medical procure. Hence, a mohel is not required to have a medical license to practice. The institute has classes to certify mohels to practice in Israel and abroad and the course includes the halachic and medical aspects of the profession. The students practice skills on training mannequins designed for them as well as under supervision like any other mohel student in the field. Institute officials explain they have received a number of requests from medical personnel in the Arab sector and they have created a course for the Arab sector. Their course does not include the halachic aspects contained in the course for Jewish students and they receive a card to practice in the non-Jewish community. Institute officials insist the Chief Rabbinate is not the only organization in Israel permitted to certify a mohel, with officials explaining according to a High Court of Israel ruling, the Chief Rabbinate Bris Unit is only a voluntary body acting to oversee the industry but not a regulating body, adding there are many practicing proficient mohelim working in the Jewish community today in Israel who are not certified by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. Kippa News quotes the head of the institute, Rabbi Mordechai Azran, who explains the Arab community has the same right as the Jewish community and they have now decided to acquire these skills too. Officials add that the students from the Arab sector are all members of the medical community, including physicians and registered nurses working in Israel so the medical aspect is covered. Institute officials add the ID card is for the parents, for they wish to see some type of certification. When a mohel can show his photo ID which states certified mohel they are calmed. Rabbi Azran adds the matter of a mohel in the Arab sector is currently being addressed by legislators. This clearly represents another front the Chief Rabbinate must address as it is clearly facing new challenges to its authority today from many sectors of Israeli society. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Pope Francis said today that GOP front-runner Donald Trump is not Christian if he calls for the deportation of undocumented immigrants and pledges to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not of building bridges, is not Christian. This is not the gospel, the Pope said. He added he would not advise people on whether to vote for Trump. (Source: CNN) One of the victims stabbed by a Palestinian terrorist in the Rami Levy Supermarket attack on Thursday afternoon , has RL died of his injuries. Tuvia Yanai Weissman HYD has been identified as the 21-year-old male victim. As YWN reported earlier, two shoppers in the supermarket were stabbed by two Palestinian terrorists. They were neutralized by an armed man inside the store. Tuvia Yanai HYD was rushed to Shaarei Tzedek Medical Center in Jerusalem where doctors desperately tried saving his life. Unfortunately, he was Niftar. The second victim, a 36-year-old victim remains in moderate condition. As YWN reported, he is a member of the Community Council. His name for Tehillim is Avi ben Chemda Avital Angry Crowd Yells Why MDA Is Treating Terrorist: Scene Of Terror Attack: (YWN World Headquarters NYC) [PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] Brooklyn Boro President Eric Adams is wrapping up a week-long visit to Israel, and just paid a visit to the largest yeshiva in the world, the Mir Yerushalayim. Moments after exiting the Mir, YWN spoke with President Adams who gave the following brief statement to us regarding his whirlwind tour of the country: I walked into the Mir Yeshiva, closed my eyes, and thought I was in Williamsburg. After spending a few days in this country, I must say that despite Israel living under the constant threat of violence, it incredibly does not surrender to fear. The entire globe has a lesson to learn from Israel. I am proud to represent the largest Jewish community outside of Israel, Admas added. As YWN reported, Adams left NY on Saturday night on a five-day mission focused on developing transatlantic partnership in public safety and economic development. He was accompanied with a 11-person delegation of current and former NYPD officials as well as local business leaders. Highlights of the trip, sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, Inc. (JCRC), included a visit to an IDF base in the Golan Heights, a counterterrorism briefing with intelligence officials in the Israeli National Security Council, a meeting with the chair of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, and a tour of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and Museum. Borough President Adams underscored the importance of this mission for strengthening the critical ties between Brooklyn and Israel, particularly in the midst of rising extremism in the Middle East that also threatens American security. Borough President Adamss delegation to Israel included retired NYPD Chief of Department Phillip Banks, III, NYPD Inspector and 90th Precinct Commanding Officer Mark DiPaolo, United Jewish Appeal (UJA)-Federation of New York Managing Director of Government and External Relations Jeff Leb, JCRC Executive Vice President & CEO Michael S. Miller, retired NYPD Inspector and current National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) President Timothy Pearson, NYPD Captain and 66th Precinct Commanding Officer Kenneth Quick, NYPD Patrol Borough Brooklyn North Deputy Chief Jack Trabitz, and Yidel Perlstein, Chair of Community Board 12. Members of his office that will also traveling with him include his special counsel Ama Dwimoh, special assistant Joel Eisdorfer, and director of intergovernmental affairs Abe Friedman. An in depth article on the trip will be forthcoming. (Dov Gordon YWN) FBI agents on Thursday were searching the California townhome of the brother of one of the shooters in the San Bernardino terror attack. The brother is a Navy veteran who earned medals for fighting global terrorism. Agents were carrying out a search warrant as part of an ongoing investigation, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller confirmed. No arrests had been made. Eimiller declined, however, to comment on where the search was happening or whether it had anything to do with the deadly shooting. An affidavit in support of the warrant was under seal. Gunman Syed Farooks brother and sister-in-law live in a home in Corona. Farook and his wife killed 14 people in the Dec. 2 terror attack at a meeting of his coworkers in San Bernardino, about an hour east of Los Angeles. Farooks brother, Syed Raheel Farook, is a Navy veteran who earned medals for fighting global terrorism. Syed Raheel Farook was in the Navy from 2003 to 2007, military records show. During his stint, he received the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, among other awards. After going through training in the familys native Illinois, Syed Raheel Farook served for three years aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise as an information system technician. The search warrant came a day after Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company would fight federal government efforts to help the FBI hack into an iPhone that had been used by shooter Syed Farook. A federal magistrate ordered Apple to help the FBI get into the phone but Cook said doing so would the software would mean building a backdoor that would bypass digital locks protecting consumer information on iPhones. He says the software would be too dangerous to create. (AP) In a move that will most likely increase the boycott against AM:PM convenience stores and its affiliates, it has been learned the company compelled Jewish employees to work on Yom Kippur. The story was covered in the secular media as well, as there too, the move was condemned, with the explanation that Yom Kippur was until now an understood day on which the Jewish People refrained from work. Employees of AM:PM apparently were compelled to work for fear of losing their jobs as the stores continue to celebrate their total disregard for Shabbos and other Jewish holy days. According to secular media reports, in Tel Aviv, at least two AM:PM stores compelled Jews to work, stocking shelves and cleaning the store. They were paid 300% overtime for their efforts. Degel HaTorah MK Moshe Gafne turned to the Ministry of Industry & Trade, demanding the ministry use the full authority of the law against the company. Minister of Industry & Trade Eli Yishai (Shas) has ordered a full investigation into the incident. Over the past months, the AM:PM chain has opened three additional Tel Aviv stores on Shabbosim. AM:PM is owned by the parent company as Shefa Shuk. (Yechiel Spira YWN Israel This article written after the first day Sukkos in Eretz Yisrael) (PHOTOS LINK IN EXTENDED ARTICLE) The preliminary investigation into the tragic bus accident indicates the bus driver was attempting an illegal pass of another bus, leading to the fatal incident in which the bus carrying tourists from St. Petersburg plummeted into a ravine, dropping some 70 meters. 26 people were killed and many others injured, some of them reported in serious condition. Police investigators report that at this time, the speed the bus was traveling is yet undetermined but the theory of the illegal pass is confirmed by evidence at the scene as well as eyewitness reports. The bus spun out of control a number of witnesses recall in horror, stating the scene was a difficult one, seeing bodies thrown from the bus which landed on its side below, in the valley. The point of impact was in the area known as Mt. Yuash Canyon about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) north of Eilat. Among the first to arrive on the scene was IDF Lt-Colonel Shaul Avidov, who stated the scene was one similar to a terror attack. He estimated about 50 people were thrown from the bus, most likely from the windows as the vehicle flipped its way down the mountain. Fortunately, the MDA Emergency Medical Service response was expeditious, and IDF assistance came rapidly from nearby bases. IDF Captain Dr. Saba Saba, a senior physician assigned to the area, stated it did not take him and his team long to realize this was a most serious incident. Treating the injured was difficult due to the mountainous terrain. There were many obvious DOAs but there were also many requiring immediate life-saving care. The army immediately activated the air force rescue choppers and at least six helicopters were sent into action, deploying air rescue medical personnel specializing in treating combat wounded and extricating them from difficult situations under harsh conditions. MDA immediately declared the incident a multi-causality event, activating pagers of all standby and off-duty personnel. The injured were taken to Eilats Yosef-Tal Hospital, and Health Ministry officials on Tuesday evening are calling on physicians, nurses and other medical personnel in the region to please come to the hospital to assist. At present, there are 34 victims being treated with 16 listed in serious condition. Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva, the only trauma center in the south, is sending medical teams to Yosef-Tal in Eilat to assist. Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv had 100 units of blood flown to Yosef-Tal. 40 nurses of the Leumit HMO, who were attending an area conference, were sent to Yosef Tal to assist. It appears the victims of the accident had arrived at Uvda Airport near Eilat and were on their way from the airport when the fatal accident occurred. MDA dispatchers received calls for the accident shortly before 3:00PM. Apparently, the victims were a group of tour operators sponsored by Travel-Lux, coming to Israel to learn more about the country for future tours. Israels Foreign Ministry has established a situation room. Israel Police has also established a situation room and Police Chief Dudi Cohen was receiving real-time updates from the scene earlier in the day. HOTLINE AND INFORMATION NUMBERS Foreign Ministry Situation Room number is 02-666-4358 The Ministry of Tourism hotline number is 02-666-4358. MDA hotline information number is 1-700-500-430. The Jewish community of St. Petersburg established a situation room in the citys central synagogue. Zaka volunteers are operating on the scene, bringing the bodies to the Port of Eilat where a makeshift morgue has been established. The bodies will be identified and then flown back to Russia for burial. All arrangements are being coordinated with the Russian Embassy in Israel. PHOTO LINK: CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS. UPDATE 2:00PM EST: The Chabad shaliach in St. Petersburg a short time ago announced that at present, he is unaware of any Jews who were involved in the accident. (This may still change) Below are the original alerts which were posted HERE on YWN as the story unfolded. 8:45AM EST: A bus packed with tourists flipped over, and rolled at least 70 yards down a ravine near the Ovda Army Base on the Eilat-Mitzpe Ramon Road in southern Eretz Yisroel. Although details are still sketchy at this time, there are reportedly 50 people injured some seriously. There are also reports of numerous fatalities RL as well. UPDATE 9:00AM EST: Reliable (but unconfirmed) sources tell YWN that as many as 27 people are feared dead in this horrific bus crash. A total of 6 IAF choppers are on the scene. YWN has learned that the tourists arrived just two hours ago from an Eastern European country, to the airport located in Southern Israel. UPDATE 10:08AM EST: There are 24 people confirmed dead, 33 people injured of which 23 are in critical condition. Doctors from across Israel have been scrambled to hospitals to treat the injured. Massive response of Hatzolah, MDA, IDF, and ZAKA to the scene. UPDATE 11:06AM EST: The bus which crashed was part of a group of 150 travel agents who just arrived on a tour of Israel. Conflicting reports of what caused the crash. A driver of a second bus travelling behind told Israel Radio that the driver was driving recklessly when the crash occurred. Other reports from eyewitnesses are that one bus passed another, causing him to lose control. (Yechiel Spira YWN Israel) Shares in the most complained-about train operator in the UK rose by more than 10 per cent today after it reported a big jump in half-year profits - thanks to a 'good performance in its rail division'. Go-Ahead Group's rail franchises Southeastern, Thameslink and Great Northern were voted the worst in a survey of the state of the nation's trains today by consumer champion Which? But that didn't stop the company, which also owns London Midland, racking second-half profits for 2015 of 52.1million - a 17 per cent increase on the year. With British train fares well outstripping most across Europe, put-upon commuters said Go-Ahead's three franchises offered the worst value for money, and that their trains were the least clean, punctual and the most difficult where to get a seat compared to the rest of UK railway operators. Rising profits: This is despite the majority of Go-Aheads rail franchises, including Thameslink (pictured), Southeastern and Great Northern, were voted the worst in a survey of the state of UK trains Also, figures released by the Office of Rail and Road last week revealed that Go-Ahead subsidiary Govia Thameslink Railway - which is responsible for Thameslink and Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services - had the most delays and cancellations caused by a lack of train staff, with 62,000 incidents. Go-Ahead nevertheless enjoyed sales of 1.7billion and its overall profits were boosted especially by a 62 per cent jump in in its rail business to 32.9million from 20.3million. Shares in the FTSE 250-listed company were last up 10 per cent on the day - a jump of 228p to 2,406p. Go-Aheads GTR routes, which it jointly operates with French company Keolis, carry 273million passengers travelling through London to Cambridge and Luton to the north and Brighton in the south. Long-running improvement work at London Bridge station, which is part of a 6.5billion government-funded programme to increase the frequency of trains, has contributed to disruption in the South East. Group chief executive David Brown said: The Government is investing in the Thameslink major infrastructure programme, which will transform north-south travel through London and help meet the huge rise in demand from passengers. We share the frustration of customers who have recently experienced disruption to their journeys due to these improvement works and, together with Network Rail, we are committed to minimising the impact on passengers. Meanwhile, the groups bus division posted a 7 per cent rise in profit to 26.1million, offsetting a 4 per cent fall at its London bus arm to 21.7million, which it blamed on roadworks and congestion. British Gas owner Centrica yesterday became the latest firm to cut its dividend after being hammered by the dramatic slump in oil prices. The energy group said it would go ahead with slashing its annual pay out by 11 per cent, from 13.5p a share to 12p, in a blow to its 600,000 small shareholders as well as giant pension funds. The company has been hit by the falling oil price down from $115 in the summer of 2014 to around $34 last night and has announced plans to axe 6,000 jobs by 2020. Stormy seas: The Brent field, north-east of the Shetland Islands, has produced about ten per cent of all UK North Sea oil and gas since production began in 1976 Chief executive Iain Conn yesterday called on the Chancellor to ease the tax burden on oil producers to support the industry in the North Sea. I think the stakes are quite high, hundreds of thousands of job are dependent on the North Sea, he said. It came as Centrica reported a 12 per cent fall in operating profits to 1.5billion in what Conn described as a very challenging year. And after huge write-downs related to its business in the North Sea, it posted pre-tax losses of 1.1bn. British Gas fared well however, delivering a 31 per cent jump in profits to 574million, which drew criticism after it cut customer bills by an average of just 72 per household over the period. Centrica said profits at British Gas appeared higher last year because of the level of investment made in 2014 and the lower levels of consumption that year compared to 2015. Chief executive Iain Conn (pictured) yesterday called on the Chancellor to ease the tax burden on producers Plans to cut the dividend were first outlined last year as the company moved to guard against the falling oil price. It was an extremely difficult decision to make, Conn said yesterday. Conn said one particular area under a great deal of stress was the North Sea. The very simple thing is that the North Sea is getting old and the infrastructure is getting close to the end of its life, he said. Costs have to be spread across a smaller number of barrels each year, meaning the cost per barrel is going up. We need to avoid infrastructure being abandoned early and be aware that jobs are rapidly going out of the supply chain and out of the companies that are producing. Total CEO Elisabeth Proust gives Prime Minister David Cameron a tour of Aberdeen Harbour in Scotland in January following an annoucement that more than 500million is to be invested in Scotland's north east He called on the Government to ease the tax burden on oil producers which can pay out up to 85 per cent of profits in corporation tax, supplementary charges and Petroleum Revenue Tax [PRT], depending on the age of the field. Last year Centricas UK tax bill was 295million, 233million of which was corporation taxes, with 30million spent on PRT. In last years Budget George Osborne pledged to ease the burden but Conn called for the Chancellor to go further. He called for corporation tax set at 30 per cent for oil fields to be brought in line with other industries, which pay 20 per cent. He added: If the industry is in such turmoil they should make the corporation tax rate normal. They can always raise taxes again at a later date. Fifty-nine pounds for a pair of slippers? It seems a little steep - but that's how much a pair of new Mahabis will set you back. So what's so special about these slippers: do they make your feet look younger, or thinner? Are the tassels made of solid gold? What they are is a lifestyle brand 'dedicated to downtime' and that's something we should all be investing in, or so says Mahabis creator Ankur Shah. Dedicated to downtime: Mahabis is bringing fashion as well as function to the slipper market They do have a unique selling point - interchangeable and brightly coloured rubber soles so you can wear the slippers inside and out (for when you need to put the bins out). Better looking than Crocs - loved by kids and adult socks-and-sandal wearers - and more practical than furry Ugg slippers, the 'gender-neutral' brand is part, fashion, part function, says former barrister Shah, 35, from Islington. They also have a neoprene (the fabric wetsuits are often made of) lining that makes them 'easy to get on'. Though in my experience, it means you have to bend down to put them on to prevent the bit that sticks up at the back getting squashed by your heel - and after a couple of hours makes your feet a little sweaty. Yet they're selling like hot cakes, according to Shah. So much so, that in little over a year's trading the company is forecast to make revenue of up to $15million this year from selling slippers all over the world - in more than 60 countries - from Twickenham to Taipei. One customer and company boss was so impressed, he snapped up 50 pairs to hand out to his employees to promote the importance of work/life balance. The essence of chill: Mahbis is on 'a singular quest to create simple products that help you relax' Shah says the company turned a profit extremely quickly - within its first month. In its first year sales totaled $7m and this year they're on track to reach $15m, making Mahabis one of the UK's fastest-growing companies. Ankur Shah was previously a barrister, working under the endorsement of the UN and Dalai Lama The slippers' mostly wool uppers are manufactured by a team of around 40 people in Portugal and the rubber soles by a smaller team in Italy. These specialist manufacturers are contractors rather than employees of the company, 'keeping us nimble', says Shah. Both parts are then shipped to warehouses the company leases around London, where they're assembled based on customer orders, packed and dispatched through a range of couriers, including Royal Mail. All the technologically driven company's processes are heavily automated, explains Shah. 'Everything from the production - which includes 3D printing, shipping, ordering and payment systems is very lean, very efficient. This makes the business scaleable and allows for growth.' The sales process is particularly lean. Rather than go down the retail route that would see Mahabis have to sacrifice a significant portion of the ticket price to department stories, the slippers are only available to order direct from the company's website. And this gives it excellent insight into exactly what's selling, where and when and gives it control in being able to steer clear of discounting. Shah is, however, keen to add another element to the buying process. By the autumn, he's hoping Mahabis will have opened its first 'showroom' in London, where customers can come try before they buy. Flash of colour: interchangeable rubber soles mean the slippers can be worn in and outside But they won't be able to take home their purchases on the day - instead they will order, pay and await delivery in the usual two to three-day timeframe. 'I want showrooms everywhere, not stock everywhere,' says Shah. As well as opening showrooms, this year will see the brand diversify into kids slippers and a 'luxury' leather model - though the 59 starting price tag for the uppers and soles would suggest Mahabis are firmly embedded in the luxury market already. Impressively, the 'downtime' brand practices what it preaches. The company is growing and clocking up its impressive sales while head office works just four days a week. 'We're a brand dedicated to downtime. More companies are embracing flexible working and investing in work/life balance and so are we. We focus on getting stuff done when we're in the office and our brand value is to not be highly strung.' There are just two questions left to ask. The first: what does Mahabis actually mean? 'I'm not telling,' says Shah. It's kind of an amalgamation of words and that's all I'll say.' The second: are they worth 59? Well, it seems the brand certainly has a lot of happy customers, with a TrustPilot score of 8.1 out of 10. It's the fastest growing new footwear brand in the world, according to Shah, and with sales set to hit $15m this year, it seems lots of people would say yes. Naftogaz not to write off debts, but to accrue reserves to cover troubled debts National joint-stock company Naftogaz Ukrainy does not plan to write off debts of companies to Naftogaz, but it would accrue the reserves to cover troubled debts, Deputy Board Chairman Serhiy Konovets has told Interfax-Ukraine. "There was no debt relief in Q4 2015. According to international financial reporting standards we are obliged to reflect our assets in a conservative way. If we have doubts that the debtor would pay in due time we are to accrue the reserves to cover the doubtful debts," he said. Konovets said that according to the companys accounting policies if the debt is not paid during one year the reserve is created. "This does not mean that the debts will be written off or we will stop using all ways to return the debt under Ukrainian law," he said. He said that the unconsolidated financial report of Naftogaz Ukrainy for 2015 is being drawn up, and it is early to name concrete figures. "According to tentative assessments, the effect from the increase of the reserve to cover doubtful debts in 2015 would not exceed UAH 5 billion. If the debts are paid in the future, the financial result will be revised," he said. Konovets took the situation with Ostchem's enterprises as an example. "There are examples in 2015. For example with debts of Ostchem Group's enterprises. Taking into account settling of old debts for which the reserve was created, net increase of reserves to cover doubtful debts in 2015 will be less than UAH 1 billion," he said. Earlier, the Economic Development and Trade Ministry of Ukraine reported that Naftogaz Ukrainy wrote off troubled debts in Q4 2015, which would affect the financial indicators of the company. The European Wall program to strengthen the Ukrainian-Russian border has been fulfilled only by 20%, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk has said. "We've fulfilled only around 20% of works required to be finished on the eastern border. The total length [of the structures] that are to be built is 2,000 km, and we dont control 400 km due to the Russian aggression," Yatseniuk said in the parliament on Tuesday. He said that over 200 km of antitank ditches were dug, over 70 km of fences, 32 watchtowers and several points of power control over the state border were built. Ukraine-Russia program of blocked trucks' return kicks off on Thursday morning The 'I Go Home' program aimed at returning blocked trucks from Ukraine to Russia and vice versa kicked off at 09:00 Kyiv time on February 18, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Andriy Pyvovarsky said on the sidelines of a meeting of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's Council of Exporters and Investors on Thursday. About 17 Ukrainian trucks returned home from Russia on Wednesday, he said. "We will discuss these issues with business behind closed doors tomorrow," the minister said. Activists started blocking trucks with Russian plates in ten Ukrainian regions on February 11. In turn, Russia blocked the traffic of trucks registered in Ukraine and, later on, their transit. The Ukrainian side responded by formally suspending transit of Russian trucks. MBABANE The High Court says the Industrial Court cannot entertain review proceedings brought on the basis of common law if an employees right to administrative justice has been contravened. This was after Alfred Maia, who was dismissed from the public service after being found guilty of the alleged theft of items worth E20 000, approached the Industrial Court seeking a review and setting aside of governments decision to dismiss him. He also wanted government to be directed to reinstate him to his post as storeman at the Central Transport Organisation. Maia cited the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the Attorney General as respondents. The former civil servant, who was dismissed through a letter on November 18, 2015, for being found guilty of dishonesty, contended that his dismissal was irregular. He argued that the Civil Service Regulations did not provide for a summary dismissal of a public officer. He said the inquiry could not find him guilty because the criminal case pending before the magistrates court had not been finalised. Industrial Court Judge Nkosinathi Nkonyane referred the matter to the High Court for determination on whether the court (Industrial) was competent to entertain review proceedings in terms of common law, based on the alleged contravention of an employees right to administrative justice as per the Constitution. Judge Nkonyane referred the record of proceedings to the registrar to facilitate the referral of the matter. Judge Nkululeko Hlophe, sitting with Judges Qinisile Mabuza and Mzwandile Fakudze, said the application for review, as instituted in the Industrial Court, was directed. BONE OF CONTENTION: The trouble began when buyers complained about the quality of the dagga. HLATIKHULU Police have arrested 11 suspects in connection with the murder of the man who died following an attack by a mob at Tholulwazi. Among the arrested, there is a popular traditional healer, who is believed to have been part of the group that allegedly tortured the alleged dagga dealers. The latest developments were confirmed by Superintendent Khulani Mamba, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer yesterday. The 11 suspects were apprehended at their respective homesteads on Tuesday afternoon, and subsequently charged with the murder of a 30-year-old man of Dzakasini area, who succumbed to injuries he sustained when he was assaulted by the mob. The man and two of his friends were held captive by the mob for over 12 hours, where they were subjected to heavy beatings, following a botched dagga deal. Apparently, the three men from around Dzakasini area, which is about 35km to the east of Hlatikhulu, had arranged to meet with an alleged dagga merchant at a certain homestead in Tholulwazi, where the initial deal was to buy the illegal herb. Tholulwazi is situated under Nkwene Constituency, about 20km to the west of Hlatikhulu town. The trio arrived at the location at around 5pm on Monday, and upon arrival, they introduced themselves to another man, who apparently informed them that the person they had all along been communicating with was not around. He told them that there was nothing to worry about because the actual seller had left a message and further left everything with him so that the transaction could proceed smoothly. The Ukrainian Finance Ministry confirmed that The Law Debenture Trust Corporation Plc, acting as trustee on behalf of the Russian Federation, has formally commenced proceedings in the High Court in London against Ukraine over $3 billion in Eurobonds that matured in December 2015. "Ukraine intends and is completely ready to resolutely defend its own interests in these eurobonds in the British court," the ministry said in a statement. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Madina Toure The NYPD approved a community policing program in the 109th Precinct that will bring in a substantial number of new officers to serve all northeast Queens residents as a way of compensating for the tow pound in College Point. Thomas Conforti, the 109ths commanding officer, is breaking up the precincts coverage into six quadrantsCollege Point, Whitestone, Flushing, Bay Terrace, downtown Flushing and Auburndalebeginning April 1. Each quadrant will have 10 officers, who will be dedicated to those neighborhoods 24/7. Vallone and Conforti made the announcement standing alongside civic leaders and Community Board 7 members Feb. 10 at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church at 150-02 12th Ave. in Whitestone. The precinct has historically had the burden of serving the largest population of any precinct in New York City, with its resources heavily focused on downtown Flushing, according to Vallone. In exchange for the long-term lease of the NYPDs tow pound in College Point, which sparked concerns among residents and community leaders, Vallone said he was able to secure a contingent of new officers for the precinct to allow it to fully implement the community policing program. I think the critical part of this is that no time in the 109th history (have) we had an influx of officers to boost the numbers up by a third, Vallone said. This really changes the dynamics of policing in the northern part of the 109th Precinct. Vanna Partridge, recently appointed president of the 109th Precincts Community Council, said the new program will likely increase the response time overall by having officers assigned to specific neighborhoods. Any time you have officers that a community becomes familiar with, when they see them on a regular basis, they feel more comfortable reporting a crime, and it helps to build a stronger partnership with the community by having officers present, Partridge said in an interview with TimesLedger. Vallone said he sought a formal agreement with the NYPD guaranteeing the program. I said, I want this writing, he said. I dont want it pulled from us at the last minute. The precinct is still working out the logistics of the program, but some of the officers will be cadets and others will be seasoned officers. The first 25 officers, who came straight from the Police Academy, attended the news conference launching the community policing program. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Bill Parry The Department of Education has hired its first LGBT community liaison, a ground-breaking position that will implement a balanced literacy program that includes gay authors as well as providing an LGBT curriculum for teachers. Jared Fox has been appointed liaison with funds provided by the City Council. The appointment of a liaison to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities is the culmination of a careers worth of advocacy for me, City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights), who came out as an openly gay teacher in 1992, said. Back in those days, LGBT teachers and students were mostly closeted. With the appointment of Jared Fox as the new LGBT liaison, the department has taken a bold step forward to assure students and teachers alike that anti-gay discrimination will not be tolerated and that, in fact, the department will look for ways to be more inclusive of the LGBT communities. Fox, a former teacher who founded the New York City chapter of the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network, is responsible for creating a strategic plan for the DOE to best serve the many needs of LGBT students, teachers and staff in the public schools system, the largest in the nation. The position was created within the DOEs Office of Safety and Youth Development. It is an honor to take this role serving LGBT students, staff and families across our city, Fox said. Creating a positive and supportive school environment for LGBT students is incredibly important to their success in the classroom and beyond and I look forward to working across the other city agencies to ensure the LGBT community has the resources and support they need. Over the past few weeks, Fox has met with principals, teachers and students to learn about their hopes and challenges in making schools a more welcoming place for LGBT people. Fox will expand the curriculum by bringing LGBT authors into schools in an association with the Lambda Literary Foundation, an organization that believes literature is fundamental to the preservation of the LGBT culture. Literature is where many LGBT youth first find an affirmative self-identity and straight kids experience LGBT lives in a positive light, Lambda Literarys Executive Director Tony Valenzuela said. Were thrilled to introduce great and diverse LGBT books and authors to young people throughout New York Citys public schools. Fox is starting the literary program in conjunction with school leadership and the foundation so that literature and classes are appropriately matched. The program will begin this spring. This historic step is a milestone in our citys education system, City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside), a member of the Councils LGBT Caucus, said. I look forward to working with Jared and the DOE to strengthen local support networks in order to build up educational environments that allow all students to be proud of who they truly are. 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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe 'Joe Biden can have them': Mastriano vows to bus migrants to Delaware Ukroboronprom estimates investment to transfer production to NATO standards by 2018 at UAH 20 bln The need for investment to transfer production of weapons and military equipment at the facilities of Ukroboronprom State Concern to NATO standards until 2018, according to preliminary estimates, stands at more than UAH 20 billion. Head of the state concern Roman Romanov announced this at Ukrainian Defense and Security Forum 16 under the patronage of the Defense Ministry and Ukroboronprom in Kyiv. "According to the most conservative estimate, UAH 21 billion is required for this purpose," he said. Romanov said that among the key criteria for implementing the task of transition to NATO standards are a further development of technological cooperation with foreign partners, the promotion of the started reforms in the defense sector, primarily in the field of fight against corruption. The Ukroboronprom head also noted the agreements achieved with NATO in early 2015 on Ukraine's accession to the alliance's current procurement system. JMG file photo All hat, no cattle In Texas the language of love, wit and attitude could be a master's degree thesis. A dialect that means so much more than words alone or body language can predict As writers we often absorb the tricks of phrase that make us laugh and apply a bit more thought to the situation. Born in Alabama and raised in Texas I've been lucky enough to remember a lot and use some when the situation calls for it. Proper spelling robs this list of certain regional accents that come with them. Catch myself channeling Daddy, Mamaw, Mom's cousin Elmo, Joe Brown and a few Texas ranchers to use them. Will do my best to recreate the correct pronunciation and put things in context. Yer gettin' too big for yer britches (being a smart-aleck) Dumb as dirt (inert and in need of a bath) We're burnin' daylight (running late) You're preachin' to the choir (already know that) Lookin' rode hard and hung up wet (very, very tired) He hadn't got a pot to pee in ner a window to pitch it out (broke) We got more than we can say grace over (too much stuff) It's hotter than a hooker on dime night (daytime high more than 98.6 degrees) Don't poop where you eat (no office romance) Lie down with dogs and get up with fleas (choose friends and elected officials wisely) Crazier than a s*** house rat (psychotic in an outhouse) Wound up tighter than a 10 penny top (hyper-nervous activity) He's all hat and no cattle (more ego than success) Useless as teats on a boar hog (lack of production) She threw a hissy fit (angry screeching) He's crooked as a dog's hind leg (corrupt) Can't trust him any further than I can throw him (lying SOB) Even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then (slow thinkers can succeed) I'm full as a tick (too much good food) Let's blow this pop stand (leave in a hurry) It's fair to middlin' (OK, not great) Scarce as hen's teeth (nonexistent) Fine as frog's hair (invisible) Going to hell in a hand basket (doomed) Child so ugly his mama has to put a pork chop in his pocket just to get the dogs to play with him (replace good looks with better fragrance) As ugly as homemade sin in the summertime (needs a confessional and face lift) I'm gonna snatch you bald headed (hair raising anger) You don't know diddly squat (didn't pay attention) He's a day late and a dollar short (recklessly broke) Nothin' to write home to the folks about (too boring) She don't sweat much for a fat girl (say to the wrong guy, get punched) That boy don't know hunt from sic 'em (doesn't know the difference between showing up and actually working) Watchin' him work's like watchin' paint dry (painfully slow progress) And according to my Grandmother McGinnis: Punctuality is the politeness of kings (for the love of Almighty God be on time for something)

TORIN HALSEY/TIMES RECORD NEWS Wichita County landowner Kevin Hunter stands next to a t-post marking the northern edge of his land near the Red River based on an independent land survey done in April 2015. Hunter has maps and surveys contradicting what the Bureau of Land Management claims is government-owned land along the Red River.

By John Ingle of the Times Record News The organization representing Texas landowners, counties and a local sheriff have filed an amended lawsuit in the group's bid to resolve the Red River land dispute. Robert Henneke, general counsel and director of the Center for the American Future at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, told the Times Record News Wednesday afternoon the amended lawsuit was in response to a 30-page motion by the Bureau of Land Management to have the case dismissed. The case is filed in the U.S. District Court's Northern District of Texas in Wichita Falls. Henneke said the BLM in their motion to dismiss claimed the original lawsuit didn't adequately describe the plaintiffs' property in question. He said he believes the suit provided descriptions required by rules. "Rather than just getting into a tit-for-tat with them, we, I would say, have gone above and beyond and amended to not only include the legal descriptions, but also attached certified copies of the recorded deeds for all of our clients even though we didn't need to," he said. "We certainly don't have anything to hide and we're up front. We've got all our cards on the table as far as where we're coming from." Henneke said the TPPF could have responded that adequate information was in the original filing, but he didn't want to waste the court's time and wants to move forward to discuss the merits of the case. The BLM declined to comment because litigation of the case is pending. The land dispute stems back a few years when the federal agency began scoping efforts as part of the process to create or renew its Resource Management Plan for a 116-mile stretch along the Red River from near Doan's Crossing in Wilbarger County, through Wichita County and to the small Clay County community of Stanfield. At issue is differing definitions of the gradient boundary the midpoint between the lake bed and where the water crests over the cut bank between Texas landowners and surveyors and the BLM. Henneke said he couldn't anticipate when the case will go before District Judge Reed O'Connor, but will look for the earliest and quickest opportunity to do so. Warrant SHARE By Times Record News People who have outstanding warrants in Wichita Falls or anywhere in Wichita County are encouraged to take care of them before the Great Texas Warrant Roundup begins March 1. Over the next couple of weeks, residents who have outstanding warrants because of traffic violations, unpaid parking tickets or higher charges, have a chance to voluntarily take care of their legal issues so they can avoid being arrested, during the "Roundup," at home, work or school. A city of Wichita Falls news release said notices have been mailed to individuals in the city of Wichita Falls who have active warrants. During the next two weeks people are encouraged to appear in person at the Municipal Court at 611 Bluff or contact the court at 761-7880 to clear up their outstanding warrant(s). Individuals can pay in person at the court, online at www.wichitafallstx.gov (go to the Municipal Court Web page under Departments and then "Pay a Fine"). This is the 10th year for the State of Texas to hold the Warrant Roundup, the largest in the nation. For more information, contact the municipal court administrator at 940-761-7882. Thornberry said people are asking about each political partys nomination. SHARE By John Ingle of the Times Record News U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry met with the Times Record News editorial board Wednesday morning to discuss a host of topics, including presidential politics, the looming fight over a Supreme Court appointment, national defense, budgets and more. The congressman said he has traveled abroad a few times in recent months for a variety of reasons, and U.S. politics seem to dominate the conversation. Specifically, he said, people are asking about the battle for each political party's nomination for the general election in November and if the next president will restore the United States' position of leadership in the world, a criticism of President Barack Obama. "People all around the world are saying, 'What's going on? What does this mean? How do we position ourselves for us, for the future?'" Thornberry said. "They were already uncertain about the Obama (administration) whether that was the exception or whether that's the new rule. So, people are trying to figure out is America going to get back to kind of this leadership (position), or is Obama setting the new normal." Then there's Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump, he said, who discombobulates the process with his sometimes outrageous statements and actions while campaigning for the party's nomination. The South Carolina primary on Saturday should be interesting, he said, because it could indicate whether or not the fiery New York businessman has reached his maximum support level 30-35 percent range, or if support will grow above 40 percent. Thornberry maintained his previous stance that he does not believe Trump will be the party's nominee at the end of the primary season. The congressman said he doesn't think a new justice will be placed on the U.S. Supreme Court to fill the vacancy left by Justice Antonin Scalia's death Saturday, primarily because of political jockeying by the Obama administration and the U.S. Senate, the body that would confirm or deny any nominee the president sends to the chamber for consideration. Thornberry said he hopes the president sends a "reasonable" candidate for the Senate to consider, but believes Obama will send one that will surely make Republicans on Capitol Hill uncomfortable. "You're going to have this back and forth, and Republicans need to be smart about it because I know he is," he said. "He will calibrate the timing and the nominee for maximum political effect. If one doesn't get it, then he'll do another that way." Even though the Senate has unanimously approved Obama appointments to lower courts, Thornberry said appointing a liberal judge to a seat once occupied by a conservative justice would disrupt the balance of the court. Work is being done in the House Armed Services Committee to address military recruiting and retention, specifically when it comes to pay and benefits. Thornberry said the federal government needs to make good on its promise to older veterans, a new retirement system has been implemented for those entering service today that them to invest in a 401k-type program and leaves with them when they get out of the military and a group in the middle that can choose either plan. Ensuring access to health care and a form of retirement, he said, are crucial to getting people to join, and keeping them until they retire. Thornberry also touched on a recent development in the South China Sea where China has installed missiles on a controversial man-made island, Obama's budget request in which he doesn't provide more funding for the military despite his desire for an increase in operations, opening up the vast amount of U.S. crude oil to the global market, the continued instability of North Korea and a court order for Apple to assist in gaining access to the phones of the San Bernardino terrorists.

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia

SHARE Bob Hance, Wichita Falls Being stupid beyond belief to not realize that, without an official autopsy, an argument will go on for years and years as to why such was not done in the death of Justice Scalia. The more innocent the accused are (and there will be accusations), the stronger they should have pushed for it. The closer they might be to knowing too much, the happier they are that an autopsy was not performed. Books being written on the Scalia death are likely already into chapter two. A declaration of dying of a heart attack by an alone person, without proof, is no more clarifying than are the dozens of theories surrounding Lee Harvey Oswald, Jack Ruby, Lyndon Johnson and the Soviet Union in the assassination of John Kennedy. Anyone who thinks the death of Justice Scalia is not of major importance has zero understanding of the matter. The past two appointments by Obama are an exact guideline of what his third will be, if allowed to do so. Such will further strengthen the thinking that the Court should decide cases based on personal desires, not the wishes of people who would like for the Constitution be followed as intended or changed by amendment if necessary. Frankly, I would rather the Supreme Court be composed of the next nine people I meet on the street today than what is likely to be the dose we citizens will get in the future. It seems to me that the intelligence of having an autopsy performed would have put all minds at ease if natural death was confirmed by reputable, trustworthy pathologists, rather than a justice of the peace doing it via telephone an hour's drive away. Such is not likely to make a difference in the makeup the future of the Court, but at least citizens who appreciate clarity and transparency would not feel like they may have been hoodwinked again. Also, the Code of Criminal Procedure of Texas in Article 49.04 states under the section entitled "Deaths Requiring an Inquest": (6) the person dies without having been attended by a physician. Mayo Clinic News Network (TNS) Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States. According to the American Heart Association, more than one in three female adults has some form of cardiovascular disease. Risk factors can be hereditary, but other factors are related to your habits and lifestyle things you can control and change to minimize your risk of developing heart disease. Mayo Clinic Health System family medicine and women's health physician Dr. Ruth Tiffault explains steps you can take to help prevent heart disease. - Stop smoking. If you smoke, you are two to six times more likely to suffer a heart attack than a nonsmoking woman. - Control your blood pressure. Have your blood pressure checked regularly, and if it's too high, work with your health care provider to lower it and keep it under control. - Lower your cholesterol. One-fourth of American women have high cholesterol. Have yours checked and follow your health care provider's advice for keeping it low. - Maintain a healthy weight. Your health care provider can advise you on a weight range that's healthy for you. - Get moving. Studies show that 60 percent of American women don't get the exercise they should, and 25 percent are completely inactive. Thirty minutes of moderate movement most or all days of the week is all it takes. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. - Control diabetes. The risk of death from heart disease is about three times higher in women with diabetes. Consult your health care provider if you have a family history of diabetes or if you have other risk factors associated with diabetes. ASABA, Nigeria Sitting on a blue plastic stool in the sweltering heat, Ugezu J. Ugezu, one of Nigeria's top filmmakers, was furiously rewriting his script as the cameras prepared to roll. "Cut!" he shouted after wrapping up a key scene, a confrontation between the two leading characters. Then, under his breath, he added, "Good as it gets." This was the seventh and last day of shooting in a village near here for "Beyond the Dance," Ugezu's story of an African prince's choice of a bride, and the production had been conducted at a breakneck pace. "In Nollywood, you don't waste time," he said. "It's not the technical depth that has made our films so popular. It's because of the story. We tell African stories." The stories told by Nigeria's booming film industry, known as Nollywood, have emerged as a cultural phenomenon across Africa, the vanguard of the country's growing influence across the continent in music, comedy, fashion and even religion. Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, overtook its rival, South Africa, as the continent's largest economy two years ago, thanks in part to the film industry's explosive growth. Nollywood a term I helped coin with a 2002 article when Nigeria's movies were just starting to gain popularity outside the country is an expression of boundless Nigerian entrepreneurialism and the nation's self-perception as the natural leader of Africa, the one destined to speak on the continent's behalf. "The Nigerian movies are very, very popular in Tanzania, and, culturally, they've affected a lot of people," said Songa wa Songa, a Tanzanian journalist. "A lot of people now speak with a Nigerian accent here very well thanks to Nollywood. Nigerians have succeeded through Nollywood to export who they are, their culture, their lifestyle, everything." Nollywood generates about 2,500 movies a year, making it the second-biggest producer after Bollywood in India, and its films have displaced U.S., Indian and Chinese ones on the televisions that are ubiquitous in bars, hair salons, airport lounges and homes across Africa. The industry employs 1 million people second only to farming in Nigeria, pumping $600 million annually into the national economy, according to a 2014 report by the U.S. International Trade Commission. In 2002, it made 400 movies and $45 million. Nollywood resonates across Africa with its stories of a precolonial past and of a present caught between village life and urban modernity. The movies explore the tensions between the individual and extended families, between the draw of urban life and the pull of the village, between Christianity and traditional beliefs. For countless people, in a place long shaped by outsiders, Nollywood is redefining the African experience. "I doubt that a white person, a European or American, can appreciate Nollywood movies the way an African can," said Katsuva Ngoloma, a linguist at the University of Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo who has written about Nollywood's significance. "But Africans the rich, the poor, everyone will see themselves in those movies in one way or another." In Yeoville, a neighborhood in Johannesburg that is a melting pot for migrants, a seamstress from Ghana took orders one recent morning for the latest fashions seen in Nollywood movies. Hairstylists from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, working in salons or on the street, offered hair weaves following the styles favored by Nollywood actresses. "Nigerian movies express how we live as Africans, what we experience in our everyday lives, things like witchcraft, things like fighting between mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws," said Patience Moyo, 34, a Zimbabwean hair-braider. "When you watch the movies, you feel it is really happening. One way or another, it will touch your life somewhere." When I first reported on Nigeria's film industry more than a decade ago, the movies were slapped together in such a makeshift fashion that, during one interview, a production manager offered me the part of an evil white man. (Never mind my Japanese roots, he assured me, I was close enough.) After I casually threw out the term "Nollywood" in a conversation with a colleague, a copy editor created this headline for my article: "Step Aside, LA and Bombay, for Nollywood." The name stuck and spread. But success hasn't robbed Nollywood of its freewheeling ways: During my recent visit to a Nigerian village where a half-dozen movies were being shot, a producer came over and, on the spot, offered me the role of an evil white man who brings a vampire to Nigeria. Back in 2002, the movies were simply known as Nigeria's home videos. They were popularized at first through video cassettes traded across Africa, but now Nollywood is available on satellite and cable television channels, as well as on streaming services like iRokoTV. In 2012, in response to swelling popularity in Francophone Africa, a satellite channel called Nollywood TV began offering round-the-clock movies dubbed into French. Most Nollywood movies are in English, though some are in one of Nigeria's main ethnic languages. Until Nollywood's ascendance, movies made in Francophone Africa with grants from the French government dominated filmmaking on the continent. But these movies catered to the sensibilities of Western critics and viewers, and won few fans in Africa, leaving no cultural footprint. In Nollywood, though, movies are still financed by private investors expecting a profit. "You want to do a movie? You have the script? You look immediately for the money and you shoot," said Mahmood Ali-Balogun, a leading Nigerian filmmaker. "When you get a grant from France or the EU, they can dictate to you where to put your camera, the fine-tuning of your script. It's not a good model for us in Africa." Ali-Balogun was speaking from his office in Surulere, Lagos, the birthplace of Nollywood. Film production has since moved to other cities, especially Asaba, an otherwise sleepy state capital in southeastern Nigeria. On any given day, a dozen crews can be found here "epic" films with ancient story lines like "Beyond the Dance" are in the works in nearby villages, while "glamour" movies about modern life make the city itself their sets. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. One recent entry in the glamour category was "Okada 50," the story of a woman and son who, after leaving their village, open a coffin business in the city and terrorize their neighbors. Most films have budgets of about $25,000 and are shot in a week. Once completed in Asaba, the movies find their way to every corner of Africa, released in the original English, dubbed into French or African languages, and sometimes readapted, repackaged and often pirated for local audiences. Many movies are also propelled by a symbiotic relationship with Nigeria's Pentecostal Christianity, which pastors have exported throughout Africa. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, pastors who visited Nigeria years ago returned with videocassettes and showed the films in church to teach Christian lessons and attract new members, said Katrien Pype, a Belgian anthropologist at the University of Leuven who has written about the phenomenon. Today in Kinshasa, the Congolese capital, Nollywood permeates mainstream culture. Local women copy the fashion, makeup and hairstyles of the actresses; local musicians grumble at the popularity of Nigerian imports, like Don Jazzy and the P-Square twins. Tresor Baka, a Congolese dubber who translates Nollywood movies into the local language, Lingala, said the films are popular because "Nigeria has succeeded in reconciling modernity and their ancient ways, their culture and traditions." Nollywood has also created a model for movie production in other African nations, said Matthias Krings, a German expert on African popular culture at Johannes Gutenberg University. In Kitwe, Zambia, local filmmakers were recently making their latest movie in true Nollywood style: a family melodrama shot over 10 days, in a private home, on a $7,000 budget. Burned onto DVD, the movie will be sold in Zambia and neighboring countries. Acknowledging the influence of Nigerian cinema, the movie's producer, Morgan Mbulo, 36, said, "We can tell our own stories now." The Swedish government has decided to issue SEK1.5 million to Ukraine for reforms in the defense sector, Defense Minister of Ukraine Stepan Poltorak has stated. "In addition, it should be noted that thanks to the Swedish inspectors last year 650 Ukrainians learned to provide emergency medical assistance," Poltorak said, following a meeting with Defense Minister of Sweden Peter Hultqvist and Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Juozas Olekas in Kyiv. The Swedish minister of defense, in turn, stressed that the government of Sweden helps Ukraine not only in the reform of the Armed Forces, "we also have a number of joint programs in social and humanitarian spheres." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Raleigh, N.C. For generations, any woman in who owned a dress made by Willie Otey Kay owned an heirloom, a coveted gem, a treasure beyond price. Throughout much of the 20th century in North Carolina, the black seamstress worked in silk, satin and lace to design original wedding and debutante gowns worn by wealthy white women and by Kay's black neighbors, too. Mothers handed them down to daughters, sometimes bringing them back for Kay to modify such as a debutante dress that later became a bridal gown. But white or black, even in the years of Jim Crow racial oppression, you could only be a client of the gifted seamstress if she accepted you. More Information N.C. Museum of History Web: http://ncmuseumofhistory.org/ See More Collapse Yet her legacy is not solely woven of needle and thread. Kay's son-in-law and daughter, Ralph and June Campbell, were civil rights activists who braved violence to raise another generation of activists. Otey's home in Raleigh was often a refuge for her grandchildren, when their own home was endangered by bomb threats. Her grandson Bill Campbell was the first black child to integrate Wake County schools in 1961 and later became mayor of Atlanta. Another grandson, Ralph Campbell Jr., became the first black to hold statewide executive office when he was elected state auditor in 1992. "She saw difficult times," said granddaughter Mildred Christmas, recalling hecklers who lined the street as Bill walked to and from school. "But Granny had an easy spirit about her, a kind heart. ... She had a wonderful life." Now, Christmas' own Willie Kay-designed wedding dress of satin, lace and tulle with beading and a train that starts at the shoulders is among a collection of Kay gowns on display in an exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of History. The exhibit, titled "Made Especially for You by Willie Kay," tells the story of a woman whose talents transcended the clear racial boundaries of her day. The exhibit includes 10 of Kay's dresses with three short-term displays of more dresses loaned by individuals. In the first rotation was a wedding dress that Cathryn Cheek Zevenhuizen estimates has been worn eight times, starting with her sister in 1953. Zevenhuizen said she wore it herself in 1957. The satin dress with a 12-foot train most recently was worn in 1996, the one time it had to be altered, she said. Zevenhuizen said Otey also made the debutante dress that both of her daughters wore. "She was just so low-key and pleasant and refined," Zevenhuizen said and added that she had no idea Kay's life was touched by civil rights-era turmoil, such as the bomb threats at the home of Kay's daughter. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. That same home where beautiful gowns were created also was a safe house for her grandchildren when their home was threatened, Christmas recalled. "Whites would come by for dresses during the day, and at night, we went to her home until we thought it was safe to go home," Christmas said. Kay's father, Henry Otey, a barber whose all-white clientele included some of the local white supremacists, referred his clients to his daughter. "It seems very contradictory, looking back at it," said Diana Kite-Bell, curator of the museum exhibit. "But people had all sorts of personal relationships that don't really make a lot of sense historically when looking at the decisions they made on a large scale." Kay was born in 1894, during an era when hard-fought gains by blacks during Reconstruction were being swept away. When she was just 4, white Democrats in Wilmington staged a coup d'etat and ran blacks and Republicans out of the port. Yet that was where she moved when she married and where her husband co-founded a blacks-only hospital. When he died in 1927, she returned to Raleigh and set up her dressmaking business. She died in 1992 at the age of 98. She worked without patterns, designing dresses based on pictures from high-end design houses or drawings from clients. She divided her time for debutante balls between blacks and whites, choosing an equal number from each group, Kite-Bell said. Kay made a debutante dress for Marion Jervay, whose family was friends with the Kays, then later transformed it into a wedding dress by adding a long train. Her dress also had extensive beadwork along the hem, on the front of the skirt, and along the shoulders and bodice. "I was a string bean at that point," Jervay said, so an empire waist worked well on her figure. "She would sit down with you and if you had an idea, she would say yes or no and guide you through the process. She knew intuitively what would look good on you." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Along country roads throughout the Capital Region, you'll see sap buckets affixed to sugar maples. They bring us hope for spring, but they also bring us syrup. And with that syrup comes its classic accompaniment, pancakes. Our penchant for pancakes stems from our primordial hankerings for combining fat with flour and sugar. Pancakes are one of our most ancient foods. Grinding tools for grains have been discovered and dated back as far 30,000 years ago, and the earliest civilizations to utilize fire and crop cultivation for their food supplies were making some form of pancakes as a primary source of sustenance. Some of the earliest records of pancake consumption date back 5,000 years ago, and reports of pancake-making can be found in Greek texts, Roman records and even in Thomas Jefferson's letters from France. Cookbooks and colloquial references give pancakes many names: crepes, blinis, hoe cakes, johnny cakes, griddle cakes, silver dollars, Indian cakes, flapjacks ... the list goes on. But the version that most of us know, made from wheat flour, milk, butter, eggs and a little leavener, is a British holdout that has roots in medieval times. More Information The Sap House and Stone House Farm pancake breakfasts When: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through April Where: 305 Lynk Road, Sharon Springs Cost: $6 per person, all you can eat Info: 284-2476; www.thesaphouseatstonehousefarm.com Delanson Volunteer Fire Department pancake breakfasts When: 8 to 11 a.m. the first and third Sunday of each month through April Where: 1797 Main St., Delanson Cost: Donation-based, all you can eat. Info: 895-2100 Cornmeal-Rye Pancakes Makes 4 servings cup stone-ground cornmeal cup stone-ground rye flour 1 teaspoon baking powder teaspoon baking soda teaspoon salt 2 eggs 2 tablespoons yogurt ?..." cup milk Whisk together the dry ingredients, and add the liquids. Mix together just until everything is smooth - do not overbeat. Let the batter sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Warm the griddle over medium-high heat. Once butter slightly browns on the surface, make the pancakes. From Amy Halloran See More Collapse Pancake Tuesday also known as Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent begins, and those honoring Lenten tradition would make a pancake feast to use up eggs banned during the religious observance. Pancake feasts are still popular today and are a hallmark of Northeast eating. Sap houses throughout New York and New England offer pancakes on Maple Sundays and throughout February and March, the typical season for syrup production. The Sap House at Stone House Farm in Sharon Springs hosts all-you-can-eat maple breakfasts throughout those months and has perfected the art of pancaking. "Pancakes and maple syrup just go together," says Tim Everett, owner of the farm and maple operation. The pancakes are made on a cast iron griddle, which works overtime to serve the estimated 250 to 300 people that come for pancakes each weekend. But what makes The Sap House's pancakes so special? "It's my wife's (Patti's) recipe; that's why they are so good," says Everett. Firehouses have relied on community pancake breakfasts as a way to gather the community around the table and help raise funds. (Pancakes are cheap and quick to make and can easily feed a crowd.) The Delanson Volunteer Fire Department hosts pancake breakfasts from October to April on first and third Sundays. Firefighters and auxiliary personnel mix and cook as many as 700 pancakes each breakfast, says second assistant chief Lori Buccino. "I believe the communities in the surrounding areas really enjoy coming out to support the local fire departments for pancake breakfasts," she says. "What a great way to spend some time chatting with your neighbors over a great meal." But what makes a great pancake? Amy Halloran, kitchen manager at Unity House in Troy and the author of "The New Bread Basket: How the New Crop of Grain Growers, Plant Breeders, Millers, Maltsters, Bakers, Brewers, and Local Food Activists Are Redefining Our Daily Loaf" leaves pancakes as her calling card. With cast aluminum griddle, spatula and whisk in hand, Halloran is the Johnny Appleseed equivalent of grains and pancakes, spreading the breakfast food gospel as she travels. "Pancakes are a very satisfying food. I think of them as the original fast food," she says. "When you want something hot in a hurry, pancakes are right there, sweet or savory, ready to fill you up without asking a lot of your time." Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. Halloran points to the peasant origins of pancakes as a source of the culinary legacy they have created, saying that the versions we know best are the most "Paul Bunyan-est" in the world. "Cornmeal-rye pancakes, like maple, are very New England and a great mashup of Native American and English foodways," she says and notes that both corn and rye are staple grains of the people who historically populated this region. To make a great pancake, Halloran says start with great flour, preferably stone-ground, whole-grain flour. Pastry wheat flour from Farmer Ground Flour, near Ithaca, "makes the sweetest, most tender pancake," she says. Double-acting baking powder that activates when moistened and again when heated, is a required ingredient. Rumford is the recommended brand, and Halloran advises home cooks to check the date on the bottom of the container, as "expired baking powder will deflate like nothing else." From there, it is all about equipment. Cast aluminum is the best cooking surface in Halloran's opinion, for its even heat distribution, and a flexible spatula that feels great in the hand will make for a good pancake flipping experience. When bubbles have set on the surface of the pancake, it is time to flip. And one more tip from Halloran: "Never pat the pancake. It is not a burger and doesn't need anything squeezed out of it." Whether you top your pancakes with tangy yogurt, like Halloran, or opt for maple butter and syrup, like Tim and Patti Everett, pancakes top the bill this winter for warming and historic kitchen comfort. Deanna Fox is a freelance food and agriculture writer. www.deannafox.org @DeannaNFox Albany Though state lawmakers are away from the state Capitol this week, the debate over creating an employee-funded paid family leave proposal stretched from Harlem to Buffalo. Gov. Andrew Cuomo appeared in both communities to rally for what he called a "fight for fairness" agenda that includes the leave proposal as well as his attempt to boost the minumum hourly wage to $15. In a release that hit inboxes just before Cuomo spoke in New York City, the state Business Council released an analysis of the three paid family leave proposals currently before lawmakers that claimed any of the plans, if enacted, would mark the least business-friendly leave policy in the nation. Cuomo's pitch for a leave program has been uncharacteristically personal, marked by his memories of the decline of his father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo, who died in January 2015. He said "basic humanity" required creating the system. "If you refuse to compromise, you'll get nothing done," Cuomo told reporters in Buffalo. "We have a Republican Senate; we have a Democratic Assembly. ... If we only moved forward when we agreed on everything, we would never move forward because we never agree on everything." But compromise seems far off for the business community, which often lines up behind Republicans in the Legislature. "I have yet to hear from (a member) who is asking us to support a paid leave mandate," Business Council Vice President of Government Affairs Ken Pokalsky said in a phone interview. "We hear from members who say, 'If there's going to be a paid leave mandate, the more it looks like the provisions of (the federal Family and Medical Leave Act), the less concerns that we have because we know how to deal with that. Not saying we like it or that it's going to be easy, but at least we know how to deal with it.'" In his State of the State address last month, Cuomo proposed an employee payroll deduction to fund the leave time. That system would be up and running in 2018 and allow employees to take up to 12 weeks of leave and be paid 50 percent of their average weekly wage, up to a maximum 50 percent of the state's average weekly wage. By 2021, the phase-in of the program would be complete, offering employees leave time at 67 percent of pay, up to 67 percent of the state average weekly wage. The Assembly already has passed its own one-house paid family leave proposal. The state Senate Republican majority has left the door open to negotiations on the policy, with GOP Leader John Flanagan saying "a lot" of members of the conference care about the issue. The Senate Independent Democratic Conference, a five-member faction that's partnered with Republicans, has a proposal of its own. The Business Council remains wary of the proposals, which President and CEO Heather Briccetti said in a statement "only add to the perception that the Empire State is hostile to business." The same group is a staunch opponent of the proposed increase in the minimum wage. The group's analysis compares the New York proposals to that of California, which also has an employee-funded system. There, employees are eligible for six weeks of leave at 55 percent of weekly salary, up to $1,129 this year. The current federal leave law applies only to companies of 50 employees or more. The 12 weeks of leave it calls for are unpaid, though an employee's job is protected during their time off. Cuomo's paid family leave push is just one piece of a larger agenda. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. His rhetoric at both rallies highlighted the "fight for fairness" that includes paid family leave, his $15 minimum wage proposal and his community schools proposal to address root-level issues in impoverished communities. "Let's do it here in New York. Let's do it this year," Cuomo said in Harlem as his voice rose to a bellow. "Let's show them what leadership is all about. Let's tell them, 'You don't have to take no for an answer. We can have a better society, a fairer society, a more just society.'" mhamilton@timesunion.com 518-454-5449 @matt_hamilton10 Read the Business Council's full paid family leave analysis below: Business Council 2016 Family Leave Comparison by matthewhamilton02 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Albany Three forensic scientists who were snared in an alleged cheating scandal at the State Police crime laboratory have filed a federal lawsuit claiming they were wrongly targeted for termination, in part, because they questioned the validity of the lab's traditional DNA-testing program. The lawsuit filed this week in U.S. District Court in Albany says an unknown number of criminal convictions may have relied on inaccurate DNA results, and that State Police leaders were fearful of implementing a computerized DNA program that could have been used to re-test old cases, as well as help solve open investigations. The agency spent years and several million dollars to implement the computerized DNA program, TrueAllele, but abruptly abandoned the plan last year after the cheating allegations rocked the lab. More than a dozen scientists were caught up in the cheating probe, many of whom kept their jobs but have been blocked from returning to case work. Last October, a Times Union investigation found there was resistance by top State Police officials to ever use the TrueAllele software. The newspaper reported that many of the analysts said the cheating allegations which stemmed from scientists working together on training exams were overblown but an easy way for the agency to derail and scuttle the TrueAllele project. "We do not comment on pending litigation," said Beau Duffy, a State Police spokesman. The lawsuit was filed by Shannon Morris, a DNA supervisor who was fired by the agency, and two other scientists, Kevin Rafferty and Melissa Lee, who faced termination but got their jobs back through labor proceedings. The federal complaint says that beginning in 2012 Rafferty "was openly critical of certain administrators in the Crime Lab allowing scientists to provide questionable DNA statistics in criminal cases and allowing staff members to perform questionable casework examinations." The complaint also notes it "was further expected that the TrueAllele software would show that in a large percentage of cases in which the DNA was obtained from a mixed source, the statistic obtained using the (traditional) method was not accurate. In a small percentage of these cases, TrueAllele would show that the DNA evidence used in a criminal conviction was actually exculpatory rather than inculpatory." Rafferty, according to the lawsuit, began to compile a list of cases that could be reanalyzed using TrueAllele once it was implemented by the agency. The lawsuit claims a member of the State Police general counsel's office, who is not identified in the complaint, was "aware that TrueAllele would reveal that the prosecutors used inaccurate DNA evidence" in an unknown number of prosecutions. Rafferty also questioned whether a former lab supervisor, Julie Pizziketti, "was testifying as an expert in criminal cases in areas in which she was neither competent nor proficient to testify," according to the complaint. Sources interviewed by the Times Union last year said the targeted analysts believe Pizziketti filed the complaint alleging the cheating allegations before leaving the agency. The federal complaint, which alleges civil rights violations and gender-based discrimination against the three scientists, also states that Pizziketti allowed DNA scientists to engage in "suspect-centric" DNA analysis, meaning they were subjectively analyzing DNA evidence with full knowledge that some of the samples belonged to a specific suspect. The incendiary cheating allegations surfaced two years ago after a three-month internal investigation concluded the scientists shared answers on training exams for TrueAllele. Last fall, the State Police canceled the last year of their contract with Cybergenetics, the Pennsylvania company that developed the software. In an interview four months ago, State Police Supt. Joseph A. D'Amico stood by his agency's investigation and said some of the scientists were evasive when confronted with evidence they had shared exams with one another. "Collaboration was encouraged in the training process, but not in the testing process," he said at the time. "I don't buy into (it) that this is a misunderstanding," D'Amico added. "I find it hard to believe that anybody who spends their life doing scientific analysis would think that this would be OK." The investigation began Oct. 3, 2014. Capt. Nancy Poulin, who is assigned to the lab, became the lead investigator on the case and began reviewing the exams and interviewing the scientists later that month. Poulin focused on the fact some of the exams were put on a shared computer drive and the sentence structure of some answers were similar, even though the data were different, records show. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. The scientists said they were encouraged by supervisors to collaborate on the training exams, according to transcripts of arbitration hearings obtained by the Times Union. Dr. Mark W. Perlin, the creator of TrueAllele and founder of Cybergenetics, previously said the scientists' exams contained questions with unique data sets, making it nearly impossible to cheat. In at least one instance the narrative portions of two scientists' answers were similar, he acknowledged, but the substantive answers and questions were different. "The students did their own work," Perlin said. At the request of the Times Union last year, Perlin analyzed the test results of the scientists accused of cheating and compared them with two control groups that also completed the same exams, including one from outside New York. He said there was "no statistical significant differences" in the answers from the three groups. The State Police did not seek input from Perlin or anyone at his company during the cheating investigation, he said. Some of the scientists targeted in the probe, and others close to the case, who spoke on the condition they not be identified for fear of retribution from the State Police, said that analysts in four of the five groups that went through the training a total of 36 scientists collaborated on the work. They said unlike annual proficiency tests that verify their expertise in DNA analysis, there were no written warnings on the TrueAllele exams indicating they couldn't get help. In some instances, employees for Cybergenetics, the company that markets TrueAllele, allowed the analysts to resubmit answers that were wrong or incomplete. Last year, several scientists facing termination signed statements acknowledging ethical lapses in order to get their jobs back. At least five others were still facing termination four months ago. Others not charged received letters in their files for not reporting their colleagues for collaborating on the exams. The investigation ultimately snared 15 scientists accused of cheating, although two left the agency on their own. blyons@timesunion.com 518-454-5547 @brendan_lyonstu HISTORY is complicated and challenging, but it would be wrong not to confront the challenges it throws up, Professor Tom Collins told a packed house at the launch of Mining the Past 2013, the second annual journal of the Silvermines Historical Society, at the Eagles Nest in Dolla, on Friday night HISTORY is complicated and challenging, but it would be wrong not to confront the challenges it throws up, Professor Tom Collins told a packed house at the launch of Mining the Past 2013, the second annual journal of the Silvermines Historical Society, at the Eagles Nest in Dolla, on Friday night In a witty and inspirational address to a very large audience from far and near, the eminent educationalist, quoting an academic colleague, referred to local history as the scar tissue of earlier generations and pointed out that the book had also revealed the part that the local past had played on the world stage. The attendance which included the Mayor of North Tipperary, Cllr Ger Darcy, was welcomed by the chairman of the Silvermines Historical Society, John Kennedy. Mr Kennedy introduced Professor Collins, a native of the parish, who once sat with him in the same classroom at Silvermines School. Delving into the past, Professor Collins said, was at times like encountering a live grenade. But it was a grenade that could not be ignored. History has a tendency to trespass on the present, he said, as he praised the bravery of the books contributors who had taken on the challenge. He referred in particular to Eamon de Staforts livid and lurid account of the 1642 massacre at the mines, reportedly perpetrated by Hugh OKennedy. There is no race that hasnt got a history, he said. Referring to Remembrance Day in England he pointed out that among those honoured were forces like the Black and Tans, and he asked if any nation ought to be allowed to celebrate its past without questioning it. The book Mining the Past, he went on, was laced with themes of loss and displacement something of a microcosm of the whole history of Ireland. The cross of Dolla where the highland and the lowland met was a significant landmark in local folk memory. The hills, he went on, had been depleted by various bodies over the years, including the Congested Districts Board and the Land Commission, and once thriving communities like Curryquin and Mucklin had been long abandoned. When the people of Curryquin were first allotted new farms, people wondered why they would leave Curryquin for a green field in Cooleen. They were quite displaced, he said. But the first thing they did was to plant hedgerows. They left their mark on the landscape. But the displacement was permanent. Their burial ground from then on was Kilmore and no longer the ancient graveyard in Dolla. Professor Collins said that despite all the changes the parish had seen, most of the family names had survived, particularly the Kennedys whose DNA had been long established in North Tipperary. As he spoke, the 50th anniversary of the shooting of John F Kennedy was being commemorated around the world and he wondered if some of the assassinated Presidents DNA was not also to be found still in the graveyards of Kilmore and Ballinaclough. Launching the book, he said he was amazed at the quality of the publication, particularly the cover picture of Kilmore graveyard by Michael Hynes. He described it as full of poignancy, with the power to draw you back in. It was a very enjoyable social occasion, with refreshments served by the Ryan (Lacken) family. Mining the Past 2013 is now available in all local shops and costs 10. [February 18, 2016] ANSI, NIST, and Partners Launch International Working Group to Develop Consensus Framework for Smart City Architectures NEW YORK, Feb. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has joined the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and several partners to launch a new international technical working group that will develop a white paper defining common architectural principles and a vocabulary for smart cities. In consultation with city stakeholders, the group will do a comparative analysis of existing architectural efforts and produce a framework document that can be used to bring greater coherence to standardization activities taking place internationally in various standards developing organizations and consortia. ANSI's role is primarily outreach and awareness-raising to encourage technical experts to participate in the initiative and to use the working group's output in subsequent standards activities in which ANSI plays a role as coordinator of the U.S. standardization system and U.S. member to international standards bodies. Other international partners supporting the activity are: the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI); the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) ; the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC); FIWARE, an open cloud-based platform for cost-effective creation and delivery of innovative applications and services; and the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA). The kick-off workshop for the initiative will take place at NIST's Gaithersburg, MD, campus on March 24-25, 2016, in conjunction with the NIST Global City Teams Challenge (GCTC) Tech Jam. The partners expect to draw on the expertise of GCTC project teams that collaborate on city scale applications, and on the Draft Framework for Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), produced by the NIST CPS public working group, which provides a scientific underpinning of the description of the Internet of Things (IoT). A second workshop will be held April 14-15, 2016, in Rome, Italy, hosted by ENEA. Both workshops will follow similar agenda formats with in-depth presentations from experts engaged in activities in the different geographic regions. Interim results will be considered at subsequent workshops in the June / July timeframe. The intention is to produce an initial draft document by September and to finalize it by June of next year. Participation in the activity is open to anyone. NIST has set up a collaboration website for the project which includes an email list sign-up and a briefing paper providing more information on the project. For more information, visit https://pages.nist.gov/smartcitiesarchitecture/. Chris Greer, director of NIST's Smart Grid and Cyber-Physical Systems Program, said, "The growth of the smart cities market is currently hindered by ICT deployments that are customized and not fully interoperable or scalable, as well as by the lack of convergence around architectural design principles and a common language or taxonomy. We want to avoid potentially divergent outputs from emerging standards activities and, instead, come up with a framework that will enable smart city solutions that meet the needs of modern communities." ANSI president and CEO Joe Bhatia said, "ANSI has a long-standing, cooperative working relationship with NIST and so we are pleased to lend a hand in promoting this effort to bring greater clarity and consistency to the standardization dialogue around smart cities." In response to increased focus on the emerging market for smart and sustainable cities, ANSI established in 2014 the ANSI Network on Smart and Sustainable Cities (ANSSC), a forum for information sharing and coordination on voluntary standards, conformity assessment, and related activities for smart and sustainable cities in the U.S. and abroad. Participation in the ANSSC provides access to timely information and monthly webinars on smart cities standardization activities. For more information, visit www.ansi.org/cities. As the U.S. member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), ANSI is also supporting the World Smart City Forum being organized in cooperation with the International Telecommunication Union and taking place July 13, 2016, in Singapore. For more information, visit www.worldsmartcity.org/. About ANSI The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide. The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ansi-nist-and-partners-launch-international-working-group-to-develop-consensus-framework-for-smart-city-architectures-300222315.html SOURCE American National Standards Institute [February 18, 2016] Enzu Inc. Diversifies 200 Gbps Global Network With Addition of China Mobile International Limited HENDERSON, Nev., Feb. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc 500 award winner and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) hosting provider, Enzu Inc. has added China Mobile International Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Mobile Limited (0941.HK), the world's leading mobile telecommunications company, to their 200 Gbps global network mix. The addition of China Mobile will improve access from Enzu Inc.'s U.S. network to the emerging Chinese market and provide the growing Chinese market with more speed along with better access to the U.S. "With China making up nearly 20% of the world population, it is important as a hosting provider we continue to stay ahead of emerging markets. With the addition of China Mobile to our 200 Gbps global network, we will not only stay ahead of emerging markets, we will continue to provide better services to our loyal customers," said Steve Empie, Chief Executive Officer of Enzu Inc. Empie has been an executive and entrepreneur in the cloud and hosting space for over 10 years. "We are excited to be the partner of Enzu in their expansion plans for the U.S. based network and their customers will benefit from the unparalleled access we can deliver through the region," said Dr. Zhao eng, Chief Commercial Officer of China Mobile International. China Mobile Limited is ranked 20th in Forbes' "Global 2000" 2015, which recognizes the world's public companies as measured by a composite ranking for sales, profits, assets, and market value. In 2015, it was also included for the tenth consecutive year in Millward Brown and Financial Times' "BRANDZ Top 100." The China Mobile corporate brand, with a brand value of $59,895 million, ranks 15th globally. Enzu Inc. commits to providing 100% uptime across its network infrastructure, recognizing that online business is built on being continually available and functioning at every second. The intended outcome of the addition is to allow companies in both markets to conduct business online without any constraints, through easy access to world-class IT infrastructure. About Enzu Inc. Enzu Inc., a Nevada based Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provider, offers dedicated servers, cloud hosting, virtual private servers and network connectivity in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Miami to a global client base. For more information, please visit www.enzu.com. About China Mobile International Headquartered in Hong Kong, China Mobile International (CMI) has expanded our footprint in different countries and regions and its US subsidiary was established in 2011. CMI provides seamless, carefree and boundless services to our customers and integrated communication solutions to enterprise clients for their business needs in different locations. For more information, please visit www.cmi.chinamobile.com . To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/enzu-inc-diversifies-200-gbps-global-network-with-addition-of-china-mobile-international-limited-300220106.html SOURCE Enzu Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The special advisor of the Secretary General (SG) of the Council of Europe has welcomed the Ukraine's presidential address which stressed the need for rapid implementation of the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) reform, the CoE online portal said in a statement. "This is a solid encouragement for speedy and meaningful action to fulfill one of the outstanding commitments which Ukraine undertook when joining the Council of Europe: The transformation of the Prokuratura [PGO] into a modern prosecution service. The people in Ukraine need a Prosecution Service which functions independently, in accordance with the rule of law, pursues a zero tolerance policy towards corruption and enjoys public trust," the special advisor said. The Council of Europe has been providing long-term support to the Prosecutor General's Office reform and will continue to do so, the statement noted. "One of the key aspects of this reform is the removal of any constitutional basis for the Prosecutors' power to supervise legality in general, a function that has led to numerous abuses and corruption in the past," the statement said. "The sooner these reforms are consolidated through the Constitutional reform, the better the whole Ukrainian reform agenda will be implemented," the special advisor outlined. [February 18, 2016] ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp Seeks Aspiring Scientists and Innovators for 2016 Program The ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp announced today that it has opened its application process for students to participate in summer sessions on college campuses around the country. For more than 10 years, the program has attracted rising and current middle-school students who want to experience college life while learning about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). "Our camp is designed to offer students of promise the opportunity to see what a career in STEM would be like," said Dr. Harris, president of The Harris Foundation. "Through this experience, we are helping build the next generation of innovators." The program has been supported by the ExxonMobil Foundation, the primary philanthropic arm of the Exxon Mobil Corporation in the United States. "ExxonMobil has had a long standing commitment to inspire young people to consider pursuing a STEM field as they think about their future studies and long-term careers," said Ben Soraci, president of the ExxonMobil Foundation. "For more than a decade, Dr. Harris and his camps have provided a unique program to bring STEM careers and experiences to life while helping thousands of students learn the value of teamwork and hone their problem-solving skills." Students are encouraged to apply to attend camp sessions at 10 universities in Alaska, Arkansas, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Future scientists and engineers will take part in an all-expenses-paid experience working with camp founder and former astronaut Dr. Bernard A. Harris, Jr. and other STEM professionals, in addition to ExxonMobil engineers, while living on a college campus. During the two-week camp, students participate in interactive, project-based classes taught by university faculty, secondary school teachers and STEM educators. Campers also have the opportunity to have a first-hand look at science within their communities through museum experiences and other local offerings. Additionally, students will hear from professionals about exciting and diverse careers in STEM fields that continue to fuel the economic growth of the United States. Eligible applicants must be entering sixth, seventh or eighth grades in the Fall of 2016. Additional information regarding application requirements and camp-specific submission instructions are available at www.theharrisfoundation.org. In 2016, camps will be hosted at the following universities: Lamar University (Beaumont, Texas) New Jersey Institute of Technology (Newark, New Jersey) North Carolina Central University (Durham, North Carolina) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, New York) Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) University of Alaska Anchorage (Anchorage, Alaska) University of Arkansas at Little Rock (Little Rock, Arkansas) University of Houston (Houston, Texas) University of Oklahoma (Norman, Oklahoma) University of Texas at Arlington (Arlington, Texas) Since 2006, more than 19,000 underserved students have participated in this program. According to a 2015 Harris Foundation study of camp alumni, 94 percent of graduating high school participants credit the camp experience for impacting their decision to take STEM-related honors, Pre-Advanced Placement and/or Advanced Placement classes in high school; 96 percent plan to go to college; and 86 percent plan to pursue a STEM-related career. About The Harris Foundation Founded in 1998, The Harris Foundation is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization based in Houston, whose overall mission is to invest in community-based initiatives to support education, health and wealth. The foundation supports programs that empower individuals, in particular minorities and the economically and/or socially disadvantaged, to recognize their potential and pursue their dreams. The education mission of The Harris Foundation is to enable youth to develop and achieve their full potential through the support of social, recreational and educational programs. The Harris Foundation believes students can be prepared now for the careers of the future through a structured educational program and the use of positive role models. More than 50,000 students have participated and benefited from THF programs. www.theharrisfoundation.org About the ExxonMobil Foundation The ExxonMobil Foundation is the primary philanthropic arm of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) in the United States. The foundation and the corporation engage in a range of philanthropic activities that advance education, promote women as catalysts for economic development and combat malaria. In the United States, ExxonMobil supports initiatives to improve math and science education at the K-12 and higher education levels. In 2014, the ExxonMobil Foundation together with Exxon Mobil Corporation, its divisions and affiliates along with employees and retirees, provided $279 million in contributions worldwide. www.exxonmobil.com/community View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160218005144/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 18, 2016] Ivenix, Inc. to Participate at HIMSS16 Ivenix, Inc., a medical technology company developing a next-generation infusion management platform, announced today that the company will participate in The HIMSS Interoperability Showcase during the 2016 HIMSS Conference & Exhibition at the Sands Expo Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada from February 29 to March 4, 2016. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160218005246/en/ The Interoperability Showcase is located in Booth #11954, Exhibit Hall G, Level 1. The Ivenix Infusion Management System is featured in Use Case #4: Cancer Care Research & Reporting. (Graphic: Business Wire) "We are thrilled to be a part of the HIMSS Interoperability Showcase, as it provides an opportunity to demonstrate the Ivenix Infusion Management System in a wide breadth of care settings," said Stuart Randle, chief executive officer of Ivenix. "We've worked closely with clinicians to better understand their workflow, and they have been instrumental in the development of the platform that we expect will improve patient safety and workflow efficiency." The HIMSS Interoperability Showcase is an interactive, vendor-neutral environment with real-world clinical use cases that demonstrate the significance of interoperable devices and information systems' potenial to change the future of healthcare. Experts will discuss how to solve complex healthcare problems around system and device implementation to move interoperability initiatives forward. The Ivenix Infusion Management System will be featured in a live collaboration with leading EMR and Health IT vendors, demonstrating interoperability to manage patient-specific infusion orders and integrate this data seamlessly to the patient record. "Participating in this year's Interoperability Showcase shows our commitment to standards-based interoperability to support improved patient outcomes across healthcare settings," said George Gray, chief technology officer and vice president of IT & Software Systems. "The Ivenix Infusion Management System has been architected to actively manage patient-specific infusion information while easily enabling interoperability with other information systems." The Interoperability Showcase is located in Booth #11954, Exhibit Hall G, Level 1. The Ivenix Infusion Management System is featured in Use Case #4: Cancer Care Research & Reporting. About the Ivenix Infusion Management System While drug therapies have become more complex and effective, infusion pumps on the market today heavily rely on legacy technology that can be error prone, difficult to operate and ultimately lead to workflow inefficiencies and use errors that affect patient safety. The errors alone are estimated to add $2 billion per year to the cost of U.S. healthcare. The Ivenix Infusion Management System is designed to be cost-effective and improve patient outcomes, and has three unique differentiators designed to dramatically improve infusion therapy: A fundamentally new pump delivery system delivers medications at a steady and consistent rate under all clinical conditions, without requiring nurses to manually adjust the height of the bag or the pump settings to deliver medications as intended. An intuitive, touch screen smartphone-like user interface guides the nurse through the setup of the prescribed medication, alerting the nurse to any potential medication complications along the way. A powerful information technology system shares infusion data with the patient's electronic medical record (EMR) and gives nurses and clinicians mobile access to secure data. The system also includes built-in quality and analytics tools, giving providers the ability to understand and report quality metrics. About Ivenix Ivenix, Inc. is a venture-backed medical technology company with a vision to transform infusion therapy in every care setting. Technology within the infusion pump category has been slow to evolve despite an increase in the complexity of drug dosing regimens, demand for hospital EMR integration, and persistent patient safety issues. Ivenix is focused on bringing its first solution to market, a new and innovative infusion management system for hospitals. The company is headquartered in Amesbury, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit www.ivenix.com. The U.S. FDA has not yet reviewed the Ivenix Infusion Management System. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160218005246/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 17, 2016] Mercy St. Vincent's CereTom-equipped Mobile Stroke Unit Treats Northwestern Ohio Patients Right Where They Are Fulfilling its promise of bringing care faster to Northwestern Ohio residents experiencing stroke, Samsung (News - Alert) NeuroLogica and Mercy Life Flight Network announce the debut of the mobile stroke unit (MSU) serving greater Northwestern Ohio. The fourth of its kind in the United States, the vehicle comes equipped with a CereTom mobile CT scanner and is on-call 24/7 and is staffed with a critical care nurse, paramedic and CT technologist. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160217006489/en/ Mercy Life Flight Network Mobile Stroke Unit - administered by the Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio - rolled out its Samsung NeuroLogica CereTom CT-equipped mobile stroke unit on January 19. This emergency room on wheels connects responders to specially trained vascular neurologists via telemedicine connections, offers CT scans for stroke patients on the scene and keeps clot-busting drugs on board if indicated for treatment. The mobile unit gives responders the ability to treat stroke patients more quickly than conventional means allow. (Photo: Business Wire) Within its first three weeks of operation, the unit received 29 calls and treated 10 patients, one of them with a tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), a drug commonly used to treat ischemic strokes. The CereTom CT scanner is a critical element of the process, providing scan uploads to specialists at the hospital in less than two minutes. For many stroke patients, time is critical for administering treatment that can prevent or minimize brain injury, and MSU teams can act on diagnostic tests in the field. Of the 10 patients the unit was dispatched to treat in the inaugural weeks of operation, nine received CT scans on the scene. "The key to stroke care is determining what kind of stroke is occurring, whether it's hemorrhagic or ischemic," said Julie Goins-Whitmore, MBA, RN, EMT-P, Mercy Health MSU program manager. "Performing the scan out in the field quickens the diagnostic process, which is critical to starting the right treatment as soon as possible. It's also a huge relief for patients and their families to have a much better idea of what's happening before the MSU even leaves their driveways." The MSU was co-developed by Stryker, Frazer and Samsung NeuroLogica, funded with a $1 million grant from the Mercy Foundation. It was brought online in partnership with the Lucas County Commissioners and the City of Toledo to address new emergent stroke-care protocols. Lucas County sees a higher proportion of patients 45 years and younger suffering from trokes compared to the national average. The CereTom is an 8-slice, portable CT scanner that delivers high-quality scans in a variety of patient locations. Its combination of rapid scan time, easy-to-use interface and immediate image viewing make CereTom an indispensable tool for any clinician needing real-time, high-quality images. It is optimized for use in a variety of settings including the MSU, ICU, NICU, emergency department and in patient rooms. For stroke patients, the CereTom-based MSU has proven to reduce time-to-treatment for patients,1 as well as hospital length of stay.2 Stroke kills nearly 130,000 Americans each year, accounting for one of every 20 deaths, or one person every four minutes. Of the approximate 800,000 Americans that have a stroke annually, about 87% are ischemic.3 "Mobile stroke units empower emergency physicians to deliver quicker, more effective care especially for ischemic stroke patients," said Philip Sullivan, Samsung NeuroLogica president and CEO. "The CereTom CT-equipped vehicles give responding specialists a powerful tool to help treat patients quicker, as time to treatment makes a big difference in a patient's recovery from stroke." A CereTom-equipped MSU will be on display for the duration of AHA/International Stroke Conference taking place February 17-18 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. To schedule a time to see the CereTom CT mobile stroke unit (MSU) in action, contact Lynne Gagne at [email protected]. MSU experts will be on-site and available to answer questions about this cutting-edge stroke treatment strategy. About Mercy Mercy is a seven-hospital system and a preferred provider of healthcare services for a 20-county area in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. A faith-based healthcare system, Mercy's mission is to improve the health of our communities, with an emphasis on the underserved. Mercy St. Vincent operates Life Flight Network, which maintains five aircraft and numerous emergency response vehicles, including intensive care vehicles in addition to the mobile stroke unit. About NeuroLogica NeuroLogica, the healthcare subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., develops, manufactures, and markets innovative imaging technologies and is committed to delivering fast, easy and accurate diagnostic solutions to healthcare providers. NeuroLogica, the global corporate headquarters and manufacturer of computed tomography, is also the U.S. headquarters for sales, marketing and distribution of all Samsung digital radiography and ultrasound systems. NeuroLogica's growing portfolio of advanced medical technologies are used worldwide in leading healthcare institutions helping providers enhance patient care, improve patient satisfaction, and increase workflow efficiency. Samsung is committed to being leaders in the field of healthcare imaging. For more information, please visit www.SamsungNeuroLogica.com. About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies, redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, digital appliances, printers, medical equipment, network systems, and semiconductor and LED solutions. We are also leading in the Internet of Things space through, among others, our Smart Home and Digital Health initiatives. We employ 307,000 people across 84 countries with annual sales of US $196 billion. To discover more, please visit our official website at www.samsung.com/ and our official blog at global.samsungtomorrow.com. 1 Hussain MS et al. Abstract 54. Presented at: International Stroke Conference 2015; Feb. 11-13, 2015; Nashville, Tennessee 2 Crit Care Clin 31 (2015) 197-224 3 CDC, NCHS. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2013 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released 2015. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2013, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160217006489/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 17, 2016] Subterranean Warfare (Tunnels & Underground Structures Detection and Subterranean Robots) Technologies: Global Market - 2015-2020 LONDON, Feb. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Transformational Technologies Drive the Market In recent conflicts (e.g. Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Gaza) , wherever the U.S., NATO, Israel and other nations have overwhelming combat power, their adversaries (e.g., Al-Qaeda, Taliban, ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah) resorted to a much more primitive combat strategy, the use of underground tunnels and structures. The challenge posed by these clandestine tunnels and underground structures is the key to the emergence of transformational counter-terror technologies and tactics. The maturity and deployment of these technologies are forecasted to alter the asymmetric landscape of subterranean warfare into a symmetric encounter. Future subterranean warfare techno-tactics will be based on: 1. Fused Multi-Modal Multi-Sensor systems for clandestine tunnels & underground structures detection. 2. Proactive Subterranean Warfare, in which remotely controlled "Detect and Kill" subterranean robots will search, locate and destroy the adversary tunnels and buried structures. These new developments will open a new era of "Subterranean Warfare" in which a host of ever-changing technologies and tactics will be employed by armed forces and law enforcement agencies. The report examines each dollar spent in the market via two orthogonal money trails: by Technology, Solutions & Service Sectors and by Country-Region. Within these trails, the report is granulated into 15 technology, solution & service submarkets and 10 national/regional submarkets Questions answered in this 370-page report include: - What will the market size and trends be during 2015-2020? - What are the submarkets that provide attractive business opportunities? - What drives the Subterranean Warfare marke? - What are the Subterranean Warfare technologies? - Where and what are the market opportunities? - What are the market drivers and inhibitors? - Who are the key vendors? - What are the challenges to market penetration & growth? The report presents in 370 pages, 186 tables & figures, analysis of 17 current and pipeline solutions, services & technologies and 23 leading vendors. It is explicitly tailored for decision-makers in the fields of defense, homeland security and public safety industry, border security and other. The report details the market, funding & legislation trends, and enables decision makers to identify business opportunities. It presents pipeline technologies, market size, drivers and inhibitors. It also provides for each submarket 2014 data and analyses, and also projects the 2015-2020 market and technologies from several perspectives, including: - Business opportunities and challenges - SWOT analysis - Market analysis (e.g., market dynamics, market drivers and inhibitors) - 2014-2020 market size data & forecasts, current & emerging technologies & services, key facts, sector background and analysis of the following 17 industry sectors: 1. In-Tunnel Scouting Robots 2. Ground Robots 3. "Seek and Kill" Attack-Robots 4. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) 5. Surface Seismic Systems 6. Borehole Passive Sensors (BPS) 7. Borehole Active Sensors (BAS) 8. Fiber Optic Sensors 9. Microgravity Detection Systems (MDS) 10. Resistive and MMWave Tomography 11. UGV Based Systems 12. Electromagnetic Systems (w/o GPR) 13. Testing & Evaluation 14. Civil Engineering Projects 15. Consulting Services 16. Planning & Training Outsourced Services 17. Gov. Funded R&D - 2014-2020 market size data & forecasts, key facts and techno-tactical-economic analysis of 10 countries and regions: 1. U.S. 2. Europe 3. Israel 4. Saudi Arabia 5. UAE, Qatar , Bahrain and Kuwait 6. MEA (w/o Israel & Gulf States) 7. India 8. China 9. South Korea 10. R.O.W. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3357078/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/subterranean-warfare-tunnels--underground-structures-detection-and-subterranean-robots-technologies-global-market--2015-2020-300222017.html SOURCE ReportBuyer [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 18, 2016] Blue Star Software Hires Alexa Watson as Director of Employee Engagement FALLS CHURCH, Va., Feb. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Blue Star Software, providers of IT support services to the United States Government, announced that Alexa Watson has joined the company as Director of Employee Engagement. Watson's role will include recruiting, hiring and onboarding new employees, with a focus on engineers with experience in software, systems and security engineering. Watson will also be working to ensure that, as the company grows, the core values that shape Blue Star's corporate culture remain intact. Watson brings 10 years of experience in the recruiting industry to Blue Star. Throughout her career she has delivered superior results by developing strong employer brands that effectively attract skilled technical staff to work on government contracts with Federal agencies and the Intelligence Community (IC). Most recently with G2, a privately held government contractor, she has also worked for Proteus Technology and BoxTone. "What I love most about Blue Star is that it's a small, authentic company, said Watson. "Our team is unified by a common enthusiasm for technology and our engineers take great pride in the work product they deliver to our customers. The company prioritizes people over maximization of profit, and it shows! Annual retention rates higher than 90% indicate that a healthy bottom line isn't the company's only priority. Something far more meaningful is happening here!" "We are excited to have Alexa join Blue Star," said Daniel Sherwell, CEO of Blue Star Software. "We are seeing a significant increase in customer demand and predicting substantial growth, which means we need to recruit at a higher level and faster pace than ever before. However, as we expand our team of technologists we need to ensure that we maintain our strong company culture. Alexa will help us take our recruiting to the next level while keeping employees engaged and energized." About Blue Star Software Blue Star Software provides highly-skilled software engineers and technical experts with current security clearances to the United States Government. The company's IT professionals can immediately extend existing project teams or boost surge capabilities in a wide variety of areas, including software and systems engineering, especially related to big data, cybersecurity, mobile and cloud-based systems. Blue Star Software, which is headquartered in Falls Church, VA, maintains a website at www.blue-star-software.com. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blue-star-software-hires-alexa-watson-as-director-of-employee-engagement-300221832.html SOURCE Blue Star Software [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 18, 2016] Bristlecone to Bring Together Supply Chain, Procurement and Analytics Leaders to Discuss the Latest Industry Developments SAN JOSE, California, February 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Bristlecone, a global leader in supply chain, procurement and analytics consulting, will host Bristlecone Pulse 2016, a unique supply chain event in Silicon Valley. Held at the elegant Hotel Valencia on Santana Row in San Jose, California, the event will take place from February 29th - March 02nd, 2016. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140902/703601-a) Your Vision, Digitally Connected Supply chain and Information Technology experts will share best practices on business transformation. Attendees will learn how industry leaders are driving value through today's rapid technological advancements, with an eye on the pulse of tomorrow's unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Speakers and Topics Include: Marc Randolph , Co-founder, Netflix: What Silicon Valley has to teach about innovation. , Co-founder, Netflix: What Silicon Valley has to teach about innovation. Alex Soejarto , Gartner: Panel discussion on how SCM leaders are responding to industry trends. , Gartner: Panel discussion on how SCM leaders are responding to industry trends. Nick Vyas , Director, USC Marshall Center for Global SCM: Disruptive Technology Enabling the Global Supply Chain. , Director, Marshall Center for Global SCM: Disruptive Technology Enabling the Global Supply Chain. Adhir Mattu , Transformational CIO: Finding direction in a time of digital integration. , Transformational CIO: Finding direction in a time of digital integration. Rob Quinn , CIO, Cepheid: Maintaining focus on value. , CIO, Cepheid: Maintaining focus on value. Irfan A. Khan , Bristlecone CEO: Bristlecone's vision and how it ensures measurable ROI for customers. Irfan A. Khan . About Bristlecone: Bristlecone is a leader in advising clients on how to maximize the strategic value of their supply chains, assisting them to unleash that value rapidly through effective use of enabling technologies. Rated by Gartner among the top Supply Chain Management System Integrators, Bristlecone has enabled strategic, incremental value for over 250 customers across multiple industry verticals. With its singular focus on addressing procurement and supply chain challenges, it helps clients diagnose, design, enable and enhance their operations by encapsulating years of experience into pre-configured solutions, accelerated deployments and enhancement packs for the leading supply chain technologies. Headquartered in California's Silicon Valley, Bristlecone also has offices located across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Singapore, Malaysia and India. To know more, visit: http://www.bcone.com Press Contacts: Rama Krishnamurthy Bristlecone - India +91-95389 65878 [email protected] Rebecca Nerad Bristlecone - North America +1-802-999-7641 [email protected] SOURCE Bristlecone Inc [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 18, 2016] Intersolar North America 2016 to Highlight the Record-Breaking Growth and Emerging Opportunities in U.S. Solar Market SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Intersolar North America, the most attended solar industry exhibition and conference dedicated to the North American market, will highlight the key trends driving the North American solar market during its annual conference July 11-13 at the InterContinental Hotel in San Francisco. With a lineup of policymakers, industry executives and analysts, the conference program will provide valuable insight on topics ranging from emerging solar markets to new financing models to policy debates to technology advances during the first major industry event of the year 2016 in North America. Intersolar is currently accepting speaking abstracts, with the deadline of Saturday, March 12. Abstracts can be submitted online. The U.S. solar market will continue to grow at a record-breaking pace in 2016, and is expected to install 10 gigawatts (GW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) this year, according to GTM Research. While utility and commercial-scale installations are expected to make up the majority of new solar, the residential market will also experience strong growth throughout the year due in part to the continued popularity of third-party financing programs. By 2020, GTM Research expects the U.S. industry to install solar at a rate of 20 GW annually, due in part to declining costs and favorable policies, notably the extension of the investment tax credit (ITC). The ITC's extension marked a major victory for the U.S. solar market, and demonstrated a commitment to developing a strong solar industry in the United States. Intersolar aided the efforts of its long-time partner the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA), including a signature drive at last year's Intersolar North America event, to extend the ITC. CALSEIA and other industry organizations and advocates also successfully promoted the continuation of net metering in California, which was recently approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). These victories generated new debates at the state and local level over net-metering and rate-design reform, which will make 2016 a critical year for state and local solar policy. As the first major solar industry event in North America in 2016, Intersolar helps connect solar executives from around the world and across the solar supply chain. Intersolar is working with a number of partners to develop the conference program, which will feature expert insight on a variety of topics related to continuing the industry's growth and evelopment: PV: Technologies PV: Markets ( North America , South America , Asia ) , , ) Financing Models Electrical Energy Storage Smart Renewable Energy Installer Training Sessions and Workshops "With the extension of the ITC, the implementation of creative financing models, and affordable energy storage options, the United States is making a strong case to be the world's leading solar market in terms of capacity and innovation," said Dr. Florian Wessendorf, managing director of Solar Promotion International GmbH, and Daniel Strowitzki, CEO of FMMI International, the organizers of Intersolar North America. "We're working with our partners to develop a conference program that delivers attendees the information they need to know in order to navigate the changing marketplace and continue to grow the market. California has long lead the way for the U.S. solar industry, and we're excited to hear from the individuals and companies leading the market." Intersolar organizers hope to build on the success of last year's program, with more than 200 speakers and 60 sessions and workshops. New ees North America Conference Focuses on Energy Storage Technologies, Policies The U.S. is set to be the largest energy storage market worldwide, with California as the world's new hub of energy storage innovation and progressive policies, according to GTM Research. The annual U.S. solar-plus-storage market will reach 769 megawatts (MW) by 2020, with a $3.1 billion valuation. In that time, the California market will reach 422 MW, and account for 54 percent of the total U.S. market. The consumer market for behind-the-meter storage, will account for 50 percent of the total U.S. energy storage market by 2017. Building on growing interest in the energy storage market, the co-located ees North America conference will offer a two-day track of panel discussions and educational sessions that will cover topics such as large-scale electricity storage; behind-the-meter storage; battery safety; cost-effective battery storage; business models for commercial and utility-scale storage; and electric transportation. The ees North America Conference runs July 11 to 12, and will take place at the InterContinental Hotel. About Intersolar North America With events spanning four continents, Intersolar is the world's leading exhibition series for the solar industry and its partners. It unites people and companies from around the world with the aim of increasing the share of solar power in our energy supply. Since its establishment in 2008, Intersolar North America has become the most attended solar event and the premier networking platform for the North American solar industry. Co-located with SEMICON West, Intersolar North America takes place annually at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, in the heart of the United States' pioneering solar market. The event will expand to host a co-located energy storage-focused exhibition, ees North America. ees grew out of Intersolar North America's popular energy storage exhibition segment. A total of 521 exhibitors and around 17,835 visitors participated in Intersolar North America in 2015. The conference and exhibition program featured 47 sessions with more than 200 speakers and 25 workshops. Intersolar North America's exhibition and conference focus on photovoltaics, energy storage systems, smart renewable energy and solar heating & cooling technologies. Since being founded, Intersolar has become the most important industry platform to connect manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, service providers, policy makers, start-up founders, financiers, installers and partners in the global solar industry. With 25 years of experience, Intersolar has the unique ability to bring together members of the solar industry from across the world's most influential markets and solar supply chain. Intersolar exhibitions and conferences are held in Munich, San Francisco, Mumbai, and Sao Paulo, and, starting in 2016, in Dubai. These global events are complemented by the Intersolar Summits, which take place in emerging and growing markets worldwide. For more information on Intersolar North America, please visit: www.intersolar.us Organizers: Intersolar North America is organized by Solar Promotion International GmbH, Pforzheim and Freiburg Management and Marketing International GmbH (FMMI). To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/intersolar-north-america-2016-to-highlight-the-record-breaking-growth-and-emerging-opportunities-in-us-solar-market-300222418.html SOURCE Intersolar North America [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 18, 2016] Video Surveillance Storage Market by Storage Technology, Storage Media, Deployment Model, Service, Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2020 LONDON, Feb. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Video surveillance storage market is gaining traction due to increasing adoption of the video surveillance cameras and systems for the safety and security of public, properties, and other valuable assets. This increasing adoption of video surveillance systems ultimately generates massive volume of data and is complementing the video surveillance storage market. The global video surveillance storage market is expected to be USD 6.65 billion in 2015 and is estimated to grow at a high Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) during the forecast period. This report provides detailed insights into the video surveillance storage market split across five major regions such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East Africa, and Latin America. The report broadly comprises video surveillance storage market based on the types of storage technologies, storage media, deployment models, services, verticals, and regions. The storage technologies include Storage Area Network (SAN), Direct Attached Storage (DAS), and Network Attached Storage (NAS). SAN is further segmented into Fibre Channel (FC) SAN, Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) SAN, and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE). The market is further classified into types of storage media, such as Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) and Solid State Drives (SSDs). Types of deployment models include on-premise and on cloud storage. Services with these solutions include system integration, consulting and design, and maintenance and support services. The market is also segmented on the basis of verticals into government and defense, education, BFSI, retail, utilities, healthcare, home security and others. The BFSI sector is expected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period. The education, retail, and home security verticals show great opportunities in this space. The report emphasizes on key adoption trends, evolution of video surveillance storage, drivers, restraints, future opportunities, and business cases in this innovative market. MarketsandMarkets expects growth of the video surveillance storage market as major vendors are aggressively investing and rigorously working towards building innovative and cost- effective storage solutions. The global video surveillance storage vendors include Cisco Systems, Dell, EMC Corporation, Hitachi, Seagate Technology, NetApp, Robert Bosch GmbH, Honeywell International, Avigilon Corporation, and Pelco by Schneider Electric. The report contains competitive landscape of top ten players in this market and studies new product launches, partnerships, collaborations, acquisition, and the major strategies adopted by these players to achieve growth in the video surveillance storage market. The report would enable both established firms as well as new entrants/smaller firms to gauge the pulse of the video surveillance storage market and penetrate the market share. Firms purchasing this report could use any one or combination of the below mentioned five strategies (market penetration, product development/innovation, market development, market diversification, and competitive assessment) to strengthen their market share. The report provides insights on the following pointers: - Market Penetration: Comprehensive information on power solutions offered by the top ten players in the video surveillance storage market. - Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on upcoming technologies, Research and Development (R&D) activities, and new product launches in the video surveillance storage market. - Market Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative emerging markets. The report analyzes the markets for video surveillance storage market solutions across the regions. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3336753/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/video-surveillance-storage-market-by-storage-technology-storage-media-deployment-model-service-vertical-and-region---global-forecast-to-2020-300222542.html SOURCE ReportBuyer [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Volunteer walks in honor of her husband Thousand Oaks resident Joan Hull will be among those participating in this years Conejo Valley Walk to End Alzheimers at 9 a.m. Sat., Oct. 22 at the Westlake Promenade. Hull... Overpass could get protective fencing A substantial safety upgrade for the areas most notorious overpass is finally getting some Caltrans considerationbut dont expect changes any time soon. At the Sept. 21 Moorpark City Council meeting,... Early detection is the best way to survive breast cancer Every October, we celebrate those men and women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. But what is breast cancer and how can it be diagnosed and managed? There are... The Petro Poroshenko Bloc's parliamentary faction says they are satisfied with the performance of Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko, Infrastructure Minister Andriy Pyvovarsky, Social Policy Minister Pavlo Rozenko, Energy and Coal Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn, and they pledge support of Agriculture Minister Oleksiy Pavlenko. "I think I've got the right to tell you that we're happy with the work done by the technocratic executives the ministers of finance and transport [now it is the infrastructure minister's position], there are votes to support the agriculture minister, the social policy minister, the energy minister. We consider them to be technocrats who pursue necessary reforms rather than the party's policy. Unfortunately we're not quite happy with many other ministers," Petro Poroshenko Bloc faction leader Yuriy Lutsenko told reporters in Kyiv on Wednesday evening. Ukraine's experience of hybrid warfare in Donbas will help Western partners counter expansion of aggression to Europe and the world as a whole, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) head Vasyl Hrytsak has said. "We have experience which no one else seems to possess the experience of hybrid warfare. We know that this experience will help all of us do a lot of good, so that this disease, this aggression doesn't spread either in Europe or in the world at large," he said in Kyiv on Thursday, speaking at the 2016 Ukrainian defense and security forum held under the aegis of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and Ukroboronprom state concern and attended by NATO representatives. "Over two years, Ukraine, which has met the challenge, has been fighting in the war undeclared against us, war against the Russian aggressor We have entered the war hardly prepared, however our army, our society, our security services are not what they used to be two years ago. We have taken control of ourselves, we are no longer scared, we started to modernize our old equipment, our structures, and we have started to strike the enemy," the SBU head said. "It is important to us now that we have chosen our path, Euro-Atlantic integration, and I am confident that we are committed to this path and no one can force us leave it, take a different turn, no matter how they try," Hrytsak said. Hrytsak thanked Ukraine's Western partners, in particular, the United States and NATO, "which help us understand, rethink problems related to defense capacity, the security sector." Leader of the Batkivschyna Party's faction in Ukraine's parliament Yulia Tymoshenko has said that she is not seeking the post of the country's prime minister, and representatives of her faction are not interested in government posts. "I personally announce that I am not seeking the post of prime minister," Tymoshenko told reporters on the sidelines of a parliamentary session on Thursday, adding that members of the Batkivschyna team do not want ministerial posts either. "We declare that we will vote for a government that will be formed without any political quotas, without any political influence [...] a government that will enjoy society's support," she said. The Radical Party's parliamentary faction is ready to take part in the formation of a new coalition in parliament, Radical Party leader Oleh Liashko said. "When those who rule the country are unable to find a common solution and unable to build the country, we're offering an action plan, we're ready to take part in the formation of a new [parliamentary] coalition, in new program of action, in the formation of a new government that will be able to pull the country out of the abyss," he said in parliament on Thursday. At the same time, Liashko said that his faction still belongs to the opposition. As was reported, five factions in the Verkhovna Rada of the 8th convocation decided to create a parliamentary coalition on November 27, 2014. The parliamentary majority was formed from the factions of the Bloc of Petro Poroshenko, the People's Front, the Samopomich Party of Andriy Sadovy, the Batkivschyna Party of Yulia Tymoshenko, and the Radical Party of Oleh Liashko. Late in 2015, the Radical Party's faction pulled out of the coalition. Batkivschyna announced its withdrawal from the coalition on February 17, 2016. The Petro Poroshenko Bloc said they would not withdraw their signatures from the coalition agreement, however, they confirmed the actual breakup of the ruling coalition. At the same time, Petro Poroshenko Bloc faction leader Yuriy Lutsenko said that the Radical Party's faction might become a full-fledged coalition member again, noting that Liashko had not withdrawn his signature from the coalition agreement. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk said talks to reshape the government and update the coalition agreement were under way with different political forces, including the Radical Party's faction. The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, is concerned about threats voiced by Donbas militants to impose a death penalty on hostages, therefore the Ukrainian parliamentarians call on foreign parliaments, parliamentary assemblies and international organizations to respond to this announcement. The Ukrainian parliament's appeal in connection with threats to the life of hostages kept by Russian-backed militants in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions was supported by 239 MPs' votes on Thursday. "Of particular concern are recently voiced threats by militants that they are ready to impose a death penalty on hostages," the appeal said. Therefore, the Verkhovna Rada calls on the parliaments of foreign states, the parliamentary assemblies and international organizations to employ all existing tools at parliamentary, governmental and non-governmental levels and give a signal to the Russian Federation that assassinations and extrajudicial executions, tortures and other inhumane forms of the treatment of hostages and local residents in occupied areas in Donetsk and Luhansk regions are inadmissible. The MPs also urged the foreign parliaments and international organizations to demand that the Russian Federation grant the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) immediate access to hostages. They ask to involve the ICRC in operations for the search of missing persons and identification of bodies. The Verkhovna Rada also insist that Russia free Ukrainian citizens who have illegally been detained by the Russian authorities and Russian-controlled militants. In addition, the Ukrainian lawmakers ask foreign parliaments to call on their governments to extend and toughen restrictive measures against Russia until Russia's commitments under the Minsk peace agreements have fully been implemented. OSCE to use video cameras, drones to monitor overnight ceasefire violations in Donbas - Hug Members of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) will not go on night patrol missions but will obtain information by use of video cameras and drones, OSCE SMM Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug said on Wednesday. OSCE SMM monitors maintain physical presence at 13 posts to provide stationary observation day and night, Hug said. Their activity will be supported by gadgets, including video surveillance cameras and drones. A camera installed in Shyrokyne has recorded overnight fighting in Kominternove and Shyrokyne, Hug said, replying to a question about the possibility of overnight patrols. He said he was expecting the Joint Center for Control and Coordination to provide security of OSCE monitors and property. You have reached a premium content area of Transitions. To read this entire article please login if you are already a Transitions subscriber. Not a subscriber? Subscribe today for access to: Full access to the website, including premium articles videos, country reports and searchable archives (containing over 25,000 articles). The Ukrainian side is committed to formulating the modalities of local elections in Donbas in line with Ukrainian legislation and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) standards, as well as under the monitoring of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), but this will also require Russia's political will and constructive approach, Darka Olifer, spokesperson for former Ukrainian president and Kyiv's envoy to the Trilateral Contact Group Leonid Kuchma, has said. "Ukraine remains committed to its obligations and is ready to move toward securing the implementation of the Minsk agreements in full. The Ukrainian side wants to formulate the modalities of local elections in Donbas in compliance with Ukrainian legislation and OSCE standards and under OSCE ODIHR monitoring. The elections are a fundamentally important issue," Olifer wrote on her Facebook account after a meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk on Wednesday. At the same time, "Ukraine cannot ensure that they [the elections] are held exclusively by its own efforts," she said, adding that "Russia's political will and constructive approach are needed for this to happen." The Samopomich parliamentary faction has announced it is pulling out from the ruling coalition in parliament, faction leader Oleh Bereziuk said. "The leaders of the Samopomich party have decided to recognize as impossible Samopomich's further alliance with the political forces that are involved in an oligarchic coup at the parliament and stop its membership in the parliamentary coalition," Bereziuk said in quoting the party's decision in Kyiv on Thursday. He said that all the members of the faction had already signed an appeal to the Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Groysman regarding the cessation of its participation in the coalition. The Samopomich faction will also initiate amendments to the law On Elections so that the next parliamentary elections will be held based on open election lists. Samopomich has also addressed the members of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc and Popular Front factions "who consider it unacceptable for themselves to be involved in cementing a government of kleptocracy and oligarchy" to leave their factions and jointly coordinate steps to protect parliamentarianism in Ukraine. It was reported earlier, that five factions at the Verkhovna Rada, i.e. those of Petro Poroshenko Bloc, Popular Front, Samopomich Association, the Radical Party of Oleh Liashko, and Batkivschyna, decided on November 27, 2014, to set up a parliamentary coalition. The Radical Party's faction left the coalition at the end of 2015. Batkivschyna announced its withdrawal from the coalition on February 17, 2016. Petro Poroshenko Bloc said it would not recall its signatures from the coalition agreement, but acknowledged that the coalition had essentially broken up. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk calls on President Petro Poroshenko, the Petro Poroshenko Bloc parliamentary faction, and all democratic forces to make a new start so as not to replay mistakes of the past and prevent Ukraine's breakup. "I am addressing the president, his faction, and all reasonable and democratic forces: let's turn a new page. We have no right to allow a horrible scenario of the country's breakup, and we have no right to replay the mistakes of 2005," Yatseniuk said at a Cabinet meeting in Kyiv on Thursday. "I will hold consultations with the Radical Party, and once again speak with the president and the head of his faction today. We should eliminate emotions, they stand in our way," Yatseniuk said. Android users frustrated with the slow speed of OS updates reaching their devices may finally get some relief, according to Richard Windsor, an London-based technology analyst. Windsor thinks Google may soon take over the distributions of Android updates and security patches because handset makers and cellular carriers aren't doing a good job of it. (Image credit: Asif Islam/Shutterstock) Speaking to the British tech site The Register, Windsor, of Edison Investment Research, pointed out the alarming discrepancy between Android and iOS adoption rates. Android Marshmallow was released one month after iOS 9 last fall, yet Apple's current mobile platform is installed on 87 percent of iOS devices, while Marshmallow is on a mere 1.2 percent of Android devices. However, Windsor didn't cite any Google sources or inside information to back up his assertion. It's not clear if he's privy to hidden secrets, or believes that it's inevitable Google will take over the Android update process, or if he simply thinks it merely should. MORE: The Best Android Apps to Try Today Avi Greengart, research director for consumer electronics at market-research firm Current Analysis, agreed that Google is not happy about the Android update process, but added that there may be risks of losing market share if Google seizes the reins entirely. "Google is certainly frustrated that carriers and device vendors are slow to provide updates," Greengart told Tom's Guide. "Google is probably willing to ignore any pushback from carriers and device vendors on the update cycle Apple manages the process entirely internally but not if doing so means losing the community of developers who build things on top of Android, including the entire Chinese smartphone and tablet market." But full Google control of OS updates might mean a massive improvement for Android security, according to Jon Oberheide, co-founder of Duo Security in Ann Arbor, Michigan. "The reason why Android security is so poor isn't that it has more vulnerabilities; it's that the patches for those vulnerabilities are never pushed out to users' devices," Oberheide told us. "Contrast this with iOS, where Apple controls the hardware and software, and can deliver updates in a centralized fashion to quickly patch security vulnerabilities." If you're wondering how Google could adopt Apple's software-distribution model, Windsor told The Register that the company "will end up taking complete control of Android by moving the entire OS into its services layer known as Google Mobile Services." Google Mobile Services (GMS) is the bundle of apps and processes that device makers must accept to have their Android builds "Google certified." GMS apps include Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Maps, the Chrome browser and, last but definitely not least, the entire Google Play Services ecosystem that lets users download screened apps directly from Google instead of taking their chances with unknown vendors. "Google is already putting more of the core user experience into Google Play Services, which it can push directly to consumers," Greengart said. "Google is also working with carriers and device vendors to push out OS-level security patches on a monthly basis." For example, in 2013, the anti-theft feature Android Device Manager was pushed out to all devices via Google Play, without carrier or device-maker input. Updates to Device Manager have arrived the same way. Marshmallow makes Android safer by simplifying security controls and letting users choose the permissions granted to individual apps. It also has useful features such as Google Now On Tap and the battery-optimizing Doze function. But thanks to device makers and carriers dragging their heels, North American users see these features primarily on Nexus and Samsung Galaxy devices and Samsung began pushing out its Marshmallow updates only this week. The slow rollout of Android updates is often blamed on compatibility issues. Device makers and carriers are free to customize Android, although their options are constrained if they accept Google certification and the GMS bundle. (Many Chinese device makers don't.) Manufacturers often fit Android to their hardware, rather than the other way around. The thousands of different Android devices, and the huge variety of manufacturer modifications, such as Samsung's TouchWiz user interface, would make updates harder for Google than they are for Apple, the latter of which has to support only a half-dozen devices. Windsor told The Register that he foresees a simple solution the Google coup d'etat would strip Android of device-manufacturer modifications. "The net result is that a Google device will become much like an iOS or a Windows 10 device," he said, "with absolutely no options for handset makers to make any changes." As ambitious and difficult as this may be, Microsoft has been able to push out massive operating-system updates to thousands of different Windows PCs for decades, and now does so with Windows Phones as well. Smartphones like Samsung's Galaxy J3 offer a compelling lure for bargain hunters: Sacrifice on a few specs, and you can get a device with a sub-$200 price tag. The J3, available through Boost and Virgin Mobile for $180, tries to hold up its end of the deal with a fairly slick design for a budget phone and a battery that will get you through most of the day before needing a charge. But the phone skimps in too many other areas most notably with a poorly performing camera to be a good option. Design: Golden Looks For Not Much Silver All too often, opting for a budget phone means settling for a cheap, plastic design, but the J3 defies that expectation. You're not going to confuse this phone for Samsung's Galaxy S6, but the 5.6 x 2.81 x 0.31-inch J3 has more in common with that phone's look than with the plastic-toy feel of something like the Acer Liquid Jade Z. A metallic finish and a splash of gold on the phone's back give it a touch of class and a feel of heft. Image 1 of 7 Even so, at 4.8 ounces, the J3 weighs in on the lighter end of the smartphone scale. Samsung's phone weighs roughly the same as the Alcatel Onetouch Idol 3 (4.9 ounces) and OnePlus X (4.86 ounces). By contrast, Huawei's Honor 5X another phone whose sleek looks hide its bargain price tag tips the scales at 5.57 ounces. All in all, the J3 comes in a pretty solid package that easily slides in and out of a pants pocket. You can fault Samsung for restricting the J3's capacity to 16GB, a paltry amount of storage by today's mobile standards. However, you can add an additional 128GB of memory via a microSD card slot just above the phone's power button on the device's right-hand side. Samsung J3 (2016) Specs Carrier: Boost Display (main): 5.0-inch, 1280 x 720 OS Family: Android Operating System: Android 5.1.1 CPU: 1.2GHz Quad A7 RAM: 1.5GB Internal Memory: 16GB Memory Expansion Type: microSD card Bluetooth Type: Bluetooth 4.1 Front Camera Resolution: 2 MP Camera Resolution: 5 MP Ports: microSD, micro USB, 3.5mm headphone Display and Audio: More So-So Than Spectacular Samsung equipped the J3 with a 5-inch Super AMOLED display, which delivers decent-looking images that won't necessarily wow you. A trailer for Hail, Caesar! showcased the glorious Technicolor that the Coen brothers intended for their tribute to 1950s Hollywood, but actors' faces lacked a certain sharpness around the edges. I noticed the same issue when streaming an episode of 30 Rock on Netflix: The picture looked OK, if not the kind of highly defined experience I'm used to on screens of all sizes. These days, the J3's 1280 x 720 resolution is the bare minimum for phones, not the standard-bearer. Our tests of the J3's screen underscored its ho-hum status. The J3's 286 nits of brightness fall well below the 425-nit average we've seen for smartphones, putting it on par with the dim screen of the OnePlus X. The standard-bearer for brightness continues to be the Onetouch Idol 3, which outshines other budget phones by registering 736 nits on our light meter. MORE: Best Smartphones on the Market Now The J3's display doesn't produce as many colors as the average smartphone, either. It reproduced 105.1 percent of the sRGB spectrum in our tests, trailing the Honor 5X (120.5 percent) and the OnePlus X (186.2 percent). The J3's display does better in color accuracy, though. Its Delta-E error rating of 2.73 beats the category average of 3.2. (Numbers closer to zero are better.) That's not as accurate as the Onetouch Idol 3 (2.55), but it tops both the Honor 5X (3.52) and OnePlus X (2.95). (Image credit: Jeremy Lips / Tom's Guide) Samsung placed the speaker on the back of the J3, a design decision that produces mixed results. Audio rings out clearly from the back of the device, even when I'm holding it in landscape orientation. Try that with a device like the iPhone 5c, and you'll wind up covering the speaker on the bottom. But a speaker on the back means that the J3 is projecting music and movie dialogue away from you, which doesn't make for an immersive experience. Lay the J3 face up on a desk, and sound will become slightly muffled, though it remains audible. These days, the J3's 1280 x 720 resolution is the bare minimum for phones, not the standard-bearer. The sound the J3 does deliver through that speaker can be pretty impressive. Piano notes from Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" rang out sharp and true, though Steve Perry's vocals sounded a little fuzzy when he hit the high notes. That turned out to be a persistent problem with the J3's speaker, regardless of who was doing the singing. From Rachel Platten on "Fight Song" to Jay Z and Kanye West on "Otis," the higher the note, the muddier the audio. Performance: Lagging Behind The Pack A 1.2-GHz Quad A7 processor and 1.5GB of RAM power the J3. That's not exactly a recipe for a high-performance device. Still, apps launched quickly enough on the J3, and I didn't notice lags when streaming on Netflix or playing a game of Modern Combat 5. Still, I could see how a user who relies on a lot of processor-hungry apps might get frustrated by the J3. On Geekbench 3, the Galaxy J3 posted a score of 1,419 half the 2,838 showing of an average smartphone. The Onetouch Idol 3 ($249), OnePlus X ($249) and Honor 5X ($199) all outperformed the J3 in Geekbench. Among recent phones we've tested, only the $360 Cat S40 posted a lower score (1,019), though that's a phone built for durability rather than performance. The J3 failed to leave its mark in other performance tests. The phone took 9 minutes, 19 seconds to convert a 204MB video from 1080p to 480p. That placed the J3 well behind the not-exactly blazing paces set by the Honor 5X (7:41) and the Idol 3 (8:22). MORE: Best Cheap Unlocked Smartphones As for gaming, the J3 posted a score of 4,309 in 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited. Not only did that lag far behind the average smartphone score of 14,778, it also failed to match the less-than-stellar results of either the Honor 5X (7,792) or Idol 3 (6,384). Cameras: A Lack Of Focus It's difficult to overlook the J3's camera and the lackluster images it produces. Samsung opted for some underpowered sensors for both cameras in the J3. The rear camera shoots 5-megapixel images, while a 2-MP camera adorns the front of the phone. Both cameras suffer from some performance quirks. While my phone of choice, the iPhone 5c, takes pictures immediately when I tap the shutter, the J3 suffers from a delay of 2 seconds or more between when you tap the button to take a photo and when the image is actually captured. Given how shaky most folks' hands are, and mine are among the shakiest, that means a lot of blurry images will wind up on your photo role. (Image credit: Philip Michaels) Look, for example, at this photo taken at my daughter's ballet recital, which the challenging lighting in the dance studio didn't help. The J3's rear camera was ill-equipped to handle the constantly moving dancers. You can make out some details in my daughter's face, but everything else in this photo is a blur. (Image credit: Philip Michaels) Things improve slightly when my daughter stands still. The J3's camera can better focus on her, though the unforgiving lighting in the dance studio taxes that 5-MP sensor. As a result, everything around the edges of the photo looks soft and undefined. (Image credit: Philip Michaels) The J3's rear camera fares best when you're outside with ample sunlight. The flags unfurled on a pole outside of the red-bricked city hall pop against a bright blue sky, with even the stars on the U.S. flag looking distinct and sharply focused. The tiny print on the bus stand across the street is even legible if you look closely enough. (Image credit: Philip Michaels) But trouble returns once you start taking photos of people. The J3's camera certainly captures the reddish tint of my daughter's hair, as well as the blue sparkles on her T-shirt shimmering in the afternoon sun. But because 5-year-olds are notoriously bad at standing in one place, my daughter was moving her arm as I snapped this photo. As a result, the red heart wands she's waving around look blurry and ill-defined. (Image credit: Philip Michaels) The rear camera's built-in flash improves matters somewhat in low-light settings. A photo of an owl purse taken in a dimly lit room looks grainy overall, with the details of the purse blurring into the background. Use the phone's flash, though, and the owl looks much sharper and has more accurate colors, although all the details behind the purse are lost in the darkness. (Image credit: Philip Michaels) The J3's front camera also struggles with details. I took a selfie in a well-lit room at night that depicts me with splotchy skin, an indistinct mop of hair and a generally fuzzy outline. (Image credit: Philip Michaels) The sharpness of images taken from the J3's front camera improves a little in broad daylight, though this image of my daughter and me has a decidedly blueish hue. You can at least make out distinct features, like strands of hair on my head or the leaves of the plant in the background. The front camera shoots 720p video well enough in broad daylight. Results become a little dicier as the sun sets, with a video I shot at dusk looking decidedly grainier. Switch to video mode in the J3's camera app, and you will immediately start recording; if you're not aware of that quirk, the first few seconds of your video might look a little harried. Software: Older Android With Some Unwelcome Extras Don't expect the latest version of Android to come with this budget phone. The J3 runs Android Lollipop 5.1.1, and though this is not a musty version of the OS, it is certainly showing its age, with Android Marshmallow popping up on more phones. You'll likely be able to make it from one end of your workday to the other without having to search for a USB port. You'll have to deal with some app clutter, as an assortment of apps from Google, Microsoft and Samsung are already installed on the phone. At least the Microsoft and Google apps are grouped into a folder for the most part. My review unit from Boost came with four Boost apps preinstalled, with Boost 411, BoostTV and Boost Music offering variations of other apps already included on the J3. For bloatware, the J3 is hardly the biggest offender, but be prepared to find apps you'll have little use for when you first fire up the device. Battery Life: Solid Performer Even a budget phone needs to last throughout the day, and the J3 meets this standard. The phone lasted 8 hours and 36 minutes on our battery test, in which we surfed the Web over LTE at 150 nits of brightness. That result was just ahead of the 8:16 average battery life for the smartphones that we've tested, and it means you'll likely be able to make it from one end of your workday to the other without having search for a USB port. (Image credit: Jeremy Lips / Tom's Guide) My day-to-day usage of the J3 bore out that test result. During a fairly intensive afternoon of streaming, game-playing and downloading, I managed to drain only about a third of the J3's battery. After a long weekend in which I mostly pulled the J3 out of my pocket to take photos, Samsung's phone still had more than 20 percent of its battery left on Tuesday after being fully charged on Saturday morning. MORE: Smartphones with the Longest Battery Life Still, a budget smartphone that's able to go a long time between charges is hardly a revolutionary idea these days. The Honor 5X lasted more than 9 hours on our battery test. It costs roughly the same as the J3, outperforms Samsung's phone in other areas and comes unlocked, so you're not bound to specific carriers. Bottom Line The J3's strengths its battery life and appealing exterior can't obscure the device's glaring weaknesses. Even if you can overlook the phone's subpar performance, the blurry images taken by the J3's camera just aren't acceptable in an era when even low-priced phones feature cameras that can take sharper images. And that's what ultimately undermines the J3's argument for being your next budget smartphone. Other, similarly priced phones, most notably Huawei's $199 Honor 5X, simply offer more. The Honor 5X lasts longer than the J3, takes better photos, has a sharper 1080p screen and even throws in a fingerprint sensor for just a few dollars more than the J3's price tag. Bargain hunting sometimes means sacrificing a few niceties, but with the J3, Samsung is asking you to sacrifice too much. Samsung announced the latest chip in the Exynos 7 Octa series, the Exynos 7 Octa 7870. The chip will be built on the companys most advanced 14nm FinFET process, which probably refers to the 14nm Low Power Plus (LPP) process. (Samsungs Exynos 7 Octa 7420, found inside the Galaxy S6, was built on the 14nm Low Power Early [LPE] process.) With increased performance and power efficiency, we anticipate widespread adoption of our new Exynos 7 Octa 7870 into mid-tier mobile devices, said Ben K. Hur, Vice President of System LSI marketing, Samsung Electronics. Consumers will experience enhanced performance as this is the first time a mobile application processor built on advanced 14nm process is available for these types of smart mobile devices, he added. The Exynos 7 Octa 7870 is actually a mid-range chip, which comes with eight 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53 cores. It will be the first midrange chip for smartphones to be built on a 14nm FinFET process, according to Samsung. It supports Cat. 6 LTE with carrier aggregation, which reaches 300 Mbps download speeds. The chip also supports 1080p 60fps video playback and WUXGA (19201200) display resolution. Its image signal processor (ISP) can support either a 16MP rear camera and a 16MP front-camera, or two 8MP dual-cameras for the front and back. The chip integrates both GPS and GNSS, which can enable quicker location fixes in apps and services. Samsungs new midrange chip may signify that Samsung is ready to expand its chip lineup so it can use its own chips in more of its devices. So far Samsung has only focused on making high-end chips for its flagship smartphones and tablets. If it can prove that its chips are competitive, it may even start selling them to other OEMs and become a competitor to Qualcomm and Mediatek. The midrange Exynos 7 Octa 7870 will be in mass production in the first quarter of this year. It should be accompanied by the high-end Exynos Exynos 8 Octa 8890, which should also ship in the first half of this year, likely in the international version of the Samsung Galaxy S7, for the first time. The Exynos 8 Octa 8890 will bring Samsungs first-ever custom 64-bit CPU core, along with ARMs latest Mali-T880 GPU, Cat. 12/13 LTE and support for 4k displays. Lucian Armasu is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware. You can follow him at @lucian_armasu. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has urged lawmakers on Thursday to pass the remaining bills, which are required for the introduction of the visa-free regime with the EU. "The way out of the parliamentary-governmental crisis requires swift and decisive actions, but this crisis should in no way hinder the European integration of Ukraine. We have just one day, more precisely an evening, to adopt the remaining few bills that open the door for Ukrainian citizens to the visa-free travel to the EU," the head of state said in a statement addressed to members of parliament issued on Thursday. Brisbanes live music scene has slammed Queenslands new lockout laws, which it was confirmed yesterday will soon be signed into legislation. Venue owners and musicians are saying the new laws will strike a significant blow to Brisbanes vibrant music community. As Tone Deaf reported yesterday, after striking a deal which ensured crossbench support, the Queensland government is set to impose 2am last drinks (3am for designated entertainment precincts) and 1am lockouts on pubs and clubs in certain areas of Brisbane. The laws, which are harsher than the Sydney lockouts which have severely affected business in places like Kings Cross, will take effect in areas like Brisbanes Fortitude Valley, where many of the citys small and mid-size music venues are situated. Most live music venues open as a bar, a normal bar, between midnight and 3:00am or midnight and 5:00am on Friday and Saturday nights. Those three hours are when we make most of our money for the week, Dominic Miller, musician and booker for several Brisbane music venues told ABC News. It allows us to subsidise those gigs that may only get 100, 200, 300 people on a Wednesday or Thursday night. Miller said the new laws will ensure the next big Australian success story will not come from Brisbane as all the bands will have moved. If theres no gigs, the bands are going to move or they are just not going to make that next level in the first place, and we will miss out on those great exports that we have at the moment, bands like Violent Soho. Miller said that before finding international success, acts like Courtney Barnett and Tame Impala both failed to sell out mid-week shows at Brisbanes Black Bear Lodge. Either they will go somewhere else, or they will break up before they get a chance, Miller added. Meanwhile, QMusics Joel Edmondson said the organisation was immensely disappointed with news of the lockouts. About 70 percent of an artists income is derived from live performance because of the state of recorded music sales in the world now, he said. They say good help is hard to find :( Posted by The Brightside onWednesday, February 17, 2016 Whats happened in Kings Cross [with the closure of venues], theres really absolutely no reason thats not going to happen here, particularly in the Valley. Indeed, unlike Sydney, where a the majority of venues exist outside of lockout zones, a great number of Brisbanes venues are situated in the Fortitude Valley. Its less likely that a band will rise up, and if they do, its going to happen in Melbourne after theyve moved there because they are going to have somewhere to play, Edmondson added. Brisbane venue The Brightside has already mobilised on social media, announcing a Last Party Before The Lockouts. Does anyone know of any work going in our local Casinos [sic]? Im asking for 6000 friends, the venue wrote on Facebook, a reference to casinos being exempt from the lockouts. These laws are the ultimate red herring, distracting us from the fact that they are unlikely to have any direct impact on violence, venue owner Jesse Barbera told FasterLouder. These laws are about political compromise, they are about the Labor Party being seen to be doing something. [include_post id=471667] But do not mistake their desperation to pass these laws as having anything to do with the public good, safety or health or their constituents, it was about saving their own skin. Barbera said the lockouts mean the inevitable closure of Brisbane venues. [Lockouts] means venues closing because they do not have the foot traffic to support their business in The Valley weve seen this happen Sydneys Kings Cross, he told FL. If venues close it means less infrastructure to support up and coming and established bands, it means the loss of key social hubs in the community where like minded people meet and bond and form bands. It means that a fragile arts community loses a few parts to the puzzle and that is enough to collapse the ecosystem. However, despite the criticism and horror stories from NSW, it appears the QLD government is looking forward to the rollout of the lockout laws. Its no secret that NSWs Blue Mountains has been a mill of great music in recent years. In addition to its scenic landscapes, its also a hotbed of musical talent, boasting a bustling scene thats spawned some of Australias best loved bands and artists. Now, a new Australian music festival is set to celebrate the regions unique music scene. Kicking off in Katoomba on Saturday, 27th February at Scenic World, Off The Rails Festival will feature some of Australias most in-demand acts performing amid the sights of the Blue Mountains. Kicking off its debut year local heroes Thundamentals, Urthboy, Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders, Peaks and a few more will be bringing the party on Saturday February the 27th. We spoke to Scenic Worlds Head of Marketing and Events, Amanda Byrne about how it all came about and just what makes Blue Mountains such a fertile found for musicians. For tickets and info visit the Off The Rails website. How The Festival Came About Scenic World is celebrating its 70th birthday and we wanted do celebrate everything that is awesome about living in the Blue Mountains our connected community, talented creatives, epic landscapes, good times and an outdoor lifestyle. We couldnt think of a better way to celebrate our birthday than a Summer afternoon, listening to great bands in the fresh mountain air. How Long The Festival Weve been working on this for the past nine months. We are creating a new venue for the event so there has been a lot of planning with various bodies to get it right, but its totally worth it to bring a new event in a new venue to the Mountains. On the flipside its been amazing working with our local creative community on everything from headlining bands through to which local beer to serve. We also had a lot of fun developing what we call our Festival mascot Howie the Yowie. There has been a lot of Yowie sightings in our part of the world and he kind of just found his way in to our promotion. The Response To Off The Rails Festival The Blue Mountains has never had an event like this before so the local community is hugely excited, and the awesome line up is drawing people from all over Sydney. The bands are really pumped to be playing together on their home turf an opportunity they rarely get. It will be a bit like a homecoming event for some of these bands which is going to create an electric atmosphere. I think Poncho from the Thundamentals summed up the Mountains vibe perfectly Mountains shows are always loose, Im looking forward to the atmosphere.the Mountains crowd is great because they are just there to have fun , there are never any fights or alpha nonsense just good vibes. Biggest Lessons Learnt Probably ask me after the event! We have such a great team here with some really interesting backgrounds, so whilst this type of event is new to us here at Scenic World, there is a lot of collective event experience within our team. Everyone has been pitching in to help out and of course we are learning a lot along the way . There is a lot of red tape involved in this type of event so getting in touch with as many or your local authorities as early as possible is probably the golden rule. How The Lineup Was Curated We are committed to promoting local talent so it was important that all the line up be homegrown . There is so much incredible talent coming out of region, I think were known for our hip hop but there are some really diverse styles of music going on up here. So who better than Thundamentals, Urthboy, Jack Ladder and the Dreamlanders and new upcoming talent Peaks? But its not just the talent that is homegrown, our friends from SAMA (Street Arts Murals Australia) will be creating live street art demos , while you sample the latest brews from Katoomba Brewing Company and Hillbilly Cider. Even the festival food will feature the best of Blue Mountains fare. The Location: Scenic World Facility In Katoomba Yeah I know it seems like an unusual venue for a festival which I guess is what has appealed to so many people. We have such a great history here the site was once a coal mine and when it closed in 1945, a smart man called Harry Hammon thought visitors would enjoy riding into the Jurassic rainforest in the Jamison Valley on what is still the steepest train in the world. Today the attraction is run by his grandchildren and is the most visited privately owned tourist attraction in Australia. Scenic World has a strong connection for many people growing up and living in the mountains in fact a few of the musicians playing have worked at Scenic Word in various roles over the year which is pretty cool. Urthboy even jokes about his days doing dishes at Scenic World! The venue inspired the name of the event Off The Rails and seeming were throwing the party, the party is at our house! What Makes The Blue Mountains Such A Special Place Everything! We have an amazing community in the Blue Mountains, theres always so much going but we are small enough to have that sense of connection, with a little bit of healthy village rivalry in the mix ! Our environment is just breathtaking epic escarpments, lush rainforests, stunning waterfalls and waterholes to swim in. I drive to work every morning and look at the Jamison Valley and just feel so lucky to live here. This is a great opportunity for us to celebrate our local community and showcase it to our visitors. Plans For 2017 and Beyond Mmm well this is planned as a big one off celebration so dont miss out! The event has certainly been very welcomed, sparking a lot of discussion about lack of large scale music events in the Blue Mountains so who knows? OFF THE RAILS 2016 Thundamentals Urthboy Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders Peaks + more TBA Saturday, 27th February 2016 Scenic World, Katoomba, Blue Mountains NSW Tickets: Off The Rails Public Hearing Notice The purpose of the hearing will be to determine the amount of vehicle permit fees that Kansas City Transportation Group must pay to permit all vehicles for hire that are currently permitted to operate in Kansas City, Missouri. call this a "special" day for Kansas City's taxi mogul . . .Like it or not . . . This companies monopoly on the local taxi game is so comprehensive that they get their own day in front of Regulated Industries.Take a look . . .A hearing will be held on Thursday, February 25, 2016 beginning at 9:00 a.m. in the Regulated Industries Conference Room, Suite 2101, Century Towers Office Building, at 635 Woodland Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64106 to address this issue.Any person with a disability desiring reasonable accommodation to attend this hearing may contact the City of Kansas City, Missouri's 311 Action Center at 311 or (816) 513-1313 or for TTY 513-1889 or by email at actioncenter@kcmo.org.For more information, please contact Jim Ready, Manager of Regulated Industries Division . . .######### FIRST ON TKC, OUR BLOG COMMUNITY REVEALS EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENTS FROM CRAWFORD ARCHITECTS SMACKING DOWN CONSULTANTS IN A POINT BY POINT TREATISE TOUTING RENOVATION RATHER THAN A SINGLE TERMINAL!!! "Put simply what AvAirPros has done to the cost of STEP (Sensible Terminal Enhancement Plan) is to add almost $313m to it, ensuring that the adjusted cost estimate is more than the cost for a new terminal. This is a disingenuous and misleading aspect of their critique, for the following reasons . . . " The big money topic of a new Kansas City single-terminal airport is heating up and right now our blog community is theto feature a comprehensive consideration of the most interesting plan on the table.Remember, recently airport consultants on the Aviation Dept. payrollNow . . .This is a detailed analysis with a lot of airport jargon but here's what is probably the spirit of the presentation . . .Now . . .This is a an EPIC decision with a lot of information because it could determine the future of Kansas City's finances for years to come. So far, coverage has been biased toward Mayor Sly's new single-terminal effort and we simply wanted put this note out there so the public can have more information where almost none exists beyond City Hall hype.You decide . . . She said on Feb. 12, 2015, Janina Vasquez called 911 for help from the bottom of the well. The phone call dropped before first responders could arrive. They only spent a few short minutes in the park and they called the search off, Cochran said. Vasquezs body was found a week later by a city employee, 25 feet down at the bottom of the flood control well. It was several months after her death before the police finally told us, Cochran said. (It was) very frustrating. Very agonizing. She said police waited months to reveal the 911 call to their family. Last summerand now local media shares the story . . .Deets:The circumstances of the death remain mysterious and not only is therebut also, anyone with information to call theDeveloping . . . European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker expressed to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras his satisfaction for the significant Greek efforts in fulfilling g the countrys commitments towards the EU on the refugee issue during their meeting in Brussels on Wednesday afternoon, European sources said. According to the same reports, the discussion between Juncker and Tsipras focused on the refugee crisis, EU-UK relations, the Greek financial crisis and the bailout review. Welcoming the Greek premier at his office, Juncker told him he is doing a good job in tackling the refugee crisis. Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas tweeted Junckers welcoming comment: Juncker welcomes @tsipras_eu: "You're doing a good job with the refugee crisis. Keep it up!" Coordinated efforts Both sides agreed that tackling the refugee crisis necessitates the coordinated efforts of EU members and that unilateral actions must be avoided. During the discussion, it was underlined that the EU and Turkey must develop their cooperation, in order to manage the refugee influx more efficiently and more humanely. The sources also commented that the possibility of additional EU aid being provided to Greece next year for the refugee crisis. The summit meeting between 10 EU member states and Turkey has been cancelled following the bomb attack in Ankara, which claimed the lives of 28 and injured tens of others. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report The Cabinet of Ministers at a meeting on February 18 decided to dismiss First Deputy Head of the State Railways Administration of Ukraine (Ukrzaliznytsia) Maksym Blank. Earlier, Infrastructure Minister Andriy Pyvovarsky made the relevant proposal. "Due to the fact that we've formed a new legal structure - PJSC Ukrzaliznytsia, we need to complete formal processes in relation to the old State Railways Administration. We've fired all the leaders of the former units, only one person remained - this is First Deputy CEO of the State Railways Administration Maksym Blank. We need to formally complete the procedure and dismiss him," he said. As reported, Blank was appointed first deputy head of Ukrzaliznytsia in April 2014. Prior to that, he held the post of director of Astrum Investments company. Iran is holding discussions with Frances Air Liquide to set up a 500,000 tonnes propylene via methanol (PVM) plant, said a report. Esmaeil Qambari, managing director of the Petrochemical Research and Technology Company, was quoted as saying that the company is in talks with other companies from Germany, France, Norway and Japan to purchase petrochemical technologies from them, added the Iran Business News report. He added that the company has developed a new model for its cooperation with foreign firms, and purchasing foreign technologies will take place only if foreign technologies are transferred to and localised in Iran. Qambari noted that the new model will reduce sale of crude oil, generate jobs, link upstream sector to downstream and petrochemical sectors and generate valued added in the industry. He further said the company launched the first PVM pilot plant in Mahshahr during the first half of the current year and has gained permission to build an industrial unit with the capacity of 120,000 tonnes in the region. Oil rose towards $35 a barrel on Thursday after Iran welcomed plans by Russia and Saudi Arabia to freeze output and an industry report showed a surprise drop in US inventories. The gain added to a more than 7 per cent surge in the previous session, which came even though analysts said the market had overreacted to Iran's support for the caps and the Russian-Saudi move would not likely reduce the global surplus. Brent rose 38 cents to $34.88 a barrel by 0959 GMT, having closed 7.2 per cent higher in the previous session. U.S. crude gained 69 cents to $31.35. "It's a continuation of yesterday's move," said Carsten Fritsch, analyst at Commerzbank. "What we see still is extreme volatility. I would not be surprised to see prices retreating again by a big margin in coming days." Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh met counterparts from Venezuela, Iraq and Qatar on Wednesday but did not say whether Iran would cap its output in keeping with the move by Russia and Saudi Arabia. Oil has collapsed from levels above $100 a barrel seen in mid-2014 due to excess supply, in a slide that deepened after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries later that year dropped its policy of cutting supply to boost prices. "The agreement will do little to reduce the current supply glut," BMI Research said in a report on Thursday. Iran exported about 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude before 2012, when sanctions imposed by world powers to curb Tehran's nuclear programme cut shipments to about 1.1 million bpd. The sanctions were lifted last month, allowing Iran to resume selling oil to the European Union. Sources familiar with Iranian thinking have said this week that Iran would not freeze output at current levels. Crude gained support after the American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, said U.S. crude stocks unexpectedly fell by 3.3 million barrels last week. Traders will be looking to the official weekly supply report from the U.S. government's Energy Information Administration (EIA) at 11 a.m. EST (1600 GMT) for confirmation of the move. "If these figures are not confirmed by the EIA this afternoon, the current strength will turn into a rally to be sold into," broker PVM said in a report. Reuters Iran on Wednesday stopped short of offering to restrain oil output as part of a global pact to freeze production to prop up prices, making clear it wants to recapture the market share it lost during years of sanctions. Iran's stance will complicate talks on output levels after a surprise compromise this week between two of the world's top exporters - non-Opec Russia and the group's leader Saudi Arabia - to freeze output at January levels, near their historic highs. The first mooted global oil pact in 15 years has so far failed to impress the market, which had expected a production cut instead of a freeze that could even turn into an increase if Iran wins special terms from fellow Opec members. "This is the first step and other steps should also be taken. This cooperation between Opec and non-Opec members to stabalise the market is good news. We support any effort to stabilise the market and prices," Iranian oil minister Bijan Zanganeh said, according to the Shana news agency. Zanganeh spent around two hours with oil ministers from Iraq, Qatar and Venezuela in Tehran on Wednesday. The visitors, who flew from Doha, where the output deal was clinched on Tuesday, left the Tehran meeting without comment. Zanganeh spoke to Iranian media afterwards and chose his words carefully to avoid mentioning Iran's position on freezing its own output. "We had a good meeting today and the report of yesterday's meeting was given to us. We support cooperation between Opec and non-Opec members. "I was told that Russia as the world's biggest oil producer, Oman and other countries are ready to join. This is a positive step, we have a positive approach to it, this is a good start," he said. ILLOGICAL DEMANDS Opec Gulf producers Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE, as well as Venezuela said they would join the Russian-Saudi pact, aimed at tackling a growing oversupply and helping prices recover from their lowest in over a decade. But Iran is the major obstacle to the first joint Opec and non-Opec deal since 2001, having pledged to increase output sharply to regain market share lost during sanctions. "Asking Iran to freeze its oil production level is illogical ... when Iran was under sanctions, some countries raised their output and they caused the drop in oil prices." Iran's Opec envoy, Mehdi Asali, told the Shargh daily newspaper before the talks on Wednesday. The sanctions, imposed over Iran's nuclear programme, were lifted last month after an agreement with world powers, allowing Tehran to resume selling oil freely in international markets. Iran exported around 2.5 million barrels per day of crude before 2012, but sanctions cut that to around 1.1 million bpd. Tehran has pledged to raise supply by around 1 million bpd in the next 6-12 months and on Wednesday some Iranian banks were reconnected to the SWIFT global transaction network, which will allow it to facilitate banking business. SPECIAL TERMS Iranian barrels would only add to the global glut, which has been fuelled by U.S. shale output and a decision by Saudi Arabia to pump at full capacity to drive higher-cost producers out of business. The world is already producing more than 1 million bpd than it consumes, with oil stockpiles at record levels. Opec member Libya, whose output was cut to a fraction by a civil war, said on Wednesday it was keen to produce more Oil prices fell below $30 per barrel in January from as high as $115 in mid-2014, hammering the finances of Russia, Saudi Arabia and other producers. Brent oil futures rose almost 7 per cent on Wednesday after losing 4 per cent the day before to trade near $35 per barrel. "A freeze is not the same as a cut, and somewhat disingenuously, keeping crude production at January levels actually implies higher-than-expected annual output ... and so can hardly tackle the current market oversupply," JBC Energy said in a note. Two non-Iranian sources close to the Opec discussions told Reuters on Tuesday that Iran might be offered special terms as part of an output freeze deal. "Iran is returning to the market and needs to be given a special chance, but it also needs to make some calculations," said one source. The sources did not elaborate on the special terms, which could be anything from setting limited production increases to linking future output rises to a recovery in oil prices. Olivier Jakob from Petromatrix consultancy said that if Saudi Arabia were to freeze output at January levels, the kingdom would need to cut exports by 500,000 bpd in the summer months, when it burns more oil for power generation at home. "The production freeze can therefore be seen as an un-official way for Saudi Arabia to make some room for the restart of the Iranian exports," he said. The last global deal in 2001 saw Saudi Arabia persuade Mexico, Norway and Russia to contribute to production cuts, although Moscow did not follow through and raised exports instead. Reuters Leading hospitality chain Gulf Hotels Group (GHG) and Saudi-based Asdal Group have officially opened the doors to The Asdal Gulf Inn, a four-star deluxe boutique-style hotel in Bahrain. The 94-room landmark property, which formerly operated as L'Hotel in the prime business district of Seef, was inaugurated by Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed Al Zayani at a glittering ceremony on Wednesday (February 17) night in the presence of senior government and hospitality industry officials. Also present at the opening were Asdal Group owners Shaikh Abdulaziz Al Jammaz and Shaikh Nasser Al Jammaz, GHG chairman Farouk Almoayyed along with chief executive and board member Aqeel Raees. Asdal Gulf Inn is a four-star deluxe boutique-style hotel spread over four floors and houses 89 fully renovated luxurious rooms and suites besides a spacious meeting room, contemporary business centre and underground parking. It also boasts three restaurants serving Italian and Lebanese cuisines along with an all-day dining outlet along with key facilities such as a mini-gym, rooftop swimming pool and a sauna. The hotel, which aims to cater to the weary business traveller, is just a 15-minute drive from the Bahrain International Airport and a short walking distance from major shopping malls of the kingdom. Also the new boutique hotel is an ideal stopover for the F1 enthusiasts as the race venue (Bahrain International Circuit) is a short distance away. Hans Radek, the general manager, said: "Asdal Gulf Inn redefines the world of luxury accommodation with service that is professional yet warm and instantly welcoming at a competitive four-star pricing." "You can feel that special touch the moment you enter the hotel," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Muriya is looking to further develop the Jebel Sifah project in Oman. Muriya Tourism Development Company, a leading integrated tourism project developer in Oman, is looking to invest $500 million to complete the construction of high-end hotels and other facilities in Salalah and Jebel Sifah, said a report. We need another $500 million to build the remaining hotels and recreational facilities in both destinations in the next six to eight years, Samih Sawiris, chairman of Muriya and of Orascom Development Holding, told Times of Oman in an interview. Orascom Development, a leading Egypt-based property developer, has 70 per cent stake in Muriya Tourism Development, while the remaining 30 per cent is held by state-owned Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran). Sawiris, who was in Salalah to mark the official opening of the first phase of its integrated tourism complex, revealed that Muriya plans to build three more hotels in the region to make it a critically-sized destination to be able to bring more and more air traffic. We have three hotels with 700 rooms in Salalah, he said. Earlier this month, Muriya opened its third hotel, the four-star 218-room Fanar Hotel and Residences in Salalah. Qatar Airways has announced a new code-share agreement with Comair, a franchise of British Airways, that will add three new African destinations to its route map, and provide additional flight options to travellers in Cape Town and Durban. Comair, which this year celebrates its 70th year of operations, is based in South Africa and is an affiliate member of the oneworld alliance through its Licence Agreement with British Airways. Effective February 23, Qatar Airways will place its code on flights that have British Airways livery, operated by its franchise Comair, from Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban, Harare, Victoria Falls, and Port Elizabeth. Qatar Airways will also place its code on flights operated by Comair from Cape Town to Durban and Port Elizabeth. Comair has hub operations in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, South Africa, easily connecting on to Qatar Airways-operated flights to Doha and beyond to more than 150 destinations. Qatar Airways group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: Africa is on the move, and travellers deserve better itineraries for their travel needs. Expanding our network with Comair was a natural progression of our investment in Africa and our desire to make it easier to visit this exciting part of the world, and for the families, businesses and organisations based here to connect globally. With this agreement, more than 150 destinations in the Qatar Airways network now connect easily to these business, adventure travel and cultural capitals. Erik Venter, Comairs chief executive officer, said: We are delighted to be adding Qatar Airways to our growing list of strategic airline partnerships and we are excited about exploring additional opportunities to expand the relationship. This, in addition to our acquisition of a new Boeing 737-800, is testament to our confidence in the regional leisure and business tourism sector. We look forward to welcoming Qatar Airways customers on board our flights. This partnership complements the recent expansion of Qatar Airways operations into South Africa. In December, Qatar Airways started four-times-weekly service to Durban and increased service from 10 weekly flights to Johannesburg to 14. Qatar Airways offers non-stop flights to Doha, where travellers connect easily and comfortably to destinations across six continents from the airlines hub at Hamad International Airport. TradeArabia News Service Yatseniuk: I can only sympathize with Samopomich, one should be able to bear political responsibility Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk has commented on the Samopomich faction's withdrawal from the coalition, noting that one should be able to assume political responsibility. "I can only sympathize with them [Samopomich faction]. It is needed to be able to bear political responsibility. But, we will not allow for throwing the country into the abyss of instability, chaos, absence of foreign support, reforms, economic and political destabilization," the prime minister said at a Cabinet meeting in Kyiv on Thursday. U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt has urged Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada to amend the Constitution in the part of judiciary. "I urge the Verkhovna Rada to consider their final adoption [of constitutional amendments on judiciary] as quickly as possible," the ambassador said at a conference on constitutional reform in Kyiv on Thursday. Pyatt stressed that the U.S. considered the constitutional amendments introduced by Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko to be in compliance with the European justice standards. In his words, the U.S. also insisted that the judicial reform should be the most important for Ukraine at the moment. Pyatt also commended on the first steps to implement this reform, in particular the launch of the evaluation of judges' qualification. U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt welcomes a decision on Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin's replacement and says he hopes for a new impetus to the reform of Ukraine's prosecution system. "I commend the courageous decision that the President Poroshenko took this week to replace the Prosecutor General. This decision sends a very strong message that Ukraine is serious about implementing reform," he said at a conference in Kyiv on Thursday. Pyatt said that the president and the Verkhovna Rada had to reach agreement on a new prosecutor general, who should enjoy the support of the Rada and the trust and confidence of Ukrainian civil society. Besides, the ambassador noted that a new prosecutor general should be a dedicated individual committed to a reform of the prosecution system in Ukraine. "In this regard, Ukraine has a successful model to follow in your new Patrol Police. That institution illustrates how it is possible to radically change a fundamental institution of the rule-of-law system in Ukraine," he said. In the words of the diplomat, prosecution system reform was "critical to the overall health and effectiveness of the rule-of-law system." As reported, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said in his address to the nation on February 16 that he had advised Shokin to step down. On the same day, MP from the Petro Poroshenko Bloc faction Mustafa Nayyem wrote on his Facebook that Shokin had submitted a letter of resignation. However, the next day Chief of the Main Investigation Department's special investigation division under Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) Serhiy Horbatiuk said Shokin was on leave. Later head of Petro Poroshenko Bloc faction Yuriy Lutsenko said Shokin had handed over his resignation letter. "He wrote the resignation letter. The president has met with him and received the letter. Until the Verkhovna Rada endorsed it, he is, as I understand, on a sick leave or on a short-term holiday, his is on duty," Lutsenko said. Shokin was appointed Ukraine's Prosecutor General in February 2015. According to Ukraine's Constitution, the president nominates and dismisses the prosecutor general subject to approval by the parliament. At the same time, the parliament can pass a vote of no confidence in the prosecutor general, after which he or she should resign. Mass media reports that flights over Crimea will be resumed are erroneous, Ukraine's Ministry of Infrastructure has reported. According to a press release from the agency, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) recommended the use of two air routes over the Black Sea, proposed by Ukraine within the measures for the resumption of flights in the area. Thus, this confirms the readiness of the Ukrainian provider of air navigation services to ensure the appropriate level of air traffic safety in the international airspace, the responsibility for which is placed on Ukraine. The ministry said that, according to the official Safety Information Bulletin spread by the EASA, two routes, namely L851 and M856, passing through the airspace over the western part of the Black Sea, can be used for flight planning by all airlines. This conclusion is based on the results of the post-implementation monitoring conducted by the UkSATSE (the Ukrainian State Air Traffic Services Enterprise), which indicates that the measures taken to minimize potential risks are effective. During conducting the monitoring not a single case, which would represent a threat to safety, was revealed. The use of the routes over the Black Sea, recommended by the EASA, will enable air companies to cut costs, and will contribute to easing the load of the air routes in the flight information regions of neighboring countries. "The EASA exclusively spoke of, in its conclusion, about the routes in the air space over the Black Sea which do not pass over the Crimean territory. The air space over the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and the territorial waters, remains closed for aircraft flights. Reports from some media outlets that the flights over Crimea will be resumed are erroneous," the ministry said in a statement. This became known earlier that the EASA recommended that international air carriers consider the possibility of using two air corridors of the Simferopol flight information region, because it saw that the risks to flight safety were lower over Crimea, after the peninsula's rejoining with Russia. However, the organization said in the bulletin, that Ukraine was the only internationally recognized country to provide for the organization of the air traffic in the Simferopol flight information region. With this in sight, the EASA recommends that air companies use the air navigation information provided by Ukraine (UkSATSE state enterprise provides it). The ministry has worked for a year on the EASA to make this decision, Ukrainian Deputy Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelian said. "We have restored our right to control one of the most important air corridors for the transit of aircraft across Ukraine's Crimea. This is not only a political victory, but also an economic one. UkSATSE's profit will grow considerably. We have been working on this for a year," Omelian wrote on Facebook. The EASA had earlier not recommended flights be made over Crimea, due to its rejoining with Russia. The parliamentary and government crisis must not impede the Ukrainian people's advancement into the European Union, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said, during his meeting with Euromaidan activists. "The crisis must not stop the process for which such a price has been paid, and into which so much effort has been invested. It is for Ukrainians to be given the next degree of freedom, the freedom to freely travel the world. It is for the Ukrainian passport, the new, biometrical one, to be respected," Poroshenko told the activists after revealing that he had addressed the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament, calling on the deputies to pass the "non-visa bills" in a version compliant with the EU requirements, as soon as this evening. Poroshenko explained that this new "non-visa package" of laws is necessary in terms of "establishing European rules of the fight against corruption within the country". "I very much hope that the deputies will listen to the Ukrainian people, listen to the president, and tonight we will see the parliament making the respective decision," Poroshenko said. It was reported earlier that the Verkhovna Rada passed one bill from the "non-visa package" on the special confiscations, and also voted on a law providing for transparency in the work of the specialized anti-corruption prosecutor's office, as was recommended by the International Monetary Fund. On Monday, February 22, at 12.30, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency will host a press conference by the Inbound Medical Tourism Club in Ukraine inUkraine concerning the treatment of foreign patients in Ukrainian medical institutions. The participants will include President of the Club of Inbound Medical Tourism in Ukraine inUkraine, Director of JK Consulting Group Yulia Khomych; Vice President of the Association of Doctors in Medical Tourism Inna Daschenko; Chief Physiotherapist of the Healthcare Department in Kyiv, Vice President of the Academy of Rehabilitation and Health Serhiy Buchynsky; CEO of UKRMEDSTAR Company Mykola Shpakovsky; Project Manager at JK Consulting Group Yuriy Zhurba; and ull member of the Club of Inbound Medical Tourism in Ukraine inUkraine, Representative of Dobrobut Medical Network Kateryna Hrytsenko (8/5a Reitarska Street). Accreditation is required by phone: (095) 439 2209 (Tetiana Kononenko). On Monday, February 22, at 14.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency will host a press conference entitled "Boryspil Airport in 2017" on holding the all-Ukrainian contest of landscape design for the airport territory. The participants will include the contest organizer, managers of the project for Boryspil airport improvement Leonid Melezhyk, Head of External Relations Service at Boryspil airport Oksana Ozhyhova, and members of professional jury (8/5a Reitarska Street). Registration requires press accreditation. More information by phone: (067) 509 4763. The winners of the 2016 Client Choice awards were announced on February 17, 2016. This year, Client Choice recognises 606 winners across over 70 jurisdictions worldwide. Winners were honoured at a gala dinner held at One Great George Street in London on February 10, 2016. Tatyana Slipachuk, partner and head of International Trade practice at Sayenko Kharenko, has been recognized as the exclusive winner of the International Trade category for Ukraine. This individual recognition reconfirms the reputation of Sayenko Kharenko International Trade practice as the clients' first choice in Ukraine. Dr Tatyana Slipachuk is recognized No. 1 in International Trade and International Arbitration according to Ukrainian Law Firms 2015 compilation by Yuridicheskaya Practika, named International Arbitration Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers International 2016, and recommended as one of Ukraine's leading lawyers by major local and international directories including Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, The Legal 500, Best Lawyers International, The International Who's Who of Arbitration Lawyers 2015, Euromoney Expert Guides, The International Who's Who of Trade & Customs Lawyers 2012 and The International Who's Who Legal: CIS 2011 in Trade & Customs. Established in 2005, Client Choice recognizes those law firms and partners around the world that stand apart for the excellent client care they provide and the quality of their service. The criteria for this recognition focus on an ability to add real value to clients' business above and beyond the other players in the market. Uniquely, law firms and partners can be nominated only by corporate counsel, with this year's winners chosen from a pool of more than 2,000 individual client assessments. Client Choice Awards 2016 results . Sayenko Kharenko enjoys global reputation as a leading Ukrainian full service law firm. The firm's leading market position builds on continuous excellence of its highly specialized practice teams. In 2015 Sayenko Kharenko collected three most prestigious professional excellence awards, including Law Firm of the Year by IFLR European Awards 2015, Chambers Europe Awards for Excellence 2015, Who's Who Legal European Awards 2015. To learn more about Sayenko Kharenko expertise and experience, please contact: Alyona Onishchenko Director of Marketing and Development AOnishchenko@sk.ua www.sk.ua +38 044 4996000 According to Fiona Harvey over at The Guardian, "plunging prices for renewable energy and rapidly increasing investment in low-carbon technologies" could leave fossil fuel companies with trillions of dollars in stranded assets, sparking a global financial crisis with ramifications well beyond Big Energy itself. Her (excellent) reporting is based on a study by J. F-. Mercure et al. called Macroeconomic impact of stranded fossil fuel assets, which posits that low-carbon technology diffusion, energy efficiency and climate policy are beginning to have a significant impact on fossil fuel demand. (Think Norwegian oil consumption dropping thanks to electric cars, for example, or UK energy emissions dropping to Victorian-era levels.) The researchers suggest that stranded fossil fuel assets could result in a discounted global wealth loss of somewhere between US$14 trillion. and thatbecause clean energy technologies are now maturing to become directly competitivemuch of this drop in demand will occur regardless of whether or not pro-climate policies are adopted by governments. I have no argument with any of the above. Indeed we've warned of the carbon bubble many times before. My concern, however, is in how much of the reporting on this story is subtly framednamely that efficiency, renewables or electrification of transport are potential 'causes' of such a crash. While true, to some degree, there's a danger that this is read by some as a negative consequence of low carbon technologiesas opposed to a negative consequence of our over reliance of fossil fuels in the first place. Indeed, it's not a million miles away from the logic that we should keep uncompetitive coal plants burning because of jobs, national security or an electoral college advantage for certain politicians. You wouldn't blame withdrawal symptoms on an addict giving up drugs. You'd blame them on the addiction. And the same is true here. Indeed the researchers themselves are very clear: Whether or not this crash results in a 2008-like financial crisis will depend on how and if financial markets take proactive steps to lessen their exposure to fossil fuels. For climate stability alone, we need to wean ourselves off of fossil fuels as fast as possiblethe threat of financial exposure just provides one more incentive to do so. Pity the monarch butterflies. Not only do the earnest flutterers fly up to 265 miles a day on their trek between northern and southern climes, but they must do so in the face of a number of challenges. Some years bring strong winds and unusual weather, which can throw off the timing of the migration. Scientists and butterfly observers alike stay on the watch for ecological mismatch. Concerns include whether or not milkweed host plants will be ready for their lepidopteran guests. Will there be a surprise cold snap? Will the unusual weather affect breeding success? The butterflies are at a critical point. Population estimates rise and fall, but deforestation of the overwintering habitat in Mexico continues to threaten the species. And in the north (U.S. and Canada), the butterflies face habitat destruction thanks to new roads, housing developments, and agricultural expansion. They are also up against more subtle forms of habitat destruction in the loss of milkweed, which larvae feed on exclusively. Considered a pesky nuisance by many, milkweed is often weeded into oblivion. Both milkweed and nectar plants are vulnerable to the herbicides used by landscapers, farmers, and gardeners, and othersnot to mention the lethal impact insecticides have on the butterflies. Re-establishing milkweed is crucial. So if you have an extra patch of dirt, perhaps consider planting some milkweed. In the meantime, you can also help the flitting lovelies by using leftovers to make butterfly fooda perfect win-win! Recipe Using Old Fruit The National Wildlife Federation suggests using a plate and adding fruit that is going bad. Butterflies are particularly fond of sliced, rotting oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, peaches, nectarines apples, and bananasthey benefit from the nutrient-rich liquid of the rotting, fermenting fruit. Simply place on plates and put outside. The mixture can be kept moist by adding water or fruit juice. Recipe Using Beer & Bananas From "The Butterfly Garden," by Matthew Tekulsky (Harvard Common Press, 1985) comes this formula which makes use of old bananas and flat beer. It is based on much of the same premise as above, but it has more ingredients. The delivery is different as well. 1 pound sugar 1 or 2 cans stale beer 3 mashed overripe banana 1 cup of molasses or syrup 1 cup of fruit juice 1 shot of rum Mix all ingredients well and paint on trees, fence posts, rocks, or stumpsor simply soak a sponge in the mixture and hang from a tree limb. Simple Sugar Water Master Gardener Bobbie Truell from Texas A & M University recommends this simple alternative food source. 4 parts water 1 part granulated sugar 1. Boil the solution for several minutes until sugar is dissolved, and then let cool. Serve the solution in a shallow container with an absorbent material such as paper towels saturated with the sugar solution. 2. Bright yellow and orange kitchen scouring pads may be placed in the solution to attract butterflies and give them a resting place while they drink. 3. Place the feeder among your nectar flowers on a post that's 4-6 inches higher than the tallest blooms. Extra solution can be stored in your refrigerator for up to a week. The January figures are in, and Earth's string of hottest-months-on-record has now reached nine in a row. But Nasa says January stood out: The temperature was above normal by the highest margin of any month on record. And January set another record. Arctic sea ice reached its lowest point for that ice-building winter month. The January figures are in, and Earth's string of hottest-months-on-record has now reached nine in a row. Shown here, the pattern of temperature anomalies around the world in January shows particular warmth in the high northern latitudes, across Canada, Greenland and Siberia Nasa said January 2016 was 2.03F (1.13C) above normal. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which calculates temperatures differently, said last month was 1.87F (1.04C), which is the second biggest margin in history. NOAA said the greatest was this past December. A U.S. F-22 stealth fighter jet (File photo) The Chinese military is able to detect U.S. F-22 stealth fighter jets, according to a Chinese military expert in an interview for a CCTV program. Several fighters from East China Sea Fleet patrolled around the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea after receiving orders that unidentified tracking occurred near the ADIZ on the morning of Feb. 10, according to a report on PLA Daily on Feb. 11. The report said that helicopters from a carrier-based helicopter brigade along with the carrier patrolled around the area and missiles were set on fighters on duty at nearby military airports which were prepared to take off for combat. However the report did not disclose which country the objects belong to or other relevant information. Some Western media guessed that the unidentified objects might be the U.S. F-22 stealth fighter jets. Chinese military expert Yin Zhuo told Asia Today that if the unidentified objects appearing near ADIZ over the East China Sea turned out to be F-22 from the U.S., it would be a good opportunity for China's military to practice its ability to find, identify and intercept stealth fighters. Does China's military have the ability to find and identify stealth fighters? Military experts said that new type of Chinese Phased Array Radar is able to fulfill this task. Yin also said that F-22 is not totally stealth and meter-wave radar could detect the fighter. Radars arranged towards the East China Sea are able to find the F-22 stealth fighter jets, according to Yin. Besides, airborne early warning and control aircraft like KJ-2000 and KJ-500 are also equipped with the ability to detect stealth fighter jets. Shiv Kumar Tribune News Service Mumbai, February 18 The biggest single foreign investment received by Maharashtra from Taiwans Foxconn is likely to be a non-starter. The company, which had signed a MoU with the Maharashtra government to set up a manufacturing facility here, is dragging its feet now. We are yet to hear from them regarding allotment of land, an official from the Industries Department said. The Maharashtra government had asked Foxconn to choose from land in three different places. State government officials had said last year that the Taiwanese major was keen on land at Talegaon between Mumbai and Pune where it would set up an electronics manufacturing facility for $5 billion. We are sure Foxconn will get back to us, State Industries Minister Subash Desai said on the last day of the Make in India event here. Among the incentives Maharashtra promised Foxconn included waiver of stamp duty, property tax and entry tax in addition to 20% subsidy on capital invested by it in the state. Meanwhile, it has begun manufacturing at its factory in Andhra Pradesh. S Subramanian IN the times and circumstances and the country in which we live, what can be more germane to a contemplation of those aspects of the polity and the economy which shape human welfare than the subjects of human rights, society and civilization, the substantive forms of government hereditary and representative constitutionalism, democracy, religion and the state, capital punishment, war, debt, trade, public spending, taxation, and social security? These are the themes which some of our public intellectuals are continuously engaged in, each with her or his own subject of special interest and competence, while other public intellectuals downplay their importance in the scheme of things with opinions that either neglect or debase the themes. Nothing very much would seem to have changed in the debates except perhaps their quality that informed the two great revolutions which the world witnessed over two hundred years ago: the American War of Independence of 1776, and the French Revolution of 1787. These debates culminated in the publication, in 1792, of one of the world's great classics of reason and morality, Tom Paine's "Rights of Man", which covered the entire breadth of the themes sketched out above, with a felicity of language, passion of feeling, simplicity of expression, and directness of logic that is unsurpassed, in the opinion of many, for the virtues of genius, lucidity and principle that it reflects. Tom Paine was an Englishman by birth, and a citizen of the world by profession. A man who came to acquire an overwhelming passion for freedom matched only by his detestation of despotism, Paine travelled to the New World to participate in America's war against his own country of birth, and contributed richly to the ideas which animated that struggle, in the company of such men of distinction associated with America's independence as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. This should have been sufficient testimony to any single, quite extraordinary, human being's allegiance to his principles, but Paine went further: pursuing a friendship conceived during the American struggle with Frenchman La Fayette; he participated in the ensuing French Revolution as well, and was in a position to turn in an eyewitness's account of the taking of the Bastille. The French Revolution provoked fear and antipathy amongst monarchists across Europe, and one of the most celebrated tracts against France's successful struggle was contained in the book "Reflections on the Revolution of France" by Edmund Burke, a man known for that stirring paean to reactionary sentiment which still routinely finds its way into the great quotations of literature: "The age of chivalry is gone. That of sophisters, economists and calculators has succeeded; and the glory of Europe is extinguished forever." Burke's tract served as an occasion for Paine's repudiation of the canons of conservative thought embodied in it, and "Rights of Man", while directed against Burke's "Reflections", served as a much larger canvas for an exploration of those ideas in political philosophy and public morality which, with the ushering in of a new order as in America and France, cried out for systematic analysis and presentation. Paine's great work struck a chord in the hearts of Englishmen of ordinary rank, and the book sold thousands upon thousands of copies, to the chagrin of the aristocrats who banked erroneously on Burke's book appealing to a wide readership. "Rights of Man" is a book in two parts. Part 1 begins with a repudiation of Burke that is at once clever and cogent, clinical and mocking. A stirring account is offered of the events leading up to the taking of the Bastille, as a corrective to what Paine perceives to be Burke's calumnies upon the French Revolution. These specific events are placed in the larger context of the principles underlying the revolution and focused on the primacy of the rights of man a notion which the jurist and philosopher Jeremy Bentham (the intellectual father of the system called Utilitarianism) dismissed as "nonsense upon stilts". Nothing deterred, Paine upholds the sanctity of what he calls the "natural" rights of man (subsequently encoded as human rights in the United Nations' lexicon), and distinguishes these from civil rights which are reposed by the individual in society as a part of a social compact by which society provides those arrangements that enable the transformation of formal entitlements into substantive realisations. These considerations lead naturally to questions about the form of government which is compatible with an acknowledgement of the rights of man. Paine dissects and casts aside monarchical or aristocratic or hereditary government (and his observations on dynastic rule are relevant even today, when changes in form may leave behind no changes in the essence of the governance system). The notion of representative government is introduced and commended; and the place of equality and democracy in government premised upon the existence of inalienable human rights is emphasised. But prior even to a government so conceived is the requirement of a well-defined constitution, such as the Americans and the French gave to themselves, unlike the British who had to content themselves with Magna Carta, a poor parody, in Paine's view, of a genuine constitution. In Part 2, Paine turns from France to America, describes the founding principles of that nation, and extols the virtues of representative government, as the only form of government that will deliver democracy in extensive and populous societies (in distinction to the 'simple democracy' of ancient Athenian society). His reflections on parliamentary democracy a social arrangement of recent vintage which we take for granted and whose degeneration we often fail to register on our consciousness are fascinating. This 'new' form of government is contrasted with the 'old' form, one which draws its sustenance from 'war and extortion'. In a deep and brilliant series of analyses for the betterment of the civilizations of Europe and America, Paine expounds on how debt and strife keep out human development (as they do today in some of the poorest nations of the world, including ours); on how rational government requires the separation of the Church from the State (an outcome far removed from the theocratic ambitions of our State today); on the true meaning of toleration and intolerance (which should make us cringe when contrasted with the notions peddled by our ruling classes); and on the obligations of a civilized and (civilizing) State toward the poor and the dispossessed (as much observed in the breach here and today as in Paine's natal country, then). The remarkably prescient views of Paine on social security deserve separate treatment. In course of time, every great work of the mind achieves, as writer James Agee put it, "emasculation by acceptance." "Rights of Man" is no exception, not least when its precepts and ambitions are set against the tokenistic lip-service paid to good governance today in our country. For contrast contemporary reality with Tom Paine's moving expectation in the world around him: "nothing of reform in the political world ought to be held improbable. It is an age of Revolutions, in which everything may be looked for." Looked for, we may add, and not found here or hereabouts! The writer is a retired Professor of Economics Tribune News Service Chandigarh/Rohtak, February 18 Protests over Jat reservation turned violent in Rohtak on Thursday with at least 20 persons injured and several vehicles damaged in clashes between the Jats and non-Jats, even as the police and paramilitary forces resorted to lathi-charge and teargas shells to control the situation. Meanwhile, the Manohar Lal Khattar Government, apparently after directions from the Central leadership following flak from different quarters for inept handling of the situation, today called a special Cabinet meeting and an all-party meeting tomorrow to take stock of the situation and find a way out of the impasse. The Cabinet meeting, which was presided over by the Chief Minister, appealed to the agitating Jats to call off their agitation in the larger interest of the state. Agriculture Minister O.P Dhankar said an all-party meeting had been convened tomorrow here at 11 am to discuss the issue of demand of reservation by the Jats. Meanwhile, the administration and the police were fully alert to meet any eventuality and the government has kept all its options open to deal with the situation, Dhankar asserted. A riot-like situation was witnessed at Rohtak with groups of Jat protesters and non-Jat activists clashing with each other and BSF troops being deployed to control the clashers after they pelted stones on each other and police personnel, torched several motorcycles and damaged property this evening. Teargas shells and lathi-charge were used to disperse the protesters and members of the non-Jat groups. The BSF troops and police personnel took out a flag-march to get the town roads cleared from protesters who had blocked these to press for the grant of reservation to the Jat community. Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Abhay Chautala demanded a special session of the Haryana Assembly to discuss the issues related to Jat reservation. On the other hand, a day after talks between Jat leaders and the state government failed, the agitation spread to several new towns in the districts of Sonepat, Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Hisar, Kurkushetra and Panipat disrupting normal life. Shah Uzrat andUfaq Fatima Srinagar, February 18 To revitalise the handicraft industry of Kashmir, the Craft Development Institute (CDI) is innovating new designs, implementing full-fledged courses on craft management and providing certification that can help preserve and sustain the cultural heritage. The institute was established by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, and the Department of Industries and Commerce of Government of Jammu and Kashmir, in February 2004. It is working relentlessly on different parameters that could redefine handicraft in Kashmir. We have started design development programmes to recreate the previously available designs in handicrafts and also encourage the young artisans towards the profession, said Yasir Mir, a faculty member at the institute. Located at Nowshera, the institute started postgraduate courses in 2012 in affiliation with the University of Kashmir. The courses are in crafts management and entrepreneurship to educate aspiring students about new designs, enhance their managerial skills and develop a new sense of marketing in them. It is a two-year degree course which includes design development, research, business consultancy and skill development, said Mir. Talking about success stories, another faculty member said many alumni of the institution were successfully running their own ventures outside Kashmir. Two of our students, Mukeen and Manzoor, own a pashmina and kani loom business, said Sajid Nazir, another faculty member. I am very passionate about handicraft business. Apparently, this heritage is dying and my aim is to educate people and take Kashmiri craft to new heights, said Safoora Farooq, a student. She said the students were being taught different craft designs, including colour schemes and patterns, and many workshops were being conducted by the institute to expose students to new possibilities in this field. Snober Shakeel said she wanted to start her own venture and support artisans linked to the profession. I wish to start crewel and chain stitching business and want to provide opportunities to the talented artisans in the field, said Snober. The CDI also houses a high-tech lab for GI testing and labeling of pashmina. Geographical indication (GI) mark is a name or sign used on certain products, which correspond to a specific location or origin. We have installed a high-tech lab, which includes machines from USA, UK and Switzerland, for testing and labelling of pashmina, said Younis Farooq, manager, Pashmina Testing and Certification Centre. He said a unique label was put on pashmina, containing a unique code having hidden information about the artisans, dealer and other people associated with the particular product. Every month, around 40-70 pashmina shawls are tested and labelled here, Farooq said. The CDI is working for the approval of GI tagging to five Kashmiri handicraft products, including kani, sonzni, katamaband, papermashi and walnut woodcarving. So far, only pashmina has been approved for the GI marking. To make people aware about the GI marking on pashmina products, Farooq said it was for the government to promote it by conducting workshops and exhibitions. The government can play an important role in making public aware about pure pashmina, he said. Jammu, February 18 Union Minister of State in Prime Minister Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh, reacting to the ongoing controversy over protests in JNU and Jadavpur University, today said, It becomes intolerable if questions are raised on democracy of a country. I can only say that we must remain within our limits. Every country has to maintain its dignity, honour and sovereignty. It is understood by everybody and this happens in every country and democracy. It becomes intolerable if questions are raised on democracy and the republic, Singh told reporters after inaugurating a three-day international conference on natural resource management here. The Union Minister also took a dig at the Congress and asked it to clear its stand on the JNU controversy. I would like to ask the Congress whether it supports anti-India activities. First of all, we need to ask Congress leaders what their stand is and they should make their stand clear. They should also make it clear whether they support this (anti-India activities), he said. The Congress should clear whether its leaders are supporting any such incident where the motherland is being insulted. If it is so, then they must answer the entire nation, he said. Asked about the attack on journalists at a Delhi court, the Union Minister hoped that good sense would prevail on everybody. He evaded a query on government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly after the BJP national general secretarys meeting with PDP president Mehbooba Mufti yesterday. TNS Chicago: The University of Texas at Austin has begrudgingly agreed to allow students to carry guns into classrooms, months after state lawmakers passed a Bill outlawing gun bans at public universities. "I do not believe handguns belong on a university campus, so this decision has been the greatest challenge," university president Gregory Fenves said. Some faculty members have threatened to quit rather than allow students to carry guns in their classes. AFP Eatery owner banned for hiring illegal workers London: A 40-year-old Indian-origin restaurant owner in the UK who employed four illegal immigrants at his eatery has been disqualified for six years from being director of a limited company. Harcharan Singh Sekhon, owner of Bombay Blues restaurant in Glasgow, gave an undertaking to UK Insolvency Service not to manage or control a company for six years until 2022. Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order in the UK and do not involve court proceedings. PTI Visually challenged IAS officer pens book New Delhi: Unfolding an inspiring and struggle-filled journey of a visually impaired IAS officer, I: Putting the Eye in IAS reflects author Rajesh Singh's life. Having cleared the Civil Services examination in 2006, he was appointed as an IAS officer after intervention of the Supreme Court. Rajesh is 100 per cent blind. Serving as Joint Secretary, Woman and Child Development and Social Security, Jharkhand and Project Director, Integrated Child Protection Scheme, Jharkhand, he said that the real challenge was to prepare for the exams. PTI Vocalist Abdul Rashid Khan passes away Kolkata: Eminent classical vocalist Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan passed away on Thursday following old-age related ailments, family members said. He was 107. The body will be flown to Raebareli for the burial, sources said. A recipient of Padma Bhushan in 2013 and Sangeet Natak Akademi award, he was a resident guru at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in the city for the past 20 years. PTI tricountyleader.com expired on 09/23/2022 and is pending renewal or deletion. Backorder Domain Good things have been coming to a 27-year-old Adelaide international student named Dong Siqun, also known as "Queenie" Dong, just like dominoes toppling one after another. Ms Dong, originally from Hangzhou, in east China's Zhejiang province was chosen as the student ambassador by the University of South Australia (UniSA) last month. Thereafter, she has received job offers from at least ten companies in Australia since February. Also, she stars on the world's popular TV dating show, If You Are The One. And, her book based on her experiences as an international student in Australia is about to be published in China. Dong Siqun, once the youngest lawyer in her homeland is now studying social work at UniSA. Just like many international students, she does various part-time jobs in her spare time, mingling with native people and tries to immerse in the local life and culture. The lucky domino started when $200,000 mysteriously appeared in her NAB savings account on June 30 last year. The bank explained that the money was transferred to her account due to a mistake by the bank. Dong Siqun returned the money immediately. "The Advertiser", a local newspaper wrote stories about her act of honesty as well as her participation later in If You Are The One. The infamous match-making show attracts more than 30 million Chinese viewers every week, with a growing cult following in Australia. The two stories brought Ms Dong both popularity and opportunities and she even got her rent at a low price in Adelaide. On Feb 1, this year, Dong Siqun was invited as the only student to a Spring Festival Dinner where she met with Governor of South Australia, the South Australian Finance Minister, the mayor of Adelaide and Chinese Consul General in Adelaide. Officials are interested in her experience and asked her about the whole story. And as an even bigger surprise, "UniSA is considering eliminating my school fees," Dong said she was told by the school leadership at the dinner. Flames are seen near the site of an explosion in downtown Ankara, Turkey, Feb. 17, 2016. At least 18 people were killed and 45 others wounded in a car bomb attack targeting the Turkish military in the capital Ankara on Wednesday, the Ankara governor said. (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya) ANKARA, Feb. 17 -- At least 28 people were killed and61 others wounded in a car bomb attack targeting the Turkish military in the capital Ankara on Wednesday, Turkey's deputy prime minister and government spokesman said. According to Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus, the government has so far no information on who carried out the attack. Kurtulmus confirmed that the explosion was caused by a car bomb that targeted military vehicles carrying armed forces personnel. "We do not yet know the perpetrators of this attack ... This attack did not only target our military personnel in those shuttles... (it) openly targets out entire nation," the deputy prime minister said, vowing to pinpoint those behind the attack as soon as possible. The deputy prime minister called on the international community to stand by Turkey, saying that "plain condemnations" are now not enough for Turkey. The bomb targeted the housings in Ankara where shuttles for military personnel were awaiting, according to the Turkish military, triggering two explosions near a military compound of the headquarters of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, local NTV news broadcaster reported. News footages showed a large plume of smoke rising into the sky from a large fire at the explosion site. The area is also near the Turkish parliament in central Ankara. The government has banned on domestic reporting of the incident. The attack happened at a time when a high-level security meeting, hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was being held at the Presidential Palace. Erdogan has canceled his meeting to a Azerbaijan delegation on Thursday, while Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also canceled his visit to Brussels later on Wednesday evening. The Turkish General Staff said there were military personnel among the casualties, as the explosion was caught on surveillance cameras near the scene. Turkey has suffered from a series of deadly attacks. In July2015, a bomb attack in the border town of Suruc in southeastern Turkey left 34 pro-Kurdish and left-wing activists killed. In October, twin suicide bombings in Ankara claimed a total of 103 lives. Both were blamed on the Islamic State (IS) militant group. On Jan. 16, 11 people, all German tourists, were killed when a suicide bomber affiliated with the IS attacked the tourist heart of Istanbul. BATTAMBANG, Cambodia Between bites of spicy Cambodian curry and fried fish with rice, Angelina Jolie Pitt explains how this tiny country with a tumultuous past changed the course of her life. She first visited Cambodia 16 years ago to portray Lara Croft: Tomb Raider the gun-toting, bungee-jumping action hero that made her a star. Soon after, she adopted her first child from a Cambodian orphanage and returned again and again on humanitarian missions. Now, shes back for another movie, but this time as a director, and the subject matter is a far cry from Lara Croft. First They Killed My Father is based on a Khmer Rouge memoir written by survivor Loung Ung that recounts the 1970s Cambodian genocide from a childs perspective. The film, which she is directing and co-wrote with Ung for Netflix, is in Khmer, with an all-Cambodian cast and according to Jolie Pitt the most important movie of her career. During a break from filming, she talked to The Associated Press about how, more than ever, she feels a satisfying symbiosis between her life and work. In person, Jolie Pitt is engaging and down-to-earth, dressed in a T-shirt and long black skirt, her hair pulled into a casual bun. She goes out of her way to play down her celebrity, hopping into the back of an SUV and squeezing into the middle seat beside a reporter for a short drive from the set to the crews outdoor lunch tents. She is relaxed and articulate as the conversation veers from acting and directing to history, humanitarian work, motherhood and her special relationship to Cambodia. When I first came to Cambodia, it changed me. It changed my perspective. I realized there was so much about history that I had not been taught in school and so much about life that I needed to understand, and I was very humbled by it, said the 40-year-old Jolie Pitt, who grew up in Los Angeles where she felt a real emptiness. She was struck by the graciousness and warmth of Cambodian people, despite the tragedy that left an estimated 2 million people dead. While shooting Lara Croft in 2000, some scenes required sidestepping land mines, she said, which made her aware of the dangers refugees face in countries ravaged by war. That trip triggered my realization of how little I knew and the beginning of my search for that knowledge. It prompted her to contact the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees to learn about the agencys work before joining as a goodwill ambassador in 2001. She was then given an expanded role as Special Envoy in 2012. It was during an early trip back to Cambodia with the U.N. that Jolie had another epiphany this time about motherhood. Its strange, I never wanted to have a baby. I never wanted to be pregnant. I never baby-sat. I never thought of myself as a mother, Jolie, now famously a mother of six, says with a laugh. But while playing with children at a Cambodian school, it was suddenly very clear to me that my son was in the country, somewhere. She adopted Maddox in 2002, and a year later opened a foundation in his name in northwestern Battambang province, which helps fund health care, education and conservation projects in rural Cambodia. Maddox is now 14 and sporting what his mom calls a blonde stripe a shaggy mohawk with the top dyed blonde. He joined her in Cambodia to help behind the scenes for the project that she sees as a unique merger of her film work and family with humanitarian interests. For me, this is the moment, where finally my life is kind of in line, and I feel Im finally where I should be, Jolie Pitt said. Her fondness for Cambodia is mutual, according to the countrys most celebrated filmmaker Rithy Panh, who says First They Killed My Father will be the first Hollywood epic filmed in Cambodia about the countrys genocide a sign that the government trusts her to respectfully revisit the horrors of the past. I dont think they authorized Hollywood to come here. They authorized Angelina Jolie. Its not the same. She is special. She has a special relationship with the Cambodian people. There is a mutual respect, said Panh, her co-producer. I wonder if shes not a reincarnated Cambodian, he laughed, then thought about it. Maybe. Maybe in a previous life she was Cambodian. She expects to return to hold the films premiere in Cambodia at the end of the year, before its release on Netflix. Meeting with a group of Blue Star Mothers, one realizes they are more than just a bunch of women who get together and pack boxes for soldiers. They are, or have been, a mother of a troop who has been deployed. A piece of their heart has been scooped out and sent away. They try and fill that hole by staying busy, caring for one another, sharing grief and love. Once discovered, a woman whos had a child in the military may suddenly find herself greeted, maybe even hugged, an instant initiation into this group which has more than one purpose. They dont just pack boxes, although thats an important goal of theirs. They also support one another, particularly those who have sons or daughters serving in the military right now. The local chapter is Blue Star Mothers of America, BA, Chapter 5. They have an office at 905 South 9th Street where all the good things happen --the support, the packing, the mailing, the exchange of stories. Mothers, grandmothers, adopted mothers Most have a picture on our wall. Most of them come from military families, said Janet Viel, chapter president. We dont aspire to be Gold Star Mothers, Viel said profoundly. Gold Star Mothers are those who have lost a son or daughter in a war. We all volunteer from the bottom to the top, added Susan Thesenvitz, responsible for communications and public relations as well as serving as historian. We do this out of love for the veterans. If a mother is crying, youre crying, too. They (the troops) all become our kids. When one hurts, we all hurt, chimed in Patsy Adams. When one cries, we all cry. When one (a troop) returns home, we all rejoice. When my son was deployed, he said, Mom, find something to do. Becoming a Blue Star Mother saved my life that year, said Thesenvitz. You can go through things with people who have been through it. They know the experiences youre experiencing. Thesenvitz said its different than sending a son to college. When her son was at Oklahoma State University, she could go get him. Thats not possible when a troop is deployed. Thesenvitz extended an invitation to all the military mothers in the community. Its great support when you can share with the other moms. Viel has already had one son go to Afghanistan; now another one is getting ready to go. Im not ready to repeat it, she said. Well all feel, pray and worry, said Thesenvitz. We didnt know Greg was coming home, said Sonja Gilmore, quartermaster, mother of Thesenvitz and grandmother to the young man she was speaking about. Once the surprise was over, Greg handed Gilmore a pair of his pants that had a bullet hole in them. It took me three washes to get the sand out, she said. Ill immortalize that pair of pants somehow. Perhaps make a Teddy bear someone suggested. Viel said when her son came home, he surprised her as well. I did the ugly cry, she said, going on to say, We enjoy this, and we do this. Even though her second son should have a safer job when he goes to Afghanistan, it doesnt make things any different. Things happen. I never thought I would have to worry about them on our soil and on base. And we meet nice people, Gilmore said. Everybody has a story --just like Janet getting ready to go through this again. This is close to all of us. Yes, everyone here has a story, perhaps not about our own sons but close to our sons, said Adams. The community at large is very generous, Viel agreed. continuing to say the mothers do more than prepare boxes to mail. They help with the coffee bunker in Tulsa where veterans go to share stories with one another. They have a small food pantry to help troops who have come home and are in need of help, and they help at the Tulsa veterans center. Theres a big heart for the mothers here in Oklahoma. This story is merely an introduction to the Blue Star Mothers, Chapter 5. In coming weeks hear where they believe their fears first began. Learn about their upcoming April and October fundraisers. Find out more about the boxes they pack and what some of the troops do with them to help create peace across the sea. Meet each mother a story at a time as the Ledger visits with them. Get more information on a recent movie which tells the story of the bravery of Oklahoma infantrymen. In the meantime, volunteer time, goodies for the boxes, or money. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays and 4 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays. They meet the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. Mosquito larvae grow in water of a house in San Salvador, capital of El Salvador, on Feb. 3, 2016. (Xinhua/Oscar Machon/Diario El Mundo El Salvador) GENEVA, Feb. 17 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday launched global response to address the ongoing spread of Zika virus infection and the neonatal malformations and neurological conditions associated with it. The "ZIKA Strategic Response Framework and Joint Operations Plan", covered the period of January to June, focused on mobilizing and coordinating partners, experts and resources to help countries enhance surveillance of the Zika virus and disorders that could be linked to it. The plan is also to help improve vector control, effectively communicate risks, guidance and protection measures, provide medical care to those affected and fast-track research and development of vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics. WHO said 56 million U.S. dollars is required to implement the response plan, of which 25 million dollars would fund the WHO response and 31 million dollars would fund the work of key partners. In the interim, WHO tapped a recently established emergency contingency fund to finance its initial operations. As part of WHO's new emergency program, the agency's headquarters activated an Incident Management System to oversee the global response and leverage expertise from across the organization to address the crisis. WHO's Regional Office for the Americas (AMRO/PAHO) has been working closely with affected countries since May 2015, when the first reports of Zika virus disease emerged from northeastern Brazil. AMRO/PAHO and partner specialists were deployed to help health ministries detect and track the virus, contain its spread, advise on clinical management of Zika and investigate the spikes in microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome in areas where Zika outbreaks have occurred. AMRO/PAHO will continue to work with partners to manage the response in the Americas. Working with partners, WHO is also mapping efforts to develop vaccines, therapies, diagnostic tests and new vector control tactics and putting in place mechanisms to expedite data sharing, product development and clinical trials. On Feb. 1, based on recommendations of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee, WHO declared the increasing cases of neonatal and neurological disorders, amid the growing Zika outbreak in the Americas, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration, in conjunction with the Tulsa Police Department, executed several search warrants Wednesday morning at a Tulsa business in connection with a large-scale drug trafficking organization operating in the area, Tulsa Police Capt. Mark Wollmershauser. Wollmershauser declined to elaborate, though published reports indicate the warrants were served at the Rio Mexican Restaurant & Bar, 2120 S. Sheridan Road. Deborah Gist, superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools, was scheduled to appear at the restaurant from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday as a guest speaker at the Greater Tulsa Hispanic Chamber's monthly luncheon, TPS spokesman Chris Payne said. A representative of the Hispanic Chamber, however, called Gist at about 10 a.m. Wednesday to say the meeting had been canceled, Payne said. No reason was given, he said. OKLAHOMA CITY A Senate panel on Wednesday passed a measure that could lead to a public vote on allowing grocery and convenience stores to sell wine and cold, strong beer. But the measure is not without controversy. The Senate Rules Committee passed Senate Joint Resolution 68 by a vote of 12-3 after heavy lobbying for and against the measure. It now heads to the Senate floor for consideration. The measure has prompted Anheuser-Busch to take out print, television and Internet advertisements saying the measure would cost jobs. Anheuser-Busch is upset because it says the measure would require it to divest itself of two distributorships that currently distribute 3.2 beer. The bill is intended to be about modernization of alcohol laws, said Eric James, senior director of sales and marketing for Anheuser-Busch Sales of Oklahoma. It now includes a provision that kicks our distributorships out of state. At issue is a change in the beer distribution process in the state. Anheuser-Busch wants an exception to the rules everybody else has to play by, said Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond. If the contested section of the bill were taken out, the company would be living by different rules than everyone else, he said. He said the goal is to level the playing field for all of those involved. Meanwhile, Bryan Kerr, president of the Retail Liquor Association of Oklahoma, said the measure would shut down dozens of package stores because of the competition with convenience and grocery stores and the cost of adding refrigeration to liquor stores. Sen. Randy Bass, D-Lawton, was one of the three votes against the measure. I dont think everyone had a seat at the table, he said. When certain parties did have a seat at the table during earlier discussions about the resolution and disagreed with Jolley and others, they were cut out of negotiations, Bass said. He said lawmakers have plenty of time to rework the measure. Jolley said Oklahoma consumers are demanding changes in the states liquor laws. Kevin Hall, executive director of the League of Oklahomans for Change in Alcohol Laws, said the measure would allow craft brewers to sign with more distributors and get more market access. Because alcohol laws are contained in both the state constitution and state law, a companion measure is expected that would alter state statues regulating alcohol. Efforts to modernize the states archaic liquor laws have been in the works for years. Oklahomans for Modern Laws recently filed paperwork with the Secretary of State indicating the organization wants circulate an initiative petition on the issue. Sen. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma City, garnered quite a bit of attention last year when she introduced a measure, Senate Bill 383, that would allow strong, cold beer to be sold in liquor stores. The measure went to a conference committee in hopes of creating a discussion about a total overhaul of liquor laws. She has been a leading advocate for reform and is a co-author on SJR 68 along with Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) shakes hands with his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 17, 2016. Wang and Bishop attended the third round of bilateral diplomatic and strategic dialogue in Beijing on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) BEIJING, Feb. 17 - China's non-acceptance of the South China Sea arbitration filed by the Philippines is merely observing the law, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the press after talks with his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop Wednesday in Beijing. Wang's comments came after Australia called for a solution to the South China Sea disputes through peaceful means, including arbitration. China in 2006 declared it would not accept arbitration of disputes concerning territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, in accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Wang said. "Chinese government will certainly stick to this position," Wang said, adding that more than 30 countries, including Australia, have also made similar "exclusive" declarations. He gave a list of reasons why the Philippines' arbitration attempt is invalid and unacceptable, including unilateral moves without consulting China, which goes against international norms, as well as the common sense argument that arbitration applications are usually lodged only when all other means are depleted. China and the Philippines have several agreements that disputes should be solved through dialogue and consultation. The Philippines has also signed the fourth article of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), which states that disputes should be solved by those countries directly related, through negotiation and consultation. Wang said that the Philippines' arbitration attempt violated previous agreements and raised suspicion of its complicated international background or even hidden political motives. NEW YORK Members of the band Lake Street Dive have never met Kevin Bacon they have complete separation. But they credit the actor with boosting their career. Bacon tweeted a link to the bands video of a slow, sultry version of the Jackson 5s I Want You Back to his followers, and it quickly spread. In three years, the cover has been seen on YouTube more than 3.5 million times. Bar gigs have given way to a theater tour that Lake Street Dive starts next week to support Side Pony, their first disc with the Nonesuch record label, which is released Friday. Led by the breezy, danceable Call Off Your Dogs, Lake Street Dive seems poised to make the most of their opportunity. Bacon remembers a friend pointing out the video, recorded on a Boston street corner, and liked how Lake Street Dive gave a new twist to a familiar song. A musician himself, Bacon knows how difficult it can be for an artist to get attention and is happy about his small role. Its sweet that they give me props for it, Bacon said. But I really dont think they needed me. The timing was perfect for Lake Street Dive, which was becoming more serious about its career. All of a sudden there were a lot more people who saw Lake Street Dive as a band, singer Rachael Price said. It wouldnt have worked if they didnt have the ability to click on a dozen more videos of our own songs. Price, bass player Bridget Kearney, guitarist Michael McDuck Olson and drummer Michael Calabrese met as students at the Boston Conservatory of Music more than a decade ago. Olson, a composition major, sought people to perform his songs. When youre at a music school, youre just waiting for someone to ask you to play, Price said. Its like a kickball field every day. Strangers before answering Olsons request, the quartet got along and shared similar tastes, although their early jazz-inflected cabaret music would hardly be recognizable to anyone who listens to Side Pony. There was no guitar, keyboards or backing vocals, and Olson played trumpet. Through experience, the sound became catchier, more accessible. Unlike many music school eggheads, they dont look down on pop music. Its like a bodybuilder opening up a can of soda, Kearney said. You dont want to crush it. You just want to be delicate. But its awesome to have all those tools at your disposal. Each member of Lake Street Dive writes songs, an embarrassment of riches that could lead to ego-fueled disaster if they arent all on the same page. The band hired Grammy-nominated producer Dave Cobb for Side Pony, another sign of renewed determination. A hot commodity for his work with Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson and Jason Isbell, Cobb pushed Lake Street Dive out of its comfort zone. The song Side Pony, written by Olson, refers to a hairstyle that is just as it sounds a ponytail on the side of the head. Kearney had never heard of it; now she wears one. The band saw it as a symbol of free thinking. And its fun, a side of the band they dont want overlooked. Lake Street Dive once made a video cover of Queens Bohemian Rhapsody, with Price wearing a fake moustache for her Freddie Mercury impersonation. We take music super seriously, but we dont take ourselves seriously, Kearney said. One of the candidates for Chairman in the People's National Movement's internal election says there is a major detachment between those in office and people at the grass root level. Kenneth Butcher says things need to change from the inside. The Chinese Embassy in Spain is expressing concerns over a reported police raid of a major Chinese bank's offices in Madrid. It's being reported Spanish authorities have raided the Madrid offices of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China on Wednesday as part of a joint operation connected to alleged money laundering and tax fraud. It's said to be connected with a major police operation known as Operation Snake, which has led to over 30 arrests in Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia since this past May. The Chinese embassy says it has not received any information about the operation "from any official department in Spain." An embassy statement says given the information it does have, it says it believes the ICBC offices in Spain don't appear to have acted in violation of local laws. On 60 Minutes this weekend, trapped in Egypt, home loan wipeouts and the need for jet speed. Trapped This tale almost defies belief. When Australian Amaal Finn took her daughter to Egypt on a family trip, she could never have imagined the terrible chain of events that would unfold. Once there, Amaals husband convinced her to sign documents written in Arabic. She did as she was asked, but what she was signing was a form, banning mother and child from leaving Egypt. This single act of betrayal has sentenced Amaal and her six-year-old daughter Zareen to a life removed from everyone and everything they have ever known. For nearly three years they have battled bureaucracy and the courts to see this travel ban overturned. Meanwhile her former husband, Mazen Baouimy, has returned to a comfortable life in Australia where he defiantly refuses to assist Amaal and his daughter in any way. Reporter: Michael Usher Producer: Steven Burling Home Groans Heres the good news: for the past 30 years weve all enjoyed watching the value of our homes skyrocket. Now the bad: the housing boom is about to end, and for many Australians both homeowners and investors its going to end in tears. While you think youve heard this all before, remember we now have the highest household debt in the world. Worse still, we have become so blase about the way we borrow money, weve forgotten the consequences most importantly, that we need to pay it back. So if you have a home loan and you want to stand any chance of surviving a wipeout, you need to be very, very careful. Reporter: Ross Coulthart Producer: Grace Tobin Sky High There are 20 billion reasons why the federal government had to get the decision right in selecting the F35 as the next fighter for the Royal Australian Air Force. It is by far our biggest defence purchase ever, but with 72 F35s on the way we are apparently getting a great bang for our buck. The sales pitch boasts that the combat jet is a flying supercomputer loaded with so much weaponry and gee whiz stealth technology that no enemy can see it and wont stand a chance against it. Critics complain the F35s are badly designed and are an expensive waste of money. The only Australians who know for sure are two RAAF test pilots posted to the Arizona desert to train on the new aircraft. Tara Brown accepted their invitation to take a close-up look at their deadly new toys. Reporter: Tara Brown Producer: Howard Sacre 8:15pm Sunday February 21 on Nine. New laws introduced last year to block piracy websites will be tested for the first time with Village Roadshow seeking to block SolarMovie.ph which facilitates the free streaming of movies and TV including Star Wars and The Walking Dead. It has filed a case in the Federal Court under the Copyright Amendment (online infringement) Act, which if successful will require Australian ISPs to block the site from general access. The laws were introduced in Parliament last June. Village Roadshow will be backed by Warner Bros, Paramount, Universal, Sony, Disney and 21st Century Fox, who signed off on the action overnight. Foxtel is also expected to file a case against notorious bit torrent site, The Pirate Bay. However the sites would still be accessible via Virtual Private Network (VPN). Meanwhile Village Roadshow Co-CEO Graham Burke today revealed the three strikes warning system has been officially shelved. We reached the conclusion after having an independent audit firm evaluate the cost of sending out the notices, and we concluded that it was too much of an imposition to ask the ISPs, and also from our own point of view, the amount it would cost, he said. We concluded that it was too much of an imposition to ask the ISPs, and also from our own point of view, the amount it would cost. So we decided not to push it forward. But he indicated instead of manual notices an automated system was coming. When automation occurs, instead of costing AU$16 or AU$20 a notice, which is just prohibitive, it will cost cents per notice, he said. In other words, the ISPs will have an automated system that can be done simply, as opposed to at the moment its manual. Laurie Patton CEO o fnon-profit group Internet Australia said recently, There is ample research evidence that people are willing to pay if they can get the content theyre after. In fact, surveys show that the people who pirate are also among the most active legal downloaders. Source: ABC, CNET, Fairfax File photo shows G20 leaders pose for a group photo during the G20 summit in Antalya, Turkey. [Photo: takungpao.com] China's Ministry of Commerce said the country will host the G20 trade ministers meetings in Shanghai this summer. Shen Danyang, spokesman for the Ministry, made the remarks at a news conference in Beijing. "China took over the rotating G20 presidency on December 1, 2015, and a series of meetings have been started successively through various channels. As a department which coordinates trade and investment cooperation, the Ministry of Commerce will host the G20 trade ministers meetings from July 9 to 10 this year in Shanghai, before which three trade and investment work team meetings will be held." Shen says G20 member states have strong desire to enhance trade and investment cooperation amid the slowdown of global trade and economy. In such a background, through China's proposal, leaders of the G20 demanded in 2015 that trade ministers meetings be held periodically and agreed to establish a supportive work team. "China hopes member nations, through trade ministers' meetings and a series of work team meetings, will carry out in-depth discussions over issues including constructing a trade and investment platform among G20 countries, promoting global trade growth, supporting a multilateral trade system, enhancing coordination and cooperation of investment policies, and advancing an inclusive and coordinated global value chain." The next annual G20 summit is also to be held in China, in Hangzhou in September. In the months running up to the summit, China will host Sherpa meetings in Guangzhou, Xiamen, Hangzhou and Wuhan, finance ministers' and central bank governors' meetings in Shanghai and Chengdu, and meetings of ministers covering trade, employment, energy and agriculture in Shanghai, Beijing and Xi'an. 9 a.m., Feb. 18, 2016--With funds donated by two alumni and a commitment of support from University leaders, the University of Delaware is launching the UD Partnership for Public Education. The new partnership is a multidisciplinary effort to mobilize the University's research, educational and public service capacities to provide sustained assistance to Delaware schools with low-income and other at-risk students, focusing initially on schools in the city of Wilmington. UD faculty and professionals will support improvements in instruction through professional development programs for teachers and school leaders and on-site collaboration on school improvement strategies that reflect national best practices. Two long-time friends and Blue Hen classmates have joined forces to establish a new Fund for Urban Education that will provide strategic and integrated support for the partnership. The $100,000 gift is an initiative of Quinetta Roberson, professor of management and the Fred J. Springer Chair in Business Leadership at the Villanova School of Business, and Tony Allen, a UD trustee, who leads the corporate reputation group for Bank of America, and who serves as the chair of the Wilmington Education Improvement Commission. "Almost 30 years ago, Q and I came to UD with the support of many in our family and communities. More than a few people believed in us, demanded the very best from us and supported us every step of the way. We want the same for today's generation," Allen said. "In recent years, we have watched UD embrace its role in K-12 public education reform in Delaware and facilitating diversity and inclusion on-campus. Our gift is meant to support this work and encourage our beloved alma mater to do even more," he said. Roberson noted, "We have been a part of a strong, vibrant Black Alumni Organization that has kept many of us connected to UD. We are now calling on others in our alumni community to support this work and/or give to the University around the issues that matter to them most." The University of Delaware is thankful to Drs. Roberson and Allen for making this critical commitment to extend the Universitys role in strengthening Delaware public education, and specifically to focus on assistance to schools with large numbers of low-income students, English language learners and students, said Acting President Nancy Targett. The UD Partnership for Public Education will build on the Universitys ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion. An active partner The University of Delaware has been an active partner in the earlier work of the Wilmington Education Advisory Committee (WEAC), leading to the final report, Strengthening Wilmington Education: An Action Agenda, presented to Delaware Gov. Jack Markell and the Delaware General Assembly last spring. That report was the basis for creating the Wilmington Education Improvement Commission (WEIC), supported by the work of UDs Institute for Public Administration. The UD Partnership for Public Education will strengthen the support UD is now providing to the Wilmington Education Improvement Commission, which is focused on strengthening pre-K-12 education in Wilmington and New Castle County. Information on this groundbreaking work on Wilmington education is available at www.solutionsfordelawareschools.com. "The UD Partnership for Public Education, UD Provost Domenico Grasso said, is in perfect alignment with the University's newly launched Community Engagement Initiative and will directly improve the quality of life in our state and strengthening Delawares public education system -- key goals that affect us all. Drawing upon UD's strengths This important work will draw upon the Universitys strengths as a research institution by engaging faculty and professionals from many disciplines, many of whom are already engaged in assisting affected by the recommendations of the WEIC. "The new partnership, said Carol Vukelich, interim dean of the College of Education and Human Development, will mobilize programs in four key areas that draw upon the Universitys strengths: research and evaluation, professional development, school improvement strategies and models, and engagement and advocacy. Improving success for low-income students requires a comprehensive developmental approach that draws upon knowledge from many fields and focuses on the alignment of needed supports and services starting in early childhood and extending through entry into a career or higher education, and drawing upon a strong partnership between the community and the schools. Many UD faculty, professionals and students are already engaged in support of this effort, Vukelich said, and the UD Partnership for Public Education will provide additional support for their contributions as well as mobilize contributions from other parts of the UD community. George Watson, dean of UD's College of Arts and Sciences, and Vukelich will co-chair the University-wide steering committee for the UD Partnership for Public Education. The mission of the partnership, said Watson, is to marshal and coordinate University capacity and expertise in direct collaboration with public schools and with partner organizations such as the Wilmington Education Improvement Commission. About the Donors Quinetta Roberson is the Fred J. Springer Endowed Chair of Business Leadership at Villanova University. One of the worlds foremost authorities in organizational behavior specializing in leadership, talent management and diversity, she has published over 20 articles and book chapters, and edited a Handbook of Diversity in the Workplace, published by Oxford Press in 2013. Roberson has been a visiting professor at several international universities, including Bocconi University in Milan, Italy; Melbourne Business School in Melbourne, Australia; and FGV-EAESP in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She also served a one-year appointment as a program director at the National Science Foundation. Before joining Villanova University, she was a tenured associate professor at Cornell University. She earned her bachelor's degree in finance from UD in 1992 and serves on the Lerner School of Business and Economics Advisory Council. Tony Allen is the managing director of the corporate reputation group at Bank of America, responsible for developing and monitoring programming to influential external audiences. He is a key adviser to the banks public policy and corporate social responsibility teams and also chairs the Global Marketing and Corporate Affairs Diversity & Inclusion Council for the company. Active in civic affairs throughout the country, Allen is the chairman of the Wilmington Education Improvement Commission (WEIC), created by Delaware's governor and General Assembly to strengthen public education for students throughout the state. He is also the co-founder or Public Allies-Delaware, a now 20-year old leadership development organization for young adults interested in public service and chairman emeritus of the National Urban Fellows, the oldest academic fellowship for mid-career professionals of color in the country. Allen also has written extensively in many periodicals and publications including the annual journal, The State of Black America, and the syndicated column To Be Equal. He ia a Whitney M. Young awardee for Advancing Racial Equality, the National Urban Leagues highest honor and in 2012 was named Delaware Citizen of the Year. He has received many other honors throughout his career. Allen received his bachelor's degree in political science and his doctorate in urban affairs and public policy in 1992 and 2001, respectively. He is a member of the University's Board of Trustees. In 2013, Roberson and Allen co-founded Brooks Whitney, a management consulting firm. Roberson serves as chief executive officer and Allen is chairman. The Latvian Prosecutor's Office refutes the information that the case over alleged laundering of the funds belonging to Kurchenko and Yanukovych through Latvian banks will be closed on March 10. This was stated in the letter from the press service of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Latvia with reference to the country's Prosecutor General Eriks Kalnmeiers in response to a request for information from Ukrinform. "The information about the closure of criminal proceedings over legalization of funds obtained by criminal means, which may be linked to Viktor Yanukovych, on March 10, 2016 is not true," reads the letter. As a reminder, Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Vitaliy Kasko announced his resignation on February 15. On the same day, MP of Ukraine Tetiana Chornovil said that "the criminal case over money laundering by Ukrainian beneficiaries of Yanukovych times will be closed in Latvia on March 10 this year" allegedly because of inactivity of Kasko. April 23, 2014, Kurchenko was put on the international wanted list. He is suspected of embezzling more than UAH 1 billion. According to media reports, the oligarch now lives and continues his business activities Russia. ol On Thursday, February 18 the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine will host talks among Defense Minister of Ukraine Army General Stepan Poltorak, Minister for Defense of the Kingdom of Sweden Peter Hultqvist, and Defense Minister of the Republic of Lithuania Juozas Olekas, as well as talks of the delegations. The sides plan to discuss the issues related to the development of cooperation between the defense ministries of the three countries in the context of the current military-political situation and the reforms of the defense element of Ukraine. Following trilateral talks the ministers will meet the press. Russia has filed a suit against Ukraine in London's Court of International Arbitration to recover a $3 billion loan, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has said. Today the Finance Ministry of Russia has filed a lawsuit against Ukraine in London's Court of International Arbitration to recover $3 million bond and refund of courts costs to the Russian Federation, Siluanov said, RIA Novosti reports. According to him, the suit was filed after repeated unsuccessful attempts to call on Ukraine to hold talks on debt restructuring. As a reminder, Russia bought Ukraines government bonds worth $3 billion in late 2013. According to experts, this step was considered to be a reward to then-president Viktor Yanukovych for abandoning the plans to sign a European Union Association Agreement. Yanukovych was officially deprived of power in February 2014 following large-scale peoples street protests. iy Beijing 'has the right to such deployments on Xisha Islands to protect national sovereignty' Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) shakes hands with his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 17, 2016. Wang and Bishop attended the third round of bilateral diplomatic and strategic dialogue in Beijing on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) Any defense deployment on China's territory would be legitimate, Beijing said on Wednesday, responding to reports that China has positioned anti-aircraft missiles on the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea. "The Xisha Islands are the inherent territory of China. China has justified and legal rights to implement defense facilities on its territory to protect national sovereignty and security," the Defense Ministry's Information Office said in a statement to China Daily. "China started deploying maritime and air defense on relevant islands years ago. The hyping by certain Western media is a pure repeat of the 'China threat' theory," the statement said. Fox News reported on Tuesday that China has deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile system on Yongxing Island of the Xisha Islands in the past week, citing satellite photos. A US official confirmed the accuracy of the photos, Fox said. The report came several weeks after a US Navy destroyer intruded in Chinese territorial waters off the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea. The Defense Ministry has said the Chinese military will take any necessary measures to protect national sovereignty. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily media briefing on Wednesday that he was unaware of the specifics of the situation, but added that any facilities that are built have to do with national defense, not militarization. "We believe this is an attempt by certain Western media to create news stories," Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters at a news conference with Australian counterpart Julie Bishop in Beijing. Wang called on global media to pay more attention to the public service China has offered in the South China Sea, including construction of lighthouses, weather stations and rescue and shelter facilities for fishermen. "All of those are actions that China, as the biggest littoral state in the South China Sea, has undertaken to provide more public goods and services to the international community and play its positive role there," he said. He said China's construction of "limited, necessary facilities of self-protection" was "consistent with the right to self-preservation and self-protection that China is entitled to under international law, so there should be no question about that". Yao Yunzhu, a senior researcher at the PLA Academy of Military Science, said of the report about the missile deployment that "there is nothing surprising". "Military implementation on islands is an act taken by countries around the globe, while China's military implementation on the Xisha Islands started many years ago," she said. Yao said the move, if confirmed, would not be directly linked to the US destroyer intrusion. "However, more provocations will draw in more preparation." The Dutch government supports ratification of the association agreement between Ukraine and the European Union. Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Ukraine Kees Klompenhouwer said this during his speech at the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. You know there will be a referendum on the association agreement in my country and I want to say that my government supports this aggreement and backs the signing of this association agreement, the ambassador said. He also added that the Dutch government will render comprehensive economic assistance to Ukraine, but only if reforms are implemented. The government of Ukraine must implement reforms, Klompenhouwer said. As a reminder, on April 6, 2016 the Netherlands will hold an advisory referendum on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. iy Young refugees and Ugandans living in Kampala join each other on stage at the National Theatre Kampala to act out their stories of flight and integration. UNHCR/C. Yaxley KAMPALA, Uganda, Feb 18 (UNHCR) - Men in black masks and combat gear appear, roughly round people up into circles and force them to lie face down in silence. The air is torn by screams and the rasp of gunfire. It is a harrowing experience lived by refugees from conflict-ravaged Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan who have sought safety in Uganda. Tonight, some act out the trauma on the stage of the country's National Theatre before an audience of hundreds of people. The title of the show is "Tunaweza," translated simply as "We Can." It presents the arc of refugees' journey from the harrowing violence that drove them from their homes, through to their lives remade in exile in Uganda, which currently hosts around half-a-million refugees and asylum-seekers from strife-torn countries in eastern Africa and the Great Lakes region. The three-hour show - which also includes Ugandan cast members - is the brainchild of local nonprofit InterAid Uganda and drama teacher Lilian Mbabazi. Supported by UNHCR, it aims to encourage audiences to get to know refugees, highlight their resilience and dispel myths about them as passive receivers of aid or threats to local jobs. "Most people only hear about refugees in the news. This project gives them the chance to tell the truth about their lives and to showcase their abilities," said Mbabazi, a lecturer in drama at Makerere University. "My mother is Rwandan, so when I look at these kids, I think of what happened in Rwanda and I see them as my brothers and sisters." Uganda stands out for its innovative approach to hosting refugees, who are integrated in villages, side by side with local Ugandan communities, and encouraged to be self-reliant. They are also free to move around the country, to work and start their own businesses, and have access to the same public services as their Ugandan hosts. Once Mbabazi met with the group, she wanted to give them as big a platform as possible. She contacted the National Theatre, who told her the only slot they could offer her was in 19 days, leaving little time to come up with a title, concept and script. The fact that they made it in time was made all the more remarkable by the collaborative approach they decided to adopt. The director and cast brainstormed their experiences, coming up with a play that depicts everything from their flight from danger to the challenges of making friends in their new communities. The final work uses drama, dance and song to touch on themes of fragility, transience, belonging and hope, while focusing on two main concepts: "We" and "ability." "We wanted to talk about 'We' because it shows togetherness," said Beliyse, 18, who arrived in Uganda last year after the outbreak of violence in Burundi. "It shows togetherness not only amongst refugees but also together with Ugandans. We also wanted to show how refugees have talents. We don't often get to show them but when people allow us we can really demonstrate what we can do." The resulting play takes the audience on a vivid, authentic and emotional journey from danger to a more stable life in Uganda - where the ups and downs of integration and starting over are sometimes mined for comic effect. "We didn't only want to focus on the bad," said Oscar, 22, from Congo. "It's about how we left our countries and what happened to us, but it's also about the happier stuff too. Our new lives, our friends, our love lives or for some, the failures of our love lives!" The play, which both moves audience members to tears and prompts wails of welcome laughter, is proving a hit with theatregoers in Kampala. As the curtain fell on their first performance, the audience rose to their feet and gave the cast a standing ovation. "It was superb," said Sarah, a Ugandan who found out about the show by chance when she came across a promotional poster. "I think it will help refugees and Ugandans here to come closer. Some people are often mistaken about refugees but if they see the amazing show these kids have been able to put together, even though what they've been through, they will be touched." The group hopes to receive similar reactions in the weeks and months ahead as they take their show across Uganda, acting out their journey alongside Ugandan players. "This group is a perfect example of the benefits that can be gained from allowing refugees to flourish within local communities," said UNHCR Representative to Uganda Neimah Warsame. "When refugees and their hosts live together, work together and play together, they thrive together. This serves as an example for other countries around the world for successful ways to bring about social cohesion." By Charlie Yaxley in Kampala, Uganda Sabha Isa, Ahmad, and their children Hamzeh and Alma meet Filippo Grandi at their temporary home in Berlin. UNHCR/M. Rentsch BERLIN, Germany, Feb 18 (UNHCR) - The International Congress Center (ICC) in Berlin - a stout and futuristic landmark building - was formally the venue for large trade fairs. It now serves as the temporary home of almost 600 asylum seekers mostly from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. On his first visit to Germany as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi visited the ICC emergency shelter run by the NGO Malteser Hilfsdienst to receive a first-hand impression of the situation. "Germany has seen a large influx of asylum seekers over the last year and has led by example in providing a safe haven to hundreds of thousands desperate people escaping the world's war zones", he said. "It is good to be on the ground and meet both the people affected as well as the many professionals and volunteers supporting them." Among 300 families using the makeshift shelter are Sabha, and her husband Ahmad, and their two children Hamzeh and Alma and their Uncle Mohammad who arrived at the makeshift shelter just before Christmas 2015. Sabha was then pregnant with their third child. The Malteser staff and the many dedicated volunteers are committed to support the family and the other "guests" - as they call them - as best they can but the reality is grim and loved ones back in Syria are still in their hearts. "I cannot concentrate on German classes and my new life here because I have to think of my family in Damascus", said the uncle. The family may have found safety but with relatives trapped in the middle of the conflict zone they cannot leave their past behind and the future is unclear. Berlin like many other cities in Germany has seen a surge in new arrivals and is scrambling to provide adequate services for all of them. Almost 80,000 people arrived in Berlin in 2015. Many of them are temporarily housed in gyms, former schools and other makeshift accommodation. "I could see the challenges for the asylum seekers themselves and for the country receiving them but also the extraordinary solidarity provided to refugees and migrants that have arrived here over the last months," Grandi, who took office on January 1 this year, concluded after the visit. "Here, in a very practical way, solidarity works," he added. The challenges facing Germany and its role in the current political situation were also the focus of the High Commissioner's meetings with key government officials and representatives of civil society. "Without Germany's contributions we would find ourselves in a different Europe," Grandi said during a meeting with Federal President Joachim Gauck. In a joint statement, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier thanked UNHCR for the "valuable work under difficult conditions" while the UN High Commissioner commended Germany's humanitarian leadership in supporting displaced people in Syria and its neighbouring countries. "The first element of stabilization is to assist people in their own country", Grandi emphasized. By Martin Rentsch, Berlin Op-ed: U.S. should be more inclusive in diplomacy A special summit between the U.S. and ASEAN leaders was recently held in California, during which U.S. President Barack Obama included the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on agenda. In his speech, Obama claimed that in joining the U.S.-led TPP, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have committed to high labor and environmental standards. As another example of Obama talking about the TPP when coming to the topic of U.S.-ASEAN cooperation, it reveals the great importance the superpower attaches to the framework. However, the U.S. ignored the fact that only 4 out of the 10 ASEAN members have signed up for the TPP. It seemed that the U.S. has portrayed the high standards as a golden front for a trans-regional trade deal. But whats worth mentioning is that the U.S. labeled the so called high standards just to serve its own interests. In his statement after the TPP negotiation, Obama claimed that TPP allows America-and not countries like China-to "write the rules" in the 21st century. Grand as the goal is, the U.S.is being unrealistic. Specifically, the U.S. cannot exclude China from economic cooperation. Take the ASEAN as an example, Obama is rather proud that the U.S.-ASEAN trade volume has increased 55 percent since he took office, but statistics from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) show that in 2014, the trade volume between China and ASEAN reached $480 billion, double that between the U.S. and ASEAN. With an combined economic output of about $11.4 trillion, the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA) has become a significant market covering a population of nearly 2 billion. China is the largest trading partner of the ASEAN whereas the ASEAN is Chinas third largest trading partner, fourth largest export market as well as the second biggest source of imports. With the upgrade of the FTA, bilateral economic cooperation will embrace a promising future. From a macro perspective, the U.S. cannot stop China from playing a role in writing international rules. After years of steady growth, China has become more important in global stage. Chinas proposal to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road was echoed by many countries. So far, more than 20 countries have signed cooperation agreements with China, and another dozen reached cooperation consensus, therefore an international production capacity cooperation framwork covering Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe is gradually taking shape. Chinas FTA construction also achieved remarkable results. In 2015, China signed free trade agreements with South Korea and Australia, both of which are major Asia-Pacific economies. In addition, the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has 57 founding members covering five continents. With increasing competitiveness, China will certainly air more voice and have more say in writing international rules. Whats more important is that the U.S. should realize Chinas success is not based on hegemony or resource domination. When the U.S. is excluding others such as China, China pursues a philosophy of openness, transparency and inclusiveness. China believes that the global trade rules should be drafted by all countries rather than only a few. When cooperating with other countries, China takes their concerns into account and does its best to ensure maximum mutual benefits. The Belt and Road initiative, for instance, is never a geopolitical tool for China to establish its sphere of influence. Chinas proposals are well echoed because it always seeks mutual benefits and never imposes its will on others. China never opposes its partners like the ASEAN to launch cooperation with the U.S., but wont allow other countries to viciously interfere in its legitimate cooperation either. The Asia-Pacific region and the world are large enough. Openness and inclusiveness are the proper demeanors for a major country. (This article is edited and translated from Source: People's Daily Overseas Edition. The author is an expert on international studies.) During the 2014-2015 school year, the 300,000 plus Chinese students studying in the United States accounted for about one third of all international students in the country, according to data released by the Institute of International Education. It is worth noting that in recent years, a trend toward Chinese students going abroad at a younger age has arisen. The number of students under the age of 18 is increasing rapidly. In this context, the group of Chinese Americans who are hired to be the guardians or "acting parents" for Chinese students is growing. Acting parents not only have to take care of students lives, but also monitor the childrens performance at school. For example, attending teacher-parent conference. According to school requirements in the U.S., minors who do not live with their parents should be appointed a guardian in the residing district. The number of younger students has risen about 10 percent every year, which therefore boosts the market for acting Chinese American guardians. Chinese Americans have a unique sense of intimacy and language advantages for Chinese students therefore their roles of acting mother can be described as irreplaceable. Education should be based on love. Only if these young overseas students feel the love from acting mothers, can they grow better. And this sets high standard for acting parents. It is not an easy thing. Li Fu, professor with Portland State University says that Chinese acting parents should firstly have a high sense of responsibility and be familiar with the laws and regulations of American Education. They also need to be patient and enthusiast even with the small things. As the group of Chinese acting mothers grows, standardized management is very much needed. The article is edited and translated from the Chinese version of , source: People's Daily Overseas Edition. China's first payment card for recharging electric vehicles was sold in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu province on Feb.17, 2016. From this point on, Chinese people can expect to see an increasing number of electric vehicles on the expressway. "With the charging card, I have no more worries when driving my electric car on the express way. I decide to take my electric car on a trip to Yangzhou tomorrow," said Zhu Xinglong, owner of China's first charging card. Living in Changzhou, Zhu has a domestic brand of electric vehicle. His job requires him to travel between Changzhou, Yangzhou and Huai'an. He pays much attention to charging services and equipment on the expressway. "I could not take my electric car on long road trips in former days. It was inconvenient for me to recharge my electric car if it began running out of power on the expressway as I had to drive long distances before I could find a charging station," said Zhu. For the time being, 59 fast charging stations have been put into operation along the expressway in east China's Jiangsu province. A charging card sales network, which is composed of 64 business outlets for power supply, was officially launched on Feb. 4, 2016. A 66-year-old villager from Shandong province in eastern China recently held a funeral for himself. The old man even set up a tombstone at his future grave, explaining that he was afraid to be forgotten by people after he passes away. The old man named Zhang Dexiang was from Rizhao city. He has been single his entire life and now lives in a local nursing home. Zhang explained that the funeral is also a test to see whether his relatives and friends care about him. About 40 of his relatives and friends attended the funeral. But what made him sad is that the other 20 people did not. His move triggered debates among villagers. A villager said that it was not worthwhile since the funeral cost the old man 16,000 yuan ($2,454.4), suggesting that he should have donated the money instead. But other villagers believed that the funeral showed Zhang's sorrow and longing for company. When talking about the tombstone he set up, Zhang said being a bachelor all his life, he is not likely to be remembered by people after he passes away. Therefore he made the tombstone in advance, even though such behavior goes against local custom. The old man also set up a tablet with inscriptions beside the road he funded to build for the village, hoping those passers-by could remember him. In 2014, Zhang contributed 26,000 yuan to build the road that provides great convenience for the villagers. Panel at UW to Address Post-Paris Carbon Policy Wednesday A sixth panelist has been added to a group of experts from academia, government and industry to discuss implications and opportunities stemming from the recent international agreement on carbon emissions Wednesday, Feb. 24, at the University of Wyoming. Post-Paris Carbon Policy: Implications and Opportunities for the U.S. and the Globe will take place at 5:30 p.m. in Salons D and E of the UW Conference Center. Sponsors are UWs School of Energy Resources and the Center for Global Studies, in cooperation with the Center for Law and Energy Resources in the Rockies and the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. The purpose of the event is to foster a frank conversation to students and the UW community about the status of international cooperation on carbon policy following the recent Paris negotiations; energy policy internationally and nationally; and strategies available to stakeholders to respond to these changes, organizers say. Joining the list of previously announced panelists is Jean L. Hull, former executive vice president and chief technical officer with Peabody Energy, and a member of the UW Energy Resources Council. Other panelists are: -- Ricardo Rick Nogueira, climate finance team leader in the U.S. Department of States Office of Global Change. -- Charles Chuck Mason, the H.A. Dave True Chair in Petroleum and Natural Gas Economics in UWs Department of Economics and Finance. -- Sam Kalen, the Winston S. Howard Distinguished Professor of Law in the UW College of Law and co-director of the Center for Law and Energy Resources in the Rockies. -- David Lawrence, chairman of Lawrence Energy Group LLC and chairman of the Yale Climate and Energy Institute Advisory Board. -- Michele Betsill, professor and chair of the Department of Political Science at Colorado State University, and co-leader of the Environmental Governance Working Group. Jean Garrison, director of the Center for Global Studies and professor of international studies and political science at UW, will moderate the discussion. A second panel discussion, Regulating Carbon in Coal Country and Beyond: Local, National and International Considerations, is planned April 4 at 5:30 p.m. in the Wyoming Union Family Room. UAE Minister of State Sultan Al Jaber is the new man at the helm of affairs of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc). Al Jaber has assumed the charge as new Director General at a time when the oil industry is facing turbulent conditions. The lower oil prices, oversupply and consumption are the major challenges ahead of Al Jaber. Abu Dhabi-headquartered Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is one of the biggest oil producers in the world. Al Jaber is innovative and has expertise in the oil industry. Sultan Al Jaber has been appointed as new Director General at Adnoc by Ruler's decree on Monday. The oil price is hovering at $30 a barrel now from $110 per barrel 18 months ago. Al Jaber has a major responsibility of steering Adnoc towards growth path from the ongoing crisis situation for the oil industry. According to The National, Adel Albuainain, Chief Executive of Dolphin Energy, a part of Mubadala, said: "Al Jaber possesses an incredible amount of experience and expertise, and I can't think of a more suitable person for the role at a time when the country is embracing new challenges." Replacing Abdullah Nasser Al Suwaidi, Sultan Al Jaber has taken charge as Director General at Adnoc. Al Jaber oversaw the renewal of Emirate's biggest onshore concessions in 2015. Adnoc is planning to produce 3.5 million barrels of oil per day by the end of 2017. The current oil production stands at three million barrels per day. Gulf Business further says that Adnoc is also engaged in developing natural gas assets. Adnoc is keen on meeting the increasing energy requirements in the domestic market. Al Jaber played a key role in launching Masdar in 2006. In the present turbulent conditions, oil companies need to change themselves adjusting to the changing environment. Al Jaber's launch of Masdar is a testimony of his capabilities. Now, Masdar is spearheading the renewable energy activity in the world. So far, Masdar delivered over 1 gigawatt of installed clean energy capacity in the UAE. Adnoc ranks at 12th position among world's biggest oil companies. The UAE government requires delivery in the wake of lower oil prices. UAE is working on the increased crude production and rising power demand. Al Jaber was appointed as Minister of State in the UAE Cabinet in 2013, as reported by Arabian Business. Ahmad Belhoul, the former chief executive of Masdar and the new Minister of State for Higher Education Affairs, said: "Mr Al Jaber has proven himself to be a trusted, dynamic and successful leader, whether as the chief executive of Mubadala's overall energy portfolio, the driving force behind Masdar or as chairman of the Abu Dhabi Ports company." Sultan Al Jaber is the Chief Executive of energy at Dolphin Energy, Mubadala. Al Jaber is known for high profile roles in the industry. He is UAE minister of state and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Ports Company. He's graduated from University of Southern California. Japan's trillion-dollar pension fund has faced opposition from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in terms of directly investing in the Japanese stock market. The ruling party announced on Tuesday its decision to retain the ban on direct stock investment by GPIF. The chief factor of resistance lies in the fund's power over corporate management. According to FirstPost, the Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) had 135 trillion ($1.18 trillion) under the management. The Japanese government was contemplating whether to allow GPIF to make direct investments by deregulating the governing rules. However, the fund made a conscious decision to move away from domestic government bonds, which had made up the majority of its portfolio and, instead, shift gears towards the asset management firms. However, till now the GPIF operated through these firms, but now it wants to move towards direct stock investments, for which it has been seeking the nod of approval from the federal authorities. As The Japan News states, the decision to not lift the ban was made at an LDP meeting focused on pension issues, based on which the welfare minister will put together a bill on corresponding reforms. The bill will introduce a collegial decision-making system routed via an executive committee, which would adversely impact the fund president Takahiro Mitani's powers. At the same time, it would include the necessary lines to keep the GPIF ban in place. The hostility became evident after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a statement regarding shrinking pension benefits should the government fund incur losses on its investments, as per The Japan Times. In response to a question from the Democratic Party of Japan at a House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting, Abe had said, "Payments will naturally be affected if the expected profits are not generated. If the situation does not allow benefit payments, they will need to be adjusted." But Abe had also emphasized that as the GPIF asset management performances are evaluated on a long-term basis, the pension schemes do not reflect the immediate losses and gains. The stakeholders in this decision clearly had divided opinions. The Japan Business Federation and the Japanese Trade Union Confederation were against lifting the ban. Their argument was that the government fund would gain direct control over the private companies. On the other hand, the stock market investors favored the removal of ban, anticipating higher prices and advantages like a decrease in the GPIF commission fees for stock investments. The LDP made the final call on Monday after pension reform subcommittee of the Social Security Council, advisor to welfare minister, failed to reach a unanimous decision on the removal of ban on GPIF. Yello Mobile, the South Korean mobile apps business, has announced receiving further $30 million investment from SBI Holdings Inc. (SBIH). The investment comes from Japan's largest internet finance group having operations in China, Korea and Southeast Asia. The Korean startup has grown by raising around $150 million and acquiring over 80 other app startups. Yello Mobile is leveraging SBIH's global resources to support its business development efforts in Japan and Southeast Asia through the partnership. Meanwhile, SBIH is leveraging Yello Mobile's strong market position and digital marketing expertise to expand its own business in Korea, reports Digital Journal. Yello has represented itself as the Korea's mobile leader. It has been operating the largest ecosystem of mobile platforms, applications and services. The services include online shopping, media content, advertising, digital marketing and Online to Offline (O2O). On Tuesday, Knight Vinke removed a majority of his UBS shares from many investment institutions. The shareholder vented nearly 1% stake in the Union Bank of Switzerland in late 2015. This move by the shareholder comes after his failure in convincing the Swiss bank to modify its strategy. In May 2013, the activist shareholder started putting pressure on the Swiss bank urging it to divide its wealth management sector from investment bank business. He conveyed his intention to the bank through newspaper ads and frequent letters, Reuters said citing a spokesman with knowledge of the source. However, the Swiss bank refused the split idea of Knight Vinke saying that the two segments will benefit by working together. A spokesman of the shareholder confirmed that the Knight abandoned his holdings in UBS with a view of creating large profit for his investors. The Knight along with his supporters will closely watch the situation prevailing in UBS, the spokesman added. Reuters noted that Handelsblatt, a newspaper in Germany, was the first to report the shareholder's sale of shares in the Swiss bank. Nonetheless, other major investors failed to join Knight Vinke's argument with UBS. He debated that the Swiss bank could boost its market value for investors as well as lower risk by splitting its businesses. According to UBS spokesman, there is no proper evidence to back up Knight's splitting idea. The spokesman also added that the Swiss bank has never modified its risk strategy in the investment bank sector and the shareholders are aware of the bank's policy. According to FINANCIAL REVIEW, UBS along with Canaccord Genuity has been hired by the Australian-based online retailer Ruslan Kogan for an initial public offering worth at $300 million during the final six-month period of 2016. Kogan is a well-established brand among the major investors with annual revenues close to $250 million. The Australian retailer utilizes information technology combined with logistics, efficiency and market research to sell a minimum of 10K different items as well as to lower costs. In addition, three equity research leaders have quit UBS Europe. Charles Armitage, leader of European defence and aerospace research, Frederic Stahl, leader of capital goods research in Europe, and Eva Quiroga, the leader of the household, luxury products and personal care team in Europe, have left the Swiss bank's Europe unit, BUSINESS INSIDER said quoting people with knowledge of the source. However, the bank did not comment on this matter. The Swiss bank remains stubborn in its belief not to divide its businesses and that provoked Knight Vinke to sell all his stakes in the bank. Knight Vinke along with his supports are monitoring the future activities of the bank. Fairchild Semiconductor said on Tuesday that its board has rejected the acquisition proposal from Hua Capital Management and China Resources Microelectronics Ltd. The board of Fairchild decided that the unsolicited offer, which it received from the Chinese buyers on December 28, 2015, is not a "Superior Proposal." On January 5, 2016, Fairchild said that it received a revised unsolicited offer from the Chinese enterprises to acquire its shares for $21.70 a share in cash. The California-based chip-maker turned off the proposal from the Chinese buyers on fears that the deal will not be approved by the US regulators. The move by Fairchild highlights the challenges facing Chinese investors and consortium to acquire assets in the US. After a thorough review process and consultation with its financial and legal guides, the board of Fairchild decided to forbid the takeover offer from the Chinese consortium. However, the semiconductor firm decided to take the offer from its US-based peer ON Semiconductor. Fairchild signed an "Agreement and Plan of Merger" to be acquired by ON Semiconductor for $20 a share in an all cash offer worth at about $2.4 billion. The merger enables ON Semiconductor to become a strong leader in the semiconductor industry with joint revenue of about $5 billion. The acquisition of Fairchild is expected to be accretive to ON Semiconductor's non-GAAP EPS immediately after the closure of the deal. With regard to this acquisition deal, Fairchild has filed an amended Schedule 14D-9 with the SEC. Goldman Sachs & Co is serving as a financial advisor for Fairchild, while Rosen & Katz, Lipton and Wachtell are acting as its legal counsel. Fairchild's decision to turn down the offer from Chinese consortium might upset ChemChina, which has intended to acquire Syngenta for $44 billion, according to The Financial Times. The agribusiness firm has long been convincing Washington politicians that its purchase of Syngenta that has a US presence will not affect the security system in the US. In January 2016, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US stopped Philips' sale of lighting sector to a Chinese firm in a deal worth around $3.1 billion, citing "unforeseen concerns". Similarly, a $23 billion worth planned offer for Micron by a Chinese semiconductor business, Tsinghua Unigroup, was blocked last year as there was no confidence in the completion of the deal. The number of Chinese firms trying to purchase foreign chipmakers increased to 21 in 2015 from only 8 in 2010, The New York Times said quoting a data from Dealogic. Chinese offer for American firms are likely to rise amid poor climatic conditions and flagging economy of China. As a result, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (Cfius) has decided to focus more on these deals in order to safeguard the national security. The nation's stern security rule is preventing Chinese enterprises to enter the US market. The Chinese investors are facing hard times in getting approval from the US regulators. Fairchild's decision is an example for this approach by the US government. Regardless of difficult year in 2015, Plus500 was able to book an increase in total revenue. The company scored $275.6 million revenue. Previously, a failed merger with Playtech Plc in November 2015 and the increase of its compliance cost have disturbed Plus500 operation. Plus500 was founded in 2008 by Gal Haber, Alon Gonen, Elad Ben-Izhak, Shlomi Weizmann, Omer Elazari and Shimon Sofer as an online trading platform. The Israeli-based company is headquartered in London with regulated entities located in United Kingdom, Cyprus and Australia. On Wednesday, the company announced its annual performance and booked a 20% increase in revenue from $228.9 million in 2014 to $275.6 million as Reuters reported. However, due to the hardship in the year 2015, the company's profit decline to $96.6 million, from $102.5 million in 2014. UK Financial Conduct Authority, the British financial regulator in May asked Plus500 to review its client process and fixing its anti-money laundering checking process. According to Business Insider, the issue is only resolved in January this year. While in November, the aborted acquisition plan from Playtech has also put more pressure on company's operation. CEO Gal Haber told Finance Magnate regarding the result, "We made significant progress enhancing our regulatory compliance and onboarding processes. We were pleased that Plus500UK began accepting new UK customers again in January 2016 and we are not subject to any regulatory restrictions in each of our regulated entities." In the Wednesday announcement, Plus500 also reshuffled its top management by promoting Asaf Elimelech to become the new CEO. While Gal Haber is appointed as a Managing Director. Founded with initial invesment of $400,000, Plus500 soon became the popular trading platform in the financial derivatives market or known as CFD (contract for difference). The firm is not operated in the U.S., because under the Dodd-Frank Act 2010, derivatives trading are not permitted to operate in the U.S. Dodd-Frank Act was an act issued to reform Wall Street and stock market, and specifically forbid the trading of derivatives. It is because financial derivatives are usually traded over the counter, which means conducted as a private trading. Current U.S. administration believes that in order to prevent another market collapse, all transaction in the public market must be transparent. Therefore financial derivatives trading, including its trading platform such as Plus500 are not permitted because of its privately trade nature. Although facing a difficult year, but Plus500 managed to book a 20% increase in total revenue to $275.6 million. Since January, the firm has managed to fully comply to UK regulator policy. Abengoa SA requires 1.66 billion ($1.85 billion) during the next two years to survive as a company with less financial risk. The Spanish renewable energy developer may become the country's biggest ever bankrupt for its failure in debt restructuring with creditor banks and bondholders by March 28. The clean energy producer requires fresh cash of 826 million in 2016 and 304 million in 2017. Furthermore, an additional 525 million is required this year for technical guarantees to initiate receiving new orders quickly, reports Bloomberg citing a regulatory filing to Comision Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV) by the company on late Tuesday. The Spanish power developer requires these funds after raising 473 million from selling assets during the next two years. The company is trying to escape from collapse through restructuring debts and raising cash. Abengoa claims that the operative business worth seven times than its liquidation value, reports Financial Times. China has been struggling for fresh air for quite some time now. Smoke from coal-fired factories and carbon emissions from vehicles contribute greatly to the pollution replacing the clean, breathable air with smog. Due to intoxicating pollution, Beijing had raised a red alert warning level last December that even prevent schools from conducting class and establishments from operating. Every citizen needs a lungful of fresh air and well-off residents will do anything to ease their breathing difficulty. They buy jars of 'fresh air' gathered in an English country side from a British entrepreneur selling it at $115 a jar. Pollution has ruined much of the clean and fresh air in China. The dirty air takes lives of 1.6 million people every year and getting air free from pollutants is nearly impossible. Many thought that it was a joke or even insane when a Canadian company began selling China of clean air in bottles last year. British entrepreneur Leo De Watts founded the Aethaer, an air-importing company that imports jars of clean air. He already made thousands of pounds by selling jars of 'naturally occurring, lovingly bottled" country air that costs 80 each (around $115). He divests his merchandise like fine liquors and tells of the place of origin of his fresh air including Wales, Dorset, and Somerset where each has their own special characteristics, according to All That Is Interesting. De Watts hails from Dorset but is now living in Hong Kong. He perceives his product as "Louis Vuitton or Gucci" of fresh air. He made a comment on the difference between the areas where he gets air. "I would say on the whole that Dorset air seems to pick up a few more scents of the ocean, as the breeze flows up the Jurassic Coast and over the lush pastures. His company Aethaer is a Greek term for 'pure, fresh air'. It is one of the two companies that sell bottle air to China. His team makes use of specially adapted fishing nets used to collect the breeze in the fields. These specially designed nets are being left for about 10 minutes to draw in the local aroma before bottling the air in 580 ml jars. A Canadian company sells bottled air from Rocky Mountain to Beijing and other places, as reported by RT. Different kinds of pollution endanger the health of Chinese. The Guardian newspaper made a special report of photos last May on how pollution greatly affects people in China. Many of the photos reveal lots of people who lost their loved ones due to pollution-induced diseases preferably cancer. Dr. Jim Zhang of Duke University shows positivity seeing that there is still hope and all is not lost for China, Reverb Press reports. Shortage of fresh air makes it difficult for the people of China to breathe and do their usual activities. Companies like Aethaer sells pure, fresh air in jars from Britain and a Canadian company does the same getting the air from the Rocky Mountains. This could be a lucrative business since air do not run out of supply. However, China should still make a move to make the country's air breathable for everyone and do not just rely on temporary and expensive solution. Honest Co, the new e-Commerece startup was accused for allegedly mislabel its home and personal care products. The plaintiffs claim that more than 40 of Honest's products are not natural, but containing chemical and toxic ingredients. Brad and Manon Buonasera filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Friday, accusing Honest Co to a false labeling its product. The lawsuit alleged the company to "falsely" and "deceptively" labeled its products natural or other variations. Including "plant-based,"while also claiming the products contain "no harsh chemicals, ever!" The plaintiffs claim that they purchased Honest's shampoo and body wash products based on the assumption that the item was "natural." They allege the item they purchased, as well as many others sold by Honest Co. contain synthetic ingredients. Buonaseras said the the company's product of at least 41 items such as floor cleaners, laundry detergent, children's toothpaste, soap and bubble bath are not what it said as natural. The products actually contain synthetic and toxic ingredients such as toxins phenoxyethanol and methylisothiazolinone. Jesica Alba was not mentioned in the lawsuit. Reuters reported the plaintiffs said in their complaints, "Honest's products are a chemical soup." Honest Co. has faced complaints and criticism for its product before. In the summer, consumers asserted that its suncreen product was not effective. One consumer have also filed a lawsuit that allege the products contained synthetic ingredients. In a written statement to Fortune, the Santa Monica-based company said, "Honest Company takes responsibility to our consumers seriously and strongly stands behind our products. These allegations are without merit and we will vigorously defend this baseless lawsuit. Our formulations are made with integrity and we remain steadfast in our commitment to transparency." In regard to the lawsuit, Time reported the company said, "These allegations are without merit and we will vigorously defend this baseless lawsuit. " Honest company was founded in 2011 by actress Jessica Alba, Chris Gavigan, Brian Lee and Sean Kane. The company was established to create a brand that passionately believes that all parents should have access to affordable, safer, healthier family products. In 2012, the company received a $27 million investment in Series A funding, led by General Catalyst Partners. In August last year, Glade Brook Capital Partners raised a $100 million in Series D funding. In total, Honest Company has gathered more than $200 million in equity funding, and Honest mostly sells its product on its online store. While its product is also now available in some department stores such as Whole Foods, Costco, Target, Buy Baby and Nordstrom. The plaintiffs claimed to buy Honest's shampoo and body wash product in Costco store in Harlem neighborhood, New York City The lawsuit to Honest Co was filed on Friday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Brad and Manon Buonasera, the plaintiffs, accused the company for false labeling more than 40 of its products. Victory Brewery and Southern Tier Brewing companies are setting up an alliance to make a big presence in the global beer industry. The mid-size operations are tough to enhance market share and profitability. Realizing the value of doing big, the two craft beer mid-sized breweries are combining their strengths and synergies under the parent company Artisanal Brewing Ventures (ABV). Victory Brewing Company, a Downingtown, Pennsylvania-based brewery, and Lakewood, New York-based Southern Tier Brewing are setting up a new brewing company. This will function under the parent company Artisanal Brewing Ventures. For mid-sized companies, it's inevitable to make a big push in the global brewery segment to stay afloat. CNBC reports that under the Artisanal Brewing Ventures, the two breweries will function independently. However, the two firms will take leverage from combined marketing, sales and distribution forces to enhance top line. The combined forces will focus on strengthening distributor and retail partnerships. The global majors in brewing activity have bought into mid-sized companies' grassroots movement changing the market dynamics. Bill Covaleski, founder and brewmaster of Victory Brewing, said: "Like-minded brewers such as Victory and Southern Tier can preserve our character, culture and products by banding together." The latest announcement from Victory and Southern Tier will be the first major deal in 2016. The both the entities will form Artisanal Brewing Ventures (ABV), which is a private equity (PE) backed holding formed by Southern Tier founders Phineas and Sara DeMink and Ulysses Management LLC. However, specific details about the combined entity were not disclosed by the both the companies, but sources put the deal valuation at $120 million, as reported by Brewbound. The combined strength of Victory and Southern Tier will account for over 250,000 barrels in the production based on 2015 volume. This will put the combined entity among the top-15 craft brewers in the US as per the rankings of Brewers Association. Individually, Victory Brewing was at 29th position and Southern Tier at 35th position as on 2014, according to Brewers Association. Beer Street Journal further adds the annual production after the teaming up of both the breweries will be 800,000 barrels annually. The deal is expected to be completed in 60 days. Bill Covaleski and Ron Barchet of Victory will be major shareholders in Artisanal Brewing Ventures. They're expected to join the Board of Directors. Industry analysts feel that the 2014 rankings may be understatement as the global beer segment changed significantly in a short span of time. 2015 witnessed over a dozen deals in the brewing business. AS a result, the operational scalability and volumes of business have been changed considerably. Glencore Plc has taken on new loan commitments to refinance its $8.45 billion revolving credit facility. The company, which is already seeking ways to reduce its existing $30 billion debt, saw the stock prices rise to its highest in the last three months. The Straits Times reports that the Swiss commodities trader and miner received $8.4 billion in the first phase of syndication, reflecting an increase from 37 senior banks of nearly 3 billion above existing levels. Of this amount, Glencore took out $7.7 billion to expand the refinancing via a general syndication of 30 additional banks in the second quarter. The new unsecured facility comes with 12-month options for both extension and borrower's term-out period. It's "a positive development from the company, and whilst not finalized it is encouraging that there remains healthy demand to lend to Glencore," Investec Plc analysts noted, according to Bloomberg. "However, we would be surprised if the interest payments will be reduced as the commodity environment has worsened and the company's credit rating is weaker than a year ago." The statement was made at a time when the lenders' support for the company signaled their confidence in the trader despite its credit rating being cut to the lowest by Standard & Poor's. It stood just above "junk" in the investment grade. This led the Chief Executive Officer Ivan Glasenberg to sell $2.5 billion of new shares and dispose of assets to raise funds. The billionaire also scrapped the firm's dividends. Bookrunners like ABN AMRO, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, HSBC, ING, and Santander have led the financing for Glencore. As per Reuters, the company does not require a credit facility of the same size as it did last year as it had already ensured that its current liquidity is more than $14 billion last December. 2015 saw an alarming decline of 70% of the company stocks as cost of debt insurance against default soared in the face of plunging oil and copper prices, thereby affecting profits. The stocks recorded an increase from November when it went up by 6.6%, its highest mark. Shares have seen a consistent increase by 52% over the last four weeks. The Switzerland-based trader even recorded its longest streak of gains when the company's 1.25 billion of 5.25% bonds, which is due in March 2017, went up to 100.4 cents on the euro for a fourth day. Another fourth-day gain was seen for its 750 million of 3.375% securities maturing in 2020, with an increase to 85 cents on the euro, recording its highest price since December. The government of Zimbabwe purchased nearly 650,000 metric tons of corn from Ukraine and Zambia following a poor harvest. The consecutive droughts trimmed the corn harvest of Zimbabwe to a record low. The drought impacted nation is in need of $1.6 billion to feed its population of 3 million people. Nearly quarter part of the population is affected by the successive drought that damaged the nation's livestock and crops, according to Bloomberg. Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe, declared the consecutive famines as a national disaster. Bloomberg quoted Emmerson Mnangagwa, Vice president of Zimbabwe, who said that the country has organised $200 million to battle hunger. He also added that the government is now using logistics to deliver maize. In January, the Central bank said that Zimbabwe received a loan amount of $200 million from the Export-Import Bank of Africa to acquire corn, which is a staple food of the people in Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, the European Union also extended its helping hands by pledging to offer $3.9 million to the famine affected nation. The country has reserved 250,000 tons of corn that is expected to last till September, Bloomberg quoted John Mangudya's, governor of Central bank, aphorism in NewsDay. Corn farmers are expected to produce nearly 200,000 tons of corn in 2016, while the consumption is anticipated to be in the range of 1.1 million tons - 2 million tons for the period from 2016 - 2017. The UN humanitarian agency said that the weather condition in Zimbabwe might be associated with the El Nino occurrence. ZimEye said citing Emmerson Mnangagwa that the nation has received capital from the Exim bank of China and also acquired nearly 150,000 metric tons and 500,000 metric tons of maize from Zambia and Ukraine respectively. The nation's food committee has estimated 1.4 million tonnes as requirement for the government to feed the people. According to the South Africa government, nearly 3.8 million tons of corn might need to be imported through April 2017, with some tons being distributed to nations like Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia and Botswana. Zambia, a neighbour of Zimbabwe, will also reduce its harvest size in 2016 owing mainly to the dry climatic condition. The broader region, which is also affected by the consecutive famine, might need to purchase as high as 10.9 million tons of food grains like wheat, soybeans and corn, Senzeni Zokwana, the agricultural minister of South Africa, said in a meeting. According to Wandile Sihlobo, a Grains SA's economist, the stocks in Zambia are down, and that reduces its capacity to supply grains to local markets. Meanwhile, the European Union has extended its sanctions against the government of Zimbabwe for another year after considering the political growth in the nation, The Chronicle said. The sanctions will be applied to Cde Mugabe, the first lady of Zimbabwe, President Mugabe and the Defence Industries of Zimbabwe. Dry climate has limited grains output in Zambia, where the harvest is anticipated to fall nearly 30% in 2016, and the smallest since the year 2009. Zimbabwe, which depends heavily on Zambia and South Africa, is now under pressure to feed its people. A Swiss virtual reality startup focusing on health and neuroscience has secured a $100 million fund from an early round led by an Indian conglomerate group. The early round of funding had a valuation of $1 billion, making MindMaze qualified to claim the unicorn status. MindMaze has been focusing on developing both hardware and software platforms to build intuitive human machine interfaces. In order to achieve that, the company combines virtual reality, computer graphics, brain imaging, and neuroscience. The technology could be useful for numerous applications, but the startup is focusing mostly in healthcare. The MindMaze system is certified for clinical use in Europe and Asia. MindMaze, founded by a neuroscientist named Dr. Tej Tadi, have been used to help patients recover from brain injuries. Last year, the company launched devices that could help stroke victims learn after the brain suffered damage, using virtual reality, brain imaging, and gaming technologies. The startup also developed an EEG scanner that could project what's happening in the virtual world of the user. According to Xconomy, MindMaze has sold or received orders from hospitals for nine of its virtual reality systems. Tadi hopes to bring that number up to 20 this year, as new funds arrive. The company also plans to develop portable versions of the system so that patients could take the devices home with them. Previously, MindMaze received an early round of $8.5 million from undisclosed investors, as reported by Fortune. Hinduja Group, which recently joined as an investor to the startup in the same round, had shown interests in energy, automobiles, energy, and healthcare, judged by previous investments the group made. The funding round is still open and the startup is still waiting for other investors to join in. A spokesperson from the Hinduja Group expressed the conglomerate's delight in taking part in the VR development done by MindMaze. "MindMaze's next-generation human-machine interface is already proving itself in healthcare, games, and its potential for applications in transportation, defense and various types of media are now ready to be truly explored. We are excited to help MindMaze build on its achievements while seeing that both current and future partners have their collective visions realized," the spokesperson stated, as quoted by TechCrunch. With the new funds of $100 million led by the Hinduja Group, MindMaze aims to form future contracts and service centers, as well as expanding the technology for other uses in the form of gaming, educational and fitness applications. The company is now qualified to claim the unicorn status with a valuation of over $1 billion, with a funding round still open for investors. Standard & Poor has trimmed Brazil's loan rating into "junk territory' following the nation's failure to reduce its fiscal risks and the political hurdles facing the economy of Brazil. The rating agency reduced Brazil's rating to BB with a negative forecast. The new reduced level puts the Latin American country in line with nations like Guatemala, Paraguay and Bolivia. The agency also cut Petroleo Brasileiro SA, an oil firm in Brazil, to B+, which is four steps down the investment grade, Bloomberg quoted a report from the rating agency. Brazil drained revenue from exports of soybeans, iron ore and oil amid the worst recession in the nation and flagging economy in China, Brazil's major partner in trading. The nation's currency, real, made the poorest performance in the currency market in 2015 by sinking nearly 30% as the nation missed its "investment-grade rating". According to Standard & Poor, Brazil is facing serious problems in the economic and political arena and that the agency expects slower alteration in the nation's fiscal strategy and a prolonged year of economic slowdown. In December, Fitch reduced Brazil's rating into "junk territory" and Moody's Investors Service placed Brazil in the low level of the investment grade. A director at Natixis North America, Juan Carlos Rodado said that other agencies are yet to join the rating campaign and the only way for the country to escape low rating is to bring political reform. Failure of Dilma Rousseff's election pledge to pull the nation's economy out of the horrible recession in over decades nailed the country's effort to lower its fiscal risks. Dilma Rousseff is facing the efforts of impeachment for her accountability in the nation's capitals. However, the rating agency expect the political factors to limit the capability of fiscal reforms. The government of Brazil is working to cut its 2016 fiscal target following a fall in revenues. The country is also aiming to freeze its budget of nearly $6.02 billion, Reuters quoted an official statement. The poor rating could apply more downward pressure on the nation's currency and also motivate investors to quit the economy. The nation is still hopeful that the lower rating will be inverted as the government take steps to make necessary adjustments to its fiscal strategy. Brazil's Bovespa and the real lost their gains following the agency's decision. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL quoted Silvio Campos Neto, an economic expert at Sao Paulo, who said that Moody's Investors Service gives the nation an investment-grade rating and that a lower rating is expected very soon from the unique holdout. The country's 2015 budget scarcity hit as much as 10.3% of GDP. The government is working hard to reduce its budget scarcity and it is hopeful to reform its fiscal strategy amid political challenges and economic slowdown. The global market is closely monitoring the reform activities in Brazil's political and economic arena. Apple Inc. has just released in China its mobile payment system on Thursday. The tech company wants to persuade Apple smartphone users to switch and use the service. On the same day, customers can start using Apple Pay where Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the country's biggest lender, would be among the banks that will implement the Apple Pay service. So far, China would be the fifth country to receive the service but it's not that easy for Apple Pay. Even in the U.S. where its home market lies, Apple Pay has difficulty convincing doubtful retailers in its exertion to create a new revenue stream. "We think China could be our largest Apple Pay market," Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay, told Reuters in an interview in Beijing. Apple is slowly but surely targeting to make Apple Pay to be the best mobile payment service globally. They made the payment system available to China as their cutting edge for expansion. Although ICBC mentioned that the launch of the payment system started this Thursday, there are also other banks that support the service. Aside from ICBC, China Construction and China Guangfa Bank also plan to support the service along with 16 other more as stated by the Chinese state radio station. With Apple's partnership with UnionPay, Apple Pay got the assistance of more than 80% of China's debit and credit cards, Macworld reported. Apple needs to be tough enough to rival the other two payment systems that dominate the market - WeChat Payment of Tencent Holdings and Alipay of Alibaba Group. Ant Financial claimed that Alipay has more than 400 million active users, which are 80% on mobile. A large percentage of China's credit and debit cards are suitable for Apple Pay since Apple has partnered with 19 of China's biggest lenders, according to banking technology. "People switch applications for significantly better experiences, it (Apple) has to deliver not just a little bit more secure, or a little bit easier to use," said Mark Natkin, founder of Marbridge Consulting. When it comes to revenue, Greater China is considered as Apple's second-largest market aside from being the world's biggest smartphone market. Based on the report of the China Internet Network Information Center, 358 million people have bought goods and services using their mobile devices by the end of 2015. With hundreds of millions of Apple smartphone users, Apple Pay is hoping to have a good share in the mobile payment system market pie. Apple Pay is optimistic that China will be its largest market. It would be considered an early Christmas gift for the 'lower-income students' from the University of Chicago as they received a whopping $50 million donation. The huge amount was given by Michael Moritz, who is also the chairman of Sequoia Capital along with his wife, Harriet Heyman. A total of $350 million will be given in five years to support the Odyssey Scholarship Program and the Collegiate Scholars Program. Michael Moritz and his wife kind-heartedly gave away $50 million to fund the Odyssey Scholarship Program to help students with lower income but with excellent potential. These students are considered with the utmost economic need and mostly are the first to reach college. The generous couple is provoking the university to collect the same amount of $50 million, according to abc17news. "I wouldn't be here today if not for the generosity of strangers," the investor said on his company web site. The purpose of the said program is to eradicate the need for student loans and requirements for students to work. It will also assist in the study abroad and developing of careers via paid internships. The university informed that the funding will append hundreds of students to the program. The donation provided by writer Harriet Heyman and her husband Michael Moritz, will be a great help to improve the Odyssey Scholarship Program as well as the Collegiate Scholars Program. The Odyssey program began in 2007 where an anonymous donor named Homer donated $100 million. From there on, 3,500 students were called Odyssey scholars which made the program receive 10,000 more donations, the Chicago Tribune reports. The amount given by the couple will also boost the participation of 70 to 108 students in the Collegiate Scholars Program. The challenging three-year program will put talented CPS students in summer classes held at the university and undergo leadership training with the privilege to visit colleges. "Cultivating students' potential for exceptional achievement regardless of their economic circumstances has always been a central commitment of the University of Chicago," said President Robert J. Zimmer, in a news release from the university. "Harriet and Michael's transformative generosity reaffirms that principle and allows us to pursue an ambitious model of support for students of diverse backgrounds." According to The New York Times, the Odyssey Scholarship Program are for those students enrolled in the university while the Collegiate Scholars Program concentrates on helping high school students to apply and prepare for college entry. This is not the first time that the couple gave a large donation to a university. They also donated $30 million to the University of Chicago, San Francisco to support doctorate programs. With venture capitalist like Michael Moritz and his wife, other businessmen should also follow their example of not only investing in startups but also in education where a lot of deserving students can be benefited. Seed Commodities Exchange (Seed CX) has announced on Tuesday securing $3.42 million fund for its venture capital round. The commodities trading platform for industrial hemp has to sweat a lot to raise fund for its yet to be launched startup business. The investment has been analyzed as another step forward towards launching hemp derivatives. The Chicago based trading platform has applied to the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission to become a trading venue for financial contracts on industrial hemp. The marijuana cousin is found in products such as fabric, shampoo, plastics, building materials and food, reports Financial Times. However, raising the fund hasn't been so easy. Edward Woodford, co-founder of Seed CX has sent 11,000 emails, travelled 46,238 miles and met 604 investors for raising the first round of funding. Woodford has sent so many messages in LinkedIn that attracted a ban from the service, reports Fortune. SHARE Jonathan Jessop, 35 By Mike Harris of the Ventura County Star DNA evidence led to the arrest Wednesday of a suspect in the burglary of an Ojai restaurant last month, Ojai police said. Jonathan Jessop, 35, a felon, was arrested in Oceanside in San Diego County, where he lives, police said. Jessop was taken into custody on suspicion of burglarizing the Eggs and Potatoes restaurant on Maricopa Highway on Jan. 13. Video surveillance showed a suspect forcibly breaking into and entering the establishment where he carried out a small safe which contained cash and about 25 blank business checks. DNA evidence collected at the crime scene was entered into the FBI's Combined DNA Index System and generated a hit on Jessop. Ojai detectives then matched a booking photo of Jessop with the suspect in the video surveillance. With the assistance of Oceanside police, they arrested Jessop, who confessed to committing the burglary, police said. Jessop mistakenly believed that under the state's Proposition 47, the burglary would be prosecuted as a misdemeanor, not a felony, police said. Jessop, who detectives said was in possession of heroin, was being held at the San Diego County Jail without bail. FILE PHOTO SHARE By Jean Moore of the Ventura County Star A homeless man was arrested in Port Hueneme early Thursday morning after he allegedly broke into the city's police station, thinking it was a church. Port Hueneme police said Arthur Chambers, 47, an Iowa resident, used a trash can lid to break a window and get into the station's lobby at about 4:30 a.m. When officers took Chambers into custody, he told them he was cold, wanted to get out of the rain, and thought the police department, which was closed at the time, was a church. Chambers was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism and booked into the Ventura County Jail. JOHNNY CORONA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Oxnard police investigate an officer involved shooting Tuesday outside a Starbucks in the 3000 block of Saviers Road. SHARE By Staff Reports Oxnard police Wednesday released the name of a man shot by an officer Tuesday after an incident on Saviers Road and announced that he has been arrested and is facing charges from an earlier incident. Juan Soto, 55, of Oxnard, was shot when he threatened officers with a knife after they responded about 9:40 a.m. to reports of a man throwing rocks at passing cars. Soto was taken to Ventura County Medical Center with an injury that police said was not life-threatening. At about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, he was arrested and booked into county jail on suspicion of making criminal threats, elder abuse and brandishing a weapon, police said. According to the Oxnard Police Department, about 10 minutes before officers' encounter with Soto, he approached a 78-year-old man in the 3100 block of Samuel Avenue. According to witnesses and the victim, Soto brandished the knife and made threatening statements, police said. The man was able to get away and sought shelter from a nearby resident who called police, authorities said. When police arrived to investigate the original complaint, they tried talking to Soto and then tried to disarm him with a stun device, authorities said. The device did not work and the man charged at the officers, officials said. It was at this point that Soto was shot, police said. A knife was recovered at the scene, police said. The officer who shot Soto was placed on paid administrative leave, pending an investigation, police said. SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO A James Beard Award medallion could be in the future for Ventura County winemaker Manfred Krankl of Sine Qua Non. By Lisa McKinnon of the Ventura County Star Manfred Krankl, winemaker and co-owner of the Ventura County-based cult winery Sine Qua Non, has been nominated for the fourth time as a semifinalist for a James Beard Award, considered the food world's equivalent of an Oscar. Krankl, who moved his not-open-to-the-public winemaking operations from Ventura Avenue to a hilltop spot in the Ojai Valley about five years ago, on Wednesday was nominated along with 19 others in the Outstanding Wine, Spirits or Beer Professional category of the James Beard Foundation's 2016 restaurant and chef awards. The final five nominees in each of the award categories which include Best New Restaurant, Outstanding Bar Program and Rising Chef of the Year will be announced on March 15. The James Beard Awards Gala will take place May 2 in Chicago. Krankl previously was a semi finalist in the Outstanding Wine, Spirits or Beer Professional category in 2012 and 2013. He and chef Nancy Silverton shared a nomination for Outstanding Wine Service for the Los Angeles restaurant Campanile in 1997. Krankl and wife and business partner Elaine Krankl have lived in the Ojai Valley for more than 20 years. Launched in 1994, their Sine Qua Non label focused on Rhone varietals produces about 3,500 cases a year. There is a waiting list to get on the winery's allocation list. Bottles that do manage to make it out onto the open market routinely sell for $300 or more apiece but can go for much more at auction. In September 2014, Manfred Krankl was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident after he reportedly failed to navigate a sharp turn on Highway 33. Two months later, collectors worried about the future of the label helped push the price of a five-bottle lot to $67,375 at auction. At the time, Elaine Krankl said that her husband was expected to make a full recovery. Last April, the Krankls donated two bottles to be auctioned at a fundraiser for Ventura County-based Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture. The organization uses field trips to help school kids understand where and how food grows. For information about the winery, go to http://www.sinequanon.com. For a full list of 2016 James Beard Award semifinalists, click on http://www.jamesbeard.org. Lisa McKinnon is a staff writer for The Star. Her Cafe Society column appears in the Sunday Life section and Fridays in the Time Out section. For between-column updates, follow 805foodie on Twitter and Instagram and "like" the Facebook page VCS Eats. Please send email to lisa.mckinnon@vcstar.com. SHARE STAR FILE PHOTO Former Ventura County Medical Examiner Dr. Jon Smith By John Scheibe of the Ventura County Star Ventura County's former chief medical examiner was compelled to answer dozens of questions about an autopsy he performed in 2013 on a man whose body was found wrapped in black plastic and stuffed inside a freezer at a Ventura storage facility. Former Chief Medical Examiner Jon Smith's testimony Wednesday in Ventura County Superior Court came despite vigorous objections from his attorney, Mark Pachowicz, who said testifying would violate Smith's Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. Pachowicz told Ventura County Superior Court Judge Gilbert Romero that neither prosecutors nor the attorney representing a suspect accused of killing Jeffrey Korber, 60, "had a constitutional right to compel" Smith to testify at Wednesday's pretrial hearing. Among Pachowitz's objections was that attorneys would force Smith to provide expert testimony in the case without paying him for his services. Michael Bresnak, 52, the man accused of killing Korber, sat inside the courtroom as Smith spent more than two hours answering numerous questions about an autopsy he performed on Korber's body on July 3, 2013. Smith was terminated from his job with the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office in August after the Ventura County District Attorney's Office served a search warrant at his county office, seizing documents. The search warrant came amid an eight-month probe into the agency. Prosecutors issued a report on the investigation earlier this month, calling some of the practices at the agency inappropriate but adding criminal charges were unwarranted. Smith was accused of directing unqualified personnel to conduct some autopsies while he was vacationing thousands of miles away. Both Dusty Kawai, Bresnak's public defender, and Anne Spillner, a senior deputy district attorney assigned to prosecute Bresnak, filed subpoenas to have Smith testify in the case. Wednesday's hearing came after Pachowicz filed a motion to quash the subpoenas, saying forcing Smith to do so served "no useful purpose and is an undue burden on him." But Kawai said his client had a constitutional right to compel Smith to appear in court because Smith was the medical examiner when the autopsy was performed on Korber. Kawai said Smith also has firsthand knowledge of the autopsy and that the testimony of other witnesses depends on his experience and observations during the exam. The vast majority of the questions asked of Smith on Wednesday came from Spillner and centered on details about the Korber autopsy. Pachowicz sat next to Smith after his client took the stand, objecting to just about every question asked of Smith. Questions included what level of training Smith had received that prepared him for the job of medical examiner. "Did you go to medical school?" Spillner asked Smith. "I object based on the Fifth Amendment," Pachowicz said. Romero overruled most of Pachowicz's objections, including this one, saying such a question "cannot possibly incriminate him." Smith then gave a simple "yes" in response to Spillner's question about medical school. To answer many of Spillner's questions, Smith read an autopsy report issued by his office on Korber's death. While prosecutors have not filed any criminal charges against Smith, Pachowicz said it was wrong to compel Smith to testify without providing him any immunity, noting that prosecutors could come back later and use some of Smith's testimony against him. Pachowicz said he wanted it on the record that Romero compelled Smith to answer most of the questions directed at him Wednesday. A jury is being picked for Bresnak's trial, which Spillner said could start as soon as Friday. Meanwhile, Kawai said he planned to file a motion to subpoena Smith to appear in court again, most likely on March 1. Spillner also wanted Smith to be on call in case prosecutors need his testimony during the trial. SHARE Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said, "The president is presumably elected by the people to carry out a program and altering the ideological directions of the Supreme Court would seem to be a perfectly legitimate part of a presidential platform. To that end, the Constitution gives to him the power to nominate." He also said, "The Republican conference intends to restore the principle that, regardless of party, any president's judicial nominees, after full debate, deserve a simple up-or-down vote." And he said, "Even though the Senate has at various times made purely political decisions in its consideration of Supreme Court nominees, certainly it could not be successfully argued that this is an acceptable practice." Oh, wait, that was 2005. Haters gonna hate. Republicans gonna obstruct. Brent Meeker, Camarillo SHARE Re: your Feb. 13 article, Fact Check: Donor, health care claims doubled: It is time we fact-checked the AP's checked facts. According to Gerald Fineman, Ph.D., a professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, a Canada-style single-payer system would "save an estimated $592 billion" per year. Fineman argued that while a single-payer system would require a "modest but "progressive" tax increase, it would save money for "95 percent of all U.S. households." Those interested in the true, unvarnished facts about single-payer can go to the website of Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) and read its January article, Doctors group welcomes national debate on Medicare for All." Ernest A. Canning, Thousand Oaks SHARE Re: your Feb. 15 story, "GOP race turning into dysfunctional family feud": Donald Trump's attacks on Sen. Ted Cruz and former Gov. Jeb Bush were astonishing. However, Trump was correct in citing that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were on George W. Bush's watch. They had nothing to do with President Obama. The CIA had given the Bush administration 56 warnings about Bin Laden and pending terrorists attacks that the Bush Defense Department ignored. History will show that in 1997, a group of Republican neoconservatives, inspired by Dick Cheney, created a 90-page white paper detailing how the U.S. could enter and take over Iraq by using regime change and eventually control the Middle East. On page 51 of the "Project for the New American Century,'' there was an addendum suggesting the American people would object to an invasion unless there was another Pearl Harbor, or maybe like a 9/11. Gov. Jeb Bush was one of the papers signers, along with Dick Cheney. Jerold Drucker Camarillo TREVI Italian Restaurant inside The Forum Shops at Caesars will celebrate National Pizza Month by offering a different specialty pizza for $10 each day throughout the month of October (Pictured: Shrimp Pesto Pizza Photo credit: Executive Chef Peter Scaturro). Photo credit: Executive Chef Peter Scaturro. Executive Chef Peter Scaturros delicious daily pizzas will include varieties such as: Chicken Marinato made with roasted chicken, pancetta, roasted garlic, spinach and mozzarella; Shrimp and Pesto made with Gulf shrimp, prosciutto, pesto sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella and Asiago cheese; Italian Sausage made with peppers, roasted garlic and mozzarella; Margherita made with Roma tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil; and more. TREVIs signature deep-dish lasagna pizza will also be available for order at regular price. This April, Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino partners with Autism Speaks for its national Light It Up Blue campaign by turning the fountain blue in honor of National Autism Awareness Month. Beginning Friday, April 1, Miracle Mile Shops fountain will showcase a brilliant blue glow between regularly scheduled shows. All money tossed into the popular water feature as well as the centers indoor rainstorm will be donated on behalf of Miracle Mile Shops to Autism Speaks. The money raised supports research for treatments and a cure as well as educational programs and assistance for individuals and families affected by the disorder. The fountain will maintain its bright blue shade until the end of the month. Fountain shows take place at the top of every hour from noon to 11 p.m. daily. Miracle Mile Shops joins other landmarks and destinations across the United States and the world for the Light It Up campaign. On April 2, World Autism Awareness Day, prominent businesses around the globe including the Empire State Building in New York City and the CN Tower in Toronto will turn their lights blue to commemorate autism awareness. For more information and a complete list of participants, visit www.lightitupblue.org. Miracle Mile Shops contribution to Autism Speaks Light It Up Blue campaign is a part of the centers continued mission to support and raise awareness for non-profit organizations throughout Nevada. In previous months, Miracle Mile Shops has teamed up with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Southern California & Nevada Chapter (March 2011), American Heart Association (February 2011), HIV/AIDS charity Golden Rainbow (December 2010), the Southern Nevada affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure (October 2010) and many more. Published writer Cindie Geddes will host a series of writing workshops and an author reading as part of Henderson Libraries Summer Reading Program. Geddes, who has had more than 200 articles published in regional and national magazines and has published more than a dozen Nevada-based fiction stories, will hold workshops and an author reading Monday, June 15, and Tuesday, June 16, at various Henderson Libraries locations: 4-5 p.m. Monday, June 15 : Writing workshop at Green Valley Library located at 2797 N. Green Valley Pkwy., on the corner of E. Sunset Rd. : Writing workshop at Green Valley Library located at 2797 N. Green Valley Pkwy., on the corner of E. Sunset Rd. 7-8 p.m. Monday, June 15 : Writing workshop at James I. Gibson Library located at 280 S. Water St., on the corner of W. Basic St. : Writing workshop at James I. Gibson Library located at 280 S. Water St., on the corner of W. Basic St. 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, June 16 : Writing workshop at Paseo Verde Library located at 280 S. Green Valley Pkwy., near the I-215. : Writing workshop at Paseo Verde Library located at 280 S. Green Valley Pkwy., near the I-215. 7:15-8:15 p.m. Tuesday, June 16: Author reading at Paseo Verde Library. Throughout her career, Geddes has received several grants from the Nevada Arts Council and an artist grant from Sierra Arts Foundation. She is also an artist on the Nevada Arts Council Artist in Residence program. Geddes ability to offer workshops is also due to her involvement with the National Endowments for the Arts and the Western States Arts Federation. The program has been funded, in part, by the Nevada Arts Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. All of the events are free and open to the public. Established in 1943 as a single library in Downtown Henderson, Henderson Libraries operates five locations throughout Henderson and plans to open one more within the Heritage Park Senior Center, slated to open this summer. Henderson Libraries cooperates with other public libraries in Southern Nevada, the Nevada System of Higher Education, the Clark County School District and all other libraries around the state to provide quality service for Nevadas residents. For more information on Geddes or Henderson Libraries and its many services, visit www.mypubliclibrary.com or call 702-492-7252. Tax, Accounting, and Audit in Vietnam 2016, out now and available for download in the Asia Briefing Bookstore, offers a comprehensive overview of the major taxes foreign investors are likely to encounter when establishing or operating a business in Vietnam, as well as other tax-relevant obligations. This concise, detailed, yet pragmatic guide is ideal for CFOs, compliance officers and heads of accounting who need to be able to navigate the complex tax and accounting landscape in Vietnam in order to effectively manage and strategically plan their Vietnam operations. Taxation permeates business transactions in Vietnam, and a strong understanding of tax liabilities enables foreign investors to maximize the tax efficiency of their foreign investment while ensuring full compliance with all tax laws and regulations. This guide overviews taxes for businesses and individuals, and discusses accounting and audit in the Vietnam business context. Tax, Accounting, and Audit in Vietnam covers the following topics: Vietnams Tax System Vietnams Business Taxes Individual Income Tax Accounting, Audit and Compliance International Taxation Within these topics, we discuss Vietnams tax laws and administration, corporate income tax, value-added tax, and individual income tax calculation and applicability. We also cover such topics as annual compliance requirements and profits/dividends repatriation. In the international taxation context, we address such topics as transfer pricing and double taxation treaties. This simple and easy to understand guidebook will be of practical use to all executives involved in handling company finances concerning Vietnam, including: Chief Executive Officers Chief Financial Officers Accounting Managers Tax Specialists The content of this guide was compiled by Dezan Shira & Associates staff in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to foreign investors in emerging Asia. About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email vietnam@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight. Investing in Vietnam: Corporate Entities, Governance and VAT In this issue of Vietnam Briefing Magazine, we provide readers with an understanding of the impact of Vietnams new Laws on Enterprises and Investment. We begin by discussing the various forms of corporate entities which foreign investors may establish in Vietnam. We then explain the corporate governance framework under the new Law on Enterprises, before showing you how Vietnams VAT invoice system works in practice. E-Commerce in Vietnam: Trends, Tax Policies & Regulatory Framework In this issue of Vietnam Briefing Magazine, we provide readers with a complete understanding of Vietnams e-commerce industry. We begin by highlighting existing trends in the market, paying special attention to scope for foreign investment. We look at means for online sellers to receive payment in Vietnam, examine the industrys tax and regulatory framework, and discuss how a foreign retailer can actually establish an online company in Vietnam. Tax, Accounting, and Audit in Vietnam 2014-2015 The first edition of Tax, Accounting, and Audit in Vietnam, published in 2014, offers a comprehensive overview of the major taxes foreign investors are likely to encounter when establishing or operating a business in Vietnam, as well as other tax-relevant obligations. This concise, detailed, yet pragmatic guide is ideal for CFOs, compliance officers and heads of accounting who need to be able to navigate the complex tax and accounting landscape in Vietnam. By Erin Scala. Californias Wild Horse AVA sits in the lower right hand corner of Napa Valley. The AVA straddles Napa and Solano counties. Here youll find primarily well-drained, rocky, volcanic soil. The east side of Wild Horse Valley is warmer than the west side, which is cooled by winds funneled up from the Pacific. The Valley sits mostly above the fog line, which translates to more sunshine hours for this region than many other surrounding AVAs. The cooling winds especially on the west side plus the sunshine mean that grapes can ripen uniquely here: there is enough sunshine to ripen phenolics and enough cooling winds to maintain high levels of acid. Officially established in 1988, Wild Horse Valley AVA is one of the earliest Napa AVAs. But grapes were planted here long before the 20th century. If we follow some pre-prohibition vintners, we discover that the Wild Horse AVA, in a way, once epitomized the American Dream. Early settler Joseph Vorbe planted 50 acres of grapes in 1881 to make wine. A Frenchman from near Jura, Vorbe moved to the area after his brother set down roots and beckoned him from France. Both brothers feared the fabled horrors of crossing the US by wagon or cart, so they made the journey from France to San Francisco by boat. One brother went around South America and the other crossed through Panama (this was before the canal, though, so he made the short isthmus trip over land). Joseph Vorbe build up a real estate empire in San Francisco before retiring to his ranch in Wild Horse Valley. The ranch sat on about 700 acres, and in addition to horses and cattle, he made wine in his own small winery from his 50 acres of grapes. His brother eventually joined him in retirement on the ranch. Another European arrival, Manuel Lucas, came from Portugal and settled in Napa after a perilous career at sea once he found himself on a sinking ship in the middle of the ocean, but he was rescued by a steam liner that just happened to be passing by. When he arrived in California, Lucas first toiled as a lumberman, and then in 1871 he acquired 60 acres in Wild Horse Valley. He continually built on to his property until he had over a thousand acres. He worked his land as an orchard, a dairy, and a vineyard. Also from Portugal, Louis Limo worked as a mason making about $5 each day. He saved up for an 80 acre ranch in Wild Horse Valley, and converted it into a poly-agricultural farm. In 1911, he made 30 tons of grapes (though it is unsure if they were table grapes or wine grapes), and supplemented these with grain and timber. These early Wild Horse Valley ranchers all saw the Wild Horse Valley as a retirement utopia where they hoped to set up sustainable ranches on which to spend their old age. They split their ranches output into dairy, grains, orchards, and grapes. But todays winemakers arent going to Wild Horse Valley to retire theyre headed there to work. Unlike many other areas of Napa, here you will not find a megalopolis, or even a sparse suburbia of tasting rooms and wineries (though, there is one winery Heron Lake Winery). The region functions as more of a unique vineyard zone where winemakers source high-character fruit. The climate dictates the planting of varieties like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah. The thin soil and unique volcanic rocks beneath the surface mean that these grapes have potential to make very interesting, terroir-driven wines. As recently as a decade ago, winemakers were declassifying fruit from here to the larger Napa Valley AVA. But today, the pendulum has swung in a different direction and producers purposefully source and label Wild Horse Valley AVA wine bottlings. This is part of a larger movement that takes us farther away from the traditional estate-style infrastructure of a winery, and more toward a model that liberates winemakers from one particular property and allows them to hunt vines in many ideal sites around their region. Keep listening to hear more from the guy pulling the guitar strings behind some such special wines, including one Wild Horse Valley AVA Chardonnay About Erin Scala: Originally from Virginias wine country, Erin Scalas earliest memories of wine include picking and crushing grapes as a child. Scala moved to Manhattan in 2008 and had fun working at PUBLIC, a one-Michelin star restaurant in Nolita, and their adjacent bar, The Daily. She was inspired by the restaurants Australian and New Zealand-focused wine list, and in 2013, was honored by Wine Enthusiast in their 40 Under 40 feature for the depth of her selections from the region. After a stint at The Musket Room, Erin moved to Charlottesville, Virginia to run the wine program at Fleurie Restaurant and Petit Pois Bistro. When shes not working on a Warm Up for the podcast, Scala is off in search of a vineyard, drumming, or writing her blog www.Thinking-Drinking.com. You can also follow her on Instagram and Twitter. Can you explain the rising need for event organisers in Binh Duong? What requirements do foreign clients tend to have? The trend started around 2007, when Binh Duong began rolling out the red carpet for foreign direct investors. At the same time, the new city of Binh Duong also kick-started its campaign to become a first-class Vietnamese city by 2020. As a result, industrial parks at the province have received a major influx of both domestic and foreign direct investment (FDI). This growth has led to a burgeoning demand for Binh Duong-based PR and event management firms. Its true that FDI clients often require very high standards for event management, including a thorough understanding of local culture, individualised programmes, and a strong sense of creativity. This is both an opportunity and a challenge for event organisers. What about government clients, especially Binh Duong authorities? As Binh Duong attracts a greater number of investors, obviously local authorities will also demand more professional event managers. A wide range of government events at Binh Duong includes receptions for foreign delegates, investment seminars, ceremonies for new investment certificates, and groundbreaking activities. Some notable examples in recent years have been the groundbreaking ceremony for Binh Duong City, the inauguration ceremonies for the Binh Duong Administration Centre, and the Tokyu Binh Duong Urban Area. ASD Group is honoured to organise these activities for the Binh Duong government. How has ASD Group met the requirements of both FDI and government clients? Established back in 2007, our firm ASD Group (Anh Sao Duong) is proud to be a pioneer in event management at Binh Duong. With close to ten years of operation, our well-trained staff has gained substantial experience in this sector. Moreover, we place a great emphasis on creativity, and always try our best to offer outside-the-box ideas for clients. Throughout the years weve also built a comprehensive supply chain, ranging from design and printing, to catering services and equipment. This has allowed us to provide faster services and cut third-party costs. Thanks to our innovations, weve steadily gained more clients, with 150 to 160 events held every year. Aside from organising ceremonies for Binh Duong government, weve scored large-name FDI clients such as P&G, SAB Miller, Kumho, and Colgate Palmolive. In 2015 and the first quarter of 2016, we started a long list of exciting projects, including the inauguration ceremony for My PhuocTan Van Road and two groundbreaking ceremonies for DT-743 Road and My Phuoc Bau Bang Road. Well also organise welcome receptions for senior delegates from Yamaguchi (Japan) and Daejeon (South Korea). Another event to look forward to is the award ceremony for Thuan An, a town in Binh Duong. Our outdoor projects are equally exciting, as weve been commissioned to decorate the streets of Binh Duong New City for Christmas and Lunar New Year. Well also be responsible for arts and cultural events in the province during this period. ASD Group is immensely proud of all these projects, because theyll represent Binh Duong to thousands of foreign investors and create a festive atmosphere for all Binh Duong citizens. What is your long-term plan for ASD Group? From 2016, well be aggressive in marketing ourselves in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta. To achieve this, well train our staff to become the most efficient event organisers in terms of soft skills, creativity and professionalism. Our services will also be continuously improved to meet the rising demands of clients. As Vietnam joins in various trade pacts, foreign investors will flock into the country and require even more event organisers. To stand out against our competitors, ASD Group will always uphold our motto of reliability creativity quality when serving our clients. FPT won four out of five important categories including Best for Disclosure and Transparency; Best for Shareholders Rights and Equitable Treatment in Vietnam; Best for Responsibilities of Management and the Board of Directors in Vietnam and Best for Investor Relations in Vietnam. These awards recognised FPTs efforts in corporate governance in general and investor relations in particular. In nearly 10 years of being listed on the stock exchange, FPT has been named among top publicly listed companies which pay the highest dividend and ensured shareholders rights and equitable treatment. In terms of disclosure, FPT has always been one of the companies that publish the earliest financial statements among the list of VN30 - Top 30 firms in terms of scale and complexity in reporting. In addition to quarterly and annual financial statements, FPT is one of few companies to publish monthly business results. Besides the minimum lawful requirements, FPT also improved the corporate governance quality in accordance with international standards by appointing the world's leading experts on information technology and business administration as independent members of FPTs board of directors. In addition, FPTs management team has also presented at quarterly investor meetings, and participated in many major investment conferences at home and abroad to better communicate with not only shareholders but also potential investors. In 2015, FPTs investor relation department as well as senior leaders has met 131 foreign investment funds in order to introduce FPT and helped make FPTs name more popular in the investment community. In 2015, Asia Money published the rankings of nine Asian countries to honor those with the best corporate governance. In particular, in Vietnam, Asia Money selected 18 companies to assess their corporate governance. The Corporate Government Poll is an annual event organised by Asia Money Magazine one member of the Euromoney group specialising in financial markets in Asia. This eighth event was voted by more than 350 CEOs, chief investment officers (CIOs) of investment funds, and research directors and senior analysts of securities firms from 12 countries and territories throughout Asia Pacific, including India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, China, Hong Kong and Vietnam. German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (Photo: AFP/Adam Berry) BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday (Feb 17) urged an EU "common stance" on the migrant crisis and on protecting the bloc's frontiers, as eastern members move to shut internal borders. On the eve of an EU summit, Merkel said "the main thing now is to have a common stance on how to secure the external borders, and here the EU-Turkey plan offers a good solution". Merkel, under heavy pressure at home to reduce arrivals, supports a plan under which transit country Turkey would seal its borders and then fly refugees to Europe where they would be settled under an EU quota system. However, most EU countries have shown little enthusiasm for the idea, and the so-called Visegrad Four - Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary - have openly defied Merkel. They have pledged to help Macedonia and Bulgaria close their borders with Greece, which would leave Athens with rapidly rising numbers of refugees while effectively excluding it from Europe's passport-free Schengen zone. Merkel said that "we will speak at the upcoming EU Council about how we can work together to protect our external border, and I want us to work together on the EU-Turkish agenda that 28 members have decided". She was speaking at a Berlin joint press conference with Sri Lanka's visiting President Maithripala Sirisena before she was set to address the German parliament on the EU summit's topics. Merkel, a decade in power, has seen her long-stellar domestic support drop over her liberal migration policy since more than 1.1 million asylum seekers came to Germany last year. She has also been increasingly isolated on the EU stage, where even a plan from last year to resettle 160,000 refugees has so far seen only several hundred asylum seekers moved to other EU countries. Merkel conceded that "the issue of quotas is currently not a priority" for the EU, since the bloc had already agreed on the 160,000 figure and now had to distribute them as agreed, she said. The waiter, working for Nhat Trang, which is a seafood restaurant in Nha Trang, the capital city of Khanh Hoa Province, splashed leftovers onto diners since they complained about the dishs quality, Tran Huu Ly, a marketplace management official, said. On Tuesday morning, officials were sent to the restaurant to investigate the case, Ly added. The waiter was fired the same day, according to Nguyen Minh Trong, who owns the restaurant. Trong then apologized to Luu Phuong Mai and her friend, the two diners who were treated badly by the staff. The incident was reported by the two on Monday evening, Ly said. According to Ly, Mai, a visitor from Hanoi, and her friend had a meal at the restaurant that evening. Everything was fine until we ordered a dish of rice fried with seafood, Mai recounted. It cost VND150,000 [$6.7], but what they brought us was just a cool dish of fried rice with only a few pieces of squid and some herbs. Nhat Trang seafood restaurant, located in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre She said to a waiter that the dish was not worth the price and it was then withdrawn for being warmed up, she said. After finishing their meal, Mai and her friend paid the bill of VND526,000 ($23.5), which had excluded the price of the fried rice. We then paid VND606,000 [$27] to ease the cash change, but the waiter, instead of giving us back VND80,000 [$3.6], forced us to eat and pay for the fried rice dish, which had been warmed up, she added. The manager has resigned, shouted the staff when the two requested to meet the head of the restaurant to complain. When seeing us taking pictures for evidence, the waiter shouted and hurled the leftover food at us and rudely told us to leave the place, Mai said. Mai and her friend then reported the issue to local authorities. Mai said that she accepted the restaurateurs apology and felt pleased seeing immediate actions taken by local authorities. What I really hope to see is politeness and hospitality, the fundamental values that all businesses in Nha Trang should exhibit instead of just increasing prices or what I have experienced, she said. The UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal has moved to single out a former regime commander for prosecution, in a case that has lingered a long time and many fear may never be tried. The court has decided to separate the charges against Im Chaem, who is one of three suspects in Case 004, into its own case. Tribunal spokesman Neth Pheaktra said the creation of Case 004/001 means a more expedited process, as investigations continue for suspects Ao An and Yim Tith. We cannot wait until the investigation ends for the other two suspects, he said. Im Chaem was allegedly the secretary of Preah Net Preah district, in the Northwest Zone. She is charged with homicide and crimes against humanity, for deaths that took place at two detention centers and a work site. She has in the past denied the charges against her and refused to cooperate with the court. The announcement comes as the tribunal continues the trial of two senior leaders, Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan, who are charged with atrocity crimes, including genocide. Latt Ky, a tribunal monitor for the rights group Adhoc, called the separation of the case positive headway. The court appears rather in a hurry to show the public face of the suspects who have the status of defendants in the case, he said. The decision still requires a green light from the Supreme Court Chamber, and divisions between international and Cambodian judges could create a split decision, further eroding confidence in the court, he said. Reached at his home in Battambang province, suspect Ao An, also known as Ta An, said he did not fear the court. Im not afraid of hell either, he said. I do good deeds. I follow the teachings of Buddha. In the past, I did not kill anyone. Why should I be afraid of hell? The European Union's top migration official said that an Austrian plan to limit the daily number of asylum seekers is unlawful. In a letter to the Austrian government Thursday, Dimitris Avramopoulos said that Austria has a legal obligation to accept any asylum application that is made on its territory or at its border. Avramopoulos said that imposing a limit on asylum-seekers is not compatible with EU or international law. Ahead of an EU summit in Brussels Thursday, the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, reiterated his opposition to national border controls and criticized Austria's decision to set up new border crossing points and migrant and refugee quotas. I made it perfectly clear during the last month that as a commission, we don't like national border controls. I don't follow this general trend for having more and more national border controls. This is happening because we are lacking a European approach. So I will today, as always, advocate the European approach and as far as Austria is concerned, I have to say I don't like the decision," Juncker said. Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner announced Wednesday a daily limit of 80 asylum requests at southern border crossing points with Slovenia and once it was reached, crossings would be temporarily closed to migrants. Mikl-Leitner also said that effective Friday, a limit of 3,200 people a day seeking international protection would be allowed to enter Austria from a neighboring country. When President Barack Obama touches down in Cuba next month, the first sitting U.S. leader to visit in nearly nine decades, he'll be greeted by some people thrilled to see a rekindling of ties between the island nation and its powerful neighbor to the north. But among the crowds will also be those angered by what they see as an undeserved legitimacy conferred on Cuba's communist government. It's a short visit March 21-22 but Obama has promised to raise human-rights issues and other concerns with President Raul Castro. Jorge Luis Garcia Perez, a Cuban opposition leader better known as "Antunez," calls the visit an "insult." "The visit of the leader of the most important nation in the world to the country with the longest-lived dictatorship of the hemisphere, indeed, represents a recognition and encouragement [to the Cuban government]," said Garcia Perez, head of the Orlando Zapata Tamayo National Resistance Front. Others agree, seeing the trip as undeserved. "We consider it a mistake to give that opportunity to the Cuban government without a public, political compromise from the Castro totalitarian regime to move toward rule of law," said Guillermo Farinas, a Cuban political dissident and winner of the European Union's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Before the visit was announced, Obama told Yahoo News that, were he to go to Cuba, "part of the deal is that I get to talk to everybody." Farinas hopes "that President Obama will stick to his word and meet with the non-violent opposition." Supporters of the visit say Obama has given every indication that he will. "Obama has taken various steps, since 2009, which have benefited the Cuban people. I think the people are very thankful and they have admiration for Obama. I think it is positive," said Miriam Leiva, independent journalist and founder of Damas de Blanco, or Ladies in White, an opposition movement formed by wives and other female relatives of Cuban jailed dissidents. The group's leader, Berta Soler, says nothing has changed in Cuba. On most Sundays, Damas de Blanco members march through the streets of Havana. And on most Sundays, they continue to suffer arrest and injury. "President Obama, you will arrive in Cuba to deal with a dictator and a thief. Reconsider," Soler tweeted Thursday. Ineffective visits? Since the announcement of restored ties in December 2014, Obama administration officials have been shuttling back and forth to the island, from the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs and the Secretary of Commerce to Secretary of State John Kerry, who re-opened the U.S. embassy in Havana. Some on the island think the trips have had no impact, arguing Washington has given too many concessions to the Castro government without asking for changes in return. In interviews with VOA, residents of the island said human-rights problems including political persecution, lack of access to the Internet, food shortages and low wages persisted over the past year. "I see it just as another visit, said Eduardo Cardet, coordinator of the Christian Liberation Movement from Holguin, a town nearly 700 kilometers east of Havana. He is maybe coming here to crown all this process, the idea that he has been selling: that the reestablishment of relations between the U.S. government and the Cuban people will definitively bring democracy to our country, which is something I don't agree with, of course," Others are willing to see how things play out after Obama leaves. "I'm in favor of a climate of understanding between two nations. if President Obama's visit will contribute to that, so be it, said Dagoberto Valdes, director of Convivencia, an independent Cuban magazine. Something very different would be if these [visits] all stay in photo opportunities and nothing improves for the Cuban people." Embargo a priority The Castro government has said again and again that relations can only be truly normalized when the U.S. embargo in place for more than 50 years is lifted. Many Cubans agree the embargo has to go. "It is a very positive event that Obama will visit Cuba because that's who we reestablished relations with and everything is going according to plan, a little slow but we always have to stay optimistic, said Pedro Rodriguez, a resident of Havana. He paused briefly, then added: "The embargo has to end for the relations to actually be relations." For some, the prospect of free trade has trumped other considerations. "Everyone thinks that the embargo will be short lived," said Yusdel La O Marrero, a driver for tourists in Havana. "Those who used to think of leaving the island, they're now reconsidering that decision." Iranians got their first taste Thursday of the campaign for next week's parliamentary elections, pitting reformists and moderates against conservatives in polls that could shape the country's future over the next decade. Supporters of a coalition of reformists and backers of President Hassan Rouhani held their first joint rally in Tehran as thousands of candidates launched their campaigns. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in a public hall in central Tehran, chanting "reforms will be the winner of the elections." During the gathering, Elahe Koulaei, one of the female candidates, called the election a "second step" after the 2013 victory of Rouhani, a moderate within Iran's political system. Voting will be split between two ballots one to elect members of parliament and another to pick the Assembly of Experts, a powerful committee of 88 clerics who supervise the work of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's ultimate authority. But the run-up to the Feb. 26 vote has been dominated by controversy over who will be allowed to contest the elections, rather than an actual debate of the policies that candidates support. All those seeking public office in Iran are vetted for their loyalty to the Islamic republic. Almost half the applicants seeking to become lawmakers were excluded. In the initial round of vetting, reformists suffered the heaviest blow, with thousands of candidates being rejected. Ennio Morricone is hoping it will be sixth time lucky at this year's Oscars, where he has been nominated for the musical score for Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight. "I hope that this time there will be [Oscar victory]," 87-year-old Morricone told Reuters in an interview. Morricone's previous Oscar bids include his work for Bugsy and The Untouchables, but it is perhaps his loss for his critically-acclaimed The Mission score when Herbie Hancock scooped the honor for Round Midnight that is the sorest. "I am not certain it will happen so I am going there tranquil, serene, hopeful that it goes well," said Morricone, who received an Honorary Academy Award in 2007 for "his magnificent and multifaceted contributions to the art of film music." His The Hateful Eight work has already won a Golden Globe and a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award, which he received in London on Tuesday after being unable to make the official ceremony due to his tour commitments. "This is something amazing, unexpected because in my type of work, you don't think of the positive or negative consequences," Morricone said. "In general, there aren't negative ones, he said. But sometimes there can also be negative consequences, that is the film doesn't succeed or people don't like the music. But this time, everything went well, thank goodness. I am happy, amazed." Before the Feb. 28 Oscars, Morricone will be honored with a star on the Walk of Fame, with Tarantino among the guest speakers at the ceremony on the famed Hollywood boulevard. Hundreds of films Born in Rome in 1928, Morricone began his film music composer career in 1961 with the Luciano Salce directed movie Il Federale and has since scored more than 450 films. Asked if a particular period in his career stood out, Morricone said he had several preferred directors: "There are, but I won't say, some whom I prefer, because it is not just one. I prefer to stay quiet." Morricone has had generations of movie fans humming his tunes from his work on A Fistful of Dollars and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly with director Sergio Leone. At his London concert Tuesday, it was those tracks, along with other favorites from Once Upon a Time in the West that had the audience whistling and clapping the loudest. "It is difficult to explain it because sometimes all you need is an idea that, once developed, becomes something," Morricone said when asked about his composing protocol. "Sometimes, there is no idea at all, one looks for something and at the moment I least expect it, it comes to me. It comes, but I don't know how, it is a mystery." Republican presidential candidates Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz slammed U.S. President Barack Obama for his reported plans to visit Cuba next month. Speaking at a town hall Thursday in South Carolina, the presidential hopefuls, who are both of Cuban descent, each said they would not visit the communist-run country. "Not if it's not a free Cuba," said Rubio, the Florida senator whose parents immigrated to the U.S. in the 1950s before Fidel Castro came to power. The Rubio and Cruz opposition to the trip is another fault line separating the fractious Republican and Democratic presidential candidates in the 2016 national campaign. Both Democratic presidential candidates, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, have supported Obama's overtures to renew diplomatic ties with Cuba, ending five decades of hostilities borne in the Cold War. Clinton has said that the Republican presidential candidates "have it backward. Engagement is not a gift to the Castros, its a threat to the Castros. An American embassy in Havana isnt a concession, its a beacon. Sanders has called the renewal of Cuban-American ties a "major step forward" and traveled to Cuba in 2014 to discuss trade, health care and human rights issues. Hours before Thursday's town hall began, reports emerged that Obama will visit Cuba next month as part of his efforts to normalize relations with Havana. The countries have opened embassies in Washington and Havana and this week signed a pact allowing American air carriers to schedule up to 110 flights a day to the island, located 145 kilometers off the coast of the southeastern U.S. state of Florida. As part of the new links between the two countries, Obama has used his executive authority to end some of the decades-long economic restrictions on Cuba, although a trade embargo is still in place. Obama, a Democrat, has called on the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress to formally lift the embargo against Havana, saying it is ineffective and harmful. More: Sanctions Slow Granting of Cuba Business Licenses Republicans have shown no interest in ending the embargo, but it has not been a major issue on the campaign trail for the presidential candidates. It could become more politically important, particularly in the battleground state on Florida, in the November national election when the contest has narrowed to the two Republican and Democratic nominees. Thousands of Cuban refugees moved to Florida as Fidel Castro took power and many remain adamantly opposed to closer links to their homeland. For Rubio & Cruz, Cuba issue is personal Rubio said the White House's historic thaw with Cuba has not resulted in any improvement in human rights. "The Cuban government remains as oppressive as ever," he said. Cruz, a U.S. senator from Texas, said he also would not visit Cuba "as long as the Castros are in power," first with revolutionary Fidel Castro, and now with his brother, President Raul Castro. Cruz said his father "has seen firsthand the evil and oppression in Cuba," where he was arrested and jailed before fleeing to the United States in 1957, although he was apprehended by forces supporting Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista for fighting with Fidel Castro's revolutionaries trying to overthrow the right-wing ruler. The Republican candidate said he thinks Obama's trip is "a real mistake. I think the president instead ought to be pushing for a free Cuba." By going to Cuba now, Obama will "essentially act as an apologist," Cruz added. The U.N. Special Envoy for Yemen said Wednesday that "deep divisions" among the warring parties prevent him from calling for a new round of peace talks. "The parties are divided over whether a new round of talks should be convened with or without a new cessation of hostilities," U.N. envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told the U.N. Security Council. "I have not, unfortunately, received sufficient assurances that a new cessation of hostilities, should I call for one, would be respected." Cheikh Ahmed later told reporters that he hoped to get talks going next month. "We cannot delay these talks beyond, in my view, the month of March," he said. "The time is against us. The situation is catastrophic. The political solution is becoming more than ever needed today, and we need to precipitate these talks as soon as possible." Social fabric torn apart He said the nearly one-year-old conflict between the Saudi-backed government and Iranian-supported Shi'ite Houthi rebels has killed more than 6,000 Yemenis and injured over 35,000 others. "The country's infrastructure is destroyed; families dispersed, and its social fabric torn apart," Cheikh Ahmed said. The U.N. has repeatedly called for inclusive political talks to resolve the crisis; an earlier round of discussions in Switzerland broke down in December. Since then, escalating tensions between regional powers Saudi Arabia and Iran have further complicated the delicate peace process. The U.N. envoy called for a "recommitment" to a cessation of hostilities which would lead to a permanent cease-fire, urging the Security Council to support this step and "take action toward its implementation." The Security Council's president said members agree that the only solution to the conflict must be through political negotiations, and they reiterated their support for the envoy. As the fighting continues, Yemen's humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. The U.N. is expected to ask international donors for $1.8 billion dollars Thursday to fund humanitarian aid needs in the country this year. European leaders on Thursday began discussions about the future of Britain's European Union membership and the migrant crisis at the outset of a two-day summit in Brussels. British Prime Minister David Cameron warned he was not prepared to take a deal that did not meet his countrys needs. I will be battling for Britain. If we can get a good deal, I will take that deal," he said. "But I will not take a deal that does not meet what we need. I think it is much more important to get this right than to do anything in a rush. But with goodwill, with hard work, we can get a better deal for Britain." German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after a meeting with her French counterpart, Francois Hollande, ahead of the summit that her country was ready to do everything it could to create the conditions for Britain to remain in the EU. But Hollande made clear that any accommodation of British demands must not undermine the 28-member bloc. Earlier, EU leaders expressed interest in ensuring that Britain remains a member of the bloc. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he was quite confident that Britain would remain a "constructive and active member of the union. European Parliament President Martin Schultz said that "together we are stronger, and we will work constructively to ensure that what is agreed is actually put into legislative form in the European Union." Cameron has four key demands: welfare restrictions to curb immigration; safeguards for Britain, which does not use the euro currency; increasing EU competitiveness; and clarification that Britain is not formally obligated to work toward a closer union with its European partners. Also during the summit, EU leaders will discuss ways to deal with the worst migrant and refugee crisis the continent has faced since World War II. Extremist groups proliferated in the United States in 2015, a U.S. research group said Wednesday, as ideologically driven violence and incendiary political rhetoric created fertile conditions for white supremacists and other fringe actors. The Southern Poverty Law Center said the number of far-right "hate groups" grew to 892 in 2015 from 784 the year before, spurred by battles over the Confederate flag, gay marriage, immigration and Islamic terrorism. The SPLC also reported an increase in armed citizen militias, to 998 in 2015 from 874 the year before, as anti-government activists were energized by land-use clashes with the federal government in the West and fears that the Obama administration may tighten gun laws. On the other end of the political spectrum, black separatist groups advocating anti-Semitic views grew to 180 chapters last year, up from 113 in 2014, according to the SPLC. Unlike activists in the Black Lives Matter movement who have sought to reduce police violence, black separatist groups like Israel United in Christ have advocated anti-Semitic and anti-white views. Not all extremist movements have flourished. Established neo-Nazi groups like the National Alliance and the Aryan Nations have been hobbled by financial woes and leadership battles, the SPLC said. More Klan chapters But the number of Ku Klux Klan chapters more than doubled to 190 from 72, the SPLC said, invigorated by more than 300 rallies after South Carolina took down the Confederate battle flag from its capitol grounds in the wake of a June massacre of nine African-American churchgoers in Charleston. Stormfront, a white supremacist website, has been adding about 25,000 registered members annually for the past several years and now counts more than 300,000 members, according to the SPLC. White supremacists have told Reuters that they are encouraged by the success of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has referred to Mexicans as "rapists" and called for a ban on all Muslim immigrants. The December massacre of 14 people in San Bernardino, California, by two Islamic State supporters spurred a wave of vandalism and harassment directed at U.S. Muslims. According to several estimates, 2015 saw a new peak in domestic political violence. The Anti-Defamation League estimated that at least 52 people were killed by domestic extremists, the highest figure since the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, which killed 168 people. The increase in extremist activity has drawn the attention of the U.S. Justice Department, which is stepping up efforts to head off violent attacks by such groups. There is growing concern about the fate of thousands of Syrians working inside the war-shattered country for Western non-profits or on development and governance projects funded by U.S. agencies and European governments. Western officials fear they will be targeted by the Assad regime as a government offensive continues to grab back more towns and territory from the rebels. And behind-the-scenes, officials are urging Turkey to admit Syrian NGO workers and political activists who want to flee, say several diplomats and aid agencies contacted by VOA. So far less than two dozen political exceptions have been admitted by the Turks through northern Syrias Bab al-Samah border crossing, just a few kilometers from advancing government-aligned militias and near to a hospital that was hit earlier this week in a government airstrike. 6,000 Syrians at immediate risk Immediate concerns are focused on about 6,000 Syrians a number that includes Syrian contract employees for Western NGOs, as well as family members and dependents. There are huge worries about their fate, a British official told VOA. The danger should not be underestimated. Bassam al-Kuwaiti, a Syrian political activist based in Turkey, warned they will be targeted by the regime and Russian troops. NGO workers, political activists face harsh treatment Throughout the five-year conflict, and before the uprising, the Assad government has treated NGO workers and political activists harshly. A 2014 U.S. State Department Human Rights report noted Syria had detained tens of thousands of individuals associated with nongovernmental organizations, human rights activists, journalists, humanitarian aid providers, and doctors without access to fair trial, using rape and assault as punishment. When it comes to NGO workers, the regime has targeted especially those working on civil society and democracy issues. Last week, a U.N.-backed commission of inquiry reported that thousands of Syrians are disappearing and dying in government detention centers on a scale that amounts to state-sponsored extermination. The report gave harrowing details of detainees who have died as a result of torture or inhumane treatment in detention centers run by the Syrian governments intelligence agencies. Network of councils targeted Aside from Syrians who are working for Western non-profits, there is also rising alarm about what may befall Western-friendly political activists who have built-up a network of councils in rebel-held districts. Across parts of rebel-controlled Syria, 416 local councils were functioning before this months Russian-backed government offensive unfolded in rural Aleppo. In some towns, council officials were elected in rudimentary-run polls. Many of the councils in Aleppo, rural Idlib, Latakia and in rebel-controlled towns ringing Damascus, originated as local relief efforts. But they developed quickly thanks to grassroots efforts and Western funding. Last October, Deputy U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken announced Washington was giving another $100 million to the moderate Syrian opposition, some of which was earmarked for local governments inside rebel-controlled Syria. Western officials viewed the councils' emergence as a civic breakthrough, hoping it would help nudge the ideological direction of the rebellion, temper sectarianism and curtail radical Islamists. And councils have often had to navigate Islamist disapproval or cope with the threat of violence. Multiple dangers The danger for councilors in the coming weeks may not only come from the government as it grabs back more territory, worry Western officials and the councilors themselves. In the aftermath of the devastating Assad offensive a realignment of rebel militias is already under way, boosting the power of hardline Islamist militias and al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, which has frowned on the councils activities. If Jabhat al-Nusra and allied Islamists start to grow in power there will be real risks for the councilors, said Mazen Gharibah of the Local Administration Councils Unit, which advises the local councils. They are already trying to take over the councils with their Higher Islamic Committees, he added. There are some councilors in Aleppo trying to get out now, he said. Getting out Some councilors are among the tens of thousands of displaced civilians sheltering by the border near the crossing at Bab al- Samah. Satellite imagery released Thursday by Human Rights Watch demonstrates the massive influx of civilians by the border. Estimates vary on how many displaced civilians there are some have taken refuge in the nearby town of Azaz or are spread out in nearby fields and small settlements close to the border, which makes an accurate head-count difficult. Some civilians are heading for the neighboring province of Idlib, hoping they will have a better chance to cross the border near the crossing at Bab al-Hawa. The United Nations estimates there are 70,000 refugees around Bab al-Samah and Azaz, but relief workers said the number may be closer to 100,000. But being huddled by the border isnt relieving the anxiety of displaced civilians. Relief workers describe a sense of panic one that has spread also to rebel fighters, who want to get their families out of Syria and to safety in Turkey. Syrians fleeing bombing in the Azaz enclave arent even safe in the places theyve sought shelter, but there are so few places for them to go, warned Nadim Houry of Human Rights Watch. While Turkish authorities are not allowing civilians to pass through the border with Syria, they permitted midweek several hundred mainly Islamist rebel fighters to enter Turkey from Syrias Idlib province, pass through Turkish territory and re-enter the northern Aleppo countryside via Bab al-Samah, say rebel commanders. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition monitoring network of activists, says one group transferred over on February 15. Rebel commanders say another group on Wednesday. Most fighters headed for Azaz. An Iraqi court has sentenced 40 people to death for their part in the 2014 killing of hundreds of captured soldiers in the northern city of Tikrit. The central criminal court in Baghdad on Tuesday convicted the men, all Iraqi nationals, and sentenced them to death by hanging. Seven others were acquitted of the charges for lack of evidence. Hundreds of the recruits, mostly Shi'ite Muslims, were shot to death execution-style after the Islamic State militant group seized the provincial capital and overran the Camp Speicher air base previously used by U.S. troops. The militants captured roughly 1,700 soldiers who were trying to flee. The Islamic State posted video showing the soldiers being shot to death while being forced to lay face down in a shallow ditch. Judicial officials say more than 600 militants allegedly participated in the massacre. In July, 2014, 24 were convicted and sentenced to death. They are awaiting decisions on their appeals. Rights groups have criticized the trial saying they have not met international standards. Amnesty International, in a release Thursday, described the trial as "fundamentally flawed" saying it "shows a reckless disregard for justice and human life." "These mass, expedited trials raise serious questions about whether the Iraqi authorities really want to uncover the truth behind these abhorrent attacks, or whether they simply want to create the illusion that justice has been done." Kenya's army says it has killed the intelligence chief for the Somalia-based militant group al-Shabab, but the group is denying the claim. Military spokesman David Obonyo told reporters Thursday that Mahad Karate, also known as Abdirahim Mohamed Warsame, was killed along with 10 mid-level members of the Islamist group in an airstrike in southern Somalia on February 8. A pro-al-Shabab website is reporting that the report is false, and that Karate is fine. It says no airstrikes hit the camp. The U.S. State Department has offered a $5 million reward for information that brings Karate "to justice." It says he plays a key role in the Amnyiat, the wing of al-Shabab responsible for the assault on Kenya's Garissa University last April that killed nearly 150 people. Al-Shabab has carried out numerous attacks in Kenya since the government sent troops into Somalia to fight Al-Shabab in 2011. In traffic-choked Lebanon, efforts to resurrect a grand relic from a bygone era are at the center of a debate about curbing the countrys automobile addiction. For decades, Lebanons railways acted as the beating heart of a network that spanned three continents, fueling growth across the region. Killed off by a fatal combination of the growing automobile industry and Lebanons 15-year civil war, which ended in 1990, it has lain neglected and left to perish in plain sight. Yet with attention turning to a congestion problem that threatens to reduce the countrys economic powerhouse of Beirut to a crawl, there are growing calls to put long-defunct lines back into use, with or without the governments help. Paralyzed People are paralyzed in wars, but countries can be paralyzed too, Elias Maalouf, founder of NGO TrainTrain, told VOA News. We are in a paralyzed country and weve been in a paralyzed country for more than 30 or 40 years now. His NGO has pushed to get the issue of public transport back on the agenda, with the revival of at least a portion of Lebanons 408 kilometers of train tracks central to its efforts. He argues that re-establishing the rail system could also help Lebanon play a crucial role in the post-war reconstruction of Syria. Maalouf criticized authorities for their approach to railways. He says an offer by his NGO to take responsibility for the restoration of a short stretch of train line along Lebanon's coast was rebuffed. But with interest in TrainTrain rising, Maalouf asserts a civil society movement that flexed its muscles with mass protests in response to the country's recent trash crisis will not tolerate inaction for much longer. They can feel the energy of the civic society, he added. The government can feel this and they know that something is happening. Signs of progress? A 2005 study by the Ministry of Environment estimated traffic is costing eight percent of the countrys GDP, an estimate made well before the Lebanons population of around four million shot up with the arrival of more than a million Syrian refugees. Lost among Lebanons many afflictions, corruption, political stalemate, regional interference or the impact of war in neighboring Syria, congestion has not registered highly on the governments agenda. But according to World Bank transport expert Ziad Nakat, who is overseeing plans to create a bus rapid transit system for Beirut and the coast, this is changing. It took some time to create awareness about public transport and a lot of decision-makers were skeptical, he said, but the urgency to find solutions has created a momentum around the agenda. A European Investment Bank-backed study is looking into the prospects for the stretch of line heading north from Beirut to Tripoli, Lebanons second-largest city. It was welcomed by Lebanon Rail Authority chief Ziad Nasr, who said the problem of congestion has to be tackled now. But Nasr says the international community needs to step in, especially in light of the strain on the countrys infrastructure from its role of hosting refugees. There should be some kind of commitment from the [international] funding agencies towards Lebanon, because Lebanon is carrying a lot of the burden, he told VOA. Priceless Bringing train stations back to life will carry a considerable price tag, but for some the value of such a network stretches well beyond GDP measures. Photojournalist Maya Alameddine lives in Tripoli, the Sunni-majority city often considered neglected by the state. For her, an intra-city train network represents mobility, opportunity and the possibility of overcoming boundaries. It is a powerful concept in a country whose constitution recognizes 18 different religious groups, and whose political present is all-too-often characterized by division. It will be easier for people to interact from all societies, sects, all regions, all levels of society - they will be reunited, she said. It is this sense of unity that Arpi Mangassarian, whose father worked at the Rayak train station in the Bekaa region, recalls fondly. Now a sprawling graveyard of rusting locomotives and overgrown workshops, Rayak was once a bustling hub for travel across the region that spawned a town after its completion in 1891. Eyes glistening at the memory of riding the train along the eucalyptus-lined tracks as a teenager, Mangassarian recalled the profound impact of these journeys on her outlook and offered support for TrainTrains efforts. It gave you a sense of freedom, and you had all kinds of people sitting together in that carriage, she explained. There was no feeling of having a frontier. People connected, and we were like a big family, even if just for those few hours. To lose that has been a loss for Lebanon and its people. Its called hairy panic, and its taking over a small Australian town. The prolific type of tumbleweed, known as Panicum effusum, has been piling up, nearly covering some homes in the town of Wangaratta, in the northeast part of Victoria. According to Prime7 news in Albury, town residents are having to clear the weeds out for hours a day. "It's physically draining and mentally more draining," resident Pam Twitchett told Prime7 news. Residents blame a local farmer who they say did not clear his paddock. Hairy panic, which gets its name from the long hairs that that grow on the edges of its leaves, is said to exist all over Australia and can be toxic. When it dries, it can form tumbleweeds. A local vet told the BBC that the plants loses its toxicity when it dries up. "The important thing is it's not going to kill people's dogs and cats, it just makes a hell of a mess," he told the BBC. In Geeta Colony, a crowded slum in the Indian capital, 45-year-old Meena Devi said she would rather walk into open areas in the vicinity of her tiny home for defecation than wait in snaking lines at the filthy community toilets. The toilets are in terrible condition, there is no sewer system. Then they shut the doors at night, she said. Across Indian villages and towns, the government has accelerated a drive to build millions of toilets as it makes ending open defecation by an estimated 600 million people a rallying cry. Some 9 million toilets have been built since the campaign was launched a little over a year ago. Shifting Social Norms But sanitation experts say the campaign is faltering as many of the latrines lie unused. It is not just community toilets in festering urban slums that have discouraged people like Meena Devi from changing old habits. Tens of thousands of independent latrines built for village households are also shunned mostly due to age-old cultural resistance to using them. Renu Khosla at the Center for Regional and Urban Excellence (CURE), which works on sanitation issues in urban slums, said one of the major stumbling blocks in persuading people to use latrines is the type of toilets being built. Most of them use what is called a single-pit technology. Now the pits fill up and pits need to be flushed out and when they are desludged, it costs money. So what happens is that people are reluctant to use. Household toilets, whether in villages or urban areas, the cost of cleaning up the pit is one major deterrent for use, explained Khosla. On the other hand she said, people see many advantages in open defecation. There is no waiting time involved, you can do at your own free will or whenever it is convenient. Notions of purity The government has launched a campaign to raise awareness about the risks of open defecation, which the World Health Organization say exposes people to diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid, and worm infection. Catchy advertisements on television urge rural women to shun marrying into homes without toilets, underline the health benefits and highlight how they improve security for women, who usually venture out into fields under the cover of darkness. But sanitation experts say the message is not going home because it fails to address one of the fundamental reasons for peoples reluctance in using latrines in the countrys rural heartland Indias centuries-old caste system and notions of purity. Sangita Vyas, who heads the New Delhi-based Research Institute for Compassionate Economics (RICE), said although the toilets being built have been successful in many developing countries such as Bangladesh, they are failing to win acceptance in India because the pits have to be emptied manually. That task carries a deep stigma in a country where clearing away human waste was traditionally done by lower castes. So anyone from the middle or upper castes would consider it to be completely inconceivable to manually empty the latrine pit. And at the same time, people who have historically been tasked with handling feces, manual scavengers, they also are understandably seeking to avoid this kind of work because it is associated with past and continuing oppression, said Vyas. Many in villages among the higher castes also spurn latrines inside the house because they believe the presence of the toilet would make it an impure place to do pooja or worship God. Success stories have been notched in areas where the toilets built do not have pits which have to be manually emptied. Connecting to a sewer system In the same slum in the east part of New Delhi where Meena Devi often ventures into open fields, development agency CURE helped 60 households build tiny toilets that are now connected to a sewer line. The results have been dramatic. Poonam Sode proudly shows off a tiny latrine built in her home four months ago. It has put an end to a tortuous wait at the community toilet or a late-night visit to the fields. I dont have to go out of the house now. Earlier I had to wait till midnight to go into the fields to make sure there were no people around," said the delighted mother of three. Other families in the slum are now clamoring for toilets connected to a sewer. A report released by WaterAid on the occasion of World Toilet Day last November said that if all people without toilets in India stood in line, they would stretch from the Earth to the Moon. While the government has won praise for drawing up goals to build enough toilets to end that line by 2019, Khosla at CURE said it will only happen if more stress is laid on simple engineering solutions. It is important for us to make the connection, it is important for us to recognize that its not just about putting the superstructure for a toilet, its also about the sewage management. Thats critical as well. Doctors Without Borders called for an independent investigation Thursday into the airstrike on a hospital that killed at least 25 people this week in northern Syria. The international aid organization - known by its French initials MSF - said in a statement that the airstrike "was probably carried out by the Syrian-government-led coalition that is predominantly active in the region." "Attacks on health facilities and other civilian targets must stop, and be subject to independent investigations," said MSF International President Dr. Joanne Liu. Among those killed in the February 15 airstrike in Maraat al-Numan, Idlib province were nine medical personnel and 16 patients. Ten people were wounded in the attack. A Pentagon spokesman told reporters Tuesday that aircraft from the U.S.-led coalition in Syria were not involved and that the U.S. could not say with any specificity "who was directly responsible." President Barack Obamas scheduled visit to Cuba next month, the first by a sitting president in almost 90 years, could be a key step forward in improving the communist nations troubled human rights record. In a Twitter message Thursday, Obama wrote, We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly. America will always stand for human rights around the world. The White House said bipartisan support for the presidents Cuba policy was growing, but news of the visit drew criticism from the head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The Obama administrations one-sided concessions have only shored up a communist regime that brutalizes its people, Representative Ed Royce, a California Republican, wrote in a statement. When President Obama lands in Havana, how will he stand up for human rights? Some advances The Cuban government recently released some political prisoners and has taken small steps to open up Internet access. But a 2015 Human Rights Watch report found the Cuban government continues to rely on arbitrary detention to harass and intimidate individuals who exercise their fundamental rights. The report found detentions actually increased after the diplomatic thaw, with arrests increasing from 2,900 to 7,188 in the first full year after the administration announced the resumption of relations. Human rights groups welcomed the news of the presidents visit as an opportunity, while cautioning that there was still much progress to be made. The presidents visit could signal a pathway for other human rights organizations and entities like the United Nations and the Inter-American [Commission on Human Rights] to be able to have a dialogue and visit the country, said Marselha Goncalves Margerin, advocacy director for the Americas at Amnesty International. Margerin said the thawing in relations should be an opportunity for the Cuban government to look at its internal laws on censorship, Internet freedom and right to assembly, now that the United States is no longer a threat to its sovereignty. Doubt among Cubans Cuban citizens expressed doubt there would be meaningful changes after the presidents visit. The heads of state must do everything possible in those encounters to work towards the needs of the people, and the Cuban people are in much need for human rights to be respected, said Eduardo Cardet, coordinator for the Christian Liberation Movement in Holguin, Cuba. The rapprochement process has been one-sided, said Dagoberto Valdes, the director of Convivencia, an independent Cuban magazine. Valdes said he would tell Obama that hes made concessions to the Cuban government without asking anything in return, without accomplishing anything in return. The repression has increased. Economic relations between the two countries improved last week with the signing of an agreement that would allow U.S. commercial airlines to significantly increase the number of flights to Cuba and the granting of permission for a U.S. company to build a tractor factory on the island. Sessions with Castro, dissidents The White House said Obama plans to meet with President Raul Castro and with Cuban dissidents during his visit to the country. Unless human rights is really at the focal point of the visit, a trip of this kind by a sitting U.S. president can't help but have a negative impact on the human rights situation in Cuba, said Marion Smith, executive director at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit that educates the public on the legacy of communism. Smith said the presidents meetings with dissidents would send a very clear signal to Cuba and the rest of the world that the opening of economic relations is not the only issue of importance for the United States. Even though we are opening up economic relations, and as of yet we got nothing for it from the Castro regime, we are still committed as we have been for many decades to a more democratic Cuba where the rule of law and human rights is respected," Smith said. Its a visit the communist nation has waited on for nearly a century. Just 14 months after ordering the restoration of diplomatic ties with Cuba, Barack Obama will become the first sitting American president to travel to Havana in nearly 90 years. We see it as a means of pushing forward this normalization process, trying to achieve a greater opening between the United States and Cuba commercially, but also supporting and advancing the values that we care about, White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters Thursday. The president will highlight those universal values during his March 21-22 trip, Rhodes said, while meeting with Cuban dissidents, civil society members and the Cuban government. In particular, the White House official said Obama would raise with Cuban officials the detention and harassment of those wanting to express their basic rights. Watch video report from VOA's Katherine Gypson: But why is the president making the historic visit now, amid continuing concerns about human rights? Not going and isolating Cuba doesnt serve to advance those issues," Rhodes said. The United States "will be in a better position to support human rights and to support a better life for the Cuban people by engaging them and raising these issues directly. Obama, who will be joined by his wife, Michelle, will hold bilateral talks with Cuban President Raul Castro but has no plans to meet with his brother, Fidel Castro, the revolutionary leader who took power in Cuba more than half a century ago but has retired for health reasons. The American president met his Cuban counterpart twice before, first on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas last April and again at the U.N. General Assembly in September. In a tweet Thursday, Obama noted his trip would seek to advance bilateral ties and "efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people." Cuban officials welcomed the upcoming visit and expressed a willingness to discuss any issue. Peter Kornbluh, an analyst and co-author of Back Channel to Cuba, said the timing of Obamas historic trip would be key in solidifying U.S. engagement with Havana. Make it irreversible, so that even if a Marco Rubio, a Ted Cruz or a Jeb Bush is elected the next president of the United States, the investment by U.S. companies, U.S. society in better relations with Cuba is permanent, Kornbluh said. Since the historic thaw in ties was announced in December 2014, Obama has made steady progress in breaking down diplomatic barriers with the former Cold War enemy. The successes include restoring diplomatic relations and reopening embassies in each country's capital. The U.S. also has removed Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. Using his executive authority, Obama has persistently chipped away at the long-standing U.S. restrictions on business, investment and travel in Cuba. The latest step came last week when the two countries reached an arrangement to restore direct, regularly scheduled commercial flights between the countries, the first in more than 50 years. But while Obama has loosened restrictions on Cuba, progress on the Cuban end has stalled, according to John Kavulich, president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council. "The Cubans haven't really done anything, other than allowing more individuals into Cuba and making more money from them," Kavulich told VOA. But Havana could be motivated to make some major concessions over the next year, Kavulich said, in part to forestall any future U.S. president who might want to reverse Obama's policies. "Everything can be reversed," he said. "And if the only activities are some airlines traveling to Cuba, that's not going to be much of an impediment for a new president. So the Cubans now know they're going to have make some things happen." Obama can also continue to loosen restrictions on his own. The biggest change would be to allow Cuba to use U.S. dollars in its international transactions, a move that could dramatically and rapidly stimulate the Cuban economy. "That is the last of the big regulations that [Obama] has control of," Kavulich said. "He may be saving that for this trip." Photo gallery: US Rapprochement With Cuba But there are limits to what Obama can accomplish unilaterally. The U.S. economic embargo on Cuba, which has been in place for decades, can be removed only by Congress. Rhodes said Thursday that the administration was reaching out to lawmakers and that bipartisan support for greater engagement with Cuba was growing. Other issues that complicate U.S.-Cuban relations include the American-run military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Raul Castro has said the only way for ties to be completely restored is if Washington returns the base to Cuban control. Rhodes said that while Cuban officials would most likely raise the issue during talks, giving Guantanamo back to Havana was not on the table. Obama is working to meet the promise he made upon taking office in 2009: closing down the controversial prison at Guantanamo, which holds dozens of suspected terrorists. Watch: July 01, 2015 President Obama Addresses US-Cuba Relations The change of command for U.S. Gen. John Campbell, the leading American general in Afghanistan, and his replacement, Lt. Gen. John "Mick" Nicholson, is set for March 2, Campbell's top spokesman told VOA Thursday. Speaking during a phone interview from Kabul, Brig. Gen. Wilson Shoffner said the date was based on when they could get Gen. Nicholson to Afghanistan, as well as providing each of them enough time for the transition. Shoffner said the date was solidified on Wednesday. He would not release when Lt. Gen. Nicholson would arrive in Afghanistan due to security purposes. Gen. Campbell has said he will retire from the Army after the transition. Officials close to the general said he was offered another four-star general position by the Obama administration, but respectfully declined. Gen. Campbell assumed command of the NATO International Security Assistance Force in August 2014. He led the NATO transition from a combat mission to an advise-and-assist operation at the end of that year. Poland's foreign minister on Wednesday urged NATO to get over its reluctance to deploy troops along its eastern flank, to deter what he says is Russian aggression. Russia's involvement in Ukraine and its seizure of Crimea nearly two years ago have made other countries along and close to Russian borders feel less secure, including Poland, Slovakia, Romania and the Baltic nations home to a large number of Russian speakers. Witold Waszczykowski said he disagrees with many of his fellow NATO ministers that the "idea of reassurances from a distance" is the best way to smooth over this insecurity stirred up by Russia. For some allies, the presence of troops is considered to be confrontational toward Russia, Waszczykowski told VOA on Wednesday, while in Washington to meet with Secretary of State John Kerry. We cannot accept this philosophy, Waszczykowski said. We are saying that a lack of presence created a feeling of weakness and may create a provocation from the Russian side." He said the Kremlin needs a strong signal from NATO. "Presence is a token of determination to fight, to defend and this will discourage Russia from any kind of aggressive moves toward eastern and central countries," Waszczykowski said. NATO meeting Jens Stoltenberg, NATO's secretary general, said Wednesday in Brussels before a two-day NATO defense ministers meeting that the alliance's increased forward presence in Eastern Europe sends a "clear signal" to any would-be aggressor. NATO will respond as one to any aggression against any ally, he said, with a clear reference to Russia. Russia reaction However, Russia considers expansion by NATO to be an offensive move by a Western military alliance and a threat to its national security. According to Reuters, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Wednesday that NATO's military buildup on its eastern flank, the biggest in Europe since the Cold War, was a destabilizing factor designed to contain Russia. Moscow has reacted by building up its defenses and forces close to NATO's borders, and increasing military exercises and drills. U.S. response Kerry said Wednesday that Poland and the U.S. are determined to make it clear to any country thinking of what he calls "destabilizing activities" that the NATO allies stand strongly together to respect the sovereignty of other nations and the integrity of international borders. Poland will host a NATO summit in July, where Waszczykowski said he hopes the ministers will have answers to such threats as Islamic State, instability in Libya and North Africa, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Some material for this report came from Reuters. WATCH: Poland's Foreign Minister Talks About Deploying Troops Police in Uganda briefly arrested presidential candidate Kizza Besigye on Thursday after he tried to enter a house he said was being used for rigging the national elections. VOA's Swahili service said Besigye was released later in the day and taken to his home in Kasangati, north of the capital, Kampala. It was not clear whether he was being placed under house arrest. A Ugandan newspaper, the Daily Monitor, said Besigye and a group of supporters accused authorities of pre-marking ballots and manipulating election results in the house, located in a Kampala suburb, Naguru. Police blocked the candidate from getting inside the home. With the polls closed, vote tabulation was underway. Ugandans appeared to have turned out in large numbers to cast ballots Thursday for president, parliament and local government seats. More than 15 million Ugandans were registered to vote. President Yoweri Museveni, in power for 30 years, faced a challenge from seven opponents, most prominently Besigye, who lost to him in three previous elections. Uganda's Electoral Commission extended voting by three hours in some parts of Kampala and nearby Wakiso after many polling stations opened late, often because of late-arriving ballot papers. At one station in Kampala, police fired tear gas to disperse angry residents who had waited seven hours in line, only to find there were no ballots for the presidential poll. The delays led some voters to question whether the election was being conducted fairly. Makerere University education student Ivan Ssebuliba said, "If this is happening in Kampala, so close to the Electoral Commission, what is going on in the villages?" At another polling station near the Electoral Commission, polling observer Simon Katum said about 200 voters had been left off the official register. Still others were upset by a block on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The head of the Uganda's Communications Commission said the sites were blocked for "security reasons." Besigye accused Museveni and the ruling NRM party of using poll-rigging and intimidation of voters to secure victory in the 2006 and 2011 elections. Pope Francis injected himself into the U.S. presidential race Thursday, suggesting Republican front-runner Donald Trump "is not Christian" because of his proposal to build a massive wall on the southern U.S. border with Mexico to keep out migrants headed to the United States. The pontiff offered his comments on his flight back to Rome after a visit this week to Mexico, where he celebrated Mass in an outdoor plaza Wednesday just a few hundred meters across the border from the U.S. state of Texas, the destination of many migrants coming from Mexico and Central America. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," Francis said. "This is not in the Gospel." The pope said he would "give [Trump] the benefit of the doubt" because he had not heard independently of Trump's wall-building plans, a staple in the Republican candidate's campaign speeches. But Francis added, "I'd just say that this man is not Christian if he said it this way." Trump, a Presbyterian, said at a campaign rally in the Atlantic coastal state of South Carolina that the pontiff's comments were "not a nice thing to say." He said the pope questioning his faith is "disgraceful." Trump, a billionaire real estate mogul, said that if Islamic State terrorists ever attack the Vatican, the seat of the papacy "can only hope that Donald Trump" is the U.S. president to respond to them, instead of what he claimed are Washington's current "no action" leaders. President Barack Obama, in the last year and a half, has led a coalition of more than 60 countries in launching more than 10,000 airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria, with the U.S. conducting most of the attacks. But Trump and other Republican presidential contenders have said they would, if elected, conduct a more robust campaign against the insurgents in the Mideast. The pope's comments came two days ahead of a crucial party nominating contest in South Carolina, where political surveys show Trump with a commanding lead over five Republican challengers. In the latest survey, Fox News said Thursday that Trump is favored by 32 percent of Republicans in the state, leading Texas Senator Ted Cruz with 19 percent and Florida Senator Marco Rubio at 15 percent. Other polls show Trump with an even bigger lead. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the son and brother of two U.S. presidents, Ohio Governor John Kasich and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson were further back in the Fox poll. The Republican candidates are continuing to trade pointed barbs with each other, with some attacking Trump and others aiming their verbal attacks at their opponents closer to them in the polls, in hopes of winning enough support in South Carolina to have a credible standing as the contest heads to numerous other states in the next month. Rubio accused the Cruz campaign creating a fake photo of him shaking hands with Obama, with both of them smiling and both using their left hands, which would be opposite the normal right hand greeting in the U.S. The ad, produced by a Cruz website, said that "Rubio is the Republican Obama." South Carolina's Republican governor, Nikki Haley, on Wednesday endorsed Rubio for the party's presidential nomination, an endorsement Bush had also actively sought. Haley, with wide support in the state, campaigned with Rubio on Thursday. Six pro-democracy activists arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo appeared in court Thursday. Several human rights groups that spoke to VOA confirmed that the students, who are members of the La Lucha movement, were arrested early Tuesday at a private house in the eastern city of Goma. A source in the U.N. mission in Congo, MONUSCO, said the six were charged on five counts, including association with wrongdoers, disturbing public order and incitement to tribal hatred. A spokesman for La Lucha, Luc Nkulula, told VOA the charges are trumped up and the real reason for the arrests is that the activists helped organize the general strike which brought Goma and several other big DRC cities to a standstill Tuesday. The strike was called to protest the government's lack of preparation for elections that are due later this year. Nkulula said that authorities do not want any section of the population to demand elections in Congo, which is why the group was arrested. The trial is a political one that has violated legal procedures, he added. Nkulula said the strike was La Lucha's idea. "We told civil society and the opposition that it would be better to hold a strike than to organize a march as they were proposing," he said. La Lucha polled ordinary people to gauge support for a strike, and then printed and distributed leaflets announcing the work stoppage, according to Nkulula. Others detained At least one other La Lucha activist has been arrested in Kinshasa since Tuesday, and one or more activists of another civil society organization were detained in the eastern town of Bukavu. "We have not had news of our friends who were arrested in Kinshasa and that is very worrying," Nkulula said. VOA asked the government for a comment, but no response was immediately forthcoming. The embassies of the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Canada issued a joint statement Thursday celebrating the 10th anniversary of the DRC constitution. The countries share the hope expressed in that document for "a state governed by the rule of law, and for a powerful and prosperous nation, founded on a real political, economic, social and cultural democracy," according to the statement. Turkey has blamed the car-bombing that killed 28 people in Ankara on a Syrian man with links to Kurdish militia groups, but the United States said Thursday it has yet to determine who launched the attack. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Wednesday's attack in the Turkish capital was carried out by the PKK Kurdish separatist group, "together with a person who sneaked into Turkey from Syria." He said the Syrian man was a member of the YPG, the armed faction of a Syrian Kurdish rebel group. Ankara considers both the YPG and the PKK to be terrorist organizations. In Washington, deputy U.S. national security adviser Ben Rhodes condemned the attack, which damaged or destroyed five buses carrying military personnel in the center of Ankara, but said the U.S. has "not settled upon assignment of responsibility." U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to express Washington's "steadfast commitment" to its partnership with NATO ally Turkey "in the shared fight against terrorism." Davutoglu has appealed for international denunciations of the YPG apparently an indirect reference to U.S. support for the Syrian Kurdish fighters in their battle against Islamic State militants. Rhodes said the U.S. "made clear to the Turks that in all of our engagements with the YPG and other Kurdish elements, that we make very clear to them the importance of our alliance with Turkey, and the importance of them not engaging in efforts that would undermine what should be our focus, which is the shared threat of ISIL." ISIL is an acronym for Islamic State. Saleh Muslim, the head of the YPG, denied Turkey's allegations and said his organization was not involved in or linked to the Ankara attack. The car bomb was detonated Wednesday just a few hundred meters from Turkey's parliament and military headquarters. No one has yet claimed responsibility, but Davutoglu said nine people have been detained in connection with the attack. The pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper said the attacker who detonated the bomb was registered as a refugee in Turkey, and was identified by his fingerprints. Hours after the bombing, Turkey's air force launched fresh strikes on PKK targets in northern Iraq. The Turkish military said it was targeting 60 to 70 of the group's fighters. 'Turkey will not shy away' President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced the bombing as an act that exceeded "all moral and humane boundaries," and declared Wednesday that "Turkey will not shy away from using its right to self-defense at any time, any place or any occasion." After the bombing, Erdogan postponed a planned visit to Azerbaijan and Davutoglu canceled a trip to Brussels to discuss the European refugee crisis. Islamic State was blamed for last October's suicide bombing at a peace rally in Ankara that killed more than 100 people the bloodiest single terrorist attack since Turkey became a modern state in 1923. Turkey has also been battling the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, which has been fighting a 30-year guerrilla war for more Kurdish autonomy in southeastern Turkey. The Turkish military has been a frequent target of the militants. A bruising partisan brawl over a U.S. Supreme Court vacancy could affect pending legal cases this year, but it is unlikely to tarnish the courts image, no matter how the confirmation battle plays out, according to legal scholars. The Senate will be ground zero for a ferocious election year fracas over whether President Barack Obama gets to choose a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia, who died Saturday. The Senate has been in a weeklong adjournment that ends Monday, but virtually every member has staked out a position on whether Obamas successor should fill the court vacancy, as Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell asserted. Already, an extreme level of partisanship has been injected into the confirmation process for a position in an institution that seeks to operate above the political fray and sustain an air of decorum and reason. Although neither the court nor its reputation will be irreparably damaged, the political posturing exposes the reality that the court is just another branch of government, influenced by politics, said New York Law School professor Ari Ezra Waldman. Vacancies on the Supreme Court have been contentious at many points in American history, said Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of University of California-Irvines School of Law. Because the court is evenly divided and the country is deeply polarized, it is not surprising that replacing Justice Scalia will be very contentious. But I do not believe that will hurt the court in any way. Bork nomination Vacancies on the nine-member Supreme Court always generate intense national interest, but some far more than others. In 1987, a political firestorm engulfed ultra-conservative jurist Robert Bork, who was nominated to the high court by then-President Ronald Reagan. Borks skepticism about an expansive right to privacy, from which numerous landmark Supreme Court decisions flow, sparked fierce opposition from womens rights groups and other liberal advocates, as well as their mostly Democratic Senate allies. Bork was rejected 9-5 by the Senate Judiciary Committee and 58-42 by the full Senate, with all but two Democrats opposing him and all but six Republicans voting to confirm. Some legal observers argue the Bork nomination was the starting point of bare-knuckle partisanship in the judicial confirmation process and that Obama is reaping today what Democrats sowed in 1987. Others see no comparison between Borks full consideration by the Senate and the preemptive Republican rejection of Obamas right to put forth a nominee. Republicans in the Senate have said that they are opposed to the president nominating anyone, Waldman said. The Democrats never denied President Reagan the opportunity to nominate someone; Mitch McConnell and the Republican majority are doing just that to President Obama. I think it's too early to say whether it's comparable, because we don't yet have the [Obama] nominee, said George Mason University law professor Ilya Somin. We don't even yet know whether the GOP [Republicans] will simply refuse to consider the nominee. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Republican Chuck Grassley, has backed McConnell in saying the court vacancy should be filled by the next president, but has not ruled out confirmation hearings for an Obama nominee. Steep hurdle Even if hearings are held and the nomination reaches the Senate floor, 14 Republicans would have to join with Democrats to advance to a final vote a steep hurdle made even steeper by election year politics. This is not the first time a Supreme Court nomination might be hotly contested in the Senate. Such battles are understandable, given deep disagreements over judicial philosophy, especially at a time when the balance on the court is so closely divided, Somin said. And that balance has had a huge impact on the nation, according to Waldman. The politics of the court often mirrors the politics of the times, he said. [President] Franklin Roosevelt ultimately appointed a majority [to the court]. That majority protected and cemented the constitutionality of the New Deal. Presidents [John] Kennedy and [Lyndon] Johnson appointed enough justices [Byron] White, [Arthur] Goldberg, [Thurgood] Marshall, [Abe] Fortas to create a solid progressive majority that protected the policies of the Great Society, including civil rights, one-person-one-vote, defendants' rights, free speech and economic regulation, just to name a few. And Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush appointed conservatives that tilted the court right on a host of issues, Waldman added. A Sweden-based charity has condemned a deadly raid it says the Afghan army staged against one of its health facilities in central Afghanistan. Three people, including two patients and a personal caretaker were killed in the overnight attack in the Tangi Saidan area of the Wardak province, the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) said Thursday. A provincial government spokesman, Torialay Hemat, told VOA he knew about a raid Afghan security forces conducted late Wednesday that killed four insurgents and wounded two more, while another was taken into custody. But he said he was not aware of any intrusion into a health facility in the area. The attack constituted a gross violation of humanitarian principles and the Geneva Convention that all actors of a conflict have to respect, said Jorgen Holmstrom, country director of SCA. Medical facilities and medical staff are to provide treatment to anyone in need and patients are to be granted safety according to humanitarian law. SCA is a neutral party in the military conflict that prevails in Afghanistan, he said. A spokesman for the charity, Khalid Fahim, told VOA that the clinic has been closed following the deadly intrusion, insisting the patients under treatment at SCA clinics have the right to be protected. But, relief operations elsewhere in Afghanistan are continuing, he said. "Of course, it [the attack] has a psychological negative impact on the people who are seeking medical assistance in the health facilities. Everyone has the right to seek medical assistance and we have the obligation to provide the medial assistance without any discrimination, said Fahim, saying provincial authorities are aware of the incident. The SCA has been working in 13 of the 34 Afghanistan provinces for more than 30 years, delivering services in healthcare, education and rural development sectors. Separately, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Thursday its has suspended relief operations in the eastern Ghazni province after unknown armed groups captured five of its local staff. An ICRC spokesman Ahmad Rameen, told VOA the captives are safe and in good health, but refused to provide further details. The United Nations is planning to conduct its first air drops of food aid to besieged areas in Syria within a week, a U.N. official says. U.N. humanitarian task force chairman Jan Egeland says the first drops will take place over Deir al-Zor, a town of 200,000 besieged by Islamic State forces. U.N. aid agencies say they do not have access to areas held by the Islamic State group. Egeland says since Wednesday more than 100 U.N. trucks have delivered life-saving humanitarian supplies to 80,000 people in five Syrian towns under siege by Syrian forces or rebels. The United Nations has repeatedly called for all parties in Syria to allow unhindered humanitarian access. U.N. officials estimate 13.5 million people in Syria need humanitarian assistance. Another 4.6 million Syrians have fled the country as refugees since early 2011. The northward push by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with heavy backing from Russian air power, is frustrating U.S. officials while simultaneously deepening the divide between Washington and some of its would-be allies on the ground. U.S. military officials caution that the regime advance has yet to substantially weaken the American-directed fight against the Islamic State terror group in Syria. But they worry it may be only a matter of time. We are concerned that forces that we're working with to focus on Daesh are focused on other things, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Colonel Steve Warren told Pentagon reporters Wednesday, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State. Already, the U.S. has seen indications that moderate rebel groups are shifting resources from their fight with Islamic State along the so-called Mare line, which extends from the northern town of Mare to the Turkish border, to try to counter the regime advance. It bleeds combat power, Warren said of the rebels response, describing the regimes northward push as a perceived threat. Syrian Kurds Such comments have angered rebel commanders, who say the danger is not just from the south but also from Syrian Kurd YPG forces to the north, which until now have been a key U.S. ally in the fight against Islamic State. Rebel groups accuse the Syrian Kurds of shifting tactics, lessening their focus on Islamic State to instead seize territory once held by various opposition groups. They accuse the Kurds of working in coordination with both the Assad regime and Russian air power. Russian airstrikes are helping the YPG on the ground. We see it every day, said Zakaria Malahefji, the political officer of the 3,000-member Fastaqim Kama Umirt, a brigade aligned with the rebel alliance Jaish al-Mujahideen (Army of Holy Warriors). U.S. officials deny such charges, reasoning the YPG offensive is actually helping by blocking regime efforts to move north and threaten moderate rebels battling Islamic State. I don't know if we've seen any evidence to indicate that the Afrin Kurds are working with the regime, Warren said. And while he admitted Syrian Kurdish forces have come under only limited pressure from the regime, he urged all U.S. allies to focus on the U.S.-led coalition's mission. We want them to stop fighting each other and start fighting Daesh, Warren said. Such words, however, may only serve to expand the growing rift between the U.S. and moderate Syrian rebel groups. The YPG is acting as a spoiler, tactically, General Salem Idris, former chief of staff of the Free Syrian Army, told VOA last week in an exclusive interview. They say they are not coordinating with the regime, but that is a lie. Opportunistic moves Still, the feeling among many officials and analysts is that the Syrian Kurds are merely acting as opportunists. The Kurds are playing their own games to have their own state, said Bassam Barabandi, a former Syrian diplomat who co-founded People Demand Change, an international development organization. If they dont get something from the U.S., they turn to Russia. Yet with the Syrian Kurds focused on shoring up some gains in the short term, possibly at the expense of moderate Syrian opposition forces, it could leave the U.S. without a reliable partner on the ground in Syria to counter Islamic State. More and more, the U.S. is disappointing regional allies and jeopardizing temporary alliances, said Michael Pregent, a former U.S. intelligence officer who now is an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute. Its something the U.S. needs to look at. South Carolinas Republican primary on Saturday looms as a crucial test in the 2016 presidential campaign, and its possible the Republican field will be further winnowed [thinned or reduced in size] after the results are known Saturday night. Donald Trump leads all recent polls from South Carolina, with Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Florida Senator Marco Rubio vying for second place. Farther back are former Florida governor Jeb Bush, Ohio Governor John Kasich and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson. Trump said at a recent rally that a win in South Carolina could help him run the table in [win all] the rest of the primary and caucus contests to come. A record of picking nominees The South Carolina Republican primary has been a key indicator of the Republican Party's eventual presidential candidate. Since 1980 the primary winner has been the party's final choice to run in the general election every four years, except in 2012, when Newt Gingrich defeated Mitt Romney, who went on to win the nomination to challenge President Barack Obama. South Carolina is the first of several states holding primary elections where southern conservatives and evangelical voters will hold sway [predominate]. This was thought to be a natural constituency for Ted Cruz, and it helped him win the Iowa caucuses earlier this month. Trump has been surprisingly appealing to these voters, however. That portends well for him not only in South Carolina but in upcoming contests in several southern states including some of the so-called "Super Tuesday" contests in Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana. We are going to win, Trump told supporters at a recent rally. We are not going to take this stuff anymore. We are going to do it right and we are going to make America great again. Fourteen states hold Republican primaries or caucuses on March 1, the busiest day in this year's political calendar. Trump vs Bush The Republican race in South Carolina has become increasingly bitter since last weeks contentious debate, which was marked by several clashes between Trump and Bush, among others. Trump went after Bush over President George W. Bushs decision to invade Iraq in 2003. They lied," Trump said of senior Bush administration officials. "They said there were weapons of mass destruction [held by Iraq's Saddam Hussein]. There were none, and they knew there were none! Jeb Bush fired back that Republican voters were looking for: Someone who doesnt disparage people. Someone who doesnt brag, for example, that hes been bankrupt four times, and it was great because he could use the legal system. Bush added, I am sick and tired of him going after my family. My dad [President George H.W. Bush] is the greatest man alive, in my mind. Bush has recruited his brother and his mother to help him win votes in South Carolina. Former President George W. Bush did not mention Trumps name but seemed to have him in mind during a campaign rally for Jeb in Charleston. I understand that Americans are angry and frustrated. But we do not need someone in the Oval Office who mirrors and inflames our anger and frustration, he said. Campaign takes a nasty turn Trump has also accused Ted Cruz of lying about his record and threatened to sue him over a Cruz ad that screens video from the 1990s showing Trump declaring his support for abortion rights. He is a lying guy, a really lying guy, Trump said of Cruz in an appearance this week. Some people misrepresent. This guy is just a plain-out liar. Without discussing his statements of more than a decade ago, Trump now says he has long been "pro-life" - meaning, in American political parlance, that he opposes those who are "pro-choice," who support women's rights to freely choose abortion without government restrictions. Cruz challenged Trump to go ahead with the lawsuit and said Trumps past statements, as well as those of Marco Rubio, are fair game in the primary debate. And their strategy of screaming 'liar' whenever anyone points to their record and relying on fabrications is not indicative of candidates running honest campaigns, Cruz said at a news conference. Campaign's crucial phase ahead The battle between Cruz and Rubio for second place behind Trump in South Carolina is intensifying. Rubio may have gotten a late boost with endorsement of South Carolinas popular governor, Nikki Haley. If we elect Marco Rubio, every day will be a great day for America, Haley said at a joint rally in Chapin. A poor finish by Jeb Bush in South Carolina could lead to calls for him to abandon his campaign. The Republican race is about to enter a crucial phase. Between Saturdays primary in South Carolina and March 15, when key states including Florida and Ohio hold primaries, 36 states and territories will have held contests on the Republican side, choosing close to 60 percent of the total delegates to attend the national nominating convention in July in Cleveland. The next month will tell us a lot about the Republican race but there are some Republican analysts who caution that a deadlocked convention is not out of the question. Nevada Caucus for Democrats The Democratic race shifts to Nevada Saturday for caucus voting - where Hillary Clinton is getting a strong challenge from Bernie Sanders. Leadership is not only leading the band when it is popular," he said. "Leadership is about standing up for what is right even when it is not popular. Clinton is also focused on appealing to African-American voters in South Carolina, where Democrats vote on February 27. I want to tear down all the barriers that hold back Americans across racial lines because our country can only live up to its potential when every single American has a chance to live up to theirs, she said. One new national poll now shows Sanders and Clinton effectively tied among Democratic voters. Police and other security agencies have been heavily deployed across Uganda following intelligence reports that some individuals plan to use fake ballot papers to undermine the integrity of Thursdays general election with the aim to incite, create chaos and destabilize the country, according to Fred Enanga, spokesman for the Ugandan police. The measure is said to have been taken to ensure a peaceful environment that would enable voters to participate in the polls without fear. Opposition supporters have criticized the move, saying the heavy security deployment is a show of force meant to intimidate and harass opponents of incumbent President Yoweri Museveni and his governing National Resistance Movement (NRM). Enanga denies the deployment is to suppress opposition voter turnout. He says police have a priority to thoroughly investigate reports that some people plan to destabilize the country during Thursdays electoral process. It is intelligence that we are actively investigating [and] we are being proactive," he said. "Weve been able to go out to various media platforms - the electronic, the print and social media, and come out to inform the public that there is cheap propaganda by some opposed to selected groups and individuals who want to discredit the whole process by showing that there are already fixed ballots, which have been recovered. We are also getting information about those who want to incite violence with propaganda through social media showing that some ballot boxes have been found opened and materials missing and so on and so forth," Enanga added. "So we have been proactive with very positive messages and telling the public that what is required of them is just being as vigilant at the polling stations from the point of arrival, up to the point of counting and declaration of the votes at the polling station. Enanga added the police deserve commendation for ensuring a peaceful campaign process with isolated cases of reported violence. He said officers distinguished themselves in all of the over 900 campaigns by being professionals and enforcing the law irrespective of political affiliations of the campaigns they policed. Enanga said the police have implemented structures to ensure all the polling stations are protected on Thursday to ensure the safety of electoral officials, representatives of political parties as well as all voters. We are entering to the D-day tomorrow with a lot of confidence on the side of security," Enanga said Wednesday. "There is very good vigilance. We have effectively deployed four tiers that is beginning from the polling station, then we are looking at the sub-county, and we have additional deployment of a standby rapid response unit at the district, then additional manpower placed at the regional centers." Police bias alleged Opposition supporters have often accused the police of bias in favor of the ruling NRM. They cited the arrest and subsequent release of main opposition leader, Dr. Kizza Besigye, a few days ago in the run-up to the election as part of the plan to frustrate opposition efforts to wrestle power from the governing party. The deployment is actually something of assurance. It is giving them the confidence that would enable them to leave their home without fear because this has been a very popular campaign where weve seen a lot of added numbers, weve seen a lot of excitement, said Enanga. Also weve been getting early warning signs of people using the politics of fear, playing on the psychology of selected voters and supporters by promoting fear so that they cannot come out to vote probably against them. So we have deployed in a manner so that such acts of intimidation are erased from all the voters and supporters, he added. Meanwhile, religious leaders from the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) have called for peaceful elections. Reverend Grace Kaiso, a leading member of the IRCU says the religious leaders will continue to engage with politicians and other stakeholders to ensure the polls are credible and peaceful. His comments came after the religious leaders called on state institutions, including the police as well as the electoral commission, to ensure an equal playing field during the vote. They called on all the stakeholders to be peaceful and to put a high premium to the election and uphold a positive image of the country, said Kaiso. The role of the religious leaders has been to raise the constitutional responsibilities of each institution. For instance, the electoral commission and security agencies, and calling upon them to act within the constitutional provisions and to ensure they carry out their mandate without being partisan. The religious leaders also called on voters to be discerning in their choice of leaders as they go to the polls. They also called on party leaders and their supporters to refrain from acts of provocation, which they said could derail the prevailing peace during the elections. There was a special message to the electoral commission and staff to conduct the electoral process with professionalism, with proficiency, with fairness and integrity, said Kaiso. There has also been a call for the presidential candidate to exercise magnanimity, so that if any one of them wins, that they should be able to embrace the others for the sake of stability and development of mother Uganda. As Ugandans get ready for Thursday's presidential and parliamentary elections, people of faith have been praying for both the elections and their leaders. Some voters let their religious beliefs guide them in deciding and choosing their candidate. Singing, praying, and preachingas the campaign season wraps up in Kampala, many Ugandans fulfilled spiritual obligations on the last Sunday before the elections, when they will vote for their president and parliamentarians. Ugandans are very religious and when I talk about being religious, for example, today you find churches are full in the Christian faith, explained Rev. Diana Nkesiga, Vicar, All Saints Cathedral. In cultsthe mosques are full. Influenced by religion or not But even though many are religious, Ugandans have different opinions on how their faith will impact their choices in the voting booth. Alex Butugi, a social worker, said he will vote for the candidate who best represents their religious beliefs. I think its my duty now, me as a Christian, to actually vote [for] the person who I think is godly and who is going to value our Christian values, he added. Others, like Michael Manzi, an IT company executive, care more about the candidates stance on issues rather than religious zeal. Of course its helpful to know that someone that is godly will probably live out his promises, but its very difficult to know that because we dont have a chance to know the people intimately, he said. To know them personally, so we look at who has a better manifesto, you know. Whos going to address the issues that you know, touch me the most? Speaking from the Old Kampala National Mosque, Haji Nsereko Mutumba said that if Muslims are electing Muslim leaders, they care about religion. If they are electing politicians, they want to know how they plan to help the people. For us, we elect presidents and members of parliament, to cater for our social welfare, he said. We dont mind about their religion." Ugandans go to the polls Thursday. The U.N. humanitarian office called Thursday for $1.8 billion to provide lifesaving assistance to 13.6 million people across Yemen who have been affected by the escalating conflict in the country Yemens plight has often been overshadowed by crises elsewhere in the region and the world, said Jamie McGoldrick, the humanitarian coordinator for Yemen. We cannot afford to let Yemen become a forgotten crisis." A conflict between Houthi rebels and the government of President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi intensified in March 2015 when the Houthis, who already controlled the Yemeni capital, pushed south to the port city of Aden and sent the president fleeing to Saudi Arabia. The Saudis came to Hadi's aid by leading a coalition conducting airstrikes against the Houthis. A U.N. statement said four out of five Yemenis were in need of humanitarian assistance. It noted that donors provided Yemen with $892 million in aid last year, about 56 percent of the $1.6 billion requested. President Barack Obama plans to visit Cuba next month, the first American president to visit the island nation in nearly 90 years. The word from the White House follows the formal agreement earlier this week to resume regularly scheduled commercial air travel between Cuba and the United States for the first time in more than 50 years. That is expected to happen within the next six months. Details with airlines have to be worked out first. Meanwhile, Americans are traveling to Cuba, and have been for several years. There are restrictions on travel, some will be lifted, but travel experts say the restrictions are workable. One of the key categories for traveling to Cuba is for educational purposes, for further understanding of the Cuban people and Cuban history. During both the Clinton and Obama administrations a non-profit group called Road Scholar has been taking Americans to Cuba on a regular basis. It is basically a comprehensive academic experience for older people, kind of what a college year abroad does for younger people. Not like most other places Jim Moses, the president and CEO of Road Scholar, says Cuba isn't like most tourist destinations. I think it's another step forward in normalizing relations, said Moses. He added, but Im curious to know what people think is going to happen when they get on a flight and arrive in Cuba, because an individual just walking around Cuba is not that easy, not that theres any danger in walking around, but I mean theres really limited infrastructure, he says. Moses adds the money issue can be a problem. Its not like you can walk into a store and use your credit card or bank card. Technically it doesnt exist yet. Its pretty much a cash economy. I think that if Americans are travelling to Cuba and are fully informed and have advice on the way, it might work, its just not that simple, Moses says. There is another issue people have to be concerned about. Moses says, in addition to taking cash, you have to make sure you have a place to stay because the hotel infrastructure is extremely limited. I know there are bed and breakfasts springing up across the country, but theres high demand and low inventory. Businesses upbeat Moses company, based in Boston, Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States, is in the seventh year of programming in Cuba during the Obama administration, and has its own contacts, contracts and favorite hotels, bus companies and restaurants. He brings leading Cuban diplomats, architects, and other professionals and workers together with his tour groups so they can share insights and backgrounds. As he put it, sort of pulling the curtain aside and taking you behind the scenes of life in Cuba. His company reports the number of inquiries on travel to Cuba has increased since the Obama administration opened normalization talks with the Castro government. He caters to the tourist who is looking for a unique academic experience, who wants to learn about Cuba, and wants to see the country before it changes, before the influx of tourists. In general, most observers believe that American corporations see massive opportunity in Cuba, and American businesses will be looking to see how they can take advantage of that when the time is right. According to Moses, who says he personally knows Cuba very well, theres so much opportunity, the country is so ripe for development in so many different ways. I think theres going to be a lot of interest. I think theres already a lot of interest." The United States has expanded its counter-terrorism travel restrictions and is now excluding foreign visitors who have recently traveled to Libya, Somalia or Yemen from the visa waiver program. Such travelers will be required to apply for and obtain regular visas. Libya, Somalia and Yemen join Iran, Iraq, Syria and Sudan on a list of nations that have such deep connections with terrorist activities that travelers require full scrutiny, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Thursday. "The addition of these countries is indicative of the Departments continued focus on the threat of foreign fighters," DHS said. Exemptions to the travel restrictions may be granted on a case-by-case basis. As a general matter, categories of people who may be eligible for a waiver include those who travel on behalf of international organizations or humanitarian NGOs, journalists, and those have urgent business or medical reasons for visiting the United States. China's placement of surface-to-air missiles in the South China Sea may have complicated the region's territorial dispute, but officials say it's not the end of U.S. patrols and flyovers. "We have the capability to counter this type of surface-to-air missiles," a U.S. defense official told VOA. "We're [in the South China Sea] strengthening principal order and upholding international law. That won't change," another official told VOA on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. The ImageSat International (ISI) imagery published this week showing advanced surface-to-air missiles on the disputed Woody Island in the South China Sea has "concerned" the Pentagon, according to Department of Defense public affairs officer Bill Urban. China's HQ-9 air defense system which is the one photographed at Woody Island, officials tell VOA has a range of about 200 kilometers, or about 125 miles. Analysts say that would make it the most advanced long-range air defense missile system deployed to an island in the South China Sea. Such a system represents a big threat to airplanes flying nearby. Militarization The imagery of Chinese missiles on Woody Island comes less than a month after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said his country would not engage in "militarization" in the South China Sea. Yi added, however, that "self-defense" might be needed. A U.S. defense official dismissed the idea that a country would try to classify surface-to-air missiles as anything other than militarization. "Is it a greeting system? A way to ensure maritime safety? ... Obviously not," the defense official told VOA, again on the condition of anonymity because of the subject's sensitivity. U.S. officials have expressed opposition to Beijing's massive island-building in the South China Sea, turning partially submerged reefs and shoals into huge airstrips capable of accommodating military planes. But the deployment of the advanced missiles marks another advance that one senior defense official said demonstrated China's "intent." Chaff and flares As much as the missiles threaten aircraft operating in the region, U.S. military planes use chaff and flares to counter the threat. Surface-to-air missiles seek the heat emitted from a jet's exhaust, so chaff and flares serve as decoys that confuse the missiles' heat locator. One U.S. official described chaff as "a confetti bomb of aluminum shreds." The hot, reflective metal cloud emitted can steal the missile's attention away from the jet. Flares are hot metals that burn at temperatures that are usually hotter than the exhaust of a jet engine. This, too, makes it difficult for a missile to zero in on the heat of the jet, giving the plane time to get out of range. Another tool the U.S. military uses to combat surface-to-air missiles is the Tomahawk cruise missile. These missiles can attack surface targets from outside the range of the HQ-9 system. "The best offense is a good defense," explained one U.S. official. However, another official cautioned that a surface-to-air missile system like the HQ-9 could be paired with other weapons, so defending a jet should be more complex than using just one tool. Diplomacy first Despite the ongoing military building, U.S. officials continue to urge all parties in the region to resolve their territorial disputes through diplomacy. "We continue to encourage all claimants to clarify their territorial and maritime claims in accordance with international law, and to commit to peacefully manage or resolve their disputes," the Pentagons Urban said. China's apparent decision to deploy Russian-made surface-to-air missiles in the Paracel Islands has increased regional tensions in the disputed South China Sea, coveted for its potential oil and gas resources. The focus this time is on Woody Island, the largest of the Paracel Island group, which has been under the control of Beijing since 1956, and has an artificial harbor capable of docking vessels up to 5,000 metric tons. While the presence of missiles on Woody Island has been debated, China this week appeared to confirm the existence of defense weapons when Global Times quoted the Defense Ministry as saying it is lawful for China "to deploy defense facilities within its territory, and the facilities have existed for years." On Wednesday, the United States joined Taiwan and a U.S. news media outlet Fox News in confirming the existence of Chinese HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles on the same island. China's claim to most of the South China Sea, a vital international waterway, and its construction of artificial islands and an airstrip in the Spratly Islands, has raised alarm bells in Southeast Asia, where there are competing maritime claims, and in Washington. Presence still disputed But some experts doubt China's assertion that the weapons are even present. According to Professor Wu Shicun, director of the Hainan Province-based National Institute for South China Sea Studies, there is no need for China to deploy ground-to-air missiles on Woody Island, because China doesn't face air threats from nearby countries. He also described Woody Island as "small both in size and population," a place where is would be "hard to hide the missiles." The report that China has deployed missiles on Woody Island may be speculation," he told VOA's Mandarin Service. "Its truthfulness is questionable because I recently visited the Island. The photo provided by the media shows a large beach. As far as I know, there is no large beach." While China has promised not to militarize the newly-built artificial terrain near the Spratly Islands some 740 kilometers southeast of Woody Island, largely within Chinas 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone Beijing, says Wu, never said it wouldn't militarize the Paracels. "When President Xi Jinping visited the United States last September, he promised President Obama not to engage in militarization of the South China Sea. What he meant was not to militarize the newly-built artificial islands near Spratly Islands," said Wu. "He was referring to the seven islands and reefs where China was doing construction." Even if China deployed missiles on the Islands, it is beyond reproach," he said, calling Chinese sovereignty of the Paracels "without controversy." "The deployment of missiles in the Paracel Islands isn't necessarily linked to the militarization of the South China Sea," he said. "It is the United States who is engaged in the militarization of the South China Sea. In 1959, China set up government offices in the Paracel Islands, and in 1974 China acquired and obtained full control. China is most concerned about the freedom of navigation in the South China that any other country," he added. "Eighty percent of China's trade is maritime trade, and 80 percent of its maritime trade goes through the South China Sea channel." 'Garrison island' Although Woody Island is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam, in 1974, the then South Vietnamese government suffered a naval loss to China in a battle over the Paracels. Carlyle Thayer, a Southeast Asia security analyst with Australia's Defense Force Academy in Canberra, says Chinas long-standing control of the islands contrasts with other disputed territories in the region. "China, from its point of view, would be legitimately, just completely upset by any challenge in the Paracels," he said. "The last time the Vietnamese were there was in January 1974 and the Chinese [expelled] them. But the Republic of China had abandoned its islands in about 1950, after the civil war ended and the [Communist] mainland took them over and, in a sense, the militarization question has not been raised with the Paracels. It's a bit late now. There are military bases [there] its a garrison. Hanoi mum Vietnam has not issued any official statements on the missiles, but Dr. Tran Cong Truc, former head of Vietnam's Border Affairs Committee, told VOAs Vietnamese Service that Chinas action is a new military escalation. The former official says Beijing challenges not only other claimants like Vietnam but other outsiders like the United States, which conducted freedom of navigation near Chinas artificial islands in the South China Sea. It is a serious and dangerous move," he said. "The deployment is a step towards Chinas total occupation of the South China Sea. It is not a surprise move as China has been using its power in disputed waters. They would continue to forcefully do that in the future. The former top border official also said the deployment might spark an arms race in Asia, and lead to Chinas unilateral establishment of Air Defense Identification Zone over the South China Sea. Countries like Vietnam and the Philippines will try, by all means, to beef up their defense to counter threats from China, Truc said. During a recent meeting with President Barack Obama on the sidelines of this week's ASEAN summit in California, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung urged Washington to play a greater role in preventing militarization and island-building in the South China Sea, the government said on Tuesday. In another move that analysts say might concern Vietnam, China recently promoted General Li Zuocheng, a decorated hero of the Sino-Vietnamese war, to head ground forces as Commander of the Peoples Liberation Army. Duong Danh Dy, Vietnam's former consul general in Guangzhou, says Vietnam must note this appointment. Those who once fought with Vietnamese soldiers obviously know more about Vietnams army," said Dy. "The promotion shows that Beijing always keeps the focus on Vietnam in its military strategy development. The veteran analyst adds that China will never cease its expansion over the disputed waters. On Wednesday, top State Department officials reiterated U.S. support for stability in the region. China expert Bonnie Glaser of the Washington-based Centers for Strategic and International Studies told VOA the missile deployment is just another step in China's steady buildup of military capabilities in the region. China's neighbors with competing regional claims, she said, are "doing more by themselves with other nations and the United States to defend their interests," which is something "China does not want to see." Yanni, who has performed across the globe and whose sound is arguably its own genre of music, says his method is simple: He embraces the unknown. "Most people are afraid of the unknown. They are more comfortable doing the same thing every time and it's very predictable,'' he says. "[For me], it's exactly the opposite. I look at it as my friend. It's where all the music comes from.'' The new age musician has a new studio album out - "Sensuous Chill,'' his 17th - and unlike the singles-driven market the music business focuses on, he says he intends for his albums to be listened to in full, to put people in a mood and "to be put on repeat.'' He's also now on a North American tour and will debut a PBS special in March of a recent performance in Egypt at the Great Pyramids of Giza. Yanni recently talked with The Associated Press about his unique sound and performing in Egypt. His answers have been edited for clarity and brevity. Associated Press: Do you think of your music as its own genre? Yanni: Absolutely. I'm influenced by everyone. I've grown up in Greece which exposed me to an enormous variety of Middle Eastern music, Italian, Spanish music and everything from North Africa. I loved English rock and roll, American rock and roll, classical, I mean I'm very open to music. I wasn't sure it was gonna work when I was starting out. It was a big chance I took. AP: Were there people who said to you they didn't know if it would work? Yanni: Most of them. ... 35 years ago I started playing electronic music. 35 years ago if I may remind you, synthesizers were not considered real interested. People would go, 'What is that?' They were shunned, but that's what I liked and I really enjoyed blending sound. AP: Do you think that by not having formal training, it's helped you to create the kind of music you do? Yanni: To put it lightly, my mind has not been polluted by how music is done. They will say, 'No, don't put your hands like this on the piano, put them like this. No, we never play these notes together.' A great teacher's job is to teach you how to be without them and unfortunately in our schools, not just in music, we don't see that. AP: Talk about your recent performance in Egypt Yanni: It was magical. It was shot at the highest quality television we have today. ...I created a new surround sound system to go with this particular performance. ...to create the atmosphere of being inside the audience for real, so you're watching the concert it's as if you're sitting 15th row center. They did some pyrotechnics for us that make the 4th of July look like a candlestick. They lit up the entire Giza valley. ...I did it because I knew I'm only going to be playing at the pyramids once. AP: How do you decide where you'll perform? You've played at so many exotic locations from the Taj Mahal to the Kremlin. Yanni: There are so many people saying, 'You should play here, you should play there.' My answer is always, 'Look, when the time is right, it will become effortless and I will be there.' Thousands of Zimbabweans displaced by floods in 2014 have yet to return to their normal lives. The government's Human Rights Commission admits conditions for the displaced are not good but says Zimbabwe does not have the money to take care of them. Residents of the Chingwizi transit camp, about 400 kilometers south of Harare, were forced to evacuate their village when a nearby dam cracked and washed away their homes in February 2014. After visiting the camp in August 2014, the rights commission asked the government to address the camp's living conditions. Among other things, the commission said the residents should be relocated to a site where they could rebuild their lives. But the head of the rights commission, Elasto Mugwadi, said little has changed since then. We stand by our recommendations: The best way out for these people [is] to be resettled elsewhere," Mugwadi said, but "we do not have enough resources to discharge our mandate." Zimbabwe's social protection programs have broken down. President Robert Mugabes government is strapped for cash and has mainly relied on international organizations and Western governments for humanitarian aid. The government of Japan gave $1 million to UNICEF to reduce the risk of malnutrition, diarrheal diseases and sexual abuse among children and women at the Chingwizi camp. Some improvements Camp resident Stellah Manharwe said conditions have been improving, but a lot still must be addressed. She said life had become much better, especially for women and children. But she said some children still have prohibitive distances to go to school, as much as 15 kilometers on foot. She added that waterborne diseases such as diarrhea had drastically gone down and that camp residents were grateful to Japan and UNICEF. Masvingo provincial child protection officer Tawanda Zimhunga said conditions in the Chingwizi camp are still bad for women and children. "Generally, child sexual abuse and child marriages, they are prevalent. Issues of [child] neglect, physical abuse are also prevalent among children in theses communities," Zimhunga said. "Some of the cases of child marriages are driven by poverty, and some children, when they are out of school [at age 15 or 16] some men capitalize on that: 'Tthis child is no longer doing anything, so let us marry.' " Mugwadi was appointed by Mugabe in 2013 to head the rights commission. Its mandate is to ensure that all Zimbabweans enjoy rights granted by the constitution, including the rights to decent shelter, health care and clean water. But years after the Tokwe Murkosi floods, villagers at the Chingwizi camp do not have these things, and there is no indication of when or whether they will. Civil society groups have expressed concern at the sustained bickering in Zanu PF, saying the warring is now preventing the government from tackling pressing national issues such as the crumbling economy. Tensions continue to escalate between two Zanu PF factions; one backing Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa and another supporting First Lady, Grace Mugabe, to succeed President Robert Mugabe. President Mugabe should reign in his underlings to ensure the ruling party focuses on reviving the national economy as well as implementing measures that instill confidence among potential investors, said the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition in a statement. Zimbabwe is facing a severe food shortage that have seen about 3 million people in urgent need of food aid. Other critical sectors of the economy remain in a dire state as well. Another group, Heal Zimbabwe, said it was disturbed by the increasing political tensions, animosity, celebration of ethnic inspired and politically-motivated hate speech by politicians in government. The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission should step in and maintain peace, said group spokesman Rollings Magede. Clashes between Zanu PF rival camps today took a new twist with police descending hard on war veterans of the 1970s, who were planning to hold a meeting in Harare, in solidarity with beleaguered Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Factionalism is ravaging President Robert Mugabes ruling party with one faction allegedly led by Mnangagwa and another by his wife, Grace, calling itself Generation 40. Indications are that Mnangagwa and Mrs. Mugabe want to succeed the 91 year-old president. As factionalism continues, opposition parties appear to be spectators of what is unravelling in the ruling party. Not only that, the nation is almost at a complete standstill with political camps in Zanu PF only eyeing the presidency. For perspective, Studio 7 reached Obert Gutu, MDC-T spokesperson, and Jacob Mapfume of the Peoples Democratic Party. Gutu says contrary to belief that MDC-T is watching silently, it is actually strategizing and a coalition with other opposition parties is not out of the question. The Harare City Council says a local resident has died of typhoid while the number of those affected by the disease has risen to 23 since the first case was reported last month. Council spokesperson Michael Chideme says the local authority is doing all it can to contain the disease in Glen Norah, Gen View, Budiriro, Hatfield and Hopley suburbs. Typhoid is spread through poor sanitary conditions, especially dirty drinking water and contaminated food. Chideme says as a local authority, they are worried that the number of cases recorded continues to rise. We are very much concerned with the loss of life and the ballooning number of people being diagnosed as positive to typhoid, that is worrying us a lot, says Chideme. He says his council has taken all necessary measures to make sure that it contains the typhoid with all departments geared up to deal with the problem. Even though the disease has claimed a life, Chideme says the number of cases recorded so far do not yet qualify to call it an outbreak. Its not yet an outbreak because the law stipulates that it can only qualify after the numbers are above 30 or 40. Chideme says his council is also conducting outreach programs to make sure that all illegal food vending sites are destroyed. The leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Morgan Tsvangirai, says he will soon approach the international community to assist Zimbabweans who are food insecure and blamed his rival, President Robert Mugabe, for downplaying the unfolding humanitarian crisis. President Robert Mugabe has declared the food crisis a national disaster and appealed for $1.6 billion to feed 3 million people - about a quarter of the population - after the worst drought in more than two decades damaged crops and killed thousands of livestock. But Tsvangirai and some analysts say the declaration of a food emergency came late and is putting many Zimbabweans at risk. In an exclusive interview with VOA Studio 7 for Zimbabwe, Tsvangirai said, We are not seeing government expressing its urgency and inviting those who can help to help. I am going to write to various agencies, urging them to act urgently. Tsvangirai added, We need a national response that will determine the extent of the crisis. There seem to be no urgency, there seem to be no focus, food distribution is haphazard, its partisan in certain areas. An estimated three million Zimbabweans are now food insecure and one of the hardest hit areas is Masvingo province. Tsvangirai visited the province this week and told VOA Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that the situation in the province is desperate. But addressing the media in Harare, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is also the chairperson of the cabinet Food Security and Nutrition Committee, said the hunger and drought situation experienced in Zimbabwe is under control. The government says it has secured 150,000 tonnes of maize from Zambia and 500,000 tonnes from Ukraine. Mnangagwa said Harare has secured funding from the Exim Bank of China and procured more than 650,000 tonnes of maize. He added that logistics are underway to transport the maize. Mnangagwa noted that "we are aware of the drought situation and government has moved in to purchase maize from friendly countries. The leader of Zimbabwes opposition Movement for Democratic Change Morgan Tsvangirai has warned that Harare is on the edge of the precipice as President Robert Mugabe is losing control of his party and nation. In an exclusive interview with VOA Studio 7 for Zimbabwe, Tsvangirai said the factional fights in Mr. Mugabes party are a cause for serious concern for a country that has receded into deflation and has three million people who are food insecure and unemployment estimated to be hovering around 90%. Its not so much the concern about succession, it has nothing to do with that, but it has assumed such acrimonious levels that the center is not holding. You cannot be fighting while Rome is burning Zanu-PF officials angling to succeed President Robert Mugabe, who turns 92 next week, are reportedly at each others throats along factional lines. An ambitious Zanu PF faction known as Generation 40, which is reportedly sympathetic to First Lady Grace Mugabe, is keen to derail Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa from succeeding Mr. Mugabe. Turning to opposition politics, Tsvangirai said he is not concerned by remarks by former Vice President Joice Mujuru who registered her party Zimbabwe People First-last week and announced that MDC supporters were allegedly defecting to her party. Anyone can join a party of their choice. Its not a claim of victory if you have a few members from the opposition joining you. For us we have a solid base and we wish her well joining the political fray, welcome to the opposition politics in Zimbabwe and lets hope that she will realize that what she was part of, has caused this country to be where it is, said Tsvangirai. Tsvangirai though did not rule out forming an opposition coalition to challenge President Mugabe who will be 94 when the country votes to elect a new leader in 2018. An aviation expert says the impounding of an American registered cargo plane by Harare is puzzling as it is unusual for stowaways to travel from Europe to Africa. Guy Leith of Fly South Africa Magazine told VOA Studio 7 the aircraft saga has been deepened by the behavior of Zimbabwean security agents, who do not want to release information about their investigations. There is obviously more to this story than meets the eye. Its just a huge coincidence that there should be, lets say, a possible stowaway on a flight that was carrying nothing but money and the stowaway would have been going the wrong direction, normally a stowaway goes from Africa to the more development countries and not the other way round. So, there is a lot that does not make sense in this story. The other question is why the plane wanted to land in the first place. And the only reason that we can think of at this stage without having spoken to the flight crew is that they had a pressurization problem perhaps because of this person in the area that is equipped with the navigation in the front of the aircraft which caused a pressurization problem and they had to fly lower which uses much more fuel and therefore they were running out of fuel. Leitch further said it is unlikely that Mozambique denied the plane entry into the country as it is tied to international regulations pinning all nations to help distressed aircraft crews. The Western Global Airlines aircraft in question is leased to Network Airline Management, a logistics provider, which was engaged to deliver a diplomatic shipment of South African currency from Munich, Germany, to Durban on behalf of the South African Reserve Bank. The company says the body found in the plane was that of a stowaway, which has undergone a post-mortem in Harare. Since 1996, there have been 105 stowaways on 94 flights worldwide, according to the Federal Aviation Administration in an e-mail to USA TODAY Network. More than 76% of those attempts resulted in deaths, the FAA says. The FAA's numbers reflect stowaways in the wheel wells, nose wells and other unpressurized areas. The statistics don't include people who sneak into the cargo compartment or passenger area. The volcano continues to produce intermittent explosions, but there might be something new in the making: weak, but continuous glow from the crater has appeared during the last night - something that hasn't been observed since the latest effusive eruptive phase in July last year. Itindicate that a new lava dome is about to appear. The next days or weeks will probably give a better answer. ... Background: Colima volcano is one of the most active in North America and one of the potentially most dangerous ones. It has had more than 30 periods of eruptions since 1585, including several significant eruptions in the late 1990s. Scientific monitoring of the volcano began 20 years ago.The Colima volcanic complex is the most prominent volcanic center of the western Mexican Volcanic Belt. It consists of two southward-younging volcanoes, Nevado de Colima (the 4320 m high point of the complex) on the north and the 3850-m-high historically active Volcan de Colima at the south.A group of cinder cones of probable late-Pleistocene age is located on the floor of the Colima graben west and east of the Colima complex. Volcan de Colima (also known as Volcan Fuego) is a youthful stratovolcano constructed within a 5-km-wide caldera, breached to the south, that has been the source of large debris avalanches. Major slope failures have occurred repeatedly from both the Nevado and Colima cones, and have produced a thick apron of debris-avalanche deposits on three sides of the complex. Frequent historical eruptions date back to the 16th century. Occasional major explosive eruptions (most recently in 1913) have destroyed the summit and left a deep, steep-sided crater that was slowly refilled and then overtopped by lava dome growth.--- In yet another case of pure American hypocrisy on a grand scale, the US Congress has ordered James Clapper, the director of National Intelligence, to investigate alleged Russian financing of European political parties over the past decade. It is clear that the latest move by the American neoconservatives is not only to target Russia but also European political parties that have backed Russias defensive policies in Ukraine and castigated German Chancellor Angela Merkel for opening Europes borders to hordes of Islamist terrorists from Syria, Iraq, North Africa, and Afghanistan masquerading as refugees. Parties said to be probed by American intelligence agencies and financial control authorities on behalf of their neoconservative masters, including Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Victoria Nuland, her husband Robert Kagan, and grandmaster George Soros, include Jobbik in Hungary, Golden Dawn in Greece, the National Front of France, and the Northern League of Italy. These parties have rejected the Eurocratic control of Europe exercised from Brussels. They have also rejected American dominance of European foreign policy on issues ranging from Ukraine and Syria to free trade agreements and a borderless Europe for non-European economic and political migrants. The move against the populist political parties of Europe represents a new phase of Americas neo-imperialistic foreign policy: the targeting of political parties within NATO countries that have achieved success through the democratic electoral process. The net result of Americas barrage against the so-called European Right may result in an expansion of asset freezes and visa bans already extended by Washington to officials of the governments of Russia, the Russian autonomous republic of Crimea, and the eastern Ukrainian republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Potential targets of such sanctions could include French National Front leader and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, British Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, Scottish National Party foreign affairs spokesman and member of Parliament Alex Salmond, and Austrian Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache. Washingtons ominous moves towards European democracy in targeting parties of both the right and left harken back to the old Cold War days when the CIA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were fond of compiling lists of dangerous subversives abroad who would be routinely denied visas to enter the United States because they were suspected Communists or Reds. Ironically, it is the CIA that has a rich history of financing political parties abroad, particularly in Europe, to carry out its agenda. A 2003 report by the Council of Europe, titled Financing political parties and election campaigns guidelines, states, Not only foreign governments... but also foreign intelligences agencies have engaged in covert funding activities. During the Cold War, for example, the CIA was actively involved in funding anti-communist political organizations. The US National Endowment for Democracy (NED) consists of two arms of the major American political parties, the International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) that funnel US intelligence money to pro-American political parties. These are not the only QUANGOs (quasi-autonomous non-governmental organizations) with ties to the CIA that have funneled money to European political parties. Others include the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), the Free Trade Union Institute (FTUI), the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), the Westminster Foundation for Democracy of Britain, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, the Arab Democracy Foundation, and the United Nations Democracy Fund [1]. The right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which is funded by major US corporations, including Koch Industries, to influence laws at the American state and federal government levels, was discovered to maintain links to the UK Conservative Party to defeat anti-tobacco and environmental legislation in Britain. The IRI, NDI, and ALEC, with the blessing of the CIA and the Obama administration, also worked to defeat the Scottish referendum on independence in 2014. The CIAs history is replete with examples of US covert funding of European political parties. In the 1960s, the CIA provided money to the Italian Christian Democratic Party to ensure that the Italian Communist Party did not achieve political success at the national level. American leftists like Irving Kristol, Hannah Arendt, Isaiah Berlin, and others were funded by the CIA to influence the political direction of their friends in the European democratic left, mainly social democratic parties, to dissuade them from forming coalitions with Communist parties. Many of the present-day right-wing neoconservatives were spawned from these sell-outs of the left, including Kristols son, the arch-neoconservative pundit William Kristol. Through the US National Student Association, the CIA routinely sponsored American students to attend Soviet-sponsored youth festivals in Europe in order to recruit members of European leftist parties to become CIA assets. Although today the United States has Europes right-wing nationalist parties in its gunsights, during the Cold War, the CIA relied on the forerunners of these rightist parties to carry out false flag terrorist operations that were blamed on leftist groups. These operations, generically known as Operation Gladio, were used by the CIA as psychological weapons against Europes socialist leftist and communist parties [2]. Now, the CIA and other US intelligence agencies are targeting parties across the political spectrum rightist nationalists, leftist anti-globalists and anti-militarists, and secessionists. They are American targets merely because they are opposed to American neo-imperialism and globalized dominance by international bankers and investment houses. In order to counter neutralist tendencies within the UK Labor Party, the CIA financed an influence operation via the Congress of Cultural Freedom to provide the political leverage for such Labor Party leaders as Hugh Gaitskell, Anthony Crosland, and Denis Healey to move the Labor Party into a more pro-NATO position [3]. Conversely, when Labor Prime Minister Harold Wilson and Labor Party leader Michael Foot took the party down a leftward path, the CIA arranged for the two leaders to be ousted by CIA implants within the party. For Wilson, the traitor du jour for the CIA was James Callaghan, a right-winger, and for Foot, it was Neil Kinnock, a committed globalist and European federalist, who played the role of Brutus. When Wilson was forced from power as prime minister in 1976, the CIA went on red alert to prevent longtime Labor leftist leader Tony Benn from succeeding him. The CIAs efforts paid off when their man Callaghan took over from Wilson. It was the same story in France, where the CIA actually worked with the 1968 Paris Spring leftist leaders, including Daniel Cohn-Bendit, to ensure that the demonstrations against the French government forced President Charles De Gaulle from power. De Gaulle was eventually replaced by a series of French presidents more to Washingtons liking: Georges Pompidou, Valery Giscard dEstaing, Francois Mitterand, Jacques Chirac, and the most pro-American of them all, Nicolas Sarkozy. France, which under De Gaulle, withdrew from the NATO military command, eventually was slowly absorbed back into the alliance by successive pro-American French presidents. The fear of the CIA is that Le Pens presidency in France may copy De Gaulle and leave the NATO military structure. That is why Washington is doing everything possible to demonize the National Front as agents of Russia. Similar horror stories of the CIAs actions against political parties from Portugal and Greece to Denmark and Belgium can be found in the historical record. If any country is in need of a full examination of its covert political and influence operations in Europe, it is the United States, not Russia. Recruitment of foreign terrorist fighters, facilitation of their cross-border movement into Syria and the supply of weapons to the terrorist groups active there Reportedly, representatives of ISIL with help from the Turkish intelligence services have established an extensive network in Antalya for the recruitment of individuals who have arrived in Turkey from the post-Soviet States, to enable their participation in the Syrian conflict and possible transfer to Russia. The group of recruiters consists of a Kyrgyzstan national named Abdullah; a native of Adygea named Azmet; a native of Tatarstan named Elnar; a Russian Federation national named Ilyas; an Azerbaijan national named Adil Aliev; and a native of Karachay-Cherkessia named Nizam. They are led by a Russian Federation national, Ruslan Rastyamovich Khaibullov (also known as Baris Abdul or by the pseudonym The Teacher), born on 1 April 1978 in Tatarstan. He lives with his family in Antalya. He has a Turkish permanent residence permit. Recruitment takes place with the knowledge of the temporary detention centre administration. If a detainee agrees to accept Islam and engage in terrorist activity, the recruiters promise to do a deal with the Turkish law enforcement agencies and offer, free of charge, the services of a Turkish lawyer, Tahir Tosolar. Sultan Kekhursaev, a Chechen who is a Turkish national, has also made visits for the same purpose to detention centres where foreigners are held. In September 2015 a group of more than 1,000 ISIL fighters who had come from countries in Europe and Central Asia were taken from Turkey to Syria through the border crossing at Alikaila (Gaziantep). The routes for the movement of fighters pass very close to the Turkish-Syrian border through Antakya, Reyhanl, Topaz, Sanlurfa and Hatay. In March 2014 the head of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Mr. H. Fidan, coordinated the transfer of a large ISIL unit headed by Mahdi al-Kharati, a Libyan national [1]. The fighters were taken by sea from Libya to Syria through the Barsai crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border. Since late December 2015, with the assistance of the Turkish intelligence services, arrangements have been made for an air route for moving ISIL fighters from Syria through Turkey to Yemen using Turkish military air transport. An alternative means of transporting fighters is by sea to the Yemeni port of Aden. Russian Federation nationals who maintain contact with representatives of the security, police and administrative authorities in a number of Turkish cities, including Istanbul, are involved in recruitment through Turkish madrasas. It is well known that wounded ISIL fighters are being provided with places to rest and receive treatment in areas of Turkey bordering Syria. At least 700 fighters were recuperating in Gaziantep in 2014. Reportedly, beginning in 2015, Turkish intelligence services assisted in the removal from Antalya to Eskisehir of what was termed a Tatar Village, which houses ethnic Tatar fighters and accomplices of the terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusrah who are natives of Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and Mordovia. Some of them are dual Russian-Turkish nationals. One of the people actively involved in the Village is Timur Maunirovich Bichurin, a Russian national born on 15 December 1969 who is a native of Kazan and since January 2014 has been acting as an accomplice, helping Islamists fighting in Syria. In December 2014, Turkish intelligence services helped to set up camps in Turkey, particularly in Hatay Province, to gather illegal migrants and provide training in preparation for the dispatch of extremist gangs to Syria. In January 2015, the Turkish MIT was involved in the operation to merge three terrorist bands, Osman Gazi, Omer bin Abdulaziz and Omer Mukhtar, into a group called the Sultan Abdulhamid Brigade, of which Omer Abdullah was appointed commander. The members of this group are trained in a camp in Bayr-Bucak in Turkey under the leadership of instructors from special operations units of the Turkish Armed Forces general command and MIT personnel. The activities of the Sultan Abdulhamid Brigade are coordinated with the activities of Jabhat al-Nusrah fighters in the north of the Syrian province of Latakia. It is well known that on 21 September 2015, in the Syrian town of Tell Rifaat, representatives of the Syrian opposition who had received military training at a camp in Krsehir in Turkey had delivered weapons to Jabhat al-Nusrah fighters. Deliveries of weapons to terrorist groups in Syria are reportedly still taking place, profiting from the facilities of Turkish-based foundations Insan Hak ve Hurriyetleri ve Insani Yardm Vakf (IHH Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief), Imkander and Oncu Nesil Insani Yardm Dernegi. Supplies of various forms of weapons, military equipment and ammunition are arriving from abroad via the Turkish port of Iskenderun. Military equipment and supplies are transported from there through Hatay Province (Oncupinar border crossing) to Aleppo and Idlib in Syria using vehicles belonging to IHH, Imkander and Oncu Nesil with the following Turkish registrations: 33 SU 317, 06 DY 7807, 33 SU 540, 33 SU 960, 42 GL 074 and 31 R 5487. Within Syria, the weapons and ammunition are distributed to Turkmen gangs and Jabhat al-Nusrah units. On 15 September 2014, representatives of IHH brought supplies of weapons and medicines from Bursa through the Ceylanpnar border crossing (Reyhanl district) by vehicle into Syria for ISIL groups. This shipment was followed and escorted through Turkey by a vehicle carrying MIT personnel. As Dre suggests in this weeks introduction, people tend to be fascinated with the close bonds between twins. But is it really as great as we think it is? In Twindependence, Diane tires of being a twin and wants a separate room from Jack, whos devastated by her announcement. Her chief complaints? Jack talks too much, and he constantly puts himself in danger. Diane is always saving him from hazardous stuff, like the rusty nail thats tucked in a sandwich. Thinking back to her psychology rotation, Bow tries to resolve the tension between her kids, but soon realizes she was too busy having sex with Dre to remember any lessons from that semester of med school. Dre and Bow want to keep the twins together in the same bedroom, but dont really explain why. Im surprised the show didnt go back to the gender well here. Why not suggest that Diane doesnt want to share a room with a boy anymore? Jack ends up moving in with Junior, who acts like a slumlord. After shaking him down for a hefty bag of jelly beans, he forces Jack to sleep in the closet. Diane has always had a cutting personality, but when she refuses to let Jack sit at the same cafeteria table with her, it felt like shed tipped the scale to outright meanness. My heart went out to Jack as he searched for a table that would welcome him, especially as Diane watched with a growing smile. But I shouldve known not to count Jack out. After he lands at the cool table with Al Pacinos grandson, Diane begins to doubt her plan to distance herself from her womb-mate. While Diane is busy second-guessing herself, Dre and Bow give Zoey a new car for her birthday. (This turns into a lengthy Buick endorsement, but the shows got to do what its got to do.) When Ruby sees the car, she thinks Dre bought it for her and launches into elaborate praise for sons who look out for their mothers. Bow is practically glowing as she begs Dre to correct Ruby. Dre ruins Bows fun and tells Ruby the truth. Stunned, she once again calls upon Black Jesus to help her through the pain. At work the next day, Dre boasts about buying Zoey a car until his colleagues point out what shell probably do in her mobile sex box. This workplace scene slips in a few more Buick endorsements, and is largely flat, except for one notable moment: Daphne mentions that Zoey is a straight-A student and a chemistry whiz. Is this a new development? Weve seen Zoey earn praise for her marketing savvy, her trendiness, and her beauty, but not necessarily her book smarts. Its great to see her get this kind of recognition. Black-ish does strong work with subtle knocks against stereotypes, so defining a popular, pretty girl like Zoey as smart especially in a field notably lacking in diversity is a smart move. After the work conversation, Dre turns into Overprotective Sexist Dad. He refuses to let Zoey drive the new car, which suits Ruby just fine since she plans on using it one way or another. To get the car back, Zoey must pass a series of ridiculous tests like learning German, memorizing random capitals of the world, and knowing how to check for extra parts. Zoey passes with flying colors while the radio friendly version of PTAFs Boss Ass Bitch accompanies her but after Dre adds yet another task, Zoey refuses to play his games anymore. Meanwhile, Bow has been watching internet videos about psychology and reading a For Dummies on the subject, so she sits the twins down to mediate their differences. But Jack no longer wants to reconcile. Hes popular now. Diane, on the other hand, sits with a substitute teacher who tells uneventful stories. She wants her brother back. No resolution happens in this session, but good news: We FINALLY get a John Cougar Mellencamp shout-out. The kids have never heard of Jack & Diane, so Bow does the worlds worst rendition of the songs famous guitar opening. She wants them to see they belong together, but hesitates to explain the exact nature of the relationship described in the song. Jack presses her to reveal more about his and Dianes namesakes. Bow admits that (Mellencamp) Jack and (Mellencamp) Diane are actually a couple, so (Black-ish) Jack fires back with (Black-ish) Dianes catchphrase, This feels right to you? Its further proof that Jack is now the cool one. Now, Id like to take a minute to acknowledge how weird it is that Dre and Bow named their kids after Mellencamps song. In the first verse, Jack puts his hand between Dianes knees and asks her to take her clothes off. Why would you name your twin babies after that? Its creepy! Do people actually do this? I dont understand. Okay. Lets get to the happy endings. At school, Jack ends up defending Diane from his cool friends and Diane watches helplessly from afar as he bites into another nail sandwich. Later, Jack goes back to his old room and the two start talking like nothing had ever changed. I loved seeing the twins laugh with each other again. Zoey takes the car without permission, which angers Dre until he checks the navigational system and realizes she went to the library. Bow scolds Dre for thinking Zoey would change overnight just because she got a car. Both Dre and Bow realize they have to trust their children more to solve their problems on their own. They need to trust that theyve raised their children to do whats right. Its a sweet ending, and its topped off with Diane saving Jack from falling out of the bed while asleep. The Johnson kids are alright. And that brings me to a big point: For a season-and-a-half, Black-ish was obviously a vehicle for Anthony Anderson. Dres shenanigans took up a lot of room, but now every character gets time in the spotlight, and the show is much better for it. Twindependence is proof that Black-ish can entertain us in all sorts of ways even when Anderson isnt the loudest actor in the room. Cover of Puke Force. Photo: Brian Chippendale/Drawn & Quarterly If theres a single adjective that unites Brian Chippendales work as drummer and vocalist for seminal noise-rock band Lightning Bolt and his work as the creator of avant-garde comics, its this one: raw. Everything he does has an immediacy and a grittiness that cuts past your defenses and makes you feel anger, sympathy, fear, or joy. That raw quality is very much on display in his new collection of comic strips, Puke Force. Theyre all sized more or less like a Sunday-newspaper comic strip (think Calvin & Hobbes), but their content is as surreal as it is thrilling: There are bombings, invasions of sentient YouTube comments, travails of an incompetent superhero team, and much more. All the while, the work is grounded in the hopes and fears of a bizarre cast of characters, including a pantsless man named A.W. Dude and a one-armed robot named Gregus. Its political, its satirical, and its endlessly surprising. Chippendale will be appearing at Brooklyns Desert Island Comics on Friday night, and we caught up with him to talk about the overlaps between his music and his comics, his love of Lost, what makes him scared, and his bands odyssey traveling through France in the immediate aftermath of last years Paris bombings. Were you a comics geek as a kid? Oh my God, yeah, super comic geek. I would get the comics in the mail, they would come in this brown-paper slipcase thing, crunched in your mailbox. I was hooked. Except for a very poor, poor period through college, Ive been getting pretty much mainstream stuff ever since. Im still hooked. Your comics are pretty avant-garde, but what mainstream stuff do you still read? Kind of the same stuff. I dont know what that says about me. I mean, X-Men, Daredevil. Theres this Image Comics revolution going on, so Im getting a lot of that stuff, too. Greg Rucka has this comic called Lazarus, which I think is really great, with this artist Michael Lark. I think thats awesome. Ive been traveling a lot the last couple of months, or not home, so Im so backed up. I just want to read. I get way too much stuff. Excerpt from Puke Force. Photo: Brian Chippendale/Drawn & Quarterly This is the struggle for any mainstream comics fan. Its a volume industry. Theres too much goddamn stuff to buy and read. How the hell are you supposed to get through everything? You just cant! Its funny, when I was a kid, the idea of a series coming out once every two months would kill me. I would be like, No! I want that book every month! Now Im almost like, Please dont put it out every month, theres just too many of them. When and how did you get into more underground, weird comics? The funny thing is, I never really did. I think what I make is really a combination of mainstream stuff and then newspaper funnies. I never actually got that into underground comics. I skipped around it. Even to this day, Ive got some Daniel Clowes, Ive got some mainstays of underground comics, but Im not an avid collector. I always pegged it as, I dont know, these comics about people sitting around being depressed and drinking coffee or something. Which is just the worst, there are so many different things. I think I saw a bunch of underground comics at a certain time and I was like, Oh my God, this is nerds making comics for nerds. I couldnt handle it. Come on, man, I want to see dudes fighting! I was into comics for the adventure and the weirdness of it! Excerpt from Puke Force. Photo: Brian Chippendale/Drawn & Quarterly When and why did you start making comics? My first period of really drawing a lot of comics was seventh and eighth grade, I think. Me and a couple friends each had some form of a ninja comic. Mine was just called Ninja, and my friend had Ninja Salamander. Then we had superhero comics he had Super Salamander, of course, and then I had a bunch of superhero comics. I guess he was really into salamanders. I think I was 10 years old, and I was drawing these ninja comics. I did a book called Ninja that was reprinting those original ninja comics and then picking up 20 years later to continue the adventures of this ninja. Then I fell out of it all through college because I was in art school, and I dont know comics had become so cool, but the art-school experience, for me, was not based in that kind of thing. It was more physical art, and bigger and grander and more reckless than doing drawings on a page, in a way. Speaking of which: You do more gallery-style visual art, too. What can comics do that other mediums cant? The idea is that you have these sequential frames, so theyre really good for storytelling. You can follow a conversation or follow a movement through a page. Theyre built to tell stories. For me, for a piece of fine art, if youre looking at a flat surface, you can also tell stories, but I think they can be built to do other things, like to play with the medium, or to show one moment instead of a drawn-out amount of moments. Comics are good for narratives, and fine art is good for a moment. When and why did you start doing Puke Force? It was 2009 or 2010. I had these characters that had been in this Ninja book, and I missed them, so I was like, Ill just start doing this really fast, like a Sunday strip or a comic-book newspaper thing. It was eight panels: four across and four up. It was these characters from Ninja doing stupid stuff. Try to get a punch line done on a one-page thing. I did it on and off, and then at some point started getting really into it and getting carried away. At what point did you decide, This is a project, Im building a world here, and theres going to be an overall narrative? The way Puke Force started out would be seven episodes with either eight or 12 panels, and then, every eight pages, there would be a splash page. It was supposed to have this rhythm for awhile. Story, story, story, and then boom, on the eighth page, thered be some big thing. It was a full-page thing, and I realized I liked this rhythm, and then maybe at that point I was like, Okay, I have to keep going. This just stepped up a level. This is a real thing now, its not just jokes. Its almost like everything I do starts out like a joke, and then if I do it for a couple days, Im just, This is kind of cool. I should keep going. It doesnt take me long to get taken in by my own bad ideas. Excerpt from Puke Force. Photo: Brian Chippendale/Drawn & Quarterly When you tell people about Puke Force, what is your summary of it? Im dreading having to summarize it in the article, its so hard to encapsulate. I have this city. Its called Grave City, and Puke Force is really a snapshot of whats happening in this city. The overarching good-guy/bad-guy story, which there is one, is that theres these teams of weirdos that live in their secret headquarters, and theyre kinda crime-fighters. All the evil comments on YouTube or whatever website, all those evil comments, are personified, too. Theyre this weird black pudding that sucked people in and made them say horrible things and do horrible things. In the background theres this evil digital community versus a maybe good community. Its a lot of satire, it dips into politics in various ways. Its a ramble. Its if you just took a camera and walked through the city, and you managed to hit peaks of activity over the course of a few weeks. Thats kind of what it is. Its a bit of a portrait of a place and a time thats satirical and kind of violent. And funny, really fucking funny. [Laughs.] Theres kind of a Lost vibe throughout the book. Youll have these major events, like a cafe bombing or the creation of a surveillance system, and youll dig into the different back- and side-stories of the characters involved. How much of an influence was that show? At some point I watched all of Lost. Maybe I even watched all of Lost twice over the course of making Puke Force. Im actually a huge Lost fan. Except for the final season, like many people. I loved that show, for the most part. It was definitely an influence. I dont know if it was specifically an influence in that moment [of the cafe bombing]. Somehow that came to me. Theres a few runs of episodes in Puke Force where I really hit a really good pace. There was a lot of momentum, and the ideas were really flowing. How important is doodling to you? I draw constantly. Like this morning, Ive just been drawing for the last two hours. I have piles, mountains of pages of stuff, drawings. Its where everything comes from. Its where character designs, its where narrative, conversations that they have, it all comes from. Sometimes Ill start a page with a drawing of two people and then suddenly they start talking to each other, and it comes from that. It can come when I sit down to do a page, just from some tiny seed I have, but a lot of it just comes from doodling. Either listening to the radio, talk-radio, and doodling about current events and about nothing or just doodling in silence. Doodling is huge. Its everything for me. Excerpt from Puke Force. Photo: Brian Chippendale/Drawn & Quarterly Forgive me for asking such a basic question, but how is making comics different from making music? In the realm of doodling, its kind of similar because most song ideas for me, or for us, my band, comes from jamming. Its literally shutting your brain off and flinging your arms around. Theres a song inside of you, at least one every day, and if you have the time, you can get it out and document the rough origin of that thing, and that thing is probably a synthesis of some melody you heard, some experience you had, the way someone treated you. All that stuff synthesizes. We record everything Its the same as having these sheets of doodles with a million ideas, most of which suck. Theres the physicality, at least in my part of it, to the drumming that isnt repeated by sitting at a desk, drawing. A lot of times me sitting at a desk drawing involves getting up and jumping around and getting excited or something, maybe dancing a little bit. You have to move a little bit when youre drawing. How long does it take you to do one of the big, action-filled splash pages, like the big bar fight that happens about two-thirds of the way through the book? It takes almost the same amount of time as the regular page, because the regular pages are actually comprised of the same amount of marks, theyre just more repetitive because its the same characters in the same basic formation, but its the same amount of marks. If I put in five hours a day or something, maybe one of the big ones would take three days, something like that. Jesus Christ! Maybe. Maybe less. Maybe it was ten hours or something, 15 hours. Times so weird when youre drawing. Those big ones are penciled out in advance, too, so theres also that. Youre drawing it twice, or youre drawing like half of it, and then youre re-drawing it. The labor shows, and in a good way. A lot of comics that people make feel almost machinelike you cant necessarily envision the hand that drew them. But yours feel like theyre fresh off of your desk. I can visualize your sketching in the finished work. Everything I do is very much self-centered, in a way. Everything I do is, I made this, and I labored over it. Theres a human quality, and it couldnt be pumped out on a huge regular basis because of the amount of labor involved. Excerpt from Puke Force. Photo: Brian Chippendale/Drawn & Quarterly You use an unconventional reading order for your panels: The reader is supposed to move from left to right on the top row of panels, then from right to left for the next row, then back from left to right, and so on. Why do that? I want it to look like an animation of sorts. I didnt want the reader to have to jump back to the left side of the page and start over, because theres this moment of disconnect. If youre looking at a series of panels, they should never become unglued, they should always be touching. Your eyes will never leave this figure, and youll follow them through the pages. A lot of the time, that means when theyre going on a walk, theyre walking to the right for the first four panels, but then theyre walking to the left on the next ones because I like this forward-motion feeling. It was just this idea that there shouldnt be this suspension of movement while your eye flicks back to the left side of the page. A lot of your characters are governed by fear. What scares you? Im terrified that Ill wake up the next day and nothing Ive done ever in my life makes any more sense. I have to do it all now because tomorrow, who knows? Im going to look at this and realize what garbage it is, and Ill never want to do it again. Humans are scary. Humans are the scariest thing there is. It is a weird world. Listening to this insane election cycle that were in, its constant fearmongering, at least from the GOP side. Its insanity. Then again, we were on tour in November in Europe, two days after the Paris bombings, and we rolled into France to play three shows. We didnt go to Paris, we were in other cities, but we played within an hour of Paris within a week. There were way more guns than Id ever seen at the borders. They didnt give us shit. We were fine, we were two Americans and a guy from Belgium, all very white, and we were quickly let in, and it was all fine for us. Here we are, playing music two days after this thing, and in another way, I actually felt safe. It was like, lightning doesnt strike twice in the same place. It wouldnt be very sneaky and terrorist of someone to blow up another music venue after blowing up a music venue. Excerpt from Puke Force. Photo: Brian Chippendale/Drawn & Quarterly There are real things to fear out there, but the biggest thing to fear is people who arent getting its not just getting the information, but being able to process lots of information. Theres things to fear out there, its a scary world, but then you look at statistics, and violence is actually down, and its just that people are so terrified in some small town in the United States that some terrorist is going to blow them up. Man, youre not going to get blown up by a terrorist, youre going to get hit by your neighbor whos driving down the street and slides in the snow or whatever, or your friends gun is going to go off in his own face. Terrorism is an issue, but its not the issue. The issue we should be talking about is why might people be able to be convinced that we suck as a nation. Theres one character whos definitely not governed by fear, and we meet him throughout the book: A.W. Dude. He walks around with no pants, hes prone to abrupt bodily functions, and he seems endlessly cheerful. What do you like about him? His whole thing is, I think one of the worst looks for a guy is a guy that walks around with no pants. Theres some point when youre with a significant other, theyre like, Oh my God, thats the worst look ever, and you realize youre walking around with a shirt and no pants. He is, in a way, the most developed character in the book, and his persona is, he doesnt give a shit but he actually does. He saves a baby! My original idea for the book was that he was going to die and that was how the book was going to end. Who could I sacrifice that would make the most Who could be sacrificed and go out in this crazy bang and be the saddest guy to die, and it would be A.W. Dude because hes the coolest guy, but I couldnt kill him. I like him too much. He isnt ruled by fear. Maybe its all about following him around and realizing that you can walk around with no pants and puke your way through life, with a baby strapped to you, and youll be all right. Welcome back, Gilmores. Photo: Scott Humbert/Getty Images Start brewing the coffee and upping your pop-culture game, and cue the la la las: Stars Hollows fast-talking, madcap mother-daughter duo, Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel), are coming back for Netflixs revival of one of TVs most beloved series, Gilmore Girls. Rumblings of a reunion show took root when more than a dozen original cast members showed up to celebrate the series 15th anniversary at the ATX Television Festival in Austin, Texas, last June. Turns out show creator Amy Sherman-Palladino had already pitched the idea for four 90-minute movies that May: We didnt really want to do a reboot, she told TVLine after the news was announced. We wanted to do something a little special. I love Sherlock and their format So we thought, Why dont we do something like that? Now everyones favorite purveyors of sparkling repartee, their no-nonsense nana, Emily (Kelly Bishop), plus assorted Stars Hollow neighbors cranky Luke Danes (Scott Patterson), Rorys bestie, Lane Kim (Keiko Agena), and oddball Kirk Gleason (Sean Gunn) have found new life in those four 90-minute episodes, written and directed by Sherman-Palladino and her husband, Daniel. (The two were famously left behind amid botched negotiations before the original shows seventh and final season in 2007.) Set in present-day, each installment will take place during a season Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Heres all we know about the highly anticipated revival that may have the four-word ending Sherman-Palladino intended the first go-round. I CAN NOW CONFIRM: it's time for me, and this jacket I stole in 2007, to return to work.@netflix #GilmoreGirls pic.twitter.com/tBb07J9oO1 Lauren Graham (@thelaurengraham) January 29, 2016 The setting. A few set photos have made their way online, showing the Stars Hollow we know and love intact. Sherman-Palladino has said that like the original pilot, the new shows first episode, Winter, will have Lorelai, Rory, and Emily each at a crossroads in their lives. Though she and her husband have only seen snippets of the controversial final season, she says the plot will pick up where that story left off. After opening in a seasonally appropriate starker environment, Sherman-Palladino told TVLine, the final episode will have a lusher, warmer, golden-y town, which lends to where the story will end. Rory and Lorelais love lives. TVLines Michael Ausiello seems to have read a script or two, hinting that one of the main characters Lorelai, Rory, Emily, or Luke will be getting a new love interest. On a Rory romance, Sherman-Palladino confirmed that shes single (in the sense that shes not married) but will be dating like any young woman with that face would be. And that certain story lines one of which involved one of the boys had to be rejiggered because of the budget. As for Lorelais love life, so far, her only confirmed male companion is Paul Anka. Get ready for lots of Stars Hollow status updates In addition to learning what the Dragonfly Inn owner and her journalist daughter have been up to since we saw Lorelai kissing Luke and Rory jilting Logan Huntzberger and heading out to cover Obama on the campaign trail eight-plus years ago, well catch up with their family and friends. Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop) Though the caustic Connecticut matron is now a widow actor Edward Herrmanns death in 2014 means family patriarch and retired insurance exec Richard Gilmore wont be part of the show Bishop says Richards presence will be keenly felt. Winter begins four months after his death, with Emily kind of a raw nerve, who, in a desperate attempt to push through her grief, Bishop said, blows between right on the edge of losing it to almost being a little manic. But her relationship with Lorelai will likely improve: Graham says they have some really nice story together. And theres definitely some resolution that we didnt get [before]. Luke Danes (Scott Patterson) The diners open for business, but littles known about whats cooking between the Stars Hollow hometown boy and Lorelai besides the pancakes and burgers Caesar (Aris Alvarado) will be serving up. We left off with the couple back in the diner the day after Lorelais thank-you-for-Rorys-party kiss. According to IMDb which should be noted is not always a reliable source for episodic information Luke is spending all four seasons in Lorelais vicinity. As to whether theyre living together, shippers went a little crazy when a Facebook post with a photo of a box labeled Int: Lizzys and Lukes House appeared, indicating he might be living with his sister, Liz. But Kathleen Wilhoite, the actress who played her, refuted that idea. @melissamccarthy Hah!Well, then I'm in good company. U rule, Melissa. I wasn't asked back either, tho, I think for entirely diffrnt reasons. Kathleen Wilhoite (@RealKathleenW) February 3, 2016 News that Lukes sixth-season surprise daughter April Nardini (Vanessa Marano) would be returning left some fans less than thrilled. So far theres no word on Aprils mother, Anna (Sherilyn Fenn). Christopher Hayden (David Sutcliffe) Not much is known about Rorys dad and Lorelais ex. But IMDB indicates hell be spending Winter in proximity to his family. Lane Kim Van Gerbig (Keiko Agena) When we last saw the rock-music-loving drummer girl, shed opted to stay home with twins Stevie and Kwan when her guitarist hubby Zack Van Gerbig (Todd Lowe), got a gig in California. One of Zacks Hep Alien bandmates, bassist John Cabrera (Brian Fuller), is also returning, but no word on whether hes living with the couple, and their now-9-year-old twins, who are among the shows new characters. Of course Lane wouldnt be complete without her tightly wound, Uber-religious mother, Mrs. Kim (Emily Kuroda), will be back as well. Paris Geller (Liza Weil) Did Rorys Chilton and Yale classmate make it to medical school and become a doctor? Though she once tried to dump Doyle McMaster (Danny Strong), she and the onetime college-newspaper editor may still be a thing. Bishop says Paris 2.0 is a hoot, and its unbelievable what Amy has written for [her]. People are going to have so much fun with it. According to IMDB, the couple is slated to appear in Winter. Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki) Rorys first love, whom she slept with while he was married, will also be back. But it seems only for Winter. I'm heading back to Stars Hollow! Time to brush off my turtleneck... #dean #GilmoreGirlsRevival pic.twitter.com/xshdjXtCx0 Jared Padalecki (@jarpad) February 11, 2016 Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry) Richie Rich went off to California after Rory dumped him and is now a high-powered West Coast lawyer, and, it appears, will be in the same episode as Dean. Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia) When we last saw Lukes leather-jacketed writer nephew a.k.a. Rorys brooding second boyfriend Rory had gone to a party at the publishing house where he worked and kissed him to make Logan jealous. Could Jess now be back in Rorys life? Theres reason to hope so: IMDb has Ventimiglia listed for three seasons: Winter, Spring, and Summer. What a great time to get back on set with some friends. #JessIsBack @warnerbrostv @netflix. MV pic.twitter.com/VQAt2Lrumr Milo Ventimiglia (@MiloVentimiglia) February 10, 2016 Kirk Gleason (Sean Gunn) The town eccentric who mostly lived with his mother finally found love with his brothers ex, and was last seen DJing at Rorys bon voyage party, is back and dreaming of pie. Had a dream that after a long first day shooting the new Gilmore Girls, @thelaurengraham insisted we go over to her place for pie. Sean Gunn (@seangunn) February 12, 2016 Michel Gerard (Yanic Truesdale) You can be sure the Celine Dionloving, imperious French concierge and Lorelais right-hand man at the inn will be annoyed about everything for possibly all four seasons. First day back at the Inn with my old boss. Fun times! #GilmoreGirlsRevival #WarnerBros pic.twitter.com/sxprUKdLyk Yanic Truesdale (@YanicTruesdale) February 6, 2016 Finn (Tanc Sade) The offbeat Aussie who, with Logan and Colin, was a member of Yales secret Life and Death Brigade will be spending some time around Stars Hollow. and some townie sightings. Gypsy (Rose Abdoo), Stars Hollows auto mechanic, plus thick-as-thieves gossips dance teacher Miss Patty LaCosta (Liz Torres) and Lorelais well-meaning neighbor Babette Dell (Sally Struthers) will be seen around the square. So will Lukes least favorite person, market owner and self-appointed town boss Taylor Doose (Michael Winters). All of them are listed only for the Winter episode, along with everyone else. But other Gilmore nearest and dearest are, so far, MIA Sookie St. James (Melissa McCarthy) We dont know how the absence of Lorelais spunky best friend, chef, and co-owner of the Dragonfly Inn will be explained. But earlier this month, Sherman-Palladino was still holding out hope that McCarthy would make an appearance, no matter how brief. Then the actress announced she wasnt asked to return, which would also seem to mean Sookies produce-loving husband and the father of her three kids, Jackson Belleville (Jackson Douglas), is also in the wind. Thanks for the invite, but sadly no one asked me or Sookie to come back to Stars Hollow. Wish them all the best!! https://t.co/II2Atug4wx Melissa McCarthy (@melissamccarthy) February 2, 2016 But then this photo showed up with theories about its meaning could someone else have moved into Jackson and Sookies home? Update (2/22/16): Jackson Henry, who plays Jackson on Gilmore Girls, announced via Twitter that he will indeed be returning for the revival. Sookies absence remains unexplained. I got my GG script today! Hooray! Hey that rhymes! Jackson Douglas (@jacksonveggies) February 19, 2016 Gil (Sebastian Bach) Though we know some Hep Alien rockers are reprising their roles, so far, all Skid Rows Bach has said is it would be neat to be asked back. That would be neat https://t.co/znTajeI2YR Sebastian Bach (@sebastianbach) February 11, 2016 Tristan Dugray (Chad Michael Murray) Tristan, Rorys Chilton classmate and relentless flirt, hasnt been seen since his father shipped him off to military school. Besides, hes busy bossing around Agent Carter. (Heres a list of other onetime cast members who may not have made the cut.) There will also be new faces in Stars Hollow. Sutton Foster, who previously starred in the Sherman-Palladino-led Bunheads as ex-Vegas showgirl Michelle Simms, will appear in Stars Hollow. But will she dance with Miss Patty? TVLine wonders if shell show up as Simms E! Online also reports on other new faces entering the Stars Hollow scene: Theres Paul, a 30-something Michael Cera type described as a good boyfriend; Jim, a mature mens-magazine editor; Dwayne, a working stiff; Damon, a handsome 20-something; Peruvian couple Berta and her handyman husband, Alejandro; curmudgeon Nat Compton; Portuguese nanny (for Lanes twins?) Clementina; plus kids Dewey, 13; Tim, 7; and his sister Gabriela, 5; and a whole bunch of hippies at a commune. Check TVLine for future cast info. Photo: Desiree Navarro/WireImage The Witch is easily one of the most disturbing horror films in recent memory. As the core family of witchcraft-fearing 17th-century New Englanders devolves into hysteria, the film one-ups itself in unsettling scenes that are near impossible to shake days after watching. Part of what makes the most bloodcurdling moments so startling is that they hail from a very real place in the American past. Writer and director Robert Eggers spent the years leading up to his Sundance-award-winning film enmeshed in research of fairy tales, Calvinism, and the difference between bone and linen corsets. What emerged from his research is an aggressively accurate portrait of the time period portrayed in the film and the fears it contained. Vulture spoke to Eggers to about how he created this historical master class, which has some troubling modern-day resonances. How did you start your research? By going to the New York Public Library. I checked out anything witch-related or Puritan-related or related to early Colonial history. Its easy to find collections by contemporary historians of primary source materials, so I used a lot of those. There was a book that was a collection of Elizabethan witch pamphlets that was very helpful. Eventually, the more I read, the more I became aware of specific things. There were even things that didnt have to do with witchcraft but were eye-opening, like William Bradfords Of Plymouth Plantation, and other texts like that. In looking through this stuff and trying to create the story, I was sort of like, All right, in all of these accounts of witchcraft, be [they] historical accounts of actual witchcraft or folktales or fairy tales, what are the tropes that always happen in every single one? What are the ones that speak the most personally to me? Those need to be in the film. Do you have an example of a trope that is featured prominently in the film? The hare. Tons of folktales have to do with hares and witches. Basically, witches all over Europe turn into hares and are able to do malevolent things in the form of a hare. It goes back to the great god Pan. Pan is, if were going to do archetypal projections, related to the Christian Satan, but as a child, Pan was wrapped in a hares hide. Theres all kinds of things like that. The concluding title notes that much of the dialogue is taken from your research. What was your process for pulling the primary sources into the script? I had to research the vocabulary and understand the grammar structure. After that, it was about going through the primary source materials and pulling out sentences and phrases and organizing them in a phrase book for different situations. So earlier drafts were these disgusting, monstrous collages of other peoples work that I had to hone into something that felt like the characters voices. Almost like a tool kit for you to use when writing dialogue. Exactly, yes, but certain things are deliberately kept intact. The things that the children say when theyre possessed are things that children said when they were possessed. How was possession typically recorded? A lot of what I used was the writings of Cotton Mather. Cotton Mather was very obsessed with writing down accounts of witchcraft. So sometimes there is court testimony. Sometimes its different things. But Cotton Mather collected and synthesized it, and oftentimes wrote it as a narrative. Sometimes its the account of the father experiencing it, so its hard to know who the actual author was, and so maybe some of it is false, but it certainly feels authentic and has authentic elements. Theres a notable scene when the familys oldest son, Caleb, is possessed. Was that scene from the work of Cotton Mather as well? I think that a lot of the stuff that Caleb says when hes possessed I wish Id been a little more exact in my bibliography but I think that a lot of that comes from witch trials in Connecticut in the 1660s. Beyond specific lines of dialogue, you had to build out the Puritan belief system. What did that look like across your research? Digging into the creation of the Puritan mind-set involved really trying to wrap my head around extreme Calvinism and what thats all about. I now understand predestination, and I had to read the Geneva Bible cover-to-cover and read the gospels quite a bit to get into that world. Reading these religious texts and these personal diaries was a great way to get an understanding of these people as human beings. Theyre just like us, even if their worldviews are very different. And then, working with museums and historians and some people in the living history community to try and understand what agricultural practices were in England and how they changed when they came over here, learning about animal husbandry. How much time did you spend immersed in this stuff? Four years. But it wasnt full-time. I was working as a costume designer on other projects. So it wasnt four years full-time. Basically, if I got a gig that paid a little bit or I was out of work, I would hit the books again. How did your background in costume design and production weigh on the aesthetics of the film? Im sure there werent a lot of visual resources. Yeah, certainly in New England they were against graven images, so they really just dont have them. In England, the painterly tradition, the fine-art tradition, was more focused on wealthy people; we dont have the Dutch golden age or all sorts of stuff that was going on in France of painting peasants and common people in a very detailed way. That doesnt exist in England. So, if youre going to go off of the woodcuts, youre kind of like using New Yorker cartoons to look into the the 21st century. But there are so many people who were doing this stuff before me, historians and living history people, so its not stuff that you can grab on Amazon, but its out there if youre working with and talking to the right people. How did you ensure historical accuracy with the aesthetics of the film? We tried to stick to the most up-to-date knowledge wherever we could. For example, in Plymouth Plantation, when I started going to there as a kid, all of the women were wearing boned corsets. But theres a historian named Stuart Peachey, who is really the worlds foremost expert on the clothing of the common people from the Elizabethan to early Stuart eras. He wrote a gigantic, 30-volume book set I mean, theyre all thin pamphlets, but still, its pretty massive about the common people. You had a limited budget. What was the biggest challenge in staying true to the history? There were certain things, like we couldnt find all handwoven cloth. Linda Muir, the costume designer, had samples from the U.K. that were all handwoven, exactly what it should be, and then, where we could afford it, we would use that, but if we couldnt afford it, she found incredible machine-woven stuff that looks really good. They were all hand-stitched and lined correctly, they were made like clothing, not made like costumes. So that was one thing that was a bummer, but it would have just exploded the cost, and the stuff that Linda found was so strong. The wools that she had have a ton of texture and a ton of integrity, so I dont think that it is taking away from the film. How about with the set? Yeah, another one of the big expenses was the clapboard, the sheath, and all the outbuildings. Those were all hand-driven by a guy who repairs first-period homes and does museum re-creation. We tried to find a way to fake it, and we just absolutely couldnt. We couldnt find the equivalent of Lindas machine-woven wool that was close enough to the handwoven wool. There was just no way we could possibly fake it. So, we had to have it done for real. But when I first met with Craig Lathrop, the production designer, I said, Craig, I just want to build this farm exactly how they would have done it, and I think its going to be cheap to do it like that. And he was like, Well, maybe, except for that its the dead of winter and the snow is up to my crotch, so we cant do that. Like, I cant dig the post holes to put the posts in for the house. Back in this period, they didnt have the foundations and sills; generally, they just dug holes for posts, stuck them in, and moved from there. How did you work around that? Craig was like, The compromise is Im going to build pieces of this as a kit, some of it very much like a set, but everything thats on camera is going to be made out of the proper materials. That means we had to use period tools and techniques a lot of the time to make it look right. If we could use a chainsaw or a screw gun, we would, but sometimes we couldnt. You cant fake some of this stuff. If we had to use a draw knife, we would use a draw knife. Why did you subtitle the film a New England folktale? Was there an important distinction between a fairy tale and a folktale in your research? Im a very naughty, bad person, because this film is more of a fairy tale than a folktale, to be honest. But because of the primitive New England, farm-y, harvest, archetypal vibe, the folktale seemed better for a subtitle. Thats very embarrassing, but it is true. It endeavors to be more of a pre-Disney fairy tale. Ive actually taken credit for this wording earlier, but Ill stop doing it: Marie Louise Vaughn is a prominent Jungian, shes dead now, but she talks about how these watered-down fairy tales arent going to survive because they were designed to fit inside a post-Victorian epoch, and the fairy tales that are earlier and closer to myth, theyre just human. When you read them today, youre conditioned to have a super objective. Youre like, Whats the point, man? But its not about a point, its just expressing something human. One of the things that these early fairy tales do so well is that they unconsciously explore the complex family dynamics the same way myth does. They explore the family dramas, the drama were all dealing with all the time through all the relationships in life. From the New Groups production of Sam Shepards Buried Child. Photo: Monique Carboni Sam Shepard had already been writing for the theater for 14 years when Buried Child won the Pulitzer Prize in 1979. The play his 23rd or so, depending on how you count was both a distillation and a departure, applying the cruel poetry of earlier, experimental works like Geography of a Horse Dreamer and The Tooth of Crime to a more traditional genre: the family drama. The result was a willfully scalding indictment of both halves at that phrase, the family and the drama, which he saw as more or less co-dependent. Shepard recently told the Times that, in the wake of Long Days Journey Into Night the greatest play ever written in America he was fed up with its genre and, more generally, with psychology as a basis for understanding personal history or national character. Because this and that happened, you wet the bed? Who cares? Who cares when theres a dead baby in the backyard? Taking down Papa ONeill was not perhaps so shocking after a decade or two of antiestablishment dramaturgy. But the shadow of Oedipus hangs over more than just the construction of Buried Child. The ancient story of paternal rivalry (and maternal taboo) is baked into the plot. Unfortunately, and despite two excellent performances, neither story seems terribly urgent in the New Groups limp revival at the Signature Center. As Dodge, the dying alcoholic head of a Midwest farm family that has long since stopped farming, Ed Harris, all gaunt charisma, brings specificity and gravity to a role that can sometimes seem merely symbolic: He is the failure of American manhood. And as Halie, Dodges wife, Amy Madigan imbues that chatterbox harridan with an angry dignity that helps balance the tale even if it does not always seem authorized. That the pair also seems definitively enmeshed is a tribute to their attachment onstage and off, as Harris and Madigan are married in real life. Like married people everywhere, they do not need to see each other, or even listen much, to know whom theyre stuck with. Once we get past Dodge and Halie, though, the production starts to wobble. This is partly inherent in the storytelling, which grows more poetic yet also more obvious as it departs from the archetypal parents. Their two living sons, Tilden and Bradley, are not so much actual humans as symbols of catastrophe, both interior and exterior: Bradley (Rich Sommer) is, apparently, a self-amputee, goose-stepping around on a prosthetic left leg; Tilden (Paul Sparks) is a potentially psychopathic half-wit. (He has returned unwanted to the family homestead after unspecified bad doings got him kicked out of New Mexico.) There is no love lost among any of the four, a fact that renders Sommer and Sparks, though they are both quite good, almost inert. Were it not for the arrival of Mysterious Others the actions of the story might consist solely of things the sons do to their father while hes asleep and can offer no resistance. (Bradley gives him an unwanted haircut; Tilden buries him under a scattering of cornhusks.) The facts of a terrible past, including incest and infanticide, are gradually unearthed but are neither news nor progress. When Tilden advises Dodge that you have to talk or youll die, you may wonder, as Dodge does, whether any real option has been offered. But at the beginning of Act Two the plays three acts are performed here in one intermissionless two-hour swoop those Mysterious Others do arrive to jolt the action. One is the twentyish Vince, who says he is Tildens son and has come from New York to visit his grandparents. No one recognizes him. The other is Vinces girlfriend, Shelly, an American cousin to those Pinter women, like Ruth in The Homecoming, who quickly get the upper hand in their borrowed families. (As symbols go, her theft of Bradleys prosthesis is none too subtle.) But the sudden gear shift when they arrive, however welcome in terms of pace, pushes this production, even more than usual, into tonal incoherence. As sketched by Nat Wolff of the Naked Brothers Band, Vinces increasing desperation to be acknowledged takes on an unwanted sitcom edge: He is too green and ingratiating to offer any real threat. And as Shelly, Taissa Farmiga, a young movie and television actress making her stage debut, sounds like shes on an episode of Girls. Its tempting to blame the director, Scott Elliott and certainly the unaligned acting styles count against him. (The physical production, however, with its saggy-beamed living room and baleful light, is terrific.) But I wonder if something else is also going on. A 1995 Steppenwolf production, seen on Broadway in 1996, was so beautifully cast and expertly performed, top to bottom, that it may have disguised the disintegrating foundations of the play itself. Those footings are all too visible now. Buried Child is a play about a secret that isnt one (its revealed in the title) and, as Shepard intended, a living-room play reduced to ashes, with no one left living inside it. The tear-down impulse that motivated its creation seems to have consumed itself, in the manner of much symbolic (and reactionary) art. In that regard its telling that Shepards Fool for Love, a more psychological story written just five years later, still holds up beautifully, as its recent Broadway revival proved. Perhaps, after all, we do care about this and that happening, and what results. We (and ONeill) call it drama. Buried Child is at the Pershing Square Signature Center through April 3. You can read something in the songs that appear in the two acts of Pearl Cleages A Song For Coretta. The We Shall Overcome that recalls the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s turns into the individualistic and less overcoming This Little Light Of Mine by the end of the second act. Thats not to say that A Song For Coretta, which continues its run from Thursday to Sunday at the Jubilee Theatre, is dispiriting about where that movement is today. Its more of a recognition of how the shared experience of that fight continues today, but in different expressions. The Coretta of the title is Coretta Scott King, wife of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., who continued as a leader in the movement after Kings assassination in 1968. She died in 2006 and thousands filed past her casket as it lay in state in the Georgia State Capitol, then the Kings home church of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. A Song For Coretta imagines some of those standing in line for hours in the rain, why they are there and what theyd say to each other. Its a tribute to the actors who portray the plays five women in line that audiences will leave feeling theyve met and maybe understood five individuals. That, shaped by Richard Leslies direction, makes Coretta a worthwhile, enjoyable piece of theater, a play more about people than plot that leaves us thinking, in a good way, about others. The play begins with Helen Richards (Carol Dugat), who remembers meeting Coretta as a child, thanks to her parents involvement in the Maids Committee, which arranged transportation for maids, cooks and domestic workers during the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955-56. She shares her memories of how Coretta paid attention to her even though she was a child with another who joins her in line, Spelman College student Zora Evans (Taheshah Claire Moise). Evans, in her 20s, has no childhood memories of the civil rights movement or Coretta, but sees opportunity: By recording the stories of those wanting to pay their respects to the late civil rights icon, she intends to shape a radio piece that she can pitch to National Public Radio. Others arrive later, impelled to pay their respects not from any personal contact with Coretta, but in search of hope for their troubled lives. Theres Mona Lisa Martin (Jolia Jones), a weathered, frank, wry and wise Hurricane Katrina survivor displaced from her home, who passes the time in line by sketching for a fee the women shes with in line. Theres pregnant Keisha Cameron (Ashleigh Sherel), in search of sympathy and support for her decision to have her baby, even though job prospects and strained relationships cloud her future. And, arriving in the second act, Iraq vet Gwen Johnson (Ashley Weaver), contemplating desertion on the eve of another tour of duty due to traumatic memories from her last tour. In one of the plays more dramatic moments, Johnson and Martin recount their horrifying experiences from battle and Katrina in parallel monologues. While the memories or symbolism of Coretta bring the women to the line, theyre not unified in opinion or outlook. Helens irritated at a younger black generation she sees as lazy and unappreciative. Keisha finds that too judgmental and insensitive. Mona Lisa, sobered by her experience with death and homelessness, has little patience for those who just talk. In the end, the impromptu community formed in the funeral line proves the tribute to Coretta, showing a similar empathy, willingness to stand up for others and a sense of communal strength. Jones, an experienced actress whos new to Waco stages, and Moise, a relative newcomer, add an onstage ease with their characters to those portrayed by Sherel, Dugat and Weaver, whove appeared in other Waco Civic Theatre and Jubilee Theatre performances. In the Jubilees more intimate space, the casts acting brings out the personal dimension of Coretta, making the performance feel like an introduction to possible friends-in-the-making. A Song For Coretta continues this week with performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2:30 p.m Sunday at the Jubilee Theatre, 1319 N. 15th St. Tickets cost $18 and $16. Call the Waco Civic Theatre at 776-1591 for ticket information. Texas State Technical College Culinary Arts Connection Greta W. Watson Culinary Arts Center, Campus Drive and Eighth Street 254-867-4868 Hours: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays through April 24 Price: $ (see guide below) Takeout: Yes Credit cards: Yes Good to know: Will accept reservations for parties of six or more. Patrons who wish to dine in should arrive between 11 and 11:30 a.m. to get seating. Customers can order a meal to go at the counter. Dining schedule: Friday Vietnamese Wednesday and Feb. 26 Cajun March 2 and 4 US Contemporary March 16 and 18 Pacific Rim March 23 and 25 Italian March 30 and April 1 Southern April 6 and 8 English April 13 and 15 Texas April 22 Live action buffet In-N-Out Burger 801 S. Fourth St. 800-786-1000 (no local number) Hours: 10:30 a.m.- 1 a.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays, Price: $ (see guide below) Takeout: Yes On the menu: Burger basics: hamburgers and cheeseburgers with a multiple patty option, french fries, milk shakes. Good to know: Customers can order off a secret menu and get such variations as double meat, 3 X 3 and 4 X 4 (two- , three- and four-patty burgers), animal style (In-N-Out sauce and grilled onions) and protein style (no bun). Restaurant origin: Started in 1948 in California by drive-through pioneers Harry and Esther Snyder, who were among the first restauranteurs to develop the drive-through. Barnetts Public House 420 Franklin Avenue 254-714-1356 On Facebook, and at barnettspublichouse.com Hours: Closed Mondays; 4-11 p.m. Tuesdays-Wednesdays; 4 p.m.-midnight Thursdays; 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Fridays; 10 a.m.-1 a.m. Saturdays; and 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Sundays. Price: $ (see guide below) Takeout: Yes Alcohol: Yes, full bar On the menu: The restaurant recently revamped its menu, with only a few items carried over from the previous menu. New menu items include The Cajun, The Italian Stallion, The Greek and Bahn Mi, all featuring gourmet sausages served with flat bread or a baguette. Other new items include Andouille sausage or shrimp with jalapeno grits, homemade boudin and beans, bratwurst and The Blue Collar Dog, a black Angus beef hot dog. Desserts include salted caramel cheese cake, bread pudding and a smore kit. Good to know: Offers free Wi-Fi and daily drink specials. Restaurant origin: Barnetts opened in the spring of 2010 before closing its doors Dec. 31, 2014. Under new ownership, the pub reopened in February 2015. Tandoori Trailer Waco Chowtown food truck court (University Parks Drive at Franklin Avenue.) 254-495-6466 On Facebook, Twitter and at tandooritrailer.com Hours: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and 5-7 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Hours may vary due to weather; dinner hours longer in spring and summer. Closed Dec. 31-Jan. 3. Price: $ Takeout: Yes. Curbside service and phone app allowing ordering available after mid-January. Alcohol: No On the menu: Tandoori chicken (roasted in a tandoor, an Indian clay oven), chicken curry, paneer makhani (cubes of paneer cheese in a spiced tomato and cream sauce), chole (chickpeas), naan (baked flatbread), samosas (deep-fried pastry with savory fillings), basmati rice. Good to know: Garlic naan is a customer favorite. All dishes are made fresh daily. Restaurant origin: Co-owner Johnny Bhojwani came to work in Baylor Universitys admissions office in 2011 only to discover the nearest Indian restaurant was in Killeen. Houston resident Naresh Thadani was looking for a business in which to invest and Bhojwani suggested creating an Indian cuisine food truck. Freddys Frozen Custard and Steakburgers 817 S. Jack Kultgen Freeway 254-301-7330 On Facebook and at www.freddysusa.com Hours: 10:30 a.m.- 10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays. 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. Drive-through open 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.-midnight Fridays-Saturday. Price: $-$$ Alcohol: No On the menu: Steakburgers, hot dogs, chicken breast sandwiches, veggie burgers, french fries, cheese fries, frozen custard sundaes and milkshakes. Good to know: Most popular order is the No. 1 combo, a double cheeseburger with fries and drink. Steakburgers made fresh daily and vegetable sides cut fresh daily. Freddys Fry Sauce also sold separately. Restaurant origin: World War II veteran Freddy Simon started the original Freddys in 1950s in Wichita, Kansas. Zoes Kitchen 1810 S. Valley Mills Drive 254-714-1361 On Facebook Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Price: $-$$ Takeout: Yes. Catering also available. Alcohol: Beer and wine On the menu: Mediterranean cuisine, hummus, salads, kabobs, pitas, sandwiches, rollups, soups and desserts. Good to know: Signature dishes include chicken kabobs, quinoa salad, steak rollups and hummus. Grilling is the predominant method of cooking no fryers or microwaves used and a variety of gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options are available. Restaurant origin: Zoe and Marcus Cassimus founded the restaurant in 1995 in Homewood, Alabama. The Waco restaurant, the chains 163rd location, opened Oct. 27. The Patio on Eighth 511 S. Eighth St. 254-235-1151 On Facebook Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight Sundays-Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. Price: $-$$ Takeout: Yes Alcohol: Yes, full bar Smoking: The Backyards patio area has smoking zones that comply with the citys new smoking ordinance. On the menu: Burgers, barbecue, sandwiches, tacos. Good to know: Hamburger baskets and chicken-fried steak are popular with the lunchtime crowd while many viewers of The Backyards 40-foot television screen and outdoor stage are fans of the specialty appetizer Texas cheese steak balls, breaded and deep fried balls of chopped, seasoned brisket, cheese and jalepeno bits. Restaurant origin: Calvin Gossett, owner of The Patio on Main in Temple, wanted to expand into the Waco market and got the opportunity with the kitchen and meat-smoking operation of The Backyard. Guide: $ main dishes less than $10; $$ $10 to $20; $$$ more than $20. Readers of the online comic strip Sleeper Ave. can now own 30 of its best strips in a new compilation book released this week by Denver comic artist and author Ed Stein. Sleeper Ave. features Stein as a young boy growing up in 1950s Waco facing the challenges of anti-Semitism, segregation and the Cold War. Stein, 69, began the biographical online strip with its insightful, witty style in January 2015 at the prompting of his children, who were fascinated by stories from his childhood. Although he tried to capture the effects of major cultural events, he said, the strip isnt just a social commentary. I also wanted to capture the joy of just being a child, Stein said. Because over time, that joy of childhood gets blunted by the real world, by the things that happen. And its those things that form us, that form our identity. To preserve the stories, Stein decided to compile 30 of the approximately 45 stories to put in a book titled After the Tornado: Stories From Sleeper Avenue, available on Beacon Reader, a crowdfunding website for journalism. The book will be paperback and in full color. Fans can reserve a copy of the book by donating $20 to Beacon or $75 for a signed copy and lunch with Stein. Dan Fletcher, co-founder of Beacon, said his site held Steins original crowdfunding project a year ago to get the online strip started. He considers it one of the most successful campaigns in the websites history, Fletcher said. He said it makes sense that Stein would fund the publication of his book the same way, since the previous experience was so successful. Steins crowdfunding goal to get publication started was $500, and he has already raised more than $1,500. He really used that audience of backers as his community, and as his project grew and as he added stories to Sleeper Ave. throughout the course of the year, he did a really good job of updating folks, Fletcher said. Online format Drawing for an online format was a new venture for the veteran comic artist. Stein worked at the Rocky Mountain News from 1978 until it stopped printing in 2009. He has won multiple national awards, including the 2006 John Fischetti Award and the Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Award. He has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and Newsweek. He retired from his syndicated comic strip Freshly Squeezed shortly before starting Sleeper Ave. in January 2015. Stein published a Sleeper Ave. strip almost every week in 2015, but he said he doesnt have a favorite. To him, exhibiting work is a conversation between him and his audience. Stein said his audience ranges across all age groups. Theres something cross-generational about this, he said. Most of the people who have read the strip and are really interested in it, who will want the book, are people more my age who went through it. This is a reminiscence for them. But theres also a strong component of younger people who are just fascinated by it. Mike Peterson, who runs ComicStripoftheDay.com, a critique website of all things illustrated, said he has been a longtime of fan of Steins work, and Sleeper Ave. did not disappoint. The illustrated memoir successfully displays Steins artistry, while giving him a method to display other talents, Peterson said. His cartooning is just so strong that the illustrations carry a lot of the emotion with them, particularly since hes doing it himself. . . . When you bring in an artist to illustrate a writer, theres always a little disconnect, even if they work together well. For Ed to be doing it means that the impact is direct. He knows what hes trying to say, Peterson said. Ed really manages to tell his story in a very articulate way and its much more personal. Former Swedish ambassador Lyndon L. Olson Jr., Steins former classmate at Richfield High School, said he is an avid fan of the strip and saved each story on his computer. Olson also said he plans to buy the book. Olson said he loves looking over the strips, reliving his memories through Steins eyes. Ive thoroughly enjoyed them, he said. Im looking forward to the book just because I think itll be fun to have. To reserve a copy of the book, go to https://www.beaconreader.com/projects/the-sleeper-ave-book. Three former correctional officers at the Jack Harwell Detention Center were indicted Wednesday on charges that they altered documents following a suicide in the jail to make it appear they conducted scheduled inmate checks in the hours leading up to the suicide. A McLennan County grand jury indicted Michael Wayne Crittenden, 24; Milton Edward Walker, 33; and Christopher David Simpson, 24, each on a charge of tampering with government records, a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. All three were employees of LaSalle Corrections, which operates the Harwell private jail on State Highway 6. Waco attorney Phil Frederick, who represents Simpson, and attorney Will Hutson, who represents Walker, both declined comment about their clients case. Court records indicate Crittenden does not have an attorney. Surveillance video showed that Crittenden, Walker and Simpson all lied about conducting head counts in N-Wing in the early morning hours of Nov. 1, according to records filed in the case. A review was conducted after Michael Angelo Martinez, 25, of Waco, was found unresponsive in his single-person cell. Martinezs death was ruled suicide by asphyxia. Martinez had been in jail since Aug. 18 on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of cocaine. He also was being held on a federal detainer, according to county records. Sheriff Parnell McNamara said Martinez was in the section of the jail where inmates are to be checked every 30 minutes. Walker was supposed to conduct observation checks from 1:05 a.m. through 3:25 a.m. as well as 4:35 a.m. through 6:17 a.m. He signed off on head-count documents at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 31 and 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. the following morning. Video surveillance confirmed Walker did not actually conduct head counts, an affidavit written by Detective Kimberly King states. Crittenden and Simpson also are alleged to have failed to perform head counts during the early morning hours of Nov. 1 and then filling out paperwork that stated they had done them. McLennan County received a notice of noncompliance Nov. 5 from the state jail commission because inmates known to be mentally ill or suicidal were not checked on every 30 minutes, according to a report. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards report states observations should be performed at least every 30 minutes in areas where inmates are known to be assaultive, potentially suicidal, mentally ill or who have demonstrated bizarre behavior. Brandon Wood, Texas Commission on Jail Standards executive director, told the Tribune-Herald at the time that the commission reviews operations at a facility after an inmate death. McLennan County commissioners in June extended their contract with LaSalle Corrections through June 2018 to allow the company to continue operation of the Jack Harwell Detention Center. All three men remain free on bail. A Waco police drug unit supervisor was placed on administrative leave Wednesday, less than a week after an investigation was launched to determine whether a drug detective lied about the use of confidential informants. Drug Enforcement Unit Cmdr. Clare Crook received a letter Wednesday informing her of the leave, Waco Police Chief Brent Stroman said. Detective David Starr, a 26-year veteran of the department, was placed on leave last Thursday, the same day the department announced the investigations. We are just in the beginning stages of this, and we are going to look into everything thoroughly, Stroman said. Last week, Stroman said the department and the Texas Rangers would investigate a Waco police drug enforcement detective whose actions may have put the prosecution of a number of drug cases in jeopardy. Court documents identified Starr as the detective and indicated he may have lied about his use of confidential informants to obtain arrest and search warrants. Stroman did not offer details about Crooks leave but said she is a supervisor of the Drug Enforcement Unit. Crook has served more than 36 years with the Waco Police Department and served as the first female assistant chief. Crook declined to comment Wednesday. The actions regarding Crook and Starr come after the McLennan County District Attorneys Office sent a letter to criminal defense attorneys in the county announcing the review of several drug cases. McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna said in the letter that inconsistencies in reports and affidavits from Starr in two cases led to the investigations. Reyna did not return calls seeking comment on Crooks connection to the review. Stroman said it is too early to determine whether any other officers may be placed on suspension. He said the internal review remains ongoing. TEMPLE A Central Texas school administrator has apologized to the family of a disruptive 8-year-old who was briefly handcuffed by a police officer trying to calm the boy. Belton Independent School District Superintendent Susan Kincannon also says it's not district practice "to call police for unruly elementary students." The boy's stepfather says the second-grader takes medication for a hyperactivity disorder. School officials Tuesday summoned Temple police to Pirtle Elementary about a boy having an emotional crisis, throwing chairs and books and hitting people. Officer Shawana Neely said Wednesday that the officer tried to calm the student before putting adult-size cuffs on the boy's hands, placed behind his back. Neely says the cuffs were too big and fell off. The officer then just stayed with the boy until his family arrived. Fans of Lake Wacos resident bald eagles have soaring hopes that the pair will successfully fledge a nest this year and add to Central Texas growing population of the national bird. The birds, which began nesting around Reynolds Creek Park in 2009, chose to build their aerie in a live hackberry tree this year instead of the dead lakeside trees they have preferred in the past. The pair has lost an active nest in at least two of the seven prior nesting seasons because of falling trees or storms, according to photographers who have been chronicling the birds. Spencer Moore, who shares his eagle pictures at www.drspencermoorephotography.com, said the mother eagle has been sitting on her egg, and it should hatch in the next couple of weeks. Moore said the birds still have not yet taken to the 40-foot steel platform that was installed for them in 2013, but the hackberry tree appears to be sturdy for now. The nest is along Paradise Trail, accessible from a trailhead at the Reynolds Creek equestrian area. If this nesting season is successful, it would be the fifth eagle to fledge from the Reynolds Creek area, by Moores count. Moore has also been photographing a pair of eagles that has two eaglets in a nest on private property just southwest of Lake Waco. By his count, that pair has fledged eight birds since it was discovered in 2011. Moore said he knows of at least 10 other regular nesting eagle pairs within about 40 miles of Waco, most of which he has seen. Those include eagles on the Brazos River north of Waco and on the river south of the Lake Whitney Dam, as well as a pair on the North Bosque River upstream of Lake Waco. Others are at Lake Mexia, Tradinghouse Creek Lake, Meridian Creek, the Leon River and a conservation lake east of Axtell. But even as eagles become a more common sight in the area, Moore said he feels the same thrill every time he sees them. I just cant get enough of it, he said. Looking at an eagle, it just personifies power, strength and majesty. Brian Boyd, an insurance agent and photographer who has sometimes collaborated with Moore, said he also has been going out at least a couple of days a week this year to document the eagles. He agrees that this years nesting location looks safer than in past years. I was out there on Saturday, and she was sitting on her eggs, Boyd said. I expect in about two weeks well see a little one. Heath McLane, lake manager at Lake Waco, said hes grateful for the photographers work in documenting the eagles, which he said are part of the attraction of Lake Waco. Thats a huge service to us, McLane said. We like the eagles and want them to be productive. We see them quite a bit, sometimes from our parks, and visitors really enjoy seeing them. He said he has not given up on the man-made structure that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cameron Park Zoo and the Central Texas Audubon Society installed at a cost of $30,000. We hope theyll start using our platform, McLane said. Thats a good, safe space. But wildlife have their own idea of where they want to nest. Johnny Binder, the Cameron Park Zoo curator who was involved in the project, said the platform is wired with cameras and will be able to webcast the eagles whenever they decide to nest there. I still have high hopes for it, Binder said. Its not unusual for it take a few years before they want to use a mechanical nest. Binder said the comeback of eagles in Central Texas has been remarkable. Theyre one of the great success stories of endangered species, he said. Theyve gone from being critically endangered to delisted, though theyre still federally protected. . . . Its so cool to see them in the area. I saw some while I was driving across the Twin Bridges, and it was an awesome sight. Boyd, whose office is in Woodway, said he is fortunate to live in a place where he can go eagle-watching on his lunch break. He estimates that he has taken 100,000 photos of the eagles. When its a pretty day like today, its hard for me not to go out and see the eagles, Boyd said. Weve got the best of the best. Boyds photos can be viewed at www.brianboydphoto.com. A family whose home was destroyed by fire early Wednesday morning told officials they believe a candle lit to remember their daughter who died last year caused the blaze. Fire crews were called to the 400 block of Lyndon Drive shortly before 3 a.m., after heavy smoke and flames were coming from the back of a manufactured home, Speegleville Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Merritt said. A husband and wife lived there with a young child, Merritt said. Help from China Spring and Valley Mills firefighters also arrived at the home as crews began an exterior attack on the flames. Within about 15 minutes, we had the fire under control, and it probably took us another 10 minutes to get it completely out, Merritt said. I am not a trained arson investigator, so I cant say what I think started it. There is a bunch of circumstantial stuff surrounding this, but as far as what we were told is that the home owner said it was started by a candle that was on a dresser. Merritt said it was reported to fire fighters that the family lost a daughter in September and honored her memory by lighting a candle every night. Merritt said the point of origin appeared to be in a back bedroom, but the cause of the fire was not immediately known. We were the ones that called to have it investigated, Merritt said. There is some uncertainty, and being a volunteer fire department, we dont have an arson investigator or the manpower. The home was deemed a total loss, and the American Red Cross offered assistance with emergency needs. Merritt said a hotel room was provided to the family. The family escaped the home before fire crews arrived. The man suffered a cut to this forehead but was not seriously injured. The familys dog was also reunited with the family by Wednesday afternoon. McLennan County Sheriffs deputies are still looking for a man suspected in multiple burglaries, after a property owner foiled a burglary attempt and the suspect led deputies on a chase early Wednesday morning, Sheriff Parnell McNamara said. A man spent the night in his workshop off of Utah Street in China Spring after someone took about $6,000 worth of property earlier this week, McNamara said. At about 3 a.m., the man, who was armed with a shotgun, heard at least one person attempting to break into the shop. He woke up, hearing someone trying to pry open the door of his shop when he is inside, McNamara said. He bails out there with his shotgun and (the suspect) takes off toward their pickup and (the victim) was able to shoot out the front tire of the truck. Nothing was taken from the shop Wednesday morning, but the victim followed the fleeing vehicle. The truck continued along China Spring Road toward Valley Mills before the burglar lost control of the truck and crashed into a tree near Markum Ranch Road, McNamara said. The (suspect) takes off on foot and the guy backs off and calls us. We set up a perimeter within a few minutes and search for the guy, McNamara said. Deputies spread throughout the area but were unable to find the suspect or get a description. During the investigation, officials learned the fleeing truck was reported stolen from boat manufacturer Prikryl Marine on Tuesday night and was involved in another burglary in Waco, McNamara said. There was property in that truck that was (connected) to a Waco burglary. So they stole the truck from Prikryl, then there was a Waco burglary last night, he said. We are actively searching for them after we did everything we could last night. But normally, when you capture a burglar like this, you are going to solve a lot of burglaries, because they are not just doing one. Normally dedicated to limited government and opposed to government overreach, the Republican Party of Texas is making a serious mistake with Proposition 3 in the ongoing primary election. Proposition 3 on the primary ballot endorses blatant government overreach in an effort to dictate whether firefighters, police officers, teachers and other public employees can deduct money from their paychecks for employee associations. As president of the Texas State Association of Fire Fighters, I represent a majority of the professional firefighters in Texas. A majority of our members are conservative, and we support Republicans and others with pro-public safety records. We believe Proposition 3 is an attempt to undermine the Republican Party and its ideals from within by the extremist advocacy group Empower Texans and others. The group is misleading voters about the proposition to advance its broader political agenda. Worse, Texas firefighters fear this governmental overreach could affect the stability of our fire departments and associations. Empower Texans and its surrogates claim that association dues are deducted from public employee paychecks even if the employees are not members. This is false. Texas is a right-to-work state. No person can be forced to join an employee association or a union as a condition of employment. Public employees who are members of a union make that choice voluntarily. Proposition 3 proponents further claim that payroll dues deduction is mandatory for all union members. This is false. Association or union members can choose to have payroll deduction of their dues and, if so, must submit a signed request to their employer instructing them to do so. They may also cease that deduction at any time using the same process. The proposition proponents also suggest that payroll deduction of association and union dues costs the taxpayers money. This is false. State law allows for employers to pass on any costs associated with payroll deduction to the employee. The truth is the cost is minimal because it requires just a few computer keyboard strokes much like a 401K deduction. Some cities charge 5 cents per transaction. For firefighters, these deductions go to ensuring we have the best protective gear and equipment and the safest working conditions possible. They are also used to recruit the best candidates available by making sure pay and benefits are competitive. Better, experienced firefighters provide value to their departments and better stewardship of taxpayer dollars. The false idea has been spread that these dues are used to organize massive campaigns to unionize janitorial services in Houston. This would mean that public-sector firefighter association dues were being directed at private-sector issues that have nothing to do with them. This is a red herring and makes little sense. The small amount of money these associations receive is barely enough to perform the services they currently offer. Now that you know the truth, and the law, we ask voters in the ongoing Republican primary election to maintain the status quo of limited government and vote no on Republican Party Platform Proposition 3. Voting no lets hardworking firefighters, police officers, teachers and other public employees choose what they do with their paychecks and it keeps Austin bureaucrats from unnecessarily interfering in our workplaces. A 30-year firefighter, John Riddle is president of the Texas State Association of Fire Fighters, established in 1938 and Texas only professional, career firefighters organization. It represents more than 13,600 firefighter members and 164 affiliate locals. WAHOO If Saunders County residents want to have a say in who should be the Democratic presidential nominee, they will need to take part in the March 5 caucuses. The delegates for candidates will be decided at the caucuses, not at the May Primary. There will be no primary for president, said Leverne Barrett, a member of the Saunders County Democrats. There will be no Democratic presidential primary because the caucus method is being used. Five caucus sites have been established in Saunders County. They are at Ashland Community Resource Center, the Cedar Bluffs Senior Center, the Ceresco Community Center, the Wahoo High School cafeteria and the Yutan Veterans Country Club. All caucuses start at 10 a.m. Barrett expected that once each caucus began, the activity would take about an hour. However, he stressed the importance for those who want to participate to arrive between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. to allow enough time for voter verification and other registration procedures. The caucuses begin at 10. If you show up right at that time, you wont be able to vote, he said. Barrett explained the caucus method involves two rounds of activity. After some announcements and instructions, participants will be asked to gather in a designated area, based upon who there preference is for president. There will also be a third area for those who are uncommitted or who have no preference. Then, there is an opportunity for people to speak about who they support, Barrett said. Following the campaigning for their candidate, a count in each group is taken and validity determined. If a preference group for a candidate does not have enough people to be considered viable, which is 15 percent of those in attendance, the caucus moves into round two. During this second round of activity, Barrett said participants have the opportunity to reach out to the other groups and try to persuade people to join their preference group. Another count is then taken to determine validity of each preference group that remains. Barrett said the final count determines how many delegates will represent each candidate. According to the Nebraska Democratic Party website, any person who is eligible to vote in and will be at least 18 years old on Election Day, Nov, 8 may participate in the Nebraska Caucuses. Participants must be a registered Nebraska Democrat or anyone who, prior to or at a caucus meeting, registers as a Democrat. For those unable to attend the caucus, an absentee preference card may be requested. But, they have to follow the rules to get them from the state party, Barrett said. The absentee preference card request form is available by online at http://nebraskacaucus2016.org. The request form must be returned to the NDP by mail no later than Feb. 24. Barrett encouraged participation in the caucuses. We want to get local participation, he said. That was one of the reasons, Barrett said, why the Saunders County Democrats established five caucus locations. We wanted to try and get as many people involved in the process as possible, he added. The overall intent of the caucus method is to get voters involved in the election process. You actually get people involved actively, Barrett said. He said the hope is also that people who may have never taken part in an election will decide to take part in upcoming caucuses. The Nebraska Democratic Party first held a presidential caucus in 2008. Clive Palmer's aviation company owes creditors more than $26 million mostly through a major debt over the company's corporate jet which he regularly used for political and business purposes. The debt, exposed in the minutes of the first creditor's meeting, indicates the aviation company will not provide any source of funds to administrators in charge of Mr Palmer's failed nickel company. It also raises questions as to whether Mr Palmer, as a director of the aviation company when it owned the jet, gave a personal guarantee to the jet's creditor international aviation lending company GE Commercial. I had seen Obama at the primaries, and at the Democrat Convention. I had waited for him to speak intelligently about the state of America and how he would put it right, but I waited in vain. The cliche at the time, which became more relevant later, was about how he campaigned in poetry but would govern in prose. Some prose can be magnificent: but not his. America was angry after two terms of George W Bush. Though he could not stand, his party's candidate would be punished for how Bush and the lunatics around him had made America an international pariah. The financial crisis of 2008 - the collapse of Lehmann Brothers came between the conventions and polling day - was the last straw. As dawn broke a woman, interviewed outside her run-down house upstate, shed tears while telling an interviewer what the victory meant for her. "I now know," she sobbed, "that my house won't be foreclosed on." I hope she was right: but the evidence of the seven years since Obama the miracle-worker took office suggests she may have been disappointed. The morning after Barack Obama was elected, in November 2008, I put the television on in my hotel room in New York to watch the reaction. Fox News was putting on a brave face, though the sourness and anger were barely contained: but MSNBC, an avowedly liberal network, was in a state of almost convulsive ecstasy. His stump oratory - especially his convention speech, delivered from a preposterous mock-Grecian stage set in Denver - was vacuous. He is clever and has a way with words: but his words contained little. He entranced audiences, first in his own party - which is why he beat Hillary Clinton, arrogant and boring then as now, for the nomination - and then in the wider electorate. John McCain - old, white, Republican and with the media's hate figure, Sarah Palin, as his running mate - didn't have a prayer. As Lehmann's sank, political leaders, including potential presidents, met to discuss what to do. Obama said nothing: and the liberal media praised him for his silence, suggesting it showed his wisdom by reserving judgment on so complex a matter. Perhaps it did. Or perhaps it showed he didn't have a clue. America's slow, stumbling path to recovery, and its awesome level of debt - just under $19 trillion, or 104 per cent of GDP - suggest the latter. The great stimulus the Democrats then engineered disappeared and achieved nothing. The sobbing woman in upstate New York was white and middle-aged. To glimpse how little Obama has done for his own constituency - the poor blacks - it is worth reading an instructive article in the latest New Yorker. It is about evictions in Milwaukee, a city that is 40 per cent black. An industry exists to service evictions - courts, lawyers, removal men, bailiffs - and operates full-time, dealing with masses who cannot pay their rent, or their mortgages. Obama was elected promising to end such misery: but he hasn't, and he never would. America has astonishing wealth: it also has astonishing deprivation and squalor, because there isn't enough well-paid work to go round. I don't know Milwaukee, but am familiar with cities such as Baltimore, Newark and Trenton, which have square miles of squalor. Detroit teeters on the verge of extinction: in thriving cities such as Los Angeles and Washington DC, pockets of affluence sit cheek-by-jowl with areas of appalling poverty and crime. Racial tensions, which a black president was supposed to heal, seem worse than ever - remember Ferguson - and Obama's interventions have often been clumsy. He has failed to control immigration, even though he has the sovereign power to do so. And America has largely rejected Obamacare, which displays all that can go wrong with massive state intervention. Images of the ever-intensifying quagmire of the Syrian conflict flicker across our screens occasionally. Bombings, gunfire, rubble, refugees. The scale of the humanitarian disaster and its impact on families, children, businesses and communities also flicker by as we get on with our lives. For the Syrians, a population the size of Australia, things will never be the same again. Illustration: John Spooner They have been conscripted, displaced, terrorised, traumatised, murdered and enslaved. Life expectancy is now 55. Before the conflict, it was 75. About 270,000 people have died. More than 11 million have been forced from their homes. Unemployment is 60 per cent. The lucky ones about 4 million have escaped, mostly with just the clothes on their back, carrying a suitcase if they are fortunate, undertaking journeys defying belief across the border. The even luckier about 10 per cent of those who have got to Turkey, Lebanon or Jordan are eligible for resettlement in developed nations such as Australia. Here's a lesson for us all: viral advice is not necessarily good advice. A Yorkshire woman has achieved Facebook fame after she posted a picture of herself following the beauty advice of a fellow, and similarly viral, Facebook user. The advice? Applying fake tan with a paint roller. The tip was first posted by West Midlands resident Amy Ridler, who said she realised the technique's promise when "everyone" who saw a Snapchat she had posted of the roller method "thought it was a great idea". "[You] don't get it on your hands, can wash it, perfect even tan, NO STREAKS... oh and you can reach your back," she wrote on Facebook, joking that she should appear on British television invention program, Dragons' Den. A HIV-positive transgender escort from New South Wales will return to Western Australia to face a grievous bodily harm charge after WA Police were successful in their application to have the person extradited on Thursday. The 38-year-old, who identifies as a woman and worked as a transgender sex worker, was diagnosed with the virus in August 2014, WA Police spokesman Luke Eliot said. Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Despite the diagnoses and counselling about treatment options and disclosure obligations, the woman allegedly participated in unprotected sex with a male client from early 2015. That client was diagnosed with HIV in September, and reported this to police. Less than 1 per cent of raids have resulted in new terrorism investigations, the Interior Ministry acknowledges. Many people whose homes have been searched, like Muradyan, complain that their privacy was invaded, their families frightened and their property damaged. Members of the band Eagles of Death Metal, Jesse Hughes, right, and Julian Dorio, pay their respects to 89 victims who died in the Novermber 13 attack at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris last year. Credit:AP Beyond the emergency powers, the Hollande government has already pushed through an expansion of surveillance laws. It is now lobbying for a raft of constitutional changes, including provisions that would allow some convicted terrorists to be stripped of their citizenship, a step that has raised fierce debate and protest from even members of his Socialist Party. The French parliament voted on Tuesday to extend the state of emergency for another three months. French riot police officers patrol in the migrant camp in Calais, north of France, earlier this month. Credit:AP Marc Trevidic, a judge who oversaw terrorism cases for 10 years, emphasised the dangers for France if it failed to strike the proper balance. During his tenure, he said, he listened to many wire-tapped phone conversations of young people considering whether to follow a more extreme form of Islam. "They have the impression that France doesn't like Islam," Trevidic said, adding that those young people often have not yet taken the step of becoming active in a terrorist organisation because they have jobs, families and a stake in society. French prime minister Manuel Valls, centre, leaves France's National Assembly, in Paris, last week. Credit:AP As the number of warrantless searches rises in the weeks after the attacks, scores of French citizens posted photographs and videos on social media websites showing the damage to their front doors, their furniture and their possessions. The damage stung all the more for those who did not have the money for the repairs. In one widely reported case, police officers burst into a halal restaurant where families were eating dinner and ordered them to put their hands on the table, but did not check their identity papers. They searched mosques as well as a shelter for battered and homeless Muslim women. A French riot police officer stands guard at the entrance of the Stade de France prior to the Six Nations rugby match between France and Italy earlier this month. Credit:AP Often it was unclear why police were conducting the raid. Amnesty International reported this month that many people caught up in the raids said in interviews that they feared the searches were often based on little more than unsubstantiated suspicions passed along by neighbours. Authorities have also put 407 people under house arrest since November 14, requiring them to report to police three times daily, which forced those who were working to quit their jobs or take leave of absence. French riot police patrol in the migrant camp in Calais earlier this month. Credit:AP Prime Minister Manuel Valls defended the raids, detentions and house arrests during a February 5 session of the National Assembly, saying that they were "efficacious" and "indispensable to the security of the French people". Valls said the emergency powers had enabled the government to uncover at least one attack in the planning stage. French riot police officers stand guard outside the Stade de France earlier this month. Credit:AP However, it was unclear how far along it was and whether it involved a conspiracy engineered by a larger extremist group such as Islamic State or al-Qaeda. The available evidence suggests that, at most, a handful of potential extremist assailants have been found as a result of the emergency measures. In only 10 per cent of the searches did the government open new judicial proceedings. Of those, just 28 were related to terrorism, with the vast majority - 23 - for the crime of "apologising for terrorism", or "praising terrorism". In many cases, such an act in the US would be protected as free speech. That means just five cases involved potential terrorism offences, such as preparing to travel to the Middle East for training or gathering information for a potential attack. The concern is that any extradition agreement in force must inherently place faith in the integrity of China's party-controlled judicial system. Traditional arguments against extradition also include concerns over human rights and torture, and China's administration of the death penalty. Beijing: The Turnbull government is moving to ratify an extradition treaty with China as Beijing steps up efforts to repatriate corrupt officials who have fled overseas. Emily Howie from the Human Rights Law Centre in Melbourne said she would be disappointed if the terms of an extradition treaty with China undermined Australia's pledge to lead a campaign to abolish the death penalty in its bid for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says the government will lay out its economic and tax strategies in the May budget. Credit:Sanghee Liu Australia signed an extradition agreement with China in 2007 that was never ratified. It is understood, however, that the treaty will now be tabled with Parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Treaties as early as next month. Mr Turnbull is due to make his first visit as Prime Minister to Beijing in April. The unratified treaty signed between Australia and China provides grounds for refusal for political offences and if there are fears of torture or inhumane punishment. In cases where the person sought may be sentenced to death, Australia can undertake that the death penalty not be imposed or if imposed, that it not be carried out. The ratification process, which ordinarily would take months, could be drawn out further as the government gears up for an election this year. "The Australian government will seek to progress this matter," Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said in Beijing on Wednesday. "We think that our bilateral law enforcement relationship should be enhanced as all aspects of the bilateral relationship with China are progressing." The health crisis has put pressure on Church teachings, particularly in Latin America, where abortion is now being debated more openly even in some conservative countries. But the Argentine pontiff, speaking to reporters as he flew back to Rome from a visit to Mexico, categorically ruled out abortion as a response to Zika, comparing the practice to a mafia killing. Rome: Pope Francis has appeared to open the door to a possible limited softening of the Roman Catholic Church's ban on contraception because of the Zika virus. Many scientists believe Zika, a mosquito-borne disease that is currently sweeping through the Americas, is likely to be a risk factor for microcephaly in newborns - a condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads. Pope Francis discusses birth control and Zika with journalists aboard the plane during the flight from Mexico to Rome. Credit:AP In the freewheeling, post-trip news conference that has become a trademark of his papacy, the pope was asked if using contraception would fall into the category of the lesser of two evils and how he felt about some authorities advising pregnant women with Zika to have abortions. He categorically ruled out that abortion would ever be permitted for pregnant women with Zika who fear that they may give birth to a child with microcephaly. "Abortion is not a lesser evil. It is a crime. It is killing one person to save another. It is what the mafia does," Francis said, speaking passionately against the practice. "It is a crime. It is an absolute evil." Patrick Norman Pat Chapman is a 34-year-old, Caucasian male who was last known to be in Piedmont which is near the area of Greenville, Missouri on May 10, 2020. Pat had stayed the night with a friend and his wife at their home. In the early morning when the friend woke to go to work. Pat was gone in his own Burgundy color 1995 Ford Escort. That is the last anyone was known to have seen him. The vehicle was later recovered on May 29, 2020 in Mill Spring, Missouri. The WCO continues to provide capacity building support to Timor-Leste Customs Service (TLCS) to assist them with the design and implementation of a Valuation training programme and to develop their capacities in the areas of Risk Management and Intelligence. The latest capacity building mission took place from 3-10th February and was supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) under the project "Customs Capacity Building for WCO Members 2012-2017." The WCO NORAD project aims at delivering technical assistance to seven countries: Timor Leste, Liberia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Tanzania and Vietnam. The WCO worked in partnership with representatives from TLCS to finalise a Valuation training module and to assist them with the preperation of a training delivery programme. Capacity building support was also provided to the Training & Development Unit. A workshop was held with representatives from the Risk Management Unit to further develop their capabilities in the preperation of risk profiles. The workshop also introduced participants to the "Intelligence Cycle" and the benefits of adopting a systematic approach to information gathering, analysis and dissemination. The work on Risk Management is being taken forward in partnership with colleagues from the World Bank. All of the work sessions were highly interactive and provided an excellent opportunity to share international best practice. For more information on the project for Customs Capacity Building for WCO Members 2012-17 please contact the Project Manager, Mr. Philip Wood Philip.Wood@wcoomd.org By Joe Jackson Feb. 17, 2016 | 09:48 PM | GOLO, KY Six people were arrested on drug, theft and gun charges Wednesday in Graves County. According to the Graves County Sheriff's office, drug detectives got a tip of illegal drug activity taking place at a home on State Route KY 564 in the Golo community. Deputies searched the home and located evidence of methamphetamine and prescription drug trafficking. Deputies also located stolen property inside the home. Those arrested were 55-year-old Steven Burnett of Golo, 37-year-old Jennifer Misiewicz of Grand Rivers, 55-year-old Anthony Augustino of Grand Rivers, 52-year-old Thomas Downs of Paducah, 28-year-old Nakesha Reed of Mayfield and 29-year-old Cheryl Palmer of Louisville. Burnett was charged with trafficking methamphetamine, possession of meth, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and receiving stolen property under $500. Misiewicz was charged with trafficking Methadone, possession of drug paraphernalia, carrying a concealed deadly weapon, complicity to giving an officer a false name and complicity to theft of identity of another without consent. Augustino was charged with trafficking Methadone, theft of identity of another without consent, giving an officer a false name and possession of drug paraphernalia. Downs was charged with trafficking methamphetamine, tampering with physical evidence, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, possession of controlled substance and possession of methamphetamine. Reed and Palmer were each charged with possession of meth, possession of controlled substance, prescription not in the proper container, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. All six were lodged in the Graves County Jail. By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 18, 2016 | 01:46 AM | EDDYVILLE, KY Police are searching for an escapee from Western Kentucky Correctional Complex near Eddyville. According to Kentucky State Police, at around 9:00 pm Wednesday, officials at the Western Kentucky Correctional Complex discovered that an inmate was missing during a head count. Lostia M. Shreves of Cecilia, KY is described as a 40-year-old white female, 57 with short brown hair and blue eyes. Shreves is serving time for a probation violation for a felony offense. Shreves was last seen wearing a grey sweatshirt, khaki pants, white t-shirt, a fisherman style hat and black boots at the time of her escape. A grey sweatshirt and other inmate clothing were found near the Western Kentucky Correctional Complex grounds. It is possible that Shreves may have changed her clothing. At 9:12 p.m. Kentucky State Police received a report of a stolen vehicle from a home near the complex. State police say it is possible that Shreves may be in this vehicle. The vehicle is described as a Maroon 1997 Ford F150 truck with Kentucky License Plate 8472CG. If anyone has any contact with this subject, contact Post 1 in Mayfield at 1-800-222-5555. Rita Redmond was a true lady who felt that every pupil had something to gift to the world My Favorite Quotes Recent Quotes Portfolio Summary Your most recently viewed tickers will automatically show up here if you type a ticker in the Get Quotes box on the top of the page. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/02/2016 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. SASKATOON Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott is fending off calls to close a private, for-profit plasma donor clinic in Saskatchewan by saying Canada has one of the safest blood systems in the world. We have examined this in great detail and have confirmed that we are approaching this matter looking at the science and making sure that there are no compromises to the safety of the blood system, Philpott said Thursday in the House of Commons. The federal NDP called on Ottawa to ban such clinics. New Democrat health critic Don Davies pointed out that an inquiry into the tainted blood scandal of the 1980s recommended against paid-donor blood clinics. Health Minister Jane Philpott answers a question during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Thursday, Feb.18, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Canadians rely on a blood supply system that puts safety and the public interest first, he said. The political exchange came after Canadian Plasma Resources officially opened its doors Thursday in Saskatoon. The clinic plans to pay people with $25 gift cards for making plasma donations. The centre will be inspected by Health Canada and has to comply with national regulations, including donor screening and testing. CEO Dr. Barzin Bahardoust said Health Canada and similar regulatory bodies around the world have concluded that compensation for plasma donors does not affect the safety of the product. Plasma is the straw-coloured liquid portion of blood. Canadian Plasma Resources says donating typically takes one hour. Plasma collected will be used in other medical therapies, not for transfusions. Saskatchewan Health Minister Dustin Duncan, who was at the clinics opening, noted that 80 per cent of plasma used in Canada currently comes from paid donors, largely in the United States, but also in Europe. He said paying for plasma donations could help increase self-sufficiency when it comes to plasma here in Canada. I think its just a simplistic argument to say that Canadians shouldnt be paid for their plasma donations when we rely heavily on donors (who are). They just happen not to be Canadians right now. Unions have been among those calling for the Saskatchewan government to ban such clinics. Ontario did so when Canadian Plasma Resources tried to set up there. The Canadian Union of Public Employees said earlier this month that human tissue should not be turned into a commodity to be bought and sold. The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour said Thursday that the clinics present a number of moral, ethical and safety concerns. Federation president Larry Hubich said in a news release that paying donors compromises the safety of plasma, creates competition with our voluntary blood system and does not create self-sufficiency for the country. Erin Harder with Canadian Immunodeficiencies Patient Organization said she has no concerns about the safety of plasma from paid donors because screening rules are in place. Its a way to draw in more donors, Harder said. Theres not as many willing to donate, so I think it would (help). By Jennifer Graham in Regina Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/02/2016 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA The Manitoba government is in talks with Air Canada about the airplane maintenance jobs the province believes were illegally moved out of Winnipeg almost four years ago. Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger told the Free Press Wednesday the province and Air Canada have been in negotiations for several weeks as tensions mounted amid concerns the province once again was getting left out in the cold in an aerospace deal involving the province of Quebec. Weve been in discussions with Air Canada on jobs for Manitoba, he said. KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Air Canadas maintenance hangar at Richardson International Airport, seen in a 2007 file photo, now sits empty. The Quebec government announced Wednesday it has reached a deal with Air Canada to withdraw a lawsuit against the airline for violating the Air Canada Public Protection Act by removing maintenance jobs for the airline from Montreal, Winnipeg and Mississauga. The law requires the airline to maintain jobs in those cities, but in 2012, the company contracted to do that work went bankrupt, and Air Canada shipped the jobs out of the country. A Quebec court agreed with the province, and that decision was upheld by a Quebec appeals court in November. Air Canada filed leave to appeal to the Supreme Court Dec. 30. However, that appeal will no longer be necessary since Quebec has agreed to discontinue the lawsuit in return for Air Canada agreeing to a 20-year maintenance contract in Quebec for new Bombardier planes. Air Canada announced Wednesday it will buy up to 75 of Bombardiers new CSeries planes. In addition, Bombardier has agreed to build a centre of excellence for the revision and maintenance of the CSeries planes in Quebec. The final paperwork on that agreement is still being hammered out, a spokesman for Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard told the Free Press in an email. Manitoba was an intervener in the Quebec lawsuit but elected not to file its own suit. Selinger said he has assurances from Air Canada Manitoba will be taken care of, as well. Air Canada wouldnt confirm the negotiations Wednesday. The airline still owns the two maintenance hangars it had in Winnipeg, but all the equipment was sold in 2012. More than 400 people were thrown out of work in Manitoba in March 2012, when Aveos Fleet Performance went bankrupt. Another 1,800 in Montreal and about 200 in Mississauga lost their jobs. Transport Minister Marc Garneau said Wednesday he welcomed the end of the lawsuit and he intends to change the legislation to avoid future litigation. It will also help Air Canada to respond more effectively to changing market conditions, Garneau told reporters on Parliament Hill Wednesday morning. Selinger said his understanding is the legislation will be changed to no longer specify which city maintenance work must take place in, but rather the province. From my perspective, (using the word) Manitoba (instead of Winnipeg) is fine as long as the jobs are in Manitoba, said Selinger. But former Air Canada workers from Manitoba still fear the province is getting the short end of the stick as Quebec manoeuvres to protect its own aerospace jobs. People are just livid today, said Renald Courcelles, who worked for 23 years as an aircraft trim-and-finish mechanic for Air Canada, and then Aveos, before losing his job in March 2012. The Quebec provincial government is backstabbing us in Manitoba. The workers have long been unhappy the federal government didnt do anything to enforce its own law, passed in 1988 when Air Canada was privatized. All of this is bringing up memories of the CF-18 contract, which has long been a bone of contention between Manitoba and Quebec and even helped spawn the birth of the federal Reform Party. In 1986, Brian Mulroneys Tory government award a contract to maintain CF-18 fighter jets to Canadair in Quebec, despite a cheaper and better bid from Winnipegs Bristol Aerospace. The move was entirely political, to appease demands from Quebec. Canadair, a Crown corporation at the time, was also for sale, and the contract made it more appealing to buyers. It would be purchased by Bombardier later in 1986, the same company that just landed a lucrative Air Canada contract for its new planes. Selinger said hes made sure the federal government and Air Canada know whats at stake if Manitoba doesnt get what it is due. Ive made it clear they do not want to get into a situation where they look like theyre ignoring Manitoba, he said. Manitoba Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux was livid when the maintenance contracts were first moved out of the city. He was in opposition then. Wednesday, he said he has been talking to people within the government, including Garneaus parliamentary secretary Kate Young, but wouldnt say exactly what is being discussed. Im not ready to give up, said Lamoureux. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/02/2016 (2438 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA As MPs in the House of Commons thrashed out their conflicting views of how to prosecute the war against militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the Canadian military quietly acknowledged Wednesday its bombing campaign has come to a conclusion. The end to combat missions comes just days ahead of the Feb. 22 deadline set by the Liberal government when it announced the re-tooled mission last week. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan told MPs the campaign ended Monday. The Defence Departments website listed two strikes the day before both in Iraq. Two CF-18s bombed an Islamic State fighting position in the vicinity of Fallujah using smart bombs. Four days before that, two CF-18s attacked an ISIL weapons cache near Al Habbaniyah, in central Iraq. Additionally, on the same day, two CF-18s attacked an ISIL fighting position near Ramadi. Statistics released late Wednesday by National Defence show the jets conducted 251 raids 246 in Iraq and five in Syria. Under the terms of the revised mission, Canada will leave an aerial refuelling tanker and two CP-140 surveillance aircraft behind to help the U.S.-led coalition continue the bombing mission. National Defence says the fighters will soon make their way home, but did not give a specific timeline. The news came as debate about the Liberal governments proposed new anti-ISIL mission began with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau touting his plan to replace CF-18 fighter jets with a bigger contingent of soldiers to train local forces. The Conservatives, who under Stephen Harper drafted the original mission to send Canadian fighter-bombers into battle, condemned the changes as a step back from the fight. The NDP is asking for a clearer definition of the new effort, seeking to know if Canadian trainers will be in harms way and urging the government to spell out an exit strategy. The government is stressing a broader approach, including more humanitarian aid and help for refugees. Trudeau says the training mission is the right role for Canada in the right place. Our goal is to allow local forces to take the fight directly to ISIL, to reclaim their homes, land and future, he told the Commons. We will be more significantly involved in counter-terrorism measures, improving chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear security in the region. Trudeau rejected the notion that Canada is backing away from the fight. We believe there is an important role for Canada to plan in the fight against ISIL, a role that we can play, a role that we must play. Trudeau characterized the fight against ISIL as defending peace and democracy against terrorism and barbarism. ISIL stands against everything that we value as Canadians and poses a direct threat to our people and our friends. He said the governments revamped mission will be robust, comprehensive and effective and will deliver results on the ground. Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose begged to differ. There are times in the life of a Parliament, and in the history of this House, when providence calls upon us to lead, Ambrose said. Lead by conviction, lead by a responsibility we collectively have to the Canadian people and lead by fighting evil and, sadly, today is not a day of leadership. Withdrawing from the bombing campaign means pulling a vital component out of the U.S.-led coalition effort against ISIL, she added. To blunt the sharp end of our spear is not in keeping with the contributions of our allies, she said. We know, too, thanks to poll after poll, that its not what most Canadians want us to do. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/02/2016 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. QUEBEC Uber should start respecting the law before it asks for legislative reforms that suit its interests, Transport Minister Jacques Daoust said Thursday during the first day of hearings into the future of the taxi industry. Daoust said the ride-hailing company has an unacceptable attitude and continued to level stinging criticism at Uber during the legislative committee hearings in Quebec City. Its been a thousand times weve seized your companys vehicles and you say: The law doesnt apply to me, I wont listen to it. You are not looking for a solution, you are looking for a confrontation and you risk receiving one, Daoust said. Taxi drivers demonstrate as a legislature committee studies the legality of UBER, Thursday, February 18, 2016 at the legislature in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot Sitting across from him during the hearing was the head of Uber in Quebec, Jean-Nicolas Guillemette, who also received sharp rebukes from other politicians on the committee. Daoust told Guillemette that if his company wanted the government to create rules governing ride-sharing services to work alongside the traditional taxi industry, he would have to start respecting the state. The legislature, it exists to make laws, Daoust said. Youre in the house where we make laws and what youre saying is: Until I like the laws I wont respect them, and for me, sir, thats unacceptable. We will be the ones to impose a model on you. Earlier on Thursday Daoust said Uber should publicly disclose data that would permit the Quebec government to recoup taxes from the ride-hailing company since it began operating in the province. When were talking about 300,000 (monthly) transactions, thats a lot of money that should be taxed, Daoust said. He told members of the legislature he plans to introduce a bill aimed at clarifying the rules governing the provinces taxi business because of the arrival on the scene of the American-based tech company. The legislative hearings are scheduled to last several days amid increasing tensions between cabbies and Uber drivers. Taxi drivers are seeking a permanent injunction against Uber that would force its mobile application to be deactivated. The industry has said Uber drivers are breaking the law and that the companys services are illegal. Taxi company owner, Alexandre Taillefer, testified in front of the committee Thursday and called for greater control over Uber drivers. We are strongly against contraband taxis, he said. However, if the government wishes to allow amateur taxis, it is imperative that the rules are fair, especially when it comes to taxes. Taillefer said drivers who hold taxi permits which can cost up to $200,000 each should have the exclusive rights to medical and adapted transit, curbside hailing and taxi stands. He also asked lawmakers to relax rules that prevent taxi owners from gathering their own fleets of cars, as well as other assets and licences in sufficient numbers to create economies of scale. Uber argues its mobile app, which connects its drivers to customers, makes it a technology firm rather than a transportation company. At a news conference Thursday, Guillemette, said he and many of his drivers have been victims of intimidation tactics by the taxi industry. He also pointed to a recent 50,000-signature petition in favour of Uber as proof of the companys popularity. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/02/2016 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Jacquelyn Morran has never seen anyone like her at the front of any classroom in which shes sat in Manitoba. By next fall, prospective employers willing, Morran will be teaching in her wheelchair in an early-years classroom, and she hopes many more people who dont see themselves reflected in their teachers will follow, thanks to the University of Manitoba faculty of educations new diversity policy. I never have had a disabled teacher Im excited to go into schools and be a role model, and normalize it, Morran said Wednesday as she attended an education students job fair. JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS University of Manitoba education students Jacquelyn Morran (centre) and Stephanie Funk talk jobs with Kathryn Reimer of the Western School Division. The faculty announced last week that as of 2017, it will make available 45 per cent of its spaces each year to qualified diversity applicants: 15 per cent to indigenous students and 7.5 per cent each to disabled students, racialized students, students with a gender identity/sexual orientation difference, and those who have faced economic, language, religious and other barriers. Anything that increases diversity is a positive thing. Its pretty reflective of the changing nature of this country. It reflects what Canada is like, Morran said. Diversity is not always apparent, said Morran, a graduate of Steinbach Regional Secondary School: Im Metis. Youd never know that. Prospective employers who showed up Wednesday were warm to the policy, but education administrators said the university has yet to say anything beyond the formal announcement. The education students council appears to be trying to place a gag order on future teachers, by telling them not to give interviews and to allow the faculty administration to talk to the media on behalf of education students. Morran was one of several students who agreed to speak to the Free Press Wednesday. Everyone still has to meet the standards, Morran emphasized. Her friend Stephanie Funk whos from Saskatchewan, but lives in Steinbach similarly applauded the diversity policy. Its reflective of Canadian culture, she said. Had she been applying when only 55 per cent of the spaces will be available to the general population, Funk said, she could have tried the University of Saskatchewan or the University of Winnipeg if competition were too fierce. Theyre in a cohort of 60 students in the earlyyears stream and estimated as many as onethird of their classmates appear to be visible minorities or disabled. But sexual identity and social disadvantages are not something most people bring up with their peers, they said. Veteran teacher and administrator Brad Burns, speaking only for himself, said when he was a student, he saw only people like him at the front of the classroom. All students need to see themselves represented, Burns said. If theyre growing up in an immigrant experience, they need teachers who have that experience. If they have two mothers, they need to see that. We have some work to do in that area, said Norma Holmes, human resources manager with Dauphin-based Mountain View School Division. Were looking for strong classroom practice, good pedagogy, said Barb Isaak, superintendent with Beausejour-based Sunrise School Division. I want to speak to the university for clarification, said Isaak, who said she only knows what was reported in the media. Definitely, some information from the university would be helpful. Were open to everyone and anyone, Jolene Brown, assistant superintendent of the School District of Mystery Lake, said while trying to recruit about 20 teachers for Thompson schools. Several future teachers declined to be interviewed, including three members of the organizing education students council, who said senior stick Scott Hardman had said only he would speak to the media on behalf of education students. But Hardman also refused to be interviewed: The faculty (administration) have made their response to the media and only they would speak on behalf of students. nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/02/2016 (2438 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time the random victim of a senseless act of violence. Now family members of Elizabeth Lafantaisie say they can finally rest a bit easier knowing her killer wont be able to hurt anyone else. Thomas Brine, 29, was found guilty of first-degree murder Wednesday for the February 2011 rape and strangling of Lafantaisie, 73. Jurors needed less than three hours of deliberations to decide his fate. Weve waited five years for this. And were just so happy that there is justice for my mother, an emotional Lise Gosselin said outside the downtown Winnipeg courthouse. Well never know why. It could have happened to anyone. But it happened to our mother. BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The family of Elizabeth Lafantaisie assembles on the steps in front of the Law Courts building following the guilty verdict. In middle of the crowd are the victims' two daughters, Lise Gosselin (in red) and Anna Maynard (in grey). Brine showed no emotion in being convicted of the most serious charge in the Criminal Code. He will return to court Thursday to receive a mandatory minimum life sentence with no parole eligibility for at least 25 years. It doesnt bring our mother back. The pain is still there and might be there for a while yet. At least were rest assured this cant happen to someone else by this guy, the victims other daughter, Anna Maynard, said Wednesday. The key piece of evidence against Brine was semen found inside the victim, which proved to be a match to his DNA. Defence lawyer Bruce Bonney had urged jurors to find his client was the victim of a faulty police investigation. In his closing argument this week, Bonney took issue with the sloppy, potentially negligent note-taking and labelling of DNA swabs by a police officer. This included adding notes and exhibit numbers after the fact. Bonney said this created the possibility the swab containing his clients DNA didnt come from the victims vaginal area as was marked, but another part of her body which wouldnt prove a sexual assault occurred. He called this potential error fatal to the prosecution. Brine admits touching Lafantaisie after he found her car running in a parkade, stole it and later popped the trunk to find her already dead body stuffed inside. Bonney suggested his client could have innocently transferred semen that was previously on his hands to the victims body during this process. I suggested there is a reasonable doubt on the part of the accused, said Bonney. Its your duty to ensure an innocent man is not convicted. Brines 2011 interview with Winnipeg police (Warning: Video contains profanity) Jurors clearly agreed with the Crowns position that there should be no confusion about what happened here. Lafantaisie was found naked from the waist down, with her pants and underwear torn off. There were also injuries to her vaginal area consistent with a sexual assault. And there were chemicals from cleaning solution found in that area of her body as well, suggesting an attempted clean-up. Elizabeth Lafantaisie The Crown also noted how Brine initially lied to police, claiming he had no involvement with Lafantaisie. It was only after he was confronted with the fact he had possession of the victims car that he admitted a link. Police were initially focused on another potential suspect, a high-risk sex offender who was living in the area. But they quickly honed in on Brine after surveillance video from an Osborne Street car wash showed him inside one of the bays with Lafantaisies missing vehicle. In a lengthy videotaped interrogation, Brine told homicide detectives he was simply trying to hide the fact he stole a car. Brine admitted he routinely prowls parkades in Winnipeg, looking to steal items from unsuspecting victims. And it was a parkade on University Crescent where Lafantaisies personal items were found discarded in a stairwell. But Brine repeatedly denied being a killer despite suggestions from police he turned violent when caught. Even if this lady would have seen me, I would run. I know what I saw. I know what I did that day. I didnt do that. I aint a (expletive) killer, man. Im being straight with you. I never put that old lady in there, Brine told police at one point. Lafantaisies family praised the Crown and police for the job they did on bringing her killer to justice. They now want people to remember Lafantaisie for how she lived and not how she died. She was a beautiful beautiful person, she loved everyone. She was a hard worker, she loved God, her daughter Gosselin said Wednesday. Family members plan to give detailed victim impact statements at Thursdays sentencing for Brine. www.mikeoncrime.com Saint Marys students Riley Burns and Kory McDonald, joined by their friend Libby Abbe, were all first-time jumpers, and they had no problem making scared faces when mugging for the cameras. We were all a little nervous and cold before we even jumped, Burns said. But we knew it was for a great cause and it was going to be a lot of fun. The warm tents afterwards helped to motivate us a bit, not to mention the bragging rights. Is Winonas Windom Park neighborhood deserving of historic status? The citys Heritage Preservation Commission believes soand so do residents, who gave favorable reviews at Wednesdays meeting of the plan, which would create the Windom Park Historic District to include Windom Park and 34 surrounding properties. The property owners who would be in the district were notified and 16 came to the informational meeting with questions, but positive reactions. Chris Welle, whose property was one of two additions to a 1995 plan for a historic district, said that the change would be positive for the neighborhood, and once the property owners understood the details that they would likely support it, too. Im all in favor of this, Welle said. I just think its really important that the commission gets out informational pieces. At the end of the day it strengthens your city. Attendees had questions about the potential signage for the district, and if the designation changes the laws regarding rentals, rental requirements or zoning, all of which will remain the same. Myron White, the citys development coordinator, said the main change would be how property owners could change the exteriors of their houses. The designation would affect exterior modifications or additions, like tearing down or adding on to parts of a house, or changing walkways, parking areas, lighting and other aesthetic aspects in view of public roads. Those making substantial renovations would likely have to present the plans to the commission for approval. The designation wouldnt affect interior renovations, or outside paint color. White said the consistency that having exterior changes reviewed would create is one of the attractive aspects of the designation. It protects the value of your property, White said. Property values tend to appreciate or hold steady in designated historic districts. That certificate of appropriateness process, however, was also what White said will be one of the main points of contention in the process. Property owners and the general public will have several opportunities at providing opinions on the proposal. Wednesdays meeting requested an ordinance to come back to the commission. After that it goes to the city planning commission, the state Historical Preservation Office, Winonas preservation commission again, and finally to the city council. It probably takes between four and six months to get through all the hoops we would have to jump through, White said. Winona kids know it as the lion bank. To their great- and great-great-grandparents, it was the Watkins bank. To all of Winona, its been an institution for 130 years. In the spring of 1874 Winonas lumber barons were in need of another place to put their money. Lumbermen William Laird and Earle Youmans, along with leading attorney William Mitchell and others, organized the Winona Savings Bank and opened for business at 72 W. Second St. in the old United National Bank building. Business was good, and became all the better as it attracted the business of an up-and-coming firm dealing in horse liniment, black pepper and vanilla extract. In due time J.R. Watkins was named bank president, a title he also passed on to his successor as head of the J.R. Watkins Co., E.L. King. The bank had moved to 174 Center St. in 1903, but in 1913 had outgrown its second location and plans were in the works to move up the street and across the block to 204 Main St. E.L. King, a man unashamed of his wealth and the success of the enterprises he headed, also took a personal interest in the design of the new bank. Chicago architect George Mahr, who also designed the Watkins headquarters building on Liberty Street, drew up plans for the Egyptian Revival building, which called for stained glass windows designed by Tiffany Studios in New York and twin 37-foot, 32-ton granite pillars to be the second-largest granite pillars in the United States flanking the front doors. The building was completed in 1916, the same year the Winona National Bank was established as a sister institution to the Winona Savings Bank. The two institutions would share the imposing Main Street headquarters, though only the name of Winona Savings Bank would be chiseled into the banks gray granite exterior. They would merge in 1928, one year ahead of the great crash of 1929. But the 1920s were good years for the bank, for Watkins and for the King family in particular. The banks golden lion logo was inspired by a trophy cat on display inside the bank with other deceased African beasts, shot by Mrs. King on safari in Kenya. After the crash, the bank remained solid as the granite it was built from. In a 1968 interview, bank president S.J. Kryzsko, whose 45-year career at the bank began in 1925, said that in 1933, when banks across the nation were closing, the bank was in good shape and deposits had gone up slightly. In October 2001, Winona National and Savings Bank merged with the Town and Country State Bank of Winona, expanding the bank to three locations 204 Main St., 1491 W. Broadway, and 840 Mankato Ave. The Town and Country bank had been founded in 1971, when S.J. Kryzsko came out of retirement to start the first new bank in Winona since Winona National Banks founding in 1916. One of the best spots to ice fish is south of Alma just down the dugway from Carrol Ibergs rural home. Down there ice fishing is really good, Mr. Iberg told me. He fished five days a week and caught mostly pan fish, and a few northern and bass. To get to one of the most accessible ice fishing areas around, just south of the power plant, you have to cross the railroad tracks. The rail is owned by BNSF. The company is exerting its authority to enforce a trespassing law by hiring railroad police to guard the track. Mr. Iberg did not think much of a black Tahoe parked along the highway when he went fishing. However, he was surprised when a uniformed state trooper-looking person with a gun on his hip threatened him. The rail police said Mr. Iberg was trespassing on railroad property by crossing the tracks to get to his fishing hole. What bothers me about this? he said to me. Its something Ive done all my life. I asked how long he has fished here. Approximately 68 years. And Im 75. My Dad took me and my brother here forever. He asked me if I thought he had an adverse possession claim on the land like farmers who farmed the same land for 20 years even though the land technically belonged to a neighbor. I am not sure about the adverse possession claim, but threatening Mr. Iberg for ice fishing is going too far. Rail lines run all along the Mighty Mississippi on Wisconsins west coast. For generations, anglers, birders, hikers, hunters and other outdoors enthusiasts crossed the tracks to get to publically owned and otherwise inaccessible land. Long ago, when the rail line was built, people say all kinds of easements and agreements were put in place to assure locals kept access to the lands on the other side of the tracks. Now the railroad is acting to cut off access to 230 miles of Mississippi River backwater and public lands by enforcing a 2005 law that eliminated the right of the public to cross the tracks. A bill written by Representative Nerison, and others including myself, would return the law to its pre-2005 language. Rep. Nerison, in testimony at a recent hearing, told lawmakers the bill would restore public access to over 100 state-owned properties. George Meyer, representing the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, testified public properties accessible only by crossing rail lines include state, county and national forests, U.S. Fish and Wildlife refuges, hatcheries, boat access areas, state parks and scores of other public properties owned by local units of government. The railroad lobbyist testified, safety is the primary reason, but not the only reason we oppose the billit also creates opportunities for the many groups who protest crude by rail and other hazardous goods moved by rail. Concerns about protesters evidently led power, gas and transmission companies to lobby for another law to penalize trespassers; including prison time. I told Mr. Iberg he should know Assembly Bill 547 would make trespassing on power company land a felony with a $10,000 fine and maximum imprisonment of six years. How can they enforce this? He asked. When they built the power plant... They pleaded with us to sign on to allow them to put a turnaround [in the public land] they wanted us to say it was OK to put in the [coal train] turnaround. They were still going to let us fish [inside the circular track.] During Senate debate, I explained the Alma power plant is very close to prime ice fishing public land. Inadvertent trespassing on power plant land should not land ice anglers in prison. But it wasnt until I spoke with Mr. Iberg that I realized the power company built on public land and prime fishing holes were inside the power companys circular tracks. What happened to America the Land of the Free? I asked Mr. Iberg. Exactly, he said. Theres no use in living by a river if you cant use it. That would be OUR river, and OUR public lands. Or it used to be. For more than 120 years the Basilica of St. Stanislaus has been a place that matters to its parishioners and the entire Winona community. The Winona Heritage Preservation Commission was greeted by Polish hyms sung by the Basilica choir when it arrived Wednesday afternoon to formally acknowledge the Basilicas significance as a Place that Matters. Commission chair Lynn Englund presented St. Stans rector, the Rev. Msgr. Thomas J. Hargesheimer with a Heritage Commission Commendation Award recognizing the church and its parishioners for the ongoing love and attention they provide this place that matters so much to our community. This is a place that matters for so many people, Hargesheimer said. The people who live here. Who go to school here. Who come back to be married and to have their children baptized here. Hargesheimer said he counts himself among those people. Born and raised in Winona, St. Stans was his first priestly assignment, he said. When he learned his predecessor as pastor was retiring, I went to the bishop and asked for the assignment, he said. When St. Stans was designated a minor basilica, one of only two in Minnesota, its significance as a place that matters extended beyond Winona. As a basilica, it is a place of pilgrimage for the Roman Catholic faithful. In recent weeks, individuals from Austria and Jamaica have visited and signed the guest book and a pilgrim group from St. Cloud came for prayer and to celebrate Mass, Hargesheimer said. It is a place that matters for worship and as a place where friendships are formed. Visitors are always blown away by this church, Winona Mayor Mark Peterson said. The architecture of Winonas churches is special, he said, but none more special than St. Stans. The beauty of this church, he said, stands as a testament to the people who built it and of how important their religion was in their lives. St. Stans traces its beginning to 1871 when the Rev. Alois Plut, pastor of St. Josephs, helped his Polish parishioners organize a new parish of their own. About 100 families made up the new parish designated by the Vatican as a national church for Polish-speaking Catholics. They raised $350 to buy two lots at the corner of Fourth and Carimona streets, and then raised $950 more to build a simple, wood-frame church. The church was completed in September 1872 and incorporated as the Church of Saint Stanislaus Kostka. Over the next 20 years the Polish community grew, filling and overfilling the church, forcing a decision on the part of the community split into two parishes or build a new church big enough to hold them all. They chose to build, and the basilica is the result. Through sacrifice and dedication, the parishioners that raised the $85,000 the equivalent of $2.2 million today to pay for a church of their own. Four thousand people stood in the rain to watch Bishop Cotter bless the cornerstone, and even more crowded the streets and filled the pews for the dedication just a year later appropriately enough, Thanksgiving Day 1895. Originally seating 1,800, with more than 17,000 square feet of floor space, St. Stans challenged the bluffs for domination of the Winona skyline its brilliant white dome, topped by a 13-foot-tall statue of its patron, rising 172 feet above the street, St. Stans has come to be one of the best known churches in the Midwest. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18 Trend: Governor of the US State of Montana Steve Bullock signed an official declaration addressed all Montanans in connection with the anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, Azerbaijan's Consulate General in Los Angeles told Trend. Bullock encouraged Montanans to acknowledge Feb. 26, 2016 as "Khojaly Remembrance Day." This is the first document recognizing Khojaly genocide adopted by the State of Montana. "As Montanans, we join with our Azerbaijani brothers and sisters in Montana to remember this day while also seeking to find understanding that surpasses the violence so often associated with conflict," said the document. The number of states recognizing Khojaly genocide has reached 20 together with the State of Montana. On February 25-26, 1992, the Armenian military, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops stationed in Khankendi, committed genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. Among those 613 killed in the massacre, there were 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. A total of 487 civilians became disabled as a result of the onslaught. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown. The event became the largest massacre in the course of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions. Sauk County voters exceeded statewide expectations Tuesday, as some said confusion between state and county judicial races may have artificially spiked turnout. Prior to the election, officials predicted statewide turnout would be around 10 percent. But according to unofficial results released by the Sauk County Clerks Office, about 13 percent of Sauk Countys voting-age residents attended the polls during Tuesdays primary election. Sauk County Clerk Becky Evert said municipal clerks reported that many voters thought the judicial race on Tuesdays ballot was for Sauk County Circuit Court judge, and did not realize that it was a primary for Wisconsin Supreme Court justice. Supporters already have erected yard signs in the local circuit court judge race between Sauk County Assistant Corporation Counsel Wendy Klicko and Sauk County District Attorney Kevin Calkins, even though that election wont take place until April 5. A great number of voters were expecting to see local races on the ballot, probably because of the yard signs throughout the community, Baraboo City Clerk-Finance Director Cheryl Geise said. Others were interested in the new election equipment, and others were interested in the new photo ID requirements. Geise said the Baraboo Civic Center was busier than she expected during Tuesdays primary, and 55 new voters were registered. Unofficial numbers show 13.4 percent of the citys voting age population cast ballots Tuesday. Peper, Zick move on in 25th district A former county employee will challenge a Sauk County Board incumbent for his seat in the sp In Sauk County, there were 6,038 votes cast in the Wisconsin Supreme Court primary, in which Justice Rebecca Bradley and State Appeals Court Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg advanced to the April 5 election over Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Joe Donald. Bradley an appointee of Gov. Scott Walker came out on top statewide, earning 45 percent of the vote to Kloppenburgs 43 percent. But Sauk County voters favored Kloppenburg, awarding her 58 percent of the local vote to Bradleys 36 percent. Donald only garnered 6 percent of Sauk County votes, according to unofficial tallies. Also as a result of Tuesdays primary, a former Sauk County employee won the right to challenge a two-term incumbent of the Sauk County Board in the April election. Of the 292 ballots cast in the 25th district, two-term incumbent Supervisor Brian Peper of Loganville earned 36 percent and former Sauk County employee Lynn Zick of North Freedom garnered 33 percent. Cardinal Glass employee Charlotte Huelsemann received 30 percent of the vote and will not appear on the April ballot. A La Valle man pleaded guilty Wednesday to selling his mother and her boyfriend the heroin that killed them. Herbert C. Grosenheider Jr., 31, appeared in a Sauk County courtroom facing two counts of felony first-degree reckless homicide in the June 2015 deaths of Diane L. Rogers, 51, of La Valle, and Richard A. Maurer, 55, of Wonewoc. Rogers and Maurer were found dead in the grass and bushes near a fire pit outside their home in the town of Woodland. Prosecutors later charged Rogers son, Grosenheider, with selling them the heroin they used prior to their overdose deaths. Sauk County Assistant District Attorney Dennis Ryan said the prosecution has agreed to cap its sentencing recommendation at 25 years within the correctional system in exchange for Grosenheiders pleas. The 25 years would encompass prison time and supervised community release. The district attorneys office also has agreed to dismiss two other cases against Grosenheider. One included charges that he abandoned a young woman in a vehicle after he watched her fade in and out of consciousness during a heroin overdose. Grosenheider pleaded guilty as a party to the crime to both reckless homicide charges Wednesday. A state corrections employee will conduct an investigation of Grosenheiders past meant to inform the judge prior to sentencing. That report is due April 29, and sentencing will be scheduled for a later date. Grosenheider spoke softly Wednesday when responding to Sauk County Judge James Evensons questions. He wore an orange jail jumpsuit and hunched forward during the court proceedings. Also charged in the homicide case is 30-year-old Amie E. Rice of Dodgeville. Prosecutors allege that she helped arrange the drug deal, and have charged her with two counts of first-degree reckless homicide as a party to a crime. Rices case is still pending. In the hours leading to a candlelight vigil Wednesday night for Tracy Krueger, the temperature dropped more than expected, but still mourners came to light candles and keep each other warm. I posted it on Facebook and it exploded from there, said organizer Tammy Mazzuca, a friend of Kruegers over the past 10 years, not expecting the over 50 people who came to honor her friend who died of gunshot wounds on Monday. I honestly didnt expect this many people. A lot of people loved Tracy, but I didnt expect that many people to respond and to come out, but it was great. Posters, pictures and messages of love and farewell were anchored by glowing candles, near the spot where Krueger had been shot dead Monday morning on her way to work. Kruegers husband, Kevin K. Krueger, 51 of Friesland, was arrested less than 15 minutes later, stopped by a Columbia County Sheriffs deputy on westbound Highway 16 outside of Portage. The two were scheduled for a court hearing Thursday on Tracys petition for divorce filed Oct. 22, after which she returned to her home in northeast Tennessee. She moved there in 2014 with her husband and two daughters, 15 and 16 years old. Tracy grew up in eastern Columbia County, graduating from Randolph High School. In a day-glow green and pink yearbook with sunglasses on the cover, Tracy Hill is shown as a sophomore in 1991, in black-and-white, in a button down shirt, with big curly, shoulder-length hair. She does not appear in the 1990 or 1992 editions. On Jan. 22, 1992, at age 17, she married Kevin, who years before went to school in Pardeeville. One week later, the two had a son, Nathan Karl Krueger. The baby did not survive and was buried in Randolph. At the end of January 2015, Tracy put out a request on Facebook. Ordinarily, she would visit her sons grave every year, but she was in Tennessee, and so asked if someone could take a balloon to his burial site. In May 1999 Tracy gave birth to her first daughter, Katelyn, and in August the next year, another daughter, Koryn. Tracy worked in Portage, as a waitress at Cimarolis Supper Club, then more recently at Golden Cup cafe. As she moved between Wisconsin and Tennessee between 2014 and recently, because of her reputation as a reliable hard worker, she had standing offers at both Golden Cup and Aunt Beas in Greeneville. In Tennessee, the family lived east of Knoxville in a three-bedroom ranch-style house on the north edge of Great Smoky Mountain National Park. She wasnt doing very well over there. She wanted to come back with her friends, so she came and stayed with us, said Regina Ontiveros, referring to Katelyn. Its basically been her home for two years, so it felt right that she would continue to stay with us. Last April, according to Tracys petition to Columbia County Court, Kevin left her and her daughters to return to Wisconsin, coming back then leaving again, taking the girls. While she was visiting for Christmas, Tracy said in court documents, Kevin left her a message that he was gone and would not be coming back. With her girls settled, approaching the end of high school, the house in Tennessee was sold and Tracy moved back to Wisconsin. She stayed at the Ridge Motor Inn and was on her way to work Monday for an 8 a.m. shift at Golden Cup when she was shot numerous times. At the vigil, without hesitation, Regina Ontiveros said what they planned for the girls: We will continue to take care of Katelyn like we have been and she will continue to go to school where she is going. Were just going to try our best to help these girls find their place in the world, said her husband Chris. What else can we do? After hearing the news on Monday Regina set up a Go Fund Me site to raise $3,000 for funeral costs, so it would not be a burden on the family. In about 24 hours it was done. After a prayer by pastor Dave Hankins, Tracys father stepped up to the microphone to speak. Im sure she is smiling down on us like she did with everyone, he said. Soon there was also an outpouring of anger and frustration as he told the group, This domestic violence has to stop. Enough is enough. A tentative funeral plan has been made, he said, explaining that it is dependent upon the ongoing police investigation, but with services expected in Pardeeville on Sunday at 1 p.m. If you could have met her, she would have impressed you, he said. She was one in a million. Mazzuca explained that, in what is an awkward story, she had met Tracy in less-than-ideal circumstances. Tracy and I hated each other in the beginning and we became very close, she said. So shes a wonderful person. Sauk Prairies graduating seniors who took the 2015 American College Testing exam posted the highest average score for the district since 2012. Their average score of 23.7 out of a possible 36 also was higher than the states 22.2 average score. Graduating seniors have a choice about taking the exam and 57 percent of the senior class participated, compared with 73 percent state-wide. Typically, those preparing for college choose to take the test and they have the opportunity to take it multiple times if they are unsatisfied with their performance. For the first time in the states history, high school juniors were required to take the ACT exam. Sauk Prairie juniors were given one chance to take the exam and had an average score of 20.8, compared to the state average of 20. Sauk Prairie High School Principal Chad Harnisch warned against directly comparing the results of the classes, even though both levels took identical tests. Some of the media is trying to compare junior and senior scores, and its not a fair comparison, Harnisch said. Harnisch said all of the junior class took the test, they had only one opportunity to take it and were seeing the exam for the first time. He also said juniors were at a disadvantage due to a year less of coursework than seniors. Among the 130 Sauk Prairie seniors who participated, 44 percent passed or were proficient or better in all four test areas of English, math, reading and science. Harnisch said testing juniors is a good change because the test matters more than the older Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam because of the necessity to take the ACT for college entrance requirements. Students may therefore take it more seriously and study harder for it. The ACT matters to everybody, Harnisch said. Every student gets one ACT test opportunity. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18, Trend: An OSCE monitoring was held Feb. 18 along the contact line between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops. Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry has said the monitoring, held in line with the mandate of personal representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office, passed without any incident. The monitoring took place in Azerbaijan's Terter district. On the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring was carried out by the personal representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk and the field assistant of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative, Jiri Aberle. On the opposite side, the monitoring was conducted by the field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative Yevgeny Sharov, Hristo Hristov and Peter Svedberg. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions. USDA announces $1 billion debt relief for 36,000 farmers The USDA announced a program to provide $1.3B in debt relief for about 36,000 farmers who have fallen behind on loan payments or face foreclosure. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkey condemns the terrorist attack in Ankara and is grateful to Azerbaijan for its support, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkish foreign minister, told reporters in Baku Feb. 18. A terror attack was carried out in Ankara Feb. 17 near the buildings of the Turkish parliament, the general staff and a military dorm in the city. Commenting on the explosion, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the explosion killed 28 and injured 61. Reports suggest that a car bomb was detonated. "Turkey doesn't make distinction among terrorists," Cavusoglu further said. He added that the meeting of Azerbaijani and Turkish presidents, which was cancelled due to the terrorist attack, will be held soon. He said an investigation is underway into the Ankara attack to find out who stands behind it. "No one will be able to lead Turkey astray," Cavusoglu stressed. Cavusoglu also said there are close relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey, adding Ankara supports Baku in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He added that Turkish, Azerbaijani and Georgian foreign ministers will review the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway in Tbilisi Feb. 19. The BTK railway is being constructed on the basis of a Georgian-Azerbaijani-Turkish intergovernmental agreement. Its peak capacity will be 17 million tons of cargo per year. At an initial stage, this figure will be one million passengers and 6.5 million tons of cargo. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.18, By Anakhanum Khidayatova - Trend: Azerbaijan expresses deep condolences over the terrorist attacks in Turkey, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told reporters in Baku Feb.18. Mammadyarov made the remarks following the meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. "We have a clear position on this issue: we condemn any form of terrorism," said the minister, adding that currently, there is no information whether there are Azerbaijani citizens among the injured as a result of the terrorist attacks in Ankara. A blast occurred in an area close to the buildings of the parliament, the general staff and the military dorm in Ankara Feb. 17 at 18:30 (UTC/GMT +4 hours). The explosion left 28 people dead and 61 injured. A vehicle full of explosives was detonated. The servicemen were mainly injured. Ankara's residents, who were also in that area, were also injured. Azerbaijani foreign minister said that fighting terrorism is very important and currently, Azerbaijan's participation in the Islamic anti-terrorism coalition in Syria is under discussion. No decision has been made on this issue, said Mammadyarov. Further, Mammadyarov said that the sides discussed the regional, bilateral and strategic relations between the two countries. Mammadyarov noted that the sides discussed the relations in energy sphere and the project for constructing the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. "We believe that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will be commissioned by late 2016," he added. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum Q&A: W&Ms community engagement fellows on active citizenship Fellows: Four alumni are serving as Community Engagement Fellows at William & Mary this year: Bria Brown, Arvin Alaigh, Alexis Foxworth and Rachel Neely. Photo by Stephen Salpukas Photo - of - Hide Caption The William & Mary Office of Community Engagement will host its annual Active Citizens Conference at the School of Education Saturday. The event, now in its fifth year, allows students, faculty members and community leaders to discuss best practices for making an impact on communities and bringing about social change. Approximately 170 people, many from Virginia but others from as far as Chicago and Alabama, are expected to participate in this years conference, including two alumni guest speakers: Ruth Jones Nichols '96 and Pete Maybarduk '02. {{youtube:medium:left|YBo6NkpiHCU, Active Citizens Conference}} The universitys four current Community Engagement Fellows Arvin Alaigh 15, Bria Brown 15, Alexis Foxworth 15 and Rachel Neely 15 recently talked with W&M News about what active citizenship entails and how their experience as fellows has affected their own pursuit of active citizenship. What do you do as a W&M Community Engagement Fellow? Alaigh: "As Fellow for Local Engagement, my responsibilities are to plan service days, host community discussions and dinner dialogues, advise students and engage William & Marys campus regarding the opportunities offered through the Office of Community Engagement." Brown: "My job varies depending on the day. I spend a lot of my time making videos marketing the efforts that the School Health Initiative Program (SHIP) is putting forth, planning outreach programs at William & Mary, and I advise the Campus Kitchen at William & Mary." Foxworth: "As the Fellow for Education Programs, I oversee and advise Project Phoenix and Pineapple Kids, facilitate Education Equity Dinner dialogues and coordinate the annual College Day program, which brings middle school students to campus for a full day immersion into college life." Neely: "As the Alternative Breaks Fellow, I work primarily with the organization Branch Out. I oversee logistical processes, including facilitating the financial aid application process, managing participant emergency information and overseeing program-wide fundraisers. I also design and write content for Branch Out monthly newsletters to students and alumni, as well as managing Branch Outs blog. During the fall semester, I also attended and advised site leader training sessions, which are led by student directors." How would you define active citizenship, and how does it differ from traditional ideas about service? Brown: "I think that active citizenship can really look like almost anything. For example, I value the importance of building online platforms advocating for issues. I think it's important for activists and advocate groups to make themselves known online now-a-days because it is becoming one of the most powerful tools for sharing knowledge and understanding and making change." Foxworth: "I think one of the key differences between traditional ideas of service and our model of active citizenship is that the latter emphasizes being with community as opposed to simply being in it. As active citizens, we highlight the importance of continual growth, humility and reflection. In step with these ideas is the fact that we learn from the communities we serve instead of coming in with the mindset that we are correct and our approach infallible. One thing I enjoy about the active citizen's framework is that is necessitates learning from others and developing relationships." Neely: "I see active citizenship in three components: asking questions and thinking critically, taking action and reflecting. I think active citizenship differs from traditional ideas about service because we view it as a never-ending continuum, meaning that active citizens are always learning, and that there is always room for growth. Active citizens are committed not just to performing service for a few hours or a single day, but to integrating their commitment to service and to education and reflection into their daily lives." Alaigh: "As I imagine it, active citizenship articulates the idea that individuals ought to make choices considering the needs and contexts of the greater community. It is a continuous process there is no finality to becoming an active citizen. Traditional ideas about service generally possess connotations of a one-way avenue of growth and assistance the community in need gets aid, but the individual(s) who helped dont gain anything substantial. However, active citizenship entails a process that grows both the person serving, as well as the community being served." Do you consider yourself an active citizen, and how has your experience as a fellow shaped or changed your ideas about active citizenship? Foxworth: "I believe I am becoming an active citizen more and more each day. This fellowship has provided me with the opportunities to expand my active citizenship and my approach to both justice and leadership." Neely: "I do consider myself an active citizen; while its daunting to take on that identity, I think that it pushes me to evaluate my actions more critically. My experience as a fellow has broadened my understanding of what active citizenship can look like. Ive realized active citizenship also means working in collaboration with others for positive social change." Alaigh: "I consider myself an active citizen, and I believe that this fellowship helped me imagine ways to operationalize practices of active citizenship." Brown: "I consider myself to be always working towards what many call active citizenship. I also acknowledge that that looks different for everyone and what many consider active citizenship is simply surviving for so many people." Why is active citizenship important both to the person who is engaged in it and society? Neely: "Active citizenship is important for the individuals engaged because their lives are enriched by the connections they make to the communities in which they live and serve. Communities, and societies in general, benefit from active citizenship because the service they receive from well-educated active citizens works to build capacity and create lasting partnerships." Alaigh: "Active citizenship is vital for individuals, as it will help them in guiding choices are beneficial to the community. With a society devoid of active citizens, people will act in their own self-interest, often to the detriment of the community." Foxworth: "Active citizenship is important to both the person involved and society because it is based on mutual exchange. The model of active citizenship would be horribly diminished if each "side" was not growing through the experience. Active citizenship was never intended to be a one-sided, one-dimensional approach to community, activism and justice. It is this mutuality that makes active citizenship important for all parties and establishes that one is not successful without the other." What do you hope to impart to the students and community members that you work with about active citizenship before you leave W&M? Alaigh: "I hope to help students realize the importance of active citizenship, and how gratifying it is to take steps to become an active citizen, as well as the value of service for our community." Brown: "I just hope to encourage people to constantly think critically." Foxworth: "I hope to impart to students alike the importance of being reflective and being willing to always get better. Many times in social justice work, students and community members alike adhere to the belief that perfection is achieved solely through experience and familiarity. Many think, "because I have been involved in this program or served in this way for 3.5 years, I know what I am doing and I refuse to be open to change." I cannot think of a mindset more dangerous and oppositional to the work that we (I) desire to do in community. I hope I have hammered in (maybe annoyingly to many) that we must always listen, learn and be open to opportunities and knowledge that challenges us outside of our status quo and normal way of operating." Neely: "I hope to impart to those around me that active citizenship is both personal and collaborative. It is important to both figure out what active citizenship looks like for you personally, as well as to be engaged with others working for social change." What will active citizenship look like for you beyond W&M? Brown: "Looking for jobs that allow me to continue doing social justice work and use the spaces in which I have influence to have critical conversations." Foxworth: "Active citizenship after W&M will manifest itself in my life through learning more! I love to learn and hope to be involved in more opportunities that will expand me, my ideas of justice, my understanding of injustice and my relationships with all people through community work." Neely: "I know that, following my time (five years total!) at W&M, it will feel strange to adapt to a new community, but I hope that the principles of active citizenship that Ive learned will help me to embody active citizenship wherever I end up. I know that as I adapt to a new place, Ill be interested in educating myself about the social issues, as well as general goings-on, present in community. Knowing my strengths and the issues Im most interested in working on, I think that Ill be committed to seeking out service opportunities and relationships that align with those interests." Alaigh: "There are many ways to incorporate active citizenship in life beyond college, such as voting regularly, engaging with local politics, working on community issues." Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.18, Trend: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has today received Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu. President Ilham Aliyev offered condolences to Mevlut Cavusoglu and the people of Turkey on the terror attack committed in Ankara on February 17. The head of state noted that Azerbaijan was shocked by the attack, adding that the country resolutely condemns it. President Aliyev said that as always the Azerbaijani people stand by the people of Turkey on these difficult days. "My brother, esteemed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a phone call to me in the evening of February 17, and said he would not be able to visit Baku because of this attack. Naturally, we understand this. I offered him condolences on behalf of the Azerbaijani people, wished Allah's mercy to victims of the tragedy, patience to their families and recovery to the injured," President Ilham Aliyev said. He also noted that they agreed to hold the session of Turkey-Azerbaijan High Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Baku at a convenient time for the Turkish president. The head of state highlighted the importance of the session of Turkey-Azerbaijan High Level Strategic Cooperation Council in terms of further expansion of the bilateral ties between the two countries, describing this as a sign of unity. The president noted that the Council had a broad agenda as a number of issues would be discussed at the session, expressing his confidence that it would be held soon. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu thanked the head of state for the condolences and for Azerbaijani people's and personally President Aliyev's standing by the Turkish people at this difficult time. Mevlut Cavusoglu highlighted the importance of combating all forms of terrorism, saying they would continue to fight against terrorism. The Turkish foreign minister expressed his confidence that the next session of Turkey-Azerbaijan High Level Strategic Cooperation Council would be held soon and that the bilateral relations between the two countries would be developed under the leadership of the presidents. Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey hailed the measures recently taken in Azerbaijan to ensure development in economic and all other fields of the country's life. He wished Azerbaijan success in all activities under the leadership of President Aliyev. China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page Moscow, Russia, Feb. 18 By Orkhan Yolchuyev - Trend: Members of the OSCE Minsk Group themselves should solve the issue of modifying its existing format on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson of Russia's Foreign Ministry, Feb. 18. She made the remarks answering to a question of Trend correspondent on the possibility of holding an expanded meeting of the OSCE Minsk Group. "The current format has been approved, and it is widely recognized and effective in many ways," said Zakharova. "Of course, everyone would like to have better results, however this format works." Earlier, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said in Baku that Sweden offers to convene an enlarged meeting of the OSCE Minsk Group for settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "If there is a need for a meeting in a broader format for the conflict settlement, we, as an OSCE Minsk Group member, are willing to participate in it," she added. 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. The suspect By: Feng Qian Police are looking for a man who sexually assaulted a young girl while she was watching a magic show with her parents, police in the United Kingdom said. London police said that the 11-year-old girl was indecently assaulted while watching the magic show at the Hamleys toy store around 4:00 p.m. The girl and her parents were in the store located on Regent Street, when she was groped by the 35-year-old man, who was not identified. After he groped the girl, the man fled from the scene. Police are appealing for witnesses to the attack and have published an image of the man they believe is responsible for the attack. He is described as white, slim build, with light brown hair and glasses. At the time of the incident, the suspect was wearing a mauve shirt, dark jacket and black pants. A young man wanted to make a point about racism in the United States, but his plan backfired when he was exposed for a liar by police. 20-year-old Khalil Cavil of Texas was working at the Saltgrass Steak House in Odessa when he claimed he was discriminated against because of his Muslim name. Cavil took Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Feb. 16 By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend: The final stage of implementation of the State program of Turkmenistan on development of securities market began in 2016, the country's Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper said Feb. 16. At this stage it is planned to complete the work on creation of conditions for the full-fledged securities market's joining the system of international financial markets. The article said that the ultimate goal of this program is to create a modern stock exchange, which corresponds to international standards. In December 2015, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov signed a decree "On issuance, sale and redemption of public bonds of Turkmenistan." In accordance with the accepted norms, the finance ministry of Turkmenistan is authorized to issue public stock bonds with a term of up to five years, based on the level of the refinancing rate of the central bank. It is expected that the public bonds will be sold to legal entities through authorized brokers, regardless of ownership form, and to individuals, including foreign legal entities operating in Turkmenistan. The bonds' emission will be carried out as an additional source of income of the Turkmen state budget of 2016, according to the newspaper. HYAK - A new traffic shift is now in effect near Easton as one of the busiest construction seasons on Interstate 90 between North Bend and Ellensburg winds down for the upcoming winter. The Obama administration secured a court order from a California-based federal judge on Tuesday to force tech giant Apple to develop special software designed to compromise encryption security features embedded in the iPhones iOS 9 operating system. The court decision, utilizing an obscure and antidemocratic law from the 18th century, is part of efforts to utilize last years attack in San Bernardino, California to intensify the assault on democratic rights and expand the police-state spying powers of the government. The FBI and the Justice Department claim that the new software is necessary to enable federal investigators to search through an iPhone belonging to Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the attackers responsible for the mass shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino. At stake, however, is far more than the data on Farooks phone. The government wants broad authority to bypass encryption mechanisms on any communications that it is not presently able to monitor. US agents have been unable to access Farooks phone as a result of Apples built-in auto-erase feature, which deletes the smartphones data after ten or more incorrect attempts to unlock it. The phones security features prevent the agency from employing its preferred method of brute forcing entry, i.e., trying every possible password. Judge Sheri Pym of the Federal District Court for the District of Central California ruled Tuesday that Apple must find a way to bypass and disable the security features on Farooks phone. Apple will appeal the ruling within days, and the case could be decided in the Supreme Court. Government attorneys claim that the ruling compels Apple to design software that can penetrate the iPhones data protection systems, citing a statute known as the All Writs Act, which allows judges to issue all writs necessary or appropriate in aid of their respective jurisdictions and agreeable to the usages and principles of law. The administration has adopted a broad interpretation of the law that effectively allows the courts to overrule constitutional limitations on state powers. White House, spokesman Josh Earnest said on Wednesday that the Justice Department and the FBI have the Obama administrations full support. The ruling is only the latest stage in the efforts of the Obama administration and the political establishment to use the attacks in San Bernardino to counter the widespread opposition to domestic spying that followed the revelations of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. Along with the terror attacks in Paris, the events in southern California have become the central pretext for a new expansion of the US governments mass surveillance programs. Snowden spoke out against the FBI assault on encryption Wednesday, describing the events as the most important tech case in a decade. The FBI is creating a world where citizens rely on Apple to defend their rights, Snowden said in a tweet. Apple, Google, Yahoo, Facebook and other leading firms entered into secret contracts with the US government from the mid-2000s onward, giving the NSA access to electronic communications data stored on their servers, as revealed in NSA documents released by Snowden beginning in the summer of 2013. The documents also showed that the NSA had set up numerous illegal and unconstitutional programs that seek to monitor all telephone records, emails and other communications in the US and internationally. Pointing to the broad implications of the ruling in a letter released on Wednesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook described the governments request as unprecedented, saying that the technology demanded by the FBI could be used against hundreds of millions of devices. It would be the equivalent of a master key, Cook wrote. Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features. The government is asking Apple to hack our own users, Cook wrote. The spy software could be used to intercept your messages, access your health records or financial data, track your location, or even access your phones microphone or camera without your knowledge. The software hack would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someones physical possession. However, lest there be any doubt about Apples allegiance to the intelligence establishment and its war on terror, Cook went on to insist that Apple has done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help [the FBI]. When the FBI has requested data thats in our possession, we have provided it, Cook wrote. We have great respect for the professionals at the FBI, and we believe their intentions are good. Apples opposition to the FBIs anti-encryption drive flows from the material interests of its shareholders. Apple is engaged in a competitive struggle for market share on a world scale and stands to lose business, both from consumers and from foreign governments, if it is perceived as being completely penetrated by the US spy apparatus. According to an article in the New York Times, Apple had hoped to resolve the impasse without having to rewrite their own encryption software. The company was frustrated by the Justice Departments refusal to file its demands under seal rather than airing them in court, according to an industry executive with knowledge of the case. In other words, because the request became publicly known, the company felt compelled to release a statement opposing the ruling. Intelligence agencies have been pressing for legislation to bypass encryption mechanisms since long before the San Bernardino attacks. FBI Director James Comey has agitated for new laws requiring the installation of backdoor access to encryption technology almost continuously since taking office. The attacks, however, were immediately used to escalate the war on terror campaign and shift the entire political establishment to the right. One of the possible outcomes of the dispute with Apple is the passage of legislation in Congress that would explicitly authorize the government to force companies to give it access to text messages and other encrypted data on cell phones. Leading Democrats and Republicans in Congress moved quickly to back the court decision and criticize Apple for opposing it. The basic target of these movesas with the police-state spying apparatus as a wholeis not the Islamic State or Al Qaeda, but all opposition to the American ruling classs policy of war and social reaction. As the United States prepares for a massive escalation of military violence, it is at the same time intensifying the assault on democratic rights at home. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18 By Anvar Mammadov - Trend: The Azerbaijan Deposit Insurance Fund (ADIF) has paid the compensations worth over 21 million manats to clients of the bankrupt Bank of Azerbaijan, a statement posted on ADIF's website said. As of Feb. 18, the official exchange rate is 1.5644 AZN/USD. The process of receiving applications from Bank of Azerbaijan's insured depositors started since January 29, 2016. The amount of the insured deposits in Bank of Azerbaijan is 24.2 million manats. The payments are made in the branches of Muganbank and Rabitabank, assigned as agent banks. At the same time, more than 621,000 manats have been paid to Ganja Bank's clients since Feb. 4. In general, the amount of insured deposits in Ganja Bank is 1.5 million manats. The payments to Ganja Bank's depositors are made in the branches of Rabitabank, Unibank and Kapital Bank. ADIF has started paying compensations to Texnikabank's depositors since February 12. More than 6.6 million manats have been paid to the bank's clients recently. The payments to Texnikabank's depositors are made in the branches of Muganbank, Rabitabank, Unibank and Kapital Bank. The fund returns up to 30,000 manats for each insured deposit. Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop utilised talks with Chinese officials yesterday to echo the demands of the United States that China cease land reclamation and the militarisation of islands and reefs in the South China Sea. Bishop arrived in Beijing shortly after Fox News broadcast exclusive satellite imagery apparently showing the installation of surface-to-air missiles on Woody Islandan island under Chinese control for 60 years. Bishop described her discussions in Beijing as a forthright and candid exchange of views. She had foreshadowed the positions she raised behind closed doors in public statements made in Tokyo. Bishop spent two days in Japan, holding talks with the Abe government, delivering a major foreign policy speech and giving interviews to the Japanese media. Following talks with Japanese foreign minister Fumio Kishida, Bishop told the media that she would question the motives behind Chinese activities in the South China Sea and insist on reassurances that China does not intend to militarise the islands. She also reasserted Australias position, supporting the United States, that it will exercise freedom of navigation, including by military vessels and aircraft, through the disputed territory. According to various media reports, the Australian navy has drawn up plans for such an operation and is waiting for the go-ahead from the government. The Australian air force is already conducting operations near disputed islands that challenge Chinas claims. Bishop stressed the pro-forma position of the US and Australia that they do not take a position on the rival claims between China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia over areas of the South China Sea. Nevertheless she outraged Beijing by declaring that Australia recognised the Philippines right to seek to resolve the matter through arbitration. The United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration, part of the International Court of Justice, has ruled that it has jurisdiction to rule on a Philippine submissiondrawn up by top US-based legal expertsto have Chinas nine-dotted line territorial claim in the South China Sea declared invalid. The case is currently being heard. China has flatly rejected the legitimacy of any international court ruling over territory in the South China Sea where it asserts indisputable sovereignty and defines as an area of core interest that is non-negotiable. In response to Bishops comment on the Philippines case, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson bluntly told journalists: China will certainly not accept this. Australia ought not to selectively avoid this reality. In reference to Bishops statements on freedom of navigation, the Chinese spokesperson stated that Beijing hopes Australia would not do anything to harm regional peace and stability. Australias endorsement of the Philippines action is particularly cynical given it refused to recognise the right of the same court to adjudicate on the division of the resource-rich Timor Sea between Australia and East Timor. Instead, Canberra pressured the impoverished statelet into accepting Australian control over the bulk of the Timor Sea oil and gas reserves. Bishops visit to Japan and China underscored Australias role as a key partner of Washington in its aggressive pivot to Asia and military planning and preparations for war. In response to Chinese statements recalling the role of Japanese imperialism in World War II and expressing Beijings hope that Australia would oppose any changes to Japans pacifist constitution, Bishop declared: We moved on many years ago in relation to both Germany and Japan. Bishops statement tacitly endorses moves by the Japanese government to rewrite the constitution to remove the clauses banning the country from possessing armed forces and waging war. Such clauses were rendered a virtual dead-letter decades ago by the establishment of Japans Self-Defense Forces as one of the most heavily-armed and technologically advanced militaries in the world, and by Japans support roles in the US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Last year, the government through legislation authorising collective self-defensein other words, open engagement in Washingtons wars of aggression. Japan is poised to secure its first major military export contract in decades, in the form of an Australian contract for between eight to twelve diesel-powered attack submarines worth an estimated $50 billion. Japan currently has 22 Soryu submarines in operation in the waters along Chinas coast and in the Pacific Ocean. Rival German, French and Japanese corporations are bidding for the contract, but it is an open secret that Washington prefers Japan, for strategic reasons. As part of the pivot, the US is actively encouraging the build-up and close integration of the military forces of its main regional allies, above all, Australia and Japan. The submarine deal would cement an already burgeoning relationship between the two countries. While in Tokyo, Bishop discussed plans for an increase in joint military exercises and exchanges between the Australian and Japanese armed forces. She declared that boosting the Japanese military and its operations in the region and internationally was a vital and necessary complement to the United States. The author also recommends: The Pentagons CSIS report and Australias role in the escalating war drive against China [3 February 2016] Delivering the Australian governments annual Closing the Gap report on indigenous disadvantage to parliament last week, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull turned the world on its head. He extolled the report as an exciting opportunity, to empower the imagination, enterprise, wisdom and full potential of our First Australians. The previous Labor government established the phoney Closing the Gap process in 2008, on the pretence of rectifying the gulf between the health and wellbeing of indigenous and non-indigenous people. It was launched after Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudds equally cynical National Apology to the Stolen Generations, referring to Aboriginal children who were removed from their families up until 1970. Turnbull, speaking for the wealthy elite he represents, and the privileged indigenous layer that the Australian political establishment has cultivated, declared: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are studying at universities at home and abroad, at Oxford and Harvard, are completing medicine degrees and apprenticeships, are sending their children to school, buying homes, starting and running businesses, and have dreams for the future that are as optimistic and as different as the rest of us. The reality could not be more different, even as measured by the seven limited indices set in 2008. This years report card reveals that most of the targets are not being met, while seeking to cover up the failure on the two targets allegedly on track. Most of the statistics have not even been updated since last years report. This itself illustrates the fraud of the Closing the Gap operation and demonstrates the official indifference toward the social conditions confronting indigenous people, who are among the poorest and most vulnerable layers of the working class. Not on track is the target of halving the gap in employment by 2018. According to the reports outdated figures, the indigenous employment rate, among people of workforce age (1564), fell from 53.8 percent in 2008 to 47.5 percent in 201213. The report attributes this to a softening of the labour market, marginally compounded by the closure of the work-for-the-dole Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) program. In other words, indigenous workers are among the worst affected by the destruction of tens of thousands of jobs in mines and basic industries that accelerated in 201213. This decline cannot be explained by the difficulty of finding work in remote areas. In the major cities, where the majority of Aboriginal people live, the rate was just 49.8 percentwell below the national rate for all working people of 72.1 percent. The target of eventually closing the gap in life expectancy by 2031 is also not on track. In fact, again on outdated figuresfrom 2010 to 2012no progress has been made. A gap of 10.6 years for men and 9.5 years for women remained. The report claims that the overall indigenous mortality rate declined by 16 percent from 1998 to 2014, but a footnote states: However, no significant change was detected between the 2006 baseline and 2014. A target to ensure access to early childhood education to all Aboriginal four-year-olds in remote communities expired unmet in 2013, reaching only 85 percent. This years report provides no data on the new target of having 95 percent of indigenous four-year-olds nationally enrolled in such programs by 2025. Another reset goal, adopted in 2014 to close the gap in school attendance by 2018, also looks set to fail. In 2015, the attendance rate for indigenous students was 83.7 percentlittle change from 2014compared to 93.1 percent for non-indigenous students. One target supposedly on track is closing the mortality gap for children under five by 2018. According to the report, there was a decline in indigenous child mortality rates of around 6 percent from the 2008 baseline. But, in another example of dishonesty, a footnote states that the decline from 2008 to 2014 was not statistically significant. On closing the gap in Year 12 completion rates by 2020, the gap reportedly narrowed from 39.6 percentage points in 2008 to 28 percentage points in 201213. But no new data has been provided since the last report. On halving the literacy and numeracy gap by 2018, the report claims the numbers to be within reach on the basis of 2015 results in just four out of eight areas, based on NAPLAN standardised testing results for years 3, 5, 7, and 9. It admits that caution is required as results vary from one year to the next. These indices are doubly misleading. First, they compare the indigenous average with the non-indigenous average. This covers over the ever-growing inequality in society as a whole, and also among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, from whom a well-to-do layer of business entrepreneurs, bureaucrats, politicians and academics has been created over the past four decades. In other words, the results do not disclose anything of the class nature of indigenous disadvantage. For a clearer vision, the comparison would need to be between the indicators for indigenous and non-indigenous poor and working class people, and those for the non-indigenous and indigenous wealthy. Such figures would more clearly reveal the widening class divide in Australia. Second, the seven targets exclude many critical social indicators. For example, the number of Aboriginal children taken from their families has increased by 440 percent since the Australian Human Rights Commissions Bringing them Home report was released in 1997. Indigenous people constitute about 3 percent of the total Australian population and yet they make up 27 percent of the national adult male prison population, and over 47 percent of the young people in the criminal justice system. Failures on targets have been admitted in previous annual reports, but the outcomes are worsening. This is largely because of the deteriorating social conditions facing the entire working class, and government cuts to health, education and other social programs, driven by the collapse of the mining boom and the growing impact of the global financial breakdown that surfaced in 2008. This social reversal is particularly hitting the most vulnerable members of the working class, with indigenous people among the most disadvantaged of all. One of the most offensive features of Turnbulls speech was its patronising message. [W]e have not always shown you, our First Australians, the respect you deserve, he said. But despite the injustices and the trauma, you and your families have shown the greatest tenacity and resilience. Far from showing any respect, Australias capitalist class drove Aboriginal people off their land, subjected them to massacres and disease epidemics, removed their children, and killed many young people in police custody and prisons. Most recently, the Northern Territory Intervention, begun by the Howard Liberal-National government in 2007 and then continued by Labor, involved welfare quarantining, forced removal of families from remote communities and funding cuts to health, welfare, employment and legal aid programs. Behind the contemptuous references to tenacity and resilience, the shocking truth is that indigenous people are dying at alarming rates, being imprisoned at staggeringly high rates, and suffering from terrible levels of unemployment, ill health, disease, homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction and poverty. As the catastrophe unfolded from the lead poisoning of the water system in Flint, Michigan, the city charged the highest rates in the nation for water, according to a new study by the nonprofit advocacy group Food and Water Watch (FWW). The organizations survey of 500 of the largest water systems in the US was published Tuesday in a report, titled, The State of Public Water in the United States. The timing of the report is significant. Over the last several months, notably at a protest late last month at City Hall, outraged Flint residents have protested against the high rates and at being charged at all for toxic water they cant drink. During the period starting in April, 2014, when the city switched its source from treated water from Detroits public system to the polluted Flint River, complaints and protests by residents that the water was discolored and bad tasting and smelling were ignored by authorities. When authorities did respond, they claimed the water was in compliance with federal Safe Drinking Water Act standards. The FWW survey compares rates based on an average household usage of 60,000 gallons a year. On that basis, Flints rates are calculated at $864 a year. Residents of the city have long known that their rates are among the highest in the nation, but average water bills in Flint have been calculated by local media at $140 a month. That is about double the $864 annual bill cited in the FWW survey. Even at the $864 annual figure, the rates, far exceed what the United Nations designates as affordable for water and sewer service, survey co-author Mary Grant told the Detroit Free Press, saying the UN recommends that maximum of only three percent of household income be spent on water and sewer service. She calculated Flints water percentage at over seven percent. In August 2015, Genesee Circuit Court Judge Archie Hayman ordered the city to reduce rates by 35 percent. However, many residents say city officials violated the order because they have seen no change in their exorbitant bills. Instead mass water shutoffs were resumed after the city reconnected to the Detroit water system in October 2015. At a demonstration in front of City Hall on January 25, Flint citizen and water activist Melissa Mays told the WSWS, 7,000 shutoff notices were sent to Flint residents just before Christmas. We were one of them. And its not just because we feel like we shouldnt have to pay for poison. We cant afford these bills. My balance is $880. So, were paying the highest rates in the nation for the lowest quality water. Thats just wrong. Theres nothing that makes sense in any of this. They just keep billing us and billing us and theres another 1,800 shutoff notices that are set to go out this month. It just needs to stop! Even before the citys 2014 switch to the Flint River, the high rates provoked protests. In mid-2012, a year before former Flint Emergency Manager Ed Kurtz made the decision to sever longstanding relations with the Detroit water system, the Michigan Court of Appeals dismissed a lawsuit filed by Flint City Council President Scott Kincaid over high rates. At that time residential rates had gone up by 110 percent in less than a year. The first of the drastic rate hikes went into effect on September 16, 2011. Governor Rick Snyders first-appointed emergency manager over Flint, Michael Brown, implemented the second rate hikea staggering 47 percent increaseon July 1, 2012. The suit by Kincaid called for a restraining order against the implementation of both hikes on the grounds that they violated the city ordinance due to commingling the revenue generated by the user fees with the citys general revenue in an investment account. In dismissing the case, the appellate judges asserted, This court also lacks original jurisdiction to enjoin the city from misappropriating revenue generated by user fees for general governmental purposes, should plaintiff be able to prove same. In other words, even if citizens were being bilked to cover other city costs in violation of city law the court wouldnt do anything about it. The appointment of emergency managers was a process designed to run roughshod over existing legal protections. The implementation of rate hikes historically required utilities to make a case before certain regulatory bodies to get them approved. At the same time, emergency management was seen as a means to get around city charters and other local laws, which provided at least a modicum of protection against the outright privatization of public services. This weeks Food and Water Watch report pointed out that privatized systems charge on average 58 percent higher rates than publicly owned water systems. We are seeing a greater trend toward running utilities as business entities, one of the reports authors, Mary Grant, told the World Socialist Web Site. Appointed officials are replacing elected officials who once made decisions based on constituents, she said. Rate hikes occurred both in Flint and Detroit, two cities hit hard by deindustrialization and thrown into deep debt due to high foreclosure rates, corporate tax cuts and rising borrowing costs due to financial manipulation by Wall Street and wealthy bondholders. Like Flint, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD), used revenue from water bills to pay budget shortfalls. By the time of the 2013 Detroit bankruptcy, water rates had been rising by an average of eight percent yearly for over a decade. However, the system, which serves four million customers in Southeast Michigan, bringing in revenues of a billion dollars each month, was seen by Wall Street as the citys most prized assetits crown jewel. By March 2014, 1,500 to 3,000 customers were being cut off of water every week to make DWSD more attractive for a takeover by private investors. Its interesting that at the same time the mass shutoffs were announced in Detroit, Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr issued an RFP [request for proposal] to find a private buyer for Detroits water system, Grant told the WSWS. The clearing away of the citys so-called bad debt was critical to getting regional officials to come back to the table with the proposed regional authority and found the Great Lakes Water Authority. The official narrative is that Flint severed its half-century ties with DWSD as a cost-saving measure due to Detroits high water rates. But in fact, DWSD offered to sharply reduce rates in order to keep its largest outside customer. It is likely the decisioninstigated by Snyders former state treasurer, Andy Dillon, a Democrat, was done for political, not immediate financial, reasons. For one thing, the move withdrew DWSDs largest outside customer, worsened the financial situation facing Detroit, giving the Snyder administration more ammunition to thrown the city into bankruptcy. Moreover, the building of a new pipe system to Lake Huron, running virtually parallel with DWSDs pipeline, would provide Flint with a new source of income to pay off bondholders, as well as politically connected contractors. The new Karegnondi Water Authority (KWA) also promised to provide cheaper, untreated lake water to industrial customers like DTE Energy and General Motors. 1. Fifteen years after the United States launched the war on terror, the entire world is being dragged into an ever-expanding maelstrom of imperialist violence. The invasions and interventions organized by US imperialism have devastated Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria. NATO is engaged in a massive rearmament program in preparation for war with Russia. Africa is the target of relentless US and European neo-colonial machinations. Border disputes between neighboring states are provoking tensions and outright clashes in Eastern Europe, the Trans Caucasus, the Indian subcontinent and South America. In East Asia, the Obama administrations pivot to Asia is embroiling the entire region in the United States confrontation with China. 2. The war on terrorriddled with imperialist deceit and limitless hypocrisyhas traumatized, maimed and killed uncounted millions, and triggered the greatest refugee crisis since the end of World War II. Sixty million people have been driven from their countries. The hundreds of thousands who have made it to Europe, after desperate and life-threatening journeys, are being herded into detention centers, compelled to live in appalling conditions, and even stripped of their meager belongings. To undermine working class solidarity, the imperialist governments, the capitalist political parties and the media are promoting national chauvinism and racist bigotry. In the 1930s, the Jews were made the scapegoats of political reaction. Today, in North America, Europe and Australia, it is Muslims who are the victims of media vilification, state-sponsored discrimination and racism, and fascist violence. 3. For 15 years, the war on terror has involved crimes for which no government officials or military-intelligence personnel have been held accountable. International law is a dead letter, with the White House leading the way in asserting the right to kidnap, imprison, torture and assassinate its victims without legal due process. The pretext of fighting terror has served a critical political function within the imperialist countries. Terrorist acts, often involving individuals who had been under state surveillance, have been exploited to shred democratic rights. The lockdowns in Boston, Ferguson and other cities have amounted to dress rehearsals for martial law. All of France has now been placed under a state of emergency following the Paris attacks of November 2015. Intelligence agencies conduct unchecked spying, accumulating vast databases on tens of millions of people. Police brutality and killings are a daily reality in working class areas as the ruling class seeks to contain the explosive tensions produced by social inequality and prepares to answer opposition with permanent police state repression. 4. The world stands on the brink of a catastrophic global conflict. The statements of heads of capitalist governments grow increasingly bellicose. The proxy wars in Ukraine and Syria have drawn NATO and Russia closer to a full-scale confrontation. Turkey, a NATO member, has already fired on Russian warplanes. At the start of 2016, a leading Swedish military commander, Major General Anders Brannstrom, issued the following warning to troops under his command: The global situation we are experiencing leads to the conclusion that we could be at war within a few years. As in the years that preceded the outbreak of World War I in 1914 and World War II in 1939, political leaders and military planners are approaching the conclusion that a war between major powers is not a remote possibility, but, rather, highly probable and, perhaps, even inevitable. 5. At a certain point, such military fatalism becomes a significant contributing factor to the outbreak of war. As a specialist in international relations has recently written: Once war is assumed to be unavoidable, the calculations of leaders and militaries change. The question is no longer whether there will or should be a war, but when the war can be fought most advantageously. Even those neither eager for nor optimistic about war may opt to fight when operating in the framework of inevitability. [The Next Great War: The Roots of World War I and the Risk of U.S.-China Conflict, edited by Richard N. Rosencrance and Steven E. Miller (Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2015), p. xi.] 6. The war drive is a conspiracy of the capitalist elites, orchestrated by the highest levels of government, the military-intelligence apparatus, the corporate-financial oligarchy and a corrupted right-wing media, without even the pretext of democratic debate. Among the masses of working people throughout the world, there is an overwhelming desire for peace. There is, as yet, however, no organized international political movement opposing the reckless policies of the imperialist pyromaniacs. 7. But the drive to World War III must be stopped. A new international movement against war, uniting the great mass of working people and youth in opposition to capitalism and imperialism, must be built. The same capitalist crisis that produces the insanity of war also generates the impulse for social revolution. However, the growing anger and opposition of billions of people around the worldto war, social inequality and the assault on democratic rightsmust be guided by a new political perspective and program. 8. With this statement, the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) advances the following principles as the essential political foundations of an anti-war movement: The struggle against war must be based on the working class, the great revolutionary force in society, uniting behind it all progressive elements in the population. The new anti-war movement must be anti-capitalist and socialist, since there can be no serious struggle against war except in the fight to end the dictatorship of finance capital and the economic system that is the fundamental cause of militarism and war. The new anti-war movement must therefore, of necessity, be completely and unequivocally independent of, and hostile to, all political parties and organizations of the capitalist class. The new anti-war movement must, above all, be international, mobilizing the vast power of the working class in a unified global struggle against imperialism. The permanent war of the bourgeoisie must be answered with the perspective of permanent revolution by the working class, the strategic goal of which is the abolition of the nation-state system and the establishment of a world socialist federation. This will make possible the rational, planned development of global resources and, on this basis, the eradication of poverty and the raising of human culture to new heights. The Contradictions of World Economy and the Nation-State 9. The working class requires a scientific understanding of the objective roots of war if it is not to be misled and confused by chauvinist propaganda. The political perspective of a socialist and internationalist anti-war movement must be based on a precise assessment of the economic and class interests that underlie imperialist strategies and great power conflicts. Only on this basis can the working class develop its independent program of irreconcilable opposition to the national interests promoted by the ruling elites of every country as justification for war. 10. The essential cause of militarism and war lies in the deep-seated contradictions of the world capitalist system: 1) between a globally integrated and interdependent economy and its division into antagonistic national states; and 2) between the socialized character of global production and its subordination, through the private ownership of the means of production, to the accumulation of private profit by the ruling capitalist class. Powerful consortia of capitalist banks and corporations utilize their state to wage a commercial and ultimately military struggle for control of the raw materials, oil and gas pipelines, trade routes and access to cheap labor and markets that are critical to the accumulation of profit. 11. The drive to war is centered in the efforts of the United States to maintain its position as the global hegemonic power. The dissolution in 1991 of the Soviet Union was seen as an opportunity to assert unrivaled US domination throughout the world. It was glorified by imperialist propagandists as the end of history, creating a unipolar moment in which the unchallengeable power of the United States would dictate a New World Order in the interests of Wall Street. The Soviet Union had encompassed a vast expanse of the globe, stretching from the eastern boundaries of Europe all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Thus, the vast regions of Eurasia, occupied by a debilitated Russia and newly independent Central Asian states, were again in play, open for corporate exploitation and plunder. The Stalinist restoration of capitalism in China, its police-state repression of working class resistance in 1989 and the opening up of free trade zones to transnational investment made available a vast reservoir of cheap labor. 12. The victory of the US and its allies in the Gulf War of 1991 against Iraq was invoked by the ruling classes internationally to legitimize war as the most effective instrument of foreign policy. The Wall Street Journal proclaimed: Force works! One year later, the Pentagon adopted a defense strategy document which stated that the objective of the US was to militarily discourage advanced industrial nations from challenging our leadership or even aspiring to a larger regional or global role. 13. Twenty-five years of unending war, however, have failed either to counter the decline of American capitalism or create a new stable foundation for global relations. Rather, the United Statesriven by intractable internal crises and armed to the teethhas been transformed into the greatest source of international instability. The drive to create a New World Order has succeeded only in fomenting global disorder. Every war launched by the United States has resulted in unforeseen and disastrous complications. The Geopolitics of Imperialism 14. The relentless and far-flung operations of US intelligence agencies are the practical expression of the fact that no part of the globe is outside the interest of American capitalism. Every continent and every country is viewed through the prism of US imperialisms economic and geopolitical interests. The American ruling class is focused on developing a strategy to counter every real and potential challenge. 15. Washington identifies China as the most significant threat to American global hegemony. The very development stimulated by transnational investment and the establishment of vast productive capacity has transformed it into the major trading partner of numerous states in the world and the second largest global economy. As its global weight has grown, Beijing has promoted alternatives to the systems of investment and trade currently dominated by the United States and sought international support, including from the European and Asian allies of Washington. The United States fears that developments such as the formation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Chinas pursuit of its Silk Road initiatives in Eurasia will significantly undermine its position in the world economy. 16. Moreover, American imperialist think tanks are preoccupied with indices demonstrating that the Chinese state is acquiring resources, military capabilities and a global reach, which, if unchecked, could rival the US in several decades. Chinas need for stable supplies of energy and raw materials has propelled Beijing into forging political relations that have objectively undermined US influence in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The recent Pentagon-commissioned review of the pivot or rebalance to Asia by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) asserts, with unconcealed hostility, that the balance of military power in the region is shifting against the United States. 17. There is considerable hyperbole, motivated by imperialist interests, in such assessments of the rise of China. The country is wracked by explosive social contradictions, with modern cities and the most advanced industrial complexes existing alongside semi-subsistence peasant agriculture, and with staggering wealth existing alongside Dickensian exploitation and enduring backwardness. US intelligence agencies are well aware of, and seek to exploit, factional and regionalist divisions within Chinaa country with 55 officially recognized ethnic minoritiesthat arise from conflicts over wealth and privilege between rival sections of its new capitalist class. Notwithstanding its economic growth, the restoration of capitalism in China has rendered the country more vulnerable to the pressure of American and European imperialism. 18. The rebalance is focused on the deployment of US and allied military power to permanently threaten China with devastating air strikes against densely-populated industrial centers on its Pacific Coast, and a blockade of the crucial sea lanes into the South China Sea upon which its economy depends. The military dimensions of the pivot, which are codified in the Pentagons concept of AirSea Battle, are aimed at compelling China to bow to US economic dictates. The terms of the Trans Pacific Partnership and President Obamas declaration that the US, not China, should write the rules of 21st century trade embody the predatory interests of Wall Street banks and corporations. 19. The pivot to Asia has militarized and destabilized the entire region and will drain vast resources from the United States. In numerous US strategic circles, however, it is dismissed as inadequate. The Chinese regime has pledged to finance the One Belt, One Road transport and energy networks through the former Soviet Central Asian republics, Russia and Eastern Europe, which would establish land and new maritime links to the resources of the Middle East and markets of Western Europe that are not at the mercy of the US military. While the realization of such ambitions depends upon a host of highly uncertain political, financial and technical factors, they are viewed in Washington as an existential threat. 20. The recent CSIS document speculates on the challenge that would be posed if such economic developments consolidated a military and political alliance between Russia and China that dominated Eurasia and then potentially drew in other powers. The CSIS writes: Whether the Kremlin ultimately bandwagons with China or seeks to balance against its more powerful neighbor will have far-reaching implications. The US ruling elite already considers the current administration in Moscow and its possession of the residual military force inherited from the former Soviet Union to be an unacceptable obstacle to the unchecked exercise of American power in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. 21. The writings of British imperialist strategist Halford Mackinder (18611948) have gained widespread currency among the strategic and military analysts who formulate US foreign policy. In numerous books and articles published in academic journals over recent years, what Mackinder called the heartlandstretching from the eastern borders of Germany to the western border of Chinais deemed to be of decisive strategic importance to the United States and its Western European allies. 22. Other concepts, such as the Intermarium plan of the right-wing authoritarian leader of pre-World War II Poland, Joseph Pisudski, are also being resurrected. The aim of the Intermarium (between the seas) was to establish an imperialist-sponsored alliance of right-wing states, from the Baltic to the Black Sea (including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine), to destabilize the Soviet Union. One contemporary advocate of these theories wrote in 2011: The West needs to be involved with Eurasia, in particular with the New Eastern European states of Ukraine, Belarus, and the Caucasian states, as well as the Central Asian states: together, the small Eurasian states. In this way the West will be able to create a bulwark against the major Eurasian powersbetween Russias soft underbelly and Chinas back door. [Alexandros Petersen, The World Island: Eurasian Geopolitics and the fate of the West, (Santa Barbara: Praeger), p. 114] 23. The application of such geostrategic plans is evident in both Europe and Asia. A systematic buildup of American and allied military power is underway in the Indo-Pacific against China, while Russia has been confronted with NATO deployments in Eastern Europe and US pledges of military support to the ultra-nationalist regimes in the Baltic states and Ukraine. The American ruling class has drawn the conclusion that the nuclear-armed states in Beijing and Moscow must be brought to heel, sooner rather than later. Washingtons objective is to reduce China and Russia to the status of semi-colonial client states, control the heartland, and rule the world. 24. South Asia and the Indian Ocean are critical components of US imperialisms strategy for controlling Eurasia and the globe.Since the beginning of the century, the US has moved relentlessly to expand its military-strategic presence across the Indian subcontinent, including through the now 15-year-long occupation of Afghanistan; the development of a global strategic partnership with India, involving ever-expanding military ties; and the orchestration of regime change in Sri Lanka in January 2015 to install a government even more subservient to Washington. US plans to use maritime choke points to impose an economic blockade on China in the event of a war or war-crisis are dependent on dominance over the Indian Ocean. So, too, is the projection of US military power into East Africa and the Middle East. Last but not least, control of the Indian Ocean is viewed as pivotal because it provides Washington a vice-like grip over the sea lanes that connect East Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe, or, to use the words of US strategist R.D. Kaplan, over the worlds preeminent energy and trade interstate seaway. 25. The US campaign to bind India and all of South Asia to its predatory strategic ambitions is inflaming a region already seething with explosive geopolitical, national-ethnic and communal conflicts. Most ominously, it has toppled the balance of power between India and Pakistan, both armed with nuclear weapons, triggering a South Asian arms race. A 2013 report issued by the CSIS exemplified Washingtons indifference to the incendiary impact of its aggressive actions in South Asia. The report stated that a nuclear war between India and Pakistan, in which tens, if not hundreds of millions, died, would not necessarily have serious grand strategic consequences for the US and might well have benefits. 26. American imperialism is the cockpit of global war planning, but it is only the most concentrated expression of the intractable crisis of capitalism as a world system. European and Japanese imperialism, facing the same internal and external contradictions, are pursuing the no less predatory and reactionary interests of their own ruling classes. All are attempting to exploit American overreach to secure their stakes in what has degenerated into a ferocious battle for the global redivision of world economic and political power. Will Germany remain an ally of the United States or once again emerge as its major enemy on the European continent? Will the always-strained special relationship between the United States and Britain fall by the wayside? In the unfolding global conflict, it is impossible to predict with certainty the future alignment of imperialist governments. As Lenin explained during World War I, the imperialist powers are enmeshed in a net of secret treaties with each other, with their allies, and against their allies. 27. Seventy years after the fall of Hitlers Third Reich, the German ruling class is once again demanding that its state assert itself as the unquestioned overlord of Europe and as a world power. In the face of deeply felt anti-war sentiments within the German population, Berlin is deploying military force to assert its interests in the Middle East and Africa. It is pouring money into rearmament, while apologetics for the crimes of the Nazi regime are being advanced across the political establishment, media and academia, with the aim of justifying the revival of German imperialist ambitions. 28. British imperialism, for its part, sees in the US decline an opportunity to expand the still significant global operations of the banks and finance houses based in the City of London. France is striving to regain its grip over its former colonial dominions in North and West Africa. Italy has plans to reestablish its influence in Libya. Led by Britain, the ostensible special US ally, all the major European powers last year signaled their defiance of Washington by joining with China to establish the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. At the same time, growing antagonisms among the European powersin particular, hostility in Britain and France toward the growing assertiveness of Germanyare fracturing the European Union. The delusion that the continent could be unified on the basis of capitalist relations has been shattered. A referendum later this year on a British exit could set in motion the complete collapse of the EU and the resurgence to the center of European politics of all the unresolved national antagonisms that led to two world wars. 29. While Japan vows unending allegiance to a world order dominated by the United States, the countrys ruling elite is repudiating the post-war restraints on its independent imperialist role and building up its military for the violent assertion of its own ambitions. In 1941, the question of which power would control Asia ultimately drove US and Japanese imperialism to war. The support for US militarism by lesser imperialist powers, such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand, flows from their mercenary decision that, at present, it remains the best means of preserving their economic and strategic interests. US imperialism has also to take into account the positions and military assets of states that barely appeared in its calculations at the end of World War II, such as India, Brazil, Iran and Indonesia. Imperialism and the Breakdown of Capitalism 30. The tensions and conflicts between rival nation-states are being fueled by the global breakdown of the capitalist system. The ICFI alone made the assessment that the dissolution of the Soviet Union by Stalinism did not mark the triumph of capitalism, but rather the collapse of the critical political mechanism that had facilitated its post-World War II stabilization. The dissolution of the USSR in 1991 coincided with the economic decline of the United States and the inevitable end of Washingtons ability to peacefully suppress the inherent contradictions that had given rise to two world wars between the major capitalist powers. 31. Contrary to the claims of the final triumph of the free market that followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the past 25 years have seen an unending series of crises. The Asian economic crisis of 19971998 was followed by the Russian default and the bankruptcy of Long Term Capital Management in 1998 and the bursting of the dot-com bubble in 2001, culminating in the subprime mortgage collapse in the United States and worldwide financial meltdown in late 2008. 32. Over the last seven years, the worlds central banks, led by the US Federal Reserve, have funneled more than $12 trillion into shoring up the position of banks and finance houses. While share values and the nominal wealth of the super-rich have soared, productive activity has continued to stagnate, even as global debt increased by some $57 trillion. Growth in China, maintained by debt-fueled stimulus policies, is now slowing sharply, driving the collapse of commodity prices. Countries dependent on commodity exports such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, South Africa, Brazil and Venezuela, and even Canada and Australia, are sliding toward economic depression. 33. A more devastating global financial meltdown looms. The New York Times noted: Bad debts have been a drag on economic activity ever since the financial crisis of 2008. Within China, it warned, troubled credit could exceed $5 trillion, a staggering number that is equivalent to half the size of the countrys annual economic output. The Times proceeded to warn that non-performing loans in China, the main engine of what global economic growth has taken place since 2008, could lead to $4.4 trillion in financial losses. Other analysts are issuing dire warnings about the exposure of world finance to the trillions of dollars in credit provided to failing energy corporations. 34. Just as the Wall Street crash of 1929 set into motion the geopolitical tensions that erupted a decade later in World War II, the crash of 2008 has fueled imperialist militarism. The past seven years have witnessed an ever-escalating and increasingly bitter struggle over declining market share and profits among rival transnational conglomerates. A recent report by McKinsey Global Institute, a US-based consultancy firm, expresses American fears over the end of the golden age of corporate profitability, due to the combination of global slump, intensifying competition and demands for higher wages from the working class. While profits grew from 7.6 percent of world GDP to 10 percent between 1980 and 2013, McKinsey stresses that conditions will radically alter during the next decade. Established corporations face increasing challenges from companies based in emerging markets, especially in China. The growth of resistance in the working class is impacting the decades-long decline in labor costs. The McKinsey report concludes: Governments all over the world will face new questions about what it means to develop a comparative advantage that can last in this fast-changing environment. The ruling class sees military force as one means by which to gain comparative advantage. Imperialism, Monopoly and the Financial Oligarchy 35. The year 2016 marks the 100th anniversary of Vladimir Lenins greatest writings on imperialism, written in the midst of the carnage of the First World War. Imperialism, Lenin explained, was not simply a policy, but a specific stage in the development of world capitalism. Imperialism is monopoly capitalism; parasitic, or decaying capitalism; moribund capitalism. It is characterized, Lenin stressed, by the supplanting of free competition by monopoly and the domination over the economy by giant syndicates and banks, which command the entire world market and divide it amicably among themselvesuntil war redivides it. Imperialism, Lenin wrote, is the dictatorship of finance capital, which strives for domination not freedom. 36. Lenins works were written at an early stage of a process that has developed exponentially over the past century. With the globalization of capitalist production, transnational corporations have come to dominate the entire planet, erecting vast production networks and supply chains that exploit the labor of workers all over the world. The dictatorship of finance capital has reached immense dimensions. A study undertaken in 2011 by researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology found that of 43,060 major transnational companies, just 1,318 collectively owned the majority of the worlds large manufacturing firms, representing 60 percent of global revenues. Of these, just 147 companiesoverwhelmingly the giant banks and investment funds headquartered in the United States, Western Europe and Japancontrolled 40 percent of the total wealth in the network. 37. The process of corporate concentration has only intensified since the 2008 economic crisis. Companies have engaged in a wave of mergers and acquisitions. The year 2015 was a record for such consolidations, reaching a combined value of $4.9 trillion, surpassing the previous record in 2007 of $4.6 trillion. 38. Under imperialism, Lenin wrote, the supremacy of finance capital over all forms of capital means the predominance of the rentier and of the financial oligarchy; it means that a small number of powerful states stand out among all the rest. The tendency toward financialization, and the domination of the rentier speculator over all aspects of social and economic life, has assumed vast proportions, nowhere more so than in the United States. While in 1980, only 6 percent of US corporate profits flowed to the finance industry, today it is over 40 percent. 39. The amount of wealth possessed by a tiny handful of the worlds population defies comprehension. The richest 62 individuals now own more than the bottom 50 percent of society, or 3.7 billion people. In the United States, the economic recovery has benefited only the capitalist class, with the share of wealth possessed by the top 0.1 percent rising from 17 percent in 2007 to 22 percent in 2012, while the income of a typical household has fallen by 12 percent over the same period. This year, it is projected that the top 1 percent of the worlds population will control more wealth than the bottom 99 percent. 40. The turn to militarism has greatly widened social inequality and heightened class tensions. Unending increases in military outlays are financed at the direct expense of workers social rights. Global military spending has already surged to more than $1.7 trillion, with more than $600 billion of this squandered by the American state alone. The Working Class and the Fight Against Imperialism 41. The crisis of the capitalist nation-state system gives rise to two irreconcilable perspectives. Imperialism strives to overcome the clash of economic and geostrategic interests inherent in the capitalist nation-state system through the victory of one world hegemonic power over all its rivals. This is the aim of imperialist geostrategic calculations, and its inevitable outcome is global war. 42. Opposing the geopolitics of the capitalist class, the international working class is the social force that objectively constitutes the mass base for world socialist revolution, which signifies an end to the nation-state system as a whole and the establishment of a global economy based on equality and scientific planning. Imperialism seeks to save the capitalist order through war. The working class seeks to resolve the global crisis through social revolution. The strategy of the revolutionary party develops as the negation of imperialist nation-state geopolitics. The revolutionary party, as Trotsky explained, follows not the war map but the map of the class struggle. 43. Capitalism, as Marxism explains, creates its gravedigger. The globalization of production, which has intensified the crisis of capitalism, has led to an enormous increase in the size of the international working class.From 1980 to 2010, the worlds workforce grew by 1.2 billion, to approximately 2.9 billion people, including 500 million new workers in China and India alone. The growth of the working class includes not only the hundreds of millions of new workers in Asia, Latin America and Africa, but also broad sections of the population in the imperialist countries that have been proletarianized. The entire globe is increasingly divided between a tiny layer who own and control the means of production and the vast majority who are forced to sell their labor power on the market. 44. The working class is being thrust into struggles that will inevitably assume revolutionary dimensions. The ruling classes everywhere are impelled to defend their positions by extracting unending sacrifice from workers in their home national state, in the form of mass unemployment, austerity and the destruction of living standards. An entire generation of youth is being denied a future. Vast resources are being squandered on military expenditures while essential social infrastructure decays, poverty grows, and complex environmental problems are left unanswered. 45. There are clear signs that social tensions, which have built up over the course of decades, are erupting to the surface. The mass movement of workers and youth in Egypt in 2011 signaled the beginning of a new era of revolutionary struggle by the international working class. It has been followed by powerful demonstrations of working class opposition to inequality and corporate exploitation in country after country, from the anti-austerity protests in Europe, to the growth of strikes in China, Russia and South Africa, to the emergence of rebellious sentiments among autoworkers and other sections of workers in the United States. The Pseudo-Left Agencies of Imperialism 46. There is deep opposition to war among workers and youth internationally. In 2003, as the Bush administration prepared to invade Iraq based on lies, there were mass demonstrations involving millions of people all over the world. That sentiment has not disappeared. What accounts, then, for the fact that over the past decade all forms of protest against war have been suppressed? 47. The answer lies in the pro-capitalist and pro-imperialist politics of what fraudulently poses as the left. The anti-war movement of the Vietnam War period was based largely on radicalized sections of the middle class. Over the past four decades, these layers have undergone a profound social and political transformation. The vast rise in share valuesfacilitated by the continuous imposition of wage and benefit concessions on workers, the intensification of the rate of exploitation, and the extraction of an evergreater mass of surplus value from the working classhas given a privileged section of the middle class access to a degree of wealth they could not have imagined at the outset of their careers. The protracted stock market boom enabled imperialism to recruit from among sections of the upper-middle class a new and devoted constituency. These forcesand the political organizations that give expression to their interestshave done everything in their power to not only suppress opposition to war, but also to justify the predatory operations of imperialism. 48. The particular political function of the pseudo-left organizations and their associates is to cover up for the lies of the United States and its allieswhether to justify intervention in the Balkans, Libya or Syriawith the fraudulent arguments of human rights. Leaders of the pseudo-left denounce knee-jerk anti-imperialism for getting in the way of one or another Responsibility-to-Protect (R2P) operation planned by the Pentagon. Prominent leaders of the pseudo-left, such as Gilbert Achcar, go so far as to participate in imperialist strategy sessions. Self-promoting Professor Juan Cole publicly offered his services as a soldier for imperialism in Libya. There is nothing new in the cynical invocation of moral and ethical high-mindedness by petty-bourgeois academics, religious leaders and sundry stooges of imperialism to justify the criminal operations of their governments. As far back as the turn of the 20th century, the liberal critic of imperialism, John A. Hobson, scathingly called attention to the role played by the lie of the soul in covering for invasions and annexations. As a consequence of such lies, Hobson wrote, the moral currency of the nation is debased. 49. Straining to endow their alliance with Pentagon strategists with some form of theoretical and political legitimacy, a broad swathe of pseudo-left organizations has proclaimed Russia and China to be imperialist powers. This definition has been plucked from midair, with barely any attempt to explain the historical process through which Russia and China, within the space of just 25 years, changed from bureaucratically degenerated and deformed workers states into imperialist powers. 50. Were it merely a matter of expressing political opposition to the regimes in Beijing and Moscow it would not be necessary to employ the epithet imperialist. The International Committee of the Fourth International calls for the overthrow of the capitalist states in Russia and China by the working class as an essential component of the world socialist revolution. It has explained that both states are the product of Stalinisms betrayal of the socialist revolutions of the 20th century and its ultimate restoration of capitalism. The Russian government is the representative of the oligarchs who emerged from the Stalinist bureaucracy after it dismantled the Soviet state and abolished nationalized property relations. Its promotion of Great Russian nationalism is the extreme outcome of Stalinism itself, which was a violent and counterrevolutionary repudiation of the internationalist program of Marxism. The Chinese Communist Party regime represents the capitalist elite and police-state bureaucracy that developed from the 1980s and enriched itself by serving as enabler of the corporate exploitation of the Chinese masses. 51. What political purpose, it must be asked, is served by adding the word imperialist to descriptions of China and Russia? In practical political terms, it serves very definite functions. First, it relativizes, and therefore diminishes, the central and decisive global counterrevolutionary role of American, European and Japanese imperialism. This facilitates the pseudo-lefts active collaboration with the United States in regime-change operations such as in Syria, where the Assad regime has been backed by Russia. Second, and even more significantly, the designation of China and Russia as imperialistand thus, by implication, as colonial powers suppressing ethnic, national, linguistic and religious minoritiessanctions the pseudo-lefts support for imperialist-backed national liberation uprisings and color revolutions within the boundaries of the existing states. 52. Support for imperialism abroad corresponds to support for the dictates of the financial aristocracy at home. The coming to power in Greece of Syriza (The Coalition of the Radical Left) in 2015, and the extraordinary speed with which it adopted the very policies of austerity it claimed to oppose, exposed the nature and role of the pseudo-left internationally. The same function is played by groups such as the Left Party in Germany, the New Anti-capitalist Party in France, the Socialist Workers Party in the UK and the International Socialist Organization and Socialist Alternative in the US. Whether by promoting the Labour Party campaign of Jeremy Corbyn in Britain or the Democratic Party campaign of Bernie Sanders in the US, the aim of these organizations is to block the independent political mobilization of the working class. Their incessant promotion of the identity politics of race, gender and sexual orientation has been the means through which they have gained access to privileged positions and high incomes in academia, the professions, the trade unions and the state bureaucracy. They are linked by a thousand threads to the coattails of the financial aristocracy and are deeply hostile to the working class. Build the International Committee of the Fourth International! 53. We are approaching the centenary of the 1917 October Revolution. This epochal event in world historythe first socialist revolution and establishment of a workers statewas prepared by Marxist internationalists, led by Lenin and Trotsky, who had intransigently opposed the first imperialist world war. The subsequent betrayal of the internationalist program and principles of the October Revolution by the Stalinist bureaucracy led, ultimately, to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. But, despite the tragic fate of the USSR, three ineradicable historical facts remain. First, the 1917 October Revolution vindicated the Marxist assessment of the revolutionary role of the working class and the necessity for the conscious perspective and leadership provided by the revolutionary party. Second, the struggle waged by the Trotskyist movementboth within and outside the Soviet Uniondemonstrated that there existed, on the basis of a socialist and internationalist program, a revolutionary alternative to the bureaucratic degeneration of the Stalinist regime. The dissolution of the Soviet Union was not inevitable. Third, the fundamental economic, social, and geopolitical contradictions of capitalism that gave rise to the 1914 world war and the 1917 socialist revolution have not been overcome. 54. The past century has not been lived in vain. The consciousness of workers and young people all over the world has been profoundly affected by decades of unending war and economic crisis. There is a rising tide of struggle against declining living standards, attacks on benefits, widening social inequality and the destruction of democratic rights under the guise of the war on terror. The critical task is to bring into these struggles an understanding of the crisis of capitalism as a whole, which finds its most dangerous expression in the imperialist war drive. It is necessary to develop a political leadership in the working class that can unify separate struggles and lay the foundation for the overthrow of the entire socioeconomic system through socialist revolution. 55. World economy and world politics have entered a new stage. The period of capitalist triumphalism that opened up with the restoration of capitalism in Eastern Europe and reached fever pitch with the Stalinist dissolution of the USSR is over. The speculative house of cards that has underwritten the parasitic wealth of the ruling class is collapsing. The fall of stock market valuations is not only deflating the size of portfolios, but shattering the reputations and credibility of pro-capitalist theorists and political leaders. 56. To the bewilderment and fear of the ruling elite, the developing political radicalization of youth and workers is quickly acquiring a socialist orientation. It would be entirely wrong to equate this initial instinctive impulse toward socialism with a politically developed revolutionary consciousness. But the process of political developmentfrom the initial manifestations of popular anger against capitalist injustice to the understanding of the necessity for the overthrow of capitalism and its replacement with world socialismis underway. 57. Those parties and personalities that emerge as the initial beneficiaries of political discontent will be overwhelmed by the massive social forces set into motion by the global crisis. The fate of Syriza and its leader Tsiprasuniversally acclaimed in January 2015 and despised in Julywill befall many other political charlatans and misleaders. But it is not sufficient to wait passively and allow events to expose the traitors. It is necessary to undertake the building of the genuine revolutionary party equal to the tasks confronting the working class. 58. This is the political mission of the International Committee of the Fourth International. All our political enemies denounce the International Committee as sectarian. For many decades, this epithet has been employed against Marxists by petty-bourgeois opportunists and political scoundrels of all stripes (i.e., liberals, social democratic and laborite careerists, trade union functionaries, pseudo-lefts, reformists scared of their shadows, etc.). By sectarian they really mean having a commitment to socialist principles, refusing to enter into political alliances with the ruling class, and being intransigent in the fight for the political independence of the international working class. Trotsky was familiar with such denunciations. He wrote: The Fourth International, already today, is deservedly hated by the Stalinists, Social Democrats, bourgeois liberals and fascists It uncompromisingly gives battle to all political groupings tied to the apron-strings of the bourgeoisie. Its taskthe abolition of capitalisms domination. Its aimsocialism. Its methodthe proletarian revolution. [The Death Agony of Capitalism and the Tasks of the Fourth International, (The Transitional Program)] 59. The International Committee of the Fourth International calls for the widest discussion of the analysis presented in this statement. We call on the tens of thousands of readers of the World Socialist Web Site to study it and to fight for its widest circulation. We urge that the principles presented in this statement serve as the foundation of the building of a new international anti-war movement. These principles, we reiterate, are: The struggle against war must be based on the working class, the great revolutionary force in society, uniting behind it all progressive elements in the population. The new anti-war movement must be anti-capitalist and socialist, since there can be no serious struggle against war except in the fight to end the dictatorship of finance capital and put an end to the economic system that is the fundamental cause of militarism and war. The new anti-war movement must therefore, of necessity, be completely and unequivocally independent of, and hostile to, all political parties and organizations of the capitalist class. The new anti-war movement must, above all, be international, mobilizing the vast power of the working class in a unified global struggle against imperialism. 60. The great historical questions arising from the present world situation can be formulated as follows: How will the crisis of the world capitalist system be resolved? Will the contradictions wracking the system end in world war or world socialist revolution? Will the future lead to fascism, nuclear war and an irrevocable descent into barbarism? Or will the international working class take the path of revolution, overthrow the capitalist system, and then reconstruct the world on socialist foundations? These are the real alternatives confronting humanity. 61. The International Committee of the Fourth International and its sections welcome fraternal discussion, on the basis of the principles advanced in this statement, with political tendencies and individuals around the world who recognize the urgent need for the building of an international mass movement against war. For the unity of the international working class! Defend democratic rights! For equality and socialism! Stop the drive toward imperialist world war with the program of World Socialist Revolution! Expand the readership of the World Socialist Web Site! Educate a new generation of workers and youth in the principles of revolutionary socialist internationalism! Build new sections of the International Committee of the Fourth International! In a flagrant attack on democratic rights, Indias Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has had Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union (JNUSU) President Kanhaiya Kumar arrested and detained on trumped up sedition charges. Home Minster Rajnath Singh personally ordered last Fridays arrest of Kumar, whom he has publicly accused of making anti-national statements. Shortly after heavily-armed Delhi police seized Kumar from the JNU campus, Indias Home Minister tweeted, If anyone shouts anti-India slogan (sic) & challenges nations sovereignty & integrity they will not be tolerated or spared. In addition to arresting Kumar, the Delhi police raided student hostels across the JNU campus, in a purported search for several other students likewise accused of making anti-national statements. One of Indias most prestigious universities, JNU has long been a center of left-wing activity and, as such, a bete noire for the Hindu right. The events that led to Kumars arrest began on Tuesday, February 9, when JNU students affiliated with the Maoist-led Democratic Student Union (DSU) organized a protest to mark the third anniversary of the judicial murder of Mohammad Afzal Guru. A Kashmiri Muslim, Guru was tortured and framed-up for the December 2001 terrorist attack on Indias parliament. In February 2013, the Congress Party-led United Progressive Alliance government ordered Guru be hanged in secret so as to prevent legal appeals against his execution and public protests. JNU authorities withdrew permission for the DSU event after complaints from the Akhil Bharathiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a student group that is affiliated to both the BJP and the shadowy Hindu supremacist organization from which it draws most of its cadres, the RSS. Outraged by this attack on students rights to dissent and protest, many JNU student groups including the officially-recognized JNUSU joined the DSU protest. The ABVP then complained to the police, alleging that Kumar and other protest leaders had raised pro-Pakistan slogans. More importantly, the ABVP also appealed to their friends in government. By Thursday BJP National Secretary and Delhi MP Maheish Girri was publicly demanding the central government intervene. Kumar and other eye-witnesses have vehemently denied the claim that they raised pro-Pakistan slogans, which has all the markings of a smear aimed at providing a pretext for state repression. The BJP and its Hindu supremacist allies routinely denounce their critics, especially those who point to their promotion of Hindu communalism and complicity in communal violence, as anti-national or pro-Pakistan. In the days since the February 9 protest, Kumar, who is a member of the Stalinist Communist Party of India (CPI)-led All India Student Federation, has repeatedly declared his loyalty to the Indian state and constitution and confidence that the Indian judiciary will dismiss the charges against him. In any event, whatever Kumar and others at the protest said, the BJP governments attempt to proscribe speech and jail those whose views it deems anti-national is deeply reactionary and a threat to the basic democratic rights of all working people. In the face of a mounting outcry over Kumars persecution, the BJP government has intensified its smear campaign and encouraged physical attacks on those protesting his arrest. Home Minister Singh claimed Sunday that the February 9 protest had been supported by Hafiz Saeed, the head of the Lashkar-e-Taibi, a Pakistani-based Islamist terrorist group. This was so outrageous a lie that Indians intelligence agencies felt compelled to disassociate themselves from it. On Monday, JNU students and teachers who came to support Kumar at a court appearance were ruthlessly attacked by goons mobilized by the BJP and ABVP. Journalists were also targeted by the pro-BJP mob, which chanted that JNU is a den of anti-Indian elements and terrorists. The police stood by even as the goons attacked people inside the court building. A video clip shows BJP MP O.P. Sharma pushing a CPI leader to the ground, then later saying, I would have opened fire if I had a gun. The smears and violence have failed, however, to stem the protests over Kumars arrest. A student strike has shut down JNU and on Wednesday there were protests at universities across the country. Some sections of the media are describing the protests as the biggest student agitation in 25 years. Shaken by the extent of the opposition, the Shiv Sena, a Maharashtra-based fascistic party that is part of the BJPs governing coalition, has called for All those who are sloganeering against India to be immediately put behind bars and for MPs who support the student agitation to be stripped of their elected status. Yesterday, a local Delhi court ordered the JNUSU president be held for a further 14 days at the maximum-security Tihar prison. Later in the day, Indias Supreme Court made the Delhi police commissioner personally responsible for Kumars safety after it learned that just prior to his Wednesday court appearance the student leader was set upon by a group of pro-BJP lawyers and badly beaten up. The BJPs vicious attack on political dissent at JNU is part of a far broader anti-democratic and communalist agenda, which includes the systematic promotion of its chauvinist Hindutva ideology, the claim that India must be a Hindu state. A major element in this rightwing offensive has been the drive to assert control over the countrys educational and cultural institutions, by placing them under the charge of Hindutva ideologues, rewriting education curriculum, and suppressing dissent. Last month, a Ph.D. student at the University of Hyderabad, Rohith Vemula, committed suicide after the university stripped him of his fellowship and expelled him from his hostel under pressure from Smirti Irani, the BJP central government minister in charge of education. Vemula and several colleagues were victimized after a false complaint was lodged against them by the ABVP unit at the university. An ABVP leader claimed he had been assaulted by Vemula and others when the ABVP tried to prevent the screening of Nakul Singh Sawhneys documentary film Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai, which depicts the BJP role in inciting anti-Muslim riots at Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh in 2013. The police and university administration cleared Vemula and the four other members of the Ambedkar Student Association whom the ABVP had accused of violence. However, on the insistence of BJP Human resource Development Minister Irani the university held a second inquiry which declared them guilty and imposed exemplary punishments. By whipping up communalism, the BJP seeks to divide and intimidate the working class so it can press forward with neo-liberal reformsincluding privatization, subsidy and social spending cuts, and the gutting of restrictions on mass layoffs and plant closuresand integrate India ever more deeply in US imperialisms war preparations against China. The mass opposition to the BJPs repression at JNU has surprised and rattled the establishment opposition parties. Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi has denounced the BJP for suppressing dissent and debate at JNU, while accommodating to the BJPs whipping up of Indian nationalism by declaring anti-Indian sentiment unquestionably unacceptable. The Congresss claim to protect democratic rights is a fraud. It has a long history of suppressing worker struggles, as in the frame-up of the Maruti-Suzuki workers, and conniving with the Hindu right, as in the secret hanging of Afzal Guru. Moreover, no less than the BJP it supports socially incendiary economic policies aimed at making India a haven for cheap-labour production for world capitalism. The Indian Stalinists have denounced the BJP provocation at JNU. Communist Party of India (Marxist) General-Secretary Sitaram Yechury compared it to the Congress Partys imposition of emergency rule between 1975 and 1977, the last time a JNUSU president was arrested. But in the name of defending democracy, the Stalinists promote unity with the bourgeois establishment and systematically suppress the class struggle. Workers and students across India must oppose the state persecution of Kanhaiya Kumar and recognize that the answer to the BJPs reactionary communalist and anti-democratic agenda lies in the independent political mobilization of the working class on a socialist program. On February 11, seven US federal marshals with automatic weapons arrested Paul Aker at his home in Houston, Texas over an unpaid $1,500 student loan dating back to 1987. Aker, 48, told the New York Daily News, They grabbed me, they threw me down. Aker, who says he had received no advance warning, told the News: I say, What is this all about? They say, Shut up, you know what this is all about. The marshals handcuffed Aker, put him in the back of a truck and placed him in a cell in the federal building in downtown Houston. Later, he was brought to federal court. The prosecuting attorney, he claims, was a collection agency lawyer. Aker was forced to pay $5,700 for the loan, including interest, as well as nearly $1,300 to cover the cost of his arrest. He was told that if he did not pay the total amount by March 1, he would be arrested again. He says he was never read his rights during the entire ordeal. Texas Congressman Gene Green told the press that the federal government is now using private debt collectors to pursue people who owe student loans. The debt collectors and their lawyers are obtaining judgments in federal court and requesting that judges use the US Marshals Service to arrest those in arrears. Press reports, citing a source within the US Marshals office in Houston, say marshals are planning to serve between 1,200 and 1,500 warrants to people who had failed to repay their federal student loans. Student debt is a massive industry in the US. By the end of 2014, some 43.3 million Americans had student loans totaling $1.3 trillion, making student loans the biggest non-mortgage household debt in the countryranking above auto-related and credit card debt. The government plays an active role in lending this money and pockets roughly $10 billion a year in profit from the business. According to the US Federal Reserve, 4.8 million Americans are in default, meaning that they are more than nine months behind in their payments. Unlike most loans, student loans cannot be discharged under bankruptcy and the government can garnish salaries, social security benefits and tax refunds in order to collect. Failure to make payments is not a criminal offense and Congress officially abolished debtors prisons in the US in 1833. But the reality of 21st century America is that low-income people who are unable to pay their debts, including traffic tickets and other fines, increasingly end up in jail. This is one expression of class justice in the United States, where the justice system treats the working class and poor with remorseless brutality while it allows bankers and hedge fund billionaires to swindle and rob with impunity. The US Marshals Service issued a statement on Tuesday defending its treatment of Aker. The marshals claimed they were asked to serve Aker a court summons in November of 2012 and spoke to him by phone, but that he failed to appear for a hearing in December of that year. They said a federal judge issued a warrant for his arrest and they were assigned to carry it out. These techniques are not limited to the collection of student debt owed to the government. They are used as well by private lenders. Especially since the 2008 economic crisis and ensuing budget cuts, cash-strapped courts have used coercion to extract fines and fees from defendants, charging for the use of public defenders, probation or parole, and then jailing those who cannot pay. Workers can expect an increase in state efforts to collect debts as the default rate rises. Over a third of students from poor zip codes who graduated in 2009 had defaulted on their loans by 2014. Student debt continues to grow alongside tuition hikes, while the job market and wages remain stagnant. Recent years have seen increasingly predatory and illegal lending by for-profit colleges. In March 2015, one of the largest for-profit college systems, Corinthian College Inc. (CCI), was bought by the ECMC Group, a student loan guarantor and debt collector, in a deal engineered by the Obama administrations Department of Education. Corinthian had been sustained since July 2014 by a $16 million federal bailout and $35 million in accelerated federal loan disbursements after it was unable to prove its advertising claims. It was under investigation by 20 different states, the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Justice Department for its fraudulent activities. CCI was known to prey on the poor with inflated claims of job placements and high wages for graduates. Tuition at CCI could reach four times the cost of comparable programs at local community colleges. If the Obama administration had allowed CCI to collapse, up to $1 billion in federal student loans could have been canceled under a closed school provision. With the sale of CCI to ECMC, the government sought to secure the repayment of those loans. Some former students of CCI have called for a student loan strike and are refusing to repay their loans. The author also recommends: The fraud of Obamas Student Aid Bill of Rights [23 March 2015] Collection agency buys Corinthian Colleges chain [11 March 2015] Study says US jails have become massive warehouses for the poor [13 March 2015] Mechanics at United Continental Holdings voted by a 93 percent margin Tuesday to reject a tentative contract agreement between the Teamsters and airline management. The workers also gave strike authorization. The overwhelming vote reflects growing militancy among airline workers, whose wages have been suppressed despite massive airline profits. No labor agreement with mechanics has been signed since the merger of United and Continental in 2010. The proposed deal would have given the companys 9,000 mechanics and related maintenance workers a 25 percent pay increase and a $9,000 signing bonus. The raise would have been offset by increased medical costs, a reduction in profit sharing and changes in work rules that would result in less overtime pay. Further, the new agreement would establish a B scale of wages for new hires, who would earn drastically less than senior employees. According to a Teamster spokesman the lower starting wage would be in the low $20s per hour compared to the top tier of $46.15 per hour. B scale workers would also get less vacation and sick leave than older veterans. The pay reduction would extend over eight-and-a-half years. In response to the massive rank-and-file rejection Teamster President James Hoffa lamely responded, At a time when United Airlines is massively profitable, it is clear that mechanics deserve a better offer from the company. The airline reported a $7.3 billion profit in 2015. United CEO Oscar Munoz said he was disappointed with the vote and indicated talks would continue and he would personally meet with union officials. The airline remains in contract negotiations with 24,000 flight attendants. In late January the pilots union approved a two-year contract extension, effectively isolating mechanics and flight attendants. United said it had also reached a tentative agreement with 420 flight dispatchers, who help pilots plan their routes. That deal extends through 2021. One airline worker wrote on seekingalpha.com, The work rules are really out of whack. Prime example is the Flight Attendants working hard toward a legal 10-hour rest in a hotel layover. That rule applies to Pilots now, but management doesnt think Flight Attendants should have the same amount of rest. So much for safety! Mechanics have lots of rules as well, and should be paid accordingly. If they screw up on a repair job, that can end up killing a lot of people. Management needs to realize all workers make a great company, and pay their workers decent. Management sure gets paid decent, so why not others in the company? Mechanics face a maze of obstacles for a legal strike under terms of anti-democratic federal labor laws. The National Mediation Board is not required to accept a request by the Teamsters to halt the talks. If an impasse is declared, then there could be binding arbitration. If that fails the government can impose a 30-day cooling off period. The Obama administration can also create an emergency board to propose a settlement. The next mediation meeting is not until March 3. Airline workers face a continued assault on their jobs, wages and working conditions even as airline profits rebound from the impact of the 2008 crash. As a result of massive cost cutting at the expense of workers and declining fuel prices, 2015 was the most profitable year for airlines since the start of deregulation in 1978. Delta reported a full year profit of $4.5 billion and American recorded earnings of $7.6 billion. Americans 2015 profits were higher than any airline ever recorded in history. All told, the top five US airlines took in $22 billion last year. The contract rejection vote by United Continental mechanics comes amid signs of continued resistance by airline workers internationally. Recent weeks have seen a strike by Nok Air pilots in Thailand as well as a strike by workers at Pakistan International Airlines against plans to privatize the company. On February 3, Brazilian airline workers struck for two hours over contract issues in the run up to the carnival holiday season. German-based Lufthansa airline faced a wave of strikes last year. In the most recent development Lufthansa cabin crew reached a deal with management, at least temporarily avoiding a walkout. A strike by flight attendants last November resulted in the cancellation of 4,700 flights over six days. Job cuts continue in the global airline industry, with Air France announcing the elimination of 1,400 jobs, mostly ground staff. Despite booming profits Delta is going ahead with plans for eliminating the jobs of management and salaried employees, including human resource and communication workers. The unions have overseen a massive restructuring of the airline industry. Time and again the unions have intervened to block any unified action by airline workers against the attacks on jobs and living standards. Bankruptcies and mergers over the last 14 years have led to a consolidation of the US airline industry from 10 major carriers down to four. According to one report the United Continental merger cost at least 2,900 jobs, with flight attendants suffering the brunt of the cuts. In 2012 American Airlines, ahead of its merger with US Airways, eliminated 13,000 jobs, or 6 percent of its workforce. The vote by United Continental mechanics is only the most recent attempt by airline workers to break out of the straitjacket imposed by the unions. In November Southwest Airline Pilots voted by a 62 percent margin to reject a contract proposal that contained regressive work rule changes sought by management. The sellout deal followed three years of negotiations. In July Southwest Airline flight attendants overwhelmingly rejected a contract proposal that included a mere 3 percent pay raise along with significant concessions in work rules. The vote was massive: 9,916 to 1,446. President of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) at American Airlines Laura Glading resigned in October 2015 in the face of a recall election by flight attendants angry over the recent sellout contract accepted by the union. Glading played a leading role in facilitating the 2013 merger between American and US Airways. American flight attendants rejected a sellout contract in November 2014 before being saddled with a five-year agreement imposed through the medium of binding arbitration. The union agreed to binding arbitration even though it resulted in a deal worth $83 million less than the rejected offer. The attempt by the Teamsters to impose a sellout concessionary deal on United Continental mechanics is a further exposure of the reactionary role of the trade unions. The struggle to defend jobs, wages and working conditions poses the need to develop new organizations, democratically controlled by the rank-and-file, and outline a new international and socialist strategy to guide the struggles of airline workers around the world. The author also recommends: American Airlines flight attendants and the global airline industry [20 November 2014] Tensions between Washington and Beijing over the South China Sea rose again yesterday after a Fox News report that the Chinese military had apparently placed advanced HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles on Woody Island, in the Paracel group of islands. The claim, which was quickly taken up by the American and international media, accused Chinese leaders of increasingly militarising its islands in the South China Sea. An unnamed US official told the New York Times that the Pentagon had evidence of HQ-9 missile batteries on the islanda claim also made by Taiwans defence ministry. While not confirming the presence of the missiles, the Chinese Ministry of Defence noted that its navy and air force had kept forces in the Paracels for many years. At a press conference yesterday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said he had only just heard about the news reports, but insisted that Chinas limited and necessary self-defence facilities on its islands in the South China Sea were consistent with international law. He pointedly remarked that non-militarisation is certainly in the interests of all parties, but non-militarisation should not be just about one single country. Starting last October, the US has been directly challenging Chinese maritime claims in the region by sending warships and military aircraft within the 12-nautical-mile territorial limit surrounding Chinese-administered islets. On January 30, the destroyer, the USS Curtis Wilbur, intruded into water surrounding Triton Island in the Paracels. US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday again demanded that there should be no militarisation of the South China Sea, adding: But there is every evidence, every day that there has been an increase in militarisation of one kind or another. It is of serious concern. He said he expected that over the next days we will have a further serious conversation [with the Chinese] about this. Over the past five years, the Obama administration has deliberately transformed the longstanding maritime disputes in the region into a dangerous global flashpoint. Washington has exploited the tensions to forge closer military ties with countries in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and justify its own military build-up as part of the pivot to Asia against China. Speaking on Tuesday after a two-day US-ASEAN summit in California, President Barack Obama called for tangible steps in the South China Sea to lower tensions. He repeated US demands for a halt to further reclamation, new construction and militarisation. Foreshadowing further military challenges to Chinese territorial claims, Obama declared the US would continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, and we will support the right of all countries to do the same. The response of the Chinese leadership to the US pivot, on the one hand, has been to try to appease Washington and, on the other, to engage in a dangerous arms race, which can only end in catastrophe for the working class in China and internationally. However, the chief responsibility for this drive to war lies with US imperialism. It is recklessly using its military might to maintain its dominance in Asia and around the world. Last month, the Washington-based think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), released a detailed and lengthy report commissioned by the Defence Department that could only be described as a blueprint for war against China. It complained about Beijings increased tolerance of risk in the face of Washingtons confrontational pivotin other words, Chinas refusal to buckle to US demands. The report called for a huge military expansion in Asia, not only by the United States, but all its allies and strategic partners. Whether or not the missile claims are true, the Fox News story itself has the character of a provocation concocted within sections of the US defence and intelligence establishment that have been critical of the Obama administration for not being aggressive enough in asserting its military power. The report is based on two high-resolution satellite photographs of Woody Island supplied by the Israeli-based company ImageSat, which bills itself as a commercial provider to governments and their defence forces for national security and intelligence purposes. Admiral Harry Harris, chief of the US Pacific Command, declared that Chinas placement of missile batteries in the Paracels, if verified, would not surprise him, but concerns me greatly. He warned: We will conduct more, and more complex, freedom of navigation operations as time goes on in the South China Sea. We have no intention of stopping. Harris, who denounced China last year for building a Great Wall of Sand in the South China Sea, has been pressing the White House for tougher action. Last May, a CNN news crew was allowed to join a P8-A Poseidon surveillance flight over Chinese-administered islets in the Spratly group to provide breathless footage highlighting Chinas land reclamation activities. Much of the media coverage of the latest missile revelations is just as exaggerated and deliberately misleading. The Paracels and the Spratlys are conflated; images of Chinese missiles are shown alongside photographs of land reclamation in the Spratlys; and the history of the disputes in the South China Sea is either ignored or distorted. Unlike the Spratlys, where it is a relative newcomer, China has occupied Woody Island since 1956that is, for 60 yearsand controlled all of the Paracels since 1974, when it seized the remaining islands in the group from South Vietnam. At the time, North Vietnam recognised Chinese sovereignty of the Paracels, a claim that Vietnam has disputed since 1982, following its war with China in 1979. Woody Island is the largest of the Paracels and has been used by China as an administrative centre. As CSIS analyst Mira Rapp-Hooper has acknowledged, while President Xi Jinping gave an undertaking to Obama not to militarise the Spratlys, he gave no commitment on the Paracels. Indeed, the Chinese military has long maintained a small garrison on Woody Island and has flown fighter jets to its airstrip. Rapp-Hooper pointed out that China has sent air-defence missiles to the Paracels in the past. Woody Island, one of northernmost of the Paracel group, is barely more than 300 kilometres from key Chinese naval bases on Hainan Island, which is just off the Chinese mainland. Its proximity highlights the real purpose of the Pentagons freedom of navigation operations, which is to maintain its right to place US warships virtually anywhere outside the immediate 12-nautical-mile limit off the Chinese coastline. Such operations are in line with the Pentagons AirSea Battle plans for war against China, which envisage massive air and missile attacks launched from bases, submarines and aircraft carriers in the western Pacific to destroy Chinas military, industrial and communications infrastructure. Such a blitzkrieg would be supplemented by a naval blockade focussed on choke points in South East Asia, leading into the South China Sea, in order to cut off vital Chinese imports of energy and raw materials from Africa and the Middle East. Local councils across the U.K. are slashing millions of pounds from their youth services budgets. According to a Freedom of Information request submitted to the Department for Education in 2014, the amount of money spent on services for teenagers fell by 36 percent across England in the previous two years (2011 to 2013). The biggest cuts came in the London boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea and Tower Hamlets, which cut their spending by 78 percent and 65 percent, respectively. Funding dropped by 10 percent across the country the following year. Between April 2012 and April 2014, over 60 million of funding was withdrawn from youth services across the U.K., leading to the closing of around 350 youth centres, the loss of 41,000 youth service places for adolescents, and the loss of 2,000 jobs. New cuts to local government spending are to see a further reduction in the funding provided, despite vital youth services having already been decimated over the past four years. In his November 2015 government Spending Review, Conservative Party Chancellor George Osborne announced a 56 percent cut to local government central grants over the next four years. This is funding used to help finance local public services such as libraries, parks and youth centres. The halving of the grants is expected to leave huge holes in local councils budgets, disproportionately affecting poorer areas. Conservative Peer, Lord Porter, felt obliged to warn his co-thinkers in the House of Commons of the widespread opposition that these cutbacks would likely provoke. He said councils would be compelled to protect life and death services, such as caring for the elderly and protecting children at the expense of other less vital services such as youth work. On the scale of the cuts the review imposes, he added, We are not going to see hundreds of councils falling over in the next year or two. But we are close to a dozen nationally, which will, if the spending review goes the way we think it will, be right on the edge and ready to go. In areas such as Bournemouth in Dorset, the local council is proposing to slash 1 million from its youth services budgets, which would result in a withdrawal of funding from its 22 existing youth centres. Dorset County Council is offering up these youth centres into the hands of other organisations, to either be run by already struggling and underfunded charities, by the young people themselves, or to be outsourced to private organisations. Organisations have only been given until the end of March to come up with plans for the running of these services, and, if nothing is proposed within this timescale, the centres will be closed. A paltry sum of 200,000 will instead be provided for local communities to find things to do for young people. According to a survey carried out by Dorset County Council, although only a small percentage of the countys young people attend youth clubs, many of them are from among vulnerable groups of adolescents such as young carers and young people with disabilities. With the closure of these centres, those who are most in need of it will be deprived of the extra support provided. For these young people, time spent at a youth centre is one of the only opportunities they get to go out and socialise with others their own age. The proposed cutbacks are widely opposed. In the London Borough of Camden, youth protested outside the local Town Hall at the end of January against planned cuts to the youth services budget. If the Labour Party dominated councils cuts go ahead, 1.6 million of funding will be withdrawn from the areas youth services, leading to the forced closure of many youth centres and support projects, and the loss of up to 30 jobs. Camden Council aims to mitigate the widespread opposition to these measures by redeveloping three remaining youth centres in Highgate, Kilburn and Somers Town. The result is that youth support will be condensed into only these centres, with services prioritising more vulnerable young people such as those with behavioural problems or disabilities. Many other young people will be cut off from support. Describing these proposals as devastating in an interview with the Camden New Journal, two young protesters said that the cuts could leave many young people with nowhere to turn, or drive them into gangs. Other London boroughs are proposing similar cuts, with the local council in Southwark planning to slash funding to youth services by 73 percent--a 2.5 million reduction. Not only have youth services been drastically reduced, but the burden of the governments welfare reforms also falls hardest onto the countrys youth. In his July 2015 budget, Osborne announced cuts to allowances for new welfare benefits claimants, including a youth obligation for young people aged between 18 and 21 to either earn or learn. If they do not take on an apprenticeship or traineeship within six months, young people risk losing their welfare benefits. Means-tested student loans have also been scrapped, and, coupled with the 2011 axing of Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) grants--which provided financial support to students aged between 16 and 19 from low-income families--these measures will result in many young people being cut off from further and higher education. The National Living Wage (NLW), which will supposedly increase the minimum rate of pay to 9 an hour by 2020, does not apply to workers under 25. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.18 By Aygun Badalova - Trend: OPEC oil basket's price stood at $28.18 per barrel on Feb. 17, or $1.17 less than on Feb.16, a source in OPEC told Trend. The OPEC Reference Basket (ORB) is made up of the following oil brands: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (Ecuador), Minas (Indonesia), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela) Positive dynamics is observed in world oil prices on Feb.18. The price of April futures for North Sea Brent crude oil mix rose by 1.39 percent and stood at $34.98 per barrel on Feb.18 in the morning. This is while the price of March futures for WTI oil has increased by 1.84 percent and reached $31.21 per barrel. The rise in prices is due to investors' expectations about stabilization of the situation on the market, following the statement made by Iran's oil minister about the country's readiness to support any action for restoring the oil prices. Edited by SI --- Follow the author on Twitter: @AygunBadalova TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A proposal that would tighten restrictions on abortion clinics is on the move in both chambers of the Florida legislature. The bill would ban the sale and donation of fetal parts and increase the penalties for improperly disposing of them. It would also ban state agencies, local governments, and Medicaid managed-care plans from contracting with groups affiliated with abortion clinics. Opponents like Missy Wesolowski of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates say the bill would force a number of clinics to close. Wesolowski says, We are disappointed that the Senate is picking up this very controversial bill. This bill is medically unnecessary. It is 12 pages of targeted regulations of abortion providers. The House version has passed its committees and is poised for a floor vote. The Senate bill passed its second committee on Wednesday on a straight party-line vote and has one more stop. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 17 By Aygun Badalova - Trend: The agreement reached between Russia and some OPEC members on oil output freeze will add volatility in prices in the short term as traders use the news flow to push prices higher, Sam Barden, the director of Wimpole International, an energy market development company, believes. Energy ministers of Russia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Qatar agreed on Feb. 16 to freeze the production of oil after the negotiations in Doha. Oil output will be stabilized at the level of Jan. 11, if other major exporters follow the suit. "It is positive that these nations are talking in the first place, however I think that the fundamentals which are driving oil price volatility unfortunately have little correlation to production output," Barden told Trend. "Firstly, you cannot just "turn the tap down" on the oil well head and expect to solve the problem of a collapsing oil price. Oil price discovery is in today's market complex, so opaque, convoluted and broken, not to mention financialized, that we should be looking for new exchange driven price discovery models beyond London (Brent) and New York (NYMEX)," he added. Barden stressed that the reality is that oil market currently remains oversupplied, above ground storage full, and Iran re-entering the global oil market with a view to increasing international sales. "We have not seen the low in oil prices yet," he said. Oil prices rose by more than five percent climbing above $34 a barrel on Wednesday, Feb.17 after Iran voiced its support for an initiative led by Russia and Saudi Arabia to freeze production to boost prices, Reuters reported. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh met counterparts from Venezuela, Iraq and Qatar, after which he welcomed the initiative to set a "ceiling" as a first step toward stabilizing the market. Zangeneh, quoted by the Shana news agency, did not explicitly say that Iran would keep its own output at January's levels. Earlier, Iran's OPEC envoy Mehdi Asali told local newspaper Shargh that the country would continue increasing crude output until it reached levels achieved before the imposition of international sanctions. Barden believes that an agreement on Iran's participation in oil output freeze deal could be reached, however, the likelihood of all the members to the deal actually enforcing the agreement is low. Free of sanctions, Iran declared about its plans to increase its oil export by 500,000 barrels per day, and then raise the figure by another 500,000 to two million barrels per day within a six month period at the next step. The country produced 2.925 million barrels per day in January compared to 2.887 million barrels per day in December, 2015, according to OPEC latest report. JACKSON, MS (WTXL) - A man wanted in Valdosta has been located in Mississippi, after authorities say he tried to run over a U.S. Marshal in Jackson, before taking off again. 35-year-old John Wesley Walton is wanted on multiple felony charges. According to Georgia State Patrol, he was pulled over Saturday in Valdosta, and when troopers tried to arrest him, he ran away. Authorities in Jackson, Mississippi told our affiliate WAPT, they located Walton in the area today. Police say a U.S. Marshall nearby discovered that the truck Walton was driving was stolen. When he tried to stop the 35-year-old, Walton pulled off. That's when the marshal shot out the tires in his truck. Walton then got out of the truck and ran off and has not been found. He is a convicted felon and considered armed and dangerous. If you see Walton, contact local law enforcement. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.18 By Dalga Khatinoglu - Trend: Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said that Iran supports any oil freeze plan among global producers to maintain prices on Feb.17 after a quadripartite meeting with his counterparts from Qatar, Iraq and Venezuela. A day before that, Saudi Arabia and Russia (supplying about 1/5 of of oil globally), said that they're ready to freeze the oil production at the January levels. Zanganeh said that Iran welcomes the cooperation between OPEC and non-OPEC producers to improve the oil market. However, he avoided promising to freeze Iran's production level which stood at below 3 million barrels per day (mbpd). Iran has repeatedly announced that the country's oil production has plunged from 3.7 mbpd from 2011 to 2.8 million barrels per day (mbpd) in 2015 due to sanctions, and it has decided to resume its share in markets by boosting the output by 1 mbpd in 2016. However, OPEC produced 32.335 mbpd in January, about 140,000 barrels a day more than in the previous year, while the demand for OPEC's crude is estimated at 31.6 mbpd in 2016. Therefore, the January production level was 735,000 barrels more than the estimated demand for OPEC oil in average for 2016. There is still more than 1.5 mbpd of glut globally and no short-term perspective for market balance. OPEC's major members, including Saudi Arabia, are satisfied by low oil price, because non-OPEC producers have been decreasing their production level due to high costs. When OPEC decreased the production level from about 32 mbpd in early 2008 to 28.5 mbpd in mid-2009 to support the prices, the non-OPEC producers immediately increased their production and shares in global markets. Therefore, after 1.5 years of low oil price and decreasing non-OPEC oil production, it is unlikely the OPEC members really want to cut the output. The freezing also may only prevent the prices from falling further in the future, but Iran remains a major problem. Elimination of sanctions in January caused a 20-percent growth in the country's export volume to Asia. Iran also signed an agreement to export 160,000 barrels per day of oil to Total, while Italian Eni and Saras companies are negotiating with Iran to intake 160-170 thousand barrels per day of oil. For now, Iran has stored oil on water to increase export level, but in mid-term the country has no choice but to re-open the wells, closed during sanctions era. Dalga Khatinoglu is an expert on Iran's energy sector and head of Trend Agency'sIran news service Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18 By Elena Kosolapova - Trend: Kazakhstan's Central Election Commission (CEC) registered the first observers of the parliamentary election from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the CEC said Feb. 18. Twelve observers were registered from the CIS. Earlier, Kazakhstan's CEC registered 40 observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). Thus, 52 observers from the international organizations (OSCE ODIHR and CIS) accredited for the parliamentary election in Kazakhstan as of Feb. 18. The accreditation of observers from foreign countries and international organizations will last until March 14. The parliamentary election in Kazakhstan will be held on March 20. The Nur Otan Democratic People's Party, the Ak Zhol Democratic Party of Kazakhstan, the Aul Democratic People's Patriotic Party, the Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan, the Nationwide Social Democratic Party and the Birlik Party will participate in the election. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova Israel allegedly struck a Syrian military outpost south of Damascus on Wednesday night, according to reports by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The regime outpost in Jabal Al-Mane' was reportedly hit by three missiles, resulting in damage to the site. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The report was also quoted in the Saudi owned Al-Arabiya TV station, but the Assad regime has yet to release an official statement. Hezbollah-owned TV station Al-Manar refuted the claims of a strike. Air strike in Damascus (Photo: Archive) There have been occasional reports of Israeli airstrikes in Syria by Arabic media, the last time being last December, when Hezbollah operative Samir Kuntar was assasinated in an attack attributed to Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said several weeks before the alleged assasination that Israel does sometimes conduct operations in Syria, saying "we operate in Syria periodically in order to mitigate the threat of Syria being turned into a another front against Israel." He continued, "We are working against the opening of an additional terror front that Iran is trying to open on the Golan, and in order to mitigate the transfer of deadly weapons from Syria to Lebanon. This is something which we will continue to do." If it turns out that the IDF did in fact carry out strikes against Syrian targets over the last several months, it shows the significance of the coordination mechanism in place with Russia. PHOENIX - Prosecutors opened their case Wednesday against a man they portrayed as an Islamic State follower and the driving force behind a plot to attack an anti-Islam cartoon contest last year, calling him the leader of a team "set on mass murder." Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem, a 44-year-old owner of a moving company, is believed to be the first person to stand trial in the US on charges related to Islamic State. He is charged with helping plan an attack last year at a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas in which two associates were killed after they showed up at the event with semiautomatic rifles, bulletproof vests and an Islamic State flag. Prosecutor Kristen Brook portrayed Kareem as being obsessed with Islamic State as it began a global terrorism menace last year, going so far as to indoctrinate a child in his neighborhood by showing him Internet videos of the group's militants burning a Jordanian pilot in a cage. She said he was instrumental in helping Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi in their thwarted attack on the cartoon contest before the pair was killed by an officer. ISTANBUL - A Syrian national, identified from his fingerprints, carried out a car bomb attack next to military buses in Turkey's capital, Ankara, that killed 28 people, the pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper said on Thursday. The paper did not specify the source for its report and it was not immediately possible to confirm it. A claim of responsibility for Wednesday's bombing has not yet been made. The bomber, identified as Salih Necar, was thought to have entered Turkey with refugees from Syria. His fingerprints had been taken when he entered the country, which was how police identified him, Yeni Safak reported on its website. Three-quarters of American Jewish students say they witnessed or experienced anti-Semitism on a campus, American-Jewish leader Malcolm Hoenlein told Ynet on Wednesday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "It's not Europe yet, but (anti-Semitism) is definitely on the rise," said Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, which is held this week in Jerusalem for the 42nd year. "That's something we have a collective responsibility to address." Despite that, Hoenlein said ties between Jerusalem and Washington remain stable. "America has one reliable ally, one 'aircraft carrier' in this whole region that it can count on at any time, where it can preposition a billion dollar in equipment and it'll be there in six months," he said. Malcolm Hoenlein interview (: ') X He disagrees with assessments that the relationship between the two nations has reached an all time low. "We tend to glorify relationships in the past," he said. "We always had these moments of tensions, but the fundamentals of the relationship are really what's important. "While the chemistry of the two leaders is important and a contributing factor, clearly both are trying to improve it. The visit of the president to the embassy clearly was a gesture on his part The prime minister during his visit went out of his way. And I think there's generally been a lessening of the tensions and focusing again on the overwhelming things that unite America and Israel more than ever: The fight against terrorism, the instability in the region," he continued. Hoenlein also asserted that "the American public supports Israel by an overwhelming majority and it's been consistent and constant. Even on the Iran issue the American public supported the position that we advocated and expresses concern today about the Iran deal. "We need every part of the American people to stand with Israel, and that means there has to be sensitivity, there has to be understanding about who you're talking to, what we're saying. But the American people get it. It's quite remarkable the degree to which they do despite a lot of the media distortion." Hoenlein said the American Jewish leadership is closely following the issues of the "security and safety of Jewish students and we have lawyers who go onto campuses all over the country - many of them, by the way, non-Jews - to protect the interests and rights of Jewish students, to enlist faculty, to go after the administrations, to work with them. In many cases we find it's ignorance, it's the lack of understanding - it's not hatred or anti-Semitism." He pointed to two major dangers to the Jewish community worldwide Iran as an external danger and the lack of unity as an internal danger. "Iran remains the greatest external danger because Iran is Hezbollah, Iran is Hamas, Iran is active in South America. We've uncovered tremendous networks of tens of thousands Iranian agents. These pose grave dangers I think to the security of American Jews, world Jews," he said. ANKARA - A Syrian national with links to Syrian Kurdish militia carried out the suicide bombing in Ankara that targeted military personnel and killed at least 28 people, Turkey's prime minister said Thursday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Turkey's Kurdish rebels collaborated with the Syrian man to carry out Wednesday's attack, Ahmet Davutoglu said during a news conference. "The attack was carried out by the PKK together with a person who sneaked into Turkey from Syria," Davutoglu said, referring to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, known as the PKK. Authorities have detained nine people in connection with the attack, he said. Scene of the attack in Ankara (Photo: AFP) Syrian Kurdish PYD party leader Saleh Muslim, howeverm denied that his group had carried the attack in Ankara, saying Turkey was trying to escalate the fighting in northern Syria. "We are completely refuting that," Muslim, co-chair of the PYD, told Reuters by phone. He also denied claims that the group's armed YPG wing was firing into Turkey. "I can assure you that not even one bullet is fired by YPG into Turkey," Muslim said. "They don't consider Turkey as an enemy," he said. Turkey's military, meanwhile, said its jets conducted cross-border raids against Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq, hours after the Ankara attack, striking at a group of about 60-70 rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. The car bomb went off late Wednesday in Turkey's capital during evening rush hour. It exploded near buses carrying military personnel that had stopped at traffic lights, in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters and lodgings. The blast was the second deadly bombing in Ankara in four months. Davutoglu confirmed earlier news reports that said the attacker was Syrian. Yeni Safak, a newspaper close to the government, said the assailant who detonated the car bomb near the military buses in an apparent suicide attack had been registered as a refugee in Turkey and was identified from his fingerprints. Scene of the attack in Ankara (Photo: EPA) There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which killed military personnel and civilians, although suspicion had immediately fallen on the PKK or the Islamic State group. In October, suicide bombings blamed on IS targeted a peace rally outside the main train station in Ankara, killing 102 people in Turkey's deadliest attack in years. The attack drew international condemnation and Turkish leaders have vowed to find those responsible and to retaliate against them with force. The military said Thursday that Turkish jets attacked PKK positions in northern Iraq's Haftanin region, hitting the group of rebels which it said included a number of senior PKK leaders. The claim couldn't be verified. Scene of the attack in Ankara (Photo: EPA) Turkey's air force has been striking PKK positions in northern Iraq since a fragile two-and-a-half year-old peace process with the group collapsed in July, reigniting a fierce three-decade old conflict. "Our determination to retaliate to attacks that aim against our unity, togetherness and future grows stronger with every action," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday. "It must be known that Turkey will not refrain from using its right to self-defense at all times." The attack came at a tense time when the Turkish government is facing an array of challenges. Hundreds of people have been killed in renewed fighting following the collapse of the peace process and tens of thousands have been displaced. Turkey has also been helping efforts led by the US to combat the Islamic State group in neighboring Syria, and has faced several deadly bombings in the last year that were blamed on ISIS. The Syrian war is raging along Turkey's southern border. Recent airstrikes by Russian and Syrian forces have prompted tens of thousands of Syrian refugees to flee to Turkey's border. The government has recently allotted nearly $26 million in this year's budget to combat what it sees as worldwide efforts to delegitimize the Jewish state's right to exist. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Some of the funds are earmarked for Israeli tech companies, many of them headed by former military intelligence officers, for digital initiatives aimed at gathering intelligence on activist groups and countering their efforts. "I want to create a community of fighters," said Sima Vaknin-Gil, the director general of the Ministry for Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy, to Israeli tech developers at a forum last month dedicated to the topic. Among the government officials involved in the efforts are some of Israel's top secret-keepers, including Sima Shine, a former top official in the Mossad spy agency, and Vaknin-Gil, who recently retired as the chief military censor responsible for gag orders on state secrets. Photo: Reuters Israel has established itself as a world leader in cyber technology innovation, fueled by graduates of prestigious and secretive military and security intelligence units. These units are widely thought to be behind some of the world's most advanced cyber-attacks, including the Stuxnet virus that attacked Iran's nuclear energy equipment last decade. Each year, these units churn out a talent pool of Israelis who translate their skills to the corporate world. Now Israel is looking to harness their technological prowess for the fight to protect Israel's international image. Vaknin-Gil said her ministry is encouraging initiatives to expose the funding and curb the activities of anti-Israel activists, as well as campaigns to "flood the Internet" with content that puts a positive face on Israel. She said some of these actions will not be publicly identified with the government, but that the ministry will not fund unethical or illegal digital initiatives. Established about 10 years ago, the pro-Palestinian BDS campaign is a coalition of organizations that advocate boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel. Inspired by the anti-apartheid movement, BDS organizers say they are using nonviolent means to promote the Palestinian struggle for independence. Israel says the movement is rooted in anti-Semitism and seeks not to change Israeli policies, but ultimately to put an end to the Jewish state. The movement has grown into a global network of thousands of volunteers, from campus activists to church groups to liberal Jews disillusioned by Israeli policies. They lobby corporations, artists and academic institutions to sever ties with Israel. The movement has made inroads. US and British academic unions have endorsed boycotts, student governments at universities have made divestment proposals, and some famous musicians have refused to perform in Israel. The BDS movement also claims responsibility for pressuring some large companies to stop or modify operations in Israel. In its latest push, it has urged top Hollywood actors to reject a government-paid trip to Israel being offered to leading Oscar nominees. Omar Barghouti, co-founder of the BDS movement, said "quite a few web pages" that BDS websites linked to have mysteriously disappeared from the Internet. "We assume Israel's cyber sabotage is ongoing, but we are quite pleased that its detrimental impact on the global BDS movement has been dismal so far," he said. Many online activists driving anti-Israeli campaigns on social media are tech-savvy, second- and third-generation Muslims in Europe and the US who have grievances against the West and also lead online campaigns against European and US governments, said Elad Ratson, who tracks the issue for the Foreign Ministry and spoke at last month's cybersecurity forum. He said they often create code that allows activists to blast thousands of messages from social media accounts - creating the illusion that many protesters are sharing the same anti-Israel or anti-West message online. Israeli officials lobby Facebook to remove pages it says incite violence against Israelis, and there has been talk of advancing legislation to restrict Facebook in Israel. A Facebook representative met with Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan in Israel last week about the matter. Ratson said social media giants are beginning to close inciting users' accounts. Twitter said in a statement this month that since mid-2015, it has closed more than 125,000 accounts that were "threatening or promoting terrorist acts, primarily related to ISIS," the Islamic State group. But he said Islamist activists are simply moving to "Darknet" sites not visible on the open internet. BDS in Sweden (Photo:Shutterstock) Some Israeli tech companies are starting to build sly algorithms to restrict these online activists' circle of influence on the "Darknet," so activists think their message is reaching others when in fact it is being contained, Ratson said. Other Israeli companies work on forensic intelligence gathering, such as detecting digital or semantic signatures buried in activists' coding so they are able to track and restrict their online activity. Firewall Israel, a non-profit initiative sponsored by the Reut Institute, an Israeli think tank, is building an online platform to help pro-Israel activists around the world communicate about anti-Israel activism in their communities. At a recent event the initiative held at Campus Tel Aviv, a Google-sponsored event space for entrepreneurs, an Israeli web expert taught young activists how to mine the internet for BDS activities. "Delegitimizers are engaged in a Disneyland of hate," Igal Ram of Firewall Israel told seminar participants. "We want to act against the people who run the Disneyland ... and the useful idiots who help." Inspiration, an Israeli intelligence analysis company founded by Ronen Cohen and Haim Pinto, former military intelligence officers, launched a technological initiative some months ago to collect intelligence on BDS organizations in Europe, particularly Scandinavian countries, the US, and South America, Cohen said. He said the initiative aims to dismantle the infrastructure of groups he said were responsible for incitement and anti-Semitism against Israel. He declined to give specifics. "It's no different than an operation, which you sometimes read about in the newspaper, in Syria or Lebanon," Cohen said. "It's the kind of thing that, if you want to do it in the future ... you can't work in the open." While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is advancing a bill to suspend members of Knesset who express support for terrorism, the Joint List is proposing legislation to limit the time Israel could hold bodies of terrorists. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Arab MKs Ahmad Tibi and Osama Saadi presented a bill to prevent Israeli authorities from holding onto bodies of any person, whether they're Israeli citizens or foreign nationals, for more than five days after they have been identified. The bill demands to return bodies of individuals to their families, even if they carried out or contributed to terrorist attacks. While the Joint List members understand that the Knesset will almost certainly not pass the bill, they decided to propose it nevertheless in order to send a message that they will continue to work on this issue, despite harsh public criticism and the reprimand of the Knesset's Ethics Committee. Joint List MK meeting (Photo: Eli Mendelbaum) The proposed bill states, Failing to hand over bodies to their families is patently immoral and constitutes punishing innocent people. Moreover, Israel started holding bodies in the 1970s. This act represents the Israeli authorities disrespect for Palestinians even after their death. The bill proposal goes on to say that Holding onto the bodies prevents the performance of religious rituals and tradition regarding burial and makes the process of coping with the loss increasingly more arduous. The bill also calls for the family to bear responsibility for burying their loved one in accordance with their wishes and beliefs. Holding on to the bodies and humiliating a Palestinian is a morally corrupt act and a violation of natural justice, Tibi said. Palestinians are oppressed in life and in death. The goal of the bill is to end this abuse against the deceased and their families. MOSCOW - Russia's top domestic security agency said Thursday it has tracked down a group of suspects accused of forging personal documents for Islamic State group militants. The Federal Security Service, or FSB, said in a statement that it has arrested 14 suspected members of the group during a raid in the Moscow region. The FSB said the suspects were forging documents for Russians willing to join ISIS in Syria and also making papers for ISIS militants sent to Russia to carry out terror attacks. Since stabbings, vehicular attacks and shootings became virtually daily occurrences last October, certain locations have repeatedly been the scene of Palestinian attacks on Israelis. Jerusalems Damascus Gate is one such place that has seen more than its fair share of bloodshed during the last four months. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Security at the site is conspicuously high because of the repeated assaults there, so why do attackers choose the same location time and time again, knowing that the police stationed there are on their guard? And what price do Palestinians passing through the gate pay as a consequence? The approach to Damascus Gate is shaped like a Roman theater, with a semi-circular set of stairs leading down from the adjacent street to the base of the Ottoman-era walls and gatehouse. The gate, which connects East Jerusalem with the Old Citys Muslim Quarter and Al-Aqsa Mosque, has traditionally served as a meeting place for traders, shoppers, tourists and locals alike. Not so much these days. Photo Credit: Daniel Elior Spread out around the approach to the gate, twenty police officers stand guard, mostly members of the Border Police, bearing assault rifles and wearing body armor. Several of the side stairways to the gate are closed-off by police barriers, ostensibly to allow security personnel to better observe those approaching, creating a funnel effect. Up above Damascus Gate itself, two police officers observe the scene from atop the city walls, lending them the impression of medieval archers manning the battlements. A number of Palestinian women are sitting outside the gate talking with each other in small groups. The absence of young men doing the same thing is marked. Only a year ago the presence of men far exceeded that of women. On the day that The Media Line correspondent was present, the only male who attempted to tarry was quickly told to move on by officers. Border Police at the Damascus Gate (Photo: AFP) Others passing through the gatehouse are stopped, taken to one side and searched. Frisks are conducted by three officers at a time, one patting down the individual, questioning him, or relaying information over the radio, while the two other officers observe both the young Palestinian and the scene around them. The police have learned the hard way that approaching a youth for questioning is often the time when they are most vulnerable to stabbings. As a result the young men are ordered to stand with their hands lifted high against a wall, their backs to the officers. Each search takes between ten and twenty minutes and is conducted in a firm but not aggressive manner. It still irks some though. Mohammad Nuri, 19, was stopped and ordered to remove his hooded top. Working in the Old City, he comes into contact with the police a lot. Every day its like this. Theyre crazy, theyre like a mafia, he told The Media Line, after police spent ten minutes questioning him. Border Police frisking Arab man at the Damascus Gate. But some would argue that the police are understandably cautious. One of their colleagues, 19 year-old Hadar Cohen, a rookie-cop, was shot dead outside Damascus Gate at the start of February by three attackers from the West Bank who were subsequently killed. Since then two further attacks have occurred at the same location a second shooting attack involving two Palestinians, also from the West Bank (and also shot dead), and an incident less than twenty-four hours later involving a 15-year-old Palestinian teenager armed with a knife. And those are just incidents that have occurred this month. According to statistics on the Foreign Ministrys website, there have been a further eight attacks at the same location since October 10, 2015. As to why attackers choose to target the same spot, despite limited chances of survival and even lower chances of actually killing an Israeli Hadar Cohen is the only person to have been killed by a Palestinian at Damascus Gate that question remains open. One possible explanation is the gates symbolism for Muslim worshippers as the entranceway to Al-Aqsa Mosque. Damascus Gate is historically the center of East Jerusalem, or Arab Jerusalem, Amnon Ramon, a researcher with the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, told The Media Line. Border Police at the Damascus Gate (Photo: AFP) Copycat tactics could also go some way to explain the phenomenon. But Ramon has a further explanation. I guess that their aim first of all is to attack police officers, and second of all settlers. The researcher claimed that generally speaking attacks by Palestinians have not been directed at civilians living inside the Green Line. As long as this continues, it is not only the police who pay the price. The feeling of suspicion encountered by Palestinians as they pass through the gate is not conducive to peace, and causes resentment and frustration, Ramon said. I have friends from East Jerusalem and they complain all the time about their treatment by the policemen and guards on the train, searching and humiliating them. This said, a balance needs to be struck between the need to prevent Israelis from being attacked and Palestinians from being harassed, Ramon concluded. Border Police at the Damascus Gate (Photo: AFP) Many Palestinian however feel that the balance is already skewed against them. Haddi, who preferred not to give his second name, was cynical about the attacks. He said some of those shot by the Israelis might have been carrying knives, but many werent, the Palestinian who travels frequently to Saudi Arabia where he studies Islamic law at Mecca and Medina, told The Media Line. Police officers sometimes place knives next to the people they shoot, he suggested, acknowledging that the stabbings were against Islamic teaching. Working in a kebab shop overlooking Damascus Gate five days a week, Haddi said he sees men and women being stopped and searched frequently. Regarding the two shoot-outs which had taken place within several hundred meters of his workplace in recent weeks, Haddi said he wasnt aware of them. Article written by Robert Swift Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.18, By Elena Kosolapova - Trend: Kazakhstan's national currency tenge gradually pares losses. The exchange rate rose to 352.08 tenges against one US dollar during the morning trading session at Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) on Feb.18, compared to 360.6 tenges on Feb.17, said the KASE website. This is while the exchange rate of Kazakhstan's national currency rose to 349.96 tenges against one US dollar in day trading on Feb.18, compared to 358.12 tenges on Feb.17. The exchange rate of tenge began to decline after the country's National Bank switched to a floating rate in August. As a result, the exchange rate of tenge against dollar halved in six months. The minimum exchange rate of tenge against dollar was recorded on Jan. 22 (383.91 KZT/ USD). Edited by SI --- Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova IRBIL - Islamic State militants recently fired mortar shells believed to have been filled with a chemical substance, possibly chlorine, at Kurdish troops close to the Iraqi town of Sinjar, wounding 30 fighters, a Kurdish military officer and a medical official said Thursday. Nine Kurdish soldiers, known as Peshmerga, were admitted to Azadi Teaching Hospital in the city of Dohuk last Friday with symptoms including vomiting, nausea, shortness of breath and itching, the director of the hospital, Dr. Afrasiab Mussa Yones, told The Associated Press. He said that the symptoms suggested that chlorine had been used, but that further analysis was needed. Yones said he would send samples taken from the soldiers' clothes for analysis. All the Peshmerga were discharged after treatment. On stage in Munich, in an almost formal manner, the renewal of the Cold War was announced. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev clearly stated that Russian-NATO relations have deteriorated "to the level of a cold war" and added, "Sometimes I do not know if we are in 2016 or 1962." The remarks came after a heavy exchange of verbal blows among the representatives of Europe, NATO and the Kremlin at the 2016 Munich Security Conference - the most important world forum for foreign relations, intelligence, and security. There was no topic about which they did not bicker, blaming each other for the same things, only in reverse. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev giving an interview on the sidelines of the 2016 Munich Securit Conference (Photo: EPA) In general, the conference inspired a deep sense of despair on almost every issue discussed in it: Refugees in Europe, Russian involvement in Ukraine, the war in Syria. If anyone needed proof that Russians are doing whatever they want in the Middle East, they should just look at how the agreement among the world powers for a ceasefire in Syria collapsed, shortly after it was signed. Intelligence officials from the United States and Europe told Yedioth Ahronoth that the agreement on the definitive ceasefire would collapse within a few days. In fact, it had no chance in the first place and it is intended, according to one of the officials, "to enable the Munich conference in good spirits." Another official said that the agreement "demonstrates the naivety of the US Secretary of State, as if it is possible to persuade the Russians to cease the use of force in Syria." The agreement provides, among other things, that the Russians and the Americans decide in tandem which targets can be hit, and which targets the Russians must desist from harming. But even before the ink dried on the agreement, the fighting continued and the agreement was violated. British intelligence and US military officials told me that the Russian military, in cooperation with Syria, Hezbollah and Iran, did not stop bombing civilians for even one moment. The agreement is in effect the final seal of the absolute failure of American foreign policy in Syria. It allows the Russians to continue to intervene in the affairs of another country and essentially recognizes Putin's military as an entity that is allowed to fight on Syrian soil. At the same time, it does not specify what the US will do if Russia did not fulfill the agreement. Over the weekend, coming as the United States accuse Russia again, rightly so, for the umpteenth time, of breaching the agreement, what will happen is exactly what happened countless of times before - nothing at all. Iran? Boring. Palestinians? No one cares Meanwhile, there are two pieces of news, one is good and one less so, which should be of interest to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, from the Munich Conference. Let's start with the good news, at least as far as Israeli foreign policy is concerned: The conference started with, and ended in, a difficult atmosphere of despair, confusion and belligerence. However, unlike in some of the past 51 conferences, no one blamed Israel for this atmosphere. Other than the obligatory statements of a few Arab representatives, no one tried to claim that Israel has anything to do with the general turmoil in the world - ISIS, the Russian aggression in Ukraine and Syria, and the refugee crisis. Israel is only mildly relevant to those issues, if at all. The Palestinian issue wasn't part of the agenda in any of the panels at the conference, and apart from being touched on during Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon's speech - it wasn't even mentioned. If the Munich conference is a measure of what's going on in the field of international relations and diplomacy, it can be said that in 2016 - the Palestinians don't interest anyone. Europe has much more pressing issues of its own, difficult and significant, to deal with. It's hard to imagine that in the new world that is emerging, anyone in the West - let alone the United States will have the time, resources, or desire to put any real pressure on Israel. Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon at the Munich security conference (Photo: Defense Ministry) The Russian prime ministers speech also included some sort of achievement for Israeli diplomacy. Medvedev called on the world to unite in the fight against terror, mentioning a number of incidents as examples everyone should unite in opposing - "The downing of the Russian plane in the Sinai, the terror attacks in Paris, London, Israel, Pakistan, Iraq, and other countries." This was one of the first times a non-American head of state spoke about the terror attacks in Israel in the same breath as attacks by ISIS a comparison that the Netanyahu administration frequently makes. On the other hand, the heavy atmosphere caused by the colossal failure of European and American foreign policy towards Russia and Syria led to the other negative piece of news for Israel that emerged from the conference. The failure in Syria put pressure on the Americans and Europeans to highlight their successes, or more accurately, what's being forecasted to be their only success: The nuclear deal with Iran. All of the speakers (except Defense Minister Ya'alon and US Sen. John McCain) - led by conference chairman and one of the more important people in the field of diplomatic relations, Wolfgang Ischinger - crowned the agreement a great achievement, a triumph of diplomacy over war, a brilliant move by diplomats from many different countries who made a great, unprecedented effort to prevent conflict, and succeeded. And this is being said by those who actually care about the Iran deal. The star of the last two conferences was Muhammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs. He's articulate, sophisticated, smiling, and speaks to the West in its own language so very different from his frowning predecessors, with their benighted, Holocaust-denying mindsets. The Iranian nuclear project was the most important topic on the conferences' agenda, especially considering the harsh sanctions imposed on Iran, the massive losses for Western companies, and the threat of an Israeli strike. The panels held about it, and especially Zarif's speech, were packed. By comparison, the discussion on the refugee crisis was scheduled for 10:30pm last year, and was embarrassingly empty. This year though, everything was turned on its head. The discussions on the refugee crisis were what garnered the most interest. Even though the conference's chairman, Wolfgang Ischinger, attempted to give Zarif a prime time slot - early afternoon on Friday - the hall was almost half empty. The Iranian nuclear project, which has been defined by the Israeli intelligence community as the number one threat to the Jewish state, no longer interests the world. It's a thing of the past which came and went. The fad is over. The general disinterest of the international community in the Iranian nuclear program has dual meaning for Israel. The first - as much as Israel wishes to confront Iran - by all the means at its disposal - it will have to do it alone. This concern was validated at the conference in Munich. In conversations I held with high ranking US and European intelligence officials, they indicated that they would pay lip service to the issue, but that they've placed the matter far from first place in their priority list. Secondly, the declining interest in the Iranian nuclear issue in the West is yet more proof of the expanding gulf between the worries of the government of Israel (Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran), and the worries of their counterparts in the West (Russia, ISIS, and the refugees). President Obama made his final budget request to Congress this week. At $4.1 trillion, it is the most expensive budget proposal in history. The Presidents 170-page budget increases spending by $2.5 trillion, raises taxes by $3.4 trillion, and adds $9.3 trillion to the national debt over 10 years. In fact, under this proposal, the national debt would be more than double what it was when President Obama took office. As usual, his budget also never balances. Considering our national debt now exceeds $19 trillion, these numbers are unrealistic enough. However, the truly absurd aspects of the Presidents budget are the government-down policies which force Americans to shoulder the costs. One of the Presidents proposals is a $10.25 tax on each barrel of oil, which would mean a 25-cent average increase in the cost of a gallon of gas. When speaking about this new tax, White House economic adviser Jeff Zients said, We recognize that oil companies will likely pass on some of these costs. This means passing on the costs to consumers through higher prices, which will hurt the most those who can afford it the least. The Presidents budget also makes no mention of fixing Social Security. Prior to his inauguration in 2009, President-elect Obama said, We have to signal seriousness in this by making sure some of the hard decisions are made under my watch, not someone elses. To prevent millions of Americans from seeing reductions in benefits, we need long-term solutions to ensure solvency of Social Security. Although he has included Social Security reform in every prior budget, making the program solvent is regrettably no longer one of the Presidents fiscal priorities. On top of this, the Social Security Administration has said increased consumer costs from the Presidents oil tax would make Social Security less solvent. Additionally, the President proposes cutting crop insurance by $18 billion. It is counterproductive to undermine producers who manage risk. Cuts to this program could lead to increased premiums for producers, which in turn would likely raise the cost of food for consumers. Rather than cutting this fiscally responsible public-private partnership, we should be working to strengthen it while eliminating truly wasteful government spending. The Ways and Means Committee held two hearings this week on the Presidents budget request with Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew. The billions of dollars in the Presidents budget dedicated to funding Obamacare deeply concern me following the collapse of 12 Obamacare Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans (co-ops) under HHSs management, including CoOportunity Health in Nebraska and Iowa. In our hearing with Secretary Burwell, I again asked her about the circumstances surrounding CoOportunity Healths collapse and the financial status of the co-ops still operating. I will be requesting more detailed answers from HHS on these inquiries. With more than $1 billion in federal loans already lost due to co-op failures, taxpayers deserve to know whether these funds will ever be recovered. The Presidents final budget is a wish list rather than a serious proposal to deal with our debt and strengthen our economy. The House will soon begin the appropriations process, through which we can conduct needed oversight over federal agencies in addition to determining how government revenue is spent. We must use the legislative process to make hard choices and put our economy on a sustainable path to growth. SEWARD -- Concordia University, Nebraskas University A Cappella Choir will travel to Colorado, Idaho, South Dakota, Oregon and Montana from March 2-13, 2016, for its annual concert tour. Two local performances will conclude the choirs spring performance season on Sunday, March 20, 2016, at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church (Newman Center) in Lincoln, Nebraska, at 2 p.m. and St. Johns Lutheran Church in Seward, Nebraska, at 7:30 p.m. Student performers from the York area include: Jacob Tuma, a senior from Cordova, Tenor II; Joshua Brumm, a freshman from Seward, Bass I; Adam Meirose, a senior from Seward, Bass I; Kayleah Moravec, a freshman from Seward, Soprano I; Karl Rovey, a senior from Seward, Bass II; Elisha Scheiber, a sophomore from Seward, Alto I; Andrea von Kampen, a senior from Seward, Soprano I and Lauren Wilcox, a sophomore from Seward, Soprano II. The A Cappella Choir strives to perform music at a very high artistic level-music that inspires, instructs and entertains the listener. But the mission of the choir goes beyond mere artistry, said Dr. Kurt von Kampen, the choirs conductor and chair of Concordias music department. The University A Cappella Choir exists to proclaim the Gospel of Christ in song and to honor God with the musical talents the students have been given. The internationally acclaimed choir will perform concerts at churches, performance halls and schools in 10 cities on its 12-day tour. Cities on the tour include Columbus, Ogallala and Seward, Nebraska; Rapid City, South Dakota; Billings, Montana; Coeur dAlene, Idaho; Eugene, Oregon; Meridian, Idaho; and Parker and Fort Collins, Colorado. The choir performs full-length concerts, high school assemblies and church worship services. The repertoire of sacred and secular choral compositions spans all historical periods and is representative of many cultures. This years concert features the works of Antonio Vivaldi, William Byrd, Max Janowski, Eric Esenvalds, Josu Elberdin, Ivo Antognini, Jeffrey N. Blersch, David von Kampen and others. The A Cappella Choir, which comprises both male and female musicians chosen by audition each year, has toured the U.S. annually and internationally approximately every four years since its inception in 1939, performing throughout Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Asia and Mexico. It also has participated in international choral festivals in Australia and Austria, placing first and third, respectively, while under the direction of von Kampen. Admission to concerts is free. Free-will offerings will be taken at evening concerts to help defray tour expenses. AFRC announces awards for Communication Excellence Air Force Reserve Command announced the winners of the 2015 Awards for Communication Excellence during the Public Affairs Symposium in Atlanta, Feb. 11. The following winners will go on to represent AFRC in the Air Force-level competition. Major Henry H. "Hap" Arnold Award for Public Affairs Communication Effectiveness: 403rd Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. Best Innovative Communication Award: 302nd Airlift Wing, Peterson AFB, Colorado. Best Crisis Communication Award: 315th AW, Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina. Brig. Gen. Harry J. Dalton Jr., Award: 439th AW, Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts. Outstanding Communication Airman (E-1 to E-4) Award: Senior Airman Monica C. Ricci, 439th AW. Staff Sergeant Christopher S. Frost Outstanding Communication NCO (E-5 to E-6) Award: Tech Sgt. Lauren C. Gleason, 507th Air Refueling Wing, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. Outstanding Communication Senior NCO (E-7 to E-8) Award: Master Sgt. Andrew Biscoe, 439th AW. Captain Bradley R. Schuldt Outstanding Communication Company Grade Officer (O-1 to O-3) Award: Capt. Jeffrey B. Kelly, 442nd Fighter Wing, Whiteman AFB, Missouri. Outstanding Communication Field Grade Officer (O-4 to O-5) Award: Maj. Ashley E.A. Conner, 477th Fighter Group, JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Outstanding Communication Civilian Category I (GS-5 to GS-9 or equivalent) Award: Mr. William C. Pope, 439th AW. Outstanding Communication Civilian Category II (GS-10 to GS-12 or equivalent) Award: Ms. Ann F. Skarban, 302nd AW. President's FY17 budget impacts Air Force Reserve The Department of Defense budget request for fiscal year 2017 includes a number of proposed changes for the Air Force Reserve. If enacted into law, the DOD budget request would reduce the Air Force Reserve manpower end-strength by 200 positions and increase the Air Force Reserves presence in a number of mission areas. Following is a summary of Air Force Reserve force structure actions that are a part of the overall FY17 Presidential Budget Request. These force structure actions are just proposals and are subject to congressional approval/action: The 924th Fighter Group, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, will gain 21 F-16s in FY19 and lose 28 A-10s from the formal training unit in FY20. The 914th Airlift Wing, Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, New York, will lose eight C-130H aircraft and gain eight KC-135 Stratotankers in FY17 and be redesignated the 914th Air Refueling Wing. The 442nd FW, Whiteman AFB, Missouri, will lose 27 A-10s and gain 27 F-16s in FY18. The 916th ARW, Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, will lose four KC-135 in FY17, 12 KC-135s in FY20 and gain 12 KC-46A tankers in FY20. The 911th Airlift Wing, Pittsburgh ARS, Pennsylvania, will lose eight C-130H aircraft and gain eight C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in FY19. The 403rd Wing, Keesler AFB, Mississippi, will continue restoring the 815th Airlift Squadron, equipped with 10 C-130Js as a unit-equipped squadron. The 20th Intelligence Squadron, (classic associate unit) will stand up at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The 41st IS (classic associate) will stand up at Fort Meade, Maryland. The 75 IS (classic associate) will stand up, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. Joint Forces Headquarters-Cyber (classic associate), JBSA-Lackland, Texas, will plus up to meet requirements. The 39th Information Operations Squadron (classic associate) will stand up at Hurlburt Field, Florida. This has been a long time in the making, but in our continuing pursuit to bring only the best of firearms, 2nd Amendment and defence related news to our readers, we are very excited to announce the next step in our evolution as a company. As of 2020, Minuteman Review is now the proud owner and operator of Your Defence News, a website with a long history of breaking huge news stories and investigative journalism. We hope you are equally as excited as us. This means that now the teams of Minuteman can combine with the firepower of Your Defence News to stay at the absolute forefront for our readers. Keep an eye. Big things are coming soon. We couldn't be more excited. In the meanwhile, here are some of our most popular posts and categories to keep you busy. Happy shootin' my friends! Buying Guides: Firearms Firearm Accessories Ammunition Gun Safes Scopes & Optics Hunting Air Rifles Best AR-15 Best AR 15 Scope Best Hunting Rifle Best Gun Safe Best AK 47 Best AR 10 Best Glock Triggers Best Glock Best Home Defense Shotgun Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.17 By Emil Ilgar - Trend: Swiss Sulzer company is ready to modernize Iran's energy sector, a spokesman of the company told Trend. Sulzer's spokesman Matthias Hochuli said that following the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between Iran and world powers regarding Iran's nuclear program, Sulzer now has opportunity to Iran to modernize its economic infrastructure, particularly in the oil, gas, and energy industry. He added that Sulzer will serve Iranian customers from the Middle East and other Sulzer entities in Europe. "All business opportunities will be strictly followed in accordance with the country's requirements and applicable sanctions that remain in place in the U.S. and elsewhere," he said. Meanwhile, Shana news agency quoted Thorsen Wintergreze, an executive committee member of Sulzer as saying on Feb.17 that the company is interested in returning to Iran's petrochemical projects. "We are ready to cooperate in the transfer of technology to Iran's petrochemical complexes as well as in licensing of Iranian companies," he added. The report said Sulzer has established ties with two Iranian petrochemical companies following the removal of sanctions. No further details about the projects were provided. This is while Hochuli told Trend that Wintergerste has not talked to any Iranian media. "So, we cannot confirm the information the Iranian media are referring to." According to Shana, the managing director of the National Petrochemical Company (NPC) Marziyeh Shahdaei also said during the meeting with the Sulzer representatives that "foreign firms are required to transfer modern technology when embarking on joint ventures with Iran as a Swiss firm expressed readiness to cooperate with Iran". Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18 By Fatih Karimov- Trend: Assembly line of Iran's Arisan pickup was inaugurated in Iraq's Alexandria city during a ceremony attended by Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, Iranian minister of Industry, Trade and Mines. The factory has the capacity to manufacture 30 Arisan pickups per day, Iran's ISNA news agency reported Feb. 18. Considering the growing demands for the Arisan pickup in Iraqi market, it is planned that at least 5000 Arisan Pickups to be manufactured in Iraq next Iranian fiscal year ( to start March 20). Iran will send Arisan pickup parts to Iraq in semi knocked-down form (SKD) to be assembled. The first SKD consignment was sent to Iraq last November. Iranian giant carmaker Iran Khodro started manufacturing Arisan in March 2015 in the northern city of Tabriz. Arisan, also called "PU1" is planed to replace Paykan pickup in Iran's market, which was produced by Iran Khodro and its production was halted on March 10, 2015. Equipped with two airbags, hydraulic and telescopic steering, AC, folding seats, ABS, and a new audio system, the Arisan pickup meets international standards including Euro-4, according to the Iranian media outlets. It should be noted that Nematzadeh arrived in Iraq, Feb. 17 for a two-day visit aimed at boosting trade ties between Tehran and Baghdad. In his meetings with high-ranking Iraqi officials, including the Arab country's ministers of trade and industry, Nematzadeh will discuss ways to strengthen relations between the two neighbors. Back in September 2015, Iran's Economy Minister Ali Tayebnia said Tehran and Baghdad plan to increase their trade exchanges to $20 billion in the near future. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18 By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend: Iran has condemned the recent terrorist attack in Turkish capital city of Ankara, which claimed the lives of innocent people. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Hossein Jaber Ansari, said that the incident once again proved the need for the united fight against terrorism, describing terrorism as a "common global threat", IRNA news agency reported. A vehicle full of explosives went off in an area close to the buildings of the Turkish parliament, the general staff and the military dorm in Ankara Feb. 17 at 18:30 (UTC/GMT +4 hours) claiming 28 lives and 61 injured. Turkish sources have Salih Nejar, a Syrian citizen, as the perpetrator of the attack. Earlier, Turkey's National Intelligence Organization warned against possible terrorist attacks in the country suggesting members of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) are preparing terrorist attacks at Turkey's international airports. According to research from CoreLogic RP Data, only two Australian capital cities can currently lay claim to providing investors with better rental returns than they were a decade ago. At the end of January, Perths gross rental yield sat at 3.8% compared to 3.6% at the end of January 2006; while gross yields in Hobart are currently sit at 5.1% compared to 4.5% 10 years ago. Over the 10-year period, Darwin and Melbourne have seen the biggest decreases in gross yields with falls of 1.3% and 1.2% respectively. Yields are also down in Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane, while they have remained flat in Perth. According to the research, capital city rental rates increased by 50.7% over the 10-year period, or 4.2% per annum, while home values increased by 72.0% or 5.6% per annum over the same time. CoreLogic RP Data research analyst Cameron Kusher described current rental growth as historically weak and with little sign of that changing in the near future. With rental rates falling and yields sitting at record low levels at a time when housing construction is at its highest level on record it is reasonable to expect that rents and yields will slip further over the coming years, Kusher said. While investors may have been comfortable riding out a period of poor rental returns in preference of strong capital growth, Kusher said that attitude could soon change. We have recently seen the Labor opposition propose changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount. Were policies such as these to be implemented, it could change the situation for investors, he said. Whereas over recent years their focus has clearly been on value growth, attention could begin to become more balanced where investors place a higher degree importance on the yield profile and potential for positive cash flow. Kusher isnt the only one who predicts an uptick in the interest in properties that boast a positive cash flow. Changes to negative gearing have been floating around for years now. Even under the Rudd and Abbott governments there was talk of changes, Lloyd Edge, director of Aus Property Professionals, said. I wouldnt say that people are scared, but I definitely think people are really starting to think about how they can get a good income stream through property, whereas historically theyve been really focussed on the capital growth side of things, Edge said. Edge, who specialises in investors looking to buy or build duplexes, said the possible limitation of negative gearing to new properties could make duplexes even more popular with investors. Over the last few months weve seen an increase in interest from people in duplexes, given they have the ability to generate two streams of income and give you that positive cash flow, while also allowing you to experience good capital growth. Tax concessions like negative gearing or depreciation should be considered a bonus when it comes to property investing. Obviously if you build a new duplex youre able to enjoy two lots of depreciation, but if there are changes to negative gearing, a new building like a duplex where you have the ability to negatively gear or go after cash flow could become even more popular. Sarah Jane Busteed yesterday fronted Sydneys Downing Centre Local Court after she was charged with three counts of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception along with the dealing with the proceeds of crime charge, following an investigation by the Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC). After their investigation into Busteed's conduct in dealing with members of SMSFs which were undertaking property purchases, ASIC alleges that Busteed dishonestly obtained monies from those SMSFs. Busteed is also alleged to have dealt with monies obtained from a SMSF which are believed to be proceeds of crime. Busteed was not required to enter a plea and was granted conditional bail. The matter is listed for return at the Downing Centre Local Court on 12 April 2016. Under the New South Wales Crime Act, the charges of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment, while under the Commonwealth Criminal Code the charge of dealing in the proceeds of crime carries a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment or a $216,000 fine or both. The investigation into Busteeds conduct was carried out by ASICs SMSF Taskforce, which was established in 2012 in response to the growing popularity of SMSFs. The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions is prosecuting the charges against Busteed stemming from the ASIC investigation, while separate charges including dishonestly obtaining financial advantage have been bought against Busteed by the NSW Police and NSW Director of Public Prosecutions. As a homeowner, you probably already know that you should be working to maintain your home. But, chances are, you Read More The Global and United States Hydrobike Market Report has been published by QY Research recently. Hydrobike Market Analysis and Insights This report focuses on... Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18 By Fatih Karimov- Trend: A European energy delegation arrived in Tehran to explore ways of expanding energy ties with Tehran following the removal of the international sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The delegation headed by Gerassimos Thomas, deputy director general at the European Commission's Energy Directorate is scheduled to hold meetings with Iranian officials from oil and energy ministry as well as the atomic energy organization, IRNA news agency reported Feb. 18. Mutual cooperation in energy sector will be discussed in the meetings, according to the Iranian foreign ministry. The two parties will set a cooperation roadmap in oil, gas, and renewable energies as well as increasing energy efficiency. Earlier European Climate and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias, commenting on the visit, said that the European Commission will undertake "technical assessment mission" in the field of energy. Also, an EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that around 15 EU officials would go on the initial four-day technical visit and after that, high-level Commission staff, possibly with a business delegation, would travel to Iran. Dogs are seen as man's best friend. More often than not some owners claim to feel like their pet dogs truly understand them. It seems like their notions might not be completely ungrounded as recent studies show that dogs might after all recognize humans more than what was initially imagined Researchers from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil and University of Lincoln in the U.K. recently conducted a study using 17 untrained dogs. Their main goal was to figure out whether the dogs could detect the emotions that are flashed to them. The researchers used pictures of both humans and animals plus an audio sound for each emotion. The pictures show two emotion - one more calm and positive face and the other show an image of aggression and negativity. Natalia De Souza Albuquerque, a PhD student in experimental psychology who is involved in the study has since explained the results of their experiment. According to Albuquerque, even dogs who were not familiar with any human words could assess the emotional content of human voices and faces. Advertisement "What we found is that when dogs were hearing positive sounds they would look longer to positive faces, both human and dog. And when they were listening to negative sounds they would look longer to negative, angry faces," explained Albuquerque. Furthermore Dr. Kun Guo, from the University of Lincoln's School of Psychology, has also gushed about the results of their study. He claims that their experiment showed that dogs are capable of of integrating the senses of sight and hearing to form an understanding of the emotion they are perceiving. "Dogs have the ability to integrate two different sources of sensory information into a coherent perception of emotion in both humans and dogs. To do so requires a system of internal categorization of emotional states" said Guo. Business : C'est le plus gros projet de migration en cours a ce jour sur le nouveau systeme d'exploitation de Microsoft. Les tablettes Surface rentrent egalement dans le parc des machines utilisees par le DoD. Enfin ! Les employes du ministere de la defense des Etats-Unis vont pouvoir flaner dans le Windows Store ! Le DoD (Department of Defense) a decide en effet de migrer 4 millions de PC sous Windows 10 dans le cadre d'un plan de standardisation de son parc informatique. Le budget informatique global du DoD s'eleve a 44 milliards de dollars par an. Blague a part, il s'agit du plus important projet de migration realise pour l'heure avec ce systeme d'exploitation. Le projet devrait etre realise dans le courant de cette annee. Des portables aux ordinateurs de bureau en passant par les Surfaces, le DoD vise une mise a jour complete vers Windows 10 dans l'annee indique Yusuf Mehdi, de Microsoft. Car dans le meme temps cette administration a egalement mentionne que les tablettes Surface de Microsoft venaient d'etre certifiees pour fonctionner dans les services du DoD, notamment sur les problematiques d'interoperabilite et de securite. Et comme ca, tout le monde pourra jouer a Candy Crush ! Microsoft assure que 76% des entreprises aux Etats-Unis sont en train d'essayer Windows 10. 200 millons de devices seraient egalement deja equipes du dernier OS de Microsoft. publicite En savoir plus sur ce theme : Stiri pe aceeasi tema - President Klaus Iohannis declared on Wednesday that the ideal way would be for all EU member states to share the same approach and stand together in all matters, but a democracy works with a diversity of opinions. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook - The Prime Minister of the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, on a working visit to our country, arrived on Wednesday afternoon at the Getica National Combined Training Center in Cincu, central Brasov County, being accompanied by President Klaus Iohannis. Fii la curent - Education is the foundation of the development of democratic societies, the essential premise for the modernization and evolution of nations towards an increasingly prosperous standard of living, President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday, in his message sent by the State Councilor Catalina Galer - President Klaus Iohannis and visiting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday will call on the Getica National Joint Training Centre at Cincu, Brasov County. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook stiripesurse.ro Help your friends - The Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) postponed for Wednesday, October 26, the debates on President Klaus Iohannis' notification on the Aquaculture Law. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook stiripesurse.ro Help your friends know - President Klaus Iohannis will lead the Romanian delegation that will participate in the high-level segment of the 77th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, on Tuesday and Wednesday, in New York, the Presidential Administration informs. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. - President Klaus Iohannis signed, on Tuesday, the Condolence Book opened in memory of Queen Elizabeth II at the residence of the ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Romania, the Presidential Administration announced. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. - The Bookfest Fair in Chisinau is an expression of the common cultural and linguistic space, a materialization of the European aspirations of the Romanians on both sides of the Prut River, President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday in the message sent on the occasion of the opening of the 5th edition Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18 By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend: A senior Iranian commander has confirmed that a special unit of the ground forces of Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) is involved in clashes against "extremists" in Iraq and Syria. "Saberin unit and other units of the ground forces were dispatched to the region to prevent [extremists] from invading the shrines of Zaynab [a daughter of first Shia Imam Ali in Syria] and the Ahl al-Bayt [a term that refers to the Islamic prophet Muhammad's family in Shia Islam and Alevism] in Iraq," Fars news agency quoted Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the IRGC Ground Forces, as saying Feb. 18. The Saberin is a special unit of the IRGC, established in 2000. It has been involved in military operations against several armed opposition groups in Iran's north-western and south-eastern borders. Pakpour further said the IRGC is in Syria and Iraq to prevent "the enemy" from reaching Iranian borders. "If we don't fight the enemy there [Syria and Iraq], we will have to confront them along our southern and western borders, as well as in Kermanshah [province]," he added. Over the past few years and since the crisis broke out in Syria and Iraq, several members of the elite forces of Iran have been reportedly killed in clashes with "terrorists", which suggested Iran's military presence in both countries. However, Iranian officials have constantly denied that their servicemen have boots on the ground in Syria and Iraq, saying the officers of the Islamic Republic are in Syria and Iraq as advisers at official request from both countries' governments. THAT THERE MAY BE A FAIRER SOCIETY IN GHANA - ONE IN WHICH ALL THE PEOPLE, NOT JUST A POWERFUL AND GREEDY FEW, BENEFIT FROM THE NATION'S WEALTH! Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18 By Elena Kosolapova - Trend: There is no alternative to the Azerbaijani gas for Georgia, considering its affordable price and the fact that Azerbaijan is the country's strategic partner, Lasha Dzebisashvili, professor at the University of Georgia, told Trend. "Gas purchase from Azerbaijan is more favorable [than purchase from other suppliers] for Georgia," he said. "If SOCAR [Azerbaijan's State Oil Company] is able to supply additional gas to Georgia, then I will not see an alternative to the Azerbaijani gas." "However, if Azerbaijan refuses to increase the supply to meet Georgia's growing needs in gas in the winter season, the current deficit will be reimbursed by supplies from other sources, such as Iran," said Dzebisashvili. Earlier, Managing Director of the National Iranian Gas Export Company (NIGEC) Alireza Kameli said that Tehran and Tbilisi conduct negotiations about the supply of 200 million cubic meters of the Iranian gas to Georgia. "The infrastructure for the supply both through Azerbaijan and Armenia exists. But the admissibility of these gas prices is an important question," said the expert. "Considering the prices for the Iranian gas, transportation and transit, this idea becomes highly questionable," he explained. In addition, Dzebisashvili noted that gas production in Iran is mainly carried out in the country's south part, while the supplies to Georgia have to be delivered from the north. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova Begusarai (Bihar): A day after JNU students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar was assaulted by lawyers in a Delhi court complex, police have taken steps to ensure security to his family here. "We have put a police team comprising five armed policemen and an officer at FCI police station on stand by mode to rush to Kanhaiya Kumar's house located in Maksaspur Tola in Bihat village," Begusarai Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar said. The decision to keep the police force ready to deal with any threat to the JNUSU president's family members or house has been taken strictly as a precautionary measure, he said referring to the incident yesterday at Patiala House court premises in New Delhi where Kanhaiya Kumar was attacked. Kumar said that the team would remain at the FCI police station for the "time being" and will be put on duty only in the event of any threat or intimidation to Kanhaiya Kumar's family or house. Local BJP and ABVP workers have been agitating in Begusarai district demanding stern action against Kanhaiya Kumar and others for 'anti-national' sloganeering in JNU last week. Meanwhile, Kanhaiya Kumar's elder brother Manikant Singh, who works in a private factory in Assam's Bongaigaon district and younger brother Prince Kumar, who studies in Delhi, have returned to their native village to be with their parents Meena Devi and Jai Shankar Singh for the time being. While Kumar's mother works as Anganwadi Sevika, his father is bed-ridden due to a paralytic attack. A CPI leader today said that the attack has left his parents "worried", but they are showing "exemplary courage" at this difficult juncture and are confident he will come out clean. Chandigarh: Mobile internet services were on Friday blocked by the state administration in Rohtak and Jhajjar after the Jat community of Haryana intensified their agitation for reservation in jobs and educational institutions. As per initial reports, Road and rail links have been jammed due to the Jats ongoing stir. Meanwhile, additional 25 companies of paramilitary forces have been called in to counter protesters. The Haryana government has also called an all-party meeting today to discuss the situation in the wake of Jats continuing agitation for reservation in jobs and educational institutions. Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar had said yesterday that an all party meeting has been convened on Friday to discuss the issue and the cabinet has appealed to the agitating Jats to call off their agitation in the larger interest of the state. The agitation by the Jats in support of their demand for reservation affected normal life in various districts for the fifth day on Thursday. Clashes erupted between two groups in Haryana's Rohtak town on Thursday evening as the agitation by Jats spread in the state and threw normal life out of gear in many districts. Pro and anti-Jat reservation protestors clashed near the district court complex in Rohtak. Several people were beaten up in the process and people threw chairs at each other during the clash. Two motorcycles were set on fire during the clash. Reports from Rohtak said that the Haryana Police tried to remove Jat protestors from the Jind chowk area but had to retreat as the protestors pelted them with stones and bricks. Authorities in Rohtak and other districts ordered imposition of prohibitory orders, banning the assembly of five or more people at a place. Even as the protests by the Jats - demanding reservation in jobs and educational institutions - spread to more areas, losses continued to mount for the railways, roadways, transporters and other private operators due to road and rail blockades put up by agitators. Parleys between Jat leaders and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had failed to resolve the deadlock on the issue. The Haryana cabinet also met on Thursday to review the situation arising out of the ongoing agitation by Jats. Road and rail routes were blocked around Rohtak town, 75 km from Delhi, and at other places in Jhajjar, Sonipat, Hisar, Bhiwani, Kaithal and Jind districts. The Rohtak-Delhi railway track has also been blocked. No state roadways buses are able to leave or reach Rohtak town. People in Rohtak faced inconvenience as essential supplies were disrupted. Students were unable to attend classes due to blockades. Some schools and colleges have been shut since Monday. Protestors in Hisar district, 240 km from here, blocked the NH-10 (Delhi-Hisar) and the Hisar-Chandigarh highway, as well as railway lines in the area also, including the Hisar-Bhiwani and Hisar-Ludhiana tracks. Jat leaders warned that the agitation will not be withdrawn till the Khattar government came out with substantive action on their demands. "The Khattar government did not show any sign to resolve the matter. They did not come up with any concrete proposal for the Jat community at a meeting held in Chandigarh yesterday (Wednesday)," said Jat leader Satbir Punia, who attended the meeting. The Haryana government on Wednesday announced doubling of quota for the EBC (Economically Backward Classes) category to 20 percent after the meeting, which was rejected by the Jats. Chandigarh: Jat protesters on Thursday rejected Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's offer to enhance quota for economically backward classes with the agitation spreading to Faridabad, Kaithal and Karnal disrupting rail and road traffic. In view of the blockades set up by the agitators, Haryana Roadways suspended its bus services on many affected routes. The Jat continued to block roads in Rohtak-Jhajjar, the epicentre of the protests, disrupting supply of milk, vegetables, fruits and other items on the national highway connecting Rohtak with other parts of the state and NCR. A day after holding talks with the Chief Minister, All India Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti's national president, Yashapal Malik told PTI that, "We reject the offer, it is not technically viable. It is illegal and cannot be implemented." "We (Jats) cannot be befooled once again, we have been fighting for our right for several years now. The agitation has further spread to Kaithal, Faridabad, Karnal, Palwal today and by tomorrow, it will cover entire Haryana," Malik said. Jat and Khap leaders had held a four-hour long meeting with Khattar and some of his ministers here yesterday during which the CM had announced enhancement of the reservation quota under EBC and the annual income ceiling from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh. The Chief Minister had announced an enhancement of the quota of reservation for Economically Backward Classes in the state from 10 to 20 per cent, but the community remained adamant on their demand for reservation under OBC category. The protests continued at other places including Sonipat, Bhiwani and Hisar. Malik said the Jats will fight for their rights and continue to protest till they get it. "People (who do not belong to the Jat community) have also come out on the streets in support of our demand," Malik said when asked about the inconvenience caused to passengers and students due to the stir. Lawyers, students and women have also joined the protests at various parts of the state. The protesters are demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions under OBC category. A Committee constituted under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to study all the aspects of the reservations for Special Backward Classes, will submit its report before the forthcoming budget session of state Assembly next month, Khattar had said yesterday. The committee will consider all suggestions including bringing an appropriate bill in this regard, he had said. Meanwhile, blockade continued on roads from Rohtak to Delhi, and roads to Sonipat, Jhajjar remained blocked while those leading to Hisar, Jind and Bhiwani were also affected. Railway traffic on the Rohtak-Delhi section was affected due to the agitation, officials said, adding many trains had been cancelled or diverted through alternative routes. Managements of private schools, which fall in the affected areas, have also declared holidays due to the stir while Maharishi Dayanand University also announced postponement of some of its undergraduate and postgraduate examinations that were scheduled to be held between February 17-22. Meanwhile, a group of students Kurukshetra University students, who belong to the Jat community, held a demonstration in the campus today in connection with the reservation issue. They held demonstration in front of Vice-Chancellor's office and raised slogans against the BJP-led state government. Later, the students led a procession to Jat Dharamsala at Kurukshetra, where other members from the community joined them. They sat on 'dharna' on Kurukshetra-Pehowa road and blocked vehicular traffic. Police diverted the traffic from Panorama chowk to Pehowa road via out-ring road from Jhansa road. Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) called on Wednesday for $56 million to combat the Zika virus, a disease that has been linked to severe birth defects in Brazil and has spread to 39 other countries. The funds sought would be used until June to fast-track vaccines, carry out diagnostics and research into how the mosquito-borne virus spreads, as well as virus control, the WHO said. A public health expert, Lawrence Gostin, said the United Nations health agency had "grossly underestimated" the need as the virus, which has spread rapidly across the Americas, will likely spread to many other regions. The WHO declared the outbreak a global public health emergency on Feb. 1, noting the association of the virus with two neurological disorders: microcephaly in babies and Guillain-Barre syndrome that can cause paralysis. "Possible links with neurological complications and birth malformations have rapidly changed the risk profile for Zika from a mild threat to one of very serious proportions," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in a WHO strategy paper on Wednesday. The funds sought include $25 million for the agency and its regional office and the rest for aid partners such as UNICEF. The WHO expects the money to come from states and other donors. In the meantime it has tapped a new emergency contingency fund for $2 million for initial operations. Gostin, a professor at Georgetown University in Washington, said the WHO should have a much larger emergency contingency fund. He compared the funding plan to the WHO`s initial slow response to the outbreak of Ebola, a virus that killed more than 11,300 people in two years, mostly in West Africa. BRAZIL MICROCEPHALY CASES RISE Brazil, worst hit by the Zika outbreak, said on Wednesday that most of the 508 confirmed cases of microcephaly reported in the country are likely related to the virus, and called its previous count too conservative. Brazil is investigating more than 3,900 additional suspected cases of microcephaly, but it has not yet been proven that the virus can cause the rare defect. Microcephaly is marked by abnormally small head size that can result in developmental problems. The Health Ministry reported on Wednesday a total of 4,443 suspected and confirmed cases of microcephaly, up from 4,314 a week earlier. Researchers on Wednesday reported finding the virus in the amniotic fluid of two fetuses diagnosed with microcephaly, suggesting Zika virus can cross the placental barrier and providing another piece of evidence linking the virus with the birth defect. There is no treatment for Zika, which had been viewed as a relatively mild illness until the concerns over microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome emerged. At least 15 companies and academic groups are rushing to develop a vaccine. Hopes of a breakthrough took a small step forward on Wednesday when U.S. biotech firm Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc said its experimental shot had induced a robust and durable response in mice. Shares of the U.S. biotech firm, which expects to test its product in humans before the end of the year, rose by as much as 7 percent on Wednesday. COLOMBIA MAY HOLD CLUES Colombia is another Latin American country hard hit by Zika and that country`s health minister said the effects of the virus there could have global relevance as scientists research the suspected link with microcephaly. In contrast to Brazil, Colombia has yet to register any cases of the birth defect connected to Zika, Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria told Reuters. Zika is primarily transmitted by a type of mosquito, meaning current efforts to control the outbreak are focused on protecting people, especially pregnant women, from bites and eradicating mosquito populations in affected areas. However, research is under way on potential transmission by sexual contact. The WHO noted on Wednesday that "existing scarce evidence indicates that there may be a risk of sexual transmission." But research studies are needed to assess the presence of the Zika virus in semen and other body fluids and potential sexual transmission as well as mother-to-child transmission, the WHO said. Kolkata: Amidst the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) chaos, posters calling for 'freedom' for Kashmir, Manipur and Nagaland were found in the Jadavpur University (JU) campus on Wednesday. Earlier, pro-Afzal Guru slogans were raised in the Jadavpur University. One of the posters read: "Hum kya chahe - Azadi. Kashmir ki Azadi. Manipur ki Azadi. Nagaland ki Azadi (We demand freedom. Kashmir's freedom. Manipur's freedom. Nagaland's freedom)". Notably, all such posters were signed by a group called 'RADICAL'. Both the student unions and authorities have distanced themselves from such posters. "These are some fringe elements. I met the students union leaders in the morning and they told me that they disassociate themselves with all anti-national slogans," PTI quoted vice chancellor Suranjan Das as saying. Slogans in favour of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, who was hanged three years ago, were raised at a rally on Tuesday taken out by JU students to express solidarity with JNU students protesting the arrest of their leader Kanhaiya Kumar for alleged sedition. Das said he saw some student union leaders also walking in the rally on Tuesday in which pro-Afzal slogans were raised. "As a Vice Chancellor, it is my responsibility to see that the students get their right to protest, their freedom of speech and expression is protected," he said. On whether the university would make any police complaint on this issue, he said the question did not arise. "In university, the police has no role. I will never call police in the campus," Das said. Sounak Mukherjee, leader of Forum of Art Students--a students union--said the majority view of the students was not reflected in the posters. "We are against it," he said. In the meantime, two opposing groups of students brought out rallies in the campus. The smaller group shouted slogans of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and voiced their concerns against Tuesday's torch rally. The SFI state unit distanced itself from the pro-Afzal Guru slogans, saying they do not support it and the entire student community of JU should not be blamed for such "irresponsible slogans". "The SFI is always against terrorism, communalism and divisive forces. It is inappropriate to raise such slogans, which directly or indirectly support terrorism," Students Federation of India (SFI) state secretary Debojyoti Das said in a statement. The Centre on Wednesday sought a report from the West Bengal government regarding the JU rally. (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday lashed out at the BJP over Rajasthan MLA Kailash Choudhary`s unwarranted remark against party vice-president Rahul Gandhi over the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) row, saying it is clear that they are misfit and ineligible to govern a country like India. "What country are we living in? Is this the idea of India which the BJP, the ABVP, the RSS and its associates understand? It is clear that they are misfit and ineligible to govern a country like India irrespective of the mandate because they don`t understand the idea of India, the crux and essence of India," Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi told ANI here. Another Congress leader Shobha Ojha echoing similar sentiments said the BJP MLA`s remark throws light on the ideology of the BJP and RSS. "This mindset killed Gandhiji, this mindset killed Hyderabad University student Rohith Vemula, this mindset killed several innocent people in Gujarat, this mindset killed Akhlaq in Dadri and this mindset killed several innocent people in Muzaffarnagar," said Ojha. "The people with such mindset do not deserve to live in the society and must be sent to jail. Such people have no right to become the representative of the people. Severe action must be initiated against this MLA with immediate effect," she added. Kailash Chaudhary, the BJP MLA from Barmer`s Baytoo constituency, yesterday called the Congress vice-president a `traitor` and said he should be hanged and shot for voicing his support for the students of JNU. "Wherever anti-national and pro-Pakistan slogans are raised, Rahul Gandhi goes and sides with those people. If Rahul Gandhi, who is called the `rajkumar` of Congress, goes and sides with these people, stands with them and supports them then it is treason," Chaudhary said while speaking at a farmers` gathering in his constituency. "Rahul Gandhi is a traitor. Such a traitor should be punished, hanged and shot," he added. The Congress vice-president has got himself in trouble, both legally and politically, as a case has been registered against him in a district court in Allahabad for his remarks on the JNU incident. He had voiced his support for the students of JNU and had questioned the sedition charges filed by the police against the students involved in alleged anti-India sloganeering. The Congress vice-president had alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was trying to crush the opinion of the people. He said that the Congress Party would not accept it and would fight this out. "The RSS backed people are being appointed as vice-chancellors in the universities and the voices of the students are being gagged. They are suppressing the voice of the Indian students whether in Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow and in all the universities across the country. We will not accept this, we will fight against this," Gandhi told the media on the sidelines of his public rally in Sivasagar, Assam. Kathmandu: A day ahead of his state visit to India, Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said his visit will clear the misunderstanding that developed recently between the two neighbours and bring India-Nepal friendship back on track. Briefing media persons here on Thursday about his six-day India visit, Oli said the government does not have any specific agenda or proposals to be made during his visit. "This visit is being organised amid complex circumstances... the major objective is to clear a few misunderstandings that surfaced between the two neighbours in the last few months and taking the bilateral ties to new heights," the prime minister said. "We want friendship, co-existence and mutual respect from India and we must continue this age-old relation on an equal footing... we are conscious about our interest," he added. Refuting speculations about agreement on various pending projects, Oli stressed on creating a favourable and trust-worthy environment for strengthening the historic tie for implementation of development projects. Observing that his upcoming visit, that begins on Friday, holds great importance for both sides, Oli said that taking the bilateral relations to a new heights and beginning of a new page in bilateral ties is another prime focus. "We have some expectations ... and great expectation from India ... that is friendly behaviour from the Indian side. We also offer and commit the same on our side," he said. "Investment in Nepal is secured, profitable and guaranteed ... I will tell the Indian business community in my interaction," said Oli adding that "We don't have any intention to add mud to water any more". Oli's visit comes at a time when Nepal is struggling to get back to normal from an almost six-month-long Madhesi agitation and blockading of the India-Nepal border by the protestors that led to an acute scarcity of food, fuel and medicines in the Himalayan nation. The prime minister said the invitation by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was an initiative to take the friendship to a new height on the basis of mutual respect and co-existence. He said India has already welcomed Nepal's new constitution which was promulgated on September 20 last year. "India invited the PM who was elected under the constitutional provision... that means India has welcomed the constitution in Nepal." No controversial agreements will be signed during the visit, said the PM adding that "My visit will lay ground for mutual trust and confidence". "There has been some damage in bilateral relations and my duty is to repair it," he said. Dwelling on the anti-Constitution agitation by the Madhesis, Oli said the issue will be resolved only through dialogue. "A high-level political body will be formed by this evening to resolve the disputable issues," he said. The Nepali head of the government, who is embarking on the India visit with a 46-member delegation, further said that no agreement against national welfare will be concluded during his visit. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the prime minister will hold an official meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 20. He will also pay courtesy calls on Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari. Oli said: "My government does not believe in diplomacy but in honesty and friendship. We do not believe in polished language but we believe in being practical." "We do not use any card against each other but we just want to see mutual respect from both our neighbours," he added. "Yes, there are some pending issues before us to accomplish but we need an advanced level of understanding to complete them ... we need to resolve them through the practical way." This is Oli's first foreign visit after assuming the office of prime minister in October last year. He will return to Nepal on February 24. New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS) Delhi BJP legislator O.P. Sharma was on Thursday granted bail by Delhi Police after his formal arrest in an assault case. After he was granted bail at the Tilak Marg police station here, where he was summoned for questioning over his alleged involvement in the assault on a CPI member Amieeque Jamei at Patiala House court complex here on Monday, he said he was a "victim of media trial". The assault on several Jawaharlal Nehru University students and media persons by a group of lawyers and others occurred in the court complex on Monday before the court appearance of JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case. "It is shameful if people who stop others from screaming `Pakistan zindabad` have to go through all this. I am being tried by the media. Judgements were passed while they (media) sat in studios," Sharma told reporters after the grant of bail. "I was questioned for eight hours by the Delhi Police regarding the case," the BJP leader added. The police issued summons to Sharma and three lawyers in connection with Monday`s assault. New Delhi: Reports claimed on Thursday that the sedition charge slapped against Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar may be dropped. As per a report in The Hindu, a senior official at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) indicated that in the absence of any evidence that Kumar raised anti-India slogans inside the JNU campus, the Delhi Police may have to drop the sedition charge. Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi has said that his force has enough evidence to nail Kanhaiya Kumar. However, as per reports, the pokice have written to television news channels seeking raw footage of the event held inside JNU campus on February 9. There is some video footage available with the police, but the audio component is missing. It is not clear whether Kanhaiya actually shouted anti-national slogans. If there is no evidence, then the Delhi Police will have to drop the sedition charge when the chargesheet is filed, the MHA official said, as per The Hindu. Only a handful of TV channels were present during the event to cover it so getting proof in the form of raw footage is also not going to be an easy task for the police. Most of the footage being aired on TV channels was shot on mobiles by students and supplied to news channels. The police, meanwhile, have said in the FIR that a police team was at JNU when two rival student groups were taking out march. As per norms, police have to video record any protest or gathering where they sense trouble. New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who on Thursday met President Pranab Mukherjee over Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) row, hit out at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh saying, the RSS is trying to impose a 'dead ideology' on the students across the country. Addressing the media after meeting the President, the Congress vice president lashed out at the Narendra Modi government and RSS and accused them of crushing the voice of the students. While calling RSS' ideology as flawed, Rahul said, the nation will prosper because of students and imposing a 'dead ideology' on them is the biggest crime that can be done. Raking the issue of Rohith Vemula suicide, the Amethi MP asserted that the PhD scholar's voice was crushed as he tried to raise voice against the government. Commenting on the attack on press at Patiala House Court complex, Rahul said, We all saw that how mediapersons were thrashed and Delhi Police doing nothing to stop the violence,adding that these incidents are tarnishing India's image at the international level. Rahul was accompanied by Sachin Pilot, Mallikarjun Kharge and other Congress leaders. The Congress vice president was shown black flags during his visit to the JNU campus to meet students protesting for the release of Kanhaiya Kumar. While addressing the protesting students, Rahul Gandhi indirectly hit out at the Narendra Modi-led NDA government. "The most anti-national people are the people who are suppressing the voice of this institution," he said. Meanwhile, Allahabad High Court has ordered to register a sedition case against Rahul over meeting with protesting students in JNU campus in connection with 'ant-national' activities row. The JNU has been on the boil over the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar on sedition charges after some students organised a meeting to mark the anniversaries of the execution of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and JKLF co-founder Maqbool Bhat. Anti-India slogans were allegedly raised there. Accused by BJP chief Amit Shah of "supporting traitors" Gandhi hit back saying, "Nationalism is in my blood. I have seen my family making sacrifices again and again for this country." Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18 By Elena Kosolapova - Trend: The supply of the Iranian gas to Georgia, on which the discussions are currently being conducted, is hardly possible, said Gela Vasadze, Georgian political analyst, chief editor of the Black Sea Press agency told Trend Feb. 18. "In fact, there will not be implemented any supply of the Iranian gas. Formally and financially [if the agreement on such supply is reached] it will be the Iranian gas, but physically Russian," said Vasadze. The expert reminded that Russia supplies gas to Armenia through Georgia via the infrastructure, which formerly the Georgian authorities refused to sell to Gazprom. Armenia's gas transport system, through which the Iranian gas theoretically may be transported through this country to Georgia, is owned by Gazprom, added Vasadze. "It is illogical to supply the Iranian gas physically," said the expert adding that "Why Gazprom has to supply gas through Georgia's territory to Armenia, and gas from Iran through Armenia's territory to Georgia? Vasadze said that in fact if such a scheme is applied, Iranian gas will be supplied to Armenia, while the Russian gas, which was earlier supplied to Armenia, will remain in Georgia. Regarding the transportation of Iranian gas via Azerbaijan, the expert said that it is illogical as well, because Azerbaijan itself can ensure Georgia's needs in gas, which was repeatedly stated about. In addition, one will have to transport the Iranian gas for a greater distance than the Azerbaijani one, and, respectively, transportation costs will be higher, according to the expert. He said that for Georgia the best option is to meet the country's needs completely at the expense of supplies from Azerbaijan. "Azerbaijan is our strategic partner, which helped us a lot at the time when Georgia was in fact in energy blockade," the expert said. "The current Georgian authorities talk about diversification, but they cannot state a single argument in favor of purchasing Russian or Iranian gas and refusing from the supplies from Azerbaijan." Vasadze said that an idea of Iranian gas supply is a workaround not to offend Russia, which wants to participate in Georgia's energy supply and at the same time, avoid substantial resistance in the Georgian society, which is against Gazprom's appearing. At present, Azerbaijan is the main supplier of gas to Georgia. Russian gas is supplied to Georgia only in the form of payment for its transit to Armenia. The country obtains 10 percent of the total supply volume. Earlier, Alireza Kamali, director general of the National Iranian Gas Export Company (NIGEC), said that Tehran and Tbilisi are negotiating about the supply of 200 mcm of Iranian gas to Georgia. Later, Georgian Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Energy Kakha Kaladze said that Iran will be able to supply its gas to Georgia via Azerbaijan or Armenia. --- Follow the author on Twitter:@E_Kosolapova New Delhi: Amid the raging controversy surrounding the arrest of Jawaharlal Nehru University students` union president Kanhaiya Kumar on the sedition charges, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, along with senior party leaders, will meet President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday afternoon. He is likely to discuss law and order situation in Delhi with the President. Earlier, a case has been registered against Rahul Gandhi in an Allahabad district court for his remark on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) incident. The PIL filed in the court states that Gandhi took `anti-national` stand by voicing his support for the JNU students. The matter will be taken up for hearing on March 1. Condemning the attack on journalists outside the Patiala House Court premises here on Monday, the Congress vice president had earlier alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was trying to crush the opinion of the people. He said that the Congress Party would not accept it and would fight this out. "The RSS backed people are being appointed as vice-chancellors in the universities and the voices of the students are being gagged. They are suppressing the voice of the Indian students whether in Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow and in all the universities across the country. We will not accept this, we will fight against this," Gandhi told the media on the sidelines of his public rally in Sivasagar, Assam. New Delhi: Hitting out at Pakistan for dismissing evidence provided by India in connection with the Pathankot terror attack, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday accused the neighbouring country of "pretending to sleep" and not being serious about the probe. The minister also ruled out allowing the Pakistani Special Investigation Team into the Pathankot air base. Noting it is a matter that concerns the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of External Affairs, Parrikar to India Today TV channel, "If somebody pretends to fall asleep, it's difficult to find out." He was asked about Pakistan's claim that the evidence given by India is not concrete enough. Told that Pakistan has also claimed that Pakistani mobile numbers given by India were "unregistered and had fake identities", Parrikar responded. "Fake identity and non- registration indicates connivance of some. You have to investigate and find out who gave numbers that are not registered." He said that the Indian government has been continuously giving evidence relating to so many attacks to Pakistan. "If someone is serious, he can definitely act," he said. Asked whether the Pakistani SIT would be allowed inside the Pathankot base, the minister said he was not aware of any such request from them. "As far as air bases and defence installations are concerned, no one can enter them without permission of the Defence Ministry," he said. Asked again, he said whatever information they need, it can be provided by NIA through the External Affairs Ministry. "The incident has happened here and we will investigate what has happened here. What we are asking them to investigate is the role of their people in their country," he said. The Defence Minister also said he is "hurt" by the US' decision to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. On the 'One Rank, One Pension' scheme, Parrikar said the government will differentiate between voluntary retirement for better prospects and premature retirement in the interest of the army. He said that a judicial committee has been set up to look into the issue of premature retirement. On the resentment among armed forces on the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, Parrikar said all the legitimate concerns of the armed forces would be addressed. Parrikar also said the ministry plans to cut the 'slack and flab' of the military. However, he made it clear that the "effective component of armed forces will not be compromised". New Delhi: In a shocking revelation, a complainant against RK Pachauri has said that the former director general of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) threatened her after seeing her talking to a male colleague in 2014. Pachauri, who is facing charges of sexual harassment, told me that "if you were ever to get a boyfriend, I will castrate him", said the complainant. According to an Economic Times report, Pachauri told this to her while they were boarding a flight at Los Cabos in Mexico after a climate change summit. During an official trip to Paris in October 2013, Pachauri kissed her despite her having shown reluctance to it. In the statement she recorded before a judicial magistrate in February last year, the complainant said she was also asked by Pachauri to read a salacious novel penned by him, 'Return to Almora', in August 2013. However, she had refused to do so. On February 12, TERI asked its executive vice chairman RK Pachauri to proceed on indefinite leave, a move the women activists said "meant nothing". The Energy and Resources Institute's move came in the face of flak from various quarters over making him the executive vice chairman, the first ever in TERI. Pachauri was accused of sexually harassing a 29-year-old female colleague in 2015. Meanwhile, TERI university acting vice chancellor Rajiv Seth told IANS that varsity vice chancellor Leena Srivastava, on a sabbatical since August 2015, is likely to rejoin soon. The university will hold its convocation on March 7. After sexual harassment charge, Pachauri stepped down as chairperson of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in February last year and proceeded on leave from TERI where he was the director general. Later, Pachauri was removed as TERI head in July and Ajay Mathur appointed in his place. In November, the woman researcher who accused him of sexual harassment quit her job at TERI, alleging she was treated badly. TERI denied the charge. Pachauri was later appointed the executive vice chairman. Soon after, another woman employee of the organisation also levied similar charges against him and called him a "serial sexual harasser". (With IANS inputs) New Delhi: Stoking a huge controversy, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Kailash Choudhary, Wednesday, termed Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi as a 'traitor' and said the 'Rajkumar' should either be hanged or shot to death. The BJP MLA from Baytoo in Barmer district of Rajasthan made the contentious remarks against Rahul Gandhi as the Congress vice president met Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students to join the protests against the police crackdown on students accused of sedition. Further taking a dig at the Amethi MP, the BJP leader said the Congress leader, who is addressed as 'Rajkumar' by the Congressmen, had no right to be in India and support 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans and siding with the people calling Afzal Guru a 'martyr'. Choudhary made the remarks while addressing farmers during a kisan sammelan' in Rajasthan. Defending himself and sticking to his viewpoint, Choudhary exclusively spoke to 'Zee Media' and reiterated that whosoever speaks against India, whether it is Rahul Gandhi or someone else, should be hanged or shot to death. Rahul Gandhi had visited the JNU campus and alleged that those who want to gag the voice of students are the real anti-nationals. "Kanhaiya Kumar just put forward his expression but the government is labelling him as an anti-national," Rahul Gandhi had said. Meanwhile, Allahabad High Court has ordered to register a sedition case against Rahul over meeting with protesting students in JNU campus in connection with 'ant-national' activities row. Rahul Gandhi had strongly lashed out at the Narendra Modi government over the JNU row, following which, BJP president Amit Shah in his blog had asked for Rahul Gandhi's definition of patriotism. The JNU has been on the boil over the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar on sedition charges after some students organised a meeting to mark the anniversaries of the execution of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and JKLF co-founder Maqbool Bhat. Anti-India slogans were allegedly raised there. Zee Media Bureau/Udita Madan New Delhi: Internet search giant Google is known around the globe as just that a search engine. Undoubtedly, it is the most popular and the world's biggest search engine. But what if we tell you, that it has a lot of secrets stored within it? And they're very well-hidden, mind you! Seems like someone made the painstaking effort to extract those secrets from it and succeeded! Below are Google's top ten best-hidden secrets that we're sure you would love to know and also try it during times of boredom at home and/or at work! Check them out! 1. Roll a dice: Did you know you could roll a dice on Google? If you're at home playing a board game and have lost the dice, then Google has the solution! Yes, Google gives you the option to roll a dice. Simply type roll a dicein the Google search bar and there you have it. Play on! 2. Flip a coin: Getting bored? Placing a bet with someone and don't have a coin? Need to decide a good place to eat but can't come to decision? Why, flip a coin with Google, then! Yes, Google even lets you that! See how efficient it is? Simply type flip a coin on the Google search bar, click on the I'm feeling lucky option and your decisions are as good as made! 3. Zerg Rush: It's game time! Google provides you the opportunity to play games if and when you're bored too! 'Zerg Rush', when typed on Google, starts a small game with multiple alphabet O's rush on to the screen and try to erase all the search results. Your job is to eliminate the O's by clicking on them with the cursor. 4. Askew: Try typing the word Askew in the search bar on Google. You'll see that all the search results, in fact, the entire screen, has slightly tilted. 5. Google Pacman: Yes! Google lets you play the classic cult game of pacman, whenever you want! Simply type Google Pacman in the search bar and start playing! 6. Atari Breakout: Break into gaming mood to play another classic game of Atari! Just type Atari Breakout in Google Images and voila! You'll reach your time-killing destination! 7. Do a barrel roll: Watch the Google homepage do a barrel roll by typing Do a barrel roll on the search bar. Google can roll and flip 360 degrees if you do that. 8. Google Gravity: Even Google can't defy the laws of gravity! Simply type Google Gravity on the search bar and watch all the tabs along with the Google logo fall into a heap on your screen. You can even pick the tabs with the help of your cursor and throw them around! 9. Offline Dinosaur game: Google thinks of everything! Therefore, it thought of a way for you to have fun in the times when your internet connection stops working. A super cool, endless dinosaur game awaits you on Chrome! Try it out! 10. Google orbit: Google orbit is just like it's name. You'll see the tabs and the Google logo orbiting around your screen when you type the words Google Orbit in the search bar. Who knew Google was so cool? Coimbatore: A local Hindu outfit has condemned controversial Madras High Court judge Justice C S Karnan for his outbursts against the judiciary and claimed to have sent him a letter and a Rs one lakh cheque, requesting him to leave the country. Indu Makkal Katchi, a Hindu outfit, claimed to have sent the letter along with the cheque to Madras High Court judge Justice C S Karnan, asking him to migrate to any country, if he so desired. IMK President Arjun Sampath, in the letter, criticised the judge for speaking against the judicial system in India, "thus disrespecting the Constitution." Sampath referred to Justic Karnan's recent remarks that he was a victim of caste discrimination in the judicial system and that if his birthright was cancelled, he would migrate to another country where there was no caste discrimination. "This has become a fashion for anybody to speak against India and try creating religious and caste divisions and discrimination, without any respect to the constitution. It is high time we teach such persons a lesson," he told PTI. "If Karnan accepts the cheque, he has to mention which county he is migrating to," he said to a question. Sampath said he has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue and requested him to take stringent action against Karnan and allow him to migrate to any country of his choice. Justice Karnan had on February 15 "stayed" the Chief Justice of India's order, transferring him to Calcutta High Court, which was suspended later that day by the Supreme Court with a direction that he not be assigned any judicial work. To this, Justice Karnan had said he would 'order' lodging an FIR under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities Act) against the two apex court judges who gave the direction. Damascus: Trucks carrying aid entered four besieged towns in Syria on Wednesday, in what the United Nations described as a test for the country`s warring sides ahead of a hoped-for ceasefire. The Red Crescent said trucks laden with supplies entered Moadimayet al-Sham, near Damascus, the first delivery of aid since world powers agreed on an ambitious plan to cease hostilities by Friday and dramatically ramp up humanitarian access. The agency`s Muhannad al-Asadi told AFP that 35 trucks entered the town, "carrying 8,800 sacks of flour, 4,400 food parcels, high-energy foods and medical equipment". An AFP journalist said three trucks also entered Madaya, a town besieged by Syrian forces in Damascus province. And the UN`s humanitarian coordinator for Syria, Yacoub El Hillo, said aid trucks had reached the Shiite towns of Fuaa and Kafraya, in northwestern Idlib province, which are surrounded by rebels. "Dozens of trucks will follow" for Madaya, Fuaa and Kafraya, he said. "We are about the finish the process." He said that aid dispatched Wednesday to towns, including Zabadani, under government-imposed siege in Damascus province, was enough for 93,000 people. Almost half a million people in Syria are in areas under siege, according to the UN. Prospects for the ceasefire -- announced by top diplomats in Munich last week -- have been fading as violence continues to shake Syria, including air strikes on hospitals and repeated Turkish shelling of Kurdish militia.UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said aid deliveries would provide a "test" for Syria`s warring sides ahead of Friday`s planned truce. "It is the duty of the government of Syria to want to reach every Syrian person, wherever they are, and allow the UN to bring humanitarian aid," he said in Damascus. A senior aide to President Bashar al-Assad accused the envoy of deviating from his role as a mediator. "His mission now is to establish a list of terrorist groups, and a list of opposition groups who should dialogue with the Syrian government," Buthaina Shaaban told AFP. "Instead of that he was working on humanitarian aid, which is not really his mission because he is a facilitator." Diplomats have been pressing the ceasefire deal as a step forward in efforts to end Syria`s nearly five-year conflict, which has left more than 260,000 people dead, devastated the country and forced millions from their homes. A major international push to resolve the conflict, including Western and Arab nations that have largely backed Syria`s opposition and Assad`s key supporters Russia and Iran, was launched last year. But peace talks between the regime and opposition in Geneva quickly collapsed this month and a major regime offensive, backed by Russian air strikes, has continued in northern Aleppo province. A US military spokesman said on Wednesday that Russian and Syrian regime raids may be intensifying. Air strikes on five medical facilities and two schools in northern Syria earlier this week killed at least 50 people, the UN said. One hit a hospital supported by charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), prompting widespread condemnation.Further complicating peace efforts, Turkey has been shelling a Kurdish-led militia in northern Syria, which it says is allied with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers` Party (PKK) that has waged an insurgency on its soil for decades. A car bomb Wednesday in Ankara killed at least 28 people and wounded 61 more, but no group claimed responsibility for the blast. Turkey has blamed the PKK and the Islamic State group for previous bomb attacks. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed that Turkey would never accept the creation of a Kurdish stronghold in northern Syria, saying there was "no question" of Ankara ending its shelling. Hundreds of rebels Wednesday crossed the Turkish border heading for the flashpoint Syrian town of Azaz, where opposition groups have suffered setbacks against Kurdish forces, said monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "At least 500 rebels have crossed the Bab al-Salama border crossing on their way to Azaz, from which they want to help the insurgents in the face of gains made by Kurdish forces in the north of the province," head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. Israel also targeted regime forces with three air strikes south of Damascus on Wednesday evening, the Observatory said. Turkey has called for foreign ground forces to deploy in Syria, part of a longstanding push by the NATO member for a more robust response to the conflict in its neighbour. Ciudad Juarez: Pope Francis on Wednesday railed against immigration policies that force many underground and into the hands of drug gangs and human smugglers, praying at Mexico`s border with the United States in what was once one of the world`s deadliest cities. He walked up a ramp lined with flowers to a cross erected in Ciudad Juarez in memory of migrants who have perished trying to reach the United States just a stone`s throw away. There he blessed three small crosses which will be sent to the dioceses of El Paso, Ciudad Juarez and Las Cruces, New Mexico. Shoes of migrants who died were laid beside them. Overlooking the Rio Grande that separates the two countries, it was the closest the pope came to the U.S. border during his six-day visit to Mexico. He then celebrated Mass just 80 yards (73 meters) from the border crossing in a fairground, connected via video link to faithful gathered at a university stadium in El Paso. "We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis," the pope said shortly before he wrapped up his six-day visit to Mexico and took off for Rome. "Each step, a journey laden with grave injustices: the enslaved, the imprisoned and extorted; so many of these brothers and sisters of ours are the consequence of trafficking in human beings." "Injustice is radicalized in the young; they are `cannon fodder`, persecuted and threatened when they try to flee the spiral of violence and the hell of drugs. Then there are the many women unjustly robbed of their lives," he added. A major manufacturing center, the gritty industrial city of Ciudad Juarez has been hammered by drug violence in recent years. It also an important crossing for Mexicans, Central Americans and Asians trying to reach the United States illegally. Most in Ciudad Juarez are of modest means. Business leaders in the city say about 70 percent of people in the city, a major low-cost manufacturing center, earn less than 210 pesos (11 USD) a day. The official minimum wage in Mexico is 73 pesos per day. The pope`s focus on the plight of migrants who risk murder, rape and extortion as they head north, comes as the number of Central American children and families apprehended at the border rises, in a spike reminiscent of a 2014 flood of migrants that created a major political headache for US President Barack Obama. Immigration reform remains one of the most divisive issues in US politics, and a key theme in the 2016 presidential vote. The pope`s stance is starkly at odds with the anti-immigrant rhetoric of candidates for the 2016 Republican US presidential nomination. Billionaire Donald Trump has surged ahead of his rivals with his message that Mexico is "killing" the United States with cheap labor, while sending over criminals and rapists. He has also promised to build a huge border wall. Trump last week dubbed the pope "a very political person", saying he believed the Mexican government had put him up to the border visit. "To suggest that the pope is an instrument of the Mexican government, no. That is very strange indeed," said Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, shortly before the pontiff arrived in Ciudad Juarez. "The pope always speaks of the problems of immigration. If Mr. Trump were to come to Europe he would see that the pope has said the same things about immigration to the Italians, the Germans, the French and the Hungarians." Tens of thousands of people crossed over the border from El Paso, Texas, to hear the pope, though that was far fewer than expected. Earlier on Wednesday, the pope issued a scathing critique of capitalism, saying that God will hold accountable "slave drivers" who exploit workers. "The flow of capital cannot decide the flow of people," the Argentine pontiff said, denouncing "the exploitation of employees as if they were objects to be used and discarded". "God will hold the slave drivers of our days accountable," he said. The pope has in the past called money "the dung of the devil" and has decried what he calls the "evils" of unbridled capitalism, prompting criticism from US business leaders. He has visited some of the most marginalized areas of Mexico, urging young people in the violence-ridden state of Michoacan to avoid drug trafficking and taking a swipe at the country`s rich and corrupt. Earlier in the day, it emerged that a laser beam was pointed at his plane as he landed in Mexico City last week, though there was no harm to those aboard. Sydney: Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton on Thursday rejected charges his country was dragging its feet in resettling refugees from Syria and Iraq, having resettled just 26 in the same time it took Canada to process 26,000. Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott last September pledged to accept 12,000 refugees from Syria on top of Australia`s current humanitarian intake programme of 13,750 people. Dutton said the pace of resettlements was determined on national security grounds. Border security is a hot-button political issue in Australia, which is scheduled to hold a national election later in the year. "The Australian public demands that the government does everything possible to make sure that first and foremost our national security is protected and secondly to make sure that we`re bringing the right people into our country so that they can start a new life," he told reporters in Washington. At a Senate estimates hearing last week, immigration officials said just 26 Syrian refugees had arrived since the 12,000 intake was announced in September. According to the Canadian government`s main website, 21,313 refugees have been resettled since November, while a further 4,687 have had their asylum applications approved but not yet arrived. The Refugee Council of Australia noted that neighbouring New Zealand had resettled 82 of 200 Syrian refugees it agreed to accept last year under a similar programme. "Our government is dragging its feet while the rest of the world is acting much more quickly to meet their promises," said refugee council chief Paul Power. "It is a shame for all concerned that the Australian resettlement programme is so bogged down in bureaucratic delays, when the governments of Canada and New Zealand have proven that it is possible to move much more swiftly." The Australian decision to accept 12,000 people fleeing Syria and Iraq came in response to a call by the United Nations for more cohesive asylum policies to deal with the growing numbers of refugees flooding into Europe to escape the four-year-old Syrian conflict. Washington: US officials asked Russia to avoid bombing broad areas of northern Syria, where several dozen US special operation forces have been working with Syrians fighting the Islamic State group, the Pentagon disclosed today. The request, which had not been revealed previously, goes beyond what the Pentagon calls its "memorandum of understanding" with the Russians to avoid inadvertent military air collisions over Syria. Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said the Russians were not told exactly where the US special operations troops are operating but were asked to avoid certain broad areas as a safety measure. He said the Russians have honored the US request. "We've told them these are areas that we have coalition forces in - general areas where we have coalition forces," Lt. Gen. Charles Q Brown told reporters at the Pentagon in an interview from his headquarters in Qatar. "We don't want them to strike there because all it's going to do is escalate things. And I don't think the Russians want to escalate against the coalition." Brown is commander of US Air Forces Central Command, responsible for US air operations across the greater Middle East. Brown said the Russians have identified airfields in Syria "that they don't want us flying close to." He said those are beyond where US planes normally operate, "so that hasn't been an issue." Cook would not say when the US request was made or who in the Pentagon made it. "I'm not going to get into details other than to say that there was an effort made to protect the safety of our people from the risk of Russian airstrikes," Cook said. "And that those steps were taken, and those so far have been honoured." US-Russian military relations have been strained by the Syria war, with the Obama administration contending that the Russians are propping up the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad rather than fighting the Islamic State. (AP) The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) says Saudi Arabia has seized a ship carrying food for Yemen over "humanitarian IT equipment" and diverted it to its southwestern province of Jizan, Press TV reported. The WFP's senior regional spokeswoman, Abeer Etefa, said the MV Mainport Cedar was diverted to Jizan last Thursday while it was traveling from Djibouti to an approved stop at Yemen's port of Hudaydah. "On behalf of the Yemen humanitarian community, the vessel was transporting commodities including canned tuna, medical supplies for delivery to Hudaydah Port and United Nations emergency telecommunications cluster IT equipment for delivery to the Port of Aden," Etefa told AFP on Wednesday. "WFP is still in communication with the coalition forces regarding the circumstances of the ship's diversion to Jizan port," she said from Cairo, Egypt. The agency's senior regional spokeswoman was referring to the so-called Saudi-led coalition against Yemen. Etefa said the UN agency has resubmitted documents for the "humanitarian IT equipment" as requested by the coalition. The news comes despite the warning issued by Stephen O'Brien, the United Nations relief chief, on Tuesday about a "humanitarian catastrophe" in Yemen. Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asiri, the Saudi coalition spokesman, has claimed that the ship carried four declared containers of humanitarian aid but coalition inspectors also found "military communications equipment" elsewhere in the ship. "There is some equipment that wasn't declared," he said, adding the satellite dishes, solar power units and "crypto systems" are the type of gear used by Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah fighters. Separately, Riyadh intensified its airstrikes on the Yemeni provinces of Sa'ada and Sana'a, destroying residential buildings. Meanwhile, Yemen's al-Masirah television said Yemeni army and popular committees thwarted an attempt by Saudi forces to retake the kingdom's city of al-Rabou'a, killing and injuring an unspecified number of them. The Yemeni forces had taken control of the city in November last year in retaliation for the Saudi aggression. Scores of soldiers were also forced to flee the military bases of al-Mosafaq, Jabal al-Dukhan, al-Dabrah in the Saudi province of Jizan as they have been hit by Yemeni artillery shells. Since March 26, 2015, Yemen has been under military attacks by Saudi Arabia with the declared aim of undermining the Houthi Ansarullah movement and restoring power to the fugitive former Yemeni president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a Riyadh ally. Nearly 8,300 people, among them over 2,230 children, have reportedly been killed and over 16,000 others injured since the onset of the campaign. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country's infrastructure. Seoul: Four times as many US troops as originally planned are to take part in a joint military exercise with South Korea next month following nuclear and missile tests by the North, Seoul said Thursday. The US will send 15,000 troops to the annual computer-simulated "Key Resolve" exercise, the Yonhap news agency quoted Defence Minister Han Min-Goo as saying, up from 3,700 last year. South Korea would also increase the number of troops it sends, he said. Key Resolve, which ran for 10 days last year, usually kicks off simultaneously with a field exercise known as Foal Eagle, another joint military drill that lasts around 50 days. Foal Eagle is also expected to be the largest ever this year, attracting key US strategic assets such as an airforce combat brigade, marines, a naval fleet led by an aircraft carrier and nuclear-powered submarines, Yonhap said. North Korea regularly ratchets up its hostile rhetoric around the time of the joint US-South Korea military exercises, which usually spark a sharp surge in tensions on the divided peninsula. As the double exercises began last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un urged his army to prepare for war with the United States and its allies. The reclusive state also fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea at the start of the exercises. Last month, North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test despite international condemnation and followed it with a long-range rocket launch on February 7. The launch was widely condemned as a ballistic missile test banned under UN resolutions.The United States and South Korea have responded with a series of military muscle-flexing activities. On Monday, the USS North Carolina attack submarine arrived at the southern port of Busan for joint training with the South Korean navy. And four US F-22 stealth fighters were deployed to an air base near Seoul on Wednesday. South Korea and the US are also set to begin talks this week on the possible deployment of an advanced US missile defence system, despite opposition from China. The US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence System (THAAD) would fire anti-ballistic missiles into the sky to smash into enemy rockets during their final flight phase. "We will exercise our sovereign rights regarding this issue and in making decisions", Moon told journalists. "Nothing is more important than taking measures to protect the people and their assets from the increasing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea", he said. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye on Tuesday signalled a tough new approach to derailing North Korea`s nuclear weapons programme and indicated the South would lead efforts to bring about regime change in the Stalinist state. Seoul last week abruptly withdrew from the Kaesong industrial complex, where South Korean firms operated factories that employed North Korean workers, arguing hard currency from the symbol of cooperation with the North is believed to have been diverted to weapons development. South Korean foreign ministry spokesman Cho June-Hyuck said Thursday that Seoul is also seeking international cooperation to curb North Korean immigrant workers. Some 60,000 North Koreans are working in China, Russia, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, Yonhap said. Washington: The Islamic State`s English-language reach on Twitter has stalled in recent months amid a stepped-up crackdown against the extremist group`s army of digital proselytizers, who have long relied on the site to recruit and radicalize new adherents, according to a study being released on Thursday. Suspensions of English-speaking users affiliated with Islamic State from June to October 2015 have limited the group`s growth and in some cases devastated the viral reach of specific users, according to the report from George Washington Universitys Program on Extremism, which analyzed a list of accounts promoted by the militant group. The report found that easily discoverable English accounts sympathetic to Islamic State was usually under 1,000, and that those users activity was mostly insular, limited to interacting with each other. Islamic State has seized control of wide swaths of Iraq and Syria and claimed credit for attacks in Paris in November that killed 130. The US and other governments consider it a terrorist organization. Twitter Inc has long been criticized by government officials for its relatively lax approach to policing content, even as other Silicon Valley companies like Facebook Inc began to more actively police their platforms. Under intensified pressure from the White House, presidential candidates and some civil society groups, Twitter announced earlier this month it had shut down more than 125,000 terrorism-related accounts since the middle of 2015, most of them linked to the Islamic State group. In a blog post, the company said that while it only takes down accounts reported by other users it had increased the size of teams monitoring and responding to reports and has decreased its response time "significantly." J.M. Berger, a co-author of the report, said Twitter is still less active than many of its rivals but that part of that is due to its relative youth as a company. Each company has been dragged into this kicking and screaming, he said in an interview. Reporting of Twitter accounts affiliated with Islamic State is a steady, low-level activity generally, but occasionally events lead to periodic purges, Berger said. The study took place prior to the Paris attacks, which the researchers said likely led to a heavy wave of suspensions mostly in French and Arabic networks. Jerusalem: An Israeli man was killed and another moderately wounded when two Palestinians stabbed them in a supermarket in the occupied West Bank today before being shot, officials said. A 21-year-old victim was taken to Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek hospital in serious condition, where he was pronounced dead after extensive efforts to resuscitate him, a spokeswoman said. A moderately wounded 36-year-old was being treated in the city's Hadassah hospital, a spokeswoman for the facility said. Medics said the two had sustained stab wounds to their torsos. "Two Palestinians entered the Rami Levi (supermarket) in Shaar Binyamin (industrial zone) and stabbed two Israeli civilians," a police statement said. "The two terrorists were shot and neutralised by an armed civilian at the site." The Hadassah spokeswoman said one of the assailants was in a moderate to serious condition and was being treated at the hospital for gunshot wounds. The second assailant was in serious condition and being treated at Shaare Zedek, a spokeswoman said. Palestinian sources said the two assailants were both 14-year-olds. The supermarket is located in an Israeli-controlled industrial zone near Ramallah frequented by settlers. Since October 1, Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks have taken the lives of 27 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean, according to an AFP count. At the same time, 172 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most while carrying out attacks but others during clashes and demonstrations. New York: Cuba Thursday hailed Barack Obama`s planned March visit to the island as a step towards mending bilateral relations and expressed willingness to discuss human rights with the US leader. "His visit will represent a step forward in the improvement of relations between Cuba and the United States," Josefina Vidal, head of US relations in the Cuban foreign ministry, told reporters. "It will be an opportunity for President Obama to appreciate the Cuban reality" and to discuss how to "expand bilateral dialogue and cooperation between the two countries," she said in English. Obama`s March 21-22 visit to Cuba along with First Lady Michelle Obama will be the first by a sitting US president since 1928, long before the communist island`s 1959 revolution. The two countries restored diplomatic relations in July but a five-decade US trade embargo is still in place. "In order to achieve the normalization of relations between the two countries, the blockade has to be lifted and the territory occupied by the naval base in Guantanamo has to be returned," Vidal said. Obama said he would raise with issue of human rights with Cuba, one of the most sensitive topics in negotiations between the two countries. The White House said the president would meet civil society leaders, who remain under pressure from the regime. "Cuba is ready to have dialogue with the US government on any subject, including human rights, on which we have different views," Vidal said. She added that Cuba "has opinions on the exercising of human rights in many countries in the world, including in the United States, and also has a lot of experience of success to share in this field." Chihuahua: Pope Francis on Wednesday decried the "human tragedy" of what he described as "forced migration" worldwide during a huge mass at Mexico`s border with the United States. Francis made a point of holding the service in Ciudad Juarez, which lies across from El Paso, Texas, to pray for migrants who risk their lives crossing the border between the two nations. While he bemoaned the fate of Central Americans and Mexicans who flee poverty and crime-infested regions to seek a better life in the United States, he also talked about a global tragedy. "We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis which in recent years has meant the migration of thousands of people, whether by train or highway or on foot, crossing hundreds of kilometers through mountains, deserts and inhospitable zones," Francis said. "The human tragedy that is forced migration is a global phenomenon today." He did not mention other parts of the world by name but Europe is facing its gravest migration challenge since World War II, with many asylum-seekers fleeing war in Syria and drowning in the Mediterranean. Migrants, he said, are "excluded as a result of poverty and violence, drug trafficking and criminal organizations." "Injustice is radicalized in the young; they are cannon fodder, persecuted and threatened when they try to flee the spiral of violence and the hell of drugs. Then there are the many women unjustly robbed of their lives," he said. "No more death. No more exploitation. There is still time to change, there is still a way out and a chance, time to implore the mercy of God." The pontiff then asked for a moment of silence. Rome: Pope Francis on Thursday intervened explosively in the US election campaign, saying Donald Trump cannot claim to be a Christian and also vow to build a border wall to keep out immigrants. "Anyone, whoever he is, who only wants to build walls and not bridges is not a Christian," the pontiff told journalists during his return journey from a trip to Mexico. He was responding to a question about the Republican White House hopeful`s anti-immigrant stance. "Vote, don`t vote, I won`t meddle. But I simply say, if he says these things, this man is not a Christian," Francis said. "We need to see if he really said them and for this I will give him the benefit of the doubt." Despite that qualifier, Francis`s remarks drew swift and angry condemnation from the billionaire tycoon. "For a religious leader to question a person`s faith is disgraceful," Trump said in a statement delivered on a campaign stop in South Carolina. "I am proud to be a Christian and as president I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened." Trump has gained popularity by claiming Mexico is sending criminals to the United States, and last week he accused the pope of visiting the border between the two countries at the bidding of the Mexican government. Francis was speaking after concluding a five-day trip to Mexico, where he delivered a mass before 300,000 people near the US border and decried the "human tragedy" of migrants fleeing violence worldwide. In a highly symbolic gesture the pontiff climbed a ramp facing the Rio Grande and looked out across the border into US territory, where hundreds of migrants waved at him. Trump has vowed to build a wall on the US southern border to keep migrants from illegally crossing into the United States, a pledge that has caused a firestorm in the presidential campaign where immigration is a hot-button issue. His reaction to the pope`s comments was scathing. "If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS`s ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president because this would not have happened," Trump said.Propagandists for ISIS -- one of several names for the Islamic State extremist group which controls swathes of Syria and Iraq -- have issued threats that their fighters will plant their flag on the top of St Peter`s basilica. But Italian officials have insisted they have no knowledge of any credible threat to the Vatican or the pope. Trump said Mexican authorities had told the pope only "one side of the story." "He didn`t see the crime, the drug trafficking and the negative economic impact the current policies have on the United States. "They are using the Pope as a pawn and they should be ashamed of themselves for doing so, especially when so many lives are involved and when illegal immigration is so rampant." It was not the first time Trump had issued the pawn jibe and Francis was asked about it on the plane. "Am I a pawn of the Mexican government? I leave that to your judgement, to the people to judge," he said. The 79-year-old Argentinian, a fervent critic of the freewheeling capitalism espoused by Trump, also said he was proud to have been branded a politicised pontiff by the tycoon. "Thanks be to God if that is what he said, because Aristotle defined man as a political animal: at least (it means) I am a human person." Trump has promised to end illegal immigration by building a wall along the Mexican border. His first TV ad, which was unveiled on Monday, uses footage that shows migrants fleeing Morocco to the tiny Spanish enclave of Melilla in 2014. The Mexican-US border stretches more than 3,100 kilometres (1,950 miles), but only around a third of it is currently covered by high-security fencing. Baghdad: Iraq is searching for "highly dangerous" radioactive material stolen last year, according to an environment ministry document and seven security, environmental and provincial officials who fear it could be used as a weapon if acquired by Islamic State. The material, stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer, went missing in November from a storage facility near the southern city of Basra belonging to U.S. oilfield services company Weatherford, the document seen by Reuters showed and officials confirmed. A spokesman for Iraq`s environment ministry said he could not discuss the issue, citing national security concerns. Weatherford said in a statement that it was not responsible or liable for the theft. "We do not own, operate or control sources or the bunker where the sources are stored," it said. The material, which uses gamma rays to test flaws in materials used for oil and gas pipelines in a process called industrial gamma radiography, is owned by Istanbul-based SGS Turkey, according to the document and officials. An SGS official in Iraq declined to comment and referred Reuters to its Turkish headquarters, which did not respond to phone calls and emails. The U.S. State Department said it was aware of the reports but has seen no sign that Islamic State or other militant groups have acquired it. A U.S. official said separately that Iraq had reported a missing specialised camera containing highly radioactive Iridium-192 to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Vienna-based U.N. nuclear watchdog, in November. "They`ve been looking for it ever since. Whether it was just misplaced, or actually stolen, isn`t clear," said the official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The environment ministry document, dated Nov. 30 and addressed to the ministry`s Centre for Prevention of Radiation, describes "the theft of a highly dangerous radioactive source of Ir-192 with highly radioactive activity belonging to SGS from a depot belonging to Weatherford in the Rafidhia area of Basra province". A senior environment ministry official based in Basra, who declined to be named as he is not authorised to speak publicly, told Reuters the device contained up to 10 grams (0.35 ounces) of Ir-192 "capsules", a radioactive isotope of iridium also used to treat cancer. The material is classed as a Category 2 radioactive source by the IAEA, meaning that if not managed properly it could cause permanent injury to a person in close proximity to it for minutes or hours, and could be fatal to someone exposed for a period of hours to days. How harmful exposure can be is determined by a number of factors such as the material`s strength and age, which Reuters could not immediately determine. The ministry document said the material posed a risk of bodily and environmental harm as well as a national security threat. DIRTY BOMB FEAR Large quantities of Ir-192 have gone missing before in the United States, Britain and other countries, stoking fears among security officials that it could be used to make a dirty bomb. A dirty bomb combines nuclear material with conventional explosives to contaminate an area with radiation, in contrast to a nuclear weapon, which uses nuclear fission to trigger a vastly more powerful blast. "We are afraid the radioactive element will fall into the hands of Daesh," said a senior security official with knowledge of the theft, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. "They could simply attach it to explosives to make a dirty bomb," said the official, who works at the interior ministry and spoke on condition of anonymity as he is also not authorised to speak publicly. There was no indication the material had come into the possession of Islamic State, which seized territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014 but does not control areas near Basra. A State Department spokesman declined to comment on whether the missing material might be suitable for use in a dirty bomb. The security official, based in Baghdad, told Reuters there were no immediate suspects for the theft. But the official said the initial inquiry suggested the perpetrators had specific knowledge of the material and the facility. "No broken locks, no smashed doors and no evidence of forced entry," he said. An operations manager for Iraqi security firm Taiz, which was contracted to protect the facility, declined to comment, citing instructions from Iraqi security authorities. A spokesman for Basra operations command, responsible for security in Basra province, said army, police and intelligence forces were working "day and night" to locate the material. The army and police have responsibility for security in the country`s south, where Iranian-backed Shi`ite Muslim militias and criminal gangs also operate. POLLUTION RISK Iraqi forces are battling Islamic State in the country`s north and west, backed by a U.S.-led coalition. The Sunni Muslim militant group has been accused of using chemical weapons on more than one occasion over the past few years. The closest area fully controlled by Islamic State is more than 500 km (300 miles) north of Basra in the western province of Anbar. Islamic State controls no territory in the predominantly Shi`ite southern provinces but has claimed bomb attacks there, including one that killed 10 people in October in the district where the Weatherford facility is located. Besides the risk of a dirty bomb, the radioactive material could cause harm simply by being left exposed in a public place for several days, said David Albright, a physicist and president of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security. "If they left it in some crowded place, that would be more of the risk, if they kept it together but without shielding," he said. "Certainly it`s not insignificant. You could cause some panic with this. They would want to get this back." The senior environmental official said authorities were worried that whoever stole the material would mishandle it, leading to radioactive pollution of "catastrophic proportions". A second senior environment ministry official, also based in Basra, said counter-radiation teams had begun inspecting oil sites, scrapyards and border crossings to locate the device after an emergency task force raised the alarm on Nov. 13. Two Basra provincial government officials said they were directed on Nov. 25 to coordinate with local hospitals. "We instructed hospitals in Basra to be alert to any burn cases caused by radioactivity and inform security forces immediately," said one. Seoul: A joint military excercise between South Korea and the US next month has been ramped up in the wake of North Korea`s nuclear and missile tests, the South`s defence minister said Thursday. The annual computer-simulated "Key Resolve" exercise will involve almost triple the number of US troops previously deployed, the Yonhap news agency quoted Han Min-Goo as saying. The US will send 15,000 soldiers, up from 3,700 last year, Han said, and South Korea will also increase its number of participants. Key Resolve, which ran for 10 days last year, usually kicks off simultaneously with a field exercise known as Foal Eagle, another joint military drill which lasts some 50 days. Foal Eagle is also expected to be the largest ever this year, attracting key US strategic assets such as a US airforce combat brigade, marines, a navy fleet led by an aircraft carrier and nuclear-powered submarines, Yonhap said. North Korea regularly ratchets up hostile rhetoric at times of joint US-South Korea military exercises that spark a sharp surge in tensions on the divided peninsula. As the double exercises began last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un urged his army to prepare for war with the United States and its allies. The reclusive state also fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea at the start of the exercises. Last month, North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test despite international condemnation and followed it with a long-range rocket launch on February 7. The launch was widely condemned as a ballistic missile test banned under UN resolutions. The United States and South Korea have responded with a series of military muscle-flexing activities. On Monday, the USS North Carolina attack submarine arrived at the southern port of Busan for joint training with the South Korean navy. Four US F-22 stealth fighters were deployed to an air base near Seoul on Wednesday. South Korea and the US are also set to begin talks this week on the possible deployment of an advanced US missile defence system, despite opposition from China. Washington: A US official has confirmed that China has deployed surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island in the South China Sea, as the United States expressed growing concern over China`s increased "militarization" in the region. Fox News said earlier in the week that images showed two batteries of eight missile launchers and a radar system had arrived on Woody Island, the Paracels` main island. "We believe the photos are accurate and that China has deployed SAMs to Woody Island," a US official told AFP, referring to surface-to-air missiles. The official said the missiles appeared to be HQ-9s, which have a range of about about 125 miles (200 kilometers). Experts say they could be used to target enemy aircraft. The reports came as Obama and Southeast Asian leaders issued a joint statement calling for the "peaceful resolution" of the myriad competing claims over islands, atolls and reefs. Beijing has insisted it has a right to build "self-defence" systems in the strategic region. Beijing has controlled all of the Paracels, which are also claimed by Hanoi and Taipei, since seizing several from South Vietnam in a brief, bloody battle towards the end of the Vietnam War. But tensions in the sea -- through which a third of the world`s oil passes -- have mounted in recent months since China transformed contested reefs in the Spratly Islands further south into artificial islands capable of supporting military facilities. Washington says the move threatens free passage in a strategically vital area and has sent warships to sail close to the disputed islands to assert that right. Analysts said the latest deployment could be an attempt to deter such freedom of navigation operations. Australian military aircraft also routinely overfly the area. Washington: The United States and the European Union warned China on Wednesday that it should respect an international court ruling expected before May on its dispute with the Philippines over territory in the South China Sea. China claims virtually all the South China Sea and rejects the authority of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague hearing the dispute, even though Beijing has ratified the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea on which the case is based. Amy Searight, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defence for South and Southeast Asia, said the United States, the European Union, and allies like Australia, Japan and South Korea must be ready to make clear that the court`s ruling must be binding and that there would be costs to China for not respecting it if it lost the case. "We need to be ready to be very loud and vocal, in harmony together, standing behind the Philippines and the rest of the ASEAN claimants to say that this is international law, this is incredibly important, it is binding on all parties," she told a seminar at Washington`s Center for Strategic and International Studies. Searight said the message to China, if it did not respect a negative ruling, should be, "we will hold you accountable." "Certainly, reputational cost is at stake, but we can think of other creative ways to perhaps impose costs as well," she said without elaborating. The Hague tribunal has no powers of enforcement and its rulings have been ignored before. China disputes South China Sea territory with several other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as the Philippines. Klaus Botzet, head of the political section of the EU Delegation in Washington, said it was difficult to oppose world opinion. "A joint Western, a joint world opinion, matters also for Beijing," he said. "If we unanimously support that international law as formulated by the international tribunal in the Hague ... needs to be upheld, thats a very strong message and will be very difficult to ignore," he said. In unusually forthright language, Botzet said China`s policy of military buildup was not in its interest. "Its investing much more in its military relative to its economic growth; its forcing its neighbours into alliances against itself; positions its neighbours otherwise wouldn`t take and the return on investment on this policy is negative," he said. The United States had exceptional military capabilities in the Asia-Pacific, Botzet said, adding that the European Union "strongly supports the American guarantee of international law in Asia." It is too early to name the exact delivery date for Russian S-300 air defense systems to Iran, as certain payment issues remain between the sides, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Feb. 18, the Sputnik International news agency reported. "There are no deadlines yet, because there is a problem related to payment and so on," Peskov told reporters. "The deal has not been paid properly, so it is premature to speak of specific dates." Russia signed the contract in 2007 to sell Iran five S-300 ground-to-air missile systems worth over $800 million. However, in autumn of 2010, the then President Dmitry Medvedev banned transfer of the equipment to Tehran. The contract was terminated, the prepayment was returned to Iran, but as the contract was not observed Iran filed a suit to the Geneva arbitration court claiming almost $4 billion. In spring 2015, Russia's President Vladimir Putin lifted the ban on supplies of the S-300 systems to Iran. 18-year-old Malachi Love-Robinson does not have a medical license, but that did not stop him from opening the New Birth New Life Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. The teenager had been treating patients since October until he was arrested Tuesday in a sting operation after performing a physical examination on an undercover agent. Love-Robinson described his practice on Healthgrades.com: I am a well rounded proffessional that treats, and cares for patients, using a system of practice that bases treatment of physiological functions and abnormal conditions on natural laws governing the human body. I utilize physiological, psychological, and mechanical methods, such as air, water, light, heat, earth, phototherapy, food and herb therapy, psychotherapy, electrotherapy, physiotherapy, minor and orificial surgery, mechanotherapy, naturopathic corrections and manipulation, and natural methods or modalities, together with natural medicines, natural processed foods, and herbs and nature's remedies. Joey DeVilla thinks the young Florida man deserves a second chance: By Rania El Gamal and Tom Finn DOHA (Reuters) - Top oil exporters Russia and Saudi Arabia agreed on Tuesday to freeze output levels but said the deal was contingent on other producers joining in - a major sticking point with Iran absent from the talks and determined to raise production. The Saudi, Russian, Qatari and Venezuelan oil ministers announced the proposal after a previously undisclosed meeting in Doha. It could become the first joint OPEC and non-OPEC deal in 15 years, aimed at tackling a growing oversupply of crude and helping prices recover from their lowest in over a decade. Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said freezing production at January levels - near record highs - was an adequate measure and he hoped other producers would adopt the plan. Venezuelan Oil Minister Eulogio Del Pino said more talks would take place with Iran and Iraq on Wednesday in Tehran. "The reason we agreed to a potential freeze of production is simple: it is the beginning of a process which we will assess in the next few months and decide if we need other steps to stabilize and improve the market," Naimi told reporters. "We don't want significant gyrations in prices, we don't want reduction in supply, we want to meet demand, we want a stable oil price. We have to take a step at a time," he said. Oil prices jumped to $35.55 per barrel after the news about the secret meeting but later pared gains to trade near $33 on concerns that Iran may reject the deal and that even if Tehran agreed it would not help ease the growing global glut. [O/R] OPEC member Iran, Saudi Arabia's regional arch rival, has pledged to steeply increase output in the coming months as it looks to regain market share lost after years of international sanctions, which were lifted in January following a deal with world powers over its nuclear program. "Our situation is totally different to those countries that have been producing at high levels for the past few years," a senior source familiar with Iran's thinking told Reuters. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh also indicated Tehran would not agree to freezing its output at January levels, saying the country would not give up its appropriate share of the global oil market. SPECIAL TERMS The fact that output from OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia and non-OPEC Russia - the world's two top producers and exporters - is near record highs complicates any agreement since Iran is producing at least 1 million barrels per day below its capacity and pre-sanctions levels. However, two non-Iranian sources close to OPEC discussions told Reuters that Iran may be offered special terms as part of the output freeze deal. "Iran is returning to the market and needs to be given a special chance but it also needs to make some calculations," said one source. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said freezing output was not a problem for his country as he anyway expected its production to be flat this year versus 2015. An Iraqi oil ministry source said Baghdad was also happy to freeze production if all parties agreed. "The agreement (if successful) should support oil prices but there are reasons to be cautious. Not all OPEC members have signed up to the deal - notably Iran and Iraq. History would also suggest that compliance may be an issue," said Capital Economics' analyst Jason Tuvey. OPEC has been quarrelling for decades over output levels and Russia, which last agreed to cooperate with OPEC back in 2001, never followed through on its pledge and raised exports instead. Also complicating any potential agreement is the geo-political rivalry in the Middle East between Sunni Muslim power Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies are fighting proxy conflicts with Russia and Iran in the region, including in Syria and Yemen. In Syria's five-year-old civil war, Riyadh politically and financially backs some rebel groups battling President Bashar al-Assad's government, which has gained the upper hand with the help of Russian warplanes and Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias. RUSSIAN BUDGET The Doha meeting came after more than 18 months of declining oil prices, knocking crude below $30 a barrel for the first time in over a decade from as high as $115 a barrel in mid-2014. The slump was triggered by booming U.S. shale oil output and a decision by Saudi Arabia and its OPEC Gulf allies to raise production to fight for market share and drive higher-cost production out of the market. But although U.S. output has begun to decline and global demand has been robust it has still not been enough to offset booming global production which has led to oil stockpiles rising to record levels. Saudi Arabia has long insisted it would reduce supply only if other OPEC and non-OPEC members agreed, but Russia - the world's biggest oil producer and No.2 exporter - has said it would not join in as its Siberian fields were different from those of OPEC. The mood began to change in January as oil prices fell below $30 per barrel. While Venezuela has been the hardest-hit producer, current oil prices are a fraction of what Russia needs to balance its budget as it heads towards parliamentary elections this year. Saudi finances are also suffering badly, running a $98 billion budget deficit last year, which it seeks to trim this year. But while talking about potential cooperation with OPEC, Russia raised its output to a new record high in January. For a table on OPEC and Russian output, click here "Even if they do freeze production at January levels, you have still got global inventory builds which are going to weigh on prices. So whilst it's a positive step, I don't think it will have a huge impact on supply/demand balances, simply because we were oversupplied in January anyway," said Energy Aspects' analyst Dominic Haywood. (Additional reporting by Alex Lawler, Reem Shamseddine, Ahmad Ghaddar and Amanda Cooper; Writing by Dmitry Zhdannikov; Editing by Dale Hudson and Pravin Char) BERLIN (Reuters) - Greece's Migration Minister Yannis Mouzalas has said that closing the borders to the Balkans would trigger a "major humanitarian crisis" in his country and would not stop the influx of migrants. He told German business daily Handelsblatt that the only way to stop refugees coming was to put an end to Syria's civil war. He said the European Union needed to work on that as well as tackling the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. "That's the only way we can overcome the crisis. Border closures don't help," he said in an interview published on Thursday, just before a summit of European Union leaders in Brussels with the refugee crisis high on the agenda. Macedonia has erected two lines of metal fencing topped with razor wire at the main crossing point for migrants along its southern border with Greece. Asked about the impact that sealing frontiers with the Balkans would have, Mouzalas said: "If a border were to be closed now, it would cause a major humanitarian crisis in Greece." He said only 430 refugees had so far been resettled from Greece as part of an EU scheme that stipulated the relocation of at least 160,000 from Greece and Italy. EU members Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are deeply opposed to any quota system and want tighter controls on the borders of Balkan countries neighboring Greece if attempts to limit the numbers from Turkey to Greece fail. On Tuesday, EU Council President Donald Tusk said Europe needed to improve the protection of its external borders and that required more efforts by Greece as well as more support from its European Union partners. But Mouzalas said Greece was protecting its borders and had "the best possible controls" in place on both land and sea. He said that there were 700 officers from Frontex, the European Union's border agency, in place on Greek islands but that was less than the 1,800 Greece had asked for. (Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Tom Heneghan) By Gabriela Baczynska, Robert-Jan Bartunek and Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Austria said on Thursday it would go ahead with introducing daily caps on migrants despite warnings from Brussels that the move broke European Union rules, which have already been badly stretched by the migration crisis engulfing the bloc. Vienna announced it would let in no more than 3,200 people and cap asylum claims at 80 per day from Friday as it tries to cut immigration, drawing criticism from the European Union's migration chief. "Politically I say we'll stick with it ... it is unthinkable for Austria to take on the asylum seekers for the whole of Europe," Austria's Chancellor Werner Faymann said on arriving at an EU leaders' summit in Brussels. Around 700,000 migrants entered Austria last year and about 90,000 applied for asylum in the country sitting on the migrant route from Turkey via Greece and the Balkans to Germany. "After 100,000 refugees, we can't tell the Austrian people that it will just continue like this. That's why I tell the EU: we set a good example but to think that you don't have to do anything, then I have to say it is time for the EU to act," Faymann said. Austria is the latest EU state to resort to its own measures to curb migration and try control the flows as the 28-nation bloc has all but failed to implement a joint response to its worst migration crisis in decades. "It is true that Austria is under huge pressure," European Union Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos told Reuters earlier on Thursday. "It is true they are overwhelmed. But, on the other hand, there are some principles and laws that all countries must respect and apply." Avramopoulos sent a letter to Austria's Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner on Thursday, urging Vienna to reconsider the move as it was against EU laws. "The Austrians are obliged to accept asylum applications without putting a cap," Avramopoulos said. But Faymann blamed the failure of the European migration and refugee policies, saying the bloc's relocation plan to ease the burden on most-affected countries was not working and criticizing central-eastern EU members who have stalled it. The migration crisis, which saw more than a million people reach Europe last year, opened deep rifts between EU states, which are trading blame and increasingly resorting to ad-hoc national solutions despite Brussels calls to prevent them. Faymann backed Merkel in pushing for more cooperation with Turkey to get Ankara to curb the number of migrants and refugees who embark from its shores toward Europe. Germany and Austria are among 11 EU states that were due to meet Turkey separately before the summit of all 28 EU leaders to discuss taking in more people directly from Turkey to discourage perilous journeys across the Mediterranean. "Every agreement between Turkey and Greece to protect the common border and make legal immigration possible, every advance and may it be ever so mediocre, would be necessary and right," Faymann said, adding he would seek a new meeting with Turkey after the Thursday one was canceled over a bombing in Ankara. (Additional reporting by Shadia Nasralla and Francois Murphy in Vienna; Editing by Andrew Heavens) TOKYO (Reuters) - Singapore's Global Logistic Properties and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) have set up a 100 billion yen ($880 million) fund to develop modern warehouses in Japan, their second joint venture in the country. Growth in e-commerce has helped make warehouses around the world hot property assets. Helped by debt financing, the fund's assets are expected to reach $2 billion over three years, GLP and CPPIB said. CPPIB, one of the world's leading retirement funds, has been active in logistics investments in Asia. In December, it pledged $1 billion in additional funds for a partnership with Goodman Group Pty Ltd that invests in Chinese warehouses and logistics facilities. In November, it and other partners unveiled an investment of up to $1 billion in a separate venture in South Korea. GLP and CPPIB set up their first joint fund for Japan in 2011 to invest in logistic facilities. GLP has $8.2 billion worth of assets under management in Japan. (Reporting by Junko Fujita in Tokyo and Elzio Barreto in Hong Kong; Editing by Edwina Gibbs) Barack Obama has launched a scathing assessment of Donald Trump's bid for the presidency, warning him that life in the White House is "not a reality show". The President said he is convinced voters will not seriously consider backing the tycoon and star of The Apprentice in November's election. He said: "I continue to believe that Mr. Trump will not be president. "And the reason is because I have a lot of faith in the American people. And I think they recognise that being president is a serious job," he told reporters in California. "It's not hosting a talk show or a reality show. It's not promotion. It's not marketing. It's hard," he said on the sidelines of a summit with leaders and representatives. Trump, 69, reacted with characteristic scorn. "This man has done such a bad job, he has set us back so far," he said in a television interview. But Mr Trump bragged that being singled out for criticism by the current US president was "a great compliment". Trump is ahead of his rivals ahead of Saturday's South Carolina primary, with a new CNN poll showing him with 38% support over arch-conservative Ted Cruz, who has 22%. But his 16-point lead is down from the 20-point RealClearPolitics average, suggesting a drop in support after a bruising TV debate. MADRID/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Spanish police have arrested five directors of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) after they raided the lender's Madrid offices as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering. China's large state-owned lenders have been dogged by allegations of improper conduct as they expand abroad and the probe into ICBC by police, the Spanish tax agency and Europol involves funds handled by a criminal group which the Interior Ministry says passed through the bank and were transferred to China. Over 100 police were involved in the operation, which saw the arrest of five ICBC directors, Europol said in a statement on Wednesday. A Beijing-based spokesman for ICBC, China's largest bank in terms of assets, said its Madrid branch was cooperating with the investigation. "Strictly implementing anti-money laundering regulations, and strictly operating within the law and regulations have always been our fundamental operation and management principles," the spokesman added. The Chinese embassy in Spain also said it currently had no reason to believe ICBC had been breaking the law, adding that it had not received official notification about the case from the Spanish authorities. At a briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the government hoped Spain handled the situation "justly and according to law, effectively guaranteeing the legal rights and interests of Chinese organizations and personnel". The probe into ICBC follows a slew of allegations of money laundering levied against other Chinese banks. Last June, prosecutors in Italy asked Bank of China's (BoC) Milan branch to be tried for smuggling among other alleged crimes and a month later, the U.S. Federal Reserve told China Construction Bank Corp to address deficiencies in money laundering compliance. NOT THE WORST OFFENDERS Such probes could mar the reputation of these banks as they expand abroad, primarily to cater to the growing presence of Chinese firms, bankers at overseas branches of the lenders said. "We haven't been abroad for long, so this has an impact on all of us," said a banker at a London branch of a top-four Chinese lender. Analysts, however, said Chinese banks are not necessarily the worst offenders when compared to their global peers. "If you look at the fines globally, which firms have been fined the most in terms of anti-money laundering, you wouldn't find the Chinese banks near the top of that list although some have been asked to tighten procedures," said Mark Wightman, a partner in the wealth and asset management at Ernst & Young. For example, HSBC agreed in June last year to pay Geneva authorities $43 million to settle a money laundering investigation at its Swiss private bank. Wightman also added that conditions are likely to get tougher for all banks as the Common Reporting Standards (CRS), a global tax residency rule, come into effect this year. "Everyone will be looking at their client bases in a lot more detail as they have to store info on client tax residency as well, and manage any potential challenges to that, so that's another question the banks are struggling with," he said. (Reporting by Emma Pinedo in MADRID, Shu Zhang and Michael Martina in BEIJING and Engen Tham in SHANGHAI; Additional reporting by Anthony Deutsch in AMSTERDAM and Adam Jourdan in SHANGHAI; Writing by Paul Day, Angus Berwick and Ryan Woo; Editing by Stephen Coates and Miral Fahmy) Saint John police have seized a vehicle in connection with a hit-and-run accident earlier this month that injured a 51-year-old man. The registered owner of the seized vehicle has been questioned by the police, but no arrests have been made so far. The pedestrian was struck by a vehicle on Crown Street on Feb. 7 and the driver took off. Police investigators are now waiting for the results of forensic evidence seized from the vehicle. The police say the vehicle that left the scene sustained damage to its front end. The victim is still listed in serious condition. Police say his recovery is expected to take some time. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey will never take a step back from its "justified fight" against all terrorist organizations, Anadolu agency reported. The premier was speaking after a terrorist attack hit military-owned vehicles in central Ankara on Wednesday evening, killing at least 28 people and wounding 61 more. "Our nation which has long been the targeted by terrorism but weathered several storms by further closing ranks will overcome these hard circumstances in dignity and solidarity against these attacks," he said in a statement after attending a security summit chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Ankara's Presidential Palace. Davutoglu noted that Turkey stands united with "all our 78 million citizens" in the face of terror and violence, allowing nobody to override Turkey's rights. "Those who mounted and instigated the atrocious attack that targeted our country, great nation and democracy will never attain their aims," he added. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus has said that there is no information at present about who was responsible for Wednesday's deadly bomb attack in Ankara. However, he vowed that the identities of those behind the attack would be revealed at the earliest. "Unfortunately, we have lost 28 citizens in the car bomb attack, including soldiers and civilians," Kurtulmus told a news briefing. Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said three of the casualties had died in hospital. He also confirmed that 61 wounded were being treated for "slight or moderate" injuries across 14 hospitals. He added that a second blast also took place but said this was a controlled explosion carried out on a suspect package by the security forces. An initial report from Ankara's governor suggests three military-owned vehicles and a private vehicle were hit during the evening rush hour. Anadolu Agency reporters at the scene say the blast occurred in Merasim Street which connects Dikmen Street to Inonu Boulevard and is close to Turkish General Staff and parliament buildings. Ankara Governor Mehmet Kiliclar said the authorities believed a bomb-laden vehicle was the source of the blast. The Turkish General Staff has said that a "terror attack" hit vehicles carrying its personnel at 6.31 p.m. local time [1631 GMT] while they were waiting at traffic lights on Inonu Boulevard. "We harshly condemn this heinous and vicious attack and convey our condolences to all our heroic fellow soldiers, our citizens that lost their lives in the attack and their families as well as the grand Turkish nation and we wish a speedy recovery to the wounded," the statement added. Several ambulances, medical and fire brigade teams, along with police, have been dispatched to the area. Anti-terror and crime-scene investigation teams from Ankara police are examining the location. All streets connecting to the blast area have been closed to traffic as police and army teams enforce strict security measures. Kurtulmus has said a delegation of seven investigators, headed by the Ankara Chief Prosecutor, was working on the case. Davutoglu has cancelled a planned visit to Brussels while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cancelled his trip to Azerbaijan scheduled for tomorrow. Attack condemned Speaking during a plenary session at the Turkish parliament, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said the attack had been mounted by a terrorist organization: "Those who organized, planned the heinous attack in Ankara and instigated the ... and will never do so." In messages posted on their Twitter accounts, the British and American ambassadors to Turkey also condemned the attack. "Terrible news from Kizilay. Condolences to the families of those killed and speedy recovery to the injured," wrote U.K. envoy Richard Moore. Moore said the U.K. "stands shoulder to shoulder with Turkey at this difficult time". U.S. ambassador John Bass also wrote that he was "deeply saddened and shocked" by the terror attack in Ankara. In Washington, the U.S. State Department strongly condemned the attack and extended its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased; the U.S. embassy in Ankara is working to determine if any American citizens "were involved", spokesman Mark Toner told reporters. "We invite the international community to stand by us in cooperation against terrorism," Turkish Deputy PM Kurtulmus also said. However, he added: "I would like everyone to know that Turkey is not satisfied anymore just by some empty sentences of condemnation." By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) called on Wednesday for $56 million to combat the Zika virus, a disease that has been linked to severe birth defects in Brazil and has spread to nearly 30 countries and territories. The funds sought would be used until June to fast-track vaccines, carry out diagnostics and research into how the mosquito-borne virus spreads, as well as virus control, the WHO said. A public health expert, Lawrence Gostin, said the United Nations health agency had "grossly underestimated" the need as the virus, which has spread rapidly across the Americas, will likely spread to many other regions. The WHO declared the outbreak a global public health emergency on Feb. 1, noting the association of the virus with two neurological disorders: microcephaly in babies and Guillain-Barre syndrome that can cause paralysis. "Possible links with neurological complications and birth malformations have rapidly changed the risk profile for Zika from a mild threat to one of very serious proportions," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in a WHO strategy paper on Wednesday. The funds sought include $25 million for the agency and its regional office and the rest for aid partners such as UNICEF. The WHO expects the money to come from states and other donors. In the meantime it has tapped a new emergency contingency fund for $2 million for initial operations. Gostin, a professor at Georgetown University in Washington, said the WHO should have a much larger emergency contingency fund. He compared the funding plan to the WHO's initial slow response to the outbreak of Ebola, a virus that killed more than 11,300 people in two years, mostly in West Africa. BRAZIL MICROCEPHALY CASES RISE Brazil, worst hit by the Zika outbreak, said on Wednesday that most of the 508 confirmed cases of microcephaly reported in the country are likely related to the virus, and called its previous count too conservative. Brazil is investigating more than 3,900 additional suspected cases of microcephaly, but it has not yet been proven that the virus can cause the rare defect. Microcephaly is marked by abnormally small head size that can result in developmental problems. The Health Ministry reported on Wednesday a total of 4,443 suspected and confirmed cases of microcephaly, up from 4,314 a week earlier. Researchers on Wednesday reported finding the virus in the amniotic fluid of two fetuses diagnosed with microcephaly, suggesting Zika virus can cross the placental barrier and providing another piece of evidence linking the virus with the birth defect. There is no treatment for Zika, which had been viewed as a relatively mild illness until the concerns over microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome emerged. At least 15 companies and academic groups are rushing to develop a vaccine. Hopes of a breakthrough took a small step forward on Wednesday when U.S. biotech firm Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc said its experimental shot had induced a robust and durable response in mice. Shares of the U.S. biotech firm, which expects to test its product in humans before the end of the year, rose by as much as 7 percent on Wednesday. COLOMBIA MAY HOLD CLUES Colombia is another Latin American country hard hit by Zika and that country's health minister said the effects of the virus there could have global relevance as scientists research the suspected link with microcephaly. In contrast to Brazil, Colombia has yet to register any cases of the birth defect connected to Zika, Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria told Reuters. Zika is primarily transmitted by a type of mosquito, meaning current efforts to control the outbreak are focused on protecting people, especially pregnant women, from bites and eradicating mosquito populations in affected areas. However, research is under way on potential transmission by sexual contact. The WHO noted on Wednesday that "existing scarce evidence indicates that there may be a risk of sexual transmission." But research studies are needed to assess the presence of the Zika virus in semen and other body fluids and potential sexual transmission as well as mother-to-child transmission, the WHO said. (This story corrects number of countries and territories to which Zika has spread to nearly 30, from 39, paragraph 1) (Additional reporting by Ben Hirschler in London, Amrutha Penumudi in Bengaluru, Paulo Prada in Sao Paulo, Julia Symmes Cobb and Luis Jaime Acosta in Bogota; Writing by Frances Kerry; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky, G Crosse and Lisa Shumaker) By Steve Holland and Emily Stephenson SUMMERVILLE, S.C./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, viewed in Republican circles as a possible U.S. vice presidential candidate, will endorse U.S. Senator Marco Rubio for their party's 2016 White House nomination on Wednesday, three days before her state's presidential primary, said a source familiar with the situation. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley, 44, seized the spotlight in January when in the Republican response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech she set herself apart from the party's presidential candidates by calling for tolerance on immigration and civility in politics. Last year she gained national attention by leading an effort to remove the Confederate battle flag from the state Capitol grounds after the killing of nine black churchgoers in Charleston. The Civil War-era emblem of the Confederate South is long associated with slavery. Rubio, 44, from Florida, hopes to get a boost from South Carolina voters, where Republicans on Saturday hold their third contest after Iowa and New Hampshire to pick a party nominee for the Nov. 8 presidential election. Haley was to endorse Rubio at an event later in the day. A campaign aide to former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said Haley called Bush, also vying for the party nomination, to inform him of her plan to endorse Rubio. Disappointed was Bush's response to the endorsement. Shes a very good governor and should I win the nomination, therell be a role for her in the campaign, Bush, 63, told reporters after a campaign event in Summerville, South Carolina. "Trust me, she's a great person." Haley's endorsement of Rubio was a blow to Bush, coming two days after Bush's brother, former President George W. Bush, met with Haley privately in the state capital Columbia. At a town hall meeting in Summerville, Bush took advice from the audience on how he might better conduct his campaign. Some of the advice was conflicting. Edward Scott, who works in South Carolina but lives in Frederick, Maryland, told Bush he should consider not responding to attacks from front-runner Donald Trump, while another man asked Bush whether he should be tougher, a "sumbitch" as he called it. A third, David Villinger of Summerville, said Bush should focus less on his record as Florida's governor and more on his presidential vision. "I would encourage you to go not just on your record but on your plan," he said. Bush said he would not stop responding to Trump and vowed to have a toughness of spirit. CRUZ, TRUMP CLASH ANEW Ahead of Saturday's Republican vote, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and the billionaire Trump battled for votes with an exchange of harsh words. Cruz, 45, won the first Republican nominating contest in Iowa on Feb. 1 and Trump, 69, won the second one in New Hampshire on Feb. 9. Cruz dared Trump to sue him over a campaign ad featuring a 1999 video clip of the former reality TV star saying he was "very pro-choice" on abortion. In the clip, Trump said he would not ban late-term abortions. Cruz said Trump sent his campaign a "cease and desist letter" demanding it drop the ad. "File the lawsuit," Cruz, a lawyer, told reporters on Wednesday, adding that he would depose the billionaire himself. The U.S. Supreme Court rocketed into campaign headlines last Saturday after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Cruz hopes to use the court opening to paint Trump, the Republican front-runner for the nomination, as insufficiently conservative ahead of Saturday's South Carolina vote. Presidents appoint justices to the court, and the U.S. Senate confirms the appointments. "You have been threatening frivolous lawsuits for your entire adult life," Cruz said of Trump. "Even in the annals of frivolous lawsuits, this takes the cake." Trump responded that he opposes abortion, which most U.S. conservatives also do not support. "These ads and statements made by Cruz are clearly desperate moves by a guy who is tanking in the polls - watching his campaign go up in flames finally explains Cruz's logo," Trump said in a statement, referring to the flame icon that appears on Cruz's website and elsewhere. The real estate developer again hinted he might sue Cruz, who was born in Canada to a U.S. citizen mother, over his eligibility to run for president. "Time will tell, Teddy," Trump said. (Editing by Howard Goller) By Aaron Ross KINSHASA (Reuters) - A one-day general strike in Democratic Republic of Congo shut down most businesses in the capital on Tuesday, raising pressure on President Joseph Kabila to quit power when his mandate ends in December. Kinshasa's streets were largely deserted by early afternoon and few of the shared taxis that ferry much of the city's workforce were running, witnesses said. Some schools were closed. Several government offices in Kinshasa were operating at less than half strength, employees said, with many workers unable to find transport. "For us, this (strike) is an important action against an irresponsible government," said Abdul Mpia, 39, standing on Kinshasa's Avenue of Commerce. Others, however, said the strike was causing hardship in a city where many make a living as street sellers. The constitution bars Kabila from standing again in elections slated for November, but critics fear he wants to change the law or delay the poll to retain power. Kabila came to power when his father was assassinated in 2001. He won elections in 2006 and 2011 that the opposition says were rigged. More than 40 died in a police crackdown on protests in January 2015. Kabila has refused to comment on his future and has appealed for dialogue to resolve difficulties in organizing elections. Opposition leaders hailed the strike as a successful first step toward forcing Kabila's departure. "We need to escalate these actions step-by-step until the action will be like that of our Burkinabe friends in October 2014," said opposition leader Martin Fayulu. He was referring to a popular uprising in Burkina Faso that ousted President Blaise Campaore after he tried to change the constitution to extend his 27-year rule. President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision in neighboring Burundi to seek a third term, meanwhile, has triggered nine months of violence in which at least 440 have died. There was little evidence of a strike in Congo's second city, Lubumbashi, witnesses said, but in the eastern city of Goma, many shops were closed. Some, however, were circumspect about the strike's impact. "I always thought that this particular strike would not have any significant consequence on the respective positions of people," said Pascal Kambale, former Congo country director for the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa. Authorities arrested six members of the Struggle for Change (Lucha) activist group in the eastern city of Goma overnight and another in Kinshasa, the director of the U.N. Joint Human Rights Office in Kinshasa, Jose Maria Aranaz, told Reuters, saying they who were preparing leaflets announcing the strike. One member of the opposition Union for the Congolese Nation (UNC) party was also arrested in the eastern city of Uvira, Aranaz said. Government and police spokesmen said they did not yet have any information about arrests. There were no confirmed reports of violence. Embassies urged their citizens to exercise caution and U.S., French and Belgian schools in Kinshasa were closed. (Additional reporting by Benoit Nyemba, Amedee Mwarabu Kiboko in Kinshasa and Kenny Katombe in Lubumbashi; Writing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg; Editing by Ruth Pitchford) WASHINGTON/HAVANA (Reuters) - The United States has recovered an inert Hellfire air-to-ground missile that had mistakenly ended up in Cuba, U.S. and Cuban officials said on Saturday. The laser-guided AGM 114 Hellfire mistakenly arrived in Cuba in June 2014 and was retrieved on Saturday by U.S. officials and representatives of Lockheed Martin Corp, the missile's owner, the Cuban foreign ministry said in a statement. "We can say, without speaking to specifics, that the inert training missile has been returned with the cooperation of the Cuban government," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. Lockheed Martin spokesman Bill Phelps declined comment. The missile had been sent to Europe for a training exercise in 2014 but somehow ended up in Cuba in an embarrassing loss of military technology, the Wall Street Journal reported last month. "The department is restricted under federal law and regulations from commenting on specific defense trade licensing cases and compliance matters, so we cannot provide further details," Toner said. But he said reestablished diplomatic relations between the two countries have helped the U.S. "engage with the Cuban government on issues of mutual interest." Cuba said the missile arrived by mistake or mishandling on a commercial flight from Paris and was not listed on the cargo manifest, and that it was discovered by customs inspectors. "Once the U.S. government officially informed the Cuban government that a training missile belonging to the company Lockheed Martin was mistakenly sent to our country and expressed its interest in recovering it, Cuba communicated the decision to hand it over and started arrangements for its return," the Cuban statement said, without revealing when the United States made the request. A team of U.S. government and Lockheed Martin experts took the missile back to the United States on Saturday, Cuba said. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, Lesley Wroughton, Andrea Shalal, Daniel Trotta; Writing by Roberta Rampton; Editing by W Simon, Diane Craft) BRASILIA (Reuters) - President Dilma Rousseff's main coalition partner, the fractious Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PDMB), re-elected a key ally of hers as its leader in the lower house of Congress on Wednesday, enhancing her chances of blocking impeachment. Leonardo Picciani was confirmed as PMDB house whip in a 37-30 vote, defeating a rival backed by Rousseff's arch-enemy Speaker Eduardo Cunha, who took up an opposition request to impeach the president in December. Picciani's re-election brought some relief for the embattled president because he is expected to pick pro-Rousseff PMDB members to sit on a committee that must decide whether there are grounds for her impeachment. The vote showed Rousseff can muster crucial support among the ranks of the PMDB, Brazil's largest party, that will have a central role in deciding the survival of the country's most unpopular president in three decades. The victory helped soften a new blow to Rousseff's credibility. Standard & Poor's on Wednesday downgraded Brazil's credit rating deeper into junk territory due to its failure to plug a growing fiscal deficit that has rattled investor confidence as the country sinks into recession. Rousseff's opponents want to impeach her for allegedly juggling government accounts to increase public spending in the run up to her re-election in October 2014. Brazil's Supreme Court, most of whose members were appointed since Rousseff's Workers' Party first took office in 2003, came to her aid in December by reducing the role of the lower house in the impeachment process and increasing the authority of the Senate, where she has more support. The attempt to unseat Rousseff was weakened by corruption allegations that threaten to bring down Cunha, who is fighting for his own survival since prosecutors accused him of having secret bank accounts in Switzerland. Cunha faces charges of taking bribes in the massive graft scandal surrounding state-led oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA. Wednesday's vote was so uncertain that one of the six PMDB members of her cabinet, Health Minister Marcelo Castro, resigned temporarily so he could resume his seat in Congress and cast his vote for Picciani, leaving his post for a day despite a raging public health crisis caused by the spread of the Zika virus. "The government has been strengthened by Picciani's victory. This was an important day for our party and for Brazil's political stability," Castro told reporters. He said he would be back wearing his minister's hat on Thursday. (Reporting by Maria Carolina Marcello; Writing by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) By Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon has weathered five years of Middle Eastern turmoil remarkably well but its stability should not be taken for granted and it needs long-term financial help to cope with a huge number of Syrian refugees, a senior U.N. official said. U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag, speaking before a Syria donors' conference in London, said on Wednesday that the refugee crisis must be recognized as long-term and the response must move beyond meeting humanitarian needs. "Our big message is really the need for sustainable, long-term predictable financing, and very much a focus on not only humanitarian but also what we call stabilization support ... job creation," Kaag told Reuters. With many Syrian children stuck indefinitely in refugee camps, education is also a major priority. "The first response of humanitarians is always protect and save lives. But we are now looking at a generation that needs to go to school," she said in an interview. Lebanon, a neighbor of Syria with its own history of civil conflict, is hosting more than a million registered Syrian refugees, equal to a quarter of its population. Their arrival has been a huge strain on a tiny country with limited resources whose political stability hinges on a delicate sectarian balance. Rival Lebanese fought a civil war in the 1970s and 1980s, and conflict flared again as recently as 2008, albeit briefly. While Lebanon has avoided its own conflict since the start of the Syrian war, its politicians are struggling to agree on anything. That has left the government largely paralyzed and the country without a president. "Let's really keep our eye on the ball on Lebanon, let's support Lebanon, let's be active for Lebanon, but Lebanon needs to be in the driver's seat," Kaag said. With a return of refugees to Syria unlikely for some time, Kaag said "we need to really look at the fragility and stability of Lebanon in holistic manner". "There's politics, there's security, and the socio-economic development side of Lebanon should really be propped up." "BIG STEP FORWARD" The London donors' conference builds on previous such meetings in Kuwait. U.N. agencies are appealing for a total of $7.73 billion to cope with Syria's needs this year. The Lebanese government is expected to seek donor support for plans including infrastructure investment that will create jobs, and funds to support its public schools that are taking in Syrian children. "As the economy has suffered from the crisis, unemployment has risen ... particularly in poorer areas and amongst the young people, so the debate on employment has always been very sensitive, and there was a reluctance to address it," Kaag said. She acknowledged the risk of ill-feeling if Syrian refugees compete with Lebanese people for scarce jobs. Proposals from the Lebanese government would in any case allow them to work only in labor-intensive sectors such as construction and agriculture. "But now I think six years into the crisis there is a realization that there is a large potential workforce. It may benefit the economy and therefore Lebanon, but we need to look at job creation for Lebanese alongside vulnerable refugees." Kaag said while the debate was still in progress, an important program allowing for the temporary employment of Syrians had been tabled for the London conference. The willingness to discuss the idea marked "a big step forward", she said, though it was still at the design stage. Lebanese Education Minister Elias Bou Saab told Reuters the government would seek grants of $4.9 billion covering education needs in addition to development and investment projects. That could result in employment for Syrians in areas where refugees were already employed, he said, highlighting the agricultural sector. But the hamstrung government still has to deliver. Kaag said she hoped that "post-London, and with new plans in mind, that the government will really rally around implementation, and making sure it delivers for Lebanon". (editing by David Stamp) By Noah Browning DUBAI (Reuters) - Like the prototype drone of Emirati student Talib Alhinai, the ambitions of young people across the Gulf Arab states need to soar if they - and their economies - are to prosper in the age of cheap oil. The 23-year-old now researching for his Ph.D is just the kind of innovator that the region requires, along with youngsters who want the risky life of an entrepreneur rather than a safe but unproductive job working for the state. Wearing a crisp white Arabian robe and headdress, Alhinai cranes his glasses upward as his drone climbs above an outdoor amphitheatre in downtown Dubai, and explains how it can swoop down and squirt 3D printed sealant onto damaged oil pipelines. Petrodollars won Gulf Arab states decades of prosperity, when loyalty and stability could be bought by giving graduates with subpar education cushy government posts. No more. The collapse in oil prices is forcing governments to make good on old promises to turn their growing youth populations into a workforce that can compete globally. Showing off the prototype he built with classmates at Imperial College London, winning a state-sponsored "Drones for Good" competition at the amphitheatre, Alhinai said Gulf Arab youngsters were eager to make livelihoods from their ideas, not handouts. "There's a realisation, an awakening, among my generation that the age of oil can't last forever and that we need to pick up the pace to give back to our societies, especially through innovation and technology, to shred this stereotype about us being idle," said Alhinai. Over half of Gulf Arab nationals are employed in public sector jobs; in Kuwait the figure is nearly 80 percent. But now the International Monetary Fund predicts economic growth in six oil-exporting states of the Gulf Cooperation Council will slip to 2.8 percent in 2016 from 3.25 in 2014, and private sector growth has likewise fallen. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia have both launched initiatives this year to outsource services from the state to the private sector, rein in spending and invest in education and vocational training. RECKONING Nowhere is the problem so acute as in top oil exporter Saudi Arabia, which is running a $100 billion budget deficit and has used up $90 billion of its foreign assets in the past 18 months. At that rate they would be gone in just a few years. Underlining the problem, the Standard & Poor's agency downgraded the credit ratings of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman this week in its second mass cut of large oil producers in almost a year. Vast energy reserves and tiny populations in Qatar and Kuwait mean they have more time to get their nationals into more productive work, but Saudi Arabia can no longer buy off its 20 million citizens with public sector welfare. State-owned oil giant Aramco, the largest Saudi company and a paragon of efficiency in the kingdom's often hidebound economy, is trying to encourage innovation by giving entrepreneurs training and loans. One such beneficiary is 28-year-old Loai Labani, who owns tech company Innosoft based in Dhahran Techno Valley in the country's east. He said risk-taking was still foreign to Saudi job culture and few of his peers understood why he would strive for his own success rather than take a plum official post. "My family and my friends were trying to tell me you shouldn't focus on this, just get a government job and the security that comes with it," Labani said. "Of my 20 employees, half are Saudi and I need 10 more, but it's a struggle to get the quality developers, web-designers and programmers. We have to do 2-300 interviews to hire just one Saudi, because not just the knowledge but the personality for private enterprise is so hard to find." According to a study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, promoting those skills will be one of the greatest challenges for Gulf countries and will entail a rethinking of the "social contract" under which state generosity won stability in a turbulent region. "There is a clear tension between countries' wish to encourage economic creativity and risk-taking on the one hand and their desire to maintain relative social and political quiescence on the other," wrote author Carolyn Barnett. IGNITING THE IMAGINATION The UAE leads its neighbours in trying to diversify away from oil. In June last year, the IMF said the country could keep spending at current rates for 30-40 years - but then the oil price promptly halved. This month the UAE staged its largest ever government restructuring, merging ministries to reduce costs and creating state bodies to advance science, human capital and youth. "Education is the essential prerequisite to creating a generation that's productive," said Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a senior member of the ruling family in Abu Dhabi, the largest of the emirates. "We want it so that when a student graduates - whether in engineering, humanities or anything else - they can open doors," he told reporters at his desert palace before dog and camel races that he sponsors. "We want the education standards to be strong, not weak like they are now, which can't be denied." At the reception, tables groaned under lobster and gazelle meat for his guests, and costumed desert knights on horseback held aloft banners of the ruling sheikhs' faces - trappings of largesse and reverence familiar to the Gulf. But at Dubai's Museum of the Future, a glimpse of what may await Gulf Arabs was on show. Emirati boys in robes and groups of young women dressed from head to toe in black roamed the exhibition's purple-lit chambers, gazing at concept inventions: goggles that detect others' moods, earpieces that translate and brain implants that can transmit thoughts. The Museum, set to open fully in 2018, aims to work with research companies and universities to turn such gizmos into "Made in the UAE" reality, and also to inspire. "Some of the technology highlighted here is not set to be realised until 2030," said museum director Saif Al Aleeli. "We present it here to ignite the imagination of our young people, so they can get an idea of the world that they will live in and hopefully create themselves." (Editing by Sami Aboudi and David Stamp) Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: A military convoy was hit in the south-eastern Turkey by a remotely controlled bomb attack, which killed five soldiers, the Haberturk newspaper reported Feb. 18. Reports suggest that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorist organization is involved in the attack. Turkish armed forces launched large-scale military actions against the PKK after the attack. PKK's attacks on military units and police stations in the south-eastern Turkey have become more frequent in recent months. During 2015, more than 200 soldiers were killed in Turkey in the clashes with the PKK. The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for over 25 years and claimed more than 40,000 lives. PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by the UN and the European Union. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu By Daren Butler ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The rapid advance of U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, taking advantage of Russian air strikes to seize territory near the Turkish border, has infuriated Ankara and threatened to drive a wedge between NATO allies. Washington has long seen the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its YPG military wing as its best chance in the battle against Islamic State in Syria - to the chagrin of fellow NATO member Turkey, which sees the group as terrorists and fears it will stir up greater unrest among its own Kurdish minority. Russian bombing has transformed the five-year-old Syrian civil war in recent weeks, turning the momentum decisively in favor of Moscow's ally President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian army has come within 25 km (15 miles) of the Turkish border and says it aims to seal it off altogether, closing the main lifeline into rebel territory for years and recapturing Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the war. Meanwhile, the YPG has exploited the situation, seizing ground from other Syrian opposition groups in the area. Washington says it does not believe the Kurds are coordinating directly with Moscow. But the YPG's advance may represent a masterstroke by Russia, which could benefit from any discord between NATO allies Turkey and the United States. "Now this is the YPG's dilemma: Will it continue with America or Russia? The consequences of this strategic choice will influence Syria's future, as well as the ongoing clashes in Turkey," said Metin Gurcan, an independent security analyst and retired Turkish military officer. Turkey has shelled YPG positions inside Syria for four straight days. Ankara sees the militia as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought a three-decade insurgency for autonomy in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast. Turkey also portrays the Kurds as a pawn of Russia. Relations between the former Cold War rivals hit a low last year after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane over Syria. Turkey now accuses Russia of deliberately targeting civilians in Syria, including hospitals struck this week, in what it calls a "war crime" to depopulate territory ahead of a government advance. Moscow denies this and accuses Turkey of covertly supporting Syrian jihadist militant groups. The United States, which has supported the Kurdish fighters elsewhere in battle against Islamic State, has called for the YPG to stop actions that would heighten friction in northern Syria. It has also urged Ankara to stop shelling YPG positions. Washington has seen no evidence that the YPG are cooperating with the Russians, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said at a briefing this week. DECADES OF REPRESSION Some 30 million Kurds are estimated to live in Iran, Turkey, Iraq and in Syria. Syria's Kurds are the largest ethnic minority and suffered decades of repression under President Bashar al-Assad and his father before him. Under the Damascus regime, Kurds were forbidden from learning their own language, frequently evicted from their land and even denied full citizenship. Their region is home to a chunk of Syria's estimated 2.5 billion barrels of crude oil reserves, but Kurds enjoyed little benefit. Now, Kurds have started to carve out a fiefdom in the north of fragmenting Syria, similar to the autonomy enjoyed by their kin in northern Iraq. "Russia is using this instrument to put Turkey in a difficult position," Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said this week, vowing to prevent the YPG from expanding its territory. In the early stages of Syria's civil war, there were signs Turkey was willing to work with the PYD and other Kurdish groups if they met three demands: remain resolutely opposed to Assad, vow not to seek autonomy through violence or before the wider conflict was resolved, and pose no threat to Turkey. "We have no problem with their aspirations ... What we do not want from any group is that they use this situation opportunistically to impose their will by force," a senior Turkish government official told Reuters in August 2013, days after PYD co-chair Saleh Muslim was invited to Istanbul for talks. RELATIONS SOUR But relations soon deteriorated, reaching a nadir in late 2014, when Islamic State fighters besieged the predominantly Kurdish town of Kobani on the Turkish border for four months as Turkish tanks looked on from surrounding hills. Turkey allowed Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces through its territory to help defend the town, but its failure to intervene directly in support of the YPG, even as a U.S.-led coalition carried out air strikes against Islamic State, infuriated Kurds in both Syria and Turkey. That added to pressure on the Turkish government's relationship with its own Kurds. PKK attacks on Turkish security forces last year helped put an end to a more than two-year ceasefire between the government and the insurgents, and the once-dormant conflict within Turkey has since stayed hot. Wary of an escalation, Washington has urged all parties to focus on the "common threat" of Islamic State, calling on Turkey to cease cross-border artillery fire and on the YPG not to seize new territory from groups that Turkey supports. Turkey has repeatedly criticized the United States for its position, saying that Washington should deem the Syrian Kurds terrorists, as it does with the PKK, and halt support. The Syrian Kurdish militia has not explained the aim of its latest advance but a source told Reuters on Jan. 28 it planned to seize the stretch of border held by Islamic State east of Azaz - the only part of the frontier still in the hands of the jihadist group. But the YPG's advance into territory held by other rebel groups looks likely to continue for now, causing headaches for Washington as it tries to manage its strategic relationship with Turkey and check Russia's influence in the region. "The YPG is pushing as far as it can. (Its) focus right now is making the most of its momentum," said Gurcan, the analyst. "This has put the U.S. in a very bad position." (Additional reporting by Ayla Jean Yackley and Humeyra Pamuk in Istanbul; Warren Strobel in Washington; Tom Perry in Beirut and Suleiman Al-Khalidi in Amman; writing by Daren Butler; editing by David Dolan, Nick Tattersall and Peter Graff) By Brad Haynes and Nathan Layne CAMPO GRANDE, Brazil/BENTONVILLE, Arkansas (Reuters) - When Wal-Mart Stores Inc. first expanded into Brazil's midwestern farm-belt city of Campo Grande seven years ago, the economy was booming and executives were eager to open stores even in sub-prime locations on one-way streets heading out of town. It didnt last. At the end of December, the U.S. retailer closed both of its Maxxi brand cash-and-carry stores in Campo Grande as part of a restructuring that shuttered 60 locations across Brazil, including some Supercenters. Shoppers said the stores could not compete on assortment, price or location. "It was never clear who Maxxi was for. It wasn't cheap enough for the poor. But there was no appeal for the middle class," said Ordecy Gossler, 40, a public accountant filling his cart with cleaning supplies and toilet paper at Atacadao, a rival chain run by France's Carrefour. "When they announced in December that both Maxxis were closing, no one in my office knew where they were." Today, Wal-Mart has just one Supercenter left in this city of 850,000 people, whose demographic of thrifty shoppers had once seemed suited to the world's largest retailer. It shuttered the citys other one at the end of the year, as traffic dwindled in the shopping mall it was meant to anchor.The retreat from Campo Grande is emblematic of Wal-Marts broader issues in Brazil, a once-red-hot destination for foreign retailers and other companies that has turned stone cold. And the lackluster performance in Latin America's largest economy shows how tactics that helped Wal-Mart build success in the U.S. sometimes get badly lost in translation overseas. International results have been anemic, despite $22 billion in capital investment over the past five years. Wal-Mart last year generated a 4.5 percent operating profit margin from international markets, well below the 7.4 percent return posted from the U.S. Seeking higher returns, Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillon in October announced a strategic review of the companys global assets. Some securities analysts have speculated Wal-Mart could exit Brazil, as well as other markets in Latin America where it is already closing an additional 55 stores. The pullback in Brazil also has some worrying echoes of previous Wal-Mart debacles overseas, including South Korea and Germany, two markets it abandoned in 2006. LABOR PROBLEMS Brazil in particular has been dogged by poor locations, inefficient operations, labor troubles and uncompetitive prices -- with some of the problems baked in during an aggressive, decade-long growth surge, according to interviews with a dozen former and current Wal-Mart executives, as well as analysts, shoppers and store employees. For a graphic showing some of Wal-Mart's Brazil problems, see http://tmsnrt.rs/1oH9pNu Wal-Mart would not comment on financial results from Brazil ahead of the company's quarterly earnings on Feb. 18. People familiar with the numbers told Reuters that Wal-Mart has posted operating losses in Brazil for each of the past seven years. Jo Newbould, a spokeswoman for the retailer, said the store closures were part of its efforts to actively manage its global assets and that it has been working to lower costs in Brazil. David Cheesewright, head of Wal-Marts international operations, said in an interview that it has no plans to quit Brazil. He pointed to the companys decision to invest in completing an integration of legacy computer systems into the wider Wal-Mart platform as evidence of a commitment to the market. "That's not the act of someone who is packing up the firm for other purposes," he said. Cheesewright expressed optimism about a turnaround. "It's a market that has always been high on potential, but has been a roller-coaster ride in terms of its performance," he said. "It happens to be on a downturn at the moment, and I'm sure it will do what it always has done, which is improve." RUNAWAY GROWTH Wal-Mart first entered Brazil in 1995 and grew in measured steps for nearly a decade. That changed in 2004-2005, when it spent about $1 billion to buy two retailers, Bompreco S.A. Supermercados do Nordeste and Sonae Distribuicao Brasil S.A. The deals expanded Wal-Marts operations into the northeast and south of Brazil, and marked the beginning of a spending spree aimed at building a national footprint. With the takeovers came an array of brands: Wal-Mart currently operates under nine different store banners in Brazil. At the height of the expansion, former Wal-Mart executives said, a land rush mentality took hold. Brazils thriving economy in those years convinced executives the biggest risk lay in moving too slowly. In response, they approved new store sites based on increasingly rosy forecasts of future sales. "Most executives didn't have the voice to say, 'Don't open this store; let's not approve more stores, a former finance executive recalled. Why not? Because Brazil was the new country. We needed to put investment in before others do." In a six-year stretch through the fiscal year ending January 2013, Wal-Mart doubled its locations, reaching nearly 560 at its peak. The rapid expansion strained Wal-Mart's logistics -- traditionally one of its strong points in the U.S. but a drag on performance in Brazil. In some cases, delivery trucks drove days to reach distant stores from centrally located warehouses. Executives from headquarters bickered with those running some kinds of stores about who should bear the distribution costs, the former finance executive said. Amid the focus on growth, executives never fully integrated the legacy information systems from Bompreco and Sonae. Disruptions in communication between headquarters and the many different store types allowed inefficiencies to take root. Buyers, for instance, found themselves using three laptops, one each for the two legacy systems and another for the Wal-Mart platform, people familiar with the matter said. TAX ISSUES Cheesewright said he had put a priority on systems and would complete the integration by the middle of 2016. He said that would allow Brazil to benefit fully from system and process advancements made in the U.S., helping it to lower costs. He also said Wal-Mart was getting a grip on Brazil's complex tax system and litigious labor market, problems that have dogged it for years. In January 2014 Wal-Mart disclosed that unforeseen Brazil tax assessments and employment claims tied to a cost-cutting drive would slice 2 percent off its annual earnings globally. Labor claims in Brazil also hurt its results in the third quarter of the financial year that has just ended. Cheesewright said it was implementing a plan, including putting advanced time-keeping equipment in stores and getting workers to formally clock in, which should lower the risk of worker lawsuits."A lot of the stuff in Brazil is just the basic stuff: do people properly clock out for their lunch breaks, do you manage overtime correctly, do they have the right breaks between shifts?" he said. "It's a lot of basic blocking and tackling."Wal-Mart, whose sales at existing stores in the country edged down 0.6 percent in the August-October quarter, isn't the only retailer hurting in Brazil. With the economy in a deepening recession, market leader GPA, controlled by France's Casino, suffered a 2.3 percent sales drop at existing stores in the October-December quarter and has said it would slash investments in 2016. Carrefour bucked the trend, posting 8.5 percent growth in sales at existing stores, thanks to investments in hypermarkets and growth at Atacadao, the countrys biggest cash-and-carry chain. BEATEN ON ACQUISITION The cash-and-carry format, which features bulk sales of food and other items paid for in cash and carried out by the customers themselves, has emerged as a rare bright spot in Brazilian retail. Cheesewright said Maxxi was now one of Wal-Mart's best performing formats after it had narrowed its focus to small business owners, giving up on competing head-to-head with the larger warehouses of Atacadao, which caters to both business shoppers and an increasing number of thrifty families. But after paring back to 44 locations, Maxxi gives Wal-Mart far less exposure to the cash-and-carry business than Atacadao and GPA's Assai, which have 123 and 95 stores, respectively. Some analysts and former executives say one of Wal-Marts biggest missteps was losing a bidding match for Atacadao to Carrefour, which paid $1.1 billion for it in 2007. Cheesewright said Wal-Mart was piloting a larger version of its Todo Dia discount format in part as a way to attract some of the family shoppers now using rival cash-and-carry stores. Other plans include renovating supermarkets with a slightly smaller assortment and a focus on fresh food. The task of making all that happen falls to Flavio Cotini, who was promoted this month from chief financial officer to head the Brazilian operations. The reshuffle marked the fourth leadership change in Brazil since 2008 -- a lack of continuity at the top that has exacerbated problems, including hindering efforts to integrate operations, former executives said. "When you build a castle you build the foundation first. Wal-Mart did it in reverse in Brazil," a former senior executive in the international business said. "It is so hard to build a national chain when your system backbone is not in place." (reporting by Brad Haynes in Campo Grande and Nathan Layne in Bentonville; additional reporting by Tatiana Bautzer in Sao Paulo and Dominique Vidalon in Paris; Editing by Martin Howell) SWNS

Americans are still waiting for their Goldilocks moment four in five say theyve never found their perfect fit for certain items.

According to a new poll of 1,000 people 250 lbs and over and 1,000 people under 250 lbs, 52% struggle to find clothing, mattresses (40%) and bathtubs or shower enclosures (38%) that fit their body types.

In fact, about two-thirds (67%) find themselves struggling frequently with finding items that fit their body size needs.

This was especially true for those 350 lbs and over, as 41% admit they always struggle, compared to only 23% of those under 250 lbs.

Despite frequency, almost three-quarters (74%) of all respondents find themselves feeling frustrated when they are searching for an item that accommodates their needs.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Big Fig Mattress, the survey asked respondents how they go about their everyday lives despite challenges they may face because of their body type.

Results found that seven in 10 respondents feel less confident when they struggle with finding items that fit their size needs.

When asked about other emotions respondents experience, those 250 lbs and over are more likely to feel set apart from others, citing embarrassed (59%) and isolated (53%).

While those who are under 250 lbs tend to lean towards disappointed (51%).

Even so, those 250 lbs and up were more optimistic than those under (35% vs 23%).

The average respondent has crossed off about five brands or retailers because they dont carry products that meet their physical needs.

However, for those who are 250 lbs and over, 72% have eliminated between three and eight stores.

Almost one in five (18%) of those under 250 lbs cited that all stores carry their size, compared to only 2% of those who are 250 lbs and up.

"This survey makes it clear that the 'all' part of 'one size fits all' couldn't be further from the truth," said Jeff Brown, president, Big Fig Mattress. "Almost two in five respondents haven't found something that they felt was made for them. Everybody and every body deserves a long-lasting and comfortable mattress to support a good night's sleep, regardless of your size."

Products made for all body types are an issue no matter what the product, with respondents needing to stand on furniture to reach something (46%) or finding that clothing is either way too long or too short (46%).

And ill-fitting items arent just an inconvenience, 61% of respondents say that clothing, vehicles (59%) and mattresses (50%) that arent made for their body type have a big impact on their quality of life.

More than half of those 250 lbs and over (53%) believe their life is more difficult than for someone who is considered normal sized.

But that doesnt mean respondents are only dwelling on the negative almost half (44%) frequently make light of their struggles.

When asked how they do so, respondents outlined things like, I speak to myself. I'm beautiful and special. I'm impeccable," and Remind myself that if this is the biggest problem I have, then I am doing just fine in life."

The survey also asked about relationship status and how respondents are navigating integrating their lifestyles with another uniquely sized person.

Seventy-four percent of all respondents are in a relationship and living with their significant other.

Almost half (45%) are mixed-size couples, meaning they have a noticeable difference in body size or type.

Because of this, couples face challenges like finding a place to live that accommodates both people (40%), struggling to share a mattress comfortably (40%) and having items that one person uses but the other never would such as step stools (34%).

In the end, more than two-thirds (68%) of all respondents agree that its difficult to navigate a one size fits all world when people have varying body types.

We believe and support being body positive, in body acceptance, and in making positive life choices, noted Brown. Bigger figured people deserve the same level of quality products and choices as everyone else. Its important to accept that all bodies are different and require more from product manufacturers, and I think the data makes that clear.

MOST DIFFICULT ITEMS TO FIND FOR A SPECIFIC BODY TYPE

Survey methodology:

This random double-opt-in survey of 1,000 Americans under 250 lbs and 1,000 Americans 250 lbs and up was commissioned by Big Big Mattress between September 8 and September 21. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).

Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: The Syrian wing of the terrorist organization Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) stands behind the terrorist attack in Ankara, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, Turkish TRT Haber TV channel reported Feb. 18. The law enforcement agencies have arrested nine people suspected of involvement in the terrorist attack, according to him. The aim of the terrorist attack is to frighten and weaken Turkey, said Davutoglu. The terrorist attack, which was carried out in Ankara Feb. 17 and killed 28 people, was committed by the Syrian citizen Saleh Nejar. Nejar came to Turkey from Syria as a refugee a year ago. A terror attack was carried out in Ankara Feb. 17 near the buildings of the Turkish parliament, the general staff and a military dorm in the city. Commenting on the explosion Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the explosion killed 28 and injured 61. Reports suggest that a car bomb was detonated. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - The oil world has been shaken this week by some of the biggest producers agreeing to freeze their output at January levels to contain a supply glut and prevent a further slide in prices, but markets show investors doubt this tactic will work. Oil ministers of top exporter Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Venezuela, together with non-OPEC member Russia, said after meeting in the Qatari capital of Doha on Tuesday they had agreed to keep output unchanged from January, provided other big guns followed suit. Iraq, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates said they would observe a freeze, on condition enough other large exporters did the same. The wild card is Iran, returning to the markets after years of sanctions, which has said it will resist any such curbs and stick to its pledge to increase production by 1 million barrels per day in the next 6-12 months. Oil ministers from Iran, Venezuela, Iraq and Qatar met in Tehran on Wednesday and Iranian oil minister Bijan Zanganeh said his country welcomed the decision by OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers to keep a "ceiling" on output. But Zanganeh did not explicitly say whether Iran would keep its own output at its January level. Tellingly, the longer end of the Brent futures price curve suggests that, for now, investors doubt that any such freeze would tilt the market into a supply deficit any time soon. The proposal aims to stem a 70 percent fall in the oil price over the last 20 months, after U.S. shale oil output and near-record production from OPEC and other major producers such as Russia created one of the largest global surpluses of modern times. IRAN TALKS LIFT PRICES Benchmark Brent futures prices rose by nearly 5 percent from Tuesday's close to above $34 a barrel by 1615 GMT following the Tehran talks. "Doha may have ended in an agreement but it opens up more questions than it answers. All the meeting has done is highlight the difficulties in reaching any agreement. The market needs a cut, not a production freeze," David Hufton, an analyst at broker PVM Oil Associates, said. In January, OPEC and Russia, the world's largest producer, were already pumping at or near record highs. The premium for oil in a year's time compared with oil for immediate delivery briefly spiked to nearly $9 a barrel on Tuesday, after the announcement, only to be winched back to a four-month low around $6. The larger the premium, the greater the expectation among investors that the supply of oil will be less plentiful in future and the gap right now is at its narrowest since October 2015. Further out, investors do not expect the oil price to trade far above $40 a barrel even by December next year. The December 2017 Brent futures contract trades at a premium of just over $10 to the front month April contract. Even if the major producers did agree to freeze or cut production, nimble U.S. shale producers could take advantage by boosting output to replace any fall in supply. Some analysts believe the major producers, which can produce at low cost, may be better off putting up with a period of low prices to drive higher-cost competitors out of business. "A sizeable, visible and lasting cut would clearly send a bullish signal to markets in the short-term. But given U.S. shale players ability to bounce back, and U.S. investors desire to pounce amid a dearth of other opportunities, this could quickly re-stimulate production, and prices could arguably stay lower in the medium-term in this case," analysts JBC said in a note. (Reporting by Amanda Cooper; Graphic by Stephen Culp; Editing by Adrian Croft) By Alonso Soto BRASILIA (Reuters) - Standard & Poor's downgraded Brazil's credit rating deeper into junk territory on Wednesday, citing its failure to curb its fiscal deficit, in a surprise blow to President Dilma Rousseff`s bid to haul the economy out of its worst recession in decades. S&P cut Brazil's sovereign credit rating to BB from BB+ with a negative outlook, just five months after becoming the first agency to strip the country of its coveted investment grade. Fitch ratings followed suit in December. Standard & Poor's highlighted the government's inability to plug the widening fiscal deficit amid a deepening political and economic crisis. Brazil's economy, the largest in Latin America, is on track for its worst recession since records began in 1901, after contracting around 4 percent last year. "We now expect a more prolonged adjustment process with a slower correction in fiscal policy, as well as another year of steep economic contraction," S&P said in a statement. Brazil's budget deficit has mushroomed since Rousseff took office in 2011. The deficit equalled 10.3 percent of gross domestic product in 2015, nearly five times its shortfall in the 12 months to mid-2011. By comparison, at the height of its debt crisis in 2009 Greece had a deficit of 15.2 percent of GDP. The downgrade caught Brazilian officials by surprise. Once the rising star among major emerging economies, Brazil now shares the same rating of its much poorer neighbours Paraguay and Bolivia. "We were considering this possibility, but we didn't think it would come so quickly," said a presidential aide who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Another government official said the surprise move could prompt the administration to announce a series of fiscal measures as soon as Friday. The government is working on legislation to reduce its fiscal goal for 2016 as revenues plummet. The government is also considering a budget freeze of around 24 billion reais ($6.02 billion), down sharply from the near 70 billion reais in 2015, the official told Reuters. In an official statement, the finance ministry said it was confident the downgrade will be reversed as soon as measures to rebalance the public accounts and bolster growth start to take hold. Brazil's benchmark Bovespa stock index and its currency gave back some of the day's gains immediately after the decision. The downgrade could exert further downward pressure on the real currency and prompt investors to exit an economy that only four years ago was growing above 4 percent, and raise borrowing costs for the government and corporations. The real currency lost more than 30 percent of its value last year. "This is unlikely to be the last downgrade because of the secular downward trend in emerging market credit ratings," said Alejo Czerwonko, emerging markets strategist at UBS Wealth Management, pointing to today's downgrade of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Kazakhstan. "If policymakers have not reacted to previous downgrades why would they react to this marginal change in rating." Barclays said it expects S&P to downgrade Brazil again by the end of the year as political turmoil is likely to continue. Moody's and Fitch could downgrade the country in the first half of the year, Barclays said in the research note. The downgrade highlights the challenges that Rousseff faces amid growing pressure from allies to relax an austerity drive and stimulate economic growth to survive ongoing impeachment proceedings. Markets now expect the Brazilian economy to shrink more than 3 percent this year, fuelling unemployment. More than 1.5 million Brazilians lost their jobs last year, helping to crush Rousseff's approval ratings. (Additional reporting by Bruno Federowski and Silvio Cascione; Writing by Alonso Soto and Daniel Flynn; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Bernard Orr) Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.18, By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: The terrorist attack committed in Ankara on Feb.17 has killed 20 high-ranking servicemen and eight civilians, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. He added that 14 people, suspected of being involved in this terrorist attack were detained in Turkey on Feb.18, TRT Haber reported. It was revealed that prior to committing the explosion, the terrorist had connections both inside and outside Turkey, according to the president. A terror attack was carried out in Ankara Feb. 17 near the buildings of the Turkish parliament, the general staff and a military dorm in the city. Commenting on the explosion Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the explosion killed 28 and injured 61. Reports suggest that a car bomb was detonated. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said that the Syrian wing of the terrorist organization Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) stands behind the terrorist attack in Ankara. Earlier on Feb.17, Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has warned the country of the possibility of new terrorist attacks. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu By Nick Tattersall and Asli Kandemir ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey will not let Kurdish militia fighters backed by the United States establish a foothold on its border in northern Syria and will not stop shelling if its security is threatened, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday. The Kurdish YPG militia, regarded by Ankara as a hostile insurgent group, has taken advantage in recent weeks of a major Syrian army offensive around the city of Aleppo, backed by Russian air strikes, to seize ground from Syrian rebels near the Turkish border. Their gains have infuriated Turkey, which has shelled YPG positions in Syria in response to what it says is fire coming across the border. They have also complicated wider efforts to end the Syrian conflict, deepening divisions between NATO member Turkey and the United States, which views the YPG as a useful ally in the fight against Islamic State. "Today our rules of engagement may be just about responding to an armed attack against our country, but tomorrow if necessary those rules can be expanded to cover every threat," Erdogan said in a speech broadcast live on television. "Nobody should doubt that. We will not allow the formation of a new 'Qandil' on our southern border," he said, referring to the Qandil mountains of northern Iraq, where the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has established bases during a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state. Turkey argues that the YPG is an extension of the PKK, deemed a terrorist group by the United States and European Union. It accuses the YPG of pursuing "demographic change" in northern Syria by forcibly displacing Turkmen and Arab communities, as well as Kurds who do not share its ideology. Ankara ultimately fears the creation of an independent Kurdish state occupying contiguous territories currently belonging to Iraq, Syria and Turkey. Erdogan said he could not understand why Washington refused to call the YPG and its political wing, the PYD, a terrorist organization. Ignoring their links to the PKK was, he said, a hostile attitude to Turkey and reiterated comments of recent days asking the United States to choose its allies: "We want to know: are your friends the YPG, PYD, or us," he said. Washington has told the YPG to avoid doing anything to increase tensions with Turkey, saying they undermine the struggle against Islamic State, but has also urged Turkey to cease artillery fire across its border, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Tuesday. RENEWED CALLS FOR "SAFE ZONE" Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan said Turkey wants a secure strip of territory 10 km (6 miles) deep on the Syrian side of its border, including the town of Azaz, to prevent attempts to "change the demographic structure" of the area. Azaz is the last rebel stronghold before the border with Turkey north of the Syrian city of Aleppo, part of what was, before the Syrian government offensive, a supply route from Turkey to the rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad. It has come under heavy assault in recent days, but Turkey has said it will not let the town fall into YPG hands. "There is a game being played with the aim of changing the demographic structure. Turkey should not be part of this game," Akdogan said in an interview on the AHaber television station. "What we want is to create a secure strip, including Azaz, 10 km deep inside Syria and this zone should be free from clashes," he said. Turkey, home to more than 2.6 million Syrian refugees, has long pushed for the creation of a safe zone in Syria to protect displaced civilians without bringing them into Turkey. The proposal has so far gained little traction with Washington or NATO allies who fear it would require an internationally patrolled no-fly zone which could put them in direct confrontation with Assad and his allies. But Erdogan said some countries were warming to the idea. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, under pressure at home over her open-door policy for refugees, said on Wednesday that it would be good for the people in Aleppo and the area around it to create "a kind of no fly zone" up to the Turkish border, reiterating comments she made on Monday. Akdogan said another 600,000 people could flee to the Turkish border if Aleppo falls to the Syrian army. (Additional reporting by Ercan Gurses in Ankara and Melih Aslan in Istanbul, Andreas Rinke in Berlin; Editing by Giles Elgood) By Ercan Gurses and Humeyra Pamuk ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu blamed a Syrian Kurdish militia fighter working with Kurdish militants inside Turkey for a suicide car bombing that killed 28 people in the capital Ankara, and he vowed retaliation in both Syria and Iraq. A car laden with explosives detonated next to military buses as they waited at traffic lights near Turkey's armed forces' headquarters, parliament and government buildings in the administrative heart of Ankara late on Wednesday. Davutoglu said the attack was clear evidence that the YPG, a Syrian Kurdish militia that has been supported by the United States in the fight against Islamic State in northern Syria, was a terrorist organization and that Turkey, a NATO member, expected cooperation from its allies in combating the group. Within hours, Turkish warplanes bombed bases in northern Iraq of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state and which Davutoglu accused of collaborating in the car bombing. Turkey's armed forces also shelled YPG positions in northern Syria on Thursday, a security source said. Davutoglu said the artillery fire would continue and promised that those responsible for the Ankara attack would "pay the price". "Yesterday's attack was directly targeting Turkey and the perpetrator is the YPG and the divisive terrorist organization PKK. All necessary measures will be taken against them," Davutoglu said in a televised speech. President Tayyip Erdogan also said initial findings suggested the Syrian Kurdish militia and the PKK were behind the bombing and said that 14 people had been detained. The political arm of the YPG, denied involvement in the bombing, while a senior member of the PKK said he did not know who was responsible. The attack was the latest in a series of bombings in the past year mostly blamed on Islamic State militants. Turkey is getting dragged ever deeper into the war in neighboring Syria and is trying to contain some of the fiercest violence in decades in its predominantly Kurdish southeast. The YPG militia, regarded by Ankara as a hostile insurgent force deeply linked to the PKK, has taken advantage in recent weeks of a major Syrian army offensive around the northern city of Aleppo, backed by Russian air strikes, to seize ground from Syrian rebels near the Turkish border. That has alarmed Turkey, which fears the advances will stoke Kurdish separatist ambitions at home. It has been bombarding YPG positions in an effort to stop them taking the town of Azaz, the last stronghold of Turkish-backed Syrian rebels north of Aleppo before the Turkish frontier. Hundreds of Syrian rebels with weapons and vehicles have re-entered Syria from Turkey over the last week to reinforce insurgents fending off the Kurdish-led assault on Azaz, rebel sources said on Thursday. TENSIONS WITH WASHINGTON The co-leader of the YPG's political wing denied that the affiliated YPG perpetrated the Ankara bombing and said Turkey was using the attack to justify an escalation in fighting in northern Syria. "We are completely refuting that. ...Davutoglu is preparing for something else because they are shelling us as you know for the past week," Saleh Muslim told Reuters by telephone. Washington's support of the YPG - it views the group as a useful ally in the fight against Islamic State - has strained relations with Turkey. Both Erdogan and Davutoglu have called on the United States to cut ties with the insurgents. State Department spokesman John Kirby said Washington was not in a position to either confirm or deny Turkey's charge the YPG was behind the attack. He also called on Turkey to stop shelling the YPG. Turkey has said its shelling of YPG positions is a response, within its rules of engagement, to hostile fire coming across the border into Turkey, something Saleh Muslim also denied. "I can assure you not even one bullet is fired by the YPG into Turkey ... They don't consider Turkey an enemy," he said. The co-leader of the PKK umbrella group, Cemil Bayik, was quoted by the Firat news agency as saying he did not know who was responsible for the Ankara bombing. But the attack, he said, could be an answer to "massacres in Kurdistan", referring to the Kurdish region spanning parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. Turkey has been battling PKK militants in its own southeast, where a 2-1/2 year ceasefire collapsed last July and pitched the region into its worst bloodshed since the 1990s. Six soldiers were killed and one wounded on Thursday when a remote-controlled handmade bomb hit their vehicle, the military said. WARNING TO RUSSIA Davutoglu named the suicide bomber as Salih Necar, born in 1992 and from the Hasakah region of northern Syria, and said he was a member of the YPG. A senior security official said the alleged bomber had entered Turkey from Syria in July 2014, although he may have crossed the border illegally multiple times before that, and said he had had contact with the PKK and Syrian intelligence. Davutoglu also accused the Syrian government of a hand in the Ankara bombing and warned Russia, whose air strikes in northern Syria have helped the YPG to advance, against using the Kurdish militant group against Turkey. "I'd like to warn Russia, which is giving air support to the YPG in its advance on Azaz, not to use this terrorist group against the innocent people of Syria and Turkey," he said. "Russia condemned yesterday's attack, but it is not enough. All those who intend to use terrorist organizations as proxies should know that this game of terror will turn around like a boomerang and hit them first." Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told a teleconference with reporters that the Kremlin condemned the bombing "in the strongest possible terms". (Additional reporting by Seyhmus Cakan in Diyarbakir, Daren Butler and Ece Toksabay in Istanbul, Orhan Coskun in Ankara, Dmitry Solovyov in Moscow and Lesley Wroughton in Washington; Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Andrew Heavens and Andrew Hay) By Edith Honan and Elias Biryabarema KAMPALA (Reuters) - The man hoping to break Yoweri Museveni's 30-year grip on Uganda's presidency was briefly arrested on Thursday and the government shut down social media sites as voters cast their ballots under the gaze of police and soldiers in riot gear. Opposition officials said Kizza Besigye was arrested at dusk on polling day and held for about 30 minutes in the capital Kampala, but despite the tough security there were no reported flare ups of violence. All sides accuse each other of stoking tensions and assembling vigilante groups to intimidate rival candidates, and the leading opposition contenders predicted vote rigging in the ballot that Museveni is widely expected to win. "Such a day is highly undermined by the lack of free and fair elections," Besigye, 59, told reporters in the village of Rukungiri in western Uganda. Washington condemned his arrest, with State Department spokesman John Kirby saying it called into question Ugandas commitment to a transparent election, free from intimidation. Citing security concerns, Godfrey Mutabazi, the head of the Ugandan Communications Commission, told Reuters authorities had blocked access to Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp services. Press freedom group the Committee to Protect Journalists said: "Such censorship undermines the democratic process." Museveni, 71, came to power in 1986 after waging a five-year guerrilla war and many Ugandans credit him with providing relative peace and economic stability. He is a staunch U.S. ally, and Ugandan soldiers lead an African Union peacekeeping force against Islamist insurgents in Somalia. After voting, Museveni warned anyone fuelling unrest would face Uganda's security apparatus. "If anybody tries to bring violence, we shall just get him, put him in the deep freezer until he cools down and ... the blood pressure comes down," he told reporters in Rushere, his home village. VICTORY EXPECTED A senior official at Besigye's Forum for Democratic Change said he was arrested on Thursday while attempting to investigate reports of vote tampering. Police spokesman Patrick Onyango said Besigye had been apprehended for criminal trespass and assault. Besigye has been arrested on numerous occasions. On Monday, one person was killed and 19 wounded when he was briefly detained and his supporters erected barricades and hurled rocks at the police, who responded by firing bullets and teargas. Museveni's NRM party was scathing. "It is highly irresponsible, as a principal presidential candidate, to be causing deliberate and unnecessary tension by undertaking stunts with the sole aim of attracting media attention to his unproven claims," spokesman Mike Sebaulu said. While Museveni is widely expected to retain the presidency, in urban areas young voters demanded change and blaming him for not tackling endemic corruption or creating jobs. "I was a baby when Museveni came in. Now, even my own children are seeing that same face. Is he the only one who can rule this country?" asked Uthman Kalyango, 32. Museveni's other major challenger, former prime minister Amama Mbabazi, was a close ally of the president until a power struggle last year, and also campaigned on promises of reform. Many voters such as Joel Nyonyintono, a 26-year-old entrepreneur, say they are ashamed of Uganda's neglected roads and hospitals, and frustrated by the slow pace of change. "We are so far behind. We need to open our eyes and move into the 'now' tense," Nyonyintono said as he sat near a church in Kampala. But other voters, like 56-year-old fruit vendor Nanteza Beatrice, said change made them nervous. "We have had peace for a long time and these young people are taking it for granted because they don't know how it was before," she said, referring to years when Uganda was ruled by Idi Amin and Milton Obote who became infamous for orchestrating unpredictable violence. Voting was extended in some districts due to delays, the electoral commission said. A handful of polling stations will reopen on Friday, it added. It not yet clear when results are due. (Additional reporting by Ben Makori and Arshad Mohammed; Writing by Edith Honan and Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Alison Williams) By Edith Honan and Elias Biryabarema KAMPALA (Reuters) - Ugandan opposition candidate Kizza Besigye said on Wednesday his supporters may stage street protests to dispute the outcome of Thursday's presidential election since veteran leader Yoweri Museveni was "not going to go peacefully". The president has ruled for 30 years but the vote is likely to be his toughest challenge yet, given the size and enthusiasm of crowds at opposition rallies and all sides accusing each other of stoking tensions and assembling vigilante groups. On Monday, one person was killed after police fired bullets and tear gas at Besigye supporters, who hurled rocks and erected street barricades. "He's not going to go peacefully," Besigye, 59, said in an interview at his farm in the outskirts of the capital, repeating an assertion that he believed Museveni would rig the vote. "Our more likely path would be to revert to the people. It is their voices that are being stolen," he told Reuters. Besigye added that his supporters lacked weapons "so the people who would be causing the bloodshed are the regime officials". Museveni, 71, has warned opponents to expect a tough response from security services if violence erupts. "Whoever will try to bring violence, you will see what we shall do to him, Museveni said at his final rally on Tuesday, according to the Daily Monitor newspaper. Political analysts predict that Museveni, a staunch Western ally who came to power in the East African state in 1986, will win, but they say this election is different because opposition support appears to have grown significantly. Besigye, who was Museveni's personal doctor in the early 1980s and is now challenging him for the fourth time, is popular in urban areas where youth unemployment is rife. Another former Museveni ally-turned-challenger, ex-prime minister Amama Mbabazi, has also drawn large rallies and hopes to siphon away support from disaffected members of Museveni's party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM). But Museveni's message of slow but steady progress appears to still resonate strongly among rural voters, and analysts say he has built a patronage system where much of Uganda's bureaucracy feels indebted to the president. Badru Kiggundu, chairman of the electoral commission, told reporters he had received tip-offs that leading candidates were planning to form "youth brigades, vigilantes, militias", and he urged them to desist. Rights groups have called on Museveni to disband his "Crime Preventers" program, made up of loose groups of citizens estimated to number tens of thousands who activists say have assaulted supporters of opposition candidates. Besigye accuses the police of intimidation and says he has been arrested 44 times since the last election in 2011. He has sharpened his rhetoric from previous races, alleging Museveni has done little to address rampant corruption, high joblessness and Uganda's ill-equipped schools and hospitals. "It will be disastrous, the longer he stays," he said. "Every potential for a failed state exists in this country." (Editing by Drazen Jorgic and Mark Heinrich) Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Ambassadors of the UN Security Council's member states to Turkey have visited the country's foreign ministry, Anadolu Agency reported Feb. 18. Reportedly, Feridun Sinirlioglu, advisor at Turkish foreign ministry, met with them. Earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the UNSC states' ambassadors will be summoned to the foreign ministry to be familiarized with facts proving that the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) are terrorist groups. A terror attack was carried out in Ankara Feb. 17 near the buildings of the Turkish parliament, the general staff and a military dorm in the city. Commenting on the explosion Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the explosion killed 28 and injured 61. Reports suggest that a car bomb was detonated. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the terrorist attack committed in Ankara on Feb.17 has killed 20 high-ranking servicemen and eight civilians. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said that the Syrian wing of the terrorist organization Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) stands behind the terrorist attack in Ankara. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu CLEARWATER, Fla., Feb. 18, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Tuesday, 16th February, Maria Lara, Colombian Actress and TV star delivered a seminar in The Way to Happiness Foundation center, downtown Clearwater, on the book by the same name. A diverse group of dozens of people from all over Pinellas County attended. The Way to Happiness booklet is a non-religious and non-political moral code based wholly on common sense. It was written by L. Ron Hubbard as an individual work and is not part of any religious doctrine. Since The Way to Happiness Center opened in downtown Clearwater on 11 July 2015, over 7000 people have toured through its state of the art interactive displays, seminar and conference rooms. Staff and volunteers have held over 200 events in the center and with their volunteers have distributed over 120,000 The Way to Happiness booklets throughout Tampa Bay. Evidence of the alarming erosion of morality in the Tampa Bay area emerged when a recent survey found 50 percent of students in Pinellas County had been verbally bullied and 30 percent had been physically bullied. Additionally, the county ranks fourth in domestic violence with some 2,000 incidents last year alone. Worldwide various groups and people have used The Way to Happiness and adopted its moral code, including teachers, ministers, businessmen and even entire companies. One stunning example: When the National Police of Colombia adopted The Way to Happiness and undertook nationwide distribution, reaching 20 percent of the population, the nation's crime rates plummeted. The Way to Happiness is available in 112 languages, with some 115 million copies distributed in 186 nations. The campaign to distribute the book has been embraced by more than 257,000 groups and individuals. It holds the Guinness World Record as the single most-translated nonreligious book and fills the moral vacuum in an increasingly materialistic society. The Way to Happiness Center is supported by the Church of Scientology. The Way to Happiness campaign includes a series of public service announcementsone for each of the booklet's 21 common sense precepts. The book has also been brought vibrantly to life in an unabridged book on film. The Way to Happiness Educator's Package contains the materials needed to implement the program and fully engage students. All materials are available free of cost through the Foundation's headquarters on Fort Harrison Avenue. The Clearwater center is open to all from 10am to 10pm, 7 days a week. You are welcome to get your very own copy of The Way to Happiness or join us in one of our seminars. For further information please contact The Way to Happiness Center Manager Angela Matus at 727 467 6961 or by e-mail angela@twth.org. Australian police display silicone bra inserts and art supplies containing liquid meth in Sydney, Australia. (Photo : Twitter) In a joint operation with Chinese authorities, Australian law enforcement agencies have seized $900 million worth of liquid methylamphetamine smuggled in boxes of silicone bra inserts and art supplies in the countrys largest haul of illicit drugs in years, officials said on Monday. Four Chinese nationals, of whom three were carrying Hong Kong passports, were arrested in Sydney over their alleged role in importing and manufacturing 190 gallons of the drug, also known in Australia as "ice," according to the Associated Press. Advertisement The liquid could have made around 1,100 pounds of high-grade crystal meth, Australian Federal Police Commander Chris Sheehan said. 4.4 pounds of the drug in crystal form were also seized by authorities. The drugs were discovered at several locations in the Australian capital, including a shipping container sent from Hong Kong. "This is the largest seizure of liquid methamphetamine in Australia's history and one of the largest drug seizures in our country's history," Justice Minister Michael Keenan told reporters in Sydney. Keenan said the operation used information gathered through cooperation between the Australian Federal Police and China's National Narcotics Control Commission. The Australian and Chinese agencies established a task force in November to investigate criminal syndicates smuggling methamphetamine between the two countries. "This largest seizure of liquid methylamphetamine to date is the result of organized criminals targeting the lucrative Australian ice market from offshore," Keenan said. "This has resulted in 3.6 million individual hits of ice being taken off our streets." The four suspects are set to appear in court next month over charges of importing and manufacturing commercial quantities of illegal drugs. If convicted, each suspect faces life in prison. "We are alleging that the people we have arrested weren't just mere bit-players, they were significant players within this criminal network," said Sheehan. The raid comes months after the Australian government, led by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, announced a AU$300 million strategy to combat the growing use of ice following government reports indicating Australia had proportionally more users of the drug than most countries. The report showed that the use of the drug has doubled since 2007 to more than 200,000 people in 2013. According to an Australian Crime Commission report published in 2015, 1 gram of ice in China costs $80, while users in Australia had to pay $500 for the same amount. As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ China, the world's second highest in R&D spending, has started its key national R&D plan focused on specific areas in innovation and development. (Photo : REUTERS) China has started its national key research and development (R&D) plan on Tuesday, Feb. 16, with the aim to streamline numerous scientific and technological programs funded by government, the Xinhua News Agency reported. Advertisement Hou Jianguo, vice minister of science and technology, said that the plan will focus on research in fields that would be vital to the country's development and people's well-being, such as agriculture, the environment, health and energy, as well as strategic fields key to innovation, industrial competitiveness and national security. During the press conference held by the Ministry of Science and Technology on Tuesday, Hou said that the plan now covers 59 specific projects. The report said that several prominent state sci-tech programs were merged under the plan, including Program 863 and Program 973, which are focused on key fields such as automation, biotechnology, energy, information, new materials, space, telecommunications and marine technology. Program 863 has made breakthroughs that included supercomputer Tianhe-1, manned deep-sea research submersible Jiaolong, and super hybrid rice. More than 100 programs will be merged into five plans, namely natural science, major sci-tech, key R&D plan, technical innovation and the sci-tech human resources, in a bid to address the low efficiency that results from redundant programs. According to the "UNESCO Science Report: Towards 2030," China's R&D spending is now the second highest in the world, Xinhua reported in November last year. The country's R&D has seen rapid growth, from only 5 percent of global R&D investment in 2005 to nearly 20 percent over the last five years. The UNESCO report is conducted every five years, and aims to provide an overview of levels of higher education, research and innovation around the world. From 2009 to 2014, China's investment accounted for 20 percent of global R&D expenditure, ahead of the EU with 19 percent and Japan with 10 percent. Leading the way is United States with 28 percent, while the remaining two-thirds of the world's population accounts for just 23 percent of the global R&D expenditure. China also has the second highest number of scientists globally, hosting 19 percent of the world's scientists, just behind the EU with 22 percent. Chinese scientists working on gravitational waves. (Photo : Reuters) Chinese scientists are offering a space gravitational wave detection project that could either become a part of the European Space Agencys evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (eLISA) project or a parallel project, China Daily reported. Advertisement The discovery of gravitational waves by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory in the U.S. on Thursday, Feb. 11, has encouraged scientists around the world, including China, to accelerate research. Gravitational waves are tiny ripples in the space-time fabric caused by violent astronomical events. The report said that a group of scientists from the pre-research group at the Chinese Academy of Sciences will finish drafting a plan for a space gravitational wave detection project by the end of this year and submit it to China's sci-tech authorities for review. According to the report, the Taiji project has two alternative plans. One is to take a 20-percent share of the European Space Agency's eLISA project, and the other is for China to launch its own satellites by 2033 to validate the European Space Agency (ESA) project. "Gravitational waves provide us with a new tool to understand the universe, so China has to actively participate in the research," Hu Wenrui, a prominent physicist in China and a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said. "If we launch our own satellites, we will have a chance to be a world leader in gravitational wave research in the future," Hu added. "If we just participate in the eLISA project, it will also greatly boost China's research capacity in space science and technology. In either case, it depends on the decision-makers' resolution and the country's investment." The report said that different scenarios will be included in the draft plan, with budgets ranging from 160 million yuan ($24.3 million) to more than 10 billion yuan. "Although I am not sure which plan the decision-makers will finally choose, I think the minimum budget of 160 million yuan should not be a problem for China," Hu said. Under a cooperative mission, ESA and NASA launched the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna's gravitational wave observatory to detect and observe gravitational waves. The project was proposed in 1993, which involved three satellites that were arranged in a triangular formation and sent laser beams between each other. The report said that after NASA withdrew from the project due to a budget shortage in 2011, the LISA project evolved into a condensed version known as eLISA. On Dec. 2, ESA launched the space probe LISA Pathfinder to validate technologies that could be used in the construction of a full-scale eLISA observatory, scheduled for launch in 2035. "Currently, all the operating gravitational wave detection experiments worldwide are ground observatories, which can only detect high-frequency gravitational wave signals," said Wu Yueliang, deputy president of the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "A space observatory, without any ground interference or limitation to the length of its detection arms, can spot gravitational waves at lower frequency." On Feb. 11, gravitational waves caused by two black holes merging about 1.3 billion years ago were detected and confirmed by scientists from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in the U.S. The report said it was the first time that the elusive phenomenon was directly detected since it was predicted by Albert Einstein 100 years ago. Now considered the most advanced ground facility for gravitational research, LIGO includes two gravitational wave detectors located in the rural areas of Washington and Louisiana states in the U.S. "Metaphorically speaking, if the research into gravitational waves is a symphony, the discovery of the LIGO experiment makes a good prelude by proving that the hypothetical wave does exist," said Hu. "But I believe the other movements will mostly be composed of new discoveries from space observatory devices, because the low and middle band--which can only be detected from space--is the most extensive source of gravitational wave." The report, however, said that CAS's Taiji project has competitors in China. In July, Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, proposed the Tianqin project, which will receive a 300 million yuan startup fund from the local government to initiate a four-step plan to send three satellites in search of gravitational waves and other cosmic mysteries. Li Miao, director of the Institute of Astronomy and Space Science, said it was still too early to tell the definite direction of the Tianqin project. "The major gravitational wave research program in China is the cooperation with eLISA, which is led by Professor Hu Wenrui," Li told Guangdong's Nanfang Daily. "The reason that eLISA made progress rather slowly was that the member states in Europe held different opinions as to whether gravitational waves exist," Li added. "Now this has been proved to be true, which will greatly accelerate the pace of research in and out of China." Lumia 650 review, specs and price: Why does Lumia 650 lack the best feature of Windows 10 mobile? An image of samples of Microsoft Lumia 650 (Photo : YouTube/ Btekt) After months of speculation, Microsoft has just launched Lumia 650, a Smartphone claimed to be the best Lumia in the market currently. However, Lumia 650 lacks continuum, which is one of the best features of Windows 10 mobile. Apparently, despite being a budget-friendly device, Microsoft Lumia 650 will not allow users to connect it to an external monitor with the purpose of using it as a full-fledged computer. Usually, the continuum feature enables the user to boost their productivity by using peripherals such as a keyboard and a mouse through the Display Dock. Advertisement According to Slash Gear, the hardware requirements for continuum discard Lumia 650 compatibility. It appears that a device requires a minimum of 2GB of RAM, plus a high-end processor to prop up the feature. However, an official Microsoft spokesman revealed that the issue was beyond the compatibility. He told the publication that the company was planning to deliver the most productive Windows 10 devices at all price points and hence for the Lumia 650, the objective was to make a beautiful device that would be affordable for businesspersons. According to the spokesman's message, Microsoft was intending to give customers smart business tools including One Drive integration, Cortana and seamless Office in Lumia 650's price range. The company, therefore, encouraged users who were seeking for continuum to explore the Lumia 950 or the Lumia 950XL devices. Regardless of lacking the continuum feature, Microsoft Lumia 650 boasts a 5-inch OLED display integrating a screen resolution of 1280 720 pixels. The device also houses a quad-core Snapdragon 212 processor clocked at 1.3 GHz, 1GB of RAM, a whopping 16GB of internal storage, an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel selfie camera, GSM Arena reported. The Lumia 650 also enjoys additional business-oriented features common in the Windows 10 mobile. It offers support for Microsoft business applications like 365 and runs the latest Microsoft Office apps. Microsoft plans to release the Lumia 650 in several markets in Europe on Feb. 18 at a price of only $199. Along with the latest rumors, this device may be the "last Lumia" to be released this year. Watch a clip of Microsoft Lumia 650 full specs; Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, Egypts most prominent journalist and commentator, died today at the age of 92 in Cairo after a brief illness that ended an accomplished life and remarkable career. Heikal will be buried today in a family service. Born in 1923, Heikal started his career as a journalist in the fall of 1942 at the Egyptian Gazette. His breakthrough came with his coverage of the WWII Battle of Al-Alemin for the Gazette. He later moved on to join the most established editor of the time, Mohamed El-Tabei, in the then most widely-circulated paper Akhr Saa. Heikal joined Akhbar Al-Youm and worked closely with the Amin brothers before moving on to chair Al-Ahram in 1957 for 14 years, transforming the paper into the Arab worlds most reputable press establishment. Following his remarkable years at the helm of Al-Ahram, Heikal produced the largest volume of his books that offer incredible insight into the politics of Egypt and the Middle East post Sykes-Picot up until the eve of the Arab Spring. Beyond his capacity as the top notch political journalist of the Arab world for seven consecutive years, Heikal assumed a political status that was prompted by his close association with Gamal Abdel Nasser during the tumultuous years of Egypts independence and wars with Israel. His political posturing was adjusted after a fall-out with Nassers successor Anwar Sadat over the latter's decisions on the Egyptian-Israeli negotiations following the end of the October War. Towards the end of Sadats rule, he imprisoned Heikal and other top figures from across the political spectrum. Following the dramatic assassination of Sadat, his successor Hosni Mubarak released Heikal and other political prisoners, but the rapport between the newcomer to the seat of power in Cairo and the established journalist was doomed. During the last years of Mubaraks rule, Heikal foresaw the outbreak of anger. With the start of the January revolution, he saw a new day of hope for the country. He insisted, however, that the January revolution was for the youth and declined to assume any central public role despite his deep political consultations. Heikal did not lend public support to any of the leading presidential runners in the spring of 2012 and called on the Muslim Brotherhood, upon the election of their candidate Mohamed Morsi, to avoid political exclusionism. However, a few months later, Heikal expressed concern over the fate of Morsis rule and made no small support for his ouster during the 30 June demonstrations. Heikal later offered generous support to the candidacy of Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and he dubbed him the president of need. During the last year, Heikal expressed much skepticism over state management both publicly and privately. In his last TV appearance in December 2015, Heikal was unequivocal in his warnings that Egypt is on a fast path towards political and economic troubles due to its lack of drive for reform. Search Keywords: Short link: The former secretary general of the United Nations and Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs for 14 years passed away on Wednesday Boutros Boutros-Ghali, 93, died on Tuesday in a Cairo hospital after being admitted with a broken pelvis. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi issued a statement offering condolences to both the Ghali family and the nation following the death of the prominent legal and political figure. The loss of Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who made admirable legal and political contributions to international life, will be felt in diplomatic quarters across the world, said the statement issued by the office of the president on Tuesday afternoon. The statement said Ghali will always be remembered in Egypt for helping negotiate the Egyptian-Israeli peace initiative that allowed the full return of Sinai, and for his diligence in consolidating Egypts diplomatic relations across Africa. El-Sisi called Ghali when he was admitted into hospital last weekend to wish him well. Amr Moussa, former Arab League secretary-general, also offered condolences for the loss of a true patriotic diplomat who spared no effort to serve the interests of his country and who managed to do so remarkably. Ghalis international reputation derived on decades of academic and diplomatic work. He was born on 14 November 1922 to a leading Coptic family. His grandfather, Boutros Ghali, assassinated in 1920, was the only Copt to serve as Egypts prime minister. In his three volumes of memoirs, based on the detailed journals he habitually kept, Boutros Boutros Ghali reflected on the political path his family had followed and often referred to his grandfather. Typical of the sons of leading wealthy families, Ghali studied law at Cairo University and at the University of Paris. He embarked on an academic career and, in cooperation with Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, the late legendary editor and chairman of Al-Ahram, helped establish Al-Ahrams Alsiyassa Aldawliya (International Politics) magazine in 1965. In his memoirs, Ghali wrote that he had always refused to fulfill his fathers hope that he join the diplomatic corps, only to be summoned by President Anwar Sadat in 1978 and offered a job as a minister of state for foreign affairs. Ghali said that his instincts were to decline the post, but Sadat would not hear of it. As a consequence, Sadat was able to complete the Camp David negotiations that eventually led to the signing of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty in March 1979, with Ghali at his side, despite facing the consecutive resignations of two foreign ministers. Ghali always defended the choices Sadat made as the only possible path at the time. In private talks and in interviews, he consistently argued Egypt had no option but to move forward with the peace process so as to free up political and diplomatic energy to focus on relations with Africa, core to Egypts existence and for too long ignored. In two volumes, Egypts Road to Jerusalem and Between Jerusalem and the Nile, Ghali offered detailed and revealing accounts of his efforts to encourage Sadat and his successor, Hosni Mubarak, to give greater priority to relations with Africa. He conceded he was not always successful, his efforts hampered by Cairos focus on political developments in the Arab World and by African scepticism, with many of the continents statesmen accusing Egypt of chauvinism. Fayza Aboul-Naga, national security advisor to the president and a former minister of state for foreign affairs, insists that despite the obstacles, What Ghali did for Egypt in Africa is remarkable. Ghali was particularly successful in capitalising on Egypts support for liberation movements in Africa under President Gamal Abdel-Nasser in the 1950s and 1960s, says Aboul-Naga. In 1980 Ghali set up a special unit for African cooperation within the Foreign Ministry. It was this unit, say Egyptian veterans of the Foreign Ministrys Africa Desk, which managed, despite chronic underfunding, to keep bridges between Cairo and African capitals open, particularly through the medical, scientific and education missions it sent across the continent. In 1991 Egypt nominated Ghali for the post of UN secretary-general. He became the first African to take the top job. He wrote about his five years at the UN headquarters in New York in his memoirs, reflecting on the shifting topography of international relations that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. During his time at the UN he fell afoul of Madeleine Albright, then the US permanent representative to the UN, who told him his chances of securing a second term were close to zero. Washington, she said, would block his reappointment. Arab and Western diplomats attributed Washingtons hostility to Ghali to the international inquiry he commissioned into the 1996 Israeli massacre in the Lebanese village of Qana, where civilians attempting to escape Israels Grapes of Wrath operation were shelled inside a UN compound. Ghali argued that US antagonism to him was more complicated, and was a direct result of his attempts to ensure that the UN could operate apart from the direct wishes of the US. Aboul-Naga, who was a member of Ghalis team during the UN years, argues that what matters is not the number of terms he served but what he tried to do while he was in the job. Following his departure from the UN, Ghali served as secretary-general of La Francophonie from 1998 to 2002. He was later appointed honorary president of the National Human Rights Council by Hosni Mubarak, a position he resigned from following Mubaraks ouster. Ghali was married to Leia Maria Ghali. The couple had no children. His closest family member was his nephew, Youssef Boutros Ghali, who was a minister of finance under Mubarak and now lives in exile in London. In recent years, Ghali said he had two wishes left that he would like to see fulfilled: to establish an organisation bringing together all the states of the Nile Basin, something he worked hard to achieve and that he hoped would have spared Egypt from its current stand-off with Ethiopia, and for an end to the dispute between his nephew and the state. Youssef Boutros Ghali was tried, in absentia, following Mubaraks 2011 removal, and after a five-minute hearing sentenced to 30 years. Ghali, say younger and mid-career Egyptian diplomats, will always be remembered for having been someone who found it very easy to connect with the West but who never lost sight of, or faith in, Egypts relations with Third World countries, especially with Africa. Ghalis funeral service will be held Thursday at Al-Abbasiya Coptic Cathedral. A presidential source told Al-Ahram Weekly that the president is planning to join the Ghali family, friends and students in paying respects to the former UN secretary-general. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, diplomat, b. 14 November 1922, d. 16 February 2016. *This article was originally published in Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt does not interfere in the affairs of other countries...but it is capable of repelling any assault...on it or on its brothers, El-Sisi said Egypt will not hesitate to send troops into the territories of its Arab Gulf allies if needed to repel any security threat posed to those countries, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said during a press briefing with Kuwaiti journalists on Wednesday. "The president made it clear that Egypt will not hesitate to send its forces to brotherly Gulf counties to defend them if they are subjected to any direct aggression or threat," a statement from El-Sisi's office has said. During the briefing, El-Sisi affirmed he would not interfere in Syria's affairs, saying his country is working towards a political solution to end the more than four-year war. "Egypt does not interfere in the affairs of other countries...but it is capable of repelling any assault...on it or on its brothers," El-Sisi was quoted by the statement as saying. El-Sisi cited Egypt's bombing of ISIS targets in Libya last year after the group's affiliate in Libya announced the beheading of 20 Christian Egyptians. The president said the exceptional regional military action was in response to the attack, and that Egypt was keen to not interfere in Libyan affairs or exploit the country's chaos. Egypt is part of a coalition that has been targeting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen since March of last year. Cairo says, however, that it has not deployed ground troops. The North African country is also part of a broader 34-nation anti-terrorist coalition announced by Saudi Arabia in December. A delegation of Kuwaiti media personnel was visiting Cairo to mark the upcoming 25-year anniversary of the Gulf War in which Egypt was a member of a multi-state coalition that drove the Iraqi military from Kuwait. Search Keywords: Short link: Cairo (AFP) - Egypt has issued an order to close a prominent human rights organisation that documents complaints of torture in custody, the group said on Wednesday. The Nadeem Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, whose headquarters are in central Cairo, documents allegations of torture, death and medical negligence inside police stations and prisons. "Two policemen... turned up today at the centre with an administrative decision from the health ministry to close" it, Aida Seif el-Dawla, one of its founders, told AFP by phone. "The decision did not give any reasons," she said. "We managed to persuade them to postpone the closure until we went to the health ministry on Monday to understand the reasons." A spokesman for the health ministry said the centre's closure was due to it holding "activities other than the activity allowed in its permit," but did not specify the nature of these activities. Amnesty International said that moves to close down the centre "appear to mark an expansion of the ongoing crackdown on human rights activists in Egypt". Said Boumedouha, the rights group's deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, called on Egypt to "freeze the order to close the centre and provide it with a clear explanation of the reasons behind the order." The centre "must be given an opportunity to challenge the order before a court," he said. It "provides a lifeline to hundreds of victims of torture and the families of people who have been subjected to enforced disappearance," he said. "This looks to us like a barefaced attempt to shut down an organisation which has been a bastion for human rights and a thorn in the side of the authorities for more than 20 years." Five years after police brutality sparked the revolution that toppled longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak, human rights groups are again denouncing deaths in police stations, arbitrary arrests and the disappearances of opponents of the regime. Since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, authorities have launched a brutal crackdown on his supporters that has seen hundreds killed and tens of thousands jailed. Secular activists who took part in the 2011 revolt have also been imprisoned. Tehran (AFP) - Iranians got a first taste Thursday of the campaign for next week's elections, pitting reformists and moderates against conservatives in polls that could shape the country's future over the next decade. Voters will take part in two ballots -- one to elect members of parliament and another to pick the Assembly of Experts, a powerful committee of 88 clerics who supervise the work of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's ultimate authority. But the run-up to voting day on February 26 has been dominated by controversy over who will be allowed to contest the elections rather than actual debate of the policies that candidates support. All those seeking public office in Iran are vetted for their loyalty to the Islamic republic and almost half the applicants seeking to become lawmakers were excluded. In the initial round of vetting, reformists suffered the heaviest blow, with thousands of candidates being rejected. That decision -- taken by the Guardian Council, a constitutional watchdog with veto power over who can stand -- was criticised by Hassan Rouhani, Iran's moderate president whose nuclear deal with world powers stands to open Iran up to the West. After he and government ministers intervened an extra 1,500 candidates were allowed to run. But grievances remain, particularly because of the exclusion of many prominent reformists. A pro-Rouhani coalition of reformists and moderates is playing up the nuclear agreement's long-term economic potential and is seeking to swing the balance of power in parliament away from conservatives. Should the bloc -- the Alliance of Reformists and Government Supporters -- succeed, Rouhani may be able to pass legislation that delivers at least modest political changes and social reforms. Referring to the group's campaign slogan "Second Step", Mohammad Reza Aref, its number one candidate, told AFP the first step had been Rouhani's election victory in 2013. Story continues "That approach won and we want to continue that approach now in these elections," said Aref, whose decision to stand aside three years ago helped Rouhani to a landslide victory. Emphasising the regime's tight control of elections, applications and vetting procedures took seven weeks while official campaigning for parliament will last just seven days. Ruhollah Salahshoori, a canvasser at the downtown Tehran event where candidates from the Aref-Rouhani slate appeared, said the elections "must bring about a fundamental change". - May pick next supreme leader - "I'd like us to make a step forward the same way our government and foreign minister did," the 36-year-old engineer said, referring to the historic nuclear agreement that was finally implemented last month. "We want our people to have economic growth and development, we want them to have cultural development. If that change happens it can have an impact on the destiny of every citizen in this country." The nuclear deal has partly ended Iran's isolation but it has been followed by warnings from Khamenei that the military must guard against economic and cultural "infiltration" by foreign actors who aim to damage the Islamic republic's revolutionary principles. Although parliamentarians backed Rouhani on the nuclear deal they did so less out of a sense of support for the president than because Khamenei made it clear he wanted sanctions lifted. Electioneering in Iran is heavily restricted. Would-be lawmakers are not allowed to make speeches in the street, and at venues where they are permitted to address voters or supporters, placards, posters or use of outside loudspeakers are forbidden. Only 15-by-20-centimetre (six-by-eight-inch) posters of their credentials or policies are allowed to be put up or distributed. Although 290 seats -- 30 in Tehran alone -- are up for grabs in parliament many see the Assembly of Experts election as having much greater importance. Its current task is to monitor Khamenei's work But should the 76-year-old supreme leader, who underwent prostate surgery in 2014, die during the next assembly's eight-year term its bigger role would be in choosing his successor. Assembly hopefuls were also cut drastically by vetting. Of the 800 who applied only 161, all men, were approved by the Guardian Council. Rouhani is seeking re-election to the assembly and is allied in two 16-member lists for Tehran headed by himself and former two-term president Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. The two have become increasingly close since the build-up to the presidential election in June 2013 that saw Rouhani voted into office on Rafsanjani's backing. Ciudad Juarez (Mexico) (AFP) - Pope Francis on Wednesday decried the human tragedy of migrants fleeing violence as he celebrated a huge mass on Mexico's border with the United States, where many have died while crossing it. In a highly symbolic gesture, the pope climbed a ramp facing the Rio Grande that separates Mexico's Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas, laid flowers under a cross and blessed hundreds of migrants on the American side, who waved at him. Francis then celebrated mass with more than 300,000 Catholic faithful on the Juarez side of the border, with tens of thousands more following it on a giant screen in an El Paso stadium. Immigration is a hot-button issue on the US presidential campaign trail and White House hopeful Donald trump criticized the pope's decision to hold such a mass. But Latin America's first pontiff did not talk directly about the politics across the border, focusing instead on the plight of migrants. "We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis which in recent years has meant the migration of thousands of people, whether by train or highway or on foot, crossing hundreds of kilometers through mountains, deserts and inhospitable zones," Francis said. "The human tragedy that is forced migration is a global phenomenon today," he said on the last day of a five-day trip to Mexico. Central Americans have been leaving their poor and gang-infested countries in droves, crossing Mexico's porous southern border with Guatemala on their way to the United States. The trek across Mexico is filled with dangers -- from gangs that steal, kill or seek to forcibly recruit them, to corrupt officials who demand bribes to let them travel. Many others have died under the US-Mexico desert's scorching sun. "Injustice is radicalized in the young; they are cannon fodder, persecuted and threatened when they try to flee the spiral of violence and the hell of drugs. Then there are the many women unjustly robbed of their lives," Francis said. Story continues "No more death. No more exploitation. There is still time to change, there is still a way out and a chance, time to implore the mercy of God." - 'Political pope' - The fate of 11 million undocumented immigrants is the source of vivid debate in the United States. Trump, who wants Mexico to pay to build a wall along the border, has called the pope a "very political person." "I think that he doesn't understand the problems our country has. I don't think he understands the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico," the billionaire real estate tycoon told the Fox Business channel last week. In response, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said that, while the pope's job was not politics, "one should not be surprised that his pastoral and spiritual message has political repercussions." Maria Ortega Cruz Bautista, 62, traveled from Chicago to be with her family at the mass in Ciudad Juarez, a city she left 14 years ago. She voiced hope that the pope's message will prompt authorities "to have more compassion and more consideration for migrants." In El Paso, Sandra Ovalle, 32, shared a similar feeling as she headed with her family to the Sun Bowl stadium, where the jubilant crowd performed a wave. "We hope that the pope will make our leaders change, so that we get support and that things change for the better," said Ovalle, a native of Mexico's northern Chihuahua state who now lives in the US state of New Mexico. - Inmates as 'prophets' - Before the mass, Francis visited a prison, nearly a week after a riot killed 49 inmates at another Mexican penitentiary. He visited its chapel and addressed hundreds of inmates in the prison yard, telling them they should use their experiences to help "put an end to this cycle of violence and exclusion." "The one who has suffered the greatest pain, and we could say 'has experienced hell,' can become a prophet in society. Work so that this society which uses people and discards them will not go on claiming victims," he said. The Juarez prison was the scene of deadly riots a few years ago, with dozens of prisoners killed in recent years, but it has been held up as an example of efforts to improve Mexico's notoriously overcrowded prisons. Ciudad Juarez stands as a grim symbol of Mexico's violence, but also of hope. It became the country's most dangerous city a few years ago as the Sinaloa and Juarez drug cartels fought for control of drug routes. Their turf war left as many as 3,000 dead in 2010, but the murderous rampage gradually eased afterward, with the toll falling to 300 last year. By Chris Kahn NEW YORK (Reuters) - Donald Trump has taken a more than 20-point lead over U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas in the Republican race for the presidential nomination, bolstering his position ahead of the party's primary in South Carolina on Saturday, according to a national Reuters/Ipsos poll. Among Republicans, Trump, a billionaire businessman, drew 40 percent support in the poll conducted from Saturday to Wednesday, compared with 17 percent for Cruz, 11 percent for U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, 10 percent for retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, and 8 percent for former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. The results contrasted with those of a national poll conducted this week by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal that showed Trump dropping into a national dead heat with Cruz in the race for the Republican nomination for the Nov. 8 election to succeed Democratic President Barack Obama. On the Democratic side, the Reuters/Ipsos poll showed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton maintaining about a 10-point national lead over U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont since last week's New Hampshire primary won by Sanders. The Republican results marked an improvement for Trump since his win in the Feb. 9 New Hampshire primary, when he led Cruz by 18.4 points in the national rolling survey, although the increase remained within the polls credibility interval. Since he announced his candidacy last summer, Trump has leveraged his celebrity and deep pockets to wage an unfiltered campaign that has upended the Republican primary. He has led the Reuters/Ipsos daily tracking poll since nearly the start of his campaign, topping Bush in late July. The Reuters/Ipsos poll also showed that either Clinton or Sanders would win a hypothetical general election contest with Trump. Clinton would likely win with 44 percent support, compared with 37 percent for Trump. Sanders would likely win by 44 percent to 35 percent. The poll included responses from 476 registered Republicans and 543 registered Democrats. It had a credibility interval of about 5 percent. (Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Peter Cooney) By Steve Holland and Emily Flitter CHARLESTON, S.C./SUMTER, S.C. (Reuters) - The Republican race for the party's 2016 presidential nomination erupted into a four-candidate crossfire on Wednesday over who has the proper experience and is the most conservative, days before South Carolina voters put their stamp on the campaign. In TV interviews and campaign events, front-runner Donald Trump threatened to sue Senator Ted Cruz of Texas over a negative TV ad, while Senator Marco Rubio of Florida accused Cruz of lying about his record, and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush questioned Rubio's experience to serve as president. Amid the squabbling, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley endorsed Rubio as the Republicans' best hope for winning the White House, a boost to Rubio and a blow to Bush, who had lobbied hard for her to pick him. The endorsement gave Rubio, 44, a valuable ally to try to sway voters ahead of Saturday's South Carolina Republican primary, the third contest after Iowa and New Hampshire to pick a party nominee for the Nov. 8 election to succeed Democratic President Barack Obama. Bush had a tough day, learning of Haley's endorsement right before a town hall meeting in Summerville, South Carolina, where four members of the audience second-guessed his campaign strategy and offered tips on how to have a greater impact in the state. Much of the debate took place over the television airwaves, as Trump, 69, a billionaire businessman and former reality TV star, lobbed charges at his rivals at an MSNBC town hall, and Rubio and Cruz battled in back-to-back appearances at a CNN town hall in Greenville, South Carolina. Trump fumed about a TV ad put out by the Cruz campaign that brought up Trump's past position in support of a woman's right to an abortion. Trump says he has evolved into a conservative and is now against abortion. "You look at a guy like Ted Cruz, he's a nasty guy," Trump said. "He doesn't have one Republican endorsement from the Senate and he works with the Senate. Think of it. Hard to believe." Cruz dared Trump to sue him over the campaign ad, which featured a 1999 video clip of Trump saying he was "very pro-choice" on abortion. Cruz said Trump sent his campaign a "cease and desist letter" demanding it drop the ad. At the CNN town hall, he said he laughed out loud when he got the letter threatening what he called a "frivolous lawsuit." "In any defamation case, truth is a complete defense," Cruz said. Questioners at the town hall pressed Cruz, 45, on charges leveled against him by Trump that he may not be eligible to be president because he was born in Canada, and that none of his U.S. Senate colleagues liked him. Cruz said he met the constitutional requirement that a president must be a "natural born citizen" because his mother was an American. As for his Senate colleagues, Cruz said some may not like him because he serves the interests of his constituents, not fellow senators. CHARGES, COUNTERCHARGES The latest national Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Trump taking a more than 20-point lead over Cruz in the Republican race. Trump had 40 percent support in the poll conducted from Saturday to Wednesday, compared with 17 percent for Cruz, 11 percent for Rubio, 10 percent for retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, and 8 percent for Bush. The results contrasted with those of an NBC News/Wall Street Journal national poll that put Cruz ahead of Trump among Republicans by 28 percent to 26 percent. Rubio, hoping to overtake Cruz for second place in South Carolina, where Trump leads in the polls, accused Cruz of spreading falsehoods with an ad attacking Rubio over his position on immigration. Rubio backed a 2013 Senate immigration reform effort that collapsed. Cruz says Rubio would have supported "amnesty" for illegal immigrants, which his rival denies. "If you say something that isn't true and you say it over and over and you know it's not true, it must be a lie," Rubio said. Bush, running fourth in South Carolina and behind Rubio, questioned Rubio's level of experience after Rubio said Bush did not have foreign policy experience. Rubio counts his time on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as valuable experience. "It's hard for me to be lectured to by a gifted young guy who thinks going to committee hearings means you know something about the world," Bush said in Summerville. At the event, Bush, 63, the son and brother of former presidents, sounded a note of frustration at frequent criticism of his campaign by TV pundits. "The pundits have made it all it's all decided. We don't have to go vote, I guess. It's all finished. I should stop campaigning, maybe, huh? It's all done," he said. "No," shouted people in the crowd. (Additional reporting by Chris Kahn in New York; Editing by Peter Cooney) Syudent Information Systems Tennessee District Adopts Online Registration To Centralize Data Collection Tennessee's Collierville Schools is adopting a new customized online registration solution in an effort to centralize data collection. "We want to cut down on the tremendous amount of paperwork we distribute and collect, as well as the time that school staff and families spend on completing registration," said Andy Field, student services supervisor at Collierville Schools, in a prepared statement. "We live in a tech-savvy community and want to remain in the forefront of education technology to provide our families with the most modern and efficient resources." The district was already using PowerSchool's student information system (SIS) and decided to adopt a custom solution from the company using SmartForm technology, which "collects relevant data based on previously entered information or choices," according to a news release. The new tool allows families with multiple children in the district to snap information from one student entry to another and, once submitted, the data is "reviewed, polished and formatted to meet district policies and then delivered into the SIS, resulting in up-to-date and accurate records on the first day of school." Other features of the new tool include the ability for families to sign off on school policies and multilingual forms. "Moving this process online will allow school staff to focus on building relationships with our families and students," said Russell Dyer, chief of staff for the district, in a prepared statement. "We want everyone to get acclimated to the new school year, rather than investing time to go through and fill out 30 sheets of paper." The new registration tool will be put into use this spring. At least 28 people were killed and 61 wounded by a car bomb targeting the Turkish military in the heart of the capital Ankara, the latest in a string of attacks to shake the country. The blast struck a convoy of military vehicles, said Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus, confirming the latest toll. It was unclear who had carried out the bombing. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed retaliation against the perpetrators of the attack, which came on the heels of a spate of deadly strikes in Turkey blamed on jihadists and also Kurdish rebels. The car bomb detonated when a convoy of military buses carrying dozens of soldiers stopped at traffic lights in central Ankara, sparking panic and chaos. This attack has very clearly targeted our esteemed nation as a whole and was carried out in a vile, dishonourable, treacherous and insidious way, said Kurtulmus. Plumes of smoke could be seen from all over the city rising from the scene, close to the headquarters of the Turkish military and the parliament. The powerful blast was heard throughout Ankara, sending alarmed residents rushing to their balconies. I saw a huge fireball growing, 25-year-old witness Gurkan, who said he was standing 500 metres (yards) from the scene, told AFP. People started to run in all directions in panic as soon as we heard a strong explosion. The army said the attack took place at 1631 GMT and had targeted service vehicles carrying army personnel. - Rightful struggle against terrorists - Without specifying what the retaliation could entail, Erdogan warned that Turkey will not shy away from using its right to self-defence at any time, any place or any occasion. We will never take a step back in our rightful struggle against all terrorist organisations, said a statement from his office. The bombing prompted Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to scrap a planned trip to Brussels on Thursday to discuss Europes migrant crisis. Erdogan also shelved a trip to Azerbaijan. Story continues In Ankara, ambulances and fire engines were sent to the scene and wounded victims were seen being taken away on stretchers. Images showed firefighters trying to overcome a fierce blaze engulfing the gutted service buses. Turkish police threw a security cordon around the area. A second blast later rocked the area, an AFP correspondent said, but officials said this was police detonating a suspicious package. Washington in a statement strongly condemned the terrorist attack on Turkish military personnel and civilians and reaffirmed US solidarity with the key NATO partner. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance strongly condemned the bombing. NATO Allies stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight against terrorism, he said. The EU pledged to stand with Turkey and its people in these difficult times. - IS, Kurdish threats - Kurtulmus said authorities did not know who had carried out the attack, but vowed the perpetrators will be revealed as soon as possible. Ankara was already on alert after 103 people were killed on October 10 when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of peace activists, the bloodiest attack in the countrys modern history. Eleven people, all German tourists, were also killed on January 16 when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the tourist heart of Turkeys biggest city, Istanbul. Those attacks were blamed on Islamic State jihadists, as were two other deadly bombings in the countrys Kurdish-dominated southeast earlier in the year. But Turkey is also waging an all-out assault on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has repeatedly attacked members of the security forces with roadside bombings on their convoys in the southeast. Some 500 rebels crossed the Turkish border into Syria on Wednesday under the supervision of Turkish authorities to help insurgent groups battling Kurdish forces around the town of Azaz, monitoring group the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said. The PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984, initially fighting for Kurdish independence although now more for greater autonomy and rights for the countrys largest ethnic minority. Turkish artillery shelled positions of Kurdish fighters in Syria for the fifth day in a row on Wednesday in an escalating standoff, reports said. Turkey says the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its Peoples Protection Units (YPG) are merely the Syrian branch of the PKK and themselves terror groups. The banned ultra-left Revolutionary Peoples Liberation Party Front (DHKP-C) has also staged a string of usually small-scale attacks in Istanbul over the last few months. "Highly dangerous" radioactive material has been stolen from an oil depot in Iraq, with officials fearing it could be used by IS. Some Iridium-192, stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer, went missing in November from a storage facility near the southern city of Basra. Ir-192 employs gamma rays to test for flaws in oil and gas pipelines in a process called industrial gamma radiography and is the same as that stolen from a van in Lancashire in February 2013 . At the time, a spokesman for the UK's Health Protection Agency (HPA), said: "If the material is outside of its protection packaging, anyone who has come into prolonged physical contact, such as keeping it in a pocket, should seek medical assistance." A senior environment ministry official based in Basra told Reuters up to 10g (0.35 ounces) of Ir-192 "capsules" was taken. The material is classed as a Category 2 radioactive source by the International Atomic Energy Agency and can be fatal if someone is exposed for a period of hours to days. Security officials fear it could be used to make a so-called dirty bomb - an explosive device that renders part of a town or city unusable for generations by scattering nuclear material over a wide area. A senior security official with knowledge of the theft, using the Arabic name for Islamic State, said: "We are afraid the radioactive element will fall into the hands of Daesh. "They could simply attach it to explosives to make a dirty bomb." The official, based in Baghdad, said there were no immediate suspects, but an initial investigation suggested the thieves had specific knowledge of the material and the facility. The document obtained by Reuters said the material had gone missing from a US oilfield service company called Weatherford, but the company on Wednesday issued a statement denying it bore any "responsibility or liability". It said another company called SGS was the operator of the depot and was "solely responsible". The US State Department said it had "not seen any indication the material in question has been acquired by Daesh or any other terrorist groups in the region". Cairo reiterates call for international efforts to combat terrorism after a deadly attack in Ankara Egypt has strongly condemned a bomb attack that targeted military vehicles in Turkey's capital Ankara on Wednesday, killing 28 people. "Egypt condemns in the strongest terms the bombing which took place in Ankara on Wednesday," the foreign ministry said in a statement. Egypt "reiterates calls for concerted efforts by the international community to combat the deplorable phenomenon" of terrorism, ministry spokesperson, Ahmed Abu Zeid said. Relations between Egypt and Turkey soured following the ouster of Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi, with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan emerging as one of the fiercest international critics of the ouster. Search Keywords: Short link: LONDON (Reuters) - Most major British firms are seriously considering the risk of Britain leaving the European Union and many are making contingency plans, according to the head of the Confederation of British Industry. Speaking to reporters at a briefing, CBI Director-General Carolyn Fairbairn said the prospect of a British referendum around the middle of the year on whether to leave the EU was a growing concern for business. Prime Minister David Cameron hopes to reach a deal to reform the European Union at a summit of EU leaders this weekend, which he can put to voters in a referendum that many analysts expect to be held in late June. Recent opinion polls have shown a narrow but growing lead for campaigners who want to leave the EU. "You are now seeing a number of companies recently that have had contingency plans (and) are debating important questions of what it means for their suppliers and their exports and so on," Fairbairn said. "I would say it is most, now, that have given the issue serious thought," she added, based on having met almost 100 businesses since she took the CBI's helm in November. A survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit for the Bertelsmann Foundation found that four out of five business leaders in Britain and Germany oppose Britain leaving the EU. The survey of 782 business leaders at German and British companies showed that they feared a British exit would hurt revenues and investment in their sectors and corporations. The poll was conducted in November and December last year. No firms have spoken publicly in any detail about how they would react if Britain decided to leave the 28-member bloc and had to renegotiate a raft of global trade deals. But behind closed doors, some companies, including major international banks based in London's financial district, have spent tens of millions of dollars considering their options, according to firms advising them. Fairbairn's comments show contingency planning is now common, and she said it was not concentrated in any one sector. The Bank of England has confirmed that it has looked at what might happen if Britain voted to leave the EU, although finance minister George Osborne has said the government is wholly focused on ensuring reform of the bloc. The CBI said most of its members wanted to stay in a reformed EU, and it has generally pointed to the benefits of staying in, drawing criticism from 'leave' campaigners. Last week the CBI said firms' investment intentions had not been affected by the prospect of the vote. But at the briefing Fairbairn said this could change, given Scotland's experience of a referendum on independence in 2014. "We are not surprised not to see an impact now," she said. "One of the things we saw from the Scottish referendum is that those decisions around investment tended to be quite late, at the point at which a date was actually announced." (Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by Hugh Lawson) By Natalia Zinets and Pavel Polityuk KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk looked for new allies on Wednesday to shore up his crisis-hit government, after a junior party quit the ruling alliance and another faction signalled it could walk out. In his first public remarks since surviving a no-confidence vote, Yatseniuk called for a reshuffle in the coalition and said he was in talks with various political groups, including the populist Radical party, about a possible tie-up. Getting new allies could help Yatseniuk stave off the prospect of a snap election, but he still may struggle to win support for enacting reforms demanded by Ukraine's Western backers in exchange for a $40 billion aid package. Months of squabbling in the coalition came to a head on Tuesday when President Petro Poroshenko, who leads the largest party in the alliance, called for Yatseniuk to resign. Yatseniuk survived the no-confidence motion that followed but the majority of Poroshenko's lawmakers voted against him. A self-described "kamikaze" prime minister who came to office in 2014 determined to pass unpopular austerity measures, Yatseniuk now risks becoming the lame duck leader of a country battling a deep recession and a pro-Russian separatist conflict. "It has become absolutely clear that it is essential to reshuffle the coalition and (make) changes to the coalition agreement," he said in a televised government meeting. The Fatherland faction, led by former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, quit the coalition earlier on Wednesday. "The prospects for an effective reform programme being implemented by the current political elite are close to nil," said Daragh McDowell of risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft. The Radical party opposes many of Yatseniuk's reforms, such as cuts to energy subsidies and pensions. It was part of the ruling alliance until September but quit in protest over laws to grant a special status to eastern territories claimed by pro-Russian rebels. Radical party leader Oleh Lyashko said he preferred a new coalition to snap elections, especially in light of Ukraine's standoff with President Vladimir Putin's Russia over the annexation of Crimea in 2014. "A war amongst ourselves in Ukraine plays into Putin's hands," he told reporters. Tymoshenko's party has 19 seats in parliament. Even after its departure, Yatseniuk still has a majority. His coalition now contains his own party, President Poroshenko's party and the Samopomich (Self-help) party, created after the 2013-2014 protests that toppled the previous pro-Russian president. The Radical party has 21 seats in parliament. One lawmaker from Samopomich said his party was debating a "dissolution of the coalition of Ukraine's kleptocrats", suggesting they might walk out too. LAME DUCK Two years after the "Maidan" protests, Ukraine's economy is still shrinking, the hryvnia currency is hovering around 11-month lows and the separatist conflict, which has claimed more than 9,000 lives so far, shows no sign of ending. Kiev's failure to tackle corruption and implement reforms has prompted the International Monetary Fund to withhold the next tranche of aid, worth $1.7 billion, part of the $40 billion Western aid programme. Yatseniuk's government has struggled to tackle bribe-taking in the judiciary, to sell off loss-making state companies and to pass a law giving more autonomy to the eastern Donbass region. The latter is a key part of a ceasefire deal agreed with Russia in Minsk last year. "Snap elections are now becoming a reality ... It was incredibly hard work for the government to get laws through parliament even before all of this, but now even more so," Olha Chervakova, a lawmaker from Poroshenko's bloc, told Reuters. A source from the bloc said: "There's a big risk we won't get the money from the IMF. After what happened yesterday who wants to do business with a lame duck?" (Additional reporting by Matthias Williams and Alessandra Prentice; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Tom Heneghan) KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine is ready to defend itself against a lawsuit brought by Russia in relation to a $3 billion (2.08 billion pound) Eurobond that Moscow insists Kiev must repay, the Ukrainian Finance Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. Ukraine included the two-year bond in the commercial debt it planned to restructure to shore up its war-torn economy, but Russia, which lent the money, has refused to participate and on Wednesday filed a lawsuit in London. "Ukraine acknowledges the formal commencement ... of proceedings before the English High Court of Justice. Ukraine intends and is fully prepared vigorously to defend its interests," the ministry said in a statement. The Eurobond was taken out by the government of Moscow-backed ex-president Viktor Yanukovich just two months before he fled to Russia in February 2014 in the face of street protests that brought a pro-European government to power. Kiev has offered Russia the same restructuring terms, including a writedown, that it offered its other creditors. Russia, whose political relations with Kiev are at rock bottom over the Kremlin's role in Ukraine's separatist insurgency, has refused to accept the restructuring terms, insisting the bond is an official country-to-country loan, not commercial debt. In a surprise move late last year, President Vladimir Putin offered Ukraine new terms on the bond, saying Moscow would accept an annual debt repayment of $1 billion over three years if the West provided guarantees. Ukraine did not agree to those terms, but said it was willing to negotiate a deal. (Reporting by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Alison Williams) KKR has agreed to buy into seeds provider Advanta Enterprises in a deal which values the business at about $2.25bn. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received his Gabonese counterpart Ali Bongo at the presidential palace in Cairo on Thursday to sign a number of protocols of bilateral cooperation. According to state agency MENA, the two leaders signed five protocols of cooperation in the economic, health, education and technical sectors. "We discussed bilateral relations between both countries and we see a potential in economic cooperation and other sectors," El-Sisi said at a press conference following the talks. "Egypt will provide Gabon assistance in the agriculture sector while we will gain assistance from them in the fisheries sector," he added. "We also exchanged our views on fighting terrorism, and we discussed the situation in Libya," he said. The two leaders had agreed to cooperate in terms of coordinating positions regarding the meetings of the African Union and the body's Peace and Security Council. Last month, Egypt was elected to the African Union's Peace and Security Council on Thursday for a three-year term. The council is comprised of 15 members, five of whom are elected for a three-year term and the remaining 10 for a two-year term. Search Keywords: Short link: The session, which was scheduled to take place by the end of February, may be postponed to give MPs more time to finalise parliamentary bylaws The parliamentary session in which MP's hear the cabinet's programme may not take place this month as previously planned, Minister of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Magdy El-Agaty told reporters on Thursday. El-Agaty said that the session, which was expected to take place by the end of February, might be adjourned as the parliament's bylaws had yet to be approved. "I informed Prime Minster Sherif Ismail of the issue and he did not object," El-Agaty added. Sources told Ahram Online that the parliament will hold a session on Sunday to start discussing the bylaws and it might take more than one week to do so. According to Article 146 of the constitution, the president appoints a prime minister who forms a cabinet; the cabinet then presents its programme to the parliament. A majority vote of confidence in the cabinet and its programme is required within 30 days of its formation. If a majority vote is not reached, the president appoints another prime minister based on the majority party or coalition. If the parliament does not agree on the plan of the new prime minister, then the House of Representatives is dissolved and new parliamentary elections take place. Search Keywords: Short link: I like how Daniel and Phil H. was nominating players from all around the world and not just the usa players. i think it will be good for the game and maybe open up online poker a bit more to us players. but with things happening like phil ivey tracking the backs of bad UN-symmetrical cards and calling it advantage play and losing in the courts when the casinos battle him in court. it makes me wonder if usa players will ever get back to the good old days. Taymour El-Sobky's statements about female infidelity caused widespread anger in Egypt and saw the TV show he was speaking on suspended Egypt's security forces arrested the administrator of a Facebook page on Thursday on charges of insulting Egyptian women during a television appearance in December. Taymour El-Sobky created controversy when he appeared on the programme Momken ("It's Possible") on CBC channel with host Khairy Ramadan, opining about infidelity among married women. In response to a question about the main marital problems that he receives questions about on his page, El-Sobky said that women cheat on their husbands, who forgive them, but then decide to leave. "Thirty percent of women have a readiness for immorality... but cannot find someone to encourage them," he said. El-Sobky claimed that women in the the Upper Egyptian governorates of Assiut, Minya, Sohag, Qena, Luxor, and Aswan were likely to be unfaithful because of arranged marriages and local men working abroad. The prosecutor-general issued an arrest warrant for El-Sobky on Tuesday after receiving complaints against his statements. Although it has been over two months since the show aired, in recent days El-Sobky's statements have been circulating on social media, and have been highlighted by Upper Egyptian parliamentarians who decried them as insulting to local women. The Chamber of Audio-Visual Media, a self-regulating media body, decided earlier this week to suspend Momken for 15 days pending investigations by the chamber's technical legal committee into the insults. Both host Ramadan and the heads of CBC have apologised for El-Sobky's remarks. El-Sobky, who has said he has also received death threats from angry Upper Egyptians, also issued an apology, saying that his words were taken out of context and that his Facebook page is intended to be humorous. The page has over one million likes. Search Keywords: Short link: A low-ranking policeman killed a citizen "by mistake" in the impoverished and populated neighborhood El-Darb Al-Ahamr, Cairo's security directorate said on Thursday. "A low-ranking policeman was accompanying his relative to buy some goods and when both were uploading goods to a taxi, they had a fight with the taxi driver," the security directorate said in a statement. "The policeman pulled his gun to end the fight but a bullet came out of the gun by mistake, killing the taxi driver." The taxi driver is 24-year-old Mohamed Ali Ismail, whose body was transferred to Cairo's Ahmed Maher hospital. The general prosecution is investigating the incident. According to local news reports, El-Darb El-Ahmar residents staged an impromptu protest at the nearby Cairo security directorate. "A large number of people gathered in an attempt to catch the policeman but he managed to escape," a security source told Ahram's Arabic news website. General Khaled Abdel Mataal, the head of the security directorate, met the victim's sister at the directorate to offer his condolences. He promised to arrest the policeman, who is still at large, according to Ahram. Search Keywords: Short link: The Credit Union National Association is seeking comments on the National Credit Union Administrations (NCUA) five-year draft strategic plan. CUNA will accept comments until March 24. The NCUAs comment period for the strategic plan ends April 4. The NCUA issued the draft plan at its January board meeting. It summarizes the NCUAs analysis of the internal and external environment impacting the NCUA, evaluates their programs and risks, provides goals and objectives for the next five years. According to the NCUA, the three strategic goals for 2017 to 2021 are to: This month the downtown post office in Santa Cruz was cleared by police of what had been a large and regular presence of sleepers at night. The post office had been used as shelter for 6-12 people a night for some time. A homeless man who was sleeping outside of Bookshop Santa Cruz and cited with two other sleepers for trespassing this month said he thought the police were ticketing at increased rate recently to get homeless people to move along before the next rains arrived. [Top photo: SCPD officer Dominique Hohmann places her hand on her gun as she issues a man sleeping outside of Bookshop Santa Cruz a citation.] The current enforcement patterns in the City of Santa Cruz are an extension of the homeless sweeps that began in 2012. According to Santa Cruz Police Department statistics, the number of camping ban citations issued by police officers is presently at the same level as when the department dramatically increased enforcement of the ordinance during their widely publicized series of homeless sweeps initiated in the city in July of 2012. (see chart below)Reports have come in from a variety of sources noting that police have been methodically targeting the most common locations in in the commercial corridor of downtown Santa Cruz where homeless individuals sleep. One member of the Freedom Sleepers said this has been happening since January. The Freedom Sleepers are a group of activists who have been sleeping at Santa Cruz City Hall on Tuesday nights since July 4 to protest local laws that criminalize homelessness. Additionally, many of the Freedom Sleepers believe that sleeping as part of a larger protest group at city hall has provided them some level of safety from law enforcement.One of the three sleepers cited at Bookshop Santa Cruz this month was a 59-year-old woman who had no bedding. She was using her jacket to cover herself as she crouched and reclined somewhat while sitting on several thin layers of newspaper. (see photos below)A grey-haired man next to her used cardboard as a sleeping pad on the tile walkway. He covered himself with a blanket and a lightweight sleeping bag that was unzipped and opened up.The third person used a higher quality sleeping bag and slept on a manufactured sleeping pad on top of a tarp.The three people were sleeping outside of an unused entrance to the bookstore, on the Front Street side of the building, in the middle of the night. All three were elders and were sleeping with a minimal amount of possessions.Officer Dominique Hohmann, of the Santa Cruz Police Department, was the first police officer on the scene. She began writing up the paperwork for the first citation before any of the three sleepers were awake, and before a back-up officer arrived.She then woke the first person up and gathered his personal information as he lay in his sleeping bag.When it came time for him to sign the citation, Hohmann leaned down to hand it to him while placing her free hand on her gun The move clearly demonstrated how potentially volatile the situation was.She kept her hand on her gun during the entire encounter with the man.Back-up officer David Gunter then arrived in another patrol vehicle.With Gunter close to her, Hohmann continued to hold her gun in the same manner while issuing the next two people their citations.According to Hohmann, Bookshop Santa Cruz has a trespassing complaint letter filed with the City Of Santa Cruz that gives police the authority to automatically cite individuals for trespassing if they are seen on the property after hours.The first person cited told police this was not true.He claimed that Bookshop Santa Cruz had no such letter filed and he did not believe that the people sleeping there were in violation of the law.When another of the three asked why they were being cited for trespassing, Hohmann said it was just one of the laws that she could potentially write them up for. She said she could also write them up for lying on the sidewalk and for "camping.""If you prefer a camping one, I can write you for that also," she said in a condescending tone.Without waiting for an answer, Hohmann told the woman to "have a great night" before returning to her patrol vehicle.Before she left, the man who claimed Bookshop Santa Cruz did not have a trespassing complaint on file with the police shouted that he would, "see her in court."Neither of the officers on the scene provided the group with any information about places they could sleep legally or safely.Incidents occurring on other evenings in February reveal details of the energy Santa Cruz police direct towards homeless people sleeping at night downtown.At about 11:30 pm on one evening this month, two Santa Cruz police officers confronted a person who was sleeping in front of the downtown Santa Cruz post office. The person was sleeping with barely any supplies at all when he was woken up and cited. (see photos below)At about 1am on another evening this month, a Santa Cruz police officer and his sergeant were called to the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium by a First Alarm security guard in order to move along a homeless person sleeping outside one of the Center Street side exits of the building.The sergeant told him that "City Hall" had a trespassing complaint letter on file with the police department and that they would cite him for trespassing if he did not leave.The homeless man said the first Alarm guard had asked him to leave his sleeping spot at the Civic, but that he did not leave fast enough for the guard The guard then grabbed at the man's bicycle, which was locked to a hand rail, and attempted to forcibly move it away from the civic auditorium. That was when the guard called the police on the man Police did not issue him a citation and the homeless man left after the warning.The homeless sweeps by police have come at a great cost to the city.In 2012, SCPD statistics showed that 42 percent of all arrests and 32 percent of all citations issued by the department were for "nuisance crimes" related to the homeless population. An article published in 2013 in the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported that assistant city manager Tina Shull estimated the police response to incidents involving the homeless would cost the city around $1 million annually when applying that year's police data.Additionally, the city contracted with First Alarm to patrol downtown Santa Cruz for $350,000 at that time.Data from the Santa Cruz Police show that the number of citations issued for illegal camping has skyrocketed since the department, along with the department of Parks and Recreation, initiated the homeless sweeps in 2012. The decision to initiate those sweeps were departmental, and never went before the city council for approval.At the city council's most recent public safety study session held on November 3, Deputy Chief of Police Rick Martinez explained the increase in citations in 2012 was the result of the establishment of a "camping" hotline by the SCPD and the city's parks department. The sweeps are supported by a "directed enforcement team," which focuses on targeting homeless sleeping sites in the city.In 2014 the number of camping citations issued by police reached a recent high. Martinez gave a breakdown of those statistics.2096 camping citations were issued in 2014. 822 of those, or 39%, were issued on public property, and 61% were issued on private property.Martinez noted that many nuisance citations are issued at business locations that have a trespassing complaint on file with police, but he did not go into specifics, and the statement seems to be contradicted in the "Nuisance Crimes Citations" chart that was included in the public safety presentation. The chart shows trespassing citations have remained at a constant before and after the initiation of the 2012 homeless sweeps.The statistics presented by police at the study session did not include the number of times homeless people were contacted by police when a citation was not issued.Neither was the overall cost of contacting, citing, and arresting so many homeless individuals.Alex Darocy Airoforce Attempts Fast Dirt in Risen Star Stakes: Fair Grounds Race Course hosts the first 50-point Derby qualifier on Saturday, when 3-year-old colts and one gelding take the stage in the $400,000 Risen Star (GII) on Saturday. Most eyes will focus on Airoforce, winner of the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) at Churchill Downs and runner-up in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf (GI). Campaigned by the team of trainer Mark Casse and owner John C. Oxley, Airoforce cost quite a bit as a 2-year-old colt last April at the price tag of $350k. What makes his tag somewhat unusual is the sire Colonel John, who some breeders might find unfashionable. The BRIS past performances show Colonel Johns stud fee at $7,500. The big question of whether Airoforce runs the same on fast dirt remains. His Kentucky Jockey Club win came over a sloppy track, and sometimes turf horses who excel on sloppy dirt find a dry surface less than desirable. Casse recently spoke to Michael Adolphson about this for the Fair Grounds Barn Notes. You never can tell if theyll handle the (fast) dirt with works, but he has a dirt pedigree, Casse said. The only reason he originally ran on the turf was because the purse of the Kentucky Downs maiden was $120,000. Once he ran so well and broke his maiden it was hard to take him off the grass. After the Breeders Cup we wanted to find out how he would handle dirt and even though it was sloppy, you couldnt ask him to do much more than he did. Convinced? At least the Kentucky Jockey Club turned out to be a semi-strong race, with runner-up Mor Spirit capturing the Los Alamitos Futurity (GI) and Robert B. Lewis (GII) afterwards. Plus third-place finisher Mo Tom, who competes in this race as well, won the Lecomte (GIII) on the same racetrack. As for Airoforces turf races, it is debatable how much analysis they deserve since this race comes on dirt. Of course, running second to Hit a Bomb in the Juvenile Turf is a good effort for turf, and he faced a large field with quality. Before the Breeders Cup, Airoforce won the Bourbon (GIII) at Keeneland while overcoming a wide trip. If anything can be knocked, his assigned tenth post position seems unfavorable in a two-turn route, especially for a midpack runner because of the chance of being carried wide on the first turn. On the positive side, because of the expected scratch of Laoban, Airoforce might move left one slot. The change can help a little bit. A few questions on Airoforce will give bettors pause, but he projects to make his presence known and bettors must use him somehow. Only a few other horses are likely to challenge for the win, if at all. For one alternative idea, take a long look at the rail-horse In Equality. He finished third in the Jerome Stakes (GIII) at Aqueduct. Those who use TimeformUS will notice they coded the card red on Jan. 2, meaning the track heavily favored speed types. In Equality tried to rally from nine lengths behind and could only manage third. At 30-1, In Equality is worth a shot underneath, if not on top with Airoforce. Next to him in stall two, Mo Tom looks set to take roughly the same position as In Equality early on. His value is poor at 3-1, considering he lost to Airoforce already with a decent trip and defeated an average field in the Lecomte. From post position six, Gun Runner tries to keep his unbeaten on fast dirt record alive. He lost the Kentucky Jockey Club after making an early move and briefly leading over Mor Spirit. Previously, he won an allowance race at the strong October Keeneland meet and broke his maiden at Churchill Downs. Do not ignore. The other contenders still need to defeat Airoforce, and if he runs his usual race or better, taking him down will not be an easy task. Airoforce should win and lead Team Casse one step closer to Kentucky Derby 142. FREE NORTH CAROLINA EMPLOYMENT LAWSUIT EVALUATION Send your North Carolina Employment claim to a lawyer who will review your claim at NO COST or obligation. GET LEGAL HELP NOW North Carolina At Will Employment North Carolina Minimum Wage North Carolina and FMLA North Carolina and OSHA North Carolina Employment Lawsuits North Carolina Employment Legal Help Feb-17-16 North Carolina employment lawsuits allege employees in North Carolina have been improperly treated by their employees. North Carolina employment law requires employees be paid a minimum wage and overtime wage and prevents employees from being fired under certain circumstances. If employers in North Carolina violate North Carolina labor law, employees may be able to file a lawsuit.North Carolina is an "at will" employment state, meaning that unless certain exceptions apply, a person can be fired for no reason or any reason at all. Employers can also decide if employees can see their own personnel file.Exceptions to the employment at will doctrine include the existence of an employment contractemployment termination may not violate the conditions set out in the contractand termination based on discrimination. It is illegal for an employer to fire an employee for the employee's inclusion in a protected category, including race, age, sex, religion, disability or pregnancy.Employers cannot retaliate against employees for engaging in activity protect by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Mine Safety and Health Act, the Workers Compensation Act or the North Carolina Wage and Hour Act.The North Carolina minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour. Overtime starts at more than 40 hours in a workweek and is calculated at one-and-one-half times the regular rate of pay.Employers of tipped employees are able to use a tip credit towards minimum wage, provided that the employees are notified in advance and are allowed to keep all tips. Tip pooling is allowed if employees keep at least 85 percent of the tips they receive. Further, employers must maintain accurate records of employee tips. Tipped employees must be paid overtime based on the employee's regular rate of pay, including both the case wage paid and the tip credit.The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows eligible employees to have unpaid leave for family and/or medical reasons without risk of losing their job or loss of health insurance. Eligible employees are entitled to twelve workweeks of leave in a 12-month period for the birth of a child; placement of a child for adoption; care for a family member with a serious health conditions; the employee's own health condition; issues linked to a family member on active duty.The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) covers private sector employers and employees and ensures workers have working conditions that do not pose a risk of serious harm. Workers are entitled to file OSHA complaints without suffering retaliation from their employer. Among OSHA standards are requirements that employers provide safety equipment and respirators where needed, provide training for certain dangerous jobs, prevent exposure to harmful chemicals and provide fall protection.Employees who have had their North Carolina labor rights violated by employers may be eligible to file a lawsuit against their employers.If you or a loved one has suffered North Carolina Employment and Labor Law losses, please click the link below and your complaint will be sent to a North Carolina Employment lawyer who may evaluate your claim at no cost or obligation. Los Angeles, CA Contrary to how some restaurant employers choose to conduct business, it doesnt pay to cheat employees out of Contrary to how some restaurant employers choose to conduct business, it doesnt pay to cheat employees out of California overtime pay. For example, a recent overtime complaint resulted in the owners of a number of sushi and ramen eateries, namely Gatten Sushi and Yushoken Ramen, paying their sushi chefs and other workers $621,000 in back wages and damages, and $156,640 in civil penalties. The(AP) reported last month that violations by Cerritos-based Gatten Sushi and its sister company GTN affected nearly 400 workers at 11 restaurants in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Federal investigators discovered that workers timecards had been tampered with: Their hours were shaved off and their pay docked for 10-minute breaks. Some sushi chefs reported having worked more than 90 hours per week without overtime, according toThis employers failure to pay legally earned wages hurts the workers, their families and restaurant owners who play by the rules, said Ruben Rosalez of the Labor Departments San Francisco office. Why do some restaurant owners, particularly those in California, chooseplay by the rules and instead, they are willing to gamble with liability for overtime violations? (Most wage and hour litigation nationwide is occurring in California, with overtime violations the most common claims. NERA Economic Consulting reports that an increasing proportion of the settlement dollars are related to food and food services.)One likely reason is that exploited workers rarely report overtime violations fearing retaliation - from losing their jobs to getting a call from immigration authorities. They figure the chances of getting caught are minimal and the penalties amount to less than overtime compensation. But times are changing...The Westin Hotel in Long Beach is facing a class-action lawsuit for overtime violations. It likely lost business when employees called for a boycott of the hotel. The pending lawsuit filed last August claims the hotel violated California labor laws regarding denied rest breaks and meal periods and unpaid overtime that could involve more than 100 workers.And if you live in Beverly Hills, you might consider boycotting Upper Crust, a new pizza shop expected to open this month. In 2012, the Boston pizza chain declared bankruptcy following allegations of exploiting immigrants and violating wage laws. Upper Crust recruited workers from a small town in Brazil and failed to pay them minimum wage and overtime wages. Workers sued Upper Crust in 2010 and the US Labor Department ordered the pizza company to pay $850,000 in back wages and damages to its employees.For California employers, it is getting tougher to violate overtime laws. Here are two new rules (as of January 2016) to consider:If an employee doesnt get paid what they are owed, SB 588 allows the California Labor Commissioners Office to slap a lien on the bosss property to try and recoup the value of the unpaid wages. This was a slimmed-down version of a prior, unsuccessful bill that was pushed by organized labor but repudiated by business interests - the key difference being that the commissioner, not workers, files the liens.The California Labor Commissioners Office under SB 588 and AB 970 now has the power to collect back wages and penalties from bosses who fail to pay minimum wage and overtime, force employees to work off the clock, refuse to offer meal and rest breaks, or make illegal paycheck deductions.Employers can now be subject to stop-work orders, levies against their bank accounts and liens against their property. Employers, as well as owners, directors or managing agents acting on behalf of an employer, can be subject to criminal and personal liability. Previously, companies could avoid judgments by changing names. Now successor companies will be deemed liable if they engage in substantially the same work.Visit the California Restaurant Association for a detailed (and easy to understand) review of overtime for food and hospitality workers. At least 28 people were killed and 61 people were wounded in a car bombing targeting military service vehicles in the Turkish capital Ankara on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters. Kurtulmus condemned the attack and vowed to "shed all light" on the bombing, but said there was no indication yet who may have carried it out. The toll substantially raised the previous toll of 18 dead. The bloodshed came on the heels of a string of attacks in Turkey, blamed on militants but also on Kurdish rebels. The bomb aimed at a convoy of military service vehicles, Ankara governor Mehmet Kiliclar said, quoted by the CNN-Turk and NTV channels. Plumes of smoke rose from the scene, close to the headquarters of the Turkish military and the parliament. The powerful blast was heard all over the city, sending residents to their balconies in panic, an AFP correspondent said. The army said the attack took place at 1631 GMT and had targeted "service vehicles carrying army personnel". It did not give a toll. "The terror attack was carried out when the vehicles were waiting for traffic lights at a road junction," it added. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu cancelled a planned visit to Brussels on Thursday after being briefed, his office said. Ambulances and fire engines were sent to the scene, which is near the Turkish military headquarters and the parliament. Wounded victims were seen being taken away on stretchers. NTV television said the explosion happened near a residential block for top-level military staff. Images from the scene showed fire-fighters trying to overcome a fierce blaze from wrecked service buses. The spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Omer Celik, said on Twitter he strongly condemned the "act of terror". "But our determination to fight (terror) will become even greater," he added. Turkish police threw a security cordon around the area. A second blast later rocked the area, the AFP correspondent said, but media said this was police detonating a suspicious package. There was no immediate indication about who carried out the attack. The Islamic State group has been blamed for a string of bombings in the country since the middle of last year but the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has also killed dozens of soldiers in attacks mainly in the southeast of the country. The capital was already on alert after 103 people were killed on October 10 when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of peace activists in Ankara, the bloodiest attack in the country's modern history. Eleven people, all German tourists, were also killed on January 16 when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the tourist heart of Istanbul. Those attacks were blamed on IS militants, as were two other deadly bombings in the country's Kurdish-dominated southeast earlier in the year. Turkish authorities have in recent weeks detained several suspected IS members, with officials saying they were planning attacks in Istanbul and Ankara. But Turkey is also waging an all-out assault on the outlawed PKK which has repeatedly attacked members of the security forces with roadside bombings on their convoys in the southeast. The PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984, initially fighting for Kurdish independence although now more for greater autonomy and rights for the country's largest ethnic minority. The conflict, which has left tens of thousands of people dead, looked like it could be nearing a resolution until an uneasy truce was shattered in July. Turkish artillery in southern Turkey shelled positions of Kurdish fighters in Syria for the fifth day in the row on Wednesday in an escalating standoff, reports said. Turkey says the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People's Protection Units (YPG) are merely the Syrian branch of the PKK and themselves terror groups. Meanwhile the banned ultra-left Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) has also staged a string of usually small-scale attacks in Istanbul over the last few months. Search Keywords: Short link: As tens of thousands of Syrian civilians flee toward the Turkish border to escape the hell of civil war, the Syrian regime is elated, having scored a series of major military advances in the framework of the four-member axis that also includes Russia, Iran and Iraq. Politically, on the other hand, in Brussels and Munich, the venues for two major international security activities, the Syrian crisis has seen a movement offensive a different sort, albeit making no progress toward peace. In Brussels, the seat of NATO, 24 defence ministers met to discuss ways of confronting Daesh (Islamic State group) in Syria, Iraq and Libya. On the Syrian question it was clear that strategic thinking was turning again to the option of military intervention, if indirectly through a naval presence in the Aegean. But the most striking aspect of the activities in Brussels was the torrent of criticisms levelled at Russia, the most salient factor in current developments in the Syrian theatre. The unanimous view appears to be that Russian intervention radically altered the nature of the Syrian crisis so as to shift the balance of forces on the ground in favour of Syrian regime. This was couched in angry and incriminating language to the degree that NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg accused Moscow of undermining peace efforts and warned that its aerial attacks in Syria would have consequences. The Syrian opposition spokesman Riad Hijab also lashed out at Al-Assads Russian ally. He expressed his concerns on the international management of the Syrian crisis and what he interprets as clear evidence of a US-Russian agreement allowing Russian and Al-Assad forces to continue bombardment of opposition positions in Aleppo. This was in spite of what was essentially the main purpose of the Munich meeting that sought to promote a ceasefire and a return to the negotiating table. However, the opposition rejected the call while the regime, which feels lucky with the Russian Trojan horse by its side, as an Egyptian expert in regional security affairs put it, appeared equally uninterested. This expert also believes that developments on the ground are propelling toward further militarisation of the crisis and the increased likelihood that regional players might be provoked into direct intervention. He was alluding to the Saudi proposal, aired on the fringes of both the Brussels and Munich meetings, of a ground offensive by the Arab coalition. The meeting of the members of the Syrian Support Group in Munich did not lead to any new resolutions. Instead, it ended in a call to resume negotiations, echoing that which concluded the Vienna conference that was held in the framework the Geneva 3 talks but that failed to make any progress in putting its resolutions into effect. Nevertheless, the three chief managers of the crisis UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura, US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov announce an optimistic agreement on a one week timeframe for putting the Geneva roadmap into effect. That timeframe may be ambitious, especially given the complicating factor of the ambiguities surrounding the mechanism for implementing the cessation of hostilities. As the international meetings adjourned, the warring factions returned to business as usual in Syria and, indeed, escalated it, most likely because the tripartite agreement in Munich only gave them a week before the introduction of a limited truce. The Russians resumed bombardment of opposition locations in the countryside around Aleppo while the Kremlin announced that Russia would sustain its strikes against Daesh and other terrorist organisation. The Turks, meanwhile, are bombing Kurdish fighters in the same area. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told German Chancellor Angela Merkel that his country would continue to bombard the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Syria despite mounting pressures on Ankara from the US and Europe to halt the strikes against the anti-Daesh coalitions main ally on the ground in Syria. Turkey will not allow the Kurdish PYD to wage aggressive acts. Our forces have responded in the necessary manner and will continue to do so, Davutoglu told Merkel. The Syrian government, for its part, condemned the Turkish violation of Syrian sovereignty and Syrias representative at the UN submitted a formal letter to the chairman and members of the Security Council demanding action. In a related development, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported a surge to 18 strikes by military aircraft that are most likely Russian against areas in the vicinity of Tel Rifaat in the northern rural outskirts of Aleppo. On the ground in that village there have been ongoing skirmishes between PYD forces (which include Kurdish and Arab fighters) and militant Islamist factions. Russian aircraft have also waged several strikes on areas in the village of Maara Al-Artiq in the northwest rural outskirts of Aleppo, prompting Washington to voice its suspicions of the intentions of the two sides with regard to the implementation of the statement issued by the International Support Group for Syria. However, Washington contained its official criticism to phone calls to both parties. Saudi Arabia, which is currently leading three Arab Gulf/regional coalitions the Peninsula Shield, the Arab coalition fighting in Yemen, and the Islamic coalition against terrorism launched into angry exchanges with political and diplomatic figures from the Russian-Syrian exchanges that concluded with the Saudi proposal for an Arab ground offensive in Syria. Riyadh translated this into action by dispatching a number of its fighter planes to the Incirlik airbase in Turkey within 48 hours after the Munich session ended. Other Gulf countries rallied around Riyadh. The UAE announced that it could offer logistical support and the Qatari defence minister said that it would take a similar step to intervene if Riyadh requested. The Thunder of the North military manoeuvres that Saudi Arabia is currently hosting in area of Hafr Al-Batin supplies additional militaristic background music to the scene. US President Barack Obama ruled out the possibility of committing US forces to a ground offensive in Syria after the US secretary of state spoke of a possibility of responding to Saudi and UAE requests for intervention to support the opposition in a drive to seize control of Raqqa, which is currently held by Daesh. Subsequently, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir announced that the commitment of ground forces to Syria to fight Daesh was contingent on the approval of the US-led coalition. He added: The process of organising the forces and the size of this force will not depend on Saudi Arabia alone, but also on the international coalition. But the escalatory dynamics are still there, as was noted by the Russian response to the Gulf-Turkish threat of staging a ground offensive into Syria from Turkey. Addressing his remarks to Washington in an interview with Euronews TV, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev cautioned that a ground offensive would lead to a fully-fledged and protracted war. At present, it does not look like further European meetings on the Syrian crisis will bring the parties back to the negotiating table, at least not until the outside rivals locking horns over the Syrian crisis have tested their muscle on the ground. Meanwhile, as the Gulf continues to try to build up momentum for intervention and the Turks sustain their bombardment of Kurds while the Russians persist in their military campaign in Syria, Washington is struggling with the demands of leading the military coalition against Daesh and the strains of counselling restraint and urging all parties to return to the instruments of diplomacy rather than the instruments of war. *This story was first published at Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: - Some of the 26 sacked DGs from government agencies have acted in defiance of President Buhari's directive - Buhari had directed the sacked DGs to vacate office and handover to the most senior officers - Some have refused to handover while some others handed over to those who were not the most senior officers Five of the 26 heads of government agencies sacked by President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday have failed to obey the presidents directive. Those who were sacked were asked to immediately vacate office and handover to the most senior officers in their establishments pending the appointment of substantive chief executives. But Daily Trust investigations revealed that five sacked chief executives have failed to vacate office 48 hours since the directive was issued, while those who left did so in a controversial manner, handing over to officers other than the most senior ones. A crisis was said to have ensued in some of the agencies to the extent that riot police were called to restore normalcy. Findings from sources showed that, at the Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF), the sacked executive secretary, Asabe Asmau Ahmed, showed up for a meeting the following day after the sack during which she announced Alhaji Ahmed Bobboi as the acting ES instead of Hajiya Aisha Usman, who, sources said, is the most senior officer. READ ALSO: Buhari upset over budget fraud, orders mass sacking At the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), sources said Ahmed Farouk has not handed over for now. There was a drama at the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), as the former director-general, Onyeka Onwenu sought to hand over to Sadiq Umar, the director, Planning, Research and Statistics instead of Abdulmalik Dauda, the director, Human Resource Management, who is said to be the most senior. The acting director general, Dauda said: This handover was quite challenging because there was a lot of tension, and the minister had to intervene because the staff wanted to do some nasty things. At the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), the former DG, Juliet Chukka-Onaeko, is yet to hand over. As at 1pm yesterday, she said she had no idea of who to hand over to, and when and where, adding that members of the management had not told her what to do. At the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), the general manager, Nigerian Content, Jacklyn Guyil, has been acting as the executive secretary, though she is yet to receive handover notes from Femi Ajayi. The feud over who should succeed Emeka Ezeh at the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) seems to have been settled. READ ALSO: Why Buhari sacked DGs, 10 to be handed over to EFCC Reports had it that senior directors were not happy with his decision to handover to the Bureaus Director of Energy Infrastructure Babatunde Kuye. The Bureaus head of media, Thomas Odemwingie, said: There was no tussle. It was just that someone needed clarification on the criteria, which was validly given by the former DG. It was amicably settled. Meanwhile, at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the former executive secretary, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, endorsed the letter from the federal government and briefed the Director in executive secretarys office, Malam Aliyu Naiya, to oversee the affairs of the office from Tuesday. In the latest massive shake-off by Buharis administration, 26 director-general and heads of agencies were relieved of their duties and most of the affected officials were appointees of former president, Goodluck Jonathan. According to Chief John Oyegun, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), those who were sacked have been compromised and were sabotaging Buharis government. Source: Legit.ng - Obasanjo praised Buharis anti-corruption war - Ex-president advised the incumbent government to tackle economy problems like the Boko Haram Muhammadu Buhari and Olusegun Obasanjo Ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that Muhammadu Buhari didnt invite him to discuss vital issues. Obasanjo while speaking from Uganda on the Hausa Service of the BBC monitored in Jos defined President Buhari as a man of his words, stating that prior to the 2015 general poll Buhari vowed to fight corruption and was now being witnessed fighting it. READ ALSO: President Buhari spotted with Obasanjo in Ethiopia He said: No, I am the one looking for him but he did not give me the permission to see him. Former president added that the current fight against corruption embarked upon by Buhari was on the right course, saying he is in support of the fight. I support the fight against corruption of the incumbent administration. Buhari had prior to 2015 election vowed to fight corruption and he is doing it. We are seeing how he is collecting the stolen money from corrupt officials, Obasanjo said. When he was further asked on whether Buhari could save the economy of Nigeria from its current difficulties to the improvement of Nigerians politician said: Yes, Buhari could do it. If he approached the economy like the way he handled Boko Haram problem, he would help the economy of the country. When Obasanjo was a military ruler in the 1970s, Buhari held the key post of minister of petroleum affairs. Relations between the two former generals may now thaw following what seems to be an endorsement for Mr Buhari from Mr Obasanjo in his recently released autobiography. READ ALSO: OBJ calls on Buhari to start anti-corruption war from the top Obasanjo was a founding member of the PDP and led the party to two resounding victories after military rule ended in 1999. However, he defected from the party before the last year election. Despite his pledge not to defect to another party, ex-president has been vocal in his support for Buhari, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, while he has fallen short of offering an outright endorsement. Source: Legit.ng Strikes by a US-led coalition against the IS group killed at least 15 civilians, including three children, in northeastern Syria on Thursday, a monitor said. The strikes hit four IS-group controlled villages in Hasakeh province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, saying the toll could rise. It said nine IS group militants had also been killed in the strikes on the four villages. The Britain-based monitor said the latest civilian casualties came after two days of civilian deaths in US-led strikes in Hasakeh. It reported another eight civilians, including one woman, were killed in US-led strikes on another IS- group controlled village in the province on Wednesday. Strikes elsewhere in the province also killed 26 IS group militants on the same day, it said. And on Tuesday, 15 civilians were killed in US-led strikes on the town of Al-Shadadi, the group said. That brought the number of civilians reported killed in US-led strikes in Hasakeh to 38 since Tuesday. The coalition has reportedly stepped up its raids in Hasakeh since the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces alliance launched a new operation against IS group in the southern part of the province on Tuesday. The alliance has scored successes against IS group in other parts of the province in the past, backed by the coalition which began strikes in Syria in September 2014. It has rarely acknowledged civilian deaths in its campaign against IS group. In January, it admitted three "likely" civilian deaths last year near the IS group stronghold of Raqa, bringing to at least 21 the number of civilians the coalition has acknowledged killing in both Syria and neighbouring Iraq. The Observatory said last month that the coalition campaign had killed some 332 civilians in Syria since it began, among them 90 children. In total, the campaign has killed more than 4,250 people in Syria, according to the monitor, which relies on a network of sources on the ground. Search Keywords: Short link: -The director general of NATFORCE, Osita Okereke has revealed that there are over 6,000 illegal borders currently been used to smuggle dangerous weapons into Nigeria -He stated that NATFORCE recently intercepted a truck load of arms to Nigeria from Ghana -He accused the Nigeria Customs Service of undermining its efforts to reduce the influx of illegal arms to Nigeria -The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) members have resolved to start carrying guns in self-defence from Wednesday, February 17, 2016. Emmanuel Osita Okereke speaks on IPOB threat of carrying guns in self defence The director general of the National Task Force to Combat Illegal Importation of Small Arms, Ammunition and Light Weapons (NATFORCE), Emmanuel Osita Okereke has alleged the Nigerian Customs Service of undermining its efforts to reduce the influx of illegal arms into Nigeria. Speaking exclusively with Legit.ng in Abuja on Thursday, February 18, Okereke revealed that Nigeria has over 6,000 illegal borders are currently being used to smuggle dangerous weapons into the country. He stated that some NATFORCE officials recently intercepted a truck load of arms from Ghana to Nigeria. He revealed that some Customs officials had illegal diverted a ship loaded with arms to Calabar adding that the said ship had come into Nigeria from Ivory Coast through the Onne seaport in Port Harcourt. In his words: "I monitored a ship loaded with arms from Ivory Coast to Onne seaport in Port Harcourt. When we notified Nigeria Customs that we wanted to be part of the inspection, they refused and immediately shut down the port. After two months, they diverted the ship to Calabar and that was the end of the matter." READ ALSO: Dasukigate: Deport Children Of Beneficiaries, NATFORCE DG Tells FG "Again, we monitored a trailer load of arms with a Ghanaian registered plate number to Onitsha. We apprehended the truck and handed it over to the police. The truck is still there at the state police command in Awka. The problem is, Customs believe that we are duplicating their job, which is not suppose to be so." "Personally, my life has been in danger. I insisted that we must fight against illegal arms. They have paid so many people to assassinate me. They even bribed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to the declare me wanted. Unfortunately, Ibrahim Larmode who declared me wanted embezzled over 2.5 trillion. "The Biafra people said they want to start carrying guns, well until we are allowed to begin full operation because right now, we are not allowed to do what we should really do," he added. He called for collaborations between security agencies in the country to expedite actions towards protecting borders and other entry points into Nigeria. Meanwhile, the NATFORCE DG, Emmanuel Okereke had called for a probe on the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo over alleged corruption. Source: Legit.ng - Dr Chris Ngige has reportedly collapsed at the National Assembly - The minister of labour and employment was defending his ministry's budget when he allegedly slumped - Ngige has reacted a couple of hours later, said the reports were 'laughable' Emerging reports suggest that Nigeria's minister of labour and employment, Dr Chris Nwabueze Ngige, collapsed at the National Assembly on February 18. Senator Chris Ngige reportedly slumped at the National Assembly on February 18. READ ALSO: Read what Jonathans loyalists threaten to do, if new PDP chairman is not removed Daily Post reports that the minister collapsed while defending his ministry's budget before the House of Representatives Committee on labour. Sources disclose that he was immediately rushed to a hospital. However, a couple of hours after the numerous publications Senator Chris Ngige has denied earlier reports that he collapsed during National Assembly budget defence. Speaking with The Nation correspondent aboard an aircraft from South Africa, on February 18, he described the report as rumour aimed at damaging his strength and personality. Senator Ngige said the collapse rumour is laughable and a failed attempt by never to do well politicians for their selfish interest. I am not in Nigeria, I attended special morning session function in Zambia and am airborne to South Africa where I will be coming into the country tomorrow. The rumours in social media and other quarters shows how petty people can be, I dont see it as anything but I wish to tell those who still play this outdated and obsolete politics of bitterness to embrace change and know that it is no longer business as usual, he said. The senator gave assurance that President Buharis government will eradicate the country off of corrupt leaders who plunged the nation into hardship. He stressed that his ministry would continue to encourage good governance in Nigeria. Source: Legit.ng An outbreak of fighting at a UN peacekeeping base sheltering civilians in South Sudan has killed at least seven people and injured 40, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday. The seven displaced persons were living in the base in the northeast town of Malakal where violence between the ethnic Dinka and Shilluk communities broke out overnight and continued into the day, he said. Ban condemned the fighting and expressed concerns about the rise of ethnic violence in the more than two-year conflict. He warned "all parties against stoking ethnic disputes and calls on them to refrain from any actions or statements that could further escalate the situation," according to a statement from his spokesman. The UN chief reminded all sides that attacks on UN peacekeeping bases can constitute a war crime and urged them to implement a peace deal signed in August. Fighting has continued in South Sudan despite the peace accord. Thousands have died and more than 2.3 million have been driven from their homes. Nearly 200,000 civilians have sought shelter in the UN mission's eight compounds in South Sudan since the conflict began. Search Keywords: Short link: An Iraqi court on Thursday sentenced 40 men to hang over the June 2014 massacre by Sunni militants and allied militants of hundreds of military recruits in Tikrit, the judiciary said. The central criminal court in Baghdad found 40 of 47 defendants guilty of involvement in the "Speicher" massacre, named after the base near where the victims were captured before being executed. "The court ordered the execution of 40 (people) convicted of involvement in the incident, while seven were released for lack of evidence," Iraq's judiciary spokesman Abdel Sattar Bayraqdar said in the statement. Bayraqdar said the sentences were handed down under Article Four of Iraq's anti-terrorism law, which states that anyone who perpetrates, incites, plans, finances or assists acts of terrorism will be sentenced to death. A judicial source said all 47 were Iraqi citizens and present in court for their sentencing. "Some of them actually did the killing and others assisted them in this crime," the official, who could not give his name because he was not authorised to talk to the press, told AFP. He said the 40 were sentenced to death by hanging. The court itself did not reveal the identities of the defendants nor any details of the circumstances of their arrest. In a similar trial in July 2015, 24 men were sentenced to hang over the Speicher massacre, which was committed during the first days of the Islamic State (ISIS) group's sweeping offensive in Iraq. All of them had denied involvement. Some had said they were not even near Tikrit at the time, others that they never saw a lawyer and that the confessions used to secure convictions were obtained under torture. Rights groups had criticised that trial as not meeting many of the standards required for such crimes. The highest estimate for the number of men murdered in the Speicher massacre is 1,700. Tikrit was retaken from IS in April 2015. Amnesty International on Thursday criticised "a fundamentally flawed mass trial" which it said brought the number of death sentences handed down by Iraqi courts this year to 92. "For Iraqi courts to hand down 92 death sentences in just six weeks is a grim indicator of the current state of justice in the country," the rights watchdog's Middle East and North Africa deputy director James Lynch said in a statement. "The vast majority of the trials have been grossly unfair, with many of the defendants claiming to have been tortured into 'confessing' the crimes," he said. Before a death sentence can be carried out in Iraq, it must be ratified by the president. Amnesty said the current head of state, Fuad Masum, has come under significant pressure to do so but called on the Iraqi authorities to establish an official moratorium on executions. The Speicher massacre is considered one of ISIS' worst crimes since it took over large parts of the country in 2014. Combined with a call by the country's top Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani for Iraqis to take up arms against them, the Speicher massacre played a key role in the mass recruitment of Shia volunteers to fight the militants. Search Keywords: Short link: Ongoing strong demand for residential property in metropolitan areas, and in locations with favourable population balance, is underpinned by urbanization effects and structurally good economic conditions in Germany. The increasing appeal of residential markets will lead to higher rental prices and a rise in property values. [] Goodman Group has signed a new lease agreement with Coindu, a supplier in the automobile components sector, for a 3,458 sqm logistics facility at Goodman Senec Logistics Centre. The agreement with Coindu was signed only one month after the construction of the speculative unit in building B was complete. This [] Pramerica Real Estate Investors has appointed Eduard Wehry as a managing director and head of business development for Asia Pacific, based in Singapore/ Hong Kong. Pramerica Real Estate Investors is the real estate business of PGIM Inc. and operates as Prudential Real Estate Investors in the Americas, Korea and Japan. [] Delhi-based Neev Motorcycles Y2 650 concept is a Royal Enfield 650 Twin build like never before Royal Enfield products are quite popular in the field of motorcycle customisation. Over the years, we have come across several interesting mods based on Royal Enfields UCE 350 and 500 models as well as some poor builds with absolutely zero focus on function. However, the Chennai-based motorcycle brands 650 Twins rarely fall prey to bad customisation tastes. Thanks to a decent mechanical base, the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 are excellent choices for mods striking the right balance between form and function. Delhi-based Neev Motorcycles has unveiled a new concept based on the Royal Enfield 650 Twins, dubbed as Y2 650. From the looks of it, the power plant seems to be one of the very few components that were left untouched. The Royal Enfield Y2 650 currently remains a digital render but the actual project would be as close as it can get. Unlike its donor motorcycle, the Y2 650 takes a marked shift from a modern classic design. It mixes sports cruiser DNA with neo-retro streetfighter elements and is a completely different approach to a Royal Enfield 650 Twin customisation. The inspiration seems to have come from the Confederate Hellcat an exotic custom-fit street motorcycle from the US (MS Dhoni owns one). The highlights of the custom-built chassis include an all-new 15-litre fuel tank design (with a carbon fibre texture), USD forks, extended twin-shock swingarm, single-piece floating seat, custom-fit belly pan and fenders, dual headlights, under-seat LED tail lamp, bar-end mirrors and more. Its large 17-inch multi-spoke wheels are shod with 110/70 and 200/55 section rubber at the front and back, respectively. The motorcycle wears a metallic grey shade. The rounded design of the original 648cc 47bhp/52Nm parallel-twin motor does not appear to blend well with the general aesthetics, especially with the sculpted exhaust pipes coming from it. As mentioned before, some of the components you see in this render might not make it to the actual road-going version. For instance, the front twin-rotor Brembo brake unit would easily be an overkill for the 650 Twins performance which is just right and enjoyable in its stock avatar. Ever since its inception, Neev Motorcycles has created a range of chopper, bobber and cafe racer builds based on popular Royal Enfield models. Out of these, the Y2 650 definitely stands apart and it has already garnered a lot of interest on social media. Last year, the team created a unique Duke project for the Tamil movie, Hero. Some brands are known for their interesting, thought-provoking ads and Tata Safari certainly qualifies to be in that list Just like the Safari SUV, its ads have been hugely popular among people. While the catchphrase reclaim your life and 4X4 appear to be the primary theme of Safari ads, the script is amazingly unique for each ad. If there was a list of the best ads ever created in the country, some of Tata Safari ads have a high probability of making it to the top 10. Over the years, Tata Safari ads have focused on highlighting various beneficial aspects of the SUV. In one of the ads, we can see that the focus is primarily on the affordable pricing of the SUV. The price tag reads Tata Safari LX Rs 7.53 Lakhs, which is followed by the caption Better Believe It. Also Read Tata Safari Production Stops In other ads, we see that the focus is on encouraging the audience to explore the great outdoors. And the vehicle of choice would obviously be Tata Safari. True to its name, Tata Safari has been designed to take on any terrain. All Tata Safari models were equipped with powerful engines that can work well in both city and off-road conditions. These ads were primarily targeted at professionals working in an office environment. The core message was to follow ones dreams and not to postpone your favourite plans for some other time. Tata Safari TVC 2002 to 2009 Some ads connect with the audience at a deeper level. For instance, the ad with the caption, the only lines that matter are the ones you make is among the most memorable Safari ads. It stimulates our sense of individuality and encourages us to do the things we like. There are some Tata Safari ads that are specifically targeted at the young audience. The theme of clubbing and pop culture is clearly evident in these ads. With its attractive design and rugged performance, Tata Safari was quite popular among the youth. Also Read Tata Hexa Safari Edition Debuts Tata Safari has been in service for two decades and it was expected that it will be discontinued. Tata Safari Storme production was stopped in November 2019 and dealerships were not taking new bookings. With new products such as Harrier and upcoming Gravitas and Blackbird, it did not make sense to continue Safari. However, people were in for a surprise when the company showcased Hexa Safari BS6 Concept at 2020 Auto Expo. The concept model is essentially an extension of two popular SUV brands, Hexa and Safari. It has been officially confirmed that Hexa BS6 will be launched in the next fiscal. The enthusiast-focused JTP line from Tata Motors may not get BS6 update. Reports of its discontinuation have surfaced online. Tata Motors JTP line was the Indian brands honest try at making a proper hot-hatch (and hot-compact-sedan?) on a budget. Compared to the regular Tiago and Tigor, JTP models boasted of a turbocharged version of the regular 1.2-litre Revotron petrol motor (identical to the Tata Nexons petrol unit) alongside significant upgrades to other chassis components. JTP stands for Jayem Tata Performance and comes under JTSV (Jayem Tata Special Vehicles); a joint venture between Tata Motors and Coimbatore-based Jayem Automotives. The Tata Tiago JTP and Tigor JTP were launched back in October 2018 at an ex-showroom price of Rs 6.39 lakh and Rs 7.49 lakh, respectively. Fast forward to August 2019, the JTP models received an update in the form of a new 7.0-inch touchscreen, automatic climate control and power-folding ORVMs. Prices for the Tiago JTP and Tigor JTP rose by Rs 30,000 and Rs 10,000, respectively, from the initial figures. Now, reports stating that JTP models might not go through BS6 update have surfaced online. In other words, the enthusiast-focused JTP line might be discontinued, even though an official report is yet to come from JTSV or Tata Motors. The information came to light when one of the employees of JTSV tweeted that the joint venture has been dissolved and 25 people are left without a job. The tweet was addressed to none other than Mr Ratan Tata. The tweet and the account itself were removed later, but had remained long enough for Indian car enthusiasts to start multiple discussions across online forums and other social media platforms. Many, especially those who own a JTP product, are in the hopes that the news is false or even if it is indeed true, Tata Motors would absorb some of the losses caused by JTSV and bring the JTP line under its regular portfolio. Even though the Tata Tiago JTP and Tigor JTP were interesting products in an ocean of dull-to-drive cars (that just get more features and chrome with every update), the average Indian buyer just couldnt see a point in buying it over a regular Tiago or Tigor, or any other alternative coming in the same price bracket. One of the primary reasons for this was the unwanted exclusivity and poor marketing given to the JTP line; a terrible combination to say the least. For starters, the JTP range was available only in 30 Tata Motors dealerships across 15 cities in the country. Plus, there were no proper advertisements or commercials on any forms of visual media to let the wider audience become aware of such a product. In fact, one can be almost certain that only automotive enthusiasts who spent time online going through reviews and updates came to know about the JTP products. In most of the above-mentioned dealerships, potential customers were not offered a test drive. Some claim that in certain dealerships, test drives were only allowed if we make a booking which defeats the whole point of conducting a test drive. A JTP product is a rare sight on the road; arguably rarer than a supercar spotting these days. Still, it would not have been the case if the concerned officials had properly valued the products and marketed them the way they were meant to be. Surely, JTP models would have never been able to come close to the average monthly sales figures of the regular Tiago and Tigor, even with the best marketing techniques. At least half of the JTP models sold in the country were a result of salesmen addressing them as a top-end Tiago (or Tigor). The Tiago JTP and Tigor JTP are not outright performers or class-leading handlers to justify such exclusivity, even though they are relatively fun-to-drive with an involving mid-range. Despite being a market failure, the JTP range was able to give a ray of hope for Indias small community of proper automotive enthusiasts. The affordable hot-hatch segment in the Indian automotive market may not be strong enough for major OEMs to introduce or continue selling a product in it; the latest example being the Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS. Still, we wish to see brands take extra effort to make products meant for those who see cars as more than just a mode of transportation. Chances of seeing a next-generation Tiago/Tigor JTP or even a Nexon or Altroz JTP are bleak. However, hopes and wishes are going strong in the minds of enthusiasts. Source Nothing was going to stop this canine officer from doing his duty. Last Thursday, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Department (LVMPD) in Nevada responded to a call where alleged gunshots and screams for help were heard inside a home, ABC affiliate 13 Action News reported. The situation quickly escalated into a 12-hour barricade standoff that carried on into Friday, with negotiators attempting to lure out the suspect. When negotiation attempts failed, the LVMPD's SWAT team eventually decided to send their K9 officers to raid the apartment. They couldn't have anticipated what came next. The suspect was armed with a machete and attacked K9 officer Nicky, the beloved partner of Sgt. Eric Kerns. The two have been working together for three years. Despite being stabbed multiple times in the head, Nicky did not cry or whimper when he was attacked - instead, he continued to fight until the suspect had been taken down. Even better, police say the male suspect was bitten multiple times before being taken into custody. The United States has told Russia broad areas in which US special forces are operating in Syria and asked them not to strike there, US military officials said on Thursday. The move marks a step up in US-Russian military coordination in Syria, which the United States had previously said was limited to a mechanism to avoid accidents in the air as both countries undertake bombing campaigns there. Lieutenant General Charles Brown, the head of US Air Forces Central Command, disclosed the request at a Thursday news briefing at the Pentagon. "We told them (the Russians) these are ... general areas where we have coalition forces that we don't want them to strike there, because all it's going to do is escalate things," Brown said. "It's really just to maintain the safety for our forces that are both in the air and in this case on the ground." The United States announced in October it would deploy dozens of special operators in northern Syria to advise opposition forces in their fight against the militant group Islamic State. A senior US defense official said at the time that the United States had not notified Russia of the special forces' location in Syria, but was open to doing so in order to keep the troops safe. Russia launched air strikes in Syria last year saying it was targeting Islamic State militants. But rebels on the ground and Western officials say the strikes have mainly targeted moderate rebel groups not associated with Islamic State, including US-trained fighters. Major powers agreed last week to a limited cessation of hostilities in Syria in a deal that takes effect at the end of this week. Russia says the "cessation" does not apply to its air strikes, which have shifted the balance of power toward Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The United States has not shared with the Russians specific locations or times of the US special operators' movements, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said on Thursday. The request was made via the two countries' defense ministries, and US Secretary Ash Carter was aware of the request, Cook said. "We provided (the Russians) a geographical area that we asked them to stay out of because of the risk to US forces," Cook said. "Up to this point they have honored this request." He declined to comment specifically on the timing of the request. Search Keywords: Short link:

Shut Down Petland in Kennesaw, Ga

How much is that nightmare in the window? As someone who worked in the animal rescue field for years, Karen Paul could never put a price on suffering. Still, she felt like it was a kind of duty to check up on the inmates at Petland in Kennesaw, Georgia. Those visits always left her with some haunting scene she couldn't shake from her mind. "Every time I went into the store, there was something wrong - either a sick dog or an animal showing injury," she tells The Dodo. Shut Down Petland in Kennesaw, Ga Often, she found the animals weak, riddled with various ailments and in severe distress. In her eyes, the dogs bore all the hallmarks of hailing from a puppy mill: trembling and excessively shy, runny noses, diarrhea. She also noted frequent injuries among puppies - a not uncommon trademark of wholesale breeding. Shut Down Petland in Kennesaw, Ga Dodo Shows Soulmates Dog Goes Everywhere In His Dad's Kangaroo Pouch Nearly all pet stores that sell dogs get them from puppy mills, and most of these mills are completely legal. USDA-licensed doesn't mean much, as large-scale breeders are required only to keep the animals in cages large enough for them to turn around, and not much more. As the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) notes on its website, "under USDA standards, it is legal to keep dozens or even hundreds of breeding dogs in small wire cages for their entire lives with only the basics of food, water and rudimentary shelter." What kind of existence does that spell for an animal? Picture dogs in cages, stacked upon more cages - their entire lives, from squalid start to anonymous end, spent in a cage. Their sole occupation? To breed. Some puppy mills have up to 1,000 breeding dogs. Shut Down Petland in Kennesaw, Ga Paul's allegations aren't the first time Petland, an Ohio-based company with more than 130 stores across America, has been linked to puppy mills. HSUS has launched investigations into the company dating as far back as 2008, claiming animals from mills are being sold to unsuspecting customers. The website Consumer Affairs has tallied nearly 500 complaints from customers, giving the company an overall score of one out of five. But it wasn't until Paul saw the Great Dane at her local Petland that she decided to do something about it. Shut Down Petland in Kennesaw, Ga The puppy, she says, was in such obvious pain he was "walking on his joints." That was in 2014. Since then, Paul founded a Facebook group pointedly dubbed "Shut down Petland in Kennesaw, Ga" - and it has since drawn more than 8,000 members. Shut Down Petland in Kennesaw, Ga "I reached out to the community and I said if you are a consumer, I want to talk to you," she said. She collected testimonials from dozens of customers at both the Kennesaw location and a second Petland store in Sarasota, Florida. Both stores are owned by Brad Parker, a man who has addressed allegations only sparingly in the media. Rylee Barr, a former employee at the Sarasota location, told The Dodo last December she saw puppies "coming in multiple times a week or who were sick and had deformities." A lot of puppies went to the vet, she added, but she only realized later they had died. The store's response to her claims? "We have irrefutable proof that she is making falsehoods," Jenn Kennedy, a manager at Petland Sarasota, told The Dodo. Shut Down Petland in Kennesaw, Ga The company appears to be making efforts to clean up its online image. Paul says she was given copies of letters the company sent to customers whose animals died shortly after buying them from Petland. A letter from Petland to a customer whose pet died after purchase states the store will issue a refund for the pet's loss, but with conditions: "You must agree to cease/refrain from all sorts of slander on all platforms of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Yelp!, Instagram or any such venue." The letter goes on to prohibit customers from contacting the Better Business Bureau as well as the office of the Attorney General. Shut Down Petland in Kennesaw, Ga "We have quite a few people who have signed something like this," Paul says. "It astounds me what they are doing to try and cover up what's going on." Shut Down Petland in Kennesaw, Ga Paul called it an attempt to gag the store's customers. And then she got sued. Parker, who owns the Petland stores in Kennesaw and Sarasota, has launched civil litigation against Paul. While she says she can't speak about the ongoing case in detail, she says it involves defamation, libel, slander - about as much as you can get sued for on social media. Shut Down Petland in Kennesaw, Ga

HSNT

It seemed the only question left for the urgently pregnant pony standing in a Texas feedlot was where she would be having her baby. Would it be right there in the cramped lot, alongside the donkeys and other ponies? Or would it be in the packed trailer bound for Mexico? Or would she manage to give birth at all before a slaughterhouse swallowed her up along with her unborn foal? In any event, would it even matter? HSNT Dodo Shows Faith = Restored Rescued Wild Horse Loves To Play With A Little Donkey The pony was among a contingent of equines in the town of Bowie - five ponies and five donkeys - with a one-way ticket to a Mexican border town, where the animals' only value might be their hides. Still, the pony, who would later be called Velvet, fought off labor valiantly, and long enough for the most timely of interventions. The Ark Watch Foundation, along with the Humane Society of North Texas, got involved. They found several pregnant horses and donkeys. All were in urgent need of medical assistance. "The Ark Watch Foundation negotiated the release of the ponies and donkeys with kill buyers in Bowie and arranged to have them transported to our rehabilitation facility," Whitney Hanson of the Humane Society of North Texas (HSNT) tells The Dodo. Loaded into a trailer bound for the rehab facility in Crowley, Velvet fought her pressing labor pains. What was she waiting for? Perhaps, it was her destination. Once the animals arrived in Crowley, they were given healthy feed, fresh water, space to graze, medical care and, most vitally, love. And then, just hours before Valentine's Day, the pregnant pony gave something back. HSNT She gave birth to a tiny foal. Her name was Valentina. "Velvet and Valentina are doing fantastic," Hanson says. "Once Velvet heals from her infections and Valentina is a bit older, we will begin searching for an adoptive home for the pair." HSNT They're hardly the only ones who will be looking for a home soon. In fact, nearly half the females in that once-doomed herd are expected to go into labor shortly. And all of them have a long road to recovery. "Many of these equine need to gain more than 100 pounds," Hanson says. "And all are still battling pneumonia and severe parasitic infections." It will be at least three months, she adds, before any of them are ready for adoption. Since giving birth to her clumsy, bumbling, awkward, completely adorable foal, Velvet has kept her close by her side - aside from a fleeting moment when Valentina trotted up to rescue staff and gave them loving nuzzles. HSNT But rescue staff says Velvet has already proven a very protective mother. And it's no wonder. After all, that awkward, clumsy foal is her precious Valentina. Her funny Valentine. This happy ending, and countless more just like it was brought to you by the Humane Society of North Texas. But there are still far too many tragic chapters being written, especially in Texas, where Hanson says sending animals to slaughter in Mexico has reached epidemic proportions. "It started in 2007 when Texas outlawed equine slaughter in the state and closed the last of the equine slaughter plants down," she explains. "Most residents assume that by closing the plants, the practice of equine slaughter stopped, but in reality it just moved to Mexico." HSNT A drumbeat of lagging revenue and high-level departures caught up with one of Washingtons major law firms last week as Dickstein Shapiro closed its doors and went out of business, notifying current and former partners in a FedEx-delivered letter that the firm is unable to repay the financial stakes that partners had invested in the firm. I lost equity, as did all of their partners, said Andy Zausner, who headed Dickstein Shapiros congressional practice before leaving for Greenberg Traurig in July. I have not decided myself if I am going to do anything about it. Zausner did not disclose how much money he lost but acknowledged that it was substantial. The former law firms website said more than 100 lawyers and staffers had joined Blank Rome, a Philadelphia-based firm. But the talent had been fleeing Dickstein Shapiro for years, according to several former partners and staff members. This is painful, said Barbara Biz Van Gelder, a white-collar lawyer who left Dickstein Shapiro for Cozen OConnor earlier this month. Dickstein is dead and long live Blank Rome. Dickstein Shapiro represented a colorful list of clients and partners over the years that often placed it in the national conversation. Its failure mirrors the upheaval in the national legal industry as firms retool, expand and merge to meet changing economic demands. Blank Rome Chairman Alan J. Hoffman, who engineered the hires, said the Philadelphia firm had been looking to expand in Washington. Knowing about the reputation of that firm in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere, but particularly in Washington as a real legal powerhouse, we pursued the opportunity, Hoffman said. Hoffman said the Dickstein Shapiro lawyers will help Blank Rome move into new practice areas, such as government contracts and insurance issues, that are not part of Blank Romes current legal arsenal. Dickstein Shapiros demise harks back to the collapse of another prominent Washington firm, Howrey LLP, known by many in the Washington area as Howrey & Simon. There were signs of discord at Dickstein Shapiro for years. Legal journals described the firm as troubled and defection-plagued. Watchdogs documented the steady pace of lawyers leaving the firm. One reporter described revenue as grim. The firm was among the nations top law firms in the number of defections, losing energy partners, as well as insurance industry partners and associates, according to reports. It didnt help when a federal court tossed out a nearly $500 million jury award to one of Dickstein Shapiros clients in 2013. Dickstein Shapiro held talks with various suitors, but legal consultant Peter Zeughauser said the firm was hampered by the high cost of its real estate. They had too much real estate for not enough lawyers, which is a common predicament for firms that wind up failing, Zeughauser said. Kate Tavella, a spokeswoman for Blank Rome, said the firm would consolidate its D.C. office at Dickstein Shapiros office at 1825 I St. NW in the near future. Dickstein Shapiros lawyers in its New York office would move into Blank Romes space in the Chrysler Building. Founded in New York City in 1953, Dickstein Shapiro moved its headquarters to Washington three years later. For many years, it was known as Dickstein Shapiro & Morin, after Charles H. Morin, a well-connected lawyer who had served in the CIA and with Charles Colson, special counsel to President Richard M. Nixon. In the 1970s, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, then led by Frank Fitzsimmons, transferred its legal business from what is now known as Williams & Connolly to Dickstein Shapiro. Fitzsimmonss close relationship with Nixon and Colson were cited at the time as part of the reason for the change. In 2013, Dickstein Shapiro tapped former House speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) to take the lead rebuilding its lobbying practice. Hastert abruptly resigned a year later after he was indicted on charges that he violated banking laws in a bid to pay $3.5 million to an unnamed person to cover up past misconduct. Dickstein Shapiros Ira Lee Sorkin was the lead defense attorney for the Madoff fraud case before going on to form his own firm. I was there 23 years, Zausner said. Its a law firm that had a bunch of really, really excellent lawyers in it. Indie Guides will let you know about cool places you might not otherwise find. (IndieGuides) UTrip helps you plan your vacation step by step. (UTrip) The holidays (and perhaps your most recent vacation) are a distant memory, and unbroken weeks of work and late-winter weather stretch before you. Nows the time to pep yourself up by planning your next escape, and here are a couple of new apps to help you do that. Their newness means they cover a limited number of destinations, but their coverage should grow with time. For a review of a third app, UTrip, visit washingtonpost.com/magazine. Facet features video snippets from travelers. Users can search by city, activity (museum-going, shopping, etc.), food and drink (among them, wine, seafood and breakfast). Each video can bring you visitors info and links to other facets (or videos). The app is attractive and easy to navigate. Dont expect thoroughness (the creators put it this way: You wont find everything on Facet, just the stuff that matters). For example, several videos of the outside of Los Angeless Griffith Observatory show tips for hiking, but nothing of the inside, which includes a planetarium, a telescope and a Tesla coil. But its fun to scroll through and youre almost certain to find something that strikes your fancy (next time Im in L.A., I plan to visit the Rain Room at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art). Free, iOS. Indie Guides also are not all-encompassing. They pride themselves on highlighting the cultural, artistic and alternative scene. Guides are available for a few European cities, as well as Istanbul, Toyko, San Francisco and Montreal. I downloaded the free-for-a-limited-time Paris version to check it out. Users can sort by category (Culture, Drink, Going Out, etc.) or by distance, which could be helpful in Paris. The map also offers a cool open now feature for spontaneous travelers. Browsing through the items, I saw intriguing options such as La Boutique du livre anime (Secret bookstore that feels like a museum) and riverboats in the 13th arrondissement (Concerts with your feet in the water). Although each entry included thorough visitors information, there seemed to be no way to save the suggestions I found interesting. $1.99 per city, iOS and Android. UTrip says it uses artificial intelligence to create personalized itineraries based on users interests, budgets and timeframes. Users plug those variables into a database of places and activities, curated by local experts in each city (currently pretty concentrated on the West Coast and Europe not surprising for a Seattle start-up). Up will pop a few recommended hotels (you can book through the app or on your own) and a suggested itinerary. [Related: Localeur app relies on locals to steer travelers to the best places.] The itinerary is adjustable: You can remove an item and replace it with one of your own, or ask for another suggestion. (Note: The trip planning takes place on the companys Web site, users then download their itineraries to their phones through the UTrip app.) You can put suggestions on your wish list, note that youve already been to a place or stick recommendations on a Pinterest board. Each itinerary can be opened to display details and visitors info and tips. There are also featured trips, including the expected (An Introduction to Paris, which, strangely, did not include the major sights), and the different (The geek outdoors of San Jose). Once you are there, the app is supposed to help with directions and transit options, but I couldnt test that, because Washington, D.C., is not yet on the list of cities. I also could not figure out how to adjust the timeframes. But this was so much fun to play with I didnt really mind. Free, Web, iOS and Android. Allyn Johnson, director of the University of the District of Columbias jazz studies program, and Judith Korey, curator of the archives, examine some of the treasures. The public is also welcome to review the materials. (Amy Rogers Nazarov/Amy Rogers Nazarov) I learned a lot of things from that trombone, says Allyn Johnson, director of the University of the District of Columbias jazz studies program. Hes gazing at the instrument standing upright in a glass case. The trombone belonged to Johnsons mentor and predecessor, Calvin Jones, who guided the program for 28 years until his death in 2004. Jones taught countless students and performed with the likes of Count Basie and Ray Charles. His presence is palpable in the Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives, in Building 41 of UDCs Van Ness campus. Grant was a revered jazz host on D.C. radio for nearly 50 years. The archives named for him include tens of thousands of recordings as well as articles, awards, posters and photos. (It was Grant who pushed for Western High School to be renamed for Duke Ellington.) Judith Korey, curator of the archives and a professor of music at the university, says she and media technician Rachel Elwell field daily requests from people around the world for recordings to be transferred from a record to a digital file. While the items in the archives do not leave the premises, anyone can make an appointment to browse. Pianist Johnson has been dubbed the Dean of D.C. Jazz. This whole thing would fall apart without Korey, he says modestly. Korey oversees programs such as meet-the-artist gatherings and the annual Calvin Jones Big Band Jazz Festival, set for April 25 this year. Jazz in Washington, contends Korey, is far more than a collection of old LPs. Capacity crowds at venues such as U Streets Twins Jazz and the Jazz and Cultural Society in Brookland attest to its vibrancy. I go to Westminster Presbyterian Church [in Southwest Washington] several Friday nights a month, she says. I have a favorite seat. Jazz DJ Rusty Hassan, whose show airs on WPFW on Thursday nights from 10 to midnight, echoes Koreys claim. It is hard to keep up with all thats going on in terms of live jazz performances. Jazz is really thriving in D.C. Hassan was speaking after teaching his first history of jazz class of the semester at UDC. What had he played for the new students? Three Blind Mice as performed by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, he said. Musicians can hear the difference between the trumpet and the trombone, but someone new usually cant. I tell my students, Start to open your ears up. Washingtons ethnic enclaves have moved over the years, as transportation, suburbanization and gentrification have redrawn our regional map. Here are the new locations rich in international cuisine and supplies. Not sure where to begin? Were including recommendations from The Posts Tim Carman. (Bonnie Dain / For The Washington Post) Chinese The Districts first Chinatown, established in the late 1800s along Pennsylvania Avenue, gave way to construction for Federal Triangle in the early 1930s. The community re-congregated around Seventh and H streets NW. The construction of Verizon Center in the mid-1990s started a wave of development that eventually claimed almost every Chinese restaurant and market there. Today, your best bet for finding an array of Chinese storefronts is in Rockville, Md. Recommended: East Pearl Restaurant, 838B Rockville Pike, Rockville. Try spicy dumplings, fried sea bass with black-bean sauce or the seafood congee. Ethiopian The District has drawn Africans for many reasons: its capital city status, its African American political leadership and historically black Howard University. Ethiopians who arrived after the 1974 overthrow of Haile Selassie gathered in diverse and already-gentrifying Adams Morgan. As rents increased, many businesses moved to Shaw (unsuccessfully petitioning in 2005 to have a strip of Ninth Street designated Little Ethiopia). Now, you can also find Ethiopian storefronts in Silver Spring, Md., and Alexandria, Va. Recommended: Lucy, 8301 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring Try kurt (pieces of raw rib-eye wrapped in injera, and dipped in sauce) or girgiro, red-wine-marinated meat simmered with Ethiopian butter. Silver Spring is one of the areas that has seen an increase in Ethiopian restaurants. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post) Salvadoran Central American employees of U.S. diplomats began coming to Washington in the 1960s. They were followed in the 1970s and 80s by fellow citizens, especially Salvadorans, fleeing war and poverty. Many established themselves in Mount Pleasant, which was still recovering from the 1968 riots. But by the 1990s, gentrification had started forcing immigrants to the suburbs (those tensions, plus feelings of disenfranchisement, led to the 1991 Mount Pleasant riots). Theres a notable Salvadoran presence in Marylands multicultural Langley Park called the International Corridor and in Manassas, Va. Recommended: Pupuseria El Comalito, 1167-C University Blvd., Takoma Park, Md. Try frijoles con ayote (beans with cheese and squash) or loroco con queso (cheese with a Salvadoran flower bud pupusa). Vietnamese After the 1975 fall of Saigon, South Vietnamese refugees settled in Northern Virginia, probably because of connections with military and CIA personnel. The Vietnamese hub was in Arlington Countys Clarendon neighborhood until its Metro station opened in 1979. New development pushed the businesses west to a shopping center at routes 7 and 50 in Falls Church. That strip mall became Eden Center, which now has several buildings and about 120 stores and restaurants. Recommended: Nha Trang, 6757 Wilson Blvd., No. 7-8, Falls Church. Try nem nuong cuon Ninh Hoa (grilled pork rolls), fresh summer rolls and pho with noodles made in-house. Diners share a meal in 2013 at Nha Trang Vietnamese Restaurant in Falls Church. (Bonnie Jo Mount/Washington Post) Korean There has been a Korean community in Washington since the opening of the Korean Embassy in 1949. But the larger influx of immigrants did not occur until the 1990s, and many arrivals chose Fairfax County, perhaps drawn by the public schools. Soon there was a flourishing group of stores and restaurants in Annandale catering to the Korean community. With the continuing growth of the population, clusters of businesses are also opening in Centreville, Va., and Germantown, Rockville and Silver Spring, Md. Recommended: Il Mee Buffet, 7031-A5 Little River Tpk., Annandale. Try the all-you-can-eat buffet, plus kimchi pancakes and bulgogi cooked at your table. Elizabeth Chang is an editor in the Magazine; Tim Carman writes for the Food section and is the $20 Diner. E-mail us at wpmagazine@washpost.com. For more articles, as well as features such as Date Lab, Gene Weingarten and more, visit The Washington Post Magazine. Follow the Magazine on Twitter. Like us on Facebook. TV reporter Marina Marraco got a big scoop last week when she conducted a jailhouse interview with a young Prince Georges County man accused of creating a series of child-pornography videos. But Prince Georges officials have a problem with the way Marraco allegedly obtained her exclusive with Deonte Carraway, who faces 10 felony counts in the case. Namely, they say she misrepresented herself to gain access to Carraway, who apparently admitted his involvement in the crime to Marraco. Marraco, a reporter for Fox5 (WTTG), and Fox5 news photographer Van Applegate spoke with Carraway for about an hour last week at a Prince Georges County jail, a conversation that wasnt videotaped or recorded. According to a video Marraco posted later, she and Applegate were the first visitors other than Carraways public defender to speak with him since he was arrested last week. Law-enforcement officials say, however, that Marraco and Applegate didnt identify themselves as journalists when they arrived at the jail seeking to meet with Carraway. Instead, they say, the pair told guards that they were acquaintances of Carraway from church and showed personal identification not their media credentials to gain access to him. Journalists in most cases are ethically obligated to identify themselves as members of the news media before interviewing sources or dealing with those who are their gatekeepers. The code of ethics for the Society of Professional Journalists advises reporters to avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information unless traditional, open methods will not yield information vital to the public. There is no disagreement that Marraco and Applegate identified themselves as reporters once they reached Carraway, an elementary-school volunteer who police say victimized 17 children by recording them in approximately 40 pornographic videos. Both county officials and Marraco say Carraway was aware that he was speaking to journalists. But there is some question about how they were able to get to him in the first place. The reporter and the photographer went into the jail and removed all identification of Fox5, said a county official with knowledge of the incident. They said they knew Mr. Carraway from church and wanted to see him. Once they were let in, then they identified who they were to Mr. Carraway. A spokesperson for Fox5, Claudia Russo, disputed that account, Fox5 stands by our story and the process used to obtain the interview with Deonte Carraway. In a 38-minute video posted on her Facebook page last Thursday, and in a subsequent report on Fox5, Marraco described the encounter with Carraway, 22, of Glenarden. She said he admitted in the interview that he took cellphone recordings of children engaged in sex acts at a Prince Georges elementary school. He alleges he did not have any sort of sexual interaction with these children, Marraco says in the video she posted. And that he was only participating in the form that he was behind the camera and shooting these videos of these children. Applegate adds, He was very candid with us. We made it overtly clear that we were media and it was our job to try to get all sides of the story. . . . He was appreciative of the fact that we were there to talk to him and to understand his side of the story. Later in the video, Marraco opines: When you went to talk to him . . . it was almost like you caught a kid putting, like, his hand somewhere where he shouldnt have been, and he knew it. And he admitted to it. But then he was also very adamant that he didnt partake in these encounters sexually with any of these children. Marraco did not respond to requests for comment. Applegate referred a request for comment to the station. Requests for media interviews with inmates in Prince Georges are typically routed through the Department of Corrections public information office, said Yolanda Evans, a spokeswoman for the office. The office then submits the request to the inmate, who signs a release, and also to his or her attorney. That was not done in this case, she said. A county law-enforcement official, who asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak about the episode, said the Fox5 interview potentially could create a basis for Carraways defense to argue for a change of venue for his trial. He said its unlikely that the journalists broke any laws by their actions. Was it unlawful? No, said the official. Was it unethical? Sure. Saudi forces participating in any US-led ground operation in Syria would focus on fighting the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group not the Damascus regime, the kingdom's foreign minister told AFP on Thursday. In an interview in Riyadh, Adel al-Jubeir also said separate Saudi-led military operations in Yemen would carry on until the country's government is fully restored to power and that the kingdom would not cut oil production despite falling prices. On Syria, Jubeir said any Saudi force on the ground would make the battle against ISIS its priority, despite Riyadh's fierce opposition to President Bashar al-Assad. "Saudi Arabia has expressed its readiness to send special forces to Syria as part of the coalition, with the goal of eliminating Daesh. This is the mission and the responsibility," he said, using an Arabic acronym for ISIS. "If they enter Syria, these forces will work in the framework of the international coalition to fight Daesh, there will be no unilateral operations," he said in the interview at his ministry. Asked if the mission could be expanded to include operations against Assad's forces, Jubeir said: "This would be something the international coalition would have to make a decision on." Saudi Arabia has backed rebel forces fighting Assad in the country's nearly five-year civil war and insists he must leave office for the conflict to be resolved. As regime forces assisted by Russian air strikes made major advances, Assad told AFP last week that his eventual goal is to retake all of Syria. Jubeir responded that Assad "said many things since the start of the crisis in Syria. A lot of what he said is unrealistic." The UN has begun delivering aid to besieged Syrian cities under an international deal struck last week that also hoped for a ceasefire within seven days. "It's a very delicate situation and we're watching it day by day. We will find out if Bashar al-Assad and his allies are serious about a political process or not," Jubeir said. Saudi Arabia has been part of the US-led coalition bombing ISIS in Syria and Iraq since late 2014. Its participation declined after it launched strikes against Iran-backed Shia Houthi rebels in Yemen last March. Some analysts said the kingdom would not be able or willing to send many forces to a possible US-led operation in Syria because it is mired in the nearly year-long effort supporting Yemen's government. "It's a matter of time before the international coalition in Yemen succeeds in restoring the legitimate government... in control of all of Yemen's territory," Jubeir said. "The support for the legitimate government will continue until the objectives are achieved or until an agreement is reached politically to achieve those objectives." Saudi Arabia and a coalition of Arab allies began air strikes against the Shia Houthis after they seized control of large parts of Yemen and forced President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government to flee the capital Sanaa. The Houthis have also been supported by forces loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh. Jubeir said the coalition had helped the government reclaim more than three-quarters of Yemeni territory, open up supply lines for aid and "put enough pressure on the Houthis and Saleh for them to seriously consider a political process". He dismissed claims that Saudi Arabia was mired in the conflict. "A very, very small part of our total military is involved in Yemen and it is not bogged down," the soft-spoken Jubeir said. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have accused Iran of interference throughout the Middle East and Riyadh cut ties with Tehran in a major diplomatic row earlier this year. "If Iran wants to have good relations with Saudi Arabia there is a need for Iran to change its behaviour and to change its policies. Mere words will not do the job," the minister said. He also rejected any suggestion that Saudi Arabia feels abandoned by its longtime ally Washington following Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. "Absolutely not," the former US ambassador said. "I don't see any reduction of that relationship. If anything I see a strengthening of that relationship as time goes by." The kingdom is in a battle for market share with US shale oil producers and, as the largest member of OPEC, has refused to cut output despite a fall of about 70 percent in global crude prices since mid-2014. On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia agreed with non-OPEC member Russia to freeze output as long as major competitors follow suit, in an effort to stabilise the market. "If other producers want to limit or agree to a freeze in terms of additional production that may have an impact on the market, but Saudi Arabia is not prepared to cut production," Jubeir said. Search Keywords: Short link: Steve Carell, left, and Ryan Gosling in "The Big Short." (Jaap Buitendijk/AP) Adam McKay, the director who made Anchorman and Talladega Nights, hit Washington last month on an Oscar campaign tour of sorts, which included a meeting with several of President Obamas closest economic advisers. They wanted to talk about harnessing the power of pop media to explain economics. But first, they had a bone to pick with his latest film. That film is The Big Short, a half-caper, half-explanatory-journalism account of the 2008 financial crisis, which has been nominated for five Academy Awards, including best picture. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) recently described McKays film as a movie masquerading as an educational event, or an educational event masquerading as a movie. It is that odd combination that has made McKays film, based on the Michael Lewis book, a serious contender for best picture. It also has opened McKay to criticism over whether his films concluding message is accurate. Most financial writers and movie critics agree that the movie nails the run-up to the crisis, and engagingly so. (Who else would use a blackjack-playing Selena Gomez to explain complex financial products?) The issue is what happens on screen after the crisis hits. The Big Short ends with the narrator declaring that nothing has been done to punish the bankers who crashed the system, or to stop other bankers from crashing it again in the future. After the crisis, he says, Congress had no choice but to break up the big banks and regulate the mortgage and derivatives industries. [Pause.] Just kidding. The banks took the money the American people gave them and used it to lobby the Congress to kill big reform. The Obama administration, which spent two years crafting and passing the Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill in response to the crisis, does not share that view. The movie says nothing about that effort, which is why McKay found himself arguing with a senior administration official in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Director Adam McKay at the Directors Guild Of America Awards on Feb. 6. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images For Dga) As McKay recalled in an interview, He said, we very much enjoyed the movie. I must say, we do not appreciate that at the end of the movie, you did not mention Dodd-Frank and acted as though nothing has happened. (Administration officials confirmed the meeting took place. They did not challenge McKays account of what was discussed.) I understand theres some good stuff in Dodd-Frank, theres no question, McKay said. But he still sees banks as too big in fact, larger than they were before the crisis, because so many of them have acquired smaller banks in recent years and carrying too much risk on their balance sheets, because they arent required to hold more capital. He remains incensed that the Justice Department never prosecuted any senior officials from banks, or from credit ratings agencies that abetted them. McKay said he raised that point with the Obama team. I think thats the one really shameful thing on Obamas watch, he said. Really, you dont put anyone in jail? When me, as a comedy director, can read this and see like seven, eight clear incidents of fraud. Experts are mixed on these issues. Some agree banks should be holding more capital, but they do have more than before the crisis. Some experts say there was fraud, though others say the lack of prosecution probably means a fraud case would be too tough to succeed. A few critics have ripped the film directly. Michael Grunwald, a Politico writer who ghost-wrote former Obama treasury secretary Tim Geithners autobiography, wrote last month that The Big Short is designed to make people angry. Maybe it wouldnt have succeeded as a work of art if it had ended with responsible government crisis managers making horribly unpopular decisions that stabilized the financial system and prevented a second Great Depression. But thats what happened, and people ought to know that. Steve Eisman, the real-life hedge fund manager and big-bank critic whos the basis of Steve Carells character in the movie, wrote in a recent New York Times op-ed that regulators have made significant progress to reduce the risks of the financial sector, and that big banks should not be broken up by the government. Other critics have noted that the government more than recouped the money it spent in the 2008 bailout approved by Congress. Past Oscar nominees have been consequential politically, like when Zero Dark Thirty implied that torture helped find Osama Bin Laden. The Big Short is especially potent in a presidential election year, as the Wall Street issue divides the candidates in the Democratic primary. The film essentially embraces the Bernie Sanders view that banks remain a menace to the U.S. economy and must be chopped down to a more manageable size. The critics sound more like Hillary Clinton, who is critical of Wall Street risks but talks about the progress made under Dodd-Frank, and whom Sanders has criticized for accepting money to speak to banking groups. McKay delights in that context. I like the fight that Bernie and Hillary are having over taking bank money, he said. I think its healthy as all get-out. Last week, McKay returned to Washington for a Capitol Hill screening of his movie, which was preceded by fawning speeches from Republicans (Wicker and Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia) and Democrats (Sens. Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Sherrod Brown of Ohio). The previous month, shortly before meeting with the Obama team, he had enjoyed what he called a love fest with the best-known critic of big banks in Congress, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). McKay said he hoped the D.C. trips would impact financial policy going forward. They were also clearly part of a show for Oscar voters just like when Bradley Cooper came to town to talk mental health before the voting on Silver Linings Playbook. McKay was asked whether a movies influence on policy could cause Oscar voters to favor it. They definitely want movies that make a difference, but Ive never thought about it that way, he said. That would be nice. If McKay comes back to Washington soon, theres one more stop he should make. Its a nondescript office filled with the sort of math nerds who populate his movie. Theyre not bankers, theyre government economists, who work in something called the Office of Financial Research. Its a new organization, created by Dodd-Frank, tasked with measuring the risks the financial system poses to the economy. The bureaus latest annual report just came out. It finds that the largest banks are, indeed, still dominant in the American financial sector. It also finds that financial risks have fallen since the crisis, but have risen slightly in the last year. Its a complicated story, in other words. Not exactly a Hollywood ending. Hot-air balloon rides in central Burma allow for fantastic views of Buddhist temples. (Molly Sinclair McCartney) As I rise from the ground in the basket of a hot-air balloon, dawn is breaking and the first of hundreds of ancient temples comes into view. Through the early morning fog, I make out a red-brick temple nestled in a grove of palm trees. Soon I am passing over a traditional Buddhist structure with fine details and elaborate entrances. Over there is a five-sided monument topped by a white dome and surrounded by a wall. This is the Bagan Archaeological Zone in central Burma. Here, in an area of about 16 square miles, more than 4,450 temples, mostly Buddhist, were constructed during a religious frenzy that lasted from the 11th to the 13th centuries. About 2,200 have survived, though many have been damaged by earthquakes, floods and invasion. Some scholars say the temples in central Burma, also known as Myanmar, are as important as the Angkor Wat complex in nearby Cambodia. (Molly Sinclair McCartney/For The Washington Post) And the best way to see them is by hot-air balloon. As our pilot maneuvers us through the air, my 15 fellow passengers and I are treated to an impressive but bewildering display on the ground below. Some temples are no larger than toolsheds while others are several stories tall with spires that remind me of church steeples back home. I am struck by the absence of any pattern in the layout of the temples, which are scattered here and there like toys flung across a living room floor. Some are clustered together. Some stand alone. Most are red, the color of their earthen bricks, but I see some gold temples and some white ones. What is obvious is the effort made by powerful rulers and wealthy families to erect as many temples, pagodas and other religious structures as possible during Bagans best years. [Caribbean turquoise, Santorini white, Miami Beach pink: The vivid colors of travel] The pilot is too busy to explain much to us. Hes causing the balloon to ascend and descend by turning on propane gas burners to heat the air in it or opening a valve at the top to let hot air out. In this way, he takes advantage of different air currents at different altitudes to maneuver us over the site. But I know from tour guides and literature that building a temple or other structure in honor of Buddha was a way to earn merit. A deeply religious and powerful king named Anawrahta united the ancient Kingdom of Bagan in the mid-11th century and launched the temple-building period that continued until a Mongol invasion 200 years later. There are several types of temples in Bagan: the solid ones known as stupas or pagodas, which are like monuments; buildings with interior spaces for meditation; and some large enough to serve as monasteries. Some scholars say the Bagan temples in Burma, which is also known as Myanmar, are as important as the Angkor Wat complex in nearby Cambodia. The temple region has been nominated for World Heritage Site status, although there is opposition on the grounds that renovation of the structures has been shoddy and failed to follow historic designs. From the balloon basket, I have a window into the distant past and a chance to imagine a flourishing royal city that employed artisans, master builders and religious leaders intent on creating the very best monuments. I take a photograph of what I identify as the gold-covered, bell-shaped dome of the famous Shwezigon Pagoda, which is believed to contain a bone and a tooth of the Buddha. Meanwhile, amid the temples, Im seeing people going about their day in modern rural Burma. Here is a man leading a large herd of black-and-white goats. Over there is a tourist van. A cart passes, drawn by two white oxen. There are monks in saffron robes and tourists in casual dress. As the sun rises higher, the early morning fog lifts. The towers and the spires of the temples emerge more clearly. From high above the flat plains, I have a panoramic view. Emerging from isolation Burma endured 50 years of military-imposed isolation before opening to the outside world in 2011; since then, tourists and their foreign currency have been more than welcome. In fact, there was no need to change money because U.S. dollars were accepted everywhere I went. This welcome is likely to expand now that the opposition political party headed by Aung San Suu Kyi won control of Burma in the 2015 national election. We started our eight-day Burmese journey in the traffic-choked southern city of Rangoon, where cars drive American-style on the right side of the road, even though many of them were designed for British-style driving on the left. This oddity is the result of a decision by the ruling generals who wanted to eliminate colonial symbols by banning British-style driving. British-style vehicles, however, are still legal. In our tour bus, which had a steering wheel on the right, a helper stood on the left side to warn the driver of things he couldnt see and to help with hand signals. [Japans bullet train has made this well-preserved city more accessible than ever] That was one of many surprises. Throughout Burma, we saw many women and children and even babies wearing milky-white or yellow makeup, sometimes in a pattern on their cheeks, sometimes covering their entire face. Women say it makes them feel pretty, serves as a sunblock and smells good. The makeup is sold in stores and by street vendors, and we watched one demonstrate how she makes her own at home by grinding bark from a thanaka tree and mixing with water. Many women and children in Burma wear a milky-white makeup made from the bark of a thanaka tree. They say it makes them feel pretty and has a nice fragrance. (Molly Sinclair McCartney/For The Washington Post) We visited a Buddhist nunnery, where dozens of young nuns were living; we were told this is one way for a girl from a poor family to get an education. The nuns, too shy to say much through our interpreter, had shaved heads and wore pink robes and some carried cellphones. And we saw string puppets on sale everywhere at temple sites, in markets and on the street. Traditional puppet shows, which date to the 15th century, feature the king and his court, a white horse, a mythical snake and even a magician. According to our tour guide, in past centuries such puppets were used to communicate official information, ideas and even gossip that the ruling powers didnt necessarily want people to know. But it was the balloon ride that I will always remember. And it was worth the $350 fee I paid in advance in addition to signing a form requesting my height and weight and declaring that a traveler in excess of 280 pounds would have to pay a surcharge of up to 100 percent. (I did not have to pay extra.) Into the basket The adventure began before dawn, when a balloon-company van picked me up at my hotel. We drove for nearly an hour collecting fellow passengers from other hotels. Eventually we reached a field where about a dozen balloons were lying flat on the ground, waiting to be inflated. It was pretty scary when the workers switched on the gas burners and aimed them into the balloons, one by one. Imagine standing near a flamethrower big enough to heat the air inside a balloon big enough to lift a basket laden with 17 people. The basket had four compartments, with four people in each, and the pilot a tall, husky Australian named Peter stood in the middle. Getting into the basket was a challenge. I had taken a balloon ride once before, on a 2005 trip to Egypt. On that occasion, a crew of strong Egyptian men simply picked me up and set me down inside the basket in a very smooth maneuver. This time, I had to climb into the basket using footholds in the side to get up and over and into position. I managed to get into the corner end of the compartment, where I thought I would have the best view. [The rain forest destination Americans are missing out on] Peter assured us that he had plenty of experience. Now and then he would turn on the gas heaters to maneuver the balloon through the air, and most of us cringed at the noise. But this was primarily a silent magical ride through the sky. As we descended for landing on a soft sandbank by the Ayeyarwady River, we got a closer look at the exotic religious structures that dominate the land. But the day was young, and it was time for a ground tour. Balloon rides over the Bagan Archaeological Zone. (Molly Sinclair McCartney/For The Washington Post) For this, I was seated on the flat bed of a horse-drawn wooden cart decorated with artificial yellow roses. We traveled slowly over a dusty red-dirt path among the temples and passed other carts, some drawn by white oxen, each big enough for a driver and two passengers. The temples range in size from a few feet high to hundreds of feet high. Each one is said to have a name and a story. I was taken to visit the Shwesandaw Pagoda, which features a statue of a reclining Buddha about 60 feet long. At another temple stop, I climbed to the first ledge of a brick structure, grabbing the railing as I made my way carefully and slowly up the very narrow, very steep steps. From there I got a wonderful view of other temples in the area, including some small ones that had collapsed into a small heap of bricks. This particular temple is popular with young vendors, who wait near the stairs for customers and offer postcards, shawls and other souvenirs. When I got back to the ground, I couldnt resist I loaded up on memorabilia that would help me remember this amazing land of temples. McCartney is a former Washington Post staff writer and the co-author with James McCartney of Americas War Machine: Vested Interests, Endless Conflicts. More from Travel: In the new Burma, theres no need for guilt In Burma, a cruise along the Irrawaddy River from Mandalay to Bagan Funny signs from around the world Alexandria These were among incidents reported by the Alexandria Police Department. For information, call 703-838-4636 or visit alexandriava.gov. SEXUAL ASSAULTS Russell Rd., 3800 block, 8:36 p.m. Feb. 9. A sexual assault was reported. ASSAULTS Beauregard St. N., 1100 block, 11:43 a.m. Feb. 10. An assault was reported. Beauregard St. N., 1400 block, 1:10 a.m. Feb. 4. An assault was reported. Bradford Ct., 5400 block, 2:26 p.m. Feb. 10. An assault was reported. Derby Ct., 5600 block, 2:17 a.m. Feb. 10. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Duke and S. Patrick streets, 3:25 p.m. Feb. 8. An assault was reported and property was damaged. An arrest was made. Duke St., 4600 block, 3:16 p.m. Feb. 7. An assault was reported. Dunster Ct., 5700 block, 8:10 a.m. Feb. 6. An assault was reported. Executive Ave., 3800 block, 6:44 p.m. Feb. 8. An assault was reported. Holmes Run Pkwy., 5300 block, 9:22 p.m. Feb. 6. An assault was reported. Kenmore Ave., 4600 block, 8:45 p.m. Feb. 3. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. King St. and I-395, 9:40 a.m. Feb. 3. An assault was reported. King St., 100 block, 11:35 p.m. Feb. 6. An assault was reported. Monroe Ave. E., unit block, 1:27 a.m. Feb. 4. An assault was reported and property was damaged. An arrest was made. Mount Vernon Ave., 3400 block, 3:29 a.m. Feb. 5. An assault was reported. Queen St., 300 block, 2:25 a.m. Feb. 9. An assault was reported. Reynolds St. S., 100 block, 9:11 p.m. Feb. 6. An assault was reported. Russell Rd., 3800 block, 8:36 p.m. Feb. 9. An assault was reported. Seminary Rd., 5000 block, 10:21 a.m. Feb. 6. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Stevenson Ave., 6100 block, 12:09 p.m. Feb. 3. An assault was reported. Taney Ave., 5300 block, 1:59 a.m. Feb. 9. An assault was reported. Van Dorn St. N., 900 block, 9:38 a.m. Feb. 5. An assault was reported. Van Dorn St. S., 300 block, 10:37 a.m. Feb. 10. An assault was reported. Vermont Ave., 4400 block, 9:24 a.m. Feb. 7. An assault was reported. Whiting St. S., 100 block, 1:49 p.m. Feb. 4. An assault was reported. Wilson Ave., 3500 block, 7:16 p.m. Feb. 8. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Winston Ct., 5700 block, 9:15 p.m. Feb. 10. An assault was reported. Wythe St., 1200 block, 12:13 p.m. Feb. 3. An assault was reported. ABDUCTION Van Dorn St. S., 300 block, 10:37 a.m. Feb. 10. A kidnapping incident was reported. ROBBERIES Beauregard St. N., 1400 block, 1:10 a.m. Feb. 4. A robbery was reported. Edsall Rd., 5700 block, 2:15 a.m. Feb. 4. A robbery was reported. King St., 3500 block, 9:28 p.m. Feb. 6. A robbery was reported. Mount Vernon Ave., 2100 block, 1:02 a.m. Feb. 3. A robbery was reported. THEFTS/BREAK-INS Alfred St. N., 300 block, 8:27 a.m. Feb. 3. A theft was reported. Armistead St. N., 500 block, 11:31 a.m. Feb. 6. A theft was reported. Braxton Pl., 700 block, 3:57 p.m. Feb. 9. A theft was reported. Cambridge Rd., 200 block, 3:25 p.m. Feb. 6. A theft was reported. Cameron St., 800 block, 9:15 p.m. Feb. 5. A theft was reported. Diagonal Rd., 1800 block, 9:09 a.m. Feb. 5. Property was entered. An arrest was made. Duke St., 3100 block, 6:26 p.m. Feb. 9. A theft was reported. An arrest was made. Duke St., 3700 block, 5:02 p.m. Feb. 6. A theft was reported. Duke St., 5300 block, 7:44 p.m. Feb. 10. A theft was reported. Duke St., 5700 block, 7:53 p.m. Feb. 4. An employee theft was reported. An arrest was made. Eisenhower Ave., 5200 block, 2:47 a.m. Feb. 9. Property was entered. An arrest was made. Fayette St. N., 400 block, 9:30 a.m. Feb. 3. A theft was reported. Francis Hammond Rd., 1600 block, 10:43 a.m. Feb. 4. A theft was reported. Highview Lane N., 1400 block, 7:43 p.m. Feb. 10. A theft was reported. Jefferson Davis Hwy., 3100 block, 8:24 p.m. Feb. 5. An employee theft was reported. An arrest was made. Jefferson Davis Hwy., 3400 block, 8:56 p.m. Feb. 9. A theft was reported. An arrest was made. Jefferson Davis Hwy., 3700 block, 3:21 p.m. Feb. 3. A theft was reported. Jefferson Davis Hwy., 3800 block, 9:07 p.m. Feb. 6. A theft was reported. Kenmore Ave., 4600 block, 12:46 a.m. Feb. 6. A theft was reported. King St., 400 block, 4:36 a.m. Feb. 8. Property was entered. An arrest was made. King St., 1600 block, 10:25 p.m. Feb. 3. A theft was reported. King St., 3300 block, 2:29 p.m. Feb. 9. A theft was reported. King St., 4300 block, 1:14 p.m. Feb. 8. A theft was reported. Mount Vernon Ave., 3400 block, 12:59 p.m. Feb. 6. A theft was reported. Mount Vernon Ave., 1500 block, 4:18 p.m. Feb. 10. A theft was reported. Quaker Hill Dr., 1200 block, 4:28 a.m. Feb. 3. Property was entered. Quantrell Ave., 5800 block, 6:03 p.m. Feb. 7. A theft was reported. Quantrell Ave., 5800 block, 9 p.m. Feb. 8. A theft was reported. Quantrell Ave., 5800 block, 9:13 p.m. Feb. 7. A theft was reported. Quantrell Ave., 5900 block, 9:11 p.m. Feb. 10. A theft was reported. Reynolds St. S., 200 block, 1:37 a.m. Feb. 11. A theft was reported. Reynolds St. S., 300 block, 11:54 a.m. Feb. 4. Property was entered. Ripley St. N., 700 block, 8:16 p.m. Feb. 9. A theft was reported. Sanger Ave., 5600 block, 11:24 p.m. Feb. 6. A theft was reported. Sheffield Ct., 5400 block, 10:23 p.m. Feb. 3. A theft was reported. Skyhill Rd., unit block, 6 p.m. Feb. 4. A theft was reported. South View Ter., 600 block, 4:03 p.m. Feb. 7. A theft was reported. Union St. S., 400 block, 3:19 p.m. Feb. 5. A theft was reported. Van Dorn St. N., 1000 block, 10:01 a.m. Feb. 7. A theft was reported. Van Dorn St. S., 400 block, 11:50 a.m. Feb. 9. A theft was reported. Van Dorn St. S., unit block, 12:57 a.m. Feb. 3. A theft was reported. Walleston Ct., 1600 block, 7:24 a.m. Feb. 3. A theft was reported. Washington St. S., 1200 block, 1:59 p.m. Feb. 3. A theft was reported. Whiting St. S., 300 block, 11:58 a.m. Feb. 3. A theft was reported. MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS Armistead St. N., 400 block, 9:24 a.m. Feb. 9. A vehicle was stolen. Edsall Rd., 6000 block, 10:30 p.m. Feb. 9. A vehicle was stolen. Van Dorn St. N., 1300 block, 10:39 p.m. Feb. 4. A vehicle was stolen. VANDALISM Duke St., 5800 block, 5:52 p.m. Feb. 6. Property was damaged. Glebe Rd. W., 200 block, 3:01 a.m. Feb. 6. Property was damaged. An arrest was made. Mount Vernon Ave., 1000 block, 12:20 p.m. Feb. 10. Property was damaged. Russell Rd., 2800 block, 5:03 p.m. Feb. 8. Property was damaged. Arlington These were among incidents reported from Feb. 4 to 11 by the Arlington County Police Department. For information, call 703-558-2222 or visit newsroom.arlingtonva.us. ARSON Kirkwood Rd. N., 1200 block. Arson was reported. ASSAULTS Arlington Blvd., 1100 block. Threats were reported. Arlington Ridge Rd. S., 1200 block. An assault was reported. Clarendon Blvd. N., 3100 block. An assault was reported. Columbia Pike S., 5500 block. An assault was reported. Courthouse Rd. N., 1400 block. An assault was reported. George Mason Dr. N., 1700 block. An assault was reported. Glebe Rd. N., 200 block. An assault was reported. Glebe Rd. S., 3600 block. An assault was reported. Greenbrier St. S., 800 block. Threats were reported. Hayes St. S., 1200 block. An assault was reported. Henderson Rd. N., 200 block. An assault was reported. Nash St. N., 1800 block. An assault was reported. Nelson St. N., 900 block. An assault was reported. Pershing Dr. N., 2600 block. An assault was reported. Stafford St. N., 1300 block. Two assaults were reported. Wilson Blvd. N., 2700 block. An assault was reported. Wilson Blvd. N., 4200 block. A harassment incident was reported. 12th St. S., 200 block. An assault was reported. 14th St. S., 2000 block. An assault was reported. 15th St. N., 2000 block. A harassment incident was reported. 23rd St. S., 400 block. An assault was reported. STALKING Wilson Blvd. N., 3900 block. Stalking was reported. PEEPING TOM Veitch St. S., 2700 block, 11 p.m. A man was seen peering through an apartment window. ROBBERIES Clarendon Blvd. N., 2900 block, 3:28 p.m. Feb. 9. A man attempted to rob two women of their purses by implying he was armed with a weapon. Both women ran away and the robber was apprehended. A District man, 22, was arrested. 24th St. S., 3200 block, 1:26 a.m. Feb. 4. Two men brandished a gun and robbed a convenience store of cash and cigarettes. THEFTS/BREAK-INS Arlington Blvd. N., 1500 block. A credit card was stolen. Columbia Pike S., 4800 block. Property was entered. Columbia Pike S., 5500 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Columbia Pike S., 5000 block. A theft was reported. Dickerson St. S., 800 block. Property was entered. Fairfax Dr. N., 4100 block. A theft was reported. Fairfax Dr. N., 4200 block. A theft was reported. Fillmore St. N., 1000 block. A theft was reported. Four Mile Run Dr. N., 5900 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Frederick St. S., 1000 block. A theft was reported. Glebe Rd. N., 600 block. A theft was reported. Glebe Rd. N., 700 block. Four thefts were reported. Hayes St. S., 1000 block. Three thefts were reported. Hayes St. S., 1100 block. An employee theft was reported. Hayes St. S., 1100 block. Eight thefts were reported. Hayes St. S., 1100 block. Two shoplifting incidents were reported. Hayes St. S., 1200 block. Four thefts were reported. Jefferson Davis Hwy. S., 2300 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Jefferson Davis Hwy. S., 2600 block. A credit card was stolen. Joyce St. S., 1200 block. Stolen property was recovered. Joyce St. S., 1300 block. A credit card was stolen. Lebanon St. N., 900 block. An attempt was made to enter a property. Lee Hwy. N., 1400 block. Property was entered. Lee Hwy. N., 1500 block. A theft was reported. Madison St. N., 1000 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Quincy St. N., 800 block. A theft was reported. Quintana St. N., 900 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Rochester St. N., 1100 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Shirlington Rd. S., 2600 block. A theft was reported. Stuart St. N., 1100 block. A theft was reported. Walter Reed Dr. S., 800 block. An employee theft was reported. Washington Blvd. N., 5800 block. A theft was reported. Wilson Blvd. N., 1500 block. A theft was reported. Wilson Blvd. N., 2200 block, 7:34 a.m. Feb. 8. A laptop computer was stolen from an office entered by force. Wilson Blvd. N., 2900 block. A theft was reported. Wilson Blvd. N., 4200 block. An employee theft was reported. Woodrow St. N., 3800 block. A credit card was stolen. Second Rd. N., 4200 block. A theft was reported. Fourth St. N., 3900 block. A theft was reported. Eighth Rd. S., 5000 block. A theft was reported. 11th Rd. N., 6300 block. Property was stolen from three vehicles. 31st St. S., 4700 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle. MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS Campbell St. S., 4100 block, Feb. 10. A blue 2009 Honda Civic was stolen. Walter Reed Dr. S., 700 block, Feb. 9. A dark green 2015 Yamaha Zuma moped was stolen. 23rd St. S., 200 block, Feb. 9. A white 2015 Chevrolet Camaro was stolen. VANDALISM Bedford St. N., unit block. Property was damaged. Lang St. S., 2700 block. Graffiti was reported. Lee Hwy. N., 4400 block. Property was damaged. Madison St. S., 100 block. Property was damaged. Patrick Henry Dr. N., 1100 block. Property was damaged. 26th St. S., 2200 block. Property was damaged. American Cancer Societys Road to Recovery program seeks volunteer drivers to provide transportation to cancer patients. Schedules are flexible. 804-527-3719, leah.seldinsommer@cancer.org or cancer.org. Arlington County Invasive Plant program needs volunteers to remove invasive plants: 9-11 a.m. first Saturdays, Haley Park; 2-4:30 p.m. second Sundays, Gulf Branch Nature Center; 10 a.m.-noon third Saturdays, Tuckahoe Park; 2-5 p.m. third Sundays, Long Branch Nature Center; 10 a.m.-noon fourth Saturdays, Benjamin Banneker Park; 10 a.m.-noon fourth Sundays, Fort Bennett Park. Information: environment.arlingtonva.us. To register, call 703-228-1862. Arlington Neighborhood Village needs volunteers to help senior citizens with various tasks. Must pass a background check. arlnvil.org. Arlington Therapeutic Recreation seeks volunteers for adapted aquatics, social clubs and adapted ice skate night programs. 703-228-4740, trinfo@arlingtonva.us or parks.arlingtonva.us. Rebuilding Together Alexandria needs volunteers for A Home of Your Own project day, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday. Remove carpet, paint, install lights and blinds, and more. 703-836-1021 or bd@rebuildingtogetheralex.org. Shepherds Center of McLean-Arlington-Falls Church needs volunteers to visit seniors or provide transportation to medical appointments, pharmacy and grocery stores. 703-506-2199, info@scmafc.org or www.scmafc.org. Travelers Aid needs volunteers to help travelers at Reagan National Airport. Must be able to work evenings and weekends, and commit to six months. Parking provided. 703-417-3975, travelersaiddca@mwaa.com or travelersaiddca.com. Virginia Hospital Center Auxiliary in Arlington County offers opportunities to help on information desks, the surgical center and in gift shops. 703-558-6401. Wildlife Rescue League needs hotline volunteers, transporters and wildlife rehabilitators. 703-391-8625 or volcoord@wildliferescueleague.org. Volunteer Alexandria: Call the numbers below or contact Volunteer Alexandria at 703-836-2176, mail@volunteeralexandria.org or volunteeralexandria.org for information on the following opportunities: Ballyshaners needs St. Patricks Day parade marshals, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. March 5. handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org. Capital Caring needs a receptionist, handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org. Child and Family Network Centers needs young professionals council volunteers. handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org. Communities in Schools of Northern Virginia seeks volunteers to help with school events or activities, volunteer.truist.com. Mentors are needed for middle and high school students. volunteer.truist.com. 703-228-2384. D.C. Paws Rescue needs volunteers to handle animals during the adoption event at the Dog Park in Alexandria, 1-3 p.m. every fourth Saturday. handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org. Trust for the George Washington Memorial Parkway Arts Afire at Jones Point Park, a National Park initiative to showcase the meaning of parks through music, visual arts and social media, seeks volunteers from 3-7 p.m. April 22, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. April 23 and noon-5 p.m. April 24. handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org. Volunteer Alexandria needs St. Patricks Day Parade volunteers, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. March 5, handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org. Volunteer Arlington: Call the numbers listed below or contact Volunteer Arlington at 703-228-1760 or volunteer.truist.com for information about the following: American Heart Association needs volunteers for Hearts Delight Wine Tasting and Auction, 9:30-11:30 a.m. March 12 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in the District. 703-248-1784, joellen.brassfield@heart.org or volunteer.truist.com. Arlington County Department of Human Services Community Outreach Program needs citizenship instructors. volunteer.truist.com. 703-228-1198. Arlington library system needs audio-visual circulation support at central library, volunteer.truist.com; and circulation support at Aurora Hills library, volunteer.truist.com. 703-228-7688. Bikes for the World seeks volunteers to prepare donated bikes for overseas, 2-6 p.m. March 16. 703-740-7856 or volunteer.truist.com. Compiled by Ria Manglapus TO SUBMIT AN ITEM Email: axliving@washpost.com Fax: 703-518-3001 Mail: Volunteer Opportunities, The Washington Post, Alexandria-Arlington Local Living, 526 King St., Suite 515, Alexandria, Va. 22314. Details: Announcements are accepted on a space-available basis from public and nonprofit organizations only and must be received at least 14 days before the Thursday publication date. Include event name, dates, times, exact address, prices and a publishable contact phone number. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton talks with Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) after an Oct. 2015 rally in Alexandria. His relationship with the Clintons has helped his fundraising efforts. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post) The very day that Gov. Terry McAuliffe dismissed critics of a deal he struck on guns as meddling New Yorkers, the Democratic Party of Virginia reeled in its biggest donation of the year from another New Yorker. Philip Munger, son of a Berkshire Hathaway billionaire and resident of New York with no obvious connection to the commonwealth, gave the party $250,000 on Feb. 9, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. Mungers donation came on top of hefty amounts of money he gave to the Virginia party last year. He supplied $1 million of the $1.7 million in direct donations that the party took in for state races in 2015 raising concern among some Democrats that the party was overly reliant on a single donor. [Virginia Democratic Party relies heavily on one donor a New Yorker] The most recent gift came as McAuliffe (D) spoke dismissively of Everytown for Gun Safety, a group founded by former New York mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Everytown was a close ally of McAuliffes as recently as last fall, when it bankrolled a $2 million ad campaign in a failed attempt to help his party win the state Senate. But the organization turned on McAuliffe after the governor struck a surprise deal with Republicans that expands the right to carry concealed weapons in exchange for tighter gun restrictions on domestic abusers and voluntary background checks at gun shows. The same day Munger wrote his check, McAuliffe and his spokesman struck back at Everytown as a group of out-of-state activists who did not have Virginias true interests at heart. Everybody supports [the gun deal], McAuliffe said, except one gun-safety group out of New York City. [Bloomberg gun-safety group launches new ad against McAuliffe] Emily Bolton, a spokeswoman for the state Democratic Party, said the organization welcomes donations from all over. There are lots of reasons why donors want to fund programs here in Virginia, she said. Our influence and status as a swing state reverberates far beyond the commonwealth. David DOnofrio, spokesman for the Republican Party of Virginia, said the continued reliance on Munger suggests a lack of enthusiasm for presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton and other Democrats. Her own party has to go outside of Virginia once again because theres a serious enthusiasm gap for Democrats in Virginia about this presidential race, about this governor and about this party, DOnofrio said. A spokesman for McAuliffe, Brian Coy, referred questions to party officials. Munger, who has been a substantial donor to Clinton and President Obama, did not respond to a request for comment. He is the son of Charles Munger Sr., Warren Buffetts partner in Berkshire Hathaway. One of his siblings, Charles Munger Jr., is a Stanford physicist and moderate Republican credited with propping up the California GOP for the past decade. Despite his largesse to the Virginia Democratic Party, Munger is largely an unknown in Virginia political circles. Several prominent Virginia Democrats expressed surprise in October, when The Washington Post reported his outsize role in party fundraising. Some Democrats praise McAuliffe for being able to tap contacts he developed as a Democratic National Committee chairman and a longtime friend of and fundraiser for former president Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Clinton. Being able to hit up a single, super-rich source for a string of contributions is political moneymaking at its most efficient, these backers say, leaving McAuliffe more time to govern. But the fundraising approach also runs counter to the populism coursing through the Democratic base this year, with Democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) posing a surprisingly strong threat to Hillary Clinton in the presidential primary. Some Democrats also have expressed worry that Mungers largesse will disappear after McAuliffes term is up in January 2018. Bolton said the party is not relying on Mungers money to fund day-to-day operations, but rather is using it to bankroll a special project intended to engage voters on legislative issues. It is difficult to put Mungers most recent donation into context for the partys fund-raising so far this year, because reports are not due until April. His contribution was disclosed now only because donations of $10,000 or more must be made public as they come in. Mungers $250,000 gift is, by far, the largest of the big donations disclosed by the party so far this year. The only big gift reported by the Republican Party is a $10,000 donation from the National Rifle Association. Aside from transfers from other Democratic accounts, there were only two other such donations since January $10,000 from Suzann Matthews, a Democratic donor from McLean, and $30,000 from DGA Action, a super PAC linked to the Democratic Governors Association. A man holds an American flag near the U.S. Embassy in Havana on Aug. 14, 2015, when the flag was raised over the building for the first time in 54 years. (Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters) Officials from the District, Maryland and Virginia will pile together onto a plane late this week in the name of renewing ties between the U.S. capital area and Havana. The 41-person delegation is scheduled to become the latest in a thickening stream of U.S. politicians and business leaders to visit Cuba since President Obama announced 14 months ago that the United States would reestablish diplomatic relations with the communist nation. Wednesdays announcement about the trip came a day after the stakes for future trade and tourism for American cities became much clearer: The U.S. and Cuban governments announced Tuesday that 110 direct daily flights between the two countries could resume as early as the fall. [U.S. and Cuba sign deal to restore passenger flights] The capital-area delegation will include D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) and Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones. The three plan to meet with their counterparts, including the mayor of Havana and Cubas minister of foreign trade. But there also are differences between the D.C. trip and many recent U.S. delegation visits including one by Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe that focused on trying to increase trade. [In Cuba, Virginia governor touts his states pork, wine and seaport] On Wednesday, trip organizers and participants sought to portray the mission as the next step in a slow thaw of relations between the estranged capitals, and one in which two cities will soon have more in common as popular tourist destinations. Brian Kenner, the Districts deputy mayor for planning and economic development, said the District would offer to share what it has learned about preserving historic sites and infrastructure under the crush of tourists. The Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which organized the trip, also stressed that there are things the District could learn from Cuba, primarily how the developing nation has maintained high education and health standards with limited financial resources. In a news release announcing the trip, the chamber said that the delegation would include D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson and that the group would visit primary and secondary schools there to learn how literacy, graduation and retention rates . . . remain consistently high. For Bowser, the trip follows a trade mission to China in November, when she was accompanied by dozens of business leaders, including a handful of top donors and associates of a political action committee set up to further her political goals. Bowsers allies subsequently shuttered the PAC under pressure for accepting unlimited donations from companies seeking to do business with the city. As on that trip, three business leaders traveling to Cuba are tied to a combined $25,000 in donations to the pro-Bowser PAC: Scottie Irving, president of Blue Skye Construction, and a family member gave $5,000. Edwin Villegas, president of Winmar Construction gave $10,000. Carlos Perdomos Keystone Plus Construction also gave $10,000. Operators of the PAC said late last year that most of the money was to be returned to donors. Construction firms and telecom companies are among those most needed to boost infrastructure in Cuba to support the increasing numbers of tourists expected in coming years, experts say. Chamber President Angela Franco, who recently traveled to Cuba with a top Bowser administration official to prepare for the coming trip, said she was optimistic that the delegation would secure economic and cultural connections that could benefit the D.C. area. We are hopeful this mission will be a start to securing future economic and community benefits for the region, its residents, and its businesses, she said in a statement. Other elected leaders on the trip include Montgomery County Council members Roger Berliner (D-Potomac-Bethesda) and Nancy Navarro (D-Mid-County) and D.C. Council members Vincent B. Orange (D-At Large) and Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), plus Evanss chief of staff. In addition to Henderson and Kenner, Bowser is also traveling with Chief of Staff John Falcicchio, senior adviser Beverly L. Perry and Ana Harvey, director of the citys small- and local business development. The citys cost of the Districts portion of the delegation will be about $44,000, officials said. Del. Mark D. Sickless hands shook and tears filled his eyes as he pleaded for fairness from colleagues, who shifted nervously in their seats. Your kids will be looking back on what you do today and how you vote on this bill, the gay Democrat from Fairfax told them as he stood on the floor of the House of Delegates. After an intense debate, the Republican-controlled House passed a bill Tuesday that would prevent the government from punishing discrimination against married same-sex couples, transgender individuals and people who have sex outside of marriage. But the vote hinted at a generation gap within the Republican Party on gay rights issues. In Virginia, all but two of the 10 Republican lawmakers who voted no or sat out a vote on the Government Nondiscrimination Act are younger than 53, the median age in the House. Theres a generational divide in terms of acceptance of the LGBT community being part of the norm. I understand thats maybe changing quickly for people, but thats the society we live in, said Del. Scott W. Taylor (R-Virginia Beach), 36, who is running for Congress. Even though the Republican rebellion was small in number, it was significant for a caucus usually in lockstep on issues important to the GOP base. Democrats, who all voted against the bill regardless of age, seized on the moment as evidence that social conservatives are out of step with public opinion. In a statewide poll released last week by Christopher Newport University, a majority of Virginians said businesses should not be able to refuse service to gays and lesbians based on religious beliefs. Among Republican lawmakers who voted on the side of gay rights, most represent the Virginia Beach area, which heavily relies on tourism dollars; the rest hailed from Richmond and Southwest Virginia. Republicans from Northern Virginia voted for the bill. Former Virginia governor and former U.S. senator George Allen, once a staunch opponent of same-sex marriage, said he changed his mind after seeing young people embrace diversity when it comes to sexual orientation. Today, the 63-year-old Republican said he believes in equal opportunity, including gay rights. Young people are growing up in a different world than I grew up in, he said in an interview. And so to them, someones sexual orientation doesnt affect them one way or another. Even conservative young people, its just not an issue for them. Polling data supports the view that younger Republicans are generally more supportive of same-sex marriage than their elders. After the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the right to same-sex marriage in all 50 states last summer, 55 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents younger than 40 approved of the ruling, a national Washington Post-ABC News survey found. But as the age of those surveyed increased, support for the ruling decreased: 31 percent of people ages 40 to 64 approved of legalizing gay marriage. And the percentage fell among those 65 and older to 25 percent . In his speech before Tuesdays vote, Sickles made the case that corporations powering Virginias economy have decided embracing gay rights is good for business. [Religious freedom or license to discriminate?] In response, Del. C. Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) said none of that matters when deeply held religious beliefs are under attack by shifting cultural attitudes. The activists who pursue same-sex marriage, he said, they are not satisfied with equality and they will not be satisfied until people of faith are driven out of this discourse, are made to cower, are made to be in fear of speaking their minds, of living up to their deeply held religious beliefs. They want us driven out. Gilbert, 45, is among the 20 relatively young Republicans who voted for the bill, but observers of the dynamic in the conservative House say a growing number of young Republicans are beginning to diverge on gay rights issues. On issues such as gay rights, the demographic trends are pointing in a direction decidedly against the conservative positions, yet the older-generation leadership of the party is still wedded to the former consensus, said Mark J. Rozell, dean of the School of Policy, Government and International Affairs at George Mason University. The Republicans frankly havent figured it out yet. At least one Republican delegate who voted no said he was prepared to vote for Gilberts bill, but said Sickless floor speech changed his mind. When you look at some of the folks who voted no, we view this as what the 60s and 70s went through with civil rights. Its almost the same thing, said Ronald A. Villanueva (R-Virginia Beach), who is 45. Dissent is unusual in a chamber controlled by Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford), 72, but his spokesman said divergent views are tolerated. Republicans in the House of Delegates all bring different experiences and perspectives to the General Assembly, and they all represent unique communities in a big and diverse state, Matt Moran said. The House is unified, but there are still a variety of viewpoints on many issues. That is integral to the success of a legislative body. Taylor and Villanueva sponsored bills with Democrats in the House this year that would have banned discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace and in housing. Those bills never got a vote in committee. But in the more moderate Senate, identical bills sailed out of committee to full floor votes and passage with the support of five Republicans, including state Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-Fauquier), who is 45. Bottom line is the commonwealth of Virginia should not be allowed to discriminate, she said. Period. Full stop. In my mind, that is not a close call. Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the correlation between age and the approval rate of same-sex marriage. The older the surveyed group was, the less likely it would be that they supported gay rights. Scott Clement contributed to this report. John King Jr., accompanied by President Obama, speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in October. (Andrew Harnik/AP) The Senate education committee plans to consider President Obamas nominee for education secretary at a confirmation hearing at 2 p.m. on Feb. 25. John King Jr. has been serving as acting secretary of education since his predecessor, Arne Duncan, stepped down at the end of 2015. It had initially appeared that Obama would not formally nominate King, forgoing the confirmation process. But White House officials said they were encouraged by the bipartisan support that King has received so far. [Obama announces intent to formally nominate John King] The administration also wants to have King in the official role as Congress considers higher education legislation, according to officials who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), chairman of the education committee, said last week that he was pleased that the administration had nominated a secretary and promised a prompt and fair hearing. For proper accountability, especially as we work with the administration on implementing the new law governing elementary and secondary education, it is important to have in charge of the department a member of the presidents cabinet confirmed by the United States Senate, Alexander said in a statement. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, said on Thursday that at least 38 civilians were killed in air strikes carried out by a US-led coalition in Hasaka province in northeast Syria in the past two days. The United States and its allies are carrying out air raids in the area against Islamic State (ISIS) group, which controls some parts of Hasaka province but has lost ground in recent months. Hasaka borders mostly ISIS-held Deir al-Zor province and Raqqa, the group's de facto capital in Syria. The death toll published by the Observatory, which tracks the war using a network of contacts on the ground, included at least 15 people killed when strikes hit a bakery in the city of al-Shadadi near the border with Iraq on Tuesday. Air raids in at least three other villages killed 15 others on Thursday, including three children, while eight more civilians died in air strikes elsewhere, it said. Reuters could not independently confirm the reports. US Lieutenant General Charles Brown, head of US Air Forces Central Command, said he was aware of the report of civilian casualties. The US-led coalition will begin assessing the credibility of those reports and start an investigation if required, he added. "I do know that we've been striking at that area over the past several days," Brown said. Separate raids near the town of al Houl, near the Iraqi border, and farther south killed 35 ISIS fighters, the Observatory said. The US-led coalition has also been hitting ISIS areas of control in Iraq. Washington backs the Syria Democratic Forces in Syria, an alliance of Kurdish YPG fighters and other groups fighting the jihadists on the ground and which took al Houl from ISIS in November. The YPG has been the most effective partner against ISIS in Syria for the US-led coalition, and took swathes of territory from the group last year. The SDF said on its Facebook page on Thursday that it was launching another offensive, this time to capture al-Shadadi, an ISIS logistics hub located on a network of highways. Its capture would isolate Raqqa. Russia is carrying out its own air campaign in Syria, hitting some ISIS targets, but mostly focusing on insurgents fighting Moscow's ally President Bashar al-Assad in the west of the country. Search Keywords: Short link: Marylands African American lawmakers on Thursday blasted Larry Hogan for policies they said are hurting black communities, the first time the Republican governor has faced such explicit racial condemnation from Democrats since taking office last year. During a news conference, lawmakers tore into Hogan and reiterated long-standing objections to actions by his administration, including the governors decision to kill the Red Line light-rail project in Baltimore and fund transportation projects elsewhere and to withhold extra education funding last year that was slated for Baltimore City and Prince Georges and other counties. They accused Hogan of neglecting the black residents who make up 30 percent of the states population in favor of those who live in the rural, mostly white areas that overwhelmingly voted for him in 2014. [NAACP challenges cancellation of Baltimore Red Line project] There are assaults going on on our black communities, Del. Curtis S. Anderson (D-Baltimore) said after the meeting of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland. We are not going to take it anymore. . . . We are not stupid. We know whats going on, and we are going to retaliate. Hogan spokesman Douglass Mayer called the criticisms a new low in Annapolis, where Democrats hold large majorities in both legislative chambers, and Hogans defeat of the states longtime lieutenant governor in 2014 came as a shock to the Democratic establishment. Members of the General Assembly have just accused the governor of racism, Mayer said. This is the last, desperate act of legislators who refuse to discuss actual policy or solutions to real problems. Hogan prides himself on a diverse family and administration. His wife, Yumi, was born in South Korea, and he selected Boyd Rutherford, who is African American, as his lieutenant governor. Hogan campaigned in poor, largely minority areas of Baltimore in 2014, a relatively unusual tactic for a Republican. He has launched initiatives to benefit the city after last springs riots, including a program to provide free books for children and a proposal for six-year schools that combine high school and college. [Hogan unveils plans to knock down vacant Baltimore blocks] Black lawmakers say they are furious that Hogan, among other things, did not include funding for a hospital in Prince Georges County and for demolition of blighted properties in Baltimore in his initial budget proposal. (He announced funding for both after an outcry.) Del. Barbara A. Robinson (D-Baltimore), leader of the black caucus, singled out Hogans plans to fund a new Baltimore City jail while deferring projects at historically black colleges, saying she absolutely believes his actions are racially motivated. Instead of coming to Baltimore and saying what Baltimore needs, he needs to listen to what the people in Baltimore say we need, Robinson said. Hogan in a separate appearance on WBAL-AM (1090) on Thursday said the jail project was an effort to cut costs and improve correctional services and had been requested by lawmakers. The idea that I want to take money away from kids to incarcerate people and build a jail is simply nonsense, Hogan said. If they dont want this jail in Baltimore, I dont want it, either. Hours later, the governor sent a letter to legislative leaders saying that he would cancel the construction of the new jail, freeing up $18.3 million in the capital budget to fund important higher education priorities across Maryland. Hogan clashed sharply with Democrats last week over the General Assemblys decision to allow felons to vote while they are on parole or probation a change that advocates say will make up to 44,600 Marylanders, many of them black and from Baltimore, eligible to go to the polls. [Maryland Senate overrides Hogans veto of felon voting bill] Hogan vetoed a 2015 bill that would have granted those voting rights, saying felons should not get to vote until their punishments are complete. Democrats last week overrode the veto, meaning the law will take effect next month, in time for the April 26 primary. After the override, Hogan accused Democratic lawmakers of voting against the will of the vast majority of state residents and said some could lose their seats over the issue. Democrats then blamed the governors rhetoric for a deluge of hateful messages they said they were receiving. The sniping on Thursday was not limited to the black caucus news conference. In the radio interview, Hogan accused Democratic lawmakers of acting like they were on spring break during the 90-day legislative session and denounced several bills they are considering that would limit his authority on the budget and other issues. Sen. Robert A. Zirkin (D-Baltimore County) then took to the Senate floor to demand an apology. Hogan spokesman Mayer later said Zirkin needs to learn to take a joke. By Thursday afternoon, lawmakers who were taking up bills in committee meetings were tweeting about their work with the hashtag #notspringbreak, and the phrase was trending on Twitter. Ovetta Wiggins contributed to this report. Obituaries of residents from the District, Maryland and Northern Virginia. Martha Poling, coordinator of volunteers Martha Poling, 89, a coordinator of volunteer teachers in Fairfax Countys Volunteer Learning Program from the late 1980s to late 1990s, died Jan. 23 at a care center in McLean, Va. The cause was pancreatic cancer, said a daughter, Karen Kapeluck. Mrs. Poling, a McLean resident, was born Martha Peacock in Jacksonville, Fla. She was a volunteer teacher in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1984, the Adult Education Association of Virginia honored her contributions to the Volunteer Learning Program, which is sponsored by the Fairfax public schools, juvenile court and public libraries. Thomas H. Jones, driver, landscaper, roofer Thomas H. Jones, 58, a truck driver with Nalls Produce in Alexandria, Va., who also had been a roofer and landscaper, died Jan. 27 at his home in Appomattox, Va. The cause was cancer, said his wife, Belinda Jones. Mr. Jones was born in Alexandria. He operated Toms Handyman Landscape service and TJ Roofing before joining Nalls Produce around 2000. In 2011, he moved to Appomattox from Woodbridge, Va. Maurice C. Ashley Jr., Marine Corps officer Maurice C. Ashley Jr., 90, a Marine Corps brigadier general who retired in 1976 from the Marine base at Quantico, Va., as a deputy commander of education and development, died Dec. 31 at a hospice in Stuart, Fla. The cause was cardiovascular and respiratory complications following an accidental fall, said a son, David Ashley. Gen. Ashley was born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. He began his military career during World War II. He served in China after the war and later as commander of a tank company during the Korean War. During the Vietnam War, he commanded a tank battalion and was awarded the Silver Star. His other decorations included the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star and Purple Heart. In retirement, he ran an Annapolis-based yacht brokerage and became director of unemployment security for the state of Maryland. He lived in Annapolis and spent winters in Florida. Michael C. Griffiths, dentist Michael C. Griffiths, 61, who had been a Washington dentist since 1980, died Jan. 17 at his home in Wheaton, Md. The cause was aortic dissection, said a sister, Jacqueline Griffiths. Dr. Griffiths was born in Washington. From 1981 until his death, he was president of Institutional Dental Care, which coordinates oral health needs for people in nursing homes, group homes and prisons. From staff reports Protesters march to City Hall in solidarity with Freddie Gray after it was announced that criminal charges would be brought against six Baltimore police officers in May. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) The trials for officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray will be delayed as Marylands highest court considers an appeal in the matter. The Maryland Court of Appeals on Thursday ordered the trials put on hold pending a March hearing to determine whether one of the officers should be required to testify against others also charged in the case. Jury selection for Officer Edward M. Neros trial was set to begin Monday but will be delayed along with the remaining trials. [Court stays order requiring officer to testify in Freddie Gray cases.] The Court of Appeals will consider whether it is constitutional for Officer William G. Porter to be compelled to testify against Officer Caesar Goodson Jr. and Sgt. Alicia D. White. The court will also consider related legal questions in the cases of Nero, Lt. Brian Rice and Officer Garrett Miller. Prosecutors want Porter, whose first trial ended in a hung jury in December, to testify against Goodson and White before his own retrial, which is set to begin this summer. The state has said it would grant him immunity and not use statements he had made as a witness against Goodson and White at the retrial. But Porters attorneys have argued that forcing the officer to take the witness stand would violate his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent and hurt his chances at a fair retrial. Attorneys and legal experts say asking a defendant awaiting trial to testify against co-defendants is unprecedented in Maryland, testing the states immunity laws. The Court of Appeals is expected to hear oral arguments in the case March 3. Gray, 25, suffered a severe neck injury in the back of the police van that Goodson was driving April 12, prosecutors said. Gray died a week later, igniting civil unrest and later rioting in Baltimore. The incident helped fuel the national debate over police-involved deaths of young black men. Osama El-Atari, seen in an undated photo, was found dead Feb. 13, 2016. Police said they think robbery was a motive. (Loudoun County Sheriff's Office) Two Maryland men have been arrested and charged with murder in the death of a Loudoun County man who had been a jailhouse informant in a high-profile murder case. But Prince Georges County police said Thursday they do not think the slaying was related to the victims past. Police said Osama El-Atari, 37, a former restaurant owner from Leesburg, was found fatally shot in the upper body Saturday afternoon in his black Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck on sparsely populated Armstrong Lane in Upper Marlboro, just off Pennsylvania Avenue near Joint Base Andrews. Investigators think he was killed three days earlier as part of a targeted robbery, Prince Georges Lt. Dave Coleman said. Court records show that police found a witness Saturday who provided specific details about how [El-Atari] was killed. These details included a conspiracy amongst several people to rob and assault [El-Atari] and that two suspects attacked El-Atari in his truck, stole property from him and then shot him. The witness knew that a Rolex watch had been taken from El-Atari, which was not public information, according to a statement of charges by a detective identified as V. Tyler. Prince Georges police arrested Eric DeAngelo Garris, 29, of Waldorf, and Taqwa Muhammad, 26, of Lusby, on Wednesday afternoon. Both were charged with first- and second-degree murder and ordered held without bond. Taqwa Muhammad, 26, is one of two men arrested and charged in the killing of Osama El-Atari. (Courtesy of Prince George's County Police) Court records show that Garris has an extensive criminal record that dates to a 2003 carjacking case in which he pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced to four months in jail, and an apparent home invasion in 2012, for which he was sentenced to three years in prison. Maryland corrections officials said he was denied parole in 2013 and was mandatorily released in October 2014. He was arrested again last June on a charge of being a felon in possession of a gun and was to be tried next month, court records show. El-Atari once owned the Original Steakhouse and Sports Theaters in Ashburn and Woodbridge, a fleet of luxury cars and a $3.8 million mansion in Ashburn before his financial empire crashed under a mountain of fraudulent loans he had taken from various banks. He pleaded guilty in 2010 to defrauding the banks of $54 million and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. But while awaiting sentencing in the Arlington and Alexandria jails, he met other defendants who apparently confessed their crimes to him, including an ex-Marine, Jorge Torrez. El-Atari tape-recorded Torrez admitting to the slaying of two young girls in Zion, Ill., a crime for which one of the girls fathers had been charged. The tape was played at Torrezs federal trial in Alexandria for the 2009 murder of Navy Petty Officer Amanda Jean Snell in Arlington, for which the jury sentenced Torrez to death in 2014. Eric DeAngelo Garris, 29, is one of two men arrested and charged in the killing of Osama El-Atari. (Courtesy of Prince George's County Police) For his cooperation, El-Atari was released from prison in May 2014 after serving more than four years. But Prince Georges investigators do not think El-Ataris slaying was related to the cases in which he was an informant. Theres nothing that indicates in any way it was tied to the prior cases, Coleman said. He said police were investigating why El-Atari was in Prince Georges and how he might have encountered Garris and Muhammad. An earlier version of this report incorrectly stated that El-Atari owned the Buffalo Wing Factory restaurants. The Arlington County Board listens to County Manager Mark Schwartzs budget proposal Thursday. The $1.19 billion budget for the coming fiscal year would slightly cut the property tax rate. (Patricia Sullivan/TWP) Arlington County manager Mark Schwartz on Thursday proposed a $1.19 billion budget for the coming fiscal year that would slightly cut the property tax rate, although higher assessments would still boost the average residential tax bill by $189. The proposed half-cent rate cut was made possible by revenues that have come in $6.2 million higher than expected, including an average increase in the value of a single-family home or condo of about $50,000 in the past two years. The county board cut the tax rate by 1 cent two years ago; it did not change the rate last year. In next-door Fairfax County, by contrast, the county executive this week proposed a tax rate increase that would boost tax bills by an average of $304 per household per year, to cover a projected budget gap of $93 million. Schwartz described Arlingtons fiscal situation as fortunate and a result of careful budgeting and planning, better-than-expected performance of its nearly fully funded retirement plans and the fact that the county depends almost equally on residential and commercial revenue. With residential property growing 3 percent in value and commercial properties up 1.2 percent, That insulates us . . . it eases, it modulates changes in both directions, Schwartz said. County Board Chair Libby Garvey (D) and other board members said they were generally pleased with the managers proposal, which goes to the board for two months of scrutiny, hearings and changes. The final budget must be adopted by April 19. Schwartz would add eight new firefighter/emergency medical technician jobs, which means all crews would have four people. Adding six new police patrol officers would return the force to the same strength as in 1998 and ease overtime demands. Four new uniformed sheriffs department employees would help with understaffing at the detention center and court operations. The property tax rate, which is the same for businesses and residences under Virginia law, would drop to 99.1 cents per $100 of assessed value. The average residence is now worth $603,500, up from $579,800 last year. That means the average residential tax bill would increase 2.5 percent, to $7,829. Related fee changes include an increase to the household solid-waste rate of $36.24 per year, an increase to the ambulance fee by $100 to $150 to match those charged in Fairfax County, setting uniform library fees of 30 cents per day, and unspecified changes to parks and recreation fees. Details of the proposal will be posted on the countys website Saturday. Schwartz proposed adding $1.5 million to the countys economic development initiatives to help drive down a commercial vacancy rate of about 20 percent. He also wants the board to consider creating a new incentive fund to help compete with the District and other jurisdictions that already have them. He proposed $6.3 million in personnel initiatives, including making all county employees eligible for merit-based raises and increasing the minimum wage for permanent county employees from$13.13 to $14.50. He would also increase the hours worked by aides in school health clinics. Schwartz proposed putting $8.2 million into the countys Affordable Housing Investment Fund, a revolving loan program that helps nonprofit organizations create apartments for low- to middle-income households, and $3.7 million into the countys emergency housing grants program. He left $900,000 available for unspecified County Board priorities. Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Patrick Murphyis scheduled to offer his budget proposal next week. Although the county and school system have sometimes tussled over the schools budget, both entities have tried to work more closely with each other over the past two years. Gov. Terry McAuliffe, holds a painting that was given to him by Dr. Gustavo Cobreiro, rector of the University of Havana, left, after the Virginia Commonwealth University pledged to work together. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post) Virginias exports to Cuba shot up to $42 million last year, allowing the commonwealth to leap past four other states to become the islands largest source for U.S. agricultural products. Sales to Cuba were up 67 percent in 2015 over the previous year, a spike that Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) said was the result of more than a decade of outreach efforts. Virginia producers sold Cuba $42 million in agricultural products, all of it soybeans and soybean meal for use in animal feed. That was up from $25 million in 2014, but still below the $66 million peak that Virginia-Cuba trade hit in 2012. Virginia has been a leader in the development of relations with Cuba since federal law allowed for the export of foods and agricultural commodities to the country, said McAuliffe, who led a trade mission to the communist nation in January. I am pleased that our efforts to foster mutually beneficial exchange with Cuba have led to increased agricultural exports for our Virginia producers. [Virginia did not wait to have a relationship with Cuba] Virginias recent trading history with Cuba began shortly after the United States loosened restrictions in 2000 on agricultural and medical exports for humanitarian reasons. Starting with Mark R. Warner in 2003, Virginia governors have been dispatching representatives to Cubas annual trade fair. McAuliffe tried to build on that foundation even before the recent thaw in U.S.-Cuban relations prompted other government leaders including those in the District and Maryland to explore potential deals with a Cold War-era foe. [D.C., Maryland and Virginia officials are headed to Cuba together] He has visited many times with Cuban Ambassador Jose R. Cabanas in Washington and twice hosted him in Richmond. McAuliffe and his agriculture secretary, Todd Haymore, met with the ambassador at the Cuban Embassy in the District on Thursday night, along with Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz, Cubas minister of foreign trade and investment. Malmierca originally planned to visit McAuliffe in Richmond on Monday, but the visit was postponed because of snow. A little more than a year ago, President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro called for normalizing relations between their countries, which loosened some restrictions on trade and travel but still left many in place. This week, Obama announced that he will visit Cuba in late March. [Obama to visit Cuba just eight months after embassy reopens in Havana] The recent detente has led other government leaders to take an interest in Cuba. Officials from District and Maryland will make a trade mission to the island late this week. Virginia Commerce Secretary Maurice Jones, who did not take part in McAuliffes trip, will join the Washington-area delegation. McAuliffe has expressed hope that Virginias trading history with Cuba will give it a competitive advantage when and if the broader trade embargo is lifted. While still limited to agriculture, the newly released trade figures show Virginia making gains. In recent years, Virginia has been among Cubas top three American trading partners, but it slipped to No. 5 in 2014, behind Louisiana, Georgia, Florida and Alabama. In 2015, Virginia passed all those states to take the No. 1 spot. In general, Cuban trade with the United States started dropping off after 2012, as the Cuban economy struggled and government buyers opted to purchase more from other countries that, unlike the United States, allow them to buy on credit. The Cuban economy and credit barriers remain obstacles to trade with the United States, which overall has slipped from $348 million in 2013 to $148 million in 2015. But Virginia has been able to scoop up a larger share of that shrinking pie. The states sales represented 28 percent of total U.S. exports to Cuba last year up from 8 percent in 2014. Over the past decade, Virginias exports to Cuba have added up to more than $423 million, Haymore said. Im hopeful that Virginia agribusiness will continue to serve as a catalyst for more positive change and create new opportunities for other sectors of the Virginia economy as the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba evolves to normalization, he said. With Hillary Clintons once-overwhelming lead in Virginia shrinking, it seems that every prominent Democrat in the commonwealth has been deployed to boost her quest for the White House. Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a close friend who chaired Clintons 2008 presidential campaign, was on hand Friday night to open a Clinton campaign office in Richmond. Sen. Timothy M. Kaine made the rounds over the weekend to say Clinton stands head and shoulders above Bernie Sanders, his Senate colleague and Clintons Democratic primary rival. On Tuesday, Sen. Mark R. Warner went to George Mason University to talk up Clintons college-affordability plan. But the 20 students who braved a cold rain to attend that event said momentum among their generation seems to be shifting to Sanders. People look at it as the cool thing to do, said Travis Evans, 19, a Clinton supporter. [In S.C., Clinton and Sanders compete for black votes] Hillary Clinton supporters come and go at the opening-night rally at the Clinton campaigns Virginia field office in a strip mall in Alexandria on Feb. 10. (J. Lawler Duggan for The Washington Post) A loss or even a narrow victory in the commonwealth on March 1 would be deeply embarrassing for both McAuliffe and Clinton, who on Wednesday launched a six-figure television ad campaign in the Richmond area. As one of the biggest Super Tuesday contests, Virginia with a Democratic base that includes a substantial number of African American voters is considered crucial to Clintons nomination hopes. McAuliffe, who built a formidable grass-roots operation in Virginia when he won his post in 2013, has long claimed he can deliver the state for Clinton. We have a great operation on the ground. Weve been working it hard, McAuliffe said this week. Were just going to have to gut it out, but I feel very good about where we are here in Virginia. A Christopher Newport University poll released Tuesday found that among likely Democratic voters in the state, Sanders was 12 percentage points behind Clinton after trailing by 17 points in October and barely registering last April. A recent Roanoke College poll found that Sanders rated more favorably than Clinton with all registered voters and performed better in individual matchups against Republicans. People like him; they trust him, said Mark J. Rozell, acting dean of the School of Public Policy at George Mason University. I would not be surprised to see Bernie Sanders do well. Sanders opened his first Virginia office in Fairfax in late January, two weeks before Clinton. There were no high-profile guests, just dozens of volunteers. He just supports more of what I would want to see when Im my mothers age, said Ewen Crunkhorn, who will turn 18 in time to vote in the primary. A lot of what he had on his website made a lot more sense. Volunteers Maggie Godbold of Herndon, left, and Linda-Lee Slesinger of Oakton, center, along with campaign staffer Ben Harris of Reston, work the phones contacting potential Virginia voters. (J. Lawler Duggan/For The Washington Post) [Is Clinton panicking in Nevada?] Sanders has appeared in Virginia three times since launching his campaign, attending an Arlington policy forum in July and events at Lynchburgs Liberty University in September and at George Mason in October. He also held a rally in Manassas. An army of 7,000 Sanders volunteers is staffing phone banks, making 18,000 to 24,000 phone calls a night to potential Virginia voters. His campaigns on-the-ground canvassing in the state started at the end of January. The energy and the enthusiasm that Im seeing with these volunteers and supporters, its unlike anything Ive seen in the decade Ive been working in politics, said Sanderss Virginia state director, Peter Clerkin. Clintons campaign has held 450 organizing events across Virginia and is running phone banks seven days a week. Like Sanders, she began sending volunteers to voters homes last month. She has the support of the countrys largest union for federal employees an important endorsement in Virginia, where more people work for Uncle Sam than in almost any other state. But Sanders has been making inroads with the union rank-and-file in Nevada and elsewhere, and it remains to be seen how much weight the endorsement of Clinton by the American Federation of Government Employees will carry with federal workers. [Clinton rallies in Nevada suggest some weaknesses among union workers ] At Warners event at George Mason, Lora Popal, a 24-year-old senior, said she wanted to know more about Clintons ideas for criminal justice reform. Her brother, she said, was convicted on drug-possession charges and now cannot get a job or a loan. When youre online, on Tumblr, its all about [Sanders], Popal said. College affordability, she added, is not the reason. Its because of legalizing marijuana, she said, whispering the last word. Thats all they care about. Terence Stovall, a 20-year-old sophomore, said that when he wears his Hillary Clinton 2016 sweatshirt on campus, you definitely get those looks. Its the new thing not to be establishment. Clinton, however, is sticking with the establishment to rouse her own grass roots. Along with McAuliffe, Kaine and Warner, those hitting the trail on her behalf include U.S. Reps. Don Beyer, Gerald E. Connolly and Robert C. Bobby Scott. [Asian Americans struggle to emerge from political shadows] Were here to make the case to millennials, Warner said Tuesday. One of the reasons why I support her is . . . you lay out aspirational goals, but you have to be pragmatic about how to get things done, Warner said. A week earlier in Fairfax County, at the opening of Clintons first Virginia office, Kaine told an enthusiastic crowd of 200 that the former secretary of state was head and shoulders above Sanders. We love Bernie, Kaine said. But why have every last U.S. senator who has endorsed, who knows both of these guys, endorsed Hillary and not Bernie? He said that senators such as he could not be dismissed by Sanders as the establishment, adding: I practiced civil rights for 17 years in the South. Clinton is thought to have a demographic edge in Virginia over Sanders, who in polls is faring much better with white voters than among blacks and Latinos. She has held conference calls with black ministers in the state, and her allies are appearing at churches and on radio shows in African American communities. The state is 20 percent African American and 9 percent Hispanic. When McAuliffe opened Clintons Richmond office, he was joined by Scott and Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar Stoney, both of whom are African American. Secretary Clinton knows 1.5 million African American men are missing from our communities, Stoney told the crowd of about 120. That is why shes been a champion for criminal justice reform for over 40 years. That is why she has stood behind President Obama for his whole, entire term. That is why we need her in the White House. McAuliffe highlighted Sanderss criticism of Obama, echoing a Clinton strategy that analysts say is intended to sway black voters who are protective of the presidents legacy. Sanders said the president was weak and a disappointment, McAuliffe said. I dont think our president has been weak or disappointing. DAngelo Morrison, 25, a state Health Department staffer who works with people with AIDS and attended the event, said he supports Clinton because Hillary has the most experience. Morrison, who is African American, said many of his friends prefer Sanders because he promised them free things. Sanderss campaign has made an effort to hire a diverse team in Virginia. His field director, Rose Espinola, last worked on Latino outreach for Planned Parenthood. At the Fairfax office opening, she said that the biggest obstacle for Sanders is convincing his supporters that he can actually capture the nomination and the presidency. In the same patch of Fairfax on the same night, a far more experienced political hand was making phone calls on Clintons behalf. Kris Balderston has worked for Bill or Hillary Clinton for 21 years, most recently leading the State Departments Global Partnership Initiative. After 66 calls, he was heartened by the enthusiasm he often found on the other end of the line, he said. Im going to send her an email and tell her that tonight. Karen Tumulty and Laura Vozzella contributed to this report. MARYLAND 17 victims identied in child-porn case Police have identified 17 children they say were victimized by an elementary school volunteer who was arrested on child-pornography charges. Prince Georges County police announced the 17th victim in a Twitter message Wednesday. Deonte Carraway, 22, of Glenarden was arrested this month on 10 counts of felony child-porn charges. Carraway, who volunteered at Judge Sylvania W. Woods Elementary School in Glenarden, admitted to creating videos of children between ages 9 and 13, according to charging documents. He filmed many videos on school grounds in the middle of the school day, police said. Authorities have said other instances of abuse by Carraway occurred at the Glenarden Municipal Center, the Theresa Banks Memorial Aquatic Center and Zion Praise Tabernacle Lutheran Church on Laurel Bowie Road in Bowie. Lynh Bui Man gets 2 years for $1.6 million fraud A Maryland man was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison for taking out a fraudulent loan for more than $1.6 million. Stewart Mark Twayne Harris said he needed the loan to buy a glass company, and in April 2009, the Small Business Administration agreed to guarantee 89.99 percent of his loan, federal prosecutors said. But instead of buying the glass company, Harris used part of the money to put a down payment on a house in Brandywine, prosecutors said. And when it came time to pay back the money, he defaulted on the loan in 2011. As promised, the Small Business Administration sent the bank more than $1.5 million to cover Harriss loan. When investigators figured out that Harris had lied about his finances, they charged him with defrauding the federal government. He pleaded guilty to charges of bank fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft. Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Harris on Wednesday to two years in prison, and ordered that he pay back the entire amount of the original loan and forfeit the Brandywine property to the government. Julie Zauzmer Charity for veterans is accused of fraud Authorities have issued a cease-and-desist order against an unregistered charity in Southern Maryland that they say raised thousands of dollars under the guise of housing veterans. Dan Brashear, the leader of the Southern Maryland Veterans Association, says his group is the victim of embezzlement by a former employee and insists that he helped relocate several homeless veterans. But the Maryland secretary of state and attorney generals offices say his group has failed to account for its donations and ordered it to stop raising money. The state investigation was underway when Norman Randolph McDonald, a former manager at the charity, was arrested in January on suspicion of stealing donations meant for veterans. The group solicited at grocery stores in Calvert County. Brashear said he wanted to help veterans when he got out of prison in 2012 after serving 22 years for killing his then-girlfriend. His first charity venture in Western Maryland ran into financial problems, and an assistant accused him of misusing funds, Brashear said. Now, he plans to operate shelters for veterans in Texas and Indiana, and he said he will appeal the cease-and-desist order and clear his name. Fenit Nirappil A Swedish charity accused Afghan forces Thursday of storming one of its clinics in the central province of Wardak, killing three people in what it what it said was a potential violation of international humanitarian law. The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) said the raid on its clinic in the Tangi Saidan area of the province on Wednesday night appeared to have been carried out by members of the Afghan National Army. Two patients and one staff member were killed in the attack, it said in a statement. However Afghan officials gave conflicting accounts of the raid Thursday, saying it had not been carried out near a clinic and that the casualties had been insurgents rather than patients or staff. A Ministry of Defence official could not confirm the information and told AFP they were looking in to the report. Wardak provincial governor Hayatullah Hayat told AFP that the area was under Taliban control, making information difficult to verify, and said the raid may have been carried out by police instead of the army. "There was an operation by the Afghan forces, possibly police, in the area which targeted a group of enemy fighters, but it was not close to any health facility," he said. Four insurgents were killed, he said. Another senior Afghan official confirmed a raid had taken place but said it was nowhere near a clinic. Wardak, southwest of the capital Kabul, was the scene of some of the most violent battles between NATO forces and the Taliban. The SCA, which runs health, education and other development programmes in almost half of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, strongly condemned what it said happened. "This attack constitutes a gross violation of humanitarian principles and the Geneva Convention that all actors of a conflict have to respect," Jorgen Holmstrom, the charity's country director said in the statement. "We will further investigate this violation and let those responsible be held accountable." The attack came as the International Red Cross said Thursday it had suspended its activities in Ghazni province after five of its local staff there were taken hostage by what it described as a "local armed group". In a statement the charity said it was working to get the team released. "ICRC's activities are currently suspended in Ghazni province. Security conditions are being reviewed in other ICRC offices, but activities are presently ongoing," the statement said. Search Keywords: Short link: US President Barack Obama on Thursday announced a historic visit to Cuba next month, the first US presidential trip to the country in nearly 90 years and a dramatic symbol of the thaw in hostilities between the former Cold War foes. Obama, now in his final year in office, will meet with Cuban President Raul Castro, entrepreneurs, and "Cubans from different walks of life" during the March 21 and 22 visit, the White House said. First lady Michelle Obama will join him on the trip. "Next month, I'll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people," Obama wrote on Twitter. After decades of animosity, the two nations made a surprise announcement in December 2014 that they would move to reopen ties, a diplomatic feat that is a highlight of Obama's presidential legacy. Obama said that while the United States still has concerns about human rights in Cuba, it has already made significant progress in renewing relationships. "We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly. America will always stand for human rights around the world," Obama said. Obama had previously said he would visit the neighboring Communist-ruled nation if he were able to meet with political dissidents. His administration has taken steps to expand commerce with the island nation, only 90 miles (145 km) from Florida, but wants to pressure the U.S. Congress to remove the longstanding trade embargo with Cuba. The Havana visit will resonate in the campaign for the Nov. 8 US presidential election. Two candidates in the Republican race, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, are conservative sons of Cuban immigrants and have criticized Obama for renewing ties with Cuba. But news of the trip was praised in Havana. "Peace reigns in this hemisphere," said Jorge Felix, a home painter. "These are two countries who have confronted each other for fifty something years, and on this occasion the visit of the US president to Cuba is reason for happiness and rejoicing," he said. "We are going to give him a box of Habanos," for a real taste of Cuba, said Luis Fernandez, a retired cigar roller, referring to a Cuban cigar brand. Obama will also travel to Argentina on March 23-24 to meet new President Mauricio Macri to discuss his reforms and human rights, the White House said. Search Keywords: Short link: IRAQ Search on for stolen radioactive material Iraq is searching for highly dangerous radioactive material stolen last year, according to an Environment Ministry document and security, environmental and provincial officials who fear that it could be used as a weapon if acquired by the Islamic State. The material disappeared in November from a storage facility near the southern city of Basra belonging to the U.S. oil-field services company Weatherford, the document seen by Reuters showed and officials confirmed. A spokesman for Iraqs Environment Ministry said he could not discuss the issue, citing national security concerns. Weatherford said in a statement that it is not responsible or liable for the theft. The U.S. State Department said it was aware of the reports but has seen no sign that the Islamic State or other militant groups have acquired the material. Reuters BRAZIL Most microcephaly cases linked to Zika Brazils Health Ministry said Wednesday that most of the 508 confirmed cases of microcephaly reported in the country are likely related to the ongoing outbreak of the Zika virus, and called its previous count too conservative. Earlier on Wednesday, the ministry reported a total of 4,443 suspected and confirmed cases of the rare birth defect, up from 4,314 a week earlier. It did not, however, update its total of 41 cases in which it said that microcephaly had been linked by tests to Zika infections. To clarify, the ministry said in an emailed statement that the government would cease to update the confirmed number of linked cases because the Health Ministry considers that there were Zika virus infections in most of the mothers whose babies have been diagnosed with the condition. The previous counts, the ministry said, did not adequately represent the number of cases observed. Reuters EGYPT Sissi promises troops for Arab Gulf allies Egypt will not hesitate to send military forces into the territory of Arab Gulf allies to offer protection if asked by the leaders of those countries, President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi said Wednesday. The most populous Arab state, the recipient of billions of dollars in aid from the Persian Gulf, has entered a Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen but has yet to formally commit to sending ground troops. Sissi has often said that the gulfs security is synonymous with Egyptian national security. Sissi made his comments at a briefing with Kuwaiti journalists on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia and Iran are involved in proxy conflicts in Yemen and Syria. Reuters Six die of asphyxiation in Bolivia protests: Six city workers died of asphyxiation and 28 people were injured when protesters set fire to part of a municipal building in the opposition-governed highlands city of El Alto, near Bolivias capital. Two men and two women died in a bathroom where they apparently fled, and another man and woman died on a terrace, officials said. In all six cases, carbon monoxide poisoning was the cause, said Polonia Pinto, director of Holandes Hospital, where the victims were taken. Quebec awards show removes name of alleged pedophile: Quebecs film industry has removed the name of an alleged pedophile from the title of its annual awards show. Quebec Cinema announced the change after the provinces culture minister asked the organization to consider removing Claude Jutras name. A biography released this week said Jutra sexually abused young boys, while Montreal La Presse quoted a man as saying that the late filmmaker began touching him when he was 6 and that the abuse escalated over a 10-year period. Jutra committed suicide in 1986 after battling Alzheimers disease. The Jutra Awards have been named after him for nearly 20 years. From news services Charles G. Koch is chairman and chief executive of Koch Industries. As he campaigns for the Democratic nomination for president, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) often sounds like hes running as much against me as he is the other candidates. I have never met the senator, but I know from listening to him that we disagree on plenty when it comes to public policy. Even so, I see benefits in searching for common ground and greater civility during this overly negative campaign season. Thats why, in spite of the fact that he often misrepresents where I stand on issues, the senator should know that we do agree on at least one an issue that resonates with people who feel that hard work and making a contribution will no longer enable them to succeed. The senator is upset with a political and economic system that is often rigged to help the privileged few at the expense of everyone else, particularly the least advantaged. He believes that we have a two-tiered society that increasingly dooms millions of our fellow citizens to lives of poverty and hopelessness. He thinks many corporations seek and benefit from corporate welfare while ordinary citizens are denied opportunities and a level playing field. I agree with him. Democrats and Republicans have too often favored policies and regulations that pick winners and losers. This helps perpetuate a cycle of control, dependency, cronyism and poverty in the United States. These are complicated issues, but its not enough to say that government alone is to blame. Large portions of the business community have actively pushed for these policies. [Read more: Bernie Sanders is the realist we should elect] Consider the regulations, handouts, mandates, subsidies and other forms of largesse our elected officials dole out to the wealthy and well-connected. The tax code alone contains $1.5 trillion in exemptions and special-interest carve-outs. Anti-competitive regulations cost businesses an additional $1.9 trillion every year. Perversely, this regulatory burden falls hardest on small companies, innovators and the poor, while benefitting many large companies like ours. This unfairly benefits established firms and penalizes new entrants, contributing to a two-tiered society. Whenever we allow government to pick winners and losers, we impede progress and move further away from a society of mutual benefit. This pits individuals and groups against each other and corrupts the business community, which inevitably becomes less focused on creating value for customers. Thats why Koch Industries opposes all forms of corporate welfare even those that benefit us. (The governments ethanol mandate is a good example. We oppose that mandate, even though we are the fifth-largest ethanol producer in the United States.) It may surprise the senator to learn that our framework in deciding whether to support or oppose a policy is not determined by its effect on our bottom line (or by which party sponsors the legislation), but by whether it will make peoples lives better or worse. With this in mind, the United States next president must be willing to rethink decades of misguided policies enacted by both parties that are creating a permanent underclass. Our criminal justice system, which is in dire need of reform, is another issue where the senator shares some of my concerns. Families and entire communities are being ripped apart by laws that unjustly destroy the lives of low-level and nonviolent offenders. 1 of 42 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Highlights from Bernie Sanderss campaign, in pictures View Photos The senator from Vermont has become Hillary Clintons chief rival in the contest for the Democratic nomination. Caption The senator from Vermont is Hillary Clintons rival in the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination. June 14, 2016 Bernie Sanders arrives at the Capital Hilton to meet with Hillary Clinton in D.C. Matt McClain/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. Today, if youre poor and get caught possessing and selling pot, you could end up in jail. Your conviction will hold you back from many opportunities in life. However, if you are well-connected and have ample financial resources, the rules change dramatically. Where is the justice in that? [Read more: Actually, the billionaire class might be more progressive than Sanders says] Arbitrary restrictions limit the ability of ex-offenders to get housing, student or business loans, credit cards, a meaningful job or even to vote. Public policy must change if people are to have the chance to succeed after making amends for their transgressions. At Koch Industries were practicing our principles by banning the box. We have voluntarily removed the question about prior criminal convictions from our job application. At this point you may be asking yourself, Is Charles Koch feeling the Bern? Hardly. I applaud the senator for giving a voice to many Americans struggling to get ahead in a system too often stacked in favor of the haves, but I disagree with his desire to expand the federal governments control over peoples lives. This is what built so many barriers to opportunity in the first place. Consider Americas War on Poverty. Since its launch under President Lyndon Johnson in 1964, we have spent roughly $22 trillion, yet our poverty rate remains at 14.8 percent. Instead of preventing, curing and relieving the causes and symptoms of poverty (the goals of the program when it began), too many communities have been torn apart and remain in peril while even more tax dollars pour into this broken system. It is results, not intentions, that matter. History has proven that a bigger, more controlling, more complex and costlier federal government leaves the disadvantaged less likely to improve their lives. When it comes to electing our next president, we should reward those candidates, Democrat or Republican, most committed to the principles of a free society. Those principles start with the right to live your life as you see fit as long as you dont infringe on the ability of others to do the same. They include equality before the law, free speech and free markets and treating people with dignity, respect and tolerance. In a society governed by such principles, people succeed by helping others improve their lives. I dont expect to agree with every position a candidate holds, but all Americans deserve a president who, on balance, can demonstrate a commitment to a set of ideas and values that will lead to peace, civility and well-being rather than conflict, contempt and division. When such a candidate emerges, he or she will have my enthusiastic support. University California, Los Angeles students stage a rally in a show of solidarity with protesters at the University of Missouri on Nov. 12. (Nick Ut/Associated Press) Catherine Rampell argued in her Feb. 12 op-ed, Those illiberal liberal college students, that college students are both more liberal and more willing to subjugate constitutionally guaranteed freedoms than students of decades past. True enough, from my 40 years of experience and observations teaching at a college, but the piece conflated this alarming inference with the information that more students are protesting, a non-problematic phenomenon regardless of how irresponsible the point of the protest is. That some college administrators accede to demands that compromise academic freedom, however, is a growing problem. Students will always be predominantly liberal, especially those who have no investment in the economy and no motivation but to help people in a misguided way. They are not the ones, however, who compromise our freedoms; it is those with power who acquiesce to students undemocratic reflexes. Richard E. Vatz, Towson, Md. Catherine Rampell rightly acknowledged growing hostility to the First Amendment among college students. Trigger warnings, claims of microaggressions and disinvitation of speakers who challenge campus groupthink underscore a troubling disregard for academic freedom and freedom of expression essential to a liberal education. In relieving colleges of responsibility for this intolerance, however, Ms. Rampell missed a key point. It is in higher education that speech codes had their debut and continue to stifle debate and discussion despite court rulings that find them unconstitutional. Colleges train the teachers who prepare students to go to college, and they train our thought leaders. What happens in higher education inevitably drives what happens in elementary and secondary education and the public square. Few colleges today require graduates to have a basic knowledge of civics and government, and fewer still unequivocally protect the robust exchange of ideas from attack for alleged insensitivity. We should not be surprised that students arrive at college ignorant and biased and find reinforcement for their intolerance. Far from letting colleges off the hook, its time we called them to account. Michael Poliakoff, Washington The writer is vice president of policy for the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. AFTER A clumsy and admittedly tortuous search for a new schools superintendent, the Montgomery County school board may have finally gotten it right. It selected a respected educator keenly focused on bringing improvements to the classroom and who has both state and local experience in leading school systems. It is important that board members now give their choice the space and support he will need to help Montgomerys well-regarded schools meet their continuing challenges. Jack R. Smith, Marylands interim state schools superintendent and the previous head of schools in Calvert County, has been announced as the boards preferred candidate to take over the 156,000-student school system. His formal hiring is contingent on negotiation of a four-year contract, but officials dont anticipate a problem in his assuming office on July 1. Thats good, because the system cant afford any more missteps. After Superintendent Joshua P. Starr was forced from office a year ago, the board conducted a search that was so botched, the selected candidate ended up withdrawing after an outcry about whether he was up to the task of running the states largest school system. The general reaction to Mr. Smiths selection, by contrast, was that Montgomery was lucky to get him. There is no question that there will be a learning curve for Mr. Smith, 58, since the Southern Maryland school system he headed is about one-tenth the size of Montgomerys. But some of the issues he will have to confront notably, budget problems and the persistent achievement gap between students from high-income and low-income families are the same. In Calvert County, Mr. Smith was able to make progress: He was named Maryland Superintendent of the Year in 2013. His state experience the past three years, as Marylands chief academic officer and then interim superintendent, should prove valuable. Earlier in his career, as a principal for six years in Tokyo, he got firsthand insights into homesickness, culture shock and language barriers, experience that should be helpful in dealing with Montgomerys changing demographics. If there is ground for concern, it would center on whether Mr. Smith will prove able to navigate Montgomerys overwrought world of education politics, in which members of the school board and County Council too often mistake their roles for that of the superintendent. Mr. Smith said he plans to get out into the community to get to know it better but, encouragingly, said, I wont wait months or years to start talking about what needs to happen on behalf of children and students. That sense of urgency is needed if the system is to get to the next level. A handout picture released by Doctors Without Borders shows Syrians gathering outside a hospital supported near Maaret al-Numan, in Syria's northern province of Idlib, after the building was hit by suspected Russian air strikes the previous day. (Sam Taylor/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images) The Feb. 13 editorial In Syria, history repeats mentioning a bad deal in Munich immediately conjured up Munich 1938. As we know, at that place and time, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and others appeased fascist Nazi Germany in its expansionist quest, which only temporarily stalled the Nazi aggression. But Chamberlain had little choice, as Britain and its allies were vastly militarily inferior to the German military, which had been building up for many years. Munich 2016 is not only different but worse. The fascist government today is Russia. Its president, Vladimir Putin, hears strong words from Secretary of State John F. Kerry about its relentless bombing of civilians and the U.S.-allied rebels in Syria, but Mr. Putin knows the use of U.S. force against him, even limited to air power and even as a last resort, is off the table. Mr. Putin is emboldened (as he was in Crimea and Ukraine); the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria, which has been fed by close to five years of inaction by the United States and its allies, is spiraling ever further out of control; and Russias and Irans dominance of the region grows. David J. Stander, Rockville Diplomatic negotiations over Syria, which have involved presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers and high-ranking military officials, have failed to yield a formal strategy to establish a true global alliance to prevent the ruthless and barbaric attacks that threaten civilians every day. Millions of refugees have already sought refuge in Turkey, Jordan and Europe. Many more are desperately trying to flee Syria for their safety and lives. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is bolstering Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who may be responsible for war crimes. Yet, the United States, NATO, the European Union and other organizations are waiting on the sidelines, with thousands of lives at risk. Turkey has been patient, has accepted millions of refugees and has provided humanitarian assistance on both sides of the border. That doesnt solve the problem. Others need to stand up and be counted. They need to reconsider protection of Syrians by enabling a safe haven within their country and enforcing it with a no-fly zone. They need to allow those civilians the opportunity to live peacefully in their own country. There needs to be counteraction against the several terrorist organizations that are gaining momentum from the backing of power-hungry leaders. Its not too late to put words into action. However, if world leaders stand idly by as thousands more innocent people are wounded and killed, blood will be on their hands. Egemen Bagis, Istanbul The writer is a former E.U. minister and chief negotiator for Turkey. Sen. Ron Johnson plays a mean game of Twister. Right hand red! Lets let the American people decide and let the next president nominate. Left foot blue! I never said that we shouldnt vote. Left hand yellow! I would also say that doing nothing is an action. Right foot green! By the time I would actually take the vote if it comes to that Ill take a vote. These varying views were all offered in the span of just a few minutes by Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, when the embattled legislator called in to the Jerry Bader radio show Tuesday morning. His contortions were emblematic of the Republican response to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalias death, and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnells immediate declaration that no replacement should be considered before the election. Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Iowa Republican who heads the Senate Judiciary committee, took one position Saturday evening, another position two hours later, and a third Tuesday morning but its still unclear where he stands. Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, another member of that committee, said he would support a decision not to hold hearings on anybody nominated by President Obama, but also said he doesnt support a filibuster, which yet another member of the panel, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, has threatened. And Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) said in a radio interview Tuesday that if Republicans block a nominee sight unseen, we fall into the trap of being obstructionists. Obstruction was evidently what Donald Trump, frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, had in mind when he advised: Delay, delay, delay. The skittishness among Republican senators is well-grounded: McConnells reflexive decision to keep the Supreme Court seat vacant for what would be more than a year requires both logical leaps and political risk. In blocking the seat from being filled, McConnell and Grassley would be relying on something called the Thurmond Rule, named for the late segregationist, Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.), which has it that no judicial nominees should be confirmed in the final months of a presidency. But eight years ago, Grassley called the Thurmond Rule bunk and McConnell said its clear that there is no Thurmond Rule. Then theres the assertion that Obama isnt representing the peoples wishes because hes in the final year of his four-year term. So shouldnt the same apply to senators in the final year of their six-year terms? That would sideline 24 Republican senators (including Grassley) and 10 Democrats. Of far more consequence: the GOP plan to put the Supreme Court seat to what is essentially a national referendum could have the effect of taking the focus of the election away from where Republicans have an advantage (economic and security fears) and shifting it to where Republicans are at a disadvantage: social issues. Republicans are starting up the culture wars again, but the electorate has shown little appetite for it. A Pew Research Center poll last month found that the economy and terrorism are by far Americans top concerns (75 percent cited each as a top priority). Another Pew poll, in December, found that Republicans have substantial advantages on those top two issues: Americans think the GOP would do a better job than Democrats handling the terrorist threat (46 percent to 34 percent) and the economy (42 percent to 37 percent). By attempting to make the election about the Supreme Court, Republicans would turn the discussion to topics on which Democrats have large advantages: climate change, business regulations, abortion, same-sex marriage, voting rights and campaign finance. (Polling on immigration and gun control, two other hot-button issues associated with the High Court, is more mixed.) The refusal to seat a justice would also further the impression, already widely held, that Republicans are more to blame for Washingtons dysfunction. Obama is already pressing that advantage. Now, this will be a test, one more test, of whether or not norms, rules, basic fair play can function at all in Washington these days, he said Tuesday. And what says Ron Johnson, facing a tough reelection fight? I have no idea how the process plays out. Im not in control of it. Maybe I havent quite heard what Leader McConnell or Sen. Grassley has said. Why not let the American people decide by their votes? So put it up for a vote and vote an individual down. If this president nominates somebody, well handle it. Not handling it is also an action. Careful, senator. Youre liable to tear a ligament in that position. Twitter: @Milbank Read more from Dana Milbanks archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. Earnest Lewis Reynolds, shown in his home in Lynchburg, Va., in 2012. When Reynolds was 13, he was given a state-sanctioned vasectomy under a program to sterilize "mental defectives." (Jahi Chikwendiu/Washington Post) Someday the Senate will consider a presidents nominee for the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the late Antonin Scalia. Meanwhile, interested parties should prepare by reading a gripping new book about one of the courts darkest moments. Imbeciles is the arch title that lawyer-journalist Adam Cohen has given his narrative of Buck v. Bell, the 1927 case in which the justices approved Virginias involuntary sterilization of feeble minded, epileptic and other purportedly genetically unfit citizens. The vote was 8 to 1. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.s opinion dispensed with young Carrie Bucks physical integrity in five paragraphs, the six cruelest words of which characterized Virginias interest in preventing Buck from burdening the state with her defective offspring: Three generations of imbeciles are enough. As Cohen shows, everything had to go wrong in the legal system to produce this horror, and everything did, starting with a crooked local process that declared Buck intellectually inferior based on her out-of-wedlock pregnancy an indicator, state doctors averred, of promiscuity, which connoted feeblemindedness. In fact, she had been raped by her foster parents nephew; the couple then sought to cure this embarrassment by having Buck sent away to the state colony for her kind. Virginia established the institution to isolate those who supposedly threatened racial hygiene and prevent them from breeding. All told, more than 30 states had such laws during the mid-20th century, though only California surpassed Virginias 8,300 involuntary sterilizations. It conducted roughly 20,000. Today, the evil of such laws is universally recognized. The governors of North Carolina, Virginia and California apologized a decade ago, and in 2013 North Carolina approved $50,000 for each surviving victim. But the story isnt over: Virginia has promised $25,000 per person in compensation but appropriated only enough for 16 awards. The Golden State has no compensation plan. And Buck v. Bell, though basically a dead letter, has never been formally overruled. It stands as a baleful monument not to the courts malice, but to the eternal flaws in human nature that cause people to commit injustice with the best of intentions. Many, if not most, right-thinking Americans approved of involuntary sterilization at the time. Doctors, lawyers, politicians, educators: All marveled at advancements in biological science, anxiously surveyed multiplying Appalachian poor or Eastern European immigrants and concluded government could and should improve the countrys human stock just as a rancher breeds better steers. At its peak, in the years before, during and just after World War I, the pseudo-science of eugenics was a national fad, almost a mania. Advocates were not only or even especially right wing; state sterilization laws emerged first in the North and West, and many progressives embraced racial hygiene along with pure food and drug laws or urban sanitation. A good companion volume to Cohens is Illiberal Reformers, by Princetons Thomas C. Leonard, which describes how some Progressive era economists actually made eugenicist arguments for early minimum- wage laws. Raising the wage floor would encourage employers to hire only the most productive workers, who would prosper and propagate, while unemployables exited the labor force and got treated. In an era of apocalyptic warnings of race suicide, Virginias plans for Carrie Buck made perfect sense not only to Holmes but also to his illustrious colleagues: William Howard Taft, a former president; Louis D. Brandeis, the great peoples lawyer; and Harlan Fiske Stone, who would later be one of the New Deals judicial defenders. To be sure, some state supreme courts had struck down sterilization laws, which is why Virginia sought a legal green light at the highest court in the land before sterilizing Buck pursuant to a freshly adopted 1924 law. For the justices, though, elite groupthink and the strength of the State, as Holmes put it, outweighed a few lower courts misgivings precedents Holmes did not even address, let alone refute. One justice, the obscure Pierce Butler, dissented, without a written opinion. Butler was a son of Irish immigrants and the only Roman Catholic justice; sterilization, of course, ran afoul of church doctrine. Cohen plausibly speculates, as did Holmes himself at the time, that Butlers religion influenced him. I like to imagine Butler also wondered how Buck v. Bell would read to future generations, asking himself whether they might look back on the expertise embodied in Virginias law and see not dispassionate science but the opposite. The case certainly wasnt the first to present the justices with an intellectual fad or popular prejudice dressed up as something finer, nor would it be the last. For whatever reason faith, common sense, a well-functioning moral compass and BS detector Butler found it within himself to say no while a powerful, high-minded flock all around him chorused yes. Lets hope the next justice, whenever he or she arrives, is occasionally capable of that, too. Read more from Charles Lanes archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. Pope Francis assailed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's views on US immigration as "not Christian" on Thursday, prompting the billionaire businessman to assail the religious leader as "disgraceful" for questioning his faith. Trump, the longtime party front-runner in national opinion polls, has been at the center of controversies, including one over his vow as president to build a wall between the United States and Mexico to keep out illegal immigrants. In a freewheeling conversation on his flight home from a visit to Mexico, Francis told reporters: "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian." Trump, a real estate developer and former reality TV star, said: "If and when the Vatican is attacked by the ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS's ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president," Trump said in a speech in South Carolina, using an acronym for the Islamic State militant group. "For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful. I am proud to be a Christian and as president I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened," Trump said in a news release responding to the pope. "No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man's religion or faith," Trump said. Trump has also said he would deport millions of illegal immigrants if he wins his party's nomination and then the Nov. 8 election. Last week, responding to the pope's plan to visit the US-Mexican border, he said that Pope Francis did not understand the Mexican border issues. "The pope is a very political person. I think he doesn't understand the problems our country has. I don't think he understands the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico," he said. Asked about being called a "political person", Francis said on Thursday: "Thank God he said I was a politician because Aristotle defined the human person as 'animal politicus.' So at least I am a human person." Search Keywords: Short link: There is an imbalance in the argument at the heart of the 2016 presidential campaign that threatens to undercut the Democrats chances of holding the White House. You might think otherwise. The divisions among Republicans are as sharp as they have been since 1964. Donald Trump may be building on the politics of resentment the GOP has pursued throughout President Obamas term. But Trumps mix of nationalism, xenophobia, a dash of economic populism and a searing critique of George W. Bushs foreign policy offers a philosophical smorgasbord that leaves the partys traditional ideology behind. Jeb Bush, the candidate who represents the greatest degree of continuity with the Republican past, is floundering. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, both Cuban Americans, are competing fiercely over who is toughest on immigration. So much for the party opening its doors to new Americans. As for the less incendiary John Kasich, he probably wont be relevant to the race again until the primaries hit the Midwest. Add to this the GOPs demographic weakness young Americans are profoundly alienated from the party, and nonwhites will only be further turned off by the spectacle created by Trump, Cruz & Co. and the likelihood of a third consecutive Democratic presidential victory is in view. But then comes the imbalance: If there is a common element in the rhetoric of all the Republican candidates, it is that Obamas presidency is an utter disaster, and he is trying to turn us, as Rubio keeps saying, into a different kind of country. Youd imagine from hearing the Republicans speak (Kasich is a partial exception) that we were in the midst of a new Great Depression, had just been defeated in a war, had lost our moral compass entirely, had no religious liberty and were on the verge of a dictatorship established by a slew of illegal executive orders. Oh, yes, and the president who brought about all these horrors has lost the authority to name a Supreme Court justice, no matter what the Constitution which should otherwise be strictly interpreted says. You can laugh or cry over this, but it is a consistent message, carried every day by the media whenever they cover the Republican contest. The Democrats offer, well, a more nuanced approach. True, Hillary Clinton has embraced Obama more and more, seeing him as a life raft against Bernie Sanderss formidable challenge. In particular, she knows that African American voters deeply resent the way Obama has been treated by Republicans. (No other president, after all, has ever been told that any nomination he makes to the Supreme Court will be ignored.) Tying herself to Obama is a wise way of shoring up her up-to-now strong support among voters of color. Nonetheless, because so many Americans have been hurt by rising inequality and the economic changes of the past several decades, neither Democratic presidential candidate can quite say what hopefuls representing the incumbent party usually shout from the rooftops: Our stewardship has been a smashing success and we should get another term. Sanders, in fact, represents a wholesale rebellion against the status quo. He tries to say positive things about Obama and how the president dealt with the economic catastrophe that struck at the end of George W. Bushs term. But the democratic socialist from Vermont is not shy about insisting that much more should have been done to break up the banks, rein in the power of the wealthy, and provide far more sweeping health insurance and education benefits. A good case can be made and has been made by progressives throughout Obamas term that if Democrats said that everything was peachy, voters who were still hurting would write off the party entirely. But ambivalence does not win elections. Running to succeed Ronald Reagan in 1988, George H.W. Bush triumphed by proposing adjustments in Reagans environmental and education policies but otherwise touting what enough voters decided were Reagans successes. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called out rival Sen. Bernie Sanders for his history of criticizing President Obama during the PBS NewsHour debate on Feb. 11. (PBS NewsHour) Democrats need to insist that while much work remains to be done, the United States is in far better shape economically than most other countries in the world. The nation is better off for the reforms in health care, financial regulation and environmental protection enacted during Obamas term and should be proud of its energetic, entrepreneurial and diverse citizenry. If Clinton, Sanders and their party dont provide a forceful response to the wildly inaccurate and ridiculously bleak characterization of Obamas presidency that the Republicans are offering, nobody will. And if this parody is allowed to stand as reality, the Democrats will lose. Read more from E.J. Dionnes archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. IN EARLY 2014, the Obama administration stood by as the Islamic State began to expand from eastern Syria to Iraq. It watched as the terrorists seized control of city after city, including Mosul, fortified by thousands of foreign volunteers. By the time U.S. airstrikes finally were launched to prevent Iraqi Kurdistan from falling, the Islamic State had enough territory, economic resources and military equipment to consolidate a formidable base. Despite 18 months of U.S. bombing, it still stands. Now something similar is happening in Libya. Libyan militants allied with the Islamic State control Sirte, the home town of late dictator Moammar Gaddafi, which lies between the capital, Tripoli, and Benghazi. At the direction of Islamic State authorities in Syria, foreign recruits are headed to Sirte, where they can build up a new emirate without being attacked by Western forces. The Pentagon says there are now more than 5,000 fighters in Sirte and that they control nearly 200 miles of Libyas coastline. They have been attacking Libyas oil infrastructure, and they aspire to launch attacks on Europe. President Obamas senior national security aides have been telling him, sometimes in public, that military action is urgently needed to stop the consolidation of a powerful new terrorist base. Its fair to say that were looking to take decisive military action, said Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Yet the White House is again waffling: A meeting to consider options late last month ended without decisions. The hesitation risks a repeat of the Iraq debacle. The principal reason for delay cited by administration officials is a wish to forge a new government in Libya prior to any military intervention. A U.N. mediator has been trying to coax the rival governments in the west and east to endorse a unity cabinet, which would then seek to patch together a national army to take on the jihadists. Western governments have discussed plans for a force, perhaps led by Italy, to protect the new regime, while trainers work with the army. Sirte, meanwhile, could be targeted with airstrikes. The problem has been resistance to the new government from both sides and in particular from supporters of Gen. Khalifa Haftar, a polarizing would-be strongman who commands forces in the east and has the backing of the repressive ruler of Egypt, Abdel Fatah al-Sissi. The generals exclusion from the cabinet caused the eastern parliament to vote it down last month, though another vote is expected in the coming days. While approval would be a step toward re-creating the Libyan state, the process will necessarily be a long one at best. In the meantime, Islamic State forces are building up. Ultimately, a Libyan political solution should not be a prerequisite for action against the terrorist threat. On Tuesday, Mr. Obama acknowledged the problems in forming a government and added that as we see opportunities to prevent [the Islamic State] from digging in in Libya, we [will] take them. Those opportunities exist now: The United States and its allies could conduct airstrikes against Sirte and help a Libyan protection force that has been trying to guard oil facilities. Mr. Obama has tried waiting on the sidelines in Iraq and Syria. He should not make the same mistake in Libya. Harry Jaffe is the author of the new book Why Bernie Sanders Matters and a writer for Washingtonian magazine. Organizing a protest against police violence in the black community, a curly-haired kid from Brooklyn found himself with a Chicago police officers finger in his face. Its outside agitators like you whore screwing this city up, the cop told him. The races got along fine before you people came here. That young man was Bernie Sanders, and the confrontation took place in 1962, while Sanders was a University of Chicago student. In the following years, Sanders would lead sit-ins against housing discrimination and get arrested while marching for equal education. Now, as the 2016 campaign for president bears down on the fractious states beyond Iowa and New England, Sanders today a 74-year-old U.S. senator from Vermont and candidate for the Democratic nomination for president needs to convince minority voters that black lives still matter as much to him as they did 50 years ago. Can he attract African Americans, Latinos and other minorities nationwide? And does Sanders an avowed democratic socialist have the ability to do this while finding ways to win over white voters beyond the progressives fueling his surprising rise? In short, does the Sanders campaign have legs? I recently spent a year researching Sanderss life for my book Why Bernie Sanders Matters, and Im convinced it would be a mistake to underestimate his political skills and stamina. For starters, Sanders cut his political teeth running against established opponents who didnt take him seriously. Sound familiar? In his first race for mayor of Burlington, Vt., in 1980, the five-term incumbent Democrat scoffed at the young socialist for dwelling on the Vietnam War and imperialism. Sanders won by 10 votes by bringing together low-income people, disaffected Democrats and municipal workers fed up with the citys Democratic machine. The Democrats called it a fluke and vowed to unseat him two years later. Sanders won a second term, then two more. In 1990, Sanders moved on to the House of Representatives . By the time he ran for his fourth term, in 1996, the Republican National Committee had him in its crosshairs. Coincidentally, current GOP presidential contender John Kasich, then House Budget Committee chairman, came to Vermont to campaign against him. Republicans sicced a private investigator on his ex-wife. Vermonters cried foul and sent Sanders back to Congress four more times. Which highlights another feature of Sanderss repertoire: Attack ads seem to boomerang. Sanders has perfected a kind of political jujitsu whereby he turns his opponents aggression against them by declining to respond in kind. This worked in 2005, when Republican Richard Tarrant told voters not a single business will move to Vermont if Sanders won a Senate seat. Sanders ignored him and won 70 percent to 30 percent. Sanders famously runs against the establishment, but make no mistake: Hes an established politician. Counting his first quixotic campaign for Senate in 1971, hes run for office 20 times, including for mayor, governor, congressman and senator. For his presidential quest, hes assembled a top-tier team thats been with him for decades and augmented it with 2008 Obama campaign digital guru Scott Goodstein, who is helping Sanders raise millions online and through social media. The senator has leveraged his represention of a rural state. Bernie has built ties to farmers across the country, says Dexter Randall, a seventh-generation dairy farmer in Vermonts remote Northeast Kingdom. He gets us. He speaks our language. He gets veterans, too. After Sanders voted against a 1991 resolution supporting the Gulf War, veterans turned their backs on him at a Burlington event. Chagrined, he began catering to vets, and hes found a way to straddle the fault line between questioning the military budget and supporting those who serve. The Veterans Affairs reform bill he crafted with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in 2014 strengthened this bond. Sanderss Democratic opponent, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, has strongly criticized his record on guns, especially his vote against the Brady bill and for legislation shielding gun makers from lawsuits. But this issue, too, could be a hidden strength. Sanders explains that he respects gun owners because he represents a state where so many residents hunt. Might such a stance win him votes among the nations gun owners? Finally, if youve paid any attention at all to the 2016 campaign, youve no doubt heard Sanders hammer away at his major themes: The top 1 percent has an inordinate amount of wealth, American democracy has become an oligarchy, the economy is rigged. Its not a message thats narrowly aimed at minorities, but its not hard to see how it might resonate with them all the same. Indeed, given recent reports of Sanders making headway with supposedly pro-Clinton Hispanic voters in Nevada, this may already be happening. His longtime aide Phil Fiermonte calls it the oligarchy speech, and hes been delivering it for decades. The world has come around to see things like he does, Fiermonte told me, through the same lens. Does the world include Nevada and South Carolina? How about Florida and Ohio? Thats the skeptics biggest question. Pundits love to compare Sanderss campaign to the failed efforts of stalwart liberals such as Howard Dean, George McGovern and Eugene McCarthy. They roll out Republican Barry Goldwater. But these are extraordinary times. A great many voters seem receptive to Sanderss brand of political revolution. If he can calibrate the 1960s rhetoric to the moment, persuade minorities to join his fight and build on his connections with Middle American constituencies, his campaign could go much further than anyone even Sanders himself ever thought possible. Hillary Clinton stands with Geneva Reed-Veal, mother of Sandra Bland, during a campaign event in Chicago. (Joshua Lott/for The Washington Post) The Rev. Ira Acree stood before a group of 400 mostly older African American women who had come to hear Hillary Clinton speak, but he had a message for the younger generation about Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Bernie Sanders has made an unequivocal statement against reparations. Hes saying he, under no conditions, will support reparations, the West Side Chicago pastor said. He said that, and we want all the young African Americans who are for some reason supporting him to know where he stands on that issue. Acree did not mention that Clinton also opposes reparations. In recent days, Clinton has courted African American voters intensely, in the hope that they will remain loyal to her in primaries in late February and March. She has secured the endorsements of women she describes as mothers of the movement, whose children were the victims of violence. Geneva Reed-Veal, whose daughter, Sandra Bland, was found dead in a Texas jail cell after being pulled over for a routine traffic violation, introduced Clinton on Wednesday in a ballroom on the South Side of Chicago. The mothers of African American men such as Eric Garner, Dontre Hamilton and Jordan Davis have also come on board to campaign for Clinton in South Carolina. I think we owe it to them, Clinton said. We owe it to them to reform police practices, to ensure that no other young woman like Sandra Bland is ever pulled out of the car for no reason and put into a jail where she is found dead. In courting black voters, Clinton has in large part employed a classic political strategy: enlisting the support of African American clergy and local political leaders to make the case for her candidacy. She has locked down dozens of prominent endorsers, including civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis and the Congressional Black Caucus Political Action Committee. And on Tuesday, before delivering a sweeping speech on race in New York City, she met with black civil rights leaders including Al Sharpton and Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League. Yet the Black Lives Matter movement, which has pushed the issue of race and policing to the forefront of the political agenda in the Democratic primary, has accelerated a generational divide, calling into question the civil rights-era model of movement leaders speaking for African Americans at large. I do not believe that anyone who is a part of the black political elite class speaks for anyone but themselves, said Charlene Carruthers, 30, the national director of the Chicago-based civil rights organization Black Youth Project 100. Thats one of the biggest flaws in how candidates engage black people: They seek out representatives for all black folks, when in fact no one represents us but us. That divide has created a challenge for both Clinton and Sanders to court the support of well-known leaders from an earlier era in American history and expect younger African American voters to follow. Sanders, who is less well known, has struggled to appeal to black voters broadly, but he has maintained that his overall advantage among the young will cut into Clintons support with minorities as well. He has stepped up his outreach by securing the endorsements of young activists including Martese Johnson, a University of Virginia student who was brutally beaten by campus police last year, and Erica Garner, the daughter of Eric Garner, a New York man who died after a police officer had restrained him in a chokehold. Clintons comments came in a city that was rocked by the high-profile death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, a young black man who was shot 16 times while walking away from a Chicago police officer. These stories cannot be ones that provoke our emotions. They must move us to action, Clinton said. They must motivate every one of us to take on these issues, reforming police practices and making it as hard as possible for people to get guns who shouldnt have them in the first place. McDonalds death has brought new scrutiny on the citys mayor, Clinton ally Rahm Emanuel, who has so far resisted calls for his resignation over his role in withholding video of the McDonald shooting. James Britt, a 40-year-old African American consultant who attended Clintons event, dismissed the statements of her clergy endorsers as empty rhetoric. Many of the African American leaders have talked a good game, but they are in the pocket of Rahm Emanuel, Britt said, adding that he is leaning toward Sanders. That could have worked a few years ago. . . . I think she needs to change her political strategy. While Illinois primary is not until mid-March, Clinton returned to her birthplace to announce Reed-Veals endorsement and stand with a handful of other mothers like her, including Cleo Pendleton, whose daughter Hadiya Pendleton was killed in 2013 by a random act of gun violence in the same Bronzeville neighborhood where Clinton appeared Wednesday. It is Clintons second visit to Bronzeville since announcing her candidacy. Her first visit focused on the cost and availability of child care. Her second comes days before critical contests in South Carolina and Nevada, which will put the interest of minority communities in the spotlight. Clintons message was aimed at African American women, who are among the Democratic Partys most reliable voters. She highlighted her commitment to ending gender pay discrimination and reforming the police practices and gun laws that have left so many mothers mourning their children. As Clinton spoke, Sandra Blands sisters stood behind her wearing T-shirts that said Remember Sandra Bland and Black Lives Matter. This woman is dedicated, Reed-Veal said, reciting a laudatory poem dedicated to Clinton. Selfless in sitting down in a room full of mourning mothers who have violently lost their children, both sons and daughter. I am one of those mothers who met with her, Reed-Veal said, choking back tears. And was able to make it through. Army 1st Lt. Shaye Haver, center, and Capt. Kristen Griest, right, pose with other female West Point alumni last year at Fort Benning, Ga. Haver and Griest are the first female graduates of the Army's rigorous Ranger School. (John Bazemore/AP) Worshiping here at the Shandon Baptist Church, just outside the Armys Fort Jackson, Katie Smith has heard about the idea endorsed by some GOP presidential candidates to register women for the military draft. She does not like it. As a Christian, I believe women are called to be with their families, said Smith, 34. If women are pushed even further in the military, I worry were going to see the family break down even more. The odds that 18-year-old women might someday be drafted into the military and forced to go through basic training here at Fort Jackson, the Armys biggest training site for new recruits, are remote at best. So how did the issue become a subject of heated debate and division inside the Republican primary? The answer starts with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and a policy change in the White House. The Obama administration decided in early February to open up all combat jobs to women, prompting the question of whether women must register for the draft, as men do. Republican presidential candidates Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said that they should, leading an incredulous Cruz to rail this week: Have we lost our faculties? Is political correctness so consuming that were not willing to say thats just nuts? [Ted Cruz: Its nuts to draft women into the military] For Cruz, who has cast himself as a true traditional conservative, the possibility that women might be forced to register for the draft offered a perfect opening to draw a contrast between himself and more establishment-friendly Republicans, such as Bush and Rubio. The issuehas little to do with military effectiveness, but has deep roots in the nations culture wars going back to the 1970s and 1980s. Here at Shandon Baptist Church, the question of drafting women quickly pivots to broader topics such as the role of women in society and whether they should be treated the same as men. Shandon is home to more than 7,000 worshipers, including a big contingent of soldiers from Fort Jackson. Each year, more than 36,000 male and female recruits endure 10 weeks of basic training here before moving on to other bases and units. In the final days before the crucial South Carolina primary, Cruz in particular has used the issue to appeal to the conservative, evangelical voters who feel as though they have been on the losing end of the countrys culture wars for the past eight years. Cruz has often cast the issue in the harshest terms. As the father of two daughters, I can tell you, we are not going to draft American women into military combat, Cruz said to cheers Tuesday in South Carolina. He promised to review the Marine Corps failed request to bar women from combat jobs, saying that he would not simply bow down to political correctness. A week earlier, Cruz railed against the notion that the government would forcibly conscript our daughters and put them in a foxhole fighting a jihadist, a 220-pound psychopath trying to kill them. His stand has drawn cheers from some conservatives who sense that Cruz has latched on to an important wedge issue. A big deal, Bill Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard, tweeted about Cruzs stand. Cruz can distinguish himself from the rest of the field and steal some of Trumps anti-P.C. thunder. Cruzs attacks led Rubio to reconsider his stance, telling reporters last Friday that he doesnt support drafting women and forcing them into combat roles. Rubio has also questioned whether the Selective Service system which requires 18-year-old males to register for the draft is even necessary anymore. The question of drafting women arose only after Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter ordered the military to open up all combat jobs to women, with no exceptions. This month, a few days after Carters order became official, the militarys top brass were called to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee, where Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) raised the draft issue. A 1981 Supreme Court decision found that women should not have to register because they were barred from serving in front-line combat positions. [How the war in Iraq is haunting the 2016 presidential contest] Since the 9/11 attacks, women serving in military support jobs have engaged in fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have received awards for valor under fire, and 161 have lost their lives. Now that the restriction on women filling combat jobs has been lifted, McCaskill asked, shouldnt they be treated exactly as men? The Armys four-star chief of staff and the Marine Corps commandant both said they should, setting off a scramble on Capitol Hill, where Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said he plans to introduce a bill that would prevent the Obama administration from forcing women to register for military service. We simply cant trust this president or the courts to honor the law and protect our daughters, he said. Both Cruz and Rubio have pledged to co-sponsor the legislation. In the House, two Republicans have taken a different approach. The Draft Americas Daughters Act, sponsored by Rep. Duncan D. Hunter (Calif.), a Marine veteran, and Rep. Ryan Zinke (Mont.), a former Navy SEAL, would require women to register for the draft. Hunter and Zinke who oppose opening combat jobs to women and plan on voting against their own bill said they hope the legislation will force a larger debate over the wisdom of the Obama administrations policies on women in combat. The question of forcing women to register for the draft has roots in conservative policy circles and the culture battles of the 1970s and 1980s. In an effort to block the Equal Rights Amendment in Congress, conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly argued that passage of the bill would compel the federal government to force women to register for the draft. At the time, memories of the disastrous Vietnam War were fresh, and no one was in favor of forcing women into military service. Today, the roles have reversed and the strongest support for forcing women to register for the draft comes from feminists and military experts who pressed to open up combat jobs to women who can meet the physical requirements. This is a fundamental responsibility of citizenship, said Nora Bensahel, a scholar in residence at American Universitys School of International Service. Cruzs objection to forcing women to register for the draft implies that they are second-class citizens, Bensahel said. To exclude women from that fundamental citizenship is incredibly disturbing. Its an argument that resonates with Kiersten Peterson, 18, who just graduated from basic training at Fort Jackson, having spent the past few days hiking and sleeping in the cold. Clad in green Army fatigues, her hair pulled back in a tight bun, Peterson shopped with her father just outside the base. If women want equal rights, we should be prepared to do everything the men do, Peterson said. We dont get to pick and choose when we want equal rights and when we dont. At Shandon Baptist Church this past Sunday less than a week before the primary the sentiment was almost universally against drafting women. The churchs pastor, Dick Lincoln, preached his second sermon of the day to a crowd of more than 1,200 in a sanctuary that was bathed in purple light and included two large video screens for those watching from the back. His congregation was largely conservative, and was following the states GOP primary closely. The issue of women and the draft, he said, served as a proxy for other bigger questions, such as the meaning of equality during a time of shifting social mores, gay marriage and changes to the traditional American family. Does equality mean men and women are the same? he asked. It is a philosophical question, but it cuts down to the flesh and bone after a while. Katie Zezima in Mount Pleasant, S.C., contributed to this report. President Obama will travel to Cuba in late March, less than eight months after the United States formally reopened its embassy in Havana following more than a half-century of estrangement, administration officials said Wednesday. The trip is tentatively scheduled to precede a presidential visit to Argentina. The White House had initially hoped that the Cuba stop would coincide with the signing on the island of a peace deal ending Colombias long guerrilla war, but the March 23 deadline for the agreement now is expected to be extended for at least several days, possibly weeks. That left the White House in the position of possibly running into Good Friday and Easter Sunday, high holidays in Latin America although not necessarily in Cuba that would make it difficult to schedule high-level meetings, and a decision was made to go ahead without the Colombia agreement. The administration will announce the presidents travel to Cuba and elsewhere in Latin America on Thursday, said a senior administration official, one of several who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the schedule had not yet been released. News of the trip was first reported by ABC News. Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced in December 2014 that they planned to normalize relations between the two countries. Last summer, they formally reestablished diplomatic ties. In recent weeks, administration officials have made it clear Obama would travel to Cuba only if its government made additional concessions in the areas of human rights, Internet access and market liberalization. Speaking to Yahoo News in December, Obama said he very much wanted to visit the island nation before leaving office, but would only do that under the condition he could meet with dissidents as well as government officials. If I go on a visit, then part of the deal is that I get to talk to everybody, Obama said in the interview. Ive made very clear in my conversations directly with President Castro that we would continue to reach out to those who want to broaden the scope for, you know, free expression inside of Cuba. Some progress has been made on Internet connectivity in Cuba, and the number of private businesses has been slowly growing there. This week, Washington and Havana announced that they have completed negotiations to allow commercial air traffic between the two countries. There has been little movement on political freedoms, however, and the number of dissidents in detention has steadily increased in recent months. Unlike the prosecution and lengthy prison terms of the past, virtually all of those detained for political activity over the past several months have been held for a few hours at most and then released. An administration official said it was difficult to tell whether the increased arrests were because more Cubans now felt moved to demonstrate against the government. News of the trip brought an immediate rebuke from Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who said it will only legitimize [Raul and Fidel] Castros repressive behavior. For more than 50 years Cubans have been fleeing the Castro regime yet the country which grants them refuge, the United States, has now decided to quite literally embrace their oppressors, said Ros-Lehtinen, who is a Cuban American. There has been no progress in regards to human rights on the Castro brothers island gulag nor have conditions in Cuba improved since this administration began providing the regime with concession after concession. Donald Trump is setting himself apart by promising not just to fight terrorists but to torture them and kill their loved ones. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) Donald Trump went even further in his support of waterboarding and other barred interrogation techniques Wednesday, saying that as president he would use torture in the fight against terrorism. Dont tell me it doesnt work torture works, Trump said during a campaign event at a retirement community here Wednesday morning. Half these guys [say]: Torture doesnt work. Believe me, it works. Most Republican candidates for president approve of the use of waterboarding in extreme cases, calling it a valuable enhanced interrogation technique that is not torture, which is forbidden under U.S. and international law. But in an election year in which many conservative voters are deathly afraid of Islamic State terrorists, Trump is setting himself apart by promising not just to fight terrorists but also to torture them and kill their loved ones and to treat all foreign Muslims as suspects by barring them from entry to the United States. Theyre chopping off our heads in the Middle East, Trump said Wednesday. They want to kill us, they want to kill us. They want to kill our country. They want to knock out our cities. Donald Trump speaks with Bill Herbkersman in Bluffton, S.C. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) With his comments, Trump has reignited debate over extreme interrogation measures that the CIA embraced after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks but discontinued more than a decade ago. Waterboarding involves restraining prisoners on their backs with their feet higher than their heads, then covering their faces and pouring water into their mouths and noses, making them feel as though they are drowning. Although the CIA held more than 100 prisoners in its secret overseas prisons, only three are known to have been subjected to waterboarding. Among them was Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, who was waterboarded 183 times before the agency abandoned the practice amid concerns that its legal footing was slipping. [How the Iraq war is haunting the 2016 presidential contest] For months, Trump has repeatedly called for the use of waterboarding and other unidentified techniques that are even more severe. Up until Wednesday, Trump had stopped short of calling such techniques torture, although his comments seemed to show him openly embracing the idea of torturing people who are at odds with the United States. Trumps campaign manager and spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday. In late November, Trump said at a rally in Columbus, Ohio, that he would approve the use of waterboarding in a heartbeat because only a stupid person would say it doesnt work. If it doesnt work, Trump said, they deserve it anyway, for what theyre doing. Trumps call for waterboarding and more extreme measures is always met with warm applause and cheers at his rallies forcing his opponents into a tricky position. The traditional GOP response has been that torture is wrong but that waterboarding is not torture. How do they deal with a rival who embraces waterboarding as being torture and calls for its use? Even the staunchest defenders of the CIA program have stopped far short of Trumps position. In books and television appearances, CIA veterans have maintained that the agencys methods were legally approved by the Justice Department and never constituted torture. But no prominent former CIA executive has argued that the program should be reinstated, and many believe that even if a future president were to order a resumption of waterboarding or other brutal measures, agency operatives would almost certainly refuse. The CIA has maintained that it got valuable intelligence from the program, but it came at a considerable price. Agency operatives remained under a cloud of criminal and congressional investigations for years. A multi-year Senate probe completed in 2014 found that even CIA insiders were at times deeply disturbed by what they witnessed. [Fact Checker: Trumps baseless claim that W.H. tried to silence him on Iraq] CIA medical personnel warned that waterboarding sessions often described to policymakers as a carefully administered procedure had deteriorated to a series of near drownings. In 2002, agency employees at a secret prison in Thailand broke down emotionally after watching harrowing interrogations of al-Qaeda suspect Zayn al-Abidin Muhammed Hussein, better known as Abu Zubaida, some to the point of tears and choking up. Obama banned CIA enhanced interrogations within days of taking office in 2009. Since then, terrorism suspects captured overseas have been questioned by a team including FBI and CIA representatives who are supposed to abide by strict U.S. military interrogation guidelines. During the Feb. 6 Republican debate in New Hampshire, former Florida governor Jeb Bush whose brother authorized waterboarding said that it was used sparingly and that he would not take action to revive it. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) said waterboarding does not meet the generally recognized definition of torture but that he would not bring it back in any sort of widespread use. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) seemed to avoid answering the question by saying that U.S. officials should not be discussing in a widespread way the exact tactics that were going to use because that allows terrorists to know to practice how to evade us. Meanwhile, at the same event, Trump pledged to bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding. The morning after the debate, ABCs This Week host George Stephanopoulos asked Trump whether he would authorize torture. Trump responded: I would absolutely authorize something beyond waterboarding. That Monday, the day before the New Hampshire primary, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who was tortured as a prisoner during the Vietnam War said that waterboarding and other inhumane interrogation techniques did not prevent further attacks on the country and compromised our values, stained our national honor, and did little practical good. [What Donald Trump was up to while John McCain was a prisoner of war] On the same day, however, Trump mocked Cruz for not taking a stronger stance on waterboarding. As he spoke at a rally, a woman in the audience called Cruz a pussy an insult that Trump repeated to the crowd. Waterboarding came up again Wednesday when South Carolina state Rep. Bill Herbkersman (R) asked Trump a series of questions in a fireside-chat-style event that lasted 33 minutes. On that whole thing of politically correct, would you allow U.S. interrogators to waterboard terrorist prisoners in order to extract information? Herbkersman asked. Absolutely, Trump said to strong applause from the audience of about 500 retirees, who often laughed as Trump discussed the issue. On Cruz, Trump said that he didnt want to get involved because he thought waterboarding was bad, so of course its bad, but its not chopping off heads, folks. Okay? That I can tell you. Trump said that he would immediately resume waterboarding and other techniques that are much worse because the United States is facing a barbaric enemy. He called waterboarding a minor form of interrogation. Some people say its not actually torture lets assume it is, Trump said. But they asked me the question: What are you going to do on waterboarding? Absolutely fine, but we should go much stronger than waterboarding. Thats the way I feel. Greg Miller in Washington contributed to this report. Senate Republicans clashed Wednesday over how to battle President Obamas expected Supreme Court nomination as the White House left open the remote possibility that the president might sidestep a confirmation fight by making a rare recess appointment. Obama has the option, while the Senate is in recess, of naming a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia, who died Saturday. A recess appointee would serve until the end of the next session of Congress at the end of 2017. White House officials did not dismiss the idea that the president could use the recess maneuver if the Senate fails to hold hearings and a vote on the nomination Obama has promised to send to the Senate. Our intent is to nominate an indisputably qualified individual to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday. And our expectation is that the United States Senate will fulfill their constitutional responsibility to give that individual a fair hearing in a timely up-or-down vote. But Obamas opportunity to make a recess appointment will probably disappear after Monday, when the Senate returns from its weeklong recess. Republicans, who control the Senate, are likely to keep the Senate officially in session continuously for the rest of Obamas term. Still, the mere hint of a recess-appointment showdown highlighted the sharp divide between GOP senators who favor completely blocking any action on a potential nominee and those who have left open the possibility of at least holding hearings and perhaps even votes. [Justice Scalia will lie in repose at the Supreme Court; funeral set for Saturday] Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) declared in the hours after Scalias death that his seat should not be filled until we have a new President. But since his statement Saturday, his Republican colleagues have not agreed on where precisely they ought to make their stand: Should they refuse to take any action whatsoever, responding to the demands of the conservative base? Or should they at least schedule hearings and procedural votes in order to blunt political attacks from Democrats? On Tuesday, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) declined to rule out hearings on a nominee; on Wednesday two senior GOP senators rebuffed suggestions that the Senate should evaluate the presidents promised nominee. Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), a former chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), a panel member and the second-ranking GOP leader, said that while the final decision will be Grassleys, they did not see much point in holding hearings. We have a coequal and independent right to handle this as we see fit, and were not required to rubber-stamp this for the president, Cornyn said in an interview Wednesday morning on KSKY-AM in Dallas. After host Mark Davis told Cornyn that there can be no surrender on this, the senator assured listeners of the conservative talk-radio station that Grassley would stand firm against consideration of an Obama nominee. Washington Post reporter Juliet Eilperin explains the difficulties ahead facing both Republicans and Democrats as they battle to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat left by the sudden passing of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. (Dalton Bennett/The Washington Post) Grassley told Iowa radio reporters Tuesday he would take it a step at a time and wait until the nominee is made before I would make any decision on hearings. A junior Judiciary Committee member, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), said Tuesday that Republicans would fall into the trap of being obstructionist if they reject any Obama nominee sight unseen. Another junior GOP senator, Dean Heller (Nev.), suggested Wednesday that a blockade would be unwise. The chances of approving a new nominee are slim, he said, but Nevadans should have a voice in the process. Grassley spokeswoman Beth Levine suggested Wednesday that the six-term veteran, who has participated in hearings for 13 previous Supreme Court nominees, would continue to weigh his colleagues counsel, saying it would be odd for Senate Republicans to signal to the White House precisely what the conference is going to do until at least theyve had a chance to discuss it in person. Hatch, who served as the Judiciary Committees chairman or its ranking Republican from 1993 through 2004 and continues to sit on the committee, said in an interview that he worries that a political spectacle amid a presidential race could be demeaning to the nominee, the Senate and the panels reputation for conducting fair and serious work. One presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), sits on the committee and would probably participate in a confirmation hearing. My own personal feeling is, and this would absolutely be up to Senator Grassley and Senator McConnell, is that it would be better to not even have hearings, Hatch said. We are in the midst of one of the most obnoxious, terrible presidential campaigns that Ive ever seen. I dont want to see the courts be smeared by being in the middle of the process. Senate Democrats kept up pressure on their GOP counterparts Wednesday. Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), speaking on a conference call, promised a surge of grass-roots outrage if the blockade goes forward. Were already seeing the Republicans begin to crack, he said. McConnells silence has only added to the intrigue. Advisers on Wednesday continued to point to the Saturday statement, which other Republicans interpreted as a vow not to act in any way on the nominee but did not specifically spell out the leaders view. His only communication with fellow Republican lawmakers has been a couple of emails sent to senators, according to a senior GOP aide familiar with the brief missives. In one note, McConnell made clear that he did not expect the president to try to resort to a recess appointment before the Senate comes back into session Monday, and the other included an attachment to a Wall Street Journal editorial critical of Schumer for a 2007 speech on Supreme Court nominations. Otherwise, the aide said, McConnell told his colleagues only that they would discuss the issue early next week. There have been a dozen recess appointments to the Supreme Court, nine of which took place before the Civil War, and all but one were eventually confirmed by the Senate. Dwight D. Eisenhower made three recess appointments: Earl Warren, William Brennan and Potter Stewart. Under a unanimous 2014 ruling, the Supreme Court gave broad discretion to the Senate when it came to defining a recess. The president can still make recess appointments when the Senate is away, but recent congressional leaders have foreclosed that possibility by scheduling brief pro forma meetings that keep the Senate in session. White House officials continued to consult with lawmakers from both parties Wednesday on Capitol Hill, though it was unclear how the administration could come up with a candidate acceptable to Republicans. Even jurists who had won praise from GOP senators in the past such as Judge Sri Srinivasan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit cannot count on Republican support. While the majority of candidates under consideration are federal appellate judges and Obama has a large number to choose from, given his success in appointing many to the bench during his more than seven years in office there is one district judge whose name has surfaced in recent days: Ketanji Brown Jackson. Jackson, a 45-year old African American was confirmed unanimously by the Senate for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 2013. She is related by marriage to House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), who testified on her behalf in December 2012. Cruz, who joined 96 other senators in backing Srinivasans appointment to the appeals court less than three years ago, said Wednesday that Obama should not appoint any justice in an election year. Voting for a candidate for the D.C. circuit is very different from confirming someone to the U.S. Supreme Court, he said during a campaign stop in Seneca, S.C. Meanwhile, the White House announced Wednesday that the president and first lady will pay their respects to Scalia on Friday as he lies in repose in the Supreme Court but will not attend his funeral Mass on Saturday. Vice President Biden and his wife, Jill, will attend the service, at Washingtons Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Correction: A previous version of this story misstated how long a recess appointee may serve. Those appointments continue until the end of the next congressional session after the appointment is made. Paul Kane, Kelsey Snell, Elise Viebeck and Katie Zezima contributed to this report. When the next major earthquake hits Afghanistan, could it leave the leadership of the Afghan military buried under five stories worth of rubble? John F. Sopko, the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, does not rule it out. In an audit set for release Thursday, Sopko said the new $155 million Afghan military headquarters, funded by U.S. taxpayers, may not withstand the Big One. Although the building generally met contract requirements and appears well built, we found some construction deficiencies that may have safety implications . . . in the event of an earthquake, the inspector general wrote to U.S. military leaders. Sopko was referring to engineering standards that call for the foundations of large buildings to be segmented, allowing movement to be diverted in multiple directions. That would lessen the chance of large structures shaking to the point of collapse. In this case, the new jewel of the Afghan military a structure often referred to as the Afghan Pentagon does not even meet the standards of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the report says. When plans were drawn up for the five-story, U.S.-funded building in 2009, it was slated to cost about $49 million. It ended up costing $155 million. (Rahmat Gul/AP) The document is the latest question to be raised about how the United States spent more than $68 billion in funding for Afghan security forces since 2001, including $6 billion for bases and buildings. When the new Defense Ministry headquarters was proposed in 2009, it was slated to cost about $49 million. But the project encountered numerous delays and cost overruns, in part because the Afghan military kept adding features to the project. By 2014, the project had become so expensive that the U.S. military had effectively run out of money to complete it, prompting a stop-work order. [U.S. needs millions more to complete Afghanistans Pentagon] But Congress replenished the funds, and the building was completed this past summer. The 516,000-square-foot structure features a 1,000-seat auditorium, state-of-the-art command-and-control centers, a dining hall, a library and conference rooms. Sopko said the lack of adequate structural support represents a glaring oversight, considering Afghanistans history of significant earthquakes. As any resident of Kabul knows, the city can experience multiple jolts in a single week. In the past four months, the maze of fault lines in northeastern Afghanistan has produced two earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or greater, including a 7.5-magnitude temblor in October. In 2002, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake flattened dozens of buildings in Kabul. We found separation joints that were (1) not continuous or aligned vertically; and (2) were spanned with non-structural systems, such as drain pipes, on the inside of the building without flexible connections, the report says in part. These deficiencies could compromise the buildings ability to withstand ground motion caused by seismic activity. Brig. Gen. Dawlat Waziri, chief spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, declined to comment on the report, except to say that Afghans are not blame for any structural deficiencies. It was built by their own people, Waziri said, referring to the United States. We had nothing to do with it. In a written response, the U.S. military agreed with another key finding in the report handrails in stairwells were not built high enough but did not comment on the buildings structural stability during a major earthquake. After the earthquake in October, which spared Kabul from major damage because it occurred at a depth of more than 125 miles, a large crack appeared on one of the buildings exterior walls. The inspector general said that, overall, the building did not sustain significant damage. However, given Kabuls location in an active seismic zone, we remain concerned about the extent to which the MOD headquarters building would withstand an earthquake with an epicenter closer to Kabul or of greater magnitude, the report says. Sayed Salahuddin contributed to this report. Read more: Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Ugandan voters waited for more than seven hours at a polling station outside the capital, Kampala. (Ben Curtis/AP) Police arrested Ugandas leading opposition presidential candidate Thursday, just as results started to trickle in from an election that focused on whether the countrys ruler would extend his 30-year grip on power. The brief detention of opposition leader Kizza Besigye came at the end of an election day marred by irregularities, including ballots delivered hours late and an apparent shutdown of social media. Besigye was arrested on charges of criminal trespass and assault and was shortly thereafter released on bond, authorities said. The president, Yoweri Museveni, 71, is one of the worlds longest-ruling leaders, a former rebel who has become a key U.S. ally in East Africa, even as security forces under his control have jailed members of the political opposition. In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby condemned Besigyes detention. Such an action calls into question Ugandas commitment to a transparent and free election process, free from intimidation, he said. Besigye was once Musevenis personal physician and served in one of the presidents early cabinets. He was running against Museveni for the fourth time. In the previous three races, Besigye never polled higher than 38 percent, though he has disputed the returns. At a news conference this week, he called the election a struggle for democracy. [Uganda latest in East Africa to seek clampdown on civil groups] Uganda receives $750 million annually in aid from the United States, including significant investments in military training and support. The country also has played a key role in regional, U.S.-supported peacekeeping missions, at Musevenis behest. He has sent thousands of troops to the ongoing African Union mission in Somalia that is confronting al-Shabab, an Islamist militant group linked to al-Qaeda. Opinion polls before the election showed Museveni with a comfortable lead, although opposition figures have questioned the polls reliability. For its part, the countrys Electoral Commission promised a free and fair election. Besigyes arrest came outside a home in the capital, Kampala, where he had gone to expose what he alleged was a vote-rigging operation, according to his party spokesman, Ibrahim Nganda. According to officials, the house was actually a police security facility and, in the course of attempting to enter the house, Besigye assaulted a police officer, harming him. Nganda dismissed the accusation, saying that they always concoct charges when political figures are arrested. Besigye was also detained briefly in Kampala on Monday after his convoy attempted to pass through the city center. Police said the candidate was arrested because his route posed a security risk and had not been negotiated ahead of time. At least one person was killed in the running protests that followed, and security forces remained deployed across the city. In Thursdays election, voters were also electing representatives to the 385-member parliament. The legislature is now controlled by Musevenis National Resistance Movement party. Voting stations opened late in some cases many hours late and social-media sites appeared to be blocked on some networks. [Freed from jail, opposition figure vows to fight on] In some areas of Kampala, anger over delays spilled into the streets. In one neighborhood, voters who said they had waited seven hours for the arrival of ballots held a demonstration, marching with an opposition banner toward a polling station. Security forces fired tear gas to disperse the protesters. At least two polling stations in the area were shut down. In Jinja, a small town near the Nile Rivers source on Lake Victoria, voters turned out early Thursday. An election monitoring group had warned that western Jinja was one of the areas most likely to have violence around the voting. There was frustration as some stations remained closed more than four hours after the official 7 a.m. start. Election workers said they were still waiting for materials to arrive from regional Electoral Commission officials. Ibrahim Ayakiza was the first in line at the Mpumudde High School polling station on the outskirts of town. He said the late start raised concerns about political maneuvering. I think the delay is so some of us quit and go away, he said. Adding to the unease in the country, Twitter and Facebook appeared to be blocked on some Internet providers. The networks have been flooded with rumors about attempts to rig the vote, including conspiracy theories that ballot-station pens would be filled with ink that would disappear before votes could be counted. [Gallery: Pope Francis in Africa] A lot of negativity, lies, are being beamed down to create unnecessary tension, the police inspector general, Kale Kayihura, said of social media. One of the providers, the telecommunications giant MTN, called the disruption a temporary interference on Twitter. The Electoral Commission pledged that all voters would have the opportunity to cast a ballot. Polling stations were scheduled to close by 4 p.m., but authorities extended voting in the capital and nearby areas for three hours. The commission will have 48 hours to count the votes and announce a winner. Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, who is heading the Commonwealth Observer Group monitoring the vote, said in a statement: A delay of an hour or two is excusable. Delays of three, four, five and even six hours, especially in Kampala, are absolutely inexcusable and will not inspire trust and confidence in the system and the process. In addition to Besigye, Museveni also faced a challenge from former prime minister Amama Mbabazi, who split with the ruling party in 2014. Kevin Sieff in Nairobi contributed to this report. Read more Obamas push for democracy in Africa runs up against presidents for life 2,000 miles from Syria, Islamic State trying to lure recruits in Somalia Deaths of two black farmers prompt a racial reckoning in South Africa Oil rose above $35 a barrel on Thursday after Iran welcomed plans by Russia and Saudi Arabia to freeze output and an industry report showed a surprise drop in U.S. inventories. The gain added to a more than 7 percent surge in the previous session, which came even though analysts said the market had overreacted to Iran's support for the caps and the Russian-Saudi move would not likely reduce the global surplus. Brent LCOc1 rose 76 cents to $35.26 a barrel by 1441 GMT (0941 ET), having closed 7.2 percent higher in the previous session. U.S. crude CLc1 gained 88 cents to $31.54. "It's a continuation of yesterday's move," said Carsten Fritsch, analyst at Commerzbank. "What we see still is extreme volatility. I would not be surprised to see prices retreating again by a big margin in coming days." Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh met counterparts from Venezuela, Iraq and Qatar on Wednesday but did not say whether Iran would cap its output in keeping with the move by Russia and Saudi Arabia. On Thursday, Iraq's oil minister said talks would continue between OPEC and non-OPEC countries to prop up prices. Oil has collapsed from levels above $100 a barrel seen in mid-2014 due to excess supply, in a slide that deepened after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries later that year dropped its policy of cutting supply to boost prices. "The agreement will do little to reduce the current supply glut," BMI Research said in a report on Thursday. Iran exported about 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude before 2012, when sanctions imposed by world powers to curb Tehran's nuclear program cut shipments to about 1.1 million bpd. The sanctions were lifted last month, allowing Iran to resume selling oil to the European Union. Sources familiar with Iranian thinking have said this week that Iran would not freeze output at current levels. Crude gained support after the American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, said U.S. crude stocks unexpectedly fell by 3.3 million barrels last week. Traders will be looking to the official weekly supply report from the U.S. government's Energy Information Administration (EIA) at 11 a.m. EST for confirmation of the move. "If these figures are not confirmed by the EIA this afternoon, the current strength will turn into a rally to be sold into," broker PVM said in a report. Search Keywords: Short link: Demonstrators in New Delhi on Feb. 18 demand the release of Kanhaiya Kumar, a Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student union leader arrested on charges of sedition. (Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters) Thousands of angry students marched through the streets of New Delhi on Thursday demanding the release of a PhD student who was arrested and charged with sedition here last week. The marchers carried flowers, placards and banners with the image of the arrested student, Kanhaiya Kumar, and accused the government of muzzling dissent and campus activism. After a weeklong standoff between the government and the students and teachers of the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi, protests spread to several other Indian cities as well on Thursday. Kumar, the president of JNU students union, was arrested because officials say he was present at a campus event where masked men shouted slogans about breaking up India into pieces. Members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have accused the university of harboring anti-national dissidents. Students in New Delhi played drums, sang songs and carried placards saying Defend Free Speech, Defend Democracy and Just because I dont agree, doesnt mean I am an anti-national. Others wore T-shirts saying My Friend, Kanhaiya. We are not protesting just to save Kanhaiya Kumar. The battle is bigger than that, said Seemi Zafar, a PhD student in social medicine at JNU. I am marching to save the university culture that encourages you to raise difficult questions about nationhood, discrimination and injustice. That does not make students anti-national traitors. We want universities where we can freely discuss everything. [Campus activism gets out of hand and Indian university becomes hotbed of a raging debate] The debate has been so polarizing that earlier this week, a BJP lawmaker, O.P. Sharma, and some lawyers assaulted protesting JNU students at a city court. On Wednesday, lawyers also punched and threw stones at Kumar when he was brought to court. The lawyers had also assaulted several journalists at the court this week. Eminent scholars and intellectuals from around the world, including Noam Chomsky, Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk, Columbia University professor Sheldon Pollock and filmmaker Mira Nair, issued a statement of heartfelt solidarity with the JNU students and faculty on Tuesday. We not only condemn the culture of authoritarian menace that the present government in India has generated, but urge all those genuinely concerned about the future of India and Indian universities to protest in wide mobilization against it, the statement said. On Thursday, the Narendra Modi government ordered all federally-funded university campuses to fly the national flag prominently and proudly on a 207-feet high mast daily. Public outrage was also fueled after the video of the anti-India slogans at JNU were shared widely on social media and WhatsApp. At least two online petitions are calling for an end to public funding of JNU. Several student groups have also protested against the incidents at JNU. The national sentiment is one of anger against these speeches at JNU, said Rohit Chahal, a college student and former national secretary of a students union affiliated with the ruling BJP. How can they talk so openly about bringing ruin to India and breaking it into pieces? We are not against JNU, but it is these slogan-shouting students who are bringing disrepute to JNU. Kumar had earlier told the city magistrate that he did not support the inflammatory slogans and that he went to the event to mediate between two clashing groups. On Wednesday, Kumar released a statement that said: I believe in the Indian constitution and I will abide by it. I also believe in Indias unity and diversity and do not support any unconstitutional activities. [Indian mob strips, molests and beats Tanzanian student] On Friday, a city court will hear Kumars bail application. The controversial event at JNU on Feb. 9 was organized to commemorate the anniversary of the hanging of a Kashmiri man convicted of helping militants mount an armed attack on the Indian parliament in 2001. Kumars arrest has now become a new rallying cry for critics of the shrill brand of nationalist politics propagated by Modis BJP. More than 50 protesting students were arrested in the southern city of Chennai on Thursday, and dozens of university campuses across India are planning weeklong protest events. At JNU, many students and teachers have boycotted classes this week. Daily debates on nationalism are being conducted by protesting professors in open classrooms on the JNU campus this week. Many Indians have differing views on what a nation is. You cannot force a single view down their throats, said Nandita Narain, president of the Delhi University Teachers Association. Dont muzzle them and call them anti-national just because they are in the habit of questioning everything. Dont declare a war on intellect. Read more Tougher Indian law on child sex abuse falls short, families and advocates say A spate of suicides highlight the pressures on students in India Chinese artist Ai Weiwei poses as a drowned Syrian refugee toddler Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world The Dawnlight, a steel-hulled bulk carrier outfitted with large gray cranes, looks no different from the many other container ships that ply East Asias busy shipping lanes, heading in and out of the bustling port of Singapore. But the Dawnlight is not just any container ship: Its a ship that has been suspected of illegal dealings with North Korea. It was blacklisted by the United States last year because it was owned by a Singaporean company alleged to have helped Pyongyang with its weapons program, and then sold two months later, according to the company. The ship continues to shuttle between Singapore and the Korean Peninsula, with occasional diversions to China, according to data reviewed by The Washington Post. The Dawnlight has traveled to the peninsula nine times over the past 31 / 2 months, the data shows. Its ultimate destinations were unclear, though, because even on trips when the crew logged a North Korean port as its goal, the radar and satellite data examined by The Post showed it appearing to turn around off the coast of South Korea and make its way back without having called at a port. The Dawnlights previous owners insist the ship has carried only commercial cargo. The new, Hong Kong-based owner could not be contacted. While international sanctions against North Korea prohibit trade involving certain goods, such as those that could be used in conventional or nuclear weapons programs, general commercial trade is permitted. And with its nascent market economy, the country has more reason than ever to do business abroad. But inspection regimes in the regions busy ports are selective, making it hard to determine what is being shipped to North Korea. As the international community considers how to punish Pyongyang for last months nuclear test and this months long-range rocket launch by further isolating it from the outside world, and specifically by cutting off its access to outside nuclear and missile technology, shipping is emerging as a focal point. In unilateral sanctions, Japan has barred North Korean ships from its ports, as well as third-country ships that have visited North Korea. South Korea, which already bans North Korean-flagged ships, is also considering extending this blockade to include vessels that have recently called at the northern half of the peninsula. Expanded U.S. sanctions that President Obama signed into law Thursday dont take this step but require the administration to report on foreign seaports and airports with deficient inspections of vessels originating from North Korea. Democratic and Republican lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the bill last week, and Obama signed the legislation away from the news media Thursday. [Obama approves new sanctions against N. Korea over nuclear program] Doing this wouldnt just crack down on North Korea, it would also be for our own protection, said Chun Yung-woo, national security adviser in the last South Korean administration, talking about Seouls actions. Ships are the best way North Korea has for delivering nuclear weapons. But the difficulty of monitoring the Dawnlight underlines the limits of international sanctions. The ship could be operating entirely legitimately. But the questions remain: What is the Dawnlight carrying? Where is it going? And who even owns it? A blacklisted ship China, which shares a long land border North Korea, is by far its largest trading partner. But most of the goods heading to North Korea by sea come through Southeast Asian transshipment hubs. Singapore, one of the biggest, relies on speed and efficiency to maintain its competitive edge. Cargo lists are not publicly available, and inspections are generally conducted only when there is intelligence to suggest a breach of international sanctions. In Southeast Asia, its very hard to see whats going on, said a former Western diplomat who has dealt with North Korea for years and who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he works in a related field. He described the implementation of sanctions as patchy. Are they turning a blind eye to things going through, or is it just too difficult to stop things? he said. When enforcing sanctions, the Singaporeans make a clear distinction: While they will enforce multilateral orders, they will not uphold U.S. sanctions unless the targeted company has also broken local laws. We generally ignore unilateral sanctions, said a former Singaporean official who was involved in enforcement and spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid jeopardizing his current work. He described periods when his office would receive daily emails from U.S. officials asking for action. American requests come in at such a volume, we have to be very selective on how we act on them, he said. We have millions of containers coming through every day. The case of the Dawnlight encapsulates the problem. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Senat Shipping, a Singaporean company, and its president, Leonard Lai, in July, saying the company was working with North Korean entities that procure weapons for the regime. In the process, the Treasury Department blacklisted the Dawnlight, then owned by Senat, meaning that U.S. individuals and companies were prohibited from doing any business involving the company or the ship. Senat protested the designation, saying that all of its dealings pertained to the legal shipment of commercial commodities and that it had not had a business relationship with North Korea since late 2011. The company was not sanctioned by the United Nations, meaning that Senat and Lai were allowed to operate in and out of Singapore including sending ships to North Korea. [When it comes to punishing North Korea, its Groundhog Day] In November, The Post started monitoring the Dawnlight using data collated by MarineTraffic, a community-based, online ship-tracking service. All ships submit data through the automatic identification system, or AIS, which pings radar stations when a vessel is in range or allows detection by satellites when ships are in the right place. Tracking ships traveling to North Korea is inherently challenging, because the North does not have radar stations that feed into the international ship-tracking system and satellite coverage in that part of Asia can be spotty. Still, many vessels are routinely recorded by satellite calling at North Korean ports. Although it is against international regulations, a ships crew can turn off the AIS, ensuring that it will not be tracked. On some of its voyages, the Dawnlight generated extremely limited AIS data even in areas far from the Korean Peninsula with reliable radar and satellite coverage. Using the signals that were sent and logged, The Post observed the Dawnlight make nine journeys that brought it close to North Korea from Singapore and, in one case, from Chinese ports along the Yangtze River but never tracked it docking in North Korea. The vessel may very well have gone into a North Korean port, but because we dont have any antennas in the vicinity, for obvious reasons we have no idea whats going on there with that ship, Argyris Stasinakis, a partner at MarineTraffic, said of one of those journeys. On its latest trip, the Dawnlight sailed to Busan, at the southern edge of the Korean Peninsula, before turning around Sunday and backtracking without calling at a port, according to AIS data. Its original destination, as declared by the crew via the AIS, was the Japanese port of Chiba, near Tokyo. But on Friday morning it had changed its destination and was at Jingjiang, a Chinese port on the Yangtze. A question of ownership The Post approached Senat and Lai, who authorized his attorney to respond to questions. The attorney, Thong Chee Kun, said Senat never intended to be, and never was, involved in any illegal activities. Asked about the ships journeys to the Korean Peninsula and whether it had gone to North Korea, Thong said that the Dawnlight had been sold in September. He produced a notarized bill of sale signed by Lai and dated Sept. 21, showing that the Mongolian-flagged Dawnlight was sold to a Hong Kong-based shipping company called Bene Star for $2.2 million. Thong also supplied a certificate of deletion from the Mongolia Ship Register dated Aug. 26, 34 days after Senat was sanctioned by the United States, to show that Dawnlight was no longer sailing under a Mongolian flag. Since the sale, our clients have no knowledge of the routes it has sailed to, and they are not kept informed of Dawnlights operations, Thong said. When the Dawnlight was last subject to a spot inspection at the port of Vanino in Russias Far East at the end of October it was still sailing under a Mongolian flag, according to the Tokyo MOU, the organization that monitors ports in Asia. Even today, international shipping registries and the Tokyo MOU show the Dawnlight as being owned by Senat and registered in Mongolia, and a U.S. Treasury Department spokeswoman said the vessel remains covered by last years sanctions. The department had not been informed that Senat had sold the ship. Thong said the Dawnlight may still be listed as Senats property because the new owner has not registered the vessel under a flag. Efforts to locate Bene Star were not successful. The company has no website and, although it is registered in Hong Kong, there is no phone number listed with its registration and no entry for it in Hong Kong telephone directories. The Post attempted to contact Bene Star using an email address and a phone number in the Chinese port city of Dalian supplied by Thong. There was no response to repeated emails, and the phone number did not work. Asked why the registries do not bear out the claim of a sale, Thong said Senat would be taking the necessary steps to request an accurate listing of the information in the relevant databases. The Post also tried to ask North Koreas representatives in Singapore whether its shipping companies had links with Senat, as the U.S. Treasury Department claimed. But the lights were off at the North Korean Embassys registered office in the run-down Golden Mile complex, and a neighbor said he had not seen anyone there in at least a month. A matter of priorities For Singapore, which has strong ties with the United States, monitoring North Korean shipping activity presents a challenge, and the government acknowledges the inherent tension between speed and vigilance. Its a delicate balance and one that we want to maintain without choking off legitimate trade or compromising on our counterproliferation efforts, said one official, speaking on the Singapore governments customary condition of anonymity. Recent actions underscore the tough approach that Singapore takes toward middlemen acting for North Korea, he said, referring to the prosecution of Chinpo Shipping, which was found guilty in December of transferring money on behalf of Ocean Maritime Management, a North Korean shipping company sanctioned by both the United States and the United Nations, so that an Ocean Maritime ship could pass through the Panama Canal. The ship, called the Chong Chon Gang, was intercepted in 2013 on its way from Cuba to North Korea. On board, under 10,000 tons of sugar, were two Soviet-era MiG fighter jets and parts for many more, surface-to-air missile launchers, and antitank rockets. This is the same case that ensnared Senat: It had previously chartered the Chong Chon Gang, although it was not involved with this journey. The Treasury Department sanctioned Senat because of its previous dealings with Ocean Maritime Management, effectively making it guilty by association. North Koreans or any other country thinking of using Singapore or Singapore companies for illicit activities in contravention of U.N. sanctions or resolutions will know that Singapore is a no-go zone, the Singaporean official said. The outcome of the Chinpo case has good signaling and deterrent effect. But as U.S. and U.N. officials formulate a new round of sanctions, diplomats say, it is worth bearing in mind the priorities of countries in the region. You often hear the view in Southeast Asia that the more trade and the more economic linkages that are done, the better, said Euan Graham, a former diplomat who was stationed at the British Embassy in Pyongyang and is now at the Lowy Institute in Sydney. That probably plays some part as well in the resistance to putting sanctions further up the priority list. Read more: Singaporean company guilty of transferring money for North Korea China backs U.N. move to denounce North Korea over nuclear test Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world An E.U. flag hangs beside the Union Jack at the Europa House in London on Wednesday. (Frank Augstein/AP) British Prime Minister David Cameron was locked early Friday in intense talks with his fellow European Union leaders on a deal that could set the tone for what is expected to be a bruising campaign to decide whether the United Kingdom leaves the 28-member bloc. Meeting in Brussels, the leaders negotiated late into Thursday night and then well into Friday morning as Cameron sought concessions that would help him make the case back home for his countrys continued membership. By most accounts, the negotiations over Britains reform proposals proved trickier than expected, with European Council President Donald Tusk announcing just before 3 a.m. that there was a lot still to be done. British and E.U. officials said substantial gaps needed to be bridged before the two sides could reach agreement. Plans to seal the deal over an English breakfast on Friday morning were pushed back at least to brunch, and some suggested the talks could drag into the weekend. But even as the leaders haggled, analysts said the prime minister would need to settle for an agreement that falls well short of his original intention to fundamentally renegotiate Britains relationship with the E.U. What he will get is not revolutionary, said Janis Emmanouilidis, director of studies at the Brussels-based European Policy Center. This wont change Europe. A British exit, however, very much would. [Europe wants Britain to stay in the E.U., but not at any cost] The country has long been an ambivalent E.U. member, but it remains one of the blocs cornerstones. If the country votes to leave in a referendum expected in June, it could trigger a broader European unraveling at a time when continental unity is being strained by a refugee crisis, renewed Russian aggression, terrorist attacks and rising nationalism. If Britain voted to leave, Emmanouilidis said, it would probably embolden anti-E.U. voices in other member states saying there is a way out. European leaders appeared mindful of that risk as they gathered Thursday, suggesting they intended to give Cameron enough of what he wants to enable him to declare victory by the time the summit ends Friday. Im going into this debate with the position that we would like to do everything to create the conditions so that Great Britain can remain part of the European Union, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said as she arrived for the talks. But European leaders have already taken a tough line, denying Cameron the sort of far-reaching change he sought. The prime minister has long said he favored Britains continued E.U. membership only if he could win substantial reforms. Eastern European leaders were particularly unbending as the prime minister pushed for welfare caps that could help to reduce net migration to Britain. Cameron is expected to win the right to apply an emergency brake to benefits for new arrivals from within the E.U. But the details remained hotly contested. It was unclear how effective the measure will be in limiting immigration to Britain, much of which comes from the poorer countries in Europes east. Cameron has also sought protections for members of the E.U. that dont use the euro, an exemption from the blocs pledge of ever-closer union and a national veto over E.U. legislation. [Has Prince William entered Britains debate over leaving Europe?] Draft versions of the deal, circulated in recent days, have been ridiculed by Camerons critics, out campaigners and Britains influential tabloids. All have excoriated the prime minister for not achieving more. Tim Montgomerie, a blogger and activist, used his Times of London column Thursday to announce he was quitting the Conservative Party because of his disillusion with Cameron. This charade over the EU is the final straw, he wrote. More defections could soon follow. Other prominent members of Camerons party have flirted with defying the prime minister and supporting a British exit popularly known as Brexit. London Mayor Boris Johnson has been particularly coy, but he could become the effective leader of the out campaign if he chooses to back a British departure. Polls suggest that the contest could go either way, although most show in at least slightly ahead. Assuming Cameron can strike a deal in Brussels, he is expected to return to London on Friday to officially launch the campaign and to set a date for the vote widely tipped as June 23. Britains membership was not the only hot-button item on the agenda Thursday: Over a marathon five-hour dinner, Europes top officials engaged in occasionally heated discussion of how to handle the flood of refugees landing on Greek and Italian shores. A new Austrian plan to begin sharply limiting the number of asylum seekers who can enter the country each day sparked particularly intense debate, officials said. The country's chancellor, Werner Faymann, later said the limits would still be implemented as planned, beginning on Friday. With the flows into Europe continuing unabated, the E.U.s leaders made plans to meet again in early March along with top Turkish officials. The E.U. last year struck a deal for Turkey to crack down on people-smuggling in exchange for billions of euros in aid. Merkel said early Friday that Austrias move had made it more urgent for Europe to assess whether the deal with Turkey is working. Karla Adam in London contributed to this report. Read more Spring could bring a fresh surge of refugees. But Europe isnt ready for them. In supposed no-go zone, British Muslims, Christians say no to fanatics Even Europes humanitarian superpower is turning its back on refugees Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world Former French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira speaks at New York University on Jan. 29 in New York. Taubira quit in protest over the government's efforts to strip convicted French-born terrorists of their citizenship if they have a second nationality. (Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images) In the three months since the Nov. 13 Paris terrorist attacks, President Francois Hollandes socialist government has faced significant external pressures from an increasingly popular French right. But Hollandes response to those challenges has earned him unexpected new enemies including some within the ranks of his own party. In response to the November attacks, which left 130 dead and many more injured across the city, and the January 2015 attacks on the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo which were perpetrated by Islamist militants who were French or European citizens Hollande and his prime minister, Manuel Valls, have proposed legislation that has outraged many French leftists. The law, known in France as the decheance de la nationalite, would strip the French nationality of dual citizens convicted of terrorist activity. Last week, Frances National Assembly voted 317 to 199 in favor of a constitutional amendment that would permit the legislation, which has passed to the Senate. The first response to terrorists is unity of the citizenry, said Patrick Weil, a leading authority on the history of immigration. But this has divided the country and has divided the left. The principle of equality before the law is a pillar of French nationality. Suddenly its under attack. [Why a new citizenship law in France has outraged the French left] Many leftists consider the decheance a betrayal, by a socialist president, of the French Republican values at the heart of the socialist partys political program. According to the partys own materials, these values include the traditional triumvirate of liberty, equality, fraternity that derive from the French Revolution, but also the more contemporary additions of justice and citizenship. Le Monde estimates that there are 3.3 million dual citizens in France today, and critics maintain that the new measure would make an unlawful distinction among citizens who should otherwise remain equal in the eyes of the state. Members of Hollandes party and including some in his cabinet have spoken out. Last month, Christiane Taubira, Hollandes French Guiana-born justice minister, resigned over the new nationality law, which she critiqued in a book she released last week entitled Murmures a la jeunesse. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, another prominent socialist, also has condemned the law. Yet even before the eruption of the nationality law issue, dissatisfaction on the left with Hollandes leadership ran deep largely over French unemployment figures, a stagnant national economy and Eurozone politics. By the end of 2015, the nations unemployment rate jumped to 10.6 percent, just shy of the national record of 10.7 percent in 1997. With 3.6 million French looking for work, Hollandes 2012 campaign promise to redress, repair and reunite a France he called broken and burnt rings hollow and unfulfilled. In response, a group of prominent French leftist intellectuals including best-selling economist Thomas Piketty, historian Pierre Rosanvallon and the activist Daniel Cohn-Bondit, a public face of the 1968 student revolts have called for a grande primaire de la gauche at the end of 2016. In theory, this grand leftist primary would serve as a counterpoint to the primary that the French right will hold this fall, in advance of the 2017 election. In an open letter last month, the leftist group condemned what it called the governments excessive dependence on destructive models and its failure to confront social inequalities, discrimination, the degradation of the environment and the effacement of democracy. Some doubt the practical effect of such a primary. Gerard Grunberg, a historian of French socialism, dismissed the proposal as an idea from the intellectuals. They do not have the infrastructure, they are divided, and they have too many leaders who want to be the candidate, he said. For the primarys proponents, however, it represents a critical step in salvaging the French lefts political future. It would be a huge mistake for the Left not to have a big public debate, and to let the right parties have a debate on their own, said Piketty, whose blockbuster 2013 book, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, sold more than 1.5 million copies. The record of the president is not terribly good, and there is a need for justification, a public explanation. In January 2015, Piketty, once close to the socialist establishment, turned down Frances highest honor, the Legion dhonneur, on grounds that the government would do better to concentrate on reviving [economic] growth in France and Europe. That is the ultimate focus of the primary that he and his colleagues have demanded, but they also have taken a stand against the new nationality law. The decheance de nationalite project is unjustifiable, their manifesto reads, and the instrumentalization of the Constitution for political ends constitutes a major democratic rupture. [Racial profiling seems to be a weapon in Europes war on terrorism] Last Thursday, in a seeming attempt to unify his divided political allies, Hollande announced a reshuffling of his cabinet. For the first time since 2014, the remaniment welcomed several green party Europe Ecologie-Les Verts (EELV) politicians into the highest echelons of the French government, including Emmanuelle Cosse, the green partys leader, to the post of housing minister. The move appears to have backfired. In a statement, the EELV announced that it strongly disapproves of the fact that several of its own are participating in a government unfortunately incompatible with environmental policy, social justice, solidarity and even the construction of a peaceful society. Adding fuel to fire, Jean-Luc Melenchon, a far-left politician, declared his presidential candidacy Wednesday. Leading up to 2017, the nationality law, the proposal for a grand primary and now the cabinet reshuffling have presented a public image of confusion by the left. In the words of Bruno Cautres, a prominent analyst of French politics at Science Po in Paris: The unity of the left is broken, and it doesnt know where to go. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that a proposed new law would strip the French nationality of dual citizens accused of terrorist activity. The law would apply to those convicted of such activity. This version has been corrected. Read more Spring could bring a fresh surge of refugees. But Europe isnt ready for them. More European nations are barring their doors to migrants Pariss proposed 2024 Olympics logo is designed to show national unity Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world Last December the four-wheeled invention, which was almost the size of an auto rickshaw (tuk-tuk) with two tiny wings to help it fly, failed to take off in Tahrir Square. Bystanders gave it a push to help the driver - the self-proclaimed inventor Ahmed El-Bendary - restart the engine. It did not work. On Wednesday, El-Bendary put his monster out of its misery. He used gasoline to set the monster on fire then dumped it in the Nile. "Trying is more noble than success," Bendary-made poster read at the cremation ceremony. Read more here. It was a compelling set of facts for the government: a terrorist attack in California that killed 14 people, an iPhone possibly containing crucial evidence that could not be unlocked, and a warrant to search the phone. But the phones contents are encrypted, and Apple, according to the Justice Department, has refused to help the FBI find a way to unlock the device. So this week, the government got a court to order Apple to help. In a posted message that verged on the apocalyptic, Apple chief executive Tim Cook accused the government of asking it to build a backdoor into an iPhone and to design software that amounts to hack[ing] our own users. Apple argues that starting from the hours after the Dec. 2 attack until days ago, it has worked with the FBI to give the agency what data it has material backed up from the phone into the companys iCloud service, for instance. But Apple did not want to do anything that it said would weaken the devices security, such as creating software that would effectively let officials try to crack the phones password. In the escalating fight over encryption, the U.S. government has moved to force a showdown that has been years in the making. By Wednesday morning, the Justice Department and the Silicon Valley giant had torqued up the encryption debate, raising the stakes for those who support widespread strong encryption to protect privacy and security and for those who think that courts should be able to compel tech firms to accommodate law enforcements need to thwart criminals and terrorist attacks. The government wants to lay down a marker here that companies do have to provide assistance when they can, said Timothy Edgar, senior fellow at Brown Universitys Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs and a former privacy officer with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. And Apple is saying, We dont want to have to hack our own customers. The outcome of the case is going to be hugely important for the balance between privacy and security. Anyone watching the encryption debate over the past year and a half knew that this day would come. This is the ideal case for the government to challenge industry in the encryption debate, said Michael Sussmann, a former Justice Department official and a partner at the Perkins Coie law firm. The facts are sympathetic to the government and present the starkest example of their need to gain access to encrypted data to protect the American public. The device at the center of the debate, an iPhone 5C, was used by Syed Rizwan Farook, who with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, opened fire at a holiday gathering at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino County. The couple, who pledged loyalty to the Islamic State terrorist group, died a few hours later in a shootout with police. What the government wants Apple to do is design software to install on the phone that would block it from automatically wiping data after 10 unsuccessful tries at entering a password. That would enable the FBI to brute force the phones password attempting tens of millions of combinations without risking deletion of the data. The government also wanted the software to permit the FBI to send passwords to the phone electronically, rather than having someone manually type them in. And the software must prevent the phone from adding delays between password attempts. The request, the Justice Department said, does not require Apple to redesign its products, to disable the phones encryption or open its contents. The software, it said, would operate only on that one phone. Technical experts said that all of that is possible. The question: Is it desirable? In note titled A Message to Our Customers posted on Apples website, Cook said, Make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor. Although government officials say the software would be designed just for one phone, he said that once created, the technique could be used over and over again, on any number of devices. Cook said it would set a dangerous precedent. The implications of the governments demands are chilling. If the government has its way, he said, it could demand that Apple build surveillance software to intercept your messages, access your health records or financial data, track your location, or even access your phones microphone or camera without your knowledge. But New York City Police Commissioner William J. Bratton said the governments demands are reasonable and justified, especially in a case that has ties to the Islamic State, also known as ISIL. No device, no car and no apartment should be beyond the reach of a court-ordered search warrant, he said. As the threats from ISIL become more divergent and complex, we cannot give those seeking to harm us additional tools to keep their activity secret. The polarization of the debate can be seen in the use of the term backdoor, which Cook accused the government of seeking. The term itself is imprecise and can be understood to mean anything that is intended to create a way around encryption or more broadly that would weaken security. The government rejects the term for describing what it is asking for. The White House on Wednesday pushed back against Apple and its framing of the argument. This case doesnt require Apple . . . to create a new backdoor, press secretary Josh Earnest said. Its a very specific request that the Department of Justice has made, and a judge agreed with them. Reaction from Capitol Hill was swift and divided. Court orders are not optional, and Apple should comply, said Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. A colleague on the committee, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), said that companies should comply with warrants to the extent they are able to do so, but no company should be forced to deliberately weaken its products. Some legal analysts said the order issued by a federal magistrate judge in Riverside, Calif., opens a Pandoras box of unknowns. If a court has the power to order a third party like Apple to devise software that it does not already possess [to aid in surveillance], what cant a court order a company to do? said Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at American University. Theres a real search for a limiting principle here that we havent identified. Apple has five business days after Tuesdays order to respond and has vowed to challenge the order. Mark Berman and Greg Miller contributed to this report. Afghan and U.S. flags fly side by side during a security handover ceremony in Panjshir province in 2011. U.S. officials are looking into allegations that U.S. troops may have been involved in a deadly raid on a clinic in Wardak province Wednesday night. (Ahmad Masood/Reuters) Afghan security forces raided a charitable health clinic in Wardak province Wednesday night, killing two patients and a caretaker in another incident billed as a potential war crime here, according to the human rights organization that operates the clinic. The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan said in a statement that the Afghan National Army had conducted the raid, calling the attack a gross violation of humanitarian principles and the Geneva Convention. Bjorn Lindh, a spokesman for the group, said Afghan troops arrived near the 10-bed clinic in a helicopter about 11 p.m. Initially, he said, they went to the home of a local ambulance driver and detained him. The ambulance driver then escorted the soldiers to the health clinic. [U.N.: 2015 civilian injuries in Afghan war worst since 2009] The troops stormed into the clinic and began arresting and beating staff members, Lindh said, adding that they then found two patients who were injured in some way. They took these people out of the clinic to a nearby bazaar and killed them, Lindh said. A 15-year-old boy who had been watching over the two men was also killed, he said. A spokesman for the Defense Ministry did not return several calls for comment. Some local officials in Wardak, south of Kabul, alleged that U.S. forces were also involved in the raid, perhaps flying the helicopters that transported Afghan security personnel to the area. Col. Michael T. Lawhorn, spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, said officials are investigating those claims. We are aware of those reports, and we are looking into them, Lawhorn said. Gen. Razeq Safi, commander of an Afghan army brigade for Logar and Wardak provinces, said that four Taliban insurgents were killed and two others wounded during the incident. Another insurgent was also taken in custody, he said. But Safi denied that the Afghan army had conducted the raid, saying he suspects Afghan police special forces carried it out in cooperation with foreign troops. Choppers were seen last night, Safi said. Airstrikes have also taken place there. An official with the Afghan Interior Ministry, which oversees the police, said the agency did conduct operations in Wardak on Wednesday night but declined to comment on whether they took place near the health clinic. The apparent raid comes less than six months after U.S. Special Forces mistakenly strafed a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz in northern Afghanistan, killing at least 42 patients, medical staffers and caretakers. President Obama apologized for that airstrike, but Doctors Without Borders is pressing for war crimes charges to be filed. Gen. John Campbell, the outgoing commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, blamed human error for the Kunduz strike. Campbell said U.S. Special Forces who had been operating in that area had not been briefed that the Doctors Without Borders compound was a hospital. Afghan security forces, however, have been known to routinely enter medical facilities in pursuit of militants, even though hospitals are considered neutral spaces under international law. A few months before the hospital in Kunduz was bombed, Doctors Without Borders complained that Afghan troops had illegally entered the facility. [What exactly happened in Kunduz is still unclear] A report released Sunday by the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan noted that coalition and Afghan special forces raided health facilities in Logar and Helmand provinces in December. The report said the search operations resulted in the arrest of healthcare staff and destruction of clinic equipment although they did not cause any civilian casualties. Jorgen Holmstrom, the country director for the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, said all the patients in the groups clinics had the right to be protected. Medical facilities and medical staff are to provide treatment to anyone in need, and patients are to be granted safety according to humanitarian law, he said. Lindh noted that the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan is the only medical provider in Wardak province, where fierce battles between Afghan security forces and Taliban militants are common. Abdul Wali Noorzai, a spokesman for the provincial police force, said the raid began when Afghan special forces used ropes to descend into the village from a helicopter. The operation was conducted at night, and Afghans do not have the technology to do it by air, lowering troops onto the ground, he said. I think Americans were present with them. U.S. military officials say the Afghan army sometimes uses its own helicopters now to conduct night operations, without the presence of coalition advisers. Hameeda Akbari, a member of parliament from the area, said the hospital was well-known for treating Taliban militants. She called the raid justifiable. That hospital treats the opposition, Akbari said. But Lindh stressed that the staff at the health clinic is not part of this conflict. Anyone who comes to our clinics, we dont ask questions, and they should feel protected, Lindh said. But they were taken out, and they were killed. Mohammad Sharif in Kabul and Dan Lamothe in Washington contributed to this report. Read more: U.S.-funded Afghan air force is growing. So are civilian casualties it causes. The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan is leaving, but the troops are staying U.S. airstrikes in Kunduz destroyed more than a hospital Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, right, walks with Hulusi Akar, chief of the General Staff of the Turkish armed forces, during a condolence visit at the General Staff headquarters in Ankara on Feb. 18, 2016, the day after a bombing killed 28 in the capital. (Hakan Goktepe/Turkish prime ministers press office via AFP/Getty Images) Turkey blamed Syrian Kurds on Thursday for a suicide bombing that killed 28 people in the capital, Ankara, and vowed to retaliate, threatening new complications for the war in neighboring Syria and for the U.S. fight against the Islamic State. The bombing coincided with heightened tensions between the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and Turkey, which has fired artillery into Syria in recent days to prevent Kurdish advances toward the Turkish border. The allegation that the YPG was involved in the bombing Wednesday night of a bus carrying Turkish military personnel raised the specter of deepening involvement by Turkey in the war in Syria. Of the fatalities, 27 were Turkish service members. The attack also served to highlight growing fissures between Turkey and the United States over U.S. support for the YPG in the fight against the Islamic State. Washington in recent days has strenuously rejected Turkish efforts to force it to renounce the YPG, which Ankara calls a terrorist organization. As Turkey resumed the artillery strikes late Thursday, State Department spokesman John Kirby said the United States still had not determined responsibility for the bombing. As far as were concerned, thats an open question, he said. Clearly it is an act of terrorism, he added, urging both sides to show restraint and to focus on the fight against the Islamic State. Some of the strongest fighters against Daesh inside Syria have been Kurdish fighters, Kirby said, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. The side that we all need to be on here is the counter-Daesh side. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu earlier said a member of the YPG carried out the bombing in collaboration with Turkeys Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which has been waging a decades-long war for autonomy on behalf of Kurds in Turkey. He also accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of complicity, citing claims in the past by Assad and members of his government that they supply the YPG with arms. Authorities named the bomber as Saleh Najjar from the Kurdish town of Amudah in northern Syria and said 14 people have been detained in connection with the attack. A direct link between the attack and the YPG has been established, Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara. The attack was carried out by the PKK together with a person who sneaked into Turkey from Syria. [Blast strikes military convoy in Turkish capital; at least 28 killed] The YPG swiftly denied any link to the bombing. The group said the Turkish government was accusing the YPG to justify further attacks against the rapidly expanding Kurdish enclave known as Rojava that the Kurds are carving out in northern Syria. Turkey has vowed to prevent the creation of an autonomous Kurdish entity along the Syrian border, because of fears that it would encourage Turkish Kurds to seek their own state. The allegation is part of an attempt by the Turkish prime minister to establish new foundations for their attacks on Rojava during the Syrian crisis, the YPG said in a statement. We say to the people of Turkey and the international community: there is no relation between us, the YPG, and yesterdays incidents in Ankara, it added. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the bombing proved Turkish assertions that the YPG is an affiliate of the PKK, which the United States and Turkey have designated as a terrorist organization. With regard to our allies in the international arena, it will be understood how strong the [Kurdish Democratic Union Party] and YPGs connection with the PKK in Turkey is, he said. This will make it possible for our allies to understand us better. The YPG is the military wing of the Democratic Union Party. The Ankara bombing played directly into the vast complexities of the fight underway just beyond Turkeys borders in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo, and it seemed calculated by whoever carried it out to provoke a Turkish response. Recent advances by the YPG in the northern countryside of the province have come at the expense of Syrian rebels backed by Turkey and, in some instances, the United States who have been fighting an increasingly desperate battle for survival in the face of punishing Russian airstrikes. Government loyalist forces, chiefly comprising Iranian-backed Shiite militias from Lebanon, have seized territory closer to the city of Aleppo, while the YPG has pushed into areas closer to the Turkish border. The Kurds are now threatening to seize the strategically vital Syrian border town of Azaz, which Erdogan earlier this week warned would be a red line for Turkey. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned Turkey against sending troops to Syria, saying that any invasion into the territory of a sovereign state is illegal. The United States has appealed in the past week to Turkey to stop its shelling of the advancing Kurdish forces and to the YPG to halt its advances, without effect. Turkeys options are constrained by the strong presence of the Russian air force in the area and by the restrictions of Turkish membership in the NATO alliance. Russia has repeatedly warned Turkey that it intends to exact vengeance for the downing of a Russian plane that strayed into Turkish airspace in November. Turkeys NATO allies are obliged to come to its defense only if it comes under attack, not if it embarks on unilateral action. Wednesdays bombing in Ankara also coincided with a massive Turkish military crackdown against Kurdish communities in the southeast of the country that has killed hundreds, displaced hundreds of thousands and turned cities and towns into war zones. Cemil Bayik, a PKK leader who lives in northern Iraq, said he did not know who had carried out the bombing. But he told a Turkish news agency that it may have been an act of retaliation for the massacres in Kurdistan, a reference to the brutal military campaign. The PKK has frequently targeted military convoys and off-duty military personnel, and its attacks have intensified as the Turkish military has stepped up its onslaught against the Kurds. A bombing against a military vehicle on Thursday in southeastern Diyarbakir province killed six people, according to the Turkish military. Turkish warplanes carried out fresh raids overnight against PKK bases in northern Iraq, a frequent retaliatory target of Turkish airstrikes. Michael Birnbaum in Moscow and Karen DeYoung in Washington contributed to this report. Read more: Turkish opposition to Syrian Kurds complicates Western strategies Biden decries Turkish political crackdowns Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world The pseudo-left Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP) voted in the Catalan regional parliament to ensure the extension of the regional governments 2015 austerity budget. The CUP cast 5 votes in favour and 4 deputies abstained, allowing the budget to pass by 64 votes in favour and 61 against. This once again exposes the CUPs reactionary role and that of all the parties in Spain and internationally that have supported the CUP and promoted its false anti-capitalist pretensions. Following Septembers regional election in Catalonia, the CUP with its 10 seats held the balance of power. Last month, its support allowed the Together for Yes coalitioncomprising the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) and the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC)to form a government pledged to secede from Spain. As part of the deal, CUP insisted on the replacement of former Catalan President Artur Mas, the figure most closely associated with the previous governments harsh austerity measures, with Carles Puigdemont. The removal of Mas was however simply a cover for CUP to continue to pose as anti-capitalist, whilst further integrating itself into the corridors of power. It was Puigdemont, hand-picked by Mas, who made world headlines in 2012 when, as mayor of Girona, he ordered locks put on supermarket waste bins to keep the poor from scavenging. The 2015 budget passed by the CDC with the support of the ERC continues the austerity programme imposed by Mass government, which came to power in 2010. Catalonia under Mas was dubbed the laboratory of cuts, with cuts of 20 percent or more (some 8 billion) in budgets for education, health care and other social services. The CUP posed as opponents of the government and its austerity policies. Its leader, David Fernandez, proclaimed, we are witnessing the budget of the fanatics of austerity, a real declaration of war on the people. CUP deputy Isabel Vallets condemned the ERC for backing the CDC, asking, How can you support this? Now the CUP has come full circle. For weeks, its leaders raged about their opposition to the budget, with CUP parliamentary leader Ana Gabriel declaring that the CUP would not support an unjust budget. Now it is supporting the same reactionary budget it claimed to oppose. In the week before the vote, as it became clear the combined vote of the opposition parties could defeat the budget, another CUP leader, Albert Botran, suddenly said that they would facilitate the budget. CUP deputy Eulalia Reguant said that it was necessary to support the budget to ensure the start of the process to create the independent Catalan State in the form of a Republic and defy the Constitutional Courts decision to suspend it. She blustered that Catalonia should disobey and stop paying the regions debt and create a regional infrastructure to directly collect taxes, solve the monetary question and negotiate one on one with the European Central Bank. Catalan Vice President Oriol Junqueras, the leader of the ERC, naturally rejected this proposal and declared that in no case will there be a unilateral debt default. Former premier Mas reminded the CUP of the deal they had made to support the new government, stating that their word of honour is on the hook. The daily El Pais asked Ana Gabriel how can you be anti-capitalist and vote in favour of a budget with a CDC president, and a party immersed in corruption cases and which has imposed numerous cuts. She answered that the CUPs automatic answer is no, but we are in a democratic anomaly, because the CUP and Together for Yes agreement was the result of them [the Spanish government] not allowing us to hold a referendum [on Catalan independence. ] there is an agreement between two ideologically opposed parties. Nothing could be further from the truth. The CUP poses as anti-capitalist but is a pro-austerity party which articulates the interests of an upper middle class layer aggrieved at their exclusion from the top one percent. This layer is angry at certain problems the economic crisis has caused for its privileged lifestyles, and responds by calling for the carving out of a Catalan mini-state from Spain This demand, which itself is only a perspective for attracting global corporations through tax cuts and stepped-up exploitation of the working class, is used to posture as radical, while supporting reactionary policies against the workers. The CUPs pro-austerity vote is a warning to the working class and youth. It is a myth that the forces of Catalan nationalism are a progressive alternative to Madrids reactionary policies. As the laboratory of the cuts experience proves, an independent Catalan state run by such forces would carry out austerity, participate in imperialist wars and impose authoritarian forms of rule. They are as right-wing as their counterparts in Madrid, and no less hostile to the working class. The CUPs pro-austerity vote exposes parties like the Pabloite Anticapitalists (Anticapitalistas), In Struggle (En Lucha), and Red Current (Corriente Roja), which integrated themselves into the CUP, helped build it up, and lauded it as an anti-capitalist party. The Anticapitalists and In Struggle have since left the CUP to promote another pro-austerity party, Podemos, which is now offering itself up as a potential coalition partner for the national government with the pro-austerity Socialist Party (PSOE). Last week, Red Current also left the CUP. It had members in the CUPs electoral lists and campaigned for it and the creation of a Catalan Republic. It posted a statement declaring, This puts into question the CUPs breakaway objective, subjecting it to a government submissive to the EU and the Troika, and thus against the interests of the working people. In other words, Red Current recognised that its alliance with the CUP has jeopardized its anti-capitalist pretensions, and it is now seeking to construct a new trap for the working class. Lorde hits the beach with Justin Warren. (Photo: Splash News) Lorde hit a New Zealand beach last week with Universal Music promotions director Justin Warren and, in some newly released photos, its clear the two are having quite the time together. Warren has dismissed rumors that the two are a couple as ridiculous. Ella and I have worked together for years and were good friends. Any rumours of us being a pair are ridiculous, Warren told the New Zealand Herald. Ella [the human name Lorde took upon her arrival here] has a really busy year ahead of her and well be spending more time together as plans for the next Lorde record unfold. Justin Warren and Lorde (Photo: Splash News) Business meetings would be a whole lot more fun if they always looked like this. Lorde and Warren were on Piha Beach near Auckland in her native New Zealand. Piha is one of the more famous surf beaches in New Zealand, known for its black sand. Lorde reportedly split with her longtime boyfriend James Lowe near the end of last year. While the 19-year-old hasnt officially confirmed it, Lowe hasnt been featured on her Instagram account since last September; shes not been on his since early November. Anyway, if Lorde and Warren are keeping things strictly professional, can we could we get his number? The Clinton campaign released a heart-tugging ad Thursday morning in Nevada, featuring a 10-year-old girl who is worried her parents will be deported. My parents, they have a letter of deportation. Im scared they are going to be deported, the girl says to Clinton in the ad, filmed at a Las Vegas event last Sunday. The former secretary of state tells the girl to come up to her. She pulls her on her lap and hugs her. Let me do the worrying. Ill do all the worrying, she says, adding that the girl is being very brave, and will need to be brave. Ill do everything I can to help, OK? Clinton and Sanders are vying for the Hispanic vote in Nevada on Saturdays caucus, which in 2008 made up 15 percent of voters. Clinton tends to poll stronger with minorities, and Nevada is the first early state that more closely resembles the country as a whole, demographically. (Iowa and New Hampshire are overwhelmingly white.) But her support in the state has been slipping in recent weeks, leaving her in a statistical tie with Sanders in the latest poll. SLIDESHOW Clinton and Sanders go head-to-head in Nevada >>> At the last Democratic debate, Sanders repeatedly hit Clinton on immigration, homing in on her position that Central American unaccompanied minors fleeing violent home countries should be deported as a way of sending a message to families not to send their children on the dangerous journey north alone. Clinton has had trouble defending that position, which she shares with the Obama administration, without sounding cold. These are children who are leaving countries and neighborhoods where their lives are at stake, Sanders said at the debate. That was the fact. I dont think we use them to send a message. I think we welcome them into this country and do the best we can to help them get their lives together. Sanders refused to vote for a 2007 reform bill that would have legalized millions of immigrants because of concerns he had about its guest worker program. Clinton voted for the bill. Pres. Barack Obama and Cuban Pres. Raul Castro meet at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last year. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) Pres. Barack Obama will make a historic visit to Cuba in the coming weeks, the culmination of his efforts to end a half-century of tensions between Havana and Washington, a senior administration official said late Wednesday. We can confirm that tomorrow the administration will announce the presidents travel to Latin America, including Cuba, in the coming weeks, the official said on condition of anonymity. ABC had first reported the news, saying that the trip would take place in late March. The trip the only one by a sitting U.S. president since 1928 was bound to draw sharp criticism from Republican candidates for the White House, who oppose Obamas efforts to move the relationship past the antagonisms of the Cold War. At a CNN town hall, Anderson Cooper asked Republican senator and White House hopeful Marco Rubio whether he would go to Cuba. Not if its not a free Cuba, replied Rubio, one of two Cuban-Americans in the running for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016. In an exclusive interview with Yahoo News in December, the president had said that he would only travel to Cuba if he could be certain to meet pro-democracy dissidents there. If I go on a visit, then part of the deal is that I get to talk to everybody, Obama said. Ive made very clear in my conversations directly with President [Raul] Castro that we would continue to reach out to those who want to broaden the scope for, you know, free expression inside of Cuba. On Dec. 17, 2014, Obama and Raul Castro stunned the world by disclosing that they had held secret negotiations and were prepared to usher in a new era of U.S.-Cuba relations, starting with the resumption of full diplomatic ties. Embassies reopened in Havana and Washington, the United States removed Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, and the two sides took steps to increase travel and business opportunities. Story continues The U.S. and Cuba: One Year Later Obama has undertaken many changes using his executive powers, and he indicated in the interview that he would continue looking at ways to do so in 2016. But Obama needs Congress to roll back the centerpiece of Americas Cold War-era pressure on Cuba and lift the U.S. trade embargo. At the same time, the White House has been working on ways to make the policy irreversible, should a Republican win the presidency in November. Donald Trump may have more in common with one of his Democratic counterparts than he would like to admit. At MSNBCs GOP town hall event in Charleston, S.C., on Wednesday, the Republican frontrunner was asked by Morning Joe host Mika Brzezinski to match the candidate with the following description: [The] candidate is considered a political outsider by all of the pundits. Hes tapping into the anger of voters, delivers a populist message. He believes everyone in the country should have health care. He advocates for hedge fund managers to pay higher taxes. He is drawing thousands of people at his rallies and bringing in a lot of new voters into the political process. Who am I describing? Brzezinski asked. Youre describing Donald Trump, Trump responded. Actually, I was describing Bernie Sanders, Brzezinski replied. After being caught off guard, the brash billionaire admitted there is one thing he and the self-described Democratic socialist from Vermont have in common, aside from their presidential aspirations. He knows that our country is being ripped off big league big league on trade, Trump said of Sanders. The problem is, he cant do anything about it, hes not going to be able to, whereas Im going to do things. Donald Trump speaks during a campaign stop in Bluffton, S.C., on Wednesday. (Photo: Matt Rourke/AP) I mean, he doesnt understand whats happening, Trump continued. Im talking about negotiating with them. We have all the cards; we dont play them. Were negotiating against great negotiators. China, Mexico, Japan were going to start doing great things with those. And thats the thing: Bernie Sanders cant do it. Earlier during the town hall, Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough challenged Trump on his recent criticism of former President George W. Bushs handling of intelligence before the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. I guess this is the Republican in me, Scarborough said. But how can you blame George W. Bush for the 9/11 attacks? Story continues Im not blaming anybody, Trump replied. But if you go back and youll see the CIA and the NSA and all of the other groups, they were not getting together, Joe. They were not doing well. They hated each other, the top people hated each other, they werent talking. They had a lot of intelligence, they knew something bad was going to happen. Im not blaming anybody. Brzezinski told Yahoo News that such criticism doesnt usually play well in a state like South Carolina, but Trump doesnt seem to care. With Donald Trump, everything is upside-down and every day is Opposite Day, Brzezinski said. It seems like people in South Carolina, like the people of New Hampshire before them, are voting for the man, Scarborough said. And not the party, Brzezinski added. According to a new CNN/ORC poll, Trump has a double-digit lead in South Carolina ahead of Saturdays Republican primary. The real estate mogul holds a 16-point advantage (38 percent to 22 percent) over Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the Palmetto State, the survey found. (A Bloomberg Politics South Carolina poll released Wednesday showed Trump with a 19-point lead over Cruz.) And a new Quinnipiac national poll released Wednesday shows Trump with 39 percent support among GOP voters a high-water mark for the poll-obsessed businessman followed by Rubio at 19 percent, Cruz at 18 percent and Ohio Gov. John Kasich at 6 percent. But a separate NBC News/Wall Street Journal national poll released before Wednesdays town hall had Cruz overtaking Trump (28 percent to 26 percent) with Rubio (17 percent) a distant third. I think outlier is an understatement for this NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, Scarborough told Yahoo News. I will say if they get it right, they will be standing alone right now. But everybody that I talk to that does this day in and day out and follows the campaigns says it just doesnt sound right. Cover tile photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters A previous verdict in December 2015 fined Diab EGP10,000 (around $1280), but Mansour appealed the sentence The Economic Appeals Court sentenced businessman Salah Diab to six months in prison on Wednesday for insulting parliamentarian and chairman of the Zamalek Club Mortada Mansour in a phone call. Diab, who was referred to court in April 2015, was also convicted of harassing Mansour by repeated phone calls, was fined EGP20,000 (around $2,550). A previous verdict in December 2015 fined Diab EGP10,000 (around $1280) but Mansour appealed the sentence. In the trials leading up to the verdict, Diabs defence argued that the phone call, where Diab insults Mansour, was recorded without the prosecution's permission. The defence also argued that the recording of the phone call was edited and that 10 minutes prior to that call Mansour called Diab and threatened him. The verdict can be further appealed in front of the Court of Cassation. However, Diab was sentenced in absentia and can get arrested before filingng an appeal. Diab is the co-founder of Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper, one of Egypt's most widely read daily newspapers. Search Keywords: Short link: Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks during a campaign rally in Las Vegas, and Hillary Clinton speaks at the University of Nevada, Reno. (Photos: Ethan Miller-David Calvert/Getty Images) On Saturday, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton face off in another Democratic presidential primary caucus, this time in Nevada. Close races tend to strain the quirky and unreliable caucus system, where voters can argue with each other and attempt to persuade their undecided neighbors before physically dividing up into groups of supporters to be counted. The Des Moines Registers editorial page called this years caucuses a debacle, criticizing inconsistent counts, untrained and overwhelmed volunteers, confused voters, cramped precinct locations, a lack of voter registration forms and other problems. Results were so close in some precincts that Iowa Democrats flipped coins to assign delegates. Five precincts reported the wrong number of votes due to human error, and complaints about irregularities prompted the party to audit its own results showing Clinton the narrow winner. That audit declared Clinton the winner by just .25 percentage points, shrinking her earlier .27 percentage-point victory over Sanders. Will the Nevada caucuses repeat that debacle? The latest poll shows Sanders and Clinton in a statistical tie in Nevada, which means caucus results will likely be scrutinized as closely as they were in Iowa. But at the very least, there will be no coin flips. In Nevada, party officials use a more regional approach for breaking ties: They keep sealed decks of cards on hand. So for example, if a precinct has five delegates to award and the votes are split evenly between Sanders and Clinton, they use a deck of cards to decide which candidate gets the fifth delegate. They cut the deck and have each side pick a card and the campaign with the high card wins the extra delegate. As for whether the caucus locations will be as overcrowded and prone to reporting errors its possible, but unlikely. Story continues Nevada has only had early caucuses since 2008, thanks to the maneuverings of then-Majority Leader Harry Reid, the senior Nevada senator. That year, roughly 120,000 voters showed up about a quarter of registered Democratic voters and precincts registered an additional 30,000 new voters who showed up to caucus. Everything went smoothly, and few expect turnout to be significantly higher this year than in 2008, or for there to be more problems. The expectation I have is its going to run very smoothly, said Jon Ralston, a longtime political reporter in Nevada and a columnist for the Reno Gazette-Journal. Historically, the Republican caucus set to take place Tuesday has been more problematic in Nevada. The GOP is weaker and less organized than Democrats in the state. In 2012, only about 33,000 Republicans showed up to caucus, 8 percent of the states active GOP voters. Even with such a tiny turnout, party officials took days to release the full results. It took them three days to count 33,000 votes, Ralston said. In August 2012, delegates who supported Ron Paul revolted at the state convention, refusing to vote for Mitt Romney even though he handily won the caucus. The former Republican Party chairman in Nevada, Michael McDonald, told the Washington Examiner that the caucuses were a total disaster and an embarrassment for the state. The party changed its process slightly this year to make it more like a typical primary than a caucus. Now Republican voters can show up anytime during a three- or four-hour window to cast a vote for their preferred candidate and then leave. They dont have to wait at the precinct to listen to speeches and discuss the candidates. In theory, this should boost turnout but Ralston remains skeptical. [The GOP] has no money, they have no idea what theyre doing, so the campaigns have been doing it all, he said. Unlike Democrats, who can show up at a caucus site and register to vote on the spot, Republicans must register at least a week before caucus day. Koreans who are now in their 30s grew up during a relatively affluent period and did not experience the pro-democracy demonstrations at university campuses and the political unrest of the 1970s and 80s. So what drives them to embrace such left-leaning tendencies? But in the general election and Seoul mayoral by-election last year, voters in their 30s were far more left-leaning than their peers in their 20s. And they are highly likely to become the largest group of left-leaning voters in the upcoming presidential election. In terms of votes, 30-somethings are nonetheless demonstrating a marked shift to the left compared to previous generations. In the 2002 and 2007 presidential elections, voters in their 20s showed more liberal tendencies than those in their 30s. Those in their 30s constitute Korea's first true consumption-driven generation who followed the styles of young pop stars like Seo Tai-ji and dance group HOT and will soon make up the biggest consumers in the country. Voter turnout among Koreans in their 30s holds the key to next month's presidential election. Voters in their 30s who went to college in the 1990s number around 8.1 million, second only to the 8.5 million in their 40s. Experts find the reason in economics. People in their 30s "experienced the Asian financial crisis when they were in their 20s and the bursting of the real estate bubble in their 30s," said Kim Dong-yeol at the Hyundai Economic Research Institute. "Their experience of having to suffer the consequences of economic turmoil that they were not responsible for has made them angry at the older generation." They are considered the first generation of Koreans who have not been able to reap the benefits of their country's rapid economic growth. It began with the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis. Korea had seen jobs increase by 400,000 to 500,000 a year until then thanks to double-digit economic growth, but massive corporate downsizing in 1998 caused 1.27 million job cuts. As a result those now in their 30s took their first steps in the job market at a time of high unemployment, and this has led to a gloomy outlook for the future. According to a survey by the Samsung Economic Research Institute in June this year, 26 percent of people in their 30s are concerned about having to turn to welfare payments in the future due to dwindling incomes, much higher than among people in their 40s (21 percent) or 20s (20 percent). A lifestyle survey in this group conducted by advertising firm Cheil Worldwide last year shows their characteristics. Among the respondents, 41 percent of those in their 30s said it is fine to live with a partner without marrying, and 67 percent approved of teaching children about procreation and contraception at school. Their responses were more liberal than of those in their 20s and even teens. But people in their 30s also showed rather conservative tendencies in their own personal lives. The fewest number of them among all respondents in different age groups said they feel unbound by social rules, meaning most of them are conscious of what is acceptable or not in society. They were also practical, with a majority saying they do not insist on buying a particular label or brand, opting instead for affordable prices. "Koreans in their 30s had to endure a lot of hardship when they first set foot into the job market, and got a first-hand look at the dark side of capitalism or experienced it themselves. This has led to left-leaning tendencies," said Chung Sung-tai at the LG Economic Research Institute. "But the survival instincts they developed through economic crises appear to have prompted them to impose rather strict self-discipline." One of the most striking features of Wednesday's presidential election was the generational standoff between voters. Vote results showed that traditional regional rivalry between voters in the Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces has eased but ballots were clearly divided between urban and provincial residents. Exit polls by broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS revealed that turnout among voters in their 50s stood at 89.9 percent and 78.8 percent among voters in their 60s, well ahead of voters in their 20s with 65.2 percent and 30s with 72.5 percent. Overall voter turnout tallied by the National Election Commission was 75.8 percent, the highest of all nine nationwide elections since 2000. Long lines could be spotted at polling stations across the country since early in the morning braving temperatures of -10 degrees and having to wait for up to 40 minutes at some stations in the afternoon. The generation gap was clearly demonstrated in approval ratings for Park Geun-hye of the conservative Saenuri ruling party and her rival Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic United Party. Exit polls by the three major broadcasters showed Parks approval rating among voters in their 20s and 30 at around a paltry 33 percent. In contrast, Moon enjoyed support of about 65- 66 percent in that age group. But among voters over 50s, the trend was reversed, with 62.5 percent supporting Park, 25.1 percentage points ahead of Moon. Among voters in their 60s, the gap was a massive 44.8 percentage points. Park garnered double-digit vote wins in South Jeolla Province, a traditional stronghold of the progressive camp where conservative candidates have traditionally failed miserably. Park had an average 10.4 percent of votes in North and South Jeolla provinces and Gwangju. It was the first time that a Saenuri Party candidate won more than 10 percent of votes in the South Jeolla region since the direct election system began in Korea in 1987. Throughout her campaign, Park had pitched the need for national harmony and tried to embrace the people of the Jeolla provinces. But based on overall votes, Gwangju and South Jeolla Province continued to remain progressive bastions, while Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province remained solidly conservative. Moon did fairly well in the southern port city of Busan, where he won 39.6 percent of the votes, 10 percentage points higher than former President Roh Moo-hyun in 2002 and close to the target set by the DUP. Voters in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province account for 16 percent of total voters and the equivalent of about one-third of voters in Seoul. Park was able to make up for her weak performance in Seoul by winning votes there. Park fared better than expected in Seoul, surrounding Gyeonggi Province and the western port city of Incheon, where half of all eligible voters live. Former president Roh managed to win the 2002 election by securing 51 percent of the ballots in those areas, and candidate Lee Hoi-chang fell seven percentage points behind Roh because he failed to win there. But Park won 48.18 percent of the votes in Seoul, falling only three percentage points behind Moon. In Gyeonggi Province she led by 1.24 points and in Incheon by 3.54 points. Another reason for her victory was her solid lead in Daejeon and Chungcheong provinces. In contrast, Moon had aimed to win around 50 percent of the votes in those areas but ended up falling far behind. Another key characteristic of this election was the firm support for the conservative candidate among rural voters. Cook said Apple has no sympathy for terrorists and was outraged by the attack carried out in San Bernardino, California, last year by American-born Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, a native of Pakistan. Apple has given the Federal Bureau of Investigation any relevant data it possesses, complied with all legal subpoenas and search warrants, and has offered its engineers' advice to federal investigators, he added. At the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama views the encryption issue as "an important national priority," and fully supports the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice in their request to Apple. "The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers -- including tens of millions of American citizens -- from sophisticated hackers and cyber criminals," Cook said. "The same engineers who built strong encryption into the iPhone ... would, ironically, be ordered to weaken those protections and make our users less safe." Apple's chief executive officer, Tim Cook, posted an open letter to the company's millions of customers Wednesday declaring the firm would challenge a court's order to devise new software that can defeat Apple's own security measures. The government's move is unprecedented and an "overreach," Cook said, and it has "chilling" implications for citizens' personal privacy. Apple computers is resisting a U.S. government order to unlock its encrypted iPhone software to help the FBI examine a phone used by the militants who killed 14 people in a terrorist-style attack in California in December. Backdoor The Apple CEO said the software the FBI is seeking is "too dangerous to create," and does not exist today. Known as a "backdoor," this method of accessing data could unlock any iPhone, anywhere, Cook said. "The government suggests this tool could only be used once, on one phone," Cook said in his statement posted online. "But that's simply not true. Once created, the technique could be used over and over again, on any number of devices. In the physical world, it would be the equivalent of a master key capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks -- from restaurants and banks to stores and homes. No reasonable person would find that acceptable." Apple strengthened encryption of its phones in 2014 amid increased public concern about digital privacy. The government has complained in the past that the higher security measures make criminal and national-security investigations more difficult. Crack Farook's Phone The court order issued Tuesday gives Apple the option of providing the government with alternative ways to access Farook's phone, as long as the methods bypass the auto-erase feature that automatically erases all data on an iPhone when invalid passwords are entered multiple times. This would allow the FBI to guess passwords until it could penetrate the encrypted data. The government also stipulated that Apple's "backdoor" should ensure that no other software on iPhones would delay repeated password guesses. With a new tool to bypass the auto-erase function, the FBI would be able eventually to unlock Farook's phone, which investigators believe would yield text messages, logs of telephone calls and web browsing data. "While we believe the FBI's intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products. And ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect," Cook wrote. Rather than asking for legislative action by Congress, Cook said the FBI chose to propose "an unprecedented use of the All Writs Act of 1789 to justify an expansion of its authority." "We are challenging the FBI's demands with the deepest respect for American democracy and a love of our country," Cook wrote. "We believe it would be in the best interest of everyone to step back and consider the implications." China Watching Closely China is closely watching the dispute, The New York Times reported Wednesday, adding that analysts say the Chinese government "does take cues" from the United States when it comes to encryption regulations. Beijing backed down on several proposals last year that would have forced foreign firms to provide encryption keys for devices sold in China, after heavy pressure from foreign trade groups. But a Chinese anti-terrorism law passed in December requires foreign firms to hand over technical information and to aid with decryption when the police demand it in terrorism-related cases. "While it is still not clear how the law might be carried out, it is possible a push from American law enforcement agencies to unlock iPhones would embolden Beijing to demand the same," The Times reported. Germany's chancellor says it is in her country's national interest for Britain to remain in the European Union. Angela Merkel told German lawmakers Wednesday that many of British Prime Minister David Cameron's proposals for EU reforms are "justified and necessary." "Because Cameron's demands are far from being demands that are just for Britain. In some cases we must say, quite the opposite. Many issues are issues that are justified and necessary," she said. An EU summit Thursday and Friday in Brussels will discuss British proposals and the bloc's counterproposals in order to reach an agreement to keep Britain in the 28-nation union. Merkel spoke with a positive tone for a potential agreement to satisfy both. "It must be our goal to prevent discrimination but encourage distinction at the same time. And that is not in contradiction with the fact that the European Monetary and Economic Union will of course continue to make their own necessary decisions," she said. The first Stanislav Minaev knew his florist's shop was about to be demolished was a call at lunchtime from the local district council recommending he vacate the premises. That evening the bulldozers arrived to flatten everything. Located in a park near Moscow's Kropotkinskaya metro station, the florist was part of a huddle of small shops and cafes that formed one of around 100 makeshift shopping centers declared illegal by the city and razed on the night of Feb. 8-9. Russian commentators were quick to dub the lightning crackdown "The Night of the Long Shovels" -- a pun on Hitler's "Night of the Long Knives" purge of the Nazi party in 1934. "My wife and I earned 40,000 rubles [$516] a month with this business. And now we're unemployed and don't know what to do," said Minaev. "My wife is 43 now and where will she go now? What will she do? Nobody knows and nobody is interested. Nobody gives a damn. That's how business is now in the country." The city says it is just trying to smarten up the streets and enforce planning rules. But advocates of small business say the demolitions are the latest example of state hostility to private enterprise, a Soviet-era mentality they say has resurfaced under President Vladimir Putin and is worsening at a time of economic crisis. "When an entrepreneur now wants to open a business, he may well think twice and ask himself: 'What if they knock it down without warning?'" said Alexander Kolosov, whose fast food restaurant "Mr. Pit" was demolished at Kropotkinskaya. Putin's 16 years in power have coincided with growing state control over big business, illustrated by the renationalization of major oil companies, the growing dominance of large state banks and a strengthened grip over the media. He has maintained silence on the Moscow bulldozings, but his Chief of Staff Sergei Ivanov, a long-standing ally, spoke with undisguised contempt of the razed shops. "These reptile houses don't have anything in common with so-called small business, because as a rule they are a breeding ground for crime and unsanitary conditions," he said. Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush got a lot of attention for tweeting a picture of a gun engraved with his name, but it was likely not the kind of attention he wanted. The instant response on social media ranged from outrage to mockery. Bush has yet to explain exactly why he posted the picture, although in his campaign appearances he has frequently stressed his strong support for the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The amendment guarantees Americans' right to own firearms, and it figures in the political debate over whether laws regulating gun ownership should be changed. "The Second Amendment is under attack by Washington liberals like President [Barack] Obama and [former Secretary of State Hillary] Clinton," Bush's "jeb2016" website declared. "The current administration seems only to care about restricting the rights of law-abiding Americans." Since North Korea's fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6, the government here has turned down a total of 17 civilian applications for visits to the North and delivery of goods to North Koreans. Now the government is also determined to suspend humanitarian assistance to the North including programs for small children. The Unification Ministry on Wednesday said it received 17 applications for inter-Korean projects or business programs between the North's latest nuclear test and mid-January. It added that a temporary halt of humanitarian assistance to the North is inevitable because of its continued provocations. "There's no change in our basic policy on humanitarian programs for vulnerable North Koreans including babies and infants," ministry spokesman Jung Joon-hee told reporters. "Nonetheless, the programs should also be shelved at a time when the North carries out grave provocations." The programs include healthcare for North Korean mothers and children and prevention of infectious diseases. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju did visit the mausoleum where his embalmed father lies in state to mark the dead dictator's 74th birthday, the North's official Rodong Sinmun daily said Wednesday. The state-run [North] Korean Central News Agency news agency did not report Kim's presence when other top officials paid tribute to the corpse at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun at midnight on Tuesday. The belated announcement has fueled speculation. The Rodong Sinmun daily did not specify the time of Kim's visit to the Kumsusan Palace and showed only a photo of the North Korean leader walking down a corridor. A researcher at a state-run think tanks here said the circumstances of the visit, provided it took place, are highly unusual since Kim is normally surrounded by a gaggle of dignitaries at these events. Eagle-eyed pundits noted that the red hanbok or traditional Korean dress Ri is wearing in the photo is the same she wore at a banquet last Saturday honoring the scientists behind the North's rocket launch. That could mean the two visited the mausoleum on Saturday because they had better things to do on Tuesday, or that the picture in the corridor was taken somewhere else. China's apparent decision to deploy Russian-made surface-to-air missiles in the Paracel Islands has increased regional tensions in the disputed South China Sea, coveted for its potential oil and gas resources. The focus this time is on Woody Island, the largest of the Paracel Island group, which has been under the control of Beijing since 1956, and has an artificial harbor capable of docking vessels up to 5,000 metric tons. While the presence of missiles on Woody Island has been debated, China this week appeared to confirm the existence of defense weapons when Global Times quoted the Defense Ministry as saying it is lawful for China "to deploy defense facilities within its territory, and the facilities have existed for years." On Wednesday, the United States joined Taiwan and a U.S. news media outlet Fox News in confirming the existence of Chinese HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles on the same island. China's claim to most of the South China Sea, a vital international waterway, and its construction of artificial islands and an airstrip in the Spratly Islands, has raised alarm bells in Southeast Asia, where there are competing maritime claims, and in Washington. Presence Still Disputed But some experts doubt China's assertion that the weapons are even present. According to Professor Wu Shicun, director of the Hainan Province-based National Institute for South China Sea Studies, there is no need for China to deploy ground-to-air missiles on Woody Island, because China doesn't face air threats from nearby countries. He also described Woody Island as "small both in size and population," a place where is would be "hard to hide the missiles." "The report that China has deployed missiles on Woody Island may be speculation," he told VOA's Mandarin Service. "Its truthfulness is questionable because I recently visited the Island. The photo provided by the media shows a large beach. As far as I know, there is no large beach." While China has promised not to militarize the newly-built artificial terrain near the Spratly Islands -- some 740 km southeast of Woody Island, largely within China's 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone -- Beijing, says Wu, never said it wouldn't militarize the Paracels. "When President Xi Jinping visited the United States last September, he promised President Obama not to engage in militarization of the South China Sea. What he meant was not to militarize the newly-built artificial islands near Spratly Islands," said Wu. "He was referring to the seven islands and reefs where China was doing construction." "Even if China deployed missiles on the Islands, it is beyond reproach," he said, calling Chinese sovereignty of the Paracels "without controversy." "The deployment of missiles in the Paracel Islands isn't necessarily linked to the militarization of the South China Sea," he said. "It is the United States who is engaged in the militarization of the South China Sea. In 1959, China set up government offices in the Paracel Islands, and in 1974 China acquired and obtained full control." "China is most concerned about the freedom of navigation in the South China that any other country," he added. "Eighty percent of China's trade is maritime trade, and 80 percent of its maritime trade goes through the South China Sea channel." Turkey's Erdogan says to fight forces behind Ankara bombing 2016-02-18 09:52 Firefighters prepare to extinguish fire after an explosion in Ankara, Turkey February 17, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] ISTANBUL - Turkey's fight against "pawns" carrying out attacks and the forces behind them will grow more determined, President Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement on Wednesday. Erdogan said this after at least 28 people were killed and 61 others wounded in a car bomb attack targeting the Turkish military in the capital Ankara on Wednesday. According to Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulus, the government has so far no information on who carried out the attack. "We will continue our fight against the pawns that carry out such attacks, which know no moral or humanitarian bounds, and the forces behind them with more determination every day," Erdogan said in a statement. A car laden with explosives detonated next to military buses near the armed forces' headquarters on Wednesday. The military condemned the bombing as a terrorist attack on the buses as they waited at traffic lights. An ambulance arrives to the site of an explosion in Ankara, Turkey February 17, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] The White House said on Wednesday it condemned the attack in Ankara that killed 28 people and wounded dozens near the armed forces' headquarters, parliament and other government buildings. "We stand together with Turkey, a NATO ally, a strong partner, and a valued member of the counter-ISIL coalition in the face of this attack," said Ned Price, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, using an acronym for the Islamic State group. European Union (EU) foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said the EU extends condolences to the families of the victims killed in the latest car bomb attack in Turkish capital of Ankara. She said in a statement that the EU is with Turkey and its people in these difficult times and stand by all those who suffer from the consequences of such violence, and of terrorism. "The EU wishes a speedy recovery to those injured. Our fullest sympathy goes to the Turkish people and authorities," she said. Guideline issued to increase govt transparency 2016-02-18 10:06 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang speaks at the Central Urban Work Conference in Beijing, Dec 22, 2015.[Photo/Xinhua] Document shows determination to improve governance, says professor The State Council, China's Cabinet, has called for more transparent governance by 2020 by making more government information public. In a document issued on Wednesday, governments at all levels were asked to keep the public informed in five main aspects: policymaking policy implementation, managerial affairs, public services and government decisions. "The document is a new national guideline for the disclosure of government affairs," said Yang Weidong, a law professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance. Yang said the fourth plenary session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee in October 2014 set the tone for the publication of information and listed what should be made public. Underscoring that openness and transparency are the basic elements for good governance, the document called for regular information disclosure of government affairs, aiming to build a government featuring the rule of law, innovation, integrity and service orientation. The document specified when governments should make information public and when to keep it confidential. Government websites are important platforms to demonstrate administrative capacities and give the public access to official information, according to the document. Thus it's critical to push forward the cooperation of the Internet and governmental services, making websites better serve the public, it said. Interest groups, members of the public, experts and the media should be invited to attend government policymaking meetings as nonvoting delegates, according to the guideline. With the participation of people from different walks of life, and especially with the involvement of the media, the decision-making procedures are expected to be more transparent and better serve the interests of the public, Yang said. The document requires making public three lists: government powers, government responsibilities and the negative list, which identifies sectors and businesses that are off-limits to foreign investment. Meng Qingguo, a professor of governance at Tsinghua University, said the three lists reflect the central government's determination to improve governance by specifying government authority and obligations. "It is a great step forward to building a transparent and clean government and in promoting the rule of law," he said. Two women, Rosly and Padmam, were allegedly sacrificed at the residence of Bhagval Sing and Laila at Elanthoor in the Pathanamthitta district to prosper financially. #Navy plans Navy eyes creation of unmanned command in 2040s South Korea's Navy is seeking to create a new command running unmanned ships, submarines and aircraft in the 2040s, the armed service said Friday, in an effort to address a potenti... #SK data center fire SK C&C's data center raided over massive server outage Police on Friday raided regional offices of SK C&C, the host of the data center for Kakao Corp., in an investigation into a data center fire last week that caused massive servi... After the surprise hit that was Kingsman: The Secret Service, it came as a shock to absolutely nobody that a sequel was hurriedly greenlit. With the first one bringing in $414 million at the box-office, it's clear Fox have something on their hands that could easily turn into a franchise for them. With that in mind, casting has kicked off for the follow-up to Kingsman with Julianne Moore all but set to play the villain in the piece. Colin Firth, meanwhile, has been scrubbed off the list as plans to have his character return in some fashion - whether it be through flashbacks or as a twin of his character in the firs tone - were ultimately scrapped before they got off the ground. Samuel L. Jackson, likewise, won't be back, however it's understood that Mark Strong will possibly make a return as Merlin. This time around, the action will take place in the US rather than in London, obviously in an effort to appeal to less the smaller UK market and more to the wider American audiences. So, Julianne Moore as a villain? We can totally see that. She hasn't really done a straightforward villain of this type before and considering it's Kingsman, we're guessing there'll be plenty of scenery-chewing for her and us to enjoy as well. Whether Kingsman 2 will have the same spark as the original remains to be seen, but with Matthew Vaughn returning to direct, there's some hope at least. Via THR.com Nous l'aimons. Reuniting Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders for a sit down chat would be enough to warrant excitement so you can imagine how we're feeling about the prospect of seeing Eddie and Patsy in a movie all of their own. We've been burned before by TV comedies moving to the big screen (we're talking about you 'Sex and the City 2'), so we're keeping expectations low while also accepting that with Mandie Fletcher ('Blackadder', 'Absolutely Fabulous') directing and a script by Jennifer Saunders herself, it can at worst be a feature length, ultra glamourous episode and that wouldn't disappoint at all. Here's the official synopsis: Appropriate for their big screen debut, Edina and Patsy are still oozing glitz and glamour, living the high life they are accustomed to; shopping, drinking and clubbing their way around Londons trendiest hotspots. Blamed for a major incident at an uber fashionable launch party, they become entangled in a media storm and are relentlessly pursued by the paparazzi. Fleeing penniless to the glamorous playground of the super-rich, the French Riviera, they hatch a plan to make permanent their escape and live the high life forever more! If it's anything like their other trip to France, we can't wait. 'Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie' is expected in cinemas this July. Behold: a film about the Troubles that isnt about a former sectarian soldier coaxed back into the fold because yadda yadda yadda. The Truth Commissioner has ambitions to be a Tony Gilroy political thriller and while its reasonably solid fare this adaptation of David Parks novel can all be a bit stiff at times. Diplomat Henry Stanfield (Allam) has been appointed truth commissioner to Northern Ireland as Stormont begins to investigate stories and give closure to the families of those killed under by Loyalists and Republicans. But truth is a dangerous thing. Michael Madden (Ward) returns from Boston to testify in the case of Conor Roache (Ciaran Flynn), a fifteen-year-old alleged informer kidnapped and murdered in the early nineties. Although playing a small role in the boys death, Madden is set to be the fall guy to protect the involvement of Francis Gilroy (McGinley), the current Sinn Fein minister. Meanwhile the Sinn Feins Director of Communications (Conleth Hill), in cahoots with MI5 (Tom Goodman-Hill), pulls strings and puts Stanfield under pressure not to call Gilroy whom Dublin and London believe to be the man to help the Peace Process through its early days. Despite being the heart of the film Allam looks detached and unmoved by the goings on. Then he is playing a tough character who is been pulled emotionally this way and that hes under pressure from the PM to do a job; theres the guilt of leaving an ill wife and struggling to work his way back into the life of his estranged pregnant daughter (Jasmine Hynde); and he must keep himself together when there is a thinly veiled threat on her life. On top of that theres the political chicanery at hand, he doesnt know if he can trust his PA (Madeleine Mantock), who is too cosy with Goodman-Hills spy, and, lonely, hes fallen for Krystal (Klara Issova). Its a lot to juggle and Allam, in funnelling all these disparate emotions, comes out the other end the picture of stoicism. This is problematic when hes our way into the story and one is left observing rather than feeling. But Eoin OCallaghans script comes good when it gets down to the nitty gritty of the case and Conors mother (a solid turn from Simone Kirby) is allowed to address the witnesses called. The flashbacks to the Roaches kidnapping and torture are tense stuff and Conleth Hill and Tom Goodman-Hill, the shadowy, behind-the-scenes real power of Northern Ireland, are an ominous presence throughout. A slow burner that belatedly lets loose, The Truth Commissioners cold detachment ultimately stalls real involvement. In fairness, they were only saying what we were all thinking. Australian airline Virgin Australia blamed a hacker for tweeting from their account and calling Kanye West a 'douche' and telling him to 'EAD' (eat a d*ck) after he tweeted Pitchfork saying 'Pitchfork, the album is a 30 out of 10'. They have since deleted the tweet, apologised for 'any offence caused' and said that the matter was 'under investigation'. A recent tweet on our account was not published by a Virgin Australia employee and we are investigating the matter. Virgin Australia (@VirginAustralia) February 16, 2016 BAFTA winning show The Missing was one of the most talked about dramas of 2014, and now another season of the show is on its way to the BBC. The first series saw James Nesbitt and Frances O'Connor faced with every parent's worst nightmare when their son Olly goes missing when they're on holiday in France. While some were disappointed by the ending in that (spoiler alert) Olly was never found, the second season attempts to tackle a different aspect of the missing person ordeal - when they do return. It stars David Morrissey and Keeley Hawes as Sam and Gemma, a couple whose young daughter Alice went missing in 2003. As with the first season, the time line will go back and forth between when it happened and 2014 - when Alice resurfaces after eleven years. The eight part series will see only one cast member returning from the original, that of detective Julien Baptiste played by Tcheky Karyo. Also set to star is Breaking Bad's Laura Fraser and Endeavour's Roger Allam, while Cyberbully's Ben Chanan will direct. Chanon said of the new season; "While we were writing the first series, we began talking about what the show would have been had Oliver Hughes been found. This story grew out of that discussion. "It's the other side of the coin to series one - an exploration of loss, of freedom, of how the past can shape the present in myriad ways that we cannot fully understand. "It's bigger, more ambitious, and we're delighted to have such a brilliantly talented cast joining Julien Baptiste for a new case." No air date has been confirmed yet from the BBC. Imagine the Sphinx (or a frog?) next to the pyramids sitting in a reflecting pool of water.... In short, my blogs are a series of thought clusters on the origins of the state, religion, mythology, and their significance today. A major theme is reflected by the story *blogs 8,9) of Prince and Princess Goldenlocks;. http://jesusthebogomil.blogspot.com From time to time, some of the blogs may be edited and revised. PS I remain convinced that humankind must (and will) return to the wood to survive. Slowdown in China won't affect its investments in Africa Updated: 2016-02-18 11:00 (Xinhua) NAIROBI - African countries will continue to benefit from Chinese investments despite an economic slowdown in the world's second largest economy, according to executives. Mark Smith, Head of Infrastructure & Capital Projects, Deloitte East Africa said that China's status as the biggest lending and trading partner with Africa will not be altered by its current economic slowdown. "The issue of economic slowdown in China is more about perception than reality. The Chinese mainland is growing at an average of 6-7 percent and the country's outbound investments in Africa and the rest of the world are still high," according to Smith. Smith was speaking during the launch of the 2015 Africa Construction Trends Report on Tuesday which revealed China has eclipsed traditional donors from the west to become leading financier of the continent's infrastructure projects. African countries will benefit from Chinese investments in strategic areas like infrastructure, agriculture, tourism and energy production, according to the report. Smith noted that diversification of Africa's economies, market reforms, political stability and a rising purchasing power among middle classes has attracted investments from China and a host of middle income economies. "Chinese firms are still keen on investing in Africa as the majority of countries liberalize their economies. Chinese investments are an integral component of the continent's growth agenda," Smith told Xinhua. He added that China will remain a major source of affordable credit and technology to hasten modernization of Africa's infrastructure alongside development of the nascent manufacturing sector. "Chinese investments in light manufacturing, transport corridors and agriculture will boost Africa's growth. These investments will not slacken in the face of a slowing global economic growth," Smith remarked. Disruptions in the global commodities market has affected economic growth in China and emerging markets across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Executives stressed that China will play a critical role in the efforts to stabilize the global economy. Gabriel Ouko, the Director of Infrastructure and Capital Projects, Deloitte Consulting Limited said a rebalancing of the Chinese economy will have multiplier effects globally. "China is the largest market for commodities that mainly originate from Africa. A stable Chinese economy will promote trade and investments in this continent," Ouko said. China's economy grew by 6.9 percent year on year in 2015, its lowest annual expansion in a quarter of a century. However, such a growth rate still ranks China among the fastest growing economies worldwide. Description Fathom Events and BY Experience are thrilled to bring Women of Faith: An Amazing Joyful Journey to select Showcase Cinemas locations for a spectacular two-day event on Thursday, February 18 and Saturday, February 20. Over the last nearly 20 years, Women of Faith grew to become the largest non-denominational Christian women's conference, touching over five million lives with personal stories full of laughter and tears. The cinema event will take viewers on a journey of Women of Faith through the years, on stage and off, on their travels with World Vision and their impact on audiences worldwide. Partly historical, and frequently hysterical, this unique cinematic experience will be packed with some of the most popular pieces from the beloved speaking team, as well as music and performances from Christian contemporary artists that appeared on the tour. The showing on February 20 begins at 12:55pm. Have a story idea or tip about something happening in the East Village? Or maybe a photo? Or several photos? Or video! We'd love to hear about it. Or see it. Or something. Please go here to submit a tip. We want your comments and your story tips! geniusofdespair@yahoo.com (use ALL caps in subject line) afarago@bellsouth.net. Actually I never look at my email, Genius, so write to Gimleteye. The reporter Gadi Soknik has published a video of the driver responsible for last week's Highway 1 crash, Chaim Biton. The clip shows that he was involved in another accident between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv several months ago. Biton had struck a private vehicle, without legitimate cause, and could be seen exchanging information with the driver. Egged was forced to compensate the driver to the sum of 15,000 shekels ($3,800 US) and allowed Biton to continue driving. In addition, it was reported that Egged received an evaluation on Biton which warned that he drives unsafely and presents a danger to the public. Egged refused to comment on the recording, as well as to a request for the number of drivers that were involved in traffic accidents and then returned to work. The company claimed that such information would be part of the investigation into the lethal accident that occurred last Wednesday. It should be noted that Biton was involved in an almost identical accident to the most recent one in 2013, on the same strip of the road and under similar circumstances. No one was killed, though 18 people were lightly injured. Biton was released today for 21 days of house arrest. The judge ruled that he will spend the time under complete house arrest in his Jerusalem home, with his mother monitoring him 24 hours per day. The judge further declared that Biton cannot leave the house except for court hearings or police investigations, which must be coordinated with the investigators. His driving license has been revoked until the end of the proceedings and he has been forbidden from leaving the country for the next six months. He also put aside 7,000 shekels ($1,800 US) and signed a personal bond for 10,000 shekels ($2,600 US). Authorities are looking into the possibility that Biton tampered with the bus's tachograph immediately after the accident in order to obstruct the investigation. The tachograph records a vehicle's speed and distance, along with the driver's activity. Biton admitted that he removed the device from its place, and television cameras caught him speaking with the police investigator who told him, "Don't play games with me." Police are expected to also investigate senior Egged officials on suspicion that they knew of his problematic driving. SOURCE CREDIT Last week a British soldier from the elite Special Air Service unit used an Israeli made rifle to decapitate an ISIS instructor who was showing new recruits how to behead prisoners. One minute he was standing there and the next his head had exploded. reported an eyewitness to the Mirror. The irony of the situation was not lost on the sniper who had to aim to miss the intended target in order to hit him, due to the special nature of the bullet fired. The British sniper decapitated the ISIS executioner with a single bullet from a long range rifle, reportedly from a distance of 1,200 meters. The slug used in the execution is often referred to as a wounding bullet due to the tumbling motion it makes when fired. The resulting effect causes the bullet to cartwheel around inside a body once it hits its victim rather than flying straight through flesh. The effects are devastating. While the bullet is made internationally, the rifle that was used for the incredible shot was created and developed by Israel. The Daily Express quoted an unnamed source who identified the snipers weapon as a Dan .338 equipped with a suppressor which reduces the sound and eliminates any flash from the barrel. The Dan is an Israeli manufactured sniper rifle that weighs 5.9 kilograms and was created by renowned weapons designer Nehemia Sirkis and Israel Weapons Industries (IWI) in 2014. Israeli news site Mako reported that the gun is sold to police units and militaries around the world and is accurate up to 1,200 meters, a distance that was well used by the SAS sniper. The SAS snipers were on a reconnaissance mission inside ISIS held territory in Syrian, when they received intelligence that a decapitation instructor was demonstrating to new recruits the techniques used in killing prisoners with knives, axes, and swords. One sniper targeted the instructor and took his head off. The Dan .338 sniper rifle is just the first in a series of advanced sniper rifles which we will be bringing to international markets. The ammunition used in the rifle is exotic and we estimate that the future of sniper rifle ammunition will be 3.38 caliber rounds, said the Director of IWI Uri Amit. courtesy arutz7 The Dutch government said Wednesday that it plans to limit Jewish and Muslim methods of slaughter through new measures, including supervision of the production of kosher and halal meat, and a ban on its export. Agriculture Minister Martijn van Dam announced the plan in a letter to the lower house of the Dutch parliament. JTA reported that production of kosher and halal meat will be subject to the discretion of officials from the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority. This bodes ill for the slaughterers, since the same authority urged the government last year to ban ritual slaughter altogether, claiming it was inhumane. In slaughter without prior stunning, van Dam said, the authority will permanently oversee the actual practice of the slaughter. The ban on exports is not particularly significant since Holland does not export significant amounts of kosher meat. In late 2011, the upper house of the Dutch parliament rejected a proposed bill to ban Jewish kosher slaughter of animals on the ground that it violates freedom of religion. Earlier that year, the Dutch parliament voted in favor of the legislation. The bill claimed that there is evidence that the practice of kosher slaughtering causes animals unnecessary pain and suffering. This claim is roundly denied by experts on Jewish slaughter. Following this, the Dutch government reached an agreement with Jewish and Muslim leaders setting certain standards for ritual slaughter, including a 40-second limit on the time between stunning of the animals before their necks are cut. The sides also agreed to hold research-based consultations between government officials and religious community leaders on balancing animal welfare with religious freedoms. ZAKA head Yehuda Meshi Zahav criticizes Israeli Medical Ethics Council and doctors who call to treat terrorists before victims. ZAKA head Yehuda Meshi Zahav has come out with strong criticism against the ethical and moral statements that have been expressed by some doctors in Israel. During a medical ethics conference in Jerusalem this evening (Wednesday), Meshi Zahav spoke about the order of treating terrorists and their victims. After a number of doctors expressed their opinions, Meshi Zahav got up on stage and spoke out against those who claimed that seriously injured terrorists should be attended before their victims. "A murderer versus the victim? I am as sharp as a razor and so I also tell the volunteers - first the victims." He continued by saying, "If we treat the murderer and the victim continues bleeding - effectively we're doing what the murderer wanted. Maybe you are taking part in murder because you didn't treat the victim." Meshi Zahav noted that there is a double standard in Israel between public and private medicine. "Whoever has money and is lightly injured gets treated before someone badly injured. We sell our ethics for money so where is the morality? We have stopped listening to the world's false morals. The measures, announced earlier this week, would make such moves illegal, and represents a serious blow to groups like the so-called BDS Movement, which seek to impose international boycotts and sanctions on Israel. The bill is specifically aimed at preventing local authorities and bodies from being hijacked by anti-Israel extremists to promote radical foreign policy agendas targeting the Jewish state. UK Cabinet Office Minister Matthew Hancock formally announced the commencement of the measures during his visit to Israel Wednesday. "We need to challenge and prevent these divisive town hall boycotts," he said in Jerusalem. "The new guidance on procurement, combined with changes we are making to how pension pots can be invested, will help prevent damaging and counter-productive local foreign policies undermining our national security." An explanatory statement from the British government outlined how the "guidance published today makes clear that procurement boycotts by public authorities are inappropriate, outside where formal legal sanctions, embargoes and restrictions have been put in place by the Government." "Town hall boycotts undermine good community relations, poisoning and polarising debate, weakening integration and fuelling anti-Semitism.," it added, while "locally imposed boycotts can roll back integration as well as hinder Britains export trade and harm international relationship." "All contracting authorities will be impacted by this new guidance including Central Government, Executive Agencies, Non Departmental Public Bodies, the wider public sector, Local Authorities and NHS bodies. "Any public body found to be in breach of the regulations could be subject to severe penalties," it said. Explaining the reasoning behind the measures, the statement went on to note that it was merely enforcing compliance with international law - specifically the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement treaty, an international market access agreement which "requires all those countries that have signed up to the Agreement to treat suppliers equally. "This includes the EU and Israel. Any discrimination against Israeli suppliers involving procurements would therefore be in breach of the Agreement." The British government qualified, however, that it did not effect London's "existing policy support for clear and transparent labelling of settlement products to ensure that individual consumers are able to make informed choices before they buy." British Jewish leaders have already lauded the move. "Boycotts are an impediment to community relations and sow division and discord, ultimately fuelling antisemitism, so today's announcement is welcome," said Simon Johnson, Chief Executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, on behalf of the Fair Play Campaign Group. "Local councils, universities and other public bodies shouldn't have their own foreign policy. The governments decision to make this clear emphasises inclusivity over boycotts and coexistence over further divisions. This can only be positive, both within the UK and in the Middle East." TWEET ME DISCLAIMER *COMMENTS, LINKS, AND CUT AND PASTE ARTICLES, ARE NOT ALL ENDORSED BY THE PUBLISHER. THIS BLOG claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to its respectful owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and do not wish for it appear on this site, please E-mail with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed. MORE DISCLAIMERS This is a commercial free blog. Money is nice, but being able to speak my mind is better. "Real talk: Daniel Rubin has a great little piece up wherein he chats with The Field Negro, the Philly-based blogger who sharply ponders all things black on a daily basis. (Seriously, if youve never checked in with TFN, you should: Its author, Wayne Bennett, is a fantastic read who can cut through bullshit like a hot knife through butter, which is a far grosser analogy than I wanted to make, but there you have it.)" ~Philebrity~ "One of the most precocious and hilarious Black political minds on the net. Ive been a long-time fan!" ~Asad Malik~ "..While most of what he writes is tongue-in-cheek, his space is a safe house for candid discussions about race, especially in the comments section, where people of all colors meet." ~~Daniel Rubin, "The Philadelphia Inquirer"~~ "To white people, Bennett's musings are like kitchen-table talk from a kitchen they may otherwise never set foot in. To African Americans, he is part of a growing army of black Internet amateurs who have taken up the work once reserved for ministers and professional activists: the work of setting a black agenda, shaping black opinion and calling attention to the state of the nation's racial affairs." ~~Richard Fausset, "L.A. Times"~~~ ~Erik Hare, "The Twin Cities Daily Planet"~ "That's why I love the blog " Field Negro " so much. Field, as he's known to his fans, has the sense of reality that it takes to call out the ( CowPuckey ) of blame beating by those who are in positions of power and their lackeys. Because of his handle and his unabashed way of writing about racial issues, Field is often cited as a "Black blogger." What he is, however, is a first-class detector of blame deflection and an excellent student of history. If you want to write about the past and future of repression there's really no other perspective to take - which is why everyone should read Field."~Erik Hare, "The Twin Cities Daily Planet"~ 411 On The Field field negro Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Raised in the house, but field certified. Jamaica is the land of my birth, but I consider myself a citizen of the world. I currently practice law in the city of "brotherly love". View my complete profile "Half a century after Little Rock, the Montgomery bus boycott and the tumultuous dawn of the modern civil rights era, the new face of the movement is Facebook, MySpace and some 150 black blogs united in an Internet alliance they call the AfroSpear. Older, familiar leaders such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton and NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, are under challenge by a younger generation of bloggers known by such provocative screen names as Field Negro, thefreeslave and African American Political Pundit. And many of the newest struggles are being waged online." ~Howard Witt-The Chicago Tribune~ "I had no idea, for example, of the extent of the African-American blogging world out there and its collective powers of dissemination.But now, after reading thousands of anguished, thoughtful comments posted on these blogs reflecting on issues of persistent racial discrimination in the nation's schools and courtrooms, what's clear to me is that there's a new, "virtual" civil rights movement out there on the Internet that can reach more people in a few hours than all the protest marches, sit-ins and boycotts of the 1950s and 60s put together." ~Chicago Tribune Reporter, Howard Witt~ IF YOU ARE BRAVE ENOUGH TO FLAUNT IT. Come visit my store on CafePress! HQ-9 China Missile Signaling a possible further militarization of the region, China has placed advanced surface-to-air missiles on one of its claimed islands in the South China Sea. Beijing placed two batteries of eight surface-to-air Hongqi-9 (HQ-9) missiles on Woody Island, which is part of the disputed Paracel Island chain in the disputed waters. Although this is not the first time that China has placed weapons on the island chain, the technical abilities of the missiles combined with Beijing's overall more aggressive policy in the region is a potential game changer. Our analysis of the imagery released indicates China has deployed a fourth-generation SAM system to the South China Sea. This represents a significant military escalation. This leapfrogs steps such as deploying shorter-range systems and increasing the tempo of visits by military aircraft to the islands," writes Neil Ashdown, the Deputy Editor of IHS Janes Intelligence Review. "However, the deployment is still less significant from a military perspective for the US and others than the deployment of systems such as the YJ-type anti-ship cruise missiles. Still, the deployment is meant as a signal to the US and likely to other nations throughout the region that China is serious about backing up its claims to the region and intends of fully taking control of the islands that it has claimed. Woody Island is being turned into a forward-operating base, Richard Bitzinger, a defense expert at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies told GlobalPost. Theyre trying to turn it into a proper garrison. And the use of HQ-9s for this mission is telling. The weapons are one of the most advanced weapons in China's arsenal. according to Bitzinger. The missiles are largely constructed from a mix of Chinese domestic systems and reverse engineered Russian S-300 and US Patriot missile system technologies. This allows the HQ-9 to track, target, and intercept both aircraft and incoming missiles, Missile Threat, a project of the George C. Marshall and Claremont Institutes, notes. Story continues Chinese_HQ 9_launcher The HQ-9, Missile Threat reports, includes modified versions of the propulsion and guidance systems from US Patriot Missiles. Peter Goon, of the think tank Air Power Australia, has a direct assessment of what the HQ-9 missiles are for. Theyre principally for killing aircraft," he told GlobalPost. In total, the missiles have a range upwards of 125 nautical miles, which would grant a large defensive radius to China's activities in the Paracel Islands as well as to the Chinese island of Hainan. Hainan, which is just over 200 miles away from Woody Island, is quickly taking on new importance for the Chinese military. south china sea Beijing is expanding its naval presence at the city of Sanya on Hainan, and the HQ-9s are likely there to help protect the island's flank, The New York Times reports. The decision to place the missiles on the island comes after China told the US it agreed to not militarize the South China Sea. However, Beijing sees the Paracels as its own domestic territory, and has defended the placement as in accordance with international law, the Times notes. Were starting to see rapidly changes in the balance of power between China and the West so, really, it was not unexpected that the Chinese would move these [missile] capabilities down there, Goon told GlobalPost. Historically, theyve always seen the South China Sea as their front yard. Goon's assessment is echoed by a recent report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The think tank notes that by 2030 the South China Sea will essentially exist as a "Chinese lake" due to Beijing's focus on acquiring submarines and aircraft carriers, alongside its continued development and militarization of islands in the region. Currently, the various islands and atolls in the South China Sea are claimed and disputed in a various mix principally by Taiwan, Vietnam, China, the Philippines. South China Sea Map_05 NOW WATCH: China has been upgrading its military and is now stronger than ever More From Business Insider * Customers in China look beyond large, long-haul jets * China business jet fleet grew slowest in 2015 in 10 yrs-Embraer * Overseas forays of Chinese business to create demand for jets By Rujun Shen and Fathin Ungku SINGAPORE, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Chinese demand for business jets is slowing as its economy weakens, with customers looking to diversify from large aircraft, industry executives said at the Singapore Airshow. China's business jet fleet grew 6 percent in 2015, the slowest in the past 10 years, according to data from Embraer SA , one of the largest business jet manufacturers. "In the past, customers would simply buy the biggest and best plane out there," said Claudio Camelier, vice president of marketing and sales, Middle East and Asia Pacific, at Embraer Executive Jets. "Nowadays they may consider a mid-sized jet if their travel needs are only within certain region or they don't travel with a lot of people." Earlier this month, Embraer delivered a Legacy 500 - its new mid-sized jet worth nearly $20 million at list price - to its first Chinese customer, movie star Jackie Chan. China's economy grew at the slowest pace in a quarter of a century last year. David Dixon, president of Jetcraft Asia, a business jet brokerage based in Hong Kong, said he had seen signs of a less buoyant market in China - slower order flow, deferment of delivery, and cancellation of orders, but also signs of maturing customers. "There are people who used to place large orders, speculative orders," Dixon told Reuters in an interview. "That has largely gone away in the case of China." OPTIMISTIC Some industry executives were more optimistic. Roger Sperry, Gulfstream's head of sales for Asia, told Reuters in an interview his company is talking to more potential buyers now than two years ago, despite the perception of a weaker economy. "Is it growing the way it was two years ago? No, that's a known fact," Sperry said of Chinese demand. "Are we concerned about it? No, because we've seen this time after time... This is just the first time the economy has been going down in China since there's been a business in the aviation market so people look at that and go, 'oh my God, it will never recover!" Story continues Gulfstream, a unit of General Dynamics, had the largest share - 32 percent - of mainland China's business jet market in 2014, according to consultancy Asian Sky Group. Longer term, the country was still seen as having good potential. Embraer forecast a total of 800 business jets to be delivered to China in the next 10 years, compared with the country's fleet of 360 at end of 2015. China's increasing business interest overseas is also expected to create new demand. "China is moving into Africa, it's moving in South America. Those are a long way away from here. You'll find the only way to get there is to have a private airplane," said Dixon of Jetcraft Asia. (Reporting by Rujun Shen and Fathin Ungku; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) The Apple iPhone and Apple Watch are arranged to be photographed after they were used to demonstrate to reporters how to pay using the Apple Pay service at an Apple store in Beijing, China, February 17, 2016. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj By Paul Carsten BEIJING (Reuters) - Apple Inc launched its mobile payment system in China on Thursday in a bid to convince the hundreds of millions of users of the country's entrenched, dominant services to switch. "We think China could be our largest Apple Pay market," Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay, told Reuters in an interview in Beijing. In an early boost, China's biggest lender, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC), was among the banks that said earlier this week that customers would be able to use Apple Pay from Thursday. However, Apple Pay has not had an easy ride so far in China, the fifth country to get the service. Even in its U.S. home market, Apple has faced skeptical retailers in its effort to develop a new revenue stream. China is not likely to prove any easier to crack. "People switch applications for significantly better experiences, it (Apple) has to deliver not just a little bit more secure, or a little bit easier to use," said Mark Natkin, founder of Marbridge Consulting. Greater China is Apple's second-largest market by revenue, and the world's biggest smartphone market. By the end of 2015, 358 million people, more than the U.S. population, had already taken to buying goods and services by mobile phone, according to the China Internet Network Information Center. The vast majority are using payment services from China's two biggest Internet companies that have existed for years. Social networking and gaming firm Tencent Holdings Ltd operates WeChat Payment, and e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, through its Internet finance affiliate Ant Financial Services Group, runs Alipay. "With 100 percent saturation of local payment systems, no one in China is clamoring for Apple Pay," said one retailer who declined to be named for fear of harming business prospects. "Today, everyone has a local payment option on their phone, so Apple Pay is a solution in need of a problem." BANKS ON BOARD Story continues Deeply ingrained in China's Internet, domestic payment services cover much more than ride hailing, food delivery and online shopping. Users can invest in wealth management funds, pay utility bills, send gifts to friends and give to charity. An Ant Financial spokeswoman said Alipay has over 400 million active users, with 80 percent on mobile. "Alipay is an app for both (Google software) Android and (Apple's) iOS system and has little requirements for the make and model of the mobile phone," she said. The U.S. firm has 19 of China's biggest lenders as partners. That means 80 percent of China's credit and debit cards are eligible for Apple Pay, usable at about one-third of all locations that accept those cards, Apple's Bailey said. Apple's approach is to not compete with banks and UnionPay, said Bailey. "China UnionPay and our Apple Pay solution has a huge advantage, given the footprint of China UnionPay," she said. "Its merchant acceptance network far exceeds what any of the other mobile platforms have today." Though banks have been rivals elsewhere, industry watchers say this tactic may offer Apple its best prospect. Zhao Longkai, associate professor of finance at the Peking University Guanghua School of Management, said China's banks, and state-backed payment card monopoly China UnionPay, have rankled at the popularity of alternative mobile systems associated with Alibaba and Tencent. "The entry of Apple Pay has the potential to change the strategic landscape," said Zhao. "UnionPay now has an opportunity to bring a new alliance to defend the market that it is losing to Tencent or Alibaba - Apple Pay first needs to figure out a way to win over Chinese customers." (Additional reporting by Kalum Chen in HONG KONG and Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell and Alexander Smith) ZURICH, SWITZERLAND--(Marketwired - Feb 17, 2016) - Article12, a global provider of secure mobile devices, applications, and its enterprise-grade privacy platform today announced Big On Telecom as the company's master distribution partner covering the Middle East and Africa. Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, the companies will work closely together to build a network of value added resellers and systems integrators to market the Article12 portfolio of products and services in the regions. Article12's privacy platform combines secure communication engineered to ensure privacy for mobile devices and apps with flexible methods of deployment that meet the specific security needs of today's global enterprise and government, with cost-effective solutions for every market. With Big On Telecom's experience and market insight across the Middle East and Africa, the partnership positions Article12 for exceptional market growth. "Our mission at Article12 is to deliver our customers secure communication specifically engineered to ensure privacy for smartphones and applications with cloud, on-premise and hybrid-cloud deployment models," said Derek Roga, CEO of Article12. "We're extremely proud to have Big On Telecom embrace our market philosophy and join as one of Article12's first partners as we drive awareness and build our presence in the Middle East and Africa, and globally." "The collective vision of Big On Telecom and Article12 is to ensure that the needs of today's global enterprises and governments are met by protecting every mobile interaction from hacking," said Ramzy Adbul-Majeed, CEO of Big On Telecom. "As cyberattacks continue to happen at increased frequency, this partnership will be a great benefit to customers." Article12 will begin making commercial deliveries in the second half of 2016. About Article12 Technologies Article12 connects secure mobile devices, apps and platforms that combine the power of a multi-layered security and privacy platform with flexible methods of deployment that meet the unique needs of today's organizations, ensuring that every conversation and message is safe and secured from malicious interference or attacks. With operations in Zurich, Switzerland and Ottawa, Canada, Article12's mission is to ensure that everyone in the mobile economy has the right to communicate securely. For more information, visit www.article12.com. About Big On Telecom Ltd Big On Telecom, a Big On Group company, headquartered in Dubai, UAE is a mobile services and application solutions company. The Big On Telecom team has a proven track record in the telecommunications industry. The company's success lies in part in its ability to leverage its considerable contacts in the regional and worldwide Big On Group, which facilitates cross-border investments, new business ventures, mergers and acquisitions. For more information on Big On Telecom, please visit www.bigontelecom.com. Sales Manager Raymond Liu points to an Aston Martin insignia on a car as he explains how each is handmade, at their showroom in Singapore August 1, 2014. REUTERS/Edgar Su By Edward Taylor FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Aston Martin set up a venture with Chinese consumer electronics group LeEco to jointly develop the British luxury car brand's first electric vehicle, an example of the deepening ties between the technology and automotive industries. Companies like Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and LeEco are developing automotive expertise because they want to broaden their reach beyond computers and cellphones into cars, while automakers want Internet connectivity to give drivers live traffic updates and infotainment. Aston Martin and LeEco said they plan to develop an electric car based on the British automaker's Rapide S model, before developing other potential electric vehicles, including for LeEco. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. "It brings Aston Martin's electric car project forward," Aston Martin Chief Executive Andy Palmer said at a news conference in Frankfurt, adding it would come to market in 2018, and be built in Gaydon, England. LeEco, a consumer electronics company which offers branded content via the Internet, television set top boxes and smartphones, hopes to use its captive audience and celebrity endorsements to promote cars in future. "In China we have around 300 million people who visit our website. We could advertise the Aston Martin for free. And we can use celebrities to promote our vehicle. This is the way we do business," said Lei Ding, co-founder of LeEco's auto division. He previously held senior positions at joint ventures of Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and General Motors (GM.N) in China, said. The electric car development platform by Aston and LeEco could also be used by Faraday Future, a start-up electric car firm backed by Chinese billionaire Jia Yueting, the companies said. "Aston can offer expertise in ride, handling refinement and those sorts of things," Palmer said. China's government is promoting electric vehicles to cut the smog that frequently envelops its cities, which officials say helped sales quadruple last year and has turned China into the world's biggest market. Story continues An electric car joint venture of Taiwan's Hon Hai (2317.TW), China's Tencent and China Harmony Auto Holding said this month it was hiring former BMW (BMWG.DE) executive Carsten Breitfeld to lead it. Harmony Futeng, launched last March, is one of several Chinese tech companies trying to develop "smart" and electric vehicles. These include Alibaba (BABA.N), Baidu (BIDU.O) and Leshi Internet Information and Technology Corp Beijing, recently rebranded as LeEco. (Reporting by Edward Taylor; Writing by Ludwig Burger, Georgina Prodhan and Edward Taylor; Editing by Maria Sheahan and Susan Fenton) DUBAI, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Prices of Bahrain's $750 million bond re-tap tumbled in the secondary market on Thursday after Standard & Poor's downgraded its credit rating of the kingdom to junk status. S&P cut Bahrain by two notches to 'BB/B' with a stable outlook late on Wednesday, citing lower oil price assumptions. Late on Tuesday, Bahrain had upsized and launched a $750 million, two-part bond reopening at the tighter end of its previous guidance. After S&P's action, Bahrain's central bank said it was talking with the lead managers of the re-tap, but gave no further details. Investors had yet to hear from the lead arrangers or the issuer by 0930 GMT on Thursday, according to investors who spoke to Reuters. The vacuum of information led to a sell-off. The 2021 bond, which priced at par, was trading at 98.00; the 2026 bond, priced at par, was at 95.25, traders said. "The news has yet to sink in," said one Gulf-based investor who bought into the bond. "We were prepared for a one-notch downgrade but two notches lower is a shock." Investors said traditionally, rating agencies would inform an issuer of any impending rating changes, ahead of events such as bond issuance. Bank ABC, BNP Paribas, Citigroup, HSBC and JP Morgan, which arranged Bahrain's original bond in November, were leading the bond re-tap. "Bahrain is likely to reprice the bond in order to appease the investors. However, we are yet to hear anything on it," said Anita Yadav, head of fixed income research at Emirates NBD. (Reporting by Archana Narayanan; Editing by Andrew Torchia) china navy Within the past week, China placed a battery of surface-to-air missiles at the heart of the planet's most contested waters the South China Sea. The HQ-9 air defense missiles now parked on Woody Island, a sliver of land claimed by Vietnam, Taiwan and China, is the most recent provocative move from Beijing. Meanwhile, China is continuing to construct bases throughout the South China Sea. And through these constructions, Beijing is absolutely dominating the region. China has undertaken ambitious dredging and expansion projects on Duncan Island, an island that is part of the Paracel Islands which are also claimed by Vietnam. According to The Diplomat, the latest construction on Duncan Island include the expansion of a natural harbor, dredging sand to increase the size of the island by nearly 50%, and the construction of eight helicopter landing zones on the island. An additional four zones are believed to be under construction. These recently constructed helicopter landing zones coincide with a number of reports of China building airstrips on other reclaimed islands throughout the sea. Altogether, these airstrips and helicopter landing zones will allow China to easily ferry supplies to the region, conduct aerial patrols thereby de facto taking control of the region, as well as conducting anti-submarine operations. Essentially, all the construction will ensure that the South China Sea will realistically belong to China short of a major upheaval. Fiery Cross Reef South China Sea runway If you look at all of these facilities and you could imagine a network of missiles sites, runways for their fifth generation fighters and surveillance sites and all that it creates a mechanism in which China would have de facto control over the South China Sea in any scenario short of war, Pacific Command commander Adm. Harry Harris told the Senate in September 2015, USNI News reports. Story continues And, even in the case of war, the establishment and construction of the bases will leave China with a permanent advantage in the region. From a military perspective it certainly has an impact as these bases can serve as unsinkable aircraft carriers, naval analyst and author of "US Naval Institutes Combat Fleets of the World" told USNI News. Short of war, these bases ensure that China, even with ongoing protests from Vietnam, the Philippines, and the US, will be able to freely and easily conduct operations throughout the region. The placement of the islands, runways, and helicopter pads ensures that everything within the South China Sea could be reachable by Chinese military assets in two hours or less. "By hopscotching between bases, the helicopter fleet would be unconstrained by fuel range or limited numbers of ship-borne landing berths, creating a continuous and contiguous web of surveillance and response capability, The Diplomat reports. Beyond the dredging of islands, China is also undertaking an ambitious naval construction program focusing on the construction of aircraft carriers and the ability to operate overseas. This focus on fleet modernization, in conjunction with the ongoing dredging of islands, means that the South China Sea will likely be nothing more than a "Chinese lake" by 2030, Center for Strategic and International Studies writes. South China Sea Map_05 NOW WATCH: China has been upgrading its military and is now stronger than ever More From Business Insider (Reuters) - Bill Cosby has sued a woman whose allegations that he drugged and sexually assaulted her sparked the only criminal charges against the disgraced comedian in his running sexual assault scandal, court records showed on Wednesday. An entertainer who built a career on family-friendly comedy, Cosby now faces accusations from more than 50 women that he sexually assaulted them, often after plying them with drugs and alcohol, in a series of attacks dating back to the 1960s. Cosby's lawsuit, which was filed under seal in a Philadelphia federal court on Feb. 1, named Andrea Constand and her attorneys, Dolores Troiani and Bebe Kivitz, online court records showed. U.S. District Judge Eduardo Robreno lifted the seal on only parts of the civil case on Tuesday and the complaint was not publicly available by Wednesday night, so the full extent of the lawsuit was not immediately known. The cause of the case was listed as a "contract dispute." Prosecutors late last year charged Cosby, 78, with sexually assaulting Constand, a former basketball coach at his alma mater Temple University, just days before the statue of limitations to bring charges ran out. The New York Times reported that Cosby's attorneys have repeatedly accused the defendants of breaching an agreement in a previous civil suit brought by Constand over the alleged sexual assault, which was resolved out of court with a confidential settlement. Cosby's suit also named Constand's mother and American Media Inc, which owns the National Enquirer magazine, as defendants, court records show. Representatives for Constand, her attorneys and American Media could not be immediately reached for comment. The New York Times reported that in a 2005 deposition in Constand's civil case, Cosby said he agreed to give the National Enquirer an exclusive interview about her accusations after it promised to scrap an article about a second woman's claims. A Pennsylvania judge two weeks ago rejected Cosby's attempts to have the criminal trial dismissed. Cosby's attorneys failed to convince the judge that their client could not be prosecuted due to an agreement reached with a former Montgomery County district attorney more than a decade ago. Cosby has appealed that ruling, a spokesman for the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts Jim Koval told Reuters on Tuesday. Prosecutors in Los Angeles County last month decided not to charge Cosby over two alleged cases of sexual assault dating to 1965 and 2008. (Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Sandra Maler, Leslie Adler and Andrew Hay) (Adds details about the vote, quotes from Boeing and the union) By Alwyn Scott Feb 17 (Reuters) - Boeing Co's engineers' union ratified six-year labor contracts by a wide margin on Wednesday, a vote that ensures stability during a period when the planemaker is bringing out new versions of its two most profitable jetliners, the 737 and the 777. More than 70 percent of voters backed the agreements for two bargaining units of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) that cover 20,100 workers, the union said. The deals mark a sharp shift from contentious negotiations over the last contract in 2012. The agreements take effect immediately, replacing a contract due to expire in October. They govern 14,100 professional engineers and 6,000 technical workers, mostly in the Puget Sound area, but including some in California, Oregon, Utah and Florida. The new contracts expire in October 2022. Professional workers voted 6,085 to accept and 2,460 to reject, while technical workers voted 2,825 to accept and 1,030 to reject, the union said. The new contracts improve wages, vacation, layoff and retirement benefits, the union said. Boeing agreed to pay 15 percent more than the national average of wages for professional engineers, as determined by a Mercer benchmark for high-tech workers. Technical workers will be paid 22 percent above the benchmark, with the percentage falling to 17 percent by 2022. The agreements "grew from a strong desire on both sides to find common ground and negotiate contracts that work for SPEEA members and Boeing," said Ryan Rule, president of the union. "It was a unique opportunity that allowed these early contract talks," he added. "We're glad it worked." In a statement, Boeing thanked the workers. Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Ray Conner said the agreement "helps position us for continued success in a highly competitive landscape". Conner oversaw the contract talks, Boeing said. The agreement is seen as signaling a change in tone from two years ago, when former Chief Executive Jim McNerney quipped on a conference call that workers would "still be cowering" after he turned 65 later that year, a remark for which he later apologized. Asked about the new relationship with labor, current Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg said in January that the company faces tough competition. "And at the same time, we want to recognize this great team and treat them with the respect they deserve." (Reporting by Alwyn Scott; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) BRASILIA, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Brazil and Argentina have agreed to gradually move toward the free trade of cars and auto parts to bolster ties between South America's biggest economies, the Brazilian Trade Ministry said on Thursday. Brazilian Trade Minister Armando Monteiro visited his counterpart in Buenos Aires to propose the free trade of vehicles, in a major policy shift for one of the hemisphere's closest economies. A severe recession entering a second year is forcing the government of President Dilma Rousseff to open up the economy to help exporters benefit from a weaker Brazilian real. Both countries "aim to achieve gradually and under fair conditions the free trade of cars," the trade ministry said in a statement. Brazil was until recently one of the world's five biggest auto markets, and it remains a major base of operations for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, Volkswagen AG, General Motors Co and Ford Motor Co. (Reporting by Alonso Soto; Editing by Bernard Orr) Thoughts and postings from an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The debris of the municipal school of Bento Rodrigues district, which was covered with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, is pictured in Mariana, Brazil, November 10, 2015. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes BRASILIA (Reuters) - The Brazilian government expects to reach agreement by Friday with Samarco Mineracao SA [SAMNE.UL] to settle a 20 billion-real ($4.9 billion) lawsuit for damages related to a deadly November dam disaster, a spokesman for Brazil's attorney general said on Wednesday. Brazil has sued Samarco, a 50-50 iron ore mining joint venture between Brazil's Vale SA (VALE5.SA) and Australia's BHP Billiton Ltd (BHP.AX), for 20 billion reais ($4.8 billion) after the dam, which held iron ore tailings, burst in Brazil's Minas Gerais state. The government considers the tragedy the worst environmental disaster in the country's history. ($1 = 4.0411 Brazilian reais) (Reporting by Anthony Boadle) CHICAGO, IL / ACCESSWIRE / February 18, 2016 / CannaPitch IPO, the legal cannabis industry's premiere pitch event, will be open to the investing public, bringing true crowdfunding to cannabis companies at the California Cannabis Business Expo, March 4 at the Hilton Union Square, San Francisco. Four of the industry's hottest and fastest growing companies that are planning and in the process of going public via Regulation A+ will share their stories onstage in front of a panel of five professional investors and a crowd of private investors. The aspiring business owners will tell their stories and the "crowd," who will have the opportunity to reserve shares in upcoming IPOs at this one-of-a-kind cannabis roadshow. Participants include a custom packaging company, a real estate industrial park and an online technology platform. "This is an extraordinary opportunity for both the presenting companies and the investors," said Randy Shipley, Chief Revenue Officer, MJIC, Inc. "It is the first time that accredited and non-accredited investors alike will be able to participate in a cannabis company pitch. It is a historic occasion and we're looking forward to a big turn-out and plenty of 'crowd' participation." The SEC's new Regulation A+ allows companies to test the waters in their efforts to secure funding from the general public via crowdfunding, provided they are compliant with a set of specific laws and standards. These new regulations will significantly reduce the cost of filings and relax the rules on financial reporting for public companies using the Regulation A+ path. Furthermore, this new regulation makes crowdfunding more interesting by allowing companies to generally solicit and advertise their offerings. About the California Cannabis Business Expo The 2nd Annual Cannabis Business Expo, produced by MJIC Media, is the leading forum in one of the fastest growing industries in the United States. This event is the focus for decision makers in the cannabis industry including; current business owners and managers, entrepreneurs starting a cannabis business, investors providing private equity & resources, and professional and business service providers. This year our expo moves from Colorado, the first state to legalize adult use marijuana to California - the largest legal cannabis market in North America. SOURCE: MJIC Media LLC By Gram Slattery SANTIAGO, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Chilean copper miners who have grown reliant on cheap outsourced workers are bringing more of them in-house or bracing for salary hikes ahead of the expected passage of a pro-worker reform bill. The legislation, on track to be approved in March, is likely to raise labor costs and marks the latest blow to mining companies in the world's No.1 copper exporter already hit by flagging productivity and prices near six-and-a-half-year lows. The reform is set to boost the bargaining position of unions representing outside contractors, making strikes among outsourced workers more common and difficult to break, analysts and lawyers say. Labor activists argue the reform is needed to give workers more leverage in a country with loose collective bargaining rules, and they criticize contracting as a tool for companies to undercut bargaining rights and offer substandard pay. Companies counter that the reform will stunt growth, and say that outsourcing is vital for increasing efficiency and offering the flexibility needed to weather the volatile copper market. Now, however, those firms are making adjustments: some are bringing contracted workers in-house to better paid positions, so as to avoid potential labor disputes. Others are preparing to pay significantly more for the same outsourced services they have used on the cheap for decades. "There are a lot of studies being done (by mining companies), looking at how many workers can be brought in, at what mines, in which processes," said Felipe Saez, an advisor to heavy industry group Sofofa, which represents Chilean mining among other sectors. Outsourcing has increased in Chile over the past two decades. Seventy-four percent of workers at Chile's "large" copper miners, which account for well over 90 percent of output, were contracted out as of 2014, according to government statistics. That compares with 69 percent in 2013, and 66 percent in 2006. However, in 2015, following years of gains, the number of mining contractors in Chile fell by 12.5 percent, far outpacing total job losses among mine workers. Story continues That is largely due to companies getting fed up with already rising labor unrest among outsourced workers, analysts say. Last year, protesting contractors with state producer Codelco blockaded and closed a mine for three weeks. But the proposed reform, which allows unions from different contractors to join forces and lowers barriers to creating unions in small companies, among other measures, is fueling the trend, and making companies less likely to rehire outside when prices rebound. "Under the labor reform it would be better for (mining companies) to bring contractors with sensitive labor agreements in-house, and have those workers opt for the company's benefits, so they can better control the bargaining situation," said Fernando Villalobos, a leading Chilean labor lawyer and former advisor to the Labor Ministry. New in-house workers, however, are costly. Government data show that average per worker remuneration costs for contracted employees at copper mining companies were only 43 percent that of direct employees in 2014. It remains unclear how many workers mining companies are prepared to bring in. But if just 5 percent of the 163,827 total workers at Chile's large copper mines in 2014 were made direct employees, it would cost Chilean miners approximately $370 million a year. Though that is relatively small compared to total industry-wide costs of $25.8 billion in 2014, such numbers are significant for a sector that is now struggling to maintain razor-thin margins. NEW STRATEGIES, INCREASED COSTS Those that do not bring contract work in-house will instead look at new ways of outsourcing aimed at cushioning against strikes that will increase payrolls significantly, insiders say. "We're going to have to take up new methods that basically increase the cost of having the same service," Diego Hernandez, chief executive of Chilean miner Antofagasta Plc, told Reuters in January. One method he suggested was having overlapping contracts, whereby a worker from one contracting firm could replace a striking worker. Mining companies say they are also concerned about additional aspects of the bill apart from contracting. Hernandez told Reuters he worried that restrictions on replacing striking workers were so strict they could put physical infrastructure at risk while mines go unmanned. Representatives of other sectors such as agriculture, shipping, forestry, and construction have told Reuters they are also concerned about the reform and the future of contracting, which Chilean labor law has long only loosely regulated. Business leaders have lobbied lawmakers hard to water down the bill, which has been mired in a bitter legislative fight for a year, industry insiders and a senate aide say. Eugenio Tuma, a center-left senator, told Reuters that lawmakers had softened some stringent aspects of the reform, such as bargaining rights within small businesses. But, like the other senators in the governing coalition calling for adjustments, he is confident the law will pass with the most significant provisions intact. "We think there's been abuse on the part of the employers," he said. "This delivers the tools that workers need to level the playing field." (Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Christian Plumb and Andrew Hay) VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Feb 18, 2016) - China Gold International Resources Co. Ltd. (CGG.TO)(2099.HK) ("China Gold International Resources" or the "Company") is pleased to provide preliminary guidance on 2015 operating and production results at both of its mines and announce its goals for 2016. 2015 Production Highlights - Gold: The Company's consolidated gold production from both of its mines increased by 26% from 180,674 ounces in 2014 to 228,508 in 2015 surpassing its previously announced 2015 guidance of 226,000 ounces. Gold production from the Chang Shan Hao Gold Mine ("CSH Mine" or "CSH") increased by 25% from 163,443 ounces in 2014 to 204,471 ounces in 2015. Gold production from the Jiama Copper-Gold Polymetallic Mine ("Jiama Mine" or "Jiama") increased by 39% from 17,231 ounces in 2014 to 24,037 ounces in 2015. 2015 Production Highlights - Copper: Copper production from the Jiama Mine increased by 24% from 30,847,469 pounds in 2014 to 38,104,615 pounds in 2015. This is the fifth straight year of increasing production at the Jiama mine. The Company exceeded its previously announced 2015 expected copper production guidance of 37.5 million pounds. Mr. Bing Liu, CEO of the Company, commented, "This continued growth in our production is in line with our objective to deliver profitability to our shareholders and supporters. We have made significant advancements this year in technological innovation and cost control and are aiming to prosper despite challenging market conditions." 2016 Production Outlook: The Company expects its 2016 production from Jiama to be approximately 38.6 million pounds of copper and 16,000 ounces of gold. The management considers this level of production to be optimal given the current copper price environment. The Jiama Mine has sufficient capacity to increase production in a timely manner when copper prices recover. The Company's CSH mine is expected to produce about 219,000 ounces of gold in 2016. Story continues Final Year-End 2015 Results China Gold International Resources expects to report its detailed Year-End 2015 financial and operating results on March 30, 2016 and the results will be available on the Company's website and SEDAR. In connection with the release, management will hold its annual roadshow and an announcement event to discuss year-end results and performance. About China Gold International Resources China Gold International Resources Corp. Ltd. is based in Vancouver, BC, Canada and operates both profitable and growing mines, the CSH Gold Mine in Inner Mongolia, and the Jiama Copper-Gold Polymetallic Mine in Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. The Company's objective is to continue to build shareholder value by growing production at its current mining operations, expanding its resource base, and aggressively acquiring and developing new projects internationally. The Company is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (CGG.TO) and the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (2099.HK). Cautionary Note about Forward-Looking Statements Certain information regarding China Gold International Resources contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although China Gold International Resources believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. China Gold International Resources cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, most of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what China Gold International Resources currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration results, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The information contained herein is stated as of the current date and subject to change after that date. China has deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile system to one of the disputed islands it controls in the South China Sea, Taiwan and U.S. officials said, ratcheting up tensions even as U.S. President Barack Obama urged restraint in the region. Taiwan defense ministry spokesman Major General David Lo told Reuters the missile batteries had been set up on Woody Island. The island is part of the Paracels chain, under Chinese control for more than 40 years but also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. "Interested parties should work together to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea region and refrain from taking any unilateral measures that would increase tensions," Lo said on Wednesday. A U.S. defense official also confirmed the "apparent deployment" of the missiles, first reported by Fox News. Images from civilian satellite company ImageSat International show two batteries of eight surface-to-air missile launchers as well as a radar system, according to Fox News. News of the missile deployment came as Obama and leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) concluded a summit in California, where they discussed the need to ease tensions in the region but did not include specific mention of China's assertive pursuit of its claims in the South China Sea. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion in global trade passes every year, and has been building runways and other infrastructure on artificial islands to bolster its territorial claims. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims on the area. At the end of the ASEAN summit in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, President Barack Obama reaffirmed the United States' "strong commitment to a regional order where international rules, norms, and the rights of all nations --large and small-- are upheld." He said that countries at the summit discussed the need to take "tangible steps in the South China Sea to lower tensions, including a halt to further reclamation, construction and militarization of the disputed areas." Story continues "I reiterate that the United States will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, and we will support the right of all countries to do the same," Obama said. The United States has said that it will continue conducting "freedom of navigation patrols" by ships and aircraft through the South China Sea. China has repeatedly called these patrols, which encroach on waters China claims ownership of, provocative and warned that they risked military action in response. Ernest Bower, senior adviser and Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told CNBC that the U.S. was not asking ASEAN to choose between it and China, but rather to "strengthen themselves and become a solid core for new regional security and economic architecture." "The genius of ASEAN is it doesn't have a sovereign identity and because of that, it doesn't have a sort of national interest like the U.S. or China does," Bower said. But in a sign of the sensitivity over the issue, on Tuesday China rapped Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop for saying that Australia recognised the Philippines' right to seek international arbitration in its dispute with Beijing over islands in the South China Sea. The Philippines has challenged Beijing's rights to the islands in an arbitration court in the Hague. Bishop had said that Australia did not take a side in the competing claims but was awaiting the arbitration outcome. But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei repeated China's claim that the case was a contravention of international law. "China certainly will not accept this. Australia out not to selectively avoid this reality," he said. The issue is further complicated by the fact that some ASEAN members, such as current chair of the group Laos and neighbor Cambodia, have close economic ties to China. Rising tensions Mira Rapp-Hooper, a South China Sea expert from of the Center for a New American Security, said, meanwhile, that it was not the first time that China has sent such weapons to the Paracels, under Chinese control since 1974. "I do think surface to air missiles are a considerable development," she said. "If they have been deployed they are probably China's effort to signal a response to freedom-of navigation operations, but I don't think it is a totally unprecedented deployment." A U.S. Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island in the Paracels chain last month in a move the Pentagon said was aimed at countering efforts by China, Vietnam and Taiwan to limit freedom of navigation. China condemned the U.S. action as provocative. China has said it would not seek militarization of its South China Sea islands and reefs, but that did not mean it would not set up defenses. "Woody Island belongs to China," said Ni Lexiong, a naval expert at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law. "Deploying surface-to-air missiles on our territory is completely within the scope of our sovereign rights. We have sovereignty there, so we can choose whether to militarize it." Taiwan President-elect Tsai Ing-wen said tensions were now higher in the region. "We urge all parties to work on the situation based on principles of peaceful solution and self-control," Tsai said. The missiles arrived at Woody Island over the past week, Fox News said. According to the images, a beach on the island was empty on Feb. 3, but the missiles were visible by Feb. 14, it reported. A U.S. official told Fox News the imagery viewed appears to show the HQ-9 air defense system, which has a range of 125 miles (200 km) and would pose a threat to any airplanes, civilian or military, flying close by. Asked about the report, Bill Urban, a Pentagon spokesman, said: "While I cannot comment on matters related to intelligence, we do watch these matters very closely." Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. More From CNBC LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The FBI is investigating a cyber attack that has crippled the electronic database at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center for days, forcing doctors at the Los Angeles hospital to rely on telephones and fax machines to relay patient information. The origin of the computer network intrusion was unknown but since it began late last week has bogged down communications between physicians and medical staff newly dependent on paper records and doctors' notoriously messy handwriting, doctors and a Federal Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman said on Tuesday. "It's right there on paper, but it may not be legible," Dr. Rangasamy Ramanathan, a neonatal-perinatal specialist affiliated with the 434-bed facility, said. "The only problem is doctors' writing." Although the cyber attack has snarled the hospital's patient database, doctors have managed to relay necessary medical records the old-fashioned way through phone lines and fax machines, Ramanathan said. The FBI is seeking to pinpoint hackers responsible for the intrusion, FBI spokeswoman Ari Dekofsky said. She declined to release further details. Allen Stefanek, the hospital's president and CEO, told Los Angeles television station KNBC-TV the hospital declared an internal emergency on Friday, after encountering significant information technology problems due to the hack. A spokeswoman for the hospital could not be reached for comment. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) POMPANO BEACH, FL / ACCESSWIRE / February 18, 2016 / Cyclone Power Technologies Inc. (CYPW), developer of the all-fuel clean-techCyclone Engine,announced that 3R Denmark ("3R") has signed a Systems Application/Distributor/Manufacture Agreement with Cyclone Power Technologies. This is the formalization of the binding letter of intent. The Systems Application/Distributor/Manufacture Agreement enables 3R to manufacture, sell, and distribute worldwide the Cyclone Power Engines for the specific uses of fuel to power in their unique boiler system being manufactured in China. The agreement also calls for a separate development agreement of a Mark 7 Cyclone engine. The 3R group traveled from Denmark to the Cyclone office February 14th to finalize the Development Agreement for the Mark 7 and accepted their first Mark 3 engine for integration into their boiler system. Cyclone's engineers will assist in that integration. 3R's facility in China is producing the boiler and their transition to the combined heat and power systems is expected by August for the 40KW units and December for the 300KW boiler. Frankie Fruge, President of Cyclone Power, stated, "This is another step consistent with Cyclone's business model of generating revenue from development contracts, royalties, and a partnership. There will be manufacturing from this agreement and development of new products in our R&D center and royalties. We are extremely focused on completing projects bringing revenue to our top line." Thor Arendal of 3R, stated, "We have signed customer contracts, a manufacturing facility in China already in production, and distributors in place. 3R is ready to be Cyclone's first major Licensee and a major contributor to their business model. Our management has over 20 years of experience in the production of boilers for heating with many smaller installations and several large installations in the US and Europe. Now we want to take this technology and expand to the combined heat and power industry. This is the fastest growing energy markets in the World. The heat and electrical CHP' market is expected to experience exponential growth over the next five years." CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEB SITE: WWW.CYCLONEPOWER.COM About Cyclone Power Technologies Cyclone Power Technologies is the developer of the award-winning Cyclone Engine - an all-fuel , clean-tech engine with the power and versatility to run everything from waste energy electric generators and solar thermal systems to cars, trucks and locomotives. Invented by company founder and CTO Harry Schoell, the patented Cyclone Engine is an eco-friendly external combustion engine, ingeniously designed to achieve high thermal efficiencies through a compact heat-regenerative process, and to run on virtually any fuel - including bio-diesels, syngas or solar - while emitting fewer greenhouse gases and irritating pollutants into the air. The Cyclone Engine was recognized by Popular Science Magazine as the Invention of the Year for 2008, and was presented with two Society of Automotive Engineers' AEI Tech Awards. Additionally, Cyclone was named Environmental Business of the Year by the Broward County Environmental Protection Department. We have also received EPA and California Emissions certifications for 25HP and under using any fuel for power generation. For more information, visit www.cyclonepower.com. Follow Cyclone on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CyclonePowerTechnologies and Twitter @Cyclonepower. Safe Harbor Statement Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential future plans and objectives of the company, are forward-looking statements that involve 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. The company cautions that these forward-looking statements are further qualified by other factors. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any statements in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Cyclone Power Company Contact Frankie Fruge, President Tel: 954-943-8721 Frankie@cyclonepower.com Investor@cyclonepower.com 3R Denmark Thor Arendal, UPM ta@trer.dk SOURCE: Cyclone Power Technologies Inc. If Prime Minister David Cameron (L) secures a deal in Brussels to reform Britain's relationship with the EU, the "remain" and "leave" camps will immediately begin the battle to win voters for a referendum (AFP Photo/Emmanuel Dunand) London (AFP) - A potent force in British politics for decades, euroscepticism forced Prime Minister David Cameron to call a referendum on leaving the EU -- and could still thwart his efforts to stay in. If Cameron secures a deal at a Brussels summit on Thursday and Friday to reform Britain's relationship with the European Union, the "remain" and "leave" camps will immediately begin the battle to win voters over for a vote likely to be held in June. Despite the prime minister's own support for staying in, some of his senior ministers, including Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, look poised to come out in favour of the out campaign as early as this week. Many Britons, encouraged by an often hostile popular press, share their anti-EU views. "I'm English and not European," said Fred Varley, an 80-year-old who wants to leave the EU, in the seaside town of Clacton-on-Sea, a hotbed of euroscepticism. "I believe Germany has tried in two world wars to overtake this country and they've failed and they're doing it legally now through the European thing." Some 51 percent of Britons currently want to remain in the EU compared to 49 percent who want to leave, according to an average of opinion polls by the What UK Thinks research project -- though this average does not count the many voters who are still undecided. "The most difficult thing about the referendum is that the arguments in favour are complicated, economic, numerical and rational," said Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform think tank. "The arguments against are simple, emotional and romantic: do you want to be ruled by foreigners or not?" - Roots of euroscepticism - Cameron first promised an in-out referendum on EU membership in 2013 in a bid to placate powerful eurosceptics in his centre-right Conservative party who already harboured suspicions about the European project and were growing increasingly concerned by the rise of the anti-EU UK Independence Party. Story continues The word euroscepticism seems first to have been used by The Times newspaper in 1986, but its roots go back further than that. Britain had bids to become part of the European single market vetoed twice by France in the 1960s, finally joining in 1973 -- its membership was sealed by a previous referendum two years later -- and has since negotiated significant opt-outs. It does not use the euro, is not a member of the Schengen passport-free movement area and receives a significant rebate from yearly budget contributions. "From Britain's perspective, it has never been totally committed to European integration as an end in itself because it always felt it has other options in the world," such as ties with the United States, said Tim Oliver of the London School of Economics. One of Cameron's predecessors, Margaret Thatcher, is an icon for eurosceptics for securing the rebate and proclamations such as her defiant 1990 "No, no, no!" speech against greater centralised European control. A recurring question during recent weeks of the campaign has been "What would Maggie do?" with former advisors and commentators arguing about how Thatcher, who died in 2013, would have voted in the referendum. - Battleground issues - Many Britons believe the EU's role should be purely economic and that it should stay out of domestic politics. Immigration in particular will be an important issue in the campaign -- Cameron has fought hard for an emergency brake on welfare payments to EU migrants as part of a reform deal which he will use to argue for Britain to remain in the bloc. "For remain voters, it is their view of the economic implications of leaving that is more likely to be the key to their referendum choice, whereas amongst leave voters, immigration is the bigger concern," said John Curtice, politics professor at Strathclyde University. Eurosceptics face their own hurdles. With experts believing as many as 20 percent of voters are undecided, they must make a convincing case for a jump into the unknown by leaving the EU. "The aim of the out campaign is to portray Europe as a burning building with an exit," George Eaton, political editor of the New Statesman magazine, wrote this month. "But like a cartoon character who succumbs to gravity in mid-air, voters fear a painful landing." Tim Cook A group of protestors rallied in front of the Apple Store in San Francisco on Wednesday afternoon to show their support for the company's fight against the court order mandating that it write software to unlock an iPhone that belonged to one of the San Bernardino shooters. The rally, organized by a group called Fight for the Future, drew a little over 30 people to the Apple Store in downtown San Francisco. The turnout wasn't that big, but Fight for the Future is taking things nationwide as it plans to hold rallies in New York City, Boston, and Minneapolis starting from next Tuesday. "It's amazing that Apple is making the decision right now to say that they won't undermine the security standards, and we need to make sure that's something that all of us appreciate, because this is a first step and we can't let it go any further," Charlie Furman, campaign manager for Fight for the Future, told the crowd. Apple is fighting a court order mandating that it create software that would allow the FBI to have an unlimited number of attempts to enter the phone's passcode before it auto-wipes, so the agency could unlock the iPhone that was owned by one of the shooters. Apple CEO Tim Cook responded in a post on Wednesday calling the court order "chilling," arguing that once created, the technique "could be used over and over again, on any number of devices." "In the physical world, it would be the equivalent of a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks from restaurants and banks to stores and homes. No reasonable person would find that acceptable," Cook wrote. Here are some pics from today's rally: Apple rally Apple rally Apple rally NOW WATCH: Tim Cook: Apple wont hack iPhone used by the San Bernardino shooter More From Business Insider (The following statement was released by the rating agency) Link to Fitch Ratings' Report: Islamic Finance in Malaysia: An Evolved Sector www.fitchratings.com">www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=877770">https://www.fitchratings.com">www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=877770 SINGAPORE, February 17 (Fitch) Malaysia is leading the global Islamic finance industry in terms of regulation, standardisation and sukuk issuance, representing more than half of issuance worldwide in 2015, Fitch Ratings says in a new report. Malaysia's Islamic bank financing reached MYR390bn as of end-2015, equal to 27% of its banking-system loans (2014: 25.0%). Islamic financing expanded 16.2% in 2015 (conventional banking system: 5.2%), and has had a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.2% since 2011, against conventional banks' average of 7.0%. Islamic finance adheres to banking rules as laid out by the sharia, or Islamic law, and includes tenets such as prohibiting usury. The Malaysian Islamic banking system's impaired loan ratio remained stable at 1.2% in 2015 (conventional banking system: 1.7%), while the segment's provision coverage (impairment reserves as a proportion of gross loans) remained lower than that for conventional banks. The Islamic banking system's Core Equity Tier 1 (CET1) and Tier 1 ratios were broadly comparable with that of the aggregate banking system. Fitch sees the implementation of the Islamic Financial Services Act 2013 (IFSA 2013) as a key development that enhances the regulatory and supervisory framework of Malaysia's Islamic financial industry, adding transparency and clarity on issues. The full report, "Malaysian Islamic Banks Dashboard" is available at www.fitchratings.com">www.fitchratings.com or by clicking the link above. Contact: Bashar Al Natoor Global Head of Islamic Finance +971 4 424 1242 Fitch Ratings Limited Al Thuraya Tower 1 Office 1805 Dubai Media City Wee Siang Ng Senior Director +65 6796 7230 Media Relations: Elaine Bailey, London, Tel: +44 203 530 1153, Email: elaine.bailey@fitchratings.com; Leslie Tan, Singapore, Tel: +65 67 96 7234, Email: leslie.tan@fitchratings.com. Additional information is available on www.fitchratings.com">www.fitchratings.com ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE 'WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE. FITCH MAY HAVE PROVIDED ANOTHER PERMISSIBLE SERVICE TO THE RATED ENTITY OR ITS RELATED THIRD PARTIES. DETAILS OF THIS SERVICE FOR RATINGS FOR WHICH THE LEAD ANALYST IS BASED IN AN EU-REGISTERED ENTITY CAN BE FOUND ON THE ENTITY SUMMARY PAGE FOR THIS ISSUER ON THE FITCH WEBSITE. Pakistani police commandos patrol inside the premises of Bacha Khan university after it was reopened in the northwestern town of Charsadda following its closure due to a deadly attack (AFP Photo/A Majeed) (AFP) Taliban gunmen killed at least nine Pakistani policemen in twin attacks overnight in a northwest tribal district that borders Afghanistan, officials said on Thursday. Two separate groups of militants struck almost simultaneously at a police checkpoint in the Pandyali area of Mohmand district where they killed seven, and at a solar-powered tube well in Michni area of the same region where they shot dead two police who were standing guard. "The attacks came at around 1:00 am (20:00 GMT Wednesday). It was pitch black and the policemen were caught unaware. The militants struck suddenly and killed them without giving them a chance to fight back," Naveed Akbar, an administration official in the region, told AFP. Akbar said that the attackers also torched the police post and destroyed the tube well. Another senior administration official, Mehmud Aslam, confirmed the incidents, which were later claimed by the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (Pakistani Taliban) militant group in an email sent to AFP. Mohmand is one of Pakistan's seven tribal districts which border Afghanistan and have been home to Al-Qaeda and Taliban led militants. Pakistan's army intensified its offensive in the region after the Taliban's massacre of 153 people, mostly children, in Peshawar in December 2014, and killed or pushed hundreds of militants to Afghanistan. Overall, levels of militant-linked violence have dropped dramatically, with 2015 seeing the fewest deaths among civilian and security forces since 2007 -- the year the Pakistani Taliban umbrella group was formed. But the threat posed by the Taliban remains, particularly in the country's northwest. Last month Taliban gunmen stormed a university in the northwestern town of Charsadda, killing 21 people in a chilling reminder of their ongoing ability to carry out occasional high-profile and brazen attacks. Pakistan's Islamist insurgency began after the US-led invasion of neighbouring Afghanistan in 2001, which led to a spillover of militants across the border and a surge in recruitment for Pakistani extremist groups. RTR44EU9 Hungary's central bank is boosting its security force. The National Bank of Hungary bought 200,000 rounds of live ammunition and 112 handguns for its security company, reported Bloomberg's Zoltan Simon. More protection is needed given the rise of "international security risks" such as potential bomb threats and the migration crisis, central bank Governor Gyorgy Matolcsy wrote on the Parliament's website in response to a lawmaker's query about the purchases. Notably, Hungary moved to shutter its borders amid the ongoing migration crisis in Europe. At first the decision was met with criticism but in more recent months gained some acceptance. By comparison, Angela Merkel's decision to let in the refugees has been heavily criticized and has weakened her political position at home and in Europe overall. As for Hungary's central bank, it has also recently designated about $700 million to set up foundations to teach alternatives to what Matolcsy calls "outdated neoliberal" economics. Additionally, the bank was under criticism for another $108 million fund used for buying art, including a painting by 16th-century Venetian artist Titian. Check out the full story at Bloomberg NOW WATCH: Watch Pope Francis take down Donald Trump: 'This man is not a Christian' More From Business Insider By Fransiska Nangoy JAKARTA, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Indonesia's January crude palm oil (CPO) output fell for a fifth month, a Reuters survey showed, as the El Nino dry weather pattern hindered production in the world's top grower. Indonesia's CPO January production was 2.440 million tonnes, according to the median estimate in a survey of three industry officials and one plantation company. That is down slightly from 2.457 million tonnes output in December and the lowest since March 2015. "El nino started around June last year and peaked around August to September. It would impact production five to six month later, which is showing in these recent months," said Agustinus Reza Kirana, plantation analyst with Bahana Securities in Jakarta. Malaysia, the world's second-biggest palm producer after Indonesia, reported earlier this month that CPO output in January fell 14 percent from the previous month. Southeast Asia's peak palm oil output usually runs over August to September, with production in Indonesia and Malaysia typically easing as the region heads into its wet season from November until around March. Indonesia's CPO exports were 2.005 million tonnes in January, down 25 percent from 2.675 million tonnes in December, the survey showed. Slowing demand from China combined with high palm stocks in India, the world's two major buyers, are impacting exports from Indonesia, Kirana added. According to the survey, Indonesian palm stocks were at 2.025 million tonnes in January, the lowest since the survey started in August 2014. Stockpiles fell from 2.425 million tonnes in December. Indonesia's domestic consumption of the tropical oil was estimated in a range between 550,000 tonnes and 752,000 tonnes, according to the survey responses. Falling output and inventories may support benchmark palm prices, which climbed nearly 10 percent in 2015 and are currently trading around 2,590 ringgit ($623.65) a tonne. The Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) showed December CPO exports at 2.51 million tonnes. GAPKI data for January has Story continues not been released yet. Indonesia does not release official government data on palm oil production. The Reuters survey for January comprises contributions from GAPKI, the Indonesian Palm Oil Board, the Indonesian Vegetable Oil Industry Association and PT Sinar Mas Agro Resources & Technology Tbk, one of the largest listed palm oil companies. Below is a table of the median responses to the Reuters CPO survey and GAPKI palm and palm kernel oil export data for 2016/15 (in million tonnes). Month Output Exports Inventories GAPKI export data January 2.440 2.005 2.025 -- ---------------------------------------------------- December 2.457 2.675 2.425 2.51 November 2.800 2.093 2.950 2.39 October 3.010 2.213 3.025 2.61 September 3.100 2.235 3.050 2.34 August 3.198 1.885 3.392 2.10 July 2.856 1.920 3.200 2.09 June 2.800 2.400 3.046 2.27 May 2.774 2.150 2.540 2.22 April 2.662 2.046 2.602 2.25 March 2.397 1.800 2.667 2.03 February 2.049 1.750 2.425 1.79 January 2.056 1.658 2.413 1.81 ($1 = 4.1530 ringgit) (Reporting by Fransiska Nangoy; Additional reporting by Michael Taylor and Bernadette Christina Munthe; Editing by Christian Schmollinger) The SPQ1 gas platform is seen on the southern edge of Iran's South Pars gas field in the Gulf, off Assalouyeh, 1,000 km (621 miles) south of Tehran, in this January 26, 2011 file photo. REUTERS/Caren Firouz/Files By Parisa Hafezi and Rania El Gamal ANKARA/DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran on Wednesday stopped short of offering to restrain oil output as part of a global pact to freeze production to prop up prices, making clear it wants to recapture the market share it lost during years of sanctions. Iran's stance will complicate talks on output levels after a surprise compromise this week between two of the world's top exporters - non-OPEC Russia and the group's leader Saudi Arabia - to freeze output at January levels, near their historic highs. The first mooted global oil pact in 15 years has so far failed to impress the market, which had expected a production cut instead of a freeze that could even turn into an increase if Iran wins special terms from fellow OPEC members. "This is the first step and other steps should also be taken. This cooperation between OPEC and non-OPEC members to stabalise the market is good news. We support any effort to stabilise the market and prices," Iranian oil minister Bijan Zanganeh said, according to the Shana news agency. Zanganeh spent around two hours with oil ministers from Iraq, Qatar and Venezuela in Tehran on Wednesday. The visitors, who flew from Doha, where the output deal was clinched on Tuesday, left the Tehran meeting without comment. Zanganeh spoke to Iranian media afterwards and chose his words carefully to avoid mentioning Iran's position on freezing its own output. "We had a good meeting today and the report of yesterdays meeting was given to us. We support cooperation between OPEC and non-OPEC members. "I was told that Russia as the worlds biggest oil producer, Oman and other countries are ready to join. This is a positive step, we have a positive approach to it, this is a good start," he said. ILLOGICAL DEMANDS OPEC Gulf producers Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE, as well as Venezuela said they would join the Russian-Saudi pact, aimed at tackling a growing oversupply and helping prices recover from their lowest in over a decade. Story continues But Iran is the major obstacle to the first joint OPEC and non-OPEC deal since 2001, having pledged to increase output sharply to regain market share lost during sanctions. "Asking Iran to freeze its oil production level is illogical ... when Iran was under sanctions, some countries raised their output and they caused the drop in oil prices." Iran's OPEC envoy, Mehdi Asali, told the Shargh daily newspaper before the talks on Wednesday. The sanctions, imposed over Iran's nuclear programme, were lifted last month after an agreement with world powers, allowing Tehran to resume selling oil freely in international markets. Iran exported around 2.5 million barrels per day of crude before 2012, but sanctions cut that to around 1.1 million bpd. Tehran has pledged to raise supply by around 1 million bpd in the next 6-12 months and on Wednesday some Iranian banks were reconnected to the SWIFT global transaction network, which will allow it to facilitate banking business. SPECIAL TERMS Iranian barrels would only add to the global glut, which has been fuelled by U.S. shale output and a decision by Saudi Arabia to pump at full capacity to drive higher-cost producers out of business. The world is already producing more than 1 million bpd than it consumes, with oil stockpiles at record levels. OPEC member Libya, whose output was cut to a fraction by a civil war, said on Wednesday it was keen to produce more Oil prices fell below $30 per barrel in January from as high as $115 in mid-2014, hammering the finances of Russia, Saudi Arabia and other producers. Brent oil futures rose almost 7 percent on Wednesday after losing 4 percent the day before to trade near $35 per barrel. "A freeze is not the same as a cut, and somewhat disingenuously, keeping crude production at January levels actually implies higher-than-expected annual output ... and so can hardly tackle the current market oversupply," JBC Energy said in a note. Two non-Iranian sources close to the OPEC discussions told Reuters on Tuesday that Iran might be offered special terms as part of an output freeze deal. "Iran is returning to the market and needs to be given a special chance, but it also needs to make some calculations," said one source. The sources did not elaborate on the special terms, which could be anything from setting limited production increases to linking future output rises to a recovery in oil prices. Olivier Jakob from Petromatrix consultancy said that if Saudi Arabia were to freeze output at January levels, the kingdom would need to cut exports by 500,000 bpd in the summer months, when it burns more oil for power generation at home. "The production freeze can therefore be seen as an un-official way for Saudi Arabia to make some room for the restart of the Iranian exports," he said. The last global deal in 2001 saw Saudi Arabia persuade Mexico, Norway and Russia to contribute to production cuts, although Moscow did not follow through and raised exports instead. (Additional reporting by Alex Lawler and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Writing by Andrew Torchia and Dmitry Zhdannikov; Editing by David Holmes, Pravin Char, Janet McBride and Giles Elgood) BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's oil minister said on Thursday talks would continue between OPEC and non-OPEC members to prop up oil prices, a day after a meeting aimed at trying to reach a global pact to freeze production ended inconclusively. In his first response since the meeting between oil ministers from Iran, Iraq, Qatar and Venezuela in Tehran on Wednesday, Adel Abdul Mahdi said it was incumbent on producers to find a way of restoring "normal" prices and that rapprochement between OPEC and non-OPEC members was a step in the right direction. Two of the world's top exporters - non-OPEC Russia and the group's leader Saudi Arabia - reached a surprise compromise earlier this week to freeze output at January levels, near their historic highs if other producers joined in. OPEC Gulf producers Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE, as well as Venezuela said they would join the Russian-Saudi pact, aimed at tackling a growing oversupply and helping prices recover from their lowest in over a decade. But Iran is the major obstacle to the first joint OPEC and non-OPEC deal since 2001, having pledged to increase output sharply to regain market share lost during sanctions, which were lifted last month after an agreement with world powers, allowing Tehran to resume selling oil freely in international markets. (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Writing by Isabel Coles; Editing by Mark Potter and David Evans) A Qatar Airways Airbus A350 XWB aircraft is displayed at the Singapore Airshow at Changi Exhibition Center February 18, 2016. REUTERS/Edgar Su ROME (Reuters) - Italian airline Meridiana is asking labour unions to agree to 900 job cuts as part of a planned partnership with Qatar Airways, a person involved in the talks said on Thursday. Sardinia-based Meridiana - owned by the Aga Khan, a businessman and spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims - is under a government-sponsored restructuring plan. The holding company behind Meridiana said earlier this month it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Qatar Airways and planned to complete a transaction in the first half of 2016. (Reporting by Alberto Sisto, writing by Isla Binnie) TOKYO, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Japan on Thursday agreed to add new landing and take-off slots at Tokyo's crowded Haneda airport on routes to the United States, allowing daytime flights by both nations' carriers from Haneda to the U.S. for the first time. Aviation officials from Washington and Tokyo agreed in talks in Japan to give Japanese and U.S. carriers five new slots each between 0600 and 2300, and cut the number of slots between 2200 and 0700 from four to one, Japan's Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Land said in a news release. The allocation of the new landing rights had been delayed because Delta Air Lines was worried that new slots at Haneda would bring greater benefits to United Airlines and American Airlines because they are in alliances that include Japanese carriers. Haneda is much closer to central Tokyo than the city's main international airport at Narita, which Delta uses as a hub for flights to other parts of Asia. Narita is 80 km (50 miles) east of the city, while Haneda is around 20 km (13 miles) away. United Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance group with ANA Holdings, while American Airlines is in One World with Japan Airlines. (Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) Bernard Madoff exits the Manhattan federal court house in New York in this January 14, 2009 file photo. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - Victims of Bernard Madoff's fraud cannot pursue a Florida lawsuit to recover $11 billion from the estate of Jeffry Picower, who they say helped perpetuate the swindler's Ponzi scheme, a Manhattan bankruptcy judge ruled on Wednesday. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Stuart Bernstein said the lawsuit by A&G Goldman Partnership and Pamela Goldman, their third effort to sue in Florida, violated an injunction barring Madoff victims from pursuing claims belonging to Irving Picard, the trustee liquidating Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC. Bernstein oversees the Madoff firm's liquidation. Picard had in December 2010 won a $7.2 billion settlement with the estate of Picower, who died in October 2009. But a slew of litigation ensued from Madoff customers, including many who say the trustee undervalued their claims, against Picower and other alleged enablers of Madoff. Picard has estimated that Madoff's victims lost $17.5 billion in the fraud, which was uncovered in December 2008. In the latest Florida case, the Goldman parties added claims that Picower "propped up" Madoff's fraud with $200 million of loans to fund investor redemptions, and agreed to serve in trading records as a counterparty for many fake options trades. The Goldman parties sought to hold Picower responsible for "all $18 billion" of Madoff customers' losses, less the $7.2 billion from the 2010 settlement. Bernstein nevertheless found it "wholly conclusory" to allege that Picower helped Madoff distribute fake statements to customers, and had enough "control" over the swindler to justify separate litigation. He also said allowing the Florida lawsuit "would carry real risks" to the Madoff firm's bankruptcy estate, encouraging more lawsuits and perhaps undermining the $7.2 billion accord. Bernstein nonetheless rejected efforts by Picower's widow Barbara, who oversees his estate, and other parties associated with Picower to stop further lawsuits by the Goldman parties, while saying "the question is close." Story continues The judge said the Goldman parties have not pursued frivolous or vexatious litigation, and that the Picower parties or Picard could seek sanctions if they crossed the line. A spokeswoman for Picard declined to comment. Lawyers for the Picower entities and the Goldman parties were not immediately available for comment. The case is Securities Investor Protection Corp v. Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York, No. 08-01789. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bernard Orr) google fiber A new filing gives us more information about the wireless broadband equipment that Google is testing in Kansas City, where it already operates its high-speed internet service Fiber, hinting that it might eventually provide a wireless "last mile" for Fiber. Today, Google runs high bandwidth fiber optic cable directly to each home the network serves. The filing indicates that, in the future, it might instead terminate the fiber cable at an earlier point, then use the new wireless technology to deliver internet to nearby homes. In September, Google applied for special temporary authority to expand testing in the 3.5 GHz band in Kansas City a frequency which the FCC recently designated for new licensed and unlicensed wireless broadband services and the company is now seeking to extend that authorization for 24 months. It's also asking to expand its authorization to between 3400 and 3700 MHz (previously, the lowest frequency it asked for was 3550 MHz). In the new heavily redacted filing with the Federal Communications Commission, Google discusses "demonstrations of [REDACTED] experimental transmitters" for its "experimental broadband networks." The new filing is also the first time Google mentions access points and base stations that will communicate with "end user devices," indicating that this isn't just some back-end technology that Google is testing. Although Google likely isn't building a full-fledged wireless service (the company recently said that it won't be bidding for the airwaves used by mobile carriers) the fact that its expanding its 3.5 GHz tests from current (Fiber-less) locations in Mountain View and Virginia to Kansas City mean it could be experimenting with a wireless "last mile" for Fiber. Google declined to comment on its plans. NOW WATCH: This gigantic machine melts snow off the streets of NYC and turns it into your shower water More From Business Insider A US soldier stands atop a military humvee at a training ground in Paju on February 8, 2016, South Korea (AFP Photo/) Four times as many US troops as originally planned are to take part in a joint military exercise with South Korea next month following nuclear and missile tests by the North, Seoul said Thursday. The US will send 15,000 troops to the annual computer-simulated "Key Resolve" exercise, the Yonhap news agency quoted Defence Minister Han Min-Goo as saying, up from 3,700 last year. South Korea would also increase the number of troops it sends, he said. Key Resolve, which ran for 10 days last year, usually kicks off simultaneously with a field exercise known as Foal Eagle, another joint military drill that lasts around 50 days. Foal Eagle is also expected to be the largest ever this year, attracting key US strategic assets such as an airforce combat brigade, marines, a naval fleet led by an aircraft carrier and nuclear-powered submarines, Yonhap said. North Korea regularly ratchets up its hostile rhetoric around the time of the joint US-South Korea military exercises, which usually spark a sharp surge in tensions on the divided peninsula. As the double exercises began last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un urged his army to prepare for war with the United States and its allies. The reclusive state also fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea at the start of the exercises. Last month, North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test despite international condemnation and followed it with a long-range rocket launch on February 7. The launch was widely condemned as a ballistic missile test banned under UN resolutions. - Military muscle-flexing - The United States and South Korea have responded with a series of military muscle-flexing activities. On Monday, the USS North Carolina attack submarine arrived at the southern port of Busan for joint training with the South Korean navy. And four US F-22 stealth fighters were deployed to an air base near Seoul on Wednesday. South Korea and the US are also set to begin talks this week on the possible deployment of an advanced US missile defence system, despite opposition from China. Story continues The US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence System (THAAD) would fire anti-ballistic missiles into the sky to smash into enemy rockets during their final flight phase. "We will exercise our sovereign rights regarding this issue and in making decisions", Moon told journalists. "Nothing is more important than taking measures to protect the people and their assets from the increasing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea", he said. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye on Tuesday signalled a tough new approach to derailing North Korea's nuclear weapons programme and indicated the South would lead efforts to bring about regime change in the Stalinist state. Seoul last week abruptly withdrew from the Kaesong industrial complex, where South Korean firms operated factories that employed North Korean workers, arguing hard currency from the symbol of cooperation with the North is believed to have been diverted to weapons development. South Korean foreign ministry spokesman Cho June-Hyuck said Thursday that Seoul is also seeking international cooperation to curb North Korean immigrant workers. Some 60,000 North Koreans are working in China, Russia, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, Yonhap said. ankara At least 28 people were killed and 61 wounded after a car bomb exploded outside a military residence in Turkey's capital of Ankara on Wednesday, Turkey's deputy prime minister, Numan Kurtulmus, said in a press conference following the attack. The explosion, which occurred just after 6:30 p.m. local time, apparently targeted shuttles carrying military personnel in central Kizilay district near several government buildings including the army, air-force, navy, and coast-guard commands and Turkey's Parliament, according to Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah. "We are looking into details of the explosion," Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, according to Turkey's English-language newspaper Hurriyet. A spokesman from Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, Omer Celik, called the explosion "an act of terror" on Twitter. Ankara The government has now imposed a broadcast ban on the blast. The bombing comes four months after two ISIS-linked suicide bombers killed more than 100 people and wounded dozens more at a peace rally in Ankara. No one has claimed responsibility yet for Wednesday's attack. Turkey's government is currently battling Kurdish insurgents linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party in the country's southeast, with militias increasingly taking the war against the state to the streets. Allan Smith contributed reporting. NOW WATCH: Here's footage of a Russian warplane crashing after Turkey shot it down More From Business Insider * Tumbling rubber prices turn Asian farmers to other crops * Japan's tyre makers look to new suppliers or stable supply * Push could benefit Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar By Yuka Obayashi and Rajendra Jadhav TOKYO/MUMBAI, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Fed up with rubber prices languishing at seven-year lows, Sunny Joseph, a farmer in India's southern state of Kerala, has uprooted his two-acre (0.8 hectare) rubber plantation to make way for a more lucrative crop. A similar trend among growers in Southeast Asia is alarming Japanese tyre makers and spurring them to seek new sources of supply away from traditional producers, amid fears that today's glut could turn to a shortage. Tyre makers in Japan and the United States have even been looking at extracting rubber from alternatives sources such as guayule, a desert shrub. "For three years I had been waiting for rubber prices to improve. Prices were so low that I cannot even pay workers wages, so I decided to shift to nutmeg," said Joseph. "It can easily give me a better return." Producers worry low prices will mean even farmers who stick with rubber could lack the funds to renew ageing plantations. Japan's big tyre makers account for nearly a quarter of global tyre sales and are major buyers of natural rubber, which is combined with synthetic rubber to give tyres better grip. Top growers Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia announced plans this month to curb exports by nearly 6 percent of global output, with Indonesia saying its output was set to fall as farmers dig up trees. "Japanese tyre makers have become increasingly worried about the future supply of natural rubber since (last) summer, as falling prices could push farmers out of business," said Shinichi Kato, president of rubber material dealer Shinichi Kato Office. "Tyre makers are trying to buy more rubber from countries with lower labour costs such as Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in case some producers at other countries with higher costs such as Thailand stop making rubber," he said. Story continues Yokohama Rubber Co Ltd, Japan's third-biggest tyre maker, started buying rubber from Myanmar in 2014, widening its supply sources to seven countries. "We've heard some rubber farmers in northern Sumatra island in Indonesia had shifted to palm oil trees due to sagging rubber prices. That made us worried," a company spokesman said. "We want to widen our procurement network beyond mainstay sources." Japanese trading firm Mitsui & Co said last year it planned to start rubber farming and processing in Cambodia, collaborating with a local firm, and sees low-cost producers like Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar emerging as key output centres. Bridgestone Corp, the world's top tyre maker by sales, aims to boost productivity at its company-owned farms in Indonesia and Liberia in west Africa through breed improvement and tree selection. Bridgestone is also trying to develop tyre grade rubber from guayule, which is native to Mexico and the southeastern United States. U.S.-listed Cooper Tire and Rubber Co is also investigating guayule, which it has said could ensure a stable natural rubber supply, reduce price volatility and lessen dependence on foreign suppliers. SUPPLIES TO TIGHTEN? Industry officials warn a slowdown in new plantations and tree replanting could tighten supplies from 2020 onwards, as rubber trees only become mature for tapping six to seven year after cultivation. "This will reduce supply, though demand has been rising from tyre makers," said Indian rubber dealer N. Radhakrishnan, a former president of the Cochin Rubber Merchants Association. Tyres consume about 60 percent of the global output of natural rubber. Rubber accounts for about 40 percent of tyre makers' costs and tumbling prices have boosted profits, although the industry is under pressure due to cheap product from China. Rubber futures in Singapore and Tokyo have tumbled more than two-thirds from record highs in 2011 to seven-year lows, due to slower economic growth in top buyer China. Tokyo prices, at around 150 yen ($1.28) a kilogram, are well below their 10-year monthly average of about 260 yen. The price plunge has already led to government support in Thailand, the world's top rubber producer, where farmers are demanding a guaranteed selling price and threatening protests. Malaysian rubber output fell 50 percent in the past two years and production has been stagnant in Thailand and Indonesia, according to the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC). Farmers in these countries are turning towards oil palm cultivation, while growers in India, where production has fallen 28 percent over two years, are giving space to crops including banana and cocoa. Such crops can also be harvested more quickly after planting. "Smallholders are badly affected due to the price fall," said ANRPC secretary-general Sheela Thomas. "When it comes to replanting, these farmers have to think about survival. It is natural for them to shift towards crops they think will give better returns." ($1 = 117.3100 yen) (Reporting by Yuka Obayashi and Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by Richard Pullin) surface pro 4 hello After months of inaction, Microsoft is finally addressing some of the biggest bugs that customers have seen with its Surface Book laptop and Surface Pro 4 tablet. On Wednesday, Microsoft Surface boss Panos Panay apologized for the delay in an official blog post, promising that the new software patches coming today would begin to address the issues across both the Surface Book and the Surface Pro 4 tablet. "I read the blogs, I read the comments, I read social media, I read the forumsand so does the team. We love the energy. Were listening and channeling that feedback directly into our products," Panay wrote. That update is starting to go out via Windows Update today. It consists of new drivers and patches to make the Surface line work better with the Intel processor and display drivers, which The Verge reports cause power management problems in the devices' hardware. When the Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 launched last Fall, a whole slew of deal-breaking bugs came with them, including random crashes and the dreaded blue screen of death I personally went through three Surface Pro 4 tablets in the quest to find a single error-free unit. Microsoft originally promised that those bugs were restricted to pre-release units sent to the press, but the problems turned out to far more widespread, affecting more and more customers even prominent Microsoft blogger Paul Thurrott slammed the company's lack of response over the issue, dubbing this fiasco "Surfacegate." A software update to the Surface Book released in late January 2016 annoyed users when it didn't do much to alleviate these issues. I actually put my Surface Pro 4 in a drawer while I waited for all of this to be resolved, so I can't test the new software update immediately. But it's good to see that Microsoft is finally showing signs of wanting to fix this problem. In the meanwhile, Microsoft is hopefully filing these lessons away: It's harder to take an Apple-like control over both hardware and software than it looks. People want reliability. Story continues NOW WATCH: 6 cool things the Microsoft Surface pen can do More From Business Insider By Promit Mukherjee and Rafael Nam MUMBAI (Reuters) - Thousands of people and lion mascots swarmed the weekend opening of a "Make in India" drive to attract foreign direct investment, pitched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "the biggest brand that India has ever created". The week-long event, the boldest since Modi launched the initiative to emulate China's export miracle back in 2014, got off to an inauspicious start when a huge fire engulfed the stage at a cultural event on Sunday. Nobody was hurt. Even as the Make in India hype scales new heights, some bosses questioned Modi's delivery on promises to make it easier to do business, while marketing experts cautioned against creating unrealistic expectations. "When you over-communicate and you under-deliver, the biggest risk is that you begin to lose trust," said Chandramouli Nilakantan, CEO of Blue Lotus Communications, a branding and public relations consultancy. On buzz alone, the effort got off to a great start, with the prime ministers of Sweden and Finland attending Saturday's gala opening hosted by Modi. On Sunday, delegates thronged the 10 pavilions erected for the event in Mumbai, India's financial capital. Around 2,500 foreign and 8,000 domestic companies were expected to attend, organisers said. Yet on the ground, the experience of businesses is more prosaic. Twenty months after Modi swept to power with a promise of growth and jobs for India's 1.3 billion people, executives say more needs to be done, including improving infrastructure. More pressingly, key legislation such as a goods and services tax and land acquisition bill are stuck in parliament, just as global competitors such as Vietnam step up their own reform efforts. "Make in India is a great initiative and has created a lot of positive sentiments," Vikas Agarwal, general manager of mobile phone maker OnePlus in India, told Reuters. "Now the government needs to follow up with policies. That includes providing custom duty and export incentives, tax rationalisation and removal of ambiguous land acquisition policies." Story continues MAJOR WINS Make In India has scored major wins, including a pledge by Taiwan's Foxconn to invest $5 billion in a new electronics manufacturing facility. That has helped foreign direct investment to nearly double to $59 billion last year, the seventh highest level in the world, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Yet in critical aspects, India remains far behind its goals. The proportion of manufacturing to gross domestic product has been stuck at around 17 percent for five years, below the government's goal to ramp it up to 25 percent, according to the Boston Consulting Group. India has only created 4 million manufacturing jobs since 2010, according to Boston Consulting. At the current rate, India may only create 8 million jobs by 2022, well below the government's goal of 100 million. Professor Ravi Aron, a U.S.-based expert in manufacturing, said India was ill-suited for a Chinese-style export boom, because it lacked the infrastructure and the skills for its exports to compete internationally. "It should not be called 'Make in India' but 'Make In Spite of India'," said Aron, of Johns Hopkins University, advising the Indian government to scale back its ambitions and focus on its growing domestic market. ($1 = 68.2750 rupees) (Editing by Douglas Busvine and Tom Heneghan) Saudi Arabia military parade Saudi Arabia just launched what it describes as the largest war game in the country's history. On February 14, the "Northern Thunder" military exercise began, involving troops from 20 countries. Saudi Arabia's state news describes Northern Thunder as "the largest military exercise of its kind in terms of the number of participating countries and qualitative military equipment." David Weinberg, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Business Insider that Riyadh's claims shouldn't be taken at face value and that the exercise might not have a specific political objective either. "Even year in recent years the Saudis announce some sort of 'biggest' military exercise, and people always try to find a message," Weinberg says, noting that Northern Thunder includes participants like Egypt, Pakistan, and Oman "which have balked at recent Saudi military requests." Still, the exercise comes at a time when Riyadh is badly in need of effective hard-power projection. Saudi Arabia is in an ambiguous geopolitical position, losing on a number of important fronts while gaining in military power and regional importance. In Syria, Russian and Iranian support has enabled crucial battlefield gains for the regime of Bashar al-Assad advances that have come at the expense of Saudi-supported rebel groups. The Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, which is fighting to restore the country's internationally recognized government after Iranian-backed Houthi rebels deposed it in early 2015, has made little progress in recent months and is widely thought of as a strategic misstep. Saudi troops walk at their base in Yemen's southern port city of Aden September 28, 2015. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser The recent agreement between Saudi Arabia, Russia, Qatar, and Venezuela to cap oil production could lead to an OPEC production-level freeze that would hurt Iran, restraining the Saudi rival's output just as international sanctions against the country are lifted. Story continues At the same time, Saudi Arabia's primary regional opponent still plans on spending a reported $8 billion on Russian arms and is seeing its global standing improve after the January implementation of its nuclear deal with a US-led group of world powers. Screen Shot 2016 02 18 at 10.18.22 AM Saudi Arabia is facing internal pressures as well. Low oil prices are forcing Riyadh to cut social services and impose unprecedented taxation measures, while the government plans on raising money through privatizing some of Saudi Aramco, the country's multitrillion-dollar state oil concern. Despite these challenges, Saudi Arabia is arguably the most powerful of the Arab states, thanks in part to its low breakeven price for oil production and the effect of ongoing conflict and dysfunction on traditional regional leaders like Syria, Egypt, and Iraq. Despite cuts in its defense budget, Saudi was the world's third-largest military spender in 2015 and its largest arms importer in 2014. Riyadh has also carried out increasing military exercises in order to display the country's firepower, Weinberg explained to Business Insider. "The increasing tempo of major Saudi military exercises reflects the kingdoms broader investment in military spending and operational capacity, which is first and foremost driven by the perceived conventional and unconventional threats posed by Iran." An exercise like Northern Thunder sends the message that Saudi Arabia intends to keep up an assertive regional policy despite its recent setbacks. NOW WATCH: These are the biggest risks facing the world in 2016 More From Business Insider A Nestle logo is pictured on sample products on display at the company headquarters in Vevey February 19, 2015. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/Files By Silke Koltrowitz VEVEY, Switzerland (Reuters) - Food group Nestle missed forecasts with a 4.2 percent rise in annual underlying sales and predicted only a similar outcome this year, saying it was getting harder to raise prices in a tough economic environment. It was the third successive year that the maker of Nescafe coffee and Kitkat bars fell short of its long-term target of 5-6 percent growth, disappointing investors who still look to the Swiss giant to outperform rivals thanks to its broad reach and efficient management. "It was a generally disappointing report, nothing better than average," said Bernstein analysts in a note. "We are not accustomed to Nestle being 'average' but it is becoming more frequent." Analysts had been expecting full-year sales growth of 4.3 percent, according to a Reuters poll. Nestle shares were down 3 percent at 71.90 Swiss francs at 1140 GMT. All consumer goods companies are facing slower growth around the world and more demanding consumers in emerging markets, notably China. Rival Unilever last month also warned of a difficult year ahead, forecasting sales growth of 3-5 percent. When asked whether the company was abandoning its long-term growth model entirely, Nestle Chief Executive Paul Bulcke said: "No, but we have a sense of reality." BUMPY RIDE Nestle also has its own specific problems, including last year's recall of its Maggi noodles in India that will make this year's first-quarter particularly tough and growth soft, according to Chief Financial Officer Francois-Xavier Roger. "The delivery of our growth in 2016 might be slightly more uneven, from quarter to quarter, than you are used to," Roger said. He added that it would be even harder this year to raise prices due to overall deflation in markets like Japan and Europe, and some competitors taking advantage of lower costs of commodities like milk to steal market share with lower prices. "Were not in that pricing game, but we cannot leave too much of a difference between our price point and their price point," Roger said. Story continues Nestle did forecast improvements in margins, underlying earnings per share in constant currencies, and capital efficiency. Its net profit fell more than expected last year, by over a third, to 9.1 billion Swiss francs ($9.2 billion), partly due to a one-off gain in 2014. Nestle raised its dividend as expected to 2.25 francs per share, but did not propose a new share buyback programme, as some analysts had hoped. Kepler Cheuvreux analyst Jon Cox said the disappointing outlook and absence of a share buyback announcement, would weigh on the stock. "Its comment that pricing will be even softer in 2016 versus 2015 will send a chill through the whole space today and stock is going to take a smack," he said in a note. ($1 = 0.9906 Swiss francs) (Additional reporting by Angelika Gruber in Zurich and Martinne Geller in London; Editing by Mark Potter and Keith Weir) * Recession piled up bad loans, curbing bank lending * Few firms have opened up to alternative funding sources * Many small companies have little financial expertise By Isla Binnie, Francesca Landini and Giulio Piovaccari ROME/MILAN, Feb 18 (Reuters) - When Parmesan prices proved too volatile for Italy's strained banks a dairy cooperative near Bologna came up with a novel solution to its funding needs, bonds backed by wheels of cheese. But 4 Madonne Caseificio dell'Emilia remains an exception among small businesses struggling to get long-term funds in Italy, where a credit crunch risks holding back a fragile economic recovery after more than a decade of stagnation. At the heart of the problem is the failure by successive governments to cut the cosy ties between Italy's banks and companies, weaning them off loans and onto capital markets, something Bank of Italy Vice Director Fabio Panetta says "could activate a virtuous circle between market growth, investments and economic development". Because many small enterprises have never had to present a business plan or detailed accounts to get a loan, they are ill-equipped to make the transition cheesemaker 4 Madonne did in filing quarterly accounts and certifying balance sheets. "It is a challenge for us because these are things we never did, not because we lack transparency but because that's how the system works," 4 Madonne's Chief Financial Officer Andrea Setti told Reuters in a telephone interview. "In our sector you balance the books at the end of the year, everyone agrees and the discussion ends there." Such light demands from banks were the norm in Italy until three years of recession bankrupted thousands of clients, piling up 200 billion euros of bad debt on banks' balance sheets. Their response was to cut lending drastically, leaving small firms to find other ways to pay the bills overnight. "The majority of the small businessmen we see might be good at their trade but they have not evolved financially," Nunzia Onesti, who runs a professional training firm in Naples, said. Story continues Onesti says that some are not even able to communicate their financial needs clearly, something which makes it hard for firms to take advantage of the "mini-bond" scheme used by 4 Madonne. This scheme was devised by then-Prime Minister Mario Monti in 2012 to help reduce companies' reliance on banks by allowing companies that make more than 2 million euros a year and have more than 10 employees to issue such bonds. But so far the numbers don't add up. Bank loans, which at 793.5 billion euros ($883 billion) in December make up some 88 percent of all corporate debt, fell by 24 billion euros in the past two years, according to Italy's banking association. Yet mini-bonds have far from filled the gap - only about 3 billion euros have been raised in this way since 2013 by unlisted companies that are not units of bigger groups or backed by private equity, according to Reuters calculations. "Mini-bonds are complicated for small and medium-sized companies, and the people who should be investing have trouble really getting to know the business," Davide Baldini, principal at Oliver Wyman consultancy, said. RUNS IN THE FAMILY One major obstacle to Italian corporations raising more money on the capital markets is that family-owned companies are close-knit and often unwilling to open up their books. Some of the country's biggest and best-known firms such as the world's largest pasta producer Barilla and Nutella maker Ferrero are resolutely family-controlled, while on Milan's AIM market for smaller companies, there are only 74 names listed, compared with more than 1,000 on the equivalent in London. The Bank of Italy's Panetta said in a speech in January that companies were reluctant to open up to markets and invite scrutiny from shareholders, watchdogs and tax authorities. "Business people see entering capital markets as involving a fixed cost, to a great extent in terms of transparency, which outweighs the advantages," he said. For companies that have shouldered this cost and broken the family-owned, locally-funded mould, adapting to the realities of market financing has posed unforeseen challenges. Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group (MZB), which owns 20 coffee brands including Segafredo Zanetti and Britain's Puccino's, was turning over about 1 billion euros a year before it floated, but its scale did not fully prepare it for the rigours of a stock market listing. After releasing quarterly results that undershot analyst expectations during their first year on the market, its stock nosedived and it had to go on a roadshow to reassure investors. "We were used to being treated with patience by our owner and founder, Mr. Zanetti, but after we listed, we found ourselves under pressure from investors and analysts to come up with positive figures every quarter," MZB chief financial officer Pascal Heritier said. The stock is trading more than 30 percent lower since its market debut in June but Heritier said MZB does not regret listing, which allowed it to cut debt and gave it more flexibility to consider acquisitions. It will take time to coax others into raising money independently, but the banks' lending squeeze will encourage them, said Vito Ferito, associate partner at Frame Capital UK which co-arranged 4 Madonne's bond. "There needs to be a cultural shift to encourage a businessman who has gone to his usual bank for 40 years to start looking at other options," said Ferito. ($1 = 0.8990 euros) (Additional reporting by Valentina Za; Editing by Alexander Smith) VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Feb 18, 2016) - A leader in emergency management and disaster response has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer for Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue. Pat Quealey joins Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue from his role as Assistant Deputy Minister for Emergency Management BC (EMBC) where he was responsible for the leadership of the Province's agency for planning, preparedness and response to emergencies and disasters. Critical to this role was fostering unity of effort across many organizations charged with ensuring public safety. In this senior role he also oversaw improving support for the province's public safety lifeline volunteers including ground search and rescue organizations. Prior to his position with provincial government, Mr. Quealey completed a 25-year career with the Canadian Armed Forces. His overseas deployments included peace-keeping operations in Bosnia and co-ordinating multi-national security and combat operations in Afghanistan. In Canada, among other responsibilities, he planned and led the coordination of the military's support to security and disaster response operations in British Columbia and Alberta. This included support to the Commander of Maritime Forces/Joint Task Force Pacific in the consequence management of air and marine search and rescue operations. Mr. Quealey's credentials include a Graduate Certificate in disaster science from the University of Richmond in Virginia; a Master of Military Arts and Science from the United States Army Command and General Staff College; a Graduate Certificate in applied science from the Royal Military College of Science in England; and a Bachelor of Arts from the Royal Military College of Canada. Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCM-SAR) is British Columbia's volunteer marine rescue organization, a charity that is part of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary system. RCM-SAR's 1,100 volunteers at more than 40 rescue stations are called to about 800 marine emergencies every year. MADRID/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Spanish police have arrested five directors of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) after they raided the lender's Madrid offices as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering. China's large state-owned lenders have been dogged by allegations of improper conduct as they expand abroad and the probe into ICBC by police, the Spanish tax agency and Europol involves funds handled by a criminal group which the Interior Ministry says passed through the bank and were transferred to China. Over 100 police were involved in the operation, which saw the arrest of five ICBC directors, Europol said in a statement on Wednesday. A Beijing-based spokesman for ICBC, China's largest bank in terms of assets, said its Madrid branch was cooperating with the investigation. "Strictly implementing anti-money laundering regulations, and strictly operating within the law and regulations have always been our fundamental operation and management principles," the spokesman added. The Chinese embassy in Spain also said it currently had no reason to believe ICBC had been breaking the law, adding that it had not received official notification about the case from the Spanish authorities. The probe into ICBC follows a slew of allegations of money laundering levied against other Chinese banks. Last June, prosecutors in Italy asked Bank of China's (BoC) Milan branch to be tried for smuggling among other alleged crimes and a month later, the U.S. Federal Reserve told China Construction Bank Corp to address deficiencies in money laundering compliance. NOT THE WORST OFFENDERS Such probes could mar the reputation of these banks as they expand abroad, primarily to cater to the growing presence of Chinese firms, bankers at overseas branches of the lenders said. "We haven't been abroad for long, so this has an impact on all of us," said a banker at a London branch of a top-four Chinese lender. Analysts, however, said Chinese banks are not necessarily the worst offenders when compared to their global peers. "If you look at the fines globally, which firms have been fined the most in terms of anti-money laundering, you wouldn't find the Chinese banks near the top of that list although some have been asked to tighten procedures," said Mark Wightman, a partner in the wealth and asset management at Ernst & Young. For example, HSBC agreed in June last year to pay Geneva authorities $43 million to settle a money laundering investigation at its Swiss private bank. Wightman also added that conditions are likely to get tougher for all banks as the Common Reporting Standards (CRS), a global tax residency rule, come into effect this year. "Everyone will be looking at their client bases in a lot more detail as they have to store info on client tax residency as well, and manage any potential challenges to that, so thats another question the banks are struggling with," he said. ($1 = 0.8988 euros) (Reporting by Emma Pinedo in MADRID, Shu Zhang in BEIJING and Engen Tham in SHANGHAI; Additional reporting by Anthony Deutsch in AMSTERDAM and Adam Jourdan in SHANGHAI; Writing by Paul Day, Angus Berwick and Ryan Woo; Editing by Stephen Coates and Miral Fahmy) asteroid explosion Right now, Russia is making plans to launch missiles into space. The target: A large asteroid named 99942 Apophis, which is scheduled to pass close to but not impact Earth in the years 2029, 2036, and 2068. The idea is to eventually build a network of missiles that could destroy at a moment's notice oncoming asteroids or comets between 65 to 165 feet wide, reported the Russian state-owned news agency TASS. While a space rock 165 feet across wouldn't be enough to wipe out all life on Earth, it could cause catastrophic damage if it were to land in a populated city. The Chelyabinsk meteor, for example, that exploded over Russia in 2013 was about 65 feet wide. The explosion and resulting shockwave sent 1,500 people to the hospital and damaged 7,200 buildings across six cities. What's so scary about the Chelyabinsk meteor is that despite a growing interest in detecting and cataloging life-threatening space rocks no one knew it was coming until the moment the fireball burst into view: But what if Russia had known the meteor was going to strike? There's a likely chance that they couldn't have done anything to stop it. "Most rockets work on boiling fuel. Their fueling begins 10 days before the launch and, therefore, they are unfit for destroying meteorites similar to the Chelyabinsk meteorite in diameter, which are detected several hours before coming close to the Earth," Sabit Saitgarayev, the leading researcher at Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau, told TASS. To prevent a future event similar to the Chelyabinsk meteor, Saitgarayev wants to use Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), which stand fueled and ready to fire at a moment's notice. ICBMs are the type of missiles that the US and USSR had pointed toward each other during the Cold War. While ICBMs are designed to carry nuclear warheads, they can also theoretically launch chemical or biological weapons. Saitgarayev did not specify what type of explosive device the missiles would launch with them into space whether it be a nuclear device or something else. Story continues Before Russia can start firing their ICBMs at asteroids and comets, however, Saitgarayev says that the missiles need an upgrade, which TASS reports will cost "several million US dollars and the authorities permission." After all, under the regulations set by the Outer Space Treaty, it's illegal to detonate weapons in space for better or worse. More unsettling, is that Russia is asking for millions of dollars for a project that has little immediate use. Impacts like that Chelyabinsk meteor are rare and impacts from even larger objects, like 165 feet across, are extremely rare. The last time a meteor the size of Chelyabinsk struck Earth was in 1908. At that rate, we shouldn't expect to see another event like this until the next century. Russia might be better off funding its struggling space program than investing in a missile system that could be well out of date by the time it's ready for use. Plus, firing explosives at an asteroid isn't the best idea for preventing an impact: NOW WATCH: This is why no one can legally own the Moon More From Business Insider OPEC and Russia Enter into a Deal: What's Next for Crude Oil? (Continued from Prior Part) Crude oil markets bigger picture Russia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Qatar decided to freeze crude oil production at January 2016 levels. We discussed this in the last part of the series. In contrast, Saudi Arabia has always been keen on defending the market share. It resisted the collective production cut strategy. However, after inking the historic deal, Saudi Arabias Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi hinted that this was the beginning of a bigger deal in the months to come until US shale oil producers shut down. Read how Iran could add value to the deal in Part 4 of this series. In Part 3, well also discuss how the American Petroleum Institute crude oil inventory data and Cushing stocks could impact oil prices. Crude oil price volatility Saudi Arabia is increasing its allies and buying time by inking this historic deal to kill US shale oil producers. Crude oil prices fell for the seventh time in the last ten trading sessions. Prices fell more than 70% in the last 20 months due to oversupply concerns and record production from Russia to Saudi Arabia. Read more about the Crude Oil Volatility Index later in this series. Historically low oil prices impact US shale oil producers like Apache (APA), Laredo Petroleum (LPI), Whiting Petroleum (WLL), ConocoPhillips (COP), EOG Resources (EOG), and Ultra Petroleum (UPL) the most. US oil producers have the highest break-even costs and production costs. For more on US energy companies financial woes, read US Oil and Gas Companies Debt Exceeds $200 Billion. Qatars energy minister reported that it would be monitoring these countries crude oil production levels. To learn more about the latest developments in Iran and Iraq, read Part 4 and Part 5 of this series. Gasoline prices Gasoline prices fell by 6.7% and closed at $0.97 per gallon in yesterdays trade. To learn more, read How Do Crude Oil, Gasoline, and Diesel Prices Mirror Each Other? and Vicious Circle: Gasoline and Diesel Prices Impact Refinery Demand. Story continues The ups and downs in oil prices impact oil and gas ETFs and ETNs like the VelocityShares 3X Inverse Crude Oil ETN (DWTI), the Vanguard Energy ETF (VDE), and the iShares U.S. Energy (IYE). Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: A gas flame is seen in the desert near the Khurais oilfield, about 160 km (99 miles) from Riyadh, June 23, 2008. REUTERS/Ali Jarekji (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is "not prepared" to cut oil production, Agence France-Presse reported, quoting the Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir. "If other producers want to limit or agree to a freeze in terms of additional production that may have an impact on the market but Saudi Arabia is not prepared to cut production," al-Jubeir told AFP in an interview. "The oil issue will be determined by supply and demand and by market forces. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia will protect its market share and we have said so." Oil prices rose more than 14 percent over the last three days after a plan by Saudi Arabia and Russia, endorsed without commitment by Iran on Wednesday, to freeze oil output at January's highs. The Saudi-Russian production freeze plan, also joined by Qatar and Venezuela, is the first such deal in 15 years between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC members. Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh had welcomed the plan on Wednesday without committing to it. (Reporting by Anet Josline Pinto and Swetha Gopinath in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta) New recruits take part in a shooting training session on February 16, 2016 at a camp in a rebel-held area of the northern city of Aleppo (AFP Photo/Karam al-Masri) (AFP) Washington (AFP) - The Pentagon said Tuesday it would respond "as necessary" if there were violations of a cessation of hostilities agreement in Syria, warning it was a "test" for Russia. Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook would not specify the nature of the response, but said a failure to abide by the agreement reached in Munich would be factored into US military decision-making. "We will be keeping a close eye on who abides by it and who does not, and we will be in a position to say clearly, and to respond if necessary, if there are violations of that cessation of hostilities," Cook said at a Pentagon briefing. The warning follows air strikes in and around Aleppo on Monday that hit hospitals and schools, killing an estimated 50 people, according to the United Nations, which called the attacks a "blatant violation of international law." Neither the United Nations nor the United States have directly accused Moscow of carrying out those air strikes, but the State Department said Monday the attacks cast doubt on Russia's willingness or ability to stop the fighting. Russian bombers have been supporting a Syrian government offensive on Aleppo, and Moscow is Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's closest ally. "This is a test for the Russians," said Cook, calling the cessation of hostilities agreement reached in Munich Friday "a new marker, a new line if you will for Russia and others to abide by. We are signatories to it as well." The agreement to halt the fighting and allow humanitarian relief to reach besieged Syrian cities was supposed to go into effect within a week. The State Department, however, played down expectations it would take hold by then. "I can't say categorically that a week from last Thursday there must be a cessation of hostilities, but certainly we're going to expect that there is progress," deputy State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters. "I'm not trying to excuse the delay in any way, shape or form. I think we're going to continue to pursue aggressively, the cessation of hostilities. But we also recognize we need, the parties involved need a little space in order to at least make the effort," he said. Cook had mentioned a March 1 date for the cessation of hostilities to go into effect, but then backpedaled, saying he may have misspoken and referring reporters to the State Department. Beirut (AFP) - Syria's Kurds, long held in disdain by Damascus, are edging towards autonomy in their heartland along Turkey's border as they capitalise on the tactical goals of both Washington and Moscow. To the dismay of Ankara, Kurdish forces have seized on the collapse of rebels in the northern province of Aleppo in the face of Russian-backed regime gains to advance to within 20 kilometres (12 miles) of the border. From the outset of the Syrian conflict in 2011, the Kurds benefited from the regime's pullback from their regions to establish a local administration spanning from northwest to northeast Syria. According to Syria analyst Fabrice Balanche, the Kurds who have gained ground mostly from Islamic State jihadists who now control 14 percent of Syrian territory, or 26,000 square kilometres (10,000 square miles), compared with nine percent in 2012. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, says Kurdish forces also hold three quarters of the 800-kilometre border with Turkey. Their long-cherished ambition is to set up an autonomous region like their Kurdish brethren across the border in Iraq by connecting the three Kurdish "cantons" of Afrin and Kobane in Aleppo province with Jazira in Hasakeh province. "The Kurds' main aim is to annex the cantons... They want a decentralised Syria, perhaps their canton system can be a model for the rest of Syria," said Mutlu Civiroglu, a Washington-based analyst on Syria and the Kurds. Balanche said they want to link up Kobane and Afrin to ensure that their "'Rojava' (Syrian Kurdistan) has territorial continuity". - 'Third Path' - In the battle for Aleppo which has raged since the start of February, the Kurds have broken a more than year-long siege of Afrin by Islamist rebels and Al-Nusra Front jihadists with the key support of Russian air strikes. To join Afrin and Kobane, their next battle will be fought against the Islamic State group, mainly in eastern Aleppo. Story continues On the battlefield, the Kurds have linked up neither with the regime nor rebel forces fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad. "From the very beginning, the Kurds have followed what they call 'the third path'. They are neither with the regime nor with the opposition because neither of them acknowledge Kurdish rights," said Civiroglu. As a result, "neither the regime nor the rebels are happy with them". Rebel forces have also accused the People's Protection Units (YPG), the Kurdish fighting force, of merely serving regime interests by expelling them from strategic areas of Aleppo such as the town of Tal Rifaat and Minnigh air base. "We have nothing to do with the regime's battle," insisted Salah Jamil, an official of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), of which the YPG is considered the armed wing. "We've fought against Al-Nusra and other factions which carry out Turkey's strategy because they have besieged our regions and bombarded our villages," he told AFP. - 'Player in future Syria' - Maria Fantappie, an International Crisis Group expert on the Kurds of Syria and Iraq, said: "The PYD's priority is now one of capitalising on their territorial gains and intricate set of regional and international alliances to establish themselves as an uncontested political player in a future Syria." The PYD may not have been invited to the Geneva peace talks between the opposition and the regime, but in January it hosted Washington's pointman in the battle against IS, Brett McGurk, and opened a representation in Moscow this month. Turkey, alarmed by the Kurdish gains, has since Saturday bombarded Kurdish positions across the border in Syria. The United States, which counts on its Turkish ally in the multinational fight against IS, has also relied on the Kurds in both Syria and Iraq to battle the jihadists on the ground. For its part, Russia has since September pummelled jihadist and rebel positions with air strikes which have allowed the Kurds to expand their territory, notably with the seizure of Minnigh air base. "Moscow cannot ignore the Kurds. They are the main power who are fighting the jihadists. It is in Russia's interest too" as well as that of Washington, said Civiroglu. While supporting the Assad regime, which Ankara has fiercely opposed for the past five years, Moscow stands to gain on the Kurdish question, a source of friction between Washington and Ankara. Balanche said Assad may not be enchanted by Moscow's support for the Kurds, but he has no choice as his very "future depends on the backing of Russia". Russian President Vladimir Putin has clearly made his support for Assad conditional on the creation of a Kurdish autonomous entity in northern Syria, according to Balanche, who is currently working with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy think tank. "So in effect the Kurds will serve as Syria's border guards." donald trump Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he'll give solving the conflict between Israel and Palestine "one hell of a shot." During an MSNBC town hall, the Republican presidential candidate said that he had some doubt that he could settle the complex, decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. But he said that he wouldn't hesitate to forge a deal between the two sides if it could be done. "It is a very, very tough agreement to make," Trump told "Morning Joe" hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, who were moderating the town hall. "But I will give it one hell of a shot. That I can tell you. But of all agreements I would say if you can do that deal, you can do any deal. That's probably the toughest deal in the world right now to make and it's possible it's not make-able," he continued. When asked which side was to blame, Trump said that he wouldn't reveal his thoughts on the matter in order to maintain the element of "surprise" in the potential future negotiations. He said: I don't want to get into it for a different reason, Joe. Because if I do win, there has to be a certain amount of surprise, unpredictability, our country has no unpredictability. If I win, I don't want to be in a position where ... the other side now says, "We don't want Trump involved." ... Let me be sort of a neutral guy. Though he wouldn't reveal his biases, Trump reiterated what a "very prominent Israeli" told him about the roots of the conflict. "I was with a very prominent Israeli the other day, said it's impossible because the other side has been trained from the time they're children to hate Jewish people," Trump said earlier at the town-hall event. Trump hasn't emphasized his close ties with Israel as frequently as some of the other Republican candidates, but he has occasionally touted his pro-Israel agenda. Last year, Trump told an audience in Washington, DC, that Israel "hasn't been given a lot of credit" for attempting to negotiate with Palestine. Trump also planned a trip to Israel in December to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but subsequently canceled it. Story continues NOW WATCH: Obama on why Trump wont be president: 'It's not hosting a talk show' More From Business Insider A worker checks the valve of an oil pipe at the Lukoil company owned Imilorskoye oil field outside the West Siberian city of Kogalym, Russia, January 25, 2016. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brent settled lower on Thursday after data showing U.S. crude inventories rose to record highs overshadowed production freeze plans by oil major producers that had sharply boosted the market this week. The U.S. government's Energy Information Administration (EIA) said crude stockpiles rose 2.1 million barrels last week, to a peak of 504.1 million barrels in the third week of hitting record highs in past month. [EIA/S] The EIA also cited record high gasoline inventories and higher stocks of distillates that include heating oil and diesel. Brent (LCOc1), the global benchmark for crude, settled down 22 cents at $34.28 a barrel, having risen more than $1.20 before the data. It had gained a total of more than $4 between Friday and Wednesday. U.S. crude (CLc1) settled up by a modest 11 cents at $30.77 a barrel, after an earlier peak at $31.98. Reuters data showed the daily volume in U.S. crude futures at just over 200 million barrels, down 75 percent from two weeks ago. Oil prices had risen more than 14 percent over the last three days after a plan by Saudi Arabia and Russia, endorsed without commitment by Iran on Wednesday, to freeze oil output at January's highs. Thursday's EIA data, if followed through by more builds in U.S. crude, could undermine oil producers' hopes for continued price recovery, traders and analysts said. "We should see crude sell off in the days to come," said Tariq Zahir, oil trader and fund manager at Tyche Capital Advisors in Long Island, New York. "We're still in a very well-supplied market and with refinery maintenance coming up and warmer weather heading to the U.S. East Coast, we are likely to see substantial builds in the weeks to come." The Saudi-Russian production freeze plan, also joined by Qatar and Venezuela, is the first such deal in 15 years between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and non-OPEC members. But following Iran's failure to commit to a production freeze, Iraq's oil minister on Thursday signaled Iraq would wait for more cooperation between producers before committing to freeze its own production. Story continues Iran is the major obstacle to the deal, having pledged to increase output sharply to regain market share lost during sanctions, which were lifted last month after an agreement with world powers, allowing Tehran to resume selling oil freely in international markets. While oil producers hope their efforts will end the 20-month long selloff that brought crude down from above $100 a barrel in mid-2014, the only certainty ahead could be choppier markets. "What we see still is extreme volatility," said Carsten Fritsch, analyst at Commerzbank. "I would not be surprised to see prices retreating again by a big margin in coming days." (Additional reporting by Alex Lawler in London; Editing by Adrian Croft, Chris Reese and Marguerita Choy) Revolutions never come quietly, but many people dont recognize them even when they arrive. With the electorates of both Republicans and Democrats mounting open insurrections, many people still seem to be living in denial. A friend recently asked whether anyone could put together a scenario by which Donald Trump could win in November, believing that none existed. Barack Obama himself told reporters at a press conference this week that he couldnt imagine the American people electing Trump as his successor. I think they recognize that being president is a serious job, Obama said from a US-Asian Leaders Summit in California. It's not hosting a talk show or a reality show, it's not promotion, it's not marketing, it's hard. it's not a matter of pandering and doing whatever gets you in the news on a given day. Related: Nikki Haley Dumps Trump in Favor of Rubio in South Carolina Primary Oddly, Obamas description fits modern political campaigning to a T, especially at the presidential level. He may have come closest to why Trump has managed to remain on top of the polls for as long as he has. It may not be a slam-dunk, but Trumps dominance in the Republican field and his most recent attacks on the GOP establishment certainly point to a realistic, if perhaps still speculative, path to the White House. Pundits have spent the last year discounting the populist revolts in the primaries of both major parties. No one gave Bernie Sanders a chance to present a serious challenge to Hillary Clinton; no one would take a Socialist seriously as a contender for the Democratic Party nomination. The Clintons had too many ties to the institutional donors on the Left and invested themselves in being team players for Barack Obamas presidency. Yet a year later, Sanders pulled off a virtual tie with the former Secretary of State in Iowa and a 22-point blowout win in New Hampshire. Team Hillary has begun to explain away a coming defeat in Nevada, and now looks nervously to their prospects in South Carolina. Suddenly, they find themselves in the fight of their lives. Story continues Flip the script and this applies even more to Trump. If anyone had proposed a year ago that the New York-based real-estate tycoon who made a spectator sport out of firing people would become the working-class hero of the Republican rank-and-file, they would have been laughed off the op-ed pages. Every GOP campaign assumed Trump only wanted an opportunity for self-promotion, so much so that none took his positions seriously enough to rebut. Analysts assumed that voters were momentarily infatuated with Trumps reality-television celebrity, and would eventually move to other, more traditional candidates. Related: Could Trumps Attacks on George W. Bush Backfire in South Carolina? Until Trump won New Hampshire, some continued to believe that and still do, including President Obama. The question has shifted somewhat, though, to whether Trump can win in a two- or three-way race in the primaries. That speculation ignores a double-digit lead that Trump already has in most national polling and in several upcoming primary states. It also assumes that any other voters moving away from candidates such as Ben Carson, John Kasich, and Jeb Bush would switch in full to either Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio. At least thus far, polling trends show all three gaining support as other candidates fade. Part of those assumptions have to do with the consideration primary voters usually give to electability. Trump is too vulgar, obnoxious, or vague to win a general election, the argument goes, and his likability numbers are the worst in both partys primaries. Yet in national polling, Trump shows a competitive position against both Clinton and Sanders. A Suffolk University poll conducted on behalf of USA Today released this week shows Trump slightly ahead of Clinton, 45/43, a similar position to Cruz (45/44), and only slightly more narrow than Rubio (48/42). Unlike Cruz, Trump also edges out Sanders (44/43), while Rubio again only narrowly outperforms Trump (46/42). How can this be possible? Voters have made it clear all along. The current political establishment in Washington and both parties have lost their trust. Under the leadership of both parties, the US has run up a massive amount of debt, failed to deliver on decades of campaign promises, and allowed bitter partisanship to stall any potential solutions. Manufacturing jobs have dropped in favor of high-tech positions while wages stagnated over the past decade or more, leaving blue-collar workers without much hope of improving their lives. For these workers, massive unchecked illegal immigration has undermined wage competition as well, and that resentment crosses party and demographic lines in ways that do not neatly fit into the assumed red/blue paradigms. Related: Trump Vows to Sue Cruz Over Birthplace If 'False Ads' Stay Up Given this situation, the path to a Trump victory may not be easy, but it can be seen. Trump has rallied voters disaffected by both gridlock and failure and promised them his expertise in finding success on their behalf. His incessant attacks instill confidence among his supporters that he will not back down short of victory. He aims those attacks at both sides of the aisle; blaming George W. Bush for 9/11 falls right into this strategy. For those who want to tear down the gridlocked establishment without caring much about policy specifics or ideological purity, Trump offers the brightest hope in the field. This puts Trump in position to challenge either Democrat for the presidency. Clinton would be Trumps easiest target; she represents nearly a quarter-century of the political establishment, and her personal polling qualities are nearly as bad as Trumps. Clinton was beaten by Hope and Change eight years ago, and now she is more than ever the candidate of the Status Quo. But Bernie Sanders might make almost as easy a target, having spent the last 25 years in Congress with very few real accomplishments other than maintaining his status as the only declared Socialist on Capitol Hill. His first steady income came as a politician, and it has been his only real job since graduating from the University of Chicago. Sanders might win the intellectual elite and the college-age voters who rarely turn out in large numbers, but Trump might have a claim on nearly everyone else. Just because this path exists doesnt mean it will necessarily unfold in this manner. Nor does it make Trump the best candidate or the best bet for Republicans, and especially not for movement conservatives. But it does mean that its time to face reality and admit that Donald Trump not only has a very good chance of winning the nomination, but also at winning the White House at least until someone offers a more attractive alternative. 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When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy. Taipei, Feb. 18 (CNA) The Taiwan High Court overturned Thursday a lower court ruling in which a university dropout from Hong Kong was sentenced to life in jail in Taiwan last year after admitting the murder of his landlord in 2014, and gave him 15 years in prison on the grounds he had reached a private settlement with the other party. Random thoughts on almost anything and everything, with an emphasis on defense, intelligence, politics and national security matters..providing insight for the non-cleared world since 2005. What does being a gay man have anything to do whether this guy is anti feminist or not. That is like saying all women are feminists because they are female. Curious Cdn said: So, you are actually going to use your nukes, after all. You had better be prepared to launch a devastating surprise attack. "The Empire Strikies Back" Click to expand... We can thrive outside Europe: The Mail's City Editor ALEX BRUMMER was always pro-EU but now explains why he has changed his mind Only yesterday, the Mail reported that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the worlds top economic institute, believes it is Europe rather than the UK whose financial health is currently at risk. The refugee crisis, the lack of market reforms across the EU and the economic stagnation generated by the austerity policies of the eurozone are damaging Europe as a trading bloc and destroying business investment, it said. Meanwhile, the OECD forecasts that Britains financial growth, with the rock-solid foundation of the City behind it, will, at 2.1 per cent, outstrip that of France, Germany and even America this year. Click to expand... But why just Jamaica or the Indian Subcontinent. Canada wouldn't be here today were it not for the British Empire and Britain would be well within its rights to get back Canada.But, as I say, Jamaica should be the first priority.By Alex Brummer for the Daily Mail 20 February 2016Daily MailThere can be few British institutions that have demonstrated the robust survival skills of the City of London.Over the centuries it has faced the greatest of challenges: from the Great Fire of London in 1666 to the South Sea Bubble of the early 18th century which caused the mother of all market crashes; from the moment in 1931 when the gold standard pegging the pound to gold was abandoned and our currency collapsed, to the World War II campaign of destruction by the Luftwaffe.In more modern times it has shrugged off the IRA bombings of the 1970s, Ted Heaths three-day week and the sterling crises of the late 20th century and, of course, the great financial crash and recession of 2007-2009.The Citys story is an extraordinary one of survival and, yes, prosperous growth in the face of continual threats to its physical and commercial existence. Whatever has been thrown at it, the City has simply become more and more important to our national wealth.Yet this week, a growing number of City bigwigs in a campaign orchestrated by No 10 have issued apocalyptic warnings about the dire consequences of Britain leaving the EU.As a financial journalist who has chronicled the ups and downs of the Square Mile for more than 40 years, I admit that I have broadly been a supporter of the European project largely because it has kept the peace after the horror of the two world wars, and because sensible trade co-operation ought to benefit us all.But increasingly I have come to despair at the economic and financial folly of trying to knit 27 diverse economies and political systems together. Indeed, the more I witness the stifling economics of the EU, the financial incompetence of the eurozone, the fetid state of the European banking system and its sloppy and ill-conceived decision-making, the more convinced I have become that Brexit leaving the EU is the right thing for the nation and the City.Because of the global status of the City of London, I believe we would not only survive financially outside Europe, but thrive.Despite the concerted Government campaign to convince everyone that leaving the EU would be a disaster, the chairmen and chief executives I have spoken to from some of the largest businesses in the UK suggest we would be no worse off.They are not alone. Only yesterday, the Mail reported that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the worlds top economic institute, believes it is Europe rather than the UK whose financial health is currently at risk. The refugee crisis, the lack of market reforms across the EU and the economic stagnation generated by the austerity policies of the eurozone are damaging Europe as a trading bloc and destroying business investment, it said. Meanwhile, the OECD forecasts that Britains financial growth, with the rock-solid foundation of the City behind it, will, at 2.1 per cent, outstrip that of France, Germany and even America this year.The truth is that in times of strife and turmoil such as the current eurozone crisis, the City, with the superior financial services it provides, has always become even more vital to Britains and the worlds economic health.For many groups of international traders, its free markets offer an escape from the stifling tax and regulatory systems that exist in so many other countries, not least in Europe.Indeed, by remaining in the EU we risk anti-business measures being imposed on the City by Europe, which has long been inordinately jealous of Londons financial success.The City is already suffering from damaging EU-imposed red tape such as financial directives and regulations on bonuses, all of which it would escape if we left.Frankfurt and Paris are desperate to see additional EU regulations and taxes imposed on the City, which would slow commerce and, by doing so, make their own financial centres more attractive business propositions.The Citys overwhelming global influence is shown not only in the myriad foreign financiers who work here but also in its geographical expansion.W hereas it was once confined to the Square Mile technically still the definition of the City of London its financial services have moved not just east to Londons Docklands and the sprouting towers at Canary Wharf, Stratford and beyond.To the west they also occupy offices in Mayfair and the West End, which has become the home of hedge funds, private equity and venture capital firms.The City is the biggest generator of income for the Exchequer and the leading exporter of financial services to the world, worth some 95 billion a year.The great three pillars of the Square Mile the London Stock Exchange, Lloyds of London and the Bank of England remain as dominant in global financial affairs today as when they first emerged out of the coffee houses and early banks of the 17th century.The City today remains the worlds primary financial centre, a role it cemented through the 19th century when the British Empire was at its height.Its ability to reinvent itself in every generation is a huge tribute to the ingenuity and entrepreneurship of a merchant workforce attracted to its trading floors from every corner of the earth.Over the years there has been a litany of dire warnings about our global financial pre-eminence each time Britain has refused to go along with the EUs march towards a superstate.When we declined to join the single currency in 1999, we were warned of the enormous damage that would be done to London as a financial centre.Bankers would flee to Frankfurt and Paris or follow the money to booming Asian financial centres in Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai, we were told. But while there has been some exit of talent to the East, almost no major financial institution has felt bold enough to make the shift away from London.In fact, many global banks, including the mighty New York investment bank Goldman Sachs, have chosen instead to locate themselves in London, building ever larger and more lavish global headquarters.Even the much-criticised internet giants such as Google have decided that Britain, with its range of consultancy, legal and financial services, is the place to be in Europe.The truth is that this scaremongering by financial institutions over failing to sign up wholesale to the European project has very little basis. Instead of the Citys significance being diminished each time we refuse, the reverse has happened.After Britains chaotic expulsion from the euros predecessor, the European Monetary System, in 1992, for example, the economy soared.When the then Labour Chancellor Gordon Brown chose to exclude us from the single currency project in June 2003, the UK economy was saved from the abyss.We must remember, too, that Britain truly is an international centre, not just an outpost of Europe. Despite having only two runways at Heathrow, we remain a geographically favoured offshore financial centre, well placed to deal with the needs of Asia and America.This explains why the City has attracted 250 foreign banks to these shores. And why it dominates the foreign exchange markets, and sets interest rates and key commodity prices for the rest of the world.It also has Europes most vibrant stock and derivatives markets and, with its tradition of innovation, is becoming one of the worlds most important centres for so-called FinTech, the digital financial revolution, for the next generation.The euro enthusiasts and some of the banks and financial institutions claim that if Britain leaves the EU, tens of thousands of banking and financial jobs will decamp to Paris and Frankfurt, giving them the opportunity to usurp Londons hegemony. I profoundly disagree.Some jobs will certainly go. Although Britains biggest bank, HSBC, has decided to remain headquartered in London, having conducted a 40 million study of the pros and cons of leaving for Hong Kong, it estimates that it may have to move 10,000 jobs to Paris.Goldman Sachs, which, along with the New Yorks J.P. Morgan, is supporting the stay-in campaign, says up to a third of the 6,000 or so staff at its London HQ will have to shift to Frankfurt.This is understandable being based in an EU country provides financial institutions with a so-called passport which allows them to trade currencies, bonds and shares across European borders more easily.So yes, there may be a short-term price to pay as some of the biggest investment banks send some employees to the Continent. But these would, in all likelihood, be replaced by countless workers from India, China, South America and elsewhere in the world as we focus on the global market.In any case, the number of jobs we are talking about is a fraction of the total employed by the big investment banks and will have a negligible effect on the power of the City to lure investment and workers to Britain.In recent years, for instance, tens of thousands of French citizens and Greeks often with the advanced numerical skills required to thrive on trading floors have migrated to Britain in search of bigger salaries and better lifestyles.Parts of London have become suburbs of Paris, with many bankers doing weekly commutes. At times certain continental banks have employed more people in the Square Mile than they do in their own countries.Would all this survive Brexit? My frequent conversations and meetings with leading figures in banking, at the Bank of England and in the insurance industry, certainly suggest it would.The Bank of England has noted that the uncertainty engendered by the Brexit debate may have caused turbulence for the pound. Yet our currency remains firm against the euro, because of Britains more robust economy, if a little weaker against the dollar.One senior Bank of England official told me recently that he would not be concerned if some jobs moved overseas to Europe, because the City is so good at embracing the next cutting-edge development in financial trading.He noted that the City and the UK are already pioneers of the latest financial technology, with the creation of internet banks offering highly personalised services only on the web, and companies such as Worldpay, which arranges secure internet payment systems and recently floated on the London stock market with a value of 6 billion.Financial innovation naturally gravitates towards the City because it offers favourable conditions for business and has always done so.Back in the 1960s and 1970s, U.S. and continental investment banks transferred operations to London after successive American governments imposed taxes which made it expensive for foreign corporations and governments to raise loans and issue bonds on Wall Street.Within a few short years the entire business of raising loans and credits in foreign currencies had jumped across the Atlantic to the City and what became known as the Eurodollar, Eurobond and syndicated loans markets firmly established themselves here.It was these new markets which, in turn, attracted the major American investment banks to the City. And after Mrs Thatchers epoch-making Big Bang reforms of the 1980s, which relaxed regulations to make financial dealing easier, the City of London became still more international.Its true there have been downsides to this story of vibrant financial development. In the run-up to the recent banking crisis, many of the complicated financial products known as derivatives, which were traded around the world and later imploded in value, were invented in the UKs dealing rooms.It may not have been the finest moment in the illustrious history of the City, but it does demonstrate the continuous ability of traders based in London to adapt and re-invent themselves as the needs of global finance change.For all their bravado, none of Europes would-be financial capitals, such as Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam, has the same deep traditions of global banking, commodity and share trading as London.That is why in recent decades, as growth exploded from Brazil to China, so many natural resources firms chose the London Stock Exchange to float and trade their shares.In the City they encounter not just free, open and well-regulated markets but all the skills they need for fundraising, mergers and acquisitions and other corporate dealings.The big law and accounting firms in the City are part of a professional infrastructure that would be almost impossible to replicate on the Continent.Equally, the uniquely can-do approach to capitalism and free markets in London would be anathema to Paris and Frankfurt.Europes habit of stifling enterprise and slowing markets is antithetical to everything the City of London does. Its compulsion to regulate, to tax and to boss individuals and institutions around is fatal to commercial success.The idea that right-thinking banks and markets from around the world would abandon the City for the calcified environment of the European Union is fanciful.This island nation can do very well on its own, thanks to a City of London that has seen off innumerable threats to its existence over many centuries, and will continue to do so. Missing radioactive material in Iraq prompts nationwide search, ISIS fears "A dirty bomb attack would be major news, regardless of how many immediate casualties occur." Probably nothing to worry about.A desperate hunt for highly dangerous radioactive material is on in Iraq, where officials fear it could be used to make a "dirty bomb" if in the hands of ISIS, according to a government official in Baghdad.The material, stored in a case the size of a laptop, disappeared from a storage facility near the southern city of Basra in November, Reuters reported. It was in the possession of Houston-based oil industry contractor Weatherford, according to a document obtained by the news agency.The document describes "the theft of a highly dangerous radioactive source of Ir-192 with highly radioactive activity belonging to SGS from a depot overseen by Weatherford in the Rafidhia area of Basra province."- Ryan Mauro, Clarion ProjectWeatherford officials said SGS was repsonsible for safeguarding th materia."Weatherford has no responsibility or liability in relation to this matter because we do not own, operate or control sources or the bunker where the sources are stored," the company said in a statement to Reuters. "SGS is the owner and operator of the bunker and sources and solely responsible for addressing this matter."The report comes on the heels of news that the Islamic terrorist organization has chemical weapons that it has used on the Kurds. A spokespwerson for the U.S. State Department said officials are aware of reports, but deferred to Iraqi governmentA spokesman for Iraq's environment ministry told Reuters he could not discuss the issue due to national security concerns. A Weatherford spokesman in Iraq also declined to comment.The missing material is used to test flaws in pipelines in a process called industrial gamma radiography, and was owned by Istanbul-based SGS Turkey, according to the document and officials.A senior environment ministry official based in Basra, who declined to be named as he is not authorized to speak publicly, told Reuters the device contained up to 10 grams of Ir-192 "capsules," a radioactive isotope of iridium also used to treat cancer.The material is classed as a Category 2 radioactive source by the International Atomic Energy Agency, and could be lethal for someone exposed to it for a period of hours. Reuters could not say how potent the material is, which would depend on its strength and age.In the past, quantities of Ir-192 have vanished in the United States and other countries, raising concerns of a "dirty bomb," or a conventional explosive paced with lower-grade nuclear material.Even a lower-level radiation bomb could cause widespread panic and fear, said Ryan Mauro, adjunct professor at Clarion Project, a U.S. think tank that tracks terrorism."Shaping headlines is essential to ISIS' jihad and beheadings, explosions and most brutal acts have become stale," Mauro told FoxNews.com. "A dirty bomb attack would be major news, regardless of how many immediate casualties occur."It also leads to ongoing media coverage of the victims' conditions from the radiation exposure because audiences will want to know what actually happens if this worth to happen where they live."A security official told Reuters the perpetrators may have known what they were doing, noting there were "no broken locks, no smashed doors and no evidence of forced entry" at the facility.A spokesman for Basra operations command said army, police and intelligence forces were working "day and night" to locate the material.Besides the risk of a dirty bomb, the radioactive material could cause harm simply by being left exposed in a public place for several days, said David Albright, a physicist and president of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security."If they left it in some crowded place, that would be more of the risk. If they kept it together but without shielding," he said. "Certainly it's not insignificant. You could cause some panic with this. They would want to get this back."On Tuesday, U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper confirmed that ISIS has manufactured and deployed mustard gas in Iraq and Syria.Clapper did not elaborate on where and when the chemical attacks occurred, though there has been mounting evidence the terror group was experimenting with chemical weapons.[The Syrian government] has used chemicals against the opposition on multiple occasions since Syria joined the Chemical Weapons Convention. ISIL has also used toxic chemicals in Iraq and Syria, including the blister agent Sulfur mustard, Clapper said in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.Fox News previously reported on ISIS' potential experimentation with chemical weapons. Photos taken by the Kurds in northern Iraq last summer and reviewed by Fox News showed burns and blistering on skin following exposure to odorless, colorless agents absorbed through the clothing. ARLINGTON U.S. Senator Deb Fischer took some time out of her busy schedule to meet with the Arlington High School senior class Wednesday afternoon in the school gymnasium. Fischer spent just over 10 minutes addressing the group before answering numerous questions that students prepared. Fischer was elected to the U.S. Legislature in 2012, and prior to that served two terms as a state senator in the Unicameral. While serving as a Nebraska state representative from Legislative District 43, Fischer served on the Transportation Telecommunication committee which is one of the top-three committees in the State Legislature, she said. Additionally, Fischer was the first state senator directly elected from the Unicameral to the U.S. Senate. One of the senators messages to students was to do some research before just automatically assuming that positive moves forward are not being accomplished in Congress. While Fischer acknowledged that her first two years in the U.S. Congress were difficult she was in the Senate minority positive steps were taken in 2014 and 2015. In 2014, the Senate voted on 15 amendments the entire year, and in 2015, voted on more than 200. This is important to know because it shows the legislative process is working, she said. We are taking votes, and people can hold us accountable. But unless you introduce bills, and amend bills, and take votes on amendments and have debates to try to get people to join you, you arent going to get anything done. Fischer currently is a member of four committees: The Armed Service Committee, Commerce Committee, Environment and Public Works Committee and Small Business Committee. She takes great pride on working with the Armed Service Committee. You all know that we live in a dangerous world and that these are dangerous times, she told students. We face threats all over, so to continue meeting those challenges we need to make sure that our military has the resources that they need if we are going to carry out the missions we give them. When Fischer opened for questions, students took the opportunity to ask about many topics, including: relations with North Korea, NASA funding, Supreme Court nominations, free college tuition, the Keystone XL Pipeline and others. In regard to college tuition, the Senator asked all students in favor of college to raise their hands a few brave ones did. Fischer said that while she is a proponent of Pell Grants and other grants that help people with financial problems receive an education, that not everybody should have their education paid for by the government. She added that there are several ways to make college more affordable, such as attending in-state, or going to community college. Ultimately, she said, students have to make the decision themselves about what path they want to take after high school. She also added that while free college tuition sounds nice, in reality, its not as simple as it sounds. Nothing is free, she said. Somebody has to pay for it. John Hairfield was still in high school when his best friend set him up on a blind date. On that date, Hairfield met his future wife, Patsy. The two later married, had four children and moved from their North Carolina home to Martinsville, Va., where they lived in the same house for 50 years. John traveled the world as a vice president of marketing for a large textile corporation. His wife a former first runner-up for Miss North Carolina was a family leader and caretaker. She was very kind. She loved children and she smiled all the time, said the Hairfields daughter Amy Uehling. Patsy Hairfield died in November 2013, just months before what would have been the couples 60th wedding anniversary. Now, John Hairfield would face some life transitions. But those transitions would lead him to Fremont, where family members believe hes finding some happiness and peace. After his wifes death, Hairfield lived in his Virginia home for a year. He then came to live with his daughter and her family on a Uehling area farm. He enjoyed being on the farm, but didnt want to be an imposition. Dads always been independent, never wanted to have to depend on anybody, ever. So he always felt like an imposition no matter what we said, she recalled. So Uehling began looking for a place where her dad, who has some short-term memory issues, could be safe and have some independence. Uehling checked out and took a tour of Nye Square in Fremont. She said that she was going to pray about it and find some direction as to what the Lord wanted and what was best for her dad, said Lynnze Martinsen, director of admissions. Uehling brought her dad to Nye Square for an open house. Martinsen stayed in touch and said Uehling contacted her siblings about what to do. I worked with her to figure out what would be the best situation for her dad and what would be the best services that we could provide, and how we could make this transition successful for John, Martinsen said. Uehling said Nye Square offers services such as physical and occupational therapy and counseling for older people experiencing life changes, such as the loss of a spouse. Hairfield moved into his Nye Square apartment in January. One recent afternoon, he showed visitors his Get Away and Do Nothing Room, a place where he comes to relax and look over memorabilia. His apartment also includes photographs including one of Patsy and him that he keeps on a table. We had a great life, he said, looking at the photograph. I just lost her too early. Hairfield noted that hes still adjusting to his new environment. Yet he maintains a positive outlook. No one could be any nicer than the folks here have been to me, he said. Hairfield, 81, lives in an independent living apartment at Nye Square. Martinsen said the independent apartment-style living provides extra services if the person needs them. Nye Square also offers assisted living, when a person needs services such as housekeeping, meals, medicine administration and bathing. Martinsen, who said its been extremely rewarding for her to walk with the family on this journey, also noted that Uehling has been very helpful and an active part of Hairfields daily life. Uehling said her dad has done well since moving in. From the day we moved him in, he has been more content, more at peace, less anxious and happier than hes been since before mom passed away, she said. Uehling said her brothers, who call him frequently, also noticed this. They were able to tell me those exact words, she said, adding, The staff went above and beyond what they needed to do. Moxy Hotels, Marriott Internationals edgy new lifestyle brand is making its mark in the U.S. with two new openings in Spring 2016. Moxy New Orleans, LA, and Moxy Tempe, AZ will both open this spring and fully embrace todays Next Generation traveler and show the world what moxie really means fun, spirited and stylish. We are excited to debut Moxy Hotels in the U.S., beginning with New Orleans and Tempe, as we believe that the aura of each city completely embodies the essence of Moxy fun, edgy, and social, all with a youthful spirit, said Vicki Poulos, global brand director, Moxy Hotels. Todays Millennial traveler appreciates the idea of hospitality over service: they want to be welcomed, and to help themselves. Knowing that this audience views self-service as the best service, Moxy has created a new way of traveling, which is smaller in concentration, not a reduction. Thoughtful touches permeate the Moxy experience, providing Next Gen guests with everything they want and nothing they dont. Moxys inviting lobbies are crafted to be highly social spaces with a high-energy lounge, 24/7 self-service grab and go, ample plug-ins for personal devices, free and furiously-fast Wi-Fi, and the Moxy Digital Guestbook for streaming videos and pictures via Instagram. Each hotel is also equipped with a library and plug-in zones that invite a quiet read or a brief web browse. Guestrooms will offer keyless entry, screen casting and motion-sensor lighting. The design aesthetic will embody the ethos of the brand and the personality of the local areas. The brands photo booth elevators encourage and enable guests to snap fun selfies with locally-inspired props. Moxy New Orleans, located steps away from the French Quarter in downtown New Orleans, will welcome guests with its style, design and attitude. Developed and owned by Noble Investment Group, the contemporary 108-room hotel is scheduled to be unveiled in April 2016. To help introduce New Orleans to the Moxy way of life, the hotel welcomes locals and travelers to join Moxys upcoming buzz worthy get-togethers, which are designed to get the blood pumping. Pre-opening happenings will include an exclusive invite-only sleepover. The opening reveal events will include: a traditional New Orleans Freak Show, a mix-off with dueling DJs, local beer tasting and a Karaoke party. Moxy Tempe will debut in March in the Phoenix-metro hipsterhood known for its crazy college parties, underground art and epic nightlife. Launched by Newport Beach, California-based Twenty Four Seven Hotels, Moxy Tempe will feature 186 industrial chic, yet comfortable, bedrooms and an abundance of free-flowing indoor/outdoor space enabled by modern roll-up garage doors off the lobby. Old school record players, vinyl album sets and acoustic guitars will pump music in Moxy King Studios, and custom Moxy city cruiser bikes will zip guests around town. The hotels lively pool scene and state-of-the-art fitness center will ensure guests will want to extend their stay. Moxy Tempe will introduce travelers and locals alike to the Moxy lifestyle with a reveal event in April 2016. Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, applauded the U.S. governments efforts to secure a new agreement with Japan resulting in greater access for U.S. airlines and their customers to Tokyos downtown Haneda Airport. U.S. airlines and their passengers will for the first time benefit from five daytime flights to Haneda and one additional nighttime flight. Todays announcement builds on the 2010 U.S.-Japan Open Skies agreement. U.S airlines connect the world like no other industry can, and the U.S. governments efforts to strengthen our agreement with Japan reflects the critical role aviation plays as a driver of jobs and economic growth in the U.S. and throughout the world, said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. We applaud the Administration for their long-standing commitment to further liberalize our skies, bolster travel and tourism and enable open and fair competition in the global marketplace. A4A noted that the agreement is fully consistent with decades of U.S. international aviation policy and commended U.S. government negotiators for securing additional daytime and nighttime operations to Haneda Airport for U.S. carriers and their customers. Japan is one of the most important global markets for U.S. carriers, said Calio. Enabling all U.S. carriers to compete for access at Haneda one of the worlds largest and busiest airports helps to improve international relations with our Japanese partners, while yielding immense benefits for the traveling and shipping public. Windstar Cruises, a fleet of small luxury cruise ships, announces today the line-up of James Beard-recognized chefs preparing to set sail on the James Beard Foundation Collection of culinary-focused cruises. This bespoke portfolio of sailings, scheduled to disembark in the spring and summer of 2016, are aimed at food and wine enthusiasts who are seeking to fully immerse themselves in the culture of each destination and experience the tastes and flavors of the regional cuisine. Each sailing in the James Beard Foundation Collection features a James Beard chef, working alongside Windstars culinary team and acting as an onboard culinary ambassador offering cooking demonstrations, a nightly featured dish, and one-on-one interaction. The following is the chef line-up for the 2016 James Beard Foundation Collection by Windstar: James Beard Foundation Culinary Cruise of Southern Spain & Morocco This 8-day voyage aboard Wind Surf sails from Lisbon to Barcelona, docking in Tangier, Morocco before sailing in Spain with stops in Malaga, Almeria, Cartagena, Ibiza, and Tarragona. Date: April 24, 2016 Chef Michel Nischan: Founder and CEO of Wholesome Wave; three-time James Beard Foundation Award winner. Cuisine: Chef Michel Nischan's commitment to working closely with farmers and artisans of sustainable products, they will be on display as he guides guests on a journey through Spain and Morocco's vibrant culinary culture. Incorporating authentic, local ingredients, he will lead two cooking demonstrations, create a nightly dish, and lead guests on an onshore culinary outing. James Beard Foundation Culinary Cruise of Spain & France This 10-day voyage aboard Star Legend sails from Lisbon to Dublin in June and from Dublin to Lisbon in August, stopping in St.-Malo, La Rochelle, and Bordeaux (overnight) in France; Gijon and El Ferrol in Spain; and Porto in Portugal. Date: June 10, 2016 Chef Maria Hines: Owner and Executive Chef of Seattle Tilth; winner of 2009 James Beard Foundation Award: Best Chef Northwest. Date: August 9, 2016 Chefs Matt & Kate Jennings: Owners and Chefs of Townsman; Matt and Kate are four-time James Beard Foundation Award nominees for Best Chef: Northeast. Cuisine: Seafood from Galicia, sweet port in Porto, cognac in La Rochelle, and world-famous wines in Bordeaux are a few gastronomic stars of the journey. Chefs Hines and Jennings will provide two cooking demonstrations on board, a nightly featured dish, and a trip to a local market or hosted culinary outing. For more information, including rates and itineraries, contact a travel professional or call Windstar at 800.258.7245, or visit www.windstarcruises.com. Leaders in the field of haute couture, currently preparing for London Fashion Week on February 19-23, will join Cunards Queen Mary 2 7-night Transatlantic crossing in September to New York, the style capital of the world. The inaugural Transatlantic Fashion Week voyage will arrive in the Big Apple the very same day New York Fashion Week 2016 begins. Award winning British fashion designer, Dame Zandra Rhodes, who has dressed some the worlds most famous musicians, will treat guests to an audience with as she discusses her impressive career. Preparing to show her latest collection at London Fashion Week, the award designer spoke about her excitement at joining this special voyage: Guests are going to be able to look forward to a fantastic fashion experience, said Rhodes. Im going to be doing a dress show, as well as doing a talk with the fabulous Colin McDowell. Guests will have the chance to dine with all these specialists in the industry, ask questions from us all. Im there to enhance everyones experience. Joining the line-up of fashion royalty is the highly respected fashion historian and commentator Colin McDowell and Fern Mallis, the Godmother of Fashion and founder of New York Fashion Week. As Dame Zandra Rhodes reveals designs from her collections, emerging faces from Storm modelling agency will take to the catwalk during the voyage. Alongside these great fashion authorities, guests will also have the opportunity to meet the designers of the future, as students from the worlds number one postgraduate fashion programme, based in the worlds number one university of art and design, The Royal College of Art, showcase their latest collections on board. Cunard has long been associated with style, a sense of occasion and the enriching experiences we deliver to our guests, said Richard Meadows, president, Cunard North America. We are pleased to welcome on board such venerable fashion industry experts, so that our guests have the opportunity to gain insight into the glamourous world of fashion whilst immersing themselves in stylish designs and world-renowned White Star Service of the newly remastered Queen Mary 2. For more information about Queen Mary 2 or to book a voyage, contact your Travel Consultant, call Cunard at 1-800-728-6273 or visit www.cunard.com. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Government of Andorra organize the 9th World Congress on Snow and Mountain Tourism in Sant Julia de Loria, Andorra, on 2-4 March. The current importance of snow and mountain tourism makes this Congress more relevant than ever. Discussing the challenges and opportunities in snow and mountain tourism as well as evaluating new business models and the need to incorporate innovative and sustainable practices are the main objectives of the event. Snow and mountain tourism constitutes an added value to destinations and an opportunity for the development of local communities; nevertheless, we should never forget the importance of promoting the sustainable management of the natural resources considering that this type of tourism takes place in direct contact with nature said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, at the presentation of the Congress held at the Headquarters of the Organization. The Minister of Tourism and Trade of Andorra, Francesc Camp, pointed out: Adventure tourism is one of the most dynamic segments and represents a strong driver and key element of growth. Moreover, it offers many possibilities for the development of destinations that want to enhance sustained growth. Sports, nature and cultural immersion are not only the main components of this segment of tourism but also the main axes used by destinations to create memorable, authentic and exciting experiences. This 9th edition of the World Congress, on the theme Mountainlikers, Sport and Adventure: A Promising Combination, will provide an opportunity for both the public and the private sectors to share experiences and examples of innovative tools that can drive the management and promotion of mountain destinations. More than thirty experts from Europe, the Americas and Asia will discuss the most important factors in mountain tourism as well as the different options to further develop this segment, including innovative marketing tolls and products. Andorra, a leading mountain destination, represents an ideal setting to address these topics, particularly the possibilities to combine sport and adventure. The international MICE industry gathered in Abu Dhabi to celebrate the 10th anniversary of ibtm arabia (formerly GIBTM). Representing buyers and sellers of MICE products from more than 40 countries, some 3,000 appointments took place alongside networking parties, an opening forum, knowledge forum, lunches and dinners with 250 participants staying together for the duration at Jumeirah at Etihad Towers creating the Arabian regions annual MICE community gathering. Despite a late start, the rapid expansion of infrastructure, commerce and tourism in the UAE has outpaced every other destination in the world. As a result this year we have had a lot of new exhibitors wanting to be part of our unique meeting pod event. We then matched each suppliers business objectives with the right professional meeting planner resulting in a broad spectrum of Hosted Buyers from every sector of the industry. ibtm arabia really does provide the perfect setting for business connections. From Discovery Day providing an icebreaker to meet other attendees whilst exploring Abu Dhabi together, to 2 days of back to back business meetings to further those connections and create new ones, to the numerous networking events and the incredible hospitality of the 5-starJumeirah at Etihad Towers, commented Shinu Pillai, Exhibition Manager, ibtm arabia. With the MICE sector as the highest earning component of any tourism industry and increasingly having the greatest economic impact on a city and destination, ibtm arabia kicked off with the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau showcasing the Emirates depth, breadth and diversity of business event products and services with a Discovery Day. The National Tour Association commends the U.S. Department of Transportation for its signing of an arrangement with Cuba to formally restore air service between the countries, an important step forward for U.S. and Cuba relations that will greatly benefit Americans and Cubans alike. The statement says, NTA has been a leading voice during ongoing attempts to restore normal travel operations with Cuba and is proud to have stood firm in supporting the freedom to travel. Tuesdays announcement by U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to provide for the re-establishment of scheduled air services between the United States and Cuba is a considerable accomplishment for citizens and stakeholders from both countries. Immediately following the signing, DOT invited U.S. air carriers to apply for an allocation of the new opportunities to provide scheduled passenger and cargo flights. The agreement allows for up to 20 roundtrip flights between the United States and Havana, and 10 roundtrip flights at each of Cubas other airports, for a total of 110 daily roundtrip flights between the countries. Tuesdays actions coincide with the decision by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to initiate a rule change regarding flights to and from Cuba. CBP will seek to repeal Cuba-related regulations that have been deemed redundant with current regulations. Once the regulations are repealed, flights to and from Cuba would be subject to the same legal requirements as other international flights. NTA has consistently stated that normalized relations with Cuba would benefit the U.S economy and be a boon for the travel and tourism sector. Increased economic activity between the United States and Cuba will have a significantly positive impact on U.S. travel and tourism, the nations largest service export. According to data from the Department of Commerce, the industry generates upwards of $2.1 trillion in economic output, supports 14.9 million jobs and represents $134 million in tax revenue. On average, travelers to the U.S. spend $2.4 billion a day, $101.4 million an hour, $1.7 million a minute and $28,154 a second. Tuesdays order invites applications from U.S. carriers and initiates a formal proceeding for DOT to select which U.S. carriers will be able to offer scheduled flights to Cubaand from which U.S. points. Applications to offer service to Cuba are due to DOT on March 2, 2016. NTA is pleased with the progress that has been made in the advancement of normalized relations with Cuba and is optimistic about the positive benefits that will follow for the U.S. travel and tourism sector. Founded in 1951, NTA is now the leading association for packaged travel professionals (representing more than 40 countries) interested in the North American marketto, from and within. a. Make a phone call: to a lawyer or relative or anyone b. Ask to see a lawyer immediately: if you dont have the money ask for a Duty Council c. A Duty Council is a lawyer provided by the state d. Talk to a lawyer before you talk to the police e. Tell your lawyer if anyone hits you and identify who did so by name and number f. Give no explanations excuses or stories: you can make your defense later in court based on what you and your lawyer decided g. Ask the sub officer in charge of the station to grant bail once you are charged with an offence h. Ask to be taken before a justice of The Peace immediately if the sub officer refuses you bail i. Demand to be brought before a Resident Magistrate and have your lawyer ask the judge for bail j. Ask that any property taken from you be listed and sealed in your presence Cases of Assault:An assault is an apprehension that someone is about to hit you The following may apply: 1) Call 119 or go to the station or the police arrives depending on the severity of the injuries 2) The report must be about the incident as it happened, once the report is admitted as evidence it becomes the basis for the trial 3) Critical evidence must be gathered as to the injuries received which may include a Doctors report of the injuries. 4) The description must be clearly stated; describing injuries directly and identifying them clearly, show the doctor the injuries clearly upon the visit it must be able to stand up under cross examination in court. 5) Misguided evidence threatens the credibility of the witness during a trial; avoid the questioning of the witnesses credibility, the tribunal of fact must be able to rely on the witnesss word in presenting evidence 6) The court is guided by credible evidence on which it will make its finding of facts WATERLOO A plane flying from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to Chicago made an emergency landing at the Waterloo Regional Airport on Thursday. The American Airlines/Envoy flight an Embraer ERJ-145 twin-engine jet with 29 people aboard landed safely. Waterloo firefighters examined the aircraft after smoke was reportedly detected in the cabin while in flight around 1:15 p.m. The plane was in the air for 20 minutes before the emergency landing was announced. Passengers said they could smell smoke and the floor was hot. A backup aircraft arrived from Chicago around 3 p.m. to resume the flight. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA / Key word(s): Legal Matter 17.02.2016 23:17 Dissemination of an Ad hoc announcement according to 15 WpHG, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bad Homburg, Germany - Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA ("the company" or "Fresenius Medical Care"), the world's largest provider of dialysis products and services, today announced that Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA) has reached an agreement in principle with a committee designated by the plaintiffs to resolve litigation in the United States involving GranuFlo(R)/NaturaLyte(R). Under the agreement in principle, the settlement amount would be $250 million, provided that 97% of all plaintiffs agree to the settlement by July 2016 with the funding provided in August 2016. Insurers will fund the settlement amount with $220 million. Therefore, the company expects a pre-tax charge of $60 million from the settlement and other costs to finalize this matter. This impact for the company will be reflected in its 2015 numbers to be published on February 24, 2016. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Information and Explaination of the Issuer to this News: For 2015 the company expects to report revenues of approximately $16.7 billion. Excluding the charge net of tax, the 2015 net income attributable to shareholders should increase by approximately 2% over the prior year period. On that basis the company expects to be in line with its financial guidance for 2015. The company's GranuFlo(R)/NaturaLyte(R) product at issue in the litigation remains on the market and continues to be the market leader for dialysis acid concentrates in the United States. There has been no change in the composition of the product and it remains safe and effective when used and prescribed as directed. Fresenius Medical Care is the world's largest provider of products and services for individuals with renal diseases of which more than 2.6 million patients worldwide regularly undergo dialysis treatment. Through its network of 3,402 dialysis clinics, Fresenius Medical Care provides dialysis treatments for 290,250 patients around the globe. Fresenius Medical Care is also the leading provider of dialysis products such as dialysis machines or dialyzers. Along with the core business, the company focuses on expanding the range of additional medical services in the field of care coordination. For more information visit the company's website at www.freseniusmedicalcare.com. Disclaimer This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to certain factors, including changes in business, economic and competitive conditions, regulatory reforms, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties in litigation or investigative proceedings, and the availability of financing. These and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA's reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA does not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release. 17.02.2016 The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Language: English Company: Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA Else-Kroner-Strae 1 61352 Bad Homburg Germany Phone: +49 (0) 6172- 609 2525 Fax: +49 (0) 6172- 609 2301 E-mail: ir@fmc-ag.com Internet: www.fmc-ag.de ISIN: DE0005785802, DE0005785836, WKN: 578580, 578583 Indices: DAX Listed: Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Stuttgart; Terminborse EUREX; NYSE End of Announcement DGAP News-Service --------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOUSTON, Feb. 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Targa Resources Partners LP (Targa Resources Partners or the Partnership) (NYSE: NGLS PRA) announced its monthly distribution on the Partnerships 9.00% Series A Fixed-to-Floating Rate Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Units ("Series A Preferred Units") for February 2016. Targa Resources Partners LP announced today that the board of directors of its general partner has declared a monthly cash distribution of 18.75 per Series A Preferred Unit, or $2.25 per Series A Preferred Unit on an annualized basis, for February 2016. This cash distribution will be paid March 15, 2016 on all outstanding Series A Preferred Units to holders of record as of the close of business on February 29, 2016. About Targa Resources Partners LP Targa Resources Partners LP is a Delaware limited partnership formed in October 2006 by its parent, Targa Resources Corp. (TRC or the Company), to own, operate, acquire and develop a diversified portfolio of complementary midstream energy assets. On February 17, 2016 TRC completed the acquisition of all outstanding common units of the Partnership. Targa Resources Corp. is a leading provider of midstream services and is one of the largest independent midstream energy companies in North America. TRC owns, operates, acquires, and develops a diversified portfolio of complementary midstream energy assets. The Company is primarily engaged in the business of: gathering, compressing, treating, processing, and selling natural gas; storing, fractionating, treating, transporting, and selling NGLs and NGL products, including services to LPG exporters; gathering, storing, and terminaling crude oil; storing, terminaling, and selling refined petroleum products. The principal executive offices of Targa Resources Partners LP are located at 1000 Louisiana, Suite 4300, Houston, TX 77002 and their telephone number is 713-584-1000. For more information please go to www.targaresources.com. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this release that address activities, events or developments that the Partnership expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements rely on a number of assumptions concerning future events and are subject to a number of uncertainties, factors and risks, many of which are outside the Partnerships control, which could cause results to differ materially from those expected by management of the Partnership. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, weather, political, economic and market conditions, including a decline in the price and market demand for natural gas, natural gas liquids and crude oil, the timing and success of business development efforts; and other uncertainties. These and other applicable uncertainties, factors and risks are described more fully in the Partnership's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. The Partnership does not undertake an obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This release is intended to be a qualified notice under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b). Brokers and nominees should treat one hundred percent (100.0%) of Targa Resources Partners LPs distributions to foreign investors as being attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, Targa Resources Partners LPs distributions to foreign investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest applicable effective tax rate. French English Press Release February 2016 www.vallourec.com Full year 2015 results Full Year 2015 results strongly impacted by volumes fall Sharp volumes fall : -39.3% compared to 2014 Negative EBITDA at -77 million Additional non-cash impairment charges of 296 million and restructuring charges for 101 million related to the implementation of the Valens plan Net result, Group share of -865 million Positive free cash flow of 135 million achieved thanks to working capital management and strict discipline on capex Short-term and structural adaptation measures vigorously implemented Global staff reduction of c. 3,500 by end 2015, (-14% of end 2014 total FTEs) SG&A reduction of 9.7% vs. full year 2014 Dividend : subject to the Shareholders' Meeting approval, no dividend distribution for fiscal year 2015 Outlook for 2016 Adverse market conditions to persist throughout 2016 Free Cash Flow targeted to be negative at around -600m with capex capped at 200 million Full Year EBITDA targeted to be below that of 2015 Net debt not to exceed 1.5 billion at end of 2016 post capital increase, Tianda acquisition and VSB-VBR merger 2020 targets* EBITDA of 1.2-1.4 billion Normalized Free Cash Flow at 500-600 million * volumes expected to be comparable to 2014 Boulogne-Billancourt (France), 18 February 2016 - Vallourec, world leader in premium tubular solutions, today announces its results for the full year 2015. The consolidated financial statements were presented by Vallourec's Management Board to its Supervisory Board on 17 February 2016. Commenting on these results, Philippe Crouzet, Chairman of the Management Board, said: "In 2015 Vallourec faced an extremely difficult business environment, characterized by major E&P capex cuts by its customers. Full year results were severely affected by the sharp drop in high margin Oil & Gas sales in the EAMEA region and in North America. In Brazil, Vallourec's activities were impacted by a very challenging macroeconomic environment and depressed iron ore prices. We adapted very quickly all our operations to the significantly lower load by activating all the short-term flexibility levers and launched Valens, our plan to improve structurally Vallourec's competitiveness. A few days ago, we announced additional major strategic initiatives which will reshape Vallourec and reposition it on a long term profitable growth path. These measures, most of which will be implemented by 2017, will improve Vallourec's competitiveness and reinforce its financial strength, with the objective of delivering 1.2 to 1.4 billion of EBITDA in 2020. The positive long-term prospects of our markets and the major strategic initiatives announced at the beginning of the month will enable us to maintain and develop Vallourec's position as a leader in premium tubular solutions." Key figures In millions of euros 2015 Change Q4 Change YoY 2015 YoY Revenues 3,803 -33.3% 861 -48.3% EBITDA (77) -109.0% (77) -132.6% As % of sales -2.0% -17pt -8.9% -23.1pt Operating profit (838) na (445) na Net income, Group share (865) na (426) na Free cash flow(1) 135 -139m 100 -39m Net debt (end of period) 1,519 -28m 1,519 -28m Free cash flow (FCF) is a non-GAAP measure and is defined as cash flow from operating activities minus gross capital expenditure and plus/minus change in operating working capital requirement na: not applicable I - CONSOLIDATED REVENUES BY MARKET Consolidated revenues amounted to 3,803 million in 2015, down 33.3% (-35.8% at constant exchange rates), mainly due to a strong negative volume effect (-39.3%) notably for Oil & Gas in EAMEA and in the USA, and despite positive translation (+2.5%) and price/mix (+3.5%) effects. In millions of euros 2015 Change Q4 Change YoY 2015 YoY Oil & Gas, Petrochemicals 2,566 -37.1% 545 -55.1% Power Generation 559 -8.4% 157 -21.9% Industry & Other 678 -32.6% 159 -36.1% Total 3,803 -33.3% 861 -48.3% Oil & Gas, Petrochemicals (67.5% of revenues) Oil & Gas revenues reached 2,361 million in 2015, down 37.8% year-on-year (down 41.0% at constant exchange rates). In the USA , Vallourec revenues were significantly down in 2015 due to the sharp fall in active rig count (-62.1% year-on-year) that resulted in very low demand for OCTG and destocking by distributors. The 2015 low demand environment resulted in persistent pricing pressure. In the EAMEA region , revenues were significantly down in 2015 as customers drastically cut their cash outflows, leading to decreased capex by IOCs and inventory reduction mainly in Saudi Arabia with a material impact on demand. The very weak order inflow triggered fierce competition, and as a result, strong pressure on prices. In Brazil, revenues were down in 2015, affected by lower drilling activity compared to 2014. On 29 June 2015, Petrobras released its 2015-2019 Business and Management Plan which significantly reduces its investments compared to the 2014-2018 investment plan (approx. -37%). However, Petrobras has indicated that it will maintain its focus on the development of pre-salt fields (representing approximately 83% of Petrobras' planned capex on E&P) which require highly premium products). Petrochemicals revenues were 205 million in 2015, down 28.8% year-on-year (down 31.6% at constant exchange rates) affected by intense competition and a lack of new projects. Power Generation (14.7% of revenues) Power Generation revenues reached 559 million in 2015, down 8.4% year-on-year (down 10.9% at constant exchange rates). The conventional power generation market was affected by lower volumes and a sustained negative price effect. In nuclear, revenues were slightly lower year-on-year. Industry & Other (17.8% of revenues) Industry & Other revenues amounted to 678 million in 2015, down 32.6% year-on-year (down 30.3% at constant exchange rates). In Europe, the equipment for Mining activity remained depressed. The lack of demand in the Oil & Gas industry prompted production shift from some competitors towards Mechanical and Structural applications, causing a drop in prices in these two segments. In Brazil, revenues were significantly down year-on-year due to the decline of automotive sales, notably heavy vehicles (domestic), suffering from the very depressed macroeconomic environment. In addition, 2015 iron sales declined due to the 42.3% average decrease year-on-year in iron ore prices. II - CONSOLIDATED RESULTS ANALYSIS EBITDA stood at -77 million in 2015, down -932 million year-on-year, due to: Lower consolidated revenues at 3,803 million, down 33.3% (down 35.8% at constant exchange rates), mainly resulting from a negative volume effect (-39.3%), notably for Oil & Gas in EAMEA and in the USA, and despite positive translation (+2.5%) and price/mix (+3.5%) effects. Lower industrial margin at 451 million, down -69%. Despite a high adaptation of variable costs, and a reduction of industrial fixed costs, industrial margin was impacted by under absorption of fixed costs resulting from volume load well below production capacity. Sales, general and administrative costs (SG&A) were reduced by -9.7% to 513 million in 2015, and -17.7% in Q4 2015. This improvement stems from Valens G&A cost reduction actions, and was achieved despite unfavourable exchange rates and inflation. Operating result was a loss of 838 million, compared with a loss of 661 million in 2014. This deterioration results mainly from lower EBITDA and higher restructuring charges (101 million mainly as part of the Valens plan in Europe booked in 2015) offset by lower impairment charges than in 2014. In addition, impairments have been booked for a total amount of 296 million, of which 163 million related to the Valens plan in Europe, 36 million depreciation of Serimax goodwill, 45 million overdue and 52 million asset depreciation due to Vallourec Heat Exchanger Tubes classified as asset for sale. Financial result was negative at -75 million versus -62 million in 2014, mainly due to lower forex income. The income tax profit amounted to 15 million in 2015 compared with a charge of -157 million in 2014, mainly related to recognition of deferred tax assets in particular in the US. The share attributable to non-controlling interests amounted to -33 million in 2015, compared with +46 million in 2014, mainly explained by the decline in US operations results. Net result, Group share was a loss of -865 million in 2015, compared with a loss of -924 million in 2014. III - CASH FLOW & FINANCIAL POSITION Vallourec generated a positive free cash flow of 100 million in Q4 2015. Over 2015, positive free cash flow amounted to 135 million, compared with a positive free cash flow of 274 million in 2014. This is primarily explained by: Negative cash flow from operating activities at -229 million, resulting from the drop in EBITDA; A reduction in operating working capital requirement (+632 million), compared with an increase of 20 million in 2014, notably driven by an efficient adaptation of inventory to activity; Lower capital expenditure at -268 million, compared with -388 million in 2014. As at 31 December 2015, Group net debt decreased by 28 million at 1,519 million compared with 1,547 million at the end of 2014. The gearing ratio was 50.0% (and 43% under bank facilities covenant calculation) compared with 37.1% at the end of 2014. IV - LIQUIDITY At 31 December 2015, Vallourec's liquidity position consists of 631 million of available cash -which exceed the financial short term debt to be repaid by 244 million - and 1.8 billion of undrawn committed facilities with no amortization until 2017. V - PROPOSED DIVIDEND Given the context, Vallourec will propose that no dividend be paid for fiscal year 2015. This is subject to the approval of the Shareholders' Meeting to be held on 6 April 2016. VI - ADAPTATION MEASURES AND VALENS PLAN IN 2015 By the end of 2015, global FTE reduction was c. 3,500, representing approximately 14% of total headcount, including close to 2,500 permanent jobs. Action plans implemented to adapt the mills to the reduced level of activity enabled approximately 80% of variable costs (excluding raw materials) associated with the lost volume to be removed. In 2015, the initiatives launched as part of the Valens plan generated recurring gross savings of c.100 million, in line with the targeted 350 million savings. Capex were reduced to -268 million vs. -388 million in 2014. VII - MARKET TRENDS & OUTLOOK FOR 2016 Vallourec expects its Oil & Gas deliveries and results to continue to be affected by adverse market conditions: In the EAMEA region, Vallourec's deliveries in 2016 will be severely impacted by the very low order intake in 2015. In the current environment, IOCs have postponed a number of projects and continue to be very selective in sanctioning new projects. EPCs are focusing on reducing the breakeven of their projects through redesign and cost reduction, resulting in delays and postponements. Vallourec will continue to mainly serve NOC's at deflated prices, as a result of fierce competition. In the USA , operators are expected to continue cutting costs in 2016 to protect their balance sheets. Therefore, low demand and price pressure should last well into 2016. Ongoing destocking at distributors is expected to end in H2 2016. In Brazil, Petrobras updated its 2015-2019 Business and Management Plan on January 12, 2016. Investments in 2016 are expected to reach US$20 billion, based on an oil price of US$ 45 per barrel and an exchange rate of 4.06 R$/USD. The plan maintains the focus on the development of presalt basins, with limited decrease in deliveries in 2016. Power Generation is expected to benefit from slightly higher deliveries in 2016 compared to 2015 in the conventional power generation activity, thanks to the good order book end of 2015. However, the nuclear power generation activity should experience a slowdown in 2016 compared to 2015. Industry & Other operations in Europe should continue to be affected by the global investment slowdown and pricing pressure. In Brazil, business will continue to suffer from the depressed local environment. In 2016, iron ore prices are expected to be lower than in 2015. In 2016, based on current market conditions and currency trends, Vallourec targets the generation of a negative free cash flow of around -600m (assuming same working capital level as end of 2015) and EBITDA to be below that of 2015. Capital expenditure will be capped at 200 million in 2016. Net debt would not exceed 1.5 billion at end of 2016, after taking into account the completion of Tianda Oil Pipe acquisition, the creation of Vallourec Solucoes Tubulares do Brasil and the 1 billion capital increase. VIII - MAJOR STRATEGIC INITIATIVES On February 1, 2016, Vallourec announced a range of strategic initiatives to enhance its global industrial set-up: The reshaping of European operations , through the downsizing of current capacity by 50% compared to 2014 and through the specialization of rolling activities in Germany and finishing activities and R&D in France; The merger of VSB and VBR to create a single production hub in Brazil ; The acquisition of Tianda Oil Pipe, enabling to create a new highly competitive production route in China. These transforming initiatives are expected to generate around 750m of additional EBITDA by 2020, when Oil and Gas market is assumed to have recovered. Close to 50% are expected to be achieved by 2018, independently from any volume recovery: 400 million savings are anticipated from the rationalization of the existing industrial footprint and SG&A savings, notably: The closure of production lines in Europe and in Brazil (the latter being allowed by the merger of VSB and VBR) ; The remainder of Valens productivity initiatives, alongside additional SG&A cost reduction. Most of these initiatives should be implemented by the end of 2017 and half of these gross savings should be achieved by 2018, independently from any volume recovery. 250 million of additional EBITDA contribution will result from allocating more volumes to the two most competitive hubs of VSB and Tianda Oil Pipe. 40% of those savings should be achieved by 2018, independently from any volume recovery. Finally, 100 million of additional EBITDA will result from the full consolidation of VSB and Tianda Oil Pipe, of which c.70 million after closing, independently from any volume recovery. Besides those EBITDA impacts, additional cumulative cash savings of up to 260 million are also anticipated, through the disposal of part of Brazilian forest assets, and tax synergies resulting from VSB / VBR merger. About Vallourec Vallourec is a world leader in premium tubular solutions primarily serving the energy markets, as well as other industrial applications. With over 20,000 employees in 2015, integrated manufacturing facilities, advanced R&D and a presence in more than 20 countries, Vallourec offers its customers innovative global solutions to meet the energy challenges of the 21st century. Listed on Euronext in Paris (ISIN code: FR0000120354, Ticker VK) and eligible for the Deferred Settlement System (SRD), Vallourec is included in the following indices: SBF 120 and Next 150. In the United States, Vallourec has established a sponsored Level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) program (ISIN code: US92023R2094, Ticker: VLOWY). Parity between ADR and a Vallourec ordinary share has been set at 5:1. www.vallourec.com Follow us on Twitter @Vallourec Presentation of FY 2015 results Thursday 18 February 2016 Analyst conference call / audio webcast at 6 pm (Paris time) to be held in English. To listen to the audio webcast : http://edge.media-server.com/m/go/vallourecFY2015 To participate in the call, please dial: France: 0805 631 580 (National free phone) United Kingdom: 0800 279 4992 (National free phone) USA: +1 877 280 1254 (National free phone) France: +33 1 76 77 22 20 United Kingdom: +44 20 3427 1909 USA: +1212 444 0896 Confirmation Code: 7504746 Audio webcast and slides will be available on the website at: http://www.vallourec.com/EN/GROUP/FINANCE Information and Forward-Looking Reflections This press release contains forward-looking reflections and information. By their nature, these reflections and information include financial forecasts and estimates as well as the assumptions on which they are based, statements related to projects, objectives and expectations concerning future operations, products and services or future performance. Although Vallourec's management believes that these forward-looking reflections and information are reasonable, Vallourec cannot guarantee their accuracy or completeness and investors in Vallourec are hereby advised that these forward-looking reflections and information are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that are difficult to foresee and generally beyond Vallourec's control, which may mean that the actual results and developments differ significantly from those expressed, induced or forecasted in the forward-looking reflections and information. These risks include those developed or identified in the public documents filed by Vallourec with the AMF, including those listed in the "Risk Factors" section of the Registration Document filed with the AMF on 10 April 2015 (N D.15-0315). The 2015 Registration Document will be filed with the AMF mid-March 2016. For further information, please contact Investor relations Etienne Bertrand Tel: +33 (0)1 49 09 35 58 etienne.bertrand@vallourec.com Press relations Heloise Rothenbuhler Tel: +33 (0)1 41 03 77 50 heloise.rothenbuhler@vallourec.com Investor relations Christophe Le Mignan Tel: +33 (0)1 49 09 38 96 christophe.lemignan@vallourec.com Individual shareholders Tel: +33 (0) 1 49 09 39 76 actionnaires@vallourec.com Calendar 06/04/2016 Shareholders' General Meeting Appendices Documents accompanying this release: Volumes sold (k tonnes) Forex Revenues by geographic region Revenues by market Cash flow statement Free cash flow Summary consolidated income statement Summary consolidated balance sheet Volumes sold In thousands of metric tons 2015 2014 Change YoY Q1 412 551 -25.2% Q2 362 583 -37.9% Q3 317 564 -43.8% Q4 320 625 -48.8% Total 1,411 2,323 -39.3% Forex Average exchange rate 2015 2014 EUR / USD 1.11 1.33 EUR / BRL 3.70 3.12 USD / BRL 3.33 2.35 Revenues by geographic region In millions of euros 2015 As % of 2014 As % of Change sales sales YoY Europe 849 22.3% 1,090 19.1% -22.1% North America 1,096 28.8% 1,747 30.6% -37.3% South America 596 15.7% 919 16.1% -35.1% Asia & Middle East 852 22.4% 1,434 25.2% -40.6% Rest of World 410 10.8% 511 9.0% -19.8% Total 3,803 100.0% 5,701 100.0% -33.3% Revenues by market In millions of euros Q4 Change 2015 As % of 2014 As % of Change 2015 YoY sales sales YoY Oil & Gas 497 -55.9% 2,361 62.1% 3,796 66.6% -37.8% Petrochemicals 48 -44.8% 205 5.4% 288 5.1% -28.8% Oil & Gas, Petrochemicals 545 -55.1% 2,566 67.5% 4,084 71.7% -37.1% Power Generation 157 -21.9% 559 14.7% 610 10.7% -8.4% Mechanicals 82 -35.4% 363 9.6% 447 7.8% -18.8% Automotive 24 -35.1% 114 3.0% 188 3.3% -39.4% Construction & Other 53 -37.6% 201 5.3% 372 6.5% -46.0% Industry & Other 159 -36.1% 678 17.8% 1,007 17.6% -32.6% Total 861 -48.3% 3,803 100.0% 5,701 100.0% -33.3% Cash flow statement Q4 Q4 Q3 In millions of euros 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 (144) +166 (66) Cash flow from operating activities (229) +682 +353 +156 +168 Change in operating WCR +632 (20) + decrease, (increase) +209 +322 +102 Net cash flows from operating activities +403 +662 (109) (183) (70) Gross capital expenditure (268) (388) - - - Financial investments - - (1) (21) (2) Dividends paid (69) (163) 15 (8) 7 Asset disposals & other elements (38) (27) +114 +110 +37 Change in net debt +28 +84 + decrease, (increase) 1,519 1,547 1,633 Net debt (end of period) 1,519 1,547 Free cash flow Q4 Q4 Change In millions of euros 2015 2014 Change 2015 2014 (144) +166 -310 Cash flow from operating activities (FFO) (A) (229) +682 -911 +353 +156 197 Change in operating WCR (B) +632 (20) 652 [+ decrease, (increase)] (109) (183) 74 Gross capital expenditure (C) (268) (388) 120 +100 +139 -39 Free cash flow (A)+(B)+(C) +135 +274 -139 Summary consolidated income statement Q4 2015 Q4 2014 Change In millions of euros 2015 2014 Change YoY YoY 861 1,665 -48.3% REVENUES 3,803 5,701 -33.3% (806) (1,260) -36.0% Cost of sales(1) (3,352) (4,248) -21.1% 55 405 -86.4% Industrial margin 451 1,453 -69.0% 6.4% 24.3% -17.9pt (as % of sales) 11.9% 25.5% -13.6pt (130) (158) -17.7% SG&A costs(1) (513) (568) -9.7% (2) (11) na Other income (expense), net (15) (30) na (77) 236 -132.6% EBITDA (77) 855 -109.0% -8.9% 14.2% -23.1pt EBITDA as % of sales -2.0% 15.0% -17.0pt (75) (85) -11.8% Depreciation of industrial assets (303) (311) -2.6% (12) (53) na Amortization, restructuring and other (162) (101) +60.4% (281) (1,104) na Impairment (296) (1,104) na (445) (1,006) na OPERATING PROFIT (838) (661) na (23) (21) +9.5% Financial income (loss) (75) (62) +21.0% (468) (1,027) na PROFIT BEFORE TAX (913) (723) na 27 (50) -154.0% Income tax 15 (157) -109.6% 1 1 na Net profit of equity affiliates - 2 na (440) (1,076) na NET INCOME FOR THE CONSOLIDATED ENTITY (898) (878) na (14) 17 na Non-controlling interests (33) 46 na (426) (1,093) na NET INCOME, GROUP SHARE (865) (924) na (3.3) (8.6) na EARNINGS PER SHARE (in ) (6.6) (7.3) na Before depreciation and amortization na: not applicable Summary consolidated balance sheet In millions of euros Assets 31-Dec 31-Dec Liabilities 31-Dec 31-Dec 2015 2014 2015 2014 Equity, Group share 2,646 3,743 Intangible assets, net 149 166 Non-controlling interests 392 426 Goodwill 329 332 Total equity 3,038 4,169 Net property, plant and equipment 3,161 3,523 Biological assets 155 214 Bank loans and other borrowings 1,763 1,782 Investments in equity affiliates 177 184 Employee benefits 224 244 Other non-current assets 233 435 Deferred tax liabilities 216 256 Deferred tax assets 149 223 Other long-term liabilities 43 229 Total non-current assets 4,353 5,077 Total non-current liabilities 2,246 2,511 Inventories and work-in-progress 1,066 1,490 Provisions 238 163 Trade and other receivables 545 1,146 Overdrafts and other short-term borrowings 387 912 Derivatives - assets 20 28 Trade payables 523 807 Other current assets 307 343 Derivatives - liabilities 152 173 Cash and cash equivalents 631 1,147 Other current liabilities 347 496 Total current assets 2,569 4,154 Total current liabilities 1,647 2,551 Assets held for sale 69 Liabilities disposal for sale 60 TOTAL ASSETS 6,991 9,231 TOTAL LIABILITIES 6,991 9,231 Net debt 1,519 1,547 Net income, Group share (865) (924) Gearing ratio 50.0% 37.1% B ' Employees are not allowed to discuss their research with anyone other than fellow company employees' 'All employees must work to protect company information, not only through passwords and data encryption, but also through the physical control of company assets, such as laptops' C 'Company information carries a high monetary value, making the network attractive to hackers' 'The information stored on our networks including everything from research data, to training materials, to company memos - could potentially be very valuable to competitors and foreign governments alike ' carcass wrote: In order to keep the competitive edge gained by our extensive research and innovative methods, information security must remain a high priority for our company. The information stored on our networks including everything from research data, to training materials, to company memos - could potentially be very valuable to competitors and foreign governments alike. All employees must work to protect company information, not only through passwords and data encryption, but also through the physical control of company assets, such as laptops. If all of the above statements are true, which of the following statements can be most directly inferred? A Passwords are often inadequate forms of security, leading to the need for "physical control" over data storage objects such as laptops. not discussed B Employees are not allowed to discuss their research with anyone other than fellow company employees. the information must be keeped inside the company C Company information carries a high monetary value, making the network attractive to hackers. same as A D The company is willing to go to great expense to protect its information. sama as A E Employees must attend classes to learn to use the latest security software same as A B wins Hi Carcass,I have a doubt regarding this question. I was stuck between option B & C mainly for the below mentioned reasons.says thatbut the passage only states that. What I understood from this is that company information is valuable and each employee must protect that information strictly by any means. Do we infer from this that that an employee X can discuss the confidential information that is known to him only and may be to some top Mgmt but employee X can still discuss this info with employee Y who is also a fellow employee. Now what if Employee X may not be allowed to discuss this confidential info with employee Y?Whilesays that. Now the passage says that. Now if we can infer from option B that employees are allowed to discuss the company info with fellow employees, then from option C why can't we infer that the valuable info of the company makes the network attractive to hackers (who might help competitors and foreign governments)Please help me understand the above confusion. Thanks. This Blog is the byproduct of a personal obsession. 14 years ago my objective was to work as an archivist/records manager for international organizations. I managed to achieve it, working for the European Commission, UN, IMF, the Council of the European Union, EEAS and now the Asian Development Bank. I would consider a key factor in my success my knowledge about where to find information about these job opportunities, unfortunately too often hidden or difficult to locate Now that I've got your attention I'm just going to show you a bunch of pictures and say some random shit about them. Well shit.. ... There's never been a better time to eat a bowl of ramen in New York City than right now. We had a surge in the mid-aughts of terrific new noodle shops and since then the hits have just kept on coming. For this assignment I ate in at least 20 different ramen restaurants over the past month, returning for the fifth, sixth, or whateverth time to all of the usual suspects, in addition to slurping down bowls in a bunch of more recent contenders. Some older standbys were disappointing, but there were plenty of exciting newer joints eager to jump in and pick up the slack. Here, then, and in no particular order, is the definitive list, the absolute best ramen-yas in the city today. I don't want to hear any guff about it in the comments. Tonkotsu 2.0, $15 (Scott Lynch/Gothamist) MU RAMEN: Pete Wells blew up the first Mu Ramen spot when it was running after-hours in a LIC bagel shop a couple years ago, forcing chef Joshua Smookler to open a legitimate restaurant on Jackson Avenue to feed his sudden legions of fans. That was toward the end of 2014, and a recent revisit confirms both that those fans are still therethere was a line down the block to get in on the first seating of the nightand that Smookler's ramen is as dense and delicious as ever. Everything's great here (including the funky communal table and even funkier playlist), but I usually wind up getting the Tonkotsu 2.0 ($15), punctuated with slabs of pork jowl. Mu Ramen is located at 1209 Jackson Avenue between 48th Avenue and 47th Road, Long Island City, Queens. (917-868-8903; ramennyc.wix.com/popup) Tokyo Shio Ramen, $15 (Scott Lynch/Gothamist) IVAN RAMEN: Ivan Orkin's ramen is by far the best made by a Jewish kid from Long Island. It's been over two years since he set up his Slurp Shop in Gotham Market, but these earthy and substantive rye noodles continue to amaze loyal eaters. If you can, though, dine at the Ivan Ramen Clinton Street flagship, where the scene is lively but not scream-y, and the appetizers all are worth getting (my family will always order the tongue). Note: the Triple Pork Triple Garlic Mazeman is as good or better than any of the ramen dishes, though I do miss the Three Cheese version. RIP. Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop is located within the Gotham West Market, 600 11th Avenue, at 45th Street in Chelsea; the Ivan Ramen restaurant is at 25 Clinton Street between Houston and Stanton on the Lower East Side. (ivanramen.com) Tondaku Wadashi Green Curry Ramen, $15 (Scott Lynch/Gothamist) BASSANOVA RAMEN: Tokyo import Bassanova has lured ramen fans into its basement Mott Street spot since the summer of 2013, and for good reason. Not only does this place always feel like a good time, but chef Shoushin Yanaura and his crew consistently make crazy rich, complex bowls of noodles. The Green Curry Ramen ($15) is the signature dish. It's fiery and different and, with that dense sardine and pork-based broth, deeply satisfying. You should eat it. But the mazeman is excellent here too, so you should also eat a bowl of whichever one strikes your fancy that night. And then, I guess, you can roll home. Bassanova Ramen is located at 76 Mott Street between Canal and Bayard in Chinatown. (212-334-2100; bassanova-ramen.com) Deluxe Ramen, $15 (Scott Lynch/Gothamist) HIDE-CHAN RAMEN: I'm pretty sure I've never been to this hallway-shaped second-story ramen-ya, either for lunch or dinner, without having to stand awkwardly on the staircase for some time while waiting for a seat. It's fine though, since the line usually moves quickly, and this Japanese import is totally worth both the wait and the trip to Midtown. I usually get the $10 Classic Tonkotsu ("since 1963"), or the Spicy Garlic (which doesn't hold back in either department), or the Kogashi, with its dollop of cod roe and kernels of corn (and all the other good stuff). And I always leave happy. Hide-Chan Ramen is located at 248 East 52nd Street, just west of 2nd Avenue in Midtown. (212-813-1800; hidechanramen.nyc.com) Sunchoke Celeriac Chowder, $18 (Scott Lynch/Gothamist) YUJI RAMEN: Chef Yuji Haraguchi essentially opened three new restaurants on Ainslie Street after abandoning his noodle counter at the Bowery Whole Foods, which isn't quite as crazy as it sounds because they're all in the same, tiny space. During the day, you've got Okonomi (roasted fish with sides) and Saturday and Sunday nights belong to a ten-course Ramen Omakase (good luck getting reservations). Luckily, on weeknights you can actually get a seat, along with a full menu of Yuji's top-tier noodle creations. These are the most successfully creative dishes in town, with ingredients like cod milt, housemade almond milk, and creamy monkfish liver broth making appearances on the frequently changing menu. Stalwarts like the Bacon & Egg Mazeman and Tunakotsu Ramen are excellent too. Yuji Ramen is located at 150 Ainslie Street, between Lorimer and Leonard in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. (okonomibk.com). Only open on weeknights Shiromaru Hakata Classic, $14 (Scott Lynch/Gothamist) IPPUDO RAMEN: Forget, for a second, about the 90-minute waits. On a Tuesday. At 5 freaking o'clock. Because, despite their ridiculous years-long popularity (and expansion to Midtown), Ippudo is still putting a whole lot of love into their bowls of ramen. The appetizer and booze menus are much longer here than at most ramen-yas in town, which doesn't help with table turnover. But a couple of recent visits to the original East Village location, including one after the massive kitchen re-tooling, show that these guys' noodles-and-broth game, whether the Tonkotsu (classic, spicy, or "modern"), the Shio, or the Shoyu, remains strong. Ippudo is located at 65 4th Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets in the East Village (212-388-0088); and at 321 West 51st Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues in Midtown (212-974-2500). (ippudony.com) Spicy Pork Bone, $14 (Scott Lynch/Gothamist) JUN-MEN RAMEN BAR: Ignore the generic condo-esque exterior at Chelsea's Jun-Men (and forgive the cramped, slightly awkward interior) and get ready to slurp up some of the most exciting new ramen in town. The surf-and-earth Uni Mushroom Mazemen gets most of the Instagram love here, and deservedly so, because it's beautiful and delicious. But the Pork Bone, the Miso, and the super-fiery Kimchi will make you happy too. Owners Jun and BoMee Park are gracious hosts, and I can't imagine they won't be operating out of bigger digs sometime soon. Jun-Men Ramen is located at 249 9th Avenue between 25th and 26th Streets in Chelsea (646-852-6787; junmenramen.com). Yuzu Shoyu Ramen, $14.50 (Scott Lynch/Gothamist) MR. TAKA RAMEN: From a Michelin-noted ramen shop in Tokyo to Allen Street on the Lower East Side, chef Takatoshi Nagara is living out his noodle-fueled dreams. Which is excellent news for all of us, because though it's only been open for about four months now, Mr. Taka so consistently cranks out first-rate bowls of ramenmade with Sun Noodle noodlesthat it's earned an inclusion here. The Spicy Miso is no joke, heat-wise, and deeply satisfying, but it's the bright and lively Yuzu Shoyu ($14.50) that's my usual order. Mr. Taka is located at 170 Allen Street between Stanton and Rivington on the Lower East Side (212-254-1508; mrtakaramen.com). Miso Tonkotsu wiith Seasoned Egg, via Ramen Tetsuya from Sapporo, Japan, $15 (Scott Lynch/Gothamist) RAMEN LAB Every few weeks Sun Noodle brings in a different crew from some of the best ramen-yas around the world, who showcase a signature dish or two at this incubator before moving on and making way for the next team. It's like an never-ending noodle pop-up right there on Kenmare Street, and the pleasure is all ours. You don't go to Ramen Lab for comfortthere's always a wait, and they took out the stools a while back so you'll be standing while you slurpbut for variety, innovation, and flat-out deliciousness, this place is a treasure. Ramen Lab is located at 70 Kenmare Street between Mulberry and Mott Streets in Little Italy (646-613-7522; ramen-lab.com). Tonkotsu, $10 (Scott Lynch/Gothamist) RAMEN SHACK: Keizo Shimamoto may have struck pay dirt when he invented the wildly popular Ramen Burger a few years back, but make no mistake: this guy is a serious ramen chef who can put together an excellent bowl of noodles with the best of them. Right now Keizo's Ramen Shack resides in Industry City at the Winter Smorgasburg, but this past Monday he also launched what he hopes will become a weekly pop-up at Lumpia Shack in the West Village. Wherever they surface, Keizo's marvelous creations are worth seeking out. The Tonkotsu ($10) I had at the pop-up was outstanding, and his "limited edition" Green Curry (remember: he was an early chef/consultant at Bassonova) really made me wish he'd settle down and open up a permanent Ramen Shack, preferably within a couple of blocks of my home. Ramen Shack is located at the Winter Flea and Smorgasburg in Industry City at 241 37th Street in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. (goramen.com) Yuzu Shoyu Ramen, $14.50 (Scott Lynch/Gothamist) TOTTO RAMEN: All three of the Totto Ramen locationsMidtown East, Hell's Kitchen, and the best and original Midtown Westare regularly slammed with noodle fans, so expect a wait pretty much whenever and wherever you show up. But the wait is worth it for their complex chicken-based Paitan (or, "milky") broth and superbly cooked noodles. I generally get the Miso (and upgrade to spicy), but the Vegetable Ramen is pretty wild here, with its pile of raw and pickled veggies and mound of yuzu paste complemented nicely by a seaweed and shiitake broth. Totto Ramen is located at 366 West 52nd Street (212-582-0052), 464 West 51st Street (646-596-9056), and 248 East 52nd Street (212-421-0052). (tottoramen.com) Honorable Mentions Best Stoner Noodles: The Uni Mazeman at Moku Moku in Bushwick. What you'd make at home if you were 22 and high AF and had a whole bunch of perfectly-cooked noodles and sea urchin lying around your kitchen. Best Ramen When You Don't Want To Dick Around With Long Waits At Every Other Ramen Spot:Tabata in Hell's Kitchen, right at the butt-end of Port Authority. The Dark Men, made with black sesame, is my go-to (slightly sweet and definitely different), but everything satisfies. Love the old-school, run-down vibe too. Best Neighborhood Ramen-ya:Chuko Ramen in Prospect Heights. Not quite worth the trip if you're already near any of the above, but for locals this friendly place, with four solid options (though the Miso is the best), is gold. Best Ramen For Chashu Fetishists: Ramen by Mew in the West Village. I mean c'mon look at those slabs of pig! This is a fun, lively spot too, especially if you're comfortable around NYU students. Best Ramen For When You Want To Raise Your Cholesterol By Ten Points In A Single Meal: Zundo-ya in the East Village. This Japanese import, located in a roomy subterranean spot on East 10th, makes good noodles, a solid Tonkotsu, and you can choose how much pork fatback they pour into your bowl, ranging from "Light" (which I haven't tried because why bother) to "Super Rich", which is so thick and slippery that you can almost chew the broth. Next Monday, February 22nd, the ingenious world of food P.R. has bestowed upon us a special winter respite, National Margarita Day, when we're encouraged to overindulge in summertime cocktails regardless of where the mercury falls. Here are a few potentially good deals and activities for the observant: Tony Roma's, a steakhouse near the Barclays Center, is hooking it up big time for this most holy of holidays. The restaurant will be shaking up their Classic Romarita's for $2.22, meaning an unhealthy amount of Sauza and Cointreau can be consumed for under $10. If you're busy on the 22nd, the restaurant will still offer you a $4 version if you stop by anytime between now and the 21st. UES Mexican spot Maya and Midtown sister restaurant Zengo are both offering $7 versions of their margaritas if you can score a seat at the bar and both are doing some super spicy versions to make it interesting. At Maya, you can try a version with Agavilles Blanco, habanero, blood orange and a chile pasilla rim ("Yucatan") and at Zengo there's the Watermelon Soju with Agavales Reposado, Korean soju, watermelon and serrano pepper. (courtesy of Calexico) At their four brick-and-mortar locations, the burrito experts at Calexico are celebrating a brand-new cocktail menu with a 2-for-1 offer on all of their newbies beginning on the 22nd and running through the 24th. The Tippling Brothers collaborations include a David Bowie-inspired margarita, Rebel Rebel, made with passionfruit, chipotles, and dark chocolate and The Roadrunner, a margarita with Fresno peppers and pineapple. All told, there are nine new offerings from the Meixcan chainlet and each runs about $10 - $12 normally, so they'll be between $5 and $6 for the holiday. Pair virtue with vice at Dos Caminos, the Mexican chain branch of the BR Guest hospitality group. They're highlighting a Green Juice Margarita ($15), a new addition to their cocktail menu, made with traditional green juice components (kale, cucumber, apple, ginger, etc.) with tequila, mint, coconut liqueur and a chili-lime salt rim. This sounds like the margarita you'll need following a night drinking exclusively margaritas. (courtesy Blockheads) Blockheads knows that one margarita alone isn't enough to get one truly buzzed, so they're including their special Bulldog Margaritas in their celebration, selling the marg-and-beer combos for just $5 on Monday. There's a traditional with a float of Sauza, another with a float of Fireball and even some non-tequila options made with vodka, rum and sangria. Their classic margaritas will be running for $3 on Monday at all seven locations, with the special three buck deal lasting through March 10th (at least) at their newer East Village outpost. During happy hour from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Japanese noodle spot KOA is offering half off their special margaritas, including a Green Tea Margarita made with green tea powder that should help fuel a night of tequila-drinking. That and their Agave Margarita with peach schnapps will be $6.50 during the special. For further imbibing inspiration, check out our picks for the best margaritas in NYC plus some other equally-delicious frozen options. Angela Raiola, the flamboyant star of the VH1 reality series "Mob Wives," died earlier this morning at age 55. The Staten Island resident had stage 4 brain and lung cancer. In a statement posted online, her friend Vinnie Medugno said that Raiola "peacefully ended her battle with cancer, and was called home. She was surrounded by nothing but love from her immediate family, and closest friends." Here's the full statement: A few hours earlier, it was rumored that Raiola had died, leading to a statement issued at 10 p.m. saying that she was still in the hospital, "fighting" while surrounded by loved ones. Raiola in 2015 (Getty Images) Raiola's connection to the Mafia was her uncle, Salvatore "Sally Dogs" Lombardi, an alleged capo in the Genovese crime family. She had two children, a daughter and son, and six grandchildren. During an emotional interview with Dr. Oz recently, she said, "I look at my kids and my grandchildren and I know how much they need me. My kids, my daughter lives with me with her kids and her husband so I'm very close to my grandchildren. My son's kids always sleep over." The Staten Island Advance notes her criminal history: In 2001, Raiola was arrested and convicted for selling cocaine in a New York City drug ring. She wrote in her book that, as a single mother raising her kids, it was a way for her to make money, but that she would never do it again. In 2009, she married Neil Murphy, a sanitation worker also from Staten Island. The two went on to appear together in two reality television shows: ABC's "Wife Swap" and VH1's "Couple's Therapy," both of which painted the picture of a rocky but largely appreciative marriage. Neil said he liked that the shows shined a different light on his wife. "We're all seeing a little more of the real Ang, and I think people see that and they like her," Murphy said at the time. "She's more than just a mob wife." Raiola became a favorite of the VH1 show "Mob Wives" as she bartended at the bar Drunken Monkey. However, it was revealed that she actually owned the bar, which convicted felons cannot do, and the bar was shut down in 2015. In 2014, Raiola opened the Brooklyn Monkey in DUMBO, but it closed a month later. During the Dr. Oz interview which aired on Tuesday, Raiola said she had left Murphy because he "never stepped up to the plate" and was given a 30% chance of survival after multiple surgeries. Doctors also told Raiola that the cancer was caused with her lifetime of smoking. We rely on your support to make local news available to all Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today What if you could take one train all the way from Fulton Street to LaGuardia Airport? Or if the Second Avenue Subway didn't just cover the east side of Manhattan (already a far-off promise) but also branched into Queens and south Brooklyn? The MTA may be in no position to contemplate such radical projects, as it's preoccupied with repairing debilitated tunnels and making good on some of its less outlandish promises, but that hasn't stopped cartographer Andrew Lynch from envisioning a wildly fantastic future for the city's subway system. This isn't Lynch's first foray into subway futurism: in previous projects, he's cooked up the notion of a Manhattan-bound G train and made several suggestions for improved subway service in Queens. From extending the Second Avenue Subway across 125th street to connect with the 1, to lengthening the F, M, and 7 lines to serve the current subway desert that is northeastern Queens, there's a lot to look at here. Below, the five most intriguing suggestions Lynch has offered to help the New York City subway system better serve its passengers. Feast your eyes, and then cry them out because it's unlikely even one of these ideas will be realized in your lifetime. 1. Meet The K Train (Andrew Lynch) Lynch's plan would not only restore G service to Forest Hills, but also add another train to the line: the K train. The K would effectively replace the Franklin Avenue Shuttle and extend it up to Bedford-Nostrand Avenues. Though G train service would still terminate at Church Avenue in Brooklyn, the K would run with the Q all the way down to Brighton Beach. In Queens, it would be the express counterpart to the G and extend beyond Forest Hills, running all the way out to Jamaica. 2. The Utica Avenue Subway (Andrew Lynch) This is perhaps one of the more realistic proposals in Lynch's map, though that's not saying all that much. Mayor de Blasio has asked the city to study the feasibility of a Utica Avenue subway line, which has been proposed many times in the past. Indeed, in the early 1900s, planning for such a line got so far that the Crown Heights-Utica Avenue station was built with space for a north-south platform. The B46, which covers the same ground as this proposed extension of the 3 train, is the second-busiest bus route in the city, carrying 50,000 passengers per day. Unfortunately, the Utica Avenue line appears to have fallen to the bottom of de Blasio's transit to-do list, which is currently dominated by talking up his $2.5 billion streetcar. 3. The Bushwick-Queens Line (Andrew Lynch) With the T and mythical K trains serving southern Brooklyn along with the Q, the B train would be free to take over the M's current path through Brooklyn, which would also be conveniently replaced by extensions of the Second Avenue Subway. Lynch envisions the B peeling off from M just past Myrtle Avenue to follow the path that the M currently takes up to Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenuebut in this transit utopia, it'd go even farther, running all the way to Woodhaven Boulevard, which would be transformed into quite the hub, connecting the E, F, G, K, N, and V trains. 4. The 10th Avenue Subway (Andrew Lynch) The L train would be business as usual if Lynch has his waythat is, until it hits Eighth Avenue, at which point it wouldn't terminate but continue to 10th Avenue, turning right and heading uptown until meeting up with the 1, 2, and 3 trains at 72nd and Broadway. Stops at 23rd, 34th, 42nd (joined by the 7, at the initially planned extension of that line), 50th, and 57th streets would serve portions of the far-West Side that are currently a bit of a hike from the nearest station. 5. The Second Avenue Subway On Steroids (Andrew Lynch) Forget just completing the second phase of the Second Avenue Subway and bringing the T and Q trains up to East Harlem: Lynch would like to see the T joined by the currently-defunct V and W trains, recoded in the new line's teal blue. At its northern tip, the T would cut west, hitting stops along 125th Street before joining up with the 1 on Broadway. The V, which would join the T in midtown and lower Manhattan, would then head into southern Brooklyn, covering much of the same ground that the R and D trains do today. The W, for its part, would peel north in Queens, following the same path as the Q and N trains do now but continuing past Ditmars Boulevard, along with the R, to take passengers all the way to LaGuardia airport. Oh, and a magical AirTrain even more far-fetched than the one Governor Guomo is proposing would connect LaGuardia and JFK, with a quick pitstop at Citi Field for all those mid-transfer Mets games you've been dying to catch. You can check out Lynch's map in its entirety here. Dream big or go home... in a cab. My Journey to the Pyramids Every single word you read here represents solely my private, personal opinion and may not be inferred as the position of any of my associates, employers, family, friends, or anyone else but me. Grays is home to one of the worlds largest and most diverse collections of fine antiques, jewellery, collectables and vintage fashion. The labyrinth corridors of Grays are a hive of activity with over two hundred dealers selling everything from ancient artefacts from 40BC up to 20th century collectables. Opinion Clear message The Darwin awards are for the best approaches, normally successful, to removing yourself from the gene pool. The latest attempt by American Rebecca Clark shows how to do it in so many ways, a solo walk in a park, poor phone reception and then getting within a few feet of a 2000-pound bison. For All U of U Health Patients & Visitors Originating as a backyard idea among some conservation minded Helenans, on Feb. 29, 1996, Prickly Pear Land Trusts board of directors met for the first time. Now 20 years later, supporters are celebrating the organizations growth from that initial meeting into one of the areas most recognized drivers of land conservation and stewardship. Board President Jonathan Krauss recalled the earliest days of the land trust -- a minuscule budget and hardly any staff except for some dedicated volunteers. Now Prickly Pear boasts a full-time director, multiple full-time staff and plenty of projects dotting the surrounding landscape from Helena to the Rocky Mountain Front. As the community has grown and weve seen success on conservation in our backyard weve really matured as an organization, Krauss said. But it started as a dream in peoples living rooms and backyard barbecues and weve been fortunate to have excellent staff and excellent board-member guidance that has allowed us to take off. Prickly Pear will mark two decades of work at its annual meeting on Thursday at Free Ceramics Studio, 650 Logan Street starting at 5:30 p.m. Although time to RSVP has closed, Executive Director Mary Hollow said those interested can still attend and hear about past and future projects. Connie Cole, a 19-year board member, noted that the land trusts initial concerns focused on proposed subdividing on Mount Ascension. While there was the perception among some that Prickly Pear was anti-development, I think we managed to overcome that idea, she said. Its now morphed into where Prickly Pear is mentioned in real estate ads promoting the locations of homes. Prickly Pear operates in two general spheres of land conservation: the often more recognizable public access projects, such as a recent fishing access site on Prickly Pear Creek, and award winning South Hills trail system, and the typically less well-known conservation easements that keep private lands in open space. The projects come from a mix of public and private funding and city, county, state and federal partnerships In 1998, Prickly Pears first completed project was a gifted 122-acre South Hills conservation easement later sold to preserve open space and public trails. Later that year, PPLT facilitated a nearly 120-acre transfer from the Bureau of Land Management to the city of Helenas parks system. By 2001 Prickly Pear became the citys trail system coordinator and just last year, the decade long Backdrop Initiative culminated with the city taking ownership of parcels on Mount Ascension Natural Park and preserving a link to adjacent public lands. That was another one of those dreams and a wide-eyed board saying How are we going to do this? Krauss said of the Backdrop Initiative. Bit by bit and parcel by parcel we were able to put it together and extend that natural park and the trails. One of Coles most memorable projects played heavily into her background in the mining industry. In 2002 Prickly Pear began work on acquiring 21 patented mining claims in the Wakina Sky area -- an effort that lasted until 2009 when transfers to the Forest Service were finally completed. As the land trust has grown, it has continued to see strong community support and interest, she said, with growing user groups on the trail system. I think Prickly Pear really personifies Montanans strong personal connection to the land, Cole said. There doesnt seem to be a ceiling on what were doing. The growth has not been without its challenges. Krauss cited the always rising cost of land and doing business as challenges, while Cole pointed to potential congestion on the most popular trails and promoting etiquette among user groups. Land trusts vary significantly in size and focus across Montana, said Glenn Marx, executive director of the Montana Association of Land Trusts. Its not accurate to say a land trust is a land trust is a land trust, he said. Land trusts have very distinct missions and priorities and some of them work in very distinct areas for very distinct reasons. Major state organizations such as Helena-based Montana Land Reliance have nearly 1 million acres of agricultural land in conservation easements. Missoula-based Vital Ground focuses exclusively on grizzly bear habitat and travel corridors. The Nature Conservancy works internationally and in Montana focuses on strategic land acquisitions and easements in areas such as the Crown of the Continent, Marx said. Prickly Pear is among the community-based land trusts -- organizations such as Five Valleys, Bitterroot and Flathead land trusts -- with more defined geographic regions and often including trails programs. Community land trusts are typically the primary developers and users of open space bonds, which allows local voters to decide the value they place on land conservation, Marx said. My sense is when youre a community land trust, you need to be really closely aligned with your community goals and aspirations, and the more closely aligned you are the more successful youll be, he said. Prickly Pear is a great example of a land trust that really serves their community and throughout Lewis and Clark County. As Prickly Pear has grown so have its marquee events, Krauss said. The Dont Fence Me In Trail Run, scheduled for May 7 this year, saw about 700 participants last year. Septembers Harvest Moon Banquet went from a small venue to packing the Helena Civic Center. This years events will include some special commemorations of the 20th anniversary, he added. Prickly Pear is gearing for a big 2016, said Mary Hollow, who became executive director last year. But it is the foundation laid by those who first launched the land trust two decades ago that make todays accomplishments a reality, she said. I feel for Prickly Pear the future is very bright and the skys the limit, and Ive felt like that since the first time I interviewed for the job, she said. Its because of the deep support for the community, especially when Prickly Pear was young and volunteerism is really how we accomplished what we did. In his second attempt to slander WorldMontana and our endeavor to facilitate the establishment of a refugee resettlement program, Paul Nachman brings up some truly interesting things, each intended to prove that Muslims are our implacable enemies. He speaks to the perfidies of the Barbary pirates, the first jihadists to prey on American vessels. That was in the late 1700s, when our country was in its infancy. We can thank the Bey of Algiers and his peers along the coast of North Africa for causing the birth of the U.S. Navy and for unwittingly fueling the forging of our republic, which needed to evolve from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution in order to finance and deploy said Navy to defend our maritime interests. What Nachman fails to mention is that the pirates, by hijacking ships and holding crews hostage, were interfering with budding commerce between American traders and the Ottoman Empire. Lets recall that the Ottomans were Islamic, and keep in mind that that the U.S. maintains strong diplomatic and military ties to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and a number of other Muslim majority countries in the Middle East. Nachman then goes on to reference Winston Churchill. It is generally useful and always self-aggrandizing to quote Churchill, but in this instance Nachman did not choose wisely. Churchills ideas for and policies in the Middle East were disastrous (remember Gallipoli?), and we have his contemporaries Sykes (British) and Picot (French) to thank for setting the stage for the mess were dealing with now by arbitrarily cutting across tribal, ethnic and sectarian lines in the region to build states (Iraq and Syria, et al.) that would serve the interests of their respective colonial empires. What is missing from Nachmans diatribe against WorldMontana is one iota of compassion for the millions of Syrians who have been and continue to be terrorized by a brutal regime and Islamic extremists. Instead, he impugns the motives of a growing number of generous and responsible Montana citizens who want to help victims of an ongoing atrocity. Nachman points to six figure salaries in far away places and insinuates that were in it for the money. Im a volunteer, as is everyone else on the board of directors. Were hoping our outreach efforts will lead to the state contracting with one or more officially sanctioned, federally registered voluntary agencies to handle the myriad administrative duties that constitute refugee case management. Thats not what WorldMontana aspires to do; our role is actually quite limited. I would love for more people who are attracted to our endeavor to become members of WorldMontana. It costs $35 per year. If you want to learn more about the organization and its citizen diplomacy mission, please visit our website: www.worldmontana.org. If you want to know more about where Paul Nachman is coming from, Google him. Stephen Maly is vice president of the WorldMontana Board of Directors. LIBBY There is still work to be done, but some Libby residents will celebrate 15 years of progress, and to look ahead to a day when the community can put its legacy of asbestos pollution behind it. Residents are invited to gather at Cabinet Mountain Brewing Co., 206 Mineral Ave., today (Thursday) at 6 p.m. to mark the Record of Decision issued Feb. 8 by the Environmental Protection Agency. In it, the EPA said it anticipates another four years and $64 million worth of work remains to be done in Libby, where cancer-causing asbestos has killed hundreds of people and sickened thousands. A separate Superfund project at the former W.R. Grace Mine is also still in progress. We have seen tremendous progress in the past few years, Lincoln County Commissioner Mark Peck said. For those of us who love this corner of Big Sky Country, it feels good to be coming out from under the cloud that has hung over our community. While a great step forward, this is an interim milestone as we work closely with the EPA and Montana (Department of Environmental Quality) to position Libby for success in the long-term management of the final remedy. For now, we will bask in the rare positive news. The EPA issued what amounted to a clean bill of health for Libby in December 2014. The towns air asbestos concentrations are 100,000 times lower than when the W.R. Grace mine was operating, and now on a level with communities such as Helena and Eureka, according to EPA officials. The story of asbestos contamination in Libby has not been a happy one for anyone, said Nick Raines, manager of the Lincoln County Asbestos Resource Program. But when we look at where we are today, we are now able to tell a positive story about where we are and where we are headed. Let's discuss upcoming shows, secrets behind the scenes, things you never knew about the theater and why live theater is so darn entertaining. DECATUR When Dr. Francis Lee first began practicing dermatology in Decatur 40 years ago, he sent skin cancer patients to the man who Mohs Micrographic Surgery was named after to have the procedure performed. As recently as 30 years ago, Lee's patients in Decatur would travel all the way to Madison, Wis., to see Dr. Frederic E. Mohs, who in the 1930s developed a technique of skin cancer surgery that is now the standard for most skin carcinoma removals. Even after Mohs retired, Lee sent patients to Mohs' disciple, Dr. Stephen Snow, in Wisconsin. He later began sending patients to Springfield for the procedure. But beginning last November, Lee founder and medical director of Lee Institute of Skin and Laser in Decatur began performing the procedure himself. "Some of my patients think going to St. Mary's in Decatur is a long distance, so they didn't like having to go to Springfield," Lee said, laughing. "Some people would refuse to go. And a lot of times it would take a long time to get them in for surgery in other places. "Finally I decided, 'I could do it here.' " Lee described the difference between tradition skin cancer removal and Mohs as the difference between slicing a loaf of bread and slicing a pie. "Think of it looking from above you're seeing a thin slice of bread, or, with Mohs, a whole pie," Lee said. "There's much less chance of missing something." In traditional "bread loaf" surgery, surgeons estimate how far out or deep the roots of the skin cancer go, then remove that section. If something is missed, it means another surgery. In Mohs, the surgeon removes just the visible cancer, along with a thin layer of additional tissue. From that additional tissue, even thinner slices -- so thin you can see through them -- are taken from the bottom and complete edges, then studied under a microscope for the presence of cancer cells while the surgery is still going on. If the margins are cancer-free, the surgery is ended. If not, the additional cancer is removed. The procedure is repeated until all the margins of the final tissue sample examined are clear of cancer, then the incision is closed. Usually, Lee said, it doesn't take more than one more removal after the initial one. "If you miss it, you can go get some more, but it still ends up being much less tissue loss (than bread loaf)," Lee said. Michelle Mileham, one of Lee's technicians, prepares the layers of skin for Lee to examine for additional cancerous cells after he's performed the initial excision. The specimen is frozen, then sliced and placed on a microscope slide for Lee to examine. To become a technician, Mileham said she had to complete three days of "long, mind-boggling" training in November, then additional training in January. "She's one of our best," Lee said, smiling. Because it's more exact as far as removing all the cancerous cells, the Mohs technique has significantly improved cure rates. The five-year cure rate for primary cancer treated by Mohs surgery is 99 percent, compared with 93 percent for conventional excision. For recurrent cancers, the five-year cure rate with Mohs is 95 percent, compared to 80 percent with excision. Mohs isn't appropriate for the treatment of all skin cancer, particularly melanoma. And because of ts cost, Mohs is typically reserved for particularly large cancer cells, recurring skin cancer or for cancers with a high risk of recurrence. Those are the only types Lee does in his office. "The traditional methods electrosurgery and bread loaf -- are still the most common ways because they takes less time and are easier," Lee said. Mohs is particularly effective for areas where tissue conservation is important, like the eyes and nose. Lee still refers patients who need surgery in those areas to Springfield because they often consult with plastic surgeons. Most insurance policies cover the cost of Mohs surgery, but patients should be sure to call their insurance company directly to be sure. SPRINGFIELD To many in the General Assemblys Democratic majority, what Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner left out of his budget address Wednesday was as notable than what he included. Without a budget in place for the current year, Rauner proposed increasing elementary and secondary education funding for the fiscal year beginning July 1 and, as he has repeatedly over the past year, called for the legislature to enact portions of his turnaround agenda before hell agree to raising taxes to close the multibillion-dollar hole in the budget. The governor also outlined two paths he said the lawmakers could take in addressing next years budget: Either you give the executive branch the authority to cut spending to live within our revenues, or we agree together on economic and governmental reforms to accompany a negotiated balance of spending reductions and revenue that ensures that Illinois can be both compassionate and competitive. What Rauner didnt address in the speech, Democrats said afterward, was how much hes proposing to spend overall and on what or how he intends to address the crisis facing public universities and community colleges. They havent received any state funding amid this years budget impasse, now in its eighth month. The governors preferred budget plan, which was posted on the state website, calls for spending about $36.3 billion if lawmakers agree to structural reforms and government transformation. Otherwise, he proposes spending $32.8 billion, with the General Assembly giving him authority to move money around to balance the budget. I had low expectations in listening to the governors speech this afternoon, said stateSen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago. For a whole year, we have heard the same story about how we must turn around this state, and what we have done is essentially turned it back. State Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, said the speech didnt move the state any closer to ending the current standoff or coming to an agreement on next years budget. We have pending issues that are severe in nature that have to be dealt, Manar said. Higher ed is certainly at the top of that list. He said the lack of attention given to the issue in the speech shows how divided the legislature is from the governors office and provides evidence that the governors office isnt listening to the outcry thats coming from every direction across the state. The outcry was evident before and after the speech as students, staff and supporters from Eastern Illinois and Chicago State universities, among others, chanted and demonstrated at the Capitol, even briefly blocking Rauner from entering the House chamber to deliver his message. Dan Crews, who is among the 177 Eastern employees whove received layoff notices this month, said the situation has created uncertainty about the future of the university and the Charleston community. This whole process has caused a lot of people, me included, to lose faith in our leaders, he said. Southern Illinois University President Randy Dunn also was concerned by the lack of attention paid to higher education. I came with a lot of questions, and Im not sure that, given the speech itself, any of those questions got answered today, Dunn said. At the same time, I understand this is the first step in a long process. The governors written proposal likely didnt allay Dunns concerns. Rauner is proposing a 20 percent cut to what universities received in fiscal year 2015. Not surprisingly, Republican lawmakers viewed the speech differently. They said the governor laid out a path forward and again made clear his willingness to compromise on some of his policy priorities. State Sen. Dave Luechtefeld, R-Okawville, said the governor did a good job of making his openness to compromise clear. Right now, whats happening is (Democratic House Speaker) Mike Madigan is basically trying to show the governor whos boss, and thats kind of sad because people are suffering, Luechtefeld said. I really believe that there are doable reforms. State Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, said Rauner laid out a blueprint for how to address the budget. In every comment Ive heard from the governor for this first year of his serving in office, hes continually said, I will work with you, and I will compromise with you, Barickman said. State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, said there was a vast improvement of communication and outreach to the Democrats on Rauners part. I think the governor is very sincere when he says, Ill work with you. Here are the plans; here are the different directions we can go, Brady said. But to many Democrats it came across as more of the same from Rauner. Hes still sticking with hes not going to do anything unless we adopt his turnaround agenda, said state Rep. Pat Verschoore, D-Milan, and theres no way that I can vote for that when it basically attacks working, middle-class people." When Tarlan Saydoyan opened the door to her house one early morning in October of last year, she was confronted by masked assailants. One of them hit Tarlan; knocking her down. Coming to his wifes aid, Shirin Aliyan, was also struck. The robbers then proceeded to tie up the couple, beating them in order to find out where they kept their cash and gold. Shirin, realizing the robbers would stop at nothing, handed over a key to the upper floor and told the three marauders that the valuables were there. The gang tore the place apart but finding nothing they continued to beat the couple and turned on the TV to muffle their cries. The gang got away with 20,000 Euros from the house located in Yerevans Silikyan neighborhood. Tarlan Saydoyan and Shirin Aliyan outside their house The Yezidi couple believe their case is being held up on purpose. They claim they know who robbed and beat them. Tarlan says that one of the masked assailants was a Yezidi because he let slip out some of the language. Shirin Aliyan says she recognized an in-law named Tahar in the gang. Shirin says she was convinced of his identity after watching some video tape at the police station showing the car used in the robbery depart from near the Armenia Medical Center in Yerevan. Police at the station told the couple that five individuals were in the gang and that two probably stayed in the car during the robbery. Their house in Yerevans Silikyan neighborhood Tarlan says that the cops picked up Tahar three days after the incident, but then let him go. Tarlan says that Tahar was released because he was a good friend with a certain prosecutor named Grigoryan. Armenias Investigative Committee told Hetq that it couldnt divulge any details about the ongoing case, only saying that they were tracking down some leads and that the investigation would be thorough. On December 4, 2015, some six weeks after this Silikyan neighborhood house was robbed, scores of Yezidis, whose houses had also been robbed, staged a protest outside the presidential palace in Yerevan demanding that investigations into their cases finally track down the culprits. One of the protesters that day was Mraz Kocharyan, a resident of Etchmiadzin, who was also robbed and beaten back in 2013. Armavir Province investigators dropped the case four months after the incident after making no headway. Ever since, Kocharyan has written to the president, police chief and prosecutor general demanding justice. On the day of the protest, government officials suggested that Kocharyan send a petition to the presidential chief of staff. Kocharyan refused, arguing that nothing had been done over the past two years and it was senseless to draft another petition. The Kocharyans, unlike the Tarlan and Shirin, didnt recognize their attackers. They are convinced, however, that the assailants knew their daily schedule since they arrived when only Mraz and his wife Seyran were at home. Mraz Kocharyan says that three masked individuals entered the house through an open door and proceeded to savagely beat him and his wife. The assailants fled with jewelry and some two million AMD. The Kocharyans say their attackers made several telephone calls during the robbery and that the calls can be traced. Mraz Kocharyan and wife Seyran Djalilyan I dont say they were Armenian, Turks, Yezidis or even Georgians. I dont care what nationality they were. They could even be my brother. Just catch them and let them face justice, says Mraz Kocharyan. Three of the Kocharyans four sons now live in France. Yurik, the fourth son, and his family, lives with his parents. After the robbery, everyone is on edge and watchful. Yurik says all the doors are locked after 8 p.m. So, are there any similarities linking the two robberies? In both cases the couples were tied up using pieces of ripped sheets. Their attackers also threatened to kill them, and the women who were robbed say their assailants threatened to cut off their ears to get their earrings. Both couples dont believe that the Yezidi community in Armenia is being targeted for robbery. Bless our families and our children, and choose from our homes those who you desire for this holy work. Heavenly Father,your divine Son taught usto pray to the Lord of the harvestto send laborers into His vineyard.We earnestly beg youto bless our Diocese and our worldwith many priests and religiouswho will love you fervently and gladlyand courageously spend their livesin service to your Son's Church,especially the poor and the needy.Teach them to respond generouslyand keep them ever faithfulin following your Son Jesus Christ,that under the guidance of the HolySpiritand with the inspiration ofSaint Damien and Blessed Mariannethe Good News of redemptionmay be brought to all.We ask this through Christ our Lord. An everyday story of a man who thinks he is much younger than he is.....as my mate said 'growing old is compulsory, growing up is optional'....read and enjoy State Debate: Journal Sentinel insists court's vacancy needs to be filled now; 'winds of change' seen in Tuesday's balloting FOOD & DRINK Restaurant review: Is this the best barbecue in Madison? Double S BBQ makes the case Students from various high schools in the city gathered at Madison East High School along with parents and teachers to begin marching to the C A common misconception of Shabazz is that it is a place of last resort. But for those familiar with the small north side school that draws students from around Dane County, its a successful alternative for those who have felt they didnt fit in with traditional public schools. Some of the schools biggest advocates are the kids themselves. A woman holds the hands of children as she walks past presidential campaign volunteers holding signs after voting on primary day in Londonderry, New Hampshire, on Feb. 9. When my girl was little, we used to take tea at The Drake in Chicago. We steeped in the fancy fantasy the harp music, the tiny sandwiches, the massive urns of flowers. Once, when her place-setting lacked a knife, the waiter rushed her a replacement. No scone should forgo cream and jam. Back home, at the bottom of a shopping bag, we found a knife, all silver curlicues and blunt buttering edge. For years it lounged in the cutlery drawer, a reminder of tea-stained afternoons. Eventually we returned it. UW-Madison has disciplined a student who posted several swastikas and photos of Adolf Hitler on the door of a Jewish students dorm room last month. The incident happened in Sellery Hall on Jan. 26, and was meant to be a prank, Dean of Students Lori Berquam said. Berquam did not name the people involved, though she said the students all knew one another, and said federal law prohibits the university from saying what disciplinary sanctions the student who posted the photos received. A Facebook post from Wednesday night shows the door to the room in Sellery Hall covered with five swastikas and three photos of Hitler. University officials said they reacted quickly to the incident once it was reported in January, meeting with organizations for Jewish students and sending a message to Sellery Hall residents within 24 hours. On Wednesday night, however, the photo of the dorm room door and other posts about the incident started gaining much greater local and national attention on Facebook. That prompted officials on Thursday to send an email to all UW-Madison students describing their response to the prank and inviting students to a meeting later this month to discuss anti-Semitism. Greg Steinberger, executive director of the University of Wisconsin Hillel Foundation, said Thursday that the photo was as gut-wrenching as it could be for many students. But Steinberger commended the universitys response to the incident. The perpetrator was dealt with, there was adjudication, there was education and there was an opportunity within the community for conversation and healing, Steinberger said at a press conference with Berquam and other university officials. The email to students encouraged those who see anything similar to the intended prank to report it to the UW Hate and Bias Incident Team, UW-Madison police, the Dean of Students Office or University Health Services. Berquam said the university is continually working to educate students on how to make the campus a place where everyone is welcome and supported, but she and others acknowledged that work is far from complete. I hope that we consider this part of the learning that happens and the growth that happens in our young people, Berquam said. A developer wants to continue Downtowns housing surge with a plan to raze six vintage houses for a six-story apartment building on a choice site blocks from Capitol Square. The proposal is the first test of the citys new Downtown Plan and zoning for the corridor of two- and three-story houses converted to student dwellings long ago that aesthetically tie the Bassett and Mifflin neighborhoods that meet along the 400 and 500 blocks of West Washington Avenue. Up Urban Properties of Chicago is proposing to demolish houses at 8, 10-12, and 14 N. Broom St. and 404, 408, and 410 W. Washington Ave. for an apartment building with 85 units marketed to young professionals, college upperclassmen and graduate students. Stephen Bus, managing partner at Up Urban Properties, described it as a small, boutique project that will introduce a new housing type for this block with a building design that will maintain the areas character and improve safety with more active ground-floor uses. Ald. Mike Verveer, 4th District, who represents the area, has taken no position on the project, which he said would change the human scale of housing on the blocks. Theyre the guinea pig, Verveer said. This is a test case as to whether or not the city is willing to begin what likely will be the first of many redevelopment proposals. The building will feature studio apartments, most furnished, with underground parking and amenities including a lounge, small fitness center and open spaces on outdoor terraces, Bus said. This is what the Downtown Plan calls for, said his consultant Melissa Higgins, of Urban Assets of Madison. If we want to have more housing choices and more affordability, you have to have more density. The citys Downtown Plan allows four stories facing West Washington Avenue, with two additional stories allowed for exceptional design. Not only is this a prominent corner, it is a corner on the premier streetscape of Washington Avenue, so exceptional design, setbacks and stepbacks, and special architecture, materials and features will be incorporated, Bus said. The redevelopment site includes buildings that are older and reflect architecture of the Capitol gateway, but none is a formal landmark. Most of the existing houses are over 100 years old and in the kind of condition one would expect given their age and the wear and tear of student living, Bus said. We are always concerned with providing affordable housing where older housing nearing the end of its useful life is proposed to be demolished, which is one of the reasons we are including studios in our unit mix. At least one house, the Queen Anne-style structure at 10-12 N. Broom St., is of higher quality and architectural design, a memo from city preservation planner Amy Scanlon says. The house could be preserved through relocation, Bus said. The neighborhood has a steering committee working with the developer, his architect and Urban Assets, said Tim Kamps, chair of the Miffland District of Capitol Neighborhoods Inc. There are some concerns around replacing traditional student housing, but my early take on the project is that it fits with the Downtown Plan and is in keeping with the type of infill development the neighborhood generally supports, Kamps said. The neighborhood process is just beginning, said Verveer, who has set a neighborhood meeting for early next month. The developer is on a relatively tight timeline due to the window on the purchase option, he said. If approvals are secured, Bus hopes to start construction next year with an opening in 2018. DEFOREST North Americas largest producer of biodiesel has purchased the Sanimax refinery in DeForest in a deal worth up to $16 million in cash, plus stock. Earlier this month, Renewable Energy Group (REG), of Ames, Iowa, announced its pending acquisition of the 20 million-gallon-per-year-capacity plant on the villages North Side after Sanimax opted to separate its biodiesel production and grease processing operations at the site. Under the tentative agreement, Sanimax will get about $11 million and be issued 500,000 shares of REG stock. It also will receive up to $5 million more over a period of up to seven years, based on the volume of biodiesel production at the facility. Completed in 2007, the DeForest plant is the only biodiesel production facility Sanimax operates. The Montreal, Quebec-based companys primary business is the processing of used cooking oils, grease, meat byproducts, hides and other organic material into products that can be used in manufacturing. In a statement, Sanimax president and CEO Martin Couture said the company is withdrawing from the biofuels industry. At times, the biodiesel industry has lacked stability since Sanimaxs entry. The company was forced to temporarily close the plant and lay off 20 employees in June 2009 after the price of oil-based diesel dropped dramatically below that of biodiesel. In a context of increased market consolidation, the small biodiesel producers such as Sanimax do not have the necessary size to fully succeed in this biofuel industry, Couture said. Sanimaxs biodiesel employees will be absorbed by REG. The company will continue to independently operate its grease processing facility next to the biodiesel refinery and will become a feedstock supplier to REG. Its unclear when REG will take over operations of the biodiesel plant, but DeForest Village President Judd Blau said he has a meeting scheduled with a company representative next week. Among topics sure to be discussed: odor. The 605 Bassett St. facilities have been the target of scores of complaints from residents over the past few years. Drifting odors raised concerns from homeowners about property values and prompted creation of a Stop the Stink Facebook group. Without sufficient answers as to what was causing the odors, village officials voted to bolster DeForests nuisance ordinance in 2013 and began citing the company. The revised ordinance led to 11 citations totaling more than $100,000 in fines against Sanimax, which were contested in court. A judge upheld seven of the 11 citations and Sanimax further challenged the seven citations, prompting the village to appeal the four the judge had overruled. Sanimax also filed a defamation suit against village administrator Steve Fahlgren, a public affairs consultant for the village and all seven members of the Village Board. Last September, the sides announced a settlement in which Sanimax agreed to donate $94,000 to the village for an unspecified project. The companys grease plant has undergone improvements to add air scrubbers since a September 2014 fire. The village has received no formal complaints about odor since the settlement. REG spokesman Anthony Hulen declined comment on whether changes would be made to the plant to prevent odor drifting until after the purchase. We are aware of the issue and we strive to be good corporate citizens in all the communities we are in. DeForest will be no different, Hulen said. REG earns about $1.3 billion in revenue annually. The DeForest plant will be the companys 11th refinery in the U.S. and will bring the companys total production capacity to 452 million gallons per year, Hulen said. REG also operates three facilities in Iowa, two in both Illinois and Texas, and one in Louisiana, Minnesota and Washington. To be a princess--spoiled and adored! Few real princesses have enjoyed such a life. The real princesses have been lost in our love of fairytales. Princess Palace explores their lives and loves, adventures and tragedies. Lets celebrate and commiserate with these most (un?)fortunate of women. Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 16-02-18 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. 33/16 18.02.2016 [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Terror attack kills 28, injures 61 in Turkish capital; Erdogan and Davutoglu vow to increase fight against terror [02] Davutoglu: YPG, PKK carried out Ankara's terror attack; Erdogan: Despite YPG and PKK leaders' denial to the involvement, it is identified that this is done by them [03] Syrian PYD leader rejects responsibility for Ankara attack [04] Blast hits Turkish culture association in Stockholm [05] Three political parties in Turkish Parliament issued a joint declaration condemning terror [06] Turkish jets hit PKK in northern Iraq; Explosion rocks military convoy in Diyarbakir [07] The water crisis is continuing; Kalyoncu will discuss the issue with Turkish officials; Talat and Ozgurgun called Davutoglu [08] Positive reactions on the EU decision to place the "Task Force for the Turkish Cypriot Community" under Juncker's management [09] A delegation by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe to visit Cyprus on April in order to prepare a report [10] "Interior ministry" announced that the new "regulations" will not affect the ongoing high rise projects in occupied Keryneia [11] Telsim- Vodafone Turkey plans to increase its investment in the breakaway regime [12] The occupation regime included in the Google map implementation [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Terror attack kills 28, injures 61 in Turkish capital; Erdogan and Davutoglu vow to increase fight against terror Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 18.02.16) reports that at least 28 people were killed and 61 others were injured in a bomb attack on Feb. 17 targeting shuttles carrying military personnel in Ankara. The Turkish General staff announced on Feb. 18 that 30 of the injured were discharged from hospitals while the other 31 were in fair condition, continuing to receive treatment in various hospitals. Turkey will use its legitimate right to defend itself always and everywhere, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement. "Our determination to retaliate to these attacks that target our unity and our future, in Turkey and abroad, are increasing with such actions", he added. "Turkey's losses in its struggle against terrorism are challenging its patience," he added, stressing that Turkey would overcome the attacks. Turkey will continue its struggle against "these pawns and powers behind them, every day, with determination", he said. Erdogan has cancelled a visit to Azerbaijan scheduled for Feb. 18, while Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who was scheduled to leave for Brussels later on Feb. 17, also cancelled his visit. The attack occurred in the centre of the city, just a few hundred meters away from the top military headquarters, Parliament and Prime Minister's office. It happened at a time when a high-level security meeting was being held at the Presidential Palace under the chairmanship of Erdogan. "We will never step back from our righteous struggle against all terror organizations," said Davutoglu in a written statement, following the security summit. "The state of the Turkish Republic will keep defending humanitarian values that will primarily protect its national security in the name of all without digressing from the line of law and justice and without compromising to terror and violence," he said. The leaders of the three opposition parties in parliament condemned the attacks. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the attack was carried out with a car bomb. "We are facing simultaneous terror attacks, as if they were controlled by the same people, trying to intimidate Turkey", Kurtulmus told reporters. "We do not yet know the perpetrators of this attack," the Deputy Prime Minister said, adding that seven prosecutors had been assigned to the case and those behind the attack would be found out as soon as possible. "This attack did not only target our military personnel in those shuttles," Kurtulmus said. "This attack openly targets out entire nation. We condemn those who carried out this attack, those who used the perpetrators as tools, and those who gave logistical intelligence and even political support to such attacks," he said. Kurtulmus called on the international community to stand by Turkey. "I want everybody to know that some plain condemnations no longer satisfy Turkey. Whatever they do, the terrorist organizations and the powers behind them will not be able to reach their targets," he said. Most of the injured are in fair condition, Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said. "Terror has attacked treacherously in Ankara. We curse this attack," ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesman Omer Celik said on Twitter. Meanwhile, the Turkish General Staff also strongly condemned the attack in a statement, saying there were military personnel among the casualties. "Deeply saddened, shocked by the terror attack in Ankara. Our hearts and prayers go out to those who are affected," U.S. Ambassador to Turkey John Bass said in a tweet. The British Ambassador to Turkey, Richard Moore, also extended his condolences via Twitter, giving solidarity messages. "U.K. stands shoulder to shoulder with Turkey at this difficult time. Utterly condemn terrorism," Moore tweeted. [02] Davutoglu: YPG, PKK carried out Ankara's terror attack; Erdogan: Despite YPG and PKK leaders' denial to the involvement, it is identified that this is done by them According to Turkish daily Sabah (online, 18.02.16), Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Thursday that the deadly Ankara attack was carried out by a YPG suicide bomber from Syria in collaboration with the PKK terrorist organization. Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Davutoglu said that the attack was carried out by a Syrian national named Saleh Najar, who was born in Syria's Hasakah province. "It has been determined with certainty that this attack was carried out by members of the separatist terror organization PKK, together with a member of the YPG who infiltrated from Syria", Davutoglu said. He said that Turkish security forces have detained nine people in connection with the deadly attack, which killed 28 people and injured 61, while noting that 26 of the 28 people killed in Ankara attack were soldiers. "Their connection to the YPG has been confirmed," Davutoglu said and added that he cannot comment further as the investigation is still proceeding. Davutoglu underscored that there is concrete evidence about the YPG's involvement in the attack, and added that Turkey expects support in accordance with the evidence. Davutoglu noted that he has given instructions to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu to distribute documents containing information about the incident, to the members of the United Nations Security Council, known as the Permanent 5. "It is our right to expect a common stance against terrorist organizations," he said, urging all allies to display a firm stance against the YPG. He reaffirmed that Turkey will retaliate against the perpetrators of the attack and said that the Turkish Air Force have conducted cross-border operations in Northern Iraq, killing over 70 PKK terrorists, including senior members. "We will take all precautions under the scope of legitimate self-defence and will retaliate with no hesitance," he said. The Prime Minister also said that the same way Al-Qaida and Daesh cannot sit on peace tables, the YPG also cannot sit on the peace table and they do not have the 'right to represent the Syrian people'. Davutoglu warned YPG supporters and said that those directly and indirectly supporting the terrorist organization, risk losing Turkey's backing. He noted that it is unacceptable for members of NATO and the United States to have relations with an organization which carried out terrorist attacks 'in the heart of Turkey'. He told reporters that the Assad regime, which openly expresses support for the YPG is also responsible for the attack, and said the YPG is a 'pawn' of the Assad regime. The Prime Minister also touched on Russia's condemnation of the attack and said it was a 'positive thing' while he urged Russia to stop using its force against innocent civilians in Syria. Moreover, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that Turkey's initial investigation indicated that the PYD and PKK terrorist organizations were responsible for Wednesday's terrorist attack in Ankara, despite their leaders' denials. "Even though those who head the PYD and PKK say this has no connection with them, based on the information obtained by our Interior Minister and our intelligence agencies, it is identified that this is done by them," he added. Previously Salih Muslim, co-chairman of the PYD, said that the group's forces had "no link" with the bombing, while the PKK's senior leader Cemil Bayik said that he does not know who was behind the attack. [03] Syrian PYD leader rejects responsibility for Ankara attack According to Turkish daily Today's Zaman (online, 18.02.16), the leader of the Syrian Democratic Union Party (PYD) has rejected the accusation that the organization carried out the Wednesday evening bombing attack in Ankara that killed 28 people and wounded 61. The declaration comes after Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that a member of the People's Protection Units (YPG), the armed wing of the PYD, was behind the attack. "We are not responsible for the Ankara bombing", Saleh Muslim was quoted by the Arbil-based Rudaw media network as saying. "We are completely refuting that. (...) Davutoglu is preparing for something else because they are shelling us as you know for the past week", Muslim told Reuters by telephone. "I can assure you not even one bullet is fired by the YPG into Turkey ... They don't consider Turkey an enemy," he said. The co-leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) umbrella group, Cemil Bay?k, was quoted by the Firat news agency as saying that he did not know who was responsible for the Ankara bombing. But the attack, he said, could be an answer to "massacres in Kurdistan", referring to the Kurdish region spanning parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. [04] Blast hits Turkish culture association in Stockholm According to Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 18.02.16), an explosion severely damaged a Turkish cultural association building in a southern Stockholm suburb, local media reported on Wednesday. All the windows of the centre were blown out, newspaper Swedish Aftonbladet reported on its website, quoting police, adding that there was no information about whether there were injuries. An eyewitness told the daily that the Turkish cultural association building had been vandalized and hit by rocks last Sunday. The president of the Botkyrka Turkish cultural association, Ismail Zengin had stated Sunday that PKK and its Syrian wing Democratic Union Party (PYD) terrorists had physically attacked the members of the association and that the Swedish police had not been very active in preventing the attacks. The blast occurred on the same day a terrorist attack hit military-owned vehicles in central Ankara, killing at least 28 persons and wounding 61 others. [05] Three political parties in Turkish Parliament issued a joint declaration condemning terror According to Turkish daily Today's Zaman (online, 18.02.16), three political parties represented in the Turkish Parliament issued a joint declaration late on Wednesday to condemn terrorism, in the wake of the terrorist attack in the Turkish capital last evening that has killed at least 28 people. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and opposition parties Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) signed the declaration, while the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) did not approve the declaration on the ground that it fails to condemn previous terrorist attacks in Diyarbak?r, Suruc and Ankara. "As political parties represented in Parliament, we strongly condemn inhumane terrorist attacks that target our unity and integrity as well as our peace and security. Terrorism and violence will never reach its goal. We declare that our nation will never bow to terror and that it has the power to foil these plans," the statement said. [06] Turkish jets hit PKK in northern Iraq; Explosion rocks military convoy in Diyarbakir According to Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 18.02.16), Turkish warplanes conducted a wide-scale air operation on Feb. 17 targeting outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) positions in northern Iraq. The Turkish Air Force jets targeted around a group of 70 including the top executives of the PKK in the Haftanin region in northern Iraq. The operation came hours after a deadly car bomb attack targeting shuttles carrying military personnel in Ankara, which killed at least 28 and injured 61 others. Meanwhile, the paper also reports that a large explosion hit a military convoy on February 18 in the south-eastern province of Diyarbak?r. Casualties have been reported after the attack, which was reportedly staged by outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants after the detonation of a roadside bomb. Six soldiers have been killed while another has been heavily wounded as a PKK-placed improvise explosive device (IED) hit a military convoy on Feb. 18 in the southeastern province of Diyarbak?r, Turkish Army announced in a statement. [07] The water crisis is continuing; Kalyoncu will discuss the issue with Turkish officials; Talat and Ozgurgun called Davutoglu Under the title "The water crisis was not solved", Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (18.02.16) reports that the crisis as regards the administration and the operation of the water brought from Turkey to the occupied area of Cyprus is continuing. In statements yesterday after the meeting of the "council of ministers", self-styled prime minister Omer Kalyoncu said that the "coalition government" continues and that he will visit Turkey within the forthcoming days to discuss the water issue with Turkish officials. Kalyoncu noted that the "cabinet" discussed "routine issues" and exchanged views on the water as well. Turkish Cypriot daily Vatan newspaper (18.02.16) reports that after the discussion at the "cabinet", the chairmen of the two "coalition partners", Mehmet Ali Talat (Republican Turkish Party) and Huseyin Ozgurgun (National Unity Party) met at the former's office and discussed the water issue. According to Vatan's information, during the meeting the two leaders held a telephone conversation with the Turkish Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu. Under the title "The party chairmen asked 'improvements' from Ankara", the paper writes that Talat and Ozgurgun informed Davutoglu that they want some amendments to be made in the "water agreement text". The leaders will reportedly work in the direction of urgently signing the agreement. Moreover, in statements after the "cabinet's" meeting, Sunat Atun, self-styled minister of economy, industry and commerce, said that drought exists in the occupied area of Cyprus and this drought may continue. Therefore, the debates on the agreement with Turkey are "groundless and timeless", he argued. Atun criticized the accusations against Turkey on this issue and said that the UBP could not remain a spectator to these developments, adding that his party is ready to conclude the issue on the basis of the agreement reached with Turkey. "The UBP conveyed this view to the prime minister at today's cabinet meeting. The UBP ministers are very determined on this issue upon instructions they received from their chairman", he added and expressed his sorrow for "some propaganda conducted against Turkey". Finally, Kibris (18.02.16) reports also that the Social Democracy Party (TDP) visited the "municipalities" of occupied Goneyli, Keryneia, Trikomo and Famagusta asking for support in its struggle against the agreement achieved between Turkey and the self-styled government of the regime on the water issue. In statements after their meeting yesterday, Ismail Arter, self-styled mayor of occupied Famagusta, said that the water issue has been discussed for a long time but the "municipalities" have been left outside these discussions. "We have been following the issue through the press for one year. The last text has been sent to us by mail because we asked it", he noted adding that they started debating the issue after everything was over. He said that the occupied city of Famagusta has an agreement until 2023 with a private company which operates a desalination facility and when they asked the regime's officials what will happen with this facility which covers half of the needs of the city, they could not get a satisfactory reply. "While there are so many disagreements on the water issue, how we will be able to determine the common target on the Cyprus problem", he wondered. (I/Ts.) [08] Positive reactions on the EU decision to place the "Task Force for the Turkish Cypriot Community" under Juncker's management Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (18.02.16) reports that the European Commission has placed the "Task Force for the Turkish Cypriot Community" under the direct management of Commission President Jean Claude Juncker and Vice-President Dombrovskis. Commenting on the issue, Fikri Toros, chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry (KTTO), stated that this is a very positive step towards further improving the relations between EU and the Turkish Cypriots. He also said that this is an encouraging decision that was as a result of the arguments provided by KTTO either in writing or during talks. Kibrsili newspaper (18.02.16) reports that Armagan Candan, "deputy" with the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) stated that this is a very positive development which shows the importance that is given to the solution procedure for the unification of Cyprus. (CS) [09] A delegation by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe to visit Cyprus on April in order to prepare a report Turkish Cypriot daily Star Kibris newspaper (18.02.16) reports that the "mayor" of occupied Gioneli and "chairman" of the "municipalities' union" Ahmet Yalcin Benli and the "mayor" of occupied Morfou Mahmut Ozcinar, attended the meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe which took place in Paris between February 12-13. According to paper, the two "mayors" addressed the members of the Monitoring Committee of the Council of Europe. Meanwhile, as a result of the "official membership" which was granted to the "Turkish Cypriot municipalities union" in the past, a delegation of observers from the Council of Europe will be visiting the occupation regime on April 5-7 in order to carry out inspections in both sides of the island and prepare a report. Also, according to the paper, Benli described as an important development with lots of benefits for the democratization of the local authorities the report to be prepared by the observer's delegation coming to Cyprus. "Cyprus experiences a serious dynamism and the hopes for the solution of the Cyprus problem increases. A report by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will contribute to the solution process in Cyprus and is of a vital importance". Referring also to their visit to Paris, Benli explained that within the framework of their stay there, he met with the chairman of the German delegation in the Council of Europe, Dr. Bernard Vohringer and briefed him about the Cyprus negotiation process and the support of the "municipalities" to the process. (AK) [10] "Interior ministry" announced that the new "regulations" will not affect the ongoing high rise projects in occupied Keryneia Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen (18.02.16) reports that the self-styled ministry of interior and labour announced that the 152 applications to the "town planning department", which were made from 2015 until February 18, 2016, when the new "decree" was put into effect regarding the developments at the "Keryneia white zone" will be approved. "Interior ministry" announced that the new "regulations" will not affect the ongoing high rise projects in occupied Keryneia. It also announced that the 104 applications for permits from the total 152 are for new buildings. The permits will be 12 for 10-storey buildings, 3 for 9-storey buildings, 6 for 8-strorey buildings, 28 for 7-strorey-buildings and 18 for 6-storey buildings. The rest of the buildings will be less than 5-storey. The measures, announced by the "ministry", introduce immediate stop-gap changes to the "Keryneia white area decree" and foresee the completion of a "Keryneia zoning law". The measures aim to preserve the town's character. (DPs) [11] Telsim-Vodafone Turkey plans to increase its investment in the breakaway regime Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (18.02.16) reports that a delegation of Telsim-Vodafone Turkey held a meeting with the so-called prime minister Omer Kalyoncu and the so-called minister of communication Tahsin Ertugruloglu. According to the paper, during the meeting the Turkish delegation gave information about the future investments of the firm in the occupied area of Cyprus and also noted the importance the company gives to its development in the breakaway regime. The delegation stated that it aims to increase its developments in the occupied area of Cyprus. Speaking during the meeting, Ertugruloglu stated that with the firm's help they could transform Cyprus "into an island of information technology." (CS) [12] The occupation regime included in the Google map implementation Turkish daily Milliyet newspaper (18.02.16) under the title: "Google has 'recognized' the TRNC", reports that Google, the biggest search engine globally, has included as of yesterday the "TRNC" among the countries which are included in the implementation of the mobile map. The word "TRNC" is included in the map both in Turkish and English. According to the paper, this step by Google has pleased "TRNC officials" since it was not until so far included in the Google map application. Commenting on this development, the "chairman" of the "Turkish Cypriot travel agencies' union" Orhan Tolun described this step by Google as very important and said that this will bring important touristic and political benefits to the Turkish Cypriots. (AK) TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio (DPs/AM) Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-02-18 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] President Pavlopoulos and PM Tsipras expresses condolences to Turkish counterparts [02] Impasse at Promachonas; farmers adamant in their position [03] 4.7-magnitude tremor shakes Crete [04] 1,354 refugees arrive at Piraeus port on Thursday [01] President Pavlopoulos and PM Tsipras expresses condolences to Turkish counterparts On behalf of the President of the Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos, the secretary general of the Presidency Ambassador George Gennimatas had a contact late on Wednesday with the Turkish Ambassador to Greece and asked him to convey, on behalf of the Greek people, to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan his unequivocal condemnation of the terrorist attack in Ankara, and his deepest condolences and deepest sympathy to the families of the victims and to the Turkish people. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras late on Wednesday had a phone contact with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu. Tsipras expressed his condolences and support of the government and the Greek people to the Turkish people for the terrorist attack in Ankara. Earlier, the Greek foreign ministry had also strongly condemned the deadly blast in the Turkish capital on Wednesday evening, describing it as a "heinous attack" in a post on the ministry's Twitter account. [02] Impasse at Promachonas; farmers adamant in their position Macedonia farmers on Thursday continue to keep closed the Greek-Bulgarian borders at Promachonas. According to Serres' deputy local governor Yiannis Moisiadis, the farmers promised to open the crossing point for four hours every day in order trucks to cross the borders adding that the farmers' position is adamant. Moisiadis and Transport Minister of Bulgaria had a 15 minute-meeting at Promachonas on Wednesday in an attempt to defuse the tension between the Greek farmers and the Bulgarian truck drivers thar remain stuck on the other side of the border, but the meeting proved fruitless. [03] 4.7-magnitude tremor shakes Crete An earthquake measuring 4.7 on the Richter scale was reported on Crete, at 4:40 am, on Thursday. Two smaller tremors followed the main earthquake, at 4:46 measuring 2.9 on the Richter scale and another one at 4:50 measuring 3.4. No damages have been reported so far. [04] 1,354 refugees arrive at Piraeus port on Thursday "Blue Star 1" carrying 1,354 refugees and migrants from Mytilene and Chios docked at Piraeus port on Thursday. The ship transferred 908 refugees from Mytilene and 446 from Chios. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article I have learned the hard way not to put my personal life on the Internet. But suffice it to say that, God willing, things should be pretty much back to norm... 1 week ago As more and more evidence mounts that the US government was secretly assisting the Islamic State, it might be time to point out a few instances when the Central Intelligence Agency created secret armies. The current theory suggests the US secretly supported the Islamic State so the Islamists would destabilize the government of Syrian President Assad. If that seems out of the question, remember the CIA once started a war over bananas literal bananas. Cuba: Probably the best known secret army. Castro nationalized the assets of western companies after his government took power, so the US decided to overthrow the government of Cuba and install a puppet regime. As with most of the armies backed by the US intelligence establishment, it failed. Miserably. The Bay of Pigs invasion saw 1400 US-trained Cubans surrender to Castros forces within 24 hours. El Salvador: The US-supported Salvadoran government faced opposition from communist rebels. US intelligence saw an obvious and simple answer: establish death squads. US intelligence trained and advised pro-government forces as they massacred villages and led the way to the displacement of over a million people. Immediately after the ceasefire, there was a general amnesty for people implicated in war crimes. This amnesty was ruled to be illegal, but remains in effect anyway. Those seeking justice are often burglarized and the evidence of CIA involvement is stolen. Afghanistan: The US armed and trained the Mujaheddin fighters through Operation Cyclone. Later, many of these fighters would form the core of the fundamentalist Islamic terrorist groups we are fighting (or possibly supporting) today. Yes, Osama bin Laden was one of the fighters trained by the CIA in Afghanistan. The whole operation was carried out to stop the Soviet invasion. Read: Proof that Osama bin Laden Was CIA and Died in 2001 Guatemala: This little CIA caper is the origin of the term Banana Republic. The democratically elected President of Guatemala decided to punish the United Fruit Company for decades of consorting with the countrys dictators. He began to propose legislation to end the US multinationals monopoly on almost everything in the country. So what else could the CIA do? The agency overthrew the legal government and triggered a war over bananas. Congo: In the 1960s, Belgium was ending its colonial rule over Congo. Rather than allow self-determination, the CIA staged assassinations, armed rebel forces, brought in European mercenaries, and even backed them up with a secret air force. Nicaragua (the second time): In the 1980s, the leftist Sandinistas took power. The CIA backed the Contra militia that opposed them. The agency funneled them arms, ran cocaine for them, and trained the organization that become well known for child soldiers, massacres at literacy centers, and war crimes of just about every imaginable kind. The CIA hired French and South African mercenaries to assist right-wing groups in their fight against the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola. The group was competing with several other paramilitary organizations in a fight to take over the country after the Portuguese decolonized. The CIAs mercenary army predictably lost. Ukraine (the first time): During the second World War, the Nazis set up a partisan group in Ukraine to harass and slow the advancing Soviet forces. At the end of World War II, US intelligence began funding and assisting the partisan group. The Soviets wiped the partisans out in 1952. Venezuela: In 2002, a group within Venezuela attempted to oust the government. The US flatly denied involvement. Of course, there is more than enough evidence to tie the Bush Administration to the plot. There is even circumstantial evidence a more recent second attempt. Ukraine (the second time): The most recent revolution in Ukraine may have started organically, however, it was seized upon by US intelligence. The revolution became just another method of installing a US puppet regime. The US chose to install literal Nazis. These facts are largely ignored by US media. Would US intelligence secretly back a brutal, murderous paramilitary group to destabilize a country on the US hit list? Of course. The US intelligence apparatus has been doing it for about 60 years. By Justin King The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were a key focus at this year's Governing Council. IFAD/Giulio Napolitano Delegates representing countries from all over the world were in attendance at this year's GC. IFAD/Flavio Ianniello His Excellency Sergio Mattarella (second from left), the President of the Italian Republic, walks to the stage with IFAD's President, Kanayo Nwanze (right). IFAD/Giulio Napolitano Sergio Mattarella, the President of the Italian Republic speaks at the opening of IFAD Governing Council. IFAD/Giulio Napolitano According to IFAD President Nwanze, IFAD has reached 139 million people and saved five million hectares of land through its initiatives between 2010 and 2015.IFAD/Giulio Napolitano A private-sector panel which included Sunny Verghese, Cofounder and Group CEO of Olam International, highlighted the need for bold initiatives to better link smallholder farmers to markets.IFAD/Giulio Napolitano When farmers are respected, they produce better and more consistently, says Sunny Verghese Cofounder and Group CEO of Olam International. IFAD/Giulio Napolitano A multitude of flags welcomed development leaders, heads of state and government representatives from all over the world to IFAD's 39th Governing Council (GC) , where members of IFAD's decision-making body convened.Rural farmers and representatives from many nations came together to address the monumental task at hand: achieving the Sustainable Development Goals . The GC, which has taken place at IFAD headquarters for the last six years, assembled in a spacious tent.Before entering the tent, many high-level guests from around the world stopped for photographs in front of an IFAD backdrop. One of these guests was His Excellency Sergio Mattarella, the President of the Italian Republic, who was greeted by IFAD's President, Kanayo Nwanze and a frenzy of photographers.Once His Excellency was escorted into the tent, he was introduced by Nwanze to give the keynote address. President Mattarella pledged that Italy will play a role in the eradication of hunger and poverty.He brought attention to the current refugee crises and called leaders of all nations to get involved, saying: "Saving human lives and reaching out to those fleeing war or misery is a moral duty, a duty for any society that defines itself as free, democratic and authentically respectful of human rights."In regards to the SDGs, His Excellency spoke about the importance of sustainability and the fundamental role agriculture and small farmers play in reaching all seventeen goals.He commented on the cross-cutting nature of these goals, saying "the issues are not separate chapters, they are many pages of the same book working towards inclusion" and that Italy will play a central role in achieving them for the well-being of future generations.President Mattarella concluded by saying: "The hunger, poverty and the deprivations chain is strong but it can and it must be broken."Nwanze followed His Excellency, and gave a statement to close the inaugural ceremony. The President of IFAD opened his address by warning the audience that, without the continued efforts of IFAD and other organizations, it is quite possible that the recent gains made in the fight to end poverty and hunger could be reversed.The focus must remain on long-term development, specifically achieving the SDGs. According to Nwanze, this feat depends on smallholder farmers and their ability to transform rural areas into being more productive, and IFAD expedites this process by "investing in small farmers so that they can grow their businesses and improve their lives through their own efforts; not through hand outs."Nwanze also discussed changes made in the way IFAD conducts its business and how it assesses its own impact. He shared some promising statistics: IFAD has reached 139 million people and saved five million hectares of land through its projects that opened or closed between 2010 and 2015.Nwanze concluded that "project participants are better off than they would have been in the absence of IFAD." Despite this good news, Nwanze cautioned that there is much more work to be done, citing the refugee crisis. To Nwanze, "it is imperative that we commit to investing in long-term development."The next person to take the stage was international journalist Babita Sharma, the moderator for the panel on Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals: Galvanizing Private-Sector Action.Sharma was joined by a diverse range of panelists, which included: Sunny Verghese, Olam International CEO; Jussara Dantas de Souza, the Commercial Manager of Family Agribusiness Cooperatives of Canudos, Uaua and Curaca, and Brazil; Beatrice Nkatha, the Founder and Managing Director of Sorghum Pioneer Agencies in Kenya; and Victor Rosca, the Director of IFAD Consolidated Programme Implementation Unit in the Republic of Moldova.Each panelist offered a unique insight to the private sector's role in creating a more sustainable society. Nkatha spoke about how she thought it was the responsibility of both the government and the private sector to work with smallholder farms.She cited specifically how important farmers need the assistance of both to access international markets. Verghese echoed this sentiment, saying: "Everyone has to act recognizing that there is no way to deal with these problems unless we all come together.Verghese also believed that the private sector will have to play an increased role as governments are becoming more burdened with other costs.Rosca similarly described the potential role of the private sector to be "enormous," but said it would not be an easy task to enlist supporters. Citing a project he worked on in Moldova, he described the skepticism financial institutions can have about investing in these kinds of projects.However, according to Rosca, once the banks saw that their investment paid off, "Their attitude changed. We were able to convince them that it is necessary to invest in agriculture, and they were quick to agree."Dantas de Souza also spoke about the importance of perspective and motivation. She described the need for private institutions and groups to help educate and motivate small farmers, citing an example in Brazil of Canadian missionaries encouraging local women to take on a larger role within their society to improve their lives.To Dantas de Souza, "when there is a will, there is a way," and this will must be sparked within rural farmers so they can help themselves. The panel offered fascinating perspectives on the SDGs, and reiterated how important it was that people from each corner of the world work towards these crucial goals. Aim; There should always be an aim I believe even if it concerns wargaming. My aim is really to hopefully inspire people to take up a rewarding hobby ie, Wargaming. Being of a mature age I sometimes think hobbies have become redundant in the 21st century,and with the way history is taught in schools in the UK I worry that young people have little idea of the drama,colour and adventure that is history. I was lucky to be inspired as a young boy by a history teacher who loved his subject and was able to convey his enthusiasm to his pupils, from this base I discovered wargaming in the late 1960's. I have been wargaming now for over forty years,and I can honestly state my life would have been pretty dismal without this hobby which at times took over my life and certainly threatened my financial future. Dont forget to check out my other blog; wargamingtheborgias.blogspot.com By India Today Web Desk: Nothing can be better than hearing your name being announced by Stephen Hawking himself for a prestigious award. Robin Chaurasiya, the co-founder of Kranti, an NGO that empowers girls from Mumbai's red-light areas, has been shortlisted for a USD 1 million global award for teaching. She will be competing with teachers from the UK, US, Nairobi, Palestine, Japan, Finland, Australia and Pakistan to win the $1-million Global Teacher Prize 2016. advertisement "There was a teacher behind every great artist, every great philosopher, every great scientist. However difficult life can be, teachers have always been there, behind the scenes, showing us the way forward," said renowned scientist Prof Stephen Hawking as he announced the top 10 in London.'' She runs a not-for-profit school in Mumbai for girls from the city's red light areas and hopes to change society's attitudes toward these marginalised people. The prize was created last year as a kind of Oscars for the teaching profession by the UK-based Varkey Foundation. There were a total of 8,000 nominations and applications from 148 countries from around the world, out of which, the top 10 have been selected. The prize will be announced at a ceremony in Dubai on March 13. "I wasn't the easiest person to teach. I was slow to learn to read, and my handwriting was untidy. But, at the age of fourteen, my teacher, Dikran Tahta, showed me how to harness my energy, and encouraged me to think creatively about maths. He made me wonder. He made me curious. He opened up new worlds to me. That is what a great teacher can do," he said. In reference to the founder of the prize, Kerala-born entrepreneur Sunny Varkey, he added: "Thanks to Sunny Varkey, and the Varkey Foundation. We need great teachers to grow great minds, or we will never solve the world's most pressing problems." "I hope her story will inspire those looking to enter the teaching profession and also shine a powerful spotlight on the incredible work teachers do all over India and throughout the world every day," Varkey said. The school which she runs is for daughters of sex workers from Mumbai's red-light district of Kamathipura and for victims of human trafficking, between the ages of 12 and 20. Its curriculum includes lessons in English, computers, dance therapy, meditation, photography, theatre and travel. Read: Institute Chair launched at IIT-Madras Read: Delhi Police report on JNU students: Students wanted beef to be served in hostel, worshiped demons For information on more latest news and updates, click here --- ENDS --- After receiving bail today, BJP MLA OP Sharma, who was seen on video thrashing a Left activist inside Patiala House court said that judgements against him were passed by the media. By India Today Web Desk: After receiving bail today, BJP MLA OP Sharma, who was seen on video thrashing a Left activist inside Patiala House court said that judgements against him were passed by the media. "I was being tried by the media. Judgements were being passed while they sat in studios," Sharma said. "In the country, people who stop others from screaming "Pakistan Zindabad", if they have to go through this, it is shameful," Sharma said. advertisement "The investigation started at 11 am and I was questioned for 8 hours by the police," he added. Adding to the #PatriotWars narrative, Sharma said that he was harrassed for protesting against anti-nationals. "It is unfortunate that I have been harassed for protesting against anti-nationals," Sharma said. On Monday, BJP MLA OP Sharma and his aides were seen chasing and assaulting CPI leader Ameeque Jamei outside the Patiala House Courts complex, ahead of the hearing on police custody of arrested JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar. Appearing in an interview Sharma had said, "Main goli bhi maar deta agar bandook hoti. Koi hamari maa ko gaali dega to kya usey maaroge nahin (I would have opened fire if I had a gun. If someone abuses our mother, won't I thrash him)." Sharma was at Patiala House to support Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who had appeared in court in connection with his defamation case against Kejriwal. The BJP closed ranks around its Delhi MLA while the Delhi Police continued to drag their feet on taking action against him. The Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested Sharma after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for action against Sharma. Also read: Forget shame, OP Sharma doesn't even regret going postal on JNU students JNU row: Kejriwal writes to PM Modi, demands action against OP Sharma --- ENDS --- BJP MP Gopal Shetty today got hammered on social media for suggesting that it has become "fashionable" for states to outcompete each other in compensating the families of farmers committing suicide. By India Today Web Desk: BJP MP Gopal Shetty today got hammered on social media for suggesting that it has become "fashionable" for states to outcompete each other in compensating the families of farmers committing suicide, but later said he has been quoted out of context. Reality of their ideology! Gopal Shetty BJP MP - Farmer suicide has become a fashion & Govts are competing to give compensation to farmers! Jayant Chaudhary (@jayantrld) February 18, 2016 advertisement "He lives in Mumbai and has absolutely no idea of the agrarian crises" in Maharashtra and elsewhere in the country, said Kishore Tiwari, a farmers' rights activist who is chairman of Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavlamban Mission. Shetty's remarks were "beyond any apology," he said. BJP MP Gopal Shetty is a perfect example how low thinking these BJP leaders have.Many like him got elected like in the Modi wave but useless Aaftab (@AAFTABSHAIKH2) February 18, 2016 The MP from Mumbai North is reported to have said in Mumbai on Wednesday: "Not all farmers' suicide are due to unemployment or starvation. It has become a fashionable trend... State governments are competing with each other to give compensation to the farmers." On Thursday, Shetty said he had been quoted out of context in the matter. Shetty's controversial comment came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed farmers in Sehore in Madhya Pradesh and highlighted his government's initiatives for the development of the agriculture sector. "If Shetty feels this is a fashion, then why does Prime Minister Modi show so much concern on farmers' issues? Why did he come to Vidarbha and conduct a lengthy 'Chai Pe Charcha' with farmers across the country, besides his speeches on radio and TV," Tiwari said. Shetty's comments reflected the 'insensitivity' of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) towards the cause of the farming community in the country, said Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam. In Goa, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Thursday condemned Shetty's remarks which, he said, contrasted sharply with Modi's holding of rallies in favour of farmers. "Modi should clarify whether the manner in which farmers are committing suicide is a fashion or helplessness," Digvijay Singh told reporters at the Congress party office in Panaji. The Maharashtra government informed the Bombay High Court on Tuesday that since January 1 this year, 124 farmers have ended their lives in the state, including 20 from Osmanabad district alone, due to various reasons. Also read: Maharashtra BJP MP Gopal Shetty compares farmers' suicide to 'fashion trend', sparks row --- ENDS --- advertisement A dog was allegedly sexually assaulted by a man with the incident coming to light after a video of the act surfaced on Whatsapp, an animal rights organisation claimed today. By PTI: A dog was allegedly sexually assaulted by a man with the incident coming to light after a video of the act surfaced on Whatsapp, an animal rights organisation claimed today. Humane Society International/ India in a release in Kochi said it would offer a reward of up to Rs 1,00,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person responsible for sexually assaulting the dog. advertisement "While the exact location of the incident and whereabouts of the dog are not known, it is believed that it occurred in the state of Kerala since the perpetrators were talking in Malayalam," it said in a release. The society has also complained to state Director General of Police asking for a thorough investigation in the incident to ensure that the perpetrators are punished. DGP T P Senkumar said that he has received a complaint in the matter. The organisation, which has also sent the two-minute video to media, said it was widely circulated on Whatsapp and shows a helpless dog being forcefully held by a person and raped in a dilapidated building. The dog is seen trying to free itself numerous times while it is being held by force and subjected to bestiality. "The nature of this barbaric treatment clearly indicates that the dog has undergone severe physical and mental trauma," it said. N G Jayasimha, Managing Director of HSI/India said, "It is unfathomable that an innocent, defenseless dog was subjected to bestiality. These incidents expose the violent nature of human beings and its high time we arrest such actions. Such perpetrators must be brought to book so we can set a precedence for future wrong doers." He said the organisation was also working with the Animal Welfare Board of India and Kerala police to see that the persons involved were duly punished. --- ENDS --- Separatist Hurriyat Conference and Kashmir based human rights groups have come out in support of striking students and teachers of Jawaharlal Nehru University and have condemned registration of FIR against former Delhi University Professor SAR Geelani. A student holds a torch during a rally to protest against the arrest of a student of Jawaharlal Nehru University, outside the Jadavpur University campus in Kolkata on February 16, 2016. (Photo: Reutes) By Naseer Ganai: Separatist Hurriyat Conference and Kashmir based human rights groups have come out in support of striking students and teachers of Jawaharlal Nehru University and have condemned registration of FIR against former Delhi University Professor SAR Geelani. They also condemned alleged harassment of Kashmiri students in various campuses in Delhi and other places. Already former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah has said the harassment and hounding of Kashmiri students in Delhi on the pretext of the JNU crackdown was unacceptable and reeked of an all-too-familiar profiling of Kashmiris in the national capital. advertisement Hurriyat Conference hard-line faction chairman Syed Ali Geelani Thursday also apprehended that the SAR Geelani and other Kashmiri students will be made scapegoat by Delhi police. Geelani, in a statement issued from New Delhi, warned of protests if SAR Geelani and others are harmed. Kashmir based human rights groups have expressed solidarity with the striking students and teachers of JNU. "We have watched with a sense of horror and dismay, the violent criminalizing of student democracy and dissent, not just at Jawaharlal Nehru University but across Indian campuses in the recent past. Having long and intimate knowledge of violent repression and legalized impunity that Indian state is capable of, especially against those it considers 'anti-national' we are not surprised by these events, but have a special empathy with all who suffer its horrors," Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), a amalgam of different human rights groups based in Kashmir, said. "We demand the release of all student dissenters and political prisoners in the custody of the Indian state, and an end to acts of policing and surveillance on campuses, and targeting of students on the basis of political beliefs and speech," the JKCCS statement said. The JKCSS said "Kashmiri students in different colleges and universities in India, who have always faced discrimination and intimidation time to time, are now feeling the extreme regressive and oppressive means used by right wing groups and the government." "After being hounded, Kashmiri students have begun leaving Delhi. There are several places where the landlords in whose properties Kashmiri students were renting flats, have been asked to vacate. These experiences of Kashmiri students are part of the larger reality faced by Kashmiri youth in Jammu and Kashmir and in India," the JKCCS alleged. On Wednesday National Conference president Omar Abdullah said if the Delhi Police and the Home Ministry want to unleash a dictatorial and tyrannical crackdown on dissenting voices and students in Delhi, they should not make Kashmiri students convenient scapegoats and stigmatize them and in turn ruin their careers. "This is unacceptable", Abdullah said in strong worded statement. "There have been numerous instances in the past when the Delhi Police has cited 'intelligence inputs' to falsely implicate young Kashmiris in Delhi only to be acquitted by the courts after years of incarceration. Now this recent decision to hound Kashmiri students from JNU and other colleges seems to be another addition to this chapter. We express our resentment against this blanket stereotyping and maligning of Kashmiri students and demand that the Government of India desists from ruining their careers for the benefit of political expediency", he added. advertisement Abdullah said such policies of selective persecution and profiling adds to the perception of alienation and isolation among the youth of the State. "The message this type of policing sends out is disastrous and has severe long term implications on the psyche of our youth. Profiling and hounding Kashmiri students on one pretext or the other creates a deep sense of insecurity and apprehension among thousands of our students enrolled in universities across the country. This is extremely unfortunate and we will not remain silent and allow their en-masse persecution", Abdullah said. ALSO READ: I was harassed for protesting against anti-nationals: OP Sharma Red rose revolution: JNU students challenge opposition with roses --- ENDS --- advertisement With this, the total number of languages Google Translate now supports just crossed 100, "making it simpler for people, no matter what language they speak, to communicate with one another," the company said in a statement. By India Today Web Desk: Global search engine giant Google on Thursday announced that its Translate service now supports 13 new global languages including Sindhi. With this, the total number of languages Google Translate now supports just crossed 100, "making it simpler for people, no matter what language they speak, to communicate with one another," the company said in a statement. advertisement "The Internet is transforming the way people around the world communicate, learn, live and work, but the Web is only useful if it's in a language you can understand. By bringing more languages online with Google Translate, we hope more people can have a relevant and useful experience on the Web," Sveta Kelman, Senior Program Manager, Google Translate said. Some of the other languages that have been added are Hawaiian, Amharic, Corsican, Frisian, Kyrgyz, Kurdish (Kurmanji), Luxembourgish, Scots Gaelic, Shona, Sindhi, Pashto and Xhosa. Launched in 2006 in Russian, Arabic and Chinese, Google Translate reaches out to over 500 million people around the world each month, and processes a million words a second. It is also integrated into Google products like Chrome, Search, Gmail and YouTube. Google recently started offering emergency alerts for floods situations in India . Alerts are available on web search, Google Now Cards on the Google app, maps as well as Google Public Alerts homepage and can be accessed on desktop as well as mobile devices. "Using data provided by the Central Water Commission (CWC), users can now find flood alerts with river level information for more than 170 areas in which the CWC has active observation stations," the company said in a statement. --- ENDS --- Mehbooba Mufti had set conditions for re-entering the BJP-PDP alliance. Her conditions included political confidence building measures for Kashmir, talks with Pakistan, transfer of central power projects to the state, and revocation of AFSPA from certain areas. By India Today Web Desk: Jammu and Kashmir, which has been under Governor's Rule for over a month since January 7, saw the first formal talks over government formation in the state on Wednesday when BJP general secretary Ram Madhav met Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti. Mehbooba Mufti in her first address to legislators on January 31, after her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's death, had said that her father made a courageous - though unpopular - decision to align with BJP with the hope that the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take decisive measures to address the core political and economic issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir and its people. Mehbooba seeks an announcement on economic and political issues before the government formation. advertisement Mehbooba Mufti had earlier set conditions for re-entering the alliance. Her conditions included political confidence building measures for Kashmir, talks with Pakistan, special employment package for Jammu and Kashmir, transfer of central power projects to the state, and revocation of AFSPA from certain areas. On revocation of AFSPA, according to top government sources: There is no proposal to remove AFSPA from J&K till now. Neither Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) nor Ministry of Defence (MoD) will agree to AFSPA removal at this stage. Security situation in J&K and cross border terrorism doesn't warrant removal of AFSPA. AFSPA removal cannot be grounds for government formation in J&K. The PDP insisted that any alliance of the PDP other than the BJP would give a fillip to communal tension in Jammu region. The PDP had hoped that after the coalition, the Centre would be generous in providing funds to the state government to carry forward its development programme and to rehabilitate flood victims. The law was first implemented on July 5, 1990, when the entire law-and-order machinery collapsed in the Valley and normal law was found inadequate to tackle the rising graph of armed militancy. The then state government declared the Kashmir Valley as a disturbed area under section 3 of AFSPA. Later, on August 10, 2001, the J&K government extended disturbed area provision to the Jammu province also. The law was first implemented on July 5, 1990, when the entire law-and-order machinery collapsed in the Valley and normal law was found inadequate to tackle the rising graph of armed militancy. The then state government declared the Kashmir Valley as a disturbed area under section 3 of AFSPA. Later, on August 10, 2001, the J&K government extended disturbed area provision to the Jammu province also. 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. Also Read: Hope floats in Jammu and Kashmir as Ram Madhav meets Mehbooba Mufti Mehbooba Mufti wants CBMs from Centre, prolongs J&K CM suspense Two civilians killed in Kashmir, Mehbooba slams firing by security forces advertisement Former J-K legislator doubts circumstances of Mufti's death, seeks probe Mehbooba Mufti wants BJP to step up in re-alliance talks --- ENDS --- "Government is reviewing all aspects of One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme and best interests of Armed forces will be taken into consideration," said Parrikar By India Today Web Desk: In an exclusive interview to India Today, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that the government is reviewing all aspects of One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme and best interests of Armed forces will be taken into consideration. "Want to differentiate between voluntary retirement for better prospects and premature retirement in the interest of the Army," Parrikar said. He added that a judicial commission has been set up to look into the issue of premature retirement. advertisement Expressing concern over safety and security, Parrikar said that security at Pathankot airbase had gaps and there were 6 terrorists, not 4. "Local labourers might have helped the terrorists", said Parrikar. "Pakistan SIT will not be allowed to visit the airbase," added Parrikar. The Defence Minister also said he is hurt by US decision to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. India was annoyed after the US government had said it had approved the sale to Pakistan of eight F-16 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp, radars and other equipment, in a deal valued at 699 million dollars. Also read: Veterans to take OROP fight to Supreme Court, Ram Jethmalani roped in --- ENDS --- There were many speculations in Srinagar, but no one had any idea that BJP general secretary Ram Madhav would visit Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti so soon. By Naseer Ganai: There were many speculations in Srinagar, but no one had any idea that BJP general secretary Ram Madhav would visit Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti so soon. Jammu and Kashmir, which has been under Governor's Rule for over a month since January 7 when then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away, saw the first formal talks over government formation in the state. advertisement Optimism Mehbooba has sought the announcement of confidence-building measures, as spelt out by the PDP and the BJP in the Agenda of Alliance, with the BJP failing to respond to the PDP chief's demand and no senior leader visiting her to discuss government formation in the state. Madhav, who arrived here in a chartered plane, drove straight to the residence of Mehbooba where the two held a one-onone meeting for nearly an hour, highly placed sources said. The meeting has also brought optimism within the PDP and the state BJP about the re-alliance. Madhav's sudden visit to Srinagar and his meeting with Mehbooba has also surprised many, including top leaders of the PDP and BJP who were clueless about it. Former chief minister Omar Abdullah topped the list of those who were surprised by the meeting. Surprised "Unscheduled flight VTJSG just landed in Srinagar after normal operation hours. Something is cooking with the PDPBJP government formation," Abdullah tweeted. Last year Ram Madhav and senior PDP leader Dr Haseeb Drabu had agreed upon the document of the Agenda of the Alliance between the two parties after two-month-long negotiations. The document was described as the guiding framework for governance of the coalition government in J&K. In the document, the BJP agreed to a number of demands of the PDP. Mehbooba, after Mufti's death, has sought an announcement over assurances about political and economic initiatives mentioned in the Agenda of Alliance for government formation in the state. In her first address to legislators on January 31 after her father's death, Mehbooba had said that her father made a courageous - though unpopular - decision to align with BJP with the hope that the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take decisive measures to address the core political and economic issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir and its people. Mehbooba seeks an announcement on economic and political issues before the government formation. Madhav left the Mufti's Fairview residence - after the one-hour meeting with the PDP chief - without speaking to the media. advertisement After the one-on-one meeting, PDP also didn't come out with any statement, leaving scope for speculations over what transpired during the meeting. Madhav had come with a message for Mehbooba from the BJP president to avoid any further delay in government formation, sources said. Also Read Mehbooba Mufti wants CBMs from Centre, prolongs J&K CM suspense Two civilians killed in Kashmir, Mehbooba slams firing by security forces Former J-K legislator doubts circumstances of Mufti's death, seeks probe Mehbooba Mufti wants BJP to step up in re-alliance talks --- ENDS --- A complainant against RK Pachauri has revealed that he threatened her after seeing her interacting with a male colleague at a climate change summit in March 2014. By India Today Web Desk: RK Pachauri's troubles don't seem to be anywhere close to going away anytime soon. The former director general of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is already facing charges of sexual harassment. One of the two complainants has revealed that he threatened her after seeing her interacting with a male colleague at a climate change summit in March 2014. The complainant said that Pachauri told her that "if you were ever to get a boyfriend, I will castrate him". He said this to her while they were boarding a flight at Los Cabos in Mexico, an Economic Times report said. advertisement She further said that on an official trip to Paris in October 2013, he forcibly kissed her despite the fact that she had expressed her displeasure and had told him not to do so. Last week, amid strong opposition from women groups and students against his appointment as executive vice-chairman of TERI, Pachauri was sent on indefinite leave and former Competition Commission chief Ashok Chawla was appointed as the new chairman of TERI. TERI has also decided to appoint an external ombudsman to look into any complaints of sexual harassment in future. Pachauri went on indefinite leave after outgoing students refused to accept their degrees from him. Also Read TERI sexual harassment case: RK Pachauri goes on leave Sexual harassment case: RK Pachauri wanted to give me head massage, says ex-TERI employee --- ENDS --- Jat community protesters continued their agitation today, after talks between leaders of the community and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar failed to resolve reservation issue. By India Today Web Desk: Jat community protesters continued their agitation today, after talks between leaders of the community and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar failed to resolve reservation issue. Roads and railway routes were blocked around Rohtak town, Jhajjar, Sonipat, Hisar, Bhiwani and Jind districts. Jat leaders said that the agitation will not be withdrawn till the Khattar government comes out with substantive action on their demand for reservation for Jat community in government jobs and educational institutions. advertisement The Haryana government on Wednesday announced doubling of the quota for the EBC (Economically Backward Classes) category from 10 to 20 per cent after the meeting with Jat leaders. The Jats have rejected the move. Paramilitary forces have been deployed in and around Rohtak and other affected districts. Twenty-five trains were cancelled in Ambala and Ferozepur on Wednesday due to the blockade. The NH-10 and NH-71 and some other highways were also blocked. --- ENDS --- Three office bearers of ABVP JNU unit resigned saying they cannot be mouthpiece to a government that allows hooliganism in the name of nationalism. By India Today Web Desk: The Jawaharlal Nehru University row has been going from bad to worse with journalists and students beaten up the second time at the Patiala House Court and Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar's remand being extended for another two weeks. This afternoon, JNU students and those who are in support with them will march from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar in Delhi, against imposition of sedition charges against Kanhaiya and others. You can find the details of the event here, if at all you wish to participate. advertisement Also read: JNU Faculty members to take classes on nationalism. Here is your curriculum! There have been many versions of what really happened in the JNU campus on February 9, and who shouted anti-national slogans during a cultural meet organised to discuss and debate what the organisers - Democratic Students Union (DSU) - term as the unconstitutional hanging of 2001 Parliament terror attack mastermind Afzal Guru, leaving people baffled. Some say DSU members and those who came from outside JNU shouted the slogans, some say Kanhaiya and JNUSU members did, and some accuse Akhila Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP)members of it. Also read: Here's what JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar said in his speech. However, with BJP MLA OP Sharma taking law and order into his hands and lawyers (or those men in black coats) thrashing JNU students, teachers and media persons not once but twice, right in front of a court, the right-wing forces are facing widespread agitation now. Also read: JNU row: Ravi Shankar Prasad regrets actions of BJP MLA OP Sharma To make things worse for them, three office bearers of ABVP have quit, and wrote a stinging letter of resignation saying they can't be mouthpiece of a government that allows hooliganism in the name of nationalism . Pradeep Narwal, Joint Secretary of ABVP JNU Unit, posted what is to be believed as the resignation letter him and two of his colleagues, Rahul Yadav, President SSS ABVP UNIT and Ankit Hans, Secretary SSS ABVP UNIT, submitted to the higher authorities, on his Facebook profile. Here's what the letter said (sic): "#SAVEJNU #SAVEDEMOCRACY" Dear friends, We, Pradeep, Joint Secretary, ABVP JNU UNIT, Rahul Yadav, President SSS ABVP UNIT and Ankit Hans, Secretary SSS ABVP UNIT resigning from ABVP and disassociating ourselves from any further activity of ABVP as per our difference of opinion due to the following reasons: 1. Current JNU incident. 2. Long standing difference of opinion with party on MANUSMIRITI and Rohith Vermula incident. Anti-national slogans on February 9 in university campus were very unfortunate and heart breaking. Whosoever responsible for that act must be punished as per the law but the way NDA government tackling the whole issue, the oppression on professors, repeated lawyer attacks on media and Kanhaiya kumar in court premises is unjustifiable and we think there is a difference between interrogation and crushing ideology and branding entire left as Anti-national. advertisement People are circulating #SHUTDOWNJNU, but I think they must circulate #SHUTDOWNZEENEWS which has demeaned this world class institution, this biased ZEE news media generalize and related the act done by few people to the whole student community of JNU. JNU is considered as one of the progressive and democratic institution where we can see intermingling of people from lower to upper income strata of the society, notion of equality. We can't be mouthpiece of such a govt. which has unleashed oppression on student community, legislature like O P Sharma, govt. which has legitimized the action of right wing fascist forces either in Patiala house court or in front of JNU north gate. Every day we see people assemble at front gate with Indian Flag to beat JNU student, well this is hooliganism not nationalism, you can't do anything in the name of nation, there is a difference between nationalism and hooliganism. Anti-India slogans can't be tolerated in campus or any part of country, JNUSU and some left organization are saying that nothing has happened in the campus but here we want to stress that veiled persons in the event organized by former DSU persons shouted slogans BHARAT TERE TUKADDE HONGE of which there is concrete evidence in videos, so we demand any person responsible for the slogans should be punished as per the law, and in this whole process we also condemn media trial which has culminated in Anti-JNU sentiments throughout the country. advertisement Today we all must stand together to save JNU which has given us identity, we need to come across party lines to save reputation of this institution, to save future of JNUites as more than 80% of students don't belong to any political party so let's unite to save this JNU culture. VANDE MATRAM JAI BHIM JAI BHARAT" His post, and the recreation of this letter, has been going viral since yesterday evening. His Facebook post has, by now, been shared over 4,133 times. advertisement Pradeep also made another Facebook post saying his account was not hacked and saying it was him who posted the resignation letter. no one hacked my account, it was me who posted that....m here for my JNU ....for my lovely jnu culture i will save...Posted by Pradeep Narwal on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 --- ENDS --- Sylvie, a JNU student, has written a song in support of the protest movement that talks about democracy being an everyday choice. Listen to it here! By India Today Web Desk: From protest to arrest, and from mob thrashing to blame-game, the JNU row has seen it all by now. To add to the already politically charged up situation, a JNU student from Germany has written and composed a song. Sylvie, a JNU student, in support of the protest movement has written a song that talks about democracy being an everyday choice and how JNU students fight for the poor, neglected, deprived and suppressed. advertisement The theme of the song titled "We are JNU" appears to be that of freedom of speech and "not the ideology that they preach". Listen to the song here: JNU students and teachers are using the art of rhetoric to present their point of view. JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who was arrested on the charge of sedition last Friday, also in a speech before his arrest spoke about not needing a "certificate of patriotism" or "nationalist certificate" from the RSS. JNU students and teachers are using the art of rhetoric to present their point of view. JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who was arrested on the charge of sedition last Friday, also in a speech before his arrest spoke about not needing aorfrom the RSS. "We fight for the 80 per cent of the poor population of this country," he said. "For us, this is nation worship." "They are the ones who burnt the Tricolour...," he said. A JNU faculty member too in his rather impassioned speech after a mob dressed like and claiming to be 'lawyers' thrashed some students and faculty members said, "our nationalism is not of Nathuram Godse, our nationalism is the nationalism of non-violence, our nationalism of Rabindranath Tagore, our nationalism is of Amedkar". With Home Minister Rajnath Singh, LeT cheif Hafiz Saeed, and many other political figures commenting on this issue, the JNU campus row has certainly departed from the realm of campus politics. --- ENDS --- Over 150 foreign students in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) are in a state of fix. Just a few days ago they were the proud students of the prestigious university, but the sedition row has cast a shadow on their future. By Astha Saxena: Over 150 foreign students in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) are in a state of fix. Just a few days ago they were the proud students of the prestigious university, but the sedition row has cast a shadow on their future. A majority of them also expressed fear that they were under constant surveillance by unknown groups. "We are terrified. We feel our phone calls are being tapped; messages and emails have been hacked. These anti-human elements should not treat and portray JNU as Afghanistan. People here are constantly contributing to the idea of democracy, which is an important part of any country," a student of German studies told Mail Today. On Tuesday, hackers defaced the website of Jawaharlal Nehru University's library and left a message threatening "antinationals" as students and teachers boycotted classes on campus to protest against the arrest of a student leader accused of sedition. advertisement However, some of them came out in support of students' union saying the comments made by political parties and ministers are unfounded. "It's a wonderful place. Whatever is happening is damaging the image of the university. I have never felt unsafe here. I am well aware about the issue and the political parties who are adding fuel to the matter should stop it immediately," one of the students from the United States said. Scared of voicing their opinion, students are now reluctant to comment on the issue. "This event has turned into a much bigger issue than everyone expected. Whatever happened on Saturday could have been prevented. People should not violate the basic human rights. Some people from outside the camps are portraying a wrong image of the campus," Konstantin, a student of Arts and Aesthetics told Mail Today. JNU campus is under police surveillance since February 10. With the JNU students going on an indefinite hunger strike, the academic calendar of the varsity has also got affected. "The present students' union is at no fault. Rest, I don't want to comment anything. But, due to the protests our classes have been cancelled. Yesterday, teachers also joined the movement," 23-year-old Suzuka Sanada from Japan said. Also read: JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar taken to Tihar jail from Patiala House court JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar not beaten up, says Delhi Police chief BS Bassi Waving flag, chanting Vande Mataram doesn't make you nationalist: Kanhaiya Kumar's lawyer --- ENDS --- President of the Bar Council of India has apologised for the unruly behaviour of some advocates and has sought a report from Patiala House Court on this matter. By India Today Web Desk: The Bar Council of India has condemned the attack on journalists in Patiala House Court premises amidst the ongoing outrage and debate on JNU controversy. President of the Bar Council of India has apologised for the unruly behaviour of some advocates and has sought a report from Patiala House Court on this matter. "I apologise to Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar and to the journalists. A 3-member panel will investigate the matter and will submit the report within 3 days," said Manan Kumar Mishra, president of the Bar Council of India. advertisement "I have seen the clips and we are going to cancel the license of some of the lawyers if they are found guilty," added Manan Kumar Mishra. Lawyers were seen attacking journalists inside Patiala House Court complex for the second time on Wednesday. The showdown took place on Wednesday before Kanhaiya Kumar was to be produced in the Patiala House Court for hearing on the case registered against him. A section of lawyers carrying national flags shouted slogans like 'Bharat mata ki jai' and 'JNU murdabad'. They also shouted slogans against the JNU, terming it "anti-national". Kanhaiya Kumar was taken to Tihar jail from Patiala House court on Wednesday. The Supreme Court slammed the Delhi Police for their failure to prevent the attack on Kanhaiya Kumar in the Patiala House Court premises. Kanhaiya on Wednesday told metropolitan magistrate Lovleen, during his remand proceedings, that he condemns what happened on February 9, 2016, on JNU campus and appealed to everyone not to disturb the peace of the country, society and institution. Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on February 12 and was charged with sedition for raising anti-national slogans at an event held at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus to protest the hanging of 2001 Parliament terror attack mastermind Afzal Guru. Also read: JNU row: JNUSU chief Kanhaiya Kumar in jail No. 3, same as Afzal Guru JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar taken to Tihar jail from Patiala House court JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar not beaten up, says Delhi Police chief BS Bassi Waving flag, chanting Vande Mataram doesn't make you nationalist: Kanhaiya Kumar's lawyer Lawyers, journalists fight again at Patiala House Court --- ENDS --- BJP MP Gopal Shetty has triggered a controversy after he compared suicides of farmers to "fashion" and "trend" to end lives. By India Today Web Desk: BJP MP Gopal Shetty has triggered a controversy after he compared suicides of farmers to "fashion" and "trend" to end lives. "Not all farmers' suicides happen due to unemployment and starvation. A fashion is going on. A trend is on," Shetty, who represents north Mumbai, said at an event held in Borivili. "If Maharashtra government is giving Rs 5 Lakh rupees as compensation, then some other government in neighbouring state is giving Rs 7 Lakh," he said. "There's a competition in these people in giving money (compensation) to farmers," the first-time MP said. advertisement However, defending himself, Shetty later said, "I wanted to say that there is a fashion of giving compensation to farmers committing suicide," adding, "Instead of using word competition I said fashion." The MP made a statement at a time when Maharashtra is facing an agricultural crisis with 124 farmers committing suicide. The Congress, condemning the comments, said the remarks by Shetty show BJP's insensitivity towards farmers. "At a time when Maharashtra is undergoing its worst-ever agrarian crisis, Shetty's remarks show how insensitive he and his party are towards thousands of farmers who have committed suicide due to debt and crop failure," MRCC president Sanjay Nirupam said. --- ENDS --- Sonam Kapoor's upcoming film Neerja, the biopic on India's youngest recipient of the Ashok Chakra Neerja Bhanot, has been made on a near-unbelievable budget, given the amount of money spent on Bollywood films usually. By India Today Web Desk: Sonam Kapoor's Neerja, based on the life of Neerja Bhanot, who laid down her life while trying to save 359 passengers, is set for a February 19 release. While there were speculations that the film might have been made on a whopping budget, the reality is something else altogether. ALSO READ: This is Neerja Bhanot's last recorded voice. Then she was shot dead advertisement ALSO READ: A staggering Rs 3 crore spent for research on Neerja According to the makers of Neerja, the film has been made on a modest budget of Rs 21 crore. The amount includes the marketing and distribution of this Ram Madhvani film. Producer Atul Kasbekar said, "At a cost of Rs 21 crore, inclusive of marketing and distribution, we have been able to make Neerja as we wanted to, without compromising on the treatment of the film and covering all the facts and minute details of the historic event. It is good to know that things have turned out pretty well for us till now and all the content put out by us has been well received." We had earlier reported that the producers of Neerja had earmarked a huge chunk of the total budget for research on Neerja Bhanot. An amount of Rs 3 crore is supposed to have been spent on sourcing material for the story of the biopic. Neerja Bhanot was the senior purser on Pan Am Flight 73, which was hijacked by terrorists from the Abu Nidal Organisation in Karachi, en route from Mumbai to New York on September 5, 1986. In the process of trying to save the lives of the passengers on the flight, Bhanot gave up her life. After her death, the Indian government honoured her with the Ashok Chakra for extraordinary courage. For all updates and stories on Neerja, CLICK HERE. --- ENDS --- Nepalese PM KP Sharma Oli and his wife will stay at the Rashtrapati Bhavan as state guests during their maiden visit to India from February 19 to February 24. By India Today Web Desk: Nepalese PM KP Sharma Oli and his wife will stay at the Rashtrapati Bhavan as state guests during their maiden visit to India from February 19 to February 24. During the visit, India is expected to prod Nepal to complete the "unfinished task" of making the new Nepalese Constitution more inclusive. Adopting a "test and verify" approach with the new leadership in Nepal, India is "relatively satisfied" with the steps taken by the government there to assuage the concerns of the Indian-origin Madhesi community by including two key amendments to the Constitution. advertisement It now wants the political establishment in the Himalayan nation to show "wisdom and maturity" to find a solution to pending issues through dialogue. Terming the inclusion of two amendments --participation in the state organs on proportional basis and delineation of electoral constituencies --in the Constitution as "positive developments", the sources, however, said, "There are unfinished tasks which need to be completed and some more distance to be covered" for an inclusive Constitution. The two amendments were incorporated after months of agitation by Indian-origin Madhesis of the Terai region demanding greater protection of their rights under the new Constitution. The Madhesis had enforced a nearly five-month blockade of the Indo-Nepal border, crippling essential supplies, before calling it off earlier this month. While Kathmandu accused India of imposing a "blockade" in a bid to pressurise it into accepting the demands of Madhesis, the government here maintained it was "natural to externalise the internal problems." Denying that India was "prescriptive" while dealing with the Himalayan nation, official sources said there were some "concerns" which needed to be addressed and asserted that a "stable and peaceful" Nepal was what New Delhi wanted. There is also a feeling here that Nepal's "China card" and its "perceived impact" on Indo-Nepal ties has not worked as was evident from the fact that Oli was making his first official visit after assuming charge to India. Oli will be here on a State visit for six days during which he will hold extensive talks with Modi on a host of key bilateral and regional issues on February 20. New Delhi also hopes that the "ambiguity" regarding the citizenship issue under the Constitution is removed though it admits that nearly one thousand women were granted immediate citizenship on their getting married to a Nepali national in the last three months. During Oli's visit, the two sides are also expected to discuss Indian aid for reconstruction after the devastating earthquake in Nepal. The flow of the aid was "paused" in the past few months due to absence of a law to regulate it. It is understood that India would also like to "forget" Nepal's "lack of inclusion and discriminatory" approach while adopting the new Constitution and move forward to strengthen the age-old ties. --- ENDS --- advertisement If you are someone loves to explore the world, a trip to one of these five places is a must. By Samonway Duttagupta: Anyone who loves to travel would agree that planet Earth is full of surprises. While most of us like to visit popular destinations, a lot of us like to explore places that are too offbeat to have found a place in the regular tourist maps. Let's take a look at five of the remotest places in the world that are worth travelling to. advertisement Lunana, Bhutan Picture courtesy: www.tourism.gov.bt This little village in northern Bhutan's Ghasa district falls enroute the popular Snowman Trek. The place is inhabited by a handful of herders, who have been living an unchanged life among the Himalayan glaciers. The nomads living in this region have rich knowledge of medicinal herbs, the harvesting of which also acts as a source of income for them. Oymyakon, Russia Picture courtesy: Reuters Only with those with hearts of steel can dare to travel to this place. Also known as the Pole of Cold and Stalin's Death Ring, this village is one of the coldest inhabited places in the world with minimum temperatures dipping down to as low as minus 71 degrees. The place is inhabited by 500 people and is known to have days in winter that last for not more than three hours. There's no mobile connectivity and the nearest city is Yakutsk, which is a three-day-long drive away. Also read: Planning an international holiday? February is the cheapest month to fly out of India! Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland Picture courtesy: Flickr/CurieuxVoyageurs/Creative Commons If you had ever dreamt of visiting Santa Claus' world, you must travel to this place. Here, you can see the Arctic foxes, polar bears, seals and walruses. The adventure activities include dog sledding and snowmobile rides on vast snowfields. Approachable only via a helicopter shuttle service operated by Ittoqqortoormiit Heliport, this place is inhabited by home to only 450 residents and has just one grocery store. Hunting and fishing at sea are some of the only ways the community can survive. Pitcairn Island, Southern Pacific Ocean Picture courtesy: www.visitpitcairn.pn Home to only 50 residents, this place is the least populated national jurisdiction in the world. The place has just one general store, which is open for only three days in a week. The only way to reach this place is via a longboat service that is available from New Zealand, which is close to 5,000 km from the place. Pitcairn's administrative headquarters are situated in Auckland, New Zealand. Changthang Highlands, India Picture courtesy: Flickr/Anirban Roy/Creative Commons If you think you have explored Ladakh well, think again. The Changthang Highlands is home to the indigenous nomadic population who make their living by selling the Pashmina wool that they get from the local goats. With thin air, dipping temperatures and a very high altitude, this place has no paved roads and the only way to get around is on yaks. In the year 2009, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre had named Changthang Highlands as the world's most remote place. --- ENDS --- advertisement What is Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif's obsession with Britain? Is he bringing the Kohinoor back and gifting it to PM Modi? By India Today Web Desk: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has reportedly lived every fifth day of his tenure outside the country. He is receiving flak for spending Rs 638 million on his foreign trips. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has some serious competition! Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed the National Assembly that Sharif has spend 185 days abroad and had 65 foreign tours with 631 officers accompanying him. advertisement It was in June 2013 that he came to power, and since then, despite being criticised, Sharif has been going on various foreign trips. No wonder the country is cribbing, with the current economy expenditure of Rs 638.27 million sure is a big hole in the nation's pocket. He is said to have visited Britain 17 times and spent nearly two months there. Now, after 940 days in power, you visit your own National Assembly only double the time you went to Britain, of course no damage control can save you from the bashing. The 24 days in Britain that were listed as transit, Sharif stopped for at least a couple of days which costed Rs 137.8 million. The Pakistan PM has also visited the United States of America a lot of times and spent 18 days there. He visited Saudi Arabia 5 times as well and ensured he took a tour to Turkey ever year. Considering the World Bank only last year granted a loan of USD 500 million to Pakistan for energy sector reform, and IMF also agreed to grant USD 502 million to the country under a bailout package arrangement, it is only safe if Sharif ensures his trips are pocket-friendly and the nation is able to improve its economic condition. --- ENDS --- A Polish magazine cover has caused a stir after depicting a blonde woman clad in the European Union flag screaming as she is being groped by dark-skinned men.The cover which carries a dramatic headline saying, 'Islamic Rape of Europe' has also caused an outrage. By India Today Web Desk: A right-wing Polish magazine cover depicting hands of dark-skinned men about to rip off the European Union flag off a blonde woman has sparked an outrage after it went viral. The front cover of the conservative Polish weekly named wSieci ("the network") bares an even more controversial title which reads,"The Islamic rape of Europe." "Islamic rape of Europe", screams Polish magazine. They obviously forget Nazi depictions of Poles in the 1930s. pic.twitter.com/Sic3TEvIq0 John O'Brennan (@JohnOBrennan2) February 16, 2016 advertisement The image shows a white woman draped in the European Union flag screaming as she is being groped by dark-skinned men. The picture invited flak on social media wherein many drew comparison with the Nazi propaganda. The main intention behind the portrayal was to expose problem of rape and sexual assault of women at the hands of newly arrived migrants, mostly hailing from the Middle-East, across Europe. This edition also carries other controversial articles like 'Does Europe Want to Commit Suicide?' and 'The Hell of Europe'. The main focus of this edition is to expose "what the media and Brussels elite are hiding from the citizens of the European Union" states a report in Breitbart. In the hard-hitting cover article Aleksandra Rybinska writes, "The people of old Europe after the events of New Year's Eve in Cologne painfully realised the problems arising from the massive influx of immigrants." The article whipped-up immense prejudice against the Islamic community, by saying Islam and the West have been at war "over the last 14 centuries" and the world is now witnessing a "clash of two civilisations in the countries of old Europe". The magazine not only launched an tirade against the Islamic community but also blatantly attacked German Chancellor Angela Merkel, "who it accuses of listening more to the German industrial lobby which it claims campaigns for cheap labour from outside the European Union." --- ENDS --- Pope Francis assailed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's views on U.S. immigration as "not Christian" on Thursday, prompting the billionaire businessman to reprimand the religious leader as "disgraceful" for questioning his faith. By Reuters: Pope Francis assailed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's views on U.S. immigration as "not Christian" on Thursday, prompting the billionaire businessman to reprimand the religious leader as "disgraceful" for questioning his faith. No stranger to controversy, Trump, the longtime party front-runner in national opinion polls, has vowed if elected president to build a wall between the United States and Mexico to keep out immigrants who enter illegally. advertisement In a freewheeling conversation on his flight home from a visit to Mexico, Francis told reporters, "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian." Trump, a real estate developer and former reality TV star, said, "If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS's ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president," Trump said in a speech in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, using an acronym for the Islamic State militant group. "For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful. I am proud to be a Christian and as president I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened," Trump said. "No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man's religion or faith," Trump said. Trump has said he would deport millions of illegal immigrants if he wins his party's nomination and then the Nov. 8 election. Last week, responding to the pope's plan to visit the U.S.-Mexican border, he said that Pope Francis did not understand the Mexican border issues. "The pope is a very political person. I think he doesn't understand the problems our country has. I don't think he understands the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico," Trump told the Fox Business Network. Asked about being called a "political person", Francis said on Thursday, "Thank God he said I was a politician because Aristotle defined the human person as 'animal politicus.' So at least I am a human person." The pope said, however, he did not want to advise American Catholics on whether or not to vote for Trump. Social Media Erupts The pope's remarks and Trump's response lit up social media with many Twitter users speculating on how Trump would move on from the pope's withering comment. Author Dan Dicker @Dan_Dicker tweeted, "Let's see @realDonaldTrump insult his way out of this." advertisement Trump's social media director Dan Scavino @DanScavino tweeted, "Amazing comments from the Pope - considering Vatican City is 100 percent surrounded by massive walls." In a written statement Trump accused the Mexican government of making disparaging remarks about him to the pope "because they want to continue to rip off the United States, both on trade and at the border, and they understand I am totally wise to them. "The pope only heard one side of the story - he didn't see the crime, the drug trafficking and the negative economic impact the current policies have on the United States. He doesn't see how Mexican leadership is outsmarting President Obama and our leadership in every aspect of negotiation." --- ENDS --- While Preity Zinta has been blasting the media over speculation about her marriage to LA-based Gene Goodenough, reports suggest that the dimpled beauty is tying the knot with her rumoured boyfriend by the end of this month. By India Today Web Desk: Earlier this month, when a website ran a speculative story on whether Preity Zinta was getting married to her rumoured boyfriend Gene Goodenough, the actor took to Twitter to blast the site. Her posts urged the media to leave her personal life and her marriage to her instead of the endless speculations. However, if fresh reports are to be believed, Zinta is tying the knot by the end of this month. advertisement ALSO READ: This is Preity Zinta's brilliant answers for all those marriage questions PHOTOS: Salman Khan parties with Preity Zinta and Sussanne Khan Zinta, is reportedly in a relationship with Los Angeles-based Gene Goodenough, had refuted rumours of her marriage when they surfaced last month. Preity and Gene were spotted together at a five-star hotel in Mumbai back then, which was supposed to have sparked off the marriage rumours. However, Zinta had said in her Twitter post on February 9: Am seriously fed up with all the speculation about my personal life ! The media really knows how to ruin things??? THIS NEEDS TO STOP ! #fedup Preity zinta (@realpreityzinta) February 9, 2016 After about a week, the grapevine is abuzz yet again with the same rumour. According to reports, Preity is apparently tying the knot with Gene in 10 days. The marriage is supposed to be a low-key, private affair and will take place in Los Angeles. While not much is known about the wedding yet, Sussanne Khan, one of Preity's closest friends, is supposed to be in LA for the ceremony. A fortnight ago, Preity was snapped with friends Salman Khan, Sussanne Khan and Anu Dewan at an 'unplanned' dinner. The Ishkq In Paris actor had also shared a collage of photos from the evening on Twitter: The best evenings are always the unplanned ones???Thanks #thekornerhouse 4 a wonderful evening & awesome food?????Ting ! pic.twitter.com/GNHGMEO5Bh Preity zinta (@realpreityzinta) February 5, 2016 Speculations are rife that Sussanne will be by her close friend Preity during the latter's wedding. Preity and Gene have supposedly been dating for a few years now. In the much-publicised spat between Preity and her ex-boyfriend Ness Wadia, Goodenough was named as a key witness. --- ENDS --- A US court has ordered Apple to unlock the encrypted phone of one of the shooters of San Bernardino case. By Reuters: A court order demanding that Apple Inc help the US government unlock the encrypted iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters is shaping up as a crucial test case of how far the government can go in forcing technology companies to help security and intelligence investigations. Law enforcement agencies have for years faced off against tech firms and privacy advocates over their ability to monitor digital communications, and the government to date has largely lost the battle. advertisement But the specific circumstances of the San Bernardino case, a young married couple who sympathized with Islamic State militants and killed 14 people and wounded 22 others in a shooting rampage at a holiday party, could give government officials the legal precedent they need to reverse the tide. A federal judge in Los Angeles on Tuesday ordered Apple to provide "reasonable technical assistance" to investigators seeking to read the data on an iPhone 5C that had been used by Rizwan Farook, who along with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, carried out the shootings. The government argues that the iPhone is a crucial piece of evidence. But civil liberties groups warn that forcing companies to crack their own encryption endangers the technical integrity of the Internet and threatens not just the privacy of customers but potentially that of citizens of any country. On Wednesday, Republican lawmakers and presidential candidates came out strongly on the side of law enforcement, raising the possibility of another legislative effort to require tech companies to put "backdoors" in their products. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the Department of Justice was asking Apple for access to just one device, a central part of the government's argument, which Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has said was "simply not true." "They are not asking Apple to redesign its product or to create a new backdoor to one of their products," Earnest told reporters at a daily briefing. The Department of Justice stressed in a statement on Wednesday that its request was "narrowly tailored," and chided Apple. "It is unfortunate that Apple continues to refuse to assist the department in obtaining access to the phone of one of the terrorists involved in a major terror attack on U.S. soil." Most technology security experts, including many who have served in government, have said technical efforts to provide government access to encrypted devices inevitably degrades security for everyone. It is an argument that has been made since the 1990s, when the government tried and failed to force tech companies to incorporate a special chip into their products for surveillance purposes. advertisement "The government suggests this tool could only be used once, on one phone," Cook said in a statement on Tuesday. "But that's simply not true. Once created, the technique could be used over and over again, on any number of devices." Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai endorsed Cook's stance in tweets on Wednesday. "We build secure products to keep your information safe and we give law enforcement access to data based on valid legal orders," he wrote. "But that's wholly different than requiring companies to enable hacking of customer devices & data. Could be a troubling precedent." Legal Fight: Representatives of several tech companies did not respond to requests for comment on the ruling. Not surprisingly, however, trade groups that count thousands of software companies, smartphone makers and network security firms as members decried the government's position, while law enforcement groups backed the Justice Department. Also read: Privacy versus security at heart of Apple phone decrypt order Also read: Full text: Tim Cook slams FBI and US govt in a letter The industry was "committed to working with law enforcement to keep Americans safe," the Software & Information Industry Association said, but in the Apple case, "the government's position is overbroad and unwise." advertisement The Computing Technology Industry Association said if the order was carried out, "it could give the FBI the power to call for some sort of back end to encryption whenever they see fit." If the federal judge, Magistrate Sheri Pym, rejects Apple's arguments, the Cupertino, California-based company can appeal her order to the district court, and then up the chain to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco and ultimately the U.S. Supreme Court. --- ENDS --- By India Today Web Desk: At a farmer's gathering, BJP Rajasthan MLA Kailash Choudhary said that an anti-national like Rahul Gandhi should be shot and hanged for supporting those who raise pro-Pakistan slogans. "Rahul Gandhi ko goli se shoot kar dena chahiye," said Choudhary in an ANI video. The MLA said it is treason if Rahul Gandhi, 'Congress' Rajkumar', is supporting people who raise slogans praising Afzal Guru and talk about breaking India. He went ahead to call the Congress Vice President a traitor. advertisement Claiming to be a 'nationalist', he said that will not tolerate if anyone raises a finger at 'Bharat mata'. Watch the video here: Choudhary has defended his statement by saying that it makes his blood boil to see leaders supporting anti-national people, reports HT. Meanwhile, BJP chief Amit Shah's comments criticising Rahul Gandhi over the JNU row did not go well with Youth Congress activists as they burnt his effigies in protest. Shah said that Rahul had 'proved' that national interest had no place in his mind. Questioning whether Rahul wants another division of India Shah wrote, "Are you not encouraging traitors by protesting in support of these anti-nationals?" --- ENDS --- The Bengaluru police are searching for a physical education teacher of a reputed school in the wake of allegations that he sexually abused a ninth standard girl last year. By Mail Today: The Bengaluru police are searching for a physical education teacher of a reputed school in the wake of allegations that he sexually abused a ninth standard girl last year. According to the police, the school suspended the PE teacher Lakshmikanth (40) earlier this year after the victim's parents brought the matter to the notice of the management. However, the school failed to inform the police about the incident. Later, one of the victim's relatives brought the matter to the notice of the police. advertisement The police registered a case and are searching for Lakshmikanth, who has reportedly fled the city. The police are also contemplating legal action against the school management for hiding the crime from the law enforcement agencies. --- ENDS --- Union Human Resources Development minister Smriti Irani today rapped a few vice chancellors who fell asleep during a closed-door meeting in Surajkund in Haryana and ordered a faculty member to leave the hall for attempting to click her picture. By India Today Web Desk: Union Human Resources Development minister Smriti Irani today rapped a few vice chancellors who fell asleep during a closed-door meeting in Surajkund, Haryana. An irate Smriti even ordered a faculty member to leave the hall for attempting to click her picture. Smriti chaired a conference today of 46 central university vice chancellors' where several key decisions, including making it mandatory for central universities across the country to fly the national flag, among others were discussed. advertisement During her 30-minute speech, that doubled as a harangue, Smriti said the vice-chancellors should emerge from their "comfortable cocoons" and "do what they are expected to do". The minister snapped at the academics for keeping "posts vacant on the pretext of finding eligible candidates to those positions. Smriti then demanded to know what exactly the vice-chancellors did for a living and how many times they had involved themselves in revising university curricula. Resolutions Unanimously passed at the Conference of Central University Vice-Chancellors https://t.co/3cnJL9qOdq&; Ministry of HRD (@HRDMinistry) February 18, 2016 "Don't become the V-C just to get a lal batti (red beacon) fitted on top of your car," she said. Vice chancellors of the three universities that are in the news - JNU, Jadavpur and Hyderabad - were present in the meeting. The Human Resources Development Ministry, in a directive on Thursday, asked all central universities to hoist the tricolour on their campuses, news reports have said. ALSO READ: Not just JNU, Rohith Vemula's death cast a shadow over central university VC meeting Smriti Irani dismisses reports of Subramanian Swamy taking over as JNU VC --- ENDS --- Bansal had allegedly ordered the iPhone from Snapdeal last February when it had appeared for buy for Rs 68 on its website. By India Today Web Desk: Online shopping portal Snapdeal has been asked to pay Rs 10,000 in fine by the State Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission for refusing to deliver a gold version of Apple's iPhone 5S (16GB) to one Nikhil Bansal for Rs 68. Bansal had allegedly ordered the iPhone from Snapdeal last February when it had appeared for buy for Rs 68 on its website. advertisement Snapdeal in its defense said that the 'iPhone 5S available for Rs 68' incident was a technical glitch. The forum - in its order dated February 12 - has dismissed the argument. Snapdeal has also been directed to deliver the iPhone to Bansal at the same price that it was ordered, that is, Rs 68. Also Read: Snapdeal raises $200 million led by Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Bansal -- a BTech Student at Punjab University - had previously approached the district consumer forum, Sangrur with his complaint after folks at Snapdeal refused to respond to his emails with regards to his order. The forum - in its March 26, 2015 order - had asked Snapdeal to deliver the iPhone to Bansal (at Rs 68) and also pay Rs 2,000 to him as compensation and litigation expenses. Snapdeal then appealed against the order before the state consumer forum. Incidences of Snapdeal artificially inflating discounts on their products by increasing the MRP value on them aren't new. But, an iPhone for Rs 68 is certainly a first, glitch or no glitch. The company has been in news, a lot lately. Earlier, it was said that it had decided not to renew Bollywood actor Aamir Khan's contract as its brand ambassador. --- ENDS --- The Central government on Wednesday held back its decision to revoke President's Rule in the wake of the status quo order passed by the apex court. The revocation of President's Rule will allow formation of a new government in the border state. By India Today Web Desk: In a major setback to the ousted Nabam Tuki-led Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh, the Supreme Court today cleared way for government formation there. The SC took the step after being satisfied with the Guwahati High Court order staying the disqualification of the 14 rebel Congress MLAs. President's Rule was imposed in Arunachal Pradesh on January 26 following political instability in the state. The apex court on January 29 had issued a notice to the Centre and Governor over the imposition of President's Rule in Arunachal Pradesh and posted the matter for hearing on February 1, 2016. advertisement The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the decks for the revocation of President's Rule in Arunachal Pradesh as it vacated its own order of status quo passed on Wednesday. The Central government on Wednesday held back its decision to revoke President's Rule in the wake of the status quo order passed by the apex court. The revocation of President's Rule will allow formation of a new government in the border state. The apex court constitution bench, headed by Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, vacated the status quo order after examining the original records wherein it found that 14 MLAs disqualified by former speaker Nabam Rebia were not served notice. Upholding the interim order of Guwahati High Court, which had stayed disqualification of the 14 MLAs, the apex court bench directed the high court to hear the disqualification matter from February 22 and conclude the hearing in two weeks. The court said that any action taken in the meantime would be subject to the outcome of the matter before the high court. The bench, however, made it clear that any further action taken will be subject to the outcome of the matter pending before it. On Monday, 31 MLAs, led by Congress dissident Kalikho Pul, called on the Governor to stake claim for forming the next government in the politically fragile state. Pul was accompanied by 19 rebel Congress MLAs along with 11 BJP legislators and two independent members. This led the Congress to move the Supreme Court seeking an order that no new government formation be permitted and status quo maintained. However, the apex court refused to pass an interim order restraining the Governor from swearing in a new government in Arunachal Pradesh. The revolt by Congress dissidents led by Pul led to a political crisis in the state that finally led to imposition of President's Rule on January 26. Former Chief Minister Nabam Tuki reportedly has the support of 26 MLAs in the 60-member Assembly. Congress, which had 47 MLAs in the 60-member Assembly, suffered a jolt when 21 of its lawmakers rebelled. Eleven BJP MLAs and two independents backed the rebels in the bid to upstage the government. advertisement Later, 14 rebel Congress MLAs were disqualified by the Speaker. The Supreme Court, which is considering pleas against imposition of President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh, is hearing petitions seeking examination of constitutional schemes on the scope of discretionary powers of the Governor. Later, briefing media on today's Cabinet decisions, Indian Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad refused to comment on the recommendation to revoke President's Rule in Arunachal Pradesh saying it is a "privileged communication between a governor and the President". ALSO READ: Arunachal Pradesh crisis: SC asks Governor for report in 15 minutes --- ENDS --- Travel to Agra to catch some amazing cultural performances and more at the Taj Mahotsav 2016. By India Today Web Desk: The weather in the northern part of the country is just perfect for travelling, and there can't be a better time to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra. Well, the weather is not the only reason why we recommend a visit to this Wonder of the World. The 25th edition of the Taj Mahotsav will be commencing today at the sprawling Shilpgram complex, which is just half a kilometre from the iconic monument. advertisement Supported by Uttar Pradesh Tourism, the 10-day festival is held every year from February 18 to February 27. Modelled after the annual Surajkund International Crafts Mela, the festival features an interesting mix of traditional arts and crafts, delicious cuisines, a fun fair for children, and different cultural programs. This year, the cultural programmes are slated to take place at various parts of the city, including Dara Shikoh library, Queen Empress library, Paliwal Park, Gandhi Memorial, and Soor Sadan auditorium. This is being done to involve the entire city in the celebrations, and thus send out a message of Agra being a tourist-friendly city. This year's edition of the festival will feature performances by renowned artistes like Mohit Chauhan, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shreya Ghoshal, Palash Sen, Raju Srivastav, Raja Rancho, Sabri Brothers and Sharma Bandhu. Uttar Pradesh Tourism officials told IANS that a special programme will be held on February 22 at the Fatehpur Sikri complex, featuring Grammy-winning Hindustani classical music instrumentalist Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. Given below is the date-wise schedule of the cultural performances: 18/02/2016: Mohit Chauhan 19/02/2016: Palash Sen 22/02/2016: Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and group (at Fatehpur Sikri complex) 23/02/2016: Sharma Bandhu 24/02/2016: Hariharan 25/02/2016: Shreya Ghoshal 26/02/2016: Raju Srivastav 26/02/2016: Raja Rancho 27/02/2016: Sunidhi Chauhan (With inputs from IANS) --- ENDS --- Umar Khalid, a PhD student in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) who conceived the idea of a cultural evening to mark the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, had planned similar events across the countryIntelligence reports suggest the group wanted to hold such events in 18 universities in the country.The report explains the role of DSU activists in organising the event. A case has been registered against Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in the district court of Allahabad after a lawyer Shushil Mishra filed a PIL in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate stating that Rahul took an antinational stand by voic By Abhishek Bhalla : Democratic Student's Union (DSU) activists led by Umar Khalid, a PhD student in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) who conceived the idea of a cultural evening to mark the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, had planned similar events across the country. Intelligence reports suggest the group wanted to hold such events in 18 universities in the country. advertisement An intelligence report on the role of the 10 DSU activists who organised the event to commemorate Guru's death anniversary where anti-India slogans were raised, however, has no mention of Kanhaiya Kumar, JNU Student's Union president who was arrested for sedition. Kumar is the only one to be arrested leading to a controversy over police action that followed Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's comment that anti-national activities will not be tolerated. Umar Khalid, a PhD student in Jawaharlal Nehru University. The intelligence mechanism seems to be divided on the decision to arrest Kumar. "Organising such events or being part of them alone cannot be viewed as sedition. There needs to be prima-facie evidence to suggest that the sloganeering was to incite people to commit acts to overthrow the state," an official said. The report explains the role of DSU activists in organising the event. DSU is an extreme Left group active in JNU. However, students who shouted anti-India slogans have not been identified in the report. The DSU activists responsible for organising the event have not been named as accused in the FIR registered by the Delhi Police. The FIR mentions that the posters for the event had their names. The report states that Umar Khalid, a Phd student from the School of Social Sciences was the main organiser of the event. "He conceived the idea of organising a cultural evening on February 9, the day on which Afzal Guru was hanged," the report states. Khalid did his M.A. in history and M.Phil from JNU and has been doing field work in Jharkhand, according to the report. He is one of the applicants who sought permission for organising the event on JNU campus. The report names Banjyotsana Lahiri, a guest faculty in Ambedkar University who conceptualised the event in consultation with Umar. "She proposed the title of the event as 'A country without a post office' against the Brahminical cannibal collective conscience, against judicial murder of Afzal Guru, AFSPA and atrocities by Indian Army, Right to Self Determination including assassination of people of Kashmir," the report states. advertisement According to the report, Reyaz-Ul-Haq, a student of the School of International Language (Spanish), invited other like-minded people to join the event and also uploaded photographs on social media. Also Read JNU row: This is how Kanhaiya Kumar spent his 1st night at Tihar jail JNU row: Prime accused in sedition case still on campus JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar taken to Tihar jail from Patiala House court JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar not beaten up, says Delhi Police chief BS Bassi Waving flag, chanting Vande Mataram doesn't make you nationalist: Kanhaiya Kumar's lawyer --- ENDS --- Just when you thought Ishita would be freed from jail, comes the news that she will be sent to the gallows. By India Today Web Desk: There seems to be no end to Ishita's troubles (Divyanka Tripathi). After a brief reunion with husband Raman (Kara Patel), Ishita is all set to be separated from him forever. Yes, in a new twist on the Star Plus show Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, Ishita will be declared guilty of advocate Chaddha's murder and will be given the death sentence. Pallavi, whom Ishita was trying to save when Chaddha got killed accidentally, will change her statement in the court as a result of which Ishita will be declared guilty. advertisement Raman, who has been running from pillar to post to get Ishita freed, will go to meet her in jail for the final time and the two will share an emotional moment. Watch: The accident that left Divyanka Tripathi bleeding on the sets of Yeh Hai Mohabbatein However, we all know that since Ishita is an adarsh nari, she can't be the killer. Then who's the real culprit and why is Ishita being punished for someone else's crime? According to reports, Raman's brother Romi is the real culprit, but it will be some time before the truth is exposed, as the producers want to cash in on Ishita's misfortune. Meanwhile, Ishita will get temporary relief from her woes as her lawyer Nidhi Chhabra will get her released on bail. Post her release, Ishita and Raman will celebrate their wedding anniversary together. Also read: Ishita to get released on bail Watch: Divyanka and fiance Vivek sway to Janam Janam in Sri Lanka In the past few months, the twists and turns on the show have gone from whoa to completely bizarre, and has somewhat lost sheen. The show which was once topping the TRP charts had slipped to no.5 in the top 10 list. According to the latest statistics released by Barc India for February 6, 2016-February 12, 2016, Yeh Hai Mohabbatein has been pushed out of top five. --- ENDS --- The Reus Air Base and the Tarragona Coast were the location for sightings by pilots and controllers. No conclusions were reached from these investigations.The CIA has just declassified hundreds of documents regarding the possible existence of alien life in various parts of the planet. These abstracts have been made public and detail investigations and images of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) mostly between 1940 and 1960. The material includes a sighting in Barcelona from 21 May 1952 at the El Prat Airport as well as the one in Sabadell and even in Badalona. The declassification has breathed some life into ufologists and lovers of flying saucer case histories, as the phenomenon has been prolific in these provinces. Sightings accounts, whose reliability varies between belief and skepticism, have dotted the area's popular mythology. However, some of these stories even managed to become a dossier investigated at the time by the Ministry of Defense. The Ejercito del Aire (Spanish Air Force) declassified UFO reports in which at least four sightings linked to the province of Tarragona appear, with the Reus Air Base as their main locale. The documents barely shed any light or final conclusions, but at least testify to the existence of hard-to-explain sightings in spite of research efforts conducted.The most significant case occurred at the Reus Airport control tower at 11:40 hours on 13 May 1969. The report, marked 'Confidential' and subtitled "strange phenomena sighting" summarizes the situation this: "The controller on duty was attending to the take-off and ascent of a Boeing 727. Upon reaching an altitude of 2000 meters, he noticed - somewhat lower and to the right of the airliner's wake - a bright, motionless point of light, having an apparent size similar to that of a 5 peseta coin. Five more people (the backup controller, two radio mechanics and two soldiers) witnessed the phenomenon. The controller availed himself of binoculars at that point, being able to see "a circular (probably spherical) form, uniformly luminous but for some elongated horizontal spots of higher intensity and yellowish color." The High Command's Intelligence Section report adds: "When the airliner's exhaust became superimposed, the controller lost sight of the object, seeing it again after two minutes, further down and to the left. He lost sight of it definitely shortly after."Investigations began at that point, without first dismissing the possibility that it could be a scientific balloon belonging to a French research agency with Spanish involvement, and bearing in mind the situation of the runway: aside from the Boeing, there were five Portuguese airliners and a two-seater. The report requested to the French "L'Adour" center proved that the balloon tests did not coincide with the dates given. More documents, such as a sketch on the sighting, an analysis of weather conditions or eyewitness accounts of those who saw the phenomenon, were combined, making it impossible to specify such data as the altitude at which the object was located. Conclusions were vague for this reason: "Despite the lack of conclusive information, (the presence of more aircraft) supports the reflection hypothesis, observable only in a given direction." The existence of fog and the time of day suggested that "it could have been a refraction phenomenon produced between the airliners coinciding in the air, and the sun's nearly vertical position."Army documents place the Baix Camp capital's aerodrome as a crossroads, and therefore, a potential observation spot for unidentified flying objects. A similar event took place two years earlier, on 11 September 1967. British charter planes returning to England reported a sighting north of Reus at around 17:35 hours. A letter written in English and sent from London requested information on the object seen by the crew of an Air Ferry DC-6 as it flew at 16,000 feet. The file does not provide specifics. "The nature of such objects has not been determined," states the report, dismissing the likelihood of a weather balloon or artificial satellite. The document posits "the creation of an Information and Analysis Center within the defense command to liaise with international agencies for exchanges and studies on the subject of unidentified flying objects."In the third file, Tarragona was the site of a 12 December 1979 sighting by the pilots of a private plane flying from Barcelona to Zaragoza on a "clear, moonless, and very dark night."The report states that "a very bright white light, apparently motionless" was seen "over Tarragona or the coasts". The light's intensity dimmed until it became reduced to the size of "the head of a pin", later acquiring its original brightness, something which startled the crew. "The light moved in a disorderly sideways and vertical way, with fluctuations in its luminous intensity." The object vanished past the city of Lleida.The Reus base is mentioned in a fourth event, although the sighting took place in the Balearic Islands. On 14 February 1979, Flight AF-530, departing from the Palma de Mallorca airport, reported "crossing paths with a meteorite" as it set course to the airfield in Baix Camp. Samples of the tape recording that recorded the conversation between the airplane and the Mallorca airport reflect the words in which the crew admits "having seen a meteorite cross our path. We have seen a very bright sphere." No conclusive report was issued. Investigative reporting from the inner city to Wall Street to the United Nations This is the blogspot version InnerCityPress.com XPRIMM rewarded the best performers in Romanian insurance brokerage The best Romanian insurance brokers were rewarded on Thursday, February 18, in Bucharest, for the results achieved throughout year 2015. The Insurance Brokers Awards Gala rewarded innovation and high quality in the services provided to customers, as well as the most successful experiences recorded in the cooperation between insurers and insurance brokers. Prizes awarded by XPRIMM Publications were handed out in the special atmosphere of a Japanese evening, organized with the extraordinary support of the Embassy of Japan. The evening was animated by moments of traditional Japanese dances, performances of Taiko drums and a demonstration of the kendo martial art. Guests had the opportunity to try traditional Japanese cloths in the Yukata studio, get a traditional Japanese hairdo and write their names in the Japanese calligraphy Shodo. The fifth edition of the Insurance Brokers Awards unfolded with the extraordinary support of the Japanese Embassy in Romania. The event was supported by the Main Partners NTT Data, OMNIASIG VIG, ASIROM VIG, EUROINS Romania and CREDIT EUROPE Asigurari, as well as the Partners GOTHAER Insurance and Reinsurance, CertAsig and GRAWE Romania. The event also took place with the support of the Romanian-Japanese Studies Center "Angela Hondru" Tenshin - New Era Fashion, HARAMICH RO group and CONSIGLIERI. XPRIMM Trophies for Excellence were awarded to the companies and professionals with extraordinary results in 2015. The winners were: The Corporate Trophy for Excellence : MARSH ROMANIA; : MARSH ROMANIA; The Retail Trophy for Excellence : SAFETY BROKER; : SAFETY BROKER; Trophy for Excellence for Dynamism : INTER Broker; : INTER Broker; Trophy for Excellence : Romeo BOCANESCU; The winners of the XPRIMM Awards for the Contribution to the Development of the Brokerage Market were: Manager of the Year : Victor SRAER and Gheorghe GRAD; : Victor SRAER and Gheorghe GRAD; Contribution to the Development of the Brokerage Market : UNSICAR and Stefan PRIGOREANU : UNSICAR and Stefan PRIGOREANU Sustainable Development Award : VERASIG; : VERASIG; Tradition and Stability Award : CAMPION Broker; : CAMPION Broker; Customer-Care Award : MAXYGO Broker si AON Romania; : MAXYGO Broker si AON Romania; Professional Brokerage Award : ASIGEST; : ASIGEST; Creativity Award : DESTINE Broker; : DESTINE Broker; Partnership Award - Company : OMNIASIG VIG; : OMNIASIG VIG; Partnership Award - Specialist : Cosmin ANGHELUTA; : Cosmin ANGHELUTA; Brokerage Performance : INSIA Romania and GLOBASIG Broker; This year, the Special Awards for Young Successful Professionals were given to: Cosmin URS ; ; Florin Cristian MIHAIL ; ; Marian COSTIUG . Author: Daniela GHETU on 18.02.2016 Archive Comment this article 0 comments Atention! "Comment" and "E-mail" are mandatory Name: If you are logged on and you do not fill in your name, will be used the name that you used when you registered If you are not logged on, your name will appear preceded by '(Anonymous)'. For authentication, click here If you are logged on and you do not fill in your name, will be used the name that you used when you registered E-mail: Comment: < 10.000 car. Fill in the code from the image: The commission of the State Aviation Service of Ukraine after the inspection of Ukraine International Airline (UIA) conducted in the period from January 18 to January 22 has revealed some inconsistencies between its operation and the requirements of legal acts, the aviation service reported on Wednesday. The authority said that UIA in the period until February 16 was to submit the action plan for agreement. After the inspection of Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany), Master-Avia LLC (managers the airport) and Interavia LLC (all based in Kyiv) regarding the organization of evacuation from an aircraft that was unable to move was conducted. The companies have a month (until February 22) to remove inconsistencies to ensure the proper level of liquidation of aftermath of possible emergency situations with aircraft. As reported, the inspections were caused by the incidents occurred on January 15 at Lviv airport and on January 16 at Kyiv airport during servicing of UIA's flights. A UIA Boeing 737-800 plane departing from Lviv to Kyiv on January 15 had to land at Lviv as the smell of burnt plastic had been reported in the passenger cabin, though no source of smoke or fire was revealed. Another UIA plane was involved in the accident when it was flying from Lviv to Boryspil airport and had to land at Kyiv's another airport, Zhuliany, where it skidded off the runway. U.S. business will be able to invest and share solutions with the Ukrainian defense industry only if Ukraine continues to press ahead on critical reforms and tackles corruption, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt has said. At the Ukrainian Defense & Security Forum 2016 in Kyiv on Thursday he said that representative of U.S. defense companies are taking part in the forum. "These companies will be good partners. They have the ability to bring to you best-in-the-world technology and their demonstrated expertise at integrating with other international partners. But they have requirements. They will want to see that the government sticks to the path of reform, that you uphold your IMF commitments, that the government continues to make progress on the critical topic of rule-of-law reform. And they want to ensure, most of all, that they are working in an environment where the risks that they are taking are business risks, and not risks of unpredictable legal and judicial environment," he said. "Private sector support and investment from the United States will only come as Ukraine continues to take meaningful steps to reform its trade and investment climate," Pyatt said. "The war against corruption Ukraine is fighting is a critical element of winning the war the Kremlin has brought to your country. I know that all of you in this room understand that, and I want you to understand also how committed the United States is to standing by the Ukrainian people in this difficult time, he said. The press center of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) in Donbas published a report on its Facebook account on Thursday morning, saying that Ukrainian military positions in Donbas have come under fire 47 times in the past 24 hours, and that the overwhelming majority of these strikes were allegedly targeted attacks. "The largest number of ceasefire breaches was recorded on the outskirts of Donetsk and Horlivka," the press center said. Grenade launchers of various systems and large-caliber submachine guns were fired at Ukrainian army checkpoints in Opytne, Pisky, Troitske, Zaitseve, Novhorodske and Luhanske. Ukrainian military positions in Maryinka and Opytne came under 82mm mortar fire as well. Mortars, an anti-aircraft system and infantry fighting vehicle weapons were also fired at Ukrainian army positions in the vicinity of Krasnohorivka, the press center said. The press center also says that a 122mm artillery system, stationed near coal mine No. 6-7, was used against Ukrainian fortifications near Mayorsk. Ukrainian military positions also came under small arms fire in the vicinity of Triokhizbenka, Luhansk region. One Ukrainian serviceman has been killed and another three have suffered injuries in the Donbas combat zone in the past 24 hours, presidential administration spokesman for Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) issues Oleksandr Motuzianyk has said. "One of our soldiers has been killed and another three have suffered injuries over the past day. A group of servicemen hit a booby trap near the village of Pisky [close to the ruined Donetsk airport]; one soldier was killed and two were injured. Another soldier of ours was wounded in a mortar attack near the town of Maryinka," Motuzianyk said at a press briefing in Kyiv on Thursday. Forty-seven militant attacks have been observed over the past day, a quarter of them by use of heavy weapons banned by the Minsk peace agreements, he said. To the best of my ability I write about my experience of the Universe Past, Present and Future This reflects the apparent willingness of a number of Western powers to view Iran as a viable partner in the execution of regional policy. But Irans presence at international talks has naturally met with objections from dissenting parliamentarians and from groups like the National Council of Resistance of Iran, which believe that Iranian and Western interests in the Middle East are fundamentally misaligned. Zarifs address to the European Parliament arguably highlighted the persistent discord between Tehran and the West over the Syrian Civil War, among other issues. According to Reuters, Zarif reiterated Irans support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, though he framed it as defense of the popular sovereignty of the Syrian people. Last year, Iran was criticized for supporting plans to hold regularly-scheduled presidential elections in Syria despite the fact that only a fraction of the country was under government control, while millions of the countrys residents had been driven from their homes. The US and its key allies have tended to express the view that a moderate rebellion against the Syrian president cannot be quelled politically unless he steps down, but the Iranians have stymied all efforts to promote transition to an alternative government. In its defense of the Assad regime, Tehran has tended to characterize all opposition groups as terrorists while also disregarding widely recognized reports of the Syrian army using barrel bombs against civilian populations and otherwise conducting acts that could be described as state terrorism. Zarif also alluded to this talking point on Tuesday, warning the European Parliament that violent extremism was a problem that Europeans now faced at home. Previously, Iranian officials have blamed Western policies, particularly the defense of moderate Syrian rebels, for contributing to the growth of terrorism. Thereby, Tehran has attempted to alter European policy in the region. But this has prompted Irans major critics to highlight the selective application of the term terrorist in Irans policy discussions. In fact, this observation has even been brought into the light by Western officials who have generally been supportive of the recent policy of outreach to and negotiation with Iran. For example, Arutz Sheva reported on Tuesday that the American ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power had spoken out against Irans ongoing support for Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism during a visit to Israel. In modest defiance of the Israeli governments strong opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, Power told her hosts that Iran appeared to be adhering to the deal thus far. But she was quick to point out that the Obama administration and the rest of the US government remained highly suspicious of Iran and keenly aware of its destabilizing activities in the region. Of course, Israel has spoken extensively on this topic. But so too have the USs other traditional allies in the Middle East. On Tuesday, Gulf News reported that Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, the United Arab Emirates permanent representative to the United Nations, had addressed the Security Council in order to call upon Iran to cease its support for extremist organizations. This came one day after it was reported that the Arab Coalition of which the UAE is a part had intercepted an illicit arms shipment from Iran, which was intended for Houthi rebels fighting against the legitimate government of Yemen. Meanwhile, other reports in the past two days have raised the specter of a possible increase in the quantity and diversity of these shipments, owing to apparent Iranian plans to buy new and upgraded military equipment from Russia. Fox News reported that Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan had met personally with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to discuss potential shipments that would include by likely not be limited to Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets. Fox News noted that while the planned delivery of a Russian ground-to-air missile defense system has been made legal by the nuclear agreement, most of the other weapons being discussed by the two countries remain unlawful to sell to Iran, under the provisions of UN Security Council resolutions. These reportedly include Russias most sophisticated tank, along with other military vehicles and weapons for which Iran is reportedly prepared to pay eight billion dollars, according to the Washington Free Beacon. The weapons themselves could extend the Iranian influence that has recently been warned against by US allies such as Israel and the UAE. But Tuesdays meeting between Putin and Dehqan also highlights the growing cooperation between their countries, especially as it concerns their shared defense of the Assad regime. The Tower reported on Tuesday that that collaboration has contributed to a situation that some analysts have described as a miniature world war in and around the Syrian city of Aleppo. An internationally-brokered cease-fire is scheduled to go into effect there this week, but the fighting has only intensified in recent days as multiple parties strive to secure the best possible positions in the region before that time. That fighting is largely defined by Iranian advisors who are directing Syrian armed forces and foreign Shiite militants on the ground. These are in turn supported by Russian aircraft that have reportedly directed about 90 percent of their bombings against moderate and largely Western-backed rebels. The Tower went on to criticize the Western plans for the cease-fire by arguing that the terms allow for Russia to continue this bombing campaign and Iran to continue its operations in the surrounding region, potentially cutting off and largely disabling the anti-Assad rebels before the cease fire has the intended effect of redirecting attention against ISIL, the only party in the current fight that is universally regarded as a terrorist threat. I WRITE NEWS ABOUT AND PUT NEWS ARTICLES ABOUT ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM PERTAINING TO BIBLE PROPHESY HAPPENINGS.JOEL 3:20 But Judah (ISRAEL) shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.(THATS ISRAEL-JERUSALEM WILL NEVER BE DESTROYED AGAIN)-WE CHRISTIANS ARE ALL WAITING PATIENTLY FOR THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE TO OCCUR.SO WE CAN GO TO JESUS AND GET OUR NEVER DYING BODIES.SO WE CAN RULE OVER CITIES OURSELVES.WHILE JESUS RULES FROM DAVIDS THRONE FOREVER IN JERUSALEM. [February 17, 2016] Toronto Startup Builds a New Breed of Software to Organize Enterprise Knowledge TORONTO, Feb. 17, 2016 /CNW/ - Meemim, a tech startup based in Toronto, is ready to take on the problem of organizing information and knowledge within companies with their new software. "Almost every company has difficulties collating and organizing information in such a way that employee can find it quickly when they need it. There are solutions. However, for the most part, they are ineffective. The biggest issue is the sheer amount of time users have to spend searching for information that may or may not exist," said Alec Pestov, founder and CEO of Meemim. In most cases, information exists only as tacit knowledge because current tools make it very cumbersome and laborious to document it. But even if it is documented, which is rare, most tools make it very difficult to find that single piece of information an employee actually needs, and find it fast. For the most part, the current options for managing information and knowledge are not saving time. Meemim developed a very unique approach to dealing with this problem. It combines proprietary search thatbrings only relevant results with a highly visual user interface to let users sort through results more quickly. Field tests show that this combination makes finding information in Meemim up to 10 times faster than it is in other systems. It is estimated that Meemim can save up to three hours a week per employee on searching alone. The best part, it needs to save only 10 minutes per employee in order to pay for itself. This visual user interface doesn't just cut down time spent searching. Meemim's unique interface is a key component of the second area where Meemim has an advantage. "The industry has a real problem with user uptake and engagement," said Mr. Pestov. "Consumer software has evolved hugely in the past 10-20 years, and enterprise software really hasn't kept up. What we're trying to do with our new user interface is to combine consumer software polish and ease of use with enterprise software functionality. Meemim is a system that employees actually want to use." Meemim comes with an array of integrations with other systems. Mr. Pestov said that these are especially important for Meemim because "right now a lot of businesses keep their information in a series of isolated digital spacesGoogle Docs, SharePoint, DropBox, even FTP Servers. This is hugely inefficient. Meemim needs these integrations in order to link those isolated spaces together into one searchable, well organized hub." No implementation costs and simple subscription pricing makes it very easy to start using Meemim in no time. Meemim was founded in 2015 and is currently in a limited public launch. You can check your their website at www.meemim.com. www.meemim.com www.meemim.com/blog [email protected] SOURCE Meemim [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 17, 2016] Fitch Affirms CNA's Ratings; Outlook Stable Fitch Ratings has affirmed CNA Financial Corporation's (CNA) Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'BBB+' and senior unsecured debt at 'BBB'. Fitch has also affirmed the Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) ratings of CNA's property/casualty (P/C) insurance subsidiaries at 'A'. The Rating Outlook for all ratings is Stable. A full list of ratings follows at the end of this release. KEY RATING DRIVERS Fitch's rating rationale for the affirmation of CNA's ratings reflects the company's strong capitalization, stable earnings, and projected adequate-to-modestly deficient reserve quality. The ratings also reflect anticipated challenges in a competitive P/C market rate environment, the potential for adverse reserve development and deterioration in runoff operations including long-term care. CNA's financial leverage ratio was 18% at year-end 2015 essentially flat from the prior year. Fitch notes $350 million is coming due in August and anticipates a new debt offering will likely replace the expiring debt. GAAP earnings-based interest coverage was 5.0x for full-year 2015 down from 7.3x in the prior year. The decrease was attributable to lower investment income and a $198 million after-tax charge related to long-term care. Fitch expects that over the next 12-18 months CNA's financial leverage and earnings-based interest coverage will improve moderately over current levels. CNA reported a GAAP combined ratio of 95.4% for full-year 2015, an improvement over the prior year's 97.7%. From a segment perspective, the Commercial segment continues to underperform but is showing signs of improvement, reporting a GAAP combined ratio of 101.5% for full-year 2015, while Specialty reported 88.7% and International reported 97.6%. CNA reported favorable reserve development for full-year 2015 that represents approximately 3.1% of earned premiums. When adjusting the combined ratio to account for development, CNA's underlying accident year combined ratio is modestly better versus the prior year. Fitch has some concerns about reserve adequacy related to the commercial business, long-term care, and other run-off operations. Favorably, Specialty and International segment reserves will likely develop redundantly over time. Overall CNA's reserve development is anticipated to be neutral-to-negative in the near term. CNA's capital position remains solid with stated GAAP stockholders' equity of $11.8 billion at Dec. 31, 2015 and operating leverage of 0.5x. CNA's Prism score for year-end 2014 was 'Very Strong'. Fitch's rating rationale continues to recognize Loews' ownership of CNA, as the company benefits from the financial flexibility of a strong majority owner and is able to manage with a more long-term approach. Loews has demonstrated its support of CNA over the years through various actions that have improved CNA's capitalization. CNA's ratings are considered on a standalone basis, but Loews' continued commitment is likely to lessen the magnitude of potential downgrades should CNA's creditworthiness deteriorate. RATING SENSITIVITIES Key rating triggers that could lead to an upgrade include: --Strong operating perormance with an ROE of 9% and a sustained GAAP calendar-year combined ratio for the ongoing property/casualty business of approximately 100% or better; --Improved view of reserve adequacy; --Achieving a Prism score of 'Very Strong' or higher for several consecutive years and maintaining a debt-to-total capital below 25%. Key rating triggers that could lead to a downgrade include: --Decline in ROE below 6% and sustained combined ratio of 105% or worse; --Adverse GAAP reserve development in excess of 5% of prior year's equity; --Achieving a Prism score of 'Adequate' or below, or debt-to-total capital maintained above 30%. FULL LIST OF RATING ACTIONS Fitch has affirmed the following ratings with a Stable Outlook: CNA Financial Corporation --IDR at 'BBB+'; --$350 million 6.5% due Aug. 15, 2016 at 'BBB'; --$150 million 6.95% due Jan. 15, 2018 at 'BBB'; --$350 million 7.35% due Nov. 15, 2019 at 'BBB'; --$500 million 5.875% due Aug. 15, 2020 at 'BBB'; --$400 million 5.75% due Aug. 15, 2021 at 'BBB'; --$243 million 7.25% due Nov. 15, 2023 at 'BBB'; --$550 million 3.95% due May 15, 2024 at 'BBB'. Continental Casualty Company Group Members: American Casualty Company of Reading, Pennsylvania Columbia Casualty Company Continental Casualty Company The Continental Insurance Company The Continental Insurance Company of New Jersey National Fire Insurance Company of Hartford Surety Bonding Company of America Transportation Insurance Company Universal Surety of America Valley Forge Insurance Company Western Surety Company --IFS at 'A'. Additional information is available on www.fitchratings.com Applicable Criteria Insurance Rating Methodology (pub. 16 Sep 2015) https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=871172 Additional Disclosures Dodd-Frank Rating Information Disclosure Form https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/press_releases/content/ridf_frame.cfm?pr_id=999580 Solicitation Status https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=999580 Endorsement Policy https://www.fitchratings.com/jsp/creditdesk/PolicyRegulation.faces?context=2&detail=31 ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON (News - Alert) THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE 'WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE. FITCH MAY HAVE PROVIDED ANOTHER PERMISSIBLE SERVICE TO THE RATED ENTITY OR ITS RELATED THIRD PARTIES. DETAILS OF THIS SERVICE FOR RATINGS FOR WHICH THE LEAD ANALYST IS BASED IN AN EU-REGISTERED ENTITY CAN BE FOUND ON THE ENTITY SUMMARY PAGE FOR THIS ISSUER ON THE FITCH WEBSITE. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160217006251/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 17, 2016] FBIAA Statement on U.S. Magistrate Judge's Order to Allow FBI Access to San Bernadino Terrorist's iPhone FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) President Reynaldo Tariche issued the following statement on the U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym's order to allow FBI access to San Bernadino terrorist Syed Rizwan's iPhone (News - Alert) and the need for technology companies to cooperate with law enforcement: Judge Pym's order and Apple CEO Tim Cook's resistance to allowing FBI access to a terrorist's iPhone is a stark example of the risks to national security posed by encryption technologies. It is critical for public safety that technology companies cooperate with law enforcement. FBI Director James Comey recently warned that new encryption technology built into the latest version of the iPhone and other devices -- and resistance by technology giants like Apple (News - Alert) to cooperate with law enforcement -- thwarts the FBI's ability to investigate and stop terrorist attacks. As Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance explained, "New smartphone technology is rendering our laws insufficient to protect public safety." The FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) has been working to educate the public and policymakers about the importance of private sector cooperation with investigations. We must find technological solutions to ensure the effectiveness of counterterrorism efforts. We have sent letters to the House and Senate warning that the reform of U.S. electronic privacy and surveillance laws must confront the dangerous possibility of law enforcement "going dark" in the face f mounting terrorist threats. Despite many invitations from law enforcement groups to work collaboratively, these technology companies are spending their lobbying resources on fighting Congressional efforts to make it easier for law enforcement to conduct investigations. For example, the FBIAA, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA) and the National Sheriffs' Association wrote to Apple and Google (News - Alert) in November 2015 asking that the companies "work with us to find an acceptable technological middle-ground where both the fundamental right to private communications and the protection of all citizens from criminal actors are properly balanced." Google responded with a letter indicating that they were not concerned with any of the risks described by law enforcement, and that their collaboration with law enforcement will come "in response to valid legal process and emergency disclosure requests." Apple did not respond. Technology companies want to use concerns about identity theft to market unlockable devices, devices that allow individuals to communicate across borders with no ability for law enforcement to obtain information-even with a lawful warrant. Unfortunately, these marketing efforts, reinforced with intense lobbying of policymakers by the high tech community, may be providing a safe haven for terrorist and criminal networks. FBIAA is encouraging Congress, the President, and other officials to demand that these companies fulfill their legal and civic obligation. FBIAA believes that an effective balance can be struck between privacy and security, a balance that is consistent with our Constitutional rights and the need to provide for the common defense. As changes to electronic privacy laws are considered, there needs to be an honest, open, and full debate about these complex issues. Unfortunately, to date, as can be seen by Apple's response to Judge Pym's order, technology companies have shown more interest in silencing, rather than participating, in such discussions. The FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) is an organization dedicated to providing support and advocacy to active and former Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Membership includes more than 13,000 active and former Special Agents of the FBI. The pillars of our organization include internal advocacy, legal representation, a legislative lobbying effort and financial support to agents, offered through both Memorial Scholarship and Member Assistance funds. For more information, please visit www.fbiaa.org. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160217006349/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 17, 2016] Fitch Affirms University of Virginia's Short-Term Rating at 'F1+' Fitch Ratings has affirmed its 'F1+' rating on $300 million taxable and tax-exempt commercial paper (CP) program issued by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia (UVA). SECURITY The revenue bonds and CP are unsecured general obligations of UVA, payable from all legally available funds. KEY RATING DRIVERS FINANCIAL STRENGTH OF UVA: The university maintains a strong credit profile fueled by a diverse revenue base; substantial balance sheet resources; robust fundraising activity; and low debt burden. Fitch maintains a long-term 'AAA' rating on UVA's general revenue pledge bonds, with a Stable Rating Outlook. SUFFICIENT LIQUID RESOURCES: The 'F1+' rating is based on UVA's ability to cover the maximum potential liquidity demands presented by its variable-rate debt programs by at least 1.25x from internal resources. Such resources include cash and highly liquid, highly rated investments. RATING SENSITIVITIES REDUCTION IN LIQUID RESOURCES: Erosion to the University of Virginia's internal liquid resource base or to its general credit profile to the point where the university could no longer sufficiently cover its variable-rate obligations, while highly unlikely, would put downward pressure on the rating. CREDIT PROFILE Chartered in 1819, UVA is a highly selective, comprehensive public university located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The university's fall 2015 undergraduate acceptance rate was 30%, with a solid 40% of accepted students choosing to enroll. UVA's prestigious graduate programs, including the Darden School of Business and the School of Law maintain equal or higher admissions selectivity. Fall 2015 full-time equivalent enrollment totaled 22,044 students, down a modest 1.2% from the prior year. UVA's strong financial profile is characterized by consistently positive operations that are funded by a diverse operating budget; substantial balance sheet resources, with exceptional management of the long-term investment pool provided by University of Virginia Investment Management Company; impressive philanthropic activities; and a low debt burden. UVA also benefits from the strong competitive and financial position of the University of Virginia Medical Center, a fully integrated division of the university which provides nearly half of total operating revenues. INTERNAL LIQUIDITY SUPPORTS SHORT-TERM DEBT OBLIGATIONS The 'F1+' rating is based on the availability of highly liquid, highly rated securities to cover potential maximum liquidity demands presented by UVA's outstanding CP notes. To supplement internal liquidity sources, UVA maintains the ability to draw on three dedicated lines of credit in the aggregate amount of $200 million. Of the university's substantial cash and investments, approximately $1.39 billion, including cash and cash equivalents, and U.S. government and agencies securities (after discounts based on maturity per Fitch's short-term rating criteria) was availableon Dec. 31, 2015. These liquid assets provide strong coverage of the university's $300 million of authorized taxable and tax-exempt CP (current outstanding is $73.3 million), exceeding the 1.25x coverage Fitch expects for an 'F1+' rating. To limit potential demands on its liquidity, UVA limits the amount of CP notes that can come due on a given day to $40 million. The university's detailed procedures for handling a failed remarketing of multi-modal bonds and/or rollover of CP are regularly reviewed, reflecting favorably on management. In January 2016, the university added $300 million of operating lines of credit in conjunction with moving large cash balances and short term investments into endowment longer term investments, which is expected to be done over the next 12 months, in line with the university's strategic priorities to achieve balance sheet optimization. For additional information, see 'Fitch Rates University of Virginia's Series 2015 Rev Bonds 'AAA'; Outlook Stable (February 26, 2015). Additional information is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'. Applicable Criteria Rating U.S. Public Finance Short-Term Debt (pub. 17 Nov 2015) https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=873508 Revenue-Supported Rating Criteria (pub. 16 Jun 2014) https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=750012 Additional Disclosures Dodd-Frank Rating Information Disclosure Form https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/press_releases/content/ridf_frame.cfm?pr_id=999610 Solicitation Status https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=999610 Endorsement Policy https://www.fitchratings.com/jsp/creditdesk/PolicyRegulation.faces?context=2&detail=31 ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON (News - Alert) THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE 'WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE. FITCH MAY HAVE PROVIDED ANOTHER PERMISSIBLE SERVICE TO THE RATED ENTITY OR ITS RELATED THIRD PARTIES. DETAILS OF THIS SERVICE FOR RATINGS FOR WHICH THE LEAD ANALYST IS BASED IN AN EU-REGISTERED ENTITY CAN BE FOUND ON THE ENTITY SUMMARY PAGE FOR THIS ISSUER ON THE FITCH WEBSITE. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160217006630/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 17, 2016] Renesas Electronics Expands Renesas Synergy Platform for IoT Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE:6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced the expansion of its Renesas Synergy (News - Alert) Platform designed to accelerate time to market, reduce total cost of ownership and remove many of the obstacles engineers face when designing devices for the Internet of Things (IoT). Expansion includes launch of the new S124 Group of Synergy Microcontrollers (MCU) with ultra-low power operating characteristics and precise analog signal acquisition/generation capabilities ideal for sensor applications. In support of these new MCUs is an updated version of the Synergy Software Package (SSP) and the e2 studio Integrated Solution Development Environment (ISDE) tool. The SSP and e2 studio tool also incorporate further enhancements that address the entire Synergy Platform adding new capabilities for networking, industrial automation, power management and automated configuration to save even more precious time for embedded system developers. "The Synergy Platform continues to grow in value to both developers and their end-customers," said Mark Rootz, Marketing Director of Renesas' Internet of Things Business Unit, Renesas Electronics America. "This new S124 Synergy MCU Group is another example of platform growth that brings ARM (News - Alert) Cortex-M0+ based MCUs to the lower end of the application spectrum while remaining completely scalable and compatible with the companion Cortex-M4 based Synergy MCU groups above it that we launched last year. Software support for these new S124 MCUs is there by expansion of the SSP enabling customers to quickly and easily migrate between all Synergy MCU groups as their needs change and still be able to re-use existing application code. We continue to evolve all elements of the Synergy Platform and build value as demonstrated here with new MCUs, new software, plus ever-growing tool and partner support for the platform." Synergy MCUs in the S124 Group are based on Renesas' proprietary ultra-low power technology consuming just 70.3 A per MHz of MCU clock speed for extremely long battery life in low power and battery-powered portable applications. These MCUs carry advanced analog signal capabilities with 14-bit Analog-to-Digital Converters, 12-bit Digital-to-Analog Converters, and low power comparators. User interface applications are supported with more than 30 channels of capacitive touch sensing inputs. Broad connectivity is expanded by USB-FS and CAN interfaces, plus safety and security are assisted with on-chip support for SRAM parity checking, a NIST-compliant True Random Number Generator (TRNG), and AES-256 cryptography with chaining. MCU packages are as small as 4 mm x 4 mm for space-constrained end-products. Typical appliations include smart edge-node IoT sensors, home appliance control, and point-of-sale terminals. (http://am.renesas.com/products/embedded_systems_platform/synergy/microcontrollers/s1_series/index.jsp). Development support for the new S124 Group of Synergy MCUs and the DK-S124 development kit is provided in SSP version 1.1.0 and e2 studio version 5.0. The SSP v1.1.0 has specific optimizations for the ThreadX real-time operating system (RTOS) and the USBX communication stack to work efficiently within the S124 MCU's smaller memory sizes. SSP v1.1.0 also includes enhancements for IPv6 networking and services for connected devices, BSD-compatible socket layer support, support for SSI audio and CAN communications, plus several additions to the Application Framework. e2 studio v5.0 is now built upon the latest updated eclipse v4.5 (Mars release) plus it includes many new features to enhance automated guidance for starting new Synergy Platform projects such as presenting all building blocks of a project in a graphical stack representation for simplification of workflow and providing complete visibility into overall memory usage at a glance. Overall, Synergy Platform expansion continues globally with the addition of five new Verified Software Add-on (VSA) products from Europe and Japan to be available on the Synergy Gallery in spring 2016. VSA software from third-parties are verified by Renesas to be SSP-compatible for developers to easily add specialty functions to their Synergy Platform-based projects with confidence. New global VSA partners address specialized functions in the areas of home and industrial automation including Echonet, CANopen, and BACnet, plus secure communications, and cloud services. These US-based VSA products are now fully available on the Synergy Gallery - Cypherbridge Systems SDKPac for Synergy secure IoT and web connectivity including SSL/TLS, Icon Labs for security services including firewall and secure boot, and Skkynet for secure real-time data connectivity, on premise or cloud-based (SaaS (News - Alert)). Availability Synergy MCUs of the S124 Group are now at mass production status and will be available through Renesas sales channels in April 2016, along with their development kits. An early preview of SSP v1.1.0 and e2 studio v5.0 will be available on the Synergy Gallery at end of February 2016 with final released versions available in April 2016. Now three Synergy MCUs Groups in the Synergy MCU Family have reached mass production status - the S124, S3A7, and S7G2 Group - representing 30 individual Synergy MCU part numbers in a wide variety of memory and package sizes ranging from 128 KB to 4 MB of flash memory. More MCU Groups are on the way, as well as new qualified SSP software capabilities, tools, kits, solutions, and verified partners. To learn more about the organic Renesas Synergy Platform, please visit http://www.RenesasSynergy.com. About Renesas Electronics Corporation Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE:6723), the world's number one supplier of microcontrollers, is a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions including microcontrollers, SoC solutions and a broad-range of analog and power devices. Business operations began as Renesas Electronics in April 2010 through the integration of NEC Electronics Corporation (TSE:6723) and Renesas Technology (News - Alert) Corp., with operations spanning research, development, design and manufacturing for a wide range of applications. Headquartered in Japan, Renesas Electronics has subsidiaries in 20 countries worldwide. More information can be found at www.renesas.com. (Remarks) Renesas Synergy is a trademark of Renesas Electronics Corporation. All other registered trademarks or trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ARM is a registered trademarks of ARM Limited (or its subsidiaries) in the EU and/or elsewhere. Cortex is a registered trademark of ARM Limited (or its subsidiaries) in the EU and/or elsewhere. ThreadX is a registered trademark of Express Logic, Inc. USBX is a trademark of Express Logic, Inc. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160217006678/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 18, 2016] Call for Papers for the 23rd World Energy Congress Istanbul, 9-13 October The World Energy Congress is now accepting academic papers for its 2016 meeting. The deadline to submit papers is 30th April. Submitting a paper to the World Energy Congress provides an excellent opportunity to contribute to the development of the global energy community. 20 papers will be selected to be presented at the dedicated expert forum and distributed to all delegates on USB flash drives. Prizes will be awarded to these papers, which will range from 1,500 Euros to 10,000, totalling more than 60,000 Euros. The top three winning prizes are as follows: First Place: 10,000 Euros Second Place: 7,500 Euros Third Place: 5,000 Euros Authors are invited to provide their insight on one of the following themes: World Energy Scenarios Energy scenarios to explore the future of energy production and to help us better understand critical uncertainties and factors which could impact key decisions World Energy Resources and Technologies A focus on innovative technologies for the following resources: Coal, Oil, Bioenergy, Waste, Peat, Geothermal, CCUS, Gas, Uranium & Nuclear, Hydropower, Marine, Wind, Solar, Energy Storage, Energy Efficiency Technologies, e-Mobility. World Energy Trilemma A look at how the private sector and governments can work towards an energy secure future through balancing the Trilemma (a 21st century policy framework for evaluating the degree to which energy options are (1) secure; (2) affordable; and (3) environmentally sensitive). Financing Resilient Energy Infrastructure Looking at the best financial models to finance resilient energy infrastructure which will enable the integration of new forms of energy into the grid and withstand changes in weather conditions. For more information about how to submit an academic research paper, click here: http://www.wec2016istanbul.org.tr/call-for-papers/. The World Energy Congress will be first global energy event to take place since COP21, and will provide a forum for energy leaders to collaborate on the next stages of developing a sustainable energy market. Hasan Murat Mercan, President of the Organising Committee for the World Energy Congress commented: "With less than eight months to go until the 23rd World Energy Congress, the Organising Committee welcomes the input of academics and experts on the key energy issues of the day. As the most influential and inclusive gathering of senior leaders from all segments of the energy community, the World Energy Congress is a valuable opportunity for ideas to be shared and discussed." To find out more about the 2016 Istanbul Congress Call for Papers, see here: http://www.wec2016istanbul.org.tr/call-for-papers/ For more information on the World Energy Congress and speakers, click here: http://www.wec2016istanbul.org.tr/ - ENDS- Notes to Editors: About the World Energy Council Founded in 1923, the World Energy Council is the only truly global and inclusive forum for thought-leadership and tangible engagement committed to our sustainable energy future. Our network of 93 national committees represents over 3000 member organisations including governments, industry and expert institutions. Our mission is to promote the sustainable supply and use of energy for the greatest benefit of all. The World Energy Congress is the world's premier energy gathering. About the World Energy Congress The triennial World Energy Congress is the World Energy Council's global flagship event, is the premier international, multi-energy forum for participants to better understand energy issues and solutions from a global perspective. The World Energy Congress has gained recognition since the first event in 1923 as the premier global forum for leaders and thinkers to debate solutions to energy issues. In addition to the discussions, the event provides an opportunity for executives to display their technologies and explore business opportunities. For more information about the World Energy Congress 2016 and to register, visit: http://wec2016istanbul.org.tr/ Follow the Congress at @WECongress for regular updates. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160218005074/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 18, 2016] GSMA Mobile IoT Initiative Welcomes First Low Power Wide Area Solutions at Mobile World Congress The first live demonstrations of Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) solutions in licensed spectrum will be on display at this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the GSMA announced today. Visitors will experience a diverse range of solutions underpinned by three complementary technology standards known as Narrow Band IoT (NB-IoT), Extended Coverage EGPRS (EC-EGPRS) and LTE Machine Type Communication (Cat-M). The GSMA's Mobile IoT Initiative has aligned the mobile industry behind these standards, which have been accepted by 3GPP for Release 13. The availability of commercial solutions in 2016 will remove market fragmentation, provide market reassurance and help to accelerate the Internet of Things (IoT) through the availability of very low cost, mobile operator-connected devices. "LPWA is an emerging, high-growth area of the Internet of Things but it requires common, global standards in licensed spectrum in order for it to scale effectively and deliver secure, reliable and robust performance," said Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer, GSMA. "With high-quality managed networks, mobile operators are well placed to deliver these industry standard solutions which offer customers a clear choice and we are excited to see the industry move so quickly to provide commercial solutions." GSMA Mobile IoT Initiative The Mobile IoT Initiative is supported by 30 of the world's leading mobile operators, OEMs, chipset, module and infrastructure companies, and is designed to accelerate the commercial availability of LPWA solutions in licensed spectrum. LPWA networks are designed for M2M applications that have low data rates, require long battery lives and operate unattended for long periods of time, often in remote locations. They are expected to be used for a wide variety of applications such as industrial asset tracking, safety monitoring, water and gas metering, smart grids, city parking, vending machines and city lighting. Mobile IoT Technology Demonstrations at Mobile World Congress. There are already a number of commercial trials and pilots of LPWA solutions underway around the world; however, at Mobile World Congress visitors will be amongst the first to try them out for themselves. At the GSMA Innovation City located at Stands 3A11 and 3A31 in Hall 3, Fira Gran Via there will be a number of demos including: Smart Agriculture/Connected Vineyard : Ericsson, Intel and Orange will showcase how EC-EGPRS will address the challenge of extending coverage to difficult-to-reach indoor locations such as basements as well as remote rural locations, such as vineyards and farms. Ericsson, Intel and Orange will showcase how EC-EGPRS will address the challenge of extending coverage to difficult-to-reach indoor locations such as basements as well as remote rural locations, such as vineyards and farms. Connected eBike : Ericsson, Intel and Nokia (News - Alert) will showcase an innovative bike tracking solution that utilises NB-IoT technology to track the real-time location and status of eBikes through urban underground or even rural environments with lower signal levels. Ericsson, Intel and Nokia (News - Alert) will showcase an innovative bike tracking solution that utilises NB-IoT technology to track the real-time location and status of eBikes through urban underground or even rural environments with lower signal levels. Fleet tracking and Smart Grid monitoring : Ericsson and Intel will demonstrate how Cat-M tecnology supports extended coverage in underground or rural areas for IoT applications such as fleet management and smart grid management. Ericsson and Intel will demonstrate how Cat-M tecnology supports extended coverage in underground or rural areas for IoT applications such as fleet management and smart grid management. Mobile IoT Water Meter : Huawei (News - Alert), Neul, Vodafone and u-blox will demonstrate how NB-IoT technology helps to provide real time usage information and fault management using live results relayed from Vodafone's Proof of Concept in Valencia, Spain. Huawei (News - Alert), Neul, Vodafone and u-blox will demonstrate how NB-IoT technology helps to provide real time usage information and fault management using live results relayed from Vodafone's Proof of Concept in Valencia, Spain. Connected Consumer and Industrial Devices: Sierra Wireless will demonstrate how Cat-M will be used for a variety of consumer devices, such as connected shoes, wearables and healthcare devices, as well as industrial devices, such as smart electric meters. Sierra Wireless will demonstrate how Cat-M will be used for a variety of consumer devices, such as connected shoes, wearables and healthcare devices, as well as industrial devices, such as smart electric meters. Pet Tracking: Huawei and Vodafone will be showing how NB-IoT can be used to make sure your beloved pets are kept safe and sound. Global NB-IoT Summit The GSMA NB-IoT Forum, which is part of the GSMA's wider Mobile IoT initiative, will also host its first ever Global NB-IoT Summit at Mobile World Congress. The half-day event will explore the value of NB-IoT technologies from an operator and OEM perspective and examine how the industry is working together to realise the full potential of the technology. The GSMA NB-IoT Forum was launched by major mobile operators, network suppliers and chipset and module manufacturers to accelerate the ecosystem for NB-IoT solutions.The event will take place on Sunday, 21 February 2016. For further information and to register please follow this link: www.gsma.com/connectedliving/events/gsma-global-nb-iot-summit/. Connected Living Seminar at Mobile World Congress 2016 The GSMA will also host a seminar on Wednesday, February 24 with industry experts at MWC 2016 covering the impact of LPWA networks. To register or for more information please go to: www.gsma.com/connectedliving/events/connected-living-seminar-securely-scaling-the-internet-of-things/ MWC 2016: Get Involved at Mobile World Congress 2016 For more information on the 2016 Mobile World Congress including how to attend, exhibit or sponsor, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com. Follow developments and updates on Mobile World Congress on Twitter @GSMA using #MWC16, on our LinkedIn company page http://gsma.at/GSMALinkedIn, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gsma. For more information on the GSMA Innovation City, follow #gsmainnovationcity. -ENDS- Notes to Editors 1.) The GSMA's Mobile IoT Initiative is backed by key industry players including AT&T, Bell Canada (News - Alert), Bermuda Digital Communications, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Etisalat, Huawei, Gemalto, Intel, KDDI, KT, LG Uplus, Nokia, NTT DOCOMO, Oberthur Technologies, Ooredoo, Orange, Qualcomm Incorporated, Sequans, Sierra Wireless, Singtel, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, Telenor, Telstra, u-blox, Verizon Wireless (News - Alert) and Vodafone. 2.) The GSMA NB-IoT Forum is supported by key industry players including ARM, China Mobile, China Unicom, DT, Ericsson, Etisalat, GTI, Huawei, Intel, KDDI, KT, LG Uplus, Nokia, NTT DOCOMO, Oberthur Technologies, Qualcomm (News - Alert) Incorporated, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, u-Blox and Vodafone. 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/20160218005118/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] anterior La DAIA y la provincia de Chaco firmaron un convenio de mutua cooperacion These places look very alluring to visit, but there is one but. Not everyone can visit them, only a few select... If you are, please take me with you. RAF Menwith Hill: No one really knows whats going on inside RAF Menwith Hill, a highly-secretive British government air force station that harbors golf ball-like domes and satellites. Its reputed to be the largest electronic monitoring system in the world and can easily spy on other countries. The Secret Archives of the Vatican: Unless youre a high authoritative figure in the papacy, youll never walk through the doors of the Vaticans secretive archives a room full of ancient biblical texts. Because of the publics inability to access these texts, many theorists suspect the Bible was heavily edited by the Vatican. Youll never know. You could be a ten-year-old leukemia ridden Make-A-Wish boy whose last dying wish is to visit the Vaticans archives and the archbishop will gladly slam the door in your face. Wildenstein's Art Gallery: The worlds most exclusive and privately owned art gallery purported to be full with Renoir, Rembrandt and Vermeer paintings, is completely off limits to us commoners. The Wildenstein family (famously known for Jocelyn Wildensteins plastic surgery addiction) only allows a selected few high members of society to view their private collection. So while Jocelyn is busy getting her cheekbones shaved off, youll never know the complete collection the world deserves to see. Area 51: A long-time mystery destination, Area 51, the questionable military base, remains a shrouded in secrecy. Whether theyre communicating with extraterrestrial beings or devising a new time travel device, people never know. Because if you step inside the premises without permission, deadly force will be used at all costs. Ise Grand Shrine: This Japanese shrine is completely off limits to the public. Home to the Sacred Mirror, the chief priest or priestess and the royal family are solely responsible for the up-keeping of this sacred place of worship. Theyre so protective of the site that they demolish and rebuild the shrine every 25 years so it will be even more off limits. Necker Island: Like many islands, Necker Island is privately owned by a famous billionaire: Sir Richard Branson (owner of Virgin Records). Accessible only by helicopter, this British Virgin Island is said to have a luxurious villa large enough to comfortably house 28 of Bransons guests. Only high profile people like Kate Winslet and the late Princess Diana of Wales have stayed there. Google founder and fellow billionaire Larry Page married his long-time girlfriend on Necker Island. Whites Gentlemens Club: The worlds oldest and most exclusive gentlemens club is situated in a highbrow area of London. No women are allowed to visit (with the one exception of Queen Elizabeth) and this private club is specifically for men of royalty. Its also the place where Prince Charles held his bachelor party before his marriage to Lady Di. Ark of the Covenant: In the small town of Axum in Northern Ethiopia, lies the secretive Chapel of the Ark of the Covenant. The ark, like some twisted Indiana Jones-esque holy relic is strictly forbidden for the public to view. Only certain high priests can view the ark themselves. Poveglia Island: If youve seen Shutter Island, then this location will be familiar to you. Not far from Venice, Italy, this island was once home to one of the most horrific insane asylums that was reputed to perform cruel medical experiments or lobotomize their patients. Today, the island is completely abandoned, but the remnants of the hospital/prison still remain. Nearby locals and tourists are not allowed to step a foot on this island (except the ghosts of the criminally insane and their mad doctors). Aldwych Tube Station: The famous London Underground has a defunct station: Aldwych. The station opened in 1907, but was closed for the duration of WWII and used to hide and transport museum pieces and provide shelter from aerial bombardments. It was reopened after the war, then closed permanently in 1994 due to lack of use. The station and tunnels surrounding it have since been used to film multiple action movies. You are unlikely to ever see it (except on film), unless you get invited to one of the art exhibitions, book launches or other private parties that are occasionally held there. Otherwise its closed to the public. Club 33: This highly secretive speakeasy is located in the last place youd expect at Disney Worlds New Orleans district. This extravagant liquor club only opens up after the park closes and caters to a small party. Unless you can foot the $30,000 venue fee, youll never step inside Disneys under-the-radar magic kingdom. North Korea: South Korea, sure. North Korea? Nope. This country is notorious for being closed off from the world of outsiders and strictly does not allow residents to leave. And its not looking like Kim Jong-un is going to change his mind on tourism anytime soon (that is, unless youre Dennis Rodman). Surtsey, Iceland: This volcanic island started erupting in 1963, and it was four years before it stopped. Afterward, new life sprung from the ashes and colonized the island. Home to 89 different species of birds, Surtsey Island remains untouched by humans, with the exception of a few expert botanists and ornithologists. This island is definitely not for the public view. Snake Island : Lets admit it, youre not all that bummed to bump this off your bucket list. Remember that disturbing dream where you are surrounded by slithery snakes crawling all over the floor and hanging from trees? Such place does exist and its Snake Island off the coast of Brazil. And if that wasnt scary enough, the island is home to an uncountable number of the worlds most venomous snake, making this one destination dangerous. Books Between Bites to meet Monday MATTOON -- Books Between Bites will meet at noon Monday at Mattoon Public Library. Jan Starwalt will be presenting "Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule" by Jennifer Chiaverini. This event is open to the public. Attendees are welcome to bring lunch. Charleston High School class of 1959 to meet CHARLESTON -- The Charleston High School class of 1959 will hold a planning session for their upcoming 75th Birthday Party at 9 a.m. Tuesday at What's Cooking in Charleston. For more information, contact 217-345-5414. Presentation to welcome new K-9 dog TOLEDO -- A program is planned at the Life Center of Cumberland County on Feb. 23 to introduce Loki, the patrol dog. The Toledo Police Department will present the program at 11 a.m. and again at 5:30 p.m. Those who come to the morning event are welcome to stay for lunch, but must RSVP at 217-849-3965 to reserve lunch. Officer Daniel Hanley will explain how the community was granted a patrol dog and the importance of having a K-9 unit in the county. Hanley will talk about Lokis accomplishments and demonstrate how he performs. Donations will be accepted to help Loki receive the necessary toys and equipment. The public is invited to either demonstration. For more information, call the Life Center at 217-849-3965. The Life Center is located at 507 E. Main St., Toledo. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ cumberlandcountylifecenter. Registration open for 'Family to Family' caregiver course MATTOON -- Register now for the National Alliance on Mental Illness "Family to Family" free 12-week course for family, caregivers, and friends of individuals with mental illness. This course provides and incorporates up-to-date presentations, discussion, exercises, critical information, and strategies related to caregiving. All instruction and course materials are free to class participants. The course is taught by trained family members of individuals with mental illness. Over 115,000 family members have graduated from this national program. This 12-week class will meet once a week, every Wednesday night, for two-and-a-half hours. Classes start 6:30-9 p.m. Wednesday at the Salvation Army Citadel, 1300 Richmond Ave., in Mattoon. Pre-registration is required. For more information, contact Donna Mayer at 217-234-7616 or Diane Zell at 217-253-2413. Registration open for beginning beekeeping class MARSHALL -- The Illiana Beekeepers Association will sponsor a Beginning Beekeeping Class on Saturday, March 5, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Clark County Cooperative Extension Building, 15493 North State Highway 1. Pre-registration by Feb. 25 is required. The fee for the class is $40. Lunch and a book is included. Mail checks to Illiana Beekeepers, P.O. Box 83, Kansas, IL 61933. Beekeeping supply vendors will be on hand for your convenience. For more information, contact Dan Wright at 217-948-5353 or Larry Waller at 217-826-5124. OAKLAND -- To prepare for the Coles County Spelling Bee, Charleston eighth-grader Shayla Taylor turned to the structural support of a study guide and family members who quizzed her. Shayla subsequently made it through several rounds of competition and won first place in the county bee Wednesday night with her correct spelling of "infrastructure," a word that means the basic structures needed for something to function properly. Now, Shayla will advance to the regional spelling bee on March 19 in Decatur. The regional bee is a qualifying event for the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. "I am honored that I am able to represent my county, but I am anxious about how the regionals are going to play out," Shayla said. "I am really hoping we get another study guide." Shayla said she wrote out the words in the county bee study guide to help her remember them when her family quizzed her. The eighth-grader said she has used this study method successfully for other subjects in school. Earlier this month, Shayla won second place in the Charleston Middle School spelling bee. Shayla said this was the first time that she qualified for the spelling bee at her school, so she was pleasantly surprised when she advanced to the county bee. "I think I was more nervous before the (county bee) started than while it was happening, Shayla said. "I didn't know how challenging the words would be." During the county bee, Shayla said she asked the spelling bee's word pronouncer for origins of words on at least of couple of occasions. The eighth-grader said she also took a long moment to think through whether the word "esoteric" has one "r" or two in it. "I am grateful that I took my time," Shayla said. Charleston seventh-grader Jake Tresslar was the runner-up in the county bee after winning third place in his school's bee. Jake said he was helped at both bees by being familiar with the Greek and Latin roots of words and other common word structure facts. Charleston also was represented by eighth-grader Rachel Thomas. The Mattoon competitors were seventh-grader Xiola Seymour, sixth-grader Kate Hampton, and eighth-grader Isaac Ray. The Oakland competitors were eighth-grader Joseph Drake, seventh-grader Jenna Rekart, and sixth-grader Allie Pearcy. The alternates for the county bee were Charleston's Abby Geisler, Mattoon's Carter Pruitt, and Oakland's Jack Hoel. SPRINGFIELD -- To many in the General Assemblys Democratic majority, what Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner left out of his budget address Wednesday was as notable than what he included. Without a budget in place for the current year, Rauner proposed increasing elementary and secondary education funding for the fiscal year beginning July 1 and, as he has repeatedly over the past year, called for the Legislature to enact portions of his turnaround agenda before hell agree to raising taxes to close the multibillion-dollar hole in the budget. The governor also outlined two paths he said the lawmakers could take in addressing next years budget: Either you give the executive branch the authority to cut spending to live within our revenues, or we agree -- together -- on economic and governmental reforms to accompany a negotiated balance of spending reductions and revenue that ensures that Illinois can be both compassionate and competitive. What Rauner didnt address in the speech, Democrats said afterward, was how much hes proposing to spend overall and on what or how he intends to address the crisis facing public universities and community colleges. They havent received any state funding amid this years budget impasse, now in its eighth month. The governors preferred budget plan, which was posted on the state website, calls for spending about $36.3 billion if lawmakers agree to structural reforms and government transformation. Otherwise, he proposes spending $32.8 billion, with the General Assembly giving him authority to move money around to balance the budget. I had low expectations in listening to the governors speech this afternoon, said Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago. For a whole year, we have heard the same story about how we must turn around this state, and what we have done is essentially turned it back. Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, said the speech didnt move the state any closer to ending the current standoff or coming to an agreement on next years budget. We have pending issues that are severe in nature that have to be dealt, Manar said. Higher ed is certainly at the top of that list. He said the lack of attention given to the issue in the speech shows how divided the Legislature is from the governors office and provides evidence that the governors office isnt listening to the outcry thats coming from every direction across the state. The outcry was evident before and after the speech as students, staff and supporters from Eastern Illinois and Chicago State universities, among others, chanted and demonstrated at the Capitol, even briefly blocking Rauner from entering the House chamber to deliver his message. Dan Crews, who is among the 177 Eastern employees whove received layoff notices this month, said the situation has created uncertainty about the future of the university and the Charleston community. This whole process has caused a lot of people, me included, to lose faith in our leaders, he said. Southern Illinois University President Randy Dunn also is concerned by the lack of attention paid to higher education. I came with a lot of questions, and Im not sure that, given the speech itself, any of those questions got answered today, Dunn said. At the same time, I understand this is the first step in a long process. The governors written proposal likely didnt allay Dunns concerns. Rauner is proposing a 20 percent cut to what universities received in fiscal year 2015. Not surprisingly, Republican lawmakers viewed the speech differently. They said the governor laid out a path forward and again made clear his willingness to compromise on some of his policy priorities. Sen. Dave Luechtefeld, R-Okawville, said the governor did a good job of making his openness to compromise clear. Right now, whats happening is (Democratic House Speaker) Mike Madigan is basically trying to show the governor whos boss, and thats kind of sad because people are suffering, Luechtefeld said. I really believe that there are doable reforms. Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, said Rauner laid out a blueprint for how to address the budget. In every comment Ive heard from the governor for this first year of his serving in office, hes continually said, I will work with you, and I will compromise with you, Barickman said. Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, said there was a vast improvement of communication and outreach to the Democrats on Rauners part. I think the governor is very sincere when he says, Ill work with you. Here are the plans; here are the different directions we can go, Brady said. But to many Democrats it came across as more of the same from Rauner. Hes still sticking with hes not going to do anything unless we adopt his turnaround agenda, said Rep. Pat Verschoore, D-Milan, and theres no way that I can vote for that when it basically attacks working, middle-class people. All right now, everyone, all those who are sick and tired of politics, raise your hands! Oops. That was a dumb question. If you raise your hands, you'll drop your newspaper, or not be able to manipulate the computer mouse to read this. But I bet if everyone who's tired of politics and actually did raise a hand to say so, a lot of newspapers just dropped into many laps or fell partially onto kitchen tables. Just think...only nine months to go until the presidential election is over. Sigh. Only a couple of observations this week, I promise. First, if any of the Republican (same for Democratic) candidates in Saturday night's debate had any real class, they'd have responded to the question about replacing the late Justice Antonin Scalia in one way: "Let's be respectful: It's too soon to talk about this." It was just hours after Scalia's death was announced. It seems to me only a matter of respect to wait longer to talk about filling his U.S. Supreme Court spot. But, this is politics after all. Second, I think the most honest thing I've seen yet in the political arena is Donald Trump calling Ted Cruz a liar. One politician saying another is untruthful? Be still, my heart! Sure, it's the pot calling the kettle black, but it might be the most honest thing we hear this election cycle. Now let's go beyond politics and gloom and doom this week ... for sort of a mental getaway, hm? *** Police: About $2k in jeans stolen from Philadelphia store PHILADELPHIA (AP) Police say thousands of dollars' worth of jeans have been stolen from a luxury department store chain in downtown Philadelphia. Philadelphia police say nine males donning ski masks stole 20 to 30 pairs of jeans from a Bloomingdale's store at around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Police say the jeans are worth about $2,000. The men were last seen fleeing east on Chestnut Street. No injuries were reported and no arrests have been made. Police are trying to gather surveillance footage. Authorities are investigating. *** All I can say about that is: If I ever buy a pair of jeans that cost $100-200, someone ought to slap me across the face for wasting money. Bats close East Texas emergency room to ambulances KILGORE, Texas (AP) An East Texas emergency room has been closed after bats began to spread through the building. In a statement posted Tuesday night on the Kilgore Police Department social media pages, Good Shepherd Medical Center said "a number of small bats" had moved into the Longview, Texas-based hospital's free-standing emergency room in nearby Kilgore. The bats had moved into the building's walls and ceilings, with some migrating into the area that receives ambulances. Good Shepherd says it's working with the City of Kilgore, which owns the building, and Allegiance Specialty Hospital, with manages it, to get the bats removed. In the meantime, Good Shepherd had decided it's in the best interests of its patients and staff to suspend emergency medical services in the building until the bats can be removed. *** We've all heard of "bats in the belfry," but this is a little too close to contact with humans. Hopefully that ER won't attract vampires next. $200 scratch lotto winnings lead woman to help homeless man WAREHAM, Mass. (AP) Good fortune and a chance meeting have led a Massachusetts woman to change a homeless stranger's life. Sofia Andrade had just won $200 on a scratch lottery ticket when she saw Glenn Williams panhandling Saturday evening near a stop sign in New Bedford. Andrade decided to use her winnings to get Williams a motel room near her Wareham home. She also started a GoFundMe page, which had raised $12,000 for Williams' long-term care by Tuesday evening. Andrade tells WCVB-TV she believes the money she won was "meant to help" Williams. Williams has been homeless for three years. He says he's overwhelmed by the help and can't believe someone like Andrade exists. *** It's nice to know that kindness is still out there and is still being shared. That's a nice contrast to nasty politics, or terrorist threats, or gun violence, etc. Injured newborn horse rescued from steep California ravine FREMONT, Calif. (AP) California firefighters rappelled down a steep ravine to rescue a days-old horse that was trapped for two days with a broken pelvis. The San Jose Mercury News reports that the horse is less than a week old and is recovering. The colt, dubbed Valentine because it was rescued on the holiday, was stranded in a pool of water when animal control officers and firefighters fished him out Sunday. Valentine will be taken to the University California at Davis for surgery. The operation will cost about $10,000, and the Tri-City Animal Shelter is taking donations to cover the cost. Police are investigating how the colt got down the ravine. *** All together now: Awwwwwwwww. *** Finally, a pat on the back to all those keeping up momentum supporting the "Fund EIU" and similar movements for Eastern Illinois University. State legislators aren't even in talks to make progress on a budget, so EIU supporters need to keep making noise about higher education funding. At least the support isn't in the interest of greed. Working in food service during college at Lincoln-Douglas-Stevenson, one time I was at the front line serving students. One guy came through and wanted two burgers. I told him everyone was allowed one, and they were allotted one per plate on top of the metal shelf for students to take. Being a smart aleck, he took two plates and smugly piled his two burgers onto one plate. He was standing with his tray on the lower shelf in front of glass where we kept the main entrees. He took another step or two and the glass was divided, leaving an empty space. I flipped the metal tongs in my hand, darted them through that opening and snatched back his extra burger. He didn't try again. And I was kind of proud of myself, because usually my reflexes aren't that fast. EIU supporters, keep letting the governor and lawmakers know that Eastern doesn't want more than its fair share of funding -- just its fair share. The university has made cuts. It's time for the state to come through with fair funding for higher education. When there are a lot of mouths to feed, none need two burgers, but it makes no sense to only give half of one when there are enough for one burger apiece. Get the math right, Illinois. At least start talking, for crying out loud. Until lawmakers have continuing talks about the budget, their own salaries should be withheld -- they should be facing layoffs in 30 days like so many people at Eastern. But we won't hold our breath for that happening, now, will we? Our (hog farm) petition was written after talking with local residents and meeting with the (Cumberland) County Board to determine whether a petition was reasonable. We were told counties hands are tied- change must occur at the state level. We wanted 2 mile setbacks from homesteads (currently only mile required) but after listening to a Hog Farmer on the board, we adjusted that. This farmer stated, if he moved away from his hogs, he would not want someone to put a hog facility mile from his home. He thought mile would help alleviate the odor, hence our adjustment to 1 mile. This is NOT about ONE hog farm. There are currently SEVEN intents to construct filed for Cumberland County. Our petition was place in 4 locations in Toledo. It was not a referendum on the issue, not advertised. We wanted to see what people thought many people are upset including farmers. Senator Righters Forum was well attended. One petitioner visited a hog barn that summer as mentioned when she spoke. I spent my summer driving around every site I could find multiple times car windows down starting near the facility, then moving farther out, looking for hope that odor might not be as unbearable as imagined. Long story short: the farther away one is, the better. Another person with input into the petition spoke with residents near an existing barn people who are quite unhappy. I used the internet, reading about health problems associated with confinements (sources including university of Iowa, National Geographic, New York Times). I used the internet, researching effects on property values multiple examples of decreased values. Clark County, IL established property tax abatements: 30% reduction within mile and going out in decreasing amounts to 1 mile (confirmed by Supervisor of Assessments). I sought out David Soltwedel hog farmer who encouraged us to visit (identified by the JG/TC as David Sullivan). We spoke over an hour. He, a thoughtful man, is planning to build. I would hope, if ever forced to live by a confinement, its owner would be like him. Some have stated increasing setbacks to homesteads would make it nearly impossible to find sides. DOES THAT NOT INDICATE THAT THIS RURAL AREA IS TOO POPULATED FOR HEALTHY, SAFE SITES FOR MEGA HOG BARNS? We are not against agriculture, livestock or making a living. We just dont want to be harmed by another persons choice. Debra Tolle, Toledo SHELBYVILLE -- A proposed agreement to combine Shelby and Christian County 911 service could be hitting a snag after the City Council discussed the plan Monday night. Although the agreement is between Shelby and Christian county boards, other emergency services are required to approve it, Shelbyville Public Safety Commissioner Brent Fogleman said he has concerns. The wording in the agreement comes from the state, he said. We can take it or leave it. What it says is that once an emergency unit is dispatched we have to go where they tell us. In theory we could have an officer dispatched to Decatur. I have no problem backing up the sheriff but I dont think taxpayers are paying us to respond to calls outside our area. Council members expressed concerns that outside calls would leave Shelbyville without police protection. If we got a call from Pana we wouldnt have an officer on duty here, Fogleman said. Id hate to have to call the chief out at two in the morning to patrol because we didnt have anyone here. Police Chief David Tallman said 911 staff said the call for area wide responses in the agreement is unimportant. Theyre trying to play off that the language in this agreement is not important. They say 'were not going to be doing that,' but if so, why is it in the language? he said. Shelbyville currently receives dispatching services from Shelby County. Tallman did say he didnt expect any real changes with enhanced 911. I dont know what the enhancement is, he said. Were not going to see any changes in our day-to-day operation. Fogleman had other concerns. "It supposedly is not going to cost us and be paid for with a surcharge on cellphones and phone bills but it was on the news, Christian County ran out of money, he said. I worry about the cost to residents. The council voted to table the discussion and asked city attorney Jack Kiley to determine if the city would face a penalty by not approving the agreement. Fogleman said he was not against providing help to neighboring communities. If they have a tornado touch down in Pana well be glad to help you but were not going to leave Shelbyville unattended, he said. Were going to look out for our own first. CHARLESTON -- Community members are seeking to show support to Eastern Illinois University, literally and figuratively, as they slog through an uncertain and trying time as the state budget impasse continues. Old Main, the "castle" on Eastern's campus, is scheduled to be surrounded and encircled by members of the community at 2 p.m. Feb. 28. Jana Johnson, organizer, said the idea for the event sprung after she had made a Facebook post about layoffs, and how it was important to stay positive in light of the bad news. Shortly after her post, she said she received a message from Charleston Mayor Brandon Combs reiterating her sentiments and saying he wished he could do more. Late that night, Johnson, WEIU membership manager, said she thought of an idea to induce more positivity and support toward Eastern in the wake of layoffs. She said it was clear in her head what to do. I knew what we had to do: spread positivity, she said. Its all about loving each other EIU is the heart of Charleston. Johnson said she wanted a way in which those in the community -- including Eastern students, staff and faculty -- express their love for the university. We need really to all stand together and just give love to each other at this time, Johnson said. Johnson and Combs will speak briefly at the Feb. 28 event and then those who attend will surround around the building. No matter the crowd that appears, those in attendance will surround the entire castle. We may be standing 4 feet apart or 100 feet apart, Johnson said. People that really love the university and love this community -- they are going to be there." This movement will coincide with a moment of silence where people can reflect on Eastern or pray, she said. Johnson is asking for those in attendance to bring a paper heart with a positive note that will then be given to President David Glassman the following day. She said this form of community involvement will hopefully serve as a form of outreach for those across Charleston as well. My friends have lost their jobs who work at Eastern, she said. Even though they are going through a really hard time, this is for them too. It is to let them know that (community members) are there for them in many ways. Were Population Services International (PSI), the worlds leading non-profit social marketing organization. We work to make it easier for people in the developing world to be healthy by providing access to products and services that range from mosquito nets to HIV testing. There are over 9,000 PSIers around the world. Its a diverse group of entrepreneurs and professionals with an unusually wide range of backgrounds all with unique skills we bring to the job. PSI-Ethiopia PSI-Ethiopia, an affiliate of Population Services International, has developed national results-based programs in HIV prevention, reproductive health and child survival. Through evidence-based social marketing and health communications, PSI-Ethiopia strengthens public and private sector partners to help Ethiopias most vulnerable people to lead healthier lives. PSI/Ethiopia is currently led a USAID flagship HIV prevention (MULU/MARPs) project through combination prevention and as part of the project implementation, the field program management team plays a pivotal role in the implementation of PSI/Ethiopia programs. The field programs management team is primarily responsible for the implementation of USAIDs funded MULU/MARPs program. Join us! PSI/Ethiopia seeks an individual consultant who will supervise the construction of six pay-for-use toilets at Addis Ketema Sub City. The consultant needs to have Engineering background and relevant license from the concerned governmental institution. Scope of Work Vacancy Announcement ETHIOPIAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION AGENCY Position: Director-Private Sector in Agriculture (PSA) Term of Employment: One year with possible extension Duty Station(s): Addis Ababa Required Number: One Salary & Benefits: Competitive Application Deadline: March 1, 2016 BACKGROUND: The Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) has been established by the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) to identify and address systemic bottlenecks to Ethiopias agricultural development. The Agency does this through problem-solving, implementation support, and capacity building of stakeholders involved in implementation of interventions that address the systemic bottlenecks. The Agency reports to a Transformation Council chaired by the Prime Minister and whose co-chair is the Minister of Agriculture. The programmatic focus of the Agency responds to a core set of needs identified by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Transformation Council. Within the Agency, issues are divided into three different groups: Production and Productivity which includes Inputs and Crop Protection, Livestock, Research and Extension, Mechanization and Rural Finance; Agribusiness and Markets including Market Support Services, Commercial Farming, Agro-processing & Market Development, and Cooperatives Development; and Environmentally Sustainable and Inclusive Agricultural Growth including Natural Resource Management, Sustainable Land Management, Gender Equality and Nutrition, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management, and Planning and MLE. Across the programs, the ATA engages public, private and non-governmental stakeholders to support strategic planning, manage and strengthen implementation capacity and test innovative models. Our Culture We have an exceptional team of employees with highly competent and proven track record of success in managing complex activities and achieving transformational results. Our culture is one where talented, dedicated and adaptable individuals are committed to doing their best and exhibit great team work to achieve excellent results. At ATA, we provide an exceptional platform for people who want to achieve their highest potential and make a meaningful contribution in changing the countrys agricultural sector. We offer rewarding work in a young, fast-paced growing organization with passionate, committed, motivated colleagues and excellent career development and training. We recognize our most valuable assets are our staff and are committed to providing our employees with the tools, training and mentorships necessary to achieve their career goals. POSITION SUMMARY: Private sector partners are expected to play an increasing role in the Agricultural Transformation Agenda. This private sector participation will become even more critical in the years to come, as Ethiopian agriculture strives to move from subsistence based, low-input/low-output farming, to one that is more market-oriented and integrated into the global food system. To effectively engage private investors and corporations in the Ethiopian agriculture sector, the ATA has a newly established Private Sector in Agriculture Program area, whose main aim is to connect smallholder farmers with commercial, market-focused supply chains to increase incomes and improve livelihoods. The Director of the PSA Program will primarily be responsible for identifying and implementing high priority Transformational Agenda Deliverables that will address systemic and structural challenges to converting agribusiness investment interests and opportunities into tangible, operationalized investments on the ground. The Program will take a highly consultative approach, working with key stakeholders in the government, private sector, and development sector. The approach will be to engage early and in a meaningful way with serious investors to understand their interests and concerns, work alongside these organizations to identify promising opportunities for investment, clarify the nature of these opportunities (for example, expected requirements, financial and social returns), and help to navigate the local agriculture sector environment. This position will officially report to the Senior Director of Agribusiness & Markets and Implementation Capacity. ESSENTIAL DUTIES: Serve as the leader of the Private Sector in Agriculture Program, assuming overall responsibility for the direction and management of the program; mobilize needed financial, human or organizational resources for program execution Working with key stakeholders across both private and public sectors, lead the identification of Transformation Agenda Deliverables, sub-deliverables and activities that will inform an effective Private Sector in Agriculture roadmap during GTP II Serve as a sector-wide advocate for the removal of barriers to agribusiness investment in agriculture Proactively identify local and international agribusiness investors and provide the necessary technical and operational support to help in converting their investment interests Hire new members of the Private Sector in Agriculture Program and provide high caliber support and direction to ensure alignment, high performance and delivery on priority objectives Provide high quality, results-focused investor and stakeholder management and build a genuinely collaborative engagement with key Federal, Regional, Private Sector (domestic & international), Non-Profit and Bilateral partners Prepare and manage the Programs budget; obtain approval from senior level ATA management and monitor budget utilization against allocation Serve as a thought leader to help the creation and delivery of strategies and programs/projects to achieve ATAs overall goal and mission Contribute to the development of an institutionalized knowledge base for the ATA Regularly report to the Senior Director of Agribusiness and Markets, and to the CEO on progress, challenges and constraints of the program activities REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: Title: Logistics and Procurement Officer Reports to: Logistics and Procurement Coordinator Location: Shire Start of Contract & Duration: 12 months with possibility of extension (Subject to fund availability) Posting date: February 17, 2016 INTRODUCTION The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a humanitarian, non-governmental, non-profit organization founded in 1956 that works in more than 30 countries throughout the world, including Ethiopia. DRC fulfills its mandate by providing direct assistance to conflict-affected populations, including refugees, internally displaced people and host communities. Under its mandate, the organization focuses on emergency humanitarian response, rehabilitation and post-conflict recovery. DRC commenced work in Ethiopia in 2009 and currently provides expertise in shelter, WASH, livelihoods and protection in the Gambella and Somali regions of the country. Activities implemented by DRC are funded by money raised from the Danish public and by project grants from the Danish government and other bilateral and multi-lateral donors. DRC is in the process of starting a new program in Tigray regional state, where the organization anticipates implementing a variety of youth protection activities in Hitsats, Shimelba, Mai-Aini and Adharush refugee camps, which are currently hosting a combined population of over 30,000 Eritrean refugees. POSITIONS OVERALL OBJECTIVES Working under the direct management of the Logistics and Procurement Coordinator, the Logistics and Procurement Officer will be responsible for assisting with all of the daily logistics and procurement related functions in DRCs Shire field office in strict compliance with the organizations and donors policies and procedures, and with strong attention to detail. RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS To achieve the overall and specific objectives of the position, the Logistics and Procurement Officer, in coordination with the Logistics and Procurement Coordinator will perform the following tasks and undertake the following responsibilities: 1. Logistics and Procurement: Assist with the setup of the Shire logistics and procurement department, including upfront procurement and inventorying, and ensuring the department it is fully compliant with DRC systems and is well organized and maintained. Provide high quality day-to-day support in all logistics and procurement functions to ensure strict compliance to DRCs procurement procedures, full transparency and timely delivery of quality goods and services as requested by the programs and other support functions. This responsibility may include assisting with tender processes, procurement committee meetings and bid analyses. Together with program staff, manage the quality control of all items received and ensure items are properly recorded, inventoried and stored or warehoused. In cases of distributions to beneficiary populations, the Officer may be asked to collaborate with program and monitoring and evaluation staff to ensure distribution lists are collected. The aforementioned tasks will require both adherence to DRC and donor policies and procedures. Assist in conducting regular market surveys of goods and services, and help the Logistics and Procurement Coordinator to develop a user-friendly procurement catalogue of local and regionally available items which is updated on a monthly basis. 2. Technical and Operational Support: Work with both program and support staff to ensure quarterly procurement plans are developed, detailed description of needs are documented and that accurate estimates of procurement timeframes are generated and agreed upon. Undertake weekly supervisory, monitoring and support visits to sub-offices and project locations as requested by the Logistics and Procurement Coordinator. Liaise with the Addis Ababa based Information Technology team to ensure all new IT equipment is best fit with the field offices needs and that existing equipment is maintained and well secured. Ensure all of DRCs facilities, including office and accommodation facilities, are well maintained, safe and secure. 3. Reporting: Mercy Corps is an international humanitarian organization operating Water and Sanitation, Economic Development, Livelihoods, Capacity Building, Emergency Response, Health and Nutrition and similar sectors in the regions of Somali, Oromiya, Addis Ababa and SNNPR. Mercy Corps works with communities, public, and private sectors to implement appropriate relief, recovery and development interventions. POSITION: Program Assistant (Re- advertised) OPEN POSITION: one DUTY STATION: Addis Ababa POSITION SUMMARY: Program Assistant will provide general administrative support to the Chief of Party and IR Leaders in overall support of the PRIME project. This may include administrative, operational, and logistical support to the project. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS General Project Administration: Manage the daily administrative work flow in the PRIME Project. This includes providing basic administrative support, including: drafting of letters and invitations, updating program documents, scheduling meetings, completing forms, updating the team calendar with events such as trainings or leave, and streamlining PRIMEs processes and procedures. Travel: Coordinating travel arrangement for PRIME Leadership Staff, including reserving and booking flights, booking accommodation, and other travel details as necessary. Team Coordination Calls: Manage the organization and record the details of all PRIME team weekly/monthly meetings. This includes producing agenda documents (where required) for calls, and when required taking notes during team meetings and disseminating them in a timely manner, always highlighting action points. Procurement: Serve as the focal point for PRIME procurement requirements. Program Management Support: Support the PRIME CoP to develop project tracking resources, check for accuracy, follow up and correct errors. Communications: Assist the Monitoring & Evaluation IR Leader and Communications Specialist to create, produce and distribute internal and external communications to facilitate learning throughout the project. This includes soliciting stories from the field, updating the intranet site with learning resources, ensuring information held within the site is accurate and up-to-date, creating communications resources when requested, sourcing relevant materials including reports, research documents, discussion papers, videos, posters, etc. Conference/Meeting Logistics Support: Assist with the logistical coordination and planning of all PRIME meetings and conferences, including identifying venues, obtaining quotes for services, reviewing contracts, finalizing all procurement requirements, assist with participants travel arrangements to attend events, as necessary. Program Support Operations: Coordinate with program, finance, and administration staff to ensure as required to support PRIME operational systems. Two or more years of general administration or program support experience is required. A university degree in a related field (economics, business, international relations) is required. Excellent oral and written English skills are required. Two years experience of related work with an international NGO is preferred. Proven interest and commitment to humanitarian and development issues. Excellent organizational skills: the ability to work independently & productively in a fast-paced environment and to effectively see projects through from start to finish. Flexible work attitude and demonstrated creativity: the ability to work productively in a team environment and the ability to problem solve creatively with minimal guidance; Excellent Computer skills (especially Microsoft Excel, Word, and Outlook) SUCCESS FACTORS: Must be confident, self-starter, an independent thinker Strong organizational, interpersonal and communication skills Team oriented; Demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse group of people Excellent communication skills, written and oral are required Demonstrated cultural sensitivity and appropriate flexibility Excellent organizational skills with ability to successfully manage multiple tasks. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail are essential. interested candidates are encouraged to apply for the position advertised. All applications submitted to the Mercy Corps office include a CV, three references, and all relevant official documents. Applications will not be returned and will not be retained for future recruitment efforts. In order to ensure fairness to all applicants personal inquiries are not permitted. Only candidates that are short listed will be acknowledged and called for interviews. Women are strongly encouraged to apply. DEADLINE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS: February 25, 2016/ 4:00 PM Please send non-returnable applications and credentials to one of the following address: Mercy Corps Recruiter Addis Ababa: P.O. Box 14319 Arbaminch: P.O. Box 33 Jijiga: P.O. Box 225 Negelle Borena: P.O. Box 116 Dire Dewa: P.O. Box 974 Moyalle: P.O Box 118 Thursday, February 18, 2016 The Session Ends And The Campaign Begins; Key Senate Contest Heats Up, Plus: A Fouratt Credibility Gap? Officer Numbers Disputed In Double-Dipping Debate, And: A Final Goodbye To An Ethics Commission An important piece of the takeover puzzle is sprawling District 39 that includes parts of six counties, including Santa Fe, San Miguel and Lincoln to the south. Dem State Senator Phil Griego resigned the seat last year amid an ethics scandal and Gov. Martinez appointed Republican Ted Barela to the seat. Soon after, Santa Fe County Commissioner Liz Stefanics, also a former state senator, announced she would seek the June Dem nomination for the seat. Now we have a new player with some punch in the race. Mike Anaya, a former two term Santa Fe county commissioner, is going to duel it out with Stefanics for the Dem nod and the right to take on Barela in November. Anaya hails from Galisteo and says he still works on the family ranch. He made a pitch for rural support in his announcement, clearly separating himself from Stefanics' liberal base in Santa Fe. When elected to the Senate she became the first openly lesbian senator in state history. Anaya will argue that he is the stronger candidate to take on Barela in part because of his Hispanic and rural heritage. Over 55 percent of the district is Hispanic and it is mostly rural. Stefanics will argue that liberal turnout is going to be big in this election and she is best suited to ride that wave. Anaya made Anaya vs. Stefanics in Primary '16 will surely give political junkies a joyful ride (not to say that there won't be another name joining the party. CREDIBILITY GAP? Sec. Fouratt The so-called double-dipping bill, also known as "return-to-work" died in the session but did it create a credibly gap for Department of Public Safety Secretary Greg Fouratt? He joined forces with ABQ Mayor Berry to try to persuade the legislature to allow retired officers already getting a government pension to rejoin APD and other police agencies because of what Fouratt said was a statewide officer shortage. There's no debate that APD is severely understaffed but here's what Fouratt told the Senate panel, according to the ABQ Chamber of Commerce political report: Department of Public Safety Secretary Greg Fouratt provided some interesting statistics in his testimony, As of December 2015, there were the following vacancy rates around the state: Dona Ana Sheriffs office, 22%; Eddy County Sheriffs office, 22%; Valencia County Sheriffs office, 12%; Roswell Police Department, 12%; Santa Fe Police Department, 10%; Truth or Consequences Police Department, 36% and the New Mexico State Police, 11%, which equals 81 positions. Former APD Sergeant Dan Klein has done much spade work on this for the What Fouratt doesnt state is that Dona Ana County had 24 cadets in their academy and they just graduated, bringing them to almost 100% staffing.The Eddy County IPRA from October 2015 showed they were only down 2 deputies. So either the Eddy County Sheriff is lying or he had 12 deputies quit on him since October 2015. If they quit on him the problem is with the sheriff and no one else. (budget 60 deputies October 2015 employed 58). Valencia County stated that they were short 8 deputies but they had 2 graduate in December bringing them to 44 deputies, a 10% vacancy rate. Being staffed at 85% or higher is fine, it is the natural hiring and attrition process. Roswell stated that they have a budget for 97 and they employed 85 and had 6 graduating (bringing them to 91), a 95% staffing. Santa Fe is correct, which means they are at 90% staffed, well within attrition and hiring guidelines. T or C we didnt survey, how many could they have though? Probably a budget of less than 10. State Police, as per Fouratts own IPRA in December showed 678 budget and 678 hired. 100% staffed. Where he is now coming up with a different number no one can explain. Mayor Berry and APD Chief Eden lobbied Santa Fe hard for the bill but were turned back for the second year in a row. Their effort--and Fouratt's--to turn the ABQ police staffing crisis into a statewide issue met a brick wall. With Klein's research disputing Fouratt's statements, it's no wonder. ETHICS DEATH Rep. Dines Reaction from a Legal Beagle now on Senators kill it asserting that it would somehow be susceptible to "partisan" influence. When you have nine commissioners, "no more than four of whom may be members of the same political party," I think it's time for a head-and-name court of the paranoids who were worried. (ABQ GOP State Rep. James) Dines has tons of guts to make his point about the quality of his work by removing his bill from the clutches of those who would water it down. This is one place where all-or-nothing serves the public very well. On to the eleventh year. Dines withdrew his bill from consideration rather than accepting the changes that he said would make it toothless. ABQ Dem State Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto is Advocates have found the right sponsor in "gutsy" Rep. Dines, but as we pointed out this week they may need a reboot on the commission concept or else we may remain stalled another decade. This is the home of New Mexico politics. Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here. ( c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2016 Campaigning for the '16 legislative contests begins promptly at 12:01 p.m today when the solons end their 30 day session. All 112 seats--70 in the House and 42 in the Senate are up for election. It will be a handful that will determine whether the R's can pull off their long-odds bid to take control of the Senate as they did the House in 2014 for the first time in 60 years.An important piece of the takeover puzzle is sprawling District 39 that includes parts of six counties, including Santa Fe, San Miguel and Lincoln to the south. Dem State Senator Phil Griego resigned the seat last year amid an ethics scandal and Gov. Martinez appointed Republican Ted Barela to the seat. Soon after, Santa Fe County Commissioner Liz Stefanics, also a former state senator, announced she would seek the June Dem nomination for the seat. Now we have a new player with some punch in the race. Mike Anaya, a former two term Santa Fe county commissioner, is going to duel it out with Stefanics for the Dem nod and the right to take on Barela in November.Anaya hails from Galisteo and says he still works on the family ranch. He made a pitch for rural support in his announcement, clearly separating himself from Stefanics' liberal base in Santa Fe. When elected to the Senate she became the first openly lesbian senator in state history.Anaya will argue that he is the stronger candidate to take on Barela in part because of his Hispanic and rural heritage. Over 55 percent of the district is Hispanic and it is mostly rural. Stefanics will argue that liberal turnout is going to be big in this election and she is best suited to ride that wave.Anaya made blog headlines when he made a brief run for the Dem nod for state land commissioner in 2010. He withdrew from the race amid controversy over a lawsuit filed against him at the time. Mike Anaya will make his candidacy official this Saturday at the glisten Community Center.Anaya vs. Stefanics in Primary '16 will surely give political junkies a joyful ride (not to say that there won't be another name joining the party.The so-called double-dipping bill, also known as "return-to-work" died in the session but did it create a credibly gap for Department of Public Safety Secretary Greg Fouratt?He joined forces with ABQ Mayor Berry to try to persuade the legislature to allow retired officers already getting a government pension to rejoin APD and other police agencies because of what Fouratt said was a statewide officer shortage. There's no debate that APD is severely understaffed but here's what Fouratt told the Senate panel, according to the ABQ Chamber of Commerce political report:Former APD Sergeant Dan Klein has done much spade work on this for the ABQ Free Press . He came to the opposite conclusion of Secretary Fouratt--that there is no statewide officer shortage. He reacted to the Fouratt testimony before Senate Rules:Mayor Berry and APD Chief Eden lobbied Santa Fe hard for the bill but were turned back for the second year in a row. Their effort--and Fouratt's--to turn the ABQ police staffing crisis into a statewide issue met a brick wall. With Klein's research disputing Fouratt's statements, it's no wonder.Reaction from a Legal Beagle now on the death of an independent ethics commission for the tenth year running:Dines withdrew his bill from consideration rather than accepting the changes that he said would make it toothless. ABQ Dem State Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto is taking hits for letting the measure die. He faces re-election in a key swing district. However, the ethics idea has been squashed for a decade and no one can point to any politician who was voted out because of it. The ethics commission was vigorously opposed by Senate Minority Leader Stu Ingle.Advocates have found the right sponsor in "gutsy" Rep. Dines, but as we pointed out this week they may need a reboot on the commission concept or else we may remain stalled another decade.This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com) Links HOME E-MAIL ME About Joe Google News Real Clear Politics Huffington Post Drudge Report The Politico New Mexico newspapers NM TV stations Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham NM Legislature Archives Select: 9/28/03 - 10/5/03 10/5/03 - 10/12/03 10/12/03 - 10/19/03 10/19/03 - 10/26/03 10/26/03 - 11/2/03 11/2/03 - 11/9/03 11/9/03 - 11/16/03 11/16/03 - 11/23/03 11/23/03 - 11/30/03 11/30/03 - 12/7/03 12/7/03 - 12/14/03 12/14/03 - 12/21/03 12/21/03 - 12/28/03 12/28/03 - 1/4/04 1/4/04 - 1/11/04 1/11/04 - 1/18/04 1/18/04 - 1/25/04 1/25/04 - 2/1/04 2/1/04 - 2/8/04 2/8/04 - 2/15/04 2/15/04 - 2/22/04 2/22/04 - 2/29/04 2/29/04 - 3/7/04 3/7/04 - 3/14/04 3/14/04 - 3/21/04 3/21/04 - 3/28/04 3/28/04 - 4/4/04 4/4/04 - 4/11/04 4/11/04 - 4/18/04 4/18/04 - 4/25/04 4/25/04 - 5/2/04 5/2/04 - 5/9/04 5/9/04 - 5/16/04 5/16/04 - 5/23/04 5/23/04 - 5/30/04 5/30/04 - 6/6/04 6/6/04 - 6/13/04 6/13/04 - 6/20/04 6/20/04 - 6/27/04 6/27/04 - 7/4/04 7/4/04 - 7/11/04 7/11/04 - 7/18/04 7/18/04 - 7/25/04 7/25/04 - 8/1/04 8/1/04 - 8/8/04 8/8/04 - 8/15/04 8/15/04 - 8/22/04 8/22/04 - 8/29/04 8/29/04 - 9/5/04 9/5/04 - 9/12/04 9/12/04 - 9/19/04 9/19/04 - 9/26/04 9/26/04 - 10/3/04 10/3/04 - 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Marvin Binnick bounced from foster home to foster home for eight years, nearly one third of his life. He spent time in abusive homes, he said including at least one arranged by a Christian-based child placement agency before connecting with his final family at age 16. "They stuck with me," he said. "They didn't treat me poorly." His boyhood experience is one reason he opposes a measure which he believes would allow adoption and foster care agencies to discriminate against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people who want to provide homes for children, Binnick told members of a legislative committee Wednesday. The bill (LB975), sponsored by state Sen. Mark Kolterman of Seward, would prohibit state government from stripping funding or taking other adverse action against faith-based child placement agencies which decline to work with certain families based on the agencies' religious beliefs. Supporters say the bill would protect agencies that provide a critical service to the state, representing about 17 percent of children placed through Nebraska's child welfare system. But opponents argue it could actually hurt children by allowing discrimination against certain would-be foster families. Sexual orientation or marital status shouldn't be a "litmus test" for people who want to host children, Binnick told Judiciary Committee members during Wednesday's four-hour public hearing at the Capitol. "The standard should be: Are you loving parents? Are you caring parents? Can you provide a safe and loving home for these kids? the 27-year-old Lincoln man said. Amy Miller, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska, said evidence from other states has shown that when faith-based child placement agencies close, secular agencies step up. "Its worked out just fine," she said. "The free market will absorb these additional cases. But a handful of families who testified during Wednesday's hearing said they specifically chose to work with certain child placement agencies because of their faith-based missions. Anne Hobbs, former head of the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission, supported the bill and said she sought out a faith-based agency herself when she grew interested in becoming a foster parent. "No one should be forced to work with an agency they dont philosophically agree with," said Brian Bradley of Lincoln, another foster parent. Committee members interrogated some supporters of the bill at length during the hearing, questioning whether it could place federal funding in jeopardy. The exchanges became personal at times. When Doug Weinberg, the state's director of child and family services, testified in support of the bill, Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers called him an unqualified political appointee. Weinberg was hired by Gov. Pete Ricketts in July. "Im not as dumb as you seem to be," Chambers said at one point. Lincoln Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks said the bill left a friend of hers in tears, calling it "thoughtless." "Youre doing something that is affecting peoples lives that is very hurtful," she told Kolterman. Kolterman said his goal is not to discriminate but to protect religious rights. "If we truly want to embrace diversity, then we need to embrace the rights of everyone, even if we disagree with their beliefs," he said. "Celebrating diversity requires tolerance for all. The fight follows a series of administrative actions and court rulings last year, including the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down state bans on same-sex marriage, which unwound Nebraska's prohibition on LGBT people becoming foster or adoptive parents. Nicholas Kramer, who is gay, said a dozen agencies in Nebraska turned him down before he found one in another state that helped him adopt his 4-year-old daughter. Kramer and his husband were among seven couples whose legal challenge of Nebraska's same-sex marriage ban was resolved in their favor following last year's Supreme Court ruling. "I thought we were past this, but now it seems like we're just moving on to another excuse to discriminate against my family and my ability to expand my family." Four blocks. That's the distance 22-year-old Katie Sepich had to walk to get safely to her Las Cruces, New Mexico, home after she stormed away from her boyfriend on a late August night in 2003. A stranger stopped and asked if she wanted a ride. No, she told Gabriel Adrian Avila, she lived just a few blocks away. He lingered in the area and came across her again. This time, he followed her. When she arrived home and went around the house to slip in a window to avoid waking her roommate's mother, he attacked. He later confessed that he raped Katie Sepich, strangled her, took her body to a dump site near her home and set her on fire. He avoided arrest for more than three years, despite the fact that his DNA had been scraped from her fingernails and other areas of her body. The samples were sent to a national identification system, but Avila was not entered into it until 2006. During that interim, more than $200,000 was spent on the investigation, said Katie's mom, Jayann Sepich. And so the mother travels the country -- state legislature to state legislature -- to convince lawmakers to enact Katie's Law, which would require authorities to collect DNA samples from people who are arrested. This week, she touched down in Lincoln to visit the statehouse and plead the case for a bill (LB1054) that would expand Nebraska's DNA collection laws to include taking samples from people arrested and booked for certain violent crimes including rape, murder, robbery, assault, kidnapping, child enticement by electronic device, burglary. The bill, introduced by Omaha Sen. Robert Hilkemann, would allow people to request expungement of their DNA records if they are not charged for the crime for which they were arrested, if the charges are dismissed or they are acquitted of all charges or if the statute of limitations has passed. The bill's hearing Thursday afternoon got contentious at times, with two senators -- Ernie Chambers and Bob Krist, both of Omaha -- abruptly clearing out of the Judiciary hearing room at different times. Chambers was angry with the Attorney General's office remake of the bill, and Krist was angry with some of Chambers' remarks. Even before that, Chambers had serious doubts about the bill. "All this is is one of those schemes that they've been using for years to try to get as much DNA on record as possible," he said. For whatever good supporters say it's done, Chambers said, the damage is far greater. Sepich outlined the good Katie's law has done in 28 states. It went into effect in New Mexico at midnight on Jan. 1, 2007. And at 1:14 a.m. the first man arrested was swabbed and his DNA matched a double homicide, she said. Since that time, she said, 1,056 crimes in New Mexico were matched in the DNA database. In one of those cases, it cleared a 17-year-old youth who had been charged in the rape and murder of an 11-year-old neighbor girl, and jailed for two years. Even though his DNA did not match, police believed he was an accomplice. Without the arrestee DNA law there, the true perpetrator would not have been caught, she said. He was in the country illegally, and when he was arrested for a burglary, authorities had decided not to press charges and were planning to deport him. "So if we didn't have Katie's law in New Mexico, if we didn't have arrestee DNA, they would have never swabbed his cheek, they would have never gotten that match," she said. And the 17-year-old could have been convicted and spent the rest of his life in prison, Sepich said. For people who believe taking DNA at arrest is an invasion of privacy, she said, the Combined DNA Identification System is not a genetic or medical database. An individual's DNA does not go into the database, but only a DNA profile, 13 non-coding paired markers out of 3 billion total markers. They have no genetic information and can be used only for criminal identification. No names are entered. If a match occurs and is verified, the name of the match comes from a separate secure computer system, and investigators must seek evidence and verify the match with a second DNA sample to charge the person with the crime. The U.S. Supreme Court said in 2013 in a 5-4 decision that ... taking and analyzing a cheek swab of the arrestees DNA is, like fingerprinting and photographing, a legitimate police booking procedure that is reasonable under the Fourth Amendment. DNA is the fingerprint of the 21st century, Sepich said. A study at the University of Virginia found that, based on FBI statistics, if every state tested arrestees, it would prevent 474 murders, 5,569 rapes and 22,061 aggravated assaults per year, she said. "I would do anything if a law had been passed that could have saved my Katie's life," she said. "The time to act is now before another family knows the sting of losing a much-loved child." But there are other lives to consider, Chambers said. He questioned how onerous it would be for a person to have a DNA sample removed. A proposed constitutional amendment to allow Nebraskans as young as 18 to be governor or hold other state office gradually melted down in the Legislature on Thursday and ultimately was laid to rest. With the proposal (LR26CA) obviously leaking legislative support, efforts to salvage it by limiting the reduced age requirement to members of the Legislature or returning the measure to the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee for further consideration and possible amendment were either ignored or rejected. In the end, a cloture vote to halt a filibuster mounted by Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha failed on a 26-18 vote. That motion fell seven senators short of the number required to proceed with consideration of the resolution. Thirty votes ultimately would have been required to approve the resolution and send the proposal to the people for consideration in November. Sen. Tyson Larson of O'Neill, sponsor of the proposal, told senators he was willing to compromise by removing the governorship, seats on the Nebraska Supreme Court and other state offices from the measure, leaving only seats in the Legislature. The age minimum for state senators now is 21. Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln prepared an amendment to accomplish that, matching the age of eligibility to the federal minimum voting age, but it was trapped in the filibuster. "I shall not yield," Chambers said. Limiting the reduced age requirement to state senators "demeans and derogates this body," he said. "Some will not allow the middle ground to happen," Larson said. Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha said life experience and education are important to the process of being an effective legislator. Ann Hunter-Pirtle, writer of Charter Schools are wrong for Nebraska (Local View, LJS, Feb. 10) attempts to discredit anyone who supports alternative educational opportunities by hurdling insults and innuendos. Her attack starts by questioning the integrity of Educate Nebraska using adjectives like 'shadowy' funding sources and motives. Educate Nebraska was formed with the mission of expanding high-quality school choices, supporting excellent educators and using meaningful data to educate families, schools and lawmakers about current educational accomplishments and shortfalls. Hunter-Pirtle continued by attacking Gov. Pete Ricketts and Sen. Bob Krist for supporting alternative educational opportunities by suggesting that they don't really care about the poor. This is an opinion without any facts. She also attacks the Platte Institute calling it a 'right-wing organization'. The Platte Institute is a privately funded organization that is trying to help Nebraskans keep more of what they earn, make it easier to grow a business in Nebraska, help all families access the right educational opportunities and help Nebraska retain and attract a talented workforce. Her insults then turn personal by attacking Lou Ann Linehan by belittling her choice of education for her daughter, Katie Linehan, who is director of Educate Nebraska. Lou Ann Linehan has a long resume of service to the community, and like others who have held similar positions in government, including liberals and conservatives, sent her child to private schools. In fairness to the overall system, it would cost Nebraska taxpayers considerably more if all of the private and parochial schools were not in existence. Do the math. Even though their child is being educated outside of the public schools, parents have already paid taxes for these public institutions. Therefore, the public schools do not have the expense of educating their children. That should draw appreciation, not ridicule. Currently the only funding mechanism that is available to private and parochial schools is the Nebraska Elementary and Secondary Finance Authority. This bill was passed unanimously by the legislature in 1997. Before Ms. Hunter-Pirtle concludes, she takes a shot at the advisory group of Educate Nebraska as being mostly represented by people out of state. When did that matter? Currently the Federal Department of Education is in Washington D.C. and dictates policy to us in Nebraska through programs like Outcome Based Education, Goals 2000 and the most recent one, No Child Left Behind.. The money comes with the tag line, 'if we want some of our tax dollars back we need to conform to their standards'. So much for local control. At least Ms. Hunter Pirtle agrees with her adversaries regarding a solution to the educational problem. She suggests adjusting the state funding formula for public schools to balance the costs more fairly and rely less heavily on property taxes. This is a great place to start. But we need to do more if we are serious about lowering property taxes and improving education. According to a recent national poll on educational choice, when people were asked whether they favor charter schools or not, the support grew from 46% in favor to 61% in favor when people were informed what charter schools actually were. Whether you agree with educational choices, it is a fact that the more people become informed as to the choices and cost, the more they favor choice. One thing is certain, tax payers want to have open honest discussions about choices in education without the name-calling and innuendos. We need to give charter schools a chance and at least give them an opportunity to exist. Parents and taxpayers want positive choices. Ms Pirtle says that this charter school group misses the bigger picture, but what is the bigger picture? Educational choices make us better prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century, not less. The man accused of critically injuring two people in a shooting last week is still at large, Lincoln police said Thursday. Leshawn Corey Wolfe Rogers, 28, might have left Lincoln and should be considered armed and dangerous, Officer Katie Flood said. The shooting happened about 5 p.m. on Feb. 11 after a botched drug deal, according to court documents. Steffani Weirauch, 24, and Alexander White, 26, were smoking weed at her home at 5441 Limestone Road North, and White decided he wanted to buy 3 pounds, documents say. Police believe Weirauch called Rogers and made arrangements for White to make the purchase for $7,200. An arrest warrant for Rogers said he and White went into the back bedroom to conduct the sale. Weirauch told police she remained in the kitchen and another man, Reginald McGraw Jr., 25, was in the front room. After a few minutes, Weirauch said, she heard yelling from the back room and saw White run out with Rogers chasing him and shooting at him, court documents say. Before leaving, Weirauch told police Rogers put the gun by the side of her head. He is alleged to have shot the gun one more time before leaving. White was found inside the home with multiple gunshot wounds. He was released from the hospital Thursday, Capt. Mayde McGuire said. Police said McGraw, who was shot once, was able to leave the house and drive away, then flagged down a Nebraska State Patrol trooper and was taken to the hospital. He was released last week after treatment. Police found 3 pounds of marijuana in the house along with less than $2,000 in cash, which was mostly $1 bills wrapped in larger bills, documents say. Rogers car was found abandoned in a Walmart parking lot the next day, documents say. Police have been pursuing leads in an attempt to find him and the SWAT team has been called out on two area searches, police said. After the shooting, police on the scene said children were in the basement while shots were fired. The state on Tuesday filed a petition to take Weirauchs two children, a boy, 4, and girl, 2, out of her custody for their safety. Weirauch was arrested and has been cited with being an accessory to a felony. Three fraternity brothers facing felony charges for providing the alcohol that killed University of Nebraska-Lincoln freshman Clayton Real in 2014 pleaded to lesser offenses on Wednesday. Thomas Trueblood, 20, Ross Reynolds, 23, and Cory Foland, 23, each pleaded no contest to misdemeanor alcohol procurement charges. In fall 2014, Lancaster County prosecutors charged four of the five men believed to be involved with procuring alcohol for a minor leading to Real's death, an offense punishable by up to five years in prison. The fifth, William J. Miller, was charged with a misdemeanor. Real, 18, died on Sept. 5, 2014, in his room at FarmHouse, 3601 Apple St., where a fellow fraternity member found him unresponsive, UNL police said. Four of Real's fraternity brothers helped Real back to his room after he got drunk and passed out at an off-campus party the night before, UNL police said. Since Real had diabetes, they tested his blood sugar, an officer said in court documents. The fraternity members decided they didnt need to get help for Real and that he could sleep it off. Those four men weren't charged. Investigators determined Reals blood alcohol content was .378 percent 4 times the legal limit to drive and a pathologist said he died from acute alcohol intoxication. UNL police investigators determined Trueblood, then 19, arranged for and transported alcohol bought by Vance Heyer, Reynolds, Foland and Miller, police and prosecutors said. The men were caught on camera at Kens Kegs buying the alcohol and loading it into then 19-year-old Truebloods SUV, UNL Police Officer Charles Ricketts said. UNL police arrested Trueblood, Foland, Reynolds and Heyer on Oct. 23, 2014, and took them to jail. Miller, who wasn't arrested, was charged the next month. Trueblood appeared before Lancaster County District Judge Andrew Jacobsen Wednesday afternoon. He pleaded no contest to procuring alcohol for a minor and being a minor in possession of alcohol. Earlier Wednesday, Foland and Reynolds pleaded no contest to procuring alcohol for a minor. They each face as much as a year in jail and a $1,000 fine on the misdemeanor procurement charges when they're sentenced April 25. Cases are pending against Heyer, 23, who faces a felony charge, and Miller, 22. FarmHouse fraternity was suspended indefinitely by UNL in the wake of the arrests, barring members from participating in campus activities or recruiting new members. A university spokesman said Wednesday that suspension was lifted last August. The Nebraska Court of Appeals is set to hear an appeal next month of a Fillmore County judge's ruling that barred prosecutors from using a Grafton man's statement to law enforcement against him at trial because he only agreed to talk to them "off the record." While the judge's order doesn't set precedent, an appeals court decision could. Ervin Fuehrer, 61, is charged with first-degree assault and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony in the March 19, 2015, shooting of his brother, Stephen Preslicka, in Fuehrer's driveway. The charges each carry a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison if he's convicted. According to court records, Fuehrer called 911 at 1 p.m. that day, saying he would need a "meat wagon." When the dispatcher asked if he meant an ambulance, he said he meant a hearse, then went to confront his brother with a .44 caliber revolver. Witnesses reported hearing four shots in all. One hit Preslicka in the leg, another in his stomach. Preslicka walked about half a block before sitting down by a stump, where a witness saw him and called 911. He was flown by helicopter to a Lincoln hospital with life-threatening injuries, which he survived. After the shooting, Fuehrer spoke with Fillmore County Sheriff William Burgess at the scene and a Nebraska State Patrol lieutenant and an investigator later that afternoon at the sheriff's department. He allegedly made incriminating statements in both conversations. But in December, Fillmore County District Judge Vicky Johnson ruled that Assistant Nebraska Attorneys General Sandra Allen and Laura Nigro, who are prosecuting the case, couldn't use the statements against him at trial. When he spoke with the sheriff, Fuehrer hadn't been advised of his Miranda rights. And when he spoke with the patrol, he said he wouldn't sign a waiver of his rights without an attorney, then said he would speak to them "just off the record here as to what went down and how this transpired," according to the judge's order. The investigator told him to "go ahead and tell us what you need to." They then questioned him at length about the shooting. Johnson wrote that the statements to the patrol are problematic for two reasons. First, because he said he didn't want to sign the waiver without talking to a lawyer but said he would talk to them anyway. Second, and more importantly, she said, because Fuehrer said he would talk to the investigators "off the record." At a hearing in November, the patrol lieutenant testified there is no such thing as "off the record" in a police interview. Miranda specifically warns that anything the person says may be used against them. The judge said this shows that Fuehrer didn't understand the warning he'd been given. "The investigators implicitly promised that his 'off the record' statements would not be used against him when they agreed to listen to him without clarifying his understanding," she wrote. Johnson cited People v. Braeseke, a 1979 California case in which a murder suspect's "off the record statement" was suppressed for the same reason. Fuehrer is out of jail on a $200,000 bond. The case is set for oral arguments March 16 before the Nebraska Court of Appeals in Lincoln. OMAHA A yearlong public art project in west Omaha will commemorate the city's fallen police officers. The project, called Horses of Honor Omaha, will bring seven life-size statues of horses without riders to Turner Park and the Midtown Crossing development. An eighth horse is planned for Omaha Police headquarters downtown. The effort will be unveiled May 20, the first anniversary of officer Kerrie Orozco's death. Orozco was fatally shot by a fugitive she was trying to arrest on a felony warrant. "This project is for Kerrie and all of the brave Omaha police officers who have died in the service of our city," Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert said as he announced the project Tuesday. Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said the project would meet his three goals for commemorating Orozco's death: The public will be involved, the commemoration will last, and other officers will also be honored. "It is our privilege to help celebrate the legacies of those who bravely served and protected our community," Schmaderer said. Other officers honored in the project will have died in the past 10 to 20 years and may have been killed by gunfire or illness. There will also be a life-size replica of an Omaha police dog named Kobus, who was shot and killed during a standoff Jan. 23. The artwork is inspired by a similar effort in Chicago. The eight identical horses have already been created, but local artists will make each one different before the unveiling. A free tribute concert and festival will take place at Turner Park on May 21, the day after the horses are revealed. Organizers expect more than 300,000 people to visit the park during the year the project is on display. The figures will be auctioned off in about a year. Proceeds will go to the Omaha Police Foundation to purchase equipment for officers. Recounting the history of the Black Lives Matter movement to more than 300 people in Lincoln Wednesday, co-founder Alicia Garza said the effort to raise awareness of racial injustices in America is more than a hashtag. I dont even know what a hashtag is, said Garza, 34, speaking at a program sponsored by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Residence Life. You dont turn a hashtag into a movement -- people turn things into a movement. The Black Lives Matter movement began as a love letter to blacks following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida, she said. Garza, a trained sociologist, described the moment as she watched the verdict in a bar with friends like getting punched in the gut." She said it defeated many in her community, reduced others to cynicism and still more to a sense of hopelessness. That verdict said our lives dont matter. You can kill, you can murder and get away with it and there will be no consequences, the soft-spoken and deliberate Garza said. I thought we could use a little love. Garza posted on Facebook: Black people. I love you. I love us. Our lives matter. Her friend, Patrisse Cullors, responded with a hashtag -- #BlackLivesMatter. After that, Black Lives Matter took off, both online and in the outside world. It creates spaces, not just for people who click like or share or retweet, but spaces for people who are talking about this online to connect so they can do stuff together offline, Garza said. Liking and tweeting is not going to change our condition. A year after the Black Lives Matter movement began, it became a banner for protests in Ferguson, Missouri, following the shooting death of Michael Brown, expanding to other places across the country like Baltimore, Oakland, Los Angeles and more. Last November, UNL students held their own Black Lives Matter rally on campus to voice concerns about racism and injustice felt by black students. Chancellor Harvey Perlman, who attended the rally, published a response to a list of demands submitted by rally organizers last week. Garza said the strength of Black Lives Matter, drawn from the determination and complexity of black, white, Asian, Latino and other students like those at UNL, will carry the movement. She said notions the movement has advocated violence against police are false, saying Black Lives Matter wants to hold those in power responsible for their actions, and work toward officers not getting to be judge, jury and executioner. Garza also said a well-organized response to Black Lives Matter resulting in all lives matter is the goal of activists like herself, but achieving that means lifting up black lives first by changing the structures that support and sustain racist institutions in America. All lives do matter, Garza said. Thats what we want, thats what we strive towards, but we dont live in that world right now. All lives means we have some serious problems to fix. February, designated as Black History Month, should instead be designated Black Futures Month, Garza said. She asked students to envision themselves as the next civil rights leaders like Ella Baker, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and others. This is our moment, she said. Whats not an option is for you to do nothing. SAN DIEGO -- Far be it from me to speak ill of the deceased. But if I hear one more superficial tribute to a jurist who helped divide America, I'm going to be sick. In promoting a collective mourning, the admirers of Justice Antonin Scalia have selective memory. And, unfortunately, the media are playing along. The Fourth Estate used to just report the news. Now we create memes. We manufacture story lines, and we work hard to preserve them. Too many journalists would rather repeat the mantra that is out there than stick their neck out by being the only one who says something different. A former editor once correctly noted that the media are "like birds on a wire." They all come to the same story, she said. And they all cover it in largely the same way. And, with Scalia's sudden passing, a series of memes have arisen. There's the one about how he was able to maintain friendships across the ideological spectrum, including an odd-couple rapport with liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And the one about how Scalia was an unfailing originalist when it came to the Constitution, trying to remain faithful to what he believed the Framers had in mind when they crafted the document in the late 1700s. Thus, we're told, by many in the chattering classes, that whether or not we agreed with Scalia's decisions -- all Americans should honor his service to this country. In fact, they say, we should all be yearning to hear his voice just once more. I'm sorry, but I'm not feeling the yearn. I love this country. And my ancestors have been here much longer than Scalia's. The justice was a first-generation American whose father was from Sicily. My father was born in the United States, and so was my mother. The same goes for three grandparents. Yet, for the last 30 years, as I followed the Supreme Court, I never felt well-served by Scalia. On cases ranging from immigration to voting rights to affirmative action, it soon became clear that the first Italian-American on the Supreme Court wasn't there for me, or anyone who looks like me. As he charged into one cultural minefield after another over the years, I can guarantee you that Scalia wasn't thinking about people like my parents, uncles and aunts. They all grew up in the 1930s and 1940s, an era when Mexican-Americans had limited opportunities and suffered overt discrimination. Later attempts by government, universities and corporations to level the playing field for minorities were strongly condemned by Scalia as unfair to the majority. Commentators have spent the last few days saying how Scalia was nothing less than brilliant. But brilliant people show empathy, refresh their thinking and evolve with the times. They seek out different points of view and try to learn from them. There is no evidence that Scalia did any of that. In fact, his fans are praising his consistency. But from where I sit, many of his rulings were consistently bad -- harmed by the fact that he couldn't seem to get beyond a worldview that was narrow and provincial. It is clear from reading many of his opinions that he was, throughout his life, a true believer in conservative dogma. And, too often, that influenced his view of the law as he wandered into politics. That's what happened a few years ago when the high court heard arguments about the constitutionality of the Arizona immigration law, and Scalia launched into a tirade about how the Obama administration wasn't deporting enough people. One had nothing to do with the other. He was roundly criticized by pundits and law professors alike, some of whom insisted that his ruling sounded more like a campaign ad. Scalia's supporters will claim that, like any good jurist, he simply called balls and strikes as he saw them. But if that's the case, why did he say in an interview a few years ago that he hoped whomever replaced him didn't undo what he had done -- as if he had pursued an agenda that he would like to see preserved? No doubt, Scalia was a worthy champion for his cause. But that's the problem. As a judge, the only cause he was supposed to champion was the pursuit of justice. In that arena, he sometimes came up short. Some conservative Americans who have spent years blasting the president for alleged violations of his constitutional authority now want him to ignore not only his constitutional right but his constitutional responsibility to appoint a replacement for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. They ought to be ashamed of themselves. Heres what the constitution says: He (the president) shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Councils, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States Conservative insistence that the U.S. Senate not even allow a vote on an Obama nominee is petty and juvenile. Tactics like this threaten to make the country ungovernable. The need for a president to appoint a justice in his last year in office does not arise often. Supreme Court justices tend to delay retirement in the months approaching an election. But, contrary to what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio claim, there is no established historical tradition for presidents to defer a U.S. Supreme Court nomination to his or her successor. The U.S. Senate in 1988 voted to confirm Justice Anthony Kennedy in President Ronald Reagans last year in office. Reagan nominated Kennedy in November of the previous year after the Senate rejected Robert Bork, his first nominee, and his second nominee, Douglas Ginsburg withdrew after the revelation that he had smoked marijuana. After nominating Kennedy, Reagan urged the Senate to, "join together in a bipartisan effort to fulfill our constitutional obligation of restoring the United States Supreme Court to full strength." Before that President Lyndon Johnson in his last year (1968) nominated Abe Fortas to the post of U.S. Chief Justice and named Homer Thornberry to replace him. The Senate rejected Johnsons effort to elevate Fortas, and Thornberrys nomination died with that Senate action. Constitutional rights and responsibilities aside, Republican refusal to allow a Senate vote would also be bad politics. Theres no doubt that the issue would energize the liberal base, perhaps giving Democrats an edge in the president election. Liberals already are guffawing at the possible scenario of Hillary Clinton nominating Barack Obama to the nations court, which would surely make Tea Party heads explode. Both Republicans and Democrats have played scorched-earth politics when it comes to Supreme Court nominees. But at least the majority party in the Senate has allowed the process to play out. And thats what Republicans should do now, in fulfillment of their constitutional obligation to advise and consent. Every year, at the annual American Cancer Society Cancer Action Networks Nebraska Day at the Capitol, I have the pleasure of bringing together cancer patients, survivors, caregivers and advocates from all across Nebraska. For this one day, citizens travel from their communities to Lincoln to unite behind one cause: making the fight against cancer a top priority for the Nebraska Legislature. Every Nebraskan has a story to tell about how they have been touched by cancer. ACS CANs Day at the Capitol event is the time for our state senators to hear those personal stories. For more information on the upcoming event being held on Thursday, February 25, please visit www.acscan.org/necapitol. On behalf of the nearly 9,800 Nebraskans who will be diagnosed with cancer this year and the 3,500 who will ultimately die from the disease, join ACS CAN and advocates from all across the state in sending a message to our lawmakers that Nebraska can do more in the fight against cancer. Matt Prokop, Nebraska Grassroots Manager for ACS CAN, Lincoln The Lincoln Community Foundation, Lied Center for Performing Arts and Food Bank of Lincoln are joining forces in a community-wide initiative centered on finding a long-term, sustainable solution to childhood hunger in Lancaster County. The Grumble Project was born out of the Lincoln Vital Signs report, which revealed alarming statistics about poverty and food insecurity, especially among Lincoln children. The Grumble Projects mission is to raise awareness about the realities of childhood hunger in the Lincoln community and find the means and solutions to feed our future. Puddin and the Grumble will make its world premiere at the Lied Centers Johnny Carson Theater March 10-20. This brand-new family musical was inspired by local Lincoln children who participated in the Clinton Creative Club, an after-school club facilitated by the Lied Center at Clinton Elementary School. The show was produced by the Lied Center and written by Lincoln playwright Becky Boesen and composer David Von Kampen. Told through the eyes of a plucky fifth-grader, Puddin and the Grumble fearlessly takes on hunger in our own community and features uplifting scores that include everything from cha cha and rap to soaring Broadway-style melodies. Puddins journey is made complete with the help of her big-hearted and often hilarious family and friends. We are so pleased to fund Puddin and the Grumble. It is one of our 60th anniversary gifts for the community, said Barbara Bartle, president of Lincoln Community Foundation. This is a unique opportunity to utilize performing arts as a way to start conversations and work together to support our children and their families who face hunger. The arts have a way of making difficult topics more approachable, said Bill Stephan, executive director of the Lied Center. Our hope is that Puddin and the Grumble will spark a dialogue in our community, creating greater awareness of the challenges we face, and most importantly, help us arrive at a solution. The Food Bank of Lincoln has planned numerous local events to increase community exposure to the Grumble Project and foster awareness of food insecurity issues. The nonprofit agency hopes to attract new donors and raise additional funds to support its child hunger programs. Story collection will be a vital component of the Grumble Project. A portable Grumble stories collection booth will appear at numerous locations throughout Lincoln, where community members will be invited to share their own Grumble stories about how they have been affected by food insecurity. A new website, GrumbleProject.org, has been launched by the Food Bank to house information and resources, the Grumble stories and details on upcoming Grumble Project events. The Child Hunger story in Lincoln, Nebraska and throughout America is important for all of us to hear and acknowledge, said Scott Young, director of the Food Bank of Lincoln. The creators of this musical crafted a sensitive, thoughtful and entertaining story about child hunger. Telling this story calls us to action. We invite anyone in our community who has a Grumble story to share it through GrumbleProject.org or contact the Food Bank of Lincoln directly. RACINERacine City Development staff will be giving an update to the citys Community Development Committee tonight about a new community development corporation called the Racine Revitalization Partnership, Inc. The group registered as a non-stock corporation with Wisconsin on Oct. 15, but there has been little public discussion about its goals. It is expected that some of that information will be provided during the Community Development Committee meeting tonight, Thursday, Feb. 18, at 6 p.m., in Room. 205 at City Hall, 730 Washington Ave. The committee is also expected to discuss how the city plans to allocate federal Community Development Block Grant, housing and homelessness prevention funds this year. You can view the agenda here. NORWAY Racine County Sheriff's deputies used Narcan Wednesday to revive a man believed to have overdosed on heroin, who was found asleep behind the wheel at an intersection. At approximately 4:54 p.m. Wednesday, the Racine County Communications Center received a call about a driver asleep at the wheel in the middle of the intersection of South Wind Lake Road at Highway 36 in the Wind Lake business district in the Town of Norway. Upon arrival Racine County deputies found a 35-year-old Rochester man slumped over the wheel, unresponsive and breathing, according to a press release from the Sheriff's Office. Deputies on scene determined the cause of unresponsiveness to be related to the use of heroin and administered Narcan (Naloxone Hydrochloride) and the man became alert, the release stated. According to the release, the man was later taken into custody and was being held in the Racine County Jail for the following pending charges: Felony OWI fourth offense; operating while his license is revoked; and possible other drug-related charges. According to the Sheriff's Office, county deputies are trained in the use of Narcan, which is available for all sheriff patrol vehicles. RACINE James J. Carvino, who worked his way up the ranks of the New York Police Department before serving as Racine Police Chief for seven years, died last Sunday in Boise, Idaho. Carvino, 81, died Feb. 14 after a long illness, according to the Boise Police Department, where he served as chief from 1988 to 1993. Carvino served as Racine police chief from 1977 to 1984. When he took over in 1977, Racine had the states third largest police department with 207 officers, according to the departments 1977 Annual Progress Report. In his first year at the helm, Carvino added an investigator to handle complaints of police misconduct, created a weapons review board to investigate all incidents in which a firearm was involved, and developed an agility testing course for new police candidates. Also in the report, Carvino expressed his admiration of Racine police officers. They have a lot more expertise than a New York City patrolman, he said in the report. The climate is different. In New York City, a policeman is not held in the esteem he is here. Current Police Chief Art Howell and Lt. Chuck Weitzel are the only members of the department hired by Carvino who are still active, Howell said. Howell and Weitzel were in the police academy during the final months of Carvinos tenure, Howell said. We never had a chance to work for him, as he moved on to another job shortly after we graduated, Howell said. Carvino left Racine in September 1984 to become head of the United States Capitol Police in Washington, D.C. He moved to Boise in 1988. After retiring from the Boise department, Carvino worked as director of security for the Morrison-Knudsen construction company. Carvino came to Racine after spending 22 years with the New York Police Department. He advanced from rookie patrolman walking a beat in Hells Kitchen to captain in charge of narcotics investigations in Brooklyn and Staten Island. MADISON School districts with students attending private voucher schools would lose less funding than initially proposed under a compromise reached among Republican lawmakers making changes to the voucher funding formula. The 2015-17 state budget allowed school districts to increase revenues a combination of state aid and property taxes based on the states school funding formula for students attending private voucher schools, typically about $10,000 per pupil. The districts also lose state aid based on the amount claimed for a voucher which is capped at about $7,300 for K-8 and $8,000 for high school. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, took issue with districts being able to pocket the difference, potentially through higher property taxes. His proposed change to the formula would have cost school districts with voucher students collectively about $14.2 million in revenue authority in the first year. Vos said Tuesday night the Assembly would take up a version of the bill Thursday that would allow school districts to retain as much funding in state aid and property tax levy authority per pupil as the amount of each students private school voucher. That would mean the collective reduction to the 142 districts with voucher students would be closer to $5.3 million. Vos said he reached a deal with Sen. Luther Olsen, R-Ripon, that the Senate would take up the amended bill in March. Olsen did not respond to a request for comment. The change is part of a bill the state Senate approved Tuesday that would make technical amendments to the states new voucher program for students with disabilities. The bill passed 19-13 along party lines without debate. The Senate version did not include Vos original proposal. RACINE North Beach doesnt see much traffic this time of year, but thats not stopping it from getting recognition as one of the nations top freshwater beaches. As part of USA Todays travel partner website 10Bests annual readers choice contest, North Beach has the chance to be named the best freshwater beach in the country. As of Thursday, North Beach was in second place out of the 20 beaches nominated. Were extremely proud of North Beach, said Paul Holley, marketing director of Real Racine, the countys tourism promotion agency. Its really one of the crown jewels of this whole area. This isnt the first national recognition the beach has received. According to Holley, North Beach was the first Wisconsin beach to receive the Blue Wave beach designation from the Clean Beaches Council in 2004. It also appeared on three separate national beach lists from 2010 to 2012 that were published by organizations like Parents Magazine and Midwest Living Magazine. It is really one of the things that makes Racine really special, Holley said. 10Best describes North Beach as a delightful summer playground and says it affords families room to spread out and enjoy time playing in the sand and splashy fun in its cooling, shallow waters. North Beach trails only Michigans Grand Haven State Park in the standings as of Thursday. Other nearby beaches in the running include Milwaukees Bradford Beach, Chicagos Oak Street Beach and Sheboygans Kohler-Andrae State Park. Readers can vote for North Beach once a day on the 10Best website, www.10best.com/awards/travel. Voting ends at 11 a.m. Monday, March 14. YORKVILLE Racine County Youth in Governance representatives will host a public input session to collect concepts and ideas that will be incorporated into designs for a new Racine County flag. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 22, in the Auditorium at the Ives Grove Office Complex, 14200 Washington Ave. The public is encouraged to attend and share design ideas and symbolism with the committee. The final flag design will likely be offered to the Racine County Board of Supervisors via resolution for possible adoption in April. For more information, contact Racine County UW-Extension at 262-767-2929, or committee Chairman Monte Osterman at 262-308-2766. The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill 23-9 that lifts a decades-old restriction on new nuclear power plant construction in Wisconsin, but backers acknowledged that nuclear power plants were unlikely to be built any time in the near future because it is so costly. The bill ends laws requiring that new nuclear plants not burden ratepayers, and that a federal storage facility be in place to accept nuclear waste. The Assembly passed the bill last month. The restrictions were enacted after the 1979 meltdown at the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania focused public attention on the extreme danger of accidental releases of radioactive material. Nuclear power is much more expensive that natural gas, and the plants are costly to build. But the state may need as much flexibility as possible to meet federal goals for halting carbon emissions from coal-burning power plants, backers of Assembly Bill 384 said. A controversial bill to make it easier for for-profit corporations to buy municipal water and sewer utilities appears dead. A spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said Wednesday that Republicans who control the Senate werent satisfied with the proposal. Senator Fitzgerald has said that while he believes the proposal has merit, AB 554 is likely dead this session after efforts to craft an amendment which addressed our members concerns were not successful, spokeswoman Myranda Tanck said. The GOP-controlled Assembly passed the bill Jan. 12 and a Senate committee approved it on a 3-2 party-line vote Jan. 28. Late Monday, the proposal was added to the Tuesday agenda for the full Senate, but during the floor session it was removed without public discussion or announcement. Under current law, only Wisconsin corporations may buy water or sewer utilities. Sales cant occur without voter approval after the state Public Service Commission sets a sale price. AB 554 would allow out-of-state corporations to buy the utilities, and a public referendum would be held before sale terms were known. No referendum would occur unless opponents gathered signatures of 10 percent of voters. The bill was written at the request of Aqua America, Inc., a Pennsylvania company that owns water utilities in eight states. Critics said the bill risked higher water bills for customers because private owners would extract profits. They said removing decision-making from the public could put water quality at risk. Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, called withdrawal of the bill a huge victory. Access to safe, clean drinking water is a basic human right, Shilling said. Rather than allowing private, out-of-state corporations to profit off our water, Democrats believe we should be investing in our public infrastructure and protecting access to these important services. Assembly lead sponsor Rep. Tyler August, R-Lake Geneva, didnt respond to a request for comment Wednesday. August has said concerns were overblown because state regulators would still oversee water quality and rates. But the state Public Service Commission factors profit expectations and higher private-sector debt costs into rates for Wisconsins only large privately-owned water system. Customers of Allete Inc. in Superior pay the highest base charge of the states roughly 80 major water utilities. The company bills customers 9 percent over operating expenses, the highest rate of return. The base charge for water in Superior $51 per quarter is more than double the average $21, according to PSC data. Average quarterly bills for 15,000 gallons were $152, compared to an average of $73. Lars Fiorio, a spokesman for the only Senate sponsor of the bill, Sen. Frank Lasee, R-De Pere, wasnt available Wednesday. He has said Lasee heard from opponents around the state. The League of Wisconsin Municipalities withdrew its support on Friday, joining nearly 20 other groups in opposition, including conservationists and unions. This appalling power grab by corporate interests was stopped by the voice of the people, said Phil Neuenfeldt, president of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. Union members sent thousands of messages to lawmakers around the state to express dismay and disappointment with privatizing our water utilities without citizen say. Withering on the Vine The Demographic Time Bomb is Most Marked in Japan The demographic time bomb whereby the elderly population assumes a greater and ... Government Sexual Libertinism Coming to a Government School Near You Further to our piece yesterday on the promotion of sexual libertinism in government schools, we rep... Some Random Observations The Aftermath of Mass Pre-Mediated Murder A few observations on the murder of 14 people in San Bernadino and the wounding of many more see... Letter From the UK (About State Tyranny) Ta-ta UK freedoms! Miranda matter outs vindictiveness of wounded police state Annie Machon is a former intelligence of... The Big One The Panoptican State Is Actually Operational Yesterday the "big one" dropped. The Guardian reported that the US and UK spy age... Fraud Central German Professor: NASA Has Fiddled Climate Data On Unbelievable Scale by James Delingpole BreitbartLondon A German professor ha... Statist Groupthink More and More Fashionable The Rise of Liberal Intolerance in America Edward Luce Financial Times I t ought to be a triumphal moment for American liberalism .... Vacuous Greenism Anti-Fracking Luddiocy Think of any technology that involves carbon based energy and its utilisation, and the lunatic fringe can be found ... "It is Finished": the Sixth Word from the Cross It is Finished: our Lords Sixth Word from the Cross What is history? That simple question covers a multitude of complexity, profundity... [JURIST] Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] reported [press release] Wednesday that Egyptian officials have ordered for the closure of a torture rehabilitation center that had been a refuge to victims of human rights violations. Early on Wednesday, Egyptian police officers entered the Nadeem Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence [advocacy website] with a closure order approved by the health ministry. Since its inception in 1993, the El Nadeem Center has provided torture victims counseling services and legal assistance. Said Boumedouha, Amnesty Internationals Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa Program, said, [t]his looks to us like a barefaced attempt to shut down an organization which has been a bastion for human rights and a thorn in the side of the authorities for more than 20 years. AI believes that the El Nadeem Center should be allowed a day in court to challenge the order. Of particular concern with Egypts constitutional and human rights is the prosecution and imprisonment of journalists by the Egyptian government, which has garnered widespread criticism from governments and rights groups worldwide. Last month 13 non-governmental organizations issued a joint statement [JURIST report] to the Egyptian parliament giving recommendations to ensure the enforcement of constitutional and human rights. Last year Egyptian lawyer Nasser Amin challenged a law [JURIST report] that allows writers to be jailed for writings that violate Egyptian morals. In August Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi approved [JURIST report] a 54-article counter-terrorism law that has been met with significant controversy, as many believe it infringes on the freedom of the press. Many have said that the law defines terrorism too broadly and imposes harsh sentences and fines on violators. Human Rights Watch criticized [JURIST report] the law saying it infringes on freedom of the press. [JURIST] Argentina and US bondholders on Tuesday settled a class action lawsuit over defaulted debt from 2001. According to the court appointed monitor, Daniel Pollack, creditors who participate would receive 100 percent of the principal owed [Buenos Aires Herald report] and 50 percent of the interest owed on that principal. The exact number of bondholders that are covered under the class action settlement will not be known for several weeks. On February 5, the nation of Argentina offered [Reuters report] $6.5B to settle its $100B debt obligation. Pollack stated that Tuesdays settlement fits within the numbers of the proposed offer. Two of the six leading bondholders have accepted the terms of the offer. Litigation related to Argentinas 2001 debt default has continued for years. Last September the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit [official website] ruled that a lower court judge should not have expanded a class action suit [JURIST report] of bondholders suing Argentina. District Judge Thomas Griesa had been overseeing litigation related to Argentinas sovereign debt default for roughly 14 years ago. The appeals court noted it was the fourth time it had reviewed and subsequently rejected Griesas method for calculating damages. In April the Second Circuit dismissed [JURIST report] the Argentine governments appeal of a contempt charge in an ongoing dispute over Argentinas bond default. In September 2014 Argentina signed into law [JURIST report] a bill to continue making payments on foreign-held bonds outside of US jurisdiction, circumventing the US court ruling [JURIST report] that prohibits Argentina from paying its bondholders until the dispute is resolved. In August 2014 Argentina initiated legal proceedings [JURIST report] against the US in the International Court of Justice [official website] over US interference in the restructuring of Argentinas foreign debt. A top migration official at EU has warned [AP report] Austria on Thursday not to go ahead with the implementation of its plans to cap the asylum-seeker numbers, stating that any such move would be unlawful. Dimitris Avramopoulos wrote a letter to Austrias interior minister stating that Austria has a legal obligation to accept asylum applications made on its territory or at its border. He further added that any move to the contrary would be plainly incompatible with Austrias obligations under EU and international law. This new development has come in the face of a statement released on Wednesday by Austrias Interior Minister, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, in which he said that Austria would allow a maximum of 80 asylum applications [press release, in German] per day at southern border crossing points. Avramopoulos also warned Austria not to allow individuals to travel through its territory if their aim is to apply for asylum elsewhere. The issue of migrant rights has emerged as one of the most significant humanitarian issues around the world, as millions seek asylum from conflict nations. Earlier this month the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas [official website] rejected [order, PDF] a Texas lawsuit seeking to halt the federal resettlement [JURIST report] of Syrian refugees in the state. Judge David Godbey ruled that Texas officials had failed to show a substantial threat of irreparable injury in the request for an injunction to stop further Syrian refugee resettlement. Also earlier this month the EU Commissioner stated that Turkey must ensure [JURIST report] that fewer refugees enter Greece by keeping more refugees in their country. In November UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [official profile addressed [JURIST report] the UN General Assembly and cautioned the international community to avoid discrimination against Muslims, especially refugees and migrants entering Europe, as a result of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris a week earlier. In October Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] called on [JURIST report] the EU and Western Balkans states to focus on remedying what it characterized as deplorable conditions for asylum-seekers in Europe. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights gave the opening statement [JURIST report] at the thirtieth session of the Human Rights Council in September in which he addressed, among other pressing human rights issues, the migrant crisis. Indias high court on Thursday expressed concern over law and order following widespread protests over the arrest of a student leader for sedition. Kanhaiya Kumar, the head of the student union at Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University, was arrested [Guardian report] last Friday for sedition for allegedly chanting ant-India slogans at a rally last week. He has denied participating in the chanting. Kumar was attacked on Wednesday on his way into court by right wing lawyers. Lawyers heading into the courthouse and journalists covering the case were also heckled. The court has stated [Tribune report] that it is concerned about the law and order situation arising out of the violence at the courthouse. There have also been protests in support of Kumar by those who believe this case constitutes a violation of free speech rights at universities. Countries around the world have struggled to balance citizens internationally-recognized right to free speech with domestic and international security concerns. In January the former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia was ordered [JURIST report] to appear in court following charges of sedition. In May JURIST guest columnist Roy S. Gutterman noted [JURIST op-ed] that may countries throughout the world not only still have, but also actively enforce sedition laws. In April the Parliament of Malaysia announced [JURIST report] a change to the countrys sedition law, which will strengthen government intervention upon sedition activity. Also in April a Malaysia political cartoonist was charged [JURIST report] with nine counts of sedition over tweets criticizing the countrys judiciary. In March Malaysian officials arrested [JURIST report] the daughter of jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim for alleged acts of sedition. She was reportedly arrested and detained specifically for a speech she made criticizing the jailing of her father. [JURIST] The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) [advocacy website] on Wednesday filed suit [press release] on behalf of Muslim American Rajaee Fatihah, who was denied service at an Oklahoma gun range last year. CAIR, along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU of Oklahoma argue [complaint, PDF] that the gun range, Save Yourself Survival and Tactical Gun Range [Facebook page] violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as the anti-discrimination laws of Oklahoma. Once Fatihah identified himself as Muslim, he alleges the defendants armed themselves with handguns and refused him service. They then proceeded to ask him whether he had come to the range to commit acts of jihad. Fatihah, a US army reserve member who shoots to maintain his proficiency in marksmanship, was denied service in October. The gun range implemented a Muslim-Free Zone policy [NY Daily News report] last summer placing a sign on the window. The owner, Chad Neal, has maintained that the policy is about safety. Anti-Muslim sentiment is an international issue. Earlier this month Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused French officials of discriminating against Muslims [JURIST report] residing in France under the state of emergency law imposed in November. Many states have attempted to block the resettlement of Syrian refugees [JURIST report] citing security issues, though many have accused the more than 30 governors of pandering to Anti-Muslim sentiments. In November UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed [JURIST report] the UN General Assembly and cautioned the international community to avoid discrimination against Muslims, especially refugees and migrants entering Europe, as a result of the terrorist attacks in Paris a week earlier. North Carolina voters in two racially formulated voting districts filed a response [text, PDF] in the US Supreme Court [official website] Tuesday rejecting the merits of the states request to a stay a district court order to redistrict prior to the 2016 primary on March 16. The US District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina [official website] previously ordered [text] the state to enact a remedial redistricting plan before a February 19 deadline. Last week the state filed [text, PDF] an emergency request in the Supreme Court to stay the order based on probable complications with absentee ballots and the potential for the sudden redistricting to create a chaotic voting process culminating in irreparable harm to the voters. The response by voters urged the court to deny the request so as not to subject voters to another election under unconstitutional conditions. Voting rights remain a controversial legal issue in the US. Earlier this month, a partnership of voting rights groups filed suit against the executive director for the US Election Assistance Commission (EAC) [official website], alleging that his recent decision limiting the use of national voter registration [JURIST report] in Alabama, Kansas and Georgia deprives eligible voters of the right to vote. Last month a judge for the US District Court of the Middle District of North Carolina granted [JURIST report] a motion by the NAACP and other plaintiffs that would have kept the state from implementing a voter identification law in the upcoming March elections. In May the New Hampshire Supreme Court struck down [JURIST report] a 2012 law requiring voters to be state residents, not just domiciled in the state. In March the US Supreme Court denied certiorari [JURIST report] to hear challenges to Wisconsins voter ID law. Also in March Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed a new law [JURIST report] that made Oregon the first state in the nation to institute automatic voter registration. The Puerto Rico Legislature passed a bill [text, PDf, in Spanish] Tuesday that would restructure the islands estimated $9 billion debt. After the Puerto Rico House of Representatives approved the bill on Monday, the Puerto Rico Senate [official websites, in Spanish] approved the following day with the House amendments. The legislation will be presented [Reuters report] to Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla [official profile, in Spanish] to sign. The debt was mostly accrued by the Puerto Rico Electronic Power Authority (PREPA) [corporate website]. The bill cements an agreement made between PREPA and its creditors in which the creditors agreed to reduce repayments by 15 percent. At the end of 2015, Puerto Rico was $70 billion dollars in debt. The governor anticipated a government default [Bloomberg report] in 2016, which came to fruition [NYT report] on January 4. The territory has been suffering from a massive recession [BBC report] since 2006, nearly a decade before Padilla announced that Puerto Rico was unable to pay its debts. However, PREPA reached a deal [Bloomberg report] to restructure its debt in December. This deal is the first of many restructuring plans to alleviate the governments debt. Russia filed suit against Ukraine on Wednesday over Ukraines default on $3 billion in bonds. Filed in the London High Court [official website], Russia seeks to regain the principal plus $75 million in accrued interest and legal fees. Russia bought Ukraines debt, in the form of a Eurobond structured under English law, from then-president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych [BBC profile] in December 2013. Yanukovych was subsequently ousted, and multiple efforts to restructure the debt have failed. Anton Siluanov [official profile], Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation, stated [Reuters report] that he hopes that the protection of rights of the Russian Federation as a creditor will be carried out by an independent, authoritative court, which will impartially consider the dispute between the two sovereigns. Russia and Ukraine have been in conflict since the annexation of Crimea [JURIST backgrounder] in March 2014. A Ukrainian official said in January that the nation plans to sue Russia [JURIST report] in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) [official website] on claims of financing terrorism. In December the UN issues a report about serious human rights concerns [JURIST report] that persist in Ukraine. In August a Russian military court sentenced [JURIST report] two Ukrainian activists to substantial jail time for the charge of conspiring to commit terror attacks. In March the EU committed to stand by [JURIST report] its policy of refusing to recognize Crimeas annexation, as they purport the illegality of Russias referendum. In February Russian liberal political activist Boris Nemtsov was shot in the back four times [BBC report] in the middle of busy downtown Moscow. Nemtsov was openly politically opposed to Russias annexation of Crimea and its role in Ukraine, and many believe Vladimir Putin ordered the killing. The UK Supreme Court [official website] ruled [judgment, PDF] Thursday that a law on joint enterprise has been misinterpreted for 30 years, opening the door for many convicted murderers to appeal their convictions. Under the former interpretation of the law, a person could be convicted of murder without committing the murder himself if he acted in conjunction with the killer and could have foreseen the killers actions. The judges ruled that this foresight standard is not, on its own, a sufficient test. President of the Supreme Court Lord Neuberger stated [Guardian report] that the correct position is that, foresight of what the principal might do is evidence from which the jury may infer that he intended to assist or encourage to do so, but it is for the jury to decide on the whole evidence of whether he had the necessary intent. The ruling was related to two different joint enterprise cases, in which both mens murder convictions have now been overturned. It may also open the door for many more prisoners to appeal their own convictions. This issue marks one of many significant cases the UK high court has decided recently. Earlier this month the UK Supreme Court ruled [JURIST report] in favor of a lesbian woman seeking the return of her IVF-born daughter to the UK from Pakistan, giving her the right to fight for custody. In November the high court rejected [JURIST report] a challenge to an immigration rule requiring foreign spouses of UK citizens to speak English before relocating to the UK. Also that month the court began hearings in the case of Abdel Hakim Belhaj, who claims the British government assisted in his 2004 rendition by US forces. [JURIST] US Magistrate Sheri Pym of the US District Court for the Central District of California [official website] on Tuesday ordered Apple [corporate website] to assist the US government in unlocking the iPhone of one of the shooters in the San Bernardino, California, terrorist attack on December 2. US authorities are in possession of an iPhone that formerly belonged to shooter Tashfeen Malik, but the FBI [official website] is unable to access the encrypted device. Tuesdays court order requires Apple to supply software to the FBI to disable a self-destruct feature [AP report] that erases phone data after 10 failed attempts to enter the phones password. According to industry officials, Apple cannot dismantle or override the self-destruct feature and the general understanding is that Apple must write a new software program [WP report] to get around the feature. In other words, the government is ordering a private company to hack its own device [Reuters report]. Apple issued a statement [corporate customer letter] on Wednesday in opposition to the courts order. Apple maintains the FBI is using an unprecedented use of the All Writs Act of 1789 which threatens data security. National Public Radio (NPR) analyzes [NPR report] the complexities of the disagreement between Apple and the US government. The emergence of new technology, such as cellular phones and GPS tracking devices, has challenged modern courts to adopt appropriate standards for obtaining a search warrant and executing a constitutional search under the Fourth Amendment. In an article published earlier this month, JURIST guest columnist Veronica Reyes of St. Johns University School of Law argues [JURIST op-ed] why warrantless searches of cell phones by the police may not be the best solution in protecting our Fourth Amendment rights. US military judge James Pohl refused on Wednesday to allow accused 9/11 conspirator Walid bin Attash to fire his attorneys and refusedto let his defender to quit the case. In response Attash has stated [Miami Herald report] he will boycott the proceedings and refuse all contact with his attorneys, which are provided by the Pentagon. Attashs attorney claims she is unable to effectively defend Attash due to perceived spying by the CIA and FBI, causing Attash not to trust her. Pohl, however, did order Attash to be provided another lawyer to help him file his pleadings seeking to fire members of his defense team. Pohl ruled [JURIST report] in October that Atash did not show good cause to fire his lawyer, deciding that allowing Atash to retain new counsel would further delay trial proceedings. Attash is one of the five detainees charged for planning and aiding of the 9/11 attacks. He is charged with 2,976 counts of murder for allegedly orchestrating, funding and training the hijackers. No trial date has been set. This is the latest development in the efforts to try those accused in the 9/11 attacks, following numerous delays. Last year the US Department of Defense (DOD) rescinded a rule [JURIST report] that required military judges presiding over war crimes tribunals at the US Navy base in Guantanamo Bay to relocate to Cuba. The DOD claimed that the rule was enacted, in part, to help speed up the litigation process in military commission prosecutions, but overturned the rule in response to Pohls suspension of the 9/11 terrorism case. Pohl had said in his 10-page ruling [JURIST report] that the relocation order created at least the appearance of an unlawful attempt to press the military judge to accelerate the pace of litigation and an improper attempt to usurp judicial discretion. The prior year Pohl suspended proceedings [JURIST report] following accusations that the FBI was spying on lawyers for one of the accused. Defense lawyers for admitted 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Ramzi bin al-Shibh [JURIST news archives] filed an emergency motion with the court alleging that two members of the FBI tried to turn one of the defense team security officers into a secret informant. Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain. Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred. For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here. Japan extends Rs 3.5 bn grant for earthquake recovery projects The Japan government of Japan has agreed to provide Grant Assistance of JPY 4 billion Japanese Yen (equivalent to approximately Rs 3.5 billion) to Nepal for "The Project on rehabilitation and recovery from Nepal Earthquake." Delhi-bound Instead of making grand new pronouncements, Prime Minister Oli should take a long and hard look in understanding the nuances of policies and focus on implementing past agreements First session of parliament under new Statute ends Winter session of Parliament ended on Wednesday as all lawmakers from the main opposition Nepali Congress remained absent due to the partys upcoming national general convention on March 3-6. Speaker Onsari Gharti made the announcement during her address to the House meeting on Wednesday. Four MoUs expected to be signed in Delhi At least four memorandums of understanding (MoUs), including two on line of credit and reconstruction aid, are expected to be signed during Prime Minister KP Sharma Olis six-day visit to India beginning Friday. Fuel surcharge lowered, flying gets cheaper Flying in Nepal just got a little cheaper. The Airlines Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN) on Wednesday slashed the fuel surcharge following a steep drop in oil prices. India's invitation for official visit means acceptance of Nepals constitution: PM Oli Prime Minsiter KP Oli, who is embarking on a six-day official trip to India starting Friday, said that his visit will focus on cementing the misguided relations between Nepal and India and taking it to a new height. Jica to provide technical assistance Japan International Cooper-ation Agency (Jica) has agreed to provide technical assistance on capacity development for the implementation of the planned Economic Census 2018 in Nepal. Kalaiya tense as Morcha supporters disrupt NC meet Tension ensued in Bara district headquarters Kalaiya on Thursday after attempts were made to disrupt Nepali Congress unofficial gathering. Obama 'to make historic Cuba visit' President Obama is to visit Cuba in the coming weeks as part of a broader trip to Latin America, reports say. Timothy is a copy editor for The Kathmandu Post. Previously, he was a reporter on the Features desk and deputy editor on the National News desk. Over 4 dozen SSFN leaders quit en masse Around 50 Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal leaders, including five central committee members, have quit the party en masse. Postal Road tops agenda for Olis New Delhi visit Nepal and India are set to sign a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of Postal Road in the Tarai during upcoming India visit of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. Power starts flowing Electricity has started flowing into Nepal from India through the newly-completed Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur transmission line. South China Sea dispute: US attacks China 'militarisation' US Secretary of State John Kerry says Washington is seriously concerned about increased Chinese militarisation in the contested South China Sea. The big divide Digital technologies and their rapid penetration can facilitate our strides towards development Ties to normalise after visit: Rae Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae said on Wednesday that Nepal-India bilateral relations will normalise after Prime Minister KP Sharma Olis visit to India. Transitional justice faces threat The transitional justice bodies, formed a year ago, have also failed to win the confidence of victims Jeff Hahne/Getty ImagesAtlas Genius has announced a spring North American headlining tour. The outing, which will feature support from Skylar Grey, kicks off March 31 in Portland, Oregon and will conclude April 30 in Los Angeles. Visit AtlasGenius.com for all ticket info. The Australian duo will be touring in support of their latest album, Inanimate Objects, which features the song "Molecules" and the band's new single, "Stockholm." Here are Atlas Genius' headlining tour dates: 3/31 -- Portland, OR, Hawthorne Theatre 4/1 -- Seattle, WA, Showbox 4/2 -- Vancouver, BC, Venue 4/4 -- Boise, ID, Knitting Factory Concert House 4/5 -- Salt Lake City, UT, The Complex - Grand Room 4/6 -- Denver, CO, Bluebird Theater 4/7 -- Kansas City, MO, Madrid Theatre & Cafe 4/9 -- Milwaukee, WI, The Rave II 4/10 -- Minneapolis, MN, Fine Line Music 4/12 -- Chicago, IL, Bottom Lounge 4/13 -- St. Louis, MO, Firebird 4/15 -- Nashville, TN, 3rd & Lindsley 4/16 -- Nashville, TN, Shelter 4/17 -- Toronto, ON, Mod Club 4/18 -- Montreal, QC, L'Astral 4/20 -- Boston, MA, Paradise Rock Club 4/21 -- New Haven, CT, College Street Music Hall 4/23 -- Charlotte, NC, Visulite Theatre 4/25 -- Tulsa, OK, The Vanguard 4/26 -- Dallas, TX, Granada Theater 4/27 -- Houston, TX, House of Blues 4/29 -- Phoenix, AZ, Crescent Ballroom 4/30 -- Los Angeles, CA, El Rey Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Mike Dunleavy the governor of the US state of Alaska is intending to introduce legislation that will repeal the two state boards which regu... The elections are now turning chaotic in different parts of Kampala and Wakiso due to an overwhelmingly delayed deployment of voting materials countrywide. It's 12:00 noon, still no voting materials at Katuuso COU polling station. Check @amgodiva's face #UgandaDecides pic.twitter.com/CGwCnfiDWG Susan Mirembe (@Cell_met) February 18, 2016 At Kanga polling station in Entebbe municipality voting has not kicked off due to late delivery of voting materials. At Kajjansi dispensary B, polling materials arrived in an NRM candidates car causing suspicion. Police fired in the air to disperse crowds that pounced on councilor Mubiru Balwana. The voters accused the councilors of ballot stuffing in favor of parliamentary candidate Peter Sematimba. Mutigwedembe polling station Makerere 11 Zone A, Voting started @ 12 :50 @chrisatuk #UgandaDecides pic.twitter.com/Yaj3xRmqAg Daily Monitor (@DailyMonitor) February 18, 2016 At Bulaga Mityana road, anti-riot police has been deployed to quell a strike started by voters. The voters had chosen to sit in the middle of the road demanding that the voting exercise kicks off. Police has deployed mamba and teargas trucks to calm the situation. In Makindye Mubarak , a strike is also under way. Police has heavily deployed at queens way where voters turned rowdy over delays in delivery of polling materials. A scuffle earlier on ensued in Kisenyi after the polling agents disagreed with polling officials on the distance they are meant to keep from the cordoned off area. Those in polling stations without material, please don't give up, tell everyone at your polling stations to hang in there #UgandaDecides Irene Ikomu (@miss__rizzy) February 18, 2016 In Wabigalo zone here in Namuwongo, voters have also blocked 8th street industrial area. They have carried boulders and placed them in the middle of the road, they also carried carried the desks to be used by the polling officials and placed them in the middle of the road. All vehicles have been blocked except and ambulance that passed a few moments ago. In the Elgon region in Busiu sub-county voters have turned their wrath on the presiding officer after discovering that the Electoral Commission only delivered ballot papers for parliamentary candidates leaving out presidential ballots. Bullets were fired at St Peter's Nsumbi-Nansana as voters tried to strike against delay of delivery. Voting hasn't kicked off #UgandaDecides Daily Monitor (@DailyMonitor) February 18, 2016 The over 500 registered voters at Busiu town ship A to M polling station then put the Presiding officer Ronald Wabomba to task to explain. A row erupted that saw police and the presiding officers flee for safety. P'ple of Ggaba telling Police Officers to open a Box which they claim has pre-ticked Ballots.#UgandaDecides pic.twitter.com/pH0rEzer9K Samwise Gamgee (@Sambannz) February 18, 2016 Meanwhile, Reports from Sironko where theBudadiri West Member of Parliament Nandala Mafabi comes from suggest that most of the polling stations had pre-ticked ballot papers for some presidential candidates. Voters at a polling station in Napak district have been left helpless after strong winds carried away one of the ballot boxes. Heavy deployment in Ggaba Kla after clashes between voters and police. Voting cancelled via@cathkemi pic.twitter.com/nciOUElntb #Topowa (@cceduganda) February 18, 2016 The incident occurred atLorupayo polling station in Lokali village in Lokali parish in MatanySub County in Napak district. The voters had cast ballots for parliamentary candidates and the ballot box was almost halfway full. According to the poling official many papers have not been recovered since they disappeared. The regional police commander Mt. Moroto region Mr. Richard ArukMaruk has described this as a natural disaster. Meanwhile the whole exercise in the region has been slowed by the biometric machines especially in the areas of Amudat, Nakapiripirit,Moroto and Kaabong. Trollfest '09 Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, How I sold out to da Man. Robbie Bell again performs: Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells and Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to Dancing with the Stars, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango. Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and Big Cat Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything). Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge. Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson". In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word jackass was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up. In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates. Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one. Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!! This is definitely a Beaver production. Note: Security provided by INS. Since 1991 Life and Family Services Teen Parent Early Learning Center, 201 S. Park Ave., Kendallville, has helped hundreds of teen parents graduate from high school and even college while learning to be caring parents. Shown from left are Carol Blackman, the programs founder and director from 1993 to 2010; Deanna Rodenbeck, Life and Family Services executive director; and Debbie Derby, Teen Parent Early Learning Center director since 2010. Metro-riding crowds clamoring to get into the new Harry Potter-themed section of Universal Studios will soon have a totally new, much safer way to get from the Universal City Red Line stop to the park. A new bridge for pedestrians is expected to open in early April to "coincide" with the April 7 opening of the much-anticipated Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction, says a Metro report on the project (via Los Angeles magazine). The Rios Clementi Hale Studios-designed bridge will allow people to go from the subway to a Universal Studios shuttle bus stop without having to wait for car traffic to stop. The bridge, which hooks across Lankershim and Universal Hollywood Drive, was originally proposed as a $19.5-million project, but the pricetag eventually swelled to $27 million. Opponents argued that this was a lot to pay for a kind of bridge that lots of people ignore, and which doesn't link up to a nearby bus station (the bridge hits three of the four corners of the intersection, but not the fourth one, where the bus stop is). Love it or hate it, the bridge will be complete this spring and bring with it landscaped plazas on each end of the span, plus the draw of elevators and escalators that will be covered and out of the elements. The structure itself will be open but covered in "a wire mesh for safety and transparency," says Los Angeles. MADISON Tougher penalties for repeat drunk drivers, once a tough sell to Wisconsin lawmakers, have won widespread backing in the state Capitol in recent weeks. But with stronger penalties now a step from becoming law, legislators have not addressed how theyll pay for more prison time for repeat offenders a figure that could top $100 million annually. The Assembly passed a bill Tuesday to make all fourth-time drunken driving offenses felonies and boost maximum penalties for subsequent convictions. The bill passed the Senate last month and cleared the Legislature with just a single dissenting vote. A spokeswoman for Gov. Scott Walker, Laurel Patrick, said Wednesday that he plans to sign the bill. A fiscal estimate from the state Department of Corrections pegs the bills cost as indeterminate, noting the many variables tied to such a prediction. Some, such as judicial sentencing of convicted drunk drivers, are out of the hands of state agencies or lawmakers. But the estimate gives eye-popping figures for what the bill could cost the state. It says an influx of drunken-driving convicts into Wisconsins prison system could cost the department between $97.9 million and $129 million a year in additional operating costs. Those figures dont include the potential cost to local county jails that also could have to house more inmates. Supporters of the bill contest the reliability of those figures. They say harsher penalties could deter some from choosing to drink and drive, while noting the bill would allow judges to collect larger fines from convicted drunk drivers. The last time Wisconsin lawmakers tightened drunken driving penalties, in 2009, they increased fees to offset the changes. No such changes were included as part of this measure. Influx of inmates expected The Department of Corrections estimate says the bill could boost the states prison population by more than 1,000 inmates in the first year after its enactment. The inmate increase could be more than 3,600 over the long term. Additional costs also would come from building new facilities to house the extra inmates, according to the estimate. It says the department would need to build three new facilities to house all the new inmates in the first year alone. Twelve new facilities at an estimated cost of $157 million would be needed to accommodate all of the additional inmates after the law had been in place for several years, the estimate says. Advertisement (1 of 1): 0:13 The bills Assembly sponsor, Rep. Jim Ott, R-Mequon, dismissed the estimate in a Tuesday news conference. He said it fails to account for his belief that tougher penalties would, over time, discourage people from drinking and driving. That fiscal estimate is an overestimate, Ott told reporters. My feeling is, theres going to be less convictions because there is going to be a deterrent effect. To say this is going to have a big fiscal impact I think drunk driving has a big fiscal impact on Wisconsin. Supporters of the bill also say its impact on state finances wont be immediate. The measure takes effect in 2017, meaning any impact on the current two-year budget, which runs through June 2017, would be minimal. The nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau has not assessed the bills impact on the state budget. Thats because it was never referred to the legislative Joint Finance Committee a requirement that, under state law, applies only to bills that appropriate money or deal with taxation. State easy on repeat offenders The last major change to drunken driving laws came in 2009. That change made drunken driving a felony on the fourth offense if its committed within five years of the third offense. Otherwise, its a felony on the fifth offense. Since then, bills to crack down further on repeat offenders have been proposed. In 2013, Ott and the bills Senate sponsor, Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, proposed making drunken driving a felony on the third offense. But that bill died after lawmakers balked at the cost. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, in a 2013 statement to the State Journal, questioned if spending hundreds of millions of dollars is the best way to prevent people from driving drunk. Wisconsin laws go easy on repeat drunk drivers, compared to how theyre treated in other states. Most states are quicker to treat repeat drunken driving offenses as felonies, according to the advocacy group Mothers Against Drunk Driving. As of June 2015, 34 states treated drunken driving offenses as a felony after four or less convictions, according to a MADD publication. Three other states, Alabama, Arkansas and Wyoming, had laws that mirror Wisconsin. Only five states were more lenient: Washington, which made drunken driving a felony on the fifth offense in all cases, and Maryland, Maine, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which did not have felony laws for repeat drunk-driving convictions. Bangor School District voters overwhelmingly approved the district renewing its revenue-cap override Tuesday at the polls. Residents approved a three-year recurring referendum by a 476-283 vote, authorizing the district to bring in an additional $800,000 in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years and $900,000 in the 2018-19 school year. As a result of the referendum passage, school officials estimate the tax rate for the school district could rise from $11.47 to $11.71 per $1,000 of equalized property value for the 2016-17 school year, which means about $24 for the owner of a $100,000 property. Obviously, we feel very, very happy and very grateful, Bangor Superintendent Dave Laehn said. The override will allow the district to maintain its current programs, services and staff, preventing it from needing to make more than $600,000 in budget cuts next school year. Were doing some good things in the district, and we want to continue those, and this allows us to go ahead and do those things, Laehn said. If the referendum had failed, the district would have faced a budget shortfall of more than $1 million by the 2018-19 school year. Laehn attributes the budget shortfall to state-imposed revenue limits that were accompanied by cuts in state aid. The Bangor School District has had its state funding cut by nearly $1 million since 2009. Voters approved a three-year $600,000 override referendum in 2013 by a 328-215 margin, with roughly 60 percent of voters supporting the referendum. This year with an increase in the amount of money sought and an increase in the voter turnout, the referendum won support from 63 percent of the voters. Historically, this has been such a supportive community of our public school, and this is evidence of its continuing support, Laehn said. School board Both of the incumbent Bangor School Board members Paul Wuensch and Joanie Wilcox advanced to the April 5 general election, along with newcomers John McCue, Paul Amborn, Michelle Glandt and Douglas Servais. Wuensch, who has served on the board for 15 years, received 484 votes. Wilcox, who was appointed in 2015, received 434. Amborn and Servais each received 292, with McCue getting 188 and Glandt getting 158 votes. Challenger Charles Horman, who got 69 votes, failed to advance to the spring election. Of the six candidates in the April 5 election, the top three vote-getters will get at-large seats on the school board. Supreme court Wisconsin voters advanced an incumbent Supreme Court justice and a Court of Appeals judge to an April showdown for a 10-year term on the states highest court, a contest likely to play out along ideological lines after a sharply partisan primary. Rebecca Bradley, who has served on the court since Gov. Scott Walker appointed her to fill a vacancy the fall, and JoAnne Kloppenburg, a Court of Appeals judge, easily outpolled Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Joe Donald in Tuesdays primary. Bradley finished with 45 percent, or 251,823 votes, to Kloppenburgs 43 percent, or 243,190 votes. Donald had 12 percent. Kloppenburg polled significantly stronger in La Crosse County than she did statewide, pulling nearly 57 percent of the vote to Bradleys 35 percent and Donalds 8 percent. During the primary campaign, Bradley was widely seen as the conservative choice. Her October appointment to finish the term of the late Patrick Crooks was the third time Walker, a Republican, had appointed Bradley to a judgeship in the past three years. Kloppenburg, a former Peace Corps volunteer, was seen as the more liberal candidate, just as she was in an unsuccessful 2011 race for the high court that she lost narrowly to Justice David Prosser. That election became a proxy battle for Walkers political agenda and ended up attracting national attention as liberal groups supported Kloppenburg and conservatives backed Prosser. Both Bradley and Kloppenburg rejected the suggestion Tuesday evening that the election was bound to play out along partisan lines. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Historically, this has been such a supportive community of our public school, and this is evidence of its continuing support. Bangor Superintendent David Laehn Two seats are up for election, but the April 5 ballot will list only one Onalaska Board of Education candidate after a ruling released Feb. 18 by Wisconsin's Government Accountability Board. The GAB upheld a challenge by Jake Speed to candidacy papers filed by incumbents Ann Garrity and Tim Smaby, overruling a decision by school board clerk Brian Haefs to allow them on the ballot. I was expecting it. I dont want to sound presumptuous but there was just too much evidence in this case, Speed said after the ruling was announced. Im just happy that the GAB was there to make sure that the proper decision was rendered. Smaby and Garrity both said they were disappointed by the ruling. But, Smaby said, we followed the process, and I respect the decision. It was an unfortunate mistake, theres no doubt about it, Smaby said. But now its time to move forward. Both Garrity and Smaby said they plan to launch write-in campaigns. We both have something to contribute to the school district, Smaby said. Speed filed a challenge Jan. 8 to nominating petitions for Garrity and Smaby based on missing information from the headers of some pages. The pages didn't include either the date of the election or the candidates home address, or both. When those pages were thrown out, the two incumbents fell short of the 100 signatures required to get on the ballot. After the invalid pages were thrown out, Garrity had 90 signatures and Smaby 93. The deficiencies of Garrity and Smabys papers were similar to those of Onalaska Mayor Joe Chilsen's petition. After Jack Pogreba filed a protest over Chilsens petition, Onalaska City Clerk Cari Burmaster ruled that Chilsens name could not be included on the spring ballot, and the GAB supported Burmasters verdict when Chilsen appealed her ruling. Chilsen has since announced that he would run as a write-in candidate. One difference between Chilsens case and the school board candidates case involved the filing of affidavits of correction. Chilsen filed no affidavits, but Garrity and Smaby filed them before the hearing on Speeds challenge on Jan. 12. Thursdays GAB ruling indicated that those affidavits should have been filed before Jan. 8 and would have been invalid even if filed in time because the affidavits arent a legal remedy for missing header information. Speed, who owns a small business in Onalaska, didnt allege that Smaby and Garrity were trying to mislead anybody by not having complete information on their petition pages, but he argued their nomination papers betrayed a lack of attention to detail. They are responsible for $32-$34 million of taxpayer money every year. They need to show they can do everything required of the job, said Speed. This is part of the election process. Anybody that doesnt care enough to do that, I dont know what to say about that. Garrity, a former social worker who now works at West Salem Elementary as a special education paraprofessional, president of the Onalaska board. Smaby, completing his first term on the board, is a former tenured finance professor at Penn State University-Erie who now works at Kaplan. Speed has never held public office locally, but hes a veteran campaigner, running unsuccessfully for Onalaska Town Board, La Crosse County Board and the state Assembly. He was involved in the local tea party movement early on but had a falling out with the group. Speed said he hopes to take part in some candidate forums so voters can get to know him. Im not afraid to tell people what Im about and what I believe, he said. Dean McHugh believes serving as a Rotary International district governor for District 6250 will give him the opportunity to encourage others to explore their potential for making a difference in the world as well as making a difference in their communities. A Holmen resident, McHugh will serve as the governor for the southern and west central Wisconsin district in 2016-17. Serving as district governor gives me an opportunity to share my passion and encourage others to find theirs, said McHugh. I truly believe every person has a skill or ability that can be put to use to improve the lives or living situations of others less fortunate. Rotary lets us join with other leaders, exchange ideas and take meaningful action. McHugh recently returned from San Diego, California, where he attended a weeklong training session for the 530 men and women from around the world who will serve as district governors during the coming year. A member of Holmen Rotary since the club was chartered in 2007, McHugh served as president of the club in 2009-10. He has also served as the annual programs chair for the district for three years. Since its start, Holmen Rotary has undertaken and supported major local projects, including the K-9 unit for the Holmen Police Department, the four-sided clock in Halfway Creek Park, renovations to Camp Decorahs Hagerman Hall and the monthly Holmens Hope community dinner. In addition, Holmen Rotary members volunteer to mentor students attending Holmen High School and take part in highway cleanup, Rotary Lights and many other local events. The Holmen Rotary has been involved internationally by providing clean water to thousands of people in Peru, a village cow project in Kenya and several student exchanges. The highlight of my time in Rotary was our project teams first visit to Peru in 2009 where we met the families who were directly impacted by our clean water project, McHugh said. To witness the real change this project had made in their lives and to have them express their overwhelming gratitude to us was life changing for me. On his itinerary for his term, McHugh will travel to each of the 63 district clubs and visit Seoul, South Korea, for Rotarys international convention. Hell attend zone training in Cleveland and convene the districts 2017 conference in La Crosse. Rotary District 6250 runs roughly from Janesville to Platteville and from Menominee to Medford and has 3,000 members. Locally, Rotary has four clubs in La Crosse, two in Onalaska, and one each in Holmen, Sparta, La Crescent and Caledonia. Rotary International is a service organization with over 1.2 million members forming 35,000 clubs and representing over 200 countries and geographic areas. Rotary International missions include providing water and sanitation facilities in developing countries, fighting disease, promoting education and literacy, supporting infant and maternal health, promoting peace and growing local economies. Rotary also has been at the forefront of polio eradication, with cases reduced from 350,000 in 125 countries in 1988 to 72 cases in just two countries in 2015. The Holmen Rotary meets at 7 a.m. Wednesday mornings at Holmen Village Hall. Visitors and prospective members are welcome. Roger Lee Olsen doesnt talk much about what it was like to spend two years in the Stillwater prison labeled a child rapist. I was supposed to have been killed in there, that much I will tell you, he said, his jaw trembling. Olsen was freed in 2008 once Houston County investigators discovered evidence that led them to believe his accuser, a former stepdaughter, made up the story. But even back in society, his life remains in shambles. Still living in his hometown of La Crescent, hes unemployable, and his mental and physical health have deteriorated. Worst of all, he said, no one not the prosecutors, the police or the state of Minnesota has ever said, Were sorry. Now, for the first time, the apology will come from taxpayers. Olsen is among three wrongfully imprisoned Minnesotans who will receive compensation under a new state law that makes him eligible for payment for the time lost behind bars and an array of other damages, like physical and psychological injury. Last week, Olson learned hed receive his payment to the tune of $475,000. Minnesota joins other states Minnesota is the 30th state to adopt this type of legislation, but the state is also among the most progressive. While some states offer set amounts regardless of how much time was served, Minnesota law offers no less than $50,000 per year of imprisonment, and theres no cap on payment for emotional distress and injuries. The final determination is made by a panel of judges and attorneys, who forward the amount of damages to state lawmakers for approval. Theres merit in the approach the Legislature took here because not everybodys going to have the same experience, said Eric Hallstrom, deputy commissioner for Minnesota Management and Budget, the office representing the state in settlement negotiations with exonerated prisoners. The flexibility is a virtue, and maybe this process can help somebody that feels burned by the system restore a little faith in the fact that justice can ultimately prevail. It is hard to say how many other innocent Minnesotans may be eligible for financial remedies from the state, but there are three cases in active litigation in Minnesota where prisoners are believed to be innocent, said Julie Jonas, legal director of the Innocence Project of Minnesota, which spearheaded the measure that became law. Another 30 cases are being screened, and national estimates say up to 3 percent of the population could be innocent of the crimes that landed them behind bars. I mean, its life-altering in a way, Jonas said. Its hard to put an economic value on it because in many ways they just never recover. While Olsen awaits his mediation before the panel, two other exonerated Minnesotans have reached undisclosed settlements that await approval when the Legislature convenes in March. United by circumstances Koua Fong Lee and Michael Ray Hansen had little in common before both were unjustly imprisoned. Lee, 38, was convicted of vehicular homicide when his Toyota suddenly accelerated in 2006, crashing into the vehicle ahead and killing three people. He was freed three years later after it was determined he wasnt at fault in the crash. Hansen, 38, served nearly seven years after being convicted of murdering his infant daughter before the conviction was overturned. Further investigation proved that a skull fracture was from an accidental fall from a shopping cart days before her death, when Hansen wasnt present. Avryonna, who was 3 months old, died of sudden infant death syndrome. In a conference room at Hamline University, the Innocence Projects headquarters, Lees soft-spoken demeanor contrasts with Hansens rapid-fire, frustrated recollection of what he went through. But a bond between the two is clear when they flash each other a look when asked about their experiences and what life has been like for them moving forward. Both attend therapy sessions and have the support of their families. Hansen, who is engaged with three children, owns a Northfield tattoo shop, while Lee, who is married with four kids, is studying to become a social worker. A federal jury ordered Toyota to pay about $11 million to Lee, his family and the other family involved in the accident, but that verdict is now under appeal. Its hard to move on For both, the trauma lingers. Its hard to move on when youre still so stuck in it, Hansen said. Prison steals something from you, thats for sure. It wasnt easy for Lee either, given the publicity of his case. Staying in touch with his wife, Panghoua Moua, and their four children kept him afloat. We talked about our plans, our futures when I would get out, he said. We still had a long life to go, we still had futures waiting for us. We still want to support our children, and I wanted to be a better person. Hansens anger flashed through as Lee reflected. All you have to do is put your feet in his shoes. I mean its just a horrible thing to be that man and for someone to say that you did this on purpose. Hansen said. It makes you feel less than. And no one believes you. The people who matter wont believe you. Hansen looks to Jonas, who comforts him with a hand on the shoulder. These are the luckiest unlucky guys I know, she said in a hushed tone. There are others like them in prison. What happened to them was terrible, but we were really lucky to get them out. There are certainly others in prison who are deserving of these small miracles who wont get them. In 2014, Hansen and Lee heard their first apologies from lawmakers when the compensation measure passed. It was important that the Legislature hear their stories, said Rep. John Lesch, DFL-St. Paul, the bills house sponsor. As [English jurist William] Blackstone said, Its better that nine guilty people go free than one innocent person go to jail, Lesch said. Its horrific to us that a civilized society would imprison innocent people. Its very important that we take these claims seriously. Were gonna expect a lot Sitting in the office of his attorney, Steve Meshbesher, Olsen speaks at length about how despite pressure from a court-appointed lawyer, he refused to take a plea deal on the criminal sexual conduct charges against him, and how doubts about his guilt were raised when his accuser directed strikingly similar accusations against a new stepfather. Faced with the prospect of financial compensation, the soft-spoken 49-year-old says he might buy a decent truck. Then, for the first time, he sobs, uncertain whether hell ever see a dime. I try not to get my hopes up, because I cant handle much more disappointment, he said. I think my life is gonna start all over, and its just crap. I have doubts. Im always going to until its over. Meshbesher, who was not Olsens trial attorney, comforts his client and takes over. How do you put this into a financial figure? Can you imagine? The allegation of sexual abuse of a child in prison is the lowest of the low, and youre treated that way, Meshbesher said. He is an emotional and psychological mess. Were gonna ask for a lot, and were gonna expect a lot. And he deserves that. But at the end of the day, this sadness resonates way beyond a figure. The Wisconsin Economic Development Association has unanimously elected Lisa Herr, executive director of the 7 Rivers Alliance, to serve a three-year term on its board of birectors last week at its annual meeting held during the Governors Conference on Economic Development. I am honored and gratified to join WEDA as a board member. The work of this organization aligns with my goals for advancing economic development throughout the state of Wisconsin, Herr said. WEDA is the statewide professional association for economic development, with more than 400 members working in the public, nonprofit and private sectors. WEDA provides education, workshops, services and advocacy for its members in order to advance the fields of community and economic development in Wisconsin. Lisas extensive professional experience, training and network will be a valuable resource for WEDA and its members as we advance the practice of economic development statewide, WEDA executive director Brian Doudna said. WEDA is truly excited to have Lisa join the board and share her perspective and insights. Appeals Court Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg may have been on the short end of a 45 percent to 43 percent margin in the Wisconsin Supreme Court primary election, but she won by a landslide in La Crosse County. Kloppenburg had a whopping 56.9 percent of the vote here, with Justice Rebecca Bradley trailing with 34.6 percent. Joe Donald took the rest, 8.4 percent. Bradley acknowledged Kloppenburg's name recognition in District 4, where she won her appellate court seat in 2012. "We had our victory party last night," Bradley said Wednesday during a visit to La Crosse. "Today we're back at work." Kloppenburg retains statewide name recognition from her unsuccessful challenge against Justice David Prosser in 2011, when the Supreme Court race was viewed as a proxy for a bigger struggle over Act 10. Opponents of the law that stripped most public employees of union bargaining rights sided with the challenger, Kloppenburg. Kloppenburg said she plans to reach out to Donald voters to support her against Bradley. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse political scientist Joe Heim on Wednesday suggested several factors that might have contributed to Kloppenburg's La Crosse County dominance: Kloppenburg has a natural demographic advantage. Conservatives tend to side with Bradley, Gov. Scott Walker's October pick to replace the late Patrick Crooks, who died in office at age 77 in September. Liberals side with Kloppenburg. And in La Crosse County's largest city, Democrats have a clear advantage. While Bradley has made news with her appointment to circuit, appeals and supreme courts in the past three years, Kloppenburg retains a name recognition advantage nonetheless. Heim speculated complacency might have hurt Bradley -- not on her part but rather on the part of conservative-leaning voters who stayed home, confident their incumbent candidate would make it to the general election. And some voters still angry about Act 10 might have expressed themselves with yet another vote for Kloppenburg. Turnout Statewide turnout was a mere 10 percent. Thanks to a couple of primaries in two county board and two school board races, and a levy override vote in the Bangor School District, turnout in in La Crosse County topped 15 percent. Turnout in the town of Bangor was 38.2 percent, 36.8 percent in the village of Bangor. "That's just phenomenal," Heim said. La Crosse County Clerk Ginny Dankmeyer said the state's Government Accountability Board suggested 10 percent of voters would turn out. Dankmeyer prepared ballots for 15 percent turnout. The 15.2 percent turnout meant La Crosse County was a few dozen ballots short, and her office had to print and deliver them. "Historically we're a little above the state average," Dankmeyer said, surprised that her turnout guess 50 percent higher than the statewide projection came up just short. Digging into the numbers Kloppenburg didn't simply win by a landslide in La Crosse proper. She won in the more conservative suburbs, too, albeit by smaller margins. While the reliably conservative towns of Bangor and Barre went with Bradley, those were the only two of 53 La Crosse County precincts to pick her. Kloppenburg even won a plurality in the conservative town of Hamilton (117-116-17). She polled a remarkable 72.4 percent in La Crosse's Ward 9 on La Crosse's South Side (23.6 percent), one of four La Crosse districts that turned out more than 20 percent of its registered voters. The others were the 25th (22.7 percent), and the 20th and 28th Wards (20.5 percent in each), all also on the South Side. Precincts with significant numbers of Bangor School District residents (the towns of Bangor and Burns, and the villages of Bangor and Rockland) all voted in favor of $2.5 million in extra taxes over three years to sustain programs and services in the district. Only in the town of Burns, where the ayes had it 93-91, was the margin unimpressive. Bangor School District voters in the town of Washington rejected the levy override 21-20. The question was shut out 2-0 in the town of Farmington. The lone district resident voting on the issue in the town of Hamilton got his or her way. On the naughty side, La Crosse's Ward 10 turned out just 2 percent of registered voters, Ward 11 2.8 percent. The justice In an interview at the Tribune, Bradley said the most eye-opening part of her new job on the state Supreme Court has been the amount of time justices spend administering the state's court system. She said her time working in the emotionally charged atmosphere of family court judge gave her practice at applying the text of the law to each case she hears. And she emphasized the importance of treating underlying addictions when dealing with nonviolent offenders. "We need to use a variety of approaches, different strategies for different people," she said. The road ahead While Donald complain about "the influence of partisan politics" and said "special interest money has a terrible impact" in concession remarks he shared just 70 minutes after the polls closed, both candidates who advanced insisted in their victory speeches that the race for a 10-year term on the high curt is non-partisan. And with the perceived conservative advantage on the Wisconsin Supreme Court standing at 5-2, Heim, the political scientist, questioned how enthusiastically independent groups will support Bradley. MINNEAPOLIS Researchers have begun outfitting elk in far northwestern Minnesota with GPS radio collars for the first time as part of a broader study to better track their movements and how the animals use different kinds of habitat at various times of the year, Department of Natural Resources officials said Wednesday. The goal is to collar 20 female elk, and the agency hopes to finish the work by the end of the week, project leader Gino DAngelo told reporters on a conference call. The first day of collaring was Tuesday and he said it went well, with five adult cow elk quickly captured, collared and safely released. In terms of amping up our elk management, this is paramount, DAngelo said. The DNR hired a helicopter capture crew to do the work. DAngelo said the pursuits lasted less than five minutes. The helicopter crew cuts an elk away from the herd and fires a net from a special gun to stop it. The helicopter lands nearby and three crew members dash out to restrain and blindfold the animal, attach the collar and ear tags, take some samples and measurements and send it on its way. The handling takes less than 10 minutes, he said. Field reports indicate the herds dont flee far and the collared animals return to their herds pretty quickly, DAngelo said. Spotters this winter counted 83 elk in the states elk range, which includes Kittson, Marshall and Roseau counties. Thats down from the 131 counted in three herds in the 2015 survey. But DAngelo said that doesnt mean Minnesota has fewer elk, and that the study should help explain the fluctuations. One reason may be that they counted only 10 elk this winter from a herd that roams back and forth across the Canadian border, compared with 79 last year, said John Williams, the DNRs northwest region wildlife manager. The states elk range is a transition zone called the tallgrass aspen parklands, said Joel Huener, the DNRs Thief Lake area wildlife supervisor. Its more open and prairie-like to the west, with willows, brush and wetlands to the east. Elk use all those habitats, and the study will show their seasonal preferences, he said. The study is a cooperative effort between the DNR and Minnesota State University, Mankato. Its being funded by $200,000 in state lottery proceeds, $70,000 from the DNR and $10,000 from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Elk were once native to most of Minnesota but were nearly wiped out by the early 1900s due to overhunting and conversion of native prairies to farmland. The DNR is finalizing its new five-year elk management plan, which is aimed at growing the small population and expanding its range a little. Separately, the Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe will seek funding from the Legislature this year for a feasibility study on returning elk to northeastern Minnesota. MADISON A Madison man has won his fight to wear a pasta strainer on his head for his driver's license photo. The state wasn't too keen about Michael Schumacher's desire to wear the colander on his head for the photo. Schumacher got an attorney involved and the state granted his request, but told him to tip the strainer back so his full face could be seen. Schumacher's attorney, Derek Allen, says it's a First Amendment issue because it involves the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. He says similar cases have been resolved in favor of Pastafarians in Utah, Texas and Massachusetts. Allen says it's not up to the government to decide what qualifies as a religion. Department of Defense installations, including Fort McCoy, no longer will accept drivers licenses from Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, and Washington state as proof of identity, DOD officials said. The ban, which also includes licenses from American Samoa, is a consequence of the REAL ID Act of 2005. The REAL ID Act grew out of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks after investigators discovered most of the terrorists involved had drivers licenses from either Florida or Virginia. Congress tightened issuance processes and documentation needed to get a drivers license. Compliant cards must have specific security features to prevent tampering, counterfeiting or duplication of the document. The licenses also must present data in a common, machine-readable format. The REAL ID Act affects only access-control policies in which individuals are required to present an identification document for accessing federal facilities, entering nuclear power plants or boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft. The federal REAL ID Act implementation rules allow for exceptions. For example,, life or safety issues such as medical emergencies and situations in which physical access is necessary to apply for benefits are two exceptions. Those attempting to gain physical access to DOD installations must show an alternate form of identification, such as a passport, DOD officials said. Service members, family members, DOD employees and federal employees with the DOD common access card, DOD uniformed services identification and privileges cards, federal personal identification-verification cards or transportation workers identification credentials are not affected, officials said, because those cards are authorized in DOD policy to facilitate physical access to installations. Fort McCoy physical security chief Mark Reaves with the Directorate of Emergency Services, said Fort McCoy visitors who have one of the licenses that is banned should be ready to present an alternate form of ID, such as a passport, military ID or ID that contains a photograph and biographic information, such as name, date of birth, gender, height, eye color and address. There are more than 20 other forms of identification that can be used, Reaves said. If people have more questions, we can help explain the process. Visitors also can receive escorted access if required. Escorted access means a DOD-affiliated ID card holder has sponsored you and vouched for you, and they are with you the entire time you are on the installation, Reaves said. For more information, refer to dhs.gov/real-id-public-faqs or contact the Fort McCoy Physical Security Office at 608-388-8445. 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13 (1) May 11 (2) May 10 (2) May 09 (1) May 07 (2) May 06 (1) May 05 (1) May 04 (1) May 03 (3) May 02 (1) May 01 (1) Apr 29 (1) Apr 28 (1) Apr 27 (1) Apr 25 (2) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (1) Apr 22 (2) Apr 21 (2) Apr 20 (1) Apr 19 (2) Apr 17 (1) Apr 15 (1) Apr 13 (1) Apr 10 (2) Apr 08 (1) Apr 07 (1) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (3) Apr 03 (1) Apr 02 (1) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (2) Mar 30 (1) Mar 29 (1) Mar 28 (1) Mar 25 (1) Mar 24 (1) Mar 22 (2) Mar 21 (1) Mar 20 (1) Mar 18 (1) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (1) Mar 14 (2) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (1) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (1) Mar 06 (4) Mar 05 (1) Mar 04 (1) Mar 03 (2) Mar 02 (2) Mar 01 (2) Feb 28 (2) Feb 27 (1) Feb 26 (1) Feb 25 (1) Feb 23 (2) Feb 19 (2) Feb 13 (1) Feb 12 (1) Feb 02 (1) Jan 31 (1) Jan 22 (1) Jan 18 (1) Jan 16 (1) Jan 09 (1) Jan 01 (1) Dec 20 (2) Dec 15 (1) Dec 13 (1) Dec 11 (1) Nov 30 (1) Nov 27 (1) Nov 20 (1) Nov 11 (1) Nov 10 (1) Oct 23 (1) Oct 20 (1) Oct 01 (1) Sep 30 (1) Sep 29 (1) Sep 24 (2) Sep 15 (1) Sep 13 (1) Sep 12 (1) Sep 08 (1) Sep 02 (2) Aug 31 (1) Aug 28 (1) Aug 27 (2) Aug 24 (1) Aug 21 (1) Aug 20 (1) Aug 18 (3) Aug 16 (1) Aug 15 (1) Aug 14 (1) Aug 11 (1) Aug 08 (1) Aug 07 (1) Aug 03 (1) Jul 27 (1) Jul 26 (1) Jul 24 (1) Jul 22 (1) Jul 21 (1) Jul 19 (1) Jul 15 (1) Jul 14 (1) Jul 13 (3) Jul 10 (1) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (1) Jul 06 (1) Jul 03 (1) Jul 01 (1) Jun 28 (1) Jun 24 (2) Jun 20 (1) Jun 19 (1) Jun 18 (1) Jun 15 (1) Jun 14 (2) Jun 11 (1) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (1) Jun 07 (1) Jun 06 (1) Jun 04 (2) Jun 03 (1) Jun 02 (2) Jun 01 (1) May 31 (3) May 30 (1) May 29 (1) May 28 (2) May 26 (1) May 25 (1) May 18 (1) May 17 (1) May 15 (1) May 09 (1) May 07 (2) May 02 (1) May 01 (1) Apr 30 (1) Apr 27 (1) Apr 26 (2) Apr 23 (1) Apr 22 (1) Apr 19 (1) Apr 18 (1) Apr 12 (1) Apr 11 (1) Apr 09 (1) Apr 07 (1) Apr 05 (1) Apr 01 (1) Mar 30 (1) Mar 27 (1) Mar 25 (1) Mar 22 (2) Mar 19 (1) Mar 18 (1) Mar 16 (1) Mar 15 (2) Mar 13 (1) Mar 12 (1) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (1) The second week of June should have been an eye opening moment for Sri Lankans. Heavy rains fell on the western slopes of Central Highlands... Thursday, February 18, 2016 Carlos Mena-Labarthe, Government of Mexico - Comision Federal de Competencia; Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM) discusses Implementing Effective Competition Law in the Pharmaceutical Industry in Mexico. ABSTRACT: This paper analyses how governments can introduce more competition in the pharmaceutical sector. Considering it involves harmonizing issues such as incentives to innovate and perform research and development (R&D), Intellectual Property (IP) rights, healthcare policy and public budget concerns, the task of analysing competition in this industry is difficult for academic purposes and even more for public policy. During the past years, competition law enforcement has proven to be an essential tool to increase access to pharmaceutical products and technologies around the world. Its importance arises especially from the fact that it allows authorities to impose broader remedies than IP law does. Additionally, the paper shows how advocacy efforts can be very successful in removing regulatory barriers to entry that may be impeding new entrants and market efficiencies. Consumers and the industry as a whole can benefit from more competition in these markets but it is not easy to strike a correct balance. The paper analyses the case of Mexico in relation to many other jurisdictions around the world, especially developing countries, to understand the main issues related to competition policy in this industry. https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/antitrustprof_blog/2016/02/implementing-effective-competition-law-in-the-pharmaceutical-industry-in-mexico.html Wednesday, February 17, 2016 Last week, the Supreme Court controversially stayed implementation of the Clean Power Plan (CPP), the cornerstone of the Obama Administrations climate policy, while twenty-nine states proceed with litigation against it. The CPP targets greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, which account for about a third of all U.S. carbon emissions. The rule is designed to reduce emissions from coal-fired plants, the dirtiest form of energy production, through a mix of stricter limits on existing plants, measures to increase energy efficiency, and other mechanisms that encourage producers to shift from coal to cleaner renewables and natural gas. The CPP provides for substantial flexibility in how reduction targets may be attained within states, allowing states to choose among various options proposed in the rule, to come up with their own proposals, or to opt for federal regulation in lieu of state oversight. Nevertheless, generators heavily invested in coal argue that implementation will require expensive changes. It therefore surprised no one that states with the most coal-dependent economies, and with political leadership most sympathetic to the coal industry, are challenging the CPP in court. They argue, among other things, that EPA is unauthorized to regulate power plants this way, that the standards imposed by the rule did not take fair account of the costs of implementation, and that the final rule was insufficiently related to the proposed rule on which the public provided comment. Eighteen other states are supporting the rule, together with environmental groups and some power companies (including utilities in some states that are challenging the rule). Proponents contend that federal environmental laws have always targeted energy production, a primary source of regulated pollutants, and that the CPP legitimately follows from established legal authority, the regulatory record, and the proposed rule. EPA always knew the CPP would be litigated, and so the lawsuits came as no surprise. But the Courts move to stay the rulebefore the issues had even been aired in open courthas apparently surprised everyone. The one-page order made no judgment on the merits of the case, but it suspends implementation of the rule while the litigation runs its full course, a process expected to take at least eighteen months. The Court split along ideological lines in issuing the stay, with the five more conservative justices voting for the stay over opposition by the four more liberal justices. Just weeks earlier, the D.C. Circuit declined to issue the plaintiffs requested stay, following uniformly applied federal judicial normsuntil now. The Supreme Court has never before blocked implementation of a generally applicable regulation before its merits have been considered by a federal appeals court, so the stay has provoked a vociferous response. Supporters of the CPP excoriate the move as unprecedented while opponents hail it as historic. Undue judicial activism may be in the eye of the beholder, but most agree that the stay does not bode well for the future treatment of the CPP before the Court. Such an unusual move cannot help but send signals that at least five of the justices are skeptical of at least parts of the rule. The CPP is the Obama Administrations last and best effort to take on the super-wicked problem of climate change, and its ambition responds appropriately to the magnitude of the challenge. All of us will benefit from sensible climate policy in the long run, but as with all regulatory changes, there will be winners and losers in the short runand the losers are passionately defending their interests in the litigation at hand. They are entitled to do so, and the courts must give their arguments the most serious consideration. Nevertheless, the Courts novel stay raises concerns of a different order. It represents another move by the Roberts Court to shift power toward the judiciary on matters that relate not to individual constitutional rightswhere judicial prowess necessarily overtakes the majoritarian tendencies of the political branchesbut to the complex allocation of costs and benefits within a comprehensive regulatory program, where judicial capacity is easily eclipsed by legislative and executive competence. The three branches of government specialize in answering very different legal questions, and conservative-leaning courts like the Roberts Court are usually quick to remind us that broad-brush public policymaking is not a judicial task. The CPP, for example, makes sophisticated choices about responsibly balancing the potential harms of regulating and not regulating harmful pollutants, and how to structure regulatory obligations to maximize health benefits while minimizing economic harmsall after exhaustively accounting for public input on the proposed rule. If the justices nevertheless find legal infirmity after carefully engaging all evidence and arguments, it is their duty to reject it. But when the Court breaks with its own norms to block the Presidents capstone climate initiative for the remainder of his final termbefore meaningful judicial review of the meritsperhaps that approaches the boundaries of appropriate use of its own authority. If it does not invite pause about the constitutional separation of powers, it at least gives cause to reflect on the lessons of the Lochner era (in which the Court struck down state economic regulations of which the majority disapproved). Opponents of the CPP argue that the stay is legitimately unprecedented because the CPP is itself unprecedentedasserting a wide range of authority that is both proven and untested, prompting deliberation of legal questions with which the Court has not previously engaged. Yet most litigation reaching the Supreme Court raises novel questions of law; if not, they would be easily resolved in the lower courts. Claims that a pre-litigation stay was required to prevent irreparable harm are also overblown, because the CPP was designed to phase changes in gradually, giving states producers and ample time to move forward and adjust at a measured pace. States had until 2018 to submit plans for compliancewell after this litigation is expected to concludeand until 2025 to begin showing actual progress. The irreparable harm with which we must now contend is to the fragile international consensus on sustainable climate governance. In signaling such strong skepticism toward the CPP, the stay could irreparably damage the global communitys efforts by weakening the very U.S. leadership that led to the historic climate accord reached in Paris just two months earlier. On December 12, 2015, breaking through decades of stalled progress, 195 nations pledged to work together on forestalling the catastrophic effects of a warming climate. While the agreement itself did not guarantee the needed results, it established a critical framework for global collaboration that, many hoped, would further spur world financial and energy markets toward investment in carbon-neutral renewables and away from fossil fuels. President Obama helped inspire the participation of other nations by assuring them that the U.S. would honor its own commitments under the agreement, and the CPP was the centerpiece of this effort. Now, all who relied on U.S. assurances before making their own commitments must be deeply unsettled. Even though the CPP may yet emerge wholly or mostly unscathed in litigation, as many experts predict it should, the damage to post-Paris momentum could already have been done. Without even reaching the merits of the case, the Supreme Court has thus cast doubt on the entire prospect of U.S. compliance with the Paris accordand with it, doubt on compliance by other nations as well. In this way, the stay could cause irreparable harm not only to countless U.S. citizens affected by domestic climate policy, but to the hundreds of millions of the worlds most vulnerable peoplenone of whom are represented in these proceedingswho are at risk from sea-level rise, hurricanes, drought, and fires associated with climate change. (Pause here for somber reflection for an appropriately long and somber time.) Okay: thats the depressing, glass-half-empty view of what has happened this week. Resisting the urge to just hide under the covers, let me now suggest a more hopeful alternative. The Court has undeniably, inexplicably dealt a blow to the CPP in the short term. But in the long term, perhaps it is not the death knell for the underlying elements of the plan, for U.S. compliance with the Paris accord, and for continued momentum for a global response to the climate crisis. The CPP was designed to nudge U.S. energy markets away from its path-dependence on fossil fuels and toward sources that impose fewer harmful externalities on human health and the environment. But that path is changing anyway, as both market and environmental forces operate to shift energy production toward renewables. In some parts of the country, wind energy is now cost competitive with natural gas. In places like West Texas, solar photovoltaic is now cost competitive with gas. Extending beneficial tax treatment to renewables that oil and gas have long enjoyed would move them toward economies of scale more quickly, but the trends suggest that low-carbon energy sources will make economic sense even without regulatory incentives. As low-carbon sources become increasingly economically competitive, many states will continue to follow important elements of the CPP even if the Supreme Court ultimately rejects it. More than half the states have already established well-developed renewable portfolio standardsrequirements that a certain percentage of their electricity must come from renewable energy sourcesand they will likely continue to implement them regardless of the Courts conclusion. Most states in the Northeast are already on track to comply with the CPP. Ongoing progress in energy efficiency will further cut carbon emissions, even without changes in production. Moreover, even if the CPP struggles in court, carbon emissions from power plants will still be regulated under the Clean Air Act. Why? None other than the Supreme Court required it in Massachusetts v. EPA, which famously held that the Clean Air Act requires EPA to regulate greenhouse gases. Other air pollution rules, such as the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards that limit the emission of hazardous pollutants, will likely prevent new coal plants from coming online. Indeed, few, if any, new plants have been built in recent years. Finally, its important to remember that while half the states have lined up against the CPP, most of the remaining half stand with it. Even some of the states opposing the rule are politically splitsuch as Colorado, where the attorney general opposes the plan, but the governor endorses it. There remains substantial support for the CPP, and a growing list of experts have publicly argued that it should survive judicial review on the merits, notwithstanding the Courts apparent skepticism. So while the future of the CPP is uncertain, it is certainly not over. Only time will tell, and although time is not on our side, we can make the most of it by keeping on the path to cleaner energy as best we can while the litigation plays out. --Erin Ryan --Erin Ryan is Professor of Law at the Florida State University School of Law. A version of this essay first appeared on Feb. 17, 2016, on the American Constitution Society Blog. Hannah Wiseman contributed invaluable sources and inspiration to this essay. https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/environmental_law/2016/02/the-clean-power-plan-the-supreme-courts-stay-and-irreparable-harm.html President Barack Obama will visit Cuba on March 21 and 22, the White House announced Thursday. It will be the first time in nearly 90 years that a U.S. president visits Havana, the capital of the island nation. Diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States have improved in the past 14 months. The countries have re-opened embassies, and commercial airlines will fly between the two countries soon. Plus, the U.S. removed Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro have talked via telephone and have met in person twice. Obama will meet with Castro during the March visit. He will also meet with Cuban activists who work for social causes. While normalizing relations, Obama said his administration promises to monitor Cubas communist government on human rights issues. We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly, Obama wrote on Twitter. America will always stand for human rights around the world. The American presidency and Cuba had a sketchy relationship during the first half of the 20th century. President Calvin Coolidge visited Havana in 1928. President Harry Truman stopped by U.S.-controlled Guantanamo Bay and its naval base in 1948. First Lady Michelle Obama will accompany the president on the Latin American trip. The Obamas will travel to Argentina after Cuba. Im Jim Dresbach. William Gallo reported on this story for VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. What do you think about President Obamas visit to Cuba? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story sponsor n. someone who takes the responsibility for someone or something communist n. a person who believes in communism or is a member of a political party that supports communism normalizing v. to bring someone or something back to a usual or expected state or condition sketchy adj. likely to be bad or dangerous Latin America n. South America and North America south of the U.S. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit Pakistan in the next few months to begin a gas pipeline project. Pakistans Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif asked Putin to visit. Mobin Saulat heads Inter State Gas Systems, the Pakistani company that would build the pipeline. He says Putin may visit Pakistan before June. He says Russia is interested in the project because 200 million people live in Pakistan, and investing in the country could help Russia gain influence in other South Asian nations. When Pakistani officials and energy experts visited Moscow recently, they met with the heads of three large Russian energy companies for the first time in more than 20 years. He says that shows Russias interest in Pakistani energy issues. Saulat says he believes the pipeline is the first of many investments Russia will make in Pakistan. Experts say both countries may have strategic and political reasons to work together on the gas pipeline project. Pakistan has tried to form new partnerships to reduce its dependence on the United States and China. Russia will spend about two to $2.5 billion dollars on the project. That is almost 85 percent of the cost. The 1,100-kilometer-long pipeline will be able to transport 34 million cubic meters of gas per day throughout Pakistan from Karachi to Lahore. The first part of the project is expected to be finished in two years. The last two parts are set to be completed in 2019. Im Mario Ritter. Ayeesha Tanzeem in Islamabad reported on this story for VOANews.com. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the report for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story pipeline n. a series of connected pipes that carry liquids and gases over a long distance strategic adj. of or relating to a general plan that is created to reach a goal, usually over a long period of time People who believe in conspiracies -- or crimes committed by secret groups are talking about the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Scalia died at a remote ranch in west Texas on Saturday. The lack of an autopsy and how Scalia was found led to questions of foul play. In Texas, a presiding judge does not have to see the body to determine the cause of death and decide if an autopsy is needed. After Scalia was discovered, the county sheriff and U.S. Marshals Service arrived at Cibolo Creek Ranch. They saw no signs of foul play, AP reported. The presiding judge ruled against an autopsy after speaking to Scalias doctor Saturday. Scalia had a history of heart trouble and high blood pressure. Multiple media reports state that the Scalia family did not ask or order an autopsy. It was announced the day he died that Scalia passed away from natural causes. Some Americans believe in conspiracies even when facts prove the conspiracies wrong. Some conservative members of the media called for a murder investigation. They asked for toxicology tests and an autopsy to determine the cause of Scalias death. Media outlets including CNN, The Washington Post, National Public Radio and Time magazine have published stories about a possible conspiracy. Scalia will lie in repose in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court of the United States on Friday. The funeral Mass for the Supreme Court judge will be held Saturday at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. I'm Christopher Cruise. Jim Dresbach adapted this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story conspiracy theory n. a theory that explains an event or situation as the result of a secret plan by usually powerful people or groups remote adj. far away ranch n. a large farm especially in the U.S. where animals are raised autopsy n. an examination of a dead body to find out the cause of death foul play n. criminal violence or murder toxicology n. the study of poisonous chemicals, drugs and how a person or other living thing reacts to them repose n. a state of resting or not being active basilica n. a large church that has a long central part that ends in a curved wall The president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, has asked Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk to resign. Demonstrators and politicians say that Yatsenyuk's government is corrupt. Yatsenyuk's critics called for a motion, or vote of no-confidence in the Parliament on Tuesday. The motion must have 226 votes to pass in parliament, but only 194 out of 339 members supported it. The vote cannot be repeated in the current session, which lasts until July. Even though the vote failed, it showed that this government already has no parliament support. It will not be able to carry out laws, said Yuriy Lutsenko, the parliamentary head of Poroshenkos party. Ukrainians are not the only ones worried about the problems in its government. Christine Lagarde, director of the International Monetary Fund, says foreign aid may stop coming into the country. It has slowed over the past few months. Other creditors will not lend money to an unstable government, says economist Dmitry Polevoy. The economy of Ukraine is weak after a recession that lasted 18 months. Ukraines currency, the hryvnia, has lost 10 percent this year. Earlier this month, Poroshenko and Yatsenyuk tried to stand together after Economy Minister Aivaras Abromavicius and Deputy Prosecutor General Vitaliy Kasko quit. The officials who resigned said the government was corrupt, and that ruling-party officials were blocking reforms. Without the reforms, foreign banks are not willing to lend money to support an economic recovery. I'm Dmitriy Savchuk. Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this story for Learning English based on articles from BBC and Bloomberg News Kathleen Struck was the editor. What do you think about the events in Ukraine?. Write to us in the Comments section and on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story motion n. a formal suggestion or proposal that is made at a meeting for something to be done vote of no confidence n. a formal vote by which people (such as the members of a legislature) indicate that they do not support a leader, government, etc. The memory of a beloved pet inspires one couple's fight against injustice. News, information & debate from the team at lendwithcare.org Make a loan, change a life. LEXINGTON, Neb. A group of Central Community College representatives and dignitaries spoke at a kick-off event for Central Community Colleges 50 year anniversary on Monday afternoon via a teleconference. Speakers spoke from the Grand Island Central Community College Campus. Staff members from CCC Lexington Campus viewed the ceremony in a classroom equipped with a teleconference video system. Many thank-yous and reflections on the impact of CCC in central Nebraska were voiced. As I travel across the state, when I talk to businesses the number one thing they talk about is workforce. Where are they going to go to hire? All companies look for great people thats where CCC comes in, said Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, who spoke at the event. Ricketts continued, The vast majority of jobs in the future require some sort of post secondary education, Central Community College plays a vital role in that. He listed the innovative nature of CCC partnering with Grand Island Public Schools, to help students pursue career opportunities while still in high school so students can get college credits to offset cost they would otherwise incur in post secondary life. Ricketts read a proclamation recognizing 2016 as the 50th anniversary year for CCC. Julie Brooker, Central Nebraska Director of Constituent Services for U.S. Senator Deb Fischer, read a letter from Fischer at the event. This is an outstanding milestone for students, staff and communities. Central Nebraska is fortunate to have CCC in wide variety of locations, read Fischers letter. Jerad Reimers, Community Liaison for Republican Congressman Adrian Smith, read a letter from Smith at the event. Your commitment to providing quality vocational and technical education to students is to be commended. I have the greatest appreciation of all your hard work, read Smiths letter. Various CCC campuses will host their own day of celebrations for the anniversary year throughout the year. The Lexington CCC location will host its celebration day on Thursday, Sept. 8. Amy Hill, a regional director for CCC based in Lexington, said the 50th anniversary would provide a great opportunity growth and achievements of the college throughout the 25-county service area. It has been a privilege for me to work for Central Community College for over 21 years. I have seen tremendous change during my time with the college. The most significant advancement locally was the partnership between CCC and the City of Lexington to invest in our new space at the DawsonCountyOpportunityCenter. With our new, larger facility we have been able to accommodate growth in several areas especially credit courses offered by telecommunication, Hill said. Hill continued, When I began working at the college in 1994, we had just a few distance learning lecture courses offered by satellite delivery. This spring we currently have students enrolled in 32 different telecommunication courses that broadcast throughout the week. We have also seen growth in our other programs including Adult Education (GED and ESL), Community Education, and training for health professions including Nursing Assistant and Medication Aide. She said Early College courses have seen a significant change as well within CCC. Several courses are available for current high school students to earn college credit prior to graduation, Hill said. A specific example is the joint effort between CCC and Lexington Public Schools to offer Automotive Technology courses in the remodeled space of the former Nebraska Armory. We are fortunate to partner with many area high schools to offer different opportunities for students to jump start their higher education and career goals, Hill said. CentralCommunity College has tremendous commitment to the education of the current and prospective workforce of the region and the state. I am excited to see what the future holds, Hill said. Samsung already offers a version of its Gear S2 smartwatch with support for 3G data. But soon the company will launch a new model that can be used on just about any wireless network, thanks to an eSIM. The new Samsung Gear S2 Classic 3G will be one of the first devices to use an eSIM that complies with a new standard established by the GSMA. Heres what the means: you can buy the upcoming watch and use it on AT&T. But if you decide to switch to Verizon in the future, you wont need to buy a new watch or a new SIM card. The eSIM can be reprogrammed to work on a different network. If this sounds familiar, Apples been using eSIMs in some of its products for a while, but the company uses its own platform instead of a GSMA-compliant one. Note that you can still only use an eSIM with one network at a time: this isnt a dual-SIM solution. But if the technology catches on, it could make it easier to switch wireless carriers without necessarily switching hardware. New Delhi: Exporters body FIEO has asked the government to address the inverted duty structure in certain sectors like electronics, in the upcoming Budget, to boost exports. In its pre-Budget recommendations to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) has also asked for creation of an Export Development Fund in order to support MSME exporters. "The corpus of the fund should be 0.5 per cent to 1 per cent of export value so that sizable money is available to promote MSME exports," it said. Inverted duty structure in respect of various items in sectors like chemicals and tyre may be given due consideration in the Union Budget as it not only affects exports but also the manufacturing sector and adversely hits Make in India, it added. An inverted duty structure impacts domestic industry adversely as manufacturers have to pay a higher price for raw material in terms of duty, while the finished product lands at lower duty and costs lesser. "The actual refund mechanism for service tax is cumbersome and time taking which blocks the working capital of exporters. Hence, the demand of exporting community is that service tax should be exempted for exports," it added. The exporting companies may be given tax benefits on creation of employment as it will help in bringing workers into organised sector. Exports dipped for the 14th month in a row, down 13.6 per cent in January to USD 21 billion due to fall in shipments of petroleum and engineering goods, although trade deficit showed improvement. Imports shrank 11 per cent to USD 28.71 billion last month, resulting in a trade deficit of USD 7.63 billion, lowest in eleven months. In February last year, the deficit was USD 6.85 billion. PTI MTV, a music television channel run by Viacom18, has entered into a pact with Governments Start-Up India initiative to encourage young entrepreneurs. The channel will launch an annual outreach programme in partnership with #StartUpIndia for young entrepreneurs, a release said. Amitabh Kant, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) said, The multi-platform program will help us engage with the dynamic youth of India, help them start-up with ease and inspire a new generation to follow their dreams and become successful entrepreneurs. The program will be delivered through interactive content on television, web, mobile and social media and will have personal and informal interactions with start-up experts and investors, the release said. (Disclaimer: Firstpost and Viacom18 are part of Network18) Thursday was a much more peaceful day compared to Wednesday. To recap: Delhi Police officers stood as mute spectators as men in black robes, who are supposed to uphold the law, broke it in broad daylight in front of national media. Lawless lawyers beat up a Firstpost journalist and JNU students' union leader Kanhaiya Kumar when he was being taken to the court for the hearing in his sedition case. The newspapers on Thursday said it all: via GIPHY Kanhaiya Kumar moved Supreme Court seeking bail. Reports said that the matter will be heard on Friday. Senior lawyer Raju Ramachandran filed the bail petition on behalf of Kanhaiya on Thursday. ANI quoted Ramachandran as saying, "Now Soli Sorabjee will lead us." In his application, the JNUSU?president sought protection of life and limb, saying there is great likelihood of attack on him in prison. #JNU leader #KanhaiyaKumar moves for bail at SC. Seeks protection of "life and limb". SC to hear his bail plea on Friday. @htTweets rocky soibam (@rocky_soibam) February 18, 2016 Supreme Court-appointed panel of advocates submitted their report and pen drive containing mobile clip of their visit to the Patiala House court complex on Wednesday. Senior advocate Ajit K Sinha, panel member and Delhi Police counsel, however, did not sign on the report, saying he can't do it without going through it. Delhi High Court Registry also filed a report in the Supreme Court in a sealed cover about Wednesday's incident. Thursday turned out to be the day of discussions. Starting from Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal, who met with President Pranab Mukherjee to discuss the ongoing crisis at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Rahul Gandhi said the JNU row and the violence in Patiala House court on Wednesday were a "blot" on India's image. "It is not the government's job to destroy institutions.... Bad signals have been sent out in India and abroad. It is a blot on the country's image," he said. Taking the battle against the Centre to President Pranab Mukhejree, Rahul said RSS was trying to impose its "flawed" and "dead" ideology on the students of the country but his party will not allow it. Speaking to the media after submitting a memorandum to the President, he also referred to the suicide by Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad and accused the Hindutva organisation of "crushing" him. A Congress delegation led by Shri Rahul Gandhi called on #PresidentMukherjee today pic.twitter.com/70q8z7SbUO President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) February 18, 2016 Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also met with President Mukherjee and asked, "What is this absence of rule of law? How can anybody beat a person who raises pro-Pakistan slogans?" "This govt cannot catch four to five students who made those anti-national slogans, how will they catch who did the Pathankot attacks?" However, Kejriwal agreed that action should be taken against those who made anti-national slogans. In a show of solidarity for Kanhaiya Kumar, JNU students protested with flowers as a mark of peace during their march from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar. Delhi police said that the students did not take permission for this protest march in central Delhi area. T-shirts with messages like 'Mera Yaar Kanhaiya" were being sold for Rs 150 at the JNU students protest march from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar. #JNU students in overwhelming numbers come out in solidarity of #Kanhaiya and for their campus @htTweets pic.twitter.com/Z0UEt1ZF0d Shradha Chettri (@Shrads_chettri) February 18, 2016 "Mera Yaar Kanhaiya" T Shirts being sold for Rs.150 at #JNU students protest march from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar pic.twitter.com/iFRKxJ5eZ0 Meanwhile, bar council president MC Mishra apologised to the media, a day after a mob of lawyers thrashed Firspost reporter Tarique Anwar and punched Kanhaiya Kumar outside the Patiala House Courts in Delhi. This was the second such incident of lawyer violence in two days, after the same group of lawyers beat up students and reporters on Monday. The Supreme Court on Thursday said that it is keeping a close eye on the law and order situation in Patiala House court a day after Kanhaiya was "manhandled" while being produced in court. We are keeping an eye on law and order in Patiala House court; everyone should be careful while giving statements, the SC said. RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav was critical of the Delhi Police's inaction on Wednesday as well. Delhi Police nikammi hai, jo sarkar keh rahi hai vahi kar rahe hain,sirf tukur tukur dekh raha hain-Lalu Yadav #JNU pic.twitter.com/vEq1oTVN95 ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2016 Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said that the people are free to criticise the government but cannot abuse the nation. In a Facebook post, Rijiju said a group of people in JNU have taken a "despicable vow to break India into pieces" and declared Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru as their hero. He said a group of politicians have defended the actions of "these anti-national elements". "As an Indian, the foremost requirement is allegiance to the unity and integrity of India. Anyone can criticise the government but don't abuse the nation," he said. The Minister of State for Home said despite massive condemnation from patriotic citizens, they are still proud of their "atrocious act". "These people are so firmly indoctrinated in their ideology that their hatred for India is subsumed in their freedom of expression. I won't succeed in making them patriotic citizens," he said. Rijiju said there is just one solution left to this issue and such "pseudo students and politicians" should live with the soldiers in 16,000 feet altitude for one year or see the conditions of the widows of martyrs who gave their lives for the nation. The Supreme Court on Wednesday slammed the Delhi Police for their failure to prevent the attack on Kanhaiya Kumar in the Patiala House Court premises. Arrested JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar on Wednesday told metropolitan magistrate Lovleen, during his remand proceedings, that he condemns what happened on 9 February, 2016, on JNU campus and appealed to everyone not to disturb the peace of the country, society and institution. "I believe in the Constitution of India. I condemn what happened on 9 February, 2016. After seeing the video, I got to know that some outsiders had entered JNU and along with students they were raising slogans. I don't support such sloganeering. I appeal to everyone not to disturb the peace of the country, society and institution," Kanhaiya had said. With inputs from agencies New Delhi: BJP MLA OP Sharma, who was caught on camera beating a CPI activist at Patiala House court three days back, was arrested on Thursday. The first-time MLA was questioned for around eight hours at the Tilak Marg police station in connection with the case. He was then arrested on charge of causing hurt and was released on bail, a senior police official said. The Delhi Police had come under severe criticism for not taking action against the legislator despite having clear video footage showing him beating the CPI activist when the court was hearing the JNU case. The police had on Wednesday served summons on Sharma following which he presented himself before the investigators on Thursday. "He was arrested under charges of causing hurt and later granted bail," said a senior police official. After coming out of the police station, Sharma told reporters, "If someone has to pay such a price for stopping a person who raised pro-Pakistan slogans, then I have got nothing to say." Police had on Wednesday issued summons to him as well as three lawyers in connection with assault on journalists and JNU students and teachers and some other persons at the court complex on Monday. The lawyers are yet to depose before police. Delhi Police has been under attack for not taking action against those involved in the assault at the court complex on Monday and Wednesday. PTI By Ajay Kumar US Senator, J.William Fulbright once said, "in a democracy, dissent is an act of faith". Let us take that a step further, democracy itself is an act of faith. Democracy works because a citizen has faith that other citizens are open to persuasion via discussion and argument. This creates the marketplace of ideas, which through often heated public debate shape the destiny of a nation. The hallmark of India has been that she has maintained her democracy in the face of all odds. She has survived where those around her have fallen into a rabid disarray. But in order for the argument to take place, in order for democracy to work, it is imperative that we as citizens stop acting on outrage and begin acting on patriotism. Every morning Indians everywhere, wake up, pour themselves a cup of tea pull their newspapers out and read about what's happening in their country. Those who do so at the tea stalls, often end up in heated debates over articles and ideas of the day. We are lucky, we live in a politically conscious society where we can debate great issues like the budget, national security, nationalist values and everything else. We create a safe space for this by pouring a cup of tea and sharing it. A discussion over chai seldom ever gets violent, they can get very heated but it seldom gets violent. It is often said that it is in India's tea stalls, that it's democracy actually comes alive. People of various backgrounds, views and cultures gather around a glass of tea and find a common moment of safe human space. The Jawaharlal Nehru University is no different from the rest of the country when it comes to this, except in one aspect, universities like these are the 'proving' ground for the next generation's faith in our democracy. and this is why student politics is vital to the nation's future. It is here, in our universities that our nation's young people begin their initial engagement with our political system. Through small petitions like a change in hostel timings and mess menus the next generation begins to express faith in their fellow citizen. The faith that makes democracy work, the faith that their fellow citizens will be open to reason and persuasion. It a moment of immense pride for a nation, when its young people on campuses begin to get engaged in the political process especially insofar as it concerns issues of the day or issues of national importance. Like every nation on campus too you will have various polarising view points, the process and purpose of education is to learn to reconcile these view points through democratic processes. Despite their views, most of which I find extremely distasteful, the students of JNU through their protests and meetings continue to re-assert their faith in our democratic process every time they choose to air their demands and grievances instead of resorting to violence. Just as the rest of the country does everyday when they discuss the issues of the day with their fellow citizens over tea in the mornings. History makes apparent the consequence of dis-engaging with the process merely because the views therein are distasteful to the nationalist appetite. It has cost India, the Kashmiri, the Adivasi and now India stands to lose her next generation. If as citizens we feel the need to send men in Khaki down to every campus, every time the Government or the public at large hears something it would rather not at a tea stall, it is us who are defeating Indian Democracy and not them. It is indeed a matter of grave national concern that our young people at JNU have chosen to express themselves the way they have. This shows that as a nation we are now, more polarised than we have ever been in the recent past. The climate in India right now is one where a person is either a 'sickular', 'sanghi', a 'pseudo liberal' or a 'cunning brahmin'. The safety of the space a discussion over a cup of tea provides, is lost. We don't take tea together anymore but we insist on drinking tea amongst ourselves tea stalls have become mere echo chambers and each time an idea is repeated the more powerful and violent it gets. There is a complete lack of engagement when it concerns the issues and the rhetoric has shifted to one of jingoism. On the left with their calls for Revolution and with the right for their renewed calls of cultural national integration, and suddenly we find that the tea stalls are no longer bustling they have been silenced. Everyone is afraid to speak. No person becomes anti-national merely for expressing a view on an issue, no matter how distasteful it may seem to the rest of the nation. In fact, the real anti-nationals are the one's who are trying to shut JNU down and break the spirit of their students. If they really loved their country, they'd be horrified that its young people, this nation's future felt this way about it. They would be at campus canteens across the country, engaging with them and making the argument for India. Our Constitution establishes India as a constitutional democratic republic. The sole purpose of the Constitution of India is to create a democratic society, where a citizen, so long as he uses peaceful means is free to lobby and advocate for its complete and utter overthrow. If India is to survive as a nation and march forward on her destiny , the patriotic response to this advocacy coming form our students, must be engagement through discussion and argument and must not be the strong arm of the state. If the nation's young people feel the need to use distasteful rhetoric to express themselves, be it both on the right and the left, then perhaps it is evidence of a broader national failure to engage with the political, social and economic aspirations of the youth. The students at our universities are not children, almost all of them are over the age of majority and have the right to peaceful revolution via the ballot box. If the rest of the country does not engage with them, the future, will not engage with the country. These students should be allowed to protest and call for anything they want so long as it is peaceful. The State and patriots should be able to make the argument as to why they are wrong instead of seeking to militarise a campus and set up a nation wide university gestapo (see UGC surveillance guidelines). Suppressing dissent is not the way forward. It will just keep India in this mess longer. Patriotism is making an argument for the existence of one's country. It is the decision to engage with people who think otherwise. It is articles, discussions, debates and protests. It is using every peaceful means available at one's disposal to participate in the process. If getting a cup of tea with young India, is harder than arresting them trumped up charges of sedition, then it is clear that somewhere there has been a collective national failure that has resulted in this present situation. Strangely enough, this government already might have just the prefect way, to engage with people who think otherwise. It's through this mode of engagement, they won over the electorate. Perhaps it's time the Prime Minster had a Chai Pe Chacha at JNU. Everyone sits down over a cup of tea and hashes their disagreements out. I remember during the campaign, a Chai per Charcha was held at over 1000 tea stalls in the country. Maybe it's time to shift it to the campus canteen? Let's talk instead of locking people up. We owe it to ourselves as a nation to talk about these issues. There can never be sedition against one's own nation. In a citizen-democracy the idea that any speech can be seditious itself is a fundamental contradiction. There can be treason yes, there can be waging war yes, but there can never be sedition. Just like one doesn't throw family members out for bringing things up at at tea time, we cannot lock them up for sedition when they say something distasteful. If we are to remain a family, we need to have the room to speak. The author is an advocate at the High Court, Bombay. He is currently a counsel at Ashlar Law. By Shishir Tripathi It isnt just students who are getting it from the BJP. The party has decided to badger the vice-chancellors of all Indian central universities as well. Union Human Resources Development minister Smriti Irani today roundly lambasted the 42 VCs gathered at a closed-door meeting in Surajkund, Haryana on Thursday, during which she scolded, castigated and played headmistress to some of the countrys senior-most academics. As part of her tirade, Irani ticked off a few VCs who fell asleep during the proceedings and ordered a faculty member to leave the hall for attempting to click her picture. The three universities that are in the news JNU, Jadavpur and Hyderabad were among those present. Irani delivered a 30-minute soliloquy that doubled as a harangue she demanded that the VCs emerge from their comfortable cocoons and do what you are expected to do. The minister snapped at the academics for keeping posts vacant on the pretext that eligible candidates [to those positions]. Remember you are at the mercy of tax payers money. Do not enjoy this as a fully tax-free paid holiday, she scolded those in the conference hall. Search your soul when you go back from here and appraise your own work. Most vice chancellors were taken aback at being admonished like school-going children. That this day-long session, organised to address gender-sensitisation and revision of academic curricula, would turn into an extended exercise in the HRD minister reprimanding educationists who run some of the countrys premier institutions became apparent early in the day, when a member of the faculty that organised the event attempted to take Iranis picture. The minister ordered the (unidentified) man to leave the hall. Later, when proceedings began and the minister discovered that a few VCs had fallen asleep during University Grants Commission chairman Ved Prakashs speech, she thundered: How could you doze off in the midst of an important meeting and teach people discipline? Irani then demanded to know what exactly the VCs did for a living and how many times they had involved themselves in revising university curricula. The minister switched from the stuff of text books to the running of universities, alluding to the recent dismissal of Visva-Bharti University VC, Sushanta Dattagupta, the first ever sacking of the head of a central university. Dont become the VC just to get a lal batti (red beacon) fitted on top of your car, she told those assembled. Sources who were present told Firstpost the VCs received her censure meekly, and remained subservient throughout. 42 central universities and vice-chancellors Ahmedabad: In a dig at Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for his stand on the JNU row and police action against students, yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Thursday said that friendship with country's "traitors" is equivalent to treachery. Asking the government to identify the "real traitors" so that innocents are not punished, Ramdev appealed to all parties to rise above "vote-bank politics" for the sake of the country's unity. "Friendship with country's traitors is also considered as treachery. In the eyes of law, supporting anti-national elements is also a crime," Ramdev told reporters when asked about Rahul's stand on the issue. "In this situation, political parties should rise above the vote bank politics for the sake of country's unity and peace," he said. On the arrest of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, he said, "We should not support those who are having a destructive mindset and are raising anti-India slogans in the name of freedom of expression." "At the same time, it is the duty of the government to identify and punish real anti-national elements so that innocent people are spared," he said. Hitting out at the government, Rahul Gandhi had said the JNU row and the violence in Patiala House court are a "blot" on India's image and asserted that nationalism runs in his blood. He also said that RSS was trying to impose its "flawed" and "dead" ideology on students of the country but his party will not allow it. Gandhi also submitted a memorandum in this regard to President Pranab Mukherjee today. PTI Never let the truth get in the way of a good story, Mark Twain said. Some of the Indian news channels and social media gladiators took the advice literally in their hurry to ensure Kanhaiya Kumar gets an extended stay at Tihar. On Wednesday morning, NewsX and India News, two channels trying to scream their way out of TRP trouble, had their 'nailed you' moment when they aired a video claiming it exposed Kumar, the JNU Students' Union facing sedition charges. 'Still innocent for Congress, Left?' NewsX asked with righteous vindication, showing a video where Kumar was seen demanding "azaadi." India News also joined the hunt feast, claiming in bold, bombastic headlines that Kumar's fate was sealed because he was caught on camera demanding "azaadi." Those baying for Kanhaiya's blood, jumped at the opportunity, thumping their chests with 'I-told-you-so' glee. Looks like they spoke too fast and too early. Sherlock Holmes once famously remarked on the importance of first-hand evidence. He also warned against first forming a hypothesis and then looking for evidence to substantiate it. 'It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts, he advised. But, some in the media seem to believe more in that adage about facts flying out of the window every time a story knocks on the door. So, the two news channels aired the video, only to be told it was doctored. And, this is the real irony of it, that their irrefutable evidence of Kumar's guilt may well turn out to be equally irrefutable evidence of his innocence. In the video, Kumar is indeed demanding azaadi. But not from India, or for Kashmir. He is heard demanding freedom from poverty, hunger, RSS and the other 'isms' whose tyranny he, and many others like him, want to end. (Pity he did not demand azaadi from the media on steroids and hash-tags.) Kumar may have gone on to become another instant victim of media's inability to adhere to the basic rule of journalism of facts being sacred, comment free. But the serendipitous happenstance of another channel, and a more prominent one, being at the right place and relying on first-hand evidence, left the two channels slurping egg off each other's face. And Kumar survived to fight another day. Calling the video aired by NewsX and India News doctored, ABP News released another tape to set the record straight. "ABP News camera caught him (Kumar) raising azadi slogans. He was shouting slogans with a lot of energy and scores of students were following him. However, he never said anything bad about the country. He said in his slogans that he wanted freedom from poverty, freedom for communal blood-shed, freedom from social disparity. He never even once raised any anti-India slogan. The video is of 11 February. He was addressing students at the ad-hoc block of the university. This is the same day when he gave a stirring speech about how he loved the country and had complete faith in Baba Saheb Ambedkar and the constitution." By then, the damage had been, less to Kumar's image and more to the ego of the twitterati that had announced the student leader guilty, hashtagged him to death. The chatterati, twitterati and the TRPrati have got it horribly wrong so often that they have become a living embodiment of the saying, once is happenstance, twice a tragedy and then Saturday Night With Kapil. A few days ago, as Firstpost had pointed out, they generated a lot of mirth and sympathy by falling for a fake letter from Jawaharlal Nehru labelling Subhas Chandra Bose a "war criminal" of England that even a kindergarten student would have refused to accept as genuine. (You can read the full story here). But, such is the melee for TRPs that someone or the other always trips and falls headlong in the gutter of rumours. It is difficult to believe that the mainstream media does this on purpose. In most of the cases, they are, like the intended targets, themselves the victims of rumours and doctored documents and videos; stupid spiders who get caught in their own web. But, it doesn't absolve them of the guilt of peddling fiction, behaving like irresponsible trolls who compete with each other for spreading canards, distorting facts, inciting mob frenzy, ruining reputations and destroying lives. In most cases their own and the mobs they cheerlead. New Delhi: The attack on JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar inside Patiala House court complex has left his parents "worried", but they are showing "exemplary courage" at this difficult juncture and are confident he will come out clean, CPI said on Thursday. CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy said the party men are in "regular" touch with his parents who have shown confidence in the organization during this "crisis" hour. Kanhaiya is a leader of All India Students' Federation (AISF), students' wing of CPI. His parents live in Bihat village of Bihar's Begusarai district. "One of our colleagues spoke to them (Kanhaiya's parents) yesterday. Naturally, they are worried...yesterday there was an attack on him. But they are showing exemplary courage at this difficult moment. His parents said they have full confidence in the party," Reddy told PTI. The leader said Kanhaiya's family is poor and can't afford even a television set and they watch news on neighbour's TV. "His mother is an anganwadi worker. His father is suffering from partial paralytic stroke. I spoke to him the other day. They are courageous and they are confident that he will come out clean," he added. A group of lawyers had on Wednesday attacked Kanhaiya, arrested on sedition charges, while he was being produced at the court complex. PTI The huge fire that gutted the stage of Maharashtra Night programme during the Make in India jamboree on Sunday night fortunately did not result in any casualties. Despite the presence of over 10000 people including foreign dignitaries and VVIPs at the venue when the massive fire broke out, Mumbai police and the BMC's disaster control cell came in for high praise for an almost flawless job of evacuation. It was so smooth that everybody thanked god that there was no damage other than that to the image of the Maharashtra government. But it now turns out that providence had only a bit role in avoiding what could have been a gigantic tragedy on the shores of Chowpatty. Much of the credit should be parked with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Mumbai Fire Brigade. But Firstpost can reveal that if event management company Wizcraft International's original site design was adhered to, evacuation might not have been as smooth as it was. Wizcraft, which is already under scanner for not paying heed to fire department's advice, proposed setting up only two gates, one each for entry and exit for over 10000 people and for an event of such scale and magnitude. In a copy of the event map in possession of Firstpost and reproduced here, Wizcraft proposed setting up a barricade around the entire venue which could have made evacuation during an accident almost impossible. The eventuality was avoided since the BMC's disaster management cell and the fire department red-flagged the proposal. The barricades were taken off and five gates strategically installed after a joint inspection done on 12 February by additional municipal commissioner SVR Sriniwas, Pallavi Darade, Jt CP Deven Bharti, Jt CP, Traffic, Milind Bharambe and chief fire officer Prabhat Rahangdale. Though the event management company at the centre of the controversy has claimed that all instructions were followed, senior officials from BMC and state government have raised questions over how flammable material was put under the stage and conditions on fireworks not complied with. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered the inquiry, but questions have been raised why there is no FIR even 4 days after the incident. Talking exclusively to Firstpost Fadnavis said FIR will be lodged in two days. "If anyone is responsible for this we take strictest action." Phone calls and text message queries to company officials till the publishing of this report went unanswered. Did MMRDA suffer loss of revenue? The Make in India week likely resulted in a revenue loss of Rs 21 crore for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Authority of India (MMRDA), according to a letter by RTI activist Anil Galgali. Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), the government arm organising the event, has reportedly refused to pay up, resulting in the organisation losing out on rentals for a week at its Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) plot. A letter in possession of Firstpost also reveals BMC had waived off all charges and license fees for the event which was held from 13th to the 18th February, resulting in further revenue loss. Maha govt moved SC to hold event at Chowpatty In light of Bombay high court's refusal to allow the state to hold such a huge jamboree on Girgaum Chowpatty, the Centre had moved the apex court, following which the Supreme Court on 2 February stayed the high court order and allowed the Maharashtra government to hold the event. In February last year, the complainant accusing RK Pachauri, former director general of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) of sexual harassment recorded a detailed statement before the magistrate. Economic Times accessed the statement and reported that Pachauri, during a climate change summit told the complainant that if she ever got a boyfriend, he (Pachauri) would castrate him. He said this after seeing her speak to a male colleague. Pachauri also forced a kiss on her, despite protests and also sent her a copy of erotic literature he had written, 'Return to Almora' and insisted that she read it. The second complainant, too, according to the ET report, was asked by Pachauri to read the novel. The second complainant told the magistrate that she would be handing over more incriminating evidence to the police. On 3 September, 2013, the first complainant had received an SMS, allegedly from Pachauri. The SMS had read "From now onwards I shall call you LIFE: Lovely Inspiration of Excessive Fondness," reported an Economic Times article. This is one of the many lecherous messages, emails and inappropriate advances recorded in the 500-page chargesheet that has been compiled against Pachauri. NDTV reported that the chargesheet will also include statements of 25 key witnesses. Scroll.in also reported that the Delhi police said that Pachauri was guilty of "outraging the modesty of a woman", in addition to sexually harassing her, stalking and trying to intimidate the complainant. The chargesheet also states that Pachauri had misused his powers as the Director General of TERI and that there was "enough evidence to prosecute" Pachauri. According to the ET report, Pachauri had made 34 calls to the complainant from his mobile phone between February 2014 and March 2015, the complainant called him 26 times. In addition to this, the chargesheet also lists 6000 SMSes, Whatsapp messages exchanged between Pachauri and the complainant between September 2013 and February 2015. Pachauri has denied the allegations, claiming that his email ids, mobile phone and WhatsApp messages have been hacked. But the police, however, will not wait for a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report the report will be filed in supplementary chargesheet when its received. New Delhi: Price was the only issue left to negotiate now in the Rafale fighter jet deal with France, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Thursday. The minister, in an interview to Karan Thapar on India Today TV said: "Price is the problem which has to be resolved. We have resolved all other issues." Asked about the MoU signed during French President Francois Hollande's visit to India, the defence minister said: "It is valid and meaningful to extent that procedure has been laid. "If I am buying something, I cannot hurry on the price, agreement also does not limit the time frame," he said. Asked about a time frame, the minister said it may take a "few months", but quickly added that he did not want to put a "restriction on the timeline". "Price is the only issue left now," he said, adding that an agreement on 50 percent offsets has been reached. India signed an inter-governmental pact with France to buy 36 Rafale fighters but the price negotiations are still on. France is said to have quoted around $9 billion for the 36 jets. The deal would includes two types of missiles and bombs, training of pilots and base facilities for the planes. The defence minister also said he was "hurt" by the US decision to sell F-16 jets to Pakistan, a move which India has vocally opposed. IANS Smriti Iranis Human Resources Development Ministry has issued a diktat that all central universities should fly the national flag all year round. "At a central place in every university, the national flag will be flown prominently and proudly," the resolution passed at a meeting Irani had with the Vice Chancellors of Central universities, said. The move drew a sharp reaction from the Congress which said nationalism doesn't mean hoisting the flag and singing Vande Mataram and that it should be reflected in one's belief in the Constitution. CPM leader Brinda Karat also slammed government for the decision. The decision came in the midst of raging row over the arrest of JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar on sedition charges for being present at an event on the campus where anti-India slogans were raised. Though the government is facing strident opposition criticism over the issue, Thursday's move reflects its resolve to adopt an aggressive posture on it. The proposal for hoisting the national tricolour atop a 207-feet pole was put forward by Irani and unanimously endorsed by all the 46 Vice Chancellors, HRD officials said. She also put forth the proposal for hoisting the first such flag at JNU, which too was backed by all the VCs, they said. Officials in HRD Ministry said as per the resolution all the central universities, including JNU, will have to fly the tricolour and the decision was taken to "symbolise a strong and united India" in the institutions of higher education. The fact that this move comes even while protests are raging at Jawaharlal Nehru University campus after the arrest of a student Kanhaiya Kumar for sedition is not a coincidence. In fact, the first institution where the flag will be unfurled will be JNU. Indian Twitterati were pretty divided on the need for this step and took to the microblogging site to vent their feelings. I salute the decision of HRD to hoist the flag on every UNI . Every house hold should follow the same . Jai Hind . Paresh Rawal (@SirPareshRawal) February 18, 2016 Flying the national flag prominently has now become compulsory for all Central Universities. Great decision, @smritiirani! Priti Gandhi (@MrsGandhi) February 18, 2016 While it was not surprising to see Irani's fellow BJP leaders tweet their support, Congress MP Naveen Jindal's tweets were unexpected: I would like to thank Hon'ble Minister @smritiirani ji and @HRDMinistry for the decision to install monumental flags in all central univs. Naveen Jindal (@MPNaveenJindal) February 18, 2016 The National Flag shall encourage youth and students to rise above religious and political lines and be united. Naveen Jindal (@MPNaveenJindal) February 18, 2016 Of course, Bollywood personalities could not be left out of the debate: National flag to fly prominently and proudly at all central universities. Welcome move by @HRDMinistry, @smritiirani & all VCs. Jai Hind! Madhur Bhandarkar (@imbhandarkar) February 18, 2016 I 100% agree with #BJP govt n @smritiirani Ji that each university should have indian flag. I am surprised that it was not there till now. KRK (@kamaalrkhan) February 18, 2016 I love the Indian Flag. But...207 feet is higher than 20 stories, bro. Bit much, perhaps? pic.twitter.com/1z2uGzW5pe VISHAL DADLANI (@VishalDadlani) February 18, 2016 Then came the sarcasm: I congratulate HRD Minister @smritiirani for saving the future of Indian education with this brilliant innovation! pic.twitter.com/gRHt2JGxj9 Mahesh Murthy (@maheshmurthy) February 18, 2016 My Sincere Thanks to @smritiirani ji ; Its right time to remind anti-nationals that they are living in Bharat # (@AnupamkPandey) February 18, 2016 If hoisting the flag was all it took to address feelings of alienation problems of Kashmir & North East would have been solved decades ago. Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) February 18, 2016 Really flying the national flag is the HRD Ministry 's answer to fixing the education system. But then Bhabhi kabhi college Nahi gayee! Tehseen Poonawalla (@tehseenp) February 18, 2016 With inputs from PTI New Delhi: The three former office-bearers of ABVP, who had resigned from the party in protest against the Centre's handling of the raging row at JNU, said they were being "mocked" at for supporting the BJP's student wing and the "guilt" made them take the strong step. "People were mocking at us for supporting such a stand...we were feeling guilty of doing so. I was feeling terrible when the entire university was being called anti-national but I could not stand as a JNUite. It was then we decided to resign from the party," Pradeep Narwal, former Joint Secretary of JNU unit of ABVP, told PTI. Narwal, along with Rahul Yadav, president of ABVP unit of JNU's School of Social Sciences (SSS) and its secretary Ankit Hans, had yesterday resigned from ABVP in protest against the Centre's handling of the row and "legitimising" actions of right wing fascist forces, saying they "cannot be mouthpiece of such a government which has unleashed oppression on student community". Talking to reporters earlier in the day, Narwal said, "JNU is the most nationalist institution in the country. I do not support the government's stand over the issue. Let Supreme Court find Kanhaiya guilty and award him life imprisonment. But let the law take its course. There should be no 'Taliban culture' in India." "We are going to fight for JNU. If law find Kanhaiya guilty, let him be punished. If Umar Khalid is guilty he should be jailed. But do not attack the entire university, students and teachers. Let there be space for voices of dissent," he added. Ankit Hans, said, "We had ideological differences with the party over the issue so we decided to disassociate ourselves. We want to stand for the university as students and not political leaders of an outfit, whose stand is not acceptable to us." While the ABVP senior leaders are claiming that the three students have been "influenced" to protest against the party and divert the whole issue, Hans said, "This is our individual decision. We have not done this under anybody's influence." In a hard-hitting resignation letter, the trio had on Wednesday said, "We think there is a difference between interrogation and crushing ideology and branding entire left as anti-national. We cannot be mouthpiece of such a government which has unleashed oppression on student community. "Every day we see people assemble at front gate with Indian Flag to beat JNU student, well this is hooliganism not nationalism, you cant do anything in the name of nation, there is a difference between nationalism and hooliganism". The three students, however, did not join the ongoing strike by the students demanding release of JNUSU President Kanhaiya, citing "security reasons". Kanhaiya was arrested on Friday last in connection with a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy registered over holding of the event at the varsity during which anti-India slogans were alleged to have been raised. Members of the ABVP had objected to holding of the event following which the Vice Chancellor had withdrawn the permission for it. However, the organisers had gone ahead with the event. PTI New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday virtually paved the way for government formation in Arunachal Pradesh by vacating its order on maintenance of status quo, after being satisfied with the Gauhati High Court order staying the disqualification of the 14 rebel Congress MLAs. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice JS Khehar, on perusing the records regarding disqualification of 14 rebel Congress MLAs, said it is prima facie satisfied with the High Court order. "Prima facie we are not inclined to interfere with the High Court order, we are satisfied with it. Having seen the original records which are put before us by the Registrar General of Gauhati High Court, the order of 7 January calls for no interference at this stage. "Accordingly, the ad-interim order passed is vacated," the bench also comprising Justices Dipak Misra, MB Lokur, PC Ghose and NV Ramana said. The bench also transferred the case regarding disqualification of the 14 legislators from the single judge to the division bench of the High Court and asked it to expeditiously decide the matter within two weeks. The bench, however, made it clear that any further action taken will be subject to the outcome of the matter pending before it. Hours after the Union Cabinet had on Wednesday decided to recommend revocation of President's Rule in Arunachal Pradesh, the apex court had ordered maintenance of status quo in the crisis-ridden state till it examined judicial and assembly records on disqualification of the 14 rebel Congress MLAs by former Speaker Nabam Rebia. The interim order had came after senior lawyers FS Nariman and Kapil Sibal, appearing for Arunachal Congress leaders, had sought maintenance of status quo till their plea seeking to restrain Governor JP Rajkhowa from swearing in a new government in Arunachal Pradesh was decided. The bench had directed the Secretary General of Arunachal Pradesh Assembly and the Gauhati High Court Registry to furnish records, pertaining to the proceedings conducted by Speaker Nabam Rebia under Xth Schedule of the Constitution pertaining to disqualification of the MLAs, by Thursday. The bench, while noting that some part of the records was also in the safe custody of the Gauhati High Court, had directed the Registrar General of the High Court to ensure that the sealed record pertaining to the disqualification of the 14 MLAs, was produced in this court. Nariman and Sibal had also mentioned before the bench, which is hearing a batch of pleas on constitutional powers of the governors, that the Union Cabinet had recommended revocation of President's Rule in the state. Both senior lawyers had urged the bench to consider their plea for interim relief on Wednesday, apprehending swearing-in of a new chief minister by Thursday. Nariman had said the governor had on 26 January dismissed the chief minister and his council of ministers even when the assembly was in suspended animation. "Governor cannot pass any such order during subsistence of proclamation," he had said, adding that even the Gauhati High Court should not have stayed the disqualification of the 14 MLAs as Chief Whip of the party was not impleaded in the case. The bench had then said that the interim order of the High Court came on the ground that these 14 MLAs were not served notice. "If you have some evidence that they (rebel MLAs) were served notice before being disqualified by the Speaker, then its altogether a different matter," the bench said. Nariman had denied having any such record with him and said that an ad-interim order passed by the High Court cannot be passed in the limited powers of judicial review. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for some rebel Congress MLAs, had opposed the plea and contended that this petition was not maintainable. He had said the hearing was deferred from 14 to 15 December, 2015 after the Speaker was informed that notices have been not served. The bench then said it wanted to see the original records of proceedings which happened on 14 and 15 December and posted the matter for further hearing on Friday. PTI The BJPs backroom strategists will have to give their best to ensure that Parliaments Budget session, beginning today (23 February), doesnt turn out to be a repeat of winter and monsoon. There arent many, even within the BJP-camp, who carries high hopes of a productive budget session, when the Rohit Vemula suicide and the ongoing Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) imbroglio have re-energized the opposition to mount yet another attack on the Narendra Modi-government. There were enough hints of what is in the store in Tuesdays all-party meet called by PM. This is certainly no good news for the economy, which is still struggling on the ground, is desperate for fresh investments and has waited long for growth-oriented reforms such as the crucial Goods and Service Tax (GST) Bill. Ever since Modi assumed power in May 2014, hopes were flying high on fast-paced economic reforms that will elevate the economy to a high-growth path and provide more jobs to millions. Modi hasnt had much luck so far. His government gets so entangled in some or other political controversies just before every Parliament session start. If Vypam scam and Sushama Swaraj controversy spoiled the Monsoon session, intolerance debate did the job in winter and, this time around, the JNU mess is fresh enough to spoil the show. And without fail, the BJPs motor mouths have given enough ammunition to the opposition to plan its moves. Reforms process stuck The Congress party doesnt seem to be on a consensus path yet on GST with respect to their three demands (mainly the inclusion of 18 percent GST rate cap in the Bill), which would mean that the BJP will have to struggle in Rajya Sabha, where its numbers are still weak, to push the crucial piece of legislation. The prime minister should take the opposition into confidence and see to it that the House functions smoothly and effectively, Congress MP and chairman, Public Accounts Committee, KV Thomas recently told Firstpost. If the PM thinks he can do without the cooperation of the opposition, let him go ahead and get the bills passed, That doesnt sound a very promising stance for the Budget session. There hasnt been any major progress on large-ticket reforms yet, mainly the GST and banking sector reforms, even though the government has managed to push small reforms steps in the area of foreign direct investment, subsidy rationalisation and attracting foreign entrepreneurs to build factories in India through initiatives such as Make In India and Start-Up India. But, the major challenge still remains on getting private investments to expedite the manufacturing growth. So far, the private sector has remained on the sidelines and public funding has acted as the key driver to growth. As the Budget session nears, Modi is facing more skeptics than before and a weak economic scenario being questioned by more people than ever before, despite the 7.6 percent GDP growth projected for current fiscal year. It was almost certain that GST will miss the 1 April roll out deadline when the GST Bill didnt happen in the Winter Session. With chances of this happening in the Budget session too looking difficult, uncertainty will increase on this key piece of legislation (designed to subsume several taxes into one) critical to give a leg up to the economy. Still, there is a better chance of bankruptcy code happening since this was introduced in previous session as a money bill. Investors will eagerly look at the Budget for any roadmap for the reforms path from this point. Markets keep a close eye on the progress of the reform agenda ahead of five key state elections that are likely to be held in April-May, said Radhika Rao, economist at Singapore-based DBS Bank. There is a visible decline in fresh investments in the economy. In the first nine months of FY16, total private investments in the country declined to Rs 3.5 lakh crore compared with Rs 4 lakh crore in the corresponding period last year, while investments by the government declined to Rs 1.9 lakh crore as against from Rs 3.98 lakh crore. The total number of investment proposals for the first 8 months of the year was higher at 1,366 during FY16 compared with 1,074 during the same period of last year. However, in value terms the proposed investment was lower at Rs 2.02 lakh crore as against Rs 3.22 lakh crore during the same period of last year. As noted before, if one discounts the sharp, unconvincing, jump in the manufacturing segment, growth has largely happened due to urban consumption, whereas rural growth, exports (which have fallen for 14 consecutive months) and fresh capital investments (also shown in the gross fixed capital formation numbers that fell to 27.8 per cent of GDP in Q3 from 30.5 per cent in Q2 and 30.9 per cent in Q1) have been weak. The budget math Beyond the reforms agenda, the budget itself will be a more complicated exercise this time for two reasons: One, there is a big challenge of dealing with the bank recapitalisation issue since the bad loans have spiked beyond all estimates (the gross NPAs of banks crossed Rs 4 lakh crore in December) and resulting in more capital requirement for banks to provide for bad assets. Banks also have an equal chunk of restructured loans on their balance sheets, which could turn bad eventually if the economy doesnt pick up well. Though it is good that banks' hidden rot is finally coming out, in turn, this would make allocation of capital to state-run banks a complex process for finance minister Arun Jaitley since banks will need much more funds to set aside bad loans. So far, Jaitley has allocated Rs 70,000 crore for state-run banks and has asked them to find funds from the market for about Rs 1.1 lakh crore. The consensus estimate of capital these banks would require in the year to 2019 is at least Rs 2.4 lakh crore when the Basel-III norms will take effect. If the budget fails to give a convincing roadmap on how the government plans to address the bank recapitalisation issue and how it wants to take ahead the privatization process of government banks, it can act as a major turn off for investors and rating agencies. Two, the big question is will the government choose to stick to the fiscal consolidation path or relax the roadmap to make room for more public spending. The RBI has already warned against the second option. One needs to wait and see what Jaitley choose to do. The government has committed to bring down the fiscal deficit to 3.9 percent this fiscal year, 3.5 in next fiscal year and 3 per cent by fiscal year 2018. But, in the wake of higher wage bill in 2016-17 (on account of 7th pay commission implementation) and low growth, the government may not be in a position to meet this target. The only way to achieve this is to drastically cut short the fiscal spending, which can damage the economic recovery. Public investment has driven the countrys economic recovery in the past 18 months, and this will likely be curtailed to achieve this reduction. With private-sector investment unlikely to come to fruition soon, we believe the nascent recovery may suffer serious setbacks, said Anubhuti Sahay, Head, South Asia Economic Research (India), Standard Chartered Bank, in a note. After two washed out Parliament sessions, it is important for the Modi-government to make sure that the Budget session doesnt turn out to be a flop show, in the context of weak economy and investor skepticism. The task is even more difficult now in the backdrop of ongoing JNU mess. Data support from Kishor Kadam New Delhi: JNU Vice Chancellor Jagdesh Kumar has appealed to the students to reconsider their march to Jantar Mantar this afternoon in protest against arrest of their president in a sedition case, citing "safety" reasons. "While we appreciate your right to protest, we are apprehensive of your safety outside the campus. We, therefore, appeal to you to reconsider your decision for undertaking the march outside the campus," the VC said in an advisory issued to students. The students and teachers of the varsity have decided to march from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar at 2:30 PM demanding release of JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who was arrested Friday last in a sedition case, in connection with an event against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, where anti-national slogans were alleged to have been raised. JNU Students Union Vice President, Shehla Rashid Shora, who will be leading the march, had on Wednesday written to the VC informing him of the march and requesting him to ensure security arrangements. The varsity's Chief Security Officer had also sent a communication to police on Wednesday requesting the force to make adequate security arrangements for students during the march and till they are back in the campus. PTI Peter Blake/Bushbranch Records/ Surfdog RecordsEric Clapton will release a brand-new studio album called I Still Do on May 20. The project reunited the guitar legend with acclaimed producer Glyn Johns, who previously collaborated with Clapton on his multi-platinum 1977 album Slowhand and also has worked with The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin and The Eagles. "This was a long and overdue opportunity to work with Glyn Johns again," says Eric in a statement, "and also, incidentally, the fortieth anniversary of Slowhand!" I Still Do features 12 tracks, including a number of original tunes written by Clapton, as well as covers of Bob Dylan's "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine," Robert Johnson's "Stones in My Passway," Leroy Carr's "Alabama Woman Blue" and standards like "I'll Be Seeing You" and "Little Man, You've Had a Busy Day." Various members of Eric's touring band contributed to the album, including keyboardists Paul Carrack and Chris Stainton, guitarist Andy Fairweather Low and multi-instrumentalist Simon Climie. In addition, the mysteriously named Angelo Mysterioso sang and played acoustic guitar on a song called "I Will Be There." It's worth noting that Clapton's good friend George Harrison was credited under the pseudonym "L'Angelo Misterioso" when he contributed guitar to the Cream song "Badge." The cover art for I Still Do is a portrait of Clapton painted by Peter Blake, the artist responsible for creating the cover of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Here is the full track list of I Still Do: "Alabama Woman Blues" "Can't Let You Do It" "I Will Be There" "Spiral" "Catch the Blues" "Cypress Grove" "Little Man, You've Had a Busy Day" "Stones in My Passway" "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" "I'll Be Alright" "Somebody's Knockin'" "I'll Be Seeing You" Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. The resignation of three Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) students coupled with their refusal to be the mouthpiece of the government must have hurt the BJP. When your children show you the mirror, reflect on questions about morality, ethics and nationalism, it is bound to prick the ego and hubris of the elders. So calling them traitors, deriding them as anti-nationals, sympathisers of JNU jihadis and agents of Pakistan is a tempting and natural reaction. But, the BJP and its nationalist bhakts would benefit immensely if they listen carefully to the three ABVP leaders who quit on Wednesday, citing difference of opinion with their organisation. They are reminding the saffron parivar of the core values of India, the real meaning of nationalism. On Wednesday night, joint secretary of the JNU wing of the students' organisation, put up an open letter on his Facebook page announcing that he is quitting ABVP with two other leaders. #SAVEJNU #SAVEDEMOCRACYDear friends, We, Pradeep, Joint Secretary, ABVP JNU UNIT, Rahul... Posted by Pradeep Narwal on Wednesday, 17 February 2016 It would have been much better if a senior leader of the party or one of its spokespersons had reflected on recent events, given precedence to morality over politics, conscience over opportunistic jingoism and stated the obvious. But, now that these conscientious students have spoken out, the BJP should reflect. The party should ask itself whether thugs with the Tricolour in hand denigrate the nation or add to its pride with their street violence and cowardly attacks on unarmed students, journalists and the very foundation of democracy. At the peak of the Ram Mandir agitation, the BJP was mocked by its critics for having 'Moonh mein Ram, bagal mein chhuri' (Ram on the lips, dagger in hand). It is now in danger of becoming a party of hooligans with 'Haath mein Tiranga, dimaag mein danga' (Tricolour in hand, riot on the mind). It should reflect on how a party that once took pride in the Indian culture where a guru is considered bigger than Govind (that's Kabir), turned into a party that is busy denigrating teachers, labelling them 'anti-nationals' and threats to the nation. How, while promising to fight against enemies of the nation, it started attacking the country's premiere institutions, its own people, students and Dalits; dispensing certificates of patriotism and nationalism and street justice. As the ABVP leaders say in their resignation letter: "Anti-national slogans on 9 February in university campus were very unfortunate and heart breaking. Whosoever responsible for that act must be punished as per the law but the way NDA government is tackling the whole issue, the oppression of Professors, repeated lawyer attacks on Media and Kanhaiya Kumar in court premises is unjustifiable and we think there is a difference between interrogation and crushing ideology and branding entire left as Anti-national." Meanwhile on Wednesday, Kailash Chaudhry, BJP legislator from Bayatu said, "The Congress thinks Rahul Gandhi is a prince, but he is a traitor. He should be shot." The BJP must reflect, how, with its meticulous ambiguity on the culture of Nathuram Godse, it has turned a country that took pride in its legacy of ahimsa, into a nation of rampaging lynch mobs, where its leaders are raring to kill another Gandhi. Finally, the ABVP leaders are telling the truth about the 9 February incident in the JNU campus. "Veiled persons in the event organised by former DSU persons shouted slogans 'Bharat tere tukade honge', of which there is concrete evidence in the videos, so we demand any person responsible for the slogans should be punished as per the law." They are telling us that the event was not organised by Kanhaiya Kumar, that anti-slogans were not raised by him but people wearing masks. BJP, this is the conscience of your young leaders talking. Stop. Listen. Act. And, let Kanhaiya go. Tokyo: A Japanese lawmaker is being criticised for saying President Barack Obama was a descendant of black slaves and therefore would have been an unthinkable choice in America's early history. Kazuya Maruyama, a lawyer-turned-lawmaker in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling party, apologised hours after making the remark at a parliamentary constitutional panel, saying it was misleading. Maruyama said Wednesday: "Today, America has a black person as president. A person who inherits black people's blood. Frankly speaking, they were slaves." Then he went on to explain how civil rights improved in the US improvement Maruyama said Wednesday. "Back at the beginning of US history, it would have been unthinkable that a black person, a slave, would become President. That's how dynamic a transformation this country makes." Opposition lawmakers demanded Maruyama resign over the comment, but it wasn't clear what they considered insulting, except it could have sounded racist. Obama has spoken often about America's racial history and what it means for him to be the first black US president. His father was from Kenya and his mother was from Kansas. Japanese often exercise self-restraint or overreact to certain words and actions to avoid controversy. A zoo last year was accused of insulting British royals by naming a baby monkey Charlotte for the British princess, but it kept the name as the public's choice. The US Embassy had no immediate comment, and did not respond to an inquiry by AP. "It was outrageous. The remark could have been interpreted as an insult to the U.S. president. It's an extremely serious problem that could even hurt Japan's diplomatic relations," said Yosuke Kamiyama, a member of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, during a parliamentary session Thursday. Maruyama represented his party in asking questions to two experts about a revision to Japan's constitution, which has never been amended since it was drafted by the US during its post-World War II occupation. He also noted that there would be no problem if Japan becomes America's "51st state" and that would allow people from "the state of Japan" to become US president. Then he went on to mention Obama. AP Beirut: The head of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) on Thursday denied Turkish allegations that the group was involved in a bombing in Ankara that killed 28 people. "We deny any involvement in this attack," Saleh Muslim told AFP, after Turkey's prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu accused his party's armed wing of carrying out the attack in coordination with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, an outlawed Kurdish group in Turkey. Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara that the bombing was carried out by a Syrian national named Salih Necar, adding that nine people had been detained in connection with the attack. "We have never heard of this person Salih Necar," said Muslim. "These accusations are clearly related to Turkish attempts to intervene in Syria," he added. The Wednesday night bombing targeted military vehicles in the Turkish capital. It comes as Turkey shells Kurdish militants in Syria who have seized territory in recent days from rebel groups backed by Ankara in Aleppo province. Ankara considers Muslim's PYD party and its armed wing, the People's Protection Units (YPG), to be affiliates of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state. AFP Istanbul: At least 28 people were killed and 61 wounded Wednesday by a car bomb targeting the Turkish military in the heart of the capital Ankara, the latest in a string of attacks to shake the country. The blast struck a convoy of military vehicles, said Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus, confirming the latest toll. It was unclear who had carried out the attack. Turkish media reports say a Syrian national was behind the attack in Ankara that killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens of others. Yeni Safak, a newspaper close to the government, said on Thursday that the man who detonated the car bomb Wednesday that targeted buses carrying military personnel was identified from his fingerprints. It said he had been registered as a refugee in Turkey. Pro-government Sabah newspaper said the man was linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. A government official couldn't confirm the reports. The explosion occurred during evening rush hour in the heart of Ankara, in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters and lodgings. There was no immediate claim of responsibility although suspicion fell on the PKK and the Islamic State group. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed retaliation against the perpetrators of the attack, which came on the heels of a spate of deadly strikes in Turkey blamed on jihadists and also Kurdish rebels. The car bomb detonated when a convoy of military buses carrying dozens of soldiers stopped at traffic lights in central Ankara, sparking panic and chaos. "This attack has very clearly targeted our esteemed nation as a whole and was carried out in a vile, dishonourable, treacherous and insidious way," said Kurtulmus. Plumes of smoke could be seen from all over the city rising from the scene, close to the headquarters of the Turkish military and the parliament. The powerful blast was heard throughout Ankara, sending alarmed residents rushing to their balconies. "I saw a huge fireball growing," 25-year-old witness Gurkan, who said he was standing 500 metres (yards) from the scene, told AFP. "People started to run in all directions in panic as soon as we heard a strong explosion." The army said the attack took place at 1631 GMT and had targeted "service vehicles carrying army personnel". 'Right to self defence' Without specifying what the retaliation could entail, Erdogan warned that "Turkey will not shy away from using its right to self-defence at any time, any place or any occasion". The bombing prompted Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to scrap a planned trip to Brussels on Thursday to discuss Europe's migrant crisis. Erdogan also shelved a trip to Azerbaijan. In Ankara, ambulances and fire engines were sent to the scene and wounded victims were seen being taken away on stretchers. Images showed firefighters trying to overcome a fierce blaze engulfing the gutted service buses. Turkish police threw a security cordon around the area. A second blast later rocked the area, an AFP correspondent said, but officials said this was police detonating a suspicious package. Washington in a statement strongly condemned "the terrorist attack on Turkish military personnel and civilians" and reaffirmed US solidarity with the key NATO partner. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance strongly condemned the bombing. "NATO Allies stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight against terrorism," he said. The EU pledged to stand "with Turkey and its people in these difficult times". 'Perpetrators will be revealed' Kurtulmus said authorities did not know who had carried out the attack, but vowed the perpetrators "will be revealed as soon as possible". Ankara was already on alert after 103 people were killed on October 10 when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of peace activists, the bloodiest attack in the country's modern history. Eleven people, all German tourists, were also killed on January 16 when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the tourist heart of Turkey's biggest city Istanbul. Those attacks were blamed on Islamic State jihadists, as were two other deadly bombings in the country's Kurdish-dominated southeast earlier in the year. But Turkey is also waging an all-out assault on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has repeatedly attacked members of the security forces with roadside bombings on their convoys in the southeast. The PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984, initially fighting for Kurdish independence although now more for greater autonomy and rights for the country's largest ethnic minority. Turkish artillery in the south of the country shelled positions of Kurdish fighters in Syria for the fifth day in a row on Wednesday in an escalating standoff, reports said. Turkey says the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People's Protection Units (YPG) are merely the Syrian branch of the PKK and themselves terror groups. The banned ultra-left Revolutionary People's Liberation PartyFront (DHKP-C) has also staged a string of usually small-scale attacks in Istanbul over the last few months. AFP For protesters terming the JNU students agitation as 'anti-national', Pakistan has been a recurring subject of verbal venom. Now, the JNU students have found support from across the border, with a students group issuing a strongly-worded condemnation of the government action against them. "We strongly condemn the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar (JNUSU), the attack on JNU and extend our solidarity and lend our entire support to the brave students standing against this injustice," the Democratic Students' Alliance (DSA) in Pakistan has said in a statement. The DSA describes itself as an 'informal organisation of left-leaning students who wish to work with the working class to attain progressive changes in Pakistani society'. CPI(M) leader Kavita Krishnan, who posted the message on Facebook, said, "They say they understand what JNU is going through, because they are labelled pro-India and anti-national every time they protest against their government." In Pakistan, student unions have been banned for over three decades, as mentioned in this editorial in the newspaper Dawn. After the Pakistan People's Party formed the government in Pakistan in 2008, the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announced that students' unions would be revived, but that has yet to happen, the article notes. The DSA, in its letter expressing support to JNU, has said, "We... know well the struggle and cost of challenging state narratives. We strive for the revival of student unions in Pakistan and admire their existence in India, for we believe students of this region are forces that can salvage the future of our countries from the archaic but potent forces of myopia, hate and coercion that have held our countries hostage." A message of love and solidarity to JNUSU from comrades in Lahore. They say they understand what JNU is going through,... Posted by Kavita Krishnan on Wednesday, 17 February 2016 On Thursday, an editorial in the Pakistani newspaper The Nation said, "Merely presenting a differing viewpoint on issues can get one labelled 'anti-nationalist,' as Pakistan knows too well... This is simply because of a lack of culture of dissent, which has been further exacerbated by the rise of the saffron tide and hyper-nationalism in India." However, the editorial also points out that some people in Pakistan who support the JNU agitation 'might not say the same about Baloch secessionists in Pakistan'. With the JNU agitation being reported extensively in Pakistan and student groups reacting to it, the debate over 'sedition' and 'anti-national activities' does seem to have found an echo across the border. Seoul: Four times as many US troops as originally planned are to take part in a joint military exercise with South Korea next month following nuclear and missile tests by the North, Seoul said Thursday. The US will send 15,000 troops to the annual computer-simulated "Key Resolve" exercise, the Yonhap news agency quoted Defence Minister Han Min-Goo as saying, up from 3,700 last year. South Korea would also increase the number of troops it sends, he said. Key Resolve, which ran for 10 days last year, usually kicks off simultaneously with a field exercise known as Foal Eagle, another joint military drill that lasts around 50 days. Foal Eagle is also expected to be the largest ever this year, attracting key US strategic assets such as an airforce combat brigade, marines, a naval fleet led by an aircraft carrier and nuclear-powered submarines, Yonhap said. North Korea regularly ratchets up its hostile rhetoric around the time of the joint US-South Korea military exercises, which usually spark a sharp surge in tensions on the divided peninsula. As the double exercises began last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un urged his army to prepare for war with the United States and its allies. The reclusive state also fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea at the start of the exercises. Last month, North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test despite international condemnation and followed it with a long-range rocket launch on 7 February. The launch was widely condemned as a ballistic missile test banned under UN resolutions. The United States and South Korea have responded with a series of military muscle-flexing activities. On Monday, the USS North Carolina attack submarine arrived at the southern port of Busan for joint training with the South Korean navy. And four US F-22 stealth fighters were deployed to an air base near Seoul on Wednesday. South Korea and the US are also set to begin talks this week on the possible deployment of an advanced US missile defence system, despite opposition from China. South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-Gyun said Thursday that Seoul would exercise its sovereign rights when deciding whether to host the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence System (THAAD) to its soil. South Korea will begin talks with Washington this week on the possible deployment of the advanced missile defence system, which China and Russia have warned could undermine stability in East Asia. The system fires anti-ballistic missiles into the sky to smash into enemy missiles either inside or outside the Earth's atmosphere during their final flight phase. "We will exercise our sovereign rights regarding this issue and in making decisions", Moon told journalists. "Nothing is more important than taking measures to protect the people and their assets from the increasing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea", he said. His comments came after Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Wednesday that the THAAD plan should be dropped. AFP Ciudad Juarez (Mexico): Pope Francis has decried the "human tragedy" of what he described as "forced migration" worldwide during a huge mass at Mexico's border with the United States. Francis made a point of holding the service in Ciudad Juarez, which lies across from El Paso, Texas, to pray for migrants who risk their lives crossing the border between the two nations. While he bemoaned the fate of Central Americans and Mexicans who flee poverty and crime-infested regions to seek a better life in the United States, he also talked about a global tragedy on Tuesday. "We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis which in recent years has meant the migration of thousands of people, whether by train or highway or on foot, crossing hundreds of kilometres through mountains, deserts and inhospitable zones," Francis said. "The human tragedy that is forced migration is a global phenomenon today." He did not mention other parts of the world by name but Europe is facing its gravest migration challenge since World War II, with many asylum-seekers fleeing war in Syria and drowning in the Mediterranean. Migrants, he said, are "excluded as a result of poverty and violence, drug trafficking and criminal organisations." "Injustice is radicalised in the young; they are cannon fodder, persecuted and threatened when they try to flee the spiral of violence and the hell of drugs. Then there are the many women unjustly robbed of their lives," he said. "No more death. No more exploitation. There is still time to change, there is still a way out and a chance, time to implore the mercy of God." The pontiff then asked for a moment of silence. AFP Pope Francis has appeared to open the door to a possible limited softening of the Roman Catholic Church's ban on contraception because of the Zika virus. But the Argentine pontiff, speaking to reporters as he flew back to Rome from a visit to Mexico, categorically ruled out abortion as a response to Zika, comparing the practice to a Mafia killing. The health crisis has put pressure on Church teachings, particularly in Latin America, where abortion is now being debated more openly even in some conservative countries. Many scientists believe Zika, a mosquito-borne disease that is currently sweeping through the Americas, may be a risk factor for microcephaly in newborns - a condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads. In the freewheeling, post-trip news conference that has become a trademark of his papacy, the pope was asked if using contraception would fall into the category of the lesser of two evils and how he felt about some authorities advising pregnant women with Zika to have abortions. He categorically ruled out that abortion would ever be permitted for pregnant women with Zika who fear that they may give birth to a child with microcephaley. "Abortion is not a lesser evil. It is a crime. It is killing one person to save another. It is what the Mafia does," Francis said, speaking passionately against the practice. "It is a crime. It is an absolute evil." The 1.2 billion-member Church teaches that abortion is a crime because life begins at the moment of conception. The Church teaches that contraception is wrong because nothing should block the possible transmission of life. But Francis mentioned in his response that one of his predecessors, Pope Paul VI, had issued an exceptional dispensation allowing nuns in Africa to use the birth control pill because they risked being raped during a conflict there. He said Paul, who reigned from 1963 to 1978, had responded to "a difficult situation in Africa", suggesting that a papal precedent existed. Francis did not say exactly when his predecessor made the exception, but it was believed to be in the 1960s in what was then the Belgian Congo. Little is known of the episode, which was not publicised at the time. Francis said that unlike abortion, "avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil" and added that "in certain cases", such as the precedent set by Paul VI regarding the nuns in Africa, using contraception might be the "lesser evil". He did not elaborate. Paul VI confirmed the Roman Catholic ban on artificial birth control in his major 1968 encyclical "Humanae Vitae" (On Human Life), which ran into strong opposition in some parts of the Church. In his comments on Zika, Francis also urged the medical and scientific communities to do every possible to find out more about the disease. "I would also like to exhort doctors to do everything to find vaccines against the mosquitoes that bear this illness. We have to work on that," he said. Reuters Baghdad: An Iraqi court on Thursday sentenced 40 men to hang over the June 2014 massacre by Sunni jihadists and allied militants of hundreds of military recruits in Tikrit, the judiciary said. The central criminal court in Baghdad found 40 of 47 defendants guilty of involvement in the "Speicher" massacre, named after the base near where the victims were captured before being executed. "The court ordered the execution of 40 (people) convicted of involvement in the incident, while seven were released for lack of evidence," Iraq's judiciary spokesman Abdel Sattar Bayraqdar said in the statement. Bayraqdar said the sentences were handed down under Article Four of Iraq's anti-terrorism law, which states that anyone who perpetrates, incites, plans, finances or assists acts of terrorism will be sentenced to death. A judicial source said all 47 were Iraqi citizens and present in court for their sentencing. "Some of them actually did the killing and others assisted them in this crime," the official, who could not give his name because he was not authorised to talk to the press, told AFP. He said the 40 were sentenced to death by hanging. The court itself did not reveal the identities of the defendants nor any details of the circumstances of their arrest. In a similar trial in July 2015, 24 men were sentenced to hang over the Speicher massacre, which was committed during the first days of the Islamic State group's sweeping offensive in Iraq. All of them had denied involvement. Some had said they were not even near Tikrit at the time, others that they never saw a lawyer and that the confessions used to secure convictions were obtained under torture. 'Flawed trial' Rights groups had criticised that trial as not meeting many of the standards required for such crimes. The highest estimate for the number of men murdered in the Speicher massacre is 1,700. Tikrit was retaken from IS in April 2015. Amnesty International on Thursday criticised "a fundamentally flawed mass trial" which it said brought the number of death sentences handed down by Iraqi courts this year to 92. "For Iraqi courts to hand down 92 death sentences in just six weeks is a grim indicator of the current state of justice in the country," the rights watchdog's Middle East and North Africa deputy director James Lynch said in a statement. "The vast majority of the trials have been grossly unfair, with many of the defendants claiming to have been tortured into 'confessing' the crimes," he said. Before a death sentence can be carried out in Iraq, it must be ratified by the president. Amnesty said the current head of state, Fuad Masum, has come under significant pressure to do so but called on the Iraqi authorities to establish an official moratorium on executions. The Speicher massacre is considered one of IS' worst crimes since it took over large parts of the country in 2014. Combined with a call by the country's top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani for Iraqis to take up arms against them, the Speicher massacre played a key role in the mass recruitment of Shiite volunteers to fight the jihadists. AFP Ankara: A Syrian national with links to Syrian Kurdish militia carried out the suicide bombing in Ankara that targeted military personnel and killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens of others, Turkey's prime minister said Thursday, and vowed to retaliate against these groups. Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters during a visit to Turkey's chief of military staff that the Syrian man he identified as Sahih Neccar, had carried out the attack in cooperation with Turkey's own outlawed Kurdish rebel group. Authorities had detained nine people in connection with the attacks and were trying to identify others. Turkey's military, meanwhile, said its jets conducted cross-border raids against Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq, hours after the Ankara attack, striking at a group of about 60-70 rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. "It has been determined with certainty that this attack was carried out by members of the separatist terror organization together with a member of the YPG who infiltrated from Syria," Davutoglu said, referring to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, known as the PKK, as well as the Syrian Kurdish militia group, the People's Protection Units. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which killed military personnel and civilians, although suspicion had immediately fallen on the PKK or the Islamic State group. The leader of the main Syrian Kurdish group, Salih Muslim, denied that his group was behind the Ankara attack and warned Turkey against taking Syria ground action. The car bomb went off late Wednesday in Turkey's capital during evening rush hour. It exploded near buses carrying military personnel that had stopped at traffic lights, in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters and lodgings. The blast was the second deadly bombing in Ankara in four months. Davutoglu said Syria's government, which he accused of backing Syrian Kurdish militias, is also to blame. And in an apparent reference to the US, he called on Turkey's allies to stop its support for the Syrian Kurdish group. Turkey regards the Syrian Democratic Union Party, and its military wing, the People's Protection Units, as terrorists because of their affiliation to Turkey's outlawed Kurdish rebel group. The Kurdish militia, however, has been fighting the Islamic State group, alongside the United States. "Those who directly or indirectly back an organization that is the enemy of Turkey, risk losing the title of being a friend of Turkey," Davutoglu said, in an apparent reference to Washington. "It is out of the question for us to excuse a terror organization that threatens the capital of our country." On Thursday, six soldiers were killed in southeastern Turkey after PKK rebels detonated a bomb on a road linking the cities of Diyarbakir and Bingol as their military vehicle was passing by, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. The military said Thursday that Turkish jets attacked PKK positions in northern Iraq's Haftanin region, hitting the group of rebels which it said included a number of senior PKK leaders. The claim couldn't be verified. Turkey's air force has been striking PKK positions in northern Iraq since a fragile two-and-a-half year-old peace process with the group collapsed in July, reigniting a fierce three-decade old conflict. Earlier, Yeni Safak, a newspaper close to the government, said the bomber had registered as a refugee in Turkey and Turkish authorities were able to identify him from his fingerprints. In October, suicide bombings blamed on IS targeted a peace rally outside the main train station in Ankara, killing 102 people in Turkey's deadliest attack in years. The attack drew international condemnation and Turkish leaders have vowed to find those responsible and to retaliate against them with force. "Our determination to retaliate to attacks that aim against our unity, togetherness and future grows stronger with every action," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday. "It must be known that Turkey will not refrain from using its right to self-defense at all times." The attack came at a tense time when the Turkish government is facing an array of challenges. Hundreds of people have been killed in renewed fighting following the collapse of the peace process and tens of thousands have been displaced. Turkey has also been helping efforts led by the US to combat the Islamic State group in neighboring Syria, and has faced several deadly bombings in the last year that were blamed on IS. The Syrian war is raging along Turkey's southern border. Recent airstrikes by Russian and Syrian forces have prompted tens of thousands of Syrian refugees to flee to Turkey's border. AP Damascus: At least 15 civilians were killed on Thursday in US-led airstrikes in Syria's northeastern province of al-Hasakah, a monitor group reported. The airstrikes targeted areas controlled by the Islamic State group in al-Hasakah, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which says it relies on activists on the ground inside Syria, Xinhua reported. The air raids apparently came in support of the Kurdish-backed Syria Democratic Forces, which is approaching the IS-held city of Shaddadi in the countryside of al-Hasakah. The US-led coalition started its operations specifically against the IS group in Syria over a year ago. Syrian officials have repeatedly questioned the intention and seriousness of the US coalition in the war on terror. IANS Hopes of developing a vaccine against Zika took a small step forward on Wednesday as Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc said its experimental shot had induced a robust and durable response in mice. Shares in the US biotech firm, which expects to test its product in humans before the end of the year, jumped 7 percent in premarket trading on the prospect of it developing a vaccine against the mosquito-borne disease. At least 15 companies and academic groups are currently racing to develop Zika vaccines, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), spurred on by growing public concern over the virus sweeping across the Americas. Zika, whose symptoms include mild fever and rash, has been linked to brain damage in thousands of babies in Brazil, although the connection is not yet proven. There is no proven treatment or vaccine for the disease, a close cousin of the viruses that cause dengue, chikungunya and West Nile fever. Inovio said in a statement that mice given its vaccine showed the development of antibodies and generated a response from T-cells, which play an important role in immunizing the body. "We will next test the vaccine in non-human primates and initiate clinical product manufacturing. We plan to initiate Phase I human testing of our Zika vaccine before the end of 2016," Inovio Chief Executive Joseph Kim said. Phase I is the first stage in a three-step process of testing new medicines and involves giving an experimental product to healthy volunteers. Inovio's DNA-based vaccine is being developed with South Korea's GeneOne Life Sciences Inc (011000.KS) and academic collaborators. One Canadian collaborator told Reuters last month that vaccine testing on humans could begin as early as August. Other organizations with relatively advanced Zika vaccine projects include India's Bharat Biotech, which said earlier this month that its experimental vaccine would start pre-clinical trials in animals imminently. The US National Institutes for Health is also working on another DNA vaccine, while France's Sanofi (SASY.PA), which makes the world's first vaccine for dengue, said on Feb. 2 it was launching a Zika project. Despite the accelerated work program, however, the WHO estimates it will still be at least 18 months before any Zika vaccines are ready to be tested in large-scale clinical trials. Much remains unknown about Zika, including whether the virus actually causes microcephaly, a condition marked by an abnormally small head size in newborns, although the WHO believes the suspected link could be confirmed within weeks. Brazil is investigating the potential link between Zika infections and more than 4,300 suspected microcephaly cases. An estimated 80 percent of people with Zika have no symptoms, making it difficult for pregnant women to know whether they have been infected. Experts say the developing of a useable preventative shot against the disease will not be simple, particularly due to concerns surrounding the safety of vaccinating pregnant women. REUTERS James Ian Longworth was stumbling after 10 schooners of beer when he made the decision to clench his fist and throw a life-changing blow. Now he will spend a minimum of three years in jail for punching Sydney bouncer Fady Taiba, leaving him in a coma for 19 days and with lifelong injuries. Longworth, 35, was sentenced in the NSW District Court to a maximum of four years and 10 months imprisonment on Thursday. "Sometimes serious crimes are committed by good people," Judge Richard Cogswell said during his sentencing remarks. A full scale search and rescue has been scaled back after emergency services responded to reports a man was missing in dangerous surf off Sydney's northern beaches. Rescue helicopters, lifeguards on jetskis and police scoured the waters off Turimetta Beach near Warriewood Blowhole after a witness standing on a nearby headland reported seeing a swimmer in trouble at roughly 2pm. The man was reportedly floating unconscious in the water off Turimetta, also known as Little Narrabeen beach. The male swimmer "was seen to be floating on the surface of the surf and was seen to be hit by a dumping wave and hasn't resurfaced," Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter chief executive Stephen Leahy told AAP. The CEO of Apple on Wednesday rejected an order by a U.S. judge to help the FBI access an iPhone used by one of the shooters who last year killed 14 people in California. The decision has set the stage for a high-stakes legal fight between the technology industry and the United States government. What is the FBI asking Apple to do? The FBI wants Apple to help it access an encrypted iPhone used by Syed Farook, who along with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, carried out the mass shooting in San Bernardino in December. Investigators say they dont know whether anything relevant is on the phone, but that they are unable to access the information because they dont know the password. They want Apple to create software that would bypass a self-destruct feature that erases the phones data after too many unsuccessful attempts to guess the password. Investigators want to be able to try different combinations in rapid sequence until they find the right one. Why does Apple oppose the idea? Apple CEO Tim Cook said Wednesday the company was being asked to take an unprecedented step that would threaten the security of Apples customers. He said building the software to defeat Apple's own security measures is "too dangerous to create." He cited the need to protect information from hackers and criminals. Cook said the company has no sympathy for terrorists and has provided the FBI with data it has in its possession and engineers with ideas on other options investigators could use. "While we believe the FBI's intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products, Cook said. And, ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect." What is at stake in this standoff? Apple is most worried that if it complies with the FBI request, it will set a precedent for future requests from the U.S. government or from other countries, like China. There are few earlier rulings courts can use for guidance, and Apple does not want to pave the road for similar requests to itself and other tech companies. Apple boosted encryption on its phones in 2014 after increased scrutiny on digital privacy. The government has complained that the higher security measures make criminal and national security investigations, such as the California shootings, more difficult. What's next? Apple will most likely file an appeal with the court in the coming days. The legal fight is expected to drag on for a long time. Libya's neighbors are again preparing for possible Western intervention in Libya, tightening border security and sending diplomatic warnings about the risk from hurried action against Islamic State that could force thousands refugees to flee. As Islamic State has expanded in Libya taking over the city of Sirte and attacking oil ports so too have calls increased for a swift Western response to stop the group establishing a base outside its Iraq and Syria territory. For Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria, sharing borders with Libya was already a security challenge as the country slipped into war between rival factions and allowed Islamic State to thrive five years after NATO strikes helped defeat Moammar Gadhafi. Exactly what Western intervention is possible is still under discussion. But President Barack Obama has ordered security advisers to look to halt Islamic State, and U.S. officials say airstrikes and special forces operations are options. Italy's defense minister has said the West can not afford to let spring come and go without intervening, though most officials say they are pushing for a united Libya government first to ask for help on the ground. North African officials back international attempts to bring Libya's factions together, but they worry they will pay the price in instability, refugees and militant counter attacks if an intervention happens without a government on the ground. "Those countries who are envisaging a military intervention in Libya should before anything take into consideration the interests of the neighboring countries," Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi said. Tunisia's parliament speaker travels this week to Brussels to express the country's concerns over Western military action to his counterparts in the European Parliament. In the years since Gadhafi fell in 2011, Libya has slipped deeper into chaos with two rival governments each backed by competing factions of former rebel brigades. A U.N.-backed government of national accord is trying to win support, but is still awaiting parliamentary approval, and has yet to establish itself in the capital Tripoli. Western officials and diplomats say airstrikes, special forces operations are possible as well as an Italian-led "security stabilization" plan of training and advising. U.S. and European officials insist Libyans must invite help through a united government, but say they may still carry out unilateral action if needed. The United States and its allies are already carrying out air strikes against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Political delays in Libya are testing patience, however, and worrying North African governments. "The people who wanted to first form a government, are now the same people in a hurry for intervention," one North African diplomat said. "You need a unified action. If you are just planning airstrikes, it won't get the results." Fallout and preparation Tunisia and Egypt face the most risk from Libya's crisis. Last year, Tunisian jihadists who trained in Libyan camps carried out two major attacks on foreign tourists in Tunisia. More than 3,000 Tunisians have left to fight with Islamic State and other militant groups in Iraq and Syria, but Tunisian security sources say they believe many are returning to Libya. Along the Libyan frontier, Tunisian authorities have built a 200-km (125-mile) barrier. Hospitals in Gafsa, Tataouine, Mednine and Gabes are prepared to receive wounded, and authorities have stockpiled supplies, officials say. "These Tunisian fighters left here illegally and they know ways to cross back," a Tunisian security source said. "We are vigilant for when they try to escape here if the coalition attacks on Islamic State start." Egypt has long urged the international community to help fight Islamist militancy in Libya. But Cairo has also been more circumspect about a full-blown Western military intervention. Over the past 18 months, Egypt has ramped up border security and aerial surveillance and also carried out airstrikes itself on Libyan militants. It has also relied on Bedouins whose familial links allow them to act lookouts on the border. "This is a Libyan decision that no one should interfere with," Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry. "We hope that the Libyan government and the Libyan army ... will come out with something that will exclude the possibilities of intervention." With its own bloody history from a war with armed Islamists in 1990s, Algeria has been a key partner in the Western campaign against Islamist militancy in the Sahel, but it is also keen to maintain its traditional policy of non-interference. Algerian border security was already tight since Islamist fighters crossed over from Libya to help in a 2013 attack on Algeria's In Amenas gas field, where 40 oil workers were killed. Last month, Algerian forces arrested seven Libyan militants near the border close to In Amenas, and the army frequently stops weapons smuggled from Libya. Citing security concerns, Algeria last month also suspended flights to Libya. "A major war in Libya would have a negative impact, more refugees and security risks," said Smail Djouhri, an ex-colonel and lecturer in security at Algiers University. "Less Daesh in the region is also good news. A blow to them reduces their recruitment in North Africa." 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He had been suffering from failing health for several years and was last seen in public three years ago. The countrys official news agency said his death was the result of advanced stages of Parkinsons Disease complicated by a lung infection and that he had failed to respond to emergency treatment. Although he was officially retired, no important decision affecting China was made without Deng Xiaopings approval. He was known internationally as the leader who crushed the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 but also as the man credited with opening up China to economic reform. Chinese radios shortwave English language service praised his outstanding leadership as a great Marxist and the true architect of Chinas socialist reforms and modernisation. A funeral committee has been announced, to be headed by Jiang Zemin, which regional experts say makes him the most likely candidate to gain the leadership. Meanwhile Tiananmen Square the symbolic heart of China and the communist party is reported to be peaceful, with no sign of extra security. The BBCs Beijing Correspondent Humphrey Hawksley said that given Deng Xiaopings stated disregard for the cult of the personality it was unlikely there would be any grand state funerals. Humphrey Hawksley said: Deng wished to hand over rule to a collective leadership of modern thinking technocrats and not a god-king that China has traditionally been accustomed to. International reaction to the news has been complimentary about the dead dictator and his contribution to the world economy. US Secretary of State Madeline Albright said he was an historic figure and that the US would continue to pursue a multi-faceted relationship with China, based on issues of trade, the environment and human rights. The UKs Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind expressed his hope economic and political reforms would gather speed, not only for China but to protect Hong Kongs future. The British colony is due to be handed back to the Chinese in June and the Chinese leadership has already said it intends to dismantle a recently-implemented democratic system. But Hong Kong Democratic Party Chairman, Martin Lee, says if the Chinese leadership tries to control Hong Kong freedoms will be eroded. The rule of law will be whittled down. And that cannot be good because Hong Kongs freedoms are a foundation for a bright future, he said. Courtesy BBC News In context When Deng took power in 1978 he announced a new era of reform. He dismantled collective farming and allowed private enterprise including special free market zones. Politically, Deng had a reputation as a hardliner, and repeatedly ordered crackdowns on dissidents. He drew global condemnation when he used the army to crush student demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in June 1989. China is a military superpower, the worlds most populous country, and has a vast economy experiencing both growth and diversification. But political freedom remains heavily suppressed, and even the Chinese Communist Partys guarantee of liberal freedoms in Hong Kong is becoming questionable. A Brazilian governor has fired his official human rights secretary because the man expressed a belief in curing homosexuality. Ezequiel Teixeira told the O Globo newspaper that he believed in a gay cure comparable to a cure for AIDS or cancer and declared his opposition to gay marriage. Teixeiras also an evangelical minister. After the publication of the interview, Rio de Janeiro state Gov. Luiz Fernando Pezao said he was totally opposed to Teixeiras comments and replaced him with Paulo Melo, a former president of the state assembly. Indonesias most influential Muslim leaders said yesterday they reject all promotion and support for lesbian and gay groups and encouraged the government to make gay sex and the promotion of LGBT activities illegal. The statement by the Indonesian Ulema Council and leaders of other Islamic organizations followed the governments move on Monday urging the U.N. Development Program to deny funding to programs regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the government respected individual rights of sexual expression, but it is wrong to encourage other people and to campaign for legalization of same-sex marriage. The councils statement said the clerics and other Muslim leaders supported the governments rejection of foreign funding of LGBT causes and they called for bans on promoting and funding LGBT activities in Indonesia. The UNDPs representatives in Jakarta could not be reached for comment. Most of Indonesian society is tolerant, but homosexuality is a sensitive issue and leaders in Indonesias secular government have made high- profile attempts to dim LGBT visibility. It recently told instant messaging apps to remove stickers featuring same-sex couples, and a government minister last month said openly gay students should be banned from the University of Indonesia campuses. Some people worry that overseas funding could encourage a campaign to legalize same-sex marriage in the country. Activist Poedjiati of Gaya Nusantara, an LGBT advocacy group, said it is clearly a human rights violation to ban and criminalize their activities. She also did not see any chance for the country to move toward same-sex marriage. So far no one here ever talked about that, Poedjiati, who uses a single name, told The Associated Press. The issue of such marriage is still very, very far for Indonesia. AP Afghanistan| UN says children are being recruited to fight in war The United Nations yesterday condemned all sides in Afghanistans conflict for using child soldiers, noting that while government forces have reduced the number of under-age recruits, insurgent groups continue to train large numbers of fighters under the age of 18. The Afghan government had made progress on the issue, said Leila Zerrougui, special representative of the U.N. Secretary General for children and armed conflict. However, she added that Afghan Local Police who often operate independently from central oversight and have been widely criticized as unprofessional and corrupt are major perpetrators of child recruitment among Afghan forces. Insurgent groups recruited more children in areas where the fighting is fiercest, she said. The Taliban, who have been fighting the government for over 15 years, mainly recruit children in provinces bordering Pakistan, she added. The border with Pakistan is long and porous, and Pakistans government has been accused of protecting and supporting Taliban fighters while using the group to fight a proxy war. The Pakistani authorities have denied connections with the insurgent group, and have levelled similar accusations at Afghanistans government. Zerrougui spoke to reporters a day after the New York-based Human Rights Watch released a report accusing Taliban forces of boosting the number of children in their ranks since the middle of last year, in violation of international laws against the use of child soldiers. The report said insurgents have been training and deploying children for various military operations in Afghanistan, including making and deploying bombs. It found that children between the ages of 13 and 17 were given military training in madrassas, or religious schools The use of child soldiers is illegal in Afghanistan, which ratified the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1994, committing the country to end the recruitment and use of child soldiers. AP Having recently decided to give my terrain collection a bit of an overhaul and splashing out on some new buildings, I've found myself in "need" of a few o... 7 years ago JEROME A deputys description of last months police chase and deadly wrong-way crash has been released as the driver faces a more serious felony charge in the county where the pursuit began. Gooding County prosecutors are charging Steven Anthony Pomrenke, 34, of Wendell with a felony count of eluding police. A summons was issued Feb. 8 and Pomrenke is due in court to be arraigned Feb. 29. Juan Carlos Vargas, 40, of Wendell was killed in the crash. Vargas died when Pomrenke, driving the wrong way on Interstate 84, crashed into an oncoming semitrailer, Idaho State Police said. It was like he was on a suicide mission, Gooding County Sheriff Shaun Gough said of Pomrenke shortly after the crash. Like he was trying to kill himself. Its the damnedest thing Ive ever seen. Despite Vargas death, Pomrenke was initially only charged in Jerome County with misdemeanor counts of driving without privileges and failing to provide proof of insurance. He was arraigned on those charges Jan. 26 and released from jail without bond. Online court records show a judge has sealed Pomrenkes Jerome County case, meaning more serious charges could be pending. Court documents filed last week in Gooding County include the deputys account of the early-morning chase that ended with the wrong-way crash. The Gooding County Sheriffs deputy first saw Pomrenke driving erratically on North Idaho Street and West Main Street in Wendell about 1:10 a.m., court documents said. When the deputy turned on his lights to pull Pomrenke over, the red Ford pickup he was driving began swerving across the road, crossing several times into the opposite lanes of traffic. When the vehicle reached North Frontage Road it traveled left over the street curb and off the roadway, the deputy wrote in a sworn affidavit. The vehicle still had the left turn signal activated. The vehicle hit a road sign and then hit a power pole in the same area. Pomrenke was driving slower than the speed limit, the deputy said. After hitting the power pole the vehicle continued southbound towards I-84, hitting a large road sign on the south side of the westbound off ramp, the deputy wrote, The vehicle continued southbound down an embankment out of my sight. On the overpass, the deputy watched as the truck, which had only one functioning headlight, drove across the lanes of eastbound I-84, crossed the median and then drove the wrong way in the westbound lanes, court documents said. At one point, the passenger door was opened. With sparks flying from the passenger-side front tire and the lights of another vehicle approaching, the deputy twice tried to disable Pomrenkes truck by crashing into it, but both attempts failed, court documents said. Pomrenke continued swerving across the interstate, narrowly missing crashing into several oncoming vehicles, while police and deputies from Jerome joined the pursuit. Near milepost 164, about seven miles from where the truck began driving the wrong way, Pomrenke crashed into an oncoming semitrailer that swerved to avoid a head-on collision, court documents said. The (pickup truck) had major damage to the passenger side, the deputy wrote. I observed the driver of the vehicle moving and a passenger lying on the drivers lap with the passengers head near the drivers door. That passenger was later identified as Vargas and pronounced dead at the scene, ISP said. The deputy cut Pomrenkes seatbelt off, grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him from the truck, court documents said. The driver had a hard time standing and following directions, the deputy wrote. (He had) slow reactions and his speech was slurred. I placed the driver in the prone position and he was handcuffed. Two breathalyzer tests showed Pomrenke had a blood alcohol level of 0.21 and 0.20, court documents said. The legal limit to drive in Idaho is 0.08. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy BOISE (AP) | The head of Idaho's Democratic Party is criticizing the purchase of 22 state-funded billboards that advertise the state's upcoming presidential primary, but fail to include information that the March 8 election is solely for the Republican and Constitution parties. Democratic Chairman Bert Marley called the billboards misleading and confusing in a letter sent to Republican Secretary of State Lawerence Denney. In a statement released Wednesday, Marley asked Denney to correct the alleged mistake by informing voters there is a statewide Democratic caucus on March 22. However, Tim Hurst with the Secretary of State's office says they don't plan on informing voters of the statewide caucus because it's a party-sponsored event. Idaho's GOP primary elections are closed to voters who aren't registered as a Republican. Lawmakers approved moving up the presidential primary last year with the intent of improving Idaho's profile in the 2016 primary. Hurst says the purpose of the billboards is to drive people to the secretary of state's voter website to get more information on all election and party events. BURLEY Voters in Cassia County will decide March 8 whether to pass an additional $14.9 million construction bond to make up for a shortfall caused by inaccurate estimates. While the district is hoping for the best and planning for the worst by deciding what projects will be cut first should the levy fail, some officials say the projects are now or never. The nearly $15 million is in addition to the $37 million bond passed in March. School officials announced in November that cost estimates for new schools and remodeling projects across the district far exceeded the original bond amount. The 20-year bond issue will require a super-majority vote to pass 66.6 percent. If the bond passes, it will increase property taxes for each $100,000 of assessed value by $23.64 a year for residential and $47.28 for commercial and agricultural. Fail: What will the $36.95 million bond the district already passed buy? If voters dont pass the additional bond issue, a new elementary school will still be built in Burley, but it will be only 57,400 square feet, which officials estimate is insufficient for growth. LKV Architects Partner Amber Van Ocker said her firm is working to design most of the Burley and Declo projects, the two communities that will be hardest hit without additional funds. If the bond does not pass, the major difference at the new Burley elementary school will be less square footage. The new elementary school will not look different, Van Ocker said. It will just be a smaller facility. The building has been designed very economically, both ways and it will have brick and metal siding, Van Ocker said. There will not be money for the two sets of playground equipment needed, which can run about $100,000 per set, the parking lot will not be fully paved and it will not have full landscaping or lighting. Weve tried to identify components to remove that can be added in years later, she said. Architects will try to incorporate as much of the infrastructure for those future additions as possible, Van Ocker said. For instance, she said, they may run conduit for lighting and cameras, but not install the lighting or cameras themselves. Michael Arrington, president of Starr Corporation, hired by the district to keep projects on track, said he is doubtful many of the projects will ever be completed if the bond fails. Oakley is still waiting for an auditorium from the bond that was passed in the 1990s, he said. Money ran out on the projects slated from that bond and many were never completed. School budgets are tight, Arrington said, and bond elections are the mechanism districts have for funding capital improvement projects. Other projects to be completed in Burley include new heating systems for Dworshak Elementary and Burley Junior High and remodeling at Mountain View Elementary School. Maltas high school will be remodeled and a 30,000 square-feet addition will nearly double the size of the school. Community leaders agreed last year to modify the original plans for a new school and use the old schools foundation and outer structure. Plans include a second gym. The schools agricultural science shop will also get be remodeled and expanded to 10,000 square feet. Oakley will get six new classrooms, a new agricultural sciences shop and gymnasium. Its a different story in Declo because there are a lot of needs and the money is tight, Van Ocker said. If the bond fails, a 37,000 square-foot elementary school will be built in Declo too small for the growth in that community, school officials say. A new heating and air conditioning system will be installed at Declo Junior High School. Pass: What will the additional $14.9 M bond provide? If the bond issue passes, 2,400 square feet will be added to Burleys new elementary school, which will be used for two new classrooms. The money will also purchase new playground equipment, complete the parking lots with landscaping and lighting. Dworshak will get a multi-purpose room and student drop-off area. The multi-purpose room will include a gymnasium, Arrington said. The schools auditorium, gym and lunchroom are in the same space now. New faculty restrooms, which are small for the number of people they serve, will be built. The special needs classrooms at White Pine Intermediate School will be repurposed, an air conditioning system will be installed at Burley Junior High School and six classrooms added. Four classrooms will be built at Burley High School. Some Burley, Declo, Oakley and Malta schools will receive student and staff security upgrades and classroom technology support like cameras, routers and projectors. Maltas high school parking lot will be finished and upgrades to restrooms, landscaping and lighting projects will be completed. The new Declo elementary school will receive an additional 50,000 square feet, which will add four classrooms, a gym and a computer lab, along with playground equipment and a completed parking lot, landscaping and lighting. A connector will be built between the junior high building and the fourth- and fifth-grade building, which will have a common area built into it, Van Ocker said. The only common area for students now is a hallway. One set of restrooms will be remodeled and a new ADA accessible ramp added. At Oakley, a parking lot will be added at the gymnasium, two additional classrooms will be built, along with a connector between the high school and gym and improvements will be made to the existing gym. Site work will be completed at the gym and agricultural sciences shop. (NOTE : For the very first time - and hopefully the last - I am posting the same blog the same month on two different blogs, It's not be... About Me Mohd. Kamal bin Abdullah I am Mohd. Kamal bin Abdullah, who resides in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. I hold a post-graduate law degree from the United Kingdom. I blog to tell MALAYSIANS THE TRUTH. View my complete profile Blog Archive ABC/Liz Kreutz(LAS VEGAS) -- Before going to bed early Thursday morning, Hillary Clinton paid a late-night visit to a laundry room at her Las Vegas hotel to court a group of union housekeeping workers -- a sign of just how intense the race for every single vote in Nevada has become. Clinton, wearing her glasses, entered the brightly lit room at Caesar's Palace just after midnight Thursday where four female workers from Culinary Union 226 were folding hotel room linens as part of their 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. shift. She immediately gave each of them a hug. "Mwah!" she said as she embraced one Yugoslavian woman named Brama. "I know you do a hard job," Clinton continued, explaining that she had just flown in from Chicago and, upon arrival at her hotel, she asked herself, "Who is still working?" "A lot of people are," she said. This was the third time Clinton met with workers from Las Vegas' Culinary Union in less than a week. The visit came just hours after a new CNN/ORC poll showed Clinton and her Democratic rival, Bernie Sanders, nearly tied in the state. During the short visit, Clinton told the women that she appreciates all the work they do and asked them to caucus for her at 11 a.m. on Saturday. "You know you can caucus here?" she asked them. A manager chimed in to clarify for the workers that they will have the time granted for the opportunity to caucus at the hotel if they so choose. Clinton then said she wanted to take a group photo. "I'm so happy to see you," she said before leaving. Following the visit, the housekeeper Brama told reporters she had been unaware that there was a caucus. Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. BrExit - Visegrad Conspiracy, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Refuse to give up Migrant Benefit Payments from Britain With single mindedness or madness the Visegrad conspirator nations of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Republic have refused to play along with the smoke and mirrors illusion that the European Commission has been constructing for David Cameron to hoodwink the British public into voting to remain within the EU. Instead all four conspirator nations are refusing to give up a single 1 in benefits payments from British tax payers to their citizens by flatly refusing any curb in child benefit payments claimed for several million children who reside in their home nations to the determent of British children in terms of a lower payout rate and tapering of child benefit than would otherwise be the case given an estimated 1/3rd of the budget is being siphoned off into eastern europe. The bottom line is that if the Visegrad conspirators are playing hardball ahead of a UK In / Out referendum then what can Britain expect in terms of any agreement being honoured by the dozen or so eastern European UK benefits claiming nations? The answer is any agreement would NOT be honoured! Which is as I warned would happen following the charade of a couple of weeks ago that had David Cameron emerge 'chamberlain' style waving a piece of paper of 'reforms in our time' as my video analysis of the time illustrated - https://youtu.be/MF3QLhoxkwQ The glaring problem at the core of Britain's negotiations is that Britain is ONE, and the benefit claiming eastern block are a DOZEN, Where ONE will ALWAYS be outvoted by the DOZEN. Therefore the negotiations are meaningless, where even the propaganda smoke screen to fool the British people into giving up freedom and self determination is literally just paper thin. The negotiation deception is so glaring obvious that it further illustrates the point that the European Union is fatally flawed and is ultimately destined to break apart which a BrExit would hasten the trend towards. Where the saving grace for Britain is that the first to exit should avoid much of the turmoil that will befall especially the euro-zone members. But of course the likes of the Visegrad cannot think beyond the greed of their own present day self interest, they cannot see that their greed is sowing the seeds for the destruction of the European Union, they are literally determined to kill the goose that lays their child benefit golden eggs. Where the UK referendum is concerned, then this really IS Britain's very last chance for freedom as I illustrated a couple of weeks ago : 03 Feb 2016 - David Chamberlain Cameron, Britain's Last Chance for Freedom From Emerging European Super State Britain's Last Chance to Gain Freedom from Emerging European Super State What most pundits fail to recognise or lack experience of is trend and momentum both of which for the past 40 years have been moving in one direction that for the emergence of a highly centralised European super state that the financial crisis and subsequent economic depression of southern europe is accelerating the trend towards. So whilst it is too late for the euro-zone members who for better or worse are locked into a death embrace that has all but nullified democracy for most of the euro-zone states as the elections in Greece, Spain and Italy have clearly demonstrated the lack for even radical governments such as Syriza to do anything other than obey their German paymasters who control the euro currency and can within a couple of weeks bring fellow euro-zone members to the brink of collapse as was repeatedly demonstrated by Greece last year. Thus, for Britain the saving grace of not being in the euro-zone offers the UK a unique final opportunity to make the choice of either FREEDOM or become another satellite state revolving around a German centre that will increasingly dictate terms and conditions. Therefore, given that there would probably not be another referendum for at least 20 years, then this really is Britain's VERY LAST CHANCE. There WON'T be another opportunity because with each passing year the price for a BREXIT increases, and we are not that far off from the point of no return when an exit would result in an economic collapse, much of the situation the euro-zone members have been since they signed up to scrap their currencies and join the Euro-zone. Of course both the LEAVE and the REMAIN camps put out a lot of propaganda and spin on the others consequences. For LEAVE it's a case of everything smelling of roses in a Britain that has been freed from increasing European bureaucracy and interference, that would be in full control of Britain's borders. Whilst the REMAIN camp paints a picture of FEAR, of economic and financial catastrophe coupled with punitive terms for exit that would seek to punish Britain for daring to exit the euro-zone, so much for so-called european unity built on common purpose and friendship instead the European Union is increasingly a club of FEAR and PARALYSIS. The Price for Freedom The truth is that a BREXIT WILL BE ECONOMICALLY PAINFUL despite all of the benefits of being outside of the E.U. The cost of BrExit will be anywhere from 2% to as high as 5% of GDP if the euro-zone is determined to make an example of Britain to act as a warning to others by raising punitive tariffs on trade. However remember that attaining FREEDOM ALWAYS carry's a PRICE, in which respect even the worst case scenario for a 5% loss of GDP in the grand scheme of things does not compare against the infinitely greater price the people of Britain paid for their freedom in both past World Wars and so it is now THIS generations turn to pay a price for the freedom of future generations. What the people of Britain need to fully understand is that this really is their VERY LAST CHANCE for Freedom! The following video further illustrates the crisis consequences of the decade long failure to limit benefits for migrants that has prompted whole villages and even towns to up sticks and land themselves on Britain's cities demanding housing, healthcare, school places and of course benefits resulting in paralysis and crisis virtually EVERYWHERE! US Interest Rates 2016 US Dollar Trend Forecast Stock Market Trend Forecast 2016 US House Prices Forecast 2016 and Beyond Gold and Silver Price Forecast 2016 Ensure you are subscribed to my always free newsletter (only requirement is an email address) for the following forthcoming analysis - By Nadeem Walayat http://www.marketoracle.co.uk Copyright 2005-2016 Marketoracle.co.uk (Market Oracle Ltd). All rights reserved. Nadeem Walayat has over 25 years experience of trading derivatives, portfolio management and analysing the financial markets, including one of few who both anticipated and Beat the 1987 Crash. Nadeem's forward looking analysis focuses on UK inflation, economy, interest rates and housing market. He is the author of five ebook's in the The Inflation Mega-Trend and Stocks Stealth Bull Market series that can be downloaded for Free. Nadeem is the Editor of The Market Oracle, a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication that presents in-depth analysis from over 1000 experienced analysts on a range of views of the probable direction of the financial markets, thus enabling our readers to arrive at an informed opinion on future market direction. http://www.marketoracle.co.uk Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any trading losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors before engaging in any trading activities. Nadeem Walayat Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Owner: Stanislav Mishin at stas.mishin71@gmail.com "Whosoever shall come to us with the sword shall perish by it. Upon this stood and stands the land of Russia". St Prince Alexander Nevsky, in the 13th century IF GOD BE WITH US WHO CAN BE AGAINST US? Romans 8:31 By Scott Morgan One of the most interesting Foreign Policy Decisions by the Obama Administration is the relationship with Sudan. The first major Foreign Policy Decision was to conduct a Comprehensive Policy Review towards it . This action at the time raised a fair amount of concern among those activists working on the country. At that time Sudan was considered to be a State Sponsor of Terrorism (having been initially placed on this list back in 1993 ). Osama Bin Laden resided there from 1996 to 1998. After the attacks on the US Embassies. in Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam, US Forces struck an alleged Chemical Plant outside the Capital of Khartoum (The Guardian, Strike one, October 2, 2001). The Country was also allowing Hamas to send arms to Gaza Strip. A Church destroyed by the Sudanese In September 2004, it was accused of committing Genocide in Darfur by then Secretary of State Colin Powell, before the UN Security Council , although this was done in spite of a legal recommendation that the claim was inconclusive. This was seen by activists at the time as a huge benefit by the Bush Administration.Another concern is South Sudan. Reluctantly, Sudan signed the Comprehensive Peace Accords with the African Tribes in the South. In 2011 the New Nation of South Sudan joined the International Community. Since Independence Day the authorities in Khartoum have maintained close ties with Vice President Riek Machar . This was a factor in the recently concluded South Sudanese Civil War.Repressing Christian minorities in the South of the Country before a Referendum on Independence succeeded. The Repression continues to this very day in the Country . In recent months a series of Churches have been destroyed under orders of Sharia Law. One can remember that the most recent cause celebre, that of the plight of Meriam Ibrahim Ishag, caused Washington to rise when she was threatened with execution in 2014. Last year, she was able to emigrate to the United States. Another part of Sudan where this is a major issue is in the Nuba Mountains region.A different area of concern is the current struggle against ISIS/Daesh. It has been revealed, in declassified and translated Sudanese Government Documents, that Sudan may be misleading the US when it comes to Counterterrorism efforts . The ultimate goal of the Bashir regime is Sanctions relief. The successor to President Obama will face enormous Foreign Policy Challenges during their first term of office.Despite its wishes,until it improves it internal human rights record and it can be confirmed that it is no longer sponsoring terrorism against any US ally or interest. As Libya clocks 5 years since the war began with the uprising against the Gadhafi regime, UN special envoy told Associated Press that the Islamic State poses a major threat to the countrys stability and security. He said every day lost in the political dialogue is a day of gain of Daesh which expands in chaos and anarchy that Libya is experiencing before highlighting the importance of establishing the UN-backed national unity government. The 18 member cabinet recently proposed by Prime minister-designate Serraj was described by Kobler as a balanced list which should be supported by politicians and warring parties to end the countrys disastrous situation with almost 50% of the population depending on humanitarian aid. The special envoy claimed that 95% of the Libyan people are behind the political deal and want to see a strong government that takes care of basic necessities. NATO is being blamed for the chaotic aftermath of the Gadhafi regime as critics allege that the country was abandoned after Colonel Gadhafis assassination. Tensions have since then been high between armed militias and tribal groups but Kobler promised that we are going to repair it and it is not too late although he declined to answer a question on the possibility of failing on such an attempt saying I dont answer that question. Meanwhile, a classified report dated 29 January 2016 dwelling on EU military plans in Libya codenamed Operation Sophia was published by WikiLeaks. The report urges for accelerating the formation of a reliable government in Libya that in turn is expected to invite EU forces to operate within their Territorial Waters and later even give permission to extend the EU military operations onshore. Iran has stated that it supports the agreement reached between Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela in Doha to freeze oil output at January 11 levels without making any commitment whether it would abide by it. After meeting with his counterparts from Qatar, Iraq and Venezuela in Tehran, Iranian oil minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said fixing the limit of production is an initial step towards stabilizing oil prices in the global market. Since the lifting of the sanctions, Iran has always stressed that it will increase its production capacity hampered by sanctions for the past couple of years. Its supportive announcement on Wednesday led to an increase in oil prices to up to 7% before backtracking by the end of the day. The meeting that discussed the freeze was described as positive by Zanganeh. Russia has stated that the implementation of the freeze depends on other countries adhering to it. Kuwait is willing to implement the agreement and the said they are open to cooperation. Analysts believe that Irans participation would ease the respect of the freeze agreement. Despite the low oil prices, oil exporting countries are unwillingly to cut production due to fears of losing their market share. Saudi and Iran contributed to the lack of agreement at the OPEC summit with the former claiming that the market will stabilize itself strongly trading against any cut while Tehran was reluctant to cut production as it was determined to increase production following the lifting of sanctions. Experts doubt if the freeze agreement would be welcomed and respected by other countries as major oil producing countries have been increasing production despite the low prices. Relman, who is also the Thomas C. and Joan M. Merigan Professor, started working with the Navy more than 15 years ago to identify bacteria suspected of causing stomach ulcers in their dolphins. His latest project to catalog the bacterial communities, or microbiota, living inside the dolphins began when the Navy asked him to help develop a probiotic bacterial strain that could keep their dolphins healthy, or help sick dolphins get better. Navy trainers took regular swabs from the dolphins mouths and rectal areas and shipped the samples to Stanford on dry ice for analysis. They also collected samples of the respiratory fluids and other biological matter in the air that the dolphins exhaled from their blowholes onto sterile filter paper, as well as samples of their gastric juices using a tube that the dolphins would swallow on command, and, for comparison, bacteria from the surrounding water. The study found a similar amount of diversity and novelty in bacterial samples taken from wild dolphins living in Sarasota Bay, off the west coast of Florida, although there were slight differences in the bacteria from the dolphins mouths. Hoping to develop diagnostic tests Relman said he hoped to develop a profile of the normal microbial communities in healthy dolphins and other marine mammals so that scientists could detect any early change that might signify an imminent disease, or health problems caused by climate change and ocean warming. Theres a lot of concern about the changing conditions of the oceans and what the impact could be on the health of wild marine mammals, Relman said. We would love to be able to develop a diagnostic test that would tell us when marine mammals are beginning to suffer from the ill effects of a change in their environment. The research could help solve other mysteries, such as how dolphins digest their food, even though they swallow fish whole without chewing them. The answer might lie in a unique bacterial group thats also been identified in an endangered species of freshwater dolphins living in Chinas Yangtze River, Bik said. Its a very intriguing bacterial group that nobody has seen before in any terrestrial animal group, said Bik. I would really love to know more about those bacteria and sequence their genomes to understand more about their functional capacity. People in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday observed a nationwide general strike called for by the opposition to put pressure on the president to organize general elections in 2016. Kabila is required by the constitution to step down in December after 15 years in power. Critics accuse him of trying to delay a presidential vote slated for November in order to stay in office. Dozens died in protests over the issue last year. According to local media, most streets were deserted on Tuesday morning and several shops were closed. Radio France International station was off the air in Kinshasa but local activists reported that an important security apparatus was deployed in several provinces, in anticipation of an outburst . Embassies urged their citizens to be cautious and US, French and Belgian schools in the capital Kinshasa were closed. The government had also banned all public demonstrations across the country. Police in the eastern city of Goma detained at least six pro-democracy activists overnight in a bid to undermine the strike, a Goma-based journalist told Medafricatimes. As a reminder, Kabila came to power in 2001 when his father, Laurent, was assassinated in the middle of a conflict that sucked in regional armies and killed millions of Congolese. He steered Congo to post-war elections in 2006 and won re-election in 2011, although the second vote was marred by complaints of widespread irregularities. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday said it needs $56 million to combat the Zika virus through June, including fast-tracking vaccines and diagnosis. In a 32-page report released by the UN agency, $25 million out of the $56 would be used to control the mosquito-borne virus that has now spread to 39 countries. Research studies are needed in order to assess the presence of the Zika virus in semen and other body fluids, including pregnancy-related fluids; and potential sexual transmission, and mother-to-child transmission, said the WHO Strategic Response Framework and Joint Operations Plan issued in Geneva. The framework gives an idea of the resources needed for each part of the initial response. For example, $15.4 million is targeted to community engagement and risk communication, which are crucial for promoting prevention, reducing anxiety, and addressing stigma, dispelling rumors, and addressing cultural misperceptions. $14.2 million would go toward care of people affected by the virus, especially childbearing-age women, pregnant women, and families with children affected by the virus. Last month, the WHO declared the mosquito-borne Zika virus to be an international public health emergency as the disease linked to thousands of suspected cases of birth defects in Brazil spreads rapidly. Moroccos King Mohammed VI and President Francois Hollande of France have both voiced their shared resolve to give a new momentum to their permanent and excellent partnership and at the same time to work together to boost a triangular cooperation in Africa. This came during the meeting held on Wednesday at the Elysee Palace between President Hollande and King Mohammed VI who started the same day a friendship and working visit to France. The two heads of State hailed the excellent bilateral relations and the depth of the multilayered partnership existing between the two countries, as stated in a communique released by the French presidency. The Paris talks between the two leaders also covered environment-related issues and the outcome of the UN conference on climate change (COP21) held in Paris by last years end. The French President thanked in this respect the Moroccan Sovereign for his personal commitment that contributed to the success of the COP21 and he agreed with the Moroccan King to work out a joint road map to enhance coordination, ensure ratification by all member States of the Paris agreement and guarantee the success of the 22nd UN conference on climate change (COP22) to be held in Marrakech in November 7-18. The two leaders also praised the two countries close cooperation in the war against terrorism, transnational crime and extremism. Besides bilateral relations, president Hollande and his royal guest discussed the Libyan conflict that is endangering the security and stability in the Maghreb and eastern Mediterranean region. On this occasion, president Hollande commended the key role played by Morocco in the UN-sponsored peace process that resulted in the Libyan Political Agreement that was sealed in the Moroccan resort city of Skhirat and that was crowned by the formation of the Government of National Accord (GNA,) described as a major breakthrough which promises a new beginning for Libya. The two heads of State called on the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR) to endorse the proposed GNA. Their call came as the internationally-recognized HoR is still setting conditions before it endorses the GNA at a vote scheduled for next Tuesday and is reportedly planning to vote the appointed ministers separately on individual basis rather than collectively as a government. After their meeting at the Elysee, King Mohammed VI and President Hollande headed to the Arab World Institute to attend a presentation on the Moroccan cultural Center to be built in the French capital. France-Morocco: Shared Resolve to Bolster Bilateral Partnership, Triangular Cooperation Moroccos King Mohammed VI and President Francois Hollande of France have both voiced their shared resolve to give a new momentum to their permanent and excellent partnership and at the same time to work together to boost a triangular cooperation in Africa. This came during the meeting held on Wednesday at the Elysee Palace between President Hollande and King Mohammed VI who started the same day a friendship and working visit to France. The two heads of State hailed the excellent bilateral relations and the depth of the multilayered partnership existing between the two countries, as stated in a communique released by the French presidency. The Paris talks between the two leaders also covered environment-related issues and the outcome of the UN conference on climate change (COP21) held in Paris by last years end. The French President thanked in this respect the Moroccan Sovereign for his personal commitment that contributed to the success of the COP21 and he agreed with the Moroccan King to work out a joint road map to enhance coordination, ensure ratification by all member States of the Paris agreement and guarantee the success of the 22nd UN conference on climate change (COP22) to be held in Marrakech in November 7-18. The two leaders also praised the two countries close cooperation in the war against terrorism, transnational crime and extremism. Besides bilateral relations, president Hollande and his royal guest discussed the Libyan conflict that is endangering the security and stability in the Maghreb and eastern Mediterranean region. On this occasion, president Hollande commended the key role played by Morocco in the UN-sponsored peace process that resulted in the Libyan Political Agreement that was sealed in the Moroccan resort city of Skhirat and that was crowned by the formation of the Government of National Accord (GNA,) described as a major breakthrough which promises a new beginning for Libya. The two heads of State called on the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR) to endorse the proposed GNA. Their call came as the internationally-recognized HoR is still setting conditions before it endorses the GNA at a vote scheduled for next Tuesday and is reportedly planning to vote the appointed ministers separately on individual basis rather than collectively as a government. After their meeting at the Elysee, King Mohammed VI and President Hollande headed to the Arab World Institute to attend a presentation on the Moroccan cultural Center to be built in the French capital. Entercom Acquires Podcorn Platform matches brands with the most relevant podcast creators to scale native branded content and drive higher ROI for advertisers. Read more David Field Joins Cheddar Entercom Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer discusses interest in audio from consumers and advertisers, and the rise of social audio platforms. Read more Entercom Launches BetQL Audio Network Network to Serve as Home of Companys Sports-gambling Content, Will Launch Companion Broadcast Distribution Channels in Denver and Los Angeles. Learn more Power, People and Politics Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer bring listeners inside Washington for an unfiltered, non-partisan look at every major issue of the day. Learn more RADIO.COM The Long Shot A new Cadence13 and ThreeFourTwo Productions podcast with Miami Heat Forward Duncan Robinson. 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Learn more Georgia buys new system for better air traffic control Georgia is improving its flight safety standards by purchasing new technology that will increase control of the countrys airspace.Today, at the Georgia-Czech Business Forum in Tbilisi, Sakaeronavigatsia (the air navigation service provider in Georgia) signed an agreement with ALES, a member of Czech business group ICZ, to purchase and install a reserve air traffic control system.Georgias current air traffic control system is provided by Spanish company Indra.A spokesperson from Georgias Ministry of Economy told Agenda.ge that although Indras air traffic control system provides top navigation services to Georgia, the addition of the ALES reserve system will be in place "if something happens to the major system.Indra and ALES experts will come to Georgia to install the new systems later this year.Last year, the government spent 15 million GEL ($6,048,387 / 5,395,683) on replacing Georgia's old air traffic control system with the new, high-tech system provided by Indra.On another note, this afternoon the Georgian Civil Aviation Agency and Sakaeronavigatsia signed an agreement to approve the Georgian Performance Based Navigation (PBN) Implementation Plan. The plan would standardise operations to harmonise and predict flight paths, and will result in, amongst other things, aircraft operating more efficiently, improved air safety and better fuel efficiency.Todays Georgia-Czech Business Forum also saw representatives from the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Czech Chamber of Commerce sign a memorandum for closer cooperation in the business sector. The event gathered representatives from 31 Czech businesses and 85 Georgian companies.The Business Forum was aimed at allowing businessmen to network and share bilateral business ideas. Many of Georgia's investment opportunities were mentioned, and both sides noted the potential for building a beer brewery in Georgia.After the Business Forum ended, the Georgian and Czech business officials held 178 business-to-business (B2B) meetings. Have you ever eaten at a Robert St. John restaraunt? He's got what amounts to a restaraunt owners compound in Hattiesburg, right down the street from the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi. He also has some pretty lovely cookbooks, and we were leafing through the Italian one , and ran across a recipe for white beans. My dad has basically been talking about wanting a bean dish for DAYS, since it's what he wants to eat in cold weather, AND we had a huge bone-in honeybaked ham (and what do you do with a ham bone if you're from the south? You season something.) I didn't follow the recipe exactly, and I didn't have all the things to make his unique seasoning blends and herb blends, so I just kinda went with my gut. What resulted was my take on his already warm, creamy, Mississippified-Italian white bean dish that is PERFECT for a cold, cold night. What you need: 1 bag of large white beans, soaked overnight (at least. these are BIG beans) 4 carrots, quartered and diced 4 celery ribs, minced 3 large garlic cloves 1/2 green pepper, minced 1 onion, minced 8 sprigs of fresh oregano 12 sprigs of fresh thyme 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil 1 1/2 Tablespoons bacon grease 2 cups diced honeybaked ham 6 cups ham stock 1 cup water Tablespoon of hot sauce 1/4 tablespoon red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon of each Thyme, oregano, italian seasoning salt and pepper to taste Obviously, you start by soaking your beans overnight, and if you do a quick-boil for 10 minutes or so beforehand, that's not a bad idea as these are BIG OLE BEANS. In fact, my mama and I only soaked ours for a few hours beforehand intially, and it ended up taking us forever to get them cooked through. Save yourself some trouble by soaking thoroughly. Season with the italian seasoning and dried herbs. Throw in your ham and stir around for a minute, adding in the beans once everything has been mixed. I tossed in my hambone just for extra flavor, but this is totally not necessary. I used an herb bundle (I tied my herbs together with some kitchen twine), but you could rough chop your herbs and toss them in. Labels: Pasta and Grains and Legumes Rendering of Sunset Harbor Residences Miami Beach's Land Use and Development Committee approved a request from Deco Capital Group to raise height limits for the mixed-use Sunset Harbor Residences along Purdy Avenue, per the Real Deal. The city's land use committee late Wednesday approved a request from Deco Capital Group, LLC to raise height limits from 50 to 90 feet for a mixed-use project that is tentatively called Sunset Harbor Residences...Deco Capital plans to build 15 luxury condos on top of premium retail at 1733-1769 Purdy Avenue, a total of eight lots acquired in 2014. The planned building will front Purdy Avenue and overlook Maurice Gibb Park. Michael Grieco was the only commissioner to vote against the amendment because it would be "making exceptions for a specific developer." He feels it could open a floodgate for adjacent property owners. Another issue is regarding the Lofts at South Beach which is just south of the property, with its residents opposing the development because owners would lose views and exposure to the north. That residence is seeking financial compensation and is in negotiations with Deco Capital Group. Meanwhile the area already looks like a war zone, with other developments amid construction and the city continuing to raise roads to combat flooding. Current residents have to be wondering when it all will end, with Sunset Harbour being among South Beach's highest-priced neighborhoods to live in. Luxury mixed-use project on Miami Beach's Purdy Avenue moves ahead [The Real Deal] Former President Bill Clinton will host fundraisers for Hillary Clinton in South Florida Feb. 28. That includes a fundraiser in Coconut Grove and an event at the Boca Raton Resort, according to Democratic donors. Hillary will not be at the events which occur a couple days before Super Tuesday when multiple states in the south vote. Florida doesn't vote until March 15 although absentee ballot voting is already underway. No word yet from the campaign whether he will hold a public event that weekend. Bill Clinton appeared on Hillary's behalf Monday at a public event at the Port of Palm Beach and at multiple fundraisers where we hear a combined $950,000 was raised. A spokesman for Bernie Sanders' campaign told the Miami Herald Monday that he had no scheduled events in Florida in February. Public records advocates won support on Wednesday for an amendment that defuses their concerns over a controversial bill targeting people who attempt to misuse the state's public records laws to extort money from government. The compromise, worked out between the First Amendment Foundation, the League of Cities and the bill's sponsor, Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah. reinstates the requirement in SB 1220 that a judge shall award attorneys fees in lawsuit when governments violate the state public records laws. The original proposal, SB 1220, removed the requirement that judges award attorneys fees and instead gave judges the discretion, prompting public records advocates to warn that it could gut the state's Sunshine laws by removing the only tool the public has to seek redress when government officials violate the law. The bill is a top priority of the League of Cities, which proposed the measure as a remedy to stop a handful of abusive law firms and individuals who file frivolous or deceptive public records requests in an attempt to churn legal fees. The Senate Fiscal Policy Committee voted unanimously for the amendment to rewrite the bill. "This strike all amendment is designed to address concerns that the language will cut off access to public records,'' Garcia told the committee. "While this was never the intent of the bill I wanted every opportunity for interested stakeholders who represent Florida taxpayers and residents to play a part in crafting a bill that maintains the integrity of the public records laws in Florida while eliminating the possibility that the law could be used in malicious ways." The new language requires that the judge "shall" award attorneys fees and court costs to a plaintiff if the judge determines that the public agency violated the law and the person making the request gave five days notice before filing the lawsuit. To appease the cities, the bill gives the judge discretion to not award attorney fees if the court determines that the primary purpose of the public records request was to harass the agency or trick officials into violating the public records law. Agencies are also required to let the public know who it has designated as its custodian of public record and, if it fails to do so, then the citizen requesting the documents is not obligated to provide five days notice before filing a lawsuit. Barbara Petersen, president of the First Amendment Foundation which sought the amendment, commended Garcia for being willing to work with all sides. "We've worked out a compromise that I think both addresses the predatory public records requests while protecting the citizens of this state who simply want to access to public records,'' Petersen told the committee. (The Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times are both members of the First Amendment Foundation.) "It's so great when everything comes together,'' said Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, chair of the committee. Floridas Constitution requires that the public has a right to access public documents, but Chapter 119 of the Florida Public Records Act gives individuals the ability to enforce that right only by filing a lawsuit against an agency. The courts must give the lawsuits priority over other cases and, if the judge finds that an agency violated the law, the court must order the agency to turn over the records as well as pay costs and attorneys fees associated with the case. The law allows for citizens to be awarded attorneys fees to encourage people to pursue their right to access government records and prevent public agencies from violating the public records laws. The bill would remove the requirement that the legal fees be paid by changing the requirement that a judge award legal fees from shall to may. SB 1220 is now ready for a floor vote in the Senate. A similar measure, HB 1021, sponsored by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, passed two committees with near-unanimous votes in the House and next must be heard by the State Affairs Committee. The House bill does not include the compromise language. by @MaryEllenKlas and @SteveBousquet In an email to House members Thursday, House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, announced that behind-the-scenes negotiations continue on one of the most pivotal policy questions of the Legislative session -- how much of the $80 billion budget should be allocated for tax cuts and how much for spending -- and announced that conference committee meetings will not happen this weekend. "There is positive forward progress in the effort to reach an agreement on budget allocations with the Senate,'' Crisafulli said in the email. "However, there is still a great deal to be worked out. Therefore, we will not begin conference this weekend. It is my hope that we will begin conference early next week. I hope you enjoy your weekend." The decision is pivotal to the ability of House and Senate leaders to work out their differences over the budget and avoid a showdown like last year's that led them into special session. Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, the incoming Senate president and a budget subcommittee chairman, told reporters after he spoke with Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday that "the issue is how much and what options are best for a tax relief package" but those would be decisions "that will be made by Chairman Lee and President Gardiner." The Senate has rejected the governor's plan to make a $1 billion permanent cut in the state's revenue base which involves recurring tax cuts, while the House has recognized similar concerns but has passed a $1 billion tax cut bill but limits the cuts to recurring revenue to less than $400 million. Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon, told the Herald/Times that he continues to have extensive private discussions with his House counterpart, Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Land O'Lakes. Lee said the two men are still trying to find common ground on the amount and types of tax cuts, possible use of Deepwater Horizon settlement money, and whether the House will agree to the Senate plan to use state tax revenue to reduce reliance on property taxes to pay for a boost in public school spending. "It's hard to get into the expense side of your budget until you've identified the actual revenue," Lee said. Lee said he and Corcoran still dine privately together at a Tallahassee restaurant over wine and cigars at least once a week. While both Lee and Corcoran have vowed to bring the budget decisions into the sunlight after last year's session ended with more than $300 million in projects injected into the budget after behind closed door negotiations. But neither has shown a willingness to bring the crucial negotiations over how much to allocate to key projects into the open. Sen. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, last week blasted Senate leaders for rejecting his budget amendment that would have restored $222.5 million to the Florida Forever land-buying program that has been left threadbare since the Great Recession. The Senate leadership argued that the amendment was "out of order" because it would have left the Senate's proposed budget out of balance. by @DavidOvalle305 For the second time, the Florida Supreme Court has reversed the conviction and death sentence for a Miami mother accused of starving, torturing and beating her toddler son known as Baby Lollipops. The states high court citing repeated inflammatory closing arguments by the cases prosecutors on Thursday reversed the conviction of Ana Maria Cardona. As we have stated for decades, we expect and require prosecutors, as representatives of the state, to refrain from engaging in inflammatory and abusive arguments, to maintain their objectivity, and to behave in a professional manner, the court ruled in a 6-1 decision. In 2010, Cardona was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of 3-year-old Lazaro Cardona. The boy, badly beaten and weighing just 18 pounds, was discovered dead in the bushes of a Miami Beach bayfront home in November 1990. Unidentified at first, Lazaro was dubbed Baby Lollipops for the design on his T-shirt. Prosecutors said Cardona physically abused Lazaro over months, eventually dumping his bloodied body before fleeing with her lover to the Orlando area. In Thursdays opinion, the Florida Supreme Court wrote that prosecutors presented sufficient evidence to support the guilty verdict and the death sentence. Story here. via @lesleyclark @anitakumar01 CHARLESTON -- Florida Sen. Marco Rubio accused Texas Sen. Ted Cruz of lying about his record Wednesday night as the two Republicans battle for second place in Saturdays hotly contested South Carolina primary. I said hes been lying because if you say something that isnt true and you say it over and over again and you know that its not true, theres no other word for it, Rubio said at a CNN town hall meeting. With both men hammering one another for advantage behind front-runner Donald Trump, Rubio pushed back on Cruzs earlier comments and TV ad that criticized his record on illegal immigration. Rubio supported a comprehensive immigration bill that included a path to citizenship, but denies Cruzs characterization of it as amnesty. An ad from a pro-Cruz super political action committee was pulled by stations in South Carolina. Cruz, who appeared after Rubio at the town hall that saw them and Ben Carson appearing sequentially, exulted in a new national poll that shows him leading, saying it feels fantastic. Were seeing that old Reagan coalition coming together. He noted that pollsters predicted Trump would win Iowa, but he defeated him, and ended up with more votes than any candidate in Iowa history. The race in South Carolina is bare-knuckled as tradition often dictates. More here. @PatriciaMazzei ANDERSON, S.C. -- Marco Rubio avoided getting into the weeds Thursday of a war of words between rival Donald Trump and Pope Francis after the head of the Roman Catholic Church suggested Trump's plan to build a wall along the Mexican border was not Christian. Asked about Francis' rebuke, Rubio told reporters he hadn't read the pope's remarks. But he defended his support for border control measures. "We're a sovereign country. We have a right to control who comes in, when they come in and how they come in," Rubio said. "Vatican City controls who comes in, when they come and how they come in, as a city-state. And as a result, the United States has a right to do that as well." Francis' comment, in response to a reporter's question on a flight back to the Vatican from Mexico, roiled the U.S. Republican presidential race, where all candidates support at least a partial wall to keep people from entering the country illegally. Trump said it was "disgraceful" for the pope to question his faith. Rubio didn't weigh in on that either. "As a Roman Catholic, he's the head of the church, the successor of Peter, is what I believe, and I have tremendous respect and admiration for him," Rubio said. "I'm an elected official in the United States of America and the federal government, and our Number One obligation is to keep people safe. And our immigration system is part of that." Francis also indicated contraception in regions struck by the Zika virus might be OK with the church. "In America, contraception is legal," Rubio quipped, adding that he would keep it that way. @PatriciaMazzei Marco Rubio's Senate office sent President Barack Obama a letter Thursday urging him to "reconsider" his trip to Cuba next month. The Florida Republican argued Obama's visit "will send the message to the oppressed Cuban people that you stand with their oppressors." Here's the text of Rubio's letter: Dear Mr. President: Your determination to visit the communist state of Cuba on March 21st and 22nd, regardless of the disastrous consequences, is a mistake. I strongly urge you to reconsider visiting Cuba in the absence of the government undertaking meaningful reforms including: reforming their oppressive political system, reigning in a police state that orchestrated over 8,600 political arrests in 2015, freeing all political prisoners, resolving the billions of dollars in outstanding property claims and court judgments against the Castro regime, and returning fugitives from U.S. justice. In other words, having an American president go to Cuba simply for the sake of going there, without the United States getting anything in return, is both counterproductive and damaging to our national security interests. Any time a president visits a foreign country, it speaks volumes to the host country, to the American people and to the rest of the world. If you proceed with this visit, you will further confirm what the Castro regime has learned throughout its negotiations with your Administration: that you are willing to give up all the leverage the United States has in exchange for virtually nothing. You will send the message to the oppressed Cuban people that you stand with their oppressors. You will send the message to the Western Hemisphere and the rest of the world, especially our enemies, that the United States can grow tired of standing up for our national security interests and principles. Furthermore, your Administrations recent handling of its re-opening of the U.S. embassy in Havana demonstrated complete diplomatic incompetence that does not bode well for a future presidential visit. That event further proved to the Castro regime that it can get extraordinary concessions from your government in exchange for nothing. That episode also showed a blatant disregard for the patriotic Cuban dissidents who have toiled for years in advancing the cause of freedom only to be shut out of the public ceremony on August 14, 2015. A presidential visit to Cuba would inevitably entail staying at hotels and other accommodations controlled by the Cuban military, providing American taxpayer dollars to the regime, in addition to the economic concessions you have been making over the past year. As you know, the island's repressive apparatus is under the iron fist of Raul Castro's son, Colonel Alejandro Castro, while the economy remains under the control of the lucrative military monopoly, Enterprise Administration Group (GAESA), run by Raul Castro's son-in-law, General Luis Alberto Rodriguez Lopez-Callejas. To date, the concessions you have given to the regime have strengthened Castro's military monopolies not the Cuban people. In sum, I urge you to reconsider visiting Cuba and instead insist that the Castro regime finally make some serious concessions that have so far not been prioritized in negotiations. Before you announced your new Cuba policy on December 17, 2014, the United States possessed significant economic and diplomatic leverage over the Castro regime. Rather than achieving several long-standing U.S. goals and national security interests, you have methodically squandered this opportunity, legitimizing the Castro regime and enriching it in the process. A presidential visit to Cuba absent of any concessions from its government is a dangerous idea, and I urge you to reconsider. @PatriciaMazzei GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Is there anything more Miami than campaigning for president at a CrossFit That's what Marco Rubio did Thursday -- but far from home, in Greenville, the heart of South Carolina's conservative upstate. There was no exercise equipment at the portion of the gym used for the event. It looked like a classic CrossFit warehouse-like space with exposed-brick walls. Rubio's campaign moved its event from an Episcopal church school to the Swamp Rabbit CrossFit and turned it from a town hall into a rally (the difference: no audience questions). The announced special guests had been U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, both of South Carolina. But the star was Gov. Nikki Haley, who had endorsed Rubio a day earlier. She introduced Rubio -- who quickly made an exercise joke about Gowdy. "I apologize we started a little late," he quipped. "Trey Gowdy was finishing up hot yoga in there." One of the politicians who warmed up the crowd, Rubio supporters and Greenville Mayor Knox White, tried to explain Miami to South Carolinians. It was once like Miami Vice, he said -- "Drug and blight" -- but now it's "gleaming," he said, with a "stunning" skyline. "When I was down there," White said, he learned about the history of downtown Miami's Freedom Tower and its significance to Cuban Americans. "If you're Cuban American, I learned your grandparents talk to you every day about freedom." @PatriciaMazzei News of President Barack Obama's impending trip to Cuba -- in March, sources told the Miami Herald -- prompted quick backlash from Miami politicians, many of them of Cuban descent. Here's reaction, which we will update as it comes in: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who is running for president Former Gov. Jeb Bush, who is running for president U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen If true, it is absolutely shameful that Obama is rewarding the Castros with a visit to Cuba by a sitting American president since their reign of terror began. For more than 50 years Cubans have been fleeing the Castro regime yet the country which grants them refuge, the United States, has now decided to quite literally embrace their oppressors. There has been no progress in regards to human rights on the Castro brothers island gulag nor have conditions in Cuba improved since this administration began providing the regime with concession after concession. A visit by President Obama more than one year after his unilateral concessions to the regime will only legitimize the Castros repressive behavior. It is a slap in the face to the memory of the Brothers to the Rescue pilots, three U.S. citizens and one U.S. resident, who were murdered by the Castro regime and those who have fled the Castros oppression to see Air Force One land in Havana. Instead of standing up for pro-democracy leaders like Las Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White), Jorge Luis Garcia Perez Antunez, and others, the Obama administration has decided to cater to aging autocrats who rule by denying Cubans their basic human rights. Unfortunately, this announcement encapsulates President Obamas Cuba policy characterized by unilateral concessions and willfully neglecting to pursue American claims. U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart Regrettably, President Obama's planned travel to Cuba is hardly a surprise. Instead, it is the latest addition to the litany of concessions to dictators that have come to characterize this administration. The Castro brothers continue to harbor more than seventy fugitives from U.S. justice including 'Most Wanted Terrorist' Joanne Chesimard, Charles Hill and William Morales, smuggle weapons with North Korea and China, and even invited Hezbollah to establish a stronghold within its borders. While campaigning for President, Senator Obama promised in Miami that, 'I will maintain the embargo. It provides us with the leverage to present the regime with a clear choice: if you take significant steps toward democracy, beginning with the freeing of all political prisoners, we will take steps to begin normalizing relations.' Obviously, he has abandoned that commitment. And last year, he said that his trip to Cuba would be conditioned on an improvement in human rights. That if 'we're seeing some progress in the liberty and freedom and possibilities of ordinary Cubans, I'd love to use a visit as a way of highlighting that progress... I'm not interested in validating the status quo.' Yet in 2015, political arrests totaled more than 8,000 and political activists Danilo Maldonado Machado 'El Sexto', Vladimir Morera Bacallao, and Misael Canet Velazquez languished near death in Castro's gulag. Cuba remains the only country in the Americas to be classified as 'Not Free' by Freedom House. By any objective measure, the Castro regime has not improved its human rights record. Neither has it unclenched its fist. During his time in Cuba, President Obama should at least meet with those who risk their lives in the struggle for freedom and who have suffered most as a result of his policy of appeasement. He should meet with activists such as Berta Soler and the Ladies in White, Jorge Luis Garcia Perez 'Antunez' and his wife Yris Tamara Aguilera, Danilo Maldonado Machado 'El Sexto', and Antonio Rodiles. The Cuban people will be free. Unfortunately, they will do so in spite of President Obama's alliance with their oppressors. U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo Will @POTUS visit to #Cuba actually serve to advance US national security interests? Likely just another unilateral concession to Castros Rep. Carlos Curbelo (@RepCurbelo) February 18, 2016 Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, who is running for U.S. Senate President Obamas announcement that he will visit Cuba to meet with the Castro dictatorship and its repressive apparatus in March is the culmination of a disgraceful policy that has weakened U.S. national security and validated oppression over freedom. On the national security front, Obamas visit tells the rest of the world that a state that sponsors terrorism, murders U.S. citizens, takes a U.S. citizen hostage and spearheads anti-Americanism throughout our Hemisphere will be legitimized by this Administration. Just last week we learned from the latest batch of Clinton emails that the terrorist group Hezbollah was establishing a terrorist base of operation directed at Latin America and possibly the United States. Yet, like with the Hellfire Missile and the secret arms shipment to North Korea, it seems to be of no consequence to President Obama that our enemies are determined to diminish American leadership to satisfy an ideological fantasy. It is that same ideological idolatry with the Castro dictatorship that has led this Administration to abandon any form of solidarity with the Cuban peoples God-given right to be free. Since the announcement of the new Cuba policy just 15 months ago, we have seen increased repression on the island met with silence from an Administration more concerned with the politics of a presidential legacy than decades of murder and repression in Cuba and beyond. Obama continues to treat the Castro thugs as genuine representatives of the Cuban nation, when in reality they are the tyrants of the Cuban people. Make no mistake, Obama will not be visiting Cuba; he will be visiting the oppressors of Cuba. Fortunately the United States Congress remains firmly committed to maintain all sanctions on the Castro dictatorship until the Cuban people are able to elect a government that rightfully represents the Cuban nation. When I have the honor to serve the people of Florida in the U.S. Senate, I will not waiver in my commitment and actions to protect our national security and make clear that its in the best interest of the United States for Cuba to be free and democratic. Former U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia, a Democrat running for Congress again I support President Obamas historic visit to Cuba and his continued efforts to advance progress for all Cubans. The Presidents visit will move both countries forward and the open dialogue will help improve the conditions of the Cuban people. @PatriciaMazzei SUMMERVILLE, S.C. -- For Jeb Bush, the crushing phone call came Wednesday afternoon. It was Nikki Haley, South Carolinas wildly popular governor and Republican Party darling. She had decided to endorse a candidate ahead of Saturdays GOP presidential primary. Not Bush even though his brother, former President George W. Bush, paid her a deferential visit Monday. Instead, Haley backed Jeb Bushs fiercest primary rival, Marco Rubio. Moments later, Bush was due at a campaign event at the Summerville Country Club, northwest of Charleston. He showed up in shirtsleeves, no tie and, now that hes realized they aged him, no glasses and grabbed the microphone, uttering not one word of the Haley news. But Bush was suddenly edgy, speaking with new urgency three days before the first in the South primary that helped seal his fathers and brothers nominations but where Bush is battling for third or fourth place. On Saturday, yall can make a choice of who you want to have in the Oval Office, the sacred ground of the White House, Bush said. The leader of the free world. Thats who youre selecting. Clearly frustrated, Bush added: Ive got more detailed plans than you know what to do with! But thats not enough, and Bush knows it. Which is why, for the second time in a single day, he pounded Rubio as an inexperienced, first-term back-bench U.S. senator too green for the job. Rubio has poked Bush repeatedly in recent days for having no foreign policy experience. More here. Photo credit: Andrew Harnik, AP The man who lost his job with the state Republican Party in a cost saving move, is not completely gone after all. The Republican Party of Florida has sent out form letters to many of its top donors hitting them up for up to $400 to stop Hillary Clinton. But the letters are signed by Richard Swarttz, the now former chief financial officer who lost his job with the party in early January. Party officials say the letters were printed and mailed out before Swarttzs tenure ended. Still recipients of the letter over the last two weeks said it is ironic to get a fundraising pitch from someone at the party who was a victim of the partys poor fundraising. Swarttz and other top party officials are being used to make the fundraising appeals, because current party chairman Blaise Ingoglia, who is also a state representative from Hernando County, is barred from raising money while the Florida Legislature is in session. State legislators are barred from raising money during the session to avoid the appearance of trading votes for donations. The fundraising appeal comes at a time the RPOF has seen a dip in fundraising since the party refused to accept Gov. Rick Scotts choice to lead the party and he subsequently stopped helping the raise money.Since April, the party has raised $6.2 million for it's primary state campaign account, according to the Florida Division of Elections. Four years ago at a similar point (just before the last presidential election), the RPOF had raised $16.5 million. @MichaelAuslen Congressman Patrick Murphy on Thursday announced support from two labor unions in his bid for the U.S. Senate. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and International Association of Ironworkers both endorsed Murphy, D-Jupiter, in his primary race against Congressman Alan Grayson of Orlando. These unions fight to protect our workers, provide better wages for our families, and help create good, middle-class jobs and I look forward to working together to build a brighter future for Floridas working families in the U.S. Senate, Murphy said in a statement. Both Murphy and Grayson have received endorsements from unions. The Laborers' International Union of North America is supporting Murphy and the Central Florida Building and Construction Trades Council backed Grayson. Republicans are going after Murphy for his support from unions. While Patrick Murphy attempts to hide his lack of support from voters with the endorsements of job-killing unions, the truth remains that he is more focused on advancing his personal political ambitions than the best interest of Florida families and workers," said Wadi Gaitan, Republicana Party of Florida spokesperson. Theyre hoping to replace Sen. Marco Rubio in the Senate. Republican congressmen Ron DeSantis and David Jolly, Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera and businessman Todd Wilcox are also running for the seat. @PatriciaMazzei In December, on the one-year anniversary of President Barack Obama's diplomatic opening toward Cuba, a Miami Democratic consultant commissioned a local poll to, among other things, gauge the policy's popularity. The survey, of a newly redrawn Miami congressional district represented by Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, showed narrow support -- 47-43 percent -- for a hypothetical congressional candidate who favored normalizing U.S.-Cuba relations and lifting the trade embargo, according to results shared with the Miami Herald by consultant Christian Ulvert. Democrats were far more likely to back the policy change (68 percent) than Republicans (30 percent) and voters without party affiliation (44 percent). That nearly a third of Republicans would be OK with ending the embargo is particularly noteworthy in South Florida, the heart of the hard-line Cuban exile community, where reactions were divided Thursday to the White House's announcement that Obama plans to travel to the island next month. The poll was conducted by SEA Polling & Strategic Design between Dec.17-21. It surveyed 400 likely voters, with a slightly Republican-leaning sample, and has an error margin of 4.9 percent. "The poll I commissioned in late December shows how voters in CD-27 continue to embrace the leadership President Obama has shown to bring meaningful and democratic change to the Cuban people through normalizing relations with the island," Ulvert said in a statement. "CD-27 voters appreciate that the failed policies over the last 50 years have not resulted in a free and democratic Cuba, so voters see great opportunity in President Obama being a voice for a new democracy in Cuba and through deep coordination with Cuban-American civic and elected leaders in South Florida, we can achieve that dream for Cuba." The same poll showed that Ros-Lehtinen, a Cuban-American who stridently opposes any rapprochement with the Castro regime, remains highly popular in her district, even now that it's filled with more Democrats. Her favorability rating was 61-27 percent, with 6 percent of respondents holding a mixed view of the congresswoman and 6 percent saying they didn't know. So even if a majority of voters disagree with her on Cuba, it appears very unlikely that the longtime incumbent would draw any serious opposition. UPDATE: 3:15 p.m. The House passed its recess bill with strong bipartisan support on a 112-2 vote. Only Republican Reps. Richard Corcoran, of Land O'Lakes, and Michael Bileca, of Miami, opposed it. ORIGINAL POST: @ByKristenMClark Passionate mothers, who affectionately call themselves "recess moms," are imploring Florida Senate leaders to take up a bill that would require elementary schools to offer 20 minutes of recess each school day. The legislation is on track to be approved by the Florida House this afternoon, but it has stalled in the Senate and is all-but-dead for the 2016 session. "This bill simply can't die; our children are too important," said Amy Narvaez, an Orange County parent. "We don't live in Neverland. Our children grow up too fast and we can't wait another year for this to be fixed." Several "recess moms" -- from mostly Central Florida and the Tampa Bay region -- organized a press conference this morning at the Capitol, and they were joined by a bipartisan group of a dozen House members, including Rep. Bob Cortes, R-Altamonte Springs, one of the lead sponsors of that chamber's bill. Lawmakers and parents have cited numerous benefits associated with unrestricted free time for children including the ability for students to be creative and get a reprieve from a packed schedule of lessons. "We want our children to develop their social skills, and social skills are developed by allowing them to do whatever they want to do in their free time," Cortes said. "This is a good bill. This is for our children." "This is like a no-brainer from a kid's point of view," Rep. Irv Slosberg, D-Boca Raton, said. "They're kids and they're under so much stress; they need some recreation. It's important that all school districts give these kids a break." The Senate bill hasn't gotten its first hearing before the Pre-K-12 Education Committee. Chairman John Legg, a Republican senator from Trinity, told the Tampa Bay Times last week that he won't take it up, and he told the Herald/Times this morning that he doesn't intend to change his mind. "There's too much impact on kids and our school districts need the flexibility," Legg said today, calling it a "local issue." But parents argue they've pleaded with local school district leaders to mandate recess and have been ignored. They cite varying rules across Florida's 67 county school districts and want a consistent policy statewide. They said they don't want to wait another year for lawmakers to take action. It's been Senate President Andy Gardiner's policy to let committee chairmen decide which bills will be heard in committee. The Orlando Republican supports the recess bill, but also supports Legg's prerogative to hear it, Gardiner spokeswoman Katie Betta said. The House version -- HB 833, sponsored by Cortes and Rep. Rene Plasencia, R-Orlando -- earned swift and unanimous favor in three committees since first being heard in late January. Republican and Democratic lawmakers at today's press conference called on Legg to allow the bill to be heard and voted on. "Recess is critically important to children. It is something we need to consider and pass," said House Democratic Leader Mark Pafford, of West Palm Beach. "And I would certainly hope that Senator Legg really takes time to consider allowing this to move forward in the Senate." "Recess is fun, and our kids deserve to have fun," Rep. Eric Eisnaugle, R-Orlando, said. "If we want our kids to learn and grow and to do well academically going forward, they have to have this time outside to clear their minds and get ready for the rest of the day." Photo credit: Rep. Bob Cortes, R-Altamonte Springs, begins a press conference with "recess moms" and Republican and Democratic lawmakers at the Florida Capitol on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Kristen M. 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At this week's Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, organizers will screen six of her works, which often document people at the extremities of their existence. "The Crash Reel" followed the recovery of Olympic hopeful snowboarder Kevin Pearce, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2009 while attempting to learn a dangerous trick. For "Devil's Playground," she rode shotgun with Amish teenagers on "rumspringa," when they are free to spend several months in mainstream society before deciding whether to commit to their religious lifestyle. "Waste Land" documented an artist who visited the largest garbage dump in the world to collaborate with the local trash pickers. One of the works won't be seen on a big screen now or anytime soon: "A History of Cuban Dance" is a short film Walker shot with virtual reality cameras. Anyone who wants to see it can stop by the Rocky Mountain School of Photography, put on a headset and watch the movie, which premiered last month at Sundance Film Festival as part of the virtual-reality screenings. The seven-minute film walks viewers through styles like the cha-cha and salsa on through to reggaeton, with the VR technology placing them right on the floor as the dancers perform. Walker was heading to Cuba to work on another project and asked VR camera company VRSE if she could bring one of its cameras. "When I was there, I became very interested in the dance and music. I was trying to learn all about it for the project I was researching," Walker said in a phone interview. "I was fascinated that you could see the history in these various dances," she said. She would set up the camera, a watermelon-sized gadget with lenses pointed in all directions, and capture dancers from Ballet de la Television Cubana in action. Viewers can choose to look in any direction they want to get a different angle on the dances or the nearby scenery, courtesy of the new technology. "I'm not sure where it's all going, because it's still in the early days of the medium. But I think it's very interesting to use for documentary for a couple of reasons that really jump out at me," Walker said. For one, not counting the cost of the camera, it's cheap to shoot with and doesn't require a large crew, a constant issue for many filmmakers. "For someone like me who is forced to work with a small crew for budget reasons, but also actually likes working with a small crew because I think you get more intimacy and access, I think it's really useful for documentary filmmakers because it's very affordable," she said. She also sees new immersive possibilities with the technology. "It really takes people to a different world. So for someone like me, a documentary filmmaker who really enjoys the process of taking people on journeys and introducing them to people they've never met in real life, it's really a wonderful medium," she said. Walker was in Cuba doing research for a sequel to "Buena Vista Social Club," Wim Wenders' 1999 film about veteran Havana musicians who were previously little known in the United States. The film sparked a late-in-life revival for the musicians, many of whom have died in the past 16 years. The remaining members are regrouping for a final tour this year. *** When selecting her projects, Walker said a number of factors come into play. "I kind of think about it liking falling in love," she said, in that it rarely happens. It has to be a project she can get funded, for one. Second, it has to be a subject "that you become really obsessed with" and want to learn more and commit to all the subsequent work. It also has to be a subject that works on film. "There's some things that I think are really interesting but you can't really film them really well. They could make a really good magazine piece or maybe a poem or a painting or a story or something," she said. She said it's a honor to bear witness to people's lives as they undertake important projects or challenges. "I feel like it's a real privilege and a real joy and a real challenge. And somehow I've turned it into a job. " she said. "I feel very lucky." At a festival where filmmakers document everything from the day in the life of a pedestrian crosswalk button, to copper urns containing the cremated remains of unclaimed psychiatric patients, a documentary about the Amish might seem cliched. Not in the hands of Lucy Walker. Not in Devils Playground. The film that follows Amish teenagers through rumspringa, a period where they are allowed to explore the outside world before deciding whether to be baptized into the church, is 14 years old. Its part of the Big Sky Documentary Film Festivals Lucy Walker Retrospective (see related story) and, as her first feature, an important one. Every nights a party, explains Faron Yoder, an Amish youth whose rumspringa quickly spirals out of control. If theres not one, you make one. Raised in a society of simple living, hard work, plain dress, and one that avoids modern technology, the 16-year-olds released into the outside world all seem excited for their chance to embrace alcohol, drugs, tobacco, music, Ninetendo, cellphones, 200 channels of television and fast cars. Its like playing with fire, one of them says. A vast majority of the teens eventually choose to return to the Amish way of life. Rumspringa means going out and getting wasted, one of them explains. Then you have a hangover and go back and join the church. Its like a vaccination. You get a little dose of the outside world, just enough so you wont get tempted later on, and youll be a happier Amish person. Devils Playground focuses more on a couple of the teens who choose the opposite path. Velda Bontrager initially returns to her colony in LaGrange County, Indiana, from her rumpsringa. But four weeks before her wedding day, she has second thoughts. I decided I could no longer stay Amish, she says. To do so feels like giving up, she says, and eventually, she is accepted into a college in Dallas, even though like all Amish children, she has only an eighth-grade education. Yoder is a different story. His rumspringa has introduced him to methamphetamine, and hes not only become a daily user hes now dealing to support his habit. Soon, hes informing on others, which earns him death threats and drives him back to the safety of his Amish community. Yoder only last three months there before chasing his girlfriend, Emma, to Florida. The access Yoder and some of the others teenagers gave Walker is astounding. One of the strengths of Devils Playground is that, even as it focuses on the wild ride that rumspringa can be, it gives you a sense of why so many decide to return to be baptized into the Amish Church. To go back, it is explained, means never having to deal with your car breaking down, because you use horse and buggies; never being frustrated by your phone ringing off the hook, because there are no phones; never worrying about the effect violence on TV has on your children, because there are no TVs. For all its excitements and enticements, the outside world can be a lonely and dangerous place. In Devils Playground, you may come to admire both those who reject the modern world and opt for the close-knit community they grew up in, as well as those who decide to reject that community and brave the strange world the rest of us live in. TROUT CREEK The way forward for the Scotchman Peaks proposed wilderness appears as patchy as the winter trails into its landmark cedar trees. Like the mix of snow and bare gravel around the Ross Creek Cedar Grove, the fate of land designation on the Idaho and Montana sides of the mountain range straddles two different climates. About 13,900 acres of the 61,800-acre recommended wilderness area may soon be written into legislation by the Idaho congressional delegation. But the 47,900 acres on the Montana side of the border remain in limbo. Weve had a lot of traction on the Idaho side, said Phil Hough, a member of the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness advocacy group. In the last year, weve had strong endorsements from chambers of commerce, and the Bonner County commissioners last March passed a resolution calling on the Idaho (congressional) delegation to designate it as wilderness. All three are solid, conservative Republicans. This is an unusual thing that any county commission passes a resolution calling for wilderness without calling for anything else. Last May, Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, told his Senate colleagues the Scotchmans would probably be the next candidate (for wilderness designation) in Idaho, during the debate on the Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness Area. That legislation passed in August. That was really encouraging, although it doesnt mean anything definitive, Hough said. We hope to see him introduce a bill sometime this spring, although the politics need to line up. And theyre always shifting. The gravel sits on the east side of the state line, although northwest Montana groups recently celebrated a significant victory. The Kootenai Forest Stakeholder Coalition of snowmobilers, environmentalists, timber workers and business owners released a consensus statement on managing public land in the Kootenai National Forest including the Scotchmans. At this point, our (Montana) delegation is interested in the Scotchman project, but hasnt shown much willingness in taking positive action, said Doug Farrell, who represents the Montana side of the Friends of Scotchman Peaks. While Sen. Jon Testers Forest Jobs and Recreation Act included 30,000 acres of new Kootenai Forest wilderness when it was introduced in 2009, the Scotchman Peaks were left out of the negotiations. Democrat Testers bill has also languished in committee without backing of Republican colleagues Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Ryan Zinke. *** The agreement calls for between 70 million and 90 million board feet of timber to be cut on about 800,000 acres of the Kootenai National Forest. The current forest plan projects an available budget for cutting about 47.5 million board feet a year. Finding that amount of available timber without harming old growth, wildlife habitat or recreation needs was a huge plus for the coalition, according to group chairwoman Robyn King of the Yaak Valley Forest Council. We didnt know we were going to get that result, King said. We were ecstatically surprised that we could put in a timber piece that met conservation needs and still come out with a good result. Defining the timber supply for local mills allowed the timber partners to move forward on recreation issues. The result was a recommendation for 185,000 acres of future wilderness up from the Kootenai Forests suggested 117,000 acres. And it included a mix of motorized and non-motorized recreation areas. While about 86 percent of the Kootenai is currently open to motorized use, the agreement suggests several new permanent snowmobile recreation areas receive official sanction. We agreed those roadless areas could get the big W for wilderness and that wouldnt adversely affect forest production, said stakeholder group vice chairman Tom Dougherty, log buyer for the Moyie Springs Sawmill in Idaho. We also found some new places for snowmobiles in the forest travel plan. They wanted more areas to go to, and we came to consensus on several places the Kootenai Forest called non-motorized but that the conservation community said we can live with motorized. The Cabinet area includes 94,667 acres of proposed new wilderness, roughly doubling the existing Cabinet Mountains Wilderness. It also has three motorized recreation exploratory areas and 2,046 acres of proposed nonmotorized backcountry land a halfway step between general forest and full wilderness. The Yaak area proposes adding 50,883 acres of new wilderness, 50,473 acres of new permanent snowmobile recreation area and 54,321 acres of backcountry non-motorized area. *** The Scotchman Peaks proposal seeks 34,569 acres of wilderness on the Montana side of the border, along with 6,492 acres of permanent snowmobile recreation area. However, the Troy Snowmobile Club has proposed an alternative map with 1,800 acres of additional snowmobile areas in the Dry Creek and Savage Basin areas of the Scotchmans. Were still working on that trying to see how we can get to resolution, King said of the additional snowmobile areas. Id call it a friendly and passionate discussion about those values. But none of that stakeholder agreement is slated to be included in legislation any time soon. Nor is it built into the Kootenai National Forest plan, although its based on the latest plans prescriptions. The agreement isnt intended to replace anything, King said. Were using it to be an active participant in the public process on our public lands. It shows where a group of diverse folks are in solidarity on one document, instead of each stakeholder sending separate letters about what we like and dont like at the project level. That leaves the Friends of the Scotchman Peaks a baby step closer to their 11-year goal of permanent protection. Like the Salmon-Priest Wilderness on the Washington-Idaho border, it may wind up big W federal wilderness in one state and tentative study area on the other. The goal is to unify the Scotchmans like the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness on the Montana-Idaho line to the south. But the reality could look more like the Great Burn Wilderness Study Area in between. We face the same challenges in moving legislative proposals forward, Ferrell said. Getting both state delegations at once might be considered almost impossible. But if you have the opportunity for one side or state to reach an agreement, you build on that. Were pretty excited. The Missoula Job Service Employers Council presented Employer of Choice awards to three businesses Wednesday for their innovative practices, including benefits, on-the-job training and family-friendly scheduling. The awards for small, medium and large businesses went to Collection Bureau Services, Missoula Federal Credit Union and AWARE Inc., respectively. We are honoring businesses for innovative practices to retain and attract people, said Wolf Ametsbichler, the manager of the Missoula Job Service. We want to recognize those employers that go over and above to provide a work environment that is highly attractive and conducive to employee growth and employee training." AWARE, which stands for Anaconda Work and Residential Enterprises, is an Anaconda-headquartered private nonprofit that employs more than 1,600 people across the state. It provides services to between 3,000 and 5,000 developmentally disabled children and adults every year, including mental health care and housing assistance. The organization operates 44 residential programs across Montana, including a large operation in Missoula at 1055 W. Sussex Ave. Our job is to take care of our clients, and that is the foundation of our whole organization, said Chief Operating Officer Jeff Folsom. The pillars of that are how we take care of our workforce and retain the best staff that we can. The people who walk through the door buy into the notion that were going to do everything we can to make our clients successful. The company pays more than $26 million in wages and benefits to its employees. Folsom said that unlike many other nonprofits, AWARE chooses to reinvest its revenue into its employees rather than pad the coffers of a large foundation, although it does operate a foundation. The organization is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. We want our employees to be proud of who they work for and what they do, Folsom said. *** Jack Lawson, CEO of the Missoula Federal Credit Union, showed a video of the companys humble beginnings during the awards presentation at the Holiday Inn Downtown. In September 1956, eight police officers banded together with $320 between them to provide each other with low-interest loans. Ive watched that video hundreds of times and it still almost brings me to tears, Lawson said. Now, we are a $420 million organization serving some 45,000 members. Its always very special to be recognized for something that is hard to do, like be a good employer. Lawson said his employees come to work every day with a really strong sense of purpose. We have numeric goals, but through that our employees still recognize that what they are trying to do, day in and day out, is make a difference in peoples lives, he said. They are just a first-class employer, and besides offering a lot of benefits that are stellar, they are really doing things that support the community, Ametsbichler said. Their community work is incentivized, and you can find a credit union employee as a volunteer in many organizations around town. Jennifer Whipple, the vice president of Collection Bureau Services, accepted the award for the company her grandfather founded 40 years ago. We dont sell gadgets or widgets; we sell our employees, Whipple said. Nobody wants to get that call from the collection agency, so we really pride ourselves on making it a great place to work because its a really hard job. Nobody wakes up and wants to call people asking for money. However, Whipple said the company has a generous profit-sharing program to go along with contributions to its 401(k) program. We want our employees to be able to retire and have a nice living afterward because theyve put in a lot of hard work, she said. We have an employee appreciation day in March, which is really fun and rewarding. And one time an employee came up and said, I think we should get our birthdays off. And now, after working for two years, everyone gets their birthday as a paid holiday." Ametsbichler said the Job Service Employers Council pays for a scholarship for postsecondary training. The organizations goal is to support the Job Service and assist the communitys workforce development needs. Its main source of funding is hosting seminars for the business community for relatively small fees, including one called The Honest Leader on Thursday from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Downtown, 200 S. Pattee St. Professor Steven Running, whose work on climate change shared in a Nobel Peace Prize, said he believes the University of Montana Foundation should pull its investments from fossil fuels, starting with coal. "I would absolutely tell our foundation that they should be on a strategic path to pulling out of coal investments as soon as they can," Running said Tuesday. "And then, over a little longer term, oil and gas investments. "But I realize that you can't do that overnight, and without sometimes taking terrible financial losses. So you need to have first a strategy of what you want to do." He suggested UM divest from coal within two years, but he also said coal stocks on his radar have dropped by 90 percent in the past couple years. "Probably, if you still have coal stock, it's too late. You've already taken it on the nose," Running said. The professor also said he sympathizes with President Royce Engstrom because the issue is a challenging one "where you start walking the tightrope from concept to reality." The reality Running presents when he gives talks about climate change is that coal is the source for the vast majority of global emissions form fossil fuels 42 percent in 2014, according to the Global Carbon Project (see slide from Running's presentation). It notes oil, gas, cement and flaring make up the rest. In 2007, the Nobel Committee awarded the Peace Prize to two recipients, Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Running was one of the IPCC authors lauded for their "efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change." *** Last spring, UM students voted by an 80 percent margin to approve a referendum calling on the UM Foundation to divest from fossil fuels, but in September, the foundation's board of trustees unanimously rejected divestment. Melissa Wilson, vice president for marketing and communications, said trustees remain committed to providing the "best possible returns" for UM, and they have not received any direct communication from Running. Last year, the foundation's endowment was at $172.8 million, and 8 percent to 10 percent was invested in "energy." "The UM Foundation will maintain its current investment strategy to fulfill the mission of maximizing returns for the University, allowing for optimal resources for students, faculty and staff," Wilson noted in an email Tuesday. On campus, advocates of divesting aren't giving up despite the board's vote. Reinvest Montana is a campus group dedicated to global climate justice and asserting its right in the Montana Constitution to a clean and healthy environment. Reinvest Montana has an in-depth divestment proposal called "The Triple Bottom Line: People, Planet and Profit at the University of Montana." In it, the group lauds Professor Running of the College of Forestry and Conservation as well as programs at UM that address climate change. "In line with a history of environmental leadership, UM needs to lead, not follow, in the worldwide movement for fossil fuel divestment," the proposal said. On Tuesday, Jess Moore and Simon Dykstra, co-presidents of Reinvest, said they strongly agree with timeline Running suggested. They said the group has been asking the foundation to "immediately commit to a five-year" deadline for full divestment. "Mack Clapp, the chairman of investments, is not exercising fiduciary responsibility by refusing to divest," Moore and Dykstra said in a statement. "The foundation has not produced a single piece of evidence that divestment would hurt returns in the short term, and we know that divestment is essential for the long-term. We've also worked with a financial adviser to provide (foundation trustees) with a fossil-free portfolio that outperformed the UM portfolio, even before gas and oil began their decline." The foundation's Wilson said earlier the research the foundation's trustees did showed divestment would not be fiscally prudent. She also said analysts can package numbers to show the results they want to see. *** In the past two or three years, the financial sector has started pulling away from coal companies, and their stock values are collapsing and many are in bankruptcy, Running said. "We've turned a very big corner in the financial sector sizing up the future of coal first and fossil fuels more generally and realizing that if anybody is serious about stabilizing climate, that's where you've got to start," Running said. "And if you're not serious, you'd better just admit it up front. You can't have it both ways." One reason he and others point to coal first is it's the dirtiest, he said. On the other hand, coal mainly goes toward producing electrical power, and five or six different alternatives exist, he said, (unlike jet fuel, which has no substitute yet). The shift in the economy is critical, he said, and so is help for people who work in the industry and need support making the transition. "They are definitely taking the brunt of this, and so I feel badly for the industry workers at Colstrip," Running said. Society has made big economic transitions before, though, and it can do so this time while paying attention to industry employees. "That's an important thing to have up front, too. But that doesn't negate the fact that stopping burning coal is the first thing humanity needs to do worldwide, including us right here," Running said. Back on March 29, 2004, a letter to the editor I sent was published about the dangers of letting politicians get their nose under the tent as employees at the University of Montana. At that time we were subjected to these politicians using any pretext to gain publicity and name recognition through numerous press releases from the university. Now I see we are going further down that path, with people being hit up for donations from another politician, Max Baucus, who apparently feels his tenure as a former senator and current ambassador grants him status for funds to establish his legacy as the Baucus lnstitute." Under no circumstances should UM be a party to such a device. Only after a politician is deceased should the university be even slightly interested in aiding their ego trip. Just because UM allowed Baucus to clean out his bulky senatorial files and give them to the Mansfield Library does not mean we need to adopt him. Many years ago I went to Japan as part of a UM extcange program with Tokyo University. I was most impressed with that experience and have mentored many Japanese students at UM since that time. I have been particularly impressed with the Global Gateway Program at UM and the friends it has made for UM all over the world. Now I see by the paper on Feb. 12 that UM feels the need to fire the brains and brawn of the program, Dr. Udo Fluck. I remember him as a student at UM. He is really one of the outstanding graduates of the school, and someone whose program really contributes to the mission at UM. Losing him and his energy would be a terrible blow to UM. We need to ramp up those efforts and forget politicians from either party. Please revisit your priorities and keep Dr. Fluck. Warren Little, Missoula HELENA It was a tantalizing offer for candidates for state legislative offices, many of whom had never mounted a campaign before. A national anti-union organization offered candidates in five states a "deadly effective" series of seven custom-written letters that would be signed with their digitally-scanned signatures and mailed to thousands of voters in the final weeks before Election Day. For that personal touch, female National Right to Work Committee field workers would rewrite by hand a "wife letter" which staffers said was a particularly potent appeal to voters. The organization offered the mail to candidates in Montana, Iowa, Kentucky, Indiana and Nevada during the 2010 elections, according to thousands of emails, letters, mailers and testimony obtained by the Associated Press through a public records request. While the organization has not been accused of wrongdoing, the documents are being used in civil cases against nine of the 14 Montana candidates who received "the works" package. They are accused of illegally coordinating with and taking unreported contributions from Right to Work and its affiliates. The group's spokesman, Patrick Semmens, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The documents, more than 14,000 in total, had been subpoenaed by Montana's elections regulator from the computers of Right to Work's field operatives, and provide a rare look into the inner workings of so-called "dark money" groups. Typically registering as social welfare organizations, these groups can raise money and aren't required to reveal the names of their donors. Those groups are not allowed to have political advocacy as their primary purpose, and Right to Work has said in tax filings that it does not participate in political campaign activities. Campaign finance advocates fear the wealthy are using the groups to influence candidates out of public view. Montana, Iowa and Kentucky had bans against direct contributions from corporations such as Right to Work to candidates in 2010, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Indiana had a $2,000 corporate contribution limit to legislative candidates and Nevada's limit was $5,000. Candidates are required to report all cash and in-kind contributions, but Right to Work either provided candidates its services for free or at cost, according to the documents. Candidates charged in Montana paid below market value for the mailings, the elections regulator alleged. Many candidates did not report their participation in the mail program or any additional candidate programs the group offered. *** In Montana, that included connecting voters to fundraising resources, website design and what Montana Right to Work staffer Christian LeFer called "the best voter lists in the state," according to the documents. LeFer offered the full range of services to 14 Montana Republican candidates in 2010. LeFer said in the documents that everything "for invitees" was done for free or at cost. Montana began to investigate Right to Work's involvement in past elections when boxes of state candidate files, surveys, mailers and bank statements turned up in 2012 in what authorities described as a Denver "meth house." LeFer said the documents had been stolen. The files were later featured in a "Frontline" documentary that suggested the Right to Work-affiliated group American Tradition Partnership illegally coordinated with candidates. Last month, Montana Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl released thousands of additional documents that had been subpoenaed by his office. He declined to comment on their content, citing the pending litigation. LeFer, who hasn't been accused of wrongdoing and now runs a Denver company that helps nonprofits with regulatory and fundraising compliance, declined to comment. He asked that questions be submitted in an email to which he never replied. *** The Virginia-based Right to Work group was created in 1955 and is registered as a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization and its mission says that nobody should be forced to join a union to get or keep a job. The reason Right to Work ran the mail program was to build relationships with the candidates by providing them with things they can't afford, the group's former field organizer in Iowa, Dennis Fusaro, said in a deposition in November. "The ability to offer to give someone who doesn't have two nickels to rub together to run for office the ability to do mailings, and if with a wink and a nod they can give them the mail packages, the printed material, the labor to put it together so they can mail the communications and win an election, is value," Fusaro said in the deposition. His testimony came in a case against Montana state Republican Rep. Art Wittich, who is accused of accepting unreported contributions from Right to Work. A trial is scheduled for March. Wittich has denied the charges. Among the voter letters was an introductory letter, the wife letter, various letters on issues important to conservative voters of the district and a final letter mailed just before the election, what Fusaro called the "Hail Mary" letter. "My campaign mail strategy is very late-stage, but deadly effective," LeFer said in a pitch to Montana legislative candidates in 2008 and 2010. Fusaro agreed to that characterization, according his deposition. Fusaro did not respond to an AP query requesting comment. The program was overseen by Doug Stafford, a former Right to Work vice president who most recently was chief strategist for Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul's presidential campaign. Stafford and former Ron Paul presidential campaign staffer, Dimitri Kesari, oversaw field organizers such as LeFer and Fusaro, according to statements by Fusaro that are supported by emails contained in the documents. The letters' chief copywriter was Jedd Coburn, a former Right to Work staffer who worked on the elder Paul's 2012 presidential bid. Stafford, Kesari and Coburn did not respond to requests for comment. HELENA Drums and singing echoed through the Capitol rotunda Thursday as American Indians and members of the Buffalo Field Campaign applauded giving Yellowstone National Park bison more room in Montana to roam. They also called for giving the animals free range across the state and advocated for repealing state law 81-2-120 that permits the management and slaughter of Yellowstones bison that migrate into Montana, which happens when bison are driven from the park by snow in search of forage. While the event at the Capitol was to thank the governor for expanding bison range in Montana, Stephany Seay, a spokesperson for the Buffalo Field Campaign, also spoke prior to the event of concerns with bison management. We feel that the current management paradigm is disrespectful not only to wild bison but to indigenous people of this land, she said. Currently, they are being grossly mismanaged to placate livestock interests, she said. The public of Montana is not being heard, only the cattle industry is being heard," she added. While calling for wild, free-roaming bison across the state, Seay said bison are a native wildlife species that she called a keystone species to the region and spiritually and culturally important to American Indians. The Buffalo Field Campaign and other advocates of wild bison are holding a series of events across the state from Feb. 15-21 that began with a rally in Bozeman. Events were scheduled for Mammoth, Wyoming, in Yellowstone National Park; Beattie Gulch just north of the parks border and north of Gardner; Helena; and West Yellowstone and Big Sky. Mike Mease, who said he co-founded the Buffalo Field Campaign with Rosalie Little Thunder, spoke as he waited for others who would sing or speak at the event. Almost 20 years worth of this, Mease said of his involvement with bison management. *** In the past 19 years, Buffalo Field Campaign has been the one that pointed the finger when it felt people were doing things wrong to the bison, Mease told the audience. The bison in the park are from the 23 that survived the slaughter, he said of past practice decimating the herds of bison that once roamed the West. In appreciation of giving bison more room in Montana, Jim St. Goddard, a member of the Blackfeet, presented gifts to Gov. Steve Bullock. The gifts were received on behalf of the governor by Tim Baker, the governors natural resource and policy adviser. Baker received a picture of Goddards grandmother, Nameenahmah, posters in support of bison and a woven rug with an image of a tan bison on a grass-green background that could also be used to adorn a wall. Nameenahmah, St. Goddard said previously, would be about 210 years old today. This is the lady of our family in the last 200 years, he said. Baker expressed thanks on behalf of Bullock and said the governor understands that Montanans want the state to do what it can to treat Yellowstones bison as wildlife. The governor also understands that the state needs to be mindful of those who live and work in that landscape, Baker said. *** Finding a balance between the two interests, he added, isnt easy. Providing more room around the national park for bison range was appropriate as more is known today about brucellosis, Baker said of the disease that can be carried and transmitted by bison that causes cattle to abort their calves. Buffalo Field Campaign representatives also noted that elk can carry the disease and spread it further across Montana than bison are able to. State responsibility for the parks bison is a shared between the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Department of Livestock, said Ron Aasheim, with FWP. Baker noted that the governor doesnt share the sentiment of those calling for free-roaming bison across Montana or removing the Department of Livestock involvement in bison management. The governor understands that bison can have more room to roam and the animals importance to Native peoples, Baker said. This expansion of bison habitat in Montana, Mease said, we look at it as the first step of what eventually has to happen. Jennifer Fuentes, who is part Apache and came from Washington state, said she came for the rally to stand up for the bison. As the buffalo goes, so do we, she said. If they perish, we perish. In order for them to survive, we must survive, Fuentes said. *** Goodshield Aguilar, who said he is mostly Lakota and has family on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, was among the singers. His aunt, Rosalie Little Thunder, helped to start the Buffalo Field Campaign, he said and added, she brought me into it. She inspired me. Aguilar said he hoped the Buffalo Field Campaign events would raise awareness of how the bison are being treated, captured and slaughtered by the hundreds. And allowing the bison to be wild, just like the rest of the wildlife, he said was important to him. According to Yellowstone National Park website, there were about 4,900 bison in the parks northern herd as of July 2015 and some 1,300 in the central herd. An agreement between the secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior in 2000 included guidelines to limit the bison population to near 3,000. Biologists have proposed removing 600 to 900 bison from the parks northern boundary this winter to offset the expected population increase, according to the website. The capture of bison, without regard to age, sex or disease status, for removal was to begin no sooner than Feb. 15 and end no later than March 31. Without harvesting or culling the bison population, the number of animals is anticipated to reach nearly 6,000 by spring. The central and northern herds have not reached the estimated food limiting capacity of between about 5,500 and 7,500 bison. National Park Service biologists have recommended maintaining a bison population that fluctuates between 2,500 and 4,500 to preserve ecological processes that meet conservation needs and to mitigate social and political conflicts in Montana, the website noted. SWAN LAKE Lets call it CSI: Swan Lake. When two walleye were captured in the lake last October during a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks gill-net sampling operation, actual biologists were able to determine that so-called "bucket biologists" are trying again to vandalize a Montana fishery. Microchemistry analysis of the inner ear bones of the walleye determined the two fish had not been born in Swan Lake. That in all likelihood means somebody illegally transported and released them here, according to FWP Region 1 fisheries manager Mark Deleray. They are the first walleye ever found here, Deleray said. It is a predatory fish that could adversely impact Swan Lakes native bull trout population, as well as its kokanee salmon fishery, he said. *** The inner ear bones are called otoliths. FWP spokesman John Fraley explains that fish incorporate the chemical makeup of the water in which they live into the otoliths, which then serve as a type of chemical fingerprint that can reconstruct the movements and origins of fish. FWP fisheries biologist Sam Bourret said lake trout otoliths from Swan Lake were used to verify the lakes signature. We see a significant change over time in the chemical profile of the otoliths, indicating that the two walleye were recently introduced into Swan Lake, Bourret says. It appears that the walleye were introduced in 2015. Thats not the only thing the microchemistry analysis of the inner bones can reveal. It can also tell FWP where the walleye came from. *** That, however, becomes a process of elimination. FWP biologists must find otoliths from another body of water that match the otoliths from the walleye found in Swan Lake. Fraley said theyve already ruled out Lake Francis, near Valier, and Noxon Reservoir, as sources of the Swan Lake walleye, and biologists are analyzing walleye from other lakes in the region. It is illegal to move any live fish from the water where it is caught. Penalties range from fines and the loss of fishing, hunting and trapping privileges, to liability for the costs of attempting to eliminate or mitigate the effects of bucket biology. A host of organizations, led by Trout Unlimited, make it possible for a reward of up to $30,000 to be offered for information leading to a conviction of the person or persons who illegally introduced the walleye into Swan Lake. Anyone with information can call 1-800-TIP-MONT. Callers can remain anonymous, and may still be eligible for the cash reward. Attempts to mitigate the effects of illegal fish introductions cost Montana taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, Deleray said, and in most cases, can never be undone. Meantime, any more walleye caught in Swan Lake, the Swan River and its tributaries are under a mandatory kill order approved by the Fish and Wildlife Commission. Said walleye must be killed, frozen and reported to the agency within 24 hours, which will make arrangements for it to be turned over within 10 days. LIBBY There is still work to be done, but some Libby residents will celebrate 15 years of progress, and to look ahead to a day when the community can put its legacy of asbestos pollution behind it. Residents are invited to gather at Cabinet Mountain Brewing Co., 206 Mineral Ave., on Thursday at 6 p.m. to mark the Record of Decision issued Feb. 8 by the Environmental Protection Agency. In it, the EPA said it anticipates another four years and $64 million worth of work remains to be done in Libby, where cancer-causing asbestos has killed hundreds of people and sickened thousands. A separate Superfund project at the former W.R. Grace Mine is also still in progress. We have seen tremendous progress in the past few years, Lincoln County Commissioner Mark Peck said. For those of us who love this corner of Big Sky country, it feels good to be coming out from under the cloud that has hung over our community. While a great step forward, this is an interim milestone as we work closely with the EPA and Montana (Department of Environmental Quality) to position Libby for success in the long-term management of the final remedy. For now, we will bask in the rare positive news. The EPA issued what amounted to a clean bill of health for Libby in December 2014. The towns air asbestos concentrations are 100,000 times lower than when the W.R. Grace mine was operating, and now on a level with communities such as Helena and Eureka, according to EPA officials. The story of asbestos contamination in Libby has not been a happy one for anyone, said Nick Raines, manager of the Lincoln County Asbestos Resource Program. But when we look at where we are today, we are now able to tell a positive story about where we are and where we are headed. BILLINGS More than half a million dollars in state funding previously denied to Montana State University Billings has found its way back on campus after better-than-expected degree completion and retention numbers. The university was given the $760,000 in addition to the $744,149 it initially qualified for at the beginning of the school year. The money, called performance funding, is part of a Montana University System program that incentivizes improvement in overall student retention and degree completion, in addition to enrollment and graduation of under-represented and at-risk students. MSUB was the only university out of 12 in the state that was denied full funding after it failed to show the necessary 1 percent improvement in those categories. MSUB was eligible for $1.5 million in the program, and the university ultimately pulled in the entire sum. The university was initially denied full funding based on low student retention estimates. After factoring in data from other universities across the state, actual student retention was higher at MSUB than expected because students who began their education in Billings and transferred to other MUS colleges count as retained students for performance funding, said MSUB Chancellor Mark Nook. Last years numbers came in pretty strong, Nook said. We werent expecting to receive it at all because our estimates looked like we wouldnt quite make our target. Nook said the university has complete control of how the money is spent. Currently $500,000 is budgeted to provide more scholarship opportunities to help improve student retention. Moving retention rates takes some real work, Nook said. Thats why were putting most of this money behind retaining initiatives. The next-largest chunk, $78,000, will go toward implementing a student progress alert system aimed at identifying and helping struggling students. In addition to announcing the new funding Wednesday, MSUB also announced Nooks goal of raising the MSUB retention rate 10 percent in five years in order to bring it on par with peer institutions such as Black Hills State University and University of Montana Western. Recent numbers from MSUB have given some reason for hope. MSUB's fall-to-spring return rate of 90.7 percent marked a 2.7 percentage point increase compared to the previous year, when total spring enrollment dropped. Nook attributed this increased enrollment to the university's focus on better communication with students during the registration period, as well as an effort to reach out to accepted but un-enrolled students, a demographic Nook said had not previously been explored. Nook speculated the previous year's drop may have had to do with announced budget cuts. As of Feb. 9, MSUB's headcount stood at 4,163 students. HAMILTON The last of three people arrested in Ravalli Countys largest-ever heroin bust pleaded guilty Wednesday. Marlen Ravelo, 47, of Port Angeles, Washington, accepted an agreement with prosecutors that called for a 30-year prison sentence, all suspended, in exchange for her guilty plea to five felony drug charges. Ravelo also has entered into a plea agreement on federal charges she faces in Washington state that is expected to result in prison time. Ravelo was one of three people arrested last Halloween after law enforcement officers acted on a tip and stopped their vehicle in the Florence area. After being ordered out the car at gunpoint, members of the Ravalli County Sheriffs Office found nearly half a pound of heroin and a similar amount of methamphetamine in the vehicle. The drugs had an estimated street value of $250,000. According to federal court records, Ravelo was part of a drug-trafficking organization headquartered in western Washington led by a man named Antonio Contreras-Torres, aka "Pipi." The organization was tracked by federal officers, who documented at least four occasions when Ravelo allegedly obtained heroin and methamphetamine for distribution, including the drugs that were confiscated in Ravalli County. The court records said Ravelo commonly referred to the heroin she requested as coffee or dark and methamphetamine was called water. On June 26, 2015, the court records said she ordered 16 and 16 of the dark one, referring to 32 pieces of heroin at 25 grams each, and 1 pound of water, referring to methamphetamine. On Oct. 15, 2015, she ordered two big ones of the coffee, referring to 2 kilograms of heroin, and 10 waters, referring to 10 ounces of methamphetamine. Ravelo was stopped by investigators Oct. 15 after she was provided heroin and methamphetamine at a Taco Bell in Washington. During a search of her vehicle, investigators found 2,250 grams of heroin and 342 grams of methamphetamine. The federal court records dont indicate if Ravelo was arrested at that point. Instead, the records said investigators continued to intercept calls Ravelo made to order more drugs, including those she would eventually bring to Ravalli County. Court records filed in Ravalli County said Ravelo and Mason Gregory Skerbeck, 23, also of Port Angeles, brought the drugs into Montana with the intent to see if there was a market here. Once in the state, they met Crystal Lee Griffin, 21, of Stevensville, who brokered deals at the University of Montana and in Stevensville. The three were arrested while traveling to Stevensville to complete that transaction. Skerbeck accepted a plea agreement last week that included a sentence of 15 years with the Montana Department of Corrections, with 10 years suspended. Griffins plea agreement included a 15-year commitment with the Montana Department of Corrections, with 12 years suspended. The Ravalli County Attorneys Office is asking that all three pay a fine of $78,750 each that would be deposited in the state general fund. The amount is 35 percent of the estimated value of the dangerous drugs that were in their possession. The plea agreements allow them to argue that the fine should be waived or modified. While federal sentencing guidelines are complex, Deputy Ravalli County Attorney Thorin Geist said it appears that Ravelo likely will be sentenced to five to 10 years in a federal prison, all of which must be served. The 30-year suspended prison sentence in the Ravalli County case will run concurrent to the federal sentence. If she ends up doing five years in the federal prison, she will still have another 25 years of state time facing her if she does something wrong, Geist said. We have a huge stick hanging over her. Thats not Department of Corrections time. Its prison time. Knowing that she would be going to jail for five to 10 years made the agreement palatable to me. HELENA It wasnt a perfect system, but at least it was something. Since 2009, the Quality Schools Grant Program has paid for things like fixing the roof at an elementary school in Columbus, a new boiler at Fairview High School and a new technology lab in Wolf Point. Over five years, the program has distributed $35 million in state funding to 33 projects to improve public health and safety, six for deferred maintenance, four to meet accreditation standards, 40 for energy-efficiency improvements, two for technology projects and eight to enhance education opportunities. About $30 million in federal recovery dollars funded dozens more energy-efficiency audits and projects. But last year, the state didnt have enough money to pay for any of the applications schools submitted to fix failing infrastructure or build new facilities. Thats because the grant was set up to operate using money from timber harvest on school trust lands and rental income received from power site leases deposited into the school facility and technology account. With the timber industry trending down and the state no longer collecting rent on some riverbeds after losing a lawsuit, the account dwindled. Two other programs are projected to leave the account with a negative balance of $5.7 million by June 2017, the Legislative Fiscal Division projects. So whats next for Montana schools seeking money to make much-needed repairs and add space to accommodate growing class sizes? No one is quite sure, but many fixes have been suggested and more will materialize out of an interim legislative commission tasked with looking at the issue of school funding. *** Fifty-three applications were submitted to the grant program last cycle, requesting $30.2 million. Early in the 2015 Legislature, Gov. Steve Bullock suggested using bonds and cash to pay for the projects, but that bill died. In the end, no money came to the program. We didnt get any funding for planning or emergency grants or for projects for the 2017 biennium, but the statute says we will take applications and the governor will recommend them to the Legislature. We are in that process now, said grant administrator Kelly Lynch. The deadline for applications is March 1. The School Funding Interim Commission, formed by a bill last session, is required to issue a report on its findings, which can include draft legislation for amending the states school-funding formula. While the commission is focused on all school-funding issues, facilities have been a focus. Sen. Matt Rosendale, R-Glendive, said any solution will have to address two core concerns: identifying the best way to divvy up the funding between schools and finding enough money to pay for it without encouraging poor fiscal management by districts. Other states havent found a perfect solution either, said Michael Griffith, a school finance strategist who spoke to the commission. It is a problem that requires a good deal of money, and it requires that money on a consistent basis. Griffith said Arizona threw $2 billion at schools in need and still didnt get to where it wanted to be. Eleven states do no capital funding and leave it all up to districts, 25 do grant programs like Montana and 15 give out annual appropriations. Districts that werent entirely in love with Montanas grant program are hoping the commission comes up with new suggestions. Rep. Edie McClafferty, D-Butte, said shes heard from districts that they dont like how competitive the grant program is. We need to make sure its not competitive and schools dont feel like theyre always being left out, she said. I heard from many people theyve put in several years and not gotten anything. Dianne Burke, executive director of the Montana Quality Education Coalition, said it would be best for the states 400-plus districts if the program is reliable in how it operates. Predictability is key, she said. The fact we didnt get any quality schools grants was just devastating for many school districts that were counting on that for some pretty high-impact projects. Patrick Audet, associate director of School Administrators of Montana seconded that. You dont know who is going to be picked, how many projects and how much funding youre going to get. Bullock expects to bring another plan to the 2017 Legislature, though specifics arent known yet. As the governor looks toward the 2017 legislative session, he will once again introduce a proposal to address the pressing infrastructure needs in the state, spokesman Tim Crowe said. *** Lynch, who has administered the Quality Schools Grant since 2009, defended the program, noting that legislators had wanted to retain their ability to balance assistance from border to border. When you see everybody have the opportunity to come in and argue to you public health and safety or energy efficiency, you can look and prioritize that across the state as opposed to just letting each school decide what they need to use the money for, she said. Lynch said the Quality Schools Grant was good for smaller schools, which would suffer using a proposed formula to distribute a standard amount for facilities projects based on enrollment. It provides a mechanism for providing adequate facility funding to small schools that have limited resources and really would take a very long time to save up the kind of money through a distribution system in order to pay for some of these expensive projects, she said. Lynch produced a report that said Alzada Elementary School District, for example, would have received just $265 under Senate Bill 348, sponsored in 2013 by Stevensville Republican Fred Thomas, which initially sought to replace grants with yearly aid to all schools based on the number of students. Lynch said 45 districts would get less than $1,000 and half would get less than $10,000, amounts that could take decades to build into enough money to complete critical projects. A later version of the bill passed without the repeal provision. She also said the grant program was good because it forced schools to manage the money and use it well. When you have a grant agency overseeing that process and staying on you you see that construction get done a lot faster," she said. There will be a request to fund the grant program in the coming legislative session, she said. Sen. Tom Facey, a Missoula Democrat who leads the interim commission and has been a teacher in Montana schools for more than 35 years, echoed McClafferty and suggested looking at steady money for districts that they could save up over a decade to spend on new buildings or projects. He also said it would be easier to get taxpayers to support schools more if the state did the same. While the total general fund budgets of schools have swollen 88 percent between 1991 and 2016 from $570 million to $1.07 billion state support has only grown 68 percent from $407 million to $685 million. That has led district property taxes to quadruple to about $308 million, signaling a move of the burden to local taxpayers. The trend holds true even when evaluating on a per-student basis to account for enrollment changes. Weve had a huge tax shift, he said. I would argue that if state support of schools was at (1991 levels), itd be a lot easier for a lot of these towns to raise their mill levy or budgets or pass bonds to build schools and other things. Dave Lewis said those figures must be parsed carefully and that just because local leaders decide to expand some school programs, doesnt mean the state must keep pace. Its not fair to say that a states share has decreased when really the local leaders have decided to spend more local money, said the former state budget director and longtime legislator who sits on the commission. *** Laurels school district passed a five-year building reserve levy to help with $9 million in deferred maintenance. Two years into it, the levy has dealt with about a quarter of the problems. But Laurel is growing, and needs room for elementary and middle school students. Where are we going to get the rest of it? asked Norm Stamper, facilities director for the district. The district hopes to have a bond in 2017, but passing them in the past has been hard. Knowing the history of Laurel, its going to take quite a bit of education to get our taxpayers to understand the issues, Stamper said. Its quite an eye-opener to come in from the private sector into a school district and see the struggles that districts do have with funding sources. School budgets are regulated by the state to ensure quality education for all students, and that places some constraints on how certain state appropriations can be spent and how much can be saved. Finding enough money for facilities within those rules can be difficult, and some districts do a better job of setting money aside for maintenance than others. Lynch said part of the scoring system for facilities grants includes an evaluation of need and whether districts are doing enough to grow and spend savings for projects. They look at the (Office of Public Instruction) budget data to see if all available funds have been spent, Lynch said. If a school has a big chunk of money set aside, theyll ask about it, but its not an automatic penalty. Audet said the issue is that theres not enough general fund money to make facility spending a priority over cash needed for day-to-day operations. You have so much money and you have to take care of several entities, he said. "Not all the time is facilities going to be that priority. If it is, youve got the question of where do you rob from to pay the other. Facey asked if the state should track how districts spend their allotment from the state before giving out money. The commission also has discussed raising the cap on reserve funds. And while declining natural resource revenues have hurt the states pocketbook, lawmakers are also worried about aging residents eyeing their own tight budgets. Nobody likes to say it, but were still a resource state, said Lewis said. We sell raw materials, oil, coal, beef, timber. The demand isnt there, so prices are down. Were just going to be losing money the next few years. *** Lewis said the solution isnt to add onto property taxes, saying that lower-income workers and an aging population wont support that. Property tax just doesnt make sense anymore, he said. We just dont have the population interested in paying higher property taxes. ... The day of the bond issue is over. You cant, in my mind, do it with property taxes, not looking at the age of people in the state and the lower incomes of senior citizens. He advocated for a local government answer and supports a sales tax as a way to replace money from bonds. He said the state paying for more is just an incentive to build more. The decision should be made locally whether they need a facility and how to pay for it, he said. They need more tools to talk about how to pay for it. Rep. Jeff Essmann, R-Billings, agreed that shifting demographics change the mentality of local voters and could present problems for school leaders, particularly in rural districts with declining enrollments that reduce their state assistance. Its a lot easier to check that yes box on a mill levy ballot if youre working and you feel good about your future. Once you turn that retirement door, suddenly you got so many eggs in the basket. How am I going to make them last long enough? he said. I think thats a profound implication for policy makers that we havent adequately factored into everything. Essmann pitched prioritizing coal trust fund dollars to pay for projects even if that means cutting funding for other programs. A lot of it has been nickeled and dimed into a bunch of little stuff, and thats where its been going for 35, 40 years, he said. Maybe its time to say this stuff is really priority stuff. Regardless of how its funded, Lewis said $360 million in infrastructure needs identified by a 2008 state survey could not be paid for in a single legislative session. Thinking the state could pay for that is just not realistic, Lewis said. The interim commission's next meeting is April 4-5, and its final gathering is May 4-6, and it has until Sept. 15 to write any draft bills to pitch the 2017 Legislature, which also will consider which applications submitted to the grant program will be funded if a bill passes to pay for the program. Griffith said theres no right answer, but schools need one thing: reliability. HELENA When Gabrielle Wheeler was 13, her stepfather, a truck driver, came home and had a freakout one morning. She was sleeping on a cot in the hallway of one of the two-bedroom apartments her family lived in between stays in motel rooms. Her stepfather tripped on her and was angry. When he did come home, it was really bad and unsafe, she said. Her mother had her pack her bags and took her to live with a family friend. At 13 that was really scary, she said. On Thursday, Wheeler and five other teenagers told the Protect Montana Kids Commission about their experiences in Montanas foster care system. The commission, created by Gov. Steve Bullock last September, is tasked with finding ways to improve the various programs in place to help children in the state, like Child and Family Services. The commission also will make recommendations to the 2017 Legislature. The commission has been looking at issues with CFS, including complaints made by parents and grandparents about poor communication and actions taken by caseworkers, as well as issues the agency is asking for help with fixing, including what it says are unreasonable workloads and low pay. Wheeler, now 17, was born in Missoula. She told the commission her family moved 19 times between Montana, Colorado and Texas, where she said her parents started doing pretty hard drugs. She said she and her brother werent being fed and didnt feel safe. The family moved back to Arlee, which is where she was living when her parents sent her away to stay with a family friend. She missed four months of school her eighth-grade year. After 2 1/2 years, the husband and wife she was staying with told her she needed to find a new place to live. She was a sophomore in high school and homeless, sleeping under the Reserve and Russell street bridges in Missoula. Friends eventually realized she needed a place to live, and she ended up with a caseworker who took her to a short-term group home. They said, Oh, this is going to be a week youll be back with your mom in two weeks max. I was there two months, she said. She bounced through more group homes around the state and a foster family she had to leave without notice. I came home on a Thursday at 7 p.m. and they said I had to pack my bag and I was leaving tomorrow. The next day she got into a car and wasnt told where she was going. I wound up in Helena, she said. I wasnt able to say goodbye, close any doors. She was put in a youth home, stayed the maximum amount of time allowed and was eventually placed in a family here last summer. It has been an amazing place, she said. She said she calls her foster parents Mom and Dad, and her foster mother's parents are her grandparents. Ive never had that, Wheeler said. It gets really, really hard and you feel like you have nobody. *** Several of the teenagers who spoke Thursday expressed frustration with a lack of communication with Child Protective Services caseworkers, their attorneys and others involved in their case. Some had good experiences in group homes while others didnt. Schylar Baber-Canfield, who is on the commission and is a foster care advocate, said these kids might struggle to explain if they got good help from their Child Protective Services worker because they dont know what a good job is. Wheeler told the commission that at times during the process she felt like her rights werent being considered. Kids should be told where theyre going, and if theres a reason theyre not being told they should be told of that reason, she said. Wheeler said she often couldnt leave voicemails for her caseworker because she didnt answer calls and her voicemail was always full. That really hindered a lot of trust boundaries being broken, she said. Isaac Brito, an 18-year-old who attends Montana State University, said he didn't trust his caseworker or attorney. One of my biggest issues was communication, he said. He told the commission his caseworker didn't return his calls and his guardian ad litem only spoke to him once, adding his lawyer only sometimes got back to him. Brito was placed in the care of his grandparents at 15 when on a summer trip to their home in Anaconda his younger sister told his grandmother and grandfather about the emotional and physical abuse and neglect they were experiencing from their mother. He said the caseworker he was assigned didn't fight for him. I came into foster care completely damaged and just the process of going into foster care and everything, feeling like I wasnt ever heard, lowered my confidence and made me feel like Ive had no worth, he said. I never felt like I had a voice and all these people were making all these decisions about my life. Not all of the teens had the same experience. Charlie Heil, an 18-year-old who is a senior at Capital High in Helena, said she had positive experience with her court-appointed special advocate and others involved in her case. I was going to all of the court (hearings), had a CASA, talked to attorneys, knew everything that was going on, she said. Child and Family Services Director Sarah Corbally asked the teens how multiple placements in group and family homes affected them. Several who spoke said theyd been moved around to different group or foster homes, sometimes with little or no notification. Crystal LaMere, a 17-year-old from Great Falls, said transitions are the biggest issue with which shes dealt. Foster kids need that stability, she said. They get attached to somebody and they leave. Ive had so many caseworkers since Ive been in the system, I cant get really close to them. Any time I get close to any of them, they just leave again. I have a really hard time trying to trust caseworkers now. The commission also heard from foster parents about kinship care and from judges on ways they address abuse and neglect cases. The commission has until the end of May to make recommendations on changes to state law, and then plans to focus on how to improve employee retention at CFS, which has seen high turnover. The agency has 178 investigator positions and at any given time about 30 are vacant, most employees stay less than two years, and last year 77 of the 178 investigators left their jobs. BEIJING Does it block traffic? Disrupt normal life? Is the guest list too long? The feast too lavish? These are among the questions Communist Party officials must ponder when planning weddings or funerals, the partys Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said this week. We recommend that clear standards be set for the scale of weddings and funerals, and other banquets, and how much money can be given or received, the commission said in an article posted on its website on Wednesday, detailing how to enforce guidelines issued late last year on the upright life for party members. BRUSSELS The leaders of the 28 European Union nations assembled again in an atmosphere of crisis on Thursday, confronting the details of a deal to keep Britain from bolting from the bloc as well as the complexities of stemming the flow of migrants to the Continent. But perhaps more so than at any time over the last very challenging decade, the leaders were facing a more straightforward question: how much to compromise on some of the most cherished principles of European integration. On the agenda as the leaders sat down to dinner and then a long night of negotiation were proposals that would acknowledge that not all their members are committed to the goal of ever closer union, long the blocs driving philosophy, and that could weaken the ideals of a level playing field for businesses, open borders and the right of European citizens to live and work anywhere among the member states. Europe has largely sidestepped those questions in recent years, even as it has confronted a financial meltdown, the viability of the euro as a common currency, stubborn economic malaise and the rise of anti-European populism on the left and right. But the combination of Britains demand for rule changes as the price of staying in the union and the practical problems of managing the flow of refugees and economic migrants from the Middle East, Africa and beyond has left the blocs leaders with little choice but to confront them now. Motoring-Malaysia.blogspot.my is an award winning Malaysian motoring / automotive / car news & reviews website or auto blog. It is where we rant and rave about cars, trucks, buses, motoring, motor vehicles and any interesting automotive industry related stuff. Unswayed in our point of view and darn proud of it! It's not about the numbers...it's about passion. Since 2006 and going strong. In my graduate class on Political Economy at the University of Oregon this term we are reading two books by Ellen Meiksins Wood: The Retreat from Class and Democracy Against Capitalism. Tomorrow, when the class meets, I will have to inform the students of Ellens death on January 14. I have been thinking about what I should tell them about Ellen and her work. It brings back a lot of memories. I met Ellen in Fall 1976 soon after arriving for graduate studies at York University in Toronto. I immediately enrolled in her course Symposium on Political Theory. I remember being struck by the fact that Ellen was surprisingly young and full of energy for such an accomplished scholar one who radiated the radical awakening then taking place. We proceeded to study political theory from the pre-Socratics to Marx, focusing on primary sources, while applying historical materialist methods of inquiry. At that time Ellen was writing, together with her husband, Neal Wood, Class Ideology and Ancient Political Theory (1978). I had studied ancient political theory before, but never like this! With the incorporation of class analysis the entire way in which thinkers like Plato and Aristotle were conventionally read was completely upended. I still remember this book as the work that affected me most in all of Ellens writings. But her knowledge did not stop with ancient political thought. She was equally capable of guiding one through the labyrinth of early modern theorists, like Hobbes and Locke, and nineteenth century political economists, like Mill and Marx. Ellens political and intellectual development was strongly influenced about this time by her encounter with the work of Robert Brenner, and his theory of the origins of capitalism. This led to the rise of what came to be known as political Marxism of which Ellen was to become a major representative. By the following year, when I took the course offered jointly by Ellen and Neal on The History and Theory of the State, she was on fire with new ideas. This was to begin the most productive part of her career. It was later that academic year that she started working on what was to be the essay that in many ways announced her arrival as a major thinker on the left, The Separation of the Economic and Political in Capitalism, published in New Left Review in 1981. The course with Ellen and Neal that year was to become legendary at York. We began by discussing political anthropology and the origins of the state, and went on to trace the historical development of the state all through Western history. The backbone of our inquiry was formed by Perry Andersons two books, Passages from Antiquity to Feudalism and Lineages of the Absolutist State, which together constituted an attempt at a kind of Marxian universal history. In the midst of all of this, however, loomed forth, as a result of Ellen and Neals overarching interest at the time, the work of Brenner, which dominated over many of our discussions and debates. The result was dizzying. We were in a constant whirlpool of discussions, focusing on such living thinkers as E.P. Thompson, Raymond Williams, Perry Anderson, Ralph Miliband, and Nicos Poulantzas, while theorizing the historical development of the capitalist state. Ellen emerged in these years as one of the most powerful and distinctive defenders and developers of classical Marxism. She synthesized in her analysis the humanist-historical Marxism of Thompson and Williams, the more historical-structuralist orientation of Anderson, and the political Marxism of Brenner. In the late 1980s and 1990s she launched a number of defenses of Marxism against, at first, the post-structuralist post-Marxism of figures like Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe (in her Deutscher Prize-winning book, The Retreat from Class [1986]), and, later, the so-called analytical Marxism of G.A. Cohen, John Roemer, and Jon Elster. The elegance of her style, combined with the power of her intellect, and her knowledge of history, made each of these truly devastating anti-critiques. In the late 1980s I moved back to the Pacific coast of the United States and lost touch with Ellen for some time. But I worked with her again during the years that she was coeditor of Monthly Review with Harry Magdoff and Paul Sweezy, from 1997-2000. Ellen and I coedited two books for Monthly Review Press: In Defense of History (1997) and Capitalism and the Information Age (with Robert W. McChesney, 1998). Among Ellens significant contributions to MR during her period as coeditor was her critique of the loose conceptions of globalization floating about the left at the time, in which it was commonly supposed that the state would simply vanish views that she effectively challenged. This was to feed into her books The Origin of Capitalism (1999) and The Empire of Capital (2003). Ellen went on to write a number of other important works, mainly on the social history of political theory from ancient times to the present. But perhaps her most valuable book of all was her volume Democracy Against Capitalism: Renewing Historical Materialism (1995). Because here one sees the central theme of all of her work the struggle of the demos against class inequality and capital. Tomorrow when I inform the students in my class of Ellens death I will stress that we should respond by devoting ourselves with even greater appreciation to the study of her work, recognizing that it is one of the most important legacies of historical materialism in our time, and a lasting resource of hope in the struggle for humanitys future. Eugene, Oregon January 18, 2016 John Bellamy Foster is editor of Monthly Review and professor of sociology at the University of Oregon. He is the author of Marxs Ecology: Materialism and Nature (2000), The Great Financial Crisis: Causes and Consequences (with Fred Magdoff, 2009), The Ecological Rift: Capitalisms War on the Earth (with Brett Clark and Richard York, 2010), The Endless Crisis: How Monopoly-Finance Capital Produces Stagnation and Upheaval from the USA to China (with Robert W. McChesney), and The Theory of Monopoly Capitalism: An Elaboration of Marxian Political Economy (New Edition, 2014), among many others. Behind the scenes at the Montana Historical Society. reflections, updates and homilies from Deacon Mike Talbot inspired by the following words from my ordination: Receive the Gospel of Christ whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe and practice what you teach... *Editor's note: This story was corrected on 2/19/16. The Standard incorrectly reported that the Upper Clark Fork River Basin Advisory Council must now decide on $16.5 million, not $39 million. The public can now comment on how to best use the $16.5 million, not $39 million. Also, the Department of Environmental Quality staff, not the Natural Resource Damage Council Program staff, as the Standard incorrectly reported, recommended $22.5 million be put aside for DEQ's future costs on operations and maintenance for lower Silver Bow Creek. Also, regardless of whether the advisory council votes for the $8.5 million, not $.5 million as the Standard incorrectly reported, from the leftover funds to be considered a loan, the state will have only $18 million to put toward the Parrot cleanup. - - - Part of the money the state wants to use to remove the Parrot tailings could have strings attached. The Upper Clark Fork River Basin advisory council, the group that will make an initial decision on part of the state funds for removing the Parrot tailings, on Wednesday discussed adding the condition that the Department of Environmental Quality force the Environmental Protection Agency to consider the cleanup as a part of remedy. If EPA agreed to call the work remedy, it would mean Atlantic Richfield Company would have to reimburse the state for at least part of the work. The amount in question is $8.5 million. It comes from the money left over from the lower Silver Bow Creek cleanup, which the state oversaw. That cleanup took 16 years and cost about $120 million. The advisory council oversees the funds the state won from a lawsuit against ARCO, settled in 1999. As part of that lawsuit, ARCO agreed to a cash-out that gave the state $86 million to clean up lower Silver Bow Creek. That money grew to more than $150 million thanks to the state investing the original sum. The Upper Clark Fork River Basin Advisory Council must now decide how to best use the $16.5 million left over from that cleanup. The public can comment on how the state should spend the $16.5 million until March 14. The advisory council will take public comment into consideration and make their final decision April 20. Gov. Steve Bullock will make the final decision. The Department of Environmental Quality staff recommends $22.5 million be put aside for DEQs future costs on lower Silver Bow Creek to perform operations and maintenance for the next 30 years. Doug Martin, restoration program chief for NRDP, said the state expects lower Silver Bow Creek to be self-sustaining within that time frame. If we did it right, and built it right, the natural process should take over (within 30 years), Martin told the council. The state estimates cleaning up the Parrot tailings will cost between $16 and $23 million. The Butte Natural Resource Damage Council put aside $10 million for the Parrot removal. That money comes from a separate lawsuit the state settled with ARCO in 2008. ARCO argues that settlement, which totaled $72.5 million, included all the funds the state needs for Parrot tailings removal efforts. Regardless of whether the advisory council votes for the $8.5 million from the leftover funds to be considered a conditional loan and Gov. Steve Bullock approves that the state will only have $18 million to put toward the Parrot cleanup. If costs run high, the state could run short. So far, EPA says the Parrot removal is not a necessary action. The federal agency supports the removal only if its considered a restoration project, which means it would be paid for entirely by the state. EPA and ARCO both agree that the five-foot-deep subdrain running horizontally between the Civic Center and the Visitors Center, is adequately capturing the 50-foot-deep groundwater contaminated by the Parrot tailings. Pat Cunneen, environmental scientist specialist for NRDP, said the sub drain was built between 2003 and 2005. It (the subdrain) wasnt designed to capture the Parrot because they (EPA) didnt know about it then, Cunneen told the advisory council. One member of the council, Mary Price, asked what would happen to the contaminated groundwater after the Parrot tailings and the other heavy metal waste in the Parrot corridor is removed. Cunneen said it would take decades before the aquifer would clean itself up once all the sources of the contamination is removed. Cunneen told the Standard that in order to fully protect the creek, an extraction well would have to be put in place to suck the contaminated ground water into a filter system. Butte already has an extraction well cleaning up contaminated groundwater with the Montana Pole Plant, a separate Superfund site located off S. Montana Street near Silver Bow Creek. That could be a solution, but we havent gone there yet, Cunneen told the Standard. But without an extraction well, even with the removal of the Parrot tailings and the other mine waste in the Parrot corridor, Silver Bow Creek could still become contaminated before the underground aquifer returns to normal, Cunneen said. The NRDP staff also recommend the state use $8 million of the leftover money to reimburse the Greenway Service District. The state used $8 million intended for the Greenway Service District for lower Silver Bow Creek cleanup costs. The Greenway Service District is working to build a trail that follows lower Silver Bow Creek and would connect Butte to an area close to Anaconda. Last week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service showed signs it is finally coming to its senses with regard to the National Bison Range. The 18,500-acre range in the heart of the Flathead Reservation, home to hundreds of healthy buffalo, has long suffered a bad case of federal foot-dragging disorder. The obvious cure is for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes to assume management. The tribes have strong cultural, historic and legal claims to both the land and the iconic species that calls it home. The Fish and Wildlife Service, however, has been unable to decide on any course of action that might open the way for the tribes to assume a stronger role in management. And it has arrived at these indecisions at an agonizingly slow pace. That is, until the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 5, when FWS Mountain-Prairie Region Director Noreen Walsh sent an email to employees that indicates support for tribal management and points a way forward. In an effort to achieve the best, long-term solution for our many conservation priorities, the specific conservation goals of the National Bison Range, and to support the principles of Indian self-determination, according to Walshs email, there was a discussion today with the CSKT about the potential for the Service to support legislation that would transfer the lands comprising the National Bison Range to be held in trust by the United States for the CSKT. Walshs message signals a significant change of direction for FWS on the Bison Range, and an opportunity Montanas congressional delegates ought to seize right away. They should begin working with FWS and tribal leaders to craft legislation that would allow the Fish and Wildlife Service to officially transfer management of the National Bison Range to the CSKT. The National Bison Range was created more than a century ago thanks to President Theodore Roosevelt, who authorized funding to establish the range in 1908. FWS has managed it ever since as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system. While the federal governments goal of conserving bison is certainly noble, its treatment of the tribes throughout this process is nothing to be proud of. The wishes of Native Americans were not taken into account, and when CSKT asserted its claims, they were repeatedly marginalized or outright ignored. For decades now, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have fought to make their case heard. They continue to fight for the right to manage an animal of distinct cultural and historic importance, on what is culturally and historically tribal land. Legally and politically, the groundwork for their case was laid 40 years ago, when the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistant Act was passed by Congress. It contains provisions that explicitly allow tribes to manage programs that affect tribal welfare. This very obviously includes the National Bison Range. Yet it wasnt until 2004 that CSKT was finally able to land an agreement to assume a portion of the management responsibilities concerning the range. And that agreement fell apart within two years amid a flurry of petty squabbles and unfounded accusations. A second agreement was reached in 2010 after negotiations resumed, but it was cancelled in court because it ran afoul of federal procedure by failing to include an environmental assessment. An environmental assessment was then completed; however, negotiations on a third agreement since then have gone nowhere. If Congress eventually does take action on this issue and it should it will only cede management of the range, while the federal government will continue to hold it. Indeed, Walshs email specifically indicated support only for legislation that would allow the range to be held in trust by the United States for the CSKT. With all due respect for political realities and the congressional process, thats backwards. It ought to be the CSKT that holds the bison range in trust for the people of the United States - including its original inhabitants. -- The Missoulian HELENA It wasnt a perfect system, but at least it was something. Since 2009, the Quality Schools Grant Program has paid for things like fixing the roof at an elementary school in Columbus, a new boiler at Fairview High School and a new technology lab in Wolf Point. Over five years, the program has distributed $35 million in state funding to 33 projects to improve public health and safety, six for deferred maintenance, four to meet accreditation standards, 40 for energy efficiency improvements, two for technology projects and eight to enhance education opportunities. About $30 million in federal recovery dollars funded dozens more energy efficiency audits and projects. But last year the state didnt have enough money to pay for any of the applications schools submitted to fix failing infrastructure or build new facilities. Thats because the grant was set up to operate using money from timber harvest on common school trust lands and rental income received from power site leases deposited into the school facility and technology account. With the timber industry trending down and the state no longer collecting rents on some riverbeds after a lost lawsuit, the account dwindled. Two other programs are projected to leave the account with a negative fund balance of $5.7 million by June 2017, projects the Legislative Fiscal Division. So whats next for Montana schools that need money to make much needed repairs and add space to accommodate growing class sizes? No one is quite sure, but many fixes have been suggested and more will materialize out of an interim legislative committee tasked with looking at the issue of school funding. There were 53 applications submitted to the grant program last cycle, requesting $30.2 million. Early on in the 2015 Legislature, Gov. Steve Bullock suggested using bonds and cash to pay for the projects, but that bill died. In the end, no money came to the program. We didnt get any funding for planning or emergency grants or for projects for the 2017 biennium, but the statute says we will take applications and the governor will recommend them to the Legislature. We are in that process now, said grant Administrator Kelly Lynch. The deadline for applications is March 1. The School Funding Interim Commission, formed by a bill last session, is required to issue a report on its findings, which can include draft legislation for amending the states school funding formula. While the committee is focused on all school funding issues, facilities have been a focus. Sen. Matt Rosendale, R-Glendive, said any solution will have to address two core concerns: identifying the best way to divvy the funding between schools and finding enough money to pay for it without encouraging poor fiscal management by districts. Other states havent found a perfect solution either, Michael Griffith, a school finance strategist who spoke to the committee, said. It is a problem that requires a good deal of money and it requires that money on a consistent basis. Griffith said Arizona threw $2 billion at their needy schools and still didnt get to where it wanted to be. Eleven states do no capital funding and leave it all up to districts, 25 do grant programs like Montana and 15 give out annual appropriations. Schools that werent entirely in love with Montanas grant program are hoping the committee comes up with new suggestions. Rep. Edie McClafferty, D-Butte, said shes heard from districts that they dont like how competitive the grant program is. We need to make sure its not competitive and schools dont feel like theyre always being left out. I heard from many people theyve put in several years and not gotten anything. Dianne Burke, executive director of the Montana Quality Education Coalition, said it would be best for the states 400-plus districts if the program is reliable in how it operates. Predictability is key, she said. The fact we didnt get any quality schools grants was just devastating for many school districts that were counting on that for some pretty high-impact projects. Patrick Audet, associate director of School Administrators of Montana seconded that. You dont know who is going to be picked, how many projects and how much funding youre going to get. Bullock plans to bring another plan to the 2017 Legislature, though specifics arent known yet. As the governor looks toward the 2017 legislative session, he will once again introduce a proposal to address the pressing infrastructure needs in the state, spokesman Tim Crowe said. Lynch, who has administered the Quality Schools Grant since 2009, defended the program, noting that legislators had wanted to retain their ability to balance assistance from border to border. When you see everybody have the opportunity to come in and argue to you public health and safety or energy efficiency, you can look and prioritize that across the state as opposed to just letting each school decide what they need to use the money for. Lynch said the Quality Schools Grant was good for smaller schools, who would suffer using a proposed formula to distribute a standard amount to schools for facilities projects based on enrollment. It provides a mechanism for providing adequate facility funding to small schools that have limited resources and really would take a very long time to save up the kind of money through a distribution system in order to pay for some of these expensive projects. Lynch produced a report that said Alzada Elementary School District, for example, would have received just $265 under Senate Bill 348, sponsored in 2013 by Stevensville Republican Fred Thomas, which initially sought to replace grants with yearly aid to all schools based on the number of students. Lynch said 45 districts would get less than $1,000 and half would get less than $10,000, amounts that could take decades to build into enough money to complete critical projects. A later version of the bill passed without the repeal provision. She also said the grant program was good because it forced schools to manage the money and use it well. When you have a grant agency overseeing that process and staying on you you see that construction get done a lot faster. There will be a request to fund the grant program in the coming Legislative session, she said. Sen. Tom Facey, a Missoula Democrat who leads the interim committee and has been a teacher in Montana schools for more than 35 years, echoed McClafferty and suggested looking at steady money for districts that they could save up over a decade to spend on new buildings or projects. He also said itd be easier to get taxpayers to support schools more if the state did the same. While the total general fund budgets of schools have swollen 88 percent between 1991 and 2016 from $570 million to $1.07 billion state support has only grown 68 percent from $407 million to $685 million. That has led district property taxes to quadruple to about $308 million, signaling a move of the burden to local taxpayers. The trend holds true even when evaluating on a per-student basis to account for enrollment changes. Weve had a huge tax shift, he said. I would argue that if state support of schools was at (1991 levels), itd be a lot easier for a lot of these towns to raise their mill levy or budgets or pass bonds to build schools and other things. Dave Lewis said those figures must be parsed carefully and that just because local leaders decide to expand some school programs, doesnt mean the state must keep pace. Its not fair to say that a states share has decreased when really the local leaders have decided to spend more local money, said the former state budget director and longtime legislator who sits on the commission. Laurels school district passed a five-year building reserve levy to help with $9 million in deferred maintenance. Two years into it, the levy has dealt with about a quarter of the problems. But Laurel is growing, and needs room for elementary and middle school students. Where are we going to get the rest of it? asked Norm Stamper, facilities director for the district. The district hopes to have a bond in 2017, but passing them in the past have been hard. Knowing the history of Laurel, its going to take quite a bit of education to get our taxpayers to understand the issues, Stamper said. Its quite an eye opener to come in from the private sector into a school district and see the struggles that districts do have with funding sources. School budgets are regulated by the state to ensure quality education for all students, which places some constraints on how certain state appropriations can be spent and how much can be saved. Finding enough money for facilities within those rules can be difficult and some districts do a better job of setting funds aside for maintenance than others. Lynch said part of the scoring system for facilities grants includes an evaluation of need and whether districts are doing enough to grow and spend savings for projects. They look at the OPI budget data to see if all available funds have been spent, Lynch said. If a school has a big chunk of money set aside, theyll ask about it, but its not an automatic penalty. Audet said the issue is that theres not enough general fund money to make facility spending a priority over cash needed for day-to-day operations. You have so much money and you have to take care of several entities, he said. "Not all the time is facilities going to be that priority. If it is, youve got the question of where do you rob from to pay the other. Facey asked if the state should track how districts spend their allotment from the state before giving out money. The commission also has discussed raising the cap on reserve funds. And while declining natural resources revenues have hurt the states pocketbook, lawmakers are also worried about aging citizens eyeing their own tight budgets. Nobody likes to say it, but were still a resource state, said Lewis said. We sell raw materials, oil, coal, beef, timber. The demand isnt there so prices are down. Were just going to be losing money the next few years. Lewis said the solution isnt to add onto property taxes, saying that lower-income workers and an aging population wont support that. Property tax just doesnt make sense anymore, he said. We just dont have the population interested in paying higher property taxes. The day of the bond issue is over. You cant, in my mind, do it with property taxes, not looking at the age of people in the state and the lower incomes of senior citizens. He advocated for a local government answer and supports a sales tax as a way to replace money from bonds. He said the state paying for more is just an incentive to build more. The decision should be made locally whether they need a facility and how to pay for it, he said. They need more tools to talk about how to pay for it. Rep. Jeff Essmann, R-Billings, agreed that shifting demographics changes the mentality of local voters and could present problems for school leaders, particularly in rural districts with declining enrollments that reduces their state assistance. Its a lot easier to check that yes box on a mill levy ballot if youre working and you feel good about your future. Once you turn that retirement door, suddenly you got so many eggs in the basket. How am I going to make them last long enough? he said. I think thats a profound implication for policy makers that we havent adequately factored into everything. Essmann pitched prioritizing coal trust fund dollars to pay for projects even if that means cutting funding for other programs. A lot of it has been nickeled and dimed into a bunch of little stuff and thats where its been going for 35, 40 years. Maybe its time to say this stuff is really priority stuff. Regardless of how its funded, Lewis said $360 million in infrastructure needs identified by a 2008 state survey could not be paid for in a single legislative session. Thinking the state could pay for that is just not realistic, Lewis said. The committee's next meeting is April 4-5, and their final gathering is May 4-6, and it has until Sept. 15 to write any draft bills to pitch the 2017 Legislature, which will also consider which applications submitted to the grant program will be funded if a bill passes to pay for the program. Griffith said theres no right answer, but schools need one thing reliability. If you don't have a predictable source of funding any way you distribute funds is going to fail. BLOG Wednesday 17th February 2016, Coastal Kenya. Didn't have anything to report on yesterday... Am still in Coastal Kenya. I could have gone to Church for over night prayers (Keisha) last night, but I wouldn't have been able to get back from Church at 3 or 4 am in the morning. This afternoon I plan to go to Church though, for the mid-week evening service. I am looking forward to that. I love to play my music in Church! This morning it looks a lot like rain, the clouds are very thick, but the rainy season is expected now, and the farmers are praying for the end of the dry season here in East Africa. I am having cash flow problems, the medical treatment I have had to get here is not cheap, but hopefully my pension will come through soon. I came to Africa on this occasion very under-resourced, but I am still very glad that I did take the opportunity to return to Kenya. It has been a wonderful trip, and I think that the cold weather in Scotland this winter would probably already have caused my death this year, should I have remained there. God is GOOD all the time!!!! LATER The weather has brightened up, and the sun was bright this afternoon. Jay the tuk tuk driver collected me at half past four, to take me to KHBC in Mtwapa for the mid week service, where I played harmonica with the praise and worship group. It was a wonderful service, the music was good and Pastor Nicolas preached a fine sermon. Jay came back to collect me at about 7:15 pm. On the way back to Shanzu, we got caught in a traffic jam in Mtwapa where I got mugged, but fought off the attacker who snatched just a $20 dollar cross from my neck, It was an unpleasant experience, which happened just by where I would have been waiting for a matato (shared mini-bus), had I not used a tuk tuk (a three wheeled taxi), as if I had been, no doubt the gang of thieves would have also snatched my bag with my bible, harmonica kit and expensive harmonica microphone. Together, me and the driver saw off the attacker. I thank the Lord that I was not on foot! So no real harm was done. Sadly, this sort of nasty thieving happens all over the world.... Evil walks this earth.... Got back to the house safe, and enjoyed a delicious plate of pilau with tomato salad for supper. I am so lucky to be here. Photo: #1 Kings Highway Baptist Church, Mtwapa. #2 Photo of me, 17th February 2017, before my little cross got stolen. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy The City Council of the City of Muscatine, Iowa, will meet on March 3, 2016, at the City Council Chambers, Muscatine, Iowa, at 7:00 o'clock p.m., for the purpose of instituting proceedings and taking action on a proposal to enter into a loan agreement (the "Loan Agreement") and to borrow money thereunder in a principal amount not to exceed $1,400,000 for the purpose of paying the cost, to that extent, of undertaking the Municipal Art Center HVAC Improvements Project in the Consolidated Muscatine Urban Renewal Area. At any time before the date fixed for taking action to enter into the Loan Agreement, a petition may be filed with the City Clerk of the City asking that the question of entering into the Loan Agreement be submitted to the registered voters of the City, pursuant to the provisions of Section 384.26 of the Code of Iowa. If no such petition is filed, at the aforementioned time and place, oral or written objections may be filed or made to the proposal to enter into the Loan Agreement. After receiving objections, the City may determine to enter into the Loan Agreement, in which case, the decision will be final unless appealed to the District Court within fifteen (15) days thereafter. MUSCATINE, Iowa Wesley United Methodist Church has some new artwork to display. Susan Ursin, of Muscatine, was at Bettendorf Christian Church when she saw paintings of Jesus in front of the Quad Cities skyline, and, after receiving permission from the church, commissioned the same painter to do similar work for Wesley UMC. The series of three paintings depicts Jesus standing on the shore of what appears to be the Sea of Galilee on the left, and gradually transitions to the Muscatine skyline and River toward to the right. We feel like it is a really beautiful example of Muscatines connection with the lord Jesus, Ursin explained. Paula Giltner, a freelance artist from Joplin, Missouri, and winner of the 2010 Best of Show award from the Thomas Hart Benton art competition, painted the pieces. Ursin said she and Butch Olsen took photos of Muscatine for Giltner to work from that included views from across the river, pictures of birds, and especially the bridge, because they wanted to make sure that landmark would be included. Paula is an extremely gifted artist, wonderful to work with, Ursin said, we are honored; we feel it is very special. Giltner has been artist-in-residence at Ozark Christian College for 15 years, and began painting as her career in 1978. According to her artist statement, she has always felt "art is a way to appreciate and describe the beauty of God's creation." Although she creates her own art on a regular basis, Giltner said that commissioned art is often a challenge for her, and increases her levels of discipline in creating art that is requested, rather than the art she imagines. Ursin said she hopes the paintings will always provide a connection for the members of the church. I think in the future anyone that looks at the paintings will understand the feeling, she said. WAPELLO, Iowa Wapello school officials received a primer on sales tax revenue, bonding and other financial information during a special school board meeting Tuesday as the district moves forward with planning on a variety of capital improvement projects. Matt Gillaspie, senior vice president for Piper Jaffray & Company, of Des Moines, reviewed a packet of information with the board, starting with an explanation on the potential impact a re-allocation of sales tax revenue could have on the school district. Under a plan proposed earlier this year by Gov. Terry Branstad, the school infrastructure sales tax, which will expire in 2029, would be extended 20 years. While the first $10 million in new annual revenue would go to schools, the remaining funds would be diverted to water quality programs. According to a table presented by Gillaspie, he estimated if the current law was extended as is, under a variable pattern of sales growth over the next 20 years, the Wapello School District would receive around $31.87 million in funding. If the law was extended based on Branstads proposal, the schools funding would drop to $28.08 million, Gillaspie estimated. He also reported three other plans, including one developed by State Rep. Tom Sands, R-Columbus Junction, had also been proposed, but he did not provide any details on the effects those plans could have on the district. Gillaspie then shifted to an explanation on the schools ability to issue bonds for the proposed projects. He first pointed out the school had sold $1.5 million in sales tax revenue bonds in 2011 and those would affect the amount of additional bonding the school could make. However, with current estimates and assumptions, between $3.9 million and $4.34 million would be available for the capital improvement projects. Additional sales tax revenue and Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) funds would still be able to fund ongoing annual needs for transportation, technology and general maintenance, Gillaspie added. He said if the district borrowed to those levels, however, the school board would need to ask voters to extend the voter-approved PPEL of $0.67 per $1,000 taxable valuation at some point before it expires in FY2023. The district could also borrow on that levy, but it would provide only around $610,000 for project costs, Gillaspie said. The board could authorize bonding using either sales tax or PPEL revenue without public approval. Another bonding option for the district would be to use general obligation bonds. Gillaspie said that option would require 60 percent approval of voters casting ballots in a bond referendum. A $2.70 debt service levy would generate $6.9 million for project costs, while a $4.05 debt service levy would bring in a maximum of $10.4 for project costs. Gillaspie said any levy over $2.70 however would require a second vote with another 60 percent approval. Superintendent Mike Peterson was pleased to hear the district appeared to be well-positioned to finance sales tax revenue bonds for the proposed projects. Weve been told to shoot around $3.5 million, so it sounds like were in the right frame of mind with that, he said. Gillaspie also said the school could move quickly with setting up a bond sale, which could be critical because according to past discussions, plans are to begin some construction this summer. He estimated funds could be available as early as April 1, although May 1 was probably more feasible. In other action, the board held a public hearing on its proposed FY17 school calendar and approved purchasing around $7,000 of interactive projectors. Some Iowa conservatives recently got after Abby Finkenauer, the freshman state representative from Dubuque, for taking a job last fall with Make It Work, a nonprofit group advocating for such issues as paid family leave and affordable child care. She recently joined fellow Democrats in advocating for closure of the wage gap between men and women in similar jobs. A group called Priorities for Iowa it says it is nonpartisan charged that Finkenauer is "blurring the line between the taxpayers she represents and the special interest group that employs her." Sorry, but we find it hard to work up any outrage over this one. In Iowa, state legislator is a part-time gig, and the annual salary of $25,000 reflects that. With the pay being what it is, lawmakers either need to hold other jobs or be retired (as so many are). Certainly, legislators should disclose and avoid acting on matters where bona fide conflicts of interest exist. But advocacy on the broad areas of importance to Finkenauer's employer are no greater a concern than the current or former occupations of her colleagues. Will Priorities for Iowa take after legislators who are also farmers and act on measures involving agriculture? Or how about legislators who are teachers and vote on such matters as education funding or school calendars? So, as long as her employment status is disclosed and she does not act in a manner to specifically enrich her employer, Finkenauer's other job is not a great concern. What is of some concern, however, is her response to this tempest. She did fail to follow the House Code of Ethics and file proper and timely notice after she joined Make It Work. She was in apparent violation of the ethics code largely a paperwork issue, since her employment change was publicly disclosed last fall but her self-characterization as a victim of a vast right-wing conspiracy is a bit over the top. It's politics. One side says and does things to try to make people on the other side look bad. It happens all the time. Finkenauer should have apologized for missing the filing deadline, reiterated her denial of a conflict of interest, and left it to Priorities for Iowa to decide whether to try to make more of this situation than is actually there. Dubuque Telegraph Herald Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes [] Tesla will soon train a number of South Africans to install the Powerwall, after which deliveries of its home battery system will begin locally. SolarEdge, which provides an inverter system made specifically for the Powerwall, will train installers at the same time. Thats the word from Rubicon, an authorised Tesla Energy distributor in South Africa. The first training session will be held in Cape Town during the last week of February, with Johannesburg-based installers receiving training in the first week of March. Four Tesla/SolarEdge solutions have been approved for sale in South Africa. All prices exclude VAT and installation: Tesla Powerwall and 5kW SolarEdge inverter (part no. RUB-TES) R116,000. Tesla Powerwall, 5kW SolarEdge inverter, and 3kW p solar panels (part no. RUB-TES3) R169,000. Tesla Powerwall, 5kW SolarEdge inverter, and 5kW p solar panels (part no. RUB-TES5) R210,000. Two Tesla Powerwalls, 5kW SolarEdge inverter, and 5kW p solar panels (part no. RUB-TES5.2) R272,000. More on the Tesla Powerwall in South Africa Tesla Powerwall in SA how much it costs and when you can buy it Tesla Motors coming to South Africa: report Tesla to launch Powerwall 2 Tesla Gigafactory for Cape Town in the works report This picture has been trending on social media this week and a lot of people cannot quite understand. A gallant KDF soldier sent his girlfriend the picture from Somalia, explaining why he cannot be with her on Valentines. Dear girlfriend, I write with tears flowing. I would have loved to be with you during Valentines but am in Somalia fighting for my country. See you on Monday when I come back. Yours sincerely, KINGS wrote Simon Kings on Instagram. Well, on first glance, it looks like a genuinely romantic message from a man to his girlfriend, made special by the fact that he is fighting for our country in unfamiliar land. This is the stuff that makes good reading, if only he was not somewhere in Nairobi playing a game of paintball. We have not established whether the girlfriend fell for this. Daily Mail This is the heartbreaking moment a starving two-year-old Nigerian boy is given water by a charity worker after being left for dead by his family because they thought he was a witch. The boy, now named Hope, was found emaciated and riddled with worms after being forced to live off scraps thrown to him by passersby for eight months. He was finally rescued after being discovered naked and wandering the streets on January 31 by Anja Ringgren Loven, a Danish woman living in Africa. Horrified by Hopes condition, Ms Loven bent down and began feeding him and giving him water from her bottle. She then wrapped the disorientated and sick toddler up in a blanket, holding him in her arms, before taking him to the nearest hospital for treatment. Ms Loven is the founder of African Childrens Aid Education and Development Foundation, which she created three years ago to help children that have been labelled as a witch and therefore neglected and even killed by the members of their community. Thousands of children are being accused of being witches and weve both seen torture of children, dead children and frightened children, she wrote on Facebook, accompanying images of her feeding the young boy and appealing for donations to help pay for his medical bills. When Hope reached the hospital he was given medication to remove the worms from his belly and daily blood transfusions to incorporate more red blood cells into his body, Ms Loven said. [showad block=1] Hopes condition is stable now. Hes taking food for himself and he responds to the medicine he gets. Today, he has had powers to sit up and smiling at us. Hes a strong little boy. Ms Loven said Hope even plays with her own son. I just dont know how to describe it in words. This is what makes life so beautiful and valuable and therefore I will let the pictures speak for themselves, she said. Two days after Ms Loven asked for the communitys help with Hopes costly medical bills, she received $1million in donations from around the world. With all the money, we can, besides giving Hope the very best treatment, now also build a doctor clinic on the new land and save many more children out of torture! she said. Ms Loven runs an childrens center where the children she saves live and received medical care, food and schooling. She and her husband, David Emmanuel Umem, began building their own orphanage in late January. Source Dailymail.co.uk Welcome! NAMI Utah is pleased to bring you a blog in which we will share stories, research, news from NAMI and more! If you have suggestions for future blog posts or if you have a story to share, e-mail franciscab@namiut.org Civil rights leaders Charles A. Black and Dr. Lonnie C. King Jr. will be at the California Veterans Home in Yountville for Marching for Human Rights: We Were There!, a Black History Month celebration at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 28, at the Napa Performing Arts Center at Lincoln Theater. The free event is hosted by residents of the Veterans Home, with support from KVET-TV and the Tug McGraw Foundation. The speakers will share their firsthand experiences working with Martin Luther King Jr. to organize student participation in the Civil Rights Movement while they were students at Morehouse College in Atlanta in the 1960s. They also will discuss the impact of their actions on race relations in America today. A question-and-answer period will follow their remarks. Both men have received numerous awards and recently were awarded the Presidents Medallion from President Barack Obama for outstanding service in the cause of civil and human rights for more than 50 years. Ellen Patterson will provide piano music for this event. A reception follows the program. A limited number of free tickets are available through the Lincoln Theater box office. Go to LincolnTheater.org or call the theater box office at 707-944-9900 for ticket or additional information. Reservations may be made for groups wishing to be seated together. Napa officials weighing the future of an affordable housing project on Coombsville Road faced a chicken-and-egg dilemma. Should the apartments await fixes to chronic traffic congestion, or does relieving the citys acute housing shortage outweigh all other problems? The City Council made its call on Tuesday night much to the displeasure of some of the projects future neighbors. After hearing more than a dozen residents concerns about speeding drivers, dangers to schoolchildren and drug use at a nearby park, council members nonetheless gave the Idaho-based developer The Pacific Companies the go-ahead for 20 rental apartments at 535 Coombsville Road the same site where an earlier, larger housing plan foundered eight years ago amid stiff community resistance. The apartments, a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom dwellings inside two buildings, will give households another option in a city where housing supplies have tightened and rents soared through the decade. But several residents of the neighborhood east of downtown predicted the price in congestion and danger to children walking to local schools would become too high. Youre going to add 20 units, probably with families and kids, and put that on a huge racetrack, which is Coombsville, which is extraordinarily dangerous? Andy Jensen told council members. If you havent driven it, you probably should before you stamp this project, because its a big problem. We sound like NIMBYs because we live there, but we have to deal with it every single day twice a day. Though council members expressed their sympathy for the homeowners, they also declared that denser housing is Napas inevitable future as the supply of open space dwindles. Its such a pressing need, and the solution to the problem will be in-fill projects, Scott Sedgley told a City Hall audience of about 40 people before voting in support with Mary Luros and Juliana Inman (Mayor Jill Techel and Peter Mott were absent). We will need to go to higher densities; well need to go to smaller setbacks. Napa will continue to grow, and that big front yard with a 20-foot setback will be a thing of the past. Napa Courtyards is the smaller successor to Fairview Heights, a three-story design that would have held 30 apartments. On its release in 2008, opponents packed City Hall to attack that project as too large for their neighborhood and a threat to safe traffic. After two rejections by the Planning Commission, Napa Valley Community Housing gave up on the proposal. In reviving the project, The Pacific Companies removed the third floor and cut the number of units by a third. Sixteen units would fill one building with four in a second building on the property, which is south of Tulocay Cemetery. A small commercial building that houses the Napa Recovery Resource Center would be razed to open up space for the apartments and 43 parking spaces, including a covered carport on the west. All of the Napa Courtyards apartments will be offered at rents affordable to families making 30 to 60 percent of the citys median income, according to Ryan Gregory, a local civil engineer working with the developer. Average rents are expected to be $600 a month for one bedroom, $900 for two bedrooms and $1,100 for three. But a development meant to open doors to future residents even downsized got a cold welcome from present-day residents near Coombsville Road, who shared stories of long waits at the nearby five-way crossing, or speeders endangering preteens heading to Silverado Middle School. Several urged holding off on any home construction until Napa can redesign the intersection, where long signal waits slow down motorists on Coombsville, Silverado Trail, Third Street and East Avenue. I dont understand why we would try to put more (vehicles) into it; its adding more to a problem that already exists, said Holly Moore, a nearby resident who held her young daughter while describing drivers rushing past her home to bypass the packed five-way intersection. Its concerning as parent; I have a small child, I have animals, and Im going to have more kids, she said. Our whole neighborhood is filled with children and theyre playing in the street, and they should be able to play in their yard and not have to worry about someone going 65 miles an hour and screeching to a halt. Even when traffic thins out, several residents added, another neighborhood problem would menace the new apartments substance abusers using Fairview Park to the south, which opponents called isolated and poorly policed. It sounds like this is going to happen no matter what, which Im not happy with, said Jensen. But if it is going to happen, we need to step it up and provide service to the neighborhood. (Police) need to put the effort into (watching) Fairview Park so the criminal element can either go away or doesnt expand into our neighborhoods, which its doing now. Even in the face of such protests, Inman replied that other projects have shown that lower-income housing can coexist with their Napa neighborhoods. Id like to invite everyone to come see an affordable project that was built a block from my house, in the middle of a single-family neighborhood, she said of Pecan Court, a 22-unit development on Clay Street. It has been a very good neighbor. Its a good-looking project, quiet, and Ive had absolutely no problems, said Inman. My children were raised on a street that has 15,000 vehicles a day that go by my house. So its possible to live in proximity to a corridor with a lot of traffic, and to live there safely. Luros called the housing development a necessity, even given the issues facing nearby families and her own. This is my neighborhood, too, Luros said amid audible grumbling from spectators. Ive been stuck on Coombsville at 3 oclock; I get it, I understand. But we have an overwhelming need for housing, and that needs to trump some of these issues. SYDNEY Authorities investigate 2 legs left in Australian trash dump Authorities are investigating how two severed human legs came to be left at an Australian city rubbish dump. New South Wales state police said in a statement on Thursday an employee of the Summerhill Waste Management Center in Newcastle noticed the legs protruding from a pile of general trash on Tuesday afternoon. It appears that the legs were surgically removed and may have ended up there by mistake, the statement said. Police removed the legs for forensic examination from the dump, which is operated by the city of Newcastle, 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of Sydney. A police spokeswoman could not say whether the legs were from the same person. The state government environment agency is investigating the incident. Police do not suspect a crime. MONTREAL Child sex allegations lead to Quebec film awards name change Quebecs film industry has removed the name of an alleged pedophile from the title of its annual awards show. Quebec Cinema announced the removal Wednesday after the French-speaking provinces culture minister asked the organization to consider yanking Claude Jutras name. A biography released this week said Jutra sexually abused young boys, while Montreal La Presse quoted a man Wednesday as saying the late filmmaker began touching him when he was six years old and that the abuse escalated over a 10-year period. Patrick Roy, head of Quebec Cinemas board, says he is deeply upset by the allegations. The film director committed suicide in 1986 after battling Alzheimers disease. The Jutra Awards have been named after him for nearly 20 years. His work included Mon oncle Antoine and Kamouraska. BAGHDAD 9 killed after Islamic State downs military helicopter Islamic State militants shot down a military helicopter west of Baghdad, killing both crew members. They say the Bell helicopter went down Wednesday near Amiriyah Fallujah, to the south of the Islamic State-held city of Fallujah. The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters. An MI-17 military helicopter crashed Tuesday, killing all nine crew members on board. Iraqi officials said that crash was caused by technical problems. The helicopter went down near the city of Kut, 160 kilometers (about 100 miles) southeast of Baghdad, far from the front lines of the war with the Islamic State group. JOHANNESBURG Lion kills wildlife park employee in South Africa A provincial conservation agency in South Africa says a lion killed an employee at a wildlife park. The Ezemvelo agency says the attack happened in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi (shoo-SHOO-weh eem-foh-LOH-zee) park in KwaZulu-Natal province on Monday. Agency spokesman Musa Mntambo said Wednesday that the 45-year-old employee was attacked after walking to a river to turn on a water pump servicing a nearby tourist lodge. Mntambo says the female lion had tuberculosis and a leg injury, preventing it from hunting wildlife. The Ezemvelo agency says park staff killed the lion. VIENNA Austrian Supreme Court rejects appeal in Nazi property case Austrias supreme court has rejected a Jewish mans appeal of a fine for defrauding the state in seeking compensation for property taken by the Nazis. Stephan Templ, now serving a one-year prison sentence, was convicted of hiding the existence of his aunt who was also eligible for compensation when seeking reparations on his mothers behalf. The judge argued that by concealing the aunt, Templs mother was awarded twice as much as she should have. The court on Wednesday rejected Templs appeal of a 500,000 euro fine nearly $560,000. Newspaper reports say his lawyer recently found documents showing that Templ did list the aunt. The lawyer did not respond to a query Tuesday asking whether he would push for a new trial. PARIS Police search far-right party headquarters in fraud probe Investigators are searching the headquarters of Frances far-right National Front as part of a fraud probe into the use of E.U. parliamentary funds a move the party denounces as a political operation by the French government. Investigators began searching party headquarters in Nanterre, outside Paris, on Wednesday, a day after going through documents of National Front co-founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, father of leader Marine Le Pen. The search is part of an investigation into potential misuse of EU funds to pay assistants of the partys 23 lawmakers. Many of the assistants have official roles within the party beyond their parliamentary duties. A party statement calling the affair pitiful said the search is a political operation ... whose goal is to hinder, survey and intimidate the patriotic opposition. Napa Countys food scene will take a new celebrity turn in June when two nationally known chefs open a destination restaurant near St. Helena. Sonoma-based Douglas Keane and Los Angeles-based Sang Yoon will open Two Birds One Stone, an Asian-themed restaurant at the newly renovated home of Freemark Abbey, formerly the site of Silverado Brewing Company, on Highway 29. We loved the thought of doing something different in an old historic building, Keane said this week. This is different. The food will be based on the Japanese style known as yakitori, which features grilled meats on skewers, particularly chicken. The chefs say the Asian theme is a natural for both men: the Korean-born Yoon has made a name in high-end Asian restaurants while Keane professes a food philosophy he learned in Japan, shibumi, or refined simplicity. Both chefs have also, however, worked extensively in restaurants featuring Californias farm-to-table style, and they say they will locate their Asian-inspired food firmly in the Northern California tradition, including a heavier reliance on vegetables than is normal in yakitori. Were looking at [yakitori] in a non-traditional way, Yoon said. Yoon is owner of Fathers Office gastropub and Lukshon, an Asian-themed fine dining restaurant, both in Los Angeles. Keane owns the Healdsburg Bar & Grill, but is most famous for Cyrus, the Michelin-starred restaurant in Healdsburg that closed in 2012 after a legal dispute with his landlord, the Les Mars Hotel. Keane said the new restaurant is not a replacement for Cyrus, which he still hopes to revive in a similarly rural location in Sonoma County. Both men have been frequent guests in the world of TV food shows, most prominently the Top Chef series on the Bravo channel, where they served as judges for the cooking competition. Their friendship was sealed when they later competed as contestants on the spin-off Top Chef Masters, that pits accomplished chefs against one another in high-pressure timed competitions. We didnt come up with the idea for the restaurant on the show, Yoon said, but you have a lot of time hanging out for a month; youre kind of trapped on the set. The high-profile chefs join a small, but growing, collection of high-end chefs Upvalley, including Meadowoods Christopher Kostow and Solages Brandon Sharp. Chefs Keane and Yoon continue the valleys wonderful momentum of attracting the highest caliber of chefs (and winemakers and artists and entrepreneurs in general) wanting to be an important part of the fabric of the Napa Valley, said Clay Gregory, president and CEO of Visit Napa Valley. We are extremely fortunate to offer both visitors and residents so many extraordinary and varied culinary offerings, all within such a tiny and special valley. The new restaurant is part of a newly renovated complex at historic Freemark Abbey, one of the original Napa County wineries. About the same time as the restaurant opens, the winery will debut a new tasting room, event space, wine library, and deli in the same stone building, opened on the site in 1906. While the restaurant is likely to cater to tourists, drawn both by the winery complex and the celebrity of the chefs, Freemark is hoping it is a draw as well to locals, the way the previous brewing company was and the chefs promise to restrain their prices to make such local clientele more practical. The locals have really been missing a restaurant in that corner, said Freemark Brand Ambassador Barry Dodds. Keane and Yoon say they plan an innovative approach to wine. While the restaurant will have a full bar and wine list, they will encourage customers to buy wine locally and bring it in, whether that be from Freemark or another vintner. The restaurant will not charge a corkage fee. They will install a tap system for wine and plan to ask winemakers from the region to create small, one-off batches of wine that will be served exclusively at the restaurant. Yoon and Keane also have backgrounds in serving local craft beers at their restaurants, and Keane said that will feature prominently in the beverage lineup. Keane said they are hoping to collaborate with local breweries to do special brews, perhaps in partnership with area winemakers. The two men say they are not put off by the fact that the new location is fairly rural and isolated, lying along a stretch of Highway 29 at Lodi Lane, with few nearby lodgings or homes. They say the growing lodging sector in Calistoga and the proximity of St. Helena guarantee a base of tourists and locals alike. I kind of like that were not in a crowded area with a bunch of well-known chefs, Yoon said. But I dont feel like its that remote. Another great way to donate to NASGA is by doing your online shopping with Goodshop! 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We want each of you to become your own leaders and masters of personal discernment, and as such, all information should be vetted, analyzed and discerned at a personal level. We also encourage you to discuss your thoughts in the comments section of this site to engage in a group discernment process. "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Aristotle 11 While all of David Bowie's predictions about copyright- like its no longer existing- may not have been one hundred percent accurate, he was correct about the panic the copyright industry would experience, causing them to enact policy which is now hurting, rather than incentivizing, the creative economy.Guest Post by Mike Godwin and Zach Graves on Techdirt Amid the steady stream of hot takes" the past few weeks on the legacy of the late great David Bowie, The Washington Post's Robert Gebelhoff dug up some of the rock legend's contrarian views on copyright, if only to rebuke them thoroughly Gebelhoff's piece cited a 2002 interview Bowie gave to The New York Times in which he prophesied: I'm fully confident that copyright...will no longer exist in 10 years, and authorship and intellectual property is in for such a bashingIt's terribly exciting."Exciting though it may have been, Bowie's prediction obviously has not come to pass, for which Gebelhoff says we should be thankful. In his piece, he notes that strong copyright laws play an essential role in our creative economy and have done so for centuries." He cites as evidence a recent Stanford University/NBER study on how differing laws in Italian city-states led to more operas being produced where copyright was protected.Bowie has long been an innovator and music visionary , experimenting with early ways to use the Internet to cybercast" concerts and connect with fans. But it's important that Bowie wasn't necessarily seeking the death of copyright (after all, he used it to make a living). Instead, he was paying heed to what digital media already had done to revolutionize copyright-centered industries.What he got right was detecting traditional copyright industry's anxiety the same anxiety that has led them to push successfully for copyright terms to be extended by nearly 580 percent over the last 200 years. Mickey Mouse famously has enjoyed several retroactive copyright term extensions since Walt Disney's death, though Walt has yet to take advantage of this added incentive.So why would Bowie, whose fortune and fame owed so much to the music industry, be excited about the end of copyright? The answer is straightforward: as a working, successful musician and producer, he knew as well as anyone that unlimited copyright protection could hinder creation, as well as remunerate it. If you're a fan of Bowie's Young Americans," you know that part of its power as a song derives directly from its unembarrassed quotation of the Beatles song A Day in the Life."While copyright didn't disappear in the decade since Bowie's interview, Bowie was in many ways right about the impending shakeup of the industry. More and more consumers, particularly millennials, are listening to their music on demand through a streaming subscription, rather than purchasing copies a la carte. Remix has become a central technique for new creativity. And heavy-handed copyright can get in its way . Look, for instance, at what future presidential candidate Kanye West did with Ray Charles' I Got a Woman." Bowie's vision that music itself is going to become like running water or electricity" turned out to be pretty accurate.This trend has led to sharply declining revenues from physical sales (except for vinyl, which is doing fine , thanks to hipsters) and a steadily increasing share for streaming. Digital downloads are still popular and continue to represent a major revenue source for now. As physical formats have fallen out of favor, as Bowie perhaps foresaw, the industry experienced a period of sharp disruption.The result has been not just depressed global revenues, but also a whole apparatus of production, distribution and retail falling away. As a 2015 study by Midia observed, the narrative of music industry decline is a label phenomenon." Which echoes what Bowie saw coming in 2002: I don't even know why I would want to be on a label in a few years, because I don't think it's going to work by labels and by distribution systems in the same way."Of course, the role of our copyright system is not to protect established industries from disruption. Policymakers shouldn't protect the record store from Apple or the bookstore from Amazon. Our nation's founders gave Congress a mandate to use copyright to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts." That is, to provide the carrot to spur artistic creation. If we take copyright incentives" too far, they can undermine artistic freedom by imposing limits on other forms of creative expression and uses of tangible property.Even the opera study Gebelhoff cites in his piece acknowledges this, as its authors write that there is no clear evidence" that copyright extension beyond the author's life span creates meaningful incentives. In fact, they suggest it has little effect beyond the first five years." In an article about the study, New York University law professor Christopher Jon Sprigman notes that: [this] conclusion is particularly important because our contemporary debate is usually not whether to have copyright at all, but rather whether to extend already very long copyright terms."Bowie was wrong that copyright would end, but he was right that copyright as we know it is under threat. Its foundation, built for an analog age, increasingly struggles to function in the digital one. And its market, warped by decades of heavy-handed government intervention and industry carve-outs, doesn't know how to operate freely anymore.That's why substantial reforms will be inevitable. As Congress slowly moves in that direction, it should be mindful of this lesson: stronger copyright laws don't automatically incentivize more creative freedom. In fact, they often come at its expense. Turkey FM slams OSCE decision to send needs assessment mission to Armenia EUSR Toivo Klaars exclusive interview with NEWS.am on EU Monitoring mission,Nagorno Karabakh future and violence videos President meets with newly formed Artsakh Public Council members Armenia PM: We need understanding in price horizon, at least in medium term PM: Armenia trade with other EEU countries increased by 74% France region to provide 300,000 to Armenias Syunik Province affected by Azerbaijan military aggression Eurasian Intergovernmental Council extended meeting underway in Yerevan MOD: Armenia did not fire at Azerbaijan positions, vehicle MPs in Strasbourg, present threatening dangers: Armenia has powerful support in European Parliament Years first snow falls in Armenias Shirak Province World oil prices on the rise Newspaper: Russia dismisses Armenia PM's news on Karabakh Russia PM in Yerevan, to discuss with EEU colleagues single oil, natural gas markets formation Newspaper: Why is Iran in hurry to open consulate in Armenias Syunik Province? France, Spain, Portugal agree to build Barcelona-Marseille natural gas pipeline Admiral: U.S. should now prepare for Chinese 'invasion' of Taiwan Harutyunyan: I cannot imagine Artsakh's future without presence of Russia Harutyunyan: Without questioning path of our independence, we must meet with Baku Prime Minister of Finland does not think that Hungary and Turkey will block country's application for NATO membership Iranian FM: U.S. made hasty statements in connection with protests Former Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim involved in car accident in Karabakh Arayik Harutyunyan: Artsakh people's right to self-determination is non-negotiable Iranian MFA calls it important to form platform with Armenia and India on North-South corridor Details of EU monitoring mission in Armenia are known Foreign Ministry: It seems Ankara is more interested in opening corridor through Armenia than Azerbaijan Mirzoyan: Unexpected third countries support Azerbaijani interpretation of road to Nakhchivan Foreign Ministry: Armenia, Iran and Bulgaria initial agreement on creation of Persian Gulf-Black Sea corridor Israeli Defense Minister to visit Ankara Armenian Foreign Minister names main obstacle to solving problems with Azerbaijan Erdogan once again raises issue of so-called 'Zangezur corridor' Armenian and Iranian FMs to open Iranian Consulate General in Syunik province tomorrow Abdollahian: Aliyev assured that he does not want border changes, Iran will prevent implementation of such idea Iranian Foreign Minister in Yerevan supports '3+3' platform Iranian Foreign Minister recalls Tehran's 'red lines' in regional issues Mirzoyan: We highly appreciate Iran's principled position regarding territorial integrity of Armenia UK imposes sanctions against Iran for alleged delivery of drones to Russia Yerevan hosts meeting of Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in narrow composition Armenian and Iranian Foreign Ministers meet in Yerevan in extended format Charles Michel: EU energy deal possible, but difficult Erdogan says Baku should demand 'compensation' from Yerevan Pashinyan: EEU mechanisms are of great help, trade turnover between Armenia and Belarus has doubled Yair Lapid: Russia-Iran relations are serious problem for Ukraine, Europe, and whole world Amir-Abdollahian: Iran is against presence of foreigners in this region, both in Azerbaijan and Armenia Pashinyan at EAEU meeting: Fundamental principles of world economic system in question Iranian Foreign Minister's official visit to Yerevan begins Macron says Germany should not isolate itself in Europe EU begins deployment of mission on Armenia-Azerbaijan border Trump's son made fun of Zelenskyy's ability to ask West for money EU to provide emergency aid for Armenia residents affected by recent Azerbaijan military aggression Azerbaijan army units fire at Armenia positions Mikhail Mishustin arrives in Yerevan EU approves new sanctions against Iran over alleged drone deliveries to Russia Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting begins in Yerevan Baku calls OSCE mission to assess situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border 'private visit' On fourth day of IRGC military exercises on border with Azerbaijan, artillery destroys planned targets Liz Truss quits as UK Prime Minister Turkey parliament to consider extending Turkish militarys mandate in Azerbaijan Dollar falls, euro rises in Armenia Russias Putin ratifies agreement on simplification of payments for goods transit within EEU territory Stoltenberg: Almost all NATO countries have agreed to Sweden and Finland joining the alliance Ombudswoman of Armenia: Azerbaijan prevents removal of remains of fallen soldiers Zakharova: Matter of holding CSTO Collective Security Council meeting being worked out Ombudswoman of Armenia: I received video materials from EU special representative about Azerbaijanis Armenia Security Council chief, UK army general discuss cooperation in security Armenia and Kazakhstan discuss bilateral military cooperation Iran says U.S. and Israel won't be able to split the republic 201 bodies are identified of Armenia soldiers who died as result of September military aggression by Azerbaijan Iran FM to arrive in Armenia today Turkey, Azerbaijan presidents officially open international airport in occupied Artsakh territory Armenia President visits several leading Bulgaria IT companies Ruben Vardanyan: I will assume Artsakh State Minister position at beginning of November Armenia PM on making EU observation mission permanent: I'm not sure about that US State Dept.: Our ultimate goal is peaceful resolution between Armenia and Azerbaijan Armenia, Qatar to collaborate in tourism sector Turkey president travels to Azerbaijan Bandits in Russia cut off Armenian man's hands, shoot him in legs President of Armenia, mayor of Bulgarias Plovdiv discuss avenues for deepening of cooperation Armenia has new customs attache at Upper Lars checkpoint on Russia-Georgia border Karabakh official: Baku goes for gradual escalation, provocation of situation Armenia to get 33mn grant from EU for police, migration service, business development in Syunik Province Lacote: OSCE observation mission deployment will contribute to respect of Armenia territorial integrity World oil prices going up Russia extends flight restrictions at 11 airports Newspaper: Karabakh delegation to head for Moscow, meeting with Putin considered probable Newspaper: Azerbaijan aggression on September 13 paralyzes Armenia public administration for some time Azerbaijan army opens fire towards Armenia positions at midnight Retired US Air Force general is offered consulting job in Azerbaijan at rate of $5,000 a day White House is puzzling over how to avoid meeting between Putin and Biden at G-20 summit Eduard Aghajanyan: Once again I remind that Armenia was deprived of opportunity to protect rights of people of Artsakh U.S. says that limiting Russian oil prices is not aimed at OPEC OSCE sends mission to Armenia to assess situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border Jeff Bezos warns that U.S. economy may face recession Kiev says nearly 40% of Ukraine's energy infrastructure has been damaged Raisi: Iran will use all its capabilities and potential to end war in Ukraine Qatar gets first pandas in Middle East Armenian president delivers lecture at St. Kliment Ohridski University in Sofia More than half of Britons think Liz Truss should resign Bloomberg: Putin and Erdogan's cordial relationship arouses Western anger Dutch government invests up to 3.5 billion in military procurement Erdogan discusses latest developments in Ukraine with Zelenskyy The Armenian National Committee of America Western Region (ANCA-WR) announced that it successfully defeated House Concurrent Resolution 37, which attempted to praise Azerbaijans interfaith tolerance and positive multiculturalism. The ANCA-WR led an advocacy initiative and mobilized Idahos local Armenian American community to defeat the measure in less than 48 hours, reported Ancawr.org. The quick defeat of Idahos resolution in praise of Azerbaijan is a testament to the strength of American democracy and yet another example. Thank You Idaho HCR037 Graphic that our well-organized grassroots efforts will have a stronger resounding effect than that of a foreign paid lobby, said Elen Asatryan, Executive Director of the ANCA-WR. We are proud that the State of Idaho has joined the states of Hawaii, Colorado, California and others to reject the dictatorial regime of Azerbaijan, which is known for its oppression of citizens, press and its persecution of Christian communities. A dictatorship that has destroyed more Christian monuments than ISIS and is the worlds fifth most censored country should not be praised for anything, let alone interfaith tolerance. HCR 37, sponsored by Representative Thomas Dayley, was introduced by the Idaho House State Affairs Committee on February 11. Once alerted to the resolution, ANCA-WR immediately alerted the local Armenian American community, submitted testimony to all House members in opposition to the resolution and called upon all members to encourage the withdrawal of this resolution. Leave it to four Emory Scholars to integrate the liberal arts mission of the Emory College of Arts and Sciences into a challenge to solve some of the globes toughest problems. A four-member team sophomores Safiyah Bharwani, Rachel Citrin and Victoria Umutoni and senior Rifat Mursalin travels to Shanghai next month to face off against 350 other student teams worldwide for the Hult Prize. The annual competition awards $1 million in start-up funds to the best idea for a profitable business that does social good. Their challenge: create a business that doubles the income of 10 million people living in crowded urban spaces worldwide. Their advantage in the battle for $1 million in start-up funding: Emorys emphasis on service and inquiry, and combining those traits. One of our values is to be servant leaders at Emory, says Umutoni, a Woodruff Scholar from Rwanda majoring in human health and anthropology. We are challenged to think critically about things, to be open about learning new cultures and new ideas. But its more than just coming up with a good idea, adds Citrin, a Martin Luther King Scholar from Atlanta majoring in political science and Middle Eastern and South Asian studies. The Scholars program has stressed the importance of giving back to the Emory, local and global community, Citrin says. Emory has provided me with the tools and education to more clearly articulate what I want to do. Committed to social action For the foursome, their common backstory involves efforts to have an impact on the broader world. Bharwanis interest in social action came from her parents, Indian immigrants who encouraged her to give back on trips to their homeland and her own volunteer trip to Mombasa, Kenya, to work with special needs students. A Woodruff Scholar from Sugarland, Texas, majoring in economics and math/political science, Bharwani talked to members of Emorys Hult Prize team from last year and began having discussions with Umutoni about general ideas to launch this years effort. True to their intellectual backgrounds, the pair researched global slums and past successful start-ups. They found the enterprises most likely to make a difference focused on the developing world nations in South Asia and Latin America whose existing infrastructure and political stability could be leveraged. They found Citrin and Mursalin after posting for like-minded students in the Emory Scholars newsletter. Citrin, like Bharwani, always envisioned being an entrepreneur whose business included social good in the bottom line. She spent a gap year studying Arabic in Oman on a U.S. State Department scholarship. She knew firsthand the importance of understanding local culture to get buy-in for any project. Mursalin, a Martin Luther King Scholar majoring in economics and French, was different. He grew up in Dhaka, Bangladesh. After his family moved to Atlanta when he was 13, he imagined a future in banking and consulting, not one focused on the crowded world he had left. I know problems that exist there, and I know the potential is there for high impact, Mursalin says. There are a lot of conversations here at Emory about changing the world. I was drawn to the idea that we could develop a plan for the people in these places to do that. Helping local communities The team leaves March 5 to compete in the Hult Prize regional competition in Shanghai, which begins March 11. Regional rounds will also be held that day in Boston, San Francisco, London and Dubai. Approximately 50-60 teams per region will then move on to the next phase in the competition. The Emory students' plan is deceptively simple. They propose building a business incubator space itself a luxury in crowded slums. But instead of focusing on any one problem, such as trash or hygiene, the incubator will accept applications from locals with plans to solve whatever specific issue they deem important to that community. Those ideas could be simple businesses or the start of larger operations. The goal is to build the connections, both in and out of the slums, which can lead to action. While early investment will come from non-governmental organizations or businesses, the incubator would take a percentage of each project to jumpstart the next idea. The idea mimics previously successful concepts, such as the microfinance wave of tiny loans to the poor (usually for business or other investment). But it also somewhat replicates the experience of the Scholars. Coming to campus by way of Kigali and Dhaka, Texas and Georgia, their paths brought them to a place where they could discuss their experiences and ideas and, just as importantly for them, do something with them. Its not enough to talk about how you want to go out and make a difference in the world, Bharwani says. Emory is the environment where you talk about the action and then take the action. Actually achieving the goal is very important to me. Fast Facts Name: MaKendra Umstead School: Laney Graduate School Graduate program: Cancer Biology, a sub-program in the Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences Year in program: 5 Undergraduate degree: BS from North Carolina Central University In 2006, MaKendra Umstead's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her mother's journey through the treatment process had a profound effect on Umstead's academic trajectory. Inquisitive by nature, Umstead was inspired to research cancer after her mother's experience from the initial diagnosis to approaching 10-years cancer-free generated more questions than answers. Today, Umstead is a fifth year graduate student in Cancer Biology, a sub-program of the Laney Graduate School's Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences. Her research is focused on processes that might lead to better cancer treatments. We caught up with Umstead to learn more about her background, her research and her plans for life beyond Emory. Tell us a bit about your background and what led you to pursue the PhD. My first exposure to research was in high school when I spent a few weeks during the summer in a food science lab at North Carolina State University. I found each day to be exciting as I worked with research scientists and received hands-on training while conducting a small project focused on improving nutritional content in food products. Soon after, I attended North Carolina Central University, a historically black university located in Durham, North Carolina, where I majored in pharmaceutical sciences and minored in chemistry. I also engaged in off-campus research experiences at Yale University School of Medicine and at Merck Research Laboratories in the fields of neuroscience and cancer drug development, respectively. As I neared my later years in college energized by a nurturing academic environment, fruitful research experiences and a desire to learn more about human biology I set my sights on earning an advanced degree in the field that motivated me: cancer. How did your search lead you to Emory? I learned about the Cancer Biology program at the 2010 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students graduate school fair in Charlotte, North Carolina. Representatives from the Laney Graduate School's Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences were manning the table, offering information and answering questions about Emory. The program was just starting and was recruiting its first class of students. I chose Emory for a variety of reasons. It was not an easy decision, but when I weighed all options, Emory best suited my interests. First, Emory had the most intriguing research opportunities. There were several individuals who I thought, from their research descriptions and actually meeting them during recruitment, would be great potential research mentors. Second was the program curriculum. I wanted to focus on Cancer Biology and Emory's program was rare. Although it was new, the academic focus on cancer, opportunities to learn about the translation/clinical aspects of cancer research and the proximity to the hospitals of Emory Healthcare were definitely a sell. Third was location. I knew Atlanta would be a wonderful city where I could also experience rich personal and cultural development. What is the focus of your research and how did you arrive at this topic? The reason I decided to come to graduate school and to pursue a career in cancer research was to improve the lives of cancer patients in the future by developing new therapies for the disease. While this may seem like a lofty and long-term goal, it sticks with me each day. I joined the laboratory of pharmacology professor Haian Fu to conduct my dissertation research. Overall, my work focuses on discovering how genetic alterations found in glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive and deadly form of brain cancer, are involved in driving tumor growth. When the genetic makeup of cancer cells is altered, so are the protein-protein interactions that drive cellular processes such as growth and proliferation. Unlike breast cancer, therapeutic options for glioblastoma remain very limited; therefore, understanding how the disease develops and identifying new opportunities for cancer therapy is essential. What do you hope to do after your time at Emory? While at the Laney Graduate School, I have learned about so many ways to use my graduate training in the future, so it is hard to decide! Hopefully, my future career will encompass my passion for cancer research, teaching and entrepreneurship, with a goal of improving the lives of others Emory's annual Social Justice Week, set for Feb. 22-28, features a new event combining photography and words to share the stories of the students, faculty and staff who make up the University community. Dear World Live from Emory includes a photo shoot on Thursday, Feb. 25, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Coke Commons of the Dobbs University Center (DUC), followed by a reception at 7 p.m. in Winship Ballroom. The event is sponsored by the Residence Hall Association (RHA). Members of the campus community, including students, faculty, and staff, are encouraged to stop by the Coca-Cola Commons to get their photo taken and to write a word or phrase that is salient to them and their lived experiences, according to Courtnay Oddman, RHA co-adviser. Community members are also encouraged to nominate a student, faculty member or staff member to attend the VIP Photo Shoot the evening of Feb. 24. Self-nominations are welcome. Up to 50 of the nominated individuals will be selected by the Residence Hall Association Executive Board to attend the VIP event the evening before the keynote reception to share their stories and have their photos taken. We are looking for community members who have impactful lived experiences and stories, says Ambra Yarbrough, assistant director for New Student and Transition Programs. This is open for all students, faculty and staff, adds Kyle Adams, RHA president. For example, we recently had a Dobbs Market staff person nominated for the photo project. Out of all the stories shared and photos taken, several people will be chosen to come on stage to share their stories during this keynote presentation. The main keynote is Jonah Evans, the Dear World executive producer, who will talk about the importance of engaging in dialogue. By the end of the night you will realize that through our stories, theres actually much more that brings us together than what keeps us apart, says Adams. Director of Residence Life Scott Rausch notes that Dear World" is intended to "harness the power of both visual and written stories, allowing the campus community to come together to celebrate their commonalities and differences." Social Justice Week events Sponsored by the 60th College Council, Social Justice Week includes events around the theme Inquire to Action. On Tuesday, Feb. 23, State of Race features National Public Radio special correspondent Michele Norris. Her talk, set for 6 p.m. in the Cox Hall Ballroom, is the big event of the week, notes Alyssa Weinstein, president of the College Council. On Wednesday, Feb. 24, Arts Expression Night will be from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Media, Literature, and Arts Outreach (MLAO) theme house, 14 Eagle Row. This event is in partnership with the student organization, The Pulse. It will allow students to express what they believe social justice is via mediums of performance and visual art, such as spoken word, dancing, singing, essay writing, poems, drawings, and paintings, according to Semmie Lee, vice president of programming for the College Council. Sign up to perform or showcase art. Snacks will be served at the event. On Friday, Feb. 26, an education discussion, Students on the Frontline: The Struggle Against Modern Educational Segregation in the South sponsored by Freedom University will be at noon in Eagles Landing in the DUC. Lee says this discussion will include the fight for undocumented students to attend college. Friday evening at 7 p.m., City Year is sponsoring the film All the Difference to be screened in 205 White Hall. All the Difference is described as a feature-length documentary film that explores critical issues and offers insights and solutions related to African American manhood. The Emory community is encouraged to participate in the DeKalb Solicitor-General's Love Run 5K to Benefit the Women's Resource Center to End Domestic Violence on Saturday, Feb. 27, at 8:30 a.m. Experience shuttles will be available to take participants to the start on Decatur Square. Emorys Sexual Assault Peer Advocates are sponsors On Sunday, Feb. 28, the College Council will sponsor visits to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Experience shuttles will depart from Woodruff Circle. Lee says the College Council chose Inquire to Action as the theme to help continue the conversation on social and racial justice with the hope that participants will take more action on these issues throughout the remainder of the semester. Crowdfunding has democratised investing and made it more efficient. But the landscape has evolved significantly. Once dominated by pla... 14:11 Kavita Krishnan, Secretary of the All India Progressive Women's Association and an activist confirms that a solidarity march will be held in New Delhi from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar over the JNU issue. Reproduced here is what she posted on Facebook a few hours ago. "There are many rumours floating about suggesting that today's March has been cancelled, police denied permission etc. None of them is true. The JNU Solidarity March is very much happening, Mandi House to Jantar Mantar at 2 pm onwards. BUT some IMPORTANT CONCERNS that I appeal ALL to keep in mind: 1) We must give no pretext or excuse whatsoever to any right-wing goons to attack us, so let's keep the gathering at Mandi House silent and orderly. Bring scarves to tie around mouths if you can - to signify the gagging of free speech and of Constitutional liberties by the use of the sedition law. Bring flowers - lots of flowers. 2) Slogans on the placards - let us stick to those slogans widely accepted and shared by the broad, wide solidarity that has been forged. This March is not the place to insist on raising slogans on which there may be differences. Sure, we need to create and defend spaces to discuss contentious areas of our differences too - including on subjects the State deems 'seditious' - BUT this March is not the time or place for that. Let our placards highlight our demands re JNU, re Rohith Vemula, and assert the spirit of Dr Ambedkar and the Constitution. 3) We will not clash with police: we will cooperate in every possible way to make sure the gathering is peaceful. That is, we will not seek to break barricades or enter into arguments/scuffles with cops. If stopped by police anywhere, we will sit right then and there peacefully. We appeal to media to cover us - wherever we may be sitting. 4) As I said right at the beginning, we will not enter into slogan wars with any right-wing group - rather let our silence resound, in contrast with any noise or provocation on their part. Our numbers will be large today - BUT we will not use the confidence of large numbers to get into scuffles or clashes with ANY right-wing group - we will REFUSE to enter into any such confrontation. Lastly - every single participant in the March is encouraged to help make sure these norms are followed by their friends, companions, fellow marchers. A lot is at stake - including the freedom and safety of Com Kanhaiyya and each other JNU student who is being hunted by the police. We will NOT allow the March to be portrayed by anyone as 'a clash between two groups' etc." Stanford scientist weighs the risk of groundwater contamination from oil and gas wells Faulty, shallow wells can leak oil and natural gas into underground drinking-water supplies, Stanford Professor Rob Jackson finds. Rob Jackson Field technician Alissa White, who worked with Rob Jackson at Duke University, collects drinking water near an oil and gas field in Parker County, Texas. A Stanford study shows how groundwater can be contaminated by shallow, poorly designed oil and gas wells. Does living near an oil or natural gas well affect your drinking water? "The answer to the question is usually 'no,' but there are exceptions," according to Rob Jackson, a professor of Earth system science at Stanford University. An expert on the health impacts of fossil-fuel extraction, Jackson has studied groundwater quality at oil and gas fields throughout the United States. "We have found a number of homes near active wells with very high levels of natural gas in the tap water," said Jackson, a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and at the Precourt Institute for Energy. "Where the chemistry suggests contamination, the problem usually lies with the integrity of the well, either the cementing used to isolate it from the surrounding rock and water or the steel casing that allows gas and oil to flow upwards." Jackson recently presented his findings at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington, D.C. Most documented cases of groundwater contamination were the result of poorly constructed wells, he said, pointing to a widely publicized case in Parker County, Texas. "At that site, the company cemented very near the surface and deep underground, but they put no cement for 4,000 feet in between," he explained. "The gap allowed gases to move up and down freely like a chimney and contaminate the drinking-water supply. Here we are five years later and we're still talking about it. That situation should have been fixed. These people have been left unprotected." It is in the industry's best interest to address the contamination problem in Parker County, he added. Threats from fracking Besides structural issues, Jackson and his colleagues have identified problems associated with hydraulic fracturing, or fracking: pumping pressurized sand, water and chemicals underground to crack open rocks and release trapped reservoirs of oil and gas. Fracking wells are often installed a mile or more below the surface, far from underground sources of drinking water. But in a recent study, Jackson found that at least 2,600 wells in the United States have been fracked at depths shallower than 3,000 feet, some just hundreds of feet below the surface. "We found a surprising number of places where companies are fracking directly into shallow freshwater aquifers," he said. "In no other industry would you be allowed to inject chemicals into a source of drinking-quality water. Should it be allowed? In my opinion, no." Jackson cited a high-profile case in Pavillion, Wyo., where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that shallow fracking operations had released natural gas and other toxic compounds into freshwater aquifers. "At Pavillion, they were fracking less than 1,000 feet deep, while people were getting drinking water at 750 feet," Jackson said. "Contamination is more likely to occur when there isn't enough separation between the hydraulic fracturing activity and the drinking-water sources." Shallow wells in California In California, Jackson has identified hundreds of fracking wells drilled into aquifers located less than 2,000 feet below the surface. In the U.S., hydraulic fracturing is typically regulated by individual states. "Some states, like Texas and Pennsylvania, generally have pretty strong environmental regulations," Jackson said. "Others, like West Virginia and Arkansas, don't. Only Texas and Colorado have restrictions or additional safeguards in place for shallow hydraulic fracturing." The 2010 documentary Gasland sparked controversy with footage of a kitchen tap catching fire at a home located near a natural gas well. "That doesn't happen often, but we have seen it," Jackson said. "We've also documented peoples' water change from clean to contaminated over the course of a year." Natural gas consists primarily of methane, a greenhouse gas that's more than 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period. Concerns about global warming and the potential impacts of natural gas on drinking water have led several European countries to take a much more cautious approach to hydraulic fracturing, Jackson said. "In Germany, France, and many other countries, officials are under pressure to invest in solar, wind and other renewables instead of a technology that produces greenhouse gases," he said. Other speakers at the AAAS symposium included Nathan Wiser of the EPA, which collected data on 23,000 hydraulically fractured wells in 30 states in 2010. The results found more than 1,000 relatively shallow wells had no protective covering or just one casing and cement sheath. About two-thirds of all wells surveyed had uncemented portions, he added. Media Contact Mark Shwartz, Precourt Institute for Energy: (650) 723-9296, mshwartz@stanford.edu Rob Jackson, Earth System Science: (650) 497-5841, rob.jackson@stanford.edu Bjorn Carey, Stanford News Service: (650) 725-1944, bccarey@stanford.edu Researchers: Testosterone treatment effective for older men As men age, their sexual function, vitality and strength can decline, but researchers had not yet established whether testosterone treatment is actually beneficial. Now, a team that included UF Health researchers has established testosterones benefits in a study published yesterday (February 17) in the New England Journal of Medicine. The paper examines the first three of seven trials in a long-term study called The Testosterone Trials, or the TTrials. In this first study, researchers analyzed the results of the first three trials, which examined sexual function, physical function and vitality, including mood and depressive symptoms, walking speed and walking distance. The researchers found that the treatment increased the blood testosterone level from moderately low to mid-normal in men ages 19-40 and improved all aspects of sexual function, including sexual activity, sexual desire and the ability to get an erection. The study reinforced the results we expected to see, except for walking speed, said Marco Pahor, M.D., the director of the UF Institute on Aging and a co-author of the paper. In 2003, the Institute of Medicine reported there was not enough evidence to support a beneficial effect of testosterone in men who have low levels of the hormone. This report was the impetus for the TTrials, which are now the largest trials to examine the use of testosterone treatment in men 65 and older whose low testosterone levels can be attributed to age alone. The results of the TTrials show for the first time that testosterone treatment of older men who have unequivocally low testosterone levels does have some benefit, said Peter J. Snyder, M.D., the principal investigator of the TTrials and a professor in the division of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at the University of Pennsylvanias Perelman School of Medicine. However, decisions about testosterone treatment for these men will also depend on the results of four other trials -- Cognitive Function, Bone, Cardiovascular and Anemia -- and the risks of testosterone treatment. Researchers screened 51,085 men and found 790 who had a sufficiently low testosterone level to be part of the study. The subjects were randomized into two groups: one that applied a daily testosterone gel and the other a daily placebo gel, for one year. The researchers evaluated participants at three, six, nine and 12 months, assessing their sexual function with questionnaires; physical function with questionnaires and the distance walked in six minutes; and vitality, mood and depressive symptoms using questionnaires. Across the three trials, adverse events including heart attack, stroke, other cardiovascular events and prostate conditions were similar in men who received testosterone and those who received a placebo. However, the number of men in the TTrials was too small to draw conclusions about the risk of testosterone treatment. A larger and longer-term trial will be needed to have more definitive results regarding safety, Pahor said. However, this trial did not confirm earlier, smaller trials that raised serious concerns regarding cardiovascular safety. The TTrials were conducted at UF and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania as well as 11 other sites, including Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Brigham and Womens Hospital, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Puget Sound Health Care System, University of California at San Diego School of Medicine, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and Yale School of Medicine. The TTrials were supported by grant U01 AG030644 from the National Institute on Aging and the National Institutes of Health. The TTrials were also supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke; and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. AbbVie, formerly Solvay and Abbott Laboratories, also provided funding, AndroGel and placebo gel. Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, who has criticised the BJP leadership in recent times, says he is with the central government on the JNU row. At the same time, Sinha also said in an interview that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not have visited Lahore on December 25 to greet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif. Sinha, who has been critical of the working style of Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, however told IANS that he supported the government's action vis-a-vis the JNU issue. "On this, I am with the government. Anti-India activities can't be tolerated and stringent action must be taken against the culprits. Be it JNU or any other university or any part of the country, it should not be allowed to be a hub for anti-national activities," he added. Sinha, a former finance and external affairs minister, came down heavily on the Congress for politicising the row. "Whatever happened at the JNU campus was totally wrong," he said, referring to the February 9 meeting on Kashmir where anti-India slogans were raised. "The government took the right action. And when it acted tough, the Congress started its politics." Sinha also accused the Congress of creating hurdles for the Modi government. "Be it FTII or Hyderabad or JNU... After its (Congress') debacle in the Lok Sabha polls, there are some elements in the country which want this government not to work freely. "Whenever they get an opportunity, they create hurdles for the Modi government." Sinha flayed the Congress for demanding proof from Home Minister Rajnath Singh that the JNU incident had the support of Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed. "Who are they to demand proof? Should he (Rajnath) show proof at India Gate or Vijay Chowk?" Sinha said, adding the country must believe what the home minister says. Sinha, however, made his opposition known to Modi's dramatic visit to Lahore on his way back to India from Afghanistan. "I don't agree with the way Modi suddenly visited Pakistan in his effort to have good relations with them. We have seen the results of such efforts during (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee's time." At Lahore, Modi and Sharif pledged to pursue the peace process. The meeting was followed by an attack on an IAF base in Pathankot in Punjab by Pakistani terrorists. "He (Modi) doesn't need to again reinvent the wheel. India should deal very cautiously with Pakistan and should only try to maintain its relationship. I am of the clear view that India should not engage with Pakistan further as it will not benefit us." Sinha added: "India should not have any structured dialogue with Pakistan. Be it composite or comprehensive. We don't need any such dialogue. "I don't mean India should go for war. Neither do I mean we should close our High Commission in Pakistan. "I mean to say India should not begin any structured dialogue with Pakistan as it is not going to benefit (us)." Sinha, whose son is the Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha, said all efforts to have a dialogue with Pakistan would be in vain till it agreed to discuss cross-border terrorism. "We want to discuss the issue of terrorism but Pakistan wants Kashmir on the table. Till date, there is no agreement between the two countries. So, how will the talks proceed?" Sinha refused to compare Modi with Vajpayee, saying he has no experience of working with Modi. "I am not a part of the Modi government. So how can I compare the working style of the two leaders?" Sinha refused to take questions on Amit Shah. "Will not comment anything on Amit Shah... I will not even hear your question... If you take his name, I will...," Sinha responded, when asked about the BJP president. (Brajendra Nath Singh can be contacted at brajendra.n@ians.in ) --Indo-Asian News Service bns/mr/pm/ky ( 652 Words) 2016-02-18-11:01:34 (IANS) Prime Minister K.P. Oli will be visiting India during a period when relations between the two countries are at "their worst for a long time", said a Nepal daily. An editorial "Delhi-bound" in The Kathmandu Post appeared on Thursday, a day ahead of Oli's six-day India visit. It said that Oli's visit is "at a time when the Nepal-India relations are widely acknowledged to be at their worst for a long time. As such, both Kathmandu and New Delhi have a major responsibility to repair relations". The daily said that for Oli, "the first task of course will be to convince the Indian leadership that the constitution promulgated last year will take into account the desires and demands of as great a section of the Nepali population as possible". It added that this means providing assurances that "the government is serious about taking the Madhesis into confidence and bringing stability and peace to the Terai, a region that has been restive for quite a few months now". The major parties have already amended the constitution to allow for constituency delineation with a greater emphasis on population and proportional representation. These were positive steps. It will now be necessary for the government to form a mechanism to decide on the re-delineation of federal boundaries within three months. "Taking Delhi into confidence without compromising on national interests is a skill Nepali leaders will have to learn." The daily said that there are many other steps that need to be taken to restore normalcy in relations. "Since Indian Prime Minister (Narendra) Modis first visit to Nepal, scepticism has grown in the Indian diplomatic establishment regarding Nepals will and ability to take the relationship forward." It went on to say that the Nepali state has been exceedingly slow in utilising the support pledged by the Indian government. "For example, Modi had announced that India would grant $1 billion line of credit to Nepal. The Nepali government has made no effort at all to utilise these funds. Nor has it made any effort to receive, let alone utilise, the large sum that India had pledged for post-earthquake reconstruction." The daily noted that besides normalising relations on the political front, "Olis priority should be to forward economic diplomacy". "He should have a plan of action to implement the agreements that Nepal has signed with India in the recent past. For this, it will be necessary to consult extensively with the bureaucracy and think long and hard about Nepals needs and capacities in the immediate future. "Such work may not be as publicly attractive as signing new agreements that promise the moon. But preparing for implementation is more difficult and will be of much more benefit than trying to reorient Nepal-India relations. There have been too many wasted opportunities in Nepal-India relations over the past decades." The editorial pointed out that Delhi has a lot to do to repair the recent damage in Nepal-India ties. "But Nepali politicians will do well to take a long and hard look at the way they have approached the extremely complex and important ties. To a great extent, the stagnation in bilateral relations has been the fault of Nepali leaders who are adept at making grand pronouncements and grandstanding, but very weak in understanding the nuances of policy and implementation. "If Oli is able to change this sad state of affairs, even to a small degree, his visit to India will be a success." --Indo-Asian News Service rd/pr/ ( 591 Words) 2016-02-18-12:27:33 (IANS) Seven personnel were killed when unidentified assailants opened fire at a security checkpost in Karapa area late Wednesday, Dawn online reported. After killing the seven personnel, the militants managed to flee, officials said. In another attack, militants opened fire at two police personnel in Machni area who were on duty at a solar tubewell. Mohmand is one of Pakistans seven tribal agencies near the Afghan border where the military has been battling Al Qaeda and Taliban-linked militants for over a decade. --Indp-Asian News Service ksk/vt ( 112 Words) 2016-02-18-13:35:43 (IANS) Veteran Pakistani politician Syeda Abida Hussain has urged Islamabad not to get into a bear hug with India as long as Prime Minister Narendra Moodi is in power. "Modi is distinctly anti-Muslim and more particularly anti-Pakistan. He is not going to let any progress made on Pakistan-India relations," Abida Hussain told The Nation newspaper. She urged the government to improve relations with other neighbouring countries, particularly Iran, rather than wasting time "on futile efforts to get close to India", the daily said. The politician disagreed with the perception that Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would like to record their names in history by resolving their outstanding disputes. "Despite his good gestures, Modi is not going to encourage progress on the bilateral talks. So long as he is in power there would be no improvement in relations," she said. "As things stand today, Indians are not going to concede an inch on Kashmir and we are also not going to concede much because of our water interests in Kashmir and our commitment with Kashmiris. This being the case, how can we expect much from India?" she asked. Abida Hussain said there was little chance of any breakthrough on the resumption of composite dialogue between New Delhi and Islamabad. "Frankly, I dont think we will get anywhere with the talks." She added: "It is a reality that establishments on both sides of the border are not much enthusiastic to normalise the relations." Abida Hussain served as Pakistan's ambassador to the US from 1991 to 1993. "If we take a very cool view of the current situation, we should adopt the policy of 'live and let live' with India," she said. "We should not be unduly enthusiastic in our desire to improve relations. We should not get into a bear hug with India which does not in any way promote Pakistan interests." Nonetheless, Pakistan should ensure that hostility between India and Pakistan does not increase, she added. Abida Hussain also opposed open trade with India which she believed was not beneficial for Pakistan. We should have limited trade with India to protect our industry and agriculture." Abida Hussain has at various times held the portfolios of education, science and technology, agriculture and environment. In April 1999, she resigned as minister following allegations of power theft. --Indo-Asian News Service mr/rd ( 401 Words) 2016-02-18-15:06:04 (IANS) "This is the first bilateral visit by a Nepal prime minister since that of then prime minister Baburam Bhattarai in 2011," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said at a media briefing here on Thursday. In 2014, then prime minister Sushil Koirala visited India for the swearing-in ceremony of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Oli will be accompanied by a high-level delegation that will include the finance and home ministers, deputy foreign affairs minister, chief advisor to the prime minister, chief executive of the National Reconstruction Authority and 13 MPs from various political parties. On Saturday, the day after his arrival, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will call on Oli after which the visiting dignitary will meet Prime Minister Modi. This will be followed by delegation-level talks and signing of agreements. Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will then call on the Nepalese prime minister. Oli will also call on Vice President Hamid Ansari and President Pranab Mukherjee later in the day. On Sunday, he will leave for Dehradun where he will visit the Tehri hydel power project. After returning to New Delhi the same day, the Nepalese prime minister will meet leaders of various political parties. On Monday, Minister of State for Power Piyush Goel will call on Oli after which the visiting dignitary will address the Indian Council for World Affairs. In the evening, Oli will attend a business meeting. On Tuesday, he will leave for Bhuj in Gujarat to take stock of the earthquake reconstruction work there. Later in the day, he will leave for Mumbai where he will meet Maharashtra Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao. Oli will depart from India on Wednesday. --Indo-Asian News Service ab/pgh/dg ( 327 Words) 2016-02-18-19:10:15 (IANS) India on Thursday termed the US supply of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan as "unfortunate" and said it disagreed with the rationale that the fighter jets will be used to fight terrorism. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup, however, said that ties with the US were not "single-issue relationship". Answering questions from media persons here, Swarup said Indias concerns on the issue were frankly conveyed by Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar to the US Ambassador Richard Verma. "Obviously, this decision of the US is very unfortunate and it will certainly convey a negative sentiment and I do not see that you know make this a single point agenda with the US. "We have said that we are concerned and we do not agree with their rationale. They are saying that the F-16s will be used to fight terrorism.. We do not agree with this rationale," he said. The Pentagon had said on Tuesday that the supply of additional F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan had taken into account the regional security situation. It had also said that the US looked at its relationships with Pakistan and India as separate and the capability will help Islamabad in its counter-terrorism effort. India had last week summoned the US ambassador to lodge its strong protest against the move by the Obama administration to sell eight F-16 Block-52 aircraft worth $699 million to Pakistan in the face of US lawmakers' opposition to the deal over Islamabad's alleged support for terrorist groups. --Indo-Asian News Service am-ps/vd ( 263 Words) 2016-02-18-21:29:35 (IANS) The concluding session by USIBC Chairman's Mission to India that had kicked off at the inaugural Make in India Week in Mumbai, focused discussions on growing the US-India trade relationship exponentially. The delegation, which included USIBC Chairman John Chambers, Executive Chairman Cisco, and USIBC's immediate past Chairman Ajay Banga, President and CEO of MasterCard, held meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Manohar Parrikar, Piyush Goyal amongst others. USIBC Chairman and Cisco's Executive Chairman John Chambers said, "Both countries have a huge opportunity to scale bilateral trade exponentially in the coming years. Over the last 40 years USIBC has built a strong foundation in engaging US business in India and we are excited to take the US-India business relationship to the next level. I also want to recognize the great work done by Ajay Banga as the outgoing chairman of USIBC." USIBC's immediate past Chairman and President and CEO of MasterCard, Ajay Banga said, "US-India relations and India's business climate are both getting stronger and better. The opportunity for USIBC to act as a catalyst for greater investment in India's future has therefore never been greater." "We have a lot to look forward to as our new Chairman, John Chambers, instills deeper commitment from both sides to growing the bilateral commercial relationship, which is such a critical part of the relationship between these two great nations," added Ajay Banga. "The reforms undertaken by India in the last two years under Prime Minister Modi's leadership are resonating very well with the US companies. In a recent USIBC survey, about 20 percent of our member companies confirmed that have already invested over USD 15 billion in India ever since Prime Minister Modi assumed office. Within this and the next year, we expect more than $27 billion to be invested additionally by at least 52 US companies in India," added USIBC President Dr. Mukesh Aghi. "We commend India's rise in the ease of doing business index. USIBC members are buoyed by the direction of reforms undertaken by Prime Minister's Modi's government in the last two years that include fast-tracking approvals, the transparent auction of key natural resources, and creating a level playing field for investors, which has led to growth in investments," Dr. Aghi further added. Also Mukesh Aghi said that USIBC has reorganized its policy groups to address the priorities outlined by Prime Minister Modi, with a strong focus on growing manufacturing ties. During discussions, they emphasized on next steps to boost investor confidence through a robust IP policy, providing greater clarity on certain FDI regulations, as well as implementing the GST. (ANI) Ninja is the real hero of the war era in Japan and now tourists can meet Ninja characters. "I am the 8th generation of Kotaro Fuma - representative character of Ninja story. I served to cordial reception for tourist around Odawara castle," said Kotaro Huuma, a Ninja character. At Odawara castle in Kanagawa, the Ninja attracts and entertain the tourists. He even takes visitors pictures and explains them about historic remains. There is a facility for tourists to dress up like Ninja and take pictures. Foreign tourists are more attracted towards Ninja character. "Costume is fantastic. We feel very happy. Ninja movie is popular in Myanmar," said a tourist from Myanmar. Ninja plays an ambassador to introduce Japanese tradition to foreigners. The visitors also practice 'Shuriken', a weapon used by Ninja warrior. Tourists from Australia enjoyed using Shuriken. "It 's cool very fantastic," said a tourist from Australia. Tourists can also enjoy live fishing at Misaki fishing port in 'Kanagawa' , south of Tokyo. During winter, Japanese sea provides many other seasonal fish including barracuda, yellowtail and others. Before sending to market, these fishes are divided separately depending on its breed and size. They are later taken for auction at the whole sale market. "Top winter season for Seabass will end soon. But still we can get Spanish mackerel, Barracuda and Mackerel. Also we can get all season's splendid fish Alfonsino," said a wholesaler of Misaki fishing port. Splendid alfonsino is uploaded through the year at Misaki fishing port. Especially from winter to spring is the peak season of that fish. It is oily and tasty. Tourist can visit this fishing port freely to see fish uploading. Misaki restaurant is located near the fishing market. It is convenient to enjoy fresh fish meal there. "Tuna is very tasty more than what you get in Tokyo. It is very soft," said a housewife from Tokyo. Fresh sashimi and grilled head of Yellow tail is very popular item. Misaki fishing port provides tasty breakfast of fish and best view of Mt Fuji. On every Sunday morning, market is held in the park. It is prosperous with fresh fish, popular Tuna and local vegetable. Japanese express gratitude to rich sea and good environment. (ANI) Kanhaiya, who is in two day police custody, gave a written plea to Delhi Police, saying he firmly believes in the Indian Constitution. "It is my dream to whole heartedly contribute in implementing the preamble in totality. I believe in the unity and integrity of India and I don't support any unconstitutional move," he added. Kanhaiya in his appeal further pointed out that an unfortunate incident took place on February 9 at Jawaharlal Nehru University, adding that he condemns it. "After watching video footages received from various sources, I come to know that some JNU students, along with outsiders, were raising anti-national slogans which I don't support," he added. "I appeal to you that the peace in the country, society and the universities must not be hindered," he added. (ANI) Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena met the German Chancellor Angela Merkel today at the German Federal Chancellery in Berlin. German Chancellor welcomed the Sri Lankan President at a special ceremony according to a Guard of Honour. Subsequently,The Himalayan Times reported that Merkel and Sirisena started bilateral discussions on trade and economic cooperation. The Sri Lankan President, who is on a three-day official visit to one of the economically powerful state in the European Union, is expected to hold extensive discussions with German officials on stimulating the economic cooperation between the two countries.(ANI) Dunne will meet Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to further boost the UK and India's defence and security partnership following Prime Minister Modi's visit to London last year. Dunne said, "Last November, our Prime Ministers set out their vision for a more strategic defence and international security partnership. The UK and India face many similar strategic challenges, so, we need to work even more closely together. In order to take our defence relationship to the next level, we are establishing capability partnerships to structure our cooperation on strategic capabilities across 'principal aspects of military effectiveness. I am here to progress this initiative together with the Indian Defence Minister and to hear from different parts of the Indian defence community." Dunne will also participate in a round table discussion organised by the United Service Institution, which will discuss the strategic defence partnership between the UK and India. (ANI) Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi on Wednesday downplayed criticism that the cops failed to protect JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar at the Patiala House Court complex, adding that extra precaution would be taken next time. "You can't call that the situation at the Patiala House Court complex went out of hand. The accused was produced before the court notwithstanding a lot of crowd at the gate. We waded through the crowd; there was jostling and despite jostling this has been done. Now, we will use some other tactics when he is produced before the court next time he will be," said Bassi. "My information is that there was a lot of jostling when he was brought to the court. However, considering the situation there, we were expecting this short of jostling and that is why he was not brought by one or two persons, which we normally do when we escort any under-trial or any person, who is in the police custody. He was escorted by the requisite number of police officers and he was taken care of. In the process, our police officers were also subjected to a lot of jostling when they were entering," he said. "The entry to that the complex is through congested gates, where a large number of people were present. And particularly, because there were no restrictions whatsoever for entry to the complex, particularly for the lawyers and employees of the lawyers, one had no option but wade through the crowd. While wading through the crowd, there was a lot of jostling. My officers have informed me that notwithstanding the very excited crowd, they were able to wade through the crowd and the jostling was there," said the Police Commissioner. "In the process, I am being told that Kanhaiya lost one of his slippers," he added. When asked that Kanhaiya was apparently slapped, Bassi said: "He was held very close by the police officers, who had put their arms around his body with the intention of protecting him from any assault. You would have also seen some of our police officers were covering him from behind and in front, and also one officer had also put his hand in front of his head so that if anything was thrown, it didn't cause any injury to him," explained Bassi. "Out tactic was not to use force because use of force at a court complex can always prove to be counter-productive," he added. Meanwhile, Metropolitan Magistrate Loveleen remanded Kanhaiya, who was arrested on the sedition charges, to police in judicial custody till March 2. (ANI) The Supreme Court appointed five-member panel and Delhi High Court's Registrar General will file their report tomorrow on today's incidents in the Patiala House House. They would submit their report by 12 pm tomorrow following which the apex court woulld take up this matter. Extremely upset with the latest developments in the Patiala House, the apex court said the present bail hearing of JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar should be adjourned under the present circumstances and formed a panel of five senior lawyers to find out the present situation in the Patiala House Court. Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan told the media that the apex court called the lawyer of the Delhi Police when informed about the latest developments in the Patiala House Court complex. "The Delhi Police lawyer Mr. (Ajit) Sinha said that he was unable to get any instructions from the Delhi Police as to what had happened, on which the court has directed a team of five court commissioners, who are senior lawyers of this court, to immediately go to Patiala House Court under security escort of the Supreme Court and find out what has happened there, find out the situation in the Patiala House and then report back to the court after which the court will issue further directions," said Bhushan. "Meanwhile, the court has said that under these circumstances, the present bail hearing of Kanhaiya Kumar should be adjourned because it would not be possible for the hearing to proceed in this kind of atmosphere or in this kind of situation. Now, the court will give further directions only after receiving the report of these five court commissioners, who have been sent to Patiala House," he added. The JNU students' union president was earlier roughed up allegedly by a group of lawyers in the Patiala House Court. The incident took place when Kanhaiya was being produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Loveleen under heavy security cover. High drama was witnessed at the Patiala House Court earlier in the day where two groups of lawyers were seen raising slogans inside the court premises and beating up each other including journalists. (ANI) Members of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) staged a protest against the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre at the Raisina Road here on Wednesday for targeting innocent students. The protestors alleged that the government was deliberately trying the malign the image of the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). "If some students have raised anti-national slogans, action should be taken against them. But arresting innocent students and leaving the guilty scot-free should not be the government's way of doing politics. We are protesting against that," one of the protesting NSUI members told ANI. "Above all the RSS, which has taken upon itself the responsibility of issuing certificates of patriotism, has not unfurled the Tricolour for the past 52 years, and are preaching us about it. We will teach them patriotism," she added. Another NUSI member told ANI that strict action against should be taken against the people raising anti-national slogans, while the innocent students should not be targeted by the government. "The BJP Government, which had accompanied terrorists to Kandahar, and now taking about anti-national slogans, they will have to pay for their blunder," he added. However, the Delhi cops dislodged the protesting students in buses to clear the Raisina Road. Meanwhile, JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who today was produced before the Patiala House Court here under heavy security cover, has been sent to judicial custody till March 2. Kanhaiya was arrested last week on sedition charges. (ANI) Geelani was arrested on the charges of sedition in connection with an event held at the Press Club of India (PCI) on February 10, where allegedly 'anti-India' slogans were raised. Earlier, the police produced Geelani before Metropolitan Magistrate Harvinder Singh and sought two-day police custody. Geelani's arrest comes amid a raging controversy over the arrest of Jawaharlal Nehru University's students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar on the sedition charges. After a case was registered, the police questioned DU professor Ali Javed, a Press Club member, who had booked the hall for the event. (ANI) France has offered Rs. 19 crore for the solar energy project,road infrastructure, improvement of bus stands/stops, and traffic junctions. Mysore City Corporation (MCC) Mayor B.L. Bhyrappa, who,alongwith Commissioner C.G.Betsurmath, received the Swachh city award in New Delhi recently, will be leaving for France nextweek on its invitation. A Singapore agency has come forward to offer financial assistanceto five Indian cities, including Mysuru, which have been selectedfor a pilot project. Vijayawada, Guntur, Jaipur, and Bhopal were theothers identified under the programme for turning them intosustainable cities. Dr. Betsurmath is visiting Singapore in March to sign a memorandum of understanding. Mr. Bhyrappa and Dr. Betsurmath announced these developmentsduring a joint press conference at the council hall of MCC. Displaying the bronze idol of Mahatma Gandhi and a Swachh Cityaward certificate given under the Swachh Bharat Mission, theynarrated how the city managed to retain the tag and the developmentsthat had taken place over its new status. Mr. Bhyrappa said funds from France will also be used to improveparks and beautify the city. "I am going to France next week to makea presentation." Under the development of sustainable cities, initiatives will belaunched in Mysuru with funding from Singapore. "The projects willfocus on sustainability factors and accordingly they would beimplemented," Dr. Betsurmath said.UNI BSP CS 1030 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0287-596021.Xml Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Rajasthan, Kailash Chaudhary, has called Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi a 'traitor' and said he should be hanged and shot for voicing his support for the students of Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The MLA from Barmer's Baytoo constituency, who was speaking at a farmers' gathering yesterday, lashed out at the Gandhi scion for siding with the 'anti-national' students. "Wherever anti-national and pro-Pakistan slogans are raised, Rahul Gandhi goes and sides with those people. If Rahul Gandhi, who is called the 'rajkumar' of Congress, goes and sides with these people, stands with them and supports them then it is treason," Chaudhary said in his constituency. "Rahul Gandhi is a traitor. Such a traitor should be punished, hanged and shot," he added. The Congress vice-president has got himself in trouble, both legally and politically, as a case has been registered against him in a district court in Allahabad for his remarks on the JNU incident. He had voiced his support for the students of JNU and had questioned the sedition charges filed by the police against the students involved in alleged anti-India sloganeering. The Congress vice-president had alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was trying to crush the opinion of the people. He said that the Congress Party would not accept it and would fight this out. "The RSS backed people are being appointed as vice-chancellors in the universities and the voices of the students are being gagged. They are suppressing the voice of the Indian students whether in Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow and in all the universities across the country. We will not accept this, we will fight against this," Gandhi told the media on the sidelines of his public rally in Sivasagar, Assam. (ANI) Roads and railway routes were blocked around Rohtak town, 75 km from Delhi, and at other places in Jhajjar, Sonipat, Hisar, Bhiwani and Jind districts. Jat leaders said that the agitation will not be withdrawn till the Khattar government comes out with substantive action on their demand for reservation for Jat community in government jobs and educational institutions. "The Khattar government did not show any sign of resolving the issue. They did not come up with any concrete proposal for the Jat community at the meeting held in Chandigarh yesterday (Wednesday)," Jat leader Satbir Punia, who attended the meeting, said. The Haryana government on Wednesday announced doubling of the quota for the EBC (Economically Backward Classes) category from 10 to 20 percent after the meeting with Jat leaders. The Jats have rejected the move. The chief minister also announced an increase in the annual income ceiling for availing quota from Rs.2.5 lakh to Rs.6 lakh so that maximum people could avail of benefits under this category. Paramilitary forces have been deployed in and around Rohtak and other affected districts. People neighbouring Punjab and adjoining Haryana are also facing problems due to cancellation or diversion of trains and blockade of roads. Twenty-five trains were cancelled in Ambala and Ferozepur on Wednesday due to the blockade. The NH-10 and NH-71 and some other highways were also blocked. --Indo-Asian News Service js/ksk/rd ( 267 Words) 2016-02-18-11:13:40 (IANS) The Congress on Thursday lashed out at the BJP over Rajasthan MLA Kailash Choudhary's unwarranted remark against party vice-president Rahul Gandhi over the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) row, saying it is clear that they are misfit and ineligible to govern a country like India. "What country are we living in? Is this the idea of India which the BJP, the ABVP, the RSS and its associates understand? It is clear that they are misfit and ineligible to govern a country like India irrespective of the mandate because they don't understand the idea of India, the crux and essence of India," Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi told ANI here. Another Congress leader Shobha Ojha echoing similar sentiments said the BJP MLA's remark throws light on the ideology of the BJP and RSS. "This mindset killed Gandhiji, this mindset killed Hyderabad University student Rohith Vemula, this mindset killed several innocent people in Gujarat, this mindset killed Akhlaq in Dadri and this mindset killed several innocent people in Muzaffarnagar," said Ojha. "The people with such mindset do not deserve to live in the society and must be sent to jail. Such people have no right to become the representative of the people. Severe action must be initiated against this MLA with immediate effect," she added. Kailash Chaudhary, the BJP MLA from Barmer's Baytoo constituency, yesterday called the Congress vice-president a 'traitor' and said he should be hanged and shot for voicing his support for the students of JNU. "Wherever anti-national and pro-Pakistan slogans are raised, Rahul Gandhi goes and sides with those people. If Rahul Gandhi, who is called the 'rajkumar' of Congress, goes and sides with these people, stands with them and supports them then it is treason," Chaudhary said while speaking at a farmers' gathering in his constituency. "Rahul Gandhi is a traitor. Such a traitor should be punished, hanged and shot," he added. The Congress vice-president has got himself in trouble, both legally and politically, as a case has been registered against him in a district court in Allahabad for his remarks on the JNU incident. He had voiced his support for the students of JNU and had questioned the sedition charges filed by the police against the students involved in alleged anti-India sloganeering. The Congress vice-president had alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was trying to crush the opinion of the people. He said that the Congress Party would not accept it and would fight this out. "The RSS backed people are being appointed as vice-chancellors in the universities and the voices of the students are being gagged. They are suppressing the voice of the Indian students whether in Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow and in all the universities across the country. We will not accept this, we will fight against this," Gandhi told the media on the sidelines of his public rally in Sivasagar, Assam. (ANI) With an aim to take the nation forward in education, training and research relating to the field of petroleum and energy, the government today said it has established Institute of Petroleum and Energy (IIPE) in Visakhapatnam. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed on February 4, 2016 between IIPE and Andhra University to start the IIPE sessions during the academic year 2016-17. The MoU is for a period of three years till the period IIPE sets up the infrastructure on its own premises, the petroleum and energy ministry said in a statement. Mutual knowledge exchange amongst the two prestigious educational institutes shall be facilitated by giving opportunity to faculty members of IIPE to attend a set of lectures /course(s) at Andhra University, it added. The University has assured of support in terms of knowledge and resources for IIPE operationalisation. The MoU is facilitated by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited. UNI ASH SB 1252 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0388-596189.Xml A large number of fishermen from 18 fishermen villages here and adjoining Villippuram and Cuddalore district of Tamilnadu today took out a procession and held a demonstration in front of the head post office here protesting against the move to set up a coast guard station, Hover craft port atVeerampatinam village. The procession which commenced at the Singaravelar statue passed through the main thoroughfares of the town and culminated infront of the head post office where they held a demonstration and dispersed. On the assurance given by Chief Minister N Rangasamy yesterday that he will hold a meeting with senior coast guard officials, Union Minister and take steps to shift the station and port to another place and till then the works would be stopped,the fishermen said that this is a ploy to cheat them in view of the assembly election to be held in the next couple of months. The government should issue orders in this regard if it want the fishermen to believe it as orders for the construction of the coast guard station and port were issued,they said.UNI PAB CS 1322 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-596241.Xml A 30-year-old resident from Malda district of West Bengal who was tried for possessing counterfeit currency notes and a pistol has been acquitted by the district court here of all the charges. Giving him the benefit of the doubts Thane Additional Sessions Judge N N Srimangale observed that the prosecution had failed to prove the case beyond doubts and hence was acquitting the alleged accused Sanaul alias Bablu Sabak Shaikh of all the charges. The prosecutor in his submission told the court that a team of police personnel on night of April 4, 2015 while on patrolling duty in Koprigaon near the Saibaba temple, apprehended the alleged accused who was moving in a suspicious manner in the middle of the night. A search on his person revealed that he had a revolver on him and counterfeit currencies in his possession. The accused was tried under section 489, of the IPC and also section 3,35 of the Arms Act and also 37(1), 135 of the BP Act. In his submission, the prosecutor also informed the court that as per the provisions of the section 292 and 293 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973, there was no need to examine the officer issuing the certificates. These two sections deal, with the subject 292, Evidence of Officers of the Mint and 293, Reports of certain government scientific experts. Talking to UNI the prosecutor said that the state would challenge the order in the High Court.UNI XR RB SM SB PR1231 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-596127.Xml Indian Navy Ships Saryu and Bitra along with Union of Myanmar Ships Aung Zeya and FAC 563 participated in the 4th IMCOR, an official statement said today. Cmde Girish Garg, Naval Component Commander from the Tri-Service HQs in Port Blair was embarked onboard INS Saryu. Both the sides have been conducting the coordinated patrol along their maritime boundary since 2013. The fourth such exercise was carried out from February 13 to 16, 2016 along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in the Andaman Sea. At the end of patrol, Cmde Atul Anand from Indian Navy and Cmde Aung Zaw Hlaing from Myanmar Navy signed the protocol in presence of Gautam Mukhopadhaya, Ambassador of India to Myanmar. Myanmar is the third country with which India has entered into a formal agreement for maritime coordinated patrols reflecting the growing naval interaction between the sides. India had such formal arrangements with Indonesia and Thailand. "The signing of the SOP is a significant achievement and will facilitate smooth conduct of coordinated patrols between two friendly neighbours that share a long maritime boundary in the strategically significant Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal," the statement said. UNI MK AE 1410 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0090-596313.Xml Conservation work of Narnala Fort of early medieval period has been stalled following allegations and counter allegations between Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Forest Department.The documents and the communications between both of the departments since January 2016 indicated that both of the departments are at loggerheads citing various rules and regulations. The ASI Nagpur division of Maharashtra objected to the construction of roads in the Melghat Tiger Reserve by the forest department near the Fort, a national monument conserved by the ASI. Superintending archaeologist Nandini Shahu of the ASI, Nagpur Division, requested the Forest department to stop the construction work which is prohibited around 300 metre area of any conserved site as per the rules. Through her letter, she also tried to bring it to notice to the concerned authorities that no prior permission was taken from the ASI for the construction of the road within the prohibited area.Responding to the letter, the Forest Department blamed the ASI for violating rules and regulations under Wildlife Act. Ms Shahu alleged that the Range Forest Officer (RFO) Sunil Wakode even stalled the conservation work of the Fort taken up by the ASI recently. The person looking after the conservation work was also detained illegally by the RFO of Akot.MORE UNI PK JW RP1418 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0364-596314.Xml Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today led a party delegation to President Pranab Mukherjee in the wake of incidents of assaults on students and journalists at Patiala House court complex. Talking to reporters after meeting the President, Mr Gandhi accused the Narendra Modi-led NDA government of attempting to impose dead and flawed ideology of RSS on the students of the country. Terming the recent JNU episode and assaults on students and journalists by lawyers on the court premises a 'blot', which he claimed was sullying the image of the country, the party vice-president said, ''The government's job is not to destroy the countrys educational institutions and crush expressions of the students''. Asserting that the nationalism was in his blood, the Nehru-Gandhi scion said if somebody has said against the nation, they should be punished according to the law. UNI RG/MK SB 1348 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0377-596260.Xml It will launch a sixth daily frequency from Mumbai to Dubai. With the introduction of this new flight, Jet Airways will offerthe maximum number of daily flights between the two cities. It will also launch a third daily frequency between Delhiand Dubai, starting March 27, 2016 offering guests a greater choicewhen traveling between Indias national capital and the Emirate. A total of 11 daily flights between India and Dubai will beoperated. This includes flights from Kochi and Mangalore. With its strategic location, Dubai has become a hub for manyglobal businesses and a go-to destination for Indian professionals,an official release said.UNI JS NV AE AS1449 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-596381.Xml Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) supremo Mayawati today termed the Dalit Conclave of Congress in Lucknow which party vice-president Rahul Gandhi will attend as an effort cover up their anti-dalit stand just to woo the dalits before the 2017 Assembly polls. " Congress has always gone against the well being of the Dalits which forced Manyawar Kanshiram Jee to float BSP on April 14,1984 to get the rights of the oppressed section," she said. "The Dalit conclave of the Congress is nothing but just an effort to cover up their misdeed for the past over 67 years. But Dalits would never forgive the Congress for their unfair treatment," she added. In a statement here, Ms Mayawati has also criticised the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and linked him with Rahul Gandhi on the matter of doing politics on dalits and farmers. " Rahul Gandhi is doing the same thing like BJP Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who after taken several anti-farmers policy was now starting ' Kisan Rallies", the BSP president alleged. Congress is holding a Dalit conclave in Lucknow this evening where Rahul Gandhi and several other Dalit leaders would participate. The former CM also did not spare the Samajwadi party of UP. " The law and order situation in the state is at its lowest and now even murders are being happening near DGP office, which proves the real picture of Jungle raj in the state," she said. Meanwhile, the BSP president has criticised the BJP government of Rajasthan for allowing male officials to take the physical tests of women aspirants for the Vanpal post in the forest department." The act of the BJP government in Rajasthan shows their ' Hindu' culture as how can a male check the body of women," she questioned. Ms Mayawati also condemned the statement of a BJP MP from Maharastra who had commented that farmers suicides are just a ' fashion'. " Such statements prove that BJP is very insensitive towards the farmers and the poor," she claimed.UNI MB SB AS1417 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-596248.Xml A division bench of Tripura High Court today summoned the Law and Health Secretaries over non-compliance of mandatory provisions of Cr PC amended in 2013 with regards to treatment of a rape victim. Hearing a suo motu case based on newspaper reports, Chief Justice Dipak Gupta found gross violation of the Act by the Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) authority while treating the victim.The court asked the health and law secretaries to submit affidavit by March 2 as to why the victim's family suffered in the hospital without any reason. According to reports, the 14year-girl was gangraped at Chachubazar area of Northern Agartala on January 26 evening by a group of miscreants when she was returning home with her brother. The miscreants raped her the whole night after tying her brother to a tree in the forest. Both of them managed to go back home the next morning. The duo had even attempted suicide. The family rescued them in a critical condition and shifted them to the AGMC. The girl, who was in a serious condition, was shifted to the ICU. After a week's treatment in the ICU she was discharged from the hospital but the authorities prevented the family from taking her home without paying the ICU bill. The poor family expressed its inability but allegedly, the hospital authority compelled them to make a payment of Rs 6,000 by selling their pigs. The next day the girl was released. The incident rocked the state and the AGMC authority faced serious criticism. Later, the hospital authority re-paid the entire amount to the family. The court observed that as per a 2013 amendment of Cr PC, following recommendation of the Justice Verma committee after the Nirbhaya case, both private and government hospitals will immediately provide free treatment to victims of any offence under section 326 and 376 of IPC and inform the police. In this incident, the AGMC authority held up discharge of the rape victim for a day because of her family's inability to pay the ICU bill, which amounted to a gross violation of the law. UNI BB PL SB PR1334 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0211-596193.Xml Vigilance sleuths caught a Circle Officer red-handed when he was accepting a bribe of Rs. 20,000 from a chowkidar at his residence in Saharsa district today. Acting on a complaint lodged by chowkidar Mohan Yadav, the Vigilance Bureau laid a trap and caught Anil Kumar Singh red-handed when he was accepting Rs. 20,000 from Mr. Yadav. The arrested officer, posted at Kakhara block office is being brought to Vigilance Bureau headquarters in Patna for interrogation. UNI XC DH PL SB AS1347 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0211-596250.Xml A puppet theatre group from Afghanistan performed at the 14th Ishaara Puppet festival on the outskirts of New Delhi. The Puppet festival brought together puppet theatre artists from 21 countries, including Afghanistan. The festival was organized with an aim to bring puppet theatre artists together on a common platform. Abdul Haq Haqjoo, Artist and Director of Parwana Puppet Theatre group was a hit among children through his spell-bound performance. Haq has been participating in the event for the last five years and each year his group has been receiving overwhelming response from Indian audience. Haq, who is Director of Fine Arts in Kabul University, believes that art is the best form to connect with people. "Through puppet and theatre shows, we convey the message of peace. We raise awareness on child rights and we do emphasize the importance of education. We do shows based on day-to- day life. We aim to teach the basic ethics of life through our shows especially for the children as they are the future generation," said Abdul Haq Haqjoo, Artist and Director of Parwana Puppet Theatre group. The Parwana Puppet Theatre group has also tied up with the United Nations for creating awareness on various human rights issues. "I think people liked my work here. As India and Afghanistan share close cultural ties, I do similar programmes for Afghanistan and India as well," said Abdul Haq Haqjoo. The show drew a large number of children who enjoyed the show. "We came last year for Ishaara puppet festival. I think it is a great way to connect with the kids. It was the same group in fact the same Afghanistan group which has performed last year also so we came because of that. I think it was really great fun for the kids especially. The way they goofed around, they did the comic acts in the beginning that really gets the connection with the kids so they really enjoyed that," said Kavita, Audience. It is most popular festival of puppetry in India, bringing artists and performers from all corners of the world to celebrate storytelling through puppetry arts. (ANI) The CPI(M) today held protest march at more than 20 places in Punjab against the attack here at its Punjab State Headquarter which was allegedly attacked by BJP hoodlums. Raghunath Singh, State Secretariat Member, CPI(M) said every political party and mass organisation has a democratic right to protest and express its views in a peaceful manner. But the Sangh brigade has come to its true colour of fascism and anyone who does not agree with its idealogy is termed as anti-national and is attacked violently, Mr Singh said. He added that since the formation of BJP government at the Centre, the incidents of intolerance, violence and attacks on people and organisations have increased manifold. He termed the series of attacks on writers, artists, journalists and specially Left Party activists as a very serious matter. Meanwhile, an all party-meeting was held at Baba Karam Singh Cheema Bhawan, here which condemned the attack at its state office last evening by the BJP hoodlums and demanded strong action against the culprits. The Left parties also condemned the attacks by advocates in Patiala Courts, New Delhi on the journalists, Left Party activists and JUNSU President Kanhaiya Kumar. The meeting resolved to defend the unity and integrity of the country and work for the peaceful environment in the country. It also decided to fight against the forces who are trying to the divide the people on caste and religious lines. UNI NC AE AS1533 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-596463.Xml The Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists on Thursday staged a protest against alleged anti-national slogans raised in the Jadavpur University campus. They tried to enter the campus but were forcefully stopped by the police. Human chain was also formed outside the varsity to ensure that the ABVP rally does not enter the campus. The members raised slogans of 'Vande Mataram' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rupa Ganguly tried to enter the campus. Pro-separatist movement pamphlets were being distributed during the rally at the Jadavpur University. "This movement, which means its activists, sympathizers, spectators, must be attentive to what extent this movement itself is a statist movement i.e. to what extent it takes state to be a natural fact and politics itself as an action inside this limit, to what extent the images of war and spilling blood intoxicate us, us who want to achieve sovereignty," the pamphlet read. It further states, "This is not an attempt to preach non-violence which at times can be as evil as the violence of the oppressor but to point out the historical limit which it is our task to transcend" Earlier, several students' organisations, including the All India Democratic Students Organization (AIDSO) took out a protest march in the campus to condemn the incident. "We think it would be absolutely docile to sit quiet after the attack. So, we have decided to take to the streets and decided to hold a rally to condemn the incident that took place yesterday in the campus. There are apprehensions of violence and apprehensions of students being beaten up once again in the campus," AIDSO member Shromon Guha told ANI. "The students on their part are very clear on their stance. They are determined to maintain peace within the campus and to resist against any sort of fascist mobilization within the campus premises," he added. Another protestor Jubi Saha said they are protesting against the attack in the campus by the ABVP and RSS members. She added that they would protest and try to stop the Hindu fascist power from entering the campus. Posters calling for 'azadi' for Kashmir, Manipur and Nagaland were put up at the Jadavpur University were torn by the ABVP activists, who allegedly vandalised the university complex yesterday evening. The posters had been signed by a group called 'RADICAL' and described by both the Jadavpur University Students Union and the varsity's vice-chancellor Suranjan Das as a 'fringe' group allegedly responsible for raising 'pro-Afzal' slogans at a rally on Tuesday. (ANI) The union in a release here said a meet held here deplored the government for its 'failure' to release pension sanctioned by managing committee in June 2015. It also flayed non-payment of 50 per cent dependent pension granted by the government. The meet decided to launch agitation against ''irresponsible'' attitude of the government, next month. Union President T Kunhiraman presided over the meet, attended by, among others, state President P Dinakaran, C Chandran, C Aboobacker, V M Hameed, A Karthikeyanh, Vijayan Komath, T P Gangadharan and P M Gopi.UNI PCH VV AK1630 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0300-596390.Xml Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today asked the members of the state assembly to make a joint effort to tackle the problem of malnutrition. "Malnutrition is a big problem for the state and Jharkhand ranks second in the country in the area of malnutrition," Mr Das said while intervening during the question hour over a query by Congress MLA Sukhdeo Bhagat who sought to know the number of deaths of children due to malnutrition and the steps being taken by the state government to overcome this problem. Mr Das said after coming into power, his government had started working with the NGOs and the Unicef to sort out this issue. However, he said the entire House should arrive on a consensus and suggest ways how this problem can be overcome. The Chief Minister also accepted that there were problems in the functioning of the 'anganwadi kendras' in the state. However, he said efforts are being made to develop the anganwadi kendras as 'model anganwadi centres'. He said the state government during the course of the next four years would take more concrete steps to fight malnutrition. Earlier, replying over the issue, State's Women and Child Development Minister Louis Marandi said only 1.38 per cent children in Jharkhand were found to be malnourished. She said as per the internal reports of the department and according to the data collected in coordination of the Unicef the number of malnourished children in 2015 was found to be 6,87,456 while another 41,600 were under weight. On this, Mr Bhagat pointing out to the National Family Health Survey conducted by the Union Government said, the percentage of malnourished children in the state was 56.6. JMM MLA Stephen Marandi sought to know the number of deaths which have taken place due to malnourishment. To this Ms Marandi said the department does not have any such record. She said the MDC Centres have been built for the treatment of malnourished children but no reports about their death have been received from these centres.UNI AK PL AE AS1647 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0211-596303.Xml High tension gripped Jadavpur University today as activists of the BJP's students wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad came close to a confrontation with the students of the institute, while protesting against the 'pro-Afzal Guru' and 'pro-azad Kashmir' slogans and posters inside the campus. Activists of the ABVP, who were being led by a number of state BJP leaders, including actors Rupa Ganguly and Locket Chatterjee, got involved in a scuffling with police, who were present in huge number, to put up a barricade between them and the university students, who were waiting at Gate number four to resist the agitators from entering the campus. Several teachers and employees of the JU also joined the students, belonging to different Left groups. The AVBP members took out a procession from outside and reached the unversity gates chanting slogans against 'traitors' and 'anti-nationals'. However, timely intervention by police averted what could have been a head-on clash between the two rival sides. The trigger of today's incident lay in the recent chain of events, including the unrest and police action in Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, where from Kanhaiya Kumar, a student leader, was arrested allegedly for delivering seditious speech.The JNU incident triggered a controversy across the country with most of the opposition parties accusing the ruling BJP of orchestrating attacks against any dissenting voice. In an apparent reaction to the JNU incidents, posters calling for freedom of Kashmir, Nagaland and Manipur and praising Afzal Guru were put up inside Jadavpur University campus yesterday, while a section of students took out a procession inside the campus, the day before raising slogans in support of Guru and 'Azad Kashmir.' The posters were undersigned as RADICAL, an ultra-left student group. Jadavpur University is considered a bastion of Left students, including those belonging to All India Students Association (AISA), Students' Democratic Front (SDF), Students' Federation of India (SFI), Faculty for Arts Students (FAS) and the Democratic Students' Organisation-representing different hues-from radical to moderate. However, the dominant students' bodies in the university distanced themselves from the prof-Afzal Guru or pro-Azad Kashmir slogan and poster episode. Jadavpur University vice-chancellor Suranjan Das condemned the anti-national slogans but said he is not in favour of lodging a police complaint. "These are some fringe elements. I met the students union leaders in the morning and they told me that they disassociate themselves with all anti-national slogans," he said. Condemning the JU incidents, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said those raising pro-Afzal Guru slogan and putting up posters were the inheritors of those who had opposed the country's independence in the past. The ABVP, the party's students' wing, decided to take out a procession up to the university in protest against the happenings. As counter, the Left students' organisations also declared a programme to form a human chain against what they called 'fascist forces.' UNI KDG KK AE CS1645 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-596608.Xml West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said her government would urge the Centre to give citizenship to all Bangladeshis living in the state for five years or more."We will ask the Centre to authorise district magistrates to issue citizenship certificates to those who are living in Bengal for five years or more. The district magistrates used to issue citizenship certificates to those who came from Bangladesh before 1971 but that power was withdrawn in 1985," the Chief Minister told the media here after a cabinet meeting last night.If the Centre now empowers DMs to issue citizenship rights to the Bangladeshi migrants living here for over five years, then they will be able to participate in mainstream society," she said. Since 1971, at the time of Bangladesh liberation war, DMs were authorised to issue refugee certificates, cards that helped those crossing over, to apply for rations like food and water, and seek education and health care. But the state DMs could no longer issue citizenship certificates, as the Indian Home Ministry has the sole authority.Most of these migrant-voters in border districts have ration cards and electoral photo identity cards and exercise their franchise during elections.West Bengal is scheduled to go for assembly elections in April-May this year. UNI. KDG KK AE BD1753 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-596792.Xml During the visit, Mr Oli would also be travelling to Dehradun to visit a hydel power plant and Bhuj in Gujarat to have a feel of reconstruction work in the aftermath of the earthquake that had caused wide destruction there a decade and half ago. Mr Oli visit is visit is taking place amid reports from Kathmandu that Parliament of the Himalayan nation has given a directive to him to not to sign any agreement that may have a bearing on the national interest, although, the legislature left it to the Prime Minister's discretion as to what constitutes 'national interest'. Under Mr Oli's leadership, both the countries have witnessed a bitter phase of bilateral relationship, with the Nepalese side accusing India of imposing undeclared economic blockade on the landlocked nation to bring it to its knees to accept the demands of the Madhesis. In a special gesture, India is hosting the Nepalese Prime Minister and his wife Radhika Shakya as guests in Rashtrapati Bhawan. The series of meetings were lined up with Mr Oli, including his meeting with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Power Minister Piyush Goyal, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup told reporters in his weekly media briefing. UNI MK RSA AE 1818 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0090-596940.Xml Police today arrested five people in connection with the murder of journalist Karun Mishra. The journalist was murdered on February 13. Police has arrested five accused in the murder while two are absconding.Inspector General of Police(Lucknow zone) A Satish Ganesh today said that Special Task Force (STF) Lucknow had arrested three accused from Bherthipur of Sultanpur district and another two others later on. He said Rahul Singh and Pawan Singh had given killing contract of Rs 1 lakh to shooter Sandeep, Ajay and Haider mama. According to the plan, shooters overtook the vehicle of the journalist while he was going to Ambedkernagar from Sultanpur. He was shot dead by a 9 mm pistol. UNI MB CJ AE 1834 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0098-597029.Xml Some farmers suffered injuries when Chandigarh police used water canon guns on the protesting farmers from Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh-Mohali border today. The peasants, under the leadership of Bharti Kissan Union (Lakhowal) chief Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, were on their way to Punjab and Haryana Raj Bhawan at Chandigarh to submit a memorandum. The ryots were protesting against the BJP government for not implementing recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission report and not fulfilling other demands, including debt waiver for farmers affected by natural calamities. The protest march was a part of the nationwide protest by the farmers as per the decision of the Indian Co-ordination Committee of Farmers Movement against the Central government for its anti-farmer policies. Addressing the farmers on the occasion, BKU (Punjab) president Ajmer Singh Lakhowal said, "One of the major reasons for farmers' suicide is low price value for their crops." Farmers are upset with the Modi government for 'not paying attention' to resolving farmers' issues, he added. Since the last four decades, the peasants have been receiving lesser price for their crops compared to the cost. Because of low prices of agricultural produce, farmers have not only burdened with huge debt but also with family responsibilities. Addressing the farmers, BKU national spokesperson Rakesh Tikaith said that the central government had formed a commission under the chairmanship of senior agricultural scientist Dr Swaminathan to study and recommend suggestions to prevent suicides by the farmers. The commission had submitted its report in 2006 and recommended that to prevent peasants from committing suicides, a formula for giving 50 per cent profit over input cost should be fixed but till now the recommendations of the report have not been implemented, he added. He said various farmers' organisations had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and requested him to implement the recommendations of the report and protested in Delhi also, but the Prime Minister did not ever try to listen to their demands. MORE UNI DB RJ AE VN1807 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-596847.Xml The JNU row today spilled over to other states and reached the doorstep of Rashtrapati Bhawan as Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met President Pranab Mukherjee seeking his intervention to end suppression of students and lawlessness in the name of nationalism. On the other hand, NGOs, students and teachers from different educational institutions of the capital took out a march demanding unconditional release of JUN Students Union leader Kanhaiya Kumar arrested on sedition charges for his alleged involvement in an anti-India event at the campus. "RSS wants to impose its ideology over entire student community of the country and those who oppose them like Rohith Vemula they resort to all means and ways to suppress them", Mr Gandhi said after meeting the President. BJP hit back terming him 'RSS-Phobic' and alleged that the grand old party and Left parties were resorting to politics of 'division and television' to counter the Centre's developmental politics. ''Instead of coming together on JNU incident to teach lesson to such elements, it's saddening that Left parties and Congress, due to their vested interests and political vendetta, are politicising the issue,'' BJP General Secretary Shrikant Sharma told mediapersons here. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court today admitted the plea of Kumar which he had filed under Article 32 seeking the court intervention to protect his fundamental rights. In the petition, he told the court that he was a student of the Jawaharlal Nehru University and not some hardened criminal. He said exceptional and unprecedented breakdown of justice delivery mechanism and administration even after the writ of the Suprem Court had taken place. The court dismissed opposition to the admission of petition, saying, If a citizen comes to this court saying that his fundamental rights are under threat, we have to hear himsomething extraordinary is going on this country. No doubt about it. We will certainly examine this issue. The Delhi Police, which continued to be under attack for its ''failure'' to book lawyer Vikram Chauhan who assaulted mediapersons, students and teachers twice in the Patiala House Court during appearance of Kanhiaya Kumar, today, however, summoned Delhi BJP MLA OP Sharma who had attacked a CPI worker outside Patiala House court. He was arrested but was soon released on bail. The lawyers panel appointed by the Supreme Court to report on yesterdays incidents of violence in the local court has submitted its report. Protest in support of the JNU students leader were held also in other states and counter protests too were staged. Police had to use mild force to defuse a clash in Patna. Baroda too saw pro-Kumar demonstrations , while Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata witnessed counter protests by ABVP, the student wing of the RSS. An ABVP leader here that the three of its office-bearers who resigned yesterday from the organisation had done so under the pressure of some teachers. Eds :Pls pick up from earlier series.UNI TEAM NAZ RP1950 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-597255.Xml Students, teachers and NGOs today staged a solidarity march in support of JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, against whom sedition charges have been slapped in connection with a JNU event here and demanded his unconditional release.The protestors, comprising student unions, including the Students Federation of Indai (SFI), National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and All India Students Association (AISA), NGOs, activists and teachers raising slogans and holding placards, began their march from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar.The agitators also raised slogans against the government and Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi.Students with roses in their hands said, "We are taking out a silent march with roses in our hands. We want to tell the government that Freedom of Expression has been given by the country and no one can crush this". CPI leader D Raja, who was also part of the march said, "We demand immediate release of JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and sedition charges levelled against him to be dropped and full security to Kumar in Tihar jail."The Left leader also questioned the role of the Delhi Police Commissioner.The demonstrators also included some Delhi University teachers, who were alumni of JNU. They said, ''JNU is an institute of excellence and today, we feel sorry to see JNU being branded as anti-national''.The institute has produced intellectuals, bureaucrat and writers in the country and holds a distinct place in the world, they added. Earlier in the day, the JNUSU president, who was arrested on February 12 on sedition charges, moved a bail application in the Supreme Court, which will come up for hearing tomorrow.UNI RBE RJ RSA 1934 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0379-597185.Xml Police personnel from Jharkhand and Chhatisgarh reached here today to interrogate the five operatives of terror group of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) who were arrested from a rented house located on the Nala road under plant site police station of the steel city yesterday. Telangana police which was a part of the joint operation conducted to arrest the SIMI activists are already camping in the steel city. The five were involved in a number of terror acts including murder, bank dacoity across Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhatisgarh and Jharkhand. Police have taken all the five on seven days remand from the court of sub divisional judicial magistrate Rourkela late last night. An eight-member team of crime branch special task force led by a deputy superintendent of police today moved a petition in the court of SDJM, Rourekla to take the SIMI activists on one month remand. But the court allowed to take the SIMI members on remand for 15 days till March 1. The crime branch team is likely to investigate the network of SIMI in Odisha.UNI XC-BD AKM RSA VN1937 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-597100.Xml As a tribute to soldier LanceNaik Hanumanthappa Koppad who died at R R Hospital, Delhi despitebeing rescued from avalanche at Siachen glacier recently, six worldfamous Mudhol hounds (three male and three female) were donated toArmy. The Mudhol hounds, which excels in sniffing and searches, wererecognised as one of the best in the world. These dogs thinner andtaller have drooping ears and elongated jaws always preferred as awatch dog. The Canine Research and Information Centre at Timmapur (CRIC),near here has donated six Mudhol hounds to the Army for theirability to search and sniff. CRIC, which comes under the ambit of the Karnataka Veterinary,Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, Bidar, handed over thepuppies, aged around 4.5 months, to the Remount Veterinary Centreand College, Meerut, for a feasibility trial for induction into theArmy. According to CRIC sources these puppies were handed over army asthey are good at sniffing and for training in search and rescue operations. CRIC Head Mahesh Doddamani said that after few months ofdiscussion between army and the pups were handed over.Pre-assessment of the dogs was carried out at the CRIC in Januaryand a decision was taken to train and recruit these dogs for armywork. RVC has a war dog training unit, where they train in specializedjobs like explosives detection, mine detection, tracking, guardingetc. The Army generally uses Labradors, German Shepherds and BelgianShepherds, depending on the place of service. There are about 1,200dogs in Indian Army who help in operations like sniffing explosives,avalanche rescue, counter insurgency, counter terrorism etc. Obedience tests will be conducted for three months to decidewhether to induct Mudhol hounds into the Army . If the dogs succeed,they will be recommended by the Army for induction into the BorderSecurity Force, Indo-Tibetan Security force, and other regiments. The Mudhol Hound is one of the most versatile breed when it comesto naming the breed. As the other hounds that were bred in India,the Mudhol Hound also has a striking resemblance with the Greyhound.This breed thrives on human companionship and is tolerant of otherdogs. Their lineage and breeding has made sure that they can combatthe Indian weather conditions. The Mudhol Hound is a very ancient breed that was predominant inthe Deccan Plateau region. It is believed that this majestic breedis the descended of the Saluki and Tazi that were brought to Indiaby the Pathans, Afghans, Arabs and Persians India through the KyberPass. They were mostly with the nomads and followed them in caravansfrom one place to the other.UNI MSP VV AK1900 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0287-596947.Xml A Consortium of academicians and researcherstoday staged a protest in the city against incidents that had taken place across Universities and Institutions over the past few months across the country. The Consortium members from institutions like Indian Institute ofScience (IISc), National Law School of India University (NLSIU),Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR),Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), National Institute of AdvancedStudies (NIAS), Bangalore University (BU), Institute of Social andEconomic Change (ISEC) sat on the steps of Town Hall with holdingplay cards and shouted slogans against the happenings. In a release here, they said that the extremely threateningincidents which unfolded across universities and institutions overpast few months. Particularly the circumstances which have led toRohith Vemulas death a month ago, not only show, interference ofthe government in harassing individuals and intimidatingheterogeneous viewpoints, but also again bring to forth thewidespread caste discrimination in campuses. Governments refusal toensure justice and continuing highhandedness is sinister, and thesesteps will have serious impediments on any vision of social justice. "We are further disturbed by the arrests and detention of electedstudent representatives of Jawaharlal Nehru University(JNU) in New Delhi, and the situation that has developed over pastweek. Police action against democratically elected JNU StudentsUnion (JNUSU) members, particularly slapping the archaic seditionlaws for their rightful dissent, is supremely reprehensible. The JNUadministrations role warrants strong criticism for it has failed touphold the autonomy of the university, and compromised with thedemocratic space in the campus. Further, strong environment ofintimidation that has been created around the situation withaugmentation of physical violence towards faculties and students,including the disturbing demand of shutting down the university,reflects a grave danger to freedom of speech and constitutionalright to dissent. These threats to an academic institution are nolonger restricted to JNU, and has perturbed a large section ofacademics, both in India and across the world. It is, thus, timelyand reasonable to engage with the larger academiccommunity as well as the wider public and concerned civil society onthese questions. Silencing dissent and heterogeneous views will impair criticalthinking, hence the 'Town Hall Meeting' to register dissent, and toengage with a larger section of public and members of civil society. The signaturies included Shan S Rolla Das, Indian Institute ofScience (IISc), Deepak M Johnson, National Institute of AdvancedStudies, Suresh, Indian Statistical Institute National Law School ofIndia University, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced ScientificResearch Institute for Social and Economic Change.UNI MSP VV AK1747 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0287-597242.Xml Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said that the BJP was to be blamed for ignoring the cause of the people and shunning the debates during various Vidhan Sabha sessions that lasted during past three years. Talking to mediapersons at Bijheri village, the Chief Minister said that the BJP did not accept the hand of co-operation and its leaders ran away from the House during various Vidhan Sabha sessions . He alleged that the BJP leadership was to be blamed for lack of discusssions in the House and thereby ignoring the genuine public related issues. Instead,the BJP MLAs, including former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, were seen outside the Vidhan Sabha raising slogans against the ruling government rather than sitting inside the House and discussing the important matters. Mr Singh said that those politicians, who do not have faith upon themselves, dividing the people for their own political benefits. "We should be aware of such people", he said, adding that those who try to break secular bonding between the people can not be the true citizens of the country. He said that religion should not be involved in politics and all those who represent people should upkeep the true spirit of secularism. The Chief Minister laid foundation stone of the Langar Hall of Shri Baba Balak Nath temple at Deot-Sidh to cost as much as Rs 10 crore and inaugurated the temple computerisation cell of the temple which will make all the records of the temple fully computerised besides facilitating on-line Darshans and Aarti. UNI XC DB DJK RSA AS1905 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-597057.Xml Based on intelligence inputs on the illegal transaction of Bangladesh Taka, Border Security Force guards raided the residence of the three hawala agents -- Manu Roy, Jyotish Pal and Ram Dev -- in Balat and Dangar areas. "The three hawala agents dealing in foreign currency were arrested and 10.38 lakh Bangladesh Taka was seized from them," BSF spokesperson Sushil Kumar Singh said. The trio was active in illegal money transaction for quite some time. Meghalaya Police registered a criminal case against the trio under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. --Indo-Asian News Service rrk/pm/dg ( 138 Words) 2016-02-18-20:23:32 (IANS) The JNU row has gained traction at an online petition forum where people are actively debating various sides of the issue and putting forth their opinions. Two petitions that received the most number of signatures were started last Friday. They present both ends of the spectrum of the debate and carry statements of intellectuals, educators, artists and students in support of their arguments. A petition initiated by Prateek Kataria asked the 'commission of inquiry' to punish the students allegedly involved in anti-national sloganeering at an event held in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on February 9. About 5,800 people have signed it. The petition criticises the event and terms the slogans a "threat to the unity, sovereignty and diversity of India". "Such school of thought will lead to the growth of anti-national sentiments in the country and also impact the peace and harmony within the nation. These students should be punished strongly," it says. A petition to counter this one calls for 'No to police action in JNU'. Started by Shuddabrata Sengupta it drew about 8,000 signatures. Noted personalities like Romila Thapar, Jeet Thayil, Sanjay Kak and Ashish Nandy gave their written support to it. "The only way to counter such incidents, when they occur, is through a deepening of dialogue, not through police action. The police has no business to enter places of learning and harass students when there had been no breach of peace," the petition says. Yet another petition launched by Rupali Samuel demanding "disciplinary action against violent lawyers" got 2,000 supporters. It urged the chairman of the Delhi Bar Council to take immediate suo motu action and institute proceedings against the lawyers who resorted to violence at the Patiala House Courts compelx. "Under Section 35 of the Advocates Act, 1961, the Delhi Bar Council must refer the issue to disciplinary committee if it has any reason to believe that a lawyer on its roll has been guilty of professional or other misconduct," it says. There are some other petitions too, including one asking for withdrawal of government subsidy to the JNU. The one with the highest support got more than 2,300 signatures. To counter it, JNU alumni have started a petition supporting subsidised education at the institution, receiving 1800 signatures so far. --Indo-Asian News Service vin/kb/vt ( 390 Words) 2016-02-18-20:25:32 (IANS) Gurgaon deputy mayor Parminder Kataria, who is facing rape charges, has now been booked for thrashing and beating the alleged rape victim, police said on Thursday. Kataria, who is facing two rape cases, was booked on charges of voluntarily causing hurt, criminal trespass, criminal intimidation, criminal conspiracy and crime by several people with common intention under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. A case was filed against him at Rajendra Park police station. The woman alleged that she was blocked on the way to her house in Laxman Vihar area by three unidentified men in a car. Later, the three men entered her house and beat her up and threatened her with dire consequences if she did not drop the rape charges slapped on Kataria. Kataria was booked for the second time on January 20 on charges of raping a divorcee after promising to marry her. The woman had filed a similar complaint in October last year. The woman said she had filed a rape complaint on December 11, 2015, against Kataria at the women police station here, but alleged that police refused to register the case. The second case was registered after the woman's lawyer sent legal notice to Gurgaon's Deputy Commissioner of Police Deepak Saharan for contempt of the Supreme Court's directions. The woman alleged that Kataria visited her house in December and again sexually assaulted her. On October 24, 2015, the woman had filed a case of rape and criminal intimidation against Kataria and two others. On December 1, she filed an affidavit in the district court, saying she was known to Kataria and his family and did not want any action against them. Kataria, who was granted interim bail in the rape cases, was not available for comment. --Indo-Asian News Service pradeep/pm/bg ( 308 Words) 2016-02-18-20:27:32 (IANS) Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu reiterated that the Centre had determined to make India as Swachh Bharat by 2019 and lakhs of houses for poor and individual toilets were being constructed in various states. Laying the foundation stone along with Chief Minister N Chandrababau Naidu for various development works worth Rs.500 crore in Chilakaluri Pet town of the district today, he said that the Centre had allocated Rs.326 crore to provide drinking water, drainage, sanitations underground drainage and other facilities to the Chilakaluri Pet town under Swachha Bharat scheme. Mr Venkaiah said that the Centre was constructing 4.58 lakh houses for houseless poor out of which 1.93 lakh houses were allocated to Andhra Pradesh. The Centre had constructed 10 lakh individual toilets across the country under Swachha Bharat programme and 25 lakh of the same were under construction. The Gannavaram air port near Vijayawada and the Renugunda air port near Thirupathi would be upgraded as international airport soon. Speaking on the occasion Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister said that the by-pass road at Chilakaluri Pet would be taken up soon at a cost of Rs.850 crore. Under Swaccha Bharat programme, 20,500 individual toilets had been constructed in the town. A host of state ministers, MPs, MLA and other dignitaries were present.UNI DP VV AK2014 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-597367.Xml Earlier, the court had issued a bailable warrant against the leader for not appearing in the court for the past several times. Sources said the court granted bail to the VHP leader on a personal bond of Rs 20,000. Sadhvi has been charged with sections 147,148,188 and 153(A) of the IPC in the court of ACJM-2 Sitaram for giving provocative speeches during the Muzaffarnagar riots.UNI MB RSA 2035 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-597411.Xml Talking to reporters here, he said the state government was protecting the Baghmara MLA despite being an accused for demanding extortion from a Russian company. He said that despite complaints by the company's management and a letter being written by the Consulate, the state government has failed to take action. He said, even the FIR has been registered against unknown persons, which was a clear example of the government's intention to save the MLA.UNI XC-AK AKM DJK BL2035 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-597283.Xml Jat protestors seeking reservation in government jobs under OBC category continued their agitation for the fourth day today, affecting normal life. The protestors which included the students from the community also, held demonstrations at or near various colleges and universities, including Maharishi Dayanand University. The blockades disrupted the road and rail traffic which affected the normal life, as people faced a harrowing time in buying essential items like milk, vegetables and LPG supply was also hit. Meanwhile, Rohtak SSP Saurabh Singh said Rapid Action Force as well as BSF personnel arrived in Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonepat districts and blockades would soon be cleared. However, the blockades were not lifted till last reports came in.According to reports coming from Kaithal, the members of Jat community also held processions and resorted to road blockade in different parts of the district. The protestors held protests near Narar and Kakout villages on Kaithal- Karnal road. The agitators also disrupted traffic in Kalayat area. They sat on NH 65 near Kaharakpandva village in Kalayat sub division of this distirct. Though normal traffic remained disrupted on this route but the protestors allowed movement of ambulances and other vehicles on emergency duty. UNI NC AJ RSA 2028 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-597262.Xml Sharif has reportedly said that the Kargil misadventure in 1999 by troops of Pakistan was a stab in the back of the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the two neighbours were engaged in a peace process. External Affairs Ministry official spokesperson Vikas Swarup said Pakistan Prime Minister has said something which is known to all. On proposed Foreign Secretary level talks between the two countries, Swarup said both secretaries are in touch with each other but no dates have been finalised yet. (ANI) Posters supporting the alleged anti-India slogans raised in the JNU campus in Delhi appeared in some parts of the Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda, today. The authorities found the hand-written posters on the back-walls of the office of the Faculty of Fine Arts this afternoon and were immediately destroyed. The university authorities had no clue about the appearance of the posters but some photographs of the posters were doing rounds in the social media. Along side the JNU posters, there also were posters supporting the cause of the dalit students of the University of Hyderabad agitating over the suicide by Rohith Vemula, both the posters having been written by the same hand. A police complaint has been lodged against some unknown persons. Meanwhile, Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev on a short visit to Gujarat had a dig at the Congress national vice-president Rahul Gandhi over supporting the JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar facing sedition charges. Supporting a traitor is equivalent to treachery, the Yoga guru told the media persons. He disputed Kumars claim that some outsiders had raised anti-India slogans at the February 9 gathering and said if it was true why he did not confront them and try to stop them on the spot. In my gatherings also lakhs of people assemble, but can any one raise anti-national slogans in my presence? he asked. "Friendship with country's traitors is also considered as treachery. In the eyes of law, supporting anti-national elements is also a crime," Ramdev told reporters when asked about Mr Gandhi's stand on the issue. Advising all the political parties to rise above vote bank of politics over the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar, Baba said, "In this situation, political parties should rise above the vote bank politics for the sake of country's unity and peace. We should not support those who are having a destructive mindset and are raising anti-India slogans in the name of freedom of expression," he said. UNI ND CJ RSA 2116 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-597451.Xml Gogoi, in a statement, compared Kumar's arrest to stifling the fundamental right to freedom of speech, enshrined in and ensured by the constitution. He further alleged that Modi's BJP government was adopting a Hitler-like attitude in dealing with any form of dissidence and the JNU incident was another example of rising intolerance in the country. Gogoi also claimed that there was no evidence to prove the sedition charges against Kumar. Meanwhile, artistes, teachers, students and farmers took out a protest march in support of Kumar. RSS-BJP is dictating us on everything - what to wear, what to eat, what to see and what to say. It is a fully fascist attitude... Kanhaiya is a symbol of protest and right to freedom of speech," said Akhil Gogoi, president of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), which had organised the protest here. "This protest march is not to support Pakistan or anti-nationals, but to oppose the new definition of nationalism by RSS and BJP," he said. Addressing the protesters, former principal of Cotton College, Sitanath Lahkar said the actions were "part of a well-planned design" to silence the dissenting voice of the student community as youths can become the strongest force to overthrow the Modi government. Teachers and students belonging to SFI, Gauhati university students union, Cotton college students union society, Tata institute of social sciences-Guwahati, Cotton college state university, Assam university, Omeo Kumar Das institute of social change and development, Arya Vidyapeeth college, Handique girls' college among others joined the march.UNI SG AKM RSA VN2137 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-597331.Xml Andhra Pradesh government today requested Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for deployment of a battalion of the Border Security Force (BSF) in Visakhapatnam Agency to tackle the Maoist menace. Mr Singh held a review meeting with AP Police, BSF, CRPF and few other forces in Visakhpatnam and the ministry has considered the request of the AP Police to flush out the rebels in Vizag Trial Agency as well as Andhra Odisha Border (AOB) .''The central government has deployed BSF in Balimela and few other areas of AOB hence, we requested deployment of BSF battalion in Vizag Agency for better co-ordination with the BSF personnel in neighboring state to curb the Maoist activity,'' opined, DGP of Andhra Pradesh JV Ramudu. The BSF deployment will boost the police forces as post bifurcation the central forces in AP comedown. The rebels had lost sympathy and support from the locals in the region, however the fear of ultras was forcing the locals to support them, he added.Union Home Ministry security advisor K Vijay Kumar said that though the Maoist activities, including attack against security forces came down in the country, the ultras were waiting for the opportunity for attacks in some parts, he added The meeting discussed the better coordination between the states and join operations among the Maoist affected states. The Maoists cross the border when the police launch operations in one state. So, the states agreed to launch joint operations in AOB areas so that the Left wing extremist menace could be ended in AOB areas, the officials said.UNI BSR CJ RSA 2221 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-597514.Xml Pope Francis issued a scathing critique of capitalism on a trip to Mexico's border with the United States, saying that God will hold accountable "slave drivers" who exploit workers."The flow of capital cannot decide the flow of people," he said yesterday in Ciudad Juarez, a gritty industrial city next to El Paso, Texas where many international companies have factories that export goods to the United States.In a speech to business leaders and labor representatives, Latin America's first pope assailed the "prevailing mentality (that) advocates for the greatest possible profits, immediately and at any cost."On the last day of a six-day visit to Mexico, the Argentine pontiff decried "the exploitation of employees as if they were objects to be used and discarded," saying the best investment business can make to help society is in people and families."God will hold the slave drivers of our days accountable," he said.The pope has in the past called money "the dung of the devil" and has decried what he calls the "evils" of unbridled capitalism, prompting criticism from US business leaders.Francis was to celebrate Mass later in the day only yards from the US border where he was expected to strongly defend the rights of immigrants to the United States.He has visited some of the most marginalized areas of Mexico, urging young people in the violence-ridden state of Morelia to avoid drug trafficking and taking a swipe at the country's rich and corrupt.A major manufacturing center, Ciudad Juarez has been badly hit by drug violence in recent years. It also an important crossing for Mexicans, Central Americans and Asians trying to reach the United States illegally.Most in Ciudad Juarez live by modest means. Business leaders say about 70 per cent of people in the city, a major low-cost manufacturing center, earn less than 210 pesos (11 dollars) a day. The official minimum wage in Mexico is 73 pesos per day.TRUMP COMMENTSFrancis' focus on the plight of migrants who risk murder, rape and extortion on they head north, is at odds with the anti-immigrant rhetoric of candidates for the 2016 Republican US presidential nomination.Billionaire Donald Trump has surged ahead of his rivals with his message that Mexico is "killing" the United States with cheap labor, while sending over criminals and rapists. He has also promised to built a huge border wall.Trump last week dubbed the pope "a very political person", saying he believed the Mexican government had put him up to the border visit."To suggest that the pope is an instrument of the Mexican government, no. That is very strange indeed," said Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, shortly before the pontiff arrived in Ciudad Juarez.Later yesterday, the pope will be driven to the fence that separates Mexico from the United States, and will celebrate Mass just 80 yards (73 meters) from the crossing.Gloria Lejeune, 50, came from Arlington, Texas to attend the Mass. She crossed the border with a group of three women, all dressed in sun hats and Pope t-shirts and carrying beach towels. Lejeune wore six rosaries around her neck."I'm going to get them all blessed," she said while buying a yellow and white flag with the Pope's face next to an image of Mexico's patron saint, Our Lady of Guadalupe.Francis leaves Ciudad Juarez bound for Rome later yesterday. Earlier in the day, it emerged a laser beam was pointed at his plane as he landed in Mexico City from Cuba last week, though there was no harm to those aboard.REUTERS PS RK0420 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0109-595933.Xml A Maldives court has sentenced an Islamist opposition leader to 12 years in jail, convicting him on terrorism charges related to a speech that protested the imprisonment of the islands' first democratically elected president, Mohamed Nasheed.Best known as an exotic tourist destination, the Indian Ocean archipelago has been roiled by political unrest since Nasheed was ousted in disputed circumstances in 2012.In March 2015, he was arrested, charged under the country's terrorism laws and sentenced to 13 years for ordering the abduction of a judge, following a rapid trial that drew widespread international condemnation.Under pressure from foreign governments, President Abdulla Yameen's government released Nasheed last month to let him seek medical treatment in London.Late on Tuesday, however, a court sentenced Sheikh Imran Abdulla, the leader of Islamist Adhaalath Party, to 12 years for comments he made in an anti-government speech during a mass protest against Nasheed's arrest on May Day last year.The government said Imran was charged for urging protesters "to confront police", something the politician's lawyer denied."We believe the judgment is grossly unfair because he has not called for violence in his speech", Imran's lawyer Husnu Suood told Reuters."He clearly asked the participants at the rally to refrain from violence and had taken all steps to prevent violence".Mark Toner, a spokesman for the US State Department, called the judicial process that led to the sentencing "deeply flawed"."We renew our call for the Maldivian government to end politically motivated trials and to take steps to restore confidence and a commitment to democracy and human rights including freedom of expression and the rule of law and judicial independence", Toner told a regular news briefing in Washington.Clashes between protesters and police broke out at the 2015 May Day demonstration in the capital, Male, and hundreds of protesters were arrested."No country in the world would condone such a call for violence", Abbas Adil Riza, the deputy high commissioner for Maldives in Colombo told Reuters.The sentencing of the Islamist politician comes days after President Yameen called on the opposition parties to end a standoff with his own party amid rising international pressure.Adhaalath Party Spokesman Ali Zahir said the sentencing demonstrated the absence of good faith from the government's side in the inter party talks.Since his release, Nasheed has called for sanctions against Yameen and his allies for detaining political prisoners, mainly opposition leaders. REUTERS PS RK0502 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0109-595934.Xml The White House tried to defuse Republican charges of hypocrisy against President Barack Obama over Supreme Court nominees yesterday as liberal activists swung into action and the top Senate Democrat predicted a Republican "cave-in."The White House turned up the heat on the Republican-led Senate to allow fair hearings and a timely vote on Obama's impending selection to fill the court vacancy left by Saturday's death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia.The Democratic president's nominee could change the balance of power on the top US court - Scalia's death left it with four conservative and four liberal justices - and a monumental fight is brewing over Obama's pick for the lifetime appointment.Republicans, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have said Scalia's seat should remain vacant until Obama's successor takes office next January so voters can have a say in the selection when they cast ballots in the November 8 presidential election. The Senate must confirm any Supreme Court nominee."I, first of all, think that they're going to cave in," Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, speaking in Reno, Nevada, said of the Republicans. "I think the president's going to give us a nominee that's a good one, and I think they're going to have to hold hearings and have a vote."Obama has argued the Senate has a constitutional duty to consider his nominee.White House spokesman Josh Earnest was put on the defensive over Obama's actions a decade ago as a member of the Senate when he tried to block the nomination put forward by his predecessor in the White House, Republican George W. Bush, of conservative Samuel Alito to the nation's highest court.As a first-term senator from Illinois, Obama used a procedural maneuver called a filibuster. Alito was confirmed anyway."Some Democrats engaged in a process of throwing sand in the gears of the confirmation process. And that's an approach that the president regrets," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters.Earnest portrayed Obama's vote to try to block Alito as "symbolic" and sought to contrast it to "Republicans' reflexive opposition" to Obama nominating a justice to replace Scalia.McConnell spokesman Don Stewart said the filibuster that Obama joined undercut the White House's argument.500,000 SIGNATURESLiberal groups including MoveOn.org and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee said in a conference call with reporters they would mount a campaign to prod Republican senators to allow hearings and a vote on Obama's nominee.They said they already had gathered some 500,000 petition signatures opposing McConnell's stance. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, who chairs the Judiciary Committee that considers high court nominees, has not ruled out holding hearings, although he has offered mixed messages about how to proceed."Grassroots voices are going to be the key to making Senator McConnell back off," Senator Chuck Schumer, a member of the Senate Democratic leadership, told reporters.Earnest declined to rule out that Obama would make a recess appointment: naming someone to the job on a temporary basis while the Senate is on a recess, bypassing the confirmation process.The White House has been in touch with the offices of "multiple" senators of both parties about the court vacancy, Earnest said.During a speech at Yale Law School in Connecticut, liberal Justice Stephen Breyer called for a moment of silence to honor Scalia, telling the audience: "It's going to be a grayer place without him."Earnest said Obama and first lady Michelle Obama would pay their respects to Scalia tomorrow when the late justice's body lies in repose at the Supreme Court building. Earnest said Obama would not go to Scalia's funeral Mass on Saturday in Washington but that Vice President Joe Biden would attend.The remaining eight justices have canceled a meeting set tomorrow to discuss action on future cases but are due next week to hear scheduled oral arguments in pending cases. REUTERS PS RK0447 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0109-595936.Xml One night last month, Liu Xuehong stood weeping outside the gates of the United Nations headquarters in Bangkok, begging the guards to let her in.The Chinese dissident had received a threatening call from an anonymous Chinese official, and feared that she, like other asylum seekers in Thailand, would be snatched away by agents of China or deported by a Thai junta increasingly allied to it.The UN guards refused her entry. "I felt so frustrated," she said, tears streaming down her face. "We still live in fear here."Liu is one of hundreds of Chinese who have fled for Thailand, say human rights groups. It was long considered a refuge, but not anymore.Two Chinese dissidents recently disappeared from Thai soil, only to reappear a few weeks later in China in police custody. Thailand deported two others late last year despite a UN plan to resettle them in Canada."Thailand is no longer a safe haven for Chinese dissidents," said a senior Western diplomatic source based in Beijing.Western governments have expressed concern over China's apparent extra-territorial reach, as President Xi Jinping intensifies a nationwide crackdown on human rights lawyers, journalists and labour activists.China considers many dissidents to be criminals, including those who flee abroad.HONG KONG BOOKSELLERPanitan Wattanayagorn, a top Thai government advisor, said police were "still checking" how the two Chinese dissidents had vanished from the country, and said it was possible one of them had "disappeared (by) himself."As for the two deportations of Chinese refugees in November,Panitan said the Thai government would work more closely with the UNHCR "to prevent this kind of problem". He said China had not applied any pressure."Thailand decides on its own," he said.Among those who disappeared in Thailand was Gui Minhai, one of five Hong Kong booksellers who have gone missing since late last year.China's Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the disappearances, but has said its law enforcement officials would never do anything illegal, especially overseas. It said the November deportations were handled "in accordance with the law".The Thai junta's seizure of power in 2014 strained ties with the West. As the United States and other countries downgraded political and military ties, the generals forged closer ties with Beijing.China and Thailand held their first joint air force exercise in November. The following month, the two countries agreed to build a 13 billion dollars railway line from the Thai-Lao border to Bangkok.A record 7.9 million Chinese visited Thailand last year, or more than a quarter of the total number of tourists. Last July, Thailand's deported 109 Uighur Muslims to an uncertain fate in China in what the UN called "a flagrant violation of international law."FLUSHING OUT DISSIDENTSDissidents like Liu say the disappearances and deportations are part of a diplomatic and security squeeze by China to flush them out. Aiding them in Thailand, she believes, are Chinese agents posing as asylum-seekers.Liu, 55, was jailed for a month in Beijing in 2014 for "disturbing social order," a catch-all charge often used to suppress human rights activists. But she continued her work until last June, just weeks before the Chinese authorities began arresting hundreds of lawyers, legal assistants and activists in a nationwide crackdown."Almost all the people around me in China have been arrested," she said.Liu flew to Thailand, where she is now a UN-registered refugee awaiting resettlement. She can still be arrested and deported for illegally entering Thailand, which officially doesn't recognise refugee status.Men in cars often follow her through Bangkok, she says. "We have no protection here," said Liu.Liu arrived in Thailand by plane. But other Chinese, too fearful to use their passports, travel overland through ill-policed borders from neighbouring countries with the help of human smugglers.FALUN GONGSong Zhiyu, 43, from Hebei Province, is a member of Falun Gong, a religious group banned as a cult in China.He left China on a smuggler's motorbike until reaching the Myanmar town of Mongla. In Mongla, Song telephoned a Thai man known only as "the tour leader" who, in return for 20,000 yuan (3,000 dollars), drove him towards the Thai border.Then Song was spirited across a river into Thailand and hidden in the luggage hold of a Bangkok-bound bus. He spent the next 10 hours bent double. "I thought I would die," he said.About 160 Falun Gong refugees and asylum-seekers are in Thailand, Song said, and in the past, authorities had rarely bothered them.But more than 29 practitioners have been arrested on immigration charges under the military junta, he said."The Thai and Chinese governments now have a very close relationship," he said. "We are all afraid. Every day is dangerous for us." REUTERS PS RK0454 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0109-595938.Xml The US Defense Department said commercial imagery indicated that China had deployed a surface-to-air missile system on a disputed outpost in the South China Sea, and said the action was increasing tensions in the region.The Pentagon urged all countries that have staked claims to disputed areas in the region to address their territorial and maritime claims in accordance with international law, and to commit to peacefully manage or resolve their disputes."We call on South China Sea claimants to publicly commit to a reciprocal halt to further land reclamation, construction of new facilities, and new militarization of disputed features," said Navy Commander Bill Urban, a spokesman for the Pentagon.REUTERS PS RK0526 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0109-595943.Xml South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, viewed as a possible Republican vice presidential candidate, endorsed US Senator Marco Rubio for their party's 2016 White House nomination, three days before the state's presidential primary."If we elect Marco Rubio, every day will be a great day in America," Haley said, with Rubio at her side at an event in Chapin, South Carolina.Haley's endorsement gave Rubio, 44, a valuable ally to try to sway voters in South Carolina, the third contest after Iowa and New Hampshire to pick a party nominee for the November 8 presidential election to succeed Democratic President Barack Obama.Rubio, a first-term senator from Florida and the son of Cuban immigrants, is seeking to take second or third place in South Carolina's Republican primary on Saturday and potentially emerge as the main Republican establishment alternative to front-runner Donald Trump, who has a big lead in the state."I can't tell you how honored I am to get the support of your governor. We have a lot of good candidates in the field," Rubio told the crowd.The endorsement came as a new wave of bickering broke out between Trump and US Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who is in second place in the polls in South Carolina. Trump threatened to sue Cruz over an anti-Trump TV ad that expressed doubts about Trump's statement he is a conservative.A national Reuters/Ipsos poll released yesterday show Trump taking a more than 20-point lead over Cruz in the Republican race.Trump had 40 per cent support in the poll conducted from Saturday to Wednesday, compared with 17 per cent for Cruz, 11 percent for Rubio, 10 percent for retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, and 8 per cent for former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.Cruz, Rubio and Carson were to appear at a CNN town hall in Greenville, South Carolina, yesterday evening, with Trump on MSNBC about the same time.On the Democratic side, the poll showed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton maintaining about a 10-point national lead over US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont,BLOW TO BUSHThe daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley, 44, seized the spotlight in January when in the Republican response to Obama's State of the Union speech, she set herself apart from the party's presidential candidates by calling for tolerance on immigration and civility in politics.Last year, she gained national attention by leading an effort to remove the Confederate battle flag from the state Capitol grounds after the killing of nine black churchgoers in Charleston. The flag, a Civil War-era emblem of the Confederate South, is long associated with slavery.Some political analysts have said Haley could be picked as the Republican vice presidential nominee.Haley's endorsement of Rubio was a blow to the candidacy of Bush, coming two days after Bush's brother former President George W. Bush met with Haley privately in the state capital, Columbia.A Bush aide said Haley called Bush to inform him of her plan to endorse Rubio."Disappointed" was Bush's response. "She's a very good governor and should I win the nomination, there'll be a role for her in the campaign," Bush, 63, told reporters after a campaign event in Summerville, South Carolina. "Trust me, she's a great person."At a town hall meeting in Summerville, Bush took advice from the audience on how he might better conduct his campaign. Some of the advice was conflicting.Edward Scott, who works in South Carolina but lives in Frederick, Maryland, told Bush he should consider not responding to attacks from Trump, while another man asked Bush whether he should be tougher, a "sumbitch" as he called it.Bush said he would not stop responding to Trump and vowed to have a toughness of spirit.CRUZ, TRUMP CLASH ANEWAhead of Saturday's Republican vote, Cruz and the billionaire businessman Trump battled for votes with an exchange of harsh words. Cruz, 45, won the first Republican nominating contest in Iowa on February 1, and Trump, 69, won the second one in New Hampshire on February 9.Cruz dared Trump to sue him over a campaign ad featuring a 1999 video clip of Trump, a former reality TV star, saying he was "very pro-choice" on abortion. In the clip, Trump said he would not ban late-term abortions.Cruz said Trump sent his campaign a "cease and desist letter" demanding it drop the ad. "File the lawsuit," Cruz, a lawyer, told reporters on Wednesday, adding he would depose Trump himself."You have been threatening frivolous lawsuits for your entire adult life," Cruz said. "Even in the annals of frivolous lawsuits, this takes the cake."Trump responded that he opposes abortion, which most US conservatives also do not support."These ads and statements made by Cruz are clearly desperate moves by a guy who is tanking in the polls - watching his campaign go up in flames finally explains Cruz's logo," Trump said in a statement, referring to the flame icon that appears on Cruz's website and elsewhere.The real estate developer again hinted he might sue Cruz, who was born in Canada to a US citizen mother, over his eligibility to run for president. REUTERS PS RK0642 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0109-595949.Xml Spanish police have arrested five directors of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) after they raided the lender's Madrid offices as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering. China's large state-owned lenders have been dogged by allegations of improper conduct as they expand abroad and the probe into ICBC by police, the Spanish tax agency and Europol involves funds handled by a criminal group which the Interior Ministry says passed through the bank and were transferred to China. Over 100 police were involved in the operation, which saw the arrest of five ICBC directors, Europol said in a statement yesterday. A Beijing-based spokesman for ICBC, China's largest bank in terms of assets, said its Madrid branch was cooperating with the investigation. "Strictly implementing anti-money laundering regulations, and strictly operating within the law and regulations have always been our fundamental operation and management principles," the spokesman added. The Chinese embassy in Spain also said it currently had no reason to believe ICBC had been breaking the law, adding that it had not received official notification about the case from the Spanish authorities. The probe into ICBC follows a slew of allegations of money laundering levied against other Chinese banks. Last June, prosecutors in Italy asked Bank of China's (BoC) Milan branch to be tried for smuggling among other alleged crimes and a month later, the US Federal Reserve told China Construction Bank Corp to address deficiencies in money laundering compliance. NOT THE WORST OFFENDERS Such probes could mar the reputation of these banks as they expand abroad, primarily to cater to the growing presence of Chinese firms, bankers at overseas branches of the lenders said. "We haven't been abroad for long, so this has an impact on all of us," said a banker at a London branch of a top-four Chinese lender. Analysts, however, said Chinese banks are not necessarily the worst offenders when compared to their global peers. "If you look at the fines globally, which firms have been fined the most in terms of anti-money laundering, you wouldn't find the Chinese banks near the top of that list although some have been asked to tighten procedures," said Mark Wightman, a partner in the wealth and asset management at Ernst & Young. For example, HSBC agreed in June last year to pay Geneva authorities 43 million dollars to settle a money laundering investigation at its Swiss private bank. Wightman also added that conditions are likely to get tougher for all banks as the Common Reporting Standards (CRS), a global tax residency rule, come into effect this year. "Everyone will be looking at their client bases in a lot more detail as they have to store info on client tax residency as well, and manage any potential challenges to that, so that's another question the banks are struggling with," he said. (1 dollar = 0.8988 euros) REUTERS JW PR1306 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-596209.Xml China has "challenged" reports that it deployed advanced surface-to-air missiles to a disputed island in the South China Sea, but any militarisation would be a concern, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said today. Taiwan's Defence Ministry said the missile batteries had been set up on Woody Island in the Paracels chain, which has been under Chinese control for decades, but is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. A US defence official also confirmed the "apparent deployment" of the missiles, first reported by Fox News.Bishop, the first senior Western official to visit China since the missile reports, said she had raised the issue of the South China Sea's militarisation in her talks. "President Xi said in Washington last year that China did not intend to militarise the islands and we certainly hold China to that and that's been reiterated to me," she told reporters, after meeting China's top diplomat, State Councillor Yang Jiechi. "In the case of the surface-to-air missile claim, that's disputed by China. We raised the matter and we've had a discussion about it," Bishop added. Pressed on whether China was denying the presence of missiles, she said, "No, they did not deny, but nor did they admit that there were. It was challenged. The reports were challenged. "The point about the surface-to-air missiles is in dispute, so until such time as we have a clear picture of it, of course it's a matter of concern." China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than 5 trillion dollars in global trade passes every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims. The Chinese government has offered few specific details in response to the missiles claim, while accusing Western media of "hyping up" the story and saying China has a legitimate right to military facilities on territory it views as its own. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei today would also neither confirm nor deny if the missiles were on Woody Island, repeating that China has had defence facilities on the islands for decades. China has been angered by air and sea patrols the United States has conducted near artificial islands China has built in the Spratly islands chain farther south in the South China Sea, including some by two B-52 strategic bombers in November. Last month, a US Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island in the Paracels, a move China condemned as provocative. China needs to strengthen its "self-defence" in the South China Sea in the face of "more frequent provocations from the US military," the influential state-run tabloid, the Global Times, wrote in an editorial today. "Jet fighters from the United States, an outside country, may feel uneasy when making provocative flights in the region. To us, that's a proper result," it said of the reported missile deployment. The United States claims no territory in the South China Sea but has expressed serious concerns about how China's increasingly assertive pursuit of territorial claims there could affect the vital global trade routes that pass though it. REUTERS JW PR1330 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-596254.Xml Russian Defence Ministry has denied media reports about the dispatch of S-300PMU-2 Favorit missile systems from Astrakhan to Iran today. The reports claimed that Iranian Defence Minister was expected to be present at the ceremony. "The beginning of deliveries of the first consignment of Favorit missile systems cannot take place since the Iranian side has not paid the price enshrined in the contract as of February 16," a high-ranking representative of the Russian Defence Ministry told Tass news agency, referring to the media reports. "Therefore, the presence of the Iranian Defence Minister in Astrakhan at the mythical ceremony of dispatching the first Favorit systems to Tehran is out of the question," he said.Russia and Iran signed a contract on the delivery of five S-300 battalions in 2007. However, in the autumn of 2010, then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev banned the supply of these systems to Tehran. The contract worth more than 800 million dollars was annulled and the advance payment returned to the Iranian side.Iran filed a four billion dollar lawsuit in the Court of Arbitration in Geneva over the breach of the contract. According to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, Moscow persuaded Tehran to withdraw the lawsuit after "long and tough negotiations."Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin lifted the ban on S-300 delivery to Tehran.UNI XC RJ AE 1514 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0098-596458.Xml A US soldier wounded in an explosion will be the first person in the United States to receive a penis transplant, doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital said, which could open the way for about 60 other servicemen with genital injuries to have this surgery.Surgeons hope a donated organ from a recently deceased man will provide full function including urination, sensation and sex. The surgery requires joining nerves and blood vessels under a microscope.Doctors and advocates who work with wounded soldiers note that the loss of the penis is one of the most emotionally traumatic injuries because it affects a sense of identity and manhood, especially for men hoping to become fathers."When you meet these guys and you realize what they've given for the country, it makes a lot of sense," Dr Richard Redett, a plastic surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital who will help perform the operation, told Reuters.The recipient, who was not identified, lost most of his penis and had substantial groin injuries in a bomb explosion while deployed overseas. Media reports have said he was wounded in Afghanistan.The surgery could occur in the coming weeks. Doctors are looking for a donor who is a good match in terms of age and skin color. The donor's family will need to give permission for the penis to be removed.There have been two penis transplants in the world. The first in China in 2006 was unsuccessful. The second in South Africa in 2014 was a success.Thor Wold, who served as a Marine medic in the Iraq war and now works as an advocate for veterans, said that after suffering genital injuries servicemen immediately wanted to know if they would still have sexual function."They would ask, 'Is everything OK down there, doc? My wife's at home and we're trying to have a baby when I get back,'" Wold told Reuters.Redett said a veteran suffering from a blast injury could need to have not just his penis replaced but also the scrotum, part of the abdominal wall, groin tissue and part of the inner thigh."We've sorted out how to take that block of tissue from a donor and give it to a recipient," he said.The penis transplant does not involve the testes, where sperm are produced, so if a man with a transplanted penis does father a child, the baby would be his genetic offspring, not the donor's.While for now only wounded veterans are being considered for penis transplants, the surgery could eventually be performed on men with birth defects and transgender men and women.REUTERS AJ AS1737 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0109-596850.Xml The United States and its allies conducted 19 air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday, the coalition leading the operations said. In a statement today, the Combined Joint Task Force said seven strikes in Syria targeted tactical units, vehicles, an explosive device and destroyed a building. Separately, 12 strikes near eight Iraqi cities destroyed rocket rails, fighting positions and machine guns, among other targets, the statement said.REUTERS AJ BL1813 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0109-596977.Xml Chilean copper miners who have grown reliant on cheap outsourced workers are bringing more of them in-house or bracing for salary hikes ahead of the expected passage of a pro-worker reform bill. The legislation, on track to be approved in March, is likely to raise labor costs and marks the latest blow to mining companies in the world's No.1 copper exporter already hit by flagging productivity and prices near six-and-a-half-year lows. The reform is set to boost the bargaining position of unions representing outside contractors, making strikes among outsourced workers more common and difficult to break, analysts and lawyers say. Labor activists argue the reform is needed to give workers more leverage in a country with loose collective bargaining rules, and they criticize contracting as a tool for companies to undercut bargaining rights and offer substandard pay. Companies counter that the reform will stunt growth, and say that outsourcing is vital for increasing efficiency and offering the flexibility needed to weather the volatile copper market. Now, however, those firms are making adjustments: some are bringing contracted workers in-house to better paid positions, so as to avoid potential labor disputes. Others are preparing to pay significantly more for the same outsourced services they have used on the cheap for decades. "There are a lot of studies being done (by mining companies), looking at how many workers can be brought in, at what mines, in which processes," said Felipe Saez, an advisor to heavy industry group Sofofa, which represents Chilean mining among other sectors. Outsourcing has increased in Chile over the past two decades. Seventy-four percent of workers at Chile's "large" copper miners, which account for well over 90 percent of output, were contracted out as of 2014, according to government statistics. That compares with 69 percent in 2013, and 66 percent in 2006. However, in 2015, following years of gains, the number of mining contractors in Chile fell by 12.5 percent, far outpacing total job losses among mine workers. That is largely due to companies getting fed up with already rising labor unrest among outsourced workers, analysts say. Last year, protesting contractors with state producer Codelco blockaded and closed a mine for three weeks. But the proposed reform, which allows unions from different contractors to join forces and lowers barriers to creating unions in small companies, among other measures, is fueling the trend, and making companies less likely to rehire outside when prices rebound. "Under the labor reform it would be better for (mining companies) to bring contractors with sensitive labor agreements in-house, and have those workers opt for the company's benefits, so they can better control the bargaining situation," said Fernando Villalobos, a leading Chilean labor lawyer and former advisor to the Labor Ministry. New in-house workers, however, are costly. Government data show that average per worker remuneration costs for contracted employees at copper mining companies were only 43 percent that of direct employees in 2014. It remains unclear how many workers mining companies are prepared to bring in. But if just 5 percent of the 163,827 total workers at Chile's large copper mines in 2014 were made direct employees, it would cost Chilean miners approximately $370 million a year. Though that is relatively small compared to total industry-wide costs of $25.8 billion in 2014, such numbers are significant for a sector that is now struggling to maintain razor-thin margins.NEW STRATEGIES, INCREASED COSTSThose that do not bring contract work in-house will instead look at new ways of outsourcing aimed at cushioning against strikes that will increase payrolls significantly, insiders say. "We're going to have to take up new methods that basically increase the cost of having the same service," Diego Hernandez, chief executive of Chilean miner Antofagasta Plc, told Reuters in January. One method he suggested was having overlapping contracts, whereby a worker from one contracting firm could replace a striking worker. Mining companies say they are also concerned about additional aspects of the bill apart from contracting. Hernandez told Reuters he worried that restrictions on replacing striking workers were so strict they could put physical infrastructure at risk while mines go unmanned. Representatives of other sectors such as agriculture, shipping, forestry, and construction have told Reuters they are also concerned about the reform and the future of contracting, which Chilean labor law has long only loosely regulated. Business leaders have lobbied lawmakers hard to water down the bill, which has been mired in a bitter legislative fight for a year, industry insiders and a senate aide say. Eugenio Tuma, a center-left senator, told Reuters that lawmakers had softened some stringent aspects of the reform, such as bargaining rights within small businesses. But, like the other senators in the governing coalition calling for adjustments, he is confident the law will pass with the most significant provisions intact. "We think there's been abuse on the part of the employers," he said. "This delivers the tools that workers need to level the playing field."REUTERS CJ BL1841 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-597077.Xml Beirut (AFP) - At least 500 rebels on Wednesday crossed the Turkish border heading for the Syrian town of Azaz in northern Aleppo province, a monitor said, where opposition forces have suffered setbacks at the hands of Kurdish forces. "At least 500 rebels have crossed the Bab al-Salam border crossing on their way to the town of Azaz, from which they want to help the insurgents in the face of gains made by Kurdish forces in the north of the province," the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel, told AFP. They include rebels as well as Islamist fighters, all of them armed, he added. This is the second time in days a large group of rebels has crossed the border, after almost 350 passed through the Atme border crossing on February 14 armed with heavy and light weapons. Opposition forces have lost ground to government troops in northern Aleppo province since they began a major offensive in the former rebel bastion backed by Russian air strikes. Pressing their advantage, Kurdish forces have been taking ground in the fragmented region, most notably the city of Tal Rifaat, as they seek to carve out their own autonomous state. The rebels now hold only the town of Azaz, not far from the Turkish border, and to the south Marea, which is currently almost encircled by Kurdish forces to the west and Islamic State fighters to the east. Alarmed by the Kurds' gains close to its border, Turkey, which supports the groups opposing Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, continued shelling their positions in Syria for a fifth day. You may think that once you buy homeowners insurance you are covered for every possible peril, from natural disasters to fire to lightning to theft. But a regular homeowners policy doesn't cover all types of damage and losses, which means you may need to consider additional coverage. "It begins with understanding what a traditional standard homeowners policy covers," says Laura Adams, senior consumer analyst for insuranceQuotes, an insurance shopping portal. The two major perils that aren't covered by a standard homeowners policy are earthquakes and floods, a fact that many homeowners discovered too late after Superstorm Sandy in 2012. If a storm tears off your roof and water pours in, that's usually covered by homeowners insurance. If water comes up from the ground, it isn't covered, unless you have flood insurance. "That's something that a lot of people didn't think of," says Michael Thrasher, research analyst for ValuePenguin, which provides referrals to service providers. "There hadn't been a flood [in the New York and New Jersey area] in most people's lifetimes." The Federal Emergency Management Agency publishes flood maps of the U.S., and it's worth checking with your insurance agent and your neighbors about your risk level. If your home falls in a flood zone and you have a mortgage, your lender will usually insist that you have flood coverage. But flooding also occurs outside those zones, including inland areas, says Michael Barry, vice president of media relations for the Insurance Information Institute, an industry-funded consumer education organization. "Just because you're not in a FEMA-designated flood zone doesn't mean your property isn't subject to flooding," he says. Most homeowners policies don't cover earthquakes, but you can buy a separate policy or an endorsement. While California is the state most known for earthquakes, only about 10 percent of homes there carry earthquake insurance, according to the Insurance Information Institute. "A lot of people are turned off by the very high deductibles," Barry says. Deductibles can range from 5 to 25 percent of the insured value, according to the California Earthquake Authority. Story continues Hurricanes are covered by most homeowner policies, though in some hurricane-prone states there is a separate deductible, and in a few coastal areas windstorm policies are separate from homeowner policies. Insurance is regulated by the states, and each policy is different, so a local agent is your best source of information on what coverage is needed where you live. "They understand what claims are filed in your area and what claims are common in your area," Thrasher says. You may also need riders or endorsements, essentially extra coverage added to your policy, to cover valuable items with coverage limits, including jewelry, firearms, furs, art, sporting equipment or collectibles. If you operate a business from your home, ask your agent if you need additional coverage. A standard homeowners policy may not cover business equipment or inventory, and it may not provide the level of liability coverage you need. If you turn your home into a rental property, you may need a different kind of insurance. A landlord's policy, for example, does not cover the home's contents, which means your tenants will need their own renters insurance policies. Since some homeowners policies don't cover vacant homes, you would need to find a company or policy that does. For vacation homes, you might need to purchase one kind of policy if you're renting out the home or another type if you're leaving it vacant much of the time. "Any time you don't live in the home ... you either need a different type of insurance or you need to adjust the coverage you have," Adams says. Here are six types of insurance or riders you may need beyond a basic homeowners policy: Flood insurance. About 20 percent of flood claims come from areas designated low or moderate risk, according to the National Flood Insurance Program. High-risk areas have a 25 percent chance of flooding during a 30-year mortgage. You can check your home's risk at floodsmart.gov. You can buy a flood policy through your insurance agent to fill in the gaps in your homeowners policy. "It does not cover water damage that comes from the ground," Adams says. "People just assume if it's water, it's going to be covered ... Way too late, they realize it's not covered." Earthquake insurance. Standard homeowners policies don't cover earthquake damage, though most cover damage from fires caused by earthquakes. You can buy a separate earthquake policy or rider from your insurance agent. Home business coverage. If you are running a small business out of your home, you may need special coverage for business inventory or liability. Exactly what coverage is the best fit will depend on the type of business and your homeowners policy. Riders for valuable items. Your policy may limit coverage for jewelry, collectibles, firearms, furs, silverware, gold coins, art and other valuable items. "If you've got more than that, you probably need a rider," Adams says. "That's an area where a lot of people need more coverage." Sewer backup and sump pump failure rider. Water damage from sewer backups is not covered by homeowners insurance or flood insurance. But you can buy a rider at a nominal cost to provide that coverage. Umbrella liability policy. A homeowners policy usually limits your liability coverage to $100,000, though you can choose a higher amount. This covers you if someone is injured on your property or if you are sued. People with sizeable assets may want to consider an umbrella liability policy with an additional $1 million in coverage. Teresa Mears writes about personal finance, real estate and retirement for U.S. News and other publications. She's also written for MSN Money, The Miami Herald, The New York Times and The Boston Globe. She publishes Living on the Cheap and Miami on the Cheap. Follow her on Twitter @TeresaMears. Paris (AFP) - Shares in Air France-KLM soared Thursday after the group posted its first annual operating profit since 2008 as reduced costs, notably lower fuel prices, outweighed a blow to sales from the November Paris attacks. The stock price of Europe's largest carrier was up 9.4 percent to 8.15 euros two hours into trading, as the carrier unveiled net 2015 profits of 118 million euros ($131 million). "The group has published results which outstrip expectations," said analysts at broker Aurel BGC. The airline had posted a 225-million-euro loss in 2014. The French-Dutch group was badly hit by the Islamist attacks on Paris in November, with an estimated 70 million euros slashed from that month's revenues. The carrier said the effect had largely worn off by year-end but put the overall impact at some 120 million euros. Hotel group AccorHotels, in its own earnings report, also cited the effect of the November 13 attacks, saying they contributed to a sales drop of 0.5 percent last year in France. Posting a 9.4 percent net rise in annual profits to 244 million euros the AccorHotels group blamed the attacks for fourth quarter sales being down 6.6 percent, despite strong hotel room demand from Paris hosting the COP21 environmental talks. The hotel group, Europe's biggest, said revenue per room, combining occupancy levels and average price paid, dipped 4.0 percent in November and then 7.0 in December after the attacks which killed 130 people. Air France-KLM Chief financial officer Pierre-Francois Riolacci indicated lower fuel costs were clearly a boon, cutting the 2015 bill by 450 million euros, with the 2016 gain set to be around $2 billion. Chairman and CEO Alexandre de Juniac had said in January he expected a return to the black due to restructuring measures and the "favourable environment" of lower fuel prices. But the carrier said it remained cautious on this year owing to economic uncertainty. "We shall not pare back our ambition to improve our competitive position while economic and geopolitical uncertainties remain high," said De Juniac. Story continues The chairman said management had to be vigilant as the group continues to "negotiate agreements with our staff that target an improvement in our competitive position" vis-a-vis European rivals. Last year saw the carrier engaged in at times bitter talks with staff as it looks to push through its "Perform 2020" growth plan. In October, six workers were arrested after staff ripped off executives' shirts in an angry protest over 2,900 planned redundancies. Management last month unveiled a fresh 2017-2020 growth plan comprising 1,600 voluntary departures by the end of next year, according to union sources. Air France is facing tough competition from Gulf-based competitors for long-haul business and from low-cost rivals for short-haul market share. Shanghai (AFP) - Apple on Thursday launched its mobile payment service Apple Pay in China, pitting the US technology giant against strong domestic rivals in a large but already crowded market. Success in the world's second-largest economy is crucial for the California-based firm. Apple Pay is available in only a few other countries including the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia. But unlike most other countries, mobile payment systems are already well-established in China and Apple does not have a first-mover advantage. "Can't wait for you to try it and see how incredibly easy it is to use!" Apple chief executive Tim Cook said of the service on a verified China microblog. Some users complained of difficulties linking their bank cards, the key step to using the payment service, apparently because people rushed to sign up. "Apple Pay, I have already waited a long time for you in vain. But your back-end technology basically cannot survive in this hot spot China," said one in a microblog posting under the name Erzi Wangpeng. China had 359 million online payment users in mid-2015, up almost 18 percent in six months, according to the state-backed China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). China's mobile transactions were valued at some 9.3 trillion yuan ($1.4 trillion) last year, up an annual 57 percent, one industry estimate showed. The dominant mobile and online payment providers are e-commerce giant Alibaba with nearly three-quarters of the market, followed by Tencent -- operator of the popular messaging app WeChat -- which has some 17 percent, according to Beijing-based BigData Research. The Apple brand commands a strong following in China, especially as a status symbol among the emerging middle class, with reports circulating of people selling their kidneys to buy iPhones in recent years. - Intense competition - Ray Zhao, an Internet industry analyst at Guotai Junan Securities, told AFP: "There is still a chance for Apple Pay to grab some market share. Some loyal Apple users may prefer using it instead of other payment tools. Story continues "But the space for Apple Pay is still small," he added. Analysts said Apple's iOS system could provide better security for transactions, but most Chinese people use Android phones, ruling them out as Apple Pay users. Tencent and Alibaba's Alipay squared off during the recent Lunar New Year, encouraging users to send billions of "red envelopes" -- cash gifts traditionally exchanged over the holiday -- online. Just two days ahead of the Apple Pay launch, Tencent said it would start levying fees for withdrawing funds from its WeChat Wallet, according to a statement, apparently a move to discourage users from leaving. Rival Alipay said it would not charge. Apple has found a powerful partner in China, bank card provider UnionPay, which has links to the central bank but has lagged technology companies in developing online payments, analysts said. "Apple Pay needs to find the right angle to get into the market and it is not as easy as imagined," independent technology analyst Fu Liang told AFP. "China's market competition is very intense and there are at least a dozen strong players." "But the market space is big enough... It won't be dominated by only a few players," he said. You might have heard: The U.S. government wants Apple to unlock an iPhone 5C that belonged to San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook. The order, handed down by a U.S. magistrate judge, demands Apple (AAPL) write new software that would help the FBI get around the passcode so it can search the phone for evidence. And Apple isn't playing ball. The FBI was successful in getting the order issued thanks to a law from 1789 for just this kind of situation: A federal court asking a third party to help a different government entity. But that doesn't matter -- this fight has quickly become an ethical one, and both prominent individuals and corporations are making it clear where they fall based on such lines. So: On which side of the dividing line do the power players in and around Corporate America stand? With Apple: ACLU: The civil rights group released a statement calling the order "an unprecedented, unwise, and unlawful move by the government." Amnesty International: In a similar statement, Amnesty said that Apple is, "right to fight back in this case: the FBI's request... would set a very dangerous precedent. Such backdoors undermine everyone's security and threaten our right to privacy." Anonymous: On its official Twitter feed, the hacker group has been retweeting Edward Snowden and others sharing concerns about the FBI's request. Anonymous also said the White House, "willfully misrepresents what govt is asking Apple to do in order to expand surveillance powers." Edward Snowden: The privacy crusader said on Twitter that the FBI is "creating a world where citizens rely on Apple to defend their rights, rather than the other way around." He added: "This is the most important tech case in a decade." Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): This digital civil liberties group tweeted that, "Encryption backdoors would harm us all." Google (GOOGL): CEO Sundar Pichai said on Twitter that "forcing companies to enable hacking could compromise users' privacy" and it "could be a troubling precedent." Story continues Information Technology Industry Council, a Washington advocacy group that represents the interests of the likes of Google, Facebook (FB), Microsoft (MSFT), and others, said in a statement that the fight against terrorism, "is actually strengthened by the security tools and technologies created by the technology sector, so we must tread carefully." Microsoft: The company has not issued its own statement, but CEO Satya Nadella retweeted a statement from Reform Government Surveillance, a group in which Microsoft was a founding member. The statement reads, in part, "Technology companies should not be required to build in backdoors to the technologies that keep their users' information secure. RGS companies remain committed to providing law enforcement with the help it needs while protecting the security of their customers and their customers' information." The Verge called it "tepid support" by Microsoft so far. Mozilla, the maker of Firefox: The company tweeted that it stands with Apple, because "we should not set a dangerous precedent." WhatsApp: CEO Jan Koum wrote on Facebook, "I have always admired Tim Cook for his stance on privacy... We must not allow this dangerous precedent to be set. Today our freedom and our liberty is at stake." Twitter and Square: Jack Dorsey, chief executive of both the social network and the payments platform, tweeted on Thursday evening, "We stand with Tim Cook and Apple (and thank him for his leadership)!" Facebook (FB): First, the company released a statement on Thursday just after Jack Dorsey tweeted his support. The statement says: "We condemn terrorism and have total solidarity with victims of terror. Those who seek to praise, promote, or plan terrorist acts have no place on our services. We also appreciate the difficult and essential work of law enforcement to keep people safe. When we receive lawful requests from these authorities we comply. However, we will continue to fight aggressively against requirements for companies to weaken the security of their systems. These demands would create a chilling precedent and obstruct companies efforts to secure their products." Then, at Mobile World Congress 2016 in Barcelona on Monday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, "We're sympathetic to Apple on this. We believe in encryption." John McAfee: The anti-virus computer programmer wrote an entire Op-Ed at the International Business Times on Thursday. The headline declared, "An Apple backdoor is like giving our enemies nukes." He continued that if the government gets what it wants, "Our world, as we know it, is over. In spite of the FBI's claim that they would protect the backdoor we all know that that is impossible." Yahoo: While CEO Marissa Mayer hasn't said anything on the matter, Yahoo's chief information security officer, Bob Lord, tweeted on Friday, "Ordering a company to hack one targeted system is clearly the first step to ordering them to backdoor them all. #slipperySlope #usersfirst." Against Apple: China: Apple CEO Tim Cook writes in his open letter that, "in the wrong hands," software that could bypass the iPhone's passcode would be dangerous. As the New York Times writes, Apple and other tech companies have argued in the past that, "creating an opening in their products for government investigators would also create a vulnerability that Chinese, Iranian, Russian or North Korean hackers could exploit." Indeed, China, as a nation, is likely on the side of the U.S. in this case because it has proven, time and again, that its government does not place a premium on privacy rights and that it often takes its cues from what the U.S. does. If the FBI's order sets the precedent that even the U.S. believes there are moments when it can intervene and force technology companies to sacrifice privacy, China and other nations may follow. National Security Agency: Last year, NSA director Mike Rogers joined FBI director James Comey in warning tech companies against employing encryption models that government and law enforcement cannot break when needed. Donald Trump: In a Fox News appearance, Trump said that he agrees "100 percent" with the court order. "We should open it up," he said about the phone. Bill Gates: The Microsoft co-founder has "broken ranks with Silicon Valley," as the FT put it, by siding with the FBI. He told the paper, "It is no different than [the question of] should anybody ever have been able to tell the phone company to get information, should anybody be able to get at bank records. Lets say the bank had tied a ribbon round the disk drive and said, Dont make me cut this ribbon because youll make me cut it many times.' This is a specific case where the government is asking for access to information. They are not asking for some general thing, they are asking for a particular case." The White House: Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the FBI has the White House's full support in this fight, and defended the order based on its scope, saying the government is "simply asking for something that would have an impact on this one device." So the U.S. government is going up against Apple. And the government's associated arms and entities are, understandably, on the side of the order. But technology companies, and civil rights groups, are almost across the board staunchly siding with Apple. Yahoo Finance will continue to update this post as more executives and companies make clear where they stand. It was last updated at 8:10am EST on Feb. 23. -- Daniel Roberts is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering sports business and technology. Read more: How big banks are paying empty lip service to the blockchain Why Apple and Uber are betting on first Super Bowl sponsorship This app wants to be the Netflix of news video Facebook's new sports feature is bad news for Twitter Washington (AFP) - Apple chief Tim Cook is taking on the US government on encryption, in the latest and biggest challenge for the CEO who is no stranger to corporate activism. Cook has put himself at the center of debates before now on gay rights, same-sex marriage, climate change and other issues. And he has been one of Silicon Valley's most outspoken advocates for encryption as a means to safeguard personal privacy and security, even if it means being branded as a supporter of bad actors. But Apple's challenge of a court order to unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino killers opens up a new front in the long-running battle. Cook is facing risks in the latest battle as Apple also seeks to hold its standing as one of the world's most important innovators and the most valuable company -- a crown it briefly lost and regained within the past month. "I'm just a tiny bit worried about Tim Cook drawing such a stark line in the sand with this case," said Ben Thompson, a technology consultant who briefly worked at Apple, on his Stratechery blog. "The PR optics could not possibly be worse for Apple. It's a case of domestic terrorism with a clear cut bad guy and a warrant that no one could object to, and Apple is capable of fulfilling the request." A California magistrate on Tuesday ordered Apple to provide "reasonable technical assistance" to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation to break into an iPhone used by one of the shooters in the deadly December rampage that killed 14 people and has been linked to supporters of the Islamic State organization. Cook called it "an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers," and said the order "has implications far beyond the legal case at hand." - Battle for hearts, minds - Apple -- and Cook -- have drawn widespread praise from civil liberties advocates and industry leaders who claim that any weakening of encryption could be devastating for all technology products. Story continues Google chief executive Sundar Pichai leant high-profile support to Cook with a series of tweets late Wednesday. "We build secure products to keep your information safe and we give law enforcement access to data based on valid legal orders," he said. "But that's wholly different than requiring companies to enable hacking of customer devices & data. Could be a troubling precedent." Alex Abdo of the American Civil Liberties Union also rallied to Apple's side, warning "If the FBI can force Apple to hack into its customers' devices, then so too can every repressive regime in the rest of the world". But both Cook and Apple have also drawn fire from some who claim their failure to assist in the probe is damaging to national security. "Apple chose to protect a dead ISIS terrorist's privacy over the security of the American people," said Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, using an acronym for the Islamic State group. "Regrettably, the position Tim Cook and Apple have taken shows that they are unwilling to compromise and that legislation is likely the only way to resolve this issue." Pace University computer forensics professor Darren Hayes, who has worked as a consultant to law enforcement, also said Apple may be out of touch. "I think that the public, once they become more educated about what is happening, might change their stance about Apple," Hayes said. Tech consultant Thompson suggested Cook could take a more pragmatic approach by cooperating "and then save the rhetorical gun powder" for a bigger request to insert a "backdoor" into the newest iPhones. - 'Responsibility to lead' - But others believe Apple and Cook will prevail in the court of public opinion. "Tim Cook is upholding values that we cherish, like liberty and freedom, particularly now when people are more suspicious about the government," said Roger Kay, an analyst and consultant with Endpoint Technologies Associates. "From a PR perspective, I think the government is overplaying its hand." Mark MacCarthy of the Software & Information Industry Association, which represents some 800 tech companies, said the government is taking a position which is "overbroad and unwise" and added that if it prevails, "it will ultimately affect the trustworthiness of every device where data is secured." Kay noted that Cook has been willing take strong positions on public policy issues, more than his predecessor, the late Steve Jobs. His high-profile stand coincides with similar efforts by some of his Silicon Valley counterparts, like Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg on education and philanthropy and others in the areas of privacy and conflict-free minerals. "I think Tim Cook believes that he has a responsibility as the head of a large corporation to lead in a general way," Kay said. Cook's position does not conflict with his responsibility to shareholders, according to Kay, and may even help Apple's image. "If the government can't get in without Apple's help, that speaks well for Apple's technology," he said. By Matt Siegel SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton on Thursday rejected charges his country was dragging its feet in resettling refugees from Syria and Iraq, having resettled just 26 in the same time it took Canada to process 26,000. Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott last September pledged to accept 12,000 refugees from Syria on top of Australia's current humanitarian intake program of 13,750 people. Dutton said the pace of resettlements was determined on national security grounds. Border security is a hot-button political issue in Australia, which is scheduled to hold a national election later in the year. "The Australian public demands that the government does everything possible to make sure that first and foremost our national security is protected and secondly to make sure that we're bringing the right people into our country so that they can start a new life," he told reporters in Washington. At a Senate estimates hearing last week, immigration officials said just 26 Syrian refugees had arrived since the 12,000 intake was announced in September. According to the Canadian government's main website, 21,313 refugees have been resettled since November, while a further 4,687 have had their asylum applications approved but not yet arrived. The Refugee Council of Australia noted that neighboring New Zealand had resettled 82 of 200 Syrian refugees it agreed to accept last year under a similar program. "Our government is dragging its feet while the rest of the world is acting much more quickly to meet their promises," said refugee council chief Paul Power. "It is a shame for all concerned that the Australian resettlement program is so bogged down in bureaucratic delays, when the governments of Canada and New Zealand have proven that it is possible to move much more swiftly." The Australian decision to accept 12,000 people fleeing Syria and Iraq came in response to a call by the United Nations for more cohesive asylum policies to deal with the growing numbers of refugees flooding into Europe to escape the four-year-old Syrian conflict. The number of asylum seekers trying to reach Australia is small in comparison with those arriving in Europe, but under its tough immigration policies, anyone intercepted trying to reach the country by boat is sent for processing to camps in Nauru and Papua New Guinea's Manus Island. They are never eligible to be resettled in Australia. Australia's High Court this month rejected a legal test case that challenged its right to deport 267 refugee children and their families who had been brought from Nauru, about 3,000 km (1,800 miles) northeast of Australia, for medical treatment. (Reporting by Matt Siegel; Editing by Michael Perry) United Nations (United States) (AFP) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging Syria's warring sides and the countries backing them to turn away from the "bankrupt logic of a military victory" and work to find a peace settlement, according to a report to the Security Council. Ban warned that the recent upsurge in fighting in northern Aleppo province risked derailing efforts by UN envoy Staffan de Mistura to convene a new round of peace talks on February 25. "Rarely is the international community and this council presented with as stark a choice as the one it now has before it," Ban said in the report obtained by AFP on Thursday. On the one hand, world powers can press ahead with agreements on humanitarian aid, work to de-escalate violence, fight terrorism and resume negotiations, he said. "On the other, the Syrian parties and their supporters can continue to pursue the bankrupt logic of a military victory", he added. That option has "already led to the deaths of over 250,000 Syrians, the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time, and the creation of safe havens for terrorist organizations" such as the Islamic State group and Al-Nusra Front, said Ban. The warning came as Turkey pushed for a ground operation in Syria with its allies and Saudi Arabia said it was ready to send forces as part of the US-led coalition. The report was the first by the UN chief since the council adopted a resolution in December that laid out a roadmap to end the nearly five-year war in Syria. At their meeting in Munich last week, the 17-nation group backing Syria's peace process agreed to work for a ceasefire, the lifting of starvation sieges and the resumption of talks. Ban renewed his call to the council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court to ensure those responsible for "appalling crimes" face justice. The council is expected to hear a report from De Mistura on Wednesday. In a lawsuit, Bill Cosby accuses former Temple University employee Andrea Constand and those around her of breaching a confidential 2006 settlement. The Hollywood Reporter first detailed that Cosby was suing under the cloak of seal. The judge ordered a redacted version. On Thursday, Cosby's attorneys lodged this in Pennsylvania federal court, and it makes clear Cosby's goal of keeping quiet the woman who is at the center of a pending criminal charge against him. Also being sued is the parent company of National Enquirer as well as Constand's mother and two of her attorneys, Delores Troiani and Bebe Kivitz. "Defendants are blatantly violating their confidentiality obligations under the 2006 Confidential Settlement Agreement, including by intentionally disclosing information they promised to keep confidential as consideration for the settlement," states the lawsuit. "Defendants should be enjoined from further violations. Defendants and each of them should also be liable for damages caused by their prior breaches." According to Cosby's complaint, after the Montgomery County DA in Pennsylvania re-opened a criminal investigation of sexual abuse allegations made by Constand, Troiani "turned her files over" despite allegedly being expressly prohibited to do so by terms of the contract. Troiani is also said to have disclosed the settlement. Cosby's lawsuit also discusses the way that the The New York Times was able to obtain a full copy of Cosby's decade-old deposition from Constand's lawsuit. Cosby's admission of giving women drugs for the purposes of sex prompted a press firestorm and helped instigate a re-opening of the case. The AP and THR first revealed this. The NYT then gained access to a full copy of the deposition. The newspaper reported at the time that it procured the deposition from a court reporting service. "On information and belief, the deposition transcript was improperly released because Troiani and Kivitz either instructed the Court Reporter to release it, or knowingly failed to use her best efforts to ensure that her vendors comply with the confidentiality provisions of the 2006 Confidential Settlement Agreement," states the complaint. Story continues Cosby is also taking issue with Constand's own defamation lawsuit filed last year against former Montgomery DA Bruce Castor, who originally declined to prosecute Cosby. The entertainer alleges that Constand's complaint "includes information required to be kept confidential," and further, that Troiani and Kivitz wrote an open letter to Castor, published in the Philadelphia Inquirer, that constituted a separate breach of confidentiality. The latest lawsuit also discusses how Constand's mother participated in a profile with The Toronto Sun and how Constand herself did things like tweeting, "I won't go away, there is a lot more I will say." As for American Media, which publishes the National Enquirer and was itself a party to the 2006 settlement agreement thanks to a story it published then about Cosby and allegations swirling around him, Cosby says the publication's breaches are "too voluminous to comprehensively enumerate," but gives some examples including reports of Cosby's depositions in recent articles titled, "World Exclusive: Bill Cosby Will Die in Jail," "Saved by the Bell Star Accuses Bill Cosby, Martin Lawrence, and John Travolta of Abuse," and "99 Victims in 43 Years for Bill Cosby!" Information about what Cosby paid to settle the old Constand civil case appears to be redacted, but Cosby is now seeking restitution plus punitive damages. Here's the full complaint. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Bitcoin mining operation Butterfly Labs and two of its top employees have agreed to settle charges that they deceived customers, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday. Butterfly Labs, its vice president of product development Sonny Vleisides and general manager Darla Drake settled charges that they deceived thousands of customers about the quality of their machines, designed to mine Bitcoin virtual currency, and that they unfairly kept consumers' payments despite failing to deliver the machines as promised. (Reporting by Megan Cassella) Montevideo (AFP) - Sao Paulo suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Bolivian underdogs The Strongest on a night of mixed fortunes for Brazil in South America's most prestigious club competition the Copa Libertadores. A well-worked 62nd minute strike by Uruguayan Matias Alonso settled a fractious encounter at Sao Paulo's Pacaembu Stadium as the Bolivian minnows clinched their first away win in the Libertadores since 1982. The victory represented a huge upset for The Strongest against the Brazilians, who hail from the wealthiest domestic club competition in South America. There was more disappointment for another Brazilian club, Gremio, as they traveled to Mexico to take on Toluca in Group 6. Two second-half goals from Enrique Triverio secured all three points for the Mexicans as Gremio, winners of the competition in 1983 and 1995, struggled to get to grips with the thin air in a game played roughly 2,700 (8,800 feet) above sea level. With Sao Paulo and Gremio both slumping to defeats, it was left to Atletico Mineiro and Corinthians to uphold Brazilian honor. Atletico Mineiro faced a tricky trip across the Andes to take on Peruvian minnows Melgar in Arequipa. Another upset appeared to be on the cards for the home side when Omar Fernandez bundled the ball home from close range in the 12th minute to put Melgar 1-0 up. But Atletico fought back with goals from Rafael Carioca and Patric before half-time as the Brazilian side held on to claim a 2-1 victory. Corinthians were also made to work hard for their 1-0 victory away to Chilean side Cobresal in the mining city of Atacama. The Group 8 match had seemed destined for a goalless draw heading into injury time until Cobresal midfielder Miguel Escalona put through his own net to hand the Brazilian visitors a narrow victory. LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron's attempt to reform Britain's relationship with the European Union is a sideshow, the leader of the Labour Party said, describing a proposed deal on curbing welfare payments to migrants as "largely irrelevant". While Jeremy Corbyn is known as a eurosceptic, the bulk of his MPs support staying in the European Union and he has said the party will campaign for that outcome regardless of the result of Cameron's negotiations. Corbyn past criticisms of Europe have given heart to the eurosceptic camp, underlining how the increasingly emotive and unpredictable in-or-out debate cuts across party lines. Cameron is keen to clinch agreement at a Brussels summit of EU leaders this week that he can call a victory so he can start campaigning to keep Britain in the bloc before a referendum widely expected to be held in late June. "The negotiations David Cameron is conducting on Britain's relationship with the European Union are a theatrical sideshow ... They are not about delivering reforms that would make the EU work better for working people," Corbyn told a meeting of the Party of European Socialists on Thursday. Corbyn said Cameron was only carrying out the renegotiation to appease eurosceptics within his Conservative Party. A proposal to limit some welfare payments to EU migrants in Britain, designed to address voter concern over levels of immigration, was "largely irrelevant to the problems it is supposed to address", he said. "There is no evidence that it will act as a brake on inward migration and it won't put a penny in the pockets of workers in Britain or stop the undercutting of UK wages by the exploitation of migrant workers," he said. "David Cameron's negotiations are a missed opportunity to make the case for the real reforms the EU needs: democratisation, stronger workers' rights, an end to austerity, and a halt to the enforced privatisation of public services." Cameron says he is renegotiating Britain's ties with the European Union to address concerns among voters that welfare payments are drawing high numbers of migrants to the country and that Brussels has too much power. (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Andrew Heavens) By Huw Jones BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A settlement between Britain and the European Union aimed at securing London's future as a financial center could end up having the opposite effect and eroding the influence of the City of London over the long term, regulators and analysts say. EU leaders meet on Thursday and Friday to try to reach a deal aimed at persuading Britons to stay in the bloc when they vote in a referendum on EU membership, most likely in June. There is still disagreement over the safeguards sought by Britain to stop the euro zone from imposing rules on London, the EU's biggest financial center, the latest draft text showed. Regulators, lawmakers and analysts say the settlement in drafts seen so far cements a notion of different rules for countries inside and outside the euro zone. On the surface, this might seem to be to London's advantage. But, regulators and analysts say, such a settlement may, over time, shift the center of gravity of the single market for financial services to the euro zone, leaving Britain less able to set or influence market regulation in the wider EU. Negotiations have focused on ways of allowing Britain to tailor EU banking rules, with France and Germany worried that Britain could introduce rules to favor its cross-border banks, such as HSBC and Barclays, that compete with euro zone lenders. But regulators say this discussion has overlooked a potentially far more important consequence - the impact of giving the European Central Bank similar latitude to tailor rules for euro zone lenders. This, they say, will have a far greater impact. It could over time turn the euro zone into the de facto single capital market. Indeed, the latest version of the settlement has scaled back the leeway for Britain to tailor EU rules. At the same time, the role of the ECB as the group supervisor of big lenders like SocGen, Deutsche Bank and BNP Paribas, has been reinforced. "The UK settlement is a two-way adjustment, not a one-sided one," said Sharon Bowles, former chair of the European Parliament's economic affairs committee. "The previous version was highly ambiguous and anyone who thought it meant big opt outs for the UK was barking up the wrong tree," she said. Further changes could be made in the final text of any overall deal. POWER PLAY The main disagreement to be resolved by EU leaders is over a section that says it would be up to national regulators outside the euro zone to supervise and close down failing banks and other market players such as clearing houses. The latest version insists this would be subject to "the requirements of group and consolidated supervision", meaning a role for the ECB. Also "relevant EU bodies", which would include the ECB, could intervene if financial stability is threatened. "There is serious power play in these new words in the text," said Graham Bishop, who has advised EU institutions on financial regulation. "It gives wriggle room to allow the ECB to have the ability to operate in the interests of financial stability," said Richard Reid, a senior research fellow in regulation at Dundee University's Business School. Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the influential Treasury Select Committee in Britain's parliament, has already asked what the UK stands to gain from the new settlement. (editing by Janet McBride) London (AFP) - A law that can result in people being convicted of murder has been wrongly interpreted by criminal judges for over 30 years, Britain's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. The law on joint enterprise allows judges and juries to convict people of murder if prosecutors can prove they foresaw that their accomplice might commit a crime. Britain's highest court ruled Thursday that courts should view "foresight" of an accomplice only as evidence to be taken into account, not as outright proof of intent. A panel of five Supreme Court justices re-examined the law in October when considering an appeal by a man who was convicted of murder after encouraging a friend to stab a former policeman. Ameen Jogee and Mohammed Hirsi, both in their 20s, were given life sentences in March 2012 after being convicted of murder. The Supreme Court has now allowed Jogee's appeal against conviction, but he will stay in prison while lawyers decide whether he should be retried. Deborah Madden, from the Jengba (Joint Enterprise Not Guilty by Association) campaign, said her group knows of 650 others who may be affected by the ruling. "The joint enterprise rule has been used to get mass convictions without evidence. It has caused devastation for families. We know of 650 people who we think will be affected by the ruling - and we donat know everyone," she told the Guardian. Jengba says it supports over 600 prisoners, one as young as 13, and that almost 80 percent are from black and minority ethnic communities. Ottawa (AFP) - There are 60,000 Inuit in Canada's far north who use nine different writing forms and speak at least as many dialects. Starting Friday, linguists and Inuit regional representatives will meet in Ottawa to try to decide on a common alphabet for Arctic indigenous peoples. The push to establish a standard Inuktitut writing form began last September, based on recommendations in a 2011 report on improving Inuit education. "The Inuit have a universal culture and society, and our language has a common base, but the different dialects can make it difficult to understand each other," Natan Obed, head of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, told AFP. "I would say we get by, but there are limitations." Having a unified system, Obed said, would help to revitalize an ancient language that is also spoken in Alaska, Greenland and Russia, positively impacting Inuit education, culture, governance and business throughout the Arctic. "We could all read in our language and understand each other across our regions," he explained. Inuktitut became fractured in this country over centuries because it was spoken by groups widely dispersed across Canada's vast Arctic that rarely interacted. It splintered further when missionaries developed writing for it based on Latin, as they sought to convert aboriginals to Christianity. Whalers and fur traders also shaped the language. Dialects, meanwhile, have diverged so much that some speakers cannot pronounce sounds from other Arctic regions. Last week, translators and interpreters at a meeting in Iqaluit in Canada's northern Nunavut territory debated using Roman orthography -- the Latin alphabet used to write English and French -- or the triangles, dots and squiggles of syllabics for the new writing system. "It's a controversial issue," Obed said. "Inuit did not have a writing system at all before the arrival of Europeans, so neither is native to our society." Story continues Syllabics are most common in the central and eastern Canadian Arctic while Roman orthography is widely used in western parts. A majority of Inuit use syllabics, which is why they are often associated with Inuit culture, but linguists argued that Roman orthography preferred by Inuit youths is more utilitarian, providing greater access to the language in the digital age. Work on standardizing Inuktitut is expected to wrap up next year. Ottawa (AFP) - Canadian F-18 fighter jets have flown their last raids against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged, authorities said. The final air strikes were against an IS "fighting position in the vicinity of Fallujah," Iraq, a Defense Ministry statement said. The planes flew their last sortie on Sunday, it added. In place of the six F-18 fighter jets, Ottawa said it would triple the number of special forces training Kurdish militia in northern Iraq to about 210. Canadian CC-150T Polaris refueling and CP-140 Aurora surveillance aircraft would continue to play roles in the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group, it said. The withdrawal of Canada's warplanes -- a campaign promise made by Trudeau in the run-up to October legislative elections -- is seen as a symbolic blow against unity in the US-led coalition bombing the IS group in Iraq and Syria. China confirmed it has weapons on a disputed island in the South China Sea, state media said Thursday, as criticism grew over Beijings increased "militarisation" of the strategically vital region. The US and Taiwan both said China had placed missiles on Woody Island, part of the Paracels chain, after Fox News reported the surface-to-air weapons had arrived there in the past week. Beijing confirmed the presence of "weapons" on the island, reported the Global Times newspaper, which has close ties with the ruling Communist party, but stopped short of acknowledging there had been a new missile deployment, saying defence measures there were "nothing new". Vice Admiral Alexander Lopez, the commander of Philippine military forces assigned to guard the country's interests in the South China Sea, outlined the potential regional consequences of the reported Chinese action. "The stability of the region is being threatened because of the deployment of those kinds of weapons," he said Thursday. "You don't deploy those types of weapons unless you intend to use them," he added. China claims all of the Paracels, though Hanoi and Taipei have overlapping claims. Beijing seized several islands there from South Vietnam in a brief, bloody battle in the 1970s. But tensions in the sea -- through which a third of the world's oil passes -- have mounted in recent months after China transformed contested reefs in the Spratly islands further south into artificial islands capable of supporting military facilities. "There is every evidence, every day, that there has been an increase of militarisation of one kind or another. It's of a serious concern," US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters on Wednesday. A US official told AFP that China has deployed surface-to-air missiles on the island. The official said they appeared to be HQ-9s, which have a range of about 200 kilometres (125 miles). Story continues Experts say they could be used to target enemy aircraft. The Fox News report was based on pictures from ImageSat International, which earlier this week released images said to show reclamation work in the Paracels. - 'No militarisation' - Washington says China's actions in the South China Sea threaten free passage in a strategically vital area and has sent warships to sail close to the disputed islands to assert freedom of navigation, raising fears of escalation. "We have said repeatedly with respect to China that the standard that should be applied to all countries with respect to the South China Sea is no militarisation," Kerry said. During a state visit to Washington last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed not to militarise the disputed Spratly island chain. "We had these conversations with the Chinese and I'm confident that over the next days, we will have further very serious conversations on this," Kerry added. The top US diplomat expressed hope that Beijing would work to resolve the maritime disputes "not through unilateral action, not through force, not through militarisation but through diplomacy and by working with other countries and claimants". On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama called for "tangible steps" to lower tensions in the South China Sea. He made the remarks during a meeting in California with 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including Vietnam. The meeting ended with a joint statement calling for the "peaceful resolution" of the myriad competing claims over islands, atolls and reefs in the region. - China threat - Beijing claims nearly all of the South China Sea and insists its island building aims to provide public goods, such as search and rescue facilities, but maintains it has the right to deploy necessary "self-defence" measures there. "China has been deploying national defence facilities on Xisha island for decades, it is nothing new", Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Thursday, using the Chinese name for the Paracels. "Its within Chinas sovereignty. It is legitimate, reasonable and justified", he said, adding "this kind of deployment has nothing to do with militarisation. China's Ministry of Defence confirmed that "China has deployed weapons on the island for a long time", reported the Global Times. It did not specify which weapons were on the island. A Thursday editorial in the newspaper argued that the US has "injected the most military elements in the region". If China has in fact placed surface to air missiles on the island, they might make "jet fighters from the US... feel uneasy when making provocative flights in the region. To us, that's a proper result", the paper said. SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China will give greater financial rewards to innovative academics and small research bodies in a drive to convert interesting scientific ideas into commercial realities and rev up its high-tech industries as wider economic growth stalls. China's State Council said research bodies and university units who transferred their work to outside firms to develop and market should receive no less than half of the net income earned from the product as a reward. China is trying to boost its high-tech industries, from medicines to computer chips, to offset a slowdown in manufacturing and exports that has dragged its economic growth to its slowest level in a quarter of a century. "It is important to speed up the transfer of scientific achievements, open a channel between science and the economy and quickly create a new productive force," the State Council said in a statement late on Wednesday. The announcement, posted on the official central government website, followed a regular State Council meeting presided over by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. Academics would have greater freedom to do part-time work with external firms to develop products, while success in creating products would be taken into account when assessing research bodies and universities, the State Council said. It said China would look to accelerate the creation of pilot zones with preferential tax policies for innovative business, as well as other financial or tax measures to support research units and individuals. In November, China launched a pilot scheme to loosen approvals for new drugs and allow smaller research bodies to apply directly for approvals, part of a drive to create more innovative domestic drug firms. Wang Bin, the deputy head of the China Association for Promotion of Private Sci-Tech Enterprises, told the official Xinhua news agency researchers often worried about getting into commercial projects for fear of harming their academic careers. "The new policies will encourage more to venture into business," he said. (Reporting by Adam Jourdan; Editing by Paul Tait) China on Thursday urged Spain to "safeguard the legal rights and interests" of employees of Chinese megabank ICBC, following their arrest by Spanish authorities on suspicion of laundering tens of millions euros. Spanish police searched the Madrid branch of ICBC Wednesday, arresting five of its directors as part of a probe into the suspected laundering of at least 40 million euros ($44.5 million). "We hope that the Spanish side would deal with the relevant issue in accordance with the law and honestly safeguard the legal rights and interests of Chinese companies", foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said during a regular press briefing. A spokesperson for the bank in Beijing told Chinese media that its Madrid branch will actively cooperate with the investigation, saying that the bank "strictly implements anti-money laundering provisions" and operates in compliance with regulations, adding that the bank's Europe-based lawyers have hurried to Madrid in response to the probe. The bank is suspected of allowing funds earned through the alleged crimes of smuggling, tax fraud and labour exploitation to be transferred "to China in a way that appeared legal", Spanish police said in a statement. "Spain has become an important destination of investment from Chinese companies and financial institutions", Hong said, calling on the country to "safeguard the sound state" of the relationship. Spanish police said the raid was a follow-up to an operation carried out last year that targeted Madrid-based Chinese gangs suspected of importing huge amounts of goods from China without declaring them on customs forms to avoid import and tax duties. The crime groups allegedly deposited their illicit proceeds into ICBC accounts, with the lender accused of sending the funds to China without checking their origin as required by law. ICBC is not the first Chinese bank embroiled in controversy over money-laundering overseas. Story continues Last June Italian prosecutors alleged that the Bank of China was involved in illegal transfers of large sums of money out of the country. A month later the US Federal Reserve faulted China Construction Bank for weaknesses in its anti-money-laundering programme. ICBC is the world's largest bank by market capitalisation. It entered the Spanish market in January 2011 with the inauguration of its branch in Madrid. More than 190,000 Chinese nationals legally live in Spain, making the Chinese immigrant population the fourth largest foreign community in the country, according to Spain's national statistics institute INE. The Chinese firm behind a controversial Myanmar copper mine on Thursday said it plans to start operations in May, a move expected to pose an early challenge to a new government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Angry farmers and activists have repeatedly clashed with authorities in recent years over the Letpadaung copper mine in the central town of Monywa. Several bloody police crackdowns on protests have stirred anti-China sentiment and public alarm over the project, which is a joint venture with the corporate arm of Myanmar's military. After years of construction the mine will swing into operation just weeks after Suu Kyi's new government is formed, threatening to thrust the sensitive issue of Myanmar's relationship with its giant neighbour and key trading partner China to the fore. "We can start production in May," said Dong Yun Fei, Myanmar spokesman of the Chinese firm Wanbao. "We will start to run our production under the new government and I hope for a better future with them," he said, adding that there are "still some problems with local people". "Some of them protest sometimes. The question of how to handle this problem is the business of the government. Only they can solve it," he told AFP. Suu Kyi is carrying the hopes of a nation following a huge election landslide won by her National League for Democracy (NLD) in historic November elections. The party will form a government in April, finalising a prolonged and delicate political transition in a country ruled for decades by a repressive junta that was shunned by Western nations but courted by Beijing. Myanmar has seen major reforms under the outgoing quasi-civilian regime, which replaced outright military rule in 2011, throwing open the doors to international investment in the long-cloistered country. Outgoing president Thein Sein suspended a multi-billion dollar Chinese-backed dam soon after coming into power, signalling a realignment in the country's relationship with Beijing, which had for years sheltered the junta from the full force of Western opprobrium. Story continues But other major infrastructure projects have continued, including the Letpadaung mine and a huge oil and gas pipeline that traverses Myanmar from its southwestern coast to its northern border with China. Letpadaung has been dogged with controversy since 2012 when police tried to clear a protest camp using phosphorous canisters, causing outrage after it left dozens of people with severe burn wounds, including several monks. Suu Kyi led an official probe into that incident, which attracted the ire of activists after it recommended construction be allowed to continue. Wanbao has defended the project and denied any wrongdoing, saying last year that Myanmar stands to receive $140 million a year in tax from the project. But protests have continued and crackdowns -- including the shooting death of a demonstrator in December 2014 -- have also spurred bouts of anti-China demonstrations in Yangon and other major cities that led to activists being imprisoned. Bogota (AFP) - Colombia's defense minister admitted Thursday that members of the national police operated a male prostitution ring but denied top bosses knew about it, after the scandal sparked two high-level resignations. "Internal investigations indicate that there was such a network but that the commanders had no knowledge of it, although it did operate for a time and harmed the institution," minister Luis Carlos Villegas said on the radio. He said the ring broke up "about eight or nine years ago." Colombia's current President Juan Manuel Santos was defense minister at that time, with responsibility for the national police. Colombia's national police chief Rodolfo Palomino resigned on Wednesday after prosecutors launched a probe into allegations that he ran the network dubbed "The Fellowship of the Ring" from 2004 to 2008. Palomino, 58, denied the accusation. Carlos Ferro, 53, resigned as deputy interior minister on Tuesday over the scandal. A video broadcast by Colombian media supposedly showed Ferro in 2008, when he was a senator, discussing male prostitutes. (Repeats item issued earlier, with no change to text. The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.) By Clyde Russell LAUNCESTON, Australia, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Live and don't learn. That should be the motto of commodity producers who attempt to push prices higher by trying a variety of methods to restrict supply. While the call by major producers including Saudi Arabia and Russia to freeze crude oil output at current levels is the headline of the week, it's merely the latest in a long line of attempts to arrest sliding commodity prices. In recent years various governments, producer bodies and even companies have tried to influence commodity markets in their favour, mostly with only very limited success. Thailand tried to push Asian rice prices higher in 2011 by restricting supply in the mistaken belief that this would allow the government to pay for a generous subsidy scheme for farmers. Not only did the plan fail miserably, with rice prices actually falling after a short-lived boost, it led to democratically elected former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra being ousted by the military, a massive build-up in rice stockpiles and the loss of Thailand's status as the top global exporter of the grain. But the rice experience didn't stop Thailand from trying to boost the price of natural rubber, with the military government last year buying up supplies from farmers in order to restrict the amount reaching the open market. Again, the result was only a temporary boost to prices, and this failure followed an earlier attempt by top producers Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia to agree supply quotas. Rubber companies in those countries also had a shot at boosting prices, with 10 producers trying to restrict supply into the SICOM exchange in Singapore, one of the main price-setting processes for rubber in Asia. None of these attempts has done anything to halt the relentless decline in natural rubber prices, with the main SICOM contract trading near lows last seen in late 2008, at the height of the global recession. Story continues The contract is down about 81 percent since the record high reached in early 2011, with the main reason for failure being the inability of producers to stick to supply discipline. INDONESIA'S EXPERIMENT It's not just attempts to restrict commodity supply that have run into problems, witness Indonesia's plan to force the beneficiation of minerals prior to export as part of plans to develop its economy. Indonesia is considering rowing back on rules banning exports of partially processed metal ores, including copper and zinc, as the smelters that should have been built haven't been constructed, mainly as a result of low commodity prices. In 2014 Indonesia, the then top exporter of nickel ore and a major supplier of bauxite, banned the export of metal ores to encourage companies to build smelters, resulting in the loss of billions of dollars in export revenues. While some smelting projects have been completed, many others have been shelved as the economics deteriorated in the face of weak commodity prices. While Indonesia's intervention in the market was directly aimed at boosting prices for metals by restricting the supply of ores, what is instructive is that the market simply found ways to exist without Indonesian supply. Bauxite exports from other producers such as Australia and Malaysia ramped up, as did nickel ore shipments from the Philippines. All Indonesia achieved was the loss of market share and revenue for relatively small investments in processing plants, many of which will struggle to be competitive. It's not only governments that have attempted to lift prices by limiting commodity supply, companies have tried as well. Glencore has probably been the most aggressive in this regard, announcing cutbacks in the output of some of its commodities, including zinc and coal. In October last year the London-listed miner announced that 500,000 tonnes of annualised zinc output would be cut, but once again the impact on prices was only temporary. LME zinc futures did gain some 10 percent in the wake of the announcement, but within a month they were back below the level they were before Glencore's move. What all these attempts at boosting prices show is that it's an incredibly tough ask to exert more than just a fleeting influence on the market. The common thread is that either not enough supply was taken out of the market, or there wasn't sufficient discipline among the producers to make it work. In the current situation of structural oversupply for many commodities, the lesson is that it will take significant and sustained curbs to output that need to be shared by major producers, who have to be determined to stay the course. The move by top oil producers Saudi Arabia and Russia to freeze output has largely been interpreted as the first step in a broader process to build consensus among all major oil exporters to limit production. This is no doubt a reasonable analysis, but how fast a wide-ranging agreement can be reached will determine whether oil producers can defy the precedent of their counterparts in rubber, rice, metals and coal. (Editing by Richard Pullin) Since moving to Singapore, I have noticed how part of the national persona involves having quite spirited opinions about where to find the best of any particular dish as well as regular food snapping (that is taking pics of your meal!) is a standard pastime. That said, at the risk of sounding cynical, with so much choice available, it is easy to see it all as same-same until a Sassy Mama work dinner found us all crowded around a whitewashed table at Crab in da Bag. Crab in da Bag is one of the East Coasts newest restaurant additions, and is bursting with delicious seafood, a super relaxed atmosphere, and all at wallet friendly prices too! And the best bit? You eat everything with your hands! The brainchild of former film producer A P Tan, Crab In Da Bag is nothing I have ever experienced before! The concept is a relatively simple one put your bib on and dig in! The crowd pleasing Louisiana-inspired Caboodle Boil is exactly as the name suggests it includes just about EVERY type of seafood item from their menu. Cooked in a titanic aluminum pot, the Southern Louisiana specialty is literally spilled onto your table, ready for you to dig in! The rest of the menu is up to you to season as you like, theres garlic butter (yes please!), ultimate curry (a must-try signature curry mix) or Crab in da Bags Caboodle Mix a secret combination of local and Louisiana spices (how could we refuse?). The Caboodle Boil3 So what did we Sassy Mamas dine on? We started with Crinkled Cauliflower (interesting!), Crispy Chewy Baby Squids (we loved the balance between the crispy and chewy), Louisiana Garlic Shrimps (to die for!), and Frizzled Silver Fish (my personal favourite). This was followed by the main event Crab in da Bags famous Caboodle Boil. Three words OH MY GOODNESS! It was so good and lip-smacking delicious I struggled to contain myself! King Crab Legs, Sri Lankan Crabs, yabbies, prawns, sausages, corn and potatoes were all competing for our culinary attention, and lets just say its going to take quite a few 10km runs to work off this meal! Story continues Somersby Garlic Prawns But what inspired the extremely congenial Ms. Tan to bring this unique concept dining experience to our little red dot? She explained she just wanted to see people reconnect over good makan and engage in real conversation with each other Forget your phones and devices and just concentrate on the people you are with if only for a meal! (they even provide little boxes to store your beloved phone in so you wont be inclined to use it whilst you are there!). Will this Mama be back? Absolutely! In fact, Im just putting together my guest list now Crab in da Bag Block D, #01-25 Big Splash, 902 East Coast Parkway, Singapore 449875 Tel: (+65) 6440 0083 Facebook page Opening hours Monday closed Tuesday to Friday 4pm-12am Saturday to Sunday 12pm-12am The post Crab in da Bag: eat-with-your-hands seafood on the East Coast appeared first on Sassy Mama Singapore. By Andrew R.C. Marshall BANGKOK (Reuters) - One night last month, Liu Xuehong stood weeping outside the gates of the United Nations headquarters in Bangkok, begging the guards to let her in. The Chinese dissident had received a threatening call from an anonymous Chinese official, and feared that she, like other asylum seekers in Thailand, would be snatched away by agents of China or deported by a Thai junta increasingly allied to it. The U.N. guards refused her entry. "I felt so frustrated," she said, tears streaming down her face. "We still live in fear here." Liu is one of hundreds of Chinese who have fled for Thailand, say human rights groups. It was long considered a refuge, but not anymore. Two Chinese dissidents recently disappeared from Thai soil, only to reappear a few weeks later in China in police custody. Thailand deported two others late last year despite a U.N. plan to resettle them in Canada. "Thailand is no longer a safe haven for Chinese dissidents," said a senior Western diplomatic source based in Beijing. Western governments have expressed concern over China's apparent extra-territorial reach, as President Xi Jinping intensifies a nationwide crackdown on human rights lawyers, journalists and labor activists. China considers many dissidents to be criminals, including those who flee abroad. HONG KONG BOOKSELLER Panitan Wattanayagorn, a top Thai government advisor, said police were "still checking" how the two Chinese dissidents had vanished from the country, and said it was possible one of them had "disappeared (by) himself." As for the two deportations of Chinese refugees in November, Panitan said the Thai government would work more closely with the UNHCR "to prevent this kind of problem". He said China had not applied any pressure. "Thailand decides on its own," he said. Among those who disappeared in Thailand was Gui Minhai, one of five Hong Kong booksellers who have gone missing since late last year. China's Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the disappearances, but has said its law enforcement officials would never do anything illegal, especially overseas. It said the November deportations were handled "in accordance with the law". The Thai junta's seizure of power in 2014 strained ties with the West. As the United States and other countries downgraded political and military ties, the generals forged closer ties with Beijing. China and Thailand held their first joint air force exercise in November. The following month, the two countries agreed to build a $13 billion railway line from the Thai-Lao border to Bangkok. A record 7.9 million Chinese visited Thailand last year, or more than a quarter of the total number of tourists. Last July, Thailand's deported 109 Uighur Muslims to an uncertain fate in China in what the U.N. called "a flagrant violation of international law." FLUSHING OUT DISSIDENTS Dissidents like Liu say the disappearances and deportations are part of a diplomatic and security squeeze by China to flush them out. Aiding them in Thailand, she believes, are Chinese agents posing as asylum-seekers. Liu, 55, was jailed for a month in Beijing in 2014 for "disturbing social order," a catch-all charge often used to suppress human rights activists. But she continued her work until last June, just weeks before the Chinese authorities began arresting hundreds of lawyers, legal assistants and activists in a nationwide crackdown. "Almost all the people around me in China have been arrested," she said. Liu flew to Thailand, where she is now a U.N.-registered refugee awaiting resettlement. She can still be arrested and deported for illegally entering Thailand, which officially doesn't recognize refugee status. Men in cars often follow her through Bangkok, she says. "We have no protection here," said Liu. Liu arrived in Thailand by plane. But other Chinese, too fearful to use their passports, travel overland through ill-policed borders from neighboring countries with the help of human smugglers. FALUN GONG Song Zhiyu, 43, from Hebei Province, is a member of Falun Gong, a religious group banned as a cult in China. He left China on a smuggler's motorbike until reaching the Myanmar town of Mongla. In Mongla, Song telephoned a Thai man known only as "the tour leader" who, in return for 20,000 yuan ($3,000), drove him towards the Thai border. Then Song was spirited across a river into Thailand and hidden in the luggage hold of a Bangkok-bound bus. He spent the next 10 hours bent double. "I thought I would die," he said. About 160 Falun Gong refugees and asylum-seekers are in Thailand, Song said, and in the past, authorities had rarely bothered them. But more than 29 practitioners have been arrested on immigration charges under the military junta, he said. "The Thai and Chinese governments now have a very close relationship," he said. "We are all afraid. Every day is dangerous for us." (Additional reporting by James Pomfret in Hong Kong. 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You further understand that Advance Indiana is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced in your comments. Unlawful, harassing, defamatory, abusive, threatening, harmful, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, racially offensive, or otherwise objectionable comments are not acceptable. If you think any content posted or otherwise included in Advance Indiana violates the guidelines set forth herein, then please alert Advance Indiana. Advance Indiana reserves the right to pre-screen, edit, and remove any post as it deems appropriate. You specifically acknowledge that Advance Indiana has no obligation to display any post submitted or otherwise provided via Advance Indiana. Geneva (AFP) - More than 60 health facilities in Syria supported by the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity were hit in attacks last year, with a dozen completely destroyed, the group said Thursday. In a new report, MSF warned Syria's health infrastructure "has been decimated", with frequent aerial assaults and shelling of hospitals and clinics, in violation of international law. The report comes days after an MSF-supported facility in the northwestern province of Idlib was hit in an air strike that killed 25 people. MSF did not assign definitive blame for the strikes, but the organisation's president, Joanne Liu, told reporters in Geneva that the "attack can only be considered deliberate. "It was probably carried out by the Syrian-government-led coalition that is predominantly active in the region," she said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said it appeared to have been carried out by Russian warplanes waging an aerial campaign in support of Damascus. Moscow has denied the claim. Liu was cautious on the question of Russia's possible involvement, stressing that for MSF the priority was for "the facts to be established." She voiced hope that an independent investigative body could conduct an inquiry but noted that without the consent of state-parties, including the Damascus government, the prospect of a probe were dim. MSF, Liu said, does not "want to become 'investigators without borders'" and was counting on the international community to find out who was responsible. - Syria 'a kill box' - The MSF report said 63 facilities it supports in north, northwestern, and central Syria had been hit in a total of 93 aerial and shelling attacks throughout 2015, with 12 completely destroyed. A total of 23 health workers at the facilities were killed and another 58 were injured in the attacks, the group said. The charity further said it recorded 7,009 deaths and 154,647 wounded last year alone in 70 of the Syrian hospitals and clinics it supports. Story continues "The figures for us are really, really appalling and unprecedented in terms of war wounded... 155,000 (injured) is something we have never seen in 44 years of work for MSF," Liu said. "Syria is a kill box." Between 30 and 40 percent of those casualties were women and children, "indicating that civilian areas were consistently hit by aerial bombardments and other forms of attack," MSF said. The group noted that its report only covered a fraction of all the health facilities in Syria, and did not account for deaths outside clinics or from war-related issues like malnutrition or lack of appropriate treatment. All the facilities supported by MSF are located in opposition-held areas of Syria because the group does not have government permission to work in regime-held regions and does not operate in territory held by the Islamic State (IS) group. - 'Targeted attacks' - The group said several of the strikes at hospitals it supports were so-called "double-tap" attacks, in which a second strike followed shortly after the first, increasing the chances of casualties among those responding to the initial incident. "This indicates that in some instances the attacks go beyond indiscriminate violence, using targeted attacks against rescue workers -- including medical responders -- as a method of war," MSF said. Given the relentless pace at which health facilities have been struck, Liu said MSF was having an internal debate on whether it should share the GPS coordinates of health facilities with the warring parties. "Right now, it's the hot topic in my organisation," she told reporters. MSF officials said they did not share the GPS coordinates of the Idlib hospital with Russia. That decision followed consultations with hospital staff, who said sharing the coordinates could heighten insecurity, Liu said. Since it began with anti-government protests in March 2011, the war has evolved in a multi-front conflict involving the Syrian regime, rebels, Kurdish forces and jihadists. A US-led coalition is carrying out air strikes against IS in the country, and since September, Russia has also been waging an aerial campaign in support of the government in Damascus. More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syria since the war began, including more than 76,000 civilians. Cairo (AFP) - Egypt's political and religious elite turned out Thursday for the funeral of former UN secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who steered the world body through several global conflicts during one of its toughest periods. The Egyptian diplomat, who became the first African secretary-general in 1992, died in Cairo on Tuesday aged 93. He was given an elaborate military send-off attended by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The ceremony in a prominent Cairo mosque was also attended by Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayib, the head of Sunni Islam's seat of learning, Al-Azhar, and Coptic Pope Tawadros II. Boutros-Ghali's coffin, draped in the Egyptian flag, was later carried to the city's main cathedral for a Christian service led by the pope and attended by Egyptian, European and African diplomats. Boutros-Ghali remained "a man faithful to his nation... and who advocated peace at every position he held," said Pope Tawadros II at the service. "Egypt has lost one of its symbols, one of its best leaders, an example of patriotism," Amr Mussa, former head of the Arab League, told mourners. Boutros-Ghali's tenure as UN chief began in 1992 but ended abruptly in 1996 when the United States vetoed his second term. Following his death on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described Boutros-Ghali as a respected statesman and scholar of international law who brought "formidable experience and intellectual power" to the top UN job. A former foreign minister, the veteran diplomat headed the world body during one of its most difficult periods marked by crises in Somalia, Rwanda, the Middle East and the former Yugoslavia. After a series of clashes with the US administration, Washington turned against Boutros-Ghali and decided to back Ghanaian Kofi Annan for the top post in late 1996. Under Boutros-Ghali's tenure, the United Nations expanded its peacekeeping missions but a retreat from Rwanda ahead of the 1994 genocide and from the Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica a year later were seen as dismal failures. Story continues Relations with the United States began to sour in late 1993, when a US-led operation in Somalia led to major casualties among American troops. There was also friction over UN sanctions against the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, which had invaded and was ejected from Kuwait a year before Boutros-Ghali took up his post. When his candidacy for a second term was vetoed, Boutros-Ghali felt that he was being punished for pushing UN member states to pay their membership arrears -- an issue on which the United States has long been a laggard -- and for condemning Israeli actions in southern Lebanon. Boutros-Ghali was born on November 14, 1922 into a Coptic Christian family in Cairo. He was educated at Cairo University and in Paris, where he established a lifelong connection with France. He is survived by his Jewish wife Leia Maria. They had no children. A video showing the hideout of Joaquin Guzman Loera (aka El Chapo), filmed October 6 by the Mexican navy and broadcast by the Mexican newspaper El Universal, is incredible for its details. Films shot by law enforcement in the hideouts of mafia bosses are usually very similartheres great excitement, even when, as on this occasion, security forces suspect that the boss and those who helped him while he was on the run are long gone. Theres the care taken not to touch anything: Thats why they usually enter with video cameras rolling, so that everything is documented; so that nothing, even the smallest clue, can be removed or misplaced. You can always hear the breath of the person behind the camera, who is usually filming with one hand and holding his weapon with the other. The video you can watch above of the unsuccessful raid on El Chapos hideout three months before his capture opens with an aerial shot of Las Piedrosas, a town in the Mexican mountain range called Sierra Madre Occidental. Then it cuts to the events on the ground: Armed men come out of a helicopter, hunting for something. When they get inside a one-story building in the middle of a clearing, we can see a spartan kitchen, spartan like the rest of the dwelling. And then a room with raw plaster walls, and a clothes rack with brightly colored shirts, a dozen of them. The first, closest to the door, seems to be the exact one El Chapo had worn only four days earlier, during an interview with actor Sean Penn for Rolling Stone. (The brand is Barabas.) The flat-screen TV on the wall, along with the shirts, seems surreal in such simple surroundings. And then we see two beds made of concrete, one of which is covered with a dark sheet. On that bed, there is a pale duvet, a blue backpack, some toilet paper and my book about the global drug trade: ZeroZeroZero, a significant part of which is devoted to Mexico and, therefore, to El Chapo. To his rise, to his business endeavors and to his spectacular criminal career, but also to his cartels internal struggles and to the need for a successor. Story continues El Chapos prison breakouts dont surprise me as much as his arrests, which seem to owe more to the internal demands of the Sinaloa cartel than to the investigative work of the Mexican police. In the past few years, while the boss has been in and out of prison, the cartel hasnt suffered significant upheaval because in its upper ranks a strong, unyielding and much more discreet leader remained: Ismael El Mayo Zambada, the brain and, most likely, new leader of the organization. The command certainly will not be passed on to El Chapos sons, Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo, who seem to be victims of exhibitionism with no economic vision, traits that are a poor fit for a mafia boss. Fond of luxury, nice cars and beautiful women, they use social media to send threatening messages to the government and to express their blustering desire to show off. However, they appear to have more followers on Twitter than in the organization. In this context, El Chapos arrests and escapes seem like a theatrical spectacle, the plot of which we must strive to interpret beyond the governments Twitter proclamations. 02_26_ElChapo_01 Eduardo Verdugo/AP Mafioso Reading List When El Chapo was captured in January and the October video was released, I was in Italy, where I am guarded at all times because of threats to my life over my first book, Gomorrah, about the Italian Mafia. Italys Carabinieri (military police), who keep close track of anything that involves my security, woke me up in the middle of the night to tell me about the film. I admit that my first reaction was surprise. Was El Chapo in such a hurry to get away that he didnt touch anything, or did he want to leave clues behind? I didnt wonder about it much, but Ive heard a great range of hypotheses about why my book was there. One theory concerns my appearance on Mexican TV: In interviews after El Chapos previous capture in February 2014, I had pointed out the pressing need to extradite him to the United States. Perhaps his lawyer procured the book to offer him further information about me and what I had written about him. 02_26_ElChapo_03 Manuel Velasquez/Anadolu Agency/Getty Some people say he was worried about the ZeroZeroZero TV series, a French-Italian joint venture currently in the writing stage and due to air in 2018. Others say the book belonged to his son, who had seen my interview on CNN. Other hypotheses range from speculation that Penn gave it to him to the absurd suggestion that El Chapo was a source for my book. Regardless of the theories, I felt as though my work had been sullied, as though it had attracted the attention of the wrong person. El Chapo knows El Chapos life. He knows cocaines power. He doesnt need me to explain those things to him. My book was directed at others, and yet I had to once again contemplate the natural interest all bosses have in knowing and controlling what is said and written about them. And not only thatI also had to account for the habit of fugitive bosses to read, to keep books with them, to study, to listen to classical music. Fiction has accustomed us to the idea of mafiosi as criminal animals, mostly uneducated, but thats never been the case, and today, more than ever, its not the case. 02_26_ElChapo_06 Devin Yalkin for Newsweek Gabriel Garcia Marquezs One Hundred Years of Solitude and a book by Italo Calvino were found in the bunker of Pasquale Condello, boss of Italys Ndrangheta mob, and Camorra boss Francesco Schiavone, known as Sandokan, had dozens of essays on Napoleon. Cosa Nostra boss Pietro Aglieri read only theological works, favoring Saint Augustine. The Camorrista Raffaele Cutolo had Hobbes, Platos Republic and Hitlers Mein Kampf in his cell. Mafia bosses are experienced businessmen who read, examine, study, analyze and try to use the information circulating about them to construct a twin narrative. On the one hand, it must present them to civil society as men who have tons of women and money and are forced into criminal choices by the worlds iniquity. On the other hand, it must give a forceful and unequivocal message to their members and rivals alike: I am the strongest and most brutal. I punish and seek revenge. They write about my monstrosity, so fear me. Thats why, when approaching a project dealing with criminal power, the first task of a journalist, screenwriter and even a director is to read. One must study not only criminal history but also, and above all, the ways in which mafias have learned to communicate with their members and with the rest of the world. Because mafias do communicate, continually, utilizing the most popular channels, including social media, to create consensus, to legitimize themselves and to terrorize. Its no surprise that El Chapo was thinking about a film to tell his story; its no surprise that he wanted to meet Sean Penn, a famous Hollywood actor. This was not about vanity but about his need to come out in the open, to tell his story, to send a strong signal: Im alive. Im here. Im not hiding like a rat. Im the strongest. Bosses want movies about themselves not because they think they can improve their image but because they know it is the only way to make others clearly perceive them as the real main characters of this world. In an article, or during a trial, a boss is reduced to only one dimension. But in a film or a TV series, even when the protagonist is a murderer, a criminal, he may nevertheless be observed from multiple points of view. Michael Corleone, Tony Soprano and Tony Montana are all lead characters who thrill audiences because they are complicated, strong and vulnerable. 02_26_ElChapo_05 Marco Ugarte/AP When Rolling Stone published Penns interview with El Chapo, the reactions were immediate. The first and most common was annoyance: What does Sean Penn have to do with the Mexican mafia? Why him? Why not a journalist or writer who works on these issues? And why did Mexican actress Kate del Castillo arrange the meeting? Why didnt a lawyer act as mediator? El Chapos desire to stand out and be interviewed and the plans for a film all suggest an apparently vain man who is more likely to follow his whims than to take care of business deals. And yet to anyone who read the interview, the real motive for the choice is clear: El Chapo did not want a difficult interlocutor. Even at the risk of seeming ridiculous, he wanted to tell his story, to talk without being contradicted and without having to respond to sensitive questions about the organization of the Sinaloa cartel, his assets or the code he lives by. If you asked me whether I would have interviewed El Chapo while he was a fugitive, I would respond, Maybe yes, if I had had the real chance to do so without being used as a channel for messages. Penns error was not in doing the interview, nor was it that he refrained from judgment. It was arriving unprepared, unable to ask complex questions. It was a lack of awareness. And that lack of awareness also prevented him from understanding that joining the ranks of writers who take on mafia stories doesn't make you a better person. It doesnt grant you professional recognition or personal prestige. On the contrary, it closes doors, and it exposes you to constant criticisms, not the least of which is that of speculating, exaggerating and inventing. Cutting Deals With Beasts The reality of the global drug trade is so complex and extreme that it sometimes seems unbelievable. Today, Mexico is the center of this world, and El Chapo is its most famous boss. He is living proof that calling the Mexican cartels narcos is inaccurate. They are mafias. The difference is not always clear to those reading the news, but it can be clarified like this: Gangsters are motivated by money; mafiosi are driven to construct a system of power (in which money is only one tool). Understanding the difference is an important step toward grasping why El Chapo is interested in knowing what the world says, thinks and writes about him, as well as why the interview granted to Penn held immense value for him. Why he was interested in producing a film, something that might have compromised his ability to remain on the lam. Why, through his lawyer, he had asked Patrick Radden Keefe to collaborate on a biography. The author and journalist refused, and, writing in The New Yorker, he reflected on a fundamental point: He needed the freedom to be able to talk about the man Joaquin Guzman Loera and not about El Chapothat is, about the myth. 02_26_ElChapo_09 Eduardo Verdugo/AP This distinction is important, especially with respect to the role the United States could, but does not, have in the fight against organized crime. Often governments are moved to act by pressure from public opinion, but in the U.S. public opinion is clueless when it comes to understanding this criminal phenomenon. Americans have a partial vision of mafias and drug trafficking because in the U.S., unlike Mexico or Italy, they dont kill journalists, they dont kill priests, they dont kill judges. And this creates a public perception of the mafia as an organization that is merely theatrical, one that doesnt present a threat to democracy or hold power over life and death. The biggest mistake you can make is to believe that mafia bosses are simply war machines or characters of folklore, because in doing so you underestimate them. The criminal economy is a winning economy; the drug trade totals more than $300 billion a year worldwide, so these bosses inhabit the very top of the pyramid. In the United States, the bloodshed is nothing like that on Mexicos scale; the killing is mostly internal, but the drug lords pollute the economic system: In 2012, banking giant HSBC agreed to pay a fine of $1.92 billion for money laundering linked to drug cartels. Between 2007 and 2008, HSBC Mexico moved $7 billion to the American branch of the bank, a large part of which came from the Sinaloa cartel. In 2009, Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, said there were clear signs that during the global financial crisis many banks were saved thanks to liquid capital from drug trafficking. In 2010, Wachovia Bank agreed to pay the federal authorities $160 million (the result of forfeiture and a fine) for failing to apply the proper anti-money-laundering protocols and allowing transactions linked to drug trafficking. Wachovia, like HSBC, was used by the Sinaloa cartel to launder hundreds of millions of dollars. 02_26_ElChapo_07 Mexican Secretariat of the Navy/The New York Times/Redux The drug lords goal is to reinvest drug trafficking revenue in legal activities. And the American banking system is completely defenseless against this aggression. Additionally, there is a direct link between the survival of Central and South American drug cartels and the United States enforcement strategy. Consider the history of El Mayos son, who, in contrast to El Chapos offspring, seems to be the one with the characteristics of a mafioso chief. His story is worth knowing precisely because it concerns the United States. Up to his arrest in 2009, Vicente Zambada Niebla, known as El Vicentillo (Little Vincent), was a prominent member of the Sinaloa cartel until he was extradited to the U.S. in 2010 to face drug trafficking charges. Once there, he started making devastating statements. For example, he talked about the existence, since the end of the 1990s, of a deal between the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Sinaloa cartel in which the anti-drug agency allegedly guaranteed immunity to the cartels leaders in exchange for information about their rivals. Zambadas trial was delayed multiple times, and in the end he negotiated a plea bargain, pleading guilty and receiving a reduction in his sentence (which could be cut to as little as 10 years, compared with a life sentence) in exchange for not contesting a forfeiture judgment of more than $1.37 billion and pledging to collaborate with U.S. authorities. His story about the deal brokered in the 90s never convinced me in its entirety, but if the DEA did strike an immunity deal with Zambada and the Sinaloa cartel, it would mean the U.S. essentially agreed to allow the cartel to operate undisturbed in Mexico as long as it was subdued on U.S. soil. This is the kind of flawed logic known as the poisoned wellthat is, we poison the wells in Mexico to obtain clean water in the U.S. 02_26_ElChapo_08 Eduardo Verdugo/AP The events surrounding Little Vincents stay in the U.S. demand careful reflection on the future of El Chapo if he is extradited. First of all, even if his lawyers dont put up a fight, the extradition will take at least six months, a period during which Mexico certainly wouldnt be the most secure place for guarding a criminal of his caliber: He could escape again, or he could fall victim to an internal feud behind bars. Then, if he was extradited, the United States would have to prove itself capable of handling El Chapo, granting him a fair trial and keeping him secure in prison. Even more important would be to prevent him continuing to rule the cartel from a prison cell. U.S. authorities would also have to resist the temptation of doing a deal, of pursuing domestic peace at the expense of combating drug trafficking in Mexico. It wont be easy, but it is essential to avoid making such a pact with El Chapo, to understand that a life of crime, a life on the run, a life spent trusting no one and always being ready to sacrifice anyone, including ones own children, transforms a man into something extremely dangerous and decidedly inhuman. The End of What? Immense power, infinite assets: All that is over for El Chapo, at least for now. In January, another video was released, this time filmed in another of his hideouts. A video camera shows us the places where the Mexican boss spent his final moments of liberty. Hes not in the shot. In the shot, there are armed men, weapons firing, shouts, heavy breathing and confused excitement. Again. The video camera frenetically darts around to show all of the exits; nothing can be left to chance. And then another video, very short: A bare-chested El Chapo is transferred from a car to the helicopter that will bring him back to prison. The Sinaloa cartels No. 1 man is once again in captivity. We dont know for how long, but we can follow the moves made by his cartel, which must reorganize, and quickly. Who will succeed El Chapo? His right-hand man El Mayo? And will El Chapos sons sit around and watch that happen, or will they begin a bloody feud? 02_26_ElChapo_10 Devin Yalkin for Newsweek And what can we do? What is our role in all of this? To observe, to be vigilant, to pay attention and to never quit asking questions and looking for answers. To insist that everything be brought into the spotlight because it's in the shadows, in the gray areas, where the most terrible pacts are signed. Roberto Saviano is the author of the books Gomorrah, about the Neapolitan Mafia, and ZeroZeroZero, about the global cocaine trade. Since the publication of Gomorrah in 2006, he has lived under police protection because of threats to his life by the Camorra. This article was translated by Kim Ziegler. Related Articles Rome (AFP) - Italian prosecutors are investigating the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for money laundering amid accusations he smuggled large amounts of cash into the country, a judicial source told AFP on Thursday. A probe was launched into Bilal Erdogan after Italian authorities were petitioned by Turkish businessman Murat Hakan Uzan -- an exiled political opponent of Erdogan -- to investigate a purported "getaway operation" from Turkey to Italy. Erdogan's son moved to Bologna in August to complete his doctoral studies, but was accused by anti-government parties of fleeing his homeland after being implicated in a corruption scandal. Bilal, who lives in the north Italian city with his wife and two children, insisted he was merely winding up his PhD in international relations at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. The 35-year old was one of the main protagonists implicated in corruption allegations that exploded in December 2013 against the president's inner circle and were bitterly denied by Erdogan, then premier. Leaked tapes emerged in February 2014 of Erdogan allegedly telling Bilal to dispose of some 30 million euros ($37 million) in cash. Erdogan has dismissed the recordings as a "vile montage". Uzan's petition stated that Bilal flew into Italy with a "large sum of money" and a team of armed bodyguards who were denied entry before swiftly being assigned Turkish diplomatic passports, according to Italian media reports. Warsaw (AFP) - The EU border agency Frontex said one of its maritime patrols rescued around 900 migrants on Thursday near the Greek island of Lesbos as weather conditions have made the sea crossing more dangerous. "We're picking up all the migrants we encounter (at sea) because bad weather and cold make the risks much higher now than in the summer," Ewa Moncure told AFP. The migrants were picked up by a Bulgarian ship working in Frontex patrols between the port of Mytilene on Lesbos and the Turkish coast, a distance of around eight kilometres (five miles) During the summer months, up to 7,000 refugees and migrants arrived in EU member Greece every day after making the trip across the Aegean Sea from Turkey in makeshift or overcrowded boats, and many including children have drowned. A photograph of three-year-old Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi, face down in the sand on a Turkish beach, shocked the world when it was published in September 2015 after his family decided to make the risky journey to Greece in an open boat. More than a million people, mostly refugees and migrants from war-torn Syria and Iraq, arrived in the European Unon last year amid the worst crisis of its kind in Europe since World War II. Brussels (AFP) - The EU told Austria Thursday to reconsider its plans to limit asylum claims which it warned would be "plainly incompatible" with European Union laws. The clash came as European Union leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday piled pressure on Turkey to curb the flow of migrants to Europe under a deal signed last year. European migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos complained in a letter to Austria's Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner after she said Wednesday the country would cap the daily number of asylum claims at 80. "Such a policy would be plainly incompatible with Austria's obligations under European and international law," Avramopoulos said in a copy of the letter obtained by AFP. Avramopoulos cited the European Convention on Human Rights, the Geneva Convention and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. "Austria has a legal obligation to accept any asylum application that is made on its territory or at its border," the letter said. "I would urge you to reconsider the unilateral measures which you are proposing." European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker also criticised the proposal. "As far as Austria is concerned I have to say I don't like this decision, we are questioning whether it is within European law, and we will have a friendly discussion," Juncker told a news conference. - 'Reaching breaking point' - Mikl-Leitner said her government had no choice but to introduce the measures taking effect from Friday because Austria is among the EU countries most under strain from the unprecedented migrant influx and is "reaching breaking point." The move came a day after Vienna said it would step up controls at existing checkpoints along its southern frontier with Italy, Slovenia and Hungary to curb the influx of migrants and refugees trekking up through the Balkans. The daily limit on asylum claims is broadly in line with Austria's announcement last month that it would only take in 37,500 asylum-seekers this year -- sharply down from the 90,000 it accepted in 2015. Story continues Since January, the country of nearly nine million has already received 11,000 asylum claims, or around 250 a day. Separately the police chiefs of Austria and four other countries on the migrant route through southeast Europe announced an agreement Thursday for a joint refugee registration point at the Greek-Macedonian border. Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria will jointly profile and register migrants from war-torn countries and then organise their "controlled transport" through to Austria, Croatia's police director Vlado Dominic said. Sweden said it plans to house nearly 1,800 migrants on a luxury cruise ship, as it struggles to cope with its share of the huge migrant influx into Europe. - Pressure on Turkey -- In Brussels, the EU added to pressure on Ankara, as EU officials say thousands of migrants are still crossing the Aegean daily from Turkey after more than one million made the perilous journey last year in the continent's worst such crisis since World War II. Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte, whose government holds the rotating presidency of the EU, said he hoped NATO's announcement last week that it would start naval patrols in the Aegean Sea could make a difference. The latest draft summit conclusions, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, calls for "the full and speedy implementation" of the plan agreed by the EU and Turkey in November last year despite some progress by Ankara. Central European countries said Wednesday they would push for further border restrictions in Europe's passport-free Schengen zone unless they see results from Turkey cutting from the present number of around 1,500 to 2,000 a day. Under the action plan, the EU will give Turkey three billion euros to aid refugees on its territory and Turkey will crack down on people smugglers and cooperate with the EU on the return of people who do not qualify as refugees. Turkey will meanwhile get its wish for the acceleration of its bid for membership of the EU, with only one of 35 so-called "chapters" in the accession process completed in a decade of stop-start talks. (Reuters) - Prosecutors in the federal corruption case against former California Democratic state Senator Leland Yee have asked a judge to sentence him to eight years in prison and a $25,000 fine. Yee, 67, who was arrested in 2014 in a sweep that included suspected leaders of organized crime in San Francisco, pleaded guilty to conspiracy involving bribery, weapons trafficking and money laundering. His guilty plea in federal court in San Francisco last July marked the end of a long political career that included two terms on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, as well as election to the California Assembly and Senate. In a sentencing memo filed in federal court in San Francisco on Wednesday, prosecutors said Yee agreed to exchange official acts for money, in part to retire $70,000 in debts left over from a failed mayoral race. The prosecutors asked Judge Charles Breyer to sentence Yee to 96 months in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $25,000. Yee was the third California state senator charged in 2014 in separate criminal cases. All three eventually left office, costing the Democrats a key two-thirds legislative majority. Yee's sentencing is set for Feb. 24 in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. (Reporting by Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, Calif; Editing by Peter Cooney) By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors are dropping charges against six former employees of the male escort website Rentboy.com who were accused of promoting prostitution, in a case that has outraged gay and civil rights activists, court papers filed Wednesday showed. The six employees were arrested in August along with former Rentboy.com Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Hurant. But while Hurant continues to face charges, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York, moved to dismiss a complaint against the six other defendants. The decision was expected after prosecutors in January secured an indictment from a federal grand jury charging only the company and Hurant, who has pleaded not guilty to charges that he promoted prostitution and engaged in money laundering. At the time of the indictment, a lawyer for one of the six employees, former Rentboy sales agent Clint Calero, said prosecutors had extended his client a non-prosecution agreement. The lawyer, James Roth, said on Wednesday that he was "pleased that the government conceded that Mr. Calero's role as an employee of Rentboy did not warrant criminal prosecution." The decision to drop charges followed criticism among some gay rights activists, who held a protest in September and have questioned why prosecutors targeted the service after it had operated transparently for nearly two decades. The other employees included Michael Belman, Rentboy.com's marketing director; sales agent Diana Mattos; Edward Estanol, an escort who previously coordinated social media; and Marco Decker, an accountant. Lawyers for those five employees did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokeswoman for Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Robert Capers declined comment. Rentboy.com, founded in 1996, became what authorities say was the largest online male escort website, and even hosted an annual escorts awards show called the Hookies. The website carried disclaimers saying its advertisements for escorts were for companionship and not sexual services. But authorities say Rentboy.com was intended primarily to promote prostitution. Story continues Escorts paid at least $59.95 per month and up to several hundred dollars to advertise on Rentboy.com, which attracted 500,000 unique visitors daily and generated more than $10 million from 2010 to 2015, prosecutors said. Critics of the case include The New York Times, which in an editorial in August said prosecutors had not justified shutting down "a company that provided sex workers with a safer alternative to street walking or relying on pimps." (Reporting by Nate Raymond; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Leslie Adler) By Guy Faulconbridge LONDON (Reuters) - Even if David Cameron clinches a deal from 27 other European Union leaders on Friday, Britain's prime minister will still have one important person to win over at home - London Mayor Boris Johnson. The rumpled mayor, who has charmed voters with a buffoonish persona that obscures fierce ambition, has so far refused to endorse a proposed EU deal to keep Britain in the 28-member bloc despite a 40-minute personal briefing from Cameron. "Ill be back no deal as far as I know," quipped Johnson, wearing a woollen hat, after the meeting in Number 10 Downing Street. He has said he would "come off the fence with deafening eclat" after Cameron clinches his deal. Betting odds show gamblers believe Johnson will throw his weight behind EU membership, though if he opposed Cameron on the EU he could deepen a split in the ruling Conservative Party and increase support for the leave campaign. Guardian political commentator Rafael Behr said Johnson was displaying "a pantomime of procrastination" to get the best price from Cameron before finally offering support to stay in. "The Machiavellian explanation has him withholding support for the prime ministers plan when a draft was published this month to raise the price of his eventual endorsement," Behr wrote. "Hardline sceptics have long suspected that he is a pro-European at heart." An Ipsos MORI poll showed Johnson, 51, is second only to Cameron when it comes to swaying public opinion on Europe. One in three voters said Johnson would be important in helping them decide which way to vote, the poll showed. "Boris Johnson has a broad range of appeal both to in and out supporters, Conservatives and non-Conservatives, and whether people have already decided or may change their minds," said Gideon Skinner, Head of Political Research at Ipsos MORI. If Cameron gets a deal at the Brussels Summit, he will return to London on Friday to present it to a cabinet meeting of senior ministers and recommend the government backs a vote to stay in the EU. After that, ministers who disagree with Cameron's position will be able to speak out against EU membership. Johnson, instantly recognisable thanks to his riotous platinum-blond hair, has asked Cameron to give additional guarantees that the British Parliament is sovereign over EU laws, though it is unclear how Cameron will do that. Some Conservative Eurosceptics say more than half of Cameron's lawmakers could vote to leave. But although several ministers are considering backing an EU exit, most of Cameron's most senior colleagues are expected to back his deal. Johnson is no stranger to EU headquarters in Brussels, where he was appointed as a correspondent for the right leaning Daily Telegraph in 1989 aged 24. In his reports, he cast then Commission President Jacques Delors as the creator of a European superstate that was plotting to undermine British interests. But as mayor of London since 2008, Johnson has frequently argued that Britain benefits from being in the EU to influence its decisions. He has been known to wax lyrical on both sides of the debate. On the one hand, he wrote in the Daily Telegraph this month of the "woeful defects of the EU. It is manifestly undemocratic and in some ways getting worse. It is wasteful, expensive and occasionally corrupt." On the other hand, he told Germany's Spiegel magazine last year: "We can't leave Europe. We're part of the European Continent. What is the English Channel? It's a primeval river that got slightly too big." Still, he hedged his bets: "I don't think it would be the end of the world either if we left. I'm going to see what kind of reforms we can achieve." (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Peter Graff) (Reuters) - Iranians will vote in a parliamentary election on February 26, seen as a litmus test for popularity of pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani's policies since his 2013 election. Political infighting has intensified among Iran's faction-ridden elite since a nuclear deal was reached with six major powers last year that led to lifting of crippling sanctions in return for curbing Tehran's nuclear program. The country's top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Rouhani have called for a high turnout after half of the candidates, mostly moderates, were disqualified by a hardline watchdog body, the Guardian Council. Leading pro-reform parties and politicians have criticized the disqualifications, but say that they have no intention of boycotting the vote. The current parliament is dominated by Rouhani's hardline rivals, who reject his economic policy of boosting foreign trade and investment. Following are some facts about Iran's 10th parliamentary election since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. * CANDIDATE VETTING - Candidates for the 290-seat assembly were screened by government-run committees and the Guardian Council, a hardline body of six clerics and six law experts that checks hopefuls for commitment to Islam, their belief in the Velayat-e Faqih (religious system of law) and the pillars of Iran's revolution. - After the vetting process, some 6,300 candidates were allowed to enter the race out of an unprecedented number of more than 12,000 potential hopefuls who registered to run for the elections of parliament and the Assembly of Experts, which has the authority to appoint or dismiss the supreme leader. * MAJOR POLITICAL FACTIONS - Iran has over 250 registered political parties, according to the Interior Ministry. But it has no tradition of disciplined party membership or detailed party platforms. Two main pro-reform parties were banned after the 2009 election that led to hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second-term win. Months of anti-government protests followed. In major cities like Tehran, two main groups have emerged but some candidates are backed by more than one group and allegiances often shift. - The United Front of Principlists: The biggest hardline group, encompassing loyalists to Khamenei, emphasizing Islamic social values and support a free market economy. This group is supported by the establishment's backbone - influential clerics, the elite Revolutionary Guards and powerful bazaar merchants. The coalition includes various parties like the Devotees and Path-seekers of the Islamic Revolution, the Front of Islamic Revolution Stability, Islamic Coalition Party and the Association of Combatant Clergy. They are trying to agree on a united lists for major cities, like Tehran with 30 seats. But they still remain split. - Some pragmatic principlists, most notably parliament speaker Ali Larijani, fall in the middle of Iran's political spectrum, working with both principlists and pro-reform parties. - The Pro-Reform Front: The alliance is made up of members of dozens of parties, including the Union of Islamic Iran People Party, Nedaye Iranian, Iranian-Islamic Freedom Party, Association of Combatant Clerics, Islamic Labor Party and Moderation and Development Party. As most of prominent pro-reform candidates have been disqualified, the main pro-reform parties have agreed on a joint list of candidates, the Alliance of Reformists and Government Supporters, which will include women and young candidates. - Independent candidates in small cities and towns could attract more support as the vote in such places would depend on the reputation of candidates and personal contacts with voters. * THE VOTE AND THE RESULT - There are about 50 million eligible voters, who must be over 18 years, in the country of around 80 million people. - All ballots will be counted manually so the final result may not be announced for three days, although partial results may appear sooner. - Irans constitution mandates five reserved seats in parliament for religious minorities. * CAMPAIGNING - The parliamentary election campaign will be from Feb. 18-24. * A NEW PARLIAMENT - Iran's parliament does not determine policy in areas such as Iran's foreign affairs, but it plays a major role in economic policy and winning a majority is critical for factions that jockey for position before the 2017 presidential race. The pro-reform alliance is seeking a greater share of the parliament, where hardliners have dominated for more than a decade. (Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Dominic Evans) Los Angeles (AFP) - Federal agents on Thursday raided the home of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook's brother, US media reported. FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller confirmed to AFP that a search warrant was executed at a residence in Corona, an hour east of Los Angeles "to seek evidence in an ongoing investigation" but did not specify the case. No arrests were made, she said. The search warrant was executed on a sealed affidavit and authorities were barred from disclosing further details, Eimiller said. Local media outlets identified the home as that of Farook's brother. Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, opened fire on his coworkers in the California city of San Bernardino on December 2, killing 14 people and wounding 22. It was the deadliest terror attack in the United States since the September 11, 2001 attacks. Farook and Malik were killed in a shootout with police. The news comes with Apple and the US authorities in a standoff after the tech giant refused to comply with a judge's order to help the FBI break into Farook's iPhone. Apple chief executive Tim Cook has said doing so would be an "unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers" and would have "implications far beyond the legal case at hand." Prosecutors had requested Apple's help after the FBI failed to crack the phone's code two months into the investigation. Neanderthals and modern humans may have interbred much earlier than thought, with ancient liaisons potentially taking place in the Middle East, researchers say. This finding supports the idea that some modern humans left Africa long before the ancestors of modern Europeans and Asians migrated out of Africa, scientists added. The Neanderthals were once the closest relatives of modern humans, living in Europe and Asia until they went extinct about 40,000 years ago. Scientists recently discovered that Neanderthals and modern humans once interbred; nowadays, about 1.5 to 2.1 percent of DNA in people outside Africa is Neanderthal in origin. Last week, researchers reported that the genetic legacy of the Neanderthal has had a subtle but significant impact on modern human health, influencing risks for depression, heart attacks, nicotine addiction, obesity and other problems. Based on the fossil record, Neanderthals diverged from modern humans at least 430,000 years ago. Previous analysis of a Neanderthal genome from a cave in the Altai Mountains in Siberia suggests the two lineages diverged between about 550,000 to 765,000 years ago. Subsequent research suggested that interbreeding led Neanderthals to contribute genetic material to modern humans outside Africa about 47,000 to 65,000 years ago. [In Photos: Neanderthal Burials Uncovered] Now researchers find there may have also been gene flow in the opposite direction, from modern humans to Neanderthals. These findings suggest that modern humans and Neanderthals may have met and interbred about 100,000 years ago, much earlier than thought. "We find a rather ancient signal of gene flow from modern humans into the ancestors of Neanderthals from the Altai Mountains in Siberia, suggesting that early modern humans had already migrated out of Africa by the time Neanderthals from Europe moved eastward," said study co-author Sergi Castellano, an evolutionary biologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. Story continues The scientists analyzed the genome of a Neanderthal from the Altai Mountains, as well as DNA from two other Neanderthals, one from Spain and one from Croatia. They also scanned the genomes of two modern humans, as well as one from a Denisovan, an extinct human lineage related to Neanderthals whose fossils were also discovered in the Altai Mountains. The researchers found that a group of modern humans contributed DNA to the ancestors of Neanderthals from Altai about 100,000 years ago. In contrast, they did not see this genetic contribution in Neanderthals in Europe, nor in the Denisovan genome. The scientists noted that the modern human DNA found in the Altai Neanderthals came from a group that diverged from other modern human populations about 200,000 years ago, about the same time the ancestors of present-day African populations separated from one another. The modern human group that interbred with the Altai Neanderthals apparently later went extinct, and are not among the ancestors of present-day people outside Africa, who left that continent about 65,000 years ago, the researchers said. Castellano and his colleagues speculated that the episode of interbreeding they detected may have occurred in the Levant, the eastern Mediterranean region that includes Israel and Syria. Previous research suggested that modern humans and Neanderthals were present in the Levant as early as 120,000 years ago. Another potential location for this interbreeding was Southern Arabia and the area around the Persian Gulf, they added. "The exact place where the gene flow occurred is not settled, but the Near East fits the fossil evidence we currently have," Castellano told Live Science. The scientists detailed their findings in the Feb. 18 issue of the journal Nature. Follow Charles Q. Choi on Twitter @cqchoi. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Manila (AFP) - Daring Filipino director Lav Diaz brings his movie house of pain to Berlin this week, shooting for the top prize with an eight-hour epic that tests human patience and endurance. Diaz weaves the rich revolutionary history and mythology of his impoverished homeland in "A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery", the longest film ever to compete at the Berlinale, but still three hours shorter than his longest work. "My principle is, the filmmaker shouldn't struggle by himself...The viewer must struggle with me. Let's experience this thing together and be immersed in this universe," the 57-year-old Diaz told AFP in Manila before he left for Berlin. Festival organisers have inserted one interval into the epic, but Diaz is relaxed about how audiences will cope. "I understand the demands on the body, you need to defecate and urinate," he says. "You're free ... It's about life. Ultimately, cinema is about life itself." "Lullaby" chronicles the futile search by Gregoria de Jesus -- one of the few women leaders of the Philippine resistance against Spain -- for the body of her husband, Andres Bonifacio, who was executed on a mountain by a rival faction of the rebellion. Diaz weaves into the narrative the legend of the Filipino Hercules, who is perpetually holding the edges of two mountains to keep them from crashing into each other, and also the "Tikbalang", a cigar-puffing monster with the head of a horse and the body of a man. Another strand in the black and white movie is a retelling of "El Filibusterismo" a politically charged novel written during the Spanish period by the country's national hero, Jose Rizal, to rouse nationalist spirit. "I combined all these threads, and when you view the film, it is about the search for the Filipino soul," Diaz said. - Soul cinema - Diaz has won numerous international and local awards. One of his most recent works, the four-hour-long "Norte, the End of History", was screened at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Story continues This year, a seven-member jury headed by three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep will select the winner of the Golden Bear, Berlinale's top honour. But Diaz said he was not doing films to win awards or make money, but rather to help his countrymen find their national identity after centuries of colonisation by Spain and the United States, and more recently, a brutal dictatorship. "Until now, we're searching for that soul. I don't want to make films for the market, I want to contribute to my country," Diaz said. Four metallic best picture trophies from the Filipino Critics' Guild gather dust on his apartment shelf, beside a worn suitcase that has accompanied him on his many travels. Diaz, admitted his movies were "so long nobody would buy them" but added: "I am freeing cinema. My films are not long, they are free. I am not part of convention anymore." He recalled a one-hour long scene in his 2006 film "Heremias", where the entire shot followed three men getting high while they plot the rape of a woman. "It was my vision of hell... It questioned God, if you really are God, why did you let these demons rape this beautiful woman?" he said. - Child of war - Diaz said his filmmaking perspective was greatly influenced by his tumultuous childhood, growing up in the conflict-wracked southern town of Datu Paglas. His parents, both public school teachers, uprooted themselves from the peaceful north to teach children in war zones how to read and write. He fondly calls them "socialists". As a child in the 1960s, Diaz said he and his father would take a bus to the city to spend the entire weekend watching films by Fernando Poe Jnr, considered the Philippines' John Wayne. However, when their house was razed to the ground during crossfire between Muslim rebels and Christian militia groups, the family moved to a safe enclave while Diaz moved to Manila to study economics. Diaz worked as a waiter, a book salesman and a petrol pump attendant after college to support his wife and three children, but eventually pursued cinema, his first love. He started with low-budget skin flicks, including one about a woman who sleepwalks in the nude, before garnering critical acclaim. "I am a film addict. I love all kinds of cinema," he said. While history and social injustice are running themes in his films, Diaz said the inspiration to start a project could strike anywhere. A trip to the national library in 1997 spawned "Lullaby", after he stumbled upon a decaying handwritten note from Gregoria de Jesus, describing her 30-day search in the mountains. "I had an epiphany. I told myself: I have to make this film," he said. And the inspiration for his next opus could literally be just outside his window. "You see that girl?" he said pointing to a beggar walking in front of a gleaming shopping mall. "Why is she poor? Why does society allow her to be poor?" By Kieran Guilbert DAKAR (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The successful delivery of food aid to thousands of people uprooted by Boko Haram violence in Chad and cut off from help since November may reflect improving security in the West African nation, the United Nations said on Tuesday. The U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) recently delivered food to 5,000 people who had been forced to flee their homes by conflict at five sites north of Lake Chad border town Baga Sola. But the threat of Boko Haram militants and the difficulty in reaching some areas, partly because of the lack of roads, are hindering efforts to reach tens of thousands more people. "It has been a challenge to push the government to let us get to where we need to go, even with the necessary military escorts," said Stephen Tull, Chad coordinator for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "Yet I believe access was granted here as the military grew in confidence that it was gaining control of the area". More than 100,000 people are uprooted in Chad because of the violence in the Lake Chad region of militant group Boko Haram, OCHA said. A regional offensive by Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon last year drove Boko Haram from much of the territory it held in northern Nigeria, undermining its six-year campaign to carve out an Islamist caliphate. But the militants have since struck back with a renewed wave of deadly raids and suicide bombings in the lawless Lake Chad area where the borders of the four West African countries meet. The violence has disrupted livelihoods including fishing and farming, hit cross-border trade and markets and left one in seven people in the country without enough to eat. "People have been really scraping the barrel to survive... some said that they have been surviving only on maize for weeks," said WFP Chad country director Mary-Ellen McGroarty. The WFP is working to reach 17 more sites in the area north of Baga Sola which have not received any aid, and provide food for some 35,000 displaced people by the end of the month. "There are no roads so reaching these sites means a 300 kilometre (190 mile) round trip in the sand. We would like to move quicker but the challenges are enormous," McGroarty added. Because it is focusing on providing aid to the newly displaced, the WFP cannot get enough aid to those who have been uprooted for longer, regional director Denise Brown said. "A lack of funding is forcing us to make tough choices... it is a balancing act," said Brown. (Reporting By Kieran Guilbert, editing by Tim Pearce. 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) Frankfurt (AFP) - RWE, Germany's second-biggest power supplier, said Wednesday it will partially suspend dividend payouts after running up a loss in 2015 as a result of collapsing wholesale prices and weak profitability in the conventional power generation. The announcement sent RWE shares into a nosedive on the Frankfurt stock exchange, where they were the biggest losers, plunging 12.4 percent to 10.34 euros while the DAX 30 index climbed 2.7 percent. Germany's power suppliers have been hit in recent years by government plans to eliminate nuclear power by the next decade and champion a so-called "energy transition" away from fossil fuels such as coal towards renewable energy sources such as the wind and the sun. Power utilities have complained that the cost of having to close down their nuclear power plants and the heavy subsidies afforded to renewable energy have pushed them deeply into the red. RWE said in a statement it booked a net loss of 200 million euros ($223 million) in 2015 compared with net profit of 1.7 billion euros a year earlier. The loss was due to a writedown of 2.1 billion euros on its power plants in Germany and Britain, RWE explained. "The continued collapse of wholesale electricity prices came to bear, leading to an erosion of power plant margins," RWE said in a statement. "The prospects in the conventional power generation business have worsened further." Adjusted for one-off effects, net profit amounted to 1.1 billion euros, at the lower end of forecasts, and underlying or operating profit totalled 3.89 billion euros, RWE said. In the wake of the "unusually weak" bottom-line earnings, the management board "has decided to propose ... a suspension of the dividend payment to holders of common shares for fiscal 2015," RWE said. Holders of preferred shares would still receive a payout of 0.13 euros per share. "The backdrop is the recent dramatic deterioration of the earnings prospects of conventional power generation," RWE said. Story continues "In light of the current economic prospects of conventional power generation, we reached a decision concerning the dividend today that did not come easily to us. We know that we might disappoint many shareholders. However, it is necessary in order to strengthen our company," said chief executive Peter Terium. - Profits down this year - Looking ahead to the current year, RWE said it is pencilling in adjusted net profit of 500-700 million euros. "This represents a considerable decline compared to 2015," the group said. "Besides the erosion of margins in conventional power generation, the absence of the positive special items recorded last year also comes to bear," it said. RWE vowed to "tackle the operating and technical problems in the UK supply business with resolve, but anticipates burdens in this area again in 2016." Net debt and headcount at group level were "unlikely to change significantly compared to 2015," it said. In December, RWE announced plans to spin off its renewables, grids and retail operations and take the unit public. Bigger rival E.ON is similarly splitting its conventional and renewable energies operations into separate entities. BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary is ready to build a fence on its border with Romania to keep out migrants and there is a good chance that this cannot be avoided, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff said on Thursday. "We are ready to erect a technical barrier on the Romanian border as well ... today there is significant chance that this cannot be avoided," Janos Lazar told a news conference. Lazar also said Hungary and the Visegrad group of Central European countries respected a proposal that the flow of migrants should be primarily tackled on the borders of Greece. "The real debate is about whether we help the Balkans countries or not," Lazar said, adding that if there was no second line of defense between Greece and the Schengen border, then Europe would leave Balkans countries on their own. (Reporting by Krisztina Than; Editing by Dominic Evans) There has been a lot of commentary about Apples decision to not comply with a court order to help the FBI unlock the iPhone that was owned by one of the terrorists in last years massacre in San Bernardino. Although several politicians have slammed Apples decision, some major figures in the tech world have stepped up to the plate to support Apple CEO Tim Cook. Google CEO Sundar Pichai took to Twitter on Wednesday to support Cooks position while saying that he thought it would be irresponsible to force companies to enable third parties to hack their devices. RELATED: The FBI has laid a clever trap for Apple Here are all of Pichais tweets in order: The crux of his argument here is that the government is basically asking tech companies to make their products less secure. The FBI has asked Apple to make a less secure version of iOS that it can use to brute force the passcode on the dead shooters iPhone without any risk of wiping the devices data. Apple is worried that once this software gets into the hands of the FBI, it will also likely get into the hands of hackers who will be able to use it for nefarious purposes. No one is saying that Apple, Google and other tech companies shouldnt assist law enforcement officials in their investigations. However, there is a balance that needs to be struck between helping with investigations and protecting customers safety online. Right now both Apple and Google agree that forcing companies to undermine their own devices security doesnt meet that standard. Related stories How much is a new 4-inch iPhone worth to Apple? The FBI has laid a clever trap for Apple Does Apple even have the ability to hack the iPhone like the FBI wants? More from BGR: Humiliation: JebBush.com redirects to Trumps official website This article was originally published on BGR.com The unprecedented cavalcade of presidential town halls continued on Wednesday night as Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Ben Carson faced a CNN audience while Donald Trump spoke at a forum sponsored by MSNBC. The candidates addressed the town halls one at a time, which kept the fighting and charges of "liar! to a minimum, unlike at Saturday nights combustible CBS debate. Still, there were interesting moments amid the bromides, talking points and obligatory scenes of candidates thanking citizens and complimenting them on their questions. CNNs Anderson Cooper mercifully set aside time for personal questions, which offered a different look at the candidates beyond their scripted policy positions. We learned Ben Carson plays pool to relax and listens to baroque music during surgery. Marco Rubio is color blind and met his wife at a sand volleyball game in West Miami. He also loves electronic dance music overlaid with clean lyrics. Its fun, he said, noting his kids like it too. Ted Cruz said he laughed out loud when he received a cease and desist order from the Trump campaign asking him to take down an ad that suggested the real estate mogul favors legal abortion. He also sang a bit, a version of I Just Called to Say I Love You, an old tune he sometimes sings to his wife. Cruz also added that he drinks Scotch and plays Candy Crush on his iPhone. CNNs Cooper asked all of the candidates about whether Apple should be forced to open data under a federal court order after the shooting in San Bernardino, California. Rubio and Carson essentially fudged their answers, saying its a tough issue. Cruz took a harder line on Apple, saying the company should be compelled to turn over data and provide a back door to phones and computers under search warrants. Thats a basic matter of keeping this country safe, he said. Trump also took a firm line. I think it's disgraceful that Apple is not helping on that. I think security first, and I feelI always felt security first. Apple should absolutelywe should force them to do it. We should do whatever we have to do, Trump said. Story continues On foreign policy, Cruz and Rubio, both of Cuban descent and strong critics of the Obama administrations new policy with Havana, condemned the White Houses announcement that the president would be traveling to the Communist-controlled island in March. Rubio said one of the only instances of bigotry he's faced occurred during the Mariel boatlift, when he was teased about his origins. He also decried the discrimination faced by minorities, noting an African-American police officer he knows has been pulled over by police seven times while driving. What," Rubio asked, "is he supposed to think? On most issues, the candidates offered predictable answers. Rubio, for instance, vowed to protect entitlements but said benefits would change for those not approaching retirement. There were, however, a few surprising moments. During a somewhat familiar defense of Second Amendment gun rights, Carson said the government shouldnt be taking away guns, but what they should be doing is offering free classes in gun safety to all of the citizens. The Republican candidates werent exactly brimming with kind words for either of their possible Democratic opponents, Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. But Trump did note some similarities between himself and the Vermont senator. He knows that our country is being ripped off big league, big league, on trade," Trump said. "The problem is, he can't do anything about it. He's not going to be able to do, whereas I'm going to do things. Both Cruz and Rubio said they oppose President Barack Obama submitting a nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. On women in the military, Cruz stressed he adamantly opposed the suggestion from Pentagon leaders that women should register for the selective service. If I am elected," he said, "the president we will not be drafting our daughters into combat. With the frequency of debates and town halls, both seem to be capturing less interest from the public. The extraordinary 20-plus million audiences of the first GOP debates last year are a little bit off. Yet CBS still grabbed more than 15 million viewers for Saturdays raucous debate. And the cable networks keep hosting town halls because they represent a substantial boost in ratings. It's no wonder there are two more town halls on Thursday night, a Democratic one with Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders on MSNBC, and a Republican one on CNN with John Kasich, Jeb Bush and Donald Trump. Related Articles Los Angeles (AFP) - A former garbage collector and police mechanic accused of murdering 10 women in Los Angeles over the course of more than two decades has gone on trial after multiple delays. Lonnie Franklin Jr., 63, who was given the moniker "Grim Sleeper" because of a 14-year gap in the murders between 1988 and 2002, was arrested in July 2010 after his DNA was connected to some of the victims. But efforts to bring him to trial were repeatedly delayed by appeals and judicial wrangling. Authorities say Franklin, whose trial began Tuesday, stalked the streets of South Los Angeles at a time when the neighborhood was plagued by an epidemic of crack cocaine. Many of his victims were prostitutes and drug addicts who were shot or strangled to death, their bodies dumped in alleyways or trash bins. Some were raped before they were killed. Prosecutors say Franklin took advantage of some of his victims' addiction to crack to lure them to his backyard camper with money and drugs before killing them. The youngest victim was 15 and the oldest 35. Officials have said they suspect Franklin is behind dozens more killings than the 10 for which he is on trial. His attorneys have disputed the DNA evidence against him saying that the trial was by no means an open-and-shut case. "We believe that before (the trial) is done, there will be a different story told than what the prosecution is stating," defense attorney Seymour Amster told ABC News. Franklin was found after the arrest of his son in 2008 for weapons and drug possession. A DNA analysis conducted on the son allowed investigators to follow a trail that led to the father, who was arrested in 2010 -- 25 years after the first body was found. The spree of killings was the subject of a 2014 HBO documentary by British filmmaker Nick Broomfield, who claims the Los Angeles police failed to properly investigate the murders as the victims were mainly drug addicts and prostitutes. Story continues Franklin, described as a pleasant and friendly man by neighbors, has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. He faces the death penalty if found guilty but no prisoner has been executed in California since a 2006 moratorium. The trial is expected to last up to four months. Hillary Clinton meets with young immigrants, or so-called Dreamers, and their families Sunday at a campaign office in Las Vegas. (Photo: John Locher/AP) LAS VEGAS To some of her supporters in Sin City, Hillary Clinton is La Hillary. The wall of her presidential campaign headquarters in the heart of the Latino community in East Las Vegas is decorated with a bright mural featuring a dramatic profile of Clintons face over the slogan La Hillary Estoy Contigo! Spanish for Im with you. According to organizers there, the mural was painted by a supporter affiliated with a local painters union and displays a name for Clinton commonly used by people in the community. A nickname isnt the only thing Clinton has gotten from this campaign office in a low-slung strip mall. The outpost about 9 miles from the Vegas Strip has served as the laboratory for a female-focused Latino outreach program that the Clinton campaign has taken national. There were already indications the Latino vote could prove decisive heading into the Democratic primary. However, the bloc became even more crucial for Clinton after her rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., came from behind to nearly tie her in Iowa on Feb. 1. Sanders also defeated Clinton by a large margin in New Hampshire on Feb. 9. SLIDESHOW: Clinton and Sanders go head-to-head in Nevada >>> Those first two states have overwhelmingly white populations, and the conventional wisdom has long been that Clinton could stop any Sanders surge thanks to her advantage with minorities in the next places to vote, Nevada, where Democrats caucus on Feb. 20, and South Carolina, which has a Democratic primary on Feb. 27. But there are some indications that Clintons minority firewall seems to be eroding. In a conversation on the evening of Sanders New Hampshire victory, his senior adviser Tad Devine told Yahoo their internal polls showed signs the race was tightening substantially. Devine attributed Sanders gains in Nevada to movement with Latino voters, who make up about 17 percent of the electorate in the states Democratic caucus. Story continues Nevadas newfound status as a primary battleground means Clintons female-focused Latino outreach efforts will be extremely important. In an interview with Yahoo last month, Lorella Praeli, the campaigns Latino outreach director, explained the role her team expects women to play as Clinton attempts to win the Latino vote. Lorella Praeli, policy director of immigrant youth organization United We Dream, speaks to the media after meeting with Domestic Policy Director Cecilia Munoz at the White House in December 2014. (Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP) We feel that Latinas are the CEOs of the household and also in the community and they are faithful and, you know, you have to speak about their issues and you have to work with them, but once theyre there, they are your mobilizers and your multipliers, Praeli said. When theyre so excited, theyre going to talk to their comadres and theyre going to bring to the fold their kids and one or two friends. And so thats why were so focused on making sure that we reach them. Praeli, 27, joined the Clinton campaign in June. Previously the policy director at the immigrant youth organization United We Dream, she came to the United States from Peru when she was 10 and only received her green card in 2012. Some members of her family remain undocumented. Praeli told Yahoo the Clinton campaign is running a number of different Latino outreach programs, but it is employing the female-focused approach across the board in those efforts. When we look at our national strategy and then our state strategy, I almost always start with women, Praeli said. Like the first few meetings that I did were with women, with Latinas. One initiative thats set to expand around the country after starting in Vegas is Mujeres in Politics, or Women in Politics. By hosting regular meetings of small groups of Latinas to discuss politics and share concerns, the campaign hopes to build a community of women who will stick around to get on the phone and call other Spanish-speaking women in key states that have been identified by the campaign. Women who participate in these meetings at campaign offices are also being encouraged to host similar gatherings in their own homes. Mujeres in Politics was the brainchild of two field organizers, Natalie Montelongo and Vanessa Valdivia, working for the campaign in Las Vegas. They hosted the first meeting in August. According to Montelongo, the program was an instant success. Conducting outreach to the Latino network is very difficult. Its very difficult to engage them, its very difficult to get them to do something that theyre not used to or is not in their community already, Montelongo told Yahoo in an interview last month. So, the light bulb for me was how much this really resonated to women, because our first kickoff Mujeres in Politics gathered about 30 women, and that is a huge turnout. Bernie Sanders speaks during a campaign rally at Bonanza High School in Las Vegas on Sunday. (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images) Montelongo, 29, is from Texas and has been working for the Clinton campaign in Nevada since July. Her parents, Mexican immigrants who became U.S. citizens, helped inspire the Mujeres in Politics program. I am the first American in the family. Thats why this work for me is so important, because its something very personal, Montelongo explained. Whenever I build programs or I think of outreach I always think of what would resonate with my parents, you know, as people who are not very civically engaged and now finally are because of me. I try to think of ways or things that would interest them, and thats how weve thought about doing outreach to our community here. Praeli saw the program during a visit to Nevada this summer and she decided to spread the initiative beyond Las Vegas. According to Praeli, in addition to Nevada, the Clinton campaign is currently holding Mujeres in Politics meetings in Texas, Florida, Colorado, and New York. It has also created similar programs led by Latinas in other states tailored to the needs of local communities. There are different things that work in different states, and so this is something that Nevada is really going after. Colorado might be a little different, and so theres a phone bank aspect, but its, you know, a Latina voting circle, which is a little different, Praeli said. Each state is true to sort of their own identity, and culture, and practices. So these things might vary. So it could work with Puerto Ricans in Florida, but maybe Cubans in Florida want something else. We work very closely with the leaders on the ground to do that. Nevertheless, Praeli said the campaign plans to bring Mujeres in Politics to several new areas, including Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and crucial swing states. She outlined how the program is designed to grow exponentially. Were planning a national llamadaton, which is our national Mujeres for Hillary phone bank challenge where there are women in each in sort of our key battleground states signing up to co-lead this effort, Praeli said of a planned campaign call-a-thon. Theyre all responsible for having 10 people each, and those people will recruit 10 people, and theyre going to get their login, and theyre going to begin to have phone banks, and theyre going to be calling other Latinas throughout the country to make sure that we commit to caucus for Hillary and we commit to turn out for Hillary. Clinton has faced questions about her positions on immigration, and the campaign has stumbled in some of its social media outreach to Latinos. Still, she maintains a wide advantage with minority voters that is a key asset as she seeks to fend off the primary challenge from Sanders. Clintons team clearly believes that female supporters can be its best ambassadors as it seeks to preserve that edge. Weve always known from the beginning of the campaign that when Latinas talk to other Latinas, there is a camaraderia, a camaraderie. We trust each other and were always communicating, and that happens at the very local level, Praeli said. The best validators for Clinton and the best people who can talk about her policies and the impact that her policies will have and why shes the best candidate for Latinos are Latinos themselves. Valdivia, one of the organizers who planned the first Mujeres in Politics meeting, also pointed out how important it is for the campaign to cultivate Spanish speakers for these outreach efforts. It does make a huge difference to have another woman reaching out to you in your language to say, We need you to come out and vote, we need your support, and this is how important it is, Valdivia explained. According to the campaign, there are now about 20 women participating in biweekly Mujeres in Politics meetings at the East Las Vegas office. Yahoo visited a meeting one afternoon in December. Over 10 women participated and two brought their husbands along. Amalia Renteria, who said she works as a manager at Burger King, had her young daughter with her. Renteria said it was her third time at the Clinton campaign office that week. Signs in Spanish that read, Im with you, hang on a wall behind Clinton as she speaks at an event with young immigrants and their families in Las Vegas on Sunday. (Photo: John Locher/AP) Shes a female fighter and she is the most supportive to the Latino community, Renteria, who spoke in Spanish, said of Clinton. Montelongo, the Clinton campaign field organizer, said she encourages supporters to bring children and let them play at the office. A lot of women thought that they were held back because they have children, said Montelongo. I always tell them, Bring your kids, bring your kids. It doesnt matter. We have plenty of space here for them to run around and not a lot for them to break. Montelongo also said many participants regularly come to meetings on their lunch breaks. Pati Castro, a hair salon owner, told Yahoo she was volunteering for two hours between appointments. And some of the participants in East Las Vegas are spreading the word beyond the Clinton campaign office. Along with making calls, Castro said she tells the women who come to her salon about the importance of us supporting Hillary Clinton. Its important that we as women empower ourselves, that we develop ourselves, Castro explained in Spanish. A woman can work, can run the family, can have a profession, and we can do big things. Maria Gray, a retired grandmother who brought her husband, Steve, to the meeting, told Yahoo she regularly hosts Mujeres in Politics gatherings in her home. I have like 11 women that are making calls for Hillary in my house, Gray said in Spanish. Its like another campaign office in my house now. Los Angeles (AFP) - A Los Angeles hospital has paid $17,000 in bitcoins to hackers who took control of its computers for more than a week, officials said. Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center said in a statement that it paid 40 bitcoins, the equivalent of $17,000 dollars, in ransom money to bring its computer systems back online earlier this month. The hospital's chief executive Allen Stefanek said staff first noticed problems with accessing the facility's information system on February 5 and a probe was launched. "The malware locked access to certain computer systems and prevented us from sharing communications electronically," Stefanek said. "The quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom and obtain the decryption key," he added. "In the best interest of restoring normal operations, we did this." He said the systems were back up on Monday and there was no evidence that patient or employee information had been compromised. Law enforcement officials told the Los Angeles Times that the ransom was paid before authorities were alerted. The FBI's Los Angeles bureau said it was investigating the cyber attack, called "ransomware," which is a type of malware that prevents or limits users from accessing information on their computer system. Bitcoin is a form of digital currency that is increasingly becoming the favorite way for bitcoing hackers to collect ransom money. A version of this story first appeared in the Feb. 26 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. Anya Taylor-Joy became one of those brief Sundance sensations in 2015 with her very first movie role, playing the eldest daughter in a Puritan family threatened by witchcraft in The Witch. A year later, A24 finally is set to release the film Feb. 19. But she's used the time well. Raised in Argentina and the U.K. as the youngest of six children, the former ballet dancer already has shot lead roles in Morgan, Fox's sci-fi thriller directed by Luke Scott, Ridley Scott's son, and M. Night Shyamalan's new thriller Split. Next up is the drama Huntsville opposite Shea Whigham. >>>>>>> What do you love about acting? I never feel happier than when Im on set. I never fit in as a kid. I always felt that there was something different about me. And when Im on a movie set, it sounds cheesy, but I really do feel complete. How did you get the role in The Witch? I put an audition on tape. I read the script the night before, which was dumb because I did not sleep. In the script, my character was written as sort of plain, and I thought, "I'm sort of weird looking," so I didn't think I would get it. I later found out that I was the first tape [director] Rob [Eggers] saw, but he thought, "It can't be that easy," so then he watched 1,000 more tapes before he gave it to me. Read More: 'The Witch' Star Signs With CAA What filmmakers would you love to work with? Everyone? (Laughs.) I would love to work with [Quentin] Tarantino. I'd love to work with the Coen brothers. And Steven Spielberg. E.T. was big for me. What was your first audition? Maleficent. As the biggest Disney fan, I was dying. I was so nervous, I was shaking. I cried for a very long time after I didn't get it. Whom have you been starstruck around? Dan Romer, who scored Beasts of the Southern Wild. I listen to that soundtrack all the time. And I would die if I met Saoirse Ronan. When I was 15, I watched all of her movies in one day. Story continues Read More: 'The Witch': Sundance Review Do you have any secret talents? I'm a surprisingly good rapper. I was hanging out with the director of my next film [Huntsville's Eric England], and he put on "Rap God" by Eminem, and I rapped the fast bit. I love it. It wakes my brain up in the morning. What are you looking for in the future? Ive been very lucky with the roles that Ive played in that they were wonderful roles for women. Theyre incredible, flawed characters that I really gravitate toward. I just never want anybody to be able to put me in a box. *** Vital Stats Age 19 Born Miami Big break Sundance 2015 hit The Witch (Feb. 19) Reps CAA, Troika and Felker Toczek "I never fit in as a kid. I always felt that there was something different about me. And when I'm on a movie set, it sounds cheesy, but I really do feel complete," says Taylor-Joy, photographed Feb. 3 at Pad90210 in Beverly Hills. "I'm a surprisingly good rapper," said Taylor-Joy of her secret talent. I love it. It wakes my brain up in the morning." CAIRO (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the Cairo security directorate on Thursday night after a policeman shot dead a man in the street, in the latest outburst of anger over alleged police brutality in Egypt. A statement from the Cairo security directorate said the policeman had shot dead a driver after an argument and was forced to flee a mob of local people who attempted to catch and kill him. Police later found the policeman. Footage posted on social media showed hundreds of people massing outside the security directorate to protest the death. The incident comes amid mounting public anger over alleged police brutality. Last week, thousands of doctors held a rare protest against police they say beat two doctors at a Cairo hospital for refusing to falsify medical records. Earlier this month, the body of a missing Italian graduate student was found on the outskirts of Cairo showing signs of torture, including electrocution. Activists said the injuries had the hallmarks of Egyptian security services. The Interior Ministry has denied allegations of involvement in the death. Anger over perceived police excesses helped fuel the 2011 revolt that ended Hosni Mubaraks 30-year rule and began on a Police Day holiday. (Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein and Ahmed Tolba; Editing by Toni Reinhold) By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian rebels have brought at least 2,000 reinforcements through Turkey in the past week to bolster the fight against Kurdish-led militias north of Aleppo, rebel sources said on Thursday. Turkish forces facilitated the transfer from one front to another over several nights, covertly escorting rebels as they exited Syria's Idlib governorate, traveled four hours across Turkey, and re-entered Syria to support the embattled rebel stronghold of Azaz, the sources said. "We have been allowed to move everything from light weapons to heavy equipment, mortars and missiles and our tanks," Abu Issa, a commander in the Levant Front, the rebel group that runs the border crossing of Bab al-Salama, told Reuters, giving his alias and talking on condition of anonymity. The reinforcements did not include fighters from the hardline Nusra Front or other jihadist groups, he said. A Turkish security source confirmed fighters had crossed the border but put the numbers at 400-500, and the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks violence across the war torn-country, also said hundreds had crossed. On Sunday, the Syrian government said Turkish forces were among 100 gunmen who had entered Syria accompanied by 12 pick-up trucks mounted with heavy machine guns, in an ongoing supply operation to insurgents. The route via Turkey has become the sole supply line for Azaz after the Syrian army closed what for years had been the main route into rebel territory and advanced to within 25 miles of the border for the first time in over two years. The Syrian army wants to seal it off altogether and reassert full control of Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the war. Inside Aleppo city, heavy clashes continued between Arab insurgent groups and Syrian Kurdish fighters in Kurdish-held neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, the Syrian Observatory said. Russian bombing has transformed the almost five-year-old civil war in recent weeks, turning the momentum decisively in favor of Moscow's ally President Bashar al-Assad. But the rapid advance of U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters has infuriated Ankara and threatened to drive a wedge between NATO allies. Turkey sees the militia as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought a three-decade insurgency for autonomy in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast. Determined to prevent the YPG from gaining a foothold on its border, Turkey has shelled its positions in response to what it says is fire coming across the border. Turkey has also stepped up deliveries of military hardware to the rebels, another rebel source said. "We are getting fresh supplies of everything from missiles to mortars to armored vehicles. Almost everything is now being delivered to us," said the rebel source. Turkish army vehicles were offloading the munitions and equipment onto Syrian rebel armored vehicles and trucks, said the rebel, who was present during a handover of weapons. New supplies of ground-to-ground missiles with a range of 20 km (12 miles) had been provided to bolster the response to the Russian-backed attack, two rebel commanders said. Facing one of the biggest defeats of the five-year-long war, rebels have been complaining that foreign states such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey have let them down by not providing them with more powerful weapons, including anti-aircraft missiles. The rebels and the Turkish government accuse the Kurdish militias of a campaign of ethnic cleansing of Arab-inhabited villages in a bid to carve a fiefdom in Syria's north. The YPG has exploited the Russian-backed offensive, seizing ground from other opposition groups. After taking a string of towns, in what the rebels say is an advance coordinated with Russia, the YPG is now seeking to take Marea, the last town before Azaz. (Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi, additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Istanbul; Editing by Toby Chopra and Tom Miles) (Reuters) - International Business Machines Corp said on Thursday it plans to acquire Truven Health Analytics, a provider of healthcare data and analytics, for $2.6 billion, marking its fourth major health data-related deal in the past year. IBM said Truven will bring more than 8,500 clients, including U.S. federal and state government agencies, employers, health plans, hospitals and others, to its IBM Watson Health portfolio. IBM, which launched its Watson Health unit in April 2015, said that at the expected close of the Truven acquisition later this year, its cloud-based system will house health-related data representing around 300 million patient lives. The Truven data will be integrated with Watson's data, used to identify health cost savings, improve healthcare outcomes, fight fraud and make operations more efficient. "With this acquisition, IBM will be the world's leading health data, analytics and insights company, and the only one that can deliver the unique cognitive capabilities of the Watson platform," Deborah DiSanzo, general manager for Watson Health, said in a statement. With the latest deal, IBM said it will have invested more than $4 billion to acquire and build its healthcare capabilities. Truven was previously acquired by Veritas Capital Management Fund LLC from Thomson Reuters Corp for $1.25 billion in 2012. (Reporting by Deena Beasley in Los Angeles; Editing by Matthew Lewis) By John McCrank NEW YORK (Reuters) - IEX Group struck back on Wednesday at critics of its bid to become a U.S. stock exchange, including the New York Stock Exchange and BATS Global Markets, which have accused their potential rival of skewing facts to help win approval. "IEX has not set out to misrepresent anything through intent, negligence or recklessness. We stand by our words," the company, which currently operates a private trading platform, said in its fourth such letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission. IEX has been a magnet for controversy since March 2014, when it was featured in Michael Lewis's "Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt." The book claimed exchanges reap huge profits by giving high-frequency traders systemic advantages over other investors and it chronicled IEX's efforts to create what it said was a more even playing field. A "speed bump" slows orders to IEX by 350 millionths-of-a-second, allowing ever-changing prices to be verified before sophisticated, opportunistic traders can act on stale prices, effectively queue-jumping, IEX says. The New York-based startup's exchange application has generated hundreds of comment letters since it was submitted to regulators in September, from investors, trading firms, academics, and potential rivals. The vast majority have been positive, saying the market has become too preoccupied with speed and that a model that de-emphasizes it has merit. But some have been scathing, saying regulations prevent exchanges from slowing orders and that when IEX itself sends orders, they bypass the speed bump, giving IEX an unfair advantage. The head of NYSE-owner Intercontinental Exchange even called IEX "un-American." IEX has also drawn the incumbents' ire by criticizing the practice of giving customers access at different speeds based on price, and claiming they have their own built-in advantages. "IEX has repeatedly demonstrated, through its public misstatements, its public relations campaign and its reckless misrepresentations to the SEC and the public, an inability to satisfy the basic tenets of being a national securities exchange," BATS said in a letter on Feb. 11. Story continues IEX said its latest response was to "address these misunderstandings and to avoid further miscommunication." No one would disagree that exchanges are relying more on revenues from "ever-rising, fees for access and information," as opposed to revenue from trading fees, it said, adding that was not ideal for exchange members, issuers, or investors. The SEC has until March 21 to decide on IEX's application. (Reporting by John McCrank; Editing by Tom Brown) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. (Photos: Paul Sancya/AP, Kayana Szymczak/Getty Images) When Mitt Romney lost his presidential bid in 2012, a lot of senior Republicans blamed Chris Christie for cementing his defeat. At a critical moment that fall, you may remember, New Jerseys governor had stood arm in arm with President Obama as they toured the wreckage of Hurricane Sandy, which seemed to undercut Romneys entire argument about Obama being a divisive and incompetent leader. In truth, it was pretty weak to blame Christie, given the litany of Romneys shortcomings, not to mention the fact that Christie had a decimated state to govern and shouldnt have been thinking about electoral votes at that moment anyway. But if the field of Republican hopefuls not named Donald Trump remains overcrowded and hopelessly muddled after this weekend, and if Trump himself cruises to another victory in South Carolina and ends up winning the nomination, a lot of those same Republican leaders may look back and conclude that it was Christie who cost them a victory yet again. And this time, they may actually be right. Christie, of course, departed from the race last week, with uncharacteristic silence, after finishing a disappointing sixth in the New Hampshire primary. He didnt go quietly, though. In his final debate, three days before the primary, the former prosecutor gave us the campaigns most memorable moment so far, gleefully taunting Marco Rubio as the Florida senator tried in vain to repeat his scripted talking points. Christie, you see, didnt like Rubios attacks on his record, and as anyone could see in that moment, he doesnt much like Rubio, either. Rubio is boyish, glamorous, politically malleable and beloved for his inspiring story all things for which Christie has a healthy dose of contempt, if not perhaps a hint of envy. Well, all right, you say. That was all very entertaining, but now Christie is out and Rubio looks to be at least somewhat resurgent, so it was really just a bump in the road, right? Story continues Maybe. Except that one bump in the road, placed at a crucial intersection, can cause a major pileup. To understand why that minute-long exchange between Christie and Rubio may reverberate for years to come, you have to understand the underlying dynamic of this years Republican race. Trumps support over the last several months, minus a few peaks and valleys, has basically hovered around or just over the 30 percent mark in the early primary states. Thats a sizable plurality of the vote, and its proved to be surprisingly unshakable, but it hardly makes him as dominant a figure in the party as his round-the-clock media coverage would suggest. The problem for the governing wing of the party is that, when you add to Trumps plurality the support for Ted Cruz and Ben Carson, more than half of this years electorate seems to be chiefly looking for a candidate who will blow up the status quo. And the rest of the Republican vote has been almost equally divided among an unusually populous group of eminently electable governing types. My thinking several months ago, as Ive written before, was that before the campaign got to the South, the partys more traditional electorate and its leadership would have congealed around one or possibly two candidates, causing poll numbers to tighten considerably and making Trump look like far less of an imposing force. Congealing is what establishments are good at. Its pretty much what they exist to do. And, for better or worse, thats exactly what was about to happen the week before the New Hampshire primary. After a shaky few weeks, Rubio had exceeded expectations by finishing just a point behind Trump in Iowa. He arrived in New Hampshire with a gale force gust at his back, drawing something like 800 people and half the national media to a tiny theater in Exeter, where I watched him ignite the crowd with a mix of partisan fire and unscripted humor. Though untested and sometimes unsteady, Rubio is the closest thing the fractured party has to a consensus candidate (except maybe among the hardcore, anti-immigration crowd), and at that point his campaign had taken on real momentum. Driving around New Hampshire in those first few days after Iowa, I expected Rubio would surge solidly into second place, and I didnt discount the possibility that he could end up surpassing Trump. Had that happened, my guess is you would have seen the partys donors and elected leadership close ranks pretty quickly. There would have been enormous pressure on Jeb Bush and John Kasich to follow Christie out the door. The South Carolina primary, devised in the 1970s to give the new establishment of Southern and Western Republicans a firewall against apostates, would have been reduced essentially to a three-man race. But then Christie came to his final debate looking to inflict the same kind of damage hed suffered, and within a few minutes Rubio was basically in the fetal position at center stage, begging for a commercial break. The clip went viral. For a few days, Rubio dropped faster than the Tower of Terror at Disneyland; he finished fifth, just behind his old mentor, Bush. That brief window for congealing around a non-Trump candidate quickly closed. And now, instead of showcasing a winnowed field, South Carolina looks just as jumbled as New Hampshire. Four years ago, South Carolina was a race between the establishment favorite, Romney, and three insurgent candidates Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul who were all vying to emerge as the anti-Romney. (Gingrich ultimately won, but not by enough to derail Romney.) This year looks almost like a reverse image. Now its Trump with a commanding lead and Cruz consolidating evangelical support, while three governing candidates Rubio, Kasich and Bush battle to outlast one another. The states popular governor, Nikki Haley, endorsed Rubio this week, which is a major seal of approval for him (especially after the former president, George W. Bush, worked her over for Jeb). But Haley is only the third of 31 Republican governors to swing behind one of the current candidates. Rather than having rallied around a clear favorite after New Hampshire, one of the most powerful blocs in the party remains perilously detached from the process, apparently afraid to end up on the wrong side of the Trump rebellion. Unless one of the governing candidates surges late and finishes well above the others (and I wouldnt be shocked to see Rubio do just that), chances are that the entire field will move on to the 13 states holding contests on March 1, while a helpless establishment looks on. And by the time those states vote, its quite possible that Trumps nomination will have come to seem palatable or even inevitable to the majority of Republican voters. Theres a long way to go before then. But if Trump wakes up March 2 and finds himself planning for what once seemed an unlikely convention, he should probably start thinking about Christie as a potential running mate. Its the least he can do for the man who inadvertently cleared his path. By Jim Forsyth SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - The mayor of the south Texas town of Crystal City, arrested earlier this month on federal corruption charges, was arrested again by his own police department for unruly behavior at a meeting that sought his resignation, police said on Wednesday. Ricardo Lopez was charged with disorderly conduct following a chaotic city council meeting on Tuesday night at which citizens presented petitions calling for the mayor, two other council members and the city manager, all of whom were also indicted, to step down. The meeting was the first since the town that bills itself as "the spinach capital" of the world found that most of its leaders had been indicted in the federal probe. U.S. prosecutors charged the officials with dipping into city coffers for their own personal gain. Lopez posted bail on Wednesday and left jail, telling reporters he had no intention of attending future city council meetings. "Don't care who the mayor is. Don't care if I'm the mayor. I'm not going to another council meeting. Because I don't want to be put in jail again," he said. He did not say whether he intends to resign. Witnesses said during Tuesday's council meeting, Lopez tried to dispute calls for his resignation, yelled at spectators and left to fetch a copy of the city charter. When he returned, pushing and shoving ensued between Lopez and angry citizens, and the mayor was arrested, police said. Lopez, two other council members, and the city manager were indicted on Feb. 4. They were charged with collecting bribes from city contractors for permits and other favors and using the money to pay off gambling debts, bar tabs and car loans. They were also suspected of allowing an illegal gambling house to operate in the town of about 7,500 people. Another Crystal City councilman was indicted in January on charges of smuggling undocumented immigrants. Crystal City is known for a quirky tourist attraction of a large statue of the spinach-eating cartoon character Popeye in front of City Hall that celebrates the area's history as a spinach producer. It holds an annual spinach festival. (Additional reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell) By Marton Dunai BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Iran has proposed a project with Hungary to design and develop a small nuclear reactor that could be sold across Asia and Africa and also built in the Islamic republic, Tehran's top nuclear official said on Thursday. Iran's Ali Akbar Salehi said he envisaged a joint pilot project with Hungary to design a 25-megawatt reactor and then a reactor of up to 100 megawatts, a size he said would be marketable across Asia and Africa. He told a conference in Budapest that small reactors would be more affordable to poorer countries and require less cooling water, a critical consideration in Africa and Asia. "One particular project that I suggested was to see if we can... together design a small reactor of 25 megawatts," Salehi said. "It was received well and we hope that we can start this project, just on paper. "It requires a lot of scientific work to come up with such a design, certainly a number of years of hard work. We want to see if we can do this." Referring to the lifting of international sanctions on Iran's economy last year, Salehi added: "We intend to fully utilize all commercial and technical opportunities, including the pursuit of peaceful nuclear activities, emanating from this deal." Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Tehran late last year. Iran will build two more Russian-designed large reactors in addition to its current single reactor at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, a project that could take a decade, Salehi said. "After these three reactors, we have made our decision that we would look into small reactors," he said. "That is our strategy for the future. That takes time (but) we need to develop these modular smaller reactors." Hungary has a single nuclear reactor at Paks, currently operating four updated Soviet-made reactors, and Budapest has signed an agreement with Russia to double the plant's capacity, using Russian technology and financing. (Reporting by Marton Dunai; Editing by Ruth Pitchford) BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An Iraqi court sentenced 40 captured members of Islamic State to death on Thursday for the killing of hundreds of soldiers after their capture by the ultra-radical militant group as it swept across northern Iraq in 2014, a judicial spokesman said. The slaughter of 1,700 soldiers after they fled from an ex-U.S. army base outside the northern city of Tikrit has become a symbol of Islamic State's brutality and the Sunni insurgent group's sectarian hatred of Iraq's Shi'ite Muslim majority. A Baghdad criminal court issued the death sentences based on what Abdul-Sattar al-Birqdar, spokesman for Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council, said were convictions on terrorism charges. Seven defendants were acquitted and freed for lack of evidence. Security forces arrested dozens of suspects over the mass killing of the soldiers after retaking Tikrit from Islamic State last year. Twenty-four were convicted and sentenced to death last July, and are awaiting decisions on their appeals. There are more than 600 suspects in all, judicial officials say. London-based rights watchdog Amnesty International denounced the trial leading to the death penalties, saying it was "fundamentally flawed" and had displayed "a reckless disregard for justice and human life". Amnesty said the total number of people sentenced to die in Iraq so far this year had risen to almost 100. Birqdar said all death sentences were subject to review by the court of appeals. Iraqi law provides for an automatic appeal for all death-sentence and life-imprisonment cases, even if the defendants do not lodge an appeal themselves. However, death sentences in Iraq are often handed down after very brief trials in which defendants are poorly represented, seldom allowed to give evidence and are often tortured into making confessions that are then used against them. Video images of the Shi'ite soldiers being machine-gunned in their hundreds, posted online by Islamic State, rank as among the most deadliest single acts of bloodshed during a decade of periodic sectarian war in Iraq. (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Mark Heinrich) By Dustin Volz WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Islamic State's English-language reach on Twitter has stalled in recent months amid a stepped-up crackdown against the extremist group's army of digital proselytizers, who have long relied on the site to recruit and radicalize new adherents, according to a study being released on Thursday. Suspensions of English-speaking users affiliated with Islamic State from June to October 2015 have limited the group's growth and in some cases devastated the viral reach of specific users, according to the report from George Washington Universitys Program on Extremism, which analyzed a list of accounts promoted by the militant group. The report found that easily discoverable English accounts sympathetic to Islamic State was usually under 1,000, and that those users activity was mostly insular, limited to interacting with each other. Islamic State has seized control of wide swaths of Iraq and Syria and claimed credit for attacks in Paris in November that killed 130. The U.S. and other governments consider it a terrorist organization. Twitter Inc has long been criticized by government officials for its relatively lax approach to policing content, even as other Silicon Valley companies like Facebook Inc began to more actively police their platforms. Under intensified pressure from the White House, presidential candidates and some civil society groups, Twitter announced earlier this month it had shut down more than 125,000 terrorism-related accounts since the middle of 2015, most of them linked to the Islamic State group. In a blog post, the company said that while it only takes down accounts reported by other users it had increased the size of teams monitoring and responding to reports and has decreased its response time "significantly." J.M. Berger, a co-author of the report, said Twitter is still less active than many of its rivals but that part of that is due to its relative youth as a company. Each company has been dragged into this kicking and screaming, he said in an interview. Reporting of Twitter accounts affiliated with Islamic State is a steady, low-level activity generally, but occasionally events lead to periodic purges, Berger said. The study took place prior to the Paris attacks, which the researchers said likely led to a heavy wave of suspensions mostly in French and Arabic networks. The average tweets per day measured across the lifetime of an account also declined during the monitored interval, from a peak of approximately 14.5 in June to a low of 5.5 by October, the report found. The average number of followers was measured between 300 and 400. (Reporting by Dustin Volz; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) ROME (Reuters) - An Italian court has accepted a request by Hitachi to suspend a decision by market watchdog Consob calling on it to raise the price of its mandatory bid on Ansaldo STS, three legal sources said. The sources said the court had also thrown out a request by shareholder Amber to have the bid process suspended. Hitachi launched a 9.5 euro ($10.53) per share mandatory public offer to buy out Ansaldo STS minority shareholders on Jan. 4 after buying a 40 percent stake in the Italian rail signaling company from Finmeccanica last year at the same price. But earlier this month Consob forced Hitachi to raise its bid to 9.899 euros per share. Both Hitachi and Amber appealed the decision. (Reporting by Massimiliano Di Giorgio, writing by Stephen Jewkes, editing by Isla Binnie) As a young reporter for the Chicago Tribune in the months following 9/11, Will Potter was already growing weary of reporting on cops, crime, and shootings in the city. On a whim during some time off, he decided to help a group of activists hand out leaflets opposing animal testing. It wasnt what journalists usually do, says Potter, now 37. But I was feeling like I wasnt making a difference in the world as a reporter. Shortly after that, two FBI agents showed up at his door and told him he could be put on a terrorism watch list if he didnt help them gather information about the animal activists he had helped. The agents knew that both he and his then girlfriend had applied to graduate school and warned them that the student aid they had applied for could be pulled if they didnt cooperate. Everything changed after 9/11, he recalls them saying. I couldnt believe they were using that rhetoric of terrorism against someone handing out leaflets, says Potter. That was really shocking to me. The encounter ultimately altered his career path. While the charges against him for handing out leaflets were droppedand nothing ever came of the veiled threats from the FBI agentsPotter spent the next 15 years immersed in the politics and policing of dissent, and how the war on terrorism has affected our civil liberties. His 2011 book, Green Is The New Red: An Insiders Account of a Social Movement Under Siege, would expose the way the terrorist label has been used by the FBI to go after animal rights and environmental activists. Potters reporting on the amended Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, which gave the government greater authority to prosecute radical animal rights activists, exposed what he believes to be an assault on free speech in defense of corporate profits for Big Agriculture, all under the pretense of fighting terrorism. His story is at the center of a new episode of the Brian Knappenberger documentary series Truth and Power, narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal and airing on Pivot. A clip from the episode is available below: Story continues In 2006, Potter testified before Congress on the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, arguing that it could criminalize peaceful protest. Since then, he has covered the passage of and fight against so-called ag gag laws in states across the country, such as Idahos 2014 Agricultural Security Act, which made it a crime to secretly film any kind of abuse on commercial farms. RELATED: Big Ag Is Devastating the Amazon, but a New Plan Could Preserve Rainforests and Wildlife Big Ag is one of the largest industries on the planet, and also one of the most substantial contributors to political campaigns, Potter says, adding that, at the same time, Big Ag is heavily subsidized by the U.S. government and escapes regulationall farm animals, for example, are exempt from animal cruelty protections under the Animal Welfare Act. As with pretty much any story in American politics, if you want to find out who is really in charge, you need to follow the money. In this case, Big Ag has very deep pockets and isnt reluctant to wield that kind of influence at both the state and federal level, he says. However, as Potter points out, public awareness of ag-gag laws has begun to make a difference. For instance, the Idaho law was struck down in federal court last year when a judge ruled that it was an unconstitutional criminalization of free speech rights. As a result, similar laws in other states have come under scrutiny. Still, as Potter points out, theres a long way to go. Big Ag is digging in and being more aggressive, he says, and because the war on terror ethic is so ingrained in the operation of the FBI, its going to take substantial public pressure to shift this in another direction. But Potter says public pressure is the biggest threat to the industry. When these tactics are exposed, like criminalizing people simply for taking photos and videos, they dont stand up to public scrutiny. he says. Unfortunately, says Potter, theres still not enough public awareness of the tactics used by Big Ag to squelch free speech. Not until it becomes clear, as in other erasthe Red Scare under Senator Joseph McCarthy, for examplethat we have gone down a dark path will real change occur. There has to be a turning point when a real critique of of these policies takes place, he says. That has to be a starting point in undoing them. Since that encounter with the FBI in Chicago when he was a young reporter, he hasnt been threatened againbut he has been watched. There have been FBI agents at my speaking events, Potter says, and after I filed a Freedom of Information request, I found out they were keeping a file on me. Its pretty chilling and insidious, the fear all this creates. People think twice about speaking up. But you have to move past feeling fear. He says hes motivated to continue the fight because it cuts to the heart of the First Amendment: Its about who has rights to information. Unless we address that core problem, all other social justice efforts will be irrelevant. Related stories on TakePart: Truth and Power Sneak Peek: Inside the Rise of Black Lives Matter Chipotles Sustainable Pork Producer Just Sold Out to Big Agbut Maybe Thats a Good Thing? Big Ag Is Devastating the Amazon, but a New Plan Could Preserve Rainforests and Wildlife Original article from TakePart You have the right to remain fresh. Kanye West has been jokingly offered a job by Philadelphia police to help him get out of debt. On Thursday, Philadelphia police tweeted to West that the department was hiring, and at base salary, $47,920, the rap star and clothing designer could be out of self-described $53 million debt by 3122. Police also tweeted a Photoshopped image of West in a uniform. We R hiring,@kanyewest! Starting salary of $47,920; u could be debt-free by the year 3122! https://t.co/EHV6nhwuGY pic.twitter.com/TzSTK2zEGr Philadelphia Police (@PhillyPolice) February 18, 2016 West has been the topic of conversation for the past few weeks, thanks largely to his numerous Twitter rants and limited release of his highly anticipated album. His lyrics about making Taylor Swift famous and his secretly recorded profane rant backstage at Saturday Night Live didn't help. As for Philadelphia police, this is not the first time the department has had some fun with its social media accounts. In December, police tweeted that spoiling Star Wars: The Force Awakens is not a crime but that it should be one. On Facebook, the department posted a photo showing two storm troopers seemingly getting arrested on South Street with the caption: "No, posting #StarWarsForceAwakens spoilers online is not a crime. Yes, it should be." It then added that "any illegal Sith behavior will still be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." Read More: Kanye West Asks "White Publications" to Stop Commenting on "Black Music" Mt. Pleasant (United States) (AFP) - John Kasich is a hugger. The embrace has been a cherished US campaign tool for decades, but the Ohio governor is the most touchy-feely presidential candidate on the 2016 trail, hoping to ride his particular brand of personal engagement and positivity to a strong showing in South Carolina and beyond. At a Thursday gathering before Kasich volunteers began knocking on doors in Mount Pleasant, Kasich leaned in for several long bear hugs with supporters buoyed by his second-place showing in New Hampshire last week. When he asked a woman with a therapy dog why she needed the animal, and she whispered the answer in Kasich's ear, he shut his eyes tight and pulled her close for an extended hug. He treated others with similar affection -- a reflection of an attitude that appears to have gone AWOL on a campaign trail overflowing with frontrunner Donald Trump's brutal bombast. Other candidates, including Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, and to a degree Democrat Hillary Clinton, have embraced the selfie-snapping revolution, but they appear polished, sometimes stiff. Kasich, 63, appears better at getting to the heart of a personal matter or exchanging knowing words with a voter, all part of his projection as the optimism candidate. "They look at our campaign, and they think maybe hope's just around the corner, Kasich said. "I'd rather sell hope, and I'd rather believe in the things that can create hope, than sell negativity," he added. "I'm not going to engage in some long, negative diatribe." Jeb Bush began his presidential run as the "joyful warrior," but he has been dragged into the mudslinging with Trump. Rubio and Cruz are brawling too. Only low-polling Ben Carson, it appears, is approaching Kasich's level of positivity. - 'Little engine that can' - Last Saturday's debate in Greenville, South Carolina was widely derided as boorish rival-bashing. Story continues Kasich called for an end to disparaging of fellow Republicans, and the "sound bites and insults" of the debate process. His maturity on stage apparently resonated with viewers. He doubled his support over the past week, to nearly nine percent nationally, according to the RealClearPolitics poll average. "Let's just keep hanging in there, the little engine that can," he quipped. If he pulls out a third place finish Saturday in conservative, largely evangelical South Carolina it would be a victory. Asked how he would handle the expected brickbats by Trump should he continue to rise, Kasich stumbled backward in mock horror. "Whoa, by God, how am I going to handle that?" he joked. But can Kasich be the good guy and win the nomination? "I hope so, because this country needs it. We need to be united again," Kasich backer Charles Steinert, a retired naval officer working in the financial industry in nearby Charleston, told AFP at Kasich's event. As the campaign progresses, Kasich could find himself a political target. "As his numbers go up, Trump will start attacking him. Stay above the fray," Steinert advised. Kasich, a sitting two-term governor and former congressman, embodies the political establishment, hardly an advantage in an election cycle dominated by populist calls for an outsider to take the reins in Washington. "The pitchforks are definitely up in the air," acknowledged Thomas Moe, a retired US Air Force officer who introduced Kasich Thursday. But Moe said he sees Kasich as the "only adult in the crowd" -- a unifier who doesn't embrace extremism. "The governor is either going to win the election by being honest and moderate, or he'll lose," Moe said. Nairobi (AFP) - Kenya's army said Thursday it had killed the intelligence chief of the Shebab Islamist insurgent group and 10 other commanders in an air strike in Somalia. Kenya celebrated what it called a "major blow" to the Al-Qaeda-linked group with the killing of Mahad Karate, who has a $5 million US bounty on his head. The Shebab however dismissed the claim as "baseless". Kenyan troops, part of an African Union force in Somalia (AMISOM) fighting the insurgents, claimed to have killed Karate, a top commander also responsible for internal security, in an air strike at a Shebab training camp 10 days ago. Karate -- head of the Shebab's Amniyat unit, a special security wing responsible for intelligence, attacks and assassinations -- is said to have been involved in plotting the 2015 massacre of 148 people at Garissa university in northeastern Kenya. "The killing... is a major blow to the terrorist group," army spokesman David Obonyo said in a statement. "The Kenya Defence Forces, under AMISOM operations, would like to confirm that Mahad Mohammed Karate... and 10 other middle level commanders were killed in a major KDF strike," in southern Somalia on February 8, Obonyo said. - 'Key role in attacks' - The 10-day delay in announcing Karate's death suggests efforts were made to identify the remains. But the Shehab dismissed the report, saying Kenya was claiming the death after its army base in El-Adde in southwest Somalia was overrun by the Islamists last month. "All soldiers and leaders of the mujahedeen fighters are safe and sound, there were no air strikes carried out," the group said in a statement. "The baseless claims made by the Christian government of Kenya is aimed at hiding the massive losses inflicted on them during the attack on El-Adde." Kenya said that in all more than 50 Shehab were killed in the strike on a Shebab training camp where Karate was present. Story continues Obonyo said the spy chief was presiding over a ceremony for an estimated 80 Amniyat recruits "who had completed their training, and were due for deployment to carry out more terrorist attacks". He said 42 recruits were also killed and "many others" injured. Karate was put on the US State Department's wanted terrorist list in April 2015 after the Garissa attack, which followed the 2013 attack in the Kenyan capital when Shebab gunmen slaughtered at least 67 people at Nairobi's Westgate Mall. "Karate, also known as Abdirahman Mohamed Warsame, played a key role in the Amniyat, the wing of the Shebab responsible for assassinations and the April 2, 2015 attack on Garissa University College," said the US Rewards for Justice wanted notice. "The Shebab's intelligence wing is involved in the execution of suicide attacks and assassinations in Somalia, Kenya and other countries in the region, and provides logistics and support for Shebab terrorist operations throughout the Horn of Africa," it added. - One-time number two - Karate was also the deputy of former Shebab leader Ahmed Godane, killed in a US drone strike in September 2014. Security sources believe Karate to be a key advocate of switching allegiance from Al-Qaeda to Islamic State, an ongoing and sometimes bloody internal debate within the Shebab. His death, if confirmed, might strengthen leader Ahmed Diriye's efforts to remain loyal to Al-Qaeda. Kenya has accused Karate of plotting the El-Adde assault. "It is believed that Karate played a major role in the recent attack on KDF troops in El-Adde by the deployment of his suicide bombers," Obonyo said, adding that operations against the Shebab "will continue until justice is done". The Shebab is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu, which is protected by 22,000 African Union troops. Kenyan officials have given no death toll from the storming of its base, but many suspect it to have been the country's worst military disaster, with the Shebab claiming to have killed more than 100 Kenyan soldiers. At the time, President Uhuru Kenyatta vowed revenge saying the Shebab would "have no time to breathe". Last week, the Shebab claimed responsibility for a bomb attack which ripped a hole in a passenger plane shortly after takeoff from the capital Mogadishu earlier this month. NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya has killed the commander of an elite unit within Somalia's al Shabaab Islamist insurgency, a man blamed for masterminding a deadly attack on a Kenyan military camp in southern Somalia last month, the Kenyan military said on Thursday. Kenyan troops, working under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), killed Mohamed Karatey, al Shabaab's deputy commander and head of intelligence, at a graduation ceremony for insurgent fighters on Feb. 8, the Kenya Defense Forces said in a statement. "It is believed Karatey played a major role in the recent attack on KDF troops in El Adde by the deployment of his suicide bombers," KDF said in a statement. "His killing now adds to that of the killing of Abdi Dek, the operation commander of the Abu Zubeyr Brigade that carried out the attack in El Adde." The statement gave no further details on killing of Karatey but said the Kenyan military had also killed 42 al Shabaab recruits and 10 other mid-level al Shabaab commanders during the raid. It was not possible to independently verify the killings. Kenyan troops took heavy losses when al Shabaab launched a dawn raid on their camp in El Adde near the Kenyan border on Jan. 15, although they have not disclosed exact casualty figures. Al Shabaab claimed the attack had killed more than 100 soldiers. The Islamist insurgents have links to al Qaeda and seek to overthrow Somalia's weak Western-backed government and drive out the African Union soldiers supporting them. Al Shabaab has inflated casualty figures in the past, while other official estimates often play them down. The unit that Karatey headed - known as Amniyat - comprises spies, suicide bombers and explosives experts. (Reporting by George Obulutsa and Humphrey Malalo; editing by Katharine Houreld) GETTY IMAGE A pair of tweets from Frank Isola of the New York Daily News and Marc J. Spears of Yahoos The Vertical reveal that the Cavs are strongly looking to acquire Ryan Anderson from the New Orleans Pelicans. That also means Kevin Love could still be moved, as well, since they share the same position. The Cavaliers are showing strong interest in acquiring Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson, sources said. Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) February 17, 2016 Cleveland remains very active. Cavs in talks with Pelicans about Ryan Anderson. A 3-team deal that includes Kevin Love still in play. Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) February 17, 2016 Anderson is on an expiring deal, and hell likely command between $16-18 million this offseason, something the Pelicans would rather not shell out for a big man who cant defend that well. Isola is also reporting the Cavs might be dealing the floppy-haired Anderson Varejao. Cavs also considering a trade that would include a LeBron favorite, Anderson Varejao. Portland & Philadelphia are possibilities. Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) February 17, 2016 Varejao hasnt seen much time this season. Even with Timofey Mozgov regressing from his peak performance in last seasons playoffs, Tristan Thompson is starting and Moz is handling the majority of backup minutes. Andy is only averaging 10 minutes per contest a career-low in the 31 games of mop-up duty hes played so far this season. Varejaos also, as Isola is quick to note, a good buddy of LeBrons, which means nothing, but people will read between the lines and say LeBron prevented it if Varejao isnt moved. See how that works? Story continues The Love portion of Isolas tweet is the one everyone is wondering about. Love had been mentioned in a possible Carmelo Anthony three-teamer Isola reported over the weekend. So this is the second time in less than a week the New York Daily News scribe has mentioned the Cavs trying to deal the All-Star power forward. Whether theres any truth to the rumor remains to be seen. Spears did confirm the Cavs are looking hard at 27-year-old Ryan Anderson, who is exactly the dead-eye shooter the Cavs would want to replicate Loves position in the half court. Love is a more well-rounded offensive player than Anderson will ever be and hes locked up long-term on a pretty cheap maximum allowable five-year deal (the fifth year is a player option) at least in accordance with where the cap as television rights-related money begins in the summer of 2017. But the former Timberwolves star hasnt been asked to do much outside of acting as a shooter along the arc or a release valve when Kyrie Irving and LeBron James dribble drives dont lead to easy looks at the rim. Anderson would be a cheaper option, even if they re-signed him this summer. Share This Facebook Twitter EMAIL London (AFP) - Prime Minister David Cameron could agree a reform package at a summit in Brussels starting Thursday, paving the way for a referendum on whether Britain should leave the European Union as early as June. Here are some of the key dates in Britain's often troubled relationship with the EU over recent decades: August 9, 1961 Britain makes its first formal application to join what was then the European Economic Community (EEC) under then Conservative prime minister Harold Macmillan. January 14, 1963 France's then president General Charles de Gaulle vetoes the application for the first time. He does the same thing for a second application on November 27, 1967. January 1, 1973 Britain finally enters the EEC at the same time as Ireland and Denmark, after de Gaulle has left office. June 5, 1975 In a referendum on membership of the EEC, Britain votes "Yes" by slightly over 67 percent. November 30, 1979 Prime minister Margaret Thatcher demands a rebate of Britain's contribution to the European budget in a speech which became best known for a phrase attributed to her as: "I want my money back!" September 20, 1988 Thatcher gives a landmark speech in the Belgian city of Bruges which has come to be seen as a rallying cry among eurosceptics for less European integration. February 7, 1992 The Treaty of Maastricht, which underpinned the next stage of European integration, is signed. Britain secures an opt-out from joining the single European currency. July 23, 1993 Prime minister John Major holds a confidence motion in his government over the Maastricht Treaty after serious infighting in his Conservative party over Europe. He is caught on camera calling eurosceptic ministers plotting against him "bastards". April 20, 2004 Labour prime minister Tony Blair, a europhile, announces his intention to hold a referendum on the European constitution. It is never held, after France and Denmark rejected it. January 23, 2013 Story continues Cameron promises a referendum on EU membership if his Conservative party wins the next general election. May 22, 2014 The anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) tops the polls in European elections with more than 26 percent of the vote, securing 24 seats. May 7, 2015 Cameron's Conservatives win a surprise clear majority in the general election, clearing the way for a referendum to be held. By Dustin Volz WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior U.S. lawmaker expressed a new willingness to support legislation establishing ground rules for when technology firms should grant authorities access to their products, after Apple Inc said it would fight a court order to unlock an iPhone linked to the San Bernardino shooting rampage. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives' Intelligence Committee, said in a statement on Wednesday that the "complex issues" raised by the Apple case, as well as the prevalence of strongly encrypted devices and communications, "will ultimately need to be resolved by Congress, the administration and industry, rather than the courts alone." Two weeks ago, Schiff told reporters he considered a legislative approach to the issue neither "feasible or even desirable. On Tuesday, a federal judge in Los Angeles said that Apple must provide "reasonable technical assistance" to investigators seeking to unlock the data on an iPhone that had been used by San Bernardino shooter Rizwan Farook, who, with his wife, killed 14 people on Dec. 2. Apple said it would fight the court order, which it said would set a dangerous precedent that could ultimately undermine the security of its iPhones. While lawmakers are far from a consensus on the issue, Schiff said, "the court's decision will likely accelerate our consideration of how to weigh the competing privacy, security and competitiveness issues." Schiff's pivot could signal renewed interest from lawmakers in an encryption debate that so far has found little traction in Congress. The House Judiciary Committee is planning to hold a hearing on encryption on March 1 and has invited Apple to attend, according to a congressional source. Senators Richard Burr and Dianne Feinstein, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate intelligence panel respectively, have said they want to pursue encryption legislation, though neither has introduced a bill yet. Story continues The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous sources, reported on Thursday that Burr was working on a proposal that would levy "criminal penalties" on companies that did not comply with court orders to decrypt communications, though it said negotiations were still fluid. However, Burr's spokeswoman Becca Watkins told Reuters he "is not considering criminal penalties in his draft encryption proposals." Momentum for a law that would require companies to provide government access to the contents of encrypted devices relevant to a criminal investigation faltered last summer when the White House stopped pushing for a bill amid intense opposition from technology companies and privacy advocates. It is difficult to gauge the Apple case's impact on Congress, as both the Senate and House of Representatives are on recess this week. But congressional aides say any encryption legislation likely still faces a steep climb. That is especially true in the House, which in 2014 passed an amendment to a defense funding bill that would have barred the government from forcing an organization to build a technical "backdoor" into its products. The measure was later removed during negotiations. Federal officials have privately dismissed a theory that the Apple case was choreographed to stir up support for encryption legislation. But Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group, said she believed the U.S. Justice Department is pursuing the case in California with one eye on Congress. "It's a win-win for them," she said. If they prevail in court, they don't need a law. And if they lose, they have it set up to go to lawmakers and say: This is what we need, the courts didn't give it to us, so we need a new law." (Reporting by Dustin Volz; Additional reporting by Joseph Menn, Mark Hosenball and Megan Cassella; Editing by Eric Effron, Jonathan Oatis and Bill Rigby) Brussels (AFP) - European Union leaders meet Thursday for what promises to be a tense two-day summit to discuss new terms for Britain's membership of the EU. Here is a summary of what it means to be a member of the EU and how Britain stands apart. - Enlargement - The EU traces its origins to the 1950s, when half a dozen countries in continental Europe launched the first moves of economic integration after the devastation of World War II. The European Economic Community (EEC) emerged from this process in 1958, with Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands as the founder members. Jealous of an economic boom enjoyed by France and Germany, Britain joined the bloc in 1973 after overcoming fierce objections in Paris. In 1992, the Treaty of Maastricht expanded integration, creating the European Union and laying the foundations for the single currency, the euro -- the project that is proving to be one of the most contentious issues in Britain's continued membership. After years of gradual expansion, membership exploded, with the addition of nearly a dozen ex-communist states in 2004 and 2007. Croatia was the latest to join in 2013, bringing the club to its current 28 members. - British exceptions - In the EU, not all members carry the same political weight nor obey the same rules. Whether concerning the euro, the EU budget or the free movement of people, the European project is riddled with exceptions. The Schengen passport-free zone is one of its pillars, enshrining the fundamental right to free movement. Britain is the only EU country to have opted out of both Schengen and the euro, choosing to control its own borders and currency. Denmark also is under no obligation to eventually join the euro. All other EU members are expected to adopt the single EU currency, although several countries, including Sweden and Poland, are openly reluctant to do so after the turbulence of the eurozone debt crisis. As for the EU budget, which Britain got cut back in 2014, member states contribute on the basis of their per-capita wealth and population size. The current 2014-20 budget is worth nearly a trillion euros ($1.11 trillion). Story continues Germany, France and Britain are the biggest contributors with Poland, Hungary and Greece the biggest net recipients. The budget comprises three main parts -- the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) which covers farm aid and accounts for about a third of spending; Cohesion Funds which help poorer member states catch up with their peers; and programmes to boost innovation and jobs. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1984 famously secured a rebate on Britain's contribution on the argument that Britain, with a small farming sector, received much less CAP funding than its peers. The British rebate has since become an article of faith, with London hostile to any attempt to cut it. - Exit? - The Treaty of Lisbon, agreed in 2009, introduced an EU exit clause allowing member states a legal path to leave the bloc voluntarily. A country that wants out of the EU must notify the European Council, the paramount decision-making body which groups the governments of the 28 member states. Any withdrawal would then be negotiated in a process likely to take months. Officials warn that an exit by Britain, a major economy that also hosts the City of London financial hub, would be tortuous. - Join? - The EU has put the brakes on new members, ruling out any additions until 2020 ever since the expansion to the east proved too much for the current institutions to handle. Turkey, along with Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania, is among the current applicants. Britain notably supports Turkey's membership bid but many others are bitterly opposed. Kim Kardashian West puts much of her life on public display from her family to her wardrobe to her wedding but what about her Armenian heritage? It turns out that the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star and professional famous person has been vocal about her Armenian background, and about raising awareness regarding Armenian history. Back in April, Kardashian West penned an essay for Time magazine in which she reflected on her Armenian background and her late father, Robert Kardashian, who was an attorney. "When we grew up, all my father did was talk about our heritage," Kardashian West said. "It was such a big part of our life: We'd eat Armenian food, we would listen to stories my dad was really outspoken about our history." In the essay, Kardashian West discussed her family history including her great-great-grandparents' move to the United States shortly before the Armenian genocide of 1915, during which 1.5 million Armenians living in the collapsing Ottoman Empire were killed. "Had they not escaped, we wouldn't be here," Kardashian West wrote in Time. In April, Kardashian West, along with her sister Khloe and her husband Kanye West and daughter North, took a trip to Armenia to observe the centennial of the genocide, during which they met with Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, reported ABC News. Kardashian West called for Turkey to acknowledge the Armenian genocide, saying, "It's time for Turkey to recognize it ... To not do so is an act of disrespect." She also called on President Barack Obama to specifically use the word genocide in describing the mass killings, something he has not yet done. "The Kardashian family trip to Armenia has helped shine a global spotlight on Armenia and the Armenian genocide sharing the historical facts and the need for justice for that crime with millions," Elizabeth Chouldjian, communications director of the Armenian National Committee of America, told ABC News in April. "The Kardashians have helped strike a powerful blow at Turkey's campaign of genocide denial." Story continues So will Kardashian West raise her children to share her pride in the family's Armenian heritage? Apparently she plans to do so. "I'm half Armenian, but I grew up with a such a strong sense of my Armenian identity, and I want my daughter to have the same," Kardashian West wrote in Time. "My great-great-grandparents were so brave to move their whole family. I'll honor them by passing their memory down to my daughter." Correction: Feb. 18, 2016 A previous version of this article incorrectly reported the number of people who were killed in the Armenian genocide. The number is 1.5 million. LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An Ohio man convicted 15 years ago of stalking Oscar-winning screen star Gwyneth Paltrow was found not guilty of that charge on Wednesday in a more recent case brought against him, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Dante Michael Soiu, 67, was acquitted of felony stalking and a lesser charge of attempted stalking by a Los Angeles Superior Court jury after a trial capped by the testimony of Paltrow herself last week. The 43-year-old actress tearfully told jurors she feared for her safety and that of her family after receiving dozens of letters from the onetime pizza deliveryman, and she read some of them in court, according to media accounts of the trial. But Soiu testified on his own behalf that he meant no harm to Paltrow and that his letters were "a matter of seeking forgiveness" for the trouble he previously had caused her. Soiu was convicted in a December 2000 jury trial of stalking Paltrow after sending her sexually graphic letters and packages and showing up twice outside her parents' home. But the judge in that case subsequently declared Soiu to be legally insane and ordered him confined at the time to a psychiatric facility until he had been judged to have recovered. The previous case unfolded in the wake of Paltrow's Academy Award-winning performance in the 1998 film "Shakespeare in Love." Soiu's lawyer in the latest case, Lynda Westlund, said after the not-guilty verdict, "I do believe that this jury did the right thing in this case." She said Soiu would likely be released from jail later on Wednesday evening. "He just needed the right medication. He is completely lucid," she said of her client, whom she also described as being "a little different." "He's unique. He's special. But ... he's very cogent," she said. (Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Sandra Maler) Updated on February 18 at 9:12 a.m. President Obama announced on Twitter that he will visit Cuba next month to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people. The visit would cap the historic announcement by Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro in December 2014 that the two Cold War-era rivals would take steps to normalize relations. Obama would be the first sitting U.S. presidentJimmy Carter visited in 2011to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge attended the Pan American Conference in Havana in January 1928. It was a time when the U.S. controlled Cuban politics and the Cuban economy, according to the Miller Center at the University of Virginia. U.S. policy toward Cuba during that period was governed by the Platt Amendment, which, in exchange for an end to the U.S. military occupation of the island, imposed a set of conditions on the Cuban government. These gave the U.S. the right to intervene unilaterally in Cuban affairs and included a clause that eventually led to the perpetual lease of Guantanamo Bay, which is home to a U.S. naval base and a detention facility for suspected terrorists. Recommended: Winners of the 2016 World Press Photo Contest So embittered were most Latin American leaders over America's policies that the republics of the Western Hemisphere assembled for their triennial conference in Havana, Cuba, in 1928 eager to demand changes in American conduct, the Miller Center notes. It was under these circumstances that Coolidge visited Havana. The trip was the first foreign outing for the president, who was seemingly uninterested in foreign policy, and was an attempt to extend an olive branch toward a Latin America that was smarting at U.S. policy toward the region. Coolidge rode the presidential railcar to Key West where he boarded the battleship USS Texas and set sail for Havana, where, as The New York Timess account said, he was warmly welcomed. [B]ig guns boomed salutes and a multitude of people cheered with the enthusiasm born of an intensive Latin nature, the Times reported. Story continues Prohibition was in effect in the U.S. at the time, and reporters accompanying Coolidge wanted to know how the president would respond to an offer of alcohol when he met with Gerardo Machado y Morales, the Cuban leader at the time. Beverly Smith, a reporter writing in the Saturday Evening Post, recalled in 1958, that a waiter carried a big tray of delicate, crystal cocktail glasses, each sparkling to the brim with a daiquirirum, fresh lime juice and sugar, well shaken. Cal himself, of course, was the cynosure of the drama. As the tray approached from his left, he wheeled artfully to the right, seeming to admire a portrait on the wall. The tray came closer. Mr. Coolidge wheeled right another 90 degrees, pointing out to Machado the beauties of the tropical verdure. By the time he completed his 360-degree turn, the incriminating tray had passed safely beyond him. Apparently he had never seen it. His maneuver was a masterpiece of evasive action. That artfulness continued in the presidents address to the conference, in which he called Cuba a complete demonstration of the progress we are making in the region. Recommended: The Economicsand Moralityof Admitting Refugees Thirty years ago Cuba ranked as a foreign possession, torn by revolution and devastated by hostile forces, Coolidge said. Such government as existed rested on military force. Today Cuba is her own sovereign. Her people are independent, free, prosperous, peaceful, and enjoying the advantages of self-government. The last important area has taken her place among the republics of the New World. The Miller Center notes that the conference was also notable for the remarks made by Charles Evans Hughes, Coolidges former secretary of state who served as the presidents special envoy. His tour de force of a speech persuaded the delegates to refrain from passing a strong anti-U.S. resolution, the center notes. Coolidges visit paved the way for a policy that opposed direct military intervention in Latin America. It reflected, in the words of the Miller Center, a dawning awareness of the need for change, which would finally come when President Franklin Roosevelt announced a Good Neighbor Policy of nonintervention in 1933. In 1959, a little more than three decades later, Fidel Castro and his communist rebels took power in Cuba. The U.S. severed diplomatic relations in 1961 and the next five decades were marked by acrimony. Coolidge still remains the only sitting president to visit the island. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. Juba (AFP) - Fighting at a UN peacekeeping base sheltering civilians in South Sudan has left at least 18 people dead, the medical charity MSF said on Thursday. Two of the fatalities were local staff members who were attacked in their own homes, it said. "This attack on civilians is outrageous and we demand that armed groups stop these actions," Marcus Bachmann, coordinator of MSF projects in South Sudan, said in a statement. "People came to the... site looking for protection and this should be a sanctuary respected by all parties." Earlier, the United Nations reported that violence between ethnic Dinka and Shilluk communities broke out overnight Wednesday at the base, located in the northeast town of Malakal, and continued into the day. It gave a toll of seven dead and 40 injured. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the fighting and expressed concerns about the rise of ethnic violence in the more than two-year conflict, according to a statement from his spokesman. Over 47,700 people live inside the Malakal base, many of whom came from areas where no aid or shelter had been available for months. It is one of eight UN bases providing a haven since a civil war began in late 2013. The bases, sheltered around 200,000 people, are protected by razor wire and no weapons are allowed in them. The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said "violence involving the use of small arms, machetes and other weapons broke out." Peacekeepers fired tear gas to break up crowds, it said. MSF said an initial surge of violence lasted around three hours, forcing around 600 people, mostly women and children, to gather inside the organisation's hospital. "More casualties are currently arriving," it said. Resident Jack Nhial, speaking from inside the base, said the assailants "used Kalashnikovs and machine guns... the situation is still tense." Peacekeepers were now patrolling the base in tanks, he said. Story continues The UN mission has more than 12,000 peacekeepers, with half of them deployed solely to protect the civilians in their bases. Malakal is in government control, but frontlines with rebel areas are close by. - Conflict and hunger - South Sudan's civil war erupted in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of planning a coup, setting off a cycle of retaliatory killings that have split the poverty-stricken, landlocked country along ethnic lines. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and over two million forced from their homes, pushing the world's youngest nation to the brink of famine. Over 2.8 million people -- almost a quarter of the population -- need aid, while in war zone northern areas 40,00 are being starved to death with aid blocked amid violence. Both the government and rebel sides have been accused of perpetrating ethnic massacres, recruiting and killing children and carrying out widespread rape, torture and forced displacement of populations to "cleanse" areas of their opponents. Earlier this month Kiir named exiled rebel chief Machar as vice-president, as part of a repeatedly broken August peace deal. Machar has yet to return to take up the post and fighting continues, with the conflict now involving multiple militia forces driven by local agendas or revenge, who pay little heed to paper peace deals. The UN has previously said attacks on its bases in South Sudan may constitute a war crime. In April 2014, gunmen killed at least 48 civilians when they opened fire on terrified civilians inside a UN base in the town of Bor. At least 10 attackers were also killed when UN troops fought back. Lincoln is my hero, Yale law professor Akhil Reed Amar proclaims to a packed crowd at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. He should be all of yours, he continues, adding, for good measure, We live in his house. Amar is not being metaphorical. The soft-spoken constitutional scholar with shaggy hair, gray beard and glasses can be deadly earnest, particularly when it comes to Lincoln. But Amars infectious enthusiasm for his subject and his ability to communicate its nuances to law students and laypeople alike have transformed him into that rare public intellectual whos just as comfortable across the table from Clarence Thomas as Stephen Colbert. And the scholarly ground Amar has staked out what some would call a liberal originalist view of the Constitution, with similarities to the late Justice Antonin Scalias emphasis on the original meaning of the text has also made him one of the most provocative and controversial legal scholars of his generation. For many, constitutional law may never have seemed an un-drab concept, aside from that time Elle Woods went to law school. But the ideas expounded by scholars like Amar, who did not respond to requests for comment, and the debates in the academy over how to interpret the constitution, often predate and presage key decisions like the Supreme Courts recent ruling on same-sex marriage. Amars latest book, The Law of the Land: A Grand Tour of Our Constitutional Republic, is an exploration of the role that geography has played in the life of U.S. constitutional law that begins, as it must, with Honest Abe. Not just because of Lincolns good Midwestern-boy roots, which Amar argues influenced his plans for the nation, but because he says Lincolns stubbornness against secession during the Civil War were the two most important constitutional decisions in American history. Asking where the U.S. would be today without them would be like asking who you would be if your parents never met. Story continues Amar loves historical excavation and resurrecting forgotten constitutional history. One of Amars unlikeliest constitutional heroes we meet in the book: former Supreme Court justice Hugo Black, a former Klansman from Alabama who got us to apply the provisions of the Bill of Rights to state and local governments, formed the basis for the influential Warren Court and helped redeem, claims Amar, Lincolns vision of national unity in the 20th century. Both Lincoln and Black, says Amar, who has two degrees from Yale, had scanty academic credentials and were underestimated by all these people who had fancy educational East Coast degrees. Its one of those fancy East Coasters who brought Amar to Black: his Yale mentor, Guido Calabresi, who clerked for the justice. The son of Indian immigrants, Amar grew up in Walnut Creek, California, and is not someone you would imagine as admiring a Klansman. Hes spent most of three decades ensconced in Yales snowy ivory towers and calls himself a California-Connecticut Yankee through and through in his new book. His immigrant parents inspire some of his seemingly conservative love for the text of the Constitution, particularly that birthright-citizenship clause that Donald Trump and others have condemned mightily. My parents were not citizens, Amar, who endearingly and almost invariably carries a pocket Constitution in his coat, once told Publishers Weekly. But the first sentence of the Fourteenth Amendment made me a citizen on the day of my birth. It gave me this great gift that I have basically spent my life trying to repay. In some ways, Amar is Justice Blacks intellectual heir, an originalist, much like Thomas and Scalia, meaning he cares about the original meaning of the Constitutions text. And yet he loves historical excavation and resurrecting forgotten constitutional history in a way that not infrequently leads to rather progressive outcomes. Amars greatest contribution to constitutional scholarship, says Jeffrey Rosen, a law professor and president of the National Constitution Center, has been transforming the debate about the meaning of textualism and originalism, making a liberal originalism possible. Other scholars are not as convinced. Akhil is a prolific and enormously important constitutional scholar, [and] his emphasis on text has been important, says Erwin Chemerinsky, a constitutional scholar at the University of California, Irvine. But he is non-originalist in supporting a right to marriage equality. Scalia would likely have agreed; and for some, like Daniel Urman, the director of Northeastern Universitys Doctorate in Law and Policy program, Amars thinking is more a demonstration of Thomas and Scalias outsize influence on how we understand constitutional interpretation. But there is also something refreshing in having a liberal Yankee like Amar freely praising a conservative from Georgia like Thomas for the steadiness and humility of his jurisprudence. After all, as Amar tells the crowd in Philadelphia, Lincoln is Thomas hero too. The story of the Constitution is what unites us all, Amar adds. North and south, east and west, liberal and conservative, Republican and Democrat, red and blue. Related Articles By Patrick Markey and Tarek Amara ALGIERS/TUNIS (Reuters) - Libya's neighbors are again preparing for possible Western intervention in Libya, tightening border security and sending diplomatic warnings about the risk from hurried action against Islamic State that could force thousands refugees to flee. As Islamic State has expanded in Libya -- taking over the city of Sirte and attacking oil ports -- so too have calls increased for a swift Western response to stop the group establishing a base outside its Iraq and Syria territory. For Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria, sharing borders with Libya was already a security challenge as the country slipped into war between rival factions and allowed Islamic State to thrive five years after NATO strikes helped defeat Muammar Gaddafi. Exactly what Western intervention is possible is still under discussion. But President Barack Obama has ordered security advisers to look to halt Islamic State, and U.S. officials say air strikes and special forces operations are options. Italy's defense minister has said the West can not afford to let spring come and go without intervening, though most officials say they are pushing for a united Libya government first to ask for help on the ground. North African officials back international attempts to bring Libya's factions together, but they worry they will pay the price in instability, refugees and militant counter attacks if an intervention happens without a government on the ground. "Those countries who are envisaging a military intervention in Libya should before anything take into consideration the interests of the neighboring countries," Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi said. Tunisia's parliament speaker travels this week to Brussels to express the country's concerns over Western military action to his counterparts in the European Parliament. In the years since Gaddafi fell in 2011, Libya has slipped deeper into chaos with two rival governments each backed by competing factions of former rebel brigades. A U.N.-backed government of national accord is trying to win support, but is still awaiting parliamentary approval, and has yet to establish itself in the capital Tripoli. Western officials and diplomats say air strikes, special forces operations are possible as well as an Italian-led "security stabilization" plan of training and advising. U.S. and European officials insist Libyans must invite help through a united government, but say they may still carry out unilateral action if needed. The United States and its allies are already carrying out air strikes against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Political delays in Libya are testing patience, however, and worrying North African governments. "The people who wanted to first form a government, are now the same people in a hurry for intervention," one North African diplomat said. "You need a unified action. If you are just planning air strikes, it won't get the results." FALLOUT AND PREPARATION Tunisia and Egypt face the most risk from Libya's crisis. Last year, Tunisian jihadists who trained in Libyan camps carried out two major attacks on foreign tourists in Tunisia. More than 3,000 Tunisians have left to fight with Islamic State and other militant groups in Iraq and Syria, but Tunisian security sources say they believe many are returning to Libya. Along the Libyan frontier, Tunisian authorities have built a 200-km (125 mile) barrier. Hospitals in Gafsa, Tataouine, Mednine and Gabes are prepared to receive wounded, and authorities have stockpiled supplies, officials say. "These Tunisian fighters left here illegally and they know ways to cross back," a Tunisian security source said. "We are vigilant for when they try to escape here if the coalition attacks on Islamic State start." Egypt has long urged the international community to help fight Islamist militancy in Libya. But Cairo has also been more circumspect about a full-blown Western military intervention. Over the past 18 months, Egypt has ramped up border security and aerial surveillance and also carried out air strikes itself on Libyan militants. It has also relied on Bedouins whose familial links allow them to act lookouts on the border. "This is a Libyan decision that no one should interfere with," Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry. "We hope that the Libyan government and the Libyan army ... will come out with something that will exclude the possibilities of intervention." With its own bloody history from a war with armed Islamists in 1990s, Algeria has been a key partner in the Western campaign against Islamist militancy in the Sahel, but it is also keen to maintain its traditional policy of non-interference. Algerian border security was already tight since Islamist fighters crossed over from Libya to help in a 2013 attack on Algeria's In Amenas gas field, where 40 oil workers were killed. Last month, Algerian forces arrested seven Libyan militants near the border close to In Amenas, and the army frequently stops weapons smuggled from Libya. Citing security concerns, Algeria last month also suspended flights to Libya. "A major war in Libya would have a negative impact, more refugees and security risks," said Smail Djouhri, an ex-colonel and lecturer in security at Algiers University. "Less Daesh in the region is also good news. A blow to them reduces their recruitment in North Africa." (Additional reporting by Lamine Chikhi in Algiers and Lin Noueihed in Cairo; Editing by Alison Williams) LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The city of Los Angeles filed a $20 million lawsuit on Thursday against the real estate developer behind a downtown apartment complex destroyed while under construction in a massive arson fire that engulfed an entire city block in December 2014. The civil suit alleged that Geoffrey H. Palmer and his company, G.H. Palmer Associates, failed to take fire-safety precautions that would have curbed the spread of flames that ended up burning down the multimillion-dollar Da Vinci Apartments complex. "We're fighting to fully compensate the city's taxpayers for losses we allege could have been avoided had this massive building incorporated key safety measures and been better constructed," City Attorney Mike Feuer said in a statement. Representatives for G.H. Palmer Associates could not be immediately reached for comment. Feuer said developers failed to devise adequate fire protection plan, did not properly install fire walls or doors in the structure, lacked sufficient water supplies to fight a fire, and lacked appropriate security measures to stop someone from gaining unauthorized access. A 56-year-old man was charged last May with setting the Dec. 8, 2014, blaze that gutted the complex and damaged three nearby buildings. Dawud Abdulwali pleaded not guilty to two counts of arson in the case. A flammable material was used to start the fire, which took about 250 firefighters to extinguish and caused an estimated $30 million in damage to the structure of the Da Vinci complex alone, officials said. The site that burned, two stories of poured concrete beneath five floors of wood framing, occupied an entire city block near the junction of two major traffic arteries - the Hollywood Freeway and the Harbor Freeway. No one was injured, but much of the structure, wrapped in scaffolding, collapsed in the flames, producing heat so intense it ignited three floors of a neighboring high-rise building. The radiant heat also blew out windows in two other office buildings. (Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Steve Gorman and Andrew Hay) Have you seen the Bernie Sanders music video? This musician was #FeelingTheBern so much that he made his own Bernie Sanders music video with $11,000 of his own money.#MicCheckNow Posted by Mic on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 It's no secret who Hawaiian native musician Makana is voting for. The recording artist recently released a music video for his track "Fire Is Ours," which is a political cut that endorses Bernie Sanders for president. And Matthew "Makana" Swalinkavich is feeling the Bern so much that he was willing to spend thousands of dollars to make the song's visual accompaniment, a video that's going viral since being published to YouTube on Feb. 10. Speaking to Hawaii News Now, Makana confessed he paid $11,000 out of pocket to make the video because he "became inspired," adding that his end goal for the video is simple. "I hope it gets people to get out to vote, to care, to exercise their democratic right." The video which features the artist play the role of moderator to a presidential debate, as a newscaster and playing a piano engulfed in flames is literally lit. After posting the video to YouTube, Makana told Hawaii News Now that the footage racked up 25,000 views within 24 hours, and the number of video views continued to grow as of Wednesday. During a Tuesday interview with Fox News, Makana explained he became a Sanders supporter late last year after returning from touring and had a moment to refocus on his music making. "I started to see what was going on and [Sanders'] messaging, and it really resonated with the messaging that I had been singing about for a long time," he told Fox News. "Something that was representing not the corporations and the big banks but the people and really standing up for the diminishing working class." Story continues "And I feel the burn/ For the truth to come across," sings Makana on the track, according to lyrics the artist shared on Facebook. "To melt away the gloss/ And reveal their motivations/ And you'll feel the burn/ For integrity to lead/ To focus on the needs/ Of the People of America." Makana later adds, "The fire is ours/ The hour is now/ The tide is set to turn." Employing the hashtag #FireIsOurs, users on Twitter responded to the video, and the consensus was largely positive. FireIsOurs, @makanamusic: An "anthem for the @BernieSanders revolution." Vid is sick http://boingboing.net/2016/02/10/fireisours.html ... @xeni pic.twitter.com/ACD2iTokFc The one big thing @BernieSanders' campaign was missing? An anthem. @MakanaMusic: #FireIsOurs http://boingboing.net/2016/02/10/fireisours.html ... pic.twitter.com/syKe3Rlc1k Just follow the money they've been takin' And the truth will shine like the sun I'm so tired of lies http://linkis.com/www.youtube.com/gM3ie ... #FireIsOurs 'Fire Is Ours' by Makana The most hauntingly beautiful Bernie song yet. #FireIsOurs #BernieSanders #FeelTheBern https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIX5zcitEaY ... @IamIDenver @Bernie45thPOTUS I am seriously freaking out over this. It's gorgeous! Mahalo nui loa @MakanaMusic!!!! #FireIsOurs Fire Is Ours - Makana This guy captures the Sanders movement beautifully! #FeelTheBern #FireIsOurs #ImWithHim http://youtu.be/BIX5zcitEaY Love this song! Occupy has finally its representative to the White House. http://bit.ly/bern2016 #FeelTheBern! #FireIsOurs "More than just an endorsement of Bernie, it's a commentary that was fueled and inspired by my, really, my disgust with mainstream news, and how they tend to fuel division and distract from the issues that I feel are important," Makana said in his interview with Fox News. "So, as an artist, I don't really consider it getting 'involved in Politics' so much as creating art that is relevant." According to his biography, Makana is trained as a slack key musician, and his stage name translates to "a gift given freely." This isn't the first time Makana has veered into political territory with his art. In 2011, Rolling Stone called Makana's "We Are the Many" the "Occupy anthem." And according to the artist's bio, the activist has also appeared as a TEDx presenter and has opened for such artists as Sting, Carlos Santana and Elvis Costello. After an invitation from the Obamas, Makana played a live rendition of "We Are The Many" at an APEC World Leaders' Dinner, which the President and first lady hosted in 2011. Fans of the artist can catch the musician live this spring, as Makana will hit the road for a tour that starts in Tucson, Arizona on March 16 and concludes with a show in Las Vegas on May 7. For more on the tour, head here. LGBT politics took an unexpected turn in Seattle when a man at the city's public Evans Pool apparently decided to challenge a 2015 ruling by the Washington Human Rights Commission that allows people to use public restrooms consistent with their gender identity, King 5 reported. According to Seattle Parks and Recreation officials, the incident, which occurred on Feb. 8, began when a man in board shorts went into the facility's women's locker room to change around 5:30 p.m. When pool staff were informed and demanded the man leave, he shot back saying, "the law has changed and I have a right to be here." The declaration came as a surprise, as the unidentified man reportedly made no mention of his transgender status at any time before the incident. King 5 reported the man was not arrested and even returned to the locker room later in the evening when young girls were changing. "This didn't seem like a transgender issue to staff someone who was 'identifying' as a woman," a Seattle Parks spokesman, David Takami, wrote in a statement given to "We have guidelines that allow transgender individuals to use restrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity. We want everyone to feel comfortable in our facilities." Technically, the man committed no crime, with the new commission rules stating that "all covered entities, except school districts or other primary and secondary schools, shall allow individuals the use of gender-segregated facilities such as restrooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms and homeless shelters that are consistent with that individual's gender identity." The incident underscores the pitfalls of a policy that, while well-intentioned, remains vague and subject to abuse. Pool officials told local news they had no protocol for implementing the new policy fairly or safely; Takami told King 5 that if patrons do not self-declare their gender expression beforehand, staff are left to make judgement calls based on appearance. Story continues With same-sex marriage fading the rearview mirror, "bathroom politics" has become a growing cause for LGBT equality advocates. In 2015 Seattle and Philadelphia passed ordinances that called for for single-stall restrooms in public places to be gender-neutral. On the other hand, a similar city ordinance for Houston was struck down in November after a stringing repudiation by Texas voters. As of Tuesday, South Dakota appears to be on the brink of becoming the first U.S. state to expressly forbid transgender students from using school restrooms consistent with their gender identity. Feb. 18, 9:46 a.m. Eastern: This story has been updated. Correction: Feb. 18, 2016 An earlier version of this story erroneously attributed reporting by King 5 to a different NBC affiliate, WCNC. Famed businessman and investor Mark Cuban has never been shy about speaking his mind. At his personal blog on Thursday, Cuban gave support to Apple for its decision to not comply with a court order that asked it to help the FBI bypass its own passcode security protocols on the iPhone 5c that belonged to one of the terrorists in last years massacre in San Bernardino, California. In fact, Cuban went so far as to give Apple a standing ovation for its stance. FROM EARLIER: SolarCity will use Teslas Powerpack to deliver solar power even when its dark [Apple] are exactly right that this is a very, very slippery slope, he writes. And while the FBI is attempting to be very clear that this is a one off request, there is no chance that it is. This will not be the last horrific event whose possible resolution could be on a smart phone. There will be many government agencies that many times in the future, point to Apples compliance as a precedent. Once this happens, we all roll down that slippery slope of lost privacy together. As I argued yesterday, it looks like the FBI has set up a very clever trap for Apple. It knows that this is an emotionally charged case and that the politics of it look terrible for Apple. Politicians such as Senator Tom Cotton have already accused Apple of caring more about the privacy of a dead terrorist than national security and you can bet this is only the start of the public relations beating Apple will take if it continues its refusal to comply. The FBI is betting that if Apple caves under public pressure, it will have precedent to ask both Apple and other companies such as Google to perform similar operations in the future. Cuban, however, is not against laws that force companies to unlock devices used by alleged terrorists in certain circumstances. Instead, he more narrowly objects to the U.S. governments use of the 1789 All Writs Act to justify its order to Apple. He says that if the government can use this act to justify forcing Apple to unlock its phones in this instance, it can use it to justify forcing tech companies to do all kinds of things that are harmful to customers privacy. Story continues Instead, Cuban proposes the following solution: A company can only be compelled to remove any type of security or encryption from a smartphone or tablet, and only a smartphone or tablet, under the following circumstances: It would seem to me that if such a law could be proposed and passed, then the All Writs Act would no longer apply. By eliminating the All Writs Act as a catch all then we significantly flatten out the slippery slope. Im not saying we will completely eliminate all privacy issues. We wont. Im not saying there isnt risk of unintended consequences. There always are when we ask politicians to fix complex problems. This, of course, would require Congress to actually do something useful by passing a new law and, well, they havent exactly proven themselves adept at that lately. Check out his full post at this link. Related stories Apple's biggest product disasters of all time The hidden story of one of the iPhone's most important components Former Apple designer brings us one step closer to advanced AI with 'The Brain' More from BGR: Apples biggest product disasters of all time This article was originally published on BGR.com One of the reasons Ive always liked Mark Cuban is that he enjoys being rich and has fun with his money. While this may sound strange, I find this sort of attitude to be much more attractive than the alternative: Namely, the kind of whiny rich person who publicly complains about having to look at homeless people. If you think such cartoonishly entitled rich people dont exist, then you havent read the recent blog post by Commando.io founder Justin Keller in which he literally whines about having to look at homeless people on the streets of San Francisco. FROM EARLIER: SolarCity will use Teslas Powerpack to deliver solar power even when its dark Keller this week penned an open letter to San Francisco mayor Ed Lee and police chief Greg Suhr in which he decried all the homeless and riff-raff who live in the city and are wrecking his ability to have a good time. The wealthy working people have earned their right to live in the city, he huffed after describing three incidents in which homeless people ruined his weekend. They went out, got an education, work hard, and earned it. I shouldnt have to worry about being accosted. I shouldnt have to see the pain, struggle, and despair of homeless people to and from my way to work every day. I want my parents when they come visit to have a great experience, and enjoy this special place. Its worth noting that a lot of homeless people face problems with mental illness, drug addiction or some combination of the two. If Keller and his fellow wealthy working people dont want to see them on the street, then they could spend some of their money funding mental health and addiction treatment centers that would help get some people back on their feet. Or they could support expanding affordable housing initiatives to make sure people dont get entirely left behind due to rising rental prices. Predictably, Keller has been getting raked over the coals all over the Internet. This Medium post from San Francisco resident Edna Miroslava Raia rips into Keller for being a newcomer to the city who doesnt understand how the tech sector has helped to dramatically raise rents in the Bay Area and has priced a lot of people out of housing. Story continues Lets be honest, though: If your first reaction to seeing homeless people is to complain about how their misery is affecting you, then it really doesnt take much to rebut your arguments because youve already shown yourself to be a jerk. Related stories Public urinators beware: San Francisco tests out wall paint that will deflect pee back on your pants San Francisco cell phone ordinance materials are 'alarmist and false' CTIA says Apple loses iPhone prototype in a bar, again More from BGR: Apples biggest product disasters of all time This article was originally published on BGR.com By Philip Pullella and Gabriel Stargardter CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday railed against immigration policies that force many underground and into the hands of drug gangs and human smugglers, praying at Mexico's border with the United States in what was once one of the world's deadliest cities. He walked up a ramp lined with flowers to a cross erected in Ciudad Juarez in memory of migrants who have perished trying to reach the United States just a stone's throw away. There he blessed three small crosses which will be sent to the dioceses of El Paso, Ciudad Juarez and Las Cruces, New Mexico. Shoes of migrants who died were laid beside them. Overlooking the Rio Grande that separates the two countries, it was the closest the pope came to the U.S. border during his six-day visit to Mexico. He then celebrated Mass just 80 yards (73 meters) from the border crossing in a fairground, connected via video link to faithful gathered at a university stadium in El Paso. "We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis," the pope said shortly before he wrapped up his six-day visit to Mexico and took off for Rome. "Each step, a journey laden with grave injustices: the enslaved, the imprisoned and extorted; so many of these brothers and sisters of ours are the consequence of trafficking in human beings." "Injustice is radicalized in the young; they are 'cannon fodder', persecuted and threatened when they try to flee the spiral of violence and the hell of drugs. Then there are the many women unjustly robbed of their lives," he added. A major manufacturing center, the gritty industrial city of Ciudad Juarez has been hammered by drug violence in recent years. It also an important crossing for Mexicans, Central Americans and Asians trying to reach the United States illegally. Most in Ciudad Juarez are of modest means. Business leaders in the city say about 70 percent of people in the city, a major low-cost manufacturing center, earn less than 210 pesos (11 USD) a day. The official minimum wage in Mexico is 73 pesos per day. The pope's focus on the plight of migrants who risk murder, rape and extortion as they head north, comes as the number of Central American children and families apprehended at the border rises, in a spike reminiscent of a 2014 flood of migrants that created a major political headache for U.S. President Barack Obama. Immigration reform remains one of the most divisive issues in U.S. politics, and a key theme in the 2016 presidential vote. The pope's stance is starkly at odds with the anti-immigrant rhetoric of candidates for the 2016 Republican U.S. presidential nomination. Billionaire Donald Trump has surged ahead of his rivals with his message that Mexico is "killing" the United States with cheap labor, while sending over criminals and rapists. He has also promised to build a huge border wall. Trump last week dubbed the pope "a very political person", saying he believed the Mexican government had put him up to the border visit. "To suggest that the pope is an instrument of the Mexican government, no. That is very strange indeed," said Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, shortly before the pontiff arrived in Ciudad Juarez. "The pope always speaks of the problems of immigration. If Mr. Trump were to come to Europe he would see that the pope has said the same things about immigration to the Italians, the Germans, the French and the Hungarians." Tens of thousands of people crossed over the border from El Paso, Texas, to hear the pope, though that was far fewer than expected. Earlier on Wednesday, the pope issued a scathing critique of capitalism, saying that God will hold accountable "slave drivers" who exploit workers. "The flow of capital cannot decide the flow of people," the Argentine pontiff said, denouncing "the exploitation of employees as if they were objects to be used and discarded". "God will hold the slave drivers of our days accountable," he said. The pope has in the past called money "the dung of the devil" and has decried what he calls the "evils" of unbridled capitalism, prompting criticism from U.S. business leaders. He has visited some of the most marginalized areas of Mexico, urging young people in the violence-ridden state of Michoacan to avoid drug trafficking and taking a swipe at the country's rich and corrupt. Earlier in the day, it emerged that a laser beam was pointed at his plane as he landed in Mexico City last week, though there was no harm to those aboard. (Additional reporting by Lizbeth Diaz in Ciudad Juarez and Lisa Maria Garza in El Paso; Editing by Simon Gardner, Alistair Bell and Andrew Hay) Berlin (AFP) - Don Cheadle aimed to make a biopic of Miles Davis as "explosive" as the jazz legend's music but said Thursday the project would not have got off the ground without crowdfunding -- and a white co-star. The African-American actor, best known from the "Iron Man" movies, directed, produced, co-wrote and starred in "Miles Ahead" which he called a decade-long "Herculean" task. Cheadle, 51, said compiling the financing had been a major hurdle he only cleared when he raised about $360,000 on website Indiegogo, which allows artists to collect donations for projects, and hired Scottish star Ewan McGregor. He said it was "one of the realities of the business that we are in" that films with all-black casts are thought to have little chance of distribution outside the United States and thus don't attract investment. "There is a lot of apocryphal, not proven evidence that black films don't sell overseas," he told reporters at the Berlin film festival amid a fierce debate in Hollywood about racial diversity. "Having a white actor in this film turned out to actually be a financial imperative." Cheadle said it forced him to rework the script, which focuses on a period in the late 1970s in which Davis fell into a creative slump, to bring in a shady Rolling Stone reporter as a kind of foil for the "Kind of Blue" trumpet player. "I think it works great, and particularly the fact that Ewan McGregor is the actor who is in it, I think he is fantastic in the movie. But that was a component of... allowing us to even have a budget to get the film made." Sony Pictures Classics will be distributing the film, which comes out in the United States in April. - 'Gangster dude' - "Miles Ahead" finds the musician living as a cocaine-addled recluse in New York, unable to replicate the success of his early career standards. Cheadle coaxes humour from Davis' sense that his best output is behind him, showing him call into a jazz radio station to correct the show host's moderation and then request him to play "Solea" from his 1960 album "Sketches of Spain". Story continues "This one goes out to Mr Davis," the star-struck DJ says, drawing a big laugh at a Berlin press screening. McGregor's journalist gets stonewalled when he tries to convince Davis to give him a lengthy interview. But he eventually gains the star's trust when he helps him recover a tape of new material stolen by a hoodlum. The film features flashbacks to Davis's early career and his troubled marriage to his first love, Frances Taylor (Emayatzy Corinealdi), who is driven away by his drug addiction and womanising. "That's who Miles was in his real life, he was that kind of a gangster dude, he was that kind of a tough guy in many ways," Cheadle said. "I wanted it to be a movie that Miles Davis would want to star in. He would have laughed at it, he would've dug it and been like 'That's slick, I didn't do that -- that's bullshit -- but I like that'," Cheadle said, mimicking Davis' trademark hoarse growl. "That's what I wanted -- a movie that felt like the experience I have when I listen to his music." Cheadle, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the 2005 drama "Hotel Rwanda", said Davis's jazz had been the "soundtrack of his childhood" and that he learned trumpet to play the part. "I wanted to do something explosive, exciting, that felt like a ride and felt impressionistic and free form because that's what his music does to me," he said. "Miles Ahead" screened out of competition at the Berlin festival, which wraps up on Sunday. LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that a key part of the law often called "joint enterprise", which allows people to be convicted of murder even if they did not strike the fatal blow, had been misinterpreted for three decades. The ruling could lead to a rush of appeals, although the court warned that its decision did not mean that all past convictions in which the specific point of law at issue played a part should be overturned. The court was ruling on appeals against murder convictions by two men serving life sentences in separate cases. The appeals were considered together because both hinged on the joint enterprise issue. The crucial question that the five judges had to consider was what is the mental element that has to be proven in order to convict a person of a crime actually committed by someone else. Since two landmark judgments from 1985 and 1999 that were binding on all judges under Britain's common law system, it was enough to prove that a suspect foresaw the possibility that the main culprit would commit the crime. But the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that those two judgments had taken a "wrong turn" in law, and that in fact what had to be proven was intent to assist or encourage the main culprit to commit the crime. The judges cautioned that in many cases, the result may well have been the same, since foresight could potentially be used as evidence of intent. The point of law does not only apply to murder but can also arise in cases of fraud or other criminal ventures. However, its most controversial uses over the years have been in murder cases. The Supreme Court set aside the two murder convictions that were being appealed, but did not quash them. There will be further legal argument on whether there should be re-trials or whether the convictions should be converted to manslaughter. The first case concerned a man called Ameen Jogee, who was convicted of murder over the fatal stabbing in 2011 of Paul Fyfe by another man, Mohammed Hirsi. Jogee and Hirsi had spent the previous hours together drinking and taking drugs, and both men were involved in an angry confrontation with Fyfe. At one point, Jogee threatened to smash a bottle over Fyfe's head, but it was Hirsi who killed him with a kitchen knife. Jogee's lawyers said the joint enterprise law, as applied before Thursday's ruling, had "over-criminalised" secondary parties and they were glad to have played a part in correcting "this unjust law". (Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; editing by Guy Faulconbridge) If future space travelers wish to make a cup of Earl Grey tea like Captain Jean-Luc Picard from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" or chocolate treats, as the show's character Deanna Troi asked for they'll need technology and ideas seeded by scientists today. NASA, "Star Trek" and the American Society for Mechanical Engineers Foundation (ASME) want students to help figure out the future of food production in space, so the organizations have created the "Star Trek" Replicator Challenge. ASME is asking students to create 3D-printed designs for hardware that will be needed to prepare nutritious meals in space. Examples could include hardware to grow plants, or to prepare or dispose of food. "Sustainability will be a critical aspect of long-duration space missions and will require off-planet manufacturing technologies to create all of the items our future astronauts need," said Niki Werkheiser, NASA's in-space manufacturing manager, in a statement from NASA. According to a video announcing the challenge, the winning designs will fly in space in 2050. The challenge was recently launched at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City and runs through May 1. Several prizes are available for winners of the Replicator Challenge, such as a visit to the Intrepid Museum (home to the space shuttle Enterprise) with an astronaut, a 3D printer for the school of the winning inventor, or a "Star Trek" prize pack. While "Star Trek" is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, food has yet to actually be "replicated" in space or on Earth the way it has been depicted in the many incarnations of Trek shows and films. In the Trek universe, characters can simply tell a machine what they desire, and it appears almost instantly. Real-world astronauts can use a 3D printer onboard the International Space Station to create tools and other hardware that might move them toward "replicating" food for future space travelers. The first 3D printer was sent to the station in 2014 and has successfully printed 21 items so far. Story continues NASA pointed out that successful food production will be essential for the agency's plans to colonize locations out in space, specifically Mars. More information on the "Star Trek" Replicator Challenge is available at http://www.FutureEngineers.org/StarTrek. Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. Copyright 2016 SPACE.com, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Paris (AFP) - A group of modern humans that arrived in Eurasia far earlier than previously thought also had sex with Neanderthals, according to a study that redraws the migratory timeline for our species. The new research, published in Nature, provides the first genetic evidence that some Homo sapiens left the African continent at least 100,000 years ago, tens of thousands of years earlier than widely assumed. The smoking-gun proof came not from human fossils but a single Neanderthal whose remains were found in a cave in the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia, near the Russian-Mongolian border. Embedded in the genome of the ancient caveman -- in chromosome 21, to be precise -- were traces of human DNA. This is the earliest known case of inter-species sex between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. More significantly, it also pushes back the departure of our forebear from the cradle of humanity by some 35,000 years, the researchers said. "It is the first genetic evidence of modern humans outside Africa," Sergi Castellano, a scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and co-leader of the study, told AFP. The findings are bolstered by the discovery, announced last October, of human teeth in southern China dating back 80,000 to 120,000 years, though there is no reason to think the two groups were linked, the researchers said. In both cases, they speculate, it is likely that these early migrations from East Africa moved across the Arabian Peninsula. From there, some may have gone north towards central Asia and Siberia, in one case, and across the Middle East towards east Asia, in the other. Scientists agree that the first truly modern humans emerged in Africa about 200,000 years ago. The new study also concluded, however, that the humans who interbred with the Altai Neanderthals are not from the same stock that populated Europe and Asia some 65,000 years ago. Instead, they likely belonged to a group that separated early on from other humans, "about the time present-day Africa populations diverged from one another, around 200,000 years ago," said Ilan Gronau, a researcher at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center in Israel, and co-author of the study. Story continues In any case, they almost certainly died out and are therefore not among the ancestors of present day people outside of Africa, who left the continent much later. The researchers also examined the DNA of two Neanderthals found in Europe, one in Spain and the other in Croatia. In addition, they looked at the genetic make-up of another extinct early human called Denisovans, found in the same Altai Mountain cave. Related to both human and Neanderthal lineages, Denisovans are thought to have split off from the former about 600,000 years ago, and the latter some 400,000 years later. They survived until at least 40,000 years ago. Neither the European Neanderthals nor the Denisovans carried any modern human DNA. Netflix has long won praise for its recommendations system that gives you suggestions for movies and shows to watch based on your viewing history. The company revealed on Wednesday, however, that its taken steps to make its recommendations better than ever by making them truly global for the first time. In short, international borders are no longer barriers to finding movies from people who have similar tastes to your own around the world. DONT MISS: Trump rips Apples stance on encryption: Who do they think they are? This is important for Netflix users because it gives them a wider pool of potential recommendations to choose from. It will be particularly beneficial in countries that have just gotten access to Netflix for the first time as they will no longer have to get recommendations that are based on tiny sample sizes but rather are based on like-minded viewers from every country where Netflix is available. Simply put, tapping into global insights makes our personalized recommendations even better because now our members benefit from like-minded viewers no matter where they are in the world, explains Carlos Gomez-Uribe, who is Netflixs vice president of personalization algorithms. While this is especially helpful if a member is in a new or smaller market, were also able to better serve members in larger, more established markets who have highly specific or niche tastes. As an example, Gomez-Uribe points out that while there are obviously a lot of anime fans in Japan, Americans who also like this particular genre should also be able to benefit from their recommendations. To get the full story on how Netflix has changed its recommendations system, check out this link that goes over all the important technical details. Related stories Netflix is making it hard to resist breaking the rules HBO is getting ready to copy Netflix and cord cutters should be thrilled Daredevil returns to take down The Punisher in the first full trailer for season 2 More from BGR: Humiliation: JebBush.com redirects to Trumps official website This article was originally published on BGR.com (Reuters) - Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy was indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday with conspiracy, assault on a federal officer and obstruction of justice in connection with a 2014 standoff on federal land near his Nevada ranch, prosecutors said. Bundy, along with four others, was indicted on 16 felony charges related to the armed standoff in Bunkerville in April 2014, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Nevada said in a statement. Prosecutors said Bundy had trespassed on federal public lands for more than 20 years, refusing to secure the necessary permits or pay the required fees the government charges ranchers to let their cattle roam. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management sent armed rangers to his ranch to round up his cattle. In response, anti-government groups and other supporters rallied to Bundy's defense. Following an armed standoff, the federal agents ultimately backed down, citing safety concerns and returned the cattle they had seized. "Persons who use force and violence against federal law enforcement officers who are enforcing court orders, and nearly causing catastrophic loss of life or injury to others, will be brought to justice," U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden said in the statement. An attorney for Bundy could not be immediately reached for comment on Wednesday night. Bundy was arrested earlier this month in Portland, Oregon where his sons Ammon and Ryan Bundy were being held after their arrests for leading a separate armed takeover of a federal wildlife refuge in the community of Burns. Both Ammon and Ryan were also charged for participating in the Nevada standoff, along with Ryan Payne and Peter Santilli, according to the statement. All were charged with conspiracy, carrying a firearm in relation to a violent crime, obstruction of justice, extortion, and assault and threats against federal law enforcement. The charge of assault on a federal law enforcement officer carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted, the defendants would also have to forfeit at least $3 million worth of property secured through the crimes, the statement said. (Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco and Julia Edwards in Washington D.C.; Editing by Richard Borsuk) Outside of the Asia-Pacific region and emerging markets, the global smartphone business is dominated by just two just companies. Apple and Samsung. Galaxy phones and iPhones as far as the eye can see. At this point it seems like no company will ever be able to make a meaningful dent in this duopoly. Thats obviously not the case and what goes up must come down, but for the time being its Samsung and Apples market and the rest are left fighting over scraps. Of course, theres still plenty of money to be made from those scraps. And with top global contenders like HTC, Sony and LG struggling to differentiate themselves in any sort of meaningful way, a new breed of startups has emerged in an effort to fill some sizable gaps. Companies like Xiaomi and OnePlus have shown that its possible to make waves as a young player in the market, and now a new face will seek out similar success. Meet the Nextbit Robin. Nextbit was founded by several of industry veterans who are on a mission. Theyre not trying to be Apple and theyre not trying to beat Samsung. Instead, Nextbit is trying to build a smartphone business based on addressing specific pain points shared by a growing number of consumers. Forums, technology blogs and social media provide all the market research a company needs to learn what shortcomings annoy smartphone users the most. The companys first order of business is unquestionably one of the biggest smartphone pain points out there: storage. Forget the countless surveys, just think about how many survival guides youve seen for owners of 16GB iPhones. Try to recall how many people lose their cool every time a new Android phone is unveiled without a microSD card slot. There is little question that people often run out of space on their handsets, and many have simply come to accept it as part of the smartphone experience. But Nextbit doesnt want you to feel defeated by flash memory, so its debut smartphone is built around a unique fix that addresses limited smartphone storage. And most interestingly, the companys solution is based on software rather than hardware. Story continues BGR-Nextbit-Robin-5 Nextbits first phone is powered by the Android 6.0 Marshmallow platform, but this particular version of Android is unlike anything youve used before. The Robins user interface is instantly recognizable as Android and it includes all of the great features Google baked into its mobile operating system. But from the moment you first power up the Robin its apparent that the company has put a good amount of work into customizing Android. Visually, the Robin looks a bit different from your average Android phone, though its difficult to say what an average Android phone looks like since most companies add their own custom graphics and features. Nextbits version of Marshmallow is perhaps more reminiscent of stock Android than some custom builds, but it feels much airier than Googles untouched user interface. That airiness is no mistake, mind you, since the Robins key point of software differentiation revolves around the cloud. BGR-Nextbit-Robin-4 Nextbits first smartphone has plenty to offer smartphone users at a very reasonable price, but the phones main selling point is the unique manner in which Nextbit has implemented its cloud storage solution. While the phone ships with 32GB of onboard storage and no microSD card support, it actually has 132GB of usable storage in all. Thats right, the Robin is a 132GB smartphone that costs $250 less than a 16GB iPhone 6s. The Robins novel storage solution marries physical flash memory with an intelligent cloud storage solution that gives users 100GB of additional off-device storage. Mind you, were not talking about a typical cloud storage solution like OneDrive or Dropbox here. Nextbit has created a dynamic solution that has a few key elements. First, Nextbits solution backs up all of your data to the cloud. Its not about contacts and emails, since that data is already stored in the cloud. Instead, its all about apps and their associated data. This is key to the way Nextbit uses the cloud, and it leads us to the fun part. When your iPhone or a standard Android phone nears capacity and you try to add new files, download new music or capture new videos, youre met by an aggravating error message that leaves you with only two options: Delete something from your phone to clear out some space or forget about recording that new video. With the Robin, things work a bit differently. BGR-Nextbit-Robin-3 Nextbits custom Android build pays attention to which apps and files you access often and which ones are used less frequently. When the internal storage on your phone nears its limit, Nextbits Smart Storage solution deletes certain apps and their data on the fly to make room for more content. That way the phone never runs out of space or at least, not unless you also fill the 100GB of cloud storage youre allotted. Since the Robin pays attention to your usage, it knows which apps you access often and which ones have been sitting untouched for months. And its those old apps you cant quite seem to bring yourself to delete that are cleared off of the device first, while apps you use all the time will not be removed from your phone. Just to be safe, there is a way to pin apps in order to ensure that the Robin never deletes them from your handset. But what happens when you want to use an old app that the Robin has previously deleted to clear room for new data? Cleared apps are still shown on the device with grayed out icons and tapping one will cause the phone to restore it along with all of the data associated with the app. The process takes just a few seconds on any decent data connection, and once an app is restored youll find it in exactly the same state it was in before it was cleared. The same process applies to photos. If are a bunch of images you shot 12 months ago and havent looked at since, the Robin knows theres a good chance that space can be put to better use. So, in the event that you approach the storage limit on your phone, the Robin will delete those old photos so theres plenty of room for new content. If you decide you want to look at them on your phone a few months later, the restoration process works just as it does with apps. BGR-Nextbit-Robin-9 A solution like Nextbits can potentially involve moving a whole lot of data between your smartphone and the cloud, and the last thing you want to do is see your data gobbled up each month as a result. Moving that much data requires a fair amount of battery power as well. In an effort to play nice with battery life and data caps, the Robin does as much as it can while connected to a charger on a Wi-Fi network. Since the phones battery can easily carry you through a full day of typical usage, this basically means the bulk of the backups are performed each night while youre at home asleep. If you also leave your phone plugged in at work, your data will potentially be backed up twice as frequently but its important to change the way you think about data and backups when you use the Robin. You dont have to worry about whether or not the Robin backed up your most recent WhatsApp chats from that morning because it knows you use WhatsApp all the time so it will never clear WhatsApp from your device to make room. As a nice little added design touch, the Robin has four LED lights on the back that breathe as the phone backs up data to the cloud. Theres also an on-screen progress bar that resides on the notification shade. Alongside Smart Storage functionality, there are also a few interface changes Nextbit has made. For one, there is a small ellipsis icon present on all home screens in the bottom-right corner. Tapping it opens a menu that gives the user quick access to a list of archived apps that were installed but now live only in the cloud, a list of pinned apps that will never be cleared from the Robin, and a list of all apps. BGR-Nextbit-Robin-2 Of note, the Robins home screens are set up a bit differently than most Android phones. Like Apples iPhone, the Robin spreads all of its app icons across the phones various home screen instead of using an app drawer and letting the user pick and choose which icons to place on the home screens, as most Android phones do. This may be of interest to users for two reasons: first, it might make that shortcut to the list of all apps more useful. But second and more importantly, the Robin does not display Googles standard Android widgets on its home screens. Instead, youll need to use a pinch gesture to show the widgets screen, which could be a big annoyance. Of course, this is hardly a deal-breaker since standard launcher apps like Apex, Nova and even the Google Now launcher will work on the Robin just as they do on any other Android phone. Nextbit has also added a Smart Storage section to the Android Settings app that lets users dive a bit deeper into how the phones local storage and cloud storage are being used. BGR-Nextbit-Robin-5 So how does it all work in practice? Quite well, in fact. Testing the Robins Smart Storage feature was a little complex since you need to fill the phone with data before it will have any reason to begin archiving and reviving things. Nextbit sent out full review units so that reviewers were able to play with Smart Storage right from the start, but a shipping delay meant that I didnt really have time to test with dummy data and apps. I reset the Robin and started fresh but after I set up the phone with my standard apps, I downloaded about 20 huge games from the Google Play Store to ensure that the phones 32GB of storage was at capacity. Right off the bat after my first automatic backup, I could see that the Robin was working behind the scenes to learn which apps I use and which ones could be safely archived. Once the Play Store downloads took my phone close to capacity, Smart Storage began to work its magic. Apps I had installed but hadnt yet touched were the first to go while apps I use often such as Twitter, a news reader called Press, Dropbox and 1Password remained untouched. And each time the phone archived something to clear out some space, a message in the notification shade would tell me something like 4 apps have been archived. You now have an additional 1.39GB of free space. I filled the Robin to the brim and not once during my testing did I ever encounter an iPhone-esque error message telling me that I couldnt capture a new video or snap a new photo. Then, when I decided I wanted to use an app that had been archived, a tap on the grayed out icon would trigger a download and restore the app to the exact state it was in before it was cleared from the phone. BGR-Nextbit-Robin-6 While the Robins software features will undoubtedly garner the most attention, the handsets design and hardware features also stray from convention. Nextbits lead designer is Scott Croyle, who is perhaps best known for having designed the One M7 and One M8 during his time at HTC. Those two models can still be counted among the sleekest and most elegant Android phones that have been built to date, so I had high hopes when I first learned that Croyle had joined Nextbit. Croyle definitely didnt disappoint, but he did surprise me. HTCs One M7 and One M8 were characterized by bold lines and smooth, ergonomic slopes. They were made of premium aluminum with unique finishes. They were gorgeous smartphones. In fact, HTC liked the M8 design so much that it barely bothered to change anything on the One M9. In many ways, the Nextbit Robin is the complete opposite of HTCs One series, proving that Croyle certainly isnt a one-trick pony. BGR-Nextbit-Robin-8 The Robins housing is made entirely of plastic aside from the glass display. And where the One M7 and M8 had a strong masculine look to them, the Robins design is far more playful. The phones rectangular shape is more similar to a Sony smartphone than an HTC model. Finally, Croyle traded the industrial look of aluminum in for fun dual-tone designs in colors with names like mint and midnight. The phones display is a 5.2-inch IPS LCD panel with 1080p resolution and a pane of Gorilla Glass 4 protecting it. Colors are a bit more muted than they are on higher-end phones like the Galaxy S6, but its still a high-quality viewing experience. And the 13-megapixel rear camera can be likened to the display it doesnt come close to the big guns like Apples iPhone and Samsungs Galaxy flagships, but it does a good job. It might even do a better job than youd expect from a $400 phone. Powering the Robin experience is a hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor supported by 3GB of RAM. The phone is as spry as any Ive used during normal operation and it handled heavier loads well. I did have some issues with lag in the camera app, but Nextbit says theyre aware of a specific issue and are working to fix it. Other notable items from the phones specs include dual front-facing speakers that provide solid stereo sound, a fingerprint scanner built into the slim side-mounted power button that works far better than I imagined it would, a decent 5-megapixel front-facing camera, quick charging support, a USB-C port and a 2,680 mAh battery that carried me through a full day with room to spare. BGR-Nextbit-Robin-7 Nextbit has done something quite impressive with the Robin that much bigger companies with much more resources have for the most part been unable to achieve in recent years. It took one of the two biggest smartphone pain points storage space and battery life and found a unique and elegant way to address it. And although Smart Storage is much of the story with the Robin, its certainly not the entire story. This is, first and foremost, a terrific Android phone with an original look and a comprehensive set of features. At just under $400, the Robin is truly a tremendous value. That said, its a good thing that the Robin has more going for it than just Smart Storage. While theres no question that its an intelligent solution to a big consumer pain point, many users have argued and will continue to argue that it isnt much better than good old microSD card support. Well, theyre right and theyre wrong. BGR-Nextbit-Robin-10 Memory cards continue to pack in more storage and average prices continue to fall, but there is still a limit to the amount of storage that a microSD card can hold. And what happens once its full? Do you keep some apps, photos and videos on one card and other apps, videos and photos on another? The Robins Smart Storage solution is seamless. And while Nextbit doesnt plan to actively sell more cloud storage on top of the 100GB each Robin includes, the companys executives did tell me that options will be made available to power users who need more space. Also keep in mind that this is a first-generation solution baked into a first-generation smartphone. 4G LTE is getting faster. Data is getting cheaper. Lightning-fast 5G networks could launch in the United States as soon as later this year. As data speeds get faster, data caps grow higher and cloud storage gets cheaper, solutions like Smart Storage will only get better. Nextbit is off to a good start with the Robin. Its a unique smartphone that offers a fresh take on storage, a nice custom build of the Android 6.0 Marshmallow platform, and an original design. It certainly wont be for everyone and you wont find it fighting for shelf space at your local carrier store with Galaxy phones and iPhones anytime soon, but its a breath of fresh air in a somewhat stagnant market and I have little doubt that it will quickly build a loyal fan base. The Nextbit Robin launches today, February 18th, for $399 on Nextbits website. Related stories Meet the Nextbit Robin, a sleek new smartphone that uses cloud magic to solve storage limitations Nextbit's revolutionary new Android software will change the way we use phones and tablets Your iPhone can control anything you own that's powered by AA batteries More from BGR: The FBI has laid a clever trap for Apple This article was originally published on BGR.com Niamey (AFP) - Ahead of Sunday's presidential election in Niger, here are 10 key dates in the West African nation since its independence from France on August 3, 1960: - Coups - - April 15, 1974: a coup led by army chief Seyni Kountche overthrows post-independence president Diori Hamani. Kountche runs the country with an iron fist until his death in 1987. - January 27, 1996: Mahamane Ousmane, who three years earlier had become the country's first democratically-elected leader, is overthrown in a coup led by Ibrahim Bare Mainassara. - April 9, 1999: Mainassara is killed during a coup engineered by the presidential guard. A junta comes to power which is replaced eight months later by a civilian government headed by Mamadou Tandja. - February 18, 2010: Tandja is toppled by a military junta after fighting around the presidential palace. He had stoked a crisis in 2009 by changing the constitution in order to stay in power. - March 12, 2011: opposition figure Mahamadou Issoufou wins the second round of the presidential election. His investiture in April ends the military transition which started after the 2010 coup. - Islamist attacks - - September 16, 2010: Militants from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb seize seven people, five of whom are French, from a huge uranium mine run by French company Areva at Arlit in northern Niger. The last of the French hostages are freed in 2013. - May 23, 2013: Niger is hit by two suicide attacks claimed by two jihadist groups targeting a military camp at Agadez and an Areva uranium site in the north. Around 20 people, mainly soldiers, are killed. - April 25, 2015: At least 74 soldiers and civilians are killed in an attack by Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram on a military position in the south east. 32 people are also listed as missing. - Tensions ahead of presidential - - November 14, 2015: Issoufou opponent Hama Amadou is arrested and jailed on his return to Niamey from exile in France, where he fled in 2014 after being accused of taking part in a baby trafficking scandal. He has denied the allegations and claims that "a political case" has been mounted to prevent him from running in the February 21 election. - December 17, 2015: Issoufou says the government has "foiled" a coup plot, resulting in a number of arrests of soldiers across the country. Opposition figures rubbish the claim, accusing the government of seeking to manipulate the political climate ahead of the elections. Niamey (AFP) - Niger, which holds elections on Sunday, is an arid uranium-rich nation south of the Sahara that faces repeated famines. President Mahamadou Issoufou, who was elected in 2011, is running for a fresh mandate against 14 candidates. - 4th biggest uranium producer but needs food aid - Uranium is the country's leading export, and Niger ranks fourth among global producers after Kazakhstan, Canada and Australia. After a tussle over the future of uranium mining, Niger and the French nuclear energy group Areva agreed in May 2014 on a deal at two uranium mines. Work at the giant Imouraren mine has been halted however, owing to unfavourable market conditions. In late 2011, Niger officially became an oil exporting country as well following the inauguration of a refinery in Olelewa, central-eastern Niger, that is run by the state with help from a Chinese company. But the country's resources failed to alleviate famine in 1972-73 and 1984-85 that were blamed on drought and outdated agricultural methods. The UN has said that two million people will need urgent food aid in 2016 despite an 88,000-tonne surplus in cereal production. - Political crises - Since the country's first democratic elections in 1993, the country has seen several coups and political crises and power has never changed hands through an election. Last December, thousands of opposition supporters staged demonstrations against Issoufou, accusing him of corruption and sowing discord among political parties to impose a dictatorship. Tension between the two sides increased as public demonstrations were outlawed, opposition activists and journalists were arrested and media were censured. On November 15, 2015, former premier and opposition leader Hama Amadou was arrested on returning from a year's exile in France and charged with involvment in a baby trafficking scandal. He says the charges are trumped up and claims "a political case" has been created to prevent him from challenging Issoufou for office. Story continues - Landlocked desert country - Arid Niger neighbours Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, Nigeria. Spread over 1,267,000 square kilometres (458,075 square miles), Niger is almost three times the size of California. It has been attacked repeatedly in the south by Islamist militants from the Nigerian movement Boko Haram, and in the north and west by other groups allied with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). In 2014, the World Bank put its population at a little more than 19 million people, more than 90 percent of whom are Muslim. It has the world's highest total fertility rate, with an official average of 7.1-8.0 children per woman, which contributes to widespread poverty. World Bank data puts per capita gross national income at $410 per year, one of the lowest levels in the world. The bank estimates that 76 percent of the population lives on less than $2.0 per day. The country has seen a huge shift in population from the countryside into urban centres, and many people depend on remittances from relatives working abroad. NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - February 18, 2016) - Norwegian, the World's Best Low-Cost Long-Haul Airline and Europe's Best Low-Cost Airline, will launch flights from three United States airports to Paris' Charles De Gaulle Airport on July 29. Service will commence with four weekly flights from New York's JFK International Airport, two weekly flights from Los Angeles International Airport and one weekly flight from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. This will be Norwegian's first operation from Charles De Gaulle Airport. The airline currently operates flights from Paris Orly International Airport to five Scandinavian destinations. In less than three years since the launch of its U.S. operations, Norwegian now has more nonstop routes from the U.S. to Europe than any other European airline. The airline already provides nonstop service to London, Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm, as well as seasonal service to Bergen. In total, Norwegian offers 38 routes from the U.S. "Launching our fifth major European nonstop destination from the U.S. clearly underlines our commitment to the American market. Paris is one the most visited cities in the world, attracting both business and leisure travelers alike all-year round. We see great potential and demand for our transatlantic service and we will continue to offer customers more direct flights and more affordable fares from additional cities both in the U.S. and Europe," said Bjrn Kjos, Norwegian's CEO and founder. Flights to Paris are now available for purchase at Norwegian.com/us, with introductory fares starting as low as $175 one-way, including taxes. For the lowest available fares to any Norwegian destination, check the Low Fare Calendar. "It's always great news to hear about new service to France. We think it demonstrates a confidence that American demand for travel to France will be strong again this year, and that the market can expand and support additional service. This confidence reflects well on our destination," said Anne-Laure Tuncer, Director USA at Atout France, France Tourism Development Agency. Story continues All Paris flights will be operated on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, one of the world's most modern and eco-friendly fleets. Last year, Norwegian was named the Most Fuel-Efficient Airline on Transatlantic Routes by the International Council on Clean Transportation. Norwegian will launch another four long-haul routes from the U.S. prior to its Paris service: Boston-London on March 27; Boston-Oslo on April 2; Oakland/San Francisco-London on May 12; and Boston-Copenhagen on May 17. About Norwegian Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Oslo, Norway, award-winning Norwegian Air Shuttle is the third largest low-cost carrier in Europe and the world's seventh largest. Norwegian offers more nonstop European destinations from the United States than any other European airline with seamless connections across the continent. Norwegian offers 38 nonstop routes from the U.S. to London, Paris and Scandinavia, as well as six routes from the U.S. to the Caribbean. Onboard features include more legroom than most competitors and free in-flight Wi-Fi on short-haul routes. The airline carried 26 million passengers in 2015 on the world's most modern and eco-friendly fleet to its network that stretches across Europe into North Africa and the Middle East, as well as long-haul flights to the U.S. and Southeast Asia -- a total of more than 440 routes to 132 destinations. Over 5,500 people in Scandinavia, Europe, Asia, and the U.S. work for Norwegian. Follow @Fly_Norwegian on Twitter, join the discussion on Facebook and keep up with our adventures on Instagram. For more information on Norwegian and its network, visit norwegian.com. Sam Palmisano is undoubtedly a technology expert. As CEO of IBM (IBM) from 2003 to 2011, he presided over a tech giant during the formative years of the digital revolution. That makes him a logical choice to be vice chairman of a new White House panel on cybersecurity, an appointment President Obama announced this week. Palmisano is also a Republican who gave $100,000 last March to Jeb Bushs super PAC, Right to Rise. That puts him in the rarified stratum of people making six-, seven- or eight-figure donations to help a chosen candidate win. Palmisano is hardly the biggest spender in the 2016 race. At least 110 people have made larger donations to the Bush super PAC, the biggest being a $10 million offering from former AIG chairman Hank Greenberg. But the $100,000 gift still makes Palmisano a megadonor operating inside a system many critics feel is corrupting democracy. To someone outside of Washington, this might seem odd, says Meredith McGehee, policy director of the Campaign Legal Center, which monitors campaign-finance issues. But here in Washington, its really not surprising at all. Nor is it unusual for a president to establish a bipartisan commission or study group, which tends to have more credibility than a single-party panel more likely to push an ideological agenda. The chairman of the cybersecurity panel will be Tom Donilon, a longtime Obama aide and former National Security Adviser. Donilon and Palmisano will help recruit another 10 panel members of both parties, whose job will be to produce a report by Dec. 1 on ways to improve Internet security and lure more talented people into the field. The White House maintains that choosing Palmisano shows Obama is putting substance over politics. Cybersecurity is a non-partisan issue, Deputy White House Press Secretary Jen Friedman told Yahoo Finance. Maintaining public safety, and our economic and national security, transcends politics." Before donating to Bushs super PAC, Palmisano was an occasional political contributor who gave a total of $26,600 to a handful of politicians, of both parties, beginning in 1998, according to Federal Election Commission data. Last year, he gave $2,700 to Jeb Bush's campaign committee (which is seperate from the super PAC) and $5,400 to Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio. On the Democratic side, Palmisano gave $3,000 to Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York in 2002 and 2003, and $1,000 to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2004. Palmisano didnt respond to a request for comment, but his giving pattern prior to the Right to Rise donation suggests the pragmatic concerns of a businessman putting a few bucks in the pots of key legislators as a token of support. The $100,000 donation to Right to Rise was Palmisanos first dalliance with a super PAC, a newer type of funding mechanism that may be the most significant innovation in American politics in decades. Unlike traditional political-action groups or campaign committees, super PACs can accept unlimited donations to spend as they wish either supporting favored candidates or opposing rivals. The 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision basically eliminated caps on political donations, and super PACs have proliferated ever since. Rick Newmans latest book is Liberty for All: A Manifesto for Reclaiming Financial and Political Freedom. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman. Washington (AFP) - Barack Obama will travel to Argentina next month, offering support to new president Mauricio Macri's efforts to end a decade-and-a-half of financial isolation and political enmity with Washington. Macri won elections in November, ending 12 years of leftist and crisis-ridden rule by the late Nestor Kirchner and his wife Cristina. Macri "signaled that he'd like to have closer economic and diplomatic cooperation with the United States," said top Obama foreign policy aide Ben Rhodes, announcing Obama's visit. "We believe this is really a new beginning and a new era in our relations with Argentina." George W. Bush was the last president to visit Argentina. But his 2005 trip to a regional summit in Mar del Plata sparked mass protests, rioting and arrests. "Argentina is a country that, until recently, had a president who had, I'll say 'problematic' relations with the United States," Rhodes noted. Argentina is Latin America's third largest economy, similar in size to Sweden, Nigeria or Taiwan. But a $100 billion default in 2001 made it a financial pariah, effectively shut out from international capital markets. Macri has tried to quickly clear the remaining $9 billion worth of claims from bond holders, offering $6.5 billion to settle. A string of investors have taken up the offer, but large US hedge funds -- including Elliott Management and Aurelius Capital -- remain among the most notable holdouts. Obama's visit will only increase pressure on New York funds to reach a deal. Until the issue is resolved, Argentina is frozen out of the International Monetary Fund making investment difficult. Argentine foreign minister Susana Malcorra said that Obama's visit was a reliable sign that "Argentina is putting itself back on the international stage." The US president's trip -- coming after an historic stop in Havana -- is likely to focus on investment in renewable energy, agriculture and tourism, Malcorra said. Obama's visit will also follow trips to Argentina by the leaders of Italy and France. Barack Obama will become the first sitting U.S. president in almost 90 years to visit Cuba in a trip planned for March, according to reports. ABC News reported that the visit is planned for March 21-22, before Obama heads to Argentina. Full details are due to be announced at a White House briefing on Thursday. The trip would mark the latest step in a growing rapprochement between the U.S. and Cuba after more than 50 years of animosity. Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro said they would re-establish full diplomatic relations in December 2014 after Cuba released U.S. contractor Alan Gross, held in a Cuban prison for five years. Cuban reopened its embassy in Washington in July 2015, with the U.S. followed suit in Havana in August, and the two countries transport ministers signed a deal on Tuesday pledging to restore commercial airline services between the U.S. and Cuba by 2017. Obama also said that the U.S. should lift its trade embargo against Cuba in his final State of the Union address in January. The embargo has been in place since 1962. Obama said in a December 2015 interview that he wished to visit Cuba in 2016 and Josefina Vidal, the director of U.S. affairs at the Cuban foreign ministry, said the U.S. president would be welcome but warned Obama not to interfere in internal Cuban affairs. Should his visit go ahead, Obama would be only the second sitting American president to visit the island nation. Calvin Coolidge went to Havana in 1928 to address the Sixth Annual International Conference of American States. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter went to Cuba in 2002 at the invitation of former Cuban President Fidel Castro, but the visit came 20 years after Carter had left office. Related Articles By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama is preparing to visit Cuba as soon as March, a person briefed on the matter said on Wednesday, a major step in the thaw between former Cold War foes the United States and Communist-run Cuba. Obama said in December that he would consider visiting Cuba as part of an opening to Havana that saw the two countries restore diplomatic ties and take steps toward expanded commercial relations. A U.S. official, asked about the prospects for a March visit by Obama, declined to discuss the timing for such a trip. "The president has said he would like to go if the conditions are right," the official said. The White House declined comment. In December 2014, Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro shocked the world by announcing the former adversaries would normalize relations after a 54-year break. Obama said in a December interview with Yahoo News that he hoped to visit Cuba in 2016 but only if enough progress had been made in bilateral relations and he was able to meet with political dissidents as part of an effort to "nudge the Cuban government in a new direction." A Cuban foreign ministry official said in reaction to the December interview that Obama was welcome to visit Cuba but not meddle in the country's internal affairs. Washington and Havana restored diplomatic ties in July, but commerce remains limited by the U.S. trade embargo, which includes a ban on American tourism to the island. The Republican majority in Congress has defied Obama's call to rescind the five-decade-old embargo, so he has used his executive authority to relax some trade and travel restrictions. On Tuesday, American and Cuban officials signed an arrangement to restore scheduled air service between the two countries after half a century. Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, a Florida senator whose parents emigrated from Cuba, asked at a CNN town hall event in South Carolina whether he would visit Cuba, replied: "Not if it's not a free Cuba." The last sitting U.S. president to visit Cuba was Calvin Coolidge in 1928. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Additional reporting by Kevin Krolicki, Matt Spetalnick and Jeff Mason in Washington; and Steve Holland in Greenville, South Carolina; Writing by Eric Beech; Editing by Sandra Maler) President Obama on Thursday promised to raise human rights concerns when he makes a legacy-defining visit to Cuba in March, as the White House tried to beat back Republican charges that the trip will hand an important symbolic victory to the authoritarian government in Havana. We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly. America will always stand for human rights around the world, the White House announced on Obamas official Twitter feed. Obama had told Yahoo News in an exclusive interview in December that he could not imagine visiting Cuba without meeting face-to-face with advocates for political change, dissidents who experience regular harassment or worse from the authoritarian government in Havana. If I go on a visit, then part of the deal is that I get to talk to everybody, Obama said at the time. Ive made very clear in my conversations directly with President [Raul] Castro that we would continue to reach out to those who want to broaden the scope for, you know, free expression inside of Cuba. Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters that the president would meet with dissidents during the March 21-22 trip, the first by a sitting American president since Calvin Coolidge steamed the 90 miles separating Florida and Cuba aboard a battleship. Rhodes said the administration had already warned the Castro regime that Obama would meet with some of its domestic critics. That doesnt mean that were seeking to overthrow the Cuban government, Rhodes said of the planned meetings. It means that were seeking to support basic universal values that we would care about in any country. Rhodes acknowledged a deeply worrisome spike in arrests and harassment of dissidents and journalists in Cuba over the past year and promised thats an issue that well be raising directly with the Cuban government. Magnets, including one showing an image of President Obama smelling a cigar, for sale at a tourist shop in Havana. (Photo: Ramon Espinosa/AP) Story continues Republicans denounced the planned trip. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, one of the two Cuban-Americans seeking the GOPs presidential nomination in 2016, wrote a letter to Obama condemning it as disastrous, dangerous and a mistake, and pushed the president to cancel his announced visit. You will send the message to the oppressed Cuban people that you stand with their oppressors, Rubio wrote. I urge you to reconsider visiting Cuba and instead insist that the Castro regime finally make some serious concessions. Republicans have repeatedly said that easing restrictions on investment and tourism by Americans in Cuba will merely put much-needed dollars in the pockets of the government. And White House officials acknowledge that Cuba appears to be following the example of Vietnam or China, where authoritarian governments have sought to harness the benefits of limited free-market reforms while reining in political change. While greater openness to the outside world can sow domestic discontent, improvements in peoples economic well-being can ease pressure on governments to change. If the Cuban economy improves, therell be more resources for the government. But therell be far more resources for the Cuban people, Rhodes countered. We believe that American business is a net positive for the Cuban people and that, over time, it is going to bring about real benefits and improvements in their lives. Rhodes suggested that one major difference between Cuba and Vietnam was that the Cuban-American community is deeply invested in the future of Cuba, that cares deeply about the well-being and the rights of the Cuban people. Rhodes added, What weve heard from many of them is they see that Cuba is changing. There is an evolution taking place in Cuba. And we can either be a part of that or not. The outreach to Cuba has emerged as a major legacy issue for Obama. On Dec. 17, 2014, he and Raul Castro stunned the world by disclosing that they had held secret negotiations and were prepared to usher in a new era of U.S.-Cuba relations, starting with the resumption of full diplomatic ties. Embassies reopened in Havana and Washington, the United States removed Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism and the two sides took steps to increase travel and business opportunities. Obama has undertaken many changes using his executive powers, and he indicated in the interview that he would continue looking at ways to do so in 2016. But the president needs Congress to roll back the centerpiece of Americas Cold War-era pressure on Cuba and lift the U.S. trade embargo. The embargo has its roots in the years after the 1959 Cuban revolution that swept Fidel Castro to power. Castro nationalized some U.S. businesses and ultimately declared himself in the Soviet Unions camp. The punishing sanctions are thought to have kept Cuba from trying to foment revolution in other Latin American countries but failed utterly in getting Cubans to rise up against Castro. Instead, Fidel and Raul each blamed the embargo for the islands economic ills. The collapse of the Soviet Union cost Havana its major economic patron, but traditional U.S. allies in Western Europe as well as Canada and Mexico invested in Cuba and sent tourists there, in effect countering the embargo. While Republican presidential candidates have vowed to roll back Obamas policy, the White House has been working on ways to make the outreach irreversible should the GOP capture the presidency in November. The White House has also highlighted commercial exchanges between the United States and the socialist-run island nation that it said are already improving material life for Cubans and pointed to modest promises by Havana to expand access to the Internet on the island and embrace other limited economic reforms. Still, this progress is insufficient, Rhodes said in a post on Medium, a favorite site of politicians looking to publicize press releases. We want the Cuban government to open up more opportunities for its people to benefit from that engagement. It was unclear whether Obama would be able to announce any breakthroughs before or during the trip. Cuba has resisted one of his priorities: enabling American businesses to hire Cubans directly rather than going through the government. And the president has yet to nominate an ambassador to Cuba. The career diplomat currently in charge of the embassy in Havana, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, is widely admired in foreign policy circles and is a frontrunner for the job. But the White House could also reach across party lines to someone like Carlos Gutierrez, a Republican who served as then-President George W. Bushs commerce secretary and has embraced Obamas Cuba policy. The last time a former U.S. president visited Cuba was 2002, when Jimmy Carter traveled there. By Patricia Zengerle and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will visit Cuba in the coming weeks, a senior administration official said on Wednesday, making a historic trip in the final year of his presidency that will mark a turning point in U.S. relations with a long-time Cold War foe. The White House plans to announce the visit on Thursday. The Cuba stop will be part of a broader trip to Latin America. The visit to Havana by Obama would cap what administration officials see as one of his legacy foreign policy achievements: normalizing relations with Cuba and taking steps toward expanded commercial relations after a 54-year freeze. Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro shocked the world in December 2014 by announcing the former adversaries would move to normalize relations. The Republican majority in Congress has defied Obama's call to rescind the five-decade-old embargo, so he has used his executive authority to relax trade and travel restrictions. Republican presidential candidates Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, both sons of Cuban immigrants, have been sharply critical of his opening to Cuba in the absence of political change there. A visit by Obama to Havana in late March would correspond with the finalization of a peace deal for Colombia that was encouraged and sponsored by Castro. The Colombian government and the FARC rebel group are expected to finalize a peace deal by March 23 in Havana that would end a 50-year civil war in the South American nation. Obama said in a December interview with Yahoo News that he hoped to visit Cuba in 2016 but only if enough progress had been made in bilateral relations and he was able to meet political dissidents as part of an effort to "nudge the Cuban government in a new direction." A Cuban foreign ministry official said in reaction to the December interview that Obama was welcome to visit Cuba but not meddle in its internal affairs. It was not immediately clear what detailed arrangements would be made for the trip or how diplomats from the two nations proposed to bridge that divide as part of the plans. Washington and Havana restored diplomatic ties in July but commerce remains limited by the U.S. trade embargo, which includes a ban on American tourism to the island. On Tuesday, American and Cuban officials signed an arrangement to restore scheduled air services between the two countries after half a century. Rubio wasted no time in criticizing the reported plans for the trip. Asked at a CNN town hall event in South Carolina whether he would visit Cuba, Rubio replied: "Not if it's not a free Cuba." At the same event, Cruz also criticized Obama's move, saying he would not go to Cuba "as long as the Castros are in power." "What Obama has shown to our enemies is weakness and appeasement," Cruz said, lumping together Obama's steps toward improving U.S. relations with Cuba and Iran. "I think it's a real mistake. I think the president instead ought to be pushing for a free Cuba," he said. Instead, he will go and "essentially act as an apologist." The last and only sitting U.S. president to visit Cuba was Calvin Coolidge in 1928. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Jeff Mason in Washington; Additional reporting by Kevin Krolicki, Matt Spetalnick; and Steve Holland; Writing by Eric Beech; Editing by Sandra Maler and Paul Tait) Washington (AFP) - Barack Obama will next month become the first US president to visit Cuba in almost a century, championing engagement with the Communist-ruled island and burying one of the last vestiges of the Cold War. The White House hopes the trip will be a "Berlin Wall" moment, crowning a policy they see as being among Obama's greatest foreign policy achievements. "Next month, I'll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people," the US leader said in one of a series of tweets. Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will travel to the Communist-controlled island March 21-22. The last American leader to visit Cuba while in office was Calvin Coolidge in 1928 -- before television or air travel were commonplace. In the generations that followed Cuba became synonymous with crisis and threat for Americans -- from the disastrous CIA-backed invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 to a Missile Crisis the following year that terrified the nation. For Cubans, antagonism with a superpower neighbor led to a crippling economic embargo that still makes everyday life difficult. Since coming to office in 2009, Obama argued that engagement would do more to change Cuba than embargoes and isolation. "We tried it one way for 50 years," said top Obama foreign policy advisor Ben Rhodes. "We had an embargo. We had democracy funding. And you did not have a promotion of human rights on the island." In December 2014, Obama made a shock announcement that he and Raul Castro had been in secret talks on a rapprochement. The pair then met in April 2015 in Panama, making Obama the first sitting US president to meet a Cuban leader since Dwight Eisenhower in 1956. Diplomatic relations were restored in July. - 'Still have differences' - A presidential visit will be the capstone of Obama's policy of engagement, but it is also a gamble. Raul Castro's government has shown a willingness to slowly open the economy, but Cuba's political system is still utterly dominated by the regime. Story continues Human rights groups say that detentions have actually increased of late, reaching around 8,000 last year, even as longer-term prisoners have been released. "What worries us is that Obama had said in December that he would only come to Cuba if there was progress on human rights," Berta Soler of the Damas de Blanco told AFP. "The repression continues," she added. Anticipating such criticism, Obama said: "We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly. America will always stand for human rights around the world." Rhodes said Obama would meet civil society leaders during his trip and would look to address the Cuban people directly. He will not, however, meet long-time American nemesis Fidel Castro. "Raul Castro is the president of Cuba," said Rhodes. Obama's visit will come just weeks before a pivotal Cuban Communist Party congress. The meeting could decide who becomes the first non-Castro to control Cuba since the brothers came down from the Sierra Maestra mountains and ousted Fulgencio Batista on New Year's Day 1959. Obama will want to prod Havana into more direct elections, but the White House is betting that opening Cuba to a flood of American tourists and American business is the fastest and most enduring way to bring change. Cuba lost its chief economic benefactor in 1991 as the Soviet Union collapsed and is likely to suffer the same fate again as tumult in Venezuela turns off the spigot of heavily subsidized crude. For now the United States and Cuba are treading cautiously, taking incremental steps to facilitate trade, investment and the movement of people. There are 1.8 million Cuban Americans and Cuba has a population of 11 million. But Cuba's leaders will want to manage reforms in a way that does not threaten their political power or vested interests in state-run firms -- taking their ideological lead from Vietnam and China. The government's baby steps to open the economy have not convinced the thousands of Cubans who voted with their feet and left the island since ties warmed. - Opposition at home - For Obama a deeply symbolic trip to Cuba puts his presidency back in the limelight as power shifts to his possible successors and the 2016 election. But he faces significant opposition to any further warming of ties. The Republican-controlled Congress has made it clear it does not intend to end the embargo. For that to happen requires that Cuba move toward direct elections and begin to settle some 6,000 compensation lawsuits for US-owned property seized during the 1959 revolution. Those suits are estimated to be worth about $8 billion. Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio, a son of Cuban immigrants, said the trip was a "mistake" and urged Obama to reconsider. But there was considerable support for the president's trip elsewhere in southern Florida, even in Miami, home to America's biggest concentration of Cuban expatriates. "Fantastic! It's a great idea," Ramon Pereira, 60 told AFP at a restaurant in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, adding that an infusion of "a little indirect capitalism" is the best way to bring greater freedom to the island. By Kim Palmer CLEVELAND (Reuters) - An effort Ohio launched about five years ago to manage its backlog of rape kits has resulted in more than 10,000 tests to recover physical evidence and led to at least 445 indictments, the state Attorney General's office said on Thursday. "This is a tremendous milestone," Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said. "The testing of these 10,000 kits has helped identify hundreds of alleged assailants, many of whom repeatedly committed violent attacks." Ohio began its program ahead of a White House initiative launched in 2015 to spend $41 million to accelerate testing nationwide of an estimated 400,000 rape kits that have been back logged in law enforcement storage rooms and crime labs. In September 2015, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said his office awarded $38 million in grants toward the initiative. The kits collect evidence from the body and clothing of a victim of rape or sexual assault. DNA extracted is typically checked for matches on a DNA database of convicted criminals. More than 12,200 rape kits from 252 law enforcement agencies around the Ohio have been sent to the state's Bureau of Criminal Investigation since 2011 as part of a special initiative that has led to 3,629 hits in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). In the past few years, more than 45 bills have been introduced in 19 states that address rape kit testing reform, according to End the Backlog, which seeks to have the kits tested. In Ohio, legislation passed in 2014 requires law enforcement to submit any remaining kits to a crime laboratory within one year. Nearly 3,000 kits have been submitted since the law went into effect. In Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland, 445 defendants have been indicted using evidence from rape kits, and 162 of those convicted have been identified as serial offenders, according to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office. (Reporting by Kim Palmer; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Alan Crosby) Under different circumstances, it would be a public-relations coup for Apple: The company has proved that its consumer software is so secure that even the federal government, with all its money, experts, and supercomputers, cant crack it. Unable to best the software, the FBI had to come to Apple, hat in hand, defeated. Except thats not really a hat in the FBIs handits a court order. And the government isnt humbly asking for assistance; its demanding it, and it has a federal judge on its side. More than two months after a pair of shooters killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, the FBI has still not been able to break into one of the attackers phones, which was recovered at the scene. The device, an iPhone 5c which belonged to Syed Farook, is locked with a passcode. Crucially, Farooks phone is set to wipe its contents after 10 attempts to log in with the wrong code. Recommended: Inside the Artificial Universe That Creates Itself So the FBI wants Apple to help it break in. According to court documents, the government is asking Apple to create a special version of the operating system thats currently on Farooks phone, in order to disable the 10-try maximum and allow a computer to connect to the phone and guess every possible passcode. It may seem like an easy choice for Apple to comply. Law-enforcement officials have repeatedly said the virtually unbreakable encryption that protects Apples iPhones helps terrorists. Americans remain very afraid of terrorismtwo in three say a terrorist attack is likely or very likely in the next several weeksso this is a chance for the company to appear tough on terror without severely undermining its pro-privacy stance. But thats not whats happening. Tim Cook, who has recently become an unofficial spokesman for pro-encryption tech companies, dug in his heels in an open letter published on Apples website just hours after the court order was released. Story continues Cook called the implications of the FBI request chilling, and argued that it sets a precedent for wider government access of consumer data. The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customersincluding tens of millions of American citizensfrom sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals, Cook wrote. With this message to his customers, Cook is thrusting the long-simmering debate over law-enforcement access to encrypted data farther into the public sphere than its ever been before. The government has repeatedly called for a dialogue over encryption, but such dialogue generally takes the form of officials meeting with tech executives behind closed doors. Recommended: Alphabet, Jigsaw, and the Puzzle of Google's New Brand Apples move imitates a tactic that has served Uber well in the past, as The Wall Street Journals Daisuke Wakabayashi observes. When Uber butted heads with city governments from San Francisco to New York, it enlisted its enormous user base to show support for the company. In nearly every case, it prevailed, and secured friendly regulations that allowed it to continue growing. Apple is hoping its customers will assemble behind its public resistance to the government. Its gambling that its strong pro-privacy and pro-security stance will win over the public, even if it allows the FBI to paint it as soft on terrorism. But Donald Trump has already seized on that soft-on-terror angle to bash Apple: I agree 100 percent with the courts, Trump said on Fox and Friends. To think that Apple won't allow us to get into her cellphonewho do they think they are? And Tom Cotton, a Republican senator from Arkansas, said Apple chose to protect a dead ISIS terrorists privacy over the security of the American people. Being pro-privacy has become an important part of Apples image in recent years, and its pushed for genuinely consumer-friendly policies. The company sees itself at the vanguard of the pushback against what it considers government overreach, and is protecting a broad set of interests with its push for strong encryption. If this case were to set a legal precedent for the FBI to access its consumers data, the company would probably lose some number of privacy-conscious customers. But the blow to computer security would reverberate more widely than just in Apples world, and could have broad effects on the U.S. economy, large parts of which depend on encryption. Recommended: 'The Life of Pablo' and the Terror of Monogamy Already, digital human-rights organizations and technology advocacy groups have signaled support for Apple. Cooks letter was met with cheers from the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union, New America, the Center for Democracy and Technology, and others. Fight for the Future, a grassroots organization known for its successful advocacy campaign against anti-piracy bills in 2012, is trying to mobilize people to show support for Apples disobedience. Its planning demonstrations next week in front of Apple Stores across the country to deliver a message to the government: Dont break our phones. Whether public opinion will coalesce around Apples opposition remains to be seen. For now, lawmakers are staking familiar claims in the fight. The top two members of the Senate Intelligence CommitteeRichard Burr, a Republican from North Carolina, and Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrathave taken the FBIs side. Court orders are not optional and Apple should comply, Burr said in a statement. Meanwhile, longtime privacy hawk Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, said the FBIs case risks setting a dangerous precedent. If Cooks intervention gets a swath of the public curious about the encryption that protects their own data from hackers and criminals, the government could end up looking overeager to find ways of accessing private information. But Apple may have a hard time going at it alone. Edward Snowden noted on Twitter that Apples fellow tech giant, Google, hasnt yet weighed in on the most important tech case in a decade. If, instead of leading a rebellion against government surveillance, Apple is seen by the public to be obstructing a federal investigation into an act of terrorism, Cooks stand could backfire. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Two Palestinian 14-year-olds stabbed and killed an Israeli in a packed supermarket in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, Israeli and Palestinian officials said, as a five-month wave of bloodshed shows no sign of abating. An armed civilian shot the two teens, who were taken for treatment at Israeli hospitals in Jerusalem, the Israeli military said. Palestinian officials said both were 14. A witness named only as Uziel told Army Radio the supermarket was packed at the time with Israeli and Palestinian shoppers. "We heard screaming and it was clear there was an attack ... Civilians and soldiers began running and shot one (attacker) ... and then the another," he said. "Everyone was shocked at how young they were." The Israeli killed in the stabbing was 21 years old, a police spokesman said. A second Israeli was also stabbed and was in a moderate condition in hospital, an official there said. Since the spate of violence broke out in October, stabbings, shootings and car rammings by Palestinians have killed 28 Israelis and a U.S. citizen. Israeli security forces have killed at least 163 Palestinians, 107 of whom Israel says were assailants, while most others were shot dead during violent anti-Israeli protests. Many Palestinian attackers have been teenagers. Tensions have been fueled by factors including a dispute over Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque compound and the growth of Jewish settlements on land Palestinians seek for an independent state. Palestinian leaders have said that with no breakthrough on the horizon, desperate youngsters see no future ahead. Israel says young Palestinians are being incited to violence by their leaders and by Islamist groups calling for Israel's destruction. (Reporting by Maayan Lubell and Ali Sawafta; editing by John Stonestreet) Jerusalem (AFP) - The Palestinians on Thursday welcomed an initiative put forward by France to hold an international Middle East peace conference, a proposal which Israeli Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed. "We definitely welcome the French initiative, we see it as a major possibility for challenging the status quo," Hossam Zomlot, an advisor to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, told reporters. Zomlot, however, said the Palestinians insisted on their call for a United Nations resolution against Israeli settlement building ahead of any renewed peace process. "Nothing will convince us that we should not go to the United Nations Security Council over settlements," said Zomlot, who is a senior official in Abbas's Fatah party. France's ambassador to Israel, Patrick Maisonnave, met Israeli officials this week to outline the initiative, which proposes setting up a support group of the permanent Security Council members, some Arab and European states and international organisations. It would work in two stages, meeting first without the conflicting parties and then bringing them into the conference. Netanyahu called it "mystifying" and counterproductive, arguing that the proposal gives Palestinians no incentive to compromise. "It says, 'We shall hold an international conference but, if it doesn't succeed, we are deciding in advance what the consequence will be -- we shall recognise a Palestinian state,'" he told reporters during a visit to Berlin. "This of course ensures in advance that a conference will fail, because if the Palestinians know that their demands will be accepted... they don't need to do anything," he said. The rightwing leader restated his position that peace could only come through direct negotiations between the two sides. Palestinian officials have long argued for an international process to end Israel's occupation and bring about a two-state solution. US-brokered peace talks collapsed in April 2014 and the prospects of fresh dialogue have appeared increasingly remote. Panama City (AFP) - Panama has been taken off an international "gray list" of countries whose lax financial laws are seen as making money-laundering easier, its president, Juan Carlos Varela, said Thursday. "I am pleased to announce that Panama has come off the FATF gray list thanks to the new era of transparency we are living," Varela said on his Twitter account. The FATF is the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, a 32-nation body created nearly three decades ago to combat international money-laundering. Its remit was later expanded to also fight the financing of terrorist groups. Panama, a thriving banking hub with simplified laws that actively encourage investment, has already enacted laws to counter perceptions that it was a tax haven. However its was still listed by the FATF as having deficiencies in fighting money-laundering. But a FATF meeting in Paris this week agreed to remove the country from its gray list after determining it now met the group's standards on information sharing, tax compliance and reporting suspicious transactions, a statement from the Panamanian finance ministry said. Panama has notably passed a law against bearer shares -- equities owned by whoever physically holds the stock certificate, meaning the owner is not registered or identified. It has also created a state body to prevent money-laundering in free-tax zones, casinos, property, construction and currency-exchange shops. Ankara (AFP) - It started with a rumble that sounded like thunder or an earthquake, sending startled residents rushing to their balconies, who watched in horror as plumes of smoke rose over central Ankara. It wasn't long before their worst fears were confirmed: Turkey's capital, still reeling from twin blasts that killed over 100 last year, had been hit again. Sirens blaring, ambulances and police cars raced to the scene of the explosion near a military compound and the Turkish parliament, in a frenzied blur of activity that shattered the evening calm and triggered fresh panic among the city's five-million strong population. The government said at least 28 people were killed and dozens more wounded in the car bomb attack that targeted buses carrying military personnel. "I was at a main boulevard some 500 metres (1,640 feet) from the scene," 25-year-old Gurkan told AFP. "People started to run in all directions in panic as soon as we heard a strong explosion. I saw a huge fireball growing." Turkey's sprawling capital has been on edge ever since 103 people were killed in October, when two suicide bombers blew themselves up among a crowd of peace activists in the bloodiest attack in the country's modern history. Another suicide bombing last month in the heart of Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, did little to calm nerves. Eleven people, all German tourists, lost their lives. Both attacks were blamed on Islamic State jihadists, while Kurdish rebels have been accused of carrying out other recent deadly strikes in the country. No one has yet claimed responsibility for Wednesday's bombing. - 'Blow to morale' - The explosion that rocked Ankara's downtown area could be heard in several neighbourhoods. Turkish police threw a security cordon around the blast site, blocking civilians and members of the press from crossing the barricade for security reasons, warning of the possibility of a second attack. Story continues A police helicopter hovered over the scene, where some of Turkey's key institutions are concentrated including parliament and the headquarters of the air force, navy and general staff. Another blast later rocked the area, causing further disquiet among onlookers, but officials told AFP this was just police detonating a suspicious parcel. Just in front of the police cordon, scuffles erupted between security forces and civilians who were barred from approaching the scene. One angry middle-aged man shouted: "Is this our way of protecting the country?" Among the first to arrive were opposition MPs, who had rushed over from the nearby parliament building. "I was at the General Assembly at the time of the attack. I heard the sound and walked into the compound of the naval forces command," said Engin Altay of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). "Everyone including security forces was in panic. Firefighters were hardly able to proceed into the area. There was a big blaze. I saw buses on fire. I was only 50 metres away. "It's a sad sight, and a fresh blow to people's morale," he told AFP. While the lawmaker said he knew that Turkey faced security threats, he decried that no one had been able to prevent another attack. "It can happen at any time, at any occasion," he said. "And nobody knows what to do." By Sarah Mills BERLIN (Reuters) - Algerian filmmaker Rachid Bouchareb hopes his new film "Road to Istanbul" will help raise awareness of what it's like for parents whose children leave to join Islamic State insurgents in Syria. And to make it really hit home, Bouchareb, 62, said he wanted the family shown in his film, which is screening in the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival, to be from a non-Muslim background. "I was very moved by the parents in Europe, the mothers, the fathers, who all of a sudden realized that their children have gone on journeys, whether toward Syria or Iraq," Bouchareb told Reuters in an interview on Monday. "And that interested me, that human dimension of a father or a mother who is going to discover something that they could never have imagined." Belgian actress Astrid Whettnall plays Elisabeth, a single mother living in the Belgian countryside with her 18-year-old daughter Elodie (Pauline Burlet). Her life is turned upside down when Elodie fails to come home and Elisabeth discovers she has gone with her new boyfriend to join Islamic State (IS) in Syria. "I didn't choose someone of Muslim origin and culture," Buchareb said. "I took someone who had nothing to do with that world -- nothing to do with the Arab world, nothing to do with that culture. "And it's that which interested me, how a young, 18-year-old Belgian girl is going to move toward a conversion, to convert (to Islam), and go to Syria." Whettnall said that for her portrayal of Elisabeth, she wanted to feel the element of fear that all parents in such a situation would experience. "It's interesting to have the chance to get to know those fears and to respect all the mothers who live those kinds of things," she told Reuters. In the film, officials tell Elisabeth that because her daughter is an adult, they cannot help to get her back. So Elisabeth decides to find her daughter herself. "It's because of that as well that I wanted to do the film," Bouchareb said. "About two years ago, the relatives of those people were completely deprived, with no one to help them, no one to listen to them. I remember they tried to organize press conferences, they tried to assemble themselves, to be listened to," he said. "And so I said to myself: 'I'm going to make a film in that direction' to perhaps bring something to all those mothers and all those fathers, to all those parents who are looking for their children." (Editing by Michael Roddy and Mark Heinrich) Washington (AFP) - The Pentagon has asked Russia to stay away from parts of northern Syria where US special operations forces are training local fighters to combat the Islamic State group, military officials said Thursday. The acknowledgement Russia knows approximately where the highly covert US commandos are based is significant because the Pentagon has repeatedly stressed it is not cooperating with Moscow as the two powers lead separate air campaigns in war-ravaged Syria. The Pentagon last year said it was sending about 50 special ops troops to work with anti-IS fighters in Syria, though officials have said next to nothing about their whereabouts or progress since, and have worked hard to ensure no information about the commandos' presence is released, citing security reasons. Lieutenant General Charles Brown, who leads the US air forces in the Middle East, said US officials had asked Moscow to avoid "broad areas" in northern Syria "to maintain a level of safety for our forces that are on the ground." He added that Moscow had itself asked the US-led coalition to avoid some of the airfields the Russian military is using. "They don't want us flying close to (these,)" Brown said. "Typically, we don't fly there anyway. So, that hasn't been an issue." Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said Defense Secretary Ashton Carter was aware of the unusual request. He said the Pentagon only provided broad geographic descriptions of where the US troops are, not their precise location. "There was an effort made to protect the safety of our people from the risk of Russian airstrikes. ... Those steps were taken, and those, so far, have been honored," Cook said. The United States has since August 2014 led an international coalition against the IS group in Iraq and Syria. Russia entered the Syria conflict in September, when it began bombing rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad. Russia says it is attacking the IS group and other "terrorists." Though coalition and Russian planes generally operate in different parts of the country, military officials fret about the possibility of an unintended clash between the two sides. The Pentagon has held a series of "deconfliction" talks with Russian counterparts to outline procedures in case of a mishap. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department on Wednesday said commercial imagery indicated that China had deployed a surface-to-air missile system on a disputed outpost in the South China Sea, and said the action was increasing tensions in the region. The Pentagon urged all countries that have staked claims to disputed areas in the region to address their territorial and maritime claims in accordance with international law, and to commit to peacefully manage or resolve their disputes. "We call on South China Sea claimants to publicly commit to a reciprocal halt to further land reclamation, construction of new facilities, and new militarization of disputed features," said Navy Commander Bill Urban, a spokesman for the Pentagon. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Chris Reese) By Mitra Taj and Marco Aquino LIMA (Reuters) - Peru's "outsider" presidential hopeful Julio Guzman said Wednesday that street demonstrations would keep him in the race to April elections if his lawyers fail to keep him from being thrown out on a technicality. Guzman, 45, has climbed rapidly to second place in polls on promises to take the country back from a "corrupt" political elite that he says is now pulling strings to have him barred from the race. "What they're doing is backfiring. People realize what they're up to and their rage is growing," Guzman said in an interview. "What they can't avoid is mass mobilization." Peru's electoral board has blocked Guzman's party from registering for this year's race and could invalidate his candidacy if it rejects his appeals. The board has denied politics figured in its decision and said Guzman's party broke a series of rules, including modifying its statutes in an assembly without enough advance notice. The dispute has further muddled the outlook for this year's elections as another candidate also faces possible disqualification amid plagiarism and vote-buying accusations. Guzman, a technocrat now seen as the biggest threat to frontrunner Keiko Fujimori, said that if elected he would boost infrastructure spending through new debt and change the mandate of the central bank to include jobs as a priority. He described himself as a "centrist reformist" and said he would be a Democrat if he were a politician in Washington, where he worked as an economist for the Inter-American Development Bank for 10 years. Guzman said if disqualified, he would summon "millions" of Peruvians to peaceful marches to defend their right to vote for him. "The status quo historically has limits on its control of people. And those limits are set by the people," he said. It is unclear how many might take to the streets if he is barred. A vigil he held in front of the electoral board's headquarters recently drew hundreds of supporters at most. Guzman garnered 20 percent of voter intent in recent polls and was seen in the latest as virtually tied with Fujimori in a likely June runoff, a first for any of her rivals. He has tapped a well of support from Peruvians hoping to vote for someone new in a race dominated by well-known but unpopular politicians who have sought the top job at least once before, including two ex-presidents. Guzman has dubbed other candidates "dinosaurs" and said Fujimori represented the biggest threat. Fujimori has vowed not to repeat the mistakes of her father, ex-president Alberto Fujimori, who is prison for corruption and human rights abuses linked to his 1990-2000 government. "I don't believe her," Guzman said. "It's going to be the same dictatorship, the same authoritarianism we had in the 90s." But Guzman ruled out striking alliances or endorsing others to defeat Fujimori, saying they all represent the past. "I didn't come here to win a vice presidency or a post in Congress," Guzman said. "I came here because I want to make the country better." (Reporting By Mitra Taj and Marco Aquino; Editing by Michael Perry) Breastfeeding is itself an emotional, personal experience. It gets tougher when you're being judged for or prevented from doing it. So in a photo series called The Magical World of Breastfeeding, Singapore-based photographer Jen Pan is aiming to de-stigmatize breastfeeding, one stunning image at a time. Pan told Mic that she got the idea after joining a number of breastfeeding support groups as a nursing mother herself. "I learn[ed] that many nursing mothers face issues at their workplace but are unable to voice them due to fear of backlash," she said in an email. "Thus, many of them could only seek comfort from other nursing mothers in a private support group... When we decided to embark on this project, the main intention [was] to show beautiful women breastfeeding their babies. We wanted to celebrate motherhood and at the same time create awareness for the mothers who face difficulties at the workplace." On her website, Pan writes of professional women who have been discriminated against when trying to pump breast milk at the office. That's why she decided to feature a businesswoman in one part of her photo series. "We wanted to celebrate motherhood and at the same time create awareness for the mothers who face difficulties at the workplace." Indeed, pumping breast milk at work can be a struggle for some women. While United States law says that women are entitled to a "reasonable break time" to pump in a clean, non-bathroom space at work, employers have still denied women the right to do so. Meanwhile, Singapore, where Pan lives, has seen efforts to normalize breast pumping at work, but Pan's experience proves that stories of discrimination still abound. "Our aim for this series has always been to inspire mothers in their breastfeeding journey," she told Mic. "Mothers need to nurse whenever their baby is hungry and whichever way they feed their baby." Story continues She said that the response to the project so far has been mostly positive, with many moms expressing admiration and thanks for creating such a powerful series of images. "We stand firm on our goal to normalize breastfeeding and to create awareness towards workplace discrimination using our art," she said. Check out more of Pan's work over at her Facebook page. h/t Cosmopolitan WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's Lech Walesa, who shot to world fame for his role in the collapse of communism, promised on Thursday to defend himself in court against new allegations that he collaborated with the communist-era secret services. The state history institute said it had confirmed as genuine some documents offered to it by the widow of a communist interior minister suggesting Walesa, ex-leader of the Solidarity union movement that brought down communism in Poland, had been an informant of the communist regime in the 1970s. "The personal file contains an envelope and in it there is a manually written commitment to collaborate with the secret service signed: Lech Walesa "Bolek"," said a spokesman for the institute. Walesa, 72, immediately issued a statement saying he signed no such commitment and suggested it was forged. "I will prove it in court," he wrote in a blog. Deputy Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said earlier this week "Walesa has an agent's past, of course he does. For the last 27 years I not only suspected this but was almost sure". Walesa years ago acknowledged signing a commitment to be an informant for Communist Poland's security organs but insisted he never did anything to carry it out. A special court exonerated him in 2000, saying it found no proof of collaboration. The Institute of National Remembrance is close to the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) and the new allegations against Walesa surfaced two months after he accused the conservative nationalist party of acting to undermine Polish democracy since winning an election majority in October. PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski is a former senior Solidarity official but he and Walesa have long been at loggerheads. Their conflict dates to 1990 when Walesa, soon after being elected president, dismissed Jaroslaw and his late twin brother, Lech, from positions in his office. Jaroslaw Kaczynski has since maintained that Walesa was once a communist collaborator. Tensions rose in December when Walesa, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his Solidarity leadership and retains influence on public opinion in Poland, called for early elections to head off what he said was a threat to democracy posed by PiS policy. Poland overthrew communism in 1989. Walesa served as president from 1990 to 1995 and Poland joined the EU in 2004. Last month, the EU began an unprecedented inquiry into whether the PiS government has breached EU rule-of-law standards by passing laws that critics said rein in the constitutional court and public media. On Feb. 4, legislation was passed to heighten the government's surveillance powers. (Reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko; Editing by Mark Heinrich) Warsaw (AFP) - A right-wing Polish magazine cover emblazoned with the headline "The Islamic rape of Europe" triggered a storm of criticism on social media Thursday, with some comments comparing it to World War II fascist propaganda. The cover of the news weekly "w Sieci" (In the net) showed a posed photo of a blue-eyed blonde woman, wrapped in an EU flag, looking terrified as she is groped by hairy-armed men. The magazine said the cover referred to a rash of sexual assaults against hundreds of women, allegedly by men of North African and Arab origin, during New Year's Eve celebrations in the German city of Cologne. But the publication drew fierce criticism on Twitter, with one user comparing it to what they described as a World War II-era Italian fascist propaganda poster vilifying Africans. Another Twitter user said the "sick cover" was fear-mongering. "'Islamic rape of Europe', screams Polish magazine. They obviously forget Nazi depictions of Poles in the 1930s," said one Twitter user. "w Sieci" makes no secret of its support for the Poland's new right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) government. At the end of 2015, it had a circulation of 76,000, a decline of 1.16 percent over 2014, according to the specialist website press.pl. In the category of news weeklies, it lay a distant third, with the top-selling title, Newsweek Polska, selling 120,000. The populist PiS won an unprecedented majority in October's general election campaigning, among others, on an anti-migrant platform. Party leader and ex-premier Jaroslaw Kaczynski played up migrant fears before election day by claiming refugees were bringing "cholera to the Greek islands, dysentery to Vienna, various types of parasites" in comments that critics said recalled the Nazi era. The PiS government been among the staunchest opponents of an European Union quota plan to distribute refugees across the bloc. Surveys show a majority of Poles share this view. Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis has questioned Donald Trump's Christian faith over his vow to build a border wall to keep out immigrants, sparking a backlash from the Republican presidential candidate. "Anyone, whoever he is, who only wants to build walls and not bridges is not a Christian," the pontiff told journalists Thursday during his return journey from a trip to Mexico. He was responding to a question about the billionaire's anti-immigrant stance. "Vote, don't vote, I won't meddle. But I simply say, if he says these things, this man is not a Christian," Francis said. "We need to see if he really said them and for this I will give him the benefit of the doubt." After initially launching into an audacious denunciation of Francis, Trump later softened his tone dramatically. "For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful," Trump said in a statement delivered on a campaign stop in South Carolina, which holds its Republican primary this weekend. But hours later, at a townhall event, the real estate tycoon heaped praise on the pontiff. "Oh, the pope is a wonderful guy," Trump said, suggesting the media had hyped and exaggerated the tone of his earlier statement. "I have a lot of respect for the pope. I think he's got a lot of personality, he's very different, a great guy, and I think he's doing a very good job, he has a lot of energy." Trump said the pontiff was misinformed, unaware of the impact of the drugs coming into the United States and a range of security issues that make it necessary to build a wall. The leading Republican presidential candidate also said he would welcome an opportunity to meet the pope. Trump has gained popularity by claiming Mexico is sending criminals to the United States, and last week he accused the pope of visiting the border between the two countries at the bidding of the Mexican government. Story continues Francis was speaking after concluding a five-day trip to Mexico, where he delivered a mass before 300,000 people near the US border and decried the "human tragedy" of migrants fleeing violence worldwide. In a highly symbolic gesture, the pontiff climbed a ramp facing the Rio Grande and looked out across the border into US territory, where hundreds of migrants waved at him. Trump has vowed to build a wall on the US southern border to keep migrants from illegally crossing into the United States, a pledge that has caused a firestorm in the presidential campaign where immigration is a hot-button issue. "If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS's ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president because this would not have happened," Trump said. - 'Pope used as pawn' - Propagandists for ISIS -- one of several names for the Islamic State extremist group that controls swathes of Syria and Iraq -- have issued threats that their fighters will plant their flag on the top of St Peter's basilica. But Italian officials have insisted they have no knowledge of any credible threat to the Vatican or the pope. Trump said Mexican authorities had told the pope only "one side of the story." "He didn't see the crime, the drug trafficking and the negative economic impact the current policies have on the United States. "They are using the pope as a pawn and they should be ashamed of themselves for doing so, especially when so many lives are involved and when illegal immigration is so rampant." It was not the first time Trump had issued the pawn jibe, and Francis was asked about it on the plane. "Am I a pawn of the Mexican government? I leave that to your judgement, to the people to judge," he said. The 79-year-old Argentine, a fervent critic of the freewheeling capitalism espoused by Trump, also said he was proud to have been branded a politicized pontiff by the tycoon. "Thanks be to God if that is what he said, because Aristotle defined man as a political animal: at least (it means) I am a human person," the pope said. Trump has promised to end illegal immigration by building a wall along the Mexican border, which stretches more than 3,100 kilometers (1,950 miles) -- a third of it currently covered by high-security fencing. One of Trump's Republican rivals, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, was charitable towards him in remarks addressing the contretemps. "I don't question anybody's Christianity, because I honestly believe that's a relationship you have with your creator," Bush, a devout Catholic, told reporters. Speaking of building a wall and other forms of border control, he added: "That's not an un-Christian thing to do, to make sure people don't come across our border illegally. That's a just thing to do." By Philip Pullella ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is not Christian because of his views on immigration, Pope Francis said on his way back to Rome from Mexico. The pope said, however, he did not want to advise American Catholics on whether or not to vote for Trump. In a freewheeling conversation with reporters on his flight back from a visit to Mexico, Francis was asked about Trump and some of his statements, such as vowing to build a wall between the United States and Mexico if he becomes president. A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian, Francis said in answer to a specific question about Trumps views. This is not in the gospel. Asked if American Catholics should vote for someone with Trumps views, Francis said: In this photo taken Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 Pope Francis meets journalists aboard the plane during the flight from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to Rome, Italy. (Photo: Alessandro Di Meo/Pool Photo/Reuters) I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt, he said. On his last day in Mexico, Francis said a Mass on the U.S. border, where he railed against immigration policies that force many underground and into the hands of drug gangs and human smugglers. Trump has also said he would deport millions of illegal migrants if he wins the November U.S. election. Last week he told Fox Business television that Pope Francis did not understand the Mexican border issues. The pope is a very political person. I think he doesnt understand the problems our country has. I dont think he understands the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico, he said. Asked about being called a political person, Francis said: Thank God he said I was a politician because Aristotle defined the human person as animal politicus. So at least I am a human person. Trump has taken a more than 20-point lead over U.S. Senator Ted Cruz in the Republican race for the presidential nomination, with his campaign seeming to thrive off the endless controversies that he has generated. (Editing by Jeremy Gaunt) Mexico City (AFP) - Pope Francis delighted many in Mexico by taking political and religious leaders to task during his trip, but he also stayed silent on thorny issues such as pedophilia scandals and high-profile crimes. He bluntly denounced corruption, drug trafficking, the exploitation of indigenous groups and the tragic lives of migrants before returning to the Vatican late Wednesday after a five-day visit. Addressing political leaders, including President Enrique Pena Nieto, he urged them to provide their nation with "effective security." Bishops, he said, needed to show "prophetic courage" against drug violence. While his words were comforting to many Mexicans, experts say his message is unlikely to change the course of a country that has endured 10 years of drug violence that has left 100,000 people dead or missing. "The pope can't do brain transplants," said Elio Masferrer, religion expert at the National School of Anthropology and History. "It wouldn't be reasonable to think that the pope can come and miraculously change Mexico's reality." - Pope owes a 'debt' - The pope himself had warned before his trip that he was not coming as a "Wise King" bearing solutions. "The pope didn't come to Mexico to resolve its problems," the Vatican's ambassador to Mexico, archbishop Christophe Pierre, told AFP. "He wants to give hope and strength." But the pope steered clear of some controversial issues. He avoided the pedophilia scandal of the ultraconservative Legion of Christ congregation, whose late founder, Marcial Maciel, was accused of committing sexual abuses. Francis granted the group a religious pardon in October. The pope also stayed silent about a crime that triggered protests against Pena Nieto's administration: The 2014 disappearance of 43 students who were abducted by corrupt police officers. "The pope has a debt regarding those two issues," said Bernardo Barranco, a renowned Mexican religious expert. Story continues Parents of the 43 teacher trainees, who authorities believe were killed by a drug gang, tried in vain to have a private audience with the pope. They were given three tickets to the pontiff's last mass in the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez on Wednesday, but they lacked the means to go, according to their lawyer. The lawyer, Vidulfo Rosales, told local radio that the parents, most of whom are Catholic, were left with "a bad taste in their mouths" and "desperation toward the church." On the plane back to Rome, Francis told reporters that he invited them and relatives of other missing people to one of his masses because it was "almost impossible" for him to privately meet everyone, and there was also "infighting" among them. He also noted that he decried violence in his masses. - Catholic decline - Mexico is the world's second biggest Catholic country, with 82 percent of its 120 million people followers of the religion. But some parts of the country are turning to other faiths, especially in the southern impoverished state of Chiapas, where only 58 percent say they are Catholic. "The Mexican Catholic church is out of date. It is not attentive of its flock's problems," Masferrer said. Barranco said the church leadership in Mexico is "very cozy with the (political) power, in a comfort zone." During a speech at the cathedral of Mexico City, the pope urged bishops not to act like "princes" and avoid falling into "gossip or intrigue, in conceited schemes of careerism, in empty plans for superiority." Masferrer said the pope was "very hard with bishops because they are generals of defeat." Andrew Chesnut, religious expert at Virginia Commonwealth University, who was in Mexico during the pope's visit, said there was "more of an opportunity for political than ecclesiastic change" in the country. "The great majority of bishops were not appointed by Francis and many don't share his vision of the church, so I'm less sanguine about the church becoming the Church of the Poor that Francis desires," he said. "I also doubt that his trip will reverse long-term Catholic decline, which is part of over-arching pluralization of the Mexican and Latin American religious landscape." FLINT, MichiganI cant stop thinking about Lawrence White. In January, at a downtown coffee shop, I chatted with the 43-year-old state employee and owner of a small security firm about the poisoning of his city. Then I squeezed his thinking into one paragraph of a column on government dysfunction. Im not just singling out Governor Snyder, said the Democrat, an African American. All the politicians including the EPA are playing tit-for-tat, playing games at our expense. Its everybody. Its Republicans. Its Democrats. Its a globalization of not caring for the people of Flint. His quote buttressed my theory of the case, so thats all I shared with readers. What he said next remained in my notebookand haunts me. White continued: What matters to me as an American, what should matter to all Americans, is that we learn from this: How do we change the way government works? How do we fix these systems? White paused to blow on his coffee and sip. How do we avoid another Flint? Recommended: The Republicans' Scalia Hysteria I asked him if he had any ideas. White nodded. To start with, let me see my damn tests, he said. Why does the government sit on them? The knee-jerk answer to Whites question is that its the job of government to conduct public-health tests and double-check the results; to analyze the results and peer-review the analyses; to consult with internal partners and external agencies before recommending a course of action up the chain of command; to pressure-test those recommendations with political and public-relations professionals; and, finally, to inform the public: Hey, we got a problem, and heres what were going do about it. Story continues In the case of Flint, a tragic decision to forgo anti-corrosion treatment of the citys aging water pipes exposed city residents to lead poisoning. State and federal tests soon revealed excessive levels of lead in the water, but the results were not shared with the public for monthsand not without a push by whistleblowers at Virginia Tech University and a Flint hospital. Flint is the worst of circumstances. But even in a best-case scenario, public-health tests take weeks, if not months, to become public. Let me see my damn tests. Maybe theres a better way. What if governments immediately posted water test results on a website open to the public? What if citizens and citizen activists were encouraged to add their water test results to the public platform, creating a muscular database that anybody could use to spot trends and raise alarms? What if government offered prizes and other incentives to any bureaucrat, business person, citizen activist or parent who creates a solution to the present water crisis or develops a better approach, in general, to protecting Flints water? Recommended: Why America Is Moving Left The paternalistic approach to government has run its course, and not just in Flint. Averting such crises requires re-inventing governmentnot to be smaller or bigger, but to be more efficient and connected to a tech-empowered public, where mutual transparency and data sharing can leverage the wisdom of crowds. Crowdsourcing governmentlooking to the public for innovationis not a new idea. Napoleon offered a prize to the person who could feed his hungry army across a continent of conquered land, and the French chef who won the contest sparked the modern canning movement. But technology offers scale. Under President Obama, more than 80 federal agencies have collaborated with more than 200,000 students, entrepreneurs, and others to tackle more than 440 challengesfrom developing autonomous vehicles for warfare to biomedical research serving the disabled. Napoleons chef won 12,000 francs. Obamas innovators earned $150 million in prize money. Another White House programa start-up, actually, dubbed 18Fleverages world-class developers, designers, and tech specialists to help agencies change how the build and buy technology services. Governing on a social platform puts public servants under greater scrutiny. If a pothole isnt filled or the lead levels creep up, everybody knows it. People are punished, problems solved. On the other hand, a job well done can be instantly acknowledged, rewarding bureaucrats and restoring trust in the system. Recommended: Is This the End for Jeb Bush? In Boston, Citizens Connect is a cell-phone application that allows users to take a photograph of a problemsay, a potholeand send it to the city for repair. The citizen is notified when the work is done. In the Spanish town of Jun, residents use Twitter to lodge complaints with the mayor, who uses the same platform to issue orders to his staff addressing the complaints. Citizens can spot problems that governments, left to their own devices, might prefer not to acknowledge. The role of political leaders would shift. Rather than being parental figures who withhold bad news until they can find their own solutions, 21st-century leaders would be providers of context, conveners of people and platforms, and enablers of citizens making the best possible decisions for themselves and their families. After I laid out this theory in a series of tweets related to Flint, Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said he agreed. We need accountability, he emailed me. Not one person is accountable. Complexity has become the means for no one to accept responsibility. William Eggers, author of The Solutions Revolution and an expert in government innovation at Deloitte, told me Flint points to the need for a mutually transparent government. Its easier to cast blame on politicians and parties than it is to set up new systems that prevent these things from happening in the first place. This is no panacea. Open-source governance would not only give people more power, but also more responsibilitynot to overreact to every grim data set, for example, and to support new systems and institutions that set data free. Technology cant make government perfect. But making government more transparent and accessible might make its failures less profound. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. By Paul Taylor BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Panic rather than love may keep Britain in the European Union when voters cast their ballots in a referendum, probably in June, on whether to stay in the 28-nation bloc under Prime Minister David Cameron's "new settlement". While few may be swayed by the lightly amended membership terms, a plunging currency, tumbling share prices and fears for property values could drive enough Britons to opt at the last minute for the status quo rather than a leap into the unknown. That was how the British political establishment managed by the skin of its teeth to hold the United Kingdom together in 2014, when Scottish voters tempted by the centuries-old dream of regaining independence from England ultimately chose safety. It is also a plausible scenario for the EU vote, especially since a decision to leave would reopen the Scottish question. Ordinary Brits tempted to give the unloved "Europe" a kicking may plump for stability to avoid economic uncertainty rather than risk financial and political turmoil. In Scotland, the communications director of the "Better Together" campaign, Rob Shorthouse, got into trouble for joking that his strategy was "Project Fear". The idea that unionist campaigners were setting out to frighten voters stirred outrage in the nationalist camp, but it proved effective. Eurosceptics accuse Cameron of planning a similar scare campaign now, but events may produce the same impact even without political orchestration. Two weeks before the Scottish vote in September 2014, a single opinion poll showed independence supporters had taken a slender lead for the first time. That jolted financial markets and prompted banks and insurers to announce contingency plans to move their headquarters south of the border amid uncertainty over what currency an independent Scotland would use. Economic anxiety trumped political adventure in the final days of campaigning, with British leaders rushing to Scotland to tell Scots how much the rest of the United Kingdom valued them, and how they were "better off together". With a record high turnout of 84.6 percent, Scots voted by 55.3 to 44.7 percent against breaking up the union. It's an understatement to say Britons are less emotionally attached to the EU than they are to national unity. Yet the potential economic damage from a "Brexit" could be greater than if Scotland had left, and the former might trigger the latter. Economic forecasters say the British economy would suffer a significant setback if the country decided to leave the EU, with its 500-million-strong single market, common external trade policy and free movement of capital, goods, services and people. An exit vote would not take effect immediately but there would be several years of uncertainty and acrimony while Britain negotiated a new, more distant relationship with the bloc. The City of London financial centre, which has thrived as an offshore capital for euro trading, would almost certainly lose some ground. How much is a matter of fierce dispute. Eurosceptics say that EU supporters made the same case in the early 2000s that if Britain did not join the euro, the City would wither. On the contrary, it has flourished. Yet leaving the EU would present a different challenge. Big foreign banks use London as their European gateway due partly to the EU's "passporting" principle that an institution regulated in one member state can trade all over Europe. Some are now making contingency plans to move certain activities and staff to Dublin or Frankfurt in case of "Brexit", bankers say. Fewer bankers and less investment would hit property values over time. Uncertainty over the status of some 2.1 million EU workers in Britain could also dampen the housing market. Since markets tend to anticipate and hedge for political risk, it is reasonable to assume that if opinion polls are showing the "Leave" campaign in the lead in late May or early June, some of that damage would start to occur before the vote. U.S. investment banks Goldman Sachs and Citi have both estimated the pound could lose between 15 and 20 percent of its value against major trading currencies if the "Out" camp wins. A run on sterling could start in the final phase of the campaign, just as the middle classes are packing their beachwear for continental summer holidays in the euro zone. While many British companies have kept quiet about support for EU membership to avoid upsetting shareholders or customers who favour a "Brexit", currency instability, stock market losses and an incipient investment freeze could make them more vocal. Even strong EU supporters such as Charles Grant, director of the London-based thinktank Centre for European Reform, acknowledge that the "In" campaign will struggle to convince voters of the positive case for staying in the bloc. "There are many reasons to be pessimistic about the campaign," he told a Brussels audience. "The 'Out' campaign have jolly good arguments superficially... Big business is pathetic and cowardly." Opponents argue that under EU rules, Britain cannot control its national borders to shut out migrant workers; that the UK net contribution to the EU budget would be better spent on the National Health Service; and that foreign judges in the European Court of Justice should not be able to overrule British courts. By contrast, many of the benefits of EU membership in global trade, international political influence and shared norms and values are hard to quantify and explain simply, Grant said. Hence the temptation for pro-EU campaigners to focus more on what Britain stands to lose in case of a "No" vote - foreign investment, jobs and security. "Project Panic" may not be the official strategy, but it looks likely to play a big role in shaping the British vote. (Writing by Paul Taylor; editing by Adrian Croft) Basra (Iraq) (AFP) - Iraqi authorities are searching for radioactive material that went missing in southern Iraq more than three months ago, officials said on Thursday. American oil and gas services firm Weatherford informed the Basra province environment commission on November 15 of the "loss" of radioactive material, said Khajak Ferweer, the head of the commission's radiation department. The search for the material is ongoing, he said. Ferweer said that exposure to the missing material, which he said amounted to at most several grams of Iridium-192, can lead to burns in the short-term and cancer over a longer period, but that it cannot be used to manufacture a weapon. But even if it cannot be used to make a nuclear fission bomb, radioactive material can still be spread using conventional explosives in a so-called "dirty bomb," though the small amount of missing Ir-192 might not be sufficient for that application. The material belongs to Turkish company SGS, Ferweer said. A senior Basra security official said it was part of a device used to test welded portions of pipes for leaks or other weaknesses. While it belongs to a Turkish company that had a contract with Weatherford, it went missing from one of the US firm's warehouses last November, the official said. Jabbar al-Saadi, a member of the province's security committee, said that the material was considered missing and not stolen, and like the other two officials said it cannot be used to make a weapon. The south is home to the heart of Iraq's oil industry, which supplies the vast majority of government funds, and most of the country's crude is exported via Basra. Iraqi militia forces and criminal gangs are active in areas of southern Iraq, including Basra, while the Islamic State jihadist group holds territory north and west of Baghdad. KABUL (Reuters) - The Red Cross has suspended operations in the central Afghan province of Ghazni after an armed group kidnapped five local staff members, the international aid organization said on Thursday. The five Afghan staff were stopped and abducted as they were traveling by road in the province, which has seen frequent kidnappings and murders on its highways. An emailed statement from the International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan said the organization had established contacts and was working to secure the release of its staff, who were detained on Tuesday. It said it had halted operations in Ghazni and was reviewing security elsewhere in Afghanistan, one of the most dangerous countries in the world for aid workers. However, activities in the rest of the country were continuing, the statement said. (Reporting by James Mackenzie; editing by Katharine Houreld) MOSCOW (Reuters) - Any incursion into Syrian territory by a foreign power would be illegal, Russia's foreign ministry said on Thursday, in a statement clearly designed to be heard in Turkey. Turkey, opposed to the government in neighboring Syria and worried about advances by Kurdish militants in Syrian territory, this week had to deny a media report that it had already sent troops over the border. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also told Reuters this week that his country, Saudi Arabia and some European powers wanted ground troops in Syria, though no serious plan had been debated. Asked about the implications of any ground incursion into Syria, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters: "We view Syria's territory as the territory of a sovereign state. Any incursion into the territory of a sovereign state is illegal." Russia's relations with Turkey hit a low in November when Turkish warplanes downed a Russian bomber near the Syrian-Turkish border, a move described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "dastardly stab in the back". Russian warplanes entered Syria's increasingly complex, five-year-old conflict at the end of September, backing the forces of their ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and bombing rebel positions. Russia's Maria Zakharova rejected accusations by Turkey, the Unites States and their allies that Russia had attacked hospitals and other civilian targets in Syria. "The tasks faced by Russia's aerospace forces are to lessen the terrorist threat, in particular to the Russian Federation," she said. "We act at the request of the Syrian leadership, of official Damascus, which the United Nations continues to recognize as legitimate." The United States, leading an alliance launching air attacks on Islamic State militants in Syria, has so far ruled out sending its own ground troops there, apart from small numbers of special forces. (Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Alexander Winning and Andrew Heavens) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A reported sale of Russian combat aircraft to Iran would violate a U.N. arms embargo if it occurred without advance U.N. Security Council approval, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday. Russia's RIA news agency on Wednesday reported that Russia will this year sign a contract to sell a batch of its Sukhoi Su-30SM multi-role fighters to Iran. As the United States and five other major powers negotiated the July 14 nuclear deal with Iran, the six agreed to maintain a ban on conventional arms sales to Iran for five years unless they were blessed in advance by the Security Council. "U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 prohibits the sale to Iran of specified categories of conventional arms ... without approval in advance on a case-by-case basis by the UN Security Council," said State Department spokesman Mark Toner. Toner said all U.N. members, and especially those such as Russia that negotiated the resolution as part of the nuclear deal, "should be fully aware of these restrictions." He said the ban covered "combat aircraft," including the Su-30SM fighter. "If the media reports are accurate, we will address it bilaterally with Russia and with the other members of the U.N. Security Council," Toner added. (Reporting By Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Chris Reese) Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi Arabia is "not prepared" to cut oil production, its foreign minister said on Thursday, after the top exporter agreed with Russia to freeze output if major rivals follow. "If other producers want to limit or agree to a freeze in terms of additional production that may have an impact on the market but Saudi Arabia is not prepared to cut production," Adel al-Jubeir told AFP. "The oil issue will be determined by supply and demand and by market forces. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia will protect its market share and we have said so," he said in an interview. Saudi Arabia and other OPEC producers have refused to reduce output in an attempt to drive less competitive players, in particular US shale oil producers, out of the market. But in the first sign of OPEC and non-cartel producers cooperating after prices fell around 70 percent since mid-2014, Saudi Arabia and Russia said Tuesday they would freeze output if other major producers do the same. Venezuela, Qatar and Kuwait also agreed on the planned freeze following talks in Doha. Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran surprised markets by saying that it too supported the move, sending prices soaring. Although Tehran has not committed to any output curbs, its comments were seen as significant as it returns to world markets following the lifting of international sanctions. It's all change for Image Expo as the event heads into its fifth year not only will the next event see Image Comics partnering with New York Comic Con organizers ReedPOP for the first time, but it will also move from its traditional San Francisco location to Seattle to become the opener for this year's Emerald City Comicon. Image announced the details of the next Expo on Wednesday, unveiling not only the event itself to be held in Seattle's Showbox Market Theater on April 6, a day ahead of the official launch of the 2016 Emerald City Comicon but the new partnership with ECCC and NYCC organizers ReedPOP. The main Expo will continue its original format of being an all-day event featuring comic book creators announcing new work to be published by the Berkeley, Calif. comic book company. Confirmed guests include Marvel's Secret Wars writer Jonathan Hickman, Black Science and Deadly Class creator Rick Remender and Shutter artist Leila del Duca, with "special surprise guests" promised to appear. The first Expo of 2016 will also feature an added bonus: the Image Comics' Spring Formal, an afterparty themed "in the style and spirit of a traditional high school dance." The addition of the Expo officially presented by Emerald City Comicon, as per the Image announcement sees the second expansion of the popular northwest convention since ReedPOP acquired the event last year. Formerly a three-day event, this year's convention runs Apr. 7-10 at the Washington State Convention Center. This will only be the second time an Image Expo has been held in a location other than San Francisco; in 2014, the publisher held a July event in San Diego ahead of that year's San Diego Comic-Con. Read More: Image Expo 2015: New Series, New Creators and A Robert Kirkman-Less 'Walking Dead' No source of energy is perfect and one of the traditional drawbacks of solar energy has been that its tough to generate new power when its dark outside. However, SolarCity announced this week that its taken a big step toward fixing this problem by agreeing to use Teslas 52 MWh Powerpack lithium-ion battery storage system for its massive solar power project that its building in Hawaii for the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC). SolarCity, of course, is chaired by Tesla CEO Elon Musk so the decision to go with the Powerpack is pretty convenient for both companies. MUST READ: The FBI has laid a clever trap for Apple SolarCity says it believes that its collaboration with Tesla will produce the first utility-scale system in the U.S. to provide dispatchable solar energy, meaning that the utility can count on electricity being available when its needed, even hours after the sun goes down. To be clear, using the Powerpack wont completely eliminate the need for non-solar resources at night since its projected to feed up to 13 megawatts of electricity onto the grid, which will only reduce the amount of power used by non-renewable sources. KIUC will pay SolarCity 14.5 cents per kilowatt hour for power generated by its newest solar array thats capable of delivering power at night. In contrast, KIUC is now paying 12 cents per kilowatt hour for power generated by SolarCitys two existing solar arrays that can only deliver power during the day. The new array and battery storage system projects to be very large and is being built on a 50-acre piece of land on the island of Kauai. Teslas Powerpack batteries, which it first unveiled alongside its Powerwall home batteries last year, are being sold to businesses and utilities for power storage and sell for $250 per kilowatt hour. These energy storage batteries are part of Teslas plan to expand its business into areas besides electric cars, as it has ambitions to change the way energy is stored both by electric utilities and individual homeowners. Story continues Related stories How to preorder the $25,000 Tesla Model 3 This unofficial Tesla commercial is jaw-dropping Porsche is dead serious about taking on Tesla More from BGR: The FBI has laid a clever trap for Apple This article was originally published on BGR.com MONROVIA (Reuters) - Liberia's central bank board has elected the son of Nobel Peace Prize winning President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as its interim executive governor, bank sources said on Wednesday. Charles Sirleaf, formerly a deputy governor who has worked for the bank since 2004, will occupy the post for an undefined interim period. The previous head, Joseph Mills Jones, left to prepare his candidacy for a presidential election in the West African country due to take place in 2017. President Johnson Sirleaf, who has strong ties with Washington and is credited with helping the country recover from a bloody civil war that ended in 2003, must step down next year due to a two-term limit. She is due to decide on a permanent successor to Jones, to steer Liberia's economic recovery after two years in which the country endured an Ebola epidemic and a collapse in the price of iron ore, its major export earner. A source close to the presidency confirmed the temporary appointment, without giving an indication of how long he would remain. Some critics accuse Johnson Sirleaf of appointing family members and other allies to key posts throughout her presidency in order to consolidate her position. Another one of her sons, Robert, was both chairman of the National Oil Company of Liberia and senior adviser to the president until he resigned in 2013. Fumba Sirleaf, her stepson, is the head of the National Security Agency. "This (appointment at the central bank) is unfair. It is not about qualifications, but about expediency," said Emmanuel Gonquoi, former chairman for the coalition of civil society in Liberia and a political commentator. However, central bank officials stressed that Charles Sirleaf was a suitable choice. "Charles is competent and qualified for the position," said one, who asked for anonymity since he is not qualified to speak with the media. (Reporting by Alphonso Toweh; Writing by Emma Farge, editing by Tom Miles) JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's Truworths has pulled out of its Nigerian business due to high rentals and import restrictions, its chief executive said on Thursday. "We were unable to operate the stores properly any longer because we were unable to send merchandise to the stores because there's regulation preventing that," Michael Mark told Reuters in telephone interview. Truworths ran two stores in the oil-producing west African country. (Reporting by Tiisetso Motsoeneng; Editing by Joe Brock) By Jack Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - Seeking to push through a sweeping "anti-terrorism" law that has been blocked by opposition parties, South Korea's government cited on Thursday the heightened risk of North Korea instigating "terror attacks". The call from President Park Geun-hyes office for parliament to pass the new security bill follows a week of tough comments and action by her government in response to North Koreas test launch of a long-range rocket this month and its fourth nuclear test last month. The ongoing tension with the North is looming as an election issue ahead of parliamentary polls in April, when Park's Saenuri Party is expected to retain its majority. The security bill proposes to establish a new anti-espionage unit that would report to the spy agency chief and will coordinate surveillance, analysis and investigation into leads that point to a possible attack. The proposed law would give South Korea's intelligence agency authority to monitor private communications. The bill has met with resistance from the country's liberal opposition parties, which say the spy agency is not politically impartial. Building its case for more oversight, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said earlier on Thursday it believed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had ordered his military to prepare acts against the South, including possibly kidnapping or attacking people or targeting subways or power utilities. "(It) reported that Kim Jong Un ordered stepped up anti-South operations and that the level of threat of terrorism has never been higher," said Kim Jung-hoon, chairman of the ruling party's policy committee, according to a transcript provided by the party. Kim was speaking after a briefing for his committee by top national security officials. South Korean officials have said authorities lacked legal power to monitor and defend against possible attacks from radical groups, and the legislation was not designed specifically to defend against threats from North Korea. South Korea has been on heightened alert for possible actions by the North, including cyberattack. Last week, Seoul suspended operations at the Kaesong industrial complex run jointly with the North as punishment for Pyongyang's recent rocket launch and nuclear test, both of which violated U.N. Security Council resolutions. President Park has pledged further measures against the North, reversing her earlier policy seeking dialogue and confidence-building. "The possibility of North Korea's anti-South terrorism becoming reality is rising to an ever-higher level," Park's public affairs secretary, Kim Sung-woo, said in a statement. "We ask again that parliament swiftly pass the anti-terrorism law so that we have the legal and systematic foundation to protect the lives and property of the people." The spy agency has been involved in a series of political scandals over the years, and has struggled to shed a reputation for being used as a political tool by sitting presidents. Park's father, Park Chung-hee, who ruled the country after taking power in a 1961 coup, was assassinated in 1979 by his disgruntled spy chief. The intelligence service has since then undergone two name changes and numerous organizational reforms. (Editing by Tony Munroe and Simon Cameron-Moore) Madrid (AFP) - Spain's far-left party Podemos said Thursday it had agreed to negotiate with the Socialist party (PSOE) over forming a government, breaking a weeks-long potentially damaging deadlock in talks. Podemos chief Pablo Iglesias had until now refused to sit down with the Socialists if they continued to talk with upstart centrist grouping Ciudadanos -- an ultimatum rejected by PSOE head Pedro Sanchez, who has been nominated by the king as candidate to lead the country. But he said Thursday he had agreed to four-way talks between the negotiating teams of Podemos, the PSOE, smaller far-left party Izquierda Unida and Compromis, a regional grouping from Valencia in eastern Spain. "It's a good idea... We're fully available for our teams to meet and talk," he said. Spain has been mired in political deadlock for close to nine weeks since inconclusive elections in December resulted in a parliament split among four main parties -- none of which have enough seats to govern alone. Since his nomination as prime ministerial candidate, Sanchez has held talks with most parties in parliament to try and get enough support for a crux March vote to see him through as prime minister. He needs a simple majority, but with just 89 seats obtained in the elections out of 350, Sanchez needs the backing of several parties -- a difficult task as all have conflicting agendas. Podemos, which has 65 seats, has said it is willing to enter a left-wing coalition government with the Socialists, with Iglesias as vice-president. But the long-established PSOE is wary of joining together with an upstart party born just two years ago out of anger over austerity, which ultimately seeks to supplant it. The two parties also have a major stumbling block in the form of Catalonia's independence movement. Although it does not want to see Spain split up, Podemos backs organising a Scotland-style referendum in the northeastern region. Sanchez however is resolutely against this. (Reuters) - Title challengers Tottenham Hotspur will not be distracted by the prospect of lifting the Premier League trophy in May and are solely focused on their upcoming fixtures, midfielder Mousa Dembele said. With 12 games left, second-placed Spurs have managed to cut the deficit to leaders Leicester City to just two points with a resounding 2-1 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. "We won't try to dream, we'll just have to stay very concentrated in each game. The next match is always important and we'll see where we end up, but it's looking very positive for us," Dembele told the club's website (www.tottenhamhotspur.com). Tottenham have conceded just 20 goals, the lowest in the league, while notching up 47, only one less than the highest scoring teams, Leicester and Manchester City. On top of their Premier League challenge, Mauricio Pochettino's men still have an interest in other competitions. They travel to face Italian side Fiorentina in the Europa League on Thursday before returning to London to play an FA Cup 5th round tie against Crystal Palace on Sunday. (Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Chopra) By David Beasley ATLANTA (Reuters) - The state of Georgia on Wednesday executed a former sailor convicted of killing a crewmate and dismembering the body and burying it with the help of another sailor. Travis Hittson, 45, was pronounced dead by lethal injection at 8:14 p.m. at a state prison in Jackson, according to the state Attorney General's Office. It was the second execution this week in the United States and the seventh of the year. Hittson received the death penalty for the April 1992 murder of 20-year-old Conway Utterbeck during a weekend leave from the USS Forrestal aircraft carrier. Hittson shot Utterbeck following a night of drinking while on a trip to central Georgia to visit the parents of a third sailor on the ship, Edward Vollmer, according to court records. I had no emotion or nothing on my face, I know I didnt," Hittson later told police in his confession to the killing, court records showed. He shot Utterbeck in the forehead and then went out to eat at a nearby Waffle House. Afterward, Hittson and Vollmer dismembered his body, using a kitchen steak knife and a hacksaw, according to court records. They buried Utterbeck's torso in a shallow grave in the woods. The men put his severed hands, head and feet in the trunk of Vollmers car and returned to the ship based in Pensacola, Florida, on Monday morning, court records showed. After getting off work that day, they discarded his remaining body parts in the Florida Panhandle, records said. The Georgia Department of Corrections said Hittson accepted a final prayer and recorded a final statement, which the agency did not release. The Georgia Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday both denied Hittson's requests to stay the execution. His lawyers also unsuccessfully appealed to the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute his sentence to life without parole, a sentence not available during his 1993 trial. The state board denied his request on Tuesday. Story continues Vollmer told Hittson that Utterbeck was plotting to kill the two of them, according to court records. But there was no evidence that Utterbeck intended to harm them. Hittson later described Vollmer as "very paranoid." Vollmer made a plea deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to life in prison, with eligibility for parole. He was denied parole last year. The state panel on Wednesday pushed his next review to 2024. (Editing by Letitia Stein and Peter Cooney) When Seattle-based startup SwanLuv launched last fall, promising to loan engaged couples $10,000 for their weddings, hundreds of thousands of users signed up on the companys waitlist. The companys business strategy, CEO Scott Avy told news outlets, was simple: any couple could qualify for a $10,000 loan. All they had to do was stay married. Divorce, and they would owe back the $10,000, with interest. If they stay married, the $10,000 is theirs to keep. Given that the average cost of a wedding in the U.S. costs more than $25,000, its not surprising so many young couples would want to jump at the chance of some free money to pay for the venue, catering and flowers at their big day. Avy described SwanLuv as a casino for marriages. Its a fair comparison, except for the fact no one actually won anything. On Valentines Day, the day SwanLuv was scheduled to launch and begin accepting applications, users were greeted by an error page in place of the companys website. Keyanna, a 22-year-old bride-to-be from Shreveport, La., who requested not to use her last name, was among the first to check the website on Feb. 14, eager to apply for a loan. When the site still wasnt functioning after 24 hours, she went to the companys Facebook page, where she found a message to its 20,000-plus followers: They were ditching their initial promise to fund weddings and, instead, SwanLuv would create a crowdfunding platform where couples could ask friends and families to lend them money instead. If they got divorced, couples would have to return any funds donated. I was crushed, Keyanna told Yahoo Finance. She and her fiance had struggled for a year to save up for their big day. We were really looking forward to the chance of having money going toward our wedding. Brandi Kinney was among thousands of brides-to-be who registered for SwanLuv. In Las Cruces, N.M., 24-year-old Brandi Kinney was also feeling the blow of disappointment. She and her fiance, who proposed on Christmas, had planned to get married in October at the request of her fiances mother, who is battling a terminal illness. Story continues A wish of hers was to see us get married, but we don't really have a lot of money, nor do we have people in our lives who can provide us with a lot of money, Kinney said. While her fiance stays home to care for their young son, who has autism, and another child, Kinney is a full-time college student. Their primary income comes from a scholarship Kinney earned that includes a living stipend. The fact that SwanLuv was pivoting toward a crowdfunding model was no comfort to Kinney. When she first got engaged, she and her fiance decided to set up a fundraising website on GoFundMe.com to help with the wedding expenses. Within an hour, negative messages from strangers began flooding their Facebook accounts and Kinney begged her fiance to take it down. We didnt raise a penny and it was a nightmare, she said. They said it was trashy and that my my fiance was less of a man because he couldnt provide a wedding for his future family. Avy has not yet returned a request for comment. As of press time, SwanLuv.com is still down. He released a statement on the companys Facebook page, explaining the reason behind the switch: Crystal Messner was enraged when SwanLuv changed its business plan. Due to overwhelming demand (nearly two billion dollars at $10,000 per couple) and unanticipated legal regulations/restrictions in the lending space, rather than pull out we came up with a tool we believe still helps couples with their wedding financing....We sincerely apologize to anyone we have upset by adjusting our funding platform. Crystal Messner, 29, of St. Albans, Vt., had one way to describe the debacle. I think it's pretty disgusting that they pulled one over on everyone, she said. They knew fully well how many people were interested because they were having everyone sign up with their email to reserve their spot. So they cannot play dumb. Mandi Woodruff is a reporter for Yahoo Finance and host of Brown Ambition, a weekly podcast about life, love and money. Read more: 9 little-known Amazon Prime perks Did US Marshals arrest a man for unpaid student loan debt? The first 3 things you should do after you get engaged By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The current conditions in Syria make it "extremely difficult" to envisage the deployment of United Nations monitors to observe a ceasefire, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned the Security Council in a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday. International powers agreed to try to bring about a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria's five-year civil war this week. Russia said it hopes a ceasefire can be agreed on Friday, when Russian and U.S. military officials are due to meet. "Under the current conditions, it would be extremely difficult to envisage any deployment of United Nations monitors to conduct physical monitoring and observation tasks on the ground," Ban wrote in a letter dated Wednesday to the council. "The operating environment in Syria will likely remain highly fragmented, volatile and militarized for the foreseeable future," he said. "Achieving any form of verification of actions committed by the parties would also be almost impossible in the current context." Diplomatic sources told Reuters in December that the United Nations was mulling "light touch" options for monitoring a possible ceasefire in Syria that would keep its risks to a minimum by relying largely on Syrians already on the ground. Ban wrote that once a ceasefire was in place, at least two levels of ceasefire monitoring and verification would be needed: physical monitoring and verification at a local level and an oversight body covering the entire country. "Given the operating environment on the ground, the Security Council will need to collectively understand and accept the risks involved in mandating any international monitoring to be undertaken at the local level," Ban said. Ban said the current options were: monitoring by local Syrian parties (government, unarmed opposition and civil society); physical monitoring by local parties with indirect or remote international support; direct physical monitoring by international parties; and direct physical U.N. monitoring. "As the ceasefire evolves, here could also be a transition between options," he wrote. Ban's letter was reporting to the Security Council on the implementation of a resolution adopted in December that endorsed an international road map for a Syria peace process. He said brief U.N.-brokered peace talks had to be suspended on Feb. 5 due to the positions of the parties, a lack of progress on humanitarian initiatives and increased air strikes and fighting on the ground. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) AMMAN (Reuters) - The Syrian army backed by heavy Russian aerial bombing said on Thursday it had captured the town of Kansaba in the northern countryside of the coastal province of Latakia. The capture of the town in the northeastern mountainous region allows the army and its Iranian-backed allies to begin wider operations to regain rebel held town of Jisr al Shughour, northeast of Kansaba in Idlib province. The army said the recapture of the Latakia countryside allows it to begin a major operation to regain the northwestern province of Idlib, which is mainly in the hands of hardline Islamist groups. The army has been able to regain large parts of the Latakia countryside in recent weeks, seizing the two main rebel strongholds of Salma and Rabiya in an offensive aided by heavy Russian firepower. (Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Dominic Evans) Beirut (AFP) - The head of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) on Thursday denied Turkish allegations that the group was involved in a bombing in Ankara that killed 28 people. "We deny any involvement in this attack," Saleh Muslim told AFP, after Turkey's prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu accused his party's armed wing of carrying out the attack in coordination with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, an outlawed Kurdish group in Turkey. Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara that the bombing was carried out by a Syrian national named Salih Necar, adding that nine people had been detained in connection with the attack. "We have never heard of this person Salih Necar," said Muslim. "These accusations are clearly related to Turkish attempts to intervene in Syria," he added. The Wednesday night bombing targeted military vehicles in the Turkish capital. It comes as Turkey shells Kurdish militants in Syria who have seized territory in recent days from rebel groups backed by Ankara in Aleppo province. Ankara considers Muslim's PYD party and its armed wing, the People's Protection Units (YPG), to be affiliates of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state. BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, said on Thursday that at least 38 civilians were killed in air strikes carried out by a U.S.-led coalition in Hasaka province in northeast Syria in the past two days. The United States and its allies are carrying out air raids in the area against Islamic State, which controls some parts of Hasaka province but has lost ground in recent months. Hasaka borders mostly Islamic State-held Deir al-Zor province and Raqqa, the group's de facto capital in Syria. The death toll published by the Observatory, which tracks the war using a network of contacts on the ground, included at least 15 people killed when strikes hit a bakery in the city of al-Shadadi near the border with Iraq on Tuesday. Air raids in at least three other villages killed 15 others on Thursday, including three children, while eight more civilians died in air strikes elsewhere, it said. Reuters could not independently confirm the reports. U.S. Lieutenant General Charles Brown, head of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, said he was aware of the report of civilian casualties. The U.S.-led coalition will begin assessing the credibility of those reports and start an investigation if required, he added. "I do know that we've been striking at that area over the past several days," Brown said. Separate raids near the town of al Houl, near the Iraqi border, and farther south killed 35 Islamic State fighters, the Observatory said. The U.S.-led coalition has also been hitting Islamic State areas of control in Iraq. Washington backs the Syria Democratic Forces in Syria, an alliance of Kurdish YPG fighters and other groups fighting the jihadists on the ground and which took al Houl from Islamic State in November. The YPG has been the most effective partner against IS in Syria for the U.S.-led coalition, and took swathes of territory from the group last year. The SDF said on its Facebook page on Thursday that it was launching another offensive, this time to capture al-Shadadi, an IS logistics hub located on a network of highways. Its capture would isolate Raqqa. Russia is carrying out its own air campaign in Syria, hitting some Islamic State targets, but mostly focusing on insurgents fighting Moscow's ally President Bashar al-Assad in the west of the country. (Reporting by John Davison in Beirut; Additional reporting by Yeganeh Torbati in Washington; Editing by Tom Miles and Lisa Von Ahn) India's government on Thursday told top public universities to fly the country's flag on campus to promote national unity, as thousands protested in the capital's streets against the arrest of a student for sedition. The university at the centre of the storm, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), was among those directed to "fly the tricolour on a high mast", said an official at the human resource development ministry, which includes education. "The flag will symbolise the unity of the nation under which our education system can flourish," she told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding that the directive, issued to 20 leading public universities, was not a binding order. It came as an estimated 5,000 people, chanting "release Kanhaiya Kumar" and "down with state terrorism", marched through the centre of New Delhi in one of the biggest student protests India has seen in years. Police arrested the 32-year-old head of the JNU student union last Friday over a rally at which anti-India slogans were chanted. Kumar denies he was among those chanting the slogans and has apparently condemned the incident in a letter released by police. But he had publicly criticised right-wing nationalism, and many of the protesters saw his arrest as an attempt to stifle dissent. "We are today standing for human rights and freedom of speech. The government can't dub people anti-national and dump them in jails," protester Avik Devdas told AFP. Thursday's protest march came a day after Kumar was attacked by right-wing lawyers as he was escorted into a hearing by police, prompting an intervention by the Supreme Court which had ordered police to ensure his safety. Journalists covering his case have been attacked and a panel of Supreme Court lawyers sent to investigate were heckled, with one describing an "atmosphere of terror" in the lower court. Kumar was remanded in custody until March 2, but his lawyers have asked the Supreme Court to intervene and release him on bail. That case will be heard on Friday. Story continues Students in several other cities including Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore also held protests on Thursday in solidarity with Kumar and JNU, which has a long history of left-wing activism. Staff at the university have condemned his arrest. Many went on strike this week in protest at what some said was an attempt to defame JNU. - Counter marches - There were also some counter marches by the student wing of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which the opposition Congress party has accused of orchestrating the violence. And in the southern city of Chennai police arrested Kovan, a folk singer, and 47 members of a left-wing student group for staging a protest in front of a state government building. On Thursday Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi met India's President Pranab Mukherjee to express concern, saying the scenes in court were an "affront to the democratic ideals of this country". Rights group Amnesty International has called for Kumar's immediate release, accusing the government of using the British-era sedition law to "silence and harass those with divergent opinions". Sedition carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment although convictions are rare. But police have defended their actions and say they are still searching for other JNU students who they say chanted anti-India slogans at last week's rally. It was held to mark the 2013 hanging of Kashmiri separatist Mohammed Afzal Guru over a deadly 2001 attack on the Indian parliament. A second scholar, the former Delhi University professor S.A.R. Geelani, was arrested on Tuesday on the same charge in connection with another event marking Guru's death. Protests against Guru's execution have regularly been held in Kashmir, where many believe he was not given a fair trial. Guru always denied plotting the attack, which was carried out by Kashmiri militants. Sedition charges have been used in the past against supporters of independence for the disputed territory of Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed in full by both. Raising signs that read Support Our Schools and Actions Speak Louder Than Words, teachers, students, and community members held walk-ins across the country Wednesday morning to demand increased support for public education. The nationwide rallies were organized by the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, a nonprofit advocacy group comprising teachers unions and other groups, and interrupted classes in more than 900 schools in 30 cities across the U.S. RELATED: Arts Education: The Key To Making Students Better at School and at Life? Demands varied by city and school district, but most shared a common grievance: lack of funding. Students and teachers pleaded for more public libraries, better special education programs, and less standardized testing, among other things. One Chicago school community simply asked for more teachers, while another, in Los Angeles, protested expansion of publicly funded, privately run charter schools. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning nonpartisan research organization, reported last month that most states have failed to restore prerecession funding levels. Even school administrators were calling for higher priority to be placed on creative subjects such as music, dance, theater, and art classes. Its no secret that arts programs in public schools are dwindling, with more budget cuts every year in some states. Last November, the Los Angeles Times used L.A. Unified School District data to rank arts programs in schools. Only 35 out of 700 schools received an A grade for their arts programming. But creativity is a valuable part of the learning process, and many teachers argue that overreliance on high-stakes testing diminishes programming that aids students ability to think critically. RELATED: After Draconian Cuts to Arts Education, Is a Creativity Renaissance Coming to Americas Classrooms? One study shows that this deprioritization of arts programs is a trend that starts as early as kindergarten. Researchers at the University of Virginia compared classrooms and teachers in 1998 and 2010 and found dramatic differences in curriculum, classroom structure, and expectations of students. The number of classrooms that had weekly art instruction decreased by 8 percent, and by 15 percent for dance instruction. Half of kindergarten teachers surveyed reported never doing theater activities with students in 2010, as opposed to 18 percent in 1998. Today, students are expected to know more coming into kindergarten, and teachers place more emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math education and less on creative or nonacademic programming. Many of the teachers and students marching at schools around the country are protesting that very trend. Demonstrators in various cities listed what they thought public school students were entitled to. Art and chorus, wrote one Miami student. Art classes, wrote a young girl in Denver. A teacher in Pittsburgh simply added, The resources we need to be successful. Original article from TakePart London (AFP) - Three people have died while mountaineering in Scotland and two more are missing in three separate incidents caused by a bout of freezing weather and strong winds, police said on Thursday. Police said two hillwalkers in their 70s had died and a third who was also airlifted to hospital was still being treated. A climber who was not named also died in an avalanche on a mountain south of Loch Ness in the Highlands. Rescuers described struggling against "very challenging conditions," with winds blowing up to 140 kilometres (87 miles) an hour, in the search for a couple in their 20s who went missing at the weekend on Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain. "Sadly conditions on Ben Nevis are preventing us from going out to look" for the pair, the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team said in a Facebook message late on Wednesday. total divas eva marie1 Hey guys! Last week almost saw your faithful recapper end up in the hospital, so we lapsed a little. But dont worry, were not gonna leave you high and dry and bereft of Total Divas shenanigans. If you missed what happened in episode 3, you can catch up here. Either that or just pretend the entire existing cast re-enacted that one song from Hairspray and they all secretly wish Mandy would get run over by a moving van. Half of that is probably accurate. Shares, likes, tweets, and the whatnot are always appreciated. Be sure to use one of these handy buttons, because social media isnt anywhere near as dramatic as this show makes it out to be: Share This Facebook Twitter EMAIL This week on Total Divas: Nikkis got a new femmespiration, Foxys got a new boyfriend, and mamas got a brand-new bottle of DayQuil. Lets Total some Divas yall. Nikki and Brie are in Monterey for a Best Buddies Challenge charity event. Best Buddies is an organization that helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities integrate into the workforce as well as other leadership opportunities. Nikki is excited because theyre participating in a 15k bike ride on Team Maria. The Maria in question is Maria Shriver, and Nikki excitedly points out that shes a Kennedy. Nikki will later in the episode describe her personal style as Marilyn Monroe meets Jackie Kennedy, which probably isnt awkward to bring up around a member of the Kennedy family at all, right? Marias also the ex-wife of WWE BFF Arnold Schwarzenegger, so I guess awkward is just the theme of the night. Divorce or none, at least Maria got to use Arnolds connections to land that sweet gig in Alien vs. Predator: VIA E! It turns out Marias actually an accomplished public speaker. Nikki is all about being empowered and fearless (or at least thats what her boob slogan leads us to believe), and wants to channel the inspiration she felt seeing Maria address a crowd into a speaking engagement of her own. As a reminder, here are the Bellas delivering a promo: Story continues While Nattie doesnt do much this episode, what she does do is kinda great. Heres her proudly showing off her Tyson Kidd action figure that she pre-ordered to Cesaro: VIA E! He tells her hes already had his for like, ever, yknow, because theyre BFF and TJ might love Cesaro more than he loves his own wife. Its okay, Nattie. We all love Cesaro best. Despite your best efforts, its really nothing personal. I know Nikki Bella is the star of the show, and I am personally weirdly fascinated by Eva Maries husband, but the only part of Total Divas that actually matters is Cesaro showing up to ether Natties marriage whenever he can. Meanwhile, over at Team Red & Golds apartment, new girl Mandy and slightly older girl Eva Marie decide that making some eggs would be bomb. They cant figure out whether or not their stove is electric or gas: VIA E! Okay, I know there are a lot of carefully constructed situations on this show, but I think this is the first time Ive ever wondered if theyre on the show just so that production can keep an eye on them without full-on telling them they require adult supervision at all times. VIA E! Its the day of the 15K bike ride, and Nikki already has an opportunity to do some public speaking and fire up the crowd before they murder their legs in the name of charity. Nikki admits that shes actually afraid to speak in public because shes worried people will make fun of her. Iguess thats fair, Ive already made fun of her once and she hasnt even stepped up to the mic. She predictably freezes up in front of the crowd, leaving Brie to take the reigns. Oh, Nikki, no. Nobody wants that. Foxys got a new man in her life, and Paige and Rosa are worried that he might be sort of a sketchbag. Alarmed at the fact that hes letting his ex and her children stay in his house while they get back on their feet, they convince her to do a background check on him. I mean, thats totally a normal thing to do, right? Rosa did it once and it turned out that her beau was already married. Rosas life is nuts. Foxy shells out a few bucks, forces Paige to do math in her head (yo I thought you guys were friends, ew), and discovers DUM DUM DUM hes been lying about his age. This may surprise you, but this man is 50 years old: VIA E! Holy shit, Im as shocked as you are. Nikki decides to face her fear and takes on a public speaking engagement. Instead of encouraging her sister, and being proud that shes willing to set challenging goals for herself on the way to becoming the person she wants to be, Brietells her to put her tits away so people will take her seriously. Oh. Oh boy. Oh thats a thing they thought was a good idea. Wait, lets take a peek at the production credits on this series: VIA SLAWOMIR RODAK Mmm, that makes much more sense now. Foxy has decided to confront her 50-year-old still-bow-hunts-in-the-year-of-Sasha-Banks-2016 boyfriend dressed in pants stolen from the set of A Very Brady Sequel. It goes about as well as you think a lady confronting her lying-ass boyfriend on a reality show would go. You know its serious because we get to see the lower half of a production dudes body. When you see the relaxed-fit jeans of someone who clearly didnt mean to ever appear on TV, you know shits going down. Foxy continues her streak of amazing choices in lower body apparel by wearing babydoll shorts to hunt an armadillo in her backyard. I have to admit, I much prefer crazy Alicia Fox stalking wild armadillos in her backyard and getting terrified by snakes than crazy psycho hosebeast Alicia Fox is weird and selfish and takes it out on everyone in her life, but that doesnt seem to be the story arc shes getting this season. Sadly, more on that later. The girls get a delivery and excitedly think its food, but are disappointed to find that half-century Darryl has sent Foxy flowers to apologize. Shoulda sent food, bro. Ive never had a boy send me flowers, but I HAVE had one send me food, and listen: that guy got so laid. And I definitely didnt threaten to kill him via voicemail. You never leave an evidence trail like Rosa, jeez. brb setting WHOA ELIZABETH TAYLOR WATCH OUT as my new text tone. I think we can all agree that Brie is being pretty sh*tty to Nicole here, but I think we can ALSO agree that this show desperately needed a dramatic cape-shopping flashback scene. Just when I feel like youre losing me, Total Divas, an empowering statement piece cape just pulls me right back in. Mandy and Eva Marie managed to make their eggs without burning down the entire state, which means we get to soldier on with their story. If youve felt that Mandy was kind of the low-rent Eva, discovering that she has her own low-rent Jonathan probably wont help change your mind: E! Out at dinner, Mandy reveals that shes gone behind Evas back to find out what all of the drama was between her and the other girls. Oh Mandy, if only there was some kind of documented record of the Divas past issues with Eva Marie you could handily consult instead of making her feel like you didnt trust her enough to be upfront with her. Eva Maries pissed, and she immediately goes into low-power mode and cold-shoulders Mandy for the rest of the night. Fake Jonathan, like the real Jonathan, ends up being the voice of reason for his Pro Wrestling Real Doll: Why not go right to her? Thats judging someone. Thats doubting somebody. You could have just simply pulled her aside and said Hey, whats that all about? You know, youre coming off of Tough Enough. You didnt win, right? For all she knows youre terrible. You may have just skated by because of your good looks, maybe you dont know how to wrestle. This girl knows nothing about you, and now shes talking about maybe partnering up with you? Obviously the girls been betrayed in the past amongst everyone. She gave you the benefit of the doubt. Whoa, that makes way too much sense. Keep talking like that and I might actually retain your real first name, dude. Mandy apologizes, Eva Marie accepts because theyre out of time for this episode, and they both initiate PROTOCOL HUG: VIA E! Nikkis about to give her first talk as an empowered female speaker, but she doesnt bring a cape. This is some straight up bullsh*t, but whatever, were going with it. Shes understandably nervous, a situation not helped by the appearance of Ted Cruz cosplaying as Mrs. Doubtfire: VIA E! Unbeknownst to her, Brie is in the middle of getting the verbal (WWE) SmackDown (every Thursday night on USA!) from her mother over slutshaming Nikki. Brie realizes that female empowerment doesnt mean moderating other womens bodies, and calls her sister to wish her luck before her speaking engagement. With the power of Twin Magic and John Cenas gigantic, comforting hands, Nikki goes on to deliver at the very least 30 seconds of a recorded speech. The day is saved! But seriously, John Cenas hands are f*cking huge in a way that makes me slightly uncomfortable: VIA E! Grab a glass of water, stretch your legs, and call your loved ones to tell them you miss them and will be home soon, because next week on Total Divas iscoming up later today! Share This Facebook Twitter EMAIL TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> said on Thursday it is conducting a global recall of 2.87 million vehicles due to the possibility that their seatbelts could be damaged by a metal seat frame part in the event of a crash. In an email, the world's biggest-selling automaker said that the global recall involved its RAV4 SUV model produced between July 2005 and August 2014 and sold worldwide, and its Vanguard SUV model produced between October 2005 and January 2016 and sold in Japan. The recall includes 1.3 million vehicles in North America announced earlier in the day by Toyota's U.S. unit, along with around 625,000 vehicles in Europe, 434,000 vehicles in China, 177,000 in Japan and 307,000 in other regions. The automaker said it would add resin covers to the metal seat cushion frames on all affected vehicles to prevent any metal pieces from cutting the seatbelt in the event of a crash, after it had received two reports in which rear seatbelts separated following crashes. Toyota said it could not determine whether these incidents were linked to any injuries or fatalities. (Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu; Editing by Kim Coghill) Three things tell you all you need to know about the town hall event that cable network MSNBC hosted for Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump Wednesday night. First, MSNBC decided to counter program against CNNs Town Hall, which featured Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio and neurosurgeon Ben Carson. Second, the Trump town hall was moderated by Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, the hosts of MSNBCs Morning Joe, which has become Trumps platform of choice among morning news shows. Related: Nikki Haley Dumps Trump in Favor of Rubio in South Carolina Primary Third, it took nearly 25 minutes into the hour-long event for a member of the audience to ask the candidate a question that could have been written by the candidates campaign manager. In the course of teeing up a softball for Trump about race relations and small businesses, the questioner told Trump that she and her husband had established their food entrepreneur business based on principles they had learned from Trumps teachings. Its not the first time that Trump has counter-programmed events featuring his rivals. Most notably, he skipped a debate hosted by Fox News in Iowa last month, and held a rally, ostensibly to benefits wounded veterans, at the same time. But its the first time that a supposedly neutral news organization has actively participated in providing what amounts to free advertising for the Trump campaign at the same time that his rivals are appearing elsewhere. Related: Heres Why the SCOTUS Battle Could Get So Much Worse In the end, Trump was asked a grand total of eight questions from the audience, three of which were crammed into the final four minutes of the event. And his interrogators werent exactly budding Torquemadas. One, identifying herself as a college student concerned about tuition costs, said, I was just wondering, since theres so much going on in the rest of the campaign, umm, I was just wondering how you are going tolikewhat are your thoughts on Bernies higher education plan and how hes going to reduce the cost? Story continues Thank you, its a very good question, Trump said, before saying that the problem with the plan put forward by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the second-place candidate in the race for the Democratic nomination, is that everyone is going to pay 95 percent taxes. Of course, nobody in US history has paid an effective tax rate of 95 percent, and Sanders though his proposal are, arguably, ruinously expensive has proposed no such thing. Yet there wasnt the slightest pushback, and Scarborough guided Trump onto the much safer ground of college tuition costs which (shocker!) Trump said he would reduce. There are many unique things about Trumps presidential campaign, but the complete co-optation of a television program on a network that is in general, strongly opposed to your candidacy is, if nothing else, a triumph. TUNIS (Reuters) - The IMF began talks with Tunisia on Thursday over a new credit programme, tied to measures to strengthen its economy and finances and likely to be worth at least $1.7 billion over four years, a central bank official told Reuters. Tunisia's economy has struggled since the 2011 uprising against autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali that sparked the Arab Spring revolutions across North Africa. Two attacks last year by Islamist militants hurt its tourism industry. Protests to demand work last month turned violent, underscoring the fragility of the economic growth that Tunisia needs to underpin its democratic transition. Amine Mati, the head of the IMF delegation in Tunisia, met the Central Bank Governor Chedli Ayari to discuss the details of the credit programme on Thursday. "The programme will be in accordance with new economic reforms in Tunisia this year and during the three next years," an central bank official told Reuters after the meeting. Mati will also meet the prime minister's adviser in charge of economic reforms. Tunisia is about to get a loan of 500 million euros ($550 million) from the European Union to support the economy, and former colonial ruler France last month pledged 1 billion euros in aid over five years. The new IMF programme will follow on from a two-year deal totalling about $1.74 billion that was agreed in 2013 and extended last year by seven months to buy time for Tunisia to put banking and fiscal reforms in place. Under the programme, Tunisia also agreed to keep its budget deficit under control and make the foreign exchange market more flexible. ($1 = 0.9023 euros) (Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by Ruth Pitchford) Ankara (AFP) - Turkey blamed Kurdish militants based inside the country and in Syria for a car bombing targeting a military convoy in Ankara that killed 28 people and risked a new escalation of the Syrian conflict. The massive blast struck five buses carrying military service personnel when they stopped at a traffic light in the centre of the capital on Wednesday evening. It was the latest in a string of deadly strikes that have rocked Turkey since last summer and one of the deadliest assaults targeting the military in the NATO member state in recent years. Also Thursday, at least six soldiers were killed in an attack on their convoy in the Diyarbakir region of southeastern Turkey blamed on Kurdish militants, security sources said. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan both said the Ankara attack was a joint operation of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in cooperation with the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). "It has with certainty been revealed that this attack was carried out by members of the terrorist organisation in Turkey in cooperation with a YPG member who infiltrated from Syria," Davutoglu told reporters. He said the bomber was a Syrian national named Salih Necar. Davutoglu warned Russia -- whom Turkey accuses of actively backing the YPG in Syria's civil war -- that Moscow would be "held responsible" if such attacks continued. Erdogan said 14 people had been detained in nationwide raids over the Ankara bombing. - 'Convince our allies' - The attack struck the heart of power in the Turkish capital in an area where the headquarters of the army, the parliament and prime minister's offices are in close proximity. Pictures showed at least two of the vehicles reduced to burnt-out wrecks, and the massive blast was heard from all over the city, causing panic among locals. Ankara was already on alert after 103 people were killed on October 10 in a double suicide bombing blamed on Islamic State (IS) jihadists. Story continues Davutoglu said 27 of the dead were military staff and one was a civilian. Reports said she was a journalist. Eighty-one people were wounded, seven of whom are still in intensive care, the health ministry said. Hours after the attack, Turkey's air force launched new strikes on PKK targets in northern Iraq, acting on intelligence that there were dozens of fighters including top rebel leaders in the area, the army said. The YPG and its political wing the Democratic Union Party (PYD) deny being PKK branches and argue they have no interest in attacking Turkey. PYD head Saleh Muslim rejected any responsibility for the Ankara blast, telling AFP the group had "never heard of this person Salih Necar". Turkey considers both the PKK and YPG to be terror groups, in a rare rift with the United States, which only classifies the PKK as a terrorist outfit and works closely with the YPG as an effective force fighting IS jihadists in Syria. "This process will help our friends -- who we could not convince so far -- better understand how strong the links are between the PYD and YPG in northern Syria with the PKK in Turkey," said Erdogan. Turkey has in the last months waged an all-out assault on the PKK, which launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984, fighting for greater autonomy and rights for the country's largest ethnic minority. In a bid to up the diplomatic pressure on world powers to condemn the YPG, ambassadors from the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany were invited to the foreign ministry for a briefing on the bombing, an official told AFP. - 'Fighters cross to Syria' - Turkey fears the Syrian Kurds want to carve out an autonomous region across the border in northern Syria stretching from the Iraqi border almost to the Mediterranean. Ankara is concerned the Kurds will now take a "corridor" east of the flashpoint Syrian border town of Azaz -- currently still in rebel control -- to link up two Kurdish-held areas. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 500 rebels on Wednesday crossed the Turkish border heading for Azaz. Turkish artillery late Thursday struck YPG positions in northern Syria, an AFP photographer at the Turkish-Syrian border reported. The Observatory told AFP the shelling was the heaviest in recent days and had killed two civilians and wounded 28 others. Turkey has for six consecutive days shelled Syrian Kurdish targets inside Syria, saying the military was responding to incoming fire. ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's military shelled positions of the Kurdish YPG militia in northern Syria on Thursday in response to cross-border fire, a Turkish security source said. Turkey has repeatedly shelled YPG positions in recent days, in response to the insurgents' advance in northern Syria near its borders. Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist organization, causing friction with NATO ally Washington, which backs the group in the fight against Islamic State in Syria. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said earlier the YPG's political wing was behind the deadly bombing in Ankara on Wednesday that killed 28 people. The head of the YPG's political arm has denied his organization's involvement in the attack. (Reporting by Orhan Coskun; Writing by David Dolan, Editing by Nick Tattersall) No matter how many upgraded components and additional features you get on a new laptop, its only a matter of time before it begins to slow down. Its an unfortunate fact of life, but just because your computer isnt as speedy as it used to be doesnt mean you have to throw it away or sell it for parts. Turn it into a Chromebook instead. DONT MISS: Woman loses her mind after winning a $120,000 Aston Martin on The Price Is Right On Wednesday, The Verge published a piece about Neverware a New York City startup that helps schools convert out-of-date PC and Mac desktops and laptops into high-performing Chromebooks with its CloudReady software. Although Neverware charges schools to license the software, individual users can download CloudReady for free from the companys website. In order to get Chrome running on your old computer, all you need to do is create a CloudReady USB installer with the .zip file from Neverwares website and the Chromebook Recovery Utility, insert the USB drive into the computer you want to convert, boot from USB and follow the instructions. Its worth noting that the name Chromebook is trademarked by Google, so thats not technically what youre getting when you install CloudReady on your computer. But Neverware uses Chromium, the open source version of the Chrome operating system, which makes for a nearly identical experience, complete with all the apps and services youd find on an actual Chromebook. If youre looking to bring an old laptop back from the dead, this might be the easiest (and cheapest) way to do so. Related stories Spotify is giving away free Chromecasts to new Premium subscribers Google CEO backs Apple in its battle with the FBI Why Netflix will never be offline again More from BGR: Legendary iPhone hacker weighs in on Apples war with the FBI This article was originally published on BGR.com By Gina Cherelus (Reuters) - Edward Snowden and others on Twitter rallied on Wednesday in support of Apple Inc's opposition to a U.S. court order to help federal investigators by unlocking an iPhone used by one of the shooters in December's deadly attack in San Bernardino, California. "Apple" and "San Bernardino" were trending heavily as topics on Twitter following Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook's decision to fight the order by a federal judge in Los Angeles that Apple provide "reasonable technical assistance" to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the case. Cook on Tuesday called the order, issued that day, "a dangerous precedent," adding in a statement on Apple's website that "The implications of the governments demands are chilling." Cook's and Apple's response to the demand was viewed positively overall on Twitter, according to social media analytics firm Zoomph. Snowden was among several high-profile digital privacy advocates who weighed in. "The @FBI is creating a world where citizens rely on #Apple to defend their rights, rather than the other way around," said a tweet from the former National Security Agency contractor(@Snowden). Snowden, who is accused of violating U.S. espionage laws by leaking details of government surveillance programs, now lives in Russia. Prominent technology writer and entrepreneur Anil Dash (@anildash) tweeted, "Apple showing exceptional leadership resisting demands to weaken its encryption." Several Twitter and Facebook users applauded Apple's statement by using the hashtag #standwithapple. Peter M (@monkieboy99) said: "Thank you @tim_cook for continuing to put the security of Apple customers first. #Apple #iPhone #standwithapple" But the support on Twitter for Apple's stance was not unanimous. Ian Bremmer (@ianbremmer), the president of Eurasia Group, a political risk research and consulting firm, tweeted, Didnt realize you can just oppose a judges order as if it was a request. #Apple #ThinkDifferent. Current and former Apple employees also weighed in, wishing Cook the best in his opposition to the order. "Ive said it before, and I say it again: @tim_cook is amazing and I stand behind every bit of this. Thank you, Tim," wrote Jade Pennig (@zahnster), a user interface engineer at Apple, according to her LinkedIn page. Jan-Michael Cart (@jammiesblvd), who lists Apple as a former employer in his Twitter bio, tweeted on Wednesday, "Give 'em hell, @tim_cook." (Additional reporting by Melissa Fares and Anjali Athavaley; Editing by Dan Burns, Amy Tennery and Jonathan Oatis) La Paz (AFP) - Bolivian police arrested two people suspected of torching an opposition-run city hall in a raid that killed six people ahead of a sensitive political referendum, prosecutors said Thursday. The two face charges including homicide and stealing state property in the raid on Wednesday in the city of El Alto, said Attorney General Ramiro Guerrero. Two other suspects were released and a fifth, a minor, was referred to a juvenile court. Six people died from smoke inhalation when a crowd set fire to the mayor's offices in the city, near the capital La Paz, officials said. The mayor Soledad Chapeton said demonstrators burst in to destroy evidence linked to corruption lawsuits against her predecessors, allies of President Evo Morales. Opponents and allies of Morales blamed each other for the attack. Bolivian media said it could harm his image in Sunday's vote. On Sunday, Bolivians will vote in a referendum on a divisive constitutional reform that could allow Morales to be re-elected until 2025. He has won the past three presidential elections and has overseen robust economic growth, but opponents accuse him of presiding over corruption. By Yeganeh Torbati WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has told Russia broad areas in which U.S. special forces are operating in Syria and asked them not to strike there, U.S. military officials said on Thursday. The move marks a step up in U.S.-Russian military coordination in Syria, which the United States had previously said was limited to a mechanism to avoid accidents in the air as both countries undertake bombing campaigns there. Lieutenant General Charles Brown, the head of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, disclosed the request at a Thursday news briefing at the Pentagon. "We told them (the Russians) these are ... general areas where we have coalition forces that we don't want them to strike there, because all it's going to do is escalate things," Brown said. "It's really just to maintain the safety for our forces that are both in the air and in this case on the ground." The United States announced in October it would deploy dozens of special operators in northern Syria to advise opposition forces in their fight against the militant group Islamic State. A senior U.S. defence official said at the time that the United States had not notified Russia of the special forces' location in Syria, but was open to doing so in order to keep the troops safe. Russia launched air strikes in Syria last year saying it was targeting Islamic State militants. But rebels on the ground and Western officials say the strikes have mainly targeted moderate rebel groups not associated with Islamic State, including U.S.-trained fighters. Major powers agreed last week to a limited cessation of hostilities in Syria in a deal that takes effect at the end of this week. Russia says the "cessation" does not apply to its air strikes, which have shifted the balance of power toward Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The United States has not shared with the Russians specific locations or times of the U.S. special operators' movements, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said on Thursday. The request was made via the two countries' defence ministries, and U.S. Secretary Ash Carter was aware of the request, Cook said. "We provided (the Russians) a geographical area that we asked them to stay out of because of the risk to U.S. forces," Cook said. "Up to this point they have honoured this request." He declined to comment specifically on the timing of the request. (Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati; Editing by Alan Crosby) By Yeganeh Torbati WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has told Russia broad areas in which U.S. special forces are operating in Syria and asked them not to strike there, U.S. military officials said on Thursday. The move marks a step up in U.S.-Russian military coordination in Syria, which the United States had previously said was limited to a mechanism to avoid accidents in the air as both countries undertake bombing campaigns there. Lieutenant General Charles Brown, the head of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, disclosed the request at a Thursday news briefing at the Pentagon. "We told them (the Russians) these are ... general areas where we have coalition forces that we don't want them to strike there, because all it's going to do is escalate things," Brown said. "It's really just to maintain the safety for our forces that are both in the air and in this case on the ground." The United States announced in October it would deploy dozens of special operators in northern Syria to advise opposition forces in their fight against the militant group Islamic State. A senior U.S. defense official said at the time that the United States had not notified Russia of the special forces' location in Syria, but was open to doing so in order to keep the troops safe. Russia launched air strikes in Syria last year saying it was targeting Islamic State militants. But rebels on the ground and Western officials say the strikes have mainly targeted moderate rebel groups not associated with Islamic State, including U.S.-trained fighters. Major powers agreed last week to a limited cessation of hostilities in Syria in a deal that takes effect at the end of this week. Russia says the "cessation" does not apply to its air strikes, which have shifted the balance of power toward Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The United States has not shared with the Russians specific locations or times of the U.S. special operators' movements, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said on Thursday. The request was made via the two countries' defense ministries, and U.S. Secretary Ash Carter was aware of the request, Cook said. "We provided (the Russians) a geographical area that we asked them to stay out of because of the risk to U.S. forces," Cook said. "Up to this point they have honored this request." He declined to comment specifically on the timing of the request. (Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati; Editing by Alan Crosby) BEIRUT (Reuters) - A U.S.-backed alliance of Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighters advanced against Islamic State fighters in the northeast on Thursday as part of a push toward a strategic town held by the jihadists, the alliance and a monitoring group said. The Syria Democratic Forces, which includes the powerful Kurdish YPG militia, said they had captured several villages and farms from Islamic State, backed by U.S.-led air strikes. The alliance earlier on Thursday said it launched a new offensive against Islamic State this week to capture al-Shadadi, a major logistics hub for the group located on a network of highways in Hasaka province. Its capture would isolate Raqqa, Islamic State's de-facto capital in Syria. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the SDF had taken over nearly two dozen villages and farms, and cut off IS road links from al-Shadadi to neighboring Iraq and to Raqqa. Some IS fighters retreated to Deir al-Zor province, most of which the jihadists control, it said. Washington backs the Syria Democratic Forces, which joins the YPG with various Arab groups including Jaysh al-Thuwwar (Army of Rebels). Since it was formed last October, the SDF has taken areas of Hasaka province from IS. The YPG has been the most effective partner against IS in Syria for the U.S.-led coalition, and took swathes of territory from the group last year. Most of Hasaka province is under Kurdish control. (Reporting by John Davison; editing by John Stonestreet) BRASILIA, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Top U.S. and Brazilian medical experts met on Thursday to launch a research partnership to find a vaccine against the Zika virus that has spread rapidly through the Americas since it first appeared in the hemisphere last year. Brazilian Health Minister Marcelo Castro said the experts would also pool resources and knowledge to develop better methods to test people for Zika and ways to eradicate the mosquito that spreads the virus linked to severe birth defects. Brazil is scrambling to contain the Zika outbreak that threatens attendance at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August. It has advised pregnant women to stay at home. Researchers from the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with experts from the Food and Drug Administration and the Health and Human Services department met with counterparts from Brazil's leading biomedical research centers. Among the issues they face is the need to agree on the evidence that Zika is causing the hundreds of confirmed cases in Brazil of babies born with abnormally small heads, a condition called microcephaly, and with other neurological diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO), which declared the Zika outbreak a global public health emergency on Feb. 1, said last week that a stronger view of Zika's link to microcephaly could become clearer within weeks. While that relation has not been proven scientifically Brazilian authorities coping with an unprecedented number of babies with microcephaly say they are sure Zika is the cause, because most cases of microcephaly have occurred in the poorer northeast of Brazil where the Zika outbreak has hit hardest. "We have no doubt that the epidemic of microcephaly that we are seeing in Brazil is caused by the Zika virus outbreak," Castro told reporters on the sidelines of Thursday's meeting. Brazil's Health Ministry announced on Wednesday that it was considering most of the 508 confirmed cases of microcephaly in the country to be linked to the Zika outbreak. Castro said Brazil was making the reporting of all Zika cases mandatory, a step that had not been taken before due to the lack of kits to test for Zika. WHO Director General Margaret Chan will visit Brazil next week to meet health officials in Brasilia and visit mothers with babies suffering from microcephaly in the northeastern city of Recife, at the epicenter of the epidemic in Brazil, Castro said. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Tom Brown) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department condemned the detention of a Ugandan opposition presidential candidate on election day on Thursday, saying it called into question the government's commitment to holding a free poll. "The United States condemns the detention of opposition presidential candidate Kizza Besigye while voting and tallying is going on. Such an action calls into question Ugandas commitment to a transparent and free election process, free from intimidation," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters. Opposition officials said Besigye was arrested at dusk and held for about 30 minutes in the capital Kampala. (Reporting By Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Toni Reinhold) By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and the European Union warned China on Wednesday that it should respect an international court ruling expected later this year on its dispute with the Philippines over territory in the South China Sea. China claims virtually all the South China Sea and rejects the authority of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague hearing the dispute, even though Beijing has ratified the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea on which the case is based. Amy Searight, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for South and Southeast Asia, said the United States, the European Union, and allies like Australia, Japan and South Korea must be ready to make clear that the court's ruling must be binding and that there would be costs to China for not respecting it if it lost the case. "We need to be ready to be very loud and vocal, in harmony together, standing behind the Philippines and the rest of the ASEAN claimants to say that this is international law, this is incredibly important, it is binding on all parties," she told a seminar at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies. Searight said the message to China, if it did not respect a negative ruling, should be, "we will hold you accountable." "Certainly, reputational cost is at stake, but we can think of other creative ways to perhaps impose costs as well," she said without elaborating. The Hague tribunal has no powers of enforcement and its rulings have been ignored before. Manila has said the court may hand down a ruling before May. China disputes South China Sea territory with several other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as the Philippines. Klaus Botzet, head of the political section of the EU Delegation in Washington, said it was difficult to oppose world opinion. "A joint Western, a joint world opinion, matters also for Beijing," he said. "If we unanimously support that international law as formulated by the international tribunal in the Hague ... needs to be upheld, that's a very strong message and will be very difficult to ignore," he said. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said he had "noted" the comments, and repeated China's opposition to the arbitration case and refusal to participate. The Philippines' "scheme would never succeed", he told a daily news briefing in Beijing. In unusually forthright language, Botzet said China's policy of military buildup was not in its interest. "It's investing much more in its military relative to its economic growth; it's forcing its neighbors into alliances against itself; positions its neighbors otherwise wouldn't take and the return on investment on this policy is negative," he said. The United States had exceptional military capabilities in the Asia-Pacific, Botzet said, adding that the European Union "strongly supports the American guarantee of international law in Asia." (Additional reporting by Michael Martina in BEIJING; Editing by Bernard Orr and Clarence Fernandez) STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Resuming Syrian peace talks on the scheduled date of Feb. 25 is not a realistic option, United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura was quoted as telling a Swedish newspaper on Thursday. "I cannot realistically send out invitiations to new talks in Geneva on Feb 25, but we intend to do so soon," daily Svenska Dagbladet quoted him as saying. "We need 10 days' preparation. But the talks ... can be successful if emergency aid continues and we get a ceasefire." De Mistura suspended a first round of talks on Feb. 3, saying there was more work to be done by the big powers sponsoring the talks. International powers agreed to try to bring about a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria's five-year civil war this week. Russia said it hopes a ceasefire can be agreed on Friday, when Russian and U.S. military officials are due to meet. (Reporting by Simon Johnson; editing by John Stonestreet) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has not yet identified who was behind a car bomb attack in Turkey that killed 28 people, but it has been careful to press Syrian Kurds fighting against Islamic State militants not to target Turkey, the White House said on Thursday. Deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told a news briefing the United States would be talking directly to Ankara about the Wednesday attack, which Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu blamed on a Syrian Kurdish militia fighter. "We as a government have not settled upon assignment of responsibility," said Rhodes, who strongly condemned the incident. "We've made clear to the Turks that in all of our engagements with the YPG and other Kurdish elements that we make very clear to them the importance of our alliance with Turkey and the importance of them not engaging in efforts that would undermine what should be our focus, which is the shared threat of ISIL," said Rhodes, using an acronym for Islamic State. (Reporting by David Alexander; Editing by Mohammad Zargham) Kampala (AFP) - Ugandan police arrested top presidential challenger Kizza Besigye on Thursday as polls closed, his Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party said. "He was in his home district where he voted when he got information that there was an illegal tally centre manned by the NRM and police," said Shawn Mubiru, senior FDC official. "He walked in and saw them pre-ticking ballot papers. They arrested him and took him to an unknown place." There was no immediate police confirmation, but Besigye has been repeatedly detained by police in the past, and is commonly released without charge hours later. Television station NTV Uganda showed images of Besigye being arrested by police in the Kampala suburb of Naguru. Besigye is the strongest among President Yoweri Museveni's seven challengers. "Our focus is not on him, since we know who has him. We will tell them to bring him back," Mubiru added. "Our focus is on Uganda. Ugandans have voted in Dr. Besigye, not Museveni." Besigye, 59, Museveni's former personal doctor, is making his fourth run at the presidency and ended his campaign by claiming the election would be neither free nor fair. Kampala (AFP) - Ugandan police briefly detained top presidential challenger Kizza Besigye after a day of polling Thursday marred by long delays and police firing tear gas to disperse furious voters in the capital Kampala. Besigye's Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party said he was held after checking on reports of an illegal tally centre in his home district manned by the ruling National Resistance Movement party. "He walked in and saw them pre-ticking ballot papers. They arrested him and took him to an unknown place," said senior FDC official Shawn Mubiru. Besigye's lawyer, Ladislaus Rwakafuzi, later said he had been "released without charge and taken home," in line with a past pattern of detention and release. Kampala police spokesman Patrick Onyango told AFP Besigye "has not been arrested. He is a free man". "What happened is that Besigye stormed a police facility where we operate and receive emergency calls... Besigye wanted to force his way inside the facility with media and ended up assaulting a police officer," Onyango said. "The officer has opened up a case of assault against Besigye and we shall open a case of criminal trespass against Besigye because he wanted to enter without permission". The voting, for the presidency and parliament, sees incumbent head of state Yoweri Museveni facing a challenge from seven candidates. His biggest rival is Besigye, 59, who is making his fourth run at the presidency. - Voting delay - But electors in parts of the capital -- where support for the opposition is traditionally strong -- were unable to cast their ballot for several hours as ballot boxes and papers did not arrive on time. The delay sparked concern from an independent watchdog and anger among voters. "A delay of an hour or two is excusable. Delays of three, four, five and even six hours, especially in Kampala, are absolutely inexcusable and will not inspire trust and confidence in the system and the process," Olusegun Obasanjo, the head of the Commonwealth Observer Group in Uganda, told AFP. Story continues Ballot counting began even while others still queued to vote in the capital, with polls closing around nightfall. "People are quite angry and everybody is believing that there is something wrong behind this because of the way they are delaying things," said Moses Omony, a motorbike taxi driver. "We know this has been done intentionally," said Marius Nkata, a builder. The election commission earlier said it "regrets" delays in some areas and appealed for calm, but opposition leader Amama Mbabazi, a former prime minister and ruling party stalwart, condemned the body. "We fear that developments are intentional and deliberate, as there are no justifiable reasons to explain delays," read a statement released by Mbabazi's chief of staff, Solome Nakaweesi. "The fact that voting began so late and some voters may be disenfranchised, questions whether this will be a credible and meaningful election." It added the party was "disturbed by the failure of the Electoral Commission to act timely and decisively in the face of these irregularities", including the delays in the wider Kampala district, as well as of reports of "pre-ticked ballots" in favour of Museveni and candidates from his NRM party. In turn, the NRM said claims of pre-ticked ballots were "unsubstantiated and without foundation", while calling the number of stations registering delays "isolated." Museveni is widely predicted to win a fifth term, with the ex-rebel fighter who seized power in 1986 entering his fourth decade in power. After casting his vote in the west of the country the 71-year old incumbent said he was going to have a rest. "I have not been sleeping," he said. "Tomorrow I will go for my cross-country walk to exercise and then go to my cows." He added that anyone threatening election violence would be "put in the freezer" to cool down. - Results expected Saturday - Social media, including Facebook and Twitter, were largely inaccessible on voting day although Internet-savvy Ugandans dodged the apparent shutdown using virtual private networks. Government regulator, the Uganda Communications Commission, said the attempted shutdown was for "security reasons" without giving details. Over 15 million Ugandans were registered to vote, casting ballots in more than 28,000 polling stations for both a president and members of parliament, with 290 seats being contested by candidates from 29 political parties. More than 150,000 police, soldiers and other security forces have been deployed to ensure tight security, according to election officials. Initial results are expected as early as Saturday afternoon with the leading candidate requiring more than 50 percent of votes cast to avoid a second round run-off. Kiev (AFP) - Kiev vowed on Thursday to fight Russia's demand for the full repayment of a $3-billion (2.7-billion-euro) loan it issued to Ukraine in 2013 under ousted Moscow-backed president Viktor Yanukovych. Russia on Wednesday filed a lawsuit with the High Court in London after the two sides failed to reach a private settlement over the debt. The eurobond was issued on the Irish Stock Exchange and is governed by English law. "Ukraine intends and is fully ready to decisively defend its interests concerning these eurobonds in the English court," the finance ministry said in a statement. Kiev had been due to repay the eurobond purchased by Moscow from Kiev on December 21. But it viewed Russia's loan as private debt that fell under the restructuring terms it agreed with other commercial lenders last year. That deal included a 20-percent writeoff and extended some of the repayment terms until 2027. The International Monetary Fund has sided with Russia by ruling that the loan carried official rather than commercial status. Yet the Fund also amended its policy in order to carry on issuing tranche payments under its four-year $17.5-billion Ukrainian rescue package even though the former Soviet country is now formally in default. The new leadership that took power after Ukraine's February 2014 pro-Western revolution has branded the Russian loan as a bribe paid to Yanukovych for his decision to abruptly reject a landmark EU free trade and political association pact in 2013. That deal has since been ratified and went into effect at the start of the year. Germany had spearheaded months of acrimonious debt negotiations in order to avoid yet another complicating factor adding to the neighbours' already hostile relations. Kiev has accused the Kremlin of orchestrating and backing the pro-Russian separatist insurgency that has claimed more than 9,000 lives in eastern Ukraine -- a charge Moscow flatly denies. Germany presented an offer to Kiev in December that would have seen Ukraine make $1-billion annual payments to Moscow until 2018. Story continues But Ukrainian Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko rejected the proposal and insisted on a partial write-down of the debt. Moscow's Vedomosti business daily reported that Russia is also seeking incurred interest payments and Ukraine's full coverage of all upcoming court fees. It was not immediately clear when the London court intended to rule on the dispute. rich asian girls of Vancouver Ever since China started growing rich, it has had rich-people problems. True, every nation has issues with income inequality. But rich-people problems in a communist country are different. In this week's issue of The New Yorker, writer Jaiyang Fan gives us an in-depth look at one source of the trouble. Fan profiles a number of the children of China's superrich who've been sent to study and live abroad. They're called fuerdai. In this case, the kids are living in Vancouver (though the scene is also repeated in cities like Singapore and London). They come with all the accessories of the global jet set incredible cars, massive houses, and their own reality YouTube show. (It's called "The Ultra Rich Asian Girls of Vancouver.") The problem, though, is that they don't necessarily feel Chinese, and their parents don't want them to come home. The parents want social and political stability for their children (and the assets their children take with them). As one protagonist in the story, a 26-year-old named Pam, put it: The thing is, Im not sure Id fully fit in there now, she said slowly. I lack my parents Chinese business know-how. Westerners are all about being straightforward and direct. But, when you negotiate a deal in China, its all about whats unsaid, simultaneously hiding and hinting at what you really want. In China, Im treated like a naive child, and sometimes I feel like an alien. Another woman said that her father said it would be better that she stay in Canada, rather than come home and ruin the family business. Conform or die It's a problem because the fuerdai's high-profile disconnection from the Chinese Communist Party comes at a time when the country can't afford large-scale brain drain and capital flight. It can't afford unrest. It needs everyone to pull in the same direction. That is because China is trying to manage a major economic transition in the midst of a major economic slowdown. It's going to require painful change. Story continues Brookings Institute senior fellow Jeffery Bader said President Xi Jinping's growing encroachment into all facets of Chinese life is a way for him to prepare for "the massive disruptions that the economic reform program will bring." President Xi Jinping knows this, and has been trying to shore up power and strengthen the Chinese identity any way he can even to those abroad. Since taking office, he's made a big push for shutting out Western thinking and replacing it with a modern version of what Communist Party founder Mao Zedong presented as "dialectical materialism." To recap, dialectical materialism was the official philosophy of the Soviet communists. Mao Zedong, the founding father of the People's Republic of China, later outlined his own version of the philosophy in a 1937 essay. Basically it encourages people to fall into the party line. This idea is all over state media. Xi said in one meeting that "studying dialectical materialism and historical materialism will help CPC members get better understanding of Marxist philosophy." This is his way of re-anchoring China philosophical thought in Maoist principles. He is telling everyone, "Get with the program." Don't even think about escaping This all may sound very intangible, but Beijing has put it in practice by targeting high schools, universities, and think tanks, and pressuring Western-sounding academics to change their tune. "Think tanks should stick to Marxist ideology, follow the CPC's leadership and provide intellectual support to help rejuvenate the nation," said a report by Chinese state-media agency Xinhua. wang sicong It is in this context that the son of China's richest man, Wang Sicong, told the BBC that "escaping" and living outside China's strict political system would be suicide. The fuerdai don't think this way, however. They have resources from within China, but are not part of the system. That is why, the word from the CCP is that even Chinese students studying abroad need to fall in line. As The New York Times reported, a recent party document explained how this would be done. Assemble the broad numbers of students abroad as a positive patriotic energy, the document says. Build a multidimensional contact network linking home and abroad the motherland, embassies and consulates, overseas student groups, and the broad number of students abroad so that they fully feel that the motherland cares. What China really wants, however, is to have these wealthy Chinese students care about the motherland. That will be tough. If the "Rich Asians" are any indication, they're having a pretty good go of the West. NOW WATCH: 9,000 Chinese villagers are being displaced to build this massive radio telescope in search of alien life More From Business Insider Geneva (AFP) - The United Nations should be able to deliver aid to all of Syria's 18 besieged areas within a week, a senior UN official said Thursday, after life-saving supplies reached five locations. Jan Egeland, who is the special advisor to the UN's Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, made the comments after a meeting of representatives from the 17-nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG). "We discussed the next phase which is to reach all of the remaining besieged areas of Syria. And we should be able to do (so) before the next meeting which will be in a week," Egeland said. Egeland said that there was plan to deliver aid to the eastern city Deir Ezzor, the majority of which is controlled by the Islamic State group (IS) and where an estimated 200,000 people still live. The UN official said the World Food Programme "has now a concrete plan" to conduct humanitarian air drops over the city and that this prospective operation has the support of both the United States and Russia. Russian cargo planes reportedly delivered humanitarian aid to regime-held neighbourhoods in Deir Ezzor last week. Egeland said the just concluded mission to five besieged areas included 114 trucks and delivered supplies to an estimated 80,000 people. The operation was made possible by a deal struck at an ISSG meet in Munich last week, where many of the key actors in the Syrian conflict, including Damascus ally Russia, agreed to increase humanitarian access. The ISSG also reached a deal on a cessation of hostilities in Syria, but its prospects appear grim amid continued fighting. The UN estimates that there are more than 480,000 Syrians living in areas besieged by the government, rebels and jihadist forces. More than four million others are living in what the UN defines as "hard-to-reach" areas. "The people of Syria ... have waited too long for relief," Egeland told reporters following the meeting in Geneva. By MacDonald Dzirutwe HARARE (Reuters) - When U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon urged African leaders not to cling to power at a summit last month, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe responded by saying he would continue "until God says 'come'". Mugabe turns 92 on Sunday and, judging by those comments, has no intention of stepping down - despite being Africa's oldest leader and the only president Zimbabwe has known since independence in 1980. His life presidency aspirations could frustrate the feuding big-hitters of his ruling ZANU-PF party who have been trying for years to position themselves for a post-Mugabe political era. They will also fuel criticism from opponents of the government, who say the internal conflict is distracting it from its job of dealing with a stagnating economy and responding to the worst drought in a generation - charges denied by ministers. "Amid this looming starvation, coupled with an economy on the ropes, no one is paying attention to this national crisis. There is no government response as ZANU-PF is too pre-occupied with the succession issue of President Mugabe," main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on Tuesday. Critics blame Mugabe for many of the problems facing the country. They say his policies, including the seizures and redistribution of white-owned commercial farms, drove one of Africa's most promising economies into nearly a decade of deep recession until 2008 that cut its output almost in half. They also say Zimbabwe's sluggish economy and low productivity - the jobless rate is around 85 percent - has left it ill-equipped to deal with the drought, which has left 3 million people in need of food aid, about a quarter of the population. For his part, Mugabe defends his land seizures as necessary to correct colonial injustices and says the economy has fallen victim to sanctions by Western countries that are punishing him for seizing white-owned land. WHEELBARROW Mugabe remains in charge of day-to-day running of his government. He still presides over graduations at all state universities and military passing-out parades, and takes trips abroad. The president maintains that his party will choose a successor. But he plans to contest the next election in 2018 aged 94, seeking his last five-year term under a new constitution that would see him through to 99. His wife Grace, a powerful figure in ZANU-PF in her own right, told party supporters last week that he was the only one who could keep Zimbabwe "intact and peaceful", adding she would push him in a wheelbarrow to work if he was unable to walk. "From analyzing the political situation, his political speeches, his political actions, it is increasingly becoming clear that he is gunning to be there for as long as he lives," said Eldred Masunungure, a political science lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe. Despite his old age, Mugabe remains the glue holding together his fractious ZANU-PF, which dominates the political scene. He enjoys support from the military, an institution that has been a major pillar of his long rule. Many Zimbabweans follow his health with keen interest, especially after assertions by Wikileaks that he might have prostate cancer - which he denied. With Mugabe having ruled for 36 years, some people fear the government could be paralyzed and the country riven by instability should he die without resolving the succession issue. Last year he read out the wrong speech in parliament, which the opposition seized upon to question whether he was still of sound mind, though the president's spokesman blamed his aides. His reluctance to cede power could frustrate ZANU-PF grandees with ambitions for his throne. Several leading party figures have presidential aspirations, but Emmerson Mnangagwa has been regarded as heir apparent to Mugabe. He was made vice president in 2014 following the sacking of Joice Mujuru, another faction leader who had been also tipped for the top job after holding the office for a decade. Mnangagwa has since cemented his position by getting allies appointed to important cabinet posts and securing the tasks of reforming the economy and legal system. 'CROCODILE' But the vice president - nicknamed 'Crocodile', which he says reflects his ability to strike at the opportune time - is opposed by a group labeled G-40 by local media, comprising young government ministers and ZANU-PF members rallying behind Grace Mugabe, including the party's women's wing. Grace is widely regarded in the party as another potential successor, even though she says she has no such ambitions. The group says Mugabe should be allowed to die in office and has exchanged insults with Mnangagwa's acolytes, accusing them of plotting to overthrow the president - charges they deny. Mnangagwa himself has not responded to such accusations, but his allies in ZANU-PF and the military privately express unease at the influence that the First Lady wields on the president. They say the G-40 group is trying to isolate Mugabe from his old comrades. At last week's party rally, Grace said some unnamed people were plotting to physically remove Mugabe and harm his family, accusations similar to ones she made in 2014 against Mujuru, who was then regarded as the most likely successor to Mugabe. The campaign against Mujuru led to Mugabe denouncing her before party loyalists as leader of a "treacherous cabal" bent on removing him from power, and firing her. Grace Mugabe has hinted Mnangagwa may not be the chosen one after all. "They go around saying Mrs Mugabe wants to lead, I am already in charge. Those that we thought could succeed him (Mugabe), we no longer have any confidence in them," she said at the rally last week. Mnangagwa did not respond to several requests for comment for this article. The University of Zimbabwe's Masunungure said the stage may have been set for Mnangagwa's removal from office, little more than a year after Mujuru's ejection. He said that would mean the two dominant factions that had vied to succeed Mugabe since 2000 would be purged from the party. "The lesson for Mnangagwa is that you can quarrel, you can struggle among yourselves, as long as you do not commit the cardinal sin of wanting to take over while the president is still alive," he added. "I think that's the red line for President Mugabe. Now the president is being told this guy has crossed that red line." (Editing by James Macharia and Pravin Char) Washington (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry has slammed China for its increased "militarization" in the strategically important South China Sea, after Beijing deployed surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island there. "There is every evidence, every day, that there has been an increase of militarization of one kind or another. It's of a serious concern," Kerry told reporters on Wednesday. A US official told AFP that China has deployed surface-to-air missiles on Woody Island, part of the Paracel Islands chain. The official said the missiles appeared to be HQ-9s, which have a range of about 125 miles (200 kilometers). Experts say they could be used to target enemy aircraft. Fox News first reported missile launchers and a radar system had arrived on Woody Island in recent days, referring to satellite imagery. Taiwan's defense ministry later confirmed the facility's existence. "We believe the photos are accurate and that China has deployed SAMs to Woody Island," the US official said. Beijing has controlled all of the Paracels, which are also claimed by Hanoi and Taipei, since seizing several from South Vietnam in a brief, bloody battle towards the end of the Vietnam War. But tensions in the sea -- through which a third of the world's oil passes -- have mounted in recent months since China transformed contested reefs in the Spratly islands further south into artificial islands capable of supporting military facilities. - 'No militarization' - Washington says the move threatens free passage in a strategically vital area and has sent warships to sail close to the disputed islands to assert freedom of navigation, raising fears of escalation. "We have said repeatedly with respect to China that the standard that should be applied to all countries with respect to the South China Sea is no militarization," Kerry said. The secretary of state recalled that during a state visit to Washington last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed not to militarize in the disputed waters. Story continues "We had these conversations with the Chinese and I'm confident that over the next days, we will have further very serious conversations on this," Kerry said. The top US diplomat expressed hope that Beijing would work to resolve the maritime disputes "not through unilateral action, not through force, not through militarization but through diplomacy and by working with other countries and claimants." On Tuesday, President Barack Obama called for "tangible steps" to lower tensions in the South China Sea. Beijing meanwhile has insisted it has the right to build "self-defense" systems in the region. The following factors are likely to influence Malaysian palm oil futures and other vegetable oil markets. FUNDAMENTALS * Malaysian palm oil futures recovered previous losses to gain on Wednesday as it rose nearly 1 percent on traders' forecasts that end-of-month stockpiles will draw down further during February. * Chicago Board of Trade corn futures gained for the second straight day on Wednesday, as the grain market enjoyed a price bump from investors continuing to cover short positions and as crude oil prices rose. * U.S. crude futures rose as much as 3 percent in early Asian trade on Thursday after Iran backed plans by Russia and Saudi Arabia to cap crude oil production at January levels, extending steep gains in the previous session. MARKET NEWS * Asian stocks rose on Thursday and safe-haven government bond prices fell as crude oil prices extended gains on hopes that big producers will cap production, improving investors' appetite for riskier assets. RELATED > FOB Gulf Grain-Soybean offers mixed, corn steady on export hopes > U.S. Cash Grains-Corn, soy bids largely unchanged; farmers sell for cash flow > Cargill to stop selling seeds, crop chemicals in Black Sea region > European feeds-Soymeal down on good weather in South America > More Brazil states may levy taxes on farm exports - CNA DATA/EVENTS > Cargo surveyor ITS releases Malaysia's Feb 1-20 palm oil export data on Feb 20. > Cargo surveyor SGS releases Malaysia's Feb 1-20 palm oil export data on Feb 20. * For a table on Malaysian physical palm oil prices, including refined oil, Reuters Terminal users can double click on or type. * To view freight rates from Peninsula Malaysia/Sumatra to China, India, Pakistan and Rotterdam, please key in and press enter, or double click between the brackets. * Reuters Terminal users can see cash and futures edible oil prices by double clicking on the codes in the brackets: To go to the next page in the same chain, hit F12. To go back, hit F11. Palm, soy and crude oil prices at 0042 GMT Story continues Contract Month Last Change Low High Volume MY PALM OIL MAR6 0 +0.00 0 0 0 MY PALM OIL APR6 0 +0.00 0 0 0 MY PALM OIL MAY6 0 +0.00 0 0 0 CHINA PALM OLEIN MAY6 5012 +50.00 4986 5014 352780 CHINA SOYOIL MAY6 5784 +18.00 5770 5794 146194 CBOT SOY OIL MAR6 31.99 +7.40 0.00 0.00 0 INDIA PALM OIL FEB6 489.30 +7.40 481.50 489.30 1293 INDIA SOYOIL FEB6 618.15 +1.00 617.30 619.00 3030 NYMEX CRUDE MAR6 31.17 +0.51 31.17 31.72 4010 Palm oil prices in Malaysian ringgit per tonne CBOT soy oil in U.S. cents per pound Dalian soy oil and RBD palm olein in Chinese yuan per tonne India soy oil in Indian rupee per 10 kg Crude in U.S. dollars per barrel Vegetable oils -- Malaysian palm oil exports -- CBOT soyoil futures -- CBOT soybean futures -- Indian solvent -- Weekly Indian vegetable oils -- Dalian Commodity Exchange -- Dalian soyoil futures -- Dalian refined palm oil futures -- Zhengzhou rapeseed oil -- European edible oil prices/trades -- (Reporting by Joseph Sipalan) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator Rob Portman on Wednesday asked an independent watchdog to look into "deeply disturbing" allegations of poor care and conflicts of interest at a Veterans Affairs hospital in his home state of Ohio. The allegations are the latest problem for a scandal-plagued agency that has become a punching bag in the Nov. 8 presidential election campaign, particularly for Republican front-runner Donald Trump. In a letter to the department's Inspector General, Portman urged a "swift and independent" probe after a report showed 34 current and former employees had blown the whistle about problems at the VA hospital in Cincinnati. "These allegations are deeply disturbing. Those who have served their country in uniform are entitled to the best possible medical care," wrote Portman, who is up for reelection in November congressional elections. The House of Representatives' Veterans Affairs committee is also investigating the allegations, said Republican Representative Brad Wenstrup from Ohio, a member of the panel who said he was "appalled" at the allegations. "We will continue to investigate these troubling claims and hold the VA accountable," Wenstrup said. The lawmakers were responding to an investigative report published on Tuesday by Scripps' Washington bureau and WCPO, the ABC affiliate in Cincinnati. The report found surgeries and specialist care at the hospital, which treats 40,000 veterans, had been cut to save money, and described surgical instruments delivered to operating rooms contaminated with blood and bone debris from previous surgeries. The report also alleged a top hospital official was improperly drawing two salaries and had prescribed controlled pain medication to the spouse of the regional director without a valid license. The Department of Veterans Affairs declined to comment directly on the allegations. But on Saturday, an official said oversight of the clinic would be "temporarily realigned" to a VA regional office in Pittsburgh as it looked into the allegations. Story continues The agency also said it had asked its Inspector General to launch a separate probe. In 2014, a cover-up of long wait lists and shoddy medical care for veterans at a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, embarrassed the Obama administration and led to the resignation of the department's chief. Obama appointed Bob McDonald, a former CEO at Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble, as the new secretary and charged him to fix the problems at the agency. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Bernard Orr) London Fashion Week (LFW) kicks off on Friday, with 83 designers heading to the UK capital to showcase their Autumn / Winter 2016 collections. Revered fashion house Alexander McQueen will return to the schedule for the first time in over a decade for AW16, under the guidance of Creative Director Sarah Burton. The brand will show alongside headline names including Belstaff, Burberry, Christopher Kane, Gareth Pugh, J.W.Anderson and Paul Smith. Pringle of Scotland, Sibling, and Vivienne Westwood will also feature on the calendar. Leather goods brand Mulberry is also making a return to the event, under the direction of new Creative Director Johnny Coca. Meanwhile, newcomers include shoes and accessories brand Charlotte Olympia, which will host its first catwalk show this season, and Belgium brand A.F. Vandevorst. Another highlight will be the Topshop Unique show, which fashion photographer Nick Knight has been lined up to shoot, and which will be unveiled in real time on the brand's Instagram account. For the first time in LFW history, around 35 million people across the UK will see content from the proceedings, including runway shows, on 60 outside screens in nine different cities thanks to a collaboration between media company Ocean Outdoor and The British Fashion Council (BFC). The event will also see around 200,000 copies of The Daily, the official LFW broadsheet, distributed around the city. Meanwhile, the BFC has revealed that its official Mercedes Benz chauffeurs will drive fashionistas around 32,000 miles during the event, 200kg of Lavazza coffee beans will be ground to help keep everyone alert, and that 500 cans of label.m hairspray are predicted to be used backstage. London Fashion Week runs February 19-23. For more information see http://www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/ Berlin (AFP) - Hundreds of movie lovers emerged bleary-eyed but enthusiastic Thursday after the longest competition contender in the 66-year history of the Berlin film festival, shown in an eight-and-a-half hour marathon screening with just one break. Daring Filipino director Lav Diaz had told AFP before travelling to the German capital that his historical epic "A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery" would be a "struggle" for the audience. But as the curtain closed at the 1,600-seat Berlinale Palace theatre, more than half the audience was still present and rewarded the 57-year-old filmmaker with warm applause and cries of "bravo". The ambitious film is one of 18 films vying for the festival's Golden Bear top prize, to be awarded by jury president Meryl Streep Saturday. Streep and her seven-member panel including British actor Clive Owen attended the sole screening of the film, which was sold out and packed to the rafters Thursday morning. Security staff confiscated water bottles and required audience members to check their bags before they immersed themselves in the rich revolutionary history and mythology of Diaz's impoverished homeland. Some audience members were toting inflatable pillows and smuggled in granola bars as they entered the cinema, shaking hands in solidarity with their seat mates before the screening began. Gerhard Reda, a German amateur filmmaker who says he watches 10 to 15 movies each week, called the screening a "personal test of courage". He said he had started to watch another of Diaz's notoriously lengthy films last year but had to give up after an hour. "He can have a 45-minute scene that just has people talking or walking through a field," he warned. "Some love him, some hate him but he's always a challenge." About an hour in, the 44-year-old quietly rolled a cigarette while still in his seat so he wouldn't miss too much when he popped out for a smoke. Story continues - Like a video game - As the lights came up Thursday night, Taiwanese film critic Yun-hua Chen said that she was "doing absolutely fine". "It was an amazing experience -- totally worth it," she said. "The film really needed to be this long so the audience can submerge in the story." Enrico Cehovin, a 27-year-old Italian, said that playing long video games had prepared him for the experience, which he admitted was "only for cinema lovers". "Some games take eight to 10 hours to play and you don't even understand where the time has gone -- they can be like long movies," he said. "But this was an experience unlike any I'll have again." Development worker Carla Schraml, 36, admitted she did not know much about the Philippines' revolution going into the film. "Despite its length, I wish I had learned more," she said, criticising a meandering story that was only partly accessible for an uninitiated audience. But Hubert Speich, a critic for German public broadcaster SWR, called the picture "superb". "Diaz has his own signature poetic style and the images are just sublime," he enthused. "He needs a canvas this size to tell the story he wants to tell in all its complexity -- in its historical sweep there is not a single shot that is excessive. "Diaz shows what cinema is capable of." For Western countries, 2016 is shaping up to be the year of immigration. The Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz want to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. British Prime Minister David Cameron wants, as a precondition for the countrys continued membership in the European Union, to be granted an emergency brake on benefits payments to European immigrants to the United Kingdom. And throughout Europe, from Greece to Germany, debate is fierce over how many refugees from the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa can be accommodatedand at what cost. Cost, of course, is the biggie. Although the worlds inexorable movement toward a global labor market might be a good thing overall, helping increase wealth and better match skills with positions, its unclear what this means for the modern welfare state. The idea that a state should look after its citizens economic and social well-beingproviding safety nets in the form of unemployment insurance, pensions, or health insurancehas spread widely since its first big trial run in 19th-century Europe. After all, its now on display in various forms from the Americas to Russia to Saudi Arabia to China. But can it survive in an age with fewer borders? Wont state coffers eventually be empty if more and more immigrants start drawing on them? Related Story How Immigration Changes Language The surprising answer is: not necessarily. Whats more, some of the countries most concerned about these questions at the moment are the ones most likely to profit from greater immigration. Immigrants come in and they work and pay taxes and they contribute, said George Borjas, an economics professor at Harvards Kennedy School of Government. At the same time, some of them get sick, some of them have children who have to go to school, and all kinds of programs kick in in order to provide them services. And the question at the end is which of these two money streams is greater. Theres been a lot of work on that, he said, and the studies are generally open to interpretation. Story continues Recommended: Winners of the 2016 World Press Photo Contest In the case of congestible public goodsas in a road or transit system or education system where you might need to expand capabilities to avoid traffic jamsmore immigrants means more expenditures, according to Tim Krieger, an economics professor at Freiburg University. And the immigrants dont pay that much in taxes due to lower average incomes, he said. They do pay value-added taxes and sales taxes, of course, but hardly any income taxes and capital taxes and so on. But, Krieger added, one of the big caveats here is the effect that immigrants have on pension or retirement systems, which constitute a huge chunk of the public budget in many countries. Pension systems are typically pay-as-you-go programs, which means everyone currently working gets taxed and that money immediately goes to current retirees. Immigrants tend to have a tremendously positive impact on the pension system, he said. In fact, their arrival triggers what pension economists usually call an introductory gift. If you find a job, you start paying contributions and all these contributionsbecause its a pay-as-you-go systemgo directly to the retirees. That can swiftly shore up government finances in countries with an aging population, which describes most of Europe. Plus, Theres been research showing that even if the people are net beneficiaries of the pension system [i.e. if, by the time these immigrants grow old, the state has committed to larger pension payouts], even then it would have a positive effect on pay-as-you-go simply because they will have children who become contributors, and immigrants tend to have more children than natives. In Germany, said Krieger, that kind of effect on the pension system is a factor of three or four compared to all the other benefits. The more unskilled the immigrant, the more likely the immigrant will be a fiscal burden. Its the same thing in terms of a native. With less predictable benefits like unemployment insurance and health care, a lot depends on the specific country and the demographics of those immigrating. In the United States, said Borjas, The most recent credible work dates way back to the 1997 National Academy report, which depending on how you do things finds whatever you want [it to find]. (Borjas sat on the expert panel that put the study together.) The number that was widely cited is that the typical immigrant arriving in would create over the long haul an $80,000-plus benefit. But the problem with that number was that it looked over the next 300 years, Borjas continued, and long-term estimates are of little use when you consider how much depends, for example, on fluctuations in the host countrys labor market. We can barely predict next year, he pointed out. When the panel tried to predict what would happen in, say, 1998 if the country were to accept 460,000 new immigrant-headed households, it found instead a $10 increase in the fiscal burden on native householdsin other words, a negative effect from immigration. Recommended: What ISIS Really Wants Those numbers are old, and Borjas is currently part of a new panel tasked with publishing an updated report later this year. What is certain, however, is that skilled immigrants are clearly much more beneficial in terms of the welfare state. Skilled immigrants earn more, which means they pay more taxes, and they are in much less need of services. The more unskilled the immigrant, the more likely the immigrant will be a fiscal burden. Its the same thing in terms of a native. In European welfare states, the same principle holds. And there, some of the short-term numbers are more promising than in the United States. Consider the United Kingdom, for example: Right now, David Cameron is trying to wrangle a deal with the European Union stating, essentially, that the British government can halt benefits payments to EU migrants, most likely from poorer Eastern European countries, if it experiences a large influx. On average, European immigrants brought a higher degree of educational attainment than the average U.K.-born worker. Judging by the research, thats bordering on bonkers. Not only, as Borjas noted, is it very hard to prove that immigrants move places specifically in response to welfare incentives, but, as Krieger pointed out, recent studies suggest the U.K. has benefited disproportionately from immigration, including immigration from Eastern Europe. A 2014 study by Christian Dustmann at University College London and Tommaso Frattini at the University of Milan found that, between 1995 and 2011, immigrants from the European Economic Area had a more positive impact on the U.K.s state finances than natives did. On average, they brought with them a higher degree of educational attainment than the average U.K.-born worker, and that gap has actually widened over time. The government benefits doubly, attracting highly educated, higher-earning workers whose education it did not pay for. In other words, it saves money. The fact that these immigrants tend to be young, and far from reaching their full economic potential, means that even if they receive more government benefits as they age, the contributions of those who decide to stay in the UK will probably increase through individual career development. In that regard, theyll have a better effect on the countrys fiscal situation than aging Britons: The study also found that immigrants wages, for each additional year worked, grew faster than natives, quickly increasing the tax revenue immigrants generated. The authors pointed out that these findings are consistent with a 2013 review by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which found that the U.K. benefits fiscally from immigration far more than, say, Scandinavian countries do. Recommended: Inside the Artificial Universe That Creates Itself Theres some evidence that the same conclusion applies to Germany. Holger Bonin of the Center for European Economic Research, for example, has estimated that, in 2012, among immigrants, the value of paid taxes and contributions exceeded the average value of transfers [government services such as health insurance and unemployment benefits] by 3,300 Euros per head. Of course, when youre comparing how much countries profit or lose from immigration, a lot comes down to how you measure. The Bonin study led to an interesting debate in Germany, said Krieger, because another economist, Hans-Werner Sinn, said Bonin had failed to account for the cost of public goods like transit systems and education. Sinn argued that including these expenses would result in an overall negative fiscal effect for each immigrant. However, said Krieger, [Sinn] simply divided all public spending and interest payments on public debt by the total population, consisting of both immigrants and natives. Other scholars believe, however, that this is not the correct way to do it, since the cost of including each extra person in a system that already exists, and would exist with or without immigration, is probably less than what simply dividing total expenditure by total population would suggest. Using Bonins data and an alternative breakdown of public spending, Krieger continued, would still lead to a surplus of 200 euros. Immigrants having a net positive impact involves more than assessing unemployment levels and the overall condition of the host economy. Theres substantial evidence that the arrival of refugees from outside Europe will be less beneficial than the influx of skilled immigrants from within Europe. The 2014 U.K. study, for example, showed non-European immigrants lagging behind European immigrants in terms of net contributions. We know that EU immigrants are on average better educated than non-EU citizens and that high-skilled immigrants have a strong positive fiscal impact, which is not the case for low-skilled immigrants, said Krieger. On top of that, refugees need food and shelter upon arrival, and often lack immigration papers, among other things. Even so, during some years examined in the U.K. study, non-European immigrants still beat out natives in terms of net contributions. All these studies suggest that, humanitarian and social-policy concerns aside, certain types of economies are well-positioned to turn immigration flows into profit. Bonin argued, for example, that Germany has benefitted from immigration more than some of its neighbors primarily because of three factors: first, Germanys labor-hungry economy; second, the relatively high level of integration immigrants achieve in German society; and third, Germanys relatively large pension system (which means immigrants pension contributions are disproportionately valuable). Countries that urgently need workers and pension contributions, therefore, might receive a boost even from lower-skilled immigrantsespecially if governments invest in the education and integration of new arrivals. Bonin, for instance, based his estimate for the profitability of immigration in Germany in part on the assumption that at least 30 percent of immigrant children wind up performing, in terms of their career trajectory, on par with native German children. For that, you need them to acquire language skills quickly, integrate to a certain extent with the local population, and experience a certain degree of upward mobility. In a world where the refugee crisis has made immigration not just an economic issue but a moral one, this question of integration might just be the most important of them all. If all you care about is making the welfare state more self-sustaining, more profitable, a skilled immigration is really quite good at that, said Borjas. But with a large influx of both skilled and unskilled workers, calculating the likelihood of immigrants having a net positive impact involves more than assessing unemployment levels and the overall condition of the host economy. It also requires considering potential negative externalities, which are very hard to measure economically. What if the migrants pose national-security concerns, or come into conflict with the native population? What if their short-term competition with young natives for jobs outweighs, in the publics mind, their contribution to the elderlys pension checks? Thats what makes the current refugee crisis so complicated and agonizing. David Cameron may be contradicting good research in proposing his emergency brake for Eastern European migrants, but, at least at a basic level (and once youve stripped away the hysteria and racism), European leaders worried about an inflow of non-European refugees arent. Although there may be a fiscal or economic case for admitting a Syrian refugeethe German Institute for Economic Research recently offered one in a report claiming that the benefits of the huge migration would outweigh the costs in Germany in three to 10 yearsits a very hard case to make in most countries, particularly in the short term. The stronger case is the moral one, but its a tough sell to voters facing short-term hardships. The honest thing for a humanitarian-minded politician to say would be, This is going to be painful. But its the right thing to do. And if we play our cards right, we could reap the benefits in 15 years. Its a message few politicians have hazarded to deliver. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. Lyle Denniston, the National Constitution Centers constitutional literacy adviser, explains how the dynamics of an eight-member Supreme Court actually are quite different from those of a full bench of nine. For most of the last decade the period of the Roberts Court the center of power on the Supreme Court bench plainly lodged in the hands of Justice Anthony M. Kennedy. It was a difference-maker role, held before him by Justice Sandra Day OConnor and, before her, by Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr. When the court is closely divided on deeply controversial issues, there is always the prospect that such big cases will get decided by five-to-four votes. Kennedy has not always held the decisive fifth vote in those situations, but he has held it more than any of his current colleagues. It is an axiom that the hardest cases, the ones most likely to split the court, usually are the most important to the law and to American society. The capacity to swing an outcome in such a case, one way or the other, is one of immense authority, but it is also one of considerable delicacy. The reality is that a hard-edged ideologue, from whichever extreme of the ideological spectrum, finds it more difficult to draw a following of even four votes for an agenda-driven outcome. In other words, moderation can have its rewards in increased influence. In the years since the end of the Warren Court, with Chief Justice Earl Warrens retirement in 1969, the court no longer a liberal-dominated tribunal has moved noticeably toward the center. It was no surprise when the most influential vote was held by Powell, then by OConnor, then by Kennedy. It is a fact that each of them was slightly more conservative than the one who yielded the mantle of influence to them, and the court has moved rightward as a result. Conservatives of a purist inclination, of course, would not concede that the current court is on the right, after issuing such decisions as the same-sex marriage ruling, the increasing recognition of a need for protected privacy, the reduction of the death penalty to a rarity, and the preservation of the basic right to have an abortion. It is noteworthy that Kennedy was a very influential Justice in each of those developments. But he has also been a leading figure as the court unleashed hundreds of millions of dollars into the nations political campaigns, as it tolerated a steady erosion of the political rights of minorities, as it shielded Big Business from penetrating public regulation. Story continues Where does Justice Kennedy, and the center of power, go from here? With the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, Kennedy and his colleagues on the bench will be working with an eight-member court, for perhaps some time in the coming months and perhaps even into next year. Where does the center repose in an eight-Justice court? Leaving Kennedy aside for a moment, consider the reality that the courts more liberal members are now just one vote away from controlling those close cases, while the more conservative Justices are two votes short of that kind of control. On the liberal side are Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. On the conservative side are Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and Associate Justices Samuel A. Alito, Jr., and Clarence Thomas. One cannot, of course, leave out Justice Kennedy in these calculations. In most of his terms on the court, he has actually been more aligned year in and year out with the conservatives than with the liberals. So there is, without Justice Scalia, a real opportunity for the court to wind up evenly divided in at least some of the big cases. (If the current lineup of sitting Justices remains intact for another year or more, it is very nearly certain, should a ninth Justice make it through the Senate, that a new member would instantly stand in a position to become the swing vote. He or she could join with Kennedy and the conservative bloc to make a majority, or with the liberal bloc, with the same effect. This point adds significantly to the importance of who gets elected to the presidency in November, installed with the power to fill vacancies on the court.) But the dynamics of an eight-member court actually are quite different from those of a full bench of nine. Ideological inclinations have to be eased, if the work on the hard cases is to get done reasonably well. Justices who tend not to be deeply committed to one bloc or another have the chance to become more influential. It is quite possible, for example, that a new center of power could move to a trio Kennedy and Breyer and Kagan. Those three are the most moderate of those in the blocs with which they have been aligned most often. The chances are that Chief Justice John J. Roberts, Jr., might actually welcome the work of such a bloc in helping find common ground in the hardest cases, if he has the sense as he surely must have that the court in recent years has been too polarized. He has lamented the public impression that the court has become a political court (although he personally has contributed to the flow of harsh language in dissenting opinions that feeds such suspicions.) There is simply no way that the court can suspend its work, or even reduce its workload to any significant degree, while waiting for the other two branches to find a way to put a ninth Justice on the court. The controversies, including major ones, keep flowing into the court, and will have to be managed. Perhaps there will be some leaning against accepting review of some of the hardest cases, on the premise that there is too much risk in them of a four-to-four tie, with no result of consequence. The biggest controversies the court confronts often have a profound urgency to them and, overall, it would probably be better for America if they were decided on narrower grounds rather than being put off on the chance that a nine-member court is within reach. The court well knows how to move incrementally, and that is what a vacant seat may require in the months ahead. Recent Stories on Constitution Daily How will the Supreme Court deal with a vacancy this term and beyond? Why the current Supreme Court nomination situation isnt that unique A look at the Justice Antonin Scalias most unusual word choices Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bushs tweet featuring the image of a gun with one wordAmericahas backfired, just days before voters cast their ballots in the GOP South Carolina primary on Saturday. On Tuesday, the former Florida governor, who is polling fourth among the six remaining Republican presidential hopefuls, toured and held a town hall at FN Manufacturing, a small firearms production factory in Columbia, South Carolina. He tweeted a picture of a gift from the company, an engraved .45-caliber handgun etched with Gov. Jeb Bush, along with the one-word caption. The gun is shown with the safety removed. In the tweet, Bush initially didnt provide an explanation of why he decided to post the image. He later defended his post, saying he simply wanted to show support for FN Manufacturing employees. But the message went viral and prompted widespread outrage for its suggestion that the spirit of America was best captured by a sidearm. The New York Daily News called him out on the front page of Wednesdays newspaper with the headline Dolt .45. Twitter users posted photos of products they think represent the United States more accurately than a gun. Others named a different country and included a photo specific to that particular nation, such as a cup of tea to depict the United Kingdom and a bicycle to stand for the Netherlands. Some critics accused him of tweeting the photo as part of a publicity stunt to gain media attention ahead of the next primary. Ladd Everitt, director of communications for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, says the tweet was an act of desperation and utterly pathetic. It offended victims and survivors of gun violence nationwide and reminded the world of how morally bankrupt and ugly our gun culture is, Everitt tells Newsweek. Story continues The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence responded with a video tweet that included news coverage from recent shootings across the country. The group separately replied to his post saying, America. Where #gunviolence kills 33,000 people per year. Thanks for the reminder, @JebBush. The reality is that 88 Americans are killed with guns each day, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a group that seeks the passage of laws at all levels to reduce gun violence. Americas gun murder rate is more than 20 times the average of other developed countries, which includes 32 nations with per capita annual income greater than $15,000, according to the group. Guns are one of the hot-button issues in the current primary season. The Republican candidates have vowed to veto President Obamas executive actions on gun control. Meanwhile, the two Democratic contenders are fighting over who is the top enemy of the National Rifle Association. The former Florida governors flagging campaign stayed alive after the New Hampshire primary on February 9, when he came in fourth with 11 percent of support. This campaign isnt dead, he told his fans that night. The death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia over the weekend has prompted a political debate about whether Obama or the next president should replace the staunch conservative on the bench. Some of the Republican presidential hopefuls, including Bush, have said a nominee suggested by Obama or Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton likely would result in the elimination of the Second Amendment from the U.S. Constitution. In a prime-time town hall meeting on Thursday, Bush will make his closing arguments to voters in South Carolina before they head to the polls on Saturday. Related Articles Once famous for being the most aggressive deal-maker in corporate America, Dennis Kozlowski soon gained another type of infamy, for siphoning millions of dollars from his company. After his 2002 ouster, the former CEO of Tyco International traded in a $6,000 shower curtain, among other lavish goods that the illegal money covered, for a 25-year prison sentence. But heres a question: Did he really hurt the company? In a new study published in Applied Economics, researchers tracked the bottom-line results in 80 tabloid-worthy shit storms that involved a CEO over the past two decades. Not surprisingly, the following weeks and year were dismal for shareholders and the company alike, as investor confidence is shaken and the firm gets reformed. However, afterwards the company reaches new heights of success: Thats the seemingly counterintuitive conclusion of Surendranath Jory, a professor of economics at the University of Sussex, who measured these companies return on assets, or profit divided by assets, in post-scandal years. I was kinda surprised, he says. (In case youre wondering, Tycos stock fell 80 percent six weeks after Kozlowski starting making headlines, only to net a cool $3 billion three years later.) Jory says the reason is that these firms tend to institute hard-to-swallow reforms to get investors and shareholders back on their side. While the changes wouldnt really appeal to rule-following firms, they are better for business down the road, he argues. After Kozlowskis epic fall from corporate stardom, Tyco changed the entire corporate-management team, replaced the board, beefed up internal audits and hired an executive in charge of compliance. Drastic, sure, but not a bad long-term strategy, scandal or not. 10 Percentage by which formerly scandalous companies outperform their competition after three years. It should be a wake-up call to investors and stockholders who bail at the first sign of crisis. Should they hold on a few years, not only might prices rebound, but the companies could also leave competitors in the dust. Taking it one step further raises the question: Should investors go scandal hunting and buy stocks right after a CEO gets caught using company funds to pay for a $2.1 million birthday party for his wife, for example? Jory doesnt rule it out: Once the initial shock has died down, why not? Story continues Some experts arent sold. Despite scandal-hit companies showing improvement on return on assets, investing in scandalous companies is not necessarily a good strategy. The results could be a statistical fluke, says Terrance Odean, a professor of finance at the University of California, Berkeley: I wouldnt bet my pocketbook. Odean says wed be better off investing in low-cost, well-diversified mutual funds such as index funds. Which may make more financial sense, but it doesnt have the zing of scandal hunting, does it? Related Articles The insertion of U.S. Special Forces into Syria became even more bungled on Thursday when the Defense Department revealed that it had asked Russia to avoid bombing certain areas inside the country because thats where the several dozen soldiers are working. "We've told them these are areas that we have coalition forces in general areas where we have coalition forces," Lt. Gen. Charles Brown, head of U.S. Air Force Central Command, told reporters during a Pentagon press conference from his headquarters in Qatar. "We don't want them to strike there because all it's going to do is escalate things. And I don't think the Russians want to escalate against the coalition. Related: Russias Latest Weapons Sale to Iran Shifts the Balance of Mideast Power The request goes above and beyond the memorandum of understanding Washington and Moscow reached soon after Russian forces deployed to Syria last September. That agreement was aimed at avoiding military air collisions as the two former Cold War enemies carried out bombing campaigns Washington against Islamic State forces, Moscow on behalf the government of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook confirmed that the request had been made, but refused to get into specifics other than to say that there was an effort made to protect the safety of our people from the risk of Russian airstrikes. "And that those steps were taken, and those so far have been honored, he added. Related: Putin Sends Russias Deadly New Fighter Jet to Syria Cook said he has no additional requests between the two countries to disclose. Just because Washington and Moscow have an agreement not to bomb specific sites doesnt necessarily mean that an accident cant happen or that the Syrian air force, dilapidated as it is, has to abide by it. So the revelation of the deal is bound to set alarm bells ringing on Capitol Hill and on the presidential campaign trail. President Obama has long been criticized by Republicans who feel he is not doing enough to eradicate ISIS, especially in Syria. Story continues The condemnation reached new heights in October when the president announced he had decided to send around 50 Special Operations forces into Syria to assist moderate rebel groups fighting the Assad regime, with everyone from Senate Armed Services Committee chair John McCain (R-AZ) to GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump skewering the decision and its very public announcement. Related: Heres Who ISIS Would Vote for in the US Presidential Election "I think we have a president who just doesn't know what he's doing," Trump said at the time. "You either do it or you don't do it. Fifty people. He puts 50 people. While the administration signaled the number of commandos could grow, the idea that Russian President Vladimir Putin, and possibly Assad himself, know where they are located may spark waves of new attacks on Obama for potentially putting U.S. troops in harms way. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: (Reuters) - Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker signed two bills into law on Thursday that block federal funding from Planned Parenthood and could cost the local organization millions of dollars. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin could lose about $7.5 million a year because of the measures, an organization spokeswoman said. Texas, Louisiana other Republican-controlled states tried to halt funding for the reproductive health organization after an anti-abortion group released videos last summer purported to show Planned Parenthood officials trying to negotiate prices for aborted fetal tissue. Under federal law, donated human fetal tissue may be used for research, but profiting from its sale is prohibited. A grand jury in Texas cleared Planned Parenthood of any wrongdoing and indicted two anti-abortion activists behind the filming of the videos for tampering with a government record and violating a prohibition on the purchase and sale of human organs. One of the new Wisconsin rules requires the state to apply for federal "Title X" family planning grant money and to give those monies to "less controversial public entities" such as state, county and local health departments and clinics, a statement from Walker's office said. Planned Parenthood is currently the only entity in Wisconsin receiving this federal money and the funds will not be sent to the organization, the statement said. State entities providing abortions will now bill Medicaid only for acquisition costs and dispensing fees for prescription drugs. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin could lose roughly $4 million a year as a result of this measure, depending on patient volume and the type of birth control patients choose, organization spokeswoman Iris Riis said. The legislation singles out Planned Parenthood and is an attempt to stop the organization from providing essential healthcare, the group said. "The move was the latest in a long line of attacks by the Governor and the Republican controlled state Legislature on the health of Wisconsin women and families," the organization said in a statement. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has 22 health centers in the state, three of which offer abortion services, according to its website. Earlier this month, Ohio legislators approved a bill blocking state and federal funds for groups that perform or promote abortions, which cut $1.3 million annually used by Planned Parenthood clinics for HIV testing, pre-natal care and other programs. States including Alabama, Utah and Arkansas have fought losing court battles over their plans to cut funding for local Planned Parenthood operations. (Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago and Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas; Editing by Fiona Ortiz and Matthew Lewis) Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi Arabia's military intervention in Yemen will continue until the country's legitimate government is fully restored to power, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told AFP Thursday. "It's a matter of time before the international coalition in Yemen succeeds in restoring the legitimate government... in control of all of Yemen's territory," he said. "The support for the legitimate government will continue until the objectives are achieved or until an agreement is reached politically to achieve those objectives." Saudi Arabia and a coalition of Arab allies launched air strikes against Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels last March, after they seized control of large parts of Yemen and forced President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government to flee the capital Sanaa. The Huthis have been backed by forces loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh. Jubeir said the coalition had helped the government reclaim more than three-quarters of Yemeni territory, open up supply lines for aid and "put enough pressure on the Huthis and Saleh for them to seriously consider a political process." He dismissed claims that Saudi Arabia was mired in the conflict. "A very, very small part of our total military is involved in Yemen and it is not bogged down," he said. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during a meeting in Ankara, Turkey February 17, 2016, in this handout photo provided by the Presidential Palace. [Photo/Agencies] ANKARA - Twenty-eight people were killed and dozens wounded in Turkey's capital Ankara on Wednesday when a car laden with explosives detonated next to military buses near the armed forces' headquarters, parliament and other government buildings. The Turkish military condemned what it described as a terrorist attack on the buses as they waited at traffic lights in the administrative heart of the NATO member's capital. The attack, the latest in a series of bombings in the past year mostly blamed on Islamic State, comes as Turkey gets dragged ever deeper into the war in neighbouring Syria and tries to contain some of the fiercest violence in decades in its predominantly Kurdish southeast. President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey's determination to fight those behind such acts would only get stronger and that it would not hesitate to exercise its right to self defence. "We will continue our fight against the pawns that carry out such attacks, which know no moral or humanitarian bounds, and the forces behind them with more determination every day," he said in a written statement. Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Numan Kurtulmus said 28 people including soldiers and civilians were killed and 61 wounded in the blast, which occurred near a busy intersection less than 500 metres from parliament during the evening rush hour. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag described the attack as an act of terrorism and told parliament, which was in session at the time, that the car had exploded on a part of the street lined on both sides by military vehicles. By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - A guard at New York City's Rikers Island jail complex pleaded guilty on Wednesday to falsifying records by indicating that she had checked on a mentally ill, homeless Marine Corps veteran who died in a cell in which the heat reached 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Carol Lackner, 36, pleaded guilty in state court in The Bronx borough of New York City to one count of first-degree falsifying business records and was sentenced to five years of probation, prosecutors said. She was initially indicted in December 2014 on charges stemming from the death of 65-year-old Jerome Murdough who died in February 2014 in the overheated cell. New York City agreed in 2014 to pay $2.25 million to resolve a wrongful death claim by Murdough's family. The city medical examiner's office had ruled that his death was not a homicide but had been caused by hyperthermia due to exposure to heat. Prosecutors said Lackner had failed to inspect the cells of inmates at the Anna M. Kross Center's mental observation unit during her three hours there on Feb. 14, 2014, yet made logbook entries claiming to have done so. Mark Peters, commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation, said in a statement that Lackner "ignored her responsibilities as a correction officer, failing to perform required checks and leaving her shift prematurely, while an inmate under her watch died in his cell." A lawyer for Lackner could not be reached for comment. She was among dozens of Rikers staffers who have been charged with crimes including assault and smuggling over the past two years, as persistent allegations of abuse of inmates and drug trafficking plague one of the country's largest prison complexes. Approximately 10,000 inmates, housed in 10 facilities, are mostly unable to pay bail and are awaiting trial or they have been convicted and are serving short-term sentences. Last year New York City agreed to implement reforms to resolve a lawsuit filed by inmates and backed by the U.S. Department of Justice, in which guards were accused of routinely using excessive force. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Toni Reinhold) JMMB group revenue grows This was attributable to start-up costs of J$268.3 million associated with the buildout of its business lines in the Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago as well as a J$23.4 million in- crease in asset tax. Those additional costs drove a 13.6 percent increase, year-over-year, in the Groups operating expenses, totaling J$6.3 billion for the reporting period. Without the impact of those costs, operating expenses would have increased by 8.4 percent. The JMMB Group continues to focus on its strategic initiatives of regional diversification, while integrating new entities and building core revenues, the Company said in the release of its financials. As evidence of this growth across the region, operations in the Dominican Republic continue to produce positive results with the Puesto de Bolsa contributing net profits of J$160.1 million for the period. The Group, therefore, continues to build out its full range of services in the Dominican Republic which includes money market mutual funds and the newly-acquired savings and loan bank, Banco Rio de Ahorro Y Credito JMMB Bank S.A. (JMMB Bank). In addition, JMMB DR obtained approval in December, 2015, from the regulatory authority, as a new licensee to administer pension funds in the Dominican Republic. This is the first new license granted in 17 years. Similarly, in Trinidad and Tobago, the Groups operations continue to move in a positive trajectory, contributing J$186.9 million for the period. Likewise, in Jamaica, JMMB Group saw an increase in gains on securities trading, foreign exchange trading, and commission income, which grew by 12.8 percent, 16.4 percent and 29.8 percent respectively. JMMB Merchant Bank (JMMBMB) also continues to show positive results and contributed net profits of J$329.9 million, an increase of 40 percent over the prior period. The Group also recorded a marginal increase in its net interest income (NII), from J$4.1B to J$4.2B. Whilst operational expenses have increased, the JMMB Group has maintained its ability to exceed regulatory capital requirements and continues to manage its operational efficiency. We remain excited about the Groups future prospects, as we continue to implement our integrated financial services model across the region and focus on long-term sustainable growth, while seeking to further enhance shareholder value and offer innovative financial solutions, notes JMMB Group CEO, Keith Duncan. Additionally, the company is seeking to bolster its electronic service delivery channels, while re-engineering some of its processes and augmenting its sales force, in order to provide increased access to its clients and boost revenue-generating capabilities. Bridging the gap between potential employers and employees The associations chief executive officer, Joycelyn Francois-Opadeyi says the body last year launched a Recruitment Centre, which is staffed by six professionals. They focus is on human resource issues and she says recruitment is a large part of their work. She says that the retrenchment taking place means that many people who are qualified are available in the marketplace and the ECA believes that it can be the link between good workers looking to be hired and employers looking for good employees. Francois-Opadeyi says that toward the end of last year the ECA launched a more aggressive recruitment drive and has been getting a number of applications. So we are trying to fill that missing part, in a sense matching the skills to what is available. She adds that for the younger worker who had been retrenched, the ECA has also been working with companies which have apprenticeship programmes, doing its bit to bring together those who are looking for jobs maybe because of having been retrenched and trying to match them with employers who are crying out for labour. So we are doing our little bit that we can do to try and bridge that little gap that exists at the moment. Francois-Opadeyi says that in most cases the people being retrenched would have received lump sum payments which could be the capital for investment in business, and the ECA is in discussion with an organisation which would try to help these people train for other kinds of work and get into businesses offering services. She said this was not just for Trinidad and Tobago but the skills, particularly of the available professionals, could be marketed in the region. She says that some organisations are scaling down at the same time as others are trying to recruit, but as an employers organisation we are seeking to get employers to organise themselves more efficiently before we start talking about retrenchment. And in terms of hiring, there are organisations that are still seeking to operate at high levels and therefore they still need to get the vacancies filled, and so our recruitment centre continues to get requests for personnel. I cannot say that that has slowed down. She says the requests are mainly for workers in the services sector. The Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association (TTMA) reports it is having a similar response to its recently launched TTMA Careers initiative. Dr Rolph Balgobin, president of the TTMA, which last month launched TTMA Careers, a registry to match unemployed or recently retrenched workers with jobs, says the association has met with the heads of all the major institutions which produce graduates who work in the manufacturing sector to inform them about its new initiative. He says although it was still early, the TTMA was already seeing some significant take-up so far from its registry, but says it was unfortunate that this had come just as a recession had been declared so that some people were being a little circumspect in terms of how much they hire, but we are seeing a lot of interest both from employers and from graduates. He says among those registering are accounting technicians, audit and human resource professionals and so on, qualified welders; carpenters; plant operators; supervisors; technicians and fabricators. Dr Balgobin says he expects TTMA Careers would be a success but because of the recession people are watching their hiring. Lara Quentrall-Thomas, chief executive officer of Regency Recruitment and Resources Limited, shares the view that with the exception of the energy sector there are still jobs available. One only has to open the newspapers to see the number of jobs in the service industry in particular, whether its restaurants, supermarkets, car rental companies, distribution firms. We have seen opportunities in companies like distribution companies, some of the banks. Its really across the board. There are vacancies. There seems to be quite a few in the Government service as well - a lot of Government contracts are up for grabs. There are opportunities with organisations like the National Insurance Property Development Company (NIPDEC); The Judiciary has been advertising different vacancies, the United Nations has advertised some on their Facebook page, there are opportunities with the Commonwealth. So there seems to be quite a large range of jobs at all levels, I would say from a very entry level position to a very senior level position. I saw Petrotrin was advertising for a CEO for their Employee Assistance Programme; UNIPET is advertising for a CEO, so there is quite a spectrum of jobs available and if you look just in the regular classifieds of the newspapers you will see everything from housekeepers, to people to work in gas stations to people to work in restaurants. She says with the new Starbucks franchise coming there will certainly be some hiring. The supermarkets; the coffee shops; the pizza places; they are always looking for staff, so I really dont think in anyway there is a shortage of jobs, the challenge is really whether they are the sort of jobs that people are willing to do and/ or are qualified to do. And I think really in terms of how one can prepare for the jobs that are out there you have to be a lot more flexible than perhaps you would otherwise be. It is definitely going to become an employers market rather than how it has been the last few years where it has been an employees market and theyve had a bit more control. Now you are going to see employers with the control because they obviously will have more choice. She says people looking for work will have to be more flexible whether it is in terms of the level of position, the financial compensation, hours of work. She also noted that employees will have to be prepared to work shift. You may have to be willing to work weekends, depending on the industry youre going into. So that means putting things in place to make that happen. Fundamentally you may not get the job you always dreamed youd have, but in my experience and in my personal opinion it is better to have a job than no job because one still has to pay bills and feed children and what have you. So I really dont think it is in any way doom and gloom as people may fear but you will have to adjust your expectations. She says that companies may find their profits are going down or they are losing money because of declining demand for their products, because in Trinidad everything is connected to the energy sector so once that sector begins declining that impacts everything from the companies who provide their staff with cars; to the firms that may offer training; to the service support firms. So it starts to really have a trickle-down effect and if my company is making less money I may need an employee or two but I wouldnt necessarily pay as much as I could have paid in the past so salaries may come down. In some cases you may be looking at part time work because the company cannot afford a full time employee, you may be looking at cuts in benefits but it does depend on the industry, the level of job, the competition for the job itself. The higher up you go maybe there are fewer candidates so the salary might be quite good but I really do think people have to adjust their expectations somewhat. Im not suggesting that you earn less than you can live on but you may have to cut back because if you need a job, you want to join the firm now so that when things turn around, youve been there, youve been loyal, youve put in the effort and then you will be rewarded at some point, hopefully. Quentrall-Thomas adds that most of the available jobs are probably going to be in the services sector and that would be the supermarkets; the retail outlets; restaurants; and hotels. She says that this is nothing new but has been the case for a number of years where there have been hundreds of vacancies in those industries. They are always looking for reliable, customer-oriented people to work with them and they really find that a challenge, they have repeatedly advertised, theyve even gone to places within the region to look for staff. She says the problem is whether people view those positions and those jobs as career opportunities because you might be making coffee or serving a customer today, most of those places do give you opportunities to grow into supervisory management positions. Many of them have good benefits. The problem is that people dont see that, they dont view it...they think of it as something temporary whereas it could actually have future, long term benefits. She says an added problem is that people arent always willing to work shifts, I understand that. Its not always safe if you are leaving your job at ten oclock or 11 oclock at night to travel home, its not always safe so there are a number of reasons why those jobs may not necessarily appeal, but in the absence of anything else you may have to consider it and see what you can put in place. Quentrall-Thomas says she doesnt think that things will get to the stage where there is a shortage of jobs, it is just really going to be whether its the sort of jobs that people feel are interesting and engaging work and that they are willing to do. Similar views from Eve Anderson Recruitment Limited. Catherine Perreira, the firms Communications advisor, says There are a lot of people on the job market right now and they need to seriously think about what they want to do next, what they are willing to do and how flexible they are willing to be. Admitting that the demand for workers is currently lower than the same period last year, Perreira says professionals are being sought after across the spectrum -- from management and supervisory levels to engineers, technicians, assistants and sales representatives. It is still very busy for us as we even have requests for drivers and courier staff, adding that the company also has vacancies in manufacturing; banking and insurance; the fast food and food and beverage industry; hotel and tourism; security; shipping and logistics; IT; aviation; retail and wholesale. We have observed that the number of job seekers have increased significantly, and most of the applicants have recently been unemployed either via termination, downsizing or made redundant. We are also getting numerous applicants from persons from the energy sector. We are working feverishly to help match these professionals with businesses, she said in an email exchange with Business Day. Eve Anderson adds that the professionals companies are seeking now are people who not only have the critical competencies that they need, but more importantly those who have stronger work ethics and are committed, willing to go the extra mile, are creative, flexible and customer centric - good people will always have a choice. The company, which has been providing recruitment services in Trinidad and Tobago for more than 44 years, says that while many people would not consider it an option, it sometimes guides some candidates toward temporary work. According to Perreira, Generally a lot of people do not want a temporary job. However, we have had long standing candidates who only want to work temporary jobs because it affords them the lifestyle they want. She adds, Temporary work is definitely on the rise and whats more important is Eve Andersons efforts to change perceptions that temporary work / freelance work is not to be viewed as a completely bad thing. The world of work is changing globally and greater importance is being raised on the kind of lifestyles we want. TT attracting foreign business The GSLI is published by AT Kearney, an international management consulting firm that seeks to bring rigour to companies decisions about where to locate their offshore operations. According to PRNewswire. com, the research paper analyses and ranks the top 55 countries for outsourcing worldwide based on metrics in three categories: financial attractiveness, people skills and availability, and business environment. TT ranked 42 out of 55 countries in the 2016 edition of the GSLI. According to CEO of the IFC, Varun Maharaj, the report demonstrates this countrys increasing international profile and validates our position as a global BPO service provider. Business Day sat down with Maharaj on January 29 to discuss how TTs ranking on the GSLI has helped to further the IFCs goals. Now that TT has entered the ranking, we are now on the radar of BPO professionals around the world, be it those companies which have set up shared services centres or those that provide outsourcing. So it sets off a light bulb in peoples minds - I should be looking at TT, Maharaj said. He also noted TT has been ranked higher than Canada, which has been active in this field for much longer and which has a significant outsourcing and shared services operation in Halifax because of the tax incentives that they provide. I think it comes back to our value proposition because (TT) has a skilled labour force, it is financially attractive...and we have a stable political environment. Significance of the GSIL ranking Maharaj revealed that as a result of this ranking, the IFC will soon be hosting an inward delegation of representatives from BPO providers and other institutions from North America and India. We had been in discussion with them but the 2016 ranking quickened their interest. Some of the companies, more so from North America, are end-clients who are looking to locate either a shared services operation or to outsource to a near-shore location while a couple of the providers from India are among the big BPO and IT companies. Thats not all. Two months from now, the IFC will host a BPO summit on April 20 and 21; the first such event to be held in TT. Were working with a provider which has expertise in organising BPO summits. Between 20 (and) 30 international companies are expected to attend to have a proof of concept, to interact with key stakeholders, Government officials and ICT providers, et cetera Maharaj also said the IFCs focus on BPO services ranges from finance and accounting to banking, financial services and insurance. Legislation needed In terms of the IFCs work, additional legislation is required.Maharaj explained that as it relates to the international capital market transactions, we need to put in place the correct environment to attract the global players who would want to underwrite, say, infrastructure financing in the Caribbean and Latin America. The IFC CEO cited the example of Chinese financial institutions having US $250 billion to invest in the region. He said if the IFC can attract some of these firms to establish a base in TT, it would lead to increased employment for locals in the financial and information and communication technology (ICT) sectors while helping to diversify the economy. The legislation is already drafted. We have worked with an international law firm that has experience in Singapore, Mauritius, Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. That firm has also worked with a local legal luminary and this whole drafting process has been carried out in consultation with the Chief Parliamentary Councils Office. Its an establishment bill and it will cater for the right environment to attract these international firms, Maharaj said. He is hopeful the legislation will soon reach Parliament for debate and then be put into the law books of TT. Local companies interested too Scotiabank and RBC, banks with Canadian head offices, both opened BPO centres in Trinidad within the last five years but since mid-2014, there has been growing interest from local companies in this type of service. Maharaj revealed that the IFC is currently in discussions with two companies, whose names would be disclosed by the end of the first quarter of 2016. These are local companies with a regional and international presence and theyre working with international providers to put together shared services operations. They are expected to hire predominantly local staff. I prefer not to provide an estimate of the number of employees but it would be significant. A lot of the work that they have internationally is going to be consolidated into Trinidad and again, it comes back to the value proposition that TT has. Maharaj said this came about because of the IFCs marketing (and) matchmaking efforts in which it introduced local and regional companies to international BPO providers who the IFC felt best-suited the companies needs. IFC Incubation Centre Another service being provided by the IFC is a business incubation centre for companies interested in setting up BPO or shared services centres. The Incubation Centre was opened about nine months ago and is located on the same floor as the IFCs head offices, Level 15, Tower D, International Waterfront Centre, Wrightson Road, Port-of- Spain. In order to facilitate and make it easier for institutions to get involved in consolidating their operations, we have created an Incubation Centre. Companies can set up a pilot project then flesh it out into a full-fledged shared services operation or outsourcing operation. Part of the free-zone incentives inlcudes (office) space on this floor for a short period of time; just to get the proof of concept, we hold their hands during that time, then they go out and get their own space, Maharaj said. Digicel begins implementation of Play Digicel is expecting another market revolution with its recently launched Digicel Play, a $2 billion fibre network to provide television, land line and internet, and plan to help bridge the digital divide to improve peoples income earning capacity. Digicel TT CEO Sacha Thompson discussed the new service during a recent interview at Digicels corporate office at Maraval Road, Port-of-Spain. She reported that with Digicel Play the company will be providing the most advanced online, television and digital service. Thompson said Digicel is expanding into this new area for the same reason it came to this country 10 years ago - to bring needed competition for the benefit of the customer. She recalled that before the entry of Digicel mobile phones were restricted to a limited number of users, but now there is 150 per cent penetration. Thompson said the new service will be transformational for the market and contribute to the economic development of the country through bridging of the digital divide. Also present during the interview was Digicel Play CEO Garvin Medera. He explained that Digicel Play features a 100 percent fibre network which goes all the way to the customers premises. He noted that they have a backbone and then an access network which actually connects the customer which differs from the hybrid fibre network most customers are accustomed to. Medera said the network will support the high bandwidth requirements that people will have and will also future proof Digicel, enabling them to grow as technology grows without a need to upgrade the network. He added that fibre provides stability and consistency of service that is unparalleled. It now means that you as the customer will absolutely get what you paid for, he said. He noted that whatever service you sign up for, 100 megabits per second (mbps) for example, you will get it consistently throughout the day. He said the high bandwidth also provides for high quality, crystal clear phone connection and high quality TV viewing. He noted that customers would be offered high definition channels and the bandwidth to the other channels will be much higher than accustomed. Medera reported that about 1,000 people were hired for the implementation of Digicel Play and it is 99 per cent local. He explained that the backbone of the system is everywhere in the country and operations are at the next phase where service is being rolled out to specific areas, with customer interest dictating in which area the next launch would be. Medera said Digicel plans for national by 2018. Medera noted demand for the service has thus far been greater in Tobago. At this time, customers in the North West of Trinidad or South of Tobago can visit a retail store and sign up for services while in other areas can call on a Digicel phone at 100 or 500, call 866-PLAY, or sign up on the website at digicelplaytt.com. Questioned about the issues faced by other local cable providers who were mandated by the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago to remove channels for which they did not have the intellectual property rights, Medera assured that Digicel has worked with the regulator and are in compliance. Noting that since its launch in Trinidad and Tobago ten years ago Digicel has invested some $7 billion into the country, Thompson noted that the investment into the new product and service of fibre to the home (FTTH) is $2 billion. So we continue to really invest in the country with that exact goal of bridging that digital divide, she said. Medera said Digicel Play was being launched live in Jamaica and Barbados as well. No investigation into alleged abuse of power At the weekly police press briefing yesterday acting Assistant Superintendent of Police Michael Pierre told reporters there would be no further investigation into the matter or allegations raised by Alleyne and his attorneys. Alleyne has since been charged by Inspector Roger Alexander, cohost of TV6s Beyond the Tape While at the briefing, ASP Pierre added that the show which Alexander hosts on TV6 is sanctioned by the Commissioner of Police and that Insp Alexander was on duty at the time he arrested Alleyne. It was revealed that all video produced by the show belongs to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service Alleyne was at the home of Chaguanas businessman Sheron Sukhdeo on Tuesday when he was forced off the property by Inspector Alexander who arrested him. Alleyne was subsequently charged at the Chaguanas Police Station Duck thief fined $6,500 Moses, a father of seven, pleaded guilty before San Fernando Magistrate Margaret Alert, who presides over the Fourth Court and who read the charge of larceny of ducks valued $1,000. Court prosecutor Sgt Krishna Badessie related the facts, saying that that last week Thursday (February 11) at Temple Street, Duncan Village in San Fernando, Boodoo secured her ducks in a pen located at the back of her home. She went away and returned sometime later. The court heard that upon checking the pen, Boodoo discovered four ducks missing. Prosecutor Badessie said that Boodoo made a report at the San Fernando Police Station and WPC Marshall of the Criminal Investigations Department conducted investigations. WPC Marshall subsequently arrested and charged Moses with the offence. Whilst questioning him about the report, Moses admitted to police that he stole two ducks because the owners dog ate his chicken. None of the ducks were recovered. Yesterday, Moses admitted to the magistrate that he was angry and acted ignorant. He added that considered his chickens as pets and asked the magistrate to tell Boodoo to tie her dogs. Moses claimed to have lost 13 chickens. The magistrate interjected saying he should have reported that matter to police. Again, Moses called for the neighbour to secure her dogs and the magistrate responded that the dog owners were not before her on a criminal charge. The magistrate noted that she had problems believing his story and further noted that Moses had nine previous convictions, many for the possession of illegal narcotics. She fined him $6,500 to be paid within 60 days or in default serve 12 months in prison. The magistrate also ordered that he pay $1,000 compensation to Boodoo within 30 days or in default serve a further 21 days in jail. Jailed for cocaine...once again Magistrate Brahmanand Dubay, in the Sixth Court, passed the sentence on Doolal who pleaded guilty to the two charges laid by PC Smith of the Marabella CID. Police court prosecutor Cpl Keri Morales told the court that at about 5.30 pm on Tuesday, Constables Smith and Mohammed were on mobile patrol duties along Market Street, Marabella, where they searched Doolal. In his crotch, police found a transparent plastic bag which contained 2.5 grammes of cocaine. As PC Smith attempted to arrest him for the offence, Doolal pulled away in a violent manner. Prosecutor Morales added that with the assistance of PC Mohammmed, PC Smith managed to subdue, and arrest Doolal. When asked by the magistrate yesterday if he had any previous conviction, Doolal responded in the negative. But the prosecutor produced Moses criminal records , which stated that he had several previous convictions for possession of cocaine, as well as possession for the purpose of trafficking. Magistrate Dubay sentenced him to 18 months hard labour on the charge of cocaine possession and 12 months hard labour for resisting arrest. The sentences are to run concurrently which means Doolal will serve 18 months hard labour in jail Dad gets bail for attempting to kill family Blackie informed the magistrate that he has been in custody for more than a year. After he granted the bail, Wellington adjourned the case to March 16. Blackie is alleged to have chopped wife Bernadette Outram, 60, and daughters Nadisha Blackie, 25, Natalie Blackie, 29, and Nadine Blackie, 26, at the familys home located at Riversdale Road, Williamsville on December 21, 2014 Constable Neckcheddy of the Gasparillo Police Station charged him with attempting to murder each of the women, maliciously throwing a noxious substance namely gasoline on each of them with intent to do them grievous bodily harm, and maliciously setting fire to a dwelling house. On his initial appearance in December 2014, Blackies attorney Annalee Girwar submitted to the court that her client had been hearing the voice of his deceased mother As such, she had requested that the court send Blackie to St Anns Psychiatric Hospital for an evaluation But the court denied the request Instead the magistrate had denied bail and remanded the accused father into police custody Man shot by guard at Dominos Pizza A struggle ensued and several shots were fired. The suspect fell to the ground bleeding from gunshot wounds. He was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he was treated and remains warded under police guard. Officers seized a Glock 17 pistol and a magazine with a quantity of 9 mm ammunition. Spent shells were also found at the scene. Officers of the Four Roads Police Station are investigating. In an unrelated incident on Tuesday officers of the Port-of-Spain Task Force executed a search warrant in Barataria and the search yielded one homemade pistol and eight rounds of 9 mm ammunition. An occupant of the house was arrested and charged for the offence. TT records first Zika case Deyalsingh, the St Joseph MP, assured that no one will die on account of the disease. Making the announcement at a Rapid Response Mosquito Eradication Exercise in Penal Rock Road, Penal yesterday afternoon, Deyalsingh would only identify the patient as a 61-year-old woman, who recently travelled to New Zealand. I would like to announce that Trinidad and Tobago at 2.30 pm has recorded its first laboratory confirmed case of Zika, confirmed by CARPHA, Deyalsingh said. CARPHA stands for the Caribbean Public Health Agency. The Minister noted that New Zealand is not a Zika known territory and that the method by which the woman contracted the virus was being investigated. He said the area in which she lives will also be investigated. The Ministry of Health in a statement issued late yesterday afternoon, stated that the Zika case may be a locally acquired case. Deyalsingh said the patient first displayed symptoms on February 10 and samples were sent to CARPHA on February 12. He noted that testing took a few days. He addressed a gathering which comprised County Medical Officer Dr Clive Tiluckdharry and other senior doctors along with the Chairman of the Penal Debe Regional Corporation Premchand Sookoo, and other councillors at the Community Centre at Penal Rock Road. What we do not want with Zika is panic. Nobody is going to die of Zika. Please let us keep this Zika thing in perspective. Please, I am appealing to everyone, do not create necessary panic. The comments that when Zika reaches the area we will all die, are simply not true. The Minister then sought responses from the medical team as to whether what he was saying was true, and the medical team responded in the affirmative. The Minister continued to appeal to Chairman Sookoo and his councillors not to make Zika a political issue. I am appealing to all and sundry not to turn this into a political issue by making statements which are only geared to create chaos, confusion and panic. To prove his point Minister Deyalsingh who is a pharmacist by profession used an example that if there are 100 persons in a room with the Zika virus only 80 will display symptoms. Minister Deyalsingh told the gathering that the real issue at hand was the elimination of the Aedes Egypti mosquito. In fact, Deyalsingh who was dressed in a short sleeved open neck shirt said he came dressed to take part in the eradication exercise. Citing reduction and education as a twopronged attack, he said it would start at the ground level. He urged students and adults alike to keep their surroundings clean as the mosquito could breed, in a soft drink cap. The Ministry, in its release also issued further guidelines to prevent Zika and other mosquito- borne diseases namely: dispose all unwanted containers/items that may collect water; cover water barrels, drums or buckets with a tight fitting lid; keep drains and guttering clean; empty and scrub the sides of water vases; wear clothing to cover arms and legs; apply insect repellent to exposed skin and sleep under a mosquito- net. Caricom National Security Council created Rowley, who has responsibility for security in the Caricom Quasi- Cabinet, also made a presentation with recommendations, to his fellow leaders at the conference relating to Citizens by Investments (CIPs). According to a statement issued yesterday by the Office of the Prime Minister, the conference noted that CIPs are being pursued by some Caricom Member States. Agreeing with Rowleys recommendation, Caricom leaders accepted that all Member States wishing to maintain CIPs should utilize the services of the Joint Regional Communications Centre (JRCC), to provide the necessary expertise and resources in the design and implementation of a more robust system of background checks for vetting individuals applying for economic citizenship. In acknowledging the right of Caricom countries to pursue CIPs for economic development, Caricom leaders mandated that all Member States undertake to implement the measures required to strengthen the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS), the provision of updated information and intelligence to the Caricom Watchlist and the enactment of enabling legislation in this regard. Trinidad and Tobago was represented at the conference by Prime Minister Rowley and a 12-member delegation, which included Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister, Dennis Moses, who recently was appointed as a Minister in the National Security Ministry. The Prime Minister returns home today Its Valentines day Valentine took the oath of office yesterday, a day after the former mayor Raymond Tim Kee ,tendered his resignation. Tim Kee resigned almost a week after making controversial statements in reference to the death of Japanese national Asami Nagakiya. On Wednesday last, the former mayor said women have a responsibility to ensure they are not abused. His comments were in response to a question from the media, seeking his reaction to the discovery of Nagakiyas body at the Queens Park Savannah. The young woman was clad in a bikini-type outfit when her body was found. She was manually strangled according to an autopsy the following day. At a special meeting of Council yesterday at City Hall, Knox Street, Chief Executive Officer of the Portof- Spain, Annette Seaforth advised the Council that she received Tim Kees resignation letter dated February 16. Speaking after receiving the mayoral chain, Valentine said he was humbled that he was called to immediately serve as the mayor of the capital city, but added it was an uncomfortable circumstance. Ive come to the realisation that in political life, things like these do happen and we just have to treat with it and carry on with the business, he said. Valentine said he has been deputy mayor for the past six years and has acted as mayor on several occasions, and added that with his new appointment, he was chained to the city. I definitely will do my best of course with the support of all my colleagues in Council. I am sure we will do a very good job, he said. He added when he spoke to Tim Kee on Tuesday, he (Valentine) assured him that all his plans and projects will be implemented. Those projects include vending, parking meters as well as dealing with the homeless in the city. Asked if he expected any challenges during his mayorship, he said, I dont see any challenges. The Council will appoint an alderman as Deputy mayor at a date to be announced. Fire destroys abandoned building Newsday understands that just before midday yesterday, a truck was being driven along Belmont Terrace, when its top hooked onto an electrical line and severed it. The power cable landed in bushes near to an abandoned house and sparks emanating from one end of the severed cable caused a fire which quickly engulfed the house. As soon as residents noticed the fire, emergency services were contacted. Officers of the Belmont Fire Station responded and doused the blaze, but one of the neighbouring houses experienced minor fire damage before officers could contain the fire. The residents in the area now remain without electricity or water, and some of the houses experienced water damage. Speaking to residents in the area, Newsday was told that the situation could have been a lot worse. Residents said each of their houses were outfitted with large gas tanks that could have ignited and further spread the fire. It is a good thing that we as neighbours are very close knit, said Aneesa Mc Clean, one of the residents Our main goal was to make sure that the fire did not spread to the other houses. Mc Clean added that neighbours evacuated homes and assisted those who were not able to move out of their houses Grand send off for beloved musician Delivering the homily before a packed congregation that included President Anthony Carmona and his wife Reema, parish priest Fr Martin Sirju yesterday described the well known music tutor as a generous man who never practiced discrimination of any kind. His generousity was not partisan, Fr Sirju preached. He was not generous to one ethnic group, he was not generous to any particular class, and this is something our politics suffer. Saying that when Joseph accepted persons to train at his music school Mission Sunrise Foundation, he looked out especially for those who lacked opportunities. And this is one weakness of our education system, Sirju noted. Our education system, when it comes to excellence, proceeds along the line of class. The upper class do well and the poor do very badly - it makes it seem that the wealthy are bright and the poor are dunce, and this is so sad. Joseph never subscribed to that school of thought, and looked out for those lacking opportunity and took them to high levels, Sirju added..Parents too, he said could learn, as Joseph although blind successfully raised his children. We are eternally indebted to him. Among mourners yesterday were many of Josephs proteges - 2016 San Fernando Calypso Monarch Mistah Shak (Selvon Lewis) who paid tribute to him in song with a mournful version of Sparrows classic Memories and brothers Joey and Vincent Rivers - Calypsonians Gypsy (Winston Peters) and Cro Cro (Weston Rawlins) were also there with scores of others from within the music fraternity, and who learnt from Joseph. Shock over Las Alturas Sections of a statement from Subran were yesterday read out at the Commission of Inquiry into the project by inquiry chairman retired Judge Justice Mustapha Ibrahim as he considered a legal application which sought to exclude the views of Subran from the inquiry. My review of the documents revealed no mention of the acquisition procedure, or of valuations, or of any report by any land surveyor, or anyone else prior to the acquisition of the site, Subran says in the statement. This was shocking as the site was an exhausted quarry, in an area with below-average land stability, and the state authorities responsible for monitoring quarries were infamous for their failure to enforce the terms and conditions of quarry operations, especially the standard clause for restoring of the site on cessation of quarry works. I see no evidence of approval of the structures, or of an application being approved. Attorneys for Udecott yesterday objected to Subran being called as a witness, on the grounds that he was not an expert qualified to speak on the issue of site suitability nor was he a party connected to the project. Attorney Katherine Denbow argued that while Subran was qualified in land valuation, he was not a geo-technical expert. But Ibrahim queried whether a land valuation had to take into account site suitability. The Commissioner of Valuations is a key official who has oversight of the valuation of all land in the country. Counsel to the inquiry Jagdeo Singh also raised the issue of the question of whether it was correct for no stamp duty to be paid on the Housing Development Corporations $27 million purchase of land from Udecott, for the project. It seems that the Housing Development Corporation Act does not, at first blush, exempt this transaction from stamp duty, Singh said, saying the Board of Inland Revenue may have erred on the matter. Ibrahim queried whether State-to- State transactions were free of stamp duty. Singh said the instrument used to transfer the land may not have fallen under that rule. HART WANTS TO TESTIFY It also emerged at the inquiry yesterday that former Udecott chairman Calder Hart has indicated through attorneys his willingness to give evidence at the inquiry via video link. He has indicated he is willing to give evidence by video link, Singh said. However, the position of former Udecott chief operating officer Neelanda Rampaul is unclear. We do not have an address for her, said Denbow, who yesterday morning initially sought to urge the Commission to invoke its power to summon both witnesses. She withdrew this request in relation to Hart, but Ibrahim is due to rule on Rampaul at the inquiry today. While testimony of the former Housing Development Corporation (HDC) managing director Noel Garcia was due to continue yesterday afternoon, this had to be pushed back due to legal submissions made by attorney Justin Phelps. Phelps argued the inquiry manifested unfairness to his client, Geotech Associates, through a move to have a previous HDC witness return to the stand. The submission was over-ruled. We have considered all the submissions made, Ibrahim said at the end of yesterdays proceedings at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). They have been made very exhaustively indeed. We have read the statement of Mr (Francis) Arland ,and we are of the view that evidence which he proposes to give would be very helpful to the Commission in coming to a conclusion on the matters which are being set out for us by His Excellency the President (Anthony Carmona). We are not prepared to shut out any evidence that may assist us in that regard. For that purposed we would allow the evidence. We will consider any application by you at the relevant time. Calls for local farmers to be consistent Massy Stores sell about $170-$180 million worth of produce, half of which is imported. There is a lot of opportunity for the local farmers because many of the products are the same, and there are products that were now introduced. I spoke about the quality of produce, not just supply, not just the $100 million opportunity, he said. Using the example of the local delicacy - souse - Winford said Massy did not grow the limes people used for their souse, but depended on the farmers to grow good quality limes. Its not just limes, its tomatoes and lettuce and everything that we produce locally. When you put it next to the imported products... think about a Florida orange and a Trinidad orange. We need consistency in supply. We have tremendous opportunity, but more importantly, we need consistency for the customers. Who gets blame when you come into the store and you get poor quality limes? This is what Massy Stores is selling? No, this is what the farmers are producing and selling to Massy Stores, he said. Citing as an example, Winford said 98 per cent of their chicken were brought in fresh from Arawak, on the same day that the birds were slaughtered they were brought into the stores. A lot of the supermarket chains would import that cheap, frozen product and its probably past expiry date and that is what we are talking about. We dont do that. Ninety-eight per cent of our chicken is fresh. The other two per cent that are frozen are still supplied mostly by Arawak, he said. Winford noted that the poultry was given three days shelf life, but most were gone within 24 hours as there were people waiting for the new batch of chicken to arrive. Mayor Paul remains silent on calls to quit Tim Kee made comments which offended many men and women over Nagakiyas murder saying women ought to conduct themselves better and not wear provocative clothing or behave in a vulgar manner that could lead to them being sexually assaulted or attacked physically. This led to protests and petitions for him to quit . For his part, Paul - in rising to Tim Kees defence - questioned the rationale behind calls for the then Port-of-Spain Mayors resignation from womens organisations and other sections of society for perceived misogynistic remarks. On social media, Paul stated: What action Tim Kee must resign for? I hope when the truth of the young ladys murder unfolds some people could handle it. In a text message on Monday, Mayor Paul when asked to comment on recent developments surrounding the then embattled Port- of-Spain Mayor, declined further comment, instead stating that he was at a funeral and was switching off his mobile phone . In another funeral. I dont even know what. Wont be able to reply . Im shutting down, Paul stated in his text message response to queries by Newsday . Yesterday when approached by reporters at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA) in San Fernando where he had attended a National Consultation on Education, Mayor Paul, asked for a response on calls for him to resign, did not break his stride telling Newsday, nope, nope, nope! Ministry gives Music Festival $200,000 The funds are for the 31st Biennial Music Festival which runs from February 14 to its Gala Closing Ceremony on March 12. Gadsby-Dolly hailed the Associations hard-work and its key role in the development of young people. She was glad to help fund the Association, given the Festivals long history and big impact. Incorporated by an Act of Parliament, the Association has for 75 years held festivals to encourage musical appreciation in persons of all ages. Problems force schools closure Success Laventille Secondary remained closed for a second consecutive day because of staffers absence in protest over the Ministry of Educations continued failure to build a wall to protect pupils from the intrusion of gangsters, some of whom pelt bottles into the school and openly cavort, eating lunch atop the low school walls . Protesting staffers on Tuesday told Newsday they first appealed for a new wall after the 2014 murder of pupil Salim Dalzell, 17, but so far to no avail. Contacted for comment, Education Minister Anthony Garcia said he stands by his previous commitment that a new wall will be built. However, he said there is a process to go through and he could not give any timeline by which this construction would take place . However, under the dire circumstances, Garcia said he has asked the Education Facilities Company Limited (EFCL) to expedite the process, using a sole selected tender, which the Ministry is standing by to approve . Garcia did not know the cost . Meanwhile, he said security at the school has been beefed up by more MTS security guards and more frequent police patrols . Meanwhile, the Montrose Vedic School continues to suffer an unknown infestation that is causing itching which has seen the closure of the Infants Department and of Standard One, resulting in 200 pupils staying home for the past week. Last term, that school was closed for seven weeks awaiting spraying for suspected fleas, but now the problem has resurfaced . CARIRI (Caribbean Industrial Research Institute) commissioned a physical investigation of the premises, but to date the report of any findings remain in the hands of the Education Ministry and EFCL . School stakeholders including pupils, parents and staff are none the wiser as to the cause of the skin irritation and whether it is biological or chemical . A Ministry source told Newsday that to seek a way forward, a stakeholders meeting will be held tomorrow (at an unspecified time and venue), involving parents, staff, TTUTA, Ministry, Ministry of Health and OSHA among others . Chaguanas Government has also once again suffered the resurgence of sewer problems, which surfaced last term and which has resulted in the schools closure . A parent told Newsday that remedial work done on the sewer last term was apparently inadequate as a new leakage has been detected. A Ministry source yesterday said the Ministry is working on the sewer problem which is due to reopen on Monday . Parliament will move with dispatch A statement issued by the ministry indicated Dillon used the opportunity of that meeting to underscore a statement by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley that, once a recommendation comes to Parliament, the public can be assured Parliament will move with dispatch to select one of those persons. The Prime Minister gave that assurance on Sunday, prior to his departure for Belize to attend the 27th Inter-Sessional Caricom Heads of Government Conference. Rowley is expected to return home today. Last Friday, Leader of Government Business Camille Robinson- Regis will move a motion in the House which calls on the House to approve President Anthony Carmonas nomination of Dinanath Ramkissoon to be appointed a member of the Commission. At the meeting, Dillon requested, pursuant to clause 3 (a) of the CoP and Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (Selection Process) Order 2015, that the PSC take the necessary steps to initiate the selection process for appointment to the offices of Commissioner of Police and Deputy Commission of Police. This verbal request was followed by a written request which was delivered yesterday. The ministry described the meeting between Dillon and the PSC members as cordial and fruitful. The meeting focused on matters relating to the revised selection process for the posts of CoP and DCP. School violence decreasing Yesterday was the second day of broad consultations under the rubric, Working together to deliver quality education, with the first leg of these talks being held at the Teaching and Learning Complex (TLC), University of the West Indies, St Augustine campus on February 15. Garcia told stakeholders that in the last few months, the number of recommendations for extended suspensions were reduced, which showed a decrease in violence at schools. I want to congratulate principals and teachers who are working extremely hard to ensure our students are well disciplined. I have faith in our children, the minister said. Some of the major topics to be discussed at these consultations are discipline and violence in schools. Garcia said he is also working to ensure parents become involved in the holistic education of their children. Our parents play a very important role in the education of their children. We are going to ensure there is adequate and increased parental involvement in education, the minister said. Other topics to be discussed during the consultation include the Continuous Assessment Component (CAC) of the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SE A), the Education Act, the Concordat and Teacher Training. In addition, Garcia said the ministry has no intention of diminishing the Concordat. The church plays a tremendous role in education and I would like to give assurance to the Denominational Board that we will strengthen those ties not diminish it. But there is need to have a look at the Concordat so members of churches and Denominational Board, fear not...we will continue to work with you so we can have an educational system we are all proud of, Garcia assured. Later, Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) president Devanand Sinanan called for the reintroduction of Technical Vocational subjcts in schools. Our notion of schooling must now embrace the reality that information possession is no longer power. Schools must find ways to teach people to think critically, analyze information and create solutions to the problems that confront us, Sinanan said. He added that this will not happen if TT continues to teach children to cram and regurgitate information. By perpetuating a system that excludes children based on cognitive ability, we see alot of our children failing by age 11, he said. The TTUTA president further lamented that teachers must be able to adapt the curriculum to the peculiar needs of children without the threat of examinations and results-based prestige over their young heads. They must be able to encourage children to question, challenge and enquire as part of their daily school experience. They must recognise that they are preparing children to face a future that none of us can predict and thus must prepare them to adapt to a rapidly changing global order by being able to become self-directed, life-long learners, he said. For her part, National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA) second vice president Raffiena Ali Boodoosingh said that the education system must be changed to make it more responsive to the 21st century. It must be a collaborative effort led by the Ministry of education, NGOS, CBOS, churches, temples and mosques so that we could truly care for the low income or no income vulnerable members of our society, Boodoosingh said.The third segment is scheduled for the Shaw Park Cultural Complex in Tobago on February 22 What you need to know about the Octagon Art Festival on Sunday in Ames news Nitin Gadkari launches website of Maritime India Summit 2016 New Delhi, Thu, 18 Feb 2016 NI Wire Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways launched the Website for Maritime India Summit 2016 www.maritimeinvest.in at the Ports and Shipping seminar at Make in India (MII) Summit today. The Maritime India Summit is scheduled to be held in Mumbai in April this year. The user friendly website launched today will facilitate investors and participants to access detailed information about the summit, including registrations. Launching the website Shri Gadkari said, A strong maritime sector will create economic growth and jobs. Realizing this potential is duty towards the nation. I am committed to bring the sector into focus; to achieve our goal of port led economic development Maritime India Summit 2016 (MIS 2016), is the maiden global summit being organised by the Ministry of Shipping in April, to unleash the potential of Indian Maritime Sector. The summit will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 14 April 2016 at the Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre in Mumbai. MIS 2016 will comprise of an Investors Summit on 1415 April 2016 , along with exhibition and demo sessions spread over three days. The Republic of Korea is the partner country for the MIS 2016 and will be represented by a high level ministerial and business delegation. More than 50 other maritime nations have also been invited to attend the Summit As a precursor to the MIS 2016 roadshows have been organised in Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad. The next roadshow is scheduled in Ahmedabad on 23 February 2016. The Ministry of Shipping showcased the potential of growth in the maritime sector at Make in India Week. The launch of the website at MII Summit witnessed an enthusiastic participation by policy-makers, industry experts, corporate captains and Ministry of Shipping officials. Shri Gadkari has urged the potential participants/exhibitors to register themselves online and avail the early bird discount till 10th of March 2016. Source: PIB Googles balloon-powered high-speed Internet service known as Project Loon began its first tests in Sri Lanka Monday ahead of a planned joint venture with Colombo, the countrys top IT official said. One of three balloons that will be used in the trials entered Sri Lankan airspace Monday, the Information and Communication Technology Agency chief Muhunthan Canagey said. The first balloon entered our airspace this morning. It was launched from South America, Canagey told AFP. It is currently over southern Sri Lanka. He said a Google team was expected later this week to test flight controls, spectrum efficiency and other technical matters. The government announced earlier this month it would take a 25 percent stake in a joint venture with Google to deliver a high-speed Internet service powered by helium-filled balloons. Sri Lanka is not investing any capital, but will take the stake in return for allocating spectrum for the project. The inflatable part of the balloon is called a balloon envelope made from sheets of polyethylene plastic that are 49ft (15 meters) wide and 40ft (12 meters) tall when inflated. The balloons harness power from card table-sized solar panels that dangle below them, and they can gather enough charge in four hours to power them for a day. Each balloon can provide connectivity to a ground area of around 25 miles (40km) in diameter using LTE, also referred to as 4G, technology. The balloons will have a lifespan of about 180 days, but can be recycled, according to Sri Lankan officials involved in the venture. Official figures show there are 3.3 million mobile Internet connections and 630,000 fixed line Internet subscribers among Sri Lankas more than 20 million population. 250,000 genetically modified mosquitoes are released each day in Sao Palo. They spend their lives competing, copulating, and, because they are so numerous, overwhelming the population of wild males in the pursuit of females. Because of a genetic change to their DNA, they will live only four daysand their offspring wont ever develop past the larval stage. The insects were developed by Oxitec, a U.K. company that calls them Friendly Aedes and produces them at a facility located an hour away by car. Although the insects arent yet commercially available, the pilot program in Piracicaba has become a test case for whether GM insects can stop diseaseand, if so, whether it will be at a cost cities can afford. The project here began in April 2014, a year after an epidemic of dengue fever that caused more than 1.5 million cases in Brazil. So far, it is working: after 10 months of testing in two small neighborhoods, the number of dengue cases among 5,600 residents fell from 133 in a year to only one. In addition to GM mosquitoes, there are experiments using mosquitoes infected with a bacterium, Wolbachia, that seems to prevent them from spreading diseases. Research on that idea has been supported with $40 million by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which hopes it could be extensively deployed in Brazil in the coming months. A still more futuristic approach, which would use gene editing to eradicate mosquitoes, remains years from actual use. Last August Oxitec, which has also staged releases in Panama and the Cayman Islands, was acquired for $160 million by the U.S. conglomerate Intrexon, which owns a portfolio of transgenic organisms including salmon and apple trees. Now that Brazil is fighting Zika as well as dengueboth are spread by Aedes mosquitoes, as is the chikungunya virusinterest in the technology has surged. The moment of crisis will pass, but were sure that our technology is here to stay, says Glen Slade, director of Oxitecs Brazil operation. SOURCES -Technology Review The cost of deploying fast fibre connections straight to homes could be dramatically reduced by new hardware designed and tested by University College of London researchers. While major advances have been made in core optical fibre networks, they often terminate in cabinets far from the end consumers. The so called last mile which connects households to the global Internet via the cabinet, is still almost exclusively built with copper cables as the optical receiver needed to read fibre-optic signals is too expensive to have in every home. Lead researcher, Dr Sezer Erkilinc (UCL Electronic & Electrical Engineering), said: We have designed a simplified optical receiver that could be mass-produced cheaply while maintaining the quality of the optical signal. The average data transmission rates of copper cables connecting homes today are about 300 Mb/s and will soon become a major bottleneck in keeping up with data demands, which will likely reach about 5-10 Gb/s by 2025. Our technology can support speeds up to 10 Gb/s, making it truly future-proof. They simplified the design of the optical receiver, improving sensitivity and network reach compared to existing technology. Once commercialised, it will lower the cost of installing and maintaining active components between the central cabinet and homes. Academic and industry experts, along with policy makers, largely agree that FTTH is the most future-proof solution to meet the fast and exponentially growing demand for bandwidth. Yet even in countries leading the way in implementing FTTH technology such as Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong, fewer than 50% of connections use FTTH while this figure is less than 1% in the UK. Journal of Lightwave Technology Polarization-Insensitive Single Balanced Photodiode Coherent Receiver for Long-Reach WDM-PONs A major factor limiting the uptake of FTTH is the overall cost associated with laying optical fibre cables to each household and providing affordable optical receivers to connect them to the network. The highly sensitive coherent optical receivers used in core networks are desirable but are also complex, which makes them expensive to manufacture. Directly using such receivers in homes increases the cost of FTTH beyond the current copper based solutions. The novel optical receiver retains many of the advantages of the conventional optical receivers typically used in core networks, but is smaller and contains around 75-80% fewer components, lowering the cost of manufacture and maintenance. Co-author, Dr Seb Savory, previously at UCL and now at the University of Cambridge, added: Our receiver, is much simpler, containing just a quarter of the detectors used in a conventional coherent optical receiver. We achieved this by applying a combination of two techniques. First a coding technique often used in wireless communications was used to enable the receiver to be insensitive to the polarisation of the incoming signals. Second we deliberately offset the receiver laser from the transmitter laser with the additional benefit that this allows the same single optical fibre to be used for both upstream and downstream data. The researchers are now investigating the laser stability of the receiver, which is an important step to building a commercial prototype of the system. Dr Erkilinc added: Once weve quantified the laser stability, we will be in a strong position to take the receiver design through field trials and into commercialisation. It is so exciting to engineer something that may one day be in everyones homes and make them a part of the digital revolution. Abstact In an access network based on a passive optical network architecture, coherent detection is attractive since it allows for high receiver sensitivity coupled with inherent frequency selectivity. Nevertheless, solutions employed in core networks are prohibitively complex and costly, requiring the optical complexity of the coherent receivers to be reduced to make them feasible for access networks. For monolithic integration, a key challenge is posed by the polarization beam splitter (PBS). If however the PBS is removed, the receiver needs to be re-designed to be insensitive to the incoming polarization state of the received signal. In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate a polarization-insensitive (i.e., polarization-independent) coherent receiver for the optical network unit (ONU) in passive optical networks (PONs). The receiver consists of only a 3 dB coupler and a single balanced photodiode (BPD) such that the complexity is comparable to a direct detection receiver. The proposed cost-effective coherent receiver is implemented by using the Alamouti polarizationtime block coding (PTBC) scheme combined with heterodyne detection. To verify the technique, the Alamouti-coded OFDM signal is rotated over the full Poincare sphere. Compared to the DP-OFDM signal operating at a net bit rate of 10 Gb/s per polarization (a gross bit rate of 10.7 Gb/s including a 7% FEC overhead), only a 0.6 dB sensitivity degradation is observed. The sensitivity at the FEC threshold, assumed to be 4103, is measured to be -41.5 dBm (56 photons-per-bit) on a 25-GHz grid. Following this, different channel spacings are investigated and, the signal is transmitted over 80 km of standard single mode fiber (SSMF) in a long-reach (LR) wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) PON system. The loss budgets are found to be 43.0 dB and 42.8 dB for 50- and 25-GHz grids, respectively. SOURCES- Journal of Lightwave Technology, University College of London It takes about 30 minutes to complete the process, and students can drop in between 1-4 p.m. that Sunday at Rooms 105, 106, 107, & 110 at Mountwest Community and Technical College in Huntington, Colby Hall at Marshall University in Huntington, Wallace Hall at West Virginia State in Institute and Rooms 108 and 119 at Bridge Valley Community and Technical College in South Charleston. "We are here to help everyone, regardless of which college you are planning to attend". Financial aid representatives from various colleges will also be available. Zika Virus Found in Aborted Baby's Brain Only about 1 in 5 people infected with Zika Virus become ill. "We have been in close contact with the U.S. But there is no vaccine to prevent Zika or medicine to treat the infection. Students must complete this form to be considered for any federal and most state financial aid for college including scholarships and grants. Upon high school graduation, Scholars who have fulfilled the commitment receive state funds to help cover their college tuition and fees for eight semesters at eligible IN colleges. This is the single most important form for helping students receive FREE money to go to college. However, while this reduction could have some effect on your student's aid package, it shouldn't be too severe because income, more than assets, is a bigger factor in the federal financial aid formula. For instance, they must demonstrate financial need, in most programs; be a US citizen or eligible noncitizen; and be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program, for instance. If income varies greatly, the federal financial aid office has a helpful estimator tool. This will help you plan. "A lot of schools will base financial need on that information, and if you're over or under, it could impact what you get". Bridge from El Paso to Mexico draws papal enthusiasts Fernandez said he never imagined the Pope would visit a place just dozens of miles from his own home. The Arlington group prayed and chanted the rosary while the traveled west. Volunteers will walk through the online form line-by-line and answer families' individual questions as needed. Obama Vows to Push Forward With Supreme Court Nominee to Replace Scalia I feel compelled to "fire" those who refuse to work, when I cast my votes in the fall election, be they Democrats or Republicans. Four out of the past seven funerals for a Supreme Court justice have either had the president or vice president in attendance. Students should attend College Goal Sunday with their parent(s) or guardian(s), and parents' should bring completed 2015 IRS 1040 tax returns, W-2 Forms and other 2015 income and benefits information. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Amnesty International Tuesday launched a call to world powers that backed the overthrow of former Libyan ruler Gaddafi to help Libyans end the cycle of violence, abuses and detrimental humanitarian catastrophe that have gripped the one-time prosperous North African country. The call comes on the fifth anniversary of the Libyan revolution that toppled the countrys long-time ruler with the support of the NATO forces. The human rights NGO urged NATO powers and world leaders to do more in bringing to book those who committed grave crimes including war crimes and serious human rights abuses. World leaders, particularly those who took part in the NATO intervention that helped to overthrow Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi in 2011 have a duty to ensure that those responsible for the horrors that have unfolded in Libya in its wake are held to account, said Said Boumedouha, Amnestys deputy Middle East and North Africa director. The London-based NGO has clustered rival administrations and other groups vying for power together as it accused them of untold kidnappings, torturing acts, extra judicial killings as well as indiscriminate attacks on residential areas. The NGO also urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to look into the war crimes and launch lawsuits against the perpetrators adding that effectiveness of the unity government will take years allowing therefore the authors to roam about untouched. Amnesty International also tried to draw world eyes on the ongoing humanitarian crisis taking place in Libya, with an estimate of 2.5 million Libyans affected while 1.3 million people are in desperate need of medical care, food, education and protection. Celebration of the fifth anniversary of the revolution displayed mild enchantment across the country. Around 2,000 people turned up in Tripoli, in Martyrs Square to mark the anniversary with fireworks. Tripoli authorities reportedly sponsored the show with around $14 million and prizes including cars were given anyone who shows up for the celebration. The internationally rejected administration also reportedly declared 17 and 18 February public holidays. Celebrations were held in other cities including Ghadames, Ghariyan and Tajoura. However in the East the celebration of the anniversary did not have the same momentum. Reports say in Benghazi almost no one marked the date. Ex-French President Nicolas Sarkozy Tuesday has seen his hopes to reconquer power in 2017 dashed as justice sue him for illegal funding of his 2012 presidential campaign. According to the investigating judges, Sarkozy over-estimated invoices incurred in the 2012 campaign. For Serge Tournaire, judge on the financial court, Sarkozy allegedly counter-forfeited his campaign bank accounts in order to dissimulate extra funds. Appearing until Tuesday as civil party in the case, Sarkozy is now seriously indicted for fraud and is also allegedly accused of bribery and influence peddling back in 2014 on a wiretapping case in which he allegedly tried to get some secret information from a judge. Many political analysists argued that his indictment may seriously compromise his chances to win the primaries in his party and eventually win the 2017 presidential elections that he has been vying. According to le Monde, Sarkozy may lose to the former foreign Minister and current mayor of Bordeaux, Alain Juppe, his main rival for the UMPs candidate race who has significantly widened the gap between him and Sarkozy. The daily also points out that this latest judicial blow may paint Sarkozy as a risky candidate to support and liable to legal suits. The media argues that this will incline members of the main opposition party to back Juppe for the final race. However, Thierry Herzog, Sarkozys lawyer rejected the assumptions as he indicated that the judicial indictment against his client does not prevent him from running either for the presidency or the primaries. Sarkozys supporters also argue that the indictment will rather strengthen his presidential plans. Tunisian former Minister of the Interior Mohamed Najem Gharsalli has been appointed Wednesday as the countrys new ambassador to Rabat. Gharsalli received his letters of credentials from President Caid Essebsi at a ceremony organized at the presidential palace. Gharsalli had been appointed as Interior Minister last year in February but was replaced early this year in a cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Habib Essid. Gharsallis appointment comes as Tunis is trying to scale up ties with the kingdom of Morocco and to clear out any grievances Morocco can have to see Tunisia developing its diplomatic ties with regional rival Algeria. The Prime Minister Essid had planned to pay an official visit to Morocco but had to cancel it due to health reasons. Tunisias embassy in Rabat has been without an ambassador for several months and was run by a Charge dAffaires. Tunisia has embarked on diplomatic seduction to win regional neighbors support in the fight against terrorism. Increasing ties with Morocco, standing now as a leading figure in the fight against terror, will help Tunis effectively fight the scourge back home. The US military strategists are planning to spend an additional $200 million on operations against the Isis and other extremist groups operating in North Africa. The focus on North Africa is part of a broader $7.5 billion package to fight Islamic State in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, outlined few days ago by Defense Secretary Ash Carter in the annual Defense Department budget request. The 2017 budget comes amid concerns over the growing influence of Islamic State and other militant groups in North Africa, especially in Libya. The moneys that weve put into the budget to address those threats in Africa are to be able to work with indigenous forces as well as partner forces, Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon. Overall, the Pentagons proposed budget for fiscal 2017 would provide $583 billion, essentially flat from last year. It includes $524 billion in base spending and another $59 billion for overseas operations. Security concerns in North Africa have already pushed the worlds largest tour operator, TUI, to look for new destinations as clients shy away from some countries in the region. The holiday group said it is investing in Cape Verde and Bulgaria as alternatives to security-threatened North Africa after a sharp fall in bookings to Tunisia and Egypt in recent months. By contrast its holidays in Spain were very popular, in particular in the Canary Islands which were booked out. Moroccos Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation has dismantled a heavily armed 10-member terror cell that was active in Essaouira, Meknes and Sidi Kacem, the Interior Ministry announced on Thursday. A French national was among the cell members, the Ministry said, adding that the anti-terrorist brigade of the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ,) called Moroccos FBI, were able to nab the ringleader of the cell at a residence at El Jadida, a port city on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, to the south of Casablanca. During the cell dismantling operation, the BCIJ forces seized sizeable quantity of weapons including four pistols, a rifle equipped with viewfinder, and 13 tear-gas bombs. The cell reportedly was planning attacks against some strategic institutions at the request of the Islamic State. This is the second major arrest of terrorists this month by the BCIJ. One week ago, four men known to security forces were arrested. The men from the cities of Meknes, Tetouan, Martil and Akouray (central and northern Morocco) were plotting a series of targeted attacks in the Kingdom. Morocco has become a major ally for Western countries thanks to its successful war on terror based on a global approach including prevention, anticipation, education, control of the religious field, monitoring of cyber activities, rehabilitation of Salafist inmates, eradication of terrorism roots and international cooperation. Moroccos role was vital for the French Intelligence services in the killing of ringleader of the November 13 coordinated attacks in Paris which killed 130 people. Following this feat, King Philip of Belgium had requested Moroccos assistance in the fight against terrorism and called for a closer cooperation between the two countries in matters of security and intelligence sharing. Spain is also relying on the help of Moroccan intelligence services to foil terror plots. In a recent interview with French Le Figaro, director of BCIJ, Abdelhak El Khayame, said Moroccos cooperation with Western intelligence services is longstanding and excellent as terrorism is our common enemy. He recalled that Moroccan security services provided to their foreign partners highly operational intelligence that enabled the destruction of training camps such as the Khalden camp in Afghanistan, destroyed by US aircraft in 2011, and detection of terrorist plots that targeted sensitive sites in some European countries such as the Basilica of Bologna or the Paris police station. The intelligence sharing also enabled the seizure of sizeable quantities of weapons, including in France and Belgium. Moroccan authorities claim they have dismantled about 140 terrorist cells since 2002, foiled hundreds of terrorist plans and arrested over 2,200 suspects. The Algerian Defense Ministry Wednesday announced that army forces had killed two terrorists in the Boumerdes region during a counter-terrorism operation. The two terrorists were killed on Wednesday during a search and sweeping operation conducted near Douar Bousmail, in the Commune of Ammal, by an army unit. The on-going operation helped to seize two kalachnikov pistol guns, six magazines, two pairs of binoculars, one grenade, a quantity of ammunitions, and cell phones, the Defense Ministry said According to separate reports, Algeria is beefing up military presence at the border with Libya in a move to thwart jihadist incursions on the Algerian territory in the event there is foreign military intervention in Libya. Algerian el Watan indicates that massive military police forces, backed by air forces have been dispatched near the border with Libya for a round-the-clock patrol and control. The government has raised the level of alert and asked the military to remain on high alert and ready to intervene in case the Islamic State fighters attempt to cross into Algeria. Chief of the National Gendarmerie General-major Menad Nouba explained that the main goal of these plans is to protect economic infrastructures, industrial zones, gas sites and companies at In Amenas and Tiguentourine, provide security for urban agglomerations and control the road network. Algeria has been on high alert since western experts said that Algeria and Morocco could be the next victims of the Islamic State as its militants will massively flee from Libya should a foreign military intervention take place. Frances Minister of Defense, Le Drian had pointed out that the terrorist group is interested in Algerias oil installations and had started marching through the Sahara desert towards Algeria and Morocco. The Moroccan cultural center to be built in Paris will enhance further the deeply rooted cultural ties between Morocco and France, said Wednesday French President Francois Hollande. The details of the project of this new cultural institution were unveiled on Wednesday in the presence of King Mohammed VI who is paying a working and friendship visit to France. The Moroccan cultural center will be constructed over a 320 m2 area, featuring a contemporary design embodying the universal values and spirit of the Moroccan and French cultures. The center will display the cultural richness and diversity of Morocco. It will also serve as platform for the international promotion of the North African countrys heritage and traditions. European MP Rachida Dati said the center shows the importance of Moroccan culture in the history and relations between Morocco and the European Union and in particular with France. At a time when ignorance and obscurantism prevail over the light of culture, civilization, traditions, knowledge and progress, culture and knowledge are the best defense and buffer against regression, said Ms Dati, the former French justice minister of Moroccan origin. For his part, President of the Paris-based Arab World Institute Jack Lang hailed the importance of this project, saying it will contribute to enhancing Moroccan cultural presence in France. There are many Moroccan artists, writers and filmmakers in France, he said, noting that this cultural project will enable Morocco to serve as a beacon and build stronger relations with French and international artists. French senator Christian Cambon also praised this project which will bring Morocco and France much more closer and strengthen their cultural exchange and common values. The cultural center will be located in the mythical district of Saint-Michel, which is very popular among French and foreign students, academics and artists and which hosts numerous academic institutions. The project, to cost about 7 million, will be completed with 24 months. 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. Confira o preco do seguro para o Chevrolet Onix Saiba quando voce gastaria com o seguro do carro mais vendido do Brasil The familiar emergency alert system, the one where we in the U.S. occasionally hear a radio or television broadcast interruption that... Arizona has taken in about 3,000 refugees a year for the past three years. Photo: Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images In a brave show of empty chest-thumping, Arizona lawmakers have passed two bills aimed at making it more difficult for the federal government to resettle refugees in their state. According to the Phoenix New Times, the first, House Bill 2370, withholds state resources from refugees in Arizona who havent undergone a criminal and health background check and requires the federal government to fully compensate the state for ongoing costs of resettlement. The second, House Bill 2691, calls for an audit to determine the number of refugees resettled in Arizona in the past three years and how much money the state and federal governments have spent on their behalf. Both bills were passed by a House committee Wednesday and now await a House vote. This bill makes a statement: We cant have another 9/11 or another San Bernardino, said Republican representative Noel Campbell, choosing to ignore the fact that neither attack was perpetrated by refugees. The people of this country are fearful. When people come in who are not properly screened and cause great damage, we have the right to have the feelings we have. Feelings aside, refugees who enter the United States are screened they go through a thorough process that involves fingerprinting, several rounds of interviews, and vetting by the U.S. State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI. The whole thing can take months or even years to complete and includes both criminal and health background checks, which means H.B. 2370 is essentially hot air. Whats more, according to the State Department of Economic Security, Arizonas Refugee Resettlement Program, which helps refugees learn English, find jobs, and navigate state regulations, is entirely funded by the federal government. And H.B. 2691 is just as frivolous, considering the Refugee Resettlement Program keeps track of how many refugees are resettled in Arizona every year. (For the record, in the past three years the state has resettled 11,339 people; youre welcome, Representative Campbell.) State Democrats who opposed the bill said it was both redundant and fearmongering. Im concerned that Arizona has a reputation for demonizing foreigners, Representative Rebecca Rios told the New Times. I dont think this bill actually does anything but send another message that we are driven by fear. A legitimate concern, given Arizona is home to the reasonable suspicion law. Hillary Clinton is trying to duplicate her strong support among Hispanics in 2008. Photo: Bob Daemmrich/Corbis Earlier today my colleague Eric Levitz explored some new polling especially a battery of Public Policy Polling surveys of 12 states that vote between March 1 and March 8 that indicates Hillary Clintons firewall of states coming up after this weekends Nevada Caucuses is holding up thanks to strong support from African-Americans. But while African-American support levels for Clinton and Bernie Sanderss efforts to reduce them have been a constant source of conversation in Democratic circles, an important variable as well is the fight for Hispanic voters. Clinton actually beat Barack Obama by roughly a two-to-one margin among Hispanic voters in the 2008 primaries, and has been endorsed by a broad array of Hispanic elected officials. But hanging on to this vote can be complicated. Certainly wrapping oneself in the Obama mantle is a mixed asset; the presidents always had iffy job-approval ratings in this demographic, thanks in part to ambivalence about the administrations deportation policies. And the hard times suffered by many Hispanic families during and after the Great Recession has created an opening for Sanderss econo-centric message. You get the sense listening to Team Bernie that they believe they are making big gains with Hispanic voters in Nevada, where they hope to pull an upset. Well see soon enough. But although the states voting in early March are not, with the obvious exception of Texas, big Hispanic voting areas, the PPP polls do provide some hints of how the two candidates are faring and its largely good news for Clinton. With the exception of Sanderss own Vermont (where Bernie heavily leads every demographic) and Michigan (where the two are tied), Clinton is leading Sanders in the March 1-8 states among Hispanic voters by margins ranging from 6 (Oklahoma) to 78 (Mississippi) points. In Texas, where it matters most, Clinton leads 54/38. In Bernie friendly Massachusetts, Clinton leads among the 6 percent of the primary electorate that is Hispanic by 1o points (53/43). In Georgia, whose rapidly growing Hispanic population is now 5 percent of the Democratic primary vote, Clinton leads among them by better than two-to-one (60/28). There are, of course, significant variations in how Hispanic voters behave politically based on region, religion, country-of-origin, and generation. Well see these come into play in Florida, which votes on March 15. But before then well have a decent idea of whether Clinton has retained much of her hold on Hispanic voters generally. So far theres no particular reason to believe she has not. And the more she can supplement overwhelming support among African-Americans with decent if not overwhelming support from other minority voters, the more Sanders will have to depend on the white-hot intensity of the Bern continuing among paler liberals. Allow Cruz to serenade you. Photo: Alex Wong/2016 Getty Images In another feat of campaign ridiculousness, on Wednesday night, MSNBC aired a pre-taped town hall with Donald Trump opposite a previously scheduled CNN town hall featuring Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz. CNN will talk with the remaining GOP candidates (plus Trump again) on Thursday night. Its hard to argue that the two-night, cable-news election spectacular, which comes between GOP debates taking place less than two weeks apart, is really necessary. However, since each man was interviewed individually, we were able to pick up some interesting tidbits that dont come up when the candidates are being encouraged to hurl insults at each other. For instance, have you ever wondered if Rubio enjoys raves, or how early Americans responded to rampant bear attacks? Read on to find out! Carson Is Anti-Partisanship, Pro-Rejecting Whomever Obama Nominates to the Supreme Court Hours after we learned of the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Carson said he believes, We should not allow a judge to be appointed during this time. But on Wednesday, Carson said he probably would take the opportunity to nominate someone if he were president which makes perfect sense, because he is not President Obama (no matter what Trump thinks). You see, the crux of the Supreme Court nomination dispute currently gripping our nation is that the whole process is too damn partisan. [The Court] was originally intended to consist of jurists who were people who loved America, and were people who fully understood our constitution, and were there to make sure that America preserved its constitutional traditions, Carson explained. It was not supposed to be a partisan group. Carson Recalls Good Old Days, When America Was Plagued by Bear Attacks The good doctor longs for the days when Americans looked to their neighbors following horrific animal maulings, rather than Uncle Sam. We the people have the responsibility to take care of the indigent in our society. Its not the governments job, Carson explained. In the old days of America when communities were separated by hundreds of miles, why were they able to thrive? Because if it was harvest time and the farmer was up in the tree picking apples and fell down and broke his leg, everybody pitched in and harvested his crops for him. If somebody got killed by a bear, everybody took care of their family. So what changed? For some strange reason starting sort of in the 20s with Woodrow Wilson, the government started getting involved in everything. Sure, Wilson kept us out of war with our animal brethren, but at what cost? Respected Man of Science Explains When It Comes to Guns, Correlation Does Equal Causation Its not appropriate for the government to step in when animals attack, but Carson is in favor of offering free classes in gun safety to all the citizens who want to take it so they can protect themselves. And for those who suggest that there should be some restrictions on the right to bear arms, Carson offered a little history lesson: Weve had guns for hundreds of years, and weve been free for hundreds of years. I think there may be a correlation there. Of course, some of us have only been free for about 150 years. And pogo sticks were also introduced during that time period, so we should probably issue one to every American just to be on the safe side. After Calling Cruz a Liar, Rubio Says Hes Sorry That Cruz Is Such a Liar As tends to be the case in South Carolina, things have gotten nasty between the Senates two remaining presidential candidates, with the Rubio campaign slamming Cruz for misleading ads and dishonest push-polls. When Anderson Cooper asked Rubio if he stands by his campaigns declaration that Ted Cruz is a liar, he said, if you say something that isnt true and you say it over and over again and you know that its not true, theres no other word for it. Rubiobot Comes Up With New Obama Response, Becomes Self-Aware When asked if hes just the Republican version of Obama, Rubio resisted the urge to declare Obama knows exactly what hes doing, as he did repeatedly in the New Hampshire debate. Instead, Rubio said Barack Obama is a failed president not because he was a one-term senator, but because his ideas dont work. His philosophy, his ideology is a failed one. Rubio Acknowledges Some Black People Feel As If Theyre Treated Differently Than the Rest of Society He didnt exactly admit that systemic racism is real, but his response makes him the most Black Lives Matterfriendly Republican still in the race. In News That Has Nothing to Do With Race, Rubio Is Colorblind At the end of each segment, the candidates were asked some personal questions, which were surprisingly fun and not sexist. Rubio Enjoys EDM, Particularly Because The Words Are Clean But hes never been to a rave, so if thats part of your presidential-candidate litmus test, youll have to stick with Jeb Bush. Ted Cruz Wants Donald Trump to Sue Him The Texas senator said he laughed out loud when he learned of the cease-and-desist letter Trump sent his campaign, demanding that he stop running a campaign ad that mostly consists of a 1999 clip from Meet the Press in which Trump says hes pro-choice. Like, Really Wants Donald Trump to Sue Him The ad controversy is clearly frivolous, but Cruz also dared Trump to take him to court on a more serious matter: his eligibility to run for president. Under the law the question is clear. There will still be some who try to work political mischief on it, but as a legal matter this is clear and straightforward, Cruz said. It actually isnt, but Cruz cant say that. Cruzs Penchant for Musicals More Embarrassing Than Previously Reported He doesnt call his wife, Heidi, and sing her show tunes, he just does corny renditions of popular love songs. Cruz demonstrated, because why should Jeb hog all the vicarious embarrassment? And What About Trump? His town hall was just the usual hits from his beautiful wall to Jeb is a sad case mixed with the overcaffeinated insanity that is Morning Joe. But, in a sign that campaign season is even starting to affect Trump, when a woman in the audience sneezed, he mistook her for a protester. Look at Saudi Arabia. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images Its the oldest rule in politics: If you ever find yourself with a double-digit lead over all of your rivals, start accusing U.S. allies of knocking down the Twin Towers. Did I type oldest? I meant the newest. On Wednesday, a series of polls showed Donald Trump head and shoulders above the rest of the GOP field both nationally and in this Saturdays primary in the Palmetto State. To protect his lead, the former reality star decided to take his heresies against the Republican Partys narrative on 9/11 one step farther. Who blew up the World Trade Center? It wasnt the Iraqis, it was Saudi take a look at Saudi Arabia, open the documents, Trump told the gang at Fox & Friends Wednesday morning, after defending his bizarre theory that George W. Bush was president on September 11. Trump appeared to be referencing the 28 pages that were redacted from the 2002 Joint Inquiry into the 9/11 attacks. Those pages are widely said to implicate Saudi elites of financing the attacks. Last year, Massachusetts congressman Stephen Lynch told The New Yorker that the document offers direct evidence of complicity on the part of certain Saudi individuals and entities in Al Qaedas attack on America. The Donald reiterated his suspicion of Saudi involvement at a campaign event later in the day, Mediaite reports. It wasnt the Iraqis that knocked down the World Trade Center, Trump told a crowd in Bluffton, South Carolina. It wasnt the Iraqis. You will find out who really knocked down the World Trade Center, cuz they have papers in there that are very secret. You may find its the Saudis, okay? But you will find out. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals. And in 2012, former senator Bob Graham of Florida, who headed the 9/11 inquiry, wrote in an affidavit, I am convinced that there was a direct line between at least some of the terrorists who carried out the September 11th attacks and the government of Saudi Arabia. Grahams statement doesnt constitute a claim that the Saudi royal family had foreknowledge of the attacks. But it is a strong suggestion that some Saudi elites were sympathetic enough to Osama bin Ladens cause to help fund it. If Trump intended to claim that Saudi Arabia was more complicit in 9/11 than Saddam Hussein was, his point would be inarguable. But no matter what he meant, its not every day that someone with a solid chance of becoming our next president repeatedly accuses an American ally of complicity in the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history. A far call from the hellscape weve got on our hands now. Photo: Governor Andrew Cuomos Office The Port Authoritys extreme makeover of La Guardia Airport is coming in way over budget The Wall Street Journal reports the redesign, estimated in 2014 to cost $3.6 billion, is now coming in at $4.2 billion and now the agency is looking at ways to make up the difference. One of which is packing more and longer flights into its already-choked schedule. Right now, a 1984 regulation called the perimeter rule means that flights to destinations more than 1,500 miles away are permitted from only JFK and Newark. (You cant fly direct to Seattle or Los Angeles from La Guardia; theres an exception for Denver, which is 1,600 miles away, and for Saturday trips.) Lifting the perimeter rule would allow airlines at La Guardia to get in on longer flights with higher fares and more passengers. Never mind that delays at La Guardia are the worst in the country nearly a quarter of its flights are late and adding a bunch more routes sounds like a recipe for misery. Delta, which flies about 40 percent of La Guardias passengers, vigorously supports scrapping the rule. Perhaps unsurprisingly, airlines like JetBlue and United, which operate out of JFK and Newark, are not so thrilled, saying it would add an additional layer of traffic and increase competition around New York Citys airspace. The Port Authoritys testing out what would happen if the perimeter rule were dropped, and its decision is due in the fall. (Dallass Love Field abandoned its perimeter rule in 2014, to much praise.) New York City renovations of every kind tend to take longer and cost more than anyone expects, and airports are certainly no exception. The new cost estimates are primarily based on design changes to the renovation of the airports Central Terminal Building (a.k.a. Terminal B) and a new hall connecting it to the rest of the airport. In the redesign, the decrepit Terminal B from the mid-60s will have dedicated space for security screenings and retail as well as a hotel. It is expected to open in 2021, and you probably shouldnt count on it happening on time either. Photo: @GovernorLePage/Twitter Our nations least-informed public health expert. Paul LePage has become the governor who cried wolf. A week ago, he admitted that his complaints about heroin dealers by the name D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty infiltrating Maine and impregnating its young, white girls were about race, and said he was just trying to get the Feds to send more DEA agents. During a town hall this week, he shifted focus to a new threat facing his fair state. Asylum seekers I think the biggest problem in our state and Ill explain that to you, he said. LePage claimed that they dont receive proper medical assessments, And what happens is you get hepatitis C, tuberculosis, AIDS, HIV, the ziki fly, all these other foreign type of diseases that find a way to our land. Some in the audience disagreed and shouted, Shame. Shame. Maine has not seen an increase in the HIV-infection rate in the past decade, and Megan Hannan, executive director of the Frannie Peabody Center in Portland, told WCVB that the rise in hepatitis C cases in recent years is due to intravenous drug use. I dont think the governor has a really good grasp of public health, she said. As for the ziki fly, that is not an insect that exists. LePage was probably referring to the Zika virus, which is spread by mosquitoes, but there are no known cases of the disease in Maine. But lets give the governor the benefit of the doubt here. Maybe he was just trying to boost tourism by claiming Maine is so idyllic its only problem is made up public-health threats. Make the Vatican great again. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images We may be minutes away from a Twitter feud between Pope Francis and Donald Trump. When asked to comment on the Donalds presidential campaign Wednesday, the head of the Catholic Church replied, A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. According to the Associated Press, the popes remarks were specifically targeted at Trumps plan to construct a wall along the United States southern border. BREAKING: Asked about Trump, Pope Francis says anyone who wants to build a border wall isn't Christian. The Associated Press (@AP) February 18, 2016 Trump responded with characteristic grace, essentially telling His Holiness, Nice Vatican ya got here. Would be a shame if an ISIS attack happened to it. I can't believe this is real life. pic.twitter.com/KEyGLKHY9L southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) February 18, 2016 If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISISs ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened, the GOP front-runner wrote in an official statement. The mogul went on to call the popes comments disgraceful. At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Trump blamed the Mexican government for convincing the pope that he is a bad guy. If the popes comments on Trump have divine authority, then there are far fewer Christians in the United States than previously believed. Polls from last summer showed a majority of Americans voicing support for a border wall with Mexico, while 41 percent favored a fence to keep out Canadians as well. The popes standard thins the ranks of Christendom even more dramatically overseas. Last year, Hungary built a barrier along its border with Serbia and Croatia. Nearly 40 percent of Hungarians are Catholic, and Prime Minister Viktor Orbans border policy is broadly popular in the country. Obama shaking hands with Cuban President Raul Castro in September. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images President Obamas real motivation for restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba is becoming more apparent. ABC News reports that the president will travel to Cuba next month for a relaxing vacation important diplomatic trip. Sources say Obama will visit the country from March 21 to 22, before heading to Argentina, marking the first time a sitting U.S. president has set foot in the island nation since Calvin Coolidges trip in 1928. The visit is part of a larger Latin American trip, which will be formally unveiled on Thursday. Embassies in Washington and Havana were reopened last summer, and President Obama said in December that he would like to visit Cuba before leaving office, if certain conditions could be met. If I go on a visit, then part of the deal is that I get to talk to everybody, he said. Ive made very clear in my conversations directly with President [Raul] Castro that we would continue to reach out to those who want to broaden the scope for, you know, free expression inside of Cuba. Though the White House has yet to say what the visit will entail, the trip has already been criticized by two GOP presidential candidates. During a CNN town hall on Wednesday night, Marco Rubio said he would not visit the nation as president if its not a free Cuba. A year and two months after the opening of Cuba, the Cuban government remains as oppressive. Now they have access to millions if not billions in resources they didnt have access to, Rubio said. At the same event, Ted Cruz said he would never visit while the Castros were still in power, and revealed that Obama is going to essentially act as an apologist. Were guessing thats not how the White House will phrase it. Donald Trump exemplifies the superpatriots who think Americans are a bunch of losers. Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Its hardly breaking news that, in this era of culture war and polarization, an awful lot of self-styled patriots on the political right seem to have a very low opinion of the country they profess to adore. Many openly hate the commander-in-chief, everyone who voted for him, and anyone who represents the corrosive forces from relativism to feminism to the welfare state that are transforming America into an alien land. What makes Donald Trump distinctive is that hes extended disdain for godless secular-socialist liberals to the entire national leadership of both political parties and to the chumps who let them rule their lives. If you listen to Trump often enough, you get the sense he believes we are a nation of losers who half-deserve the beating we are getting from the far superior societies that regularly dupe and exploit pathetic old Uncle Sam. Every time he promises to make America great again it becomes more obvious how far he thinks we currently are from greatness or even respectability. Its pretty well understood that Trump is appealing to angry and frustrated people. But the extent to which their views lie outside the mainstream of conventional American values can come as a shock. A Public Policy Polling survey of likely Republican primary voters in South Carolina released earlier this week showed a lot of contempt throughout the GOP electorate for the First Amendment and any idea of tolerance and inclusion. But even in this skewed universe, Trumps people stand out. Eighty percent of them support Trumps proposed ban on Muslim immigration and 31 percent would extend the ban to gay people. Even more strikingly, two-thirds support tracking American Muslims through a national database. Only 44 percent of Trump fans in South Carolina can bring themselves to stand up for keeping Islam legal in this country. These attitudes extend to other reactionary ground: 70 percent of Trump supporters would reverse the recent bipartisan action that removed the Confederate battle flag from its historic perch at the state capitol. And a plurality 38 percent to 24 percent wish the traitorous Confederacy had won the Civil War. All in all, its pretty clear these folks are still engaged in their own civil war. Egregious as they are, Trump and his supporters are hardly alone in combining patriotic motifs with savage attitudes toward America as it actually is today. Ben Carson regularly echoes Glenn Beck in the conviction that the president and liberals generally are an Marxist/Alinskyite fifth column consciously working to transform America into a socialist tyranny (Establishment favorite Marco Rubio was almost certainly signalling sympathy for this conspiracy theory in his robotic insistence during the New Hampshire candidate debate that Obama is consciously evil rather than incompetent). Ted Cruzs father and campaign sidekick, the Reverend Rafael Cruz, subscribes to a dominionist theology whereby conservative Christians must systematically conquer key institutions of American life in order to trigger the Kingdom of God. Former candidate Mike Huckabee cant seem to stop himself from comparing legalized abortion to the Nazi Holocaust. And, for decades now, Christian-right leaders have compared themselves to the anti-Hitler resistance in Germany. One way to overcome this dichotomy of loving America while hating Americans, of course, is to identify the Americans you hate with non-American threats to the true i.e., right-wing national interests. And thats why its so useful and common on the right to find assertions that liberals are consciously working with Americas enemies to remake the U.S. in their heathenish image. To the extent Donald Trump represents any coherent body of thought, its this fascinating knife-edge balance between the fable of America as a lost ideal civilization and the reality of America as a bitter disappointment to its betrayed heirs. It will be interesting to see what happens to this constituency of the self-damned if Trump falters on the campaign trail. Is Donald Trump finally suffering for his sins? Probably not. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images Weve gone through this cycle time and time again: Donald Trump says something that would normally disqualify a Republican presidential candidate, and then lo and behold, polls show him paying no price or even gaining strength. After last Saturdays debate in South Carolina, Jonathan Chait thought perhaps Trump had finally gone too far or shown he could not go too far after an extended attack on George W. Bushs anti-terrorism and Iraq War record in militaristic South Carolina. The immediate polling in the Palmetto State showed Trump maintaining or even expanding his lead, as did a poll in Nevada and at least one national survey. But now there is a NBC/Wall Street Journal national poll showing Trump dropping seven points (from 33 percent to 26 percent) from the last survey they did, and just as dramatically, Ted Cruz rising from 20 percent to 28 percent to take first place. The last time Trump failed to lead a public national poll of Republicans was a McLatchey/Marist survey at the beginning of November, which had Ben Carson leading him by a single point. That was 31 national polls ago. Last time anyone other than Carson led Trump in a national Republican poll was in July, when Jeb! was in first place with a booming 15 percent. So pardon me if I want to see a couple more polls before concluding that Trump is finally fading. And remember that for a lot of Republicans, the good news that Trumps running second is more than outweighed by the bad news that Ted Cruz is running first. At a Republican Jewish Coalition event in December and a town hall this week, Trump risks offending Jews and also conservative Evangelicals. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images It sometimes seems as if Donald J. Trump is engaged in some secret experiment to see how many things he can say that are heretical to conservative and Republican orthodoxy without suffering electoral consequences. Last week at the South Carolina candidate debate it was a sharp attack on the last Republican president for both the Iraq War (still popular in many Republican circles) and for allowing 9/11 to happen (everyone knows it was Bill Clintons fault, right?). This wasnt the conventional thing to do to protect ones lead in a state that reveres high defense spending and that saved George W. Bushs bacon during the 2000 primaries. Now on the eve of a long string of primaries in southern states with large conservative Evangelical populations, Trump violated another Republican taboo that is of particular importance to conservative Christians: At a South Carolina town hall event with the Morning Joe crew, the Donald said hed be strictly neutral in any conflicts between Israel and the Palestinians so as to preserve his ability to help work out some deal. This wont be welcome news to evangelicals who closely identify with Israel via a lifetime of reading the Hebrew Scriptures (a.k.a. the Old Testament); many also believe Israel has an indispensable role in touching off the apocalypse and the Second Coming of Christ. The last time I can recall this honest broker position being taken by a major Republican politician it was, ironically, George W. Bush in the 2000 general election. More recently, the accepted formulation, as memorably captured by Mitt Romney in 2012, is that there should be no daylight between the policies of the U.S. and Israel. At times, especially as the relationship between U.S. conservatives and Bibi Netanyahus right-wing government has grown, it has seemed that elevating Israel into a unique position as Americas closest and most important ally is the central organizing principle of Republican foreign policy. Not for Trump, however. In December, at a Republican Jewish Coalition event, he declared his independence from Republican orthodoxy on the Middle East by refusing to come out for recognition of an undivided Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. This positioning was largely missed amid outrage over Trumps allusion to Jewish stereotypes Im a negotiator like you folks in the speech. Perhaps keeping alive the idea that he is the indispensable deal-maker who could pull off some miraculous Middle Eastern diplomatic solution is more important to Trump than staying on the safe side the no daylight side of this issue. Or maybe after his town-hall comments he got an urgent phone call from his top celebrity Evangelical backer, Jerry Falwell Jr., and we wont hear any more honest broker talk. But there are other candidates competing with Trump for voters who read their Old Testaments and identify with the Hebrew people or read their New Testaments and thrill at the prospect of some Israeli-triggered end of days. It would be surprising if one or more of them dont leap onto this heresy. 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.. If convicted, the officers could face up to life in prison. Photo: Jonathan Alcorn/Getty Images In a case sickeningly reminiscent of Daniel Holtzclaws, two LAPD officers have been charged with repeated sexual assault while on duty. James Christopher Nichols and Luis Gustavo Valenzuela have each been charged with multiple counts, including forcible rape, rape under color of authority, and oral copulation under color of authority between December 2008 and March 2011, the Los Angeles Times reports. Their victims are four women ages 19, 24, 25, and 35, and had all been arrested by the officers on drug-related charges. (Both officers worked in the narcotics unit.) The two officers first came under suspicion in January 2010, when a woman who worked as a confidential informant for the LAPD told a supervisor Nichols and Valenzuela had pulled alongside her in a Volkswagen Jetta, demanded she get in the car, and forced her to touch Valenzuela while Nichols kept a lookout. That investigation went nowhere, and officers were unable to locate the woman again, the Times reports. But, a year later, another victim came forward, saying shed suffered similar treatment in a similar car from the two officers back in 2009 and hadnt reported the claim then because she felt humiliated, thought no one would believe her, and feared for her safety. Police reopened the investigation after this second allegation, but it went nowhere for a year and a half. Both Nichols and Valenzuela were transferred, but subsequent reports suggest a pattern of sexual assault: One [woman] said Nichols had detained her in July 2011, handcuffed her and driven her to a quiet location. Removing the restraints, Nichols exposed himself and said, You dont want to go to jail today, do you? the woman recalled. Fearing she would be arrested, the woman performed oral sex on Nichols, who then released her, she said. She said Nichols had done the same thing to her six years earlier. A fourth woman said she became a confidential informant for Nichols and Valenzuela and was forced to have sex with both officers multiple times. Otherwise, they told her, shed go to jail. Back in 2013, after the officers were arrested by their own colleagues, LAPD chief Charlie Beck told the Times he was saddened by the allegations. If they are true, it would be horrific. A pro-gun rally near the UT campus in December. Photo: Drew Anthony Smith/Getty Images University of Texas at Austin president Greg Fenves doesnt really want guns anywhere on his campus. However, under new guidelines submitted on Wednesday, students at UT Austin will be able to carry a gun into a classroom but not into the dormitories (with some exceptions). Fenves has to comply with the states new campus-carry law (which goes into effect August 1) that allows any licensed gun holder to carry a concealed weapon into public-university buildings. Universities are allowed to designate limited gun-free zones, and dorms are on that list. Dining halls are not. In separate letters to UT system chancellor Bill McRaven a former head of the U.S. Special Operations Command who was in charge of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden and the UT community, Fenves said his objection to the new law has made writing these guidelines the toughest thing hes had to do since becoming president last year. The presence of handguns at an institution of higher learning is contrary to our mission of education and research, which is based on inquiry, free speech, and debate, Fenves wrote in his letter to McRaven, who like Fenves opposed the law. As a professor, I understand the deep concerns raised by so many However, as president, I have an obligation to uphold the law, he added in the letter to the community. Under the new UT guidelines, gun owners on campus have to carry their firearms concealed, without a round in the chamber and in trigger-protecting holsters. (The states open-carry laws do not apply to college campuses.) Guns will also not be allowed at campus day-care centers, labs with sensitive materials, or health-care or counseling centers. However, gun-licensed family members visiting students will be allowed to hang on to their guns inside dorm buildings, as will staff members. Fenvess task force decided that a classroom ban was unworkable, as some students come to campus only to attend class and thus would effectively be banned from carrying, which would flout the law. Dr. Steven Weinberg, a Nobel Prizewinning particle physicist, has said that he will not allow any guns in his classes. (Private schools in the state were given the option to opt into the new law; so far, none has, and 24 have explicitly said no.) The UT systems board will review the guidelines later this spring. It is estimated that fewer than one percent of students are licensed to carry. This week, a federal judge ordered Apple to assist the FBI in unlocking the iPhone of Syed Farook, one of the shooters who opened fire at a party in San Bernardino last December. The court order calls for a narrow tool that would only work on Farooks iPhone, but Apple CEO Tim Cook declined on Tuesday in a strongly worded letter, arguing that such a narrow tool doesnt exist and would be too dangerous to create, essentially opening a back door into every iPhone. Cook makes a very strong case that Apple shouldnt be forced to hack the phone, but is the company bullshitting a little bit when it says opening one phone is equivalent to opening them all? What Apple is specifically being asked to do is disable an iPhone security feature that erases a phone after ten incorrect password guesses. That would allow the FBI to brute-force their way into the phone by entering passwords at a rate of 12 per second until they find the right one. According to Cook, Apple cant simply turn off the feature. The company hasnt written code that would bypass the password safeguard, because that code would be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. Turned over to the FBI, it would allow the agency to unlock any iPhone it could physically seize. While the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control, Cook wrote. But the court order suggests a way to bypass the password limit on Farooks phone only: by creating a signed iPhone software file that will be coded by Apple with a unique identifier of the phone so that the [software] would only load and execute on the SUBJECT DEVICE. A very limited hack, only workable on one phone, is certainly nice to talk about, but is it actually within Apples technical capabilities? According to Dan Guido at the Trail of Bits Blog, it is. Guido writes that Farooks iPhone 5C doesnt have the modern security measures Apple introduced along with TouchID the feature that lets you unlock your phone with a fingerprint. Newer phones have a Secure Enclave, a separate computer that handles password security; installing a custom version of the operating system wouldnt get around that. But in the 5C, the operating system handles all the password functions, and the operating system could theoretically be replaced with a firmware update, even on a locked phone. In fact, this is something Apple allegedly did for law enforcement around 2012, back when the iPhones operating system was less secure and Edward Snowden hadnt yet turned government surveillance into a hot political issue. So, to Guido, its technically possible to do what the FBI wants here: On the iPhone 5C, the passcode delay and device erasure are implemented in software and Apple can add support for peripheral devices that facilitate PIN code entry, he writes. In order to limit the risk of abuse, Apple can lock the customized version of iOS to only work on the specific recovered iPhone and perform all recovery on their own, without sharing the firmware image with the FBI. Forensic scientist Jonathan Zdziarski agrees it should be doable on a technical level, noting that Apple has firmware signing capabilities for all its devices, making Apple employees the only people who can get a locked phone to accept new software. Its also possible that whatever method Apple uses wont work on the latest phones the 5S and up with the Secure Enclave. Can Apple modify that Secure Enclave? Probably, according to John Kelley, an InfoSec expert at Square. It just doesnt appear that theyd have any incentive to do so when theyre only being asked to help break into a 5C. But no matter what measures Apple takes to make sure the custom software only works on Farooks phone, the company will still have built a back door into iOS devices. Helping the FBI in this case will confirm that disabling the iPhones limit on password guesses is possible and create the potential that it could be repeated by malicious hackers (or, more likely, that the government could order Apple to repeat the process on other devices in evidence). Those are just the consequences of installing new software on the phone. Theres also the question of how the FBI can access the device after that happens. The two options laid out in the court order both seem risky: Apple can bring the software to the FBI and let them try to crack the password, or Apple can take the phone to one of its facilities, then let the FBI try to crack it remotely. Even if the FBI never handles the firmware file itself, and lets Apple do everything except the brute-force password entry, the company would be forced into creating a system that could be used again. Part of the court order also instructed Apple to essentially design a system by which pins could be sent electronically to the device, allowing for rapid brute forcing while still giving Apple plausible deniability that they hacked a customer device in a literal sense, as Zdziarski wrote. Cook seems to share all of these concerns, but without admitting to the possibility that Apple could theoretically build a hack with this phone only. In his open letter, he wrote, [M]ake no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor. And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control. There may be a way to limit its use, but that doesnt undermine Cooks larger point: that if Apple doesnt take a stand in this case, they could be forced to build limited back doors again and again, targeting any number of devices. No reasonable person, Cook wrote, would find that acceptable. Tim Cook practices his peace sign. Photo: Stephen Lam/Getty Images Apple CEO Tim Cooks refusal to help the FBI access an encrypted phone is an important and unprecedented event in the long, strained relationship between Silicon Valley and the government. But there is one particular line, near the end of his letter, that sticks out: We are challenging the FBIs demands with the deepest respect for American democracy and a love of our country. Quite frankly, thats bullshit. This is not to say that Apples refusal to comply is wrong. If we take Apples word that the order amounts to building a back door into its devices for the purposes of government investigation, to fight it is absolutely the right move the government should not have, in Cooks words, a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks. Nor is it to say that Cook or any one of Apples employees doesnt have a genuine commitment to privacy, security, and civil liberties. I dont know the guy! But Apple, the institution Apple, the publicly traded corporation is taking its stand not out of any moral obligation, but out of financial self-preservation. Remember: [extremely dorm-room voice] Apples goal is to maximize shareholder returns. Apple cares about American democracy only to the extent that the continued existence of American democracy affects its profit margins. It cares about you only to the extent that you are a current or future consumer of its products. Which is why its weird to read over-the-top praise of Apples stand: 2/ Thank you, @tim_cook, for defending our rights. I will do everything I can to support your efforts to protect the public. Stand strong. Justin Amash (@justinamash) February 17, 2016 Huge props to Apple for taking a strong public stance on such an important issue: https://t.co/a6rGcZBOkc Charlie Somerville (@charliesome) February 17, 2016 What Apple really cares about, above all else, is its ability to continue to sell phones. If Apple went ahead and followed the judges orders, every iPhone or iPad it sold from then on would come with an asterisk: Law enforcement, if it so chose, even if you protected your phone with a passcode, could access the device. It would stain the companys reputation for a long time. According to a Pew Research Center report from last month, some 74% say it is very important to them that they be in control of who can get information about them, and 65% say it is very important to them to control what information is collected about them. This is a case of corporate and customer interests aligning against government snooping. Apple is not for the customer, it is for itself. The Apple that Tim Cook claims cares deeply about American citizens manufactures almost none of its products domestically, outsourcing most of its jobs to China. At a dinner at the White House, President Obama once asked Steve Jobs about the issue directly. His response was unequivocal: Those jobs arent coming back. Tim Cook might not be Steve Jobs reincarnate, but he was a protege. Jobs and his management style have practically been deified by this point. His office in Cupertino has sat untouched since 2011. The jobs that Apple does create in the United States are for its Apple Store employees, and most of them earn standard service-economy wages. The Wall Street Journal reported in 2012 that Apple Store workers were paid anywhere between $9 and $15 per hour, with Genius Bar technicians in the ballpark of $30. That would put a salespersons salary at about $30,000 per year, and double for a Genius Bar worker. In 2011, the New York Times calculated, each Apple store employee that includes non-sales staff like technicians and people stocking shelves brought in $473,000. Similarly, Apple has a financial structure that allows it to stash money overseas rather than paying taxes in the United States. For years it used a scheme known as a Double Irish arrangement to avoid paying taxes. As the New York Times wrote in 2012, Apple has created subsidiaries in low-tax places like Ireland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and the British Virgin Islands some little more than a letterbox or an anonymous office that help cut the taxes it pays around the world. A recent overview from Citizens for Tax Justice finds that Apple would owe the U.S. government nearly $60 billion if its profits were not held offshore. Addressing the issue last year, Cook told Charlie Rose, Theres no truth behind it. Apple pays every tax dollar we owe. Thats a semantic dodge Apple has, put simply, structured itself to owe less. So yes, Apples stand against the FBI is the right one. If you want to reward Apple for doing the right thing, buy its products. (As the programmer Alice Maz puts it, major tech companies compete to be the most hostile toward government is like, gold standard of how markets should operate.) But its also what we should expect. Dont pat it on the back or excuse its other horrible behavior. This isnt a case where a shining hero took on a powerful villain. Its a case where two powerful villains fought, and the goals of one happen to be our goals, too. Make no mistake Apple claiming to look out for American citizens and American democracy is a crock. Apple cares about precisely one thing: Its ability to sell you a phone. Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., speaks during the Apple World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Monday, June 8, 2015. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg Finance LP/Getty Images One of the oddest consequences of handing over so much of our lives to a set of complicated, interdependent, and complex technologies is that fights over our rights in that sphere are largely out of our hands. If the FBI wants a backdoor into our iPhones devices we tend to treat like family members theres very little we can directly do to stop them. We need to rely on Apple to fight for us. In this sense, its heartening to read Apple CEO Tim Cooks kiss-off letter to the feds, published on Apples website Tuesday night, refusing to grant a federal judges request to help the FBI break into the phone of Syed Farook, one of the San Bernardino shooters: [T]he U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone. Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation. In the wrong hands, this software which does not exist today would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someones physical possession. The security question at hand is relatively simple. Farook used a password-protected iPhone 5C, which the FBI would like to access. To the best of our knowledge, the only way to gain access to the phone (short of someone telling the FBI the right password) would be to brute-force the password that is, guess as many combinations possible until the phone opened up. Right now, the only way to enter passwords is by hand, which would entail putting some poor junior agent in a room for the next several decades pecking out passwords one at a time. And since most iPhones will automatically erase after ten failed-password tries, that would likely not work either. But if the FBI could load its own firmware elementary, foundational software onto the phone, it could theoretically bypass the ten-failure threshold, and hook the phone directly up to a powerful computer to brute-force the password, saving the life and time of our hypothetical junior agent. This is where Apple comes in. Apples phones wont allow their firmware to be updated or replaced unless the new firmware has an Apple signature (essentially, a complicated cryptographic protocol to determine whether the firmware is legitimate). The FBI doesnt have the keys necessary to sign a firmware update or override as Apple. You can guess where this is going: The judge has ordered Apple to provide reasonable technical assistance to the FBI, possibly including providing the FBI with a signed iPhone software file[.] The FBI insists that this would be a one-time deal: firmware for this phone, and this phone only. Apple disagrees: The government suggests this tool could only be used once, on one phone, Cooks letter reads. But thats simply not true. Once created, the technique could be used over and over again, on any number of devices. In other words: No. Why would Apple say no to the FBI? The first, obvious, and indisputably correct answer is that its the right thing to do: We feel we must speak up in the face of what we see as an overreach by the U.S. government, Cook writes. Hes right: This is a case of government overreach and the latest in a series of rulings that distort the All Writs Act of 1789 in attempts to force corporations to assist the government in creating back doors, brute-forcing, or otherwise bypassing security measures. But its also worth noting that this very public letter is coming in a postSnowden leaks context, where following embarrassing revelations of the extent to which the NSA was tapping into supposedly private data tech companies are jockeying to demonstrate their commitment to privacy and security. On these issues, Apple has a particular advantage over its biggest rival, Google, which has a bad reputation with privacy experts (Snowden himself has suggested that people not use it). But this is thanks less to a particular ethos or set of values than to a business model: Apple sells objects; Google sells user data. Apple can afford to have a relatively relatively good track record on data-collection, privacy, and security (and it does). Google quite literally cant. A letter and a stand reestablishing Apples supremacy is a good reminder to customers that Apple is on the right side of the issues they care about. Which isnt to suggest that Cook or his employees are taking on the FBI for anything less than the noblest reasons. Just to point out that so long as weve managed to hand off our side in civil-liberties battles to for-profit corporations were lucky that the right thing to do for privacy and the right thing to do for Apples business happen to be aligned these days. Photo: DAJ/Getty Images Rabbits: They are adorable. They hop around, eat vegetation, and crinkle their noses in a heart-melting way. Full disclosure: I am personally a big fan. My parents suburban neighborhood has tons of rabbits, and whenever I see one I make sure to point at it and say, Hey, look a rabbit! (I say this even if Im alone.) But theres a dark side to rabbits. The multiply like well, Im not sure what an appropriate comparison here would be. But they breed a lot. Australians know this better than anyone. As Ben Goldfarb notes in a new article in Science, a small population of European rabbits was introduced to Australia by an English settler as hunting fodder in 1859, and shortly thereafter whoops there were 10 billion of them on the continent. This horde contribut[ed] to extensive environmental damage and the extinction of some native species, and has been a serious problem ever since. Goldfarb explains that it was only recently that Australian authorities have been able to stem the tide, a welcome development reported in a new study in Conservation Biology. He writes: Ironically, Australias viral progress began with a mortifying error. Government researchers were experimenting with the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) on Wardang Island, off South Australias coast, when renegade flies picked up the pathogen and transported it to the mainland. Luckily, the containment failure became a smashing success: The virus eradicated an estimated 60% of Australias rabbits, acting with particular lethality in arid areas. The government officially released the disease in 1996. As RHDV spread, researchers documented encouraging ecosystem changes. Native vegetation bounced back, and populations of large herbivores such as kangaroos increased. Still, no one was quite certain how RHDVs advance was affecting some groups of animals, including Australias small desert mammals. Several rodents, such as the dusky hopping mouse and the plains mouse, had nearly vanished during the rabbit takeover. So had the crest-tailed mulgara, a hamster-sized marsupial that preys on lizards and insects. Both the dusky hopping mouse and the plains mouse are considered vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the mulgara is listed as endangered in South Australia. The Conservation Biology study, which involved pull[ing] together 45 years of mammal trapping surveys conducted by the state government, mining companies, and nongovernmental groups, found that these and other species are in fact on the upswing, and that their bounce-backs seem to be traceable to the release of the virus. Sure, the downside was many, many, many dead rabbits. But remember: It was the rabbits, not the Aussies, who started this war. Photo: 145/Anthony Bradshaw/Corbis Paula Delos Santos was walking down Holland Avenue in the Bronx, cell phone in hand, when she heard someone approach her from behind. She turned around, and a man she didnt know grabbed at her cell phone. When she refused to let go of the phone, the man pulled out a blade (she couldnt see exactly what it was) and slashed her across the face, leaving a six-inch wound from her nose to her chin, a few inches below her ear. The gash required 26 stitches. Delos Santos is just one recent victim of an apparent string of slashing attacks that began in New York City on December 16. Headline after terrifying headline Two More People Slashed in Random Manhattan Attacks; Man Slashed in Face in East Village Recalls Random Attack has told the story of a spate of crimes involving attacks by strangers with knives, razors, and even needles. In total, since mid-December there have been at least 21 reported slashings, many on or near subway platforms (Delos Santos had just gotten off the 2 train when she was attacked). In comparison, three public attacks of this nature were reported in New York between December 1, 2014, and February 28, 2015: one instance in which a woman was randomly attacked by a stranger, and one in which a man slashed three people in a late-night rampage. So what does it mean that so many seemingly similar crimes have occurred over a relatively short period of time? One answer is nothing its just a coincidence. Thats the argument of New York Citys police commissioner, Bill Bratton. He called the recent string of attacks an aberration, and transit bureau chief Joseph Fox insisted theres no pattern. Theres no connection between any two of them. Theyre not gang related. The other answer is that the similarity between the incidents is the result of a much subtler mechanism than gang activity: Theyre copycat crimes, meaning perpetrators are inspired to re-create offenses they found out about through media coverage. The similarity between the incidents, and the fact that there appears to be such a precipitous uptick in them NYPD crime data isnt broken down in a way that offers a clear answer, but a survey of recent media coverage certainly suggests an increase has led some criminology experts to at least entertain this notion. Weve seen a high frequency of so many similar events in the past several months, so I do think we can consider this to be a copycat crime, said Dr. Angela Zhuo, a professor at St. Johns University who specializes in criminology. Dr. Ray Surette, a professor of criminal justice at the University of Central Florida, also believes the incidents are probably too similar to be unrelated. In my opinion its unlikely that theyre fully independent of each other, he said. This might seem like an academic debate, but it isnt. If Zhuo and Surette are right, media coverage of these crimes could be contributing to their perpetration. And if the copycat model holds true, more media coverage could lead to more crimes, which could lead to more media coverage and more copycatting. The tricky part, of course, is that its very hard to prove a given cluster of crimes really has a copycat component. The only way to truly know whether a copycat crime took place is to ask the perpetrator and even then you have to take them at their word. Because we cant see inside criminals heads, theres always been a bit of methodological fuzziness to these investigations. According to a paper by Surette published in Criminal Justice Policy Review, the term copycat became popular in reference to social behavior in the late 1800s (the first known use of the phrase was in the 1890 novel Betty Leicester - A Story for Girls), and the idea of the media as a source of criminogenic models emerged during the same period. It was first applied to crime in the 1960s; David Dressler popularized it in his 1961 New York Times article Case of the Copycat Criminal, writing, when crime comes in waves, simple imitation plays a large part in the phenomenon. According to Surette, the official definition of a copycat crime is a crime that is linked in form or motivation to a prior media-portrayed crime. In other words, for a crime to be considered a copycat, it must be based on a generator crime thats been reported in the media. Someone who perpetrates a copycat crime can lift any element from the original, whether it be motivation or technique or setting or escape route. But a copycat crime can occur any number of years after the generator crime takes place think of the school shooters who still use Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold as inspiration. A copycat crime can also take place across geographical space; a crime in Blacksburg, Virginia, can directly mimic a crime in Columbine, Colorado. But again: Unless the criminal directly admits to copying a former perpetrator, its hard to tell whether two crimes are similar by design or by circumstance. This lack of definitive measurement method means theres relatively little data on copycat crimes, said Zhuo. For social-science studies we rely on large-scale statistics, she said. If you go to a police department, they can only provide you with a few case files. If we dont have enough cases, we cant accumulate evidence to draw conclusions about the patterns. But researchers have collected enough small-scale anecdotal evidence to reveal that copycat crime, while still relatively rare, happens at a steady rate. For instance, Surette conducted a survey of inmates in which he found that one in four (or 25 percent) claimed to at least have attempted a copycat crime in their criminal careers. In general, perpetrators tend to attempt copycat crimes early in their criminal careers, regardless of the age at which those careers begin, Surette said. And although copycat criminals might not have a history of criminal activity, according to Zhuo, in most cases they do tend to have a history of violence or mental illness. Putting all this together, copycat offenders are motivated by the desire for infamy or attention, or simply by the desire to harm somebody, and the coverage gives them a model, a technique, and a set of locations in which to do it, said Surette. So it may be that young people with traumatic pasts or psychological instabilities are more suggestible, therefore more likely to take the wrong message from news accounts. When they come across media crime reports, the possibility of committing a crime themselves takes root in their mind. Copycat criminals crave attention, so theyre interested in imitating crimes that are sensationalized, Zhuo said. For a small subset of people, negative attention is just as rewarding as positive attention. When you apply these findings to the details that have been released about the few recent perpetrators whove been apprehended by police, it certainly feels as though the case for some level of copycat influence gets stronger. Kari Bazemore, who was arrested for slashing two women, one on January 1 and one on January 6, reportedly has a history of mental illness. Damon Knowles, who was arrested for attacking 71-year-old Carmen Rivera on a D train, has no prior arrests, but according to reports he has a history of domestic violence. Ras Alula Nagarit made wild threats before he cut a womans hand at the Atlantic Avenue 3 station. Che Quenten Irving committed two petty robberies after he slashed a mans hand on a C train. Stephen Brathwaite, who slashed a man on the 3 train after an argument, had a few prior charges for things like weapons possession. Leolyn Rowe, the 47-year-old Brooklyn man who sliced a cabbie across the face early Tuesday morning, had no prior arrests. So how does media coverage potentially help inspire these crimes? According to Zhuo, when coverage presents a crime using strong verbs and thrilling adjectives, it takes on the glossy veneer of an action film take the CBS post about Che Quenten Irving that uses slashed, took off, fell to the ground, fled, and struck again. In the case of copycat crimes, the attention the crime receives in the media, as well as the horror and the panic among the public, acts as a reward, Zhuo said. Therefore, crime reports should avoid accounts that glorify crime, represent the victim sympathetically, give details about the grief of survivors, and discuss the high likelihood of failure, arrest, and punishment for the crime. The good news in all this, Surette said, is that if these crimes do have a copycat component, they have a definite life cycle; they rapidly increase in a relatively short period of time before leveling off again. The incidents lose their novelty, theyre covered less, the police and the public become more self-aware, he said. Eventually, the incidents fade out. Whats more, crime in New York in general is at an all-time low. Its perhaps safer than its ever been to take the subway (or to do just about anything else) in public. Fear of a copycat slasher should by no means keep you off the subway. That doesnt mean you shouldnt take certain precautions, of course. Zhuo advises commuters not to make eye contact with anyone acting erratically, and to switch seats or train cars or cross the street if necessary. That, she said, is the best we can do. In many cases copycat crime is spontaneous, so its very hard to prevent, she said. So many things are out of our control. Alexander Solzhenitsyn on Lying Ayn Rand Francisco, whats the most depraved type of human being? The man without a purpose. Ronald Reagan "We need a government that is confident not of what it can do, but of what the people can do." The People are the Sovereign Power "The People are the government, administering it by their agents; They are the government, the sovereign power." Andrew Jackson Tyranny Exercised for the Good of its Victims Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. This very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be cured against one's will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals. C. S. Lewis Mignon: Bust of Rose Beuret by Rodin Legitimate Government A government that serves as a palladium for the many and broad rights of the sovereign individual is legitimate. Unequal things are not equal Atlas Shrugged Ayn Rand In any hour and issue of your life, you are free to think or to evade that effort. But you are not free to escape from your nature, from the fact that reason is your means of survivalso that for you, who are a human being, the question to be or not to be is the question to think or not to think. Ayn Rand The basic need of the creator is independence. The reasoning mind cannot work under any form of compulsion. It cannot be curbed, sacrificed, or subordinated to any consideration whatsoever. It demands total independence in function and in motive. Alexander Solzhenitsyn on Socialist Liars We know they are lying. They know they are lying. They know that we know they are lying. We know that they know that we know they are lying. And still they continue to lie. Freedom and Safety Ben Franklin: "Those that give up their freedom for safety deserve neither." Joe Biden: "This is not about freedom, this is for your safety." Sam Zell "I simply don't buy into many of the made-up rules of social convention. The bottom line is: If you're really good at what you do, you have the freedom to be who you are." Ayn Rand Quote Albert Einstein "Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom." Patrick Henry H.L. Mencken Both Catastrophic Man-Made Global Warming and Covid-19 have become such false fronts. "The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule." Constitution and Chris Cuomo Thomas Sowell on Racism Eisenhower on Party Legitimacy Ayn Rand Search This Blog Howard Roark The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand "Independence is the only gauge of human virtue and value .... There is no substitute for personal dignity." Robert Bidinotto ... the *main* target of individualists' moral proselytizing ought to be the Zero-Sum Narrative, i.e., the belief in inherent conflicts of interest among people -- and not altruism per se, which is mainly an emotionally driven *reaction* to the zero-sum worldview. We need to teach people that economic relationships in a free society are "win/win," not "win/lose." We need to teach what 19th-century thinker Frederic Bastiat labeled "Economic Harmonies." Ralph Waldo Emerson "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of our own mind." G. K. Chesterton "Even the tyrant never rules by force alone; but mostly by fairy tales." Ayn Rand "Serenity comes from the ability to say 'Yes' to existence. Courage comes from the ability to say 'No' to the wrong choices of others." The Atlas Society "You were born an original. Don't die a copy." "Your life is your story. Write well. Edit often." John Wooden "Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out." Seneca "It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult." Peter Diamandis "The best way to predict the future is to create it yourself." Howard Roark - The Fountainhead Democracy is Tyranny Thomas Paine: "A democracy is the vilest form of Government there is." John Adams: "Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There was never a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." John Adams: "You have rights antecedent to all earthy governments; rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws;...." This is why our government is a Republic and not a democracy. James Madison: In a pure democracy "there is nothing to check the inducement to sacrifice the weaker party or the obnoxious individual." Mikhail Baryshnikov Cronyism and Socialism Advocates of Equality Ayn Rand "Power-lust is a weed that grows only in the vacant lots of an abandoned mind." David Kelley "It is the act of creating value that reflects the best within us, and is the center of a happy life." Calvin Coolidge "It is much more important to kill bad bills, than to pass good ones." The Welfare State Becomes the Totalitarian State Rights are not a Gift of Government Thomas Jefferson, 1774 "A free people claim their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate." The Creative Man "A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others." Ayn Rand To Fill the World with Fools "The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools." Herbert Spencer Ben Franklin "Democracy ... is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty ... is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." From Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Francisco speaking to Dagny -"...there's nothing of any importance in life - except how well you do your work. Nothing. Only that. Whatever else you are, will come from that. It's the only measure of human value. All the codes of ethics They'll try to ram down your throat are just so much paper money put out by swindlers to fleece people of their virtues. The code of competence is the only system of morality that's on a gold standard. " Charles R. Anderson Wishing that the provision of a good or service were free is not an idea of great merit. If the good or service can be made free without harming others, then it has negligible value. If it has value, then the harm done to others by making it "free" will be substantial. Is not harm a cost in itself? So can there be a free good or service of any value? Clearly no. Ayn Rand on Collectivism Milton Friedman "A society that puts equality before freedom will get neither. A society that puts freedom before equality will get a high degree of both." Once Surrendering His Reason "Man, once surrendering his reason, has no remaining guard against absurdities the most monstrous, and like a ship without a rudder, is the sport of every wind. With such persons, gullibility, which they call faith, takes the helm from the hand of reason and the mind becomes a wreck." Thomas Jefferson (1822) Winston Churchill Governments create nothing, but what they give they have first taken away you may put money in the pockets of Englishmen, but it will be money taken from the pockets of another set of Englishman, and the greater part will be spilled on the way. Speech 11 November 1903 [HT Tom Anderson] Name-Calling is Indicative of a Weak Argument Isabel Paterson "Poverty can be brought about by law; it cannot be forbidden by law." Reagan on Government's Place John Stuart Mill "The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it." Anderson Materials Evaluation, Inc. Frederick Douglass "To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker." Brutality is not Idealistic "Do not ever consider Collectivists as 'sincere but deluded idealists.' The proposal to enslave some men for the sake of others is not an ideal; brutality is not 'idealistic,' no matter what its purpose." Ayn Rand, textbook of americanism.com Work is an Act of Creating "Whether it's a symphony or a coal mine, all work is an act of creating and comes from the same source: from an inviolate capacity to see through one's own eyes." Ayn Rand Charles R. Anderson "Government is legitimate only to the extent that it protects the exercise of everyone's broad, many, and sovereign individual rights. Such limited-purpose government, often called Capitalism, is the only government system which allows individuals to make their own moral choices and live their lives in accordance with their choices. Capitalism minimizes the use of force and maximizes the freedom of cooperation and association within a society. It is in such a society that a rational man chooses to live and produce." George Washington "Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force. It is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." Thomas Jefferson "A wise and frugal government which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry -- this is the sum of good government." Ayn Rand "Your life belongs to you and the good is to live it." "He who speaks of sacrifice speaks of slaves and masters. And intends to be the master." "He who speaks of sacrifice speaks of slaves and masters. And intends to be the master." Ayn Rand on Theft, Murder, and Collectivism "Many men now believe that it is evil to rob, murder and torture for one's own sake, but virtuous to do so for the sake of others. You may not indulge in brutality for your own gain, they say, but go right ahead if its for the gain of others. Perhaps the most revolting statement one can ever hear is: "Sure Stalin has butchered millions, but its justifiable, since it's for the benefit of the masses." Collectivism is the last stand of savagery in men's minds." from Textbook of Americanism Thomas Paine "It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry." Dr. Thomas Sowell "I have never understood why it is greed to want to keep the money you have earned but not greed to want to take someone else's money." Calvin Coolidge "Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong." Thomas Jefferson "I have never been able to conceive how any rational being could propose happiness to himself from the exercise of power over others." David Kelley "If we are right, we have nothing to fear; if we are wrong, we have something to learn." Anderson Materials Evaluation, Inc. Eric Hoffer "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." E-mail Address Charles.R.Anderson@gmail.com Private correspondence is welcome from interested, rational individualists. There are few enough of us that we should highly value one another and any friendships that might grow from contact. Blog Archive Ayn Rand on Morality "The purpose of morality is to teach you, not to suffer and die, but to enjoy yourself and live." Anthem by Ayn Rand Man the individualist, not men the collectivists. "For the battle they lost can never be lost. For that which they died to save can never perish. Through all the darkness, through all the shame of which men are capable, the spirit of man will remain alive on this earth. It may sleep, but it will awaken. It may wear chains, but it will break through. And man will go on. Man, not men." Dr. Edwin Lewis, A First Book in Writing English "To gain new words and new ideas, the student must compel himself to read slowly. Impatient to hurry on and learn how the tale or poem ends, many a youth is accustomed to read so rapidly as to miss the best part of what the author is trying to say. Thoughts cannot be read so rapidly as words. To get at the thoughts and really to retain the valuable expressions, the student must scrutinize and ponder as he reads. Each word must be thoroughly understood; its exact value in the given sentence must be grasped." A high school textbook for freshmen and sophomores used around 1900. James Madison "Since the general civilization of mankind, I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people, by gradual and silent ancroachments of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations: but, on a candid examination of history, we shall find that turbulence, violence, and abuse of power, by the majority trampling on the rights of the minority have produced factions and commotions, which, in republics, have more frequently than any other cause, produced despotism." General George S. Patton "If everyone is thinking alike, then someone isn't thinking." H. L. Mencken "The urge to save humanity is almost always only a false face to rule it." George Orwell "The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history." National Park Scientist David Graber People have become "a cancer ... a plague upon the Earth. Until such time as Homo sapiens should decide to rejoin nature, some of us can only hope for the right virus to come along." H. L. Mencken "If a politician found he had cannibals among his constituents, he would promise them missionaries for dinner." Thomas H. Huxley "The improver of natural knowledge absolutely refuses to acknowledge authority as such. For him, scepticism is the highest of duties; blind faith the one unpardonable sin." Thomas Jefferson on Democracy "A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine." Prince Philip of the United Kingdom I bet he would like to concentrate his human eradication efforts on the Deplorables and not on the Aristocracy or the Progressive Elitists. "In the event that I am reincarnated, I would like to return as a deadly virus, to contribute something to solving overpopulation." Henry Ford "Genius is seldom recognized for what it is: a great capacity for hard work." Thomas Jefferson on Truth Truth is great and will prevail if left to herself; that she is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error, and has nothing to fear from the conflict, unless by human interposition disarmed of her natural weapons, free argument and debate; errors ceasing to be dangerous when it is permitted freely to contradict them." " Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear." Niccolo Machiavelli "One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived." Sherlock Holmes "It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts." Or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle if you prefer. Mary McCarthy "Bureaucracy, the rule of no one, has become the modern form of despotism." Sen. Tim Wirth, Democrat, Colorado "We've got to ride the global warming issue. Even if the theory is wrong, we will be doing the right thing." Bismarck "Fools learn by experience, the wise man learns by the experience of others." Albert Einstein As Albert Einstein once said about the book "One Hundred Authors Against Einstein": Why one hundred? If I were wrong, one would be enough. Governments are Never Sovereign Only individuals are sovereign. Governments are either legitimate or illegitimate. They are legitimate only to the extent that they protect the exercise of every individual's right to life; liberty; the ownership of their own mind, body, and labor; their property; their freedom of conscience and association, and the pursuit of their own happiness. No government on Earth is highly legitimate. Most are highly illegitimate. So sayeth Charles R. Anderson. Dr. Thomas Sowell is Retiring "The real minimum wage is zero." "The most basic question is not what is best, but who shall decide what is best." "People who have time on their hands will inevitably waste the time of people who have work to do." "The welfare state is not really about the welfare of the masses, it is about the egos of the elites." "If you are not prepared to use force to defend civilization, then be prepared to accept barbarism." "Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it." Prof. Walter E. Williams on Democracy "... one of the primary dangers of majority rule is that it confers an aura of legitimacy and respectability to acts that would otherwise be deemed tyrannical." Ayn Rand on Minorities "The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights, cannot claim to be defenders of minorities." Hillary Clinton on Job Creation Socialists never want anyone to credit individuals with a productive purpose as the source of their jobs. When the government piles on such heavy taxes and regulations as to prevent job formation, they are always trying to misdirect the people's attention. Hillary has been vigorous in promising more taxes and more major regulations which will make the Obama record of 0.5% annual increases in real per capita GDP look good in comparison. "Don't let anybody tell you that, you know, its corporations and businesses that create jobs." Frederic Bastiat "It's impossible to introduce into society a greater evil than this, the conversion of Law into an instrument of PLUNDER." Ayn Rand "The number of its adherents is irrelevant to the truth or falsehood of an idea. A majority is as fallible as a minority or as an individual man. A majority vote is not an epistemological validation of an idea." ... "it is important to note the epistemological significance of a free society. In a free society, the pursuit of truth is protected by the free access of any individual to any field of endeavor he may choose to enter." ... "This prevents the formation of any coercive "elite" in any profession -- it prevents the legalized enforcement of a "monopoly on truth" by any gang of power seekers -- it protects the free market place of ideas -- it keeps all doors open to man's inquiring mind." The catastrophic man-made global warming hypothesis is no exception to these general truths about the right of every individual to examine and evaluate any idea. significance of a free society. In a free society, the pursuit of truth is protected by the free access of any individual to any field of endeavor he may choose to enter." ... "This prevents the formation of any coercive "elite" in any profession -- it prevents the legalized enforcement of a "monopoly on truth" by any gang of power seekers -- it protects the free market place of ideas -- it keeps all doors open to man's inquiring mind." Charles at Naval Surface Warfare Center Do Not Subordinate Your Mind to the Mind of Another The vilest form of self-abasement and self-destruction is the subordination of your mind to the mind of another, the acceptance of an authority over your brain, the acceptance of his assertions as facts, his say-so as truth, his edicts as middle-man between your consciousness and your existence. John Galt in Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand UN Agenda 21, Principle 15 The real operating principle: Neither shall total lack of scientific certainty delay taking action with catastrophic economic effects if one can imagine some environmental degradation. "In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation." Dr. Thomas Sowell "What 'multiculturalism' boils down to is that you can praise any culture in the world except Western culture -- and you cannot blame any culture in the world except Western culture." "It is so easy to be wrong -- and to persist in being wrong -- when the costs of being wrong are paid by others." "Intellectuals have trouble remembering that they are not God." "If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten you labeled a radical 60 years ago, a liberal 30 years ago and a racist today." Saul Alinsky It is good to understand what the nihilists think, especially since such politicians as Obama and Hillary admire this man and use his principles for damaging the private sector and Capitalism. "To say that corrupt means corrupt the ends is to believe in the immaculate conception of ends and principles. The real arena is corrupt and bloody. Life is a corrupting process from the time a child learns to play his mother off against his father in the politics of when to go to bed; he who fears corruption fears life." Ronald Reagan A democratic society that needs a much-controlling government to manage the affairs of its People has a People so lacking in character and ability that there is no hope the People can democratically elect leaders of good character and adequate capability. That society is doomed by a self-contradiction. The escape from doom is the development in the People of such character and ability that they shun a much-controlling government. "If no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else?" Aesop "We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office." Examples: Obama, both Clintons, Kerry, Sanders, Biden, Reid, and Pelosi. Christine Stewart, Canadian Minister of the Environment What a sad thing is attempted justice without truth. "No matter if the science of global warming is all phony.... climate change provides the greatest opportunity to bring about justice and equality in the world." Aldous Huxley "Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." Ayn Rand "'There are no evil thoughts, Mr. Rearden,' Francisco said softly, 'except one: the refusal to think.'" Francisco D'Anconia to Hank Rearden in Atlas Shrugged Frederic Bastiat on the Law "It has been used to destroy its own objective. It has been applied to annihilating the justice that it was supposed to maintain; to limiting and destroying rights which its real purpose was to respect. The law has placed the collective force at the disposal of the unscrupulous who wish, without risk, to exploit the person, liberty, and property of others. It has converted plunder into a right, in order to protect plunder. And it has converted lawful defense into a crime, in order to punish lawful defense. Louis L'Amour in High Lonesome "Nor were they free of the images their own minds held of themselves. The man on horseback, the lone-riding man, the lone-thinking man, possessed an image of himself that was in part his own, in part a piece of all the dime novels he had read, for no man is free of the image his literature imposes on him. And the dime novel made the western hero a knight-errant, a man on horseback rescuing the weak and helpless." "Folks talk a lot about the maternal feeling in women, but they say nothing about man's need to protect and care for someone; yet the one feeling is as basic as the other." Dr. Thomas Sowell "Even liberal professors can be adversely affected by the narrow groupthink that prevails. Without an opposition to keep them on their toes, they can develop sloppy habits of dismissing or even demonizing differing viewpoints, instead of practicing and teaching their students how to come to grips with opposing beliefs." From Dry Rot in Academia "Today one can literally go from kindergarten to becoming a graduate student seeking a Ph.D., without ever hearing a vision of the world that conflicts with the vision of the left." John Stuart Mill "In this age, the mere example of nonconformity, the mere refusal to bend the knee to custom, is itself a service. Precisely because the tyranny of opinion is such as to make eccentricity a reproach, it is desirable, in order to break through that tyranny, that people should be eccentric. Eccentricity has always abounded when and where strength of character was abounded; and the amount of eccentricity in a society has generally been proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigour, and moral courage which it contained. That so few now dare to be eccentric, marks the chief danger of the time." Josepth Stalin "We don't let them have ideas. Why would we let them have guns?" Robert Tracinski "The way we view the naked human body reflects our view of human nature itself. We portray our bodies in ways that are crude or refined depending on whether we view our souls as crude or refined. And we do the same with the sensuality and the sexual capacity of our bodies. We can view sex and the nude body as a dangerous temptation that draws us away from higher ideals and down into the muckor we can make it part of those higher ideals. We can make it an expression of a wider lust for life, an expression of the same spirit of aspiration that drives all of our other achievements." The Three Graces by Antonio Canova David by Michelangelo Frederic Bastiat "When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it." "But how is this legal plunder to be to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime." Ayn Rand on Excellence "If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing." Ayn Rand "The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody had decided not to see." Patrick Henry "No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue; and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles." H. L. Mencken "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed and hence clamorous to be led to safety by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." Catastrophic man-made global warming is a great example of such alarmism to justify more power for the politicians and bureaucrats. Thomas Jefferson "Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add, `within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrants will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual." Ayn Rand "Serenity comes from the ability to say 'Yes' to existence. Courage comes from the ability to say 'No' to the wrong choices made by others." Galileo Galilei "In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual." "By denying scientific principles, one may maintain any paradox." Henry Ford "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Samuel Adams "The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending against all hazards: And it is our duty to defend them against all attacks." The Constitution itself remains a strong defense of our individual rights, but those who want power over our lives have long claimed ridiculous interpretations of the powers it grants to the federal government which they have cemented in irrational precedents. Time after time, the fact that our individual rights are broad and must allow each of us to manage our own lives while we pursue our own chosen values, so long as we do not violate the equal rights of others, is a context ignored. Thomas Jefferson, 1816 "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." When the government controls the education system, you can be sure the education system will guarantee the ignorance of the people so they may be ruled without the impediment of the people demanding their individual rights. John C. Goodman "Closing Off Consumption Opportunities. Just as low-income individuals in their role as producers are increasing[ly] regulated out of income earning opportunities, in their role as consumers they are increasingly regulated out of the market for essential services. In addition to education and housing, they have been regulated out of the market for medical care, transportation and even police protection. For all these essential services, the wealthy turn to the private marketplace. They even employ police officers as off-duty, private guards for their gated communities. The poor are left with public housing, public schools, public transportation, government-provided health care, etc. The well-off get all the benefits of capitalism. The poor are left with socialism." Averroes "An army of philosophers would not be sufficient to change the nature of error and to make it truth." An army of scientist mercenaries at the service of All-Controlling Government is not sufficient to make the catastrophic man-made global warming hypothesis true either. Ayn Rand on the Creative Man "A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others." Lawrence W. Reed "It constantly amazes me that defenders of the free market are expected to offer certainty and perfection while government has only to make promises and express good intentions." Patrick Henry "The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people; it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government lest it come to dominate our lives and our interests." Prof. Walter E. Williams "That initial premise is that each of us owns himself. Stated another way: I am my private property and you are yours. The institution of private property is the right held by the owner of property to keep, acquire, dispose, and exclude from use. The premise of self-ownership determines which human acts are moral or immoral and consistent with that premise. For example, rape, murder, slavery, fraud, and theft are immoral because they violate private property." Thomas Jefferson The "sum of good government" is one "which shall restrain men from injuring one another" and "shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement." The presumption is maximum liberty limited not by the welfare of others, but only by the injunction to do no harm to others. H. L. Mencken "The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule." Madison Versus Hitler "(The Constitution preserves) the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation... (where) the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." James Madison "The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by doing so." Adolf Hitler Frederic Bastiat "The most urgent necessity is, not that the State should teach, but that it should allow education. All monopolies are detestable, but the worst of all is the monopoly of education." Mark Twain "It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled." This certainly applies to those who believe in the catastrophic man-made global warming alarmists, minimum wage laws, ObamaCare, the ethanol in gasoline mandate, and tying solar and wind power in high percentages to the electric grid. Prof. Walter E. Williams on White Privilege "The concept of white privilege, along with diversity and multiculturalism, is part of today's campus craze. ..... The bottom line to this campus nonsense is that "privilege" has become the new word for "personal achievement." .... Are those who work hard, take risks, make life better for others and become wealthy in the process the people who should be held up to ridicule and scorn? And should we make mascots out of social parasites?" Albert Einstein "A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth." Prof. John Christy, Climate Scientist If its not economically sustainable, its not sustainable. Ayn Rand on Human Progress "Man's ego is the fountainhead of human progress." George Orwell "The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it." Abbot of Arbroath, Chancellor of Robert the Bruce "For so long as one hundred of us shall remain alive we shall never in any wise consent to submit to the rule of the English. For it is not for glory we fight, for riches, or for honours, but for freedom alone, which no good man loses but with his life." April 1320, Six years after the Battle of Bannockburn Jean-Jacques Rousseau "whoever refuses to obey the general will will be forced to do so by the entire body; this means merely that he will be forced to be free." If one is told " 'it is expedient for the state that you should die,' he should die." From The Social Contract, a most emphatic statement of authoritarian collectivism by a profound misanthropist. Patrick Henry "The Constitution is NOT an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the PEOPLE to restrain the government -- lest it come to dominate our lives and interest." Dwight D. Eisenhower "If all that Americans want is security, they can go to prison. They'll have enough to eat, a bed and a roof over their heads. But if an American wants to preserve his dignity and his equality as a human being, he must not bow his neck to any dictatorial government." Alexander Hamilton "The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed." "If the representatives of the people betray their constituents, there is no recourse left but in the exertion of that original right of self-defense which is paramount to all positive forms of government." Milton Friedman A major source of objection to a free economy is precisely that it ... gives people what they want instead of what a particular group thinks they ought to want. Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. John Quincy Adams "Muhammad declared undistinguishing and exterminating war, as a part of his religion, against all the rest of mankind... The precept of the Koran is, perpetual war against all who deny, that Muhammad is the prophet of God." Justice Robert H. Jackson "If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein." This applies to the government-run education system, as well as every other act of government, including its procurements. Ellsworth Toohey in The Fountainhead "Don't bother to examine a folly, ask only what it accomplishes." Ayn Rand's villain giving us insight into the beliefs of the Progressive Elitists and others with beliefs too divorced from reality to be creditable, yet widely believed or propagated. Thomas Jefferson "let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the constitution." Of course this belief implies those great constraints on democracy imposed by the Constitution. Robert Tracinski "The real minimum wage is zero. Actually, its less than zero: the real minimum wage is going into debt just to have a shot at doing the work you love." I went hugely into debt to set up my materials analysis laboratory and paid myself only $10,000 in the first year and even less in the Obama Recession years of 2010 - 2016. Obama When what youre doing doesnt work for 50 years, its time to try something new. 2015 State of the Union Address So, we should ditch Big Government, government health care, The War on Poverty, The War on Drugs, Social Security, the Federal Reserve, government-run education, the Davis-Bacon Act, the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (the Jones Act), and all expansionist interpretations of the Interstate Commerce and the Taxation Clauses of the Constitution upon this Obama Principle of Failure. Louis L'Amour "If he starts anything with me I'll just cloud up and rain all over him." Conagher "You better ride out of here, Staples. An' leave that gun alone. You ain't fit to handle one. And don't you cross my trail again. I don't like bein' braced by no tin-horn." Conagher "To be a man was to be responsible. It was as simple as that. To be a man was to build something, to try to make the world about him a bit easier to live in for himself and those who followed." Conagher "it was the man who planted a tree, dug a well, or graded a road who mattered." "Conagher had worked too hard too many times to like a thief or a vandal who would steal or destroy the efforts of other men." "when in doubt, sit down and think. It is only the mind of man that has lifted him above the animals." Evie's Dad"If he starts anything with me I'll just cloud up and rain all over him." Conagher"You better ride out of here, Staples. An' leave that gun alone. You ain't fit to handle one. And don't you cross my trail again. I don't like bein' braced by no tin-horn." Conagher"To be a man was to be responsible. It was as simple as that. To be a man was to build something, to try to make the world about him a bit easier to live in for himself and those who followed." Conagher"it was the man who planted a tree, dug a well, or graded a road who mattered.""Conagher had worked too hard too many times to like a thief or a vandal who would steal or destroy the efforts of other men." Big Bill Knudsen on Progress "Progress is only made when fear is overcome by curiosity. If you are curious enough, you will not have any fear." William S. Knudsen Elbert Hubbard "Prison is a Socialist's Paradise, where equality prevails, everything is supplied, and competition is eliminated." Charles R. Anderson "Every law mandates more guns. Most laws now outlaw individual value choices and more voluntary cooperation among individuals." Bad Deeds by Robert Bidinotto Charles Anderson on Hope ".... hope is contingent upon having the freedom to make your own value choices and make their achievement your personal dream. Without the dream, there is no hope. Without the value choice, there is no dream." A Collapsing Predation, a Plea for Salvation "These are just plain, ordinary people, Mr. Galt, " said Chick Morrison in a tone intended to project their abject humility. "They can't tell you what to do. They wouldn't know. They're merely begging you. They may be weak, helpless, blind, ignorant. But you, who are so intelligent and strong, can't you take pity on them? Can't you help them?" "By dropping my intelligence and following their blindness?" "They may be wrong, but they don't know any better!" "But I, who do, should obey them?" From Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Sen. Tom Coburn Addressing the Senate "Your whole goal is to protect the United States of America, its Constitution and its liberties. It's not to provide benefits for your state. That's where we differ -- that's where my conflict with my colleagues has come. It's nice to be able to do things for your state, but that isn't our charge. Our charge is to protect the future of our country by upholding the Constitution." December 2014 James Madison on Laws "It will be of little avail to the people ... if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood." Yet this is exactly the sorry state of law in America today. Even the legislators whose full-time job is to make laws cannot read them before voting on them. How can it even be imagined that a small businessman can know the law and the voluminous regulations applied most especially and most vigorously to commercial endeavors? It cannot be so imagined, which makes it clear that the intent is to make every businessman a criminal precariously dependent upon the goodwill of those with power in the government. Charles R. Anderson on Argument "Observe which side resorts to the most vociferous name-calling and you are likely to have identified the side with the weaker argument and they know it." From my statement in the Senate Minority Report of 2008 on Man-Made Global Warming Claims. Ben Franklin " Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." Ayn Rand on Force and Morality From Atlas Shrugged "Force and mind are opposites; morality ends where a gun begins." The Neverending Battle for Freedom Winston Churchill "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy." Ludwig von Mises "A society that chooses between capitalism and socialism does not choose between two social systems; it chooses between social cooperation and the disintegration of society. Socialism is not an alternative to capitalism; it is an alternative to any system under which men can live as human beings." Ayn Rand on Truth Seeking "The truth is not for all men, but only for those who seek it." Charles R. Anderson, Ph.D. Benno Schmidt, President of Yale, March 1991 "The most serious problems of freedom of expression in our society today exist on our campuses ... The assumption seems to be that the purpose of education is to induce correct opinion rather than to search for wisdom and to liberate the mind." Tacitus, 56 - 120 A.D. "The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws. " The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the state. The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the state. George Eliot "The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?' But conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular -- but one must take it because it's right." Is that not all times? Public Servant Tyrants "The people must remain ever vigilant against tyrants masquerading as public servants." George Washington Aristotle on Inequality "The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal." Claiming unequal things equal in mathematics is obviously wrong, but so is claiming the equality of an individual with good character to an individual of bad character fraught with deleterious consequences. Mencken on Public Education "The aim of public education is not to spread enlightenment at all: It is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality." Henry Louis Mencken (1880 - 1956) Thomas Edison "From his neck down, a man is worth a couple of dollars a day; from his neck up, he is worth anything his brain can invent." Ayn Rand on Self-Assurance "But why should you care what people will say? All you have to do is please yourself." From The Fountainhead Frederick Douglass A mans rights rest in three boxes: the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box. William S. Knudsen "A conference is a gathering of guys that singly can do nothing and together decide nothing can be done." Big Bill Knudsen was the manufacturing genius from the automotive industry who decided that U.S. WWII warfare production should be performed in the private sector with as little government interference as possible. U.S. production overwhelmed that of the Axis Powers as a result and the transition back to peace-time production was vastly eased. He is a little-recognized American Hero. Margaret Thatcher "Europe was created by history. America was created by philosophy." Pajama Boy for ObamaCare Ayn Rand on Lack of Self-Direction "The man who lets a leader prescribe his course is a wreck being towed to the scrap heap." From The Fountainhead Bastiat on Socialism "Now, legal plunder can be committed in an infinite number of ways. Thus we have an infinite number of plans for organizing it: tariffs, protection, benefits, subsidies, encouragements, progressive taxation, public schools, guaranteed jobs, guaranteed profits, minimum wages, a right to relief, a right to the tools of labor, free credit, and so on, and so on. All these plans as a wholewith their common aim of legal plunderconstitute socialism." Frederic Bastiat, 1801-1850 James Madison Property is "every thing to which a man may attach a value and have a right; and which leaves to every one else the like advantage." "He has a property very dear to him in the safety and liberty of his person. He has equal property in the free use of his faculties and free choice of the objects on which to employ them." "Government is instituted to protect property of every sort; as well that which lies in the various rights of individuals, as that which the term particularly expresses. This being the end of government, that alone is a just government, which impartially secures to every man, whatever is his own." "That is not a just government, nor is property secure under it, where arbitrary restrictions, exemptions, and monopolies deny to part of its citizens that free use of their faculties, and free choice of their occupations, which not only constitute their property in the general sense of the word; but are the means of acquiring property so called." "If there be a government then which prides itself in maintaining the inviolability of property: which provides that none shall be taken directly even for public use without indemnification to the owner, and yet directly violates the property which individuals have in their opinions, their religion, their persons, and their faculties; nay more, which indirectly violates their property, in their actual possessions, in the labor that acquires their daily subsistence, and in the hallowed remnant of time which ought to relieve their fatigues and soothe their cares, ... such a government is not a pattern for the United States." [Yet such a property violating government we now have.] Obama According to Ron Pisaturo "My opponents dont have a plan for the economy, for education, for training, for retirement, for health care, for energy, for jobs, for wages, for investments, for diets. What kind of dictators are they?" Ron Pisaturo's paraphrase of Obama's State of the Union Address in January 2014. Starve the Kleptocracy and Tyranny John Galt on the Battle John Galt says in Galt's Speech in Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand: Fight for the value of your person. Fight for the virtue of your pride. Fight for the essence of that which is man: for his sovereign rational mind. Fight with the radiant certainty and the absolute rectitude of knowing that yours is the Morality of Life and that yours is the battle for any achievement, any value, any grandeur, any goodness, any joy that has ever existed on this earth. Groucho Marx "Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies." Charles in Pensacola, FL Andrew Jackson "Distinctions in society will always exist under every just government. Equality of talents, of education, or of wealth can not be produced by human institutions. In the full enjoyment of the gifts of Heaven and the fruits of superior industry, economy, and virtue, every man is equally entitled to protection by law; but when the laws undertake to add to these natural and just advantages artificial distinctions, to grant titles, gratuities, and exclusive privileges, to make the rich richer and the potent more powerful, the humble members of society -- the farmers, mechanics, and laborers -- who have neither the time nor the means of securing like favors to themselves, have a right to complain of the injustice of their Government .... If it would confine itself to equal protection, and, as Heaven does its rains, shower its favors alike on the high and the low, the rich and the poor, [government] would be an unqualified blessing." Jay Leno "The White House admitted President Obamas chief of staff had advance warning that the IRS was targeting conservative groups. President Obama says the first time he heard about the IRS and AP scandals was from the media. See, thats why President Obama holds press conferences. Its not to explain whats going on. Its to find out whats going on." Government is too big to be well-managed even by a competent manager. It is now apparent what happens when the chief executive is incompetent, but is convinced he is the chief Progressive Elitist. Thomas Jefferson "The democracy will cease when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." "I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." James I, King of Great Britain "The state of monarchy is the supremest thing upon earth, for kings are not only God's lieutenants upon earth and sit upon God's throne, but even by God himself they are called gods." There is historical precedent for the level of hubris of the Progressive Elitist rulers of our time. Just as James I tried to rule independently of Parliament with a claim of god-like knowledge, so does Obama rule independently of our Congress, secure in the belief that he too has a god-like knowledge of what is best for the People. 2nd Amendment Right Calvin Coolidge Reduced top income tax rate to 25%. Reduced the national debt. Balanced and reduced the budget. Vetoed 50 bills. "I am for economy, and after that I am for more economy. It is much more important to kill bad bills than to pass good ones. A Novel by Gen LaGreca Jean Jacques Burlamaqui "Natural liberty is the right, which nature gives to all mankind, of disposing of their persons and property, after the manner they judge most convenient to their happiness, on condition of their acting within the limits of the law of nature, and their not abusing it to the prejudice of their fellow men. To this right of liberty there is a reciprocal obligation corresponding, by which the law of nature binds all mankind to respect the liberty of other men, and not to disturb them in the use they make of it, so long as they do not abuse it." Frederick Douglass Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave. Pamela Geller In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel, Defeat Jihad Roger Scruton, 2006 The English law existed not to control the individual but to free him. Laurence J. Peter Against logic there is no armor like ignorance. Ben Franklin - 2nd Amendment This is why every individual has the right to defend himself, as recognized in the 2nd Amendment of the Bill of Rights. "Democracy... Is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty... Is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." John Milton "Where there is much desire to learn, here of necessity will be much arguing, much writing, many opinions; for opinion in good men is but knowledge in the making." Cato's Letters "the power which every Man has over his own Actions, and his Right to enjoy the Fruits of his own Labour, Art, and Industry, as far as by it he hurts not the Society, or any Members of it, by taking from any Member, or by hindering him from enjoying what he himself enjoys." They Would Rule the People Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Atlas Shrugged, Part II Democracy -- The Suicide "Remember democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." John Adams, letter to John Taylor, April 15, 1814 Thomas Jefferson "My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government." "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Praise the Constitution Ayn Rand: Philosophical Detection Alan MacFarlane, 1978 The majority of ordinary people in England from at least the thirteenth century were rampant individualists, highly mobile both geographically and socially, economically rational, market-oriented and acquisitive, ego-centered in kinship and social life. Perhaps this is no surprise, for it makes them very like their descendants. On Error and Judgment by Ayn Rand An error made on your own is safer than ten truths accepted on faith, because the first leaves you the means to correct it, but the second destroys your capacity to distinguish truth from error. Howard Roark at his trial: "I came here to say that I do not recognize anyone's right to one minute of my life. Nor to any part of my energy. Nor to any achievement of mine. No matter who makes the claim, how large their number or how great their need." ..... "I wished to come and say that the integrity of a man's creative work is of greater importance than any charitable endeavor. Those of you who do not understand this are the men who're destroying the world." ... "I recognize no obligations toward men except one: to respect their freedom and to take no part in a slave society." Thomas Jefferson "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." "The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." Support Science, Reason Atlas Shrugged Part I - The Movie Thomas Paine on Reason California Venus George Bernard Shaw "A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul." Paul's immorality is soon characteristic of the entire society, contributing evermore to strife and conflict and the discouragement of productive labor. Fight Big Government Thomas Paine on Principle "A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice." Limited Government Capitalism is the only system that allows Individuals to make their own moral choices and to act upon them. Without individual moral choice, there is no morality and society is mean, brutal, envious, and depressing. The Homage of Reason "Question with boldness even the existence of God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear." Thomas Jefferson Tocqueville a mans admiration for absolute government is proportionate to the contempt he feels for those around him. First ObamaCare Stole Your Body In the name of the best within you, do not sacrifice this world to those who are its worst. In the name of the values that keep you alive, do not let your vision of man be distorted by the ugly, the cowardly, the mindless in those who have never achieved his title. Do not lose your knowledge that man's proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads. Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it's yours. But to win it requires your total dedication and a total break with the world of your past, with the doctrine that man is a sacrificial animal who exists for the pleasure of others. Fight for the value of your person. Fight for the virtue of your pride. Fight for the essence of that which is man: for his sovereign rational mind. Fight with the radiant certainty and the absolute rectitude of knowing that yours is the Morality of Life and that yours is the battle for any achievement, any value, and grandeur, any goodness, any joy that has ever existed on this earth. John Galt in Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Hunter -- A Thriller by Robert Bidinotto Socialized Medicine Immoral Government Health Care Barack Hussein Obama A Compass that almost always points to the South Pole. Consensus Consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually"- Abba Eban Obama's Socialism Rose Robbins - Singer/Songwriter Who is John Galt? From John Galt's Speech to Americans in Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand: "I am the man who loves his life. I am the man who does not sacrifice his love or his values." "Man's mind is his basic tool of survival. Life is given to him, survival is not. His body is given to him, its sustenance is not. His mind is given to him, its content is not. To remain alive, he must act, and before he can act, he must know the nature and purpose of his action." "But to think is an act of choice." ..... "In any hour and issue of your life, you are free to think or to evade that effort. But you are not free to escape from your nature, from the fact that reason is your means of survival -- so that for you , who are a human being, the question 'to be or not to be" is the question 'to think or not to think.' "A being of volitional consciousness has no automatic course of behavior. He needs a code of values to guide his actions. 'Value' is that which one acts to gain and keep, 'virtue' is the action by which one gains and keeps it. 'Value' presupposes an answer to the question: of value to whom and for what? 'Value' presupposes a standard, a purpose and the necessity of action in the face of an alternative. Where there are no alternatives, no values are possible." "There is only one fundamental alternative in the universe: existence or non-existence -- and it pertains to a single class of entities: to living organisms." "Man has been called a rational being, but rationality is a matter of choice -- and the alternative his nature offers is: rational being or suicidal animal. Man has to be man -- by choice; he has to hold his life as a value -- by choice; he has to learn to sustain it -- by choice; he has to discover the values it requires and practice his virtues -- by choice." "A code of values accepted by choice is a code of morality." "Man's life is the standard of morality, but your own life is its purpose . If existence on earth is your goal, you must choose your actions and values by the standard of that which is proper to man -- for the purpose of preserving, fulfilling and enjoying the irreplaceable value which is your life." "Happiness is the successful state of life, pain is an agent of death. Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one's values. A morality that dares to tell you to find happiness in the renunciation of your happiness -- to value the failure of your values -- is an insolent negation of morality. A doctrine that gives you, as an ideal, the role of sacrificial animal seeking slaughter on the altar of others, is giving you death as your standard. By the grace of reality and the nature of life, man -- every man -- is an end in himself, he exists for his own sake, and the achievement of his own happiness is his highest moral purpose." Thus said John Galt, or shall we say Ayn Rand, the great novelist, philosopher, moralist, and Capitalism's greatest moral defender. The quoted sections above are an abridgment of John Galt's speech in the novel Atlas Shrugged . Between the quotes, no changes were made. A Call to the Sons of Liberty John Paul Jones Charles R. Anderson, Ph. D. The First Known Use of the Concept Freedom The Rational Mind Seeks Truth in the critical observation and understanding of reality. Reality is primary, not man's wishes and whims. Followers Elizabeth Zanzinger Total Pageviews Demand for thermal coal is declining, a trend that appears to be irreversible. That is the conclusion from Goldman Sachs, which published a new report on the global coal and gas trade on February 15, and reported on by SNL. For coal producers, this is the latest in a long line of grim warnings, all of which point to a future of shuttered power plants, mine closures, and bankruptcies. Last fall, Goldman Sachs made headlines when it predicted that peak coal was drawing near. The industry does not require new investment given the ability of existing assets to satisfy flat demand, so prices will remain under pressure as the deflationary cycle continues, the investment bank wrote in September 2015. Related: Historic OPEC-Russia Agreement Will Have Minimal Impact The reaffirmation of that belief in its latest report will make less of a splash, if only because there is a growing realization that the coal industry is dying. Nevertheless, Goldman offers some new insights about the direction for the industry. For much of the last decade, with coal consumption flat or declining in most of the industrialized world, there was still a massive lifeline for coal producers. Chinas explosive growth led to a seemingly endless appetite for coal, despite bleak and deteriorating air quality in many of its cities. But, after years of blistering growth, Chinas coal burning came to a screeching halt, likely hitting a peak in 2013. With Chinas coal market hitting a peak and entering decline, India is supposed to take over as the last vestige of growth. In the IEAs 2015 World Energy Outlook, it published a lengthy section on India, placing it front and center as the single most important country to watch in terms of its influence on the future of energy markets. Related: Oil Price Volatility Off The Charts India is supposed to add almost 900 million metric tons of new coal demand by 2040. To put that into context, it is more than twice as much demand as the rest of the world is expected to add combined over that timeframe. Coal demand in the U.S., EU, China, and Japan, to name a few, will fall from here on out. So coal producers will simply export their coal to India, right? The problem with that plan is that India is set to ramp up its own domestic production of coal, cutting out the need to import more. India used to suffer from a shortage of supply, which led to a costly import bill and even routine blackouts in its electricity sector. But Indian mines are now churning out more coal, and stockpiles are rising. Indias increasing ability to meet its own demand for coal, Goldman Sachs says, will mean the peak and decline in seaborne trade volumes may arrive earlier than we had previously expected." The bank cut its forecast for thermal coal prices in Newcastle, Australia a key global benchmark to just $45 per tonne in 2018, down from $48 per tonne this year. But the worst news for the industry is this: While oil and natural gas could see prices rebound as demand rises, coal has very little hope of ever seeing a price rebound again. Goldman sees long-term coal prices at $42.50 per tonne. "Unlike most other commodities, thermal coal is unlikely to experience another period of tightness ever again because investment in new coal-fired generation is becoming less common and the implied decline in long-term demand appears to be irreversible," Goldman Sachs analysts concluded. Related: How Far Will The U.S. Go If Turkey Invades Syria? Even India will fail to make up for the shrinking thermal coal market in the rest of the world. In its latest report, Goldman downgraded cut its demand forecast for thermal coal in September it predicted that by 2019, the world would be burning 2 percent less coal than it did in 2013. Now, it says thermal coal demand will drop by 7 percent. This is horrific news for coal mining companies. It also ensures that the list of coal companies that have declared bankruptcy at least several dozen in the last four years will continue to grow. By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Hot on the heels of their $52-billion takeover of BG Group going into effect last month, Shell appears poised to make big moves in Brazil. Already the second largest oil and gas producer in Brazil, Shell has set its sights even higher. The only thing that stands in its way is state-owned Petrobras. Ben van Beurden, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, made his feelings on the matter very clear this week when he said that Petrobras should cede some of its drilling rights to private firms. Related: Is Venezuela Trying To Hide Oil Assets With This Bizarre Move? At first glance, this sentiment could be seen as mere sabre-rattling and lobbying by a major private producer that would stand to gain a lot if Petrobras were to, in fact, cede some of their drilling rights, but a closer look into Petrobras sheds some light on why this course of action could also be in the best interest of Brazil. Currently, Brazilian regulations state that at least 50 percent of all off-shore oil drilling rights must be owned by Petrobras. The problem is that Petrobras is in a full-blown tailspin. The company is currently embroiled in a scandal that includes top executives, politicians, and the countrys biggest construction firms. Petrobras is also dealing with massive debt that was growing virtually unhindered for years. And with oil prices as low as they are now, it appears things could get worse for Petrobras before they get better. Related: Oil Price Volatility Off The Charts With Petrobras barely staying afloat, its plans to develop offshore wells have completely stalled. That means that Brazil is unable to earn royalties from oil produced offshore. This is where Petrobras problem becomes Brazils problem. In a country dealing with rapid currency devaluation, rising unemployment, and a sputtering economy; people simply cannot sit around and wait for Petrobras. On top of all of the above, Shell announced this week that it would be cancelling the sale of $150 million in Brazilian oil assets. No reason was provided for the cancellation of the deal that was set to take effect after being negotiated in January 2015. Perhaps this is an example of Shell showing how committed the company is to the Brazilian market in order to try and influence the government to take action. Maybe Shell believes a favorable decision is coming soon that would allow them to take a larger stake in Brazils oil fields without the cooperation of Petrobras. We can only speculate at this point, but one thing is for certain; Shell has made a major commitment to Brazil. Related: Utilities Just Declared War On Solar The people of Brazil are understandably frustrated with the corruption and mismanagement surrounding Petrobras. The situation has reached a point where the inability of Petrobras to develop its offshore oil fields is preventing the government from collecting much-needed royalties. Opening up drilling rights to private firms would be a huge boon to the Brazilian economy, and Shell has made it clear that is ready and willing to invest even further in Brazil--but nothing can happen until the government takes the first step. By Dex Dunford for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Defying skepticism that their countries could agree on any measures to stabilize global crude markets and prices, Saudi Petroleum and Natural Resource Minister Ali al-Naimi and Russian Energy Minister Novak, along with their Venezuelan and Qatari colleagues, reached agreement February 16 In Doha to freeze their countries output at their January 2016 levels. Initially, global crude markets responded positively to the news with WTI pushing past $30 and Brent $34. Soon, however, the markets focus turned to the agreements limitations: neither Iraq nor Iran, both major producers, had yet to bless a freeze; freezing at January 2016 output levels effectively cemented a ~1 million barrels per day surplus; without effective monitoring and enforcement provisions, crude revenue dependent governments, as they traditionally have in the past, would cheat; and any agreement will not include North American companies. As the day wore on, skepticism displaced optimism. As a February 16 Wall Street Journal article put it: The more things change in the oil market, the more they stay the same: The agreement Tuesday between Saudi Arabia, Russia, Qatar and Venezuela to freeze oil output falls somewhere between symbolic significance and no change at all. As optimism faded, crude prices retraced their gains and closed lower on the day. Is the continued skepticism warranted? Perhaps yes, if one believes the purpose of the Doha agreement is to increase crude prices in the short term. It isnt, however, if in fact its purpose is to put a floor under crude pricesand as a first step in raising prices in the future. In the following discussion, keep in mind the following numbers2 million barrels per day and 710,000 barrels per daythe IEA estimate of readily available (within 90 days) Saudi spare capacity and Saudi Arabias incremental average 2015 daily output, respectively. Fun with Numbers: Math-Driven Necessity Crude revenue dependent governments have a powerful reason to find common ground on output levelsto varying degrees and at varying speeds, their current output policies are greasing (or is it oiling?) the skids for their countrys financial and economic self-immolation. The 2015 monthly average OPEC basket prices are presented in the following table. (OPEC basket prices are used for this analysis since the key crude revenue dependent countriesRussia, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies, Iran, and Iraqcompete against each other in key markets). After peaking in Q2 2015 at an average price of $59.89 per barrel (and on a monthly basis in May at $62.16) crude prices declined steadily through the rest of the year as the Saudis increased output, the P5+1 agreement with Iran became a reality, lifting of UN sanctions on Iran loomed, and Iran began to expound on its determination to increase crude production 500,000 barrels per day within weeks of sanctions end and 1 million barrels per day within a year. (Click to enlarge) As crude prices continued to drop in January 2016averaging $26.50 per barrelthe IEA and many observers marveled at Saudi Arabias, Irans, and Iraqs capability to increase crude output. The following table shows the IEAs January output estimates for Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia from the public narrative in its February Oil Market Report, and the change from average Q4 output using its January Oil Market Report. Irans output increased 100,000 barrels per day, Iraqs 90,000, and Saudi Arabias 50,000 (Russias January output was not available in the February public narrative and therefore is assumed to have remained at Q4 output levels for the purposes of this discussion). Related: The Biggest Natural Gas Discovery Of 2016 Just Got Bigger What an exercise in futility! The increases Irans, Iraqs, and Saudi Arabias output in January resulted in substantial decreases in revenue in January for each of these countries (and all other producers)and in potential annual revenue. The following table shows the potential loss in annual revenue Russia, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia will endure were prices to average $26.50 in 2016Russia ~$36 billion, Iran ~$3.1 billion, Iraq ~$16 billion, Saudi Arabia ~$31 billion (each countrys actual revenues will depend on their crudes discount or premium to the OPEC basket/competitor price. Irans March price for Asia, for example, is $2.60 below similar Oman and Dubai grades). Looked at in percentage terms, Iran increased output and exports in January from 4Q 2015 average output and export levels ~3.5 percent and 16.7 percent respectivelyand achieved a ~22 percent drop in potential annual crude export revenue. (Click to enlarge) What would happen were Iran to increase output 500,000 barrels per day, as it claimed it would soon after sanctions were lifted? Assuming that a 500,000 barrel-per-day increase in Iranian output (to 3.37 million barrels) led to a 500,000 barrel-per-day increase in exports and caused the OPEC basket price to drop to $20 per barrel, Iran would generate $10,658,000,000 in crude export revenue, only some ~$210,000,000 more than in January when the OPEC basket case was $6.50 higher. The table below estimates annual export revenue for the four countries at $20 per barrel oil using estimated January export levels. (Click to enlarge) These estimated actual and estimated potential decreases in crude export revenues come at a time when each of these crude-export-revenue dependent governments and other crude-export-revenue dependent governments face yawning budget deficits and are searching desperately for revenue to finance their budgets. Reuters described the situation in Russia as follows in a February 4 article: Only one month in and 2016 has already delivered a series of devastating economic blows to Russia But a whiff of desperation can now be sensed As the economic temperature rises, Moscow will likely find itself under increased pressure to re-examine both its domestic policies and its foreign adventures Signs of panic and dysfunction are everywhere. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has demanded yet another round of 10 percent budget cuts Otherwise, Siluanov warns, Russia faces a repeat of the 1998-99 financial crash and possible default The 2016 budget, meanwhile, already included catastrophic reductions in education, health care and social spending. How will the Russian public react to additional cuts? Related: Oil Production Rumor Mill Continues To Turn As Iran Hints At Freeze More fun with numbers! The Russian government generates a substantial percentage of its budget revenue from the customs duty on crude and crude product exports. During 2015 (and continuing on into 2016), the calculation for the crude export customs duty for US$ crude above $182.5 per metric ton ($25 per barrel) was $29.20 per metric ton plus 42 percent of the difference between $182.50 and the Ural benchmark price per ton. For crude between $146 and $182.50 per metric ton ($20-$25 per barrel), the calculation was $12.78 plus 45 percent of the difference between $146 and the Ural benchmark price. The implosion in crude prices during 2015 resulted in the following implosion in the (estimated) amount of export customs duty the Russian government received from each ton of exported crude (from Rosnefts 3Q and 1Q Management Reports) and therefore, its annual take from crude export customs duty (assuming exports at 7.55 million barrels/day): (Click to enlarge) With crude over $100 per barrel, the crude export customs duty generated bounteous revenues for the Russian governments budget and for its sovereign wealth funds. With crude at current prices, generating revenue from this source is a struggle. The Russian government is seeking to raise an additional $10 billion to cover a gap in 2016 budget funding that the fall in crude prices in December and January caused. The table below displays the number of barrels Russia would have to export to generate $10 billion in crude export customs revenues at various crude price levels. Russia exports ~2.7 billion barrels per yearwith prices at $26.50 per barrel, it would take nearly 80 percent of annual crude export customs duties to generate $10 billion, at $20 per barrel, some two years: (Click to enlarge) Given these results, it is therefore no wonder the Russian government is forced to consider selling a portion of its stakes in such major Russian companies as Rosneft, Aeroflot, and VTB bankthis at a time when Russian asset prices are depressed and European and U.S. companies are leery of Russian asset due to Ukraine-related sanctions and the Russian economys recessionary conditions. Both Iran and Iraq similarly are in dire straits. Many of the long-term economic benefits the Iranian government expected to derive from the end to UN sanctions may be receding beyond the horizon. Iranat least Irans Petroleum Ministryhad hoped quickly to attract foreign capital to its efforts to ramp up crude and natural gas output to pre-sanction levels. Estimates of the amount necessary to achieve this goal vary. Reuters put the amount needed to return output to 4 million barrels per day at $200 billion. As the end to sanctions approached last year, ministry officials announced plans to develop and present a new model investment contract to foreign investors and energy companies this February. Infighting within Iran between ministry officials and conservatives aligned with Irans military and security forces over who will set the terms for foreign investors, conduct the negotiations, and choose the domestic Iranian partners for their foreigners, as well as conservative opposition to any foreign investment in the oil and natural gas industry, have forced the ministry indefinitely to postpone presenting the contract. Exacerbating the difficulty of Irans situation, low prices are causing industry-wide cutbacks in investment spending for 2016 and beyond and to think twice about putting money into a risky and unpredictable country. Iraq too is struggling to fund development of its energy industry. Even when the OPEC basket price was ~50 percent higher in September 2015 (~$46 per barrel), the Iraq oil ministry was writing to the foreign contractors producing Iraqs oil (including such majors as Shell, ENI, Lukoil, and BP) warning them of impending cuts in funding for the petroleum industry. The situation has become even more difficult: as noted above, as Iraq increased output in January by 90,000 barrels per day to 4.35 million barrels per day, based on the OPEC basket price, estimated revenue dropped from $62.2 billion to $43 billion. Coincidentally, this is the amount almost to the US$ that the Iraq government announced in January it wants to raise through domestic and international bond sales to plug a $20 billion budget gap. Given the fact that a ~$20 billion decrease in annual crude export revenue accompanied the incremental 90,000 barrels per day in Iraqi output in January, isnt it possible that the Iraqi government might be amenable to an output freeze, if not a production rollback? Output Freeze: Far More than Symbolic and No Change at All At the present time and in present market conditions, most oil producing countries probably fear further declines in crude prices more than they hope for price increasesand therefore, theyincluding Iranlikely welcome the Saudi willingness at least to freeze output at January 2016 levels. Only a few (major) oil-producing countries have the capacity quickly and relatively cheaply to increase output over 2015 levelsthe Saudis, ~2 million barrels/day, as mentioned above, Kuwait, which has ~150,000 barrels per day coming on line in 2016, the U.S. (where companies drilled, but put off completing wells until prices improve), and perhaps Iran, the volume and ease of tapping of which is unknown. Almost all the rest produced at maximum levels in 2015 to reduce the damage to their crude revenues from the sharp drop in crude prices. Assuming they skimped on spending for oil field maintenance and containing natural depletion to fund more pressing needs, such countries may be unable to maintain output at 2015 levels, much less increase output. Related: The Billion Dollar Biofuel That Fell 2.7 Billion Gallons Short The Saudis too are likely to welcome this freeze. Low crude prices have also harmed them and lower prices would harm them more. As noted above, at an average $26.50 OPEC basket price, Saudi crude exports would generate ~$31 billion less revenue than at 4Q 2015s $39.72 average priceand, at $20 per barrel, another $17 billion less. Also, they are freezing output at a significantly higher level than in the past10.21 million barrels per day. In the three years preceding 2015, Saudi output averaged only ~9.50 million barrels per day. In the course of 2015, they increased average output to ~10.12 per day (output peaked in June at 10.46 million barrels per day). These numbers2 million barrels in readily available spare capacity and output 710,000 barrels above pre-2015 levelsput the Saudis in a strong negotiating position. The former number gives them the means to enforce an output freeze. The possibility that the Saudis could, if necessary, lift output above 10.21 million barrels per day will deter other countries from cheating. It will also continue to limit crude price increases and therefore the capability of countries and companies to invest in expanding production (as well as in maintaining production). This applies as well to Russia and Iraqand to Iran. Iran may protest against the Saudis and other OPEC members taking their sales in Europe and Asia after the UN imposed sanctions in 2012 and assert that it will not accept a freeze until it has regained its share in these markets. However, without the Saudis committing to output restraint and therefore removing the Sword of Damocles they hold suspended over the global crude market, it will be difficult for Iran to attract substantial investment in the foreseeable future. The latter number gives the Saudis the possibility to act magnanimously on output levels to accommodate Irans output wishes, at least partially, if Iran decides to be collegial and the Saudis major non-North American competitors also are prepared to be magnanimous outputand still be in a better position in terms of output than it was in 2014. Igor Sechin, Rosnefts President, cited 1 million barrels per day as the reduction in daily output volume necessary to move the global crude market toward balance. Russia already in effect has offered its share: Transneft, the Russian crude pipeline monopoly, announced in mid-January that based on producer pipeline capacity applications, Russian oil exports in 2016 would decline 400,000 barrels per day. For their part, the Saudis could throw in 210,000 barrels per day and still produce ~500,000 barrels per day more than they did in 2014 and the beginning of 2015. With Russia and Saudi acting magnanimously, Iraq and other countries might be willing to cut output, recognizing the positive impact on prices over time. Looked at this way, the freeze is a starting point, which, over time could lead to production cuts as major non-North American producers gain confidence in the intentions of their fellow producers and therefore bring forward balancing the global crude market. Of course, it could also lead to the opposite result, if those countries with capacity to spare see no reason for confidence. By Dalan McEndree for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: At least 25 people were killed and 45 others were injured in a bomb attack on buses transporting Turkish military personnel in the capital, Ankara, today. The explosion hit during a high-level security meeting at the Presidential Palace, and targeted an area of central Ankara close to military headquarters and the parliament building. According to Turkish news agencies, the government has imposed a media blackout following the incident. Ahead of the media blackout, local authorities said the explosion took out a convoy of military vehicles. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu canceled his Brussels trip for the critical EU Summit on the refugee crisis due to the terror bombing. Related: Utilities Just Declared War On Solar This is the second major bombing in Ankara in recent months. In October, two suicide bombers killed over 100 people during a demonstration of peace activists near Ankara's main train station in what was the worst terrorist attack in Turkey in modern times. There are no reports of any group claiming responsibility for the attack, but the likelihood is that it will be attributed to either the Islamic State (ISIS) or the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Related: How Far Will The U.S. Go If Turkey Invades Syria? The attack comes as Turkey is threatening the use of high-level force against Syrian Kurds who have taken over territory lost by Syrian rebels in the face of an advancement of Russian fire power and regime forces in northern Syria, near the border with Turkey. The northern Syrian town of Azaz is the flashpoint for a wider conflict, with also threatening to destroy the Syrian Menagh air base if the Kurds refused to withdraw. Turkey is also launching large-scale military operations targeting PKK strongholds in southeastern Turkey where is it believed to have killed some 300 PKK forces since early January. By James Burgess of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: French Supermajor Total S.A. (TOTF.PA) signed a deal Thursday with the government of Sri Lanka to explore potential offshore ultra-deep water blocks, according to the Sri Lankas Oil Ministry. The agreement, which has been in the works since 2014, would allow Total to explore marginal areas on Sri Lankas East Coast. The call for proposals came after Indias Cairn backed out of the deal in 2015 after the deal lost appeal amid falling oil prices. Cairn discovered two gas wells in 2011. As part of the agreement, Total would conduct technical surveys and analyze data to assess the viability of oil and gas at commercial volumes. This data, worth several millions, would be owned by Sri Lanka, and would allow Sri Lanka to more accurately assess the potential for production in the region. Related: Saudi Arabias Credit Rating Cut Two Levels Under the joint agreement, Sri Lanka will also get ground rental of US $1 per square kilometer for the entire acreage, valued at roughly LKR $7 million per year. Total could begin studies as early as April or May. If Total finds oil or gas reserves in commercial quantities, it will have the right to negotiate a production sharing contract with Sri Lanka. Should these negotiations fail, the government may offer the opportunity to other bidders. Total would have the right to match the highest bidder within a specified timeframe. Residual rights will lapse after 51 months. Related: Storage Problems Could Cause A Rout In Oil Prices China, India, Russia, and Vietnam were some of the other countries that had expressed an interest in bidding on Sri Lankan oil and gas explorations. In a statement made by Petroleum Resources Development Secretariat, Director General Saliya Wickramasuriya noted, The opportunity we are offering is not just in exploration but in the linkages that follow from the emergence of an entire natural gas industry in Sri Lanka, which decouples risk with the rest of the world." By James Burgess of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Militants have attacked the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik oil pipeline in the southern Turkish province of Sanliurfa, interrupting oil exports from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq to Turkey. The attack was blamed on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which had earlier condemned efforts between the KRG and Turkey to strengthen oil and gas export ties. The KRG Natural Resources Ministry strongly condemned the attack, hoping to play on Kurdish sentiments and the economic pressures on the KRG as its Peshmerga forces battle the Islamic State (ISIS) in northern Iraq. Related: The Billion Dollar Biofuel That Fell 2.7 Billion Gallons Short The KRG has called on the Turkish government to adopt more security measures to protect the part of the pipeline that runs through Turkish territory. Earlier this week, a group founded by the PKK issued statements in direct opposition to the KRGs natural gas plans with Turkey, which the group said would bolster Turkey economically and therefore must be opposed at a time when the Turkish government is at war with the PKK and committing massacres in northern Kurdistan [southeastern Turkey]. "They want to use the natural resources of Kurdistan as a source of life for the Justice and Development Party (AKP)," local media quoted Demhat Agid, a spokesperson for the KCK, as saying in reference to the KRG-Turkey natural gas deal. Related: The Decline Of The Coal Industry Is Long-Term And Irreversible The KRG strongly condemned what it called the PKKs threatening statements. The KRG plans to launch natural gas supplies to Turkey by the end of this year. It is not the first time the PKK has attacked oil pipelines in this area. In August last year, a similar attack cost the KRG some $250 million when oil exports were temporarily halted. By James Burgess of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu today blamed Kurdish militants in Turkey and Syrian Kurdish fighters for the Ankara bombing that left some 28 people dead and 45 others wounded yesterday. Davutoglu told media the attack was carried out by members of the terrorist organisation in cooperation with a Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) member who infiltrated (Turkey) from Syria. Earlier today, the authorities claimed to have confirmed that the bomber was a Syrian national. Nine people have reportedly been detained in relation to the attack. Related: The Decline Of The Coal Industry Is Long-Term And Irreversible The attack comes as Turkey is threatening the use of high-level force against Syrian Kurds who have taken over territory lost by Syrian rebels in the face of an advancement of Russian fire power and regime forces in northern Syria, near the border with Turkey. The northern Syrian town of Azaz is the flashpoint for a wider conflict, with also threatening to destroy the Syrian Menagh air base if the Kurds refused to withdraw. This morning, Turkish media claimed that the Syrian Kurds were preparing a massive attack in northern Syria. Related: Why OPEC Production Freeze Could Pave The Way For Actual Cuts Turkeys Anadolu Agency quoted a Syrian rebel commander as saying that the PYDs latest large-scale assault was just six kilometers (four miles) from the Turkish border. The PYD has deployed just two kilometers from Azaz since Tuesday and today they have started to carry out their attack to seize the city, the rebel commander reportedly said. Meanwhile, Turkey is questioning the U.S. support of YPG, which is helping combat the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria. Turkeys concerns elicited a response from the U.S. State Department late on Wednesday, to the effect that the U.S. is not supporting those Syrian Kurds who are seizing territory in Aleppo province, around Azaz. Related: Oil Thefts Surge In Mexico As Cartels Become Specialized "The YPG groups that we're supporting, there are various parts of the YPG on the ground in Syria. And the ones -- the groups that we're supporting are actually not the same groups," according to State Department spokesman Mark Toner. "Obviously, they're part of the same organization, but not these ones who are taking territory in and around Aleppo ... the groups that we've been supporting through airstrikes, through various means, have actually continued to effectively fight ISIL on the ground in northern Syria," he said. By Charles Kennedy of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: "Francis, the first pope from the Americas, has designed his trip through Mexico to replicate the route migrants take -- southern Chiapas state, where Central Americans arrive on their way to the U.S.; Michoacan, source of a large percentage of Mexican immigrants to Southern California and elsewhere; and, now, the border."- Los Angeles Times He said a blessing, with Texas on the nearby horizon It seems to me, the Roman Catholic leaders of the US, like Senator Rubio, should have attended the Mass led today by Pope Francis, celebrated in Juarez, on the US-Mexico border. Pope Francis is demonstrating compassion for Hispanic immigrants! Los Angeles Times reports: Pope Francis concluded an emotional, provocative journey through Mexico Wednesday , symbolically tracing the path of migrants headed for the United States and ending up at the border that divides and unites two societies. Thousands of people gathered on both sides of the border an election-year lightening rod that represents the tumultuous issue of immigrationto say Mass with the pope and hear his message of the need for fair wages, human dignity and an end to the violence convulsing Mexico. Pope Francis during a brief stop near the international border with the United States of America to greet the faithful from across the border, in Ciudad Juarez. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) The pope did not cross into the United States but stayed here in the scruffy city of Ciudad Juarez, once infamous for a sky-high murder rate , especially of young women, many employed by foreign-owned factories along the border. But his message was clearly intended for both sides. But his messages were clearly intended for both sides. Speaking earlier in the day and in the same blunt style that has characterized all of his speeches in Mexico, he advocated for fair pay and reasonable workloads to an audience that included workers from the maquiladoras, or factories, as well as their owners and other members of the business elite. The minimum wage in Juarez is less than five dollars a day, and hours are long. He listened as one woman, Deysi Flores Gamez, complained that parents toil such long days and nights, they cant care properly for their children, who often stray into a life of crime. God will hold accountable the enslavers of our day , he said, speaking, as he has throughout, in his native Spanish. Juarez sits across the Rio Grande from El Paso, where people were also gathering to hear the pope via large television screens. Some approached the levee that marks the U.S. spot closest to Mexico on the river's banks. Claudia Diaz, a 44-year-old woman without legal status who lives in New Mexico, walked onto the levee past Border Patrol agents and a highly fortified U.S-Mexico border fence. She said she wasn't scared and instead focused on finding her seat in a VIP section--the closest spot to the pope on the U.S. side. "This right here, what the pope is doing, is a miracle because he has permitted for people like us to be at this place in these lands that are so vigilados, so militarized where so many have died trying to cross this river ," she said pointing to the Rio Grande, which was mostly parched. "For us to be here at this moment is very big." After the pope's blessing at the border, after the pontiff had headed back toward the Juarez fairgrounds for the mass, Diaz and most of the people on the levee sat quietly but couldn't hear much. Diaz was weeping. "It really was beautiful," she said. "This is so unjust--being here on this side and not to be able to cross and be over there with him," she said, gesturing toward Mexico. "We just have to be content with being on this side." Diaz, originally from Juarez, said many of her cousins, friends and her mother-in-law were attending the mass on the other side. "It's sad here on our side because we can't even hear the mass. They couldn't even put a speaker here so we could hear it." Earlier, the pope visited a notorious prison here, saying he could not ignore the most marginalized of Mexican society and blasting a culture that incarcerates those trapped in a cycle of violence and crime. We have already lost many decades thinking and believing that everything will be resolved by isolating, separating, incarcerating, and ridding ourselves of problems, believing that these policies really solve problems, the pope said after hearing a female inmate speak on behalf of the prison's population and embracing her. We have forgotten to focus on what must truly be our concern: peoples lives; their lives, those of their families, and those who have suffered because of this cycle of violence, he said. Inmates filed in a line to greet the pope individually, as a band played Besame MuchoKiss me a lot. Inmates had spiffed up the facility ahead of the pope's arrival, painting and removing trash. Theymen and womenwore identical uniforms emblazoned with the name of the prison. From inside this prison, the Pope continued, you must work hard to change the situations which create the most exclusion. Speak with your loved ones, tell them of your experiences, help them to put an end to this cycle of violence and exclusion. "The one who has suffered the greatest pain, and we could say has experienced hell, can become a prophet in society. Work so that this society which uses people and discards them will not go on claiming victims. In a moment of silent prayer at the end of the pope's message, some of the inmates could be seen weeping . The pope was handed the keys to the city after disembarking from his plane earlier in the morning as a band played a tango in his honor. Ciudad Juarez is a city that is Francis, the first pope from the Americas, has designed his trip through Mexico to replicate the route migrants take -- southern Chiapas state, where Central Americans arrive on their way to the U.S.; Michoacan, source of a large percentage of Mexican immigrants to Southern California and elsewhere; and, now, the border. As he wraps up his six-day trip through Mexico, the pope was planning to pray along the border, giving recognition to those who attempt to cross , even as he urged Mexico to become a nation where it was safe to dream and not have to abandon. The faithful were gathering on both sides of the border long before daylight, and long lines were forming near the fairgrounds in anticipation of the pope's mass scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Lisa Ayoub Rodriguez, 35, wheeled her father-in-law from Indiana along the barricades toward the site of the papal Mass. It will be her second time seeing a pope in Mexico: she saw John Paul II in Mexico City after he canonized Juan Diego, the Indian credited with a vision of the Virgin of Guadalupe , patron saint of the Americas. "I know he's just a man, but he's also the leader of the church, a humble extension of God's hand," Ayoub said as she and her husband took turns with the wheelchair. In a ceremony at the border before the mass, the pope mounted a ramp where one large cross and several smaller ones were posed to represent migrants killed in their attempts to reach the U.S. He said a blessing, with Texas on the nearby horizon. Those gathered on the levee waved and shouted, "Te queremos, papa,"--We love you, pope.The pope did not cross into the United States but stayed here in the scruffy city of Ciudad Juarez, once infamous for a sky-high murder rate , especially of young women, many employed by foreign-owned factories along the border. But his message was clearly intended for both sides.Speaking earlier in the day and in the same blunt style that has characterized all of his speeches in Mexico, he advocated for fair pay and reasonable workloads to an audience that included workers from the maquiladoras, or factories, as well as their owners and other members of the business elite.The minimum wage in Juarez is less than five dollars a day, and hours are long. He listened as one woman, Deysi Flores Gamez, complained that parents toil such long days and nights, they cant care properly for their children, who often stray into a life of crime., he said, speaking, as he has throughout, in his native Spanish.Juarez sits across the Rio Grande from El Paso, where people were also gathering to hear the pope via large television screens. Some approached the levee that marks the U.S. spot closest to Mexico on the river's banks.Claudia Diaz, a 44-year-old woman without legal status who lives in New Mexico, walked onto the levee past Border Patrol agents and a highly fortified U.S-Mexico border fence.She said she wasn't scared and instead focused on finding her seat in a VIP section--the closest spot to the pope on the U.S. side."This right here, what the pope is doing, is a miracle because he has permitted for people like us to be at this place," she said pointing to the Rio Grande, which was mostly parched."For us to be here at this moment is very big."After the pope's blessing at the border, after the pontiff had headed back toward the Juarez fairgrounds for the mass, Diaz and most of the people on the levee sat quietly but couldn't hear much.Diaz was weeping. "It really was beautiful," she said."This is so unjust--being here on this side and not to be able to cross and be over there with him," she said, gesturing toward Mexico. "We just have to be content with being on this side."Diaz, originally from Juarez, said many of her cousins, friends and her mother-in-law were attending the mass on the other side."It's sad here on our side because we can't even hear the mass. They couldn't even put a speaker here so we could hear it."Earlier, the pope visited a notorious prison here, saying he could not ignore the most marginalized of Mexican society and blasting a culture that incarcerates those trapped in a cycle of violence and crime.We have already lost many decades thinking and believing that everything will be resolved by isolating, separating, incarcerating, and ridding ourselves of problems, believing that these policies really solve problems, the pope said after hearing a female inmate speak on behalf of the prison's population and embracing her.We have forgotten to focus on what must truly be our concern: peoples lives; their lives, those of their families, and those who have suffered because of this cycle of violence, he said.Inmates filed in a line to greet the pope individually, as a band played Besame MuchoKiss me a lot.Inmates had spiffed up the facility ahead of the pope's arrival, painting and removing trash. Theymen and womenwore identical uniforms emblazoned with the name of the prison.From inside this prison, the Pope continued, you must work hard to change the situations which create the most exclusion. Speak with your loved ones, tell them of your experiences, help them to put an end to this cycle of violence and exclusion."The one who has suffered the greatest pain, and we could say has experienced hell, can become a prophet in society. Work so that this society which uses people and discards them will not go on claiming victims.In a moment of silent prayer at the end of the pope's message, some of theThe pope was handed the keys to the city after disembarking from his plane earlier in the morning as a band played a tango in his honor.Ciudad Juarez is a city that is coping with all of Mexicos troubles -- killing, drug trafficking, poverty, corruption and, especially, the often-perilous migration of Mexicans to the United States.Francis, the first pope from the Americas, has designed his trip through Mexico to replicate the route migrants take -- southern Chiapas state, where Central Americans arrive on their way to the U.S.; Michoacan, source of a large percentage of Mexican immigrants to Southern California and elsewhere; and, now, the border.As he wraps up his six-day trip through Mexico, the pope was planning to pray along the border,, even as he urged Mexico to become a nation where it was safe to dream and not have to abandon.The faithful were gathering on both sides of the border long before daylight, and long lines were forming near the fairgrounds in anticipation of the pope's mass scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.Lisa Ayoub Rodriguez, 35,It will be her second time seeing a pope in Mexico: she saw John Paul II in Mexico City after he canonized Juan Diego, the Indian credited with a vision of the, patron saint of the Americas."I know he's just a man, but he's also the leader of the church, a humble extension of God's hand," Ayoub said as she and her husband took turns with the wheelchair. They live in El Paso, have followed news of the violence in Juarez; the father-in-law was hesitant to cross the border. But they were reassured by what they saw Wednesday: scores of volunteers greeting them and singing with tambourines, police and security manning the barricades. "Juarez has been through a lot. For him to be here brings this energy," she said. Of the 215,000 tickets distributed for Wednesday's Mass, at least 10,000 went to residents of El Paso, who will be crossing the border to attend. An additional 4,000 people were expected to traverse from the U.S. to join a human chain protecting the pope's 25-mile route from the airport to the border Mass. Scores of volunteers arrived at 4 a.m. to line the metal barricades. Among them were those who live in this border city, those who relocated to Texas during the past decade of violence, and visitors from the U.S. Juarez not long ago was the murder capital of Mexico, at a time of skyrocketing homicide rates. It was also infamous for killings that singled out women, usually workers at the thriving maquiladora industries that supply the U.S. with clothing, television sets, snacks and other consumer products. Much of the killing subsided after deals were struck with drug gangs. But kidnappings and extortion remain rampant. The pope has not been shy in criticizing government officials and even his own clergy for their failure to look after the poor and downtrodden. It remained to be seen whether Francis would meet with the most iconic victims in Mexico, families of 43 college students kidnapped and presumably killed by corrupt authorities. The families have been invited to the Mass in Juarez but a private meeting was not scheduled. The issue of drug violence came up even among three altar boys who were waiting to enter the papal Mass in their red-and-white outfits and silver crosses. They came with a church group from Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua, where they grew up distrusting police. "The only ones who protect us are the cartel of Juarez, the narcos. They defend us," said Isai Solano, 14, while eating fried beans and salsa from a plastic bag. He especially distrusts the federal police who, despite all the public rhetoric about things becoming safer here, he said still act with impunity. "The federales kill people and leave them and nothing happens," he said as several Juarez police officers stood nearby. Daniela Hernandez, 17, was selling drinks and chicharones from a stand outside one of the entrances to the papal Mass. Others were chopping mango and jicama, then sprinkling them with chili and a squirt of lime. Hernandezs neighborhood is still plagued by robberies, but things have been peaceful ahead of the pope's visit; she said she hopes it stays that way afterward. "I think people will reflect on all that happened and that the Mass will help us," she said. "The bad will turn to good." Jaime Cortez, 59, sat on a street corner near the fairgrounds playing guitar and singing under a banner message for Pope Francis "La familia Cortez Te ama"; the Cortez family loves you. "Raise your hands! Shake your body! Applaud!" Cortez shouted as he played, and the Cortez family as well as passersby complied, smiling. "It's a day of celebration here," he said. The family, like many here, lives on both sides of the border. Cortez moved to El Paso 30 years ago to work in a factory making military uniforms. Today, he was wearing a Texas Longhorns cap. But he loves Juarez, visits weekly and would like to see it emerge past the cycle of violence. "You used to be able to go out in a street corner like this at 2 in the morning and talk like we are," he said. In El Paso, just across the border from Juarez, Raul Gallegos, an Uber driver, had about the only vehicle downtown at 7 a. m. Wednesday. He said he'd never seen the city so quiet during a weekday morning. He passed several parked police vehicles with their lights on during this drive to the Cordova bridge. The security, especially the multiple blockades, seemed a bit much, he said. "It would have been different if he would've come here," he said of Pope Francis. Along the pope's travel route in Juarez, vendors sold pope caps, flags and bracelets while volunteers distributed packed breakfasts and clutched blankets and jackets, hopping to stay warm in the chilly morning. Julia Nunez, 49, lives in the nearby Juarez Valley, in Praxedis Guerrero. She works in the maquiladora factories that fuel the local economy. So did her son, Ivan Nunez. In 2011, he was killed, beaten in the street. Now, she keeps to herself. "I don't go out, I don't talk to anyone and I don't have any problems," the volunteer said as she stood with other members of the human chain in their white Pope Francis T-shirts near the fairgrounds where the papal Mass will be held Wednesday. "But that's living in fear !" Another woman said. Pope Francis in Mexico I hope he brings us peace, that peopplefeel we don't have tolive with violence withfear, thatwe have solidarity," she said. Her 22-year-old daughter came too, and said the Pope gives her hopse that things can improve. "He's very sincere, he speaks the truth and he speaks with all his heart," said America Alonso, a stay-at-home mom with a 5-year-old son she hopes to raise here. What would a day be like without Latinos? Madison will be pondering that today as thousands of Wisconsin Latinos will be leaving school, work and businesses to come to the state Capitol building to protest two pieces of anti-immigration legislation that the Wisconsin State Legislature is trying to push through. Several area businesses will be closed today for "Dia Sin Latinos (Day Without Latinos)" to demonstrate what the community would be like without Latinos and immigrants. "If all the Latinos that were working in Dane County were to walk out, it would be huge especially here on the south side and on Park Street," Centro Hispano Executive Director Karen Menendez Coller tells Madison365. "So many of the employees that are hired by local businesses are Latino, so services would drop in so many ways. We are such a growing population here that consumerism would be affected. If the kids walk out, you will definitely see it at the schools. It will be a large void that is felt." Centro Hispano works to improve the quality of life for Latinos and others living in Dane County by empowering youth, strengthening families and engaging the community. Recently, Centro has been ground zero for people coming together to network and to organize. "A little while back, Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of Voces de la Frontera, had an interest in creating a Voces chapter here in Madison," Menendez Coller says. "That was something where we could see a gap, and we thought was necessary for what we do. We needed to have a coordinating force." Based out of Milwaukee, Voces de la Frontera is Wisconsins leading grassroots immigrant rights group. They have been working with Centro to create a space in Madison where important discussions can happen. This past Saturday, Centro was host to over 300 people who gathered to talk about plans for the day of action on Thursday. "Its exciting because I feel for the first time Im seeing families take ownership of these issues," Menendez Coller says. "Theyve had enough, and they are just going to do something about it." There are two anti-immigration bills going through the Wisconsin State Legislature that are helping to energize the movement. The first bill prohibits towns and counties from issuing or expending funds for the issuance of a photo identification card for any resident of the town or county other than an employment-related identification card for employees of the town or county. The second bill prohibits "sanctuary cities" and bars local governments from adopting ordinances that prevent police or other local officials from asking crime suspects about immigration status. Menendez Coller does not understand where the rush of legislation is coming from or why it is suddenly needed. "Day-to-day, I see families. I see people working two or three jobs to give their children a better life. The exclusion is hard for me to watch," she says. "The two things that promote equity employment and education well, we wont give you a drivers license so you cant drive to any type of work and the kids cant go to college because were not going to allow them to do that. Its just an unwelcoming feeling, and it affects so many in our community. It sends a message that we just dont see these individuals as equals. We cant treat them the same. "They dont understand. People dont know the numbers, they dont know the background in those communities, they dont know the issues that are involved," she adds. "There is a big fear that has been created and unfortunately its been simplified to criminals equal Latinos or danger equals immigrants." According to a recent University of Wisconsin-Madison study, immigrants account for more than 40 percent of the hired help on dairy farms. They make up a big part of Madison-area businesses including construction, hotel, manufacturing, restaurants and grocery stores. Many of these Madison-area businesses will be closed today including several of the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Dane Countys member businesses. "The Latino Chamber of Commerce of Dane County is opposed to these anti-immigrant bills as they would significantly impact our local economy," says LCC President Mayra Medrano. "Latinos make a significant contribution to our community and are very involved in entrepreneurship here. We want to support them. "Latinos and immigrant workers contribute to the Wisconsin economy on a daily basis," she adds. "Latinos and immigrants live in Wisconsin and in this country, because they too want to be part of the American Dream." Organizers of "A Day without Latinos and Immigrants" called for people to assemble at the at the State Street entrance of the state Capitol at 10 a.m today. High school students in Madison and other cities are planning to walk out of class and march or board buses to the Capitol. Buses will be leaving from Centro on Madisons south side to go up to the Capitol. "I hope that there will be a lot of people who arent Latino at the rally today white people, African American [people]," Menendez Coller says. "I hope that there will be a huge number of Latinos, but I also hope that this is the first step in the entire city seeing this as something that we need to rally around and that this is not just something that is our issue, but affects the whole community." Reprinted from Smirking Chimp Could the clash between Clintonian "realism" and Sandersian "idealism" come down to personal history? Hillary Clinton's sales pitch to Democrats is simple: Get real! The Republicans controlling Congress (and who'll likely still be in charge in 2017) won't even allow President Obama to fill the late Antonin Scalia's vacant seat on the Supreme Court. There is no way in hell, she says, that these intransigent SOBs will pass pie-in-the-sky bills like Bernie Sanders' proposal to replace Obamacare -- an insurance company-friendly scheme originally conceived by a right-wing think tank, which Republicans now call socialistic -- with Bernie Sanders' "Medicare for All," which would eliminate insurers in an actually socialistic way. Hillary says she won't make promises she can't keep. Maybe that, as opposed to the mountains of cash she collects from Big Pharma and the piles of dough she rakes in from health insurance giants, is why she thinks the United States can't join the rest of the First World by creating a universal coverage healthcare system. Or maybe it's personal. Hillary can't possibly imagine what it's like to live paycheck to paycheck. Should she or Bill ever contract some nasty disease, the Clintons' $110 million nest egg can easily cover the cost of the fanciest doctors. She's always been personally comfortable. Hillary grew up solidly middle class, never worrying where her next meal was coming from. Her family were right-wing conservatives, and so was she: in 1964, she was a fervently anti-communist "Goldwater girl." She was named a partner of a law firm at age 32. You know the rest of the story. Smooth sailing, financially if not necessarily romantically. It wasn't like that for Bernie Sanders (current net worth $700,000) while he was growing up. Sanders is a product of America's huge, rarely discussed, working class -- people one paycheck away from eviction and homelessness. Bernie's father, a salesman who came here from Poland alone (his entire family was later wiped out by the Nazis in the Holocaust), struggled to make a living throughout his life. He and his wife, Bernie's mom, constantly fought over (lack of) money. "There were tensions about money, which I think is important," Sanders told me when I interviewed him for my biography, "Bernie." "There was no sense of long-term security," Sanders recalled. "A salesman, things can go up and things can do down." Ultimately, marital tensions fueled by money problems drove young Bernie to move out of the family home, an overcrowded apartment in the hardscrabble Flatbush section of Brooklyn. Bernie doesn't like to talk about his past. Partly, he views personal biography as a distraction from what he cares about: issues, policies. I suspect there's another reason. Much of Bernie's early life was painful. "My father came to this country with nothing. Economically, what motivated him was security, that is, not losing what he had." Bernie's mother Dorothy was American, from The Bronx. "My mother wanted more money and wanted him to get a different job or expand what he was doing. He was very frugal. But if he tried to do that, he would have lost everything." His parents couldn't reconcile their worldviews. If they'd been earning a proper living, of course, they wouldn't have had to. In poor families -- poor families that read and follow the news -- left-wing activism is baked in from the start. While Hillary was campaigning for the most right-wing presidential nominee in history, Bernie was marching, and getting arrested, for civil rights. Stretched though he and his family were, he worried about those worse off than himself. Dorothy Sanders suffered from a weak heart -- a health condition aggravated by stress, something the Sanderses had in abundance. Shortly after Bernie graduated from high school, Dorothy died. By Gary Null, PhD The Progressive Radio Network After their service in the Gulf War conflict from 1990-1991, hundreds of thousands of our country's veterans began suffering from multiple and diverse debilitating symptoms including neurological and respiratory disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, psychological problems, skin conditions and gastrointestinal issues. This cluster of symptoms came to be known as Gulf War syndrome. Independent investigations, including those conducted by many of the Gulf War veterans themselves, showed multiple causes behind Gulf War syndrome, including experimental vaccines and medications; exposure to depleted uranium (DU); toxicity from biological and chemical weapons, oil fires, and other environmental contaminants. Yet for nearly two decades, the official word from the Veterans Administration (VA), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the White House was that Gulf War syndrome did not exist. The result? Countless returning military personnel struggled for years to have their physical illnesses recognized as something other than psychological. The latest official statistics compiled by the VA show that 25%-30%, or as many as 250,000 Gulf War veterans have suffered from this life-threatening spectrum of illnesses. (1) The number of deaths attributable to Gulf War syndrome remains elusive, however, the US government has failed to address this critical matter. A VA report released in 2014 weighs in on the disturbing oversight: No comprehensive information has been published on the mortality experience of U.S. Gulf War era veterans after the year 2000. The 14 years for which no mortality figures are available represent more than half of the 23 years since Desert Storm. Mortality information from the last decade is particularly crucial for understanding the health consequences of the Gulf War, given the Epidemiological Research latency periods associated with many chronic diseases of interest. Despite specific recommendations over many years from both the current Committee and Institute of Medicine panels, federal research efforts to monitor the mortality experience of 1990-1991 Gulf War veterans remain seriously inadequate. (2) How has the federal government managed to avoid taking responsibility on an issue that profoundly impacts the lives of hundreds of thousands of our veterans? Such is the power of the military-industrial complex and the political machine in Washington DC. It seems that as long as the government can deny its role in exposing our soldiers to unproven and toxic vaccines, medications, biological and chemical weapons and depleted uranium, it wouldn't have to provide medical care to the victims of Gulf War illness. This is, quite simply, one of the largest medical scandals and coverups in American history. For nearly two decades, the American media supported the official position that Gulf War Syndrome was only in the heads of our veterans, while legions of vets and their families were hung out to dry and die. The administrations of George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, have been complicit in the plot, and therefore stand accused of massive human rights violations. Yet American media denies it completely. In this special two part investigation it will become clear that these claims are not wild conspiracy theories or anti-government rants, but based on firsthand testimony from veterans and years of solid scientific research. All these facts paint a sobering picture of the insidious corruption, lies and negligence on the part of our government, which has, quite literally, killed our own. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). When President Barack Obama took questions from reporters on Tuesday, the one that needed to be asked -- but wasn't -- was whether he had forbidden Turkey and Saudi Arabia to invade Syria, because on that question could hinge whether the ugly Syrian civil war could spin off into World War III and possibly a nuclear showdown. If Turkey (with hundreds of thousands of troops massed near the Syrian border) and Saudi Arabia (with its sophisticated air force) follow through on threats and intervene militarily to save their rebel clients, who include Al Qaeda's Nusra Front, from a powerful Russian-backed Syrian government offensive, then Russia will have to decide what to do to protect its 20,000 or so military personnel inside Syria. A source close to Russian President Vladimir Putin told me that the Russians have warned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Moscow is prepared to use tactical nuclear weapons if necessary to save their troops in the face of a Turkish-Saudi onslaught. Since Turkey is a member of NATO, any such conflict could quickly escalate into a full-scale nuclear confrontation. Given Erdogan's megalomania or mental instability and the aggressiveness and inexperience of Saudi Prince Mohammad bin Salman (defense minister and son of King Salman), the only person who probably can stop a Turkish-Saudi invasion is President Obama. But I'm told that he has been unwilling to flatly prohibit such an intervention, though he has sought to calm Erdogan down and made clear that the U.S. military would not join the invasion. So far, Erdogan has limited Turkey's direct military attacks on Syria to cross-border shelling against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces that have seized territory from the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) in northern Syria. Turkey considers the Kurdish fighters, known as YPG, to be terrorists but the U.S. government sees them as valuable allies in the fight against Islamic State terrorists, an Al Qaeda spinoff that controls large swaths of Syria and Iraq. But Erdogan's short fuse may have grown shorter on Wednesday when a powerful car bomb killed at least 28 people in Turkey's capital of Ankara. The bomb apparently targeted a military convoy and Turkish officials cast suspicion on Kurdish militants who also have been under assault from Turkish forces inside Turkey. Though showing no evidence, Turkish officials suggested the attack may have been sponsored by Iran or Russia, another sign of how complicated the geopolitical morass in Syria has become. "Those who think they can steer our country away from our goals by using terrorist organizations will see that they have failed," declared Erdogan, according to The Wall Street Journal. (On Wednesday night, Turkey retaliated for the Ankara bombing by launching airstrikes against Kurdish targets in northern Iraq.) The dilemma for Obama is that many traditional U.S. allies, such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have been the principal backers and funders of Sunni terror groups inside Syria, including Al Qaeda's Nusra Front and -- to a lesser degree -- the Islamic State. Now, the "allies" want the United States to risk a nuclear confrontation with Russia to, in effect, protect Al Qaeda. Biden Blurts Out Truth The twisted reality was acknowledged by no less an authority than Vice President Joe Biden during a talk at Harvard in 2014. Biden answered a student's question by saying Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had "poured hundreds of millions of dollars and tens, thousands of tons of weapons into anyone who would fight against [Syrian President Bashar al-] Assad." The result, Biden said, was that "the people who were being supplied were Al Nusra and Al Qaeda and the extremist elements of jihadis coming from other parts of the world." The risks from these tangled alliances were also highlighted by a Defense Intelligence Agency report in August 2012, warning the Obama administration that the growing strength of Al Qaeda and other Sunni jihadists in Syria could lead to the creation of "an Islamic state" whose militants could move back into Iraq where the threat originated after the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The DIA said Al Qaeda's growing strength in Syria "creates the ideal atmosphere for AQI [Al Qaeda in Iraq] to return to its old pockets in Mosul and Ramadi and will provide a renewed momentum under the presumption of unifying the jihad among Sunni Iraq and Syria and the rest of the Sunnis in the Arab world against what it considers one enemy, the dissenters [i.e. the Shiites]. "ISI [Islamic State of Iraq, forerunner of ISIS, also known as the Islamic State] could also declare an Islamic state through its union with other terrorist organizations in Iraq and Syria, which will create grave danger in regards to unifying Iraq and the protection of its territory." Despite the prescient DIA report and Biden's blunt admission (for which he quickly apologized), President Obama failed to put a stop to the strategy of supporting Assad's opponents. He let Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey continue funneling weapons to the most extreme elements of the rebellion. Meanwhile, the U.S. government insisted that it was only arming "moderate" rebels, but those groups were largely subsumed or controlled by Al Qaeda's Nusra and/or ISIS, a hyper-violent spinoff from Al Qaeda. "Well," said the White Rabbit, "finally, a corporation is doing something nice for the public." The Mad Hatter arched an eyebrow as he poured three cups of tea. "That would be a surprise. To which corporation are you referring?" "Why, Apple, of course," Rabbit said. "They're actually going to take the Feds to court to keep their customers' phone data private. Almost makes me want to trade in my Galaxy 6 for an iPhone." "I own an iPhone," popped in Alice, "it's pink. I could've gotten other colors, too. Apple is so nice." The Mad Hatter rolled his eyes. "Friends, friends, have you learned nothing from all our conversations? Nothing?" The Rabbit frowned, "What do you mean? It isn't good that a company is fighting for our privacy? If they create a code to break through the encryption, it will open a back door for hackers to worm in and steal our data. The Russians, the Chinese" And I even heard that Google supports Apple on this one. So maybe I'll keep my Android"" "Do they make it in pink?" Alice asked. "Okay, listen. The Russians and the Chinese don't give two pence about your phone calls to Betty Bunny, all right? Or Alice's cat videos." The Hatter put a finger to his lips. "Though being friends with me might make you a person of interest." A head shake. "Anyway, do you really believe that Apple, and Google, don't already have a code that access all your information and data? And that they aren't already monitoring and storing every tweet Alice sends to @justinbieber?" "Have I gone viral?" Alice brightened. "Wait," interrupted the Rabbit, "Then I don't get it. Why are they resisting giving up the gunman's info. The Feds have a warrant, right? Why not just turn it over now?" "Because," said the Hatter, "they want to put on a show." "Yes," cried Alice, "I'm in. I love shows." " This show," the Hatter continued, is to try to convince the public that the nice telecomm companies care about you and about privacy rights. And to keep from getting lambasted that they cave quickly and share all your data. They go to court looking like advocates for privacy rights, then the court forces them to finally turn over the info. So they can say 'we tried', but 'the mean old Feds and the courts made us do it. ' And you keep buying iPhones and buying into the surveillance state." "Wow," said the Rabbit, "I never thought of that" I guess I'd better start being careful about who I have tea with. Maybe we can meet anonymously every Friday morning at Starbucks." The Hatter shook his head. "Nah, I wouldn't worry. You're small carrots, Rabbit. They're interested in big phishing. But, I'll lay you odds that the GPS on your phone will ID where you get your coffee, and you'll be besieged with ads from Starbucks and the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf." "You don't think my 'faves' are really what they're after, do you?" said the Rabbit. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. The time scale should stagger you. Just imagine for a moment that what we humans do on this planet will last at least 10,000 more years, and no, I'm not talking about those statues on Easter Island or the pyramids or the Great Wall of China or the Empire State Building. I'm not talking about any of our monumental architectural-cum-artistic achievements. Ten thousand years from now all the monuments to our history may be forgotten ruins or simply obliterated, while what we're doing at this very moment that's truly ruinous may outlast us all. I'm thinking, of course, about the burning of fossil fuels and the sending of carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gases) into the atmosphere. It's becoming clearer by the month that, if not brought under control relatively quickly, this process will alter the global environment in ways that will affect humanity and everything else living on this planet for what, from a human point of view, is eternity. In essence, there's no backsies when it comes to climate change. Once you've begun the full-scale destabilization and melting of the Greenland ice sheet and of the vast ice sheets in the Antarctic, for instance, the future inundation of coastal areas, including many of humanity's major cities, is a foregone conclusion somewhere down the line. In fact, a recent study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change by 22 climate scientists, suggests that when it comes to the melting of ice sheets and the rise of seas and oceans, we're not just talking about how life will be changed on Planet Earth in 2100 or even 2200. We're potentially talking about what it will be like in 12,200, an expanse of time twice as long as human history to date. So many thousands of years are hard even to fathom, but as the study points out, "A considerable fraction of the carbon emitted to date and in the next 100 years will remain in the atmosphere for tens to hundreds of thousands of years." The essence of the report, as Chris Mooney wrote in the Washington Post, is this: "In 10,000 years, if we totally let it rip, the planet could ultimately be an astonishing 7 degrees Celsius warmer on average and feature seas 52 meters (170 feet) higher than they are now." Even far more modest temperature changes like the two degree Celsius rise discussed at the recent Paris meeting, where 196 nations signed onto a climate change agreement, would transform the face of the planet for thousands of years and result in the drowning of a range of iconic global cities "including New York, London, Rio de Janeiro, Cairo, Calcutta, Jakarta, and Shanghai." This, in other words, is what the hunt for yet more fossil fuels and more profits by the planet's giant energy companies actually means -- not tomorrow, but on a scale we don't usually consider. This is why those who continue to insist on pursuing such a treasure hunt (for a few companies and their shareholders), despite knowing its grim future results, will truly be in the running with some of the monsters of our past to become the ultimate criminals of history. In this light, consider what Bill McKibben, TomDispatch regular, founder of 350.org, and author most recently of Oil and Honey: The Education of an Unlikely Activist, has to say about one of those companies, ExxonMobil, and its pivotal role in our warming world. Tom Exxon's Never-Ending Big Dig Flooding the Earth With Fossil Fuels By Bill McKibben Here's the story so far. We have the chief legal representatives of the eighth and 16th largest economies on Earth (California and New York) probing the biggest fossil fuel company on Earth (ExxonMobil), while both Democratic presidential candidates are demanding that the federal Department of Justice join the investigation of what may prove to be one of the biggest corporate scandals in American history. And that's just the beginning. As bad as Exxon has been in the past, what it's doing now -- entirely legally -- is helping push the planet over the edge and into the biggest crisis in the entire span of the human story. Back in the fall, you might have heard something about how Exxon had covered up what it knew early on about climate change. Maybe you even thought to yourself: that doesn't surprise me. But it should have. Even as someone who has spent his life engaged in the bottomless pit of greed that is global warming, the news and its meaning came as a shock: we could have avoided, it turns out, the last quarter century of pointless climate debate. As a start, investigations by the Pulitzer-Prize winning Inside Climate News, the Los Angeles Times, and Columbia Journalism School revealed in extraordinary detail that Exxon's top officials had known everything there was to know about climate change back in the 1980s. Even earlier, actually. Here's what senior company scientist James Black told Exxon's management committee in 1977: "In the first place, there is general scientific agreement that the most likely manner in which mankind is influencing the global climate is through carbon dioxide release from the burning of fossil fuels." To determine if this was so, the company outfitted an oil tanker with carbon dioxide sensors to measure concentrations of the gas over the ocean, and then funded elaborate computer models to help predict what temperatures would do in the future. The results of all that work were unequivocal. By 1982, in an internal "corporate primer," Exxon's leaders were told that, despite lingering unknowns, dealing with climate change "would require major reductions in fossil fuel combustion." Unless that happened, the primer said, citing independent experts, "there are some potentially catastrophic events that must be considered... Once the effects are measurable, they might not be reversible." But that document, "given wide circulation" within Exxon, was also stamped "Not to be distributed externally." So here's what happened. Exxon used its knowledge of climate change to plan its own future. The company, for instance, leased large tracts of the Arctic for oil exploration, territory where, as a company scientist pointed out in 1990, "potential global warming can only help lower exploration and development costs." Not only that but, "from the North Sea to the Canadian Arctic," Exxon and its affiliates set about "raising the decks of offshore platforms, protecting pipelines from increasing coastal erosion, and designing helipads, pipelines, and roads in a warming and buckling Arctic." In other words, the company started climate-proofing its facilities to head off a future its own scientists knew was inevitable. But in public? There, Exxon didn't own up to any of this. In fact, it did precisely the opposite. In the 1990s, it started to put money and muscle into obscuring the science around climate change. It funded think tanks that spread climate denial and even recruited lobbying talent from the tobacco industry. It also followed the tobacco playbook when it came to the defense of cigarettes by highlighting "uncertainty" about the science of global warming. And it spent lavishly to back political candidates who were ready to downplay global warming. Its CEO, Lee Raymond, even traveled to China in 1997 and urged government leaders there to go full steam ahead in developing a fossil fuel economy. The globe was cooling, not warming, he insisted, while his engineers were raising drilling platforms to compensate for rising seas. "It is highly unlikely," he said, "that the temperature in the middle of the next century will be significantly affected whether policies are enacted now or 20 years from now." Which wasn't just wrong, but completely and overwhelmingly wrong -- as wrong as a man could be. Sins of Omission In fact, Exxon's deceit -- its ability to discourage regulations for 20 years -- may turn out to be absolutely crucial in the planet's geological history. It's in those two decades that greenhouse gas emissions soared, as did global temperatures until, in the twenty-first century, "hottest year ever recorded" has become a tired cliche. And here's the bottom line: had Exxon told the truth about what it knew back in 1990, we might not have wasted a quarter of a century in a phony debate about the science of climate change, nor would anyone have accused Exxon of being "alarmist." We would simply have gotten to work. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Reprinted from Greanville Post As the world that is interested in such matters knows, in 2014 the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee finally released the (redacted) 524-page Executive Summary of its 6,000-page report on torture and the CIA. The New York Times article is entitled: "Panel Faults C.I.A. Over Brutality and Deceit in Terrorism Interrogations." But even just the Executive Summary presents a huge amount of horrifying detail about the program (see The New York Times article cited above and many other news sources, print, electronic and other. A particularly useful historical analysis has appeared on The Greanville Post.) The most important conclusion to come away with in examining the Report is the Senate Intelligence Committee's major finding about the CIA's torture program: that it was bad because it didn't work. And they produced huge mountains of evidence to support that claim. At the time, the Republicans, who for some time refused to participate in the work of the Committee, reacted in horror, not at the details of the torture itself and the catalog of CIA cover-ups, incompetence, disorganization, amateurism, and what-have-you, but at the fact that they have all been made public. Most importantly, despite the fact that the Senate Committee assembled an overwhelming amount of evidence on the program and that torture doesn't work, despite the fact that the Republicans did not avail themselves of it, they claimed that torture does work, in intelligence gathering, and related matters. Donald Trump and Ted Cruz of course just assumed that their listeners would believe that that is the case. Of course the torturer-in-chief, Dick Cheney, went bananas over the report's release. He argued, as he always did, both that torture works and then (oops!) that what was done wasn't torture anyway. So he, and all of his GOP and other cheerleaders, first try to deny reality and then if that doesn't work, get the argument onto definitions. Apparently Trump and Cruz are just parroting Cheney on these claims. However -- and it's a big however -- the Senate Committee's whole premise was that: the program was bad because it didn't work. Which raises the question: would they have concluded that torture was OK if it had produced useful intelligence? Uh-oh and Oh my. If Cheney et al were, and Cruz/Trump are, right about the utility of torture, at least as practiced by the CIA, then the Committee's whole argument against it collapses in a heap. However, the argument should have been based on the fact that the use of torture violates both domestic and international law. Its use by U.S. agencies is clearly prohibited by various Federal statutes. But on the international scale, the use of torture by any signatory to them is prohibited by the Geneva Conventions and the UN Convention Against Torture. The United States is a party to both, and both are signed and ratified U.S. international treaties. As to the definition, the authors of the Geneva Conventions just assumed that everyone "knows" what torture is; they didn't bother to define it any detail. The UN Convention defines it in general terms as "Any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession . . ." It does not provide a laundry list of just what torture is and is not, one reason being that to do so would invite repeated uses of the Cheney "no-it's-not" argument for a wide variety of techniques designed to intentionally inflict "severe pain or suffering" to, for example, gain a confession. But at the base here is the truly inconvenient truth that the use of torture by US authorities is simply unconstitutional. Under article VI of the U.S. Constitution, as treaties signed and ratified by the U.S. government, both Conventions are part of "the supreme law of the land and [further] the judges of every state shall be bound by them." This, not arguments over whether it "works" or doesn't, is the central one for this country and its political leadership. But what about the Constitution and its meaning, then? The Republicans of every stripe complain over-and-over again, that "Obama ignores the Constitution" (when he takes actions under the Administration's interpretation of the Constitution that they don't like). Cruz says that he carries a copy of the Constitution around in his pocket, but then like many other Repubs. there are a variety of its parts they obviously skip, like the General Welfare clause of the Preamble, the provisions for the separation of church and state in Article VI and the First Amendment, the first clause of the Second Amendment, the "inherent rights" Amendment (the IXth, which certainly can be interpreted to provide women the right to control what goes on in their own bodies), and the one we are talking about here, the treaty -- obligations section of Article VI. And of course in their "Christian Nation" argument and the liberal use of "I'm in this to serve [what I think of as] 'the Lord'" statements by Cruz and Marco Rubio, they totally ignore the fact that neither "God" nor "Christian" appears in the Constitution. But then when in modern times has the Republican Party ever been consistent? We will wait a long time before we see that. One must then wonder too if the other half of the Duopoly, including Bernie Sanders, will ever challenge them on this most fundamental of Constitutional questions. Postscript: I am wondering if it ever occurred -- or ever even would occur -- to these "let's-use-torture" Repubs., that their justification of the use of torture could be used by ISIS et al, to justify their use of it on captives, especially on U.S. persons? Oh my. Note: An earlier version of this column was published on The Greanville Post here. Articles Listed By Date List By Popularity Search Title Date Between Any 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Any 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 and Any 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Any 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Page 1 of 5 First Last Back Next 2 3 4 5 View All (3 comments) SHARE Flyer on Joe Biden Handed Out By Roots Action at NH Dem Convention this was handed out at this past week's NH Democratic convention. Monday, September 9, 2019this was handed out at this past week's NH Democratic convention. SHARE Netroots Nation-- Philly July 11-13 See You There Netroots Nation, America's largest annual progressive conference, kicks off this week in Philadelphia, and you're invited! And OpEdNews will be there. Will we see you? Monday, July 8, 2019Netroots Nation, America's largest annual progressive conference, kicks off this week in Philadelphia, and you're invited! And OpEdNews will be there. Will we see you? (1 comments) SHARE Empathy Often Avoided Because of Mental Effort People don't want to feel empathy unless they think they are good at it, study finds Monday, April 22, 2019People don't want to feel empathy unless they think they are good at it, study finds (2 comments) SHARE Region In Brain Found to Be Associated With Fear of Uncertain Future Findings could lead to new ways to identify and treat individuals at risk for anxiety disorders Thursday, May 18, 2017Findings could lead to new ways to identify and treat individuals at risk for anxiety disorders (2 comments) SHARE Drone Resisters Acquitted, Juror Tells Them: "Keep Doing It" After deliberating for only about a half hour, the jury returned with a verdict of not guilty on all charges. Applause erupted in the courtroom upon the jurors' announcement of the verdict. The four were charged with obstruction of government administration, disorderly conduct, and trespass and faced a year in jail. Friday, March 3, 2017After deliberating for only about a half hour, the jury returned with a verdict of not guilty on all charges. Applause erupted in the courtroom upon the jurors' announcement of the verdict. The four were charged with obstruction of government administration, disorderly conduct, and trespass and faced a year in jail. (2 comments) SHARE Julian Assange to be questioned inside embassy as Ecuador agrees to set date Assange has been living inside the embassy for more than four years and has been granted political asylum by Ecuador. He has offered to be questioned inside the embassy but Swedish prosecutors have only recently agreed. Friday, August 12, 2016Assange has been living inside the embassy for more than four years and has been granted political asylum by Ecuador. He has offered to be questioned inside the embassy but Swedish prosecutors have only recently agreed. (35 comments) SHARE Jill Stein Campaign Goes Viral after Sanders' Clinton endorsement After Bernie Sanders endorsed Hillary Clinton, Jill Stein's social media and donation metrics have soared. Wednesday, July 20, 2016After Bernie Sanders endorsed Hillary Clinton, Jill Stein's social media and donation metrics have soared. (47 comments) SHARE Democrats Adopt Most Progressive Platform in Party History Pressed by supporters of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Democratic Party platform writers meeting this weekend in Orlando, Florida, adopted a progressive agenda that underscores the need for bold action on climate change, addresses criminal justice reform and calls for doubling the federal minimum wage. Sunday, July 10, 2016Pressed by supporters of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Democratic Party platform writers meeting this weekend in Orlando, Florida, adopted a progressive agenda that underscores the need for bold action on climate change, addresses criminal justice reform and calls for doubling the federal minimum wage. (9 comments) SHARE Pope Francis Invites Bernie Sanders to Vatican-- Is this an endorsement? U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Friday accepted an invitation from the Vatican Friday, April 8, 2016U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Friday accepted an invitation from the Vatican (3 comments) SHARE Sanders Links Clinton to Panama Papers Scandal, Says She's Not Qualified to Be President Responding to Hillary Clinton's attempt to portray him as unqualified for the White House, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders linked her to a trade pact exploited by wealthy individuals and profitable corporations to avoid paying taxes. Then he ticked off reasons she is not qualified to be president Wednesday, April 6, 2016Responding to Hillary Clinton's attempt to portray him as unqualified for the White House, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders linked her to a trade pact exploited by wealthy individuals and profitable corporations to avoid paying taxes. Then he ticked off reasons she is not qualified to be president (1 comments) SHARE Sanders Challenges Clinton to Commit to Stopping Job-Killing Trade Deals "If Secretary Clinton really wanted to stop the loss of manufacturing jobs in Ohio she should have joined Senator Sanders in opposing the North American Free Trade Agreement and permanent normal trade relations with China," Sanders' Policy Director Warren Gunnels said. Thursday, February 25, 2016"If Secretary Clinton really wanted to stop the loss of manufacturing jobs in Ohio she should have joined Senator Sanders in opposing the North American Free Trade Agreement and permanent normal trade relations with China," Sanders' Policy Director Warren Gunnels said. SHARE Sanders Stresses Economy, Voting Rights, Courts in Conference with Civil Rights Leaders U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders met Thursday at the National Urban League offices here with leaders of nine historic civil rights organizations. Sanders congratulated the organizations for their work on what he called "profound issues" confronting the country. Thursday, February 18, 2016U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders met Thursday at the National Urban League offices here with leaders of nine historic civil rights organizations. Sanders congratulated the organizations for their work on what he called "profound issues" confronting the country. (39 comments) SHARE Moveon Endorses Bernie Sanders; Top Five Reasons Why With a record-setting 78.6 percent of 340,665 votes cast by the MoveOn membership, Senator Bernie Sanders has won MoveOn.org Political Action's endorsement for president with the largest total and widest margin in MoveOn history. Tuesday, January 12, 2016With a record-setting 78.6 percent of 340,665 votes cast by the MoveOn membership, Senator Bernie Sanders has won MoveOn.org Political Action's endorsement for president with the largest total and widest margin in MoveOn history. (17 comments) SHARE DNC to Restore Sanders Campaign's Access to Voter Files The Democratic National Committee on Friday capitulated and agreed to reinstate Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign's access to a critically-important voter database. Friday, December 18, 2015The Democratic National Committee on Friday capitulated and agreed to reinstate Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign's access to a critically-important voter database. (1 comments) SHARE Mass Mobilization To Stop The TPP Announced, As Text Is Released The protest, co-sponsored by 59 organizations, is being spearheaded by Popular Resistance and Flush The TPP and includes environmental, human rights, labor, climate change and good government groups. They have been organizing this mobilization for months knowing that the TPP would be made public around this time. Thursday, November 5, 2015The protest, co-sponsored by 59 organizations, is being spearheaded by Popular Resistance and Flush The TPP and includes environmental, human rights, labor, climate change and good government groups. They have been organizing this mobilization for months knowing that the TPP would be made public around this time. SHARE Nurses: Final TPP Text Even Worse Than Advertised Handouts to Big Pharma, Corporate Dispute Process Pose Significant Threat to Public Health and Safety Thursday, November 5, 2015Handouts to Big Pharma, Corporate Dispute Process Pose Significant Threat to Public Health and Safety (7 comments) SHARE Sanders Campaign Releases First TV Ad U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign on Sunday released its first television ad, titled "Real Change." The ad highlights the senator's history of standing up "for working families and for principle." Sunday, November 1, 2015U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign on Sunday released its first television ad, titled "Real Change." The ad highlights the senator's history of standing up "for working families and for principle." (1 comments) SHARE Sanders Calls for Probe into Exxon Mobil Claims on Climate Change Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today asked the Department of Justice to investigate potential fraud by Exxon Mobil Corp. over conflicts in what it knew and what it told the public and shareholders about the cause of climate change. In a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Sanders asked for a probe into what he called a "potential instance of corporate fraud" by the oil giant. Tuesday, October 20, 2015Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today asked the Department of Justice to investigate potential fraud by Exxon Mobil Corp. over conflicts in what it knew and what it told the public and shareholders about the cause of climate change. In a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Sanders asked for a probe into what he called a "potential instance of corporate fraud" by the oil giant. SHARE Criticism of CNN's Democratic Debate Panel asking CNN to include a progressive journalist on its panel of questioners at Tuesday's Democratic debate. CNN included conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt as one of three panelists who questioned Republican presidential candidates in last month's debate at the Reagan Library. They should include a progressive journalist for the Democratic primary debate. Friday, October 9, 2015asking CNN to include a progressive journalist on its panel of questioners at Tuesday's Democratic debate. CNN included conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt as one of three panelists who questioned Republican presidential candidates in last month's debate at the Reagan Library. They should include a progressive journalist for the Democratic primary debate. (5 comments) SHARE Fast Track Stalled by House Vote, RNs Seek to Derail For Good Nurses Double Down Pressure on Reps to Prioritize People Over Profits Monday, June 15, 2015Nurses Double Down Pressure on Reps to Prioritize People Over Profits Page 1 of 5 First Last Back Next 2 3 4 5 View All Would you like to know how many people have visited this page? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. Dennis J Bernstein is the host and executive producer of Flashpoints, a daily news magazine broadcast on Pacifica Radio. He is an award-winning investigative reporter, essayist and poet. His articles and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Nation, and many other publications in the US and around the world. He is the recipient of the Art of Peace Award, the International Service Journalism Award from Friends World College, and six Project Censored awards for investigative reporting. In 2009, Pulse Media named him one of the 20 Top Global Media Figures. Bernstein is also a widely published poet, and the author, most recently, of Special Ed: Voices from a Hidden Classroom, which received the 2012 Literary Achievement Award from Artist Embassy International. His poetry has appeared in the New York Quarterly, Chimaera, Bat City Review, The Progressive, Texas Observer, ZYZZYVA, etc Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Color Purple , writes that Special Ed is art turned to us through the eyes of love. Carol Smaldino says in The Huffington Post that the poems remind us how we are all connected to the sorrows as well as to the grandness of being human Bernstein, who holds a masters degree in Education, has also taught media literacy and special education, working in some of the poorest communities in New York City and New York State. Bernstein has also taught writing and reading literacy in various prisons in New York City and New York State, for the CCNY/John Jay College and Mercy College. Founded in 2005 - before the Right went nuts! WELCOME TO THE ORDER Purely frivolous and perfectly harmless snark and admiration for all things stylish and royal. Have any requests? Email me at orderofsplendor at hotmail dot com. By Taxpayer Foundation of Oregon OregonTaxNews.com A Taxpayer Foundation poll of Oregonians found that the Oregon film tax credit program has strong disfavor with the public and is one of the most disliked issues of the nearly two dozen issues we surveyed Oregonians on. This comes at a time when the 2016 Legislature has been holding hearings on Senate Bill 1578 which increases Oregons film tax credit cap from $10 million to $14 million. Only 25% of Oregonians said they favor the current film tax credit program compared to 62% that oppose that is more than double the number of opposition. Supporters say the Oregon Film Tax Credit program brings jobs and tourism. Opponents say it is a waste of taxpayer dollars and does nto deliver on those promises. The Foundation asked the question where both viewpoints were represented, Oregon spends $10 million a year in tax incentives and rebates for Hollywood film investors to work in Oregon. Supporters say these tax incentives help attract filming jobs and tourism. Opponents say taxpayers shouldnt be giving $10 million in tax breaks to wealthy film producers who are not creating long term jobs. Do you support or oppose tax subsidies for film companies and investors? The telephone poll was conducted last year of 300 voters. Here are the details. Copy of bill SB 1578 here Please click here in order to read our guidelines on commenting to the blog. ATC convicted a cart owner for selling hate material ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Wednesday convicted a cart owner known as Saifullah, alias Saifi, for selling hate material. He was convicted for selling CDs on his cart that contained hate speech. The conviction, rare as it is, entails 10 years in prison and a Rs100,000 fine. According to the verdict issued by ATC judge Rai Mohammad Ayub Khan Marth, the convict will have to serve another four months behind bars if the fine is not submitted. The cleric who delivered the speeches the convict was selling is, however, remains very much at large. Countering hate speech and extremist material is part of the 20-point agenda of the National Action Plan (NAP), introduced by the federal government in the aftermath of the Dec 16, 2014 attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar. The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on May 22, 2015 arrested Saifullah, a cart owner from Jhelum, for selling CDs containing speeches by the cleric Mulazim Hussain Dogar. The CD is titled Collection of Speeches of Maulana Mulazim Hussain Dogar Volume IV. Saifullah, who is 26, sells goods on his cart in a market in the Jhelum district to provide for his family. According to the prosecution, Dogar may be the principal suspect in the matter, but he could not be apprehended because his whereabouts remained unknown. There is, however, a Facebook page running under his name which currently has 3,149 followers. According to the page, Maulana Mulazim Hussain is a public figure, and a famous scholar of Islam from Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ). ASWJ is a banned outfit, according to the list of proscribed organisations. According to a CTD inspector, the investigating officer did not try to investigate the cleric or his role in the matter. He said the investigation focused exclusively on the suspect, but added that the government has already proscribed ASWJ and had banned the cleric from making public speeches. PTI MNA Mohammad Sarwar Khan said that unless the government takes strict action against the delivery of hate speech, sectarianism and religious extremism would not be curtailed. Action against the CD seller containing hate material is good, but the root cause which is the clerics who deliver hate speeches should also be arrested and punished accordingly, he said. Analyst Imtiaz Gul said that NAP is big on promises, but fails to deliver due to questionable political will. He said the legal system also lacks the capacity and will to prosecute the real offenders. The government is also unable to prosecute the troublemakers because of electoral constituencies considerations, and the other issue is corruption within the system and lacunae in the anti-terrorism laws, he added. This is not the only case in which law enforcement agencies have arrested individuals for the possession of hate material but failed to take action against those who professed such sentiments in the first place. In October 2014, Aabpara police registered a case against 16 clerics for delivering hate speech at the Aabpara Community Centre, but did not take them into custody. The clerics recently obtained pre-arrest bail from the sessions courts. Saifullah was arrested by Inspector Liaquat Ali in Jhelum, and was brought to Rawalpindi for further investigation, where CTD registered a case against him under the Anti Terrorism Act 1997 (ATA). According to the prosecution, the CDs contained hate speech against a religious sect. The accused was charged under sections 9 and 11-W of the ATA, for the possession of hate material and the dissemination of hate material, respectively. The prosecution produced six witnesses to testify against the accused, all of whom were police officials. According to the public prosecutor, Imran Qaiser, Saifullah committed the offences by displaying and selling the CDs and deserved to be punished under the relevant sections of the law. BKU attackers crossed Torkham boder with out check 18 February, 2016 Related News Imran Khan distributed loan cheques under Kamyab Jawan Programme PTI govt to face all challenges coming its way: Imran khan More on this View All Tips for Taking Incredible iPhone Travel Photos Top 2021 Accessories We Know You Will Love Types of Casino Payment Methods Best Poker Hands ever played on a Casino Are Slot Developers Important for players? Hand Wash and Toiletries in Pakistan And the Role of DUPAS in Reshaping the Industry Woke Bingo TORKHAM: Days before the deadly attack on Bacha Khan University Campus in Charsadda, four militants, in groups of twos, quietly crossed the regular border-crossing at Torkham, without any checks or hindrances, security officials have confirmed. Had there been a proper system there, at least two of them would have been caught there and then. The whole plot would have been unearthed before they could carry out the attack, a senior security official said. Two of the four attackers in the Jan 20 assault on BKU were identified through the biometric system with the National Database and Registration Authority. One was from Swat and the other from Sararogha in South Waziristan. Both had been issued CNICs. We would have stopped and asked them a few questions. We would have asked why a Swati boy or a Waziristani boy crossing over from Afghanistan via Torkham. What business had they there? the official said. But the tragedy is that while we continue to impress upon unyielding Afghans for tighter border control and tighter border management, we dont do a fig about border management on our side of the Durand, an exasperated security official said. Our pleas fall on deaf ears. The border-crossing at Torkham in Khyber tribal region is one of the two regular crossings with Afghanistan, the other being Chaman in Balochistan. The scene at Torkham can best be described as chaotic. Thousands of people cross the border from both sides with little or no check at all, both Afghans and locals. At least four state institutions and agencies assigned the task to keep a strict vigil on suspects at the border have no clue as to how many people cross the border on any given day, their head count is mostly based on assumptions. It could be between 10,000 and 15,000 daily, a security official posted at the border guessed. An official of another security agency thought the figure could be 25,000 and 28,000 while just a few hundreds of them have proper visas and passports, he added. Those without legal travel documents, and their number runs into thousands a day, are at the mercy of Khasadar, personnel of the paramilitary and security agencies in plainclothes alongside activists of so-called Zakhakhel peace committee and some renegades from the Bara-based banned militant organisation Lashkar-i-Islam, now siding with the government. A Khasadar official said that activists of the banned group and so-called peace committee were assigned the responsibility to identify their former colleagues if and when they try to enter Pakistan or try to flee to Afghanistan. He was, however, unable to share the number of those suspects who were identified by the former activists of banned groups. Interestingly, while the state agencies and officials posted at the border routinely accuse each other of mismanagement, one official of an intelligence agency described the occasional, rudimentary checking as a broad daylight extortion of all the Afghans, irrespective of their gender who enter Pakistan, no matter with or without legal travel documents. Only the army can manage the border affairs properly as they have the ability to clear the mess, another official of the so-called secret agency suggested while requesting not to be named. This reporter saw border guards engaged in grabbing their share of the money the Afghans were willing to offer in return for exemption from extensive body search and travel documents. Officials conceded that it was not humanly possible for them to check and quiz each and every Afghan entering Pakistan. People living close to the border on both sides use the border-crossing for multiple purposes for a number of times on a daily basis and thus we avoid laying a hand on such people, the official said. The Khyber Agencys political administration announced a week after the terrorist attack on Bacha Khan University in Charsadda that it had established at least five new registration points at Torkham border to keep proper record of all the Afghans entering Pakistan. But the staff posted at these registration points were found to be ill-trained and less informed about their responsibilities. The administration had provided them with a pro forma where they were required to manually register the name, fathers name, area to which the traveller belonged to in Afghanistan, purpose of visit to Pakistan, destination and duration of stay of all the Afghans entering Pakistan. The poor staff had no knowledge whom they were required to submit their manual data nor had they any knowledge about the actual purpose of collecting such vital information. The political administration had in September last year also introduced the one-time Rahdari system (route permit) to Afghans with the assistance of National Database and Registration Authority. Officials said that so far only 5,629 cards have been issued to the Afghans who had applied for it while another 3,300 were under process. Under the new system, all Afghans and Pakistanis aspiring to travel to the two neighbouring countries were required to acquire the card for a specific period of time with the official of political administration authorised to issue or reject the card and also to determine the period of stay for Afghans on Pakistan soil. Nadra officials working on at least seven booths told Dawn that on an average 150 Afghan nationals applied for the Rahdari card for which they were required to submit to them their Afghan nationality card or the card issued to them by UNHCR and a local (resident of Khyber Agency) guarantor who must possess his computerized national identity card. A Pakistani wishing to cross over to Afghanistan has to submit his CNIC number only, the Nadra officials said. However, Afghans waiting for submission of their application for the Rahdari card accused the local officials of demanding gratification from them in return of these cards. Officials were quick to deny these allegations and said that proper care was taken in issuing these cards as all the information furnished to them were electronically processed and entered into their national data in Islamabad for any future investigation about any suspect. No rangers operation in Punjab: Rana Sanaullah LAHORE: Law Minister Rana Sanaullah says as there is no Karachi-like situation in any part of Punjab, Rangers will not be called in the province. He told reporters at the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday that no town in Punjab was facing the law and order situation as of Karachi, where a targeted operation was being conducted by the para-military force. Mr Sanaullah, showing his trust in the abilities of the provincial law-enforcement agencies, said they were giving their best performance in Punjab and that the same institutions would act against the criminals active in riverside areas of the province. He said there was no organised network of the militant Islamic State group in the country as the authorities could not collect any evidence in this respect. He, however, admitted that some people had gone to Syria to take part in the ongoing war there. Some recruits, he said, were nabbed before they could leave Pakistan for Syria. About prime ministers statement regarding the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), he said PM Nawaz Sharif was authorised to direct NAB if need be. He urged different sections of society to draw positive conclusion of the PMs statement. The prime minister has called to strengthen NAB. He said that Punjab authorities would welcome NAB if it decided to initiate action against corruption but the action must not be just to balance its activities being undertaken in Sindh. PM made 65 trips abroad ISLAMABAD: In the two-and-a-half years the PML-N has been in power, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has spent nearly 200 days away from the country. These trips have cost the national exchequer a hefty amount of Rs638.276 million. Information regarding the foreign tours made by the prime minister since he took office was laid before the National Assembly on Wednesday in response to a question posed by the PPPs Imran Zafar Leghari. According to the written response, the PM has made 65 trips abroad between June 2013 and Feb 2016. On paper, the response was attributed to the minister for foreign affairs. However, since Mr Sharif himself holds charge of that portfolio, the PMs Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, came to the house to answer supplementary questions. But this was an un-starred question not marked for verbal reply and therefore no one was allowed to make supplementary queries on the matter during question hour. A reading of the response reveals that of the approximately 1,000 days the prime minister has held office, at least 187 have been spent outside the country. These do not include the PMs regular private visits to Saudi Arabia during Ramazan, as well as his private trips to the UK. According to the reply, the prime ministers most frequently visited country is the UK, where one of his sons has business interests. He has visited the UK 17 times during this near-1,000 day period. For example, in Oct 2013, Nawaz Sharif was to make a four-day trip to the US between Oct 20 and 23. But he stopped over in the UK on his way to the US on Oct 19 and 20 and again on his way back on Oct 24 and 25. He then went back to that country on Oct 27 and stayed there until Nov 1. In total, the four days of transit and six days spent in the UK cost the national kitty Rs17.43 million. Prime Minister Sharif, who spends most of his weekends at his personal residence in Raiwind, on the outskirts of Lahore, has also drawn flak from the opposition over his continued absence from the sittings of both houses of parliament. During the current National Assembly session, Leader of the Opposition Syed Khursheed Shah even joked It seems that we have to take out an advertisement in the papers to bring the prime minister back to the house. Once again on Wednesday, Sartaj Aziz insisted that Pakistan had so far not made any commitment to become a part of the 34-member alliance of Islamic countries, headed by Saudi Arabia. In reply to a number of supplementary queries, Mr Aziz said that although Pakistan supported this Saudi-led initiative to combat terrorism in the region, we are yet to [determine] what role Pakistan will be playing in this alliance. We have not formally joined this alliance. Talking about the ongoing 20-nation military exercise in Saudi Arabia, the adviser said Pakistan was taking part under a bilateral defence agreement. When Mahmood Khan Achakzai asked why Iran, Iraq and Syria werent a part of this alliance, Mr Aziz said a meeting of the alliance was due next month, where the issue would be discussed. From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As... DISCLAIMER All essays, comments, opinions, and views reflected in this blog are solely ours and should in no way be construed to reflect or represent the views of our employer (Serge.org). Note: The Civil Unions Bill [20/2014] has successfully passed through the Maltese Parliament with 37 votes in favour, 30 absentions and 0 votes against on the 14th April 2014. It gives the same rights and obbligations to same-sex couples as those who are registered in a civil marriage (mutatis mutandis). The Bill was signed by the President of the Republic of Malta on the 17th April 2014 and became Law [Act IX/2014]. Headline: New York Times , 10/17/2022 In 2020, The Washington Post reported that the government had spent more than $2.5 million at Trum... Media Report : During a stormy session at the Scottish Parliament , former top judge Lord Brian Gill - who twice refused to face a Holyrood probe on judges secret wealth, connections & links to big business - demanded MSPs close proposals to require judges to register their interests as called for in Petition PE1458: Register of Interests for members of Scotland's judiciary . Video footage of Lord Gills stormy evidence session with MSPs can be viewed here: Evidence of Lord Gill before the Scottish Parliament 10 November 2015 The proposals, backed by cross party MSPs during a debate in the Parliaments main chamber on 9 October 2014 - Debating the Judges - call for the creation of a publicly available register of judicial interests containing information on judges backgrounds, their personal wealth, undeclared earnings, business & family connections inside & outside of the legal profession, offshore investments, hospitality, details on recusals and other information routinely lodged in registers of interest across all walks of public life in the UK and around the world. The explorations, insight, and reviews of a recently graduated Film, Theatre, and Television Master's student. Phuket, 16 February 2016 Amari Phukets management team, led by Pierre-Andre Pelletier, Vice President and Area General Manager, South Thailand (middle), organised a big party to celebrate a momentous achievement, performing on top of the industry after having received seven international awards in 2015. The awards consist of the Award of Excellence voted by Booking.com users, Best Beach Resort in Asia-Pacific at the 26th Annual TTG Travel Awards, Best In Stay Elite Award by Orbitz Worldwide, Powering Global Travel Award by Gullivers Travel Associates, Kuoni Water Champion Award for the hotels water management system and reduced water consumption, Leading Resort Hotel of Asia Award by AHF International Hotel Investment Submit, Beijing, China and Brand Leader Award for General Manager Recognition by ONYX Hospitality Group. The party was full of joy and merrymaking, inspiring the team to always perform at its best and continuously lead the company to its growth. Chainway Is Attending 2016 IoT and Smart China Chinas leading IoT/RFID media, Ulink media, announced recently that Chainway will attend 2016 Shenzhen International Internet of Things and Smart China Exhibition (IOTE). Its the seventh time for the company to be part of the worlds largest and most comprehensive RFID/IoT/Smart Card exhibition, which covers 30,000sqm and attracts more than 400 exhibitors this year. Chainway has been in Industrial PDAs for 10 years, headquartered in Shenzhen city with branches in Beijing, Guangzhou and other 9 cities. Chainways customers operate within a wide range of industries such as Warehouse management, Stocktaking, Government projects, international trade, transportation, ect. 2016 Shenzhen International Internet of Things and Smart China Exhibition (IOTE) will be held on Aug 18-20,2016, at Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center, Hall 2,3,4 (about 30,000 sqm). The event will feature the latest technologies and products of RFID , smart card, sensing network, core control chip and embedded chip, telecommunication and their applications in various industries, such as manufacturing, retail, apparel, health care, pharmaceuticals, defense and aerospace. Chainway is a preferred supply chain partner for data collection device market in China, said William Yang, the founder of Ulink Media. Its been attending our event for seven years, their products are extremely popular with attendees. Were very glad to working with them. Shenzhen IoT and Smart China expo is the best IoT and RFID events weve even been to, thats why we never miss one all these years. This year we will demonstrate our latest handheld data terminal and vehicle-mounted data terminal, our customer covers more than 24 industries and spreading more than 60 countries which include China, India, Russia, Brazil, South-Africa, Turkey, Europe, Canada, Australia, Indonesia. says Mr . Xie, the marketing manager of Chainway Company representatives interested in attending 2016 IoT and Smart China can register online http://eng.iotexpo.com.cn/IOTCApply.aspx. http://eng.iotexpo.com.cn More Articles Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the American Authors Association Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the Military Writers Society of America. Remember back in 2012 when the Mayan calendar ran out and many were worried about it? Well, thats a good illustration of the importance of having a plan. Knowing the when, where, what and how of life brings comfort, especially in these last hours of the Aquarian sun. When the old plan has run its course, make a new one. TODAYS BIRTHDAY (Feb. 18). Youre a sponge for learning all you need to know to make a quantum leap into the life youve been dreaming of. Youll be educated by comfortable routines, and youll be educated by swirls of excitement and adventure. The responsibility you claim in April will lead Julys financial boon. An August wedding brings joy. Gemini and Pisces adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 4, 33, 28, 16 and 50. ARIES (March 21-April 19). Once, you thought that you were the happiest when you could play as often as you wished. Now, youre realizing that your playtime is even better when its hard won by the work you put in. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Youre not worried about whether or not you can rise to the occasion of whats expected of you because youve already come to expect so much more from yourself. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). There are times when getting ready for the event is just as fun as going to the event. Then there are times when its way more fun, which may be the case in the upcoming deal. Enjoy all of todays preparations! CANCER (June 22-July 22). There will be many different entities competing for your attention and only you know which needs it most not necessarily the squeakiest wheel either. Whats noisiest isnt automatically most important. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Opportunities seem to be rushing outside of your window, when in reality they are not. The chances worth taking are now, and have always been, inside you. Your potential can be activated at any moment you will it to be so. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). While some may be able to take comfort and heart in their associations, there is no security for you in the success of others. Theres something in you that has to make it on your own. It is not in your nature to form dependencies. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You believe in and work toward a better life for all not just a better life for you and yours. It is because of your broadminded efforts and elastic heart that youll net fantastic fortunes today. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You will achieve prominence in a community. This could be a social club, party affiliation, online community or other. However it shows up, enjoy knowing that this comes with power and a responsibility that you wont take lightly. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). When you hear yourself speaking what you dont mean or doing what you dont want to do, stop and consider what might be causing this duplicity. Once you figure it out, realign yourself properly. Youll be unstoppable. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The reason why youre able to let the good (or otherwise) opinions of others roll off your back is that your private rating system for yourself is far more stringent than anyone elses. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). What you know is enough. Its what youre supposed to know. Dont be afraid to ask questions. It wont highlight the holes in your knowledge, but it will fill them in. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). The way you wish things were that is a good starting place from which your creative brain can weave a little magic. So what would you ask that genie in a bottle for today? MOREAU Town justices are working out of a conference room, and normal court appearances have been postponed until at least next week, following the water damage Tuesday. Workers were still discovering more damage Wednesday afternoon the latest casualty: the bathroom for prisoners in the secure holding area. Workers reported that the insulation and Sheetrock behind the tiles were wet. They were trying to dry it out with heaters, but they might have to rip out all of the tile an expensive and time-consuming job. For those who had been assigned to come to court Thursday, the day when normal appearances are handled, there is no definite rescheduling date yet. Court officials were contacting all of them and telling them court will be delayed at least a week. Supervisor Gardner Congdon said he hoped to reopen the courtroom next Tuesday when it is scheduled to be used for the next Town Board meeting. He said hed open the room for business if it was largely repaired. Im not going to worry about all the finishing touches, he said. A lot of work has to be done before then. The towns insurance company wants to inspect all of the wet pieces pulled out of the building, and asked the town to not start making repairs until an agent has inspected the damage. Town officials were arguing that they need to start making repairs as quickly as possible. Congdon was also trying to decide which companies to call for repair work. He has been critical of the workmanship in the new town hall, which has been plagued with problems. He was planning to look closely at contractors before making a decision. No official determination on the cause of the damage has been made yet. All of the exterior spigots froze in last weekends frigid weather, which hit negative 10 degrees Fahrenheit. At least two water pipes in the walls leading to those spigots burst. Gardner said the pipes that were uncovered in the walls were made of cheap plastic rather than heavy-duty PVC piping. He also questioned whether the appropriate spigots were installed. Frost-free spigots are designed to resist freezing, and that is what was supposed to be installed at Town Hall, he said. Insulation around the water pipes could also be an issue. The problems could lead to more litigation. The town is already suing the contractors and the engineer who oversaw the building of the new highway garage. There are multiple problems there, including a roof that leaks in many places. The roof was leaking again Tuesday, forcing workers to move computers out of the way and set up buckets throughout the garage. The current estimate for repairing the roof is $100,000, but town officials want the roof replaced at no cost to Moreau. The estimate for a new roof is $400,000. At Town Hall, officials are in talks with two insurance companies over last years flood in which a sprinkler system pipe broke. The damage was fully covered by the towns insurance policy, but the system needs to be rebuilt. A portion of the system has been turned off since the incident, and inspectors found many errors, ranging from pipes installed at the wrong angles to badly tightened bolts to improper joints used throughout the system. In addition, the connector that inspectors use to test the system was improperly installed. Choose Where Your Taxes Go 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.'' Thanks to fast urbanising Africa, consumption of rice is growing by six per cent annually. "Rice is important for Africa food security and the reasons are clear," AfricaRice Center, Deputy Director General, Marco Wopereis, told IPS, adding that "consumers like it and the consumption growth is just mind boggling as a result of population and change of preference as people in cities want food that can be prepared quickly and stored easily and rice is just perfect for that." Projections are that in 25 years, the world will be eating 110 million tonnes more of milled rice and one third of that will be eaten in Africa, according to him. Grown in 40 out of 54 countries in Africa, rice is the most important agricultural activity and source of income for more than 35 million smallholder rice farmers. However, current demand for rice is outpacing local production which covers only 60 per cent of requirements. As a result, the continent is spending more than US$5 billion annually on importing 12.5 million tonnes of rice each year. This accounts for 32 per cent of the world's rice imports, making Africa one of the largest rice importers in the world and a major player in the rice trade. AfricaRice three years ago developed seven high performing rice varieties known as the Advanced Rice Varieties for Africa (ARICAs) which has been developed with traits for tolerance to flooding at a vegetative stage, salinity, iron toxicity and cold. These are high performing compared to the New Rice for Africa (NERICA) varieties developed for rain-fed environments in the 1990s. Moussa Sie, a senior breeder at AfricaRice and coordinator of the Rice Breeding Task Force in Africa, said ARICAs will help increase the number of rice varieties available and boost production by at least 40 per cent. These have been developed using participatory variety selection tools that breeders use to involve farmers in developing what is suitable for their needs and conditions in the view of flooding and droughts as a result of climate change. "We are working in particular to breed varieties that are more robust and more ready to face the threats of climate change because rice is grown mainly by poor farmers and we need to develop varieties for such kind of farmers," Sie told IPS. "We have rice champions like the NERICA-4 varieties which we developed by involving farmers and ARICAs will follow the same route." According to Realising Africa's Rice Promise - the most comprehensive reference publication on rice research in Africa - this staple is the future for Africa. The Civil Aviation Authority has therefore advised the Ghana Air Traffic Controllers Association, the Ghana Air Traffic Safety Electronics Association and all other stakeholders involved to call off their proposed interruption in air traffic services to the Kotoka International Airport which would have taken effect from Friday, 19th February, 2016. This will bring air traffic and flight activities to a halt. Pulse Business can confirm that the two parties are at loggerheads over the 2006 Decoupling Asset Sharing Property Policy, which distributed assets at the Kotoka International Airport between the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority and the Ghana Airports Company. The impasse ensued when the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority last year asked for the policy to be revised to enable a redistribution of the assets. In an exclusive interview with Pulse Business, Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, Eric Amaning revealed that majority of the landed property of the KotoKa Internatonal Airport was allocated to the Ghana Airports Company, restricting the Civil Aviation authority's ambitions of any land use. " The arrangement as it stands now has bee problematic for the Ghana Civil Aviation Authortiy, given that most of the landed property was awarded to the Ghana Airport Company." he said. " The impasse occurred when the two parties could not agree on a redistribution of the assets. But as we speak, steps are being taken to resolve the situation." He is a the full statement released and copied to Pulse Business: PRESS RELEASE RE: POSSIBLE DISRUPTION OF AIR TRAFFIC SERVICES TO THE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KIA) The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority wishes to inform the general public that the current operational impasse between the GCAA and the Ghana Airports Company (GACL) is being resolved by the two entities. As such, the Authority has advised the Air Traffic Controllers Association, the Ghana Air Traffic Safety Electronics Association and all other stakeholders involved to call off their proposed interruption in air traffic services to the Kotoka International Airport which would have taken effect from Friday, 19th Under Vietnamese law, pregnant women or women whose children are younger than three years old cannot be legally executed, only sentenced to life in prison. Read more:Kenyan lady arrested while carrying Hemp on her back like a baby Four Vietnamese prison guards have been suspended for negligence after a detained female drug trafficker became pregnant in an attempt to avoid the death penalty. Nguyen Thi Hue, 42, is expected to give birth in April after inseminating herself in August 2015 with semen she bought from a fellow inmate at a northern Vietnamese prison, the English-language website of the state-owned Thanh Nien newspaper reported. Investigators she paid the 27-year-old inmate the equivalent of more than $2,200. But, a statement signed by TUC General Secretary, Kofi Asamoah, said Given the strategic role our brothers and sisters in the veterinary services play in the general health delivery and surveillance chain, not only for animals but especially animal to human diseases such as Ebola and the Avian Influenza (bird flu) and the risk associated with it, for themselves and the general public, we cannot afford to have them remain on strike." Below is the full statement: The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has keenly followed the concerns raised by the Ghana Veterinary Medical Technicians' Association (VEMTAG) regarding the failure of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to accord them their well-deserved market premium since their migration to the Single Spine Salary Structure in 2011. Unfortunately, the seeming lack of regard and recognition for these concerns led to a strike action by the Association which has persisted since 26th January, 2016. Given the strategic role our brothers and sisters in the veterinary services play in the general health delivery and surveillance chain, not only for animals but especially animal to human diseases such as Ebola and the Avian Influenza (bird flu) and the risk associated with it, for themselves and the general public, we cannot afford to have them remain on strike. The TUC has therefore intervened and pleaded with our Brothers and Sisters to resume work while we work with others within the Public Services Joint Standing Negotiating Committee to engage the appropriate State Institutions to bring this matter to a close. Meanwhile, we urge the Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture responsible for Veterinary Services to be circumspect and not to take any steps that would further disturb the attempts being made to settle these matters. This is due to their inability to streamline solutions to the challenges of their target customers. So often, you find techprenuers( tech entrepreneurs) building fanciful apps that appear to do so many mind- boggling enhancements, but do not bring the exact convenience that the average Ghanaian needs. This is attributable to a failure on the part of these techpreneurs to localize their technological solutions to the needs of the average Ghanaian. This is what Asoriba has been able to do perfectly, which is why they earn a slot in this Edition of Meet The Boss. The Story of Asoriba Asoriba is a management tool for church administration. A combination of a mobile and Web App, Asoriba seeks to solve all the administration needs of an average church on one platform. Ranging from collection, storage and analysis of the data of church members, keeping track of church revenue as well as facilitating members' tithing, offertory and pledge payments. They can do all that through embedded electronic payment platforms on Asoriba. The days when your church administrator is unable to tell whether you attended Sunday church service or not is over. Asoriba gives him an easy, real- time analysis of church attendance patterns. He or she is also able to tell the margins of decrease or increase in church population just by the click of a button. Solution meets problem Again what makes Asoriba standout, is how well they have specifically tailored their tech innovation to the basic problems and needs of churches. The team attributes such valuable achievement to their strong religious background. It so happens that three of the five co- founders of Asoriba were born to parents who are pastors and church leaders. Nana Opoku W. O. Agyeman-Prempeh, Chief Executive Officer of Asoriba reveals what they did to achieve such value: " For the four of us who started the company, church has been a part of the life. Myself, Saviour and Patrick have been in church leadership almost all our lives, and our fathers are pastors. And when we started off, we built around pastors. For example, from conception to the time we went we had wonderful pastors like Pastor Eddy Addy who is the pastor of Light House, Airport Branch. With that you are able to build solutions that meet real problems". For Chief Product Officer for Asoriba Web, Saviour Kwaku Dzage other web solutions on the market do not present the holistic solution that Asoriba provides. And this, he says is testament to Asoriba's commitment to a tight feedback system. " We practically built the app for our customers. And they were in the process every step of the way." Has Asoriba been Successful? Asoriba's quick meteoric rise to fame is strongly tied to the reception they have received from customers. " We have been out selling a lot, and I tell you this... the reaction we get most of the time after demonstrating the product to churches and church members is WOW!!!" , Obed Asamoah Boateng (VP - Sales & Marketing) says. " it has really made my job as a sales and marketing much easier, because the product really sells itself" he adds Asoriba wins 3 awards out of 3 competitions For many, Asoriba was, by far, Ghana's startup of the year 2015. Their real test would come when they entered the Seedstars Ghana competition in October 2015 in Accra. This was barely a few months after the product had hit the market in June. " Seedstars is actually a competition that goes round African countries selecting the best Startups. So it was a privilege for us to win in 2015. But it says a lot about the amount of hardwork that was put in, but of course it was by the Grace of God. This was at a time when we had just finished building a product, an MVP, and then gone to the market only to be adjudged best startup in Ghana." Asoriba would go on to be adjudged Best Startup in Africa 2015, when they competed in Seedstars Africa. This was before they had won the Innovate Africa Challenge, a business pitching competition for startups in Africa, from which they won a cool GHC10,000. He said several properties were also destroyed. Fiadzo revealed that bush fires topped the number of fire incidents with as many as 165 outbreaks. 73 of the cases were domestic fires . The rest involved commercial and industrial vehicles. Fiadzo says every effort is being made to bring the figures down for the subsequent months. He says the fire service has intensified safety education. They have also started vising schools churches and mosques and homes to educate people to do the rights things to prevent fire outbreaks. "I am on the humble view that this 19 year old guy did not plan this himself," he said. Danquah was killed on the 9th of February in his home. Read More : Suspect in JB Danquah's death charged with murder The police have a suspect in custody who they claim has confessed to killing the MP but Akyea does not rule out the MP's death being a contract killing. Akyea said if the suspect only wanted to steal from Danquah "why murder him?" "There's more to go into to find out why this gruesome and cold blooded murder, if you look at the knife wounds on this gentleman I can only come to the conclusion he wanted to kill him, and no more," Akyea says. He is also advocating night security for MPs in the wake of this incident. "There is a trinity - the legislature lacks security, the executive have security, and the judiciary have security so the balance is not right, we should also have security." Read more- Robbers attack two MPs The Vice president who was at the one-week event said Ghana is the loser of the tragic incident. This is one crime that is impossible to explain, the motive is lost to almost everybody. All we know is that it has terminated the life of a promising man. A career has been cut short. Ghana is the loser, Mr. Amissah-Arthur wrote in a tribute. Other members at the one-week event were government dignitaries, as well as members of the opposition New Patriotic Party, including its flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo. Meanwhile, a suspect, 19-year-old teenager Daniel Asiedu, has been charged with murder of the late MP by an Accra magistrate court. She was speaking at the Afri-One Youth Forum in Accra on Thursday, 18 February, an event that brought together young people, politicians, church leaders, health professionals, and young entrepreneurs to discuss issues that affect Ghana's young people, and the solutions to those issues. Gomashie used her own experience growing up to call on Ghanaian parents to rethink their roles in raising today's youth. She revealed that her mother used to beat her, she said it wasn't out of hate, but her mother's way of trying to raise her. I'm not asking anybody to beat their children like my mother beat me. I'm saying don't spare the rod to spoil the child. The ways in which we show love to our children these days are baffling. She was concerned about parents not ensuring children were safe in cars, she often saw children sitting up front in a car, on a driver's lap or being allowed to be stand up in the car. Let's take a second look at the ways in which we show our children love, showing your child love by feeding them with eight cubes of sugar in a can everyday is ensuring that child ends up with diabetes or all other things I don't dare to mention. Organised by a group of Nigerian and Ghanaian youth leaders, the Afri-One Youth Forum aims to galvanize African youth to action, lead organiser Chineyenwa Okoro Onu told the audience. The group wanted to address the diverse economic issues facing women and youth across Africa and provide realistic and sustainable solutions. Okoro Onu outlined issues young people in Ghana were facing, from education, to teen pregnancy, to poor sanitation. The group had visited areas in Ghana where parents struggled to pay the 75 cedi to keep their child in school, and was inspired to find solutions. According to the convenor of the group, David Asante,"the so-called Steering Committee is populated by NDC people. It is an NDC-biased Steering Committee." However, the acting Director of Public Affairs of the Commission, Christian Owusu Parry has insisted that the Committee would not be scrapped as the EC trusts the integrity of those involved. "What we did when we conceived the idea of forming this committee was that we wrote to the institutions to give us one person to represent them on the committee so the selection was purely the decision of those institutions. We had no reason to doubt the integrity or even the political lenients of the people that they were bringing to us," Mr. Owusu Parry told Accra-based Joy FM. He added that the "Committee is very important. And I don't think that merely because one or two are alleged to have some leniency with some political parties the whole committee should be scrapped." Meanwhile, a member of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Karl Arhin, has resigned from the Steering Committee. However, Mr. Owusu Parry said the EC is yet to be informed officially about his resignation. The 18-member committee was inaugurated on the 8th February 2016 and is chaired by the EC boss, Charlotte Osei with members from various state institutions including the Ghana Police Service and the Prisons service. The Authority's comments come in the wake of escalating pressure from civil society organisations for the license, which is alleged to have been awarded under fraudulent circumstances, to be abolished. Imani Ghana and MP for Obuase West constituency, Kwaku Kwarteng, drew public attention to what they believed to be a deliberate attempt to skew the procurement process in favor of Afriwave Telecoms Ghana Limited. In two alerts issued by Imani Ghana, the NCA's independent Applications Evaluation Panel awarded Afriwave marks higher than was awardable in certain criteria being considered. The NCA, however, refuted all the allegations in subsequent press conferences accusing IMANI Ghana of fraudulently concocting documents to make the NCA look bad. In a current interview with the national daily, the Daily Graphic, Director General of the NCA, William Tevie stated the NCA's unflinching position on the contract even in the face of the stiff opposition from CSOs and some section of the public. The bill that is currently in its consideration stage in parliament, will essentially grant government access to record telephone calls and messages of individuals. The bill when passed into law, will also give government the power to intercept postal packages upon suspicion of threat to the security of the country or any other individual. In his statement on the floor of parliament Thursday, the MP made a case against the bill on grounds that it contravenes the individual's right to privacy. According to him, the ruling National Democratic Congress and the president John Mahama have been compelled by the US government to enact a law that will permit them to listen to all secret conversations of the Ghanaian citezen. Below is the full statement by the MP In order to check the Gitmo Detainees, the NDC and Mahama government have been compelled by the US government to enact a law that will permit them to listen to all our secret calls. When this bill becomes a law, all our secret calls will become publicly available information, legally speaking. Even the Almighty God who created us allows us to have secret covnersations. This is why he allows me to keep something on my mind without letting someone know. And this why I choose who should know my secrets. How come the NDC and the Mahama government want to take away this right from us? NDC and Mahama cannot impose terrorists on us and cause us to loose our right to secret conversation. Just sit down quietly and imagine the kind of things you say secretly and imagine that as soon as you say this on phone, it is no longer a secret because some one is listening as a result of this law. Folks, Ghanaians are finished. All businessmen, contractors, pastors, married couples, youth teachers, politicians, chiefs, Queen mothers, journalists, traders, drivers, all workers of Ghana must now know that this is just one of the outcomes of detaining terrorists here in Ghana. The NDC and Mahama must simply be voted out so that our privacy will respected by the state. Meanwhile, IT expert, Maximus Ametorgoh has also raised concerns about the bill. According to him, government wants to listen, tap, copy, record and intercept your messages via the telecommunication system through the Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunication Messages Bill before parliament. In an exclusive interview with , he said the new bill is a clear attempt by government to infringe on the privacy of people. Yes, like many of the scandals that have been worth every bit of the controversy, and airtime spent discussing them, the NCA-Afriwave scandal involves several millions of dollars. But yet again, just like many of the previous scandals, the discussion has only been for the keen economic and governance minds, and not the average populace. As usual, the average man seems apathetic or confused. Well, Pulse Business' Emmanuel Quist breaks it all down to basics and presents 9 facts about the Afriwave Scandal that you may have missed. 1. Who is Afriwave Ghana Telecom Afriwave Telecoms Ghana Limited is the company that has been awarded the license or contract to operate an Interconnect Clearing House. Afriwave Telecom is a wholly Ghanaian company set to engage in telecommunication equipment supplies, installation contractors, telecom consultants, manufacturers' representatives and value added network services aimed at serving both private and public sector clients. Read more: > NCA Scandal Afriwave refutes role in alleged NCA fraud 2.What is an Interconnect Clearing House and why does Ghana need it First, let's explain what a Clearing House is or does. The term is more commonly used in the financial sector where financial transactions are reconciled and audited. A telecoms Clearinghouse, therefore, refers to a central platform where calls from different Mobile Network Operators converge for billing and reconciliation to be done. Call data are also produced here. So in a nutshell, the Interconnect Clearing House will help the Ghana Revenue Service to properly track the number of calls exchanged between the telcos operating in the country in order to properly track total revenues accruing to the telcos from those calls so they can be properly taxed. The following are a couple of misconceptions about the ICH that needs to be dispelled, according to Entrepreneur & Telecom Consultant Telecoms Expert, Osman Issah: There is no reason for consumers to harbor any fears about confidentiality because the same stringent licensing criteria and data protection laws binding telecom operators will apply to the ICH. The ICH is a private finance initiative and comes at NO cost to the taxpayer. The introduction of the ICH will NOT reduce quality of service but rather significantly improve it. As an independent body, it will measure ASR and ACD, report and engage defaulting parties to improve or face sanctions. ICH is NOT an unnecessary level of additional bureaucracy, indeed giving an independent report on minutes usage and conducting revenue monitoring ensures that all minutes are accounted for. The ICH, in effect, is a revenue assurance unit to the regulator and state. 3. How the Clearing House License was awarded to Afriwave The National Communications Authority says it started the procurement process two years ago, where the companies contending for the license were made to pilot their operations with the Telecommunications companies. The process then ended in January 2016 with the final bid being awarded and an evaluation report on the qualifications of the chosen company, Afriwave, presented to the board of the NCA. 4. How much is involved The Director General of the NCA, William Tevie told Pulse Business, that the total amount of money payable to Afriwave Telecoms Limited to operate the Interconnect Clearing House amongst other auditing services, is 7 million dollars. 5.What the controversy is all about As stated above public attention was drawn to the contract by MP for Obuase West, Kwaku Kwarteng when he alleged that the NCA had awarded the contract to Afriwave under fraudulent circumstances. According to him, the NCA had notified telecommunication companies operating in the country that Afriwave would take over the audit services of tSubah Infosolutions who were the last company contracted to do the job. This was before Afriwave's bid was evaluated by the NCA's Independent Applications Evaluation Panel. Of course, the NCA immediately released a statement refuting the allegations. According to them, what Kwaku Kwarteng describes as an illegality, was very much a part of the procurement system. 6. Imani Ghana's Involvement Imani Ghana took over from where Kwaku Kwarteng left off, leveling damning accusation of fraud against the NCA and the independent Application Evaluation. Imani took the controversy further by releasing a document that was purportedly leaked by a member of the Independent Evaluations Panel of the NCA. The document was allegedly the evaluations report of the capabilities of the companies who tendered a bid for the ICH license. The document showed that the panel had allegedly skewed the evaluation process in favour of the Afriwave Telecoms Ghana Limited. In some instances, the total awardable score was 1 but Afriwave was given 5. In total, Afriwave scored 34.5 out of 40 marks. This incurred public disaffection for the process, and sparked pressure for the contract to be abrogated. There were also unsubstantiated rumours that the Minister of Communications, Dr. Omane Boamah owned controlling stake in Afriwave and thus is motivated to get the contract for Afriwave. 7. NCA's Response to the Allegations The NCA held a press conference on Wednesday, February 11 to debunk all the allegations of fraud levelled by IMANI Ghana. They accused IMANI of peddling falsehood from a fraudulent document just to make the NCA look bad. They dared IMANI Ghanas president Franklin Cudjoe to release the identity of the member of the Independent Evaluations Panel who supposedly leaked the document to Imani. On the authenticity of the document, NCA maintained that the evaluation report could not have been leaked by any member of the panel. According to them no member of the panel has a copy of the final report after it was handed to the NCA board, and once the doument in possession of IMANI Ghana has the signature of the Board Chairman of NCA, it could not have come from the panel. According to them, the evaluation report only moves from the panel to the Board and not the other way round. They followed their claims with a power- point presentation of what is supposed to be the real, final evaluation report of the NCA. This document did not include any of the mistakes Imani Ghana alleged. It is however unclear if the mistakes were later corrected and made to look cleaner than they actually were before. 8. What is the latest The controversy rages on. Imani Ghana released its last Afriwave report, or so we think on Monday 15th February. In this report, the second- best policy think- tank in Africa accused the NCA of cleaning up the final evaluations report in order to cover their fraud. They cited some inconsistencies in the the typographic look of the report that suggested that the numbers were changed to look more coherent than they originally were. 9. What Next At this point it is unclear what will happen next. But the Director General of the NCA, William Tevie has maintained that the NCA will not buckle down to pressure from IMANI and other Civil Society Organisations, assuring Afriwave that the award of the license will not be abrogated. The Bank whose profit report for 2015 increased by 100% from N6 billion it achieved in 2014 disbursed a total of 776 loans to enterprises (47 large enterprises and 729 (SMEs) worth N83.5 billion. The bank stated that loans to large enterprises were disbursed to the Agro-Processing, Food Processing, Solid Minerals, Gas Value-Chain, Engineering & Technology and Light Manufacturing sectors, while the SME loans went into various SME clusters such as fruit juice, cassava processing, fish farming, bakery, furniture, etc. therefore creating over 90,000 jobs in 2015. The banks operating results are underpinned by strong growth in its balance sheet, improvement in the banks Non-Performing Loan ratio from 18 per cent in May 2014 to four per cent in December 2015, and efficient cost management which saw the growth in operating expenses limited to only 12 per cent in 2015, a statement from the bank read. Commenting on the success, Rasheed Olaoluwa, BoIs managing director/CEO said: I feel very proud of what we achieved in 2015. "We made significant developmental impact through the disbursement of over N83billion to nearly one thousand enterprises. We commissioned two of the six rural solar micro grid projects we financed. We introduced many products and programs to support the SME Ecosystem. We obtained our ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System Certifications. We also secured our first ever international rating from Fitch Ratings (BB-) and Moodys (Ba3), moving the Bank closer to global best practices. Also, the Chief Executive Officer of Ghanaian Association of Ghana Industries complained that though Nigeria banned bagged cement from coming into the country, Dangote Cement exports 750,000 tonnes of cement every year, into Ghana, adding that the issue should be resolved. If it does not work then we must also look at countervailing measuresit could be product targeting, he said. Kate Quartey-Papafio, CEO of Reroy Cables also said If we also make it difficult for them to export, then we would have to find common ground. The Managing Director of Intravenous Infusions Limited, Mr Richard Okrah also complained that his pharmaceutical products are on Nigerias prohibition list. Okrah said We have been making efforts through our agent in Nigeria to get us off this list. But it is becoming a very difficult job for us. The council had given an order last week instructing MTN to pay Mr. Omeje Fidelis his balance within 14 days or face serious sanctions. In the statement released, Fidelis had confirmed to the CPC the receipt of the amount, adding that he received the draft for the balance of the N2m prize on Monday, February 15, 2016. It stated, The CPC is also in receipt of a settlement agreement made to that effect between Omeje, MTN and its event manager for the Ultimate Wonder Promo prize presentation, Towncriers Limited, authorising the event manager to issue a bank draft in the sum of N1.85m in full and final satisfaction of the CPCs order and all claims to the complainant. Last year Nigeria participated at the International Fashion Showcase London, with designers Orange Culture, Grey Projects, Kenneth Ize, IAMISIGO and T.I Nathan. Their installation, Meta 5, curated by Stranger Lagos CEO, Yegwa Ukpo won the Curator of the Year Award. The International Fashion Showcase (IFS) is a festival organized by the British Council and the British Fashion Council during London Fashion Week featuring emerging designers from 25 countries. The event responds to Londons reputation for promoting and supporting new designers. IFS engages and invites a range of people interested in fashion from journalists, bloggers and buyers to the general public. Since inception, LFDW has remained dedicated to the growth and promotion of creatives in the industry by nurturing, fine-tuning, rewarding their skills and providing them with a solid platform for achieving their goals The International Fashion Showcase, is one of such platforms. This ties in with British Councils ongoing work to empower creatives through high-quality events and collaborations that link Nigerian creatives with their counterparts in the UK. The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) supports the IFS platform to drive its objectives in exploring and promoting export opportunities. Titled Across the Bleed, Nigeria will curate an installation that imagines the creative energy of designers as a cosmic bang. Inspired by optical illusions the installation will ask visitors to imagine a moment when the impossible fleetingly seems real. The installation, which will be curated by Yegwa Ukpo will feature designs from LFDW Fashion Focus Designers & Alumni: Ejiro Amos Tafiri, Meena, Gozel Green, Onalaja, Papa Omisore and Sisiano. They join over 100 international designers and curators to share their versions of the Utopia the theme of IFS 2016. In recognition of the participants' creativity and ingenuity, each year an award is presented to the best exhibition, judged by a panel of cultural and commercial fashion experts and chaired by Sarah Mower MBE BFC Ambassador for Emerging Talent. The International Fashion Showcase, London is presented by Style House Files, founders Lagos Fashion and Design Week in collaboration with The British Council and supported by, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Style Mania Magazine and BellaNaija.com 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! The Prosecutor, Mrs V. Soyemi, told the court that Obamwonyi committed the offence at about 20:30 p.m. at No 22, Iyamu Street, off Textile-mill Road, Benin, on Jan. 30. Soyemi said that the defendant stabbed the victim severally with a kitchen knife. Obamwonyi was arraigned on one-count charge of unlawful killing, but no plea was taken. She said the offence contravened Section 319 (1) of the Criminal Code Cap 48 Vol. 11 Laws of the defunct Bendel State of Nigeria 1976, now applicable in Edo. The Chief Magistrate, Mr Abhulimen Iyoha, said that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the case. Iyoha ruled that the defendants case file would be sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecution for legal advice. Read his letter here: "My name is Timi and I have been married to a very wonderful woman for three years but the only problem we seem to have has to do with our sex life. My wife, Yetunde, seems to be more than I am and she is open to trying out so many things in bed. When we were dating, I found such very exciting but I can tell you that now, it is becoming such a burden on me. Yetunde has so much sexual appetite and would not mind having sex three times everyday but I am not cut for such, what with hustling to provide for the family and other bills to pay. Last week, Yetunde suggested we take to watching pornographic movies together, saying this will improve our sex life but I am sure I would not agree to that. I have told her in plain terms that that will not happen as my religious upbringing will not allow me to sit down with my wife and watch porn. This is creating a strain on our marriage and I fear she may decide to try out with another man. I can't seem to take the thought off my mind. What should I do? Timi." The teaser for the day was: 58% - Yes, it is very wrong 42% - No, there is nothing wrong in it Oyetola who was armed with a gun, raped the two women one after the other. He was charged with robbing eight victims, raping two women and indecent assault nd according to the prosecutor, the offences are contrary to the provisions of the Criminal Code, Vol. II, Law of Federation of Nigeria; and Cap 34, Vol. II, Law of Osun State. This was stated by the EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, yesterday, February 17, on the sideline of the meeting between the EFCC and a coalition of civil society groups, led by Olanrewaju Suraj, in Lagos. Without giving further details, the EFCC Deputy Director of Operations, Iliyasu Kwarbai, also dislcosed that the Commission might have recovered around $5 million from looters. Speaking to the civil rights groups, the EFCC Acting Chairman Ibrahim Magu stressed that some senior lawyers are blocking the governments anti-corruption war. He said, what is urgent now is to focus our attention on those areas which I consider as constituting stumbling blocks to successful prosecution of the war. While many lawyers have assisted the cause of the EFCC, there are a number of others that are working against efforts to tackle the Nigerian corruption problem. Many, including very senior lawyers, have continued to lend their skills and expertise to crooks to steal our money and, thereafter, help them to launder same. Its time for us to say enough is enough. Since I assumed office three months ago, I have used every opportunity available to send the message that this fight is not for the EFCC alone. Other stakeholders must play crucial roles because the forces that we are trying to defeat are formidable and would spare no expense to ensure that we fail. In my estimation, one of the most important stakeholders in this crusade are the civil society organisations, because you are the conscience of the people. We must be bothered that our nation has been raped by politicians, who treat the treasury as their personal accounts. A nation where monies meant for the prosecution of the war against insurgency are shared by top military officers and their civilian accomplices. A country where roads, hospitals and other infrastructure are in appalling state of decay because the money that should have been used to improve them have been diverted into private pockets, is not the nation of our dreams. We have reached a state where we have to ask the crucial question, can we continue like this? No. Thankfully, we have elected a government that is sold on the fight against corruption. By the same token, these times call for vigilance by all in following cases of corruption under prosecution to ensure that we put everyone on their toes. This would ensure not only the speedy determination of such matters, but that there is fairness and equity in the process and outcomes. The training exercise which commenced on Wednesday, February 17, at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State, is expected to last for 12 weeks The exercise will be conducted in three phases for 145 Battalion troops - at least 750 soldiers. While speaking at the commencement of the exercise, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, James Enwistle, emphasised the need for countries within the Lake Chad Basin to continue to work together in the fight against terrorism and insurgency within the region. He noted that the war against the Boko Haram terrorists in the northeast is being won, with the ongoing partnership between United States and Nigerian military in the areas of training of officers and soldiers. Enwistle urged the Muhammadu Buhari-led government to improvethe socio-economic development of the northeast that had been ravaged by Boko Haram attacks in order to secure a long term stability of the region. In his response, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Owonishakin, said the partnership between the US military and Nigerias Armed Forces is as a result of the commitment of the present administration to in waging war against global terrorism and violent extremism. The warning came barely two weeks after the Presidency issued circular warning security personnel against allowing persons driving vehicles with tinted glasses access to the state House without proper scrutiny in order to ward off Boko Haram insurgents. Maikano in a circular, C-in C/CSO/LTU/561, said his office had ``constituted a committee to discreetly monitor the activities of all security personnel working in the Presidential Villa adding that anyone found wanting would have himself to blame. According to the circular, the CSO to the President ``has observed with dismay the unprofessional conduct of some officers and men of the security department working in the Presidential Villa. "These disturbing acts such as pestering, escorting and hanging around important dignitaries such as governors, ministers coming to the Villa must stop. Accordingly, Maikano warned that begging for financial gratification and any form of soliciting for assistance from visitors to the Villa must stop. It added that behaving in a manner inimical to the code of conduct of security personnel posted to the Villa would attract severe sanctions. The circular added that this was the last warning to such violators of the code of conduct and ethics of security personnel/State House Staff working in the Villa. He was reportedly arrested by the EFCC on Tuesday, February 17, 2016. Punch reports that he was grilled at the agencys Abuja office for several hours, because the sum of $600,000 was found in his personal accounts. The EFCC later seized the Rear Admirals international passport, and released him on on administrative bail. Speaking on the incident, the Madueke family lawyer, Mr. Oscar Onwudiwe said I really do not know. The EFCC has become something else under this government. They have been empowered and believe the best way to work is to leak stories to the media. His lawyer also confirmed his release saying He honoured an invitation by the EFCC and has left. The former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke has also been accused of awarding a Crude Oil swap deal worth $24b approximately over N7.2tr without any contract. Although the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) said it is yet to receive any official communication from the National Assembly to stop the implementation of the revised tariffs. The Senate on Tuesday, February 16, asked the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, NERC and the electricity distribution companies not to go ahead with the about 45 per cent increase in tariffs. But the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) argued that reverting to the old tariff regime is capable of shutting down the power industry completely in the future. Speaking to Punch, the Executive Director (ANED) Mr. Sunday Oduntan, said there is a value chain in this business and the tariff is not just for the Discos. This increment in tariff is for the generation companies and the gas suppliers." "The gas suppliers are not part of the power sector, but they will not supply gas to our power stations if we dont pay them. So, weve been talking about appropriate pricing of this product, and now somebody is playing politics with electricity. It is unacceptable and this has a lot of consequences. The first major consequence is darkness. If theres no way we can sustain the industry, it will collapse. And now, the generator mafias will be happy because their expensive trade will thrive. As it is now, I dont know who the Senate is working for. If they are working for the Nigerian people, they will not be coming up with things that will have adverse consequences on Nigerians. We are not rich; we are not making profits; we are not smiling to the banks. We view their position with a very strong sense of pity for Nigerians who will bear the consequence. He said even the Senate is highly indebted to the power firms and did not talk about clearing its debt to the companies before saying that tariffs should not be increased. Oduntan added, People talk of the Discos, but the power sector consists of generation, transmission and distribution companies. We are just the collection agency and Im shocked that the Senate is not even referring to the debt owed the Discos. Many of them dont pay their electricity bills. But all they are saying now is that we should go back to the dark ages of PHCN/NEPA and that is what will happen if they insist. He said it is disappointing that some of the lawmaker who have been educated on this matter, believing they understood the current situation sing another tune when they get to the senate. We are more than willing to educate them on this issue. But we are surprised, shocked and disappointed that even some of those that you have met and showed the figures still go back to their hallowed chamber and then talk as if they are in another country, he noted. This was contained in a statement released by NNPC spokesperson, Ohi Alegbe on Wednesday, February 17, 2016. The Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of the NNPC, has however assured that the issue would soon be resolved due to its intervention in the disagreement. The PPMC also said that there is sufficient fuel in Lagos and across the country adding that motorists should not resort to panic buying. Punch reports that the first cousin of the former President was kidnapped at about 3:30 am in his house, by seven armed men. A security source who spoke to Punch said the kidnappers were able to beat the check-points in the area, because they came in through the creeks, adding that Nitabais house is by the creek. The Bayelsa state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Asinim Butswat, also confirmed the incident saying On February 17, 2016, at about 0330 hours, seven unknown gunmen abducted Chief Inengite Nitabai in his residence in Otuoke, Ogbia Local Government Area. A massive manhunt has been launched by a combined team of Marine Police and Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Command, to rescue the victim and arrest the abductors. Investigation is ongoing. Reports say Nitabai spent 21 days in the den of kidnappers in 2014, when he was abducted by 10 armed men. The Bayelsa State police command recently foiled an alleged attempt by five suspects to attack the country home of the former President. According to the Police, Jonathan was kidnapped on Tuesday night, at about 10 p.m. at his residence in Otuoke, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa. NAN recalls that the same Jonathan was kidnapped in April 2014 in his house and was freed by Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Pulo Shield, at Akipli Community. Asinim Butswat, Bayelsa Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the incident. Mr Oru Solomon, a relation of the victim, who also confirmed the development to NAN, said that Jonathan was kidnapped in his house. Aremu, the Secretary General, National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) gave the advice in a statement issued on Thursday in Kaduna. "We call on stakeholders to take advantage of the proposed public hearing to bring to the fore all the issues dealing with the value chain in the power sector. "We particularly commend the Senate for the directive to the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Federal Ministry of Power and Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to suspend forthwith the implementation of the 45 per cent increment on electricity tariffs and revert to the status quo. "With this singular exhibition of prompt oversight responsibility, Nigerias 8th National Assembly has shown that the parliament is a vent for public grievances, the statement said. Aremu, the former Vice President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said that Nigeria should move from power poverty to power prosperity through increased public investment in electricity generation and distribution. He said that the regulatory commission must also be equitable to all stakeholders and look at the bigger picture of national development in its decisions. "There cannot be industrialisation without uninterrupted cheaper industry inspired electrification. "We are readily available to mobilise our members for any further action by the NLC and its civil society allies if the directive by the Senate is not obeyed. "The union hereby commends the National Assembly led by the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara for the prompt intervention following the nationwide protest against the increase in electricity tariff," the labour leader said. Mr Paul Atson Kekeh, Country Representative of AYGN, had earlier said that the award was conferred on the minister in recognition of his service to the nation and being an exemplary and visionary leader. The minister, however, said that the award was too premature for him. "Let me start by thanking you for the honour, but my problem is that I have not been able to see myself getting to a point where I deserve an award. "I think it is coming a bit premature and every attempt to give me an award since September, I have turned down including foreign awards. "The problem we have in Africa is to celebrate people too early even before they find their feet. "I have just begun this work, just at the periphery of the performance, and there is a lot to be done. "I think it is too early, but this being a youth award, the least I could do is to encourage them to aspire and that is why I accepted the award. I am not in Nigeria, I attended special morning session function in Zambia and am airborne to South Africa where I will be coming into the country tomorrow", he told The Nation. The minister was said to have been rushed to an undisclosed hospital in Abuja after passing out. "The rumours in social media and other quarters shows how petty people can be, I dont see it as anything but I wish to tell those who still play this outdated and obsolete politics of bitterness to embrace change and know that it is no longer business as usual Ngige added. Boroh, who is also the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, said this while briefing newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday. According to him, the Amnesty Office has achieved successes in the ongoing phased re-integration of the amnesty programme which includes the empowerment of 2,500 ex-agitators and full employment for 400 others. He said the amnesty office engaged 78 vendors on Dec. 4, 2015 to empower additional 1,225 amnesty beneficiaries. Boroh said this empowerment would lead to the exit of the beneficiaries from the programme and the Federal Government would be able to save N955.5 million annually it used to pay as stipends. He said that those who had been trained and empowered would create employment opportunities in the Niger Delta. This is to examine its success and streamline the scheme in line with the re-integration stage of the amnesty programme," he said. Boroh said 3,849 students in 22 countries were to be screened, while 2,789 students in 28 institutions of higher learning in Nigeria would also undergo screening. According to him, the Scholarship Scheme is part of the human capacity building development project under the amnesty programme with 30,000 beneficiaries. The coordinator said the amnesty programme was a unique window of opportunity to bring peace, stability and economic development to the nine oil producing states in the region. They had all pleaded not guilty to the charge. Justice Saliu Saidu adjourned the suit in order to rule on the admissibility of a document tendered by a witness, who is Compliance Officer with a bank. Justice Saidu granted the prayer of the prosecution to withdraw a document which it had tendered on Wednesday as exhibit. Counsel for the accused, Mr Joseph Nwobike (SAN), had at that proceedings objected to the withdrawal of the document and urged the court to mark the document as 'reject'. The Prosecution witness, Adekunle, who was led in evidence by Mr Festus Keyamo, informed the court that the anti-graft agency had requested for the account statement of Thlumbau Enterprises Ltd which his bank obliged. Upon the identification of the documents and while counsel to the EFCC applied to the court to admit it, Nwobike objected to its admissibility. Citing the provisions of sections 102 of the Evidence Act, Nwobike argued that the documents were uncertified photocopies and not original documents. Counsel to the other accused also aligned themselves with the submission of Nwobike. Justice Saidu adjourned the suit to March 22 for ruling. Akpobolokemi is charged alongside Captain Ezekiel Agaba, Ekene Nwakuche, Felix Bob-Nabena, Captain Warredi Enisouh, Governor Juan, Ugo Frederick and Timi Alari. Al-kenzo Ltd and Penniel Engineering Services Ltd were also charged. Alhaji Farouk Ahmed, outgoing Executive Secretary of the Agency, announced this while handing over to Mr Moses Mbaba, General Manager Administration, and Human Resources, on Thursday in Abuja. Ahmed is among the heads of government agencies that were disengaged and asked to hand over to most senior directors in the office. "The subsidy as at today came down to minus N8 per litre for PMS. He said that at the close of work on Feb. 16, the subsidy on petrol was N13.81k, adding that the landing cost was lower than the selling price by N13.81k. According to him, it translates to what is called over recovery. Ahmed said that an Over Recovery Account had been opened with the Central Bank of Nigeria on Feb. 3 and would be managed by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation. He said currently, about N2.6 billion had been lodged into the account with the December importation by NNPC and the marketers. "This is just the beginning because some of products just arrived in December; that's why the subsidy over recovery is low. "But for those cargo that are loaded in January for example, we want the over recovery to start manifesting; then by calculation, we will begin to know what the price will be for marketers and NNPC respectively, he said. Commenting on review of template for price modulation in the first quarter, he said the agency was building data which it would analyse at the appropriate time. He said that the data would look at the trend and analyse how the market had fared in the last two and half months. He added that the agency would also check what the over recovery accumulated into before advising the minister. He said that stakeholders in the sector would meet next week to deliberate on the development which would form part of the decision on the price going forward. He noted that the price modulation review had some challenges but had led to the over recovery witnessed in the sector. "There are a lot of things and thats why we are into over recovery because first of all, we looked at the pricing after we reviewed the template. "The review instilled some efficiency and cost savings and that cost savings translated into reduction of pump price even though it is 50k and N1 but it is an indication that something is working. "That is the whole essence of modulation; cut cost; be more efficient and let Nigeria enjoy the benefit of that efficiency, he said. He expressed the hope that with over recovery, there might be price reduction on PMS in March after the review of the template. According to Nigerian Tribune, at least 20 senators have indicated they would leave the PDP is Sheriff continues in office. The potential defectors may pitch their tent with the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC) or the Labour Party. The Tsunami that will hit the PDP as a result of this decision will be unimaginable. We have some 20 senators already looking to the door right now. The number of members of the House is around 50. Lets see how the party can survive that, a source believed to be privy to the development said. In the present administration, PDP has 47 of the 109 senators and 141 of the 360 members of the House of Representatives. Insiders said some governors colluded to install Sheriff as national chairman, imposing it on the national caucus, the National Executive Committee (NEC) and overruled the Board of Trustees (BoT). The six zonal chairmen of the party, the state chairmen and other stakeholders, including the National Assembly, were said to have voted against the choice of Sheriff, but the governors in question made sure their bidding was successful. It was reported that former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Madueke walked out of the NEC when it became obvious that the Sheriff was being imposed on the party. Having achieved their objective, the governors were said to have started peace moves from Tuesday night, with the aim of ensuring a united party. The PDP made the call via a statement released on February 17, 2016, by its National Auditor, Alhaji Adewole Adeyanju. We are very much aware that some elements are jittery over PDPs decision to pick him as its national chairman and the only way out for them is to label him as Boko Haram sponsor, he said. They cannot succeed in their new plot because the government would have arrested and charged him to court as done to a serving Senator in the National Assembly during the President Goodluck Jonathans administration. That trial (of a serving senator) is still in progress, he added. Meanwhile, Sheriff has vowed to chase President Muhammadu Buhari out of office in 2019. ------------------------------------------- Okupe made the comment via a post on his Facebook page today, February 18, 2016. It reads: The capability of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and its leadership to make grave errors of judgement is legendary. What is intriguing is that even out of power that tendency seems unabating. Alhaji Ali Sheriff is a longstanding political associate of mine and a very adroit and astute politician of perhaps a sublime class. But for the post of the National chairman of the PDP, he is a wrong candidate and also coming in at a wrong time. According to many of his proponents, his strong point is that being a man of great financial resources, he will be favourably disposed to funding the activities of the party easily. But the antagonists believe that he is bringing along with his wealth a crushing weight of burden capable of fatally destroying the few strands of moral fibers on which a rejuvenation will depend on. For a morosed and severely prostrate political party, thanks to the overwhelming and effective propaganda machinery of the (opposition) party in power, this may yet be the mortal wound that may cause the eventual heamorrage of its long perplexed followership. The present crop of leadership of the PDP have not fared well. Impunity, presumptive reasoning, highly stratified and restrictive consultative processes, absolute lack of inclusiveness, mercantilism, group conceit with a resultant total disconnect with the main stakeholders and the followership are some of the florid signs and symptoms of the terminal disease that is killing this erstwhile great party. Some of us have vowed not to leave the party. We still will not leave the party. Better still in spite of the present situation of things we will continue to engage all who care to listen and deepen consultation across the country seeking help from everyone ready to help to revive this severely challenged sickened giant. But if it is the divine will of God that our present masters must kill PDP, then by the Grace of God, we shall yet tarry at the graveside to bid it farewell. Tam-George said the 1969 Petroleum Act, which gives the Federal Government the power to own revenues from petroleum resources, should be reversed. Tam-George said this in Lagos on Tuesday, February 16, while addressing newsmen. He said the Federal Government is at variance with the spirit of true federalism. The Commissioner, who lauded Buhari's anti-corruption war, urged the government to also battle structural corruption in the country. Hhe said, We align with the Federal Governments anti-corruption war but we are worried that structural corruption, which manifests in the inability of the Niger Delta states to control their oil resources, should be addressed. Seventy-four per cent of the national revenue disbursed to states comes from the Niger Delta, 20 per cent comes from the South-West, the remaining eight per cent is contributed by the South-East. The 1969 Petroleum Act has to be repealed. The control of oil resources by the Federal Government is a case of the state stealing from itself. This is structural corruption that must be checked. We are advocating that states should control their resources. It reads: It is worrisome that President Buhari does not have any economic team and there is no policy direction yet, despite spending close to nine months in office. The implication of the Presidents obvious lack of the required mental capacity to tackle the nations economic problems and the resultant effects are human right abuses, prices of goods and services skyrocketing, daily retrenchment of workers, folding up of businesses, States finding it difficult to pay workers salary and the Federal Government not being able to prepare common budget. With President Buhari, Nigeria is definitely having a square peg in its round hole. Dollar has gone double since Dr Goodluck Jonathan left office, with US Dollar exchanging for N350 as at today, Foreign Reserve is declining on daily basis, Boko Haram insurgents have come back even stronger than they were when Buhari assumed office and Nigerians are now being made to pay more for electricity that is not available for them to use. Most importantly, prices of foodstuffs, newsprint, medicine among others have gone over the roof. Should we still continue to attribute all these to Jonathan or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)? Even former Central Bank Governor (CBN) and Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is saying that President Buharis anti-corruption stance is totally inconsistent with the forex regime he supported and that the Federal Government Forex Policy encourages corruption and rent-seeking. Funny enough, some people are already talking about President Buharis second term not minding the reality that anybody thinking about Buharis second term is only planning to snuff life out of Nigerians. Gabam in a statement said the emergence of Sheriff was a decision taken by some governors of the People's Democratic Party when their screening was ongoing. He said as a young man who labored among others to ensure the creation of the PDP, he will not leave but work to ensure that they return to power. "I want to use this opportunity to express my profound appreciation to each and everyone who in one way or the other supported me or contributed towards my onerous contest for the Chairmanship of our great party the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)." "My decision to vie for the position was borne out of my genuine interest, commitment and vision to rebuild and reposition our party in the face of the current challenges bedevilling it. My deep gratitude goes to the State Executive Committee of our party in my state for finding me worthy to be nominated for the race despite all odds. Your decision and confidence in my ability has indeed proven to the world that your penchant for credibility and integrity in leadership is unshakable, deep rooted and commendable," Gabam said in the statement. The city on Mexico's northern border with the U.S. is a major manufacturing and export centre as well as a flashpoint for immigration and organised crime. "Poverty is the most favourable breeding ground for youth to fall into the spiral of drug trafficking and violence. That spiral and its consequences were the focus of the visit to Juarez on the final day of the pope's five-day trip to Mexico. Earlier in the day, Francis brought a message of hope to about 700 inmates at the Cereso 3 prison, encouraging them to look ahead and prepare themselves for a better life outside jail. He also departed from his pre-planned speech to slam "the social hoax that believes that security and order can only be achieved by jailing people". "Prisons are an indication of the kind of society we are. "In many cases they are a sign of the silence and omissions which have led to a throwaway culture, a symptom of a culture that has stopped supporting life, of a society that has abandoned its children," he said. Dire conditions and violence have long plagued Mexico's prisons. As a prison band played traditional Mexican songs and a tango for the Pope, Francis shook hands, embraced and kissed scores of inmates at the facility, which holds about 3,000 prisoners. Later in the day, the pope was expected to hold the final and climactic event of his visit, a cross-border mass celebrated just 80 metres from the river separating the U.S. and Mexico. The pope was expected to lay flowers at the border and pray in remembrance of migrants who have died on both sides. Mexican officials said as many as 210,000 people are expected to gather for the mass on the Mexican side. The officials said as many as 50,000 people would pack the Sun Bowl stadium in El Paso for a remote viewing of the mass. They said since his arrival in Mexico Friday, Francis had criss-crossed the country to sharply criticise the political class, civil society and even the Catholic Church for their perceived inequality, indifference and injustice. The pope has also drawn criticism for not holding an audience with families of victims of violence, including the 43 students who disappeared in southern Mexico a year and a half ago. The Buhari-led government has issued a directive that more paperwork should be demanded for international money transfers, which is making it difficult for families to send money to their children studying in Canada. Caleb Ofoegbu, a fourth-year student from Nigeria studying economics and sociology, was unregistered when his family was unable to pay his tuition last semester. His father was finally able to transfer money in late January, allowing Ofoegbu to start the semester one month late. "If I hadn't gotten the money, the little money I had to pay the tuition, I think my graduation would have been in the balance and I don't think I would have been graduating this semester," said Ofoegbu. "The problem is most of them are afraid to speak out," Ofoegbu said. "They prefer to let the situation overwhelm them." Ofoegbu said his family is struggling in the wake of plummeting price of oil, which has sent the Nigerian currency into a downward spiral, making their money worth less in Canada. His father is a retired engineer who now runs his own business dealing with aviation equipment and tractors. "His business comes from the economy, right?" Ofoegbu said. "People won't want to invest their money in an unstable economy. "Recently he expanded his business so he collected loans from the bank ... And he used our house as collateral. So if he misses any payments, everything is gone." UPEI is doing what it can to accommodate the changing situation in Nigeria. With more than 100 students from the African country, it's the third largest group of international students on campus after the U.S. and China. Zhaohui Wang, manager of enrolment at UPEI, said the Nigerian government's new policies on transferring funds internationally are "more cumbersome and difficult," creating more red tape for students and their families. Most (if not all) of the details are sketchy and full of hearsay but Pulse Tech has reached out to Easy Taxi and AIG - its parent company - for comment on the matter. All of that aside, there are a number of things that point to the fact that things have not been going on well for the Rocket Internet company for some time now. Its last CEO has left and the company's social media profiles were last updated in December 2015. Facebook on the 29th, and Twitter on the 31st. Easy Taxi Nigeria was one of the first of the many Rocket Internet companies to launch in Africa, back in 2013, with Bankole Cardoso as CEO. Cardoso quit the company in January 2015, and was replaced by now former CEO, Adaora Asala. Inasmuch as complete shutdown of Rocket Internet companies is not particularly strange at the company which is known for its operational ruthlessness, employees affected will probably still have to bear the brunt of it all. Easy Taxi Nigeria is a subsidiary of the African Internet Group, which has Rocket Internet, MTN, Millicom, and most recently, AXAInsurance as shareholders. So far, there are no indications that the shakeup goes beyond the borders of Nigeria - Easy Taxi Kenya still assured a new customer that they could win some freebies if they kept their eyes peeled about seven hours ago. At an interactive session between the FRSC Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi, and the Chief Executives of MOMAN, the Executive Secretary, Femi Olawore, promised to support speed regulation and other safety policies. We stand by the FRSC in this campaign and other road safety initiatives which the Corps Marshal has been engaging us. As you can see, all the Chief Executives of oil major Marketers operating in the country were either present at the meeting or well represented. That shows the level of commitment of the members to issues of road safety as is being driven by the FRSC. We must join hands to protect the road and those that use it for various socio-economic activities for the collective prosperity of all Nigerians. Afterwards, Oyeyemi commended the association for obeying traffic rules. Then, the FRSC boss urged them to continue the good work by installing speed limiting devices before the April 1st deadline. I am aware of the various safety measures that members of the Association have taken to deal with safety of their vehicles, including the installation of the speed limiting devices. But there is the need for all us to be on the same page in terms of information on those your vehicles that have been installed with the speed limiting devices before the commencement of enforcement to avoid hiccups as the enforcement would be based on e-ticketing and use of tablets which would identify vehicles that have not offloaded their compliance status on the portal, he stated. The 15-member U.N. Security Council observed a minute's silence after his death was announced. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement praising Boutros-Ghali for leading the organization through "one of the most tumultuous and challenging periods in its history." "He showed courage in posing difficult questions to the member states and rightly insisted on the independence of his office and of the secretariat as a whole," Ban said. Boutros-Ghali came from a wealthy family with an impressive political lineage and he bridged several realms. As an Egyptian, he was able to claim to be both Arab and African. He was a Coptic Christian from a mainly Muslim country and married an Egyptian Jew, who converted to his religion. As the first post-Cold War secretary-general, Boutros-Ghali could be blunt and almost undiplomatic in dealing with critics and assessing the state of the world. From the perspective of destitute Africans, he said, the situation in Yugoslavia looked like "the war of the rich." He said British media criticism of him might have been "because I'm a wog" - a pejorative term dating to colonial times. FAMINE RELIEF Boutros-Ghali was the United Nations' first secretary-general from Africa. He focused on the famine in Somalia and organized the first massive U.N. relief operation in the Horn of Africa nation. But success eluded him there and elsewhere as the United Nations tottered in an increasingly disorderly post-communist world, with the world body and the big Security Council powers underestimating the deep animosity behind many conflicts. Boutros-Ghali, who had a reputation for being proud and prickly, also took on the daunting task of reorganizing the U.N. bureaucracy by slashing posts and demoting officials at a pace that earned him the nickname "the pharaoh." Even so, Washington had wanted him to do more to reform the body and Congress would not pay the more than $1 billion in back dues the country owed while he remained at the helm. Many diplomats suggested he was jettisoned by U.S. President Bill Clinton's Democratic administration during an election year to pre-empt criticism from Republicans deeply hostile to Boutros-Ghali and the United Nations. In 1996, 10 Security Council members led by African states sponsored a resolution backing him for a second five-year term but the United States vetoed Boutros-Ghali when his reappointment came up for a vote. In his 1999 memoir "Unvanquished: a U.S.-U.N. Saga," Boutros-Ghali cataloged his frictions with a Clinton administration that he characterized as meddlesome, ill-informed and lacking in follow-through on U.N. resolutions. CAMP DAVID Before the United Nations, Boutros-Ghali, whose grandfather was Egypt's prime minister until his assassination in 1910, had worked in the administrations of Egyptian presidents Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak. He accompanied Sadat on the historic 1977 visit to Jerusalem and played a prominent role in the subsequent Camp David accords on the Middle East. Under Mubarak, Boutros-Ghali was the architect of Egypt's return to the center of affairs in the Organization of African Unity, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. In the U.N. job, Boutros-Ghali was criticized for its failure to act during the 1994 Rwandan genocide and for not pushing hard enough for U.N. intervention to end Angola's civil war, which at the time was one of the longest-running conflicts in the world. Boutros-Ghali was jeered in Sarajevo, Mogadishu and Addis Ababa. His style was to wade into crowds and confront protesters when security guards permitted. "I am used to fundamentalists in Egypt arguing with me," he told Reuters. He shocked many in Sarajevo when he said he was not trying to belittle the horrors in Bosnia but that there were other countries where the "total dead was greater than here." He told Somali warlords and clan leaders to stop accusing the United Nations and him of colonialism, adding that Somalis should be worried that former colonial powers would ignore their plight if they continued to fight. "The Cold War is finished," he said. "Nobody is interested in the poor countries in Africa or anywhere in the world. They can easily forget Somalia in 24 hours." Boutros-Ghali headed the United Nations as the body was redefining itself and taking on more international peacekeeping work - operations that often were criticized for doing too much or too little. Boutros-Ghali later served as secretary-general of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, an organization of French-speaking nations, and as director of the Egyptian National Council for Human Rights. According to AFP, the apex bank, where Charles had previously been suspended for failing to properly declare his assets, confirmed his appointment today, February 18. It was not however confirmed how long Charles Sirleaf is expected to remain in the interim governor post or when a permanent replacement would be named. His appointment has raised fresh allegations of nepotism against Sirleaf following the short-lived appointment of another son, Robert Sirleaf, to the National Oil Company of Liberia. Robert Sirleaf was forced to resign in 2013 after attracting heavy criticism, and went on unsuccessfully contest a Senate seat in 2014. The outgoing governor of the central Bank of Liberia, Mill Jones, resigned his post two weeks ago to enable him to stand for the presidential elections due to take place in 2017. Jefferson Knight, head of human rights monitoring at the influential United Methodist church in Liberia, told AFP he believed Charles Sirleaf was appointed primarily due to his name. There are so many Liberians who are qualified for that post, why it is only he who will be elected? This is nepotism, he said. I am sure the president is testing the water and I hope she will do the right thing by appointing another person. Though we dont know for how long her son will remain as interim head, this is not smelling good. Liberians spoke against it until Robert resigned. That will also be the case with Charles Sirleafs appointment, Knight added. Liberian citizens have also condemned the move. This is the same nepotism Leymah Gbowee was referring to when she resigned her post from the government, an educator, Patrick Tokpah told AFP Kenyan troops, working under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), killed Mohamed Karatey, al Shabaab's deputy commander and head of intelligence, at a graduation ceremony for insurgent fighters on Feb. 8, the Kenya Defence Forces said in a statement. "It is believed Karatey played a major role in the recent attack on KDF troops in El Adde by the deployment of his suicide bombers," KDF said in a statement. "His killing now adds to that of the killing of Abdi Dek, the operation commander of the Abu Zubeyr Brigade that carried out the attack in El Adde." The statement gave no further details on killing of Karatey but said the Kenyan military had also killed 42 al Shabaab recruits and 10 other mid-level al Shabaab commanders during the raid. It was not possible to independently verify the killings. Kenyan troops took heavy losses when al Shabaab launched a dawn raid on their camp in El Adde near the Kenyan border on Jan. 15, although they have not disclosed exact casualty figures. Al Shabaab claimed the attack had killed more than 100 soldiers. The Islamist insurgents have links to al Qaeda and seek to overthrow Somalia's weak Western-backed government and drive out the African Union soldiers supporting them. Al Shabaab has inflated casualty figures in the past, while other official estimates often play them down. Mugabe turns 92 on Sunday and, judging by those comments, has no intention of stepping down - despite being Africa's oldest leader and the only president Zimbabwe has known since independence in 1980. His life presidency aspirations could frustrate the feuding big-hitters of his ruling ZANU-PF party who have been trying for years to position themselves for a post-Mugabe political era. They will also fuel criticism from opponents of the government, who say the internal conflict is distracting it from its job of dealing with a stagnating economy and responding to the worst drought in a generation - charges denied by ministers. "Amid this looming starvation, coupled with an economy on the ropes, no one is paying attention to this national crisis. There is no government response as ZANU-PF is too pre-occupied with the succession issue of President Mugabe," main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on Tuesday. Critics blame Mugabe for many of the problems facing the country. They say his policies, including the seizures and redistribution of white-owned commercial farms, drove one of Africa's most promising economies into nearly a decade of deep recession until 2008 that cut its output almost in half. They also say Zimbabwe's sluggish economy and low productivity - the jobless rate is around 85 percent - has left it ill-equipped to deal with the drought, which has left 3 million people in need of food aid, about a quarter of the population. For his part, Mugabe defends his land seizures as necessary to correct colonial injustices and says the economy has fallen victim to sanctions by Western countries that are punishing him for seizing white-owned land. WHEELBARROW Mugabe remains in charge of day-to-day running of his government. He still presides over graduations at all state universities and military passing-out parades, and takes trips abroad. His wife Grace, a powerful figure in ZANU-PF in her own right, told party supporters last week that he was the only one who could keep Zimbabwe "intact and peaceful", adding she would push him in a wheelbarrow to work if he was unable to walk. "From analysing the political situation, his political speeches, his political actions, it is increasingly becoming clear that he is gunning to be there for as long as he lives," said Eldred Masunungure, a political science lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe. Despite his old age, Mugabe remains the glue holding together his fractious ZANU-PF, which dominates the political scene. He enjoys support from the military, an institution that has been a major pillar of his long rule. Many Zimbabweans follow his health with keen interest, especially after assertions by Wikileaks that he might have prostate cancer - which he denied. With Mugabe having ruled for 36 years, some people fear the government could be paralysed and the country riven by instability should he die without resolving the succession issue. Last year he read out the wrong speech in parliament, which the opposition seized upon to question whether he was still of sound mind, though the president's spokesman blamed his aides. His reluctance to cede power could frustrate ZANU-PF grandees with ambitions for his throne. Several leading party figures have presidential aspirations, but Emmerson Mnangagwa has been regarded as heir apparent to Mugabe. He was made vice president in 2014 following the sacking of Joice Mujuru, another faction leader who had been also tipped for the top job after holding the office for a decade. Mnangagwa has since cemented his position by getting allies appointed to important cabinet posts and securing the tasks of reforming the economy and legal system. 'CROCODILE' But the vice president - nicknamed 'Crocodile', which he says reflects his ability to strike at the opportune time - is opposed by a group labelled G-40 by local media, comprising young government ministers and ZANU-PF members rallying behind Grace Mugabe, including the party's women's wing. Grace is widely regarded in the party as another potential successor, even though she says she has no such ambitions. The group says Mugabe should be allowed to die in office and has exchanged insults with Mnangagwa's acolytes, accusing them of plotting to overthrow the president - charges they deny. Mnangagwa himself has not responded to such accusations, but his allies in ZANU-PF and the military privately express unease at the influence that the First Lady wields on the president. They say the G-40 group is trying to isolate Mugabe from his old comrades. At last week's party rally, Grace said some unnamed people were plotting to physically remove Mugabe and harm his family, accusations similar to ones she made in 2014 against Mujuru, who was then regarded as the most likely successor to Mugabe. The campaign against Mujuru led to Mugabe denouncing her before party loyalists as leader of a "treacherous cabal" bent on removing him from power, and firing her. Grace Mugabe has hinted Mnangagwa may not be the chosen one after all. "They go around saying Mrs Mugabe wants to lead, I am already in charge. Those that we thought could succeed him (Mugabe), we no longer have any confidence in them," she said at the rally last week. Mnangagwa did not respond to several requests for comment for this article. The University of Zimbabwe's Masunungure said the stage may have been set for Mnangagwa's removal from office, little more than a year after Mujuru's ejection. He said that would mean the two dominant factions that had vied to succeed Mugabe since 2000 would be purged from the party. "The lesson for Mnangagwa is that you can quarrel, you can struggle among yourselves, as long as you do not commit the cardinal sin of wanting to take over while the president is still alive," he added. Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg Medical transports dominated the weekends service calls for Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Services crews. Firefighters, however, experienced at least two unorthodox calls for service on Saturday and Monday. Chief Scott Lewis said crews were dispatched to the Inspirations Senior Living facility just before 10 a.m. on Saturday after several passengers riding an elevator became trapped. Crews in fact found four people trapped inside of an elevator car, he said. They successfully removed those occupants without incident. The assignment took all of about 15 to 20 minutes. Its unclear exactly how or why the passengers became trapped. A second incident involving an elevator occurred at the Holiday Inn Express along Highway 160, late Monday morning. Lewis noted the call was more of a retrieval than a rescue. The elevator was operating but someone had dropped their keys down the shaft of the elevator, he said. The keys literally had fallen between the car and the encasement wall and went down to the very bottom of the shaft. Lewis noted that crews first had to secure the elevator before setting out to retrieve the keys, by making sure the elevator car did not move. They did whats called a Lockout-Tagout, which is an OSHA requirement, he said. They made sure everything was secure before they actually started operating in that area. Everything was totally safe. The crews moved the car to an upper level, secured it and then were able to use a makeshift device to get the keys from the bottom of the shaft itself. Its not too often that we respond to these types of incidences, but we are prepared to handle them. Both of the elevator assignments took about 15 to 20 minutes. Fire crews responded to a more typical assignment late Saturday evening on the far north end of town. We responded to Johnny Mine and Megan Avenue for a report of a brush fire, he said. Upon arrival they found a brush fire running along a fence line. Crews were easily able to control that fire without it extending to nearby exposures. It is under investigation but apparently the brush may have been ignited by the use of fireworks. TWO VEHICLE CRASH On Tuesday, two people were transported to hospitals following a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Pahrump Valley Boulevard and Mount Charleston Drive just before 11:30 a.m. One driver was air-lifted to University Medical Center Trauma in Las Vegas. The status of both victims was not available at press time. Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com January started off the new year on a positive note for real estate in the area as almost double the amount of homes were sold compared to the same time period last year. There were 33 single-family units sold in Pahrump in January, which was an 83 percent increase over January 2015 that saw 18 residences sold in the valley, according to numbers released by the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors. The volume of homes increased dramatically over last year, but the average amount a home was sold for fell slightly this January as the average home was sold for $173,462, compared to last January with an average sale price of $178,452. Those numbers represent just a 2.8 percent depreciation of the value of sold homes over the last year. All-Star Realty owner Cathy Slaughterback said that she has seen numbers that support the GLVARs findings and said it was busier than in years past during the start of a year. Normally it looks busier in the wintertime because of the snowbirds. Even if theyre not buying, it looks like more of a bustling city because of all the activity, as opposed to the summer with the heat, Slaughterback said. We werent quite as busy in January but we have picked up from last year and its a steady upslope. Kim Washington, owner of Access Realty, said that she usually sees the holiday season busy, contrary to popular belief. The holidays always do good for us, Washington said. Everyone thinks that it slows but it doesnt. According to Washington, the increase of homes sold in the valley can be attributed to one simple factor. I just think that the economy is getting stronger, she said. People are feeling more comfortable, prices are going up and people are trying to get in. Slaughterback thinks that the main reason for the rise in sales in town is result of the higher prices over the hump. Because Las Vegas is ridiculous in their prices again and theyre about ready for another fall, she said. They keep building. Although building of new homes in town has slowed over the past few years, Slaughterback said that there are a few new home sites planned to go up this year. There are about four or five being built, yes, they have started to build again, she said. AVCO is building, Morales is building, there are a couple of smaller guys doing it. The big guys arent doing so much, the small guys are. So there is some activity yes, from no building, to I would guestimate maybe five houses being built. Slaughterback sees the increased home sales in the area continuing, largely in part to the pending presidential election in November. It (home sales) will always continue up in an election year, she said. With 2016 kicking off on a positive note, the trend is a continuation of what 2015 saw, as 408 single-family residential units sold, which was a jump over the 344 homes sold in 2014, representing an 18.6 percent increase. Contact reporter Mick Akers at makers@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @mickakers The man charged with firing a gun into an occupied Pahrump home last month will enter into a guilty plea agreement for the crime. Nye County Deputy District Attorney Patrick Ferguson said Paul Allen Applegate, 21, will plead guilty to three counts of discharging a firearm at or into a structure. It is a Category B felony and each one of those counts is punishable by one to six years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000, he said. Parole and probation will prepare the pre-sentencing investigation report and obviously we will fashion our arguments based on the information contained in the report as well as consideration of the actual act that he had committed. Applegate, of Pahrump, was taken into custody on Jan. 6, five days after the shooting. He originally faced preliminary charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. According to the Nye County Sheriffs Office, deputies were dispatched to a report of shots fired at a residence just before 8 p.m. on New Years Day. Deputies discovered several bullet holes in the front wall and window of the victims residence, with some rounds entering near where the residents were seated at the time. No one was struck by the rounds. Bullets recovered from the scene appeared to be from a .38 caliber firearm, deputies said. During their investigation, deputies spoke to residents in the neighborhood, who all reported hearing two separate series of several shots fired, roughly two minutes apart. According to the sheriffs office, several residents reported the victims dog killed another womans dog in Nov. 2014 and the woman was still upset about it. Detectives eventually interviewed Applegate and his mother, the woman who lost her dog more than a year prior. According to detectives, the pair lived two houses from the victims home. In the wake of their investigation, detectives learned the mother did in fact own a .38 caliber handgun, which was unaccounted for. Several .38 caliber rounds, along with two spent shells, were located in and around the property. Later, during the investigation, deputies said Applegate did confess to the shooting in retaliation for the dog attack. He stated that he stood outside the victims house and shot several rounds in the air and then hid in some bushes, the arrest report stated. Applegate stated that he didnt feel satisfied, so he reloaded the gun and fired several more shots into the house. He expressed a desire to kill the residents for the anguish his mother suffered over the loss of her Pomeranian. He remains in custody on a $135,000 cash bail or $265,000 bond. Ferguson, who refused to speculate on the motive said the outcome revealed, People do bad things for all kinds of bad reasons, he noted. There are rarely any good ones. If he did this because of some ax that he had to grind for something that happened more than a year ago, then he probably should have let that go. It certainly didnt do any good for the victims of the crime and it didnt do him any good. Its just going to be a loss all the way around. Its unfortunate from every angle. Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com Business owner Robby Ortiz remains confident the Davenport City Council will approve his plan for a west side gas station even while it failed to garner a commission's approval. The Plan and Zoning Commission heeded the advice of city staff, as well as complaints from a handful of neighbors and 3rd Ward Alderman Bill Boom, and unanimously denied Ortiz's rezoning request Tuesday. "I'm a little surprised," he said after the meeting. The commission's action is a recommendation. The proposal to convert a boarded-up house at 1808 W. 7th St. and a vacant building next door on Division Street into a gas station still has to go before the City Council, and aldermen seem divided. The two blighted properties sit in Boom's ward, and he does not want the gas station. "I think it was evident to many that this project was not a good fit for this neighborhood," Boom said when reached by phone following the commission's vote. Aldermen Ray Ambrose, 4th Ward, and Mike Matson, 7th Ward, voiced their support for Ortiz at the last commission meeting two weeks ago. Neighbors were also divided two weeks ago. Some favored having a convenience store within walking distance while others complained the business will attract crime and increase traffic congestion at the intersection. Kent Heinen attended Tuesday's meeting and afterwards said he is glad the commission denied the project. "I think they made the right decision for the neighborhood," said Heinen, who has lived there for 18 years. "That kind of business attracts the public at large, not just those who live in the neighborhood. We think it will have more of a negative effect. Those four corners were originally zoned for small businesses in the 1930s, back when a neighborhood bar was acceptable." Commissioners did not discuss the issue during the meeting before taking their vote. They went off a city staff recommendation to deny it. According to the recommendation, the proposed business is not compatible with the neighborhood, does not allow for adequate parking or vehicle movement, creates more congestion in the area and does not meet buffer requirements. The two properties are surrounded to the north and west by residences, and there are homes across West 7th Street. Ortiz, who runs other gas stations in Davenport, said once neighbors know his track record, they will support him. "Three of the four corners are vacant," he said. "How many more years will this neighborhood be told something new is coming? We're stepping up to bring a viable business to the area. We feel that with our track record, putting a positive plan together and working with the neighbors and staff, ultimately we'll get approval." He added that the neighborhood has been "neglected by the 3rd Ward alderman and the city." Boom said he is not neglecting the neighborhood. "I have worked extensively with this neighborhood over the years," Boom said. "I have been there with neighbors and businesses alike, following the gang fights, shootings and a whole host of other issues, bringing to bear support from numerous city departments." A Scott County judge on Wednesday ruled that a Bettendorf man accused of stabbing a woman last year is competent to stand trial. Judge Mary Howes ruling restarts legal proceedings against David P. White, 60, who is charged with attempted murder and willful injury resulting in serious injury. White will be back in court Feb. 26 for a pretrial conference. On Jan. 15, 2015, a woman was leaving her residence at Luther Knoll, 3624 Palmer Hills Court, Bettendorf, to attend her weekly bingo game when she was attacked outside the building, according to police. She had stab wounds to the back of her head, the back of her neck and two stab wounds to the upper right portion of her back, according to police. The woman said she passed the suspect in the building's stairwell before the attack, according to police. The victim also reported that she knew her attacker as "David," a man who frequented an apartment in the senior housing complex where his mother lived, according to police. A judge in June found White unfit to stand trial after receiving an evaluation by Moline psychologist Kirk Witherspoon. The report, which was filed under seal, indicated that White could attain fitness in six months if he underwent in-patient mental health treatment. The judge ordered White to undergo an evaluation and treatment at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Oakdale. During a short hearing Wednesday, defense attorney Derek Jones said the evaluation indicated that his client was competent to stand trial. However, Jones said White told him that he was hearing voices when the final evaluation was being conducted. Jones asked for, and was granted, an order to have White re-evaluated in the jail by Witherspoon to make sure that he issue has been addressed properly. The results of that evaluation also could help the defense identify a possible defense, such as insanity or diminished responsibility, Jones said. A trio of dignitaries, including the head of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a U.S. Senator and Iowa's lieutenant governor descended on Bettendorf Wednesday to promote science and math education. The group at the Bettendorf High School Performing Arts Center included Sen. Charles Grassley, who was introduced to cheering students; Michelle Lee, who is the first woman to lead the U.S. Patents office, and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is co-chair of the Iowa's STEM Advisory Council. Each one promoted STEM or in Bettendorf's case, STEAM educational initiatives. STEM is science, technology, engineering and math topics. In Bettendorf and some other districts around the state, STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Lee, who said being the first woman leading the patents office is a privilege, described STEM jobs and careers as fun and engaging. In addition, she noted U.S. firms want to hire STEM graduates for jobs with high salaries and benefits. There are 500,000 unfilled tech jobs in America, Lee said, noting STEM jobs are both fun and challenging. For her part, Lee formerly worked for Google, where she participated in developing Google Maps and Google Earth. "Google is a very cool company," she said. Lee, a graduate of Stanford University as well as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, got her start in STEM by helping her father to install a security network in the family home. Iowa is a leader in STEM in the United States, Reynolds said. "We Iowans love STEM and take it very seriously," she said. The lieutenant governor saluted the Bettendorf Community School District, noting it had started 34 programs on the topic since 2012. She said interest in STEM has grown in the five years since the state initiatives were launched. Cara Mastanduno, 16, a BHS junior, discussed her interest in engineering, which started in middle school when she joined a robotics program. "I want to solve problems about something I'm passionate about," she said. Mastanduno described the subject as challenging. She noted that tools at Bettendorf make engineering projects easier, including several 3D printers available to students. Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the committee has jurisdiction over the patents office and works to protect intellectual property rights. He also said he supports of Lee's work to get more young people, including young women, involved in STEM. Lee said STEM topics are important in every part of the United States and at all demographic levels. "We need to nurture all the talent we have," she said. Former Democratic Gov. Chet Culver visited Davenport on Thursday to continue his arguments against privatizing Iowa's Medicaid system. Some two dozen advocates spoke about the pending changes during a meeting at United Neighbors, Davenport. They voiced concerns on how the former state-run program will evolve to be controlled by three health insurance companies. Culver and Iowa Senate Democrats have launched efforts in recent weeks to end, or at least slow down, Gov. Terry Branstad's plan, which is scheduled to go into effect on March 1. On Feb. 10, the Iowa Senate voted to end the privatization effort, and the 26 Democrats in the Senate were joined by three Republicans. The issue, however, is expected to face an uphill battle in the Iowa House, which is controlled by Republicans. Culver encouraged the audience to continue to speak up, writing letters to state representatives. He added the state-run program "was the best in the nation" and did not need to be changed. The $4.2 billion managed care program is expected to save $51.3 million in its first year, but Culver said the companies are likely to lower their costs the first few years to prove the savings. In addition, he and others suspect significant cuts in services are ahead, and many at Thursday's meeting cited what has happened already. Greg Fier of Clinton has multiple sclerosis and attended the hearing in a wheelchair. He lives in his home, with state-provided help on the waivers program, and he worries that cases such as his will be "cherry-picked and deleted." For example, Fier is assisted by an employee from the Iowa Department of Human Services who knows him and provides services at his home. "The changes ahead are frightening," he said. Jeff Ashcraft, president of the Handicapped Development Center, Davenport, said there is "complete chaos" among service providers. Ashcraft added that it may or may not be best to have a privately managed Medicaid system. He said HDC has signed two contracts so far and is having issues with the third of the state-contracted providers. "We can't do this in such a tight timeframe," he said. "Providers like at the handicapped center have been put in a difficult position," Culver said. He said that when he was governor, Iowa had one of the best systems in the nation. In addition, Culver said the state of Alabama recently decided to adopt Iowa's state-run model, which is ending, as its new Medicaid system. Culver has been traveling the state to host forums like the one in Davenport. He cited the case of a man from Sioux City, who now must travel to Ames, Iowa, for care. He also spoke to a speech therapist in Iowa City who has recently dropped her many Medicaid patients. That therapist is owed $20,000 by Iowa but was not reimbursed because of the pending program changes, Carver said. Culver cited three things that could affect the privatization process: A federal decision on the waivers part of the program, which is expected by March 1; a vote in the Iowa House of Representatives, which he suggests could be influenced by the public; and court cases raised by hospitals in Iowa, with a judicial hearing on March 4. The former governor said his tour will conclude with a rally at 2 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines. As Davenport races against the clock to build a facility that can welcome Viking River Cruises next year, the solution already might be anchored to the riverfront. Two men with some authority over the riverfront tout a barge that has connected gambling boats to the shore for 25 years as the answer while talks over spending an unknown sum of taxpayer money on a permanent pier have stalled at the City Council. I have been in favor of finding a way to retain the casino landing barge from the day we knew the casino boat was leaving, said Alderman Bill Boom, whose 3rd Ward includes the downtown riverfront. This was before we even knew about a Viking opportunity. Bill Ashton, a member of the Davenport Levee Improvement Commission, which supervises the citys waterfront, thinks the city ought to buy the barge from Rhythm City Casino, which is expected to leave the riverfront this year. I always thought when the casino was going to move to a land-based casino, in those negotiations, the city should ask for the guest service barge and ramps, Ashton said. Today, I would think they could negotiate with (Rhythm City CEO Dan) Kehl a pretty good agreement to get that. The barge is for sale, but no one in the city has made an offer to buy it, Rhythm City Casino general manager Mo Hyder said. Mayor Frank Klipsch, in his second month in office since beating Bill Gluba in the November election, said he is waiting to hear details from Viking officials before pursuing any plan. Viking announced in February 2015 it would launch Mississippi River cruises beginning in 2017, and boats would dock in cities such as Davenport. A Viking representative followed up a month later with a tour of the Quad-Cities. Gluba said he encouraged Viking to choose Davenport and touted the citys partnership with the global cruise giant for the remainder of his time as mayor. The City Council followed suit by earmarking $500,000 in the current fiscal years budget for RiverVision, a plan to replace nine acres of casino parking lot with green space and a riverfront that features a pier for Viking and other passenger vessels. There never was any doubt with the former mayor that Viking excursion boats eventually would dock at the foot of Main Street. Doubt was raised at a recent Levee Improvement Commission meeting after Klipsch took over. The mayor raised the issue of the Viking dock and added, if it comes to fruition. Commissioner Karl Rhomberg asked if there was doubt as to whether Viking was coming to Davenport. No one has ever seen anything in writing about anything, Klipsch said during the meeting. It is strictly anecdotal. The $500,000 still is available to be spent, said Clay Merritt, public works management analyst. Davenport currently does not have a signed contract with Viking, both Klipsch and Interim City Administrator Corri Spiegel said. But neither does Hannibal, Mo., Fort Madison, Iowa, Dubuque, Iowa, and La Crosse, Wis., other upper Mississippi River towns that Viking also announced as future ports of call. The lack of an agreement has not hindered Hannibal, Dubuque and La Crosse from moving forward with plans to accommodate Viking, according to officials in those communities. Fort Madison still is early in the planning stages, its city manager said. A spokesman for Viking said he has no new information to share. The problem for Davenport is that it has to have something to meet Vikings schedule, Ashton said at the January Levee Improvement Commission meeting. That something just might be the old casino landing barge. Ashton is familiar with the barge, because it was his hands that actually helped to weld two barges together into a big floating plank to serve The President, one of the first riverboat casinos in the Midwest, when it opened in 1991. A guest service facility with a restaurant, bathrooms and offices was built on top, including electrical, gas and sewage disposal. Everything Viking needs is sitting right on top of those barges, Ashton, a professional engineer since 1966, told the Quad-City Times. The casino barge might have caught the attention of the citys hired consultant. Davenport hired SmithGroup JJR of Madison, Wis., in the fall to study alternate sites after backing away from selecting a firm to design a new dock downtown. Ashton has worked with SmithGroup before, and he said someone in the firm told him recently that it may recommend to the city using the casino barge for Viking, at least on a temporary basis. I dont know where the City Council is, but from my own professional discussions with JJR on other subjects, thats what I think JJR is recommending, Ashton said. From my own knowledge of the site and the timing required, in my mind that makes sense. And they wont have to make a big investment today to get Viking there. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said Thursday that choosing a new Supreme Court justice ought to wait until after the presidential election, and he suggested that statement pre-empts anything else he has said on the matter. Grassley and Sen. Joni Ernst, both Iowa Republicans, toured Alcoa Davenport Works in Riverdale, met with a small group of employees and later took questions from reporters. Grassley chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, and he is a key figure in the political battle over the replacement of Justice Antonin Scalia, who died over the weekend. In a statement Saturday, Grassley said that selecting a new justice ought to come after the presidential election. On Tuesday, however, he appeared to leave open the door to holding a committee hearing on a nominee, saying that he would take it "one step at a time." That has prompted some news reports suggesting a potential crack in what has been a fairly broad chorus of Republicans calling for the choice to be left to the next president. Asked Thursday about his previous comments and whether he would commit to a hearing or if it was off the table, Grassley said: "I think from two standpoints. One, I said to take it step by step. And secondly, I think my statement of Saturday pre-empts anything. I think this thing ought to be put off until after the election for two reasons." He said the country had not had a national debate about the role of the court or the opportunity to debate the appropriate balance of the court. He declined to be more specific about whether that would rule a hearing in or out. But the Telegraph Herald in Dubuque reported Thursday that Grassley had a meeting in Andrew, Iowa, and said his statement Saturday "ought to pre-empt anything that I said about a committee meeting, you know?" The article also quoted him saying: "Is it kind of common sense that if I said this whole thing ought to wait until the next election and let the people decide, doesnt that pre-empt anything else?" Democrats have been critical of Grassley, saying he's obstructing the process. Grassley said, however, the presidential election is a prime forum for a debate on the court. "For the people weighing in on this in a presidential election would be a very healthy thing for our constitutional system," he said. On other matters, Grassley and Ernst took a range of questions from Alcoa employees. One had to do with the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal the Obama administration is trying to push through Congress. Both Grassley and Ernst said they had not had the opportunity to read the voluminous agreement thoroughly. But Ernst said "what we've been able to see so far from the text is that, overall, for Iowa it does look like it would be a very good deal as far as the amount of exports." The deal has been criticized by congressional Democrats, as well as some conservatives who don't like the idea of approving a deal Obama negotiated. Both Grassley and Ernst voted last year for fast-track authority, which prohibits congressional amendments to the deal. Brad Greve, president of United Steelworkers Local 105, questioned the lawmakers about the proposed agreement Thursday. Greve said the local is seeking signatures from members opposing the deal to present to Grassley, Ernst and Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa. After the meeting, Greve said he worries not only about losing jobs but the national security implications of the deal. "Were losing so much manufacturing in this country," he said. "No matter where it goes, whether its Mexico or one of these Pacific Rim countries, if we lose manufacturing, how are we going to take care of ourselves if we get into a big war?" Unions have been critical of the deal on several fronts, saying it would put U.S. firms at a disadvantage with countries whose workers are paid less and it fails to protect the environment. The Obama administration, as well as other supporters, have argued the deal, with 11 Pacific Rim countries, will increase exports, grow the economy and improve America's position in Asia. They say if the deal isn't approved, China would fill the void. DES MOINES Racial profiling by police officers would be banned and departments would be required to collect data in order to identify potential profiling under legislation that advanced Wednesday in the Iowa Senate. State lawmakers also shelved a bill that would have made police body camera footage open to the public and required it be saved for at least six months. Legislators instead deferred to a separate proposal to study police body camera policies after this years legislative session. The bills were among many criminal justice reform proposals that state lawmakers are considering this year. Iowa ranks at the top of the criminal justice disparities when it comes to African-Americans and other minorities in the criminal justice system, and it is extremely important that Iowa make bold moves and take on measures that would allow us to reduce these disparities, Betty Andrews, president of the Iowa-Nebraska chapter of the NAACP, said Wednesday during a legislative hearing. The racial profiling bill would prohibit profiling, which the bill defines as a police officer initiating enforcement based on any of a number of superficial characteristics, among them race, religion, ethnicity and gender. The bill also would require police departments to collect data on officer stops and complaints and the state attorney generals office to monitor the data for trends that show profiling. The bill also would create an advisory board to gather law enforcement and community leaders to discuss profiling. Ive been stopped doing 65 (mph) in a 65 (speed limit zone), 54 in a 55, 30 in a 30, and at a gas station. So Im concerned about this issue, said Eddie Andrews, a black man from Des Moines who attended Wednesdays hearing. Multiple law enforcement groups oppose the bill over what they said were onerous reporting requirements. Sen. Julian Garrett, R-Indianola, said he opposes the bill for the same reasons. This is obviously a very substantial cost to taxpayers and puts substantially more burden on law enforcement, Garrett said. I dont want to be inhibiting (law enforcement officers) from doing their job because of all the red tape. Sen. Steve Sodders, a Democrat from State Centers and a deputy sheriff in Marshall County, said he plans on Thursday to pass the racial profiling bill through the Senate Judiciary Committee that he chairs. Sodders said the legislation will require significant alterations before it is considered for floor debate, which would be its next step in the legislative process. With a key legislative deadline looming, Sodders wants to keep the bill alive but also address concerns, including potential costs for municipalities and privacy considerations. Sodders said he hopes the interested parties on both sides of the bill will work together on its content. I would like law enforcement, NAACP and all those folks to sit down and talk about whats the best avenue, Sodders said. Law enforcements not against getting information and data, and lets see if theres a problem. But lets do it in the right way that isnt going to cost counties and cities a bunch more money to gather the information and get it out. Sodders canceled a preliminary hearing on a bill that would have made police body camera footage an open record and would require footage to be saved for at least six months. Sodders deferred to legislation passed in the Senate on Wednesday that calls for an interim committee to study the storage, retention, public inspection and confidentiality of police body camera footage. It really needs a lot more study, said Sen. Robert Dvorsky, D-Coralville, who shepherded the bill, which was proposed by the state Public Information Board. I think theres an enormous amount of ramifications (and) privacy issues, then enormous issues dealing with record-keeping, when you keep that much video. A lawsuit filed by a Muscatine woman against the former Valley Bank, its president Larry C. Henson and its holding company has been dismissed at the request of all parties. Loretta Mealy filed the suit in March 2014 about three months before Moline-based Valley Bank was closed by financial regulators as insolvent on behalf of herself and the estate of her late husband. She alleged that the bank and Henson used almost $1.3 million in her account during 2012 to make an unauthorized purchase of stock in River Valley Bancorp, the bank's holding company. The lawsuit stated that a memo about the stock offering contained misrepresentations, such as the value of the stock and the performance of the holding company's banks, including those in the Des Moines area, Florida and Sterling, Ill., as well as the Quad-Cities. Mealy also alleged the loss of $212,774 and $750,000 on two other investments her husband made based on "false and misleading statements" and inaccurate representation by Henson. The suit in U.S. District Court, Davenport, was terminated on Tuesday after her attorney, Mark A. Roberts, of Cedar Rapids, filed a motion to dismiss. The motion was filed on behalf of Mealy and the three defendants River Valley Bancorp, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp as receiver for Valley Bank and Henson. Roberts said that neither he nor Mealy have any comment. Brian McCormac, of Des Moines, attorney for Henson, also said that neither he nor Henson have any comment. Attorneys for River Valley Bancorp and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. likewise declined comment. Termination of the suit leaves still pending two other civil lawsuits alleging fraud by Henson in trying to raise money to shore up Valley Bank in late 2012 and early 2013. A three-member group of Florida investors allege in a lawsuit filed in May of 2014 that in late 2012, Henson approached them with a fraudulent investment scheme to raise $2.5 million. In a third lawsuit, Florida businessman Gene Tonn states that in March 2013, Henson talked him into signing notes promising to pay Valley $750,000 in exchange for stock, and then on May 29, 2013, Henson sold those promissory notes to a Monmouth, Ill., bank for $754,942. Banks can sell promissory notes, or loans, to other banks as a way of raising cash. Tonn argues that the notes should be rescinded because Midwest Bank of Illinois did not take them in "good faith" and that Henson made false statements in inducing Tonn to execute the notes. Antonin Scalia's death was a litmus test for a society bathed in social media and segregated by echo chambers. What a failure. Tact was incredibly hard to come by this week, following the Supreme Court justice's death. A large segment of the left showed itself to be bereft of decorum and openly reveled in the 79-year-old's demise. "Good riddance," they said of the "hateful" or "sexist" judge who authored some of the most important dissents of the past 30 years. He can "burn in hell," said others. Conservatives immediately commingled anti-Obama paranoia with election-cycle politics. Self-serving politicians lambasted the president's yet-to-be named choice to succeed Scalia. Sen. Ted Cruz got the ball rolling. And the likes of Donald Trump, Sen. Marco Rubio and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell followed suit. Those who knew Scalia struggled to get a kind word in edgewise. He was a pure intellectual, they tried to say. Agreement with his strict constructionist principles weren't required to like the affable son of Italian immigrants, they attempted to argue. Civility has never been a defining trait among Americans and, for that matter, a species that's spent a million years crafting new ways to kill each other. Eighteenth century British tax collectors in Boston Harbor would no doubt quibble with romanticists consumed by a past that never existed. Just imagine what social media would have looked like following President Abraham Lincoln's death. The man waged war against half the country. He sent soldiers off to die for a cause many didn't support. He used backdoor cronyism and patronage to get his agenda through. Even now, The South deifies many of the men who most fervently opposed him. Facebook would have been intolerable on April 15, 1865. But that's the difference. Those tactless, hate-filled conversations were largely contained to card tables and street-side confabs. Scalia is the first major American political player to die in the age of social media. Everyone's voice is amplified. Newspapers, which 20 years ago embraced Web commenting to drive traffic and interaction, are openly debating killing the feature. Trolls offer little of intellectual value to the online community. They inflame disdain for alternative views. They parrot talking points from Fox News and MSNBC. They live for the fight. But rarely a heady one. It's blood-sport. College students demand a "safe space" where they can hide from reality in a blanket of universal agreement. The emotion-fueled mob, conditioned to defend at all cost their preconceived notions, desire entertainers over policymakers. Again, it's nothing new. Trump stole his mob-rousing dog whistle from the ever-populist Julius Caesar. Open hostility to differing ideas isn't new. But never before has it been so loud, at least during a time of relative peace. It's a double-edged sword, one that exposes human prejudice, while incubating an increasingly self-segregated population. Had anyone bothered to listen, they would have heard stories about the close kinship between Scalia and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the leftist ying to Scalia's constructionist yang. Scalia lobbied the Obama administration for the left-leaning Elena Kagan's appointment, said former administration insider David Axelrod. Scalia's record is obviously controversial. And it's not unreasonable for some to be glad that he's no longer at the bench. Yet Antonin Scalia wasn't some hack crusader. He was a man who believed in a specific legal doctrine and stuck to it throughout his tenure. He befriended his rival sophists. He respected a strong, impassioned mind. And this is the message 21st century Americans should learn from Scalia's death. Scalia grasped that human relationships transcend worldview. Scalia knew that a fully formed citizen must willingly defend his or her beliefs. And Scalia understood that, in and of itself, a difference of opinion doesn't justify ruthless animus. A roundup of legislative and Capitol news items of interest for Thursday, Feb. 17, 2016: STUDYING ASSET SEIZURES: State policy regarding civil asset seizures will be discussed by a committee of lawmakers and stakeholders after the legislative session under a plan proposed by Sen. Steve Sodders, chairman of the Senates Judiciary Committee. A panel of state lawmakers decided to propose the interim study committee rather than advance legislation that would have required a felony conviction before law enforcement officials could seize any property. Civil rights, civil liberties and defense attorneys organizations expressed support in the bill over concerns current law allows for abuse. Law enforcement and county attorneys organizations opposed the bill, saying it would remove a valuable law enforcement tool. After a lengthy hearing, lawmakers agreed to shelve the bill and study the issue after the session. JUDICIAL SALARIES: The House Judiciary Committee struck a judicial salary bill Wednesday and replaced with what Chairman Chip Baltimore, R-Boone, called a skeleton system that will give the Judicial Branch more autonomy over salaries and personnel matters, such as the number of judges and where they are located. HSB 527 now goes to the full House. LEGAL TOBACCO AGE UNCHANGED: A bill that would have raised the legal smoking age to 21 failed to pass an initial legislative step. Sens. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo, and Mark Segebart, R-Vail, opposed the legislation over freedom of choice concerns. Dotzler said he opposed the bill because at 18 years old, the current legal age to smoke, individuals can live on their own, vote and serve in the military. He said the legal smoking age is not comparable to the legal drinking age of 21 because, with the states public smoking ban, an individuals smoking cannot harm others. RAPE KIT SURVEY: The House Public Safety Committee approved HF 376 unanimously to require the Department of Justice to conduct a survey of law enforcement agencies to determine the status and number of untested sexual abuse evidence collection kits in the possession of law enforcement agencies. The kits have not been processed for a variety of reason, according to sponsor Rep. Marti Anderson, D-Des Moines. The state has received a $2 million grant to pay for processing the kits. In other states, processing the untested kits has identified suspects in other criminal cases. She thought the Des Moines Police Department had 800 untested kits. A survey last fall found Iowa City police had 150, Cedar Rapids 58, Marion 46, Johnson County 35, Linn County 30 and Coralville 20. Anderson also said that the legislative support for the survey was necessary because in states where surveys were conducted without a legislative mandate about 40 percent of law enforcement departments participated. PARENTAL RIGHTS, I: HSB 626, which was approved by the House Judiciary Committee, would allow for the termination of parental rights if a court finds clear and convincing evidence that the child was conceived as the result of sexual abuse, and the biological parent who was the victim of the sexual abuse asks for the perpetrators parental rights be terminated. PARENTAL RIGHTS, II: Joint physical care would be awarded to both parents if joint legal custody is ordered by the court under HF 2090 that was approved by the House Judiciary Committee. Current law authorizes, but does not require, the court to award joint physical care to both joint custodial parents. SPEED KILLED: A trio of bills to raise speed limits on Iowa highways ran out of gas Wednesday. HF 2125 and 2126 would have raised the 55 mph speed limit to 60 mph and 65 mph, respectively. A third bill, HF 2248, would have given the Iowa Department of Transportation to increase the speed limit on interstate highways from 70 mph to 75 either on its own or upon recommendation of a metropolitan or regional planning commission or council of governments. I had the votes yesterday, but I dont today, Rep. Gary Worthan, R-Storm Lake, said just before the House Transportation Committee met. Chairman Josh Byrnes, R-Osage, said neither caucus had enough votes to support the speed limit changes. In addition to safety concerns, he and Rep. Jim Lykam, D-Davenport, said some lawmakers were concerned about voter reaction if the Legislature approved speed limit changes that would require $700,000 in signage changes a year after raising the gas tax by a dime a gallon. Besides, Lykam added, he hadnt found any interest in the Senate to follow the Houses lead. Under the Legislatures self-imposed funnel deadline, the bills had to win committee approval this week to be eligible for further debate. JUVENILE CONFIDENTIALITY: A proposal to keep juvenile criminal records confidential was approved by the House Judiciary Committee with one significant change. HSB 604 was amended at the suggestion of the Iowa County Attorneys Association so forcible felonies would not be shielded from the public. Supporters of the bill say minor offenses on juvenile criminal records can hinder an individual later in life from gaining employment or housing. The proposal was one of a handful made by a workgroup tasked last summer by Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad to examine potential criminal justice reforms. Opposition came from media organizations that told the committee earlier that the bill goes too far in making criminal record confidential. BOLKCOM TARGETS TAX BREAKS: Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, on the Senate floor criticized state research and development tax breaks for companies that pay no state corporate income taxes. A recent report from the tax and budget policy think tank Iowa Fiscal Partnership said of the $50.1 million in tax relief awarded by the state in 2015, at least $35.8 million went to large companies that paid no state income tax. Bolkcom decried the tax breaks and said they come at a cost to public school funding. ETHANOL HONORS FOR BRANSTAD: Gov. Terry Branstad was honored with the Renewable Fuel Associations annual industry award, which is given each year to individuals that demonstrate great dedication and innovation within the industry. Branstad has been a strong advocate for renewable fuels, including ethanol. He has pressed the federal government to maintain high standards in its requirement for a certain percentage of corn-based ethanol in the nations fuel supply, and during the run-up to the Iowa presidential caucuses was critical of Republican candidate Ted Cruzs opposition to the ethanol mandate. QUOTE OF THE DAY: Everyone needs and uses water and we all need education. Its unfortunate that we have to pit these two important things against each other, Rep. Helen Miller, D-Fort Dodge, speaking against Gov. Terry Branstads water quality proposal. Compiled by the Des Moines Bureau 2005-2022 All contents of this blog are the property of Bonnie K. Hunter, and cannot be reproduced in any way without prior written consent. PIERRE | Meningitis vaccinations should be required for public school students in South Dakota, the state House of Representatives decided Wednesday. The vote was 42-25 in favor. The legislation, Senate Bill 28, now goes to Gov. Dennis Daugaard for his signature to become law. The state Department of Health requested the requirement and had the governors support. The department will set the rules. The vaccination likely would be required for students age 11 and 12. The vaccine doesnt work well for younger children. The legislation previously had been deferred seven times by the House. The Senate approved it 23-10 on Jan. 27. I can tell everybody is wore out, Rep. Scott Munsterman, R-Brookings, said just before the House vote. He said the long give-and-take process in the House was similar to the deliberations in the House Health and Human Services Committee. Munsterman cast the deciding vote to get Senate Bill 28 out of the committee 7-6. Rep. Lana Greenfield, R-Doland, spoke against it. The parents who have contacted me made it clear they dont want any more mandates, Greenfield said. Rep. Leslie Heinemann, R-Flandreau, said the House committees discussion was very factual. I voted no. Im not going to change my vote. Ive been asked several times to do that, Heinemann said. He praised the public good from vaccinations but said private rights need to be considered against the low occurrence and devastating results of the disease. For Rep. Fred Deutsch, protecting parental choice outweighed the threat of contracting the disease It was a very tough vote for me also, said Deutsch, R-Florence. He said protecting four children requires vaccinations for 125,000. The story of a small outbreak that happened at a Mobridge wrestling tournament helped Rep. Jacqueline Sly, R-Rapid City, understand the danger. It affects your family. It affects your community. It affects you forever, Sly said. For me, the decision I made was yes. A fourth member of the committee, Rep. Kristin Conzet, R-Rapid City, said meningitis is more prevalent in South Dakota than in North Dakota and Minnesota, which have mandated the vaccinations. Conzet said the House has often fought over one unborn life during debates on abortion legislation. She urged House members to protect their constituents by voting for the requirement, calling it a matter of precaution. Conzet said the state Department of Health is doing its job and the money will be part of the state budget. She said the federal government isnt offering an incentive. Cody Harms, Minerals Technologies operator at the Colony Cat Litter facility, was recently awarded an Apple Watch Sport in a drawing held by United Blood Services for January blood drive participants in the area. Harms participated in the Employee Holiday Blood Drive that MTI hosted at their Colony, Wyo., facilities in mid-January. Harms is a regular blood donor. at the company sponsored semi-annual blood drives, noting that hes been donating blood since he was in high school. PIERRE | With the governor on their side, the Legislatures leaders from both major political parties intend to pursue collections of state sales taxes on purchases shipped from outside South Dakota to residents in the state. Businesses that dont comply would face action in South Dakota courts. The ultimate goal for lawmakers is to get the matter before the U.S. Supreme Court in hope of a ruling favorable to state governments that rely on sales-tax revenue such as South Dakota. Pursuit of that lawsuit began Wednesday. The Senate State Affairs Committee conducted a hearing on the legislation, Senate Bill 106. No opponents came forward. The lack of sales tax gives Internet sellers a price advantage, according to Shawn Lyons, chief executive of the South Dakota Retailers Association, who testified in favor of the bill. He said each brick-and-mortar retailer that closes diminishes foot traffic to a downtown or shopping area, creating a downward spiral that leads to fewer services and a weaker economy. Senate Democratic leader Billie Sutton of Burke asked Sen. Deb Peters, R-Hartford, the bills prime sponsor, whether any businesses from outside South Dakota are remitting sales tax to the state treasury. Twenty-two are voluntarily doing so, Peters replied. As a matter of fairness," Sutton said, "they should all be doing so. Senate Majority Leader Corey Brown, R-Gettysburg, said the legislation is one of the more important bills well deal with this session. In fact, the sales tax on Internet and other such sales has a connection to the hottest legislative item of 2016, the proposed pay raise for public school teachers. State Rep. Jeff Partridge, R-Rapid City, is proposing that if the Legislature raises the sales tax from 4 percent to 4.5 percent to increase teachers' salaries, the state government should reduce the tax increase if the treasury starts receiving tax collections on sales made over the Internet. Partridge's proposal calls for repealing one-tenth of 1 percentage point of the sales tax for every $20 million of Internet tax collections. The vote Wednesday on SB 106 was 9-0, so it now goes to the full Senate, where the bill could be considered as early as Friday afternoon. Peters described South Dakota as a leader in trying to persuade Congress to restore state authority to collect sales taxes on cross-border purchases. She said that looks less likely after Congress declared that Internet service itself should be free of sales tax. More than 2,700 sellers nationwide are participating in the streamlined sales tax project, by which businesses voluntarily collect and pay sales taxes on cross-border purchases. Tony Venhuizen, the governors chief of staff, told the Senate committee Wednesday that Gov. Dennis Daugaard said the topic has been significant during almost the entire 20 years Daugaard has served in the Capitol. Venhuizen said it is time to take action because, as more sales go online, the state government has seen sluggish growth in sales tax revenue. Venhuizen said sales are shifting. Lyons provided a historical perspective, telling of merchants in the 1890s who banded together in South Dakota to battle catalog sellers. He said Internet shopping poses a rising threat. For more than two decades, retailers have been fighting to stay competitive with one arm tied behind their back, Lyons said. Other supporters included the South Dakota Municipal League and the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Your tax system has to match the economy, Chamber president David Owen said. A Piedmont business operator has pleaded guilty in federal court to a couple of charges: willful failure to pay employees' withholding taxes to the Internal Revenue Service, as well as concealment of bankruptcy assets. Bernard Haag, who operated Piedmont Preschool and Child Care Center, failed to remit to the government taxes he withheld from his employees from 2005 to 2012, amounting to more than $168,000, according to documents provided by the Internal Revenue Services Criminal Division. During the same period, Haag also failed to turn over the employers share of taxes, amounting to more than $62,000, from his companies Big Dog and Concept Development. He used at least a portion of the withheld taxes on personal expenses, including payments on his house in Piedmont, according to a court document. Haag concealed the withholdings from being discovered by the IRS, in part, by failing to timely file employment tax returns from 2005 to 2012. In 2006, Haag filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy related to Haag Construction and Haag Development & Design, but concealed nearly $147,000 of the businesses income, according to documents. The amount was part of the taxes he withheld from employees but did not remit to the government. The court ordered him to pay restitution of nearly $231,000 to the IRS and $70,000 to bankruptcy creditors. Each charge carries a maximum of five years in prison and/or a fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release. The court has not yet set a sentencing date. PIERRE | Gov. Dennis Daugaard's office says he will meet with members from a Sioux Falls nonprofit who want to introduce him to some transgender South Dakotans. The governor's office had initially said Daugaard's schedule wouldn't allow for him to meet with The Center For Equality. Spokeswoman Kelsey Pritchard now says the governor plans to meet with the group this week or next week. On Tuesday, the state Senate passed a bill that would require South Dakota students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their sex at birth. If Daugaard approves it, South Dakota would become the first state in the nation to pass such a law. The governor has not said whether he would sign the measure. Meanwhile, opponents of the bill are taking aim at the state's $3.8 billion tourism industry. Activists this week used a Twitter hashtag created by South Dakota's Tourism Department to criticize lawmakers for advancing legislation the activists believe would lead to bullying and discrimination, the Argus Leader newspaper reported. Gov. Dennis Daugaard is considering whether to sign the bill passed by lawmakers that requires transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their sex at birth. Advocates say the bill is meant to protect the privacy of students, but opponents say the legislation is discriminatory. When Thomas Lewis told his South Dakota high school last year that he is transgender, teachers called him by his new name and used male pronouns when addressing him. But he says the accommodations stopped at being able to use the men's bathroom. Instead, the 18-year-old senior chooses to go home, where he feels safe to use the restroom, before returning from lunch to rejoin his classmates at Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls. Lewis has even spoken to his state's lawmakers against a bill that would require transgender students like him to use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their sex at birth, telling them that such a law "makes me feel like I'm not a human being." It fell on mostly deaf ears: South Dakota is Gov. Dennis Daugaard's signature away from being the first state in the U.S. to approve such a law, although late Wednesday, Daugaard's office announced he will meet with members from a Sioux Falls nonprofit who want to introduce him to some transgender South Dakotans. Several states have looked at addressing gender and public facilities in the past several years. South Dakota's bathroom bill is one of several measures introduced in its 2016 legislative session addressing transgender rights, including one that would void a South Dakota High School Activities Association policy that allows transgender student athletes to request playing on the team of their choice. Advocates say the bathroom bill is meant to protect the privacy of students and not meant to be hurtful. Sen. David Omdahl, R-Sioux Falls, a supporter of the bill, said it's inappropriate for a young girl to be exposed to the anatomy of a boy. Opponents say the bill is discriminatory, and Lewis says it exposes a significant problem. "The law means that no matter what people might think at school, how they might accept me at school," he said, "the state doesn't." Under the plan, schools would have to provide a "reasonable accommodation" for transgender students, such as a single-occupancy bathroom or the "controlled use" of a staff-designated restroom, locker room or shower room. Federal officials have said that barring students from restrooms that match their gender identity is prohibited under the Title IX anti-discrimination law, and advocates of South Dakota's bill say it's a direct response to the Obama administration's interpretation. Though the measure puts schools' federal funding at risk, said Sen. Angie Buhl O'Donnell, D-Sioux Falls, it also has "very real emotional impacts." "Maybe this bill is not intended to be disrespectful, but I would submit this: If a whole community of people tells us that we are hurting them, who are we to decide that we didn't?" she said. Lewis came out in March after an event in Sioux Falls at which he read aloud a poem he'd written about a transgender man named Thomas. The reaction helped turn feelings of fear into "elation" and courage to be open about his gender identity, Lewis said. His mother and close friends accepted him without question. But at school, the bathroom is still an issue. Sioux Falls Superintendent Brian Maher said that because of privacy concernes, he couldn't talk about specific accommodations for individual students. "We would always have an accommodation for a student to use a bathroom on campus," he said. "We would not make a student leave campus to go to the bathroom. Whether or not it would be the bathroom of that student's choice or not could be another issue." The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota and Human Rights Campaign said it's not clear how many transgender students there are in South Dakota. Daugaard offered a positive reaction last week to the bill "at first blush," but said he'd need to research the issue and listen to testimony before deciding. Perhaps meeting with transgender people is part of that research. When representatives of The Center for Equality first offered to introduce Daugaard to some transgender people, his office had said his schedule wouldn't allow the meeting. But Kelsey Pritchard, his spokeswoman, now says the governor plans to meet with the group this week or next. Pritchard also said Daugaard would meet with the bill's proponents. Another measure in the South Dakota Legislature this session would require government entities that accept information on a South Dakota birth certificate to recognize all information on the birth certificate as official meaning transgender people would be seen in the eyes of the state as their sex at birth, not their subsequent gender. Republican Rep. Jim Bolin, the bill's sponsor, said such claims of different gender are "profound" and challenge "many basic concepts as to the nature and character of life and society." The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota said the bill is "an attack on the very existence of transgender people." "Frankly, I think we've seen enough of those attacks this year," said Libby Skarin, the organization's policy director. In the Senate debate on Tuesday, Sen. Omdahl urged other legislators to support the bill to "preserve the innocence of our young people." Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans unsuccessfully opposed the measure in the Senate. Sen. Craig Tieszen, R-Rapid City, told his colleagues the bill "is causing pain to a significant minority in our community," and he questioned whether transgender students are causing problems for other students in their schools. "I don't see evidence that's happening," Tieszen said. Rapid City Area Schools Superintendent Tim Mitchell said on Wednesday that he has never been informed of any problems with the accommodation of transgender students in local schools. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Chad Griffin, the president of the LGBT-rights organization Human Rights Campaign, said: "History has never looked kindly upon those who attack the basic civil rights of their fellow Americans, and history will not treat kindly those who support this discriminatory measure." Transgender advocates have also criticized comments made by some lawmakers, including Omdahl, about transgender people. At a recent event, when Omdahl was asked about the bill, he was quoted as replying, "I'm sorry if you're so twisted you don't know who you are." He continued: "I'm telling you right now, it's about protecting the kids, and I don't even understand where our society is these days." Several states have looked at addressing gender and public facilities in the past several years. But South Dakota would be the first state in the nation to put such a measure into law, said Joellen Kralik, a research analyst at the National Conference of State Legislatures. Lewis, the transgender student from Sioux Falls, called the Legislature's passage of the bill "shocking." He said he is planning to attend college in Minnesota, adding, "At this point, I'm hoping that the governor has a sense of humanity and the common sense not to write this bill into law. I am so glad to be leaving soon. I can escape the oppression that my home state wants to put on me." Lots of people are showing up at the Pennington County Treasurer's office for renewals of their vehicle registrations, and some of those in line this year are strangers. Every day, at least a few residents of Meade and Custer counties venture to Rapid City to attempt to register their vehicles. Many have admitted they are trying avoid paying their counties' wheel taxes, according to County Treasurer Janet Sayler. Pennington County doesn't have that tax, thanks to a Jan. 5 election in which voters soundly rejected it. The problem for Meade and Custer residents: State law requires people to pay taxes in the county in which they live. "The law is very explicit," Sayler said. "I will not take money from another county." Sayler said when out-of-county people are confronted about their places of residence, some are sheepish, knowing they were caught trying to avoid paying the wheel tax. Others, who may work or live part-time in Pennington County, sincerely seemed to think registering in Pennington County was an option, she said. Lines are particularly long this year because new license plates will be issued when residents register their vehicles. Sayler said that many people prefer to come to the treasurer's office in person because they can leave with their new license plates in hand. Residents have two options for renewing their vehicle registration without showing up at the treasurer's office: online registration and self-service registration machines throughout the state. In Pennington County, there are self-service registration machines in the lobby at the County Administration Building, 130 Kansas City St., and at Rushmore Mall. Registering online or at one of the self-service machines requires residents to wait for the state to mail them their plates. The Pennington County wheel tax had a short, inglorious life, without a penny's being collected. The county commissioners in 2015 passed a wheel tax ordinance that would have required residents to pay $2 to $5 per wheel per vehicle each year. The tax was passed to comply with state requirements for receiving Bridge Improvement Grant funds, which are devoted to repairing and replacing bridges. After commissioners passed the tax, opponents swiftly gathered sufficient signatures to put the tax on the ballot, and it was killed by voters by 60 percent of the vote. Meade County in 2015 passed a wheel tax that requires residents to pay $5 per wheel, one of the highest rates in the state, according to a report from the South Dakota Department of Revenue. County Treasurer Susan Boadwine said that residents have been complaining about the steep wheel tax, though none have admitted to trying their luck in Pennington County. Custer County has had a wheel tax in place since 1987, and residents have have had a long time to adjust to the tax, County Treasurer Dawn McLaughlin said. That isn't stopping a few from attempting to outwit the state by trying to register in Pennington County. Lawrence County will start collecting its wheel tax on March 1. According to County Treasurer Deb Tridle, some residents from neighboring Butte County, which already had a wheel tax, for years have tried to avoid paying their wheel tax by showing up at her office. Those folks, like the visitors to Pennington County's treasurer, are turned away and told to register where they live, Tridle said. Well, its that time of year. The groundhog has shown in Punxsutawney. The Great Backyard Bird Count has tallied our winged friends for Cornell and Audubon. And in Montana, theyre killing buffalo. Not in all of Montana, of course. Just by Yellowstone National Park where animals wander down from higher elevations as animals are wont to do during winter months to seek forage. No problem unless those animals are buffalo from the Yellowstone herd. Because? Well, because those darn critters carry that dang brucellosis disease and Montana Livestockers dont want it spreadin to their cattle. So, they shoot em. Bang! I shot a buff. And not to be stingy about it, members of various Native American tribes have been invited in recent years to join in the November to March Montana Sitting Duck Buff Hunt in an hmm an effort to show understanding for the Native culture. Theyve bagged 350 buffalo so far this year. And according to the Buffalo Field Campaign have culled some 8,000 since the late 90s. Interesting word cull. Unlike Shakespeares rose, it doesnt smell as sweet regardless of how its said. You see, the first definition of cull is: select from a large quantity; obtain from a variety of sources. Thats what Wind Cave National Park did last year when staff and volunteers culled about 300 buffalo from the parks herd, tagged them, gave them shots and sent them on their merry (for a bison) way to live life on several ranches across the country. Conversely, Yellowstone National Park culls its herd through the annual Sitting Duck Buff Hunt and then by rounding up any additional excess population and sending them to slaughter. So, if youre a Yellowstone Park buffalo your options are: Stay put and hope you dont make the reduction draft or wander and find out what your ancestors experienced. Yeah, I know. Brucellosis. Our cattle. Our livelihood, etc. And isnt it ironic that cattle introduced the disease to buffalo, but theyre the ones who are now paying the price? Seems its the same in the animal world as it is among humans money talks. And the cattle industry certainly has a lot of that. As does the hunting industry as evidenced by the lack of concern over Yellowstone elk spreading the disease as they move unmolested into Montana. The fact that theres never been a documented case of buffalo-to-cattle brucellosis transmission isnt a factor here. No there hasnt, Jimmy. We killed em all. Right. Of course, there are other options. Surplus numbers could be quarantined and then transferred to other locations where buffalo are wanted national parks, ranches. You know, like Wind Cave does. But that would still leave the problem of all those wanderers who might spread brucellosis even though they never have. Lakota elder Rosalie Little Thunder spent the last 17 years of her life trying to protect the Yellowstone buffalo animals considered sacred and relatives to her people. Of course, some non-Natives just dont understand that mindset. I mean, even though brucellosis can occur in humans. Say, Clive! Lock and load? In the wake of the states GEAR UP scandal where millions of dollars of federal grant money led to no measurable increase in the number of Native American students who went on to college, House Bill 1214 was introduced to address the conflict of interest issues that have recently became public. As has been reported in numerous media outlets, two members of the Board of Education that distributed GEAR UP funds also received contracts from the board. In order to address concerns about how state boards award contracts and if favoritism might be an issue, state representative and likely gubernatorial candidate Mark Mickelson introduced House Bill 1214, which was unanimously passed Tuesday by the House. The bill, however, does little to change the political culture that enabled Education Board members Kelly Duncan of Northern State University and Stacy Phelps of Rapid City to receive sizable contracts approved by fellow board members. In fact, the legislation simply codifies past practices while taking a rather tepid approach to disclosing which conflicts of interest are acceptable if a board wants to award a contract to one of its own. And, finally, Rep. Mickelson's bill only applies to 22 of South Dakotas 130 boards, which makes it difficult to call it transformative legislation. If this bill is approved by the state Senate and signed into law by Gov. Daugaard, it would make what proponents say are two significant changes that should let the public rest easy. First, the legislation allows conflicts of interest if the board approves of them. This, however, is exactly what the Board of Education did for its two members. Secondly, once the board authorizes the conflict of interest, it is then entered the public record, which in this case means it is filed with the auditor general who presents it for review to the Government Operations and Audit Committee, which consists of state lawmakers. In other words, the public would have no direct access to those approved conflicts of interest and the beneficiaries, which falls far short of meeting the transparency standards we expect from state government. This legislation does not go far enough to reassure the public that lawmakers are serious about changing the culture in Pierre that allowed the GEAR UP scandal to emerge after the suicide of Scott Westerhuis who also murdered his family when he learned his organization, Mid Central Education Cooperative, would lose its contract after questions were raised about finances. In addition, if it weren't for tenacious efforts by the media, the public likely never would have learned of the conflicts of interest and that the program never delivered on its stated mission of preparing Native Americans for college. It appears the real beneficiaries of the GEAR UP program were those awarded contracts by the state Board of Education. This legislation approved by 67 lawmakers in the House is not going to significantly change past practices in Pierre. The Senate needs to take steps to either introduce real reform and real transparency, or it should reject the measure. WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2016 As agricultural exporters look to the possibility of a new market in Cuba, the Obama administration is gearing up for a presidential trip to the Communist-run country next month. In a press briefing at the White House, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes said President Barack Obama will try to further advance the U.S.-Cuba relationship during his visit. We see (the trip) as a means of pushing forward this normalization process, Rhodes said, adding that the trip would be about trying to achieve a greater opening between the United States and Cuba commercially but also supporting and advancing the values that we care about. Obamas visit will be the first to Cuba by a sitting president since 1928 when Calvin Coolidge made the trip. Rhodes pointed out that Coolidge actually, the only sitting president to visit Cuba did so in a battleship. Rhodes said Obama will meet with Cuban President Raul Castro but not his older brother Fidel as well as Cuban dissidents. He said that Cuba has made progress since Obamas 2014 announced intention to normalize relations, but the administration wants to see more. We, of course, have significant differences with Cuba on issues related to human rights, Rhodes said. They took some steps but wed like, of course, to see more respect for the basic, fundamental rights of the Cuban people. When mentioning some of the economic progress in the U.S.-Cuba relationship, Rhodes specifically pointed to Cleber LLC, an Alabama company that was recently authorized by the administration to build a factory in Cuba making tractors for small farms. Cleber is the first manufacturer green-lighted to set up shop in Cuba. Many agricultural interests see Cuba as a prime target for expanded trade. With a population of more than 11 million people, the country lies just 90 miles off the Florida coast, making it a viable outlet for low-cost shipping of export goods. The Agriculture Departments fiscal 2017 budget includes funding to open a Foreign Agricultural Service office in Cuba that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says is needed to prepare the way for an end to the U.S. embargo. Vilsack told the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee last week that trade with Cuba is important to the long-term health of the U.S. farm economy. The opportunity for us to have individuals in Cuba to set the stage for resumption of trade is critically important because there are a number of preliminary matters that have to be addressed before trade can be reopened, Vilsack told the panel. Before the embargo is lifted, it would be helpful in my view to deal with the technical aspects of a resumed trade relationship. This is a market that the American agriculture should dominate. It currently does not for many reasons. But one of the reasons is that we simply do not have any one there promoting American agriculture, and, as you know, the embargo makes it more difficult for us to use the promotional resources that are available for other countries and trade relationships. Like what you see on the Agri-Pulse website? See even more ag and rural policy news when you sign up for a four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription. More than 100 national and state agricultural corporations and organizations have joined forces to create the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba, whose mission statement says they believe that improvement of agricultural trade between the U.S. and Cuba is the foundation for building successful and enduring relations between both countries. Agricultural heavy hitters like the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Farmers Union, ADM and Cargill are all members of the USACC. Agribusiness interests continue to explore new opportunities on the island. An agricultural trade group from Iowa, including representatives of several companies as well as the Iowa Farm Bureau, Iowa Corn Growers Association and the state agriculture department, flew to Cuba on Thursday. However, many on Capitol Hill are hesitant to lift the trade embargo to Cuba under the leadership of the Castro family. Some lawmakers have been hesitant to throw their weight behind the proposal due to human rights issues and some financial considerations. Cuba has also become a hot-button issue on the campaign trail, where many of the Republican candidates, particularly senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida, have spoken critically of the proposal. First lady Michelle Obama will travel with the president. Immediately following the trip to Cuba, the Obamas will travel to Argentina. Rhodes said that under new President Mauricio Macri, the White House expects Argentina to be a closer partner on a range of issues. (Phil Brasher contributed to this story.) #30 Ukrainian ex-pilot Savchenko to make final speech in court on March 3 MOSCOW, February 18 (RAPSI) - Ukrainian military ex-pilot Nadezhda Savchenko, who stands charged with involvement in the murder of Russian journalists and civilians in Donbas, will make a final speech in court on March 3, her lawyer Nikolai Polozov wrote on his Twitter account on Thursday. Investigation into the case has been completed. Based on evidence presented by prosecutors and defense a court will pass a sentence to Savchenko. Nadezhda Savchenko was arrested in Russia in the summer of 2014 on charges of involvement in the murder of two Russian TV journalists during hostilities in Donbas and on illegally crossing the border into Russia. TV correspondent Igor Kornelyuk and sound engineer Anton Voloshin were killed on June 17 in a mortar attack. Savchenko, who denies all the charges, is facing 25 years in prison. Her attorneys claim that Savchenko was framed and that there is no evidence of involvement in the journalists murder. They also claim she did not cross the border voluntarily but was kidnapped. Investigation into Airbus A321 plane crash in Egypt extended until April 30 MOSCOW, February 18 (RAPSI) Investigation into the Airbus A321 plane crash in Egypt has been extended until April 30, 2016, RIA Novosti reported Thursday. According to lawyer Igor Trunov, the case has been reclassified to terrorist attack and submitted to the Investigative Committees special cases directorate for inquiry. The Airbus A321, operated by Russian airline Kogalymavia, crashed into a mountainous area of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on October 31. The airliner was flying from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg in Russia. The Federal Security Service (FSB) chief, Alexander Bortnikov earlier said that a terrorist attack was the cause of the plane crash. A militant group linked to Islamic State said in a statement that it had brought down the plane in response to Russian airstrikes in Syria. Domodedovo airport owner arrested in connection with 2011 terror attack MOSCOW, February 18 (RAPSI) One of the owners of the Domodedovo airport, Dmitry Kamenshchik, has been arrested and charged with the provision of services that do not meet security standards in connection with 2011 terrorist attack that left 37 dead, RIA Novosti reported Thursday. A motion to put Kamenshchik in detention will be considered by the Basmanny District Court on February 19. Earlier, the court ordered the detention of former director of Domodedovo Airport Vyacheslav Nekrasov, Svetlana Trishina, ex-head of Export Management Company Limited and Andrei Danilov, Managing Director of Domodedovo Airport Aviation Security until February 28. According to Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin, new suspects in the case may be arrested in the near future. On January 24, 2011, a suicide bomber detonated a bomb in the Domodedovo Airports international arrivals hall, killing 37 people and injuring 172. Doku Umarov, Russias most wanted terrorist at the time, claimed responsibility for the attack. Altogether, 28 men connected with the terrorist organization called the Caucasus Emirate were linked to the attack, according to the investigators. Seventeen of them were killed in special operations in 2011, and four were detained. In November 2013, a Moscow Region court sentenced three men to life in prison and a fourth man to 10 years for their role in the suicide bombing. The question of Domodedovo Airports ownership arose back in 2011, when the investigators first stated that they couldnt determine the owner of the airport. The Investigative Committee initiated criminal proceedings against the airports former managers for failing to guarantee the safety of passengers, which resulted in the death of two or more people. The airport administration argued that this charge was inapplicable to the case in point and that they were only made responsible for airport entrance control in 2014, after the law on transport security was amended. Documents detailing the former Missoula County Public Schools food service supervisor's mishandling of public funds have been released following a Montana Supreme Court decision earlier this week that she didn't have a right to privacy. Valerie Stamey listed in the documents by her maiden name of Addis worked as the food service supervisor for the district from 2007 through early 2011. She later was appointed interim treasurer of Ravalli County, where she also faced accusations of mishandling public funds. According to six documents released to the Missoulian on Friday, the district was billed for food and other items used by Stamey for an outside catering event and for her husband's concession business, Bear Creek LLC. MCPS director of business services Pat McHugh, who investigated the claims, determined Stamey's actions were not intentionally fraudulent. "Although I have determined that the district's payment of invoices associated with the operation of the concession stand by Bear Creek, and associated with the outside catering event, were the result of careless management practices and not done with the intent to defraud, your actions warrant discipline," he wrote in a letter to Stamey on Oct. 28, 2010. During the investigation, Stamey was suspended with pay and not allowed on MCPS property without the permission of her supervisor or Superintendent Alex Apostle. After the investigation, Stamey received a letter of reprimand. On Feb. 18, 2011, Stamey resigned her position with the district. Stamey's current whereabouts are unknown. Robert Myers, a Hamilton-based attorney who represented her in a wrongful-discharge lawsuit against MCPS in 2013, claimed Friday she was penalized for refusing to "manipulate" school lunch records. "The purpose behind it was trying to ruin her or to take her out about the changing federal records," Myers said. Megan Morris, an attorney for MCPS, said Friday that "the documents in the file speak for themselves." Stamey also voluntarily dismissed her lawsuit against the district, Morris said. *** According to the documents released Friday, nine invoices totaling $735.08 were incorrectly billed to MCPS. Several invoices were for products sold to her husband's concession business, Bear Creek LLC, and one was for items she used for an outside catering event. After her husband was awarded the concession contract, Stamey was told in "no uncertain terms" it was crucial for her to keep their business and her position at the district separate, according to the documents. "Your involvement with the concession stand and position with the district required that you operate with the highest degree of care," McHugh wrote in his Oct. 28, 2010, letter. Despite that warning, the district was billed for products and in some cases paid for them. "These actions are the result of careless management practices, including the failure to carefully review and approve invoices and the failure to appropriately separate personal ventures from professional obligations, including poor communication and attention to detail in the operation of the food service program," he wrote. In another document, Apostle recorded events that transpired between himself and Stamey on Feb. 17, 2011. Apostle wrote that Stamey came to his office about 5 p.m. that day and offered to resign. During the conversation, Stamey admitted she used the district's central kitchen for an outside catering event despite not having permission to do so. She also said she paid district employees to help prepare for the event. "Val apologized to me for letting me down," Apostle wrote. *** Stamey was appointed interim treasurer of Ravalli County in September 2013, but was placed on paid administrative leave in January 2014 after her office fell behind in its work and county commissioners received complaints about her performance. Morris said the documents detailing Stamey's mishandling of funds at MCPS were requested by media outlets after the complaints in Ravalli County came to light. The district released a few documents, but deferred to Missoula County District Court on the release of others. Stamey argued she had a right to privacy and the public shouldn't have access to her employment records. The court ruled the public should be allowed access to documents detailing the mishandling of district funds, but should not have access to general employment information such as her employment application or medical history. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court upheld the lower court's ruling. "Under the facts of this case, the District Court determined that Addis did not have a protectable privacy interest in the investigatory documents, and that any privacy interest she had was outweighed by her position involving the public trust," the Supreme Court's decision stated, referring to Stamey by her maiden name. "The District Court determined that 'the public has a compelling and substantial interest in investigatory documents concerning the misuse and misappropriation of funds.' " In January 2014, Butte accounting firm Anderson Zurmuehlen & Co. began an audit to determine whether funds had been mishandled in the Ravalli County Treasurer's Office. While the firm found the office was "in a state of disarray," there was no indication of fraud. Stamey lost the Republican primary election to retain the treasurer's job in early June 2014, and later that month was suspended without pay after the county decided to move forward with a lawsuit claiming she committed official misconduct. The Montana Supreme Court ruled this week that former Ravalli County Treasurer Valerie Stamey did not have a right to privacy last year when several media outlets requested documents detailing her mishandling of public funds in 2010. That year, Stamey served as supervisor of food services for Missoula County Public Schools and was disciplined for fraudulent or illegal financial transactions. Stamey was appointed interim Ravalli County treasurer in September 2013, and after coming under scrutiny when her office fell behind in its workload, several media outlets requested the documents related to her time at MCPS. Stamey asserted in Missoula County District Court she had a right to privacy. While MCPS did release several unimportant documents, it deferred to the judge on the release of the remaining files. "Under the facts of this case, the District Court determined that Addis did not have a protectable privacy interest in the investigatory documents, and that any privacy interest she had was outweighed by her position involving the public trust," the Supreme Court's decision stated, referring to Stamey by her former last name. "The District Court determined that 'the public has a compelling and substantial interest in investigatory documents concerning the misuse and misappropriation of funds.' " The District Court released six documents relating to fraudulent activity, but kept private documents with sensitive, but "benign" information, like a medical evaluation and Stamey's employment application. In Tuesday's decision, the Supreme Court ruled the lower court had acted "conscientiously and correctly" in its application of Montana law. After her departure from Missoula County Public Schools in 2011, Stamey filed two lawsuits against the district, for wrongful termination and slander. Neither lawsuit was served on the defendants. In January 2014, Ravalli County commissioners placed Stamey on paid administrative leave in January after she refused to answer questions about a civil lawsuit she faced in South Carolina in which she allegedly twice cashed an $18,149 check that she received from a law firm involved in refinancing her home. Eventually, Stamey's office was investigated, an audit was performed and a retired treasurer was brought in to help sort through months of backlogged work. Stamey was defeated in the Republican primary for the treasurer's job in June 2014. HELENA A subcommittee tasked with looking at how Montana would meet rules laid out in the Clean Power Plan has canceled its March meeting after a U.S. Supreme Court decision delayed implementation of the plan. The joint Energy and Telecommunications Interim Committee and Environmental Quality Council Clean Power Plan Subcommittee will not meet March 10. On Feb. 9, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a stay of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan until the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rules on the plan's legality. The stay means that for now the requirement for states to submit a compliance plan or a plan with a request for an extension by September is on hold until a final decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, or the U.S. Supreme Court, is made. Gov. Steve Bullock in November issued an executive order creating a Clean Power Plan Advisory Council to assist the state Department of Environmental Quality as it developed information to submit to the EPA for compliance with the federal rule. The council included 27 members and was expected to meet in February. However, with the stay issued by the U.S. Supreme Court, Bullock also announced that the work of the advisory council would be on hold. Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Jim Keane and Vice Chairman Rep. Keith Regier agreed that the subcommittee's work would also be on hold. Montana is one of 27 states suing to halt implementation of Obama's Clean Power Plan. Under the plan, Montana would have to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 47 percent, one of the most stringent requirements in the nation. Older units at Montana's coal-fired power plants at Colstrip were seen at risk of closing to meet the EPA's requirements. In Wyoming, Gov. Matt Mead Mead told the Casper Star-Tribune that Wyoming would continue its planning to comply with the Clean Power Plan, but at a slower pace. That state's Department of Environmental Quality had asked the Legislature for $350,000 to hire a consultant and look at ways to meet the reductions laid out by the EPA, but Mead told the Star-Tribune that amount could be lowered now. The last of three people arrested in Ravalli Countys largest-ever heroin bust pleaded guilty Wednesday. Marlen Ravelo, 47, of Port Angeles, Washington, accepted a plea bargain agreement that called for a 30-year prison sentence, all suspended, in exchange for her guilty to plea to five felony drug charges. Ravelo has also agreed to a plea bargain agreement on federal charges she faces in the state of Washington that is expected to result in prison time. Ravelo was one of three people arrested last Halloween after law enforcement officers acted on a tip and stopped their vehicle in the Florence area. After being ordered out the car at gunpoint, members of the Ravalli County Sheriffs Office found nearly a half-pound of heroin and a similar amount of methamphetamine in the vehicle. The drugs had an estimated street value of $250,000. According to federal court records, Ravelo was part of a drug trafficking organization headquartered in western Washington led by a man named Antonio Contreras-Torres, aka Pipi. The organization was tracked by federal officers, who documented at least four occasions that Ravelo allegedly obtained heroin and methamphetamine for distribution, including the drugs that were confiscated in Ravalli County. The court records said Ravelo commonly referred to the heroin she requested as coffee or dark and methamphetamine was called water. On June 26, 2015, the court records said she ordered 16 and 16 of the dark one (referring to 32 pieces of heroin. One piece of heroin weighs 25 grams) and one pound of water (methamphetamine). On Oct. 15, 2015, she ordered two big ones of the coffee (referring to two kilograms of heroin) and 10 waters (referring to 10 ounces of methamphetamine). Ravelo was stopped by investigators on Oct. 15 after she was provided heroin and methamphetamine at a Taco Bell in Washington State. During a search of her vehicle, investigators found 2,250 grams of heroin and 342 grams of methamphetamine. The federal court records dont indicate if Ravelo was arrested at that point. Instead, the records said investigators continued to intercept calls Ravelo made to order more drugs, including those she would eventually bring to Ravalli County. Court records filed in Ravalli County said Ravelo and Mason Gregory Skerbeck, 23, of Port Angeles, Washington, brought the drugs into Montana with the intent to see if there was a market here. Once in the state, they met Crystal Lee Griffin, 21, of Stevensville, who brokered deals at the University of Montana and in Stevensville. The three were arrested while traveling to Stevensville to complete that transaction. Skerbeck accepted a plea bargain agreement last week that included a sentence of 15 years with the Montana Department of Corrections, with 10 years suspended. Griffins plea bargain agreement included a 15-year commitment with the Montana Department of Corrections, with 12 years suspended. The Ravalli County Attorneys Office is asking that all three pay a fine of $78,750 each that would be deposited in the state general fund. The amount is 35 percent of the estimated value of the dangerous drugs that were in their possession. The plea bargain agreements allow them to argue that the fine should be waived or modified. While federal sentencing guidelines are complex, Ravalli County Deputy Attorney Thorin Geist said it appears that Ravelo will likely be sentenced to 5 to 10 years in a federal prison, all of which must be served. The 30-year suspended prison sentence in the Ravalli County case will run concurrent to the federal sentence. If she ends up doing five years in the federal prison, she will still have another 25 years of state time facing her if she does something wrong, Geist said. We have a huge stick hanging over her. Thats not Department of Corrections time. Its prison time. Knowing that she would be going to jail for five to 10 years made the agreement palatable to me. Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau attended the high-energy all-school assembly in the Stevensville gym Wednesday in celebration of the schools improved graduation numbers and Graduation Matters efforts. Juneau praised the students, staff, board members and administrators in the packed gym. I am proud to celebrate the good work that is being done by Graduation Matters, Stevensville, by administrators, teachers, students and parents and community members, Juneau said. There are not many schools in the state that can boast a 90 percent graduation rate and youve had that for two years. Last year Stevensville won the raising aspirations award and a big part of that is the student voice that they participate with. I know your student council has strong leadership. What I see are student-led conversations about leadership and your futures. Stevensville High School principal Brian Gum said Stevensville has a strong reason to celebrate. In the last four years with Graduation Matters weve reduced our dropout rate from 5.7 percent to 0.8 percent, Gum said. I am super proud of not only our high school, but the middle school and elementary as well since they have made this into a K-12 project. The high school alone would not have achieved these numbers if we didnt have the buy in from all of our students and community members. Gum said the cohort rate at the high school has improved from 80 percent to 92 percent. Superintendent Bob Moore listed the benefits of staying in school. Ninety-nine percent of our students are staying in school, Moore said. We are an example of a school that can get things done and are one of the top five schools in the state of Montana. In the United States, we know that the yearly earnings of a high school graduate are $10,000 more than the yearly earnings of a high school dropout. For a reality check, that is 80 X-box premium consoles, or that is 10 laptop computers, or 1,560 Big Mac meal deals at McDonalds. Its a big deal. Moore said that for students going on to complete a four-year degree they would earn and additional $32,000 more each year. Dream big and graduate, Moore said. School Board Chair Greg Trangmoe said the goal of Stevensville schools is to prepare students for full and enriched lives. Trangmoe quoted article 10 of the Montana Constitution: It is the goal of the people to develop the full educational potential of each person. The opportunity to learn is given to each person in our state, Trangmoe said. This means that each one of you has the right to receive a quality education. Stevensville Primary School Principal Jessica Shourd said by the time students reach the third grade they understand the importance of education. She introduced third grade student Cody Bradford who stood on a riser to reach the microphone. He presented a two-minute speech to the full school body and dignitaries about the importance of education and graduation. If you pass your classes you will be able to graduate, Bradford said. Education is important it will help us throughout our lives to help others and ourselves. Primary and middle school students held signs and posters showing the year of their graduation. When called, each class stood and shouted the year they would graduate. The first group was the kindergarten class who will graduate in 2028. The high school students cheered for the primary and middle school students. The high school presentation included the list of Yellow Jacket scholars. Graduation Matters student representatives Casey Cook and Elizabeth Brown listed the opportunities to be involved at Stevensville schools. As the clubs, teams and organizations were called, students stood until nearly every student on the east side of the gym was standing. Discover and choose your future, Cook and Brown said. Superintendent Juneau said there are 821 schools across Montana. Its like Im the principal of all of them, Juneau said. There are about 145,000 students, about 12,000 teachers and Im here in Stevensville today to celebrate your great graduation rates with you. Its been phenomenal. Juneau said congratulations to the class of 2016. The class of 2028 is looking at you so be good role models for them, and 2028 thats you in a few years, Juneau said. Right now Graduation Matters is in 53 communities across the state. Stevensville is doing great. They have 25 business partnerships and people pulling together. Juneau said those partnerships speak to the strength of the school district, the community and the Stevensville Graduation Matters team. I am so proud to be the top advocate for public education in this state. We have historically high graduation rates across the state. This year we have an 86 percent graduation rate, Juneau said. When I travel around the state I see what great work is being done in our schools. I know that young people, when they walk across the stage at graduation, are smart, creative and ready to lead and I see Stevensville on that path as well. She had the students give the teachers a round of applause. Teachers, I thank you for your work, high standards and high expectations, Juneau said. I see from this district when you raise the bar and you talk about graduation students are going to meet it. Revenue declines, the pandemic, and rising competition create new realities in higher education. 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Suivez nous aussi sur Twitter : @reseaucitadelle ; Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/LeRecitHaiti ; WhatsApp : +509 3686 9669 ; Email : reseaucitadelle@yahoo.fr This is the professional blog of the Rev. Brian Frederick-Gray, during his time as the Senior Pastor of First Christian Church Scottsdale, a Disciples of Christ congregation located on McDonald Drive just east of Scottsdale Road. In the summer of 2016 Rev. Brian's wife, the Reverend Susan Frederick-Gray, was elected president of the Unitarian Universalist Association. At that time Rev. Brian stepped down as our pastor so that he and his family could relocate to Boston, Massachusetts. As such, the blog has been fallow, but remains a record of the events at the church during his ministry! From the very beginning, Nepal is known as a Sovereign and independent country in the world. The struggle and sacrifice of the martyrs against the Rana oligarchy helped introduce democracy in the country, as a result of it, the Nepalese have been sovereign. The martyrs paid a terrible cost in blood, sweat and tears for the progress and prosperities if Nepal. So, we can't forget them for the sake of democratic stability. The Nepal government has declared the martyr's week every year- just Mag 10th to 16th. in the memory of the immortal martyrs of Nepal. Sukraraj Shastri was hanged 9th Mag 1997 Bs at Pachali,. Darma Bhakta Mathema was hanged-11th Mag at Siphal and Dasharath Chand and Gangalal were shuted by gun at Bishnumati. Leadership is the gift of time. The time searches for leadership. It will be distrusting the history if we disregard the facts that the monarchs have ruled to protect Nepal time and again. In 1950 King Tribhuvan gambled his crown against the Rana regime for sake of democracy. After the execution of four martyrs the king led the fight for democracy. Had he not done so, would the dreams of martyrs like Sukraraj Shastri, Dharma Bhakta Mathema, Dasharath Chand, Gangalal Shrestha have come true? The king and the democratic Nepali people established democracy with a stern challenge to the Rana autocracy. The democracy rose in 1950, and now after so long time the statue of the king is being removed. Is it appropriate and logical? It will not be beneficial to anyone to harbor prejudice towards the statue. The glory of Nepals natural and cultural diversity resounds around the world. Different castes and creeds that exist within the territories of Nepal have jointly preserved the democratic value and tradition. Although our country is small it is home to many castes. The spirit of nationality of Nepal will remain incomplete in practicing discriminatory attitude towards any group, organization or caste. Should Nepals natural and cultural identities be extirpated in name of political revenge? If so, Nepal will vanish. Following the unification of Nepal, the kings of the nation as Prithvi Narayan Shah, Tribhuvan, Mahendra, patriotic and democratic warriors and people from various castes have protected this unity. But, since the uprising of 2006, the leaders of Congress, UML, Maoist and others have forgotten all their commitments. The goal of any transformation and uprising is to reconstruct the nation on the foundation of preservation of its dignity, values and norms. But, since 2006, the leaders of Congress, UML, Maoist and other parties have forgotten all the norms and sense of democratic nationalistic path. Why are the works that defile such national unity, nationality and democratic history of this country being carried out? For example what sorts of unity or nationality is being achieved vandalizing the statues of Prithvi Narayan Shah. The day of Prithvi Jayanti (birth anniversary of king Prithvi Narayan Shah) and the national unity day are abolished. Is this nationality? Are those who destroy the nations identity being called a Nepali? Is it nationality to remove the national holiday on Prithvi Jayanti? The creator of the nation- Prithvi Narayan Shah, father of the nation- Tribhuvan, literary figures- Bhanubhakta, Leknath, Laxmi Prasad Devkota, Dharanidhar, Sidhicharan Shrestha, are national icons and political fighters- B.P Koirala, Matrika Prasad Koirala, Ganeshman Singh are founders of democracy. Those who disgrace these figures are traitors. Such traitors by birth are found to be nurtured in such surrounding. No matter how much you bathe a crow it will not become white. A donkey never turns to a cow whatever water is poured over it. Touching a dog with rabies is suicidal. No matter how much you love a mad dog there is no other option than to kill it. If a rotten potato is thrown into a bag of potatoes it will decay all of it. Currently Nepals government is full of such dogs and criminals. The foreign agents that are at the leadership level of Nepali Congress, UML, Maoists and Madhesi parties will never speak in favor of Nepalese interest. They have accepted foreign money to serve foreign design. They are the founders of treason. If we remain contingent on their support the nation will drown and we will become refugees. Nepal entered in a dangerous phase after 2006. The biggest traitor of the nation had been Nepali Congress leader Girija Prasad Koirala, and then the more dangerous one turned out Baburam Bhattarai, PM of Nepal. He was very active to finish all Nepal's identities gradually one after another. He had contrived many schemes to cast aspersions on the late king Prithvi Narayan Shah. He removed the national attire of the nation in ten days after becoming the Prime Minister. He wants to insinuate the A.D. era in Nepal after conniving a tussle between B.S and Nepal Sambat. The decision taken by PM Bhattarai and his cabinet to remove the statue located at the Martyrs Gate, has concerned all democratic Nepali people. That was treacherous decision of Baburam Bhattarai. Nepalese nationalist people never forgive him. It is the duty of the government to preserve the statues and idols of historical and archeological importance. It is not reasonable that such statues that have preceded many governments should be removed because of dislike of someone in power. Nepals kings should not be compared to the tyrants that have ruled around the globe. Nepals unification is ascribed to a king; and we have become a Nepali due to this unification. The autocratic rule of Rana regime lasted for 104 years. The Rana rulers had kept king Tribhuvan a captive in his palace because the former dreaded his concern for freedom. The Rana rulers insolently approved of all official edicts in name of the monarch. King Tribhuvan stealthily met with democratic fighters and their secret papers were passed to the king. The king used to communicate with freedom fighters through such papers secretly. The king had a desire to free himself and also institutionalize democracy in the country. As we read the books written by the kings personal nurse Ms. Erika, Ganeshman Singh, compounder Chandraman, Sidhhicharan Shrestha, Khadgaman Singh as Jailma Bish Barsha (Twenty years in jail), we will have the idea that King Tribhuvan had not actuated the sacrifices of the martyrs would have wasted like pouring water on sand. Leadership is the gift of time. The time searches for leadership. It will be distrusting the history if we disregard the facts that the monarchs have ruled to protect Nepal time and again. In 1950 King Tribhuvan gambled his crown against the Rana regime for sake of democracy. After the execution of four martyrs the king led the fight for democracy. Had he not done so, would the dreams of martyrs like Sukraraj Shastri, Dharma Bhakta Mathema, Dasharath Chand, Gangalal Shrestha have come true? The king and the democratic Nepali people established democracy with a stern challenge to the Rana autocracy. The democracy rose in 1950, and now after so long time the statue of the king is being removed. Is it appropriate and logical? It will not be beneficial to anyone to harbor prejudice towards the statue. The autocratic rule of Rana regime lasted for 104 years. The Rana rulers had kept king Tribhuvan a captive in his palace because the former dreaded his concern for freedom. The Rana rulers insolently approved of all official edicts in name of the monarch. King Tribhuvan stealthily met with democratic fighters and their secret papers were passed to the king. The king used to communicate with freedom fighters through such papers secretly. The king had a desire to free himself and also institutionalize democracy in the country. As we read the books written by the kings personal nurse Ms. Erika, Ganeshman Singh, compounder Chandraman, Sidhhicharan Shrestha, Khadgaman Singh as Jailma Bish Barsha (Twenty years in jail), we will have the idea that King Tribhuvan had not actuated the sacrifices of the martyrs would have wasted like pouring water on sand. If King Tribhuwan would not have there, the only sacrifice of martyrs would not have significant in establishing democracy. A journalist Shyam Rimal has portrait the reality of Martyrs Gate. The designer of the Gate is engineer Shankarnath Rimal. The construction committee comprised of Arun Shumsher, Gaurinath Rimal and Suryalal Joshi. At the initial stage the committee had deliberated on constructing only a pillar of democracy but later they adhered to previous decision of constructing the statues of king Tribhuvan and four martyrs. The then king Mahendra had not designed the idea of constructing king Tribhuvans statue at the Gate. However, in accordance to the advices and a stance taken by engineer Shankarnath, that the absence of the statue of the king, who had motivated the martyrs, would make the work incomplete. An analyst Shyam Rimal writes, It was considered a big contribution on part of king Tribhuvan in heralding democracy in the nation. There should not be anything remiss in maintaining the kings statue. That architectural work is the reverence shown by Nepali people in name of Martyrs Gate. Disregard to such works is ignorance. For the construction of the work Rs. 150,000 had appropriated. We should not be ungrateful and harbor negative opinion towards the late king. The history has shown that the king disregarded his interest towards the crown in place for Nepali people. Had the king not escaped to India to end of Rana regime? It would be unfortunate if anyone speaks with asperity towards the 1950 revolution and revolutionaries- king Tribhuvan and democratic fighters. King encouraged and motivated the freedom fighters, many of whom became martyrs. It is our appeal that the cabinet must reverse its decision to remove the statue of king Tribhuvan and not plunge into an unnecessary controversy. If the cabinet persists with its decision it will be making a blunder. It is a national crime to extinguish the identities that attests to the history of the nation. It had not been an easy task to establish democracy in Nepal. It was certain death to oppose the Rana regime at that vintage of time. How did king Tribhuvan surrender himself by risking his crown for democracy in 1950? It does not suit anyone to harbor prejudice against the late kings statue at Martyrs Gate in the capital. Wouldnt it have taken more blood in name of democracy without the kings support? People are witness to the fact that king Tribhuvans statue was vandalized by four to five people of non Nepali origin in Banepa during the uprising in 2006. This is a systematic conspiracy. However, Banepas Tribhuvan Chowk is still popular. The statue will soon be reinstated in Banepa. Why is there need for so much detestation towards the late king? Hadnt the king, who is known as the father of democracy, contributed much for democracy? Email:dirghrajprasai@gmail.com Sagarmatha Network Pvt. Ltd. is the organization dedicated in the field of printing, publishing service since 2001. As part of media, we've been publishing Review Nepal, an English medium weekly registered at District Administration Office (DAO) Kathmandu with registration number 130-162-163 and reviewnepal.com as an online digital newspaper, with registration number 849-075-076 at Department of Informational and Broadcasting (DIB) from Kathmandu, Nepal since 2003. WARNING for European visitors European Union laws require you to give European Union visitors information about cookies used on your blog. In many cases, these laws also require you to obtain consent. As a courtesy, we have added a notice on your blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies. Boxing Film-Noir "Champion" 1949 The Black & White movie was nominated for 5 Oscars and won for Best Film Editing. Kirk Douglas as Midge Kelly nabbed his first Best Actor Oscar nomination. It was a Box Office Smash grabbing $2.1 Million & made it a top movie grosser for 1949. I have been doing the Royal Musings and Royal Book News blogs since 2008. I do not have a paywall or charge for reading articles. I enjoy writing and researching and reading. I devote a fair amount of time to the blog. No expectations or obligations when reading Royal Musings or Royal Book News - but if you enjoy either or both blogs, feel free to make a donation. Or not, course. Thank you very much. I still have the Amazon adverts. I make pennies off any Amazon sale (not just books) if you enter through one of my book links or the search boxes on the right side of the blogs Stop over to my Russ on Reading Facebook page to "Like" and join the conversation there. Aggression kills over 7,000 in Yemen so far SANAA, Feb. 17 (Saba) The acting ministers held here on Wednesday a press conference, reviewing the Saudi aggression crimes and the destruction it left in the public and private facilities. Over 325 days, the Saudi aggression has killed and injured thousands of innocent people and has affected all the life aspects in the country. The death toll of the aggression amounted to 7,018 martyrs, including 1,601 children and 1,161 women, and the number of wounded reached 16,551 people, including 2,247 children and 1,755 women, as well as 147 handicapped, the acting health minister Dr. Ghazi Ismail said in the press conference. Dr. Ismail stated that more than 340 medical facilities, including hospitals, medical centers and specialized units were destroyed by the aggression. He also referred to the damage resulting from the lack of the oil products and medical materials due to the unjust blockade on the country, which led to the death of many patients with chronic diseases. The acting minister of human rights Ali Saleh Taiseer indicated that his ministry has issued recently its annual report on the crimes and violations committed by the Saudi aggression in Yemen, which fall within the war crimes and crimes against humanity. Those crimes include the deliberate murder through targeting civilians and populated areas, devastating the infrastructure and the service facilities and starving the people via the complete siege on the country and preventing the entry of foodstuffs and goods and bombarding ports, airports, roads and bridges, Taiseer explained. In the agricultural sector, three million workers have lost their jobs because of the Saudi aggression, which destroyed 4,817 sites, 19 water dams and barriers, 98 water pumps and irrigation networks and 20 agricultural buildings and facilities, according to the acting minister of agricultural and irrigation Dr. Mohammed al-Ghashm. The aggression also caused damage to 11 central markets for vegetables and fruits, 40 rural souks, two ports for agricultural exports, 300 livestock stables, 110 poultry farms, 19 cold storage stores and six agricultural cooperatives, as well as the damage resulting from the lack of the oil derivatives, which led to drought in large agricultural areas and crops spoilage. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has stopped presenting its services to more than 5.7 million beneficiaries, the acting minister said. The amounts paid via the social security network, estimated at 97 billion Yemeni rials (Y.R.) annually, have been suspended because of the situations being experienced by the country, he explained. He indicated to the damage suffered by the Handicapped Fund and the social care houses due to the Saudi aggression, which caused the stopping of 350 thousand workers in the private sector. The oil exportation has stopped and the production declined due to the aggression on the country, the acting minister of oil and minerals Yahya al-Ajam said. In addition, the aggression has destroyed 244 fuel stations, 189 oil trucks and 37 installations, including the Seismology Center and the Yemeni Petroleum Company brunch in Dhamar province and Ras Isa oil facility, as well as the lay-offs in the oil companies. For his part, the acting minister of Telecommunications and information technology Musleh al-Ozair confirmed that the telecommunications sector has suffered massive losses estimated at tens of billions of rials because of the Saudi aggression. BA Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [18/February/2016] Hello beauties, welcome to Asoebi fashion Friday!! We refuse to let you go into this weekend without looking glamorous and fabulous in your... Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Click On Our Advertisers Ads Most of our ads have links to take you directly to their Websites. Just click on an ad and away you go. First, note that this is NOT a blog....it's a collection of essays similar in nature to what the Greek Plutarch attempted to write. Second: NO, there will be no Facebook connection to the essay collection. Besides the negativity with FB, there is just too much potential in the future for censorship with FB. Third, this log of essays is written by an American (not a German). If you are a German seeking commentary written by a German, on Germans....look elsewhere. Fourth, I will offer wit and sarcasm on Germany, Germans, Germanology, German political figures, German TV, German beer, German food, German humor (or lack of), German habits, German weirdness, German news, German autos, German brilliance, German stupidity, German customs, German Nazis, German history, and German stubbornness. Fifth (new), the essays are not about ethnic pathways to your grandfather or great-grandmother who was German. It relates present day Germans. If you are trying to get some understanding to your ancestor who packed up and left sixty years ago from the old 'homeland', then this blog is probably not for you. Final note: I generally only delete comments that are spam-related, or hype over pure Nationalist Socialist agendas. I generally won't support one-sided arguments/agendas. I also don't think accusations of racism or nationalism are generally proven, and can reflect poorly upon the person making the accusations. I was one of those Americans who did over twenty years of military time....married a German....and eventually returned as a retiree.I'm one of the few who stood under the German umbrella.....paid German taxes for some years.....German social security.....and felt the various pains like Germans.So, this is my all-purpose commentary essay, designed for non-Germans mostly (and those Germans who accidentally discover it). I tend to put German culture into the spotlight of sarcasm, wit and humor. I'm simply pointing out the richness and craziness of life in Germany, which even some Germans can't understand.The amusing thing is that I'm merely repeating the exercise that Mark Twain performed in 1880, when he published "A Tramp Abroad". Various comments were dished out on the Germans....which apparently did not trigger any wars, chaos, climate change, or ill feelings. Author's Note A literary vent, a one-sided, free-wheeling discussion, everything posted on this blog is true. Don't mistake that to mean everything here is fact. Frequently, I paint with a broad brush, coloring things to a degree of my own choosingfor the sake of art. My characters remind me of what Dr. J. Kennedy Schultz once said--and they insist I post it here: When I say something about you, it may or may not be true about you, however, I always reveal something of myself. Judging from some of the comments people have made to me, I wish to remind them this works in BOTH directions. Thank you. 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My travels in Serbia through Princeton's Bridge Year Program and Dale Fellowship A group supporting Apple's decision to fight a FBI demand that the company create a custom operating system allowing the government agency access to data on an otherwise locked iPhone plans to rally tonight in front of the San Francisco flagship Apple store at One Stockton Street. "This is really dangerous," reads a Facebook post from the non-profit Fight for the Future. "The FBI just got a judge to order Apple to build a software 'backdoor' to help them hack into an iPhone. They've been wanting to do this for years, but now they're exploiting the tragedy in San Bernardino, CA to push their agenda to weaken the security of all of our phones to enable more government surveillance." The specific cell phone at issue was used by one of the terrorists in the San Bernardino attack, and the government claims they have been unable to access the data on it. Fight for the Future argues that once the custom operating system is built, it will undoubtedly fall into others' hands. "Once a backdoor is built, it won't just be used by governments or law enforcement," the non-profit alleges. "It will enable malicious hackers, foreign governments, terrorists, thieves and stalkers to use our data against us." This, it should be noted, is more or less the same argument made by Apple CEO Tim Cook in an open letter published last night. And Cook's not the only tech CEO making that claim Jan Koum, the CEO and founder of WhatsApp, has come out in support of Cook's decision. "I have always admired Tim Cook for his stance on privacy and Apple's efforts to protect user data and couldn't agree more with everything said in their Customer Letter today," writes Koum in a Facebook post. "We must not allow this dangerous precedent to be set. Today our freedom and our liberty is at stake." And Google is getting in on the action as well, with the company's CEO Sundar Pichai tweeting out tepid support for Cook's decision this afternoon. 1/5 Important post by @tim_cook. Forcing companies to enable hacking could compromise users privacy sundarpichai (@sundarpichai) February 17, 2016 When asked why tonight's action isn't taking place in front of something like the Civic Center Federal Building, which houses the offices of the FBI, Fight for the Future responded that they are "in solidarity with Apple on this one" and that they're hoping to demonstrate support. The rally is set to begin at 5:00 p.m. Previously: Apple Will Fight Court Order To Hack Into iPhone Of San Bernardino Shooter Remember how an FBI agent posed undercover as an Atlanta businessman and met with former San Francisco Human Rights Commission staffer Zula Jones and ex-Human Rights Commissioner Nazly Mohajer, who promised him meetings with Mayor Lee in exchange for $20,000 in illegal campaign contributions? The Chronicle does, and as you may know, Jones, Mohajer, and School Board President Keith Jackson face corruption charges, as announced last month. But there's far more to come in the investigation, if we're to believe the District Attorney's office, and now the funding will come in part from the FBI: A joint task force to combat political corruption is now in operation in SF, effective immediately. So, who's the target? Was Mayor Lee aware of a pay-to-play system? Jones has said in a wire recording that "Ed Knows," but apparently prosecutors know something we don't Lee even met with the FBI agent in question and they haven't come forward with anything. And, as Lee says, There is absolutely zero tolerance and no place in city government for anything less [than the strongest ethics laws in the nation]." So, there's that. When a public official sells his or her office at any level it erodes the publics confidence and trust in government," said the FBIs Special Agent in Charge David Johnson according to a press release. That is why the FBI is committed to forming this task force. We will aggressively pursue this illegal activity and defend the people of San Francisco against corrupt behavior. That's all "provocative, tough talk" according to San Francisco magazine, who write: "If forced to summarize the days news while riding on the Hall of Justices aging elevators, it would be this: The DA and feds will continue doing what they were already doing, though they now have the ability to go wider and dig deeper and pass more receipts on to Uncle Sam." San Franciscans deserve a clean government that works for the people, not public officials, said District Attorney George Gascon. Public corruption is a cancer that must be rooted out and extinguished. Its time for terms like good old boy and pay-to-play to be artifacts of our history, and this task force will work to ensure they are absent from our future. Details, however, are scant. On one hand, the D.A. is saying they want transparency," Public Defender Jeff Adachi said, pointing to a central irony. "On the other, they dont want the public to know what is really going on, And we certainly don't! Previously: [Update] Three Local Politicos, Including Keith Jackson, Indicted On Corruption Charges The suspect in the Twin Peaks Valentine's Day double murder is a Richmond man with a violent past, and police say the alleged car jacking he engaged in after the shooting was not the first time he'd stolen a vehicle. Richmond Police have identified 26-year-old Richard Contreras of Richmond as the prime suspect, reports ABC 7, and police located the GMC Yukon Denali stolen at the scene of the shooting parked near Contreras's home. The tourists originally driving the Denali reportedly identified Contreras to the police as the person who ordered them out of the car at gun point. A third man was also shot, and the unidentified 18-year-old is currently "fighting for his life," reports the Press Democrat. This is not Contreras first run in with the law, as KRON 4 reports that he was the main suspect in a 2014 crash of stolen car into an AC Transit bus. The bus slammed into the front of a house as a result, injuring 11 people including a family in the home. At the time of the crash, Contreras was on felony probation for having stolen cars. He fled that scene, reports the channel, and later pleaded guilty to lesser charges. A murder charge against Contreras was dropped in 2015, notes ABC 7. He is currently being held without bond. The two victims, 21-year-old Julio Peraza and 19-year-old Rene Mora, were both from Santa Rosa. At this time, police have not said whether the men were targeted or if the attack was random. Previously: Two Shot And Killed At Twin Peaks Lookout; Scott Wiener Blames SFPD Under-Staffing San Francisco, cue the music, and get to dancing. Learning to dance can sound like a form of torture for some, and a dream come true for others. The great thing? Arthur Murray. He built a dance program that made it easier for regular people, like him, to learn how to dancesort of a Steve Jobs for dancing. With his system, Arthur Murray Dance Studios is now located on 6 continents, in nearly 40 countries, and in every major cities around the globewhich now includes San Francisco. Recently opened at 321 Divisadero Street in the NoPa, the teachers can get you started dancing the Tango, Swing, and Salsa. You will be dancing within the first 5 minutes of your free consultation. And we promise: no torture. San Francisco, the music is playing and now you've got a dance partner. Schedule Your Free Consultation Arthur Murray Dance Studio 321 Divisadero Street San Francisco The road to a thousand dance floors begins with a single step. This post is brought to you by Arthur Murray Dance Studio Not content to merely drive toilet paper to your front door as the company's service does currently, Google Express the delivery arm of Alphabet, FKA Google now seeks to become a go-to provider for all your grocery store needs. The same-day delivery service, which until this moment has limited itself to non-perishable goods, announced yesterday a pilot program to deliver fresh foods such as milk and meat on the day customers order them. The program, which began yesterday, is currently limited to Los Angeles and San Francisco, but will likely expand to other major cities if deemed successful. The expansion of services is perhaps best read as an attempt to catch up to Amazon and Instacart both of whom already offer same-day delivery of fresh foods. So, does this stuff come from Google farms, or what? If you're in SF and you order a banana from Google Express, USA Today reports, it will come from either Costco, Smart & Final, or Whole Foods. "We've heard your feedback that you'd love for Express to help you check off your entire grocery list," Cnet reports Google Express manager Prabhu Balasubramanian as explaining. This news, though, is perhaps surprising in light of recent labor troubles faced by the delivery service. In August of last year, Google went so far as to shut down delivery hubs in Mountain View and San Francisco, a response, some argued, to workers' efforts to unionize. Delivery of perishables comes at $4.99 if you're not a "Google Express Member," notes Cnet, and the food theoretically shows up at your door within a two-hour window. Related: Instacart To Raise Delivery Fees Following Layoffs The saga of the former state Senator Leland Yee, who last year pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering, continues today as we learn that federal prosecutors are seeking an eight-year sentence in federal prison for the disgraced politico. Yee, whose tangled involvement with now-convicted murderer Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow grabbed headlines, is set to be sentenced by a federal judge in San Francisco next Wednesday. The San Jose Mercury News reports that in papers submitted to the court prosecutors urged US District Judge Charles Breyer to sentence Yee beyond the roughly four-and-a-half years sought by his defense. "This sentence reflects the serious nature, as well as the breadth and length, of Yee's crimes, which involved a pattern of corruption and cynical abuse of the public trust all in the quest for greater political power," prosecutors reportedly wrote. Yee was arrested in 2014 during his run for the position of Secretary of State as part of an organized crime probe. He was also accused of attempting to run guns through the Philippines. "He recognizes that his actions were wrong and he is remorseful and deeply regrets his conduct," Yee's defense reportedly argued. "His widely publicized criminal activity has served as his own private punishment. He embarrassed himself, his family, and community by this shocking digression from his honorable career in public service." In addition to being a state Senator, Yee was also a San Francisco Supervisor and 2011 mayoral candidate. These illustrations, which first appeared in "Oh No, Leland Yee: The Saga Illustrated," are owned by Susie Cagle and are licensed to SFist. Please contact her for permission if you wish to reuse them. All previous coverage of Leland Yee on SFist. This is a Log as we travel to keep us in touch with the real world. We spent a lot of time in the real world now we love the space in the travel world. We live and love full time in our motor home. We tow a Honda CRV to scout around in. We have driven to Alaska and all the lower 48 states. We parked and took a side trip to Hawaii. After traveling in over 20 countries we are most proud of the 1900+ miles we hiked on the Appalachian Trail. Our plans are to travel as long as our health allows. DES MOINES | The Iowa Legislature is taking baby steps when it should be running to catch up with the use of medical cannabis in 23 other states, speakers told a House Commerce subcommittee Wednesday. Its time for Iowa to keep leading the way. This is something that is important to a lot of people, Pat Loeffler of Cedar Rapids, who suffers epileptic seizures told a three-member subcommittee. Sally Gaer of West Des Moines thanked lawmakers for making it possible in 2014 for Iowans to possess cannabidiol. The oil extract from the marijuana plant has made it possible for her 26-year-old epileptic daughter to sleep through the night for the first time in her life. Now it is time to make the treatment available to Iowans to help all of those suffering from epilepsy as well as other debilitating conditions, she said. However, House Study Bill 607 doesnt go as far as Gaer, Loeffler and others wanted. It goes as far as possible, according to floor manager Rep. Guy Vander Linden, R-Oskaloosa. Were dealing with the art of the possible, he said after the Commerce Committee voted 17-6 to approve the bill. You saw what the vote was in committee, Vander Linden said. If were going to do something to help these people it is going to be an incremental process. Nine Democrats and seven Republicans voted for the bill. All six no votes were from the GOP. It was a crappy vote, said Rep. Chip Baltimore, R-Boone, one of those who opposed the bill. I would probably be among the first people to invest in research, Baltimore said, and he would join the supporters of broader medical cannabis use in asking Congress to reclassify marijuana to allow research and regulation similar to other drugs. However, as a lawyer and legislator, Baltimore said, hes taken an oath to uphold the laws of the state and nation and that makes it a problem for him to vote for legislation in conflict with federal law. The committee approved Vander Lindens amendment to the bill that reduced the number of manufacturers and dispensaries from four and 12, respectively, to just two. It also limits cannabidiol use to the treatment of epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and in cases of cancer if the patient is determine to have less than 12 months to live. Supporters of the use of medical cannabis argued for allowing its use in cases of brain injury, HIV/AIDs and other medical conditions. SIOUX CITY | Verna Hoffman stood on the steps of her Sioux City home trying to make sense of the stabbing death of her father Wednesday morning. Hours after police cleared the scene, blood remained on a front porch rail and dotted the snow at Hoffman's home in the 1900 block of West First Street. Torn police tape lay on the sidewalk as relatives arrived, having learned of Vernon Mace's death, Sioux City's first homicide of 2016. "Anybody that met him, they liked him," Hoffman, 30, said to describe her father. "He wasn't perfect, but he was a good guy." Another daughter, Andrea Mace, 32, of Sioux City, was in disbelief over her father's death. "I wasn't sure if I was dreaming or not," she said. Hoffman said her father had barely any contact with the suspect, Elias W. Wanatee, 47, who police arrested Wednesday morning on a second-degree murder charge. Still reeling from Mace's death, the victim's family members voiced frustration about Wanatee, who has a long and violent criminal history. Wanatee was released from prison in January 2015 for the 1991 beating death of a man outside a Sioux City bar. More recently, he was facing misdemeanor charges related to an altercation last October outside a Sioux City store in which he allegedly pulled out a knife and threatened to get a gun. A warrant was issued for his arrest earlier this month after he didn't show up for a pretrial conference. "Everyone knew Eli was no good," Hoffman said of Wanatee. "His eyes would tell you everything." At about 2:12 a.m. Wednesday, police received a report of a man who had been stabbed and taken by a private vehicle to Mercy Medical Center - Sioux City. Hoffman said a doctor said her father had been stabbed in the head, arm and a lung. Mace, 50, was stabbed near West First and Turner streets and then walked one block to Hoffman's home at West First and Helmer streets for help, Hoffman said. A blood stain he left behind on a rail outside the front door was still visible later Wednesday morning. Mace was later pronounced dead at Mercy, according to police. Police have not indicated why the stabbing occurred or what events may have led to the incident. They also did not say who drove Mace to the hospital. Hoffman said her father, a former truck driver from Oklahoma, has five children and many grandchildren. Funeral services are pending. Wednesday's incident was the latest in list of violent crimes Wanatee has been involved with. In 1991, Wanatee was convicted of first-degree murder and two other charges in the death of Kelton "Kelly" William DeCora outside a Sioux City bar. The conviction was later appealed, and the charge was reduced to second-degree murder. He completed his sentence and was released from prison in January 2015. In October, Wanatee was charged with misdemeanor charges of aggravated assault and carrying a dangerous weapon in connection with an incident in which he got into a verbal altercation with another man outside the Wal-Mart at 3101 Floyd Blvd. According court documents, Wanatee reached into his truck and pulled out a machete-type knife with a 16-inch blade. He also told the man he was going to get a gun. When police arrested Wanatee after the incident, they found the knife and a tomahawk-style axe under the seat in his vehicle. SIOUX CITY | The man accused of the first homicide in Sioux City in 2016 is being held on $750,000 bond and faces a 50-year prison sentence if convicted on the second-degree murder charge. The first court hearing for Elias Wanatee was Thursday morning when District Associate Judge Todd Hensley set Wanatee's bond. The Public Defenders Office was appointed to represent Wanatee, 47, of Sioux City, who was arrested Wednesday for the stabbing death of Vernon Mace, 50, also of Sioux City. Court documents said the two men had argued prior to the incident. Sioux City police received a report just after 2 a.m. Wednesday of Mace, 50, being stabbed and taken by a private vehicle to Mercy Medical Center - Sioux City. Court documents described lacerations of varying lengths to Mace's arm, ear and chest; the largest was at the top of his head. Mace was stabbed near West First and Turner streets and walked for help one block to his daughter's house at West First and Helmer streets, according to police. He was later pronounced dead at Mercy. Police on Wednesday did not indicate why the stabbing occurred or what events may have led to the incident. Thursday, court documents showed a woman called police to report Wanatee was at her home at 1900 W. First St., in the early Wednesday hours, then left. "(Wanatee) reportedly left because he had been having problems with Vernon Mace," those documents reported. "Vernon Mace left their residence a short time later on foot. The female 911 caller advised she heard the defendant and Vernon Mace arguing outside. A short time later, Vernon Mace arrived back at the door to their residence, disclosing that the defendant stabbed him." If convicted of the second-degree murder charge, Wanatee would have to serve 70 percent of the possible 50-year sentence before being eligible for parole. The court documents described Wanatee as a "habitual" felon. In 1991, Wanatee was convicted of first-degree murder and two other charges in the death of Kelton "Kelly" William DeCora outside a Sioux City bar. The conviction was later appealed, and the charge was reduced to second-degree murder. He completed his sentence and was released from prison in January 2015. In October, Wanatee was charged with misdemeanor charges of aggravated assault and carrying a dangerous weapon in connection with a verbal altercation with another man outside the Wal-Mart at 3101 Floyd Blvd. According to court documents, Wanatee reached into his truck and pulled out a machete-type knife with a 16-inch blade. He also told the man he was going to get a gun. When police arrested Wanatee after the incident, they found the knife and a tomahawk-style ax under the seat in his vehicle. Wanatee pleaded not guilty in that case. A warrant was issued for his arrest earlier this month after he did not show up for a pretrial conference. Hensley on Thursday scheduled a new pretrial conference for March 18. A big national politics story Thursday involves Pope Francis, leader of the Roman Catholic Church, responding to a question about the proposal by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to build a wall at the U.S./Mexican border to halt illegal immigration. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," Pope Francis said on a plane, heading home from Mexico after he prayed at the border for migrants who died trying to reach the U.S. While campaigning in South Carolina, Trump responded to the pope's comments. "No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man's religion or faith," Trump said, according to an Associated Press account. Also on the campaign trail, Republican candidate Marco Rubio, who also advocates building a wall and is a Catholic, said he would have to see the full context of the pope's remarks before commenting. The Pope Francis comments mean a lot to people, based on reaction via Twitter comments. Some see it as a defensible position for him to speak about how the public policy of immigration intersects with religion, while others do not. One of the chief national figures who wants a toughened immigration policy that includes a wall at the Mexican border is U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. King also often talks about the role his Catholic faith in his life. An inquiry to King's office for reaction to the pope's comment was not returned early Thursday afternoon. King previously has said he doesn't agree with all the statements Pope Francis makes, including during a stop in the U.S. in September 2015. On his congressional website, King lays out his plan to build a wall. "I have designed a concrete border wall proposal," the site says. "I have 35 years of experience in the earth-moving, drainage and concrete construction business, which gives me the background to design an effective wall. My concrete wall would function as both a human and vehicle barrier, inspired by the success of the concrete wall in Israel. My design is cost efficient, easy to construct and impenetrable. This design would funnel illegal traffic to our ports of entry, where it can be reasonably controlled by our nation's customs and border patrol agents." It is worth noting that the pope voiced his criticism of those who think "only about building walls." King's immigration reforms aren't limited to walls. "In addition to a physical deterrent, I believe we must shut off the job magnets that encourage illegal immigrants to come to the United States. I have authored New IDEA, the Illegal Deduction Elimination Act, which would protect American jobs for American workers," his immigration policy summary reads. One critic of the pope's comments tweeted: "One nice thing about not being Catholic is I don't have to make excuses for Pope, or pretend he's not stupidly meddling in foreign politics." Many tweeters noted that the Vatican is surrounded by walls. Others supported the Pope Francis comment, as in this tweet: "Can't be a good day when your (sic) running for #POTUS and #PopeInMexico calls you unchristian." SIOUX CITY | As the 100th anniversary of the architecturally distinctive Woodbury County Courthouse nears, county officials are seeking repairs to more than 90 glass light globes in the rotunda and court rooms. Kenny Schmitz, county building services department director, is working to fix what he calls "irreplaceable" light globes that are cracking on the first and second floors of the courthouse at 620 Douglas St. There are 31 globes in the rotunda and 64 in the courtrooms. "They have gotten very brittle. Most of them have fissure cracks in them. Some of them, the bottoms have completely broken out. It is in the majority of them -- there are only three of them not showing cracks," Schmitz said. Once a repair business is found, a more firm cost estimate for the project can be determined, but for now Schmitz is estimating the project could cost $80,000. Leesa McNeil, court administrator for Iowa's 3rd Judicial District, works in the courthouse. McNeil noted many visitors to the building enjoy seeing the historic elements, which makes the courthouse special. "There is so much that is distinctive and unique in our courthouse," McNeil said. The globes have a diameter of about 20 inches. Many of the globes are original, but some on the second floor are replacements that were put in place at some unknown year, Schmitz said. Finding a firm that can handle the work is a challenge, and he is working to pinpoint one that can take a globe, inspect it and offer plans for fixes. He struck out with a firm in St. Louis, and if one from Chicago doesn't pan out, the search will move from regional to national. The county supervisors on Feb. 8 told Schmitz to make sure that any vendor taking a globe understands its high historic value. Schmitz and the county supervisors want them restored in time for 2018, when the courthouse marks its centennial. "Everyone is on board," Schmitz said, adding that he fully expects a company will be found and the work will be done. "We are progressively working on it right now. It is in our focus," he said. McNeil said she looks forward to the globe repairs, which she said are in the line of county officials doing well in addressing updates when needed. "We all take pride in that," McNeil said. The years of 2000-2004 were heavy with renovations on the courthouse, when it was rare not to have dust and the noise of construction. There were six phases of work, with pieces including restoration of three courtrooms, repairs to the plaster ceiling on the second-floor rotunda and a restored skylight on eighth floor. The cornerstone of the courthouse was laid in July 1916, and the building opened less than two years later. County residents approved a $500,000 bond issue for the building, and the final cost came in at $850,000, or just over 50 cents per square foot. Designed by famed architect William Steele, the courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1996. DES MOINES | The Iowa House Agriculture Committee voted along party lines Wednesday to keep alive Gov. Terry Branstads plan to fund water quality improvements by extending a school infrastructure tax. Democrats united in opposition, saying House Study Bill 601 pits education interests against water-quality goals. I think it is unfortunate that the quality of our water depends on taking down education, said Rep. Helen Miller, D-Fort Dodge, the ranking Democrat on the committee. However, members of Branstads party said they want to keep the bill and the conversation alive. Its been very difficult, Chairman Lee Hein, R-Monticello, said. And it will continue to be a difficult decision as we move forward. However, he said the bill will be improved as it moves through the Ways and Means Committee. If someone has a better way to fund this Id be very open to that, Hein said. Committee members sentiments mirrored those of farmers and interest groups following the proposal to scoop revenue from the statewide one-cent sales tax earmarked for school infrastructure to fund water quality improvements. We all know there needs to be a long-term source for funding for water quality, Woodbury County farmer Eric Nelson said while visiting the Capitol. But we dont want to get cross-wise with education. However, if the school infrastructure sales tax raises more than schools need, then whats the harm? Nelson said. Darrick Hall of rural Anamosa was at the Capitol to tell lawmakers what he and other farmers have been spending their money to address water quality issues. As a farmer, Id like a sustainable source of money, but Im not sure if this is the right way, he said while waiting for the Ag Committee to take up HSB 601. The Iowa Environmental Council is undecided on the bill, but encouraged that for the first time Branstad has recognized the size of the challenge facing the state by laying out a plan that would make more than $4 billion available for water quality. However, the councils director, Ralph Rosenberg, said he believes water quality needs its own funding source. The council is pushing for the Legislature to fund water quality initiatives, as well as other outdoor recreation projects parks, trails, wildlife and hunting habitat by approving an increase in the state sales tax. In 2010, Iowa voters approved a plan to dedicate three-eighths of one cent of sales tax revenue to conservation the next time the Legislature raised the sales tax. Funding water quality through the Iowa Water and Land Legacy would provide a sustainable stream of revenue as much as $150 million a year - that was supported by 63 percent of Iowa voters. If you're going to invest long-term, you need this funding, Rosenberg said. If farmers invest, they want to know their partners money is going to be there, too. Branstad was encouraged the bill moved forward, according to his spokesman, Ben Hammes, but was concerned about the party-line vote. Water quality should not be a partisan issue, Hammes said. It wasnt for Secretary (Tom) Vilsack when he stood beside Gov. Branstad announcing this framework and we hope the Senate Democrats can follow the lead of the United State Secretary of Agriculture in supporting a plan that helps schools, farmers and our environment. Vilsack, was a two-term Democratic governor before becoming USDA secretary. The bill now goes to Ways and Means where a variety of funding schemes may be considered. In 1981, the first recognized case of AIDS was observed in the United States. Four years later, playwright Larry Kramer premiered his Off-Broadway play titled "The Normal Heart," a show depicting the frustration, confusion and lack of response to the HIV-AIDS outbreak in the early 1980s. Local playhouse Shot in the Dark Productions will debut its version of "The Normal Heart" on Friday (Feb. 19) at the Evelyn Larson Theatre, 413 Nebraska St. Director Michael Skaff recalled when the AIDS epidemic was in full force. He was in college at the time. "I remember my art history professor bringing me this article [about the disease] and saying, 'Look at this!'" said Skaff, who noted that Kramer's semi-autobiographical play tackles the real-life panic that ensued when the outbreak occurred. "I think that fear comes through. They don't know what's happening, how they're getting it or how it's being transmitted. There's a lot of that fear of the unknown." Emotions were heightened to an extreme degree and "The Normal Heart" represents them all through its characters. Back then, it was falsely believed that HIV and AIDS only affected select groups of people, mainly homosexual men. Before the disease was dubbed AIDS, it was called gay-related immune deficiency or "GRID" for short. Ned Weeks, the main character in "The Normal Heart," is a gay activist struggling to raise awareness about the then-unknown disease. Tony Garcia, who plays Ned, said his character's anger runs true throughout the play -- anger towards the amount of silence that took place during the crisis as it was happening. "There's a lot of frustration," said Garcia. "Why is no one helping? Why is no one listening? He's very vocal, almost too vocal." For other characters, the fear of being ostracized is of great concern. Kristopher Johnson's character Hiram Keebler, for example, is someone who works in the political spectrum and is in deep contact with the mayor (with whom Ned and the other characters are desperately trying to hold a meeting). Although Keebler may sympathize with the activists' concerns, he's the bearer of bad news and says the mayor can't do anything to help. "He's basically saying, 'Although I may be gay myself, I'm not going to let that be known by anyone,'" said Johnson. While emotions like anger and frustration and confusion are prevalent throughout "The Normal Heart," the play also delves into strong, positive feelings as well -- the kind of sentiments that bring the characters together and fight to raise awareness. Take Adam Suing's character Felix Turner, for example. "If there was one specific descriptive word for the way Felix would feel, it would be 'love,'" said Suing. "He believes in love over anything else. He's had the hots for Ned for a very long time, and when he finally gets Ned, he gets AIDS." "The Normal Heart" covers other issues besides the lack of response during the AIDS epidemic. Skaff said the characters also deal with the problem of homophobia. "They're saying the government isn't helping them because they're gay," said Skaff. "Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority [a political organization opposing homosexual acts] was really popular back then. We've come a long way." "The Normal Heart"-- which was revived on Broadway in 2011, earned three Tony Awards and was also adapted into a critically acclaimed TV film on HBO -- will no doubt conjure some sort of emotional response from the audience with its potent themes. How do the actors create such a reaction? Skaff said the best way is to make it as true and honest as possible. Johnson said putting himself in his character's shoes could also help. Shannon Plucker, however, may know exactly how these characters must have felt during that time. "I've battled homophobia and I've battled the fear of AIDS my whole life," he said. "It's not a far cry to put myself into their shoes. These were real people. These were real stories. This is a real epidemic." Actor Dave Washburn added that to set out with a goal to evoke a specific emotional reaction from the audience will usually end in failure. "The material itself, when delivered in the proper way, will most likely get the response from an audience because it comes from a very honest place," said Washburn. "It comes from the experience that this author had." For some of us at least, to be a Calvinist today also means that we will have to work at keeping alive the memories of older sayings and teachings in the hope that there will soon come a day when many others will want to learn such things again. Richard Mouw. Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport. The demand for the new definition of high-speed Internet is at a new high. Cities are now actually trying to create an inviting business atmosphere in the hopes they can attract a company offering gigabit Internet. Google Fiber is, of course, one option for the new brand of broadband. The service is available in select areas nationwide and Google continues to expand and announce plans for expansion. City officials in Louisville, Kentucky, are reportedly doing whatever it takes at this point to make their community the right fit for Google Fiber. Louisville is on the short list of cities Google is considering to install its ultra-fast Internet and television service. Government officials there are doing this because they see a clear benefit of having an Internet connection faster than most, at least for now. According to Louisville Councilman Bill Hollander, Its vital for the community that we have this option. Its very, very important that we get this done. Chief of Civic Innovation for Louisville Ted Smith said, Increasingly, many kinds of jobs have either a remote work, telecommuting dimension to them. Many kinds of businesses are started out of homes. Faster Internet connections making getting business done much easier. Cities competing to attract the major suppliers of gigabit Internet gives them a bargaining chip when trying to attract new businesses to move to a city. Google Fiber offers a small business gigabit Internet package for $100 per month. The service is currently available in Atlanta, Austin, Texas, Kansas City, and Provo, Utah. The service is confirmed to be in Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina, Nashville, Salt Lake City, and San Antonio. Louisville is on a list of Potential Fiber cities. Also on the list are Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Irvine, San Jose and San Diego in California, Tampa and Jacksonville in Florida, and Portland, Oregon. Right now, in addition to Google Fiber, AT&T offers the U-verse fiber connection and Comcast also has a gigabit connection available in limited areas. TOP Analysis, Prognoses and News about Greek - Albanian Relations and the Region. The U.S. Defense Department has released photos and video of the four F-22 stealth fighters that flew over South Korea on Wednesday in response to the Norths recent rocket test. The fifth-generation fighter aircraft known as the Raptor made by Lockheed Martin Corp. flew in formation in the vicinity of Osan Air Base near Seoul with four of the services F-16 Fighting Falcons, also made by Lockheed, and four of the South Korean air forces F-15K Slam Eagles made by Boeing Co., according to the Pentagon. The F-22s flew from Kadena Air Base and were deployed in response to the Norths recent provocative action, the Pentagon said, referring to the Feb. 7 launch of a satellite. The U.S. military last month sent a B-52 bomber capable of dropping nuclear warheads to the country after the North conducted its fourth nuclear test. Washington and Seoul have also announced plans to begin talks of possibly deploying an American missile-defense system, known as the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, also made by Lockheed, in South Korea. Do you get the force of connection here? What is the takeaway from this post that I want you to wrap your head around? Don't be fooled. 4 F-22's this time and an escorted B-52 earlier aren't shows of force. They're shows of impotence. 4 F-22's as a show of force? Its laughable! How about a blast from the past? I present to you Operation Paul Bunyan via Wikipedia... When I rant that we're seeing a weakened US military and passive bordering on docile (you could almost call it pussified) civilian leadership, I'm basing that on how we once dealt with illegal acts by rogue nations.Yes. Tensions increased with the N. Koreans after this op, but they were kept in their cage until later administrations (both Democrat and Republican) began caving into their demands and ignoring blatant "misbehavior".Sidenote: Even Clinton showed balls! The Chinese acted badly during his term in office and his response? TWO CARRIER BATTLEGROUPS SAILED THROUGH THE S. CHINA SEA while the Chinese sat back unable to respond! Today? Today we're nervous about sending a single destroyer on a freedom of navigation exercise! What followed next was a travesty, conduct unbecoming of a Ranger, politically motivated injustice mixed with what I suspect was a bit of "protecting turf" It is never good for a foot soldier when this guy is in charge, Galvin told the Washington Free Beacon in a telephone interview from his Kansas home. I dont consider him a military leader. Hes a politician. In 2007 Galvin was in charge of the Marine Corps first special operations unit to be deployed to combat, a development that encountered resistance from within the Corps and the special operations community. Galvin said he could deal with bureaucratic infighting in the lead up to the units deployment to Afghanistan. What he did not expect was the betrayal that followed a March 4 ambush that year, which left more than a dozen Afghans dead, as reported by Military Times. A suicide attacker set off a car bomb targeting Galvins convoy before small arms fire erupted from both sides of the street. The Marines escaped with just one casualty after returning fire. Within 24 hours the ambush had morphed into an alleged war crime, with villagers claiming that drunken Marines had sprayed gunfire into crowds of unarmed civilians. The military launched two investigations, but ordered Galvins unit out of Afghanistan before they were completed. The Marines denied any wrongdoing, saying they engaged only military targets. I stand before you today deeply, deeply ashamed and terribly sorry that Americans have killed and wounded innocent Afghan people, Nicholson told reporters. The death and wounding of innocent Afghans at the hand of Americans is a stain on our honor and on the memory of the many Americans who have died defending Afghanistan and the Afghan people. This was a terrible, terrible mistake That is not what America stands for. Galvin said that Nicholsons public statements undermined his right to a fair trial. The investigative reports were then presented to a three-member Court of Inquiry. After more than three weeks, the court cleared Marines of any wrongdoing, concluding that they were returning fire following a hostile ambush. The headlines on the courts findings paled in comparison to the many stories written about Nicholsons remarks. Galvin said that he and his Marines found their career prospects stifled after the incident and have had trouble coping in civilian life because of the false allegations. During this critical time (we always seem to have critical times in Afghanistan) instead of a warrior general, we have a warrior politician leading our troops. MARSOC had just come alive and were on their first deployment to Afghanistan. All eyes, including mine, were on these guys and the pressure to perform was intense.One day they were on patrol and got hit with a complex ambush triggered by an IED.... Check this out via Free Beacon. Then this.So what do we have?Worse? He's shown that throwing people under the bus to burnish his standing (sorry but I can't help but believe this stance was taken to curry favor with the Obama admin) with his bosses back in Washington.My advice to guys heading down range? BE CAREFUL! The days of leadership standing up for their troops appears to be over with. The Nevada indictment accuses the five men of playing key roles in what it called "a massive armed assault" against federal agents on April 12, 2014, to retake the seized cattle. Ammon Bundy is accused of leading a group of around 200 armed protesters to confront the federal agents holding the cattle. During the confrontation over the cattle, some of the protesters took up sniper positions on a bridge overlooking federal officers. Ammon Bundy's attorney, Mike Arnold, said Wednesday, "the Nevada indictment is no surprise." "It's important for the public to remember that there is a constitutional presumption of innocence in America, Arnold said. "A government charge is proof of nothing." Ryan Payne The Montana electrician and Army veteran is among those in the occupied refuge and has boasted to the press of organizing civilians into sniper squads to confront federal agents at the Cliven Bundy ranch in Nevada in 2014. "We had counter-sniper positions on their sniper positions. We had at least one guy, sometimes two guys, per BLM agent in there," Payne told the Missoula Independent weekly newspaper in Montana. "If they made one wrong move, every single BLM agent in that camp would've died." Payne has been a constant presence near the refuge in recent weeks and told the Oregonian newspaper that he was determined to take a stand on behalf of locals. "We're sending the message: We will protect you," Payne said. We could see several YouTube "celebrities" get pounded. James Yeager, The Hoss, IraqVeteran 8888, Reid and others could soon see indictments....if you watched the coverage every one of these guys showed up with firearms and participated in the standoff... via NBCNews.Some might call this old news, but this is why the Militia Movement's been in a quiet panic. Check out Ryan Payne here So now the Feds are indicted people that participated in the Bundy Incident? They're going after the guys that I said had assaulted Federal Agents by pointing weapons at them (I wondered at the time why nothing had been done).Every swinging dick and ovary that showed up to that protest carrying a firearm instead of a sign is at risk of indictment and can be charged.This is far from over. The media's moved on but the real action is taking place behind the scenes. 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. Del. Barbara Frush, D-Prince George's, and Del. Eric Luedtke, D-Montgomery, are proposing new legislation which would increase the tax on cigarettes purchased in Maryland from $2 to $3 per pack. (Photos: Md. State Archives) ANNAPOLIS (Feb. 18, 2016)In an effort they say is intended to discourage Marylanders from smoking, health advocates urged lawmakers Wednesday to back a bill that would raise the states $2-per-pack cigarette tax to $3. Taxes on other tobacco products would increase by 30% as well.The bill, HB71, sponsored by Del. Eric Luedtke, D-Montgomery, and Del. Barbara Frush, D-Prince Georges, would also require Gov. Larry Hogan to put in at least $21 million in annual funding for the Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Program beginning in fiscal year 2018.There was no mention at the hearing that Republican Gov. Hogan would likely veto any tax hike. He has promised to roll back as many of the tax increases from the OMalley years as possible and brags that his proposed budget is balanced without any tax hikes.During the hearing before the House Ways and Means Committee, proponents said that the revenue resulting from this tobacco tax increase would help fund anti-smoking programs, which wouldeventuallylead to fewer teens smoking and lower healthcare costs.There are plenty of reasons to oppose pieces of legislation. But the economics and the statistics behind this bill are irrefutable, said Luedtke, whose mother was a longtime smoker and recently died from esophageal cancer.We need more money to offset the costs of health care, Luedtke added. We need more money for tobacco prevention. And we know that an increase in the tobacco tax will stop people from using tobacco, particularly young people from getting hooked from the first place.Maryland has raised the tax on cigarettes three times in the past 15 years, including a $1-per-pack increase in 2007.As a result, Marylands tobacco smoking rate has dropped by 32%, 40% amongst kidsdouble the national average, said Vincent DeMarco, the president of Maryland Citizens Health Initiative.The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids has estimated that Marylands 2007 tax increase prevented approximately 52,000 children from smoking, and got roughly 28,000 smokers to quit for good.Think in terms of children. Think in terms of your children, my children, my grandchildren, a representative from the American Heart Association said. This bill is about saving the lives of children.Oponents contended that the tobacco tax hike would not result in more people kicking the habit. Instead, it would make way for a burgeoning black market.Dont kid yourselves, said lobbyist Dan Doherty, Theres going to be cross-bordered sales increasing more than they are now. There will be black market sales increasing more than it is now. Every person I know who still smokes cigarettes buys them out-of-state.Doherty said that if there is an increase in cross-state sales, Maryland will lose revenue. Instead of imposing a tax, he urged the legislature to crack down on minors who smoke.I think the time has come to really get tough on enforcement, on sales to minors, recognize that people who are 18 and older are adults and have a right to make their decisions, Doherty added.Proponents argued that this bill should be less about dollars and cents and more about peoples lives.Theres no reason not to move this bill except an unwillingness to face the voters and explain why its important, Del. Luedtke said. And I think the voters of this state understand.Maryland is currently tied for 12th highest cigarette tax rate in the nation, with Arizona, Maine and Michigan, at $2 a pack. New York is the highest at $4.35 a pack.Neighboring Virginia has lowest cigarette taxes in the nation, 30 cents a pack, and West Virginia is close behind at 55 cents per pack. Black market smugglers caught in Maryland are often heading to New York from Virginia. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theaters much lauded artistic director, Robert Battles, is a Miami native, but hes not the only member of the company who calls the Magic City home. Principal dancer Jamar Roberts will also be celebrating a homecoming when the troupe makes their annual tour appearance at the Arsht Center this weekend. It happens every year and its always an exciting time to be on tour, Roberts said. But, this wont be just another performance for the New World School of the Arts grad because he will be featured in Battles first world premiere, since taking the helm of the internationally heralded company, Awakening. Although both artistic director and dancer share Miami roots and it makes great fodder for jokes, Roberts said, when were in the studio, work is work. Roberts got his start in dance after his family was forced to move to Jacksonville for a year in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. He was in fifth grade and one of his neighbors was participating in an after school dance program. He recalled with a slight chuckle, She asked me to join. I had no clue. Ive been dancing ever since that time. When his family returned to Miami, Roberts continued his studies in magnet schools and later New World. Unlike so many young male dancers, he didnt face the kind of bullying made famous in movies like Billy Elliott. I think I was really fortunate. Even though my family was really poor, I ended up in arts schools. Most kids who go to those schools are different, Roberts said. After graduating, the natural decision for Robertand many alumniwas to make the move to New York City. I didnt see it as a big deal, honestly, he said. The high school had a huge alumni network of dancers and the other arts filtering into various areas of New York City. It was expected if you went to that school, if you were great or had the potential to be great. They nurtured that kind of exodus. I was just going along with the advice of the mentors and teachers who guided me along the way. Roberts, who is now 33 years old, spent one year with the junior company, Ailey 2, before advancing to the main company. The job is demanding: His days begin with company class at 10:30 a.m., followed by rehearsals from 12 noon to 7 p.m., with a one hour lunch break. After that, I go home completely exhausted, go to bed, wake up and do it again, he explained. This job is pretty life consuming. Not a day goes by that I dont have to plan my life or live my life around this job. The company spends four to five months each year touring the world, and even though Roberts has danced many times for the family and friends who will be watching in the Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Arsht Center, these performance are more than a job. Playwright Ronnie Larsen has a dirty mind. In addition to his new play, Cocksucker: A Love Story, currently playing at Empire Stage, he has brought back last years smash hit, The Penis Talk Show, for a limited run at the Fort Lauderdale theater space. The entire premise behind The Penis Talk Show is a candid conversation between the audience and three naked men whose identities are hidden by a curtain covering their faces. You can ask me anything is the mantra for the evening. Larsen serves as a verbal fluffer of sorts, who interviews and lubricates the audience as they arrive, encouraging them to write questions for the penises on index cards. At the first performance last week, even though the vast majority of the audience was made up of mature gay men, he immediately targeted the few straight women in audience, especially the one who admitted she indeed liked penises, but hadnt participated in oral sex for two decades. As the participants were finally revealed, the eager audience was instructed to yell swivel when they desired a better view. Quickly everyone also realized these three were not going to be shy, anonymity or not. Penis #1 was a slender, forty-ish bisexual Latino from the Dominican Republic. His penis was sizable and uncircumsized. Penis #2 was a fair-skinned, 22-year-old escort and gay porn star originally from Mississippi with a cut, respectable grower and big balls. Penis #3, a young Cuban immigrant in his late 20s, had a lean, defined body adorned with exotic, colorful tattoos down his flat abdomen and a very long, uncircumcised dick that he played with unceasingly. Many of the questions were fairly predictable: Do you manscape (clip and shave) down there? Do you miss your foreskin? Are you a top or a bottom? Whats your favorite position (which they demonstrated)? Other questions were zingers: Have you had sex with anything other than a man or woman? As a teen in Cuba, Penis #3 admitted he lost his virginity to a chicken on the isolated Caribbean island. Gasps followed. Confronted with an audience question about sounding, Larsen surprisingly didnt even know what that term meant. Fortunately, a medical professional in the audience provided the scientific definition for inserting a stainless steel tube down the urethra for pleasure. The penises werent nearly so clinical in their vivid descriptions. And then there was the issue of fisting. Larsen became infatuated with the topic, returning to the questioner numerous times throughout the evening. Normally unflappable, the sharp-tongued and occasionally potty-mouthed host was left at a loss for words as the conversation took a sobering tone when Penis #1 admitted enjoying an anonymous bareback encounter with a well-endowed black man at a sex club that ended with ejaculation inside his rectum. This shit just got real, he responded. Arent you afraid youll catch an STD? The conversation quickly turned to HIV and the controversial PrEP treatment that is popular with younger gay men. The audience, many of whom had lived through the AIDS crisis of the 80s and early 90s, seemed equally shocked by the revelations of such risky behavior. All three penises were on the treatment, which involves taking an anti-retroviral pill daily, and they all enjoyed natural sex without the barrier of condoms. Soon, the conversation returned to lighter topics, including the fetishes of Penis #2s clients and his porn movies. And, of course, the subjects of fisting and sounding were revisited, too. At one point, Larsen admitted, You just cant make this shit up! No, you cant. For some, especially those straight women and the lone husband in the audience, the evening offered a crude sex education class, but mostly it was a hilarious examination of the sexual appetites of three pretty typical South Florida gay men. Honestly, it was the funniest show this reviewer has enjoyed all year. The Penis Talk Show will be repeated on Wednesdays, Feb. 24 and March 2 at 8 p.m. at Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Drive in Fort Lauderdale. For tickets, go to EmpireStage.com. Dr. John Armstrong, Governor Rick Scotts pick for Florida Surgeon General, survived a senate committee hearing on Tuesday despite objections from AIDS activists to his nomination to head the Florida Department of Health. Florida leads the nation with the highest rate of new HIV infections, said Broward County human rights activist Michael Rajner. Like that of President Ronald Reagans shameful legacy of refusing to respond to the nations AIDS epidemic, Armstrong avoided the issue and has never engaged stakeholders responding to Floridas HIV/AIDS crisis. As SFGN went to press Tuesday evening, details of Armstrongs vote in the senate health policy committee were unavailable. His confirmation now moves to a senate ethics and elections committee vote and then to the senate floor, said Rajner. Armstrongs close ties to the religious right have angered gay rights activists and led some to question his ability to lead Floridas Department of Health. In 2008, Armstrongs chief operating officer, Nathan Dunn, led the effort to pass the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment, a constitutional amendment enshrining discrimination into the Florida Constitution. Appointed by Scott in 2012, Armstrong, a U.S. Army veteran, previously was the top medical officer at the University of South Florida in Tampa. In editorials published by newspapers through Florida, Armstrong has consistently laid blame for Floridas HIV/AIDS crisis on behavioral issues and promiscuity. In urging senators to reject his nomination, Rajner contends Armstrongs managerial style has cloaked the sunshine state in darkness. If confirmed, Armstrong stands to earn $141,000 a year. Dennis James Jozefowicz, 44, the original webmaster for the South Florida Gay News, passed away last Friday morning, February 12, after a very brief illness. Jozefowicz, also known as a popular DJ and host for Karaoke nights at Scandals and the Stable, had gone into the hospital almost two weeks ago, after being diagnosed with a case of double pneumonia. However, his conditioned worsened steadily, and Jozefowicz died from acute respiratory distress syndrome. Norm Kent, the publisher of SFGN, issued a statement proclaiming Dennis an individual who brought devotion and dedication to the tasks he filled so responsibly and reliably every day. Our office is saddened and our hearts are pained by his loss. Too quick, too soon, too sudden." At Scandals, owner Ken Kelley, who is hosting a gathering in Denniss memory Wednesday afternoon, stated simply that Dennis was a great friend to me, and like many, I will miss him so much. Nicknamed affectionately Liquorsister, Dennis was a webmaster, videographer, producer, DJ, artistic creator and film buff. He was most proud of his home cooking, and living a simple life, content with a drink at the Hard Rock, or producing a video at his home work station while chomping down on leftover Jets Pizza. He helped keep the office calm and sane and responsible, said Bren Lies, SFGNs Art Director, who worked beside him for the last two years. Dennis had described himself as a gay media slave and worked on the online website NationalGayNews.com prior to joining SFGN in 2010. He became locally popular hosting The Dennis Show at Scandals and the Stable, two local country bars in greater Fort Lauderdale. Services memorializing Dennis will be held at the Kalis-McIntee Funeral Home in Wilton Manors. His remains will be returned to his surviving sister and mother, in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Sentinel-3A ESA The third ESA-developed satellite carrying four Earth-observing instruments has been launched and is ready to provide a bigger picture for Europes Copernicus environment program. The 1150 kg Sentinel-3A satellite was carried into orbit on a Rockot launcher from Plesetsk, Russia, at 17:57 GMT (18:57 CET; 20:57 local time) on 16 February. After a first burn starting about five minutes after liftoff and a second about 70 min later, Rockots upper stage delivered Sentinel-3A into its planned orbit, 817.5 km above Earth. The satellite separated 79 min into the flight. The first signal from Sentinel-3A was received after 92 min by the Kiruna station in Sweden. Telemetry links and attitude control were then established by controllers at ESAs ESOC operations centre in Darmstadt, Germany, allowing them to monitor the health of the satellite. After the launch and the early orbit phase of three days, controllers will begin checking that all the satellite elements are working and subsequently calibrate the instruments to commission the satellite. The mission is expected to begin operations in five months. With the successful launch of Sentinel-3 we are now looking forward to how our teams of experts will steer this mission into its operational life like they have done the first two satellites of the series, said ESA Director General Jan Woerner. This is another demonstration of the broad range of competence we have at ESA from the early design phase until the operational mission in orbit. The mission is the third of six families of dedicated missions that make up the core of Europes Copernicus environmental monitoring network. Copernicus relies on the Sentinels and contributing missions to provide data for monitoring the environment and supporting civil security activities. Sentinel-3 carries a series of cutting-edge sensors to do just that. Over oceans, it measures the temperature, colour and height of the sea surface as well as the thickness of sea ice. These measurements will be used, for example, to monitor changes in Earths climate and for more hands-on applications such as marine pollution and biological productivity. Over land, this innovative mission will monitor wildfires, map the way land is used, check vegetation health and measure the height of rivers and lakes This is the third of the Sentinel satellites launched in the less than two years and it is certainly a special moment. It also marks a new era for the Copernicus Services, with Sentinel-3 providing a whole range of new data with unprecedented coverage of the oceans, said the Director of ESAs Earth Observation Programmes, Volker Liebig. Sentinel-3B, its twin satellite, is scheduled for launch next year. Data from all the Sentinels are used worldwide and are free of charge for all users. NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 17 February 2016. NASA The International Space Station raised its orbit again today as three crew members prepare for a March 1 landing while another trio gets ready for a March 19 launch. Meanwhile, advanced research continued inside the orbital laboratory to improve life on Earth and for future space residents. Todays orbital reboost places the station at the correct altitude for the March 1 undocking of Soyuz Commander Sergey Volkov and One-Year crew members Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko. Their undocking will leave the Poisk modules docking port vacant where a trio of Expedition 47 crew members will dock two-and-a-half weeks later inside the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft. Today, the Expedition 46 crew participated in a variety of human research exploring how the heart adapts to life in space, the risk of atherosclerosis in astronauts and how microgravity affects an astronauts vision. The crew also sampled the stations air and surfaces for microbes to learn how to prevent contamination in future spacecraft. Another spacecraft is being prepared for departure Friday morning when it will be released from the grips of the 57.7 foot long Canadarm2 robotic arm. The Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo craft is being loaded with trash before NASA astronauts Kelly and Tim Kopra release Cygnus using the robotics controls inside the seven-window cupola. NASA Television will cover the activities live Friday beginning at 7 a.m. EST. On-Orbit Status Report Biological Rhythms 48-Hour: Kelly began his third and final Biological Rhythms experiment today, preparing and starting the Actiwatch and donning a Holter Monitor to collect Electrocardiogram (ECG) measurements for 48 hours. Biological Rhythms 48 hours studies the effects of long-term microgravity exposure on heart function by analyzing an astronauts electrocardiogram for 48 hours. While the ISS station maintains Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) as its time zone, it remains unknown whether a separate biological rhythm is imposed on long-term flight crews. To study this astronauts wear an Actiwatch sleep monitor for 96 hours and a Holter electrocardiograph for 48 hours in the middle of that sequence. Cardio Ox: Kopra, with Peake as the operator, performed a Flight Day 60 Cardio Ox ultrasound measurement session. The goal of Cardio Ox is to determine whether biological markers of oxidative and inflammatory stress are elevated during and after space flight and whether this results in an increased, long-term risk of atherosclerosis risk in astronauts. Twelve crewmembers provide blood and urine samples to assess biomarkers before launch, 15, and 60 days after launch, 15 days before returning to Earth, and within days after landing. Ultrasound scans of the carotid and brachial arteries are obtained at the same time points, as well as through 5 years after landing, as an indicator of cardiovascular health. Ocular Health Testing: Today Kopra and Peake completed their Flight Day 60 Ocular Health testing by performing ocular and cardiac ultrasound scans. The Ocular Health protocol calls for a systematic gathering of physiological data to characterize the risk of microgravity-induced visual impairment/intracranial pressure in ISS crewmembers. Researchers believe that the measurement of visual, vascular and central nervous system changes over the course of this experiment and during the subsequent post-flight recovery will assist in the development of countermeasures, clinical monitoring strategies, and clinical practice guidelines. Russian Joint Research (RJR) Microbiological Sampling: Today Kornienko used the Microbial Air Sampler (MAS) and Surface Sample Kit (SSK) to take surface and air samples in the ISS to support a microbiological assessment of the ISS. These activities are performed as part of a joint cooperative research program between NASA and the Russian Space Agency. The results of incubation and analysis of these samples will be used to identify ISS locations and surfaces prone to microbial contamination and will provide a scientific basis for decisions about future microbial monitoring on ISS and on future spacecraft used for human exploration. Orbital ATK (OA)-4 Departure Preparation: Kelly and Kopra reviewed material associated with Cygnus departure then utilized a Robotic Trainer in order to practice nominal and off nominal release scenarios. Later in the afternoon the crew completed transferring US and Russian trash into the Cygnus vehicle in preparation for Fridays departure. ISS Reboost: This morning, the ISS successfully performed a reboost using the Progress 61 thrusters. The burn duration was 11 minutes long in order to achieve a delta-V of 1.05 meters per second. This reboost was the third in a series of reboosts to target the planned conditions for Soyuz 44 landing and Soyuz 46 4-Orbit Rendezvous next month. Todays Planned Activities All activities were completed unless otherwise noted. BIOME Questionnaire Completion BLR48 Card Preparation Russian Joint Research (RJR) Collecting Surface Samples using SSK Gathering Node 1 Nadir CBM Controller Panel Assembly (CPA) Crew Departure Prep Closing USOS Window Shutters Ocular Health (OH) Prep for Ultrasound Scan Ocular Health (OH) Ultrasound Scans Ocular Health (OH) Ultrasound 2 Scans Closing window 6,8,9,12,13,14 shutters LBNP Exercise (PRELIMINARY) Ocular Health (OH) Ultrasound 2 Data Export Changeout of ???-?2? purification column assembly (???) FPEF Connector Removal Ocular Health (OH) Ultrasound 2 Scan (Closeout Ops) Onboard Training (OBT) Cygnus Release and Departure Review Transferring Data from Cargo Environment Sensor Changeout of ????-2? Water Conditioning Unit Purification Columns (?? ???) OH Ocular Health Cardiac Operations Ocular Health (OH) Operator Assistance with the Experiment BLR48 Setup/Don Hardware and Start Video Recording Complete the Dose Tracker Application Subject BLR48 Electrode Placement (Operator) CARDOX Experiment Ops Flushing Water conditioning unit purification columns (?? ???) Start LBNP Exercise (PRELIMINARY) Handover of Russian Cargo Items to US crew for disposal via Cygnus Hardware prepack for return and disposal on Soyuz 718 Russian Joint Research (RJR) Microbiology Air Sampling (MAS) on the ISS Cygnus Cargo Operations USND2 Hardware Deactivation HABIT Experiment Ops JRNL Journal Entry Onboard Training (OBT) Cygnus OBT-ROBoT RELEASE ??? Maintenance Crew Departure Prep Cygnus Cargo Operations Changeout of Dust Filter ??1-4 Cartridges in SM (???1???_4_419_1 bag 431-7 CIR Upper Rack Doors Open CIR Hardware Removal and Relocation Hardware prepack for return and disposal on Soyuz 718 CIR Upper Rack Doors Close CONTENT. Experiment Ops IMMUNO. Preparing Saliva-Immuno Kit for the experiment Cygnus cargo conference VEG-01 Equipment Deactivation Increment 45 Plaque Hanging On MCC GO Flushing Water conditioning unit purification columns (?? ???) Terminate Completed Task List Items Storytime Sea Level Ground Activities All activities were completed unless otherwise noted. Nominal System Commanding System Commanding associated with ISS Reboost Three-Day Look Ahead: Thursday, 02/18: Node 1 CPA Install, Cygnus Hatch Closure, Microbiome, Cognition Test, RWS DCP Checkout, ELF Cartridge Install Friday, 02/19: OA-4 unberth, EMU water conductivity test, Neuromapping setup Saturday, 02/20: Crew Off Duty, Weekly Cleaning QUICK ISS Status Environmental Control Group: Component Status Elektron On Vozdukh Manual [???] 1 SM Air Conditioner System (SKV1) Off [???] 2 SM Air Conditioner System (SKV2) Off Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab Override Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 Operate Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab Idle Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 Operate Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) Process Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) Standby Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab Off Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 Full Up Astro Pi ESA Following the success of the Astro Pi competition, there is a new competition offering UK school children the chance to send their computer code to ESA astronaut Tim Peake on the International Space Station (ISS). Larger image Two augmented Raspberry Pi computers, called Astro Pis, are on board the ISS as part of ESA astronaut Tim Peakes Principia mission. Both are equipped with different cameras and a range of sensors that the students can use in a wide variety of experiments. The new competition Astro Pi Coding Challenges, launched this month, presents a specific problem to students and asks them to solve it with code. This approach differs from the 2015 competition, where students were given an open-ended brief to come up with their own ideas for experiments. This time, Tim has a particular task in mind for them, with two challenges on offer, both of which are music-based. This competition offers a unique chance for young people to learn core computing skills that will be extremely useful in their future. Its going to be a lot of fun! said Tim Peake. The winners will have their code uploaded to the ISS and used by Tim on the Astro Pi computers (on a best-effort basis subject to operational constraints). David Honess, from the Raspberry Pi Foundation, spoke with Tim just before launch and learned that it is difficult to update the astronauts MP3 player while in space. So theres a practical, utilitarian purpose for having the students code this MP3 player for him. Itll solve a real problem on the space station, said David. The first challenge is for students to write Python code to turn the Astro Pi into an MP3 music player, something that it was never designed for. The students will need to program the buttons, joystick and LED display to provide an iPod-like interface, so that Tim can plug in headphones and listen to music. The second challenge requires students to compose their own music using a tool called Sonic Pi. This allows music to be created using lines of code, and is a really fun and engaging way to learn to program. Tim will then use the MP3 player code from the first challenge to listen to the second challenges music in space. The competition is open to all primary and secondary school-age students who are resident in the United Kingdom, and it is supported by a comprehensive range of teaching resources that are available for free on the Astro Pi website. The deadline for submissions is 31 March. The competition is divided into four age categories 11 years and under, 11 to 14 years, 14 to 16 years and 16 to 18 years with a winner selected from each for both challenges. In total, four MP3 players and a minimum of four songs will be uploaded and played by Tim in space the most exclusive concert venue imaginable. The judging will be conducted by a panel of experts selected from industry partners that have been involved in the Astro Pi project from the start. These are UK Space Trade Association, UK Space Agency, European Space Agency, Surrey Satellite Technology, Airbus Defence and Space, CGI, QinetiQ, ESERO UK, National STEM Centre, and Space KTN. The advantage of a dog whistle is that people dont have to say things that would put them in an unflattering light. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Dog whistle communication uses apparently innocuous statements to conceal hatred and bigotry, or to stir it in the listener. Its a form of speech used by politicians to send messages that they know to be unacceptable in civilized society; to understand the intended meaning, you have to share the prejudice of the speaker. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Prime Minister Robert Fico has always been a dab hand with a dog whistle, such as in a blog he wrote way back in 2002 on the need for a new law to protect Slovak forests from criminals with axes. After huffing on about the authority of the state, primitive legal infractions and the impotence of human rights saints, Fico got to the real point of his diatribe: stirring racial passions. We should rename Slovak Paradise (national forest reserve) Gypsy Tree-stump, he wrote. But Fico has rarely played his whistle with such virtuosity and such gusto as over the last six months. Refugees, he has repeatedly claimed, will not be admitted to Slovakia because there is a danger that among the migrants a wave of people will come to Europe, not seeking work or a better life, but in order to spread terrorism. Which, if it were true, might not be an objectionable statement governments have a duty to protect their citizens from attack. Except this wave of migrants bent on terrorizing Europe never materialized, because it never existed in the first place. Moreover, as revealed in a recent university survey on attitudes towards migrants, Slovaks are actually less afraid for their lives than for their jobs. So what is Ficos fear-mongering all about? Why bang on about terrorism if it is risibly untrue, and if it doesnt resonate with the very people who are supposed to be listening? The advantage of a dog whistle is that people dont have to say things that would put them in an unflattering light. Such as that many Slovaks would rather not have to live beside indigent newcomers who remind them of the Roma. So Fico talks about terrorist threats from migrants, and people in surveys talk about competition for scarce jobs. Everyone blows on their whistles and no one has to speak the plain, unappealing truth, which is that the majority of people in this country reject greater religious, cultural and racial diversity. SLOVAKIA will start presenting itself with a single brand, the government decided on February 17. The public will learn this year what this single brand for presentation abroad will look like. Font size: A - | A + The Foreign Ministry announced a tender for this purpose last year. The winner, a company called Creative Department, came up with a story, content identity and slogans in six languages fulfilling the requirements along with a visual identity for the brand and a comprehensive brand book and design manual. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The winning proposal includes a unified logo that will replace all of the various logos currently being used by Government Offices and ministries, the TASR newswire wrote. The new logo incorporates Slovakias national emblem the double-barred cross, the name of the institution in question and a graphic element that visually differentiates the individual levels of state administration. Ministries should start using the new brand by the end of September. They will have to change their letterheads, business cards, information boards, banners, websites and profiles on social networks along with their informational and promotional materials. Other central bodies of the state administration will use the new logo based on their specific needs. Read also: PRESIDENT Andrej Kiska is the most trusted top constitutional official in Slovakia, according to a survey carried out by the Focus agency on a sample of 1,000 respondents between January 31 and February 7. Font size: A - | A + The agency focused on trust in the top three constitutional officials in Slovakia the president, the speaker of parliament and prime minister, Martin Slosiarik of Focus informed the TASR newswire on February 17. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement President Kiska enjoys the trust of 62.7 percent of the respondents, with 16 percent of them trusting him absolutely and 46 percent inclined to trust him. On the other hand, 31.5 percent of respondents expressed distrust in him, of which 12.4 percent do not trust him at all and 19.1 percent tend to distrust him. A total of 35.2 percent of the respondents trust Prime Minister Robert Fico, of which 14.4 percent trust him absolutely and 20.8 percent are inclined to trust him. A total of 59.7 percent of the people surveyed do not trust him, with 35.4 percent not trusting him at all and 24.3 percent rather distrustful of him. Speaker of Parliament Peter Pellegrini is trusted by 30.4 percent of the respondents, with 6.7 percent trusting him completely and 23.7 percent trusting him to a certain extent. Meanwhile, 55.5 percent of those surveyed expressed distrust in him, of which 26.4 percent do not trust him in the least and 29.1 percent distrust him somewhat. AFTER current protests and talks with state representatives, teachers trade unions and other organisations active in education signed a joint declaration on the sector on February 17. Font size: A - | A + They plan to present it to the political parties running in the March 5 general election, suggesting it as a basis for the future government manifesto in relation to education. This declaration has one common goal to persuade the government that emerges from the general election to finally begin dealing with education as a matter of priority, teachers trade union head Pavel Ondek told the TASR newswire. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Among other points, the declaration contains a demand for all powers and authorities running and funding public schools to come exclusively under the remit of the Education Ministry after the election unlike the current situation, whereby primary and secondary schools come under the regional governments. When it comes to funding, the declaration insists on allocating at least 6 percent of GDP to the education sector by the end of the next electoral term (2020). Read also: Read also: Teachers, pupils, university students protest in Bratislava Read more Teachers salaries should be increased, too, in order to reach at least 80 percent of the salaries received by other people with a university education by the end of 2020. This would entail raising teachers salaries by 25 percent from next year and by a further 10 percent in each of the following years. As for university education, the signatory organisations suggest drawing up a long-term concept of the development of university education with the funding of public universities to be increased by 60 million each year. They also demand that the salaries of newly appointed university lecturers should reach at least 1.7 times the average salary in Slovakia. The declaration was signed by the unions, as well as by the following organisations: The Slovak Teachers Chamber, The Association of Primary Schools in Slovakia, The Association of Directors of State Grammar Schools, The Association of Secondary Vocational Schools, The Association of Catholic Schools in Slovakia, The Association of Private Schools and Educational Institutions, The Association of Art Schools, The Independent Christian Trade Unions in Slovakia, The Slovak Council of Parents' Associations, The Slovak Rectors Conference, The Council of Slovak Universities, The Club of Deans of Slovak University Faculties, The Student University Council, and The Association of Slovak PhD Students. The declaration will be delivered to Education Minister Juraj Draxler on February 18, according to TASR. Read also: Fico and Orban have turned Havels and Walesas Visegrad into ruins. Font size: A - | A + VISEGRAD is definitely one of the most beautiful places in Hungary. The mountains that roll up from the Danube shortly before Hungary falls into an endless flatland of the puszta, which reminded the roaming Hungarian tribes so much of the Asian steppe that they decided to stay. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Visegrad however is also an endlessly sad place. The ruins recall the greatness of Hungary once ruled by the French kings; the Hungarian Kingdom that used to be, thanks to the gold and silver mines in Slovakia and the fertile Danube lowlands, a jewel among the states in the Middle Ages. A kingdom of which, after centuries of the Ottoman rule and decades of wars, almost nothing was left. At Visegrad, the biggest castle in the whole kingdom, we are invited to stretch our fantasy and imagine how big and advanced the civilisation was that almost ceased to exist here. V4 helped after Meciar Visegrad as we had known it in early 1990s was a great project of great times. It laid the basis of something unprecedented in this part of Europe: the cooperation of the central-European nations affected by nearly a half-century of totalitarianism and various forms of Soviet occupation that turned independent states into the vassal territories of the Kremlin. When Soviet rule fell, there was a threat that Central Europe could go back to the interwar times, when the lack of cooperation and often even hostility among Poles, Hungarians, Czechs, and Slovakia, made Central Europe an easy prey first for the Nazi Third Reich and then for the liberators, Stalins Soviet Union. Founding the Visegrad Group where the founding document carries the signatures of the Hungarian PM Jozsef Antall, Czechoslovak President Vaclav Havel, and Polish President Lech Walesa laid the grounds for treating each other as partners rather than rivals. Visegrad has become part of the renewed Czech-Slovak partnership when after the rule of Vladimir Meciar the entire grouping helped Slovakia to catch up on the lost years and make it to the EU and the NATO. Inspiration for Europe? After entering the EU we still lived with the illusion that Visegrad could help western Europe to make the EU more immune from the return of totalitarianism in new forms, like those deployed by Putins Russia or the communist-capitalist rulers in China. It seemed that the ethos of the people who had the first hand-experience with jailing and decades of oppression, would help motivate western Europe to defend human rights in the world. There was hope it would make EU countries less willing to pursue business relations with Beijing, Moscow and other dictatorships while ignoring the violation of fundamental human rights, that it would give Europe the power and the determination to defend its own fundamental values. But when we look at Central Europe now, we must smile ironically about this original Visegrad ideal. In its current form, as seen also from Mondays talks in Prague, the Visegrad Group is a distorted caricature of its original self. States like Poland, Hungary, and partly Ficos Slovakia, not only arent the guardians of the protection of democratic freedoms and ideals of the anti-totalitarian revolutions, but quite the contrary, they violate and limit the fundamentals of a functioning democratic regime. Welcome to the Orbanland Perhaps the liberal democracy that their predecessors were trying to build here wasnt perfect and couldnt introduce everything that has worked in the western Europe, the United States, and other democratic countries of the world. But what Orban brought about and what Kaczynski is trying to endorse and what Fico will do if wins the elections, is not a better democracy, but a new form of undemocratic regime. Its not an improvement of democracy, it is its dismantling. Visegrad and the central-European cooperation today work as an excuse for why this part of Europe shouldnt be the West with all its democratic rules that need to be observed, with all the constitutional brakes that should prevent one party from dominating based on nationalist ideologies. These ideologies are trying to suggest to central-European nations that if we do not follow the West, we will be better off. And the more proof comes to demonstarte that we arent and we are not likely to be better off under Orban, Kaczynski, and Fico, the more necessary it is to tighten the screws of the new oppression by invoking the fear of refugees and migration, of the dominance of Brussels, by suggesting fears of Germany or by demonising the United States. And by pulling Central Europe away from the core of the European Union. There is only one aim of that: for the local rulers who have confused their one time election with a life-long mandate to be able to do whatever they want with the citizens of their Central Europe. And nobody from Brussels, Berlin, or Washington, will interfere. Voting is enough for now The Visegrad that we live in today has no added value for Europe, but is rather a toxic body that might dissolve the European Union and the NATO through the gradual corrosion of the fundamental values that these communities stand on. In order for that not to happen, those Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, and Hungarians who do not want to live in a new form of totalitarianism must use the rest of the freedom theyve got to revolt against the direction Central Europe is heading. For that revolt it is still enough to go to the elections and not vote for the politicians who are trying to deprive us of freedom that we gained quarter a century ago the same freedom the Visegrad was founded to protect and promote quarter a century ago. As seen from Mondays summit in Prague, that Visegrad looks to be in ruins now, just like of that mighty castle above the Danube. Written for the Sme daily by Lubos Palata, reporter of the Czech daily MF Dnes AMONG THE shady practices of firms with dubious background, the shell company Territorio stands out, according to the Dennik N daily, in a story published on February 17. Font size: A - | A + The company based in Bratislavas Old Town did not have any revenue in 2014 and appears to have no real office or phone number; but it nonetheless achieved a profit of 300 million in that year, making it the third most profitable company in Slovakia. Dozens of companies are registered at the companys address on Bozeny Nemcovej Street in Bratislavas Old Town. Apart from Territorio, they include Office House, which specialises in the sale of virtual addresses. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement According to database finstat.sk, only gas companies SPP Infrastructure and Eustream managed to surpass Territorio in 2014, with profits of 813 million and 334 million respectively, the TASR newswire advised. Other companies, including carmakers, banks and phone operators, ranked below it. Territorio operates only fictitiously, according to Dennik N. It does not really carry out any business activities. Its owner merely transfers money into it, claiming that this has been taxed abroad. Territorio was set up in 2012, but did not have any revenue. In its first year, it spent 6,000 and ended up with the same level of loss. However, it ended 2013 with a profit of 56 million, before earning 300 million the following year. The company's statement of finances for 2015 has not yet been published. Territorio is allegedly not owned by a Slovak citizen. The company is part of a holding structure owned by a significant Russian financial and business group, said Tomas Chrobak of Office Houses sister Czech company in Prague. However, Chrobak is not authorised to say who the owner is or how Territorio earned the 300 million. Dennik N tried to investigate the company and concluded that Territrios owner is concealed . It is officially owned by the Cyprus-based Tomkins Holdings Limited. Cyprus business register has no record of an owner, as Cyprus guarantees anonymity to entrepreneurs. In the Slovak business register, the owner is stated as its legal representative Martin Benedikovic, aged 33, from Nitra. When his mother was approached by Dennik N, she claimed that he was living in Cyprus, and is currently unemployed, having previously worked in a restaurant. Benedikovics predecessor in the position of legal representative, Richard Toth of Kosice, connects (as does Benedikovic) Territorio with another widely publicized company that won a questionable tender as a single bidder- for operating the Danube ferry, Ponton City and its co-owner, Business Investments LLC. Read also: SLOVAK Dances, as the name suggests, is a musical arrangement that lends itself to dancing. Composer Peter Breiner, a Slovak who now resides in New York City, says that it is inspired by Johannes Brahmss and Hungarian Dances, Antonin Dvoraks Slavonic Dances and eastern-Slovak folklore. Font size: A - | A + The Slovak National Theatre thought it a pity not to give it some choreography. Natalia Horecna was called in. After a childhood in Bratislava, Horecna left Slovakia in 1994 aged 17, and started studying, dancing (as a soloist in the Hamburg Ballet), and later working as a dancer / choreographer in Hamburg, for Scapino Ballet Rotterdam and Nederlands Dans Theater, as well as other theatres. In 2014, Horecna won the Taglioni European Ballet Award in category Best Young Choreographer given by the Vladimir Malakhov Foundation. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Choreographer and composer collaborating (Source: Peter Brenkus) The Slovak Spectator talked to her about returning to her homeland and collaborating with Breiner shortly before the premiere of Slovak Dances: Lives of Lights on February 19. The Slovak Spectator (TSS): Whose idea was this project? Natalia Horecna (NH): Three days after the premiere of my work at Innsbruck ballet, I received the call from head of SND ballet section, Mr. Jozef Dolinsky, who asked me, Why dont you do a ballet for us? I had a chunk of free time, so I said, Yes, of course, and then he said the nice part that I can do it with Mr. Breiner. This was one and a half years ago. The build-up was very beautiful because I received 16 songs, and then I told Maestro that this was perhaps too long, and if he didnt mind, I would chop it down to 13; and maybe make some adjustments. And he said to me: You have my green light, whatever you want, just tell me on time, and Im fine. It was wonderful to work with him he allowed me everything; and he is a great person. So I took it; and I puzzled things together because hearing the music, and wanting to celebrate the togetherness, coming back, being together as human beings, as society of Europe, of the world I just wanted to make a huge celebration of this all. I said to him. I dont want any sad dramas lets celebrate, be with people. TSS: So it is a story? NH: I didnt want to kill the public with all sorts of difficult, complicated stories the music is beautiful enough, dancers are gorgeous; and I wanted to do something simple but in a way also difficult. It is a story of typical characters of Slovak folklore, Janko and Anicka, who live in a city which has lost its eternal lights. Jan is looking for his own light, as does Anicka, and it is a journey about looking for ones own light inside. When considering how to express all this in a way accessible to the public, I thought about a very simply constructed story. Jan goes and looks for the light, showing us our own journey. So it is a journey and a celebration inside of us. There is so much negative on our planet and we need to go back to our hearts. I feel that this world is suffering a huge disconnection from the heart. For me, the music was a complete, perfect message for what I want to say. TSS: What style of dance did you choose? NH: I call my style a dirty neo-classic style because it is basically neo-classic with a lot from folklore, jazz a bit here and there, all sorts of mixed elements; as the music also has many variations, many stories and many colours. But the bottom line would be that its done in neo-classical language which is, with me, a bit more earthy, a bit more grounded. I want dancers to really enjoy themselves, and that is the main thing. They love what they do, if they understand, free themselves and get used to my movements. In these last rehearsals, they really start to let it fly. And when this happens, I can pass it on give it to people because we are serving them, we are in fact servants. We cannot be artists and do this for ourselves; its done for people. TSS: What feedback have you received? NH: Well, I am invited back to the theatres, and this is my 33rd choreography in fact. So in the nine years as a choreographer, I have been busy. TSS: How is it to come back to Slovakia? NH: When I try to feel the energy of the land, I see it as a beautiful sunny land. The other thing is what people sometimes do within the land; but I know they are not evil. I dont want others to talk about it in a bad way; Slovakia is really a beautiful country. For once, I want to be kind to this land with all its mountains and lovely sites. It is just like any other country in the world, and I think the time has come to really embrace it. I dont live here but it doesnt mean I dont embrace it. Its been 22 years [since I left], and it is a good feeling to come back. It is my homeland and I pay huge respect to that; and I treat myself and people here nicely. But there are great people everywhere. I work here and there, and everywhere I work is my home. I feel like a global person, and I think the world would be much nicer if everybody felt this way. There are many different cultures, and it is wonderful to celebrate that. To find a fine balance between cosmopolitanism and being rooted at home. TSS: What is your connection with folklore, with eastern-Slovak folklore more specifically? NH: I love Slovak folklore: as a little girl, I saw performances of SLUK, of Lucnica, and I also saw my classmates doing folklore. Here, I thought: Why not use some folk steps? Why not put some sweet parts of this culture inside? But I am not a folk dancer and I create ballets; and dancers are not professional folk dancers either. I come and see what I can do, and what I cannot. As for dancers, I am not here to bash them, just to take what they have already, and continue from there. TSS: What has this project meant for you personally, emotionally? NH: This project is great, it is my other child. I have already 33 children; and so I am very happy because I am a truly productive mother. And I am always pregnant, so to say, which is wonderful. Read also: Countries remain against quotas, but will follow EU path Font size: A - | A + DESPITE strong opinions that preceded a recent summit of the Central European countries, the Visegrad Group goes to Brussels today united and ready to embrace a common European solution to the migration crisis minus refugee quotas. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Prime ministers of the Visegrad Group met in Prague on February 15, the day when the grouping celebrated its 25th anniversary, but refugees rather than celebrations were central to their talks. For Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland, border protection is essential to solving the refugee-related situation in Europe, the prime ministers stated jointly after the meeting. This was also stressed by the guest countries invited to the V4 summit this time around: Bulgaria and Macedonia. The swift implementation of measures agreed at the EU level to strengthen external border protection must remain the top priority, the joint statement reads. Some have perceived the summit as an attempt to negate the solution discussed on the EU level. Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn was reported to have warned the V4 countries not to become a club of renegades. By the end of the summit, however, the V4 leaders declared they were ready to embrace the common European solution that the major EU summit on February 18 is expected to bring. They however stressed that they would insist on their plan B, as Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico labelled it after the summit, if that common European solution failed to be implemented. The conclusion of the V4 summit managed to calm the situation and the uproar that emerged because V4 countries have in the recent months earned the label of countries that not always agree with European solutions, Tomas Strazay, an expert on the Visegrad region from the non-governmental Slovak Foreign Policy Association (SFPA), told The Slovak Spectator. Pre-summit tensions In the days running up to the V4 summit the situation between the V4 countries and some of their European partners proved tense. We have received a demarche, imagine that, about how the V4 together with Bulgaria and Macedonia dare to discuss the protection of external borders, Fico said prior to the summit. While Slovakias Foreign Ministry admitted they received communication from Germany prior to the summit, they refrained from disclosing the details. The Czech government however did not perceive the German communication as a complaint. Im not at all surprised that the German ambassador addressed us with questions about the goals and the content of Mondays summit of V4 prime ministers, Tomas Prouza, Czech ministrys state secretary, said as quoted by the CTK newswire. Kiska speaks differently Slovakias President Andrej Kiska reacted to the tensions and, as he mentioned the history of the Visegrad Group, recalled the original strategic goals of the Visegrad cooperation, namely the strategic interest of the central-European countries to be close to their western partners. Its great to have our own strong voice, but its even better to have strong allies who are willing to listen to it, Kiska wrote in his official statement ahead of the summit, and pointed out that it is useful not to confuse a pragmatic approach with political short-sightedness. No rebellion, just Plan B In the end the V4 prime ministers expressed their full support for measures adopted at the EU level with the aim of a more effective protection of the external borders, but repeated their negative stance towards refugee quotas. They called for progress in two areas: adoption of the Council position on the European Border and Coast Guard, and implementation of the EU-Turkey action plan with credible results. The V4 countries however did put forward what they called the alternative back-up plan for the Western Balkans migration route, which includes sending troops to help protect the Macedonian border. Slovakia offers 300 police officers to be deployed to Macedonia and Bulgaria as part of that plan. The V4 countries acknowledged the EU solutions, including the EU-Turkey plan and the strengthening of the border between Greece and Turkey, as the most important outcome of the summit, according to Strazay. He does not deem it to be any exceptional when a group of countries come up with their own proposal, as the V4 countries did with their plan B, but noted that these alternatives should be resorted to only if all the possibilities of the European solution are exhausted. Dariusz Kaan, head of the Central Europe Programme at the Polish Institute of International Affairs in Warsaw think tank, reads the outcome as a sign V4 will not block the mainstream solution, which is to cooperate closely with Turkey. Fico about threats again There is a clear link between organised crime and migration crisis, Fico said following the summit, and mentioned falsification of passports and diplomas and added that unless the Schengen borders arent closed, we stand no chance. Fico repeatedly stated that the migration crisis threatens the security in Europe. Other Slovak officials were more moderate in their statements. One thing is clear: either we regain control at external borders, or we will be pushed to introduce controls at our internal borders, Ivan Korcok, Foreign Ministrys state secretary said as he arrived to the General Affairs Council in Brussels on February 16. Kaan however perceives the message of the V4 summit as quite unclear. The declaration is very soft and in line with the European solutions for the crisis, while during the press conference some leaders, including Fico, were very out-spoken in their criticism of the EU strategy, Kaan told The Slovak Spectator. Does the V4 stand united? In the autumn of 2015 Poland backed off from the common V4 position and supported the refugee quota system in the council of ministers vote, Slovakia has since sued the council for passing the quotas. Read also: Read also: Fico opposes migrant "dictate", vows to sue EU Read more [Polands vote] might have surprised some, but it did not crash the cohesion and the perspective of the V4, Strazay told The Slovak Spectator. Meanwhile, Poland has been through elections which put conservatives at the helm of the country, and their position is now closer to that of the other V4 partners. Even though the Polish government decided not to change the quotas for Poland, they refuse the implementation of the plan as such, as do the other Visegrad countries, Strazay noted. The migrant crisis however remains an artificial problem for the countries of Central Europe, as none of them is either transit or destination country, Kaan noted. Leaders are using it for domestic consumption, and as with almost all topics of that kind they have an expiration date, Kaan said and noted that in Slovakia and in Hungary it is already apparent that people are more interested in the real problems of their countries. V4 in the EU Slovakia and its fellow members of the Visegrad Group cannot afford to be renegades in the EU, analysts agree. With the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty the Visegrad Group lost its strong position in the EU, which means they will have to search for allies among other members. And if they carry the label of solidarity-lacking, non-consensual partners, seeking coalition partners would be harder, Strazay told The Slovak Spectator. As EU members, V4 countries cannot act on their own, but everything they do should be compatible with the solutions that the EU comes up with at the February 18 summit, Strazay noted. Visegrad solutions should be European solutions. That I think is a key element in terms of the future of the V4, he said. However, Slovakia is a different story according to Kaan. Ficos speech after the summit may as well be given in an election rally of Smer somewhere in eastern Slovakia, he said. The main reasoning behind it was to mobilise voters before elections, and to escalate the fear against refugees and immigrants. Radka Minarechova contributed to this story A TOTAL of 443 university lecturers took part in the strike organised by the University Teachers Initiative (IVU) on February 15 across Slovakia. Font size: A - | A + Most of them hail from Bratislava-based Comenius University, the TASR newswire learnt from Juraj Halas of IVU. Lecturers from 18 out of a total of 35 Slovak universities are involved in the strike, which comes on the heels of the Slovak Teachers Initiative (ISU) that began on January 25, according to the organisation's website isu.sk. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Most employees are striking at Comenius University in Bratislava - 237 (80 at the Faculty of Arts, 73 at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, and 58 at the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics), the SITA newswire wrote. Matej Bel University in Banska Bystrica has 64 striking lecturers, Academy of Performing Arts Bratislava 25, Zilina University 23, Academy of Fine Arts Bratislava 21, Slovak University of Technology Bratislava 21, and Presov University 18. At other colleges and universities in Slovakia, fewer than 10 lecturers have joined the protest. The striking employees include not just lecturers, but also researchers and non-pedagogic employees. With the strike, weve sent a clear message to both the incumbent and future governments that university educators stand ready to defend the interests of their colleagues from kindergartens, elementary and secondary schools, said Halas, adding that the strike is still underway. He also pointed out for TASR that managements of some universities in eastern Slovakia are attempting to obstruct employees from joining the strike. Since February 15, a portion of university lecturers have stopped their work and gone on full-fledged strike, thus following up on the activities of the Slovak Teachers Initiative (ISU) that has suspended its strike, but chose to remain on strike alert. Despite the protests, universities will remain open, with employees organising cultural events and discussion meetings. Lecturers at the Pavol Jozef Safarik University (UPJS) in Kosice cannot organise meetings as their colleagues in other regions do, IVOs Halas told TASR. The management do all they can to prevent them, although leadership of individual faculties tolerate the strike. Halas added, however, that he hopes that UPJS employees with manage to overcome these obstacles and organise discussions or other events. POLICE in December pressed charges against five persons for alleged corruption concerning admission tests and semester exams at Pavol Jozef Safarik Universitys (UPJS) Medical Faculty. Font size: A - | A + The faculty issued a press release distancing itself from the allegations on February 17. The academic senate will debate at its next session a package of measures to make sure that UPJS's Medical Facultys good name isnt damaged, Faculty Dean Daniel Pella informed the TASR newswire in a statement, without being more specific concerning the nature of the measures. Italian national and former faculty student identified as Antonio N. who now works as a study advisor at the faculty allegedly asked certain students for bribes amounting to at least 1,500 each, for using his contact with lecturers and making sure that their exams were passed successfully. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement A prosecutor of the Special Prosecutors Office has already scrapped certain charges, according to a report published by the Korzar daily, with charges in one case still pending against the Italian, former faculty dean Leonard S. and the mother of a female student. The case involves an alleged bribe of 12,000 for ensuring the young woman in question be accepted to the Medical Faculty. Certain media have published alleged transcripts of mobile phone communication between the accused acquired by police that are serving as evidence for the alleged bribery. Both Antonio N. and Leonard S. deny the accusations. Imports of cheap steel would endanger Slovak steelmakers Font size: A - | A + THOUSANDS of steel workers from across the European Union marched in Brussels on February 15 to protest dumping of cheap steel imports on the EU market, and to call on the European Commission to take action. The march was attended by about 100 workers from the steelmaker U.S. Steel Kosice (USSK) and took place the same day as a conference on energy-intensive industries hosted by the European Commission. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement We went to Brussels to express loudly the trade issues that have hurt European industry and its future, USSK President Scott Buckiso told The Slovak Spectator. Our message for the European Commission was clear: we have to stop the flood of products from China and other countries unfairly sold in Europe at dumping prices. European steel workers accuse China of using what they see as unfair export subsidies and selling products below their production cost. This poses a threat to steel industry-related jobs within the EU, they say. More than 500 steel production sites across 24 EU member states produce 170 million tonnes of steel per year and directly employ 330,000 highly-skilled people, according to Eurofer, the European Steel Association. The march was held to reinforce calls to put a swift end to dumping, to modernise Trade Defence Instruments, and to prevent China from obtaining Market Economy Status prematurely, Eurofer wrote on their website. USSK workers marching in Brussels. (Source: Courtesy of USSK) We said yes to jobs and fair trade, but also said no to Market Economy Status for China, said Buckiso. We strongly oppose and expect the EC to deny MES for China as it does not meet market economy criteria. Countries around the world, including the United States, have launched actions to stem the flow of what they see as unfairly subsidised steel products from China. U.S. Steel Kosice also participated in the Commissions antidumping investigations into imports and we expect the EU to take an uncompromising stance in using all of the tools at its disposal, said Buckiso. Earlier in February the EC imposed provisional anti-dumping duties on cold-rolled flat steel products from China and Russia, but Eurofer perceives the import duties for China as too low to stop the flood of Chinese imports. The EC has also opened several additional investigations into cheap imports of steel products from non-EU countries. Another strong appeal for the EC concerned EU Emission Trading Scheme proposal post 2020 which places a huge competitive disadvantage for European steelmakers, as it creates a huge cost burden even for the most efficient steel plants in Europe, according to Buckiso. On the other hand, dumped products from China have about 50 percent higher environmental footprint than products in the EU, said Buckiso. Too ambitious EU climate policy should not be a threat for the competiveness of the steel sector. The USSK is calling for a global level playing field. The European Union is one of the most open markets in the world and we strongly believe that European manufacturers, including USSK can compete with anyone as long as the playing field is level, Buckiso said. Slovak steel production affected Amid high volumes of products imported to Europe during recent months, USSK has shortened the working week to four days while those employees staying at home received 60 percent of the average wage in January. In late December, Mikulas Hintos, the head of the trade unions at USSK, compared the ituation in USSK to the crisis in 2009 when the steelmaker shortened the working week by one day for six months. During final months of 2015 the usage of USSK production capacities decreased from average 90 percent during the first nine months of 2015, to about 70 percent, according to the Dennik N daily. Read also: Read also: U.S. Steel Kosice back to normal Read more China produces 800 million tonnes of steel annually, what is almost half of the worlds total, with much of that exported. On average, Chinese steel is $50 cheaper per tonne than what is produced in the West. Back in 2013, the USSK signed a memorandum with the Slovak government, in which it promised to remain in Kosice and maintain its employment levels until 2018, while the government promised to help cut the firms energy and environmental bills. In efforts to reduce costs the steelmaker launched this January a voluntary programme for early retirement as of the beginning of March, offering a severance pay of a 10-fold of the wage or 19,000 as estimated by the Hospodarske Noviny economic daily. Trade unions estimated that up to 100 workers may opt for early retirement. USSK employs directly and indirectly more than 12,000 employees and is the biggest private employer in eastern Slovakia. One Friday night in January, I walked across Berlin to a cupping at Roststatte cafe/roastery in the Mitte district. The streets were littered with Christmas trees put out to trash (last week I saw one tree actually fly from a fifth-floor window and crash to the pavement), but thanks to Third Wave Wichteln, the festive spirit is still in the air. Over the past three years, the rise of Third Wave Wichteln (German for, essentially, Secret Santawith coffee) has been happily followed by Sprudgeheck, we even gave them a Sprudgie Award! Started by Germans Markus Reuter, Andre Kruger, and Thorsten Keller, the global grassroots holiday exchange has grown from 362 participants in its first year to more than 2,000 participants last December. Across some 60 countries, coffee lovers sign up via the Wichteln website, then mail a bag of locally roasted Third Wave beans to a stranger somewhere in the worldand, of course, receive their own surprise single-origin filter-coffee beans in the mail, sharing the goods on the Wichteln Instagram or Facebook pages. Taking the community ethos a step further, Roststatte invited Wichteln participants here in Berlin to maximize the fun by coming together and bringing along their Christmas booty for a public cupping. Why try one new coffee when you can try 20?! Berlin Wichteln participantsa hodgepodge of baristas, roasters, consultants, and various coffee devoteesunited for this one last festive hurrah, slurping around the table and sharing (what was left of) their coffees. (A few guests who had been thwarted by the German postal system and were still awaiting their own gifts arrival instead brought along beans from Berlin favorites like Bonanza and Kaffee Kirsche, as well as from unexpected sources like Casino Mocca in Budapest, purchased at Companion Coffee.) As in all Secret Santas, there were winners and losers; one somewhat uninspired Wichteln gift (i.e., the coffee equivalent of yet another pair of socks from Nana) raised some eyebrows, but generally, everyone enjoyed a multi-kulti table of delicious filter brews. Among the 10 coffees on offer, international standouts included Ethiopia Knots Family from Java Coffee in Warsaw (earning extra points for its Lego-themed holiday packaging) and a very punchy Ethiopia Rocky Mountain from South Coast Roast in Bournemouth, England, which came with a sweet, handwritten Christmas message from its sender. From roasters closer to home, highlights included a Panama Geisha Trapiche Natural from Machhorndl in Nuremberg, and Roststattes own lovely Panama Morgans Geisha. Below you can find a full list of the coffees served; meanwhile, somewhere out in the world, a bunch of happy Wichtelners are enjoying some fine Berlin beans. Until next Wichteln, happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night! Koppi, Helsingborg, Sweden Colombia Finca Wisaquillo Casino Mocca, Budapest Ethiopia Hunkute Bonanza Coffee, Berlin Ethiopia Seka Forest Java Coffee, Warsaw Ethiopia Knots Family Java Coffee, Warsaw Costa Rica Perla Negra Dear Green Coffee Roasters, Glasgow Brazil Fazenda Pantano Machhorndl, Nuremberg Panama Geisha Trapiche Natural Kaffee Kirsche, Berlin Ethiopia Yirgacheffe South Coast Roast/Cafe Boscanova, Bournemouth Ethiopia Rocky Mountain Roststatte, Berlin Panama Morgans Geisha Third Wave Wichteln cupping @roeststaetteberlin, great to get a taste of the variety on offer. I think mine from @langorakaffe is the standout. #thirdwavewichteln cupping bei Rost Statte. Viele interessante und verschiedene Kaffees auf dem Tisch. Mag meinen am Besten. ? A photo posted by Berlin Coffee Festival (@berlincoffeefestival) on Jan 29, 2016 at 9:09am PST Annabel Brady-Brown is a freelance journalist based in Berlin, writing for ExBerliner and more. Read more Annabel Brady-Brown on Sprudge. However, Nobody in the Pentagon is crying when they see the Russians help the Syrian Kurds defeat Turkey's proxies in Syria. If they were not politically constrained, the Pentagon would probably have done the same thing themselves. Naiman pointed out that the determination of the Turks to use their artillery to bombard Kurdish forces across the border in Syria did not mean the Turkish government was ignoring the United States, but it meant they were determined to follow their own policy towards the Kurds while dealing with Washington. I wouldn't describe them as out of US control. I would describe them as pulling hard on the leash. The US government could still handle the contradictions of being allied to both Turkey and the Kurds while they fought each other, Naiman said. If the United States is put in the position where it has to try to mediate between Turkey and Syria's Kurds; or between Turkey and Russia; or between Saudi Arabia and Iran. That's not a terrible place for the US government to be. Washington policymakers could take advantage of fighting between their allies as an excuse for not getting more deeply involved, Naiman suggested. If it looks like the situation is a big complicated mess, so nobody can blame the United States for not escalating militarily, that's not necessarily too terrible for the US government. The top military objective for the United States in northern Syria is to seal the Turkey-Syria border against Daesh and the Nusra Front, Naiman argued. If the Syrian Kurds do it that would be great, and if the Russians happen to help the Syrian Kurds do it, well, sometimes good things happen in the world: Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. However, US author and Middle East affairs expert Dan Lazare told Sputnik the latest flare-up between Turkey and the Kurds reflected the chaotic anarchy into which much of Syria had fallen. Thanks largely to the United States and the Gulf states, Syria is now a black hole where a viable nation state used to be, Lazare noted. The result is chaos as a multitude of forces take the field. Some lawmakers want the Senate to ignore Obamas choice by refusing to hold hearings on the nomination for a Supreme Court justice. But political pressures generated by the presidential campaign could make the no-hearings option difficult, by thrusting the issue into close legislative races that will determine which party controls the Senate for the next two years. The mood of the voters will decide whether Republicans block the nomination or allow a floor vote, Director of Clark Universitys Law and Society Program Mark Miller told Sputnik. "It all depends on whether President Obama wants to nominate a liberal to please his base, with no hope of confirmation, or a moderate who might have some chance of getting confirmed by the Senate," Miller explained. Miller and more than two dozen legal experts flooded the journalist website ProfNet with Supreme Court comments on Wednesday as the nation awaited Obamas selection. "Justice Scalia's death will have a monumental impact on the court," said Associate Dean of American Universitys School of Public Affairs Jessica Waters. "In the immediate future, several of the blockbuster cases before the court including the most significant abortion case in decades, Whole Women's Health now hang in the balance." In March, the Supreme Court is scheduled to take up the case Whole Womans Health vs. Hellerstedt, in which abortion-rights activists are attempting to overturn a Texas law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at local hospitals and also requiring clinics to meet building specifications of miniature hospitals known as ambulatory care centers. The law would probably put about three-fourths of the 19 remaining abortion clinics in Texas out of business, the according to the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is representing the plaintiffs in the case. "Abortion will now be the hot button for Senators like Charles Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee," James Robenalt, a partner at the Thompson Hine law firm told Sputnik. As Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, Grassley gets to decide whether the Committee holds hearings and whether it is allowed to vote on a Supreme Court nominee. Without either, the full Senate would not be able to vote one way or the other. Middle Tennessee State University Professor John Vile suggested, "Obama might find it to his advantage to nominate a sitting senator in hopes of getting confirmation." "The interesting thing would be for Obama to nominate himself. Its never been done before, but he does have a law degree," Vile told Sputnik. Biola University Professor of Political Science Scott Waller said he expects Obama to inject racial and ethnic considerations into the debate by nominating someone it will be difficult to for the Senate to ignore. "My guess is that it will be an African-American woman or someone else that represents a minority slice of the population. He will ask, How can those mean Republicans deny the office to such a person?" Waller suggested. But, Waller added that any nominee Obama puts forth would swing the balance of the high court to the left because Scalia represented the courts most conservative wing. "Reliable sources in Western capitals and in Kiev confirmed that US and European leaders looked unfavorably on the plan and sent two emphatic messages to Ukraine's president: 1) add more independent professionals and reformers to the cabinet; and 2) avoid the collapse of the government and new elections," the analyst noted. Bluntly admitting just how dependent the contemporary 'Ukrainian project' is on Western financial and political support, Karatnycky, the former president of the US government-affiliated NGO Freedom House, emphasized that the West is not just a bystander: it is a 'stakeholder'. "Western leaders, who have put together a $27.5 billion bailout [loan] package for Ukraine, are more than mere bystanders; they are stakeholders in Ukraine's success. If there are to be changes at the top of Ukraine's government, they told Poroshenko, he must guarantee that such changes will ensure stability." Who but the most skeptical of Washington and Brussels' critics could have guessed, two years after the Maidan 'revolution of dignity', that the Ukrainian leadership's political decisions would turn out so openly to be the prerogative of Western 'stakeholders'. Or that Western media would talk about it so openly? "Western leaders did not issue their demand because they support or trust Yatsenyuk," Karatnycky explained. "They did so because they knew that a period of political uncertainty can erode support for the maintenance of sanctions against Russia." MOSCOW (Sputnik) Ankara appears to continue its attacks on Kurds in Syria regardless of appeals from the international community for restraint, experts told Sputnik. Over the recent weeks, Turkish forces have repeatedly attacked positions of Kurdish People's Defense Units in northern Syria, claiming the Kurdish militia threatens Turkish security. On Tuesday, the UN Security Council urged Ankara to comply with international law in Syria and reiterate its commitment to the Munich agreement reached by the International Syria Support Group, which stipulates that all parties should work toward a cessation of hostilities. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The mosquito-borne disease is spreading internally in about 40 nations, mainly in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the World Health Organization. Though the virus poses little threat to the overall population, pregnant women who contract the disease are giving birth to babies with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains. "This amount is based on current country demands for financing, and follows extensive engagement with governments across the region." This World Bank announcement was accompanied by the release of initial projections that the short-term economic impact of the Zika virus will total $3.5 billion in the affected regions, the release added. That money will go toward acquiring new ship-borne interceptors, and the upgrading of two of Japans existing Aegis ships. The government is also considering buying the land-based Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system from the United States. Japans Ministry of Defense has also compiled a hefty shopping list of new military hardware. This includes 11 AAV7 amphibious assault vehicles, 17 Mitsubishi SH-60K anti-submarine warfare helicopters, four Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, three RQ-4 Global Hawk drones, six F-35A Lightning II fighters, one Kawasaki C-2 military transport aircraft, and 36 new combat vehicles. Tokyos increased interest in military strength comes at the behest of the United States, which has urged Japan to play a more active role in combating Chinas growth in the Pacific. Speaking during the same Brussels briefing, Luis Simon of the Institute for European Studies stressed that "Japan is the cornerstone of US defense strategy and force posture in the Asia-Pacific." So far, the Russian partner has not informed OMV about its exact claims for assets in a deal, he outlined. Austrias OMV oil and gas company is one of five European energy firms Russias Gazprom signed a shareholder agreement with in September, allocating each a 10-percent stake in the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline project. OMV and Gazprom signed a separate agreement on the terms and conditions of a possible asset swap, giving the Austrian firm a 24.98-percent stake in a project to develop two units at an oil, gas and condensate field in north-central Russia. OMV plans to complete an asset swap with Russias energy giant Gazprom in 2017, the OMV Group said Thursday presenting its new strategy. OMV and Gazprom signed an agreement on the terms and conditions of a possible asset swap, giving the Austrian firm a 24.98-percent stake in a project to develop two units at an oil, gas and condensate field in north-central Russia. "The planned closure of the deal is scheduled for 2017," OMV's presentation said. In case of a successful closure of a deal with the Russian company, OMV expects to start production at two units of the Achimov gas deposits of the Urengoy field in Siberia in 2018. "The planned asset swap with Gazprom, which will enable us to access the production in the cost-efficient Urengoy field, should establish Russia as an additional core region by 2020," a press release to the presentation read. The maximum amount of production is expected in 2027, the company noted. Paraphrasing Emadi, Trend noted that "the deepening of [the] split in OPEC between Saudi Arabia and its tactical allies who are flooding the market and have inflicted immeasurable harm on the interest of oil exporting countries and Russia and Iran, who perceive oil as a commodity with [a] strategic value beyond its pricing significance, has resulted in new forms of cooperation between Russia and Iran." "This is one of the many indications which we will see in the next 18 months," Emadi predicted. For their part, Russian experts welcomed Emadi's analysis, suggesting that the Iranian National Iranian Oil Company's moves were pleasant, but also somewhat predictable. "The fact," Energy Development Fund director Sergei Pikin told the independent Russian newspaper Svobodnaya Pressa, "is that during the period of sanctions, Iran had accumulated a large reserve of oil." "At the moment when the restrictions were lifted, Iran's reserves comprised about 40-50 million barrels. It is necessary to sell these volumes. It's a good thing that Tehran is coming out onto the market gradually, instead of simply gutting prices completely. These tankers going to European ports with 4 million barrels were contracted by different buyers, and Russia's Lukoil was one of them." With Iranian oil coming with a nearly $7 discount (being sold for about $20 a barrel), Pikin notes that Lukoil, "when it purchases the cheap Iranian oil for its refining capacities in Europe, achieves a good cost savings. The alternative is to purchase the Russian Urals-brand, which costs about $28 per barrel." KIEV (Sputnik) Kiev is preparing for court after Russia launched a suit against Ukraine in Londons High Court over an unpaid $3-billion loan, which Kiev believes to have been a "bribe" to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, Ukrinform news agency reported the countrys foreign minister as saying. On Wednesday, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said that Moscow had filed a lawsuit against Kiev on Ukraine's debt, demanding to pay back the Eurobond's $3-billion principal and unpaid $75-million December 2015 coupon, as well as interest starting from December 20, 2015 the bond's maturity date. "Of course were going to work on proving that this was actually a bribe in both its essence and content. And since the London [High] Court will be reviewing [the case], it will give us additional abilities [to prove this]. We are getting ready and soon all of the appropriate messages will be completed," Ukrinform quoted Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin as saying. MOSCOW (Sputnik)In a few hours, UK Prime Minister David Cameron will face off with his 27 fellow EU leaders, who are meeting in Brussels for a two-day summit. He is seeking to renegotiate United Kingdom's membership of the union to pave the way for an in/out referendum. In the final draft of Camerons blueprint for reforming the bloc, which was circulated to EU leaders on Wednesday and seen by the Guardian, all references to changes to the Lisbon Treaty appears in brackets signifying that they are open to debate. Differences have been widening on all key issues, including curbs on welfare benefits for intra-EU immigrants, financial controls on non-eurozone EU states and an opt-out for London from the European Unions commitment to an ever-closer union, according to the British news outlet. "Or do we have to give up and instead, as some are now vehemently calling for, close the Greek borders with Macedonia and Bulgaria, with all the consequences for Greece and the EU as a whole?" However, East European leaders are already one step ahead; at a meeting in Prague on Monday the leaders of the Visegrad countries, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, agreed on the closing of the Balkan migration route which was used by hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees last year. "As long a common European strategy is absent, it is legitimate that states on the Balkan route protect their borders," Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak told Der Spiegel. The newspaper also noted that pressure in Germany is growing to impose border controls in the EU, which would bring an end to the Schengen system of free movement. "We need to close down the Balkan route. Somebody who wants to maintain open borders has to also be able to close borders," said deputy chairman of the SPD Axel Schafer, whose party is in a ruling coalition with Angela Merkel's CDU party. On Wednesday Deutsche Welle (DW) wrote that the chancellor's hopes of resolving the migration crisis with the help of Turkey, and thereby saving Schengen, are not shared by many in Germany. "Politically, Berlin has never awaited an EU summit with such nerves some are talking about the most fateful days for Germany since reunification, others since the end of the Second World War," the newspaper reported. "The majority of German observers believe that there won't be real progress on solving the refugee problem, and that Merkel will return from Brussels empty-handed. And what then?" "According to DW's sources, the interior ministry is making preparations to close the German borders on Friday night, initially for a period of two weeks." In addition to the end of Schengen, DW also remarked on the internal political consequences for Germany, and for the chancellor personally. "Some Bundestag deputies who have spoken to DW recently do not exclude the chancellor's resignation. They say that Merkel has always said that she would leave rather than suffer a heavy election defeat like Helmut Kohl did." Yasar Aydin, a German expert in migration from Turkey, told Sputnik Turkish that Germans' initially positive view about taking in asylum seekers has been replaced by rising discontent and protests because of the uncontrolled and increased flow of migrants into Germany, and resulting social and economic problems. "At the moment, Merkel is against imposing limits on the number of refugees Germany accepts, in her belief that such a measure is unethical," said Aydin, a lecturer at HafenCity University Hamburg who researches migration to Germany. "She will try and stick to her position when solving the problems that have arisen because of the refugee issue, as she understands that imposing a 'ceiling' on the acceptance of refugees cannot completely stop the migration flow." "For this reason, Merkel doesn't want to hurry this issue and immediately make a change in the law. However, if the conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which currently has 10-11 percent support among the population, strengthens its position and pressure on Merkel, the chancellor might decide to re-orientate her politics regarding the migration crisis," Aydin explained. Merkel has come under intense pressure over the refugee crisis from her CSU counterpart in Bavaria , Horst Seehofer, who presides over the southern state that has borne the brunt of the refugee exodus through the West Balkan route. The state capital, Munich and its local administrations have struggled to deal with the thousands of migrants arriving in the state each day. At the annual congress of his CSU party Seehofer made the German leader look like "a schoolgirl," according to local media. In a 13-minute tirade, he lambasted Merkel over the handling of the refugee crisis, demanding she set a limit on the number of asylum-seekers the country would accept. Seehofer has called for a maximum limit of 200,000 refugees to be accepted in 2016. A representative of the UN refugee agency said that the group is "mainly Afghani families with children, then Iraqis, then a small number of Syrians," but a spokesperson for the Serbia's interior ministry told N1 that "these are economic migrants who have been returned to Serbia." "According to all the agreements and procedures of our country and countries of the region we are returning them back to where they have come from, because they are not refugees from war zones," the interior ministry said. Serbia's Minister for Work and Employment Aleksandar Vulin said that the countries of the region need to reach agreement on the deportation of migrants, and that more returnees would not be allowed to enter Serbia from Croatia because that country "already checks migrants at the entrance to its territory." "So if Slovenia or any another border doesn't let the migrants through, they have to cope with that themselves," said Vulin. Vulin added that police chiefs from across the region are meeting on Thursday to discuss the situation and how to better coordinate their operations, and confirmed that Serbia and Macedonia have also increased control at their border. The mayoral candidate also finds issue with a growing strain of economic neo-liberalism regarding Britains public services and social safety net, and warns that it will get worse. Citing the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, presently being negotiated by the EU with the US and by which each EU member state would be bound, he argued that "American companies can bid to even take over our schools, our universities, this is madness." He further claims that the entirety of Britains health services will likely fall under US multinational corporate control if Britain remains in the EU. In addition to "the dictatorship of the financial prevailing orthodoxy," strangling the democratic spirit of the British people, Galloway sounded an alarm regarding the EUs growing militarization and aggressive foreign policy, which he says "mirrors the United States," referencing the political-economic unions provocative posture towards Russia, the expansion of the Russian sanctions regime, and the EUs expanded embroilment in Middle East affairs. Does the Leading Opposition Labour Party Support Continued EU Membership? Galloway says that while the Labour Party officially advocates for continued EU membership, he is not convinced they are speaking truthfully. Calling Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn his "comrade for the last 40 years," Galloway questions the sincerity of Corbyns recent support for continued EU membership, saying "you certainly wont hear any arguments [about remaining in the EU] enthusiastically deployed because he doesnt believe it." At the same time, Yuva noted, Syrian Kurdish YPG forces do not want to be locked within artificially imposed boundaries east of the Euphrates, and intend to expand the territory under their control up to the Eastern Mediterranean, allowing them to make use of agricultural lands and mineral deposits in the area. Ankara's ambitious plans to establish a 'zone of influence' in Syria stretching from Latakia to the Western Euphrates, meanwhile, have been demolished by the Russian air operation in support of the Syrian government, and the Turkish government, the analyst suggests, has no one to blame but themselves for their failure to cooperate with Moscow to take steps to settle the Syrian crisis peacefully. "Unfortunately, Turkey did not take any serious steps toward Russia, which offered to solve the problem through dialogue with the countries of the region. As a consequence, Turkey is now feeling the loss of influence in the area. Moreover, Ankara is more and more concerned that YPG forces (and for Turkey that group is little different from the PKK), will take control of the majority of the Turkish-Syrian border from Hatay in the west to Botan near the Iraqi border, thus turning into Turkey's de facto southern neighbor." "All this points to only one magic formula out of this dilemma: if Ankara really wants to prevent Syria's collapse, it must start looking for opportunities to establish cooperation with Syrian authorities and the Syrian army. Otherwise, the confrontation in Syria will take on more and more acute forms, posing a threat not just to the territorial integrity of Syria, but to that of Turkey itself." Commenting on the history of the present conflict between the two countries, Lenta.ru journalist and military analyst Alexei Kupriyanov recalled that the current dispute in the Aegean is part of a struggle stretching back centuries, from the Ottoman capture of Constantinople in 1453, to centuries of Ottoman Turkish occupation of Greece, to multiple wars in the 19th and 20th centuries, to Turkey's invasion and occupation of northern Cyprus in 1974. "Political disputes," the journalist recalled, "have recently been exacerbated by economic disagreements. After oil was found on the Aegean Sea's continental shelf, questions over the ownership of uninhabited islands took on extraordinary importance. Both Greece and Turkey issued permits to their companies to extract oil in disputed waters, sending research vessels to the area, and accusing one another of trying to gain control over the lion's share of the oil-bearing shelf." "And neither NATO, nor the International Court of Arbitration, nor the UN Security Council, have been able to persuade Athens and Ankara to reach a compromise." So far, the journalist notes, "the conflict has never reached a hot phase: during the most critical moments, NATO's leadership intervened." Nevertheless, over the past twenty years, the threat of war has hung over the Aegean like the Sword of Damocles. Dogfights Over the Aegean "Simulated air battles, or dogfights have become the main way for the two countries to demonstrate their territorial claims," Kupriyanov recalled. "Greek Air Force F-16s and Mirages have intercepted Turkish F-16s and engaged in dangerous maneuvers, trying to get on the tail of the enemy to expel him from the disputed area. At times pilots would keep each other in each other's sights for minutes at a time. The 'contest' of nerves is made particularly acute by the fact that [often], the planes on both sides are fully armed." "For the most part, the dogfights have taken place over the islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos and the Dodecanese archipelago. Often, tourists who spend their holidays in the Greek resorts could simultaneously 'enjoy' simulated air battles taking place over their heads." The analyst notes that the fact that Washington has repeatedly tried to distance itself politically from Turkey and Saudi Arabia may indicate "a possible attempt to produce plausible deniability ahead of a much larger provocation or intervention." Cartalucci refers to the fact that back in 2009 US hawks offered a plan that envisaged an apparent "unilateral" attack by Israel against Iran to trigger Tehran's retaliation. It was supposed that Iran's move would be used by Washington as a pretext for an invasion. "A similar strategy appears to be materializing along Syria's borders today," Cartalucci warns. However, according to British geopolitical analyst and Sputnik columnist Finian Cunningham, Washington would restrain itself from allowing Saudis and Turks to go to war in Syria. In an interview with Radio Sputnik, Cunningham suggested that Ankara and Riyadh's pledge to deploy boots on the ground in Syria is just psychological intimidation towards Damascus and Moscow to obtain concessions from them in terms of the political process. It remains unclear at that stage whether it is a psychological operation or if they are really intent on going in, he noted. On the other hand, given the nature of the Riyadh regime and the Ankara regime everything is possible, he stressed citing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who dubbed them as "reckless" and "lawless." "Given the nature of these regimes and desperate situation they are in because they are losing the covert war, they could bomb the way into a wider war that could drag in several international actors and in particular Washington confronting Russia," Cunningham said. Back in 2010 political leaders from Belgium, Germany, Luxemburg, The Netherlands and Norway urged the NATO leadership to remove US nuclear weapons from European soil. "US military leaders were inclined to agree. In 2008, the US European Command, once a champion of theater nuclear weapons, acknowledged they were no longer important as a deterrent. When asked in 2010 if tactical nuclear weapons in Europe bought NATO any additional security, General James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, declared simply, 'No'," Marshall continues. However, US hawks and influential American defense contractors cannot leave the Cold War behind. The demonization of Russia and Cold War-style hysteria around Moscow's non-existent plans to take over the Baltic states serve as a pretext for increasing the Pentagon and NATO military spending. Irish freelance journalist and media analyst Danielle Ryan echoed Marshall's concerns in her February op-ed for RT. "This happens every time the Pentagon wants more money to play with. Various 'studies' about the danger posed by whichever bad guy is in fashion start appearing. Experts suddenly realize that the US military is drastically underfunded in said area of immediate strategic importance. Officials begin making even more outlandish statements than usual. And the media eat it up, apparently completely unaware of the fact that they are being taken for a ride," Ryan pointed out. .@MFA_Russia spox Maria Zakharova on BBC's 'mockumentary' about Russian invasion of Latvia https://t.co/0uhSd9Ab68 pic.twitter.com/9kxqOsLgQM Danielle Ryan (@DanielleRyanJ) 17 2016 Marshall explains that Russia's military doctrine "firmly envisions using nuclear weapons only as a last resort," that can be used only to respond to a nuclear attack or withstand foreign aggression that would pose an existential threat to the state. Galloway argues that the EU is now an anti-democratic project of finance capitalism pursuing a policy of neo-liberalism that attacks the living standards of working class people while tying Europe's foreign policy to Washington's imperial designs. A referendum in Britain is likely in June 2016 that will voters the chance to answer the question: should Britain stay or leave the EU? In the second segment, Becker is joined by author and professor Ghada Talhami to discuss why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called a French proposal for peace talks with Palestinian leaders "baffling." Talhami dissects Israel's political and military orientation, French motives for this new initiative and the orientation of the Obama Administration. Finally, Becker is joined by Daniel McAdams, the executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity, to discuss what's behind the political turmoil in Ukraine nearly two years after the coup that overthrew Viktor Yanukovych. Ukraine's new government is in turmoil as politicians and oligarchs turn on each other. With the fighting picking up again in the eastern part of the country and the International Monetary Fund holding billions in funds meant for Ukraine, is Ukraine imploding? Now India has assumed the presidency of the organization, taking over from Russia. On the Syrian Crisis Maria Zakharova said that there are two groups working on the settlement of the Syrian crisis based on the document adopted at the meeting in Munich. One group is working on the humanitarian crisis in Syria. The Foreign Ministry will provide regular assessments of the work of the two groups. On the Terrorist Attacks in Ankara Maria Zakharova said that the Russian Foreign Ministry has expressed condolences to the Turkish government following two attacks in Turkey. She called all the misinformation generated by Turkey about alleged Russian air strikes hitting the civilian population a lie. And called the recent announcement of Prime Minister Davutoglu that "Russia secretly supports Daesh," completely unacceptable. "Statements by Turkish officials that Russia secretly supports IS are completely unacceptable. Mr. Davutoglu, are you actually making such jokes? If this is a joke, then everyone, especially Turkey, should pay less attention to irony and more to specific actions to combat terrorism," Zakharova told reporters. Turkey is pursuing its own interests in Syria, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman said, which are far removed from the settlement of the crisis. Maria Zakharova also said that there is no direct or indirect evidence that Russia has participated in the attacks on Syrian hospitals. It resembles a very well-orchestrated campaign of misinformation. Maria Zakharova also called Turkey's insinuations that Russia using 'migration lever' to apply pressure on Ankara cynical. On Ankara's Interfering in Cyprus Settlement Ankara is grossly interfering in the Cyprus settlement issue by trying to insist on its own interests, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said. Weve noticed recent publications in Turkish-Cypriot mass media, where the subject was on contacts of the delegations representatives from the [parliament] of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus with the Turkish leadership, and with [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan in particular. According to the information in these materials, the Turkish leader is openly inciting Turkish Cypriots on a hard and uncompromised line during the continuing negotiations in Cyprus, including on the touchy issue of territorial differentiation, Zakharova said at her weekly briefing. She said that by Ankaras stimulating one side within the Cyprus dialogue, the Turkish leadership is grossly interfering in the negotiations process and putting its own interests forward. On the Humanitarian Situation in Syria Referring to the reports on the civilian casualties resulting from Russian air strikes in Syria, Maria Zakharova cited the statistics of the civilian casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq resulted from the US-led operations there, noting that it remains a profitable, lucrative business blaming Russia for the civilian deaths. On Serbia's Ratification of an Agreement With NATO The Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman also commented on the recent ratification by the Serbian parliament of an agreement with NATO, which gives the Alliance freedom of movement in the Serbian territory and grants its members diplomatic immunity. On BBC Film About Corruption in Russia Maria Zakharova commented on the recent BBC film about corruption in Russia, noting the double standards of the UK. Great Britain accuses Russia of corruption, while at the same time it grants asylum to those who are wanted in Russia on corruption charges. The UK also does not object to using these people for their own purposes. She suggested it would be interesting material for a new investigative documentary by the BBC. On Russian Citizens' Extradition by Third Countries to US Maria Zakharova called it extradition of Russian citizens to the US by third countries unacceptable. She referred to the recent decision of Norway to extradite to the US Russian citizen Mark Vartanyan who has been under arrest since 2014 under the request of the US, accused of computer crimes. Zakharova said that with such a decision Norway has ignored the international law. On Syria No-fly Zone Initiative Answering the question on the recent call by German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the controversial idea of imposing a no-fly zone over northern Syria to alleviate the refugee crisis, Maria Zakharova said that nobody wants a repeat of Libya scenario as the possible outcome could seriously deteriorate the situation in the region and in the whole world. "I think nobody wants the repetition of the Libyan scenarioThe international community already has a precedentThe results are being felt far beyond the Libyan borders, in Europe, and soon will be felt even beyond the European borders," she said. On a new Meeting of Normandy Four Group on Ukraine Answering a question on a possible meeting of the Normandy Four Group, Maria Zakharova said that there is no date set for the next meeting on Ukraine, but the possibility of such a meeting has been discussed. On a Possible Invasion in Syria The Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman said that any invasion in Syria will sabotage the peace process and will be considered as violation of law. Russia's actions will depend on the situation. MOSCOW (Sputnik)Concerns are that, instead of merely unlocking the phone of San shooter Syed Farook, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) wants Apple to leave a forensics backdoor in its smartphone for FBI agents. "Forcing companies to enable hacking could compromise users privacy," Pichai tweeted, adding this "could be a troubling precedent." Googles top manager stressed that the company gives law enforcers access based on "valid legal orders," "but thats wholly different than requiring companies to enable hacking of customer devices and data," he argued. Cohen, a former State Department employee, has in the past been accused of engaging in "regime change" activities. His contacts with Egyptian opposition figures during the 2011 anti-Mubarak uprising, and his frequent travels to the Middle East have raised doubts on whether he was still acting at the behest of the White House. Google Ideas itself was involved in ventures that went well beyond the purview of a simple tech company, tackling head-on international crisis like drug smuggling or terrorism with ad-hoc initiatives. Jigsaw promises to scale it up to an even more activist approach, creating and disseminating technological tools to counter any sort of global problem. Google's "regime change" dept 'Ideas' is now 'Jigsaw' (better known as the hitech serial killer in Saw). Background: https://t.co/ZUfh7WDAT5 WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) February 17, 2016 Grant Blank, a fellow at Oxford Internet Institute, told Sputnik that Jigsaw can be interpreted as one of Alphabet's legendary "moonshots" (ambitious, borderline-whacky ventures such as self-driving cars or "google glasses.") "I would see this in the context of the company's famous long-term projects, but much more in a political vein rather than dealing with technology only," he said. "It is still not clear what Jigsaw can actually do here, though. They talked about 'geopolitical challenges' but seems like they don't know what they are really going to focus on It seems that they want to solve international challenges, always with a tech slant. But how are you going to solve Middle East crises with technology?" Blank added that, while Alphabet is undeniably "a political actor," he does not think Jigsaw will take an excessively encroaching stance, or do the bidding of the US government. "I would be surprised if there were a direct intervention in the political system of another country," Blank told Sputnik. "[Alphabet] is very much conscious of its reliance on cross-nationality." Besides signaling an expansion of Google Ideas capabilities, Blank said, Jigsaw is also part of a thorough rebranding the whole company has been undergoing since its Google-to-Alphabet name change in October 2015. "The company wants to move away from the idea it's just a search engine. Alphabet wants to be able to do lots of other things, and Jigsaw will be related to some kind of ideal like that," Blank told Sputnik. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had pledged to start an investigation to the chiefs of Canada's First Nations during his electoral campaign last year. Minister Hajdu, Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett and Justice Minister Jody-Wilson Raybould have already started speaking with indigenous survivors and the relatives and partners of many missing native women all across the country. "We have heard enough stories to hear that if you count these deaths that were called a suicide or other things, we have anecdotal evidence that the problem is greater. I think it's important we look to the root causes," Hajdu told CBC. A previous estimate, from a 2014 report of Canada's mounted police, had pegged the figure at around 1,200 missing or killed indigenous women from 1980 to 2012. Red River The issue came to the fore of Canada's public debate in December 2015, after a man was charged for murdering native 15-year-old Tina Fontaine, whose corpse had been found in the Red River in 2014. The killing grabbed the spotlight and caused nationwide outrage. Raymond Cormier, 53, was charged with second-degree murder. Still, the Fontaine case is just the tip of the iceberg in a country where dozens of aboriginal women vanish every year, and are sometimes found dead in the same river. Trudeau's inquiry aims at establishing the reasons behind widespread violence against indigenous women, and could eventually result in a review of the laws on indigenous peoples. The investigation could also help restore the currently strained relations between Canada's authorities and its indigenous communities also called the First Nations. The situation has recently soured over several issues, such as government-sponsored projects for pipelines that would cross indigenous territory and rivers. In 2012, First Nation women launched the "Idle No More" movement to protest the country's environmental degradation and what they saw as violations of indigenous peoples' rights. MOSCOW (Sputnik)Agriculture provides a perfect platform to explore opportunities for the development of relations between Moscow and Paris, French Ambassador to Russia Jean-Maurice Ripert said Thursday. "Despite the difficult situation around Ukraine and Syria, we are ready to return to peaceful relations. In this respect, agriculture is a good opportunity for cooperation I am convinced that France can help Russia, because it has [all the necessary] technologies in agriculture. France is a reliable partner for Russia," Ripert stated at a round-table discussion at the French Embassy in Moscow. Such French companies as Danone food-products corporation and Bonduelle vegetables processing firm have been successfully working in Russia for a long time, despite the fact that the conditions for doing business can be difficult, in particular, in the area of administrative procedures, he noted. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The US-led coalition against the Daesh conducted 19 airstrikes in Syria and Iraq targeting the terrorist groups infrastructure, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a press release on Thursday. "In Syria, coalition military forces conducted seven strikes using attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against Daesh targets," CENTCOM stated. "Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 12 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using fighter, ground-attack, and remotely piloted aircraft against Daesh targets." The airstrikes near two Syrian cities Hawl and Hasaka were carried out on Wednesday, and destroyed IS tactical units, buildings and vehicles, according to the press release. The $10,000 Open Pace for the fillies and mares on Wednesday night (Feb. 17) looked like an instant replay of last week's event at Buffalo Raceway with Little Santamonica sitting dead last then bursting through in the home stretch to post a come-from-behind victory. This time around, Little Santamonica ($9.00) gave herself a little more breathing room, romping past Memumsnotnice by two and a half widening lengths at the wire. The margin of victory last week was just a head over Mach This Way. Ugly Betty set up shop on the front end, putting up splits of :29.2, :59.1 and 1:28.2. Little Santamonica, in the meantime, was sitting seventh into the final turn and that's where driver Shawn McDonough went into action. He guided Little Santamonica into a perfect striking position at the head of the stretch and she did the rest. The pair weaved through some minor traffic, but blew past the field thanks to a :28.3 last quarter in going the mile in 1:58. Memumsnotnice (Ray Fisher Jr.) finished in second while the favoured Mach This Way (Ron Beback Jr.) took third. Owned and trained by Jordan Hope, Little Santamonica (Little Steven-Tonianne N) is an eight-year-old mare who has won two consecutive races. Wednesday's win sent her 2016 earnings to $10,700 and lifetime bankroll to $328,561. David McNeight III took over the lead in the driver's standings with three victories. He moved ahead of the injured Kevin Cummings 22-21. Jack Flanigen also tripled while Billy Davis Jr. and Jim McNeight registered two wins. Trainer Tyler Nostadt posted a double. It was a great night in the wagering department at Buffalo Raceway with the largest handle of the 2016 season. Racing will return on Friday night at 5 p.m. with a 12-race program. Ronnie Wrenn Jr., who was snowed out of last week's seasonal debut at Buffalo Raceway, is scheduled to drive this Friday. (Buffalo Raceway) Judicial Watch Files Amicus Brief in Freddie Gray, Jr. Case Watchdog Group Warns of Using Justice System to Appease Violent Protestors Contact: Jill Farrell, Judicial Watch, 202-646-5172 WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ -- Judicial Watch announced today it filed an amicus curiae brief with the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, arguing that forcing Baltimore Police Officer William G. Porter to testify against fellow officers before his retrial for manslaughter, assault, and other criminal charges over the police-custody death of Freddie Carlos Gray Jr., would have a significant, adverse chilling effect on his constitutional rights under the Fifth and Sixth Amendments. Judicial Watch asserts the unusual push to force Office Porter to testify while facing charges is part of an unjust effort "to quiet unrest and appease violent protesters." Judicial Watch filed its friend of court brief on February 10, 2016 (Caesar Goodson v. State of Maryland (No. 2308). The Judicial Watch amicus brief states: Judicial Watch seeks to participate as an amicus curiae in this matter to ensure that due care and the full protections of the law - not a hasty rush to judgment or short-sighted effort to placate angry protesters - are afforded to all persons and entities involved. Of particular concern to Judicial Watch are the "uncharted" questions of law raised by the State's efforts to compel Officer William G. Porter to testify at the trials of his fellow officers following his mistrial and before his retrial. In January, the Circuit Court for Baltimore City ordered Officer Porter to testify, over the assertion of his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination, in the trials of two police officer co-defendants. The matter is presently on appeal before the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. Additionally, the State of Maryland has petitioned the Court of Appeals to bypass the lower-level appeals process and expedite a review of the issue. If the Court of Appeals decides to step in and take the case from the lower appellate court, Judicial Watch's amicus brief will follow for the Court of Appeals' consideration in resolving the Fifth and Sixth Amendment issues surrounding Officer Porter's compelled testimony. Judicial Watch attorneys argue to the appellate courts: Under the unique circumstances presented by this case, the State cannot accuse Officer Porter of perjury, compel him to testify against his fellow officers, and seek to retry him without violating his Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights. On April 12, 2015, Gray was arrested by the Baltimore City Police. One week later, Gray died on April 19, 2015, after sustaining spinal cord injuries while being transported in a police van on the day of his arrest. His death sparked violent rioting, leading to over 100 police officers being injured, multiple arrests, hundreds of businesses being destroyed, a state of emergency, and deployment of the National Guard. On May 1, less than two weeks after Gray's death, Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby announced charges against the six officers involved in Gray's arrest. All have pleaded not guilty... MORE: www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/judicial-watch-files-amicus-brief-in-freddy-gray-jr-case First official trip - to Asia. We are so proud of you! Beauty, brains, compassion, talent, and the sweetest disposition. Taiwan believes that since 2009 China has maintained a force of at least 1,400 ballistic missiles aimed at them. That's up from 200 in 2000, 800 in 2004 and 1,300 in 2008. Most of these are Dong Feng DF-11 and DF-15 models. The DF11 (also known as the M11) has a range of 300 kilometers and carries a one ton warhead. The DF15 (M9) has a range of 600 kilometers and carries a half ton warhead. From the Chinese coast, to targets in Taiwan, it's about 200-300 kilometers across the Taiwan Straits. In addition to the ballistic missiled there are also over a thousand Chinese warplanes and over 100,000 troops (including several brigades of paratroopers) available for an attack on the island. The missiles would use high explosive or cluster bomb warheads, and would basically be bombs that could not be stopped. Well, that's not exactly the case. Taiwan is investing in an anti-missile system that would negate a large number of the Chinese missiles. If used, perhaps 75 percent of the missiles would actually hit their target. The others would suffer failures in propulsion or guidance systems. Each missile is the equivalent of a half-ton or one ton aircraft bomb. But currently, the missiles have primitive guidance systems, meaning that the warheads will usually hit up to 500 meters from the target. The Chinese are believed to be equipping the missiles with GPS, although the Taiwanese can jam this. Guidance systems that are more difficult to jam are in the works, as this technology has been much sought after by Chinese spies in the United States over the last few years. Since 2010 China has also been increasing its missile forces aimed at American and Japanese forces in the region. Japan would simply have several hundred ballistic missiles moved to parts of China close enough for these missiles to hit Japanese military bases. Crippling American forces in the west Pacific was another matter especially since the Chinese dont want to use nukes, or pay a lot more for hundreds of expensive longer range ballistic missiles carrying high-explosive, instead of nuclear, warheads. Another problem was the American fleet. But by 2013, after a decade of effort, American naval intelligence believed China had developed a working version of a ballistic missile that could hit a moving aircraft carrier. This is the DF-21D. The basic DF-21 is a 15 ton, two stage, solid fuel missile that is 10.7 meters (35 feet) long and 140cm (4.6 feet) in diameter. Range varies (from 1,700-3,000 kilometers) depending on model. The DF-21D is believed to have a range of 1,500-2,000 kilometers. While the 500-2,000 kg (.5-2 ton) warhead usually contains a nuclear weapon, there are also several types of conventional warheads, including one designed for use against warships. Some of these conventional warheads are for use against targets in Taiwan. This is because the DF-21, as a longer range ballistic missile that comes down on the target faster than the shorter range ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan. That means that the DS-21 is too fast for the Pac-3 anti-missile missiles Taiwan is installing around crucial installations. Until 2013 there was no evidence that the complete DF-21D system had been tested. But in 2013 satellite photos showed a 200 meter long white rectangle in the Gobi Desert (in Western China) with two large craters in it. This would appear to be a target for testing the DF-21D, and two of the inert practice warheads appear to have hit the target. American carriers are over 300 meters long, although the smaller carriers (amphibious ships with helicopter decks) are closer to 200 meters long. It appears China is planning on using the DF-21D against smaller warships, or perhaps they just wanted to see exactly how accurate the missile could be. Between 2010 and 2013 various components of the DF-21D were tested, but until these satellite photos showed up there was no evidence that there had been any tests of the complete system against a carrier size target. Since 2011 there have been photos of DF-21Ds on TELs (transporter erector launcher vehicles), and announcements of the first units activated in 2010. Then in 2013 came some tests. What has not been done at that point was a dress rehearsal test against a large ship (an old tanker or container ship would do) at sea and moving. That has yet to happen. But DF-21Ds on TELs were publicaly displayed in a September 2015 parade. Meanwhile, China has three "remote sensing" satellites in orbit, moving in formation at an altitude of 600 kilometers across the Pacific. Equipped with either radar (SAR or synthetic aperture radar) or digital cameras, these three birds can scan the ocean for ships, even though the Chinese say their purpose is purely scientific. A typical SAR can produce photo quality images at different resolutions. At medium resolution (3 meters) the radar covers an area 40x40 kilometers. Low resolution (20 meters) covers 100x100 kilometers. This three satellite Chinese posse looks suspiciously like a military ocean surveillance system. This is the missing link for the Chinese ballistic missile system designed to attack American aircraft carriers. China has been developing the DF-21D, or key components of it, since about 2001. Most of the development effort was devoted to targeting systems that would enable them to seek out and find aircraft carriers. On the DF-21D warhead itself, sensors would use infrared (heat seeking) technology for their final approach. This sort of thing had been discussed for decades, but China appears to have put together tactics, sensors, and missile systems that can make this all happen. The key was having multiple sensor systems which would include satellites, submarines, or maritime patrol aircraft that could find the general location of the carrier before launching the ballistic missile. Those sensors appear to be operational, as is the DF-21D itself. Studiopjj provides active listening from someone who is natural, unbiased and empathetic. And it's all completely confidential. A Good Listener is a natural fit for someone in need of unbiased attention, acceptance and understanding, When you book an appointment with me, you are securing a safe space to be your genuine self, and to hear your own thoughts out loud and clear. Listening is a relational experience. Thinking aloud, allowed. No criticism. No judgement. No interpretation. Just active listening. There are other ways in which a Good Listener can serve your needs, such as: . Practice audience for sermons, lectures, speeches, comedy routines, musical recitals, and all forms of public address. . Extra set of eyes (a third eye) and ears (a third ear) for bands, dancers, performance artists. . Just general conversation over a cup of coffee or tea. When you hire a Good Listener, he is happy to lend you his eyes and ears. All sessions will be private and kept strictly confidential, Rates . US$1 a minute. . Payment is due at the time of session. . Only cash is preferred. No cheques (checks), please. Contact . P.J.Joseph, DgemG (Germany) . Blog: https://studiopjj.blogspot.com . Twitter: https://twitter.com/studiopjj . Email: pjjoseph7@yahoo.co.in / pjjoseph7@gmail.com One thing happening in today's current society is communication loss. As our ways of communicating have evolved through technology, our ability to listen and to be heard has greatly diminished. Sometimes all you need is just someone honest to listen, really listen. Most people aren't necessarily looking for solutions; just empathy, a true understanding and a safe space to say whatever is on in their mind. Honesty in communication is what holds it together. wingssail images judy jensen Working on the Mercury Here we are, the middle of October. Summer is almost gone and what have we done in the last four and a ... PRESS RELEASE Marlows Tavern is bringing the tempting taste of the Big Easy to Central Florida with its annual Bayou n Bourbon menu, available through March 28. I have always been impressed by Louisianas rich culinary heritage, which draws on French, German, Spanish, African and Native American influences, said John C. Metz, executive chef and co-founder of Marlows Tavern. Weve been letting the good times roll in our kitchen creating appetizers, entrees and cocktails that show off that unique blend of flavors from New Orleans with a Marlows twist. Lets just say were throwing our own parade for the palate. To kick up the local spice another notch this year, Metzs team has added Classic Creole seasoning from Woodstock-based GGs Fine Food to several of its recipes. Linda GG Gibson learned to cook Creole the old-fashioned way from her grandmother, Metz said. Her seasonings are very traditional in the classic Louisiana style. When the Cajun craving strikes, the Bayou n Bourbon menu is ready for lunch and dinner. New items on this years menu include the following: Bayou Lump Crab Dip Creole-spiced lump crab, andouille, spicy mustard, Asiago, Parmesan crust and toasty French baguette Nawlins-Style Po Boy fiery spiced red fish, apple-cabbage slaw, shredded lettuce, Roma tomato and Creole remoulade on toasted baguette The Big Easy Muffaletta imported mortadella, Genoa salami, spicy capicola, GGs secret recipe olive salad, melting provolone on pressed ciabatta bread Sweet Bourbon St. Rib-eye blackened Jack Daniels Honey-blazed rib-eye, jumbo asparagus and a creamy crawfish pie Plus, Marlows signature Bayou n Bourbon menu favorites include Roasted Chicken & Shrimp Gumbo, Daily Flatbread from the Bayou, Deconstructed Jambalaya and Honey Bourbon Bread Pudding. For guests who prefer to be spirited away New Orleans-style, Marlows has crafted a special menu of drinks and handcrafted cocktails including: Pats Marlows Hurricane a New Orleans tradition stolen from Pat OBriens. His secret recipe all jazzed up with Bacardi light rum, fresh orange juice and a floater of Bacardi. Hold onto your beads! Bourbon Rum Punch Old Forester, Meyers Dark Rum, vanilla, cream & nutmeg Bourbon Street Lemonade house-made New Orleans original, Southern Comfort, lemonade, kiss of mint, fresh lemon & lime and a dash of simple syrup Sokol Blosser Evolution, Oregon 16th Edition unique blend of nine different white grapes, produced and bottled in Oregon with hand-selected Oregon, Washington & California fruit, bright straw, exotic tropical citrus, hints of spicy apple with lush, crisp, bright finish ABITA Turbodog-Draught Turbodog Dark Brown Ale brewed with pale, caramel, chocolate malts and Willamette hops, rich flavors, perfect partner for all things Cajun! ABITA Wrought Iron IPA-Bottle Abita Wrought Iron IPA is the resilient, indestructible nature of New Orleans. India Pale Ale forged with intensity of apollo, equinox and mosaic hops, bright as iron from a fiery forge, perfect for a night on the bayou During the celebration, one lucky grand prize winner and a guest will enjoy a weekend in New Orleans listening to music legends such as Stevie Wonder, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Flo Rida and many more at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Visit www.MarlowsTavern.com for contest details and registration. Marlows fans can also enter on the taverns Facebook page for a chance to win Bayou n Bourbon prizes between February 19 and March 17. A prize winner will be randomly selected to win dinner for four ($100 value), with a second drawing for dinner for two ($50 value). Finally, Instagram users are encouraged to share their Bayou n Bourbon experience and tag @marlowstavern. Lucky winners will have their image regrammed and receive a complimentary Honey Bourbon Bread Pudding. The Sea Hawks use a strong serve and balanced attack for a commanding win in the opening round of the Division 2 playoffs. The family of a Mint Valley Elementary School student was outraged after their son was sent home from school wearing only a diaper Tuesday. A Longview woman posted on Facebook that her autistic son was sent home on the bus wearing only a diaper and backpack after he soiled himself. Would the school do this to any other child that was normally functioning? Just because my child is special needs does NOT mean you can degrade him in public or treat him any less, she wrote. The mother couldnt be reached for additional comment Wednesday. Sandy Catt, Longview School District spokeswoman, said the district spent most of Wednesday investigating the incident. This is unfortunate and it saddens all of us that this occurred, Catt said. It appears that typical district practices werent followed. Normally if students soil themselves, they would wait in the nurses office while their clothes were washed, or they would be given loaner clothing, Catt said. Staff would also try to reach out to parents to see if the student could be picked up or brought clothing from home. The students wouldnt be engaged in regular school activities until they were clothed. In Tuesdays incident, Catt said that staff members did have a conversation with the boys parents but she doesnt know what was said. Mint Valley Elementary is the same school that came under fire in 2012 for the use an isolation box in special needs classes. The padded box was used for four years at Mint Valley as a place for special needs children to de-escalate from a state of rage without harming themselves or others. It also was used as a voluntary refuge for children with autism to calm themselves after too much sensory stimulation. Yet some parents were concerned that the therapy tool was being misused as a means of punishment, triggering a controversy that eventually led to the boxs removal. Asked if Mint Valley staff needed additional sensitivity training surrounding special-needs children, Catt said she doesnt think Mint Valley staff had any deficiencies when working with special-needs children. I believe the staff at Mint Valley are very compassionate and have availed themselves to a number of trainings, Catt said. She said she could not report whether any staff members would be disciplined as a result of the incident. There have been numerous conversations at the school and working with the family through that has been important today, she said. The age and grade of the child were unavailable Wednesday. CATHLAMET On the second day of a trial unfolding under tight security, tape recordings played for jurors revealed that Sam Valdez was obsessed with getting even with this ex-wife and judges over what he considered an unjust divorce settlement. At one point, Valdez discusses tracking his ex-wife to the grocery store, slashing her tires and confronting her. He muses about having someone throw acid in her face to blind and disfigure her, or cutting off her right arm and ear to carve her up like a fish. Everyday I take my shower and I say who the (expletive) am I going to kill today? he says on recording, made through a confidential informant. I want to send a very clear message to her that Im going to haunt her the rest of her days until she sits down and figures out this inequity in the justice system until both of us walks away equally happy or equally unhappy. Valdez, a 64-year-old Rosburg-area resident, is on trial for first-degree solicitation to commit murder, delivery of marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to manufacture or deliver. He also faces an arson charge for a July 2014 fire at his neighbors home. Valdez was arrested on July 3. The trial opened Tuesday with opening arguments and testimony by Valdezs ex-wife. The prosecution is expected to take the rest of this week to present its case, and the defense is expected to start presenting its case Tuesday. All people entering the courthouse, including employees, were put through a metal detector and a bag check. All doors but the front door were locked, and district court was moved. Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Stephen Warning is presiding. Valdezs arrest came after an investigation by the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Narcotics Task Force, which targeted him for suspected manufacture of hash oil, a potent resin made from marijuana. According to court documents, a confidential informant told a task force detective in May that Valdez wanted to hire someone to kill his wife. The task force wired the informant who is a friend and customer of Valdezs and made three recordings with Valdez between May and June. Almost all of those recordings were played in court during seven hours of testimony Wednesday. During the first recording, the informant and Valdez discussed fishing, sex, marijuana and Valdezs frustrations with his ex-wife, her family and local judges involved in his divorce in 2013, when he lost property and money. The divorce cost Valdez about $112,000, according to The Chinook Observer. Valdez doesnt explicitly say on tape at least those presented Wednesday that he wants to kill his ex-wife, but he consults the informant about ways to get her to sit down and talk about their divorce. Under questioning in court, the informant said Valdez later gave him photos of his wife and her house with the intent to have her murdered. He also testified that Valdez gave him hash oil as a payment to arrange murdering his wife. In the recordings, Valdez and the informant discuss hiring the informants fictitious uncle whom the informant mislead Valdez into believing was a Mafia member from Michigan to kill people on the list, including his ex-wife and Wahkiakum County judges William Faubion and Michael Sullivan. Valdez describes himself as a man living on the edge, telling the informant theyve bonded over how angry they are at the world. If I think I can survive and come out on the other side, Ill do it, Valdez tells the informant. Eventually I want peace in my life, but not today. Its going to be a while. Its a long list, jokes the informant, referring to Valdezs alleged hit list of people. Im hoping itll be shortened up. One at a time, Valdez says in the recording. My fingers resting on the (expletive) trigger. Confidential informants typically cooperate with police to avoid prosecution or get reduced jail time, but it was not immediately clear Wednesday what agreement, if any, the informant had with narcotics detectives. I intend to haunt her the rest of her days. Sam Valdez in an informants tape recording played during Wednesdays testimony CHICAGO On the morning after Bernie Sanders shook up the Democratic establishment by handily winning the New Hampshire primary, I made my way up to Round Lake, Illinois, a community 50 miles northwest of Chicago, to see if its Latino community was feeling the Bern. I got the idea from Erika Andiola, Sanders national press secretary for Latino outreach and an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. She had made national headlines in 2013 after posting an emotional video when her mother and brother were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and threatened with deportation. Andiola told me recently that the Sanders campaign worked so hard in reaching out to the Latino community in Iowa that journalists were walking into supermercados and carnicerias Mexican markets and butcher shops and seeing Bernie signs. The media was very, very surprised, and every single person they spoke to named and talked about being excited about Bernie, Andiola said, attributing the name recognition to a ground game focused on going door-to-door with bilingual staff and campaign materials. Up until the late 1990s, Round Lakes main drag consisted of a train station and several shuttered storefronts. By 2001, La Luz Bakery, Lomelis International Supermarket and Rancho Nuevo Mexican restaurant were anchoring a somewhat revitalized downtown that today supports a variety of Latino-owned businesses from clothing to cellphones, formal wear, beauty salons and jewelry. Alas, as I made my way up and down the street from supermercado to panaderia bakery I saw no trace of the kind of Sanders fever Andiola described in Iowa. Albeit it was a sleepy Wednesday morning rather than a hustling-bustling weekend day, but no one I chatted with was raring to talk politics. Sanders campaign signs, meet-up posters and stickers were also visibly lacking in the many nooks and bulletin boards covered in handmade fliers advertising mechanic and baby-sitting services, and discount coupons for facials and tinted eye contacts. No #UnidosconBernie United with Bernie bumper stickers were visible anywhere in the Latino portions of town. To be fair, there werent any political items to be found not even a Trump pinata for sale. But the Illinois primary is still a month away, so maybe its early for all this. The Sanders machine has definitely captured the imagination of many Hispanics and a broad swath of other young people in Chicago. The excitement ratcheted up in December when he spoke at a gathering hosted by Cook County Commissioner Jesus Chuy Garcia, who pushed Mayor Rahm Emanuel into a runoff last year. Then, over the Valentines Day weekend, Sanders became the first of this years presidential candidates to open a Chicago office. The campaign credits Sanders real world appeal for his rising popularity. For us, its not about celebrities, its about talking about issues and breaking through the barriers. Were on the ground working door-to-door and not taking a single person for granted, said Andiola. It doesnt hurt that, ahead of the caucuses in Latino-heavy Nevada, the media have started taking notice of Sanders immigration ideas such as welcoming refugees from Central America, reforming the visa system, reworking trade agreements and making undocumented immigrants eligible for Obamacare. Sanders has a clearly articulated immigration platform on his website and has started playing up his son-of-a-Polish-immigrant bona fides (during his New Hampshire primary victory speech, he elaborated that his father arrived in the U.S. speaking no English and having no money). He has also benefited from others outside the campaign highlighting Clintons harsher stances in the past on immigration notably on the deportation of unaccompanied minors in 2015. The residents of Round Lake and countless other small towns across the country that have been affected by historic increases in suburban poverty will be worth watching as the winnowing process takes us into the November elections. Editors note: Todays editorial originally appeared in The News Tribune. Editorial content from other publications is provided to give readers a sampling of regional and national opinion and does not necessarily reflect positions endorsed by the Editorial Board of The Daily News. Opponents of a methanol plant in Tacoma and there are many have gone searching for public officials willing to throw their weight against the proposed $3.4 billion natural-gas conversion facility on the Tideflats. The results have been mixed. While methanol-haters have found some friends in the Legislature and Federal Way City Hall, theyve had little luck enlisting the Tacoma City Council and mayor, who say they have no power over a Port of Tacoma lease. And critics would be foolish to think they could sway port commissioners, who unanimously approved the lease in 2014 and arent hardwired to reject 1,000 temporary and 260 full-time jobs. A new Washington Supreme Court decision suggests opponents might not find much support in the judicial branch, either. The court issued a ruling this month against Envision Spokane, a group that has tried since 2013 to place a measure on the city ballot allowing voters to block developments they dont like. Through their Community Bill of Rights, the activists sought to protect the local water source by declaring that the Spokane River has a right to exist and flourish. And they want to deny the legal rights of corporations that violate their manifesto. What does this have to do with a would-be Chinese-backed methanol plant 300 miles across the state? Possibly quite a lot. The Tacoma projects foes already attempted to file one city ballot measure asking voters: Do you want the largest methanol production refinery in the world emitting toxic byproducts that would pollute our air and water located in the Port of Tacoma? The city attorney rejected the RedLine Tacoma plan, saying Tacomas charter doesnt allow for non-binding advisory votes. Implacable as ever, opponents have started gathering the 3,160 signatures needed for a different initiative. More rebel ballot-box efforts presumably could follow. The Supreme Court, however, delivered a clear reminder about local initiatives: They are limited because they dont have the heft of constitutionally sanctioned state initiative powers. Many cities have granted voters authority to petition their government Tacoma, Lakewood and Puyallup, to name a few but city charters only go so far. Justice Susan Owens summed up the ruling against Envision Spokane by saying the groups initiative attempts to regulate a variety of subjects outside this scope of authority, including administrative matters, water law and constitutional rights. Theres no question Tacomas methanol opposition includes smart people, and theyre learning as they go. Their latest initiative, which theyre calling the large water user ordinance, would require voters to approve all requests for water permits requiring 1 million gallons or more per day. (The Northwest Innovations plant would use a whopping 10.4 million gallons daily.) This time, critics are taking a safer route by trying to amend city code, allowed under Tacomas charter. But as the court highlighted in the Spokane case, things get complicated where water law and long-settled water rights are concerned. Anti-methanol forces have every right to use all legal arrows in their quiver, including the initiative system. Its understandable that they may feel like part of a rear-guard action, as a letter writer says today what with the lease signed and many influential people supporting the refinery. Participation in this fact-finding mission is a good idea for all Tacomans, whether for or against local methanol production and certainly for those scrupulous searchers who have yet to make up their minds. The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) just published its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the I-5 power line project. After spending seven years and $85 million to design and evaluate four routing options, BPA claims it is not sure if the transmission line will be needed later or not at all. In 2010, a BPA spokesperson told a radio show, This line is predominantly for local load service, to meet the energy demand in the area where it will be placed and warned of impending brownouts and blackouts. Recently BPA acknowledged that this power line is for reinforcing the North-South transmission lines from Canada and the Pacific Northwest to California and Mexico and has recently estimated that the power line would not be needed until 2021. BPA has not helped its credibility by continuing to hedge the real purpose of the project. Continuing this pattern, the FEIS inappropriately downplays the present and future local property tax impacts and fails to address the safety risks of 500 kV powerlines close to homes in an era of violent weather. In late 2010, an interdisciplinary group of specialists gathered by the citizens group No Lines in Populated Areas (NLPA) proposed to BPA a further north and east route. This northeastern route enhances reliability and expansion options but it is longer and has a higher initial cost. However, compared to all other routes, it would significantly save the public over its projected lifetime. BPA dismissed the northeastern route in early 2012 without a serious evaluation by magnifying its potential wildlife impacts and the actual counts of affected homes. NLPAs two-year study of the economic and human impacts of both the existing and proposed power line routes show how suburban growth has engulfed the power lines placed in the 1940s and 1960s. For example, at that time the Lexington and Vancouver areas were sparsely populated semi-rural areas that are now densely populated. The loss of those higher valued lands and buildings has created a permanent shift of the property tax burden to homeowners, perhaps justified then by the need to create local industrial jobs. BPAs preferred central route does avoid 3,000 homes in the urban cores of Kelso and Vancouver. Using those highest value lands would have created monumental shifts of the property tax burden to all homeowners in both counties. Unfortunately, BPAs current preferred route disproportionately impacts struggling communities and towns such as Castle Rock and Camas. This route will handicap their urban growth plans and may replicate the poverty zones found around existing powerlines. By downgrading lands in the prime suburban growth areas, significant property tax burdens will shift to all county taxpayers, with no direct benefits to justify them. The citizens northeastern route could reduce by a factor of 10 the number of homes at risk. It has, by far, the lowest net cost to the public by sparing the suburban growth areas of the next few decades. The additional investment required by the longer Northeastern route is recovered by the public in less than eight years. Over the projects lifetime, say 40 years, it would spare southwest Washington taxpayers from the total additional property tax burden shift of $560 million (if crossing the Columbia River at Bonneville) or $760 million (if crossing at Camas). The actual additional direct costs of a longer transmission line are mixed in with BPAs 15,000 miles of lines and will show up as a rounding error on a monthly bill. These added costs can and should be shared by all BPAs consumers in the West Coast of North America. BPA, a federal enterprise owned by the public, must step up its game. It must take a much longer-term view and evaluate appropriately the external impacts from its transmission investments and then use them to apply cost-benefit analyses from the public perspective. Placing a disproportionate share of the external costs of a multi-country regional transmission project on relatively poorer communities and counties which are not its direct beneficiaries is not a fair policy choice. It is also inconsistent with the spirit of the National Environmental Policy Act. NLPA is not opposed to this powerline if BPA can credibly and transparently establish its longer-term need and does a better job to reduce its heavy disproportionate burdens to Cowlitz and Clark Counties. "We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844 This blog aims to nurture a supportive and enthusiastic network of educators committed to place-based learning and teaching Montana history. Here you will find tips on using primary sources in the classroom, information about resources for teaching Montana history, examples of exceptional heritage education projects, and notices about professional development opportunities. Superb readings of lots of things, including Bresson, Jerry Lewis, and George Romero, especially. The main thrust of the book is also sound and very important. tech2 News Staff At a high-profile launch event in Noida, Ringing Bells, a relatively unknown smartphone brand announced its Freedom 251 smartphone with a lot of fanfare. Indeed the highlight was the Rs 251 price tag that got the attention of millions who took to social media to talk about it with many posting on various websites about their wishes to acquire more than one unit of the world's cheapest smartphone. Browsing through the web, we came across plenty of reviews and first impressions showing the Adcom logo (that is sometimes covered up with a whitener) on top to which HT got in touch with Adcom, an importer of completely built Chinese smartphones in India. Turns out, the that company which is supposed to be re-branding the Chinese smartphone (supposedly the Adcom Ikon 4) to a Freedom 251, is not aware that its brand name has been printed on to the smartphone sold by Ringing Bells. We have no idea that our branding is being used on the Freedom 251, Adcoms marketing head Deepanjali Arora told HT. We will look into this. But the smartphone has other issues to deal with which is where the above problem emanates from. Expressing concern over the launch of a smartphone at price as low as Rs 251, mobile industry body Indian Cellular Association (ICA) has written to Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to get into depth of the issue, saying the rate could not be below Rs 3,500 even after a subsidised sale. So is Adcom trying to hide the fact that they would source the a smartphone from China and resell it as a Ringing Bells made Freedom 251? Surely, with shipping dates set for June 2016, it indeed raises the question as to who is building the worlds cheapest smartphone if Ringing Bells isn't. More importantly, with the bookings now open, the company will have to ready thousands of Freedom 251, else there are going to be plenty of issues for the high-profile people involved at the launch as well. One thing's for sure, this smartphone is definitely not 'Made in India' so neither does slapping the national flag on the back make it one. hidden Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook said Wednesday his company will resist a federal magistrate's order to hack its users in connection with the investigation of the San Bernardino, California shootings, asserting such a move would undermine encryption by creating a backdoor that could potentially be used on other future devices. Cook's ferocious response, posted early Wednesday on the company's website, came after an order from US Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym that Apple Inc. help the Obama administration break into an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the shooters in the December attack. The first-of-its-kind ruling was a significant victory for the Justice Department in a technology policy debate that pits digital privacy against national security interests. Noting the order Tuesday from federal Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym in California, Cook said "this moment calls for public discussion, and we want our customers and people around the country to understand what is at stake." Cook argued that the order "has implications far beyond the legal case at hand." Pym ordered Apple to help the FBI hack into an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters.., and setting the stage for a legal fight between the federal government and Silicon Valley over a first-of-its-kind ruling. The order directing Apple to help the FBI break into an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardo shooters represents a significant victory for the Justice Department. The Obama administration has embraced stronger encryption as a way to keep consumers safe on the Internet, but struggled to find a compelling example to make its case. Cook said in the website posting that the US government order would undermine encryption by using specialized software to create an essential back door that he compared to a "master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks." "In the wrong hands, this software - which does not exist today - would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone's physical possession," Cook wrote. "The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a back door. And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control." FBI Director James Comey told members of Congress last week that encryption is a major problem for law enforcement who "find a device that can't be opened even when a judge says there's probable cause to open it." The ruling Tuesday tied the problem to the deadliest terrorist attack on US soil since the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Syed Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people in a Dec. 2 shooting at a holiday luncheon for Farook's co-workers. The couple later died in a gun battle with police. Federal prosecutors told the judge in a court proceeding Tuesday - that was conducted without Apple being allowed to participate - that investigators can't access a work phone used by Farook because they don't know his passcode and Apple has not cooperated. Under US law, a work phone is generally the property of a person's employer. The judge told Apple to provide an estimate of its cost to comply with her order, suggesting that the government will be expected to pay for the work. Apple has provided default encryption on its iPhones since 2014, allowing any device's contents to be accessed only by the user who knows the phone's passcode. The ruling by Pym, a former federal prosecutor, requires Apple to supply highly specialized software the FBI can load onto the county-owned work iPhone to bypass a self-destruct feature, which erases the phone's data after too many unsuccessful attempts to unlock it. The FBI wants to be able to try different combinations in rapid sequence until it finds the right one. It was not immediately clear what investigators believe they might find on Farook's work phone or why the information would not be available from third-party service providers, such as Google or Facebook, though investigators think the device may hold clues about whom the couple communicated with and where they may have traveled. The couple took pains to physically destroy two personally owned cell phones, crushing them beyond the FBI's ability to recover information from them. They also removed a hard drive from their computer; it has not been found despite investigators diving for days for potential electronic evidence in a nearby lake. Farook was not carrying his work iPhone during the attack. It was discovered after a subsequent search. It was not known whether Farook forgot about the iPhone or did not care whether investigators found it. The phone was running the newest version of Apple's iPhone operating system, which requires a passcode and cannot be accessed by Apple, unlike earlier operating systems or older phone models. San Bernardino County provided Farook with an iPhone configured to erase data after 10 consecutive unsuccessful unlocking attempts. The FBI said that feature appeared to be active on Farook's iPhone as of the last time he performed a backup. The judge didn't spell out her rationale in her three-page order, but the ruling comes amid a similar case in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Investigators are still working to piece together a missing 18 minutes in Farook and Malik's timeline from Dec. 2. Investigators have concluded they were at least partly inspired by the Islamic State group; Malik's Facebook page included a note pledging allegiance to the group's leader around the time of the attack. In 2014, Apple updated its iPhone operating system to require that the phone be locked by a passcode that only the user knows. Previously, the company could use an extraction tool that would physically plug into the phone and allow it to respond to search warrant requests from the government. FBI Director James Comey told members of Congress last week that encryption is a major problem for law enforcement who "find a device that can't be opened even when a judge says there's probable cause to open it." Associated Press Sheldon Pinto Apple recently put out a letter on its website making things clear to everyone about what has been happening between the company and the FBI. The letter is a rather long one and goes in depth to explain how troubling it can be for a tech giant to take a stand against a bigger organisation, both to save the freedom of its customers and its future. As someone who uses an iPhone 6 Plus, I'm deeply impressed. This is because worrying about where my data is being used is not something that I, as a customer, should be worried about. In Google's case, this would be a completely different scenario as there are manufacturers and their software customisations that come in between. But with Apple, you have just Apple to complain to and hold responsible, so they better take their claims seriously. Coming to the San Bernardino shootout that involved two terrorists killing 14 victims, it is indeed shocking and I do feel for the families of the victims. In fact, the first thought that came to my mind was about why isn't Apple helping the FBI with all the details? Turns out, all it takes is one little key. But as Apple explains, that one little key opens up a backdoor that will help organisations like the FBI access millions of iPhones not just in America, but worldwide. If this happens, we will soon have our own government asking for access just like BlackBerry which was eventually brought into submission back in 2012. They handed over the encryption keys to the Indian government after a four-year standoff. Apple was not too concerned about security either, until the iCloud hack came into the picture that exposed some rather revealing photos to everyone online thanks to weak authentications techniques. A year later, Apple users have two-factor authentication, and my iPhone with iOS 9 on board even prompts for a 6-digit Passcode instead of a 4-digit one. Back to the San Bernardino case, it turns out that Apple is helping the FBI with its investigation. "When the FBI has requested data thats in our possession, we have provided it. Apple complies with valid subpoenas and search warrants, as we have in the San Bernardino case. We have also made Apple engineers available to advise the FBI, and weve offered our best ideas on a number of investigative options at their disposal." says the letter. It's just that when the government asked for a backdoor access, Apple stood up for every Apple user and itself (and technically everyone else), rejecting the court order. It was not too long ago that Tim Cook told CBS in an interview when quizzed about cyber attacks, There have been people that suggest that we should have a back door, said Tim Cook. But the reality is if you put a back door in, that back doors for everybody, for good guys and bad guys. I dont believe that the trade-off here is privacy versus national security. I think thats an overly simplistic view. Were America. We should have both. In short the Apple CEO indicated that things can go hand in hand, but never should a company open its door to hacking by reducing the strength of its encryption. Clearly there is a way out, but the FBI will need to come up with a better way than to poke a tech giant with Writs Acts that will force not just Apple but every other company out there to give up their encryption keys if need be. Opening up millions of iPhones for the sake of one event somehow does not seem the wise thing to do both for users who depend on the same and the company as well. Someone needs to stand up and I am proud that Apple is. Don't agree with me? Well, Google's Sundar Pichai has similar views on the same so it is something that everyone should take seriously, even if that means supporting Apple, a company that most Android fans love to hate. Naina Khedekar Update: The 251 Freedom site has now stopped taking orders due to overwhelming response that has led to the servers to crash. "We receive approx 6 lacs hits per second as a result of which due to your kind overwhelming response servers are over loaded," the site claims. It has also said to have 'taken a pause' and will resume in 24 hours. Those who woke up early this morning (read me) to book the just launched Freedom 251 were treated to the Freedom 251 site that refused to load. Soon, people took to Twitter to vent out their frustration as the site crashed even before the bookings started. The site is up and running now and bookings seem to be open. Rs 251 means less than a monthly mobile bill and the curiosity has drove everyone to the site. We also tried securing a handset and here's what you need to do. Head to the official Freedom 251 page. Though the phone is priced at Rs 251, one may have to shell out an additional Rs 40 as shipping charges. This means, you are paying Rs 291 overall for the phone. You will then have to enter your shipping address, mobile number and email ID. Also required to tick the terms and conditions checkbox before buying the device. Once we hit on buy, it brought us to the same page asking to insert the shipping address and other details. Each time we tried, we were reverted back and couldn't make it to the payments page. As you see in the screenshot above, the page also states four months of delivery time. It is quite possible, it may be doing it to avoid going the Aakash way (cheap tablet from Datawind). Did you manage to buy the #Freedom251? Tech2 (@tech2eets) February 18, 2016 The Freedom 251 is supposedly the Adcom Ikon 4, which is priced way higher. In fact, a new report states mobile industry body ICA has written to Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to get into depth of the issue asking the rate could not be below Rs 3,500 even after a subsidised sale. (Also Read: Yes, the Freedom 251 at Rs 251 is awesome, but thank you!) The Indian Cellular Association (ICA) had also said that it is not appropriate for the senior political and government leadership to be present at the launch till the air around this is cleared and it is not shrouded under controversies. And there are other problems related to the manufacturer of the smartphone denying that it is not aware of them as well. Moreover, Ringing Bells is an unknown Indian company founded in 2015. If some reports are to be believed than the site itself was created this month. It has become popular overnight due to the ridiculous pricing of Rs 251. In terms of specs, the device comes with a 4-inch qHD IPS display, 3.2MP AF rear camera, 0.3MP front camera and 1.3GHz quad-core processor. Read more about its specs here. hidden A court order demanding that Apple Inc help the U.S. government unlock the encrypted Apple iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters is shaping up as a crucial test case of how far the government can go in forcing technology companies to help security and intelligence investigations. Law enforcement agencies have for years faced off against tech firms and privacy advocates over their ability to monitor digital communications, and the government to date has largely lost the battle. But the specific circumstances of the San Bernardino case, a young married couple who sympathized with Islamic State militants and killed 14 people and wounded 22 others in a shooting rampage at a holiday party, could give government officials the legal precedent they need to reverse the tide. A federal judge in Los Angeles on 16 February ordered Apple to provide "reasonable technical assistance" to investigators seeking to read the data on an iPhone 5C that had been used by Rizwan Farook, who along with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, carried out the shootings. The government argues that the iPhone is a crucial piece of evidence. But civil liberties groups warn that forcing companies to crack their own encryption endangers the technical integrity of the Internet and threatens not just the privacy of customers but potentially that of citizens of any country. On Wednesday, Republican lawmakers and presidential candidates came out strongly on the side of law enforcement, raising the possibility of another legislative effort to require tech companies to put backdoors in their products. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the Department of Justice was asking Apple for access to just one device, a central part of the government's argument, which Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has said was "simply not true." "They are not asking Apple to redesign its product or to create a new backdoor to one of their products," Earnest told reporters at a daily briefing. The Department of Justice stressed in a statement on Wednesday that its request was "narrowly tailored," and chided Apple. "It is unfortunate that Apple continues to refuse to assist the department in obtaining access to the phone of one of the terrorists involved in a major terror attack on U.S. soil." Most technology security experts, including many who have served in government, have said technical efforts to provide government access to encrypted devices inevitably degrades security for everyone. It is an argument that has been made since the 1990s, when the government tried and failed to force tech companies to incorporate a special chip into their products for surveillance purposes. The government suggests this tool could only be used once, on one phone," Cook said in a statement on Tuesday. "But thats simply not true. Once created, the technique could be used over and over again, on any number of devices." Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai endorsed Cook's stance in tweets on Wednesday. "We build secure products to keep your information safe and we give law enforcement access to data based on valid legal orders," he wrote. "But thats wholly different than requiring companies to enable hacking of customer devices & data. Could be a troubling precedent." Legal Fight Representatives of several tech companies did not respond to requests for comment on the ruling. Not surprisingly, however, trade groups that count thousands of software companies, smartphone makers and network security firms as members decried the government's position, while law enforcement groups backed the Justice Department. The industry was "committed to working with law enforcement to keep Americans safe," the Software & Information Industry Association said, but in the Apple case, "the governments position is overbroad and unwise." The Computing Technology Industry Association said if the order was carried out, "it could give the FBI the power to call for some sort of back end to encryption whenever they see fit." If the federal judge, Magistrate Sheri Pym, rejects Apple's arguments, the Cupertino, California-based company can appeal her order to the district court, and then up the chain to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco and ultimately the U.S. Supreme Court. The 9th Circuit is known to be pro-privacy. "The government ultimately will have an uphill fight, said Robert Cattanach, a former Justice Department lawyer who advises companies on cyber security issues. Farook was assigned the phone by the county health department for which he worked, prosecutors said in a court filing on Tuesday. The health department had "given its consent" to authorities to search the device and to Apple to assist investigators in that search, the document said. San Bernardino County's top prosecutor, District Attorney Mike Ramos, said Apple's refusal to unlock the phone was a slap in the face to the victims of the shooting and their families. "Theyd like to know details like any of us in America would like to know. Were there other threats? Were there other individuals involved?" Ramos said in a telephone interview. Master Key Dan Guido, an expert in hacking operating systems, said that to unlock the phone, the Federal Bureau of Investigation would need to install an update to Apple's iOS operating system so investigators could circumvent the security protections, including one that wipes data if an incorrect password is entered too many times. He said only Apple could provide that software because the phones will only install updates that are digitally signed with a secret cryptographic key. "That key is one of the most valuable pieces of data the entire company owns," he said. "Someone with that key can change all the data on all the iPhones. The notion of providing that key is anathema to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an online rights group. "Once this master key is created, governments around the world will surely demand that Apple undermine the security of their citizens as well," the foundation said in a statement. Lance James, an expert in forensics who is chief scientist with cyber intelligence company Flashpoint, said Apple could respond to the order without providing crypto keys or specialized tools that could be used to unlock other phones. Apple technicians could create software that would unlock the phone, allowing the company to create a backup file with all of its contents that they could provide to law enforcement, James said. American Civil Liberties Union staff attorney Alex Abdo said the government's request risked a "dangerous" precedent. The Constitution does not permit the government to force companies to hack into their customers' devices," he said. Apple was a topic of discussion on the presidential campaign trail on Wednesday. Donald Trump, front-runner for the Republican Party's nomination to run in the Nov. 8 election, said on Fox News Channels Fox & Friends, "I agree 100 percent with the courts. In that case, we should open it (the iPhone) up ... We have to use common sense." Another Republican candidate, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, called it a tough issue that would require government to work closely with the tech industry to find a solution. Rubio said he hoped Apple would voluntarily comply with the court order. Reuters Inserting himself into the Republican presidential race, Pope Francis on Wednesday suggested that Donald J. Trump is not Christian because of the harshness of his campaign promises to deport more immigrants and force Mexico to pay for a wall along the border. A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian, Francis said when a reporter asked him about Mr. Trump on the papal airliner as he returned to Rome after his six-day visit to Mexico. As this Bishop of Rome had previously said about those with a different orientation that he could not see into their souls, so should he say about any person. This statement is a clear interference into the politics of a country and sets a dangerous precedent. It is for this reason that John Paul II was almost at the point of disbanding the Jesuits. There is an excellent review by Tierney's treatment of Ockham on political rights is similarly original and provocative. He shows that Ockham argued that both the emperor and the pope were obliged to respect the rights of their subjects. Ockham maintained that the emperor derived his power from the people, who "could not confer more power than it actually possessed." A provision of the canon law of corporations, Ockham continued, limited this power, holding that a governing majorityand, by extension, the emperor-could infringe on the rights of the other members only in the case of "necessary actions. The pope, furthermore, was limited by the canonistic maxim that no one was to be deprived of rights "without fault" (sine culpa), and the fundamental principle of evangelical liberty... Definitely worth the read. Now Reid quotes Tierney in the same page: Ockham's favorite way of proving [the restraints on papal power] was to argue that the evangelical liberty proclaimed in scripture limited papal power by safeguarding the natural and civil rights of the pope's subjects.... Christian law was a law of liberty, indeed, "a law of perfect liberty" according to the Epistle of James. Paul too wrote of "the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus" and declared that "Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." But, if the pope could command anything not contrary to divine and natural law, then Christian law would be a law of most horrid servitude. All Christians would be made slaves of the supreme pontiff, for to command anything not forbidden by divine and natural law was precisely the kind of power that a master held over his slaves.... The proper limits to papal power were set by the liberties and temporal rights of emperors, kings, princes and other persons, rights that came to them from natural law or the law of nations or civil law. Thus there was indeed a well understood separation of Church and State. Ockham battled John XXII who as a Canon Lawyer by training was now dealing the the Theologian. But clearly the almost century spent in Avignon was a turning point for what was formerly the Bishop of Rome. In a sense, one can agree with Tierney and see in Ockham the foundations of modern day political theory and understanding. I would further argue that the Nominalism of Ockham is also key but Tierney may not. Notwithstanding this battle spans centuries. There is a long and not very praiseworthy history of the Bishop of Rome wandering into politics. This may very well be another such path. Whatever a candidates views, they should be considered by the public voting, those of all religions, at least in a democracy. Papal interference is a double edged sword.There is an excellent review by Reid at the Cornell site on the book by Tierney and Ockham. It is truly worth the read. He notes:Definitely worth the read. Now Reid quotes Tierney in the same page:Thus there was indeed a well understood separation of Church and State. Ockham battled John XXII who as a Canon Lawyer by training was now dealing the the Theologian. But clearly the almost century spent in Avignon was a turning point for what was formerly the Bishop of Rome. In a sense, one can agree with Tierney and see in Ockham the foundations of modern day political theory and understanding. I would further argue that the Nominalism of Ockham is also key but Tierney may not. Notwithstanding this battle spans centuries. It has not been since 1328 that we have seen Papal injunctions of this kind. Perhaps we should make Ockham's "Ninety Days", Opus nonaginta dierum , mandatory reading in the Vatican.As the NY Times reports: "The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible." -Vladimir Nobokov Dedicated to the Restoration of Progressive Democracy Ctg AL divided over Bangabandhu's portrait distortion Chittagong Awami League is divided over its reaction to the allegation against MP MA Latif that he had distorted the Bangabandhu's photo in his billboards. Seven ruling MPs of the district have thrown their support behind Latif. They issued a statement on Wednesday condemning Chittagong metropolitan Awami League chief former mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury for his tirade against MP Latif. They claimed Chowdhury violated party rules and his behaviour is 'beyond political courtesy'. The MPs who signed the statement are Md Afsarul Amin, Mahfuzur Rahaman, Didarul Alam, ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury, Shamsul Hoque Chowdhury, Md Nazrul Islam Chowdhury and Mustafizur Rahman Chowdhury. Of them, only Amin's constituency is in the port city. The others are from different parts of Chittagong District .Chittagong Mayor AJM Nasir Uddin has not been seen in Chowdhury's demonstration against Latif. City mayor Nasir Uddin has rather criticised the two camps, saying they both are harming the party. Latif, a business leader who got the Awami League ticket in 2008, has been at loggerheads with Chowdhury for years over several issues, including the control of the key port. Leaders and activists of Awami League's student affiliate Bangladesh Chhatra League and youth wing Juba League have been protesting since the distorted photos of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were published on Latif's billboards during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's recent visit to the city. They have filed four cases against Latif accusing him of defaming the Bangabandhu and outright treason. The designer of the ad firm that made the billboards has taken the blame. Chowdhury on Monday asked Chittagong-11 lawmaker Latif not to move around in the city and warned him of a possible assault. He also demanded that the MP be arrested within 15 days. He was addressing a rally organised by a citizen body, Nagorik Mancha, in protest against the reported image distortion on Monday last. BAUET observes 1st Founding Anniv Campus Report : Bangladesh Army University of Engineering & Technology (BAUET) has recently celebrated its 1st Founding Anniversary at its campus through hoisting of national and university flags by BAUET Vice-Chancellor Brig Gen A H M Shahidullahpsc (retd) and Treasurer Lt Col G M Azizur Rahman, afwc, psc (retd) respectively. The programs started with the showing respect to the national flag and freed a pair white pigeons as a symbol of peace and festoon as the mark of 1st year celebration of BAUET. Md. Kamruzzaman, Registrar, Major Md Zulfikar Haidar (LPR), Deputy Registrar (Admin), Md. Ashraful Islam, Deputy Registrar (Academic), Dr Mirza AFM Rashidul Hasan, Associate Professor and Head of CSE, Dr Engr. Md. Rashidul Hasan, Associate Professor, Head of CE, Md. Akramul Alim Assistant Professor, Head (In-Charge) of EEE, Dr Md. Sazzad Hossain, Associate Professor, and Head of Physics, Md. Nasir Uddin, Assistant Professor and Head Mathematics, Proctor, Faculty members, students and officers were present. A colorful rally was brought out from campus-1 and round the main streets with the spontaneous participation of students, teachers and officials. After the rally, BAUET VC planted a tree in the campus premises. Special prayer is also offered and ended the 1st session distributing sweets among the participations. The program was ended with a cultural event performed by BAUET students. Tight security ahead of Amar Ekushey A female student of the DU Institution of Fine Arts depicting the acts of brutalities by the then Pakistan Army on the wall around the Central Shaheed Minar on Thursday marking the Amar Ekushey February. Staff Reporter : A total of 20,000 members of police will remain on duty in different parts of the capital on Sunday on the occasion of 21st February and International Mother Language Day to maintain discipline. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia disclosed it in a press briefing at the DMP media centre on Thursday afternoon. "Of the police personnel, 8,000 will perform duty in uniform while 1,000 in plainclothes near Shaheed Minar area on the day," the DMP Commissioner said. Close-circuit television (CCTV) cameras will be installed between Shahbagh and the Central Shaheed Minar to watch the movement of people. He said that the members of the public will be allowed to enter the Shaheed Minar premises via Palassey so that they pay homage and then will exit via Chandkharpool and Doyel Chattar from 12:45am. All the VVIPs and VIPs will place floral wreaths from 12:00am, he added. Few important persons can enter via Doyel Chattar for security reasons, he said, without naming anyone. He also stated that no political party would be allowed to bring out any kind of procession in the Shaheed Minar area on February 21. Vehicular movement will be controlled from 7:00pm of February 20 to 2:00pm of February 21, he added. Cars carrying Dhaka University logos will have to use a fixed route, the DMP commissioner said. On February 21, people from all walks of life in Bangladesh began to pour into Shaheed Minar to pay their homage to those who laid down their lives to establish Bangla as the State Language of Pakistan on February 21 in 1952. February 21 is observed across the world as the International Mother Language Day since November 17, 1999. On February 21, 1952, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abdul Jabbar, Abul Barkat, Abdus Salam and a nine-year-old boy named Ohiullah embraced martyrdom when police opened fire on a protest rally demanding Bangla as the state language in front of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Another Shafiur Rahman died the following day. The protests began against a conspiracy hatched by the then Pakistan government against Bengali. ICT prosecutor Mohammad Ali suspended UNB, Dhaka :Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Mohammad Ali was suspended on Thursday for his 'professional misconduct and breaching discipline'.The action was taken against Ali following a letter sent to the Law Ministry by ICT Chief Prosecutor Ghulam Arif Tipoo, said Law Minister Anisul Huq. He also said they were investigating the allegations brought against the ICT prosecutor. "Further action will be taken following the investigation."Earlier on February 14, Tipoo sent a letter to the Law Ministry requesting it to take action against prosecutor Mohammad Ali who was withdrawn "in the public interest" from all cases involving the tribunal, On February 4, Mohammad Ali was withdrawn from all cases involving the tribunal.Tribunal sources said, Ali was withdrawn for helping an MP, who is now in jail for his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity during the Liberation War, get bail. Goyeshwar Roy summoned in defamation case Court Correspondent : A Dhaka court on Thursday summoned BNP Standing Committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy to appear there on March 16 in a defamation case filed for his derogatory comments on the Liberation War martyrs.Magistrate Mohammad Nuru Mia of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka passed the order on Thursday after the Investigation Officer of the case submitted his probe report to the court.Earlier on January 21, Magistrate Md Aminul Haque directed Shahbagh Police Station to submit the probe report to the court onFebruary 18. Monindra Kumar Nath, a son of martyred Dinesh Chandra Nath filed the case on the same day. Goyeshwar Chandra Roy has been facing two cases for his December 25 remarks that the 1971 martyred intellectuals were "anti-liberation elements" who "died like fools" and drew salaries and allowances from Pakistan till the end of the war.The first case was filed on January 5. AB Siddiqui, President of Bangabandhu Jananetri Parishad, lodged the complaint with the CMM Court against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Goyeshwar Roy for their controversial remarks about the numbers of martyrs of the Liberation War. Study supports link to microcephaly BBC Online : Scientists say a study involving pregnant women in Brazil "strengthens" the theory that Zika is linked to microcephaly birth defects in babies. The research confirmed the presence of Zika virus in the amniotic fluid of two women who had had Zika-like symptoms during their pregnancies. Brazilian experts say this suggests the virus can infect the foetus. But WHO experts caution the link is not proven and expect to release more information in the next few weeks. Brazil has seen a rise in microcephaly - babies born with abnormally small heads and, in some cases, problems with brain development - in the last year, at the same time as a rise in the number of people infected with Zika virus. This has led to a number of studies investigating whether the virus is behind the rise. The research, published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, involved two women who had fever, rash and muscle aches during their pregnancies. After ultrasound scans revealed their developing foetuses had microcephaly, scientists ran further amniocentesis checks. This involved taking a small sample of the amniotic fluid that surrounds the foetus in the womb. Genetic analysis of this fluid confirmed the presence of Zika virus - discounting similar viruses that may have been responsible. Lead scientist, Dr Ana de Filippis, from the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, said: "This study reports details of the Zika virus being identified directly in the amniotic fluid of a woman during her pregnancy, suggesting the virus could cross the placental barrier and potentially infect the foetus." She added: "This study cannot determine whether the Zika virus identified in these two cases was the cause of microcephaly in the babies. "Until we understand the biological mechanism linking Zika to microcephaly we cannot be certain that one causes the other, and further research is urgently needed." Prof Jimmy Whitworth, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine added that while the research cannot prove the link: "This study does strengthen the body of evidence that Zika virus is the cause of foetal microcephaly in Brazil." Separately the paper suggests that the virus looks genetically very similar to the Zika virus circulating in French Polynesia in 2013. But scientists say despite growing research, a lot remains unknown and a number of questions still need urgent answers - including how big the risk of microcephaly is if a woman has Zika virus infection in pregnancy and whether the timing of the infection makes a difference. We must do more to save our children from barbarity THE recovery of bodies of four children dumped in sandy ground in Bahubal of Habiganj district on Wednesday shocked the nation again by the scale of barbarity on the innocent victims. And what is noticeable is that killing of teenagers has hit a record of 45 victims over the last one and a half months across the country highlighting that one child was killed everyday raising question what our law enforcers are doing to give safety to the people. We have written so many editorials in recent past with every killing of children demanding arrest and exemplary punishment of the perpetrators. But no sooner had the cries of victims' families calmed down, the tragedy got lost as new killing surfaced again. To police who are more busy with political agenda attending such killing cases are just routine work. Otherwise they could work out preventive measures with local bodies pressing public awareness campaigns at schools. Local administration may also give message to bad elements and criminals that they are not free and will never escape punishment for wrong-doing. As per criminologists, criminals move desperately and commit crimes in the society where the rule of law has almost totally broken down. That is what is prevailing in the country now with least fear of the government machinery and police presence around a locality. The government is treated as another wrong-doer more than doing good for the people and it encourages criminals. Killers of the four boys had to face no difficulty from local police because the people who abducted the boys knew that police are idle sitters; they only go after targets that produce money. News reports said the four primary school children were abducted on last Friday in a autorickshaw from playground around their village home and police were also informed about the direction of their going into missing. Many believe their proactive role could save the boys from being killed. Four days passed before their bodies were recovered. News reports said parents of the boys had a quarrel with some local influential persons and if some of them were detained, such killing may not have come. Police are working their way so also criminals where public safety is most conspicuous by utter neglect of the government and its law enforcement agencies. Children are becoming the soft target often for mugging illegal money by way of ransom. As the new tragedy hits the Habiganj village, there is nobody to be held accountable for public safety and particularly the safety of school children who often go missing on way to and from school or even from family premises. We must do everything to protect children, we can't surrender to barbarity any more. The face is one of the first places that shows signs of aging. Fine lines and wrinkles can appear as early as your twenties, and by the time you reach your forties, you may start to see more pronounced changes such as sagging skin and deeper creases. But did you know that the face shape can also affect how you age? How Face Shape Affects the Aging Process The shape of your face can impact the aging process in a few different ways. First, certain face shapes are more susceptible to sagging skin and wrinkles due to gravity. Second, the thickness of your skin can also affect how quickly fine lines and wrinkles appear. And finally, the placement of your features can also play a role in the aging process. Different Face Shapes and How They Age There are seven different face shapes: oval, round, square, oblong, heart, diamond, and pear. Each face shape ages differently due to the inherent characteristics of that particular shape. Oval Oval faces are considered to be the ideal face shape because they are well-proportioned and tend to age very well. The skin on oval faces is of medium thickness, which allows it to retain its elasticity and resist wrinkles and sagging skin for a longer period of time. Round Round faces tend to age a bit quicker than oval faces because the skin on round faces is thinner and not as resistant to gravity. Additionally, round faces tend to have fuller cheeks, which can sag over time. Square Square faces are similar to round faces in that they also have thinner skin that tends to age quicker. However, square faces are less susceptible to sagging cheeks since the cheekbones are more pronounced. Instead, square faces tend to develop wrinkles around the mouth and eyes. Oblong Oblong faces have a longer shape with less width, which can cause the skin to sag and wrinkles to form around the mouth and eyes. Additionally, the thinner skin on oblong faces makes them more susceptible to sun damage, which can further accelerate the aging process. Heart Heart-shaped faces are characterized by a wide forehead and narrow chin. This face shape ages well overall, but the skin around the chin is thinner and can sag over time. Diamond Diamond-shaped faces have a narrow forehead and chin with wider cheekbones. This face shape also has thinner skin, which can cause wrinkles to form around the mouth and eyes. Additionally, the thinner skin around the chin can cause it to sag over time. Pear Pear-shaped faces are characterized by a narrow forehead and wide chin. This face shape is similar to diamond-shaped faces in that it has thinner skin and can experience wrinkles around the mouth and eyes. However, pear-shaped faces are less susceptible to sagging skin since the chin is not as pronounced. So, which face shape ages the worst? While there is no definitive answer, square, oblong, and diamond-shaped faces tend to show signs of aging sooner than other face shapes. This is due to the thinner skin and less pronounced features of these face shapes. However, all face shapes will eventually show signs of aging. The best way to combat the aging process is to take care of your skin by cleansing, exfoliating, and moisturizing on a regular basis. You should also wear sunscreen every day to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun. By following these simple steps, you can help keep your skin looking its best no matter what face shape you have. Looking for the vulture assist with Neolithic burials 2 years ago The Gay Courier has been established to provide news, information and info on, from and about the gay community, and other social events and happenings from around the world, from all sorts of sources, to all who are interested in this news, information and info! The postings are as is, and all copyrights and or ownerships are and remain with the original copyright-holder and or owner! If you are looking for the new Immoral Minority posts, you should know that they can be found here at our new home Please stop by to get caught up on politics, join the conversations, or simply check out the new digs. [ Chicken Salad Chick](http://www.chickensaladchick.com/), a fast-casual chicken salad restaurant concept, is opening its first Louisiana restaurant in Lafayette at 1120 Coolidge St. in the former Acme Burger location. The restaurant will open Wednesday, Feb. 24, offering guests 15 original flavors to choose from, as well as soups and side salads. Ever since I first experienced the Chicken Salad Chick concept, I knew it would be a great fit for my hometown of Lafayette, franchisee Beau Nicolosi said in a press release. Beau Nicolosi discovered the Chicken Salad Chick concept two years ago while on vacation in Destin, Fla., and immediately realized the potential of the unique brand. He and his father, Pete Nicolosi, who has in independent insurance agency in Lafayette, are leading the chains expansion into Louisiana. **What's in store for Chicken Salad Chick's Lafayette grand opening week: Wednesday, Feb. 24 The first 100 guests will receive a free Chicken Salad Chick selfie stick. Thursday, Feb. 25 The first 100 guests will receive a Meet the Chicks punch card. For sixteen weeks, guests can try one free scoop of the chicken salad flavor of the week, allowing guests a tour of every Chicken Salad Chick flavor. Friday, Feb. 26 The first 100 guests will receive a small Chicken Salad Chick cooler with any two pounds of chicken salad. Saturday, Feb. 27 The first 100 customers will receive a free Chicken Salad Chick coozie. ** The concept was established in Auburn, Ala., in 2008 in the kitchen of founder Stacy Brown. When Stacy discovered that the local county health department would not allow her to continue making and selling her recipes out of her home kitchen, she and her then-future husband, Kevin Brown, opened a small takeout restaurant that has since grown into 49 restaurants across the Southeast. Chicken Salad Chick in Lafayette will be open daily from 10 a.m. 6 p.m. To date, the company has sold 141 franchises to be developed across the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Anthony Patrone [UPDATE: Anthony Patrone issued the following statement through his attorney, Donald Washington: Mr. Patrone emphatically denies every charge and allegation put forth by the Louisiana State Police in their unfortunate actions taken yesterday. Someone of Anthony's stature and success would have no reason to steal $5700, or any amount of money for that matter, and it will be plainly shown by evidence that his actions were transparent and known to many individuals. He has been aggressively candid with the LSP throughout this process and will continue to be so to get this case closed as quickly as possible. Anthony has enjoyed an unblemished 30-year career within the casino gaming industry, and in his time with Cypress Bayou Casino Hotel, he has proven to be an inspiring and transformational leader. Anthony looks forward to addressing these false charges quickly so that he can return to work, and his family can return to normal.] ORIGINAL STORY: Two top executives at the Chitimacha Tribe-operated Cypress Bayou Casino in St. Mary Parish are facing charges following their arrest by Louisiana State Police on theft and other charges. Anthony Patrone, the casinos general manager, along with Chief Financial Officer Monte Spivey, came under scrutiny after tribal officials notified state police of suspicious financial activity at the casino. According to a LSP press release: State police investigators were able to determine Anthony Patrone manipulated the casino personnels database to show that a former inactive employee was active and qualified for an annual bonus of $5,700 dollars. The payout was in the form of an electronic transfer of funds to the former employees bank account. During the course of the investigation, it was also learned that after the bonus payment was electronically transferred, Mr. Patrone gave the directive to remove the former employees name from the database and conceal the electronic transfer of funds, which were facilitated by the casinos Chief Financial Officer, Monte Spivey, who was also responsible for reactivating the former employee in the database to justify the bonus payment. Troopers arrested Patrone and Spivey on charges of felony theft, computer fraud and obstruction of justice. They were both booked at the St. Mary Parish Jail. This case remains under investigation. Following the arrests, the Chitimacha Tribe released the following statement: Yet another Republican from Acadiana has joined a growing field of candidates in the fall election to replace U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany, the Lafayette Republican who is vacating his seat in the House to run for Sen. David Vitters seat in the upper chamber. Grover Joseph Rees, a New Orleans native whose family has ties to Breaux Bridge the Rees name is an institution in the Bayou Teche community announced that he has filed the paperwork necessary to run for Congress. Rees says a formal announcement is to come. Im reasonably confident that whoever is elected from the Third District in 2016 will be a conservative who is pro-life, pro-family, anti-tax, and in favor of a foreign policy that is focused on defending American interests and values, Rees says in a press release announcing his candidacy. But its far less certain that he or she would be one of the handful of Members of Congress who go to work every morning thinking about what they can do to advance these objectives, whatever the obstacles. Rees involvement in GOP politics goes back to his work on Ronald Reagans presidential run in 1976, shortly after graduating from LSU Law School. In the 40 years since, he held various positions in and out of government, including as a law professor, as a member of Reagans Justice Department in the 80s, as an aide to U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Illinois, and from 2002-2006 as the first U.S. ambassador to the newly created nation of East Timor a resume he touts as the experience necessary to represent Southwest Louisiana in Washington, D.C. It also matters a lot whether a new member of Congress has had the kind of experience that is necessary to acquire the knowledge and skills that will enable him or her to be an effective legislator, Rees adds. I believe my record as a conservative reformer has prepared me well to serve as an effective member of Congress that is, as an effective advocate for a culture of life, for smaller government and lower taxes, and for protecting and promoting American interests and values. Rees joins Lafayette Parish School Board member Erick Knezek, retired Army Lt. Col. Greg Ellison and health care executive Gus Rantz among candidates from the Lafayette area who have announced plans to seek the seat. Visit Rees website here. 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! Disacurso del Cardenal Fernando Filoni, Prefecto de la Congregacion para la Evangelizacion de los Pueblos, en la conferencia academica sobre el impacto religioso de la inmigracion en las sociedades europeas, que se esta realizando hoy en la Universidad Nacional de Budapest. 17 February 2016. (Fides) The Religious Impact of Immigration on European Societies International The Church in Iraq: History, Growth, and Mission From the Beginning to the Present Budapest, National University of Public Service, 17 February 2016 European societies have never been a unicum. They were not one yesterday, they are not one today, and they will not be one tomorrow. Europe is more like a container where history has brought us to see in the events of the past, diverse peoples, languages, cultures, conflicts, subjugations, boarders drawn up then shredded and then reconfigured. Notwithstanding this diversity, three elements have played a unifying role in Europe. The first one, religion, was itself not infrequently a source of conflict and division. The second one, the concept of right linked to the person developed in the context of post-renaissance European thought. The third element is fascinating because it sometimes gave rise to admiration and emulation, and at other times to envy. Indeed, it was often itself a bone of contention. I am referring to beauty and art. These three factors religion, human rights, and finally, art have indelibly formed the peoples, nationalities, and ideals in Europe. Current modern and post-modern European societies, which have cut themselves off from one of these roots, are now vainly searching for proper identities. But is this really possible? I mean, within the general state of crisis in our society, which is considered to be liquid, is it even possible to erect barriers; to fence oneself in; to take on a kind of resistant stance as a defense against diversity, which gives rise to apprehension, discomfort, and insecurity? Can the attraction of every intimate and deeper human desire to be well and to live in peace be smothered so that we become strangers and indifferent to those who are fleeing from war, or are searching for salvation, or who have no work? When we see our European societies becoming the hope and dream of the infinite masses of peoples coming from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, Kurdistan, Palestine, and Sub Saharan Africa, I ask myself: but these are, for the most part, peoples who profess Islam, peoples afflicted by wars and civil conflicts, peoples without work or any real perspectives for a better life. Why do they come to Europe, or why do they seek a home in the United States, Canada, or Australia? Why dont they migrate, for instance, to regions with which they are more likely to share political, religious and linguistic similarities; regions that are rich in oil and today stand for the greatest of opulent societies? Obviously, man does not live on bread alone! European societies are attractive because they were founded on the anthropological principle of the person, on the post-17th century common ideals of liberty, fraternity and equality, in which religion is no longer a factor for war, nor does it play any coercive role. European societies have overcome the dangerous marriage of religion and politics and now frequently have recourse to political-electoral systems, in which people have the freedom of association, without fear of reprisal or violence. It is for these reasons that European societies appear to offer these migrating peoples a more attractive life with guarantees of liberty, unlike the assertive theocratic societies, which they no longer trust. For many years I resided in the Middle-East and I noticed that the appeal of a welcoming and free West has, for many, become practically irresistible. Young people are fleeing theocratic and domineering societies. On the other hand, if European societies were in the hands of a dictatorship (of any type) would they exert the same charm and fascination? Would they continue to be the goal to reach, even at the risk of losing ones life? However, the core reason that has brought about an exodus of biblical proportions of peoples leaving the Middle-East for Europe is the absence of peace! Everyone has a right to live in peace, which represents the greatest of all aspirations. All great migrations begin with war. Can this right to peace be denied? Were not these rights to liberty and to peace also present in the hearts of the Hungarian people only some thirty years ago? Searching for peace is like a common puzzle game in which peace is the elusive central figure that needs to be discovered. But this figure, if it is to be well understood, needs to be freed from ambiguities; for example: the Latins say, if you want peace para bellum prepare for war; others think that peace can be gained by eliminating diversity, as if this was the source of instability. Some others are thinking of peace in terms of negating the rights of others, either civil or religious. People even think that peace may be reached by making every individual capacity to think differently flow into a so-called single mindset. ************************ These words now lead me to speak about the Church in Iraq, a small, ancient Christian Community, which, for two thousand years lived in the region of Mesopotamia. In this region a hundred years ago Christians counted up to 15% of the total population. Today they are down to 1 or 2%! From the time of the Armenian Genocide (1,200,000 victims) and the killing of 250,000 Chaldeans, Armenians, and Syrians, both Catholic and Orthodox, which started an exodus of peoples from the region, these mass migrations have accelerated well into the present day, provoked by wars, discrimination, lack of peaceful coexistence and lack of work. I wrote the book in order to bring attention to the beautiful history of this ancient Oriental Church, known also as the Chaldean Church. I thought it necessary to write this book because I was not able to find a complete history of this Church, traced from its origins until today. In fact, the title speaks for itself: The Church in Iraq: History, Growth, and Mission From the Beginning to the Present. I think that a knowledge of the history of Christianity in the Middle-East - today Iraq is not some idle cultural extravaganza, but rather an approach that allows one to understand the reasons for, and the dramatic events, of this region and to appreciate its life and culture, as well as the testimonies of faith and the motives behind the attachment of Christians to this very land, and also the hatred of their enemies. At the same time, one understands the nobility of soul of this people, which has been tempered by two fundamental realities: being a minority, which generates strong ties to ones own values, to ones origins and culture, and being the heirs of martyrs and confessors of the Faith, bearers of values intrinsic to the Faith of the Fathers, that no one else can boast of in the same way. Anyone who has lived among this people or has read and knows them cannot but love them, because knowledge binds and makes one able to share and participate. History is a victory over ignorance, obscurantism, and intolerance; it promotes respect and is a stimulus to not repeat errors. It is for these reasons that I thought writing this history might be useful. History allows one to understand that these communities survived centuries of imposed pressure, burdensome taxes, pre-arranged marriages, prohibitions, discrimination, hatred, intolerance, jealousies, and finally even persecution! Notwithstanding all of this, Christians were able to survive without conceding anything regarding the Faith because of an incredible capacity for endurance, as well as for practical and cultural adaptation. When the Lord returns will he find faith on this earth? The present volume, currently available in Italian but soon to be translated into English, Spanish, as well as into Arabic, hopes to offer a better understanding of the birth, evolution, and development of the Christian Community in Mesopotamia. But it also hopes to show its beauty and the crises and humiliations it has had to endure, which, within the socio-political context, explains its powerful resoluteness and testimony of faith in the face of, and in the midst of actual persecution. This Christian Community, like the one that emerged in the Apostolic era, bears the experience of twenty-one centuries of love for Christ and His Church; a community that is ready to leave everything rather than bend and capitulate to the surrounding vanquisher. This is a heroic Church, as it has been defined by Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. Without it, that is to say, with them Im thinking of all of the Churches of the Middle-East as equally bearing the same hallmark this region would not be the same. Furthermore, it is not possible for me not to think about the other ethnic and religious minorities, so-often persecuted and suffering in this region. Here we have a mosaic of nationalities, religions, and confessions, without which this land would be devastated forever; a fact acknowledged even by eminent Muslim authorities, as well as by simple citizens, as was repeated to me many times. And this is something positive. Nevertheless, it must be added that the continuity and life of minorities in this region needs to be facilitated. When in August of 2014 Pope Francis sent me as his personal representative to Iraq to see, encounter, speak with, embrace, pray, and be in solidarity with the intensely suffering victims of the Islamic fanaticism of Isis, I was profoundly moved and filled with emotion. This book was written to bear testimony to these victims that I met in Iraq - both Christian and non-Christian, women, and men - and to say to them: Thank you for your courage! Thank you also to those, who with love and sacrifice, have lessened their fears and anguish. May their courage and hope never fail! The book itself counts 255 pages, which I decided to arrange in the following manner: Introduction Geo-Political Framework Chapter I: The Ancient Christian Community The beginnings of evangelization. Formation of the Church of the East. Heresies. Separation and Isolation of the Church of the East. Chapter II: The Church of the East. Arabic Period (637-1258), Mongol Period (1258-1410) and Turkoman Period (1410-1508) The Arab conquest and domination. Expansion of the Church of the East: splendor and decline. Mongol and Turkoman Periods. Decadence of the Church of the East. Attempts of contact with Rome. The schism of the Church of the East. The Chaldean Church. Chapter III: The Latin Church in Mesopotamia Warning Signs for the Latin missions in Persia and Mesopotamia. Instructions to the Dioceses of Isfahan and of Babylonia (or Bagdad) of the Latins. The Bishops of the Persian period (XVII and XVIII centuries). The Bishops of the Mesopotamian period (XVIII and XIX centuries). Carmelite, Capuchin, and Dominican missionaries. The Apostolic Delegation of Mesopotamia, Kurdistan, and Armenia Minor. The case of the Reversurus and the Vatican Council. Crisis between the Chaldean Patriarchate and Rome. The Malabar Affair. Chapter IV: The XX Century: Geographical and Demographical Upheavals. The Birth of Iraq The great demographic crisis among Christians. Renewed attention of the Apostolic See towards oriental Catholics. The Hashemite Kingdom. The Republic. Crisis and development of the Church in Iraq. Iraq: Instability and war. The complex role of the Church. The fall of Saddam Hussein. Chapter V: The Holy See and Iraq In defense of peace and peoples rights. Which Iraq? Christians today in Iraq. The book ends with an overall summary regarding the evolution of this Church, intended to facilitate its study by the reader. In conclusion, let us not forget that the story of this land is an intertwining of persons and events. Its present cannot disregard its past. Some aspects seem to repeat themselves: the many invasions of Mesopotamia, the terrible wars that soaked it with blood, the despotisms that violated it, and the greed that devoured it. Grandeurs and miseries, devastations and raids, abductions and extortions, love and death: all of this is present here since time immemorial! The Bible recounts it, the ruins speak of it, sand storms cry it out and books and chronicles of today record it. My last question is: will there still be a good future for this country and for its inhabitants, including its Christians? Pre-purchase property inspection is a relatively new thing in the United Kingdom. Its not something that most people have heard about, but it has become increasingly popular over the last few years with the rise in property prices and increased demand for high quality homes. What are the benefits of pre-purchase building inspection? What can you expect to find out when you pay someone else to inspect your home before you buy it? And what should you look for during an inspection? Many people want to know if theyre buying a house thats been well maintained or if its had any serious problems. If youve found a place on the market that seems attractive, but then discover some issues after moving in, you may not be as excited about buying it as you thought you were. Its important to do your due diligence when looking at properties. A lot goes into making a property appealing to potential buyers, from the landscaping to the flooring to the kitchen appliances. The same applies when inspecting a property there are many things that need checking over to make sure everything is running smoothly. Here are some of the benefits of performing a pre-purchase inspection: You get to see exactly what will happen to your money When you go shopping for a new car, youll probably be shown several different models. You might even be shown one that looks like a great value, but doesnt fit around all of the extra features that you want. When it comes time to actually buy the vehicle, however, you wont have seen how your money will be spent on it once you drive it off the showroom floor. Likewise, when you shop for a new home, you dont really know what youre getting yourself into until you move in. In order to get a feel for whether the home youre considering is what you want, you normally have to spend quite a bit of time inside it. This allows you to learn more about everything that youre going to be spending your hard-earned cash on. A pre-purchase building inspection gives you much the same kind of experience without having to spend thousands of dollars. Since youre paying for the service, you can expect to see exactly what youre paying for, instead of just seeing a vague idea of what you might end up with. You find out about potential major repairs Some buildings are very expensive to maintain, which means that owners often neglect them for the sake of saving money. While youre paying for a building inspection, youre also paying for a professional who knows how to spot signs of trouble and repair work that needs doing. If you notice that a particular area of your new home needs fixing right away, you can call in an expert to take care of it quickly. If you find that theres something wrong with your boiler, you wont have to wait weeks for a plumber to come over and fix it. Instead, youll have access to a solution immediately. You can save hundreds of pounds by finding out about potential problems early on One of the biggest expenses when you first buy a home is the cost of moving in. Many people dont realize this until its too late. Buying a home involves not only paying for the actual house, but also for moving costs, furniture, and other items that have to be moved along with the home. Having a good idea ahead of time of what youre likely to encounter can help you avoid these kinds of costs. If you know youll need to replace the plumbing system, for example, youll be able to put together a budget for the expense and plan accordingly. You can protect your investment by finding out if the homes been well cared for While there are plenty of people who think that houses always look better when theyre newly built, youd be surprised at how well maintained older residences can still look nice. Sometimes, though, those homes need some additional maintenance to keep them looking their best. This could involve repairs that arent so noticeable or small improvements that you wouldnt consider otherwise. Even worse, some houses have fallen into disrepair without anyone noticing. This is why having a professional perform a building inspection prior to purchasing a home is such a big benefit. Not only will it give you insight into the state of the property, but it will also give you peace of mind knowing youre not getting taken advantage of. As long as youre aware of the potential pitfalls, youll have less reason to worry about the state of your new home. You can use information gathered during a building inspection to negotiate a lower price If youre worried about buying a home because you suspect that it may need extensive renovation work, you may already have a rough idea of how much work youll need to do to bring it up to scratch. That knowledge can come in handy if you decide to buy the home. You can use all of the details that you gather during a building inspection to present a realistic picture of what the home is worth to prospective buyers. If a potential buyer thinks that the home is worth more than what you paid for it, you can try negotiating a lower price. You can sell your home faster and for more money If you decide to list your home on the market soon after buying it, youll need to price it accurately in order to attract buyers. But if youve already done a thorough building inspection, youll know exactly what work is needed and what the current market conditions are. In other words, youll be able to make a more accurate estimate of the amount of money youve invested in the home and how much its worth. If you find that youre selling your house for close to its full market value, you can use this information to convince the potential buyer that your home is worth the asking price. Even if youre planning to stay in the home for a while before you decide to sell, the fact that you did a thorough building inspection will give you more confidence when listing it. Prospective buyers will know exactly what theyre paying for. Your home will hold its value longer As mentioned earlier, the value of a home depends heavily upon the condition of the building itself. If your home is in bad shape, potential buyers wont be interested in buying it. On the other hand, if youve performed a thorough building inspection and know what sort of repairs are necessary, you can offer your prospective buyer a compelling reason to invest in your property. When you buy a home, youre essentially agreeing to have it inspected periodically to ensure that it stays in top shape. Not only does this allow you to avoid expensive repairs down the road, but it can also increase the value of your home. You can make smart decisions about property investments Buying real estate isnt as simple as just driving a couple of minutes to pick up a house. There are lots of considerations involved, ranging from location to cost. The same is true when youre investing in property. If you find a house that meets all of your requirements, youll want to make sure that you have a solid understanding of where it stands with regards to the rest of the market. If you havent spent enough time researching the area, you could inadvertently end up with a bad deal. There are lots of resources available online that can help you determine the overall level of competition in your area. They can also help you figure out if there are any properties that meet your requirements that you didnt know about. If you own rental property, you can use the information to identify tenants who might cause damage If you own rental property and youve noticed that certain tenants consistently cause damage, you can use the results of a building inspection to identify them. You can then contact them directly to let them know that youre watching them closely and that you dont appreciate the problem theyre causing. They might start taking better care of their homes, which would be good news for everyone. It could also be the case that youll find out that theyre responsible for previous damages that werent caught during a previous visit. You can make smarter decisions about hiring contractors If youve hired contractors to build or repair your home, you might want to ask them for references. However, unless you perform a thorough building inspection, you might not know exactly what to look for. For instance, maybe you only checked the roof for leaks or the walls for cracks. You might not have looked underneath the foundation for anything that could cause a future issue. By performing a building inspection, you can ensure that you hire reputable contractors who will be trustworthy with your money. You can avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition Of course, the main benefit of structural inspections perth is that it helps you avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition. Before you make the decision to buy a home, you should do whatever you can to find out about the state of the building. You can also ask your realtor about what sorts of inspections are typically recommended. Some agents say that its standard practice to check the heating system, the roof, the electrical wiring, and the floors. Others will tell you that they recommend that you check the entire structure. Either way, if you choose to hire an inspector, youll find out exactly what needs to be fixed and how much it will cost to do so. As a result, it can be concluded that a pre-purchase building inspection is highly important for the buyers because it provides transparency regarding the current conditions of the structure. Additionally, the building owner is made aware of any upgrades or repairs that are required, which could lead to a fair deal throughout the purchasing and selling process. th, 2016 Thursday, February 19, 2016 Baton Rouge, Louisiana NEW LOUISIANA GOVERNOR FACING REALITY! A recent Southern Media and Opinion Research poll has his popularity rating at a low 42%. A UNO poll has Edwards favorables even lower at 34.2%. There is no honeymoon for the guy who vowed, during his campaign for the states highest office, to clean up the mess created by his predecessor, Bobby Jindal. New Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has jumped head first into the abyss of state governments seemingly endless financial problems, and his popularity is already taking hits.A recent Southern Media and Opinion Research poll has his popularity rating at a low 42%.A UNO poll has Edwards favorables even lower at 34.2%. There is no honeymoon for the guy who vowed, during his campaign for the states highest office, to clean up the mess created by his predecessor, Bobby Jindal. He seems to be all over the map in throwing out a litany of solutions, without first building a consensus with both legislators and the public at large. New governors shouldnt think out loud. Edwards should be creating and setting the tone for any public debate, not just jumping into the public brawl. Here are a few examples of shooting from the hip. What Edwards needs to quickly realize is that in politics, perception is reality.He seems to be all over the map in throwing out a litany of solutions, without first building a consensus with both legislators and the public at large. New governors shouldnt think out loud.Edwards should be creating and setting the tone for any public debate, not just jumping into the public brawl.Here are a few examples of shooting from the hip. Traditionally, Louisiana governors have a say in who the Speaker will be. But they generally work behind the scenes building a consensus for their choice. Edwards did not consult, he just announced. And did so without the votes needed to elect his pick. Leger lost by 5 votes. If a new governor, with all the patronage at his disposal, cannot come up with 5 votes, he is off to a rocky start. Before taking office, Edwards announced his choice for Speaker of the House to be New Orleans Representative Walt Leger.Traditionally, Louisiana governors have a say in who the Speaker will be.But they generally work behind the scenes building a consensus for their choice.Edwards did not consult, he just announced. And did so without the votes needed to elect his pick.Leger lost by 5 votes.If a new governor, with all the patronage at his disposal, cannot come up with 5 votes, he is off to a rocky start. Edwards immediately began talking about raising taxes. And new revenue may be needed. But thats not the first thing that should have been recommended by the new administration. The average voter thinks, with some justification, that there is government waste and fat in the budget that can be cut. Treasurer John Kennedy has been pounding on the need for budget cuts for some time. State government is obviously in the middle of a major financial crisis.Edwards immediately began talking about raising taxes.And new revenue may be needed.But thats not the first thing that should have been recommended by the new administration. The average voter thinks, with some justification, that there is government waste and fat in the budget that can be cut.Treasurer John Kennedy has been pounding on the need for budget cuts for some time. So if perception is reality, Edwards is making a mistake by not bringing Kennedy into the discussion. He should have begun the debate by talking about specific cuts before there is any discussion of new taxes. But rather than asking Kennedy to work with the new administration, Edwards dismissed his suggestions as merely political pandering. The SMOR poll shows Kennedy as the states most popular politician, with a positive rating of 65, which is 43 points higher than the new governor. The public thinks Kennedy is on the right track.So if perception is reality, Edwards is making a mistake by not bringing Kennedy into the discussion.He should have begun the debate by talking about specific cuts before there is any discussion of new taxes. Edwards could have called a special session his first week in office to endorse one constitutional amendment. Ask the voters to remove all dedications from the constitution. Remember that when voters passed the new constitution back in 1973, there were no tax dollars protected. The idea was to let the legislature set spending priorities each year. I know this well since future governor Buddy Roemer and I served as joint chairmen of the revenue committee that wrote this constitutional section. The new administration missed an early opportunity that would have brought the general public into the financial mix.Edwards could have called a special session his first week in office to endorse one constitutional amendment.Ask the voters to remove all dedications from the constitution. Remember that when voters passed the new constitution back in 1973, there were no tax dollars protected.The idea was to let the legislature set spending priorities each year.I know this well since future governor Buddy Roemer and I served as joint chairmen of the revenue committee that wrote this constitutional section. th, so voters could have decided to turn loose some $2.2 billion dollars in dedicated funds. Another opportunity missed. The state holds its presidential primary on March 5, so voters could have decided to turn loose some $2.2 billion dollars in dedicated funds.Another opportunity missed. As the old Cajun would say, Cher, dats fightin words. Relating budget cuts and LSU football is about as incendiary as you can get. Finally, there is no better example of perception overtaking reality than the new Governor saying publically that state budget cuts could put LSUs football season at risk.As the old Cajun would say, Cher, dats fightin words.Relating budget cuts and LSU football is about as incendiary as you can get. Watching the Tigers on the gridiron is a state pastime for even the least educated Louisianan. James Carville summed it up pretty well when he said half the people in Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night cant even spell LSU. What the new governor fails to recognize is that LSU football is not just an issue involving students and alumni from the university.Watching the Tigers on the gridiron is a state pastime for even the least educated Louisianan.James Carville summed it up pretty well when he said half the people in Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night cant even spell LSU. And remember: No matter how rough the financial problems become, never mess with dem fightin Tigers. So Governor, you might want to think these problems out a bit more before airing your opinions and potential solutions publically.And remember:No matter how rough the financial problems become, never mess with dem fightin Tigers. ******** The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off. Gloria Steinem Peace and Justice Jim Brown Jim Browns syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide. You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com . You can also hear Jims nationally syndicated radio show each Sunday morning from 9:00 am till 11:00 am Central Time on the Genesis Radio Network, with a live stream at http://www.jimbrownusa.com . Parece que todos los dias la tecnologia se hace cargo de otro trabajo, y estas ocupaciones obsoletas no son una excepcion. Y es que los tiempos cambian, y debido a The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now. Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market. In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender. India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex. Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted. But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted? Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner. If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems. I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now. I want more variation in masturbation I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own. If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end. What is sex toys for Indian? Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation. It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms. They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable. Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner. The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner. It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past. In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping. Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order. In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing. Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome. Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own. But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance. More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around. Sextoy situation in India Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years. In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India. Mumbai Kolkata Bangalore Delhi Chennai Hyderabad These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India. In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well. If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too. If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it. What are Sextoys for beginner? Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms. Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy. I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion. I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy. If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma. Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it. Advantages of using sextoy for Indians There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways. Can have stimulating sex Can develop new sexual zones If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern. However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways. You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation. Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever. There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure. This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it. When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems. It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms). For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles [Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou... Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India. Sextoy for beginner men in India So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners. For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men! The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men Masturbator Cock rings Love Doll Sex Lubricants Toys for the prostate Lets check each one in detail. Masturbator The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products. It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands. Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands. They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.) Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much. Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! ! Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa SEXToys India PR (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018 Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood. If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ... [For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien... Cock Ring A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis. It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow. It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber. In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection. Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction. It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it. Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time. Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function. Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy. You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect. [Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat... Love Doll Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex. There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women. Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price. The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true. You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste. There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice. You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls. If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to... Sex lubricants Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules. It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution. Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse. There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent. Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent. If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here. What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many... Toys for the Prostate Another sextoy for men is prostate toys. The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line. Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men. Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men. What is the prostate? The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm. You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus. By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms. Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.) The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation. Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure. sextoy for beinner women in India The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy. The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy. Vibrator. Dildo Electric Masserger Lets check out what each one is in detail. If you want to check out womens toys, click here. [BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm... Vibrators A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator. Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy. It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy. Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women. For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators. Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex. Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself. This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual. Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men. When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons. Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most... Dildo A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis. It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass. A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it. They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well. It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device. A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo. Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands. For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis. This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one. To learn more about dildo, please click here. What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th... Electric Masserger A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores. It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low. Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels. Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation. It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure. For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm. It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out. If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager? To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here. What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th... How to choose a sextoy for Indian Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one. Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points: Does the size fit you (the partner)? Does the size fit you (your partner)? Is the environment able to produce sound without problems? Price range First of all, the choice of size is quite important. Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women. For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage. Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems. Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise. If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level. Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it. Finally, there is the price range. The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest. Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy. Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy? I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance. For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics. If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out. How to buy sextoys in India The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping. For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below. Sextoy is one of them. Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping. SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India. They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry. Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card. To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy. ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal. Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on. Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture. Cautions for Indians using sextoy When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind Keep sex toys clean Watch out for electrical leakage Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone. Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there. It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case. In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness. Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful. If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it. You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly. Summary What did you think? In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India. The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future. As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values. However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health. If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try? Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women. I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it. ANNA Anna Police Chief Scott Rice will step down later this spring. Rice submitted a letter of resignation, dated Feb. 8, to the Anna City Council. Commissioners approved the letter at Tuesday nights meeting. Rice said hes looking forward to taking more time off to enjoy life and spend time with family and friends. Its time to move on, he added. Rice joined the Anna Police Department in February 2014 after 24 years with the Illinois State Police. Al Kamp, an Anna city commissioner, said Rice has had a positive impact on the department during his two-year tenure. Hes done an excellent job, Kamp said. Hes made great progress with the department, and Im wishing him luck in anything he decides to do. Just days before his resignation, Rice posted to the departments Facebook page a 1,200-word comment on an open criminal investigation, in which he alleged that the victims of a recent home invasion and robbery had brought on the crime themselves by growing a marijuana plant in their home. Text of Anna Police Department Facebook post This is the full text of Scott Rice's post to the Anna Police Department. The post was share Rice said he wanted to tell the whole story of the case. One of the victims in the case had posted a two-part video on YouTube condemning the police departments handling of the investigation. Rices post went up early Friday morning and was taken down within a few hours. It drew more than 100 likes and the ire of the victims and some in local government who saw it as an overshare and a blatant attempt at victim blaming. I had approval to put the initial post up, Rice said. There was some objection within the community, and I was asked to either revise or remove, and I simply removed it. We all have bosses, he added after declining to specify who asked him to remove it. Rice said the post did not impact his decision to resign he already had submitted his resignation letter days before. Knowing he was on his way out, though, made him feel less inhibited. As you can imagine, Im a little bit freer to respond to things I find disheartening, if Im resigned, he said. The Crime The post came nearly four months after Anna residents Greg and Tonya Browning awoke with a start to the sound of breaking glass. Tonya Browning said two men in plainclothes, who claimed to be Anna police officers, broke into the house, threatened the Brownings with a pistol and demanded money. After the perpetrators left, cash in hand, the Brownings called the police, who arrived on scene and took evidence for crime-lab processing. While the Brownings were being interviewed at the police station, Rice said he found a marijuana plant at the residence. Later, investigators located a scale and baggies. In his Facebook post, Rice said investigators told the Brownings they were most likely targeted because someone knew they had cannabis in the apartment. Physical evidence in the case is still being processed. Rice said a months-long delay is typical in non-homicide cases, but for the Brownings, every passing day is another lived in fear. My wife has bad dreams, Greg Browning said. Almost every night I wake up to her screaming. As soon as they found that marijuana plant, I was a criminal. They did not care about nothing else, he added. Tonya Browning said shes confused and angry that investigators seem to have made little movement in the case. And the Facebook post only fueled her frustration. Greg Browning followed up with a video response, posted to YouTube on Friday. In it, he called out Rice of victim shaming, quoting Rice as saying to him, I found your pot plant in the closet. Thats probably why you had a gun to your head. Thats like telling a woman that she got raped because she was too pretty, Browning countered. Social media and law enforcement For others, the post raises questions about the appropriate use of social media by law enforcement. Tyler Edmonds, the Union County states attorney who would be charged with prosecuting defendants if arrests are ever made, said Rice consulted him before posting the message. He told Rice it was Rices decision but to use caution. I cant really get into specifics of what I told him, Id rather not, but I obviously would want to err on the side of limiting the information thats provided, he said. You want to maintain the integrity of the investigation and a potential jury pool in case the case goes to trial. After reviewing the post, Lauri Stevens, a law-enforcement social media strategist for Massachusetts-based LAwS Communications, said she saw no harm in it and she wishes more police officers would use social media to engage with the community. Unfortunately a lot of police departments wont because theyre justifiably worried about criticism for doing something like this, but this looks to me like a police chief who cares deeply for his department and is defending it, she said. When its done with careful wording and kindness, its well received, she added. And in terms of potential victim shaming, Stevens said Greg Brownings analogy falls short. I think the difference there is a rape victim didnt commit a crime, she said. Browning is fighting terminal cancer, and he said he uses the marijuana himself, to ease pain. CARBONDALE While working in a lab at Southern Illinois University this past summer, rumors of downsizing professors leaving and programs getting the ax left Troy Johnson dismayed. The work was rewarding, but all the talk of scaling back, of stagnation, left Johnson, a John A. Logan College sophomore who had hoped to transfer to SIU in his junior year, wishing he could leave Illinois altogether. It was kind of a shock, said Johnson, a Marion native who hopes to study biology. The fact its possibly necessary to cut those positions at a university, it was disheartening. I decided it would be good to look at other options, he added. Next year, rather than wait out the state budget stalemate that has left Illinois public colleges and universities without state funding for more than seven months, Johnson will join the horde of students headed out-of-state next year. At Murray State University, the western Kentucky school where Johnson is slated to begin classes at the end of the summer, a border-state tuition discount makes finances affordable. And the university, he said, seems to be thriving. Theres always building, theres always progress forward, he said. Theyre always adding something or it just seems like theres more progress being made rather than stagnation." SIU brass announced $13.5 million in program cuts and efficiencies this past fall. President Randy Dunn has said more cuts could be on the way, though likely not until the next fiscal year. Johnson isnt the only student to make the switch. Dana Howard, a Murray State spokeswoman, said the school has seen an influx of central Illinois and Metro East students enrolling for classes next year, though administrators cant be sure why. Murray State has ramped up recruiting in that area over the past couple years. In Southern Illinois, some high school counselors said they arent seeing an exodus of students. At Carbondale Community High School, counselor Erinn Murphy said in an email that applications to JALC and SIU have skyrocketed this year. She hasnt seen students looking out-of-state. Still, budget woes have left some students spooked. Katie Hickam, a school counselor at Murphysboro High School, said several students have stopped by the office in a panic that SIU, Eastern Illinois University or another state school will close next year. We try to reassure them that theyre still going to be open, she said. But I think its difficult for us to reassure these students when we really dont have any idea of whats going to happen. But for many kids, even taking into account in-state tuition agreements, which allow students in neighboring states to pay in-state rates, going to college far from home remains a pricey prospect. Abby Vaughn, a senior at Murphysboro, has two siblings in college. Though shes considered Murray State for its affordable tuition, she knows staying in Illinois will put less stress on her parents wallets in the long run. Im trying to make a decision that not only benefits me but also my family so theyre not up to their eyes in debt, she said. SPRINGFIELD To many in the General Assemblys Democratic majority, what Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner left out of his budget address Wednesday was as notable than what he included. Without a budget in place for the current year, Rauner proposed increasing elementary and secondary education funding for the fiscal year beginning July 1 and, as he has repeatedly over the past year, called for the Legislature to enact portions of his turnaround agenda before hell agree to raising taxes to close the multibillion-dollar hole in the budget. The governor also outlined two paths he said the lawmakers could take in addressing next years budget: Either you give the executive branch the authority to cut spending to live within our revenues, or we agree together on economic and governmental reforms to accompany a negotiated balance of spending reductions and revenue that ensures that Illinois can be both compassionate and competitive. What Rauner didnt address in the speech, Democrats said afterward, was how much hes proposing to spend overall and on what or how he intends to address the crisis facing public universities and community colleges. They havent received any state funding amid this years budget impasse, now in its eighth month. The governors preferred budget plan, which was posted on the state website, calls for spending about $36.3 billion if lawmakers agree to structural reforms and government transformation. Otherwise, he proposes spending $32.8 billion, with the General Assembly giving him authority to move money around to balance the budget. I had low expectations in listening to the governors speech this afternoon, said Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago. For a whole year, we have heard the same story about how we must turn around this state, and what we have done is essentially turned it back. Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, said the speech didnt move the state any closer to ending the current standoff or coming to an agreement on next years budget. We have pending issues that are severe in nature that have to be dealt, Manar said. Higher ed is certainly at the top of that list. He said the lack of attention given to the issue in the speech shows how divided the Legislature is from the governors office and provides evidence that the governors office isnt listening to the outcry thats coming from every direction across the state. Southern Illinois University President Randy Dunn also was concerned by the lack of attention paid to higher education. I came with a lot of questions, and Im not sure that, given the speech itself, any of those questions got answered today, Dunn said. At the same time, I understand this is the first step in a long process. The governors written proposal likely didnt allay Dunns concerns. Rauner is proposing a 20 percent cut to what universities received in fiscal year 2015. The outcry was evident before and after the speech as students, staff and supporters from Eastern Illinois and Chicago State universities, among others, chanted and demonstrated at the Capitol, even briefly blocking Rauner from entering the House chamber to deliver his message. Dan Crews, who is among the 177 Eastern employees whove received layoff notices this month, said the situation has created uncertainty about the future of the university and the Charleston community. This whole process has caused a lot of people, me included, to lose faith in our leaders, he said. Not surprisingly, Republican lawmakers viewed the speech differently. They said the governor laid out a path forward and again made clear his willingness to compromise on some of his policy priorities. Sen. Dave Luechtefeld, R-Okawville, said the governor did a good job of making his openness to compromise clear. Right now, whats happening is (Democratic House Speaker) Mike Madigan is basically trying to show the governor whos boss, and thats kind of sad because people are suffering, Luechtefeld said. I really believe that there are doable reforms. Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, said Rauner laid out a blueprint for how to address the budget. In every comment Ive heard from the governor for this first year of his serving in office, hes continually said, I will work with you, and I will compromise with you, Barickman said. Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, said there was a vast improvement of communication and outreach to the Democrats on Rauners part. I think the governor is very sincere when he says, Ill work with you. Here are the plans; here are the different directions we can go, Brady said. But to many Democrats it came across as more of the same from Rauner. Hes still sticking with hes not going to do anything unless we adopt his turnaround agenda, said Rep. Pat Verschoore, D-Milan, and theres no way that I can vote for that when it basically attacks working, middle-class people. SPRINGFIELD Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner offered lawmakers two distinct options Wednesday to end Illinois' historic budget stalemate: Implement his cost-saving proposals in exchange for a $36 billion budget, or give him authority to make $4 billion in cuts. Rauner's second budget address, delivered eight months after the current fiscal year's budget should have taken effect, reinforces what he's said in the past about his openness to raising taxes but only if lawmakers are willing to give him some of the reforms he wants. "You choose," he told lawmakers. "But please, choose now." Without some reforms, he added, "We cannot in good conscience raise taxes on the hard-working families of Illinois." Rauner: Budget battle 'about the future direction of Illinois' SPRINGFIELD On the eve of his second budget address, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner told a s Democrats who control the Legislature already have balked at the idea of giving Rauner unilateral power to make cuts, repeatedly dismissed his suggested reforms, such as curbing the power of unions, and say the solution is a combination of spending cuts and raising taxes on the wealthy. The speech only made them dig in harder. "We're all better served ... if we follow the traditional approach, people become reasonable with each other, move away from extreme agendas, recognize that the No. 1 problem facing the state of Illinois is the budget deficit," said House Speaker Michael Madigan, who's been Rauner's chief political rival during the stalemate. Rauner's budget with cuts would be $32.8 billion, because the state doesn't have enough revenue to match a $36 billion spending plan that would cover all expected state agency operations. Even members of his own party said nearly $4 billion in cuts is an unappealing option. "My belief is those reductions would be so steep as to be harmful to the state overall, if we only dealt with reductions," said Rep. David Harris, the Revenue and Finance Committee's ranking Republican. He said the state must find additional revenue, whether through taxes or cost-saving reforms. Sen. Christine Radogno, the Republican leader in the Senate, praised Rauner's speech. Without budget in place, Rauner to propose next year's plan SPRINGFIELD One week after President Barack Obama called for bipartisan compromise in a sp "I thought it was a fair assessment of what our choices are right now given the extremely serious financial condition that we're in," she said. "It was delivered without rancor and with a sincere invitation once again to the Democrats to come to the table and negotiate a good path forward for the state." Illinois faces a roughly $5 billion budget deficit this year, and its unpaid bill backlog could reach almost $26 billion by 2020 if current revenue and spending policies continue. Since the beginning of this fiscal year in July, several social service programs have closed or seen massive cuts, and officials at the state's public colleges and universities are worried their institutions will be permanently harmed if a budget doesn't come soon. A roar of chants calling Rauner to fund higher education filled the third-floor rotunda during the budget address, with hundreds of Illinois college students yelling, "Save our schools!" Demonstrators booed him following his speech. The predicament of giving a budget address for the future while still having no spending plan for the current year mystified Democrats. "We're more than halfway through a budget year with no budget, and now we are debating what could best be described as sketches for a budget for next year, so it almost wasn't a budget address," Senate President John Cullerton said. Many of the sticking points in the ongoing battle haven't changed, including negotiating a new labor contract with the state employees' union that would save $3 billion over three years. Rauner wants state labor regulators to determine whether the negotiations with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees are at an "impasse," a declaration that would open the door for him to impose his on terms on state workers. Democratic leaders have remained steadfast in their support for AFSCME, which has been one of the party's biggest political allies over the years. Rauner, a wealthy former venture capitalist, also remained steadfast in the pro-business political philosophy that helped him defeat Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn in 2014, emphasizing that the key to the budget crisis includes reducing worker compensation costs, passing tort reform legislation and lowering property taxes. "To create jobs and raise incomes, we've got to change our state's reputation as being hostile to business," Rauner said. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Growing up in the 1950s, William Bell had to enter Birminghams segregated Lyric Theatre though a side entrance, marked COLORED, that was walled-off from the elegant lobby. He climbed a dimly lit stairwell to watch movies from the steep balcony where black patrons had to sit for generations. Now the mayor of Birmingham, Bell recalls the Lyrics beauty, but also the way it isolated black people. The inequity built into The Lyric Theatres very architecture is a painful reminder of the citys ugly past as one of the most segregated places in America. But it also serves as a living history lesson, a symbol of how the Deep South has changed since the courts ended discriminatory Jim Crow laws. Preservationists had to decide whether to keep reminders of The Lyrics discarded color line before they unveiled an $11 million restoration of the 102-year-old theater, which had been closed for decades. In this case, they chose to highlight the history, installing a glass door etched with the words Historic Colored Entrance in the lobby wall, so that patrons can peer into the past. Across the South, people are struggling with similar questions: What does a changing region do with the vestiges of back-alley service windows, segregated waiting rooms, dual water fountains and abandoned schools that once formed the skeleton of a society built on oppression? Northern states have such reminders, too. A black heritage trail in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, includes all-black burial grounds and a plaque explaining that blacks had to sit in designated pews in New England churches through the mid-1800s. In Detroit, murals decorate a 6-foot-tall concrete wall built in 1941 to separate a new development meant for whites from an existing black neighborhood. But the issue has become particularly acute in the South, where millions still remember living through segregation. More so than in the past, many older people and younger generations feel a need now to discuss the legacy of Jim Crow, said Robert Weyeneth, a University of South Carolina history professor who specializes in preservation. It has become more complicated today because people are more willing to think about the preservation of the architecture of white supremacy, Weyeneth said. Initially, no one wanted to save these things. It makes some people uncomfortable to be reminded of segregation at the Lyric, but the mayor believes people must see history as it really was, even if that means glancing up at the segregated balcony where he sat as a young boy. The ornate theater was beautiful, he recalls, but blacks up there could never mingle with the white patrons far below. The best seats were on the front row of the balcony because you could flick popcorn or peanuts down and it would land in their hair, said Bell, now 66, grinning at the memory. We should not shield ourselves from our past, he added. Some other places where communities have had to come to terms with the physical reminders of segregation: Montpelier Train Depot, Orange, Virginia Built in 1910 when laws prevented whites and blacks from mingling in many public spaces across the South, the Montpelier Train Depot at Orange, Virginia, was constructed with separate waiting rooms for whites and blacks. Preservationists at President James Madisons Montpelier estate, where the white-and-yellow depot is located, decided to keep the rooms as they were during a 2010 renovation. The depot remains an active U.S. Post Office, and some favored taking down the WHITE and COLORED signs that hang over the waiting room entrances. Instead, the depot has been equipped with exhibits that explain the legal history of separate but equal laws and their effects on black residents during the Jim Crow era. Jones County Courthouse, Ellisville, Mississippi The metal plaques attached to two concrete water fountains outside the Jones County Courthouse in Ellisville, Mississippi, hide an ugly truth: one fountain was exclusively for whites and the other for blacks. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People sought the removal of the dual fountains in 1989, calling them a painful reminder of segregation, but the white-controlled board of supervisors refused. Instead, officials plastered over the COLORED and WHITE inscriptions, which reappeared once rain washed away the plaster. County leaders then decided to cover the old racial inscriptions with plaques denoting the year the courthouse was built, 1908. Today, the twin water fountains still flank the courthouse stairs. Nearby on the lawn stands a monument to Confederate veterans. Butler Beach, St. Augustine, Florida Theres little to let visitors know that Frank B. Butler County Park was once a thriving resort for blacks located just south of segregated St. Augustine Beach, Florida. The parks website tells the story of Butler, a black businessman who saw the opportunity for a black beach in the segregated South during the first half of the 1900s. The Atlantic Coast resort he created grew to include bathhouses, a casino, pavilions, a motel and other amenities for blacks who werent allowed at white-only beaches in the South. Those structures disappeared generations ago, and black historian Bernadette Reeves laments the lack of markers at the site on scenic A1A to explain its significance. Can you imagine that the whole Atlantic Ocean wasnt big enough for whites and blacks to swim together? she said. Rosenwald Schools Philanthropist Julius Rosenwald spurred the construction of more than 5,300 schools for blacks across the South over a two-decade period ending in 1932. Efforts to save the buildings are spotty. Rosenwald built the schools at the urging of black leader and educator Booker T. Washington, who founded Tuskegee University in rural east Alabama and had a firsthand view of the inherent inequality of separate but equal schools for blacks and whites. Rosenwalds schools bridged a gap that white-controlled governments wouldnt fill. Today, some communities and groups have embraced the preservation of Rosenwald schools, typically wood-frame structures built along rural roads. The National Trust for Historic Preservation estimates that fewer than 450 survive today. Oakland Cemetery Atlanta Atlantas Oakland Cemetery, with 70,000 graves dating to 1850, shows that segregation was meant to last eternally in the Jim Crow South, and operators dont shy away from its history. The city-owned cemetery was divided by race for generations until the City Council ended the practice in 1963. Today, some black people are buried in previously all-white sections, including Atlantas first black mayor, Maynard Jackson, who died in 2003 and lies in an ivy-covered grave. Explaining this segregated past is part of the educational mission at Oakland, said executive director David Moore. A brochure, guided tours and audio exhibits explain the cemeterys black section, which holds about 12,000 graves, and signs denote the black section, a Jewish section and a mixed-race Potters Field for indigent burials. A recent visitor complained that the story of slave burials and segregation was sad and shouldnt be discussed. Moore disagrees. Cemeteries provide a great place for people to look and try to figure out what happened before, he said. It was in the heart of the Jim Crow era, when racial segregation was the norm in the American South. Julius Rosenwald, the son of a Jewish immigrant, had lived the American dream, becoming president of Sears, Roebuck and Co. in 1908. A noted philanthropist, Rosenwald helped provide funds to Booker T. Washington to assist with the building of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Washington asked Rosenwald if he would build six schoolhouses in rural Alabama to serve black communities where educational facilities were either substandard or nonexistent. Rosenwald agreed. That was the start of what would become The Rosenwald Fund, a rural school-building program designed to improve education for African American children. About 21 schools were built in Orangeburg County, according to the Fisk University Rosenwald Fund Card File Database. There were 481 Rosenwald Schools constructed in South Carolina. More than 5,300 Rosenwald schools were built across the South over a two-decade period ending in 1932. One of these schools was built on about four acres on the campus of South Carolina State College in 1925. The original Felton Training School stood next to Dukes Gymnasium on the campus. Rosenwald had architects develop standard floor plans and elevations, depending on how large a building was needed and which direction it faced. The buildings were designed with big windows to take maximum advantage of natural light. Felton was built in 1925 according to Floor Plan 400: A four-teacher community school meant to be situated facing east or west. Each of the four classrooms housed two grades. The building has since been demolished for a parking lot. However, the former Felton teacherage may still stand on campus. Research is underway to determine if the building that currently serves as a student services center may have been the teachers home, according to Dr. Ghussan R. Greene. Greene, the chair of S.C. States Department of English and Modern Languages, is researching the building as a member of The Links, which has the goal of placing historical markers at all of Orangeburg Countys Rosenwald sites. Today many Rosenwald school buildings are no longer standing. In 2002, to heighten awareness of the threats to these historic resources, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Rosenwald Schools to its list of Americas 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. Since then, the National Trust for Historic Preservation formed the Rosenwald Schools Initiative, organizing a team to develop a plan for the preservation of Rosenwald schools. The Buffalo Soldiers of South Carolina Motorcycle Club Inc. Mother Chapter, a nonprofit organization and one of the 127 chapters in the United States that are members of the National Association of Buffalo Soldiers & Troopers Motorcycle Club, recently donated a total of $7,000 to 12 Palmetto State groups, including the Orangeburg Area Boys and Girls Club. The primary purposes of the local chapter, which is based in the Pee Dee but has members in The Times and Democrat Region, are to commemorate the Buffalo Soldiers, who made significant contributions to American history; to promote cultural awareness by engaging in charitable activities that benefit the communities where its members live; and to educate adults and youth about their African American heritage. In July 1866, Congress passed legislation establishing six all-African American Army units, two cavalries and four infantries. The mounted regiments were the 9th and 10th cavalries, whose main mission was to protect settlers as they moved west and to support the westward construction of buildings needed for new settlements to flourish. The Cheyenne and Comache nicknamed these troops Buffalo Soldiers because their fierce, brave nature reminded them of the way buffaloes fought. The four infantries consisted of the 38th, 39th, 40th and 41st (later consolidated to two). In 1869, the 38th and 41st infantry became the 24th and the 39th and 40th became the 25th infantry. The 9th Cavalry originated in Greenville, Louisiana, and the 10th was organized in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. The U.S. Army brilliantly staffed these regiments with remarkably competent commanding officers. The officers were exclusively white, and quick to realize they could not have served without these most distinguished fighting regiments of African Americans. On July 28, 1992, which marked the 126th anniversary of the day Congress authorized the formation of African American regiments, the Buffalo Soldiers Monument was unveiled at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The Buffalo Soldier Memorial Park consists of the Buffalo Soldier Monument, Circle of Firsts and Walkway of Units, which commemorates the significant firsts in the history of African American soldiers and units in the U.S. Army. The local chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers is dedicated to fighting hunger because of statistics that indicate one out of every three children are hungry in the U.S. The group regularly donates nonperishable foods to the Manna House in Florence and makes regular canned food donations and monetary donations to the Manna House. Their donations this year total $1,400. The chapter also annually donates Christmas Turkey and Fixings Boxes to families who would not have a Christmas dinner otherwise. Orangeburgs Department of Public Utilities customers will be paying more for water and sewer service on April 1. Orangeburg City Council gave its final approval to the increase Tuesday night, with only councilman Richard Stroman voting against it. During a brief public hearing, a Tucker Street woman said she opposes the increase because she lives on a fixed income. Councilwoman Liz Zimmerman Keitt said, We understand its going to be hard on everybody. We do not want to increase, Keitt said, noting that it was necessary to do so. Residential water rates are increasing 9 percent and sewer rates are going up 15 percent. The last time council approved water and sewer rate increases was in 2014. Keitt explained one of the reasons for the increase is, were not having the growth we need. DPU Manager Tommy Miller also explained that the cost of operating the water system is steadily rising, especially following the historic rainfall the state of South Carolina experienced in early October. Miller said there was an increase in the cost of chemicals that the water treatment plant uses. Also during the meeting: * Mike Pooser of Poosers BP Service Center and Mack Stillinger of Stillinger Body Shop addressed council about increasing the maximum cost to tow vehicles when requested to do so by the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety. Currently, the city of Orangeburg allows a maximum cost of $75 per towing of a vehicle and $150 per hour for the towing and clearing of an accident scene where heavy-duty commercial vehicles are involved. Pooser said about 20 local garage services are on a rotating list that ODPS utilizes at routine accidents or in the event of a disabled vehicle. Stillinger, who specializes in the removal of heavy-duty vehicles such as overturned tractor trailers, said he is one of about three businesses in the area who are on such on-call rotation list. The last time council approved a rate increase for towing services was 11 years ago. Council said they will take up the matter at a March city council meeting. * Council approved a resolution amending the City of Orangeburgs personnel handbook to add son-in-law and daughter-in-law to the definition spelled out concerning immediate family. This amendment will be made to page 9 titled Hiring of Relatives. * Council approved a resolution appointing City Administrator John Yow and Assistant City Administrator John Singh to serve as members of the countys 2016 Capital Project Sales and Use Tax Commission. * Council approved the expenditure of $6,179 in matching funds for a Department of Public Safety grant. ODPS Director Mike Adams said the department received a grant in the amount of $24,715 to enhance its victims services division. The most expensive item listed in the budget is a new car that will be used for the purpose of visiting, transporting and coordinating services for crime victims, Adams said. * Council approved first reading of an ordinance amending a section of DPUs general terms and conditions to allow council to make considerations for waiving some tap fees, impact fees and fire service tap fees for installations such as those concerning Orangeburg County. Councilmen Buddy Barnwell and Charlie Jernigan opposed the amendment. Barnwell said hed like to see a cost estimate. Keitt said the amendment presents a good opportunity for the City of Orangeburg to be neighborly to Orangeburg County in its endeavors. * Council met in executive session to discuss the orders to demolish property of Kenneth Middleton, Earl Brooks and Mural Properties LLC. Also in executive session, council discussed an employee grievance matter. Council did not take action on the issues. COLUMBIA South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has endorsed Marco Rubio, three days ahead of Saturdays first-in-the-South Republican presidential primary. Haley introduced the Florida senator at an event Wednesday night in Lexington County, saying hes a compassionate fighter who will show my parents the best decision they ever made for their children was coming to America. Haley is the South Carolina-born daughter of Indian immigrants and, at 44, the nations youngest governor. She embodies everything I want the Republican Party to be about, Rubio said. He noted he and Haley share the backgrounds of many other Americans, as his parents immigrated from Cuba. First and foremost, as a mom who wants her children to be safe in this country, who wants her children to have the education and opportunity, Haley said in explaining her choice to several hundred people gathered for the event outside a warehouse in Chapin. I want a president whos going to have the back of our military veterans and those in active duty. I want a president who knows when we fight wars, we win wars, said Haley, whose husband Michael Haley is an officer in the Army National Guard who served in Afghanistan in 2013. I want a president who understands we have to stop the federal mandates pushed on states like Obamacare and the EPA. She was also critical of Republicans in Washington, saying the next president must bring a conscience back to the GOP on balanced budgets, cutting debt and building reserves. Haleys endorsement was considered the most coveted among South Carolina politicians. She joins U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and Rep. Trey Gowdy in endorsing Rubio. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham endorsed Jeb Bush after leaving the crowded Republican presidential field himself. Speculation that Haley, the states first female and first minority governor, could be a potential GOP running mate increased after she gave the Republican response to President Barack Obamas State of the Union address last month. While introducing Rubio, Haley thanked other good people in this race, without naming them. Haley said just Tuesday that, despite the nonstop phone calls seeking her backing, she was still trying to decide and may not endorse this cycle. Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster, a Haley ally, has endorsed Donald Trump, but Haley has been critical of the New York billionaire for the past month. On Tuesday, Haley said Trump represents everything a governor doesnt want in a president. Haley endorsed Mitt Romney a month before South Carolinas 2012 presidential primary and campaigned with him. Romney lost to Newt Gingrich, breaking the states three-decade tradition of backing the partys eventual nominee. Romney had backed Haleys first run for governor in 2010, when she was still the longshot candidate in a four-way GOP primary. Jeb Bush supported both of her gubernatorial contests. The former Florida governor campaigned with Haley a month before she easily won a second term in 2014. At the time, Haley thanked Bush for helping her win the job in 2010, his assistance in putting together a transition team ahead of taking office and his advice since. South Carolina Republicans are proud of the history of their presidential primary. In all but the most recent voting in 2012, the state has sent a candidate on his way to the nomination via a victory. The primary here is a modern phenomenon, as is the prominence of the Republican Party. When the GOP launched its preference vote in 1980, it remained a decidedly minority party despite the historic election of the first Republican as governor in modern times, Dr. James B. Edwards in 1974. But 1980 was a good year to gain a higher profile for a party trying to build on blocks laid by Strom Thurmonds jump to the GOP and strategists such as Lee Atwater (and Harry Dent of St. Matthews before him) at work strengthening the national presence of Republicans in the South. Ronald Reagan won the first South Carolina primary over presumed favorite former Texas Gov. John Connally and never looked back on his way to unseating incumbent president Jimmy Carter, the last Democrat to carry the state in a presidential election. That was in 1976. When Reagan completed a second term, his vice president, George H.W. Bush became the presumed favorite but faced a strong challenge from Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas, evangelist Pat Robertson and noted Rep. Jack Kemp. But by that time Republican Carroll Campbell was in the Governors Mansion. With the help of the growing GOP establishment here, Bush won and went on to become president, establishing a pattern of GOP leadership here consolidating behind a winner. Four years later, again with the backing of Campbell and GOP leaders, Bush turned back Pat Buchanan and went on to the nomination. In 1996, Dole got his turn as the establishment candidate and he, too, defeated Buchanan en route to the nomination and a general election loss to Democrat Bill Clinton. In 2000, another Bush, George W., used South Carolina as the springboard to defeating John McCain. Bush had the backing of GOP leadership. Eight years later, it was McCains turn to get establishment support, defeating a list of contenders that included Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney. McCain became the nominee but lost to Democrat Barack Obama in the general election. South Carolina ended its perfect record in 2012 when the states Republicans backed Georgian New Gingrich over eventual nominee Mitt Romney. Polls indicate the state will go against the grain again in Saturdays primary. Billionaire Donald Trump is the favorite. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is considered a contender for strong backing by evangelicals. Sen. Marco Rubio and another Bush, Jeb, the former Florida governor, have divided the loyalties of the S.C. establishment, at least as defined by elected officials. Sen. Tim Scott supports Rubio, as does Congressman Trey Gowdy. Senior Sen. and former presidential candidate Lindsey Graham is with Bush. In a year with so many uncertainties, many Republicans are not announcing a choice. The most notable is Gov. Nikki Haley, whose support would be considered the biggest catch for a GOP contender. The only certainty with Haley is lack of support for Trump, who she criticized in every way but by name in her State of the Union GOP response and who has been a target of direct Trump attacks. As to what will happen, author Harry Lee Poe has a new book about the 1974 gubernatorial race in South Carolina, Total Commitment: A Memoir of When South Carolina Elected a Republican Governor. He says that campaign is the only frame of reference for understanding the climate of the 2016 presidential race. Poe, the 23-year-old finance director of the S.C. Republican Party in 1974, details how a disgruntled Democratic establishment fought its own battle with an insurgent candidate (Charles Pug Ravenel) and managed to undo him with a residency challenge. The solidly Democratic state was so angry with the party establishment that they did the unthinkable vote for a Republican. But Republicans had already also done something that was not expected, rejecting Gen. William Westmoreland in favor of Edwards. Not to be forgotten, however, is that Edwards was no insurgent. He had a long history with the states GOP and Westmoreland did not. Edwards, in effect, was the establishment. As to how the establishments record of success plays out Saturday, consider that anger at GOP leadership in South Carolina is less a factor than wholesale voter disdain in 1974. This time, South Carolinians penchant for disliking Washington, magnified by an overall rejection of politics as usual, is key a factor. An expected record turnout will include many who call themselves independents and others who have never voted before. Couple them with a lot of traditional Republicans who will split establishment support and the outcome is unlikely to be the bellwether that some forecast. Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Fellow Blog Readers, I am proud to be a friend and fan of our resident photographer: Tambako the Jaguar. Unless you have seen the full body of his work, you cannot know the excellence of his talent. Therefore, I encourage you to click on the following links, "like" his Facebook page, and get to know him better. He's not only one of the most talented animal photographers out there, but he is also one heck of a nice person. Enjoy! Tambako's bio: http://www.flickr.com/people/tambako/ More info and images: http://greenbuzzz.net/environment/40-exceptional-and-breathtaking-big-cat-photographs-by-emmanuel-keller/ And... tambako.ch Friend him here: https://www.facebook.com/tambakophotography >^..^< /By Azernews/ By Nazrin Gadimova Business development and the deepening of radical reforms are the priority issues for Azerbaijan at the moment, President Ilham Aliyev said as part of his visit to Azerbaijans Tovuz region on February 17. The Azerbaijani president believes that the new reforms will soon play an important role in the development of local economy. All financial, economic mechanisms in Azerbaijan should be based on the experience of the world's leading countries, Aliyev said. Development of financial and economic sectors will allow us not to depend on oil prices. This is our main task. The president said Azerbaijan has all conditions for entrepreneurship development, adding that the local entrepreneurs selling products abroad will receive funds from the state. Ilham Aliyev believes that 2016 will be a successful for Azerbaijan in terms of socio-economic development. Although our revenues declined significantly, we need to work even more effectively. I am confident that we will achieve economic progress thanks to the development of, in particular, agricultural, processing and industrial sectors, the head of state noted. As part of his visit to Tovuz, President Aliyev attended the opening of several facilities. Thus, the head of state inaugurated the road that covers the regions 13 settlements with a population of 32,000 people, kindergarten (including dailycare center) designed for one hundred children and aimed to provide 35 people with work. The Azerbaijani President got also familiarized with reconstruction works in the Heydar Aliyev park in Tovuz, as well as inaugurated one of the largest youth centers in the country in Tovuz regions Govlar city. Further, Ilham Aliyev attended the opening of the Tovuzchay reservoir. The Tovuzchay reservoir will improve water supply of 19,825 hectares of land, including 16,886 hectares in Tovuz city and 2,939 hectares in Shamkir as a result of full implementation of the project. At the same time, 300 hectares of newly irrigated lands in Tovuz will be provided with irrigation water. That will have a positive impact on raising the level of crop yield in this area. Speaking at the opening ceremony, President Aliyev noted that he is pleased with the development of agriculture in the Tovuz region. Today's ceremony is of particular importance for the development of agriculture, as after commissioning the Tovuzchay reservoir, the agricultural development will go even faster, the head of state stressed. Further, the Azerbaijani President arrived in Ganja for a visit. As part of the visit, he reviewed the Abbas Sahhat city hospital after major overhaul. The facility employs a 370-man medical staff, including 56 doctors. Moreover, he attended the opening of secondary school No. 39 and a dormitory of Azerbaijan State Agrarian University, as well as a 240-seat orphanage-kindergarten after major overhaul. The head of the state also visited the Ganja Automobile Plant, which manufactured 6,294 tractors and 134 special tractors as of 1 January 2016. The plant, a foundation stone of which was laid by national leader Heydar Aliyev, was commissioned in 2004. In the first three years, the plant manufactured OKA, UAZ, CHAN-QAN vehicles. Later, the plant opened new assembly lines and embarked on the production of tractors and MAZ trucks under a bilateral agreement with the Minsk automobile and tractor plants. Further, the president reviewed Ganja European Youth Capital 2016 Park, which occupies a total area of 1.8 hectares, as well as a park-boulevard complex built along the Ganjachay River. The president opened Nizami electrical substation, which will supply electrical power to more than 6,000 consumers and employ nearly 80 people. Aliyev visited the construction site of Ganja State Philharmonic with a concert hall for 1,200 seats, an open-air summer cinema theatre, a drawing gallery, an urban center and an observation tower. The head of state further attended the opening ceremony of a military town, which consists of 14 multi-storey apartment buildings that have a total of 696 flats. There are 48 one-room, 224 two-room, 312 three-room, and 112 four-room flats. As part of his visit to Ganja, the president went to the Imamzade religious complex, one of the architectural landmarks of the city dating back to the eighth century. Located on the ancient trade roads of the East, the complex was a holy place for Muslims of Azerbaijan and other countries throughout the centuries. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the religious complex, Aliyev stressed that the representatives of all religions live in Azerbaijan as one family. This is our greatest asset. The Orthodox, Catholic and Albanian churches and synagogues have been repaired in Azerbaijan with support of the state. Religious relations in Azerbaijan are solved on healthy soil, he said. The president noted that Azerbaijan has always been keen on further strengthening unity and solidarity in the Muslim world. We will make efforts in this direction. Once again, I want to say that Azerbaijan is a country with a great reputation in the Muslim world. We have achieved this not only due to economic and social development. The entire Muslim world appreciates the role that we play in interreligious relations, President Aliyev concluded. Just over 100 years after he published his general theory of relativity, scientists have found what Albert Einstein predicted as part of the theory: gravitational waves. "We have detected gravitational waves. We did it," said David Reitze, executive director of LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory , which was created to do just what Reitze announced. Reitze made the announcement Thursday at the National Press Club in Washington surrounded by other LIGO researchers and National Science Foundation head France Cordova. The gravitational waves -- ripples in space-time -- were created by the merging of two black holes, Reitze said. One black hole had the mass of 29 suns; the other was the equivalent of 36 suns. Each was perhaps 50 kilometers (30 miles) in diameter. More than a billion years ago -- LIGO estimates about 1.3 billion -- the two collided at half the speed of light. Gravitational waves pass through everything, so the result traveled through the universe for that time before reaching Earth. The 'chirp' of black holes colliding The gravitational waves stretched and compressed space around Earth "like Jell-O," said Reitze. However, the waves are so small that it takes a detector like LIGO, capable of measuring distortions one-thousandth the size of a proton, to observe them. They were observed on September 14, 2015. Scientists heard the sound of the black holes colliding as a "chirp" lasting one-fifth of a second. Though gravitational waves aren't sound waves, the increase in frequency the collision exhibited in its last milliseconds -- when the black holes were mere kilometers apart and growing closer -- is a frequency we can hear, said Deirdre Shoemaker, a Georgia Tech physicist who works on LIGO. Life on Mars: Depends on what you see in this picture LIGO is described as "a system of two identical detectors" -- one located in Livingston , Louisiana , the other in Hanford , Washington -- "carefully constructed to detect incredibly tiny vibrations from passing gravitational waves." The project was created by scientists from Caltech and MIT and funded by the National Science Foundation. Szabolcs Marka, a physicist at Columbia University who is leader of the LIGO member Columbia Experimental Gravity Group, said you could think of it as "a cosmic microphone." Einstein's concepts Gravitational waves were predicted by Einstein in his general theory of relativity in 1915, the theory that proposed space-time as a concept. The waves are a distortion of space-time. However, in order for us to detect them, they needed to be created by a mammoth event -- for example, the collision of two black holes. Black holes are a holy grail of the gravitational wave concept. To date, we'd been able only to see their aftereffects. Black holes themselves were a conjecture. "There's been a lot of indirect evidence for their existence," says Shoemaker, an expert in black holes. "But this is the first time we actually detect two black holes merging and we know the only thing that predicts that (is) gravitational radiation, (which) comes from a binary black hole merging. There's no other way we could have seen that but gravitationally." 'Now we can listen to the universe' But is LIGO correct? Have we really detected gravitational waves? Scientists have what they call a "five-sigma" standard of proof, and LIGO's researchers say the gravitational wave discovery exceeds that. "It took six months of convincing ourselves that it was correct," says Shoemaker. "It goes beyond that five-sigma to proving that nothing was happening with the equipment that couldn't be understood." She's thrilled with the possibilities. "Imagine having never been able to hear before and all you can do is see," she says. "Now we can listen to the universe where we were deaf before. It's a different spectrum (from the electromagnetic spectrum). It's unlike anything we've ever detected before." "What's really exciting is what comes next," said Reitze at the announcement. "I think we're opening a window on the universe -- a window of gravitational wave astronomy." Einstein would be surprised Columbia University physicist Marka, who's been working on the project for more than a decade, said the discovery will open up new horizons, including direct tests of Einstein's general theory. Those could further support it -- or force physicists to come up with new ideas. "A physicist is always looking for a flaw in a theory. And the only way to find a flaw is to test it," Marka told CNN. "Einstein's theory did not present any flaws to us yet, and that is really scary. Physicists are very (skeptical) of flawless theories because then we have nothing to do." Ironically, Einstein didn't think gravitational waves would be discovered. "He thought gravitational waves are a beautiful construct, but they are so small nobody would ever be able to actually measure it," said Marka. /By Azernews/ By Aynur Karimova Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has postponed his visit to Azerbaijan scheduled for February 18. Erdogan planned to pay a visit to the country to join the meeting of Turkey-Azerbaijan High Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Azerbaijan's Ganja. The Turkish president made a phone call to President Ilham Aliyev on February 17 and said that he would not be able to visit Baku on February 18 to take part at the Council's meeting due to a terror attack in Ankara. President Aliyev resolutely condemned the terror attack, extended condolences on his own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan to bereaved families, President Erdogan and the people of Turkey, and also wished Allahs mercy to victims of the tragedy. The presidents agreed to determine the date of the session of Turkey-Azerbaijan High Level Strategic Cooperation Council some time later. An explosion in Ankara targeting military-owned vehicles killed at least 28 people and wounded 61 more on February 17. /By Azernews/ By Nazrin Gadimova The OSCE Minsk Group, created for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict could not find a way out of the situation for almost 22 years. This long-lasting collision has acquired the status of the frozen conflict as a result of the incorrect tactics of the organization. The current situation is absolutely unacceptable for Azerbaijan, which repeatedly stated its dissatisfaction with the Minsk Group activities. The co-chairs of the Group continue to make monotonous statements on the settlement of the conflict. Unfortunately, these statements do not reflect the actual situation. Germanys Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier affirms that Germany (which took over the OSCE Chairmanship in 2016) supports intensifying talks on resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group format. In his interview to local media, Steinmeier said that creating a mechanism for clarifying the circumstances of ceasefire violations would be an important step toward the settlement of the long-lasting conflict. Steinmeiers position does not differ from the unconstructive and counterproductive position that the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group stand for, Member of the Azerbaijani Parliament Rasim Musabeyov believes. It would be an illusion to believe that it is possible to strengthen the existing ceasefire in the absence of progress in the conflict settlement, Musabeyov told AzerNews. The member of the parliament believes that it is unacceptable for Azerbaijan to allow any peacekeeping organization that will further exacerbate the conflict. They do not care that almost 800,000 Azerbaijanis were driven out from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. This position is unacceptable for Azerbaijan, Musabeyov concluded. 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. Japanese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Miki Yamada has said her country recognized and respected the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan as she met the country`s delegation led by deputy chair of the Parliament`s committee for international relations and inter-parliamentary ties Sevinj Fataliyeva. The delegation included MPs Hadi Rajabli, Sevinj Huseynova and Asaf Hajiyev. Azerbaijan`s Ambassador to Japan Gursel Ismayilzade also attended the meeting. Sevinj Fataliyeva praised relations between the two countries and stressed the importance further developing cooperation within the international organizations. Miki Yamada highlighted the steadily developing ties between the two countries across the last years. The Deputy FM said reciprocal visits positively influenced to development of bilateral bonds. Ms. Fataliyeva said Azerbaijan was interested in developing relations with Japan, adding reciprocal visits of officials, parliamentary delegations serve to bringing the two countries closer to each other. The MP provided an insight into the causes and consequences Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. She said Armenia occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan`s territories. Ms. Fataliyeva thanked Japanese side for supporting Azerbaijan`s just position in relevant issue. Miki Yamada said they were aware of successful steps taken in the field of diversifying Azerbaijan`s economy. The Deputy FM expressed her country`s keenness to develop the relations with Azerbaijan. /By Azertac/ Multi-award-winning independent documentary Endless Corridor a US/Lithuanian co-production was shown at the Cinema Odyssee, Strasbourg, which ranks amongst the most respected art cinemas in the Alsace region. The evening in this city which is home to such institutions as the Council of Europe and the European Parliament commemorated the victims of the Khojaly Massacre on 26 February 1992. This was the worst single atrocity of the ArmenianAzerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh and claimed the lives of 613 civilian victims in 1992. The death toll included 106 women, 63 children and 70 elderly people. The screening was organised within the Justice for Khojaly campaign. Speaking before the audience of 150 diplomats, VIPs, press representatives and friends of Azerbaijan, Eliza Pieter, Director, Strasbourg Office, The European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS) explained: TEAS is proud to organise these events within the framework of the Justice for Khojaly campaign, which is an international awareness campaign initiated by Mrs Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President, Heydar Aliyev Foundation. The Justice for Khojaly international campaign was launched on 8 May 2008. The campaigns rapid development is a measure of international support for the restoration of justice in the region. This support has been expressed at events in over 100 countries in Europe, America, Asia and Africa, and has come from individuals and international organisations, as well as states. The tragedies of today should not make us forget those of yesterday. The millions of refugees today should not make us forget the estimated one million Azerbaijanis who have waited to return to their land for more than 20 years. Ambassador Emin Eyyubov, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Council of Europe, said: The town of Khojaly no longer exists today, but the remembrance of the massacred victims survives. They are present in all our memories. We ask for an end to the impunity and injustice regarding the massacre, and that this type of tragedy will never be repeated. I hope that this screening of the film Endless Corridor will help all those here achieve a better understanding of the realities of the massacre. Lithuanian journalist Ricardas Lapaitis whose return journey to Khojaly formed the basis of the film vividly remembered his experiences, saying: When I appeared in Endless Corridor, it charted my first return visit to Agdam in 23 years. That which I experienced there, as an eyewitness to the Khojaly Massacre, had completely changed my life. I saw a building filled with victims bodies; the body of a six-year-old girl; decapitated men. I cannot forget what I saw. At the time, when I filed my report, my editor expressed incredulity saying that such a massacre was impossible. But I said that such a tragedy should never be allowed to happen again. When I returned to Agdam which is partially occupied by Armenia after so many years, I realised that this devastated place is the saddest town in the world. The most incredible aspect is that the ArmenianAzerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh is still ongoing. Armenia continues to occupy Azerbaijani territory. Snipers from the sides sit five metres apart. I remember all those who continue to suffer, due to this conflict. I was pleased with the result of this film, and it is an adequate memorial to the 613 people who are unable to see it for themselves. The commemoration concluded with a performance of the tone poem Khojaly 613 by French composer Pierre Thilloy, played in the presence of the composer. Commissioned by TEAS, the work was shortlisted for the Victoires de la Musique Classique awards in 2013. It featured Azerbaijani violinist Sabina Rakcheyeva, the first Azerbaijani graduate from the Juilliard School in New York and Cultural Advisor, TEAS, alongside the Pandora String Quartet. Previously having been Composer-in-Residence for the French Embassy in Azerbaijan, and Director-General of the Festival De Soie et de Feu (Silk and Fire Festival), Mr Thilloy has become aware of the ongoing impact of the Armenian occupation. Mr Thilloy stated in a recent interview: Music unlike the word has never hurt anyone, and can touch us more profoundly. This is because it can express the unspeakable. It can even touch Western Europeans, who never took any interest in this war, which was not in their world view. Following its international premiere throughout 2015, Endless Corridor has received plaudits from critics across the world. It has received the Best Documentary and Best Director for a Documentary Prizes at the Tenerife International Film Festival in Madrid; the Best Documentary Editing Prize at the Milano International Filmmakers Festival; and in the prestigious US-based Accolade Global Film Competition, it achieved two awards Best of Show in May 2015 and in January 2016 the Outstanding Achievement Award in the Accolade Humanitarian Awards 2015. It has also been screened on the pan-European Eurochannel, CNN Turk and TV 24 (Turkey) channels. Despite the passing of four UN Security Council resolutions against the invasion, Armenia continues to occupy Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts to this day, accounting for nearly 20 per cent of Azerbaijani territory. /By Azertac/ /By Azernews/ By Nazrin Gadimova Growing migration has become one of the reasons for the sharp decline in the number of population in Armenia. The residents of the country and a large diaspora accuse the government of failing to create the necessary conditions for living. Poverty, corruption, economic difficulties, social vulnerability, external debt and destruction - these are the main reasons that force people to leave their homes. In fact, labor migration is a worldwide practice for survival. What is bad in this situation the government has no intention or interest to improve the situation. The incumbent regime prefers to retain its power not caring of collapse of economy or full desertification of the country. Most of the Armenian population left their homeland looking for well-paid job or for job in general. The Armenian Times Newspaper reports that the local large companies discharged about 1,000 people monthly. Dire economic situation has forced companies to cut costs, the source said. The country has not yet published an official data on changes in the number of employees in the last quarter of last year. However, monitoring of large taxpayers, published by countrys Finance Ministry, show that number of employees at 520 large enterprises decreased by 3,600 people last year, the newspaper reported. Former chairman of the Armenian National Bank Bagrat Asatryan, in turn, believes that oligarchs' presence in the Armenian economy would only contribute to an outflow of able-bodied and skilled workers. All young leave, old people die... government remains Demographer Ruben Yeganyan believes that the Armenian population would be 4.3 million instead of current 2.8 million if migration was not high. Since 1991, we have lost 1.5 million people, he said. Following the latest census, the number of our resident population is of 3.2 million people, while the existing population is of 2.8 million. Over the next 50 years, the population may decrease by 1.5 million people, Yeganyan added. For the first time in nearly 40 years, the population of Armenia fell below the level of 3 million according to the Armenian Statistics Agency. 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, 2.9 million people live in the country as of January 1, 2016. Yeganyan said migration in Armenia has become an endless process since the 1990s, adding that the country suffers from a chronic disease that causes emigration. He said the phenomenon of emigration is systemic due to Armenias political, economic, social, moral and psychological state. Demographer said that the problem of immigration will not be solved if to eliminate one of these reasons. Thus, the whole system should be improved. Yeganyan believes that the population can be increased in two ways by increasing the birth rate and importing people. State officials are not very concerned about this phenomenon. The first ten years Armenias authorities simply denied the existence of migration, and when they finally recognized this fact, the country has left a million people. Thus, it was easier for the Armenian government to accept the fact that its citizens leave the country, rather than to create new jobs. Moreover, Armenian migrants send financial help to their compatriots who remain in Armenia. Following the latest data from the World Bank, this figure amounts to almost $2 billion per year - a figure commensurate to the state budget of Armenia. Probably it is difficult for the Armenian government to reject this source of revenue that relieves tension in the local society. Where they leave Armenia for? Armenian sociologist Gevort Pogosyan said 80 percent of the Armenians leave for the Russian Federation, 15 percent prefer European countries, while five percent choose the U.S.. In the early 1990s, when there was a war in Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia experienced the energy crisis; people were able to use electric light for two hours a day in the best many left because of difficult socio-economic situation, Pogosyan added. The second period of the outflow was recorded at the beginning of the 2000s. The vast majority of Armenians are leaving because they cannot find a job in their native land, and if they do, then the wages are so low that they cannot provide the necessities for themselves and relatives, Pogosyan believes. Following the results of an appropriate survey, almost 32 percent of respondents are ready to leave because of lack of work, 30 percent - due to hopelessness, 20 percent - because of the lack of justice, and 17 percent - due to lack of livelihood. Almost 52, 5 percent of respondents said they want their children to live abroad. There is high level of corruption in the country; people are dissatisfied with the courts. They are leaving because they cannot get legal solutions to their problems, maybe even elementary. They are forced to deal with corruption, bureaucracy, bribery. All these act as factors ejecting people from the country, the sociologist noted. Furthermore, the survey included a social study on the interdependence of happiness, patriotism and migration. Exceptional majorities of Yerevan residents - more than 82 percent consider themselves true patriots, while the vast majority - 69 percent, consider themselves happy. It may sound ironic, but patriotism and happiness do not prevent from desire to leave Armenia. Thus, most happy Yerevan residents as well as half the citizens who consider themselves true patriots intend to leave the country. Governor of the US State of Montana Steve Bullock signed an official declaration addressed all Montanans in connection with the anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, Azerbaijans Consulate General in Los Angeles told Trend. Bullock encouraged Montanans to acknowledge Feb. 26, 2016 as Khojaly Remembrance Day. This is the first document recognizing Khojaly genocide adopted by the State of Montana. As Montanans, we join with our Azerbaijani brothers and sisters in Montana to remember this day while also seeking to find understanding that surpasses the violence so often associated with conflict, said the document. The number of states recognizing Khojaly genocide has reached 20 together with the State of Montana. On February 25-26, 1992, the Armenian military, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops stationed in Khankendi, committed genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. Among those 613 killed in the massacre, there were 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. A total of 487 civilians became disabled as a result of the onslaught. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown. /By Trend/ /By Azernews/ By Aynur Karimova Turkey condemns the terrorist attack in Ankara and is grateful to Azerbaijan for its support, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who is on visit to Baku, told reporters on February 18. "Turkey doesnt distinguish between terrorists," he said. The minister further added that the meeting of Azerbaijani and Turkish presidents that was cancelled due to the terrorist attack, will be held soon. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has postponed his visit to Azerbaijan scheduled for February 18. Erdogan planned to pay a visit to the country to join the meeting of Turkey-Azerbaijan High Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Azerbaijan's Ganja. Azerbaijan expresses deep condolences over the terrorist attacks in Turkey, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told reporters following the meeting with his Turkish counterpart. We have a clear position on this issue: we condemn any form of terrorism, said the minister, adding that currently, there is no information about the injured Azerbaijani citizens as a result of the terrorist attacks in Ankara. We discussed the regional, bilateral and strategic relations between our countries, he said, adding that the sides discussed the relations in energy sphere and the project for constructing the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. Azerbaijan and Turkey enjoy good and developing economic ties, especially in terms of huge energy projects envisaging the transportation of Azerbaijan's hydrocarbon resources to the European and world markets through the Turkish territory. Azerbaijan and Turkey are successfully engaged in mutual investment as well. It is expected that in the coming years, Azerbaijan will invest about $20 billion in Turkey. An OSCE monitoring was held Feb. 18 along the contact line between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops. Azerbaijans Defense Ministry has said the monitoring, held in line with the mandate of personal representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office, passed without any incident. The monitoring took place in Azerbaijans Terter district. On the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring was carried out by the personal representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk and the field assistant of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative, Jiri Aberle. On the opposite side, the monitoring was conducted by the field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative Yevgeny Sharov, Hristo Hristov and Peter Svedberg. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions. /By Trend/ President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has today received Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu. President Ilham Aliyev offered condolences to Mevlut Cavusoglu and the people of Turkey on the terror attack that happened in Ankara on February 17. The head of state noted that Azerbaijan was shocked by the attack, adding that the country resolutely condemns it. President Ilham Aliyev said that as always the Azerbaijani people stand by the people of Turkey on these difficult days. The President said: My brother, esteemed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a phone call to me in the evening of February 17, and said he would not be able to visit Baku because of this attack. Naturally, we understand this. I offered him condolences on behalf of the Azerbaijani people, wished Allahs mercy to victims of the tragedy, patience to their families and recovery to the injured. President Ilham Aliyev also noted that they agreed to hold the session of Turkey-Azerbaijan High Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Baku at a convenient time for the Turkish President. The head of state highlighted the importance of the session of Turkey-Azerbaijan High Level Strategic Cooperation Council in terms of further expansion of the bilateral ties between the two countries, describing this as a sign of unity. The President noted that the Council had a broad agenda as a number of issues would be discussed at the session, expressing his confidence that it would be held soon. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu thanked the head of state for the condolences and for Azerbaijani peoples and personally President Ilham Aliyevs standing by the Turkish people at this difficult time. Mevlut Cavusoglu highlighted the importance of combating all forms of terrorism, saying they would continue to fight against terrorism. The Turkish Foreign Minister expressed his confidence that the next session of Turkey-Azerbaijan High Level Strategic Cooperation Council would be held soon and that the bilateral relations between the two countries would be developed under the leadership of the head of the states. Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey hailed the measures recently taken in Azerbaijan to ensure development in economic and all other fields of the country`s life. He wished Azerbaijan successes in all activities under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev. /By Azertac/ Iran has condemned the recent terrorist attack in Turkish capital city of Ankara, which claimed the lives of innocent people. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Hossein Jaber Ansari, said that the incident once again proved the need for the united fight against terrorism, describing terrorism as a common global threat, IRNA news agency reported. A vehicle full of explosives went off in an area close to the buildings of the Turkish parliament, the general staff and the military dorm in Ankara Feb. 17 at 18:30 (UTC/GMT +4 hours) claiming 28 lives and 61 injured. Turkish sources have Salih Nejar, a Syrian citizen, as the perpetrator of the attack. Earlier, Turkeys National Intelligence Organization warned against possible terrorist attacks in the country suggesting members of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) are preparing terrorist attacks at Turkeys international airports. This post is prompted by a number of things that have left me pondering how as Christians we are to bring about change in our churches. When we strongly b... 7 years ago Iraqi government has approved plans to transform its air base in Kirkuk into a modern civic airport, said a report. A number of domestic and foreign companies are showing tremendous interest in the project, reported the Iraq Business News, citing a senior government official. According to Iraqi MP Arshad Salehi, the Kirkuk governor has agreed to the plan but is looking for an investor. "There are plenty of foreign investors applying for the project. A few days ago an Italian company visited us to know about the projects, but details about the project are yet to be released," he added. Leading German manufacturer in sanitary fittings Grohe has joined hands with the American University in Dubai (AUD) to launch the Water & Sand Design Atelier. The programme, including Grohe One-Day Workshop at AUD, will lead to a grand finale event where the winning team will be awarded. The workshop, being held in collaboration with Alserkal Cultural Foundation, is offered to the students of the Department of Interior Design of the School of Architecture, Art and Design of the AUD. The event will see the university students develop a wellness project located in a windtower house in the vibrant area of Al Bastakiya Dubai, embracing art and culture while using Grohe Spa range. This challenging project will link local heritage with modern design solutions in respect with the tradition and the historical location, said a statement from Grohe. It will be developed during the Spring 2016 semester and will involve students enrolled in the Wellness and Spa course an advanced interior design course focusing on wellness centres analysis, planning and design, together with students enrolled in the Interior Design Studio III course. With this edition of the Design Atelier, AUD and Grohe have renewed their successful collaboration, previously established with the German firm's Design Series programme. Albert Fakhoury, the chair of the interior design department at AUD along with Prof Annamaria Lambri, the associate professor of interior design and co-ordinator of the Design Atelier, together with Jasmine Shahin, AUD adjunct professor of interior design, will support and lead the students through this challenging and exciting journey. Lauding the collaboration with Grohe, Fakhoury said: "It is reaching a new milestone: thanks to the tremendous efforts of the department particularly Prof Lambris contribution - Wellness and Spa is officially offered as a professional elective course and has become part of the new 'Emphasis in Hospitality Design' that we are developing within our programme - a programme, which will prepare the young creative minds towards uniqueness in their professional career. "Collaborating with Alserkal Cultural Foundation is nothing less than a statement of our commitment to the values of the UAE heritage by highlighting its traditional architecture in a very innovative context," he noted. Lina Varytimidou, the director PR and head of Grohe Spa in the East Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa introduced the products from its collection during the launch event. "We are extremely excited about this collaboration and developing the future of this topic. We look forward to seeing the projects that the students will be delivering at the end of the semester and to offering the winner of the best assignment an internship at the Grohe offices in Dubai," she stated. "We hope that Grohe's partnership with AUD will contribute to the advancement of the interior design standards in the UAE," she added.-TradeArabia News Service Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) received the ISO 10002:2014 certificate for providing guidance on the process for handling complaints about planning, design, operation, maintenance, and its improvement services. This accomplishment reflects Dewas commitment to employing the highest standards of availability, reliability and efficiency when providing customers with services that adhere to the highest standards of excellencem, said a statement from the utility firm. This supports Dubais sustainable development and contributes to the emirates position as a leading hub for business in the region, it stated. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, the managing director and cheif executive, received the certificate from Nicolas Milan, the managing director of Bureau Veritas Dubai. On the recognition, he said: "Dewa has adopted an effective and efficient complaint-handling process to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, and to improve the quality of the services provided." "This unified system comprises a set of interrelated activities that function harmoniously and use various channels, information, materials, financial and and infrastructural resources to conform to the eComplain handling policy to achieve its objective," observed Al Tayer. Abdullah Al Hajri, the executive vice-president of customer relations, said: "Dewas accomplishment of receiving the updated version of the ISO certificate is a result of intensive efforts to achieve the happiness and satisfaction of customers by providing an environment which gives them priority, accepts their observations and complaints, and takes them into account to further develop Dewas customer service." "Dewa consistently seeks to meet customer needs by working on innovative ways to elevate the service levels as per the highest standards of efficiency and reliability," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Microsoft will be hosting a free cloud roadshow next week in Dubai, UAE, featuring technology experts who will share valuable tips and techniques, allowing organisations and individuals to innovate and leverage cloud solutions. The event will be held at the Hyatt Dubai Creek Heights on February 22 and 23. James Phillips, corporate vice president and the general manager of Microsofts business applications, platform and intelligence (BAPI) organization will be commencing with the first keynote for the day, followed by other noted speakers. The event will be held for IT professionals and developers to enable them to gain practical insights into cloud directly from the experts who build, deploy and run the cloud services across Office 365, Microsoft Azure and Windows 10. Presentations comprising of topics related to cloud computing, philanthropy and the integral role of cloud in Microsoft product lines will be highlighted, while imparting learning processes for amateurs and developers seeking to acquire new methods of applying technical skills. The roadshow will be covering many other areas on security, productivity, management, Big Data, unified communications, collaboration, networking and Internet of Things, among others. TradeArabia News Service With the Internet of Things opportunity reaching $14 trillion in the next 15 years, 2016 will be the Middle Easts year of digital disruption, when organisations must embrace digital transformation for long-term success, said an industry expert. Frank Forndron, head of Customer Office at SAP Mena, and Quality Management for SAP Emerging Markets, was speaking during the announcement of the Mena Quality Awards 2016 winners. The annual SAP Mena Quality Awards award recognize the regions leading innovators, which have used a digital core to transform employee, customer, and supplier relationships, and succeed in the Digital Economy, added Forndron. One of the UAEs up-and-coming transport and logistics companies, Bion Group, formerly Tarwada Cargo Transport, with partner NTT Data won gold in the Fast category for real-time truck analytics. "The use of SAP solutions will enable us at Bion Group to maximize our returns from fully-integrating company process including our fleet GPS technology. The automated fleet management system shall facilitate real-time, accurate and reliable data analytics thereby empowering our logistics operations with robust tracking tools, secure on-time deliveries, and enhanced customer service experience, said Noas Al Rawi, CEO, Bion Group. Riyadh-based alfanar with partner Business On Demand won gold in the Innovation category for a cloud-based customer service system that increased customer satisfaction by 25 per cent. SAPs Cloud 4 Customer service solution has boosted the performance of alfanars after sales service organization by reducing the service delivery turnaround time by 40 per cent, meanwhile the customer demands, after the promotion of such services, has increased by 58 per cent with the highest customer satisfaction level, said Pascal Hoerter, VP Sales and Marketing, alfanar electrical. The solution has brought a unique service model on-line which alfanar provides to its customer and driven our growth in the regions fast-paced manufacturing industry, added Marco van de Sandt, CIO, alfanar. One of Qatars main automotive distributors, Abdullah Abdulghani & Bros. Co. (AAB), along with Polands Hicron SP ZOO as their Implementing Partner, won gold in the Business Transformation for their successful implementation of SAP ERP and SAP Dealer Business Management system. These three gold winners will now advance to SAP Europe, Middle East, and Africa Quality Awards finals, which will be held in Walldorf, Germany on April 6. The Mena Silver winners were Ras Al Khaimah E-Government with SAP Field Services, Al Qaryan Steel with Al Bilad in Saudi Arabia, and DP World with Clariba. Mena Bronze winners included Saudi Ceramics with CSC, Bahrains Arabian Gulf University with Kaar Technologies, and Egypts edita Foods with SAP Field Services. TradeArabia News Service Italy-based Maire Tecnimont, a leading engineering company, has signed an agreement worth 1 billion ($1.11 billion) with the Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Co (PGPIC) to construct refineries and petrochemical plants in Iran, a report said. The agreement includes providing finance, parts and equipment, as well as solutions to Iran's processing issues, added the report. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Maire Tecnimonts CEO Pierroberto Folgiero said that Italy is seeking to open a new chapter in its cooperation with Iran, especially in the oil and petrochemical industries. Maire Tecnimont will help Iran build an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and rubber plant in the industrial city of Asaluyeh, said the report. The ABS product has a variety of applications including in the automotive industry, it added. Canada's Brookfield Asset Management is planning a fresh $6.4 billion bid for Australian port and rail firm Asciano with Qatar's sovereign fund, two sources told Reuters, widening the global battle for the haulage heavyweight. The willingness of Brookfield to raise its offer and Qatar Investment Authority's (QIA) entry as a potential co-investor underscore the immense appetite for Australian infrastructure, especially mining-exposed companies whose share prices have been battered by the commodities downturn. Asciano, which had a market capitalization of $4.3 billion a year ago, said on Tuesday it was dumping Brookfield's initial offer of A$8.9 billion ($6.3 billion) in favour of a A$9 billion bid from Australian freight rival Qube Holdings Ltd in concert with China Investment Corp. But the sources, who are close to the deal, said the Canadian infrastructure investor would join the Qataris and Canadian pension fund PSP Investments and raise its offer to A$9.05 billion as early as Thursday. The sources asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter. Brookfield always intended to allow its original binding offer to lapse by a February 17 deadline, they added, so that it could launch a higher cash offer with new partners. It stood by a February 7 letter it wrote to Asciano saying it planned to raise its offer from A$9.10 per share to A$9.28, the sources said. Asciano and Qube declined comment and Brookfield had no official comment. QIA was not immediately available for comment. The deal would be QIA's first in Australia. The fund has been busy buying assets around the world, including a 44 per cent stake in a $4.5 billion Brookfield property development in Manhattan last year. Its emergence as a potential co-investor could add a new dimension of scrutiny from Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB). Qube also could face political headwinds due to the Chinese government interests backing its takeover offer. A FIRB spokesman said its assessments of whether deals were in the national interest were applied consistently "regardless of the country of origin of the investor". Qube is being advised by UBS and Credit Suisse, while Citi and Barclays is advising Brookfield. Brookfield has lined up a A$1.9 billion loan underwritten by ANZ, Barclays, Citi, Deutsche Bank and HSBC. - Reuters Saudi Telecom Co (STC) has completed the purchase of a further 25.8 per cent stake in Kuwait's Viva, Kuwait's stock market said on Thursday. STC has "completed procedures to execute the deal to acquire shares in Viva," the bourse said. Kuwait's Capital Markets Authority had approved the acquisition of 128.86 million shares in Viva, the bourse said in a statement. The purchase price was equivalent to one dinar ($3.34) per share, it said. The deal raises STC's stake in Viva to 51.8 per cent. Reuters Lexus International, the luxury automobile brand, has recently announced the 12 finalists for the Lexus Design Award 2016. First launched in 2013 to foster the growth of ideas that can contribute to society, this international design competition aims to support young up-and-coming creators from around the world. The fourth annual staging of the Lexus Design Award drew 1,232 entries from 73 countries under the theme of Anticipation, said the statement from the company. A panel of world-renowned designers and creators gathered in November 2015 to judge the entries. This year, entrants impressed the judges by creating designs as yet unseen or undefined but likely to be realised in the near future. After extensive discussion, and after noting the participants passion and willingness to explore the unpredictable, the judges chose 12 finalist entries for their potential contribution to design innovation, it said. The finalists are Agar Plasticity, Dada, Shape Shifters, Trace, aniknown, Bio-Vide, Drop Box, Hexagon, Plants-Skin, Project Play, Resolution of Sound Location and Slow Door, it added. The four finalists will produce prototypes of their designs under the mentorship of globally recognised creators. Architects and interdisciplinary designers Neri&Hu, along with designer Max Lamb will return as mentors, while designer/architect Elena Manferdini and artist/architect Snarkitecture join as the mentors for the first time. Takayuki Yoshitsugu, chief representative, Middle East and North Africa (Mena) representative office, Toyota Motor Corporation, said: The Lexus Design Award is an attractive showcase for talented designers from across the globe and gives them a great platform to showcase their inventiveness and creativity in design. The theme of design is central to Lexus as a brand in keeping with the Lexus Design philosophy of L-finesse which defines the core character of all Lexus products. We look forward to highlighting these talented individuals and elevate the discussion around progressive design in line with the chosen theme, he added. The Lexus exhibition at Milan Design Week will run from April 11 to April 17 at T32 Turneries/Carrozzeria, Via Tortona 32, 20144 (Zona Tortona). The Grand Prix winner of the Lexus Design Award 2016 out of the four selected prototype finalists will be announced on April 11 at a glittering award ceremony, it added. TradeArabia News Service Euro Motors, the exclusive dealer and distributor for Jaguar Land Rover in Bahrain, has celebrated its first year anniversary of the Land Rover Experience Centre Bahrain, by holding a spectacular two day event in Bahrain International Circuit (BIC). The event, held in collaboration with BIC, kicked off today (February 18) will conclude tomorrow (February 19). The event included free sessions on the Land Rover Experience course for both local and regional media personnel on the first day and for existing customers and will invite guests on the second, said a statement from the company. With the Land Rover Experience Centre Bahrain being the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, it was designed to cater to both the Bahraini and regional market and it has been doing so successfully for the past one year, within which time exponential growth, in both its presence in the Kingdom and the number of customers per day, is being witnessed. Located in the heart of the Sakhir desert within the grounds of BIC, the Land Rover Experience Centre Bahrain covers 3.5 km of varying terrains such as sand, rock, hill and water landscapes. There are 32 natural and man-made obstacles allowing guests to traverse terrain including slide slopes, humps, rocks, gravel roads and watercourses, all the while assessing the driving environment, maximising the capability and technology of the vehicle and most importantly developing driving skills in the worlds most capable luxury vehicles. The experience drives are unique and tailored to all guests, no matter what their skill level. The experiences range from a half day taster through to an advanced experience. All include an explanation of the Land Rover technologies on offer, instruction on how to best utilise these, and most importantly the chance to put them into action. Visitors have the chance to choose between two experiences: the first is as a passenger in a Land Rover vehicle, while one of Land Rovers lead instructors drives the course, with the second being an opportunity to get behind the wheel to take on the facilitys many challenges head on, guided by a qualified Land Rover Experience instructor. The Passenger Experience lasts for a duration of 90 minutes and costs BD12 ($31.8) per person and the Driver Experience goes on for as long as 120 minutes at a cost of BD65 ($172.4) per person. One can experience the full line up of Land Rover models; from Range Rover Sport to the Discovery Sport, the LR4 and the Range Rover Evoque. The Experience team at BIC are all qualified and certified instructors with the lead instructors sent to the UK to complete their training. The centre is open on a daily basis and guests are advised to book in advance to avoid disappointment. In addition to the drive experiences, group bookings for events ranging from birthdays to team building sessions are also welcomed. Nawaf Khalid Al Zayani, managing director of Euro Motors, said: Being the first Land Rover Experience Centre in the Mena region, it was imperative that we commemorated the affair with the celebration that it rightly deserves. We are glad to have witnessed such a favourable turnout for our first year anniversary celebrations and to have ensured that our guests experienced the extreme capabilities of Land Rover vehicles and the outstanding facilities of the Land Rover Experience Centre Bahrain, gives us immense pleasure, he said. We look forward to continually welcoming our customers to such events that serve to commemorate our significant milestones for a long time to come and look towards maintaining our consistent benchmark standards and, consequently, the highly favourable reviews we constantly garner, he added. TradeArabia News Service Tunisia and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) have signed an agreement to fund the gas turbine power plant in Mornaguia with a budget of $200 million, a report said. The project with a cost of $309 million to be granted to the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (STEG) involves the installation of a 600-megawatt gas turbine plant in Mornaguia, reported Agence Tunis Afrique Presse. The project includes the establishment of two gas turbine units with a production capacity of nearly 300 MW each, it added. STEG is aiming to produce 400 to 600 MW every two years, Minister of Energy and Mines Mongi Marzouk was quoted as saying. Flydubai has launched its new website offering an enhanced browsing experience to inspire customers to explore its network of 89 destinations. The airlines new website, which is available in English, Arabic, and Russian, has been redesigned to offer a fresh look and feel and many new features. When visiting flydubai.com, customers are now offered a more personalised online experience by receiving customised content based on their location and previous interaction with the site and a layout that automatically adjusts depending on the device being used. In addition, new destination guides and travel tips provide inspiration for planning the perfect trip, holiday or last-minute getaway to one of flydubais hidden gems such as Bratislava, Tbilisi and Zanzibar. Commenting on the new website, Ramesh Venkat, chief information officer (CIO) at flydubai, said: Were excited to see the launch of our newly designed website. The recent relocation of our reservation system from Orlando to Dubai alongside the redesign of our website confirms our commitment to providing our customers with the best possible experience when navigating flydubai.com. TradeArabia News Service A $1.1 billion-project to expand the Bahrain International Airport and increase its capacity to accommodate 14 million passengers a year has been launched. His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa laid the foundation stone for the new state-of-the-art building, in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister. The $ 1.1 billion-project, which is the largest in the history of civil aviation in Bahrain, is among the mega development projects, worth more than $ 32 billion, to be implemented in the kingdom within the coming years to boost the economic development efforts, HRH Premier was quoted as saying by Bahrain News Agency. The project will consolidate Bahrain's economic and tourism status and increase its competitive potentials as an outstanding hub for logistics services in the region, he added. "We face economic challenges by launching more development projects that revitalise the national economy and reflect positively on our potentials to spur growth and diversify revenue sources," he said, stressing that no challenges will impede the government's tireless efforts to implement the citizen-oriented policies. The Bahrain International Airport Expansion is the outcome of the existing fruitful cooperation between GCC countries, through the GCC Development Fund, HRH Premier was quoted as saying. His Royal Highness the Prime Minister affirmed that the Bahrain International Airport Expansion Project serves the kingdom's policies which focus on attracting and promoting tourism and travel to the Kingdom as a tourism destination and a favourable strategic meeting point that links the regional and international markets. Transportation and Telecommunications Minister Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed said the airport expansion is within the strategic projects carried out by the government to serve its goals of diversifying the economy. The airport expansion includes a new passenger terminal covering an area of 201,467 sq m, making it four times the size of the existing terminal. It also features 24 air bridges, airport aprons, departure halls, check-in counters, passport control booths, security lanes, the Duty Free, jetty-served departure gates, passport control booths, e-Gates, baggage reclaim belts and car parks. With low oil prices reducing its operating costs, AirAsia chief executive Tony Fernandes said the budget carrier was ready to start expanding again in southeast Asia and was eyeing Vietnam and the Philippines. Fernandes, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a US-ASEAN trade conference here on Wednesday, said the pace of expansion would depend on securing approvals for new routes and airport access. "We're going to start expanding again in different parts of ASEAN," Fernandes said. While some benefits of the collapse of oil prices have been swallowed up by a decline in currencies in its major markets, Fernandes said he viewed the lower fuel costs as "an opportunity to expand, to regrow, to put capital investment in." In November, AirAsia reported a consolidated third-quarter net loss of 406 million ringgit ($96 million), versus a year earlier net profit of 5.4 million ringgit. It blamed foreign exchange losses and a writedown at its Indonesian affiliate. The company also had said its major shareholders were evaluating "all strategic options" after Reuters reported that Fernandes was sounding out investors to take the company private in the wake of a steep fall in its shares. Fernandes said the two Southeast Asia markets that excited him most for expansion were the Philippines and Vietnam, calling the latter "the last piece of our jigsaw puzzle." But securing route approvals was a problem, and lack of available take-off and landing capacity at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport needed to be resolved, he said. Clark International Airport could be a good alternative solution, Fernandes said, but this would require the government to invest in a new high speed train into Manila. Fernandes also said he hoped to win approval for flights to Hawaii this year, but could not predict when that might occur. Reuters At INFODAD, we rank everything we review with plus signs, on a scale from one (+) [disappointing] to four (++++) [definitely worth considering]. We mostly review (+++) or better items. Very rarely, we give an exceptional item a fifth plus. We are independent reviewers and, as parents, want to help families learn which books, music, and computer-related items we and our children love...or hate. INFODAD is a service of TransCentury Communications, Inc., Fort Myers, Florida, infodad@gmail.com. CHEYENNE The state House and Senate each narrowly defeated measures Wednesday that tried to increase money to Wyoming public schools. A bill that would pay for two years of government operations currently has $45 million less in education money, despite Gov. Matt Meads recommendation to keep K-12 funding whole. On Wednesday, the House and Senate each voted on amendments to the budget. They are expected to vote on more amendments later this week. In the Senate, Sen. Stan Cooper, R-Kemmerer, argued in a budget amendment that would have added nearly $40 million to education that especially in rural districts, funding is essential. Cooper said many rural schools are losing students this year as parents leave the state in search of work, having been laid off from jobs in the energy industry. Public schools are funded in part by enrollment. When enrollment increases, schools receive more money. When it drops, schools receive less. But Sen. Tony Ross, R-Cheyenne, noted that the most recent enrollment numbers showed 700 new students in public schools. Many lawmakers who are usually champions of education said they could not vote for the amendment, at a time of a downturn in revenues from oil, coal and natural gas. Theres a limit to what we can afford to do at this point in time, said Sen. Hank Coe, R-Cody, chairman of the Senate Education Committee. RAWLINS Despite expecting evidence back from the Wyoming State Crime Lab in December, the Carbon County Coroner still has no information about the death of a woman who caught fire while working at the bar she owned in Rawlins. Coroner Paul Zamora said Wednesday that he has nothing new to update in the death of Denise King Martinez. Martinez died in November, days after she somehow caught fire at the County Six Bar. Crime lab results were expected last month, but now Zamora says he doesn't know when it will be returned. An inquest is planned in Martinez's death to determine the manner of her death. CHEYENNE The state Senate passed a measure Wednesday prohibiting the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality from spending money to comply President Obamas Clean Power Plan since the U.S. Supreme Court put it on hold. Ultimately, it is a stand-down order (that) appropriations cant be expended to continue to work on that plan that has been stayed by the Supreme Court, said Senate Vice President Drew Perkins, who sponsored the provision. I would ask for your favorable consideration. The provision is an amendment to the states two-year spending bill, one of nearly 40 budget amendments the Senate discussed and voted on Wednesday. Before last weeks Supreme Court decision, the DEQ was working on a state plan to comply with the White Houses rules that aim to reduce carbon dioxide emissions at existing power plants by a third before 2030 in an attempt to address global climate change. The Clean Power Plan is largely disliked in Wyoming, the nations largest coal mining state, because it would likely reduce demand on the Powder River Basin. The Supreme Court decision to put it on hold was applauded throughout the Cowboy State. Several other states are also considering halting work on the Clean Power Plan. But Sen. Chris Rothfuss, the leading Democrat in the Senate, argued that while he understood why people would want the amendment, delaying work will only hurt Wyoming. If the state doesnt develop a plan to comply by September, the federal government will come in with a plan for Wyoming, he said. The rule has dates in it of when you have to have an approved state implementation plan or be forced into the federal implantation plan, which would be much worse for energy in Wyoming, said Rothfuss, who is from Laramie. So while that stay in place it is true theres no obligation certainly for us to act within the Clean Power Plan. If, at some point in the future, the stay would be lifted, I have no idea why we would have an expectation that the dates would change. The Wyoming Mining Association, which represents coal mining companies, is monitoring the budget amendment. Powder River Basin Resource Council, a Sheridan-based landowner group, opposed the measure. Perkins, a Republican from Casper, said legislative staff talked to DEQ administrators, who said they are fine with the provision. They have some work to do on the White Houses carbon change initiative but they could do it while following the provision, which would appear in the budget as a footnote. Although the Senate passed the amendment, it does not automatically mean it will be end up in the budget bill. A majority of the Wyoming House will have to agree with it, with a decision coming as soon as next week. The session is scheduled to end March 4. Its my burden of proof again this month to demonstrate that cocktails deserve an artistic companion to enhance the experience and teach the imbiber something about the people and culture surrounding the enduring classics. The Sidecar Robert Vermeire printed the first sidecar recipe in his 1922 book Cocktails: How to Mix Them, crediting the drink to bartender Harry MacElhone, the headman at Londons elite Buck Club. The origins of the name are debated. Some claim it got its name after a U.S. World War I Army general rolled up to the Buck Club on a motorcycle with a sidecar in tow and ordered the drink. Cocktail King Dale Degroff says the drink originated in New Orleans and that sidecar was barkeep slang for the saved leftovers from inaccurately measured drinks accumulated in a glass behind the bar. Whatever the origins, the drink was wildly popular throughout Europe, and eventually became as emblematic in the U.S. as any prohibition-era drink. And for good reason the sidecar is the quintessential cocktail and one of my all-time favorites. Hop behind the handlebars and take the sidecar for a spin. Ingredients 1 ounces Cognac brandy ounce Cointreau ounce fresh lemon juice ounce simple syrup (2:1 sugar-to-water) Directions Vigorously shake all ingredients with ice in a Boston shaker for 20 seconds. Double strain into a pre-chilled cocktail glass or coupe and garnish with an orange or lemon twist after expressing oils from the twist onto the drink. For an extra nice touch, before straining the drink, use the peel from the juiced lemon to moisten the top quarter inch of the glass rim and then gently coat the outside rim with fine white sugar as you would with salt for a margarita. I prefer a half-sugared rim, but you can coat the entire rim or forgo this embellishment altogether. I fell in love with cocktails due to the sidecar. I remember my first to this day, about five years ago, and it was this sidecar that set me on an earnest journey to explore old classics and experiment would-be new classics into existence. With just four ingredients, the sidecar is strikingly simple, but the oak, dried fruit, vanilla and subtle baking spice flavors from the Cognac marry perfectly with the tart lemon juice and are rounded out by sweet orange notes from the Cointreau. It really is a transcendent combination that you must experience first hand. The French-inspired sidecar pairs swimmingly with the buttery smooth 1920s jazz licks of French guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grappelli. Later, in 1934 these two founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France, widely regarded as one of the most innovative jazz bands in history. Reinhardt and Grappelli were a heavenly duo add a sidecar for a celestial trio you will long remember. Mary Pickford Switching gears, another winner from the long, dark winter of mixed drinks is the Mary Pickford, named after the Queen of the Movies and star of the classic, Pollyanna. By 1928, Americas Sweetheart was no longer a little girl. She was a wealthy, powerful woman who had become world famous. The Mary Pickford cocktail first appeared in British playwright and journalist Basil Woons, When Its Cocktail Time in Cuba. The drink is believed to have originated there, where Pickford and thousands of Americans often traveled to escape stateside prohibition. An improved recipe appeared two years later in Harry Craddocks The Savoy Cocktail Book. Lets act it out: Ingredients 2 ounces white rum 1 ounces fresh pineapple juice ounce homemade grenadine or pomegranate molasses ounce Maraschino liqueur Directions Combine all ingredients in a Boston shaker and give them a brisk 20-second shake. Double strain over a brandied cherry into a chilled cocktail coupe. Although our friends at Dole may disagree, just as there is no substitute for fresh citrus juice in a cocktail, the same is true for fresh pineapple juice. Fortunately, getting fresh juice is a breeze. Your best bet is an electric juicer, though a good blender works well, too. Cut the sides from the pineapple and remove the fruit from the core. Blend thoroughly and double strain out the pulp. I recommend juicing several pineapples when they are in season and freezing the strained juice into cubes. This frozen juice provides on-demand access to freshly squeezed pineapple juice even when the fruit is out of season. The Mary Pickford is an elegant rose-hued drink with fresh, clean flavors sweet, tart and subtly spicy. I recommend pairing this drink with one of its namesakes glimmery films such as Pollyanna (1920), which catapulted Pickford into Hollywood stardom, or Coquette (1929), for which she won the second ever Academy Award for Best Actress. Irish Coffee Lastly, in honor of the upcoming celebration of Irelands patron saint, I offer a bonus drink that originated in Ireland in the early 1940s, not long after prohibition ended in the U.S., and became famous after it was introduced at San Franciscos Buena Vista Cafe in 1952. Forget what you think you know about the Irish coffee when built properly it is well worthy of a celebration. Feeling lucky? Ingredients 1 ounces Irish whisky ounce brown sugar simple syrup (2:1 sugar-to-water) 4 ounces freshly brewed coffee 1 ounces heavy cream Directions Dry shake the cream until it thickens but is still barely pourable (about 15 seconds). A mason jar works great for this. Combine the whiskey, dark simple syrup and coffee in a glass and gently float the cream on top. If you have done it correctly, the cream may need a little coaxing but will reluctantly pour onto the top of the drink in a nice thick cloud of white that insulates the drink and keeps you from burning your lips. Note: Irish cream is delicious in some drinks, but neither Baileys nor any of its friends belong in a proper Irish coffee. Please leave it out! As with all drinks, fresh ingredients are best here. If possible, use fresh roasted, fresh ground whole bean coffee from Central or South America and prepare in a French press or pour-over. Insist on good coffee for a superior drink that transcends the mediocre truck stop coffee that is all too common in Irish coffees served at diners, chain restaurants and casinos. A proper Irish coffee is freshly toothsome, showcasing robust flavors of chocolate and caramel from the coffee; honey, vanilla, nougat and sweet hay from the whisky; and rich, dark sugar all wrapped in a blanket of cool, soothing cream. For an upbeat, swashbuckling listening and dancing companion check out Irish flautist and piper Michael McGoldricks album Aurora. This fun ride of traditional Irish jigs and reels explodes with fusions of jazz chords, funky brass riffs, rock beats and folk vocals. With music and drinks like this, it is no wonder the Irish find it so easy to enjoy themselves! The burden of proof is now yours. Infuse your next cocktail experience with a new understanding of the people, times, places and cultures connected to your favorite drinks. Cue up some early-era jazz or a vintage talking picture, or host a ceilidh dance in your living room while you make a good prohibition-era drink for a good friend. About Me Terp Guy 42 At Large World Wide Baltimore, Maryland, United States A life-long practicing Missouri-Synod Lutheran; belligerently pro-Catholic; an idealist who greatly admired President Kennedy, but not a leftist. Embarrassed & angry at Ultra Leftists whove taken over Democratic Party, nationally and here in Maryland. The Democrats I admire are never anti-American; are never congenital liars; they do insist on fidelity to Constitutional Rights like free speech, a free press, due process and equal rights. Leftists loathe all such values. I see noble greatness in Mencken, Giorgione, each and every one of the great Apostles, Tacitus, John F. Kennedy, Pope John Paul, Martin Luther King, Jr., Wilberforce, St. Francis, Luther, Mandela, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Lincoln, F. D. Roosevelt, Truman, Reagan, Churchill, Milton, Shakespeare. Devoted totally to Debora, Jennifer, Edward, Allison, my parents and, now, L'il John and L'il Cannon. Blindly devoted to my alma mater, the University of Maryland, Admire, greatly, the great Libraries. In awe of Cellists Feuermann, Klengel and Markevitch, Poets Tennyson, Pope, Gray, Baudelaire, Brooke and Thomas, and Writers (too many to list). Devoted to the Orioles, Ravens, intrepid Burnley, and my Terrapins. View my complete profile PHOENIX Arizonas educational system and the workers it produces are viewed as major impediments to better economic growth, a survey of business executives here has found. Collectively, the executives didnt see taxes or regulations among their biggest problems, though these have remained popular policy prescriptions. Instead, nearly three-quarters of the surveys respondents saw improving K-12 education as the most important task for local governments, and 56 percent saw boosting K-12 funding as the states biggest job. Similarly, many of the executives wanted better-trained workers and more funds for higher education without abandoning pro-business tax policies. The survey of 400 business executives was conducted in November on behalf of the Arizona Commerce Authority, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and Alliance Bank. The findings from a powerful political constituency helps explain the push in recent months for education reforms in Arizona, a subject that lately has overshadowed tax cuts, a customary favorite at the state Capitol. Many in the business community are supporting Proposition 123, a measure that, if passed by voters in May, would increase funding for K-12 public education for 10 years in large part by taking more from the states land trust fund. Supporters say it would improve education without raising taxes. Critics say it would raise property taxes and weaken the trust fund while leaving schools with no permanent funding solutions. While the results didnt surprise me, I was a little taken aback at how strongly the need for investment in education came through, said Jim Lundy, founding president and CEO of Alliance Bank. The findings show that the business community expects Arizona to put more resources into education, and improve its brand, said Chris Camacho, president and CEO of GPEC. Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the results underscore the need for Prop. 123. There is a very real skills gap in our workforce. The state needs a K-12 system that will develop critical thinking along with hard skills, like coding, for the economy into which they will graduate, he said in a statement. Morgan Abraham, a Tucson businessman in real-estate finance who also chairs the No on Prop. 123 campaign, agrees that Arizonas educational systems need improvement, but sees the ballot measure as doing it in a troublesome way. Im absolutely on board with more funding for education, he said. But 10 years from now, were going to have a depleted land trust. Theres a surplus in the general fund. We should be using that. State falls short in improvements The survey found that while executives were generally optimistic about their near-term business prospects and see Arizona as an improved place for commerce, many still see the state as falling short of their ideal. Only two in five of these leaders thought state legislation and regulation was on the right track for a healthy business climate. Half of those polled picked the education system as a challenge to doing business in Arizona. The quality and availability of the workforce came in second, with 42 percent. State government, a broad label that didnt specify whether it related to things like leadership or policies, came in a distant third, with 27 percent. In a sign of the competition Arizona faces elsewhere, a report accompanying the survey noted that in 2014 CEOs in talent-rich Silicon Valley put educational improvements No. 2 on a similar list of needs. The survey asked respondents to choose the top three benefits of doing business here. Two-thirds agreed quality of life was in that category. The states climate came in second, with 56 percent. A low cost of doing business came in third, with 47 percent. Just 14 percent picked top-notch universities or access to skilled labor. Only 2 percent said a negative image of Arizona made business challenging here. Even so, enhancing the states image was the most popular choice to have a positive impact on Arizona business, with 67 percent. Increasing the flow of graduates with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering or math was next, with 61 percent. From there, the executives splintered quickly. Thirty-four percent picked immigration reform and 32 percent picked increased access to venture capital, something woefully lacking for years. There were 21 percent who supported either tax increment financing, lower taxes generally or reduced regulations. Many executives gave Arizonas labor pool credit for a willingness to learn and for their personal values and team attitude. At the same time, similar numbers of the executives noted labor pool weaknesses in math and science skills and in communications. Overwhelmingly, the executives said local governments biggest role could be in improving education, with 74 percent choosing that. Related to that, 47 percent said local government could improve workforce development. Streamlining the business permitting process was third, at 40 percent. At the state level, 56 percent said increasing funding to K-12 education would do the most to improve the business climate for their company. Increasing the funding for higher education came in third with 43 percent. Everyone knows the Broadway side of Jerome Robbins choreography West Side Story, The Music Man, Fiddler on the Roof, to name a few. But he was also a lifetime friend of George Balanchine, choreographed for Balanchines New York City Ballet and beginning in the 1970s turned most of his creative dance energy toward ballet. Jerome Robbins loved to work with the dancers of the New York City Ballet because they moved a little differently from all the other companies, because they were Balanchine dancers, said Melissa Lowe, professor of dance with the University of Arizona School of Dance. Lowe is the rehearsal director for Robbins Antique Epigraphs, centerpiece for the schools Color Wheel concert opening Wednesday, Feb. 24, in the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre on campus. The piece is set to music by Claude Debussy. This is a sophisticated work of high distinction, said Lowe. Usually the rights to perform it are only given to professional companies. But because of our years working with the Balanchine Trust to perform his dances, I decided to throw my hat in the very large ring of the Robbins Rights Trust and just ask them. I was blown away when they offered me a choice of seven Jerome Robbins pieces we could present. I studied them all, Lowe continued. But this one I kept coming back to. It is such a little gem. The 20-minute Antique Epigraphs is set on eight women and divided into six separate pieces with different moods, using various combinations of dancers. The choreography is dense, thick, layered, evocative of the Greek statues and friezes found on vases and tableau, that come to life, said Lowe. But the piece is also delicate, the way a string of pearls is delicate. Within the dance he creates moments of stillness that are so captivating. The story is that Robbins was touring museums in Italy when, in Naples, he somehow found himself surrounded by many statues of gorgeous Greek men and women. He was especially taken by the stillness of the statues and the lifelike quality of their eyes. He wrote, It felt like I was walking into the middle of a ritual, said Lowe. Anna Kisselgoff, reporting in the New York Times on the February 1984 premiere performed by the New York City Ballet, said Antique Epigraphs is a thing of beauty ... and it is certain to be a joy for many a season. Also on the UA School of Dance program are several pieces in ballet, modern, jazz and tap dance styles choreographed by UA dance faculty. In Rockin Chair, Sam Watson has imagined a rocking chair and a young couple discovering new love, set to a guitar score by Eric Bibb. James Clouser creates a jazz ballet using Exit Music for a Film recorded by the Brad Mehldau Trio at New Yorks Village Vanguard. Michael Williams combines a hat, a glove, a chair and a cane with the jazz trumpet of Wynton Marsalis in ITZaJAZZthing! and rapid tap dancing in Cats in Hats. Some 170,000 historic photos can be seen on Photogrammer, a Yale University web site. The photos were taken by the U.S. Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information to document life in America and help the Roosevelt administration justify New Deal programs, which were set in motion to combat the Great Depression. FSA photographers such as Dorothea Lange and Russell Lee walked the streets of many Arizona counties, including Pima, Cochise, Gila, Pinal and Maricopa. But the database shows only one photo taken in Tucson, at the labor temple behind the Temple of Music and Art. A former Pima County sheriffs deputy has surrendered his state certification to work in law enforcement, and another is at risk of having his taken, officials said. The Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board accepted an agreement with Jesus Davila on Wednesday, allowing him to relinquish his certification, spokeswoman Sandy Sierra wrote in an email. In August 2013, Davila was shot in the leg during an on-duty confrontation with a suspect. He received medical treatment for a year until his claim was closed, AZPOST documents show. After the claim was closed, Davila continued to receive massage therapy for pain while he was on duty, for roughly a year. He misled supervisors and told them his claim was still open, receiving about 230 hours of massages while on duty, documents show. Davila also wrote a memo to his lieutenant, saying his case was open and he was being treated by a doctor who was paid by workmans comp, the document shows. Davila later admitted his statements about the open claim had been false. He resigned from the department last November. In a second case, the board voted to initiate proceedings against former sheriffs Sgt. Ramon De La Torre, Sierra said. In December 2013, De La Torre was hunting with his father in his free time when he shot what he believed was a whitetail deer, AZPOST documents show. Once he got a closer look at the deer, he realized it was a mule deer. De La Torre had a hunting license for whitetail deer but not for mule deer. De La Torre called the Arizona Department of Game and Fish, telling the officer that his 83-year-old father may have shot a deer and didnt have the proper hunting tags, according to AZPOST documents. When he interviewed with a wildlife officer, De La Torre said his father shot the deer, and he decided to turn his dad in because he was raised to try to do the right thing, according to the documents. During interviews, De La Torre and his father gave conflicting stories, and his father later admitted that he was not the one who shot the deer. Only when confronted with a written statement by his father did De La Torre confirm he shot the deer and asked his father to take the blame, the documents show. Three days after the incident, De La Torre retired. An inmate was found injured at the state prison in Tucson Monday, and his death is being investigated as a homicide, authorities said. Richard Noriega, 30, died Tuesday at Banner-University Medical Center South, according to an Arizona Department of Corrections news release. Noriega was found by prison staff Monday afternoon in his housing location in the Rincon Unit at Arizona State Prison Complex-Tucson. Noriega was unresponsive, but breathing, authorities said. He was taken to the hospital where he died the following day. Investigators have reason to believe that Noriega died as a result of injuries he received during an assault by another inmate, said officials. Noriega was serving 13 years out of Pima County for aggravated assault, forgery, unlawful use of transportation, and three counts of armed robbery. Former port officer Johnny G. Acosta was sentenced to eight years in prison three months after he pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle marijuana and accepting bribes to let loads through. Acosta, a lifelong resident of Douglas, spent his entire career with CBP at the Douglas Port of Entry, was sentenced Wednesday by Judge Cindy K. Jorgenson in the Tucson federal district court. As a port of entry inspector, Acosta served at the front line of Americas effort to keep illicit drugs from flowing into our country. He broke the public trust by succumbing to greed," U.S. Attorney John S. Leonardo said in a news release. "Corrupt officials like Acosta degrade the publics faith that their government employees will faithfully execute the laws of the United States. The investigation led to the indictment of Acosta and five other individuals on an array of drug-related charges. On October 20, 2015, Acosta, who was out on a $50,000 bail, was arrested by the FBI at the International Border in Nogales as he attempted to flee into Mexico to avoid prosecution. Two of the co-defendants in the case have pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the conspiracy to import marijuana. One of those defendants, Ricardo Peralta-Cuevas, was previously sentenced to 37 months in prison. The other defendant is pending sentencing. A third defendant is scheduled to enter a guilty plea on February 22. The remaining two defendants in the Indictment remain fugitives. PHOENIX State lawmakers launched a three-pronged attack on abortions and abortion providers Wednesday, seeking to ban fetal research, limit medication abortions and cut off the access of Planned Parenthood to payroll deductions by state employees. The most far-reaching measure would impose a comprehensive prohibition on the use of any human fetus or embryo in any research, experimentation, study or transplanting. The only exceptions would be for diagnostic purposes to preserve the life of mother or the fetus, or for a pathological study to determine the cause of death. SB 1474, approved on a 4-3 party-line vote by the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, also makes it a crime to knowingly sell, transfer, distribute, give away, accept, use or attempt to use any human fetus or embryo or any part, organ or fluid of the human fetus or embryo resulting from an abortion. Sen. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix, said the legislation is in response to the undercover videos that emerged last year that purport to show the trafficking of aborted fetuses and body parts, videos she said shocked the soul. Those videos appeared to show Planned Parenthood employees discussing how fetuses were aborted in ways to preserve the organs and negotiating sales prices. That revealed a side to the abortion industry most Americans didnt know about, she said. House Minority Leader Katie Hobbs said she, too, was shocked by the videos but not in the same way as Barto. This is not happening, the Phoenix Democrat said. The videos have been discredited by an independent forensic analysis that showed numerous inaccuracies and misleading claims, false claims, Hobbs said. And she said investigations of Planned Parenthood in several states have cleared the organization of any wrongdoing. None of this affects Planned Parenthood here, which says it does not do fetal donations. Medication abortions Separately, the same panel voted to restrict the use of RU-486, technically known as mifepristone, for medication abortions. In 2012, lawmakers said it could be used only in accordance with the labeling approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. And that allows the drug to be used only for the first seven weeks of pregnancy. Planned Parenthood, which uses the drug up through nine weeks, filed suit. And last year a state judge voided the law, saying the state could not make its law dependent on changeable FDA restrictions. SB 1324 is designed to get around that by saying the drug can be used only as the FDA allowed it at the end of last year. But Bryan Howard, president of Planned Parenthood Arizona, said thats even worse: It would lock Arizona doctors into a seven-week limit even if the FDA changes its protocols. Sen. Kimberly Yee, R-Phoenix, said the FDA protocol is the safest for women. Once again, abortion providers have demonstrated they are more concerned with their bottom line than with the health and safety of women, she said. But Dr. Ilana Addis, an obstetrician and gynecologist, said the FDA protocol is outdated and pointed out the agency specifically allows off-label use of the drug if its considered safe. Even if the measure becomes law, it faces other legal hurdles. In 2014, a federal appeals court blocked enforcement of the law, saying it substantially burdened the legal right of women to terminate a pregnancy. Payroll deductions The third measure, SB 1485, is aimed at the State Employees Charitable Campaign, which allows payroll deductions for dozens of charities. It would exclude any organization that performs elective abortions. Gov. Doug Ducey effectively imposed such a ban administratively after the emergence of the videos last year, ejecting Planned Parenthood from the campaign in which it had been a part for years. This would put it in law. OPINION: "Its time to look beyond the party affiliation and the big-name endorsements. We want Southern Arizona voters to be engaged and educated as they tick names on their ballot so they can select candidates who will advocate for the health needs of our community," writes Judy Rich, CEO and president of TMC Health. Help India! By Anjuman Ara Begum and Diganta Sharma for TwoCircles.net Part IV: Nellie 1983 Support TwoCircles February 18, 1983 was a Friday, an important day for the people of Islamic faith. Official report says Nellie massacre left 1819 people dead and several thousand others injured. Unofficial sources and people of Nellie believe that death toll could be around 5 thousand. In terms of brutality committed just in few hours, probably this is the highest figure of people killed with crude weapons. The question arises: could this massacre be avoided? There are several clues that speak that state authorities were alerted on possible attacks on minority community in Nellie. Several literatures on Nellie have established that officials of Home Ministry were alerted three days before the massacre about the possibility of the attack. Diganta Sharma in his book, Nellie 1983 wrote that a message from Jiauddin Ahmed, OC of the then Nagaon police station sent an urgent message to Morigaon 5th Battalion Commandant, sub district police officer and OC of Jagiroad police station , Sri Nobo K Chetia. This alert was totally ignored. The message was, INFORMATION RECEIVED THAT L/NIGHT ABOUT ONE THOUSAND ASSAMESE OF SURROUNDING VILLAGES OF NELLIE WITH DEADLY WEAPONS ASSEMBLED AT NELLIE BY BEATING OF DRUMS (,) MINORITY PEOPLES ARE IN PANIC AND APPREHENDING ATTACK AT ANY MOMENT (,) SUBMISSION FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION TO MAINTAIN PEACE (,). This message gave clear indication about the possibility of attack on Nellie, still thousand of innocents lost their lives within a few hours on Friday, the February 18, 1983. Corroborating this negligence the National Police Commission in a report published on April 3, 1983, wrote, the national police commission has found that there is a tendency among the police officer to shun responsibility for dealing with communal situations. They either avoid going to the spot or when they happened to be present there, they try not to resort to the use of force when the situation so demands or better still slip away from the scene leaving the force leaderless (Sixth Report dealing with Recent Communal Riots and Role of the Police). Who is the mastermind behind this massacre? The nationalist groups got information that on 14 February, 1983 that many Bangladeshi people had cast votes in Nogaon (now Morigaon) district. Instantly a plan of attack was made in the villages where Assamese people live surrounding Nellie by the initiative of agitating peoples. Strategies were formed as to how, when and where attacks would be made on the illegal Bangladeshis. The date was fixed on 18 February. Agenda was genocidal to save the existence of mother Assam. Place of carrying out the plan was Nellie. India Today in its report on Nellie in 1983 pointed out that, the All Assam Students Union (AASU) is believed to have played a very active part in the massacre People of Nellie believe that the organized massacre on them was well organized by the agitators of Assam movement. The agitators fulfilled their ambition by inciting the neighboring Tiwa community to carry out the carnage. On April 10, 1983, the then Assam chief minister Hiteshwar Saikia held a press conference and released certain papers of AASU activist. Among these were papers prepared by AASU leaders on the religious minority inhabited areas. This report on the press conference was published at that time in a newspaper called, Janakranti on April 17, 1983. This proves how the organized killing was carried out on people belonging to minority community branding them as foreigners. The report also quoted Heteshwar Saikia as saying, activists of AASU, AGSP are involved in violent activities in the state. RSS element behind the massacre? Elements of RSS (Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh) involvement cannot be ruled out in the Nellie massacre. RSS and agitators of Assam movement maintained a cordial relationship. An English magazine, On Lookers brought this secret to light. This was reflected in the article written by Partha Benarjee on Assam agitation. It is significant to mention here that the Volunteers Force constituted under the leadership of AASU was headed by Joynath Sharma who created controversy about his role in AASU. Not only that, soon after the Nellie massacre several top leaders of AASU took resolution against him claiming his removal from AASU for maintaining relation with RSS. It is worth mentioning here that a conference was held by AASU at the premises of JB Law college, Guwahati on April 11-12, 1983 and a resolution was passed, the third resolution of this meeting was that reports of Joynath Sharma having links with RSS is published in different newspapers like Sunday, India Today and many other newspapers. Joynath Sharma never filed any counter statement on these reports. Hence in this context he should be removed from AASU. Muslim members of AASU adopted 15 point resolution and submitted to the leaders of AASU. The resolution is reproduced below. 15 point memorandum of Muslim members of AASU The massacres of Nellie and other places of Assam in February 1983 made a turning point in the agitation when Muslim members of the AASU started to protest against the atrocities done by them. At last Muslim members of the organization met on 11 and 12 April 1983 in the Premises of J.B. College at Guwahati with Md Nurul Islam its Vice President in the chair. In this meeting different activities done by AASU were discussed. A letter was issued addressing to the AASU president duly signed by 11 Muslim student leasers. The main contentions of the letter are given below. 1. We are constrained to tell you with profound that the latest situation in the context of the four year long movement for expulsion of foreigners had been extremely tragic and heartrending particularly the violent incident which have taken place on a massive scale. Sequels to the Union Governments holding of the forced illiegal election have warned us. We have found indication of danger to Assamese language and Culture and we consider it our responsibility to remind every one of a few things well in time. 2. No one can dispute the limitless contribution made by the Assamese community as also the Pamuas Charuas and Bhatia Muslims (Who were earlier cordially embraced as new Assamese who form an integral part of the great Assamese society towards the evolution of Assamese society and the development of Assamese culture. We challenge whoever question it. 3. Referring to the reports published in Sunday, India Today and other national newspapers about the association of Joynath Sarma Sarbadhinayak of the AASU Volunteer Force with RSS, they observed that in his denial issued after heavy pressure of any such association he had failed to convince any one. They charged him with confusing the public by misrepresenting the facts telling lies about the death of his younger brother Daya Sarma. They demanded Joynath Sarmas immediate expulsion from AASU in Assams greater interests in the connection, Chattanya Kalbag wrote in India Today on 31 March, 1983 Sporadic clashes between Assamese and the immigrants near Sipahjar (in former Darrang district) peaked on February 15 when Joynath Sarmas younger brother Daya Sarma led a large and armed attack on immigrants in Chawlkhowa Chhapuri Darraghat and Dhaulapur attacking in three waves from Sipajhar, Rangamati and Kuruwa. At Sipajhar on 17 February (1983) when election was scheduled in the trouble torn constituency, journalists were invited to a cremation ceremony for Daya Sarma and two of his lieutenants Jatin Saharia and Arun Kumar Bora AASU members in Sipahjar, however, let slip that Daya Sarma had gone with a stengun to rescue some kidnapped Assamese from the immigrants villages. Implicit was the fact that he had been killed but the mourners were anxious to point out that the immigrants had after Dayas ammunition ran out cast a fishing net over him and hacked him to death with daos (machetes). 4. Steps have to be taken for equitable distribution of relief to the people affected by the violent incidents. The discriminatory treatment in this respect is unfortunate. 5. There has to be a clear policy regarding declaration of martyrs how have the attackers become martyrs? This matter has to be immediately reviewed and martyrs should be declared on the basis of a principle. 6. All secret directives and economic blockades by the volunteer force be stopped immediately in view of the present situation. It is also demanded that suitable action be taken against zonal AASU units which have imposed economic blockades without any directive from the Central Committee. 7. Students and youths of all communities should be in the volunteer force of each AASU unit and at all levels 8. Those office-bearers of zonal, sub-divisional and distinct units of AASU as also those members of its executive who have involved in violent activities are to be immediately expelled. 9. A statement be issued on behalf of the AASU cautioning people against BJP, Lok Dal, Janata Party etc. along with political parties like Indira Congress, Congress (s),CPI, CPI(M), SUCI, RCPI etc and open directives be issued on behalf of the central committee to the local units to see that these parties also cannot hold any meeting anywhere. 10. We shall not accept any communal organisation whatever. Hence each AASU unit be publicly asked to see orgonisations like RSS, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Jamat-E-Islam, the Jamat-E-Ulema, etc cannot get organised anywhere and sow seeds of communalism. 11. What was done with the fund collected in the name of self-defence? Why have the materials meant for self-defence been distributed on the basis of religion or community? 12. Steps be taken to stop forthwith the practice of publicizing any attack as attack by Bangladeshis, Miyas Bhutias through Danik Asom, Assam Tribune, Dainik Janmbhumi, Agradoot, Batori, News Star etc as also the practice of circulating through the papers maps of certain districts as Bangladeshi inhabited areas. Photographs showing burning of mosques be released along with those burning of namghars. 13. While denouncing the violent incidents, false propaganda has been mounted by hiding facts and giving wrong colours to the incidents at Bargana, Sipajhar etc and those at Nowgong, Goalpara, Kamrup, Darrang, Lakhimpur and Karbi Anglong. Such false propaganda be immediately stopped. 14. AASU has to clarify on what basis it has branded all attacked at Nellie and Chamaria as foreigners Also declare as banned Agneyyogiri and all such bulletins which are sent to the AASU office from different places. 15. Immediate publication of the following in the local newspapers: To stop forthwith the practice of bringing down bearded Muslims with lungis-caps from buses and killing and assaulting them. Urging teachers to wean away the students and youth as well as the farmers now involved in violent incidents in the state. Dissuading ex-army men and officers from taking to violence Publish the basic principles of election and expulsion of foreigners. In case of foreigners, the terms like enemies, miyas, Nepalies, Bhutias and Bangladeshis etc should not be used. Help India! By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net, Bhopal: With an eye on impending elections of the state legislative assembly at the end of this year the rightist Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), ruled Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced to provide wheat at Re. 1 kg and rice Rs.2 per kg from fair price shops in the state from June 2013 to poor families. Iodized salt will also be provided to BPL (Below Poverty Line) and Antyodaya (poorest of the poor) families at the rate of Re. 1 per kg in all development blocks. Support TwoCircles The Chief Minister made the announcement while addressing village development convention at Gandhwani in Dhar district of the state on Saturday. He said that in order to ensure that benefits of development reach poor common people, the State Government has decided to provide wheat at the rate of Re. 1 per kg and rice Rs.2 per kg to poor people instead of earlier Rs.3 kg and Rs.4.50 per kg, respectively. Now, a poor person will be able to buy one months food grains from one days wages. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced to provide wheat at Re. 1 kg and rice Rs.2 per kg from fair It may be noted that Madhya Pradesh will be the first state after Chhattisgarh to provide food grains at such special concessional rates. Half of Madhya Pradeshs population i.e. 35 millions people will benefit from these special rates. These include 0.8 million Antyodaya and 5.6 million BPL families. This important and public-oriented decision will put a burden of Rs.3600 millions (66.67 millions USD) additional subsidy on the state exchequer. At present, 35 kg food grains are being provided to Antyodaya and 20 kg to BPL families per family per month under Mukhyamantri Annapurna Yojana. The State Government is already bearing burden of Rs.4400 (81.48 million USD) subsidy on this. The decision by the State Government to provide food grains at special concessional rates to BPL and Antyodaya families is one step ahead of proposed Food Security Bill of the Union Government. Under the Bill, it is proposed to provide wheat at the rate of Rs.2 kg and rice Rs.3 per kg. It is also noteworthy that Madhya Pradesh is receiving food grains from the Union Government for BPL families including wheat at the rate of Rs.5 kg and rice Rs.6.50 per kg. The State Government is already bearing expenses on transporting food grains for providing them to beneficiary families and commission of cooperative and lead societies. In another important decision, the State Government also decided to provide iodized salt to BPL and Antyodaya families at the rate of Re. 1 in all 313 development blocks of the state with effect from June 2013. At present, this facility is being provided in only 89 tribal-dominated development blocks in the state. Aim of the decision is that iodized salt becomes available not only to tribal families, but all BPL and Antyodaya families at reduced rates for health and nutrition. This important decision will put additional burden of Rs.400 million (7.41 million USD) per annum on the State Government, which was Rs.250 million (4.63 million USD) only earlier. Thus, the decision to provide iodized salt at special concessional rate of Re. 1 per kg to all BPL and Antyodaya families in the state will put a total burden of Rs.650 million (12.04 million USD) per annum on the state exchequer. Meanwhile, main Opposition Congress party in the state legislative assembly has said the chief ministers announcement of providing wheat at Re 1 per kg and rice at Rs.2/kg is an attempt to hijack the Federal Governments scheme of subsidized food programme to be implemented under the Food Security Act. The programme is going to be implemented in the country by the Congress-led UPA government, according to a statement from the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Ajay Singh issued on Saturday. However, this is style of the chief minister to take the credit of centres scheme and he has done it again, Singh said. Help India! By Vidya Bhushan Rawat, TCN Those of us who witnessed what happened when the goons demolished Babari Masjid in 1992 and later assaulted journalists covering the incident can vouch that it is almost after 25 years that we are witnessing the same kind of situation in India. We have not forgotten how the Bharatiya Janata Party and its leaders proclaimed proudly that they demolished the Babari Mosque and then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Kalyan Singh wanted to use the situation for his own political growth when he claimed that, he is ready to go the jail for contempt of the court as his bigger court is lord Ramas court and we know how he went to jail proudly with slogan shouting supporters. Support TwoCircles There are many in their respected team who still believe India to be governed by Manusmriti laws where the Dalits, aadivasis and women do not have any fundamental rights and whatever the Brahmin say become rule of law. It is well known fact that media build the frenzy and today when electronic media has reached in our bed rooms such frenzy seems to be planned strategy of the Sangh Parivar and its allies who control our media. Each incident that is happening and where they are uncomfortable is being blown out of proportion and then screaming anchors are turning into a public debate. Problem with this is that governance is lost some where and we are back to Hindu-Muslim debate which is the favorite of the BJP and its hardliners. The things that unfolded in Patiala house yesterday brought back the memories of Ayodhya 1992 when journalists reporting there were beaten up and abused. The shout of Jai Shree Ram became the test of nationalism. If you dont think Ram as your ancestor or God then you are a Haramzaada, was the favorite quote during those hey days. Today, they have understood that one slogan will not work as due to their inability to carry masses with them they are using the media to whip up passion and change the political discourse. None of us who are in public life need to swear by nationalism in symbols. A nation is much bigger than mere jumlas. If follow our constitution and its preamble and are following our constitutional duties as citizens of the country, we are nationalists. India will have to define that street goons just because they are carrying tri-color in their hand become nationalists and got right to lynch any one who they think disagree with them. Such goons must be identified and brought to justice. Threats, intimidation and physical assault must be condemned at all level and the state must protect the citizens. A lot of time the issues come before us as why despite a great constitution we still have violence against the marginalized, Women are burnt due to dowry, untouchability is practiced not just in the villages but also in cities, manual scavenging is still prevalent and Dalit face caste discrimination in the so called modern universities. Why is that AAdivasis are still isolated, people are dying of hunger and there is unrest in various parts of the country. You cannot crush peoples voices for justice in the name of bogey of nationalism every time there is an unrest in the country or society. Failing in responding to the issues concerning the people, we try to bully them through counter political agenda. What happened at the Patiala House court yesterday brought disgrace to the country. It was nothing but fear of those who swear in the name of constitution, to provide justice, that the case against Kanhaiya might not sustain in the courts. Lawyers are the protectors of law and need to abide by the law. We know well that constitution provide opportunity to defend them at all level. An accused does not become convict just because Arnab Goswami , Delhi Police or RSS want like that without giving him a chance t defend himself. An incident has happened in the University and all it needed was an investigation by the local teachers or their committee and if recommend to the authorities if a criminal case was to be filed. Instead, we see that not only the police intimidated students by entering inside the campus but political masters mobilise people outside to discredit an entire institution terming it as anti national. We all know that these street hooliganism wrapped in slogan shouting nationalist slogans is an to promote the idea of lynch mob and Talibani justice where you can kill a person at your whims just because he or she did not follow your diktats. If trial takes place in the media houses and public places can we expect justice. If we allow free to all kind of situation can we expect that this country will move forward in the right direction. Believe me our condition then will be worst than Taliban as we will find hundreds of such cases daily at every village if mobs are allowed to provide justice. Can we save our children from becoming criminal once such practices are widely accepted as norms. What is this fear when you have your own government and its machinery? A fairly large number of TV channels are following the government diktats and promoting ruling partys agenda shamelessly rather than reporting news. Kanhaiyya Kumar is an accused under sedition law and was being produced in the court. The channels have already declared him convict along with other RSS organisations but the courts, as long as we have a democratic set up will have to look into entire sequence and constitutionality. Every law abiding citizen and political party should have understood that the first days incident brought shame to India that we dont allow judiciary to function independently. The Supreme Court had issued clear guidelines and restricted entry in the court rooms and yet when Kanhaiyya was being produced the same bunch of goons appeared to attack him shouting Vande Mataram. Was this an attempt to polarize the law fraternity and intimidate judiciary? My opinion is yes, because they had realized the writings on the wall and now want to convert it into a massive political battle to be used in various states which go to poll in the coming months as much to the future of this government lies with the outcome of Assam, West Bengal, Tamilnadu and finally Uttar Pradesh where things are not easier for the saffron party. It was unprecedented situation when the Supreme Court had to send five senior most lawyers to the Patiala House to look into the emerging condition there with agitating lawyers and security of the accused and those accompanying him. In every profession people respect their seniors even when they might belong to diverse ideological background but what we saw in Patiala House courts was absolute goondagardi and lumpenism which only the Sangh Parivar elements and their mouthorgans in the media can know justify through counter attack and distorting the information. No person having faith in democracy and independence of judiciary can justify it. Eminent lawyer Rajiv Dhawan said he was abused in the worst possible way along with others. The Committee reported that they would have been lynched if there was no police protection that time. Abusing and intimidating to those who have been appointed by the highest court of land to oversee a crisis is itself anti national and against the spirit of the constitution. It is requested to Supreme Court, local courts and bar council to not only cancel their license to practice but also prosecute them for dishonoring the constitution. I have mentioned many time that those who are giving certificate of nationalism and patriotism to all of us actually never had faith in the Constitution of India framed by Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar. They might hate Saudi Arabia, Taliban or Pakistan for political purposes but in the heart of their heart they want India to be turned like that. Their role model remain Sharia laws or kangaroo courts operated there where all the dissenters are accused and they have no right to defend them. Accused are publically lynched and lashed to protect Islam and the laws in the name of Islam. Indias Hindu right wing aspire an India of the same variety where their lynch mob pronounce verdict at the streets or at the Timesnow, Zee News, India TV and other TV channels heavily supported by the Sangh supporting capitalists. They have no time to discuss the issues of common people, the atrocities on the poor people, forest dweller and women. Rather they are sitting there to find gaps in the protest movements and justify the misdeeds of their masters. They have brought shame to entire profession of media and forgotten their professional duties and insulted humanity. Despite our differences, we still respect many of the friends who have reported against prejudices in deeply disgusting and difficult situations. Political and ideological differences are bound to happen in a democratic society but what is happening here in India is an attempt to bulldoze the political opponents and paint each one of them as anti national. While we refuse to respond these nationalists whose sole aim is to protect their brahmanical status quo which is fast losing ground and slipping. Therefore, they are making all efforts to destroy institutions of judiciary, media and academia which secular polity (with all differences and weaknesses) have been able to built up over the years. This will be the biggest challenge how to bring back democracy and sanity in these institutions. As Supreme Court hear the petitions and probably must be worried about the situation prevailing in the country today, it is time they give unambiguous and blunt signals to those in power to protect the independence of judiciary. If the lawyers or those who claim to believe in constitutionalism truly believe in it, it is time for them to decide whether they believe in mob justice or due process of law. If they believe that our courts are unable to provide justice and therefore they need to provide justice in the street then all of them must voluntarily leave their profession. If they dont do so the Bar Association and Supreme Court must act to save their profession from further degradation. There is nothing new in the entire episode as Sangh double speak is well known. They will justify the act through using various contradictions and playing other stories in the media through their devotees there. Prime Minister talked of constitution and we know well who formed a commission to change the constitution in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee regime and thanks to the Supreme Court which clearly said that basic structure of the constitution can not be amended. A few things emerged from the incident at Patiala House yesterday. One that the politicians masquerading as lawyers wanted to create such a scenario in the court absolutely like Babari Masjid demolition to politically use it and create absolute frenzy in the country. It is serious and the court must come out clearly on the same. The lawyers who did it are well known and need to be arrested and debarred from practicing as the credibility and strength of judiciary is at stake at the moment. Whether a police commissioner will follow the orders of the Supreme Court or just ignore it follow the diktats of his political masters. Second, Supreme Court must provide clearcut guidelines to electronic media. We can not ignore the fact that heavily paid media has launched a vilification campaign on the entire issue. Can the media pronounce some one criminal before the things come before the court? Is not it an attempt to influence judiciary? Third, Supreme Court must ask the lower courts and high courts to do away with frivolous petitions against individuals in the name of nationalism just to intimidate people. The Hindutva politics is clearly multifold to intimidate people from street to the courts. It is time courts particularly at the lower level must be instructed clearly to verify the locus standi of a person to file such frivolous petitions. The nation is looking to the Supreme Court today for its instructions will have far reaching impact on our polity and judiciary as well. We hope it will not disappoint all those who have faith in the rule of law and our republican democratic secular constitution. For the people, it is time to protect these values and be alert from the forces who want to subvert the constitution and create absolute anarchy in the country. Help India! By TCN News, New Delhi: The students of South Asian University, New Delhi has issued a statement in solidarity with the student and faculty community of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in their collective struggle against the ongoing police intervention by slapping the charges of sedition on many students, including the arrest of JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar. Support TwoCircles A group of students of South Asian University comprising students from eight SAARC nations Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have written that collective nationalism stands responsible only to the interests of our people and our land, and not to the divisive forces which have had and are still trying to create boundaries between people. The statement also says, We cherish the common cultural and social heritage of the South Asian region, and shall not let any kind of jingoist nationalism being endorsed by any religious group, political party or state hinder our shared solidarity. We strongly oppose the idea that ones nationalism be defined in terms of hatred towards another nation, says students statement. However, the students observed, in recent times, such groups and establishments have unleashed an attack on democratic and critical voices in our universities across the South Asian region, masked under religious conformity, state intervention or sometimes in the form of an act of terrorism. Earlier, the teachers of South Asian University also issued similar statement in solidarity with the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association (JNUTA) and protested against the arrest of students and their leader. 2016 EPT Dublin Main Event Day 3: Bubble Bursts, 45 Remain, and Alex Goulder Leads February 18 2016 Frank Op de Woerd Day 3 of the 2016 PokerStars European Poker Tour Dublin 5,300 Main Event started with the 605-player field already diminished to just 127 hopefuls. Some 40 of those would still leave empty handed, as there were just 87 checks to be handed out. Some of the well-known players not to make it were Carlos Chadha, Michael Wang, Nick Abou Risk, Pratyush Buddiga, Fernando Brito, and Chris Moorman. Another player that didn't make the cut was 2015 World Series of Poker November Nine member Zvi Stern, who had started the day with a very healthy 140,000-chip stack. He called a three-bet out of position with ace-nine and front shoved all in for a couple times the pot after flopping a flush draw. Unfortunately for him, his opponent, Jean-Noel Thorel, wasn't backing down with his unimproved ace-jack high, and he called. After both the turn and river blanked, Stern made his exit. Despite collecting a big pot there, and winning several others, Thorel would not make the money. The Frenchman, known for not giving up in pots easily, moved in with an open-end straight and backdoor flush draws, only to run in to the set of former November Niner Antoine Saout. The bubble loomed not much later after EPT Deauville champion Ognyan Dimov made his exit in 89th place. Hand-for-hand play started with 88 players remaining, a stage that took just a little while with Sven Magirius busting out soon after it began. He was down to just four big blinds and made his move with ace-king. Brazilian player Alexandre Rivero woke up with pocket tens and put the German at risk. Rivero flopped an open-end straight draw and turned his straight to send Rivero packing. As one might expect, with the bubble out of the way, players busted out left and right. Christoph Vogelsang, David Vamplew, and Bart Lybaert were just a couple of the players signing for a min-cash worth 9,100. Liv Boeree signed for the same payout, as she was unable to beat ace-nine suited with pocket sevens. Her opponent flopped an ace and turned a flush on a card that gave the British PokerStars Team Pro a set. The board failed to pair on the river, and Boeree made her exit in 74th place. Well-known French rounder Fabrice Soulier was the first to bust out in a higher pay grade, receiving 10,270 after getting rivered with ace-jack against king-queen. Andrew Chen (nines against jacks), Mike McDonald (ace-king against jack-ten), and Anthony Zinno (ace-king cracked by king-queen) busted out not much later, also receiving 10,270. Where some fell, others thrived, with Alex Goulder as a prime example. He ended the day as chip leader with 1.02 million in his stack, good for 102 big blinds at the start of Day 4. PokerStars Team Pro Luca Pagano (470,000) the only player with three EPT Dublin cashes to his name already PokerStars Team Online member Jaime Staples (241,000), and British regular Scott Margereson (642,000) also collected healthy stacks on Day 3. Day 3 Top 10 Chip Counts Rank Player Chips 1 Alex Goulder 1,020,000 2 Frank Williams 881,000 3 Christopher Kruk 812,000 4 Ivan Banic 715,000 5 Gilles Bernies 657,000 6 Scott Margereson 642,000 7 Adrian Mateos 631,000 8 Rhys Jones 630,000 9 James Akenhead 626,000 10 Kuljinder Sidhu 613,000 Dzmitry Urbanovich will be making an appearance on Day 4 as well, though his 164,000 stack is on the low side. Same goes for two-time EPT Prague finalist David Boyaciyan (147,000), Russian karate expert Artem Litvinov (326,000), and 2015 November Niner Pierre Neuville (262,000). Day 4 of the Main Event starts Thursday at 12 p.m. local time with another five 90-minute levels on the schedule. Besides the Main Event, the three-day 10,750 High Roller gets underway at 12:30. PokerNews.com will be on site for coverage, so check back to get updates from both big events in the Irish capital of Dublin. In the meantime, check out Sasha Salinger's interview with then chip leader Chris Kruk. Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+! The CacaoCookie is a crunchy cookie made only from organic cacao and coconut sugar (no flour), dipped in bean-to-bar organic chocolate. No eggs, no soy lecithin, no wheat. Just chocolate. Learn more: http://www.ultimatelychocolate.com/cacaocookie.html The chocolate TOFFLE is a dark chocolate toffee wrapped around a delicious milk chocolate truffle centre. It comes in Original Real Cream, Peppermint, Hazelnut and Peanut Butter.Learn more: http://www.ultimatelychocolate.com/toffle.html The largest airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the flag carrier of the Emirate of Dubai , Emirates , has announced that it will ... Short history pieces relating to Northern Vancouver Island. Many items were previously published in the North Island Gazette or the North Island Eagle newspapers and all the copyright on all content is held by the author, Brenda McCorquodale. Not to be quoted or used without permission storeysbeach@gmail.com. Check out the "Index by Area and Subject" in the header-bar below to see a complete list of all the articles! Enjoy ~ BACKGROUND - Testicular cancer (TC) is a relatively curable malignancy that predominantly affects young males. Key decision makers discourage TC screening because of lack of evidence about the benefits of this practice, whereas others argue that men must be aware of normal versus abnormal testicular findings. Despite the debate on TC surveillance, a number of research efforts are still being made to increase men's awareness of TC and its screening. OBJECTIVE - The aim of this study was to systematically review studies that were conducted to enhance men's knowledge and awareness regarding TC and its screening and increase their TC screening intentions and practices. METHODS - Studies published in English between 2004 and 2014 were reviewed using 3 e-databases, and interventions that were in line with the review aims were selected. RESULTS - A total of 3076 records were screened for eligibility, and 11 studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority of the reviewed interventions successfully enhanced men's awareness of TC and its screening and increased their intentions to perform testicular self-examination. Examples include videos about TC, shower gel sachets, stickers, and posters, a television show, a university campaign, and high self-efficacy messages about TC screening. Men at risk of health disparities were underrepresented in the reviewed literature. CONCLUSIONS - A number of interesting channels through which men can learn about TC were identified. Examples include social media and mass media. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE - Given the controversy that surrounds TC screening, nurses can play a key role in increasing men's awareness of TC rather than advising periodical TC self-examination. Cancer nursing. 2016 Feb 08 [Epub ahead of print] Mohamad M Saab, Margaret Landers, Josephine Hegarty Author Affiliation: Catherine McAuley School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork, Ireland. PubMed COSCO declared preferred investor for Greek Piraeus port privatization Updated: 2016-02-18 08:55 (Xinhua) Greece's largest port, Piraeus, near Athens. [Photo/Agencies] ATHENS - The Greek privatization fund announced on Wednesday that China's COSCO was formally declared the preferred investor for the privatization of Greece's largest port, Piraeus. The board of directors of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) declared COSCO acquired 67 percent of the shares of Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) in accordance with the terms of the tender process, the HRADF said in a statement. On Jan 20, HRADF accepted COSCO's binding offer of 368.5 million euros ($410.6 million) for the controlling stake in PPA. After Wednesday's decision, the tender dossier will be submitted directly to the Court of Audit for pre-contractual control and the share sale contract will be signed after the approval of the court, while the completion of the transaction is subject to the competent authorities' approvals, HRADF's statement concluded. The process should be completed by May, according to HRADF sources. A few hours earlier, Greece's highest administrative court, the Council of State, had dismissed the appeal of various opponents to the privatization of the port authorities of Piraeus as well as Thessaloniki (OLTH) in northern Greece. Under the terms of the tender, COSCO has committed to invest 350 million euros over the next decade in infrastructure works at the port. Studies by Greece's Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE) and other Greek and foreign experts showed that the COSCO's development plan for the port will bring additional long-term revenues of 5.1 billion euros per year to the Greek economy and add some 125,000 jobs until the new concession agreement expires in 2052. "It is a win-win situation despite what skeptics says," said Ioannis Tzoannos, an economics professor and former general secretary of the Greek shipping ministry, told Xinhua in a recent interview. He expects that the further investment of COSCO in the port will generate more investments to the Greek economy and will be for the benefit of both sides. Since 2009, COSCO's subsidiary Piraeus Container Terminal (PCT) has been operating Piers II and III at Piraeus under a 35-year concession agreement posting remarkable results, while PPA now runs Pier I. COSCO's vision to turn Piraeus into a leading international transit hub for products and services from Asia to Europe has already attracted other major multinationals to the port which are cooperating with PCT to distribute their products in the region. Australia cautioned over Japan subs Updated: 2016-02-18 08:30 By Wang Xu(China Daily USA) China urged Australia on Wednesday to be cautious over defense cooperation with Japan and to take the feelings of Asian countries into account when considering the purchase of Japanese submarines. Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks during a joint media briefing with visiting Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in Beijing. "We hope that in military cooperation with Japan, Australia will take into full account the historical context and also take into consideration the feelings of Asian countries because of that history," Wang said. "Japan was defeated during World War II, and that is why for decades it has been asked to follow very strict constraints under its pacifist Constitution and domestic laws in terms of exporting weapons to other countries and cooperation in this regard," Wang said. "We hope that Australia will take concrete action to support the peaceful development of Japan and Japan's efforts to uphold its pacifist Constitution, and not the opposite," he added. According to media reports, Australia is now selecting from three bids by Japan, Germany and France for a new fleet of submarines to replace its Collins-Class vessels. Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that before visiting China, Bishop traveled to Tokyo, where she was offered a $50 billion contract by her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida to buy his country's Soryu submarines, as well as a defense technology transfer. In the Chinese capital, Bishop said Canberra is enhancing military ties with Beijing by carrying out more exercises and increasing defense cooperation. She said a comprehensive evaluation is underway regarding any final decision on the submarines. "It is apparent that Australia is enhancing its strategic relationship with a number of countries in our region, including China," Bishop said. Luo Yuan, a researcher at the China Academy of Military Sciences, said Japan is using the submarines purchase to ease restraints imposed after World War II, and the international community should pay attention to this. "Japan did not reflect on its wartime history thoroughly and even airbrushes it," Luo said. "Exporting weapons at this time will be a substantial move to remove its shackles from the war and a further step to amend its pacifist Constitution." wangxu@chinadaily.com.cn Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with visiting Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Wednesday in Beijing. Feng Yongbin / China Daily (China Daily USA 02/18/2016 page3) CMEC bags funding deal in Pakistan Updated: 2016-02-18 14:35 By Lyu Chang(China Daily USA) Consortium to help finance $2 billion Engro coal-mining and power generation project A consortium led by China Machinery Engineering Corp is set to finance a coal-based power plant and a mining project being developed by Engro Corp, a Pakistani firm. The first phase of the $2 billion project will consist of a coal-based power plant with two 330-megawatt units in Thar Block II in the Sindh province of Pakistan and a coal mining project for power generation. The project is also part of the cooperation along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which runs about 3,000 kilometers from Gwadar to the northwestern Chinese city of Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, a part of the ancient Silk Road linking Eurasia and Africa, CMEC said in a statement. Zhang Chun, president of CMEC, said that it is the first integration project of coal mining and coal-based power plant among the projects in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is expected to push forward the economic development in Pakistan. "I think we have opened a new chapter in the overseas market with this project," Zhang said. "Since our strength lies in foreign engineering project contracting, it will become a model project in Pakistan." The deal follows President Xi Jinping's state visit to Pakistan in April, when the two sides agreed to set up an economic corridor to bolster China's new trade initiatives - the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Wang Shida, an expert on Afghanistan at the Beijing-based China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said that the project will help bolster Pakistan's energy supplies, something that has hindered local economic development. He said Pakistan relies heavily on imported crude oil, diesel and natural gas, with less than 0.1 percent of energy coming from coal-fired power stations, leaving much potential for growth in coal-based power projects. "The cost is very high due to the reliance on imports. Construction of more coal-powered plants will ease the demand-supply gap in Pakistan," he said. China has already invested more than $40 billion for development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor with energy projects being a major focus including hydropower plants, coal-fired stations and wind farms, experts said. The signing ceremony also involved financial groups like China Development Bank and Habib Bank Ltd in Pakistan. lvchang@chinadaily.com.cn (China Daily USA 02/18/2016 page13) China hopes US, ASEAN honor 'self-restraint' pledge Updated: 2016-02-18 03:06 By ZHANG YUNBI(China Daily) The guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen (front) conducts a trilateral naval exercise with the Turkish and South Korean Navy on May 25, 2015. [Photo/IC] Beijing hopes that commitments "will be honored by actions" after the United States and the leaders of Southeast Asian nations pledged "non-militarization" in a joint statement following a two-day gathering. US President Barack Obama wrapped up his meetings with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states at Sunnylands in California on Tuesday, and a statement released afterward said they share a commitment to "non-militarization and self-restraint in the conduct of activities". Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday that "China has taken notice" of the statement and hopes that the US and ASEAN countries match their words with actions. Last month, tension was stirred again in the South China Sea as a US Navy destroyer intruded in Chinese territorial waters off the Xisha Islands. "Non-militarization serves the interests of all parties. However, non-militarization should not target a single country and should not be applied with double or multiple standards," Wang told a joint news conference in Beijing on Wednesday with his visiting Australian counterpart, Julie Bishop. "The non-militarization in the South China Sea needs joint efforts by relevant countries inside and outside the region," Wang added. Zhou Yongsheng, a professor of international relations at China Foreign Affairs University, said that the US has embarked on the most frequent and the most provocative military activities in the South China Sea. "The US has boosted warships patrolling in the South China Sea and made incursions into territorial waters of sovereign states. Such practices obviously have run against what it advocates as 'non-militarization'," Zhou said. Reuters said US officials had been hoping to arrive at a common position on the South China Sea at the gathering. However, not all ASEAN members agreed on how to handle disputes in the region, it said. Although the Philippines, an ASEAN member, is seeking international arbitration against China over the South China Sea issue, the statement on Tuesday did not directly name China. Obama preparing to visit Cuba as soon as March: source Updated: 2016-02-18 10:32 (Agencies) WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama is preparing to visit Cuba as soon as March, a person briefed on the matter said on Wednesday. Obama said in December that he would consider visiting Cuba as part of an opening to Havana that saw the two countries restore diplomatic ties and take steps toward expanded commercial relations. A US official, asked about the prospects for a March visit by Obama, declined to discuss the timing for such a trip. "The president has said he would like to go if the conditions are right," the official said. The White House declined comment. Britain scrambles fighters to intercept Russian bombers Updated: 2016-02-18 10:51 (Agencies) LONDON - British Typhoon fighter jets intercepted two Russian Tu-160 bomber planes heading towards British airspace on Wednesday, a spokeswoman from the Ministry of Defence said. The British aircraft were scrambled from a Royal Air Force base in eastern England and escorted the Russian planes while they flew in an area which is closely monitored by Britain, but outside its territorial airspace. "At no point did the Russian aircraft enter UK territorial airspace," the spokeswoman said, without giving more specific details of the location of the incident. The Russian Defence Ministry did not respond to written questions submitted by Reuters. Intercepts of Russian aircraft by NATO have increased over the last year amid heightened tensions between the West and Moscow over Ukraine. There was a similar incident last November. Chinese community to protest against Peter Liang's verdict Updated: 2016-02-18 12:08 By CHEN WEIHUA in Washington(China Daily USA) As in some 40 other cities, the mostly ethnic-Chinese community will gather in front of the Washington Monument on the morning of Feb 20 in a rally to support New York City police officer Peter Liang, whose manslaughter conviction was seen by many as unfair. Members of the Greater Washington for Peter Liang Coordination Group observes a moment of silence for Akai Gurley on Wednesday afternoon in a press conference to announce a Saturday morning rally in front of the Washington Monument. Gurley was killed in 2014 when NYPD officer Liang discharged his weapon in a stairwell. CHEN WEIHUA / CHINA DAILY Liang, a 28-year-old rookie NYPD officer, was found guilty on Feb 11 by a Brooklyn jury of second-degree manslaughter and official misconduct in the 2014 shooting of Akai Gurley, an unarmed black man, in a Brooking housing project. The manslaughter charge carries up to 15 years in jail. A sentencing will be announced on April 14. Liang plans to appeal the verdict. The conviction last week caused a great stir in the Chinese community across the US. Shuigen Xiao, head of the Greater Washington for Peter Liang Coordination Group, a new voluntary organization, described both Gurley and Liang as victims. Xiao said he hoped the rallies in Washington and other US cities on Feb 20 would warrant a fairer treatment for Liang. "We hope public concern about the case will help ensure a just legal proceeding," he told a news conference on Wednesday in Fairfax, Virginia. Xiao believes public donations will also help Liang in the subsequent legal processes. Part of the money collected will be handed over to Gurley's family. The rally will also observe a moment of silence to express condolences for the young man. Organizers of the Washington rally said they plan to reach out to the African-American community and other communities to join the rally. Alex Zhong, a member of the coordination group, believes the rallies will have a profound significance for the Asian-American community in terms of equal treatment. Wenming Kuai, also a member of the coordination group, said the NYPD and the city's Housing Committee should also be held responsible for the accident. "It's unfair to let Liang take all the blame," Kuai said. The stairwell of the Brooklyn housing project where the shooting took place was dark and a scene of previous crimes. Vincent Wong, a member of the coordination group, expressed that some in the African-American community support the rally. Wong went to a local store to print rally posters, and a black woman staff member saw the posters and printed extra copies for him free of charge. Organizers are not sure how many people will turn out for the rally. But they estimated it could be several thousand, perhaps as many as 10,000, on a sunny morning when the temperature is expected to be in the 60s. JD.com launches new website Updated: 2016-02-18 12:11 (China Daily USA) After announcing its US Mall last July, JD.com Inc returned to New York City to launch its US Fashion Mall, a new channel on its JD Worldwide cross-border platform dedicated to selling US products to Chinese consumers. While other New York Fashion Week runways are for buyers and journalists, JD.com put on a show on Wednesday to market its image and recruit new brands for its e-commerce platform. The new US Fashion Mall will highlight a range of American brands including Calvin Klein, GUESS, Paul Frank, Under Armour and Nine West. Featured accessory and footwear brands include Converse, New Balance, Reebok, Steve Madden, Vans and more. "International fashion and apparel is a key strategic focus for us this year, as more stylish Chinese consumers come online and look to JD.com for premium apparel," said Lijun Xin, president of JD.com's apparel and home furnishing business unit. "That's because our 132 million upwardly mobile customers in China are showing a growing interest in this category and they want a one-stop destination where they can buy the latest items from a site that places a premium on authenticity and never tolerates counterfeits," Lijun added. The JD Fashion Runway showed works of five emerging Chinese designers whose clothes are on sale on JD.com. Liang backers ready to send message Updated: 2016-02-18 12:16 By Chen Weihua in Washington and Hezi Jiang in New York(China Daily USA) As in some 40 other cities, the mostly ethnic-Chinese community will gather in front of the Washington Monument on the morning of Feb 20 in a rally to support New York City police officer Peter Liang, whose manslaughter conviction was seen by many as unfair. Liang, a 28-year-old rookie NYPD officer, was found guilty on Feb 11 by a Brooklyn jury of second-degree manslaughter and official misconduct in the 2014 shooting of Akai Gurley, an unarmed black man, in a Brooking housing project. The manslaughter charge carries up to 15 years in jail. A sentencing will be announced on April 14. Liang plans to appeal the verdict. Members of the Greater Washington for Peter Liang Coordination Group observe a moment of silence for Akai Gurley on Wednesday at a press conference announcing a Feb 20 rally in Washington. Chen Weihua / China Daily The conviction last week caused a great stir in the Chinese community across the US. Shuigen Xiao, head of the Greater Washington for Peter Liang Coordination Group, a new voluntary organization, described both Gurley and Liang as victims. Xiao said he hoped the rallies in Washington and other US cities on Feb 20 would warrant a fairer treatment for Liang. "We hope public concern about the case will help ensure a just legal proceeding," he told a news conference on Wednesday in Fairfax, Virginia. Xiao believes public donations will also help Liang in the subsequent legal processes. Part of the money collected will be handed over to Gurley's family. The rally will also observe a moment of silence to express condolences for the young man. Organizers of the Washington rally said they plan to reach out to the African-American community and other communities to join the rally. Alex Zhong, a member of the coordination group, believes the rallies will have a profound significance for the Asian-American community in terms of equal treatment. Wenming Kuai, also a member of the coordination group, said the NYPD and the city's Housing Committee should also be held responsible for the accident. "It's unfair to let Liang take all the blame," Kuai said. The stairwell of the Brooklyn housing project where the shooting took place was dark and a scene of previous crimes. Vincent Wong, a member of the coordination group, expressed that some in the African-American community support the rally. Wong went to a local store to print rally posters, and a black woman staff member saw the posters and printed extra copies for him free of charge. Organizers are not sure how many people will turn out for the rally. But they estimated it could be several thousand, perhaps as many as 10,000, on a sunny morning when the temperature is expected to be in the 60s. While others are preparing for protests, some from the Chinese community are looking to support Liang's legal defense. New York City lawyer Hugh Mo said he's gotten warm messages from individuals who want to help. Mo, a former New York City deputy police commissioner and now a defense attorney, said that a graduate of Tsinghua University who's working in the US e-mailed him, saying he's willing to pay $100,000 to hire Mo as Liang's lawyer. He has even received calls from Canada, and a Chinese law school student offered to do background research for Mo on the case. "I'm very heartened by the fact that the Chinese community has come out to support and very touched by these people who want to contribute to his legal defense, who want their voice to be heard, and also want to make a difference. I think it's a noble spirit, a noble gesture," said Mo. However, he said he was not going to reach out to Liang, because he said it's unethical for a lawyer to convince a client to take his services. Liang has hired private attorneys Robert Brown and Rae Koshetz to handle his case instead of the lawyer appointed for him by the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, the largest police union. Mo expects Liang's lawyers to do a post-judgment motion for a mistrial or reduced charges, and then will come the sentencing and appeal. "Peter also has to step up. I know he's traumatized, but he has to speak up," Mo said. He suggests Liang publicly apologize to Gurley's family. "It's a double tragedy. It ruins the lives of two young men," said Mo. He believes the jury didn't see the whole picture of Liang's trial, which he believes is a story "more than Peter's finger on the trigger". Mo said that the NYPD also bears some responsibility for putting rookie cops in the most dangerous jobs, and the New York City Housing Authority should be responsible for the dark staircase. Also, Mo pointed out that several officers testified that they didn't receive proper CPR training. "Peter went to work that day to protect the lives of the New York City citizens. He never intended to hurt anyone," Mo said. On the West Coast, a few WeChat groups have been set up to coordinate the rallies on Feb 20 in Los Angeles and San Francisco. As the date nears, supporters are discussing details such as which colors to wear and which slogans should be chanted that day. In the Northern California WeChat group, possible slogans such as "Justice above politics" and "No Selective Justice" were discussed. "I don't agree with the 'wearing red' on that day," Xie Bin, a WeChat user, wrote in a note circulated in a Northern California WeChat group. " 'Angry Bird' is also red.. All red will easily isolate us from the public." Lia Zhu in San Francisco contributed to this story. HTC's Wang is victim of alleged swindle Updated: 2016-02-18 12:16 By Lia Zhu in San Francisco(China Daily USA) HTC co-founder Cher Wang, considered one of the most powerful and successful women in technology, was allegedly defrauded of $7.4 million intended for a church she attended in Saratoga, California. Jonathan Chang, 60, and his wife, Grace Chang, 57, were indicted by a federal jury earlier this month in San Jose on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering. The defendants, both immigrants from Taiwan and residents of Cupertino, appeared Wednesday in US District Court in San Jose, where Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins ordered a freezing of their assets and placed them under electronic monitoring. The couple is scheduled for another court hearing on Feb 22. The Changs engaged in a scheme to defraud a wealthy donor of money intended to support the Home of Christ 4 Christian Church (HOC4), where Jonathan Chang served as an "elder" responsible for managing the finances of the church, according to information from the US attorney's office in San Francisco. The church has been serving the Chinese-American Christian community in Saratoga since 1989. The "wealthy donor" under the initials of "CW " in the indictment is Cher Wang, co-founder and chairwoman of HTC Corp, a Taiwan-based multinational manufacturer of smartphones and tablets, according to a civil complaint filed against the Changs by James Cai and Lin Guo, both members of HOC4, at the Superior Court in Santa Clara last year. A daughter of Wang Yung-ching, founder of the plastics and petrochemicals conglomerate Formosa Plastics Group, Cher Wang is an avid philanthropist and devoted Christian. She made prominent donations to schools on the Chinese mainland and in Taiwan, as well as in the US. Wang and her husband, Wen Chi Chen, were married in the HOC4, and Chen, introduced to the religion by Jonathan Chang, his college classmate, was baptized in the same church. They "hold special gratitude and sentiment" to the HOC4, said the complaint. Wang has made large donations to HOC4 since 1996 to establish such programs as Seminary Fund, Mainland China Mission Fund and the Church/Building Development Fund. Chang established his own charitable organization with a name similar to the church and then secretly directed that monthly donations from the donor be wired to his own organization rather than to HOC4. Jonathan Chang is also alleged to have solicited funds from Wang for the stated purpose of acquiring a new HOC4 building. As a result, Wang provided a $2 million donation and a $3 million loan to acquire the new building, but the Changs did not disclose the existence of the funds to HOC4. Instead, they directed the $5 million to accounts under their control. From 2004 to January 2016, the defendants are alleged to have obtained approximately $7.4 million in funds from Wang, all of which was intended for HOC4's use but was instead misappropriated for the couple's own purposes. They were arrested last week and released on bond set at $200,000 each. "We are seeking return of all funds back to the church," Cai, a San Jose lawyer, told China Daily. "We will also seek interest accrued from the last 12 years or so, based on the 10 percent annual legal rate in California, punitive damages and attorney's fees and costs." liazhu@chinadailyusa.com (China Daily USA 02/18/2016 page2) Obama signs bill to slap tougher sanctions on DPRK Updated: 2016-02-19 05:34 (Xinhua) WASHINGTON -- US President Barack Obama has signed into law the legislation to impose more stringent sanctions on Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the White House said Thursday. US House of Representatives on Friday overwhelmingly passed the bill with a 408-2 vote. The legislation was approved by the Senate earlier last week. The legislation requires the Obama administration to sanction anyone involved with DPRK's nuclear program, luxury goods, money laundering and human rights abuses. The measure also authorizes $10 million annually over the course of five years for expanding DPRK people's access to media and providing humanitarian assistance to refugees. The move takes place after the DPRK said it had launched on Feb. 7 a Kwangmyongsong-4 Earth observation satellite into orbit earlier this month and tested what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb last month. The US has condemned the DPRK's "destabilizing and provocative" actions and vowed to "take all necessary steps to defend ourselves and our allies." The UN Security Council had strongly condemned DPRK's latest launch using ballistic missile technology, calling it a serious violation of Security Council resolutions. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, at a meeting with South Korea's foreign minister on Feb. 9, had expressed his deep concern about the negative impact of the DPRK's recent acts on regional stability and wider disarmament and non-proliferation objectives. Vennskap Lodge 5-622 is open to anyone who has an interest in Scandinavian history, or has ties to ancestors who have come to America as well as those still in the "old country". We meet monthly with a few exceptions. One of the various lodge widely accepted projects is an Annual Lutefisk dinner, held in November, that is open to the public. The opinions expressed by "Don Quixote" are strictly his own and do not represent the opinions of Vernon Council! Because I value your thoughtful opinions, I encourage you to add a comment to this discussion. Don't be offended if I edit your comments for clarity or to keep out questionable matters, however, and I may even delete off-topic comments. Bob Spiers Vernon City Councillor This text was published by Bruegel and, in a slightly abridged version, by the Peterson Institute. Last November, the European Commission published a proposal for a European Deposit Insurance Scheme (EDIS), which is currently being negotiated among EU member states. Yesterday, this elicited a response from Ludger Schuknecht, the German Federal Finance Ministrys respected chief economist. While his objections to EDIS are not new, they have rarely been articulated with such clarity, at least in the English-speaking debate, and deserve careful consideration. As it happens, none of his arguments of policy substance is compelling. By contrast, the obstacles he highlights in terms of Germanys politics and political economy are real enough, and will ultimately play a big part in determining the EDIS negotiations outcome. There are two major oversights in Dr Schuknechts anti-EDIS outburst, respectively about deposit insurance and about banking union. Correcting these would radically shift the balance of his arguments, and reverse his conclusions. First, deposit insurance. While it carries the same name, this policy does not raise the same moral hazard issues as, say, fire insurance or theft insurance. Trust in deposits is a fundamental layer of confidence that underpins economic activities in developed countries. When it is compromised, so is social cohesion more broadly. The EDIS would only guarantee deposits up to the European limit of EUR 100,000. No government would want to voluntarily trigger bank failures, including losses on uninsured deposits, and thus precipitate its own demise. Indeed, an EDIS would better align governments incentives with the financial stability objective than the current framework does. As Dr Schuknecht himself concedes, EDIS would mean that central banks would not have to jump in with emergency liquidity assistance quite as quickly as they have in the recent past, thus imposing more discipline on bank creditors and policymakers. Neither Mr Tsipras nor Mr Varoufakis advocated haircuts on uninsured Greek deposits last year. The idea that rogue politicians would annihilate financial activity in their jurisdiction for the sake of making the Germans pay is a case of worrying more about imaginary than real risk scenarios. Indeed, Germans should be more sensitive than most to the counter-arguments. The last bank run in Germany was in 1931, triggered by the collapse of Creditanstalt in nearby Austria, and played a role in the tragic developments of the following years. Postwar Germany has built an elaborate system of private and public institutional protections to ensure this doesnt happen again, at the risk of creating a lot of moral hazard among the banks creditors. Since the onset of the financial crisis in 2007, numerous banks have failed in Germany, but not a single bank creditor, no matter how junior, has lost money on their claims in contrast to most other euro area countries such as Austria, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain. Savings banks protect each other, so do cooperative banks, and savings banks are often additionally cushioned by their public-sector stakeholders. Even private institutions benefit from mutual protection: a year ago, tiny Dusseldorfer Hypothekenbank was expensively bailed out by a national guarantee fund of the commercial banks, in order not to damage the reputation of Germany as a place to do banking business. Few countries are as committed as Germany to prioritizing financial-sector safety nets over theoretical moral hazard arguments. Second, banking union. Dr Schuknechts article curiously ignores both the rationale for it and its new realities on the ground, as if the author wished to hark back to a pre-2014 era when banking systems were essentially national. The motivation for banking union, including the creation of the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM), was the objective to break the vicious circle between banks and sovereigns, under which the euro area was at a serious risk of break-up at the time (mid-2012). The SSM was reportedly first proposed by no other than German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble. When Dr Schuknecht implies that the SSM will be unable to enforce sound capital discipline because national supervisors will always remain important, he underplays his Ministers achievement in fostering a broadly robust and credible SSM that is now the licensing authority for all banks in the euro area, not only the larger ones. The German government also endorsed the Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM), a construct that is arguably less robust than the SSM but entails a significant degree of risk-sharing, including a late-2013 common Statement of Eurogroup and ECOFIN Ministers on the SRM Backstop (available here). In the latter, Dr Schuknechts Ministry committed to a common fiscal backstop to support the SRM in future extreme crisis situations, even though the backstops practical features remain undecided. If anything, this creates more moral hazard and awkward incentives than the implementation of EDIS would, including in the unlikely but still possible case that the common fund would run empty, because of the inherently less narrow and more discretionary nature of resolution financing as compared with deposit insurance. A resilient banking union needs an EDIS, as countless economists but also the International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank have insisted, together with the European Commission. Without an EDIS, national budgets remain the backstop for national deposit insurance schemes that rely principally on the quality of European-level supervision a potentially more damaging misalignment of incentives than the ones Dr Schuknecht denounces. Most basically, the continuation of national deposit insurance perpetuates the highly destabilizing bank-sovereign vicious circle in the euro area, as last years developments in Greece illustrated once again. When Dr Schuknecht affirms that the risk of bank runs is today far lower than it was before the crisis, he strangely ignores this stark reality. Last September, a controversial non-paper from the German government started with the reaffirmation of the key objective () to decouple banking sector risks from public sector risks and thereby breaking the vicious link between sovereign risks and bank risks. By omitting to even mention the existence of the bank-sovereign vicious circle, Dr Schuknecht lags well behind his employer, let alone the broader European policymaking community.While not all points in the German non-paper were convincing, it was right to push for a balance between the risk sharing device that is EDIS and other measures that should improve the banks risk allocation and management, now widely though somewhat misleadingly referred to as risk reduction (we dont know enough about the future to assess risk that objectively). This should entail, in particular, vigorous action to dismantle the currently massive concentration of home-country sovereign risk in many euro-area banks bond portfolios. It should also include measures to improve the banks accounting, auditing and disclosure frameworks to enhance market discipline; more regulatory harmonization, as the SSM has started to promote with its action on so-called options and national discretions; an end to harmful ring-fencing of capital and liquidity across national borders within the euro area, which prevents geographical diversification; a single bank insolvency regime enforced by a European bank insolvency court, mirroring the SRM; and even further on the horizon, some harmonization of the taxation of banks and banking activities in the euro area. Not all of these can be achieved immediately, but the German idea to frame EDIS as part of a broader policy package is apt. By implying that any deal that includes EDIS is worse than the status quo, Dr Schuknecht ignores this promising dynamic. In sum, Dr Schuknechts points of policy substance are less than compelling, and he himself sounds strangely unconvinced by them: his article starts with a reminder of many of the advantages of the EDIS proposal, which he portrays as in themselves strong arguments. The nub of the matter lays elsewhere in current German domestic politics and political economy. The EDIS proposal would create challenges for Germanys idiosyncratic pillar-based systems of deposit insurance, namely those for politically influential savings banks and cooperative banks which Dr Schuknecht refers to obliquely as the existing guarantee systems in certain countries actually such autonomous sub-national systems are now a unique German feature. The broader political challenge is the willingness of the German public to accept further risk-sharing with euro-area neighbours. It is not a legal issue. Dr Schuknechts insistence that the EDIS proposals are legally unsound or would require the approval of all countries [instead of qualified majority] and changes to the European treaties contradicts Germanys past approval of the SRM Regulation of 2014, which is based on the same legal framework of the Internal Market as the EDIS would be. Rather, the problem is, as Dr Schuknecht writes, the political risks arising from the mutualisation of liability. But in truth, this mutualisation is inherent in the German Chancellors oft-repeated insistence that the integrity of the euro area must absolutely be defended. The real debate is not abstract, about mutualisation or no mutualisation in a single currency area, but practical, about how to minimize perverse incentives, moral hazard, and risks to financial stability. From that perspective, and even with awareness of the undeniable reticence of German local banks and of significant parts of the German public, the adoption of EDIS would be an important step forward. Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page. Loading... Checking your browser before accessing the website. This process is automatic. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly. Please wait a few seconds. Cao Bang, February 17 (VNA) President Truong Tan Sang continued his working visit to northern mountainous localities on February 17 with Cao Bang and Bac Kan provinces the latest destinations. In Cao Bang, the State leader offered incense at Tra Linh districts cemetery, which is the last resting place of more than 300 soldiers who laid down their lives in the war to protect the northern border in 1979. He also visited border guards based at the Tra Linh Border Gate. They are in charge of 27km of the borderline with China, 60 border markers, four communes and one town. He asked the border guards to advise provincial authorities about measures to facilitate the cross-border movement of goods and labour amidst growing trade relations between Vietnam and China. They should also continue solidifying peace and friendship in border communities, as well as their solidarity with local ethnic minorities. At a working session with provincial officials, President Truong Tan Sang said Cao Bang needs to make breakthroughs to become a middle-income province and to further contribute to peace and friendship along its border. He underlined four local advantages that should be promoted, namely cross-border economic activities, agricultural product processing, mining, and tourism. To do so, it is necessary to quickly upgrade infrastructure, including key transport facilities, to ensure the smooth transportation of goods. In 2015, local GDP growth rate was posted at 9 percent while over 2,000ha of forest was planted - 27 percent higher than the set target, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyen Hoang Anh reported. VNA/VNP By David Petraeus and John HerbstFeb. 17, 2016 6:31 p.m. ETIn a clear response to continuing Russian aggression in Ukraine, NATO ministers last week approved the deployment of troops on the alliances eastern flank for the first time since the end of the Cold War. Under NATOs new enhanced forward presence, maritime forces will be increased in the Baltic Sea and land forces sent to reinforce defenses in Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.While these changes are prudent, none directly addresses the situation on the ground today in Ukraine, which remains a non-NATO member. In recent weeks, Russian-backed separatists have sharply increased their attacks in Donetsk and Luhanska stark reminder that President Vladimir Putin hasnt given up his designs on eastern Ukraine.Mr. Putin invaded Russias western neighbor two years ago because he saw its emergence as a stable, democratic country integrated with Europe as a fundamental threat. While he has scaled back overt Russian aggression, this appears to be a temporary tactic designed to win sanctions relief, even as he ratchets up Russias military intervention in Syria.In addition to NATOs recent announcement, the U.S. and its NATO allies would be wise to bolster Ukrainian deterrence against further Kremlin adventurism, and to make clear that the price of such adventurism for Russia will be high if deterrence fails. The first step is to provide more effective defensive weapons to Ukrainian forces.The U.S. and its European partners have done an impressive job imposing economic costs on Moscow for its actions in Ukraine. But they havent done enough militarily to support Ukraine, which in 1994 gave up the nuclear weapons it inherited from the Soviet Union in exchange for trans-Atlantic assurances about the safeguarding of its territorial integrity. These assurances have proven meaningless. is not playing the "China card" against India, Prime Minister K P Oli said today, on the eve of his fence-mending India visit during which many agreements are expected to be signed. Addressing a press conference ahead of his maiden six-day India visit, Oli refuted allegations that he played the "China card" against India in the wake of the border blockade due to protests by Madhesis that caused severe shortage of essential goods, including petrol and cooking gas, in the country. "It is not true that has played any card against India," he told reporters at his office. "I won't play a card against any country," Prime Minister Oli said, adding in a lighter vein that, "I don't know how to play a card." "There is no question of playing a card for one against the other. We want to develop friendly relations with both our great neighbours on the basis of mutual respect and benefit," 63-year-old Oli said. ALSO READ: Nepal PM to visit India to amend relations Earlier some reports had said that Oli could visit China before India due to hiccups in Indo- ties over the Madhesi issue. Amid strain in Indo-Nepal ties, China was seen by analysts as getting closer to Nepal especially by providing essential goods to the crisis-hit nation. Oli has also said that he will visit China within a month after his India trip as part of his government's policy to enhance cooperation with immediate neighbours. "Our country will definitely benefit from my visit to India beginning from Friday and we won't lose from the visit," the Prime Minister said today. During Oli's visit, the two countries are expected to sign a number of pacts, mostly related to the areas on which agreement has been reached in the past, sources close to the premier said. Two MoUs -- one on the USD 1 billion line of credit that India has already committed to Nepal during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit and another on USD 1 billion that India has pledged during External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's trip here for the country's post-earthquake reconstruction -- will be signed during Oli's visit, the sources said. Oli, during the press interaction, said, "To gain friendship is also a gain and we will get much more than that (from the visit)." He said he has no specific agenda for the talks as the visit is taking place in very complex and special circumstances. "The main focus of the visit will be to create favourable situation and to build trust," Oli asserted. Responding to a question, Oli said India has already welcomed the amendments made in the Constitution by saying that it was a positive development. "We have followed all due processes while promulgating the Constitution and the document was endorsed with overwhelming majority votes in the constituent assembly. We need to clear some misunderstandings in our relations and the process of clearing misunderstanding has already begun," Oli said. He said both India and Nepal have attached high importance to his upcoming visit. "There are high expectations from the visit in the country," Oli said. During the visit, the two sides are also expected to reach an agreement regarding establishment of a police academy in Nepal with the assistance of India and the construction of postal roads under the Indian economic assistances. Hydro power development is another area on which the two countries are expected to reach an agreement, sources said. An MoU is to be signed between the Sangeet Natak Akademi of India and the Nepal Sangeet Tatha Natya Pragya Pratisthan of Nepal for cultural exchanges between the two countries. During the visit, sources said India will announce exporting 80 MW of electricity to Nepal through the recently installed Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar 400 kv transmission line to ease the current 13-hour-load shedding the Himalayan nation is facing. Oli's visit comes after a period of strain in ties over the protests by Madhesis. The Nepalese Premier had earlier announced that he would not visit India unless the border blockade was lifted. Nepal alleged that the blockade in its southern border with India was imposed by Indian authorities as they were backing the agitation led by Madhesis -- a charge India vehemently denied. The United Democratic Madhesi Front, the four-party alliance, officially announced withdrawal of their protests including the border blockade earlier this month. The front had launched an indefinite agitation protesting against the new Constitution promulgated on September 20 last year, saying it failed to address their concerns over representation and homeland. A court in ex-Soviet Tajikistan sentenced 13 men today to lengthy jail terms for allegedly hoisting an Islamic State flag amid what rights groups say is a crackdown on religious groups in the ex-Soviet state. The 13, from the provincial town of Nurek, received terms ranging from 10 to 25 years on charges of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order, calling for extremist action and organising a criminal group. The regional court in Khatlon said the men had "joined a criminal group with the aim of propagating the terrorist ideas of the Islamic State" jihadist group. According to the interior ministry, at least 1,000 Tajik nationals are fighting with Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, including the ministry's former special forces commander who defected last year. The impoverished ex-Soviet nation - which borders volatile Afghanistan - has seen the number of trials based on extremism charges rise sharply in recent times. And critics accuse the regime of 63-year-old autocrat Emomali Rakhmon of branding opponents extremists in order to consolidate control over the Central Asian country of eight million. In the last year, reports of forced beard shavings by police have increased, while the government has imposed restrictions on the sale of Islamic clothing. New York based advocacy group Human Rights Watch said in a statement yesterday that Tajikistan was experiencing "the worst political and religious crackdown since the end of the country's civil war." The five-year Tajik civil war claimed over 100,000 lives according to some estimates, concluding in victory for pro-government forces over pro-Islamic and other factions in 1997. Last year the government banned the moderate Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) that was the largest opposition party in the country and branded it a terrorist group. An ongoing trial of over a dozen IRPT members on extremism charges has seen the United States, the European Union and the United Nations all release statements of concern. But the government says the heavy-handed tactics are necessary to stem the swell of radicalism in the country. Morocco said today it had dismantled a "terrorist cell" of 10 people including a Frenchman suspected of having links to the Islamic State group and planning attacks in the country. Authorities carried out the arrests in several towns including Essaouira, Meknes, Sidi Kassem and al-Jadida, an interior ministry statement said, without revealing the identity of those detained. They "might have links with jihadists fighting with Daesh", it said, using an Arabic acronym for IS, and had "received instructions to attack installations and sensitive sites" in Morocco. They "planned to bring more extremist elements into their destructive plan... Under the supervision of experienced Daesh group leaders, one of whom is in Turkey," it said. Ammunition and weapons were seized during the raids, the ministry added. Morocco is on guard against deadly attacks like those claimed by IS in Tunisia last year that killed 59 foreign tourists. Rabat says 152 "terrorist cells" have been broken up since 2002, including 31 with ties to jihadists in Iraq and Syria since 2013. The number of foreign fighters who travelled to Iraq and Syria to fight with IS reached at least 27,000 in the past 18 months, a study by the US-based Soufan Group said in December. Of those, around 8,000 were from the Maghreb region, including at least 1,200 from Morocco, it said. The CPI headquarters here has been provided security cover by Delhi Police following threat perception, a senior party leader said. "Yesterday, there was a report that some people will march towards our office, demonstrate, attack. So, I spoke to Lt Governor Najeeb Jung who spoke to police and the security personnel were deployed," CPI national secretary D Raja said. He added the policemen would be deployed at the office for next few days. "I don't exactly know until when the policemen will remain there but we have cautioned the government and the Lieutenant Governor," he said. Earlier, security personnel were deployed at the CPI(M) head office here in the wake of an attack allegedly carried out by members of a right-wing outfit on February 14, protesting against the Left party's stand over JNU row. Both, CPI and CPI(M) have been criticising the Centre over the arrest of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar. Coroners tragic conclusion on mystery disappearance of teen backpacker A coroner has handed down her findings on the Belgian backpacker who disappeared almost without trace in an idyllic New South Wales tourist town more than three years ago. Jim Chalmers warns disaster floods will weigh on GDP growth Treasurer Jim Chalmers has revealed the "initial estimate" the recent flooding would have on the economy but warns costs associated could be "even more significant" ahead of his first federal budget on Tuesday. Limited value: Liberal Senator against royal commission into COVID Liberal Senator Jane Hume acknowledged the long-term effects of lockdowns and school shutdowns but said Australia fared well compared to other countries. Heavy rain, hail and more flood warnings for four states this weekend Millions of residents along the east coast have been told to brace for more wet weather this weekend, with warnings of large hailstones for Friday and severe thunderstorms bringing heavy rain to already flooded river systems. Here I will share my feelings about America and her Future. Let it be known to all the World, I love all Humankind, however the poor actions of the few that take away the Freedom's of the many wear on my soul. I don't hate them I feel sad for their foolishness before God and humankind. Those leaders who seek to 'Keep their Oaths of office' and those who seek only self glory, power, tyranny and the destruction of America as it was founded, hoping to turn it into a Dictatorship, Marxist or other state of Tyranny. For a long while I was unsure of putting a blog together with my thoughts on this, however Truth must be shared, if not to Awake American's to their dangerous situation then to record the folly of the ways of the wicked who do exist in the leadership of our Nation, States, Counties, Towns. Sad that I must add this page. "We often search for things in life, yet seldom do we find. Those things in life that really matter, until we make the time." S.T.Huls God Bless the Republic of America! CEDAR FALLS A 40-year-old financial services firm is planning an expansion in Cedar Falls and Des Moines. Jack Henry & Associates, based in Monett, Mo., acquired Cedar Falls-based Banno, formerly T8 Webware, operations here and in Des Moines in 2014. Jack Henry now plans to invest about $17 million. Of that, $16 million will be put into research and development and another $1.6 million in building rent and tenant improvements in Cedar Falls and Des Moines along with computer hardware, software and furniture/fixtures, according to Bob Seymour. Seymour is interim planning and community services manager for Cedar Falls. A couple of years ago, we invested in the Banno headquarters there in Waterloo and Cedar Falls, and were seeing continued growth in that business, said Alan Pramann, senior tax accountant with Jack Henry in Lenexa, Kan. Were going to be adding additional people to work in that business. Were looking at about a three-year time frame, Pramann added. Jack Henry had done business with Banno prior to the acquisition and the two companies products were a pretty good fit with each other, Pramann indicated. The Cedar Falls City Council on Monday approved a $1 million business financial assistance application to the Iowa Economic Development Authority for job training assistance, tax credits and sales tax refunds associated with the expansion. Seymour said it will create 20 additional jobs in Cedar Falls and 30 in Des Moines, with starting annual wages ranging from $60,000 to $110,000. The firm presently employs 63 people full-time in Iowa, 41 of which are in Cedar Falls, in 15,000 square feet of space leased from Veridian Credit Union at 6525 Chancellor Drive in the Cedar Falls Industrial Park. The application approved by the council Monday is a joint application with the city of Des Moines, with Cedar Falls as the lead entity, based on Jack Henrys corporate presence in Cedar Falls, Seymour noted. Seymour noted the IEDA board is anticipated to approve the application at its meeting Friday. Neither Cedar Falls nor Des Moines will be obligated to provide any type of local incentive for this project, Seymour noted. Jack Henry & Associates, founded in 1976, is a publicly traded company providing of technology and payment processing services primarily for the financial services industry, serving almost 10,800 customers nationwide, including banks and credit unions. Pramann noted that T8/Banno founder Wade Arnold is still with Jack Henry, working in Cedar Falls. The Bettendorf native and 2001 University of Northern Iowa graduate was named Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowas Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2015. On Dec. 22, 2015, DaVita Iowa Hospital Services presented St. Vincent De Paul with a $1,000 check as part of the DaVita Way of Giving, the companys locally focused charitable giving initiative that helps nonprofit organizations across the U.S. Society of St. Vincent De Paul is a 501(3) nonprofit organization that works to end poverty through a systemic approach to charity. The organization assists with housing and utilities, provides food services and operates two thrift stores in the area. DaVita HealthCare Partners teammates from Iowa Hospital Services chose to donate to Society of St. Vincent De Paul because they wanted to help local people in need. CEDAR FALLS It wasnt supposed to be that big. But it was. A crowd of job seekers estimated at more than 1,000 jammed the main concourse Wednesday encircling the basketball court at the McLeod Center on the University of Northern Iowa as young candidates mingled with employers at the colleges Spring Job and Internship Fair. More than 140 organizations occupied booths on both sides of the arenas concourse a record for participation, according to Sara Goblirsch, assistant director of employer relations with UNIs Career Services office. Its a good mix of companies, Goblirsch said. The spring job fair typically is the smaller of the two UNI offers students and alumni each year. Last falls event, for example, drew 180 organizations, Goblirsch said. The weather likely was an ally Wednesday. Its a nice day, so that will help for students to walk across campus, she said. We have a lot of different organizations, and were hoping for a good turnout, but we usually get around 1,000. The job fair capped a busy week for Career Services personnel, which helped interested job seekers with resume and cover-letter critiques beforehand, Goblirsch said. This week, we had resume walk-ups, for students to be able to walk up to tables in a variety of outreach locations to do resume and cover letter critiques, she said. We do a large number of mock interviews, and some of these organizations will come for those. Matt Mull, a recruiter with West Des Moines-based investment and insurance firm American Equity, had a high-visibility position, with his booth set up directly across from a registration booth, just inside the arena. Were the first to be seen, and thats wonderful, he said. Mull said his company was ready to discuss perks with any interested candidates. We have a 37-hour week, and generally, were out by 1 p.m. on Fridays, he said. The company had a number of customer service openings. Those jobs entail our service department, marketing and a new business department, he said. Were looking for somebody with a great customer service background thats gonna be ready to put their foot in the door. Rich Kacmarynaski, recruiter with Pella-based industrial and farm equipment manufacturer Vermeer occupied a booth with college Brian Rowe, a benefits specialist. The company was on the scout to fill positions in a number of areas, including information technology, sales/marketing and skilled trades, Kacmarynaski said. He acknowledged he and Rowe were up against some tough competition, with 140 other employers looking to fill their own slots. But, were a family-owned company, and it likes to promote from within, so its a place to make a career, he said. Cedar Rapids-based Vector Construction, which repairs structural concrete, had internship openings available at the job fair, said Mark Davis, division safety manager. Our internship program is something we really look at helping out bring young people into the industry, he said. Cristien Balmer, an engineer with Trinity Structural Towers based in Newton, said his company was at the fair looking to diversify the talent in its engineering corps. Scientific Games based in Cedar Falls, which started less than a decade ago as Phantom EFX, before its acquisitions by Williams Interactive and, within the last year, Scientific Games, hasnt changed its focus it still develops games. Thats an asset at an event like UNIs job fair, recruiter Micayala Federspiel said. Its not too hard because we make games, which is super fun, and it kind of lends itself to a fun, innovative company culture, she said. Students had the opportunity to see which employers would be attending Wednesdays event ahead of time. Mark Floyd, a junior marketing major from Cedar Rapids, said he did his homework. I have a list where I highlighted where I wanted to go; a couple jump out at you, he said. You never know what meeting some body and talking to somebody can do. Floyd said he was searching for a summer internship. He said he was impressed with what employers had to say. Theyre asking me more situational questions and theyre telling me a lot about their businesses, he said. Theres a lot of places here that I dont know a lot about what they do. For Soren Hultman, a senior who also is active in the startup community, a trip to the career fair fulfilled a little different purpose. I wouldnt say that Im not actively looking; its just looking out there and seeing what opportunities are available, he said. If theres anything that can fit into what were trying to do, I wouldnt be opposed to it. Time at the job fair also could be used to network, which always helps, Hultman said. Im a little scared by the traditional boss role, but there are a lot of entrepreneurs in organizations that do make good bosses, he said. Its also a great networking opportunity, to see whos actively out there recruiting people and seeing who were up against, because at some point were recruiting people, as well. Hail, Caesar! is an icily existential drama lacquered in screwball comedy. Youd expect no less from the Coen Brothers, who for years have mined lifes absurdities for laughs. Set over the course of a day in 1950s Hollywood, the Coens latest follows Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), a fixer whose job it is to make sure movies get out in the can and actors dont humiliate themselves and the studio. Right now, Mannixs most pressing concern is the kidnapping of superstar Baird Whitlock (George Clooney), the lead in an expensive sword-and-sandals Christ epic. Mannix is played to deadpan perfection by Brolin. Mannix effortlessly juggles and neutralizes problems. An Esther Williams-esque star (Scarlett Johansson) carries a married mans child. A Gene Kelly-esque heartthrob (Channing Tatum) works on a sailor-themed musical with glaringly obvious homo-erotic overtones. A hayseed Western star (Alden Ehrenreich) is wildly miscast in the sophisticated drama of a prestigious director (Ralph Fiennes). And rival twin gossip columnists (Tilda Swinton in a dual role) stand ready to discover and expose a litany of secrets at any moment. Mannix has doubt about his place in the universe, as well as the perceived frivolity of the circus he oversees. A Lockheed Martin recruiter tempts Mannix with a greater sense of purpose by flashing a photo of a hydrogen bomb test. After all, the recruiter asks, what are movies and their stars problems but gossamer nonsense? Well, theyre what we make of them, say the Coens, and thats what important. The director brothers fascination and ultimate distrust of religious institutions is on full display in a scene where two priests, a minister and a rabbi have a discussion at the studio to consult on Whitlocks epic. The men are ineffective advisors, bickering about their respective perceptions, and the answer is clear, at least to us; Mannix needs to do what he does best. The rest of the film is watching Mannix realize that himself. Its very funny stuff, joyfully acted and richly filmed. And for every moment that drags, there are many that crackle with the Coens trademark wit. Hail, Coens! WATERLOO -- Waterloo police are investigating two reports of gunfire overnight. No injuries were reported in the incidents, and no arrests have been made. Neighbors called 911 after hearing gunshots at about 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, and officers found about 20 spent shell casings in the roadway. A home in the 1500 block of Woodmayr Drive had several bullet holes, police said. Witnesses said the shots were fired from a passing vehicle, according to police Then at 12:41 a.m. Thursday, railroad workers called police after hearing arguing and three or four gunshots in the 100 block of Sumner Street. Further details weren't available. Six Degrees of Celebration Qualitat : 720p DVDRip. Dauer der Film : 2h 36 min. 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Joe/98 Degrees: Thank God I Found You : ... Seventy Six Trombones : Music Man: Till There Was You :- Beeindruckende Six Degrees of Celebration in DVD-Rip Qualitat herunterladen, Tolle Six Degrees of Celebration in beste Video Format ansehen, Fabelhafte Six Degrees of Celebration mit Hochstgeschwindigkeit erhalten, Schone Six Degrees of Celebration in BRrip Format Lauf.Ubersetzung des Films : DE, EN, FR, ZH, UR, MQ, DD, AJ, ST, LJ, IT, YQ, RX.Video typ : ASF.Jahr : - 2010.Datei groe : 404 MegaByte.IMDB Rating : 6.2/10 (46511 votes).. Six Degrees of Celebration kostenlos anschauen.. Six Degrees of Celebration stream deutsch. A bill that would have raised the legal smoking age to 21 failed to pass an initial legislative step. Sens. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo, and Mark Segebart, R-Vail, opposed the legislation over freedom of choice concerns. Dotzler said he opposed the bill because at 18 years old, the current legal age to smoke, individuals can live on their own, vote and serve in the military. He said the legal smoking age is not comparable to the legal drinking age of 21 because, with the states public smoking ban, an individuals smoking cannot harm others. Survey The House Public Safety Committee approved HF 376 unanimously to require the Department of Justice to conduct a survey of law enforcement agencies to determine the status and number of untested sexual abuse evidence collection kits in the possession of law enforcement agencies. The kits have not been processed for a variety of reason, according to sponsor Rep. Marti Anderson, D-Des Moines. The state has received a $2 million grant to pay for processing the kits. In other states, processing the untested kits has identified suspects in other criminal cases. She thought the Des Moines Police Department had 800 untested kits. A survey last fall found Iowa City police had 150, Cedar Rapids 58, Marion 46, Johnson County 35, Linn County 30 and Coralville 20. Anderson also said that the legislative support for the survey was necessary because in states where surveys were conducted without a legislative mandate about 40 percent of law enforcement departments participated. Parental rights HSB 626, which was approved by the House Judiciary Committee, would allow for the termination of parental rights if a court finds clear and convincing evidence that the child was conceived as the result of sexual abuse, and the biological parent who was the victim of the sexual abuse asks for the perpetrators parental rights be terminated. Joint physical care would be awarded to both parents if joint legal custody is ordered by the court under HF 2090 that was approved by the House Judiciary Committee. Current law authorizes, but does not require, the court to award joint physical care to both joint custodial parents. Speed limits A trio of bills to raise speed limits on Iowa highways ran out of gas Wednesday. HF 2125 and 2126 would have raised the 55 mph speed limit to 60 mph and 65 mph, respectively. A third bill, HF 2248, would have given the Iowa Department of Transportation to increase the speed limit on interstate highways from 70 mph to 75 either on its own or upon recommendation of a metropolitan or regional planning commission or council of governments. Chairman Josh Byrnes, R-Osage, said neither caucus had enough votes to support the speed limit changes. In addition to safety concerns, he and Rep. Jim Lykam, D-Davenport, said some lawmakers were concerned about voter reaction if the Legislature approved speed limit changes that would require $700,000 in signage changes a year after raising the gas tax by a dime a gallon. Besides, Lykam added, he hadnt found any interest in the Senate to follow the Houses lead. Confidential records A proposal to keep juvenile criminal records confidential was approved by the House Judiciary Committee with one significant change. HSB 604 was amended at the suggestion of the Iowa County Attorneys Association so forcible felonies would not be shielded from the public. Supporters of the bill say minor offenses on juvenile criminal records can hinder an individual later in life from gaining employment or housing. The proposal was one of a handful made by a workgroup tasked last summer by Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad to examine potential criminal justice reforms. Opposition came from media organizations that told the committee earlier that the bill goes too far in making criminal record confidential. DES MOINES The Iowa Legislature is taking baby steps when it should be running to catch up with the use of medical cannabis in 23 other states, speakers told a House Commerce subcommittee Wednesday. Its time for Iowa to keep leading the way. This is something that is important to a lot of people, said Pat Loeffler of Cedar Rapids, who suffers epileptic seizures. Sally Gaer of West Des Moines thanked lawmakers for making it possible in 2014 for Iowans to possess cannabidiol. The oil extract from the marijuana plant has made it possible for her 26-year-old epileptic daughter to sleep through the night for the first time in her life. Now it is time to make the treatment available to Iowans to help all of those suffering from epilepsy as well as other debilitating conditions, she said. However, House Study Bill 607 doesnt go as far as Gaer, Loeffler and others wanted. It goes as far as possible, according to floor manager Rep. Guy Vander Linden, R-Oskaloosa. Were dealing with the art of the possible, he said after the Commerce Committee voted 17-6 to approve the bill. You saw what the vote was in committee, Vander Linden said. If were going to do something to help these people it is going to be an incremental process. Nine Democrats and seven Republicans voted for the bill. All six no votes were from the GOP. It was a crappy vote, said Rep. Chip Baltimore, R-Boone, one of those who opposed the bill. I would probably be among the first people to invest in research, Baltimore said. Baltimore said he would join the supporters of broader medical cannabis use in asking Congress to reclassify marijuana to allow research and regulation similar to other drugs. However, as a lawyer and legislator, Baltimore said, hes taken an oath to uphold the laws of the state and nation that makes it a problem for him to vote for legislation in conflict with federal law. The committee approved Vander Lindens amendment to the bill that reduced the number of manufacturers and dispensaries from four and 12, respectively, to just two. It also limits cannabidiol use to the treatment of epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and in cases of cancer if the patient is determined to have less than 12 months to live. Supporters of the use of medical cannabis argued for allowing its use in cases of brain injury, HIV/AIDs and other medical conditions John Lindley, and Army veteran from Knoxville, asked the subcommittee to add PTSD as a qualifying condition to help him and an estimated 5,000 of his brothers and sisters who suffer similar symptoms following their military service. Subcommittee member and pharmacist Rep. John Forbes, D-Urbandale, expressed disappointment with the amendments limitations. But it does move it forward it makes more available to Iowans, he said. Again, Vander Linden said, the amendment is the art of whats possible. We may actually get that out of here. Anything more than that is not politically doable, he said. The bill is headed to House Ways and Means because there are fees involved. That could be an even heavier lift, Vander Linden said. He starts with three votes on the Ways and Means Committee his, and those of the bills sponsor Rep. Peter Cownie, R-West Des Moines, and subcommittee member Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Bondurant. However, there are three no votes Chairman Tom Sands, R-Wapello, along with Baltimore and Rep. Dawn Pettengill, R-Mount Auburn. However, if HSB 607 clears Ways and Means, Vander Linden said, I would expect on the floor it would get pretty substantial bipartisan support. Thats despite opposition from House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, who prefers to wait until the FDA approves medical cannabis. WATERLOO A plane flying from Sioux Falls, S.D., to Chicago made an emergency landing at the Waterloo Regional Airport on Thursday. The American Airlines/Envoy flight an Embraer ERJ-145 twin-engine jet with 29 people aboard landed safely. Waterloo firefighters examined the aircraft after smoke was reportedly detected in the cabin while in flight around 1:15 p.m. The plane was in the air for 20 minutes before the emergency landing was announced. Passengers said they could smell smoke and the floor was hot. A backup aircraft arrived from Chicago around 3 p.m. to resume the flight. Cemetery expert to speak Saturday CEDAR FALLS The North East Iowa Genealogical Society will meet 10 a.m. Saturday at the Cedar Falls Public Library, Sixth and Main. Cemetery aficionado Thomas Connors, a professor at the University of Northern Iowa, will speak on Tombstones of 19th-Century Authors in America. This is the groups last Saturday meeting for this year; the schedule will return to the third Tuesday evening of the month in March. For more information on NEIGS, go to https://sites.google.com/site/neigsblackhawkcounty/home. Library group to hold book sale WATERLOO Friends of the Waterloo Public Library will have a book sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in the basement of the library, 415 Commercial St. During this sale, shoppers can purchase bags for $4 each and fill them up with materials. There is a huge inventory of fiction and nonfiction for adults, teens and children. Members of Friends of the Library will be able to shop a special section of the basement to purchase the best merchandise at Friends Used Book Shop pricing. Proceeds benefit special events and programming at the library. Church to host labyrinth walk CEDAR FALLS An indoor labyrinth will be available at St. Lukes Episcopal Church, 2410 Melrose Drive, through March 26. The public can walk the labyrinth from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Groups should call to schedule a time at 277-8520 or email st.lukes@cfu.net. Groups wishing to walk at other times may call 233-2848. Retiree group sets dinner date WATERLOO The monthly dinner of the Waterloo Industries retirees and former employees will be Monday, starting at about 5:30 p.m. at the Family Restaurant in North Cedar Falls on old Highway 218. Everyone is welcome. Event to focus on Iowa animals CEDAR FALLS The Cedar Prairie Group of the Sierra Club will host a group discussion from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Cedar Falls Library large conference room. Topic will be Wolves, Bears and Mountain Lions in Iowa. Vince Evelsizer, furbearer and wetland biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, will give a presentation on how these large predators have been moving around the state. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 266-7756. Johnson Strings to play Tuesday NEW HARTFORD The Johnson Strings, an award-winning, university-trained group will present a concert at New Hartfords Community Center at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The family of eight perform classical, bluegrass and gospel music. The concert is free and open to the public. Refreshments will follow. Call Ray Hemmer at 277-4848 with any questions. Hearst Center to show film CEDAR FALLS The Hearst Centers month-long series devoted to legendary screen couples will conclude with The Long, Hot Summer at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Mae Latta Hall. The 1958 movie stars Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, Admission is free, and no tickets are required. The Hearsts film series is sponsored by Far Reach. In March, the Hearst will present five films by director John Ford, including The Grapes of Wrath and The Quiet Man. Dance Theater group gets grant WATERLOO The Nzuri Childrens Dance Theater has been recognized with a $5,295 grant from the Iowa Cancer Consortium to help reduce the cancer health disparity among African-Americans in Iowa. The grant, awarded under the 2016 Iowa Cancer Plan Implementation Grant, provides funds for the design of a culturally specific, multi-media campaign and arts exhibit. LA PORTE CITY | A worker escaped serious injury in a rail mishap Wednesday afternoon, authorities said. A 45-year-old male was trapped for a time under a section of rail when it slipped from a crane at the tracks near East Central Iowa Co-op on Cedar Street, La Porte City Fire Chief Jeff McFarland said. Fire authorities were dispatched, but the man freed himself and was not transported by ambulance for treatment. The man was a rail worker, McFarland said. The Iowa Northern Railroad passes through La Porte City. The accident was reported around 2 p.m. Franklin County crash kills woman SHEFFIELD A Sheffield woman was killed in a two-vehicle crash in Franklin County Tuesday evening. Penny Rust, 36, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash at the intersection of U.S. Highway 65 and County Road C25. The crash was reported at about 6:45 p.m. The Iowa State Patrol said a semi tractor-trailer being driven by Antonio Marecheau, 58, of Newman, Ga., was eastbound on County Road C25 when he failed to stop at the stop sign, colliding with Rusts van, which was southbound on Highway 65. Burning trailer blocks U.S. 18 NORA SPRINGS Traffic was backed up for more than three-quarters of a mile just before noon Wednesday while firefighters doused a burning semi trailer west of Nora Springs. The truck caught fire on westbound U.S. Highway 18 between Mason City and Nora Springs near mile marker 192. The cab of the truck was disconnected and parked 100 feet away. A line of cars and semis backed were lined up behind the fire. Smoke was visible for several miles and could be seen from U.S. Highway 65. Waterloo man faces gun charge WATERLOO A federal grand jury has indicted a Waterloo man who was found with a handgun during a traffic stop in Cedar Falls. An ambulance crew called police after noticing an erratic driver on Iowa Highway 58 on Sept. 25, according to court records. Cedar Falls officers stopped the car on Ranchero Road and noticed the odor of marijuana in the vehicle and found a loaded .380-caliber Jimenez Arms pistol under a seat. Bags of marijuana were found in the glove box. Passenger Christopher Montreal Heffner, 24, of Waterloo, was arrested on state drug and weapons charges at the time. Man sentenced on gun charges OSAGE A Minnesota man has been sentenced to prison for weapons charges stemming from a 2014 crime spree that ended when he crashed a truck in Howard County. Attorneys for Raymond Hochstetler asked for leniency, noting he has lead an exemplar life since the incident and returned to the Amish community where he works as a builder. On Tuesday, Judge Linda Reade sentenced Hochstetler to three years and five months in prison and a $5,000 fine to be followed by three years of supervised release. In the governments sentencing memo, prosecutors accused Hochstetler, who had used meth and marijuana, of kidnapping a 17-year-old girl and forcing her to participate in a burglary, then causing her serious injury by driving recklessly and crashing her vehicle. Authorities said Hochstetler stole two handguns from a Minnesota home and on April 8, 2014, traveled to Iowa with the girl. In Mitchell County, he entered the home of an elderly couple in McIntire and fled with a purse. Near Riceville, their truck struck a barrier, went airborne and crashed into an embankment. He was treated at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, Minn. No charges were filed in the McIntire burglary, and a federal grand jury indicted Hochstetler on the firearms charges in July 2015. He pleaded guilty to the charges being an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm and possession of stolen firearms in September. About a dozen friends and relatives submitted letters of support for Hochstetler before sentencing Tuesday. A letter penned by his brother, Edwin, who lives in Texas, said Hochstetler had left the Amish community at age 17 and later started his own construction company. The brother wrote he suspected Hochstetler was using drugs and even told him of his concerns. He no longer cared about the thing he once cared about and seemed to be living a sad and empty life, the brother wrote. He said in the letter he eventually lost contact with him only to find him in the hospital following the crash. After recovering and living with his brother, Hochstetler decided to make changes in his life, the brother wrote. He said he felt that to make a complete change and start a new life he wanted to be Amish again, according to the brothers letter. Hochstetler moved back in with his parents, according to the letter. He was given until March 2 to turn himself in to begin serving his prison time. "We get by with a little help from our friends" Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. Only a pessimist would write off 2016 after 6 weeks, but if youre a horror fan, the years highest profile releases dont inspire much confidence. Once again, sequels and reboots look set to dominate multiplexes, or if they dont float your boat theres always an adaptation of Stephen Kings novel Cell. Yippee. On VOD, things arent much better. Released on 12 February, Travis Zariwnys remake of Cabin Fever (2002) currently holds a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was dismissed by the Los Angeles Times as perfunctory and insipid. Variety called it a repurposed dud while Nick Allen said it was one of those questionably greedy, Xeroxed remakes, where its business is in restating, not just restarting or rebooting, what the original has done. Nobody believes that these films are going to be good, so pointing out that theyre not up to much feels like a redundancy. Far more interesting than the pictures themselves are the curious economics behind them: the pulse to prolong a franchise is financial rather than creative so expectations are never high, and when audiences turn up to see how bad the results are, their curiosity is mistaken for enjoyment and helps greenlight another instalment. The following films are perfect examples, ranked according to curiosity. Americans are required to register if they want to vote; as of this week, Oregonians will have to register not to. In front of a packed and cheering audience Monday, Gov. Kate Brown signed a first-in-the-nation bill to automatically register all eligible Oregonians to vote when they obtain or renew a drivers license or state identification card. Those who are registered through the new process will be notified by mail and will be given three weeks to take themselves off the voting rolls. If they do not opt out, the secretary of states office will mail them a ballot automatically 20 days before any election. When Brown signed House Bill 2177 into law, she was building on the Beaver States history as a ballot-box innovator, which has led to high voter participation. Oregon was the first state in the country to switch to all-mail voting when Ballot Measure 60 was passed in 1998 by a wide margin. Washington state and Colorado later followed suit. Unlike many states, Oregon has been actively engaged in trying to make it as easy and convenient as possible for voters to exercise their franchise. In stark contrast with so many red states heavily invested in suppressing traditionally Democratic-leaning constituencies- minorities, the poor, college students- Oregon WANTS people to vote in large numbers. We were the first state to introduce voting by mail, and there are no longer traditional polling places in the state on Election Day. If you havent mailed your ballot prior to Election Day, you can drop it off at a public library or county elections office. Its easy, its secure, and it respects the rights of citizens to exercise their franchise- more than can be said of many red states these days. Ohand it turns out voting by mail does great things for voter turnout. Go figure. Oregons latest electoral innovation is so thoroughly steeped in common sense that its difficult to understand why it hasnt been done sooner. Ive never understood why a citizen must register to vote. If youre 18 or over and have a state-issued drivers license or ID card, the state already has your information on record. Why should a voter need to register? Why create a needless hoop a citizen must jump through in order to be granted leave to exercise their constitutionally-guaranteed franchise? Unless, of course, youre trying to keep people from voting (Et tu, North Carolina?). A lot of people say you need drive to realize your talent but the truth is, your talent is your drive. by Stevie Wonder past daily news Sep 13 (1) Sep 09 (15) Sep 06 (12) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (10) Aug 31 (17) Aug 29 (14) Aug 26 (13) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (12) Aug 19 (21) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (10) Aug 10 (10) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (10) Aug 06 (10) Aug 05 (8) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (14) Jul 29 (1) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (10) Jul 22 (11) Jul 19 (16) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (10) Jul 15 (13) Jul 12 (7) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (11) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (8) Jun 28 (7) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (8) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (9) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (9) Jun 18 (8) Jun 15 (9) Jun 13 (13) Jun 11 (11) Jun 09 (19) Jun 06 (10) Jun 04 (10) Jun 03 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (5) May 30 (5) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (7) May 26 (6) May 25 (4) May 23 (6) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (7) May 19 (9) May 18 (4) May 17 (6) May 16 (5) 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29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1) If youre looking to try out an online casino, there are several things that will help you make a decision. Heres what you should look for when choosing an online casino Are they regulated? A lot of the larger ones have licenses issued by the authorities in their respective regions, so its worth checking this first. Do they offer games from different software providers? Some casinos just use one software provider and limit your selection. This is fine if you like playing those types of games but you may want to check other casinos as well. What does their payout percentage look like? The payout rate refers to how much money you can expect to win after every bet. A high payout rate means youll be able to play more often without having to worry about losing all your money. Its also important to know the minimum and maximum bets allowed on each game. If youre going to play roulette, for example, then you probably dont want a casino with a minimum bet of less than $2.50 or even lower than that. The players used to play the game slot online in the land based casinos in the past time. 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You can test drive various casinos completely risk-free, so you can feel confident about your choice before you make a single penny deposit. Feb 17, 2016 | By Benedict Kalashnikov Concern, Russias key manufacturer of Kalashnikov machine guns and producer of several other arms, technologies, and military vehicles, has employed metal manufacturer Stankoprom to produce 3D printed parts for Kalashnikov submachine guns and advanced pistols. You dont have to be a soldier or a gun-lover to recognize the name Kalashnikov. The Russian-designed, internationally adopted weapons, first developed by Soviet general and engineer Mikhail Kalashnikov in the mid-twentieth century, have developed a reputation and status greater than that of any other weapon of the last century. The AK-47 assault rifle, designed at the end of World War II and now the most famous of all Kalashnikov arms, has become the most widely used assault rifle in the world thanks to its reliability, affordability, availability, and ease of use. Although Kalashnikovs are now produced all over the world, Russia remains a dominant force in their manufacture. Most Russian Kalashnikovs are produced by Kalashnikov Concern, a company formed in 2013 as the result of a merger between Izhevsk Mechanical Plant and the bankrupt Izhmash. Seeking to maintain Russian arms dominance in new and innovative ways, Kalashnikov Concern has employed metal manufacturer Stankoprom, part of Russian state corporation Rostec, to produce 3D printed prototype parts for Kalashnikov weapons. According to Stankoprom, 3D printing has been used to print prototype parts for a range of Kalashnikov weapons. These 3D printed parts can then be tested, refined, and eventually manufactured via traditional means. This common additive manufacturing process could help Kalashnikov Concern to save time and money when designing multiple iterations of a weapon. The 3D printed model samples are made in the design of pistols, machine guns and other products, said a Stankoprom spokesperson. They can be used for shooting, but their main task is to test various design decisions. It has not been disclosed which particular weapons have benefited from this 3D printing process. This latest move by Russian arms manufacturers to incorporate additive manufacturing technology into arms production comes just a week after Electromashina JSC, a manufacturer of armored vehicles for the Russian military, announced that it would be using 3D printing to develop the next generation of Armata tanks. To what extent 3D printing is and will be used by either Kalashnikov Concern or Electromashina is unclear at present, but the connected announcements appear to represent a statement of technological intent from the Russian military. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Feb 18, 2016 | By Tess A team of doctors at the Rijeka Hospital in Rijeka, Croatia have recently and successfully attached a 3D printed ear to an elderly patient whose biological ear had to be removed because of skin cancer. The operation was executed as a joint effort between the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Rijeka and the Otorhinolaryngology Clinic at the local hospital and marks yet another successful implantation of a 3D printed prosthetic. The patient in question, an elderly man, was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, which was growing in his right ear. To properly remove the cancerous tumours, part of the patients ear had to be surgically removed while he was under local anesthesia. Once the initial surgery had healed, the doctors got to work creating a 3D printed ear which could be attached to the patients right side. As Dr. Dubravko Manestar, who led the operation explains, After approximately one month when the cut grew over, we opted for this type of operation, which was carried out in a team with Dr. Komljenovic. Under local anesthesia we installed the 3D printed part to the missing area of the right ear. The mold was made with accurate measurements and then a number of models were printed so the most similar to the existing part of the ear could be used. The 3D printed ear parts were quite easily attached to the patients remaining ear using an adhesive, and were 3D printed from a biocompatible silicone material, resembling a real ear. The 3D printed ear model was designed by Dr. Sven Maricic and his associates Sanjin Fuck, and Duje Kalajzic and was based off of measurements made of the patients original ear. Four versions of the ear model were additively manufactured in varying colour tones to find the perfect match. The coloring for the ear was done by Marijan Pozar. Dr. Manestar explains that the surgical attachment of the 3D printed ear, which only required local anesthesia, marks an important type of surgery especially for elderly patients who are not always able to undergo long surgeries under full sedation. While the ear itself is not made from an organic material, it at least offers an aesthetic solution to the patient, which as Dr. Manestar says, is also important for the socialization of patients. The 3D printer used in creating the implanted ear was purchased by the University of Rijeka as part of an effort to develop research infrastructure at the school. Both the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which invests in innovative projects across Europe, and Croatias Ministry of Science, Education and Sport funded the purchase of the 3D printer at the University of Rijekas Faculty of Medicine. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Feb 18, 2016 | By Kira Today, we expect our smartphones to be a bit of everything: we make calls, send text messages, take pictures, watch videos, make videos, follow the stock market, and much, much more. Were no longer happy with tech devices that do just one thingso why should our cameras be any different? Cambits, a modular camera system developed at Columbia University, responds precisely to that demand. Cambits is a reconfigurable camera system composed of colourful, 3D printed blocks that lets you build a range of cameras with a variety of impressive computational capabilities. Users can go from taking HDR imagery, to capturing panoramic scenes for virtual reality, to using it as fully assembled microscope, all in just a few snaps. The Cambits system consists of a set of 3D printed blocks in five different colors, each representing a different type: white for base, red for sensor, blue for flash, green for actuator and yellow for lens (orange and purple are special optical attachments). If the blocks look like kids toys, thats because theyre almost as easy to use: building your own camera is as simple as snapping different configurations of these blocks together. Each block is attached through magnets, so no screws or cables are needed; and once attached, the blocks automatically electrically connect through spring-loaded pins. These pins carry the power from the host computer (which can be a desktop, tablet, or smartphone), as well as data and control signals. Each block is outfitted with a specific ID, so the host computer instantly recognizes which configuration youre after, and provides a menu of options with the appropriate controls. Cambits is also scalable, meaning you can add blocks as you go, and you can use anywhere from three to six blocks at a time depending on your needs. Cambits was developed by Columbia University Computer Science Professor Shree Nayar and Makoto Odamaki, a visiting scientist from Ricoh Corporation, over a period of two years. A key feature of the system is its circuit board, designed by Odamaki himself. This circuit board sits inside each and every 3D printed block, and includes a microcontroller, upstream interface and downstream interface. Thus, each block can provide power downstream, receive data upstream, and convey control signals each way. We wanted to redefine what we mean by a camera, said Nayar, the T.C. Chang Professor of Computer Science at Columbia Engineering and a pioneer in the field of computational imaging. Traditional cameras are really like black boxes that take one type of image. We wanted to rethink the instrument, to come up with a hardware and software system that is modular, reconfigurable, and able to capture all kinds of images. We see Cambits as a wonderful way to unleash the creativity in all of us. To give users an idea of just how versatile Cambits is, Columbia Engineering put together the short video below to show off the various functionalities, which include high dynamic range imaging, panoramic imaging, refocusing, light field imaging, depth imaging using stereo, kaleidoscopic imaging and even microscopy. For example, you could start with the base, a sensor block, and an 8mm lens to capture standard HDR images, or move the sensor around to put together a scene collage. Next up, replace the 8mm lens with one driven by a linear actuary in order to capture a focal stack of the scene. A refocusing algorithm can later be used to control the depth of field after the scene has been captured. Placing a rotary actuator between the base and sensor allows the camera to scan a panorama picture. This same data can then be used to generate a stereo panorama for VR. And finally, top it off with the purple optical attachment, and youve got a fully functional microscope! Those are just a few examples of configurations, and they were all assembled within minutes. Two rotary acturators placed between the sensor and the base can create a two-degree-of-freedom pan-tilt camera system The lens array attachment produces multiple views of the scene One of the most anticipated tech products currently in development is Googles Project Ara, an open hardware platform for creating highly modular smartphones. In todays era of personalization and individuality, consumers are increasingly demanding more power on their end: the power to choose not only which software or apps they prefer, but to physically modify their devices features on a whim. Cambits modular camera system is the perfect example of how these same concepts will soon be applied to much more than just furniture or smartphones, but potentially to all of our future tech devices. There are so many exciting advances in computational photography these days, concluded Nayar. We hope this reconfigurable system will open the door to new avenues of creativity, bringing new dimensions to an art form we all enjoy. Odamaki and Nayar are currently looking to partner with a manufacturer to commercialize Cambits and bring this modular camera concept to the market. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Meet the two candidates who want to be the District 1 state senator Distribution of company announcements to the professional platforms, finance portals and syndication of important corporate news to a wide variety of news aggregators and financial news systems. Join Forces with Lithium Australia Ltd in Pilgangoora area Perth, Feb 18, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Lithium Australia NL ( ASX:LIT ) and Venus Metals Corporation Ltd ( ASX:VMC ) have executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to initially test the commercial lithium potential of Venus' holdings in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. HIGHLIGHTS: - MoU to evaluate Pilbara's potential to produce battery grade lithium carbonate and hydroxide - Focus on proving up commercial feedstock volumes and technologies sufficient for an initial local processing facility - Key area of attention is Venus' Pilgangoora project near Port Hedland - Lithium Australia to contribute access to its exclusive lithium silicate processing technology allowing low energy recovery of lithium from host spodumene and micas - Is 2nd Pilbara lithium move by LIT following November 2014 MoU with Pilbara Minerals to test for lithium mica potential on PLS's nearby Pilgangoora project area The area of focus will be Venus' Pilgangoora project, southeast of Port Hedland. The broader objective of the partnership will be to determine if the potential exists for sufficient feedstock to feed a Pilbara lithium processing facility to produce high grade lithium carbonate and/or hydroxide for use in advanced hi-tech applications including lithium ion batteries. The centrepiece to the MoU will be a test program to review the commercial lithium potential of ground held by Venus (Figure 1 in link below) with a view to exploiting mineralisation dominated by the lithium micas (lepidolite and zinnwaldite), spodumene and clay minerals. TEST PROGRAM AND TERMS OF AGREEMENT The terms of the MOU require that Lithium Australia produce a report outlining the ways in which the combined expertise of Venus and Lithium Australia can be optimised. In particular, Lithium Australia will provide a plan for cogeneration of revenue from both lithium micas and spodumene, where spodumene occurs in association with the other minerals, using Lithium Australia's exclusive licence for mica and its intellectual property for spodumene. Lithium Australia will pay a fee for exclusive access to the Venus ground and will sole fund exploration over the project tenements in the first year following tenement grant. Venus will retain 100% ownership of its Pilgangoora tenements. The test work program by Lithium Australia will include field inspections, data and observations across the project area and in the laboratory to confirm the suitability of the lithium mica, spodumene and clay materials within the MOU area as a source for battery grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide. Such outcomes could help establish a base commercial case for a local lithium processing plant in the Pilbara. BACKGROUND Lithium Australia's significant advances in the development of lithium extraction technologies created the opportunity to work with Venus to expand Lithium Australia's footprint in the Pilgangoora area - an emerging "lithium hot spot" in Western Australia's well established Pilbara mining district. The area covered by Venus' tenement applications contains many known pegmatites and has the potential to add significant quantities of lithium silicates (including lithium mica and spodumene) to the regional inventory. Lithium Australia considers access to this potential is a strategic element of the Company's plan to establish a processing facility for lithium silicates in Western Australia using ground-breaking, low-energy processing technologies to recover lithium as carbonate or hydroxide as feed for the battery industry. Lithium Australia Managing Director, Mr Adrian Griffin: "We have been established in the Pilbara area for a long time, having maintained a similar ongoing program with Pilbara Minerals since 2014. Our past work has uncovered previously unrecognised lithium potential there and our modelling strongly suggests the potential for further lithium occurrences on the Venus Metals ground. This comes on the back of recent discoveries by Lithium Australia of abundant lithium mica at Ravensthorpe on WA's southern coastline." "The potential of the Pilgangoora hot spot is enormous as can be seen by the success of Pilbara Minerals in establishing there a world-class spodumene inventory. We believe a combination of access to feedstock, and the development of processing technologies, may well be the convergence required for establishing a lithium chemical industry in the Pilbara, and to feed the world's emerging battery factories." "We are keen to work with Venus Metals which has recognised the potential benefits of Lithium Australia's value-adding strategy; and has established a significant footprint in and around the Pilgangoora." To view figures, please visit: http://media.abnnewswire.net/media/en/docs/ASX-VMC-753093.pdf About Lithium Australia NL Lithium Australia NL (ASX:LIT) aspires to 'close the loop' on the energy-metal cycle. Its disruptive technologies are designed to furnish the lithium battery industry with ethical and sustainable supply solutions. Lithium Australias technology comprises the SiLeach(R) and LieNA(R) lithium extraction processes, along with superior cathode material production courtesy of VSPC Ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary of Lithium Australia) and enhanced recycling techniques for battery materials. By uniting resources and the best available technology, Lithium Australia seeks to establish a vertically integrated lithium processing business. About Venus Metals Corporation Limited Venus Metals Corporation Limited (ASX:VMC) is a West Australian based Company with a focus on gold, base metals, vanadium and lithium exploration projects. The Company aims to increase shareholder value through targeted exploration success on its projects. The Company's major gold project is the Youanmi Gold Mine, located 500km north-east of Perth. The Youanmi Gold Mine is now jointly owned by Venus Metals (30%) and Rox Resources Limited (70%); Indicated and Inferred Resource of the mine is in excess of 3 million ounces of gold. ACAs library of educational tools help members improve their business practices. ACA also holds the most popular industry conferences and offers credentialing for collectors, attorneys, and more. ACAs Training Zone subscription gives agencies access to almost all of our education for one low cost. Audit committees need to have oversight of risks to their organizations from third parties such as suppliers, distributors, sales people and service providers, according to a new report. The report, Oversight of third-party risks, is part of PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit Committee Excellence Series. It points out that companies today are increasingly interlinked with their suppliers, distributors and other providers. However, these third parties can pose both reputational risks to companies brands, not to mention compliance and regulatory risks. Bribery of officials abroad, for example, can expose companies to penalties under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Besides bribery, other third-party risks could relate to environmental issues, software piracy, health and safety, and labor laws. Many corporate boards assign risk oversight to the audit committee since its typically responsible for financial reporting compliance and internal controls. The audit committee also oversees the internal audit function, which increasingly has been tasked with risk management duties. Unlike most risks, though, third-party risks are often governed by legal contracts spelling out the obligations, rights and recourses of the company and its providers, the report points out. But because third-party risks are oftentimes not covered by a companys existing risk assessment processes, they ought to be a distinct part of the company internal controls system. The audit committee needs to understand how many significant third-party relationships a company has and the nature of those relationships. They should also evaluate whether the companys legal counsel is engaged enough in third-party risk control and if they understand the importance of their role. To access the report, click here. For other reports in PwCs Audit Committee Excellence series, click here. PwCs Governance Insights Center homepage is here. (Bloomberg) Charles Munger just burned through another auditor. Daily Journal Corp., the publisher where hes chairman, said Wednesday in a regulatory filing that it named Squar Milner LLP as its new accounting firm. The company replaced BDO USA LLP, which had been hired in mid-2014 after Ernst & Young LLP was dismissed. Few companies of Daily Journals size would draw much attention. (Its market value is only about $260 million.) But its affiliation with Mungerbest known as Warren Buffetts long-time business partner at Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has made the Los-Angeles-based firm a curiosity among investors. The publishers market value has tripled since the end of 2009, thanks in part to an investment that Munger made in Wells Fargo & Co. during the depths of the financial crisis. As Daily Journal grew, it struggled to meet the accounting standards required of larger firms. Ernst & Young faulted the companys internal controls in 2014, and BDO determined last year that there were material weaknesses tied to financial reporting. In the face of these findings, Daily Journal has stuck to a management approach that puts most of the responsibility in the hands of one executive. Chief Executive Officer Gerald Salzman also serves as chief financial officer and treasurer. Capable People We believe our most important internal control is our hiring and retention of honest and capable people, whom we trust to do their jobs well, Daily Journal said in its annual report in December. Accordingly, we believe our overall internal control environment is sufficient for a company of our size." The publisher said in Wednesdays document that there have been no disagreements with BDO on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedure. Jerry Walsh, an outside spokesman for BDO, said the company doesnt comment on client matters. During Daily Journals annual meetings in Los Angeles, Munger has used colorful language to take aim at what he sees as the misguided approach of the companys auditors. In 2014, for instance, he likened Ernst & Youngs effort to that of an over-aggressive physician. They were like the doctor who wanted to cure the nosebleed by fishing around in the groin, Munger said. We obviously had an audit from hell. With assistance from Lily Katz. A lawsuit over the Internal Revenue Services fees for Preparer Tax Identification Numbers has received class-action status, according to an attorney who has been trying to eliminate or reduce the PTIN fee for over four years. However, the court did not go so far as the plaintiffs would like in allowing refunds of PTIN fees already paid by tax preparers. The ruling of about a week ago, as I interpret it, basically granted class-action status to potentially receiving an injunction to stop all the fees going forward, but it did not cover getting a refund of the money that has already been paid, said Allen Buckley, an attorney in Atlanta. On Tuesday my co-counsel and I filed a motion for reconsideration with a brief saying we want class-action status for the whole case, including getting the money that has already been paid, not just for an injunction to stop them from charging fees in the future. He noted that the court invited him to submit a new brief on the refund issue. It invited submission on that matter because we hadnt briefed it when we filed the motion for class certification and the related brief, said Buckley. We had just sought class certification. We didnt really delve into that issue. My co-counsel and I personally feel theres a good chance the court will grant full class-action status for the whole case, but time will tell. Its up to the court obviously. The Court will deny plaintiffs motion for certification as it relates to their request for restitution, wrote U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth in a memorandum opinion on February 9. This ruling is subject to reconsideration, if needed, after the parties more fully brief issues relating to subject matter jurisdiction. Buckley has had some setbacks over the years with the effort to eliminate PTIN fees. In June 2012, an appeals court upheld a lower court ruling dismissing the complaint of Georgia tax attorney and CPA Jesse Brannen III, who was represented by Buckley (see Appeals Court Upholds PTIN Fee). In December 2013, another federal court also dismissed the case (see Court Reconfirms PTIN Fees). However, Buckley filed a separate suit in 2014 in Washington, D.C., on behalf of two other CPAs, Adam Steele of Minnesota and Brittany Montrois of Georgia (see CPAs Sue IRS over PTIN Fees). Joseph Henchman, a vice president at the Tax Foundation in Washington, D.C., was later added as a plaintiff. That lawsuit is the one that was granted class-action status this week. They are challenging the IRSs PTIN fee, arguing in part that the PTIN does not represent or confer a service or thing of value, so the IRS is not permitted to impose any fee at all for the ID number. Alternatively, they argue that even if the IRS is authorized to impose a PTIN fee, the amount it charges is excessive. Therefore, they are seeking a judgment declaring that either the IRS lacks the authority to charge a PTIN fee or that the fee it charges is excessive. They are also seeking restitution or return of the PTIN fees charged by the IRS, or alternatively just the fees collected that exceed the amount authorized by law. The IRS and the Treasury Department have been requiring paid tax return preparers to obtain and pay for a PTIN since Sept. 30, 2010, arguing that federal law permits agencies to issue regulations to establish a charge for a service or thing of value provided by the agency. In the 2013 case of Loving v. IRS, a federal court ruled that the IRS exceeded its statutory authority in requiring continuing education and testing of tax preparers, but it upheld the IRSs authority to require registration of tax preparers, so the PTIN has remained in effect. The initial fee used to be $64.25 ($50 for the IRS and $14.25 for the third-party vendor who administers the application and renewal process), and an annual renewal fee of $63. However, last October, the IRS lowered the application and renewal fee to $33 per year, plus $17 paid to the third-party vendor for both new applications and renewals. The life insurance industry has been in existence for several decades and during this period subjected to multiple phases of evolution especially over the past few years. However, despite the efforts of an entire industry, mass India is yet unclear on the key role that life insurance can play in their lives. Is it an investment? Is it protection? Is it savings? Or, is it just tax saving? Despite the efforts and investments of the industry comprising 24 players, the category penetration remains low at 3.1% of GDP. There is therefore a need for the category to compellingly communicate its real role and value in the customers life. Birla Sun Life Insurance (BSLI), the life insurance arm of the Aditya Birla Financial Services Group, through its latest campaign for their Khud Ko Kar Buland positioning seeks to create relevance of the key role that BSLI can play in the life of customers. It is a brand belief that we alone write the story of our lives. Destiny may indeed pose surprises, but how we deal with them is in our hands. If a man so chooses, he can ascertain how he lives his life, by the decisions he makes and the actions he takes. By being a front runner in this, BSLI has taken the opportunity to own and appropriate the belief that one must stand tall in the face of uncertainties. In its second year, the campaigns television commercial (TVC) tells an extraordinary story of an ordinary man, his endearing relationship with his boss and his enduring relationship with lifes uncertainties. The main film establishes a concern and it ends with a solution where the protagonist is now happier because of his planning. Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group, said, Despite the investments and efforts of an entire industry, the life insurance consumer yet does not have an answer to his question, What role do you play in my life?. At BSLI we are committed spending to the spirit of Khud Ko Kar Buland and encouraging our audiences to take control of their fate. And live their life with financial security. This film is another investment towards that end. Agnello Dias, Chief Creative Officer, Taproot India, says, "For some time now, the Birla Sun Life Insurance brand has celebrated human spirit of taking on all the odds that life throws at you. This film is another inspirational story of an everyday hero who pushes back at fate even when the going gets tough." Pallavi Chakravarti, Senior Creative Director, Taproot India, says, Through the platform of Khud Ko Kar Buland Birla Sun Life Insurance has sent out a simple message: Destiny can only do so much, when an individual is prepared. This film carries the campaign thought forward through the story of a man who surprised both, his employer and fate, when life threw an unexpected turn his way. Creative Execution: This story is in the form of a 75 second television commercial that tells an inspiring story of a common man, his endearing relationship with his boss and his enduring relationship with life. It very interestingly tracks the journey of an employee and a boss while dealing with mishaps and everyday uncertainties. This film begins with Madan, an earnest, hard-working man, recovering from his bypass in a hospital, while his boss walks in to pay him a visit at the hospital. Their conversation makes the viewers aware of the trust Madan's boss has in him and of Madan's proficiency as a PA. The film captures the faith that the boss has in his employee and that humanity has a role to play and give back to the person who has served him selflessly. The TVC is punctuated in the end with Madans boss receiving yet another unexpected blow when Madan's wife reveals that Madans health will not allow him to continue working. The boss is taken aback. He realises that Madan is suddenly left without a job, with a family to take care of and hospital bills to bear. He is deeply concerned. But then an idea strikes him, which he excitedly shares with Madan. He says hell be happy to hire Suraj in Madan's place, at the same salary. Madan is touched by his concern and generous offer. But he has other plans. He tells his boss that he doesn't need the help. And neither does his son. In fact, his son Suraj is actually going to England to do an MBA. The boss is pleasantly surprised. As he goes ahead to heartily congratulate the boy. The story ends on a note of hope, highlighting the triumph of the human spirit and delivering the message that nothing can stand in the way of someone who stands prepared against all odds. Team on TVC Agency : Taproot Dentsu India Agnello Dias Chief Creative Officer Santosh Padhi Chief Creative Officer Umesh Shrikhande Chief Executive Officer Pallavi Chakravarti Sr. Creative Director Apoorva Jain Sr. Copywriter Ayesha Ghosh General Manager Priyank Misra Account Director Production House: Red Ice Films Director: Shimit Amin Producers: Gary Grewal, Vandana Singh, Lisa DCosta The challenges for marketers in the financial industry are analogous to those being encountered in other industries. The industry is changing rapidly, with fads becoming obsolete at a fast pace. The challenge for everyone is to innovate incessantly as customers are becoming indifferent to traditional approaches. Rubeena Singh, Chief Operating Officer at moneycontrol, sheds light on how to successfully market in the financial industry. 1. Yes, Customer is still the king We research a lot and most importantly, place our customer at the centre. Yes, selling is important, but then understanding customers needs and putting them in the middle is the key. What I have observed is that other marketers try to sell the content/ offering rather than concentrating on their customers. Quality content, backed by research and customers needs, gives you an edge over others. It is simple quality content is what distinguishes brands from sellers. 2. You can keep shouting, but engaging them is the key It is very essential that your content engages audiences. The purpose of content is to build relationships and is much beyond CPAs. If end result is just about CPAs, then content is the root. But if it is to establish a brand, then content engaging customer is a crucial factor. 3. Think-out-of-the-box. Not just catchphrase. Implement it The main challenge for moneycontrol is that our core target audiences are 25-35 years old. How to become more relevant to the youth in their 20s was a test for us. So, the point here is barriers in reaching out to them as they are someone who are not fascinated by financial topics. So, we created an application and launched a music video to reach out to this age group. Also if you see, we tried to communicate in their language. This was a big risk for a brand in the financial industry. We also effectively use Facebook and Twitter to reach out to new audiences. So you have to continuously look for newer and innovative ways to reach out to new and even existing audiences. 4. Never overlook Personalisation Customers are bombarded with information. Marketers need to be careful and be aware of the needs and requirements of their customers.What I have seen is there is an overdose of content on digital platforms. So at moneycontrol, we have a message board. How it works is that customers send in their queries about which stocks they are interested in and which experts they want to consult with. Our in-house team takes cues from those suggestions and does a story revolving those suggestions. Also, your content should be in sync with the platforms through which you are delivering the message. So, our content for social media platform is quite disparate to the information in mobile application. Just because marketers have an offering, they cannot offer it to all their customers. Customers do not respond to one-size-fits-all strategies. Users expect personalisation. Personalisation is not a choice, it is a necessity. The way ahead As far as digital measurement is concerned, there is need to be more robust. I hope the system becomes more robust. Right now the focus is more on CPAs and CTRs. There are other brand metrics which also need to be measured. YouTube has already taken one step towards that. Content consumption: People are getting choosier and clearer about their needs and requirements. Native advertising will also change as users get smarter. About the author: Rubeena Singh, Chief Operating Officer, moneycontrol Rubeena Singh is the Chief Operating Officer of moneycontrol. With over 14 years of rich experience in Business & Product Development, Relationship management and Advertising sales, she has been part of brands like Network18, Forbes India, CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz, IBN Network and STAR Group Rubeena has done her Master in Statistics from Mumbai University. Flock, the communication app for teams announced the launch of some incredibly powerful features in its constant endeavour to revolutionize the way teams communicate and collaborate. The company which is a part of the Directi Group, now boasts of significant features like Video Conferencing, Actionable To-dos, Polls, Code Snippet sharing, and Webhooks, bestowing more power to teams to Get work done, faster. The addition of these new features is a testament to Flocks commitment to innovate, and meet organizations needs for an effective collaborative communication model. Powered by these new features, Flock will not only augment the experience of real time communication and collaboration, but will also eliminate several organizational challenges for companies across the globe. Video conferencing: The appear.in integration allows high quality video calls and conferences with up to 8 people, thus helping teams to organize online meeting from anywhere and at anytime. The feature also supports audio calls and screen sharing. Actionable to-dos: This feature allows users to create to-dos and assign responsibilities among team members and track tasks to completion with ease. Opinion polls: This feature allows users to quickly create polls and mini surveys in Flock within groups, and to get real-time results in the chat window itself. Code snippet sharing: Developers can now download, forward, edit and reuse code within Flock itself. Code snippets shared in Flock can also be formatted according to the syntax set. Sharing code among developer teams has never been easier! Webhooks: Webhooks as a tool enables communication between Flock and an app or service in real time. Users can now build Webhook integrations and get notifications set in any external app or tool that they use, within a Flock group. One can effortlessly link other apps and services, social media accounts like Twitter, Facebook, etc., and get immediate and relevant updates on the fly. URL Unfurling: Instant in-line previews of shared web content like articles, websites and tweets are now available in Flock. Users can now decide how important the content of the web page is, even before visiting it. Whats more, to add more personality to conversations, users can now share GIFs on Flock with a simple slash command. Bhavin Turakhia, CEO and Co-founder of Flock, said, Enterprises are yet to explore or exploit the true potential of chat as a platform, and with Flock we want to change that. We are constantly innovating and challenging ourselves to come up with features that are simple, effective and relevant for diverse functions and industries. Adding these new features is just the start of a new phase for Flock, and you can be sure that in the coming days and months we will be ready with even more creative, inventive add-ons. Flock was created to provide a simple messaging application to power workplace communication for fast moving teams. Even though Flock has many new features, it still retains its slick, clutter free and easy to navigate interface. Employees can download Flock on their own, and sign in using their work email, without any IT or Admin assistance. They can immediately start using the app; Flock automatically syncs the entire office directory to every employees device, creating a workplace only environment. Additionally, Flock has important features like file sharing, group chats, secure encrypted messaging, synced conversations across multiple devices, /Slash commands, unlimited chat history and fast search for content. Flock is hosted on Amazons secure AWS data centre, and with an industry standard of TLS 1.2 data encryption, it follows the highest standards of privacy. Flock is free for unlimited users and usage and is available across platforms and devices for iOS, Android, Windows and Mac. Terry D Peigh, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Interpublic Group, was in Mumbai earlier this week to present the findings of the research, The New Trust Imperative Evolution of Consumer Decision Making with Fast Changing Media. Cogito Consulting, the independent consulting division of the FCB Ulka group, is the research partner. The report attempts to dissect what goes into a trust evaluation by a consumer exactly whats considered when a consumer goes about making a decision to trust or not trust. Following is the presentation made by Peigh, titled The New Trust Imperative. The new trust imperative For the past six years, we at IPG have fielded an important piece of global research that looks at the changing nature of consumer decision making. We call this New Realities, as clearly the emergence of many new media channels and new sources of product information have created a new reality in how todays consumer goes about evaluating a product and making an eventual decision. Over this time, weve seen a dramatic shift in how consumers view the consumption of product informationand the channels they most value in making product decisions. Theyve evidenced changes in their degree of comfort with new information; their desire for information as a way to gain social value; the joy they receive in learning about brands; how information has made them more confident in brand choices; and how they segment in terms of valuing product information. But underneath this dramatic growth in valuing product information has emerged a very powerful requirement for that information. the demand for total trust. In this paper, well review how todays consumer is changing in their consumption of information and lay that up against their pressing need for information that is highly trusted. As part of that, well review the research weve recently conducted that attempts to dissect what goes into a trust evaluation by a consumer exactly whats considered when a consumer goes about making a decision to trust or not trust. In total, we see this information as critically valuable in learning about the ever-changing habits and preferences of todays consumer, and in designing marketing and marketing communications programs that respond to this new reality. The New Realities research In 2009, IPG saw a need to help our clients get a better understanding of exactly how consumers around the world were dealing with the many new channels providing product information. No longer was it a matter of a consumer learning about a product from just a print ad or a TV commercial. In a very short period of time, she was also confronted with product information served to her via websites, blogs, numerous social sites, price comparison sites, product comparison sites, mobile platformsand, oh yes, still (and increasingly!) from her friends down the street. We wanted to know, and to share with our clients, how she was coping with all this new information. Was the additional product information frustrating? How did it affect her confidence in the product? Did she enjoy this learning? Was she inclined to share what she learned? To what extent did the consumers differ in how they consumed this information? With these questions in hand, we began the research that year in two countries US and China. Since then, weve expanded it to several other key countries: Brazil, India, Russia and England. We now have multiple years of data from these countries and are able to make observations and comparisons among countries, and within a country over time. We conducted every wave of the study among 600 people per country, with an equal mix of Gen X, Gen Y and Baby Boomers, equally split men/ women. Working with our research partner, we sampled people from a geographic cross section of the countrys population. (The questionnaire was submitted online, so we need to appreciate that the results obviously reflect the attitudes of a computer-literate audience. But with this audience representing a prime target for many of our clients, we were comfortable with that screen.) Attitudes toward information When we present these research results to clients and industry groups, we often begin by asking the audience to provide their opinion on what country ranks highest on a few different measures. Lets try it here. Among all the countries researched (US, China, Russia, India, Brazil and England), for each statement below which country do you think ranks highest in saying: Information gives me control in my buying decisions? I have personal pride in knowing a lot about certain brands? I enjoy researching information for buying decisions? Brand information and brand reputation matter more these days than ever before? The answers might surprise you (as they often surprise our audience of brand marketers). If you got at least half correct, consider yourself one of the very few! It turns out that the Russians are most likely to say that information gives me control in my buying decisions. The Chinese rank highest in saying they have personal pride from brand knowledge, and in saying brand information and reputation matter more these days. And the Brazilians are most likely to agree that they enjoy researching information for buying decisions. The point being that it has become very difficult (and dangerous) to use old standards of country groups and cultures when determining what a particular group of people does and does not want when it comes to consuming product information today. What weve learned Clearly, product information is valued more and more by consumers around the world. As noted in Figure 1, in all countries surveyed their populations strongly agree that information availability has made them more confident in their brand choices, and has increased their satisfaction with brands. And we see all data points increasing over the last two waves of this research (2013 and 2015). Figure 1 Importantly, this product learning is a real source of joy and fulfillment around the world (Figure 2). A very significant segment of the population finds the researching and learning about products to actually be fun, rewarding and enjoyable. And was seen in Figure 1, this joy and fulfillment has increased in most countries over the last two years. (When we look at earlier waves of the research, there is clearly an even longer term increase in these measures). Figure 2 We have found that much of this enjoyment and fulfillment from product learning is sourced in consumers finding social value from that information. Their knowledge about a category or product gives them social currency information to share with others when discussing various products. In so doing it enhances their sense of self, and self-esteem. (Figure 3). (A good example of the longer term growth in this attitude is China, where weve seen consumers strong agreement on the measure of people admire me because of my expertise increase from 25 per cent in 2009, to 57 per cent in 2015) All of this data reinforces the need for marketers to aggressively supply consumers with this desired product information, and to do so in such a way as to make it easy for consumers to obtain it, internalise it, enjoy it, and pass it on. Truly, consumers are one of the most important (and cost effective) channels of information a marketer could ever ask for. They present their brand knowledge to friends and families with enthusiasm, and we know that their words due to their trusted nature are usually the most respected and valued by consumers versus alternative media channels. The key question, addressed later in this paper, is how to instill trust in the information provided to the consumers, so she accepts it wholeheartedly, embraces it, and gladly passes it on. Figure 3 Luckily for marketers, consumers today often manifest this desire for social currency by becoming active advocates for brands. As noted in Figure 4, many of the respondents studied in our research have shown growth over the last two years in their desire to actively advocate for brands. And in countries like China and India, the overall levels of advocacy interest are very high. Figure 4 So were seeing continued and dramatic growth in consumers wanting more and more information to help with their purchase decisions. Theyre finding the information to be a source of happiness and fulfillment. For many, it actually provides them with a social currency that positively affects their sense of self and helps pave the way for interaction with friends. And a great many are more than happy to take that new found brand understanding and actually go so far as to advocate for the brand to, in essence, become new (inexpensive) media channels for the brand. But while all of this is pleasing for marketers to hear, todays consumers worldwide are also putting up a hurdle that the brand information must meet in order for them to gladly accept and act on this product information. And that hurdle is their growing demand for trust. One of the questions we asked consumers in our New Realities study is to what extent do they always seek out trusted sources of information on brands. Not only are the absolute levels of strongly agree very high for the countries, but these levels have increased since the 2013 study. (Figure 5) As noted below, in Brazil, China, India, and Russia, over two thirds of the respondents now strongly agreed that they always seek out trusted sources. Figure 5 The new demands for trust A scan of news stories today across the world points to many instances where people have lost trust. We see them losing trust in government, religion, business, and in brands. A few facts to underscore this development: According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, when consumers around the world were asked about their level ofsatisfaction with the way their government is running their country, the highest scoring country reported only 31 per cent satisfaction. The same study from Edelman notes that two-thirds of the worlds countries have populations that fall into the distruster categoryand that this level is rising every year. A Cohn & Wolfe study in 2014 indicated that only 3 per cent of Americans, British, Italians, Swedes, French and Spaniards say that big businesses are very honest and transparent. And in Germany, the number is only 1 per cent. And the marketing world is not helping itself when it comes to engendering trust. A MediaBrix/ Forbes report indicates that 86 per cent of US Internet users feel they have been misled by videos that appeared to be content, but turned out to be sponsored ads. In the UK, only 20 per cent of consumers report a high level of confidence in information on social media (Source: YouGov.UK; 2014). And 57 per cent of marketers say that bad behavior by brands on social media is eroding trust in their content (Source: KeepSocialHonest.com/YouGov Survey). Marketers have heard for yearsand, of course, its really is common sense that having product information trusted by consumers is very important. Weve all seen report after report showing the connection between trust and higher purchase intent, stronger repeat purchases, higher share of wallet, a willingness to pay a price premium, and even stronger growth in a brands stock price. But what were seeing now is a dramatic increase in size of the trust hurdle consumers are putting up. If theres any doubt about the veracity of the information, todays consumer will turn elsewhere. At a global level, Figure 6 shows consumers are becoming more discriminating, and holding brands to higher standards than ever before. With the exception of Russia, again weve seen solid year-over-year growth in this measure since 2013. Figure 6 Figure 6 demonstrates that the demand for a higher standard translates to a greater seeking of trusted information on brands. And weve also seen an increase in consumers rejecting manufacturer-led information, with distrust being highest in China (Figure 8). Figure 7 Figure 8 In order to obtain a deeper understanding of this dynamic, we set out to understand which attributes drive brand trust in the minds of todays consumers. We factor analyzed 30 attributes (for example, reliability, transparency, responsiveness, innovation, etc.) globally and identified six different factors that contribute to trust with varying levels of influence. The top two drivers of trust were most closely connected to a manufacturers products: product performance and claim truthfulness. Product performance was seen as a function of quality (Im always confident in the quality of this brand), reliability (This brand always delivers what I expect) and the ability to meet expectations on a consistent basis (Im never disappointed with this brand). Claim truthfulness was considered a function of a brands character (This brand has a character that I respect; can always believe) coupled with a history of producing reliable claims in the past (I can always count on this brand to tell the truth about itself). The second, but significantly lower, set of drivers were innovation and customer-centricity, where innovative is considered a function of product updates (This brand is always up-to-date) and the frequency by which a manufacturer brings such products to market (This brand is a leader/continually innovates). Customer-centricity, seen as slightly less important than innovation and significantly less important than the product-related drivers, stemmed from a brand being seen as putting their consumers needs front and center (This brand has great respect for customers/is always looking out for its customers). While seen as viable factors, surprisingly support for social causes and transparency around criticisms werent considered critical drivers of brand trust. A few things for brands to consider Product efficacy rules the day. Building things that work (and that consumers have a need for) is a sure-fire way to gain their trust. These days, with the continued increases in available information, consumers are becoming increasingly skeptical. Its essential to pair good products with claims that accurately represent their effects without setting unfair or unrealistic expectations. Overpromises might get you the first sale, but theyre awfully hard to sustain over the long-term. Social responsibility efforts are good (and in some categories and emerging markets, essential), but they cant make up for product short-comings. Instead of funding expensive yet disconnected CSR efforts, brands might do better looking for ways to harness their products power in a participatory, socially responsible fashion. A recent example of this can be seen in Kimberly-Clarks efforts to remove the cardboard center tubes of its Scott Naturals brand toilet paper, or Crayola launching its Meld N Mold kit allowing kids to recycle old crayons and transform them into new packs of custom-colored crayons. While innovation is on the tongues of every TED-talking CEO, consumers are quickly becoming trained to expect fast turnarounds of the latest products. Once seen as the provenance of the Silicon Valley few is now the headline of the many, and while essential to driving revenue, innovation seems to come up a little short when driving the trust scores of todays consumer. Time will tell how consumers react to the ever-increasing wealth of information available to them at their fingertips. But one things for certain. A brand will always want consumers to answer affirmatively to the all-important question, can I trust you? Air Partner's Cabot Aviation, has delivered the first former Kenya Airways B777-200ER to Omni Air International, a US based airline providing global passenger ACMI, wet lease and charter programmes. The aircraft was originally delivered to Kenya Airways in 2007 and was operated by the airline on its scheduled routes - especially the long haul routes to Asia and Europe. The aircraft is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 892B engines. It was announced last month that Kenya Airways had entered into a sale agreement with Omni Air International to purchase two of its B777-200ER aircraft, the second of which will be delivered shortly. Cabot Aviation was appointed as Kenya Airways exclusive aircraft remarketing agent in August 2015 for four B777-200ERs, with the serial numbers 33681, 33682, 33683 and 36124. Kenya Airways continues to retain Cabot Aviation to remarket the two remaining Boeing B777-200ERs, which are available for immediate sale. Tony Whitty, Managing Director and founder of Cabot Aviation, said: We are delighted to have arranged this sale to Omni International and that the first aircraft has been promptly delivered. We wish Omni every success with its new B777-200ER, and look forward to the delivery of the second. Our focus is now on finding a new owner for the remaining two aircraft on behalf of Kenya Airways. Cody meets with Airmen during NORAD, USNORTHCOM tour Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody met with Airmen from here and nearby bases as he toured North American Air Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command Feb. 10-12. The top enlisted Airman held two all calls at Peterson Air Force Base to thank Airmen and NCOs, and to answer their questions ranging from performance reports to retirement plans. He said he was impressed at the questions posed to him at both enlisted calls, citing his overall impression of today's enlisted corps. "We have amazing men and women serving in our armed forces," he said. "When I get to spend time with Airmen, I see they're dedicated, they're proud, they're motivated and they're certainly very aware of what's going on in the geopolitical environment, the instability that exists around the globe, and their role in ensuring our nation's security." After speaking with the enlisted corps, he met with Fleet Master Chief Terrence Molidor, the NORAD and USNORTHCOM command senior enlisted leader, and toured the commands' operations center. "This was a great visit," said Molidor, a 32-year Navy veteran. "I spoke to him as I do each service's senior enlisted and said what we need from the Air Force is to continue sending us quality Airmen. Also, as the senior enlisted for the command, if we have a service-related issue we can't address with my senior enlisted advisors, he's the one I go to in order to get the final word, so just getting another chance to meet with him was helpful." This isn't the first time the Air Force's top enlisted leader has been to the command. He said he's familiar with the unique mission sets of the command and the importance of defending the homeland. "I certainly think 9/11 still weighs heavily on those who continue to serve," Cody said. "There's no lack of appreciation and understanding what those events signaled to our nation and how we have evolved from that time. I certainly believe our top leadership in Washington, D.C., clearly understands the importance of this command and what you do every day to secure our nation." He also gave thanks to the Canadian and interagency counterparts working shoulder to shoulder with U.S. service members, stopping to present recognition coins to four U.S. and one Canadian enlisted member for excellence. "We can't do it without the partnership," Cody said. "We all understand that. We have common interests here to be as effective and as responsive as absolutely necessary -- we need to be a team." Overall, Cody said today's enlisted force is the best trained, most educated and most experienced fighting force the world has ever known. "They step up to the plate every single day to ensure the security of the nation and they will ensure the generations that follow in their footsteps are even better than them," Cody said. "They're just a dedicated great group of people and our nation should be extremely proud and grateful they have the watch." Three members of the famed Tuskegee Airmen visited with Airmen at the Pentagon during a meet and greet hosted by Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James Feb. 16.Retired Col. Charles McGee and former Cadets William Fauntroy Jr. and Walter Robinson Sr. shared stories and insights about their lives as Tuskegee Airmen and as civilians after they left the military.I had a breadth of understanding of what could be, because I had accepted the training and the discipline, said Robinson, who went on to be the first black postal manager in Washington, D.C.The Tuskegee Airmen were named after the Tuskegee Army Airfield near Tuskegee, Alabama, where they received their pilot and aircraft maintenance training during World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen were not just flyers but also radio operators, navigators, bombardiers, aircraft maintainers, support staff, instructors, and all the personnel who kept the planes in the air.It was an interesting concept because the policy was we (blacks) werent capable of doing anything technical, to include maintaining and flying airplanes, McGee said.However, Congress passed a law allowing the Army to contract the primary phase of military pilot training to civilian schools; the Tuskegee Institute applied and received the contract.We couldnt fly yet, but our instructors were black pilots, McGee said.While the Tuskegee Airmen were still learning how to fly, they were also dealing with segregation.I hate(d) segregation, yet on the other hand it brought us together from 1941 to 1949, when the Air Force closed the segregated bases, McGee said. We became lifelong friends and we still get together annually; of course, some of us come in wheelchairs now, but thats life.Fauntroy, who grew up in the District, remembered the cadet corps at his high school and was surprised by the synergy he witnessed.The thing that impressed me at Tuskegee was how the pilots and mechanics worked so closely together, Fauntroy continued. Thats the one thing I liked about the Army Air Corps was that we were working together and when I started to fly, I understood if it wasnt for that guy taking care of this airplane, I wouldnt be up here flying it was a team concept.While the red jackets the Tuskegee Airmen wear symbolize their Red Tails name and the achievements in the sky above Germany during World War II, they also represent other victories as well. The 996 pilots and more than 15,000 ground personnel who served with these units flew more than 15,500 combat sorties and earned more than 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses.Have you heard of Double Victory? We were fighting a war against Hitler in Europe and we were fighting a war against racism at home, said McGee, who has more than 6,000 flying hours.The Tuskegee Airmens successes encouraged President Harry Truman to integrate the armed forces in 1948.We honor the service and sacrifice of all our Airmen year-round, but Id like to take a moment to highlight the Tuskegee Airmen, James said. Their legacy is so important, not just to our Air Force, but to our nation. Their skill and bravery in the skies over Europe helped us win the war against fascism and their perseverance at home helped us down the path of diversity in our military and our nation. -- The head of Operation Inherent Resolves air campaign said Feb. 18 the most precise air campaign in history has severely hurt terrorist plans across Iraq and Syria, with more airstrikes to come.There is no doubt coalition airpower has and continues to dramatically degrade Daeshs ability to fight and conduct operations, Lt. Gen. Charles Brown Jr., commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, said of the terrorist group also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.Ongoing missions by the 19-nation air coalition is exploiting ISILs weaknesses, as its leaders and fighters flee in large numbers due to effective airpower, said Brown, who serves as the operations combined forces air component commander.As the coalition has garnered a greater understanding of the enemy, our airpower efforts have evolved and its clear airpower is a vital element to this fight, Brown said from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.There are no plans for the air campaign to be impacted by a possible ceasefire to let nongovernmental agencies deliver food and medicine to starving civilians in besieged Syrian towns.It doesnt stop operations against Daesh or ISIL, Brown said of the relief effort. The areas where most of the humanitarian aid is going are areas where we dont operate.The general also denied coalition involvement in the Feb. 15 bombing of four hospitals and a school in northern Syria that left dozens of people dead.There are only two people flying in that area -- the Russians and the Syrians, Brown said of the non-coalition forces. I can guarantee you that it wasnt the coalition.Brown also touted successful airstrikes against ISIL-controlled oil facilities and monetary centers, saying that theyve crippled their financial resources. This has resulted in ISIL cutting funds to its fighters and combat operations.During strikes Feb. 13, Air Force and Navy aircraft wiped out five financial targets in a few minutes in downtown Mosul, Iraq, using precision-guided bombs, he said.I think it surprised Daesh because we were able to do very precise weaponeering in order to strike them and also minimize civilian casualties, he said.Coalition aircraft, he said, have performed almost 120 airstrikes on bulk cash sites, gas and oil separation plants, and crude oil collection points to date.Eight coalition nations recently dropped about 80 precision-guided bombs at the heart of terrorist command and control, logistics and sanctuary areas in Al Qaim, Iraq, and Abu Kamal, Syria, during another set of strikes, according to the general.The objective of the coalition airstrikes was to restrict Daesh movement throughout the Euphrates River Valley, he said.Airpower has been instrumental in ground operations, particularly in Ramadi, a former stronghold for the extremists.The recent success of Iraqi Security Forces in clearing Ramadi comes after months of supporting ground forces with close air support, he said.Brown credited airstrikes with helping take back the city of Sinjar in northern Iraq, as well as Hasakah and the Tishreen Dam in Syria.We are making progress, he said. We will continue delivering airpower to destroy and eventually defeat Daesh. At least 28 people were killed and 61 others were injured in a bomb attack on Feb. 17 targeting shuttles carrying military personnel in the Turkish capital Ankara. The Turkish General staff announced on Feb. 18 that 30 of the injured were discharged from hospitals while the other 31 were in fair condition, continuing to receive treatment in various hospitals. Turkey will use its legitimate right to defend itself always and everywhere, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement. Our determination to retaliate to these attacks that target our unity and our future, in Turkey and abroad, are increasing with such actions, he said. Turkeys losses in its struggle against terrorism are challenging its patience, he added, stressing that Turkey would overcome the attacks. Turkey will continue its struggle against these pawns and powers behind them, every day, with determination, he said. Erdogan has canceled a visit to Azerbaijan scheduled for Feb. 18, while Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who was scheduled to leave for Brussels later on Feb. 17, also canceled his visit. The attack occurred in the center of the city, just a few hundred meters away from the top military headquarters, parliament and prime ministers office. It happened at a time when a high-level security meeting was being held at the Presidential Palace under the chairmanship of Erdogan. We will never step back from our righteous struggle against all terror organizations, said Davutoglu in a written statement, following the security summit. The state of the Turkish Republic will keep defending humanitarian values that will primarily protect its national security in the name of all without digressing from the line of law and justice and without compromising to terror and violence, he said. The leaders of the three opposition parties in parliament condemned the attacks. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the attack was carried out with a car bomb. We are facing simultaneous terror attacks, as if they were controlled by the same people, trying to intimidate Turkey, Kurtulmus told reporters. We do not yet know the perpetrators of this attack, the deputy prime minister said, adding that seven prosecutors had been assigned to the case and those behind the attack would be found out as soon as possible. This attack did not only target our military personnel in those shuttles, Kurtulmus said. This attack openly targets out entire nation. We condemn those who carried out this attack, those who used the perpetrators as tools, and those who gave logistical, intelligence and even political support to such attacks, he said. Kurtulmus called on the international community to stand by Turkey. I want everybody to know that some plain condemnations no more satisfy Turkey. Whatever they do, the terrorist organizations and the powers behind them will not be able to reach their targets, he said. Most of the injured are in fair condition, Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said. Terror has attacked treacherously in Ankara. We curse this attack, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesman Omer Celik said on Twitter. Meanwhile, the Turkish General Staff also strongly condemned the attack in a statement, saying there were military personnel among the casualties. Deeply saddened, shocked by terror attack in Ankara. Our hearts and prayers go out to those who are affected, said U.S. Ambassador to Turkey John Bass said in a tweet. The British Ambassador to Turkey, Richard Moore, also extended his condolences via Twitter, giving solidarity messages. U.K. stands shoulder to shoulder with Turkey at this difficult time. Utterly condemn terrorism, Moore tweeted. Turkeys TV watchdog RTUK also imposed a broadcast ban on the attack, as it typically does after terrorist attacks in Turkey. The capital was already on alert after two suicide bombers killed 101 people on Oct. 10, 2015, during a demonstration of peace activists near Ankaras main train station, the bloodiest terror attack in the countrys modern history. The explosion follows an increasing number of attacks in the region over the last year, 12 January 2016 10 people were killed and 15 injured, including German tourists, in a suicide bomb attack in Istanbul. The Syrian attacker was affiliated with Isis and had entered Turkey as a refugee. 23 December 2015 A cleaner was killed in an early morning attack on Istanbuls second airport, Sabiha Gokcen International Airport. The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons claimed responsibility for the attack. It stated that the bombing was in response to the Turkish governments military actions against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). 1 December 2015 Five people were injured when a parcel bomb was planted near Istanbuls Bayrampasa Metro station during the citys evening rush hour. No groups came forward to claim responsibility for the attack. 10 October 2015 103 people were killed and 250 wounded when two suicide bombers targeted a peace rally in Ankara. The protestors had gathered together to stand against violence between the Turkish authorities and the PKK. The attack was the deadliest in Turkeys history. Isis cell members Yunus Emre Alagoz and Omer Deniz Dundar were identified as the attackers. 10 August 2015 Seven people, including five police officers were injured as a result of a bomb explosion at a police station in Istanbul. The Istanbul governors office said that the PKK were behind the attack. 20 July 2015 32 people were killed and over 100 injured in the town of Suruc by a suicide bombing, making it the second deadliest attack in 2015. Those hurt and killed were activists planning to travel to Kobane, Syria, to rebuild the town. Suicide bomber Seyh Abdurrahman Alagoz was an ethnic Kurd from Adiyaman and reportedly had links to Isis. 5 June 2015 The bombing at a pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party rally in Diyarbakr, killed four people and injured over 100. The attack occurred two days before parliamentary elections in Turkey. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. 6 January 2015 Diana Ramazova, a female suicide bomber detonated her vest at a police station in Istanbul killing one officer and injuring another. The Marxist-Leninist Revolutionary Peoples Liberation PartyFront claimed responsibility for the attack. Counter-terrorism, COP21, and Libyan Crisis in the heart of the talks between the King of Morocco Mohammed VI and F. Hollande The Moroccan sovereign King Mohammed VI held, Wednesday at the Elysee Palace in Paris, talks with French president Francois Hollande, expanded later to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Environment of both countries, the Advisors of the two heads of State and the respective ambassadors. During this summit meeting, the two heads of State have discussed an array of issues of common interest, primarily bilateral cooperation, the situation in North Africa, and the two countries joint efforts to fight terrorism. The French President thanked HM the King for His personal commitment in the success of COP21. In the spirit of Tangier Call of 20 September 2015 and in order to develop a strong and solidarity-based action for climate, the two Heads of States gave their high instructions to design a joint road map to maintain mobilization, reinforce coordination with the aim to ensure the ratification of all member States of the Paris agreement and guarantee the success of COP22, scheduled on November 7-18 in Marrakech. King Mohammed VI and French President discussed also regional issues, especially the Libyan conflict, which poses great challenges to security in the Maghreb and Eastern Mediterranean regions. The French President hailed the crucial role of Morocco in the process held under the auspices of the United Nations to reach the Skhirat Agreement to form a national unity government in Libya. The two heads of State called on the Libyan House of Representatives to quickly approve the new government so as to address the many challenges facing Libya and the broader region. Bilaterally, the two heads of State hailed the good progress of projects undertaken notably in economic and cultural fields. They also hailed the close cooperation in the fight against terrorism and transnational crime, and examined new cooperation perspectives, especially in the fields of security, de-radicalization, culture, co-existence and triangular cooperation in Africa. The Sovereign and French President noted with satisfaction the new impetus that drives the relationship between the two countries and reaffirmed their determination to continue their cooperation, in particular through strengthening regular cooperation mechanisms, so as to further place relations between Morocco and France under the seal of durability and excellence. After the talks, the Sovereign and the French President visited the Institute of the Arab World, where they followed a presentation about the project of the future Moroccan Cultural Centre in Paris. King Mohammed VI and French President Francois Hollande visited the Arab World Institute at the invitation of its President Jack Lang This visit was an opportunity to present to the Moroccan monarch and the French President, the project of the Moroccan Cultural Center, which will be built soon in Paris. The cultural center will showcase the Moroccan culture in its diversity. It will contribute in promoting the heritage and traditions of the Kingdom, and highlighting the contemporary Moroccan art scene in a spirit of partnership with Moroccan and French cultural institutions. The Moroccan cultural center in Paris will also contribute in strengthening ties between the Moroccan community living in France and their native country. This center, which will be built on a plot of 320 square meters, is designed with a contemporary architecture, in line with the ambition to be a meeting place between cultures. The project, which will require a budget of 7 million euros, will be completed with 24 months. The King and the French President also chaired, at the Arab World Institute headquarters, the signing ceremony of an agreement between the Directorate of Royal Archives and the Museum of the Order of the Liberation to organize, next October in the Invalides, an exhibition on Morocco, on the sixtieth anniversary of Independence. After successful exhibitions on Medieval Morocco and Contemporary Morocco, this event will be another opportunity to illustrate the unique relations between France and Morocco, which were forged throughout a rich shared history and the development projects launched by the Kingdom. Thereafter, the Sovereign visited the exhibition dedicated to the legend of Osiris which exhibits over 250 unpublished works and world heritage works, which were buried in the waters since antiquity, as well as forty works from Cairo and Alexandria museums. Minister of Trade and Industry Tarek Qabil asserted that President Abdel Fattah El Sisis upcoming visit to Japan, expected in late February, is an important step towards enhancing economic, trade and investment relations between the two countries and will offer a good chance to open new horizons for Egyptian exports on the Japanese market. The remark was made in a statement released on Saturday 13/02/2016 by the Trade and Industry Ministry following Qabils meeting with Japanese Ambassador in Cairo Takihiro Kagawa. Qabil said that Sisi will meet with senior Japanese officials topped by the prime minister and the Japanese Emperor. He will also hold meetings with Japanese parliament members and business community in the presence of a large number of representatives of Egyptian and Japanese companies. The visit will provide a good chance for reviewing available investment opportunities between the two countries and establishing partnership between the Egyptian private sector and its Japanese counterpart in view of Egypts launching of several mega national projects, added the statement. He also highlighted the importance of beefing up trade and investment relations as the figures of trade exchange did not reflect the depth of relations binding the two countries. The Japanese diplomat, for his part, asserted that his country is looking forward to Sisis visit at the end of the current month, noting that the visit would contribute to deepening bilateral relations, enhancing strategic political dialogue and beefing up economic cooperation. Takihiro also asserted that Japan is keen on encouraging Egypts efforts to achieve prosperity and economic progress through increasing its investments in Egypt in the coming phase, noting that the Middle East market has vast investment potentials. The Japanese diplomat extended an invitation to the Egyptian minister to attend a cooperation and partnership conference between Japan and African countries, due to be held in Morocco in May ISIS terrorists could have enough stolen radioactive material to build a potentially devastating dirty bomb to attack the US or Europe, a new report said Wednesday. The Iraqi government is frantically searching for the missing material, which was stored in a case about the size of a laptop computer and was taken last November from a storage building in southern Iraq near the city of Basra, Reuters reported. We are afraid the radioactive element will fall into the hands of Daesh, said a senior Iraqi security official, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS. They could simply attach it to explosives to make a dirty bomb, said the official, who works at the interior ministry. An American company named Weatherford, a contractor that services the oil and gas industry and that owned the storage facility, uses gamma rays from the material to detect flaws in pipelines. The material itself was owned by Istanbul-based SGS Turkey, according to officials. Large quantities of the material Ir-192, a radioactive isotope of iridium had previously disappeared in the US and several European countries. Authorities fear the materials could be used to make a dirty bomb, which combines radioactive material with explosives to spread deadly radiation across the target area. The wire service cited a document its reporters had seen dated Nov. 30 and addressed to the Iraqi environment ministrys Centre for Prevention of Radiation that describes the theft of a highly dangerous radioactive source of Ir-192 with highly radioactive activity belonging to SGS from a depot belonging to Weatherford in the Rafidhia area of Basra province. A senior environment ministry official based in Basra told Reuters the device contained up to .35 ounces of Ir-192 capsules. The material is classed as a Category 2 radioactive source by the International Atomic Energy Agency, meaning if not managed properly, it could cause permanent injury to a person close to it for even a few minutes or hours and could be deadly to anyone exposed over many hours. The ministry document said it posed a risk of bodily and environmental harm as well as a national security threat. A spokesman for Basra operations command, responsible for security in Basra province, said army, police and intelligence forces were working day and night to locate the material. An SGS official in Iraq declined to comment and referred Reuters to its Turkish headquarters, which did not respond to phone calls. A spokesman for Iraqs environment ministry said he could not discuss the issue, citing national security concerns. A Weatherford spokesman in Iraq declined to comment, and the companys Houston headquarters did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Meanwhile, Belgian police investigating the deadly Paris terror attacks discovered a lengthy video showing the home of a top official at the Belgian Nuclear Research Center, a new report said Wednesday. The 10-hour-long video was discovered during a raid linked to the Nov. 13 attacks, which killed 130 people and left another 368 injured, the Wall Street Journal reported. It showed the exterior of a home that investigators eventually figured out belonged to a man working in Belgiums nuclear world, said Thierry Werts, a spokesman for the federal prosecutors office. Werts said a surveillance camera had been concealed in a bush outside the mans home for an undisclosed amount of time. Despite the chilling discovery and rise in ISIS-inspired attacks in Europe and the US, Werts downplayed any possible links to terrorism. There is no element that says that this was to perpetrate an attack, Werts told the paper, while declining to identify the man or his role in the nuclear industry. But the Belgian daily De Standaard reported that the homeowner was a top official at the research center in Mol in the north of Belgium. The center does research into the uses of radioactivity for energy, industry and medicine. Solar tariffs are likely to fall further on a reduction in capital costs and solar power companies access to competitive funding, says India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra). Despite aggressive bidding, debt viability of projects with low execution and counter-party risks (especially those under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission scheme and Solar Park scheme), is likely to remain intact, said Ind-Ra in a press release. Solar tariff hit record low of Rs 4.34 per unit in an auction for a 70-mw solar plant under NTPCs Bhadla Solar Park tender last month. However, creditors will have to avoid the pitfalls of thermal power where aggressive assumptions and leverage build up at the holding company level to fund equity contributions in underlying special purpose vehicles resulted in significant stress, it said. According to the statement, the solar sector has huge potential and if developed responsibly, it could transform the structure of Indias power sector. Ind-Ra expects the developers will favor projects under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission scheme state projects on account of healthy credit profiles of the off-taker i.E. NTPC Ltd (IND AAA/ Stable/IND A1+) compared to weak credit profile of the state distribution companies. We expect the projects floated under the viability gap funding (VGF) scheme will attract larger participation provided the tariffs remain above Rs 5 per unit. Ind-Ra believes that with the increase in competition, a scenario of developers paying premiums instead of availing VGF funding (similar to the road project tenders back in 2012) cannot be ruled out, it said. The internal rate of return (IRR) for the recently awarded solar projects is likely to shrink to 12-14 per cent from the over 20 per cent registered by projects awarded over the past few years. Despite this, Ind-Ra believes that the credit profile of the projects will remain comfortable with an average debt service coverage ratio of 1.3x. A Syrian national with links to Syrian Kurdish militia carried out the suicide bombing in Ankara that targeted military personnel and killed at least 28 people, Turkeys prime minister said Thursday. Turkeys Kurdish rebels collaborated with the Syrian man to carry out Wednesdays attack, Ahmet Davutoglu said during a news conference. The attack was carried out by the PKK together with a person who sneaked into Turkey from Syria, Davutoglu said, referring to the Kurdistan Workers Party, known as the PKK. Authorities have detained nine people in connection with the attack, he said. Turkeys military, meanwhile, said its jets conducted cross-border raids against Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq, hours after the Ankara attack, striking at a group of about 60-70 rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. The car bomb went off late Wednesday in Turkeys capital during evening rush hour. It exploded near buses carrying military personnel that had stopped at traffic lights, in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters and lodgings. The blast was the second deadly bombing in Ankara in four months. Davutoglu confirmed earlier news reports that said the attacker was Syrian. Yeni Safak, a newspaper close to the government, said the assailant who detonated the car bomb near the military buses in an apparent suicide attack had been registered as a refugee in Turkey and was identified from his fingerprints. By Anne Dachel Thank you, Cathy Jameson, for alerting me to this story. KTVU TV in San Francisco said the pope gave the boy a vaccine and a hug. I hope he also said a prayer so that this child wouldn't have a reaction to the vaccine he gave him. What better proof could there be that vaccines are safe for every child? The Pope endorses them! Beyond that, as a Catholic and the mother of two vaccine-injured children, this leaves me speechless. From the various accounts in the news, it seems that Pope Francis helped launch a vaccine campaign against polio. The Pope also visited a children's cancer ward. I wonder if he thought about why so many children today have cancer and a host of other life-threatening conditions. Did he ask why their immune systems are so weak? Is there a chilling connection between the little boy getting the polio vaccine and the 15-year-old cancer patient who sang "Ave Maria" for him? Web Toolbar by Wibiya Saudi Arabia, the leader of Arab world and Turkey the only Muslim country in Europe, have conducted quiet diplomacy in recent times on streamlining and strengthening bilateral ties and both agreed weeks ago in Riyadh to form a Strategic Cooperation Council to coordinate and develop relations between the countries in terms of economic, political, defense, security, education and health issues. Before that, the custodian of the two holy mosques, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud received Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu at his palace in Riyadh during the prime ministers official visit Jan. 31. During his visit to Riyadh, Davutoglu met with a number of Saudi businessmen, was keen to persuade them to increase the size of their investments in Turkey. Following the meeting between the Saudi king and Davutoglu, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir agreed to implement the Strategic Cooperation Council and appoint two joint presidents for the council. The meeting followed up on discussions in December, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia. The crown prince had visited Ankara in April 2015 a few hours before Erdogans visit to Iran, so as to brief Erdogan on Tehrans security interventions in the Gulf and military interference in Yemen.Turkey is characterized by its strategic location linking Europe and Asia and its growing and diversified economy under the rule of the Islamic Justice and Development Party (AKP). The AKP has implemented an economic program designed to reduce imports, focusing on producing and exporting local products based on local raw materials and establishing international business partnerships with Europe and oil-rich countries in the Middle East. This is not to mention Turkeys military power, as it has the second-largest army in NATO with 670,000 soldiers, following that of the USA.The relationship between Turkey and Saudi Arabia until now has been treated as almost sacrosanct. Although Turkish and Saudi views on regional issues do not always coincide, both Ankara and Riyadh have kept their bilateral relations away from regional squabbles. Turks, in general, associate Saudi Arabia with pilgrimage (Hajj) and oil prices. Aware of the tense rivalry for regional influence between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Turkey has tried to maintain good relations with both countries, and it was in Syria that Turkish and Saudi interests meshed. NATO member Turkey and a close US ally Saudi Arabia also are focusing on military cooperation, especially with regard to Syria and Egypt.The royal palace in Riyadh welcomed Davutoglu with a luncheon by Prime Minister Salman in the presence of senior Saudi officials, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef. The lunch also included the Saudi defense minister and chairman of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who later held a meeting with Davutoglu, given that the deputy crown prince is responsible for the military and economic affairs in Saudi Arabia.The final signing of the council agreement is scheduled during Salmans visit to Turkey to participate in the 13th session of Islamic summit on April 10-15, which is held every three years. The summit will be held in Istanbul under the auspices of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which was established in September 1969 and includes 57 member states on four continents.Turkey seeks, through its Strategic Cooperation with Riyadh, to increase Saudi investment in Turkey, which currently amounts to about $2 billion namely in real estate and other activities such as industry, tourism and energy to $25 billion by 2023. Ankara also seeks to obtain a bigger share of development projects in Saudi Arabia to the benefit of 200 Turkish companies operating in the field of construction and contracting, whose investments reached $1 billion during 2015. According to sources, a group of Turkish companies would land contracts with the Saudi Housing Ministry for the construction of residential units with an area of 300 million square meters (3.2 billion square feet); while the value could be as much as $240 billion.Despite the expected benefits on the political and military levels after the cooperation agreement is enacted, and despite the AKPs positive stance and support of Saudi Arabia and its genuine endeavor to promote cooperation between the two countries, Saudis who are banking on any foreign military and economic alliances should be realistic and cautious in their optimism. This is especially true since the Turkish government might be powerful, but is not very likely to demonstrate the same influence and power abroad as the Saudis wish given Turkeys economic considerations with Iran, and for military reasons, as it is a member of NATO, not to mention the security reasons in light of the battle with armed Kurdish groups at home.Saudi Arabia has delivered tactical nuclear weapons to Turkey. Turkey already has 84 nuclear weapons at Incirlik Air Base but under NATO control. Both Saudi Arabia and Turkey have American planes, both F 15 and F 16 modified for nuclear attack by Israel. America has removed all nuclear attack planes from Turkey under orders of President Obama. Many in Europe want to divide NATO and Turkey. Rumors have it that Turkey has a contingency plan to seize the NATO nuclear arsenal at Incirlik with the help of Saudi Special Forces, who have been trained in Israel to defeat US nuclear weapon security measures. Saudi Arabia is moving planes to the American nuclear base in Turkey. Turkey has not raised its voice against Riyadh while disparaging other countries.It is worth considering the policy of these two nations towards Shiite Iran. Both were disturbed by Irans expansionist and sectarian attitude. Iran is spending massive resources on shedding Muslim blood and destabilizing Muslim countries. The Saudi kingdom seems to feel besieged. They are thinking of overcoming that sentiment by forming a Sunni bloc against Iran. Israel will of course be delighted with the idea and the USA may feel it is obtaining another pressure element against Iran in their nuclear talks. The Saudis, well aware of Irans influence on the Shiites and other non-Sunni Muslims, want to pull in Turkey and Egypt to the bloc they want to form.Riyadh, uncomfortable with Irans growing influence over Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, is pulling Turkey to its side. Saudi Arabia is anxiously looking at Irans growing power and influence in the Arab region following the relief of international sanctions by Europe, the USA and the International Atomic Energy Agency, not to mention lifting the ban on its oil exports, which allowed it to restore half of its frozen assets abroad, amounting to $100 billion. In this context, Riyadh is turning toward Sunni-dominated Turkey, considering that the close economic, security and military ties have become a strategic need to protect the security of the Gulf and reduce the risk of Iranian influence in the smoldering Arab areas such as Iraq, Syria and Yemen.Davutoglus criticism of Irans behavior with its Arab neighbors during his interview with Al-Arabiya channel Feb. 3, although he described Iran as a friendly and neighboring country to avoid raising Tehrans ire; there is $14 billion in trade between Turkey and Iran. Escalating sectarian tensions owing to Iranian influences in the region will have no benefit for Turkey and any other country. It will mean more violence and death.Despite their regional rivalry, Turkey has never deviated from its stable relations with Iran in the past. The two countries have not been engaged in a border conflict since 1639 and realize the importance of understanding each other, and somehow getting along. However, this new polarization Ankara officials promote as partnership against sectarianism of Iran may well serve only to inflame sectarian conflict and negatively impact that stability.The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador to Ankara on Jan. 7 to protest Iranian media outlets that had linked Erdogans recent visit to Saudi Arabia and Riyadhs death sentence against Shiite Saudi cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. This is not to mention the Iranian media accusing Erdogan of previously being aware of Riyadhs decision and of coordinating with Saudi authorities to implement the death sentence against Nimr. These accusations came in response to Erdogans statements that the death sentence is a Saudi internal affair. Web Toolbar by Wibiya Web Toolbar by Wibiya Have you ever tried having healthy, organic food from China? Well, if you have, you might be in for a surprise. After extensive research, Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, reveals that organic products from China are largely a hoax. Basically, there is no limit to how much mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic and aluminum is allowed in organic products. The USDA organic standards place no limits on levels of heavy metals in organic food. Organic certification, really, does nothing to address environmental sources of pollution such as chemtrails, contaminated irrigation water, and fallout from industrial or chemical factories that might be nearby. A certified organic farmer can use polluted water on their crops and still have the crops labeled organic. As such, the environment in which organic foods are produced is critical to the cleanliness of the final product. Unfortunately for consumers, China, one of the biggest producers of organic food, is one of the most polluted countries in the world. Why do so many formulators and food companies in the USA still buy ingredients from China? Well, if you want to learn more about how much of an environmental nightmare China is, read the below excerpt of the Health Rangers take on the topic: Raw materials from China are cheap! Across the board, raw materials (foods, superfoods, supplements) from China are about 1/4th the cost of materials grown in North America or Europe. This means getting your ingredients from China grants your product a lot more profit in the marketplace. For those selling through Whole Foods whose product shelves are littered with ingredients made in China this profit margin is essential to economic survival. If youre buying a superfood powder sold at Whole Foods and paying $50 at retail, the actual ingredient cost that goes into that superfood canister is often as little as $5. So sourcing those materials from China is crucial to having the margins. Whole Foods might only pay your company $22 or so for a product they sell at $50. So your company has to buy the materials, pay for shipping, insurance, labor, packaging, formulations and everything else and still somehow make a profit to stay in business. So you source from China. You make a really nice-looking label, you get it certified organic with a nice USDA logo on it, and you sell it to Whole Foods which adds another layer of legitimacy to the product. But inside the bottle, there could be mercury hiding in there. Or pharmaceutical residues. Or pesticide residues. Or just about anything, including melamine. Now, obviously Whole Foods has a level of quality control in place, and they do require C of As for products they carry. But China is expert at FAKING these documents and tricking importers, formulators and manufacturers. In China, the idea of forging a laboratory analysis document is no big deal. Fabricating fake documents is routine. You have to understand the philosophy of these people living without any code of ethics, surviving under a police state communist regime: There are no ethics. No values. No moral compass. Forging a fake lab report is no different to them than planting seeds: its just one more step needed to make money. There is no moral difference in their minds between telling the truth and lying. Its a relativistic morality philosophy. Im not saying all people in China are liars and deceivers. But a lot of them are. Anyone who has actually lived there for any length of time knows exactly what Im talking about. This is a country where deceptive manufacturers take white sesame seeds and coat them in toxic black ink just to sell them as black sesame seeds. This is a country where infant formula producers spike their formula with kidney-destroying melamine in order to make an extra five cents a pound, even while killing babies by the thousands. THEY DONT CARE. China is a nation that has abandoned morality and even attacked it. This is a country where the Falun Gong group of meditation advocates and yoga practitioners is arrested and thrown in prison by an extremely oppressive, dictatorial government. Look, cultures are different everywhere around the world. You want to hang out with really nice, intelligent and honest people? Get yourself some Dutch friends. Theyre the most upstanding, moral, educated bunch of folks youll ever meet. You want to hang out with highly-innovative rule followers? Get yourself some German friends. They follow the rules. And theyre smart, innovative people on top of that. Brilliant minds. Some of the greatest scientists in history came out of Berlin. You want some friends who are wildly creative? Those are Americans. Americans make the best movies, the best music (well, along with UK musicians anyway), and a lot of the best computer software on the planet. Americans are rebels. They break the rules and forge a new path. America is a nation founded on rebellion. But if youre looking for people who will stab you in the back in a business deal, go the China. There, you will find the most back-stabbing, dishonest cheaters and liars youll probably ever meet, short of Nigeras Prince Nubula whose emails promise youll receive a million dollars if you only send them $5,000 first. Why you wont hear this truth anywhere else I know that telling the truth is unpopular and not politically correct. Im not interested in winning a popularity contest. What Im doing here is flat-out telling the truth that most other people are too afraid to say on their own: The very idea of organic coming out of China is a disturbing contradiction. And organic standards have a huge gap in the fact that they dont require foods to actually be free from mercury or other contaminants. Overall, organic is a wonderful standard and Ive been a strong advocate of organic, but when a USDA organic label is slapped on a product grown in China, you really have to scratch your head and say, Yeah, it might be organic, but is it clean? It may be, but you just dont know until you test it. Organic grown in the USA can be assumed to be clean, but organic grown in China must be assumed contaminated unless proven otherwise. Until China enforces some really strict environmental standards, organic from China is largely a fraud in my opinion. Its a hoax. You can lie to yourself and say, Well its ORGANIC so it must be clean! but youll be swallowing mercury, lead, pesticides and other synthetic chemicals in various amounts. Laboratory tests confirm everything Im telling you here. This is the dirty little secret of the organic food industry that nobodys talking about. Chinas environmental nightmare Just how polluted is Chinas environment? As I mentioned above, its so bad that a Chinese environmental official was recently offered over US$30,000 to take a 20-minute swim in a local river. He declined the offer, as would any sane person. Are these the same rivers that are being used to produce organic crops in China? You have to wonder. A river can be so inundated with smelting factory runoff and chemical pollution that even bacteria struggle to survive in it; yet this water can be legally sprayed on crops that are exported to America as organic. If you buy organic foods, superfoods or supplements grown in China, you need to know about this. As The Guardian reports: A recent government study found that groundwater in 90% of Chinas cities is contaminated, most of it severely. The head of Chinas ministry of water resources said last year that up to 40% of the countrys rivers are seriously polluted, and an official report from last summer found that up to 200 million rural Chinese have no access to clean drinking water. By the way, this is another story altogether, but I can tell you with 100% certainty that China is headed for an environmental collapse. The country has polluted itself far beyond the point of long-term sustainable life. Children are being born as mutants. Rivers support no fish life. Soils are building up obscene levels of contaminants and becoming so toxic that crop yields are affected. Cities are so filled with airborne pollution that the mere act of breathing causes cancer. And on top of that, Chinas one-child policy has resulted in mass gendercide where baby girls are routinely and yes, I mean ROUTINELY murdered, drowned, suffocated, etc., because the family wants a son, not a daughter. In its quest for economic power, China has poisoned itself to death, and now its only a matter of time before the nation collapses in a cesspool of toxicity and lies. The economic boom of China is nearly over, and it will be followed by an environmental implosion so huge and disgusting that the world will be absolutely horrified. Remember: China is so corrupt that it wont stop factories from openly dumping toxic waste directly into the groundwater supplies. Instead of acknowledging the source of pollution, Chinese officials simply accept bribes and cover it up. The corruption in China is so deeply rooted in the culture that honesty and accountability can never overcome the deception. With some exceptions, when you buy food grown in China, you are buying food produced in the most toxic environment on planet Earth, grown by some of the most deceptive and most corrupt liars and back-stabbers on the planet, all ruled by one of the most dictatorial and tyrannical governments history has ever known. That about sums it up. Ultimately, China has a terminal environmental crisis on its hands, compounded by an eternally corrupt, dictatorial communist regime government that oppresses freedom and outlaws religion while forcing families to kill their own baby girls under its population control mandates. In summary, China suffers from: An environmental nightmare An almost complete abandonment of morals and integrity A deeply corrupt communist police state political system that mandates the mass murder of baby girls Is this the vibe you really want to be putting into your body? Source used: NaturalNews.com Read more Web Toolbar by Wibiya (NaturalNews) According to the latest report by CIBC World Markets, legalizing marijuana in Canada could create a $10 billion a year industry. Whilst it's understandably difficult to get real data on marijuana use, a survey by Statistics Canada suggests that 12% of Canadians have admitted to smoking pot. In British Columbia, marijuana consumption is estimated at being a $400 million industry, and if those figures are applied to the Canadian population of pot smokers, the industry would be around the $3 billion mark. Experts predict, however, that by using Colorado's legalization experience as a model, the market could be much larger than that. Legalization in Colorado Legalization in Canada In Colorado, in 2014, the spending on marijuana totaled $700 million, which also yielded sales tax and licensing revenues of $75 million. It is predicted that this year pot sales will reach $1 billion.Whilst it is possible that Colorado's data is skewed by tourist buyers who are literally just visiting the state to legally buy pot if you adjust this number to Canadian dollars and examine the population figures, the industry could be worth $10 billion.There are reports that crime rates have dropped since the legalization of marijuana in Colorado with both burglaries and robberies decreasing between 1 and 10% over the past three years. It is too soon to say that this is a downward trend, however the legalization of pot is considered to play some part in these figures.It is thought that of the potential $10 billion made from the pot market, the Canadian government could take in a share of more than 50%, depending upon the level of "sin tax" that is applied which is currently high on products like alcohol and tobacco.A campaign by Liberal in Canada states that the current system of marijuana prohibition in the country does not work, as it totally prevents young people from smoking pot and too many end up with criminal records some just for possessing small amounts of the drug.The cost of arresting and prosecuting Canadians for these offenses is extremely expensive for the criminal justice system, with all the proceeds from the illegal drug trade supporting organized crime and threats to public safety such as human trafficking and hard drugs.Liberal suggests removing marijuana consumption and incidental possession from the existing Criminal Code, whilst introducing new, stronger laws that severely punish those who provide the drug to minors, operate a vehicle under the influence, or sell outside the proposed regulatory framework.The plan is to create a federal task force and design a new system of strict marijuana sales and distribution, under the advice and guidance of experts in public health, substance abuse and law enforcement.A combination of a proposal such as this one from Liberal, with the Colorado model, could not only save money on arresting and persecuting Canadians for small amounts of marijuana use, but generate an income that simply cannot be ignored.On the one hand, it is worth noting that the predicted revenues would only be achieved if underground sales of marijuana are effectively extinguished; 70% of pot currently grown isn't sold domestically so would not be taxable. But on the other, the income that can be made from the legalization of pot, and the impact it will have on government funds, is worth considering.1. VancityBuzz.com 2. TheCannabist.co 3. Liberal.ca The St. Odisho Assyrian Church in Tel Tal, Syria, was bombed by ISIS on April 28, 2015. (AINA) -- A coalition of 110 organizations and individuals has sent a letter to President Obama urging him to recognize the crimes committed by ISIS against minorities in the Middle East as genocide. The letter was spearheaded by the International Religious Freedom Roundtable. The Obama administration and the U.S. State Department have signalled that only the crimes committed by ISIS against Yazidis will be designated as genocide (AINA 2015-11-13). The letter urges President Obama to designate the actions of ISIS as genocide for all groups, not only Yazidis, saying "Mr. President, we urge you to designate the actions perpetrated by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria against Christians -- Assyrians/Chaldeans/Syriacs, Copts, etc. -- Yazidis, Shia Muslims, Turkmen (Shia), Shabak and other religious minorities as genocide." ISIS has relentlessly attacked many religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria, with the brunt of their attacks falling on Assyrians and Yazidis. Hundreds of Assyrians have been killed in Syria and Iraq, 200,000 Assyrians were driven from their homes in the Nineveh Plains of north Iraq. Yazidis have been killed, driven from their homes and their women captured and sold into sexual slavery. Here is the text of the letter: President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President, We write as an informal and diverse group of non-governmental organizations and individuals who are scholars, religious leaders, and human rights advocates to urge you to declare the Islamic State's systematic destruction of the ancient religious minority communities in Iraq and Syria including Christians--Assyrians/Chaldeans/Syriacs, Copts, etc.--Yazidis, Shia Muslims, Turkmen (Shia), Shabak and others to be genocide. Last October the International Religious Freedom Roundtable wrote to you regarding the genocide that is taking place and since that time the Islamic State has continued its reign of terror and destruction. There is a growing chorus of political and faith leaders, genocide scholars, human rights experts and numerous Iraqi and Syrian, Christian and Yazidi firsthand testimonies recognizing that the most accurate description for the atrocities unfolding at the initiative of the Islamic State is genocide. On December 29, 2015, former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, stated, "I am now sure we have enough evidence, what is happening is genocide deliberately aimed at destroying lives and wiping out the existence of Christians and other religious minorities." We believe that without a formal declaration the U.S. Government has abdicated its duty and vow to confront the most heinous of human rights violations, namely genocide. As you are aware, the Omnibus bill that you signed into law on December 18, 2015, contains a provision requiring Secretary Kerry to provide an evaluation to Congress of "the persecution of, including attacks against, Christians and people of other religions in the Middle East" and determine whether such attacks constitute genocide. This report is required within 90 days from the passage of the bill. Between now and March 16, 2016, your Administration has a tremendous opportunity to extend American leadership at a crucial time on behalf of the ancient religious and ethnic minority communities who are experiencing the most brutal reality imaginable -- genocide. In their most recent report, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq -- Human Rights Office stated clearly that "ISIL continue to target members of different ethnic and religious communities," expounding further "[t]hese acts appear to form part of a systematic and widespread policy that aims to suppress, permanently expel, or destroy many of these communities within ISIL areas of control." On February 4, 2016, the European Parliament adopted a resolution designating the crimes the Islamic State has committed against ethnic and religious minorities as genocide. In the declaration, they remind other signatories of the 1948 U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide to acknowledge the crimes of the Islamic State and to coordinate with the larger international community. At this critical juncture, a designation of genocide by the United States would strengthen the actions of the international community and further extend American leadership. Given the growing preponderance of evidence, it is now possible to categorically affirm that the Islamic State clearly demonstrates intent as well as acts based upon that intent to commit genocide against Christians--Assyrians/Chaldeans/Syriacs, Copts, etc.--Yazidis, Shia Muslims, Turkmen (Shia), Shabak and other religious minorities in Iraq and Syria. Illustrating this intent, for example, in October 2014 in the fourth issue of Dabiq, the Islamic State's propaganda magazine, they featured a cover photo showing a black Islamic State flag flying over the Vatican and wrote: And so we promise you [O crusaders] by Allah's permission that this campaign will be your final campaign. It will be broken and defeated, just as all your previous campaigns were broken and defeated, except that this time we will raid you thereafter, and you will never raid us. We will conquer your Rome, break your crosses, and enslave your women, by the permission of Allah, the Exalted. This is His promise to us; He is glorified and He does not fail in His promise. If we do not reach that time, then our children and grandchildren will reach it, and they will sell your sons as slaves at the slave market" [Indeed Your Lord Is Ever Watchful]. More recently, in November 2015, Dabiq again restated the intention of the Islamic State: And nothing changes for the Islamic State, as it will continue to pronounce takfir upon the Jews, the Christians, the pagans, and the apostates from the Rafidah, the Nusayriyyah, the Sahwah, and the tawaghit. It will continue to wage war against the apostates until they repent from apostasy. It will continue to wage war against the pagans until they accept Islam. It will continue to wage war against the Jewish state until the Jews hide behind their gharqad trees. And it will continue to wage war against the Christians until the truce decreed sometime before the Malhamah. Thereafter, the slave markets will commence in Rome by Allah's power and might. These statements of intent are matched with well-documented acts of destruction based upon that intent. This includes kidnapping, raping and enslaving Christian and Yazidi women; beheading Christians who refuse conversion; mass Yazidi graves; pillaging and wiping out traditional Christian and Yazidi communities; and destroying places of Christian and Yazidi worship, some of which had been in operation for more than one thousand years. Designating the crimes committed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria as genocide against Christians--Assyrians/Chaldeans/Syriacs, Copts, etc.--Yazidis, Shia Muslims, Turkmen (Shia), Shabak and other religious minority communities would build upon your 2015 National Security Strategy which acknowledges, "We have a strong interest in leading an international response to genocide and mass atrocities when they arise, recognizing options are more extensive and less costly when we act preventively before situations reach crisis proportions." And which further promises, "We will work with the international community to prevent and call to account those responsible for the worst human rights abuses, including through support to the International Criminal Court, consistent with U.S. law and our commitment to protecting our personnel. Moreover, we will continue to mobilize allies and partners to strengthen our collective efforts to prevent and respond to mass atrocities using all our instruments of national power." Such a designation would further support your December 23, 2015, "Statement on Persecuted Christians at Christmas" where you rightly noted, "In some areas of the Middle East where church bells have rung for centuries on Christmas Day, this year they will be silent; this silence bears tragic witness to the brutal atrocities committed against these communities by ISIL." Mr. President, we urge you to designate the actions perpetrated by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria against Christians--Assyrians/Chaldeans/Syriacs, Copts, etc.--Yazidis, Shia Muslims, Turkmen (Shia), Shabak and other religious minorities as genocide. Time and again the Islamic State has committed crimes with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the ethnic and religious minority communities of Iraq and Syria. The world is watching and clear moral leadership by your Administration is needed to declare and subsequently stop such atrocities in order to preserve these ancient communities. It is our belief that officially declaring and subsequently halting this genocide is a matter of vital moral and strategic importance for the United States, the international community, and the overall state of religious freedom around the world. Thank you for your consideration. Respectfully, Chris Seiple President Emeritus, Institute for Global Engagement Co-Chair, International Religious Freedom Roundtable Greg Mitchell President, The Mitchell Firm Co-Chair, International Religious Freedom Roundtable Organizations 21St Century Wilberforce Initiative American Mesopotamian Organization American Syriac Union Americans For Democracy And Human Rights In Bahrain Armenian National Committee Of America Assyrian American National Federation Assyrian Universal Alliance, Americas Chapter Beth Nahrain Organization For Women Iraq Bethnahrin Patriotic Union Iraq Boat People Sos Center For Inquiry Church Of Scientology National Affairs Office Coptic Solidarity Dwekh Nawsha Assyrian Army European Syriac Union Freemuslim Association Hindu American Foundation In Defense Of Christians (Idc) Institute For Global Engagement Institute On Religion And Democracy International Christian Concern International Institute For Religious Freedom Iraqi Christian Relief Council Jubilee Campaign Usa Nineveh Council Of America Patriot Voices Philos Project Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church Of America Shai Fund Shia Rights Watch Syriac National Council Of Syria Syriac Union Party Syria Syriac Women Union Syria Syriac Youth Union Syria United Macedonian Diaspora Universal Syriac Union Party Lebanon World Without Genocide At Mitchell Hamline School Of Law Zentrum Fur Politische Schonheit Individuals, with title and organization for identification purposes An Open Admonition Of Reconsideration To The Immoral, Corrupt Supreme Court of New Jersey ***[An Open Admonition Of Reconsideration To The Immoral, Corrupt Supreme Court of New Jersey And The Arrogant, Ignorant, Idiotic And Moronic Tarattair Justices Of Both The United States Supreme Court And The Supreme Court Of New Jersey]*** To All Tarattair Justices Local and National: Tarattair National Justices: Chief Tartor John Roberts, following by Tartor and Tartora Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan Tarattair Local Justices: Chief Tartor Stuart Rabner, following by Tartor and Tartora Jaynee LaVecchia, Barry Albin, Anne Patterson, Faustino Fernandez-Vina, Lee Solomon and Mary Cuff TAKE NOTICE THAT the undersigned hereby filed this Open Admonition Of Reconsideration to merely challenge the absurd and baseless denial entered and signed by the Chief Local Tartor Stuart Rabner concerning the meritorious petition and question to contest the frivolous insanity Order entered by the ignorant Superior Court Judge, compelling him to impose his own legislation defying of the law and restriction to ride with a specific medical transportation company for which particular company went [out] of business more than three months prior [t]o issuing [t]he Order under appeal [.] This unlawful and unheard of preposterous restriction, notwithstanding, can [not] be found within any term of the insurance policy issued by the primary Defendants [.] Whether the phony, rubbish laws, statutes and rules of the "United States of America", including the long deceased constitution agree or disagree, they [only] have their right place and status within the trash can [.] [T]he idiotic and moronic Tarattair and Tartorat Justices named above, National and Local, [must] figure out and answer to their public and the outside world, which is more important, how an individual could [be] compelled by [a] farce, corrupt and strayed "Kangaroo Court" and/with "hop hop" (Judicial System Federal / State) could possibly ride with [a] particular transportation company that does [NOT] exist ? ? [?] Unless both National and Local Tarattair come forward with their glamorous and magical philosophical "law" and lo[w] answer since the word "denial" itself hanging alone in another (higher) "Kangaroo Court's Order" can [not] and must [not] fit anywhere in the legal arena but in your rear end (with all due respect) [.] Respect yourself and your legal duty and obligation to earn the public respect and trust Otherwise, the admonition and/or reprimand is the proper forum to deter you and other strayed Tarattair and Tartorat elsewhere from straying into prohibited terrain [.] Can they show the world the (integrity) or ("the interest of justice") ("on their own motion") which require[s] by the genuine civilized justice existed elsewhere [T]hey DO [NOT] know about [i]t We certainty doubt Can they prove us wrong [N]o Tartor or Tartora in anywhere in the entire world ever possessed the virtue of neither integrity nor moral courage with [no] exception to those implicated herein [.] Despite of pointing out and alerting them concerning the delay in serving the court orders orchestrated by the lower court, the neglectful systematic practices of the same still continued with no indication of change. [T[]he underlying Order enter[ed] on the 2nd filed on the 5th of the month their postal metering seal indicated "06" received today however, they [are] fully aware of the obviously clear misconduct conducted and adhered to by the corrupt government, tampering with the mail, intercepting, opening the incoming and outgoing mail contributed to the aftermath of September 11th for which immoral and unlawful spying conduct creating more of [a] delay. The appellant afterward bear[s] the burden to file his/her reconsideration "within 10 days" or throw oneself at the mercy of the Tarattair and Tartorat How merciful are they here ? ? [?] To beat their cunning, faxing is the [only] merciful method for an assurance of serving [.] To remind the outside world which is more concerned with many values and principles that [are] at stake here this dramatic dilemma and saga is [NOT] about the undersigned legal quandary. The criticism of the American Judicial System has been familiar and ongoing for many and many decades for a long time by the American Public and around the world alike. By closely following the presidential campaign for every campaigning candidate running for the White House, you are going to hear the same phrase and slogan over and over and over again regarding "The Broken Justice System" The last one was made fresh recently on February 9, 2016 after winning the democratic primary in New Hampshire, he vowed, "To Fix The Broken Justice System" [.] [T]hese operative words were [NOT] the undersigned words [.] [T]hey were theirs [.] Even though he seemed to be an honest old man who may deliver his words unlike other "professional liars", but he still does [not] have the moral courage as the rest of the American Society to spell out the fundamental corruption problem within the foundation of the American Judiciary itself. This obvious obstacle, [no] one would dare to talk about for the lack of courage and decency, grounded in choosing the majority of those corrupt Tarattair and Tartorat Justices and Judges in America by the corrupt politicians on the basis of one familiar religious sector that deeply molded with hatred and animosity toward the entire world for their fabricated "holocaust" for which committed and perpetrated by [a] maniac hatred dictator [one] of [t]heir own breed [,] whose father, mother and grandfather related to the same religion [.] The deepest rusted mentality in which surrounded and distinguished itself with this deep prejudiced, animosity and hatred toward the entire world, can [never] ever serve justice to anyone but their own [.] According to the census of Germany issued on or about (June 16, 1933), the Jewish population of Germany was approximately (505,000) out of the entire population of (67) million people, at that point in time. Some eighty (80%) percent (about 400,000) of the Jews held German citizenship. The remainder was mostly Jews of Polish citizenship. Many of the Polish Jews had been born in Germany and had permanent resident status [.] To that end, the Germans had [only] half million Jews altogether in their pocket [i]f, in fact, all were burned. This systematic statistic altogether covered those who fled and managed to escape to other places in Europe, North Africa as well the Middle East fearing the Nazi's massive prejudicial unjustified discrimination against everybody [,] and [not] necessarily for the "holocaust" as the universally subservient Zionist media intended hardly to trick or deceive the entire world [.] Accordingly, [w]here the six figure number of ("6 million") Jews [came] from [w]hen the entire Jewish population in all Europe back then did [not] even come close to reach or match [a] quarter of that huge number of the incredibly unbelievable dreaming of [a] ("6 million") Hollywood imaginary style scenario and nightmare episode [.] [I]t can [NOT and must [NOT] be true [.] Enough [is] enough [.] This bogus assertion, combined with the latest ludicrous claim lately made by the arrogant (war criminal) Israeli Prime Minister to frame an Arabic cleric in "advising" the butcher Nazi monster leader on "Extermination of Jews", [h]as undermine[d] the credibility of the whole fake and unfounded episode to begin with [no] matter what intensifies the decorating lie [.] [I]f this was the case, [t]hey should have done [i]t themselves before let them ("the Zionism") ("the chosen professional liars") sneaking in and occupy[ing] the Arabic and Islamic Palestine [.] We must draw a definitive line and a clear distinction here between the Jewish faith and the ugly and brutal Zionism to avoid the confusion and misinterpretation of those arrogant, idiotic and moronic everywhere out there. We are not oblivious of the fact regarding whoever attempts to criticize them puts literally his livelihood and, at times, his very life in jeopardy, if not in serious danger. Regardless of the Zionist media blackout and easy deceptive resort to terror the simple truth will remain forever unrefuted and irrefutable as utterly emphasized in their faith [:] ACCORDING TO THE JEWISH FAITH AND TORAH LAW THE JEWISH PEOPLE [ARE] FORBIDDEN TO HAVE THEIR [OWN] STATE WHILE AWAITING [T]HE MESSIANIC ERA ! ! [!] [T]his namely decisive term and obligatory condition or rather restriction (unlike the one we debate here) of "The Messianic Era" HAS [NOT] COME YET at least from their point of views and/or perspective in understanding the crux principle of [t]heir core religion [.] [U]ntil such an awaiting time and place emerges, they should, [i]f they were true believers in their conviction and faith, [t]ake back this undeniable truth based on their [own] faith and belief and throw it at the monster face of the hypocrite bloody (Satan) called himself "Balfour" for the mess bloodshed he created and left behind by his rusted evil mind in order to appease the Zionist organization he belonged to and admired. We certainly will find out whether the useless frenzy media can overcome or supersede the powerful words and ideas of literature and philosophy for which are capable enough of defeating the mighty army anywhere and to what extent [.] The "holocaust", [i]f ever existed, would never [be] equal or even amount to the ugliest brutally and barbarically "war crime" committed in Gaza Strip in broad daylight and witnessed by [t]he whole world when the arrogantly "war criminal" referred to here, [h]ad burie[d] the Palestinian's infants and children under the rubble (alive) and the cowardly "International Criminal Court turned its blind eye as well the world [.] There is [no] comparison between the old and/or modern history war crimes committed worse than the one committed by the arrogantly bully "police state" of all time when [s]he dropped [t]he atomic bombs over the heads of the innocent civilians of elderly men, women and children in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which caused a massive amount of killing and vast destruction that obliterated and burned everything and everybody randomly, green and dry alike This was the most horrific and unspeakable genocide of war crime in human history [.] Make [No] Mistake ! ! [!] You [are] messing with the wrong guy [,] as well your childish "FBI" [.] [D]istortion of history does [not] add up [.] It is unlike the Egyptian Pyramids "built in Hollywood's illusion" then automatically transferred to the outer space "Alien" onto "storing grain" so far until now. [W]ronging people and depriving them from their right[s] on the only basis of their "strong language" [will] drag you [under] the "carpet" of the dirty wetted filthy smell[y] mud [.] You have [NOT] seen anything yet [!] [T]he corrupt injustice system does [NOT] intimidate anyone except itself [.] When you decide to wrong others by imposing your demon and satanic [INJUSTICE] and [OPPRESSION], we [must] stand up and accept the challenge with all we have cherished and possessed of the uniquely marvelous philosophy, knowledge and talent as no one possess or can to just teach you and other hypocritical folks, who hidden behind the scene and remain silent fearing your familiar childish retaliation, to merely deter, prevent and obviate your unforgiving and unbearable autocratic injustice and oppressive rulings from imposing or even reaching others by the perverters of justice [.] [W]ith that in mind, the purpose publication of this [admonition] dedicated to the most respected outside world to solely serve as an alerting vehicle in order to become vigilant regarding the reality of the miserable and corrupt justice system operating within the "democratic" and "free" America by their own condemned "admission" [t]o deny and end any treaty of an "extradition" of all criminals, including those they called and referred [t]o them as "terrorists" [u]ntil "The Broken Justice System" [is] fixed [.] Remember always that those Tarattair and Tartorat Justices and Judges are the folks who [are] in charge to serve their familiar fury and ferocity frivolous "justice" or rather [INJUSTICE] as usual. They can [not] be trusted to serve justice to those extradite foreigners regardless of their language barrier when the incompetent and infirm justice itself [is] buried underneath the ugliest and darkest barrier of all [.] We have witnessed them for three decades, but to no avail [.] We heard the same "stereotype" and broken record concerning the same old talks of fixing "The Broken Justice System" They can [not] and will [not] do it for their continual pleasure of the irresistible taste of their barbaric torture utilized freely on [a] daily basis in (Guantanamo Bay) and the Tarattair and Tartorat Justices and Judges remain silen[t] [p]rotected under the immunity of [t]heir interpretation of their invented or rather made-up law [.] [N]ow, it [is] your turn and time to compel them [t]o fix "The Broken Justice System" in America since they have failed to do so on their own [Only] by deny[ing] them any request for extradite criminals [until] further notice of obeying [t]he command of justice [.] Enough [is] enough [.] Nearly two decades ago, we predicted in advising the court, that if the judicial system continued with the status quo still remain on its wrong corruption path, [t]here will be [no] doubt that the remaining superpower, if it still indeed fit this highly hypothetical word, will be definitely on the verge of collapsing [.] [B]e mindful [I]t is [NOT] World War II era anymore [.] The astonishing hydrogen bomb time [h]as emerge[d] and supersede[d] the stale atomic one [.] Enough [is] enough [.] In concern with the aforesaid, the Egyptian Parliament precisely [must] revoke all of the extradite treaties with all nations signed under the oppressive era of the previous dictatorship forthwith, with [no] exception to the United States. The U.S. will never honor such an unrealistic treaty since it treats its criminals as heroes And then, furthermore consider[ed] the others as terrorists If any ruler has the will or desire to appease the U.S. at the expense and against the will of his people he or she may consult the recent painful history of yesterday with other ousted dictators around the globe who learned the harshest lesson of all [.] [T]o the same extent measure and scope, the distinguished Egyptian Ministry of Education must make sure that [all] of its educational institutions history's curriculums at all levels DO [NOT] contain [NOR] teach any false subject or shady theory regarding what [is] so-called amongst others' imagination [a] "holocaust" including, but not limited, to [ban] all foreigner educational institutions inside Egypt from engaging in the same phony ideology by enforcing the law of the land upon all [,] or otherwise facing [an] ultimate shut down forthwith, with [no] exception to the "American University" The recruiting spy institution in Cairo [.] In addition, the named Tarattair mentioned above [are] considered as an accomplice to the crimes of the barbaric torture which fell in [a] grave violation of all Geneva Convention treaties, combined with other civil rights infringements committed under their watch, cover up with [t]heir satanic silence against the humanity between the shadow of the notorious walls of the famous (University of Guantanamo Bay) which identified and clarified under the definition of the Egyptian Law. Therefore, their names must [be] listed with [a] warrant for their arrest among others who are on the waiting arrival of the traveling list [.] [T]o whom they ma[y] think they are "the greatest nation on Earth" we do [NOT] disagree with your assessment. Of course you [are] the greatest nation of all time distinguishing yourself by the unique, unprecedented and unparalleled proudly sole system of slavery, segregation, racism, oppression, injustice, strayed judiciary, federal and state, which molded with an ugly corruption, and running by whom appointed by corrupted politicians, whom are rubber stamp[s] rubberstamp[ed] the barbaric torture, waterboarding and humiliation of all human rights like [no] others [h]ad before you under the justification of the lowest philosophical theory of the shameful, astonishing, shocking, despicable and unspeakable ("Enhanced Interrogation Techniques") on the cutting edge. [T]hese [are] your greatest accomplishments for which [no] one can be proud of, nor denying as those presidential candidates who dream [t]o "Make America Great Again" never dare to talk about They probably still unaware of the fact that [t]he (Zionist media) they throw themselves[s] and show off for reaching it[s] illusionary mercy [h]ad long gone and been out of business since 2008 presidential election [.] [W]e have clearly informed and told the Tarattair by [t]heir own "language" of which regrettably they do [not] understand, that the named transportation company (went out of business months before entering [t]heir historical order) [T]hey insisted [i]t did [not] matter We can still take [a] ride in the air [.] *** "[W]e tell them it is [a] (bull) [T]hey keep say[ing] (milk) him [!]" *** The wisdom of the Egyptian proverb can never find [a] better place and prefect area to fit rather than to be applicable here to the most rusted "legal" mentality of the corrupt, arrogant, ignorant, idiotic and moronic Tarattair and Tartorat named herein [.] Without doubt, the "professional liar" counsel representing the defense knew or should have known of that undisputed fact as well She had deliberately and purposely concealed it from the ignorant Court to benefit her firm and to further advance the interests of her clients. She even went far to further her cause by deceiving the idiotic and moronic Tartor Judge by telling him that she had "recently spoken with [t]he manager" of that bankrupt[ed] company [.] By publishing this admonition of reconsideration, the shameful idiotic and moronic Tarattair and Tartorat identified with their aforementioned shiny names listed in shame and disgrace above, can neither sue the undersigned nor any publisher for (libel/defamation) They should have known and learned by now that fact. "What Goes Around Comes Around" [!] [I]t has indeed [.] There will be a lot of more and more unexpected and unfortunate things to go and come around so often without expectation to those "smart" folks who want to "Make America Great Again" in their arrogant way of mind. Thinking the status quo may still remains at their disposal to play with whenever and wherever they want and/or decide. [T]he time [h]as passed and can never mend [.] Otherwise, [w]e would have wished to bring ([T]he Greatest Of All Time They Have Ever Known To Mankind And The Most Intelligent Human beings Ever Born The Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh[s]) to rule back, and more importantly though, to straight the strayed world once and for all whether the literature and philosophy along with the perverters of justice would accept this liberally design "strong language" or reject [.] We have no choice except to publish their names in order to bring them out of their dark shadow they live and cave in, purposely to expose them to the public everywhere. In any case, they are obsessed with the media attention and we must serve them with what they deserve most, the same justice they have denied others and failed to serve us with almost less than nothing [.] With all profound appreciation and by thanking you all for offering us the most precious golden opportunity [t]o admonish your immoral and unethical morality and of natural born hatred and inherited injustice that viciously, wrongly and oppressively imposed, with or without your consent, albeit we will never ever relent for a bunch of ignorant thugs and tug[s] until the [INJUSTICE] be compelled and kneeled to cease and desist its satanic tyranny from imposing or passing over others whom are unaware of your satanic demeanor and (Satan) outwork [.] To keep the democracy and freedom in operation and intact, justice is [a] fundamental task of [a] democratic country's foundation and its free society's principle This vital canon and cornerstone of justice [is] absent from the democratic and free America [.] It is the same "Land of the Brave" for which proudly had come with its uniquely and distinguishable sensational slogan that defeated any and all other competition around the world that namely stands for ("NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE") This is the United States of America The champion of INJUSTICE, OPPRESSION, SLAVERY, SAVAGERY AND BARBARISM of all time [.] To build false democracy and freedom that are based on these fallen failure and foolish ideas and ideologies [is] idiotic [a]t best Yet that [is] what the arrogant and ignorant Americans [do] Make [No] Mistake with[out] an apology whatsoeve[r] ! ! [!] Overall, every corner in an urban street anywhere in the world has maintained [a] genuine court of law founded on the fundamental integrity and grounded in the basic principle of the polestar justice, will [be] proudly honored to attach [ABULKHAIR] prestigious golden title adjacent to it for the unique, unprecedented and unparalleled (real) weapon [h]e admirably possessed for which a magical weapon [no] corrupt Tarattair can dream of obtaining [.] The same weapon highlighted and emphasized by the French philosophical poet that "can be more powerful than an armed force" [and] "stronger than an army" [.] The undersigned does not expect any justice from the idiotic and moronic Tarattair and Tartorat Justices and Judges, who has [no] respect whatsoever for their rusted mentality and immoral conduct. In return, he will serve them with his own justly unique justice [.] As a matter of fact, he intended to serve them with the real and unattainable justice and legacy that beyond the reach of their rusted mentality and junk interpretation of their law to hunt them from time to time, targeting directly on the heart of their ego and Satan outwork masked behind their tainted dark robe to hide the darkest inside them [.] And in that [,] the condolence must rest whether the admonition of reconsideration would be accepted or rejected [.] You[r] [in]justice orders will eventually be forgotten somewhere near the trash of history where they belong with [no] one able to remember them In contrast, this awaken moving admonition in the end will remain eternally your paltry and miserable legacy for which will surely hunt you along with your generation one after another for centuries and centuries to come until you face, sooner or later, the Judgment Day [.] The wrong that has been done must be repaired. Atonement must be made. Justice may be slow, indeed, but it comes in the end [.] By: /s/ Assem A. Abulkhair, Pro Se February 18, 2016 Middle East turmoil has destabilized more than half of Irans borders, warns Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ground forces. Nearly 60% of the other side of our border is not controlled by the neighboring country, and the border is in the control of terrorist elements, he said. At a Feb. 18 commemoration for the IRGCs elite Saberin Unit, which is tasked with fighting terrorist groups on Irans borders as well as fighting in Iraq and Syria, he described the region as turbulent and chaotic." Pakpour said there is little security in a number of cities on Irans western border with Iraq. According to Pakpour, near the northwestern Iranian city of Sardasht, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has a presence, and there is no news of Iraqi troops. He added, however, that there are also terrorist groups on Irans side of the border. On Irans eastern border, Pakistan has no effective presence," and there are terrorist groups there, Pakpour said. He said that elements of the Taliban and the Islamic State have a presence on the border with Afghanistan and the government in Afghanistan has no rule over the border. Pakpour said that from 2007-2009, Iran often fought with terrorist groups inside its borders and a number Iranians were killed. One of the more notable terrorist attacks was in May 2009 when 20 people were killed in an explosion at a Shiite mosque in the Sistan-Baluchistan province on the Pakistan border. In October 2009, at a conference for ethnic and religious unity in southeastern Iran, a suicide bomber killed the deputy commander of the IRGC ground forces, Nour-Ali Shushtari. While terrorist attacks in the past were claimed by the militant group Jundullah, a relatively new group calling itself Jaish al-Adl has been carrying out attacks in recent years. Iran claims that these terrorists cross the border from Pakistan, attack Iranian security personnel and then retreat back into Pakistan. Since the Saberin Unit took over security at the northwestern and southeastern borders, there has been stability inside Iran's borders, Pakpour said. However, a number of soldiers in the unit were killed in the process. On Saberins role in Iraq and Syria, Pakpour said that the unit's elite forces are advisers sent to the region so that violations against shrines do not take place. "Our martyrs traveled thousands of miles away from our borders to confront [enemies], he said, adding that had the Saberin Unit not gone to Iraq, Iran would have been fighting terrorists on its western borders. Our presence in defending shrines is to destroy the enemies there so that they do not reach our borders. According to Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi, there have been a number of plots foiled in the last 2 years. Alavi said Feb. 17 that 1,500 individuals who had planned to join terrorist groups were prevented from doing so. He also added that dozens of attacks were planned, including ones on metro stations, bazaars and mosques in cities such as Zahedan and Shiraz. February 18, 2016 East Jerusalem's Damascus Gate has emerged as the hot spot in the current intifada. Hardly a day goes by without a security incident in its immediate vicinity, be it a successful attack or an aborted attempt. The most recent deadly attack at the gate occurred Feb. 3, when three Palestinians from Qabatiya and Jenin, armed with guns and pipe bombs, arrived to carry out a multi-casualty attack. They aroused the suspicion of border police officers, and in the ensuing engagement, servicewoman Hadar Cohen was killed, and a colleague was seriously wounded. On Feb. 15, a 15-year-old girl armed with two knives was arrested near the gate. A day earlier, two Palestinians opened fire with modified automatic weapons at a police squad being briefed at the site. The officers returned fire, killing both attackers. Each previous intifada has had a place that became iconic in the eyes of the Palestinians. During the first intifada (1987-1993), it was the Jabaliya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. To this day, Palestinians relate stories of heroism by the camps residents, who decided to rise up, an action that ultimately brought Israel to the negotiating table and the agreement to establish the Palestinian Authority. During the second intifada (2000-2005), the city of Jenin in the West Bank became a revered symbol after dispatching a number of suicide bombers to Israel. Back then, Israeli security officials called it a hotbed for suicide bombers. Jenin continued to produce suicide bombers even after Operation Defensive Shield in 2002. So what has turned Damascus Gate into the hot spot for the current intifada? Why, despite being heavily guarded by police and military forces, has this area been attracting so many young Palestinians from East Jerusalem and the West Bank to carry out attacks? Even before the outbreak of the recent wave of terror attacks on Oct. 1, Damascus Gate was on a normal day the most vibrant gate of the Old City. Thanks to the many restaurants and souvenir shops, it is usually a bustling area. It also boasts the best vantage point for viewing Al-Aqsa Mosque in all its glory. By virtue of being a place teeming with people, as well as a constant flashpoint between Jews and Arabs, Damascus Gate is being guarded by a much larger number of security forces compared with the Old Citys other gates. People in uniform police, soldiers, border police and Yasam, the special patrol unit have always been, and remain, the preferred target of assailants planning attacks. A Palestinian who targets an Israeli in uniform be he or she a police officer or a soldier is regarded by his or her fellow Palestinians as a hero. In the eyes of young Palestinians, targeting a soldier or a police officer is considered an act of much greater bravery, and a greater accomplishment, compared with targeting a civilian. In the mindset of Palestinian society, an assailant attacking an armed security officer successfully passes the test of courage. Palestinians I have talked with are saying that the Damascus Gate was initially considered a natural spot for attacking security force members, because of their presence in large numbers. Now, however, in the wake of dozens of incidents and the large number of assailants shot and killed at the gate by security forces in a bid to scuttle attacks, Damascus Gate has turned into a pilgrimage site for young people seeking to avenge the deaths of their predecessors. Naturally, they have become revered "shahids (martyrs). In other words, the Damascus Gate has become not only a place to demonstrate courage, but also a place for taking revenge. On the social networks, Damascus Gate in Arabic, Bab al-Amud (Pillar Gate) has become a holy site. Young Palestinians post images of it, with and without photos of dead assailants, to which they add verses from the Quran or from contemporary poetry. These verses praise the gate of bravery, which will herald salvation and redemption, that is, the end of the occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. A Facebook page dedicated in honor of Bab al-Amud, which also features the photo of the slain Israeli policewoman as well as photos of the Palestinians who shot and killed her, has received some 18,000 likes. Many other websites praise the holy gate, which, as the writers note, adds pride to the boldness of the shahids who sacrificed their lives for the sublime cause. The Israel Defense Forces and security establishment are well aware that Damascus Gate has become a pilgrimage site for assailants from across the West Bank. Since the attack that killed Cohen, who had just finished basic training, only experienced officers are being deployed in that area. In addition, police and border police forces from all districts across the country have been assigned to Damascus Gate. According to an Israeli security source, all the forces undergo training to provide them with effective and proven tools to quickly identify a young man or woman intending to mount an attack. Following a recent assessment of the situation by the defense establishment, and especially after the attack in which Cohen was killed, it was decided to pursue a strategy of containment. In other words, so long as the stabbing attacks are being perpetrated by young, unaffiliated and inexperienced assailants, all that is required is the deployment of trained and qualified troops. There is no need to further beef up security at Damascus Gate. Setting up roadblocks and electronic checkpoints would not only severely damage tourism in Jerusalem, but would also have diplomatic and psychological ramifications. Separation roadblocks in the Old City in general and at Damascus Gate in particular could be construed as the de facto partition of the city. At this stage, as long as the intifada largely remains knife attacks by lone attackers, the defense establishment prefers to take calculated risks, harsh as the price being paid might be. Dividing united Jerusalem, so it appears, comes with a much stiffer price. February 18, 2016 Many voices in Israel understand democracy today in a narrow and minimal way. For them, democracy is just government by the majority. This astute criticism was made Feb. 15 by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin. The main voice that the first citizen is referring to is that of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Rivlin's observation was prompted by a new bill Netanyahu is proposing that would allow the Knesset to expel its own members. The Israeli media refers to the legislation as the suspension law, rather than the more precise expulsion law. The president noted that the bill reflects a problematic understanding of what democracy is all about and added that such an understanding of democracy is not only narrow, but dangerous for the minority, for the opposition and for the individual, and in the end dangerous for the state. Netanyahus response was not long in coming. The following day, the prime minister dismissed Rivlin's criticism of the bill, which was introduced after the revelation that Balad Party members had met in early February with the families of Palestinians from East Jerusalem who had attacked Israelis. The bill is intended, Netanyahu argues, to allow the Knesset to suspend members who support terrorism. The Knesset can and must act against members of the Knesset who support terrorism and movements that explicitly call for the destruction of Israel, said Netanyahu. He argued, Democracy must protect itself. We won't allow for democracy to be taken advantage of in an effort to try and bring about its collapse. Netanyahu said these things at a press conference in Berlin while standing alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the leader of a country that learned, at the cost of the lives of 6 million Jews, what happens to democracy when it does not protect itself. It might be that the prime minister had wanted to hint that Germany had paid a high price for allowing the democratic process to take advantage of it. Perhaps the German example had crossed the mind of Rivlin, in warning of the dangers lurking for a state whose political leaders interpret democracy as the rule of the majority, harm minority rights and breach the principle of equality among religions and ethnic groups. This argument is certainly legitimate over principles between the school of the liberal president and the conservative camp on the question of the limits of freedom of expression. For years, this debate has preoccupied politicians and academics in democracies throughout the world. The bill that would allow the Knesset to suspend a member who has expressed verbal support for terrorism or for a terrorist, however, is not meant to protect citizens of the state. Not one hair on the head of an Israeli citizen would be harmed were the Knesset to make due with the existing law, which allows the elections committee to disqualify a list of candidates or a candidate supporting terrorism in writing or in deed, but not in speech. Why then did the prime minister bother to place a call from Berlin to the chairman of the Knesset Legislative Committee, Nissan Slomiansky of HaBayit HaYehudi, to advance the committees debate of the bill to suspend Knesset members? What moved the busiest man in Israel to take some of his precious time to talk heart-to-heart with Knesset members of all coalition parties so they would support the bill? It is hard to believe that Netanyahu truly fears that the visit of an Arab Israeli Knesset member to the home of parents whose son or daughter was killed when they carried out a terror attack would harm the security of the state. If the incitement of Israelis against Israelis has really kept him up at night, he should have supported the lefts initiatives to ban Lehava, the right-wing extremist group that specializes in incitement against Arab citizens. If he really considers the incitement of residents of the territories against residents of Israel the main reason behind the knife attacks, he should welcome with open arms the proposal by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to renew the activity of a joint Israeli-Palestinian-American committee to address incitement. The proposal, which Abbas also mentioned at a January meeting with Israeli journalists, has not elicited a response from the prime ministers office. Netanyahu needs Palestinian incitement and legislative initiatives against his opponents like he needs air to breathe. He uses them to distract attention from international criticism of Israel's settlement policy, from the verdict on the abusive treatment of employees at the prime ministers residence, from the public fight over the natural gas plan and from all the other dire straits that disturb the sleep of the Netanyahu family. The suspension bill actually helps suspend the French peace initiative, which threatens these days to pick up momentum internationally as well as in Israel. This is how it works: In 2015, the Israeli government built 1,800 new housing units in the West Bank. (According to a Peace Now report, 40% of them are east of the separation barrier, territory that is supposed to become part of Palestine in any permanent agreement.) The occupation's entrenchment, and lack of hope for its end, increases tensions between Israel and the Palestinians and the international community. The Palestinians perpetrate acts of violence, international criticism of Israel grows and the boycott gains momentum. The left and Arab Israelis protest government policy, and Netanyahu accuses them of cooperation with Israel's enemies in a time of conflict The Knesset proposes laws to restrict activities by minority and human rights organizations. Thanks to the public focus on the legislative agenda, the government continues to build settlements, and so on and so forth. Netanyahus strategy of incitement and distraction is anchored in an orderly worldview. He expressed it well at the press conference with Merkel when he was asked for his response to the new French initiative. We are not the root of the problem in the Middle East, were an important part of the solution, he said. If Israel would not be there, Netanyahu explained, the entire western part of the Middle East would be flooded by the forces of radical Islam and many more millions would ride this flood to Europe. Israel is a defensive shield of Western civilization in the heart of the Middle East. Woe to any Western civilization whose defensive shield is a democracy that rules millions of people under military occupation. Woe to any nation whose leaders specialize in the demonization of minorities and human rights organizations and use the troubling excuse of a democracy protecting itself to hunt them down. February 17, 2016 WASHINGTON The United States and Russia will meet in Geneva on Feb. 19 for consultations on how to implement a Syria truce, as UN aid agencies said they were able to deliver 100 trucks of humanitarian aid to five besieged Syrian towns, in what the United States called a step forward. "Today, we reached five besieged towns in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, UN Syria humanitarian coordinator Yacoub el-Hillo said in a press release Feb. 17. The convoys contained life-saving aid including food, medical supplies and equipment, vaccines, water and sanitation items for almost 100,000 people in need of aid." This is hopefully the beginning of the end of Syrian civilians suffering, said the UN's Jan Egeland said. The United States called the humanitarian deliveries a good first step and said it would like to build on the progress. This is a step forward, State Department spokesman Mark Toner told journalists at the State Department press briefing Feb. 17. [But] I would be clear that this is just a first step in dealing with the significant problem of humanitarian assistance in besieged areas. The Assad regime should have allowed this access long ago. We are hoping to build on this access, Toner said, adding the United States was concerned Assad's regime had described the permission to let the aid convoys in as a temporary. We obviously want to see permanent access. UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura was in Syria to oversee the aid delivery efforts and hold consultations on the second goal announced by the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) in Munich on Feb. 12, to pursue what the 20-member group called a cessation of hostilities. With progress on the humanitarian aid delivery to Syrian besieged areas, US officials said talks were expected to proceed between US and Russian officials in Geneva later this week, under UN auspices, on how to implement the truce. We understand the ISSG cessation of hostilities task force will convene Feb. 19 in Geneva under UN auspices, the US official said. It will be open to all ISSG members, which include, in addition to the US and Russia, international and regional stakeholders in the Syrian conflict, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Qatar, Oman, Germany, France, Italy, Britain, China, as well as the European Union, UN and Arab League. Rob Malley, President Barack Obamas special assistant and top National Security Council adviser on the Middle East, will lead the American delegation to the Feb. 19 Geneva consultations, which will also include State Department officials, Toner said. The ISSG cease-fire task force, to be co-chaired by the United States and Russia, is supposed to include both political and military officials. Russia has been pressing for more intensive US-Russian military to military consultations on Syria, which to date the United States has been reluctant to pursue. But the consultations between military officers would be necessary to implement any eventual cease-fire and police it, Toner said. In the past few months, we have been hesitant to cooperate more robustly on airstrikes and targeting of some of these groups with Russia, because we have not seen that it [Russia] is really even targeting Daesh or ISIL [IS] in its airstrikes, Toner said Feb. 17. The situation is a little different here, Toner said. There needs to be coordination among all the members of the ISSG on the ground if we are going to get to a credible cessation of hostilities and eventually a cease-fire. It is going to be incumbent on various members of the ISSG who back different forces who are reluctant to join a cease-fire. Once we get a cease-fire in place, we can then attempt to police that. But at some level, we are going to have to have that coordination and awareness on both sides. With progress to show on the humanitarian front, American and UN officials hope to reconvene talks by Feb. 25 between the Syrian government and opposition in Geneva that were suspended earlier this month. The Geneva talks [are] set to begin again between the opposition and regime next week, having some concrete progress to point to on the ground, whether with regard to cessation of hostilities or access to besieged areas, Toner said. But US officials and regional experts were cautious about prospects for a partial cease-fire to get off the ground, with the regime and its backers pursuing what they described as a strategy to seal off the Turkish-Syrian border and encircle Aleppo. Look, I really think the regime now and its allies want to get to the Turkish border and encircle Aleppo and regain control of Aleppo, Randa Slim, who heads Track 2 programs at the Middle East Institute, told Al-Monitor. Part of their campaign is to drive a wedge between the local population and the opposition. Former State Department Syria adviser Fred Hof said the US strategy on Syria was largely dependent on the goodwill of Russia to deliver the Assad regime. I imagine John Kerry will try to keep the ball rolling process-wise, Hof, now with the Atlantic Council, told al-Monitor. What else does he have? In terms of getting the opposition back to Geneva he has a prayer if there's genuine progress on the humanitarian front, particularly with respect to sieges. But he is totally dependent on the goodwill, decency and compassion of Russia's president, Iran's supreme leader, and Syria's barrel-bomber-in-chief. Let's hope he's the most persuasive human being alive. Syrian opposition activists said the Russian strategy on the ground appeared to be to continue to decimate more moderate opposition groups and have Kurdish allies and pro-regime forces on the front lines with IS in order to eventually get the international community to work with regime forces to fight IS. On the ground today, its very clear. The Russians are killing everyone, Bassam Barabandi, a former Syrian diplomat in Washington who supports the opposition, told Al-Monitor on Feb. 17. The Russians are looking these days to block any Syrian moderate forces to be on the border with Daesh. They want the regime and Kurds to be face to face with [IS], Barabandi said. Because when the regime faces [IS] on all fronts, the opposition loses benefits and needs support. All the moderate military guys go for a cease-fire, stay at home. And then the Russians tell the international community, work with the Syrian regime, to re-legitimize him. The United States and Russia, meantime, traded barbs over who is responsible for securing a cease-fire. "It's put up or shut up," Toner said Feb. 16 on whether Russia would deliver on its Syria cease-fire promises. "Everything depends on the Americans, on whether they will be ready to cooperate on a military level," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists Feb. 17. February 16, 2016 ANKARA, Turkey The Turkish presidents patience was running out. His EU interlocutors were offering him 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) for stemming the flow of Syrian refugees to Europe. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reminded Jean-Claude Juncker, the EU Commission president, and Donald Tusk, the head of the EU Council, that a few months before they had given Greece 400 billion euros ($445 billion) to keep it afloat. According to the minutes of the meeting, Tusk replied that that money was not just for Greece but to support the entire eurozone. Erdogan said that a deal to constrain the refugees would support the Schengen visa-free travel agreement, another pan-European project. The back-and-forth continued until Juncker pointedly recalled that the EU did Erdogan a favor the previous month. Please note, said Juncker, that we postponed the progress report until after the Turkish elections, and we got criticized for this delay. In other words, the EU delayed the release of a report highly critical of Turkeys progress toward meeting EU standards of governance in order to help Erdogans Justice and Development Party win the general elections in November. The revelation that the EU Commission is not above trying to influence Turkish elections appears in the minutes of the Erdogan-Tusk-Juncker meeting that took place on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Antalya on Nov. 15-16. Scans of the minutes, apparently written by EU stenographers, were published last week on a little-known Greek website. The exchange between Erdogan and the Tusk-Juncker team was fiery and occasionally insulting. At first, neither the EU Commission nor the Turkish government would confirm the minutes' authenticity, but neither did they dismiss them as a forgery. Days later, Erdogan said they were authentic. Some try to attack us by [releasing] the minutes of these meetings, Erdogan said in a speech to the Turkish Statistics Institute in Ankara on Feb. 11. We defended the rights of our country and of Syrians. Al-Monitor asked the EU Commission in Brussels to respond to the charge of delaying the report for political reasons, providing an advance copy of the critical remarks in this column. We do not comment alleged leaks, Commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic replied by email. When it comes to the publication of annual reports the date was chosen to given them the attention they deserve. But the fact is the EU progress reports on Turkey in the four previous years were all published in October. The meeting is three months old now, but the minutes continue to be relevant because of what they reveal about EU and Turkish leaders. Erdogan said the minutes were not a source of shame but of absolution. In places, he did argue Turkeys case well. His point that Turkeys handling of 2.5 million Syrian and Iraqi refugees was as valuable to Europe as the Greek bailout was most apt. That he interrupted Tusk to make the point shows quick thinking. In complaining that the EU is stalling on Turkeys accession negotiations, Erdogan asked Juncker to name one delivery that Brussels had made to Turkey recently. The minutes read: Juncker notes that resources are being amassed, that there is readiness to move on accession, that visa liberalization will be sped up, while noting that these decisions are not easy for the EU to take. Juncker must have been wringing his hands. Elsewhere, Erdogan does not come across well. He speaks of the refugees as if they were a commodity that could be dumped on Europes doorstep to embarrass it. Referring to Turkeys European neighbors, he says, We can open the doors to Greece and Bulgaria anytime, and we can put the refugees on buses. Tusk tells Erdogan that after the Paris attacks of Nov. 13, some EU member states wanted to abandon the Schengen system: If we cannot show that we have a deal soon, things can turn dramatic, and we really want a deal with you. Erdogan replies, So how will you deal with refugees if you dont get a deal? Kill the refugees? The Turkish presidents language suggests he is using the refugees as a stick to beat the Europeans with. At one point in the argument over how much the EU will give Turkey for the refugees, the minutes record, Erdogan said that Turkey didnt need the EUs money anyway. For Erdogan, the argument over money seemed to be a matter of national pride. But the biggest shame lies with Juncker and his declaration that the EU withheld a report in order to improve Erdogans chances in the Nov. 1 election. It is a cardinal principle of multinational organizations such as the UN and EU that they are politically neutral in any countrys affairs. The Turkish elections are to be decided by the Turkish people, without EU interference. According to the minutes, Erdogan retorted that the delay of the progress report did not help his party win the election. This is true. The report released nine days after the election read that after several years of progress toward meeting EU standards of freedom and legislation, serious backsliding was seen over the past two years. It accused the government of inadequate measures against corruption, undermining the independence of the judiciary and intimidation of the media. These are not issues that greatly concern the half of the electorate that potentially votes for Erdogans Justice and Development Party. These voters support Erdogan for what he has done to revitalize the economy, upgrade the Turkish underclass and, to a lesser extent, for his Islamic appeal. So one wonders how Juncker could have been so badly advised as to think by compromising EU neutrality he could influence the election and win favors from Erdogan. That the move was misguided and didnt work does not detract from its immorality. And there is contradiction here as well. One one hand, the EU issues reports that rebuke the Turkish government for human rights abuses. On the other, the EU seeks to maintain in power the political party that is responsible for those abuses. Perhaps the best reply to the minutes was issued by the co-leaders of the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), the second biggest opposition party in parliament. Hours after Erdogan had confirmed the minutes veracity, Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag issued a public letter to Tusk, Juncker and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The HDP leaders said they had gained the impression that the meetings you conduct with our government have evolved into a trade bargain over issues such as refugees and human rights in Turkey. They hoped the reports of such bargaining were not authentic. They concluded by urging the EU leadership to protect democratic values and universal principles. A London-based luxury sporting goods maker selected an Alabama artist's wildlife painting as the print for a limited edition, commemorative silk scarf. Holland & Holland, which manufactures guns, clothing and accessories, chose to feature Birmingham painter Sue Key's work on the scarf, which was produced to mark the 20th anniversary of the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival, held in Thomasville, Ga. "I was thrilled when they took my painting and printed it on a scarf with a beautiful border," Key said. "On the bottom of the scarf, they have my signature, the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival logo and the Holland & Holland logo." The 36-inch square scarf, which was printed in Italy, featured Key's painting of bobwhite quails. Niels van Rooyen, Holland & Holland's creative director, traveled to Thomasville late last year for a fashion show where the scarf was unveiled. "The scarves are absolutely beautiful," van Rooyen told Thom, a community magazine in Thomasville. "There will only be 27 of them in the world. Each will have an individual number and a signature." Key said she was excited about the recognition. It came after she was invited to submit her work for the project. "I like to create something that's a little bit surprising, like taking a small animal and making it big," she said. "There's an unexpectedness and a little bit of whimsy to it." All of the scarves have been sold, at $400 apiece. Proceeds benefited arts programs in Thomasville. Key's work can be seen in galleries in Birmingham, Orange Beach, Charleston and also private hunting clubs. She has gravitated towards the arts for most of her life, from piano to photography. She was always making something, and as she got older, she narrowed it down to painting. For about six years, she has focused on wildlife, landscapes and sporting art. Lately, most of her subjects have been birds, such as quails, ducks, turkeys and even song birds. Key has won a number of awards. One of her most cherished is the 2015 Featured Artist of the Lesser Prairie Chicken Festival in Woodward, OK, last spring. At the small town event, she got up before dawn one day to watch prairie chickens dance and mate at sunrise. What Key likes most about painting is the people she has met along the way. "The artists who understand, who teach and share with me. The photographers who share their photographs that I use as reference for paintings. The friends I buy art supplies from. The owners of the galleries who represent my work. The people behind the art shows I exhibit in, and of course the person who purchases a painting or trusts me to paint something just for them," she said. "I continue to meet astonishing, fine people, some of which have become true friends." marco's pizza (Courtesy Marco's Pizza) A Toledo, Ohio-based pizza chain is looking to expand in the Magic City. Marco's Pizza already has four locations in the Birmingham area: One in Birmingham, two in Hoover and one in Helena. The pizza chain is seeking franchise owners in the area. The typical investment required is around $350,000, and Marco's is looking for people with a net work of $150,000 and a minimum liquidity of $100,000. Click here for more information on franchising. "Our franchisees come from a remarkably wide variety of backgrounds," Chief Development Officer Cameron Cummins said in a statement. "But there's a common thread among our franchisees -- passion for the Marco's product. Almost half of them were Marco's consumers first. They fell in love with our product." According to a Department of Agriculture study, about 13 percent of Americans eat pizza on any given day. Want more pizza? Click here to vote for Birmingham's best pizza restaurant. FORCE.jpg "Star Wars" may have plot holes but Ewoks are totally real. (AP File Photo) Sometime between 1977 and my adulthood, the original "Star Wars" movie mysteriously morphed into the fourth "Star Wars" movie. I knew there was a prequel trilogy of films that came out after I became a mom, but I wasn't paying attention when the numbering of the movies changed. Mainly because ... I had a baby, y'all. Then, by the time I'd gotten engaged to Sweetums and was enjoying a second mom-hood to his boys, Wirt and Groover, "Episode VII" debuted. All of geekdom, including my three boys, practically exploded in excitement, leaving little blobs of geekiness all over the place. (Note: I know we're all about not offending various groups of people these days but I don't consider the word "geek" to be insulting. I happen to love geeks. Many of my friends are geeks and I could not survive without them. Mainly because I couldn't do fractions or change the password on my computer). Sweetums and I took the boys to see the new movie, which I enjoyed, especially because it turns out Princess Leia - a mom by this time - ended up looking a lot like me, if I wore Cinnabons on my head, and the producers had the good sense not to try to sneak in a replacement Leia who was 22 and a size double-0. Sweetums and I decided Groover, who at 12 is the same age I was when I saw the first - or fourth? - Star Wars film, needed to see all of the original films. The next three family movie nights were dedicated to the first trilogy, also known as parts IV, V and VI. (It's like the geeks are trying to confuse us so they can keep their positions as the smartest and least-fashion-aware people in the room. Again, no offense, geeks). Here's an actual(ish) discussion we had while watching Episode VI, which actually is number three, for those who are trying to keep up: Sweetums: "An X-wing fighter wouldn't really explode like that in deep space." Wirt, nodding in sage agreement although, of course, he's never been to space or piloted an X-Wing because ... they're not real: "Yeah, and how is it burning when there's no oxygen?" A few minutes later ... Sweetums, showing disgust when Luke's light saber flies through the air and injures Darth Vader: "If he threw the light saber, his hand would come off the sensor and it would deactivate." (Gives a disbelieving shake of his head that the writers did not think of this). Wirt murmurs sounds of similar disgust. (Either that or he had a piece of popcorn stuck in his throat.) Me: "Really? You're finding plot holes in a movie in which giant, upright-walking dogs pilot spacecraft? It's called science fiction for a reason - because the science is made up." Sweetums, looking aghast: "Why you gotta be like that? Don't be a hater." Groover: "Oooooo. The Ewoks are so cute. I want an Ewok." Me: "If you really want to highlight plot holes, explain to me how Leia got that elaborate braided hairdo while she was out in the woods when she didn't even have a hairbrush with her. Did the Ewoks help with the braids? Because their furry little fingers look too fat and clumsy. And how, in the Ewok village, does she have on fresh makeup and a nice clean flow-y robe when she wasn't carrying an overnight bag? Notice Luke and Han are still wearing the same clothes, and their hair hasn't changed. Come to think of it, if this story is set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, why do all the guys have the same 1970s haircut my brother had all through junior high?" Sweetums, looking at me like I'd gone off my nut: "Have you gone off your nut? Who cares about hairdos and makeup? There's a war going on. It says it right in the title." Me: "Well, obviously someone cares about hairstyles and makeup. Otherwise, the writers would have realized that in a society that is home to a creature that resembles a giant mound of poo except with eyeballs and a disgustingly snaky tongue, women would certainly not be worried about their appearances. It's not like Leia needed to do much to impress Jabba the Hut. Everyone knows that bronze bikini was just for all the geeks (no offense) in the audience. Besides, if anyone were a candidate for a makeover, it would be Yoda. He could use some hair extensions to fill out those little tufts of hair over his ears and offset the pointiness, and he needs some foundation to balance that greenish tint to his skin. I know he's wise and full of advice and all but - dang. He could use a visit from Mary Kay. Would anyone have listened to Dear Abby if she'd been bald and had skin the color of pistachios, which, by the way, are a type of nuts? Just sayin.'" Groover: "Look! It's a wittle baby Ewok!" Me: "Awwwww. Can we have one, Sweetums?" Kelly Kazek's humor columns appear regularly on AL.com and in The Huntsville Times, The Birmingham News and The Press-Register in Mobile. Find her on or follow her humor columns on . You can also follow her and boards on Pinterest. A new organization led by Alabama clergy will have a forum for Jefferson County judicial candidates and plans to begin rating local, state and national political candidates based on biblical standards for issues. Bishop Jim Lowe, pastor of Guiding Light Church in Birmingham, and the Rev. Mitch Pacwa, who hosts the "EWTN Live" talk show on EWTN Global Catholic Network based in Irondale, said they are helping spearhead a group called Gatekeepers Association of Alabama. They will rate candidates on a scale of 1 to 5, with five being the best biblical foundation for their stance on the issues, Lowe said. They plan to rate the presidential candidates before the March 1 Super Tuesday presidential primary election, Lowe said. "We want to empower the church and extend the kingdom of God to influence the political realm," Lowe said. "We're going to be evaluating candidates based on the commandments of God, the wisdom of God, the virtue of God. We're going to rate candidates on a scale of one to five. That will be presented to people to make informed decisions." A group of 19 to 25 pastors has been meeting twice monthly since August to discuss political candidates and how they rate on biblical worldview, Lowe said. "We've come together to reveal the biblical foundation of these candidates," he said. They are going public now with a candidate forum set for Monday night, Feb. 22, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Guiding Light Church, 1800 John Rogers Drive in Birmingham. The group has sent questionnaires to Jefferson County judicial candidates and invited them to the event. The Rev. Mitch Pacwa, a Jesuit priest who hosts the 'EWTN Live' TV talk show, will help rate candidates on the biblical foundation of their political stances. (EWTN/Karen Callaway) Pacwa, who took over for Mother Angelica when she was no longer able to host her weekly talk show on EWTN, emphasized that the group is not endorsing candidates. "We are making clear that we do not intend to give specific endorsements to any politicians," he said. "Our goal is to help in the process of educating our parishioners on what we're looking for from candidates, a bottom line below which they can't go in breaking God's commandments. We're working now to give ministers an opportunity to talk about these concerns with their churches without endorsing anybody." Most of the pastors taking part in the discussion are from evangelical churches. Catholics and evangelicals take a similar stance on abortion, an issue that's important to both groups, Lowe said. "We're very strong that abortion is wrong," Lowe said. "It's against the will of God. All of that will be taken into consideration." There are biblical underpinnings to stances on a range of issues, he said. "We have dealt with abortion, same-sex marriage," Lowe said. "As gatekeepers, it our responsibility to not only teach congregations but protect congregations from the outside intrusion of government deciding what is right and what is wrong. We want to inform congregations of those threats that come against the church. We're like watchmen on the wall." Lowe was instrumental in bringing talk show host Glenn Beck to Birmingham last year. Rafael Cruz, father of Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, was one of the speakers at an 'All Lives Matter' rally and march on Aug. 29, 2015. Beck has since publicly endorsed Ted Cruz. Lowe and Beck led a march, along with actor Chuck Norris, to the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, where more than 8,000 people attended a rally. The ministers say they are interested in politics on the local level as much as a national level. Pacwa encouraged the general public to attend Monday's forum on judicial candidates. "Ask them questions, look at questions we have posed," Pacwa said. "We want to get public input." The public needs to know more about judges and what they do, he said. "How they administer the law is not merely some abstract reality, it's something that really has an impact on certain individuals; how they administer the law matters to us," Pacwa said. "Each judge is supposed to be fair," Lowe said. "We need to inform the public about what type of judge they are and how they're going to administer the law." Church members should take an interest in whether their judges and other elected government officials are moral and honest, they said. "Somebody needs to hold people accountable," Lowe said. "Our goal is to educate parishioners to ask questions about the legal qualifications of candidates for judgeships," Pacwa said. "What makes us want to vote for somebody, to know they are doing the right kind of job?" As for the presidential candidates, "We're observing them," Lowe said. "Each pastor will rate each one of those candidates. We'll take the aggregate; that will be the average rating." Gatekeepers Association of Alabama Executive Board Bishop Jim Lowe - Guiding Light Church Bishop Demetrics Roscoe - Living Church Ministries Pastor Randy W. Williams - Parkway Christian Fellowship Pastor Michael Mc Clure, Sr. - Revelation Christian Ministries Father Mitch Pacwa, S. J. - TV & Radio Host EWTN Pastor Jody Trautwein - President/ Founder Joshua Generation, Inc Pastor P. Ronald Wilder - Covenant Church International Steering Committee Pastor Lawrence Conaway - Fellowship Bible Church Pastor Larry Ragland - Solid Rock Church Pastor Eric Harris - Agape Worship Ministries Pastor Doug Taylor - Rebirth Christian Church Pastor Mike Enis - Faith Community Fellowship Apostle Anthony Grier - Covenant of Glory & Grace Worship Center Intl. Prophet Joe Medina - Daily Bread Ministries Pastor John Davis - Winewood Baptist Christian Fellowship Pastor Thomas Wilder - Bethel Baptist Church Pastor Michael Edwards - The Celebration Center Pastor Al Hannon - Living Church Ministries Pastor Electra Adams - Gethsemane Ministries A sold-out Beyonce show is set to take place in Tampa in April but, so far, not one police officer has signed up to work the event. Are the cops protesting her new song and video, "Formation," which features a wall that reads "Stop shooting us," and shows Beyonce standing on top of a sinking police cruiser? Tampa Police Department spokesman Steve Hegarty told Fox 13 he couldn't say for sure why officers haven't signed up to make extra money working the popular April 29 concert at Raymond James Stadium. One way or another, he told the television station, the show will be staffed. "We're going to staff it because we have a responsibility to do that regardless of how controversial it might be, who the artist might be, or the politician might be," Hegarty explained. "This is a couple of months away, so we've still got plenty of time to fill those slots." The superstar performed "Formation" at the Super Bowl, which featured images referencing Hurricane Katrina, he Black Lives Matter movement and the Black Panthers. The song and video has sparked protests and counter protests, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani condemned the performance. "I thought it was really outrageous that she used it as a platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and protect us, and keep us alive," he said during an appearance on Fox News. "And what we should be doing in the African-American community, and all communities, is build up respect for police officers." Cuban officials confirm US president will be welcomed in March, but say there are still sticking points in relationship. Havana, Cuba Since I arrived, my Cuban producer Lagmi Chavez had been telling me there were persistent rumours circulating that US President Barack Obama would be visiting the long-isolated island. A woman joked about a bet with a friend, revolving around the question of whether Obama would be given the opportunity to make a speech directly to Cubans at Revolution Square, the iconic site in the capital where former president Fidel Castro has made many a historic speech. On Thursday morning, I awoke to read the news that Obama was indeed visiting next month and immediately texted Lagmi: You were right! When Obama arrives on March 21, he will be the first sitting US president to visit Cuba in almost 90 years. (President Calvin Coolidge has been the only US president to visit Cuba and he did so in 1928.) Once he gets here, hell really know what Cuba is like. I suppose what he knows is what hes heard or seen in the news. But being here, he will know what Cuba is truly like, said one young woman. An elderly man told us emphatically: They need to end that blockade finally and open up commerce with Cuba because Cubans here in the streets are spending a lot of money and everything is really expensive. The Cuban government arranged a news conference and Josefina Vidal, the general director for US affairs, said: President Barack Obama will be welcomed by the government and the Cuban people with our traditional hospitality. It will be an opportunity for President Obama to appreciate the Cuban reality. Then, she quickly highlighted issues that are likely to continue to be sticking points for quite some time. In order to achieve the normalisation of relations between the two countries, the blockade has to be lifted and the territory occupied by the naval base in Guantanamo has to be returned, she said. Falling barriers In the 15 months since Obama announced he would begin normalising relations with Cuba, barrier after barrier has dropped. Last summer, the US reopened its embassy in Havana. An aviation agreement was announced this week to allow commercial flights between the two countries. And now, President Raul Castro will host Obama and the First Lady on March 21 and 22. Critics say the US is making too many concessions without seeing significant reforms on the island. There are still great concerns about human rights and the lack of access to information. Obama intends to address human rights and other issues affecting Cubans quality of life during his visit. He says he will meet a wide cross-section of people, including members of civil society and entrepreneurs. Vidal said the Cuban government is open to discussing human rights issues in both countries. As for that bet about an Obama speech directly to Cubans at Revolution Square, I circled back with the woman and she seemed a bit glum. She does not think she will win it. Opposition supporters want an end to the incumbents three-decade rule but say they fear a clampdown. Kampala/Entebbe, Uganda Plumes of thick black smoke spiral into the air and the crowds start to run. Some are dressed in sleeveless red university graduation gowns, others carry leafy tree branches to symbolise a past war. They are not all students, but they do all want the same thing: to see President Yoweri Museveni relinquish power to Kizza Besigye, the leader of Ugandas largest opposition party, the Forum for Democratic Change. Rounds of tear gas are fired at Ugandas Makerere University to disperse the chanting crowd, who have lit fires and torn down campaign posters featuring the face of the president. Far from the choking fumes, Moses Luyombe, 26, lies on the ground and blows his vuvuzela in defiance, encouraging others to do the same. The final-year business student says that he wants an end to Musevenis three-decade rule and hopes to cast his vote in favour of the opposition in Thursdays parliamentary, presidential and local elections. We want change. Since before I was born, Museveni has been in power and he refuses to go. He has done nothing for the youths, we have no jobs after university and they oppress our leaders, he says. We say no more, we want the peoples president [Besigye] in power! he shouts. Luyombe blows long and hard. The recent standoff between students and police marks a tense moment at the end of an electoral campaign that has been marred by the occasional tear gassing of gatherings organised by the Forum for Democratic Change, or FDC, and the Go Forward opposition movement, as well as the double arrest of Besigye for leading supporters through the streets of Kampala, the capital. Election 2016: Young voices from Uganda Religious leaders continue to pray for peace in the hope that calm will prevail over the vote. But the FDCs chances seem slim. Walter Chiambete, the partys executive director of campaigns, believes that, after Besigyes multiple arrests, the FDC does not stand a fair chance of winning the hotly contested race. Throughout this period the ruling party and the security forces have disrupted our campaign trail. We have held rallies as per schedule and with the permission of the Electoral Commission, but we have been frustrated in one way or another so we cannot expect a fair election to take place, he says. As a result of the clampdown just before the campaigns end, we now fear there could be a low turnout. Many of our supporters might not come out and vote because they are scared there might be violence or they might be intimidated into voting for the NRM [the ruling National Resistance Movement]. Once again, we are not on a fair footing and, with the police, the NRM clearly have the upper-hand. Between protest and fear However, the NRM and government spokesman, Ofwono Opondo, told Al Jazeera that voters have nothing to fear and said necessary measures were being taken to ensure that the polls would be held in a calm environment. People should not be afraid, the election will be peaceful and free. If anyone is harassed then they should report the matter to the authorities, he said. But we will not tolerate politicians who want to create public panic as a way of campaigning for votes. Despite fears of more public unrest and the oppositions allegations of a sabotaged election, Magnus Taylor, an analyst with the International Crisis Group who specialises in the Horn of Africa, predicts a Museveni win by well over the minimum 50 percent plus one vote threshold. Taylor told Al Jazeera that suspicions of rigging could make tension in Kampala in particular even worse. But, unlike after the 2011 elections, when thousands of people participated in the Walk to Work marches against Museveni, current political and economic conditions might prevent demonstrations reaching such a critical mass. There are a minority of highly motivated opposition of mostly FDC supporters who will likely demonstrate against a Museveni victory. However, I dont see a critical mass of people joining. In 2011, during Walk to Work protests, the real motivation was the bad economy and high prices of basic necessities, such as food, which in some cases almost doubled in price. This time, if Museveni wins, I expect some urban demonstrations, perhaps in places like Kampala, Jinja nearby and Soroti in the north, which inevitably will bring some violence and tear gas, but it wont be anything like before. There might not be enough popular participation to take it to the next level, says Taylor. Crime preventers Far from the protesting crowds of Kampala, some voters not only dread a possible security crackdown, but also possible intimidation by the governments new volunteer recruits, the crime preventers. A month before the official campaign began in December 2015, an estimated 200,000 crime preventers were recruited as a community protection unit. However, international rights groups have called for the suspension of the volunteer force, accusing the recruits of physical intimidation, bribery and partisanship. An alliance of human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have strongly criticised the use of the crime preventers during the election, arguing that the unit has no basis in Ugandan law. However, the government has defended its deployment, saying that the unit has been in place since the 1990s. Ugandas crime preventers: Is the government breeding a monster? Patrick Mutembo, 43, a former policeman and FDC representative for Entebbe, a small city to the southwest of Kampala, said that he feared the community police force could resort to using hostile tactics on election day. The crime preventers are being used to watch people here. If you are in the opposition and you are too vocal then they will come after you. Ive been followed home on two occasions by crime preventers as if they want to scare me or silence me, but I know what they are doing. I was one of them, he asserts. Between spoonfuls of his morning porridge, he recalls his time in the police. When I was a police officer, if we were told someone had voted two or three times we would arrest them. But if we questioned them and found they had voted for the ruling party, we would let them go after a short while. Our orders from above were to secure the position of the incumbent. That is what we did in the last election and maybe they could do it again this time around, he says. As 15 million registered voters cast their ballots, many fear the polls will end in public frustration and protest. Remembering Ugandas dark past of civil conflict and military rule, Dirisa Namusanga, 32, a boda boda or motorcycle taxi rider in Kampala, says that he hopes there will not be any further unrest if his party of choice, the ruling NRM, is victorious once again. I am yellow. Every day I wear this uniform because I want people to vote for the NRM. After many years of war, Uganda has had peace because of the NRM and this time there will be no fighting or protesting because the NRM will be chosen by us, the people, he says. Follow Tendai on Twitter @i_amten. Arrest of student leader in Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University stirs unrest and divides opinion across the country. The protests at one of Indias most famous universities continue to widen and polarise public opinion across the country. It began after the president of the student union was arrested on charges of sedition, a move widely seen as an attempt to silence dissent. Thousands of students have participated in a series of protests and Jawaharlal Nehru University has come to a standstill. The arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar, 28, last week took place after a demonstration that marked the anniversary of the 2013 execution of Afzal Guru, a Kashmiri man convicted of an attack on Indias parliament in 2001. The attack left 10 people dead and was blamed on an armed group based in Pakistan. Kumar was arrested after a student group, ABVP, linked to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), filed a police complaint alleging anti-Indian slogans were heard during the demonstration. A smartphone video of Kumars speech, which has since been widely shared, disputes these accusations. Accusing finger Kumar points an accusing finger at the ABVP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a nationalist group loyal to the BJP. He also explicitly condemns violence. The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday ordered Kumar to be held in judicial custody until a new court date of March 2. On Thursday, BS Bassi, Delhi Police commissioner, said if Kumar were to apply for bail, the police would have no objection. The Supreme Court will hear the bail plea on Friday. As the verdict was delivered on Wednesday, there was a fresh round of violence outside the court in Delhi. Kumar was attacked by a number of pro-nationalist lawyers inside the court, as was a journalist and a student. Witnesses said about a dozen lawyers threw rocks at reporters and protesters. In the ensuing violence, one lawyer grabbed the camera strap of an Associated Press news agency photographer, breaking his lens. The lawyers waved Indian flags and chanted Glory to Mother India and Traitors leave India. Nationwide protests The case has set off the largest nationwide protests by students in 25 years and provoked an uncompromising response from supporters of Narendra Modis government, who say the actions against Kumar are justified. The protests have since spread to several other universities and colleges across India as students and teachers have held rallies to condemn Kumars arrest. In the southern city of Hyderabad, demonstrators clashed with right-wing student activists. Students from Chennai clashed with police on Thursday, and protests at a university in Kolkata also turned violent. Indias opposition leaders voiced their concerns earlier this week with Modi. In a sign of how grave the situation is, they are due to meet the prime minister again on February 23. Hundreds of supporters of Kumar marched on Thursday in protest against his arrest. Shehla Rashid, vice president of JNU Students Union, has urged students to engage in a peaceful march and avoid clashes with the police. Perception of intolerance The official reaction of the police and judiciary to the protests at JNU is feeding a growing perception in India of a rise in intolerance in India since BJP under Modis leadership came to power in 2014. Modi is perceived by his critics as a deeply polarising figure and has been accused of fostering sectarian prejudice and authoritarian tendencies. The government has also been accused of trying to repress free speech and tacitly ignoring extremist nationalists who intimidate critics of the BJP. Last week, Rajnath Singh, the home minister, said on Twitter: If anyone shouts anti India slogan & challenges nations sovereignty & integrity while living in India, they will not be tolerated or spared. The protests are also a reminder that areas of history, education and culture are becoming battlegrounds in a struggle for dominance by Indias secular left and Hindu nationalists. Last October, Indian police had to protect the launch of a book by a former foreign minister of Pakistan after a pro-nationalist group said it would disrupt the event. Only weeks earlier, a Muslim man on the outskirts of Delhi who was suspected of eating beef was lynched by a mob. Caste tensions Last month Rohit Vemula, a 26-year-old doctoral student at the University of Hyderabad, was found dead after he was suspended from university. His death prompted protests in Hyderabad and Delhi. He was one of five students, all from Indias Dalit caste, to be suspended after being accused of assaulting the head of a student political group. All five denied the charge. Kumars mother has defended her son and rejected all accusations. My son spoke the truth. He was arrested because his views questioned the government policy and their agenda, said Meena Devi, who lives in Bihar. My son can never be a traitor. He would lay down his life for his country. Are European migration policies being driven by efforts to quickly classify new arrivals as either migrants or refugees? In late January, European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos acknowledged that the European Unions efforts to manage migration had, until then, not delivered the expected results. One million refugees, asylum seekers and migrants had crossed into Europe the previous year. More than 3,700 people had died attempting to do so. Europe will provide protection for those who need it, Avramopoulos proposed, with a note of caution. But those who have no right to be here have to be returned. The European Commissioner was drawing on a debate that has dominated discussions of the so-called migration crisis since last year how to distinguish between refugees and economic migrants. Some have called the distinction necessary at a time of unprecedented human movement. Others say it dehumanises one group in favour of the other, making migrant a dirty word. European countries appear to be designing policy around this loaded distinction. Economic migrants or rejected asylum seekers face increasingly harsh measures, while the publics mood towards them becomes ever more charged. Sweden expands immigration policing Sweden has a history of accepting refugees and asylum seekers from around the world since 1975. In some areas of Gothenburg, the countrys second city, refugees from Lebanons civil war, which ended in 1990, live alongside Iraqis and Syrians who have recently arrived. But in the face of unprecedented migration, the government has gradually rolled back its welcoming policy in favour of border checks and expanded police programmes. In late January, Swedish Interior Minister Anders Ygeman announced plans to charter aircraft to deport between 60,000 and 80,000 rejected asylum seekers (out of the total 163,000 who applied) from last year. We have a big challenge ahead of us, Ygeman was quoted as saying by the daily business newspaper Dagens Industri, acknowledging that the government fears many of those included in that number may go into hiding. ARCTIC REFUGEES: Inside the Swedish ski resort housing asylum seekers The Swedish government has already announced its intention of vigorously expanding police numbers and dealing with the significant risk of people going underground to avoid arrest or deportation, The Guardian reported last month. Ygeman admitted that the process could take years. No asylum Four years ago, sisters Amira and Zeinab fled their home in northeastern Syria, made it to Europe and applied for asylum in Sweden. After a long wait, and several appeals, they were told their claims had been rejected for the final time. They believe it is because, despite living in Syria, their mother is originally from Eastern Europe. They are just two of the tens of thousands now at risk of deportation from Europe. We didnt get asylum, so well be forced to leave the country, Zeinab explains. She is bitter about what she sees as a palpable shift in public sympathy since the Paris attacks, and allegations of sexual harassment and violence during New Years Eve celebrations in Cologne, Germany. We used to get help from organisations here and it was relatively easy, but now it feels as if there is discrimination based on peoples religion, Zeinab adds, recounting how even the church where they have been receiving help has started asking questions. When they find out youre Muslim, the treatment changes. The sisters are trying as best they can to live under the radar, subsisting off charity and help from relatives. And they now live in fear of arrest. For security reasons, they asked for their real names to be withheld. We dont go out so much these days, says Amira. Zeinab nods grimly. If something happens, no one can help us. Garrison states, hotspot borders Doros Polykarpou, the executive director of Cypriot migration, asylum and anti-discrimination organisation KISA, meanwhile, claims that the migration policies of the Mediterranean island are testament to the fact that policies such as the ones advocated by Sweden do not actually work. Cyprus has received hundreds of economic migrants since it joined the EU in 2004, while its proximity to the Middle East had already seen arrivals from Lebanon and Syria in recent years. In the last 10 years, Cyprus was following a very strict policy trying to manage migration with the tool of detention and deportation sending a message to refugees that its better not to come to Cyprus and to go somewhere else, he says. If European countries can take an example from Cyprus, and learn something from these last 10 years, its that you cant implement such a policy because youll have more detention places, but it wont be easy to deport them back to their countries. This can get expensive very quickly, Polykarpou says. Michael Flynn is the executive director of the Geneva-based Global Detention Project (GDP), whose December report, The Uncounted, recently uncovered a severe lack of information about the number of migrants and asylum seekers in detention across Europe, including large gaps in statistics or opaque governmental responses to requests for information. At the same time, Flynn argues, the new proposals present several practical impossibilities. Youd basically have to create a garrison state to start detaining these numbers of people, Flynn suggests, referring to the relationship of detention to deportation, because people are usually detained before being returned. Were talking not necessarily about laws, but the practical impossibilities in terms of how many people do you need to have in place to do this? How many detention centres are you going to have to hold them? How much money are you going to spend to build these detention centres, so that you can prevent people from absconding? What is it that youre willing to actually commit to do this? Sweden is not alone in pondering such policies. Austria recently announced that it plans to handle rejected asylum seekers and migrants by capping the number of possible annual asylum claims while deporting 50,000 people over the next four years. READ MORE: The Greek island helping refugees The Austrian government may even pay migrants $542 if they agree to be deported, according to a summary of an agreement between the countrys interior, defence and integration ministries, as reported by Reuters. Even Germany, often lauded for its progressive approach to the unprecedented influx of refugees in 2015, has discussed returning more North African economic migrants by classifying countries such as Algeria and Tunisia as safe third countries the same tactic by which the EU hopes to fast-track processing of asylum seekers and economic migrants on Europes borders. Some will be allowed through, others immediately returned, according to European Commission documents. So-called hotspots are scheduled to open on several of Greeces high-receiving islands including Lesbos. The threat of sending people back to safe third countries, where there is then a risk their rights will be violated through administrative detention or actual return to origin countries, is real, according to Amnesty International. Since September 2015, the rights organisation has documented the cases of scores possibly hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers in Turkey being herded onto buses and transported more than 1,000 kilometres to isolated detention centres where they have been held incommunicado. Some report being shackled for days on end, beaten and forcibly transported back to the countries they had fled. Shouting slogans and holding placards, thousands of protesters have joined a solidarity march in Indias capital, New Delhi, to protest against the arrest of a student leader on sedition charges. The large demonstration on Thursday came amid continued nationwide protests against last weeks arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar, the president of a student union at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Kumar was arrested after he took part in a demonstration that marked the anniversary of the 2013 execution of Afzal Guru, a Kashmiri man convicted of an attack on Indias Parliament in 2001. On Thursday, protesters marched from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar, a designated protest area near Indias parliament. There, they called for Kumars immediate release. We want our leader to be absolved of all the charges and declared innocent. We do not want the government to just give him bail, Rahil Parween, a JNU student and activist, told Al Jazeera. Students and faculty members from other universities also took part in the protest. I am here to defend democracy and resist the fascist forces that have been attacking our freedom of expression, said Gopinath Ravindran, a professor at Jamia Millia University. MORE: Indian police arrest student leader on sedition charges A haunting, moonlit image of a baby being passed by refugees underneath a razor-wire fence on the Hungary-Serbia border has won the prestigious World Press Photo award for 2015, organisers have said. The black and white photo which was never published was taken by Australian photographer Warren Richardson last August near the border crossing point at Roszke in Hungary as refugees tried to get into Europe before Hungarian authorities could complete a secure fence along the length of the countrys border with Serbia. Had I used a flash, I would have given their position away to the Hungarian police, said Richardson, who camped out for days on the border to document the passage of the refugees. Needing to preserve his cameras battery, Richardson did not see the image until he returned home to Budapest and began editing his pictures. Jury member Vaughn Wallace, deputy photo editor for Al Jazeera America, called the image incredibly powerful visually, but its also very nuanced. He said the photo causes you to stop and consider the mans face, consider the child. You see the sharpness of the barbed wire and the hands reaching out from the darkness. The contest drew 82,951 images from 5,775 photographers. Associated Press photographer Daniel Ochoa de Olza won second place in the People Stories category with a series of portraits of young Spanish girls sitting in a decorated altar as part of the historic Las Mayas festival. Luke Coffey is a research fellow specialising in transatlantic and Eurasian security at a Washington DC based think tank. He previously served as a special adviser to the British defence secretary and was a commissioned officer in the United States army. In a similar way that many in Western Europe worry about how the influx of Arab refugees might alter the social fabric in places such as Germany or Sweden, many Turks are concerned about the ever-increasing Arab minority in Turkey. If policymakers in Ankara pursue the correct policies now, it could save Turkey a lot of social strife in the future. Tough questions will have to be addressed to ensure that the newly enlarged Arab minority integrates into Turkish society in a positive way. Turkey has a long history of welcoming Arab refugees. During World War II, almost two million Arabs from the Levant and Mesopotamia settled in Turkey. There was another huge influx during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, and in the aftermath of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. Turkeys Arab challenge Estimates of the number of Arabs living in Turkey before the Syrian Civil War in 2011 vary widely from one million to more than two million. Turkeys Arab minority is concentrated predominately in Sanliurfa, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kilis and Mardin provinces all along Turkeys border with Syria. READ MORE: Turkey is not in bed with ISIL Unlike the Kurds, for the most part Arabs have not had difficulty becoming assimilated in Turkish society not withstanding some localised issues over language and education. Most (but not all) of Turkeys Arab population practise Sunni Islam, the predominate religion in Turkey. Unlike the Kurds, for the most part Arabs have not had difficulty assimilating into Turkish society - not withstanding some localised issues over language and education. by In some cases many cultural traits are shared between ethnic Turks and the Arab minority in Turkey. This has made integration easier for Arabs than for other groups such as Armenians, for example. However, with the huge influx of Arab refugees into Turkey, this could change. The number of Arab refugees today in Turkey stands at 2.6 million. This number is made up mainly of Syrian refugees but those from Iraq number in the hundreds of thousands. Add the number of Arabs who were already living in Turkey to the influx of refugees since 2011 and the sum quickly approaches five million making Arabs the third largest ethnic group in the country after the Kurds. Of the 2.6 million refugees only 10 percent live in the established camps. Many have chosen to live in the regions of Turkey traditionally home to ethnic Arabs. For example, the population in Kilis province has doubled since 2011 thanks to the influx of refugees. Even so, refugees can be found in all of Turkeys 81 provinces. Strain on public services This is placing a huge strain on public services. Last year, Turkey enrolled 215,000 Syrian children into primary and secondary education. While this was a big improvement on the year before, it makes up only a small number of the more than 700,000 school-aged Syrian children living in Turkey. Since 2011 a staggering 70,000 Syrian babies have been born in Turkey. Those born in 2011 will start school this year. Starting in March, all adult Syrian refugees who have been legally registered in Turkey for at least six months will be able to apply for a work permit. This will help the refugee population to assimilate into Turkish society, give them an opportunity to earn a living, and, it is hoped, reduce the number of refugees making the daring trip to other places in Europe. On the other hand, this move is likely to push unskilled Turks out of low-wage jobs or, at a minimum, drive down wages in unskilled labour sectors. With unemployment hovering at just under 11 percent in Turkey, this could have significant social and economic consequences. With the increased fighting in the region around Aleppo, more civilians have been massing on the Turkish border hoping to escape the bloodshed. READ MORE: Turkey cant avoid new post-Arab Spring mindset Currently, these Syrians hoping to escape are measured in the tens of thousands, but Turkeys Turkish deputy prime minister, Numan Kurtulmus, recently claimed that as many as 600,000 refugees could flood into Turkey if the fighting continues around Aleppo. Some suggest that the estimate could be as high as one million. Safe zone in northern Syria For months Turkey has been calling for the establishment of a so-called safe zone in northern Syria. Beyond making public pronouncements for a safe zone, nobody has explained how this might work in practice. Building the infrastructure to protect, house, feed, heat, educate and provide basic healthcare to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced Syrians in a largely barren area along the Turkish-Syrian border for the foreseeable future is probably not feasible. Turkey needs a realistic plan to deal with these refugees, and this will require the help and financial support of Europe and the US. Even if the fighting in Syria stopped tomorrow it is unlikely many Syrians who have settled in Turkey would want to go back to their homelands. What would they go back to? It appears that millions of Syrians will remain in Turkey for ever. They will settle down and start families. Attend school and get jobs. How they will integrate into Turkish society and mobilise politically remains to be seen. One thing is for certain, demographics in Turkey will never be the same. Luke Coffey is a research fellow specialising in transatlantic and Eurasian security at a Washington DC-based think-tank. He previously served as a special adviser to the British defence secretary and was a commissioned officer in the United States Army. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. With urban conflicts and major terrorist attacks, Turkey is looking more and more like its war-ravaged neighbour. Volunteer aid workers breakfasting near the Syrian border. A massive, joyous peace rally in the centre of Ankara, the nations capital. Foreign tourists taking in centuries-old monuments in the heart of old Istanbul. And, finally, a convoy of military personnel, again in central Ankara. With nearly 200 people killed in just seven months, the beat goes on in Turkey. Four attacks, four targets, one goal: more terror, chaos, and violence. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu quickly sought to turn the latest bombing to Turkeys geopolitical advantage. He announced that the attacker, Syrian national Saleh Najjar, had ties to the Syrian Kurdish military group known as the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), which Davutoglu says received guidance on the plot from the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. The PKK, which Turkey, the US and EU have labelled a terrorist group, has fought an off-and-on war with Turkey for more than three decades and has been battling Turkeys military across the southeast since the Suruc bombing last July. Davutoglu called on allies such as the US which has relied on the YPG in its fight against ISIL to cease co-ordination with the group. It is out of the question for us to excuse tolerance towards a terrorist organisation that targets our people in our capital, he said. Deteriorating security situation As Turkeys military began a fourth straight day of shelling YPG positions in northern Syria, the PYD and PKK denied any involvement in the attack. But at this point, the perpetrator is nearly irrelevant. The more pressing issue is security. Turkey is a NATO-member state, with a respected military and a vast intelligence and security apparatus. Its also a sort of flood wall, helping to keep the swirling maelstrom of Syria out of Europe: after Turkey, the deluge. OPINION: Turkeys summer of mayhem Since the start of the Syrian war, Ankara has sought the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey backed rebel groups and provided transit routes for weapons and fighters, and has lately been criticised for helping to create the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). In recent months Turkey increased border controls, built a border wall, and arrested hundreds of alleged terrorists within the country. But it has become increasingly clear that its too little, too late, and that Turkeys security has deteriorated considerably at the very moment its security challenges have multiplied and grown more deadly, thanks to spillover from Syria. For Turkey, improving security in the shadow of the mini-world war that is Syria in 2016 would be a taller order, but it would offer an added benefit: greater border controls and migrant monitoring. by In its southeast, Turkey is battling a violent insurgency and engaging in bloody urban conflict a PKK attack on a military convoy near Diyarbakir on Thursday morning reportedly killed six Turkish soldiers. Meanwhile, its taking regular and deadly hits to what should be its best-protected areas. The signs suggest terrorists, Turkish and Syrian, have built the kind of infrastructure thats extremely difficult to eradicate. Its no secret that ISIL and the PKK have it in for Turkey, nor that they can strike almost at will. A list of other potential enemies would include YPG, Assad, and Russia. Meanwhile, both of the last two suicide bombers have been Syrian refugees. Some 2.5 million Syrian refugees now live in Turkey, and many others continue to pass through Turkey seeking the relative stability of the European Union, posing a potential security threat. Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, Ankara Office Director of the German Marshall Fund, points to three government steps that have undermined Turkeys security capabilities in recent years: the massive coup-plot cases, known as Ergenekon and Balyoz, that led to the dismissal or imprisonment of top military officials and eroded military morale; the purge of thousands of police officers linked to the Gulen movement, which has reduced the forces effectiveness; and increasingly troubled relations with neighbouring states, which have curbed diplomacy and intelligence-sharing. Peace at home, peace in the world Ankara might want to stop focusing on destroying the PKK, YPG, and Assad and ticking off Putin, and get its own house in order. Unluhisarcikli calls for a foreign policy prioritising Turkeys own national security rather than the transformation of its neighbourhood. This might first involve a ceasefire with the PKK and resumed peace negotiations, followed by a laser-like focus on domestic terrorism. On the latter, Ankara might look to Saudi Arabia for answers. OPINION: Predicting Turkeys next move in Syria After terrorist attacks increased in Saudi Arabia from 2003 to 2006, Riyadh mounted one of the worlds most successful counterterrorism drives. The government beefed up police and security forces, expanded and improved intelligence gathering, built new prisons and created one of the worlds most effective counter-radicalisation programmes. It also encouraged leading imams to speak out against radicalism and terrorist activity. The result was several years of near-zero terrorist deaths. For Turkey, improving security in the shadow of the mini-world war that is Syria in 2016 would be a taller order, but it would offer an added benefit: greater border controls and migrant monitoring. Because some 10,000 people are still crossing the Aegean from Turkey to Greece every week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is refusing to commit to Ankaras plan for the EU countries to resettle hundreds of thousands of refugees now living in Turkey. In fact, the Ankara bombing prodded Davutoglu to cancel a planned trip to Brussels to meet Merkel and discuss the issue. But if Turkey can improve border controls and better monitor foreign arrivals, the EU would begin to ease Turkeys burden. Of course, Saudi Arabias counter-terror drive didnt come cheaply. And Ankaras finances are already strained by a slowing economy. But Turkeys choice is simple: prioritise counterterrorism and invest heavily in improved security or continue to slide, slowly but surely, into the Syrian quagmire. David Lepeska is a freelance journalist based in Istanbul. His work focuses on Turkey and the Middle East. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Collision between passenger bus and cargo truck underlines West African nations relatively high rate of road deaths. At least 71 people died after a passenger bus collided with a truck carrying tomatoes on a highway in Ghana, police say. They said the head-on collision between the government-operated bus heading to the northern town of Tamale from the second-largest city of Kumasi and the cargo truck happened on Wednesday evening. The town is about 420km from the West African nations capital, Accra. Described as one of the worst crashes in the country in years, the accident reduced the bus to a mass of metal and left the road covered with crushed red tomatoes. Bismark Owusu Fosu, medical director at Kintampo hospital, said on Thursday that 71 people died in the crash, while a further 13 people were seriously injured. Many passengers were reported to have died on the spot, police said. It was very serious. Many of them were already dead, regional police spokesman Christopher Tawiah said, describing a scene where police and firemen were forced to saw the wreckage to pull out survivors. We had to use chainsaws to cut through parts of the mangled bus to get bodies and survivors out. The rest are still receiving treatment. Received the sad news of an accident involving a M.M.T. Bus on the Kintampo- Tamale road. Condolences to those who've lost loved ones. John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) February 17, 2016 The cause of the accident is unknown, but police say both vehicles are suspected of speeding. Ghana has a relatively high rate of road deaths due in part to narrow and poorly constructed roads, failure by drivers to respect speed limits, and inadequate vehicle maintenance. John Mahama, Ghanas president, said the accident was very sad news and sent condolences to those whove lost loved ones in a series of remarks posted on Twitter. Aid trucks have entered five besieged areas as the UN plans to meet for a second time to discuss humanitarian aid. Humanitarian aid has reached besieged areas of Syria after trucks filled with supplies left Damascus, as the United Nations said a taskforce seeking humanitarian access throughout the conflict-torn country will meet on Thursday in Geneva. The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, Yacoub el-Hillo, said in a press release that on Wednesday night the UN reached five towns in urgent need of assistance. The convoys contained life-saving aid including food, medical supplies and equipment, vaccines, water and sanitation items for almost 100,000 people in need of aid, Hillo said. At least 100 trucks rolled out of the capital on Wednesday afternoon in the latest delivery of supplies to trapped residents, said Al Jazeeras Zeina Khodr, reporting from Gaziantep, near Turkeys border with Syria. Undoubtedly this is progress for the thousands trapped in these besieged areas, Khodr said. The Syrian Red Crescent was co-ordinating with the UN on the aid deliveries. About 35 vehicles later arrived in Moadimayet al-Sham, a rebel-held town near Damascus encircled by President Bashar al-Assads forces, Syrian state news agency SANA reported. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said six trucks also entered al-Fouaa and Kafraya two towns under siege by the government since 2012. Telling Syrias story: Media across the battle lines Another 50 aid vehicles arrived in Madaya and Zabadani, two other government-besieged towns near Damascus. Doctors Without Borders said that at least 35 people had died of starvation in Madaya alone since the beginning of December 2015, with more than 250 people suffering from severe malnutrition. The Syrian government approved access to seven besieged areas, the UN said after crisis talks in Damascus on Tuesday, a week before a planned resumption of peace talks between Syrias warring parties. The UN has demanded unhindered access to all besieged areas of the country, where it says hundreds of thousands of people are trapped by fighting and deliberate blockades by Syrias various warring sides. UN chief warns Syrian starvation a war crime The UN is struggling to deliver aid to about 4.5 million Syrians who live in hard-to-reach areas, including nearly 400,000 people in besieged areas. The fighting in Syria started as an unarmed uprising against Assad in March 2011, but has since expanded into a full-on conflict that has killed more than 260,000 people, according to UN estimates. Armed group denies Mahad Karate and 10 other commanders died in air strike, saying top official is safe and sound. Kenyas army has said it killed al-Shababs intelligence chief and another 10 of the armed groups commanders in an air strike in Somalia. Al-Shabab, however, denied the claim, saying Mahad Karate, a top commander also responsible for the groups internal security, and his colleagues were safe and sound and that the air strikes did not happen. Kenyan troops, who are part of an African Union force in Somalia (AMISOM) fighting al-Shabab, claimed to have killed Karate in a strike at an al-Shabab training camp on February 8. The Kenya Defence Forces, under AMISOM operations, would like to confirm that Mahad Mohammed Karate and 10 other middle-level commanders were killed in a major KDF strike in southern Somalia, a Kenyan army statement said on Thursday. The killing is a major blow to the terrorist group, the statement said. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the deaths but al-Shabab described the Kenyan report as lies. READ MORE: Somalias al-Shabab seizes missile-armed drone The person they claimed they killed is safe and sound. None of our camps have been attacked in any way. They are telling lies to please their people after we killed their troops in El-Adde, the groups military operations spokesman, Abdiaziz Abu Musab, told Al Jazeera. Al-Shababs intelligence wing has been involved in suicide attacks and assassinations in Somalia, Kenya and other surrounding countries. It provides logistics and support for the groups operations throughout the Horn of Africa. The US government had placed a $5m bounty on Karate. A US Rewards for Justice wanted notice said: Karate, also known as Abdirahman Mohamed Warsame, played a key role in the Amniyat, the wing of the Shabab responsible for assassinations and the April 2, 2015 attack on Garissa University College. The armed group aims to overthrow Somalias central government and establish a state based on its interpretation of Islamic law. The group was pushed out of Mogadishu by African Union peacekeeping forces in 2011. With additional reporting by Hamza Mohamed Obama to become the first serving US president to set foot on the island in nearly nine decades, as ties normalise. Barack Obama, the US president, is planning an historic visit to Cuba next month, which will make him the first serving US president to set foot on the island in nearly nine decades. Obamas visit in mid-March will be part of a broader trip to Latin America that the White House will announce on Thursday, Obama administration officials told news agencies. Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced last year that they would begin normalising ties after a half-century of Cold War opposition. On Tuesday, the two nations signed a deal restoring commercial air traffic for the first time in five decades. Immediately after signing the commercial flights deal, the US Department of Transportation opened bidding by American carriers on as many as 110 US-Cuba flights a day more than five times the current number. All flights currently operating between the two countries are charters. Obamas government is eager to make progress on building trade and diplomatic ties with Cuba before he leaves office. A normalisation of US-Cuban relations had seemed unthinkable to both Cubans and Americans for generations. In August Havana and Washington formally renewed relations and upgraded their diplomatic missions to embassies. The presidents of the US and Cuba earlier last year met in Panama City, with Obama announcing a thaw in relations by saying the Cold War is over. In run-up to referendum that could see his country quit the EU, UK prime minister says he is pushing for a better deal. David Cameron has given warning that he will reject any deal to keep Britain in the European Union if it fails to meet his countrys needs. The UK prime minister said on Thursday he is battling for Britain as he arrived at a crucial, two-day summit in Brussels which could determine the countrys future within the 28-nation bloc. Ill be battling for Britain. If we can get a good deal Ill take that deal but I will not take a deal that doesnt meet what we need, Cameron said. I think its much more important to get this right than to do anything in a rush, but with goodwill and hard work we can get a better deal for Britain. WATCH: Is the European project collapsing? Under pressure from eurosceptics in his own centre-right Conservative Party and media commentators, Cameron has demanded a series of policy changes that will return powers to London in the run-up to a referendum on whether to leave the EU. The referendum could happen as soon as June. Undecided Britons Al Jazeeras Emma Hayward, reporting from Brussels, said: Whatever Cameron leaves with here, he has to go and sell it to the Briitsh public. We know from the polls that a lot of people are still very undecided [on whether or not to remain in the EU]. Speaking to Al Jazeera from the Belgian capital, Nigel Farage, leader of the far-right United Kingdom Independence Party, said Britain should leave the EU. Britain divorcing itself from this political union isnt just about Britain. I personally hope, very much indeed, that a Brexit would be followed by a broader conversation in Europe, he said. OPINION: A happy new year for Europe? I would like to think in 10 years time, we would have a [Europe] made up of democratic sovereign states trading together, co-operating together, working together, but without a flag, without an anthem, without an army and without a police force. But countries such as France oppose special protections for countries such as Britain that do not use the euro. Britain has been an increasingly half-hearted member over the past decades, staying out of both the common euro currency and the borderless Schengen zone. Calls to remain For his part, French President Francois Hollande says there should be no way that Britain can hold up intense EU co-operation in the future. I want Britain to stay in the EU. But I hope most of all that Europe can advance, can be stronger, he said on Thursday in Brussels. And that no chief of state or government could stop that. We cannot stop Europe from advancing. In her remarks, Chancellor Angela Merkel said that it was in Germanys national interest for Britain to remain in the EU. Im going into this debate with the position that we would like to do everything to create the conditions so that Great Britain can remain part of the European Union, she said. Merkel said Britain is an ally for Germany in promoting competitiveness and free trade, and that Europe needs Britains foreign and security policy commitment. Military yet to confirm who carried out raids which claimed at least 24 lives, including children, in provinces west. More than 20 Iraqi civilians have been killed in two air strikes on towns held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in the west of Anbar province, military sources say. It was not immediately apparent whether the air strikes, which took place on Thursday in the towns of Heet and Rutbah, were carried out by the US-led international coalition, or Iraqi airforce planes, Al Jazeeras Imran Khan reported from the capital, Baghdad. What we do know is that at least 24 civilians are reported to have been killed, including seven children and nine women, he said. We dont know yet if the air strikes were carried out by the coalition or Iraqi military. Iraqi forces and ISIL are engaged in battles across Anbar, especially around the urban centres of Ramadi which is now largely controlled by government forces and Fallujah, which is still held by the fighters. Since being pushed from the centre of Ramadi in late December, ISIL has launched near-daily attacks on Iraqi forces, especially on the outskirts of the city. The attacks continued on Thursday, with an ISIL suicide car bomber killing at least 20 members of the joint Iraqi army and Popular Mobilisation Force stationed at al-Subaihaat village, east of Ramadi. The Iraqi forces battle against ISIL is clearly continuing in areas of Iraq which were thought to be secure, Khan said. READ MORE: 80 percent of Ramadi in ruins after fighting ISIL also hit pro-government fighters elsewhere in the province on Thursday, killing at least 13 Sunni tribal fighters in an assault on their barracks, north of Haditha. Military sources told Al Jazeera that the attack was repelled by the tribal fighters. Residents of hotly contested Anbar account for more than one third of the 3.2 million people displaced by fighting in Iraq since the start of 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration. The launch of the Freedom 251, hailed as the worlds cheapest smartphone, caused companys website to briefly crash. An Indian company has launched what is being described as the worlds cheapest smartphone, priced at less than $4. Ringing Bells, a little-known manufacturer based in the northern Uttar Pradesh state, started selling the Freedom 251 on its website on Thursday. The phone was unveiled a day ahead of the launch and is being sold for 251 rupees ($3.66) a price that sceptics said was far lower than what its components would cost. Overwhelming demand caused Ring of Bells website to crash hours after the phone went on sale, but it was back up and running on Thursday evening. The company, based in the Delhi satellite city of Noida, was set up only last year and the launch event for the new phone on Wednesday night was attended by a senior leader from Prime Minister Narendra Modis party. Company president Ashok Kumar Chadha said the Android smartphone would have pre-installed apps that tie into Modi initiatives such as Make in India and Clean India. The company currently imports the parts of Freedom 251 from Taiwan and assembles them in India. The phone comes with a 10cm display and is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM. It comes with an in-built storage of 8GB which can further be expanded up to 32GB with a microSD card. READ MORE: Al Jazeeras coverage of science and technology news Freedom 251 runs on Lolipop Android 5.1 and is equipped with a 3.2-megapixel rear camera, a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera, 3G support, wi-fi connectivity and a 1450mAh battery. Despite the low cost, Ringing Bells claims to have received no subsidies from the government. The smartphone will be available only online initially, which will help the firm to cut costs and maintain the price. Customers will also get several apps pre-installed in the phone including Women Safety, Swachh Bharat or Clean India, Fisherman, Farmer, Medical, Google Play, WhatsApp, Facebook, and YouTube. According to a report by research firm International Data Corporation, in 2015 the Indian smartphone market grew at 28.8 percent to 103.6 million units, positioning itself as one of the fastest-growing smartphone markets in the region. Israel is forcing Palestinian schools in occupied East Jerusalem to switch over to an Israeli-controlled curriculum. Jerusalem Israel is to put financial pressure on Palestinian schools in occupied East Jerusalem in an effort to make them switch over to an Israeli-controlled curriculum, according to local activists and officials. Almost all of East Jerusalems schools currently use a syllabus developed by the Palestinian Authority, a Palestinian government-in-waiting created in the mid-1990s by the Oslo accords. Before that, they relied on the Jordanian curriculum. Palestinian officials have slammed the move, warning that it is part of intensified efforts by Israel to disconnect East Jerusalem from the neighbouring West Bank and entrench its control over the 300,000 Palestinians in the city. Peace efforts have long been premised on Israel ending its occupation of East Jerusalem and recognising the city as the capital of a future Palestinian state. This attack on our curriculum is part of Israels war on Palestinian identity, Sabri Saidam, the Palestinian education minister, told Al Jazeera. Israel is working to consolidate its illegal occupation. Israel tried to impose the Israeli curriculum when it first occupied East Jerusalem in 1967, but was forced to relent after parents and pupils staged months of strikes and protests. READ MORE: Israel is a terrorist state Civil rights groups, meanwhile, fear Palestinian schools will have little choice but to submit to the Israeli scheme if they do not want to face further budget cuts in an East Jerusalem education system already chronically underfunded by Israel. We don't want our children to be told that al-Aqsa is not our holy place, that the Palestinian flag is not our flag, that the land belongs to the settlers, and that Ariel Sharon is a hero. by Hatem Khweis, spokesman for the Union of Parents' Committees Palestinian pupils, local activists say, will be presented with a curriculum that denies their history and identity, and places a strong emphasis on Israels official position that all of Jerusalem is its eternal, unified capital. We dont want our children to be told that al-Aqsa is not our holy place, that the Palestinian flag is not our flag, that the land belongs to the settlers, and that Ariel Sharon is a hero, said Hatem Khweis, a spokesman for the Union of Parents Committees, a Palestinian group campaigning for improved education in East Jerusalem. The plan to switch curriculums came to light after senior Israeli education officials divulged details to the local media. Last year only 1,900 Palestinian high-school pupils in East Jerusalem about 5 percent studied the Israeli curriculum. Israel operates an almost entirely segregated education system between Jewish and Palestinian pupils, both in Israel and in occupied East Jerusalem. Saidam said that Israel was required under international treaties it had signed to provide a public education that respected the occupied populations heritage, identity and culture. Israels education minister, Naftali Bennett, who is also leader of the settler party Jewish Home, said he wanted to provide a strong tailwind to any school that chooses the Israeli curriculum. My policy is clear: I want to aid the process of Israelization. According to the Jerusalem municipality, the scheme will exploit the Palestinian populations increasing isolation from the West Bank since Israel built a wall through the city a decade ago. The extra funding will entitle Palestinian schools that switch to the Israeli curriculum to more classroom hours as well as music and art classes, teacher training and student counselling services most of which are currently lacking in East Jerusalems Palestinian schools. READ MORE: East Jerusalem suffocates under harsh Israeli siege Last year Israeli education officials said they were considering lengthening the short school day in East Jerusalems schools to take Palestinian youths off the streets. An Israeli curriculum, it is also hoped, will reduce nationalist sentiment. Israeli officials believe both factors have fuelled months of angry Palestinian protests, as well as knife and car attacks on Israelis, that have focused on Jerusalem. Some have termed the unrest a third intifada. Israel believes it can change the next Palestinian generations mentality in the classroom, turning them into Zionists, without addressing the political situation, said Zakaria Odeh, director of the Civic Coalition, an umbrella group for Palestinian civil society groups in Jerusalem. But that is the real cause of their anger and frustration, Odeh told Al Jazeera. He added that the Israeli curriculum denied the Palestinians identity, characterising them instead as minorities and religious groups. Israeli officials appear to hope that East Jerusalem residents will to resist is now weaker. Khweis, of the Union of Parents Committees, said the education ministry was exerting strong pressure on schools. They were imposing the Israeli curriculum through a war of financial attrition, he said. Israeli courts have harshly criticised the government for the dire state of East Jerusalems schools, especially a shortage of more than 2,200 extra classrooms. In 2011 the Supreme Court gave the government and municipality five years to build enough classrooms for Palestinian children in East Jerusalem. That deadline expires this summer. A report in December by Ir Amim, an advocacy group for a fairer Jerusalem, found the situation had deteriorated dramatically since the ruling. Only 35 classrooms had been built over the past five years, failing even to keep pace with natural growth.The education ministry is holding educational resources hostage by conditioning funds to schools on their agreement to change their curriculum, Betty Herschman, a spokeswoman for Ir Amim, told Al Jazeera. Khweis said Israeli officials had stepped up interference in the Palestinian curriculum in recent years, censoring large sections of textbooks. Changes have included: removing pictures of Palestinian flags and PA logos; excising information about PLO leaders; cutting lines from poems that could be interpreted as promoting struggle against occupation; and redacting references to the Nakba, the Arabic term for the loss of the Palestinians homeland in 1948. Israel has so mangled the Palestinian textbooks that the curriculum is extremely weak, he said. And now Israel turns to the schools and tells them they would be better off with the Israeli syllabus. Saidam, the PAs education minister, said Israel had also started blocking the shipment of Palestinian textbooks to Jerusalem. READ MORE: Oz inside Israels prison for Palestinian children Fears have been heightened by comments from education officials that funds for schools making the switch will be offset by cuts to the budgets of schools that continue to use the Palestinian curriculum. According to Ir Amim, Israel is also expected to raid a $12m fund, set aside in 2014, to help Jerusalems schools over the next five years. Some $4.5m was earmarked to increase Israels control in East Jerusalem. Saidam said the Palestinian cabinet had recently agreed to raise emergency funds to help schools that stick with the Palestinian curriculum. However, officials in East Jerusalem privately expressed doubt that much money would reach the city. The PA is in financial crisis, and Israel has blocked it from having any direct role in Jerusalem since 2000. With East Jerusalem increasingly isolated physically from the West Bank, Palestinian pupils have found themselves trapped in an educational no-mans land, said Odeh. Few Israeli institutions of higher education recognise the Palestinian matriculation certificate, complaining that students competence in Hebrew is too low. But it is also difficult for East Jerusalems students to access Palestinian universities in West Bank cities. If they do, they risk Israel revoking their East Jerusalem residency permits. The Jerusalem municipality provides schooling for only 42 percent of the citys Palestinian pupils. A similar number are taught in what are known as unofficial schools, partially funded and supervised by the education ministry. The rest study in private, mostly religious, schools. A staggering 22,000 Palestinian children are unaccounted for in statistics kept by the Jerusalem municipality. Ir Amim said the severe classroom shortage in municipal schools forced many parents to pay high fees to unofficial schools. Their children often studied in overcrowded and improvised classrooms, lacking heating, air-conditioning, libraries, computers and science labs. As a result, more than a third of Palestinian pupils fail to matriculate the highest figure in either Israel or the occupied territories. The crisis facing East Jerusalem schools follows threats from Israeli officials that independent church schools serving some of Israels Palestinian minority will be forced to close unless they submit to government control. Pakistan Taliban faction claims responsibility for attacks that killed at least nine in countrys northwest. Taliban gunmen have killed at least nine members of security forces in twin attacks in Pakistans northwestern tribal region, officials have said. Taliban fighters opened fire at a police checkpoint early on Thursday in the Pandyali area of Mohmand district, bordering Afghanistan, where they killed seven men. A separate group also attacked a solar-powered well in Michni area of the same region, where they shot dead two guards. The number of Taliban casualties is not yet known. The Taliban targeted our checkpost in the middle of the night. Our forces did their best to retaliate and fight them back. However, we dont have any figures [of the number of Taliban killed] at the moment as the investigation is still ongoing, Naveed Akbar, political administrator in the region, told Al Jazeera. READ MORE: Pakistan attack My son died protecting his guests We are grieving for our colleagues. The Taliban, however, will not succeed in their motives. A breakaway faction of the Pakistan Taliban, Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, claimed responsibility for the attacks. Jamaat-ur-Ahrar accepts responsibility for both attacks with this vow that until the imposition of sharia [Islamic law] our attacks will remain ongoing, God willing, spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said in an email statement. Pakistans army intensified its offensive in the region after the Taliban massacred 144 people, mostly children, in Peshawar in December 2014. Overall, the level of rebel violence has dropped dramatically, with 2015 seeing the fewest deaths among civilian and security forces since 2007. READ MORE: No end to Pakistan schools truma, one year on But the threat posed by the Taliban remains, particularly in the countrys northwest. Last month Taliban gunmen stormed a university in the northwestern town of Charsadda, killing 21 people. Pakistan has been fighting home-grown rebel fighters since 2004, when the Taliban, displaced by the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, began a campaign in border tribal areas. Republican front runner says disgraceful of religious leader to make such a suggestion on anti-immigration stance. Donald Trump, a front runner in the US presidential race, has said it is disgraceful of a religious leader to question his Christian faith after Pope Francis made the suggestion while criticising his anti-immigration stance. In a dialogue with reporters on Thursday on a flight to Vatican City at the end of a five-day visit to Mexico, Francis said, in a reference to Trump, that a person who thinks only about building walls and not building bridges, is not a Christian. Trump, who is the leading Republican candidate in national opinion polls, has been at the centre of a number of controversies, including one over his pledge to build a wall between the US and Mexico to keep out undocumented immigrants if elected president. He has also announced plans to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. Vote, dont vote, I wont meddle. But I simply say, if he says these things, this man is not a Christian, Francis said in a response to a question about Trumps anti-immigration stance. In a statement posted on Facebook on Thursday, Trump said: No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another mans religion or faith. I am proud to be a Christian and as president I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened. Trump also said that in the hypothetical case of an attack on the Vatican by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the armed group which has seized territory in Iraq and Syria, Francis would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president. If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISISs ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president because this would not have happened, Trump said. READ MORE: Trumps immigration plan is a recipe for civil war ISIS would have been eradicated, unlike what is happening now with our all talk, no action politicians. Al Jazeeras Kimberly Halkett, reporting from Washington DC, said whether the row would have a significant effect on voters sentiments in the upcoming primaries is open to question. Even though there is a very large number of evalengical or devout Christian voters in South Carolina and Nevada the people who seem to be attracted to Donald Trump as a potential president also care about foreign policy and economic issues, she said. Toyota Motor Corp is conducting a global recall of 2.87 million 44 vehicles because their rear seatbelts could be damaged in the event of a crash. The worlds largest carmaker said in an email on Thursday that the lap-shoulder seatbelts in the vehicles second-row seats could come in contact with the metal seat cushion frame in a severe frontal accident. There is a possibility that, in the event of a high-speed frontal collision, the seatbelt webbing could contact a portion of the metal seat cushion frame, become cut and separate, the statement said. If this occurs, the seatbelt may not properly restrain the occupant, which could increase the risk of injury to the occupant. READ MORE: Toyota recalls 1.75 million cars worldwide Toyota said the recall covered its RAV4 44 model, made between July 2005 and August 2014, and the Vanguard 4X4, produced between October 2005 and January 2016, which are sold only in Japan. The recall includes 1.33 million units in North America, 625,000 in Europe, 434,000 in China and 177,000 in Japan. In Japan, another 109,000 cars were recalled because of problems linked to a fuel-suction plate causing a potential fire risk. The affected cars were made between October 2006 and October 2014. Toyota said it had received two reports in North America, in which rear seatbelts separated following crashes, including one involving a fatal accident in Canada. However, the carmaker said it could not determine whether the death or injury was linked to the defect. Other recalls Meanwhile, General Motors announced on Tuesday that it was recalling about 200,000 Saab and Saturn cars in the US and Canada to replace the Takata drivers airbag inflators. The move was part of a broader recall of about 5.4 million vehicles announced last month by US safety regulators. READ MORE: US firms sue Toyota for defects Takata inflators can explode with too much force in a crash and hurl metal shrapnel into drivers and passengers. At least 10 people have died and 139 have been hurt worldwide because of the problem. The latest round of Takata recalls cover vehicles made by GM, Ford, BMW, Volkswagen, Honda, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz and Daimler Trucks. They bring to about 24.4 million the number of vehicles under recall in the US for Takata airbag problems, affecting 14 car and truck makers. Syrias YPG group denies it was behind deadly attack as Kurdish fighters bases in Syria and Iraq face Turkish shelling. Turkeys military has hit Kurdish targets in Syria and Iraq, just hours after a suicide car bombing killed at least 28 people in the heart of the Turkish capital, Ankara. Turkey has blamed a Syrian Kurdish fighter for Wednesdays attack, but the YPG, a Syrian Kurdish group supported by the US in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), has rejected accusations of involvement. A car laden with explosives blew up next to military buses as they waited at traffic lights near Turkeys armed forces headquarters, parliament and government buildings in Ankara on Wednesday evening. Within hours of the bombing, Turkey said its warplanes struck bases in northern Iraq of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade fight against the Turkish state and which officials accused of collaborating in the car bombing. Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkeys prime minister, said on Thursday the attack was clear evidence that the YPG was a terrorist organisation. Yesterdays attack was directly targeting Turkey and the perpetrator is the YPG and the divisive terrorist organisation PKK. All necessary measures will be taken against them, Davutoglu said in a televised speech. Turkeys armed forces also shelled YPG positions in northern Syria on Thursday, a security source said. Davutoglu said the artillery fire would continue and promised that those responsible for the Ankara attack would pay the price. Davutoglu called on the US and other allies to end co-operation with the YPG in Syria and list it as a terrorist group. We cannot continue to accept these dual standards. We are looking forward to a uniform stance against them [YPG], he said. We call on all the countries to take a clear stance against those terrorist organisations either stand by the side of Turkey as a state or take side with terrorists. OPINION: Turkey is sinking into the quagmire of Syria The YPG denied that its members carried out the attack in a statement issued on Thursday. Despite all the provocations and attacks by the Turkish army on the border of Rojava [Syrian Kurdish area] we have not responded and acted in a historic responsible manner, the statement said. We have conducted no military attack and the ones who know it the best are the Turkish army and AKP government. Turkey considers the YPG an offshoot of the PKK, which is fighting Turkish security forces in the countrys Kurdish areas. Military intervention Mehmet Celik of the Daily Sabah newspaper told Al Jazeera the attacks would increase support for Turkish military intervention in Syria, adding that any action would extend beyond fighting the YPG. The ground operations will be against all terror groups, will support the moderate opposition and secure humanitarian aid, Celik said, adding that any action would not be taken by Turkey alone. It will not be unilateral and Turkey is pushing for it to be done in a coalition. Al Jazeeras Jamal Elshayyal, reporting from Ankara, said the Turkish government was likely to launch more air strikes and attacks against the PKK and YPG in Syria and Iraq. The Turkish population, regardless of how polarised it is on domestic issues, on the Kurdish issue they are united that the Kurdish groups fighting Turkey should be dealt with [using] force, he said. Turkey is concerned that the YPG is trying to create an autonomous region in northern Syria on its southern border. Kizza Besigya arrested by police just before the end of the voting, which President Museveni is expected to win. Ugandas opposition leader has been arrested in Kampala as the country wraps up voting for the presidential election, which the opposition alleged has been rigged in favour of the incumbent Yoweri Museveni. Al Jazeeras Malcolm Webb, reporting from the capital, said Ugandan police arrested Kizza Besigya as he and his supporters tried to show reporters an alleged vote-rigging operation. Our correspondent also reported witnessing a number of people jumping over from the house where the alleged fraud was committed. But before Besigya and his supporters could enter the house, he was arrested by Ugandan police. The compound was not the residence of Besigya as reported earlier. Voting was due to begin on Thursday at 07:00am local time (04:00 GMT), but was stalled for several hours in some polling stations in the city and surrounding Wakiso district when ballot boxes and papers did not arrive on time.Kampala traditionally shows strong support for the opposition.Veteran leader Yoweri Museveni is widely expected to win a fifth term, extending his power into a fourth decade, since he seized power in 1986. Those who want violence should play somewhere else, not Uganda. by President Yoweri Museveni Social media, including Facebook and Twitter, were largely inaccessible on voting day, although Internet-savvy Ugandans dodged the apparent shutdown using virtual private networks. The government regulator, the Uganda Communications Commission, said the attempted shutdown was for security reasons without giving details. Initial results are expected as early as Saturday afternoon, with the leading candidate requiring more than 50 percent of votes cast to avoid a second round run-off. More than 15 million people are registered to vote, casting ballots in more than 28,000 polling stations for both a president and members of parliament, with 290 seats being contested by candidates from 29 political parties. Elections in 2006 and 2011 were marred by violent and occasionally deadly street protests and a liberal use of tear gas by heavy-handed police. IN PICTURES: Scenes from election day But apart from an outbreak of protests when police prevented the main opposition contender Kizza Besigye from campaigning in the centre of the capital, campaigning has been mostly peaceful. Whoever will try to bring violence, you will see what we shall do to him. Those who want violence should play somewhere else, not Uganda, Museveni told thousands of supporters in his final rally on Tuesday. Some who attended that rally told Al Jazeera that they had been paid about $1 to be there. The NRM denies that it pays people to attend political events. Peace and calm Besigye, a three-time loser whose brief detention by police triggered Mondays protests in which one person was killed, said he was confident of a first-round win. The voice from the people is that they have been failed in the last 30 years, and what could not be done in that long period, could not be done in another five years, he said. Voter turnout has followed a downward trajectory in recent elections, with nearly three-quarters of eligible voters casting a ballot in 1996, during the countrys first competitive election, but only three-fifths bothered to turn out in 2011. READ MORE: Fear and hope surround Ugandas elections Musevenis share of those votes has also declined but most 2016 polls give him more than the 50 percent needed to avoid a run-off. He won his last five-year term in 2011 with 68 percent. The other main challenger, Amama Mbabazi, a former prime minister and ruling party stalwart, has already accused the NRM of planning to stuff ballot boxes, a claim government spokesman Ofwono Opondo dismissed as the cry of a loser, according to the countrys Daily Monitor newspaper. My main worry is the use of state machinery to support one candidate against all the laws, Mbabazi told Al Jazeera. And, two, the planned interference with the electoral process and the possibility of rigging. Besigye, too, has said he does not expect the election to be free and fair. African Union Commission chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Wednesday called for peace and calm before, during and after the polls. One of the most striking things about Nairobi is its cultural diversity. More than 42 ethnic communities call the Kenyan capital home, each bringing their unique culture, traditional dishes and approaches to cooking. As with many cities across sub-Saharan Africa, the divide between rich and poor is stark and Nairobi is no exception. In this episode of Street Food, we look at the implications of rising global food prices on the poor, the efforts to popularise traditional foods, and explore the inter-tribal dynamics of what Kenyans eat. We meet Judith Mwango, who prepares low-cost packed lunches for her clients who have jobs but dont have much money. Judith cooks dishes that her customers will like, and that means catering to the traditional tastes of different tribes, such as the Kikuyu people, although she herself is a Kisii. Susan Kamua, Kenyas best-known TV chef and a cooking consultant, is attempting to glamourise traditional foods. With the appearance of so-called rich mans diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes, Kamua argues that theres a growing need for healthier, traditional foods. Traditional foods are much more nutritious, she says. We meet food vendor Millicent, who economises on time, wood and ingredients by cooking in one pot: she simply separates different dishes by putting them into plastic bags in the same pot. And we investigate the influence of the Indian community and how foods such as biriyani and chapatis have become Kenyanised. Meat, well-loved by Kenyans, remains prohibitively expensive. We head to two places that specialise in this luxury: the well-known restaurant Carnivore, which is known for serving meat of the savannahs and, 20 kilometres outside Nairobi, we visit the Maasai restaurant Olepolos, which makes Kenyas most famous dish, nyama choma a style of barbeque often featuring goat. Much of Nairobis fresh produce comes from the informal sector. We meet Rachel Njoki Ndichu, a milk distributor; 75 percent of Nairobis milk is supplied by small producers such as Rachel. And we head to Kibera, one of Africas largest slums which has a vibrant internal economy, the supply of food being a major sector, and visit hotels the Kenyan word for cheap eating house. This episode was filmed soon after Kenyas post-election violence in 2008, and we look at how the food crisis, tribalism and xenophobia have affected the availability of food. Can traditional dishes foster greater understanding between tribes? Eric Wainaina, whose music addresses tribalism, believes it can. He talks us through the differences between tribes in terms of the food they eat and tells us: We cant talk about peace if peoples access to the necessities of life have been curtailed. There cant be peace without food. There cant be peace without sustenance. A filmmaker travels to Ivory Coast to trace the journey of his brother who emigrated as a teenager and never came home. In 1978, 14-year-old Joanny Zongo left his family home in Burkina Faso and travelled to neighbouring Ivory Coast. It is a journey made by thousands of young Burkinabe men who see the trip as a rite of passage into adulthood. Most expect to stay for a few years only before returning home. But Joanny stopped sending letters home after a couple of years and never came back. Eighteen years after he left, a cousin returning from Ivory Coast told the family that Joanny had died years before. In 2011, Joannys brother Michel, who was four years old when his brother left home and is now a filmmaker, decides to make the same migrant journey, to try to meet people who knew his brother and to discover what really happened. FILMMAKERS VIEW By Michel Zongo Joanny, my older brother and the eldest child in the family, left our home one morning sometime between 1977 and 1978. Eighteen years went by before we heard any news about him. The migration rule was leave and return and for 18 years the question in our minds was Why has Joanny not returned? It was only when a cousin returning from Ivory Coast himself came to speak to us that we learnt some news. The cousin, Augustin, told us that Joanny had died. But we did not know how or where, so it was difficult for us to believe that he was really dead. To try to understand what drove my brother to leave home at the age of 14, I decided to travel from our home in Koudougou, Burkina Faso, to Ivory Coast, and to film what I found. I wanted to get into his mind, find out what really motivated him, how he lived and why he died. In this documentary, I make the same journey as Joanny; I travel the same bus routes to the same region of Ivory Coast and then along the same roads as he did over 30 years ago. I was looking for traces, any traces of my brother and where he had lived and worked. I meet and talk to many people along the way migrants setting off from Burkina Faso, still full of hope, in search of happiness and fortune without knowing what will happen to them on the other side of the border or when they will be able to return. Men who have been settled in Ivory Coast for years, sometimes decades, whose dreams of returning home with a fortune have eroded in the face of the reality of migrant life. For the first time in my life I witness the sheer hard, physical labour of the cocoa and coffee plantations where many find work, and I begin to understand the sacrifices they make in order to pursue their dreams. And I ask myself how many other concerned families are waiting for the return of a loved one? How many other families are living in hope, refusing to believe that a family member has disappeared? Eventually, with the help of my cousin and concerned strangers, I manage to track down and meet the family with whom Joanny lived and worked. For the first time in my life I meet people who can say I knew Joanny when he was older and who could tell me what he was like: a good-looking, well-dressed man who worked hard and enjoyed life. Through them and their memories of Joanny I get to know my brother better, and I know I will be able to return home and talk of him with pride to the rest of the family. I cannot see Joanny in Ivory Coast, but I sense that he is there and at the end of my journey I am finally able to say to him, brother, rest in peace. UF students have re-established a student organization to raise money and educate others about North Korea. Connie Choe, a UF criminology and political science junior, said she re-established UFs branch of Liberty in North Korea, a national organization that helps relocate and support North Korean refugees while educating communities about the country, on Tuesday. The club plans to give presentations to students in other organizations about the country and raise money to relocate North Korean refugees. It costs about $3,000 to rescue one refugee and provide them with shelter, said Choe, the co-president of the club. She said LiNK plans to partner with UFs Asian American Student Union and the Korean Undergraduate Student Association. North Korean citizens face extreme malnutrition, homelessness and concentration camps, the 21-year-old said. If one person is convicted of a crime, his or her entire family is sent to the camps, which are known for human rights violations, she said. Choe said families have very little to eat. Something like an egg is like a prized material, she said. Its like gold to them; they eat it once a year. Rebecca Kim, a former co-president of the club, said the club was inactive last year. We couldnt find any members to really continue it, said Kim, who graduated UF in 2015. Kim said she was involved in the club because of her connection to South Korea. She was born in the country and moved to the U.S. about 10 years ago. The 21-year-old said her mothers grandfather was taken prisoner in North Korea for being a religious leader. In North Korea, they hide other religions, she said. Its going against what the government is teaching them. Choe, who moved to the U.S. from South Korea when she was 8, said she hopes the club helps as many people as possible and teaches students about human rights violations in the country. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Nobody should stand for that, she said. UFs Heavener School of Business is hosting an international business competition this week. The Heavener International Case Competition, a weeklong competition that aims to expose students to challenges and decisions global business leaders face, started Monday and will end Saturday. This is the first year UF is hosting the event. UFs team is competing against 19 other universities from around the world. Each team will give its final presentation from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Joseph Couture, the director of logistics for the competition, said each team consists of four students from every university. During case days, participants are given a real-world business problem, the 21-year-old said. The participants then have to present their solutions to current working business professionals. Registration for the competition costs about $700, not including flights or hotels, the UF finance senior said. Luis Franco, the student president for the competition, said the winning school will get a trophy and international recognition. The winner has bragging rights about having the best and brightest undergraduate business students, the 22-year-old UF business senior said. And thats a rewarding title to hold. Rhiannon Nind, a business junior at Queensland University of Technology in Australia, said she joined the competition because it was a great opportunity to meet others. Its such a friendly culture for competitors, the 19-year-old said. In addition, it is an amazing competition with the best in the world. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now After his large win in New Hampshire, America seems to be feeling the Bern like never before. Many, including Hillary Clinton, had never thought that Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., could or would make it this far; and yet, here we are. Sanders is running a campaign espousing progressive policies that would ostensibly better this country, which has garnered largely positive reactions to his candidacy. However, good vibrations aside, it is important he receives valid criticism just as much as any other candidate in the race. Speaking personally, I absolutely adore Sen. Sanders, and I can attest to his widespread appeal. To a disillusioned generation that seems to want to make political apathy a pastime, Sanders is exciting precisely because he is not like the average politician. Between the oddities his crazy hair and the folk album he recorded decades ago and the issues of larger import his support of social and racial equality goes all the way back to being arrested for civil disobedience during the civil rights movement Sanders embodies many values that young, liberal Americans hold dear. With that said, being a swell guy has never earned anyone a ticket to the White House. This isnt some slavish essay about how awesome and perfect Clinton is; as many do, I have several issues with her. But what few seem to be willing to acknowledge is that Sanders platform positions on the campaign trail are policies that would be quickly torn up in Washington, D.C. on day one. One of the key policies put forth by Sanders concerns a single-payer healthcare system such as those in European countries and Canada. We could argue, as many conservatives do, this would be difficult to transfer into the pre-existing American healthcare system. But even if a such a policy were placed on the table in a Sanders presidency, it would still have to get through Congress. Now, I dont know if many in my age group have taken a look at Congress lately, but it doesnt paint a rosy picture as far as the prospects for progressive policies go. We are living with a Republican Congress that has tried to repeal Obamacare at every chance it gets. Obamacare was difficult to pass with a Democratic majority back in 2010: No matter who the victor of 2016 will be, it is likely the Republicans will retain their control over the House. How could a hypothetical self-avowed socialist president push through policies when Republicans work against a moderate president? Sanders is also extremely lacking in foreign policy experience. He consistently cites his vote against the Iraq War as a badge of honor and as his crowning achievement in the realm of foreign policy. This vote against the Iraq War is not only a point of pride for the Sanders campaign but has also been a useful way to attack Clinton for her support of it. Since 2002, Clinton has become far more experienced in the realm of foreign policy than any other candidate. As Marco Rubio put it, If this election is a resume competition, then Hillary Clinton is going to be the next president. Being on the Armed Services Committee or the Committee on Foreign Affairs is a pretty significant step up from having cast a vote in Congress. In the end, Sanders, like every other candidate, is the subject of easily refutable criticisms that are frustrating to explain away. In the end, one should vote for the candidate he or she feels has the best skills to handle the job. Speaking personally again, I think a Sanders administration would have much to learn in a short amount of time about foreign policy. After all, so did a certain governor from Texas, and look how that turned out. Kevin Foster is a UF political science senior. His column appears on Thursdays. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Graphic design students will get a leg up for the future with an upcoming event aimed at guiding them in a personalized direction toward success. Ligature 25 starts Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and ends Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It includes two guest speakers, a gallery reception, creative workshops and portfolio reviews. The event is the product of directors Esteban Arturo, 23, and Sidney Sue Howard, 22, both UF graphic design seniors. Both were given these positions through the club voxGraphis, which caters to students with a love for graphic design and want to engage in an active design community, according to its website. The events theme focuses on the ideation, process and endless iterations it takes to get to a final product, according to Ligature 25s website. Frankie Ratford, a designer and entrepreneur, and Will Bryant, an illustrator and designer, will lecture Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Fine Arts Building B, Room 105. Ratford, 32, is the director of her company, The Design Kids. Her company is devoted to bridging the gap between college students and the graphic design industry. Ratford has been traveling to cities in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. to interview professional graphic designers and communicate to colleges, design studios and creative businesses on how to transition into the industry. Ratford said she is currently road-tripping around the U.S. and Canada for 18 months in Sunny, an RV designed by Bryant. In her lecture, Ratford will connect her purpose with The Design Kids and Ligature 25s theme. Using the same principles and processes as a client or school brief, she will talk about gathering research, developing the work and executing the final product, with a large focus on the journey as well as the end destination, Ratford said. Bryant will be giving a brief overview of his own work before diving into advice for young designers. I will be talking about a range of topics including making personal work, the importance of broadening your influences, empowering the role of the student, how to send a good email and finding your voice, Bryant said. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now The event will then transition into the Gary R. Libby Gallery in Fine Arts Building C from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday. There will be 36 submitted art pieces on display, Ratford said. Ratford and Bryant judged a competitive pool of 97 art pieces and selected 36 to be shown in the gallery, Ratford said. The judges will award titles to five artists. The submissions were mostly from UF graphic design students ranging from sophomores to graduates. Ratford and Bryant will each lead a workshop of about 25 graphic design students in Infinity Hall on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Ratford said. In Ratfords workshop, she plans to focus on students personal strengths, talking through 20 possible jobs and brainstorming what the design community in Gainesville could provide for each of them. In Bryants workshop, he will be covering the differences between concept and variation through visual experiments. The group will exercise the notion that iteration leads to discovery, Bryant said. UF alumni from all over the country, as well as the guest speakers, will be reviewing portfolios of students who signed up in advance. UF alumna Natalie Suarez, 24, currently works as a graphic designer for Rhyme & Reason Design. In 2014, she was president of voxGraphis and was involved in the production of Ligature 23. As a designer, its very important to constantly be talking about your work with others and how to make it better, Suarez said, so having a portfolio review by the guest designers or other alumni is so important in helping the students grow. 404 Sorry! that page can not be found... The URL was either incorrect, you took a wrong guess or there is a technical problem. AR's Editor Joe Shea Talks About Elections On Iranian TV Bear Stearns Saved By Fed As Lehman Bros. Falters; Major Bank Failure Looms Over Wall Street, Sends Markets Into 200-Pt. Dive Lie Upon Lie Five Years Into the Iraq War The Administration Still Churns Out Lies by Randolph Holhut A Small Tragedy Even at 90, As Friends Turn Cool She Knows the Show Must Go On by Joyce Marcel I'll Take Me Imagine John Wayne or Arnold In Heels, Silk and a Girdle by Elizabeth Andrews Sen. Nelson Calls For New Fla. Primary; Gov Crist Backs 'Do-Over' Who'll Win? Ask Spock Spock.com Engine Predicts Winners By Site Searches; It Can be Wrong by Jay Bhatti Chatting Up The Cat God Gave Me Dominion Over Him But I Think He's a Non-Believer by Constance Daley Death of a Thug The Life and Horrors of Suharto by Andreas Harsono ___________________________ This Just In Sierra Club: McCain Ducked All 15 Key Votes On Green Laws (AR) A Work By AR's T.S. Kerrigan Is Chosen As 'Best Poem' By Wordpress Site Murder At Mile 63 The Deadly Assault and Bush Administration Cover-Up by S. Eben Kirkesby and Andreas Harsono 5427 14th St. West, Bradenton, FL 34207 $6.99 Fish Fridays! Manatee Co.'s Only 24-Hr. FREE Wi-Fi Paid Advertisement On Native Ground AFTER 5 YEARS, WE'RE STILL LIED TO ABOUT IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Next week is the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. And it is likely that sometime in the next couple of weeks, the 4,000th American soldier will die in Iraq. [MORE] Momentum OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - It's 1931, and a 14-year-old girl is standing alone on a stage. She's small and lively with dark curly hair, widespread hazel eyes, slender wrists and an open, eager face filled with the wonder of performing. Her name is Rose, and one day she will be my mother. But now she is performing an Eugene O'Neill monologue called "Before Breakfast" for a ladies' club in a wealthy suburb of Long Island. [MORE] One Woman's World COMFORTABLE WITH MYSELF by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I'm not sure but I think I may be socially incorrect. [MORE] On Native Ground ENOUGH FOR A WAR, NOT FOR A PEOPLE by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Last week, the National Governors Assn. met in Washington, D.C. One of the tasks the NGA had on its agenda was to ask President Bush to increase federal spending on roads, bridges and other public works projects as a way to stimulate the economy. He rejected their pleas out of hand, claiming that infrastructure projects wouldn't offer any short-term economic boost. [MORE] Brasch Words BEWARE THE SELF-REVERENTIAL PRESS by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Shortly before the primary votes this past week, Newsweek's Jonathan Alter called Sen. Barack Obama's surge to the Democratic nomination "inevitable." It also called for Hillary Clinton to "start her campaign for Senate majority leader." [MORE] Constance A CONVERSATION WITH MY CAT Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Normally, when the cat starts his evening rant of meowing continuously until he makes his point, I just take it as long as I can, pick him up, and put him in the garage for the night. He doesn't want to go, but the meowing stops and I don't care if he likes it or not. [MORE] Momentum OUT OF STRUGGLE, ART by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Here we are again at the crossroads of art and social change, having the opportunity to watch good and great films about the lives of women in support of the Women's Crisis Center. [MORE] Campaign 2008 HOW TO PREDICT SUPER TUESDAY II WINNERS? ONLINE SEARCH by Jay Bhatti NEW YORK, March 4, 2008, 7:00PM ET -- With the outcomes of the Texas, Vermont, Ohio and Rhode Island primaries to be decided tonight, how possible is it that online searching can predict who will win tonight's primaries? [MORE] One Woman's World DON'T VOTE; IT ENCOURAGES THEM by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Call me angry and disgusted but don't call me un-American because I won't be voting come November. [MORE] On Native Ground BUSH AND THE KEYBOARD COMMANDOS by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- As the days tick down toward the eventual departure of President George W. Bush from the White House, it's a hopeful sign that most Americans are no longer moved by his Administration's constant exploitation of terrorism for political gain. [MORE] Momentum WHICH AMERICA DO YOU LIVE IN? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- It's a little confusing. [MORE] Make My Dat THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] On Native Ground FIDEL RETIRES: NOW THE COLD WAR IS REALLY OVER by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Maybe now, we can finally say the Cold War is over. [MORE] Make My Dat THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] One Woman's World POLITICS IS NO PARTY by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Are you having a hard time focusing your eyes? Do you have faint red spots all over your body? Is there a ringing in your ears and do you see wavy lines when you look at your television set? Do your hands shake when you try to hold a cup of coffee? And have you recently been forgetting what day of the week it is - or what year? [MORE] Make My Day FOR BETTER OR WORSE ... A LOT WORSE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- "Marriage: It's Only Going to Get Worse." [MORE] Constance YOU CALL THESE RIGHTS? by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- When you express an opinion you hope to persuade others to your point of view. It doesn't always happen but still, opinion writers try. [MORE] Momentum THE BRIDGE WOMAN by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - Out there in America - yes, still - is a generation of women who were born in the 1940s, raised in the 1950s, and who came to radical consciousness in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I am one of them. Hillary Clinton is one of them. [MORE] On Native Ground OBAMA AND MY GENERATION by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- I originally planned on voting for Dennis Kucinich in the Vermont Primary on March 4. [MORE] The Willies: WARNING: THIS MEDICATION MAY MURDER YOUR FRIENDS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla. -- You've heard the warnings, haven't you? Stop Prozac and you may take a shotgun, an Uzi or an AK-47 and mow down your family and friends, or even a whole classroom full of your fellow students. You didn't? Well, that warning is not on the bottle, but like countless mass-murder incidents before it, Friday's shootings at Northern Illinois University, as well as the Virginia Tech shootings that killed 32 last year, was probably precipitated by the effect of stopping medications that suppress anger and other powerful emotions but do not relieve the underlying cause. Isn't it time we started warning people - or stopped prescribing these medicines? [MORE] One Woman's World DON'T KNOCK ON MY DOOR by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I wish I could feel delight in my poet's mansion being like Grand Central Station all the time, but I can't. And I wish my place was such a place that someone would one day write: "Her door was always open and she always made you feel all fuzzy and warm in her presence. She could make a cup of coffee seem like a banquet." [MORE] Reporting: Panama PANAMA'S VIOLENT LABOR UNREST INTENSIFIES Mark Scheinbaum PANAMA CITY, Panama, Feb, 15, 2008 -- After just one day of relative calm, wildcat construction strikes by some members of Panama's largest union flared up again Friday morning, four days after a police sniper shot one worker. More than 140 demonstrators have been injured and at least 500 arrested, authorities say. [MORE] Brasch Words TO STIMULATE ECONOMY, BUY A CHINESE-MADE U.S. FLAG by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Walking down Main Street, pushing a grocery cart loaded with clothes, toys, and appliances was Marshbaum. Fastened to the right front corner of the cart was an American flag tied onto a three-foot ruler. [MORE] Make My Day THE TOOTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TOOTH by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- To commemorate the death of noted shark exploder Roy Scheider, and the "Jaws" movies that resulted in Erik never setting foot in the ocean again, we are reprinting this column from 2003. Shark Experts 0, Sharks 1 [MORE] Momentum THE WINTER OF MY DISCONTENT by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - As I write this, it's raining ice. Maybe a half a foot of snow and ice has already landed up here in the woods of Dummerston. Our cars are encased in it, and the door to the house is blocked. The satellite dish that brings in our Internet service quit about 20 minutes ago - frozen solid. [MORE] The Willies AMERICA TO HILLARY: GET OUT! by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 13, 2008 -- Sen. Hillary Clinton has adopted the Rudy Giuliani strategy, and it's working - for Sen. Barack Obama. It turns out to be the strategy all Democrats are seeking - an exit strategy. But it's not for Iraq. It's for her exit from the race for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. [MORE] Constance CONFESSIONS OF A DISAPPOINTED VOTER by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- A week ago at just about this time, I completed an article and was about to submit it as scheduled to The American Reporter. I was feeling rather elated, ready to show up on Super Tuesday morning, firmly touch the X next to Rudy Giuliani's name and get on with my day. He was my choice; he would get my vote. [MORE] Reporting: Florida SIERRA CLUB SET TO SUSPEND FLA. CHAPTER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 10, 2008 -- The national Sierra Club is set to suspend its Florida chapter after years of divisive infighting, the president of the national club told Florida members in a letter delivered to some this weekend. It is the first time in its 116-year history that such a step has been considered by the club, according to news reports. [MORE] One Woman's World PLANT A NEW WORLD THIS SPRING by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- For a little while, the men will just have to toss and turn in their fear-free-women beds. For a small space of time Hillary Clinton will just have to trudge on toward the White House without my faint applause in the background. [MORE] On Native Ground VERMONT AND THE 5 STAGES OF CONSERVATIVE GRIEF by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- First, Vermont tried to convince the nation to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney. [MORE] Make My Day REBEL WITHOUT A TONGUE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Kids' brains work in amazing ways. At times, they can grasp complex concepts and make impressive discoveries. Other times, you have to wonder how we ever survived as a species. [MORE] The Willies FOR DEMOCRATS, NOW IT'S ABOUT RACE, INCOME AND GENDER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Feb. 6, 2008 -- It's not a good time to be a Democrat. As the Super Tuesday results demonstrated, the presidential race between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has divided the partly along clear racial, income and gender lines - the very distinctions the party has sought to erase in principle but has emphasized in its pursuit of diversity. [MORE] Momentum SUPER TUESDAY BLUES by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Super Tuesday has come and gone and I still can't get excited about the upcoming presidential elections. [MORE] The Willies ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY, YOUR PUSH IS NEEDED by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 5. 2008 -- I'm expecting a sea change tonight. I believe that for the first time in this nation's history we will once and forever banish racism as the deciding factor in the destiny of African-Americans, and indeed adopt diversity as our path to the future. [MORE] Campaign 2008 AT 88, EVERY VOTE REALLY COUNTS by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 5, 2008 -- Pearl Turner will caucus for Mitt Romney tonight in Denver. [MORE] One Woman's World STAND BY YOUR WOMAN by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- The black vote. The gay vote. The fundamentalist vote. The Hispanic vote. [MORE] An AR Special SUSPECTS IN BENAZIR ASSASSINATION HAVE TIES TO MUSHARRAF by Ahmar Mustikhan WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When Gordon Brown this past Monday feted coup-leader-turned-President Pervez Musharraf at 10 Downing Street, Britain's new prime minister probably didn't ask the Pakistani dictator a question that is now on many minds: Did you order the murder of Benazir Bhutto? [MORE] Momentum TO THE VERMONT DELEGATION: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR US LATELY? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. Back when President George W. Bush and Dick Vice President Dick Cheney were building up to their loathsome war in Iraq, very few people were brave enough to call the bullies' bluff. [MORE] On Native Ground IF BUSH HAS HIS WAY, WE'LL NEVER LEAVE IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. - In his final State of the Union address on Jan. 28, President Bush cautioned against accelerating U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, saying that it would endanger the process that has been made over the past year. [MORE] Campaign 2008 CLASH OF COMMENTS AND PROTESTORS AT CLINTON, OBAMA RALLIES IN DENVER by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 1, 2008 -- At least four presidential campaigns of both partiers rolled into in Denver this week ahead of the Feb. 5 "Super Tuesday" primaries in 22 states, but it was the Democratic presidential contenders who drew the big crowds and duked it out Wednesday. If sheer numbers are any indication, Sen. Barack Obama - preceded by a buoyant and beautiful Caroline Kennedy - won the round handily. He is the overwhelming favorite to win the Colorado primary next Tuesday. [MORE] The Willies WHY THE FLORIDA PRIMARY STINKS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Jan. 30, 2008 -- I was with my wife and daughter driving the back way from Miami home to Bradenton when we stopped at a McDonald's in Clewiston, the only big town along the vast shore of Lake Okeechobee, the state's precious freshwater reservoir. The McDonald's had three televisions at a central seating area, each tuned to a different network, and our table was in front of CNN as the very first election results started to pour in around 7:30PM. With them, almost as counterpoint, suddenly came such an overwhelming odor of cow plop that my wife started to throw up as we all ran to the parking lot. [MORE] Passings: Suharto DEATH OF A KEMUSU THUG by Andreas Harsono JAKARTA - A few minutes after hearing that former president Suharto had died in his hospital bed, Marco, a militia leader in downtown Jakarta, raced to Suhartos house, wearing his jungle camouflage and began guarding the Suhartos residence on Cendana Street. [MORE] Constance I REMEMBER YOU by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga.. -- It seems to be more often lately that the sentiment is spoken but it's always been out there: "You never get over the death of your child." This is true. But the heartfelt expressions come from some who cannot fathom the notion of losing a child; their own child is who is in their mind, not another mother's child. [MORE] In a moment filled with powerful political symbolism, Pope Francis prayed Wednesday at Mexico's dusty northern border for the thousands of migrants who have died trying to reach the United States and appealed for governments to open their hearts, if not their borders, to the "human tragedy that is forced migration." "No more death! No more exploitation!" he implored. It was the most poignant moment of Francis' five-day trip to Mexico: The first Latin American pope, who has demanded countries welcome people fleeing persecution, war and poverty, praying at the border between Mexico and El Paso, Texas, at a time of soaring anti-immigrant rhetoric in the U.S. presidential campaign. Francis stopped short of calling for the U.S. to open its borders during a Mass celebrated just yards from the frontier. But in his homily, beamed live into the Sun Bowl stadium on the El Paso side, Francis called for "open hearts" and recognition that those fleeing gangland executions and extortion in their homelands are victims of the worst forms of exploitation. "We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis," the pope said on the last day of a six-day visit to Mexico. "Each step, a journey laden with grave injustices: the enslaved, the imprisoned and extorted; so many of these brothers and sisters of ours are the consequence of trafficking in human beings." "Injustice is radicalized in the young; they are 'cannon fodder', persecuted and threatened when they try to flee the spiral of violence and the hell of drugs. Then there are the many women unjustly robbed of their lives," he added. A major manufacturing center, the gritty industrial city of Ciudad Juarez has been hammered by drug violence in recent years. It also an important crossing for Mexicans, Central Americans and Asians trying to reach the United States illegally. Francis also praised the work of activists who "are on the front lines, often risking their own lives" to help those caught up in the migration crisis. "By their very lives, they are prophets of mercy," he said. And then, in a pointed message, Francis greeted to the 30,000 people gathered in the Sun Bowl to watch the simulcast on giant TV screens, saying, "Thank you, brothers and sisters of El Paso, for making us feel like one family and the same Christian community." Francis, the son of Italian immigrants to Argentina, had wanted to cross the border in solidarity with other migrants when he visited the U.S. last fall. That wasn't possible for logistical reasons, so he did the next best thing on Wednesday by coming within a stone's throw of the fence to pray and lay a bouquet of flowers next to a large crucifix that is to remain at the site as a monument to his visit. Immigration reform remains one of the most divisive issues in U.S. politics, and a key theme in the 2016 presidential vote. The pope's stance is starkly at odds with the anti-immigrant rhetoric of candidates for the 2016 Republican U.S. presidential nomination. Donald Trump has surged ahead of his rivals with his message that Mexico is "killing" the United States with cheap labor, while sending over criminals and rapists. He has also promised to build a huge border wall. Trump last week dubbed the pope "a very political person", saying he believed the Mexican government had put him up to the border visit. "I don't think he understands the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico," Trump said in an interview last week with Fox television. "I think Mexico got him to do it because they want to keep the border just the way it is. They're making a fortune, and we're losing." He and fellow GOP hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz have vowed to expel all the estimated 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally. "To suggest that the pope is an instrument of the Mexican government, no. That is very strange indeed," said Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, shortly before the pontiff arrived in Ciudad Juarez. "The pope always speaks of the problems of immigration. If Mr. Trump were to come to Europe he would see that the pope has said the same things about immigration to the Italians, the Germans, the French and the Hungarians." Earlier on Wednesday, the pope issued a scathing critique of capitalism, echoing remarks made in the U.S. last year, saying that God will hold accountable "slave drivers" who exploit workers. "The flow of capital cannot decide the flow of people," the Argentine pontiff said, denouncing "the exploitation of employees as if they were objects to be used and discarded". "God will hold the slave drivers of our days accountable," he said. The pope has in the past called money "the dung of the devil" and has decried what he calls the "evils" of unbridled capitalism, prompting criticism from U.S. business leaders. Francis returned to Italy Wednesday night. His plane took off from the border city of Ciudad Juarez. Wire services A federal judge in Los Angeles on Tuesday ordered Apple to provide "reasonable technical assistance" to investigators seeking to read the data on an iPhone 5C that had been used by Rizwan Farook, who along with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people and wounded 22 others on Dec. 2 in San Bernardino, California. Both were killed in a shootout with police. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been investigating the couple's potential communications with ISIL and other armed groups, and argued that it needs access to the iPhone to find out more. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the Department of Justice was asking Apple for access to just one device, a central part of the government's argument, which Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has said was "simply not true." Representatives of several other tech companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the ruling. "They are not asking Apple to redesign its product or to create a new backdoor to one of their products," Earnest told reporters at the daily briefing. Most technology security experts, including many who have served in government, say technical efforts to provide government access to encrypted devices inevitably brings in law enforcement. The argument has been made on-and-off since the 1990s, when the government tried and failed to force tech companies to incorporate a special chip into their products for surveillance purposes. The government suggests this tool could only be used once, on one phone," Cook said in a statement on Tuesday. "But thats simply not true. Once created, the technique could be used over and over again, on any number of devices." If the federal judge, Magistrate Sheri Pym, rejects Apple's arguments, the Cupertino, California-based company can appeal her order to the district court, and then up the chain to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco and ultimately the U.S. Supreme Court. The 9th Circuit is known to be pro-privacy. "The government ultimately will have an uphill fight, said Robert Cattanach, a former Justice Department lawyer who advises companies on cyber security issues. Farook was assigned the phone by the county health department he worked for, prosecutors said in a court filing on Tuesday. The health department had "given its consent" to authorities to search the device and to Apple to assist investigators in that search, the document said. Dan Guido, an expert in hacking operating systems, said that to unlock the phone, the FBI would need to install an update to Apple's iOS operating system so that investigators could circumvent the security protections, including one that wipes data if an incorrect password is entered too many times. He said that only Apple can provide that software because the phones will only install updates that are digitally signed with a secret cryptographic key. "That key is one of the most valuable pieces of data the entire company owns," he said. "Someone with that key can change all the data on all the iPhones. The notion of opening that key is anathema to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an online rights group. "Once this master key is created, governments around the world will surely demand that Apple undermine the security of their citizens as well," the foundation said in a statement. American Civil Liberties Union staff attorney Alex Abdo said the government's request risked a "dangerous" precedent. The Constitution does not permit the government to force companies to hack into their customers' devices," he said. Lance James, an expert in forensics who is chief scientist with cyber intelligence firm Flashpoint, said Apple could respond to the order without providing crypto keys or specialized tools that could be used to unlock other phones. Apple technicians could create software that would unlock the phone, allowing the company to create a backup file with all of its contents that they could provide to law enforcement, James said. Asked about the issue in an interview with CNBC TV, the CEO of mobile carrier T-Mobile, John Legere, said he understood both sides of the issue. Legere called the request "unheralded" and "groundbreaking" but said, "I really don't know how to balance" customer privacy and national security issues. Reuters Georgia The state of Georgia on Wednesday executed a former sailor convicted of killing a crewmate and, with the help of another sailor, dismembering the body and burying it. Travis Hittson, 45, was pronounced dead by lethal injection at 8:14 p.m. at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, according to the state Attorney General's Office. Hittson's was the nation's second execution this week and the seventh of the year. He received the death penalty for the April 1992 murder of 20-year-old Conway Utterbeck during a weekend leave from the USS Forrestal aircraft carrier. Hittson shot Utterbeck following a night of drinking while on a trip to central Georgia to visit the parents of a third sailor on the ship, Edward Vollmer, according to court records. I had no emotion or nothing on my face, I know I didnt," Hittson later told police in his confession to the killing, according to court records. He shot Utterbeck point blank in the forehead, then went out to eat at a nearby Waffle House. Afterwards, Hittson and Vollmer dismembered his body, using a kitchen steak knife and a hacksaw, according to court records. They buried Utterbeck's torso in a shallow grave in the woods. The men put his severed hands, head, and feet in the trunk of Vollmers car and returned to the ship based in Pensacola, Florida on Monday morning. After getting off work that day, they discarded his remaining body parts in the Florida Panhandle, records said. On Wednesday evening, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a stay of execution for Hittson. Earlier in the day, the Georgia Supreme Court denied Hittson's request to stay the execution. His lawyers also unsuccessfully appealed to the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute his sentence to life without parole, a sentence not available during his 1993 trial. The state board denied his request late Tuesday. After reviewing Hittson's case, the parole board decided on Wednesday to take the stiffest action possible against Vollmer. Vollmer told Hittson that Utterbeck was plotting to kill the two of them, according to court records. But there was no evidence that Utterbeck intended to harm them. Hittson later described Vollmer as "very paranoid." Vollmer made a plea deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to life in prison, with eligibility for parole. He had been denied parole last year, and his next review was set for 2020. However, the state panel on Wednesday reconsidered his case and pushed his next review to 2024, the longest period possible. Reuters The White House is planning to make the announcement as early as Thursday, according to a senior administration official. Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced in late 2014 that they would begin normalizing ties after a half-century of Cold War opposition. Obama's stop in Cuba will part of a broader trip to Latin America that the president will take next month, said the officials, who requested anonymity because the trip hasn't been officially announced. The White House planned to unveil Obama's travel plans Thursday. Though Obama had long been expected to visit Cuba in his final year, word of his travel plans drew immediate resistance from opponents of warmer ties with Cuba -- including Republican presidential candidates. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, whose father fled to the U.S. from Cuba in the 1950s, said Obama shouldn't visit while the Castro family remains in power. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, another child of Cuban immigrants, lambasted the president for visiting what he called an "anti-American communist dictatorship." "Today, a year and two months after the opening of Cuba, the Cuban government remains as oppressive as ever," Rubio said on CNN. Told of Obama's intention to visit, he added, "Probably not going to invite me." The Obama administration is eager to make rapid progress on building trade and diplomatic ties with Cuba before Obama leaves office. The two nations signed a deal Tuesday restoring commercial air traffic for the first time in five decades. But Obama, facing steadfast opposition to normalized relations from Republicans and some Democrats, has been unable to deliver on Cuba's biggest request: the lifting of the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba. Opponents argue that repealing those sanctions would reward a government still engaging in human rights abuses and stifling of democratic aspirations. Obama and supporters of the detente argue the decades-old embargo has failed to bring about desired change on the island 90 miles south of Florida. Still, while Obama has long expressed an interest in visiting Cuba, White House officials had said the visit wouldn't occur unless and until the conditions were right. "If I go on a visit, then part of the deal is that I get to talk to everybody" including political dissidents, Obama told Yahoo News in December. "I've made very clear in my conversations directly with President Castro that we would continue to reach out to those who want to broaden the scope for, you know, free expression inside of Cuba." Officials didn't immediately specify what had changed in the last few weeks to clear the way for the trip, first reported by ABC News. Obamas visit will be the first since President Calvin Coolidge delivered a speech at the Pan-American Conference in 1928. He urged nations of the Western Hemisphere to embrace peace and value the principles of freedom and democracy, according to the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation. Coolidge emphasized the equality that existed between the independent republics of the Americas. The smallest and the weakest speak here with the same authority as the largest and the most powerful, he remarked, according to Calvin Coolidge and Cuba by Rushad L. Thomas. President Harry Truman visited Guantanamo Bay, which is controlled by the United States, so that was not considered a state visit; he didn't meet with any Cuban government officials, according to his presidential library. Al Jazeera with wire services The Republican race for the party's 2016 presidential nomination erupted into a four-candidate crossfire on Wednesday over who has the proper experience and is the most conservative, days before South Carolina voters put their stamp on the campaign. In TV interviews and campaign events, front-runner Donald Trump threatened to sue Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas over a negative TV ad, while Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida accused Cruz of lying about his record, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush questioned Rubio's experience to serve as president. Amid the squabbling, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley endorsed Rubio as the Republicans' best hope for winning the White House on Nov. 8, a big boost to Rubio and a blow to Bush, who had lobbied hard for her to pick him. The South Carolina GOP primary is Feb. 20. Bush had a tough day, learning of Haley's endorsement right before a town hall meeting in Summerville, South Carolina, where four members of the audience second-guessed his campaign strategy and offered tips on how to have a greater impact in the state that holds its Republican primary on Saturday. Much of the debate took place over the television airwaves, as Trump lobbed charges at his rivals on an MSNBC town hall, and Rubio and Cruz battled in back-to-back appearances at a CNN town hall in Greenville, South Carolina. Trump fumed about a TV ad put out by the Cruz campaign that brought up Trump's past position in support of a woman's right to an abortion. Trump says he has evolved into a conservative and is now against abortion. "You look at a guy like Ted Cruz, he's a nasty guy," Trump said. "He doesn't have one Republican endorsement from the Senate and he works with the Senate. Think of it. Hard to believe." Cruz dared Trump to sue him over the campaign ad, which featured a 1999 video clip of Trump, a billionaire businessman and former reality TV star, saying he was "very pro-choice" on abortion. Cruz said Trump sent his campaign a "cease and desist letter" demanding it drop the ad. At the CNN town hall, he said he laughed out loud when he got the letter threatening what he called a "frivolous lawsuit." "In any defamation case, truth is a complete defense," Cruz said. Cruz reveled in an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll that said Republicans nationally now put him ahead of Trump, 28 percent to 26 percent. The latest national Reuters/Ipsos poll, however, showed Trump taking a more than 20-point lead over Cruz in the Republican race. Trump had 40 percent support in the poll conducted from Saturday to Wednesday, compared with 17 percent for Cruz, 11 percent for Rubio, 10 percent for retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, and 8 percent for Bush. Rubio, hoping to overtake Cruz for second place in South Carolina, where Trump leads in the polls, accused Cruz of spreading falsehoods with an ad attacking Rubio over his position on immigration. Rubio backed a 2013 Senate immigration reform effort that collapsed. Cruz says Rubio would have supported "amnesty" for illegal immigrants, which his rival denies. "If you say something that isn't true and you say it over and over and you know it's not true, it must be a lie," Rubio said. Bush, running fourth in South Carolina and behind Rubio, questioned Rubio's level of experience after Rubio said Bush did not have foreign policy experience. Rubio counts his time on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as valuable experience. "It's hard for me to be lectured to by a gifted young guy who thinks going to committee hearings means you know something about the world," Bush said in Summerville. At the event, Bush sounded a note of frustration at frequent criticism of his campaign by TV pundits. "The pundits have made it all it's all decided. We don't have to go vote, I guess. It's all finished. I should stop campaigning, maybe, huh? It's all done," he said. "No," shouted people in the crowd. Haley's endorsement gave Rubio, 44, a valuable ally to try to sway voters in South Carolina, the third contest after Iowa and New Hampshire to pick a party nominee for the November election to succeed Democratic President Barack Obama. "If we elect Marco Rubio, every day will be a great day in America," Haley said, with Rubio at her side at an event in Chapin, South Carolina. Some political analysts have said Haley could be picked as the Republican vice presidential nominee. She attracted national attention last year in the aftermath of the mass shooting at the Emanuel Africa Episcopal Church in Charleston with an emotional address at a press conference. A Bush aide said Haley called Bush to inform him of her plan to endorse Rubio. Disappointed was Bush's response. Shes a very good governor and should I win the nomination, therell be a role for her in the campaign, Bush, 63, told reporters after a campaign event in Summerville. "Trust me, she's a great person." Al Jazeera with Reuters Joey DiGiovani from South Philadelphia has been living at the Last Stop for a few weeks. Brad Larrison for Al Jazeera America Melissa R., 43, had nearly 70 days clean when she spoke with Al Jazeera at the Last Stop. She lives in the Last Stops sister house in Camden, which opened in 2008, but attends meetings at the Kensington location. My job [as a veterinary surgical nurse] was going to pay for me to go to fancy rehab, but they dont work. I found rehabs dont talk about the Big Book, she said, referring to the book by Alcoholics Anonymous founders that lays out the organizations 12-step program. I feel God placed me here for a humbling experience, said Joey DiGiovani, 35, who has been living at the Last Stop for a few weeks. If youre coming in looking just to get out of the cold, Eddies going to tell you this aint no flophouse. But if youre serious about recovery, theyre going to open their arms to you. Drug use at the Last Stop isnt tolerated, although testing is done only if a resident is suspected of using. Youre in a building with 40 of the most hard-core drug addicts youve ever seen in your life. You might be able to fool us one time, but second time, well pick up on it, Marshall said. When we suspect, well ask them first Tell me the truth, and well work with you. But if we have to waste $12 on a drug test and you come up hot, youre going to have to go. Alcoholics and addicts say that every recovery house and Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous group has its own personality. At the Last Stop, theres a heavy spiritual bent, and while the NA and AA programs are nondenominational, Zampanelli is a devout Catholic. They do real recovery here real spiritually-based recovery, said Chris Willis, 29, who has been living at the Last Stop since June, when he reached the end of his rope, homeless and strung out on crack and dope in Camden. In [other] places, they dont focus on the spiritual aspect of it, which is what the Big Book tells us our problem is. Those places they tell you to stay away from people, places and things. But I always got back out and get high. Right now, Im here in an open-air drug market and sober. Despite their temptation-filled surroundings, residents and regulars say that for those serious about recovery, the support at the Last Stop is unmatched. Theyve got good recovery here, man, said DiGiovani. We stick together. Were real tight, said John. Were here to rebuild our lives, and this is the best opportunity to do so, because we can stay here as long as we want. They didnt ask for a penny when I walked through that door, he added. For Marshall, its promising to see politicians across the country finally address the heroin epidemic, with which Kensington has grappled for decades. He supports more funding to treat drug addiction but with skepticism. If they want to dump more money into [drug treatment], that would be great, because that would open up more beds for detoxes, more resources for outpatient and inpatient therapy. But honestly, I dont see the need for so many resources. Weve been doing it without government money for as long as the Last Stops been around, and we have a damn good success rate, he said. And he has little expectation that any new funding will serve the most destitute addicts he works with day in and day out. Its great press, but like everything else, its a phase, and its going to fade away, he said, and people like me and Eddie Z and Frank are going to keep grinding on here in Kensington after this is a passing fad. An underground natural gas pipeline rupture that caused the largest-ever methane leak in California has been permanently capped, paving the way for thousands of displaced Los Angeles residents to return home, state regulators said on Thursday. Officials confirmed on Wednesday night that the subterranean pipeline breach at the Aliso Canyon gas storage field owned by the Southern California Gas Co. was successfully sealed after a series of independent laboratory tests, Jason Marshall, the chief deputy director of the California Department of Conservation, told reporters. The utility, a division of San Diegobased Sempra Energy, said Friday that infrared monitoring by state regulators showed that a newly drilled relief well managed to finally intercept and halt the gas flow but that more work needed to be done before the leak could be permanently capped. A series of follow-up emissions and infrastructure tests confirmed that the cement plug pumped into the crippled injection well pipe was holding, Marshall said. The stench of gas fumes spewing from the site has sickened scores of people and prompted the temporary relocation of more than 6,600 households from the northern Los Angeles community of Porter Ranch at the edge of the gas field. Marshall said those displaced residents were all expected to return to their homes by next Thursday. Reuters President Barack Obama will pay a historic visit to Cuba in the coming weeks, senior administration officials said Wednesday. He will be the first president to set foot on the island in nearly seven decades. The brief visit, planned for mid-March, will mark a watershed moment for relations between the U.S. and Cuba, a communist nation estranged from the U.S. for half a century until Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro moved to re-establish ties more than a year ago. Since then, the nations have reopened embassies in Washington and Havana and moved to restore commercial air travel, with a presidential visit seen as a key next step toward bridging the divide. Obama's stop in Cuba will part of a broader trip to Latin America that he will take next month, said the officials, who requested anonymity because the trip hasn't been officially announced. The White House planned to unveil Obama's travel plans Thursday. Though Obama has long been expected to visit Cuba in his final year, word of his travel plans drew immediate resistance from opponents of warmer ties with Cuba, including Republican presidential candidates. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, whose father fled to the U.S. from Cuba in the 1950s, said Obama shouldn't visit while the Castro family remains in power. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, another child of Cuban immigrants, lambasted the president for visiting what he called an "anti-American communist dictatorship." "Today, a year and two months after the opening of Cuba, the Cuban government remains as oppressive as ever," Rubio said on CNN. Told of Obama's intention to visit, he added, "Probably not going to invite me." With less than a year left in office, Obama has been eager to make rapid progress on restoring economic and diplomatic ties to cement the rapprochement with Cuba that his administration started. After secret negotiations between their governments, Obama and Castro announced in late 2014 that they would begin normalizing ties and months later held the first face-to-face meeting between U.S. and Cuban presidents since 1958. But Obama, facing steadfast opposition to normalized relations from Republicans and some Democrats, has been unable to deliver on the former Cold War foe's biggest request, that the U.S. economic embargo be lifted. Opponents argue that repealing those sanctions would reward a government still engaging in human rights abuses and stifling democratic aspirations. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., who was born in Cuba and is the longest-serving Cuban-American in Congress, called the visit "absolutely shameful." She said in a statement, "For more than 50 years, Cubans have been fleeing the Castro regime, yet the country which grants them refuge, the United States, has now decided to quite literally embrace their oppressors." Obama and supporters of the detente argue the decades-old embargo has failed to bring about desired change on the island, 90 miles south of Florida. Although he has long expressed an interest in visiting Cuba, White House officials had said the visit wouldn't occur unless the conditions were right. "If I go on a visit, then part of the deal is that I get to talk to everybody," including political dissidents, Obama told Yahoo News in December. "I've made very clear in my conversations directly with President Castro that we would continue to reach out to those who want to broaden the scope for, you know, free expression inside of Cuba." Officials didn't immediately specify what changed in the last few weeks to clear the way for the trip, first reported by ABC News. But on Tuesday, the two nations signed a deal restoring commercial air traffic as early as later this year, eliminating a key barrier to unfettered travel that isolated Cuban-Americans from their families for generations. Hundreds of thousands more Americans are expected to visit Cuba per year under the deal, which cleared the way for the U.S. Department of Transportation to open bidding by American air carriers on up to 110 flights a day. Currently, there are about one-fifth as many flights operating between the two countries all charters. For Obama, the diplomatic opening with Cuba is one of the crowning achievements of a foreign policy rooted in a belief that the U.S. should test opportunities to ease hostilities with its historical enemies. Last month his administration lifted economic sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program, after a diplomatic deal that has raised hopes about warmer ties between the U.S. and Iran. Yet those achievements have been offset by deepening security challenges in Iraq, Syria, Libya and elsewhere as he nears the end of his term. President Harry Truman visited the U.S.-controlled Guantanamo Bay naval station on the southeast end of Cuba in 1948, and President Jimmy Carter has paid multiple visits to the island since leaving office. No sitting president has visited Havana since President Calvin Coolidge traveled there in 1928. The Associated Press He accused the PKK of collaborating in the car bombing, and within hours, Turkish warplanes bombed PKK bases in northern Iraq. Turkey's armed forces will continue their recent shelling of YPG positions in northern Syria, he said, promising that those responsible for the Ankara assault will "pay the price." "Yesterday's attack was directly targeting Turkey, and the perpetrator is the YPG and the divisive terrorist organization PKK. All necessary measures will be taken against them," Davutoglu said in a televised speech. President Tayyip Erdogan also said initial findings suggested that the YPG and the PKK were behind the bombing and that 14 people have been detained. The political arm of the YPG denied involvement in the bombing, and a senior member of the PKK said he did not know who was responsible. The attack was the latest in a series of bombings in the past year blamed mostly on fighters from ISIL. Turkey is getting dragged ever deeper into the war in neighboring Syria and is trying to contain some of the fiercest violence in decades in its predominantly Kurdish southeast. The YPG has taken advantage in recent weeks of a major Syrian army offensive around the northern city of Aleppo, backed by Russian airstrikes, to seize ground from Syrian rebels near the border with Turkey. That has alarmed Turkey, which fears the advances will stoke Kurdish separatist ambitions at home. It has been bombarding YPG positions in an effort to stop it from taking the town of Azaz, the last stronghold of Turkish-backed Syrian rebels north of Aleppo before the Turkish frontier. Hundreds of Syrian rebels with weapons and vehicles have re-entered Syria from Turkey over the last week to reinforce insurgents fending off the Kurdish-led assault on Azaz, rebel sources said on Thursday. Saleh Muslim, a co-leader of the YPG's political wing, denied that the YPG perpetrated the Ankara bombing and said that Turkey was using the attack to justify an escalation in fighting in northern Syria. "We are completely refuting that Davutoglu is preparing for something else because they are shelling us, as you know, for the past week," he told Reuters by telephone. Turkey has said its shelling of YPG positions is a response, within its rules of engagement, to hostile fire coming from across the border into Turkey which Muslim also denied. "I can assure you not even one bullet is fired by the YPG into Turkey ... They don't consider Turkey an enemy," he said. The co-leader of the PKK umbrella group, Cemil Bayik, was quoted by the Firat news agency as saying he did not know who was responsible for the Ankara bombing. But the attack, he said, could be an answer to "massacres in Kurdistan," referring to the Kurdish region spanning parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. Turkey has been battling PKK fighters in its southeast, where a 2-1/2-year cease-fire collapsed in July and pitched the region into its worst bloodshed since the 1990s. Six soldiers were killed and one wounded on Thursday when a remote-controlled handmade bomb hit their vehicle, the military said. Davutoglu named the car bomber as Salih Necar, born in 1992, from the Hasakah region of northern Syria, and said he was a member of the YPG. A senior security official said that the alleged bomber entered Turkey from Syria in July 2014, although he may have crossed the border illegally multiple times before that, and that he had contact with the PKK and Syrian intelligence. Davutoglu accused the Syrian government of a hand in the Ankara bombing and warned Russia, whose airstrikes in northern Syria have helped the YPG advance, against using the group against Turkey. "I'd like to warn Russia, which is giving air support to the YPG in its advance on Azaz, not to use this terrorist group against the innocent people of Syria and Turkey," he said. "Russia condemned yesterday's attack, but it is not enough. All those who intend to use terrorist organizations as proxies should know that this game of terror will turn around like a boomerang and hit them first." Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told a teleconference with reporters that the Kremlin condemned the bombing "in the strongest possible terms." Reuters On Feb. 12, Pope Francis landed in Mexico Citys international airport. It was the first time that he visited Mexico as the head of the Roman Catholic Church. Mexico had been the only major Latin American country he hadnt visited since he was elevated to the Throne of St. Peter. Mexican political commentators spent months before his visit speculating on the content of his message. Many assumed that he would be especially bold in a country that has known no end to the violence that started with the so-called war on drugs. Francis is no foreigner to political struggles of minorities and disadvantaged groups. As pope, he has used the power of his office to elevate issues such inequality and climate change on the global agenda. Thus many in Mexico were expecting him to deliver an especially powerful message, given Mexicos troubled recent history. It is no secret to outsiders that since 2006, Mexico has been experiencing a slow-motion human rights crisis. During the last 10 years, more than 160,000 people have died in the war on drugs. More than 20,000 people have disappeared. Heartbreaking testimonies can be found all over the country from survivors and family members of those who have been lost. Free press is under attack, and journalists are killed with impunity. Meanwhile, the Catholic Church in Mexico has gone through a series of scandals. As in the U.S., there have been allegations throughout Mexico of priests who molested children, and Catholic authorities in Mexico did everything possible to protect the priests and shield them from judicial procedures. It appears from journalistic investigations that Pope John Paul II knew about the abuses and did nothing. Francis found a country that has steadily become less Catholic. While 50 years ago, virtually every Mexican considered himself or herself a Catholic, nowadays, only 4 in 5 Mexicans do so. Catholics in Mexico are mainly clustered in the center of the country, with the indigenous south shifting toward other forms of Christianity. Islam has been on the rise in Chiapas, a largely indigenous state that Francis visited on Monday. In this context, his Masses in Mexico were largely anodyne. He focused on one of his main talking points, inequality, while skipping any thorny local political issues. On Sunday he flew to Ecatepec, a gray slum on the outskirts of Mexico City that is a representative sample of the half of Mexicos population living in poverty. While in Ecatepec, he addressed the countrys glaring disparities and mourned the deaths of those who make the journey to the U.S. at the hands of what he referred to as dealers of death. However, his speech and visit largely avoided addressing any controversial topics. In the months before his trip, the parents of the 43 college students from Ayotzinapa who disappeared a year and a half ago asked him to meet with them. He refused to see them, but they were invited to a Mass he held in Juarez, according to Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi. The American publics ability to read the Senate Intelligence Committees full, scathing report on the Central Intelligence Agencys torture program is in danger because David Ferriero, the archivist of the United States, will not call the report what it is, a federal record. He is refusing to use his clear statutory authority to label the report a federal record, which would be subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) disclosure requirements, because the Justice Department has told the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) not to. The DOJ has a long history of breaking the law to avoid releasing information in response to FOIA requests. The NARA does not have such a legacy and should not allow itself to be bullied by the DOJ. The DOJ instructed the NARA not to make any determination on the torture reports status as a federal record, ostensibly because it would jeopardize the governments position in a FOIA lawsuit seeking the reports release. The DOJ, however, has no right to tell the NARA not to weigh in on the records status, and the Presidential and Federal Records Act Amendments of 2014 gives the archivist of the United States the binding legal authority to make precisely that determination. Democratic Sens. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Dianne Feinstein of California revealed the DOJs insistence that the archivist of the United States not faithfully fulfill his duty in a Nov. 5, 2015, letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch. They protested the DOJs refusal to allow its officials as well as those of the Defense Department, the CIA and the State Department to read the report. Leahy and Feinsteins letter notes that personnel at the National Archives and Records Administration have stated that, based on guidance from the Department of Justice, they will not respond to questions about whether the study constitutes a federal record under the Federal Records Act because the FOIA case is pending. Rather than try to win the FOIA case on a technicality and step on the NARAs statutory toes, the DOJ should allow the FOIA review process to determine on the cases merits whether the document may be released. Not even officials with security clearances may read the document while its status as a congressional or federal record is debated. The New York Times reported in November 2015 that in December of the previous year, a Senate staffer delivered envelopes containing the 6,700-page top secret report to the DOJ, the State Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pentagon. Yet a year later, none of the envelopes had been opened, and none of the countrys top officials had read the reports complete findings. This is because the DOJ, the Times wrote, prohibited officials from the government agencies that possess it from even opening the report, effectively keeping the people in charge of Americas counterterrorism future from reading about its past. The DOJ contends that if any agency officials read the report, it could alter the outcome of the FOIA lawsuit. In "The Final Call," "Fault Lines" explores the hidden epidemic of suicide among U.S. firefightersand asks why more isnt being done to address depression and PTSD. The film airs on Sunday, Feb. 21, at 9 p.m. Eastern time/6 p.m. Pacific on Al Jazeera America. | Click here to find Al Jazeera in your area. In 2014, 87 firefighters were killed in the line of duty nationwide. That same year, Jeff Dill confirmed that at least another 105 had taken their own lives. He estimates that was only roughly 30 percent of the actual total number who had committed suicide, which by his math would put the number closer to 350. Dill runs the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, the only organization that attempts to track and validate suicides by firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMT). He travels across North America talking to fire departments about the high incidence of suicide in the professionas well as the reluctance of people within their ranks to talk about their emotional stress. He traces his inspiration to take on this work to conversations with firefighters who returned to Illinois, where he was a battalion chief, from New Orleans, where they helped in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They said, Wow, man, we saw some horrific things: picking up bodies and the devastation. When the first responders went to their employee assistance program, Dill said, counselors werent able to understand the terminology or the culture of the people they were trying to treat. As a result, most of the firefighters stopped seeking help and continued suffering. Fault Lines spoke to Dill about the causes behind the high number of first responder suicides and what sort of change hes hoping his efforts will spur. An edited version of the conversation follows. Is your organization the only one that tracks firefighter suicide numbers? The Code Green Campaign started tracking EMS (emergency medical services), but they do not validate like I do. When confidential reports come into us or someone I know calls me and says, Hey, our department recently had one, I'll call the chief, I'll give him the spiel, say I was 26 years on the fire service, I'm a licensed counselor and I'm the founder, and I do this because I do not want to forget any of our brothers or sisters that have taken their lives. They'll tell me exactly what the story, the situation, the issue was. When they don't know the method, I just put it in the unknown category. Why isn't the government keeping these numbers? That's a question you'll have to address to them. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, excellent organization, was started by Congress many years ago, and they do a great job of honoring the firefighters that lost their lives in the line of duty. And in fact, every October, they have a memorial weekend where they bring the families in. And they started actually back in late 2011, starting to have some discussion about firefighter suicides, but at this point, they don't recognize firefighter suicides. If you have a fire, and two firemen go in and come out. One has physical wounds that lead to that firefighter's death. They're going to be on the wall, and their family will get death benefits, money from the government. The other one has emotional wounds that lead to his death. He's not on the wall and doesnt get benefits. How do you reconcile that? We've become very close with so many families. It's very difficult [for them] to understand why they can't be recognized. It comes down to what our nation is all about when it comes to mental health. When you talk about suicide, it's something that we really don't know a lot about. And what happens when we don't know something. We're afraid of it. We're afraid to discuss and really approach it. But what we're seeing now in these last four years, we're starting to see a positive swing into, Maybe we need to bring behavioral health to the forefront in the fire and the medical services." You said the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) started having discussions about addressing mental health issues in 2011. Were nearing the end of 2015. What is the number of firefighters who killed themselves to date for this year? I just validated another one today [October 2, 2015]. It's at 86, and we still have 11 more to validate, and I estimate probably 30 percent are reported to us. So over the four years that they've been having discussions, hundreds of firefighters have died? We had 105 lose their lives last year [2014]. You have to understand, the NFFF, they do a great job, but they were put together through an act of Congress to help honor those firefighters lost in the line of duty death. And now they're starting to get into the behavioral health aspect. We're ingrained to believe we can handle our own problems, handle them ourselves instead of asking for help. Ultimately, we either fall prey to addictionseither alcohol, gambling, whatever it isor unfortunately taking our lives. Jeff Dill founder, Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance We talked to the NFFF, and the problem is they don't have any authority, and they don't even have a budget. They're an unfunded mandate. Congress could change that. How important is it to you that they change it? The fire service has been taken aback by this. And when you talk 200 years of history, four years is miniscule, timewise. We are all working on it. The IAFF [International Association of Firefighters] is working hard on it, the Safety Board and [Assistant General President for Health, Safety and Medicine] Pat Morrison. We all know that it's an issue and it's a problem. For me though, I need to be in front of people, and that's why I travel across the United States and speak to my brothers and sisters. This is something I can do right now. I'm not a big entity. We're a not-for-profit. We don't get a lot of funding. I'm trying to at least bring that awareness. If I can at least lay you the track down early so that we're saying, Yeah, we know a little bit now about suicide prevention awareness, then you get those big organizations that have a lot of funding and backing, if they can then roll with the ball, then I'm happy with that. It's not about me. It's about my brothers and sisters. A firefighter is three times more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty. Why is that? Here's the problem, and this is where I'm trying to make the difference. When you say, Hey, you know what? I'm going to be a firefighter, they send you to the fire academy. What do they teach you in the fire academies? Well, they can teach you fire behaviorHow does it react? Is it pushing out? Is it sucking in? Is it brown? Is it black?search and rescue, ladders, ventilation, water flow, tools. But what are we missing in our fire academies? That's behavioral health. And I'd love to see every state fire marshal say, Hey, you know what? We're going to talk about anxiety and stress and depression, because you get in this job, there's a high percentage that you will suffer. I firmly believe that if you've been in the fire service, you suffer from post-traumatic stress. It might not be the disorder PTSD, but you suffer from stress. Can you recall some call where a child died in your arms or a drowning or a vehicle accident, a burn victim, a rescue in a fire? You'll see it time and time again when you ask a firefighter. Yes, I can recall. I've talked to firefighters [who from] 30, 35 years ago can recall in detail calls that they went on. And that's that post-traumatic stress. That is what we need to be talking about in our fire academies and our fire officer courses, as well. We teach you how to run an incident. We teach you how to manage people in the fire stations and administration, but nothing about how do you talk to someone when they come to you and say, Man, I'm feeling depressed, instead of just saying, Well, let's go to our employee assistance program. That's not the answer. We have to learn how to talk to each other. So that's some of the training that I'm trying to bring in. And during my presentations and my workshops, if I can get one person to go back to the department and say, We need to make changes here, then we've succeeded Is it the bad runs that are at the heart of firefighter suicides? I think it's a combination. We have the bad calls that we go on. We have that cultural brainwashing through the fire academies because we're taught, Act strong. Handle all of your problems on your own. And so that becomes a key issue when maybe you've lost a child. This is what we're ingrained to do is be strong and handle these issues, and so we bury things. We absolutely bury them and bury them until maybe one day there is something that comes out. And I'm not saying everyone, because that's the question: How you can you have two people go in and see the same call, and one's resilient and one suffers? I can tell you this: From our 695 documented firefighter and EMT suicides to this point, on October 2nd, 2015, we know that the number one known reason is marital and family relationships, followed by depression, addictions and post-traumatic stress. The prophecy is more than seeing into the future. For the prophecy sees without the element of time. For the prophecy sees things as they were, as they are, and as they always shall be. Kirk Cameron understand what Brangelina are facing when it comes to children Angelina Jolie Kirk Cameron knows how its like to have be taking care of many children like what Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are facing n... Megan Fox scare of Angelina Jolie Megan Fox Megan Fox and Angelina Jolie have something in common. Both of them have long hair, tattoos and have long time boyfriends. Megan... Jonny Lee Miller only recognised as Angelina Jolies estranged husband Angelina Jolie Jonny Lee Miller is a actor that he hopes he will be well known for his acting instead of as Angelina Jolies former husban... Hilary Duff dressed up as Angelina Jolie for Halloween Hilary Duff dressed as Angelina Jolie and her boyfriend Mike Comrie dressed up as Brad Pitt for Halloween. Image source from JustJared S... YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Armenpress state news agency introduces on the air of Lratvakan.am all that you will read, hear and see on todays news. Armenian governments regular session is today, on February 18. Among other issues, the issue of supporting the production of grape vodka will be discussed. Armenia-Iran: 25 years of cooperation international symposium will be held in Yerevan. MP Gagik Minasyan is going to touch upon the internal political developments, the ways of implementing the constitutional reforms and President Serzh Sargsyans recent speech. According to meteorologists, the temperature increase is expected in the coming days in Armenia. Peoples Artist of Armenia, Choreographer Rudolf Kharatyan will refer to intrigues around Armenian National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet after Alexander Spendiaryan and present and future of the National Ballet of Armenia. 12th Children's Book Fair is expected these days. Discussion is expected in the Writers Union ahead of the Book Donation Day. Diplomas will be handed over to the representatives of mass media. More on these and other topics is available on armenpress.am. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. The enemys activity noticeably increased in the contact line of Karabakh-Azerbaijani antagonistic troops during February 17 and the night of February 18. During the mentioned period Azerbaijani armed forces fired around 700 shots towards Armenian positions from weapons of different calibers including 82mm mortar (5 missiles). Armenpress was informed by the Press Service of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Defense Ministry the rivals attacks were suppressed due to counterattacks by the front line units of the Defense Army. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. According to the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations (MTAES) of the Republic of Armenia (RA), on February 18 by 9.30 all state and interstate highways in the Republic are passable, Armenpress reports. As the department of ES of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of The Republic of Georgia informs, Stepantsminda-Larsi highway is open for passenger cars. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Issue on separating Territorial Administration from Emergency Situations sector will be discussed in the Armenian governments session of February 18. The draft decision on the mentioned above is included in the governments session agenda of February 18, Armenpress reports. As it is explained, the draft law on Making amendments and additions to the Armenian Republics law on the structure of the Armenian Republics government aims at ensuring more effective management system. Minister-Chief of Government Staff Davit Harutyunyan will present the project. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Armenian government confirmed estimate of extra-budgetary expenditures of the Armenia Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs which aims at assuring making amendments in the child protection system of Armenia funded by US Agency for International Development (USAID). Armenpress reports that Armenian Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Artem Asatryan mentioned USAID allocated 1 million 847 thousand dollars in the frames of the project Social Sector Reform. Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan in his turn mentioned that he has discussed the issue on financial flaws and grants with the Armenian Republics President. Also an issue on studying the recent years grants arose. I have instructed Mr. Deputy Prime Minister to touch upon the efficiency of the grants expenditures, Armenian PM said. The project aims at improving the implementation of the reforms of the child protection system, which will form alternative community services for the children of the targeted institutions. The project is also aimed at strengthening the integrated social services. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS On February 18, in accordance with the arrangement reached with the authorities of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the OSCE Mission conducted a planned monitoring of the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan in the northern direction of Martakert. Armenpress was informed from the press service of NKR Foreign Ministry that from the positions of the NKR Defense Army, the monitoring was conducted by Field Assistants of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Yevgeny Sharov (Ukraine) and Khristo Khristov (Bulgaria), as well as by staff member of the Office Peter Svedberg (Sweden). From the opposite side of the Line of Contact, the monitoring was conducted by Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk and his Field Assistant Jiri Aberle (Czech Republic). The monitoring passed in accordance with the agreed schedule. No violation of the cease-fire regime was registered. From the Karabakh side, the monitoring mission was accompanied by representatives of the NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Armenian government made additions to the laws on Notification of activity and State tribute for promoting the grape vodka production in the Republic and presented the draft packages to the National Assembly. In particular, by the Armenian Republics law on State tribute the amendments propose to define the state tribute of grape vodka companies annual 50 thousand drams instead of 15 million drams. Armenpress reports that Armenian PM Hovik Abrahamyan welcomed the mentioned initiative and mentioned that it emerged from the meetings with businessmen. This will also contribute to the increase of the volume of grape vodka. There are grape species which are unsuitable for producing cognac and processing plants do not accept them, which causes big problems. Now when we define the tribute 50 thousand drams instead of 15 millions then, according to our forecasts, about 20 other companies will appear in this sector. So we will also solve the issue of grape growers, Hovik Abrahamyan said. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Minister of Health Armen Muradyan touched upon the media information that the prime minister was displeased with the increase in complaints related to state-funded health care. He mentioned that structural changes will be carried out in the Ministry. A report was presented yesterday and our work was rated satisfactory. There were some issues and proposals, Muradyan said, Armenpress reports. He added that issues related to the implementation of optimization based on the institutional principles are discussed now, Armenpress reports. There are issues accumulated over the years and we try to analyze the mentioned issues and then try to develop financial mechanisms associated with them. There are always complaints about healthcare and social tension in each country, regardless of financial mechanisms, Muradyan said. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. The exhibition headlined 1915-2015: Armenian architecture and the Genocide in German Aachen city has been attacked by unidentified persons. Armenpress reports Turkish Demokrathaber.net informs about this. Armenian cultural life and architectural constructions in the territory of the Ottoman Empire prior to 1915 were presented in the exhibition, drawing parallels with their current state of condition. Unidentified vandals stripped and damaged the posters hung in the exhibition with knives or other edge tools. The organizers of the exhibition applied to the police in relations to the incident. Investigation is underway. News Story not available This story has been published on: 2022-10-21. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. This story is no longer available on our site. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. After the cancellation of international sanctions against Tehran activity is observed in Iran's foreign policy, and in that regard Armenia, as Irans centuries-old neighboring and friendly country, has big potential to have its unique role in the regional developments. Both Armenian and Iranian officials and experts agree on the mentioned issue. Big range of other issues related to the past, present and future of Armenian-Iranian relations is included in the Armenia-Iran: 25 years of cooperation one-day international symposium, held on February 18 in Yerevan State university. Armenpress reports that according to Armenian specialists, participating in the symposium, Armenia can become an important transit corridor linking the Black Sea and the Persian Gulf. It is important to get introduced to the opinions of Iranian specialists in this context and understand what opportunities they see in the strengthening of Armenian-Iranian relations, Vardan Voskanyan, Head of the Chair of Iranian Studies expressed such a view. He recalled Irans President Hassan Rouhanis earlier expression that Armenia, as the first country to adopt Christianity, and Iran, as a Muslim country, are unique neighbors and have exemplary relations and it is an advantage for both sides. Yerevan State University (YSU) Rector, Professor Aram Simonyan, Chairman of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization Abuzar Ebrahimi, Seyyed Kazem Sajjad, the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) to the Republic of Armenia, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Armenia Nerses Ter-Vardanyan and others touched upon the significance of Armenian-Iranian relations and strong fundamentals of millennia and the possibilities of further development of bilateral relations in the context of regional developments. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. NASDAQ OMX Armenia OJSC made no sale and purchase deals of US dollar on February 18. NASDAQ OMX Armenia informed Armenpress about the aforesaid. The Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia informs that the exchange rate of USD was 495.88 AMD on February 18 which is an increase of 0.69 drams, the exchange rate of euro was 552.26 AMD (appreciated by 1.16 drams), and the exchange rate of the Russian ruble increased by 0.18 drams fixing at 6.60 AMD.4 The currency market has the following average exchange rates. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Board members of National Unity party met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India to Armenia H. E. Suresh Babu Thadipaneni, whose tenure terminates in Armenia, in the headquarter of the party. As Armenpress was informed from the press service of National Unity party, during the meeting, which passed in a warm atmosphere, ideas were exchanged over deepening Armenian-Indian traditionally friendly relations. President of National Unity party Artashes Geghamyan presented the Ambassador with the books authored by him, the presentation of which took place a few days ago. Ambassador Suresh Babu Thadipaneni expressed satisfaction over the years spent in Armenia and said that he will remember Armenia and the Armenian people with warmth, remaining the faithful friend of our country. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. US President Barack Obama intends to visit Cuba in March 21-22. Armenpress reports the Twitter page of the President informs. Next month, I'll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people, reads the Twitter page of the US President. Experts state that the visit is followed by a range of interactions of diplomatic corps, opening of embassies in the two capitals, as well as the resumption of US-Cuba airlines. According to The voice of America, President Obamas visit will become a great symbolic step in the rapprochement of the two countries. In December 2014, Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro announced about readiness of Washington and Havana to restore official diplomatic ties breached after Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. Photo by AP YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. February 18 is marked as the day of Resurrection in Yezidi Calendar. Defense Minister of the Republic of Armenia Seyran Ohanyan visited Alagyaz village of Aragatsotn Province, where the family of the heroically martyred Sidar Aloyan (martyred on December 18, 2015) resides, on the occasion of the Yezidi holiday. As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Defense Ministry of Armenia, attaching great value to the heroic deed of the awardee of medal For Courage and expressing deep gratitude to the family members of the brave warrior, the Defense Minister stated that fraternity and friendship between the Armenian and Yezidi peoples dates back to centuries ago and the best demonstration of that fraternity is the brevity and courage of Armenian and Yezidi servicemen defending the borders of their Motherland. Thanking the Defense Minister for the visit and stating that the loss of their son inflicted deep grief on them, the family members of the Aloyan family noted that similar visits of the Defense Minister consoles and comforts them to some extent. Seyran Ohanyan assured the relatives of the martyred soldier that in the near future the Defense Ministry will spare no efforts to eternalize the memory of Sidar Aloyan in Alagyaz village. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Russia voices for the territorial integrity of Syria and Iraq. Creation of Kurdistan will lead to disintegration of those countries, as well as of Turkey, Armenpress reports Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin told Kommersant. We support the territorial integrity of Syria and Iraq. At the same time, we of course respect the Kurds, Churkin said. He reminded that the Kurds have already obtained their territory in Iraq where probably it is more comfortable for them to live than in other parts of the country. In a way, we favor the idea that Kurds should satisfy their demands, but it must not lead to disintegration of states, otherwise is may result in crisis, the diplomat stated. Bank technology Eastern Bank Turns to Disruptors to 'Transform Culture' With the hiring of the former PerkStreet team, the Boston bank joins the likes of BBVA Compass in teaming with nonbank disruptors to help it better compete in the digital age. April 29 Bank technology Bank Innovation Labs: Boon or Boondoggle? Big banks with innovation labs see them as a way to improve the customer experience and to test new ideas in an industry facing disruption. Skeptics see potential for waste. July 15 The media makes much of a brewing conflict between the fintech sector and the banking industry, citing, for example, a marketplace lending chief executive who says he wants to "kill banks." Drama makes for better headlines. Conflict isn't the right word for the innovations taking place in the way customers and businesses handle their money. Instead, along with these changes come remarkable creativity and the seeds of cooperation. Yet some issues regarding how banks and fintech firms operate cohesively need to be addressed. Principally, consumers still face potential confusion when dealing with two sectors that have differing regulatory regimes. As enthusiastic participants in an economy that uniquely and dynamically supports innovation, bankers have always welcomed creative new ways to serve their customers. From interactive teller machines to remote deposit capture, banks have been at the forefront of convenience. Today, innovation both from within and beyond the bank charter is making it easier for the unbanked to access financial services, for entrepreneurs to get loans and for individuals to send money or make payments. It's important to realize that banks are fully engaged in these efforts. Some banks have created innovation labs to develop new apps and technologies. And it's not just big banks that are doing this. Eastern Bank, a nearly 200-year-old, $9.5 billion-asset mutual institution in Boston, has its own lab to incubate promising new solutions and to partner with fintech companies, for example. Innovation from outside banking triggers innovation inside banks. Firms are leveraging technologies like social networks and drawing on new ideas and talent from outside the industry. Indeed, the convergence of banking and technology requires skills that may need to come from outside our industry. Ultimately, many of these innovations will make our customers' financial lives better. Banks and nonbanks alike share the same goals: make it easier for people to save, spend and borrow money. But this is where the confusion lies. For customers, a loan is a loan and a payment is a payment. They don't care whether a bank provides the service. Because of some regulatory gaps and uncertainty, they should. For example as Slate reported last year customers of the popular peer-to-peer payment company Venmo have found themselves subject to lapses in data security and transparency that a bank regulator would never allow. The features may be the same regardless of whether the company has a charter or not, but the confusion about who regulates whom and in what ways is leading to gaps in consumer protection. Will privacy be respected? Will data be protected? Are fintech startups cybersecurity ready? Customers need clarity. Many nonbank fintech firms also crave a clearer regulatory environment so they can show investors that their growth won't be erased if the regulatory environment sees sudden shifts. U.K. regulators have offered a promising new approach which, if emulated here, could address some of these consumer protection shortcomings. Last month they created a bank startup unit that reaches out to fintech firms and other financial startups. The regulators help nonbanks think strategically about whether they should become banks or not. Through Project Innovate, the regulators offer a regulatory sandbox to road-test new ideas and to make sure firms understand the rules they are subject to, regardless of charter. With tens of billions in investor capital pouring into U.S. fintech but a nearly nonexistent trickle of new bank charters, our regulators can learn much from Britain about how to stimulate new ideas from outside banking and to integrate them under a common set of regulatory expectations. Whatever regulatory environment emerges to shape fintech must focus on activity, not charter type. Payments should be subject to a consistent supervisory treatment, regardless of what entity handles them and likewise for loans, deposits and any other financial product. Bank compliance with consumer protection laws is enhanced by the supervisory relationship with regulators, which nonbanks even though subject to many of the same laws do not have. Without regular examinations, nonbanks that have consumer protection lapses are usually dealt with only after some harm has already occurred. When we address regulatory confusion, we will see more robust cooperation. Banks are eager to work with fintech providers. Many already are. For example, some banks license person-to-person payment platforms. Other banks refer borrowers to online marketplace lenders, collaborate in originating loans or purchase completed loans. Fintech firms can keep up with the latest technological advances and inject new ideas; banks can continue to provide core competencies in compliance, risk management, funding, trust and cybersecurity. All the hype about a fintech-bank battle may generate page views, but the reality is more complex. The two industries aren't interested in mutual destruction. Both are looking for regulatory certainty and healthy cooperation all to the good of our customers. Rob Nichols is president and chief executive of the American Bankers Association. Morais Goes for Growth at Ally: Ally Bank is focused on its growth strategy, moving forward with plans to add mortgages and credit cards to its product offerings. "We're not doing anything crazy," said Diane Morais, the bank's CEO. "We'll have very rigorous credit standards, strong controls in place." These moves are intended to be low risk, so they are perhaps also low reward, at least initially. "The revenue projections are pretty modest for the first few years," Morais said. That suggests they are not necessarily going to help parent company Ally Financial avoid grief over its sagging share price in the short term. Warren as One of the Supremes?: Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., called for President Obama to nominate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., to the Supreme Court as successor to the late Justice Antonin Scalia. While that nomination would make sense for the president and help galvanize the Democratic Party going into the upcoming election, observers say fierce Republican opposition would make such a choice unlikely. Some contend Warren has no chance at all because of her progressive views. Others say it's too risky to open up Warren's seat as Democrats aim to take back the Senate majority. Assuming the Worst: In the closely watched case where MetLife is arguing that it should not be considered a systematically important financial institution, Judge Rosemary Collyer challenged the Financial Stability Oversight Council with pointed questions during the first round of oral arguments. Among her concerns, Collyer said she is unsure how fair or reasonable it is to base the SIFI designation on the impact that MetLife's failure would have instead of on the likelihood of the company collapsing. "Instead of a risk analysis, the agency [assumed] a macroeconomic weakness, that the U.S. financial system is unstable, and MetLife or anybody else is at the brink of insolvency," Collyer said. "That is not a risk analysis. That takes all the risk out of it. That's assuming the worst of the worst of the worst of the worst." Money Manager Goals: Brokerage companies and financial advisory firms have the greatest opportunity to improve the lack of female representation in financial services, according to Barron's. Women account for less than 25% of financial advisers, the same percentage as 10 years ago. Studies have found that while men tend to be more interested in investment choices, women tend to focus more on advisory services like tax management, long-term-care planning, and charitable giving. Male portfolio managers tend to focus on outperforming benchmarks; their female counterparts tend to care more about aligning portfolio growth with long-term family goals. However, "some advisers would argue that all the profit comes from the investment side," said Eleanor Blayney, a consumer advocate at the Certified Financial Planners Board, "and the rest of financial planning is akin to the free toaster you used to get when you opened a bank account." She for She: The new comic novel "Opening Belle" isn't just about sexist men on Wall Street. Women also have a huge opportunity for self-improvement, says author Maureen Sherry. The former Bear Stearns managing director spoke to Bloomberg about her fiction-based-on-fact novel and the friction she's observed between women who work in an office and those who work in the home to raise children. "I was very sensitive to when one group would be unkind about the other," she said, sharing some of the "snide remarks" they would make about each other. She worries this ongoing Mean Girls culture will set the tone for future generations. In Case You Missed It Yellen Tells Warren 'No:' Separately Warren also made news last week for her sharp questioning of Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen. Warren said the Fed should have called the living wills of 11 banks "not credible," as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. did; this would have allowed the agencies to force the banks to reorganize. She challenged Yellen to commit to issuing a joint determination on living wills with the FDIC in the future. But Yellen declined, saying the Fed and FDIC need to use their own judgment in evaluating living wills. "I cannot guarantee you that we will arrive at identical conclusions," Yellen said. Beyond Banking No Rest for Rousseff?: Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff can worry a little less about impeachment, but an investigation into the country's political corruption still might hurt her. Let Me Qualify That: Most can agree there aren't enough women on corporate boards, but if you ask corporate directors why that is, there is a gender divide in the reasons given. Older men also tend to cite a different reason than younger men. In this new study commissioned by WomenCorporateDirectors, "lack of qualified female candidates" was the number one response (42%) given by male directors aged 56 to 65 and number two response (24%) of men under 55 years old. The men under 55 were far more likely than their older counterparts to say that male domination of traditional networks is a key hurdle which is also a top reason cited by female corporate directors. Just one quick question: could it be that older men incorrectly think there is a lack of qualified women because their networks are mostly male? Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, recently penned an op-ed piece in the New York Times called Dont Shoot the Messenger, Israel. He wrote this article to explain his recent comments that Israels unwillingness to end the occupation of Judea and Samaria is the true cause of Palestinian terrorism, and the Palestinian Authoritys incitement to stab, shoot, and ultimately murder innocent Israelis. The current wave of Palestinian terrorism in Israel has claimed the lives of 31 Israelis -- most recently Hadar Cohen, a 19-year-old woman stabbed and shot to death while standing guard in Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinians turned out for the funerals of Cohens assailants to honor them. The secretary generals column is both wrong in its facts, and demonstrates an obvious bias by him against Israel. The secretary general writes, 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. This statement is simply not true, and quite literally excuses Palestinian terrorism. The major driving force of the violence and extremism stems from the incitement to murder Jews and Israelis that has come from the Palestinian leadership for decades. Former Palestinian Authority president Yasser Arafat, the father of the PA, said in 1970, The goal of our struggle is the end of Israel, and there can be no compromise. In 1995, just after the second Oslo Accords were signed, Arafat stated, All of us are willing to be martyrs along the way, until our flag flies over Jerusalem, the capital of Palestine. The PA have incited violence against Israelis for years. His successor Mahmoud Abbas recently admitted to ignoring a 2008 land for peace offering from Israeli Prime Minister Olmert stating I rejected [the peace plan] out of hand. The Secretary General ignores the fact that from Arafat to Abbas, Palestinians have endlessly acknowledged they do not want peace. Ban Ki-Moon also claims that Israeli settlements are an obstacle to peace and cause terrorism, and that Palestinian frustration comes from Israeli Plans for over 150 new homes in illegal settlements. We can dislodge this claim with a little history lesson: settlements have never been an obstacle to peace. From 1949-1967 under Jordanian control, there were zero settlements in Judea and Samaria, and there were still numerous Palestinian terrorist attacks. In 1978, Israel froze the building of new settlements for 3 months in the hopes of attracting the Arabs to join the Camp David Accords, but it did not. The peace process also did not benefit when Israelis froze settlements again in 1994, 2005, 2008, and 2010. In fact, during the Oslo Accords in September 1993 and Oslo 2 in September 1995, Jewish population grew in the disputed territories by roughly 50%, but this did not deter the Palestinians from signing the accords. In 2000, Israeli Prime Minister Barak offered to withdraw from over 90% of Judea and Samaria, which would have removed many settlements, but Arafat refused to make peace. In 2008, Israeli Prime Minister Olmert offered a similar plan, which was similarly rejected by Abbas. Then there is the bias the Secretary General clearly shows against Israel. In his column, Ban Ki-Moon mentioned being Disturbed by statements from senior members of Israels government that the (two state solution) should be abandoned altogether. These statements are not inflammatory, but reflect the reality of the situation, and certainly pale in comparison to the far more disturbing statements made by the PA leadership. Does he not listen to the president of the Palestinian Authority? President Mahmoud Abbas said in September 2015 that he does not want Israelis to Desecrate [the al-Aqsa Mosque] with their filthy feet. Also in September, President Abbas proclaimed on Palestinian television, We welcome every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem. This is pure blood, clean blood, blood on its way to Allah. Not once in the NY Times piece does Ban Ki-Moon mention these words coming from the mouths of the Palestinian President, which not only incite, but welcome his people to commit terror attacks. After the murder of Hadar Cohen, Abbas visited with 11 families of the Palestinians who murdered her and others to congratulate their martyred sons. Why did Ban Ki-Moon not adequately denounce these quotes or the glorification of these acts? The secretary claims that Thousands of Palestinian homes in the West Bank risk demolition from Israeli policies, which are Legal on paper but are discriminatory in practice. Palestinian homes get demolished as a consequence for terrorism, and hopefully a deterrence to future attacks. The Palestinian Authority pays monthly stipends to terrorists and their families, which the Wall Street Journal reports comes to more than five times the average monthly salary of a Palestinian worker. Demolishing homes is a tactic used to persuade Palestinians to discourage their families from committing terrorist attacks against Israelis instead of taking the PA reward money. This tactic does not incentivize murder; unlike the PA s stipends to terrorists. Yet these Palestinian actions are never mentioned by Ban Ki-Moon. The simple fact that the secretary is penning this column is an example of his bias against Israel. There are over 200 disputed territories in the world, none of which Ban Ki-Moon writes articles about. He also ignores that the world is overflowing with violence and war crimes that easily dwarf anything that is happening in Judea and Samaria. In the time Ban Ki-Moon spent writing about 150 settlements in Israel, Boko Haram killed 86 people in Nigeria, reportedly burning some children alive. Also, Bashar al-Assad murdered another 164 of his own people, in a civil war that has claimed the lives of 300,000 people. Did Ki-Moon write an article about Boko Haram or Assads war crimes? No. Did he write an article about Islamic State jihadists crucifying or enslaving minorities? The concentration camps in North Korea where people are worked to death and starved by their government? No -- not important. But alert the media, Israel is constructing new homes in Judea and Samaria, and that is worth a good ole anti-Israel NY Times op-ed. In November 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted six resolutions singling out Israel, and none on any other country. Ban Ki-Moons obsession with Israel puts him in good company at the United Nations. Lindsay Schneider is a Research Associate at the Endowment for Middle East Truth. Doubtless I'm not the only Republican who has forgiven The Donald several times too often for his indiscretions. In fact, I once described my overly generous reaction to Trump as "the gift that keeps on forgiving." There are plenty of folks who simply can't stand what they perceive as his arrogance. Or his tendency to rile people up with comments that are insensitively unkind. (I nearly wrote "nasty, " but he reserves that adjective for Ted Cruz.) In the aftermath, The Donald often insists that he was misinterpreted or said nothing of the kind. Still, I have always given Trump the benefit of the doubt, because, after all, he spent his entire working life practicing the art of one-upmanship. And being the reality show personification of his craft must make it tough to slough off the image. In essence, he's doing only what wheeler-dealers and risk-takers are expected to do. Having conducted business with maybe thousands of people in his career as a developer, he's still thriving. So perhaps he decided that what's good for the enterprising goose is likewise good for taking a gander at politics. The irony is that while The Donald is fond of reminding us how he wasn't a politician until a few months ago, he's actually been employing the same set of wheedling tactics all of his adult life: restricted boardrooms then, big rallies now. He's massaging the electorate in the same manner he did the corporate managers and money mavens of yore: through fear, frankness, boasting, schmoozing, dismissing competitors, etc. Judging from the polls at this point, an impressive share of Republican voters have bought into his promise of resurrecting America as the Shining City on the Hillonly including a high wall on the south. In return, the candidate wants to move out of the Trump Tower and into the White House. The Donald has been quixotic and quirky from the start. So why the shock when he comes out with yet another headline-grabbing accusation or taunt? Why can't we just roll our eyeballs heavenward, the way it's done with Biden's bloopers, and sigh, "Oh, that's just Trump being Trump"? Is it because Old Joe reserves his attacks for those outside his party? Perhaps if he'd jumped into the Democratic presidential fray, he'd be stooping to denigrate Hillary and Bernie by now. But he missed his chance maybe. In the last debate, Trump really got some knickers in a twist by blaming George W. Bush, at least partially, for 9/11, which happened on Bush's watch. The debate audience booed Trump, who later charged the GOP establishment with admitting viewers on the basis of their support for other candidates. It's part of Trump's familiar "outsider-insiders" and "them against me" rhetoric. That didn't stop panels of political pundits from scratching their eggheads to figure out why Trump said something so inflammatory, and whether it will "hurt" him down the line. The consensus is that the outburst was foolhardy and more than that, unnecessary. After all, the polls had Trump way ahead in South Carolina, many of whose voters are still fond of "W. " And there's a hefty military presence in the state to boot. After the debate, Trump's charge gathered a terrifying head of steam and became at least in the minds of some gurus and hopeful Democrats the death knell for the GOP's chances in 2016. They seem to be overlooking one thing: there has always been a method to Trump's madness. It 's his modus operandi not to let any outrageous muttering escape his lips without malice and motive aforethought. Viewed in that light, here is a possible explanation for the contentious Bush attack, which, by the way, personally disheartened me. First, the Donald is sick and tired of "low energy" Jeb and wants him shoved off the campaign trail. With Jeb's unimpressive showing in the primaries thus far, Trump has reason to conclude there's little love lost between the electorate and the latest Bush. Yet the deep pockets of Jeb's PACs are being emptied on negative ads against Trump. One of them depicts him as a menacing ice carving, chipped and dripped away by his own hypocrisy. It drones on about his "supporting" certain issues as though he were an "insider" member of Congress voting on them. By attacking the Bush dynasty, Trump is trumpeting that he is not afraid of them or anyone else. More importantly, he is already optimistically looking beyond the primaries to the general election. One of Trump's strengths is that he could presumably sway independents and even some disaffected Democrats to vote for him. By bringing up the issue of the Iraq war, and signaling both his opposition to it and to the absence of any presumed WMD, Trump could be trying to diffuse what will likely be one of the 2016 campaign arguments of the Democrats: that electing a Republican president means finding a pretext for going to war. But has Trump gone too far this time? Perhaps. Has he made some Republicans see red? Indeed. But pushing the envelope is what he does. And, for whatever reason, it's a maneuver that likely has worked even better than the cocky candidate dreamed possible. Marco Rubio's closing statement at the February 13 debate in South Carolina ended with this: "I will unify this party, I will grow it, we will win this election, and we will make the twenty-first century a new American century." If you visit Rubio's official website, you will be greeted with the candidate's boyish face, across which is emblazoned this campaign-defining question: "Are You Ready For A New American Century?" "A slogan as sunny as the state he represents," gushed a recent endorsement at National Review. "Are you ready for a new American century?" Weren't American conservatives asked this question once before, and after sampling that "New American Century" for eight years, didn't they fairly decisively reject it? Has Rubio's presidential bid become a shiny new package for a dubious idea whose time has come and gone? During the 2012 election campaign, the Democrats and their media went through a spell of trying to label every conservative remark a "dog whistle" or "code word" for something nefarious. Thus, "Marxist" and "incompetent" were alleged to be coded racism, "unqualified" and "dishonest" were coded sexism, "traditional family" and "Christian" were coded homophobia, and so on. As some of us pointed out at the time, the real dog whistle language during that campaign was Barack Obama's adoption of a classic communist rallying cry, "Forward," as his campaign slogan. "Forward" a slogan with a proud history among Marxist-Leninists and Maoists served a dual (aka "dog whistle") function in 2012. To the young and politically ignorant, it worked as a friendly, upbeat euphemism for the ideology that dared not speak its name beyond the Democratic convention. At the same time, however, its infamous history delivered a conspiratorial wink toward the Democrats' radical allies in the CPUSA and academia. In the name of consistency, I suggest that conservatives take a moment to confront this year's dog whistle question: does it bother you that Marco Rubio has chosen to run under the banner "A New American Century"? Campaign slogans are neither policy proposals nor voting records. In a sense, they are just perfumed hot air designed to create a certain aura around a campaign. They can have one substantial effect, however, which is to crystallize the image that a candidate wishes to present to the public. A campaign slogan implicitly asks, and then leadingly answers, a question that may ultimately have more impact on many voters than any policy details: what do you think about when you hear this candidate's name? A straightforward example of how a slogan asks and answers this question would be Ben Carson's: "Heal. Inspire. Revive." The idea is direct and clear: a skilled doctor with a spiritual side is coming to the rescue. (Unfortunately, it is Carson himself who seems to need reviving most of the time.) Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again!" is borrowed from Ronald Reagan's 1980 campaign and is calibrated to inspire a positive, hopeful, "Reaganesque" feeling about the candidate. It is a fine slogan, though out of character with Trump's actual campaign, which has devolved into an increasingly childish series of staged temper tantrums against anyone who challenges or questions him, saving most of its positive feeling for scheming socialists such as Pelosi and Schumer, with whom Trump insists he has great relationships. The slogan does suit Trump in one sense namely, in its fakery, as it shows Trump pretending to align himself with a president revered by conservatives, but one whom Trump himself actually opposed before and after he was elected (funding both Carter and Mondale) and whom he then, toward the end of Reagan's presidency, suggested was just a con man, a "smooth performer" who may not have "anything beneath that smile." Ted Cruz's slogan, "Courageous Conservatives," like Carson's and Trump's, presents a simple image to which the candidate hopes people will respond favorably: he's not ashamed of being a conservative, and he will act on his principles without fear. The use of the plural "Conservatives" evokes feelings of Tea Party unity. The slogan is also a not so subliminal sideswipe at George W. Bush's "Compassionate Conservatism," with "Courageous" standing to "Compassionate" as "proud" stands to "apologetic" or as "unwavering" stands to "compromising." The slogan is effective, although it sets a principled standard that invites both legitimate scrutiny of his conservative bona fides and sleazy Rove/McConnell-like accusations of "purism." And this leads us back to Marco Rubio's slogan, "A New American Century." The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) was a Washington think-tank founded by William Kristol and Robert Kagan. Though generally associated with Republican politics due to the preponderance of its participants who became key members of the Bush administration, the organization was nominally bipartisan, as evidenced by its co-founder Kagan, a New Republic editor who has advised both Republicans and Democrats, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and who describes himself as a progressive and a "liberal interventionist." That last word, interventionist, is the key, on both the foreign and domestic levels. Although anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists have tended to smear the PNAC as an "Israeli" (dog whistle alert!) lobby group, the twenty-five signatories to its charter include plenty of, shall we say, non-"Israeli" think-tankers, including Dick Cheney, William Bennett, Francis Fukuyama, Gary Bauer, Dan Quayle, Donald Rumsfeld...and Jeb Bush. The PNAC's central focus was to promote an American foreign policy based on aggressive nation-building, "democracy projects," the support of popular uprisings against undemocratic regimes around the world, and the projection of American military "humanitarianism" in answer to every international problem. Its intellectual tenor was exemplified by Fukuyama's The End of History and the Last Man, a neo-Hegelian fantasy that the globalization of Western democratic capitalism (note: not constitutional republicanism) represented the glorious final stage of history's evolution. Its practical sensibility was exemplified by the foreign policy of the Bush administration and even the early years of the Obama administration i.e., budget-busting adventurism without a concretely limited goal or a clear definition of victory, leading to dubious results at best, as well as support for the catastrophic Arab Spring, which Kristol and other PNAC types were cheering on until reality came home to roost. The PNAC defended their agenda as updated Reaganism, but their perspective lacked Reagan's virtuous reticence to put Americans in harm's way his George Washington-like humility before the gravity of that responsibility and his principled resistance to involving his country in prolonged military engagements without a definable and immediate American security interest i.e., his resistance to saddling future administrations with the inescapable fallout of his policies. Domestically, the PNAC sensibility accepts the welfare state as a part of the federal government's proper role as a promoter of "values" in effect, the government as national Mom and Dad. By the end of the Bush presidency, conservatives were forming a substantial grassroots coalition, which became the Tea Party, in opposition to both this hubristic, unconstitutional extension of America's foreign policy purposes and the unconstitutional corporatist progressivism that increasingly seemed to be the true face of Bush-Rove "compassionate conservatism" on the domestic front. In short, this "new American" twenty-first century was perceived to have gotten off to somewhat of a false start not very American at all in its lack of federal government restraint and its essential rejection of the republican concept of the president as citizen-statesman with limited powers, in favor of an ever-expanding executive branch pursuing open-ended global "projects." Emblematic of the PNAC philosophy were its long and vigorous support of the presidential aspirations of John McCain, who frequently cited Teddy Roosevelt, the first self-identified progressive president, as his role model; their typical veneration of Franklin Roosevelt (Newt Gingrich, another adherent to this view, has often called FDR the greatest president of the twentieth century); their softness on illegal immigration; and their advocacy of aggressively paternalistic, liberty-diminishing measures such as the NSA's secret bulk collection of Americans' electronic communications. This is not to trivialize the motives or the intellectual acumen of the PNAC, which for several years was the hub of the political action wing of the so-called "neoconservative" movement. Its proposals were pro-American in intent, and the PNAC men, though not always very philosophical themselves, were standing on the shoulders of some very serious thinkers. (Leo Strauss and his most famous student, Allan Bloom, are required reading for any conservative of a philosophic bent.) The PNAC's aims and proposed methods, however, were essentially supra-constitutional with respect to the range of federal government action. In fact, their leading lights' general approach to politics is grounded in the implicit premise that strict fealty to the Constitution, with its natural rights focus, is insufficient to meeting contemporary challenges not unlike the basic premise of their leftist counterparts in the progressive movement. They differ from the leftists in being pro-American and adopting (at least rhetorically) a traditional moral tone, but they also differ from constitutionalists in defining their Americanism within the framework of twentieth-century big-government moral righteousness projects admiring Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and FDR over Calvin Coolidge rather than within the representative republican framework established by Washington, Jefferson, and Madison. Marco Rubio has chosen the PNAC's defining dream, "A New American Century," as his campaign slogan. And just as it was inconceivable that no one on Obama's radical leftist team was aware of the Marxist history of his slogan, "Forward," so it is inconceivable that no one in Rubio's camp is aware of the recent associations of his slogan. Furthermore, during the years since his emergence as a Tea Party favorite, Rubio's rhetoric has taken on an increasingly PNAC emphasis: heavy on hints at global interventionism (including rabid support of Arab Spring regime change in Libya and elsewhere), notoriously weak and "bipartisan" on amnesty for illegals, harshly critical of limited-government rivals (Cruz and Rand Paul) who question the NSA's activities, and continually promising to be, in effect, the Moral Righteousness President. The degree to which the old "New American Century" faction within the GOP establishment still has clout may be seen in the fact that the presumptive frontrunner at the outset of this primary season (Bush) was an original signatory to the PNAC's founding document, and that the establishment's leading Plan B option is Rubio, who has aligned himself with their principles by adopting their own name as his slogan. Every candidate courts supporters of all stripes, of course, and even powerful insiders can be useful friends, if one does not have to sell one's soul to win them. But at this moment, American conservatism is being torn asunder by a bitter contest stoked by the media and the GOP establishment itself between those claiming faithfulness to constitutional principles and a cynical showman who defines a conservative as a "person who wants to conserve." In this context, Rubio may be positioning himself just right from a pragmatic perspective, piling on with the showman's bombastic "liar, liar" diatribes against Cruz while carefully avoiding the Trump cult's line of fire himself. But from the point of view of constitutionalism, he seems to be trying to have his cake and eat it, too: speaking forcefully about liberty, free enterprise, and the family, while pandering to a faction with a paternalistic and transformational conception of the federal government, rather than a constitutionally limited one. Four years ago, Barack Obama used a dog whistle slogan to shore up the support of his Marxist base. This year, Marco Rubio is the candidate blowing the whistle. The dogs he's trying to call in were trained by some very powerful members of the Washington establishment. In short, you've been down this "New American Century" road before. Are you prepared to follow that path again? Can a republic on the brink of economic, constitutional, and civil disintegration afford to follow that path again? In what can only be considered a war crime, Russian warplanes on Monday bombed two Syrian schools and five hospitals in the Aleppo region, killing up to 50 civilians. It was not without a bit of irony that I read the headlines in last Fridays Washington Post: U.S, Russia and other powers agree to a cessation of hostilities in Syria. This, like the Iranian nuclear agreement, is yet another desperate, fatuous charade of a foreign policy victory by the Obama administration. The Syrian agreement which will not take effect for another week, requires opposition groups to cease hostilities, yet enables Russia to continue bombing anyone that they consider to be a terrorist. (Translation: Anyone that is in opposition to the constellation of Assad, Russia, Iran, and its proxies Hizballah and the IRGC.) The way that headline was written might lead one to believe that the original hostilities being played out on Syrian soil today were actually between the two former Cold War rivals, the United States and Russia. It is hard to remember that that the Syrian War began during those hopeful, halcyon days of the dawning of the Arab Spring in March, 2011, when some young, idealist Syrians wanted to overthrow the brutal stranglehold of Bashir Assad. Mr. Assads security forces plowed down these teenagers painting murals with revolutionary slogans on a school wall, and hundreds of thousands took to the streets in support of them, but Assads forces mowed them down as well. In an attempt to expel Assads security forces, and to defend themselves, opposition forces were forced to take up arms. The conflict quickly escalated into a sectarian, ethnic, and religious one. The government has long been controlled by the Alawite minority which is closely related to Shia Islam, and has therefore long been aligned with Iran, which has sent the IRGC and Hizballah into Syria. And Russia, hungry to reassert itself on the global stage, quickly became allied with this constellation. While waiting, to no avail, for the U.S. cavalry to arrive, some of the legitimate Sunni opposition became hardened and disillusioned with the United States. We now have brutal jihadists in the form of ISIS taking advantage of the chaos and taking over huge segments of Syria. Some of the original Sunni opposition battled ISIS, and some have either willingly or through the threat of death, joined ISIS, which has claimed to have established a caliphate in Syria. We now have a completely chaotic situation of several wars within a war with a new spinoff group of Al Qaeda, the Al Nusra Front, Kurdish Forces, and a whole array of other spinoff groups forming and quickly jumping into the fray. The chaos has been further complicated this past Saturday when Turkey began shelling Aleppo. Of course, Erdogan is hiding behind the pretense that Turkey is fighting terrorists, which for Erdogan means the Kurds, who are perhaps some of our staunchest and most valiant allies in the region. The Obama administration made a similar error in November when it trusted Putin to coordinate with it in the fight against ISIS, although it is not clear whether they are actually shelling ISIS positions or civilian enclaves, they are clearly propping up the regime of Assad, working with the IRGC and Hizballah, and further extending Irans growing sense of triumphalism. It has been agonizing to watch this spiraling descent into hell in which many good, innocent people, as well as some very venal actors, have been caught up. The New York Times on Saturday cited a report from the Syrian Center for Policy Research saying there is an estimated 470,000 fatalities. The war has created a staggering refugee crisis, with at least 5 million refugees pouring into Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, France, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, and Hungary, totally changing the demographics of these nations. President Bashir Assad, together with his Hizballah forces have completely surrounded the town of Madaya, outside of Damascus, cutting them off from all known food sources. The pictures of the children with their haunting big eyes and skeleton-like bodies are hauntingly familiar. There is not a dog or cat left to be found on the streets, and some parents have been forced to use leaves to provide a broth for their children. It is almost impossible not to feel rage, when one remembers President Obamas sacrosanct red line of August 20, 2012, when he stated that there would be enormous consequences if we started seeing movement on the chemical weapons front. And exactly one year and one day later, on August 21, 2013, Bashir Assad launched a chemical attack on Ghouta. Our television screens showed horrific footage of men, women, and children trembling and moaning with pain. President Assad tested President Obamas mettle, and he failed miserably. This colossal failure signaled in neon lights to the international community this presidents complete lack of resolve. As part of this colossal failure, President Obama made an arrangement for Russias President Putin to have the chemical weapons transferred out of Syria. Putin of course jumped at this willingness for international prestige and legitimacy, while he was planning the takeover of the Ukraine. When State Department officials have been questioned by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the exact whereabouts of these chemical weapons, they have drawn a complete blank. Russia has played a dubious game, all along, while agreeing in principle, to assist in our fight against ISIS, agreeing on the supply of humanitarian aid, agreeing to a theoretical ceasefire to begin in a weeks time, while locking in its military advances, giving air-cover and assistance to the Assad regime, and mercilessly bombing schools and hospitals. My favorite moment in recent history was the Cedars Revolution in Lebanon, during the spring of 2005. That is when Lebanese Christians were not afraid to take to the streets, and forced 14,000 Syrian soldiers and intelligence agents to withdraw from Lebanon. That is because someone then sat in the Oval Office who demonstrated concern for the rights of religious minorities, and was not afraid to use force to back up that concern. And because of Obamas retreat from the world stage, we now have almost half a million dead Syrians, and the worst humanitarian and refugee crisis since World War II. Sarah N. Stern in Founder and President of the Endowment for Middle East Truth, an unabashedly pro-American and pro-Israeli think tank and policy institute in Washington, DC At this moment of history when the United States and European democratic countries are confronted by pressing problems, especially Islamist terrorism and a gigantic migration crisis, U.S. foreign policy should be based more on appraisal of present practical factors and less on remembrance of things past such as the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. This general remark is prompted by Obama administration statements and intended policies. The first are the assertions on a number of occasions in February 2016 by U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter that Russia by its aggression is the most important security threat to the United States, and that U.S. plans to counter this were a signal aimed at deterring Russia from any further aggression. A significant change in policy was announced in February 1, 2016 by the Obama administration that it would vastly increase its request for military spending in Central and Eastern Europe, from $789 million to $3.4 billion in the 2017 fiscal budget. As a result, the U.S. will preposition equipment in those areas, and an armored combat-ready brigade would rotate in the region. This would mean a greater military U.S. presence on the territory of NATO allies, ready to respond to Russian action. This U.S. policy is a reinforcement of the NATO Wales Summit Declaration of September 5, 2014 that was concerned with Russias aggressive actions against Ukraine (that) have fundamentally challenged our vision of a Europe, whole, free, and at peace. NATO was created to safeguard Europe against Stalins Soviet Union, but essentially it has no real function since the evil empire ended in 1991. Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine is rightly condemned by the international community. There is no excuse for the Russian bombing strikes on February 15, 2016 of medical facilities and schools in different areas in Syria held by rebel forces, strikes that killed at least 20 people and injured many more. Yet, appalling as the Russian actions are, they do not in themselves constitute a threat to Western Europe, let alone the U.S. Nor are the Russian submarine patrols and the military maneuvers on its western borders an indication of the possible start of World War III. Three factors are relevant for American policy. One is that, in spite of political differences between Russia and the U.S. on Syria and other issues, there is no likelihood of any direct military confrontation between the two countries. Nor is conflict likely with NATO countries though understandably, Romania, Poland, and the Baltics, are fearful of a country that invaded Georgia, annexed de facto Abkhazia and south Ossetia, and violated NATO air space. A second factor, usually forgotten or ignored, is the May 27, 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act, signed by Russian President Boris Yeltsin, President Bill Clinton, and leaders of fifteen other NATO countries, that the two sides did not consider themselves as adversaries, and that they were determined to give concrete substance to their shared commitment to build a stable, peaceful, undivided Europe. They agreed there be no stationing of large numbers of troops along borders shared by Russia and NATO countries. A third factor is that many NATO countries are unlikely or unable to participate in any serious operation. NATO countries are supposed to contribute 2 per cent of GDP for defense purposes, but in 2015 only five (U.S. with 3.6 per cent, UK, Poland, Greece, and Estonia) did so. By now it is clear that President Vladimir Putin is not only a skilled politician who has consolidated his autocratic rule in Russia by a variety of ways, including elimination of critics. His main aim is to make Russia a major player in the political theater of the Middle East as well as in international politics generally. Moscow wants to dine as an equal with Washington, alone if possible. Putin has succeeded in making the international community aware of at least two things. The immediate one is recognition that Russian actions in Crimea and elsewhere in Ukraine cannot be overturned. The second factor for the West is that important issues, such as the destruction of ISIS, a settlement of the Syrian civil war, and the future of Syrian President Bashar Assad, controlling the unprecedented migration of millions from the Middle East, or dealing with Turkey that downed the Russian warplane on November 24, 2015, cannot be resolved without Russian participation. British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond has commented, There is only one man on this planet who can end the civil war in Syria by making a phone call, and thats Mr. Putin. The problem for U.S. policy and harmonious relations is how properly to respond to the growing role of Russia. On one hand Russia is exerting its muscular role in a number of disagreeable ways: selling Iran its S-300 air-defense system and other advanced weapons along with nuclear reactors; fulfilling an arms deal with Egypt; supporting militarily the regime of Syrian President Assad; being friendly with the terrorist group Hizballah; and building the Eurasian Economic Union as a challenge to Western economic institutions. On the other hand, Russian has played a positive role in a number of ways: in arms control treaties, and the START treaty; in working together with the United States in removing Assads stock of chemical weapons; in working together in Afghanistan against the Taliban; in planning, or suggesting it would make air strikes against ISIS; and agreeing at the meeting in Munich on Feb 11-12, 2016 of the International Syria Support Group to a limited cessation of hostilities in the civil war. Desirable though it may be to limit Russian influence in the Middle East, it is too strong to argue or see it an as automatic adversary. U.S. priorities should be otherwise. The Obama administration must recognize Russia as an essential player in dealing with the real priorities: the defeat and elimination of ISIS; the response to Islamist terrorism; a political settlement and stabilization of Syria, irrespective of the different views of the fate of Assad; and a realistic and firm solution of the staggering migrant crisis facing Europe. The U.S. and western leaders in formulating their policy toward Russia should learn from history. No one can favor a contemporary version of the Crimea War 1853-56 in which Russia was pitted against the UK, France, and the Ottoman Empire. Above all, the events leading to the outbreak World War I should be remembered and must not be repeated. The U.S. and Russia must not sleepwalk as the European powers did in the days before the war in 1914. Historians are still divided about why that war happened and which country and which political leaders, if anyone, were to blame. The warning is there. Wrong priorities in foreign policy in a complex international arena, refusal to accept changing power relationships, and excessive or belligerent reaction to differences of opinion must not lead to a catastrophic conclusion. There will be confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Obama's appointment. Mitch McConnell hoped to avoid them, but Grassley is the chairman, and he'll have hearings. The main reason McConnell is against the idea is that these hearings will be the focus of national attention, rivaling the campaign for president in media coverage. The stakes on a judicial appointment have never been this high in our history. The Supreme Court has evolved into a high-level political battleground, with Scalia's successor holding the balance of power not only on the court, but, in a sense, for the country. Joe Biden wanted to run for president in 1987, and he used his post as chair of Senate Judiciary committee to launch full-scale war on Robert Bork. He succeeded in killing Bork's Supreme Court appointment. (That's how we wound up with Justice Kennedy.) He naturally overestimated the good that it had done him politically, but there's no doubt it gave a boost to his campaign for president. Of the ten Republicans on Senate Judiciary, none holds a candle to Ted Cruz in the ability to use these hearings as an opportunity to demonstrate to the American people the importance of this appointment. Nobody on the left is in the same league as Cruz. Regardless of who is appointed, Cruz will slice him to pieces. This is the Ted Cruz that Mitch McConnell doesn't want the country to see. And he's right, of course. This has the potential of giving Cruz the nomination. If he's already secured the nomination, it could win him the general. Not that anybody cares, but you can learn a lot from studying history on this. Eisenhower was not a lawyer, and when he was urged to make Republican California Governor Earl Warren the chief justice, he went along. He later admitted that it was one of the worst mistakes of his presidency. Ford put John Paul Stevens on the Court. Ford didn't have any idea of what he was doing. Bush 1 put David Souter on the court an enormous mistake. And then came Bush 2 with the attempted nomination of Harriet Miers a completely frivolous appointment. The two thirds of the Republican Party that aren't Trump cultists care very much about the Supreme Court. Even Trump supporters do, but nothing but Trump really matters to them. The fact that you can trust Ted Cruz to make the best appointment any of us could hope for is a reason to vote for him. That's why McConnell doesn't want hearings. But if the hearings are held, after they're over, Cruz should resign from the Senate. He's very close to Texas governor Greg Abbott, and knows his replacement will be as stalwart as he is. Right now the Senate is a distraction to him. He doesn't want to be a United States senator, and they don't want him. If he loses the nomination, he's the odds-on favorite to be appointed to the Scalia seat. He'd rather be a Supreme Court justice than a United States senator. And serving in the seat held by Antonin Scalia is a high honor. Service on the Supreme Court doesn't have to be a lifetime commitment. In the 19th century, especially, it was common for justices to be actively considered as potential presidential candidates. Cruz is young enough to serve a decade on the Court and still be in his prime as a possible president. If he's not the nominee, he can serve on the Court and keep his political options open. I like the theater that would be involved in a Cruz resignation announcement. He can talk about why he ran for the Senate and what he found there once he'd been elected. He can go over the controversial stands he's taken as a senator and why he took them. He can explain why they don't like him in the Senate and how that in fact is a badge of honor. Much depends on timing, and the Senate will do all it can to prevent Cruz from using these hearings as a launchpad to the nomination. But the hearings will be held, and Cruz will shine. As a man, I liked Antonin "Nino" Scalia as much as any public figure I've ever encountered. He was a man for all seasons. Even in death, he serves his country. Fritz Pettyjohn was chairman of Reagan for President, Alaska, in 1979-80; is a co-founder of the Balanced Budget Amendment Task Force; and blogs daily at ReaganProject.com. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. The governments of Armenia and Russia have signed a state export loan agreement worth $200 million with 10 year maturity date. Loan repayment will start in the beginning of 2018. Armenpress reports, citing Interfax, the official portal of legal information informs about this. The loan is provided for the supply of Russian military production. The portal informs that Armenia acquires a number of multiple rocket launchers "Smerch" and ammunition intended for them Igla-S anti-aircraft missile, Avtobaza-M Electronic Intelligence systems, TOC-1A Heavy Flamethrower System, 9113 navigable missiles, RPG-26 grenade launchers, Dragunov sniper rifles, Tiger armored vehicles, engineering and communication devices. It is mentioned that the list can be changed by a mutual written consent between the Defense Ministry of Armenia and Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation. The Armenian side will spend the loan to fund up to 90% of every batch of arms supplies, recounted by the Russian ruble. It has long been a Democratic ploy to get illegals into the country, pander to them, get them registered to vote, and hope they will vote for Democrats. Of course, the Constitution clearly provides that only citizens may vote in federal elections, and it is a felony for noncitizens to do so. Nonetheless, Obama may be successful in getting a new justice on SCOTUS who will permit Obamas latest executive order to proceed. As a result, several million more illegals will be eligible for what Obama calls relief. Part of this relief is to force states to give them drivers licenses based on the federal work permits that will be handed out to them. This provides a wonderful opportunity for some serious pushback and a way to protect the integrity of our voting process. The Real ID Act of 2005 requires states to verify who is getting a drivers license. Under the rules set forth, an applicant, or even someone renewing his or her longstanding license, must prove one of two things. A few states have not adopted these requirements, and recently the government has declared that drivers licenses from those few states may not be used to board an aircraft. First, the applicant can prove he or she is a U.S. citizen. This is proven by a birth certificate, Social Security card, and/or a list of other documents. I personally had to order a certified copy of my birth certificate to renew my license, which I have held for 50 years. Second, if not a citizen, an applicant must prove his legal presence in the United States. The rules provide many forms of proof, such as green cards, current visas with appropriate work authorization, etc. A valid and current Employment Authorization Document (EAD), commonly called a work permit, is one of these documents. With a work permit, an applicant may get a drivers license in the states that have adopted the Real ID Act requirements. Licenses to non-citizens are limited in duration to the expiration dates on their respective documents. Once a license is issued, another federal law comes into play. The Motor Voter laws require licensing agencies to offer voter registration to the new license holders. This is ironic, if not encouraging of criminal conspiracy, because these same agencies have just determined who is a citizen and who is not. Why should they be required to add people to the voting list when it would be a crime for them to vote? Here is where a very real, and simple, enforcement tool and opportunity arises. How one votes is secret, but whether someone has voted is not. It would be quite simple to take the records of noncitizens in a given state who hold drivers licenses and compare that to a list of who has voted. Anyone appearing on both lists could be investigated, indicted, and prosecuted accordingly. Any law is not very efficient if not enforced. Enforcement creates a deterrent. A few immediate prosecutions and public announcements that there will be strict enforcement after every election would provide a deterrent. Widespread adoption of this concept in states where possible would send a strong signal and discourage illegal voting. There will certainly be howling from the left, but, given the potential for illegal voting, it is a fight worth having. It also opens the door to have an honest discussion on voter ID requirements. The ID and documentation to get a drivers license under federally mandated rules demonstrate the folly of the alleged unfairness the left cites against voter ID laws. What is or should be more important: protecting the integrity of our national elections or getting a drivers license? It would at least be interesting to see the lengths to which the Democrats will go to protect their ploy. An email chain involving Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Richard Holbrooke, special envoy to Afghanistan, which was stored on Clinton's unsecured server, contained "Top Secret" information on a CIA asset in Afghanistan, according to an exclusive report by Fox News. The discussion of a foreign national working with the U.S. government raises security implications an executive order signed by President Obama said such unauthorized disclosures are presumed to cause damage to the national security." The U.S. government official said the Clinton email exchange, which referred to a New York Times report, was among 29 classified emails recently provided to congressional committees with specific clearances to review them. In that batch were 22 top secret exchanges deemed too damaging to national security to release. Confirmation that one of these exchanges concerned a reported CIA asset means the emails went beyond issues like the drone strike campaign. Democrats repeatedly have said some messages referred to this, reinforcing Clinton's position that the documents are over-classified. Based on the timing and other details, the email chain likely refers to either anOctober 2009 Times story that identified Afghan national Ahmed Wali Karzai, the half-brother of then-Afghan president Hamid Karzai, as a person who received regular payments from the Central Intelligence Agency -- or an August 2010 Times story that identified Karzai aide Mohammed Zia Salehi as being on the CIA payroll. Ahmed Wali Karzai was murdered during a 2011 shoot-out, a killing later claimed by the Taliban. Fox News was told the email chain included then-Secretary of State Clinton and then-special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke and possibly others. The basic details of this email exchange were backed up to Fox News by a separate U.S. government source who was not authorized to speak on the record. Its unclear who initiated the discussion Clinton, Holbrooke or a subordinate or whether the CIA's relationship with the Afghan national was confirmed, because the classified documents are not public. Why wasn't the email clearly marked as being classified? Is this another instance where a Clinton aide removed the heading so that it could be sent to an unsecure server? The U.S. government official's account of the Clinton email chain dovetails with a Feb. 3 interview on Fox News America's Newsroom, where Republican Rep. Chris Stewart, a member of the House intelligence committee, said, "I have never read anything more sensitive than what these emails contain. They do reveal classified methods. They do reveal classified sources and they do reveal human assets." Stewart added, "I can't imagine how anyone could be familiar with these emails, whether they're sending them or receiving them, and not realize that these are highly classified." Although the law doesn't recognize the excuse that the emails weren't "marked" as classified, the severity of the charges could be based on what a reasonable, knowledgeable official would instantly recognize as classified information. It shouldn't matter how the emails were headed. A rookie State Department clerk would know immediately that mentioning a CIA asset would instantly classify the communication as at least "Top Secret." As these revelations keep dribbling out, you can sense the noose tightening around Clinton. But there is still no indication that Clinton herself is the target of an FBI investigation, although the use of her unsecure server is. This leaves the question open whether the Obama Justice Department, despite overwhelming evidence of Clinton's guilt, would fail to throw the book at Clinton and charge her with mishandling classified information. The funeral for Justice Antonin Scalia will be held Saturday. Official Washington will pause and take stock of the life of a great man and a great jurist. Well, most of official Washington. President Barack Obama has discovered he has something more important to do and will not attend. Instead, he will be at the Supreme Court on Friday to "pay his respects" a typical empty gesture from a man who apparently can't resist delivering one last snub to a justice who opposed him at every turn. NBC News: Vice President Joe Biden will attend Scalia's funeral at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the White House said Wednesday during a press briefing. When pressed for clarification on Obama missing the funeral, White House press secretary Josh Earnest repeated that "the president will pay his respects at the Supreme Court on Friday and he'll be joined with the first lady when he does that." When asked whether Obama's Saturday plans include golfing, Earnest stressed instead that the president believes it is important to honor Scalia's life and service. Four out of the past seven funerals for a Supreme Court justice have either had the president or vice president in attendance. Former President George W. Bush attended the funeral for Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Former President Bill Clinton attended the funerals for former Chief Justice Warren E. Burger and Justice William Brennan but did not attend the funerals for Justices Harry Blackmun or Lewis F. Powell Jr. Former Vice President Al Gore attended the funeral for Justice Thurgood Marshall. Obama did find time to attend the funeral of these notables: Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) Less than two months before the 2012 election, both Obamas took time out of their schedule to attend the funeral of Senator Inouye. President Obama openly wept over the liberal senator. Less than two months before the 2012 election, both Obamas took time out of their schedule to attend the funeral of Senator Inouye. President Obama openly wept over the liberal senator. Hadiya Pendleton Three days before his 2013 State of the Union address, President Obama sent Michelle on his behalf to the funeral of 15-year-old shooting victim Hadiya Pendleton. Obamas decision to send Michelle to the Chicago teens funeral set the stage for his SOTU address, in which he called for further gun control restrictions. Three days before his 2013 State of the Union address, President Obama sent Michelle on his behalf to the funeral of 15-year-old shooting victim Hadiya Pendleton. Obamas decision to send Michelle to the Chicago teens funeral set the stage for his SOTU address, in which he called for further gun control restrictions. Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) Despite Robert Byrds well-known ties to the Ku Klux Klan, President Obama attended the Democratic senators funeral. Obama gave a speech at the ceremony and called the late senator his friend. Despite Robert Byrds well-known ties to the Ku Klux Klan, President Obama attended the Democratic senators funeral. Obama gave a speech at the ceremony and called the late senator his friend. Reverend Clementa Pinckney Reverend Pinckney, who also served as a South Carolina state senator, was one of the nine people killed in the Charleston shooting last summer. Despite never having met Pinckney, President Obama delivered his eulogy. Reverend Pinckney, who also served as a South Carolina state senator, was one of the nine people killed in the Charleston shooting last summer. Despite never having met Pinckney, President Obama delivered his eulogy. Former Democratic House speaker Tom Foley Just six months after snubbing the funeral of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, President Obama attended the funeral of former Democratic speaker of the House Tom Foley. As he tends to do when actually attending funerals, Obama delivered a speech. Just six months after snubbing the funeral of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, President Obama attended the funeral of former Democratic speaker of the House Tom Foley. As he tends to do when actually attending funerals, Obama delivered a speech. Walter Cronkite When the legendary newscaster passed away in September 2009, President Obama found room in his schedule to travel to New York for the memorial service. Once again, Obama gave a speech at the service. He openly admitted that he never met Cronkite. I guess we know now who the president thinks is important enough to warrant his presence at the solemn funeral proceedings. A talking head newscaster rates a presidential trip to New York, but the passing of the senior justice of the Supreme Court a man who served nearly 30 years on the bench gets the back of his hand. An obscure state senator who died tragically in a mass shooting apparently has more standing than one of the most outstanding jurists in the history of the court. The common thread through the funerals of those individuals he attended is that in death, they could do the president some partisan political good. Scalia was useless to him politically, so Obama felt no need to honor him by attending his memorial service. No doubt this petty man gets petty satisfaction from insulting a far, far better man than he. Theres a lot of hoisting ahead for President Obama, the Senate Democrats, and their media allies when they try to force confirmation of a justice to replace the late Antonin Scalia. Courtesy of Scott Ott, we have this video of Senator Barack Obama making the point that the Senate should examine more than the intellectual capability and moral character of a nominee. Examination of a judges philosophy, ideology, and record thats right: philosophy and ideology is important for the Senate to apply. Chuck Schumer has already been exposed for his opposition to confirming any Bush nominees to the Supreme Court in the last year of Bushs term, except under extraordinary circumstances: And now Jim Geraghty of National Review has dug up the New York Times editorial board arguing that when voters hand control of the Senate to an opposition party in a midterm election, they have every right to resist a presidential nomination to SCOTUS. The Presidents supporters insist vehemently that, having won the 1984 election, he has every right to try to change the Courts direction. Yes, but the Democrats won the 1986 election, regaining control of the Senate, and they have every right to resist. This is not the same Senate that confirmed William Rehnquist as Chief Justice and Antonin Scalia as an associate justice last year. As Geraghty dryly notes, this is not the same Senate that confirmed Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan If you look at the list of the longest bridges in the world, you will notice that the top positions are dominated by Asian countries, especially China, which serves to testify the countrys rapid economic expansion. China produces and consumes about 60 percent of the worlds cement. To put that figure into perspective, here is a comparison between 2011 and 2013, China used more cement (nearly 50% more) than the United States used in the entire 20th century. In the last few years, China has been pushing the boundaries of bridge construction with many record breaking bridges that blow all competitors out of the water. The worlds longest bridge, for example, in Chinas Jiangsu province, is a staggering 164 km in length. Out of the top ten positions, only two bridges lie outside Asia, in the United States, a country once known for its engineering and technological marvels. One of them is the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway that cuts straight across Lake Pontchartrain in southeastern Louisiana. A satellite image of Lake Pontchartrain. The Causeway can clearly be seen bisecting the lake. Photo credit: NASA The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is composed of two parallel bridges, each over 38 km long. One was completed in 1956 and the other, a slightly longer version, was completed in 1969. Since that year, it has been holding on to the title of the worlds longest bridge over water. In 2011, when a new bridge over Jiaozhou Bay in China threatened to rob Lake Pontchartrain Causeway of its coveted title, the Guinness World Records promptly created a new category to save USA from the embarrassment. The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway was a monumental achievement for civil engineers, not only for its astonishing length, but also for the innovative techniques used in its construction. Prior to the Causeway's construction, the standard practice for bridge construction was to use solid square or circular concrete piles of 24-inches or less in diameter. The Causeway was the first bridge ever to be constructed using 54-inch in diameter hollow, cylindrical pre-stressed concrete piles that were larger and stronger than the norm, allowing fewer of them to be used and reducing costs. Also unique at the time was the manner of construction. The Causeway was the first bridge ever to employ mass-production, assembly line techniques in fabricating and assembling a bridge. The bridge components were built in a state-of-the-art concrete casting plant on the shore of the lake in Mandeville, and then sent by barge to the construction site. Previously, bridge components were cast-in-place. A comparison rendering of the two bridges, provided by the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Commission. When such a historic bridge was challenged by another bridge in another country, no less, it was almost natural for the bridge officials to get offended. So they started probing the Chinese claim and soon found a flaw. The $2.3 billion Jiaozhou Bay bridge in the Chinese city of Qingdao measures 41.5 km, a little more than 3 km longer than the Causeway. But Causeways officials argue that some of that length comes due to a curve in the bridge. The actual distance traversed by the bridge over water is only about 25 km. The Guinness World Records, which had already demoted the Causeway to No.2, decided that the best way to deal with the situation was to create a new category. Now the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is the "longest bridge over water (continuous)" while the Jiaozhou Bay bridge is the "longest bridge over water (aggregate)." The Causeways officials were relieved to have their title back, but not content. Causeway General Manager Carlton Dufrechou said they can even challenging Jiaozhou's aggregate length claim. "The Qingdao Bridge curves and has three entry/exit points, Dufrechou told Guinness. We understand that all three legs of the bridge were included in the calculation of its cumulative length of 26.4 miles. The Causeway is actually two parallel bridges of 24 miles each with an aggregate length of 48 miles. The Qingdao's longest, point to point (direct) distance over water appears to be about 16 miles. The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway's direct, point to point overwater distance is 24 miles." Lake Pontchartrain Causeways title will probably stay safe for at least a few years to come, if not decades. The Jiaozhou Bay bridge will however lose theirs once the Hong KongZhuhaiMacau Bridge opens, possibly in 2017, but it can be as late as 2020. The new bridge which will connect Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai, will have an aggregate length of over 50 km over water. At least, the title will stay with China. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Photo credit: Yan Runbo Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Photo credit: Robert Holmes/CORBIS Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Photo credit: Glenn/Flickr Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Photo credit: CNN Satellite image of Jiaozhou Bay bridge. Photo credit: Dailyoverview Photo credit: unknown Photo credit: News.cn Photo credit: Getty Images Sources: Wikipedia / NOLA / NOLA / NOLA YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. National Assembly Vice President Eduard Sharmazanov does not share the opinion of the head of the ANC parliamentary faction Levon Zurabyan that cooperation with the ARF may have negative impacts on the RPA. After the RPA Executive Body session Sharmazanov stated in an interview with journalists that the fiasco of his political team was the reason for Levon Zurabyan to make such an announcement. I want to remind that during his political return Levon Ter-Petrosyan first visited Hanrapetutyun str. , where the headquarter of Dashnaktsutyun is located. The same Levon Ter-Petrosyan years after, speaking about their cooperation with Dashnaktsutyun, used to call it the wonderful quartet. Now, when they are doomed to fiasco both in terms of the wonderful quartet and cooperation with Dashnaktsutyun, they try to warn us, Armenpress reports, Sharmazanov mentioned. He noted that the ARF is not to blame for ANCs poor condition. It would be better if Mr. Zurabyan finds the causes of his political fiasco inside his own team but not Dashnaktsutyun, he added. Sharmazanov also referred to the announcement of Zurabyan that the speech of the President contains nothing positive. He mentioned that he cannot help Zurabyan to find positive things. As the Bible reads, He who has ears to hear, let him hear, the National Assembly Vice President concluded. When Samsung announced the Gear S2 towards the end of last year, they clearly had something of a hot wearable on their hands. Since the launch of the original Gear S2, Samsung have gone on to offer cellular versions of the device, capable of making calls and connecting to the web on their own, without being tethered to a smartphone via Bluetooth. On AT&T users can even use their existing number to make calls from their wrist using a Gear S2 and AT&Ts cellular network. Now though, Samsung is announcing a version of the Gear S2 Class (the more traditional-looking version of the smartwatch) that features a programmable e-SIM, and has become the first to do so. The e-SIM inside of the Gear S2 is totally GSMA-compliant and Samsung notes that they also worked with a number of different wireless operators all over the world to ensure that their implementation was up to snuff. For those that are unsure of what this new type of SIM card is, well give you a little reminder, the e of e-SIM stands for embedded, meaning that the card doesnt need to be removed and could be soldered on to the board. This has its advantages not only in the overall size of the SIM card, but also cutting down on costs and presumably creating better-built devices without needing to offer ports or openings to get access to the SIM card slot. These e-SIMs will be rewritable by all carriers and networks across the globe, which will ensure that users with an e-SIM device can still change or edit information found on the cards, despite them having been embedded in their devices. Advertisement The use of e-SIMs in devices will further automate the process of updating carrier information and the new tech also has big meanings for IoT implementations as well. These new small chips will allow IoT devices to connect to a much wider network than just a homes WiFi network, without the need for a user to insert and keep track of multiple different SIMs and such. For now though, it appears as though the e-SIM inside of the Gear S2 classic will be used to make a connected wearable that can stand on its two feet a little thinner and more manageable. Where headphones are concerned theres so much choice out there that it can be pretty difficult to figure out who is worth buying and how much money you should spend. For some people however, theres only a limited budget available, and in the past that has meant for some poor-sounding headphones and earphones. Now though, brands like Rock Jaw and MEE Audio offer up excellent value for money where earphones are concerned. Over-ear headphones are a little trickier to find a budget offering that sounds half-decent, but Edifier is a brand that hopes theyve got it. The USA firm (with all products sadly made in China) has been offering up their H850 headphones for some time now. Currently at $60 on Amazon and elsewhere, they seem a pretty good deal, and as theyre designed to be lightweight, easy to carry and comfortable it seems as thought this should appeal to the majority of users. Lets find out if that $60 price tag reveals more compromise than most might think. Features and Specs Advertisement 40mm Neodymium Magnet Driver, tuned by Phil Jones Pure Sounds 20 Hz 20 kHz Frequency Response 50mW Maximum Input Power 32 Ohm Impedance 96dB Sensitivity 2m long 3.5mm cable (no in-line mic) 1/4 adapter for HiFi use 170g Total Weight Design and Comfort Taking a look at the H850 makes it pretty easy to see where the company got their inspiration from. Theres definitely a little Bose about these in the Egg-shaped ear cups and thin headband design, but theyre from being a straight homage to the SoundTrue brand. The lightweight headband has some faux-leather material covering the portion that rests on your head and the brushed aluminum plates on each ear cup is certainly a nice touch. As too are the metal strips that split certain sections of the headphone. Overall, there isnt much design to speak of here, and Im of the opinion that for a lot of people, this is a good thing. They look like headphones that cost twice the price, and they wont look out of place when worn during a daily commute or whatever, and they also wont draw attention. Advertisement As far as comfort goes, its safe to say that Edifier has mostly nailed it in this department. At 170g the H850 is a pretty lightweight pair of headphones, and that really stands when wearing them. Theres very little pressure on the top of your head, and as the clamping force is fairly restrained as well, these are a comfy pair of headphones, with a lot of adjustment in the headband available to users as well. I have a large head (physically, not figuratively, I hope) and normally I have to extend a headband pretty far, but I was just use two notches on these, so theres clearly room for those with bigger heads or even a hat or whatever underneath. There is a strange sort of kink that sort of kicks out of the headphone near the ear cups, which hopefully Ive shown with the unfortunate mug shot of myself in the gallery below. I have a number of complaints to make about the cable here. Not only is their no in-line microphone, but at 2m in length its too long for casual everyday use, and I can see it getting tangled when traveling, too. The quality of the cable seems just fine, and its a standard 3.5mm connector butit has a locking mechanism when inserted into the headphones, so the only replacement youll find is from Edifier themselves. More people should take a leaf out of Audioflys book and just use standard 3.5mm connections at both ends. There are some directions on how to lock the cable in place as well, but I have never been able to get my cable out of the H850 once locked, perhaps Im not pulling hard enough, but if I fear if I pull any harder Ill just end up breaking them, which I dont fancy doing. While these are certainly okay-looking in their appearance and fairly comfortable, theyre not especially well-made. Theyre very plasticky all over, and its the sort of plastic that if you tap your nail against, you know it didnt cost much to make. Having said that, these are available for $60 most places, so how much can we expect for that sort of money? It would have been nice to see some sort of carrying case in the box, as despite the fact I dont think these are going to break on me itd be nice to give them some protection when throwing them into a bag or whatever. The ear cups do the usual swivel 90-degrees trick, but as these dont fold, it doesnt appear as if Edifier has ticked the box relating to travel and portability, despite their wanting to. Advertisement Sound When reviewing the Edifier H850, I had to readjust what I expected from a pair of headphones. I also had to keep in mind that these cost just $60. Price is something that has been repeated a number of times in this review already, and for good reason. In life, you often get what you pay for, but with the H850 Edifier gives you a little extra, while also skimping elsewhere. As comfortable and good-looking as they are, its clear that Edifier has skimped just a little on the sound quality here, and while I know that this sort of sound signature will please a lot of modern listeners especially for this sort of price tag it wont please everyone, which is sort of a problem as that price tag appeals to the majority of listeners. Advertisement It seems as if Edifier forgot to put the mid-range back in when putting these together. Or maybe this is the fault of Phil Jones Pure Sound who apparently tuned the H850? Either way, these carry some decent bass response and soft, rolled off high notes, but the mid-range has been sort of lost along the way. Listening to Snow by Red Hot Chili Peppers results in a sort of dull-sounding bass fest, Fleas notes sound nice and warm here, but vocals are blunted and almost sound a little muffled. This attention to bass however, does have its plus points. Listening to Rihannas Bitch Better Have My Money is a real treat with these, the bass is warm and thuds away quite nicely, it could be tighter and more precise but at this sort of price point, its surprisingly satisfying. Vocals however take a constant backseat throughout pretty much anything I tested, again probably due to the fact that the H850 has a lot of bass and about 75% of the bass amount in treble and high notes. Theres little in between, which allows bass beats to stand out powerfully, as well as drum cymbals and other sibilant sounds, but not much else besides. Having said that, the H850 are never too sibilant or tetchy in the high notes, which is where my 75% comment comes in. The highs are all rolled off and softened so to speak, so while we can hear those notes they never get piercing or too sibilant. Which is nice, as I feel these have a signature that would appeal to someone looking for a warm, bassy and rich tone without any piercing surprises from the high end. That lack of mid-range however, is unsettling for someone like myself that finds all kinds of details in vocals. A recent favorite of mine is Ella Henderson and on her track Yours, the H850 dont give her voice justice, and instead it sounds echoey and much of the warmth and rich tone from her voice is replaced with a little sibilance and a sort of wispy tone. Again, the above is my personal preference, Im all about the mid-range in my personal taste for headphones. With so much down low and few overwhelming high notes, the H850 seem to be tuned just fine for modern listeners into Hip-Hop, Rap, Rock and Roll, Dance or anything else that needs a lot of bass and warmth. Advertisement Verdict After spending a few weeks with the H850, its easy to understand what Edifier were looking to achieve, but its even easier to see that they havent done that. Sound signature aside, the H850 miss out on a few key areas that would make them a more attractive product. A carrying case, if even just a slightly-padded pouch would make these more suited to the travel market that Edifier claim them to be, and the cable is well, they clearly didnt try very hard. Theres a nice touch with the Edifier logo on the connection that goes into the source, but at 2m its too long and theres not even an in-line microphone. These days, people do not want a pair of headphones that they have to take off to answer a phone call, its not 2008 anymore. Advertisement Of course, for $60, these do punch well about their weight in terms of comfort and sound quality. For a pair that sound perfectly listenable and wont break the bank should they be lost or broken, the H850 do offer very good value. With a better cable and a more balanced sound signature however, the H850 would appeal to a hell of a lot more people, and offer even more value for money. The subject of smartphone encryption in the U.S. is a debate which is both ongoing in the U.S. legal system as well as in the public forum. While companies like Google and Apple are looking to ensure consumer data remains safe through the employment of unbreakable encryption, the government argues the case that it is a matter of security. In fact, it was this reasoning along with the FBIs request to obtain access to a iPhone belonging to one of those involved in the San Bernardino atrocity which led to a federal court order instructing Apple to assist in gaining access. In turn, this request led to Apple publishing an open letter which publicly rejects the order to help in the matter. A move which has since caused mixed feelings on social media with advocates for both camps joining the debate. One of those who did join the debate was Edward Snowden who called out Google by saying their lack of vocal support for Apple is a sign of them standing with the government on the issue. On that note, Google has ended any question of silence with the companys CEO, Sundar Pichai taking to Twitter with five tweets directly addressing the issue and seemingly, lending support to Apples stance, by noting what has been asked of Apple today could set a dangerous precedent going forward. Advertisement The first tweet simply notes that todays posting by Apple is an important post and further highlights that forcing companies to enable hacking could compromise users privacy. The second tweet looks to balance the issue by noting that the challenges faced by enforcement and intelligence agencies are real ones and ones which protect the public against real threats. The third tweet seems to hone in on Googles own services and details that they build secure products to keep your information safe and further adds we give law enforcement access to data based on valid legal orders. Which the fourth tweet quickly highlights is a very different scenario to asking companies to hack customer devices a move which could be a troubling precedent. Closing out the chain of tweets, Pichai simply notes that he is looking forward to a thoughtful and open discussion on this important issue. Google Translate is a very powerful and useful tool which has been getting better over time. The service can be used to translate text, spoken words or sentences and more recently, it can scan text from images or videos and translate it in real time. Google Translate is available in a variety of platforms, its even integrated into some browsers and part of the reason the translations are getting better or more accurate is because, in addition to improving the algorithms that make these translations, Google allows users who speak certain languages natively to contribute with translations of some regional expressions. Today, Google is adding support for an additional 13 languages, so now there are over 100 languages to choose from. The 13 new languages are Amharic, Corsican, Frisian, Kyrgyz, Hawaiian, Kurdish (Kurmanji), Luxembourgish, Samoan, Scots Gaelic, Shona, Sindhi, Pashto and Xhosa. So now, the 103 languages available cover 99% of the online population and with the combinations of the new languages, over an additional 120 million people could get benefitted and communicate with those speaking different languages. Adding new languages might seem like an easy task, but Google chooses those languages which can be written and they make sure that a significant amount of translations is already available online. Then, a combination of machine learning, licensed content and the Google Translate Community makes it possible to add the language. Advertisement From the translated text available, machine learning is used to identify patterns and learn about them. The growing Translate Community, which now has over 3 million people contributing, can help improve some translations. Currently, the Translate Community has corrected over 200 million translated words. If you want to become part of the Translate Community, just visit translate.google.com and youll see a button for joining in. Then, you get to choose the languages that you speak and Google will show some phrases to translate or you can validate some of the available translations. You may also make suggestions if the translated phrase is not very accurate or sounds out of context, once youve identified it, just click the Suggest an edit button. The update will start rolling out in the coming days. Weve been hearing for the past few months that there is a Glass Enterprise Edition in the works. The device is meant for enterprise use, which makes plenty of sense seeing as thats what the original model was mostly used for. We saw doctors, athletes, and others using Glass in their everyday work. Google hasnt said much about Glass in the last few years, but we do know that the Glass team has been morphed into Project Aura recently. Glass also shut down their social media accounts earlier this year, and stated that the Explorer program is complete. However nothing else was said. Now it appears that Google have filed for another patent with the USPTO, where we can see some images of this device, and it appears to be the Enterprise Edition of Glass. The only major difference you can see here versus the Explorer Edition is the hinge on the side, which allows you to fold Glass up, making it a bit more portable when you dont want to wear it. Other improvements that weve heard about but obviously cant see in this filing, are better heat management. Thats a pretty big deal considering Glass would typically get pretty warm, especially if youve been using it for quite some time. Also theres an Intel Atom processor inside, and the addition of 5GHz WiFi. Advertisement Glass was showing some promise, but it appears that Google may not be sure what to do with the product. Weve seen it make great strides in the medical field, as doctors can wear it during surgery and make it easy for other doctors to learn how to do specific surgery from the video that Glass records. While Google did make Glass available for most people, the price still kept a lot of people from buying one. Coming in at a still $1500 price tag. It was also only available in the US for quite some time. This enterprise edition is supposedly only going to be sold to businesses, and Google has reportedly been in talks with a few companies already, in regards to buying Glass for their company. Samsung, after starting to work hand in hand with Oculus back in 2014, slowly rose to become one of the bigger players in the VR field. With the Samsung Gear VR and whisperings of the upcoming Gear 360 to show for it, their presence on the scene is still strong despite the somewhat limited product lineup. In many ways, the Gear VR came along at just the right time and with just the right quality to set itself as the gold standard that other smartphone VR rigs would be measured against, effortlessly wrestling the torch from Googles own Cardboard platform. While more expensive and exclusive than Cardboard, Gear VR was made to offer a premium smartphone-based VR experience and the public has largely reached a consensus that Samsung has delivered. According to Samsung Mobile exec Koo Yun-mo, theres more to come. Koo went on to detail some unique use cases for VR, such as showing plans for a building by letting users see the building as it would be once constructed. Acrophobia treatment also came up; a VR rig could simulate a progression from low to high altitudes, possibly easing the fears of somebody whos not fond of heights. Back in December, the Gear VR even got a rudimentary web browser. With all of these use cases, including the common benchmarks of multimedia and gaming, containing VR efforts to the smartphone world is starting to look like the wrong move. According to Koo, If the opportunity presents itself, we may expand it to other areas, besides just increasing smartphone competitiveness. Advertisement There were no details on what the future may hold for Samsungs VR efforts at this time; more information is set to come during Samsungs Unpacked event next week at MWC in Barcelona. Samsungs future efforts are very unlikely to exclude the Gear VR entirely, perhaps even building on it. Speculation has run wild within the industry and even among consumers, especially with the emergence of the Gear 360 VR camera. Samsung has chosen to confirm nothing just yet, opting instead to keep consumers and the industry waiting for Unpacked with bated breath. Choose a guided tour that suits your interests as a couple. Here's where... Region: South-East Asia Why go far when you have only a few days to enjoy a vacation. Take a break from work, make up for missing out on that romantic Valentine's Day dinner and add a dash of adventure to it. The combination of fitness on a holiday is so attractive, no woman will be able to resist it. We suggest South-East Asia's beautiful hikes where a nature trail opens up natural beauty to you all along the way. You may be able to spot rare wildlife species (keep a distance) and perhaps also meet indigenous tribes living in quaint villages (say hello to them and share a cuppa tea). - Sapa (Vietnam): Travel the northern highland town of Sapa in Vietnam and you will witness acres of green rice plantation. Terrace farming on stunning mountains is truly a treat to the eyes. Sapa is situated in the Hoang Lien Son mountain range, close to the Tonkinese Alps in the Chinese borders. Hikers like to experience the hillside treks in Sapa, which passes through lush landscapes and charming villages. Note: Carry drinking water and wear sturdy shoes. - Ratankiri (Cambodia): Fancy jungle treks? Then Ratanakiri (Ban Lung), located in northeast Cambodia is your spot. Locals have given it a title of 'Dey krahorm' (red earth), as the area is covered in reddish dust during the dry season. Carry your camera along and capture your pictures near gurgling rivers and mountain ranges. Note: Check out crater lakes and waterfalls. - Tiger's Nest (Bhutan): This beautiful trek can keep you going on a prayer. Here's the reason why. Paro Taktsang is the popular name of Taktsang Palphug Monastery, which is also known as Tiger's Nest. It is here where Guru Padmasambhava is said to have meditated for three years, three months, three weeks, three days and three hours in the 8th century. He is also credited with introducing Buddhism to Bhutan. Take your time to trek along and you can stop by at an eatery mid-way. A popular festival, known as the Tsechu is celebrated in the Paro Valley during March or April. Join in the hiking fun. Source: Three best hikes in south-east Asia to discover a new destination with your partner It is not dissimilar to what is now happening in Papua New Guinea; plunder by multinationals enthusiastically assisted by Papua New Guineans. The Congo was raped and plundered mercilessly and brutally by the Belgians and many Congolese helped them do it. A similar observation was made about the Belgian Congo in 1903 by the British Consul and later Irish Nationalist, Roger Casement. We all know what happened to the Congo. MOUNTAINS of gold floating in a sea of oil. Not to mention vast forests and oceans teeming with fish. Many of the Papua New Guineans involved in this gutting of their country are sitting in the Haus Tambaran. One of the biggest facilitators is the prime minister. Not only is Peter ONeill complicit in this plunder but he has tried to be part of it and now appears to be bankrupting the country in the process. It was the mineral wealth of Bougainville that nearly destroyed it. The same wealth looks like it might also destroy Papua New Guinea. It is hard to imagine what a Papua New Guinea with no Ok Tedi, no Porgera, no Lihir, no LNG Project, its forests intact and its seas bounteous would look like. Would it be a country wisely and sustainably developing its agriculture and capitalising on its magnificent and pristine scenery through tourism? Would there be no greed and avarice. Would politicians truly look after their constituents? Would law and order prevail and the streets and countryside be safe? It is a difficult thing to measure. The best that can be done is to compare it to similar countries without the wealth creating resources, places like Vanuatu and Costa Rica. Vanuatu has had problems with corruption but it recently threw out eighteen of its parliamentarians and will probably jail them all. It is a beautiful country and a safe one to walk around in, day and night. Costa Rica has no resources of interest to the multinationals. All it has is its soil, the wind and the sun. But its people are happy and safe and dont have to rely on anyone else. It just about runs itself 100% on sun and wind power. Roger Casement was probably right, wealth is a curse. Maybe thats why the British hanged him; either that or because he ran guns for the Irish rebels and was gay. Manchester Untied balls: Rooney out, Van Gaals hell, Englands dream Manchester Uniteds captain is injured. Wayne Rooney, for it is he, has knee ligament damage. The Sun nails the pun with PAIN ROO KNEE. The paper says Rooney will miss a minimum of eight Manchester United matches and England games against Germany and Holland. United manager Louis Van Gaal says Rooney could have come off the field when he felt a twinge in their defeat to Sunderland, but opted to play through the pain. This gives the Mirror its headline: Too brave for his own good. Only an England captain could be praised for being injured. Inside the Mirror, Rooney;s injury is Van Gaals ultimate nightmare. If it is, the hammer-headed Dutchman must sleep like a baby. In any case, he has five likely lads to replace Rooney: Donald Love, Regan Poole, Joe Riley, James Weir and Will Keane are all profiled. Problem is that only Keane is a striker. The Express says Lingard and Martial will get the chance to shine in Rooneys absence. The paper adds that Van Gaal could recall James Wilson from his loan spell at Brighton. In the Mail, Ian Ladyman says Rooneys injury is a mixed blessing for England, who can have him fit and rested for Euro 2016. Or, to put it another way, England will have their captain out of shape and not match sharp for Euro 2016. Time, then, to bring on Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy. Anorak Posted: 18th, February 2016 | In: Back pages, manchester united, Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink Transfer balls: Leroy Sane to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and wherever else the SEO machine sends him Transfer Balls: The Daily Star has conjured a headline to seduce fans of the five biggest Premier League clubs to a non-news story: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City and Man Utd in epic transfer fight for German whizz Alex Harris writes: Mundo Deportivo claim Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United are all in the hunt for the Schalke attacking midfielder. The SEObot that might well be operating Harris wont bother to follow the link. But we will. Over there we hear from one Oriol Domenech, who says Real Madrid and Barcelona are in for Leroy Sane. Number of quotes to support his story: nil. Number of facts of any sort in either story: nil. In other news, the Mail asks today: Is Leroy Sane really worth 42m? Dunno. But the clickbait-bonkers International Business Times say he isnt, declaring in a headline: Barcelona spy on Schalke 04 starlet Leroy Sane in Bundesliga match ahead of 28.8m summer move. A summer move but to where and for how much? Anorak Posted: 18th, February 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, manchester united, Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink (ANSA) - Rome, February 18 - Sardinian airline Meridiana's plan to tie up with Qatar Airways envisages 900 redundancies as an initial negotiating platform, trade union sources said Thursday. At ongoing talks at the industry ministry Meridiana asked the unions for a deal on redundancies and a new contract, they said. Earlier this month Meridiana signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Qatar Airways that "states the conditions under which the partnership is subordinated," the airline's holding company Alisarda said. It said the two sides were "working on a potential partnership project regarding the Meridiana airline company". The operation, if it satisfies a set of criteria, will be completed "by the first half of 2016," the group said. (ANSA) - Brescia, January 28 - An extradited Bosnian former military commander who was convicted in Bosnia of killing three Italian humanitarian workers in 1993 arrives in Milan on Friday to face murder charges, sources said Thursday. Hanefija Prijic, 53, was arrested in Germany in October on an international arrest warrant issued by authorities in the northern city of Brescia in 2000. On May 29, 1993, Prijic and his men ambushed a humanitarian aid convoy from an Italian grassroots volunteer group on the outskirts of the Bosnian town of Gornj Vakuf, stole their supplies, and killed conscientious objector Sergio Lana, 21, builder Fabio Moreni, 40, and journalist Guido Puletti, 40. Lana and Puletti were from Brescia. Moreni was from Cremona. Two more volunteers, freelance photographer Christian Penocchio and Agostino Zanotti, aged 26 and 34 at the time, escaped with their lives into nearby woods and then to a United Nations peacekeeping outpost. All five of the men had been working for a Brescia-based center that coordinated missions for various humanitarian organizations. Zanotti said in an interview at the time that their convoy was attacked by a marauding gang of some 30 irregular troops wearing a motley assortment of badges and other identifying marks and who did not appear to belong to any particular faction. A Bosnian court in 2001 sentenced Prijic to 15 years in prison for giving the order to shoot the three Italians. He served his time and was released in 2014, and was picked up in Germany on the Brescia warrant a year later. He will be processed at Milan's San Vittore prison and then transferred to Brescia's Canton Mombello prison pending his murder trial. (ANSA) - Rome, February 18 - The centre right's campaign for June's local elections in Rome was throw into disarray on Thursday when Northern League leader Matteo Salvini expressed doubts about mayor candidate Guido Bertolaso. "I won't buy a pig in a poke," said Salvini, appearing to pull back from the endorsement he gave along with Forza Italia leader Silvio Berlusconi and Brothers of Italy (FdI) chief Giorgia Meloni. Salvini cited Bertolaso's comments on Roma people, who the former civil protection chief recently called a "vexed category," and his praise of former centre-left Rome mayor Francesco Rutelli. Salvini, who had wanted primaries to select the Rome mayor runner, said these comments "have not been the top for the League". "What the people of Rome say in the next few days will influence my final decision," he added. Asked if the candidacy issue was still open, he replied "every issue is always open". Former premier Berlusconi on Thursday called off a summit on the centre right's mayoral candidate between Salvini, himself and Meloni as a result of the comments. Meloni said she would only be able to meet her allies once Salvini had "clarified his remarks". Berlusconi renewed his backing for Bertolaso and said there would be a meeting on Rome candidates on February 24. "The three centre-right parties, Forza Italia, the Northern League and Brothers of Italy have chosen Guido Bertolaso as their candidate to be Rome mayor," Berlusconi said in a statement. "I'm convinced that Bertolaso is the only professional around who is able to put the capital back on track". Bertolaso gained praise as civil protection head for his handling of a number of emergencies including the waste crisis in the Campania region around Naples. As civil protection chief, he was also handed from 2001 to 2010 sweeping powers over major events. However, he has been indicted over alleged bid-rigging in contracts for the 2009 G8 summit and for allegedly giving justified reassurances before the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake that killed over 300 people. The anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S), meanwhile, on Thursday began online voting to select its mayoral candidate. Registered M5S members resident in Rome could vote for up to five candidates among the 208 in the running from 10 am to 7 pm local time. The 10 candidates garnering most votes will go through to a second-round ballot, probably on February 23 or 24, to decide who will run against Bertolaso, ex Lazio regional governor Francesco Storace for the right-wing La Destra, probably either deputy Lower House speaker Roberto Giachetti or former Rome executive urban planning councillor Roberto Morassut, both of the Democratic Party (PD), for the centre-left and ex PD member Stefano Fassina for Italian Left. Rome is holding elections following the ouster of PD mayor Marino allegedly over an expenses scandal last autumn. The city is being administered by a special commissioner, former Milan prefect Francesco Paolo Tronca, in the interim. M5S can count on strong support following the Mafia Capitale scandal involving alleged infiltration by a criminal organisation into lucrative city contracts. The movement's campaign suffered a setback though when M5S MP Paola Taverna prompted ridicule by saying there was a "conspiracy" to make it win in order to "take funds away from and make fools of us". (ANSA) - Rome, February 18 - Italian Education Minister Stefania Giannini gave the go-ahead on Thursday for the recruitment of 861 university researchers. A recruitment decree signed by Giannini, which acts on measures agreed in Italy's budget law, doubles the number of "Type B" researchers, or those with three-year contracts, to about 1,500 from 700. Giannini said the aim was "to provide new energy for university research" and the Education Ministry described it as "an important injection of resources". Universities will be able to confirm the researchers as associated professors after their three-year contracts expire, the ministry said in a statement. Giannini also approved a measure to distribute 6 million euros for the recruitment of ordinary professors in 2016. Universities will have to use at least 20% of resources to hire people that do not already work for them. (ANSA) - Rome, February 18 - Italian President Sergio Mattarella has called a meeting of the Supreme Defence Council for February 25 at 17:00. The first item on the agenda is the international situation, especially Libya, the conflicts in Iraq and Syria and the threat posed by the extremist Islamist group ISIS. Other items on the agenda include the effects on Italian and European energy security of the situation on the oil and natural gas markets and and results of reorganization of the armed services. (ANSA) - February 18 - Plans to relaunch Sardinian airline Meridiana include the creation of a new holding company, sources said Thursday. Qatar's sovereign wealth fund would hold up to 49% of the newco, while the controlling stake would remain with business magnate and Meridiana founder Aga Khan. The agreement allegedly contemplates the transfer of assets to the new company and investments of between 50 and 100 million euros. Earlier this month Meridiana announced that it was "working on a potential partnership project" with Qatar Airways regarding the Olbia-based private airline. On Thursday Meridiana chairman Marco Rigotti said decisions needed to be taken quickly or Qatar Airways would abandon the negotiating table, according to sources. The plan consists of cuts and a relaunch, Rigotti reportedly added. Earlier in the day trade union sources said the proposed partnership envisaged 900 redundancies as an initial negotiating platform. Two of U.S. Rep. John Katko's potential Democratic challengers think he should do more to encourage Senate Republicans to fill the late Justice Antonin Scalia's seat on the Supreme Court. Colleen Deacon and Steve Williams, who are seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Katko, R-Camillus, in the 24th Congressional District race, said the freshman congressman should urge the Senate GOP to address the open seat. "Senate Republicans need to step up and fulfill their duties, and as a member of the Republican Party, John Katko needs to call on them to fulfill their constitutional responsibilities," Williams, D-Baldwinsville, said. Deacon, D-Syracuse, called filling Scalia's seat "too important an issue to play politics with." "If my opponent John Katko is serious about making Washington work for the people of central New York, he should do the right thing and call on his Republican colleagues in the Senate to stop obstructing this appointment, and denounce the Republican presidential candidates for calling for a delay in the process," she said. Katko addressed the debate over the Supreme Court seat during an editorial board meeting Tuesday at The Citizen. While he doesn't have a say in the process as a member of the House, he said President Barack Obama should nominate a candidate and the Senate should consider the selection. He added that if Obama wants to get his nominee confirmed by the Senate, he needs to choose someone who is "palatable" to Republicans. "If the Senate wants to vote if the president brings the right guy up that's great," he said. "If he doesn't, well, then it's not going to go. I think everyone knows that. I don't think there's any magic to it. This is what we've been doing for over 200 years." Williams also challenged a claim made by some Republicans that there is a precedent of not considering Supreme Court nominations in a presidential election year. He used President Ronald Reagan's nomination of current Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy as an example. The Democratic-controlled Senate, he said, confirmed Kennedy during the last year of Reagan's presidency. Kennedy was nominated for the seat in November 1987 after the Senate didn't confirm Robert Bork, Reagan's initial choice, and Douglas Ginsburg withdrew from consideration. The Senate confirmed Kennedy in February 1988 by a 97-0 vote. Obama said he plans to nominate a candidate to replace Scalia, who passed away Saturday at a ranch in Texas. He was 79. For now, the Supreme Court has eight justices. While the court can still operate with eight judges, any 4-4 decisions would allow a lower court's ruling to stand. (ANSA) - Terni, February 17 - A 51-year-old man was hospitalized in a coma with pneumococcal meningitis Wednesday in the Umbrian city of Terni. Local public health authorities cautioned the public that this strain of the meningitis bacteria doesn't cause epidemics so people who came into contact with the patient won't need preventive treatment. Also on Wednesday, public health sources said a 24-year-old man was hospitalized with meningitis C last night in intensive care at San Jacopo Hospital in the Tuscan city of Pistoia. Anyone who came into contact with him in the past two weeks are being given preventive antibiotic treatment, the sources said. The patient lives in the Tuscan town of Quarrata, and on February 6 took Alitalia Flight 518 leaving Pisa at 18:15 and arriving in Tirana, Albania, at 19:55 local time. He returned February 9 on Alitalia Flight 517 leaving Tirana at 20:40 and arriving in Pisa at 22:30. Anyone who was on either of those planes should turn to their GP, emergency room or local public health clinic for preventive anti-meningitis treatment, officials said. Tuscany has seen a significant rise in meningitis cases in recent months, Governor Enrico Rossi said Tuesday that the region would vaccinate 1.5 million residents against the potentially fatal infectious disease. New migrant control system on Greek-Macedonian border Police chiefs in 'Balkan route' countries sign agreement (ANSAmed) - ZAGREB, FEBRUARY 18 - The heads of police forces on the 'Balkan route' used by migrants to the EU on Thursday reached an agreement in the Croatian capital for a new system to check, select and register migrants. The system will be used once only per migrant, on the border between Greece and Macedonia. The agreement - signed by police chiefs from Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria - calls for registration at the Greek-Macedonian border, where all biometric verification and identification procedures will be carried out on migrants to ascertain whether they are actually coming from war zones. Refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan will be taken to Austria, while the others will be pushed back to prevent migrants being sent back from one country to another - as has happened in recent days to about 200 migrants, who from the Austrian border were sent back to Slovenia and from there to Croatia and Serbia. Thursday's agreement will also make the journey much less difficult for thousands of migrants, since they will no longer have to repeat procedures at every border. The new regulations go into immediate effect, and all countries involved will send police to Macedonia. Those sent back will be put into refugee camps in Greece or Turkey. (ANSAmed). Migrants: Gentiloni, beyond Dublin, no to unilateral choices (ANSAmed) - ATHENS, FEBRUARY 18 - For the future of the migration issue "there are risks that unilateral choices can lead the crisis to deteriorate, leading us to cancel one of Europe's main conquests, or Schengen and the free circulation" of people, Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Thursday at a meeting with Greek President Prokopis Paulopoulos. "There is an alternative to manage the crisis differently and it is sharing the obligation and going beyond the Dublin regulation. An on this alternative Greece and Italy are working together, there is a convergence with Germany and other countries and the objective is to defend this common line", he added. (ANSAmed). ISTANBUL - The suicide bomber who blew himself up last night with a car bomb as a military convoy was driving through central Ankara, killing at least 28 people, was reportedly identified as a Syrian citizen called Saleh Nejar. The alleged attacker was a member of the Kurdish-Syrian militias YPG, according to Sozcu daily. The newspaper reported that the man, aged 24, was identified through his fingerprints. Also, 14 people have been arrested so far in connection with the attack "and other arrests will follow", said Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Since Saturday, Turkey has been bombing from its territory Kurdish militia positions in northern Syria, a few kilometers away from the border. Ankara considers the Democratic Union Party PYD, the main Kurdish force in Syria, and its armed wing, the People's Protection Units YPG, as terror organizations. Over the past few days, strong contrasts emerged with the US, attacked by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan because they refuse to consider members of the PYD as terrorists. Washington has repeatedly expressed appreciation for the role played by the Kurds in the fight against ISIS on the ground. In another explosion in Diyarbakir, 7 soldiers were killed after their truck was hit by a bomb. Turkey-Italy-Tunisia 'motorway of the sea' project approved New maritime line starting in 2017 (ANSAmed) - TUNIS, FEBRUARY 18 - The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) has approved the 'motorway of the sea' project between Turkey, Tunisia and the Italian region Puglia. The project involves Turkey's Izmir port, the Bari, Brindisi and Taranto ones in Italy and the La Goulette and Rades ones in Tunisia. It was approved at a high-level UfM meeting as part of collaboration between the Tunisian and Turkish governments. The initiative will activate a maritime line between the six ports with the aim of enhancing Roll-on-Roll-off (Ro-Ro) logistical chains between ports on the northern shores of the Mediterranean and those on the southern ones. The project is a based on a public-private partnership (PPP) transport model since the shipping company takes on the risks of the enterprise, while the direct incentive for users of the line aims to achieve traffic volumes high enough to make the route sustainable from a financial standpoint following the start-up period. Promoters of the project are the Turkish Chamber of Commerce in Italy, with the technical support of the Italian College of Railway Engineers (CIFI) and the Brindisi-headquartered company Titi Shipping, under the aegis of the Honorary General Consulate of Turkey in Brindisi. The new route, strategic for the development of the entire Euro-Mediterranean region, will be operative from January 2017. (ANSAmed). CAIRO - The next edition of the Egypt Economic Development Conference (EEDC) in Sharm el Sheikh is at risk in spite of the fact that the gathering held last year attracted billions in investment pledges in Egypt, the Middle East Eye reports, quoting an unidentified top Egyptian official. The official was quoted as saying that the conference originally scheduled in May will be postponed indefinitely due to the "reluctance of investors" to participate. The reason cited is Egypt's alleged inability to implement agreements and memoranda of understanding. The website said that only a week ago, this time for security reasons, the World Economic Forum (WEF) for the Middle East and North Africa scheduled in Sharm was cancelled. Sharm is a resort located on the Sinai peninsula where, in a northern area, ISIS's guerrilla is concentrated. ISIS has claimed responsibility for a deadly bomb attack last October on Russian charter jet that had departed from the beach resort. Ankara car bomb: media, suicide bomber is Kurdish-Syrian YPG (ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, FEBRUARY 18 - The suicide bomber who blew himself up last night with a car bomb as a military convoy was driving through central Ankara, killing at least 28 people, was reportedly identified as a Syrian citizen called Saleh Nejar. The alleged attacker was a member of the Kurdish-Syrian militias YPG, according to Sozcu daily. The newspaper reported that the man, aged 24, was identified through his fingerprints. Since Saturday, Turkey has been bombing from its territory Kurdish militia positions in northern Syria, a few kilometers away from the border. Ankara considers the Democratic Union Party PYD, the main Kurdish force in Syria, and its armed wing, the People's Protection Units YPG, as terror organizations. Over the past few days, strong contrasts emerged with the US, attacked by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan because they refuse to consider members of the PYD as terrorists. Washington has repeatedly expressed appreciation for the role played by the Kurds in the fight against ISIS on the ground. (ANSAmed). Mideast: Catholic churches, inhuman Palestinian context Situation 'hopeless' and must change for both sides (ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, FEBRUARY 18 - The "current situation of the Palestinians is inhuman", said the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land in a document released in Jerusalem, blaming "settlers who occupy, day after day, Palestinian land; to the siege of Gaza that has been ongoing for years now. One million and a half are besieged by poverty, misery and humiliation". It is a complex situation "without hope" for Palestinians as well as for Israelis that "must change". The document drafted by the peace and justice committee of the Assembly cites among other causes of the situation "the demolition of homes; military check points and the arbitrary behavior of Israeli soldiers humiliating Palestinians". "It is the siege of Jerusalem and the Jewishization of the city with the removal of its Palestinian residents", the document said. "It is the comprehensive accusation of terrorism against all Palestinians and the collective punishment that is the consequence", it added. According to the Assembly, today the situation "has become a new Intifada in which the Palestinians are immersed until death due to the desperation caused by a life full of frustration, humiliation and insecurity, without any hope". "Does this situation satisfy Israeli society? Is it satisfied with this life in the shade of continued hostility with the Palestinian people?". It is a situation, the document said, "without the light of hope: neither for the Israelis who need to live in security and serenity, nor for the Palestinians who are waiting for the end of occupation and an independent state".(ANSAmed). Before the four county Democratic committees in the 24th Congressional District held endorsement meetings over the past couple of weeks, Colleen Deacon had plenty of big names supporting her campaign. On Feb. 3, the Cayuga, Oswego and Wayne Democrats split their endorsement and supported Deacon and Steve Williams, who is also seeking the party's nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. John Katko. Last week, Deacon was endorsed by the Onondaga County Democratic Committee the largest party organization in the 24th District. In an interview Saturday, Deacon said the endorsements from the district's four counties shows her campaign has a lot of momentum. "People really like my message, they like that I'm running and they want to support me to be successful not only in June, but also in November," she said. "Having worked in this region for many years, I know the district and I'm ready to go to Congress and work for everybody here in this region." Deacon addressed a few issues during the 10-minute Q&A with The Citizen, including raising the minimum wage and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a major trade agreement. Here is the lightly edited Q&A with Deacon: The Citizen: During the recent candidates forum in Auburn, you mentioned that you've actually had to use the programs that Congress has voted on. Why do you think that's significant to point out in this race? DEACON: As somebody who has had to rely on food stamps and WIC and use Medicaid, I know what it's like for many people who are struggling across this district. I want to go to Congress and be a real voice and fight hard for these hardworking families. How many members of Congress can actually say they've used the programs that they're voting on, like Medicaid, Social Security, Medicare, food stamps? I think it's important to have somebody who knows what it's like for people out here in this country that are struggling and I want to go to Congress and be a voice for all these folks. The Citizen: The heroin epidemic is touching pretty much every corner of this district. From a federal standpoint, what do you think needs to be done to help address this problem? DEACON: You need to look at this in two ways. You need to look at it from the law enforcement standpoint. Making sure that our officers are trained to deal with those who are overdosing, making sure they have the proper tools, like Narcan, available when people are overdosing and making sure that they understand how to deal with addiction. We have to make sure that we're working with our law enforcement so they're arresting drug dealers and those who are bringing this terrible drug to our communities. But then, at the same time, we need to make sure we're working on the treatment side of things, making sure that there's enough treatment centers available. At Crouse Hospital (in Syracuse), I think there's 590 people in their methadone program right now and there's a 500-person waiting list. From what I understand, it's a 12-month wait, which if you're addicted to a drug like heroin, 12 months is not soon enough. We need to do more for the people who are addicted to this terrible drug and we need to work with our medical community as well to make sure that we're addressing the pain pill prescription problem. No community is immune to this epidemic and it only seems to be getting worse and I think we need to all do more to help solve this problem. I know there was talk about a Cayuga County treatment center, which I think it's so important to have sites in all regions of this district to make sure that we're reaching the people directly so they can get help from this addiction. The Citizen: What's your position on the Trans-Pacific Partnership? DEACON: I don't support the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. Trade agreements like this do nothing to help the hardworking families of this country. Instead, they've cost us thousands of jobs right here in our community and they continue to shift jobs overseas. I can't support anything like this that promotes Big Business, kills American jobs, does not include environmental protections and could even lead to increased costs of prescription drugs. The Citizen: It seems we've been negatively impacted by these trade deals. Is this something you've seen as a resident of central New York and in your roles with U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and the Syracuse mayor's office? DEACON: (The TPP) was written in secret and it was not a transparent process. It made no consideration for American workers. When I go to Congress, I will fight to make sure that this agreement does not go through. I want to work to help our businesses create jobs in this region, invest in infrastructure and find tax credits for our businesses so they can hire people. That's what I want to work on. I can't support something that does nothing to help the hardworking families of this district. The Citizen: At the state level, Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour. What's your position on raising the minimum wage? DEACON: As somebody who's been through a tough situation myself and I know what it's like to have to rely on government services just to get by, I want to go to Congress and fight every day for the people of this district, for the people that need it most. I do support raising the minimum wage to $15. I think we also need to make sure that we are tying it to the cost-of-living adjustment moving forward so that way we're not having these discussions every few years, but it actually will go up as the cost of living goes up. I was at a Fight for $15 rally recently and I heard three women speak to the crowd about how they're working 40 hours a week at jobs that are minimum wage jobs and they're barely making ends meet. These are hardworking families that we need to be fighting for and making sure that they can get a decent wage to be able to support their families. I just want to make sure that we need to include targeted tax credits for small businesses to make sure that they can afford (the minimum wage hike). Migrants: 'Italy and Greece need support', Italian FM 'Burden only on countries where they land is unfair' (by Luca Mirone) (ANSAmed) - ATHENS, FEBRUARY 18 - Italy and Greece cannot be left alone to share the ''burden'' of migratory influxes as countries where the migrants first arrive, said Italian foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni on Thursday. The EU must also put forth greater efforts for shared policies, he added on a visit to the Greek capital on a day of a delicate European Council meeting marked by divisions on the sharing out of refugees and border control. Greece is under pressure due to a sharp rise in landings on its coasts. The EU Commission has given it three months to fill the gaps in its external border control, while the eastern bloc of the Visegrad group (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary) is calling loudly for a wall along the border with Macedonia. Italy is meanwhile paying for the Libyan crisis with a sharp rise in landings on Lampedusa. Meeting with Greek president Prokopis Pavlopoulos, Gentiloni warned against ''unilateral choices that could wipe out one of the greatest European achievements, that of free circulation of people and the Schengen Treaty''. He underscored that ''there is an alternative'' in the form of EU-wide burden sharing, starting from a revision of the Dublin Regulation to change the rule requiring the first country the migrants set foot in to provide assistance. Gentiloni said that he expected this revision to start in March, ''by the Commission as scheduled''. Though there is staunch opposition to any changes, Italy can count on backing from such countries as Germany and the aim is to widen support, he said. He stressed that it was important to maintain the Schengen zone and prevent the closing of borders that Visegrad would like, as would Italy's neighbor Austria. The Greek president said that his country agreed with Italy ''against countries that want to manage refugees in a unilateral matter''. Athens, he said, is prepared to collaborate with Frontex and NATO but wants ''respect for its sovereignty'' in sea control. Greece also does not want to distance itself from Europe, he said. ''How can we feel outside of Europe?,'' Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said, warning that ''the solution is not to block the borders as EU countries that are much 'younger' than us say. Much better-thought-out ones are needed, not easy solutions that lead to fragmentation.'' (ANSAmed). Turkey: Syrian Kurds deny carrying out attacks YPG warns Ankara on ground operations in Syria (ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, FEBRUARY 18 - Syrian Kurds PYD leader Salih Muslim has denied that the group is behind attacks in Turkey and has warned Ankara against potential ground operations in Syria. After the accusations launched by Turkish Premier Ahmet Davutoglu, Muslim denied any responsibility of the group or its armed wing YPG in the attack that killed 28 people in Ankara on Wednesday and in the explosion Thursday in Diyarbakir that left at least seven soldiers dead. "The truth is that none of our units is involved or had anything to do with the explosions", said Muslim. The PKK also denied any responsibility, adding however that, "it could have been a retaliation for massacres in Kurdistan". (ANSAmed). Irans Hossein Dehghan flew to Moscow on Monday to meet Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu Dehgan also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitri Rogozin. Sources in Iran have suggested that the Iranian air force could benefit from the new agreements by gaining access to fly and assemble the Sukhoi S-30 fighter jets. Ahead of the visit, Iranian Mehr News Agency quoted Dehghan assaying that Tehran needs to focus on modernizing its air force. Today we need to pay attention to air force and aircraft and we seek to seal a deal with the Russians upon which we will have partnership in the construction and manufacturing of the jet fighter, he said in a TV interview.. Russia has already authorised the delivery of S-300 anti-aircraft batteries to Iran, despite the strong opposition of the Western powers. Iran is also widely expected to hold missile drills before the end of February. For the second consecutive election, the state's largest minor party is backing U.S. Rep. John Katko in the 24th Congressional District race. The state Independence Party has endorsed Katko, R-Camillus, for re-election, his campaign announced Thursday. The party first supported Katko in 2014, when he defeated then-U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei by nearly 20 points. "We in the Independence Party of New York believe government can only do its best for the people of this country by reaching across party lines to accomplish the work needed," New York State Independence Party Chairman Frank MacKay said. "Congressman Katko has had this as his core principle since he first went to Washington. We are proud to once again endorse him." The announcement is the latest in a series of endorsements Katko has received in the past two weeks. On Monday, Katko was unanimously endorsed by the Cayuga County Republican Committee. The state Independence Party's backing is significant because it gives Katko a minor party ballot line in November. He received 6,825 votes on the Independence line in the 2014 elections. "I am honored and thankful for the continued support of the New York State Independence Party," he said. "I'm proud to be an independent and responsive voice for central New York in Congress, focusing on the issues that matter most to families and individuals in our community and working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find common ground. "I will continue to advance bipartisan solutions on the issues that matter most to central New York, including addressing the devastating rate of poverty, growing our local economy, combating the heroin epidemic and working to strengthen our national security." Katko will have a Democratic opponent in November. There are three Democrats vying for the party's nomination to challenge the incumbent Republican Colleen Deacon, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's former central New York regional director; Eric Kingson, a Syracuse University professor and Social Security expert; and Steve Williams, a Syracuse-area attorney. The 24th Congressional District includes all of Cayuga, Onondaga and Wayne counties, plus the western portion of Oswego County. Comair, which this year celebrates its 70th year of operations, is based in South Africa and is an affiliate member of the oneworld alliance through its Licence Agreement with British Airways. Effective 23 February 2016, Qatar Airways will place its code on flights that have British Airways livery, operated by its franchise Comair, from Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban, Harare, Victoria Falls, and Port Elizabeth. Qatar Airways will also place its code on flights operated by Comair from Cape Town to Durban and Port Elizabeth. Comair has hub operations in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, South Africa, easily connecting on to Qatar Airways-operated flights to Doha and beyond to more than 150 destinations. Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: Africa is on the move, and travellers deserve better itineraries for their travel needs. Expanding our network with Comair was a natural progression of our investment in Africa and our desire to make it easier to visit this exciting part of the world, and for the families, businesses and organisations based here to connect globally. With this agreement, more than 150 destinations in the Qatar Airways network now connect easily to these business, adventure travel and cultural capitals. Erik Venter, Comairs chief executive officer, said: We are delighted to be adding Qatar Airways to our growing list of strategic airline partnerships and we are excited about exploring additional opportunities to expand the relationship. This, in addition to our acquisition of a new Boeing 737-800, is testament to our confidence in the regional leisure and business tourism sector. We look forward to welcoming Qatar Airways customers on board our flights. There are now two candidates in the race for Coconino County sheriff. Danny Thomas, who is registered as an independent, filed paperwork this month with the Coconino County Elections Office indicating his intention to run in the fall election. I am a person for all citizens of Coconino County and not just Democrats, Republicans or other parties, Thomas said in a press release announcing his candidacy. So far, his only opponent is Sheriffs Office Chief Deputy Jim Driscoll, who announced his intention to run in January. The winner will succeed retiring Sheriff Bill Pribil. Thomas has spent more than 40 years in law enforcement. He is the former Coconino County chief deputy constable and a retired senior liquor control agent for the state. His law enforcement career began when he joined the Pima County Sheriffs Department in 1973 after three years in the U.S. Marine Corps. He spent 10 years with the Pima County sheriff, working in the patrol division and the Pima County Courts division. He also worked as an undercover narcotics officer, SWAT team member, K-9 unit member and major crimes investigator for the Arizona Drug Control District. He also participated in a sting operation in which he and two other officers went undercover as inmates at the Yuma County Jail to investigate how drugs were getting into the facility. His supervisor at the time, Neil Tietjen, later documented the investigation in the book Old School Narc. Thomas then spent almost 20 years with Arizona Department of Liquor Control. After retiring in 2007, he opened Northern Arizona Expert Liquor Consultants, which helps companies obtain liquor licenses and comply with state liquor laws. Alcohol abuse is one focus of his campaign. In his press release, Thomas said if he becomes sheriff, he would educate liquor establishments in the county about not serving alcohol to people who are already intoxicated and hang posters in those establishments to warn patrons about the danger of driving after drinking even small amounts of alcohol. He wants to partner with other law enforcement to set up DUI checkpoints, especially in high-fatality areas near the Hopi and Navajo Reservations. He also said he wants to create a task force to stop bootleggers from purchasing alcohol in border cities for resale on the dry reservations. If elected, Thomas said, he would continue to support the Community Emergency Response Team, as well as efforts to help the homeless population, including vulnerable individuals at risk of freezing to death in the winter and homeless veterans living in the countys forests. He also wants to start a Sheriffs Assist volunteer program, a firearms safety program for citizens who want to learn how to use a gun to protect themselves, and a weekly or biweekly self-defense class. Other goals include enhancing the reserve deputy program, placing school resource officers in all the schools outside city limits and hiring a full-time grant writer. We have come to recognize in todays society certain individuals are making the police out to be the bad guys, Thomas said. I want to change this opinion and I am a firm believer that the majority of our police officers today are dedicated and hard working men and women and I as the sheriff will support my officers. Thomas earned associates degrees in administration of justice and corrections from Pima Community College. He is also a certified public manager. He has belonged to a variety of organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Elks, Shriners, Masonic Lodge, Scottish Rite Lodge, Fraternal Order of Police and Arizona Liquor Police Officers Association. Le CBD, cette molecule active du cannabis a aujourdhui le vent en poupe. Et cela est en grande partie du au fait quil permet... (This feature is part of the " Through Airmen's Eyes " series. These stories focus on individual Airmen, highlighting their Air Force story.)He is the Dr. Frankenstein of expeditionary treat making, whipping up delicious concoctions out of care package candy bars and whatever else he can dig up. His laboratory is a tiny office, and his only tools are a little microwave and a mini fridge.Yet, people dont run terrified from his newest monster -- everyone wants a piece.The story of deployed culinary experimentation began for Dan Johnson, the 455th Expeditionary Mission Support Group contract augmentation program manager, at Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan, in 2012. There, he had a coworker from Trinidad who specialized in making unique chocolate treats from whom he learned the tricks of the trade.All of what I do is in an expeditionary environment, and that surprises people, Johnson said. They think there is no way that I made this over here. But its all done in a microwave and a mini fridge in my office. Its truly Dans Gourmet Expeditionary Chocolates.This hobby has been his creative outlet for four years in Afghanistan. He makes a batch every month or so to break up the monotony of deployed life, because as Johnson jokes, It prolongs the inevitable descent into madness that results from writing government contracts every day.So where does Johnson find all the ingredients to complete the recipes he has designed? Care packages mailed from family and friends back home.People come to me all the time with things they get from their care packages, Johnson explained. I have had people bring me Twix and Twinkies, and so I came up with something out of that. Just the other day, someone brought in a bag of PayDays they got in the mail and asked if I could make something. I think I am going to mix it with a chocolate mousse; you cant go wrong with that.While Victor Frankenstein only made a couple monsters, Johnson makes about 60 to 80 culinary confections per batch to distribute throughout the support group. After the batch is served to his adoring fans, he keeps one of each new specimen for himself. However, it is not to eat. Johnson carefully cuts apart the snack, takes photos of it, and transcribes meticulous notes of how it was made. All of this helps him pass on his knowledge to others who want to mimic his recipes.Without an assistant, like Igor, to train, Johnson takes time out of his day to teach others how to make his concoctions. He has a passion teaching others to share in his experiences.I have always wanted to make candy but never had the opportunity to learn, said Tech. Sgt. Felicia Smith, a 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron executive assistant. When we first met, he was bringing in a batch of his newest treats and it cheered everyone up because it was so unexpected in a deployed environment. The reaction on peoples faces and the joy it brought them was incredible.I tried to make candy before and failed miserably. I was really discouraged, she added. It was after Mr. Johnson showed me how to do it, that I really knew what I was doing. There is an art to what he does, and he has inspired me.Like every good inventor, Johnson has a go-to secret recipe that people request all the time from him -- the Reeseo. While others across the world have made similar styles of this treat, his Air Force version is one of a kind. First, he takes two double stuffed Oreos and places them around a Reeces Peanut Butter Cup. Then, he uses a special chocolate to be melted over the entire treat. After that, he stamps the Air Force logo into the top. Finally, he finishes it off with powdered sugar to bring out the accent of the stamp. Over the course of his four years making delectable snacks, he has made upwards of 1,000 Reeseos.Though Johnson has carved out a niche as a confectioner, he does not plan on taking his talents to the business realm.I love making these as a hobby, but I would probably come to hate it if I had to do it as a job, he said. I will probably keep doing this even after I leave Afghanistan, but it will just be for my family and friends.With all the success Johnson has had in creating culinary masterpieces from the bits and pieces of care packages, he has surely earned his place as an honorary mad scientist. And, with how good everyone says his expeditionary treats taste, he surely isnt in any danger of being run out of town by an angry mob. In fact, its actually quite the opposite. New co-chairman joins Air Forces retiree council A new co-chairman will share the head of the table at this year's Air Force Retiree Council meeting in May. Retired Lt. Gen. Stephen Hoog, who left active duty in October, succeeds retired Lt. Gen. Steven Polk as council co-chair with retired Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Rodney McKinley. The co-chairs serve as personal advisers to the chief of staff and the secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding retirees and their families. Hoog's appointment was announced by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III. Meeting at the Air Force Personnel Center, the council receives briefings on today's Air Force structure from senior members of the Air Staff and other Air Force elements. This information helps the 19-member panel address issues submitted from 100 base-level retiree activities offices worldwide. Subjects range from health care to publication of the Afterburner newsletter to various benefit and entitlement enhancements. Recommendations on key issues are forwarded to the Air Force chief of staff and subject matter experts. Hoog attended a council orientation in early February where he was able to meet with Polk and McKinley to discuss his new role and responsibilities. "As a fairly new retiree myself, I am impressed with the support and services the Air Force strives to provide its retirees, their families and surviving spouses," Hoog said. "I'm looking forward to serving on the council beside others who care deeply about our retiree family." A native of the Bay Area in California, Hoog is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He is a command pilot with more than 3,400 flying hours, including 181 combat hours over Bosnia and Iraq. During his tenure as co-chair, Polk was instrumental in bolstering commander support for base-level retiree activities offices and reviving the hard-copy mailing of the Afterburner for retirees and annuitants without Internet access. "It was an honor and a privilege to serve with each council member and with CMSAFs (Gerald) Murray and McKinley -- professionals all and still serving," Polk said. "I'm proud of the work and accomplishments we handled as a team, and I'm grateful for the strong support of (former CSAF) Gen. Norton Schwartz and Gen. Welsh. I'm especially proud of the enthusiastic RAO volunteers worldwide who continue to serve our Air Force every day." McConnell Reserve group to become a wing The Air Force Reserve 931st Air Refueling Group will be designated the 931st Air Refueling Wing, effective March 5. The wing designation will establish the 931st Operations Group, the 931st Maintenance Group, and the 931st Force Support Squadron. The same authorization will also stand up the 905th and 924th Refueling Squadrons. This action will result in the growth of nearly 400 personnel to meet the needs of the newly designated wing. An official ceremony to celebrate the designation is scheduled for 10 a.m. April 30. Col. Mark. S. Larson, 931st ARG commander, said he views the ceremony as an opportunity to showcase the new wing, congratulate his Airmen on their hard work in achieving this historic milestone, and thank the local community for their long-time support in this endeavor. "The designation as a wing is a testament to the excellence of our Reserve Airmen both past and present," he said. "At the same time, this would not have been possible without the continued resolve of our elected officials and the support of our local community leaders." The 931st ARW will be the first Reserve unit to fly and maintain the new KC-46A Pegasus tanker. According to the official Air Force fact sheet, the KC-46A is intended to replace the U.S. Air Force's aging fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers which have been the Air Force's primary refueling aircraft for more than 50 years. The KC-46A will provide more refueling capability and increased capacity for cargo as well as aeromedical evacuation. The KC-46A will provide aerial refueling to Air Force, Navy, Marine and allied nation aircraft. For all media interested in attending the official wing designation ceremony, or to request more information about the 931st Air Refueling Group, please contact the 931st Air Refueling Group Public Affairs office at (316) 759-3704, or (316) 617-0550. All the latest Ashbourne news. Ashbourne is an historic market town in Derbyshire. Situated on the southern edge of the Peak District, it is known as the 'Gateway to Dovedale' and the 'Gateway to the Peak District'. Ashbourne is famous for the annual Royal Shrovetide Football Match, which has been played since at least 1667, although its origins may date back centuries earlier. Ashbourne became a Fairtrade town in March 2005. The popular Tissington Trail, which follows the route of the former Ashbourne to Buxton railway, starts on the edge of town. Keep up to date with the latest news from the town by signing up for our newsletter. by NAT da Polis Death toll so far is of 28 dead and 61 wounded. Media blackout, only official statements published. Suspicions point to PKK. Turkeys ambiguity on Islamic State and war in Syria. Istanbul (AsiaNews) - A large explosion rocked Ankara last night, close to a Turkish army military complex, consisting of several military buildings including the headquarters of the General Staff of the army and the Air Force. The target of the attack was a Turkish official convoy headed toward this military complex. The death toll so far is 28 people with more than 61 injured, but it is still provisional. The explosion occurred when the vehicle stopped at a red light. According to preliminary information from the branched Armed Forces Staff and the Ministry of the Interior, explosives were placed in a car parked near a traffic light, which was detonated when the convoy had to stop because of the red light. Immediately after the attack the Turkish government imposed a black-out on media, which is still only publishing official bulletins, a reaction that has become the norm under the current Turkish government. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, in Brussels to attend the summit for refugees, decided to cancel his visit to the European capital; President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, convened a special meeting at the presidential palace, canceling a visit to Azerbaijan. Various members of the ruling party such as Bekir Bozdan, Minister of Justice, and Omer Celik, representative of the AKP ruling party, said that this is a terrorist act, implying the PKK, the Kurdish Workers' Party, considered a terrorist group. Even military sources claim that all evidence indicates that the attack is the work of the PKK. In recent months Turkey has become the target of a series of terrorist attacks also due also to its ambiguous involvement in the Syrian crisis. Ankara seems to be a favorite target for bombers, given that another attack took place in this city last October, on the eve of the general election, when a bomb was detonated at the train station of the Turkish capital, causing 100 victims. This last attack was attributed to the Islamic State, with which the Turkish government is suspected of being in treacherous collusion. This time the message is much stronger, because this attack appears to be aimed directly at the heart Turkish army. No doubt it also has very important political connotations. According to the comments from diplomatic circles in Ankara, reactions will almost certainly affect the already fragile balance in this part of the planet. Even though Core Campus doesnt need new zoning to build The Hub, a group of determined residents has filed a petition to require a super-majority of the Flagstaff City Council for the zoning request to be approved. Brian Kulina, the citys planning development manager who has been working on the 660-bed Southside project, told Council Tuesday that the city has received a citizens petition to require at least six votes for approval on the seven-member council. The city clerk is reviewing the petition to see if it meets the citys requirements. Arizona Revised Statutes and the citys Zoning Code require a super-majority vote of the Council if at least 20 percent of the residents living within 150 feet of a rezoning request file a petition opposing it. City staff and John Myefski, from Myefski Architects, told Council at the meeting that if the zoning for The Hub is not approved, Core Campus could still build the project on the property. However, with the zoning denied the project could be taller, have more rooms, the same amount of parking and little or no retail shops. Kulina said Core could build out to the same square footage and same number of bedrooms and parking, but the complex could be taller. Myefski said if Core was forced to build under the existing zoning, the retail on Mikes Pike would probably be replaced with more residential units and the building would be taller. But the company would much prefer the project it was currently presenting to the public and Council, said Linsay Schube, from Gammage & Burnham, the attorneys representing Core. Flagstaff City Council spent two and half hours listening to and questioning staff and Core Campus Tuesday night about The Hub. That time frame didnt include public comments, which Council will take at its Feb. 23 meeting. Staff and Core Campus, the developer of The Hub, each got 45 minutes to explain the project before councilmembers started asking questions. Core is asking to flip flop the zoning on two sections of the project site in order to put retail shops on Mikes Pike and walk-up apartments on Phoenix Avenue. How do you explain the overwhelming opposition to this project? Councilmember Eva Putzova asked. Myefski said he didnt think there was overwhelming opposition to the project. They did have support in the community, although a lot of those supporters dont come to the Planning and Zoning and Council meetings. As of Tuesday night, the citys Planning and Zoning staff had received 56 comments opposed to the project for various reasons, two comments seeking more information on the project and three comments in support of the project. Vice Mayor Celia Barotz said I think its a clash of values (for residents). Its a huge change for this city. Its hard for people to accept this look. People are wrestling with how this could all work together. Although The Hub will have 660 beds, Core is required under the code to provide just 265 parking spaces. It agreed to provide an additional 100 spaces during last weeks Planning and Zoning Commission hearing. The P&Z then voted 6-1 to endorse the plan. Barotz asked how the city calculated the traffic trips generated by The Hub. Jeff Bauman, the citys traffic engineer, explained that staff contacted a number of student-oriented apartment complexes around the city that rent by the room and asked how many rooms they had and how many parking spaces. Staff then compared the trip rates from the student-oriented leased-by-the-bed complexes to the Institute of Transportation Engineers rates for a regular apartment complex, he said. They found that during the peak a.m. travel period the student apartment had a trip rating of 1.8 trips per bed, while ITE had an average rate of 0.3 trips per bed during the same time. During the peak p.m. hours, local student apartments generated 0.35 trips per bed, while the ITE estimated a rate of 0.4. Commercial traffic was factored into the equation, he said. Mayor Jerry Nabours and Scott Overton asked about parking. Nabours wanted to know if Hub residents would automatically get a parking spot or would they have to rent it from Core. Overton asked how Core was dealing with the parking situation at their other facilities across the country. A representative from Core said they rented spots to students. Once all the spots were rented that was it. They also didnt see a need to increase parking at their other locations, many of which had less parking than the parking proposed for The Hub. Barotz pointed out that some of those communities may have a more mature public transit system or more on-street parking. Councilmember Jeff Oravits asked about students parking on the street if the neighborhood decided to become part of the citys parking permit program. The representative from Core said students would receive information on the parking permit system and they would have to purchase a permit from the city, if they wanted to park on the street. Councilmember Coral Evans asked if Core was willing to participate in the parking permit system. Schube said the company was more than willing to participate, but would prefer two-hour parking in front of the building to accommodate the retail shops and their customers. At that point Nabours continued the discussion to Councils Feb. 23 meeting, where Council will take public comments. by Christopher Sharma During his six-day official visit, the Nepali prime minister will meet his Indian counterpart. This is the first visit since India ended its export embargo. Nepal has set specific guidelines for meetings, especially on its secular state and new Constitution. Four Memoranda of Understanding should be signed on trade. Kathmandu (AsiaNews) Nepali Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli will land in India tomorrow on an official six-day visit. During his stay, he is expected to meet his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi. This is the first state visit after India ended its five-month export embargo that left Nepal virtually bankrupt and threatened the survival of its population. The Nepali prime minister will try to rebuild bilateral relations that the embargo had nearly destroyed. Nevertheless, the Nepali government is not going to discuss the countrys secular constitution. Meetings will focus only economic issues. Four Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) are expected to help relaunch the country after the devastating earthquake of April 2015. "Nepal and its people have been seriously injured by the embargo of India and we believe that this visit is to show that Nepal does not want to be under the influence of India, said Deputy Prime Minister C.P. Mainali after a cabinet meeting. We have approved some guidelines, he added, and told Oli not to sign any agreement that would influence Nepals development and sovereignty. We have asked him not to compromise on secularism and on full respect for freedom, including religious freedom in the country. All of Nepals political parties share this stance. Prime Minister Oli must ask the real reason for the embargo and let India know that the Nepali Constitution is not its problem, said Pradeep Nepal, a member of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) Rajan Bhattarai, an expert on Indian-Nepali relations, said that "India wants to penetrate in Nepal and influence the population through development projects. In such time of crisis, Nepal has to show that it is independent. " For Nepali government spokesman Sherdhan Rai, "In all probability the visit will not touch any sensitive issue, like state secularism or minority rights, ostensibly the reason for Indias embargo, but we are prepared to sign some aid projects with India." The four agreements include a line of credit of a billion dollars for infrastructure projects that had been announced during Modis visit of August 2014, a billion dollars for post-earthquake reconstruction following last Junes donor conference, a deal between Radio Nepal and All India Radio to exchange programmes, and a formal announcement about the recently built Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur transmission line that would allow Nepal to import 80 MW. "There has been a loss of trust between the leaders of the two countries. The visit aims to reduce this gap, said Dinesh Bhattarai, a former Nepali ambassador to the United Nations. Ciudad Juarez (AsiaNews) Conversion, no more death, no more exploitation for those who try to emigrate. Hundreds of thousands of people, from both sides of the wire mesh that divides Mexico and the United States gathered to hear the Popes appeal. In Ciudad Juarez, the border town sadly linked to drug trafficking, violence and exploitation of those who want to illegally cross the border to reach their "American dream" Francis celebrated the last Mass of his trip to Mexico, from where he left for Rome , where he is due to arrive at 14:45 local time. The plight of migrants, was at the heart of the Pope's thoughts, this time was evoked not only in his new appeal against exploitation, but also in gestures: shortly before the celebration, he went towards the large wooden cross overlooking the border and he blessed the shoes of the dead migrants who failed to cross the border, along which he passed in the popemobile. And at the end of the ceremony he greeted the approximately 50 thousand people who were "on the other side", in El Paso Texas. His homily was inspired by the biblical story of "the great city of Nineveh, [which] was self-destructing as a result of oppression and dishonour, violence and injustice", to which God sends, through Jonah, the invitation to conversion . " God sent him to testify to what was happening, he sent him to wake up a people intoxicated with themselves". " The king listened to Jonah, the inhabitants of the city responded and penance was decreed. Gods mercy has entered the heart, revealing and showing wherein our certainty and hope lie: there is always the possibility of change, we still have time to transform what is destroying us as a people, what is demeaning our humanity. Mercy encourages us to look to the present, and to trust what is healthy and good beating in every heart. Gods mercy is our shield and our strength". " This word echoes forcefully today among us; this word is the voice crying out in the wilderness, inviting us to conversion. In this Year of Mercy, with you here, I beg for Gods mercy; with you I wish to plead for the gift of tears, the gift of conversion". "Let us together ask our God for the gift of conversion, the gift of tears, let us ask him to give us open hearts like the Ninevites, open to his call heard in the suffering faces of countless men and women. No more death! No more exploitation! There is still time to change, there is still a way out and a chance, time to implore the mercy of God". "Here in Ciudad Juarez, as in other border areas - he continued - there are thousands of immigrants from Central America and other countries, not forgetting the many Mexicans who also seek to pass over to the other side. Each step, a journey laden with grave injustices: the enslaved, the imprisoned and extorted; so many of these brothers and sisters of ours are the consequence of a trade in human beings. ". " We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis which in recent years has meant migration for thousands of people, whether by train or highway or on foot, crossing hundreds of kilometres through mountains, deserts and inhospitable zones. The human tragedy that is forced migration is a global phenomenon today. This crisis which can be measured in numbers and statistics, we want instead to measure with names, stories, families. They are the brothers and sisters of those expelled by poverty and violence, by drug trafficking and criminal organizations. Being faced with so many legal vacuums, they get caught up in a web that ensnares and always destroys the poorest. Not only do they suffer poverty but they must also endure these forms of violence. Injustice is radicalized in the young; they are cannon fodder, persecuted and threatened when they try to flee the spiral of violence and the hell of drugs, not to mention the tragic predicament of the many women whose lives have been unjustly taken". "This time for conversion, this time for salvation, is the time for mercy. And so, let us say together in response to the suffering on so many faces: In your compassion and mercy, Lord, have pity on us cleanse us from our sins and create in us a pure heart, a new spirit". A spirit that the Pope sees in "countless civil organizations working to support the rights of migrants. I know too of the committed work of so many men and women religious, priests and lay people in accompanying migrants and in defending life. They are on the front lines, often risking their own lives. By their very lives they are prophets of mercy; they are the beating heart and the accompanying feet of the Church that opens its arms and sustains". And at the end of the homily, the Pope greeted the faithful at the US border, in El Paso, including many in the Sun Bowl Stadium. "With the help of technology - his words - we can pray, sing and celebrate the merciful love that God gives us, and that no border can prevent us from sharing. Thank you brothers and sisters at El Paso of making us feel like one family and one, same, Christian community". "Mexico is a surprise," his final salute. " The night can seem vast and very dark, but in these days I have been able to observe that in this people there are many lights who proclaim hope; I have been able to see in many of their testimonies, in many of their faces, the presence of God who carries on walking in this land, guiding you, sustaining hope; many men and women, with their everyday efforts, make it possible for this Mexican society not to be left in darkness. They are tomorrows prophets, they are the sign of a new dawn". And, as on arrival, his thoughts went to the Virgin of Guadalupe. "May Mary, Mother of Guadalupe, continue to visit you, continue to walk on your lands, helping you to be missionaries and witnesses of mercy and reconciliation". by Nguyen Hung For the first time, the United States hosted a two-day meeting with ten Southeast Asian nations. The main topics were security, economic development and the China Sea situation. Hanoi wants to be a major partner for Washington. The US has become Vietnams main export market with bilateral trade reaching US$ 37 billion in 2015. Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews) US-Vietnamese relations are bound to grow in the coming years, as evinced by the summit between the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that just ended in California. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung attended the two-day event (15-16 February) in Sunnylands, the first joint summit between the ten-nation group and the United States. Chaired by Barak Obama, the meeting focused on political and economic strategies to develop the ASEAN region with Washington's help, following the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which covers 40 per cent the world economy. Vietnam has expressed a desire to play a leading role in the growing economy of Southeast Asia announcing that in the coming years it wants to develop closer cooperation with the United States on defence, science and technology, economic development and foreign investment. Last year, the United States became Vietnams main foreign export market. Since 2005, trade between the two countries has grown by 23 per cent, reaching US$ 37 billion in October 2015 with Vietnam having the lion share, US$ 26 billion. US investment in the Asian country reached US$ 11 billion in February 2015. Cultural and educational exchanges have also increased. According to Vietnamese government data, at least 17,000 Vietnamese students are presently studying in the United States. In the first eight months of 2015, 336,000 American tourists travelled to the Socialist republic (+ 6% compared to the same period of 2014). The Vietnamese prime minister and the US president also discussed the respect for the territorial sovereignty of every country, maritime security and the tense South China Sea issue, which, according to the countries involved, should be settled under the auspices of the United Nations. At the end of the summit, the ASEAN members and the United States issued a joint statement. In it, they called for upholding the basic principles of international law as set out by the United Nations Charter, solving disputes through peaceful means, and avoiding a dangerous militarisation of the area. The Melbourne Magistrates Court heard yesterday that former Victorian Legal Aid solicitor Mark Edmondson sexually assaulted a woman who is an alleged victim of family violence and met with him to discuss the case against her partner. He pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault and was fined $3,000. The 21 year old said in a victim impact statement that she had felt gross and sick in my belly following the assault, which in Edmondsons car in July last year. She said that given his role as a lawyer older than her father, she never thought he would do something like that. Edmondson initially denied the claim to police but pleaded guilty last Friday. He resigned from Victoria Legal Aid when the allegation was made. Magistrate Peter Reardon said Edmondson had exploited a vulnerable woman and had displayed a loss of control. The court heard that the woman was under pressure from her partner to change her statement. His defence lawyer told the court that Edmondson was experiencing health problems at the time and had undergone counselling. He had written an apology to the victim and had paid a large price professionally, emotionally and socially. Reardon decided not to put Edmondson on the register of sex offenders as he considered him unlikely to reoffend. His offending is before the Victorian Legal Services Board. Overall, the number of vacancies dropped last quarter, consistent with the dip in hiring over the holiday period, yet corporate and M&A vacancies increased by two per cent.Adjusting for the traditional wind down towards Christmas it does indicate a meaningful upward trend, legal recruiter Jason Elias told Australasian Lawyer.Elias said he expects the upward demand to continue over the course of the financial year.He puts the increase down to a boost in business confidence, following the change in government leadership.The change in Prime Ministership has had a positive effect on business confidence which manifests itself in increased opportunities for lawyers and consequently more legal jobs, Elias said. Malcolm Turnbull 's business background and emphasis on innovation has pushed some of the right buttons and it appears more deals are in the pipeline across the economy.The index found more opportunities for Sydney lawyers with around half of the overall jobs advertised in the city. Elias said the results suggest that Sydney firms are ramping up their hiring to prepare for deals this year, across experience levels but younger lawyers in particular.The key interest is in lawyers with at least three years relevant PQE to junior band of Senior Associates, Elias said. . CNN reports that Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein has spoken with the Chinese authorities and expressed concern that they "too often reflexively confuse the legitimate role of lawyers and activists with threats to public order and security." More than 200 lawyers and others have been arrested since the crackdown began last July.Herbert Smith Freehills recently announced that it is continuing its support for diversity by sponsoring the Brisbane MELT Festival for the first time this year. It has now confirmed that it will also support the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras for the second consecutive year. The event, one of the largest of its kind in the world, runs from this Friday (19Feb.) until 6March. The firm is also supporting the Melbourne Queer Film Festival.A proposal to standardise the entry exam for solicitors in England & Wales could lead to talented individuals deciding against qualifying. The Law Society has responded to the proposals of the Solicitors Regulation Authority to create the Solicitors Qualifying Examination to replace other routes to qualification.Law Society president Jonathan Smithers said the society supports a centralised entrance exam but warned that it is critical that the standards for the solicitor qualification are not diminished, as this will damage the standing of solicitors at home and abroad and thereby impact on our economy and jobs. He said that if the standard is not set at the right level to ensure the profession attracts the best.The law firm that represents Microsoft for much of its legal work is to close at the end of the month. The sudden closure has not been explained but is reported to be for financial reasons. Lawyers and staff at Gonzalez Saggio & Harlans 15 offices across the US were informed of the closure on Monday.BizJournals.com has published an emailed statement attributed to the Wisconsin-based firms chairman Emery Harlan which includes the words:After considerable analysis and deliberation, the equity partners of Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan have voted to discontinue the operation of the firm effective Feb. 29, 2016. Our immediate concern is to our clients and working with our lawyers and employees to transition the legal services we have been providing to other firms or lawyers. The Civic for Southeast Asian markets will share its styling and most of its mechanicals with the all-new model on sale in the US. Honda revealed the all-new, tenth-generation Honda Civic in September 2015 followed by the Civic Coupe in November. The company is now developing an ASEAN-spec model for launch in Southeast Asian markets with a prototype being spotted in Thailand. Honda Thailand has also released images of the tenth-gen model wearing an RS badge, with large alloy wheels and a tail-gate mounted rear spoiler. The ASEAN-spec Civic, seen in the images, retains the styling of its US-spec sibling with its low, wide stance and Hondas flying H front end design. Like its US-spec sibling, the ASEAN-spec car will use Hondas new 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine though output will be down and will develop 170bhp as against the US model's 203bhp. The second engine on offer will be a naturally aspirated 1.8-litre petrol motor. The engines will be paired to a choice of a manual or CVT gearbox. Features such as LED headlamps, dual-zone climate control, powered front seats, adaptive cruise control and a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are likely to be carried forward from the US-spec model. Honda discontinued the Civic in India citing decline in demand, the lack of a diesel engine and shrinking market share of the D-segment sedans. It is unconfirmed if Honda has any plans to reintroduce the sedan here, with this tenth-generation model. Honda is also developing a Civic hatchback for the European markets with a concept model set to make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2016. PHOENIX State lawmakers launched a three-pronged attack on abortions and abortion providers Wednesday, banning fetal research, limiting medication abortions and cutting off the access of Planned Parenthood to payroll deductions by state employees. The most far-reaching measure would impose a comprehensive prohibition on the use of any human fetus or embryo in any research, experimentation, study or transplanting. The only exceptions would be for diagnostic purposes to preserve the life of mother or the fetus, or for a pathological study to determine the cause of death. SB 1474, approved on a 4-3 party-line vote by the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, also makes it a crime to knowingly sell, transfer, distribute, give away, accept, use or attempt to use any human fetus or embryo or any part, organ or fluid of the human fetus or embryo resulting from an abortion. Sen. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix, said the legislation is in response to the undercover videos that emerged last year that purport to show the trafficking of aborted fetuses and body parts, videos she said shocked the soul. Those videos appeared to show Planned Parenthood employees discussing how fetuses were aborted in ways to preserve the organs and negotiating sales prices. That revealed a side to the abortion industry most Americans didnt know about, she said. This bill seeks to protect the dignity of aborted preborn children, Barto said. She said her measure will prevent the preborn from becoming little more than a harvested commodity. House Minority Leader Katie Hobbs said she, too, was shocked by the videos but not in the same way as Barto. This is not happening, the Phoenix Democrat said. The videos have been discredited by an independent forensic analysis that showed numerous inaccuracies and misleading claims, false claims, Hobbs said. And she said investigations of Planned Parenthood in several states have cleared the organization. of any wrongdoing. None of this affects Planned Parenthood here which says it does not do fetal donations. But Hobbs said the ban on research is far-reaching and inappropriate, especially if the woman agrees to donate the fetus for important research. Woke up this morning feeling shit. Broke my tip and Fabe on my left leg plates and screws. Right ankle with a few screws. Finger to Charley Boorman (@charleyboorman) February 17, 2016 Charley Update: Jst spoke now. Bit sore, family there now. Ready 2 start fight back to fitness - day 1 of recovery. pic.twitter.com/GcQkuVOoQj Billy Biketruck (@Biketruck) February 17, 2016 Boorman became famous after partnering with fellow actor and rider Ewan Mcgregor for a round-the-world trip that was turned into the Long Way Round adventure documentary. After being a BMW ambassador for years, Boorman went on to represent a domestic manufacturer and enlisted as a Triumph herald.Obviously, the house of Hinckley would have him at the launch of their new adventure flagship, an event that gathered press from all over the world in sunny Portugal.No details as to how this unfortunate event happened have been disclosed, and this is most likely because the ongoing investigation is still putting things together.Despite being in good spirits heading for surgery, Boorman didn't come out too well from the crash. He revealed that he had a broken fibula and tibia in the left foot, and a broken right ankle, with plates and screws needed to reduce and immobilize the fractures.Boorman's friend Billy Ward kept updates coming and says that he woke up after the surgery being a bit sore, but ready to start fighting his way back to fitness. His right pinky is alright, medical investigations say.Judging by Boorman's experience as a rider, it's quite difficult to guess what happened and if the cause of the accident was the rider's mistake or not. However, we're relieved to learn that he is alive and kicking, because we cannot forget the mysterious death of motorcycle journalist Kevin Ash in South Africa in the spring of 2013.To this day, the exact causes of Ash' crash remain unknown, and no unequivocal explanation has been provided to clarify things. Luckily, we don't have to pass through this again, and we're joining the crowds in wishing Charley a speedy and full recovery. Carlos Checa (Superbike World Champion in 2011 with the Ducati 1198) Dario Marchetti (technical director and chief instructor, a very experienced rider) Michele Pirro (official Ducati Corse test rider for MotoGP since 2013 and Italian champion Superbike in 2015) Argentinian Leandro Tati Mercado (2014 Superstock World Champion) Alessandro Valia (official Ducati test rider for production bikes since 2007) Matteo Baiocco (official Ducati Corse test rider for the Panigale Superbike) Manuel Poggiali (125 World Champion in 2001 and 250 World Champion in 2003) Paolo Casoli (Supersport World Champion in 1997) Andrew Pitt (Superbike World Championships in 2001 and 2003). The biggest change in the curriculum of the Ducati Riding Experience is the DRE Enduro course. An authentic off-road school, as Ducati describes the DRE Enduro, this course will make use of Bologna's all-new adventure machine, the Multistrada 1200 Enduro , introduced last November at EICMA DRE Enduro will help riders perfect their techniques and become more capable of tackling any type of terrain. Ducati is yet to announce the dates and more information about the DRE Enduro, as well as prices and booking methods. This data will be made available on Ducati's website shortly.However, Borgo Panigale has revealed that the Ducati Riding Experience Enduro courses will take place on the grounds of Castello Nipozzano, a famous historic estate owned by the Marquis Frescobaldi, with Beppe Gualini of Dakar fame as Technical Director.No less than six track courses are available this year through the Ducati Riding Experience, two for the riders who are new to the track, and four for those who want to learn more road racing secrets.The Intro and Precision course address those who wish to perfect their road riding skills in complete safety, while Track Evo, Track Warm Up, Track Master and Champs Academy are dedicated to the riders who are no longer new to the sport.Ducati chose two of the most iconic circuits in the world for the road racing courses of the DRE 2016, Mugello and the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, with all the action having World Champion Carlos Checa as a track guide for the students.The Champs Academy courses will use the Panigale R, whereas the Track Master will sport the 1299 Panigale S. Track Warm Up and Track Evo will use 959 Panigale bikes, and the new Hypermotard 939, the Hyperstrada 939, and the Monster 1200 and 1200 R will be part of the Precision course. Intro students will use the Monster 821.The DRE 2016 attendants can also hire D|air Racing Ducati Corse airbag-equipped leathers, Ducati adds. As for the people who will lead the training program, here is the list:Check with the Ducati Riding Experience website for more info. This is the conclusion we've reached after being treated with the automaker's freshest marketing campaign, one that comes from its German arm and creative studio Parasol Island.In fact, the word "fresh" doesn't quite cut it for this story, since we're dealing with... a limited edition Mud Mask.We are kidding you not - with the help of the third-party mentioned above, Jeep has come up with a cosmetic product for your car. And yes, this does exactly what you think it does.Perhaps this is the carmaker's subtle way of telling Jeep drivers who confine their machines to the city that they should dip into the rugged terrain potential of their Jeeps from time to time.As Adweek explains, the Mud Masks aren't the kind of product you can buy. But they're real and all Jeep aficionados need to do in order to grab one is to head over to Jeep's German website and enter a competition that can bring them such a treatment.The Mud Mask even has its own short film, with the piece of footage, which you can find below, featuring brand ambassador Elyas M'Barek and a Renegade.As we found out during our review, the Renegade, especially in Trailhawk trim, doesn't stay true to its name. In other words, this machine is so good at offroading that no Jeep fan would have a reason to label it as a renegade. But that's another story for another time.Once again, ladies and gentlemen offroaders, we are dealing with actual dirt, so all you need to do to obtain the mud that will give your Jeep the terrain cred is to add water. A fleet management seminar sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Madison and led by a fleet specialist has been scheduled for April 21 in Madison, Wis. The seminar, "Fleet Management: Effective Practices for Public and Private Fleets," counts for 12 Professional Development Hours (PDH) or 1.2 Continuing Education Units (CEU). The seminar will be taught by John Dolce, a fleet specialist with Wendel Companies in Roseland, N.J. It will cover several topics, including how to: Control fleet shop costs Optimize vehicle replacement Specify vehicles and equipment Measure fleet shop performance Improve fleet shop quality and productivity The event will take place at Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St. The course fee is $995. To register, visit the University of Wisconsin website here. Raphael Hyundai Motor America has named Erwin Raphael as the general manager for the Genesis luxury brand and named his replacement to manage Western dealers, the automaker has announced. Raphael will oversee the strategic direction and management of Genesis operations in the U.S., including sales and marketing. He reports to Dave Zuchowski, president and chief executive. Raphael arrives in the role after a promotion from western region director and general manager for Hyundai where he oversaw the operations of 165 Hyundai dealerships in 12 Western states. Hyundai has named Kimberly Walker to Raphael's former role. Walker will report to Derrick Hatami, vice president of national sales. Raphael and Walker will step into their new roles on March 1. At that time, Raphael will begin forming a team ahead of the summer launch of the Genesis G90, the first luxury sedan from the luxury spinoff. Walker Raphael has worked for Hyundai since 2010 and has also served as the director of engineering and quality, where he was responsible for new vehicle engineering, overall improvement in quality of production vehicles, technical training and support, as well as warranty planning and operations. Walker joined Hyundai in 2006 and served in roles in assurance products and consumer affairs prior to being named director of parts marketing in 2008. Walker is moving from her current role as director of retail process and sales satisfaction. Prior to joining Hyundai, Walker spent more than 12 years with Nissan North America, where she held numerous positions in sales, marketing, and parts and service in both the Nissan and Infiniti field organizations. VIDEO: Maryland's Ignition Interlock Bill Ignition interlocks have stopped more than 1.77 million would-be drunk drivers across the country since states first started passing laws requiring DUI offenders to install the in-vehicle devices, according to a new report from Mothers Against Dunk Driving. The numbers, collected from 11 major ignition interlock manufacturers, underscore the dangerous rate at which drunk driving offenders continue to make the reckless decision to drink and drive, even after they have been caught, the report states. MADD knows ignition interlocks save lives, and they could save even more lives if every offender is required to use the device after the first arrest, said Colleen Sheehey-Church, whose 18-year-old son Dustin was killed by an underage drunk and drugged driver. The fact that so many people have attempted to drive impaired even after being caught and ordered to use an ignition interlock tells us that we must put technology between all offenders and their cars. Every state requires ignition interlocks for some drunk driving offenders, but MADD is urging all 50 states to require ignition interlocks for all offenders following a drunk driving offense. Twenty-five states have all-offender laws now. Fourteen states require the devices for first-time offenders with a BAC of .15 or more. On average, a drunk driver has driven drunk 80 times before a first arrest. Moreover, 50% to 75% of convicted drunk drivers will continue to drive after their license is suspended, according to the report. States that mandate ignition interlocks for all offenders have seen significant reductions in drunk driving fatalities, including a 50% decrease in Arizona since its law passed in 2007, the report pointed out. Similarly, drunk driving deaths in West Virginia have dropped 40% since 2008. MADDs report shows how many times ignition interlocks have prevented drunk driving in each state. This report is a wakeup call to states that dont have all-offender ignition interlock laws, Sheehey-Church said. MADD calls on the remaining states to pass stronger laws this year states like Maryland, Florida, California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Residents and visitors in those states deserve the same protection offered in states with strong ignition interlock laws such as Texas, Arizona, West Virginia and New Mexico. At a news conference in Annapolis, Md., MADD announced the report findings and dedicated the report to Officer Noah Leotta, who was killed in December by a suspected repeat drunk driver. Leottas father, Rich, held up an interlock device as he called for the Maryland General Assembly to pass an all-offender ignition interlock law. If the state of Maryland had already mandated this lifesaving technology for all convicted drunk drivers, this collision likely would not have happened, and Noah would be alive today, Rich Leotta said. The state of Maryland must do better. Our nation must do better. Maryland Senator Jamie Raskin and Delegate Ben Kramer are authoring Noahs Law in honor of the fallen officer. In California, MADD is busy lobbying for the passage of a bill that would expand an ignition interlock pilot program statewide and make the program permanent law. Since July 2010, the devices have been mandated for all convicted drunk drivers in a four-county pilot program in Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Tulare counties. The pilot program is set to expire in July 2017. To download the MADD report, click here. To watch a video about legislative efforts in Maryland, click on the photo or link below the headline. Google has reported found another spot to test its self-driving technology. Alphabet, the parent company of the search giant, is looking for locations to build an R&D site for its autonomous vehicles near Ann Arbor, Mich., sources with knowledge on the matter told Automotive News affiliate Crain's Detroit Business. They added that the goal is to obtain at least 30,000 square feet of space, with considered locations including Southfield, Troy and Farmington Hills. The move, if true, would follow a year after Google announced that it would move into about 140,000 square feet of space outside downtown Ann Arbor, which was followed by the company leasing about 90,000 square feet in the 696 Centre building in Farmington Hills. Michigan is already home to several test sites for self-driving cars, including MCity and the University of Michigan, which may have an influence on Google's autonomous plans, as the company reportedly wants to hold its tests in a restricted area, like a college campus, according to Autoblog. Google currently has three spots for testing its autonomous technology, which include Mountain View, Calif., Austin, Texas, and Kirkland, Wash., which the search giant added to its test site list just two weeks ago. The report is the latest development to come out of Google's self-driving project, following a week after FCC documents suggested that the company is testing a wireless charging systems for the cars, 9 to 5 Google reported. Google also revealed last week that it was hiring for manufacturing and marketing jobs involving next-gen technology, with 36 positions currently open on the job listings. PHOENIX Contending that cities are ignoring the laws they pass, lawmakers voted Wednesday to let the attorney general direct that their state aid be withheld until they comply. Theres nobody in this room who, if they disobey state law or the state constitution, would not be subject to punitive measures, Senate President Andy Biggs said. And he said local governments expect businesses and residents in their jurisdictions to obey their laws. But Biggs told members of the Senate Government Committee there is a growing disrespect for state law. And he argued that some cities simply ignore mandates and restrictions figuring theres little the Legislature can do about it. When we pass laws, we expect them to be obeyed, he said. Biggs said if cities and counties think the Legislature has acted illegally they have a remedy: sue. But when a subdivision of the state deliberately chooses to disobey a law ... theyre still bound to obey that law, he said. Biggs said SB 1487 provides a mechanism to ensure compliance. Under the terms of the measure approved by the committee on a 4-3 vote, any individual or business who thinks a local regulation is contrary to state law can complain to any legislator. That lawmaker, in turn, would require the attorney general to investigate. If that inquiry concludes state law is being violated, the local government is given 30 days to comply. At that point, failure to do that would require the treasurer to stop providing state aid and redistribute those dollars to every other community. Biggs did not name names. But based on his examples, two communities already could be in trouble. He cited various state laws that restrict the ability of local governments to enact their own gun regulations. Tucson officials already are embroiled in a dispute over two of its ordinances, including one that requires people who lose a weapon to report it to police. In fact, former Attorney General Tom Horne already has issued a formal legal opinion saying those ordinances are illegal. City Attorney Mike Rankin disagrees. And the council has refused to back off. Biggs also mentioned a 2015 law saying cities cannot regulate plastic bags. Yet Bisbee has refused to rescind its ordinance. There, a city attorney said he does not read the law to overrule Bisbees already existing law. Biggs said his legislation will ensure that local governments cannot simply ignore state statutes. The one thing that Ive found seems to get the attention of every subdivision of the state and every agency or department is a monetary type of notification, he said. Ken Strobeck, executive director of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, acknowledged there are disputes between cities and the state over their respective authorities and roles. He said these have generally been resolved in court, with judges deciding who is right. Many of those cases have ended with the Supreme Court siding with cities, as was the case after the Legislature tried to tell Tucson it could not have partisan council elections. The Legislature also lost its bid to bar cities from setting higher minimum wages, and Gov. Ducey has threatened to penalize those cities nevertheless. Strobeck said the Legislature does have the constitutional right to control issues of statewide concern. But he said that is not an unrestricted right. And he pointed out that there were cities before there was a state, with 20 communities already in existence in 1912. Strobeck said the big flaw, though, is that it turns due process on its head. He said a city that disagrees with the attorney general loses money immediately and then would have to go to court to get it back after posting six months worth of state shared revenues as bond. They are presumed guilty, he said. Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, who supported the measure, said he doesnt think it will ever come to that. He said just the threat of loss of revenues will be enough to convince cities to fall into line. The measure now needs approval of the full Senate. 18 February 2016 17:25 (UTC+04:00) By Nazrin Gadimova The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has refused to examine the appeal of Azerbaijani hostages, who are in Armenian captivity for more than two years. Azerbaijans Plenipotentiary Representative in the Strasbourg Court, Chingiz Askerov said that refusal of the European Court to examine the appeal by way of precedent showed its bias position. The Court has gradually changed its structure from legal to political and therefore the organization has lost its features of the independent court, Askerov emphasized. Relatives of Azerbaijani hostages Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Asgarov have appealed to various organizations, including the European Court of Human Rights. Although the appeal showed strong evidences, the ECHR refused to examine the case. Armenian forces killed an Azerbaijani, Hasan Hasanov, and detained Guliyev and Asgarov while they were attempting to visit the graves of their relatives in July 2014. Guliyev and Asgarov have been judged illegally by the unrecognized courts of a separatist regime in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh. Following an expedited judicial process" in December 2015, Asgarov was sentenced to life imprisonment and Guliyev to 22 years. A number of international organizations, as well as Baku, repeatedly urged Yerevan to start peaceful negotiations on this issue and to free the hostages, the Armenian side remained deaf. Furthermore, the Armenian side ignoring all calls and violating the international rules and norms was subjecting the hostages to various tortures. The official further added that the Azerbaijani government appealed to the European Court in connection with this issue, but has not yet received a response. Baku earlier announced that Armenia is responsible for the use of torture against Azerbaijani citizens, as well as for the improvised court as it contradicts the European Convention on human rights, international humanitarian law, the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Armenian aggression against its neighboring country resulted in occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijans internationally recognized territories. The large-scale hostilities resulted in death of over 20,000 Azerbaijanis while over 4,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis were taken captive, hostage, or went missing as a result of the war. The majority of those captured during the hostilities are children, elderly people and women. The Azerbaijani National Security Ministrys documents earlier revealed that Armenian vandals have set up six women- and children- only internment camps: Vardenis childrens camp (250 occupancy), Razdan children's camp (180 occupancy), Khankendi (Stepanakert) children's camp (180), Gechashen women's camp (320), Jermuk women's camp (250) and Kalbajar women's camp (150). The available data shows that Armenians have grossly violated the rules and provisions of the conventions on captives and hostages. They subjected hostages to brutal forms of tortures and forced them into hard labor. -- Nazrin Gadimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @NazrinGadimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 February 2016 10:00 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova A Board of Appeal, recently established in Azerbaijan by a presidential decree as a real control mechanism, will become an effective structure engaged in operational activities, will carry out the tasks assigned by President Ilham Aliyev. The agency will resolve valid complaints and problems of entrepreneurs in a short term and in an easy way. This was stated by Eldar Nuriyev, the Chairman of the Board of Appeal under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Head of the Department of State Control of the Presidential Administration on February 15. He told Azertag state news agency that the Board of Appeal established in accordance with the development strategy pursued in new economic conditions, is aimed at promotion and encouragement of entrepreneurship, and reliable protection of rights of entrepreneurs. On February 3, President Aliyev signed a decree on establishment of a Board of Appeal, which will operate under the head of state. The decree said that the Board will be established for providing a multistep process in the sphere of considering appeals by individuals and legal entities in the field of entrepreneurship, improving the mechanism of submitting complaints to a higher authority regarding the decisions of central and local executive authorities, their action or inaction. On the same day, according to other presidential decree, boards of appeal in central and local executive authorities of Azerbaijan were established, which are now operating under several ministries and state committees. Nuriyev believes that establishment of this structure is an integral part of state policy, successfully pursued in the field of economic reforms. "The Board is instructed to implement very important functions to eliminate obstacles hindering the activities of entrepreneurs and impeding their work, to address the issues raised in the complaints, to ensure justified appeals in accordance with the legislation, and to appeal to the prosecutor's offices to carry out the measures for identification of negative facts," he noted. The Board's functions, being an integral part of economic reforms and anti-corruption policies carried out in the country, are expected to contribute to the creation of a strict order in the entrepreneurship field, the formation of a civilized business environment, elimination of violations of the law, negative manifestations, and sustainable development of entrepreneurship and economy. "The Board is a collegial body that provides absolute, diversified and objective consideration of disputes arisen between physical and legal entities operating in the field of entrepreneurship, more precisely, between entrepreneurs and central and local executive authorities, the adoption of legal and fair decisions," Nuriyev stated. Establishment of a Board of Appeal is an additional guarantee for protection of the rights of businessmen operating in the private sector, as well as development of entrepreneurship in the country. In case if a compliant of an entrepreneur submitted to an executive body is not considered, or if there is a dispute in decision-making, the entrepreneur will have an opportunity to submit a complaint directly to the Boards of Appeal of the central and local executive authorities, and in case if he/she is not satisfied with their decision he/she can appeal to the Board of Appeal under the President of Azerbaijan. "One of the most interesting and important points is that the entrepreneur will have a chance to participate in the process of resolution of a dispute from the date of appeal to the Board. This mechanism, in turn, will provide an opportunity to deal with complaints and issues in a transparent manner, on the basis of transparent procedures, elimination of bureaucratic obstacles hindering the development of entrepreneurship, a more effective fight against corruption, operative and objective settlement of problems arisen in the normal operation of entrepreneurs, and increasing their confidence in the state," he added. Who can appeal to Board? Nuriyev said all physical and legal entities engaged in entrepreneurship activities can make a complaint to the appropriate boards of appeal in case of absolute or partial dissatisfaction with the decision taken on their business activities by the central or local authorities, refusal to make a decision, and an action or inaction. "The entrepreneurs can appeal to the Board of Appeal under the President of Azerbaijan if they are dissatisfied with the decisions of the central and local boards of appeal, these bodies' rejection to take a decision, as well as their action or inaction," Nuriyev said. He also said in the last few days, the Board of Appeal under the Azerbaijani President has received many complaints on the decisions taken by a number of authorities, and their number is growing every day. "It is projected that growth dynamics will continue in the future." To reduce the number of complaints and to prevent unnecessary growth of complaints to the Board of Appeal, the central and local executive authorities should take necessary measures, to consider the appeals of the entrepreneurs with high responsibility, to consider these complaints promptly and fairly, to ensure legitimate demands and requests, and to eliminate bureaucratic factors, shortcomings and failures. "The entrepreneurs, in their turn, should responsibly make complaints, well knowing their rights and obligations, complying strictly with the provisions of the law, not bringing unwarranted claims, and refraining from unnecessary complaints," Nuriyev stressed. Only the entrepreneurs and their legal representatives can make complaints to the Boards of Appeals Board, and these complaints should only be associated with their business activities. "In addition, the entrepreneurs should comply with the rules of submission of complaints, the form and content of the complaint, and other requirements. Otherwise, it will be impossible to resolve their complaints in accordance with the law," he said. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 February 2016 10:25 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has postponed his visit to Azerbaijan scheduled for February 18. Erdogan planned to pay a visit to the country to join the meeting of Turkey-Azerbaijan High Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Azerbaijan's Ganja. The Turkish president made a phone call to President Ilham Aliyev on February 17 and said that he would not be able to visit Baku on February 18 to take part at the Council's meeting due to a terror attack in Ankara. President Aliyev resolutely condemned the terror attack, extended condolences on his own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan to bereaved families, President Erdogan and the people of Turkey, and also wished Allahs mercy to victims of the tragedy. The presidents agreed to determine the date of the session of Turkey-Azerbaijan High Level Strategic Cooperation Council some time later. An explosion in Ankara targeting military-owned vehicles killed at least 28 people and wounded 61 more on February 17. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 February 2016 11:24 (UTC+04:00) Steve Bullock, the Governor of the U.S. State of Montana has signed a statement condemning the Khojaly Massacre, which was committed by Armenias armed forces against the Azerbaijani civilians in 1992. The massacre resulted in the killing of 613 civilians, including some 300 children, women and elderly. The statement, which has been received by the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles, reads: "As Governor of the great State of Montana, it is with a solemn heart that I urge all Montanans to recognize February 26 as 'Khojaly Remembrance Day', a day of remembrance for the lives lost in Khojaly, Azerbaijan in 1992. Azerbaijanis living in Montana and around the globe observe this day every year to honor the lives lost on that day." Bullock emphasized that the events in Khojaly are a sobering reminder of the damage that can be inflicted in wartime and serve as an enduring reminder of the need for greater understanding, communication, and tolerance among people all over the world. As Montanans, we join with our Azerbaijani brothers and sisters in Montana to remember this day while also seeking to find understanding that surpasses the violence so often associated with conflict, the Governor notes. This is the first official document on the Khojaly Massacre issued by Montana. Thus, Montana has become the 20th state in the U.S. to condemn the Khojaly Massacre, as well as to recognize and honor its innocent victims. In 1992, the Armenian military, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops stationed in Khankendi, committed genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. A total of 487 civilians became disabled as a result of the onslaught. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 February 2016 12:48 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova Turkey condemns the terrorist attack in Ankara and is grateful to Azerbaijan for its support, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who is on visit to Baku, told reporters on February 18. "Turkey doesnt distinguish between terrorists," he said. The minister further added that the meeting of Azerbaijani and Turkish presidents that was cancelled due to the terrorist attack, will be held soon. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has postponed his visit to Azerbaijan scheduled for February 18. Erdogan planned to pay a visit to the country to join the meeting of Turkey-Azerbaijan High Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Azerbaijan's Ganja. Azerbaijan expresses deep condolences over the terrorist attacks in Turkey, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told reporters following the meeting with his Turkish counterpart. We have a clear position on this issue: we condemn any form of terrorism, said the minister, adding that currently, there is no information about the injured Azerbaijani citizens as a result of the terrorist attacks in Ankara. We discussed the regional, bilateral and strategic relations between our countries, he said, adding that the sides discussed the relations in energy sphere and the project for constructing the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. Azerbaijan and Turkey enjoy good and developing economic ties, especially in terms of huge energy projects envisaging the transportation of Azerbaijan's hydrocarbon resources to the European and world markets through the Turkish territory. Azerbaijan and Turkey are successfully engaged in mutual investment as well. It is expected that in the coming years, Azerbaijan will invest about $20 billion in Turkey. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 February 2016 15:09 (UTC+04:00) By Nazrin Gadimova Business development and the deepening of radical reforms are the priority issues for Azerbaijan at the moment, President Ilham Aliyev said as part of his visit to Azerbaijans Tovuz region on February 17. The Azerbaijani president believes that the new reforms will soon play an important role in the development of local economy. All financial, economic mechanisms in Azerbaijan should be based on the experience of the world's leading countries, Aliyev said. Development of financial and economic sectors will allow us not to depend on oil prices. This is our main task. The president said Azerbaijan has all conditions for entrepreneurship development, adding that the local entrepreneurs selling products abroad will receive funds from the state. Ilham Aliyev believes that 2016 will be a successful for Azerbaijan in terms of socio-economic development. Although our revenues declined significantly, we need to work even more effectively. I am confident that we will achieve economic progress thanks to the development of, in particular, agricultural, processing and industrial sectors, the head of state noted. As part of his visit to Tovuz, President Aliyev attended the opening of several facilities. Thus, the head of state inaugurated the road that covers the regions 13 settlements with a population of 32,000 people, kindergarten (including dailycare center) designed for one hundred children and aimed to provide 35 people with work. The Azerbaijani President got also familiarized with reconstruction works in the Heydar Aliyev park in Tovuz, as well as inaugurated one of the largest youth centers in the country in Tovuz regions Govlar city. Further, Ilham Aliyev attended the opening of the Tovuzchay reservoir. The Tovuzchay reservoir will improve water supply of 19,825 hectares of land, including 16,886 hectares in Tovuz city and 2,939 hectares in Shamkir as a result of full implementation of the project. At the same time, 300 hectares of newly irrigated lands in Tovuz will be provided with irrigation water. That will have a positive impact on raising the level of crop yield in this area. Speaking at the opening ceremony, President Aliyev noted that he is pleased with the development of agriculture in the Tovuz region. Today's ceremony is of particular importance for the development of agriculture, as after commissioning the Tovuzchay reservoir, the agricultural development will go even faster, the head of state stressed. Further, the Azerbaijani President arrived in Ganja for a visit. As part of the visit, he reviewed the Abbas Sahhat city hospital after major overhaul. The facility employs a 370-man medical staff, including 56 doctors. Moreover, he attended the opening of secondary school No. 39 and a dormitory of Azerbaijan State Agrarian University, as well as a 240-seat orphanage-kindergarten after major overhaul. The head of the state also visited the Ganja Automobile Plant, which manufactured 6,294 tractors and 134 special tractors as of 1 January 2016. The plant, a foundation stone of which was laid by national leader Heydar Aliyev, was commissioned in 2004. In the first three years, the plant manufactured OKA, UAZ, CHAN-QAN vehicles. Later, the plant opened new assembly lines and embarked on the production of tractors and MAZ trucks under a bilateral agreement with the Minsk automobile and tractor plants. Further, the president reviewed Ganja European Youth Capital 2016 Park, which occupies a total area of 1.8 hectares, as well as a park-boulevard complex built along the Ganjachay River. The president opened Nizami electrical substation, which will supply electrical power to more than 6,000 consumers and employ nearly 80 people. Aliyev visited the construction site of Ganja State Philharmonic with a concert hall for 1,200 seats, an open-air summer cinema theatre, a drawing gallery, an urban center and an observation tower. The head of state further attended the opening ceremony of a military town, which consists of 14 multi-storey apartment buildings that have a total of 696 flats. There are 48 one-room, 224 two-room, 312 three-room, and 112 four-room flats. As part of his visit to Ganja, the president went to the Imamzade religious complex, one of the architectural landmarks of the city dating back to the eighth century. Located on the ancient trade roads of the East, the complex was a holy place for Muslims of Azerbaijan and other countries throughout the centuries. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the religious complex, Aliyev stressed that the representatives of all religions live in Azerbaijan as one family. This is our greatest asset. The Orthodox, Catholic and Albanian churches and synagogues have been repaired in Azerbaijan with support of the state. Religious relations in Azerbaijan are solved on healthy soil, he said. The president noted that Azerbaijan has always been keen on further strengthening unity and solidarity in the Muslim world. We will make efforts in this direction. Once again, I want to say that Azerbaijan is a country with a great reputation in the Muslim world. We have achieved this not only due to economic and social development. The entire Muslim world appreciates the role that we play in interreligious relations, President Aliyev concluded. 18 February 2016 14:24 (UTC+04:00) The OSCE mission has today conducted a monitoring on the contact line of troops in Azerbaijan`s Tartar region in accordance with the mandate of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office. The monitoring ended without an incident, Azerbaijan`s Defense Ministry reported. The monitoring was held, on the Azerbaijani side, by Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk and his field assistant Jiri Aberle.On the opposite side, the monitoring was conducted by field assistants of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Yevgeny Sharov, Hristo Hristov and Peter Svedberg. 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 --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Summit Fire and Medical Department had two fires to put out Wednesday. According to the department, a possible structure fire was reported in the area of East Burris Lane and Prairie Dog Lane in the Doney Park area at approximately 9:40 p.m. Three summit fire engines, one battalion chief, one water tender, one Flagstaff Fire Department engine, Guardian Medical Transport and the Coconino County Sheriffs Office all responded. The first units to arrive found wind-driven flames up to 3 or 4 feet burning approximately 1 acre of grass. The fire was threatening nearby structures and evacuations were underway. Crews established a perimeter around the fire to stop it from spreading, which protected the threatened structures. Firefighters spent several more hours mopping up the blaze. There were no injuries and no reports of building damage. While crews were batting the grass fire, Summit Fire was also dispatched to a vehicle fire at milepost 224 on Interstate 40, which is near Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort. The SUV was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. Crews were able to extinguish the flames and reopen eastbound traffic on I-40. No injuries were reported. 18 February 2016 17:51 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova Fight against terrorism was high on the agenda of talks held between Azerbaijani officials and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who visited Baku on February 18. Cavusoglu met with President Ilham Aliyev, who could not host his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyib Erdogan in Baku upon the recent terror attack on Ankara on February 17. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan postponed his scheduled visit to Azerbaijan as the deadly attack left 28 people dead and 61 injured. President Aliyev expressed his condolences to Cavusoglu and the Turkish people over the loss of lives in the terror attack in Ankara, and stressed that it shocked Azerbaijan as well. He said the terror attack was strongly condemned in Azerbaijan and added that, as always, the Azerbaijani people is by the side of the Turkish people in these difficult days. Cavusoglu, in turn, stressed the importance of fighting against all forms of terrorism, and said Turkey will continue combating this evil. Before, Cavusoglu and his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov held a meeting, which was scheduled to convene after the Turkey-Azerbaijan High Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Azerbaijan's Ganja. The foreign ministers mainly focused on Azerbaijan and Turkey's positions on combating all forms of terrorism. Addressing a joint press conference with the Turkish FM, Mammadyarov expressed his country's deep condolences over the recent attacks on Turkey We have a clear position on this issue: we condemn any form of terrorism, said the minister, adding that currently, there is no information whether there are Azerbaijani citizens among the injured as a result of the explosion in Ankara. Mammadyarov said the fight against terrorism is very important and currently, Azerbaijans participation in the Islamic anti-terrorism coalition in Syria is under discussion. "No decision has been made on this issue so far," he added. Cavusoglu, in turn, condemned the terrorist attack on Ankara and expressed his country's gratitude to Azerbaijan for its support. Turkey doesnt make any distinction among terrorists, he further said. He added that the meeting of the Azerbaijani and Turkish presidents, which was cancelled due to the terror attack, will be held soon. Azerbaijan-Turkey enjoyed strong relations for centuries due to a common culture and history and the mutual intelligibility of the Turkish and Azerbaijani languages. Turkey was the first country in the world to recognize Azerbaijan's independence in 1991 and has been a staunch supporter of Azerbaijan in its efforts to preserve its territorial integrity and realize the economic potential that arises from its rich natural resources in the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijan and Turkey are among the important countries in the region from the political and economic point of view. They succeeded not only to use their potential for ensuring their own development, but also to create close cooperation for the regions benefit. Today, the two countries enjoy good and developing economic ties, especially in terms of huge energy projects envisaging the transportation of Azerbaijan's hydrocarbon resources to the European and world markets through the Turkish territory. Azerbaijan and Turkey are successfully engaged in mutual investment as well. It is expected that in the coming years, Azerbaijan will invest about $20 billion in Turkey. The two countries are bound not only by common culture, but also by important joint energy projects. One can say with no doubt that Europes energy security is in the hands of Azerbaijan and Turkey, which further boosts importance of the two brotherly countries for Europe. The importance of Azerbaijan and Turkey is not limited only to energy projects. The two countries are also connected with significant transport projects, and one of them is the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which will be an important transport corridor between Asia and Europe. Mammadyarov said the sides discussed cooperation in the energy sector and the project of construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. We believe that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will be commissioned by late 2016, he added. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, being constructed on the basis of a Georgian-Azerbaijani-Turkish intergovernmental agreement has great importance for the region. Playing a significant role in the revival of the historical Silk Road, the corridor will enable to expand the links from Europe to the Anatolia, Central Asia and the Far East. The peak capacity of the corridor will be 17 million tons of cargo per year. At the initial stage, this figure will be equal to one million passengers and 6.5 million tons of cargo. Azerbaijan state oil fund SOFAZ is financing the project allocating two loans totaling $775 million for the construction of the Georgian section. Turkey has always supported Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and included this issue on the agenda at all international events. Cavusoglu also said there are close relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey, adding Ankara supports Baku in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 over Armenia's territorial claims against Azerbaijan. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed as a result of large-scale hostilities and over one million Azerbaijanis are unable to return to their homes because of the invasion. Armenia continues the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, which in turn obstacles the regional security and peace. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 February 2016 16:20 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan have agreed to establish a railway consortium to ensure smooth movement of Chinese goods to Europe via the Trans-Caspian International Transport route. This was announced by Bakytzhan Sagintayev, the First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, who led a governmental delegation visiting Tbilisi, Georgia, on February 17. The Trans-Caspian route was one of the main topics of discussions held between representatives of the Georgian and Kazakh governments. Sagintayev said the railway departments of the three countries agreed that this railway consortium will provide the movement of goods from Chinese ports to the Georgian port of Batumi and then - to Turkey and further to Europe. "This is a very profitable transit route for all parts, and we all are very interested in establishing such a consortium," he noted. The Trans-Caspian route connects China with Europe via the territory of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia. This is a multimodal corridor which uses railway, maritime and road transport for transportation of goods. The official further added that given the routes profitability, Kazakhstan is eyeing to be an active part in it, and his country is not going to abandon its assets in the Batumi port and the Batumi oil terminal, since it is connected with the Trans-Caspian route. Dmitry Kumsishvili, the Georgian Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, said Georgia is interested in increase of volume of Kazakh goods which will pass through this route. Today Azerbaijan is also determined to use its transportation potential, by turning into the transport hub between East and West. Many countries including Turkey, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan and China are interested in the opportunities to reach markets of interest by means of Azerbaijan, which makes the transportation more convenient, fast and cost-efficient. The Trans-Caspian route enjoys an opportunity to become attractive and profitable for consignors from European countries. This route will transport approximately 300,000-400,000 containers by 2020, bringing hundreds of millions of manats in profit to Azerbaijan. Three test container trains have already been sent from China to Europe via this corridor. This project, being very profitable, has involved even Ukraine, the territory of which will make the delivery of goods to customers even faster. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Ukraine have signed a protocol on setting preferential tariffs for cargo transportation via this route, and the final document on resolving the technical problems is expected to be signed this February. Signing of this document will likely lead to full commercial operation of the Trans-Caspian route in March. Experts believe that there will not be an alternative to the Trans-Caspian route in the coming decade. It also the cheapest and most profitable corridor for freight traffic, Ruchan Kaya, a strategic and political coordinator of the Istanbul-based Caspian Strategy Institute (HASEN), believes. The transport corridor is not yet running at its full capacity, he told Trend, adding that the full operation of this corridor will have a positive impact both on Azerbaijans economic growth and its members countries of the region. "The effective operation of the Trans-Caspian transport route will positively affect the growth of trade turnover between Europe and China," he said. The expert also expressed confidence that the commissioning of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will accelerate cargo delivering from Turkey to the Central Asian markets via the Trans-Caspian transport corridor. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 February 2016 14:43 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijans participation in the Silk Road Economic Belt is a great potential for investors, as the new railway lines envisaged by the project will simplify the delivery of goods between Azerbaijan and China in both directions. Sahil Babayev, Azerbaijans Deputy Economy Minister made the remark while addressing the CIS Global Business Forum in Dubai, according to a message on the forums website. The Silk Road Economic Belt is the land-based component that together with the oceanic Maritime Silk Road forms One Belt, One Road, a Chinese government economic development framework for primarily integrating trade and investment in Eurasia. Babayev further noted that the Silk Road Economic Belt will create great opportunities for Azerbaijans development, in particular, in the spheres of agriculture, tourism, food industry and machine building. The decline in oil prices opens great opportunities for Azerbaijan in the areas of strengthening the economic diversification and attracting foreign investors to the non-oil sector, especially investors from the UAE and the member states of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (CCASG), noted Babayev. The official noted that despite the fact that low oil prices have affected Azerbaijans incomes, the country enjoys good opportunities for attracting investment to other spheres. Diversification of the non-oil sector is our main priority in 2016, said Babayev adding that it is a long process, but the country has some achievements in this field. Currently, the share of the non-oil sector in GDP is 71 percent, he said, adding that Azerbaijan has taken some measures to improve the business environment and attraction of investments. Last year, Azerbaijan introduced more liberal tax legislation for small and medium businesses and facilitated its access for financing, he said. Visa simplification regime facilitates the access of foreign business to the Azerbaijani market. Today Azerbaijan is determined to use its transportation potential, by turning into the transport hub between East and West. Many countries including Turkey, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan and China are interested in the opportunities to reach markets of interest by means of Azerbaijan, which makes the transportation more convenient, fast and cost-efficient. Along with applying attractive transportation fees, the country is also simplifying its transit procedures. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 February 2016 16:55 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova On the background of recent slowdown in the global economy, the national economies were forced to reconsider their corresponding policies and to develop new economic scenarios. To diminish the impact of the ongoing economic crisis that shattered many national economies, energy-rich Azerbaijan has set a goal to diversify the economy and reduce its dependence on petrodollars. As a response to such an uneasy challenge, Azerbaijan, holding 0.5 percent of the global crude production, is redesigning its economic policy to get adapted to the new realities. The World Bank appraised Azerbaijan's efforts taken to revitalize the economy. The Bank's Regional Director for the South Caucasus, Mercy Tembon said at a meeting with Economy and Industry Minister Shahin Mustafayev in Baku on February 17 that the World Bank supports the steps taken by the Azerbaijani government. "If these measures were not taken in due time, Azerbaijan would face problems," she said. "These preventive measures have helped to largely neutralize external economic influence. The government absolutely did the right thing by determining the support of the private sector as a priority." The World Bank official also expressed the Bank's readiness to support the Azerbaijani government's economic policy, state programs, as well as the private sector. During the meeting the sides discussed the current status of relations between Azerbaijan and the World Bank and prospects for cooperation, and exchanged views on measures taken in Azerbaijan to prevent the possible impact of the unstable global economy and negative trends to the country's national economy. It was noted that cooperation between Azerbaijan and the World Bank is developing in various fields. Mustafayev said taking the current economic conditions into account, Azerbaijan has reinforced measures aimed at developing the non-oil sector, improving the business and investment climate, and supporting the entrepreneurs. The government has also improved the licensing system, suspended the check of entrepreneurs, adopted important decisions in the field of investment promotion and export of non-oil products, and established boards of appeal for examining the complaints of entrepreneurs. As part of the visit to Baku, the World Bank delegation met with Chairman of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan Elman Rustamov to discuss the current status of projects financed by the World Bank and implemented by the Azerbaijani government. The talks focused on the World Bank's support to the economic reforms carried out in the country, Azerbaijan's current loan portfolio and the prospects of cooperation of the country's Central Bank with the World Bank. Rustamov expressed confidence that on the backdrop of the global economic crisis and regional challenges, Azerbaijan and the World Bank will manage to further deepen cooperation. Tembon, in turn said the World Bank's 2016-2020 Country Partnership Strategy will make a significant contribution to the development of non-oil sector and inclusive and sustainable economic growth of the country. Azerbaijan has been a member of the World Bank since 1992. As of February 1, 2016, the Bank issued loans amounting to $3.785 billion to Azerbaijan to finance over 60 projects. By early 2016, Azerbaijan has used $2.764 billion or 73 percent of all loans drawn via the World Bank. Besides the loans, the World Bank issued 45 grants totaling $41.586 million to Azerbaijan in 1995-2014. Azerbaijan and the World Bank have jointly implemented several projects, including Integrated Solid Waste Management Project. The Bank has provided its technical support to the Sumgayit chemical industrial park. Currently, the World Bank, jointly with the local specialists, is working over the Restoration of Absheron lakes project. The level of disbursement of the World Bank funds in Azerbaijan is 17 percent, which is one of the highest figures in the European and Central Asian regions. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 February 2016 14:24 (UTC+04:00) The price of oil has risen on the world markets due to investors' expectations about stabilization of the situation on the market, following the statement made by Irans oil minister about the country's readiness to support any action for restoring the oil prices. On the New York Stock Exchange NYMEX cost of the US Light crude oil increased $2.08 to stand at $31.20. Price of the Brent crude oil at the London ICE (InterContinental Exchange Futures) rose $2.83 to trade at $35.10. The price of a barrel of Azeri Light crude oil increased $2.34 to stand at $34.88 on the world markets. Earlier Russia and several OPEC members agreed to free the oil output level at the level of January output about 21 million bpd. Meanwhile, OPEC oil baskets price stood at $28.18 per barrel on Feb. 17, or $1.17 less than on Feb.16, a source in OPEC told Trend. The OPEC Reference Basket (ORB) is made up of the following oil brands: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (Ecuador), Minas (Indonesia), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela). --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 February 2016 15:47 (UTC+04:00) UAE Energy Minister Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei considers that the current low oil prices will force the major oil producers to freeze the black gold [oil] output, RIA Novosti agency reported on February 18. The current prices are inappropriate and will force the producers to keep the output level and limit investment in more expensive oil, reported Reuters citing the Arabian minister as saying. Al-Mazrouei said Feb. 17 that oil output freeze by the OPEC countries and Russia will contribute to the balance of supply and demand in the global market. During a meeting in Doha Feb. 16, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Qatar previously agreed to keep oil production at the January levels if other producers join this initiative. Later, the Venezuelan Oil Minister Eulogio Del Pino said that the ministers of Ecuador, Algeria, Nigeria and Oman support the decision on oil output freeze. Kuwait also agrees to join the agreement between Russia and three OPEC countries, according to Bloomberg. In turn, representatives of the UAE and Iran also said that they will support any step to improve the situation in the market. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 February 2016 11:38 (UTC+04:00) The final stage of implementation of the State program of Turkmenistan on development of securities market began in 2016, the countrys Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper reported. At this stage it is planned to complete the work on creation of conditions for the full-fledged securities markets joining the system of international financial markets. The article said that the ultimate goal of this program is to create a modern stock exchange, which corresponds to international standards. In December 2015, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov signed a decree On issuance, sale and redemption of public bonds of Turkmenistan. In accordance with the accepted norms, the finance ministry of Turkmenistan is authorized to issue public stock bonds with a term of up to five years, based on the level of the refinancing rate of the central bank. It is expected that the public bonds will be sold to legal entities through authorized brokers, regardless of ownership form, and to individuals, including foreign legal entities operating in Turkmenistan. The bonds emission will be carried out as an additional source of income of the Turkmen state budget of 2016, according to the newspaper. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 February 2016 09:21 (UTC+04:00) There are no Azerbaijani citizens among the victims of a terror attack in Ankara, according to the preliminary data, the Azerbaijani embassy in Turkey told Trend on February 17. A large explosion has occurred near the Navy Command building in the Turkish capital of Ankara, Hurriyet newspaper reported. An explosion in Ankara targeting military-owned vehicles killed at least 28 people and wounded 61 more on February 17. It is reported that the cause of the explosion was a car bomb. Turkish General Staff called the explosion in Ankara a terrorist attack. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 February 2016 10:35 (UTC+04:00) Oil prices rose by more than 5 percent to climb above $34 a barrel on Wednesday after Iran voiced its support for an initiative led by Russia and Saudi Arabia to freeze production to boost prices, Reuters reported. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh met counterparts from Venezuela, Iraq and Qatar in Tehran for over two hours, after which he welcomed the initiative to set a "ceiling" as a first step toward stabilizing the market. Zangeneh, quoted by the Shana news agency, did not explicitly say that Iran would keep its own output at January's levels. An Iranian official earlier said that the country would continue increasing crude output until it reached levels achieved before the imposition of international sanctions. "Asking Iran to freeze its oil production level is illogical," Iran's OPEC envoy Mehdi Asali was quoted as saying by the Shargh newspaper. A freeze in production from January's near-record levels would do little to relieve the glut, analysts said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 February 2016 11:40 (UTC+04:00) Swiss Sulzer company is ready to modernize Irans energy sector, a spokesman of the company told Trend. Sulzer's spokesman Matthias Hochuli said that following the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between Iran and world powers regarding Irans nuclear program, Sulzer now has opportunity to Iran to modernize its economic infrastructure, particularly in the oil, gas, and energy industry. He added that Sulzer will serve Iranian customers from the Middle East and other Sulzer entities in Europe. "All business opportunities will be strictly followed in accordance with the countrys requirements and applicable sanctions that remain in place in the U.S. and elsewhere," he said. Meanwhile, Shana news agency quoted Thorsen Wintergreze, an executive committee member of Sulzer as saying on Feb.17 that the company is interested in returning to Irans petrochemical projects. We are ready to cooperate in the transfer of technology to Irans petrochemical complexes as well as in licensing of Iranian companies, he added. The report said Sulzer has established ties with two Iranian petrochemical companies following the removal of sanctions. No further details about the projects were provided. This is while Hochuli told Trend that Wintergerste has not talked to any Iranian media. So, we cannot confirm the information the Iranian media are referring to. According to Shana, the managing director of the National Petrochemical Company (NPC) Marziyeh Shahdaei also said during the meeting with the Sulzer representatives that "foreign firms are required to transfer modern technology when embarking on joint ventures with Iran as a Swiss firm expressed readiness to cooperate with Iran". --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Saturday afternoon, costumed racers will don skis, micro spikes, snowshoes or whatever other footwear they choose to ascend Arizona Snowbowls Sunset ski run in the Gore-Tex ninth annual Kahtoola Uphill race and fundraiser. The money raised benefits the Friends of Camp Colton and goes to help provide scholarships for students to attend camp. Through a partnership with the Flagstaff Unified School District, students in the district attend camp for free, but students attending charter schools pay to attend, said Tracy Anderson, the executive director of Friends of Camp Colton. The race is capped at 350 participants and includes three courses at varying levels of difficulty. After the race there is a party in the Hart Prairie Lodge with raffles and prizes for those who come up short on the race, or want to enjoy the race as a spectator. This years master of ceremonies will be Flagstaff High School Principal Tony Cullen, a Flagstaff native who attended Camp Colton as a child. Anderson and race organizers have set the races fundraising goal at $50,000 this year, an increase from the $42,000 raised in last years race. All of the money raised goes into the scholarship fund, Anderson said. The group will also give out a Champ for Camp award for businesses, organizations and individuals who raise money for the event. Champ for Camp donors are entered into raffled to win prizes, including gift cards, and the top donor will win a trip for two to Mexico. Anderson said in the last school year, six charter schools applied for students to receive scholarships and 78 students attended camp after receiving the scholarships. Anderson said it costs about $350 for one student to attend camp. Camp Colton is a community asset, Anderson said. We want to help bridge disparity regardless of school choice, and keep the program available to all sixth graders. Camp Colton is in its 44th season in Flagstaff. August will mark the 45th year local students have gone to camp to see the wilderness up close and learn while being in a new place. Anderson said the race sells out every year for the limited racing spots, but anyone is welcome to attend the after party. Anderson said costumes are encouraged for racers and spectators. The rule of the race is that however a racer gets up the mountain, they must use the same technique to get down. Equipment includes climbing skins on skis, snowshoes, and spikes on shoes. The after-party includes a runway for costumes and costume prizes. 100 percent of the funds raised go to the scholarship fund, Anderson said. People are giving to something very tangible that benefits our community. 18 February 2016 13:39 (UTC+04:00) A European energy delegation arrived in Tehran to explore ways of expanding energy ties with Tehran following the removal of the international sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The delegation headed by Gerassimos Thomas, deputy director general at the European Commission's Energy Directorate is scheduled to hold meetings with Iranian officials from oil and energy ministry as well as the atomic energy organization, IRNA news agency reported Feb. 18. Mutual cooperation in energy sector will be discussed in the meetings, according to the Iranian foreign ministry. The two parties will set a cooperation roadmap in oil, gas, and renewable energies as well as increasing energy efficiency. Earlier European Climate and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias, commenting on the visit, said that the European Commission will undertake "technical assessment mission" in the field of energy. Also, an EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that around 15 EU officials would go on the initial four-day technical visit and after that, high-level Commission staff, possibly with a business delegation, would travel to Iran. 18 February 2016 15:26 (UTC+04:00) The terrorist attack committed in Ankara killed 20 high-ranking servicemen and eight civilians, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Erdogan said 14 people, suspected of being involved in this terrorist attack were detained, TRT Haber reported on February 18. It was revealed that prior to committing the explosion, the terrorist had connections both inside and outside Turkey, according to the president. The explosion in Ankara targeting military-owned vehicles killed at least 28 people and wounded 61 more on February 17. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that the Syrian wing of the terrorist organization Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) - Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) stands behind the terrorist attack in Ankara. The aim of the terrorist attack is to frighten and weaken Turkey, said Davutoglu. Earlier, Turkeys National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has warned the country of the possibility of new terrorist attacks. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 3.0 ( - - ): editor [at] bahrainmirror.com Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Attorneys finished their closing arguments Friday in the trial of a woman charged with two counts of murder in a shooting at an Arvin bar. British consumers now prefer the straight variety of the breakfast pastry, and from today (19 February), Tesco will no longer sell curved croissants. The reason the traditional crescent-shaped croissant has fallen out of favour is reported to be because the straight ones are easier to spread with jam. Research found they needed as many as three attempts to get condiments on the curved ones, and Tesco said the curved croissant had become so unpopular that the chain would only offer the straight version from now on. This change will affect nearly one million a week of the supermarkets own-label products, which are all currently curved. Tradition Crescent-shaped croissants are traditionally made with margarine, while the ones without the signature curve are made with butter. But the Tesco curved croissants were made with butter, and the new straight version will also be made with butter. The supermarket claimed three-quarters of customers preferred the patisserie classic to be straight, because without the curve, it is easier to cut open the pastry and spread a filling across the inside. 75% prefer straight Tesco croissant buyer Harry Jones explained: After demand for crescent-shaped croissants started falling, we spoke to our customers and nearly 75% of them told us that they preferred straight ones. At the heart of the move away from curved croissants is the spreadability factor. The majority of shoppers find it easier to spread jam, or their preferred filling, on a straighter shape with a single sweeping motion. With the crescent shaped croissants, its more fiddly and most people can take up to three attempts to achieve perfect coverage, which increases the potential for accidents involving sticky fingers and tables. Gov. Doug Ducey late Wednesday signed legislation to restore virtually all of the money which he and GOP lawmakers voted just a year ago to cut from career and technical education programs. SB 1525 rescinds the 2015 vote to trim state funding for the 14 Joint Technical Education Districts by $30 million this coming school year. That was close to half of the $70 million the state provides for the special programs above and beyond regular state aid to schools. The deal puts back $28 million, with an additional $1 million on top of that to ensure that adult students already enrolled in JTED programs can finish their courses. After that, a change in the law will require certain adults to pay tuition for the training. Ducey had originally proposed restoring just $10 million, and only for three years. But on signing the bill, he called it a "victory.'' "We are one step closer to providing vital support for thousands of Arizona students while keeping a structurally balanced budget,'' said Ducey in a prepared statement. The governor said he shares a commitment with education leaders, teachers, principals, parents and students "to ensuring that all Arizona students are prepared for life after high school graduation, whether college or career.'' Sen. Steve Farley, D-Tucson, pointed out that supporters of the bill to restore funding were anxious to have their names attached to the effort. But he reminded them that the same was true when Republicans voted for the budget package last year that imposed the cuts in the first place. "Their names are there on that record,'' he said, suggesting they think twice before making such a funding reduction again. Liquor sales Churches and schools would no longer be an impediment to some stores that want to sell alcoholic beverages under the terms of legislation given preliminary House approval Wednesday. Current law prohibits such sales within 300 feet of either institution, a restriction that has been in state statutes for decades. There are some exceptions, albeit usually for on-site consumption. For example, hotels and motels where food is served can also serve alcohol within that zone. The same is true for restaurants, special events and even for non-profit performing arts theaters, though only to sell beer and wine. Mike Williams, lobbyist for the Circle K Corp. said a broader exemption is needed because the law presents for his client's efforts to locate new stores what with the practice of new congregations popping up in shopping malls. HB 2372 would remove that 300-foot requirement, but only for stores whose liquor sales amount to less than 40 percent of their total business. A final roll-call vote will send the measure to the Senate. Municipal incorporation A House panel approved a measure Wednesday that could allow residents of San Tan Valley decide if they want to become a city. Current law allows urbanized areas to incorporate. But cities of at least 5,000 within six miles have veto power; for cities of less than 5,000 that right to veto extends out three miles. Objections from Florence have frustrated efforts to have an incorporation vote in San Tan Valley. The proposal by Rep. Eddie Farnsworth, R-Gilbert, would create an exception if the area seeking to be incorporated has at least 15,000 people and the veto is coming from a city with a smaller population. That clearly is designed to address the situation where what would be San Tan Valley, with an estimated population of 100,000, versus Florence with a population of less than 27,000. Former Pinal County Supervisor Bryan Martyn urged the panel to support HB 2385 and allow a public vote. "All they want is the opportunity to chart their own course,'' he said. Dale Wiebusch, lobbyist for the League of Arizona Cities, said other communities in the area are opposed to the measure. Wiebusch also told lawmakers that if they approve the legislation it could pave the way for a vote to incorporate Yuma Foothills, a vote he said is now being blocked by the Town of Wellton. The unanimous vote of the House Judiciary Committee paves the way for the measure to go to the full House. Please Donate In order to maintain this blog I have to pay for its upkeep including a hosting company, support services, virus and other malicious hackers. If you appreciate what I write please make a donation. Racist PayPal Tries to Close Down My Blog As you can see from this article PayPal have removed my blog. I would therefore ask people to make any future donations to the following: Name of Account: Brighton and Hove Unemployed Workers Centre Account No: 04094107 Sort Code: 09-01-50 Reference: Web donations Fall in Love with Chelow Jewelry at Vallarta's OTFM-TC Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Looking for something special to do this Saturday? Don't miss the "make it, bake it, grow it" adventures that await at Vallarta's favorite weekend attraction: the Old Town Farmers Market-Tianguis Cultural! We'll wow you with farm-fresh produce, ready-to-eat goodies, traditional Mexican instruments, artisan chocolates, handmade body products, whimsical decor, fashion-forward apparel and the beauty, craftsmanship and creativity of Chelow jewelry. Owner and designer Chelow began designing jewelry in 2004. Inspired by nature, the Mexican culture and most importantly, her clients, Chelow creates "fall in love with" pieces that will enhance the style and femininity of the wearer. Chelow's unforgettable pieces fall into one of three inspiration lines: Brilliant and colorful, like Mexico itself. Classic and romantic, following Chelow's fascination with cultured pearls from Mexico, Indonesia, Japan, Africa and Australia. Comfort and practicality - two things that are particularly important Chelow's pieces. "One of our most-loved lines is 'Gypsy'," Chelow says. "It is inspired by our time on the beaches and surfing in colorful Sayulita which is located 43 km north of Vallarta." Smart and Fashionable One of the most appealing aspects of Chelow jewelry is that each line is easily converted into many designs, styles and sizes. "The necklaces are fully adjustable, matching the outfits my clients love to wear," explains Chelow. "For example, one necklace can be fashioned into many styles - short, long, wrap or double wrap. It's like you're buying four or five looks with just one purchase." 100% Handcrafted Jewelry All Chelow designs are handcrafted by Chelow and her husband, Jorge. They use natural stones, turquoise, quartz, tiger eye, cornalline, coral, amethyst, aqua marine, amazonite, moon stone, jasper, agates, opals, jade, tourmaline, topaz, and much more to fashion their wearable art. Chelow and her husband love to add an extra special touch to their Chelow line. They often use cultivated pearls and Swarovski crystals in combination with sterling silver .925, 24kt gold plating, handmade Mexican brass, cow and kangaroo leather or suede. The result is an exquisite piece that will flatter any client. Chelow Creativity Continues Don't think you'll come back to the Chelow market stall and see the same pieces season after season. No, the artist continues to thrill market-goers with new designs and materials. This season, Chelow has added the smart and stylish appeal of Drusy and quartz pendants. They have been a big hit and promise to make the perfect gift for you or a loved one. Meet Chelow this Saturday, or visit her shop at Basilio Badillo 156 B, Zona Romantica, Puerto Vallarta. For additional information, contact her at +52 (322) 147-7292, on Facebook, or by email at chelow.84(at)hotmail.com. Love Yoga? While at the market, join us for yoga classes (9:30-10:30 am) taught by instructors from Yoga Collective. We meet in the kiosk every Saturday morning through April 30th. Participation is by donation. Meet the Market The OTFM-TC is a North American style market that celebrates the tradition and culture of Mexico's outdoor Tianguis markets. It is also a registered non-profit/association civil organization that focuses on nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit of Puerto Vallartans. All OTFM-TC products are either locally grown or handmade within 75 kilometers of the city. You're Invited! The OTFM-TC will be open 9:30-2 every Saturday, from November 7, 2015, to April 30, 2016. You'll find us in Lazaro Cardenas Park, located in Vallarta's Emiliano Zapata neighborhood. For only 12 pesos an hour, you can park in the garage directly beneath park. Public buses and taxis also come this way with a Pino Suarez Street drop off. Get Involved Interested in becoming a new OTFM-TC vendor or volunteer? Stop by the information booth to pick up an application. Surprisingly honest and objective, but it is so because its author is so. NY Times, by Hussein Ibish. Excerpt; read on here; Why America Turned Off Al Jazeera WASHINGTON The closing of Al Jazeera America, expected in April, is a sad conclusion to a project that was by turns uplifting and inspiring as well as troubling and depressing. Its demise offers a lesson in both the limitations of public diplomacy and the obstacles to providing high-quality television journalism. Al Jazeera America was the latest, and perhaps most ambitious, branch of a media empire that the tiny but wealthy Gulf emirate of Qatar has used to project its influence, first regionally and then globally. The American-specific incarnation, begun in 2013, was partly an effort to rebrand for the United States the earlier iterations of the franchise, Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English. But the American network was hobbled from the start by this very legacy. Because Al Jazeera Arabic overtly promoted Dohas foreign policy objectives, the network was controversial and disliked by virtually every other government in the region. The Arabic station introduced a freewheeling reporting style except for avoiding any criticism of Qatar that transfixed Arab audiences with previously unheard-of debates. Impartial it was not: A hefty dose of old-fashioned Arab nationalism and a strong bias for the Muslim Brotherhood, which was supported by the Qatari government, were unmistakable. This ideological orientation led to exaggerated accusations in the United States, especially in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, that Al Jazeera served as a media affiliate of Al Qaeda. Hyperbolic as such claims were, there was a distinctly anti-American bent to its reportage. The Iraq war, in particular, was portrayed virtually as a campaign of mass murder. The real problem here was the Janus-faced nature of Qatari foreign policy, contradictory and ultimately unsustainable. On one hand, the huge American military presence in Qatar is a key element of Qatari security strategy. Centcom largely ran the Iraq war out of its forward headquarters at the Udeid Air Base, which Qatar built to encourage a United States establishment there. On the other hand, Qatar gave a hugely influential platform on Al Jazeera to the Muslim Brotherhood cleric Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who elsewhere preached that Americans in Iraq are all fighters and invaders whether they were military or civilian, and that it was a duty for all Muslims to kill them. Thus Qatar was indispensable to the American war effort in Iraq and at the same time gave credence to one of the most influential Islamic propagandists against it. 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The House amended its death penalty bill (HB 7101) Wednesday to require that at least 10 of 12 jurors recommend execution for it to be imposed. The bill previously would have allowed a 9-3 juror vote for a death sentence. The only other state with same standard is Alabama. A Senate bill (SB 7068) would require a unanimous jury decision. The Legislature is rewriting the death penalty law after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that the current method is unconstitutional because it allows judges to reach a different decision than juries, which has only an advisory role in recommending death. House is expected to pass the bill Thursday; Senate could vote next week. Pinellas Park police arrested a 13-year-old girl who they say stole a van and crashed it, then tried to run from the scene. According to a police department release, at around 11 p.m. Wednesday a Pinellas Park Police officer noticed a tan-colored Honda Odyssey van driving recklessly on 82nd Avenue in the 6300 block. While trying to catch up to the van, the officer saw the van run a red light at the intersection of 82nd Avenue and 66th Street. When the officer turned on his emergency lights, the driver of the van turned off all the van's lights and attempted to escape, heading westbound on 82nd Avenue. The chase led the officer to a residence at 8200 73rd Court North, where he found the van crashed into a neighborhood brick wall. The suspect was found in the neighborhood just north of the crash scene. Investigators later discovered that the van had been reported stolen out of Pasco County. The driver was charged with grand theft auto and leaving the scene of a crash. Due to the age of the suspect and in accordance with our crime guidelines, we will not post photos or publish the suspect's name or identifying information. Attending the college or university of your choice can be financially challenging for anyone. At least one presidential candidate wants to make college much more affordable. In fact, he wants to make it free. That candidate is Bernie Sanders. During a debate on Feb. 4, 2016, Sanders said, Making public colleges and universities tuition-free that exists in countries all over the world, used to exist in the United States. PolitiFact Florida heard the claim and put it to their Truth-O-Meter. It received a MOSTLY TRUE rating. PolitiFact writer Joshua Gillin said there are actually nine countries throughout the world that offer free public university tuition. And historically, the United States used to do the same. A lot of this goes back to 1800s and these land grant universities especially, and they would let students come tuition-free, Gillin said. Now, that was way back when there were much fewer people who were going to post-secondary education, of course. Gillin went onto say even at the University of Florida, in 1905, tuition was free unless you were from out-of-state. And even then, out-of-state students only paid a $20 fee. For this reason, Sanders statement received a MOSTLY TRUE rating. SOURCES: Bernie Sanders says college tuition in the U.S. used to be free This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Hauled out of a city council meeting in handcuffs Tuesday night, Crystal City Mayor Ricardo Lopezs problems got much worse when he arrived shortly after at the Zavala County Jail. While booking Lopez, deputies discovered a forbidden substance on him, Sheriff Eusevio Salinas said. He brought in a controlled substance. I believe it was a prescribed medication that wasnt in the right container. Maybe a Vicodin. Its a felony, said the sheriff. Lopez, who got into a minor scuffle with a citizen during a recess at the meeting, was also charged with resisting arrest and hindering proceedings by disorderly conduct. As of Wednesday morning, he remained in jail without bond. He has to wait to see a judge or the justice of the peace, Salinas said. The mayor is one of six current or former Crystal City officials currently under federal indictment. Lopez, City Manager James Jonas III, and city councilmen Rogelio Mata and Roel Mata, and former city councilman Gilbert Urrabazo are charged with bribery. Councilman Marco Rodriguez is charged with human smuggling in an unrelated case. Before the city council meeting collapsed in chaos Tuesday night, the three councilman in attendance had voted to suspend Jonas indefinitely without pay. A motion to set a recall election, as ordered by a district judge, prompted a prolonged debate between Lopez and the others about the timeframe in which those targeted with recall, Lopez, Rogelio Mata, and Rodriguez, could step down. The meeting was recessed while Lopez went back to his house to get documentation that he said would prove his position. Upon returning to the meeting, which was attended by roughly 130 citizens and six television crews, Lopez and a woman apparently bumped into each other, prompting a dispute. It appeared the matter would pass and the meeting would be resumed. But after Police Chief Jesus Lopez warned the mayor to calm down or he would be arrested, Mayor Lopez did an abrupt about face, and charged out of the building, only to be handcuffed and hauled away in a police vehicle. With no quorum, the meeting was recessed and rescheduled for tonight. However, with Lopez still in jail, it is unclear if it will be held. jmaccormack@express-news.net Jefferson County voters face an unusual predicament in the two challenged primary races for Jefferson County commissioner. In Precinct 1, Joe Evans is going up against incumbent Eddie Arnold on the Republican side. In the Democratic Party, Precinct 3 incumbent Michael Shane Sinegal is being challenged by Stephen Mosely. Evans and Mosely are promising candidates who could help Jefferson County government. Evans, the general manager of Beaumont Occupational Services, is an African-American man in a party that needs to diversify more. Mosely is a reform-minded Port Arthur City Councilman who fought for a forensic audit that some of his colleagues resisted. In this type of competition, the voters really can't lose. Yet both challengers are also going up against two incumbents who have earned another term through their experience and service. Arnold has cut his own budget and already vowed not to approve a tax increase no matter how bad the news is on industrial valuations. He says county government simply must tighten its belt if it has less money to work with next year. That's an attitude that should be more common in the public sector, locally and nationally. Sinegal has deep ties to his precinct and knows its needs and challenges as well as anyone. Again, that kind of expertise will be needed if the county has to trim workers or services and make some tough calls on priorities. In the race to succeed the late Lupe Flores as judge of County Court-at-Law No. 2 in the Democratic primary, Jesse Branick has a lot going for him. He has 25 years of legal experience and an impressive record of community service. Yet Terrence L. Holmes offers even more to voters. Holmes has experience in virtually every facet of the law. He's been a prosecutor and a defense attorney. He's been a law professor and even served as a judge in the Beaumont Municipal Court. And he too has an outstanding record of community service. In this tight competition, Holmes edges ahead. ------------------ VOTING INFORMATION Early voting began Tuesday and continues until Friday, Feb. 26. The election is Tuesday, March 1. Texans can vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary, but only in one of them, not both. Voters need one of these forms of photo ID: Texas driver's license, election certificate, identification card or Concealed Handgun License, U.S. military photo ID, U.S. passport or U.S. citizenship certificate with a photo. Student IDs are not acceptable for voting. Questions on voting may be answered at: Jefferson County Clerk - (409) 835-8475, option 1 Orange County Clerk - (409) 882-7055, or for Vidor residents only, (409) 769-2400 Hardin County Clerk - (409) 246-5185 Texas Democratic Party HQ - (512) 478-9800 Texas Republican Party HQ - (512) 477-9821 League of Women Voters HQ - (512) 472-1100 Voters can also go to the League's website at www.lwvtexas.org to view an interactive format on the primary election at www.VOTE411.org AAFP Board Chair Robert Wergin, MD, implored leaders of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to expand the policy of site-neutral payments for physicians. Here are seven key points: 1. Last November, Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Act, which worked to equalize payments for physicians' services across practice settings. 2. Despite the legislation, many office-based physicians received lower payments for the same services as physicians in the hospital outpatient setting. JAMA published a study in December 2015 which found payments for physician visits at hospitals were $68 higher than those at stand-alone offices. 3. In his letter to Congress, Dr. Wergin said, "We strongly urge lawmakers to stand by this site-neutral payment reform, especially now when some hospital outpatient departments are seeking exemptions from this new payment policy." 4. Starting January 2017, physicians will be compensated either according to the Ambulatory Surgical Physician Payment Schedule or Medicare physician fee schedule depending on their practice location. However, the law allows some hospital facilities to continue charging higher rates for an evaluation and management visit. Those physician practices acquired by a hospital prior to Nov. 2, 2015 are exempt from the requirement. 5. While hospitals are eligible to obtain a facility fee from Medicare, physicians practicing in stand-alone offices are not eligible for the same fee. 6. The Obama administration, Congress, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission and the GAO recognize the site-neutral payment reform's value as it would control costs without compromising patient quality. 7. While the CMS does not have the authority to address the disparity in Medicare payments across practice settings, Congress has the authority to change the policy to compensate physicians equally. More articles on coding & billing: Horizon BCBS of New Jersey awards physicians $3M in bonuses 4 highlights BCBS considers pulling out of ACA leaving nearly 300,000 North Carolinians hanging in the balance: 4 points 2016 outlook: Nearly half of Americans expect to pay more for health insurance 5 points Highlands Physicians filed a lawsuit against Wellmont Health Systems for trying to "undermine or destroy the organization," according to a Times News report. Highland Physicians is a 1,500-physician independent physician organization located primarily in Northeast Tennessee and Southwestern Virginia. Highland and Wellmont had a longstanding history and positive relationship until 2010, when senior leadership changed at Wellmont. Highland and Wellmont's predecessor formed Wellmont Health Network and penned a stockholders agreement in 1993. While the agreement has evolved over the years, prior issues were resolved amicably. Here are five key notes the recent lawsuit: 1. Highland claims Wellmont "systematically and deliberately undermined HPI, dismantled the network and reduced resources devoted to clinical integration, including making a number of unilateral decisions without HPI's knowledge," according to the report. 2. In 2012, Wellmont and Humana Medicare Advantage negotiated just for Wellmont doctors without Highland's knowledge although the two were "clinically integrated." Wellmont signed similar contracts with Cigna. 3. Highland claims Wellmont violated their stockholder agreement, breached fiduciary duties and breach of contract. 4. Highland is suing Wellmont for $15 million to $75 million compensatory damages for the health system's actions over the past six years in addition to $3.9 million for a difference in reimbursement rate under Wellmont employee health benefit plan. 5. The IPA has been trying to work with Wellmont to resolve the issue without legal action, but has been unable to come to an agreement. 6. Wellmont's media relations director said the lawsuit is "without merit." For the first time, the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services and America's Health Insurance Plans agreed on how to measure physician quality in seven areas, according to The Washington Post. Here are five points: 1. The new measures are intended to help payers determine the value of care physicians provide, which will dictate payment. 2. Because payers will require the same request for quality data, physicians will have less paperwork weighing them down. Thus, physicians can focus on patient care over administrative tasks. 3. The uniform rates also will help patients compare and choose physicians. 4. Some of the seven areas which measure physician's quality include how well primary physicians control patients' high blood pressure and how well physicians treating patients hospitalized for heart failure prevent readmissions. 5. The American Medical Association, various medical groups, patient advocacy organizations and the insurance industry applauded the agreement. More articles on quality & infection control: Study discovers new method in which bacteria spreads in the body: 5 things to know Swedish Medical Center follow-up: 2nd Arizona hospital to test patients for HIV, hepatitis B, C 5 things to know Patient sues Northwest Community Hospital Medical Group for infected surgical wound 5 insights There were 12 new outpatient surgery center openings and announcements in January 2016. Erlanger Health System plans to build a $35 million outpatient center as part of a $300 million, three-part expansion project. Surgical Center of Greensboro (N.C.) and Orthopaedic Surgical Center, which have been operating in two separate buildings, partnered to open a new 60,000 square foot facility that will include 13 operating rooms and two procedure rooms. The project is expected to cost $23 million to $25 million. Northwest Community Healthcare plans to open an ASC in Arlington Heights, Ill., that will provide colonoscopy and endoscopy procedures. The project is expected to cost around $2.8 million. OMNI Surgery Center officially opened in Utica, N.Y., to perform interventional pain management procedures. Private investment funded the $6 million facility. Island Eye Surgicenter in Carle Place, N.Y., broke ground on a new outpatient facility that will include six operating rooms and 15 patient areas. Bienville Orthopaedic Specialists in Ocean Spring, Miss., plan to open a new medical building and ASC that will cost $10 million. NeuroSpine Institute opened an ASC in Park City, Utah. Robert Masson, MD, and Ken Yonemura, MD, will perform minimally invasive spine cases at the center. Elkhart (Ind.) General Hospital opened an $83 million surgery center expansion that includes endoscopy suites and a hybrid operating room. Compass Surgical Partners joined with Select Physicians Alliance physicians to develop and manage a new Tampa, Fla.-based ASC. Rush University Medical Center and Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, based in Chicago, received approval to open a joint venture, 103,000-square-foot medical office space that includes an ASC in Oak Brook, Ill. St. Luke's, based in Boise, Idaho, began construction on a new outpatient surgery center expected to cost $16.5 million and open later this year. Fayetteville (N.C.) VA Medical Center plans to open a new outpatient center that will include an ASC. Kentucky General Assembly is considering legislation that will alter the physician/ physician assistant relationship, according to WKMS. Here are seven things to know: 1. The current law mandates physicians sign off on 10 percent of patient cases involving PAs. 2. If an electronic medical record cannot identify the case, physicians spend less time with patients, ultimately interfering with patient care. 3. Thus, the new law seeks to get rid of the sign-off process. An emergency room physician says some cases, such as a lance of an abscess, do not require serious physician review. 4. Many physicians wanted to hire PAs, but institutions would not let them because of the 10 percent sign-off process. 5. Stacey Sale, president of the Kentucky Academy of Physician Assistants, says, "Now, maybe you could increase the amount of patients you see with the agreement with your doctor that you'll hand over certain ones which on one day could be one, other days could be five, other days could be zero. I think that just makes care more efficient." 6. Physicians would still sign off on medical care in highly specialized cases. 7. So far, the Senate Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations Committee has signed off on the bill. More healthcare news: 7 things for ASC leaders to know for Thursday Feb. 18, 2016 Ambulatory service market to reach $3T 5 things to know Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology names Dr. Eydie Miller-Ellis president: 3 notes As payers and providers wage war over reimbursement rates for medical services, patients have been increasingly strapped with unanticipated healthcare bills that can have detrimental financial effects. The practice of balance billing refers to a physician's ability to bill the patient for an outstanding balance after the insurance company submits its portion of the bill. Out-of-network physicians, not bound by contractual, in-network rate agreements, have the ability to bill patients for the entire remaining balance. Balance billing may occur when a patient receives a bill for an episode of care previously believed to be in-network and therefore covered by the insurance company, or when an insurance company contributes less money for a medical service than a patient expected. In recent years, the rise in out-of-network payer-provider reimbursement clashes have spawned a growing number of balance billing cases. Last October, Aetna discouraged members from seeking emergency medical care at in-network Allegheny Health Network hospitals in Pittsburgh after out-of-network emergency physicians began 'aggressively' balance billing policy holders. In a more drastic move, UnitedHealthcare announced last year the insurer would no longer cover medical bills for members who unknowingly received out-of-network treatment by physicians at in-network hospitals. Patients, caught in the financial crosshairs, often feel powerless to negotiate costs. Consumer advocacy groups and federal and state legislators are turning their attention to balance billing practices this year with renewed vigor, forcing payers and providers to find other ways to settle financial disagreements. Here are 20 things to know about balance billing. 1. Balance billing is on the rise nationally. In 2011, around 8 percent of privately insured individuals used out-of-network care, 40 percent of which resulted in unanticipated medical costs due to balance billing, reports Health Services Research. In 2015, a nationwide study from Consumers Union found nearly one third of privately insured Americans received an unanticipated bill when their health plan paid less than expected for medical services within the past two years. 2. Balance billing complaints are up 1,000 percent in Texas. According to the Texas Department of Insurance, balance billing complaints rose from 112 in 2012 to 1,334 in 2015, an increase of 1,000 percent. 3. Lack of provider, network transparency. The rise in balance billing is partially attributable to a lack of network transparency with patients.In many cases patients are unaware they have received out-of-network care until they receive a balance bill in the mail. Nearly 70 percent of individuals with unaffordable out-of-network medical bills did not know the healthcare provider was not in their plan's network at the time of care, according to a survey conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation and The New York Times. 4. Emergency room services to blame, in part. A Health Services Research survey found in 2011, 68 percent of inpatient involuntary contact with out-of-network physicians was related to emergency care. These kinds of unanticipated medical bills may arise when a hospital participates in an insurer's network but its employed emergency physicians do not. For example, more than half of the hospitals in some Texas insurers' networks did not have a single physician on staff covered by the insurer, according to a 2015 study from the Centers for Public Policy Priorities in Austin. 5. Balance billing and contracted physicians. Many hospitals use physician outsourcing firms for anesthesiologists, emergency physicians, pathologists and radiologists, or will bring in an outside assistant surgeon to help with procedures. In many cases, these physicians do not participate in the same network as the hospital, unbeknownst to the patient. When physician groups and insurers are unable to resolve reimbursement disputes, patients can be served with much higher out-of-network charges. In Texas, for example, the specialty services most likely to submit balance bills are anesthesiologists, lab services, surgery and radiology, reports the Texas Department of Insurance. 6. Payers will fight out-of-network physicians with lower reimbursement rates. Last year, health insurance giant UnitedHealthcare said it would scale back how much it pays out-of-network physicians who practice at in-network hospitals, accusing physicians of demanding excessively high reimbursement levels, according to Kaiser Health News. During a billing dispute with out-of-network Bayonne (N.J.) Medical Center, the insurer accused the hospital of charging out-of-network rates 10 to 12 times higher for a medical service than area hospitals participating in United'snetwork. If a payer refuses to match physician reimbursement rates, the financial burden is passed on to the patient. In the aforementioned dispute between Bayonne and UnitedHealthcare, the patient was balance billed $1,170 for a total of five stitches. 7. Insurers are narrowing networks in an effort to reduce costs. As insurance companies have narrowed provider networks to keep premiums down, the number of patients who inadvertently received out-of-network care has jumped at hospitals, particularly with regard to contracted physicians. 8. Payers have sued providers for 'excessive' out-of-network fees. Aetna has sued a half dozen out-of-network physicians in recent years, alleging gross over charging for medical services. In 2014 Aetna sued a physician at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, N.J., a hospital within Aetna's network, who did not notify a patient he would not accept Aetna's discounted reimbursement rate, according to the lawsuit. The physician charged Aetna $31,939 to treat abdominal pain in the patient. After Aetna paid the amount it deemed reasonable $2,811, based on Medicare rates the physician balance billed the patient for an additional $10,635. 9. Balance billing can occur even when a payer adjusts out-of-network emergency bills to in-network rates for patients. A patient recently accused Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., of balance billing his account for an out-of-network rate after the patient submitted in-network payment rates to Blue Cross Blue Shield. Owing to the medical emergency of his situation, Matthew Aitken said he received an in-network rate from Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. However, Mr. Aitken alleged Duke proceeded to charge him for the remainder of the bill at the higher out-of-network rate, resulting in a bill nearly double that of Mr. Aitken's out-of-pocket limit. 10. Air ambulance billing disputes, complaints on the rise. In rural areas of the U.S. the high price for life-saving air ambulance flights has grabbed media attention as rural residents, faced with excessive balance billing, have turned to state and federal auditors for intervention. Those in rural areas often must rely on air ambulance flights in life-or-death situations in lieu of feasible ground transportation. Reimbursement rate disputes between payers and medical air transport companies have strapped patients with devastating medical bills. When Amy Thomson's newborn daughter was in heart failure, Ms. Thomson had to use an air ambulance service in rural Montana for transport to a more capable facility. At the time her insurance company, PacificSource, did not have an in-network air ambulance company near her family, reports Montana Public Radio. Ms. Thomson received a $43,000 balance bill from Airlift Northwest after PacificSource contributed a policy cap of $13,000. 11. Provider-based billing practices. Consumers have been increasingly vocal about surprise medical bills derived from provider-based billing practices. Provider-based billing allows a healthcare organization to bill patients for physician care in addition to a service charge for the patient's use of hospital facilities and equipment. In some cases, a patient may be responsible for the service bill if their insurance declines to pay or if the patient has a high deductible health plan. Large hospitals like Cleveland Clinic have faced increased scrutiny for provider-based billing practices. After paying a $30 copayment for in-network care with a Cleveland Clinic chiropractor, Julie Beinhardt reported receiving a balance bill of $3,000 for provider-based service fees her insurance plan refused to cover. 12. President Barack Obama signed legislation against provider-based billing. Last year, President Obama signed legislation outlawing provider-based billing at off-campus outpatient facilities. The legislation does not apply to existing outpatient centers that already engage in the practice, however. 13. The president's 2017 budget proposal includes a provision to eliminate surprise medical bills. Although details are minimal, the president's 2017 budget proposal includes a provision to eliminate balance billing privately insured patients. The administration would address the issue by requiring physicians who regularly provide services in hospitals to accept in-network rates for service reimbursement, even if they aren't in the insurer's network. 14. About a quarter of U.S. states have laws that protect consumers from out-of-network medical bills incurred by emergency care. According to a study from Kaiser Family Foundation, 24 states have implemented laws that restrict providers from balance billing in emergency care situations, including California, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, among others. 15. More states are proposing independent dispute resolution between payers and providers in balance billing cases. Independent dispute resolution establishes a legal space in which providers and health insurers can settle disagreements regarding balance billing without involving the patient. The states of Illinois and New Yorkhave arbitration methods in place, and Florida, Washington and Pennsylvania are currently considering a similar resolution methods. 16. New York has some of the strongest consumer protection laws. Under New York law, consumers are generally protected from owing more than their in-network copayment, coinsurance or deductible on bills they receive for out-of-network emergency services. Patients can complete an assignment of benefits form that absolves them of financial responsibility and allows the provider to pursue payment from the health plan in balance billing disputes. 17. Florida state legislature is currently embroiled in a fight to pass balance billing laws. Legislation to outlaw balance billing in Florida has continued to creep through the state legislature since last fall. Introduced in both the house and senate, the bills have sparked conflicting and outspoken opinions from patients, payers, hospitals and physicians. Hospitals have largely denounced the bill, blaming balance billing disputes on payers that demand allegedly unsustainable reimbursement rates, reports Sunshine State News. 18. The "End Surprise Billing Act". Federal lawmakers are making moves to outlaw balance billing nationally. Co-sponsored by 25 lawmakers, the End Surprise Billing Act would protect patients from balance billing who went to in-network facilities for emergency services, reports Consumerist. In non-emergency cases, it would require providers to notify patients within 24 hours if an out-of-network specialist will be involved in an episode of care. 19. Consumers don't know how to navigate the legal waters. According to a Consumer Union report, 57 percent of patients who encountered balance billing from contracted physicians within the last two years paid in full because they didn't know their rights to fight the bills. An overwhelming majority (87 percent) did not know which agency or department in their state government is tasked with handling complaints about health insurance. "So many times, people just give up [in surprise billing disputes]," Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president of health initiatives with Community Service Society of New York, told NPR. 20. The New York Times dedicated a series to consumer encounters with surprise healthcare bills. Elisabeth Rosenthal's series in The New York Times entitled Paying Til it Hurts examined the personal and financial implications of excessive, unexpected medical costs on Americans, their families and their healthcare consumption. Ms. Rosenthal's installments often feature individuals with unaffordable balance bills like Peter Drier, who was served a $117,000 balance bill for an out-of-network physician's assistant he never knew was present during surgery. More articles on revenue cycle management issues: Payments for hip and knee replacements vary greatly in Colorado: 4 findings This week's 5 must-reads for hospital CFOs Empowered staff delivers better financial outcomes As the healthcare industry is charged with redefining financial responsibility in episodes of care, progressive thought leaders and administrators in the revenue cycle space are increasingly vital in helping hospitals maintain fiscal footing. Becker's Hospital Review's RCM Leaders to Know series aims to highlight those revenue cycle leaders working to bridge the gaps between volume, value and efficiency in healthcare reimbursement. Ron Wachsman, Chief Revenue Officer with Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston, spoke with Becker's Hospital Review about how his role as CRO has uniquely positioned him to take on the patient financial experience. Mr. Wachsman and Simplee's John Adractas will be presenting and discussing their recent work on transforming the patient financial experience this year at HIMSS in Las Vegas, Feb. 29-March 4. Question: What has been your prior experience in revenue management leading up to your current role with Memorial Hermann? Ron Wachsman: I had a 30-year career with ProMedica Health System in Toledo, Ohio. My primary focus centered on all areas related to revenue and that included oversight of the revenue cycle. While at ProMedica, I chaired the Ohio Hospital Association finance committee and was a member of the Healthcare Roundtable group. My background is finance. I have an undergraduate degree in accounting, and an MBA in finance. My previous experience with a large integrated delivery system positioned me to accept the opportunity at Memorial Hermann, which has a similar structure [to ProMedica] but on a much larger scale, spanning 13 hospitals, 24,000 employees, and 5,500 affiliated physicians and including both an ACO and a health plan. Q: What are the differences in responsibility between a chief revenue officer and a director of revenue cycle in a hospital system? RW: As CRO, I have oversight of the revenue cycle as well as all other revenue related processes within the system. Revenue cycle involves those departments and processes related to billing, collections, cash posting, registration, scheduling and charging, among others. In addition to these areas, [as CRO] I also have oversight of all managed care operations, payer relationships, government reimbursement, chargemaster operations, charging practices and regulatory analysis for the hospital as well as the physician side of the system. I've seen the title of CRO being used more often in large healthcare systems. There's a lot of synergy to incorporating in one division all aspects of revenue cycle as well as other revenue areas. There is a lot of value to connecting those areas within one division, under one leader. For instance, health systems may benefit from housing areas that overlap between revenue cycle and revenue processes, such as managed care contracting, within a singular division. Q: As CRO, what is one area you plan to focus on and look to changing at Memorial Hermann within the coming year? RW: We are really working to nail down the patient-centric financial experience for patients who come to Memorial Hermann. In continuing our relationship with Simplee a strategic partner of Memorial Hermann we are looking to reduce the level of confusion for the patient throughout the billing process. With an eye toward innovation, we would like to increase the amount of flexibility patients have in the financial experience. For instance, giving them the ability to opt out of paper statements, resolve all of their bills online and accomplish a variety of tasks within a single patient portal. We also want to resolve one of the most confusing financial areas for patients which is multiple billing statements. Our goal is to provide patients with a consolidated digital statement that includes both the itemized hospital statement as well as all individual physician statements within one convenient portal. If you would like to submit a candidate for Becker's "RCM leaders to know" series, please forward revenue cycle nominations to Brooke Murphy at bmurphy@beckershealthcare.com for consideration. The Wyoming Senate Appropriations Committee agreed to a $20,000 sum for a bill that would create an alternative to Medicaid expansion, according to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. The committee voted 4-1 in favor of the appropriation for the bill. The bill called Senate File 86 and sponsored by Sen. Charles Scott (R) necessitates the Legislature's Management Council create an alternative Medicaid expansion program in the state. The $20,000 appropriation will help the Legislative Service Office complete necessary tasks for the bill and its approval, according to Sen. Scott. The alternative Medicaid expansion program "shall seek to provide greater health status improvements than those provided by the Medicaid program," according to the text of the bill. Although the necessary appropriation was granted, some committee members were not as positive about SF 86. "With all due respect, this is a 'trying to feel good while we do nothing to help the uninsured' bill," said Sen. John Hastert (D), who's vying for a complete version of Medicaid expansion instead. Here are 10 recent news updates on key health IT companies. 1. IBM Watson Health plans to acquire Truven Health Analytics for $2.6 billion, a deal which upon completion will aggregate health-related data of approximately 300 million patient lives. 2. A pilot program partnership between Boston-based Harvard Medical School, IBM Watson, Anthem Blue Cross and GenieMD has produced Harvard Health Info, an app that enables patients to get treatment recommendations via a symptom checker and access health information through an 'Ask Watson' function, among other features. 3. McKesson Ventures, the venture capital arm of McKesson, has made a strategic investment in PokitDok, a company providing a development platform of application programming interfaces to process healthcare business transactions, like eligibility checks, claims, scheduling and payments. 4. Kansas City, Mo.-based Cerner reported significant revenue growth during fiscal year 2015 that ended Jan. 2, reaching $4.43 billion, a 30 percent increase from FY 2014's $3.4 billion. 5. Two hospitals renewed their IT service contracts with McKesson: Chicago-based Saint Anthony Hospital and Cookeville (Tenn.) Regional Medical Center. 6. Allscripts and Cerner were among five health IT vendors who had the greatest increases in year-to-year hospital customer loyalty, according to Black Book. 7. Among the vendors projected to have the largest booths at HIMSS are Cerner, Epic, GE Healthcare, McKesson and Allscripts. 8. Angie Stanland, vice president of associate services and recruiting at Cerner, was elected as the 2016 chairwoman of the American Royal Association. 9. HIMSS attendees will be able to see a demonstration of the EHR Cerner is developing for the Department of Defense. 10. The recently appointed head of IBM's Cognitive Business Solutions group stepped down from his position. More articles on health IT: Hackers shut down Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center IT systems, demand $3.6M ransom Praise, criticism & everything in between: 14 physicians sound off on EHRs Epic recognized for work perks; Cerner launches app development website; athenahealth posts 23 percent year-over-year revenue increase 10 health IT key notes A group that includes three former New Jersey governors is calling for a new investigation into the September 2014 deaths of former Camden, N.J.-based Cooper Health System President and CEO John Sheridan and his wife, and want Mr. Sheridan's death changed from suicide to undetermined. Former New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman (R) said Feb. 17 she believes the Sheridans may have been murdered and that the state should conduct a new investigation, according to a report from The Philadelphia Inquirer. Former Gov. Whitman and nearly 200 others, including former New Jersey Governors Thomas Kean (R) and James J. Florio (D), signed an open letter this week as Friends of John and Joyce Sheridan. In the letter, which was also signed by various former state cabinet officers, former prosecutors, defense attorneys, lawyers, friends and professional associates of the couple, group members said there are compelling reasons to question the murder-suicide conclusion reached by the medical examiner and the prosecutor's office. "The only truth in this terrible tragedy is that no one knows what happened on that September morning not us, not the medical examiner, not the prosecutor," the letter states. "We support the Sheridan family's efforts to reopen the investigation into the murder of their parents by offering a substantial financial reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of John and Joyce's killer(s). But most of all we believe that John Sheridan through his personal and professional life in New Jersey earned the right to have his life and death assessed competently and accurately. At a minimum, that requires that the cause of death be changed by the medical examiner from suicide to undetermined." Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano, who, along with Medical Examiner Eddy Lilavois, concluded in March 2015 the deaths were a murder-suicide, declined to comment to The Philadelphia Inquirer, writing: "In light of the fact that the Sheridan family is currently pursuing action to challenge the medical examiner's determination as to the manner of the death of John Sheridan, it is my firm belief that it would be inappropriate for me to provide any comment on this matter." According to the report, John and Joyce Sheridan were found Sept. 28, 2014, unresponsive in the second-floor bedroom of their home in Montgomery Township, N.J. The Somerset County prosecutor concluded Mr. Sheridan fatally stabbed his wife, stabbed himself five times and set their master bedroom on fire. More articles on leadership and management: 7 questions with AtlantiCare's outgoing and incoming CEOs 5 things to know about Twin Cities Community Hospital's new medical executive committee Theranos submits plan to fix lab problems The French government is preparing to propose a bill that would give workers the "right to disconnect" from their emails and smartphones after work hours when they are out of the office, according to a CNN Money report. The draft bill is part of an assemblage of labor reforms designed to enhance competition in France while still protecting employees' interests. It was first disclosed by French newspaper Le Parisien. In addition to removing pressure on employees to stay constantly connected, the draft bill includes reforms to France's 35-hour work week rule. The rule, which has been reformed numerous times, was enacted in 2000 to encourage companies to hire more people by restricting work hours, according to the report. French unions have pressed for a "disconnect" rule for years, claiming digital technology has catalyzed an "explosion of undeclared labor" that pressures employees to work more than 35 hours per week. If the proposal is approved, the bill will come into law in July 2017, according to the report. Some French companies have already implemented measures of their own by baring employees from using their devices after work or completely shutting down email systems overnight, according to the report. Frederic Lafage, director of the engineering firm ORFEA Acoustique, said implementing a "disconnect" system was difficult, but it hasn't resulted in decreased productivity. On the contrary, he said workers have been more efficient in the office and are getting more rest at home, according to the report. The Department of Justice has inked a deal for more than $23 million with 51 hospitals across the nation including Cleveland Clinic and San Francisco-based Dignity Health hospitals to settle False Claims Act allegations related to the implantation of cardiac devices in Medicare patients. The claims made against the hospitals stem from a cardiac device called an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. Only patients with certain clinical characteristics and risk factors qualify for an ICD covered by Medicare, and Medicare coverage for the device is governed by a National Coverage Determination. The NCD provides that ICDs, which cost approximately $25,000, should not be implanted in patients who have recently suffered a heart attack or recently had heart bypass surgery or angioplasty. There is a 40-day waiting period to implant an ICD in a heart attack patient and a 90-day waiting period for bypass/angioplasty patients. During these waiting periods, the NCD expressly prohibits implantation of ICDs. The federal government alleged each of the settling hospitals implanted ICDs during the waiting periods set by the NCD from 2003 to 2010, according to the DOJ. These settlements represent the final stage of a nationwide investigation into the practices of hundreds of hospitals. Last October, 457 hospitals across the country agreed to pay the federal government $250 million to settle allegations related to the overuse of ICDs. "The settlements announced last October and today demonstrate the Department of Justice's commitment to protect Medicare dollars and federal health benefits," said U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida. "In terms of the number of defendants, this is one of the largest whistle-blower lawsuits in the U.S. and represents one of the office's most significant recoveries to date." A full list of the settling hospitals can be found here. More articles on healthcare industry lawsuits: NJ physician accused of submitting false claims settles for $5.25M 5 latest healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements Miami physician pleads guilty to role in $20M Medicare fraud scheme A man in police custody receiving care at Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph, Mo., escaped from the hospital Feb. 12 and is still at large, according to a KQ2 report. The patient was being held by police, but had been turned over to the hospital for medical care. He was under hospital security supervision, not police supervision, at the time of his escape, according to the report. The hospital notified police shortly after the patient escaped on foot. A Mosaic spokesperson released the following statement to KQ2: "Mosaic Life Care makes every effort to cooperate and support the needs of law enforcement and provide the necessary medical care to persons presented to us. The organization routinely works with law enforcement to address these unique and unfortunate situations, while maintaining our responsibility toward patient safety and confidentiality." A patient stabbed a security guard at Summa St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, Ohio, Tuesday evening, according to the Columbus Dispatch. In what Summa Health officials described as an unprovoked event, the 33-year old male patient stabbed the guard in the neck and abdomen, according to the report. The incident occurred while the patient was being taken into the psych ward of the hospital. The patient was arrested and taken into custody by Akron Police, according to the report. Akron Police Lt. Rick Edwards told the Columbus Dispatch it isn't known how the patient carried the knives he used in the attack into the hospital. More articles on hospital violence: The number of armed security guards in hospitals is growing so is the debate over their necessity Patient shot by Virginia hospital security guard after fight Deputy shot, killed by patient at Minnesota hospital The following insurers made headlines this week. They are listed below, beginning with the most recent. 1. Q3 comparison: 9 things to know about how 7 major payers stack up Mark Farrah Associates, a healthcare data aggregator and publisher, analyzed the 2015 third quarter results of seven major U.S. health insurers Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, Health Care Service Corporation, Humana, Kaiser Permanente and UnitedHealth Group. 2. PreferredOne hopes Aetna agreement will bring in business PreferredOne, a Golden Valley, Minn.-based payer, reached a network agreement with Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna this month. Now PreferredOne is hoping to draw in more business from large companies, according to the Star Tribune. 3. 2-decade Cigna lawsuit involving 27k employees nears finish In 1998, employees and former employees of Cigna sued the Bloomfield, Conn.-based health insurer for changes to its pension plan. Now, the lawsuit is drawing to a close, according to the Hartford Courant. 4. CVS Minute Clinics in Milwaukee join Molina network Milwaukee-based Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin added CVS Minute Clinics in Milwaukee, Waukesha and Kenosha counties to its provider network, enabling patients with Molina insurance to go to those clinics for care, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal. 5. Florida insurance regulators give Aetna-Humana merger the green light The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation approved Aetna's plan to purchase Humana but there are a few conditions, according to the Miami Herald. 6. HCA, Nevada coalition at odds over contract negotiations Las Vegas-based Health Services Coalition is in a contract dispute with Nashville, Tenn.-based Hospital Corporation of America, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. 7. UnitedHealthcare, Florida Accountable Care Services launch ACO UnitedHealthcare and Orlando-based Florida Accountable Care Services are launching a joint accountable care program April 1 to improve patients' health and satisfaction while lowering costs. 8. Horizon awards physicians $3M in bonuses for achieving value-based goals Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey paid 51 medical practices across the state roughly $3 million in shared savings for achieving quality, cost efficiency and patient satisfaction goals in its 2014 Episodes of Care program. 9. Aetna, Mount Sinai Health Partners launch ACO alliance Aetna and New York City-based Mount Sinai Health Partners, a clinically integrated network including Mount Sinai Health System and select physicians, inked a three-year deal to enhance coordinated care and lower costs through an accountable care agreement. 10. Watchdog groups call out Ky. insurance commissioner's approval of Aetna-Humana merger Watchdog groups are speaking out after Kentucky Insurance Commissioner Brian Maynard approved the Aetna-Humana merger without a formal public hearing, according to Insider Louisville. 11. NC insurance department investigates BCBS The North Carolina Department of Insurance officially vowed to investigate Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, according to WNCN.com. PreferredOne, a Golden Valley, Minn.-based payer, reached a network agreement with Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna this month. Now PreferredOne is hoping to draw in more business from large companies, according to the Star Tribune. Through the contract, PreferredOne wants to gain traction with large corporations with PreferredOne coverage that self-insure their employees' health plans. These companies could enroll more members by giving their out-of-state employees access to Aetna's network of physicians and hospitals. "We're able to get to some accounts that might not have considered us in the past," said David Crosby, president and CEO of PreferredOne, according to the report. "We think that this will be one of the most significant elements ... to spur on our growth." PreferredOne is especially hopeful for success after what Mr. Crosby called a "difficult time" after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. In 2014, the health insurance company sold low-priced policies on MNsure, Minnesota's health insurance exchange. But after suffering financial losses, PreferredOne was forced to increase premium prices and drop out of MNsure for 2015. PreferredOne didn't provide financial information regarding its contract with Aetna. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently proposed a new rule limiting the use of food stamps, according to The Hill. The USDA claims many restaurants specifically pizza places are participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and allowing customers to use food stamps to buy food. "Congress specifically did not intend for restaurants to participate," the USDA wrote in its rule in the Federal Register. Regarding pizza restaurants, the USDA claims they "have been deemed eligible [for SNAP] with pizza as the qualifying staple food based on the primary ingredient (bread)." The restaurants are able to sell cold pizza to customers, heat the pizza and "have ultimately sold hot food from their pizza-restaurant location." The USDA is proposing 85 percent of a store's food sales should not be "cooked or heated on-site before or after purchase," according to the rule. Duodenoscopes are intricate, snakelike instruments used in more than 500,000 procedures each year in the U.S. The trouble is, they're made up of many tiny, moving parts and are difficult to properly clean and disinfect. This problem has garnered national attention after outbreaks of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, which have affected at least 250 patients across 10 states and four countries between 2012 and 2015, were linked to the devices, according to a U.S. Senate health committee report. One outbreak of a resistant form of E. coli, the spread of which was associated with duodenoscopes, occurred at VirginiaMasonMedicalCenter in Seattle beginning in November 2012. In the aftermath of that outbreak, medical center clinicians took a hard look at the manufacturer-provided guidelines for cleaning the scopes, and published research that suggests, oftentimes, those cleaning guidelines don't work. "The defect rate is about 1.9 percent," Andrew Ross, MD, section head of gastroenterology at Virginia Mason, says. "That's a big deal. What that tells us is that in a percentage of cases the guidelines as they have existed with the scopes up until recently don't do what they're supposed to and what we've been told they were doing." In light of this realization, Virginia Mason expanded its scope-cleaning protocol to ensure the devices were bacteria-free before being used in patient care. By March 2014, the medical center had fully implemented cleaning and disinfecting measures that included a strict culture and quarantine process in addition to the existing protocol, which entails a manual and an automated cleaning. "I think the most important part to recognize is by doing this we've extended the endoscope reprocessing procedure from an hour-long process to something that takes over two days," says Dr. Ross. Currently, when scopes fail Virginia Mason's high-level disinfection and culture and quarantine process three times, they are considered defective and are decommissioned. Dr. Ross spoke with Becker's Hospital Review about Virginia Mason's culture and quarantine process, why standard guidelines for cleaning fall short and why hospitals are in a tough position when it comes to scope reprocessing. Question: How do you define high-level disinfection? Dr. Andrew Ross: I think there is a bit of confusion in the industry about what the reprocessing process is including what the term "high-level disinfection" really means. To me, high-level disinfection refers to the entire process of reprocessing an endoscope, and it's divided into two parts. The first is a manual clean where the scope is actually manually cleaned to get rid of all of the bioburden and proteinaceous debris that gets left inside of a scope after a procedure. The second component is the automated endoscope reprocessor. When these scopes initially go through [the Food and Drug Administration] for a cleaning clearance, what they have to be able to prove is that you can actually manually reprocess the entire instrument. What the automated endoscope reprocessor does is cut out a significant number of the manual steps and automates them. That's the process as a whole and for all intents and purposes in the United States today high-level disinfection is really a manual clean followed by using the automated endoscope reprocessor, then drying. Those are the typical guidelines that are put forth. The main difference in our scenario is that after we go through that we add on the culture and quarantine process as a successive check to ensure to the best of our ability there are no pathogenic bacteria on that scope before it goes back into the patient. Q: How does Virginia Mason Medical Center's culture and quarantine process for medical scopes work? AR: It begins at the end of a case. An endoscope comes out of a patient and gets reprocessed in the standard fashion according to the manufacturer's guidelines. We use Olympus scopes and specialized tools from Olympus to follow their reprocessing guidelines. Once those scopes finish the high-level disinfection process they go into drying, and once they're thoroughly dried they get cultured. We use a liquid culture media to brush all of the difficult-to-reach areas, like the elevator mechanism which seems to be the implicated area in these outbreaks. The liquid culture media helps to produce the high burden of bacteria we need for a culture. After culturing, the scope is put through the automated endoscope reprocessor for one more cycle and is then held for 48 hours, during which time we wait for culture results to come back. If the scopes grow any potential bacterial pathogens, they then we start the clock all over again, meaning they go through the entire high-level disinfection process again and get re-cultured and re-quarantined for 48 hours. If at the end of 48 hours the scope grows no pathogens on it, it's then re-released for use in patient care. Q: Do you think all hospitals using scopes that have been linked to outbreaks should adopt a culture and quarantine program for reprocessing? AR: There are a couple of answers to that question. First, this is not necessarily a procedure that is reasonable for hospitals to adopt for a variety of reasons. The costs incurred are astronomical; to add the culture and quarantine process we had to purchase 20 additional scopes in order to accommodate our clinical volume. That's a huge burden, and the reality is why should we have to buy three endoscopes to make one work the way that it was sold to us that it was supposed to work and be reprocessed? I don't think it's incumbent on everyone to implement this type of program and I think, again, the biggest criticism has been that not everybody can do this. The cost will be prohibitive in many places. This is what worked for us at a time where we had an outbreak, this is what we needed to do in order to keep our patients safe, and it's continued to be able to provide them with a medical care that they need. But I think if you look to the FDA, they've recommended adjunctive measures beyond standard reprocessing, culture and quarantine being one of them, but with the limitation that the cost-prohibitive nature of that is not insignificant. Thirty-four current and former employees are calling out the VA Medical Center in Cincinnati for its inexcusable underperformance, according to KIVI-TV. Physicians comprise 18 of these whistleblowers. Here are five takeaways: 1. The group wrote a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Bob McDonald, citing an injustice to care quality at the center due to cost cuts. 2. Acting Chief of Staff Barbara Temeck, MD, and Department of Veterans Affairs' Regional Director Jack Hetrick are at the frontline of criticism. Mr. Hetrick has been temporarily replaced. 3. The VA, which is currently investigating the center, asked the Office of the Inspector General to conduct an independent investigation. 4. The Scripps News Washington Bureau and WCPO-TV have conducted a joint investigation into the problem. They claim their investigation found the following: The hospital significantly decreased spine and orthopedic surgery services as well as prosthetic services. Without a controlled substances license, Dr. Temeck privately prescribed substances to Mr. Hetrick's wife. Dr. Temeck receives compensation as an administrator and cardiothoracic surgeon, although some argue she has not performed surgery at the hospital. 5. Florida Republican Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, is ready to actively address the concerns if Mr. McDonald doesn't take any steps. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's death has left the now eight-member court equally divided between liberals and conservatives. This may affect certain healthcare-related cases, according to MedPage Today. Here are the five cases: 1. The Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt case involves a law in Texas that may impose an "undue burden" on a woman's right to an abortion. 2. The Gobeille v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company case examines whether self-funded insurers in Vermont should be required to share certain claims data with the state to aid in the development of its all-payer database. 3. Zubik v. Burwell considers whether the federal mandate requiring insurers to offer coverage for contraception coverage undermines the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. 4. The Universal Health Services v. United States ex rel. Escobar case looks into the question of whether certain legal approaches used in fraud cases against healthcare groups are valid. 5. House v. Burwell is not currently before the Supreme Court, but will likely make its way there soon. The case involves a challenge to the decision made by the administration to reimburse insurers for lowering beneficiaries' cost-sharing responsibilities under the PPACA. Hackers were able to access Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center's computer network in early February and is holding the data ransom, according to a Washington Post article. The hospital plans to pay the hackers $17,000 in bitcoins to retrieve the stolen information. Here are five key notes on the case: 1. The hospital's IT department identified an issue on Feb. 5 and found malware locked access to specific computer systems that won't allow the hospital to share communications electronically. 2. While the malware was in effect, the hospital reverted to paper records which meant slower patient processing. 3. The hackers cleared the malware after Hollywood Presbyterian paid 40 bitcoins the equivalent of $17,000. The hospital includes 434 beds and 500 doctors, and has $209 million annual revenue. 4. Patient care wasn't compromised in the hack and there currently isn't evidence that patient or employee information was accessed by unauthorized people. 5. The FBI is currently investigating the cyber attack on Hollywood Presbyterian. Here are eight things for spinal surgeons to know for Feb. 18, 2016. Florida teen poses as physician again, this time at his own fake medical office A Florida teenager, Malachi Love-Robinson, is accused of pretending to be a physician for the second time in just over a year. Mr. Love-Robinson, 18, was arrested Tuesday and charged with practicing medicine without a license. He allegedly performed physical exams and gave medical advice to people including an undercover officer at an illegal medical office he ran in West Palm Beach, Fla. Orthopedic surgeon median salary totals $333,097 An orthopedic surgeon's salary ranges from $123,197 to $541,917, according to payscale.com data. The top 10 percent of orthopedic surgeons make a salary around $540,000 and bonuses may reach $101,160. Orthopedic surgeon total pay ranges from $126,283 and $584,008. An orthopedic surgeon with more than 20 years of experience receives a median compensation of $403,000. Minimally invasive SI joint fusion could save $1,000s There are two new economic publications showing the cost-effectiveness of minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion with SI-BONE's iFuse Implant System. In one study, the incremental cost was $9,833, corresponding with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $13,313 per QALY gained. In another study, the cost model predicted a $3,100 expected two-year direct healthcare cost savings when considering the SI joint compared to not considering SI joints. Hackers hold Hollywood Presbyterian Medical center hostage Hackers shut down Hollywood (Calif.) Presbyterian Medical Center's computers for more than a week. The hackers are reportedly seeking more than $3.6 million to decrypt the system and the hospital's files. The hospital transferred its patients to other hospitals due to the outage. Stryker buys Physio-Control for $1.28B in 3rd February 2016 acquisition Stryker signed a deal to acquire Physio-Control in an all-cash transaction. Physio-Control's products will complement Stryker Medical's Emergency Medical Services. Stryker's Physio-Control acquisition is the company's third acquisition in February. Mount Carmel Health System acquires Central Ohio Neurological Surgeons Columbus, Ohio-based Mount Carmel Health System acquired Central Ohio Neurological Surgeons in Westerville, Ohio. The health system acquired Central Ohio Neurological Surgeons after nearly half of the practice's six surgeons left for OhioHealth in Columbus. New York Methodist Hospital adds 3 pediatric neurosurgeons New York Methodist Hospital added Mark Souweidane, MD; Jeffrey Greenfield, MD, and Caitlin Hoffman, MD. All three are also members of the faculty at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. Wenzel Spine receives FDA clearance for lumbar interbody fusion device The FDA granted clearance for Austin, Texas-based Wenzel Spine's new stand-alone expandable lumbar interbody fusion device. Surgeons implant the device in a unilateral or bilateral capacity through a PLIF or TLIF approach. The VariLift-LX has four fenestrations and a bone graft chamber to enhance vertebral fusion. Here four spine surgeons discuss their goals for the year ahead. Ask a Spine Surgeon is a weekly series of questions posed to spine surgeons around the country about clinical, business and policy issues affecting spine care. We invite all spine surgeon and specialist responses. Next week's question: In your opinion, which presidential candidate has the best healthcare plan? Please send responses to Anuja Vaidya at avaidya@beckershealthcare.com by Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 5 p.m. CST. Question: What are your goals in the coming year? William Taylor, MD, Director, Spine Surgery, Vice Chairman, Division of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Diego: With many false starts, spinal endoscopy remains underutilized. I plan to add endoscopy to my surgical skill set. The coming years will see an increase in the standard use of better MIS procedures, of which [spinal endoscopy] is a natural progression. Brian R. Gantwerker, MD, The Craniospinal Center of Los Angeles: My goals for the year are to adopt robotic and endoscopic spine surgery techniques in my practice and to partner up with like-minded neurosurgeons who value independence and quality. I think insurance companies will paradoxically start valuing independent surgeons again, as those who joined hospital-based groups are actually costing them [payers] more. Richard Kube, MD, Founder, CEO, Prairie Spine & Pain Institute (Peoria, Ill.): We have added another surgeon to our practice, so we are striving to help his practice grow and thrive. Additionally, we are also moving forward with an adult stem cell program for pain management. Last major category is finalizing some contracting with our bundled payment model. We hope that some early traction translates into another practice vertical. Christian G. Zimmerman, MD, MBA, Saint Alphonsus Medical Group, SAHS Neuroscience Institute, Boise, Idaho: When asked this question, the immediate response is to keep the status quo at its earnest. As a nearly decade-long, employed specialist of a large hospital system, the undulating crawl towards a concentric single-party payer system seems both unsettling and predictably realistic. The latest reporting on physician burnout also follows a concerning reactionary pattern to the uncertainty of healthcare delivery and its future. The overarching premise of patient care continues to be reinvented as the regulatory anchors continue to tether the diagnosis, treatment and our specialty mechanisms of implementation. Yet, embarking on this reinvented journey will test all our collective will and fortitude as going forward becomes more uncertain. In closing, my professional goals will be attaining a satisfactory employment contract signing, completing our institutes' research study on metal artifact reduction using CT scans and eliminating any irrelevant conflict in whichever form it may arise. Bombardier is axing more than 1,000 jobs in Belfast in yet another hammer blow to Northern Ireland manufacturing. The east Belfast-based planemaker is slashing a fifth of its entire workforce here in what's been described as a "devastating blow" for the Northern Ireland economy. It currently employs 5,300 staff here, the majority of whom are full-time permanent employees. Have you been affected or do you work at Bombardier? Contact us here. Last year the company received a $1bn (660m) bailout from the Quebec regional government. The firm has also received more than 70m from Invest NI since 2002. The aerospace giant's vice-president Michael Ryan said he could not rule out additional job losses in the coming years. "No. I would be a fool to try and do that," he told the Belfast Telegraph. It's understood the job cuts will hit contractors first, and then other areas in the company. Bombardier has been struggling under the weight of its long-delayed and over-budget CSeries jets. The wings and many of the fuselages of the planes are built in Northern Ireland. Staff have told the Belfast Telegraph they were only informed that local losses were on the cards through texts from relatives who heard it in the media. Bombardier said it was "taking steps to optimise" its workforce and "must adjust its workforce levels downwards by around 580 this year". A further 500 jobs are expected to go next year. Speaking about the job losses, Mr Ryan said: "For anyone affected, at a Belfast and global level, losing their job is devastating." Bombardier once employed more than 8,000 staff in Northern Ireland, but that number has fluctuated over the past 15 years. Mr Ryan said the losses were partly down to a slowing in demand, particularly for business aircraft. The job cuts will be spread across the shop floor, administration, technical and management. "The impact will be pretty broad," Mr Ryan said. Because Bombardier is such a big employer here, Mr Ryan said the losses will have an impact on "our supply chain". The Canadian-owned aerospace giant is cutting around 7,000 jobs across its operations globally. The production of wings for the CSeries is Northern Ireland's biggest-ever inward investment programme, worth 520m. Just last year, it was revealed Bombardier's east Belfast operation was trying to cut costs by a fifth over the next two years. Staff rejected a pay freeze for the workforce and plans to extend the working week to 37 hours. Reacting to the revelation staff had heard about Belfast job losses through the media, Mr Ryan said the process of informing workers was "frustrating". "That's one of the consequences of being a global company," he said. He does not point any finger of blame at Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell, who has come under pressure over his handling of Northern Ireland's manufacturing job losses. Mr Bell said he had no prior knowledge about the job losses, telling the Belfast Telegraph earlier this month that he had "been given nothing to indicate more job losses" at Bombardier. "The long-term future of Bombardier and its Belfast plant is secure," he said. Mr Ryan said Stormont and Westminster had given lots of support to Bombardier and, asked whether they should get further involved financially, he said: "At this moment, we are not looking at them." He could also not rule out a consolidation of Bombardier's Northern Ireland sites. Aside from its main base at Queen's Island, it operates from Dunmurry and the former Nortel site close to Monkstown. "We keep it all under review. We need to look at every option to optimise costs," he said. Bombardier was thrown something of a lifeline amid yesterday's bad news, securing 45 firm orders from Air Canada for its CS300 planes. That brings total orders to just under 300. 7,000 The number of jobs Bombardier plans to shed globally Northern Ireland's manufacturing industry has suffered a number of devastating blows in the past 12 months. The job losses at Bombardier follow similar cuts at Michelin and JTI Gallaher's. Around 860 positions will go at the tyre giant when it closes its doors in 2018. And a similar number of jobs will be lost at JTI Gallaher's when it shuts down completely by the end of 2017. A number of other firms, including Caterpillar NI and Schrader Electronics, both based in Co Antrim, have made substantial cutbacks. Stephen Kelly of Manufacturing NI said the combined closures were a serious concern for the sector as a whole. "One per cent of our manufacturers employ almost half of all those who work in manufacturing and 49% of turnover," Mr Kelly said. "This is undoubtedly a difficult period for the Bombardier leadership, management and staff but we should remain confident that Bombardier will play a leading role in our economy." The jobs crisis reached a high point when Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell, after coming under pressure from business groups and the media, set up an advisory group to report on the challenges facing the sector, including rising energy costs. He has faced stark criticism for his handling of the deluge of job losses. And following yesterday's announcement from Bombardier, he faced calls from both the Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP to consider his position as minister. Bombardier accounts for around 7% of all manufacturing jobs across Northern Ireland, with more than 80,000 workers across the sector as a whole. The company also represents around 10% of total exports from Northern Ireland and almost 50% of the total number of manufacturing jobs in Belfast. The outlook is improving further for Northern Ireland hotels with the risk of insolvency falling for the sector, it has been claimed. Insolvency body R3 said the first few months of 2016 had seen a fall of 12% in the number of hotel companies at risk of going out of business. Michael Neill, a partner in law firm A&L Goodbody and Northern Ireland representative of R3, said Belfast was expected to gain 1,000 more hotel rooms in the next three years. Around 20 new hotels are estimated to be in the works for the city - and this week, Cathedral Quarter spot the Waring Hotel won planning permission. Other proposed hotels in the city include the Bedford Hotel, a project by the Hill family, who also own the Galgorm Resort and Spa near Ballymena, and the Grand Central, a new project by Hastings Hotels Group. But Mr Neill said there could be a risk of the city becoming over-served by hotels. "While it's great to see the sector developing and expecting increasing numbers of visitors, it's important to be aware of over-capacity," he added. "Businesses need to be careful not to over-extend themselves as financial problems can quickly trip up a company's success." The sector received a knock earlier this month when KPMG was appointed administrators to the Balmoral Hotel in Dunmurry. But KPMG said the hotel was staying open for all business during the administration and that the workforce of 120 would remain intact for the time being. It is expected that KPMG will put the hotel on the market. The Balmoral is the first major hotel business in Northern Ireland to go into administration since a gradual economic recovery began in 2012. The hotel was operated by Balmoral Inns, a partnership of John and Roisin McIlhone and Emma Walsh. A major retail chain specialising in outdoors clothing and equipment is set to open its first store in Northern Ireland. GO Outdoors is setting up shop in Valley Retail Park in Newtownabbey in premises formerly occupied by Harvey Norman. Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), with asset managers AEW, bought Valley Retail Park last year for 7.15m. REIT said it was "delighted" to announce the new entrant. Commercial property consultants TDK had acted on its behalf in negotiating the early surrender of Harvey Norman's lease. TDK partner Mark Thallon said: "When we advised AEW in the acquisition, we had a clear strategy to identify certain retailers who would attract customers back to what is a fantastic location. GO Outdoors were top of the list and we are delighted that they have chosen Valley Retail Park for their first Irish store. "We now only have two more units available and we are confident that this letting, together with existing tenants Harveys, Halfords and Harry Corry, will now attract other retailers to the remaining space." Andrew Playfer from AEW said the arrival of GO Outdoors was "a key element" in its strategy to "reinvigorate" the park. "We believe this will be the catalyst to further lettings and expect to be in a position to make other announcements," he said. Harvey Norman now has a flagship store on Belfast's Boucher Road, and another at Holywood Exchange. The scale and severity of the job losses have shocked politicians and business groups. First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said that while Bombardier "made it clear their decision is as a result of inescapable global factors, the impact is very real for those affected, and for the wider economy". Have you been affected or do you work at Bombardier? Contact us here. Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell added the company had "taken this decision to rationalise its workforce across all its sites in order to ensure its viability for the future". In an interview with this newspaper earlier this month, Mr Bell said he had "been given nothing to indicate" more job losses were in the offing. The scale of the cuts appeared to take some, such as Invest NI chief executive Alastair Hamilton, by surprise. "While we were aware Bombardier intended to make cost reductions, the news of 7,000 jobs - 1,080 of them in Northern Ireland - is greater than anticipated," he said. PwC chief economist Dr Esmond Birnie said the difficulties emphasised "the need for government and the private sector to be embedded as deeply as possible into the supply chains of the largest players in aerospace". Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers described the news as "bitterly disappointing" and said she had been in touch with Westminster over support. The losses were also a huge blow to Unite's Davy Thompson, who insisted that the Executive "needs to redouble their efforts and secure alternative employment for highly skilled workers who will be made redundant". "Invest NI must now commit themselves fully to proactively seeking foreign investment in manufacturing," he added. Politicians from across east Belfast also weighed in over the news, with DUP MP Gavin Robinson urging help for affected workers. "I hope that the job losses announced might be mitigated and that Bombardier can continue to be an important part of the fabric of the city," he said. Alliance's Chris Lyttle said it was a "brutal blow". "My colleague and Employment Minister Dr Stephen Farry met with Bombardier and will be offering the support of his department to the company and workers on redundancy advice and guidance for training and employment opportunities," he added. There were also calls from both the Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP for Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell to consider his position as minister. Ulster Unionist MLA Adrian Cochrane-Watson said the announcement was "yet another example of a minister and department out of touch with the reality of the challenges" here. And SDLP leader Colum Eastwood claimed that affected families would be "reeling from this devastating news". Ukip MLA David McNarry, meanwhile, suggested Mrs Foster and Mr Bell should "fly straight to Bombardier head office" to grill the firm on its future intentions. The historic 16-acre Sirocco site in east Belfast, which was to be transformed in a 600m investment, has gone on the market. Sirocco Quays is located between the Short Strand and Bridge End. However, the sprawling industrial site has been sitting largely disused for years after the firm due to develop it went under. It has now been placed on the market by commercial property firm Colliers, though the asking price has not been disclosed. Plans for the waterside development included 5,000 apartments, a hotel, an international convention centre, a supermarket, leisure facilities and other retail sites. Asda had been tipped as operators of the supermarket. Ewart Properties sold the Sirocco site for 40m to the Carvill Group in 2006. The proposal was once billed as "a new cultural destination for the city" and was one of the Carvill Group's flagship Belfast projects. Planning permission was granted for the ambitious development, but that was then expected to be reduced in scale. However, Carvill Group, a company which made its name in construction as well as housebuilding, went into administration in 2011. It is understood Belfast City Council's city and regeneration committee held a closed-doors meeting on the future of the Sirocco site last week. On the agenda was what could be done to revamp and rebuild the area once a new buyer was found. It is believed that the issue will now be presented during the next full council meeting in March. In May, it was reported that Ulster Bank had sold Northern Ireland property loans originally worth 1.4bn for 205m in a deal with the US investment firm Cerberus. Loans originally taken out by Carvill Group on the Sirocco Works in east Belfast and by Leaside Investments for the proposed Royal Exchange shopping centre in the city were believed to be part of the massive deal. The Sirocco Works was one of the highest-profile sites in Belfast to be affected by the loan sale. The economic crash and the collapse in property prices were identified as big factors in the demise of Warrenpoint-based builders Carvill Group and their plans for a major redevelopment of the site. The last remaining business in the area was Howden UK, formerly known as Sirocco Engineering Works. Based at Queen's Road, it was one of the area's longest-running firms and was originally set up by Samuel Davidson in 1881. But it revealed it was closing down last year, with the loss of around 100 jobs. Howden makes fans and heat exchangers and operates in more than 17 countries. The firm said some of the work in Northern Ireland would transfer to Glasgow, and staff could be offered alternative employment elsewhere. Ewart Properties had previously bought the Sirocco site from Howden Sirocco in 2000 for 23m. Full demolition was finished in 2006. Ewarts had earlier proposed to construct a 129,000 sq ft office development and around 100 apartments alongside a 90,000 sq ft retail site. Northern Ireland can still compete strongly in manufacturing, despite suffering big job losses in the sector, one top industry boss has said. CBI director general Carolyn Fairbain was speaking after aerospace giant Bombardier revealed it's cutting more than 1,000 jobs in Belfast. "It is clearly a very sad day that Bombardier has announced job losses in Belfast, and our sympathies go out to all the people affected by this," she said. Ms Fairbairn, who joined the business group in November, was speaking during a visit to Northern Ireland. "In terms of Northern Ireland manufacturing, there are still really bright spots in terms of the manufacturing sector here... (there is) strong growth in the medium and smaller-sized sectors. "We would feel optimistic about the ability of Northern Ireland to continue to compete strongly in manufacturing." Ms Fairbairn said while there remained a "productivity gap" between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, it had enjoyed a "good recovery form the crash". "It's shown some bright spots in terms of its growth in fintech, creative industry and agri-business. "In terms of lagging behind the rest of the UK, there is still a productivity gap, but there is every opportunity to try and close it." Ms Fairbairn joined the CBI in November, after taking over from John Cridland. During her long and varied career, she has worked as an economist, in journalism, and is a former director of strategy at both the BBC and ITV. And she said the benefits of cutting corporation tax here, dropping the rate to 12.5% by 2018, are "potentially really significant". "It could bring significant benefits to Northern Ireland, and part of the Northern Irish brand, that you stand for being a really low tax economy." And asked about a Brexit, she said the majority of members continued to support the UK remaining part of a "reformed Europe". "We await the Prime Minister's final negotiation on Thursday. The position of the CBI and our members is we have consulted extensively over the last two years and the majority of our members have said they want to stay in a reformed Europe. "That's not all our members, we have some who would prefer to leave, but that is a minority." Her comments about Northern Ireland's manufacturing industry come after Bombardier's shock news that it's cutting 1,080 jobs over the next two years. That job cut follows several other big job losses here over the last few months, including Michelin cutting 860 posts. Steve Albini will be the keynote speaker at the Output Belfast conference in The MAC A musician and producer who has worked with Nirvana will address Northern Ireland's largest ever music conference this week. Steve Albini has also collaborated with the Manic Street Preachers and many others. He will be the keynote speaker at the Output Belfast conference in The MAC, which will be attended by more than 500 artists, businesses and creative students and will address the challenges and opportunities that the music industry presents. Organised by Belfast City Council, the conference will include panel discussions, music sessions, workshops and speed networking events. A spokesman for the organisers said: "Output Belfast will be Albini's only speaking engagement in Europe in 2016, thus offering a unique opportunity for a Belfast audience to gain firsthand insights from one of the most acclaimed and respected figures in the music business." Other panels and workshops include a session on music composition and placement in the BBC television show Peaky Blinders. At night, the emphasis will switch to live music, with free pop-up gigs at nine venues in and around the Cathedral Quarter. Belfast City Cllr Deirdre Hargey said: "The economic and cultural contribution and potential of the creative industries is widely acknowledged. "The council is committed to supporting those working in the fields of film, music, digital media and design to achieve their true economic and creative potential. "This unique one day event is designed to provide a high quality, internationally recognised conference and showcasing event that will help to underpin and accelerate the development of skills, networks and market opportunities for artists and businesses in Belfast's burgeoning music industry sector." Viola Beach have reached number one on iTunes as fans pay tribute to the band who were killed in a car crash at the weekend. The indie band reached the top of the iTunes songs chart with their single Swings & Waterslides after a fan-led campaign to get them to number one. Following news of the tragedy, Swings & Waterslides entered the official singles chart and reached number nine on Wednesday ahead of the full chart announcement on Friday, according to figures from the Official Charts Company. Musicians including Paloma Faith, Gabrielle Aplin, The Stone Roses, and Liam Gallagher have called on their followers to help with the campaign. The band's record label Communion has confirmed that the proceeds from the sale of singles will go to the families of the band and their manager. Kris Leonard, River Reeves, Tomas Lowe and Jack Dakin were killed alongside their manager Craig Tarry when their car plunged off a bridge into a canal in Sweden in the early hours of Saturday morning. The accident took place in Sodertalje, 18 miles from the capital Stockholm. Viola Beach, who had just performed their first gig outside the UK, had been due to play a homecoming gig at Warrington's Pyramid on March 12. The four-piece had featured on BBC Introducing, which showcases up-and-coming music artists, and described themselves as an ''indie pop'' band. Mr Leonard was on guitar and vocals, Mr Reeves on guitar, Mr Lowe on bass and Mr Dakin on drums. Bronagh, pictured here at this year's Sunday Life Spirit of Northern Ireland Awards. Pic: Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Back in 2002, Bronagh Waugh made a very big decision. Unable to get acting work in England after graduating from drama school, she moved home to Northern Ireland. It was the BBC series Murphys Law that pushed me to make the move, she said. Even though Im from Coleraine, the same town as the lead actor Jimmy Nesbitt, the casting director wouldnt see me because I had no Northern Ireland fantastic to take people to The Ramore in Portrush because the owner is a friend of my family. Now I dont need to sell Northern Ireland. Everyone knows how good it is. Bronagh is currently starring in the locally-filmed movie A Christmas Star, backed by the Cinemagic charity that offers young people the opportunity to learn about film-making, behind and in front of the camera. There are appearances from Pierce Brosnan, Richard Clements, Kylie Minogue, and Downton Abbeys difficult butler, Robert James-Collier, as well as writer Julian Fellowes. The voiceover is performed by Liam Neeson. Everyone loved working on A Christmas Star, said Bronagh. One of the English crew, the gaffer (head electrician), loved Northern Ireland so much that hes bought a house in Carnlough, where we were filming for eight weeks, and hes living there now full time. The great thing is that hes getting lots of steady work in the industry locally. Bronagh is excited about the fast-expanding film and television industry in Northern Ireland and believes that young people who want to work in the sector now have a real chance of a successful career. When I was growing up in the 80s, the notion of becoming an actor in Northern Ireland was regarded as totally implausible. There wasnt enough of an industry to sustain you. Now its a real prospect, and there are so many opportunities for people who want to work as crew, make-up, directing. The industry here is really vibrant and the regeneration and investment its bringing is fantastic. HBO and Game of Thrones have made such a difference. It showcases what Northern Ireland has to offer as a location: the mountains and the water, our wonderful landscape that can represent anywhere in the world. Its so versatile. And I know that producers and directors are so incredibly impressed with the local crews, they really are second to none. In the past, they had to fly in a DoP (Director of Photography) and camera operators, now theyre hiring locally. It means a lot of people in the industry dont have to leave Northern Ireland to get work. Bronagh now lives in Guildford, near London, but the appeal of home is very strong. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Jon Snow in Game of Thrones season 5 Maisie Williams as Arya Stark. Photo Credit: Macall B. Polay/HBO Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones season 5 Photograph: Helen Sloan/HBO/20 Tyrion Lannister in Games of Thrones season 5 Myrcella Baratheon in Game of Thrones season 5 Sansa Stark and Ramsay Bolton in Game of Thrones season five Carice van Houten as Melisandre. Photo Credit: Helen Sloan/HBO Kit Harington as Jon Snow. Photo Credit: Helen Sloan/HBO Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister and Ian Beattie as Meryn Trant from Game of Thrones Kit Harington as Jon Snow, Stephen Dillane as Stannis Baratheon and Liam Cunningham as Davos Seaworth. Photo Credit: Helen Sloan/HBO Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei and Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm. Photo Credit: Helen Sloan/HBO Dean-Charles Chapman as Tommen Baratheon and Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister. Photo Credit: Macall B. Polay/HBO Alexander Siddig as Doran Martell. Photo Credit: Macall B. Polay/HBO Indira Varma as Ellaria Sand and Deobia Opaeri as Areo Hotah. Photo Credit: Macall B. Polay/HBO Kristofer Hivju as Tormund Giantsbane. Photo Credit: Helen Sloan/HBO Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister. Photo Credit: Helen Sloan/HBO Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark and Aidan Gillen as Littlefinger. Photo Credit: Helen Sloan/HBO Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne and Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth. Photo Credit: Helen Sloan/HBO Michael McElhatton as Roose Bolton, Iwan Rheon as Ramsay Bolton and Elizabeth Webster as Walda Frey. Photo Credit: Helen Sloan/HBO Conleth Hill as Varys and Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister. Photo Credit: Helen Sloan/HBO Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell and Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister. Photo Credit: Helen Sloan/HBO Jonathan Pryce as the High Sparrow. Photo Credit: Macall B. Polay/HBO / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jon Snow in Game of Thrones season 5 Im back and forth all the time and I have definitely toyed with the idea of moving back home. I would love to set up an accredited drama school. My involvement with Cinemagic is all about giving something back and I feel very privileged to be able to do that. My partner is from the south of England, but if I was single I would definitely be back. There are so many positives to living in Northern Ireland, my English friends are flabbergasted when I tell them about the price of houses and rent back home. Plus, its so easy to fly over to England now when you need to commute. We will see a big wave of my generation moving back, now that the situation is so positive, and not just in the film industry. However, Bronagh is worried about the impact of austerity on the arts sector in Northern Ireland, and has flown home on several occasions to lend her support to protests against cuts. You have to look after the small, homegrown arts and theatre companies. Coleraines James Nesbitt is in demand for film and TV roles worldwideTo have a Ridley Scott film made here is brilliant, of course, but I would argue that it doesnt have the same impact on a community as a community-based theatre company. When Game of Thrones eventually packs up and leaves town, we still want to have a conveyor belt of talent coming through. Art changes lives and it often comes out of conflict, which is probably why our arts scene is thriving. But we must nurture it. Its time to write the next chapter. No-one will be surprised if Bronagh is one of the people writing it. Top prize: Sister Olive with her niece Barbara Agnew at the Woman of the Year Awards An 84-year-old Dominican nun Sister Olive Cooney, our Belfast Telegraph Woman of the Year 2015 winner in the voluntary sector, says she feels privileged to be helping the vulnerable in society. If ever there was a winner humbled to receive a Belfast Telegraph Woman of the Year Award it was our 2015 winner in the voluntary sector Sister Olive Cooney. By the very nature of the life she chose for herself committed to serving the Lord and the community as a member of the Dominican Order, Sister Olive's heart has always been in helping others. While she regards it as a privilege and a joy, those on the receiving end of her selflessness see it differently. To them she is "Northern Ireland's answer to Mother Teresa". Sister Olive was nominated for our award in honour of her tireless work as a volunteer at the Belfast charity for the homeless, The Welcome Organisation. Although 84 and retired some years now, every Wednesday at 8am come rain or shine she sets off for the laundry room of the centre where she spends all day washing clothes and sleeping bags for the homeless. It is strenuous work in a hot, windowless room where she has four washing machines and tumble dryers going non-stop yet those in need, who come through the door, are always greeted with a warm smile and a kind word. It is not unusual for Sister Olive to arrive at the centre and find clothes stacked to the ceiling. She works alone all day sorting, washing, drying and folding every item. It was her colleagues at the welcome centre, who witness her dedication week in and week out, who surprised her by nominating her for our award last year. One year on and Sister Olive is still thrilled by the accolade and recalls vividly how she felt when told she had been nominated: "It really took me by surprise. "When I was told I had been shortlisted I said 'not at all, I don't deserve anything'. "My niece went with me to the awards in the Ramada Hotel and I remember saying I shouldn't be there at all. "When they called my name I was so shocked I said 'I think I'll get under the table'. It was a very pleasant night and a great surprise. I gave my niece my trophy as she has a lovely home and somewhere to display it." It was 67 years ago at the age of just 18 that Olive left Dominican College in Dublin and decided to join the Dominican Order herself. At school she fell in love with the Dominican way of life, its ethos and its aims. She says: "St Dominic taught us this: 'Scatter the grain and bring forth fruit'. This is what I was preparing to do." A farmer's daughter, she grew up one of eight children in Co Westmeath, and was delighted to have the blessing of her parents, brothers and sisters when she told them her plans. "They gave me their blessing, but my father took me to one side to remind me of something. "He said, 'This is your choice, Olive, and we are happy for you, but never forget, our door will always be open for you here, no matter what, no matter when'," she recalls. During her career she has been located across the length and breadth of Ireland, north and south, working in various capacities as a teacher, a pastoral counsellor, a manager and carer for those in need, while maintaining and observing the Dominican way of life every step of the way. In 1964, she began teaching Home Economics in St Mary's College on Belfast's Falls Road and spent what she describes as "a joyful few years" working with the young people who she treated like they were children of her own. Many of her past pupils and students kept in touch with her after leaving school and, to this day, still write and visit. "This was a very challenging time for me, but the things that I had missed by joining a religious life, like family, relations and friends, were all now there for me but in a different way. Working with these children and being a part of their enthusiasm for life and learning made every day feel worthwhile," she says. She left St Mary's College in 1979 and moved to Queen's University, Belfast, where she worked as an administrator. A number of years followed where she worked as a chaplain in Musgrave Park Hospital before retiring seven years ago when she became a volunteer for the Welcome Organisation. Working with the homeless is something she always wanted to do and retirement gave her the chance to take on a voluntary role. Sister Olive says she feels grateful to have good health to allow her to do what is a physically demanding job which keeps her on her feet for hours. "It is a privilege to be associated with the organisation and to be able to work for those who are less well off than I am," she says. "I go every Wednesday morning. I get the bus outside the gate at 8am and stay until I am completely finished which can be around 4 or 4.30pm. "I love going there. I appreciate what the homeless give me rather than what I give them. "There is a great sense of privilege working with homeless people. "They are very gracious and very grateful for the work I do and they always thank me and hug me when I give them their clothes back. "Many of them say that it is the only time they have ever been handed clothes that are folded. The faces change all the time as people get employment or young people get places at college," Sister Olive adds. "There are definitely more younger people who come in and, with the recession especially in the construction industry, there are a lot of Polish people who came over to work in the building trade during the boom and who don't have the money to go back home. With the economic downturn we have seen older people come in, which is more tragic because younger people, at least, have the hope of going back to school and training for employment. "People are there for all sorts of reasons, family break-ups or lack of employment." Despite her experience working with the homeless, Sister Olive says she is always moved by their plight. "They would hand me their sleeping bags and say they had slept under the stars in this weather and it does go to my heart when I think of it," she says. "We do the best we can at the centre, which has a great outreach programme where volunteers go out on cold nights to give hot tea, coffee and soup to those in need. I thank the Lord that I have the privileges that I have." While it is a long day and Sister Olive is tired when she gets on the bus back home, she describes it as "a joyous fatigue". "I am there to help others and it is good for me to be able to help and give my time, and I love my work," she adds. "I'm going to be 85 in June and I feel very blessed that I am in good health and have the privileges I have." How you can nominate someone ... Do you know a woman you would like to nominate for a Woman of the Year award? If so, citations should 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 Bombardier employees in Belfast have reacted angrily to the news that the aerospace company is to cut more than 1,000 jobs across Northern Ireland. Staff have told the Belfast Telegraph that they had only heard the news of the redundancies through the media. A memo had been sent to workers about the Canadian firm's overall staff cuts, but most had no idea how Belfast would be hit. Have you been affected or do you work at Bombardier? Contact us here. One worker said staff had expected some form of announcement. Outside the east Belfast Bombardier factory yesterday afternoon, most of the workers coming and going quickly made their way past reporters and declined to speak. A number of passing drivers blew their horns in a show of support. One man stopped briefly to say he was "devastated" and commented: "If I were to tell you the truth I would be sacked. We've had no support from the shop floor." When another was asked for a comment, he simply replied: "Sorry son, you'll get us the sack." Across east Belfast, the shockwaves of the job losses were keenly felt by many in the community. Valerie Duff, who manages the Waasika charity shop on the Holywood Road, said she feared the knock-on effect from the job losses. "It's really sad that this is happening. Bombardier has been a lifeline here for quite a while," she said. "It's the livelihood of families in east Belfast that I feel for, not just for the people losing their jobs." Jim from east Belfast said he understood what the Bombardier workers would be feeling. "I got laid off there about two-and-a-half years ago and I know what they're going through," he said. "It's not a great thing. Especially when you have mortgages and children. I know what it's like, two-and-a-half years I've been trying to get a job and no chance. I was laid off after my employer hired cheaper contractors. That's just business I suppose, but it can bring you down." Mark Warwick, manager of Warwick's butchers on the Holywood Road, said he hoped there would be help for those affected. "I imagine there's quite a few of my customers that would have somebody employed at the plant there," he said. "Certainly you'd like to see people get all the help they can in the short term." Leslie Crothers, who was working on road repairs in east Belfast yesterday, said he was saddened by the news. "Well it's just one big firm after another, that's the way it seems to be going at the moment," he said. "Hopefully they can do something on the hill to help the people that have lost the jobs." Grandmother Hazel Campbell, who had worked as a stitcher in an east Belfast shirt factory after leaving school in the 1970s, said the area has been ravaged by job cuts. "It's devastating, the place has been hit badly enough already," she said. "Bringing children up now with a mortgage and worrying about paying your bills, it's an absolute nightmare, awful." She continued: "I worked on the Beersbridge Road, in the factory that manufactured shirts. It's gone, Harland and Wolff's mainly gone, that just tore the life and soul out of the community. "There weren't as many people signing on as there are now. I don't judge people, it's the government's fault. East Belfast used to be somewhere to be proud of." Christopher Reid, who was working as a joiner in the area yesterday, said: "It seems to be getting worse, you hear about jobs leaving Northern Ireland all the time. A thousand jobs are going to go, that's a thousand families who will have to look elsewhere. There doesn't seem to be any loyalty or compromise from these big companies." At the Skainos Centre, manager Gary Robb said they could offer help to those facing redundancy. "It's very sad news for the area," he said. "Skainos Centre and East Belfast Mission will do whatever we can to support any families affected by it. We have a programme called Stepping Stone which gives people advice when they're faced with redundancy. Families will be worried but there is support available. We would encourage families to come down to see what's on offer." Arlene Foster attends an event to mark the 1916 Rising at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster has insisted she was not attending a 1916 Easter Rising commemoration during an event marking the rebellion against British rule. The Democratic Unionist leader, who had vowed to snub centenary commemorations of the uprising, travelled to Dublin to take part in a Church of Ireland-organised talk at Christ Church Cathedral about the offensive. The church had billed it as a commemoration but later issued a statement clarifying that the discussion was "not a commemorative one but one which is designed to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising by exploring it historically". Arriving at the event, Ms Foster said she was open to listening to the different perspectives, but added that people in the Republic had to take onboard difficulties northern unionists have with the rebellion. "I was very clear when I was asked about the commemoration of the Easter Rising, the Easter rebellion, call it what you will, that I wouldn't be coming to commemorations, but I was very happy to come to a historical lecture or reflective evening," she said. "That's exactly what I'm doing tonight and I'm delighted to be in Dublin, in Christ Church tonight. "I hope that I set a tone of respect, a tone of tolerance, a tone of respecting difference as well, and I'm very much looking forward to hearing the different perspectives." The rising was a seminal moment in Irish history which ultimately led to partition and the creation of both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Ms Foster had previously denounced the event as an attack on the state and democracy which more recently gave "succour" to violent republicans in Northern Ireland. Taoiseach Enda Kenny, also invited to the event, last month declared his disappointment in the First Minister's vow to snub commemorations of the 100-year-old rising. "One of the things I think that concerns people in Northern Ireland about what happened here 100 years ago at Easter is the fact that it was used then in the 70s and the 80s to justify what happened in Northern Ireland at that particular time," Ms Foster said, in reference to the recent IRA campaign. "I think that is a very difficult thing for a lot of unionists to come to terms with and it is something I think people here in the Republic of Ireland have to reflect on as well." Asked about the Queen placing a wreath and bowing before a monument to those who died fighting for Irish independence in Dublin five years ago, Ms Foster refused to comment on whether the monarch was right to do so. "Of course, Her Majesty The Queen makes up her own decisions and I think she's a tremendous role model, particularly in Northern Ireland in terms of reconciliation," she said. "For me, I have made my position very clear, I'm here to listen, I'm looking forward to listening." She added: "I'm certainly open to listening to different narratives, I've never said that I wouldn't listen to different narratives. "But I, of course, have a very particular view on what happened 100 years ago, and that of course is where I come from in terms of my politics." The Christ Church evening, entitled State of Chassis - Ordinary People in Extraordinary Circumstances in Dublin in 1916, included talks by a number of Irish historians. Bombardier workers and the wider east Belfast area is reeling from the news some 1,000 jobs are to go at the aerospace firm Scores of Bombardier workers learned their jobs were at risk yesterday via text messages from relatives who heard the news long before the employees were due to gather at a 'high noon' showdown with management. They were eventually told 1,000 jobs were being axed over the next two years. "It's bad enough to discover that your livelihood is under threat in the normal way, but you shouldn't find out on social media," said one man at the factory who didn't want to be named. "It was my wife who got in touch with me to let me know the grim news." Have you been affected or do you work at Bombardier? Contact us here. An angry Davy Thompson from the Unite union in Belfast said: "It was absolute madness. The company were to do a briefing at 12 o'clock but it appears that the announcement of the 7,000 global job losses was released from Canada an hour earlier and it seems that's the way the word got out. "That is a very disappointing position for us. It's certainly not the right way to do it." Other workers leaving the plant yesterday said they had been fearing the worst for weeks after reading alarming stories about Bombardier's financial losses in newspapers in Canada where the firm has its headquarters. "But we were still stunned to find out just how grave the situation was," Mr Thompson said. "We knew over the past 14 months that the picture wasn't good with the complementary workforce at Bombardier losing so many people and there was a bit of a hit of about 300 staff on management grades too." Financial pressures which have mounted on Bombardier, the largest manufacturing company in Northern Ireland, have centred on their new CSeries short-haul passenger jet which has been developed in competition with aerospace giants Boeing and Airbus. The CSeries project has run up colossal debts with the government in Quebec pumping in almost 700m last year alone, but sales have failed to match expectations, though Bombardier announced yesterday that Air Canada had signed letters of intent to buy 75 of them. However, Bombardier's vice president Michael Ryan said employment in Belfast on the CSeries for which the local workforce make the wings has been going up and will continue to increase. Davy Thompson said: "We believe long term that the CSeries will be a good investment and will prove fruitful for Bombardier, but the issue we face in these type of job losses is that the market forces in terms of the older type of passenger and business jets aren't selling so there's a dip in the middle of the company's sales overall. "And the reality is that if a regional jet is cut it may not have any effect on Bombardier in Toronto or Montreal but Belfast works on all the programmes so everything will impact on our factory." Mr Ryan insisted Bombardier was committed to Belfast but a number of employees are worried that the aerospace firm could 'do a Harland and Wolff' as one worker called it. PUP councillor and local GP Dr John Kyle said the threatened redundancies had sent tremors of depression across east Belfast. "There's a massive pall of anxiety and gloom hanging over the area that will take a long time to clear. Bombardier have been a really good employer here with excellent wages, a highly-trained and committed workforce and a tremendous apprenticeship scheme "That makes it all the more disappointing that difficulties with selling their wares which are beyond Belfast's control have forced them to make people redundant in the city. A lot of the people who will be going are in their 50s and 60s who will find it much more difficult to find comparable work again." The job losses in Belfast will have a major spin-off impact on a large supply chain that Bombardier has right across Northern Ireland, though management sources said the lower skilled and lower value work which the firm might be offloading from their plant could be offered to them if they diversify their operations. Rev Mervyn Gibson, the minister of Westbourne Presbyterian Church on the Newtownards Road which is known as the 'shipyard' church, is worried that smaller businesses in east Belfast will also be badly affected by the Bombardier cuts. "The job losses will hurt a lot of people in east Belfast and not just the Bombardier workers who come from all over the province to work in the factory. I know some shops in the area were on their knees because one major road leading to Bombardier was closed for months for a sewage scheme and the workers stopped going there. This will be another hammer-blow." Davy Thompson agrees. "If you don't have people with disposable income, your service sector goes because people just don't have the money to spend." The Bombardier bombshell is just the latest in a series of seismic employment setbacks for Northern Ireland where thousands of jobs have disappeared at JTI Gallaher and Michelin in Ballymena and FG Wilson with work moving to countries around the world who can do the same work at a fraction of the price. Mr Thompson called on Stormont politicians to do more to help attract foreign investment in manufacturing. "Every country in the developed world has a manufacturing strategy but Stormont is lagging behind, and Westminster also has a role to play to build up our infrastructure and cut our transport and energy costs. East Belfast MLA Sammy Douglas yesterday met his DUP colleague Jonathan Bell who's the Enterprise Minister in the Executive. Mr Bell, who has met Bombardier's management five times in recent months including two face-to-face sessions in Canada, said he deeply regretted the job cuts. But he said he believed the future of Bombardier in Northern Ireland was secure. Tomorrow Sammy Douglas will accompany the East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson and another Assemblyman, Robin Newton, to meet Bombardier's senior executives. Trade union leaders will also have talks with Bombardier's bosses tomorrow but there's an almost palpable sense of despair that there is no chance of saving jobs at a time when so many other workers in the company are losing their jobs as part of a global restructuring shake-up to reduce costs. Wearing his GP's hat, Dr Kyle said the ripple effects of the job losses on employees in Belfast could be immense. In his surgery at the Holywood Arches, he has had to deal with a range of problems cast up by redundancies in the past. "Especially for men, I think losing their jobs in their 40s and 50s strikes at the very root of who they are. And to find that they have no work to go to has a significant impact on their mental health and sense of self-esteem. "All that, of course, predisposes them to other illnesses. Many of them are not physically and mentally as well as they would be if they were going to a job that gives them an income and a sense of purpose. They also lose their workmates, their friends and their social networks that they have known for years." The reshaping of the industrial landscape in east Belfast has been dramatic over the decades with tens of thousands of jobs vanishing at former powerhouses like the shipyard, the Sirocco Works and now Bombardier. Secretary of State Theresa Villiers, who's in Washington 'selling' Northern Ireland, doesn't believe that Bombardier have any plans to pull out of their bases in east Belfast and in other parts of the region. She said: "It is hugely devastating news for the people who are facing redundancy but I think we can all take some comfort from the fact that Bombardier have made it very clear that they are committed to Belfast as a hugely important manufacturing centre for them." Belfast Zoo's giant anteaters have welcomed a new arrival and now they need help to find a name. Endangered South American mammals Kara and Pancho gave birth to the baby on 22 December last year and it is now starting to take its first steps outside. For the first six months, Kara will keep the little one close by and carry the pup on her back. Although keepers at the zoo haven't been able to find out what sex the baby is, they're now looking for visitors to name the pup. Zoo curator, Alyn Cairns, said: We are all delighted to welcome a new member to the zoo family. Kara is a fantastic mum and for the first six months she will carry the pup on her back nearly all the time. While this is great camouflage from predators, it also makes it extremely difficult for the keepers to get a good look at the infant to find out whether it is male or female and we dont want to disrupt the pair at this stage. Even though we dont know what sex the pup is, the team have come up with some names and we would love your help to pick one." His dad Pancho arrived in Belfast from Duisburg Zoo (Germany), in 2012, and was joined by mum Kara from Olomouc Zoo, in February 2015, as part of the European breeding programme. There are only 200 giant anteaters living in zoos around the world and Pancho and Kara are the only breeding pair in Ireland. As the name suggests, the giant anteater is the worlds biggest anteater species and can grow up to seven feet in length. In Central and South America they live in the grasslands and rainforests and, while this species was once widespread, today their numbers vary drastically between countries. They are considered one of the most threatened mammals in Central America. In fact in Brazil, there are serious concerns because, in some areas where they once roamed, there are now none left. Alyn added: Giant anteater populations have declined by 30% between 2000 and 2010, showing how vulnerable the species is. Our latest arrival is not only cause for celebration for Belfast Zoo and the breeding programme but also for giant anteater conservation as a whole. Giant anteaters are unquestionably one of the most unusual looking species. They have a long snout, long hair, a large bushy tail and a long tongue which is approximately 50 centimetres in length! They use their tongue to mop up insects and can eat up to 30,000 insects in a single day! We have no doubt that the newest arrival is going to be a popular addition with both staff and visitors. You can help to name the zoos latest arrival by placing your vote at http://woobox.com/vrr9jp. A door damaged in the first attack this week. A Co Tyrone Orange hall has been attacked for the second time in as many days. Windows were smashed on Strawletterdallon Hall near Newtownstewart at around 7pm on Thursday evening. It follows after police opened an investigation on Wednesday following a similar attack. An Orange Order spokesman said there was a hate campaign against the local Protestant community. He called for a greater and more noticeable police presence in the area to deter such criminal activities, and prevent possible further and more serious damage to the rural property. He said: "Given the similarities with the previous attack, there is little doubt that the perpetrators have reverted to type and once again, under the cover of darkness, brazenly reengaged in their wicked deeds. The sheer audacity of these criminals knows no bounds. Despite such destructive sectarian behaviour, the Orange fraternity in and around Newtownstewart will not be deterred by a minority rump whose futile activities are not representative of the wider community. We urge those responsible to think again and immediately desist. Police are treating the damage to Strawletterdallon Hall near Newtownstewart in Co Tyrone earlier this week as a sectarian hate crime. Five windows, including door panels, were smashed in the incident. West Tyrone DUP MLA Tom Buchanan added: "This is an attack on an important rural community facility. It is an unfortunate reality that those who agitate against Loyal Order parades and seek to demonise the Orange institution help create a climate where others feel justified to attack property." Police have appealed for information. Arlene Arkinson was last seen with Robert Howard A coroner's court has heard harrowing and graphic details about an alleged sex attack carried out by the man suspected of killing teenager Arlene Arkinson. One of Robert Howard's victims described how she was left feeling "sick and dirty" after being repeatedly raped while a rope was tightened around her neck. "I was terrified," said the victim in a statement read out during the fourth day of the long awaited inquest at Belfast's Laganside court complex. Howard, a convicted child killer, had a lengthy criminal record which included a string of sex offences carried out across the UK and Ireland over a number of decades. Arlene, from Castlederg, Co Tyrone, vanished after a night out at a disco across the Irish border in Co Donegal in 1994. Her body has never been found. She was last seen with Howard, who died in prison last year, aged 71. Despite being acquitted of the murder by a jury unaware of his long record of sex crimes - including the murder of a south London schoolgirl, Howard always remained the police's prime suspect in the Arlene Arkinson case. The inquest also heard how social services had flagged up a possible relationship between 15-year-old Arlene and Howard, then aged 50, to police officers investigating her disappearance in August 1994. The information was recorded in a handwritten note by Detective Constable Gareth Jenkins, then a young constable in the Royal Ulster Constabulary. He said an Omagh-based social worker had confirmed that a "relationship existed". But Mr Jenkins said: "What sort of relationship that was, without having anything written down, it would be unfair to comment further." Details about Arlene's troubled background were also recorded. According to social services, she had a poor school attendance, was a smoker and drank alcohol. S he did not like to go anywhere without money or make-up and "looked about 19" years old, it was claimed. There was also a brief mention of a "relationship" with a second older man. At the time of her disappearance, Arlene had been living with her brother Martin Arkinson in Castlederg but had almost been admitted to State care twice. She had previously gone missing on a number of occasions, staying with her alcoholic father or another relative elsewhere in Co Tyrone but had always made contact within 48 hours. After two days, family members reported to social services that Arlene was missing, but it took another two days before police were informed, the court was told. The initial missing person investigation followed two main lines of inquiry - that Arlene had travelled to Birmingham to obtain an abortion or that Robert Howard was involved. Mr Jenkins said: "It was not a criminal investigation at this stage where I had taken my initial answers. "It was not solely focused on Robert Howard. It also focused on the possible travel to England." Although he was aware Howard had been on bail for serious sexual offences, Mr Jenkins said he was unsure whether he was still signing bail at the time the schoolgirl vanished. Mr Jenkins said he had done everything he could but wa s a junior officer and did not decide the direction of an investigation. "As a uniformed officer, when I reported that to CID that was almost upping the ante; upping the level," he said. "I had raised my concerns about irregularities in the accounts that the three or four people had given." Mr Jenkins later added: "I did everything I thought I could as a uniformed officer at that time. I raised concerns with the criminal investigations department." Meanwhile, Coroner Brian Sherrard has requested further clarification on the contentious public interest immunity application permitting the Police Service of Northern Ireland to withhold a number of confidential documents. Another behind-closed-doors hearing may take place on Friday to discuss the matter but has not been confirmed. Judge Sherrard said: "I would be quite keen for this matter to be dealt with before we start substantive witnesses of fact. "It would be useful to try and get some clarity." The inquest has been adjourned until next week. A flock of sheep suffered mass miscarriages after being chased by foxhounds on a stag hunt in Co Down. The sheep were due to lamb next week but suffered multiple stillbirths after a group of uncontrolled dogs invaded a farm near Rathfriland. At least six lambs were born dead after the ewes were frightened by up to 16 dogs. Owners Alan and Esther Sloane said they face big losses as a result, and Esther called on farmers throughout the area to come together and ban hunting from their land after hunt members refused to identify themselves. Alan shot three hounds dead and injured up to 10 as he battled to save his sheep. The couple said huntsmen tried to remove the dogs so their microchips could not be scanned, but the dog warden arrived before they were able to do so. Alan recently restocked his farm after recovering from chemotherapy, but the couple face financial pressure after most of the next generation was wiped out. Posting on social media, Esther said: "The hunt think they can literally ride over us. It is time for all the farmers to come together and ban all hunting on all their land. Without land to hunt on, there would be no hunt." The dogs chased the ewes during a hunt on February 2. "It was a stag hunt, so the hounds were large. The pack split and came in to our land. They began to hunt our in-lamb ewes, and sadly lethal force had to be used," Esther said. "From early Saturday morning our ewes started to abort their lambs - are farmers not under enough pressure? "One of the arrogant hunt members tried to talk down to my husband by pointing out that we had no 'No Hunting' signs up. My husband's reply to him was: 'The dogs were unsupervised, and that he had never met a dog yet that could read'. "An attempt was made to remove the hounds from our property before they could be identified, but thankfully the Newry dog warden was already here and had their ID chips read." Another farmer posted that the hunt had threatened to burn his vehicle after he had stopped them trespassing on his land. Janice Watt from the League Against Cruel Sports, who has spoken to the couple, said: "It's a really horrible case and the way the hunt has treated them was horrendous. "The dog warden scanned the chips and there was no information about what hunt they belonged to. They were registered at an English address. It is a legal requirement to update registration details." A PSNI spokesman said: "On Tuesday, February 2, police received a report of an incident on farmland in the Rathfriland area. The council has been informed." Lyall Plant of the Countryside Alliance said a memorandum of understanding on best practice had been signed with the Ulster Farmers' Union and the Northern Ireland Masters of Hounds Association several years ago, and this had been the first incident since. "I'm sorry this incident did happen, and the loss of life is very sad, also for the hounds that were shot. But until I know who, what, where, why and when, that is all I can say," he added. The reduction of a rapist's jail term has been heavily criticised by sex abuse victims' groups. The appeal to cut Lucasz Artur Kubik's nine-year jail term by two years for raping a grandmother in an east Belfast car park hinged largely on the lack of evidence that the attack involved gratuitous violence. Senior judges yesterday found in the Polish man's favour and cut his term to seven years, half of which will be served on licence. Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan held there was nothing to show the 31-year-old posed a significant risk of inflicting serious harm from similar offending. He said: "There was no material to indicate that this was other than a single impulsive act." Read More Kubik had returned to the Court of Appeal to challenge his sentence after failing in an earlier bid to overturn his conviction. He was handed his nine-year term after being found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting the victim (52) in January 2013. The woman told how she had been attacked as she made her way home from a relative's house in the early hours of the morning. While attempting to get a taxi, she spoke to a group of women and Kubik, who claimed to be a French man named Chris. With no credit on her phone, the victim agreed to go to their house to call for a lift home. She said that as they walked, the other women disappeared after Kubik shouted something to them in a foreign language. He then asked if she wanted to work for him, adding: "I'll show you." At that stage he raped and molested her against a parked car. Although she repeatedly told him she was a grandmother, he persisted with the attack before running off. Following his arrest Kubik, who has lived in Northern Ireland since 2006, denied any sexual contact with the victim. He then changed his account to allege the pair's encounter was consensual, claiming he did not want his girlfriend to discover he had cheated on her. Ruling on Kubik's appeal against the sentence, Sir Declan accepted the attack involved violence, but not of a gratuitous type. Turning to the issue of dangerousness, the Lord Chief Justice held that Kubik's actions were driven by alcohol and opportunism rather than premeditation. "Rape is a very serious offence," he said. "It does not follow, however, that every perpetrator represents a significant risk of serious harm by the commission of similar offences. "We consider that it has not been demonstrated in this case that there is a significant risk of serious harm from similar offending." On that basis the court imposed a new seven-year sentence, split between three-and-a-half years in custody and the rest of the term of licence. Eileen Kelly, a former long-time volunteer with the now defunct Rape Crisis Centre, which lost its funding 10 years ago, said she thought the views expressed in the judgment were offensive. Ms Kelly, who is still a counsellor for victims of sex abuse, insisted the judgment was insulting "to quite a lot of women and to men in general". "To say that men can't control themselves and that they act impulsively like this is quite insulting to men," she added. "The reality is that sexual crimes are not carried out in an impulsive manner. "A man who does this first has to isolate his victim and then he makes sure he is in as much control as possible "To suggest there was no violence, from this judge's point of view, reiterates what we have been saying for a long time - that this view is very out of touch with the true impact of a rape on a woman and how it will affect the rest of her life. "Everything this woman does in future - how she lives in society, when she goes out - she will be wondering about what she does that could make a man act 'impulsively'. "Who is to say that this man won't act impulsively again in the future? "The fact that this man will be let out and be back on the streets much sooner is very concerning. "It's that argument that a woman should curtail her behaviour, from what she does to how she looks, and basically they should never be on their own with a man in case he does this. "I would have thought those ideas would be dead." Pam Hunter, chief executive of Nexus NI, a group that helps victims of sexual abuse including rape, added: "I wouldn't say just women, but everybody should be outraged by this, considering 20% of Nexus clients are men." She thought that the ruling was particularly contradictory in light of a special crimes unit that was launched just last month, which is made up of senior prosecutors and is designed to secure more convictions in murder and rape cases. The initiative followed concern over the falling numbers of rape cases being sent to the Crown Court for trial - 83 convictions between 2009 and 2013 - despite rising complaints to police. "I know the justice system is trying to place fewer people in jails, but for a crime of this seriousness, I would second-guess this verdict, especially in light of the new crimes unit," the Nexus boss said. "It also sends the wrong message. A lot of our clients in Nexus don't want the trauma of going to court, and this discourages them all the more from going to court in the first place." Contempt proceedings were brought against the PSNI officer by Attorney General John Larkin QC. A serving policeman jailed for trying to arrest one of Northern Ireland's most senior judges is to attempt to appeal his conviction to the UK's highest court. Thomas Anthony Carlin has also instructed lawyers to seek bail as he seeks to overturn the three-month prison sentence imposed for his approach to Lord Justice Gillen. His application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court will be dealt with at a specially arranged hearing in Belfast on Friday night. On Wednesday the 43-year-old PSNI officer was found guilty of contempt of court in proceedings brought against him by the Attorney General. Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan held that he had acted with premeditation and determination. Sir Declan described him as a man driven by self-importance and attention seeking who "revelled in being the spotlight". Following the verdict Mr Carlin was led from the Royal Courts of Justice in handcuffs to begin his jail term. At that stage he was told that if he seeks to apologise after 28 days the rest of his sentence will be set aside. But the case took a new twist today when it emerged that the policeman intends to mount an appeal. Appearing again by video-link from Maghaberry Prison, he was at first only represented in court by a friend. But with Attorney General John Larkin QC and Sir Declan both urging Mr Carlin to consider accepting professional legal advice for the first time, Belfast-based law firm Madden and Finucane were instructed to represent his interests. The Lord Chief Justice, sitting with Mr Justice Horner, are expected to decide whether to grant leave to go before the Supreme Court based on the prospects of any appeal succeeding. If they hold that Mr Carlin has an arguable case with a reasonable chance of ultimately winning, he is almost certain to be granted bail. Due to time pressures and other judicial commitments, however, the application could not be dealt with on Thursday. Sir Declan instead suggested convening the court again at 7pm on Friday. Barrister Dessie Hutton, now representing Mr Carlin, acknowledged the offer as going "above and beyond the call of duty". Until then his policeman client will remain in custody. Mr Carlin's actions and outburst came at the end of a ruling in an ongoing house repossession case last month. He had been representing himself in the legal battle with Santander bank over claims that he had failed to make payments on a 192,000 mortage for a property in Co Antrim. At the end of that High Court hearing he got up and moved towards the bench, holding aloft what appeared to be a PSNI warrant card. He claimed he was going to arrest Lord Justice Gillen, before security and court staff intervened. Mr Carlin was arrested on suspicion of two counts of common assault, but subsequently released without charge. The Police Ombudsman has also launched an investigation into the incident. He faced allegations of having 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. Mr Carlin rejected offers of legal representation and declined to apologise for his actions. During the contempt proceedings he repeatedly claimed he was being subjected to a malicious prosecution and demanded a jury decide his fate. At one stage Sir Declan ordered around seven of his supporters to be ejected from the public gallery when the stood up to back Mr Carlin's contention that he was being denied a fair trial. The Attorney General argued that he had acted with flagrant illegality by an unreasonable and inexcusable disruption of proceedings. As the hearing continued he sought adjournments of up to 90 days and also demanded the right to cross-examine Lord Justice Gillen, who he claimed was "unlawfully at large". Following all submissions the two-judge panel delivered a scathing assessment of the policeman's actions. Sir Declan referred to aspects of his "self-importance and attention seeking", adding that inviting his supporters to stand up in court had been aimed at abusing the proceedings and gaining publicity. "It is clear that throughout this process he has revelled in being in the spotlight," the Lord Chief Justice said. "It also appears that he has been encouraged by others who have stayed in the background but used his foolish vanity for their own ends." With no evidence to support Mr Carlin's claims that an offence had been committed, the court held that he had no lawful power of arrest. A leaking fridge dumped at a beauty spot is to be finally removed. Nature lover Sarah Hughes said she was "absolutely delighted" that the eyesore was to be dredged out. The 41-year-old has been walking through Lagan Valley Regional Park up to three times a week for the past 14 years. She was taking a stroll just before Christmas when she spotted the abandoned fridge. "I was walking up the towpath and noticed what looked like a big white box with white foam coming out of it dumped in the river," Ms Hughes said. "In January I noticed it was still there and I told friends, who suggested agencies to ring." Despite calling four different bodies - Belfast City Council, the Rivers Agency and the park and Lagan Weir authorities - Sarah was told by all that it was not their responsibility to remove it. "It was so frustrating to have made so many phone calls from January to be told that there was nothing anyone could do," she added. In frustration she contacted the Nolan Show to highlight the problem, and the story was subsequently dubbed "fridgegate" on Twitter. PR consultant Sarah added: "To dump it there would have taken some effort because there's a towpath on one side and brambles on the other, so I do not understand what sort of idiot would do that. "The area is advertised as a place of tranquillity and natural beauty and it's very popular with families, tourists and joggers, but then there's a fridge dumped in the middle of it. It's a blight on what is a very special area. "When no one was willing to help, I thought I'd go to Nolan. Now I am absolutely delighted that something is being done. "Although it is not the responsibility of Belfast City Council to remove it, they have volunteered to send people down there to take it, which is great." Yesterday workers from the council were reported to be surveying the river to work out the best way to safely remove the fridge. A council spokesman said: "While the council is not responsible for articles dumped in the water, we agreed on this occasion, in conjunction with the Rivers Agency, to remove the fridge." A man has been accused of stealing from a Northern Ireland church for over six years, pocketing more than 20,000 in cash. Derek Carson appeared in court yesterday charged with theft and fraud following a police investigation into missing church funds. The 55-year-old, from Orchard Way in Portglenone, was providing a financial support service to the Church when he allegedly stole the money through false accounting. It is alleged that over a number of years he submitted incorrect accounts for the Church's approval, leading to thousands of pounds in cash going missing. After the alarm was raised, Carson found himself at the centre of a police fraud probe. He appeared before Magherafelt Magistrate's Court yesterday charged with stealing 22,000 from Churchtown Presbyterian Church in Tamlaght, between January 2007 and June 2013. Carson, who arrived in court alone, faced a second charge of fraud over the same six-and-a-half year period. The court heard that "while occupying a position" in which he was "expected to safeguard, or not to act against, the financial interests of Churchtown Presbyterian Church" he "dishonestly abused that position". It was alleged that he prepared and submitted incorrect accounts for Church approval "with the intention, by means of the abuse of that position" to make a gain for himself or another "or to cause loss" to the Church or to "expose the Church to a risk of a loss". He has also been charged with converting criminal property, namely the 22,000 in cash, contrary to the Proceeds of Crime Act. Standing in the dock throughout a brief preliminary hearing in the case, Carson only spoke to say he understood the charges against him. A lawyer for the Public Prosecution Service said she believed there was a case to answer. Carson was released on his own bail of 500 to appear before Londonderry Crown Court next month for arraignment. His solicitor told the court there were almost 1,000 pages of evidence and exhibits to examine and that the services of a forensic accountant would have to be enlisted. Given the complexities of the case the district judge agreed to grant Carson legal aid. The Presbyterian Church in Ireland was unable to comment on the case. Churchtown Presbyterian Church, also known as Tamlaght Scots Presbyterian Church, is part of the Ballymena Presbytery. rd. The talk will take the form of an interview discussion with Dr. Paul Tankard of the Department of English and Linguistics. The Centre for the Book at Otago is delighted to have the opportunity to welcome Dr. Rick Gekoski to campus for the 2016 World Book Day Lecture. This event will be held at 5:30 pm in Burns 2 on Thursday, March 3. The talk will take the form of an interview discussion with Dr. Paul Tankard of the Department of English and Linguistics. Rick Gekoski is a lively raconteur who has enjoyed knowing many modern writers and helping them sell their libraries and archives. Author of Tolkeins Gown and Other Stories of Great Books and Authors, Outside of a Dog: A Bibliomemoir, and Lost, Stolen, or Shredded: Stories of Missing Works of Art, Gekoski has been described by The Tatler as Bill Bryson, only on books. His reflections on a life filled with books will provide a fitting celebration for World Book Day in Dunedin. Following the Gekoski talk, there will be the Centre for the Book World Book Day Dinner. The dinner will be a buffet meal at the University of Otago Staff Club following the 5:30 lecture, and will cost $45. A cash bar will be available, along with the usual raffles and general festivity. 50 places only so please be in quick. It will start about 7.00 pm. Numbers for catering are required by next Friday, 26 February. Please dont delay in expressing your interest. Importantly, you can either record your place through the Centre for the Book blog: https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/cfb/ or contact me via email: Donald.kerr@otago.ac.nz The proportion of disadvantaged students starting at a Russell Group university has stalled in the past 10 years The proportion of poorer students at some of the UK's leading universities has fallen in the past decade despite attempts to boost numbers. Press Association analysis of official data shows the overall proportion of more disadvantaged students starting at a Russell Group university - considered the best in the country - has stalled in the past 10 years. The findings come weeks after Prime Minister David Cameron warned educational institutions they need to do more to tackle social inequality. Around one in six (17.2%) students from lower social groups started a course at a Russell Group institution last year, compared with nearly one in three (32.1%) of their wealthier peers. One charity leader said it was "worrying" that the gap has widened at some universities. The Russell Group said progress is being made to ensure able students from all backgrounds have access to its universities, but it cannot solve the problem alone. Out of the 24 Russell Group universities, Oxford had the lowest proportion of entrants from lower social backgrounds at one in 10, the analysis shows, followed by Cambridge with 10.2%. Ten years ago, poorer students made up around one in eight Oxbridge entrants. Queen Mary University of London had the highest proportion with more than a third of entrants (37%) from disadvantaged backgrounds, followed by Queen's University Belfast at 31.9%. Almost a third of Russell Group universities - seven institutions across the UK - have seen a drop in the proportion of poorer entrants in the past decade, the analysis shows. Exeter has seen the biggest fall, down 2.6 percentage points compared with 2004/05. Others include Oxford (down 2.3), Cambridge (down 2.2), Durham (down 1.4), Imperial College London (down 2.5), Glasgow (down 1.3) and Queen's University, Belfast (down 2.5). King's College London has seen the biggest rise in poorer students - up 5.7 percentage points. On average, students from poorer backgrounds made up around one in five entrants (20.8%) to Russell Group universities in 2014/15, compared with 19.5% a decade ago. In comparison, disadvantaged students make up more than a third (37.5%) of entrants to other UK universities. The results are based on data on social classes published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) for the past 10 years. HESA has announced it is discontinuing the social classes measure. The falls come despite attempts by universities and successive governments to widen access to higher education - particularly the most selective institutions. As part of major reforms that saw tuition fees in England rise to 9,000, English universities wishing to charge this amount have to sign access agreements with the Office for Fair Access (OFFA). These documents, tailored to each institution, set out legally binding targets on areas such as disadvantaged students. Wendy Piatt, director-general of the Russell Group, said: "Ensuring our doors are wide open to talented and able students from all backgrounds really matters to us and real progress is being made. Last year 1,760 more students from low socio-economic backgrounds went to a Russell Group university than in 2009. "The number of students eligible for free school meals going to our universities has doubled in the last four years, and the number of black and minority ethnic students has increased by more than a third since 2012." Universities spend hundreds of millions of pounds each year on bursaries, scholarships and work with schools and colleges, she said. "While our universities invest a huge amount of time, effort and resources into improving the situation, they cannot solve this problem alone," Dr Piatt added. "There are still far too many children from disadvantaged backgrounds underachieving at school and receiving poor advice and guidance. It will take time, commitment and sustained action from a range of agencies to raise pupils' aspirations, increase attainment and improve the advice and guidance offered." Lee Elliot Major, chief executive of social mobility charity the Sutton Trust, said: "It is good to see that the proportion of state school students entering top universities has risen over the past decade. However it is worrying that the access gap between those from poorer backgrounds and their more advantaged peers has actually widened at some universities. "Today's figures tell us that we need renewed and concerted efforts from Government, schools and universities alike to improve participation rates for the poorest students." Oxford said it has legally binding targets with OFFA which it is working towards and focus on categories of disadvantage rather than school type or self-reported socio-economic class. A University of Exeter spokesman said: "We are deeply committed to widening participation and engaging and inspiring disadvantaged students, whether that means progression to the University of Exeter or higher education more generally. We are actively committed to further increasing the diversity of our student population." Universities Minister Jo Johnson said: "These figures underscore a worrying lack of progress at some institutions and underline how vital it is that highly selective universities redouble their efforts to reach out to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. There is still much more to do to boost social mobility, which is why we plan to legislate for a new transparency duty to shine a spotlight on university admissions processes." A Glasgow University spokesman said: "The University of Glasgow runs extensive and extremely successful outreach programmes to ensure that we recruit the most able and ambitious students regardless of socio-economic background. This is seen in the rise in the number of Scottish based students from the 40% most disadvantaged areas to more than 25% of our undergraduate intake - easily the highest of any of Scotland's Ancient Universities. We work closely with the Scottish Government as part of our Outcome Agreement to ensure that widening participation is core to our recruitment strategy." DESMOND BOAL IS HELD ALOFT BY JUBILANT UNIONIST SUPPORTERS AT THE BELFAST CITY HALL AS THE RESULT OF THE SHANKILL BY-ELECTION IS ANNOUNCED. 17/2/1960 Harry Ward was shot dead in The Diamond Jubilee Bar, Shankill Road, Belfast October 1991. Pictured is his sister Sadie, being led away from the scene. The body of Joseph Donegan, discovered in an entry off Battenberg Street in Belfast's Shankill Road area, lies covered by a blanket. 25/10/1982. Steel helmeted police at a burning barricade across Shankill Road, Belfast, littered with stones and debris after a spree of rioting. 1969 THE IRA FUNERAL ON THE FALLS ROAD OF ROSE CURRY, KILLED IN A PREMATURE BOMB EXPLOSION AT MERRION STREET, LOWER FALLS BELFAST The funeral of DI Austin Wilson, an RUC man killed in a booby trap car bomb in the grounds of Magee College, Londonderry. 23.3.1987 RUC policeman, DS John Bennison killed in booby trap car bomb in the grounds of Magee College, Londonderry. The coffin is carried from his home at Tyler Avenue, Limavady. 23.3.1987 Abercorn Restaurant bomb. Rosaleen McNern (right) who lost both legs, an arm and an eye - her sister Jennifer (left) lost both legs. Abercorn Restaurant. The explosion of a bomb in the crowded central Belfast restaurant, the Abercorn , on 4th March 1972, was one of the most horrific incidents of the Northern Ireland violence. Two women were killed - 130 people injured. Abercorn Restaurant. The explosion of a bomb in the crowded central Belfast restaurant, the Abercorn , on 4th March 1972, was one of the most horrific incidents of the Northern Ireland violence. Two women were killed - 130 people injured. Rose and Crown Bar. Two men were killed and 27 injured when a bomb went off in the hallway of the bar. 2nd May 1974 Lisburn Fun Run, 6 soldiers killed. All that ramains of their van after a IRA bomb explosion. 15/6/1988. Warrenpoint (Narrow Water Castle) where 18 soldiers were killed 27/8/1979. A grim reconstruction of the scene at narrow water, Warrenpoint. An Army helicopter flies in past a replica of the hay lorry which hid the first bomb. 31/8/1979. Ian Paisley confronts an RUC officer when refused access to Duke Street where the Civil Rights parade went on. 10/10/1988 A man is taken away by troops in the Markets area, Belfast as searches followed vicious shooting battles between gunmen and army. 11/8/1971. Crumlin Road Jail. The scene outside as traffic on the Crumlin road is searched by the RUC following the escape. 17/11/1971 An army bomb disposal expert in flameproof suit and padded body armour tackles an incendiary bomb at a clothing shop in the cetre of Belfast in 1984. Scene where Michael Tighe (17) was shot dead by RUC when found with rifles in a shed in Lurgan. 24/11/1982. Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams pictured canvassing with Martin McGuinness, Alex Maskey and Danny Morrison shortly after he was shot and injured in a UDA gun attack in Belfast city centre. Richard Alan Baird (28) killed by a remote controlled bomb hidden in a parked van. The bomb was detonated when a RUC mobile patrol drove past in Bessbrook Co. Armagh. Also killed in the blast were Paul Gray (25) , Robert Lockhast (44) and Noel Webb (30) 17/4/1979 Lord Gerry Fitt, founding member of SDLP and Civil Rights Organiser. Pic shows Gerry Fitt, then a republican MP, is held by police as the Civil Rights demonstrators clash with them in Duke Street, Londonderry. Pic includes nationalist leader Eddie mcAteer (centre) caught up in the struggle. 7/10/1968. Mr Roddy Connolly of Bray, unveils a plaque at 420 Falls Road, Belfast, where his father, James Connolly, the 1916 leader, lived from 1907-10 while working in the north for the Irish Transport and General Workers Union. Connolly was born 100 years previous to the plague being unveiled (pictured here in 1968). The plaque was donated by MP Mr Gerry Fitt (also pictured). Unionist protests at visit to Belfast of Charles Haughey, former Taoiseach. Pictured are Peter Robinson, deputy leader of the DUP, intervening as Cedric Wilson is led away from the Europa. 11/4/1990. Alan Black, a survivor of the Kingsmill, Armagh Massacre/Shooting, when he was shot with his 10 workmates in an ambush on their way home from work by gunmen. 5/1/1976 Hugh O'Toole, owner of O'Tooles Bar (The Heights), Loughinisland, in which six men were shot dead watching the 1994 World Cup on television. The scene outside Graham's bookmakers shop, North Queen Street after a shooting where five men were injured. 29/04/1993 The scene outside Graham's bookmakers shop, North Queen Street after a shooting where five men were injured. 29/04/1993 William Hughes who was killed in shooting incident due to a mistake by gunmen. The car they were sitting in near Coagh, Co. Tyrone looked like a police car. In the hail of gunfire directed at the car, William Hughes died. His daughter Ann and her fiance Malachy Foye were wounded. The funeral of Marie Wilson, killed along with 10 others in no warning explosion during a Remembrance Day Service at Enniskillen Cenotaph. 8/11/1987 Gordon Wilson. Irish Senator who's daughter Marie was a victim of the Ennieskillen Remembrance Day explosion in 1987. Pictured with his grandson Timothy. Funeral of Walter Moore, who was shot while in a shop at the rear of Oldpark RUC base, Oldpark Road Belfast John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono raise their fists as they join a protest in front of British Overseas Airways Corp. offices in New York on Fifth Avenue, Feb 5th 1972. The demonstrators called for the withdrawal of British troops from Northern Ireland. Main Street Claudy in August 1972 when three Provisional IRA car bombs exploded without warning, killing 9 local people and injuring many others. Peter Robinson of the DUP pictured in the Israeli Border Area with AK47 rifles while on a fact finding mission to the Middle East. Pacemaker Press Intl. Dec. 1984 Northern Ireland murder victim Irene Andrews who was murdered by John White on the 26th June 1973. Pictured is Jimmy Stewart, who lost both legs in the Abercorn Restaurant explosion. The explosion of a bomb in the crowded central Belfast restaurant, the Abercorn, on 4th March 1972, was one of the most horrific incidents of the Northern Ireland violence. Two women were killed - 130 people injured. The explosion of a bomb in the crowded central Belfast restaurant, the Abercorn, on 4th March 1972, was one of the most horrific incidents of the Northern Ireland violence. Two women were killed - 130 people injured. The explosion of a bomb in the crowded central Belfast restaurant, the Abercorn, on 4th March 1972, was one of the most horrific incidents of the Northern Ireland violence. Two women were killed - 130 people injured. The explosion of a bomb in the crowded central Belfast restaurant, the Abercorn, on 4th March 1972, was one of the most horrific incidents of the Northern Ireland violence. Two women were killed - 130 people injured. The Belfast Telegraph Troubles Gallery
The explosion of a bomb in the crowded central Belfast restaurant, the Abercorn, on 4th March 1972, was one of the most horrific incidents of the Northern Ireland violence. Two women were killed - 130 people injured. A man receiving attention during the shooting incident in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, which became known as Bloody Sunday, January 31, 1972. Father Aiden Troy - Chairman of Board of Governors of Holy Cross School - discusses the sitation with a senior police officer on Ardoyne road Security forces keep a watchful eye as a young girl and her father walk up the Ardoyne Road in North Belfast to Holy Cross school. Police stepped up their security outside North Belfast schools after recent threats and trouble as parents walked their children to school. Army bomb disposal experts blow up a second device in a grate beside a protestants car parked near the entrance to the Holy Cross Catholic Shool after having dealt with a suspect bomb across the road in the Protestant Wheatfield Primary And Nursery school. Ardoyne Road parents and their children on their way to Holy Cross Girls Primary School in what is now the tenth week of the dispute and loyalist protest. A pupil from the Holy Cross school in North Belfast interferance where trouble has been erupting for several weeks. Protestant school children who were separated from their parents, scream for their mothers who were held behind armed police and army lines, before the catholic Holy Cross school children were brought to school in Ardoyne this morning. Catholic Holy Cross Primary School children in tears as their parents march them through armed police and army lines who where holding back protesting protestant residents in Ardoyne, North Belfast, on their first day back to school this morning. Catholic Holy Cross Primary School children in tears as their parents march them through armed police and army lines who where holding back protesting protestant residents in Ardoyne, North Belfast, on their first day back to school this morning. Police officers carry an injured dog away to get medical help after a blast bomb was launched by protesting loyalists An injured police officer is helped into an ambulance by his colleagues after a blast bomb was thrown at them from protesting loyalists in the Glenbryn area of Ardoyne, North Belfast, this morning, this is the third morning trouble has flared as catholic parents and their children through a protestant area to the Holy Cross Primary School in Ardoyne, North Belfast. Terrified school children after a blast bomb was launched by protesting loyalists. The blast bomb injured one policeman and a police dog, this is the third morning trouble has flared as catholic parents and their children through a protestant area to the Holy Cross Primary School in Ardoyne, North Belfast. Terrified school children after a blast bomb was launched by protesting loyalists. The blast bomb injured one policeman and a police dog, this is the third morning trouble has flared as catholic parents and their children through a protestant area to the Holy Cross Primary School in Ardoyne, North Belfast. Terrified school children after a blast bomb was launched by protesting loyalists. The blast bomb injured one policeman and a police dog, this is the third morning trouble has flared as catholic parents and their children through a protestant area to the Holy Cross Primary School in Ardoyne, North Belfast. An injured police officer is helped by two of his colleagues after a pipe bomb was thrown at them from protesting loyalists this morning in the Glenbryn area of Ardoyne, North Belfast, after Holy Cross Primary school children were marched through lines of Police and army on the second day back to school. Holy Cross Primary School Protest September 2001. Riot police and army march Holy Cross school children and their parents past burnt out cars and protesting loyalists on their second day back to school in Ardoyne, North Belfast this morning. Holy Cross Primary School Protest September 2001. The postman was the only sign of normality this morning on the Ardoyne Rd as despite all that has been happening - the mail got through. Smoke spreads as a pipe bomb explodes after it was thrown at police and army lines by protesting loyalists this morning in the Glenbryn area of Ardoyne, North Belfast, after Holy Cross Primary school children were marched through lines of Police and army on the second day back to school. Alice Lee Bunting in tears as she makes her way to Holy Cross Primary School Ardoyne residents try to overturn an army landrover in Ardoyne avenue after trouble flared up again outside the nearby Holycross school. Picture: Pacemaker Holy Cross School, November 2001. Children laugh and sing as they make there way up the Ardoyne Road this morning after loyalist protests were suspended and things start to get back to normal for the first time since school term started in September of this year Paulette Donnelly with her parents arriving at Holy Cross Girls primary School after walking through "Corridor of Hate" on Friday (7/9/01). School children and parents with RUC officers who had to escort them to the Holy Cross Primary School Ardoyne today. Photo by: Niall Marshall Catholic school children and their parents make their way to Holy Cross school under a heavy police and British Army presence in the Ardoyne area of North Belfast, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2001. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) Robert Irons, one of the 7 workmen killed in the IRA 600lb bomb blast on the Omagh to Cookstown road at the Teebane crossing. Pacemaker Press Nigel McKee, one of the 7 workmen killed in the IRA 600lb bomb blast on the Omagh to Cookstown road at the Teebane crossing. Pacemaker Press David Harkness, one of the 7 workmen killed in the IRA 600lb bomb blast on the Omagh to Cookstown road at the Teebane crossing. Pacemaker Press Cecil James Caldwell, one of the 7 workmen killed in the IRA 600lb bomb blast on the Omagh to Cookstown road at the Teebane crossing. Pacemaker Press William Bleakes, one of the 7 workmen killed in the IRA 600lb bomb blast on the Omagh to Cookstown road at the Teebane crossing. Pacemaker Press Remains of the van in which 7 workmen were killed in an IRA landmine explosion in Teebane, Co.Tyrone. 18/01/92. Pacemaker Press Remains of the van in which 7 workmen were killed in an IRA landmine explosion in Teebane, Co.Tyrone. Pacemaker Press In March 1988 two corporals, Derek Wood and David Howes, were stripped, beaten and shot dead, after driving into the path of a republican funeral in Belfast. In March 1988 two corporals, Derek Wood and David Howes, were stripped, beaten and shot dead, after driving into the path of a republican funeral in Belfast. In March 1988 two corporals, Derek Wood and David Howes, were stripped, beaten and shot dead, after driving into the path of a republican funeral in Belfast. In March 1988 two corporals, Derek Wood and David Howes, were stripped, beaten and shot dead, after driving into the path of a republican funeral in Belfast. In March 1988 two corporals, Derek Wood and David Howes, were stripped, beaten and shot dead, after driving into the path of a republican funeral in Belfast. Martin McGuinness, Sinn Fein, pictured leaving court in Belfast after charges against him involving IRA membership were dropped 1976. Funeral courtege of Kathleen Feeney, 14, who was shot dead by an IRA gunman in Londonderry in a failed ambush on British troops. November 1973 Kathleen Feeney, 14, who was shot dead by an IRA gunman in Londonderry in a failed ambush on British troops. November 1973 RIR Support The Orangemen At Drumcree January 2000. Members of the Royal Irish Regiment with a flag supporting Orangemen in Drumcree. Garvaghy Road Residents Meet With David Trimble May 99. Brendan McKenna arrives at Craigavon Civic Centre to meet the First Minister David Trimble in an effort to solve the Drumcree stand off. Disturbances On Garvaghy Road Portadown May 1998. Rioters hurl stones at RUC riot police on the Garvaghy Road, Portadown, Northern Ireland, during disturbances following an Orange parade in the area. Nationalist Protest March At Garvaghy Road March 1998. A young Loyalist waves the Union Jack at Royal Ulster Constabulary police in riot gear, from the Loyalist side of the town of Portadown, Northern Ireland, as a nationalist-republican protest march, passed by peacefully down the Nationalist Garvaghy road. Northern Ireland Troubles gallery.....Nationalist Protest March At Garvaghy Road March 1998. Security Forces kept a Loyalist counter demonstration at a safe distance from Nationalist marchers near Oben Street, Portadown Nationalist protesters walk to Garvaghy Road July 1997. Residents Coalition in Drumcree Portadown to voice their anger at Loyalist Parades through their area DAVID TRIMBLE MAKES HIS WAY TO GREET THE PORTADOWN ORANGEMEN AFTER THEY MARCHED DOWN GARVAGHY RD 1996. Drumcree Orange Parade At Portadown July 1998. Portadown Grand Master Harold Gracey gives a speech to the crowds outside Drumcree Church of Ireland. Orangemen go no further as they reach the barrier at Drumcreee preventing them from marching on the Garvaghy Rd. Portadown March at Drumcree bridge July 2002 Portadown District Orangemen parade down to the barrier at Drumcree before trouble flared Some of the knives used by the Shankill Butchers in their attacks. Pacemaker Press A man with slashed wrists after an attack by the Shankill Butchers. Pacemaker Press Con Neeson who was killed by the Shankill butchers in the late 70's. Pacemaker Press The body of catholic man lies in an entry off the Shankill Road in West Belfast after being murdered by members of the Shankill butchers. 25/10/82. Pacemaker Press As the Queen was visiting Belfast city centre in 1977, soldiers came under attack a few hundred yards away in the republican Falls Road area. An army captain was seperated from his unit and was being heavily stoned and kicked when a 'snatch squad' of his troops rushed the crowd to rescue him from the mob. Ulster Defence Association/U.D.A: 1972. Delegates at the talks between Vanguard, Ulster Defence Association and the Loyalist Association of Workers. Ulster Vanguard Movement: A section of the crowd at the Vanguard Association Rally at Ormeau Park. 18/03/72 Billy Wright ,loyalist fanatic who was shot dead in the Maze Prison, was leader of the renegade Loyalist Volunteer Force Behind the barbed wire of long kesh internment camp are SDLP MPs(from left)Paddy Devlin, Austin Currie, John Hume and Ivan Cooper. They were visiting internees. 21/09/71 Martin McGuinness handcuffed to a policeman after being remanded at Special Criminal Court in Dublin, January 1973. John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono raise their fists as they join a protest in this Feb. 5, 1972, file photo in front of British Overseas Airways Corp. offices in New York on Fifth Avenue. The demonstrators called for the withdrawal of British troops from Northern Ireland. O'Tooles Bar (The Heights) in the Co. Down village of Loughinisland. Six men were shot dead by two UVF gunmen, while they were watching the 1994 World Cup on television. O'Tooles Bar (The Heights), in the quiet Co Down village of Loughinisland where UVF gunmen burst in opened fire, during a World Cup match on June 18, 1994. Belfast, Bloody Friday, 21 July, 1972, the IRA set off 26 explosions in Belfast, which killed 11 people and injured 130. 7 people were killed in Oxford Street bus station and 4 at a shopping centre on the Cavehill Road. A man is frisked by masked members of the UDA at a barricade on the Lisburn Road end of Sandy Row. 1972 UDA men line up for inspection at Bloomfield before the march. 30/09/72 Martin Meehan (centre) with Gerry Adams at a funeral in Belfast in 1971 of a Belfast IRA commander. President of Sinn Fein Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness at the funeral of Patrick Kelly . 1987 Ian Paisley at the scene of the IRA motar attack on Newry Police Station. which killed 9 officers. 28/2/1985. Joan Travers and her daughter Ann at the funeral of her other daughter, Mary, shot dead by IRA gunmen in Windsor Avenue, Belfast. while walking home from Mass with her father Judge Tom Travers. 1984 Mourners panicking at Milltown Cemetery, Belfast, after a gun and bomb attack by Michael Stone which left three people dead and four seriously injured during the funerals of three IRA membes shot dead in Gibraltar. 1988 Some of the 24 Ulsterbuses which were burnt out after an IRA attack on the depot in Armagh. 28/4/1982. Supporters of the UDA preparing food to be used by UDA members in the Shankill Road area. 02/07/72 Scene of the IRA bomb and shooting attack at Loughall Police Station which resulted in 8 IRA and 1 Civilian being killed. Northern Ireland Troubles Gallery: Scots Guardsman, Paul Nicholls, from Caithness, killed by an IRA sniper on the Falls Road, Belfast. 1971 Northern Ireland Troubles Gallery: Mrs Mary Meehan who was shot by the army in Cape Street, 23rd october 1971. Family photo. Members of the UDA provide an escort at the funeral of 30 year old John Lunnen Brown, a UDA volunteer, of Blackmountain Park, Springmartin. 01/07/72. Peter Robinson about to invade the small village of Clontibret, Co Monaghan, in 1986. Army engineers take away the fallen statue of the famous Protestant minister The Rev 'Roaring Hugh Hanna' after an early morning IRA bomb blast at Carlisle Circus. 3/3/1970 Bobby Sands' son Robert Gerald holds his mother's hand at the funeral of his father Bobby in west Belfast flanked by Masked IRA men. Picture by Martin Wright The funeral of RUC man William Russell, shot while investgating a burglary at the Avoca Shopping Centre, Andersontown, Belfast Troops and UDA members on joint patrol at Clon Duff Drive in Castlereagh Road area of Belfast, 1972. UDR colleagues fire a volley of shots over the grave of Private Steven Smart, at Movilla Cemetary. Private Smart was killed along with three others after an IRA bomb blew up their Land Rover in Downpatrick. 13/04/90 A soldier recieves first aid after being injured by debris after a car bomb exploded on the Crumlin Road. 29/05/72 Sir John Hermon, the former Chief Constable of the RUC at the funeral of the RUC's 100th victim of the Troubles, Constable Neill Quinn. Newry 22/6/1081 People's Democracy group organised a four-day march from Belfast to Londonderry, starting on 1/1/69. The most serious incident was near Burntollet Bridge in County Londonderry, when marchers were ambushed by some 200 loyalists. People's Democracy group organised a four-day march from Belfast to Londonderry, starting on 1/1/69. The most serious incident was near Burntollet Bridge in County Londonderry, when marchers were ambushed by some 200 loyalists. People's Democracy group organised a four-day march from Belfast to Londonderry, starting on 1/1/69. The most serious incident was near Burntollet Bridge in County Londonderry, when marchers were ambushed by some 200 loyalists. Banned Derry Civil Rights march broken up by RUC batons in presence of Gerry Fitt MP, three British Labour MPs and television crew. Two nights of rioting ensued. 5/10/1968. People's Democracy group organised a four-day march from Belfast to Londonderry, starting on 1/1/69. The most serious incident was near Burntollet Bridge in County Londonderry, when marchers were ambushed by some 200 loyalists. People's Democracy group organised a four-day march from Belfast to Londonderry, starting on 1/1/69. The most serious incident was near Burntollet Bridge in County Londonderry, when marchers were ambushed by some 200 loyalists. Banned Derry Civil Rights march broken up by RUC batons in presence of Gerry Fitt MP, three British Labour MPs and television crew. Two nights of rioting ensued. 5/10/1968. People's Democracy group organised a four-day march from Belfast to Londonderry, starting on 1/1/69. The most serious incident was near Burntollet Bridge in County Londonderry, when marchers were ambushed by some 200 loyalists. People's Democracy group organised a four-day march from Belfast to Londonderry, starting on 1/1/69. The most serious incident was near Burntollet Bridge in County Londonderry, when marchers were ambushed by some 200 loyalists. People's Democracy group organised a four-day march from Belfast to Londonderry, starting on 1/1/69. The most serious incident was near Burntollet Bridge in County Londonderry, when marchers were ambushed by some 200 loyalists. People's Democracy group organised a four-day march from Belfast to Londonderry, starting on 1/1/69. The most serious incident was near Burntollet Bridge in County Londonderry, when marchers were ambushed by some 200 loyalists. First protest march to Belfast city centre. A crowd of students pictured at a meeting with Ian Paisley near Belfast City Hall. Pictured is Ciaran McKeown(with beard). 9/10/1968. People's Democracy group organised a four-day march from Belfast to Londonderry, starting on 1/1/69. The most serious incident was near Burntollet Bridge in County Londonderry, when marchers were ambushed by some 200 loyalists. The first Civil Rights (Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association) from Coalisland to Dungannon, held on 24/8/1968. Pictured is a member of the official party leading the civil rights marchers, appealing to the crowd, and requesting that there should be no violence during the march in Dungannon. People's Democracy group organised a four-day march from Belfast to Londonderry, starting on 1/1/69. The most serious incident was near Burntollet Bridge in County Londonderry, when marchers were ambushed by some 200 loyalists. People's Democracy group organised a four-day march from Belfast to Londonderry, starting on 1/1/69. The most serious incident was near Burntollet Bridge in County Londonderry, when marchers were ambushed by some 200 loyalists. First protest march to Belfast city centre. A crowd pictured at a meeting with Ian Paisley at Shaftesbury Square, Belfast. 9/10/1968. People's Democracy group organised a four-day march from Belfast to Londonderry, starting on 1/1/69. The most serious incident was near Burntollet Bridge in County Londonderry, when marchers were ambushed by some 200 loyalists. The children who escaped death by inches at Darkley, from left, Graham Ritchie, Helen Wilson, Nigel Wilson, Andrew Reid (standing) and Keith Ritchie, photographed the day after the INLA attack. Darkley (Mountain Lodge Pentecostal Hall). The scene where three elders were shot dead by the INLA. The terrorists broke in during a church service. 20/11/1983 Miami Showband massacre... A Ford Escort which was one of the cars used by loyalist gunmen, is left abandoned near the murder scene. 31/7/1975 Mrs Arbuckle, wife of constable Victor Arbuckle who was shot during the Shankill Road riots receives the Union Jack which covered the coffin during the funeral service at Roselawn Cemetry RUC constable Victor Arbuckle who was shot during street disturbances on the Shankill Road Belfast. He was the first RUC man killed in the troubles. October 1969 John Hume is detained by soldiers during a civil rights protest in Londonderry in August 1971. John Hume is detained by soldiers during a civil rights protest in Londonderry in August 1971. The Secretary of State has defended withholding government files for national security reasons. The contentious issue was raised as Theresa Villiers met with New York law firm O'Dwyer and Bernstein during a two-day visit to the US to promote Northern Ireland. It is also expected to top the agenda of meetings with senior security figures in Washington. Speaking from the US, Ms Villiers said: "I had a discussion with the New York lawyers about how we try and resolve the remaining blockages in the way of getting legislation through to set up the legacy bodies under the Stormont House Agreement. "(It is about) how we provide confidence in relation to how information will be protected, to ensure that everyone is confident that the national security veto would only be exercised where the information really does need to be protected in order to save lives and protect important techniques." The continuing political row is holding up a 150m package of measures designed to address the toxic legacy of the Troubles, including the establishment of a new Historical Investigations Unit (HIU). The key logjam relates to the Government's insistence on retaining the right to withhold certain classified files from the public domain. A number of bereaved families and campaigners want the papers handed over to shine a light on the shadowy world of the security services amid claims of paramilitary collusion and misuse of agents. But the Government has insisted the release of certain top-secret documents could compromise national security, potentially benefiting Islamic extremists or dissident republicans. Controversy also surrounds the extent to which state agencies are co-operating with dozens of long-delayed inquests into deaths linked to alleged security force misconduct and collusion. Ms Villiers said discussions had centred on appeals mechanisms that would give families an opportunity to challenge any decision to withhold documents. The Government believes the final decision should rest with Northern Ireland's High Court judges, while Sinn Fein wants an international panel of judges to be appointed. Ms Villiers said: "We need to emphasise that this new, independent police unit will get everything - all the documents which are relevant to the cases which it is investigating which are held by the police, by the MoD and the Government. "They will have all of it - not redacted, not flagged up. They can see the whole lot and then they can decide whether it is a case where criminal charges are needed and then pass that advice on to the Director of Public Prosecutions - another completely independent office. "The UK Government is committed fully to disclosure to the HIU, but we do have a duty to protect information which, if it was out in the public domain, could lead to loss of life." Ms Villiers also indicated the outcome of further discussions on how the US tackles organised crime would be fed back to the new panel tasked with dealing with paramilitary activity. The purpose of the two-day visit is to brief members of the US administration and senior figures within the Irish-American community on the Fresh Start Agreement and to promote investment in Northern Ireland. Ms Villiers said there had been a "warm welcome" for the new deal. Young people in care in Northern Ireland are twice as likely than their contemporaries to be unemployed, according to an analysis A young person in care in Northern Ireland is twice as likely to be unemployed as his or her contemporaries, new research has indicated. More than 350 people aged between 16 and 21 in the local care system are either out of work or not in education or training, according to the study commissioned by Business in the Community and Include Youth. The analysis found that of the 3,000 children in care only a quarter will go on to achieve five GCSEs grade A*-C. This compares to more than 80% of the general school population. The report by academics at Huddersfield University made a number of recommendations for Stormont. They include ring-fencing a number of jobs for young people in care and asking employers to take steps to support those individuals. Professor Robin Simmons, who carried out the research, said: "Young people who have spent time in care are disadvantaged in terms of education, health, housing and family support and are particularly vulnerable to becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training)." He added: "The lives and future prospects of young people leaving care could be transformed by appropriate and sustained interventions such as those proposed in this report." Paddy Mooney, director at Include Youth, said: "Young people in care want to work - we know this from almost 30 years of providing direct employability support to them. "However these young people have to overcome more barriers than most face in a lifetime and are disproportionately disadvantaged." Kieran Harding, managing director at Business in the Community, added: "Responsible employers in Northern Ireland are committed to tackling societal issues." The partnership research project was funded by Big Lottery Fund NI. Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin declined to advise people which party they should back at the polls Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has called for honesty and courage from politicians on how they deal with abortion issues. He said he felt there was an attempt to long-finger debate on reform of the eighth amendment to the constitution and urged voters to demand answers and not spin from candidates. He made the call as Ireland's bishops issued a pre-election statement warning that a blame game is not the answer to the crisis in the health sector. They also urged voters to challenge candidates on issues related to housing, crime, education and the refugee and migrant crisis. On abortion, Archbishop Martin declined to advise people which party they should back at the polls. "It's not my job or the bishops' job to say the guidance is you must vote for this party or that party," he told RTE Radio. "You cannot pretend to be a Catholic and leave aside a very vital part of Catholic teaching but the individual makes that decision." The bishops said they "strongly oppose any weakening of the affirmation of the right to life of the unborn". Fine Gael supports a constitutional convention on the eighth amendment before a referendum could be held. Labour backs a referendum, as does Sinn Fein, while Fianna Fail said it will not campaign as a party to repeal the amendment. The Archbishop raised concerns about manifestos and election pledges in the heat of the campaign and political expediency on the abortion issue. "Let politicians have the courage also to say where they stand up on this issue," he said. "I would hope that politicians themselves would be very honest and that citizens and voters would ask them about this and we have clarity rather than spin." He said it was not the place of bishops to dictate a programme for government but criticised "auction politics", warning it was not reality. "We share the anxiety of many citizens in Ireland at the fact that there is an uncertain social climate in the country regarding vital sectors of people's lives, especially regarding health, homes, education, security, the fostering of a solid human ecology, and international responsibility," the bishops said in their statement. On health they warned that people worry about getting ill, or their children, parents or elderly people falling sick, along with the cost and quality of care. "Successive governments have presented a variety of solutions and in so many cases they have either failed or have not been implemented. A blame game is not the answer. Ireland's health crisis is the result of a fundamental failure of politics," they said. They added that there is a crisis of homelessness, while o n education, they said the real inequality in schools is not because of religion but economics, with disadvantaged communities not supported as well as better off communities. On crime, the bishops said recent gangland murders are a result of a criminal industry of death from drugs, while on the refugee crisis they called for people to reciprocate the welcome Irish emigrants have received. Tens of thousands of commuters in Dublin are being forced onto alternative transport in the second strike on the Luas network. Trade union leaders in Siptu said they fear the 48-hour walk-outs will continue for weeks or months after there was no contact with management or mediators in the last week. The latest stoppage is scheduled to run until Saturday, hitting about 90,000 passengers each day. Workers' representatives, who have been championing salary hikes of 8% to 53%, claim pay scales mean drivers can work for nine years and hit a salary of 42,247 euro or 47,941 euro for traffic supervisors. Transdev, which operates Luas under a contract with the state, has pulled bonuses worth up to 750,000 euro for the workforce of 250 but said it remains open to pay rises albeit closer to the 1-3% mark. The company is facing penalties of more than 100,000 euro every day services do not run. Siptu spokesman Owen Reidy said the workers are determined to get some form of pay rise. "We'd happily dance with anybody but the radio studio is the only place we've had talks this week," he said. "The workers are determined to get a just outcome and even those who would rather not be on the picket line are serious about reaching an agreement." Transdev said the pay claims would cost the company more than 20 million euro over five years. Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe said he was powerless to offer more money to meet the demands. A further two strikes are planned, including on St Patrick's Day. A spokeswoman for Transdev said: "We have been saying since January that we are willing to engage on pay claims." One of Michael Collins's hitmen has become a voice from the grave in a new animated film telling the story of being a 14-year-old boy soldier in the Easter Rising. Film-makers created foot tall puppets and miniature sets of the GPO and St Stephen's Green in Dublin to depict Vinny Byrne's role alongside 1916 rebel leader Thomas MacDonagh in the Jacob's biscuit factory. A Terrible Hullabaloo uses documentary recordings from 1980 when, aged 78, the former teenage Irish Volunteer recalls the dramatic events and his role in the revolution. Writer Aoife Noonan said: "We took the audio from him talking about the Rising, so he narrates it himself. "He's a character you warm to. Immediately he's funny, a little cheeky oul lad. You don't really see many of his generation of old lads now. "When he talked in the documentary he said when he was arrested after the Rising by the British, they asked him what he was doing in the factory. He said 'fighting for Ireland, but I never fired a shot'. "He was a character." The eight-minute short made using 10 puppets was produced by Bowsie Workshop in Dublin's Liberties. It was made as part of the Irish Film Board's After '16 initiative, which asked film-makers to produce stories about the Rising, fact and fiction, which illuminate, surprise and provoke. It premieres at the Audi Dublin International Film Festival on Sunday, with Mr Byrne's niece Theresa Croker and her daughter Dolores to attend. Mr Byrne was initially told to leave the Jacob's factory by older volunteers because of his age but made his way back in among the ranks of the 2nd Battalion and ultimately held two policemen prisoner at gunpoint. From 1919 he was said to have played a key role in The Squad, the counter-intelligence and assassin unit assembled by Collins in the War of Independence. Sinn Fein is trying to bully RTE into giving it more favourable coverage in the Irish General Election. And the Republic's national broadcaster was targeted by "a campaign orchestrated by Sinn Fein supporters" claiming the party was being under-represented on the airwaves in the last general election. RTE's best-known current affairs broadcaster Miriam O'Callaghan has also been attacked on the internet by Sinn Fein supporters. The broadcaster gives each party a fair amount of airtime based around levels of support. But a study of coverage from the 2011 election found that "the outcome in 2011 meant Sinn Fein and Labour were over-represented with Fianna Fail and independents under-represented". The academic study by former RTE broadcaster Kevin Rafter, of the DCU School of Communications, is based upon confidential documents from RTE management meetings. The study set out how senior editorial staff met with representatives of the main political parties to discuss plans for election coverage. "Formal representations throughout the campaign were viewed as relatively low, with individual programmes receiving what was described as the 'usual amount of representations from the parties about perceived inadequacies in RTE's coverage. There were, however, repeated references to complaints from Sinn Fein supporters," the study says citing minutes of meetings. "At the conclusion of the election, an internal review noted that there had been 'a campaign orchestrated by Sinn Fein supporters'. Many of these complaints were about time allocations to parties and candidates. It was adjudged that there was 'a low-level campaign by Sinn Fein supporters' who claimed their party was under-represented based on its standing in opinion polls. "This bias claim was, however, not borne out by internal data compiled by RTE during the campaign," the study says. RTE's election coverage is monitored intensely by senior management on a committee headed up by Director General Noel Curran. Sinn Fein not only wants more time on air, but is also trying to dictate what stories RTE should cover. Read More The party is complaining about RTE featuring its stance on the abolition of the Special Criminal Court last week. "RTE News is being challenged by Sinn Fein about why its choosing of news stories with a slant against the party is being unfairly used to slash its election coverage," the party said in its propaganda newspaper, 'An Phoblacht'. RTE has been able to prove Sinn Fein has not been excluded from its programming over recent days and has featured on a range of programmes including Claire Byrne Live Leaders' Debate, The Late Debate, Six-One News, and Nuacht bulletins on Monday; This Week, Six-One News, Nine News and Campaign Daily on Sunday; One O'Clock, Six-One and Nine News programmes and Saturday with Claire Byrne on Saturday. "They are also due to appear on further RTE programmes in the coming days, including leader interviews on the Six-One News, Today with Sean O'Rourke and also in the Prime Time Leaders' Debate," a spokesperson said. Quota "RTE does not operate a quota system on airtime. We do have airtime guides but they're only a guide and we take everything into consideration in trying to be fair overall to all parties." Accusing RTE of bias, the party has focused its campaign on social media - an important election battleground for young voters. Sinn Fein supporters have also used social media to target Ms O'Callaghan, who will be presenting the crucial final leaders debate next week. Several party supporters circulated a message on Twitter claiming Ms O'Callaghan had to "declare your interest" as her brother, Jim, is a Fianna Fail candidate. However, during the same debate on RTE's Prime Time, Fianna Fail supporters were critical of Ms O'Callaghan for her line of questioning to their candidate, Thomas Byrne. Fionnan Sheahan, Irish Independent Daniel Perry, 17, from Dunfermline, died in July 2013 after allegedly falling victim to a 'sextortion' attempt (Police Scotland/PA) Prosecutors have launched a bid to extradite a Filipino man over the the death of a Scottish teenager who took his own life after being blackmailed by strangers online. Daniel Perry, 17, from Dunfermline in Fife, died in July 2013 after allegedly falling victim to a ''sextortion'' attempt, in which internet users are lured into webcam chats and then blackmailed with the footage. Daniel was said to have believed he was talking to an American girl online but was told by blackmailers that the conversations had been recorded and would be shared with friends and family unless he paid up. Inquiries by detectives from Police Scotland revealed an electronic online trail, which led to the Philippines and links to organised crime groups there. A warrant has now been issued for the arrest of Archie Gian Tolin in the Philippines, and the Crown Office want to see him face trial in Scotland. In 2014 he was arrested and bailed in the Philippines along with many others as part of an operation by British and Filipino police into organised gangs involved in alleged cyber-crime. The extradition move is thought to be the first since a new extradition treaty came into force between the UK and the Philippines. A Crown Office spokesman said: "A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Archie Gian Tolin in connection with the death of Daniel Perry. "Steps are now being taken to enforce that warrant and secure his extradition from the Philippines." After the initial operation in the Philippines, Police Scotland warned there was "no hiding place" for those involved in extortion and blackmail. On Thursday, Detective Chief Inspector Gary Cunningham said: "Following the death of Daniel Perry, Police Scotland has continued its inquiries along with a number of other agencies including Interpol and the authorities within the Philippines. "A 20-year-old man is now subject to an international arrest warrant in connection with this investigation and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time." Speaking in 2014, Daniel's mother, Nicola Perry, said: ''The manner of Daniel's death is every parent's worst nightmare. ''Losing Daniel has left us all devastated and we are still trying to come to terms with what has happened.'' David Cameron has told EU leaders he is ready to walk away from a crunch Brussels summit without a deal on Friday unless they give ground on key British demands and provide him with a "credible" package he can sell to voters in the upcoming referendum. The Prime Minister urged fellow leaders to agree a new "live and let live" settlement which could resolve the "festering" problem of Britain's relationship with Europe for a generation. But as the first session of talks broke up after two and a half hours, a Downing Street source said there was little sign of narrowing in differences over a number of key issues like migrant welfare, relations with the eurozone and the requirement for "ever-closer union". With officials preparing for a tough night of bargaining before leaders return to the negotiating table at breakfast-time, the possibility remained that a summit described as "make or break" by European Council president Donald Tusk could end without a breakthrough, almost certainly delaying a referendum until after the summer. "The Prime Minister left them in no doubt that we are only going to do an agreement at this summit if we make some real progress from where we were at 8.30 this evening," said the Number 10 source. "If we don't, we are not going to have an agreement at this summit. "There is some real hard work to do overnight and we have got to see real progress." Despite a string of European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, saying they were ready to be constructive about finding a resolution to Britain's concerns, the Downing Street source said Mr Tusk shared the PM's assessment that more movement was needed to secure a deal. "While many countries said they wanted to help keep Britain in the EU, there wasn't much sign of how they are planning to do that in practice," said the source. Mr Cameron was meeting Mr Tusk after the summit dinner to discuss the work that was needed overnight, and was ready to talk to other leaders. The Prime Minister's plea came as other EU states demanded a "no second chance" agreement to make clear to Britain that Europe will not come back with a better offer if it votes to Leave. Belgium - backed by France - moved to pre-empt the possibility of a second UK referendum by proposing that the summit conclusions should state that any agreement reached this week will not be amended if Britain votes to leave the EU. The move is designed to quash the idea, backed by some Eurosceptics and reportedly floated privately by London Mayor Boris Johnson, that a Leave vote would give the UK leverage to extract further concessions from the EU before a second poll. Meanwhile, Britain's line on key welfare measures appeared to be hardening. It is understood the PM has set his face against calls from eastern Europe for child benefit cuts to be imposed only on new migrants with offspring living in their home country. Mr Cameron wants the new system - under which payments would be made at the lower rates of the migrant's homeland - brought in quickly and believes it is not acceptable for it effectively to be phased in over 16 years as the children of 34,000 existing claimants in the UK reach adulthood. UK officials declined to comment on reports that the PM was asking for a proposed "emergency brake" on in-work welfare payments to EU migrants to last for seven years, with the option to extend it twice by a further three years to a total of 13. Addressing fellow leaders at the start of the two-day summit, Mr Cameron said the question of Britain's relationship with the EU had been "allowed to fester for too long" and it was time to deal with it. And he told them he needed a package that would be "credible" with the British people and strong enough to persuade them to vote to remain in the EU. The 28 leaders at the European Council had the chance to "settle the issue for a generation" and move to a "fundamentally different" relationship with Britain, he said. The new arrangement on offer would be a "live and let live" settlement under which states which want to integrate further will be free to do so, while those which do not can rest assured their interests will be protected, said Mr Cameron. This would be "a big prize" for every nation in Europe, he told his fellow leaders. Arriving at the summit, French President Francois Hollande left no doubt there were limits to the compromises he would accept. "No country must have a right of veto, no country must exempt itself from the common rules or common authorities," said Mr Hollande. "It's the European Union that's at stake, not simply one country of the European Union.." But European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said he was confident outstanding differences would be resolved and "convinced" the UK would remain a "constructive and active" member of the EU. If a deal is reached on Friday, Mr Cameron is expected to call a special Cabinet meeting to endorse the agreement and set a referendum date - widely expected to be June 23. He would also grant Eurosceptic Cabinet colleagues like Iain Duncan Smith and Chris Grayling the freedom to campaign for Britain to vote Leave. Ukip leader Nigel Farage dismissed the package on offer in Brussels as "pretty shameful", telling the Press Association: "Whatever he comes back with and tries to sell to the British people is not legally binding. It can be struck down by the European Parliament and ultimately all of it can be ruled out of order by the European Court of Justice. "It's rather like him saying to the British people, 'I'd like you to buy this car, but you can't see whether the engine works first'. It just doesn't work." And Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, meeting fellow European socialists in Brussels, dismissed Mr Cameron's negotiations as a "theatrical sideshow ... designed to appease his opponents within the Conservative Party (and) not about delivering reforms that would make the EU work better for working people." The Daily Telegraph reported that pro-EU campaigners were confident of securing the backing of at least 80 of the FTSE 100 firms. Public support from dozens of the UK's biggest-name businesses would be a significant boost for Mr Cameron and the "remain" camp. Carles and Camilla are due in Stamford Bridge, where they will meet local residents and business owners The Prince of Wales is spending a second day in the north of England where he will be joined by the Duchess of Cornwall for a visit to a Yorkshire village badly affected by the post-Christmas floods. The royal couple are due in Stamford Bridge, in the East Riding, where they will meet residents and business owners, including at The New Inn, in The Square, which was inundated by the River Derwent at the end of December. They will also meet representatives from The Prince's Business Emergency Resilience Group, which helps businesses and communities across the UK to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies such as flooding, cyber-attacks and civil unrest. From Stamford Bridge, Charles and Camilla will move on to Harrogate, in North Yorkshire, where they will see a showcase of events to mark Harrogate International Festivals' 50th anniversary year. As well as meeting supporters and some of the key groups, the royal couple will be entertained in the Royal Hall by s oprano Lesley Garrett and clarinettist Emma Johnson, introduced by Julian Lloyd Webber. Charles and Camilla's day in Yorkshire is due to continue with a visit to meet patients and staff at the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre, in Harrogate District Hospital, before moving on to the tea tasting rooms at Taylors of Harrogate. The royal visitors will conclude their day in Harrogate at Betty's Cookery School. On Wednesday, Charles paid tribute to the "extraordinary reserves of resilience" and "wonderful sense of humour" of the people of Redcar on a visit to the crisis-hit town. He was there to hear about the closure of the local steelworks, resulting in almost 2,000 job losses, and meet members of the multi-agency SSI Task Force. RALEIGH The pundits pounced. Exit polls from the just-concluded New Hampshire primary had indicated that Bernie Sanders walloped Hillary Clinton, 92-to-6, among Democratic presidential primary voters who considered honesty to be the most important factor in choosing a candidate.While talking heads on one of the nation's leading cable television networks debated that statistic's impact on the Democratic nomination contest, this observer waited for one more crucial piece of information. It never arrived.Sanders' wide margin over Clinton in the "honesty" department certainly qualifies as news. But its significance depends to a large degree on one additional data point: How many people consider a candidate's "honesty" to be the most important factor?If 75 percent of voters label "honesty" their No. 1 priority, that means bad news for the former secretary of state's presidential bid. If 40 percent consider a candidate's honesty before any other factor, that's still an obstacle for a candidate who loses that battle by a roughly 15-1 margin.But what if only 5 percent of voters believe "honesty" trumps all other factors? Then Clinton's honesty deficit, while disturbing, is likely to have less impact on her overall electoral prospects.The professional TV prognosticators never mentioned that crucial data point, at least before my remote flipped to another channel.The omission reminds us of an important lesson: Context is crucial when evaluating poll results.Context proves relatively easy in the case of a basic election poll. Voters have a limited number of choices - candidate X or candidate Y, "yes" or "no" on a bond referendum or constitutional amendment. Even when voters can choose from among more than two options, they typically can make just one choice. As long as the polling sample mirrors the universe of likely voters, the poll can paint a reasonably accurate picture of the likely election result.Matching the sample to the universe of voters can be tricky, of course, and pollsters tend to earn kudos or condemnation depending on how well they handle that task during each election cycle.But that's a far different challenge than those tied to other types of polls. As soon as the subject of a poll moves away from a clear choice between options A and B, context plays a much more important role.Take the earlier example of "honesty" voters in the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary election. Not only is it important to know how many people consider a candidate's honesty to be the No. 1 factor driving their vote; it's also important to know how that factor interacted with others.Among the 92 percent of "honesty" voters who supported Sanders, how many also preferred his policy proposals to Clinton's? How many supported Sanders because of his honesty and despite their opposition to his policy proposals? Those are important questions to ask to place the "honesty" vote in the proper context. If the honesty voters were already "feeling the Bern," it's unlikely Clinton could count on them under any circumstances.Context becomes even more critical when a poll involves issues rather than elections. Unlike the limited choices at the ballot box, people hold a range of views on most divisive issues. Polls mislead when they fail to convey that range accurately.The way pollsters structure a question affects the outcome, and a poorly designed question can generate relatively meaningless results.Take, for instance, the recent poll that suggested 72 percent of North Carolinians support Medicaid expansion. Let me rephrase that: Advocates of Medicaid expansion claimed that a recent poll suggested 72 percent of North Carolinians supported their cause.A closer look at the poll question shows that 72 percent of those responding "think North Carolina should make a plan to fix the health insurance gap," with no reference to expanding Medicaid.Those who designed the poll question admitted that they intentionally left out the politically charged word "Medicaid." The goal was to avoid skewing poll results. Yet media outlets and other expansion advocates were happy to fill in the apparent blanks in order to boost the cause.Even issues that appear to offer cut-and-dried answers can yield poll results that offer anything but clarity.A pollster can construct a yes-or-no question about legalized abortion, but the results will offer little evidence about the reality of people's range of views on the topic. Those dead set against abortion under all circumstances will answer no. Those who believe a woman should have the right to abort an unborn child at any point will answer yes.But what about those who oppose the practice while agreeing to limited exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and threats to the mother's life? Or those who support abortion only up to a certain point of the unborn child's development? Forced to answer "yes" or "no," these people will choose one side or the other for polling purposes without shedding much light on their actual preferences.There's a similar story for another hot-button topic: the death penalty. Breaking the issue down to a simple "yes/no" division for polling purposes fails to account for factors such as the offender's age, the likelihood that a life sentence could be commuted, or concerns about the way the death penalty has been applied in past cases. Each factor can sway people toward one side or the other. Not accounting for those factors leaves pollsters with incomplete results.Polling can tell us a lot, but it's important to remember that the numbers often fail to tell the whole story. Wolf Alice were double winners at the NME Awards, on the night Coldplay were honoured for their contribution to music. The Chris Martin-fronted four piece - known for the likes of Yellow, Fix You and Clocks - took the Godlike Genius award, before playing a career-spanning set. It came a day after they were confirmed as Glastonbury headliners. Accepting the award, Martin said: "We first came here when we were just kids. It's been a long journey." He proceeded to list the NME titles his band had been nominated for during the early years, before joking how they were shortlisted for "worst album, worst band, worst haircuts" in the mid-2000s. Acknowledging the Godlike Genius commendation, Martin said: "So for us it's been a big old circle and we are so grateful for the NME for having us back. "We feel grateful for our jobs, we feel grateful for the people who work with us, and it's a big cliche but we feel very grateful for the people who listen to us and give us this love." The award was presented by Australian pop veteran Kylie Minogue, who described them as "quite simply one of the finest bands Britain has ever produced". Wolf Alice, who were nominated for six gongs and also performed on the night, picked up the best track award for Giant Peach and best live band. Rat Boy won the best new act gong, while the Maccabees were named the best British band. The night kicked off with a video montage tribute to the late David Bowie, born a short distance from the Brixton Academy venue hosting the night's awards. The 69-year-old died last month. Charli XCX took the award for best British solo act. The songwriter, who has collaborated with the likes of Rita Ora, told the crowd: "This is weird, maybe I was the only person who showed up." Yoko Ono received the inspiration award, while the Libertines' secret Glastonbury gig won best music moment. The recently reunited Pete Doherty-led four piece were shortlisted for six awards. Glastonbury again triumphed as the best festival, while organiser Emily Eavis confirmed on the red carpet that another headliner would be confirmed "in the next couple of weeks", following the announcement Coldplay would play the event for a fourth time this summer. American songstress Taylor Swift accepted the best international solo artist gong - and its signature middle finger salute statue - via video message. She said: "I got the award in the mail. When you first open up the box, it feels a little aggressive. "Then you just put it in the shelf and kinda get used to it." Foals, who opened the show, beat off competition from the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Tame Impala to win best album for What Went Down. Blur's New World Towers won best music film, while Run The Jewels took best international band and Bring Me The Horizon were handed the gong for innovation. The most common age group for women to vape is 35 to 44, while among men most users are aged 45 to 64 More than two million people in Britain now use electronic cigarettes, although 59% also smoke regular cigarettes alongside, new figures suggest. Estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed there are 2.2 million current e-cigarette users - 4% of the population. Just over half (53%) of e-cigarette users said they used vaping as an aid to quitting regular smoking. The data also suggests there are 3.9 million people who are former users of e-cigarettes and a further 2.6 million people said they had tried an e-cigarette but never went on to use it. Just over one in five (22%) of current users said their main reason for vaping is because they feel e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes. One in 10 (9%) said their main reason was because they could use e-cigarettes indoors. A relatively small number (56,000) of current e-cigarette users have never previously smoked, the data showed. Of the former e-cigarette users, around three-quarters said they were currently smoking cigarettes. Some 59% of the current users said they also smoked cigarettes (1.3 million). When it comes to regular cigarette smoking, the numbers who smoke continues to fall. In 2014, 19% of adults smoked, with 20% of men smoking - the lowest on record. Some 17% of women smoked, slightly up on the previous year. Senior ONS statistician Jamie Jenkins said: "These figures continue a long-term trend for fewer people to smoke cigarettes - only 19% of adults today compared with 46% when our survey began in 1976. "While the majority of people are using e-cigarettes as an aid to quit smoking it seems they don't work for everyone, as three-quarters of former vapers are still smoking cigarettes." The most common age group for women to vape is 35 to 44. Among men, most users are aged 45 to 64. Most people (67%) use an e-cigarette on a daily basis and a further 19% use one at least once a week. People tend to prefer e-cigarettes that do not resemble a cigarette. Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: "It is encouraging that the number of adult smokers is the lowest on record, but we can't be complacent. "Smoking cessation services - the most effective way of helping people quit - are under threat around the country due to budget cuts. If we want to continue helping people to quit and look after their lung health, investment in these vital services must be protected. "While there is still a lack of data on the long-term health impact of e-cigarettes, it is encouraging to note that three-quarters of people now know that vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking. "E-cigarettes shouldn't be seen as a permanent alternative to smoking, and these figures confirm that they don't work for everyone as a quitting aid. "However, if you haven't successfully quit using other methods, including your local smoking cessation services, then it may well be worth trying e-cigarettes, with an aim of eventually quitting them too." Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said the slowdown in the numbers of people stopping smoking was worrying and there was a need for a comprehensive tobacco control policy. She added: "The results on electronic cigarettes show that the majority of users are smokers who are using them to quit smoking. This is encouraging as e-cigarettes are far safer than tobacco products and using them as a quitting aid will significantly reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer caused by smoking." The schoolboy was questioned earlier this week by Police Scotland A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in Glasgow over an alleged attempt to hack into FBI computer networks. The schoolboy was questioned earlier this week by Police Scotland as FBI agents flown in from the US watched on, according to the Daily Record. He was arrested over the Computer Misuse Act which covers hacking and unauthorised access to computer material. The teenager has since been released by officers but is to be reported to the procurator fiscal. A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "Following a search of a property in the Glasgow area on Tuesday February 16, a 15-year-old male was arrested in connection with alleged offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. "He has since been released and is the subject of a report to the procurator fiscal." Supreme Court justices are preparing to give their views on a legal issue highlighted in Ian McEwan's novel about a judge Thousands of prisoners will seek legal advice after the Supreme Court ruled that trial judges had been wrongly interpreting a law relating to joint criminal enterprise for 30 years, lawyers predict. But solicitors say it is impossible to know how many cases might reach the Court of Appeal or how many convictions might be overturned. A panel of Supreme Court justices said on Thursday that prosecutors, judges and jurors had to take a different approach when dealing with defendants accused of being involved in some kinds of joint criminal enterprises. Justices said the interpretation of part of the law relating to joint enterprise - which can result in people being convicted of assault or murder even if they did not strike the blow - had taken a "new turn" in the mid-1980s. Senior judges had decided in 1984 that a "secondary party" would be guilty of murder if he or she "foresaw" the possibility that the "principal" might act with intent to cause death or serious harm The Supreme Court said that development was wrong. Justices said it was not right that someone should be guilty merely because they foresaw that a co-accused might commit a crime. They said jurors should view "foresight" only as evidence to be taken into account, not as proof. Five Supreme Court justices had analysed the issue at a hearing in London when considering an appeal by a man who was convicted of murder after egging on a friend to stab a solicitor. Ameen Jogee and Mohammed Hirsi, both in their 20s, were given life sentences at Nottingham Crown Court in March 2012 after being convicted of Paul Fyfe's murder. Jurors heard that Hirsi stabbed Mr Fyfe - a former policeman - at a house in Leicester in June 2011 while being egged on by Jogee. A judge imposed a minimum 22-year term on Hirsi, who lived in Leicester, and a minimum of 20 years on Jogee, who was of no fixed address. Jogee's minimum term was cut to 18 years by the Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court allowed Jogee's appeal against conviction. Justices said he would stay in prison pending a decision on whether he should be re-tried for murder or re-sentenced on the basis that he was guilty of manslaughter. Mr Fyfe's widow, Tracey, 53, from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, said the ruling had left her "absolutely gutted". She said she wanted Jogee re-tried on a murder charge. Lord Neuberger, the President of the Supreme Court, had headed the panel which analysed the joint enterprise issue. He said trial judges could not be criticised for following a "principle" established by senior members of the judiciary three decades ago. Lord Neuberger said the Supreme Court decision would not affect all joint enterprise cases. And he said it did not "follow as night follows day" that people convicted under the "erroneous rule" would "not otherwise have been convicted". Solicitors predicted many calls from prisoners. "I think lawyers can expect many calls. Probably running into the thousands," said Maria Theodoulou, a partner at Stokoe Partnership Solicitors. "This ruling will reverberate with those who have been convicted of joint enterprise offences but this does not automatically mean that can can appeal their convictions." She said it was an "outrage" that a "fundamental error" had gone uncorrected for 30 years. Sean Caulfield, a partner at law firm Hodge Jones & Allen, said he also expected calls to lawyers to run into the thousands. He added: "This judgment does not overturn previous convictions automatically. However the Court of Appeal are likely to receive a series of appeals based on today's decision." Sandra Paul, who works for law firm Kingsley Napley, went on: "A lot of people will want to know if they are affected. I expect lawyers will get a lot of calls. How many of those calls result in a significant change is hard to say." She said the ruling related to a specific facet of the law on joint enterprise. And she said the public should not assume that every case they had read of involving joint enterprise would be affected or result in appeals. "It relates to cases where people start out doing one thing and then someone does something else. It relates to people foreseeing what someone else will do. There are other kinds of joint enterprise cases which this will not affect. The Lawrence case, for example. From what I know of that, this ruling will not affect it. It may be that a lawyer will be asked for advice. But I don't think this ruling would affect it." The Prison Reform Trust said the ruling had brought "useful clarity to a complex area of law". Director Juliet Lyon added: "The court's ruling that the law 'took a wrong turning' will undoubtedly bring back to court cases where the original outcome was unjust. It is impossible to say how many cases this will affect." A spokesman said he expected the trust to receive many calls for advice from prisoners. Campaign group Jengba (Joint Enterprise Not Guilty by Association) hailed the ruling. "This is a major turning point in British justice," said Jengba campaigner Deborah Madden. "The joint enterprise rule has been used to get mass convictions without evidence. It has caused devastation for families." She added: "We know of 650 people who we think will be affected by the ruling - and we don't know everyone." Jogee's solicitor, Sandeep Kaushal, said he also thought that around 600 cases could be affected. Mrs Fyfe vowed to fight on to ensure those found responsible for her husband's death remained in prison. "We just know it will either go to a retrial or change to manslaughter," she said. "It's not ideal, but I would prefer a retrial, because this was a murder - it's not manslaughter." Mrs Fyfe said Mr Fyfe had represented both Jogee and Hirsi at police stations. She added: "The law seems to be on the side of the criminal and the victims just get forgotten." Mr Fyfe's youngest daughter, Jess, 20, said the family faced the possibility of seeing Jogee out on the street. "He needs to accept the consequences and serve his time," she said. "If it was me and I had got myself in that situation I'd serve my time. I couldn't live with myself, so it baffles me that other people try to get out of prison, it really does." The Duchess of Cambridge guest-editing the Huffington Post at Kensington Palace yesterday The Duchess of Cambridge guest-editing the Huffington Post at Kensington Palace yesterday The Duchess of Cambridge has been photographed wearing a blouse very similar in style to that worn by her husband's late mother, Princess Diana. Diana wore the distictive piecrust collar-style sheer blouse when she visited Northern Ireland back in 1985. Kate wore hers while spending a day at the Huffington Post website to highlight mental health issues. She sat down to a morning conference in Kensington Palace with Huffington Post UK editor Stephen Hull, his staff and some of the mental health charities she is associated with. Kate has commissioned articles, blogs and videos from leading figures in the mental health sector to raise awareness about the psychological well-being of the nation's children. She called for the "taboo" on mental health to be broken. The Duchess wrote: "The mental health of our children must be seen as every bit as important as their physical health. "For too long we have been embarrassed to admit when our children need emotional or psychiatric help, worried that the stigma associated with these problems would be detrimental to their futures." During her editorship she launched the Huffington Post initiative Young Minds Matter, which aims to encourage a wide-ranging discussion about children's mental health. US First Lady Michelle Obama has written a blog for the site and she praised Kate for using her role as guest editor to "shine a bright light" on the issue of mental health. Kate later joined four children who had been filmed for motivational videos posted on the news website under the title "Real Truth", about why adults should feel comfortable speaking to young people about their mental health. Tim Newton and Rachel Slater have been missing on Ben Nevis since the weekend (Police Scotland/PA) A helicopter search has been carried out for two young climbers missing on Britain's highest peak as their families say they remain hopeful they will be found. Rachel Slater, 24, and Tim Newton, 27, failed to return from an outing on Ben Nevis in Lochaber in the Scottish Highlands at the weekend and treacherous conditions have hindered efforts to locate them. Heavy snow, fog and high winds - as well as the risk of avalanche - have led the local mountain rescue team to suspend ground searches until the situation improves. An aerial sweep involving a Coastguard helicopter was carried out on Thursday afternoon however. It is believed the experienced climbers, from Bradford in West Yorkshire, had been camping behind the Charles Inglis Clark memorial hut on the north side of Ben Nevis. Elsewhere in Lochaber, a climber was killed following an avalanche on Wednesday and his companion remains in a serious but stable condition. In Dumfries and Galloway, two walkers died after being out overnight on the hills and a third man is recovering in hospital. Ms Slater's family have flown from their home in Canada to be kept up to date with the search on Ben Nevis. In a joint statement with Mr Newton's family, they said: "We are extremely grateful to members of the emergency services and search and rescue personnel who are searching for Rachel and Tim. "The overwhelming response from members of the public and the climbing community has greatly assisted the search effort and we appreciate all the support and words of encouragement. "As the search continues we remain hopeful Rachel and Tim will be found and reunited with their families and friends." Ms Slater is thought to have been wearing a turquoise jacket and purple helmet while Mr Newton was wearing a red jacket. Relatives said: "As a family we urge anyone who was in the Ben Nevis area last weekend and may have seen or spoken to Rachel and Tim at any time to get in touch. "We'd also like to appeal to anyone planning to climb or hike in the area this weekend to be aware of the ongoing search activity and to report anything they feel may be relevant - even if it appears insignificant - to police on 101." The family of the hillwalker who died in Dumfries and Galloway also thanked rescuers. Geoffrey Stewart, 74, died in hospital after he was found on the hills near Durisdeer. A major search was launched after he and two companions failed to return from a walk on Tuesday afternoon. They were found 2.5 miles east of the village of Durisdeer on Wednesday and were airlifted to hospital. George Crosbie, 73, also died, while Bobby Thomson, 64, is recovering in Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary. Mr Stewart's relatives said: "Our family would like to extend our love and thoughts to the families involved at this very sad and tragic time. "Sincere gratitude and appreciation goes out to all the services involved in the rescue efforts and hospital staff at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary." Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team said it would be back out on foot "as soon as conditions allow to carry out the search safely". Feel The BERN now????? Dear A$$hole,After reviewing the federal election commission's records, I see that you have donated to the Republican side of the political spectrum. That is your right as an American citizen. That is until January of 2017.After I am sworn in, I will not need to ask you for a donation because you are one of those lousy rich Ba$tards that I intend to tax the H#LL out of. You have had a free ride for long enough now and it is time for you people to pay up "YOUR FAIR SHARE".I have also examined your property records and see that you have a spare bedroom that is not in use. That will be the dorm room for the student that I choose to attend your local college on free tuition. If you have any money left after I tax the H#LL out of you, you will be responsible for their room and board.It has also come to my attention that you may own some stock through one of those crooked brokerage houses. After I institute a 100% capital gains tax on your rich A$$, we will see how you can afford to live in that so called retirement community.I know I can't count on you to vote for me so I have changed your polling location to an undisclosed facility. I will just give you a hint, It is hot as H#LL there and this will most likely be your last vote. British air strikes in Syria have killed or injured just seven Islamic State fighters, according to estimates released by the Ministry of Defence. David Cameron won the support of MPs for strikes against IS in its Syrian strongholds in December, but the MoD figures show by the end of January just four attacks had resulted in the jihadist group suffering casualties. None of the strikes involved the high precision Brimstone missile which was cited by the Prime Minister as the kind of UK asset which would make a "meaningful difference" to the coalition's battle against IS in Syria. The RAF's operations against IS in Syria have focused on targeting the infrastructure used to support the group, including the oil fields which are a major source of revenue for the militants. MoD sources said strikes targeting IS fighters were only carried out if there was no risk of civilians being injured. Details of the estimated casualties were released by the MoD in response to a Freedom of Information request by the Huffington Post UK. An attack on Christmas Day near Raqqa - the city dubbed the "head of the snake" by Mr Cameron because IS has its main headquarters there - saw one militant killed or injured by a Hellfire missile. An MoD update for December 25, 2015 said an RAF Reaper struck an IS checkpoint south of Raqqa with a Hellfire missile. Two more fighters from IS - also known as Daesh - were hit on the same day in Tabqa, also with a Hellfire. On January 11, two fighters were killed or injured in a Hellfire strike in Al Busayrah, the figures showed, while two more were hit by a Paveway IV guided bomb on January 15. A spokeswoman for the MoD said: " We are playing a crucial role in a campaign that will take time and patience. Using the right weapon for each scenario, RAF jets have struck Daesh almost 600 times. "In Iraq we have helped to drive them out of Sinjar and Ramadi. In Syria, we have severely weakened them by targeting their key infrastructure." The UK is no longer seen as being an "easy ride" for benefits claimants, a survey shows The UK has one of the most frugal benefits systems in Europe, suggesting this country is no longer an "easy ride", according to a new study. Research of 14 countries by jobs site Glassdoor showed that the UK was third from bottom in terms of unemployment benefit, annual leave, sick pay and maternity entitlements. The most generous welfare and workplace benefits were in Denmark, France and Spain, said the report. Glassdoor's chief economist, Dr Andrew Chamberlain, said: "No governments have limitless budgets, but the general perception has always been that the UK provides a generous benefit scheme for all. "We now have evidence to suggest that Britain is no longer an easy ride, especially when compared to its European neighbours. "Denmark, France and Spain offer far better social benefits that support local workforces. For the UK, it could be argued that parental leave, sick pay and unemployment benefits are particularly meagre. "Social policy across Europe is generally far more generous than in the US. There is, however, considerable variation across the region. Providing workplace entitlements is a complex responsibility for governments. Striking the right balance is never easy." The study found that Denmark was the best country to be unemployed, while Belgium and the Netherlands also offer attractive welfare packages. Paid sick leave is most generous in the Netherlands, where workers can be absent for up to two years and receive 70% of their salary. The UK is the most generous for maternity leave, while Finland offers fathers 45 days off, well ahead of other countries. The UK is near the bottom for annual leave, added Glassdoor. Prime Minister David Cameron is believed to be keen to hold a referendum vote on June 23 David Cameron travels to Brussels today for a showdown over his EU reform demands. Here we look at what could happen over the coming weeks and months: Talks on the reform package will reach a potentially decisive stage when the Prime Minister meets leaders from across the 28-strong bloc at Thursday's European Council summit to thrash out a deal based on proposals put forward earlier this month. The wrangling could run into the weekend but, if the package is approved, it will pave the way for a swift referendum. Mr Cameron is believed to be keen to hold a vote on June 23, as a quick poll would avoid giving Eurosceptics time to make headway with voters and pre-empt a repeat of the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean and eastern Europe over the summer months. Mr Cameron will call a Cabinet meeting on Friday if he secures an early deal on his renegotiation of Britain's EU membership. If the summit runs into Friday evening or Saturday, the PM will review whether to call Cabinet ministers in to Number 10 for a rare weekend meeting. The Cabinet meeting will effectively fire the starting gun on the referendum race, as Eurosceptic ministers will then be allowed to campaign for a Leave vote. T echnical work will also begin, with secondary legislation setting the date and rules for the vote likely to be laid in Parliament rapidly. The Electoral Commission will rule on which groups are designated the main Remain and Leave groups for the campaign, which must last at least 10 weeks, allowing them access to higher spending limits. But as the battle to win over voters begins in earnest, Mr Cameron will also be fighting for support in his own backyard. The Prime Minister started out his leadership determined to avoid a repeat of the deep divisions over Europe which left the party on its knees in the 1990s but, even with the dispensation allowing Cabinet ministers to speak their minds during the campaign, he will face a major challenge to stop an all-out war. Commons Leader Chris Grayling and Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith are expected to be prominent Brexit campaigners. Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers is also reported to be considering voting to leave. Home Secretary Theresa May, who had been tipped as a possible leader of the Out campaign, has signalled she could be prepared to support the reform proposals. Both camps are eagerly waiting to see which way London Mayor Boris Johnson will jump. If no agreement is reached at the February summit, there will be a second chance on March 17, although an emergency meeting could be called before then to preserve some chance of a referendum before the summer. If the UK votes to sever ties with Brussels, it will trigger a process expected to last two years, with attempts to negotiate key trade deals with either the entire EU or bilateral agreements with each nation. A referendum defeat would mean Mr Cameron coming under intense pressure to quit as Prime Minister. A vote to remain in the EU will not signal the end of battles with Brussels, with key parts of the deal requiring legislation in the European Parliament. The parliament's president, Martin Schulz, has promised to be "constructive" but could give no guarantees that the deal would be signed off without challenge. And Mr Cameron has been warned that there is a "distinct possibility" that some groups within the parliament might seek to wreak havoc on the deal. The Duchess of Cambridge has spoken of her "special time" in Wales during a return visit with the Duke to say goodbye to the UK's search and rescue helicopter service. William and Kate joined other members of their "RAF family" in Anglesey to bid farewell to the RAF Search and Rescue (SAR) Force, which was formally disbanded during a poignant ceremony after 75 years. The Cambridges were just another forces couple when they moved to Wales after the future commander-in-chief of the armed forces joined C Flight, 22 Squadron at RAF Valley in September 2010. William served a three-year tour with the SAR and during his time qualified as an operational captain, taking overall control of his Sea King helicopter. The Duke - known as Flight Lieutenant Wales - flew 156 search and rescue operations, resulting in 149 people being rescued. During a reception held after a disbandment parade, William had the chance to catch up with a few of his former crewmates and others who served with SAR, and he chatted to his former squadron commander, Group Captain Steve Bentley, the last commander of SAR. Kate, who wore an outfit from LK Bennett, reminisced about her time living on Anglesey, telling the senior officer and his wife Fyona: "It was such a special time for us, it was the start of our life together really." William was in a relaxed mood and joked with former colleague Master Aircrew Rik Maving, 55, who trained the rear crew of Sea King helicopters and would sometimes be flown by the Duke. The 55-year-old, who is retiring, said he poked fun at William as soon as they were reunited but remained tight-lipped about their banter, only saying "It's rude." He said after their meeting: "It was nice to see him again. He hasn't changed much apart from he's lost a bit more hair." During training exercises the RAF serviceman said he would regularly have a joke with the future king and said he once asked him: "Will, are you flying it with your knees?" and he would say "Rik, I'm warning you." William is now a helicopter pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance and Mr Maving said: "I did ask about his new job and he said 'It's different'. His helicopter will go when the weather's OK. Ours only went when it was bad, because people were only in trouble when it was bad weather." The Duke also caught up with Flight Sergeant Rob Linfoot, 35, who was part of William's crew from 2012 and 2013, working as a winchman. He recalled how William's colleagues bought him tea towels and cups with his and Kate's faces on for a joke. Rob said: "Everyone gets a named cup or a named badge. I think people went above and beyond and got him a few extra bits and pieces. "Always nice to have a bit of memorabilia around the room." SAR has been privatised and is now operated by civilian company Bristow Helicopters, on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, after it was awarded the contract by the Department for Transport in 2013. It is understood William voiced concerns over the privatisation plans when he met the Prime Minister in Zurich as part of England's 2018 World Cup bid in 2011. Group Captain Steve Bentley, the last SAR commander, said: "The hallmark of search and rescue personnel, both past and present, has been their commitment, sense of teamwork and trust in each other, and selfless dedication to the task of saving lives. They can take immense pride in their achievements." Wing Commander Mark Dunlop, known by the nickname Sparky, was another of William's squadron commanders and he welcomed the Duke's return, describing him as "one of the family". He added: "Prince William was a model serviceman, by which I would say he was disciplined, professional, dedicated but also with a human side and was able to get on well with anyone, which is a neat trick." The senior officer added: "He would live and work with his crew, go on rescues with his crew, eat with his crew and he was just another one of the guys." The UK lags behind other developed nations in terms of productivity New figures have revealed a "yawning" productivity gap between the UK and other countries. Output per hour in the UK in 2014 was 18% below the average for the rest of the major G7 advanced economies - the widest productivity gap since comparable estimates began in 1991, said the Office for National Statistics. In financial services, the UK was 5% more productive than Germany but 6% less productive than France and 22% less productive than the USA between 2010 and 2014. In manufacturing, the UK was 24% less productive than Germany, 18% less productive than France and 45% less productive than the USA. UK output per hour in 2014 was 5% lower than Spain and considerably lower than productivity in Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands, said the ONS. TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "For all the good news on rising employment, the UK is still not creating enough quality jobs. "The yawning productivity gap between us and other countries shows how much room there is for us to do better. "The loss of middle-income jobs, in vital industries like steel, is holding the economy back and dragging down pay." Acas chairman Sir Brendan Barber said: "It is clear from these figures that we need to find new ways to tackle the UK's productivity crisis. "The workplace is where the factors of production come together to deliver goods and services. We believe that a well-managed, efficient and innovative workplace can bring the improvements in productivity that we all want to see. "To help solve the UK's productivity gap, we have just launched an accessible productivity tool kit to help businesses assess their strategies for boosting workplace performance." Seema Malhotra, shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said: "Britain's shocking lag on productivity on his watch exposes the failure of George Osborne's short-term policies. It is the key to long-term prosperity, which George Osborne is now threatening with today's figures showing that the productivity gap has now widened to the worst level since records began. "Instead of allowing vital industries like steel to go to the wall, and hitting sectors of the future like renewables with cuts in support, we need a Government prepared to invest in skills, infrastructure and research." Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke said: "The Government's failure to adopt an active industrial strategy is holding back the UK's productivity in manufacturing and leading to the loss of vital skills in key industries such as steel. "A low-waged, low-skilled economy built on precarious and insecure work will see the UK's productivity gap continue to grow and fail to deliver sustainable economic growth. "Government ministers need to ask themselves why France, with its 35-hour working week, and Germany, where trade unions are embraced as partners in productivity, are both streets ahead of the UK." Kenyan officials claim that an al-Shabab intelligence chief has been killed in an airstrike An airstrike has killed the head of intelligence of al-Shabab, a Somali-based extremist group which is believed to have been among those who planned attacks on Kenyans. Kenyan military spokesman Colonel David Obonyo said on Thursday that Mahad Karate, also known as Abdirahim Mohamed Warsame, died along with 10 middle-level al-Shabab members in an airstrike 10 days ago in Nadris camp in the south of Somalia. The US State department in April designated Karate a terrorist, saying he played a key role in the Amniyat, the wing of al-Shabab responsible for the April attack on Garissa University College in Kenya that resulted in nearly 150 deaths. Al-Shabab wants to topple Somalia's weak government and has launched extremist attacks on neighbouring countries that have sent peace-keeping troops to back Somalia's government. Karate had gone to the camp to preside over a graduation ceremony for an estimated 80 recruits into the Amniyat wing of al-Shabab, Mr Obonyo said. Mr Obonyo added that suicide bombers deployed from the Amniyat took part in last month's attack on the Kenyan army base in El Adde, Somalia - believed to be worst losses Kenyan forces have ever suffered in the battlefield. Al-Shabab claims more than 100 soldiers died in the attack while Kenyan authorities have declined to release the official death toll. Al-Shabab denied the claim of Karate's death, saying it was aimed at drawing attention from "significant losses" of Kenyan soldiers in a recent attack in Somalia. "The claims by Kenyan government that it killed what they called the al-Shabab intelligence chief is a mere fabrication," the online al-Shabab radio Andulus said. Werner Faymann (right) arrives for an EU summit in Brussels (AP) The European Union (EU) has warned Austria that its plan to cap the number of people who can apply for asylum is unlawful, but Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann has refused to back down. As EU leaders sought to end their fragmented response to Europe's biggest refugee emergency since the Second World War at a summit meeting, the legal fight with EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos took centre stage. "Legal opinions will be answered by lawyers. Politically I say: we'll stick to it," Mr Faymann said as he entered the summit meeting. More than one million people entered the EU in 2015 fleeing conflict or poverty and some 84,000 have entered so far this year. Overwhelmed by the numbers and frustrated by their inability to agree an effective European response, some EU countries have begun tightening border controls or putting up fences without warning their neighbours. In the latest in a series of unco-ordinated and unilateral measures by nations, Austria announced on Wednesday it would allow no more than 80 people a day to apply for asylum at its southern border points, as of Friday. Mr Avramopoulos said in a letter on Thursday that "Austria has a legal obligation to accept any asylum application that is made on its territory or at its border". The letter to Austrian interior minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said a ceiling on asylum-seekers "would be plainly incompatible with Austria's obligations" under EU and international law. Ms Mikl-Leitner has said that a maximum 3,200 people a day would be allowed to enter Austria "who are seeking international protection in a neighbouring country". That is an allusion to Germany which, along with Sweden, has been the preferred destination for most migrants. But Mr Avramopoulos also warned Austria should not be allowing people to travel through the country if their aim is to apply for asylum elsewhere. Arriving at the summit, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he understood the reaction of countries like Austria, but he warned the end result could be "the bunching-up of great amounts of people in difficult circumstances in northern Greece". Greece has been overwhelmed by the entry of some 850,000 people last year, mostly from Turkey. Thousands are still entering every week. The Greek coastguard has been swamped and the country has barely 10,000 places to shelter those arriving. Police in Austria are questioning two people with suspected links to the Paris terror attacks Austria is investigating two suspects for possible links to the bombers and gunmen who carried out last year's deadly Paris attacks. State prosecutor Robert Holzleitner says they are a 28-year-old Algerian and a Pakistani national, 32. Mr Holzleitner said in a statement on Thursday that the pair arrived in Greece in the same boat as two of the attackers. He says the attackers were able to leave Greece unhindered but the two now in Austrian custody were held there for 25 days for having fake passports. The pair were detained in Salzburg on December 10, Mr Holzleitner said, adding a 25-year old Moroccan and an Algerian aged 40 who were in "close contact" with the other two also are being held. All four are suspected of links to the Islamic State group. US President Barack Obama has said his history-making visit to Cuba next month was part of an effort to "improve the lives of the Cuban people". Mr Obama vowed to press the communist government on human rights and other policy differences during the trip. "We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly. America will always stand for human rights around the world," Mr Obama wrote as he announced the history-making visit on Twitter. The trip will make Mr Obama the first sitting US president to set foot on the island in nearly seven decades. In a series of tweets, the US leader cast it as part of steady progression of normalising relations with Cuba, a communist nation estranged from the US for more than half a century until Mr Obama and Cuban president Raul Castro moved toward rapprochement more than a year ago. Since then, the nations have reopened embassies in Washington and Havana, eased travel restrictions and barriers for business, and have moved to restore commercial air travel. "There is much more that can be done by the United States and by the Cuban government to advance this opening in ways that will be good for Cubans and good for the United States. That is why President Obama is travelling to Cuba," deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes wrote Thursday in a post on Medium, a blogging website. Mr Rhodes noted the ultimate aim is to persuade Congress to lift the trade embargo - an unlikely possibility in the near term. In addition to meeting with Mr Castro, Mr Obama will interact with members of Cuban "civil society", the White House said, referring to activists that advocate for various social causes. Prior to announcing the trip, Mr Obama said one of the conditions for a presidential visit would be the ability for him to speak to all kinds of groups - including those that oppose the Castro government. His stop in Cuba will be part of a broader trip to Latin America. From Cuba, Mr Obama will travel to Argentina, where he will meet with the new president. Word of his travel plans drew immediate resistance from opponents of warmer ties with Cuba - including Republican presidential candidates. Texas Senator Ted Cruz, whose father came to the US from Cuba in the 1950s, said Mr Obama should not visit while the Castro family remains in power. Florida Senator Marco Rubio, another child of Cuban immigrants, lambasted the president for visiting what he called an "anti-American communist dictatorship". Mr Obama and supporters of the detente argue the decades-old embargo has failed to bring about desired change on the island 90 miles south of Florida. Egypt has laid to rest its veteran diplomat Boutros Boutros-Ghali, holding a funeral procession with top honours in the capital, Cairo. The funeral was followed by a service at the nation's largest Coptic cathedral for the man who was the first UN chief from Africa. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi led the procession, walking at the front of the cortege as a horse-drawn hearse carried Boutros-Ghali's flag-draped coffin. The head of Egypt's Coptic Church attended the service, along with senior dignitaries. Eulogising Boutros-Ghali, the Coptic patriarch, Pope Tawadros II, said Egypt was bidding "farewell to this fine example in Egyptian life and in Egyptian history". UNESCO chief Irina Bokova, Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby as well as his predecessor Amr Moussa and other Egyptian ministers and officials attended the service at the Coptic Cathedral in the Abbassia district in Cairo. Boutros-Ghali, who died on Tuesday at the age of 93, helped negotiate Egypt's landmark peace deal with Israel but then clashed with the United States when he served a single term as UN secretary-general. The scion of a prominent Egyptian Christian political family, he was the first UN chief from the African continent, stepping into the post in 1992 at a time of dramatic world changes, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the end of the Cold War and the beginning of a unipolar era dominated by the United States. His five years at the world body's helm remain controversial. He worked to establish the UN's independence, particularly from the United States, at a time when the UN was increasingly called on to step into crises with peacekeeping forces, with limited resources. Some blame him for misjudgments in the failures to prevent genocides in Africa and the Balkans and mismanagement of reform in the world body. 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. Pope Francis on the banks of the Rio Grande, where he prayed for a group of migrants (AP) Pope Francis has branded Donald Trump's plan to build a wall along the American border with Mexico as "unchristian" with the American presidential hopeful retaliating by describing the pontiff's comments as "disgraceful". The Pontiff was speaking at the end of a five-day visit to Mexico. New York businessman Trump supports deporting nearly 11million undocumented immigrants and said that Mexico exported "rapists and criminals" to America. Pope Francis, when asked what he thought of Mr Trump's campaign pledge to build a wall along the entire length of the border and expel millions of people in the US illegally, said: "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not of building bridges, is not Christian. This is not the gospel." Donald J. Trump responds to Pope Francis' remarks: "I'm a very good Christian...he's questioning my faith and I was very surprised to see it." abcn.ws/1SUzhlX Posted by ABC News on Thursday, 18 February 2016 In response to the Pope:If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISISs ultimate... Posted by Donald J. Trump on Thursday, 18 February 2016 Mr Trump hit back ferociously, saying it was "disgraceful" for a religious leader to question a person's faith. The Presbyterian and the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, responded within minutes. "The Pope is being told that Donald Trump is not a nice person," he said. "Donald Trump is a very nice person and I'm a very good Christian. I was surprised to see him question my faith, but I am a Christian and I am proud of it." The rare back-and-forth between pontiff and presidential candidate was the latest development in an American election already roiled by Trump's rhetoric and controversial policy proposals, particularly on immigration. It also underscored the pope's willingness to wade in on controversial issues. Mr Trump also raised the prospect of the Islamic State extremist group attacking the Vatican, saying that if that happened, "the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president because this would not have happened". Later he retweeted a series of tweets from people showing the wall around the Vatican. The billionaire businessman said later that he was "totally respectful" of the pope but stood by his initial response. Francis, the first pope from Latin America, has been a vocal proponent of compassionate immigration policies. While Trump's rhetoric has been among the most inflammatory, some of his rivals have staked out similar enforcement positions. Texas Sen Ted Cruz and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson are among those who have explicitly called for construction of a wall. Former Florida Gov Jeb Bush, one of the few GOP candidates proposing a path to legal status for people already in the US illegally, said Thursday that he supports "walls and fencing where it's appropriate." Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Donald Trump, chairman and president of the Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts, speaks at a press conference on day two of the 2014 Republican Leadership Conference on May 30, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Members of the Republican Party are scheduled to speak at the 2014 Republican Leadership Conference, which hosts 1,500 delegates from across the country through May 31st. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Getty Images Donald Trump's comments have provoked outrage Donald Trump Getty Images Donald Trump is considering running for president Donald Trump has refused to back down over his remarks about Mexican immigrants Donald Trump tees off. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a town hall event in New Hampshire (AP) Donald Trump says he and NBC have settled their beauty pageant "dust-up" Donald Trump said his proposal comes in response to the level of hatred among "large segments of the Muslim population" toward Americans (AP) Donald Trump's support for a Muslim database in the US drew sharp criticism (AP) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump mocks disabled reporter Serge Kovaleski. Kovaleski has arthrogryposis Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump AP Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump assures America he has no size issues during Republican presidential primary debate at Fox Theatre, Thursday, March 3, 2016, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) AP Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (AP) An protester against Donald Trump holds a burning T-shirt outside the Republican's rally in Albuquerque (AP) After the Orlando nightclub mass shooting - the worst in American history - Donald Trump tweeted: "Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don't want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance. We must be smart! " / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Donald Trump, chairman and president of the Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts, speaks at a press conference on day two of the 2014 Republican Leadership Conference on May 30, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Members of the Republican Party are scheduled to speak at the 2014 Republican Leadership Conference, which hosts 1,500 delegates from across the country through May 31st. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Mr Bush said that while he gets his guidance "as a Catholic" from the pope, he doesn't take his cues from Francis on "economic or environmental policy". Marco Rubio, another Catholic seeking the GOP nomination, said that Vatican City has a right to control its borders and so does the United States. Mr Rubio said he has "tremendous respect and admiration" for the pope, but he added, "There's no nation on Earth that's more compassionate on immigration than we are." Even before Thursday's exchange, Mr Trump had been critical of Francis's visit to Mexico. He said last week that the pope's plans to pray at the border showed he was a political figure being exploited by the Mexican government. Francis glossed over the assertion that he was a pawn of Mexico, telling reporters on his plane that he would "leave that up to your judgment." During his visit to Mexico, the Pope also told bishops to get closer to their flock and ease their suffering, and visited some of the country's poorest and most violent areas to shine a spotlight on residents' harsh reality. Francis also aimed another message north of the border at a time of increasingly tough presidential campaign rhetoric on immigration in the US. The pope appealed for governments to open their hearts to the "human tragedy" of forced migration, imploring: "No more death! No more exploitation!" Francis stopped short of calling outright for the US to open its borders, but he urged recognition that the multitudes fleeing gangland killings and extortion in their homelands are victims. "We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis which in recent years has meant the migration of thousands of people, whether by train or highway or on foot, crossing hundreds of kilometres through mountains, deserts and inhospitable zones," he said. "They are our brothers and sisters, who are being expelled by poverty and violence, drug trafficking and organised crime." Before the Mass, Francis paused at the border for a silent prayer in memory of migrants who died trying to reach the US. He also blessed several hundred migrants sitting on the other side of the fence. It was the most poignant moment of his trip, but he began to turn heads even before his plane touched down in Mexico. Flying in from the Vatican on Friday, he first landed in Havana for a historic meeting and embrace with Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church, the first such encounter since the schism that divided Christianity a millennium ago. Francois Hollande warned European leaders against making too many concessions to the UK (AP) European Union (EU) President Donald Tusk says the summit of 28 EU leaders to decide on the reforms that the UK is calling for will be one of the most important the bloc has ever seen. With many core issues still outstanding going into the two-day summit, Mr Tusk said as he arrived for the opening session: "One thing is clear to me. This is a make or break summit, I have no doubts." Mr Tusk said both sides were still "in the middle of still very difficult and sensitive negotiations" as the summit centre in Brussels started filling with political leaders and legal experts, who would have to pour any decision into binding legal texts. Prime Minister David Cameron says he'll be "battling for Britain" but still faces hurdles in his talks on an EU deal. Mr Cameron said he was fighting to close a deal by Friday but admitted "it's going to be hard". He added: "If we can get a good deal I'll take that deal, but I will not take a deal doesn't meet what we need. I think it's much more important to get this right than to do anything in a rush." Mr Cameron hopes the 28 EU nations can strike agreement on the changes Britain seeks to its relationship with the bloc, so he can call a referendum on UK membership for as early as June. French President Francois Hollande warned European leaders against making too many concessions to the UK. Mr Hollande said such a scenario could prompt other countries to seek "special rules" and undermine the principles of European unity. He added: "I want Britain to stay in the EU. But I hope most of all that Europe can advance, can be stronger and that no chief of state could stop that." German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she wants to do everything to help ensure that Britain stays in the bloc. She added: "I'm going into this debate with the position that we would like to do everything to create the conditions so that Great Britain can remain part of the European Union." Former Polish president Lech Walesa was a paid informer in the 1970s, according to recently-seized documents Recently-seized documents show that Poland's former president and Solidarity founder Lech Walesa was a paid informant for the communist-era secret security service, the head of the country's history institute has said. Mr Walesa, the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has previously acknowledged signing a commitment to be an informant but has insisted he never acted on it. In 2000 he was cleared by a special court which said it found no evidence of collaboration. Lukasz Kaminski, head of the National Remembrance Institute, said documents seized from the home of the last communist interior minister, the late General Czeslaw Kiszczak, include a commitment to provide information that is signed with Mr Walesa's name and codename, Bolek. There are also pages of reports and receipts for money in the 1970s, signed Bolek. Mr Walesa, 72, in a written message from Venezuela where he is travelling, suggested the papers are fake. "There can exist no documents coming from me. I will prove that in court," he said. The 279 pages of documents will be made public in due course, Mr Kaminski said. He added that historians need time to analyse their content. Antoni Dudek, the institute's leading historian, said the impact would not be that great unless some evidence emerged Mr Walesa continued to be an informant after he had founded the Solidarity freedom movement. "Lech Walesa is the symbol of Poland's struggle for freedom, he is the symbol of Solidarity and nothing can destroy that, unless we learn that he continued that collaboration," Mr Dudek said. According to Mr Kaminski, five more packets of seized documents have not yet been opened. Prosecutors and police were also searching Mr Kiszczak's summer house. Communism and Moscow's control were imposed on Poland and other countries in the region after the Second World War and were despised and opposed by most people. Secret security was the regime's harsh tool for keeping the people under control, using personal information to blackmail and discredit opponents and dissidents. The papers concerning Mr Walesa came to light when Mr Kiszczak's widow offered to sell the institute documents concerning secret informer Bolek. Prosecutors seized the documents the same day because the law requires important historic papers to be handed in. Mr Walesa was the icon of Poland and eastern Europe's drive for freedom that abolished communism and brought down the Iron Curtain in 1989 without bloodshed. He founded and led Solidarity from 1980 when it was formed out of worker protests, and through communist-imposed martial law. He led Solidarity in round-table negotiations with the communists in 1989 that ushered in democratic and economic change. He was Poland's first popularly-elected president from 1990 to 1995 but following a term of office where his style was perceived as authoritarian, he painfully lost a re-election bid to ex-communist Aleksander Kwasniewski. Gwyneth Paltrow was sent a pair of earrings, some second-hand clothes and a Weight Watchers cookbook by the defendant A jury acquitted an Ohio man of stalking Gwyneth Paltrow after prosecutors said he sent her dozens of unsolicited letters and gifts in recent years. The case against Dante Soiu, 66, was the second in which he was accused of stalking the actress. The Columbus native was committed to a mental institution in the early 2000s after he was accused of sending lewd messages and sex toys to the actress and found not guilty by reason of insanity. The jury of six men and six women heard from a variety of witnesses, including Paltrow who described the fear she felt after learning Soiu was writing to her again. In one letter, Soiu is accused of writing: "I have a goal: to marry Gwyneth Paltrow and take care of her." Soiu also testified at the trial, telling jurors he was a changed man who continued to write to Paltrow because he wanted her forgiveness for his earlier lewd messages. Soiu's lawyer Lynda Westlund said her client was a Christian who was writing to Paltrow in an attempt to minister to her. She said Soiu had not recently travelled to try to meet Paltrow, as he did in 1999. Paltrow cried when a prosecutor asked her whether Soiu's writings made her fear for the safety of her children. "I felt very upset by it. It defied logic, and I found it very, very upsetting," Paltrow said. "This was something I had been through a very long and traumatic experience with already." Soiu said he was looking to make amends with Paltrow and had abandoned his desire to marry her since his arrest. "I was very lonely," Soiu said. "I wanted to have a pen pal." He also said he never intended to scare the actress or physically harm her. "I have no desire to hurt her feelings," Soiu testified. "I have no desire to harass her." The recent batch of letters also described a pair of earrings he sent her in 2009 as a Christmas gift, some second-hand clothes and a Weight Watchers cookbook. He has also sent her religious books, and forwarded her letters that he sent to President Barack Obama and actress Angelina Jolie. Paltrow, 43, won an Oscar in 1999 for her role in Shakespeare In Love. She has two children with estranged husband Chris Martin, frontman of the band Coldplay. The car bombing in the Turkish capital killed at least 28 people (AP) A Syrian national with links to Syrian Kurdish militia carried out the suicide bombing in Ankara that killed at least 28 people and injured dozens of others, Turkey's prime minister has said. Ahmet Davutoglu said the Syrian man, who he identified as Sahih Neccar, carried out the attack in co-operation with Turkey's own outlawed Kurdish rebel group. Authorities have detained 14 people in connection with the attacks and are trying to identify others. Turkey's military, meanwhile, said its jets conducted cross-border raids against Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq hours after the Ankara attack. "It has been determined with certainty that this attack was carried out by members of the separatist terror organisation together with a member of the YPG who infiltrated from Syria," Mr Davutoglu said, referring to the Kurdistan Workers' Party as well as Syrian Kurdish militia group the People's Protection Units. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which killed military personnel and civilians, although suspicion had immediately fallen on the PKK or Islamic State. Salih Muslim, leader of the main Syrian Kurdish group, denied his group was behind the Ankara attack and warned Turkey against taking ground action in Syria. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that despite the denials, evidence obtained by the Turkish authorities pointed to the group "Despite the fact that their leader says they have nothing to do with this, the information and documents obtained by our interior ministry and all our intelligence organisations shows that (the attack) was theirs," Mr Erdogan said. The car bomb went off late on Wednesday in Turkey's capital during evening rush hour. It exploded near buses carrying military personnel that had stopped at traffic lights in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters and lodgings. Mr Davutoglu said Syria's government, which he accused of backing Syrian Kurdish militias, is also to blame. In an apparent reference to the US, he called on Turkey's allies to stop its support for the Syrian Kurdish group. Mr Erdogan said the attack would show the international community the strong links that exist between the PKK and the Syrian Kurdish militias. On Thursday, six soldiers were killed in south-east Turkey after PKK rebels detonated a bomb on a road linking the cities of Diyarbakir and Bingol as their military vehicle was passing by, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. The military said on Thursday that Turkish jets attacked PKK positions in northern Iraq's Haftanin region, hitting a group of 60 to 70 rebels which it said included a number of senior PKK leaders. The claim could not be verified. Turkey's air force has been striking PKK positions in northern Iraq since a fragile two-and-a-half year-old peace process with the group collapsed in July, reigniting a fierce three-decade old conflict. In October, suicide bombings blamed on IS targeted a peace rally outside the main train station in Ankara, killing 102 people in Turkey's deadliest attack in years. Pope Francis stands on a praying platform on the banks of the Rio Grande in Juarez, Mexico, as he blesses a group of migrants sitting along the border fence in El Paso, Texas (AP) Pope Francis thrust himself into the heated American presidential campaign,declaring that Donald Trump is "not Christian" if he wants to address illegal immigration only by building a wall along the US-Mexico border. Mr Trump hit back ferociously, saying it was "disgraceful" for a religious leader to question a person's faith. The rare back-and-forth between pontiff and presidential candidate was the latest development in an American election already roiled by Trump's rhetoric and controversial policy proposals, particularly on immigration. It also underscored the pope's willingness to wade in on controversial issues. Francis's comments came hours after he concluded a visit to Mexico, where he prayed at the border for people who died trying to reach the US. While speaking to reporters on the papal plane, he was asked what he thought of Mr Trump's campaign pledge to build a wall along the entire length of the border and expel millions of people in the US illegally. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," he said. While Francis said he would "give the benefit of the doubt" because he had not heard Mr Trump's border plans independently, he added: "I say only that this man is not a Christian if he has said things like that." Mr Trump, a Presbyterian and the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, responded within minutes. "For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful," he said at a campaign stop in South Carolina, which holds a key primary on Saturday. "I am proud to be a Christian, and as president I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened." Mr Trump also raised the prospect of the Islamic State extremist group attacking the Vatican, saying that if that happened, "the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president because this would not have happened". The billionaire businessman said later that he was "totally respectful" of the pope but stood by his initial response. Francis, the first pope from Latin America, has been a vocal proponent of compassionate immigration policies. While Trump's rhetoric has been among the most inflammatory, some of his rivals have staked out similar enforcement positions. Texas Sen Ted Cruz and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson are among those who have explicitly called for construction of a wall. Former Florida Gov Jeb Bush, one of the few GOP candidates proposing a path to legal status for people already in the US illegally, said Thursday that he supports "walls and fencing where it's appropriate." Mr Bush said that while he gets his guidance "as a Catholic" from the pope, he doesn't take his cues from Francis on "economic or environmental policy". Marco Rubio, another Catholic seeking the GOP nomination, said that Vatican City has a right to control its borders and so does the United States. Mr Rubio said he has "tremendous respect and admiration" for the pope, but he added, "There's no nation on Earth that's more compassionate on immigration than we are." Even before Thursday's exchange, Mr Trump had been critical of Francis's visit to Mexico. He said last week that the pope's plans to pray at the border showed he was a political figure being exploited by the Mexican government. Francis glossed over the assertion that he was a pawn of Mexico, telling reporters on his plane that he would "leave that up to your judgment." For me, it's always been red. Anyone who knows me has heard me say that the only colors I need in my closet are black, white, red and purple. I was tickled pink, then, when one of my daily Delancey Place emails came across the wire with the title "Wear a Red Dress."These daily write-ups inspired by non-fiction books contain excerpts from the referenced book. On this day, Drunk Tank Pink : And Other Unexpected Forces that Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave had caught the eye of the Delancey Place writer. One of the studies in the book discovered that men in particular pay more attention to women in red. You might think anyone would, simply because the color is so noticeable.The experiments conducted in France, though, show that red makes more of a difference to men. An experiment in which women hitchhikers wore different colors throughout the day concluded that "female drivers weren't particularly sympathetic, stopping only 5-9 percent of the time regardless of the color of the hitchhikers' T-shirts. Male motorists, on the other hand, were more considerate and more discerning: whereas only 12-14 percent of all male motorists stopped when the women wore black, white, yellow, blue, or green, 21 percent stopped when the women wore red shirts."In a similar study on a personals website, the colors worn by women were rotated on a regular basis to see whether color would impact the number of emails they received.Interesting indeed.This quirky bit of information prompted me to click on the link to the book to learn more about it. After reading a few reviews, I ordered the book. In some ways, the descriptions made me think of Malcolm Gladwell's Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking with its fascinating stories and statistics on an odd assortment of things. I don't read much non-fiction at all, preferring the many murder mysteries I devour each week, but every once and a while, something like Drunk Tank Pink catches my eye.Back to wearing red, though. The article made me think of a red Christian Dior suit I wore in the 80's. I found it deeply discounted on a sale rack at Macy's and recall my mother being horrified that I had paid over $100 for what back then was probably a $400 suit. I loved that suit and wore it once a week for at least six months of the year-for several years. Not only was it red, but it was unusually styled because, after all, it was a Christian Dior. The styling accented my then tiny waist, and I felt special whenever I wore it.I've always heard that red is a power color, but for me, it's simply the color I think I look best in-a blue red to suit my winter coloring. And if you now wonder what on earth I'm talking about, you may have to check out "Color Me Beautiful." I don't have the book anymore, but I still have the color swatches I got when I went with girlfriends for a color consultation. I'm sure that experience is why, to this day, everything in my closet coordinates with everything else. And, I'm smiling as I sit here typing this on my, you guessed it, red laptop. Kizza Besigye cleans his hands after casting his vote at his polling station near his country home in Rukungiri (AP) Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye has been arrested in the capital Kampala on election day, his aide has claimed. Shawn Muburi, who is in charge of communications for the Forum for Democratic Change party, said Mr Besigye was arrested late on Thursday in the suburb of Naguru, where he had gone to investigate alleged ballot stuffing in a house run by the intelligence agencies. He said Mr Besigye was arrested and taken to an unknown location. The police did not respond to requests for comment. Mr Besigye is Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni's main challenger in the polls. Vote counting has started in presidential and parliamentary polls marred by the late arrival of voting materials. Mr Besigye's supporters said the delays were deliberate and were aimed at favouring Mr Museveni, whose rival is popular in Kampala. A senior foreign election observer called the delays "absolutely inexcusable". Several dozen polling stations never opened on Thursday and the election commission later said they would be open on Friday The government also shut down access to social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. "If the election is free and fair, we will be the first people to respect it, even if we are not the winner," Mr Besigye said Thursday at a polling station in his rural home of Rukungiri. "But where it is not a free and fair election, then we must fight for free and fair elections because that is the essence of our citizenship." A spokesman for the Forum for Democratic Change said the delays were a "deliberate attempt to frustrate" voters in urban areas where Mr Besigye is believed to be very popular, especially Kampala and the neighbouring district of Wakiso. Mr Besigye was Mr Museveni's personal physician during a bush war and served as deputy interior minister in Mr Museveni's first Cabinet. He broke with the president in 1999, saying Museveni was no longer a democrat. The head of the Commonwealth Observer Group, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, called the long delays "absolutely inexcusable" and said they "will not inspire trust in the system and the process". Mr Museveni said the shutdown of social media sites "must be steps taken by security" in anticipation of certain threats. He added that security forces would deal with those who threaten violence during and after the election. Those who arrive at polling stations in time should be allowed to vote, he said. The wringing of hands by the DUP's Peter Weir over Irish-speaking schools should be treated with derision for a number of reasons: 1. Why did the DUP not challenge the Education Order on the grounds of de facto discrimination against Protestant teachers? 2. In the mid-1980s, a Sinn Fein leaflet described the situation regarding the Irish language: "Sinn Fein proclaimed loudly that the language question was political... We also have to accept that having the language back will bring an end to the foreign rule in Ireland." 3. Why has the DUP left the education of children in the hands of a Sinn Fein minister? Of course, the late Dr Paisley chortled with the erstwhile commander of the IRA from Londonderry, whose organisation murdered many fathers of children who attended schools over which he exercised control. 4. Could it be there is an election coming up and this is "good" political propaganda? This has to be put in the context of Gregory Campbell raising this issue some time ago and the result: nothing happened. The real question, which has never been addressed by any of the unionist parties, or the ambivalent Alliance, is why are there these Irish-speaking schools? They are unnecessary and a waste of public money. How can they be justified? Why do I claim that they are unnecessary? Simple: the facts back me up. In 2011/12, the number of pupils who entered for a GCSE in Irish was 1,537, of which more than 90% attended the Catholic maintained sector. In 2013/14, the number of pupils who entered for a GCSE in Irish was 1,703, of which more than 90% attended the Catholic maintained sector. Not only do these facts expose the hypocrisy of Sinn Fein in wasting money on such schools when the education, welfare and health departments are under financial pressure, but discloses that in fact the teaching of the Irish language has been alive and well in Northern Ireland for years - in spite of Sinn Fein. LYLE CUBITT Ballymena, Co Antrim Its perhaps one of the most important letters in the world but nobodys entirely sure what it means. The i at the start of iPhone is one of its defining features. And it mostly refers to internet, though not entirely, and the story of how it got there is slightly more complicated. The naming convention was first introduced with the iMac. Launched in 1998, the computer marked the beginning of the modern Apple. Introducing that computer, Steve Jobs said that it was targeted at the number one use that the consumers say they want to use the computer for: the internet. It was launched just as the internet was catching on and was made central in the computers advertising. Even though this is a full-blooded Macintosh, we are targeting this for the number one use that consumers tell us they want a computer for, which is to get on the Internet -- simply, and fast, he said at the time. And that is what this product is targeted for. But that was far from the only meaning of the i, Mr Jobs said. During the launch, he showed a slide with a number of different headings: internet, individual, instruct, inform, inspire. i' also means some other things to us, he said. We are a personal computer company, and although this product is born to network, it also is a beautiful stand-alone product. We are targeting it also for education. They want to buy these. And it is perfect for most of the things they do in instruction. The company would go on to brand almost all of its products with the little letter. Software such as iTools and hardware including the iPod all talk on the name. (It still isnt entirely clear where the rest of the iPod name originated from.) It would eventually find its place in the name of the iPhone, a product that had a similar effect for Apple as the iMac. It would prove a slightly controversial name, leading to legal proceedings with Cisco, since it had a product with the same name. The prefix has perhaps lost some of its shine in recent years. Many of Apples recent products including the Apple TV and the Apple Watch have picked up a new naming convention, dropping the i entirely and opting instead for their generic name on its own, sometimes accompanied by Apples half-eaten logo Independent We all want to live a happy and productive life, but what are the secrets of making this happen? Is it a pie-in-the-sky notion? Not really. We have our health, bodies and souls to take care of, as these are all intertwined. People, who drink tea, love to learn, eat plenty of fruit and veggies could increase life span. The Longevity Project found that it is not the happy person that lives the longest, or the person who get married. It was not the heavy workout schedule, either. Psychology professors Leslie Martin and Howard S. Friedman found this could have the opposing influence on some people. Their work was based on the eight-decade research by Doctor Lewis Terman in 1921. Terman studied relationships, personalities, and career goals of thousands of people. We have all heard that stress is bad for lifespan, but there is a misunderstanding about it the American Psychological Association unearthed during it interview with Friedman in 2011. But what about the killer stress? There is a terrible misunderstanding about stress. Chronic physiological disturbance is not at all the same thing as hard work, social challenges or demanding careers. People are being given rotten advice to slow down, take it easy, stop worrying and retire to Florida, he said. The Longevity Project discovered that those who worked the hardest lived the longest. The responsible and successful achievers thrived in every way, especially if they were dedicated to things and people beyond themselves. So what are the easy ways to keep going? Researchers have found that people with an education live longer and dont smoke as much. A Harvard study released in 2008 found that people with less education dont live as long. From 1980 to 1990, highly educated individuals increased their life expectancy by nearly a year and a half, while it grew only half a year for less-educated people, the authors report. The gap widened even more in the next 10 years, as the better-educated group gained 1.6 years while the other group's life expectancy remained unchanged. Another factor was reducing sugar. People who ingested less sugar were at a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Sugar is poison, and so are the additives. Americans consume over 130 pounds of sugar a year. Start drinking more green tea Shinichi Kuriyama, MD told WebMD in an interview. It can lower the risk of death and from heart disease. "Our findings might explain the differences in mortality profile between Japan and the United States. The Japanese age-adjusted rate of mortality due to heart disease and stroke is about 30 percent lower than that of the United States." Being part of a book club and other social activities could add years to your life for people looking at retirement, or before. Researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia found that the more social groups that people are involved in the better it will be for their health. It also will reduce the risk of death Dr. Steffens found. The science of longevity has discovered that if you are active mentally and physically you will live longer. The research also shows that the more groups an individual belong to in the first few years after they stop working, the lower their risk of death. For retirees who belonged to two social groups before retirement, their chance of death was two per cent if they maintained the same number of groups for six years afterwards. For those who lost membership of one group, the risk of death rose to five percent, while those who lost membership of both groups had a 12 per cent chance of dying in the six years that followed. There is a lot of information out there, and genetics does play a role in our longevity. However, using commonsense and being be proactive to be healthier and happier could expand and create a better life. Indian police search for evidence following a bomb attack at a train station in Chennai that killed one person, May 1, 2014. Officers arrested three prison escapees who are considered suspects in the attack, following a gun battle on Tuesday night. Indian police identified three escapees and a fourth suspect who were arrested after a shootout in Odisha state late Tuesday, as members of the outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India. Police said three suspects had escaped from a prison in October 2013 and were wanted on several charges, including participating in bomb attacks and other criminal activities. A woman was arrested as well. We have arrested five people and four of them are SIMI men, Odisha Special Director General of State Intelligence Arun Sarangi told Benar News, referring to the banned militant group. We have recovered weapons, including pistols, from them after a brief exchange of fire. Those arrested have been identified as Sheikh Mehboob, Amjad Khan, Zakir Hussain and Mohammed Khalid. One woman identified as Najma has also been arrested, Sarnagi said. The woman is the mother of Mehboob and was wanted by Madhya Pradesh police. He said Odishas Special Operation Group conducted the three-hour operation, coordinating it with Telangana police. It was intermittent firing. We did not use assault rifles. Instead, pistols such as Glocks and MP-5s were used. About seven to eight rounds were fired by the security men while the operatives fired about two to three rounds. Soon, our men entered the premises and disarmed him, Sarangi told The New Indian Express. Four of the five suspects surrendered to police but the fifth suspect resisted, firing on police, he said. The area from where these men were arrested was a densely populated area. We were aware about the location of the house, but we proceeded very carefully to prevent collateral damage in the area. They had history of exploding bombs, so we had to take precautions during the entire operation, Sarnagi told BenarNews. The three suspects were among six people who escaped from a prison in Khanda, Madhya Pradesh, in 2013. Soon after the breakout, police arrested the groups leader, identified as Abu Faisal. Two others were killed in an encounter as the fugitives tried to evade police checks. Escapees linked to series of attacks The Press Trust of India reported that while on the run, the three men were involved in terror activities in several states. The trio are suspected of having been involved in a bank robbery in Karimnagar (Telangana) on Feb. 1, 2014, the bombing of a Bangalore-Guwahati train at the Chennai Central station, which killed a young software engineer on May 1, 2014, and an explosion near the Faraskhana and Vishrambag police stations in Pune on July 10, 2014, the report said. A senior official at the National Investigation Agency (NIA) described the arrests as a big break. They were wanted in several cases in the country, including train blasts and robberies, the official told BenarNews on condition of anonymity. They can provide more details about their involvement while they were on the run. A security analyst agreed. If those arrested are the same group, which fled the jail in 2013, it is a significant arrest made by the police, Bibhu Prasad Routray, a New Delhi-based security analyst told BenarNews. Armed guards transfer Rohingya Muslims back to Bangladesh after their boat was found adrift off Myanmars coast, June 8, 2015. Starting next month, Bangladeshi authorities plan to undertake the first-ever census of undocumented Rohingya Muslims living in the countrys southeast. Thousands of ethnic Rohingyas who fled persecution in neighboring Myanmar are believed to be in Bangladesh illegally, but the head count will help Bangladesh clarify the number, an official said. We will start the work by the end of March. The census would take a maximum of 25 days to finish, Census project director Alamgir Hossain told BenarNews. The census will focus largely on Coxs Bazar, a southeastern district that borders Myanmars Rakhine state, from where Rohingya Muslims have been fleeing from persecution at the hands of the neighboring countrys Buddhist majority. Human rights watchdog Amnesty International last year called Rohingyas the most persecuted refugees in the world. In 2015, an international humanitarian crisis gripped Southeast Asia when thousands of Rohingyas and Bangladeshi migrants landed on local shores, after Thai authorities had imposed a maritime blockade on boats operated by human traffickers. I do not want to go back to Myanmar; here I can at least sleep. But there, the Moghs (Buddhists) and the military snatch our belongings whenever they want. We, the Rohingyas, are not human beings there, septuagenarian Abdul Latif, who lives in Bangladesh, told BenarNews. You must have data Bangladeshs government officially recognizes about 33,000 Rohingyas who have been living in refugee camps in the Ukhia and Nowapara sub-districts of Coxs Bazar. Members of the ethnic group have been living in the district since 1992, when more than 200,000 Rohingyas crossed into Bangladesh to escape persecution by Myanmars military. In 2012, sectarian violence involving the majority Buddhists in Rakhine state resulted in undocumented Rohingya Muslims spilling into Bangladesh. According to a parliamentary report published in 2013, at least 300,000 illegal Rohingya live in Coxs Bazar alone. Alamgir Hossain said that the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics would finish identifying Rohingya households inside Bangladesh by Feb. 20, as a first step in determining the number of undocumented Rohingyas. The census will help the government determine the number of Myanmar nationals living in Bangladesh illegally and highlight the socio-economic conditions of irregular Rohingyas, he said. Irregular Rohingyas are those who are not registered as refugees with the government. The census could help Bangladesh put diplomatic pressure on its neighbor to improve the human rights situation in Rakhine said, said a former Bangladeshi foreign minister. You must have data when you talk in a forum. So, we need the census to know how many Rohingyas have been living in Bangladesh illegally when we talk with Myanmar, Shahsher Mobin Chowdhury told BenarNews. Potential problems with count C.R. Abrar, a professor of international relations at Dhaka University, warned that the census could run into roadblocks and that a large number of Rohingyas could go uncounted. There is a reason for raising questions about the potential success of the census. This is because a large number of Rohingya refugees live in hideouts, and the enumerators will go to the identified household where the Rohingyas have been living, Abrar, who coordinates the Refugee and Migratory Movement Research Unit, a private think-tank, told BenarNews. Elsewhere, problems could arise due to resistance among Bangladeshis to the presence in their country of undocumented Rohingyas. In Ukhia, local resident Hamidul Haque Chowdhury has formed a Rohingya resistance committee. They have destroyed our opportunities, forests and facilities, committee member Abdus Samad told BenarNews, saying that the Rohingyas had to go back to Myanmar. A Jan. 31 tweet by the Royal Malaysia Polices Cyber Investigation Response Center warns that Fahmis Twitter account is being watched. Use it responsibily and according to the law, it says. [BenarNews] Activists pose with Fahmi's Occupy Dataran Merdeka poster in front of a police barricade. [Courtesy of Fahmi Reza] An outdoor exhibit of works by Fahmi Reza protests the construction of a high-rise business complex on the grounds of Taman Merdeka (Independence Park) in Kuala Lumpur, Feb. 15, 2016. [Courtesy of Fahmi Reza] Fahmi in front of a barricade in Hong Kong during Occupy Central protests in October 2014. [Courtesy of Fahmi Reza] A poster by Fahmi is held up at the People's Uprising Rally, on 12 Jan. 2013, during which people voiced frustration at government policies and decisions. [Courtesy of Fahmi Reza] Fahmi Reza (left) appears with student activist Adam Adli during a protest against a longstanding ban on student participation in politics, outside the Bar Council in Kuala Lumpur, Dec. 17, 2011. [Courtesy of Fahmi Reza] Fahmi works on a poster on the theme of police brutality. [Courtesy of Fahmi Reza] The artist paints a sign for his exhibition in 2014. [Courtesy of Fahmi Reza] Artist Fahmi Reza poses in front of a display that was part of an exhibit titled 12 Years of Civil Disobedience, in Kuala Lumpur, Oct. 13, 2014. [Courtesy of Fahmi Reza] Updated at 11:15 a.m. ET on 2016-02-18 The tagline to Fahmi Rezas Twitter page says it all in two words: Visual Disobedience. For years, the 38-year-old Malaysian graphic artist has been creating political art and defying his countrys authority figures by lampooining them in satirical posters. Amid an increase in cases in which government critics have been arrested or charged on the pretext of violating the countrys Sedition Act, Fahmi has used his art to cast a spotlight on the trend. Last month, the self-taught artist caused a stir on Twitter by posting his latest rendition of Prime Minister Najib Razak, as a clown. The caption reads, In 2015, the Sedition Act was used 91 times. But in a country full of corruption, we are all seditious. He circulated the drawing online five days after Malaysias attorney general cleared Najib of potential charges in a financial scandal that has beleaguered the PM for months. The same day, the Royal Malaysia Polices Cyber Investigation Response Center posted a warning on Fahmis Twitter account telling him that he was under surveillance. But the move may have have backfired. Since then, fans of Fahmi have posted other images of the prime minister with creative and colorful variations on the clown theme. The online images have gone viral through the hashtag We are all seditious. The artist describes himself as an ordinary citizen fighting back against Big Brother. Throughout history, protest posters have always played an important role in the peoples struggle for social change. Posters can inspire and motivate, and can be used as a tool to raise awareness and to wake people up, Fahmi told BenarNews. We need to stop being afraid of our government. We need to have the courage to stand up against injustice, against corruption, he added. This version corrects errors that appeared in some of the captions in an earlier version. Some of the Surnames I Am Researching HUBER Switzerland and Germany to PA , MD, OH, IN and Iowa MARTINE France to Rockland Co NY, WI, MN, MO, and Seattle WA BROWN Salisbury, England to Essex Co MA, NH, CA, AK and WA BRUTON or BREWTON of VA, SC, NC, TN, MS, MO, and Iowa FRAZIER Scotland to NC, IN and Iowa; Quakers WHITECOTTON of Virginia, W VA, KY, TN, AL, and MO VAN ARSDALE Netherlands to NY, PA, KY, IN and Iowa MILLER of Virginia to Livingston Co MO, and Seattle WA ein Google-Unternehmen Google-Dienste anzubieten und zu betreiben Ausfalle zu prufen und Manahmen gegen Spam, Betrug und Missbrauch zu ergreifen Daten zu Zielgruppeninteraktionen und Websitestatistiken zu erheben. Mit den gewonnenen Informationen mochten wir verstehen, wie unsere Dienste verwendet werden, und die Qualitat dieser Dienste verbessern. neue Dienste zu entwickeln und zu verbessern Werbung auszuliefern und ihre Wirkung zu messen personalisierte Inhalte anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen personalisierte Werbung anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen Wenn Sie Alle ablehnen auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies nicht fur diese zusatzlichen Zwecke. Nicht personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung werden u. a. von Inhalten, die Sie sich gerade ansehen, und Ihrem Standort beeinflusst (welche Werbung Sie sehen, basiert auf Ihrem ungefahren Standort). Personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung konnen auch Videoempfehlungen, eine individuelle YouTube-Startseite und individuelle Werbung enthalten, die auf fruheren Aktivitaten wie auf YouTube angesehenen Videos und Suchanfragen auf YouTube beruhen. Sofern relevant, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auerdem, um Inhalte und Werbung altersgerecht zu gestalten. Wir verwenden Cookies und Daten, umWenn Sie Alle akzeptieren auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auch, umWahlen Sie Weitere Optionen aus, um sich zusatzliche Informationen anzusehen, einschlielich Details zum Verwalten Ihrer Datenschutzeinstellungen. Sie konnen auch jederzeit g.co/privacytools besuchen. For Immediate Release, February 17, 2016 Contact: Dr. Nathan Donley, (971) 717-6406, ndonley@biologicaldiversity.org FDA to Begin Testing for Pesticide Glyphosate, Probable Human Carcinogen, in Food PORTLAND, Ore. The Food and Drug Administration will finally begin testing food for glyphosate, the worlds most commonly used pesticide, according to Civil Eats. This marks the first time that a U.S. agency will routinely test for glyphosate residue in food. It comes after the Government Accountability Office released a report condemning the FDA for failing even to disclose its failure to test for glyphosate in its annual pesticide residue report. Photo courtesy EPA. This photo is available for media use. The World Health Organization found that glyphosate, commonly known as Roundup, was a probable human carcinogen, and glyphosate has been named as a leading cause of massive declines in monarch butterflies. In the wake of intense scrutiny, the Food and Drug Administration has finally committed to taking this basic step of testing our food for the most commonly used pesticide. Its shocking that its taken so long, but were glad its finally going to happen, said Dr. Nathan Donley, a scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity. More and more scientists are raising concerns about the effects of glyphosate on human health and the environment. With about 1.7 billion pounds of this pesticide used each year worldwide, the FDAs data is badly needed to facilitate long-overdue conversations about how much of this chemical we should tolerate in our food. Leading scientists published an article about the exploding use of glyphosate around the world in todays issue of the journal Environmental Health. Pointing to concerns over rapidly increasing use, outdated science and the WHOs finding, the authors called on regulatory agencies to take a fresh look at the real-world impacts of glyphosate and to start monitoring its levels in people and in food. The alarm bell is ringing loud and clear. The current cavalier use of glyphosate, and lax regulation, cannot remain in place, said Donley. Its long past time to start reining in the out-of-control use of this dangerous pesticide in the United States and around the world. Just last week 35 members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy expressing concerns regarding the potential negative health and environmental impacts of a pesticide, Enlist Duo, that combines glyphosate and 2,4-D. EPA is currently reanalyzing its decision to register the dangerous pesticide following a remand order from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Monsanto is also now embroiled in a legal battle with the state of California over the states move to list glyphosate as a carcinogen under Proposition 65 law. As the legal battle plays out California, a new report from the Center found that more than half of the glyphosate sprayed in the state was applied in the states eight most impoverished counties. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 990,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. For Immediate Release, February 18, 2016 Contact: Michael Robinson, (575) 313-7017, michaelr@biologicaldiversity.org Mexican Wolf Numbers Decline in Southwest Illegal Killings Likely a Cause of Alarming Drop SILVER CITY, N.M. The number of endangered Mexican gray wolves in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico dropped to 97 last year from 110 in 2014, according to a just-released census by federal and state biologists. The troubling decline, which follows five years of annual population increases, was likely driven by the illegal killings of many of the 13 wolves found dead and the 11 wolves missing, as well as a low survival rate among the dozens of pups born last spring. Further harming the population, two female wolves died during the census count after being captured in order to replace their radio collars. Mexican gray wolves in the Southwest remain in serious trouble, and its clear they wont be on a real road to recovery until state and federal agencies step up and do whats needed to help them survive, said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity. The government should start by retrieving the telemetry receivers that allow livestock owners to track radio-collared wolves. Its unconscionable to give high-tech tools that strip the wolves of their ability to stay hidden to the very people who have expressed their hatred for wolves and oppose these animals recovery. The receivers have been loaned out for years, despite high rates of unsolved illegal shootings as well as the disappearances of many radio-collared wolves under suspicious circumstances. The other likely cause of the decline, inbreeding, stems from the small population being made up of closely related individuals lacking in genetic diversity, and is correlated with pups dying before they mature. As many as 40 pups are thought to have been born last spring, but just over half of them could be found last month. Scientists have repeatedly urged the releases of more genetically robust wolves from captive-breeding facilities into the wild. The Fish and Wildlife Service periodically announces that it will release wolves, but seldom follows through. During the entirety of the Obama administration, just four captive-bred wolves have been released. Three of them died, and one was trapped and returned to captivity. Last fall conservationists and wildlife biologists requested the release of at least five family packs of Mexican wolves into the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. Endless delay in releasing wolves into the wild to address the genetic crisis results in inbred wolf pups that cannot survive, said Robinson. Our government must stop placating livestock interests and start prioritizing saving the Mexican wolf, before its too late. Background A U.S. government program on behalf of the livestock industry exterminated Mexican gray wolves from the wild in the United States and Mexico by the early 1970s. Passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973 led to the live capture of the last few wolves and successful breeding of seven of them. A lawsuit by conservationists led to reintroduction in 1998. The population was projected to reach 102 animals, including 18 breeding pairs, by 2006, but only in 2014 topped 100 animals and has never supported more than eight breeding pairs. A reintroduction program in Mexico began in 2011, leading to approximately 20 wolves in the wild in Mexico today. The Center for Biological Diversity has two active lawsuits against the Fish and Wildlife Service over Mexican wolves. One suit seeks to compel development of a Mexican wolf recovery plan, which the Service has been promising to develop for more than 33 years. The other suit seeks to overturn regulations promulgated last year that permit increased killing of wolves and also block wolves from being allowed to disperse to the southern Rocky Mountains and the Grand Canyon region, areas that are necessary for their recovery. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 990,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. For Immediate Release, February 17, 2016 Contacts: Jason Weiner, Wishtoyo, Ventura Coastkeeper, (805) 823-3301, jweiner.venturacoastkeeper@wishtoyo.org Mati Waiya, Wishtoyo, Ventura Coastkeeper, (805) 794-1248, matiwaiya@wishtoyo.org John Buse, Center for Biological Diversity, (323) 533-4416, jbuse@biologicaldiversity.org Christopher Sproul, Environmental Advocates, (415) 533-3376 Legal Challenge Launched to Restore Santa Clara River Steelhead Trout Runs, Native Birds SATICOY, Calif. Conservation groups today filed a formal notice of intent to sue the United Water Conservation District over its operation of a dam that blocks runs of endangered steelhead on the Santa Clara River. The Vern Freeman Diversion Dam near Saticoy prevents virtually any steelhead from returning to prime habitat upstream and degrades habitat downstream, according to the groups, which include the Wishtoyo Foundation, its Ventura Coastkeeper Program and the Center for Biological Diversity. Southern steelhead trout are federally protected, endangered fish that mature in the ocean but return inland to spawn in their birth streams. The Santa Clara River historically supported thousands of steelhead. The 1,200-foot-wide, 25-foot-high Freeman Dam, located about 10 miles upstream from the Pacific Ocean, is now the main obstacle to steelhead migration. Its fish ladder is ineffective, and the dam now blocks almost all access to historic steelhead spawning areas. Southern steelhead have declined dramatically throughout their range, and the species faces a high risk of extinction. The Chumash name for Southern California steelhead is Ishakowoch (the glistening salmon). The Chumash people have a strong cultural interest in the recovery of the Ishakowoch, which for more than 10,000 years have played a significant role in sustaining a healthy Santa Clara River ecosystem that spiritually and physically supported Chumash communities and villages. Experiencing Ishakowoch runs and being able just to honor the harvest of a single Ishakowoch will allow our people to reconnect with our culture and ancestors in ways that will not be possible without the construction of a functional fish passage over the dam and sufficient flow releases that allow for Ishakowoch migration, said Mati Waiya, a ceremonial elder of the Santa Clara River Turtle Clan and executive director of the Wishtoyo Foundation. The dams operation also threatens wildlife downstream. Uniteds diversion of almost all the rivers flows, except for large storm events, harms not only steelhead but least Bells vireos, southwestern willow flycatchers and yellow-billed cuckoos rare birds that depend on vegetation nourished by natural river flows. The Freeman Dam is the key to restoring steelhead and other imperiled wildlife in the Santa Clara watershed, said John Buse, senior counsel at the Center for Biological Diversity. This legal challenge will be aimed at getting fish upstream and water downstream at the right time. Not only is steelhead, vireos, flycatcher and cuckoo restoration possible, but it can be accomplished while providing enough water to maintain agricultural and municipal land uses in the Oxnard Plain, said Jason Weiner, general counsel for the Wishtoyo Foundation. Restoring these species to the Santa Clara River is vital to providing nearby residents and the rivers marginalized communities with their right to enjoy and benefit from healthy functioning ecosystems. The groups are represented by Chris Sproul of Environmental Advocates, San Francisco, and Patricia Weisselberg, Mill Valley. The Wishtoyo Foundation is a community-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit with over 700 members consisting of Ventura County residents, Chumash Native Americans, and the general public that enjoys, depends on, and visits Ventura Countys inland and coastal waterbodies. Wishtoyo uses traditional Native American Chumash beliefs, practices, songs, stories and dances to increase awareness of our connection with the environment and to preserve the maritime culture and resources of the Chumash people and coastal communities. Core values of the Chumash include sustainable living and respect for the environment. In 2000, the Wishtoyo Foundation launched Ventura Coastkeeper to protect, preserve, and restore the ecological integrity and water quality of Ventura County's inland waterbodies, coastal waters, and watersheds. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 990,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. No. 814, Feb. 18, 2016 Three New National Monuments Designated in California After vigorous advocacy from the Center for Biological Diversity and more than a decade of legislative work by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), President Obama has announced the designation of three new national monuments in the California desert -- Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow and Castle Mountains -- protecting 1.8 million acres of precious desert lands. The Mojave Trails National Monument, at 1.4 million acres, helps link Mojave National Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park, allowing wildlife to migrate in a changing climate. In permanently protecting these special places, the president follows in the footsteps of nearly every president since 1906, who have used the Antiquities Act to leave a legacy of national monuments more than 140 times. These new monuments are habitat for rare wildlife like desert tortoises, Mohave fringe-toed lizards, desert kit foxes and western burrowing owls. "California's deserts include some of the most spectacular scenery in the nation and serve as a refuge for some of our most endangered plants and animals," said the Center's Ileene Anderson. "These national monuments will allow future generations of all species to enjoy them. Thank you, President Obama." Read more in the Los Angeles Times and get the details on all three monuments. 'Keep It in the Ground' Rallies Hit Denver, Salt Lake City The momentum keeps growing: This week hundreds of people rallied in Denver and Salt Lake City urging President Obama to keep fossil fuels in the ground. On Saturday the Center's Frostpaw the Polar Bear and Colorado activists rallied outside a Democratic Party fundraiser in Denver. And on Tuesday more than 100 people protested a Bureau of Land Management auction for 45,000 acres of fossil fuel leases in Utah. (Our friend, environmental writer Terry Tempest Williams, also ended up buying rights to more than 1,700 acres up for potential drilling.) Our national movement is urging Obama to halt all new fossil fuel lease sales on public land and offshore areas, a move that would keep up to 450 billion tons of carbon pollution out of the atmosphere. We've already succeeded in getting several lease sales cancelled, and more protests are in the works for upcoming lease sales in Nevada, Wisconsin and New Orleans. After Williams bought up parcels at the Utah auction, she was asked by a BLM official if this was "a legitimate bid for energy development." "Yes," she answered. "You can't define what energy is for us. Our energy development is fueling a movement. Keep it in the ground." Read more in our press release. Red Wolf Population Plunges as Feds Gut Recovery Program New numbers show that the nation's only population of red wolves is in an alarming free-fall, declining by 27 percent from 2014 to 2015 to as few as 50 individuals. Just four years earlier there were 100 wolves. Recently the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service bowed to political pressure from extreme anti-wildlife elements within the North Carolina state government, eliminating the program's recovery coordinator in 2014 and stopping the introduction of new red wolves into the wild in July 2015. "Director Ashe and the Fish and Wildlife Service are deliberately condemning the red wolf to extinction," said the Center's Brett Hartl. "The red wolf recovery program was once a shining example of successful conservation. Under the direction of Dan Ashe, the program has been quietly dismantled to appease a few anti-wildlife zealots. It's disgraceful." More than 110,000 people from around the United States, including more than 1,500 North Carolina residents, have submitted letters in support of the red wolf program. Read more in our press release. Firing of Coastal Commission Chief Fires Up Ocean Advocates As executive director of the powerful California Coastal Commission, Dr. Charles Lester was a key advocate for protecting wildlife on the state's spectacular coast. But pro-development commission members cooked up a behind-the-scenes scheme to oust him -- an attack on one of California's most powerful environmental laws, the Coastal Act of 1976, which the commission was built to enforce. This attack resulted in Dr. Lester's firing last Wednesday night, despite thousands of Californians rising up at a commission meeting, plus thousands of letters from others in his defense (including almost 1,000 Center supporters -- thank you). Lester's fate has left the coast more vulnerable and its defenders saddened. But we're also angry. As the Center's Steve Jones writes in a recent Medium piece: "The broad-based movement triggered by Lester's ouster remains resolute. In fact we're more galvanized than ever against the exploitation of our coastline. This isn't over." Read (and like and share) our Medium article. World Pangolin Day: Raising a Voice for the World's Most Trafficked Mammals Pangolins -- the scaly, adorable anteaters found in Africa and across Asia -- are in serious trouble. All eight species of these obscure critters are at risk of disappearing due to a massive and growing demand for their meat and scales. Demand is so high that these armored marvels have become the world's most trafficked mammals. That's why we're helping to celebrate World Pangolin Day this Saturday -- to raise awareness of the animals' plight. Last year the Center and a coalition of wildlife groups petitioned the U.S. government to list seven pangolin species as "endangered" under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (the eighth species, a native of Africa, is already protected), but the fight is far from finished. Help ensure pangolins' survival by signing our petition urging the government to ban all pangolin imports and sales. Then share our World Pangolin Day message on social media. Win for Foxes: Three Species on Channel Islands Declared Recovered Good news from off Southern California's coast: The Fish and Wildlife Service last week proposed to remove three subspecies of Channel Islands foxes from the endangered list (and to downlist a fourth from "endangered" to "threatened"). Following severe declines related to predation by golden eagles and disease, the four subspecies were protected under the Endangered Species Act in 2004. Golden eagles had been able to colonize the islands because the now-banned chemical DDT had wiped out the islands' native bald eagles -- which eat fish, not foxes. Fox populations have increased following successful projects to control golden eagles and repopulate the islands with bald eagles, as well as captive-breeding efforts. "These special foxes were on the brink of extinction just 12 years ago, when they were protected under the Act," said the Center's Tierra Curry. "Now, thanks to successful recovery efforts under the Endangered Species Act, numbers of foxes are way up and threats have been reduced." Read more in the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Feds Must Ban Synthetic Rhino Horn The Center and our allies at WildAid have petitioned the Obama administration to prohibit the sale and export of a kind of bioengineered rhinoceros horn now being developed. This fake horn is derived from genuine rhino horn and mimics its genetic structure, making it nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. Trade in the bioengineered faux horn will stymie enforcement efforts and accelerate consumer demand in Asia for genuine horn. Rhino horn is coveted by some in Vietnam and China as a status symbol and a panacea for maladies ranging from hangovers to cancer. There is no scientific evidence that rhino horn has medicinal value, but demand for it is the biggest threat to rhinos, as poaching rates have skyrocketed across southern Africa in recent years. "Rhinos are being poached to extinction for their horns," said the Center's International Director Sarah Uhlemann. "That has to stop before we lose them forever. U.S. law protects rhinos by prohibiting trade in their parts, and these 'synthetic' but biologically identical horns are no exception. We need to save rhinos by eliminating demand, not accelerating it." Read more in National Geographic. Wild & Weird: Florida What do you get when you combine 2 million alligators, 19 million humans and tens of thousands of sharks? Answer: the Sunshine State of mind. Florida is well known for its warm weather, beautiful beaches and propensity to foster ridiculous human-wildlife interactions. News stories have featured a woman arrested for riding a manatee, a man perishing during a cockroach-eating competition, and another man hospitalized after attempting to kiss a cottonmouth snake. Now large reptiles in fast-food joints can be added to the list. Recently authorities arrested a man in Florida accused of throwing a live alligator into a Wendy's drive-thru window. He faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; unlawful sale, possession or transportation of an alligator; and petty theft -- and he likely deserves to be charged with animal cruelty too. Fortunately, the 3.5-foot alligator exploited in the incident was later released into a nearby canal. Read more (and watch news coverage of the alligator incident) in The Washington Post; then check out this recent footage of another wild Florida situation -- more than 10,000 sharks vacationing in Palm Beach County. Kieran Suckling @KieranSuckling Executive Director View this message in your browser and share it on social media. Photo credits: Sand to Snow National Monument courtesy Flickr/BLM; Keep It in the Ground rally by Andres Sheikh, Center for Biological Diversity; red wolf courtesy Flickr/OnceAndFutureLaura; wolves by John Pitcher; ocean advocates at California Coastal Commission meeting by Steve Jones, Center for Biological Diversity; pangolin courtesy Flickr/David Brossard; Channel Islands fox courtesy Flickr/Jim Steelquist; brown bear (c) Robin Silver, Center for Biological Diversity; white rhino courtesy Flickr/Steve Garvey; Florida sign courtesy Wikimedia Commons/UoGkstennet. Donate now to support the Center's work. The Center for Biological Diversity sends out newsletters and action alerts through SalsaLabs.com. Click here if you'd like to check your profile and preferences. Let us know if you'd like to stop receiving action alerts and newsletters from us. Center for Biological Diversity P.O. Box 710 Tucson, AZ 85702-0710 A couple of days ago, I explained my surprise at the level of animosity displayed towards renewables by callers to Radio Scotland. Today I'm starting to wonder if this might be the first signs of a trend. Could we even have passed the high tide of greenery? I mean, when the politicians start coming round, it's hard not to think so. OK it's French politicians rather than UK ones, but this does look like a big, big U-turn: Insurer Discovery expects to unveil its lowest growth in earnings yet when it reports its results for the half-year to end December next week. Shares in the group fell more than 5% yesterday after the group said it expected to report normalised earnings growth of 5%-10% for the period, a steep deceleration from the previous comparable period's 20%. Aleksandar Radovanovic via 123RF It blamed the slowdown on investments in new initiatives, including a contract it clinched to administer and offer managed care services to the Bankmed medical scheme; its move into retail banking at a cost of at least R800m; and higher costs from its international partners. Moving its UK health insurer VitalityHealth (formerly PruHealth) onto its own platform had also taken a toll. It recently bought Prudential's 25% stake in the joint venture. A spokesman said Discovery was unable to comment as it was in a closed period until the release of its results. Below expectation "Discovery's trading update was below the sell-side analysts' expectations for normalised headline earnings per share growth of around 15%, as the trading update indicated growth of only 0%-5%," said PSG Wealth analyst Adrian Cloete. Cloete said Discovery was investing in Ping An, its Chinese health insurer. Discovery is in the process of entering the retail banking market, using the First National Bank-backed DiscoveryCard as a springboard. It started providing services to Bankmed - a scheme for financial services and medical professionals - last month. Bankmed CEO Teddy Mosomothane said Discovery was more efficient, "complemented by economies of scale and the benefits of an integrated and innovative approach", which led it to reconsider its prior contracts with five other managed care service providers. Bankmed's average monthly administration costs were R188 per member in 2014, and average managed care fees were R80.23 per member. During the same year, Discovery Health Medical Scheme paid Discovery R247.18 in monthly administration and R28.80 in managed care fees for each member. It is unclear whether Discovery lost money bringing down costs for Bankmed. "Discovery will reap the benefits of the investment into future opportunities it is making now," said Cloete. Source: Business Day When Alice Heusser and Olivia Kennaway met while studying at a Cape Town fashion design school in 2004, they had no idea their friendship would create a company making waves across the continent. Image credit: Manley CommunicationsSource: Olivia Kennaway and Alice Heusser of Lalesso at the One&Only resort in Cape Town. Their company designed the resorts luxury poolside cabanas. Lalesso, produces its swimwear in Cape Town and focuses on an ethical and transparent production process.Image credit: Manley CommunicationsSource: BDlive "I had been to visit Olivia at her home in Kenya and we brought back some beautiful kangas (traditional East African cloth) from a market in Lamu," Heusser says. "Friends started asking if we could make them our trademark Lalesso skirts. Thats how the business started." Setting up a business when young meant there were challenges and some hard lessons to learn. But Kennaway is grateful because it meant they could take risks out of "sheer naivety" that they cant get away with today. "Fashion is a multibillion-dollar industry and theres little room for mistakes," she says. "Showroom fees are considerable and its a big risk to take not knowing what sales one will make until after the marketing period is over." To operate in a competitive industry and stand out as a unique brand that is sellable is another challenge. What sets Lalesso apart is its focus on an ethical and transparent production process. "We and our customers know where the garments were made and by whom," Heusser says. "Everyone involved in our production chain is treated fairly and paid a good wage. We use fashion as a form of upliftment and sustainable development." Lalesso produces most of its garments in Maungu, a poor, remote rural part in Kenya. Kennaway remembers when the densely forested area was rich in wildlife. But with farming being a struggle, locals cut down trees for charcoal and poached animals for money or meat. "In the factory, Wildlife Works stepped in to not only provide sustainable jobs, but to educate and raise awareness about antipoaching and deforestation," Kennaway says. "The impact they are having on the greater community they reach a radius of up to 300km is incredible and inspiring. We also work with a local womens group in the area who do all the beadwork embellishment detail on the garments. These grassroots projects are so important and make an impact in Africa." With cheap imports putting the textile industry under pressure, tens of thousands of South African garment workers have been made redundant over the last 20 years. Lalesso now produces all its swimwear at a Cape Town factory that has the state-of-the-art machinery to provide the quality it needs. "There are thousands of clothing factories where workers are treated poorly, made to work in unsafe areas, and paid a pittance," Heusser says. "This is all to supply an ever-growing demand for this fast, disposable fashion culture that we have become accustomed to. "Not only is fast fashion often unethical, it is also damaging for the environment and is the second-biggest cause of pollution in the world. "Consumers need to start looking to where their clothing is coming from and start to change their spending habits to buying ethically, locally, and for longevity," she says. As part of its plan to diversify, Lalesso recently designed the luxury four-poster poolside cabanas at One&Only Cape Town, an urban resort at the V&A Waterfront. Heusser and Kennaway found inspiration in the romantic airy daybeds in Lamu and are thrilled with the "African Boho luxe" results of their work. "The Resort 2016 collection (an influence on the cabanas) was inspired by a combination of pastel palettes that complement one another," Heusser explains. "The collection was also largely inspired by Hadithi, a Kenyan beading group we worked with. Their traditional beading skills were utilised in a contemporary context." Next month, Lalesso will make its debut at Saks Fifth Avenue, an upmarket US department store. "The showroom said no to us three years in a row, maintaining that they loved the brand but felt we werent ready," Kennaway says. "Were glad they made us wait, as failing back then would have ruined todays chances. Today, were more confident in the brand than ever." That persistence and confidence are crucial is one of the lessons Heusser and Kennaway have learned on their business journey. "There will always be times when giving up seems like the best option, but a positive attitude and mindset can get you a long way," Kennaway says. The total amount of growth funding globally is $12 billion, but only $200 million is invested in tech start-ups in Africa, so the continent is still very small proportion of global market, says Emilian Popa, Principal, Digital Growth: Africa and Middle East. Having been an entrepreneur himself, and with his current involvement in e-commerce funding, Popa has the expertise to advise the delegates at the eCommerce Confex on seeking funding for their businesses. But he does warn that its not an easy ride. How long does it take to raise money? Raising venture capital takes around five to six months, but generally it takes much longer. Trying to secure investment is stressful and distracts the CEO and senior management from the actual running of the business. And its a never-ending cycle, as soon as youve closed one round of financing, you will probably have to move onto the next, he explains. A term sheet doesnt seal the deal Popa says that entrepreneurs should be cautious of what a term sheet actually is, as only one out of five end in a deal. As a term sheet is a non-binding agreement setting forth the basic terms and conditions under which an investment will be made, he explains that: Its only the first step and getting the actual cash in the bank takes a while. Its also important to do your research before setting the valuation of your company. How do you start fundraising? The first place to start is investing your own money in your business. Then approach family and friends, although they may not be your friends for very long once theyve parted with their money, Popa jokes. Why is it complicated being an investor? The main reason is that good companies are scarce, so making your business attractive to investors is important. Therefore you need to have a very clear vision of where you are going and what you are doing. Its also about scale. You need to be growing while controlling cash and costs. Also invest in people, not ideas, he explains. What else? Investors want the structure of company to be very clear in terms of profitability. And you must have a plan of how to overcome hurdles that can affect your costs, such as logistics, particularly on a continent as vast as Africa where goods may have to be transported over vast distances. Where e-commerce founders often fail Many businesses fail in securing investment because of their limited market penetration. Many founders dont have a clear market plan. Again, because of the distances involved in trading in Africa, they must decide whether to focus on one geography with multiple goods and services or multiple geographies with one product or service, he says. Popa points out that current investors can also be a liability and hinder the progress of the business. Besides financial due diligence, the reputation of the business and whether customers and competitors see them as reliable and honest is critical. Dont be mistaken, investors will test the business standing in the market, he says. Why do I need funds? The answer to this question should be customer acquisition and retention and increase customer value, Popa says. He sums up by saying that business owners should look for local investors, while, at the same time focusing on profitability, keeping costs low and seeking solutions to challenges such as logistics. The eCommerce Africa Confex is currently under way at the CTICC. FRANKFURT - Beiersdorf, the German maker of Nivea cream products, said Wednesday it expects to attain higher sales and earnings this year after a "successful" year in 2015. "In a difficult market environment ... Beiersdorf continued on its profitable growth path in 2015," said chief executive Stefan Heidenreich. "Beiersdorf was successful in 2015. "Once again, we were able to increase our sales and earnings. We gained market share in our relevant markets and further improved our competitiveness and efficiency," Heidenreich said. "This is a solid foundation for further economic success in 2016." In 2015, net profit jumped by 25 percent to 671 million euros ($748 million), Beiersdorf said. Underlying or operating profit grew by 20 percent to 962 million euros and sales were up 6.4 percent at 6.686 billion euros. In addition to Nivea, Beiersdorf also makes Tesa sticky tape and Hansaplast plasters. Looking ahead to the current year, Beiersdorf said it expects group sales to grow by three or four percent in 2016. Formative is a stage and production design agency that specialises in seamlessly run events and concerts. With the recent coup of the successful Fill Up the Dome concert with Cassper Nyovest under their belts, we thought it best to get in touch with founders Gareth Hadden and Grant Orchard to chat about what makes successful production and stage design. What was it like working on the Cassper Nyovest Fill Up the Dome concert? Gareth Hadden (GH): In a nutshell, it was great fun. Our team really came together and delivered its best. What contributed to that was the fact that Cassper and his team gave us free rein to produce the show; he let us play , which ultimately saw us doing a lot more than we would normally. Our true passion lies in producing music events although thats not to say we are not passionate about all manner of events and #FillUpTheDome was an opportunity we grabbed with both hands. Grant Orchard (GO): I was so proud of the fact that our team delivered a phenomenal event, from conceptualisation to execution in just under 30 days. Being able to have both teams Casspers and ours working together towards the same goal just made it so much easier and enjoyable. Cassper Nyovest Fill Up the Dome What have been some of the other noteworthy projects you have worked on? GH: I would have to say that AfricaCom and the corporate events we execute for Santam, as I feel they really push my personal abilities across all aspects of the business. AfricaCom traditionally holds three events all in the space of one week: an awards show, an exhibition and a VIP lounge. The sheer size of the overall event and all its deliverables really drives me to produce great work. The Santam shows rely on our technical and organisational abilities and skills being spot on. With a live event and 11 satellite venues around the country tuning in at the same time, means that we really need to have our proverbial ducks in a row. And Im very happy to report that our last show went ahead without a single glitch. GO: The Huisgenoot Kyknet SuperSkouspel Skouspeel in 2015 was definitely a noteworthy project for me. It was a mammoth show: from the production to the 20,000-strong audience it was just huge on every level. The show itself consisted of over 30 live performances so it took a lot of pre-planning and the pre-production of content. It is also viewed by millions and is the biggest Afrikaans show on the music calendar. Riveting stuff! Then Id also have to say that the New Years Eve event at the V&A Waterfront in 2013 was also one I enjoyed. We comfortably took the V&A Waterfront out of its comfort zone by building a massive stage out of scaffolding off one of the piers. Im very happy to say it was a huge success. Africom What is the process when it comes to conceptualising and creating a slick stage production? GO: There are many elements to one of our projects that we need to consider including stage design, lighting design, video design and then content design. We do a lot of research into the client as well as the theme for the event. For example, were currently working on the Metro FM Awards. For this event weve looked at the logo and general CI that has been designed for the event and have taken our visual cues from there. It really helps to conceptualise the space and the various elements of the project as a whole and most importantly it gives a sense of consistency across the image of the brand. Personally, I also do a lot of inspiration searching, looking through catalogues and my old sketch books that have piled up over the years. The actual process of designing starts the old-fashioned way: with pencil and paper. Once the basic idea is born it will then be translated into 3D in its simplest form to see if it actually works visually. Once we are happy with the basic concept in 3D we start to think about the finishes, materials and technology that will need to be incorporated into the design, such as video projection or LED display, any special lights we would like to use, etc. Once the staging concept is complete, with the correct technology specified, the design will be redrawn accurately in 3D Max so we can create photorealistic renders to present to client. Santam Broker Conference Hadden and Orchards key learnings: Be a partner of your client and not just a supplier Planning is imperative. Plan. Plan. Then plan some more Your work is only as good as your suppliers, so choose them wisely Be upfront with clients and manage their expectations from the start Accountability is the key to building strong relationships with both clients and suppliers What is the best and worst thing about doing what you do? GH: The best part of my job would definitely be that we get to work with some of the best people in the industry; from the suppliers to the clients. And Im proud that we are pushing the industry forward and building our brand as we do it. The worst would be the hours and the stress, but those come with the territory! GO: For me the best part of my job is seeing the finished product. You spend weeks and months creating and planning something. Then to see it live and in person: love it. Also watching peoples reactions to what we create. Thats priceless. The worst part would be the often restrictive budgets were presented with. In todays economic climate we can understand there have been massive cuts across most marketing budgets and we will always endeavour to deliver the best and on budget, but sometimes I wish there was just a little bit more in order to do that much more. Huisgenoot Kyknet SuperSkouspel Skouspeel How many people are there in your team and what are their roles? We are currently six strong at Formative: Gareth Hadden business director and founding partner Grant Orchard creative director and founding partner Justin Kemp 3D designer Thomas Peters technical project manager Skye Svornic motion graphics and VFX designer Natasha Warren-Stone - junior designer How old is Formative? What are your backgrounds? Formative was founded by Gareth Hadden and Grant Orchard in 2012. GH: I am responsible for the client liaison, business development, and project and production management at Formative. My hands-on approach and ability to manage the various stages of workflow at once has earned me a reputation as a first-call project leader, delivering on time and on budget. As a result, I have been flown across the world to steer projects for clients on a regular basis. Before starting Formative, I was a key business development and sales executive of Gearhouse South Africa. GO: I conceptualise, develop, design and specify the creative and technical detail of every project. I have worked alongside great show designers in senior technical engineering roles on major projects around the world, including concerts for international artists such as Linkin Park, Jay-Z, Kasabian and Elton John, major European music festivals such as Glastonbury, V-Festival, Isle of White and Rock Werchter, and television shows such X-Factor UK, Britains Got Talent, the BAFTAs, the MTV Awards and Eurovision Dance to name a few. I joined Gearhouse South Africas LEDVision division in 2009, there I took on the role of project and operations manager, I then moved across to Gearhouse itself as head of audiovisual in 2011. V&Waterfront NYE 2014 You (the directors) are both originally from the UK. What would you say other South African stage production companies could learn from their international counterparts and vice versa? GH: I would say that local production companies should look at what they want to do that is new and exciting rather than looking to what theyve executed well in the past. Always push your own boundaries. Very often at Formative we execute designs and set-ups that weve not done before, but we are constantly pushing and testing ourselves to do better than the last show or event we produced. GO: As an example, I watch Eurovision in awe every year. From a production point of view it is absolutely phenomenal. Its one of the biggest stage productions in the world. From a creative and design point of view, to the sheer scale of the event, and the technology and the amount of content produced for the show, to the actual show itself; it really is mind-blowing. We can only wish to one day be in a position to have the same technology available to us locally as our European and American counterparts, but until then my advice would be for local suppliers to start stocking up with more equipment that will help the production companies up their own games. Lormarins Queens Plate 2015 What are your thoughts on our local creative scene? GH: I think its awesome. South Africa seems to breed creativity. I look at my friends in the UK and they are all employed. In South Africa the majority of my friends are entrepreneurs and creatives; they found a way to make it work for themselves and in turn have created job opportunities for others. Its true that Africa is not for cissies. Whats even truer is that South Africans make a plan and you can see that permeating through all the creative industries across the country. GO: Our offices are based in the vibrant Woodstock Exchange where theres no shortage of creativity. Its electric. What Im looking for more and more in South Africa especially in our industry is for creatives to move away from cliched African themes and routines for productions. Its so important to look beyond our borders for inspiration and not get stuck in portraying our creativity in the same way over and over again. Think gumboot dancing at corporate functions and youll know what I mean Any exciting forthcoming projects you're working on? GH and GO: Were working on the Metro FM Awards, which are taking place on 27 February, 2016. Its one the biggest music events on the South African music calendar and were honoured to have secured this project. It also means that our production will be televised nationally. Grab the popcorn and a cola and enjoy! www.formative.co.za South Africa's economic prospects remain gloomy for the foreseeable future, with some including the International Monetary Fund predicting that the economy will barely avoid going into recession in 2017. The 2016 Invest in Africa Mining Indaba took place in this context, and naturally the question of survival in this tough economic climate was at the forefront. While the talk at the indaba looked at how to improve exploration and extraction techniques, how to make the machines more efficient, we firmly believe that people are the most important asset for a mining company. Improving engagement with workers should be front-and-centre of any miners strategy. As mineral resources minister Mosebenzi Zwane said in his speech, The manner in which workers are treated has a profound impact on productivity - an unhappy worker cannot be a productive worker. People must be treated with dignity and respect. Lack of engagement The evidence is that generally speaking, miners are not engaging their workers effectively. The seemingly never-ending series of strikes and lost productivity show that there is much work to be done. Multiple studies into workforce engagement, including the Human Capital Trends by Deloitte, have shown that a highly-engaged workforce is happier, more productive, and more likely to stay at the company. These workers are included in the functioning of the company, and feel that they have a stake in its future. The cornerstone of workforce engagement is communication. Our approach to bringing management and workers together in a miner is by closing the feedback loop. One-way communication will never make workers feel that they have any say in the company, and many communication systems are not set up with a worker-feedback component. Workers must be able to reach into their pockets and have a direct line to management, whatever their job. This is something that any information worker currently enjoys. (Can you contact your boss via email? Youre an information worker.) This includes traditionally non-information workers, and the large majority of mineworkers fall into this category. This is something we made possible through our digital workforce engagement tool, built in partnership with Wyzetalk to function on any mobile device. The tool also makes it possible to deliver some training and guidelines to workers in this innovative way. Listening to feedback This tool also allows the miner to demonstrate that it is taking worker feedback into account when formulating business strategy through a report-back system that shows every worker that their query or comment has been noted, and then responded to. Miners must also have a holistic view of their workers and their needs. A company that only communicates about work will seem distant and uncaring, causing negativity and unhappiness. Communicating about health and safety, work schedules and so forth isnt enough. The company must also demonstrate an interest in the well-being of its workers, and must be active in community development. More socially equitable environments will lead to better community stability and ensure that the workers can feel taken care of, and not exploited by their employers. Backed by a highly-engaged, happy workforce that works collaboratively, any mining company can look at the future with more confidence. They will be secure in the knowledge that their most prized asset, the workforce, is pulling in one direction with them. Dr Anthonie Cilliers of North West University's School of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering says president Jacob Zuma's remarks during last week's State of the Nation Address on the country's nuclear future might seem contradictory, but this is not the case. President Zuma said South Africas nuclear build programme would roll out at a pace the country can afford and that the plan was to introduce 9,600MW of nuclear energy in the next decade. Dr Cilliers says the government has been conducting a number of studies on the affordability of the new build nuclear programme. It is, however, important to assure this to the public. "In the past year a perception has been left in the media that the nuclear programme will go ahead without any knowledge of the cost and responsibilities that come with it. I hope the presidents comments will help to change this perception. He says South Africans should not be worried. Contrary to popular sentiment the process of 9,600MW of nuclear procurement has been extremely open and transparent. The vendor parades were well documented within the confidentiality constraints of a competitive bidding process." Commitment to affordability "Government has cancelled an unaffordable tender process in 2009 indicating the commitment to affordability. I want to emphasise what the president said. We remain committed to the 9,600MW of nuclear new build, but we will do it at a scale and pace the country can afford - that is what we should so. Contrary to what people think and believe, nuclear power provides by far the safest option, states Professor Johan Slabber, professor in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Pretoria. It also compares virtually on a one to one basis with coal when it comes to the costing. Although the capital cost is somewhat higher to start with, its running cost is much lower. Prof Slabber says the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station has been running smoothly now for more than 30 years. Its load factor is 90% plus, compared to coal fired stations which run at 75%. It is the 'cash cow' at the moment for Eskom. So, with this as a clear example of a reliable and safe technology, why hesitate any longer? I believe very strongly that nuclear energy has the potential to transform our countrys economy as it has done for South Korea - catapulting it from the second poorest country in the world to an industrial and economic power house, Dr Cilliers says. Focus on two aspects To support that I believe I should focus on two things: building the right skills required, and ensuring that we understand exactly the magnitude of the challenge we are taking on. To address the first one we have initiated the South African Network for Nuclear Education, Science and Technology (SAN-NEST). To address the second one, I have initiated a project to build a small zero power reactor suitable for nuclear training at the NWU. The Russian nuclear energy firm Rosatom is seen as a favourite to win the bid for a second nuclear reactor in South Africa. We are ready to cooperate with local companies to revitalise the entire nuclear industry in South Africa, to develop a full-scale nuclear cluster of world class standards, from the front-end of nuclear fuel cycle up to the engineering and manufacturing of complex power equipment and in doing so, create reliable partners that can assist us in achieving our ambitions further up in Africa. South Africa has the infrastructure, technical capabilities and legislation in place for this to become a reality now," says Viktor Polikarpov, regional vice-president of sub-Saharan Africa for Rosatom. Dr Cilliers, Prof Slabber and Rosatom are some of the nuclear experts who will be part of the discussions at the upcoming Nuclear Power Africa on 19 May in Cape Town. President Jacob Zuma's State of the Nation Address (SoNA) gave little indication of how it plans to afford 9,600MW of new nuclear power capacity in the next decade. He hinted that nuclear would only be rolled out on a scale and pace that South Africa can afford, but who determines that affordability? Nuclear is an expensive energy resource compared to coal, which South Africa has an abundance of, and even solar PV and onshore wind are cheaper per kWh than nuclear at current market prices. Internationally, nuclear build programmes cost as much as $7,000/KW which - considering our current exchange rate environment - is extremely costly. There is no doubt that South Africa needs a diversified energy mix and needs to look beyond coal to satisfy its signature of the Kyoto Protocol, but what should that energy mix look like? The Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) was penned in 2010 and is a roadmap for South Africas energy future. It dictates what the desired energy mix will be in the year 2030. It was intended to be updated every two years and following an update in 2013, we are still waiting on the next. Intended Energy Mix According to the IRP 2010 - 2030 Source: Department of Energy 2011 The IRP held various assumptions such as 6% annual economic growth and viewed megaprojects, such as the Kusile and Medupi coal-fired power stations, coming online in time and on budget. We now know that those were both rather optimistic views with neither of them ringing true anymore. Scenario planning is sometimes at best a shot in the dark and when it comes to the IRP its a similar situation. The document was intended to be a living one that was updated to incorporate current trends, economic indicators and the exchange rate but if that isnt happening, how much of the IRP should we believe and is the proposed mix a realistic view of what South Africa should be generating in 2030? Nuclear is a feasible energy source in terms of resource availability and South Africa has a 5.5% share of global proven uranium sources according to the most recent update. However, nuclear power generation has declined from a peak of 17.8% of global commercial electricity generation in 1996 to just above 10% in 2014 according to the World Nuclear Report 2015. So why is South Africa so focused on it as a major source of power generation? Critics speculate The answer isnt clear from government and over the festive season break a government gazette stated that the process for procurement of nuclear power has begun with countries such as China, Russia, France, South Korea, Japan and Canada all vying for the lucrative contract. That leaves critics to speculate what the driving forces for nuclear are in South Africa. The Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP) has been a shining light for the South African economy and has racked up more than R194bn in investment to date. It has procured more than 6,000MW of clean, carbon-free energy, of which 1,500MW is operational. Programmes like this have been run as competitive tenders that help the country procure power at competitive rates instead of smoke and mirror type bidding rounds where the most connected companies win the bid. It is time to rethink the monopoly state utility model of power generation where a single organisation decides what, who and how our energy is produced. Access to books is paramount for children to have any chance at improving their literacy, thereby furthering their education. Ahmed Motala (New Africa), Mrs S Singh (Deputy Principal), Dr S Bhoora (Principal), Mr A.N.S. Ndlovu (DOE), Dr Mahmoud Y Baker (Iqraa Trust) and Miss M.V. Magubane (DOE), Miss A Jairam (Educator), Mrs A Pillay (Educator) seen with excited learners of Umkomaas Drift Primary school. This is something that the Iqraa Trust - which was established in 1994 by Albaraka Bank - understands wholeheartedly. The scope of the trusts activities covers the fields of education, health, welfare and social development. In emergencies the trust has also provided assistance for disaster relief. The three primary schools that were chosen with the assistance of the Umlazi District of the Department of Education KwaZulu-Natal were Umkomaas Drift Primary, Naidooville Primary and Kingsburgh Primary. Despite the enormous efforts of the educators and staff at the three schools, the learners lack of library facilities has proved a huge impediment in improving the childrens literacy rates. Key partner Iqraa Trust approached New Africa Education Foundation, an NPO and key partner of the Department of Basic Education, to oversee the project on their behalf. The NPO recently completed several mobile library projects for 20 schools in Kwa Mashu, ten in Pietermaritzburg and now in Umlazi and this was considered a viable option for the three primary schools. Under the management of Dr Mahmoud Youssef Baker, chairman of Iqraa Trust, an amount of R100,000 was provided to fund this project. A good education is founded on the premise that the environment be conducive to learning and teaching. "Learners should have access to decent infrastructure, facilities and resources necessary for learning. Sadly, in South Africa the legacy of our past does not always render this basic fundamental a reality. All too often we find that our country's schools - especially those serving the historically disadvantaged or today's lower income groups - do not measure up," Dr Baker explained. Necessary tools "Many fall short in terms of both infrastructure and the provision of the tools necessary to give effect to efficient teaching and effective learning and we hope that our contribution is a small step to making an improvement," said Dr Baker. The project was officially launched at the schools on 11 February 2016, and it is Dr Bakers fervent hope that learners read to learn, read for enjoyment and enrichment and that this is just the start of a small step towards combating illiteracy in South Africa. According to Louis Taylor, director of partnerships in education, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) is highly appreciative of the contributions made by business in order to improve quality education in less privileged communities. The DBE welcomes this initiative by Iqraa Trust and will ensure that this contribution of learning resources will be optimised by the schools." Farms need immediate action to cut the red tape and streamline the process of applying for water licensing. This was revealed in a presentation to a joint Standing Committee on Environmental Affairs and Development Planning and Economic Opportunities, Tourism and Agriculture in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament. Phillip Minnis via 123RF We call for a water symposium, where all key stakeholders, together with Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, the Western Cape Department of Agriculture and the National Department of Water and Sanitation can find a common ground on how to solve the bottlenecks in drought alleviation. The Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning proposes that the environmental impact assessment process and the application for water licenses should run concurrently, this will do much to streamline the lengthy application process. We have also asked for a report from the Department of Water and Sanitation on the outstanding water allocations, the agricultural sector needs quick answers. Water licenses key in battle against drought The livelihoods of agri-workers and farmers are on the line. The sustainability of farms in the long term may be at risk if the government doesnt adequately assist in alleviating the damage caused by the drought. Many seasonal farm workers will now face a double blow, firstly by losing income and secondly an expected increase in food prices. The wheat industry has been the most severely affected and will continue to negatively impact wheat supply to the Southern African region. To battle the drought, many farms have applied for water licenses and for the building of dams. It came to light in the committee that there is a lack of knowledge amongst farmers of the requirements for receiving approval of dams and water licenses. This is in addition to an existing backlog, and lack of cooperation between different entities. This drought has highlighted the scarcity of water, and its importance for our farmworkers, farms and food security. The government must do everything in its power to assist farmers so that we can continue to have a sustainable agricultural sector in South Africa. New sectors like ship repairs and yacht building are just some of the possibilities being explored to enhance the blue economy in Nelson Mandela Bay and other South African ports in the near future. cegoh via pixabay Officials from the Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA) spent the last two days in meetings with the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), discussing ways of utilising ports to not only improve the South African economy but also enhance economic growth across the African continent. Existing marine sectors, like transport, manufacturing, protection and governance, aquaculture and offshore oil and gas, could also be expanded to further enhance income from South African ports. "We are looking to raise the benchmark of all ports, to stimulate economic growth and benefit our country," TNPA chief executive Richard Vallihu said yesterday, speaking in his capacity as a PMAESA board member. "This means using the capabilities we have to the best of our abilities to enhance the ports." Improving African ports Established more than 40 years ago, PMAESA consists of 25 member countries as well as island nations like Seychelles, Mauritius and Reunion. Its aim is to facilitate information-sharing and improving systems at African ports with a view to economic growth. "We aim to provide all our members with opportunities to exchange ideas, and to create better relations between all our partners and stakeholders," PMAESA chairman Bisey Uirab said. "Through this we assist our members to advance their systems and services, and help them to implement international standards." Blue economy critical to growth in Africa Uirab, also chief executive of the Namibian Ports Authority, said investment in ports extended beyond harbours, and rail and road infrastructure formed part of the investments required to enhance port effectiveness. "With more than 90% of the world's freight being carried across the ocean, the blue economy is critical to growth in Africa," Uirab said. "Africa is one the world's largest exporters of raw materials, meaning we need to improve relations with road and rail responsible for bringing freight to the ports." Emphasising what Uirab said, PMAESA secretary-general Nozipho Mdawe said huge improvements could be expected to rail systems throughout Africa in the next 12 to 24 months, enhancing product delivery and turnaround time for ships in ports, and improving the overall "value chain" of imports and exports. Besides discussing the implementation of various economic strategies, Vallihu mentioned the need for the public to understand how the ports worked and for improved accessibility to promote further understanding among the communities the ports serve. Source: Herald Vigilante justice, while applicable in comics and films, becomes a problem when it materialises online in the form of 'hacktivism'. Hacktivism is the subversive use of technology to promote a political or social agenda. Whilst there are those who view hacktivists as cyberterrorists, many hacktivist attacks are actually employed merely to voice civil protest, to promote freedom of information or to undermine terrorist groups' online operations. One hacktivist group, which has recently garnered attention, is Anonymous. In a video that has been circulating on social media, a masked speaker warns the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to be prepared for a massive retaliation in the wake of the terrorist attacks committed by ISIS in Paris in November 2015. Since the video surfaced, there are reports that Anonymous, along with other hacktivist entities, has been successful in disrupting ISIS' presence on internet platforms, thereby inhibiting its ability to disseminate extremist propaganda and to implement its recruitment drives. There is an old proverb that states, An Englishman's home is his castle, with the inference being that citizens should be entitled to protect their countries as they please, particularly if the government agencies tasked with this duty, have failed to do so. For this reason, hacktivist attacks against ISIS have been widely lauded by the public. In a time when governments' anti-terrorism measures seem to be failing, a vigilante group such as Anonymous is being glorified and extoled in the same manner as its fictional counterparts. Hacktivist groups in particular are often amorphous beings, whose loose and decentralised systems of command can often lead to drastic shifts in motives and behaviours. Anonymous is currently focusing its attention on ISIS, but in previous years, there have been accusations of tendencies by its members to engage in recreational hacking as opposed to political activism. Legal systems exclude vigilantes However, unlike in the movies, these hacktivist groups do not always get to ride out into the sunset, branded as heroes. Legal systems around the world do not allow for vigilante justice. It is generally accepted that vigilantes are acting outside of the purview of the law. There is a fine line between true vigilantism and anarchism, and it appears to be too onerous for the law to try to govern that line. This is particularly relevant in the South African context, where a vigilante group known as People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (PAGAD) was formed in 1996 as a response to the prevalence of drugs and gangsterism in the Cape Flats area of Cape Town. Many applauded PAGAD, like Anonymous, for its efforts but eventually it was accused of facilitating murder and terrorism and its leader, Abdus Salaam Ebrahim, was convicted of public violence and imprisoned for seven years. Ultimately, it is apparent that authorities around the world are struggling with how best to deal with cybercrimes and cybersecurity and the complexities that result therefrom - and South Africa is no exception. With the recent publication of the Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Bill (the Bill), our legislators have made the first step in attempting to regulate this world. It is clear that effective cybersecurity legislation is necessary, as South Africa currently has no co-ordinated legal framework and cybersecurity is regulated through a hybrid mix of legislation and the common law. Cyber Bill The Bill's stated aims include the promotion of cybersecurity, the regulation of aspects of international cooperation in respect of the investigation of cybercrime, provision for the establishment of various structures to deal with cybersecurity and the imposition of obligations on electronic communication service providers regarding aspects, which may impact on cybersecurity. However, the Bill, like its American counterpart, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA), has been criticised for being overbroad and for failing to consider constitutional freedoms. Jane Duncan, a Professor of Journalism at the University of Johannesburg has expressed concerns that the definition of cyberterrorism may be too broad and doesn't exclude acts committed in the context of legitimate struggles for national self-determination or national liberation. The Bill, like other legislation, also does not make any distinction between cybercrime and vigilantism and hackers are tarred with the same brush, irrespective of their motives. You will likely agree that this is the correct approach. In Hollywood, the superhero's good guy credentials are never tarnished but life doesn't always imitate art and, in the real world, vigilantism and hacktivism such as that practiced by PAGAD and Anonymous is a more complex, moral grey area. Society simply cannot legislate for it. The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (Department) invited the public to comment on the Bill by 30 November 2015 and it will be interesting to note whether any of the concerns that have been raised thus far are suitably addressed. It is hoped that the Department can strike the right balance between the promotion of the constitutional rights to privacy and free speech and the need to mitigate appropriately against cybersecurity threats and to implement innovative infiltration techniques - an achievement which has, thus far, eluded most legislators around the world. In the meantime, there is no doubt that hacktivist groups such as Anonymous will continue to mete out their own personal versions of vigilante justice, largely unabated and without consequence. As a famous web shooting, costumed crime-fighter once said, With great power comes great responsibility. One can only hope that hacktivists around the world aspire to this creed. A new code-share agreement between Qatar Airways and Comair, a franchise of British Airways, will add three new African destinations to the Qatar Airways route map and will also provide additional flight options to Cape Town and Durban travellers. Effective 23 February 2016, Qatar Airways will place its code on flights that have British Airways livery, operated by its franchise Comair, from Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban, Harare, Victoria Falls, and Port Elizabeth. Qatar Airways will also place its code on flights operated by Comair from Cape Town to Durban and Port Elizabeth. Comair has hub operations in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, South Africa, easily connecting on to Qatar Airways-operated flights to Doha and beyond to more than 150 destinations. Africa is on the move Qatar Airways group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: Africa is on the move, and travellers deserve better itineraries for their travel needs. Expanding our network with Comair was a natural progression of our investment in Africa and our desire to make it easier to visit this exciting part of the world, and for the families, businesses and organisations based here to connect globally. With this agreement, more than 150 destinations in the Qatar Airways network now connect easily to these business, adventure travel and cultural capitals. Erik Venter, Comairs chief executive officer, said: We are delighted to be adding Qatar Airways to our growing list of strategic airline partnerships and we are excited about exploring additional opportunities to expand the relationship. This, in addition to our acquisition of a new Boeing 737-800, is testament to our confidence in the regional leisure and business tourism sector. We look forward to welcoming Qatar Airways customers on board our flights. This partnership complements the recent expansion of Qatar Airways operations into South Africa. In December, Qatar Airways started four-times-weekly service to Durban and increased service from 10 weekly flights to Johannesburg to 14. Qatar Airways offers non-stop flights to Doha, where travellers connect easily and comfortably to destinations across six continents from the airlines hub at Hamad International Airport. You haven't been feeling well this week. You make an appointment with your doctor, who's actually a computer that assesses you and writes a prescription for flu medication. You take the prescription to your pharmacist, also a computer that quickly dispenses the drugs. The whole process takes 20 minutes and soon you're recovering in bed. The World Economic Forum (WEF) expects the Internet of Things (IoT) to eliminate more than 50 million jobs in the next five years as technology automates more day-to-day tasks. Theyre calling it the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is characterised by a fusion of technology that blurs the line between the physical and digital spheres. While automation makes life easier in many areas - like not having to wait an hour to see your doctor - it also presents a number of risks. Privacy is becoming a luxury for consumers. We use more and more gadgets to monitor our fitness levels, automate our homes, and replace everything from cash to ID cards. More data is being collected about us than ever before. Servers in the cloud know who we are, who we communicate with and are familiar with our habits. But we dont know who is accessing this information or what theyre doing with it. Entirely new systems When it comes to business, every industry will be affected. The IoT will give rise to entirely new systems of production, management and customer service. Competition will increase; new revenue streams will open up as others slam shut. To survive, businesses will offer more services through convenient web applications, which, if not secured properly, could provide an access point into the infrastructure for cyber criminals. These unsecured networks and this unprotected data can be used for nefarious purposes. Take the computerised pharmacist as an example. The pharmacy recently activated an application on its website that allows patients to order their medication online. However, the application was not properly secured, allowing a hacker to gain access to the network and compromise all prescriptions. Rather than dispensing paracetamol, the pharmacist gives you penicillin, to which youre allergic. By automating more processes, were placing our trust in devices and software to do the right thing. This makes security a critical element of the IoT. In a recent analysis by McKinsey, it was found that current technology could automate up to 95% of the work of doctors, nurses, paramedics, anaesthetists, aerospace engineers and hundreds of others. Imagine the catastrophic outcomes if any of these systems were to be hacked. Security conscious Were all responsible for security. South Africans are generally security conscious. We install burglar bars and alarm systems to protect our houses; we lock our cars after we park them. Yet, when it comes to our smartphones - arguably the most critical gadgets we own considering the amount of personal information stored on them - security is an afterthought. We dont think twice about granting applications access to personal information, even if it doesnt make sense for them to do so - why does a photo-editing app need access to our microphone, for example. Often our devices do not have security software installed and we dont protect the devices with passwords. This is one reason why businesses should ensure that any device added to the network has security inherently built in. As we move further into the Fourth Industrial Revolution, businesses need to protect web applications as the first point of entry into the infrastructure. To do this, they need complete visibility into the network - they need to ensure that whoever is trying to come into the network is allowed to come in, that they are who they say they are, and that theyre doing what theyre supposed to be doing. Top ten vulnerabilities Currently, many businesses dont know what normal looks like when it comes to security because they have not established security baselines. A good place to start is with the OWAST top ten web vulnerabilities. At the very least, businesses should be protecting themselves against these but this is not happening as some of these vulnerabilities have been on the list for years. Achieving IoT security does not require network overhaul. Its likely that businesses already have infrastructure in place to support IoT security; they just need to consolidate their resources and possibly add another tool, such as SSL. An application security expert can assess your network and help you achieve a security baseline. The Fourth Industrial Revolution will drastically change how we live and work. This change will happen suddenly and possibly without warning. Dont be caught off-guard. Start treating your devices, networks and digital identity as you would your physical security - we might not be able to tell the difference soon. The board of state-owned airline South African Express, which recently got a multimillion-rand bailout, has given management the go-ahead to approach the government for funding options for the acquisition of new aircraft to replace its ageing fleet. The authorisation was given at a board meeting on Monday. The move comes in the wake of sister airline South African Airways' bid to renegotiate the terms of its aircraft lease from Airbus, which got the national carrier into a tussle with the Treasury. CEO Inati Ntshanga said South African Express, a domestic and regional carrier, wanted to replace its entire fleet of more than 20 aircraft over the next 10 years, with half of these replaced over the next few years. However, the undercapitalised airline has a weak balance sheet characterised by high levels of debt and cannot afford the replacements while the fiscus also does not have any cash to spare. The airline received a five-year R567m state guarantee in March last year, bringing its total government guarantee to R1bn. The need for a new fleet In a briefing to Parliament's portfolio committee on public enterprises yesterday, Ntshanga said the aged fleet - some of the aircraft are 18 years old - increased the ground time required for maintenance, as well as maintenance costs, thereby affecting the airline's on-time performance and reliability. Delays heightened negative perceptions and frustrations among customers. Ntshanga said the airline wanted to have a fleet of only one type of aircraft as this was more efficient to operate. Airline performance and austerity measures He gave an update of the airline's performance in 2015-16, when it made a R132m loss on turnover of R2.6bn. He also briefed the committee on the austerity measures that had been implemented to contain costs. Over the last three years to end March 2015, the company had saved R512m, which enabled it to post an operating profit of R15m. In 2014-15, a 57% saving was achieved in catering, 42% by ground and passenger handling and 39% in fuel costs, bringing the total for the year to R235m. No retrenchments were planned though staff numbers had been reduced by attrition. "It is expected that the austerity measures will continue to positively impact on the company's profitability and are ensuring that the airline is financially sustainable," Ntshanga said. For the first six months of the current financial year, total savings exceeded 26% over the previous period and by end-November profit stood at R25m. Pressure on profits South African Express operates 24 routes domestically and in sub-Saharan Africa. As with other airlines, it has been challenged by increased competition, rising operating costs, reduced passenger demand and lower profits. The depreciation of the rand had also put pressure on profits. As at the end of the 2014-15 financial year, South African Express had total assets of R1.7bn, while its total liabilities sat at R1.64bn. Source: Business Day The annual Design Indaba Festival , which annually attracts thousands of delegates from around the world, celebrated its milestone 21st anniversary when it opened on 17 February 2016, at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town. The globally acclaimed line-up of speakers are handpicked annually by Design Indaba founder, Ravi Naidoo, to present their case studies to a devoted audience. Howfarfromhome.com Anyone who needs to see better ways of achieving outcomes, from policy-makers, civic planners, communities and artisans, will benefit from the inspiration on Design Indabas platforms. Many of the speakers focus on urban environments that have politically and historically grown up around us and which may no longer be coping or conducive to the challenges and opportunities of the contemporary citizen. Howfarfromhome.com It has become a tradition to give homegrown South African speakers opening slot of the three-day conference. Inspired by a presentation from a former Design Indaba luminary, Stefan Sagmeister, the story told by @ChanelCartell and @stevodirn of how they quit their comfy jobs in their Johannesburg advertising agencies to embark on a year-long travelogue, reveals many of the principles that makes design thinkers so valuable an asset: Get out of comfort zones : In their case exchanging a set lifestyle of working, going to gym, coming home, making dinner, shopping, etc., with a once-in-a-lifetime experience : In their case exchanging a set lifestyle of working, going to gym, coming home, making dinner, shopping, etc., with a once-in-a-lifetime experience Systematic planning : Finding solutions to fund and plan the bucket-list holiday via volunteer work and other means for example working with husky dogs in the Arctic Circle : Finding solutions to fund and plan the bucket-list holiday via volunteer work and other means for example working with husky dogs in the Arctic Circle Discipline and resourcefulness : Using their craft to produce saleable artworks, photography and video footage and keeping on working every day : Using their craft to produce saleable artworks, photography and video footage and keeping on working every day Technological know-how : Using Google maps to ensure every photo taken features a chalk board stating how far, in kilometres, they were from home, which informs the name of their Instagram feed and travel blog : Using Google maps to ensure every photo taken features a chalk board stating how far, in kilometres, they were from home, which informs the name of their Instagram feed and travel blog Communications skills : Using digital media to garner 115,000 social media followers on and extensive coverage via the internet and in other media : Using digital media to garner 115,000 social media followers on and extensive coverage via the internet and in other media Visual data: The creation of charming animated infographics cataloguing various nationalities, types of accommodation and modes of transport they experienced on their journey. The above skillsets and qualities give an insight into the designer's mind that makes them an asset in business, change management and other sectors. What it means to inhabit a city - Paloma Strelitz and James Binning, Assemble Architects Paloma Strelitz and James Binning from UK-based Assemble, demonstrate problem-solving skills by playing with the concepts of what it means to inhabit a city. They specialise in involving communities in the sourcing and making of civic projects and it is this approach that has won them a coveted Turner Prize for their work on the historic terrace house of Granby in Liverpool. They describe the area as having been subjected to curated dereliction and the award-worthy project sees communities involved, not only in refurbishing and bringing life back to neighbourhood streets, but also generating new livelihoods via the production of community-made mantlepieces, door handles and objects from polished crushed-stone rubble, ensuring new sustainability and revenue streams for communities that may have been all but written off. Proud citizen of the Republic of Johannesburg Thomas Chapman The work of repurposing public spaces to the benefit of their inhabitants, is being taken seriously by Thomas Chapman (@ThomasChapmanSA), founder of the award-winning Johannesburg-based Local Studio. Chapman contextualises his work within Johannesburgs architectural and cultural heritage, explaining how things like the New York-style approach to high-rise buildings, forced removals, the 1970s economic downturn and the relocation of an entire CBD to Sandton has impacted its citizens. The work of this studio of 10 people, sees the repurposing of a Dance Studio as a multi-purpose space in Hillbrow, to become a destination for international dance groups such as Alvin Ailey, the Cuba Ballet and others; the cost-effective benchmark Africa School for Excellence in Tsakane and new pedestrian corridors, go some way to desegregating old built environments. Especially poignant is the project of getting authorities to agree to the widening of the traffic bridge over the Westdene Dam to accommodate a five-metre-wide pedestrian promenade and cycle lane, with Chapman needing to point out to the international delegates, that while they may take this for granted in their cities for centuries, this has historically not been a consideration in ours. Im not a designer, Im actually a design Hugh Masekela It was revealed that Local Studios Trevor Huddleston Community Centre, honouring former Sophiatown residents, has kindly been fast-tracked by intervention from Ravi Naidoo and Design Indaba core sponsor, Nedbank. Telling the story of little known, but much revered Anti-Apartheid activist, Archbishop Trevor Huddleston, who is credited with buying 14-year-old Hugh Masekela his first trumpet, Masekela himself was revealed to be waiting in the Artscape wings to surprise the ecstatic Indaba audience with a live performance. Its like Uber for social services In the same way as new model businesses such as Uber has no cars and AirBnB owns no fixed properties, UKs Participle Relational Welfare model has succeeded in expanding British Welfare services despite budget cutbacks, by facilitating the creation of expanded social networks and communities or likeminded people to pool resources such as lifts, outings, skillsets and support and in so doing getting on top of issues such as healthcare, ageing and employability. Informality is the new normality - Alfredo Brillembourg Back on Indaba stage after a period of some years, the genius civic engineer, Alfredo Brillembourg returns to present how he has applied his theories closer to home Masiphumelele fire disaster and the pilot phase of a cluster of 68 houses in BT-Section, Khayelitsha. Brillembourg identifies that at the rate of global urbanisation, the only way to go is up, researching solutions for the optimum density of cities describing how in the great cities of Europe or our own Bo-Kaap, row houses grew up in multi-layers, with gaps being filled in over time and how the fact that a city like London is not even gridded and made up of little villages is what makes it so dynamic. One of the main principles of Brillembourgs South American projects, shown at his last Indaba visit, was that of the creation of frameworks of building which allow completion over time by individuals and communities within the informal sector. It is overwhelming to see these principles successfully applied in our own city via the two-story Empower Shack and spatial planning or reblocking processes take shape. Add to this new micro-financing models, solar roofs with potential to sell back power to the grid and other variable and sustainable funding, and the possibility for people to become powered and empowered becomes a reality. Theyre not frantically tweeting updates, checking their emails and whispering urgently into their phones. Instead they're sitting comfortably with an approving laugh at the ready, their hands poised to clap and their feet just itching to bounce up and give a standing ovation. And clap and cheer they do. Last year I noted this was the most enthusiastic business crowd I've ever been part of. This year's Design Indaba may well top that. Another full house on day 2 #DI2016 pic.twitter.com/mIZpsoY6jv Play Energy Drink (@PlayEnergyDrink) February 18, 2016 That doesnt make it easy to write about, especially when each speaker has been specially selected to give you the feels. Theres just so much content crammed in an average of 12 sessions per day, some just 10 minutes long, others lasting almost an hour, with just under 40 in total over the three-day creative extravaganza its no wonder it's a little overwhelming thinking back, even over just one day of attendance. So what are the talks that really resonate and stay top of mind? As one of the second days speakers, Miriam van der Lubbe advises: Always look for the bigger picture, the idea that pushes the envelope, opens the eyes and contributes to open debate and lasting innovation. MC Michael Bierut adds that its all about what design thinking can do to change the world, in a whirlwind of studies and examples that all prove it really is about simple ways of redesigning existing concepts to create a new way of seeing the world. All it takes is a little spark of creativity. The solutions we need are all around us, clarified co-MC Kojo Baffoe. Eye-openers and envelope-pushers In this light, we heard from Clara Mar Hernandez Lopez of the Rhodes Island School of Design on how to redesign functional buildings into something beautiful, and Kazuya Kawasaki of Keio Universitys SFC Design X on the fascinating implications of bio activism and fashion some enthusiasts go so far as to build their own 'home breweries'. Basia Dzaman waxed lyrical on the oh-so-science-fiction-sounding yet excessively simple idea of robotically programmed stitching, while homegrown Francois Knoetze from UCTs Michaelis School of Fine Art, UCT presented a fascinating overview of Planet Mongo, with unsettling realities based on how we mismanage our planet. One of <> href="https://twitter.com/FrancoisKnoetze">@FrancoisKnoetze's monsters paid #DI2016 delegates a visit... pic.twitter.com/VhrWgR76rL House and Leisure (@houseleisureSA) February 18, 2016 One of the mornings highlights for me was the utterly engaging style of Haitham and Mohamed el-Seht, the twins of Twins Cartoon in Egypt, who explained we've been telling stories since humans made use of ancient hieroglyphs and how cartooning is all about seeing art as the science of beauty and storytelling. Next, still from the continent, Safia Qureshi and Maxwell Mutanda of Studio [D] Tale encouraged attendees to break the echo chamber that dream where your voice just isnt being heard. They gave examples of how they get their voice out there and expressively tell stories through the films they make, interior spaces they design and drawing they reimagine as a form of design activism. Old school design still has a place The next set of speakers were from further afield yet seemed to have taken this advice, with almost-80-year-old Margaret Calvert retelling her extended childhood then and now youll find her with coloured pencils at hand, trying to recolour basic thinking. The audience was enthralled with her examples of typography, signage and design of the UK's modern day road signs. Even former Top Gear presenter James May has had a go at her about some of them, as seen in the video embedded below: Calvert left us with the message that while technology is important, we shouldn't forget the impact of a handwritten note or a coloured-in postcard and what it means to someone when they can tell youve taken the time to do more than hastily type out an oft-repeated phrase and clicked 'send'. That resulted in a standing ovation for Calvert. Same same, but different Frederico Gelli from Tatil spoke of how much hard work it takes to reach maximum simplicity, while Elena Arzak of three-Michelin starred Arzak Restaurant spoke of the importance of celebrating culture in design, especially when it comes with a generations-long legacy. She added we should always keep our minds open as inspiration is all around us and can be overwhelming everything is in a constant state of flux and its time to rethink everything from complex gastronomy to simple food preparation. At #DI2016, renowned chef Elena Arzak says it's time to re-think. "The plate is our pre-text for telling stories." pic.twitter.com/O9Sa39ZrPc ARTS THREAD (@ARTSTHREAD) February 18, 2016 Fittingly, lunch followed. We then heard from Miriam van der Lubbe of Van Eijk & Van der Lubbe. She spoke of the need for laser sharp focus on the future of design, especially in this time littered with images that are both deceptive and be forgeries, like the laughingly common practice of physically painting stripes onto donkeys so they look like zebra. At the end of the day design is based on public urgency, while an artist has a private sense of urgency and the design is often more about the logistics of the process than the active outcome. Sou Fujimoto added the sentiment that beauty is found in the small details of human behaviour, evident in his large and small scale work hes created sculptures for ant-size human beings using found objects like potato chips and staples, and created grand-scale designs that incorporate nature into the city. Consider different possibilities of the same concept, says Fujimoto, and you just might find your inspiration. If you attended Design Indaba, chances are your cup of inspiration is overflowing. Share your personal highlights with us in the comment section below. Head of Marketing for Gumtree South Africa, Claire Cobbledick, is used to working in the cutthroat, high-stakes sector of online classifieds. This year, she applies her keen eye for a winning digital campaign to the 2016 IAB Bookmarks Awards as one of the judges. Claire started her marketing career as a brand manager for Red Bull before joining The Jupiter Drawing Room. After becoming MD, a position she held for five years, she joined South Africa's largest online classifieds site as their head of marketing. Claire Cobbledick Her experience in both sides of online marketing allows her to judge the success of a Bookmark entry both an agency and brand perspective something that is critical in driving integrated campaigns across the digital industry in South Africa. I love challenging thinking and ideas. Digital awards like The Bookmarks play a central role in motivating the industry both through recognition and functioning as a yardstick for digital excellence. These entries represent the unexplored frontier for trend-setting marketing ideas, says Claire. While online classifieds is not stricly e-commerce, Gumtrees entire revenue comes from users who believe in the power of digital marketing. Companies like Gumtree thrive if the digital ecosystem is thriving. Collaborative organisations like the IAB SA ensure that the digital ecosystem is constantly evolving and innovating. Online classifieds also happen to be one of the most contested spaces in todays digital landscape. Everything hangs on effective digital marketing, and the winner takes all. Drawing inspiration from the wonderfully interesting mix of people she meets, Claire is firm believer that to be an exceptional modern marketer its important to be able to both wrangle and interpret data. There are many people who can do one or the other but doing both is a rare skill. When Claire is not judging Bookmark entries or working on one of South Africas most diverse and interesting brands, she is busy being a mum to two energetic boys and the latest addition to the family Mr Scruff, a West Highland Terrier. Together with her family she loves to explore the beautiful Western Cape. About IAB South Africa The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) South Africa is an independent, voluntary, non-profit association focused on growing and sustaining a vibrant and profitable digital industry in South Africa. The IAB South Africa represents the digital industry across all sectors including the media, the marketing community, government and the public, and also acts as the channel through which international bodies can enter the South African digital market. The IAB South Africa currently represents over 200 members including online publishers, creative, media and digital agencies, brands and educators between them accounting for more than 36 million local unique browsers and almost 1 billion page impressions. The IAB South Africa strives to provide members with a platform through which they can engage, interact and address digital issues of common interest, thereby stimulating learning and commerce within the South African digital space. To find out more about the IAB South Africa, visit its website (www.iabsa.net), like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/iab.southafrica and follow @iab_sa on Twitter. Platinum Partner Proudly brought to you by Opera Mediaworks VIP Partners Absolut, Estee Lauder Group Official Media Partners Bizcommunity, eNCA, iDidTht.com, Memeburn, Ornico On 12 March 2016, the 7th annual Cape Town Carnival will bring the mother of all street parades, lighting up the streets with color, music, and dance. This year's theme is 'Street Life' and it promises to be a dynamic celebration of South Africa identity by showcasing the diverse communities and cultures of our country. Cape Town Carnival creative director, Brad Baard says, Street Life is about the people and dynamics at play in a public space. Towns and cities are built of people and relationships, not bricks and concrete. We all have different styles and cultures but are connected by the vibrancy of the streets. Street Life aims to make these invisible connections visible. Taxis, vendors, entrepreneurs, children on their way to school, hipsters and chancers, ambition and opportunity, street style, street food, fashion and culture: its all part of the gloriously eclectic life of our cities and towns. This years Cape Town Carnival invites you to take part in this symbolic celebration of our diversity. As with past years, the 2016 Cape Town Carnival will showcase mesmerising giant floats, wacky puppets and a display of amazing speciality acts each purposefully designed, built and choreographed specifically for the Street Life theme. A celebrity line-up This year promises to be even more dynamic, with comedian Siv Ngesi participating for his third year and other local personalities like Liezel van der Westhuizen, Zoe Brown and Danny Ross joining the parade. Says Siv about being part of Cape Town Carnival: I love the Street Life theme; its so fresh. I will party with my Mother City as long as I am alive and kicking, but it isn't just about Cape Town. I have friends from all over the country who fly down to experience the Cape Town Carnival. Brazil Carnival better watch out! Carnival organisers are encouraging all spectators to get involved by dressing up and spreading the festivities beyond the parade barriers. The Cape Town Carnival is an event that belongs to all the people of Cape Town, says Cape Town Carnival Trust chairperson, Professor Rachel Jafta. Everyone plays a part in making it happen and this year we encourage spectators to participate with vigour. When and where Visitors will have the freedom of the city streets from 3pm as they join family and friends on the Green Point Fan Walk to enjoy the variety of food and crafts on offer. The streets will be closed for final preparations at 6pm, giving Carnival-goers enough time to find the perfect viewing spot, find their seats or make their way to one of the many restaurants along the Fan Walk before the magic begins at 7pm. Over 2,000 dazzling costumed performers and musicians will take to Cape Towns Fan Walk, entertaining viewers with magical floats and vibrant dance routines. The parade will be followed by a thumping street party, showcasing some of SA's hottest musical talent. Event details Date and time: Saturday, 12 March 2015 from 3pm - Late Venue: Green Point Fan Walk Ticket price: Free (unless you want raised seats or VIP access - Quicket) While the event is free, those who want the best view of the Cape Town Carnival action can purchase tickets to secure elevated seats along the route HERE. Vast Networks confirmed that they will provide free Wi-Fi access to all along the Green Point Fan Walk, which spectators can use to share their experiences. For more information visit the 2016 Cape Town Carnival site. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. The EY 2016 Southern Africa World Entrepreneur Award is now open for nominations. The awards have become highly sought after as winning the top prize comes with benefits, such as access to a community of peers with shared experiences and common entrepreneurial perspectives. Azim Omar, Africa Strategic Growth Markets Leader, says The EY Southern Africa World Entrepreneur Award celebrates the energy and ideas developed by African entrepreneurs to advance the continents economies and generate positive change. As can be seen in our past winners in the Master entrepreneur category award; Johann Vorster of Clover SA, winner in 2015, Asher Bohbot of EOH winner in 2014, Stephen Koseff of Investec, winner in 2013 and Sipho Nkosi of Exxaro, winner in 2012." The winners also become part of a group of the worlds most influential and innovative high-growth entrepreneurs. For the past 18 years the programme has recognised and celebrated entrepreneurs for their vision, leadership and accomplishment. As a leader in guiding these entrepreneurs and their companies, it is our honour to recognise their impact, while encouraging others to follow in their footsteps, adds Omar. The programme incorporates ten countries in the region: Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Malawi, Mauritius, Madagascar, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia. In addition, the awards have a footprint in East and West Africa. It looks like you have reached this page in error ... The content you are looking for has either moved, or if you typed in the address there might have been a mistake. If you believe there has been a technical error please let us know. Most Popular Destinations Here we go again. As you may recall, two years ago a district court in Kansas ruled the state was not funding education at a level that is constitutional. Several school districts sued the state claiming their students had been given the shaft by lawmakers and the court agreed the state was not distributing a proper amount of funds to cover disadvantaged students. Governor Sam Brownback and the state legislature responded to the court's ruling by converting their education funding system into a block-grant system that actually left some districts in a deeper hole than they were already in. We all watched in amazement as some school districts were forced to close for the year early because they couldn't afford to stay open. The lower district court's decision has how been affirmed by the Kansas State Supreme Court but Governor Brownback is not going down without another fight. Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt filed a notice to appeal the decision on Friday. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) said the decision was a violation of the courts constitutional authority. [...] Kansas has among the best schools in the nation and an activist Kansas Supreme court is threatening to shut them down, Brownback stated after the decision. We will review this decision closely and work with the Legislature to ensure the continued success of our great Kansas schools. Why would the governor fight so furiously for the right to bankrupt the state's schools? Because coming up with the money to adequately fund every school district will require revenue that Brownback's economic regime has starved from the beast. Brownback has emptied the state's coffers with his "pro-growth" policies and delivered the proceeds to wealthy business owners who no longer have to pay taxes on their business. In the name of Free Market Jesus, amen. Brownback's claim that the state supreme court has overstepped their constitutional authority is rich coming from a man who threatened to defund the entire state judiciary if they didn't rule in his favor and agree that he can jeopardize the futures of an entire generation of students. Maine governor and racist of record Paul LePage spoke at a town hall meeting in the city of Freeport on Tuesday night where he took the opportunity to opine about the threat of immigrants and asylum seekers who, according to him, have brought foreign diseases to our land. Asylum seekers I think the biggest problem in our state and Ill explain that to you, he says. Shame. Shame, the crowd responded. [...] And what happens is you get hepatitis C, tuberculosis, AIDS, HIV, the ziki fly, (sic) all these other foreign type of diseases that find a way to our land, he says. There's actually no such thing as a "ziki fly." The Zika virus is carried by mosquitoes. None of the other diseases or afflictions he listed are "foreign." Paul LePage obtained his degree in pathology by reading the back of a Cracker Jack box. It's curious that LePage would say asylum seekers are the "biggest problem" in the state of Maine. Does that mean LePage is no longer overly concerned about the threat of Smoothie and D-Money? Is LePage no longer concerned that black drug dealers are impregnating Maine's white girls? (Cartoonist - Rob Rogers) In other news, a new report from the NSA's inspector general says the agency has recorded far less data on international communications than Comrade Snowden tells us. You don't say? Meanwhile, GOP presidential candidate and sometimes-senator Marco Rubio says his immigration reform bill was never suppose to actually pass. He's running for president, for Pete's sake. Finally, the people of Flint have apparently been paying some of the highest rates in the country for poisoned water. A typical Flint household could expect an annual water bill of $864 a year. That's more than twice as high as the state average. At the peak of the lead crisis Flint residents paid twice as much for water as people in New York City, more than three times as much as people in Detroit and seven times as much as Miami residents. Residential water in Flint was 10 times more expensive than water in Phoenix, Ariz., which is literally in the middle of a desert. Jacqueline Fernandez Wears Her Ugliest Dress Bollywood Wardrobe Kaustubha Jacqueline Fernandez has everything that is required of a Bollywood actress. Sharp features, luscious black hair, more-than-an-average-Indian-woman-height are a few of them. There is something about Jackky's figure that makes it easy for designers to tailor her dresses. She is one of those who can wear a sweatpant and walk a runway and still people would think she looked quite exquisite. But these days it seems Jacqueline is reckless about her role as a fashion idol. Well, if you are a popular Bollywood actress, then you are a fashion role model. We spotted Jacqueline in Sri Lanka attending an event. Dear Lord! What was she thinking? First take a look at this... Now you'll say what an exquisite print. Agreed. The beautiful botanical print is splendid but we think the designer fell asleep in between his painstaking sartorial hours. The print could have made into a beautiful kimono but as the fate had it, it had to become something like... What exactly is wrong with this dress? First, cap sleeves! A modest spaghetti strap could have gone a long way turning it into a beautiful slip dress. Second, the flared belt! Want to add an accent? Enhance with waist cut-outs. Third, the cape. What was the requirement? This embellishment looks absolutely undesirable. Hard to believe my eyes that someone who can look ravishing even while sporting a sweat pant, could go down to wearing this disaster. Fashion critique, maybe, but this has been the ugliest outfit of this week, in all honesty. What do you think? Don't worry! Jacqueline is better than this. Take a look at her fashion here: Jacqueline Fernandez' Outfits. Anglo American, a globally diversified mining business has revealed its plans to sell its iron ore, coal and nickel units as part of a sweeping strategic overhaul to cope with commodities disorders. Anglo American, which holds an 85 percent interest in DeBeers, says this is a strategic focus on world class assets and sustainable positive free cashflow to strengthen its balance sheet. The company said in a statement this week Tuesday, that the wide ranging restructuring of the groups portfolio is intended to create the new Anglo American. Responding to questions during a media roundtable teleconference at DeBeers Botswana offices this Tuesday, Gareth Mostyn, DeBeers Chief Finance Officer said, Anglo American wants to focus on its core positions, that is copper, platinum group metals and diamonds, which are tailored more on the consumer market. The company will focus on competitive, long life assets with considerable organic growth opportunities that mine consumer driven materials that are expected to benefit from long term growth trends as the global economy evolves and developing economies mature. He added that these measures will continue the transformation of the company to create the new Anglo American, positioned to deliver robust profitability and cashflows through the price cycle. Meanwhile, Anglo American has increased the target for the disposals programme to between $5-billion and $6-billion by the end of 2016, of which $3-billion to $4- billion were expected in 2016. In 2015, the group completed or announced $2.1-billion in disposals. We are taking decisive action to sustainably improve our cashflows and materially reduce net debt, while focusing on our most competitive assets, Anglo American CEO Mark Cutifani commented. The diversified mining group stated that discussions were underway to assess the potential disposal value of the Moranbah mine and adjacent Grosvenor project. Sales have been agreed for the Rusternberg platinum operations and the Dartbrook and Callide coal mines in Australia, while the sale of the Kimberly Mines has recently been completed, reads the statement. Anglo American stated that negotiations with potential buyers would take several months to be completed.We of course recognise the current challenging environment in which to deliver disposals. We are already engaged with parties interested in several of our assets, but we will only complete those transactions which deliver appropriate value for our investors, adds Cutifani. In light of the commodity price environment, the Company has ceased and is continuing to cease production at a number of operations. Operations that have been placed on care and maintenance include Peace River Coal and Snap Lake (diamonds) in Canada, while Thabazimbi (iron ore) in South Africa has reached the end of its life and is being closed. Plans have alo been initiated to place Twickenham (platinum) in South Africa on care and maintenance, while Damtshaa (diamonds) operation in Botswana was placed on temporary care and maintenance from January 2016. SINGAPORE (BNS): Italy's Finmeccanica has signed a contract with Sweden's SAAB to provide Identification, Friend or Foe (IFF) systems for the Gripen NG fighters earmarked for the Air Forces of Sweden and Brazil. The contract was signed on 17th February during the Singapore Air Show. The IFF systems will be used to identify other aircraft and vehicles as friends and potential enemies and determine their position and distance. The system operates independently of the other sensors, allowing the pilot to use the radar to acquire targets for later identification. The antennas of the apparatus provide a field of view of over 180 degrees, thus ensuring considerable operating advantages, Finmeccanica said. Besides the IFF, Finmeccanica provides for the Gripen NG two primary sensors: the electronic scanning radar ES05 Raven and passive infrared sensor Skyward G- IRST (Infrared Search & Track). The agreement with SAAB also plans to support activities for the integration of the IFF with these other sensors, the company announced. A representational photo. NEW DELHI (PTI): India is likely to select by the year-end at least one fighter aircraft that will be manufactured by the private sector under the 'Make in India' process for supply to IAF, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said. He said that there may be one or two more jet fighter plants, either operational or in the process of being set up, in India in the next three years or so. Asked if this meant HAL will set up more plants, Parrikar said, "It is private sector which will be required to supply to the air force. We need fighters. We may encourage...there are proposals." Parrikar said on Wednesday through "proper process", by year end "we might select few aircraft to Make in India. Which one? I don't commit. But there will be at least one, may be two also." Boeing and Lockheed Martin of the US, Saab of Sweden, Dassault Aviation of France and Eurofighter have offered to set up manufacturing bases in India along with transfer of technology if their fighter aircraft was selected for Indian Air Force. All the companies are also in talks with Indian private firms to select a local partner. However, they are awaiting a clear signal from the government before selecting their partners. Parrikar also made it clear that 'Make in India' does not mean just assembly of equipment but manufacturing through transfer of technology. The development comes as both India and France are in the last stage of concluding an Inter-Government Agreement on direct purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jet planes. The government has also decided to equip IAF, which is facing a severe fighter shortage, with indigenously developed Tejas combat aircraft. HAL is already in the process of increasing its capacity to manufacture 16 Tejas aircraft per year. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/02/2016 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Brandon School Division has rescheduled a portion of a Vincent Massey High School trip due to international security concerns, according to a source familiar with the travel plans. The trip which was supposed to feature stops in France, including Paris will now centre on nine days in Spain. Senior administration made the call, the source told The Brandon Sun. The Paris attacks, which took place Nov. 13, were the driving force behind the decision to stay away from France. The co-ordinated attacks were the deadliest on France since the Second World War with 130 people killed and more than 350 injured. BSD assistant superintendent Greg Malazdrewicz said it was prudent to alter the trip, which was approved in the spring of 2015, following the attacks. We have a country-wide state of emergency in France and the highest level of terrorist alert is still in place, Malazdrewicz said. A Canadian government advisory urges travellers to exercise a high degree of caution in France. French authorities have raised the Vigipirate, the countrys national security alert system, to the highest level terrorist alert and declared a state of emergency. We want the kids to have a great experience and our intention is not to shut the trip down, Malazdrewicz said, adding the trip will now include three cities in Spain where students will discover the countrys rich architectural history. But the attacks changed the context of the country that our students were travelling to. BSD worked with the travel company to alter the plans and is picking up any additional costs as a result of the changes. We dont want anyone to be excluded because they cant handle the costs of the changes, Malazdrewicz said, adding that the increase will be minimal but didnt have a concrete number yet. Students will leave near the end of March. Malazdrewicz said not everyone is happy with the changes, but the decision is in the best interests of the students. Weve had a few comments from parents and I think they are disappointed, Malazdrewicz said. They dont see the risks the same way and I understand that, but we look at the risks differently because we have a corporate responsibility and are responsible for a larger group of kids. CAA Manitoba spokeswoman Erika Miller said its wise for all travellers to refer to the national travel advisories website prior to picking a destination. Canadians are warned to avoid all travel to some countries, including Burundi, Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Iraq, North Korea, Libya, Niger, Yemen, Mali and Afghanistan. While the majority of the countries to avoid are conflict zones that wouldnt be on the casual tourists radar, some popular sun destinations come with warnings. The site says to exercise a high degree of caution in Mexico, particularly in the northern and western states due to high levels of violence and organized crime. Other sun destinations with warnings about high levels of violent crime include the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. The Zika virus, which is transmitted through mosquitoes, is also a risk in Mexico and several countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and South and Central America. Symptoms of the virus include fever, headache, pink eye, rashes, and joint and muscle pain. There have been travel-related cases of Zika virus reported in Canada in returned travellers from countries where the virus is known to circulate, the website states. There have been no reported cases of locally acquired Zika virus in Canada. Brazils Ministry of Health recently identified a possible relationship between the virus and the increase in the number of microcephaly cases in the country. An investigation to better understand the relationship between the Zika virus and increased risk for microcephaly is ongoing. It is recommended that pregnant women and those considering becoming pregnant discuss their travel plans with their health-care provider to assess their risk and consider postponing travel to areas where the Zika virus is circulating, a Canadian government travel advisory states. If travel cannot be postponed then strict mosquito bite prevention measures should be followed to protect themselves against bites. Ultimately, knowledge is power, according to Miller. She recommends travellers speak to their health providers to understand what types of vaccinations or immunizations are necessary when travelling to exotic locations. Travel is a personal choice, Miller said. Our consultants encourage people to educate themselves before they travel just so ensure that youre going to enjoy your trip. ctweed@brandonsun.com Twitter: @CharlesTweed Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/02/2016 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. TORONTO Canadas broadcast regulator has denied an appeal by small Internet providers to require major telecommunications companies to provide access to their wireless networks. The Canadian Network Operators Consortium filed a request that the CRTC review and vary its May decision that it would not mandate access to wireless networks to allow third-party companies to resell wireless services. The group, which represents dozens of small Internet service providers including TekSavvy and Distributel, wanted the access so they could offer their own wireless services using the networks of Bell, Telus and Rogers. The consortium argued that it wants the CRTC to open up wireless networks to those who do not own towers or spectrum in order to operate as so-called mobile virtual network operators. Bell, Telus and Rogers had argued that the case for building new infrastructure would be undermined if third-party carriers could piggyback on the bigger networks without building any towers of their own. In its ruling, the CRTC concluded it did not err in law in its previous decision. Consumer advocacy group OpenMedia, which supported the consortiums appeal, expressed disappointment with Thursdays ruling. It said in a statement that the decision allows major telecoms to block mobile virtual network operators with more affordable rates from the Canadian market. In effect, this amounts to a licence for price-gouging, as our telecom giants can continue to block new providers and charge Canadians exorbitant prices, said the groups campaign director, Josh Tabish. He also called on federal Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains to intervene. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/02/2016 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. TORONTO The owner of Jack Astors and Canyon Creek restaurants will soon start serving eggs laid by hens not cooped up in cages. SIR Corp, the owner of the two restaurant chains and several others, announced Thursday all 64 of its restaurants will make the shift by September. The promise comes after public pledges by several other companies to start dishing up only cage-free eggs as well, including Tim Hortons, McDonalds, and Starbucks. However, most of these companies say it will take between four and 10 years to make the change. Currently, about 90 per cent of Canadas egg farmers keep hens in battery cages, which house several hens and offer each one the floor space of a standard piece of paper. Egg Farmers of Canada, which represents more than 1,000 of the countrys egg farms, recently said its members will meet the growing demand for cage-free eggs. By 2036, all the eggs produced by its member farms will come from hens living in either enriched cages bigger units that provide space and amenities, such as perches, for the animals to exhibit natural behaviours or in free-run, aviary or free-range environments. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/02/2016 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. MONTREAL The CEO of one of Canadas up-and-coming tech companies is calling on the federal government to abandon its plan to expand taxation of stock options, saying the move will make it more difficult for startup firms to attract talent. Tobi Lutke said the Liberal proposal would have it more difficult to launch his Ottawa-based e-commerce company, Shopify. I think the Liberals should abandon this because it fosters innovation, the 35-year-old entrepreneur said in an interview Thursday. Tobi Lutke, CEO of Shopify, an online store, is seen in the company's Montreal office, Wednesday, February 18, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson It would have been harder to build Shopfiy with the taxation being the way that its proposed, he said in an interview. During last years federal election campaign, the Liberals promised to cap how much can be claimed through stock option deductions. The party said employees with up to $100,000 in annual gains would be unaffected, a move it said would protect startups. Finance Minister Bill Morneau recently said he will soon release details about the commitment. The government is expected to release its first budget in mid-March. Lutke said the government promised during meetings with senior ministers and other officials to grandfather existing options. He said many people took massive pay cuts to join his company several years ago in exchange for options to purchase equity. While the business is now mature enough to survive the changes, Lutke said it could have a disastrous impact on younger startups. Lutke also criticized proposed intellectual property clauses in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Despite the governments promise of public consultations, Lutke believes Ottawa has little choice but to ratify the 12-country trade deal it inherited. I think its a lost fight already. The moment the documents were publicly accessible this was on a one-way train towards ratification. Lutke made his comments as he opened a new office in Montreal aimed at expanding research and development with 150 new positions. While Shopify continues to grow its revenues, Lutke said it will focus on taking advantage of opportunities to grow before posting profits late next year. We think Canada needs a tech company of the size that America produces and thats what we are aiming for, Lutke said. Shopify provides services to more than 243,000 small- and medium-sized customers in 150 countries. It has more than 1,000 employees working at offices in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa and Waterloo, Ont. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version indicated Jim Balsillie has said the deal will undermine Canadas autonomy to adopt its own software patent rules. A spokesman says Balsillie never made the comment. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/02/2016 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. EDMONTON A company wants to build a facility to store and service up to 850 rail cars near Lamont, Alta., a few kilometres north of Elk Island National Park. Alberta Midland Railway Terminal Ltd. says the facility would help rail shippers that service an area called the Industrial Heartland the provinces largest hydrocarbon processing region. A report filed by the company to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency says the $34 million project could begin operating by the second-quarter of 2017. The proposal says the rail cars would be mainly empty tankers used to haul dangerous goods such as fuel, oil and natural gas liquids as well as empty grain hopper cars. Once completed, the facility and its 21 operating and storage tracks would be run by Canadian Northern Plains Rail Services. The federal agency says it is seeking written comments from the public by March 7 on whether to conduct an environmental assessment of the project. Shawn Smith, president of Canadian Northern, said the facility is needed because the Industrial Heartland is growing and the rail cars are now stored in areas across Alberta. This is being driven by growth plans that customers have, Smith said Thursday. Construction could begin this spring if Lamont County approves the project and it doesnt require a full federal environmental assessment, he said. Earlier this month the Alberta government announced a program to provide $500 million in royalty credits to the petrochemical sector to encourage more value-added products. Much of the industry is located in the region near Lamont. Smith said people involved in the storage facility proposal believe that bolstering rail service will be key. We think Albertas Industrial Heartland is fantastic opportunity for economic development in our region and one of the key tenets to growth and success in the heartland is transportation, he said. Rail transportation is critical as the area grows. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/02/2016 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA Canadas federal and provincial auditors general are joining forces to come up with the first comprehensive national audit of climate change actions, says the commissioner on the environment and sustainable development. Julie Gelfand told a Senate committee Thursday that the national project will be completed in 2017 and the auditors hope to set a template that can be repeated every three or four years after that as Canada moves to ratchet down greenhouse gas emissions. Its the first time, on any issue, that federal and provincial auditors have combined forces to compile a single, common national audit, said Gelfand, whose office is included under the mantle of the federal auditor general. Julie Gelfand, Canada's commissioner of the environment and sustainable development, addresses a news conference in Ottawa, Tuesday, Oct.7, 2014. Canada's federal and provincial auditors general are joining forces to come up with the first comprehensive national audit of climate change actions, says Gelfand. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Were all in the planning stages of doing this collaborative audit, Gelfand said in a follow-up interview with The Canadian Press. There are a variety of metrics in the climate change field that could be examined, she said, and auditors are working out collectively whats sort of the minimum question that were going to ask all the provincial governments. The exercise isnt designed to measure the overall output of carbon emissions, she said, but rather how the various jurisdictions are doing in meeting their policy commitments, including emissions targets. There is a national standard that provinces use for assessing their own emissions output, and that information is compiled by Environment Canada under United Nations reporting requirements as part of Canadas participation in international climate agreements. The current trajectory for carbon emissions shows the country as a whole is nowhere close to meeting its GHG reductions targets for 2020 or 2030. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet in Vancouver with the premiers in the first week of March to develop a national framework for combating climate change. Provinces and territories hold many of the environmental and energy policy levers, and over the past decade a reluctant federal government has left provinces to take the lead. Trudeaus Liberals won a majority government last fall on a platform that included putting a national price on carbon, but with a patchwork of policies and carbon pricing across the provinces, stitching together a national policy will be difficult. Gelfand says the countrys auditors general are also struggling to set out common parameters as they develop a template to measure progress. Weve never had everybody in the same tent on a single audit topic, said the commissioner. Itll be very complicated because they all have different legislation and they may even have different audit methodology, perhaps, different priorities, different amount of staff to do it all. Gelfand said the complexity of the audit challenge is the whole point of doing it now so that once we get it all together we can repeat it again as we aim for (emissions) reductions. Follow @BCheadle on Twitter Already have an account? Log in here YORKTON, Sask. - A former Saskatchewan doctor has been charged with six counts of sex assault dating back to 2001. We need your support! Local journalism needs your support! As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed. Now, more than ever, we need your support. Starting at $4.99/month you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website. or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527. Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community! Already have an account? Log in here MONTREAL - Whether you like your poutine plain or fancy, there are plenty of options in Montreal. We need your support! Local journalism needs your support! As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed. Now, more than ever, we need your support. Starting at $4.99/month you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website. or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527. Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community! Already have an account? Log in here A 24-year-old man from the RM of Saskatchewan turned himself in to police after he allegedly hit, choked and spit on his girlfriend and her child. We need your support! Local journalism needs your support! As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed. Now, more than ever, we need your support. Starting at $4.99/month you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website. or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527. Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community! Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/02/2016 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion says the Liberal government does not necessarily approve of Canadas sale of $15 billion worth of light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia, a country with a dismal human rights record. But Dion says the government is simply allowing a previously negotiated contract to stand. In a rare appearance before the Senate by an elected member of the House of Commons, Dion pointed out that the current government did not approve the sale of the LAV3s, a deal that was negotiated by the Conservatives. Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion responds to a question during question period in the House of Commons Thursday February 18, 2016 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld The government simply refused to cancel a contract that had been given the go-ahead by the previous government; a contract between a private company and Saudi Arabia, Dion said. This is an important distinction, because if we would cancel a contract that has been approved, there would probably be stiff penalties that Canadian taxpayers would have to pay. Dion said doing so would also have weakened the credibility of the Canadian government when it signs other contracts. Dions spokesman Joseph Pickerill said Dion was reiterating the governments position on the deal it didnt approve it, but its not cancelling it either. Pickerill also said Saudi Arabia is a strategic partner and deals such as this have been agreed over successive governments. Dion reiterated his governments commitment to review future deals, as he criticized Saudi Arabias human rights record. The government has faced repeated calls to the cancel the deal between the Saudis and an Ontario company for the vehicles, citing its imprisonment of blogger Raif Badawi and its treatment of women. Dion answered a range of questions in the 30-minute exchange with senators, including on Russia and Iran. Dion continued to defend his governments decision to engage diplomatically with them, even if it disagrees with them. He condemned Russias behaviour in the Ukraine, but said thats not a reason to stop talking to the country. He said the countrys scientists could co-operate on Arctic issues. He also said Canada looks forward to hosting the leaders of Mexico and United States in a three amigos summit. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version, based on an incorrect translation of Dions remarks, said the Liberal government did not approve of the Saudi deal. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/02/2016 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has ruled out cutting the size of the Canadian military, despite the countrys bleak economic and fiscal picture. The Liberals will concentrate on meeting existing approved levels of 68,000 full-time and 27,000 part-time soldiers, with an eye towards eventually expanding Canadas military ranks, Sajjan said Thursday. We are not looking at reducing our personnel, the minister said. In fact, the conversations Im having right now (are) about where do we need to increase the personnel. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan speaks with the media after delivering a keynote address to members of the Conference of Defence Associations in Ottawa, Thursday, February 18, 2016. Sajjan has ruled out cutting the size of the Canadian military, despite the country's bleak economic and fiscal picture. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld A recent federal report from last years budget shows military reserves are running at roughly 20,000 paid members about 19 per cent short of full strength. The numbers are only slightly better for the regular forces, with roughly 66,000 full-time members in uniform. Sajjan says recruiting has slowed over the last few years and he wants to see measures stepped up so the country always has an agile, optimal force. National Defence is the largest single discretionary item in the federal budget. Previous governments, Liberal and Conservative alike, have often used military cuts as a way to balance the books. Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have both indicated of late that the Liberal promise to balance the budget over four years has morphed into returning to black ink over the long-term. When the Conservatives were still in power, they were being urged to cut the size of the regular force by respected voices, including former defence chief and retired general Rick Hillier, who said the number of bodies could be trimmed in order to preserve sophisticated capabilities. Sajjan said the new governments planned defence review, to be carried out this year, will look at the appropriate level of staffing. He suggested that the exercise will not be aimed at cutting, but rather at identifying an appropriate balance between the army, navy, air force and special forces something known as troops to task. But in a nod to Hilliers remarks, he said the review will be wide-ranging. We have to focus on capabilities; that perfect mix of personnel, training and equipment, Sajjan said. We want the Canadian Armed Forces to be flexible, appropriately resourced and able to respond quickly to the challenges of the future. The minister told the annual Conference of Defence Associations Institute meeting that the review will be completed by the end of the year, but the parameters including public consultation have not yet been set. Defence analysts were surprised, calling it an aggressive timetable one they say the Liberals will have a hard time meeting. It was also surprising because it implies either a willingness to increase resources I hadnt sensed previously or a limitation of options in the policy review, said Dave Perry of the Global Affairs Institute. Some at the conference questioned how the government could proceed with a review when it has yet to articulate an overall national security strategy. Sajjan also reiterated his position on the controversial effort to replace the air forces CF-18s. He signalled that the F-35 would not be excluded from the forthcoming competition to replace the fighter-bombers; the Liberals promised during the election campaign to abandon the F-35 and redirect the savings into the navy. Sajjan told the annual Conference of Defence Associations Institute meeting that the specifications for the kind of jet the country needs are being drafted and it will be up to companies to decide whether they want to bid. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/02/2016 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. TORONTO The federal government has decided against pursuing an appeal of an Alberta courts decision to grant former Guantanamo Bay inmate Omar Khadr bail. The decision came in a joint statement Thursday from Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould. The government of Canada respects the decision of the Court of Queens Bench of Alberta, which determined that Mr. Khadr be released on bail in Canada pending his U.S. appeal of his U.S. convictions and sentence, the statement said. Omar Khadr, left, leaves court with his lawyer Nate Whitling, right, after a judge ruled to relax bail conditions in Edmonton on Sept. 18, 2015. The federal government has decided against pursuing an appeal of an Alberta court's decision to grant former Guantanamo Bay inmate Omar Khadr bail. The decision came in a joint statement Thursday from Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken Withdrawing this appeal is an important step towards fulfilling the governments commitment to review its litigation strategy. The decision caught one of Khadrs lawyers by pleasant surprise. Were pleased with the governments decision. We think its the right decision. We never did think there was much merit to this appeal, Nate Whitling said in Toronto. Now Omar can get on with his reintegration. The Liberal government decision is a sharp break from its Conservative predecessor, which fought hard to keep Khadr behind bars for the duration of his sentence. Khadr, 29, was freed on bail last May after almost 13 years behind bars four of them as a convicted war criminal. He has since been living with his lawyer, Dennis Edney, in Edmonton without incident. The Americans captured a grievously wounded Khadr in Afghanistan in July 2002 when he was 15 years old. He was soon sent to Guantanamo Bay, where he was charged with several war crimes before a widely discredited Military Commission. Khadr ultimately pleaded guilty in October 2010 to five war crimes including murder in the death of a U.S. special forces soldier. In exchange, the commission handed him a further eight-year sentence. He returned to Canada in 2012 under an international transfer treaty, and later said he had only pleaded guilty to get out of the notorious prison. In April last year, Alberta Court of Queens Bench Justice June Ross granted his bid for bail while he appeals his war crimes conviction an appeal that could still take years. Khadrs lawyers argued the offences to which he pleaded guilty were not crimes at the time and the military commission had no jurisdiction to try him. His $20-million civil lawsuit that claims the government conspired with the Americans to torture him and breach his rights is still ongoing. Khadrs late father was a friend of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden and his mother has previously angered Canadians by expressing support for al-Qaida. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/02/2016 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. TORONTO An award granted by a Jewish court in New York to a Canadian businessman should stand despite a serious breach of the arbitration agreement involved, Ontarios top court ruled Thursday. In its decision, the Court of Appeal rejected arguments against overturning an earlier ruling that upheld the US$400,000 award to Moshe Lipszyc. The award came after Lipszyc, of the Toronto area, had a falling out with his business partner, Joseph Popack, of New York. The men agreed to submit their dispute to arbitration before a rabbinical court in New York, which held eight weeks of hearings in August 2013. During the hearings, Lipszycs representative suggested the panel should hear from a previous arbitrator, Rabbi Aharon Schwei. Popack did not object. Without telling either man, the panel met Schwei but, as per the arbitration agreement, made no record of the meeting. It did later state the information obtained from the rabbi had no impact on its decision. Popack turned to Ontario Superior Court to set aside the award on the grounds that the panel had breached the agreed procedure by meeting secretly with Schwei. In her ruling last June, Justice Wendy Matheson agreed the arbitral tribunal had committed a significant breach of the arbitration agreement by failing to give proper notice of the meeting with the rabbi. She nevertheless upheld the award. Among other things, Matheson found the parties had agreed to defer to the arbitral tribunals discretion to set its own process. She also noted the panel only met the rabbi a neutral party at Lipszycs request and without an objection from Popack, and that a key witness had died in the interim. In siding with Lipszyc, the Appeal Court said Mathesons decision was discretionary and owed strong deference absent any glaring error. The court also took issue with Popacks conduct, saying he had made no formal complaint at the time about the panels procedure and did not demand a hearing to raise his concerns. Instead, he let the panel know without telling Lipszyc that he would only want a hearing if the panel decided Schweis evidence was important. His conduct strongly suggests a tactical decision whereby Mr. Popack was content to allow the panel to finish its adjudication and make its award despite the improper ex parte meeting with Rabbi Schwei, the Appeal Court said. Mr. Popack positioned himself so that he could decide to raise the issue formally and on notice to Mr. Lipszyc only if he was not satisfied with the award given by the panel. Setting aside the panels decision in such circumstances, the Appeal Court ruled, would eviscerate the idea that arbitral decisions are generally final. The court also awarded Lipszyc $25,000 in costs. Some legal experts said the decision underlined the risk of giving an arbitral tribunal unfettered discretion, and the importance of crafting a written agreement that protects participants when an arbitrator allegedly acts improperly. In this case, the men had agreed no record of the proceedings would be kept. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/02/2016 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is hedging on what his government thinks should be done about the falling number of Canadians who have enough money upon which to retire. Mr. Trudeau early last year was sold on the call for hiking contributions and benefits of the Canada Pension Plan. But his resolve has evaporated since then. In December, Canadas finance ministers met and the CPP fix seemed bound to be an easy deal, but negotiations over the equalization program took up the bulk of that time. The CPP and the sliding finances of retirees was merely a passing mention. Now another financial analysis sheds more light on the growing numbers of Canadians who dont, or wont, have adequate savings and pension benefits. Further, poverty among the elderly is on the rise again, after falling for years. The problem, the left-leaning Broadbent Institute says, is benefits from federal income supports for the elderly have not kept pace with need. The most a low-income single person can receive from Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement is less than $16,000. An increasing number of retirees, generally, are struggling to keep up because fewer working Canadians (38 per cent) have a company pension plan to bank on. At most, CPP pays out $12,780 a year and, with maximum OAS benefits, a retired contributor 65 years or older still has an income of less than $19,000. Average benefits, however, are substantially lower, the Broadbent Institute found. Confirming data compiled by a host of sources, the report notes most working Canadians are not voluntarily stashing cash away in retirement savings, such as RRSPs. And of those who do, its a fraction of what their need will be, especially for those without a workplace pension. At one time, the CPP was supposed to be the add-on for retirees. Those were the days when workplace pensions were common. Increasingly, it has become a mainstay for pensioners. The benefit of the CPP is it has a well-established record, it is healthy, draws mandatory matching contributions from employers and employees and follows an individual throughout their working years. Compared to private options, it has low administrative costs. Mr. Trudeau once recognized all the efficiencies and benefits to improving the national pension plan as the surefire way to protect a growing pool of retirees. Thats how he distinguished his party from the Conservatives, who said the economy was too weak to hit employers with a higher payroll tax. But since getting elected, the Liberal government has opted to delay moving on CPP changes, opting to talk some more with the provinces. What, really, is the holdup? Hiking contributions requires the nod of seven provinces comprising two-thirds of the population. With Alberta now agreeing to a phase-in of higher contributions, that test is met. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is staunchly opposed, but he is bucking national opinion polls that overwhelmingly support higher CPP contributions and benefits. Mr. Trudeau has agreed to raise the GIS supports for single people, which will move an estimated 85,000 recipients above the poverty line. Thats a start. It cannot, however, be the answer for a secure retirement 20 or 30 years from now. Younger Canadians are far more likely to be working for multiple employers, with less chance of being backstopped by company pensions than were their parents. The Conservative option of voluntary savings or CPP contributions was a cop-out. The Liberal solution should improve the CPP, and it has the bulk of Canadians behind it. Winnipeg Free Press Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/02/2016 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Go Bold, NDP This was the headline on the editorial in The Brandon Sun some while ago (Nov. 24, 2014). The essential message of the editorial was that the NDP has nothing to lose, so it may as well come up with some daring, bold vision for Manitoba. What an interesting and provocative thought! Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in his keynote address to the Davos World Economic Forum, asked the attendees to think of Canada, somewhat paraphrased, not for its resources but for its resourcefulness. Another interesting and provocative thought. If we are able to get past rolling our eyes, chuckling, or outright laughing at the phrase, we will recognize something quite profound. What Trudeau was saying is the world should know us for the skills, knowledge, expertise, curiosity and motivation to deal with issues and solve problems in new, creative, innovative ways. That is, brainpower used in creative, innovative ways, outside the box we have created for ourselves. For a few moments, lets broaden the application of the imperative to go bold to include all provincial political parties, all universities and colleges and schools, our think-tanks, our entrepreneurs, our people. And then through the magic of thought, meld the imperative with the firm belief that Manitobans can be and are resourceful. And then, recognize an opportunity to use our resourcefulness to undertake a bold initiative. Regardless of what we believe with respect to climate change and environmental degradation, the reality is that the world is looking for ideas, policies and technologies to deal with environmental issues as they relate to humankinds activities in areas such as oil extraction, pipelines, farming, transportation, manufacturing, forestry, energy use and alternatives. The opportunity that lies before our political, educational and entrepreneurial leaders is to create an environment whereby Manitoba can become, at a minimum, a participant and, potentially, a leader with respect to addressing environmental issues for which the world is seeking solutions. Our political leaders can, through legislation, regulations, tax policies, grants and subsidies, create the political, fiscal and legislative framework to support educational and entrepreneurial organizations in undertaking their respective roles. Our educational institutions have the expertise and capacity to generate bold and innovative ideas, models, technologies and techniques with respect to addressing environmental issues. They also have the expertise, the capacity and the responsibility to transfer these ideas, etc., to students, to develop the skills of students to work with environmental issues, and to further generate ideas and policies as future political, educational and entrepreneurial leaders. Our entrepreneurial leaders have the skills and qualities to turn ideas and technologies into business ideas and structures. They have the quality of accepting the risk in implementing bold and innovative ideas in the form of viable businesses that can produce and sell innovative approaches, products and services to the world. In the parlance of economic theory, Manitoba has no comparative advantage. However, Manitoba has an opportunity. Manitoba has the necessary skills, knowledge and motivations that reside in our youth, in our students, and, not so surprisingly, our citizens. Of critical significance with respect to environmental stewardship, we have the knowledge, experience and models that reside in First Nations peoples. First Nations peoples have the experience and knowledge accumulated over thousands of years, and can offer attitudes, models, insights and skills obviously successful and obviously having relevance to environmental issues. The question that remains is whether those skills residing in Manitobans can be unleashed and tapped. Dealing with environmental issues includes dealing with attitudes, beliefs, values, models, information, science, technologies, skills, administration, policies, legislation and behaviour each of which offers economic opportunity resulting from new and innovative ways of examining the issues and coming up with solutions. These issues are comprehensive and extensive, which will require the co-operation, co-ordination and shared vision among all elements of a society. Whichever nation or its sub-region that is among the first to see the opportunity and can work with the institutions within its jurisdiction will become the leader in a world anxiously looking for and awaiting solutions to environmental issues. Go bold, Manitoba politicians, educators, entrepreneurs, financiers and think-tanks go bold! Rosemarie and Chester Letkeman Brandon Eurotunnel has asked the British and French governments to reimburse it 29m for lost revenue during last year's cross-Channel migrant crisis. The Channel Tunnel operator made the claim via the Intergovernmental Commission as it revealed a 22% dividend increase to be proposed at its AGM on April 27. Selfie-crazed tourists are responsible for the death of a baby dolphin in Argentina. The young animal was picked up after it washed up on an Argentinian beach, but instead of returning the dolphin to the sea, the poor thing was passed around a mob hungry for photos with the sea mammal. The beach at a popular Santa Teresita resort was not short of tourists and soon the animal overheated and died. The baby dolphin was then discarded on the beach while beach-goers continued to take photos of the dead animal. Local animal charities have said the dolphin was of the Franciscan variety, which is a rare species in danger of extinction. There are only 30,000 of these dolphins left in the world. International organisation Peta was outraged by the tragedy asking people to imagine the trauma experienced by the young animal in its final moments as it was roughly manhandled and passed around for selfies. Irish bishops have this morning released a statement calling on the public to vote in the forthcoming general election. They want all citizens and political parties to reflect and take stock of how we respond to the plight of the most vulnerable, ahead of the vote. They say democracy flourishes when it is rooted in a shared social ethic and that good social policy requires economic stability and sustained growth. The bishops also said that Ireland's health crisis is the result of a fundamental failure of politics. Pastoral Statement of the Catholic Bishops of Ireland on the Upcoming General Election in full A general election is an important moment which offers a democratic society an opportunity to reflect on its successes and failures. In Ireland we are fortunate to live in a lively democratic society, even with all its imperfections. Democracy requires in the first place that all citizens exercise their right to vote and we strongly encourage all to vote in the up-coming election. Democracy however is not limited to voting. Democracy is fundamentally about people working and walking together to foster the common good. Democracy is damaged by indifference and by a splintering of society or a fixation on individual interests. A general election is a moment in which all citizens, and not just political parties, should reflect and take stock of the health of the nation and especially on how we respond to the plight of the most vulnerable. Democracy flourishes when it is rooted in a shared social ethic. To succeed, good social policy requires economic stability and sustained growth. But economic growth on its own does not necessarily generate social equity. Social equity has a logic of its own which must be worked on to achieve its aim. Our comparatively wealthy Ireland has still a long path to travel in this task. We share the anxiety of many citizens in Ireland at the fact that there is an uncertain social climate in the country regarding vital sectors of peoples lives, especially regarding health, homes, education, security, the fostering of a solid human ecology, and international responsibility. Health: Most people feel great unease about the current health care system. They worry about what would happen to them if they became ill. They worry about the health of their children. They worry about what would happen to their parents and other elderly people should they become ill. They are worried about the cost of health care. They are worried about the quality of health care, including mental health care. Successive governments have presented a variety of solutions and in so many cases they have either failed or have not been implemented. A blame game is not the answer. Irelands health crisis is the result of a fundamental failure of politics. Home: There is a crisis of homelessness, not just of those who sleep rough on our streets, but of those who are housed in inadequate and precarious accommodation especially in hotel rooms totally unsuitable for children and families. All recognise that providing adequate and affordable social housing is an essential pillar of any solution. Some more recent social housing has been poor in quality. Private rental accommodation is scarce and property market dealings are even reducing the available pool. Education: This General election takes place on the anniversary of the 1916 Rising and the Proclamation of a Republic which set out to cherish all the children of the nation equally. There has been much discussion about inequality in access to education. We are a young country and we will urgently need more and more new schools for the future. The real inequality in Irish schools is not religious in nature but it is the economic inequality where poorer communities and schools with a large percentage of disadvantaged children are not being adequately supported. Ireland is still marred by neglect of children and of lack of opportunity for the children of the most deprived and groups such as Travellers. Security: Citizens can only exercise their rights fully if they live within an overall climate of security. The most fundamental obligation of the State is the protection of its citizens. Recent killings on the streets of Ireland have shocked all of us. These are not simply about gangland feuds; they are the product of a criminal industry of death which unscrupulously floods our streets and our children with drugs. It is an industry which destroys young lives daily and which fosters even broader criminality. People feel insecure in their homes both in rural and urban communities. They will willingly support policies which will strengthen An Garda Siochana. Human ecology: Pope Francis speaks often of climate change. But he also speaks of a human ecology. Austerity is not a popular word but there is another kind of austerity, that of simplicity in life-style in harmony with nature, through which all of us indicate where our real values lie, rather than in the empty values of consumerism and a rush for the superfluous. Families deserve much greater support in their work in fostering and transmitting values. A true human ecology recognises the equal right to life of every person from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. The Constitution of Ireland embraces the right to life of the unborn child. It is a fundamental affirmation of equality, where the right to life of no child is considered of less value than that of another. We strongly oppose any weakening of the affirmation of the right to life of the unborn. International responsibility: Ireland is an island nation but not an isle of isolation. We belong within a world community. Irelands missionary past is a clear indication of the deep concern of the people of Ireland for the progress of peoples worldwide. As a traditionally emigrant country we share a historical memory of how our emigrants were received or at times rejected in the lands to which they moved. Now it is the time for us to reciprocate the experience of openness by welcoming to our communities people who flee from persecution, from economic exclusion or from religious discrimination. Despite economic challenges Ireland can and must maintain its commitments in international life especially recent commitments to finance development and to combat climate change. The believer in Jesus Christ cannot separate his or her understanding of responsibility in and for society from those criteria of judgment which are set out in the Gospel: For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me (Mt 25:3536). The Christian in politics and in society cannot renounce his or her special responsibility to protect the weak and the marginalised. This responsibility cannot be delegated or suppressed to party interests or emptied into the language of spin. Politics is not just the art of the possible; it is a vocation where the interests of all citizens should respected and where the respect and trust of citizens will only be won by honesty and integrity. As bishops we encourage all citizens to engage with and challenge their local candidates about their commitment to the questions we have indicated, and about their understanding of politics as truly working and walking together to foster the common good. Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh, President of the Irish Bishops Conference; Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin, Vice President of the Irish Bishops Conference; Kieran OReilly, Archbishop of Cashel and Emly; Michael Neary, Archbishop of Tuam. Eventbrite has pledged to create around 15 new jobs in Cork. The company - a self-service ticketing and registration platform - plans to hireup to 15 full-time customer support staff and said it could grow to up to 50 employees over the next three years. The firm - which will serve event organisers around the world - is opening a new office in Cork to support customer growth. The company plans to hire employees who speak various languages (including German, Dutch, Italian, French and English). Eventbrite is currently looking for a suitable location for the new office in Cork city. Helping our organisers run successful events lies at the heart of our company, and our global 24/7 customer support team is crucial in providing this support, said Joel Crouch, Eventbrites General Manager for both Ireland and the UK. When we looked for a home for our growing customer support team in Europe, we searched for a place with easy access to great talent, while also affording our team members a high quality of life. Thats what we found in Cork. The Cork presence will be Eventbrites tenth office worldwide and the companys second in Ireland. Those who can afford to pay the most tax should do so to protect the less well off, Gerry Adams said. Workers who earned up to 100,000 would benefit from voting Sinn Fein, the party president claimed. The marginal tax rate under his party would be below 39% for those taking home below 30,000 euro and below 50% for employees paid up to 100,000. Labour has claimed he tied himself in knots on the most basic details of his own tax policy during a broadcast interview. Mr Adams said: "It is about those who can pay most paying most and getting back the satisfaction of knowing that other people have the benefit of protections which they are being denied under this Government and they themselves are getting value for money." The Sinn Fein president was interviewed on RTE this morning. Ged Nash, Labour's business minister, said the broadcast should make Irish people relieved Mr Adams and his party were not offering themselves for government. Mr Adams has ruled out being a junior partner in a coalition government. He alleged: "Over the course of the interview he tied himself in knots on the most basic details of his own tax policy, which the interviewer had a much clearer grasp of. "Mr Adams simply had not a clue about his own tax policy." He said the Sinn Fein leader appeared to suggest his party would offer a "bonanza" to the highest earners through a 7% tax rate on earnings above 100,000. "He also appeared to have little or no concept of the marginal tax rate." Mr Nash said the government had to make ends meet. "This seems to be an alien concept to Gerry Adams, who is completely out of touch with the realities of running a country, a family home or the challenges for job creators." In a reference to his electoral rival's Twitter habits, Mr Nash added: "All told, Irish families would be better off if Gerry Adams retreats to his holiday home, his bath, his rubber ducks and his teddies, rather than be allowed anywhere near the national finances." Mr Adams said he had no concerns about his tax policy. "On average a middle earner in this state, 50% earned below 30,000 and they are the people, along with those up to 100,000, who will benefit from Sinn Fein's policies. "The marginal rate for those will be below 39% and up to 100,000 will be below 50%, so I have no fear about all of that." Taoiseach Enda Kenny will travel to Brussels later as EU leaders try to cut a deal with Britain to prevent a so-called "Brexit". British Prime Minister David Cameron is hoping to secure a deal that he can put to a referendum. Conor McGregor took time out from preparation for his upcoming lightweight title challenge to give an in-depth interview with Severe MMA. The Dublin fighter was in imperious form, happy to agree and cite his record when it was suggested he was now calling the shots in the UFC. When you can rack up $400m in revenue for the company, you can do whatever the f**k you want, he said. Im living the whatever the f**k I want life. Whatever I want, whenever I want. I have earned that through hard work, through sacrifice and through victory. Warning: Strong language throughout. Video from SevereArt. McGregor fights Rafael Dos Anjos in March for the UFC lightweight title, hoping to add it to his existing featherweight belt. And he doesnt intend for it to end there. Im coming for the belt, then Im coming for the next belt - Im coming for the whole company. It's real work only here. pic.twitter.com/n1uI7W3TZP Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) February 17, 2016 He continued: Theres pussies everywhere in this game. Im here to fight, Im here to win every belt and then Im gone. Ill walk away from this game - Ill set it ablaze and walk away. But he has no plans to break away from the UFC to fight, insisting that he is loyal and happy to work with the company and boss Dana White. He also reiterated his desire to fight once more in his hometown, even if it meant smaller crowds. Ill go back to The O2 no problem or The 3Arena. Ill go back there and fight, I dont care if its nine thousand or whatever. Daniel Ricciardo says Formula One drivers will welcome the introduction of head protection in 2017. The FIA, the sport's governing body, wants all of the teams to run with an unprecedented "Halo" design on their cars following a number of high-profile incidents in recent years. The Halo - a concept first trialled by Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes team - is designed to shield drivers from flying debris. British driver Justin Wilson was killed in August after being struck on the crash helmet by a nose cone from another car during a race in the IndyCar Series. "There's been quite a bit of dialogue in the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers' Association) with a lot of emails going back and forth in the last month or so," said Ricciardo. "Our head is the only really vulnerable thing at the moment. "It's not taking away anything from the driver in terms of courage or anything like that, it's a simple little benefit that we can all gain from and no one wants to see another fatality, so if we can minimise the risk then why not? "I honestly don't think anyone is against it. Sure, some people probably didn't have an opinion, but most people spoke up about it and said 'it's what we want'." The FIA have explored a number of designs aimed at protecting drivers from flying debris after Brazilian Felipe Massa was struck by a spring from Rubens Barrichello's Brawn during qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. Henry Surtees, the son of 1964 world champion John Surtees, was killed in the same summer after he was hit on the crash helmet by an errant tyre while competing in Formula Two at Brands Hatch. Jules Bianchi died in 2015. Meanwhile, Jules Bianchi succumbed to the devastating injuries he sustained at the Japanese Grand Prix in July, although it is not believed improved head protection would have saved the Frenchman. The Halo device is the FIA's preferred option and would be attached to the car on each side of the rear of the cockpit, with a single strut in front of the driver. Ricciardo added: "With Jules and then Justin it just seems like a bit of tradition for what in the end?" I think we'll do it and F1 has seen a lot of changes over the years. "In 2009 the cars looked pretty ugly at first, but everyone got used to it and now they look normal. If this is just a little Halo, within a race or two people will think it looks normal." Ricciardo's Red Bull team are also poised to put forward a rival concept to the Halo which team principal Christian Horner explained is more like a fighter-jet style canopy. Speaking at the launch of Red Bull's new livery in London on Wednesday, Horner said: "Red Bull is making another submission for a canopy that we believe will be a safer option. "It's more of a canopy than a Halo, but it needs to be tested, which hopefully can be done very quickly." Ascot has announced the Listed Winkfield Stakes, the opening event on King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes day on July 23, has been permanently renamed in honour of Pat Eddery. In recognition of his achievements, Ascot plans to run the seven-furlong event as the Wooldridge Group Pat Eddery Stakes, with the rider's daughters, Natasha and Nicola, along with other members of the family, set to present the winner's trophies alongside the race sponsors. Bill Cosby is demanding that the accuser in his criminal case repay a confidential sex-abuse settlement because she cooperated with police who reopened the case and arrested him last year. Cosby filed a sealed breach-of-contract lawsuit this month that said the settlement barred Andrea Constand from "voluntarily" discussing the case with law enforcement. The suit said Ms Constand had no legal duty to cooperate with Pennsylvania authorities because she lives in Canada. The interviews she and her mother gave to investigators last year were therefore "voluntary" and violated the settlement terms, the suit said. "Despite being under no legal obligation to discuss any aspects of the events and allegations, ... and despite being expressly prohibited from disclosing such information to anyone, Andrea Constand volunteered to participate and disclosed such information to the district attorney and others," Cosby's lawyers wrote. Cosby faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of sexually assaulting Constand at his Philadelphia home in 2004. He has not yet entered a plea, but his lawyers have vowed to clear his name. Ms Constand, 43, is now a massage therapist in Toronto. His lawsuit against her also names her mother and lawyers as defendants because they also cooperated with Montgomery County authorities last year. The suit accuses them of inviting media coverage or making public statements about the case. Ms Constand's lawyers have said the agreement has a provision that allows them to speak to law enforcement about the case. Any such prohibition would amount to obstruction on the part of the lawyers who drafted the document, lawyer Dolores Troiani testified this month, when Cosby first appeared in court for a pretrial hearing in the criminal case. Cosby, 78, filed the sealed breach-of-contract suit on February 1, a day before that hearing. His lawyers were then ordered to file a redacted version of the suit and did so on Thursday. The lawsuit is the actor's latest counter-attack against complaints from dozens of women that he drugged and molested them. He has defamation suits pending against accusers in Boston, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles. The lawsuit filed against Ms Constand seeks the repayment of the still-secret settlement he paid her in 2006, plus interest. He also seeks damages from Ms Constand, her mother, her two lawyers and the parent company of the National Enquirer, which has published numerous stories on the case. Cosby, the lawsuit said, has suffered "serious and irreparable harm" and should be compensated by damages "to be proven at trial". Ms Troiani declined to comment on behalf of herself or Ms Constand. However, in filing a response to Cosby's bid to keep the case sealed, she and partner Bebe Kivitz said they want to defend the lawsuit in public to respond to charges that they engaged in unethical or potentially criminal acts. "Cosby is requesting the court permit him to make accusations and statements regarding the underlying settlement while restricting the ability of the public to scrutinize those accusations," their response said. The suit accuses Ms Constand of "unjust enrichment" from the settlement. The amount of the settlement has never been disclosed. US President Barack Obama has said his history-making visit to Cuba next month was part of an effort to "improve the lives of the Cuban people". Mr Obama vowed to press the communist government on human rights and other policy differences during the trip. "We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly. America will always stand for human rights around the world," Mr Obama wrote as he announced the history-making visit on Twitter. The trip will make Mr Obama the first sitting US president to set foot on the island in nearly seven decades. Next month, I'll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people. President Obama (@POTUS44) February 18, 2016 We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly. America will always stand for human rights around the world. President Obama (@POTUS44) February 18, 2016 Our flag flies over our Embassy in Havana once again. More Americans are traveling to Cuba than at any time in the last 50 years. President Obama (@POTUS44) February 18, 2016 In a series of tweets, the US leader cast it as part of steady progression of normalising relations with Cuba, a communist nation estranged from the US for more than half a century until Mr Obama and Cuban president Raul Castro moved toward rapprochement more than a year ago. Since then, the nations have reopened embassies in Washington and Havana, eased travel restrictions and barriers for business, and have moved to restore commercial air travel. "There is much more that can be done by the United States and by the Cuban government to advance this opening in ways that will be good for Cubans and good for the United States. That is why President Obama is travelling to Cuba," deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes wrote Thursday in a post on Medium, a blogging website. Mr Rhodes noted the ultimate aim is to persuade Congress to lift the trade embargo - an unlikely possibility in the near term. In addition to meeting with Mr Castro, Mr Obama will interact with members of Cuban "civil society", the White House said, referring to activists that advocate for various social causes. Prior to announcing the trip, Mr Obama said one of the conditions for a presidential visit would be the ability for him to speak to all kinds of groups - including those that oppose the Castro government. His stop in Cuba will be part of a broader trip to Latin America. From Cuba, Mr Obama will travel to Argentina, where he will meet with the new president. Word of his travel plans drew immediate resistance from opponents of warmer ties with Cuba - including Republican presidential candidates. Texas Senator Ted Cruz, whose father came to the US from Cuba in the 1950s, said Mr Obama should not visit while the Castro family remains in power. Florida Senator Marco Rubio, another child of Cuban immigrants, lambasted the president for visiting what he called an "anti-American communist dictatorship". Mr Obama and supporters of the detente argue the decades-old embargo has failed to bring about desired change on the island 90 miles south of Florida. A leader of the anti-Islam and anti-immigration group Pegida will go on trial in Germany in April, charged with incitement over Facebook posts calling foreigners "cattle" and "trash". Lutz Bachmann wrote on Facebook on Wednesday that the trial will open in Dresden on April 19. The US Mint will feature an Asian American on its currency for the first time when it issues a coin next week... KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian palm oil futures on Wednesday rose to their highest level in nearly seven weeks, as fears of... SINGAPORE: US oil may test a support at $83.78 per barrel, a break below which could open the way towards... LONDON: Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a US diplomat, pleaded guilty on Thursday to causing the death of a teenager by... RABAT: One volunteer firefighter has been killed and another injured in a forest fire in northern Morocco, where new... The new commander of Russian forces in Ukraine made a rare acknowledgment of the pressures they were under from... PARIS: At least 92 people have been killed as Iran has cracked down on women-led protests sparked by the death of... When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Sydney Airport will boost its distributions to shareholders this year by 17.6 per cent, thanks to an ongoing rise in the number of high-spending Chinese arrivals as the tourism industry flourishes. The airport operator reported a 5.8 per cent rise in full-year earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation to $1.004 billion, with Chinese passenger numbers increasing by 18 per cent as airlines like Xiamen Airlines and Hainan Airlines added new services. Sydney Airport chief executive Kerrie Mather says the company is "in excellent financial shape". Credit:Louise Kennerley "We saw strong demand from a broad base of Asian nationalities, led by China, India and the Philippines," Sydney Airport chief executive Kerrie Mather said. "In January, China became our largest market except for Australians by residency and nationality." Sydney Airport now has seven mainland Chinese carriers serving the airport, more than any other long-haul outbound destination in the world. Ms Mather said there was the potential for the existing carriers to boost services and the number of destinations, and for another one or two Chinese airlines to begin flights to Sydney in the future. Museum of Brisbane's latest exhibition explores the unique relationship Brisbane shares with its Asia Pacific sister cities in terms of architecture and shows off how we are growing as a city. Living in the city: New architecture in Brisbane & the Asia-Pacific will open it's doors on Friday to reveal Brisbane's future personality in the form of nine architectural projects under construction. Artist's impression of Queensland State Velodrome From community areas such as Coorparoo Square to sporting complexes like Queensland State Velodrome at Chandler, the exhibition uses architectural models and snapshots of the city to bring to life Brisbane's future. Living in the city co-curator and Museum of Brisbane Deputy Director Christopher Salter said the exhibition looks beyond Brisbane's "own backyard" to explore our place in the Asia Pacific. A man has been arrested after a terrifying attack on a pregnant woman in Tingalpa on Friday morning. Police will allege the man broke into the woman's bedroom about 1.40am and sexually assaulted her while she was sleeping. The woman, aged in her 20s, awoke and screamed causing the man to flee. The man was then chased from the premises by a male resident and hid under the house. A lecturer at the Australian National University was stood down after an internal investigation revealed he maintained a sexual relationship with a student. The revelations sparked a review of practices within the esteemed Crawford School of Public Policy with the university accepting his serious misconduct was unacceptable. According to a confidential report seen by Fairfax Media, the man failed to disclose his intimate relationship with the student and continued to see her while supervising her study. The report, prepared by the university's human resource division, revealed the teacher was immediately suspended with pay in August 2015 while allegations were investigated. He no longer works at the university. The misconduct, detailed in stream of text messages and email correspondence, was only brought to the university's attention when the student complained about the emotional trauma it caused her. The furniture made from natural materials is particularly reassuring in its usability and aesthetic appeal. While you may sprawl in the generous depths of Saxon Crinis' Low Sunroom Chair, the chair itself made from warm dark honey coloured Tasmanian Blackwood is compact and efficiently constructed. Craft ACT has begun the year doing what it does best showcasing the work of young contemporary artists and designers and bringing their work into the public arena. Emerging Contemporaries is an exhibition of the work of recent graduate and emerging artists which presents a diverse collection of design innovation, furniture, jewellery and textiles. What gives this exhibition its edge are the innovative ideas and the technical knowledge partnered with a high standard of craftsmanship. Emerging Contemporaries Craft ACT annual exhibition of outstanding graduate and emerging artists; Looking for the i in desire exhibition by Meredith Hughes: Reminiscences and Reflections exhibition by Mi-Kyung Myung: and Bula'bula Arts exhibition in the Crucible Showcase. Craft ACT, Canberra City. Until March 26. Tundi Rose Hammond's Coil Creature in Emerging Contemporaries. Credit:Courtesy of the artist. Robin Clancy's Low Folding Table in Spotted Gum balances beautifully on one pair of joined legs. Clancy's design is influenced by the economy of Japanese domestic space and has a clever device to enable the table to be easily folded flat for storage. Sara Lindsay's bold design Interplay is also versatile. Lindsay has created a number of faceted wood blocks (the number can be flexible) and has arranged them as a sculptural group. However, by using powerful neodymium magnets, the separate forms can be joined together as seating. I would imagine this witty design (a sort of Lego for grown-ups) would have great possibilities in small facilities that needed occasional seating. Josh Rummukainen also balances aesthetics with function. His prototype design (Izumi) for a water tap faucet has been created using complex digital technology. The tightly packed helical cords in the faucet maintain exact water temperature and water pressure. However, the sleek water flow and the hourglass patterns of water that this elegant design produces draw our attention to the magical nature of the water itself. Two textile artists, Margaret Kemarre Ross and Kieren Karritpul McTaggart, work in a different medium. They also draw our attention to the Earth's natural resources in their intuitive but sophisticated textiles. Kemarre Ross's delicate silk shawl is printed with small carefully arranged images of bush tucker in the earth tones of the outback. Karritpul McTaggart's linen wall hanging in warm tones of grey and white (there is also a version in red) is a refined and orchestrated pattern of marks and dots that cleverly suggests both the structure of fish nets and the lively movement when they move in the water. In the adjoining Crucible Showcase, two emerging Aboriginal artists from Bula'bula Arts at Ramingining (Marley Djangarri and Linda Ganyila) have a well-executed collection of bush string bags that bring into the gallery the tang and colours of the bush. In the field of textiles Tundi-Rose Hammond's Olaf the XL coil creature a fuzzy white human-size "costume" made from cable ties and packing foam would have to be a standout creation. The accompanying video of this costume being worn in a dance performance is both silly and strangely endearing. Meredith Hughes' exhibition Looking for the I in desire is a gentle exploration of memory and loss in an approach shaped by a Buddhist philosophy. In our society flowers are part of the outward sign of loss and remembrance. Traditionally left at gravesides, the placing of flowers in actual sites of significance has become more widespread. In recognition of this tradition the artist uses floral motifs cut, sewn, printed and stencilled to make up her installations. Her large wall piece called Even is an arrangement of discarded petals of artificial flowers found in Bookham cemetery. Each petal is symbolic of someone who has died. During the period of embroidering their name on an individual petal, in the spirit of her Buddhist beliefs, the artist takes on that loss. Changes to internal police rules and tough new laws to limit high speed pursuits on ACT roads are expected to come into force next month. New protocols announced by the ACT government and ACT Policing on Thursday will see police begin pursuits on Canberra's roads only when there is a serious risk to public safety, or if there is a major crime planned or under way involving serious injury or death. Policy change: Ministers Simon Corbell and Shane Rattenbury with ACT Chief Police Officer Rudi Lammers. Credit:Rohan Thomson New laws introduced into the Legislative Assembly will give police tougher powers to identify and prosecute drivers who evade police after the fact, as well as the ability to confiscate cars and suspend licenses. Police won't pursue drivers over minor matters, but will instead track individuals and cars when there is less risk. New offences of failing to stop for police will be added to the road rules, and give police powers to seize a vehicle, enter garages, sheds or other structures on private property, where officers suspect on reasonable grounds the motor vehicle could be located. The recently departed Hawthorn president would love to see the Western Bulldogs win their second premiership. Andrew Newbold has accepted a position on the AFL Commission after stepping down as Hawthorn president, a role he held since 2011. Andrew Newbold would love to see the Bulldogs win a premiership. Credit:Getty Images The Hawks have recently enjoyed an extraordinary period of dominance, winning three premierships in a row, but Newbold told SEN his priority would be making all the teams competitive and self-sustaining. "At the moment we've got the haves and the have-nots still, I think it's really important that all the clubs have at least a break-even position," he said. So diverted they were - to Manchester, which would have been all well and good - except that the airport isn't equipped to handle international travel so there were no customs officials to process the 160 or so passengers. (Delta officials told PIX 11 that agents were brought in from Portland, Maine 152 kilometres away). Then there were other problems. Because of heavy snow and cold, the plane had to be de-iced. And, because the flight had taken so long, there was a risk that the crew would "time-out" meaning they'd reached the maximum amount of time they could fly. They missed the window. Karasek said passengers resigned themselves to spending the night in Manchester. But efforts to get passengers off the plane also ran into trouble. The first set of stairs ground crews rolled up to the plane didn't fit. A second set of stairs had to be brought in. Only 20 people were allowed off the plane at time, but Karasek felt lucky to be in the second group. Could the long nightmare finally be coming to an end? No such luck. When Karasek and her friends arrived at the terminal there was no one from Delta to meet them except an airport security guard who'd radioed Delta that people were waiting. So she and her friends struck out on their own, found a hotel and settled in for the night. About 1am they received an email from Delta, apologising for the problems and offering them 12,500 Skymiles. They heard nothing more until the next morning when they called at 8am and were told their flight would be leaving at 11am. But this would not be the end either. The plane left Manchester and made two attempts to land at JFK in what Karasek was later told were 96km/h winds. People were being tossed around the plane, she said. Air-sick bags were deployed. Several people requested oxygen, which was offered using portable tanks. "I'm a frequent flier and I've never seen turbulence like this," she said. She pulled out a packet of Dramamine, which she bought to combat car-sickness, took a pill and passed the rest of the packet to her fellow passengers. "There were a lot of people getting sick, several people needed oxygen," passenger Maribel Reyes told NBC. "It was really bad, I never experienced turbulence like that. I thought the plane was going to break in half. The pilot described it as a blender." The pilot announced he was diverting to Boston. The flight landed about 3pm. But once there, Karasek said, agents refused to open the door to let them into the terminal. "People were banging on the door," she said. "The captain was advocating to let us go." Karasek understands there may have been security concerns. A compromise was worked out. The ground crew finally relented, asking passengers to provide their names and seat numbers before letting them off. Once off the plane, Karasek and her friends decided they'd had enough. They bought train tickets. Karasek arrived home at 11pm Tuesday night. According to Gothamist, only 90 of the 159 passengers were still aboard when the flight finally landed at JFK around 8pm Tuesday. For her part, Karasek is keeping it all in perspective. "Yes, this sucks, but there are plenty of other travesties in the world - let's just take a minute to remember that," she said. And while Karasek praised the flight crew as more than gracious given the circumstances, she's less pleased with Delta's customer service. Between the hotel and train tickets, she estimates she and her friends spent roughly $650. Her efforts to reach Delta via Twitter about possible reimbursement were not so successful. Wednesday afternoon, airline representatives told her she would not be eligible for reimbursement. She took a screenshot of the exchange: Thomas, the Delta spokesman, confirmed the offer of 12,500 Skymiles, adding that those who don't have frequent flier accounts with the airline were offered vouchers, but he could not say for how much. He also said the airline would evaluate other situations like Karasek's. A pilot became unconscious because of a stomach bug during a flight from Narrabri to Newcastle, says a Federal transport report into five years of events that have left pilots incapacitated. The captain of a British Aerospace Jetstream 32 jet on its way to Newcastle complained of feeling unwell, then "really unwell", before becoming unconscious, said the Australian Transport Safety Bureau report of 140 serious incapacitation incidents in Australia between 2010 and 2014. A new report shows stomach bugs are the most common cause of pilot incapacitation. Credit:Tanya Ingrisciano The report, released on Thursday, said the first officer was about to disengage the autopilot to divert to Tamworth when the captain regained consciousness and the crew decided to continue to Newcastle. Gastrointestinal illnesses, or stomach bugs, and food poisoning contributed to half the incidents in high capacity airline passenger services, the report found. Nationwide prices in the US remain well below their pre-crisis peak. Only about a quarter of America's household wealth is tied up in property, figures from the Federal Reserve show. In Australia, that figure is closer to 70 per cent. In the US competitive public auctions for houses are rare (one New York-based friend of this author thought the idea of "open outcry" auctions for homes was hilarious), let alone shown live on TV, and auction clearance rates aren't a conversation topic. Most sales are handled privately, and there are typically agents for both the buyer and the seller. The last point is a crucial one. In Australia, a seller ultimately pays for the cost of marketing the sale of their property. In the US, selling agents pay subscription fees from their own pockets to Zillow to advertise properties. But other (buying) agents can pay more to get their face advertised against these same properties, and it complicates things, because these buyer's agents can then take potential buyers to view (and buy) other properties. "There are some major structural differences between Australian and the US real estate markets," says George Hadjia, an analyst at Montgomery Global Investment Management. "But if there are changes in the structure in the market, who knows what the valuation for Zillow could be. It could be very large." Caledonia has said it thinks Zillow is a $US50 billion company, and, of course, it could absolutely end up being proven right (especially so if the US housing market takes off again). It's just going to take some time. Morgan Stanley said in a note this week it thinks Zillow "is well-positioned for the increasing importance of the internet in enabling real estate transactions" in the US, and that it has plenty of room for growth. Origin Energy has signalled a rush to complete renewable energy projects such as solar and wind farms over the next two years if the target of generating 20 per cent of electricity from renewable energy by 2020 is to be met. As much as 40 per cent of the target 33 terawatt hours of additional electricity generation was yet to be built, it forecast, with the bulk likely to occur over the next two years, forcing the closure of coal-fired power stations. Solar projects are expected to increase for Origin Energy. Credit:AP "We're not mucking around here," Origin Energy managing director Grant King said. "We're permitting large-scale sites." Mr King said the fall in the cost of developing large-scale renewable power stations, particularly solar energy which was less expensive than wind power, was helping to fuel the shift. In a letter to customers dated Tuesday, Cook rejected a court order to help the US Federal Bureau of Investigation unlock an iPhone used by one of the shooters in a terrorist attack in California. He called it "chilling" attack on civil liberties and warned that ultimately the government could "demand that Apple build surveillance software to intercept your messages, access your health records or financial data, track your location, or even access your phone's microphone or camera without your knowledge." While Pichai echoed Cook's comments, he didn't say that Google would refuse to build similar tools for devices that work on its Android mobile software. Android runs on about 80 per cent of the world's smartphones, while Apple has a market share of about 19 per cent, according to IDC. Pichai closed his five-tweet message by saying that he's "looking forward to a thoughtful and open discussion on this important issue." Loading Still, Pichai is making clear that Google, part of the Alphabet, is "a lot more on the side of Apple than he is on the government's," said Jeremiah Grossman, founder of WhiteHat Security. "No one wants to be put into the situation of hacking their own devices." Bloomberg Clothing retailer UNIQLO believes its newest store in Sydney's Chatswood may become one of its most profitable in Australia despite intense competition from global rivals H&M, Zara and TopShop. Chatswood is one of Sydney's most ethnically diverse suburbs and more than 30 per cent of its residents were born in Asia mainly China, Korea, Hong Kong,Taiwan and Japan, according to local government figures. UNIQLO Australia managing director Shoichi Miyasaka and chief development officer Matt Parker at their newest store in Westfield Chatswood. Credit:Peter Braig Chatswood residents are likely to be more familiar with the Japan-based retailer's brand and products than residents of Indooroopilly in Brisbane, Miranda in Sydney or Eastwood in Melbourne, where UNIQLO has opened stores in the last year. "Definitely having a high Asian customer base will help us," said UNIQLO Australia's chief development officer, Matt Parker. Failure, according to a Chinese proverb, is the mother of success. Before dismissing this as a Confucian fortune-cookie platitude, it is perhaps worth noting that China has gone, in less than a century, from being a backward dinosaur of a state to the second largest economy in the world, and is expected to be the largest within 10 years. For examples of individuals "failing upwards", meanwhile, we need look no further than the news pages. Hillary Clinton may have had to cede her presidential campaign to Barack Obama in 2008, but looks likely to win this year's Democratic nomination (even with Bernie Sanders closing the gap). The entire field of Republican candidates appears to be failing to stand up to the bombast of Donald Trump, a billionaire who has survived four bouts of corporate bankruptcy - a mark of failure by any measure (and let's not get started on his marriages. Or his hair). Jeremy Corbyn became Labour leader by default - never setting out (let alone expecting) to win, he simply failed to lose. And David Cameron failed to get an outright majority in the 2010 election, only to be rewarded with one in 2015. The key thing about failure is the hard lesson in humility it teaches. Now comes a new book, Failed It! by artist and creative director Erik Kessells: a collection of mistaken but serendipitous photographs and homilies on failure, with a subtitle that promises to show us "how to turn mistakes into ideas and other advice for successfully screwing up". I don't know what the book's like - I failed to read it. The theme chimed loudly with me, though, because I am a failure. Not an out-and-out, chaotic, disastrous excuse for a human being, but someone who constantly falls short. And it's working out pretty well for me, so far. After Pope Francis suggested on Thursday that Donald Trump "is not Christian" because he focuses so intently on a border wall around America and the mass deportation of millions of illegal immigrants, Trump supporters were quick to note that Francis' home, the Vatican, is fortified by wait for it border walls! Which is not a bad retort. Trump's social media director, Dan Scavino, tweeted: "Amazing comments from the Pope considering Vatican City is 100% surrounded by massive walls." But as to the substance of the Pope's comments, there's something else that many an American Christian will notice. And that's the fact that he basically said something many of them support is "not Christian". "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the gospel," the Pope told journalists who asked his opinion on Trump's proposals to halt illegal immigration. A shifting centre offers no foundation for sound Indigenous affairs policy. In his recent address to the National Press Club, Noel Pearson again referred to his hunt for the radical centre. Pearson is aiming for a window between left and right, marshalling an amalgam of liberalism, conservatism and social democracy. But his hunt is doomed because this is a shifting centre without ground, especially in Aboriginal Australia. Australian politics can be a capricious business. Policy backflips and timid debate are our daily bread. Apparently deeper ideological commitments are mobile too. Across a range of policy areas, left and right are mobile, with both significantly departing from their ideological commitments of the 1970s. Where, then, lies Pearson's vaunted radical centre? As the boundaries of left and right move, so too must Pearson's centre. It loses traction, and cannot hold. The truth is that this centre can never be radical because it has no foundation. This is why there is no adequate answer to the question: "What does the radical centre stand for?" No values can be specified for the centre because its content remains held in suspension between a mobile left and right. Because Pearson's centre has no content of its own it becomes subject to, and contained by, the shifting whims of mainstream Australian politics. His search leads him to scrabble among ideological preferences set within the western political tradition. Pearson's oratory makes the centre and the process for finding it sound grand, but it is merely a fraught compromise between left and right framed by the asymmetric dynamics of settler-colonialism. Pearson's approach masks the fact that historical compromises between left and right have both dispossessed Aboriginal people and generated the very policy crisis that he seeks to address. Key policies such as protection and assimilation were in their time bold leaps of the types Pearson prescribes. But by neglecting relations between Aboriginal people and the dominant order, Pearson continues a pattern of working within the effects of settler-colonial power dynamics rather than engaging with them. Pearson's claimed innovations work only with ideas that originally came on boats with settlers. In the present these ideas continue the displacement of Aboriginal people by speaking directly to settler heritage. Aboriginal difference does not and cannot register in this heritage or in Pearson's radical centre. Aboriginal people have been invited to join a political order, not to be a party to constructing one. Building an Australia that addresses pressing challenges in Indigenous affairs and responds adequately to Australian colonialism requires more than operating on the terms set by only one party to the black-white relationship. To work within the routinised contests of only one political system is no foundation for a post-colonial settlement because it is no basis for an exchange between peoples and traditions. By operating through settler politics, Pearson denies Aboriginal people a history other than as defined by colonialism. A shifting centre suspended between left and right offers no foundation for quality Indigenous affairs policy and no basis for building a nation for the 21st century. Morgan Brigg is a senior lecturer at The University of Queensland. Lyndon Murphy is a lecturer at Griffith University. The world is leaderless. And that makes people scared. Forced to look elsewhere for that rare magic moral agency. Current prime ministers and presidents and kingdom bosses behave like little Stalins or headless, Gucci-wearing straw bosses adhered to the outdated Davos Culture Club. It's the legendary leaders of yesteryear that remain the standouts Mandela, JFK, Lincoln and Gandhi. In Australia, the older population might revere Whitlam, although according to one expert Australia has "never had a truly great prime minister". "Lack of leadership" was listed last year as one of the top three areas of concern in the World Economic Forum's 2015 Outlook on the Global Agenda. "The international community has largely failed to address any major global issue in recent years," the outlook found. And more than half the respondents believed their government leaders would abuse their position. A leaderless world is like walking into a school with no principal, or leaving a child at home with no parents. Take a look inside the stomach of a shearwater bird on Lord Howe Island and you will find a few treasures from brands such as Penfolds and Coca-Cola. This was just one example of how marine plastics pollution is plaguing Australia's waterways, put before a senate inquiry on Thursday. Another described a bird found with 274 pieces of plastic in its stomach, making up 14 per cent of its body weight, the equivalent to a human carrying a pillowcase full of plastic. Screw-top wine caps, plastic bottle caps and clips used to cluster balloons are the most commonly found types of plastic. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has stepped in to protect two of his sitting NSW MPs in the days before preselection nominations close on Friday. On Thursday night, Sutherland Shire councillor Kent Johns, who had been preparing to challenge Hughes MP Craig Kelly, was advised of Mr Turnbull's view that he should not run. Mr Johns has agreed not to nominate. A 10-year-old has made her New York Fashion Week debut, after being inspired to create stylish clothes for girls of all sizes after being bullied about her weight. Egypt Ifynanya "Ify" Ufele is the designer behind Chubiiline, an all-size clothing brand for girls. Chubiiline has been designed by 10-year-old Egypt Ufele. Credit:bullychasers/Instagram The Queens native started the brand (which is pronounced "chubby line") after being bullied for her weight while at school. "I was bullied and they called me all kinds of names," the fifth grader told Today. "One time I got stabbed with a pencil." It's always surprising how many of my clients have acquired sexual problems because of their religious beliefs or cultural backgrounds. Often they are completely unaware of it which is not surprising when people are taught confusing values from an early age. It's difficult to grow into a healthy sexual being when you are told by religious parents, and/or church leaders that "God created sex to be something beautiful, and pure but should only be enjoyed in marriage" and only between a man and a woman. And that you have to be a virgin, preferably having no sexual activity before marriage, no masturbation and definitely no homosexuality. One of the most destructive emotions a person can experience is guilt. Credit:Getty Almost all religious groups, over the ages, have condemned masturbation, claiming it inhibits self-control and promotes sexual promiscuity. The many myths and outdated beliefs surrounding masturbation remain hard to shake. For instance "do not masturbate because it leads to blindness, grows hair on the palms of your hand, it causes impotence later in life and premature ejaculation". The latest false claim is it leads to sex addiction. One of the most destructive emotions a person can experience is guilt. It's not as if this guilt makes people abstain from forbidden sexual activity. No, it just makes them feel bad and depressed. Given these negative messages, it's not surprising that there are still feelings of shame and embarrassment about this very natural and healthy activity. "Investing", Warren Buffett said, "is simple, but not easy." Although Buffett has never divulged his exact formula, it's a fair bet that he doesn't stray too far from the tried and tested approach that a company is worth the "present value of its future cashflows". That is, you should work out what you're likely to get back from a company, then pay no more than that amount, less a discount for tying up those funds. A2 Milk chief executive Geoff Babidge. The company is yet to deliver a full-year profit. Credit:Louise Kennerley See, simple, and yet, not easy. Crystal balls ain't what they used to be, and, if anything, are getting cloudier as each year passes. When we were an agrarian society, it was reasonably easy to predict the future, at least within reasonable bounds. Innovation was rare and irregular, and between bursts of productivity improvement, not much tended to change. The ACT's new Education Minister Shane Rattenbury has launched an internal review into childcare costs and staff qualifications in light of disturbing trends in the ACT . Mr Rattenbury announced on Thursday that he had established an internal review team within the Education Directorate to assess issues arising from the most recent Report on Government Services "in relation to costs, service spread and qualifications within ACT Early Childhood Education providers". Speaker of the ACT Legislative Assembly Shane Rattenbury. Credit:Ray Vance "It is really important for parents to have confidence that the people looking after their children have the appropriate skills and qualifications," Mr Rattenbury told the Legislative Assembly. The Report on Government Services, issued earlier this month, showed Canberrans paid the highest costs in the country for long-day childcare last year while the staff caring for children were the least qualified. Hiring, firing and performance management in the Australian Public Service are all due for a shake-up under the long-awaited "contestability review", according to the federal workplace authority. And Commonwealth public servants enjoy work benefits equal to or higher than "community standards" and they should accept the wage deals they have been offered, Public Service Commissioner John Lloyd said. Australian Public Service Commissioner John Lloyd. Credit:Jay Cronan Mr Lloyd says the main public sector union is engaged in a self-interested campaign against the new generation of workplace agreement that is letting its members down. The Stoner Sloth anti-marijuana campaign, which was parodied on YouTube, mocked on social media and criticised by health experts, cost NSW taxpayers $350,000, according to costings released under freedom of information laws. Detailed costings of the NSW government initiative also show that staff from the Department of Premier and Cabinet spent a total of 265 work hours on the cannabis awareness campaign. Released last year, it warned teenagers of the dangers of marijuana use, targeting them with the tagline "you're worse on weed". Regular users were portrayed as groaning, bumbling sloths, earning the disapproval of peers and family. The campaign's creative development and production cost $136,700, with advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi - which robustly defended its creation in the face of widespread ridicule - pocketing $36,386. The advocate for an asylum-seeker baby being held in hospital amid fears of deportation to Nauru says she's been blocked from visiting the family. A vigil outside Brisbane's Lady Cilento Children's Hospital for one-year-old "Asha" entered its seventh day on Thursday as mums and bubs gathered to show support. Baby Asha remains in Brisbane's Lady Cilento Chrildren's Hospital. But the family's advocate, Natasha Blucher, said she hadn't been able to see Asha or her mother, "Abhaya", since Monday, after being told her visiting permission had been cancelled. Developers would be forced to provide more car parks in unit developments under a seven-point overhaul of Brisbane's city plan developed by the Labor opposition. Council officers would also be compelled to stick to the provisions of the City Plan when assessing developments. Labor lord mayoral candidate Rod Harding has released a seven-point development guarantee ahead of next month's council election. Credit:Michelle Smith And, in an unusual move, lord mayoral candidate Rod Harding has tapped Morningside councillor Shayne Sutton to be the council's planning chairman should Labor win a majority at City Hall. "I think it's important people know that we have someone in a critical portfolio," he said. The story of a decorated WWI soldier who served at Gallipoli and the Western Front is the centrepiece of an upcoming tour at one of Brisbane's more historic sites. Fort Lytton National Park near the mouth of the Brisbane River was built in 1881 and was the training site for Queensland volunteers prior to WWI. Fort Lytton at Brisbane. Credit:Tourism and Events Queensland It also acted as an embarkation site and active garrison battery during WWI before it served as a quarantine area for the 'Spanish Flu' pandemic in 1919. While educational programs and tours of the Fort had been running since 1989, when the site was heritage listed, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service Ranger-in-Charge Roland Dowling said he was on the hunt for a "personal element" to add to the fort's tours when a woman contacted him. Jurors have been unable to reach a verdict in the trial of a high-profile Queensland criminologist accused of molesting a girl in the 1970s. Paul Richard Wilson, 74, had pleaded not guilty to four counts of indecently dealing with a girl under 12, between March 1973 and November 1976, at his then home in Brisbane's west. A Brisbane District Court jury retired on Tuesday just after midday but were discharged at about 6.15pm on Thursday, unable to reach a verdict. Credit:Louie Douvis A Brisbane District Court jury retired on Tuesday just after midday but were discharged at about 6.15pm on Thursday, unable to reach a verdict. This was despite Judge Tony Moynihan indicating to them late on Thursday afternoon a majority verdict of 11 out of 12, rather than a unanimous one, could be accepted. Labor has seized on the Ann Leahy Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee breaching affair as an opportunity to attack its long-time political nemesis - Lawrence Springborg's chief of staff. While two MPs, Ms Leahy and former Police Minister Jo-Ann Miller, were found by the Ethics Committee to have failed to uphold the standards expected of them, with Ms Miller escaping a contempt finding but rebuked for a "pattern of reckless conduct", Labor has called for opposition staffer Jake Smith to be "exorcised from the body politic". The Ethics Committee discovered Jake Smith assisted Ann Leahy to draft an email which dealt with confidential Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Commission business. Mr Smith was mentioned in the Ethics Committee report has having assisted Ms Leahy prepare an email raising the alarm over confidential Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Commission documents left in a safe she received as part of her own membership in the committee. Police have been called in to investigate whether an LNP MP breached the criminal code when she misled a parliamentary committee over the Jo-Ann Miller documents bungle, while the former police minister referred herself to the Crime and Corruption Committee over her own conduct in the on-going scandal. Member for Warrego Ann Leahy was found to have misled the Ethics Committee and breached the confidentiality provisions of the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee in a report tabled in Parliament on Wednesday. MP Ann Leahy will lose almost $12,000 in pay, having been banned from sitting on parliamentary committees for six months. Facing admonishment from the Speaker, a punishment which has not been used for a sitting member since 1999, Ms Leahy resigned from all parliamentary committees on Thursday morning and accepted the Ethics Committee report "unreservedly", offering an apology to the Parliament for "inconvenience and disrespect to the institution". Tradies are leaving for work so early in the morning they are creating a four-hour morning "rush hour"on the Pacific Motorway, new Main Roads data shows. Queensland's peak motoring organisation, the RACQ says it is time for an urgent taskforce from all levels of government to push politics to one side and reach consensus on which projects should go ahead immediately. The Main Roads figures show traffic on the Pacific Motorway at Underwood has increased by 53 per cent at 4am and by a further 10 per cent by 5am, since 2010. By 5am there are now 5641 vehicles running each per hour on the Pacific Motorway under the Underwood Road overpass, the highest figure for the entire day. Uber has thrown the latest grenade in its war against taxis by dropping their fares on a trial basis. From Friday, Uber users in south-east Queensland will enjoy fares that are 20 per cent cheaper than they were before. What that means in real terms is a trip from the city to Southbank that would have cost $10.62 on a quiet Monday afternoon will now cost about $8.50 while a trip to the airport from Toowong, which would have cost about $40, will now cost closer to $30. While it is certainly going to make travellers think twice when making the decision between a taxi or an Uber, Uber's Queensland general manager, Sam Bool, said the decision wasn't about being more competitive against taxis. God hath forsaken Twitter. Or, at least, the incredibly popular account @TheTweetOfGod will no longer be dispensing snarky takedowns of the pious and godly commentary on world events. The account has millions of followers, but itself only follows Justin Bieber. Credit:Twitter The account's creator, former Daily Show writer and producer David Javerbaum, told a local radio station the account which started as a way to promote his book had run its course after five years. "It's been taking up too much of my time and energy and mental agility. And I have other things that I want to do in my life and I just have to, at a certain point, just cut that cord", said Javerbaum. An IT executive sold a company linked to the botched Ultranet project for $11 million, despite telling a corruption inquiry it had no physical assets and ran out of a virtual office. It has been alleged that the company only had one asset its close connections with senior Education Department staff including former deputy secretary Darrell Fraser. Frank Aloisio Greg Tolefe, the co-owner of a company called CingleVue, told an Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission's hearing on Thursday that Ultranet developer CSG bought his company for $11 million. The executive received $5 million upfront and is still negotiating with CSG over a $6 million "earn out", the commission heard. Victoria's logging regime is facing a new legal challenge, this time over alleged failures to properly detect and protect endangered species in East Gippsland forest slated for harvesting. Environmental activists have launched Supreme Court action seeking logging to be ruled unlawful in parts of the Kuark Forest, outside Orbost, until the state-owned timber agency VicForests carries out targeted surveys for endangered species and puts in place protection measures. Activists have launched legal action against VicForests, alleging it is not properly protecting species such as the Yellow-bellied Glider are to be logged Credit:Ed Hill, Goongerah Environment Centre The green campaigners say their surveys have found evidence that two areas slated for logging are home to threatened animal and plant species, along with protected stands of rainforest. The creatures central to the legal tussle include the Yellow-bellied Glider, Long-footed Potoroo, East Gippsland Galaxias and a previously undescribed species of crayfish. A judge has expressed his deep shock at the crimes of the young Melbourne 'hurtcore' pornographer known online as Lux, saying: "It is as if he is from another planet." Matthew Graham, 23 - who used the name Lux on his empire of secret 'dark web' child porn and child abuse sites - has admitted 13 charges which County Court Judge Michael Tinney, and prosecution and defence lawyers, say are without precedent. Matthew Graham has admiited 13 horrific child pornography, child abuse and "hurtcore" charges. Judge Tinney will sentence him next month. On Thursday he told defence lawyer David Gibson, from Victoria Legal Aid, that Gibson had "already conceded the inevitability of a substantial term of imprisonment [for his client] - the issue for me is just how substantial." A real-estate spruiker has been jailed for torching a million-dollar home as revenge for being rejected in a bid to buy the property. Fabio Deluca overreacted in an "outrageous manner", the County Court heard, when the owners of a home in George Street, Doncaster, knocked back his offers to buy the house for $1.4 million in the days before it was to go to auction, in September 2014. Spurned, then burned: Real estate spruiker Fabio Deluca, aka Fabrizio Ferrari. Unable to control his anger, Deluca broke into the vacant home the night before the auction and set it alight. That day he had attached a laminated sign to the front fence which threatened the owners and was purported to be from Islamic terrorists. One West Australian public servant spent about $40 million more than the employee was delegated to on a mismanaged IT contract, according to the state's director general of health. A day after a damning auditor-general's report into WA health's centralised computing services contract was handed down, director general David Russell-Weisz admitted a failure of governance and contract management had occurred within his department. Hospital chief executive David Russell-Weisz admitted a failure of governance and contract management. Dr Russell-Weisz said on Thursday that two WA Health employees had spent "well above their delegations", with one - entrusted with a $100,000 expenditure limit - spending in excess of $40 million on variations to an IT contract. "These people went above it, and they certainly shouldn't have ... and they went above it to a significant level, an unacceptable level," Dr Russell-Weisz told 6PR Radio. New Jersey, US: A man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to killing his mother two days after he completed a 30-year prison sentence for killing a neighbour. Steven Pratt pleaded guilty to manslaughter for killing Gwendolyn Pratt, 64, at their Atlantic City, New Jersey home in October 2014. An autopsy found that she died from massive blunt-force head injuries. Steven Pratt admitted killing his mother just two days after he completed a 30-year term for murder. Credit:AP/Michael Ein A welcome party for him had reportedly just been held. Pratt was 15 when he shot and killed his next-door neighbour Michael Anderson in an apartment building in 1984. He was tried as an adult and was convicted of murder in 1986. Celebrity chef Chris Santos, who most of America knows as a judge on Food Network show Chopped and is also proprietor of NYC restaurants Vandal, The Staton Social and Beauty & Essex is moving into a new business endeavor. Partnering with the venerable metal label Metal Blade, Santos is to start his own heavy label, called Blacklight Media. Their first signing is the proggy melodic death metal band Good Tiger, who are currently on tour with Between the Buried and Me, August Burns Red and The Faceless, and they pretty much fit right in with that bill. latest news October 3, 2022 Dee Gambit Hundreds if not thousands of new and returning TV shows and movies are released every month your options of what to watch are endless. Variety, they say is ... On this episode of Suits, Self Defense, Mikes insistence to defend himself prompts Harvey to challenge Mike to go toe-to-toe in a mock trial. Gibbs puts pressure on Louis. Mikes trial begins. After weeks of putting out fires and trying to cover his ass, and the asses of everyone who knew his secret, its time for Mikes trial. Trevor Testifies Trevor is on the stand, and hes eager to tell all, but before recounting Trevor and Mikes long and storied past, Gibbs is interested in hearing about more current events. Like the fact that four days earlier, Mike approached Trevor and asked him not to testify. A week and a half earlier Trevor Turns on Mike Mike tracks down Trevor and questions why he went back on his word not to testify. Trevor felt he had no choice, since Gibbs has plenty of evidence and witnesses to send him to jail for dealing. Trevor tells Mike that he doesnt want to be a witness for the prosecution, but he cant risk going to jail. Not for Mike anyway. Mike assures him that whatever Gibbs has on Trevor, Harvey can get him out of it. Suits Recap: Rachels Future is Put in Jeopardy >>> Trevor turns the tables. Gibbs told him that Mike could get himself out of this mess if he would just turn on Harvey, and Trevor advises Mike to do just that. Mike says that unlike Trevor, he would never do that to a friend to which Trevor replies that unlike Mike, he wont be going to a white-collar prison. If Trevor doesnt rip Mike to shreds on the stand, theyll rip him to shreds behind bars. Harvey Challenges Mike Harvey tells Jessica that Mike wants to represent himself. What better way to prove hes a lawyer than act like one? Neither Jessica or Harvey thinks this is a good idea, but they have to tread lightly. The only thing keeping Mike from going to Gibbs and pointing his finger at them is his loyalty. Harvey has a plan, but he needs Jessica to sign off on it. Whatever it is, Jessicas in, because if Mike handles his own defense, she and Harvey will be the next ones on trial. Harvey goes to Mikes apartment. He warns Mike that if Gibbs manages to rattle him in court, they are going to see him as a fraud and nothing else. Harvey thinks it would be wise to do a trial run, but Mike thinks this is a waste of time, but Harvey argues that Mike needs the practice because Gibbs is going to come at him in ways hes never thought about. Mike accuses Harvey of wanting to do a trial run to prove hes outmatched. Harvey says Mike is outmatched, by both himself and Gibbs, and Mike is afraid to find out. Mike is confident he can hold his own, and Harvey uses Mikes hubris against him. If Harvey beats Mike, he lets Harvey represent him. Mike agrees but warns Harvey that he better bring his A game, because while Harvey may be the best closer in the city, Mike is fighting for his life. Mike Gets the Upper Hand Mike and Harvey give their opening arguments. Harvey sticks with what should be indisputable facts: theres no record of tuition being paid, no evidence of a Boston address, and Mikes picture isnt even in the yearbook. Mike calls Harvey to the stand and points out that Harvey doesnt have a known address for the time when he attended Harvard. Harvey explains he sublet an apartment. Mike says this proves is it possible for someone to not have a Boston address and it not mean they didnt attend Harvard. Harvey fires back. He wants Mike to explain his reason for not having an address. Mike says he chose to live with his best friend, Trevor. The only problem with this arrangement, is that Trevor has lived in Brooklyn his entire life, a three hour drive to Cambridge. It is a stretch to think Mike would make that drive everyday, but Mike clarifies that he only went to class when there was a test. Harvey cant believe that Mike expects anyone to believe that he graduated from the most competitive law school in the world without ever going to class. Mike retaliates by stating that Harvey expects people he didnt graduate from law school at all and convinced the smartest lawyers in the world to make them his younger partner, ever. Harvey Strikes Back Mikes off to a good start, but its Harveys turn to kick some ass. He produces an affidavit from every single member of Mikes supposed graduating class. In a nutshell, it claims nobody saw him, knew him or heard of Mike Ross. Mike asks that Jessica, serving as the judge, strike the document on the grounds that its completely fabricated. Theres no way Harvey could have contacted all those people since the night before. Harvey suggests Mike call every one of his classmates and put them on the stand. But when Mike does, every single one of them will look him in the eye and say Who the hell are you? And with that, Jessica calls a recess. Gibbs Threatens Louis While Harvey and Mike are doing their mock trial, Louis returns from Harvard. Hes met outside the office by Anita Gibbs. Gibbs knows Louis is responsible for convincing Sheila to flee the country. He denies the allegation, but Gibbs has pretty damning proof. Louis flew to Boston three times in the past two weeks, took two cabs to her house and another within a 100 feet of the admissions office. Gibbs tells Louis Sheila may be in Argentina for now, but she wont stay there forever. And when she returns, Gibbs will go after Louis for witness tampering. Gibbs warns Louis that if Sheila isnt back by the start of trial, shell assume he wants to be brought up on charges. Fighting Dirty Mike confronts Harvey in the bathroom, the sight of so many confrontations at the firm. Mike is pissed that Harvey isnt playing fair. He argues that Gibbs wont submit false evidence. Maybe not, but Harvey says she will set up traps for Mike to bungle into. Jessica goes to see Anita to personally serve her with a restraining order. Louis, who was freaking out after his conversation with Gibbs, went and told Jessica about the impromptu meeting. Gibbs can no longer approach Louis without his attorney present, and Louis attorney is Jessica. Jessica tells Gibbs shes done driving a wedge between herself and her people. Gibbs is curious how strong the bond between Jessica and her people will be once she parades every one of them on the stand and asks if they knew Mike Ross was a fraud. Jessica asks Gibbs if she really thinks theyll all have a different answer. Gibbs believes theyll plead the Fifth, and theyll tell themselves it implies no guilt, but in the eyes of the jury, they might as well be standing up there and say they did it. Another Hole in Mikes Story As carefully as Mike and Harvey tried to construct Mikes credible matriculation at Harvard, something else fell through the cracks. Donna discovers the class rankings from Mikes first year, and hes not on it. Lola Jensen didnt cover all the bases. Mike wants to have Lola rectify the situation. Not a wise move, since this will lead Gibbs right to her. Mike wants to go to Benjamin, but Harvey doesnt want to let any more people in on Mikes secret. Mike wants to know what Harvey plans to do, and Harveys response is to do what theyve been doing with every piece of evidence that makes them look like shit, make it look like shit. Harvey warns Mike not to go to Benjamin behind his back or prison will be the least of his problems, but Mike does it anyway. Harvey Goes After Rachel The mock trial resumes, and Harvey calls Rachel as a witness. Mike objects, saying he has a marriage certificate from Nevada, showing he and Rachel got married six weeks after they started dating. Harvey says Mike cant use this in the real trial, since Gibbs could easily prove Mike and Rachel arent married and go after Rachel for perjury. Mike admits he has no intention of using this tactic in court. Mike is simply trying to rattle Harvey like Harvey rattled him with that affidavit. Harvey calls Rachel anyway, giving the excuse that when spousal privilege is invoked in the moment, the prosecution has the right to question the validity of the marriage. Harvey goes after Rachel, guns blazing. He wants all the details regarding their quickie Vegas nuptials. Rachel stays poised, right up until Harvey asks if she vowed to remain faithful to Mike throughout their marriage. When she says she did, Harvey brings up Rachels relationship with Logan Sanders, and the fact she lied to Mike at that non-existent ceremony, just like shes lying now. Point made. Louis Becomes the Weak Link When Jessica isnt dealing with Mike and Harvey trying to tear each other to shreds, shes got to talk Louis down off the ledge. He got a call from Sheila who was approached by someone in Argentina. The person, obviously sent by Gibbs, questioned what she was doing there, and if someone else had bought her ticket. Sheila said she was there for work, but Sheila isnt holding up well through all of this drama. Jessica tells Louis that Gibbs is just trying to scare him, and even if Sheila tells them everything, Louis did nothing wrong. Louis bigger concern is what if Gibbs does find out they knew about Mike. Jessica reminds him the only proof Gibbs will ever have about Mike is if they tell them, and when she asks her, Jessica is going to plead the Fifth, and she suggests that Louis do the same. But Louis has another idea. He wants Jessica to tell Gibbs that Mike went to Harvard. It was her decision to hire Mike, and she stands by it. Harvey walks in while the two are arguing and want to know what the hell is going on. Louis tells him about Sheila, and Harvey is a bit incredulous regarding Jessicas actions. Jessica isnt about to apologize, she did what she had to do. The threesome have to squash their issues for the time being, because Gibbs interrupts their little meeting. She informs them the trial has been moved up to the following day. She convinced the judge it was necessary before all of her witnesses disappear. Suits Recap: Who Turned Mike In? >>> A Surprise Witness Harvey tells Mike the trial has been moved up, and Mike still insists on defending himself, disgusted by what Harvey did to Rachel. Harvey defends his treatment of Rachel, saying he did it to protect Mike, and if Mike cant see that, he cant win this trial. Rachel intervenes and tells Mike that she wants Harvey to represent Mike. Shes afraid the jury will hate Mike if he does to Trevor on the stand what Harvey did to her, and she would rather the jury hate Harvey. Trevors testimony is pretty brutal. The truth hurts. Trevor says during their time living together, Mike smoked weed, was a bike messenger and took the LSATs for people. On top of that, he was thrown out of college for cheating. Harvey discredits Trevor pretty swiftly, bringing up his history as a drug dealer. Harvey also makes it known the only reason Trevor is testifying is because Gibbs offered him immunity. Harvey accuses Trevor of being jealous of Mike. Trevor denies this, so Harvey threatens to call Jenny to the stand who can state Trevor lied to her for years about dealing, and when she found out, she dumped him and started dating Mike. Gibbs next move is to call Donna to the stand. Jessica reassures Donna that Gibbs wont ask her point blank if she knew about Mike, but if they do, she can lie, and theyll never know. Gibbs brings up how Mike landed an interview with Harvey in the first place, and Donna is forced to admit he lied, saying he was another candidate for the job. Despite Jessicas belief that Gibbs wouldnt ask if Donna knew whether or not Mike actually attended Harvard, thats exactly what the attorney does, and Donna pleads the Fifth. Harvey calls Jimmy Kirkwood to the stand. Mike had already begged Jimmy to cover for him, reminding him of everything theyd been through together and what Mikes conviction could mean for Jimmys aunt, but Jimmy still declined. Jimmy comes through and swears Mike attended Harvard. The judge tells Gibbs she has 24 hours to prepare for cross, but she doesnt need it. She brings up the fact that Mike approached Jimmy outside his office, and she has pictures of the two of them apparently arguing. Gibbs also brings up the fact that if Mike gets convicted the settlement he got Jimmys aunt could get overturned. This is enough to call into question if Gibbs would lie for his aunt just like Harvey got Trevor to admit he would lie out of jealousy. Harvey has Doubts After their day in court, Mike feels confident things will go his way, but Harvey says Jimmy wasnt enough. Harvey wants to give the jury a reason to want to let him go. Now Harvey thinks Mike should represent himself. Its the only way to get him to testify without actually testifying. Plus, Gibbs is to good when it comes to crossing. Mike says theres no way they will let him change his lawyer in the middle of a trial, and Harvey tells him they better find a way, because if they dont, Mikes going to lose. Gibbs approaches Louis again. Shes figured out that Louis used the information about Mike to become a name partner. Louis swears he wont turn on his partners, and Gibbs points out he had to blackmail them to get what he deserved, and that has to hurt, a little. She tells Louis Harvey is going to lose. He knows it. She knows it, and Harvey knows it. She gives Louis one last chance to turn. Before its too late. Suits airs 10pm Wednesdays on USA. (Image courtesy of USA) New study represents a leap forward in our understanding of ice sheet behavior, expert says The terminus of Jakobshavn, one of the fastest-flowing ice streams on the Greenland Ice Sheet. The behavior of ice streams such as this one are thought to play an important role in determining how fast the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets shrink. Credit: Beata Csatho UB geologist can discuss the implications of a new climate science paper in Nature There is still a lot we dont know about how these ice streams behave, and understanding their behavior is crucial for accurate modeling of future ice sheet decline. BUFFALO, N.Y. In recent years, climate scientists have grown increasingly concerned that massive rivers of ice flowing into the ocean from Greenland and Antarctica could accelerate as the planet warms, leading to a catastrophic collapse of Earths ice sheets. This grim scenario would cause the worlds oceans to rise rapidly, putting many island nations and coastal communities around the world under water. But a new paper in Nature by Durham University's C.R. Stokes and colleagues presents an alternative narrative of the manner in which an ice sheet can disappear, says Jason Briner, a University at Buffalo geologist who was not involved in the research. The study was published in Nature on Feb. 17, along with a Nature News and Views commentary by Briner discussing the implications of the research. The Stokes paper examines the Laurentide Ice Sheet, which covered much of North America until about 10,000 years ago. The study presents a historical reconstruction of how ice streams behaved as the ice sheet disintegrated, and finds that ice loss through these frozen rivers did not increase rapidly as the ice sheet met its demise. Their evidence shows that ice streams turned on and off, and shifted from place to place, during the disappearance of the Laurentide Ice Sheet the Antarctic-sized ice sheet that occupied Canada and the northern United States at that time, Briner writes in his Nature News and Views commentary. Perhaps most notably, Stokes and colleagues find that ice-stream activity decreased as the planet warmed: the number of ice streams fell, the amount of ice expunged by them decreased and ice streams occupied a progressively smaller percentage of the ice-sheet edge. The findings represent a leap forward in our view of ice-stream activity on timescales longer than a few decades, writes Briner, PhD, an associate professor of geology in the UB College of Arts and Sciences. He cautions, however, that this doesnt mean todays ice sheets will behave exactly as the Laurentide did. For one thing, the Laurentide Ice Sheet was quite different from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, with one important difference being that many of the Laurentides ice streams terminated on land, while Greenlands and Antarticas flow into the ocean. Despite these limitations, the Stokes study is an important piece of research because it provides a window into ice streams complex behavior over long periods of time. As the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets continue shrinking, they could become more similar to the Laurentide, with their rivers of ice eventually receding onto land, Briner says. He adds that continued research on ice streams is extremely valuable because there is still a lot that scientists dont know about how these frozen rivers could shed ice and drive sea level rise as the planet warms. Greenland has three major ice streams Jakobshavn, Kangerlussuaq and Helheim and in the early 2000s, they all madly accelerated at the same time, Briner says. So we had this doomsday scenario for a while, because if they continued to accelerate, their discharges into the ocean would be huge. Then, several years later, they slowed down again, Briner says. There is still a lot we dont know about how these ice streams behave, and understanding their behavior is crucial for accurate modeling of future ice sheet decline. 1st Congressional District race sees Norcross, Gustafson rematch U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, D-1, is looking to repeat his win two years ago over Republican Claire Gustafson when voters turn out this November. The countdown is underway to the start of the 69th annual Highbridge Festival of The Arts, which begins this month. The long-running festival starts on Monday 29th February at The Princess Theatre in Burnham-On-Sea. The first festival was held in 1948 with an afternoon of performances at Highbridge Town Hall, Clare Catcheside, the events General Secretary, told Burnham-On-Sea.com. Since then, the event has grown dramatically and features in excess of 1,500 performances over 12 days in three venues. The festival showcases the talents of performers aged from 4 to 84, in the spheres of speech, drama, dance and music. Those taking part receive an adjudication of their performance, using national standards, with advice from experienced, professional adjudicators and certificates to mark their achievements. The festival is one of over 200 held annually in the UK and is delighted to welcome not only performers from the local area, but also people from across the South West. This years festival opens with two days of speech and drama classes at The Princess. The dance classes take over on Thursday 3rd March and last until the evening of Sunday 6th March. Music classes begin on Monday 7th March at Highbridge Community Hall and continue until the afternoon of Saturday 12th March. Finally, on the evening of Saturday 12th March, the Festival will close with a number of local choirs singing in St Johns Church, Highbridge. Also see: Whats on in Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge Proposals to increase car parking charges by 10% in Burnham-On-Sea would be detrimental to town centre businesses, its been claimed this week. Sedgemoor Distict Council is considering a hike in car parking charges across Burnham and Highbridge, as Burnham-On-Sea.com reported here earlier this month. A Burnham-On-Sea Chamber of Trade spokesman said this week: Whilst understanding Sedgemoors budget issues and the ongoing capping of Council Tax increases, across the board increases in parking charges are detrimental when there is little attempt by Sedgemoor to attract extra shoppers into the town. The Chamber recognises that out-of-town supermarkets and shopping centres offer free parking and there are no parking charges for shoppers who sit at home on their computer or tablet to shop online. Parking charges are an unwelcome barrier to business in a town that has reducing public transport, an elderly population and a seasonal influx of visitors. If there must be charges for use of Sedgemoors car park, let the charges be reasonable and effective and let there be greater dialogue about how the needs of Sedgemoor and business can be met. Sedgemoor District Council says it needs to raise an extra 90,000 of revenue per year from parking charges across the district after cuts to its funding from central government. Introducing new parking charges at Apex Park in Highbridge is one of the options being considered and a one-off charge of 2 for the 100 spaces could generate 30,000 per year. Other suggestions include an across-the-board hike in all car park charges of ten per cent, which it says would yield 87,000 of extra income. Standardising the daily parking charges across the district at 5 per day is a further option, which would generate an extra 50,000 per year. The council is also considering raising the cost of blue badge and motorcycle parking. SECOND THOUGHTS On Books, Authors and the Writerly Life Navtej Sarna HarperCollins 291 pages; Rs 499 If reading classics is an enriching experience, the process of decoding the secret to the writing that fills those pages is no less rewarding. Such a quest, in fact, is unique enough to spawn a genre of its own - one that packs years of effort to make sense of the minds of literary legends. Navtej Sarna's Second Thoughts is an earnest attempt at turning the author's love of books into one such quest. Divided into about 60 chapters - each no longer than five pages - the book is a collection of essays written by Mr Sarna - who was recently appointed as India's high commissioner to the United Kingdom - over seven years for the Hindu Literary Review. Each of the essays explores a theme that concerns the writing process and the authors that it brings to mind, interspersed with the accounts of Mr Sarna's travels to places of literary interest. In the process, bits and pieces from the lives of literary legends - and of the author - are also revealed. One of the first essays examines the choice of a writing landscape. Even as his gaze falls on the mountain peaks and bazaars in the hills somewhere in Himachal Pradesh, Mr Sarna wonders whether enough stories can tumble out of a familiar landscape - such as a narrow bazaar - or it is extensive travel that yields the characters and settings that go into building a fictional narrative. His curiosity evokes memories of writers who set their fiction in an enclosed familiar space - for instance, R K Narayan's Malgudi and William Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha county. In this regard, Mr Sarna insists that Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk's work should be read mostly because it is set in Istanbul. He aptly summarises why Istanbul makes an ideal writing landscape: "Standing on the deck of a boat at night, going up and down the Bosphorus, floating past minarets and palaces, Asia on one side, Europe on the other. The darkest romance, the deepest contradictions, the sharpest conflict could occur in such a landscape." He contrasts this lot with the more "footloose" authors who have travelled extensively and written about a variety of places. Another essay takes the reader on a tour of the resting places of literary greats. Mr Sarna recounts his expedition many years ago to Peredelkino, south-west of Moscow, in search of the grave of dissident Russian poet Boris Pasternak. After he asks an elderly Russian woman for directions, she points him to the only recognisable signpost: "three pines" in a sea of birches. The other graves he visits are those of Graham Greene, with no epitaph and only the writer's name and the years he lived marked on the tombstone; Scott Fitzgerald, with the last words of the The Great Gatsby carved on the tombstone, "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past"; and Edgar Allan Poe. The author is as thrilled to spot the graves of literary legends as he is to meet some of the veteran writers in person. As a young student, Mr Sarna dropped by Ruskin Bond's cottage in Landour unexpectedly and walked away with a copy of the writer's poetry collection Lone Fox Dancing. Years later, as a diplomat in Moscow, Mr Sarna had the opportunity to meet Faiz Ahmed Faiz in a hospital. His impression of the poet: "A boyish smile still lit up his deeply lined face, a denial of sadness in his eyes. In a year and a half he would be dead." In another chapter, titled "96, not out", Sarna visits the now-deceased writer and journalist Khushwant Singh, who confesses that at 96 "it is work, my writing that keeps me going", even as he sips his whiskey. Mr Sarna is equally intrigued by the odd reclusive writer, one who yields a masterpiece only to turn away from all the attention that follows its publication. In an essay dedicated to J D Salinger and Henry Green - the nom de plume adopted by Henry Yorke - Mr Sarna wonders about successful writers who quit writing. Yorke, an aristocrat and industrialist, said goodbye to his writing career at 47, because, as he told an interviewer, "I find it so exhausting now I simply can't do it anymore". In stark contrast to the stream of literary icons who acknowledged the sheer exhaustion that the writing process entails are the authors of Twitterature, a book that reworks literary classics to be read in 20 tweets or fewer. The literary concept does not sit well with Mr Sarna, who often reminisces about the days of his childhood when he would buy classics for 25 paise each from a small shop in Dehradun. In a chapter - also titled "Twitterature" - he laments that "forty years on some reader may only recall the classics through the tweets". Mrs Dalloway, he fears, for instance, would open as: "Ah! A party tonight! Should be a fine time - fun, friends, nothing stressful, nothing awkward. Should be a blast!" In the bleak future that Mr Sarna envisions, a book such as this one might serve as a fitting introduction to the world of classics - and those who made it possible. A smartphone at Rs 251 was unheard of till Monday. However, within a day of the announcement of Freedom251, flags are being raised from various quarters of society and industry questioning the motive behind the initiative. While, the online booking started at 6 am on Thursday, within a few hours the website, www. .com, crashed. Headquarters of the company Ringing Bells Pvt Ltd (RBPL), supposedly offering the handset, wore a deserted look during the day. Company officials could not be reached. Several calls to its president, Ashok Chadha, went unanswered. That did not stop the buzz around the device. However, the number of smartphones booked during the initial hours was 30,000, which means Ringing Bells raised Rs 75,30,000 through the initial booking. According to the terms and conditions, buyers had to deposit Rs 251 during the online registration, four months ahead of delivery. It could not take more bookings as the web platform could not handle the traffic. During the initial hours, the site received 600,000 hits per second. WHAT'S THE DEAL? 30,000 Number of smartphones booked during initial hours Number of smartphones booked during initial hours Rs 75,30,000 Amount raised by the company through initial bookings Amount raised by the company through initial bookings 600,000 hits per second received by the booking website during initial hours hits per second received by the booking website during initial hours The Indian Cellular Association has urged Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to intervene "Dear friends, we are very grateful for your enormous response and your kind patronage and would submit that as of now we received approximately 600,000 hits per second as a result of your response, servers are overloaded," the company told customers. "We humbly submit that we are taking a pause and upgrading the service and will revert within or before 24 hours."Indian Cellular Association (ICA), apex body of the mobile industry in the country, has urged Ravi Shankar Prasad, the Union telecom minister, to intervene. According to ICA, the aggressive pricing is absurd. The specifications that has cannot be sold at less than Rs 3,750 per unit, it said. "The scheme is unviable. While it takes thousands of rupees to build such a smartphone, no way can one offer it that at such price," an industry analyst said. "It smells fishy." Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Kirit Somaiya has written to Prasad to investigate whether it's a ponzi or collective investment scheme (CIS), apart from studying the whereabouts of the company and its objectives. "Chairman & Telecom Ministry assured me of appropriate steps. Buyers must check twice," Somaiya said. According to documents available with the registrar of companies, ministry of corporate affairs, Ringing Bells was incorporated in Delhi on September 16 last year by Mohit Kumar Goel, a director in the company. His parents, Sushma Devi and Rajesh Kumar, were appointed additional directors on November 2. According to its president, Ashok Chadha, the Goels are into the argi-commodity business in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana for three generations. While RBPL is yet to manufacture any unit on its own, Chadha claims Ringing Bell will be able to achieve this feat through four strategies. One, the benefit it will receive from excise duty cuts by assembling handsets domestically would be Rs 400 or 16 per cent of Rs 2,500, which he claims to be the original cost of the device. However, that does not match the excise duty cut he is expecting from the government, which is at 13.8 per cent or Rs 55 lower than Rs 400. Moreover, the real benefit in terms of duty cut for the industry in India is much lower, executives from major brands told Business Standard. While, like Lava, fifth largest player in the market, enjoy an effective benefit of eight per cent, for OnePlus it is about three per cent, much lower than what Ringing Bell has claimed. Two, as it starts manufacturing in huge quantities (at least 500,000 units a month according to Chadha), it would be able to cut costs by a further Rs 500 a unit. Three, online sales will help it cut costs by another Rs 500. Four, it will have a specialised online platform, which is expected to help it earn additional revenue. But, all these strategies are yet to be implemented and their success, on which Freedom251's existence depends, is uncertain. QuEST Global, a pure-play engineering and R&D (research and development) services provider, on Thursday said leading global investors Bain Capital, GIC and Advent International had invested around $350 million (about Rs 2,396 crore) for a minority stake in the company in a deal valuing the company at around $1 billion (Rs 6,855 crore). These investors have also bought out QuEST Globals long-time investor Warburg Pincus, and a few other shareholders who had invested in the company at the angel stage. Founded in 1997 by Ajit Prabhu and Aravind Melligeri, the company is one of the largest pure-play engineering services companies with an estimated revenues of around $385 million (Rs 2,637 crore). It counts large global corporate such as GE, BMW, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, Boeing and Airbus as its customers, employs around 7,800 people globally, more than half located in India, mostly out of Bengaluru. This investment by three of the most respected global investors reflects the progress we are making, said Ajit Prabhu, co-founder, Chairman and chief executive officer of QuEST. It also crystallises the value we have created for our shareholders and employees who have placed their belief in us and partnered with us in this journey. Warburg Pincuss association with QuEST dates back to 2010, when the private equity major invested $75 million in the company for a minority stake. Again, it invested an undisclosed amount in a follow-up round in 2010, which took its stake to around 25 per cent. Since its inception, QuEST has succeeded in attracting global investors's interest. Another private equity player, Carlyle, which invested $6 million in QuEST in September 2003, exited in 2007 when the latter bought it out. "QuEST has been in the business for around 18 years, and we are one of the fastest growing company, showing about 30 per cent compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) over the past 15 years. We have maintained our margins consistently, making sure that we have good cash flow," Rajendra Kumar Shreemal, chief financial officer of QuEST Global, told Business Standard. "These are the factors that attracted many investors into our firm," he added. For Bain Capital, this is said to be its second big investment in the information technology (IT) space in India after Genpact, the NYSE-listed business process outsourcing services company, in which it had invested around $1 billion in 2010 for a 30 per cent stake. In December, Business Standard reported that Bain Capital was leading a race to buy out Warburg Pincus from QuEST in a secondary offering in a deal that valued QuEST at around $1. "We are partnering with QuEST because of the differentiated business platform and distinctive culture of the company. QuEST has demonstrated the ability to scale accounts in a fragmented industry by becoming the core engineering partner to most of the top global firms in its target industries," said Pawan Singh, a managing director of Bain Capital Private Equity. With the backing of globally-known PE players and investors, and driven by an organic and inorganic growth strategy, QuEST has now set a target to touch $1 billion in revenues by 2020. Raman Subramanian, senior vice-president, Strategic Initiatives & Marketing at QuEST, said while there are enough opportunities in the engineering services outsourcing space in all seven verticals the company focuses on, it is also looking at expanding vertical capabilities. A couple of areas where the company is planning to expand are industrial IoT (Internet of Things) and digitisation, he added. Post the current investments, the promoters of the company including Prabhu and Melligeri holds around 65 of the company. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has recommended a market-linked pricing regime for natural gas fields yet to be developed. This is a long-standing demand of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), to make its Rs 40,000-crore planned investment in the Krishna-Godavari basin viable. In a representation to the petroleum ministry, the apex business chamber has said to build investor confidence, it is important that discovered but undeveloped gas resources are provided with the same pricing and marketing freedom as proposed to be given for future acreages under the new hydrocarbon exploration policy. Multi trillion cubic feet (tcf) of already discovered resources can be developed immediately over the next three to five years. Development of these resources will involve investment of $40 billion (Rs 2,73,600 crore at the current exchange rate) from exploration and production firms in India and also result in import substitution of $100-150 bn, CII has said, in a note reviewed by Business Standard. The move will provide progressive market-based pricing to align with the risk level, will be consistent with bid offers of earlier Nelp (New Exploration and Licensing Policy) rounds, provide long-term security of supply to key consumer groups and be cheaper than imported liquefied natural gas or other alternate fuels, says CII. Consumers will benefit as new production will replace costly LNG or liquid fuel. Weighted average cost of gas will be lower with gas price reform. The comments are part of a larger representation to the government in response to the draft of a new fiscal and contractual regime for awarding hydrocarbon blocks that was put up for public consultation by the petroleum ministry last November. The policy is likely to be announced before the end of the current financial year in end-March. CII has also supported awarding of contracts under the new regime for a duration till the end of the economic life of a field, a major demand by Vedanta-owned Cairn India, which has been seeking extension of the contract for its oil and gas field in Barmer, Rajasthan. The ministry says the proposed policy changes are at the forefront of its effort to reform the exploration and production sector and aligned with the larger intent of 'ease of doing business'. These stem from concerns over the countrys stagnant crude oil production, which has inflated the energy-hungry nations fuel bill to Rs 7.7 lakh crore annually, and the big decline in natural gas production. The proposal is for a policy switch to pricing and marketing freedom for and a more investor-friendly revenue sharing model of development, that allows to indicate the revenue they will have to share with the government at different stages of production. This is unlike the current system where win blocks by committing the highest investment and recover these before sharing profits with the government. In its representation, CII has called for operationalising the proposed Open Acreage Licensing Policy without waiting for the establishment of the proposed National Data Repository. Also, sound assessment of the Minimum Works Programme proposed by companies while bidding and, continuing with the existing provision of higher weightage for technical know-how. Plus, incentivising exploration of unconventional hydrocarbons through a tax holiday and streamlining grant of environment clearances. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has recommended market-linked pricing for natural gas fields, which are discovered but yet to be developed -- a long-standing demand of the state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to make its Rs 40,000 crore planned investments in the Krishna Godavari Basin viable. In a representation to the petroleum ministry, the apex industry chamber has argued that in order to build investor confidence, it is important that the existing undeveloped discovered gas resources are also provided with pricing and marketing freedom as proposed to be provided to future acreages under the new hydrocarbon exploration policy. "Multi Trillion Cubic Feet (tcf) already discovered resources can be developed immediately over next 3-5 years. Development of these resources will involve investments of around $40 billion from exploration and production in India and also result in import substitution of $100-150 billion," CII has said in a note reviewed by Business Standard. The move will provide progressive market-based pricing of gas to align with the risk level, will be consistent with bid offer of earlier NELP rounds, provide long-term security of supply to key consumer groups and the supply will be cheaper than imported LNG or other alternate fuels, according to CII. "The consumers will benefit as new production will replace costly LNG or liquid fuel. Weighted average cost of gas will be lower with gas price reform," the chamber said. The comments are part of a larger representation to the government in response to the draft of the new fiscal and contractual regime for awarding hydrocarbon blocks that was put up for public consultation by the oil ministry last November. The new policy is likely to be announced before the end of the current fiscal in March. CII has also supported awarding contracts under the new regime for duration till the end of the economic life of the field - a major demand by Vedanta-owned Cairn India, which has been seeking extension of contract for its flagship Barmer oil and gas field in Rajasthan. According to the oil ministry, the proposed policy changes are at the forefront of its efforts to reform the exploration and production (E&P) sector and are aligned with the larger intent of "ease of doing business". The basic idea stems from the concerns over the country's stagnant crude oil production -- which has inflated the energy-hungry nation's fuel bill to a massive $112 billion annually - and the huge decline in natural gas production. The new policy proposes a switch towards pricing and marketing freedom for and a more investor-friendly revenue sharing model of development that allows to indicate the revenue they will have to share with the government at different stages of production. This is unlike the current system where companies win blocks by committing the highest investment and recover them before sharing profits with the government. In its representation, CII has called for operationalising the proposed Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) without waiting for the establishment of the proposed National Data Repository (NDR); sound assessment of the Minimum Works Programme proposed by companies while bidding; continuing with the existing provision of higher weightage for technical know-how; incentivising exploration of unconventional hydrocarbons through tax holiday; and streamlining grant of environment clearances. has compled its $ 550-million (around Rs 3575 crore) acquisition of US generic drug makers InvaGen and Exelan. This gives the 80-year-old Indian drug maker a bigger presence in the lucrative US market. This is its second major acquisition after the Rs 2,700-crore deal to buy South African drug firm Medpro in 2013. While Lupin and Sun Pharmaceuticals earn 40-50 per cent of their revenues from the US, Cipla's share from the geography is much smaller. The US accounts for eight per cent of Cipla's revenue and the company aims to increase the share to 20 per cent over the next few years. The deal, which was announced last September, will give access to InvaGen's manufacturing facilities and research and development capabilities. The combined revenue of InvaGen and Exelan was $230 million in 2015. The deal will also provide with 40 approved abbreviated new drug applications, 32 marketed products and pipeline of 30 products, which are expected to be approved over the next four years. InvaGen has filed five first to file products giving the company first mover advantage. The deal will enable the company to grow its front-end presence in the US and increase sales of its own-branded products. Through Exelan it gives access to US government business. Umang Vohra, global chief operating officer, Cipla, said The acquisition will further strengthen Ciplas presence in the US pharmaceutical market. InvaGens balanced portfolio, robust manufacturing base and strong R&D capabilities will act as lever to expand Ciplas reach in the US market. While Cipla is bullish about growing its US business, analysts caution of challenges. InvaGen's plant in New Jersey came under the US Food and Drug Administration scanner last year for not following current good manufacturing practices. The plant received Form 483, which is issued for violations and such regulatory action could lead to delays in product approvals from the plant. But, a Cipla spokesperson said as part of the routine course of business, pharmaceutical receive observations from regulators ranging from minor to major issues.. He added, this is part of our business, our factories are running in a state of control, we manufacture, test, release, and distribute safe and effective product. Analysts also point out that InvaGen does not have a portfolio of specialty drugs. In their note to investors in September Nomura analysts Saion Mukherjee and Ayan Deb wrote, Cipla acquires a portfolio of largely plain vanilla oral solids where its capabilities are already well-established, and hence the acquisition adds little to Ciplas capabilities. It does not get an established front end. To that, the company said, InvaGen has a rich pipeline of under-registration and under-development products spanning across niche and high value segments. This year, we will witness approvals of approximately 15 products. InvaGen has also filed 5 first-to-file products which is expected to bring tremendous value in the coming 5-6 years. Foodlink Restaurants, a Mumbai-based restaurant chain that operates under brands such as China Bistro, India Bistro and Glocal Junction, is in the process of raising about Rs 100 crore via the private equity route by mid next year, said its chairman and managing director Sanjay Vazirani. The four-year-old company, which currently runs six restaurants in Mumbai and two in Hyderabad, plans to open 12 more outlets pan-India over the next one year, which would primarily be funded through internal accruals and some debt, he told mediapersons on Thursday. Our long-term plan is to open more than 30 restaurants across formats pan-India in the next three years. The proceeds of the proposed fundraising will be deployed towards this, Vazirani said, adding that the company was working on a one-ticket restaurant format, the first outlet of which would be rolled out either in Mumbai or Hyderabad in six months from now. Global software firm Microsoft on Thursday said it was working with the Indian government to use Skype with the Aadhar database. According to Brad Smith, president and chief legal officer, Microsoft Corporation, the company hopes to merge the two services and see if Skype's video-calling facility would be used as a way to authenticate government's various services. Smith said that the government's UID (Unique Identification) programme was a great initiative and the company stood by the system. "We have been pursuing work, initially on a pilot basis, to use this specific technology and integrate it with Skype. We see Skype evolving in a way that will enable someone at home to authenticate themselves by using that ID system with a fingerprint or iris scan and then communicate with someone on the other end, maybe even a government agency, which will know that person is the same as he or she is claiming to be," Smith said. On his views on governments insisting on setting up local data centres, he said it was a "mistake" as it pushed up the cost of cloud computing. "I think it's a mistake for governments to require data localisation. If every country said that all the data in the country needed to stay in the country, we would quickly see a spiralling cost to cloud computing," he said. Smith added security of data can be advanced through data classification since only some of the data is sensitive. "I think governments can advance digital transformation and security by developing a classification scheme that guides the different agencies... what it really does is, it protects the most sensitive data and moving other data to the cloud in a way that makes it accessible to the public at large," he said. Smith also expressed concerns over increasing intervention by governments to access consumer data. Meanwhile, Microsoft said regulations needed to keep pace with rapidly changing technology to secure and protect privacy of individuals. Microsoft, just like its peers Google, Apple and Facebook, has been strongly advocating protecting security of customers and their information. "Governments have a fundamentally important role in striking a balance between privacy and security. We want to live in a world where the public is safe and where privacy rights are secure. Governments need to strike a balance especially in democratic societies," Smith added. Smith said laws also need to "catch up" with technology as the latter has moved at a fast pace in the last two to three decades. "As we look to the future, we believe there is a need for legal modernisation at the national level and perhaps even more, there is a need for a new international legal processes... That's the only way we are going to ensure that law enforcement works effectively and privacy receives all the strong protection it deserves," he said. Apple recently opposed a US court's ruling to unlock the iPhone of Syed Farook, who shot dead 14 people and injured 22 others in San Bernardino, California, along with another shooter last December. According to Microsoft the company is working with the government on setting the Cyber Security Engagement Centre (CSEC) under the digital crimes unit of the company. "The centre will work with law enforcement agencies as well as customers and help stakeholders fight cybercrimes," he said. The company as of now said that is offering its cyber security services to the government, as well as defence forces and power plants in the country and would be expanding the initiative further. Ringing Bells, the company that claims to have launched the cheapest smartphone in the world, is a newbie in the 100-million-units-annually Indian smartphone market. While the unbelievably low price tag of Rs 251 has created interest among customers, what's even more intriguing is the background of the company. Incorporated in September 2015, Ringing Bells is owned by a UP-based business family. The company has three directors - Mohit Kumar Goel, Sushma Devi and Rajesh Kumar. While Sushma and Rajesh are Mohit Goel's parents, the younger Goel, who studied at Amity University in Noida and has an MBA from Western Sydney University in New South Wales, is the face of the company. Mohit's brother Anmol and wife Dhaarna are part of the company too, but the Goels mostly keep a low profile. A t the launch of the smartphone on Wednesday, most of the questions were fielded by Ashok Chadha, the president of Ringing Bells. Chadha, who has 46 years of experience in chemicals, automobiles and the financial services industry, seemed more comfortable talking to the media than the Goels. According to Chadha, the Goel family has been into the agri-commodity business, with interests in UP and Haryana, and is the proprietor of Ringing Bells. The family is investing Rs 200 crore into the venture in the form of equity capital. The funds will be used to set up two plants- one in Noida and another in Uttarakhand-to manufacture handsets. In addition to the family investment, the company will raise Rs 300 crore in bank loans for the plants. "The Goel family has invested their savings into Ringing Bells," Chadha told reporters at the launch event. Yet, how the Goels plan to make their venture profitable is a mystery. At Rs 251, the smartphone is priced at one-tenth of its manufacturing cost of Rs 2,500. The company is banking on an "innovative ecommerce platform" for marketing , savings on excise duty from local manufacturing, and economies of scale to cut production costs. "These measures will result in savings of Rs 1,500 on the production cost," says Chadha. However, experts say the costs don't add up. They believe the components of the smartphone, which runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system and has features such 1.3 GHz Quadcore processor, 1 GB RAM, 8GB internal memory and two, back and front cameras, can't be procured at Rs 1,000. Chadha did not reveal the company's plans further. In a country like India where at least 150 smartphone are jostling for a share of the market, the adventure seems unusual to most industry players - who with years of experience and well established teams are finding it hard to hold on to their market. Indian airline companies honeymoon period has continued in 2016, mainly on the back of low fuel prices, with passenger traffic in January growing 23 per cent over the same month the previous year. Airlines passenger load factor a measure of their utilisation of aircraft capacity however, declined from that in December, when traffic was higher amid a tourist season. According to data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Indian carried 7.66 million passengers in January this year, compared with 6.25 million in the same month last year. Of the total passengers carried in January this year, 6.43 million (84 per cent) were carried by private airlines, and 1.22 million (16 per cent) by state-owned Air India. Low-cost carrier IndiGo, which carried 36.7 per cent o the passengers, continued to be the leader among domestic . It was followed by Jet Airways (including Jet Lite), which flew 21.4 per cent and Air India (16 per cent). In terms of capacity utilisation, the Ajay Singh-led budget carrier SpiceJet remained at the top of the heap, with 92.1 per cent. It was followed by GoAir and IndiGo, at 84.9 per cent and 84.7 per cent, respectively. SpiceJet maintained a load factor of over 90 per cent January, for a ninth straight month. Ajay Singh was appointed the airlines managing director in May, after a phase of financial crisis for the no-frills airline. Vistara, the joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, performed the best in terms of timely operations, with an on-time performance (OTP) of 86.6 per cent. The airline, though, fell from a high of 90.6 per cent the previous month. Growth has prompted to deploy huge capacities on domestic routes for expansion. Business Standard had recently reported that Air India was looking to cash in on this growth by deploying more aircraft on domestic routes and was also planning to fly Dreamliners on metro routes. IndiGo is slated to receive 430 additional Airbus A320 Neos, and GoAir 72 or those; SpiceJet is likely to place a significant order shortly. Global pharma giant Inc has received a patent for a drug that addresses issues related to cholesterol and related disorders, including cardiovascular disease. The Indian Patent Office has said that the company amended its set of claims for the invention titled PCSK9 Antagonists and there were no technical and formal objections pending, and that the application will now proceed to an approval stage. The application is related to therapeutic methods for use of certain antibodies and antigen-binding portions to reduce LDL-cholesterol levels and for the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease, including treatment of hypercholesterolemia, a situation in which blood cholesterol levels are high. The company has a PCSK9 inhibitor, under the name bococizumab/RN316, in its pipeline to be developed for treatment of Hyperlipidemia.formulati The low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor in the liver is responsible for removing LDL cholestrol in the blood and the proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 (PCSK9) binds to the receptor, preventing it from its activity. Blocking the PCSK9 would help to improve the functioning of the receptor, this enabling the body to bring down the LDL cholesterol levels in blood, according to experts. The particular invention provides a method of obtaining such antibodies and antibody-encoding nucleic acid. The Patent Office had initially raised several objections on the claims, stating that they fall under various sections of the Patents (Amendment) Act, 2005 and were thus not patentable. It added that the Claim 1 of the application does not sufficiently define the invention and sought the company's response. In a hearing held in January, this year, the company's representative agreed to delete certain claims and submitted necessary amendment to some other claims. Monika Yadav, assistant controller of Patents and Designs with the Delhi Patent Office, in her order said that based on the written submission and the report given by the examiner on the amended set of claims, the patent application shall proceed to grant of Patent on amendment set of claims filed on February 3, 2016, as there are no technical and formal objections. South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), the countrys largest coal producing company and the most profitable subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL), is likely to lose its flagship position to Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) after a recent order by the green panel put a spanner in crucial expansion plans. The company had proposed to expand the capacity of its Korba-based Kusmunda open cast mine from 18.75 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 62.5 MTPA. The ministry of environment, forest and climate change, however, denied the request citing environmental concerns, instead permitting it to expand the capacity only to 26 MTPA. A company spokesperson said the company was hopeful that the proposed plan for Kusmunda --- one of the projects in the Emergency Coal Production Plan (ECPP) of CIL, would be approved in phases. To augment production, nine new projects are in the pipeline for approval in Korba and Raigarh districts. If the expansion plans of the fail to take shape, the company would slip to number two position in terms of production by 2019-20 as the CIL had fixed 250 MTPA target for MCL as against SECLs 240 MTPA under its target plan of 1 billion tonnes. For the current financial year, had set a target of 137 million tonnes (MT); the spokesperson said that target would be comfortably achieved. Coal reserves of are spread over the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The company is operating 85 mines (52 mines in CG and 33 in Madhya Pradesh). At present, there are 33 ongoing projects under implementation with rated capacity of 168.66 MT. From the financial perspective, the company earned a Profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 3659.93 crore in the last fiscal. Tata Capital, financial services arm of Tata Group, is in talks with Oman's sovereign wealth fund, State General Reserve Fund (SGRF), to raise money for its real estate fund, said a source. The source added could raise as much as $300 million (Rs 2,000 crore) from the Oman fund but this could not be verified. If it happens, it would be one of the largest in fund raising from an overseas entity in the country this year. Last year, Oman SGRF, with other investors, gave $375 mn to the offshore fund of HDFC Property Fund. was also in talks with large US investors but this did not finally go ahead, said sources. E-mails to and Oman SGRF did not get a response. Tata Capital is also looking to raise $900 mn across its two funds, Growth Fund and Opportunities Fund. Sovereign funds of Central Asia have been one of the biggest investors in funds floated by Indian property fund managers. HDFC Capital Advisors, a newly floated asset management company of the HDFC group, had got approval of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board to bring in $400 mn. According to the buzz, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) committed this money. ADIA had also committed $200 mn to Kotak Realty Fund to invest in Indian real estate. It has a joint venture with Hines India Real Estate, the Indian arm of US-based property investment and management firm Hines, to invest in properties across north India. Oman SGRF also has one more investment in India. Oman-India Joint Investment Fund (OIJIF) is a growth capital private equity fund, focused on investing in the mid-market segment. It works in partnership with Oman SGRF and State Bank of India. The first tranche of OIJIF, worth $100 mn, already stands invested and discussion is on to finalise the investment for the second tranche of $300 mn, a report said recently. Oman's SGRF has investments in a little over 25 countries worldwide, in a diversified portfolio of asset classes. The fund recently said it had generated an average annual return of 7.5 per cent since inception in 1980, up to December 2014. It holds between 65 and 85 per cent of its assets in public markets and between 15 and 35 per cent in private markets globally. All central universities will fly the flag on a 207 feet high mast at a prominent place on their campuses, HRD ministry said today, a move that comes in the backdrop of the massive controversy over alleged anti-India protests in JNU. Officials said that a "unanimous" decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of Vice Chancellors in Surajkund, which has been called by Human Resource Development Ministry led by Smriti Irani. "A proposal had come on raising the flag on University campuses which was accepted at the meeting," a senior HRD ministry official said. The resolution is applicable to JNU too as it is a central university, the officials said. ALSO READ: Arvind Kejriwal meets President over JNU row Sources said that the move has been taken to instill a "sense of unity and integrity" among students in institutions of higher education. The HRD ministry called the meeting of VCs after the death of dalit scholar Rohith Vemula at the University of Hyderabad triggered a massive controversy and brought the spotlight on problems faced by disadvantages sections. However, days before the proposed meeting, a demonstration in JNU triggered another row as alleged anti-India slogans were raised at the campus after which Delhi police arrested the JNU students union president on charges of sedition. The government has come under attack after the arrest of JNSU leader Kanhaiya Kumar and subsequent attack by lawyers on students and mediapersons in Patiala courts. Protests have also been held in many parts of the country including in Jadavpur University in West Bengal. The Union Cabinet gave "in principle" clearance for the location of a Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) facility in India, on Wednesday, within a week of the historic announcement that gravitational waves had been directly observed by the US . There are two facilities in the US. This third facility will be set up and managed by The IndIGO Consortium (Indian Initiative in Gravitational-wave Observations), which is a group of scientists drawn from a dozen institutions, including the IITs at Gandhinagar, Madras (Chennai), Kanpur; IISERs at Trivandrum, Kolkata and Pune; The Chennai Mathematical institute, the ICTS Centre of TIFR, Bangalore and the University of Delhi. IndIGO has been lobbying for this since 2011. But the file was in limbo for years. The announcement of the breakthrough imparted momentum and the Prime Minister's Office reportedly pushed the file through. LIGO India will be jointly funded by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST). IndIGO Spokesperson Tarun Souradeep of Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) said, "We have done fairly detailed studies, and developed timelines for setting up the facility. We have also inspected multiple potential locations and shortlisted three or four sites. Our best guess is that, once the funds are actually made available, it will take somewhere between six-and-a-half years to eight years to get India's LIGO operational". The three key institutions in the IndIGO consortium are the IUCAA, Pune, the Institute of Plasma Research, Ahmedabad (IPR) and the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technologies (RRCATS), Indore. The IUCAA faculty has many of the best Indian astronomers and cosmologists including several scientists who have already contributed to the LIGO. The IPR, which is run by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), is the premier Indian institution when it comes to design and fabrication of vacuum tubes. The RRCATS is also run by the DAE and expertises in handling lasers and optical detectors. The Indian facility will be similar in design to the two American LIGO labs though it may incorporate a "few new tricks" according to the IUCAA Director Somak Raychaudhury. The LIGO labs consist of two L-shaped tunnels, with each arm of the "L" exactly 4 km long. Each tunnel has a vacuum tube running through it. A laser beam is run through the vacuum tubes and split at the intersection of the arms. Each arm has mirrors to bounce that laser beam back and forth. A photo-detector device is placed at such an angle that it will receive no light so long as the two arms remain of exactly the same length. The passage of gravity wave changes the dimensions of the arms and the photo detector picks up the changes. The apparatus is very delicate and a lot of ingenuity is involved in suspending mirrors, creating a vacuum, etc., to reduce potential interference from other sources. The signals also have to be adjusted to eliminate "noise" from phenomena such as ocean waves, lightning strikes, earthquakes, passing trucks, etc. The US LIGO received sufficient funding to design lasers and seismic isolation equipment for three facilities but it did not receive approval to set up three facilities. So India can use some of that excess equipment. The US LIGO will transfer equipment worth $140 million to India. But a great deal of equipment, and all the civil engineering, of course, will be done by IndIGO. It is hoped that Indian industry will participate in this initiative. Apart from sheer size, there are other daunting requirements for a LIGO facility. It must be located, away from the ocean, in a zone of low seismic activity, and at a distance of at least 15 km from the nearest railway line and preferably nowhere near a busy road. The US facilities are located in a swamp (Livingston, Louisiana) and a disused nuclear plant (Hanford, Washington). Ideally, it should not be anywhere near a major city. This is a logistic issue as well since hundreds of personnel will have to be housed. Obviously environmental clearances will be required but IndIGO has spent a lot of time surveying sites to find potentially suitable places - this could still be a major stumbling block. The US labs took around nine years to be set up, and are now undergoing upgrades. Costs are difficult to estimate at this stage but ballpark estimates by IndIGO scientists suggest that, apart from land acquisition, this facility could cost about Rs 1,260 crore over 8-10 years. The US LIGO is providing equipment worth $140 million. It could be a 'Discover in India' initiative, aiming to put India at the forefront of gravitational research. Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, arrested on sedition charges, petitioned the Supreme Court on Thursday for bail. It will be heard on Friday. His petition was mentioned before a bench of judges J Chelameswar and A M Sapre by senior advocate Soli J Sorabjee and Raju Ramachandran. Protests on the arrest of Kumar were taken out in several cities of the country, including here. A number of bodies, including Left and Congress affiliated student unions, carried out a march in the heart of Delhi, an estimated 15,000 people taking part. JNU students rejected an appeal by university Vice-Chancellor Jagdesh Kumar to reconsider their march to Jantar Mantar, a traditional protest venue, for "safety" reasons. The march demanded his immediate release. The city police arrested O P Sharma, a Bharatiya Janata Party member of the city's legislative assembly, for assaulting students at the Patiala House courts on Monday. Sharma was released on bail soon after and complained of "media trial". In a related development, all central universities have been instructed to fly the national flag on a 207-ft high mast at a prominent place in their campuses, by the Union human resource development ministry. Some farmers' bodies have planned a march on Wednesday, to protest "anti-farmer" policies of the government at the Centre. And, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliates have also planned a march over the weekend in Delhi. Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Thursday condemned the attack on journalists in Delhi's Patiala House courts. Paswan said he had sympathy for the arrested JNU student leader but didn't want to comment on the arrest. Adding, however, that ideological debate and discussion among students was vital in educational institutions, if within the limit of the Constitution. The Bar Council of India has said lawyers who were part of the violence at Patiala House might have their licenses revoked if found guilty. Its chairman, Manan Kumar, said he was apologising to journalists and Kanhaiya Kumar. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and city chief minister Arvind Kejriwal met President Pranab Mukherjee to raise the issue of the attack on journalists and arrest of Kumar. Gandhi said the RSS was trying to impose its "flawed" and "dead" ideology on students and his party wouldn't allow it. BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma accused the Congress of "crying over the death of terrorists". He said Gandhi's meeting with Mukherjee and his assertion that nationalism ran in his blood was meant to "defend" himself after his stand on the issue "sparked anger in the country". Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar bluntly stated on Thursday that negotiations for buying 36 Rafale fighters from French aerospace vendor, Dassault, were deadlocked on the issue of price, and that no deal would be signed until the price was right. Well-informed defence ministry sources that are close to the negotiation say there is a wide gulf between the two sides. "The difference between what France is demanding and what India is willing to pay is too large to bridge easily - about 25 per cent." Business Standard understands that Dassault has quoted about Rs 91,548 crore, while Indian negotiators are refusing to go above Rs 68,499 crore. Parrikar told India Today TV: "Price is the problem which has to be resolved. Unless I get the right price, I cannot sign." Debunking recent media articles that a deal was imminent, most recently in Hindustan Times on February 11, Parrikar said ironing out the remaining issues would take "a few months". Pressed on the question of time-frame, Parrikar responded: "You can't commit yourself to a time, because this is not a negotiation for a few hundred crores. This is thousands of crores. I should not put a time line on my price negotiation." On January 25, during his visit to Delhi, French President Francois Hollande declared after signing an inter-governmental agreement for the supply of 36 Rafales, "There are some financial issues that will be sorted out in a couple of days" It now appears he may have been speaking figuratively. On January 27, French ambassador to New Delhi, Francois Richier, put a deadline of four months for the price to be negotiated. On Thrursday, Parrikar also confirmed that India had demanded offsets worth 50 per cent of the deal value, and that Dassault had agreed to that condition. "We have resolved all the other issues. There were terms of guarantees, there were terms of supply, there were terms of how it will be done", said Parrikar. The defence minister denied that the window was open for buying more Rafale fighters, beyond the 36 being currently negotiated. "As of now, the negotiation is for 36 (fighters). There are many possibilities, but this deal is for 36", he said. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on a visit to Paris last April, requested for 36 Rafales, New Delhi and had Paris agreed the price would be less than what Dassault had quoted in response to the Indian tender of 2007 for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA). Of those 126 fighters, the first 18 were to be supplied in "flyaway condition", i.e. fully built. Since 36 Rafales are now being bought in "flyaway condition", their per-piece price must be lower than what Dassault quoted for those 18 fighters. The Indian Air Force had chosen the Rafale on January 31, 2012, in India's tender for 126 MMRCA aircraft. However, in protracted price negotiations that followed, the defence ministry found problems in Dassault's financial bid. Eventually, Modi chose to abandon the MMRCA tender, and instead buy 36 Rafales over-the-counter. Three office-bearers of JNU unit of ABVP today resigned from the student wing of the BJP to protest the Centre's handling of the ongoing row at the university and for "legitimising" actions of right wing 'fascist' forces. Pradeep Narwal, Joint Secretary of the JNU unit of ABVP, said he has quit the party. Rahul Yadav, President of ABVP unit of JNU's School of Social Sciences (SSS) and its Secretary Ankit Hans also said they have quit. In a joint statement, the three leaders said have decided to quit ABVP as they have serious differences over the way the NDA government was handling the issue, adding there is a difference between "interrogation and crushing ideology and branding entire Left as anti- ."They also expressed deep anguish over assault on mediapersons and JNU students and teachers in Patiala House Court complex on Monday as well as attack on JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar in the same court complex today, alleging that the government was "legitimising" the action of right wing fascist forces. "We are resigning from ABVP and disassociating ourselves from any further activity of the party as per our difference of opinion over the current JNU incident and long standing difference of opinion with MANUSMIRITI (Smriti Irani) and Rohith Vermula incident. "Anti- slogans on February 9 in university campus were very unfortunate and heart breaking. Whosoever responsible for that act must be punished as per the law but the way NDA government is tackling the whole issue, the oppression on professors, repeated attacks on media by lawyers and Kanhaiya Kumar in court premises (today) is unjustifiable," the statement said. When contacted, a senior ABVP leader said the organisation has not received their resignation. The three students further said, "We think there is a difference between interrogation and crushing ideology and branding entire left as anti- . We cannot be mouthpiece of such a government which has unleashed oppression on student community. "Every day we see people assemble at front gate (of JNU) with Indian flag to beat JNU student, well this is hooliganism not nationalism, you can't do anything in the name of nation, there is a difference between nationalism and hooliganism," it added. The JNU students are on strike demanding release of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar. He was arrested on Friday last in connection with a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy registered over holding of the event at the varsity during which anti-India slogans were alleged to have been raised. Members of the ABVP had objected to holding of the event following which Vice Chancellor had withdrawn the permission for it. However, the organisers had gone ahead with the event. With the conclusion of the Make in India Week here on Thursday, Maharashtra is yet to get a formal proposal from Foxconn to acquire 300 hectares (ha) for a factory for which it had made a commitment of $5 billion. The Centre is likely to set up a bad bank to take over the non-performing assets (NPAs) of the countrys financial institutions, and is examining a policy proposal paper on the matter. As such, the setting up of an asset reconstruction company backed by the sovereign is a long-drawn process and these are still early days. Even then, senior government sources say Finance Minister Arun Jaitley might make an announcement in the upcoming Union Budget as part of his medium-term plans for the financial sector. There have been inter-ministerial discussions on the matter. Earlier in February, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Rajan had said there was no need to set up a separate bad bank to deal with stressed assets of public sector (PSU) banks. PSU banks themselves have the backing of the government, so there is no need to create a new entity that has the backing of the government. The issue is now to clean it up, he had said at an event in New Delhi. Rajan had also said the pricing of assets of a government-owned bad bank could get entangled with the Comptroller and Auditor General or the Central Vigilance Commissioner. The government is examining the proposal of setting up a bad bank, which will take over NPAs of public sector lenders and help them clean up their books. Deliberations with stakeholders are in the initial stages, said an official. The third quarter of financial year 2016 saw a sharp rise in banks NPAs because of stress in sectors like steel, power and infrastructure. The (RBI) governor has made valid points, which will be taken on board. However, there is no rule that says if the regulator is opposed to something it should not or cannot be done. A decision will be taken considering all views, the official added. The asset reconstruction company would not be RBI's problem as it would just take over toxic assets of banks, said another official. However, experts say a bad bank alone will not be a solution, it will have to be ensured that banks do not fall back and come up with more toxic assets. Sources said the idea was being drawn from various countries that had set up such banks, the latest being the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) by the US Treasury after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. However, the aim will be to ensure that the exchequer does not take the entire financial hit and that banks themselves be asked to pick up the burden once they have cleaned up their books. Under the Indradhanush scheme, while the government's promise of recapitalising PSU banks over a three-year period seems to be on track, it seems inadequate considering the scale of stress. Of the Rs 25,000 crore meant for 2015-16, the government has pumped in about Rs 20,000 crore in 13 PSU banks so far. The government will infuse another Rs 5,000 crore in the current financial year to strengthen bank balance sheets. PSU banks will get Rs 25,000 crore in the next financial year, followed by Rs 10,000 crore each in 2017-18 and 2018-19. For the December quarter, almost all state-owned lenders reported lower profits or slumped to losses on the back of higher provisioning for NPAs. State Bank of India Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya has warned that the level of NPAs might rise in the March quarter, even as Jaitley promised further steps to deal with the situation. THE PROPOSALS India has received investment commitments worth Rs 15.20 lalh core and 1.05 lakh business inquiries during the Week held in Mumbai. More than 102 countries and 17 states participated and over 800,000 people visited the mega event held on the 2,30,000 sq km area on the MMRDA grounds in Bandra Kurla Complex during February 13-18. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's glitzy campaign this week to showcase India as the world's next manufacturing hub met with a few unpleasant realities of life in Mumbai: A fire engulfed one of the event stages and a strike by rickshaw drivers paralysed traffic in the financial hub. More worrying is the conflicting data and vague timelines that raise questions about Modi's Make in India drive, which on Saturday he called "the biggest brand created in India." The tally for investment pledges soared on the final day to Rs 15.2 lakh crore ($222 billion) - more than triple ... Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday promised a big push to indigenisation in defence purchases by increasing the share of local content to 60 per cent by 2020 from the present 35 per cent - a big fillip to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Make in India campaign. He was answering questions at the Business Standard Annual Awards 2015 function in Mumbai, where he was the Guest of Honour. At present, India gets 65 per cent of its defence buys from foreign companies - half of that through direct imports and the rest from the indirect route. The Modi government is currently working on a new defence procurement policy that will give a priority to local companies. Many top Indian companies like the Tatas, Mahindras, Larsen & Toubro and Bharat Forge have already invested in setting up defence manufacturing units in India, thus creating jobs within India. Asked to give a timeframe for an integrated command theatre in India's defence forces, Parrikar said the matter was under consideration and discussions were taking place in the government on this issue. "The US took four years to implement this after eight to 10 years of deliberations. Please give us some time on this," Parrikar said. When asked what he would like to be remembered for, Parrikar said he never thought about it but strongly believed in the fact that "character is like a glass and once it gets a crack, one will never get it back". Not surprisingly, there was a deafening applause for the minister, who is known for his impeccable record of integrity and leading from the front. On his proudest moment as minister, Parrikar said it was yet to come. But he is immensely proud of the Army's operations against Naga rebels to avenge 18 army men's deaths without a single casualty from the Indian side. In June 2015, the Indian Army killed Naga rebels off the Myanmar border after the rebels attacked an Indian Army convoy in Manipur's Chandel district. On the frustrations of his job, Parrikar said a change in mindset was needed in New Delhi, as the government tended to work in silos. For example, he said, armed forces might many a time require things urgently, but the ministry often was a stickler of rules and regulations. The other problem, he said, was the overzealousness of environment lobbyists. Citing an example, Parrikar said, during the early January Pathankot attacks, terrorists climbed the 10-foot wall and entered the Indian Air Force station because of huge trees near the fence. "When we asked why the trees were not cut on the other side of the station's wall, we were told the forest department would not give permission. I strongly feel there should be a balance between development, security needs and environment," the minister said. Responding to a question on the difference between his earlier job as the Goa Chief Minister and now a central minister, Parrikar said, tongue firmly in cheek: "You have to stay in Delhi. I had to move from a nice place like Goa to Delhi. The CM is like a king of the state even if you have a small house, it's your own house." Another casualty has been his sense of humour. "I have curtailed my sense of humour in Delhi as people tend to misunderstand me," Parrikar, an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, said, adding he cultivated his sense of humour at his alma mater. Command Hospital (Eastern Command), Kolkata gets Raksha Mantris Trophy for Best Service Hospital . . The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar presented the Raksha Mantris Trophy and citation for the Best and Second Best Service Hospital in the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) here today. The trophy for the Best Service Hospital went to Command Hospital (Eastern Command), Kolkata, which was received by its Commandant Major General TS Ahluwalia. The trophy for the Second Best Hospital was presented to INHS Asvini, Mumbai, which was received by its Commandant Surgeon Rear Admiral AA Pawar. . . Speaking on the occasion, the Defence Minister praised the yeoman service being rendered by the AFMS over the years both in war and peace. He complimented all the members of Command Hospital (Eastern Command), Kolkata, INHS Asvini, Mumbai and the entire AFMS for their excellent work in provisioning of contemporary and comprehensive healthcare. . . The Director General AFMS and Senior Colonel Commandant Lt Gen BK Chopra in his opening remarks highlighted the modernisation programme of the Medical Services and reassured that the AFMS is fully prepared to meet any challenge. . . The Raksha Mantris Trophy was instituted in 1989 to create a healthy competition among the Command Hospitals of the Army and its equivalent hospitals in the Navy and Air Force. The Best and Second Best Hospital are adjudged on the basis of a number of objective criteria by a Committee headed by Director General Health Services (Armed Forces). The Joint Secretary (O/N), Ministry of Defence is also a member of the Committee. . . The function was attended by all the three Service Chiefs, Defence Secretary and other senior officers from the Services and the Ministry of Defence. . . NW/N Ao/Nampi/RAJ Food Processing Minister Inaugurates Vibrant North-East 2016 Summit and Exhibition . . Union Minister Food Processing Industries Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badalinaugurated the Vibrant North-East 2016 Summit and Exhibition in Guwahati today. Speaking at the summit Smt. Badal stated that the North-Eastern states are rich in resources and the NDA Government is committed to addressing the issue of development of North East and therefore, the focus of Honble Prime Minister is to ensure wholesome development of the North-East Region and to link farmers with modern technology driven agricultural practices and also to accelerate the pace of developmental projects in this region. The North Eastern Region holds lot of potential for food processing as the weather and adequate availability of water are conducive to food cultivation and suitable for growing large variety of fruits and vegetables. . . Smt. Badal informed that the Ministry of Food Processing Industries is pursuing development of North East through its schemes of Mega Food Park, Cold Chain, Abattoir and development of Food Testing Laboratories. As a step in this direction, 3 Mega Food Parks have been sanctioned for this region, one each in Assam (which has been made operational), Mizoram and in Tripura. 5 Cold Chain projects have also been sanctioned by the Ministry in the States of Assam, Manipur, Mizoram which have a capacity of 11500 MT of cold storage, 0.75 MT/per Hr of IQF capacity and 68 Reefer Trucks, 8 Abattoirs projects have also been sanctioned in North East states of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim which are aimed at establishing modern Abattoirs and ensuring hygienic and scientific meat processing. The Minister also informed that the Ministry of Food Processing Industries has sanctioned 6 Food Testing Labs in the States of Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura for creating infrastructure for food safety and quality testing. . . The Minister informed that the FPI Ministry has taken up the issue of allowing 100% FDI in Multi Brand Retail for such food which is produced by the Indian farmers and food products that are manufactured in India. She also said that consultations with the stakeholders are being done on this issue. She informed that this would be a revolutionary step towards modernization of old kirana into modern food retail and providing fair remuneration to farmers. . . Smt. Badal urged the entrepreneurs to come forward to set up food processing industries in the North Eastern and make use of financial assistance provided by the Government which will usher in a new era of higher income to farmers, employment generation to the youth of this region as well as help in creating necessary infrastructure for the North-Eastern Region. . . RC/nb Officer Trainees of Indian Audit and Accounts Service call on the President . . A group of Officer Trainees of Indian Audit and Accounts Service (2015 batch) including 2 Officer Trainees from Royal Audit Authority of Bhutan called on the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan today (February 18, 2016). . . Speaking on the occasion, the President welcomed the young officers including the officers from Royal Audit Authority of Bhutan to Rashtrapati Bhavan. He stated that the officer trainees have joined a Department which has a very old and traditional history. . . The President said that the Indian Audit and Accounts Service Officers are directly responsible for looking into financial transactions and see that they were as per rules. They were an instrument to provide good governance and a welfare government. He stated that the officer trainees would be getting an opportunity to shoulder tremendous responsibility at very young age. He told them that this was not the end of their learning process. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, he said that they should learn as if they were to live forever. He stated that the basic fundamental principle should be that no one can benefit illegally at the cost of public funds as these funds depict the trust of the public. He also quoted Thomas Kempis and said that they should always keep in mind that a structure is lofty due to the deep foundation laid. It was important for them to have a strong foundation laid in the probation period. He wished the probationers all success in their future careers. . . The Officer Trainees are presently undergoing their professional training at National Academy of Audit and Accounts, Shimla. . . PM unveils operational guidelines for Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana; addresses massive farmers' rally in Sehore . Digital Platform for National Agriculture Market to be launched on Babasaheb Ambedkar's birth anniversary on April 14th . The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today unveiled the operational guidelines for the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana at a massive farmers' rally in Sehore in Madhya Pradesh. . . Explaining the benefits of this comprehensive crop insurance scheme to the farmers, the Prime Minister said it can provide a solution for the farmers problems, in times of difficulty. He said care had been taken to eliminate the shortcomings of previous crop insurance schemes, and create trust among farmers with regard to crop insurance. He said technology would be used extensively with this scheme to ensure early settlement of claims, and exhorted farmers to take benefit of this scheme. . . The Prime Minister outlined several other initiatives that have been taken by the Union Government for the welfare of farmers. He mentioned the steps taken to clear the pending dues of the sugarcane farmers, which had mounted to many thousands of crore rupees. . . Speaking about the Digital India movement, the Prime Minister said welfare of the farmers is at the core of this initiative. He announced the launch of the digital platform - National Agriculture Market from the 14th of April, 2016, on the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar. This would enable farmers to get a better price for their produce. . . The Prime Minister also mentioned other major initiatives taken in the agriculture sector, such as the soil health card scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, organic farming, and ensuring adequate availability of urea. . . Shri Narendra Modi congratulated the farmers of Madhya Pradesh, and the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan, for the State's excellent performance in the agriculture sector. . . The Prime Minister also gave away soil health cards, and settlement certificates for insurance claims to select beneficiaries. . . Shri Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary to be chief guest at 70th Raising Day of Directorate of Coordination, Police Wireless (DCPW) tomorrow . . Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary will be the chief guest at the 70th Raising Day function of the Directorate of Coordination, Police Wireless (DCPW) here tomorrow. . . The DCPW operates a round-the-clock Inter State Police Wireless (ISPW) Network through its 31 stations in all States capitals/UTs for delivering emergent messages pertaining to law and order. It has an extensive network of Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs) spread over the entire country and extending connectivity to all district/state head quarters and National Capital Delhi through its satellite based network namely Police Network (POLNET). This satellite based network has been actively involved in facilitating communication among various State Police/Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). The Directorate has an established High Frequency (HF) communication network at its HQ and Inter-State Police Wireless (ISPW) stations located in all State capitals and UTs. . . Acting as the Central Distributing Authority (CDA) for Cryptographic Documents and Devices being used by the State Police Radio Organizations, the Directorate runs the Central Police Radio Training Institute, a full-fledged National Level Police Wireless Training Institute to cater the needs of States/CAPFs and other security organizations to improve the efficiency of their technical, operational and cipher manpower. To meet the communication needs of State Police Organization /CAPFs, the Directorate maintains a reserve stock of radio communication sets. The DCPW has a technical workshop entrusted with the responsibility of carrying out serviceability testing/repair of Radio Equipments and its accessories. . . The DCPW is a nodal advisory body to the Ministry of Home Affairs for the Police Telecommunication in the country and for laying down technical specifications for communication equipment to be inducted in the Police Forces in the Country. It acts as a nodal agency for coordinating various police communication services of States/UTs/ CAPFs. Radio communication security matters for all State/UTs Police and CAPFs are also coordinated by DCPW. It is a member of advisory body for frequency allocation to Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing (WPC) of the Department of Communication and IT. . . The Directorate came into existence on February 19, 1946 initially as Inspectorate of Wireless" and was later accorded the status of Directorate of Coordination (Police Wireless), a subordinate Organization, under Ministry of Home Affairs in 1950. It is entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating for developing and establishing the Police Telecommunication network in the country and also to advise MHA on all Police Telecommunication matters. . . Since the first Inter-State Police Radio Control Station was established in New Delhi in the year 1949, the DCPW has many landmarks to its credit. First use of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) for 'Crowd Control' was done in the year 1974, during the Kumbh Mela at Haridwar. In the same year, the first use of ground-to-air communications for Police work with BSF aircraft and first facsimile (FAX) transmission for Police use in Tamil Nadu was also done by DCPW. . . In 1983, the Mobile Control Room was first used by Police in Delhi and first 800MHz Security communication System was established by Police for the Non-Aligned Summit Meet. Work on implementation of 'Pilot Project' relating to the National Police Telecommunication Network Plan was initiated by DCPW in 1990. In 2003, a DCPW Team visited Afghanistan for restoring their communication under the directions of the Ministry of External Affairs. During the 2004 Asian tsunami, telecommunication link were restored in the ravaged Andaman & Nicobar Islands by an expert team of DCPW using POLNET VSATs terminals. . . In the SAARC Conference-2008 held in Islamabad, DCPW presented Concept of Networking SAARC Police Heads for exchange of Information. In September 2014 when Srinagar was flooded, an Emergency Team was rushed from DCPW to restore Wireless Communication with Delhi and the task was accomplished successfully. In April 2015 also, during Nepal Earthquake, a team was rushed to Kathmandu from DCPW to restore Wireless Communication between Indian Embassy, Kathmandu and New Delhi and supported NDRF team in relief and rescue mission. . . Uama Bharti calls for maintaining our vast dam resources in safe condition workshop on Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project held . . Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti has stressed the need for maintaining our vast dam resources in safe condition by recounting the dam incidents that have played havoc in the past. Inaugurating a workshop on lessons learnt from the ongoing Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) in New Delhi today she said, before releasing excess water from dams appropriate precautions need to be taken and people downstream should be warned to ensure their preparedness to reduce the consequences and prevent loss of life. She commended the good work being done under the ongoing dam rehabilitation and improvement project and exhorted all the State Governments to identify the dams which are in need of rehabilitation and take appropriate actions to ensure their safety and operational performance. While referring to the abundance of water resources in India, the Minister said, We are not fully harnessing these resources and even our existing dams are not operating at their optimal efficiency". She also emphasized the need for exploring the tourism potential of our existing dams and exploit the same. . . Sushri Uma Bharti launched the Hindi version of DRIP Website: www.damsafety.in. on the occasion. She also released the Compendium of Technical Papers pertaining to the Second National Dam Safety Conference organized in Bengaluru during 12-13 January 2016 and the Guidelines for Preparation of Emergency Action Plans for Dams prepared under DRIP to facilitate development of Emergency Action Plans for all dams on the occasion. . . Prof. Sanwar Lal Jat, Union Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation said that India has very long history of dam building and emphasised the need for continuing surveillance, inspection and maintenance of dams for ensuring their safety and performance. He complimented DRIP team for preparing the guidelines for the Development of Emergency Action Plans and stressed the need for its implementation in all the large dams. . . Shri. Shashi Shekhar, Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources mentioned the food scarcity prevailing in the fifties when we were dependent on import of food grains. He said with the construction of several large dams we have improved our water availability for irrigation and power and in turn we are now self-sufficient in food production. While stressing the need for safety of dams, the Secretary referred to the legislative support in the form of a Bill being pursued by the Government mandating regular inspection and maintenance and rehabilitation of dams. . . Dr. Amarjit Singh, Special Secretary, in the Ministry recollected the enormous loss of lives on account of the failure of Machu dam. He recounted his association with DRIP right from initial stages of implementation of the project and complimented the dedicated efforts of the personnel involved in the management of DRIP. He also stressed the need for continuance of the DRIP like programmes for benefitting the dams which are not part of the current programme. . . Shri G.S. Jha, Chairman, Central Water Commission gave the background of the DRIP project which is targeting rehabilitation of about 250 dams in seven States. He underlined the need for creating more storage of water through large, medium and small dams to fulfil our increasing demand for water. . . About 150 delegates from Water Resources Departments of 16 States, World Bank, CWC and other agencies attended the day long workshop. The Workshop included two sessions covering the themes Dam Safety Concerns & Initiatives in India and DRIP Implementation Experiences and an Open House to brainstorm on setting up Nationwide Programme for Dam Safety Rehabilitation. . . Government of India embarked on the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) with loan assistance from the World Bank for rehabilitation and improvement of about 250 dams in seven States. The six-year DRIP project, started in April, 2012 is in mid-way through its implementation. . . Concern was expressed in several forums about the urgent need for rehabilitation of several large dams which are experiencing distress conditions, across all States, to ensure their safety and operational efficiency. In view of the complex nature of issues involved in rehabilitation of these ageing large dams, it was felt appropriate to draw on the experience of DRIP implementation in sensitizing the dam safety concerns and to determine strategies for undertaking this enormous task. Accordingly, this workshop was organised on the subject. . . The workshop discussed experience gained by the country in mitigation of the distress conditions of large dams and also on the lessons learnt in three years of DRIP implementation in the rehabilitation of dams. The recommendations emerging out of this workshop will help in determining the strategies for undertaking the large scale rehabilitation work and for managing the technical, managerial and financial resources required to implement the mammoth task. . . There are about 4900 large dams in India and about 80 % of them are over 25 years old. The old dams designed and built to withstand certain levels of flood and earthquake and may not meet the revised estimates based on information gathered over the period. The design practices and safety considerations prevailing at that time also do not match with the current design standards and the safety norms. The engineering properties of the foundation or the material used to build the dams can deteriorate over time. Owing to these factors and issues of differed maintenance, some of the dams may be experiencing distress and require urgent repairs to ensure their safety and restore their operational reliability. . . Samir/jk The battle between and law enforcement officials over unlocking a terrorist's smartphone is the culmination of a slow turning of the tables between the technology industry and the United States government. After revelations by the former National Security Agency contractor Edward J Snowden in 2013 that the government both cozied up to certain tech and hacked into others to gain access to private data on an enormous scale, tech giants began to recognise the United States government as a hostile actor. But, if the confrontation has crystallised in this latest battle, it may already be heading toward a predictable conclusion: In the long run, the tech are destined to emerge victorious. It might not seem that way at the moment. On the one side, you have the United States government's mighty legal and security apparatus fighting for data of the most sympathetic sort: the secrets buried in a dead mass murderer's phone. The action stems from a federal court order issued on Tuesday requiring to help the FBI unlock an iPhone used by one of the two attackers who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, in December. In the other corner is the world's most valuable company, whose chief executive, Timothy D Cook, has said he will appeal the court's order. argues that it is fighting to preserve a principle that most of us who are addicted to our smartphones can defend: Weaken a single iPhone so that its contents can be viewed by the American government and you risk weakening all iPhones for any government intruder, anywhere. There will probably be months of legal tussling, and it is not at all clear which side will prevail in court, nor in the battle for public opinion and legislative favour. Yet underlying all of this is a simple dynamic: Apple, Google, Facebook and other hold most of the cards in this confrontation. They have our data, and their businesses depend on the global public's collective belief that they will do everything they can to protect that data. Any crack in that front could be fatal for tech companies that must operate worldwide. If Apple is forced to open up an iPhone for an American law enforcement investigation, what's to prevent it from doing so for a request from the Chinese or the Iranians? If Apple is forced to write code that lets the FBI get into the Phone 5c used by Syed Rizwan Farook, the male attacker in the San Bernardino attack, who would be responsible if some hacker got hold of that code and broke into its other devices? Apple's stance on these issues emerged post-Snowden, when the company started putting in place a series of technologies that, by default, make use of encryption to limit access to people's data. More than that, Apple - and, in different ways, other tech companies, including Google, Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft - have made their opposition to the government's claims a point of corporate pride. Apple's emerging global brand is privacy; it has staked its corporate reputation, not to mention invested its considerable technical and financial resources, on limiting the sort of mass surveillance that was uncovered by Snowden. So now, for many cases involving governmental intrusions into data, once-lonely privacy advocates find themselves fighting alongside the most powerful company in the world. "A comparison point is in the 1990s battles over encryption," said Kurt Opsahl, general counsel of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a privacy watchdog group. "Then you had a few companies involved, but not one of the largest companies in the world coming out with a lengthy and impassioned post, like we saw yesterday from Tim Cook. The profile has really been raised." Apple and other tech companies hold another ace: The technical means to keep making their devices more and more inaccessible. Note that Apple's public opposition to the government's request is itself a hindrance to mass government intrusion. And, to get at the contents of a single iPhone, the government says it needs a court order and Apple's help to write new code; in earlier versions of the iPhone, ones that were created before Apple found religion on privacy, the FBI might have been able to break into the device by itself. You can expect that noose to continue to tighten. Experts said that whether or not Apple loses this specific case, measures that it could put into place in the future will almost certainly be able to further limit the government's reach. That's not to say that the outcome of the San Bernardino case is insignificant. As Apple and several security experts have argued, an order compelling Apple to write software that gives the FBI access to the iPhone in question would establish an unsettling precedent. The order essentially asks Apple to hack its own devices, and once it is in place, the precedent could be used to justify law enforcement efforts to get around encryption technologies in other investigations far removed from national security threats. Once armed with a method for gaining access to iPhones, the government could ask to use it proactively, before a suspected terrorist attack - leaving Apple in a bind as to whether to comply or risk an attack and suffer a public-relations nightmare. "This is a brand new salvo in the war against encryption," Opsahl said. "We've had plenty of debates in Congress and the media over whether the government should have a backdoor, and this is an end run around that - here they come with an order to create that backdoor." Yet it's worth noting that even if Apple ultimately loses this case, it has plenty of technical means to close a backdoor over time. "If they're anywhere near worth their salt as engineers, I bet they're rethinking their threat model as we speak," said Jonathan Zdziarski, a digital forensic expert who studies the iPhone and its vulnerabilities. One relatively simple fix, Zdziarski said, would be for Apple to modify future versions of the iPhone to require a user to enter a passcode before the phone will accept the sort of modified operating system that the FBI wants Apple to create. That way, Apple could not unilaterally introduce a code that weakens the iPhone - a user would have to consent to it. "Nothing is 100 percent hacker-proof," Zdziarski said, but he pointed out that the judge's order in this case required Apple to provide "reasonable security assistance" to unlock Farook's phone. If Apple alters the security model of future iPhones so that even its own engineers' "reasonable assistance" will not be able to crack a given device when compelled by the government, a precedent set in this case might lose its lasting force. In other words, even if the FBI wins this case, in the long run, it loses. 2016 The New York Times News Service US President Barack Obama on Thursday announced a historic visit to Cuba next month, speeding up the thaw in relations between the two Cold War former foes but igniting opposition from Republicans at home. In the first US presidential trip to the Caribbean nation in nearly 90 years, Obama will meet with Cuban President Raul Castro, entrepreneurs, and "Cubans from different walks of life" during the trip on March 21 and 22, the White House said. After decades of animosity following Cuba's 1959 revolution, the two countries agreed in 2014 to move to reopen ties. It was a diplomatic feat that is likely to be a highlight of Obama's foreign policy legacy along with the reaching of a nuclear deal with another long-time US foe, Iran. THAW IN RELATIONS Barack Obama will be only the second sitting US president to visit Cuba. The first was Calvin Coolidge in 1928 Former president Jimmy Carter visited Cuba in 2011 A Gallup Poll conducted on February 3-7 found for the first time a majority of Americans, 54 per cent, now see Cuba favourably In December 2014, Obama said the US would move toward normalising relations with the former Soviet ally Although the US economic embargo on Cuba remains in place, a presidential visit carries huge symbolic value and prestige. "Next month, I'll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people," Obama wrote on Twitter. The Havana visit is likely to spark debate on Cuba policy in the campaign for the November 8 US presidential election, particularly in the swing voting state of Florida, where many anti-Castro Cuban-Americans live. "Pitiful that Obama rewards Castros with visit to Cuba while conditions for the Cuban people are getting worse," said Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Cuban-American Republican congresswoman from south Florida. Two candidates in the Republican race, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, are conservative sons of Cuban immigrants and have criticized Obama for renewing ties with Cuba. Obama said that while the US still has concerns about human rights in Cuba, it has already made significant progress in renewing relationships. "We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly. America will always stand for human rights around the world," Obama said. Obama had previously said he would visit the neighbouring Communist-ruled nation if he were able to meet with political dissidents. The last sitting US president to visit Cuba was Calvin Coolidge in 1928. Embargo remains His administration has taken steps to expand commerce with the island nation, only 145 km from Florida. Tourism has already surged. Airbnb, an online home-rental site, said US rentals of homes in Cuba are booming. The countries have agreed to restore airline flights, and companies ranging from tractor manufacturers to telecommunications firms are assessing the market. Obama still seeks to pressure US lawmakers to remove the decades-old embargo on Cuba but Republicans control Congress and are unlikely to act soon. Republican Senator Jeff Flake from Arizona, who supports ending the sanctions, said the Obama visit could help open Cuba up to the world. "For Cubans accustomed to watching their government sputter down the last mile of socialism in a '57 Chevy, imagine what they'll think when they see Air Force One," said Flake. "Just think of the progress that can come from one day allowing all freedom-loving Americans to travel to Cuba," Flake said in a statement. In Havana on Thursday, news of the trip was welcomed. "Peace reigns in this hemisphere," said Jorge Felix, a home painter. "These are two countries who have confronted each other for fifty something years, and on this occasion the visit of the US president to Cuba is reason for happiness and rejoicing," he said. "We are going to give him a box of Habanos," for a real taste of Cuba, said Luis Fernandez, a retired cigar roller, referring to a Cuban cigar brand. First Lady Michelle Obama will also go on the trip, which is taking place during the President's final year in office. Here are strategies for some index stocks from Geojit BNP Paribas in trade today: BUY L&T FUTURES at Rs 1,122 TARGET: Rs 1,149 STOPLOSS: Rs 1,108 [MACD & STOCHASTICS BUY + ABV PREVIOUS CLOSE + VOLUME JUMP] BUY COAL INDIA FUTURES at Rs 312 TARGET: Rs 323 STOPLOSS: Rs 307 [MACD & STOCHASTICS BUY + VOLUME JUMP] Disclaimer: This report has been prepared by Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services Limited (GBNPP), here in after referred to as GBNPP. GBNPP, a publicly listed company, is engaged in services of retail broking, credit, portfolio management and marketing investment products including mutual funds, life and general insurance and properties. Each recipient of this report should make such investigation as it deems necessary to arrive at an independent evaluation of an investment in the securities of companies referred to in this report (including the merits and risks involved). This document is not for public distribution and has been furnished to you solely for your information and must not be reproduced or redistributed to any other person. Persons into whose possession this document may come are required to observe these restrictions. Opinion expressed herein is our current opinion as of the date appearing on this report only. While we endeavor to update on a reasonable basis the information discussed in this material, there may be regulatory, compliance, or other reasons that prevent us from doing so. Prospective investors and others are cautioned that any forward-looking statements are not predictions and may be subject to change without notice. Shares of Projects were up 3% at Rs 112 on the Bombay Stock Exchange after the company said it has new orders from state-owned Engineering Projects India Ltd worth Rs 58.5 crore. The first order is for the construction of combined administration block, quarter guard, master store and men's barrack among others for proposed ITBP Complex at Kalikiri, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh worth Rs 34.2 crore, the company said in a release. The second order is for construction of various types of quarters and boundary wall, entrance gateway, guard room and sentry post for the aforesaid complex amounting to Rs 24.3 crore, the release added. The stock opened at Rs 110 and touched a high of Rs 114. At 11:50am, over 87,000 shares were traded on both the stock exchanges. Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja on Thursday said all 'baseless' charges against Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union President Kanhaiya Kumar must be withdrawn and he should be released immediately. Array "We have demanded that all the baseless charges along with sedition charges must be withdrawn forthwith and he should be released," CPI leader D. Raja told ANI here. Array Raja also said that adequate security must be provided in the jail premises for Kanhaiya. Array "Today, our party's General Secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy and I met the Home Minister to discuss the issue of JNU. We demanded the Home Minister that the security must be proper in the jail premises. Because yesterday, he was beaten and badly injured in the court premises despite there were orders from Supreme Court. So that must not happen in the jail," he added. Array Condemning the incident that took place in the Patiala House Court, the CPI leader said that the Home Ministry must initiate strong action against MLA Mr. Sharma and Advocate Mr. Chauhan for their hooliganism and attacking media and Kanhaiya. Array Raja further said that police must be withdrawn from the university campus. Array Reacting on Delhi police over the Jawaharlal Nehru University row, Raja said that the Delhi police Commissioner B. S. Bassi has failed to deliver his duty. Array "Mr. Bassi has failed in his duty. And the way he is speaking is not in tune with the judicial legal system which we have today and the Home Ministry must take it up seriously," he added. Array He also claimed that Bassi must be sacked or asked to go for holiday even though he has few days left with his service. Delhi police arrested controversial BJP legislator O.P. Sharma, on Thursday in connection with an assault case on Monday, but the former was later released on bail. "Till now, a media trail was being conducted on me and judges sitting in the studios were pronouncing judgement. My investigation started at 11 a.m. and the questioning went on for eight hours by police," Sharma told the media. "This is truly embarrassing; one takes action against traitors and gets punished," he added. The police had on Wednesday issued summons to him as well as to three lawyers in connection with the assault on journalists, students and teachers of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) at the Patiala House court complex. Delhi Police has been criticised for not taking action against those involved in the assault on Monday and Wednesday. Sharma was not named in two FIRs registered by Delhi Police in connection with the attack on JNU students and journalists outside the courts complex. Police had on Tuesday registered two FIRs against unknown persons even though cameras clearly showed Sharma and his supporters thrashing CPI activist Ameeque Jamai outside the court premises. The BJP MLA had claimed to be a victim and alleged that he had suffered a head injury in the attack and had hit out in self-defence. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has called an all-party meeting on February 22 to ensure smooth running of the Budget Session. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu had earlier this week said that the government would accommodate all suggestions put forth by the Opposition parties in the Parliament. "With all sincerity, we should all say that the Parliament must function. The Congress has also endorsed it. Some people have raised the issue of JNU, to which the Finance Minister listed the slogans raised in JNU. Then, some people talked about how sedition charges can be made. With regard to this, the government's stand was that an inquiry is on and let the inquiry be completed. Secondly, these slogans and posters are highly objectionable that has been made clear," he said. "As far as the issues of criticism, calling names is concerned; such things should be avoided by one and all. And I also as a Parliamentary Affairs Minister have said politely that usage of words like 'Hitler', 'fascist', 'communal' for the Prime Minister should be avoided," he added. Naidu also said that the government was ready to accommodate the views of the opposition parties. The Congress, however, asked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to create a 'congenial atmosphere' for the upcoming Budget Session, adding that the ruling party should also restrain its leadership and spokespersons from making unwarranted remarks. "The leadership of the Congress or any other political party should not be held responsible or dubbed as 'anti-national' as some leaders from the BJP are trying to project. They should also restrain their spokespersons and the leadership and create a congenial atmosphere so that the Parliament functions smoothly," Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, told the media. The Budget Session will begin on February 23. While the first session will continue till March 16, the second session will take place from April 25 to May 13. President Pranab Mukherjee will address the joint session of Parliament on February 23. The Railway Budget will be presented on February 25 while the Union Budget will be presented on February 29. The government has been critical of the Opposition for blocking the House proceedings and important legislations. At least 28 people were killed and dozens wounded when a car laden with explosives detonated here on Wednesday. The Turkish military condemned the "terrorist attack" on the buses. The attack, the latest in a series of bombings in the past year mostly blamed on the Islamic State, comes as Turkey gets dragged ever deeper into the war in neighbouring Syria and tries to contain some of the fiercest violence in decades in its predominantly Kurdish southeast, reported Reuters. President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey's determination to fight those behind such acts would only get stronger and that it would not hesitate to exercise its right to self defence. "We will continue our fight against the pawns that carry out such attacks, which know no moral or humanitarian bounds, and the forces behind them with more determination every day," he said in a written statement. Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Numan Kurtulmus said 28 people including soldiers and civilians were killed and 61 wounded in the blast, which occurred near a busy intersection less than 500 meters from parliament during the evening rush hour. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag described the attack as an act of terrorism and told parliament, which was in session at the time, that the car had exploded on a part of the street lined on both sides by military vehicles. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who had been due to attend meetings in Brussels on the migration crisis on Thursday, cancelled the trip, an official in his office said. Erdogan postponed a planned visit to Azerbaijan. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday said that the pace of his state's development had increased ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had come to power at the Centre and lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his initiatives aimed at the welfare of farmers. Chouhan, who accompanied Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Kisan Kalyan Mela at Sehore, said that the farmers of Madhya Pradesh have full faith in state and Central governments. "The rate of development of Madhya Pradesh has increased ever since Prime Minister Modi's government came to office at the centre. When Centre helps then rate of development is bound to rise," Chouhan told reports here. "We have never received such a big amount from the Centre for crop damage, today, Rs. 2000 crores was announced for Madhya Pradesh," he added. Prime Minister Modi, during his address at the Kisan Kalyan Mela, said that the Madhya Pradesh Government under the leadership of Chouhan has done a lot of work for farmers. He said that his government wants to integrate technology in the agriculture sector for the farmers' welfare. The Prime Minister also distributed soil health cards, and crop insurance settlement claims to select beneficiaries on the occasion. BJP MLA O.P. Sharma, who has been summoned by the Delhi Police for allegedly beating up a CPI worker outside the Patiala House Court complex, today said that he would cooperate in the probe but added that a line must be drawn between those who are pro-India and against the country's ideology. Sharma told ANI that he would visit the Tilak Marg Police Station at 11 a.m. "I am a law abiding person and I respect the Constitution of India. I will go to the Tilak Marg Police Station at 11a.m. and will cooperate with the police, which is probing this matter. But I am hurt that despite being a people's representative, I have been served summon," he said. "I got an MLC report, according to which they (the protesters) raised anti- slogans and clashed in which I received injuries on my head, nose and ears. Today, we will have to draw a line between the people who are in favour of terrorists and anti- Afzal Guru and those who are against it," he said. Taking a dig at the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress, he said "Our leader, whether it's Kejriwal or imported and defected piece Rahul Gandhi, they will have to draw a line, as our Kejriwal says slogans are wrong, but people raising those slogans are right. However, when told that he was being accused of scuffling and police were trying to shield him, he said, "The complainants will keep on complaining, I hardly care about them. The day the incident took place, I went to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and police station and after that they have served the summon." Sharma, along with three lawyers, was allegedly involved in an assault on journalists and students at the Patiala House Court complex. The legislator, who has so far claimed that he hit the CPI activist Ameeque Jamai in self-defence, had even gone on to say that he would shoot anyone who would hit him. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar presented the Raksha Mantri's Trophy and citation for the Best and Second Best Service Hospital in the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) here today. The trophy for the best service hospital went to Command Hospital, Eastern Command, Kolkata, which was received by its Commandant Major General T S Ahluwalia. The trophy for the second best hospital was presented to INHS Asvini, Mumbai, which was received by its Commandant Surgeon Rear Admiral A A Pawar. Parrikar praised the yeoman service being rendered by the AFMS over the years both in war and peace. He complimented the awardees for their excellent work in provisioning of contemporary and comprehensive healthcare. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said it does not agree with the United State's rationale for selling F-16 combat aircraft to Pakistan for counter-terrorism activities. "The America's sale of F-16 fighters to Pakistan is very much a matter of concern for us. We do not agree with the rationale that the sale of F-16 to Pakistan is for counter-terrorism activities," MEA spokeperson Vikas Swarup told the media. When asked to respond if India's concern against the sale of fighter planes would affect the Indo-US relationship, Swarup said, "our issues with the United States are very broad based and it is not a single issue relationship." "Obviously, this decision of the United States is very unfortunate and certainly it will convey negative sentiment, but I don't see it making a single point agenda with the U.S," he added. India has expressed disappointment over the Obama administration's proposal to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, saying it disagreed that such arms transfers would help combat terrorism. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar summoned US ambassador Richard Verma to convey India's "displeasure". "We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan. We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism," the external affairs ministry said in a statement. Meanwhile, the United States Defence Department said the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan should not be of concern to India and the deal took into account the regional security situation, the Express Tribune has reported. "The U.S. looks at its relationship with Pakistan and with India as a separate relationship," Pentagon Press Secretary Petro Cook said while addressing a briefing about India's reaction to U.S. decision to sell aircraft to Pakistan. The government on Thursday issued a notification to reinstate as the chairman of Security and Exchange Board of India (Sebi). The finance ministry confirmed the news on their official Twitter handle. U K Sinha, will, therefore remain the Sebi chairman till March 1, 2017, as the government had earlier on Monday extended his term by over a year. During his tenure, the organisation has implemented a number of reforms in the capital markets, including regarding initial public offerings, mutual funds and corporate governance. A marriage party turned out to be a sorrow affair here on Wednesday evening after the groom was allegedly shot dead accidently in a celebratory firing. As per reports, the man who fired is yet to be identified. The bullet hit the groom's head and he fell off the horse. He was immediately rushed to the Sitapur district hospital, where doctors referred him to Lucknow after some preliminary medication. However, he succumbed to his injuries on his way to Lucknow. Police, who visited the spot, have launched an investigation and have recorded statements of a number of people who were present at the scene. The news of the groom's death has created panic among the two families. New Delhi, Feb 18 (ANI): Director Abhishek Sharma did not have any plans to make sequel of his 2010 film 'Tere Bin Laden', but now after five years he planned to make a sequel which is unlike any other sequels made in Bollywood history. However, this upcoming film, 'Tere Bin Laden: Dead Or Alive', which is a spin-off of the prequel, required a look-alike of US President Barack Obama. In an exclusive interaction with ANI, the director spoke about how he found the look-alike of Obama, "I was searching for an Obama who could be funny, who could speak like Obama, but also has something unique and original about him." He added that he saw Iman Crosson, who is very well known and famous as Alphacat on Youtube, "I saw him dressed like Obama, while he was rapping, which was really funny. He is so good at his job that he was invited by President Barack Obama to perform at the White House. I thought he is perfect for the role in the film and he was kind enough to agree to do the film." Abhishek further said that movies like 'Tere Bin Laden' satisfies his 'conspiracy theorist' self and he would always make movies which not only entertain the crowd but also raise some questions about things happening in the world. 'Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive' is a comedy film which stars Manish Paul, Pradhuman Singh and Sikander Kher in lead roles. The film is scheduled to hit the screens on February 26. Officer trainees of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS-2015 batch), including two from the Royal Audit Authority of Bhutan called on the President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan today. Array Speaking on the occasion, the President welcomed the young officers and said they have joined a department which has a very old and traditional history. Array Mukherjee said IAAS officers are directly responsible for looking into financial transactions and see that they were as per rules. Array "They were an instrument to provide good governance and a welfare government. Officer trainees would be getting an opportunity to shoulder tremendous responsibility at very young age," said President Mukherjee. Array He told them that this was not the end of their learning process. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, he said that they should learn as if they were to live forever. He stated that the basic fundamental principle should be that no one can benefit illegally at the cost of public funds as these funds depict the trust of the public. Array The president also quoted Thomas Kempis and said that they should always keep in mind that a structure is lofty due to the deep foundation laid. It was important for them to have a strong foundation laid in the probation period. He wished the probationers all success in their future careers. Array The officer trainees are presently undergoing their professional training at Academy of Audit and Accounts, Shimla. Motivated by the commitment to rapidly expand US India cross-border investment and trade made last year in India by US President Barack Obama and India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the first-ever US Center in India was inaugurated in Mumbai here today. The centre was inaugurated by minister for Industries, Subhash R Desai and Center and US Counsel General Thomas Vajda and Dr. Mukesh Aghi, President of the US-India Council (USIBC). The US Business Centers' initiative is led by market entry specialist Sannam S4, Inc., and is supported by the USIBC, Citi India, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces and JLL. The first US Business Center is a custom built facility designed to house new and early stage US entrants to the Indian market. Based in central Mumbai, the Center combines world-class office facilities with in-house provision of the key market entry services required by small or medium-sized US companies, universities, non-profit organizations, or trade associations as they enter and expand in India. Services available to US organizations via the US Business Centers include accounting, payroll, compliance services, staff, recruitment and HR advisory, sales and business development support, market research and channel development. With a focus on supporting US companies in the supply chain, those planning to 'Make in India', and institutions looking for greater student and academic collaboration, the Centers will play a key role in aiding the United States and India achieve the $500 billion in cross-border trade and investment target. Adrian Mutton, Founder and CEO of US Business Centers and Sannam S4 said "With the facilities and comprehensive services provided by the US Business Centers and our partners, US organizations can feel much more confident about entering and expanding in India. The US Business Centers provide the practical support needed to manage the local challenges an organization may face when entering and expanding in this dynamic market, therefore ensuring the best chance of success." Founding Alliance Partner, the US India Business Council, is the premier business advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening the US-India economic and commercial relationship. Members of the Council include more than 350 of the leading US and Indian corporations. The launch of the US Business Centers in India was first announced by USIBC President Mukesh Aghi, at the USIBC's 40th Anniversary Leadership Summit, in Washington DC on September 21 2015, which was attended by US Vice President Joe Biden, US Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, and 400 other leaders of US and Indian government and industry. In commenting on the Centers' launch, USIBC President, Dr. Mukesh Aghi said, "I am delighted that the US Business Centers are being established in India. The Council is eager to provide support to US small and mid-sized companies, universities, and skills' providers that are exploring India as a viable investment destination. The Business Center's integrated support model should make it easier for US organizations to do business in India and achieve greater levels of success. We are delighted to support Sannam S4 in this necessary and timely enterprise." The US Business Centers will be introduced in the US at Stanford University, in Silicon Valley, March 16 2016, during the first of a series of seminars entitled, "A Practical Guide to Doing Business in India" to be held across the US throughout the calendar year. In an apparent attack on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for his support to the protesting Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students, Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Thursday said that association with anti-nationals is treachery, adding that the political leaders should go beyond vote bank politics and should not compromise with the nation's sovereignty and unity. "It is necessary to know who raised anti- slogans. But it is clear that the mass which gathered there was not nationalist. Association with the anti-nationals is also treachery. Involving in anti- activities and supporting it has been considered as crime, both legally and spiritually. The political leaders should go beyond vote bank politics and should not compromise with the nation's sovereignty and unity," Ramdev said. "Supporting the people who raise 'anti-national' slogans is wrong. It is the responsibility of the government to see to it that action is taken against any anti- element and innocents are not caught. The anti-national slogans are not right for the unity and sovereignty of the nation," he added. Earlier, a case has been registered against Rahul Gandhi in an Allahabad district court for his remark on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) incident. The PIL filed in the court states that Gandhi took 'anti-national' stand by voicing his support for the JNU students. The matter will be taken up for hearing on March 1. ALSO READ: JNU row: BJP to begin nationwide Jan Swabhiman Abhiyan today Condemning the attack on journalists outside the Patiala House Court premises here on Monday, the Congress vice president had earlier alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was trying to crush the opinion of the people. He said that the Congress Party would not accept it and would fight this out. "The RSS backed people are being appointed as vice-chancellors in the universities and the voices of the students are being gagged. They are suppressing the voice of the Indian students whether in Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow and in all the universities across the country. We will not accept this, we will fight against this," Gandhi said. In an apparent attack on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for his support to the protesting Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students, Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Thursday said that association with anti-nationals is treachery, adding that the political leaders should go beyond vote bank politics and should not compromise with the nation's sovereignty and unity. "It is necessary to know who raised anti- slogans. But it is clear that the mass which gathered there was not nationalist. Association with the anti-nationals is also treachery. Involving in anti- activities and supporting it has been considered as crime, both legally and spiritually. The political leaders should go beyond vote bank politics and should not compromise with the nation's sovereignty and unity," Ramdev told the media here. "Supporting the people who raise 'anti-national' slogans is wrong. It is the responsibility of the government to see to it that action is taken against any anti- element and innocents are not caught. The anti-national slogans are not right for the unity and sovereignty of the nation," he added. Earlier, a case has been registered against Rahul Gandhi in an Allahabad district court for his remark on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) incident. The PIL filed in the court states that Gandhi took 'anti-national' stand by voicing his support for the JNU students. The matter will be taken up for hearing on March 1. Condemning the attack on journalists outside the Patiala House Court premises here on Monday, the Congress vice president had earlier alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was trying to crush the opinion of the people. He said that the Congress Party would not accept it and would fight this out. "The RSS backed people are being appointed as vice-chancellors in the universities and the voices of the students are being gagged. They are suppressing the voice of the Indian students whether in Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow and in all the universities across the country. We will not accept this, we will fight against this," Gandhi told the media on the sidelines of his public rally in Sivasagar, Assam. Taking strong exception to attack on their son Kanhaiya Kumar by some lawyers inside the Patiala House court complex, the parents of JNU students' union president refused to take police protection provided to them. "We refused the police protection because if in the presence of 400 policemen my son can get attacked in the court premises then why do we need protection? The government has failed to provide security to my son and as a result he was attacked," Kanhaiya's mother told the media here. "What difference would my life make to the government? Why they are sending police to protect us? They should protect my son," she added. She further said her son is not an anti- and that every member of their society stands behind them. "My son is a victim of a conspiracy. There has been no action against those who attacked him in the court premises. My son is innocent, he is being framed," she added. The parents of Kanhaiya Kumar were on Thursday provided police protection in their village in Bihar. Security forces have been deployed at Kumar's native village Bihat in Begusarai district after he was assaulted in a Delhi court on Wednesday. While Kanhaiya was being brought to the court, a large group of men dressed in lawyers' robes barged into the Patiala House court complex and allegedly beat up a journalist and a student. Holding the BJP-led NDA Government responsible for the attack on journalists and students in the Patiala House Court complex on two consecutive days, Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said the police had defied the Supreme Court's order to protect scribes and students, and was acting on the Centre's behalf. "The Delhi Police is a uniformed force... If its master says don't do anything, they won't do anything. If the master tells them to shoot, they will shoot. Even after the Supreme Court's directives, the police stood as mute spectators and didn't take any action, because it was directed by the Centre to do so.. This means that the Centre is openly flouting the orders of the apex court of the country," told the media after meeting President Pranab Mukherjee. "If the directives of Supreme Court fail to get implemented within 200 metres of its periphery, then the Constitution won't prevail in this country. This is the dictatorship of the Prime Minister and his government," he added. Attacking the government for failing to catch the culprits behind the anti- sloganeering at the JNU varsity, Kejriwal said, "This government despite having entire police force and investigative agencies has failed to four to five students who made those anti- slogans, how will they catch the terrorists who did the Pathankot attacks." Chief Minister Kejriwal met President Mukherjee, along with cabinet ministers of the Delhi state government. The meeting was sought to discuss the inaction adopted by Delhi Police during the violent scuffle at Patiala House Court, where a frenzied mob comprising the right-wing lawyers and BJP workers assaulted JNU students, professors and journalists. LeEco, the multinational technology and internet conglomerate, which witnessed unprecedented success in its recent three flash sales earlier this month, has now announced the launch of its global brand property 'LeEco Day' in India on the e-commerce platform - Flipkart. The shopping bonanza, which will be held on February 25th, will offer customers prizes and gifts worth Rs. 8 crore. LeEco Day in India will replicate the hugely popular brand property that the company owns globally. Planned as one of the largest shopping carnivals organized by a smartphone brand in conjunction with Flipkart, LeEco Day is expected to garner massive response, pointing to the growing strength of the company's ecosystem-based superphones and signaling the potentially massive impact on Indian consumers as it continues to consolidate its presence. Globally, LeEco's online sales from its annual 'Fans Festival' topped CNY1.7 billion (USD 270 million), making it one of China's largest e-commerce event. During its so-called 'Black 919' festival the single-day sales of its flagship Le Superphone on LeMall.com set a new record in both volume and revenue. It sold 572,000 Le Superphones and 355,000 Letv Super TVs. The 'LeEco Day' will be held on February 25th on Flipkart without consumers having to go through the registration process. Having created an industry milestone of 220,000 (2.2 lacs) total orders received within the shortest time of 31 seconds in the three flash sales and another incredible record of 20,28,000 (20.2 lacs) registrations received across the three flash sales, the Le1s' numbers are proof of LeEco's unparalleled growth and momentum within just a month of launch and often referred to as the LeEco Phenomenon. A 24-year-old youth donated his eyes minutes after he met with a gory accident in which his body was sliced into two after a lorry hit his two-wheeler near Bengaluru. The incident took place on Tuesday when Harish Nanjappa met with an accident on the Tumakuru-Bengaluru highway. Such was the impact of the accident that Nanjappa's head and upper torso lay strewn on one side and lower part of the body on the another side. Nanjappa expressed his desire to donate his organs to the paramedics when he was being taken to a hospital in an ambulance. But he died before he could be reached to hospital. "After the accident, he spoke for around 10 minutes to Hoysala (police). He said that his eyes should be donated," said Nanjappa's aunt Lalitha. The doctors later harvested his eyes and donated it to the hospital. Nanjappa was working with a company providing logistics solutions to banks. Nanjappa's neighbour, Dileep, said that he was saddened by his death. "He was a very nice boy. The incident happened when he was returning from his village. We are very pained by this. He had purchased a new bike, he also went to the temple to seek blessings for his new bike. They are very poor, they have just one acre of land, and they rely on manual labour for living," said Dileep. According to reports, police have arrested the lorry driver and booked him for causing death due to rash driving. Nanjappa is survived by his mother and a brother. New Delhi, Feb 18 (ANI): Actor-comedian Manish Paul, who is well known for his comic timing and impromptu acts, said he is fine with doing a homosexual role, if any such script will comes his way. In an exclusive conversation with ANI, the 34-year-old actor said, "We (Manish and Sikander Kher) were just discussing about how we will do it. As an actor, I am open for any kind of role." And while he was just elaborating more on it, Sikander Kher, who is his co-actor in the upcoming film 'Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive', encouraged the actor to show how he could carry off the homosexual role. At the same time when both the actors were deciding on what to do, Pradhuman Singh, who portrays the character of Osama Bin Laden in the comical flick, suggested the idea of kissing on-screen, and both the actors kissed without a second thought right in front of the camera. Manish wanted to reveal the secret behind the kiss but Sikander shushed him saying, "Everybody knows how to kiss." Manish portrays the character of a director in the film. His character is inspired by Abhishek Sharma, who has directed 2010 flick, Tere Bin Laden and its sequel Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive, which is scheduled to hit the silver screens on February 26. Neanderthals, who disappeared nearly 40,000 years ago, may have interbred with humans much earlier than we thought, a new study has suggested. A multidisciplinary team, which included participants from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), has discovered that Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens crossbred over 100,000 years ago, putting back the previously first-known case of a hybrid produced by the two species by 50,000 years. This earlier genetic exchange, which may have taken place in the Near East, has not been detected in European Neanderthals. Researcher Antonio Rosas explained that the work poses a brand new scenario, saying that over 100,000 years ago, anatomically modern humans ventured out of Africa for the first time. These modern humans met and interbred with a group of Neanderthals, which later may have moved to the south of modern day Siberia, carrying the genes of H. sapiens. This history-making new research has discovered, therefore, that modern humans also passed their genes to the Neanderthal population. H. sapiens and Neanderthals cross-bred on at least two separate occasions, 100,000 years ago and 50,000 years ago. According to the researchers, following the results of this latest study, the meaning behind -and the geographical reach of- the first H. sapiens to leave Africa has yet to be analysed, as does the extent to which this exodus contributed to today's genetic diversity. The work appears in 'Nature' magazine. Union Textiles Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar today said the long awaited National Textile Policy is nearing finalisation and is likely to be issued before the end of April this year. Interacting with media persons after participating in the Make in India seminar at Mumbai, Gangwar said that consultations with all stakeholders are in progress and he is confident that the new textile policy would be released during the budget session. Earlier, speaking at the Make in India Seminar on 'Showcasing India's Strength across the Value Chain', Gangwar said that area-specific schemes have been formulated for the entire textile value chain. He said that the government has laid specific focus on reducing transportation cost, as a result of which the cotton seed transport cost has come down by almost 25 to 40 percent. Gangwar said his ministry has given approval for 24 new textile parks which will create employment for an additional 450,000 people. Speaking on regional trade block agreements such as the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), he said that the government is working towards Foreign Trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union and is holding comprehensive discussions on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). He also said that the government is in the process of reviewing existing trade agreements such as Indo-ASEAN FTA and Indo-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The Minister expressed confidence that the futuristic, inclusive and participatory vision of the government would give long term benefits. The Indian branch of the Norwegian company Petroleumsoft, a company that provides services to oil and gas firms in India, will now be supporting start-ups in India. Rameshwar Paswan, the founder of the company, based in Stavanger, the 'oil-capital' of Norway, spoke about his company's plans in India in a recent interview to an English daily. The Start-Up entrepreneurs network is based on membership and offers mentorship, workspace and assistance in business set-ups. Through the network, Petroleumsoft and other tech companies will provide long-term financial, skill and knowledge support to new Indian start-ups. Paswan, along with other entrepreneurs, is acting as a mentor for members in the network. The mentors will share their knowledge and experience from starting up their own businesses. Paswan is aware that many start-ups fail and he believes that having a network of other fresh entrepreneurs and experienced mentors will give the start-ups the best chance of success. In the interview to the English daily, he said: "our goal for strengthening the start-up culture in India includes involving more and more start-ups and professionals from India and abroad." The mentors have mostly experience from Norway and India, however there are interested parties from all over the world wanting to join the network. The entrepreneurs behind the initiative are ahead of a national push in India to boost entrepreneurship. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced India's new start-up policy on January 16 during the 'Start Up India' event in the national capital which gathered some of the biggest names in the world of start-ups and investing. Prime Minister Modi stated at a recent commerce conference that the government is aiming at generating job creators and not just job seekers and encouraging new businesses is a priority. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday condemned its Pakistani counterpart's statement on Jammu and Kashmir, and said that Islamabad's gratuitous references are unacceptable. "Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter of India. Pakistan's gratuitous references to the Jammu and Kashmir are unacceptable," Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Vikas Swarup told ANI. According to reports, Pakistan's foreign office spokesperson Muhammad Nafees Zakria in Islamabad, while replying to a question about the 'arrest of Kashmiri students' at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, said that Kashmiris never accepted the unfair trial of 2013 parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. While pointing out that Pakistan has adequately and appropriately raised the Kashmir dispute at all international forums, Zakria said that Islamabad has repeatedly voiced concerns and condemned the incidents in which the Kashmiris of occupied valley were subjected to atrocities by the Indian troops. Pakistan on Thursday welcomed a statement by India's newly-appointed High Commissioner to Islamabad in which he maintained that the resumption of talks between the two nations was not linked with the progress of investigation into the Pathankot airbase attack. Array Foreign Secretary level talks between both the countries, scheduled for January 15, were postponed on January 2, after the Indian airbase in Pathankot near Pakistan's border was stormed by terrorists, killing seven Indian security personnel. Array Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria told a weekly briefing in Islamabad that the statement by Indian High Commissioner Gautam Bambawaly was encouraging. Array Talking to reporters in Islamabad on Monday, Bambawaly said that both foreign secretaries and the national security advisers (NSAs) are in contact, and although no date has so far been finalized for the meeting, he was optimistic that the talks will take place soon. Array "We have noted the Policy Statement made by the Indian High Commissioner, not linking Foreign Secretary talks to the Pathankot incident, and the dates of the foreign Secretary level talks. In view of this Policy Statement, in our view the dates of the Foreign Secretary level talks should now be decided as early as possible," Zakaria said. Array Pakistan's interior ministry formed an investigation team of officials from civil and military intelligence agencies to look into the Pathakot incident after India claimed that Pakistan-based outfit Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) was behind the attack. Array Pakistan has apprehended scores of suspects including head of JeM, Maulana Masood Azhar, but officials talking off the record say Pakistani investigators have found Indian leads "inadequate" to implicate Azhar in the case. Array Asked about the continuing human rights violations in Kashmir, Zakaria said Pakistan has not missed any opportunity to bring the atrocities to the notice of the International Community. Array "We have repeatedly mentioned in the past also that this has been a serious concern for us. And I think, on a number of occasions, we have taken up this issue at various levels and we have also condemned the incidents which are taking place in which the innocent Kashmiris are being subjected to the atrocities. If you are aware, there is no occasion, there are no international fora on which we have not taken up the Kashmir issue appropriately and adequately. Our stance in this regard is very clear to all of you," he said. Pregnancy brings several fears for a mother and for Ginnifer Goodwin, one of those fears has to do with the love of Disney. The 'Once Upon a Time' star, who is expecting her second son with her husband Josh Dallas, confessed in a recent interview that she's afraid her kids won't embrace Disney as much as she does, reports E! Online. As far as her first born Oliver Finlay Dallas is concerned, he is right on track to being a Disney fanatic. The 37-year-old actress added that Oliver loves Disney and she even has a video of him dancing with Pluto and Donald. Goodwin revealed that she has couple deep, dark fears about childrearing, like her kids won't love Disneyland because she will oversaturate them. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, saying that she did nothing for the Dalits in Uttar Pradesh. Speaking at the Dalit Netratitva Vikas Sammelan here, Gandhi said, "Kanshiram ji did a great job for the Dalits. But the platform provided by him was not properly used by Mayawati. The way the Dalits should have been profited and developed in the state could not happen. She didn't let the Dalit leadership in the party to flourish," he said. "She tried to suppress the Dalits. She got scared by the Dalit leadership in the party and, therefore, it provided an opportunity to the Congress. The truth is that there is a very big opportunity for the Congress at the present," he added. Gandhi said the Dalit community in Uttar Pradesh is of the view that their plight would drastically change if the Congress Party joins hands with them. "They are asking whether the Congress party can provide an opportunity to the Dalit youth in Uttar Pradesh," he said. He also used the stage to target the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). and said that the latter want to suppress the poor and the downtrodden section of the society. "The Congress Party and the RSS are involved in a fight at this point of time. At one side, there is the Congress which believes that the person standing in the last should also get the rights provided by the Constitution. We are for the Constitution, drafted by Bhimrao Ambedkar, which gives opportunity to everyone. On the other hand, there is RSS and its 'manuwadi' ideology," Gandhi said. "A true Congress worker feels the pain of the poor and the downtrodden. He tries to find the pain through his actions and minimize them," he added. Before addressing the Sammelan, the Congress vice-president was shown black flags by the BJP workers in the city. The Congress vice-president's remarks assume significance as Uttar Pradesh votes for the assembly polls next year. Responding to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's remark that the RSS is trying to impose a 'flawed' ideology on students, The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday said the latter must first distinguish between what is politics and what is anti- . Array "If Mr. Rahul Gandhi claims that he is a tall leader, he should first know how to distinguish between what is politics and what is anti-national," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told ANI here. Array He also said that it is absolutely shuddering to learn that Mr. Rahul Gandhi does not know how to distinguish between political parties and the country. Array "When the slogan is 'Pakistan zindabad' then Mr. Rahul Gandhi should know that this slogan is not a slogan of Bharatiya Janata party but it is against the country. When the slogan is 'India would be cut into thousand pieces'then this slogan is not a political slogan it is an anti- slogan," he added. Array Rahul Gandhi, after his meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee today, lashed out at the Centre, for crushing dissent at educational institutions, and accusing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of imposing its 'dead' ideology on students. Array Gandhi targeted the ruling BJP as well as its ideological mentor RSS over the crisis at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Array Gandhi has been attacked by the BJP for supporting JNU students who have demanded the release of Kanhaiya Kumar, the student leader arrested last Friday on charges of sedition for allegedly making anti- comments at a controversial event held at the university in support of terrorist Afzal Guru, who was hanged in 2013. Array BJP president Amit Shah had, in a blog, accused Gandhi of 'hobnobbing with anti-national elements.' Array "Has Rahul Gandhi lent his voice to separatists in the country? Does he want another Partition?" Shah said. Former Delhi University lecturer S.A.R. Geelani, who was arrested on the charges of sedition, was on Thursday sent to 14-day judicial custody. He will be kept in 'High Risk Ward' of Jail Number 1 of Tihar Jail. was arrested on the charges of sedition in connection with an event held at the Press Club of India (PCI) on February 10, where 'anti-India' slogans were allegedly raised. Earlier on Tuesday, the police produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Harvinder Singh and sought two-day police custody. ALSO READ: Former DU lecturer SAR Geelani arrested in sedition case over Afzal Guru event Geelani's arrest comes amid a raging controversy over the arrest of Jawaharlal Nehru University's students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar on charges of sedition . The police had after registering the case also questioned DU professor Ali Javed, a Press Club member, who had booked the hall for the event. Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor, who will soon be seen portraying the character of Neerja Bhanot in her upcoming flick 'Neerja,' recently, shared a stamp, which the government made in the airhostess' name. The 30-year-old actress took to her Instagram handle and posted a picture of the stamp that has Neerja's picture on one side and her Ashoka Chakra medal on the other. Along with the picture, Sonam wrote, "Guys : have you seen the stamp that the government of India made in the honour of #Neerja ?" Directed by Ram Madhvi, 'Neerja' is a biopic based on the life of the Pan Am Flight 73 air hostess Neerja Bhanot. Bhanot was just 23-year-old when she sacrificed her life for saving 359 lives on board a hijacked flight to Karachi, Pakistan. The film is slated to be released on February 19. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Rajasthan, Kailash Chaudhary, has called Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi a 'traitor' and said he should be hanged and shot for voicing his support for the students of Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The MLA from Barmer's Baytoo constituency, who was speaking at a farmers' gathering yesterday, lashed out at the Gandhi scion for siding with the 'anti-national' students. "Wherever anti- and pro-Pakistan slogans are raised, Rahul Gandhi goes and sides with those people. If Rahul Gandhi, who is called the 'rajkumar' of Congress, goes and sides with these people, stands with them and supports them then it is treason," Chaudhary said in his constituency. "Rahul Gandhi is a traitor. Such a traitor should be punished, hanged and shot," he added. The Congress vice-president has got himself in trouble, both legally and politically, as a case has been registered against him in a district court in Allahabad for his remarks on the JNU incident. He had voiced his support for the students of JNU and had questioned the sedition charges filed by the police against the students involved in alleged anti-India sloganeering. The Congress vice-president had alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was trying to crush the opinion of the people. He said that the Congress Party would not accept it and would fight this out. "The RSS backed people are being appointed as vice-chancellors in the universities and the voices of the students are being gagged. They are suppressing the voice of the Indian students whether in Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow and in all the universities across the country. We will not accept this, we will fight against this," Gandhi told the media on the sidelines of his public rally in Sivasagar, Assam. Police used water cannons here on Thursday to disperse protesting farmers who were demanding implementation of a Commission on Farmers (NCF) report. A large number of small farmers in several states are under debt following patchy rainfall. The distressed farmers shouted slogans against the government for not bailing them out. Police had set up barricades across the road to prevent the protesters from marching to government offices. The police had to use water cannons to disperse the agitators when they tried to breach the barricades forcibly. "We were going to submit the memorandum to the chiefs of Haryana and Punjab states and to the governors of these states for the Prime Minister seeking implementation of the suggestions made in the Swaminathan report for farmers. We also wanted that the debts of the famers should be waived off. But then, the police beat us and made us run away," said one of the protestors. The government had set up the Commission on Farmers (NCF) in November 2004 under the chairmanship of Professor M.S. Swaminathan. The commission submitted five reports between December 2004 and October 2006. The final report of the commission focused on causes of farmer distresses and the rise in farmer suicides, and recommended a slew of measures to address them. At least 15 civilians were killed on Thursday in US-led airstrikes in Syria's northeastern province of al-Hasakah, a monitor group reported. The airstrikes targeted areas controlled by the Islamic State group in al-Hasakah, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which says it relies on activists on the ground inside Syria, Xinhua reported. The air raids apparently came in support of the Kurdish-backed Syria Democratic Forces, which is approaching the IS-held city of Shaddadi in the countryside of al-Hasakah. The US-led coalition started its operations specifically against the IS group in Syria over a year ago. Syrian officials have repeatedly questioned the intention and seriousness of the US coalition in the war on terror. The Congress in Rajasthan on Thursday criticised a statement by BJP legislator Kailash Chaudhary calling party vice president Rahul Gandhi a traitor, and demanded his arrest. Chaudhary, the BJP legislator from Baytoo constituency in Barmer district, while addressing a farmers' rally on Wednesday, said: "Rahul Gandhi who stands with the people who shout anti-India and pro-Pakistan slogans is anti-national and a traitor. Traitors should be punished, hanged and shot." The legislator did not stop there. He said such kind of people should be thrown out of the country. "They do not have any right to live in this country," Chaudhary said, in the wake of Gandhi meeting students at Jawaharlal Nehru University a few days back. The Youth Congress on Thursday staged a protest march and burnt an effigy of the BJP leader. Hundreds of Youth Congress workers staged a march towards the house of the BJP leader and shouted slogans in support of Gandhi. Chanting "Rahul Gandhi zindabad", the youth brigade burnt an effigy and blackened the name-plate of Kailash Chaudhary in front of his house. State Congress president Sachin Pilot, in a statement on Thursday, also criticised the statement by Chaudhary, and termed it "highly objectionable". Demanding Chaudhary's immediate sacking, Pilot said the BJP leader's act falls in the category of a criminal act. "A case should be filed against him," he said. A Surat court on Thursday rejected the bail pleas of two close associates of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) spearhead Hardik Patel in a sedition case. Hearing of Patel's bail plea in the case will come up on Saturday. The Surat Police crime branch had slapped sedition charges against Chirag Desai and Vipul Desai along with Hardik Patel in October 2015. Hardik was allegedly captured on tape advising Vipul to kill policemen instead of committing suicide. The PAAS convener had gone to Vipul Desai's house after he threatened to kill himself in support of the ongoing quota stir of the Patidars. Patel told Desai to be brave and not think of committing suicide, but instead kill a policeman or two. Patels never commit suicide, Hardik told Desai. Hearing on the bail applications of Chirag and Vipul had concluded on Monday but that of Hardik was deferred to Saturday since the investigation officer in his case was absent. With the rejection of the bail plea of his close aides, chances that his application would be accepted seemed bleak. The Surat crime branch had on January 8 filed a 370-page charge sheet in the case. All the three accused are lodged in the Lajpore central jail in Surat. Meanwhile, an Ahmedabad court will also hear on Saturday Hardik's bail plea in yet another sedition case filed against him and five supporters. The crime branch of Ahmedabad police had on January 18 filed a 2,700-page charge sheet in the case for their alleged role in the violence related to the pro-quota agitation. Actor Ravi Khanna, who essayed the role of the ISI boss who frames Salman Khan's character as an Indian spy in "Bajrangi Bhaijaan", says there's a vacuum for an onscreen villain in Bollywood, and feels he can fill it with his authoritative voice and effective screen presence. "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" reconnected Khanna with Bollywood, who, after 33 years in the US, had moved last year to Mumbai. Now he is exploring new roles, while also working on a book titled "Indian Antagonist", in which he traces the history of the Bollywood villain. "It's the villain that interests me, and there is a vacuum in that space. With my voice and screen presence, I could be in roles like Amrish Puri did. Bollywood has not had many villains... There has been Ranjeet and Amrish Puri and Amjad Khan. "I hope some director will notice my eyes, screen presence, voice and acting skills... and feel that I can fill that gap," Khanna told IANS. Khanna's book "Indian Antagonist" explores how the ethos of the Bollywood villain hasn't changed much since several years -- whether it was K.N.Singh, Pran, Madan Puri, Ranjeet or Prakash Raj -- because all of them in most films, led a team of goons who used force against the hero to defeat him but never succeeded. "The film industry has changed, and improved technically, but the villain has not changed. Today's villain is still like Kansa or Ravana and rarely like Shakuni, who is known for playing mind games. Khanna feels that whenever filmmakers took Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan to essay a villain who played mind games, the movies worked as "the villain can also be a hero". Having a background in theatre as well as journalism, Khanna has an "uninterrupted passion for acting", and has worked across TV, plays, serials and radio. Khanna began his acting career in New Delhi in the 1970s on stage, radio and television with his contemporaries such as Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Dinesh Thakur, Kamna Chandra, Om Shivpuri, Sudha Shivpuri, T.P. Jain and R.P. Sethi among others. They ventured to Mumbai and Khanna, on the insistence of his mother, went to the US to pursue journalism. There he worked as the South Asia Bureau Chief in the Voice of America Newsroom for 27 years. But he kept his interest in theatre alive and kept on acting on stage in English, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi whenever he got a chance. In India, he feels the fervour for the theatre medium is not as promising among the youth as it was earlier. And the TV industry, according to him, is in "shambles" due to the system of casting co-ordinators who treat people "like animals". The Bar Council of India has set up a three-member panel to probe the role of lawyers who assaulted JNU students and media persons at the Patiala House court here. The three-member committee, headed by a former high court judge, has been asked to submit its report within three weeks, Bar Council chairman Manan Kumar said. A section of lawyers on Monday assaulted journalists and Jawaharlal Nehru University students before JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, arrested for sedition, was to reach the court. On Wednesday, Kanhaiya Kumar himself was assaulted when he was brought to the court. He has been sent to judicial custody till March 2. Asked what action would be taken against guilty lawyers, Manan said: "The action includes suspension of the lawyers' licences for their entire life. We will remove the name of the lawyers from the Bar Council rolls." The recent three-day Urdu fair Jashn-e-Rekhta in Delhi was a celebration of the quintessential spirit of the language, its composite culture, inclusive ethos, creative richness and linguistic grandeur. The Sabri Brothers from Rajasthan, who are famous for their qawwali, set the ball rolling with a great performance. Delhi, once a Urdu hub during the Mughal era, regained some of the lost glory by holding umpteen Urdu activities in the capital city like the mehfils (congregations), mushairas (poetry recitation), dastangoi (story-telling), play (based on a Krishna Chander story), reading from Urdu classics, critical appreciation, qawwali, ghazal sarai (recitation of poetry), baitbaazi (verse competition), baithak (dialogue) and nashist (discussions) besides other language attractions. Eminent litterateurs, artists and lovers of Urdu like Javed Akhtar, Mahesh Bhatt, Shabana Azmi, Gulzar, Anwar Masood (poet of light-hearted poetry from Islamabad), Gopi Chand Narang, Zia Mohyeddin, Wasim Barelvi and Asif Farrukhi (writer from Lahore and poet from Karachi) were there. Also present were Ashok Vajpeyi, Kumar Vishwas and Rana Safvi. In all, over 100 poets, litterateurs, journalists, critics, actors, artists, novelists, and lyricists came for the Urdu celebration. Almost 30 authors came from Pakistan to the fiesta organised by Rekhta Foundation, whose website is dedicated to popularising the language. What was pleasantly surprising was the discerning capacity-crowds at the different venues. In fact, the non-stop flow of visitors, numbering almost a lakh over the three days, proved that Urdu was thriving and not on oxygen, as some of its connoisseurs always complained. "No other language can match the sweetness and glory of Urdu that I consider to be the language of love, romance, sophistication and culture. Let me concede that Delhi's tehzeeb (culture) is Urdu tehzeeb," said Sanjiv Saraf, IIT Kharagpur alumnus and the founder of Rekhta, on the occasion of one of the biggest congregations of Urdu in the world. When asked as to what was in it for Saraf, chairman of a Noida-based company like Polyplex Ltd. dealing in polyethylene terephthalate films, he said: "Urdu and Ghalib are at my heart and I had desired to serve the language since my days of youth. However, Urdu is not merely sher-o-shairi or ghazals and qawwalis. It's the epitome of our Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb (composite secular culture)". Saraf has a suggestion: "If industrialists like us can just take care of this language, Urdu can soon recover its lost sheen." The fiesta this year also reminded him of the Shankar-Shad Indo-Pak Mushaira conducted by the Shriram Industries and Jashn-e-Bahar by eminent socialite Kamna Prasad. He doesn't buy the theory that Urdu is dying, Rekhta employs a team of around 50 people, including IT professionals, composers, translators and social media experts, at its Noida office. Rekhta, a website of collections of old and modern representative poetry, is an online treasure trove of Urdu poetry available in Roman, Devnagri and Urdu scripts with authentic text. One can listen to the poetry on the site and find the meaning of difficult words. One reason for Urdu's growing popularity among the youth is its easy availability online in Devanagri and Roman script, according to Bandeep Singh, photo editor of Fortune India. According to Rhea Suri, who relished the Urdu love poetry bestowed upon her on Valentine's Day: "Umpteen college-goers are showing a liking for Urdu as they feel it is the best language to express matters of heart through Ghalib or Sahir Ludhyanavi." Celebration of the composite heritage of the language in all its forms was evident at each nook and cranny of the fiesta. Farhat Ehsas, a poet associated with Rekhta, describes Jashn-e-Rekhta as a festival to celebrate the quintessential spirit of Urdu. Ehsas says the project is aimed at attracting the big educational and literary institutes of India, Pakistan and the world so that, after their inclusion, scholars of Urdu would be able to complete their research and students will benefit from this body of knowledge right from their homes. Sukrita Paul Kumar, a lover of Urdu believes that no language can establish a strong connection with its readers without the help of modern technology. "Aided by technology, it's touching new heights today. The plethora of Urdu websites is testimony to its continuing popularity," she said. Speaking on the appeal of the language, Dr Ather Farouqui said: "Urdu Chairs have been set in the universities of Cambridge and Oxford in the UK and also in the universities in Germany, China, Egypt, Jordan and Malaysia. Urdu is an easily comprehensible language whose future is bright. It's the second language read and understood in India, third in the USA and fourth in Britain." (The author is an educator and commentator on social issues. He can be contacted at firozbakhtahmed08@gmail.com) China's Cabinet or the State Council has called for more transparent governance by 2020 by making more government information public, the media reported on Thursday. In a document issued on Wednesday, governments at all levels were asked to keep the public informed in five main aspects: policymaking policy implementation, managerial affairs, public services and government decisions, the China Daily reported. "The document is a new national guideline for the disclosure of government affairs," said Yang Weidong, a law professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance. Yang said the fourth plenary session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee in October 2014 set the tone for the publication of information and listed what should be made public. The document specified when governments should make information public and when to keep it confidential. Government websites are important platforms to demonstrate administrative capacities and give the public access to official information, according to the document. Thus it is critical to push forward the cooperation of the internet and governmental services, making websites better serve the public, it said. With the participation of people from different walks of life, and especially with the involvement of the media, the decision-making procedures are expected to be more transparent and better serve the interests of the public, Yang said. The document requires making public three lists: government powers, government responsibilities and the negative list, which identifies sectors and businesses that are off-limits to foreign investment. China's commerce ministry announced the country is set to host the G20 trade ministers meeting in Shanghai in July, a media report said on Thursday. "China took over the rotating G20 presidency on December 1, 2015, and a series of meetings have been started successively through various channels. As a department which coordinates trade and investment cooperation, the ministry of commerce will host the G20 trade ministers meetings from July 9 to 10 this year in Shanghai," ministry spokesman Shen Danyang said. Shen said G20 member states have strong desire to enhance trade and investment cooperation amid the slowdown of global trade and economy, the People's Daily reported. "China hopes member nations, through trade ministers' meetings and a series of work team meetings, will carry out in-depth discussions over issues including constructing a trade and investment platform among G20 countries, promoting global trade growth, supporting a multilateral trade system, enhancing coordination and cooperation of investment policies, and advancing an inclusive and coordinated global value chain," Shen added. The next annual G20 summit is also scheduled to be held in China in September. Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Thursday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's explanation on farmers' suicide after BJP MP Gopal Shetty was quoted in media reports as saying that farmers in India committing suicides was a fashion. "Modi should clarify whether the manner in which farmers are committing suicide is a fashion or helplessness," Digvijay Singh told reporters at the Congress party office in Panaji. "All farmer suicides are not only because of hunger and unemployment. There is a fashion, a trend is on. If Maharashtra government is giving Rs.5 lakh, another government is giving Rs.7 lakh, Rs.8 lakh. There is a competition going on to give money to farmers," Shetty, a Lok Sabha member from Mumbai North, has been quoted as saying in the media. Singh, who is also in charge of the party's affairs in Goa, said the BJP's concern for farmers was fake. He questioned the timing of Shetty's comment, which comes when Modi is scheduled to address a farmers conclave in Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh. "Shetty has said that it is a fashion for farmers to commit suicide. I condemn it. And when Modi is touring the whole country and holding rallies in favour of farmers, at such a time, this comment has been made," Singh said. With the Congress in Kerala aiming to retain power, top leaders of the party's state unit have been asked to reach Delhi to discuss preparations for the upcoming assembly polls. "The national leadership has called Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and me to start the pre-poll discussions," state Congress president V.M. Sudheeran told reporters here after a two-day meeting of the party leadership. "The two-day meet concluded that there is a favourable trend towards the Chandy government that's prevailing now. After the arrival here of our president Sonia Gandhi recently, there has been an all-round rejuvenation of the party. With this trend, we will be facing the polls unitedly, with no issues among ourselves," said Sudheeran. He said several suggestions were discussed on how to go about candidate selection and a final picture will emerge once they return from Delhi. Assembly polls are set to be held soon, and the Congress-led UDF is aiming to create history by becoming the first government to retain power. Asked if he would contest the elections, Sudheeran did not make any commitment. He said a party-appointed committee that probed allegations about certain party members playing truant in the 2011 assembly polls and the recently held local body elections will be looked into when candidates are selected. The state unit of the Congress earlier this month came under fire from party vice president Rahul Gandhi, who, at a mammoth party meeting, asked its top leaders to stop fighting among themselves. Enhancing connectivity between India and the Asean region can be a game changer for India's northeast, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Thursday. "Enhancing connectivity is a strategic priority for both India and Asean. For India's northeastern region, it can be a game changer. "India has been working with Asean to enhance physical connectivity via our northeast as well as our eastern seaboard," she said in her keynote address at the ministerial session of the eighth edition of the Delhi Dialogue, a premier annual track 1.5 diplomatic event discussing the politico-security, economic and socio-cultural engagement between India and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). Sushma Swaraj said the Kaladan Multi Modal Transport project, India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and Rih Tedim Project in Myanmar were in progress to enhance connectivity between India and Asean nations via the northeast. While the Kaladan project has achieved a physical progress of close to 90 percent and is scheduled to be completed in the next few months, the tendering process for 69 bridges on the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway has been initiated, she said. "The Rih-Tedim Road project will provide all weather connectivity between eastern Mizoram and western Myanmar," the minister said, adding that work on enhancing air connectivity between the northeast and the Asean region was also on. Describing India and Asean as two bright spots of optimism amidst ongoing global economic uncertainties, she said the Asean Community has opened up a whole new world of opportunities for growth. "India would like to be part of this growth and in this sense, the development of an Asean-India Economic Community would be a logical evolution. We also encourage the Asean member states which are yet to ratify the Asean-India Agreements on Trade in Services and Investments to do so at the earliest," she said. She said a balanced and ambitious Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, if concluded this year, will further boost India's economic and commercial engagement with Asean and the wider Asia-Pacific. Sushma Swaraj also stressed on the importance of ensuring maritime security, "which has emerged as an important area of concern in recent times". "The oceans and seas, including the South China Sea, are pathways to our prosperity and security. The security of sea routes in the Asia-Pacific is essential for India's economy as a majority of our global trade flows across the straits of Malacca and beyond," she said. Stating that the deep and abiding socio-cultural links between India and Asean date back two millennia, Sushma Swaraj hoped that people-to-people exchanges would engender research tie-up between the universities and think tanks of the two sides. Indonesian National Development Planning Minister Sofyan A. Djalil highlighted the need to enhance maritime connectivity and development of global value chains. A panel discussion on "Connectivity: Creating Pathways to a Shared Future" was held with Chief Ministers of Nagaland and Mizoram, T.R. Zeliang and Lal Thanhawla respectively, Myanmar's Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister U Tin Oo Lwin, Thai Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Virasakdi Futrakul, and ASEAN secretariat deputy secretary general A.K.P. Mochtan. "All concurred on the key role of connectivity as an enabler for prosperity, growth, peace and people-2-people contacts," the statement said. A second panel on "Asean economic community and India: Integrating regional value chains and production networks" saw the participation of Vietnamese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung, Lao's Vice Minister for Industry and Commerce Somchith Inthamith, Cambodian Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Kan Pharidh, Singapore MP and Singapore-India Parliamentary Friendship Group chairman Vikram Nair, along with Ambassador of the Philippines to India, M.A. Teresita C. Daza. Thursday's ministerial session was attended by over 200 delegates from Asean countries and India. The ministerial session was preceded by a business session on Wednesday and will be followed by an academic session on Friday. Virtually clearing the decks for its first electoral tie-up with the Congress in West Bengal, the CPI-M on Thursday sought cooperation of all democratic forces to defeat the ruling Trinamool Congress in the coming assembly polls. After a two-day central committee meeting that followed the party politburo's sitting on Tuesday, the Communist Party of India-Marxist said: "In West Bengal, the main task is to restore democracy and foil the aggressive efforts by the communal forces to polarise the people in the state by ousting the present Trinamool Congress government. "The CPI-M will seek the cooperation of all democratic forces in the state to strengthen people's unity in West Bengal to defeat the Trinamool Congress, isolate the BJP and their machinations." Briefing mediapersons, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury said 174 party activists have been killed at the hands of "ruling Trinamool goons" over the past four years and nine months. Accusing the Trinamool and the BJP of being in collusion, Yechury pointed to the slow progress of the Central Bureau of investigation probe into the Saradha chit fund scam. "In return, the BJP looks for Trinamool support in the Rajya Sabha." "Also, the BJP and the Trinamool in a way feeds on one another by creating a communal polarisation, with the BJP looking for the Hindu votes, and Trinamool eyeing the Muslim votes," he said. Asked whether the CPI-M considers the Congress a democratic and secular force, he said: "We are welcoming all secular and democratic forces to join us. Let's see who wants to come to us. "Then our West Bengal state committee will deal with it and come to us for the final approval." While Yechury refused to be very specific keeping in mind the concerns of the party's Kerala unit, which would have to take on the ruling Congress as its arch-rival in the assembly polls scheduled to be held around the same time as in West Bengal, another CPI-M central committee member Gautam Deb gave a straightforward reply. "When we are referring to secular and democratic forces opposed to the Trinamool, then it is natural we are refering to the Congress. "We have to discuss the contours of the tie-up in the coming days. We will also welcome other parties. Let's see who comes with us," Deb told a television channel. With the polls just months away, the state leaderships of both the CPI-M and the Congress have been pitching for a joint fight against the Trinamool. On February 1, a majority of state Congress leaders conveyed to party vice president Rahul Gandhi their desire to team up with the CPI-M at the hustings. Congress president Sonia Gandhi will take the final decision on behalf of the Congress on the possible tie-up. A number of state Congress leaders have already flown to Delhi to impress upon the high command the need to formalise the pact without delay. The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the decks for the revocation of president's rule in Arunachal Pradesh as it vacated its own order of status quo passed on Wednesday. The central government on Wednesday held back its decision to revoke President's Rule in the wake of the status quo order passed by the apex court. The revocation will allow formation of a new government likely to be headed by the rebel Congress leader Kalikho Pul in the border state. The constitution bench, headed by Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, vacated the status quo order after examining the original records relating to the proceedings leading to the disqualification of 14 rebel Congress lawmakers and finding that the notice informing them about their intended disqualification was neither served on them nor pasted on their premises. "Having seen the original record, which was sent to us by the registrar general of the High Court of Gauhati, we are satisfied that the interim order passed by the high court dated January 7, 2016 calls for no interference at this stage. Accordingly, the interim order (of status quo) passed on February 17 is vacated," said the order passed on Thursday. The high court's January 7 interim order had come on the petition by the then deputy speaker T. Norbu Thongdok. As senior counsel Fali Nariman appearing for former speaker Nabam Rebia told the court that entries in the peon book would establish that notices were sent to the 14, Justice Dipak Misra, of the bench, said: "If we take entry in peon book and accept that notice was sent, that will be catastrophic." Tthe court asked the Gauhati High Court to hear the plea, pending before it, against the disqualification of 14 rebel Congress lawmakers. The apex court had summoned the original records on Wednesday which reached it on Thursday and were taken up during its post lunch sitting. The constitution bench, which also comprised Justice Madan B. Lokur, Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghosh and Justice N.V. Ramana directed that a division bench (comprising two judges) of the high court would hear the disqualification matter from February 22 and conclude the hearing in two weeks. It said that "all contentions as are available to the rival parties are kept open". The court further said that "any action taken in the meantime, shall abide by the final outcome of the controversy". Any action would also include the formation of new government. Prior to the passing of the order, Nariman told the court that under assembly rules there was no requirement of issuing notice, but senior counsel R. Dwivedi told the court that there are provisions that mandates the issuance of notice and affording a reasonable opportunity to those lawmakers whose membership is sought to be terminated under the anti-defection law. Delhi BJP legislator O.P. Sharma was on Thursday granted bail by Delhi Police after his formal arrest in an assault case. After he was granted bail at the Tilak Marg police station here, where he was summoned for questioning over his alleged involvement in the assault on a CPI member Amieeque Jamei at Patiala House court complex here on Monday, he said he was a "victim of media trial". The assault on several Jawaharlal Nehru University students and media persons by a group of lawyers and others occurred in the court complex on Monday before the court appearance of JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case. "It is shameful if people who stop others from screaming 'Pakistan zindabad' have to go through all this. I am being tried by the media. Judgements were passed while they (media) sat in studios," Sharma told reporters after the grant of bail. "I was questioned for eight hours by the Delhi Police regarding the case," the BJP leader added. The police issued summons to Sharma and three lawyers in connection with Monday's assault. The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the AAP government to file its response on a plea of Congress leader Ajay Maken against a media blitz launched by it on completion of one year in power. A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath sought the Aam Aadmi Party government response by February 25. Maken, who heads Congress' Delhi units, contended that the Arvind Kejriwal's government had been running an advertisement campaign that cost approximately Rs.100 crore. However, no work was done on the ground, he said. The Congress leader sought the high court intervention to "immediately stop these advertisements and recover the cost of all such advertisements from Arvind Kejriwal". He also requested the court to direct the Delhi government that the money so recovered from Kejriwal be used for municipal reforms in the capital. The petition said that while the Delhi government claimed it had "no money for the salaries of poor rag-pickers, hundreds of crores are being spent on self-glorification and political ads around the country". Maken's lawyer Aman Pawar said a large number of advertisements were published or broadcast in various towns and cities across India by AAP government by using tax payers money. "These outstation ads are of no use to the Delhi taxpayers or for the residents of towns and cities like Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru etc," the petition said. Maken filed the application in the ongoing public interest litigation wherein he said huge amounts were spent on advertisements glorifying Kejriwal and the AAP. As the search for the wreckage of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 nears its end, officials have admitted they might have to confront the idea the plane's disappearance was deliberately planned. The 12-month search for the plane off the coast of Western Australia, in the southern Indian Ocean, is expected to end in 10 weeks, Xinhua reported. The search area, measuring roughly 120,000 sq km, was calculated on the assumption that the pilots of the plane were incapacitated at the time it crashed. About 85,000 sq km of the seafloor has been searched in that area. This premise, which formed the basis of the entire investigation, suggests that the aircraft flew on autopilot until it ran out of fuel somewhere over the Indian Ocean. However if the plane is not found in the search zone, it opens the door to the possibility that the plane was being controlled by a "rogue pilot" who crashed it deliberately, killing all 239 people on board. "We're not at the point yet but sooner or later we will be -- and we will have to explain to governments what the alternative is," Martin Dolan, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, told the Times of London. "In a few months' time, if we haven't found it (the plane) then we'll have to be contemplating that one of the much less-likely scenarios ends up being more prominent which is that there were control inputs into that aircraft at the end of its flight." A part of a plane's wing that washed up on Reunion Island, a French territory in the Indian Ocean, in July confirmed to be from MH370 raised hopes that authorities were close to finding the plane but no further parts have been found since. Australian, Malaysian and Chinese governments have been engaged in a massive multinational search for the ill-fated plane. Energy, connectivity and people-to-people contact will figures among the issues that will come up for discussion during Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli's six-day visit to India from February 19. "During the visit, we expect discussions on all issues of mutual interest," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said during a media briefing here on Thursday. "Bilateral cooperation, particularly in the key areas of energy, connectivity, and people-to-people linkages will form the main focus of the visit, he said. The visit of Oli, who will be accompanied by his wife Radhika Sakya, is the first bilateral visit by a prime minister from the Himalayan nation since 2011. "This is the first bilateral visit by a Nepal prime minister since that of then prime minister Baburam Bhattarai in 2011," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said at a media briefing here on Thursday. In 2014, then prime minister Sushil Koirala visited India for the swearing-in ceremony of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. In August 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went on a bilateral visit to Nepal which was the first by an Indian prime minister in 17 years. Modi again went in November 2014 to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit in Kathmandu. The high-level delegation that will accompany Oli will include Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Kamal Thapa, Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel, Home Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet, Chief Advisor to the prime minister Bishnu Prasad Rimal, chief executive of the National Reconstruction Authority, 13 MPs from various political parties, the chief secretary of Nepal and other high officials as well as business representatives. On Saturday, the day after his arrival, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will call on Oli after which the visiting dignitary will meet Prime Minister Modi. This will be followed by delegation-level talks and signing of agreements. Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will then call on the Nepalese prime minister. Oli will also call on Vice President Hamid Ansari and President Pranab Mukherjee later in the day. On Sunday, he will leave for Dehradun where he will visit the Tehri hydel power project. After returning to New Delhi the same day, the Nepalese prime minister will meet leaders of various political parties. On Monday, Minister of State for Power Piyush Goel will call on Oli after which the visiting dignitary will address the Indian Council for World Affairs. In the evening, Oli will attend a business meeting. On Tuesday, he will leave for Bhuj in Gujarat to take stock of the earthquake reconstruction work there. Later in the day, he will leave for Mumbai where he will meet Maharashtra Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao. Oli will depart from India on Wednesday. As a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found Donald Trump surprisingly falling behind Ted Cruz nationally, the Republican presidential front-runner declared: "I think somebody at the Wall Street Journal doesn't like me." "I think most of the polls were taken after the debate and they worked out good for me," Trump said Wednesday during a MSNBC town hall in Charleston, South Carolina, ahead of the State's Saturday primary where he still leads by double digits. "I have never done well with the Wall Street Journal poll. I don't know. They do these small samples and I don't know exactly what it represents." In the poll, Texas Senator Cruz is the first choice of 28 percent of Republican primary voters, while Trump gets 26 percent. They're followed by Senator Marco Rubio at 17 percent, Ohio governor John Kasich at 11 percent, neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 10 percent and former Florida governor Jeb Bush at 4 percent. The results from the poll - conducted after Trump's victory in New Hampshire and Saturday's Republican debate in South Carolina - are a significant reversal from last month, when Trump held a 13-point lead over Cruz, 33 percent to 20 percent. The new poll came after other surveys -- both nationally and in South Carolina show Trump with a commanding lead. A Bloomberg poll shows Trump with 36 percent holding a 19-point lead over Cruz at 17 percent in Saturday's South Carolina Republican primary, with Rubio and Bush locked in a close race for third and Kasich showing no signs of a surge. The poll found Trump dominating the field across virtually all demographic groups, and doing even better than Cruz among those who say they are either very conservative or evangelical Christian. On nearly every question about challenges faced by the next president, Trump scored the highest. But Rubio could get a boost from the endorsement of South Carolina's popular Indian-American Governor Nikki Haley, who has been critical of Trump's hardline immigration rhetoric. (Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in) Terror suspect Sameer Sardana on Thursday accused Goa police and central security agencies of torturing and taunting him because of his interest in Islam. Sardana, who was arrested on February 2 by the anti-terror squad (ATS) of the Goa police, said he stored information about bomb blasts on his laptop because he fancied himself as a "spoof artist" and not because he is a terrorist. He said the police tried to frame him in a terror case, but Goa's Director General of Police T.N. Mohan insisted that there is incriminating evidence against the Dehradun-based chartered accountant, who was released on bail last week. Sardana, son of a retired major general, left for Dehradun on Thursday, after spending more than a week in police custody, where he was quizzed by officials of the state police, National Investigation Agency and other security agencies. "There was physical torture, racial taunts. They asked me: Why do you want to become a Muslim. What do you see in Islam. They used abusive language," Sardana told reporters here. He said he was grateful to the judiciary and believed that he had been framed, wrongly picked up and racially profiled. "They said I have converted to Islam... No. I am a student of Islam, its meta-physics and such things." Sardana, who has formerly worked as a consultant for multinational corporations, was arrested under Section 41 of the Criminal Procedure Code by the ATS on February 2 from a dormitory at the Vasco railway station, 35 km from here, after railway police reported him for suspicious movement. The police seized five passports, including expired ones and several SIM cards from him. A scan of his laptop by cyber experts revealed data about previous bomb blasts in Goa, the police had said. But Sardana insists that he is a "spoof artist", with a satirical take on local and global events on his laptop. "What I basically try to do is spoof and mock (at) events all over the world and India," he said, suggesting that his laptop had references to Pakistani intrusions into India, bomb blasts, border incursions, etc. "I try to mock it. You have to be sophisticated to understand it. You cannot dub it as anti-national, anti-india or mocking the national flag... These people are spending time reading my junk mail. I hope Jesus and Allah give them sense and mind, so that they can do something productive," Sardana said. He accused the police of selectively leaking the contents of his emails and trying to turn public opinion against him, during his period in police custody. "Last week, some of my emails about an ex-chief minister who is now in the (Union) cabinet were leaked. Who is leaking these mails? My email is in their control. So someone is leaking emails to turn public opinion against me," he said. However, DGP Mohan contradicted Sardana, saying there is incriminating evidence against him and that despite bail he is still not above suspicion. "He was found in suspicious circumstances at the Vasco Railway Station. What was he doing there? We found incriminating documents. I cannot say he is beyond suspicion," Mohan told reporters. The police had been unable to track down Sardana's movements outside India before 2014, something that other agencies were looking into, Mohan said. The DGP said Sardana had tried to hide basic information about himself right from the time of his arrest. "Why did he try to hide his name and identity from the beginning?" Mohan said. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the Narendra Modi government was imposing right-wing RSS ideology on the student community in India. "They (the government) are trying to impose the flawed RSS ideology on students... to crush their imagination, their dreams," Gandhi told reporters here after meeting President Pranab Mukherjee over the escalating student agitation in the national capital and elsewhere in the country. Gandhi led a delegation of Congress leaders who submitted a memorandum to the President, expressing concern over the "scenes of utter lawlessness" which were "an affront to the democratic ideals of this country". "The scenes of utter lawlessness playing out on the premises of the court in the heart of the capital are an affront to the democratic ideals of this country," the memorandum said. "Journalists, students and teachers are being physically assaulted inside and outside the court premises by a BJP legislator and workers, while the police look the other way and the government remains complacent and silent," it added. The memorandum accused the BJP-led central government of lending tacit support to hoodlums. "Such lawlessness, in defiance of a Supreme Court directive, on two occasions by the same set of people, some of whom are identified with the ruling dispensation on various fora, cannot but be without the tacit support, encouragement or at best, the indifference of the ruling establishment," it read. The Congress memorandum also expressed concern over the attack on journalists, saying it did not "bode well for democracy". "The attack on the journalists appears to be designed to intimidate and threaten the fourth pillar of democracy. This does not bode well for our democracy. This is unacceptable," it said. Gandhi last week visited the Jawaharlal Nehru University and met protesting students on the campus. He was strongly critici\sed by BJP president Amit Shah for siding with the "anti-national" elements. Gandhi hit out at his detractors and said: "Nationalism runs in my blood. I have seen my family sacrifice for the nation again and again." "The Congress party and its leadership condemn any expression of anti-nationalism outright. Those indulging in such behaviour must be identified and dealt with strictly," Gandhi said. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday said the grant of 'One Rank One Pension' to those who took premature retirement from the armed forces could be considered with certain conditions. "We want to differentiate between voluntary retirement for better prospects and premature retirement in the interest of the Army," Parrikar said in response to a question on the demand by ex-servicemen to include early retirees in the OROP scheme. "...need to differentiate who is retiring for his own benefit and who is retiring for the nation's benefit," he said in an interview to Karan Thapar on India Today TV. He said the issue will be looked into by the one-man judicial committee formed on the matter. On equalisation of pensions, another contentious issue between the government and armed force veterans, Parrikar said the committee can look into this as well if they wanted, adding that "feasibility" was the main issue. The minister said the incremental value of pensions in case of equalisation will be "fractional". "The sum is small," he said, "whether it is feasible to do it every year will be referred to the committee." "It took me two months to get this table (of pensions under OROP) out after putting all my department on work," the minister said. On "discrimination" against the armed forces vis-a-vis the 7th pay commission report, Parrikar said he will wait for the whole analysis of the report. "All the legitimate concerns of the armed force will be addressed," he assured. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said government is reconsidering the denial of the OROP scheme to premature retirees. In an interview to Karan Thapar on India Today TV, Parrikar said a one-member judicial commission can also relook at equilising pensions. The One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme announced by the government at present does not cover those who take early retirement, something that the veterans demanding OROP have opposed. Equilisation of pensions at present is to be done every five years, while the veterans want it to be done every year. Talking about the big-ticket Rafale deal, the defence minister said that price is a big problem that is delaying the government-to-government deal for the fighter jets, even as France has on a percent offsets clause, a statement from the channel said. India signed an inter-governmental pact with France to buy 36 Rafale fighters but the price negotiations are still on. France is said to have quoted around $9 billion for the 36 jets. The deal would includes two types of missiles abd bombs, training of pilots and base facilities for the planes. The minister also said he is "hurt" by the US decision to sell F-16 jets to Pakistan, a move which India has vocally opposed. The minister also said he is convinced that ISI was involved in the 26/11 attack, adding that MEA could ask Pakistan to move the case relating to Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, the alleged handler of the Mumbai attackers, to a military court. On the recent attack at an airbase in Pathankot, the minister said there were gaps in security, adding that local labourers could have helped the terrorists. He also made it clear that the special investigation team from Pakistan probing the case there will not be allowed inside the Pathankot airbase. Asked about the 7th Pay Commission and the concerns of the forces, the minister said it is being studied, and promised "rectification". Honour differs from morality in not being intrinsically good or bad but can create a sense of shame which lead to positive outcomes like an end to slavery and colonialism, but also to negative phenomenon such as "honour" killings, says Ghanaian philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah. "Honour is different from morality. Morality is what holds you responsible and honour is something other people have a stake in... it has its bad side which we cannot get rid of, but it can be a force, or a tool, for good too," Appiah, a professor of law and philosophy at the New York University, told IANS in an interview. "Concern over national honour can lead to changing a country or society for the better," said the author of "The Honor Code: How Moral Revolutions Happen" which deals majorly with three changes -- the ends of foot-binding in China, the slavery trade in the Western world and duelling in England -- that came through moral shifts. Appiah, who was here for the Jaipur Literature Festival, argues that it was a "sense of shame" at sullying of national honour that brought an end to these practices like foot-binding, or extremely tight binding of young girls' feet to prevent further growth as a sign of "beauty" and "high status", when the Chinese found what other people thought about it. "Then it was the British who ran the slave trade but attitudes towards it were changing. During the American Revolution, when the colonists said they were asking for freedom, the British retorted by asking them about the slaves they had and the question of their freedom," he said, noting both sides sought to "shame each other". Appiah, whose maternal grandfather was leading British statesman Sir Stafford Cripps of the Labour Party, contends it was a "sense of honour" that made Britain stop the slave trade. "The honour of the British was at stake after people like (abolitionist William) Wilberforce called it a national shame and disgrace... they stopped the slave trade (in early 1800s) and then abolished slavery altogether (in the 1830s)." But in America, it took a longer time though many people had begun to think that slavery and racial discrimination were wrong, he said. "Slave-owners had sought to cover up by claiming how happy their slaves were." Appiah also says it was this "shame" that helped end colonialism, which entailed a "psychology of dishonour" for the colonial subject. "It was a psychology of dishonour for the inhabitants of the colonised countries who lost respect in their own countries. There was a social order of respect which changed to another order in which they were looked with contempt," he said. In the case of British India, this was true for Mahatma Gandhi, Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Jawaharlal Nehru despite all their achievements, and in the case of his Ghana, it was the question of aboriginal rights. Appiah, whose focus is on moral revolutions, notes that revolutions, in the classic sense entailing a big change in a small time, related to political revolutions like the French Revolution but moral and lifestyle revolutions were different, especially in their time frames. The difference is that lifestyle revolutions encompass new ideas and/or a big leap in morality while moral ones, like gender equality and abolition of slavery, have arguments already in place, and the issue is not about changing minds but changing habits, he said. On the flip side, Appiah says that honour can be against morality and can lead to acts like "honour killings" despite the perpetrators knowing their actions are morally wrong. "Honour killings", a feature of patriarchial societies, are resorted to by those who are morally weak and the motivation for it is shame, which stems from honour, rather than guilt, which is moral, he said. Appiah however said that despite being seen most in the Middle East and South Asia, it was important not to dismiss it as a "Muslim, or Arab thing". He added that it was also seen in modern Europe, including a "weird" case in Italy in the 1960s though it had not involved killing. He said laws were needed against this phenomenon, but the real deterrent was only moral change. (Vikas Datta can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in) The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an international NGO for human rights, has deplored the incidents of violence inside a Delhi court premises, and demanded strict action against police for their failure to discharge their duties. "Students, teachers, press, opposition party workers, eminent lawyers appointed by the Supreme Court to report on the situation in the Patiala House Court complex and the accused (JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar) himself were assaulted. "Despite their presence in large numbers, police chose to be inactive and unable to prevent the violence," a CHRI statement said. "Not a single perpetrator was arrested on the spot. This is more than a routine breakdown of law and order. It amounts to an obstruction of justice and contempt for the Supreme Court's pronouncements," the NGO said. The organisation urged the Supreme Court and the government to "take immediate and resolute action against Delhi Police for their failure to uphold their obligation to ensure safety for all". It also asked for the safety of Kanhaiya Kumar, who is lodged in Tihar jail. Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, who has criticised the BJP leadership in recent times, says he is with the central government on the . At the same time, Sinha also said in an interview that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not have visited Lahore on December 25 to greet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif. Sinha, who has been critical of the working style of Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, however told IANS that he supported the government's action vis-a-vis the JNU issue. "On this, I am with the government. Anti-India activities can't be tolerated and stringent action must be taken against the culprits. Be it JNU or any other university or any part of the country, it should not be allowed to be a hub for anti- activities," he added. Sinha, a former finance and external affairs minister, came down heavily on the Congress for politicising the row. "Whatever happened at the JNU campus was totally wrong," he said, referring to the February 9 meeting on Kashmir where anti-India slogans were raised. "The government took the right action. And when it acted tough, the Congress started its ." Sinha also accused the Congress of creating hurdles for the Modi government. "Be it FTII or Hyderabad or JNU. After its (Congress') debacle in the Lok Sabha polls, there are some elements in the country which want this government not to work freely. "Whenever they get an opportunity, they create hurdles for the Modi government." Sinha flayed the Congress for demanding proof from Home Minister Rajnath Singh that the JNU incident had the support of Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed. "Who are they to demand proof? Should he (Rajnath) show proof at India Gate or Vijay Chowk?" Sinha said, adding the country must believe what the home minister says. Sinha, however, made his opposition known to Modi's dramatic visit to Lahore on his way back to India from Afghanistan. "I don't agree with the way Modi suddenly visited Pakistan in his effort to have good relations with them. We have seen the results of such efforts during (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee's time." At Lahore, Modi and Sharif pledged to pursue the peace process. The meeting was followed by an attack on an IAF base in Pathankot in Punjab by Pakistani terrorists. "He (Modi) doesn't need to again reinvent the wheel. India should deal very cautiously with Pakistan and should only try to maintain its relationship. I am of the clear view that India should not engage with Pakistan further as it will not benefit us." Sinha added: "India should not have any structured dialogue with Pakistan. Be it composite or comprehensive. We don't need any such dialogue. "I don't mean India should go for war. Neither do I mean we should close our High Commission in Pakistan. "I mean to say India should not begin any structured dialogue with Pakistan as it is not going to benefit (us)." Sinha, whose son is the Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha, said all efforts to have a dialogue with Pakistan would be in vain till it agreed to discuss cross-border terrorism. "We want to discuss the issue of terrorism but Pakistan wants Kashmir on the table. Till date, there is no agreement between the two countries. So, how will the talks proceed?" Sinha refused to compare Modi with Vajpayee, saying he has no experience of working with Modi. "I am not a part of the Modi government. So how can I compare the working style of the two leaders?" Sinha refused to take questions on Amit Shah. "Will not comment anything on Amit Shah. I will not even hear your question. If you take his name, I will," Sinha responded, when asked about the BJP president. Enhancing connectivity between India and southeast Asia can be a game changer for India's northeast, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Thursday. "Enhancing connectivity is a strategic priority for both India and Asean," Sushma Swaraj said in her keynote address at the ministerial session of the eighth edition of the Delhi Dialogue. "For India's northeastern region, it can be a game changer. India has been working with Asean to enhance physical connectivity via our northeast as well as our eastern seaboard," she said. The Delhi Dialogue is a premier annual track 1.5 diplomatic event to discuss the politico-security, economic and socio-cultural engagement between India and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). Sushma Swaraj said the Kaladan Multi Modal Transport project, India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and Rih Tedim Project in Myanmar were in progress to enhance connectivity between India and Asean nations via the northeast. While the Kaladan project has achieved a physical progress of close to 90 percent and is scheduled to be completed in the next few months, the tendering process for 69 bridges on the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway has been initiated, she said. The implementation of the project will start soon with the Friendship Bridge connecting Moreh in India and Tamu in Myanmar, she said, adding that the process for Kalewa-Yargi road has also been speeded up. "The Rih-Tedim Road project will provide all weather connectivity between eastern Mizoram and western Myanmar," the external affairs minister said, adding that work on enhancing air connectivity between the northeast and the Asean region was also on. "Besides these projects, at the 13th Asean-India Summit in November 2015, Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi announced a line of credit of $1 billion to promote projects that support physical and digital connectivity between India and Asean. We will look forward to receiving proposals from Asean member states for utilisation of this line of credit." Sushma Swaraj said that through its 'Act East Policy', India has been giving a renewed focus to its engagement with Asean and other countries in the east. "It is not a coincidence that since Prime Minister Modi's government came to power in May 2014, we have had visits by the president, vice president and prime minister of India to nine out of 10 Asean countries... The Philippines, as the next chair of Asean, will soon be on the list," she said. Describing India and Asean as two bright spots of optimism amidst ongoing global economic uncertainties, Sushma Swaraj said that the Asean Community has opened up a whole new world of opportunities for shared socio-economic growth. "India would like to be part of this growth and in this sense, the development of an Asean-India Economic Community would be a logical evolution. We also encourage the Asean member states which are yet to ratify the Asean-India Agreements on Trade in Services and Investments to do so at the earliest," she said. "The Asean-India Trade Negotiating Committee has also been commissioned to undertake a review of the Asean-India Trade in Goods Agreement. Together these will facilitate a qualitative shift in our trade and investment relationship." According to the external affairs minister, a balanced and ambitious Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, if concluded this year, will further boost India's economic and commercial engagement with Asean and the wider Asia-Pacific. Stating that peace and stability were essential pre-requisites for progress and development, she stressed on the importance of ensuring maritime security, "which has emerged as an important area of concern in recent times". "The oceans and seas, including the South China Sea, are pathways to our prosperity and security. The security of sea routes in the Asia-Pacific is essential for India's economy as a majority of our global trade flows across the straits of Malacca and beyond," Sushma Swaraj said. "Moreover, the development of a Blue Economy and optimum utilisation of marine resources can only take place within the ambit of internationally recognised rules and norms." Emphasising on the need to resolve disputes peacefully, without threat or actual use of force, the external affairs minister said: "In this regard, I would also like to stress that we support the evolution of an inclusive, balanced, transparent and open regional architecture for security and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific." Stating that the deep and abiding socio-cultural links between India and Asean date back two millennia, Sushma Swaraj hoped that people-to-people exchanges would engender research tie-up between the universities and think tanks of the two sides to produce a credible repository of knowledge for the benefit of posterity. "To further enhance understanding at the popular level, exchange programme of students, journalists, farmers, scholars, diplomats, parliamentarians and others are progressing apace," she said. Islamabad on Thursday urged New Delhi to finalise the dates of foreign secretary-level talks as early as possible following the Indian policy statement "not to link talks with the progress on Pathankot attack". Both the sides are in contact on the issue, but no date has yet been fixed, Foreign Office Spokesperson Muhammad Nafees Zakria said here. On January 14, India and Pakistan agreed to reschedule talks between their foreign secretaries while an investigation into a deadly attack on a military base in Pathankot was being carried out. India has demanded action against the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad that it suspects of carrying out the January 2 attack on the Pathankot air base. A day ahead of his state visit to India, Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli has said his visit will clear the misunderstanding that developed recently between the two neighbours and bring India-Nepal friendship back on track. Briefing media persons here on Thursday about his six-day India visit, Oli said the government does not have any specific agenda or proposals to be made during his visit. "This visit is being organised amid complex circumstances... the major objective is to clear a few misunderstandings that surfaced between the two neighbours in the last few months and taking the bilateral ties to new heights," the prime minister said. "We want friendship, co-existence and mutual respect from India and we must continue this age-old relation on an equal footing... we are conscious about our interest," he added. Refuting speculations about agreement on various pending projects, Oli stressed on creating a favourable and trust-worthy environment for strengthening the historic tie for implementation of development projects. Observing that his upcoming visit, that begins on Friday, holds great importance for both sides, Oli said that taking the bilateral relations to a new heights and beginning of a new page in bilateral ties is another prime focus. "We have some expectations ... and great expectation from India ... that is friendly behaviour from the Indian side. We also offer and commit the same on our side," he said. "Investment in Nepal is secured, profitable and guaranteed ... I will tell the Indian business community in my interaction," said Oli adding that "We don't have any intention to add mud to water any more". Oli's visit comes at a time when Nepal is struggling to get back to normal from an almost six-month-long Madhesi agitation and blockading of the India-Nepal border by the protestors that led to an acute scarcity of food, fuel and medicines in the Himalayan nation. The prime minister said the invitation by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was an initiative to take the friendship to a new height on the basis of mutual respect and co-existence. He said India has already welcomed Nepal's new constitution which was promulgated on September 20 last year. "India invited the PM who was elected under the constitutional provision... that means India has welcomed the constitution in Nepal." No controversial agreements will be signed during the visit, said the PM adding that "My visit will lay ground for mutual trust and confidence". "There has been some damage in bilateral relations and my duty is to repair it," he said. Dwelling on the anti-Constitution agitation by the Madhesis, Oli said the issue will be resolved only through dialogue. "A high-level political body will be formed by this evening to resolve the disputable issues," he said. The Nepali head of the government, who is embarking on the India visit with a 46-member delegation, further said that no agreement against national welfare will be concluded during his visit. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the prime minister will hold an official meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 20. He will also pay courtesy calls on Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari. Oli said: "My government does not believe in but in honesty and friendship. We do not believe in polished language but we believe in being practical." "We do not use any card against each other but we just want to see mutual respect from both our neighbours," he added. "Yes, there are some pending issues before us to accomplish but we need an advanced level of understanding to complete them ... we need to resolve them through the practical way." This is Oli's first foreign visit after assuming the office of prime minister in October last year. He will return to Nepal on February 24. (Anil Giri can be contacted at girianil@gmail.com) Indonesia said on Thursday it will block access to microblogging platform Tumblr over pornographic content, the media reported on Thursday. "After an exhaustive study, the ministry has decided to ban Tumblr since it contains many videos and pornographic images," said the communication ministry's e-business director, Azhar Hasyim. The ministry has also decided to ban 477 other online sites for the same reason. According to Azhar, blocking access to these sites will take two to three days. Tumblr, which has about 280 million blogs, was set up in 2007 by David Karp and acquired by Yahoo! in 2013 for $1.1 billion. The ban was announced a week after the Indonesian government demanded the removal of emoticons representing homosexuality in messaging apps, following an internet campaign against Line, another popular messaging application, for the same reason. Japan posted a goods trade deficit of 645 billion yen (about $5 billion) in January on weak exports amid poor economic situation around the world, the government said on Thursday. The finance ministry said that the value of exports fell 12.9 percent year-on-year to about $46 billion, marking the fourth straight month of decline, while imports also dropped 18.0 percent to $52 billion for the 13th consecutive month, Xinhua news agency reported. According to the ministry, Japan's exports to China plunged 17.5 percent to around $7 billion for the sixth straight monthly decline, while imports from China was down 6.0 percent to around $14 billion for the fourth straight month. Shipments to the US fell 5.3 percent, while imports dropped 9.7 percent. Exports to the European Union (EU) declined 3.6 percent and imports from the EU increased 6.0 percent. protesters continued their agitation on Thursday, after talks between leaders of the community and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar failed to resolve reservation issue. Roads and railway routes were blocked around Rohtak town, 75 km from Delhi, and at other places in Jhajjar, Sonipat, Hisar, Bhiwani and Jind districts. Jat leaders said that the agitation will not be withdrawn till the Khattar government comes out with substantive action on their demand for reservation for in government jobs and educational institutions. "The Khattar government did not show any sign of resolving the issue. They did not come up with any concrete proposal for the at the meeting held in Chandigarh yesterday (Wednesday)," Jat leader Satbir Punia, who attended the meeting, said. The Haryana government on Wednesday announced doubling of the quota for the EBC (Economically Backward Classes) category from 10 to 20% after the meeting with Jat leaders. The Jats have rejected the move. The chief minister also announced an increase in the annual income ceiling for availing quota from Rs.2.5 lakh to Rs.6 lakh so that maximum people could avail of benefits under this category. Paramilitary forces have been deployed in and around Rohtak and other affected districts. People neighbouring Punjab and adjoining Haryana are also facing problems due to cancellation or diversion of trains and blockade of roads. Twenty-five trains were cancelled in Ambala and Ferozepur on Wednesday due to the blockade. The NH-10 and NH-71 and some other highways were also blocked. JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, booked by Delhi Police for sedition, on Thursday moved the Supreme Court for bail. A bench of Justice J. Chelameswar and Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre said they will hear the plea at 10.30 a.m. on Friday as senior counsel Raju Ramachandran sought an early hearing of the writ petition that was filed earlier in the day invoking its (apex court) jurisdiction under article 32 but said the hearing would be limited to the bail plea. Under article 32, a citizen can move the Supreme Court for enforcing his fundamental rights. Besides seeking bail, Kanhaiya Kumar has sought direction for his safety and security. Invoking article 21 guaranteeing right to life and personal liberty and pointing to the atmosphere of violence that prevailed in Patiala House Court complex on February 15 and 17, Kanhaiya Kumar, in his petition, has said that the manner in which his physical harassment was allowed to take place was a clear pointer to the violation of his right to access justice delivery system. The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union president was arrested on February 11 after police registered a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy against him. On February 12 he was remanded to police custody for three days. On February 17, the metropolitan magistrate sent him to 14 days judicial custody. Pointing to the threat to his "life and limbs" including threat to his legal team and others, Kanhaiya Kumar said that despite apex court direction to Delhi Police commissioner to ensure his safety, police failed to protect him and was "violently assaulted by the gathered crowd of lawyers" at Patiala House Court complex while he was in police custody. He also mentioned in his petition of being punched by an unidentified person in the court room of the metropolitan magistrate. A team of six lawyers that was sent by the apex court to take stock of the situation at Patiala House Court complex had on Wednesday told the top that despite the registrar general of Delhi High Court asking police to arrest that man, he was allowed to slip out. Seeking to be released on bail, Kanhaiya Kumar has contended that he was "innocent" and police did not require his custody for any further interrogation and he was in judicial custody. He also referred to the report, attributed to police sources, that no concrete evidence pointing to seditious activities has been found against him. Earlier in Thursday's hearing, senior counsel Harin Rawal submitted the report of the five counsel who were sent on Wednesday by the apex court for an on the spot assessment of the situation. Senior counsel Ajit Kumar Sinha refused to sign the report as he claimed that he was not allowed to go through the report. Sinha had appeared for Police Commissioner B.S.Bassi before the apex court on Wednesday. Besides the report by the five senior counsel including Kapil Sibal, Rajeev Dhavan, Dushyant Dave, and A.D.N.Rao, Rawal also handed over to the court two pen drives containing video recording of the what they had witnessed in the Patiala House Court complex on Wednesday and its transcript. All the three - report, two pen drives and transcript - were given to court in a sealed cover. Senior counsel Siddharth Luthra handed over to the court a report on Patiala House court incidents by the high court registrar general. This too was in a sealed cover. Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the report by Delhi Police on the situation that prevailed in Patiala House Court complex including in the court room of Metropolitan Magistrate would be submitted by 10.30 a.m. on Friday. Counsel R.P.Luthra objected to the statement by Delhi Police Commissioner Bassi that police would not oppose the bail plea by Kanhaiya Kumar and the way some senior counsel were "short-circuiting" the proceedings in the case before the subordinate court and bringing it before the top court. The court said that it would first go through these reports before deciding whether they can be made public or shared with media. JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, arrested for sedition, on Thursday moved the Supreme Court for bail as students rallied in support across the country and the opposition took the row to President Pranab Mukherjee. A Supreme Court bench led by Justices J. Chelameswar and Abhay Manohar Sapre said Kumar's plea will be heard on Friday morning. His lawyer Vrinda Grover told the judges that the atmosphere in the Patiala House Courts, where the accused was allegedly assaulted by a group of lawyers, was not conducive for moving the bail application. She said Kumar was invoking his fundamental right under Article 32 by moving the Supreme court for bail. The bail plea came as the JNU issue - triggered by a meeting on Kashmir at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) - sparked student protests in Delhi, West Bengal, Bihar and Karnataka with protestors demanding Kumar's release and dropping of sedition charges against him. The 28-year-old student leader was arrested on February 12 for allegedly raising anti-national slogans at the JNU event three days earlier against the 2013 execution of Afzal Guru, the Kashmiri militant blamed for the terror attack on Indian parliament in 2001. Kumar has denied the charges. Former Delhi University lecturer S.A.R. Geelani, also arrested for organising a similar meeting at the Press Club of India, was on Thursday sent to 14 days in judicial custody. Both Geelani and Kumar will be in Tihar Jail. Kumar, the first president of the JNU Students Union from the CPI-affiliated AISF, drew support from the Congress, Left and Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party which denounced the government for "high handedness". Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and other party leaders told President Mukherjee that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to impose a "flawed" and "dead" ideology of the RSS on the student community. "It is not the government's job to destroy institutions. This nation will prosper because of our students' imagination. Imposing an ideology on them will not benefit the nation," he told reporters. Gandhi said Kumar's arrest for sedition and the violence witnessed at the Patiala House Courts here on Monday and Wednesday had sent out "bad signals" about India and damaged its global image. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also met the president and blamed the central government for the violence in the Patiala House Courts. Kejriwal said Delhi Police would not have remained silent during the violence if they were not directed to do so. "Delhi Police is a uniformed force... If its master says don't do anything, they won't do anything. If the master tells them to shoot, they will shoot," Kejriwal said. "Their master is (the) central government... This is the dictatorship of the prime minister (Modi)." Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi, however, denied that Kumar was assaulted in the court on Wednesday and justified the sedition charge. He said police had evidence to prove this. "Free speech does not mean you can violate the ... constitution," he told CNN-IBN. The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said the JNU Students Union didn't organise the February 9 meeting where anti-India slogans were supposedly raised. Calling Kumar's arrest "an over the top reaction", it said it was "a deliberate political intervention by the BJP government" as the RSS and BJP had always been ranged against the JNU, where Left student unions have for decades enjoyed huge support. On Thursday, thousands of students from universities and colleges staged a massive protest in Delhi to demand Kumar's release. Several teachers, lawyers, activists and theatre artists joined them. In Patna, similar protests led to clashes between activists of the All India Students Federation (AISF) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the RSS student wing. Student protests in support of Kumar were also reported from Jadavpur in West Bengal and Bengaluru. Delhi's outgoing police chief B.S. Bassi on Thursday denied that JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar was attacked at the Patiala House Court here. Despite photographs showing a suspected lawyer pulling Kanhaiya Kumar's hair in the court on Wednesday, Bassi insisted that the president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) was not assaulted. "(I) deny that Kahaniya was assaulted, my officers are denying this, medical examination has been done," Bassi told CNN-IBN. The police chief, who retires on February 29, said Kanhaiya Kumar was guilty of sedition and that the police had enough material to prove this. Kanhaiya Kumar, from the CPI-affiliated All India Students Federation (AISF), has been accused of shouting anti-national slogans at a meeting in the campus on February 9. He has denied the charge. Asked would not "half of Kashmir's population ... be liable for sedition" if slogan shouting amounted to sedition, Bassi said: "I'm concerned about Delhi." He said the lawyers accused of assaulting journalists at the Patiala House Court on Monday were called by the police but they did not respond to the summons. "If they co-operate with us, we see what action has to be taken under the law. If they don't co-operate we examine other options, most probably move the court to issue an arrest warrant." Asked why police did not act against lawyers and BJP legislator O.P. Sharma after seeing media photographs when this was done in the case of Kanhaiya Kumar, Bassi denied he was guilty of double standards. The parents of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, accused of sedition, were on Thursday provided police protection in their village in Bihar, an official said. "Some police officers in plain clothes have been deployed outside his home, where his parents and other members of the family live. It is being done for security purposes after Kanhaiya was attacked and badly beaten in the premises of a court in Delhi," a district police official said. Security forces have been deployed at Kanhaiya's native village Bihat in Begusarai district after the Jawharlal Nehru University Student Union (JNUSU) president was roughed up in a New Delhi court on Wednesday. Kanhaiya's father Jaishankar Singh, said: "My son is not anti- . He is a nationalist like the hundreds of thousands of youth of his age." Kanhaiya faces sedition charges for raising anti- slogans at an event in JNU last week, a charge he has denied. He was arrested by the Delhi Police on February 12. On Wednesday, he was remanded in judicial custody today till March 2. Hours after the assault on Kanhaiya, Bihar Police headquarters alerted Begusarai authorities and directed them to tighten the security cover at his native village. Kanhaiya's father and mother Meena Devi live at his native village, considered a stronghold of the Left politics in Bihar. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday blamed the central government for the violence that took place in the Patiala House Courts complex here on two days. Kejriwal told the media after meeting President Pranab Mukherjee that Delhi Police would not have remained mute spectators during the violence in the court if they were not directed to do so. This means the central government -- to which Delhi Police report as their administrative authority -- was to blame for what happened in the court on Monday and Wednesday, he said. The Aam Aadmi Party leader added that the attacks on Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students and journalists by a section of lawyers within the court premises on Monday and Wednesday were a "challenge" to the Supreme Court's authority. "The Delhi police is a uniformed force... If its master says don't do anything, they won't do anything. If the master tells them to shoot, they will shoot," Kejriwal said, adding: "Their master is central government... this is the dictatorship of the prime minister (Narendra Modi)." "We raised these issues with the President. Who will decide who is anti-national?" he asked. Kejriwal also asked why the police have been unable to arrest those who raised the "anti-national slogans". "They cannot catch the boys who shouted slogans, shame on such a police force," he said. The agitation by the Jat in support of their demand for reservation continued to affect normal life in various districts of Haryana for the fifth day on Thursday. Even as the protests by the Jats -- demanding reservation in jobs and educational institutions -- spread to a more areas of Haryana on Thursday, losses continued to mount for the railways, roadways, transporters and other private operators due to road and rail blockades put up by agitators. Parleys between Jat leaders and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday failed to resolve the deadlock on the issue. Road and rail routes were blocked around Rohtak town, 75 km from Delhi, and at other places in Jhajjar, Sonipat, Hisar, Bhiwani, Kaithal and Jind districts. The Rohtak-Delhi railway track has also been blocked. No state roadways buses are able to leave or reach Rohtak town. People in Rohtak faced inconvenience as essential supplies to the town were disrupted. Students were unable to attend classes due to blockades. Some schools and colleges have been shut since Monday. Even the road in front of Maharishi Dayanand University's main gate in Rohtak was blocked by Jat protestors. "At several places, protestors blocked highways and roads by parking trucks and other vehicles and putting up make-shift barricades of cut trees and big stones. It seems the Haryana government and police are mere mute spectators as people continue to suffer," Rohtas Kumar, a college student in Rohtak, said. The Rohtak-Jhajjar road, Rohtak-Sonipat highway, Rohtak-Sampla road, Rohtak-Panipat road, Rohtak-Bhiwani and other roads were blocked by Jat protestors at several places. Paramilitary forces have been deployed in and around Rohtak and other affected districts. "Loss to the railways due to cancellation of over 25 trains and diversion of others can run into several crores of rupees daily," a senior railway official of Ambala division told IANS. The Jat protestors in Hisar district blocked the NH-10 (Delhi-Hisar) and the Hisar-Chandigarh highway. Commuting to Bhiwani, Fatehabad, Ludhiana and Chandigarh has become difficult for people. Students of the Jat College in Hisar have blocked the Matka chowk area in Hisar town, 240 km from Chandigarh. They have blocked railway lines in the area also, including the Hisar-Bhiwani and Hisar-Ludhiana tracks. Jat leaders warned that the agitation will not be withdrawn till the Khattar government came out with substantive action on their demand for reservation for the community in government jobs and educational institutions. "The Khattar government did not show any sign to resolve the matter. They did not come up with any concrete proposal for the Jat community at a meeting held in Chandigarh yesterday (Wednesday)," Jat leader Satbir Punia, who attended the meeting, said. The Haryana government on Wednesday announced doubling of the quota for the EBC (Economically Backward Classes) category to 20 percent after the meeting with Jat leaders. The Jats have rejected the move. The chief minister also announced an increase in the annual income ceiling for quota from earlier Rs.2.5 lakh to Rs.6 lakh so that maximum people could avail of benefits under this category. Khattar on Thursday again appealed to the protestors to remove the blockades. "I appeal to the Jat protestors to end the blockade. The government is trying its best to resolve the issue," Khattar said here. India's biggest domestic manufacturing promotional fair till date - the Make In India Week - ended here on Thurday with investment commitments of over Rs.15 lakh crore ($220 billion), of which more than half, or Rs.8 lakh crore came to Maharashtra alone, an official said. Industrial Policy and Promotion Secretary Amitabh Kant said investment of Rs.15,20,000 crore were committed during the event while business enquiries worth Rs.1,05,000 crore were generated. Host state, Maharashtra, bagged a whopping Rs.800,000 crore - more than 50 percent of the total investment proposals from across the globe - at the MIIW which attracted nearly a million visitors including 1,245 national and international speakers, and saw 8,245 meetings and 215 exhibitions with participation from 102 nations. Addressing the closing ceremony, Amitabh Kant said: "Maharashtra will become gateway of India", testifying to the success of the event held in the state capital, with possibility of employment generation of around three million here. The MIIW created avenues for showcasing, connecting and collaborating for manufacturing in India, promoted an investment-enabling environment, provided an impetus to Design, Innovation, Youth and Startups and allowed a platform for global CEOs, think tanks, policy makers, diplomats and political leaders to converge, he said. In his address, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that a Task Force, headed by the state industry minister, is being set up to ensure that the MoUs signed here are translated into actual investments. A staggering 150 events were held during MIIW with participation of over 25000 people in different seminars or symposia which were addressed by top ministers, chief ministers, policy makers, industrialists, foreign bigwigs, academics and even spiritual gurus on wide-ranging issues concerning business and society. The MIIW was held over a sprawling 2.30 million square feet air-conditioned area across 27 huge halls where 215 exhibitors showcased their strengths in 11 main sectors. These included aerospace and defence, automobiles, chemicals & petrochemicals, construction machinery, food processing, infrastructure, IT and electronics, industrial equipment & machinery, MSME, pharmaceuticals and textiles. Seventeen Indian states and three countries - Germany, Sweden and Poland - set up pavilions. The Indian government took the opportunity to announce several major policies like the Electronics Development Fund, National Capital Good Policy, Investment Opportunities in Food Processing Industry, E-Toll policy for the 360 tolls plazas in the country, among others. Among the visitors at the event inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi included his Swedish and Finnish counterparts, Stefan Lofven and Juha Sipila respectively, Poland's First Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Glinski, Japanese Economy and Industry Minister Yosuke Takagi, Mexico's Asia and Middle East Minister Cesar Fergozo, Indonesian Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan, and Nepalese Industry Minister Som Prasad Pandey. Indian industrialists who attended include Ratan Tata, Cyrus Mistry, Mukesh Ambani, Kumarmangalam Birla, Anand Mahindra, Gautam Adani, Ajay Piramal, Y.C. Deveshwar and G.V. Sanjay Reddy among others. Key foreign CEOs who attended MIIW included John Chambers of CISCO Systems, Markus Wallenberg of SEB, (Sweden), Doug DeVos of Amway, Hakan Bushke of SAAB, Edward Monser IV of Emerson, Mats H. Olsson of Ericsson and Karol Zarajczyk of Poland. Thousands of students from universities and colleges across Delhi staged a massive protest here on Thursday to condemn the arrest of JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar on sedition charges. The students, who massed near Mandi House in the heart of Delhi, demanded the immediate release of Kanhaiya Kumar, who was sent to judicial custody till March 2 by a court on Wednesday. The students from Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Milia Islamia took part in the protest, shouting slogans like 'Janwad pe hamla band karo' (End attacks on democracy). Delhi Police arrested Kanhaiya Kumar on February 12 for allegedly raising anti-India slogans at an event in the JNU campus. He has denied the charge. Several teachers, lawyers, activists, theatre artists and journalists also took part in the protest to express their solidarity with the agitating students. Police say anti-India slogans were raised at the campus meeting organised to mark the the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) co-founder Maqbool Bhat. South Carolina's Republican Indian-American Governor Nikki Haley endorsed Marco Rubio for president, giving the son of Cuban immigrants a huge boost just days before the state's crucial primary on Saturday. Born Nimrata 'Nikki' Randhawa, the daughter of Sikh immigrants from India told a crowd of supporters Wednesday night that she chose to back a candidate who can "show my parents that the best decision they made for their children was coming to America." "I wanted somebody with fight, I wanted somebody with passion, I wanted somebody who had conviction to do the right thing," she told a crowd of hundreds gathered for Rubio's outdoor rally in Chapin, South Carolina. The Florida senator, in her view is best suited to restore Republican party's principles of limited government and cutting debt to Washington. "I want a president who understands they have to go back to Washington DC and bring a conscience back to our Republicans," Haley said. Haley, the state's most popular Republican politician in polls and a rising national party star often mentioned as a likely vice presidential pick, was South Carolina's most coveted Republican endorsement in the 2016 presidential race. "She embodies for me everything that I want the Republican Party and conservative movement to be about," Rubio told the Chapin crowd. He also made frequent references to their similar immigrant backgrounds. The Florida senator needs to do well in South Carolina after finishing fifth in New Hampshire following a rattled debate performance. The popular second-term governor's endorsement could help Rubio, who with 14 percent trails Republican frontrunner Donald Trump (38 percent) and Texas Senator Ted Cruz (22 percent). Haley who gave the Republican response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union last month wherein she urged voters not to listen to the "angriest voices" has criticized Trump for his combative campaigning. Trump disparaged Haley during a Wednesday evening rally, saying: "She's very very weak on illegal immigration." He had previously called Haley a "friend" even when invoking her "anger" comments about him. "We can't have that, we need strong strong immigration policies," he added. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush told reporters on Wednesday that he was "disappointed" he didn't get her backing. "I'm disappointed, she's a very good governor and should I win the nomination there will be a role for her in the campaign, trust me, she's a great person," he said. Two weeks ago, Louisiana's former Indian-American Governor Bobby Jindal had also endorsed Rubio ahead of the New Hampshire primary. "Marco can unify our party. His optimistic message is bringing voters from across the party lines, from across different demographic groups," said Jindal who himself dropped out of the presidential race in November after failing to get any traction in the polls," Jindal said. (Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in) At least nine policemen were killed on Thursday in two attacks in Pakistan's Mohmand district bordering Afghanistan. Seven personnel were killed when unidentified assailants opened fire at a security checkpost in Karapa area late Wednesday, Dawn online reported. After killing the seven personnel, the militants managed to flee, officials said. In another attack, militants opened fire at two police personnel in Machni area who were on duty at a solar tubewell. Mohmand is one of Pakistan's seven tribal agencies near the Afghan border where the military has been battling Al Qaeda and Taliban-linked militants for over a decade. --Indp-Asian News Service ksk/vt BJP leader Ram Madhav on Thursday said there will be "no dilution or addition" to the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) agreed upon by PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed prior to the government formation in Jammu and Kashmir. "There will neither be any dilution of the CMP nor any new addition agreed upon by Sayeed. It is a very comprehensive document for the development and good governance of Jammu and Kashmir," Madhav told reporters here, a day after holding discussions with Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti over the formation of the new government in Jammu and Kashmir. He, however, hoped for a positive outcome to his talks with Mehbooba Mufti. "Both sides are positive. I hope there will be continuation of the previous arrangement," he said. Madhav made it clear that both the alliance partners had not set a timeline for government formation in the state. "We haven't set any timeline for the government formation," he said. Madhav, who has been the BJP's point person in dealing with the PDP for government formation on Wednesday evening met Mehbooba Mufti to break the stalemate over government formation. After the death of her father and the then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7 in Delhi, Mehbooba Mufti had said the central government must take confidence-building measures so that she can head a stable ruling coalition in the state. Barack Obama is set to visit Cuba in March, a move which would make him the first sitting US president to step foot on the island in 88 years. As part of the restoration of relationships, Cuba and the US signed a historic agreement on civil aviation on Tuesday which will allow regular commercial flights between the two countries for the first time in over five decades. Obama committed $400 million to the Colombian government in his most recent budget proposal to implement the deal. "We can confirm that the administration will announce the President's travel to Latin America, including Cuba, in the coming weeks," a senior administration official said. Officials said Obama could visit the island to witness a signing of a peace accord between the government of Colombia and the FARC rebel group. The agreement represents a potential for dozens of daily connections, with 20 daily flights to Havana and 10 daily flights to other airports on the island. The visit to Cuba would include normalizing of relations announced by the Cuban and US governments in 2014, and the first time this sitting would occur since Calvin Coolidge in January 1928. The American embassy was reopened and a US flag raised at the compound on Havana harbour in August 2015. Since then, high level US officialstravelled to the island, including Secretary of State John Kerry and Transportation Chief Anthony Foxx. The White House is expected to announce details of the trip on Thursday, diplomatic sources told CNN on Wednesday. Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli's six-day visit to India from February 19 will be the first bilateral visit by a prime minister from the Himalayan nation since 2011. "This is the first bilateral visit by a Nepal prime minister since that of then prime minister Baburam Bhattarai in 2011," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said at a media briefing here on Thursday. In 2014, then prime minister Sushil Koirala visited India for the swearing-in ceremony of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Oli will be accompanied by a high-level delegation that will include the finance and home ministers, deputy foreign affairs minister, chief advisor to the prime minister, chief executive of the National Reconstruction Authority and 13 MPs from various political parties. On Saturday, the day after his arrival, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will call on Oli after which the visiting dignitary will meet Prime Minister Modi. This will be followed by delegation-level talks and signing of agreements. Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will then call on the Nepalese prime minister. Oli will also call on Vice President Hamid Ansari and President Pranab Mukherjee later in the day. On Sunday, he will leave for Dehradun where he will visit the Tehri hydel power project. After returning to New Delhi the same day, the Nepalese prime minister will meet leaders of various political parties. On Monday, Minister of State for Power Piyush Goel will call on Oli after which the visiting dignitary will address the Indian Council for World Affairs. In the evening, Oli will attend a business meeting. On Tuesday, he will leave for Bhuj in Gujarat to take stock of the earthquake reconstruction work there. Later in the day, he will leave for Mumbai where he will meet Maharashtra Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao. Oli will depart from India on Wednesday. A girl student was killed and five others were injured when a tree, uprooted by heavy winds, fell on a group of students in a college in Kerala, officials said. The incident occurred on Thursday morning at Sree Krishna College at Guruvayoor near here. The college was the venue of the Kozhikode University Youth Festival and there were many students in the campus then. The condition of two of the injured was said to be serious. Pakistan on Thursday reiterated its concern over the arrest of Kashmiri students involved in a controversial debate at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. Foreign Office spokesperson Muhammad Nafees Zakria said the Kashmiri people have never accepted the "unfair" trial of Afzal Guru, a Kashmiri who was hanged on being convicted for the Indian Parliament House attack in December 2001. He pointed out that Pakistan has adequately and appropriately raised the Kashmir dispute at all the international fora. A four-year-old paralytic Nigerian girl got a new lease of life in India after undergoing stem cell therapy, her mother said. "We went places but could not get any help but it was in India that we found our saviour," Oyalami, the mother, told IANS over phone, referring to the doctor at private hospital StemRx Bio Science Solutions here who treated her daughter. She said her daughter Zahara could not even move an inch due to the paralysis, but has started to move after receiving stem cell therapy for months. One of the twin sisters, Zahara was prematurely born to her parents. She suffered from hypoxic brain injury (oxygen deprivation to the brain) which caused cerebral palsy or paralysis of the nervous system. The girl was eight days old when her parents noticed she was unable to move her body parts. The infant also had seizures, sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain. A consultation with neuro-specialist and a radiological examination (EEG) revealed partially suppressed generalized seizure activity. Musculoskeletal examination revealed spasm in left arm and left leg. Upon reaching the age at which children walk, Zahara had "scissor gait" with knees and thighs hitting each other as she tried to walk. The doctors suggested certain physiotherapy exercises and oral medications after which mild improvement was noticed. But as days passed Zahara's parents noticed their daughter could not communicate or express herself clearly. In quest of better treatment, her parents took Zahara to London and Dubai, but things did not work out. Having learnt about the promise of stem cell therapy, her parents then brought her here, where they met Pradeep Mahajan, a transplant surgeon and stem cells expert who runs private hospital called StemRx Bio Science Solutions. Mahajan directly thought of going for stem cell therapy to treat the girl as the procedure had shown improvement in several other paralytic patients. Stem cell therapy is the use of stem cells to treat or prevent a disease or condition. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells of an organism which are capable of giving rise to indefinitely more cells of the same type and from which certain other kinds of cells arise by differentiation. After undergoing the treatment for several months, Zahara started showing positive results and began to move her body. "Stem cell therapy has indeed worked in Zahras' case. I have treated patients with this illness and I hope to bring life to Zahra completely as well, so that she can be as cheerful as her twin sister," said Mahajan. Oyalami, the girl's mother said: "I am glad I came to India, Dr. Mahajan has been a saviour for my daughter." Zahara has to undergo a few more sessions of stem cell therapy as well as physiotherapy, neuromuscular stimulation and oxygen therapy, for better results. Price was the only issue left to negotiate now in the Rafale fighter jet deal with France, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Thursday. The minister, in an interview to Karan Thapar on India Today TV said: "Price is the problem which has to be resolved. We have resolved all other issues." Asked about the MoU signed during French President Francois Hollande's visit to India, the defence minister said: "It is valid and meaningful to extent that procedure has been laid. "If I am buying something, I cannot hurry on the price, agreement also does not limit the time frame," he said. Asked about a time frame, the minister said it may take a "few months", but quickly added that he did not want to put a "restriction on the timeline". "Price is the only issue left now," he said, adding that an agreement on 50 percent offsets has been reached. India signed an inter-governmental pact with France to buy 36 Rafale fighters but the price negotiations are still on. France is said to have quoted around $9 billion for the 36 jets. The deal would includes two types of missiles and bombs, training of pilots and base facilities for the planes. The defence minister also said he was "hurt" by the US decision to sell F-16 jets to Pakistan, a move which India has vocally opposed. The history of Africans who came to India as slaves and rose to lofty heights as princes and generals shows the country's tradition of openness, India's UN Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin said here Tuesday. Speaking at the inauguration of an exhibition, "Africans in India: From Slaves to Generals," he said India may have shortcomings, but it has always been and strives to be an open and welcoming society overcoming prejudice. Akbaruddin, who was the chief coordinator of last year's India-Africa Summit in New Delhi, said that the continent's leaders at the meeting who visited the exhibition in India "were as surprised as us" to see how those Africans had achieved positions of power and influence. Opportunities for the African diaspora to excel continued in India today, he said mentioning Ugochi Latoya Igwilo, a Nigerian who is among India's top models. The exhibition's curator, Sylviane A. Diouf, said it illustrates the richness and diversity of the African diaspora and their contribution around the world to language, culture, literature, diplomacy and the military. India was the only society where slavery was not a barrier to social ascendancy of Africans and it was an inspiration to the diaspora, she said. When the exhibition was shown in Harlem in New York, she recounted that the African-American visitors identified with it and said. "We are so grateful to learn about our ancestors." School students from the Bronx who saw the exhibition were inspired to go to India for a class trip instead of to Paris, she said. In India they met the Sidhis, the descendants of the Africans who came from the eastern part of the continent as slaves and achieved powerful positions. They figure in the exhibition. Diouf said the exhibition would travel around the world to 25 countries, where it would be shown at UN information centres, and the texts accompanying the exhibits were being translated into Arabic, French, Portuguese and Spanish. UN Undersecretary General for Communications, Cristina Gallach, called the exhibition "extraordinary" and a "celebration of the culture of the African diaspora." She said their experience was a "tribute to their courage and to the open-mindedness of Indian society at that time." The exhibition is cosponsored by the Indian Mission to the UN and the UN's Department of Public Information in association with the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Along with Diouf, the director of the the Lapidus Center for the Historical Analysis of Transatlantic Slavery, the exhibition is co-curated by Kenneth X. Robbins, an expert in the history of the Africans in India and co-editor of "Africans Elites in India: Habshi Amarat." The exhibition features paintings of Africans in India and photographs of their architectural heritage. Some of the remarkable people, whose story is told in the exhibition, include Malik Ambar, an Abyssinian who rose to become the regent of the Nizamshahi dynasty of Ahmednagar in the 17th century; Ikhlas Khan, another Abyssinian who was the regent of the Deccan sultanate of Bijapur in the 16th century, and Sidi Haider Khan, the last ruler of the princely state of Sachin founded by African Sufi Sidis in Gujarat. (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in) Tempers soared at Jadavpur University and adjacent areas in south Kolkata on Thursday as two groups of slogan shouting students and activists took out rallies, with one condemning "anti-India" activities on campuses and the other railing against vandalism and "saffron" terror. Led by Bengali actress Locket Chattopadhyay, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Bajrang Dal and some other wings of the Sangh Parivar brought out a rally from Golpark to the 8b Bus stand outside the campus. On the other hand, student unions of the three faculties of the university -- Science, Arts and Engineering - called a rally on the campus, slamming the ABVP for "vandalising" the university by tearing posters put up on Tuesday. "The way our campus has been vandalised on Tuesday is unprecedented. This is not the culture of the university. We have to stand up against saffron terror and the fascism that is being brought down on the country by the Narendra Modi government in Delhi," said a student taking part in the rally. The ABVP rally was fronted by a huge banner urging the people to protest the "communist traitors". Another banner called for creating a "communist-free campus and terrorism-free India". "We won't allow any anti-national activities and anti-India slogans in educational institutions," said Chattopadhyay. Jadavpur University has been on the boil over the past two days when pro-Afzal Guru slogans were heard and posters were put up "seeking independence" for Kashmir and demanding "freedom" for Manipur and Nagaland. Protests were also made against the Modi government's handling of the Jawaharlal Nehru University row and the arrest of the university's student union president Kanhaiya Kumar. Jadavpur vice chancellor Suranjan Das has dismissed Tuesday's slogans eulogising Parliament House attack mastermind Afzal Guru as the handiwork of "fringe elements" and ruled out any action, including calling in the police. However, a police officer said the matter is being "thoroughly investigated". The posters appearing on Wednesday were purportedly put up by a group which called itself "radical". "Hum kya chahe, Azadi/Kashmir ki Azadi/Manipur ki Azadi/Nagaland ki Azadi" (We demand independence/Kashmir's independence/Manipur's independence/Nagaland's independence)," said one poster. Another empathised with Afzal Guru and 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon, both of whom were convicted and executed. "If the Gujarat mass murderers, those who hanged Afzal Guru and Yakub Memon are patriots, and if the students of Kashmir seeking independence are anti-nationals, then we are all anti-nationals," it said. In retaliation, another group of students carrying the tricolour and shouting "Bharat Mata ki jai" went round the campus on Wednesday and even staged a sit-in outside Aurobindo Bhavan, the university's administrative block. They shouted slogans demanding exemplary punishment for those indulging in "anti-national" activities and raising secessionist slogans on the campus. The group -- though small in number -- then tore up the pro-Guru, pro-Memon and other posters supporting independence of Manipur and Nagaland and condemned the pro-Guru slogans heard on Tuesday. Angry over the tearing of posters, the former group then took out a big rally that went around the campus, alleging the posters were torn by those connected with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. The Supreme Court will hear a plea by lawyer R.P. Luthra objecting to Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi's statement that they will not oppose any plea for bail by JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, who is accused of sedition. An apex court bench comprising Justice J. Chelameswar and Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre said that it would hear the plea at 2 p.m. after counsel R.P.Luthra drew the attention of the court to the statement by the police commissioner. "We are keeping an eye on the law and order situation in Patiala House Court. Everyone should be careful while issuing the statements," the court observed. The court had on Wednesday listed the matter at 2 p.m. to get the report by the Lawyers Committee that it had sent to Patiala House Court on Wednesday to take stock of the ruckus in the court complex and the attack on Kanhaiya Kumar. The Registrar General of the High Court too would give his report to the court on Wednesday's violence in the court complex and the presence of an unidentified man in the courtroom who had allegedly hit Kanhaiya Kumar. In its ongoing endeavours to improve ties with Pakistan, South Korea is building a $50-million IT park in Islamabad, the media reported on Thursday. South Korean Ambassador Song Jong-Hwan said the Exim Bank of Korea has agreed to provide $50 million for the establishment of the park and South Korean teams are expected to conduct a feasibility study with assistance from the Ministry of IT and Pakistan Software Exports Board (PSEB), Dawn online reported. It is expected that the IT park -- measuring about one million sq.ft. -- will attract international companies to develop software and hardware solutions and will also help boost the country's IT exports. Song said bilateral trade between the two countries has declined by almost 34 percent in the last three years and said this should be a cause for serious concern for both sides. The envoy said that Korea was cooperating with Pakistan in the energy sector as well and that the Korean Importers Association was looking for partners to import thousands of tonnes per month of good quality copper ore from Pakistan. The status of minorities in Pakistan is a particularly precarious one, a Pakistani daily said Thursday, observing that with the passage of a bill in Sindh province, the Hindu community can finally rely on institutional protection from the violence and deprivation they have suffered for decades. An editorial "Minority rights" in the Daily Times on Thursday said that in a landmark move, Sindh has become the first province to give those belonging to the Hindu minority the right to formally register their marriages. As per the law passed by the Sindh Assembly, parties to the marriage have to be 18 or above, should be able to give consent, and have at least two witnesses present. The law will be applied retrospectively. "Married couples have to register themselves, or risk paying a fine. Sikhs and Zoroastrians will also be able to register their marriages under this law." The daily said that the passage of the Hindu Marriage Bill 2016 is a significant boon for the beleaguered Hindu community of Sindh and Pakistan at large. "It is shocking to consider that it took almost 70 years after Pakistan came into being for such a bill to be passed. After the 18th Amendment, issues pertaining to minority rights became a provincial subject but Khyber Pakthunkhwa and Balochistan have passed legislation putting the matter back in the basket of the federal government, whereas Punjab still has to pass any bill on the matter," it added. The editorial went on to say that it is no revelation "the status of minorities in Pakistan is a particularly precarious one". "The fact that there was no legal recognition of Hindu marriages for so many years reflects the fact that discrimination suffered by the minorities was not simply societal but also institutional. "Hindu women are targets of rape and abduction, which frequently result in forced conversions of said women. They are then forced to marry their rapists, even if they are previously married. Previously, since no law recognised their previous marriage, they could not prove their married status and a discriminatory justice system that already disadvantages minorities almost always took the side of the Muslim perpetrators." The daily pointed out that due to the absence of such a law Hindu women, again, have also had to face more legal hurdles in matters related to inheritance, as widows could not legally prove their claims on their deceased husbands' property. "It is hoped that with the passage of this bill, the Hindu community can finally rely on institutional protection from the violence and deprivation suffered by them for decades. "As far as the federal government is concerned, a draft bill is being considered. However, a clause of that bill is causing controversy as it holds that the marriage will be voided if one of the spouses converts. This clause is highly unnecessary and leaves the door open for continued abduction and forced conversion. Leaving it in will void the purpose of formalising Hindu marriages. Hence this clause must be removed before the bill is passed." At least 200 ABVP workers and BJP leaders including actress Roopa Ganguly were stopped from entering Jadavpur University here on Thursday by police and a section of professors and students who formed a human chain to block the right-wing activists. Amid intense sloganeering and waving of the tricolour as well as party flags, the ABVP activists took out a protest march from Golpark in south Kolkata to the university about three km away. The rally, held in protest against the "anti-India slogans by Leftist students unions" was stopped about 150 metres from the university by police to prevent any untoward incident. Holding aloft posters labelling the Leftists as "desh drohi" (traitors), slogans of "Make our campuses free of desh drohi Leftist student unions" and "Jis ghar se Afzal niklega, us ghar mein ghus ke marengey" echoed through the area. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) rally was fronted by a huge banner urging people to protest against the "Communist traitors". Another banner called for creating a "Communist-free campus and terrorism-free India". "We won't allow any anti-national activities and anti-India slogans in educational institutions," said Bengali actress Locket Chattopadhyay, who was denied entry along with another actress-leader Roopa Ganguly. Despite the barricades and heavy police presence, some supporters managed to sneak past, but were prevented from making any headway by a second ring of police. At the other end, a human chain of professors and students of Jadavpur University put up a united front opposing the entry of the ABVP activists. Tempers soared in the university and adjacent areas, as students' unions of the three faculties of the university -- science, arts and engineering -- called a rally on the campus, slamming the ABVP for engaging in "vandalism" by tearing posters on Tuesday. "The way our campus was vandalised on Tuesday is unprecedented. This is not the culture of the university. We have to stand up against saffron terror and the fascism that is being brought down on the country by the Narendra Modi government in Delhi," said a student taking part in the rally called by the Leftist students' unions. Amid slogans of "Pichu hotche RSS (RSS is going back) and "The people united shall always be victorious", the students went round the campus for hours. "They are not our students and we don't want them inside the campus because they are creating issues," said a student, who was part of the human chain. Jadavpur University has been on the boil over the past two days when pro-Afzal Guru slogans were heard and posters put up "seeking independence" for Kashmir and demanding "freedom" for Manipur and Nagaland. Protests were also directed against the Modi government's handling of the Jawaharlal Nehru University row and the arrest of the students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar. Jadavpur vice chancellor Suranjan Das dismissed Tuesday's slogans eulogising Parliament House attack mastermind Afzal Guru as the handiwork of "fringe elements" and ruled out any action, including calling in police. However, a police officer said the matter was being "thoroughly investigated". The posters appearing on Wednesday were purportedly put up by an ultra-left group which called itself "Radical". Tentkotta, a popular movie portal that streams new Tamil releases legally, was influential in the release of filmmaker Vetrimaaran's critically acclaimed Tamil thriller "Visaaranai" in the US, both in theatres and online. "When the theatrical rights of 'Visaaranai' were sold, its makers didn't want it to be released in the US, Australia, Canada and Europe. However, I spoke to Vetrimaaran, explained the demand for the film in the internet market and convinced him to sell the rights," Varun Kumar, co-founder of Tentkotta, told IANS. The film's rights were bought for a whopping price. While it has already released in US theatres, it will soon be released on Tentkotta's site. Varun wanted to get "Visaaranai" released because he didn't want the film to face the same fate of National Award winning Tamil drama "Kaaka Muttai". "Despite the huge demand to watch the film, 'Kaaka Muttai' never made it to the theatre in the US, and those who watched it was via some illegal website. Good films shouldn't be missed in theatres; they need to be watched legally. Hence, I decided to get 'Visaaranai' released, even if it meant paying more than usual," he said. The film, which is based on Tamil novel Lock Up, stars Dinesh, Samuthirakani, Kishore, Ajay Ghosh and Misha Ghoshal. Japanese car-making giant Toyota on Thursday announced it was recalling some 2.9 million sport utility vehicles (SUVs) worldwide due to safety concerns. The recall will include RAV4's of model years 2006-2012 and 2012-2014, and the Vanguard vehicle, EFE news reported. In the US alone, about 1,124,000 RAV4's will be recalled, after it was found the seat belts might not properly hold passengers in case of a serious accident, the company said. "In the event of a very severe frontal crash, the lap belt webbing could contact a portion of the metal seat cushion frame, become cut, and separate. If this occurs, the seat belt may not properly restrain the occupant, which could increase the risk of injury," it said. The recall applies to to North America, Europe, China and Japan. The world's largest car maker has been notified of two crashes - one in the US and the other in Canada - where seat belts in the vehicles' back seat had detached, though it was not known if any casualties resulted. Owners of those RAV4 models to be recalled will be notified by first class mail and Toyota dealers will install resin covers to the metal seat cushion frame for free, the company added. Two criminals involved in over a dozen heinous crimes in Meerut and adjoining areas in Uttar Pradesh were arrested in Ghaziabad after a gun battle with police on Thursday. The Special Operations Group (SOG) and Crime Branch of Ghaziabad police received information that some criminals snatched a motorcycle from a man near Dasna area. A team led by Superintendent of Police (City) Salman Taj Patil came face to face with the criminals near the Dasna toll bridge on national highway-24. On seeing the police team, the criminals fired, and police retaliated. In the exchange of fire, two criminals sustained injuries and were later arrested. Three policemen also sustained bullet injuries. All of them were rushed to a hospital, where doctors said they were out of danger. During interrogation, the arrested criminals revealed their identities as Dharmendra and Rahul -- both residents of Rohta in Meerut district and members of the Rahul Khatta gang. Dharmendra carried a reward of Rs.15,000 on his head from Meerut police, and along with Rahul was found involved in over a dozen criminal cases in Meerut and nearby areas. Two cars have been recovered from their possession. An engineer from University of Michigan has developed a prototype of a thruster that may form the basis for a propulsion system to take a manned spacecraft to Mars in the 2020s. NASA has funded a spaceflight propulsion system to be built around a tabletop-sized thruster developed by Alec Gallimore, the Richard F and Eleanor A Towner professor of engineering. The US space agency awarded $6.5 million over the next three years to Aerojet Rocketdyne for the development of the propulsion system, dubbed the XR-100. Gallimore's thruster, called X3, is central to this system and his team will receive $1 million of the award for work on the thruster. The XR-100 is up against two competing designs. All three of them rely on ejecting plasma -- an energetic state of matter in which electrons and charged atoms called ions coexist -- out of the back of the thruster. But the X3 has a bit of a head start. For thrusters of its design power, 200 kilowatts, it is relatively small and light. The core technology - the Hall thruster - is already in use for maneuvering satellites in orbit around Earth. "For comparison, the most powerful Hall thruster in orbit right now is 4.5 kilowatts," Gallimore said. That's sufficient to adjust the orbit or orientation of a satellite but it's too little power to move the massive amounts of cargo needed to support human exploration of deep space. Scott Hall, a doctoral student in Gallimore's lab, will use the funding to put the X3 through a battery of tests, running it up to 60 kilowatts and then up to 200 kilowatts. Doctoral student Sarah Cusson will investigate a tweak that could allow the X3 to remain operational for five-to-10 times longer than its current lifetime of a little over a year. "If we do our jobs over the next three years, we can deliver both projects. If I had to predict, I would say this thruster would be the basis for sending humans to Mars," Gallimore added. The US space agency selected the thruster as part of its Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) programme. NextSTEP encompasses a set of projects aimed at improving small satellites, propulsion and human living quarters in space. These are milestones toward sending humans into orbit between Earth and the moon in the 2020s and to Mars the following decade. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday held a meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung. "Deepening the warmth in #IndiaVitenam ties. EAM @Sushma Swaraj meets w/ Dy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung," external affairs affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted. Le is here to attend the three-day Delhi Dialogue 2016 that got underway on Wednesday. The Delhi Dialogue is a premier annual track 1.5 diplomatic event to discuss the politico-security, economic and socio-cultural engagement between India and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). Within days of strongly reacting to the Indian tax department's notice of over a Rs.14,000-crore demand, global telecom major Vodafone on Thursday said it is committed to long-term investment in India and further pledged to infuse Rs.6,000 crore in Maharashtra. The company on Tuesday took exception to the Indian tax department's threat to seize its assets if it failed to pay a disputed demand of over Rs.14,000 crore, which is still under international arbitration. "Vodafone's statement on Tuesday was made in response to questions from Indian and global media," the company said on Thursday, adding that it was surprised "the Indian Tax Department appeared to be threatening asset seizures in cases subject to international arbitration, and that this has been made public." "Vodafone is a committed long-term investor in India, and in that regard enjoys a positive and constructive relationship with the Indian government," it added. The dispute in this case relates to Vodafone's $11 billion acquisition of a 67 percent share in the mobile phone business of Hutchison Whampoa. Vodafone maintains it is not liable to pay to India's tax department since the transaction was conducted offshore, while authorities here have said the deal involved a company's assets in this country. On Thursday, Vodafone India said it has committed to invest Rs.6,000 crore for capacity augmentation and new business initiatives in Maharashtra. "At Vodafone, we are enthused with the government's vision of Digital India and Make in India and are keen to be a partner in its delivery. Vodafone India serves over 194 million citizens, of which almost 100 million are from rural areas," Sunil Sood, managing director & CEO, Vodafone India, said at the 'Make in India' summit. "We remain deeply invested in and committed to Maharashtra and are pleased to announce our enhanced investments in the state," Sood added. Vodafone will increase its staffing levels to around 15,000 employees over the next few years, the company said. "This new commitment is an endorsement of Maharashtra's stature and potential to fulfil the Make in India and Digital India vision. My government will extend all possible cooperation to Vodafone to ensure that the planned projects and initiatives are executed in time," the Vodafone statement quoted Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as saying. "Since starting operations in India in 2007, Vodafone has invested over Rs.113,000 crore in and over Rs.111,000 crore has been contributed to the exchequer and is today the largest FDI investor in the country," the company added. The third quarter of 2015-16 will go down as a watershed moment for the Indian banking system when the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) forced banks to bite the bullet and face up to their asset quality issues. No more hiding, no more pretending banks, both public and private, were forced to face up to reality. From the time the were first rolled out in 1999, they have influenced global corporate governance regulations and practices. They have been updated twice, first in 2004 and then, last year. The 2015 principles were launched at a G20 meeting of finance ministers in Ankara in September 2015 and later endorsed by G20 leaders in Antalya in November. As a consequence, they are now referred to as the G20/ . The stock of Bosch has fallen 15 per cent over three months because of muted revenue growth on the back of a weaker-than-expected demand for passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicles, and tractors. The fall in demand for diesel vehicles is also hurting. For the October-December quarter, while petrol-vehicle and aftermarket business grew in high double-digits, diesel vehicle segment grew at only five per cent. Motilal Oswal Securities has cut their earnings estimates for the next two financial years by five to nine per cent to factor in the continued pressure on the diesel segment. About 41 per cent of Boschs revenues come from fuel-injection equipment, while injectors, nozzles/nozzle-holders account for 27 per cent. Key triggers include the implementation of BS-VI emission norms from 2020, entailing installation of filters and converters in diesel vehicles. In addition, the norms would require petrol engines to be more fuel-efficient and carbon monoxide emission levels would have to be controlled, leading to a shift towards petrol direct-injection engines. Kotak Securities says Bosch will be a key beneficiary as it is the leader in petrol direct-injection technology. Bosch has already indicated its readiness for BS-VI emission norms and plans to invest Rs 1,170 crore in India in 2016 in capacities, infrastructure, and research, to meet future regulations. Though Bosch is a direct play on emission norms, given its product range (fuel-injection systems, after-treatment products), HSBC analysts say a direct leap to BS-VI from BS-IV is likely to attract many international firms to the Indian market. This will be a threat to Boschs positioning in the diesel segment. The analysts have a hold rating, as they feel the emission leap will result in lower localisation, which will impact profitability in the initial years. Boschs ability to maintain market share will be a positive, but any slip-up in the diesel-vehicle market share will be a negative signal for the Street. As protests by students at and the subsequent police crackdown on them grabbed headlines, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Gopal Shetty decided it was time to turn the focus back on the issue of farmer suicides. On the sidelines of an event in Mumbai on Wednesday, he said not all farmer suicides were caused by unemployment and starvation. At a time when Maharashtra is experiencing a grave agrarian crisis, Shetty's comment was bound to draw criticism - and it did. Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam was quick to point out that Shetty's remarks reflected the BJP's "insensitivity" towards farmers' plight. Of late, Devendra Chawla, the president of the Future Group, says he has been besieged by meeting requests from a clutch of chief executive officers (CEOs) of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies. And, there's only one thing that they all seem to want to talk about: the phenomenon called Patanjali. Yes, it is a phenomenon. And the numbers tell only half the story. Last year, Hindustan Unilever grew its $4.5 billion (about Rs 30,000 crore) top line by five per cent. Patanjali Ayurved, on the other hand, added almost the same quantum of revenue, and, in the process, is likely to double its revenues to Rs 5,000 crore by end of March. It is clearly the fastest growing FMCG firm in the country, with the widest product portfolio. The Future Group, which announced its tie-up to stock Patanjali's wide range of products last year, is furiously reworking its sales forecasts because the products are simply flying off the shelves. In less than two years, the Future Group, says it expects to sell nearly Rs 1,000 crore worth of Patanjali products. That's the kind of traction that most former FMCG veterans like Mr Chawla have ever seen in their entire career. Alongside the show in Mumbai, it has been reported that the 25,000 bronze cladding parts for the 182-metre-high memorial statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel are being fabricated at the foundry of Jiangxi Toqine Metal Handicrafts Company Limited in Nanchang, China. The company is obviously competent, as its website says it is "a full-service bronze sculpture foundry with 29 years' experience". The steel frame that is to be contoured is also being procured from China. Sardar Patel made in China! According to one persuasive report (World Bank, Jose Guimon, 2013), "Collaboration between academia and industry is increasingly a critical component of efficient national innovation systems It is the role of public policy to foster such linkages Developing countries face even greater barriers to such alliances Collaboration between universities and industries is critical for skills development, innovation, technology transfers and entrepreneurship." The nation needs more discourse about industry-academia collaboration. IIT alumnus Shail Kumar has authored a recent book on higher education (Building Golden India) in which he argues the case for better collaboration. The National Democratic Alliance government has sponsored the Prime Minister's Fellowship Scheme for doctoral research, a welcome public-private partnership initiative. The truth is we need a more positive mindset all around. Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app. Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006. Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more. Pick your 5 favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them. 26 years of website archives. Chinese companies on a global shopping spree are finding their money isn't always welcome. These faraway buyers bring unpredictable risks that can only be partly papered over by the higher premiums they're willing to pay. Fairchild Semiconductor on Tuesday rebuffed a takeover approach from China Resources Microelectronics and Hua Capital, saying it didn't constitute a "superior proposal" to one from ON Semiconductor. Yet China Resources was offering 8.5 per cent more in cash, a $200-million break fee and a $72-million inducement to unwind the previously agreed deal. The decision speaks volumes about its assessment of a potential rejection by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the opaque US Treasury agency that considers national security. To the point, Philips last month abandoned a plan to sell its Lumileds arm to a Chinese investment fund because of "unspecified concerns" raised by CFIUS. In that context, it was probably rational for Fairchild to apply a discount to the offer from China Resources that more than offset the sweeteners it proffered. It also explains the way investors in Terex, which makes forklifts, are treating a takeover from Zoomlion. The target's stock is trading some 28 per cent lower than the $30 on offer from the Beijing-backed maker of heavy equipment. Terex's board has been unmoved by Zoomlion's willingness to shell out 40 per cent more than the market's assessment of a previously agreed merger with Finland's Konecranes. It's especially curious considering less than two per cent of Terex's revenue is linked to North American port crane equipment, which J P Morgan analysts say would be a stretch to call critical infrastructure. American regulators aren't the only quixotic actors to consider. Fosun, which fancies itself China's Berkshire Hathaway, on Wednesday terminated plans to acquire Israeli insurer Phoenix Holdings. Failure to meet "certain conditions" was the only reason given in a statement signed by Chairman Guo Guangchang, the tycoon who mysteriously went missing in December. Chinese authorities had detained him in a corruption investigation. For deal-makers who seemingly can craft a term sheet that compensates for pretty much any risk, there's no easy calculus when it comes to Chinese suitors. Kailash Chaudhary, BJP MLA from Barmers Baytoo constituency in Rajasthan, has said Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi should be hanged and shot for joining what he described as anti-national students at Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Chaudhary demanded an apology from Gandhi, as well as his resignation. According to a report in The Indian Express, the MLA was addressing a farmers gathering in his constituency on Wednesday, when he said, Some peopleraised slogans praising Afzal Guru, about breaking India and of 'Pakistan Zindabad'and if Rahul Gandhi, who is called the Congress rajkumar, sides with these peoplestands with them and supports themit is treason. Rahul Gandhi is a traitorsuch a traitor should be punishedshould be hanged and shot. Yes, I said it. If he goes and supports such anti- peoplehe should be shot. I am a nationalist and if anyone raises a finger at Bharat Mata, I will not tolerate it, Chuadhary told The Indian Express. The Pakistani anti-terrorism court holding the Mumbai attack trial has ordered the Federal Investigation Agency to present all 24 Indian witnesses before it so that their statements can be recorded, an order which could further delay proceedings in the high-profile case. The Anti-Terrorism Court in Islamabad, which is holding the trial of the seven accused including Mumbai attack mastermind and LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, in its hearing yesterday at Adiala Jail Rawalpindi also directed that the boats used by Ajmal Kasab and others should be brought back from India and made case property. "The trial court has ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general to present all 24 Indian witnesses in the court for recording of their statements. Besides, he also ordered to bring (to Pakistan) the boat(s) used by Ajmal Kasab as it is a case property and should be duly examined," a court official told PTI. The official said the interior ministry will write to the foreign ministry in this regard. He said the statements of four key Indian witnesses recorded by the Pakistani commission in 2012 were not admissible in the trial court as the Indian government had not allowed their cross-examination. The 8-member Pakistani judicial commission hadrecorded the statement of Senior Inspector Ramesh Mahale, who had investigated the 26/11 attack case. The commission had also recorded the statements of two doctors who conducted autopsies of 26/11 victims and the nine slain terrorists, before winding up its proceedings. Magistrate R V Sawant-Waghule who had taken on record Kasab's confession soon after his arrest had also recorded his statement. The judicial commission had visited India on behalf of the Pakistani anti-terrorism court (ATC). The statements of the Indian witnesses were supposed to be used as evidence in the trial. However, Lakhvi's lawyer had challenged the commission's proceedings because Chief Metropolitan Magistrate S S Shinde did not let its members cross-examine witnesses. The trial court here subsequently declared the proceedings of the commission illegal. Pakistani authorities have arrested seven LeT members involved with the planning of the attacks. Apart from Lakhvi, other arrested LeT men are Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Sadiq, Shahid Jamil, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum. A trial is underway against them at the ATC since 2009. Lakhvi, 55, secured bail in December last year and was subsequently released from Adiala Jail on April 10 after the Lahore High Court set aside the government's order to detain him under a public security act. At least 28 people were killed and 61 wounded by a car bomb targeting the Turkish military in the heart of the capital Ankara, the latest in a string of attacks to shake the country. The blast struck a convoy of military vehicles last night, said Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus, confirming the latest toll. It was unclear who had carried out the attack. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed retaliation against the perpetrators of the attack, which came on the heels of a spate of deadly strikes in Turkey blamed on jihadists and also Kurdish rebels. The car bomb detonated when a convoy of military buses carrying dozens of soldiers stopped at traffic lights in central Ankara, sparking panic and chaos. "This attack has very clearly targeted our esteemed nation as a whole and was carried out in a vile, dishonourable, treacherous and insidious way," said Kurtulmus. Plumes of smoke could be seen from all over the city rising from the scene, close to the headquarters of the Turkish military and the parliament. The powerful blast was heard throughout Ankara, sending alarmed residents rushing to their balconies. "I saw a huge fireball growing," 25-year-old witness Gurkan said. He also claimed that he was standing 500 metres from the scene. "People started to run in all directions in panic as soon as we heard a strong explosion." The army said the attack took place at 2200 IST and had targeted "service vehicles carrying army personnel". Without specifying what the retaliation could entail, Erdogan warned that "Turkey will not shy away from using its right to self-defence at any time, any place or any occasion". The bombing prompted Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to scrap a planned trip to Brussels on Thursday to discuss Europe's migrant crisis. Erdogan also shelved a trip to Azerbaijan. In Ankara, ambulances and fire engines were sent to the scene and wounded victims were seen being taken away on stretchers. Images showed firefighters trying to overcome a fierce blaze engulfing the gutted service buses. Turkish police threw a security cordon around the area. A second blast later rocked the area. However, officials said this was police detonating a suspicious package. Washington in a statement strongly condemned "the terrorist attack on Turkish military personnel and civilians" and reaffirmed US solidarity with the key NATO partner. Three persons were arrested from Balat in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district for possessing Bangladesh foreign currency worth over Rs 8 lakh meant for hawala transaction, a BSF official said today. The BSF which apprehended these persons suspected that the money was meant for illegal exchange of Indian currency, the official said. The BSF seized a total of Bangladesh Taka 10.83 lakh which was meant for exchange of currency through illegal means from Bangladesh Taka to Indian Rupees as revealed by the apprehended persons, the BSF spokesperson said. The BSF however did not rule out the possibility of smuggling of contraband items in lieu of the money through International border. The trio, identified as Manu Roy, Jyotish Pal and one Ram Dev, has been under the surveillance of the BSF Intelligence branch since the past few days, the BSF spokesperson said. Since the arrested persons hail from Balat itself, the BSF said it was a cause of concern since the border residents are involved in such anti national activities. Acting on a tip off, Manu Roy (45 yrs) was first rounded up and BD Taka 8.97 lakh was seized from him at the Balat market, the official said. On his lead, the BSF troops along with the state police jointly raided the house of Jyotish Pal (42 yrs) and arrested him after seizing BD Taka 1.86 lakh, they said. A third suspect identified as Ram Dev (51 yrs) was arrested later from his resident. All the three persons were handed over to Ranikor police station for legal action as per law of land. Three persons were today killed and four injured when two cars collided head on in Bhojasar area here. According to the police, the incident occurred this afternoon, SHO (Bhojasar) Leel Singh said. The victims, identified as Bharat, Pintoo and Manohar, all aged 25 to 30 years, died on the spot, police said, adding the injured were rushed to the MDM Hospital where their condition were stated to be stable. At least 53 people died after a passenger bus collided with a truck carrying tomatoes on a highway in Ghana, police said today. The head-on collision between the government-operated bus heading to the northern town of Tamale and the cargo truck happened yesterday. "The death toll so far has reached 53, 23 people survived," regional police spokesman Christopher Tawiah told AFP. The 6-member committee of senior lawyers, which rushed to the Patiala House courts to report on yesterday's violence, today submitted its report to the Supreme Court even as one of its members Rajeev Dhawan alleged "collusion" between police and the attackers. The report was submitted in a sealed envelope to the bench of Justice J Chelameswar and Justice A M Sapre but the Delhi Police counsel Ajit K Sinha, who was part of the lawyers team, refused to sign it without reading it. After a bunch of lawyers in open defiance of the apex court orders attacked JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar and some journalists, the court deputed the lawyers team including Dhawan, Kapil Sibal, Dushyant Dave and Haren Rawal to report on the ground situation at the Patiala House complex. Sinha said that he was asked by Rawal, former additional Solicitor General to sign the report which he declined saying he would only do so after fully reading it. "I said I can't sign without reading the report. He (Raval) said you sign it," Sinha told a Bench comprising Justices J Chelameswar and A M Sapre. His response came after Raval told the bench that "he said he will not see it and not sign." Raval termed Sinha's words as "too scandalous". Raval, who placed the report in sealed cover the report along with the pen drive containing mobile clip of committee's visit to Patiala House court complex, said other five members of the panel--Dhawan, Dushyant Dave and advocate Prashant Bhushan and A D N Rao--have signed it. Dhawan told the media outside the court that "I have no difficulty in my mind, there is police collusion. As we went inside, we were told that somebody who was not allowed by the Supreme Court to enter the court, that person entered, went out. "Registrar General of the High Court said 'please stop that man, please arrest him'. There were 8-10 policemen but they didn't arrest him. If this is not collusion, I don't know what is. The ABP Network today launched 'ABP Asmita', a 24-hour Gujarati channel and its website 'abpasmita.In'. The media company said it would be its third regional channel after ABP Ananda (Bengali) and ABP Majha (Marathi). The channel would be competing with five major regional satellite news channels currently aired in Gujarat. ABP News Network CEO Ashok Venkatramani said the channel also looks to cater to Gujaratis living in various parts of the world. "We have planned to make the channel available in UK, US, Canada and North Africa," he said. Group Editor of ABP News Network Shazi Zaman said the channel will focus mainly on local news. "We do not want to be seen as a national channel in Gujarati language. We want to be a real Gujarati channel with focus on local news," said Zaman. The US today said the absence of a bilateral investment treaty with India is an "impediment" to expanding trade between the countries. "The absence of a bilateral investment treaty between our two countries is an impediment to growing our trade and investment," US Ambassador to India Richard Rahul Verma said at a conference organised by Society of Indian Law Firms here. The US Ambassador to India said there has been "significant progress" in the ease of doing business scenario in India. "It (ease of doing business) is a subject the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) talks a lot about and I actually think there has been significant progress. The ease of doing business is a catch all term that incorporates a lot of different concepts. "It is about tax certainty, tax fairness, it is about reducing regulatory burden, it is about ensuring there is adequate infrastructure, power it is also about law, it is about legal service about access to courts it is about embracing international arbitration," he said. Besides, Verma urged the government to permit US law firms and lawyers to set up base in India, calling for "reciprocity" saying there was no citizenship requirement for Indian lawyers who wish to establish offices in the US. "We think it's important because it would contribute to economic growth and foreign direct investment... I think you need to look at other countries in Asia as well in Europe in Latin America and see whether this wall that currently exists on professional legal services is still the right thing if you want to grow the two-way trade number, if you want to attract more businesses and more professionals into India," he said. Traders and advocates today clashed outside the district court premises here during a protest in connection with the ongoing agitation by members of Jat community seeking reservation under the OBC quota. Advocates of the district court were protesting against the non-inclusion of Jats in the OBC category outside the court premises from where city traders were passing in a procession to submit a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, police said. A scuffle broke out between the two groups over the issue. Members of the advocate fraternity allegedly threw wooden boards and sticks at traders who also retaliated, they said. There were no reports of any major injuries sustained in the clash, police said, adding, tension prevailed outside court premises following the clash. The agitation by Jat community has thrown normal life out of gear in the state. The administration of Rohtak, which is emerging as the epicentre of the protest, today clamped prohibitory orders in the district banning assembly of five or more persons. In the wake of widespread protests in the state, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has summoned a cabinet meeting in Chandigarh this evening. The ruling AIADMK continued to make light of the Vaiko-led People's Welfare Front (PWF) in the state Assembly with Finance Minister O Panneerselvam today saying it was heading to a no-destination. "You will not reach the destination (even) when you take a detour as you are headed towards a no-destination," he told a senior CPI member. Panneerselvam's remarks came when CPI member S Gunasekaran, while speaking about the PWF, and particularly asked the ruling party, once his party's ally, to be 'cordial' with the four-party bloc which comprises of Vaiko's MDMK, CPI (M), CPI and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK). Yesterday, AIADMK MLA G V Markandayan had called PWF a "complex welfare front." Panneerselvam, also the Leader of the House, had also said the AIADMK member's reference was only over the "complexity about who the PWF's chief ministerial candidate was" and nothing else. The issue of chief ministerial candidate in PWF today also came up, and Gunasekaran said in a democracy, elected members later select the candidate, a line often repeated by Vaiko and other leaders of PWF since its formation last year. CPI (M) legislator K Balabarathy said PWF, which is projecting itself as an alternative, was a front with "alternative ideas," and expressed confidence that it would do well in the coming elections. AIADMK had aligned with the two Left parties for the 2011 Assembly polls but they later parted ways. (REOPENS MDS4) After the executive meet, Jayalalithaa addressed a meeting of party MLAs. A condolence resolutionpassed separately expressed grief at the passing away of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief MinisterMufti Mohammed Syed, CPI top leader A B Baradhan and former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma. It also condoled the passing away of 100 others, which includes party functionaries and personalitiesof Tamil Nadu from different walks of life, including Jayalalithaa's school teacher Catherine Simon andTiruparankundram MLA-elect S M Seenivel. (REOPENS MES3) Stopping short of condemning the central government, an AIADMK resolution said it was not fair on the Centre's part to not release thousands of crores of rupees (to Tamil Nadu), and claimed it tantamount to "injustice" to the people. The resolution, among others, referred to a comprehensive Rs 1,520 crore financial package for deep sea fishing and related infrastructure development and Rs 1,500 crore for textile development from the Centre. It also referred to "Rs 576.37 crore pending from the Centre for Sarva Siksha Abhyan (2015-16)." Besides it sought from the Centre Rs 1,167.69 crore to Tamil Nadu for its contribution towards SC, ST scholarship for students and urged release of pending portion of funds from the 13th Finance Commission recommendations. Student leaders of AISF and RJD today clashed with BJP outside the saffron party's office here over the issue of the arrest of JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case. City Superintendent of Police Chandan Kushwaha told PTI that a group of workers of AISF, student wing of CPI, and youth wing of Lalu Prasad's party came to the state BJP office to protest Kumar's arrest. As BJP workers protested, a clash broke out in which stones and water bottles were hurled from both sides. Police used mild force to separate the groups, the City SP said. Kotwali police station SHO Ramesh Kumar Singh said AISF and RJD workers arrived at the BJP office without any prior information. BJP which had sought permission to take out a march from its office to Income Tax roundabout was not allowed by the police and stopped at the party office itself. The City SP said the situation has been brought under control and additional police force has been deployed to prevent further clashes. BJP state vice president Sanjay Mayukh told PTI that the event reflects the "fascist face of Nitish Kumar government." "We had taken prior permission for taking out a march which was not permitted. The workers of AISF and RJD armed with lathis were allowed to come up to our party office and attack us without any prior notice," Mayukh said. The JNU row has charge up the political scenario in Bihar. While BJP and its allies have condemned the anti-India slogans allegedly raised by the JNUSU president and others, Congress-JD(U) and RJD have condemned Kumar's arrest on sedition charge, which was "made without any evidence". Kumar hails from Bihar. Senior IPS officer Alok Kumar Verma will be the new Police Commissioner of Delhi, succeeding B S Bassi who retires on February 29. Lt Governor Najeeb Jung today issued an order appointing 58-year-old Verma, a 1979-batch Union Territory cadre officer, as the top police officer of the national capital. Verma is currently serving as DG of Tihar prison. "Alok Kumar Verma will assume office as Police Commissioner, Delhi, on retirement of Bhim Sain Bassi on February 29, 2016," the LG's office said in a statement. He will have a tenure of 17 months. An official said that the order was issued by the Delhi Home Department in the name of the Lt Governor in pursuance of the order of the Union Home Ministry dated February 17. Verma will take charge at a time when the Delhi Police is facing severe criticism for its handling of the JNU row arising out of the arrest of the university's students union president Kanhaiya Kumar for allegedly raising anti-national slogans at an event commemorating the death of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Bassi has also received flak due to police inaction against those who had indulged in violence in Patiala House court. Verma will head the 80,000-strong Delhi Police which is responsible for maintaining law and order in a city that has a population of more than 1.7 crore. The new Police Commissioner will also have to deal with the Arvind Kejriwal government with which Bassi has had an uneasy relationship ever since AAP came to power a year ago. Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh today accused Khalsa College Governing Council President Satyajit Singh Majithia of trying to "grab and usurp a public institution" that holds a distinct place in Sikh history. He was responding to Majithia's statement accusing him of politicising the issue of converting Khalsa College in Amritsar into a private university. "There was one great Dayal Singh Majithia, who bequeathed all his wealth and great institutions like The Tribune and chain of Dayal Singh Majithia Colleges to the nation and here is this Majithia (Satyajit Singh), trying to grab and usurp a public institution for personal gains," Amarinder said. "Although I am not surprised over modern day Majithias' unbridled greed for money after been completely 'Badalised' in all respects, I still expected them to at least respect the sanctity of the institution which holds an important place in Sikh history and heritage," he said. The state Congress chief alleged that what the Badals are doing to the SGPC, the Majithias are trying to repeat and replicate with Khalsa College. Reiterating that the emotions and sentiments of Sikhs across the globe are associated with the institution, Amarinder said, it had been built with support from erstwhile princely states of Patiala, Kapurthala, Jind, Nabha and Faridkot. "Just by grabbing the institution now and by infiltrating your yes-men into the Governing Council does not confer any moral right or authority on you to usurp it to make money," he said. Amarinder also said that even if Majithia manages to get the Act for the university passed in the Vidhan Sabha through the Badals, he will ensure that it is repealed after Congress forms government in the state following 2017 Assembly polls. Referring to his visit to the Khalsa College yesterday, the Punjab Congress chief said, Majithia and other members of the management should know that he had been the chancellor of the college for six years. Refuting allegations that his security personnel broke the locks of the gate to enter the college, he said "Let me clarify that we simply made a request and the college security staff were kind enough to open the locks." "But why did you need to lock the gates and why did you want to bar my entry into the campus," Amarinder asked. (REOPENS NRG 17) Meanwhile, the second edition of 'Coffee with Captain' took place in Bathinda today where more than 2,000 farmers discussed their agrarian problems and ideas with Amarinder. Targeting the Badal government, he said, "They (Akalis) destroyed all that I had created. I had prepared a base for 20 lakh jobs which the Akalis destroyed after coming to power." "Increased power tariffs, untimely payment and lack of any incentive have ensured that farming, once known to be Punjab's pride, has been sidelined and ignored by the current government," he alleged. Asked by a farmer from Talwandi Sabo on the increasing cost of electricity and its burden on farmers, Amarinder said, "We will give free electricity to run tubewells. We will lower the tariff to Rs 4 per unit by applying a small amount of cess to the national grid price." He also stressed on the need to grow crops other than rice and wheat. The former Chief Minister recalled setting up the Tropicana project in 100 villages which would have required growing of raw food material for the beverage manufacturing company. However, Amarinder alleged that the project was stopped midway by the Akalis due to "political reasons". He also said Congress will implement the Swaminathan Committee report if it forms the government in Punjab. "There will not be a single incident of farmer suicide and farmers' debts will be waived off. There will be no auctioning of lands on account of debt," he said. Global tech giant Apple Inc is expected to make an official announcement of opening their Development Centre here in June, Telangana IT Minister K T Rama Rao said today. "They (Apple) have confirmed it (opening a centre in Hyderabad) already. There will be an official announcement in June. "Till that time, we will have to respect their choice (of not revealing details). They have chosen to make an announcement later," Rama Rao told PTI. Jayesh Ranjan, Telangana Secretary for IT Department, confirmed that the officials of the California, US-based technology company that owns popular consumer electronic brands such as iPhone and iPad, had already met the state government officials requesting their support for some of the clearances. "They have already identified space in a building owned by Tishman Speyer at Nanakramguda. We are also extending support to the company in terms of obtaining necessary approvals from various departments," Ranjan said. The official, however, did not specify the amount of investment that Apple is planning to make in the centre. Rama Rao further said the city-based IT firm Cyient (formerly Infotech Enterprises) will be laying foundation stone for its centre at Warangal tomorrow. "Tomorrow, we have Cyient laying foundation stone for their centre in Warangal. It is expected to create about 1,000 new jobs in the next 12-18 months. "This is first time that a company of that size is going to a tier-II city. We are also hopeful that other big behemoths will also follow," he added. Replying to a query on the Metro Rail project, the minister said it will be operational tentatively from June. Meanwhile, Rama Rao who was also entrusted with Municipal Administration and Urban Development has announced action plan for the next 100 days for various developmental works in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and other urban civic bodies of the State. Officials from departments of commerce, industrial policy and promotion (DIPP), revenue, environment and forest, and electronics and information technology (DeITY) would take part in the deliberations. In a communication to the government, the Cupertino-based technology major has asked for several tax and other incentives, including long-term duty exemptions, to enter the manufacturing sector in India. As many as 42 companies are making mobile phones in India, including Chinese firm Huawei and Xiaomi, and no firm has approached the government for any additional incentives. Currently, the government provides support by way of benefits under the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (MSIPS) to boost electronic manufacturing. Apple's products are manufactured in six countries, including Korea, Japan and the US. Earlier, the finance ministry in May had rejected relaxing the 30 per cent domestic sourcing norms as sought by the iPhone and iPad maker as a pre-condition of bringing in FDI to set up single-brand retail stores in the country. The company had sought exemption on the ground that it makes state-of-the-art and cutting-edge technology products for which local sourcing is not possible. The government had also turned down the firm's proposal to import refurbished phones and sell them in India. The company sells its products through Apple-owned retail stores in countries like China, Germany, the US, the UK and France, among others. It has no wholly-owned store in India and sells its products through distributors such as Redington and Ingram Micro. A heat wave has led Argentina's government to schedule two days of power cuts in Buenos Aires and surrounding areas. Some 190,000 electricity customers were affected by yesterday's outages. More cuts are expected today. The planned electricity outages were ordered after citizens protested erratic power supply during the heat wave. Power outages are common in during the South American summer when temperatures can soar above 93 degrees (34 Celsius) and air conditioners are widely used. Argentina's energy ministry says the government is evaluating compensating affected users. The government of President Mauricio Macri blames the previous administration, saying energy subsidies and price freezes left the energy industry unprofitable and caused weaknesses in the power grid. Stock prices for utilities have shot up since Macri recently ended utility subsidies. Warehouse automation startup Ark Robot has won a prize money of USD 350,000 (about Rs 2 crore) in equity funding, as the winner of QPrize Make in India contest. Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and chip maker Qualcomm Inc announced the winner today during the Make in India Week here. "This is a part of Qualcomm USD 150 million committed investments in India when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Silicon Valley last year," Qualcomm Ventures vice-president Karthee Madasamy said. "Through the India fund, we have so far invested in three companies and the winner of QPrize would be the fourth," he added. The prize was given by Qualcomm Venture, an arm of Qualcomm Inc. "India is number three in startups and we wish to make it number one in line with the Prime Minister's vision," DIPP secretary Amitabh Kant said. Qprize Make in India was judged by a panel including Kant, Qualcomm India president Sunil Lalvani, Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan and got participation from nearly 500 startups. The four SIMI activists who were arrested at Rourkela during a joint operation with Telangana police had local contacts who arranged houses for them on rent and facilitated their stay in Odisha, according to preliminary probe by the state police. The four SIMI activists and mother of one of them, who was also held, meanwhile, refused to take legal aid to fight for them in the court of law, as the Special Task Force under Crime Branch of Odisha Police today began interrogation of the operatives. An eight-member STF team led by Crime Branch IG Arun Kumar Bothra arrived at Rourkela after the local police took the five persons on a seven-day remand. The STF also moved the local court seeking 30 days remand for the five persons as they were involved in a series of crimes in multiple states. "Our people have started interrogation of the five persons at Rourkela. We will like to ascertain their activities in the state and their associates who helped them stay in the state as well as arrange fake documents," said Crime Branch Special DG B K Sharma. Preliminary investigation have so far shown that the operatives of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) had local contacts who arranged houses for them on rent and facilitated their stay in the state, Sharma said. Besides Rourkela, they had also taken shelter in Bhadrak district for some time. "We would also like to ascertain which crime they were involved in and what were their plans in the state. The police from different states like Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharastra and Uttar Pradesh are likely to interrogate the five persons who took shelter in Rourkela," Sharma said. Sharma said the STF would like to share information with other state police. "We believe, joint interrogation will help to reveal more facts," he said, adding IG Arun Bothra has already been camping at Rourkela to oversee the interrogation of the five persons. Director General of Odisha Police B K Singh said the personnel from NIA and IB may also interrogate them. The four operatives who had escaped from a jail in Madhya Pradesh in 2013 were arrested from Rourkela yesterday following an exchange of fire with security personnel. The mother of one of the operatives was also arrested along with the four. The four arrested men have been identified as Mohammad Aijajudden, Amjad Khan, Zakir Hussein and Mahboob Guddu. Additional Public Prosecutor Satya Sharma, who was appearing for the government in the case, said the operatives and mother of one of them refused to take legal aid to fight for them in the court of law. "They turned down legal help," he said. Pope Francis has decried the "human tragedy" of migrants fleeing violence worldwide during a huge mass on Mexico's border with the US, where many have died while crossing the desert. In a highly symbolic gesture, the pope climbed a ramp facing the Rio Grande that separates Mexico's Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas, laid flowers under a black cross and blessed hundreds of migrants on the American side, who waved at him. Francis then celebrated mass with more than 300,000 Catholic faithful on the Juarez side of the border, with tens of thousands more watching it on a giant screen in an El Paso stadium. Immigration is a hot-button issue on the US presidential campaign trail and Republican White House hopeful Donald trump criticised the pope's decision to hold such a mass. But the first Latin American pontiff did not directly address the politics across the border, focusing instead on the plight of migrants. "We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis which in recent years has meant the migration of thousands of people, whether by train or highway or on foot, crossing hundreds of kilometres through mountains, deserts and inhospitable zones," Francis said. "The human tragedy that is forced migration is a global phenomenon today." Central Americans have been leaving their poor and gang- infested countries in droves, crossing Mexico's porous southern border with Guatemala on their way to the United States. The trek across Mexico is filled with dangers - from gangs that steal, kill or seek to forcibly recruit them. Thousands have died while crossing the scorching US-Mexico desert in the past two decades, according to official figures. "Injustice is radicalised in the young; they are cannon fodder, persecuted and threatened when they try to flee the spiral of violence and the hell of drugs. Then there are the many women unjustly robbed of their lives," Francis said in a city that has been scarred by gang wars and unexplained murders of women. "No more death. No more exploitation. There is still time to change, there is still a way out and a chance, time to implore the mercy of God," he said before flying back to Rome after a five-day trip to Mexico. The fate of 11 million undocumented immigrants is the source of vivid debate in the United States. Trump, who wants Mexico to pay to build a wall along the border, has called the pope a "very political person. Austria is investigating two suspects held since December for possible links to the bombers and gunmen who carried out last year's deadly attacks in Paris, a state prosecutor said today. A statement issued by prosecutor Robert Holzleitner identified the two only as a 28-year old Algerian and a Pakistani, 32, in line with Austrian privacy rules. The pair, claiming to be refugees, arrived in Greece Oct. 3 in the same boat as two of the identified attackers, who then left the country unhindered, said the statement. But the two now in custody were held there for 25 days because they were carrying fake Syrian passports. Holzleitner said the two were detained in Salzburg Dec. 10. A 25-year old Moroccan and an Algerian aged 40 who were in "close contact" with them were taken into custody eight days later. All four are suspected of links to the Islamic State group, the statement said. Holzleitner said the statement had been issued to "correct" some recent reports but added no other details could be divulged during the ongoing investigation. The Nov 13 attacks killed 130 and wounded 350 others. Austrian prosecutors said today they were investigating four people being held in custody for possible links to the November 13 Paris terror attacks, two more than previously confirmed. Calling the investigations "highly complex", Salzburg prosecutors said that all four are believed to belong to the so-called Islamic State extremist group, which claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks. The officials said that in addition to an Algerian and a Pakistani, whose arrest on December 10 was announced several days later, two others have been detained since December 18. The first two, aged 28 and 34, were believed to have been in the same migrant boat travelling to Greece as two men involved in the Paris atrocities that killed 130 people, prosecutors said in a statement. While those involved in the attacks were able to travel onwards, the pair now in Austrian hands were held up by Greek authorities for 25 days because they were carrying fake Syrian passports. They then arrived in Salzburg in western Austria at the end of November - after the Paris killings - and Austrian police arrested them at a centre for migrants on December 10. Eight days later, the other two, a 25-year-old Moroccan and a 40-year-old Algerian, were arrested "because of indications of close contact with both the first two suspects," prosecutors said. The statement stressed that contrary to some media reports, the men had not confessed to planning any attacks. Prosecutors added that two other men, aged 22 and 28, who said they were migrants were arrested in Salzburg on September 17 and October 10, after recounting that they had fought for IS. There is however no evidence that these two were involved in any attacks in Europe, nor of any links to the other four men detained, prosecutors said, although investigations were continuing. The European Commission urged Austria today to reconsider its plans to limit asylum claims which it warned would be "plainly incompatible" with European Union laws. European migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos sent the complaint in a letter to Austria's Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner who said yesterday the country would cap the daily number of asylum claims at 80. "Such a policy would be plainly incompatible with Austria's obligations under European and international law," Avramopoulos said in a copy of the letter obtained by AFP. Avramopoulos cited the European Convention on Human Rights, the Geneva Convention and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. "Austria has a legal obligation to accept any asylum application that is made on its territory or at its border," the letter said. "I would urge you to reconsider the unilateral measures which you are proposing." Mikl-Leitner said her government had no choice but to introduce the measures taking effect from Friday because Austria is among the EU countries most under strain from the unprecedented migrant influx and is "reaching breaking point." The move came a day after Vienna said it would step up controls at existing checkpoints along its southern frontier with Italy, Slovenia and Hungary to curb the influx of migrants and refugees trekking up along the Balkans. The daily limit on asylum claims is in line with Austria's announcement last month that it would only take in 37,500 asylum-seekers this year -- sharply down from the 90,000 it accepted in 2015. Since January, the country of nearly nine million has already received 11,000 asylum claims, or around 250 a day. The government has not yet specified what it plans to do once the annual quota is reached. An employee of a nationalised bank was today arrested in a fraud case for allegedly fleeing with cash amounting to over Rs 24 lakh, police said. Based on the complaint of the State Bank of India, Baguihati branch, the employee was today arrested from Burdwan along with a woman. The total around Rs 24.14 lakh was seized from their possession, a senior officer of Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate said. The lawyers' body in Delhi district courts today virtually came in defence of the attackers in black robes in the Patiala House courts, including Vikram Singh Chauhan who was garlanded in Karkardooma courts, to whose bar he belongs. Claiming that certain "outsiders" in lawyers' robes indulged in violence, the Cordination Committee of all District Court Bar Associations demanded a "fair" inquiry into the incidents. Condemning the violence, Advocate R K Wadhwa, chairman of the committee, said in a press release they would request the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court to ensure that entry to the court premises should be monitored and security of judicial officers, lawyers and litigants be given "prime importance". "We condemn the manner in which protestors/demonstrators were allowed to enter the Patiala House court complex. We condemn violence in any form which was the direct consequence of unverified entry of outsiders inside the court premises," he said. Meanwhile in Karkardooma courts, lawyers held a candle light march for national integrity and against "victimisation" of lawyers. Chauhan, who has been bragging on social media about how the lawyers had taught "anti-nationals" a lesson in Patiala House complex, was garlanded. However, Advocate Mahesh Sharma, President of Shahdara Bar Association, rejected media reports in this regard. "Advocates are being shown in bad light. They are termed as goons and criminals. It is wrong," Sharma said. Chauhan, who was caught on camera assaulting journalists and others in the court premises, was one of the three lawyers summoned by the delhi police in connection with the February 15 attack. The three lawyers, however, did not appear before the police. The coordination committee also said they would stage a protest march at India gate tomorrow against the alleged anti -national activities at the JNU complex. Indian-born designer Bibhu Mohapatra, who has dressed Michelle Obama and Gwyneth Paltrow, unveiled a stunning fall/winter collection in New York inspired by one of the most important women in Chinese history. Mohapatra, who has been a fixture at New York Fashion Week since 2009, was inspired by empress dowager Cixi, the former concubine turned 19th century regent who was a powerful figure in China for nearly 50 years. British Indian author Salman Rushdie, one of the greatest living writers in the English language, was guest of honor and posed for a series of selfies with Mohapatra and female guests backstage. Mohapatra said the collection celebrated "the prowess and poise of the mysterious female mind," and was greeted by ecstatic applause when he appeared on the runway at the end of the show. The designer, who dressed the first lady when she and Barack Obama made a landmark visit to India in 2015, said he would "love" to dress Hillary Clinton, campaigning to become America's first woman president. Dragonflies were leitmotif of the collection, fashioned into double-wrap leather belts, made into leather chokers and picked out in embroidery and sequins on evening dresses and coats. "Dragonflies really have a lot of cultural meaning to everything," Mohapatra told AFP backstage between being congratulated by friends. "They're prophetic in a lot of instances, it's about good crop, good weather and it's meaningful," he said. As a child, he used to try to catch them but his mother would warn him to be careful. "They're very delicate, so I love them so I wanted to incorporate them," he said. His 2016 fall/winter collection also celebrated opulent furs -- his mastery testament to his past nine-year stint as design director at iconic French furrier J. Mendel. There were furs in all shapes, sizes and colors: a black fur collar and hem on a black leather trench coat, a stripy red and orange fur coat, a teal fox vest and rosewater mink. Despite the discomfort that some designers feel about using real fur, Mohapatra said it was important that they were sourced responsibly. "As we're going into global uncertainty climate wise, it's important to be protected and furs are really practical no matter what," he said. "They have their stigma -- so does silk, so does cotton -- and as long as they are sourced responsibly they are fine." Day wear was a lean silhouette with high necklines and long skirts. Evening wear was sumptuous -- the overall effect princess meets Bollywood meets Star Wars with regal trains. Members of BJP Yuva Morcha displayed black flags and raised slogans against Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi when he came here today to attend 'Dalit Conclave'. The BJPYM members staged the protest against Rahul near RTO office for his support to "anti-national elements", BJPYM state general secretary Abhijat Mishra said. There was a report of clash between the members of Congress and BJP, after which police used mild force. Mishra claimed that some morcha members had been detained by police but the exact number was not known. The US government announced today it is using eye scans and facial recognition technology for the first time to verify the identities of foreigners leaving the United States on foot at a busy San Diego border crossing with Mexico, the latest move to close a longstanding security gap. Border officials in December started collecting the same information on non-citizens walking into the US through the checkpoint connecting Tijuana and San Diego. The checkout system that launched Feb. 11 aims to ensure those who enter the country leave on time and identify those who stay after their visas expire. Up to half of the people in the US illegally are believed to have overstayed their visas. Congress has long demanded biometric screening such as fingerprints, facial images or eye scans from people leaving the country, but the task poses enormous financial and logistical challenges. Privacy advocates worry the data could be misused or fall into the wrong hands. Before now, foreigners who left the country were rarely checked by authorities before walking into Mexico or Canada at ports of entry. Cameras have started photographing the eye and facial features of non-citizens leaving the country through the Otay Mesa port of entry to verify their identities on their documents. Authorities are using the trial runs to determine which technology, face or eye scans, is the fastest, most accurate and least intrusive in screening people coming and going at all land crossings along the 1,954-mile (3,145-kilometer) border with Mexico. Final results are expected this summer, with the goal of expanding the checks to all land, air and sea ports. For now, the trial run will focus only on foreigners, but it's uncertain in the future whether the program would expand to US citizens. Foreigners checked at the border who have overstayed their visas will be allowed to continue on to Mexico, with a note on their record, said Charmaine Rodriguez, assistant port director of the Otay Mesa cargo facility. Those with criminal records or warrants could be detained. Federal officials say they will not share or retain the data collected in the trial runs, but it is not clear how the information will be used if the program is adopted border-wide. A one-year-old child, treated for Spontaneous Human Cumbustion (SHC) condition last year, died allegedly after vomiting in his native village in this district, police said today. Sanjay of Nedumozhianur vomited last night and was rushed to premier health institute JIPMER in Puducherry on the advice of local doctors. However, he died on the way to the hospital, they said. The child was buried late last night, police added. Sanjay was suffering from the problem of 'catching fire' and had been treated at the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital in Chennai in January last year as a new born. However, doctors at the hospital had then said the boy did not have any health problem and discounted the possibility of SHC. Incidentally, Sanjay's elder brother Rahul was also treated for similar complaint and had recovered now, police said. British superbike maker Triumph Motorcycles will launch its new range 'Bonneville' during the India Bike Week (IBW), which begins in North Goa's Arpora from February 19. "We are having a rider meet during IBW. For the first time, we are showcasing the Bonneville range to our customers. We showcased it at the Auto Expo in Delhi, but that was only for media," Vimal Sumbly, MD, Triumph Motorcycles (India) Pvt Ltd, told PTI today. The two-wheeler major will also be putting on display its other range of superbikes at the 2-day IBW event. Sumbly said that after formal unveiling of Bonneville bike for customers, dealers across the country will put the bike on display at their showrooms. The iconic Bonneville, he said, is now made on a completely new platformin terms of its design, style, engine and technology. "This will be the first 900 CC water-cooled engine. We are in India with 100 per cent Auto Breaking System (ABS) in bikes. In terms of technology, Bonneville is ridden by wire and with traction control," he said. The British motor maker, which ventured into the Indian market two years ago, has so far sold 2,500 units and has 12 world-class stores in India. He said the entire super biking industry in India started in 2007-08 with a mere 400 units, but touched the 10,000-mark last year. "We expect it to go to 20,000 by 2020 and want to be a dominant player. We want to bring technology to people. It's easy to build a big bike, but our strategy is to provide the most safest bike in India. We want to do 2,000 units a year by 2020," he said. Globally, Triumph looks to sell 65,000 units annually by 2020. The company has launched its franchise-based stores in metros - Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai - as well as tier II cities such as Cochin, Pune and Ahmadabad while it will open new ones in Goa, Lucknow, Bihar and eastern parts of the country. Asked if the company will take on board a brand ambassador, Sumbly said it's "not interested". State-run telecom firm BSNL has decided to close down wimax service in some circles where there are less customers and sites are faulty. "There are around 1.15 to 1.2 lakh wimax customers on BSNL network across 20 BSNL telecom circles. We have asked for (wimax) data from some circles where there are few customers or sites are faulty and then BSNL will take final call on closure of wimax service at some locations," an official of the telecom major told PTI. BSNL was the first in the country to deploy 4G service using wimax technology on broadband wireless spectrum allocated to it. The company later surrendered Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kolkata. While the government has divided the country in 22 telecom circles, BSNL has structured itself in 24 circles and two telecom districts (Chennai and Kolkata). The official said that except six telecom circles, wimax service is now available in 20 BSNL telecom circles. BSNL has written a letter to circle managers in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Jharkhand for providing wimax business status. "The service will continue where we have good number of customers," the official said. The state-run telecom firm has decided to provide 4G service on revenue share model. The company selected through tender process will manage the networks while BSNL would share its revenue with the successful bidder. Last month, the company did a soft launch of 4G service in Chandigarh on the same model using LTE technology. Government may consider reducing duty on import of processing machinery for the tea and coffee industry with a view to boost domestic production and exports. The industry has demanded reduction of duties on imports of machineries used in processing of tea and coffee. While the duty on coffee processing machines are about 30 per cent, on tea machines it is about 10 per cent. The Commerce and Industry Ministry has suggested its Finance counterpart to consider the industry's demand, sources said. There are few tea and coffee machinery manufacturers in India and there is a need for modern technology to move up to the value chain, they said, adding that India mainly imports these machines from countries like Germany, Japan and China. The total coffee production in India was about 3.3 lakh tonnes in 2014-15, which is 4 per cent of global production. In the same fiscal, the exports from India were 2.8 lakh tonnes. Its share in the world's exports is only 4.2 per cent. Brazil is the main competitor in the coffee sector. Similarly, India's total tea production in 2014-15 stood at 12,000 million kg, which is 24 per cent of the total world's production. In the last financial year, India exported 200 million kg of tea and its share in global exports was 11 per cent. The main competitors in tea sector are China, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Indonesia. The industry has argued that reduction in import duty on the machinery would help in enhancing production and increase exports from India. has urged his European counterparts at a Brussels summit to reach a "credible" deal to keep his country from crashing out of the EU and settle the issue for a generation. Cameron wants a deal on reforms to the 28-nation bloc before holding a referendum as in June, but France and other member states warned that they would not agree to a deal at any price. "It's an opportunity to move to a fundamentally different approach to our relationship with the EU -- what some might call a sort of live and let live," Cameron told fellow leaders on Thursday at the first working session of the summit. He urged them to secure "a package that is credible with the British people", adding that the issue of Britain's place in Europe "has been allowed to fester for too long" and that there was now a chance "to settle this issue for a generation". Three years after Cameron announced he wanted to reset Britain's ties with the European Union, talks are going down to the wire on his demands on four key areas. Britian could be the first country to leave EU Cameron, under pressure from eurosceptics in his centre-right Conservative Party and a hostile right-wing press, says he will back a 'Yes' vote in a referendum expected this June if he can cut a deal in Brussels. Failing that, he has said all options are open, refusing to rule out the possibility that Britain could become the first country to leave the EU in its more than 60-year history. The British premier wants welfare benefit restrictions to help curb immigration, safeguards for non-euro countries like Britain, increased EU competitiveness and an opt-out from closer EU integration. France warns against veto power French President Francois Hollande said agreement with Britain was "possible" and that was what he wanted, but raised fresh doubts over the protections for non-eurozone countries. "No country can have the right to veto, we cannot hold Europe back from advancing," he said. Cameron won crucial backing Wednesday from German Chancellor Angela Merkel who said Berlin had shared his concerns "for many years". Arriving for the summit, Merkel said there were still some issues to resolve but she was "happy to do everything to create the conditions for Britain to remain part of the European Union", she said. For her part, straight-talking Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite punctured some of the summit rhetoric. "I think everyone will have their own little drama and then we will agree," she said. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said he was "quite confident" of a deal, but former Polish premier Tusk warned it was a "make or break summit". British Prime Minister David Cameron threatened to walk away today from a "make or break" EU summit without a deal as his counterparts warned they would not pay any price to stop Britain crashing out of the bloc. "I'll be battling for Britain. If we can get a good deal I'll take that deal but I will not take a deal that doesn't meet what we need," Cameron told reporters as he arrived for the meeting in Brussels. Cameron wants a deal on reforms to the 28-nation European Union before holding a referendum as early as June but many member states are hostile to Britain getting special treatment when they have grievances of their own. Talks were going down to the wire on Cameron's four challenging demands -- welfare restrictions to help curb immigration, safeguards for non-euro Britain, increasing EU competitiveness and an opt-out from closer EU integration. French President Francois Hollande said agreement with Britain was "possible" and that was what he wanted -- but raised fresh doubts over the protections for non eurozone countries. "No country can have the right to veto, we cannot hold Europe back from advancing," he said. "It is the EU that is stake, not just a country." Cameron won crucial backing yesterday from German Chancellor Angela Merkel who said Berlin had shared his concerns "for many years". Arriving for the summit, Merkel said there were still some issues to resolve but she was "happy to do everything to create the conditions for Britain to remain part of the European Union", she said. "This is important from a German point of view but of course this will be decided by British voters in the end." For her part, straight-talking Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite punctured some of the summit rhetoric. "I think everyone will have their own little drama and then we will agree," Grybauskaite said. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said he was "quite confident" of a deal, but former Polish premier Tusk was more cautious. "We are in the middle of still very difficult and sensitive negotiations on the UK question. One thing is clear to me though: this is a make or break summit," Tusk told reporters. Supporters of a coalition of reformists and backers of President Hassan Rouhani held their first joint rally in Tehran as thousands of Iranian candidates today launched their election campaigns ahead of the country's Feb 26 parliamentary elections. Hundreds of demonstrators, men and women, young and old gathered in a public hall in central Tehran, chanting "reforms will be the winner of the elections." When the head of the coalition list in Tehran, Mohammad Reza Aref, and his wife arrived in the hall, cheerful participants welcomed him as if he were a presidential candidate. Aref, who served as vice-president under reformist Mohammad Khatami, Iran's president from 1997 until 2005, responded with a smile and raised a hand to the crowd. "Viva reforms, long live Khatami," the crowd chanted. Many at the rally held a turquoise ribbon, the official campaign color, in their hands. Khatami, who is popular among young people and women, last week urged his supporters to vote even though the election watchdog, the Guardian Council, barred many prominent reformists from running in the election. During the gathering, Elahe Koulaei, one of the female candidates, called the election a "second step" after the 2013 victory of Rouhani, a moderate within Iran's political system. "A wise parliament should be formed by women and men" during the coming elections, she said, in a reference to the mostly male hard-liners' presence in the current parliament. Aref also appealed to women, saying he will strive to "upgrade the position of women across the political system, including executive and legislative positions." The crowd on occasion chanted for the lifting of the ban on opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, who has been under house arrest since 2011. Mousavi's detention came after opposition members denounced the 2009 re-election of then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as fraudulent. State media reported today that over 6,200 candidates who have been approved to run, including 586 women, began a one-week campaign for a place in the country's 290-seat parliament. A 48-year-old Central Excise Superintendent today allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his licenced revolver at his residence in suburban Malad here, police said. Ravindra Phadke, a resident of Nahar Nagar in Malad West, used his licensed revolver and shot one round through right temple area, a senior police official said. Phadke was rushed to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, he said. According to police, a suicide note saying,"I am fed up from life and committing suicide. No one should be held responsible for this act" was found from the spot. A case under relevant sections of IPC has been registered in the regard and investigations are underway, the official said. Republican presidential front- runner Donald Trump has slammed China for the devaluation of its tightly-controlled currency, describing the Communist country as one of the great thefts of all time. "China has been one of the great thefts of all time, what they've done to the United States. We can't let China continue to get away with what they're doing to our country," Trump said yesterday. "The number-one way that countries are killing us is with devaluations of their currencies, and our companies can't compete. You take a look at what's happening in Japan with the devaluation of the yen, just look at this. Caterpillar is having such a hard time competing with Komatsu, which is a big tractor-maker from Japan," Trump said. Trump also threatened that he would impose a hefty 40-45 per cent tariff on products coming from China into the US. "It's a threat. What China has done to us with devaluation of their currency is unbelievable," he said. "Nobody thought they were going to do it again, and then four months ago they had the largest devaluation that they've had in 20 years. The largest in 20 years. Now they're going to do it again. Our companies can't compete. They are devaluing their currencies," he added. Terming the the recent trade agreements as a disaster, Trump said Trans-Pacific Partnership should not be signed. "TPP, Trans-Pacific Partnership, is a disaster because they don't talk about monetary manipulation and devaluation. They don't talk about it," he said. "The NAFTA agreements and trade agreements that we have generally will be fully renegotiated by me. We have right now a deficit with Mexico, a trade deficit of USD 58 billion. We have a USD 500 billion deficit with China. You can't have this. We will renegotiate," he said. Faced with sluggish economic growth and dwindling exports, China has devalued its currency for a long time. A number of countries have their expressed concerns over the move including India which termed it as a "worrying" development. China today urged Spain to "safeguard the legal rights and interests" of employees of Chinese megabank ICBC, following their arrest by Spanish authorities on suspicion of laundering tens of millions euros. Spanish police searched the Madrid branch of ICBC Wednesday, arresting five of its directors as part of a probe into the suspected laundering of at least 40 million euros (USD 44.5 million). "We hope that the Spanish side would deal with the relevant issue in accordance with the law and honestly safeguard the legal rights and interests of Chinese companies", foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said during a regular press briefing. A spokesperson for the bank in Beijing told Chinese media that its Madrid branch will actively cooperate with the investigation, saying that the bank "strictly implements anti-money laundering provisions" and operates in compliance with regulations, adding that the bank's Europe-based lawyers have hurried to Madrid in response to the probe. The bank is suspected of allowing funds earned through the alleged crimes of smuggling, tax fraud and labour exploitation to be transferred "to China in a way that appeared legal", Spanish police said in a statement. "Spain has become an important destination of investment from Chinese companies and financial institutions", Hong said, calling on the country to "safeguard the sound state" of the relationship. Spanish police said the raid was a follow-up to an operation carried out last year that targeted Madrid-based Chinese gangs suspected of importing huge amounts of goods from China without declaring them on customs forms to avoid import and tax duties. The crime groups allegedly deposited their illicit proceeds into ICBC accounts, with the lender accused of sending the funds to China without checking their origin as required by law. ICBC is not the first Chinese bank embroiled in controversy over money-laundering overseas. Last June Italian prosecutors alleged that the Bank of China was involved in illegal transfers of large sums of money out of the country. A month later the US Federal Reserve faulted China Construction Bank for weaknesses in its anti-money-laundering programme. ICBC is the world's largest bank by market capitalisation. It entered the Spanish market in January 2011 with the inauguration of its branch in Madrid. More than 190,000 Chinese nationals legally live in Spain, making the Chinese immigrant population the fourth largest foreign community in the country, according to Spain's national statistics institute INE. Facing a strike threat from workers' unions over the divestment issue, Coal India management has assured trade unions to take up the matter with the government. "Policy related decisions like disinvestment in CIL ... will be taken up at government level," Coal India management apprised a delegation of four trade unions in a meeting today. Demanding withdrawal of the disinvestment process or de-nationalisation of the world's largest coal miner, workers affiliated to four unions INTUC, HMS, AITUC and CITU had slapped notice of a one-day strike/agitation on March 29. Indian National Mineworkers Federation Secretary General S Q Zama said Coal India management convened the meeting with four central trade unions following a joint notice dated January 27 by CTUs -- INTUC, HMS, AITUC & CITU -- for agitation or one-day strike on March 29. Trade unions are also demanding granting infrastructure status to coal industry, blanket exemption against deployment of contract workers under prohibited category jobs etc will be taken up at Government level. As for CIL-related issues, consensus emerged that all sub committees of the Joint Bipartite Committee on Coal Industry (JBCCI) will be reactivated and concluded before June 30. In November last year, the Cabinet approved 10 per cent stake sale in Coal India. The government currently owns 79.65 per cent stake in the company. The 10 per cent stake sale in Coal India is likely to be deferred to the next fiscal as the government wants to wait for market stability for a better valuation, an official had earlier said. The state vigilance department today arrested a Circle Officer (CO) and a revenue department employee on graft charge from Bihar's Saharsa and Gaya districts respectively, an official release said. Acting on a tip off, a flying squad of the vigilance department laid a trap and arrested the CO Anil Kumar Singh as soon as he took a Rs 20,000 bribe at his rented house in Saharsa town from one Mohan Kumar Yadav, a native of Gobargadha village under Saharsa police station area, the release said. Singh had demanded a bribe of Rs 40,000 from Yadav to release salary arrears and settled the deal upon payment of Rs 20,000 about which Yadav lodged a complaint with the anti-graft agency, it said. The tainted CO was being brought to Patna for interrogation and would be produced before a designated court for judicial remand in due course, the release said. In a related matter, a revenue employee Kesho Prasad, posted at Vajirpur block in Gaya district, was arrested by another vigilance team from his office for accepting Rs 5,000 as bribe from one Ramchandra Thakur, a native of Orail village, for mutation of land belonging to the latter. Prasad too would be brought to the state capital for interrogation before being produced at a designated court for judicial remand, the release added. The brutal conflict in Iraq is not between Shias and Sunnis, but against the dreaded Islamic State militant group which is killing members of both the sects, an Indian-origin top Shia cleric here has said. "Daesh is a brutal terrorist group which is killing both Shias and Sunnis. They are killing everyone," said Grand Ayatollah Bashir Hussain al-Najafi. He said the fight in Iraq is not between Shias and Sunnis. "It was against Daesh," said Najafi, a close aide of Grand Ayatollah Syed Ali Sistani. He also criticised the Western media for projecting the war in Iraq as sectarian conflict, saying Shia and Sunni are brothers and they are together fighting against ISIS and liberated several cities from them. "During a war the most important posts are that of defence minister and head of the state. In Iraq both positions now are headed by Sunnis," the cleric said. "The terrorists are enemy of Iraq. Those who paint this conflict as a sectarian war are trying to destabilise Iraq," he said, adding that this war is between Iraqis and terrorists. He also slammed some foreign forces for destabilising Iraq, saying these powers are attempting to bring back the old regime by destroying democracy in the country. Daesh or ISIS has killed and displaced thousands of Sunnis in Iraq, prompting Sunni tribes to join the Shia-dominated paramilitary forces to fight against them, a senior tribal leader-turned military commander has said. "Daesh entered into Iraqi cities saying Sunnis are in danger and they have come to protect them. And they succeeded to some extent," said Sheikh Mohammed Mikhlif, a Sunni Hashd al-Shaabi Commander and in-charge of operations in Anbar province. "But they occupied our land and suppressed us. They have killed thousands of Sunnis and Shias both and displaced them," Mikhlif, also the chief of Albu Shaban tribe in war-torn Anbar province, told a group of visiting Indian journalists. Mikhlif said that a number of Sunni tribes in the contested province joined the government forces and the paramilitary Hashd al-Shaabi or the Popular Mobilisation Forces, a state-sponsored umbrella organisation composed of several armed groups formed in 2014 to fight against the ISIS. The underpowered Iraqi army, which lost several cities to ISIS, has been relying heavily on Hashd soldiers to regain the control over lost cities. Mikhlif said Najaf-based Grand Ayatollah Sistani's call to defend the nation brought Shias in Sunni areas to fight against Daesh and protect the Iraqi nation. "When we see the Shias from southern cities of Basra or Karbala come to Anbar to protect us, it gives us strength to fight against Daesh," he said. (Reopens FGN 10) Mikhlif also accused some politicians of trying to spread the rumours that the government after the fall of Saddam Hussain is a Shia government and it will work against the interests of Sunnis. "They used media for this propaganda. They wanted to bring the new government down. Some tribal leaders also supported them. Later we realised that they are just using us for their own interests and dividing the nation," said Mikhlif, who was donning the dark green dress of Hashd. ISIS is an al-Qaeda splinter group which has captured a large part of Iraq and Syria and declared a caliphate led by Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was so popular that even the Congressmen keep chanting his name all the time. "Wherever you go, it is 'Modi Modi', you go to America, England, Dubai and France, at all these places people chant 'Modi'. And Congress also does 'Modi Modi'. They do not see anybody else. In their dreams at night they see only Modi," Chouhan said, addressing a function at Sherpur village to felicitate the Prime Minister for launching the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima (crop insurance) Yojna. The Centre had released Rs 2,000 crore for drought-relief in Madhya Pradesh, Chouhan noted. The water from Narmada will soon be available for irrigation across the state and his government aimed to enhance the irrigation potential from 36 lakh hectares at present to 60 lakh hectares, he said. The Chief Minister claimed that the crop insurance scheme launched by the UPA government was a failure because of several deficiencies. For instance, compensation was paid only if the crops in the entire tehsil were affected. The insurance under the new scheme would be paid even if a single farmer is affected, he said. During the function, Prime Minister Modi handed 'soil health cards' to three farmers. He also launched 'margadarshak pustika' (guide booklet) on crop insurance scheme. There was a chaotic situation on Bhopal and Indore highways after the program as there were not enough policemen to regulate the traffic of people returning from the function. Two police personnel were injured when a group of persons, reported to be moving suspiciously, attacked cops with stones in the border district of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir. Police received information last evening that a group of men was spotted in Kas Balari village of Mendhar moving in suspicious circumstances, a police officer said. He said two police teams were despatched to assess the situation in the area and when they reached the spot, the men who were roaming in suspicious circumstances started pelting stones on one of the police party. Two constables Razakh Ahmed and Naseer Ahmed were injured in the attack, the officer said. While the condition of Naseer Ahmed was stated to be stable, Razakh was shifted to district hospital for specialized treatment, he said. He said the police team nabbed the accused and booked them under various sections of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC). The accused have been identified as Sajjad Ahmed, Mohammed Shakeel and Mohammed Iqbal. Bill Cosby is demanding that the accuser in his criminal case repay a confidential sex-abuse settlement because she cooperated with police who reopened the case and arrested him last year. Cosby filed a sealed breach-of-contract lawsuit this month that said the settlement barred Andrea Constand from "voluntarily" discussing the case with law enforcement. The suit said Constand had no legal duty to cooperate with Pennsylvania authorities because she lives in Canada. The interviews she and her mother gave to investigators last year were therefore "voluntary" and violated the settlement terms, the suit said. "Despite being under no legal obligation to discuss any aspects of the events and allegations, ... And despite being expressly prohibited from disclosing such information to anyone, Andrea Constand volunteered to participate and disclosed such information to the district attorney and others," Cosby's lawyers wrote in a redacted suit filed today. Cosby faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of sexually assaulting Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. He has not yet entered a plea, but his lawyers have vowed to clear his name. Constand, 43, is now a massage therapist in Toronto. His lawsuit against her also names her mother and lawyers as defendants because they also cooperated with Montgomery County authorities last year. The suit accuses them of inviting media coverage or making public statements about the case. Constand's lawyers have said the agreement has a provision that allows them to speak to law enforcement about the case. Any such prohibition would amount to obstruction on the part of the lawyers who drafted the document, lawyer Dolores Troiani testified this month, when Cosby first appeared in court for a pretrial hearing in the criminal case. Cosby, 78, filed the sealed breach-of-contract suit Feb 1, a day before that hearing. His lawyers were then ordered to file a redacted version of the suit and did so today. BJP MLA O P Sharma who was caught on camera beating a CPI activist at Patiala House court on Monday, joined the probe into the assault case today, a day after he was served summons by Delhi Police. Sharma, a first-time MLA, presented himself before the Tilak Marg police station today. The police had yesterday issued summons to him as well as three lawyers in connection with assault on journalists and JNU students and teachers at the court complex on Monday. Delhi Police has been under attack for not taking action against those involved in the assault at the court complex on Monday and yesterday. Father of a dalit student today approached Madras High Court seeking Rs 10 lakh compensation from a private school for alleged 'cruelty and mental agony' caused by discrimination and abuse of his son for not doing an assignment, who consumed poison in the classroom and later developed breathing problems. Petitioner S Saravanan submitted his 14-year-old son Sanjay, a class ninth student at a private school at Gudalur, had been badly beaten up by the correspondent, teacher and headmaster on July 22 last year for not doing his assignment. He was overcome by shame, consumed poison and fainted in class. School officials had informed him that his son had fainted and been rushed to the hospital. Later he came to know that Sanjay was treated badly by the three and was even stripped off his uniform, he said. The three reportedly also asked his classmates to hit him in the head. Police at Gudalur had stated he did not file a complaint and informed the media that his son had attempted suicide as the teachers had asked him to bring his parents to the school. The petitioner said he given a representation to the Secretary of Adidraidar welfare department, Additional Director General of Police of Social Justice and Human Rights, only after a case was registered. But no further action was taken for the past six months. The correspondent, teacher and headmaster meted out cruelty and caused mental agony by discriminating and abusing his son and hence he was entitled for compensation, he said. The petitioner then sought a direction to pay him a compensation of Rs 10 lakh. He also sought transfer of the case to the CB-CID, saying police had not taken any action on the matter. Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana of the bench posted the case for hearing on February 22. Actress Sonam Kapoor is "disheartened" that her upcoming true-life inspired drama "Neerja" will not release in Pakistan. The movie, slated to release in India tomorrow, has been banned by Pakistan for allegedly showing the country in bad light, a fact denied by the actress, who portrays slain flight attendant Neerja Bhanot in the film. "Extremely disheartened that Neerja isn't releasing this Friday in Pakistan. She was awarded by them & I hope they will salute her again," Sonam tweeted. "She saved Pakistani lives, and I can guarantee that Pakistan hasn't been shown in a poor light, I really hope and pray Neerja releases When Neerja releases worldwide and people see how fair the film is, I'm hopeful that it will result in a solution to a release in Pakistan," the actress said. Neerja, a flight attendant on board a Pan Am Mumbai-New York flight, who was shot dead by terrorists during the hijacking in 1986 while trying to save the lives of passengers. The Telecom Ministry is believed to have sought clarification from Ringing Bells for marketing its 'Freedom251' mobile phone without BIS certification and have asked UP government to check its credentials, as per BJP MP Kirit Somaiya. "#Freedom251 Telecom Ministry called clarification for marketing without BIS certifications & also asked UP Govt to check Bonafide of Company," Somaiya tweeted. The BJP MP has approached telecom ministry, telecom regulator Trai, Consumer Ministry, SEBI, Corporate Ministry Finance Ministry, RBI and state governments to check various concerns that he has on company offering mobile phone for Rs 251-- which is the world's cheapest. "#FREEDOM 251 mobile set @ 251 #TRAI Chairman & Telecom Ministry assured me appropriate step Buyer must check twice," said in another tweet. No comments were received from the Telecom Ministry on query related to Somaiya's Tweet. Noida-based company Ringing Bells today started booking for the phone for Rs 251 and has said that delivery of all handsets will be completed by June 30. Ringing Bells' President Ashok Chaddha said manufacturing cost of the phone is about Rs 2,500, which will be recovered through a series of measures like economies of scale, innovative marketing, reduction in duties and creating an e-commerce marketplace. "By going for Made in India components, we can save on the 13.8 per cent duty. Also, we will be selling online first and thus save the costs incurred on large distribution network," he said. Chaddha also rejected speculations of the handset being subsidised by the government. "The phone will be manufactured in Noida and Uttaranchal. Two plants will be set up for Rs 250 crore each with a capacity of 5 lakh phones. The money will come in the form of debt and equity (1.5:1)," he said. Chaddha added the equity is being met by the promoter family of the company that is "engaged in agri-commodities business" in Uttar Pradesh but declined to give further information. Somaiya as well as industry has not found the proposition convincing. "From the response I read of Shri Ashok Chadha of Ringing Bells that how much cost will be saved due to import/local assembling/ online marketing... Far from convincing," Somaiya said in a letter attached to his tweet. Mobile phone industry body ICA too has raised red flag on offering of the company. "We have checked with all operators in the industry and no one has admitted to have been in any kind of bundling deal or partnership with them. I will only say consumer should stay cautious. More than consumers, it may hurt businessmen in small towns if the promise made by the company fails," ICA National President Pankaj Mohindroo said. Emotional scenes unfolded at the Baghdad International Airport today as dozens of Iraqis who had sought refuge in Europe returned home. More than a hundred Iraqis, mostly young men, landed in Baghdad on a flight from Finland. Some kneeled, kissing the ground. Many were holding the so-called "yellow passport," travel documents issued by Iraqi embassies in Europe and elsewhere to those wishing to return home. "It's too difficult to live there," said one of the women, Um Ealia, who declined to be identified by her full name fearing for her own security. "I've come back home. I feel happy. I have good memories in Iraq." She was just one of 103 people who returned to Iraq on today according to Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman, Ahmed Jamal. Over the past 12 months thousands of Iraqis are estimated to have returned home from Europe, citing lack of economic opportunity due to language barriers, cold weather and cultural differences as the reasons for going back after often harrowing journeys by sea and land that can take weeks. The Geneva-based International Organization for Migration says it helped nearly 3,500 Iraqis return from Europe in 2015 alone. But the OIM says that is just a fraction of the total estimated number as many individuals and families return by the own means. In 2015, an estimated 70,000 Iraqis joined the tide of refugees and migrants making the thousands of miles long journey to Europe in an effort to escape war and poverty across Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, according to figures from the IOM. "We are very pleased with the arrival," said Jamal, the foreign ministry spokesman in Baghdad. "Those people represent the first batch of Iraqi migrants in Finland who voluntarily wish to come back home." The flight was organized by the Helsinki Police Department, which has organized flights for returning migrants for more than a decade and said they are ready to continue similar chartered flights between the two countries to meet a growing number of returning Iraqis, according to Detective Superintendent Hannu Pietila. More than 3,100 Iraqis in Finland have withdrawn their asylum applications since January 2015, but most paid their own way back or caught flights organized by the European Union from other countries, Immigration officials in Finland said today. Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today accused Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi of branding the youth of the state as "drug addicts" by "distorting" facts, citing an AIIMS study which says only 0.06 per cent of its population was found abusing drugs. "A recently conducted AIIMS (New Delhi) study has shown the mirror to the anti-Punjab forces indulging in defaming the state by declaring 70 per cent of the youth as drug addicts. "The study shows that out of the 2.77 crore population of the state, only 0.06 per cent was found abusing drugs, which is the lowest percentage across the nation," he said. The SAD chief said an "anti-Punjab" campaign was launched by Gandhi who "branded the youth of the state as drug addicts by distorting facts". He also demanded that the Centre reimburse the state the money spent on the operation carried out by the security forces against the terrorists who attacked the Pathankot airbase, saying "the matter of defence of the Indian territory falls within the ambit of the Union government and therefore, it should bear the expenses". Egypt's political and religious elite turned out today for the funeral of former UN secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who steered the world body through several global conflicts during one of its toughest periods. The Egyptian diplomat, who became the first African secretary-general in 1992, died in Cairo on Tuesday aged 93. He was given an elaborate military send-off attended by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The ceremony in a prominent Cairo mosque was also attended by Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayib, the head of Sunni Islam's seat of learning, Al-Azhar, and Coptic Pope Tawadros II. Boutros-Ghali's coffin, draped in the Egyptian flag, was later carried to the city's main cathedral for a Christian service led by the pope and attended by Egyptian, European and African diplomats. Boutros-Ghali remained "a man faithful to his nation... and who advocated peace at every position he held," said Pope Tawadros II at the service. "Egypt has lost one of its symbols, one of its best leaders, an example of patriotism," Amr Mussa, former head of the Arab League, told mourners. Boutros-Ghali's tenure as UN chief began in 1992 but ended abruptly in 1996 when the United States vetoed his second term. Following his death on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described Boutros-Ghali as a respected statesman and scholar of international law who brought "formidable experience and intellectual power" to the top UN job. A former foreign minister, the veteran diplomat headed the world body during one of its most difficult periods marked by crises in Somalia, Rwanda, the Middle East and the former Yugoslavia. After a series of clashes with the US administration, Washington turned against Boutros-Ghali and decided to back Ghanaian Kofi Annan for the top post in late 1996. Under Boutros-Ghali's tenure, the United Nations expanded its peacekeeping missions but a retreat from Rwanda ahead of the 1994 genocide and from the Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica a year later were seen as dismal failures. Relations with the United States began to sour in late 1993, when a US-led operation in Somalia led to major casualties among American troops. President Pranab Mukherjee today asked civil servants to ensure the sanctity of public funds which are nothing but a trust reposed by them in their hands. He said this while interacting with a group of trainee officers of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service who called on him at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here. The group also included two officers from the Royal Audit Authority of Bhutan. The President, an official spokesperson said, told the officers that they would be getting an opportunity to shoulder tremendous responsibility at a very young age. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, Mukherjee said they should learn as if they were to live forever. He said the fundamental principle for them to follow should be that no one can benefit illegally at the cost of public funds as these funds depict the trust of the public. Mukherjee also quoted Thomas Kempis saying they should always keep in mind that a structure is lofty due to the deep foundation laid. The President said it was important for them to have a strong foundation laid in the initial years as he wished the probationary officers all success in their careers. Stating these officers are directly responsible for looking into financial transactions, he urged them to ensure that they do this as per rules. Italian prosecutors are investigating the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for money laundering amid accusations he smuggled large amounts of cash into the country, a judicial source said today. A probe was launched into Bilal Erdogan after Italian authorities were petitioned by Turkish businessman Murat Hakan Uzan - an exiled political opponent of Erdogan - to investigate a purported "getaway operation" from Turkey to Italy. Erdogan's son moved to Bologna in August to complete his doctoral studies, but was accused by anti-government parties of fleeing his homeland after being implicated in a corruption scandal. Bilal, who lives in the north Italian city with his wife and two children, insisted he was merely winding up his PhD in international relations at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. The 35-year old was one of the main protagonists implicated in corruption allegations that exploded in December 2013 against the president's inner circle and were bitterly denied by Erdogan, then premier. Leaked tapes emerged in February 2014 of Erdogan allegedly telling Bilal to dispose of some 30 million euros (USD 37 million) in cash. Erdogan has dismissed the recordings as a "vile montage". Uzan's petition stated that Bilal flew into Italy with a "large sum of money" and a team of armed bodyguards who were denied entry before swiftly being assigned Turkish diplomatic passports, according to Italian media reports. EU leaders will demand at a summit that Russia and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, its long-term ally, immediately halt attacks on moderate opposition groups and bolster peace efforts, a draft document said today. The 28 European Union leaders were due to issue the appeal after the two-day meeting in Brussels amid efforts to implement an agreement reached by world powers in Munich last week to cease hostilities and ramp up humanitarian access. "The European Council calls on Russia and the Syrian regime to stop at once attacking moderate opposition groups, which threatens the prospects for peace, benefits Daesh and drives the refugee crisis," the council said in a draft obtained by AFP. The council, which gathers the 28 EU leaders, is concerned that Russian military support for Assad is undermining US-led efforts to quash Daesh, or the Islamic State group, and is fuelling the worst migrant crisis in Europe since World War II. "The European Council is concerned by the risk of further military escalation and condemns the repeated bombing of civilian infrastructure and calls for an immediate cessation of aerial bombardments in civilian areas," it said. "The implementation of it should jointly be verified by the relevant parties," it added. "The council urges all sides to refrain from escalating the dire humanitarian situation and recalls that unhindered humanitarian access to those in need must be guaranteed, including in the besieged areas," it said. A ceasefire based on the Munich deal is due to come into effect on Friday, but prospects of a lasting truce appear weak as a Russian-backed regime offensive around second city Aleppo has forced tens of thousands from their homes this month. Almost half a million people in Syria are in areas under siege, according to the UN. The council leader called for implementing swiftly the terms of the Munich deal. EU leaders go into a make-or-break summit today facing difficult compromises to keep Britain in the bloc and wrangling with Europe's worst migrant crisis since World War II. Prime Minister David Cameron's demand for key reforms in return for Britain's continued membership has exposed a rift over whether the EU's future is to move ever closer together or to ease ties, becoming a looser group of distinct sovereign nations. Fail to get a deal and Cameron has said anything is possible, including Britain becoming the first country to leave the 28-nation bloc after an in-or-out referendum that could come as early as this summer. Cameron has staked his political survival on securing the reform deal and winning the plebiscite in hopes of ending a political feud over Britain's place in the EU that has plagued his Conservative Party for a generation. Leaders will also seek to get a new grip on the refugee crisis, which has seen over a million migrants flood into Europe. Most of them are Syrians making their way from Turkey via Greece, which has been overwhelmed by the numbers. Brussels has rounded on Athens, saying it is not doing enough, but a solution is elusive. Some member states are taking measures unilaterally, such as re-imposing border controls in the passport-free Schengen zone to halt an apparently unending tide of humanity. A deadly bomb attack in Ankara yesterday forced the cancellation of a mini-summit, gathering 11 EU countries with Turkey, that was to explore ways of easing the migrant buildup. Europe has "completely failed" in its response to the migrant crisis, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a German newspaper interview. "Regarding registration and sharing (of refugees), European cooperation and solidarity have completely failed," he told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), cited in German in the paper's Friday print edition. The Italian, who took up the UN job on January 1, also warned against European countries closing their borders which would de-facto block many refugees, already in distress, in Greece. "Our fear is that the closure of national borders in Europe could lead to hundreds of thousands of refugees staying in Greece," he said, in extracts of an interview published on Thursday evening. "Our message aimed at Europe is: 'Pull yourself together,' and 'deal with (the situation) yourselves'. But if our help is needed, we will be there." Grandi notably pointed the finger at an EU deal struck last summer on sharing out some 160,000 refugees, and which has gone nowhere ever since. Only 583 "relocations" have actually gone ahead due to foot-dragging by certain countries, notably in the continent's east. "Yes it is important that the system (of sharing) be applied, but it will be difficult," said the UN official. "At the moment, I don't see a lot of momentum in that direction." According to UNHCR figures, more than a million migrants arrived in Europe by sea last year. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have repeatedly condemned what they see as indifference by EU member states towards the fate of those fleeing war and misery. While most of her EU colleagues have turned their backs, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has proved "courageous," said Grandi. Germany opened its doors to over a million asylum seekers in 2015. Despite criticism from part of her governing coalition, and growing unpopularity among ordinary Germans, she has refused to set a ceiling on numbers for this year. A farmer in this Uttar Pradesh district was today convicted till the rising of the court for illegally diverting water to his fields from Ganga canal. Additional chief judicial magistrate Golal Tiwari also imposed a fine of Rs 2000 on Islam after holding him guilty under IPC Section 430 (Mischief by injury to works of irrigation or by wrongfully diverting water). In 2011, Inspector of Irrigation Department Kailash Chand had lodged the FIR against the farmer and alleged that he was illegally diverting water from the canal for irrigation of his fields at Kakrala village under Bhopa police station in the district. Terming the thrashing of JNU student leader Kanahaiya Kumar and journalists by lawyers inside a court as "an attack on India's democratic credentials", National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah today sought immediate police action against the perpetrators. "The attack by those who call themselves 'nationalists' is an eye opener for all the right-thinking individuals in the country. An atmosphere is being created where innocent people are being hounded and labelled anti-nationals. "Attack on journalists is a physical manifestation of such an attitude and, if not checked, can ricochet into a major controversy. Besides, it can have serious repercussions on India's global image," Abdullah, a former Union Minister, said in a statement here. He said the need of the hour is to stop the bad press which can be done only when "security administration puts its foot down, zeroes in on the attackers and accordingly charge sheets them." Describing the attack on Kumar and journalists as a "blot" on democratic principles of the country, Abdullah said if someone has an issue, he must approach the court. "Violence can never be an alternative. We have judiciary in this country and that is the best place where an argument or difference of opinion can be put forth. Taking law into our hands is wrong and therefore should not be encouraged at all," he said. A precedent should be made out of this incident so that people think twice before doing anything untoward like this, he added. On the JNU episode and the subsequent police action, the NC leader said, "I do not understand why this issue was not handled in a proper way. It was an internal issue at JNU and should have been handled by the university Vice Chancellor. Unfortunately, that did not happen and now it has become a big issue." Earlier, addressing a deputation of Youth National Conference office bearers, Abdullah said autonomy is the lifeline of the party and it is up to the them to make people understand what the party stands for. "Whether it is an issue related to Article 370, Naya Kashmir document or the relevance of our state flag, it is necessary that a correct picture is presented before those who do not know about such special provisions," the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister said. In controversial remarks, BJP MP has attributed farmers' suicides to a "fashion" and "trend" to end lives. The remarks come at a time when Maharashtra is reeling under an agrarian crisis with 124 farmers committing suicide in the state since January this year. "Not all farmers' suicides happen due to unemployment and starvation. A fashion is going on. A trend is on," Shetty, who represents north Mumbai, said after an event held in Borivili here yesterday. "If Maharashtra government is giving five lakh rupees as compensation, then some other government in neighbouring state is giving seven lakh," he said. "There's a competition in these people in giving money (compensation) to farmers," the first time MP said. Condemning the comments, Congress said the "insensitive" remarks by Shetty show BJP's "insensitivity" towards farmers. "At a time when Maharashtra is undergoing its worst-ever agrarian crisis, Shetty's remarks show how insensitive he and his party are towards thousands of farmers who have committed suicide due to debt and crop failure," MRCC president Sanjay Nirupam said. Notably, the state government had two days back informed the Bombay High Court that 124 farmers have committed suicide in the state since January this year. The HC had asked the Centre what kind of assistance it provides to the state to deal with the grim agrarian crisis. Observing that this was a serious issue, a bench headed by Justice Naresh Patil had asked the Additional Solicitor General to inform the High Court whether the Centre can chip in to provide schemes and financial help to the state to tide over the crisis. Advocate General Srihari Aney had informed the bench that 124 farmers have taken their lives in the past one-and-half month, of whom 20 cases were reported from Osmanabad alone. The AG said factors such as crop failure due to scanty rainfall, meagre water supply for drinking and growing crops, insufficient capacity to repay loans and pressure from banks and money lenders were the causes that drove the farmers to commit suicide. Federal agents have raided the home of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook's brother, US media reported. FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller confirmed that a search warrant was executed at a residence in Corona yesterday, an hour east of Los Angeles "to seek evidence in an ongoing investigation" but did not specify the case. No arrests were made, she said. The search warrant was executed on a sealed affidavit and authorities were barred from disclosing further details, Eimiller said. Local media outlets identified the home as that of Farook's brother. Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, opened fire on his coworkers in the California city of San Bernardino on December 2, killing 14 people and wounding 22. It was the deadliest terror attack in the United States since the September 11, 2001 attacks. Farook and Malik were killed in a shootout with police. The news comes with Apple and the US authorities in a standoff after the tech giant refused to comply with a judge's order to help the FBI break into Farook's iPhone. Apple chief executive Tim Cook has said doing so would be an "unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers" and would have "implications far beyond the legal case at hand." Prosecutors had requested Apple's help after the FBI failed to crack the phone's code two months into the investigation. Pakistan today called for fixing an early date for the Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary-level talks that has been postponed following the Pathankot terror attack. Foreign Office Spokesperson Muhammad Nafees Zakaria said both sides are in contact on the issue, but no date has yet been fixed. The talks should now be finalised as early as possible, he said at his weekly briefing. India has cancelled the Foreign Secretary-level talks, scheduled for January 15 in New Delhi, following the Pathankot terror attack. India blames Pakistan-based Jiash-e-Mohammed (JeM) for the January 2 attack in which seven security personnel were killed. Commenting on the controversy surrounding Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi, he said, "The Kashmiri people have never accepted the unfair trial of Afzal Guru." Afzal Guru was convicted for the 2001 Parliament attack in which nine security personnel were killed. He was hanged in February 2013. "Pakistan has repeatedly voiced concerns and condemned the incidents in which Kashmiris in the valley were subjected to atrocities by the Indian troops," Radio Pakistan quoted Zakaria as saying. (Reopens FGN 24) Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri today dismissed Modi's assertion that people of Balochistan had thanked him. Zehri, who belongs to ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, while addressing a gathering in provincial capital Quetta, said, "We condemn Narendra Modi's statement on Balochistan. No one in Balochistan supported his statement." Zehri said there was no comparison between the "struggle for liberation" in Kashmir and the Balochistan insurgency. Zehri accused India of supporting militancy in Balochistan and said already the network of "Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav" has been smashed. "The Indian government fully supports the ongoing insurgency in Balochistan," Zehri alleged. Zehri's remarks come days after a video showing exiled Baloch leader Brahamdagh Bugti appreciating Modi's speech. Zehri alleged that "India-sponsored" Brahamdagh Bugti and others were committing terror acts in the province. "My claims were proven when Brahamdagh Bugti praised Modi. I don't think Brahamdagh should have done that," Zehri said. "Our so-called nationalists who say they want independence for Balochistan -- do you want independence only to become slaves to Hindus?" he asked. Zehri challenged Bugti to bring 50 people on streets in support of his campaign. "Balochistan is part of Pakistan and is run by a democratically elected government," the PML-N lawmaker said. "The Pakistan Army is ours and we will not tolerate any Indian interference in our internal matters. Our fathers and forefathers made the choice to become part of this Islamic Republic of Pakistan," he said. Meanwhile, Dawn News, in an editorial, said Prime Minister Modi's remarks on Independence Day have not helped matters on the bilateral front, or in addressing the unrest in Kashmir. "Hence, in the midst of all this, Pakistan's call for dialogue makes eminent sense -- in fact, this can be an opportunity to revive the Pak-India dialogue process," it said. Three students from China were sentenced to years in prison after prosecutors said they stripped, beat and burned two classmates. The defendants and victims were "parachute kids" who studied in Southern California while their parents remained back home. Yunyao "Helen" Zhai was sentenced to 13 years behind bars yesterday; Yuhan "Coco" Yang got 10 years; and Xinlei "John" Zhang received a six-year term. All three apologised in court for their actions. "I hope they do not carry the wounds from what I did for the rest of their lives," Zhai wrote of the victims in a statement read by her attorney. The 19-year-olds were accused of bullying a 16-year-old girl who was punched and slapped last March at a restaurant and a park in Rowland Heights, east of Los Angeles. Two days later, prosecutors say, they kidnapped an 18-year-old classmate and took her to a park where she was stripped, beaten, punched, kicked, spat on, burned with cigarettes and forced to eat her own hair during a five-hour assault. The 16-year-old was attacked because Zhai felt she had disrespected her, and the other woman was attacked because of disputes over a boy and an unpaid restaurant bill, investigators said. The defendants pleaded no contest last month to kidnapping and assault. A charge of torture, which carries a potential life sentence, was dropped. They are among thousands of Chinese students studying in the US Many stay with host families who are paid to provide room, board and substitute parenting. Many have flocked to San Gabriel Valley suburbs east of downtown Los Angeles. In her statement, Zhai said living so far from her parents played a role in her actions. "They sent me to the US for a better life and a fuller education," she said. "Along with that came a lot of freedom, in fact too much freedom." "Here, I became lonely and lost," she wrote. "I didn't tell my parents because I didn't want them to worry about me." Yang said the case was a wakeup call for "parachute kid syndrome." "Parents in China are well-meaning and send their kids thousands of miles away with no supervision and too much freedom," Yang said in a letter read by her attorney. "That is a formula for disaster." The victims weren't in court yesterday but prosecutor Casey Jarvis said the woman who was stripped and burned has forgiven her attackers. "She's a happy person, and that was taken from her repeatedly. But somehow she was able to find forgiveness," he told the judge. A 16-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy were previously sentenced to juvenile camp for their roles in attacks. Another man, Zheng Lu, 20, is facing trial on charges of kidnapping, torture and assault. Investigators say they believe other teenagers involved in the attacks have left the country. Former DU lecturer SAR Gilani who was today sent to judicial custody, has been lodged in the high security ward of the Jail number 1 of Tihar where he was kept earlier after his arrest in connection with the 2001 Parliament attack case before his acquittal. Gilani, who was arrested in connection with an event at the Press Club of India where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised last week, was remanded to judicial custody till March 3 by the magistrate. Taking no chances after two days of violence in the Patiala House Courts complex, Delhi Police today presented Gilani,arrested on sedition charges, before the magistrate at Chankyapuri police station. "He was shifted to Tihar at around 6.30 pm and was lodged in the high security ward of the jail number 1 where other terrorists including those arrested in Jammu and Kashmir have also been kept," said a senior Tihar official. "He was kept in the same high security ward on the earlier occasion as an accused in 2001 Parliament attack case," said the official. Gilani was acquitted for "need of evidence" by the Delhi High Court in October 2003, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in August 2005. At the Press Club event, a group had allegedly shouted slogans hailing Guru, following which the police had lodged a case under sections 124A (sedition), 120B(criminal conspiracy) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the IPC against Gilani and other unnamed persons. Meanwhile, the JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar spent his first night and day at Tihar normally with senior jail officials visiting him. "He is in good condition we are keeping constant watch over him in view of security and taking precaution by keeping him away from other prisoners," added the official. A 22-year-old woman was shot dead by three men over a land dispute in Jaitpur area of Ambedkarnagar district. A police spokesman said here that the accused-- Mohd Farooq, Virendra Singh, Narendra-- opened fire at the girl in Mundera village this afternoon. The deceased, Humera, was daughter of one Baitullah who had clashed over the land with Farooq, police said. A case has been lodged and efforts are on the nab the culprits, the spokesman said. Amidst the debate over allowing use of Genetically Modified mustard, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje today said GM crops are not allowed in the state and would not be permitted. "The previous Congress government had tried to introduce GM crop and an expert team was sent to three places for study (and) BJP (had) opposed it then," Raje said at the Kisan Agri Expo-2016 organised by Bharitya Kisan Sangh (BKS). "BJP had opposed the move then and now my government would not allow it because farmers are more inclined towards organic farming," Raje said. Organic farming is being done in 60,000 hectares in the state to contain diseases like cancer caused by chemical (fertiliser) farming, she said. Raje said Rajasthan would host 'Global Agric Tech-2016 convention in November in Jaipur in a bid to attract foreign investment in the sector. She said her government would spend three years of her term on "kisan aur paani" (farmers and water) and improve the agri economy of the state. Raje said drip irrigation was adopted in cultivation of sugarcane in Sriganganagar district and farmers were adivsed not to depend on flood irrigation as it causes silting due to gypsum soil in the area. She said 330 'pragateesheel kisan' (progressive farmers) have been identified in the state who would visit foreign countries to obtain latest knowledge in farming. After their return they would teach other farmers to adopt foreign technology, she said. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, MOS for I&B, said an LCD TV would be installed in every Krishi Mandi in his Jaipur rural constituency facilitating the Kisan Channel of DD so that farmers keep updated with latest agri and weather information. Earlier BKS Anna President Murkutae said there was a debate on whether to use Brinjal's modified crop in the country but there are already 700 varieties of the vegetable and farmers do not need modified versions. No modified crop seeds were beneficial to farmers and consumers in the country, Murkutae said. He hailed the Modi government's new insurance policy. "If government helps our farmers, we will reciprocate it (government)," he said. Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Prabhu Lal Saini said the state was leading in the country in the production of Jeera, Dhaniya, Methi, Mehandi, and Guargum, and its Jaitoon refinery was working very well. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today alleged there was "tacit support" of the Prime Minister for the police attack on students in JNU and said the BJP-led Centre is attempting to "impose" RSS ideology on educational institutions of the country. "There has to be the tacit support of the Prime Minister for the police attack on the students in JNU. The Delhi police commissioner has not said anything on it. There has to be some power backing him," Gogoi claimed while addressing the media here. "If (JNU students union president) Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested under charges of sedition, then why is the police commissioner saying they will not oppose if Kanhaiya applies for bail. On what charges was he (Kumar) arrested if he will be allowed to go on bail?" Gogoi asked. "Look at JNU, Hyderabad University, FTII-Pune incidents and the imposition of RSS members in our Dibrugarh University managing committee. The BJP government is attempting to impose RSS ideology on educational institutions. Smriti Irani is listening to the RSS only," he said. "There is intolerance in anything spoken against the Prime Minister or BJP, thereby violating the basic principle of democracy and the right to freedom of speech. Everyone has the right to express views," Gogoi said. Referring to the Jawaharlal Nehru University row, he said "JNU is not just a top university in the country but in the world. With intellectuals and students, it is natural that there will be difference in opinions." "But BJP supporters opposed that. There is nothing in Kanhaiya's speech that is anti-India," the Congress Chief Minister said. "If the students had violated the law, then arrest them. But the government cannot take the law into its hands. It is a very dangerous trend to impose RSS ideology. It is a fascist tendency that only they will give directions," Gogoi said. (Reopen CAL4) Condemning the Delhi's Patiala Court attack on Kanhaiya, journalists and students, Gogoi said "if such an attack takes place in the country's capital, then how can law and order be maintained in other states." "Kanhaiya was attacked while he was taken to the Court in police custody. How could he be attacked? Protection has to be given," Gogoi said. "(Finance Minister) Arun Jaitley condemned the incident today after two days. His connivance has to be there on the attack on journalists," Gogoi claimed. Speaking on the criticisms he faced by his detractors, the Chief Minister said that "everyone has the right to abuse me. I believe in democracy and have not jailed them as my predecessor government did by throwing even journalists into jail. A Google balloon, part of the company's high-speed Internet service known as "Project Loon", crashed in a Sri Lankan tea plantation during its maiden test flight, local police said today. Villages found the deflated balloon with its electronic equipment in the island's central tea-growing region of Gampola on Wednesday night, an officer told AFP. "Tea plantation workers found it crashed in the plantation. They picked up the pieces and brought it to the station," the officer, who is not authorised to speak with media, told AFP by phone. However Sri Lanka's Information and Communication Technology Agency, which is coordinating the tests with Google, described the landing as controlled and scheduled. "Google loon balloon safely landed under standard operating procedures in #lka as a part of the test," ICTA chief Muhunthan Canagey said on Twitter. The ICTA declined to comment to AFP on details of the landing which had not been previously announced. The first of three Google balloons entered Sri Lankan air space on Monday after being launched from South America. The launch is part of a planned joint venture between the US Internet giant and Colombo to deliver high-speed Internet access powered by helium-filled balloons. The government announced earlier this month it would take a 25 percent stake in the joint venture with Google. Sri Lanka is not investing any capital, but will take the stake in return for allocating spectrum for the project. A further 10 percent of the venture would be offered to existing telephone service providers on the island. It promises to extend coverage and cheaper rates for data services. The balloons, once in the stratosphere, will be twice as high as commercial airliners and move with the wind using algorithms that tell them where to go. Google has said the balloons will have a lifespan of about 180 days, but can be recycled. Less than one quarter of Sri Lanka's more than 20 million-strong population has regular access to the Internet. Sri Lanka, the first country in South Asia to introduce mobile phones in 1989, was also the first in the region to unveil a 4G network two years ago. The government has assured the marble industry representatives that it will consider formulating a free trade policy for the sector, Delhi marble dealers associations said today. The representatives of association yesterday met Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and and sought changes in the marble import policy. The stakeholders discussed various issues relating marble industry prominently licence system and import policy, it said adding the representative urged for abolition of license system and requested to formulate free trade policy. "The Commerce and Industry Minister has assured to consider for formulating a free trade policy for marble industry," it said. It said that the license system in marble industry has been a real barrier for the small scale industries. Out of over 5,000 marble stakeholders, only 472 big players are availing license quota of 8 Lakh tonne, the statement said adding the marble industry has been suffering because of misuse of license system. "It is better to open the industry so that finance, new technology and new market will help to grow the industry," it added. They have also suggested to remove the minimum import price as the rupee is depreciating and to check over invoicing by importers and create barrier on illegal route of money laundering. In a joint memorandum submitted to the Minister, the association said these changes would assure easy availability of raw materials and provide opportunity for reopening of close and sick marble processing units. The government is expecting Rs 30,000 crore investment in 74 textile parks and is planning to announce a new textile policy by April this year. "This is a good time for textile. We are planning to launch the new textile policy by April. We are mainly focusing on manufacturing of value-added products and export-oriented goods that will benefit the economy," Minister of State for Textile Santosh Gangwar told reporters at 'Make in India' Week here today. "Our government has given approval to 24 Textile Parks in the last one year, the rest were cleared by the previous government. So in total we are setting up 74 textile parks, which will attract an investment of Rs 30,000 crore," he said. He further said the government will not sell the National Textile Corporation (NTC) lands located in various cities. "We have decided not to sell the NTC lands spread across the country. We are looking at starting some other non-polluting industry on them," he added. Stating that India is the highest producer of cotton in the world, the minister said during the current cotton season, farmers have got prices, which are more than the Minimum Support Price (MSP). The cotton marketing year runs from October to September. Textile Secretary Rashmi Verma said the government has come up with revised TUF(Textile Upgradation Fund Scheme) to give capital subsidy to the new units that will be set up and also to the existing ones which want to bring in modern machinery and increase their output. "We will notify the guidelines for the new scheme by the end of the month. It will be used to bring in more investment in the sector," she added. The government will also give incentives to the eastern states, including Bihar, Jharkhand and the north eastern states for setting up textile units. In the upcoming Budget, she said, the Textile Ministry proposes to set up two mega textile parks in the coastal areas. Further, Verma said companies should look at penetrating in other emerging markets like South America, Russia and Africa. "With China's textile sector slowing down, countries like Russia, which were completely dependent on China have left a vacuum. Indian companies can take advantage of this," she said. Other emerging markets like Vietnam and Bangladesh have already overtaken India, she pointed out. "We are facing some teething problems, but it will be cleared soon. We are also concerned of reverse FDI as some of the big players are moving to countries like Ethiopia, Vietnam and Bangladesh to set up units," she said. Verma said lack of branding, quality control and mandatory zero liquid discharge are some of the issues that concern the textile industry. "A lot of work needs to be done. Zero liquid discharge being made mandatory is leading to closure of some units besides rise in cost of operations. We have taken up the matter with the environment ministry to relook at the clause," she said. She said the Ministry is on the threshold of coming up with important changes in labour laws. "We have taken up the matter with the labour ministry. A notification will be issued before March 31 on women being employed for night duty. Labour ministry is writing to all secretaries of states to allow women to work in night shifts," she added. The Textile Ministry along with the Labour Ministry is also working on rationalisation of wages for contract workers, she said. "We will issue a notification in this regard by March 31," she added. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is likely to slash corporate tax rate by about one per cent and may put an end date for certain exemptions availed by the industry, in his Budget for 2016-17, tax experts said. "To begin with, one per cent cut in the corporate tax rate, gradual phasing out of accelerated tax depreciation and a sunset clause for the tax deductions, coupled with reduction in MAT, will set the tone for this year's Budget," KPMG (India) Partner Tax Vikas Vasal said. Jaitley in his last Budget had announced phased reduction in corporate taxes over four years to 25 per cent from present 30 per cent, and also simultaneous withdrawal of exemptions. Economic Laws Practice Partner Rohit Jain said since the government is pushing domestic manufacturing, in the next Budget it would be a challenge to do away with exemptions. "The reduction could be one per cent or so in the next Budget. The minister might put an end date to certain exemptions and pave the way for gradual withdrawal," Jain added. Currently, there are various tax concessions under the Income-Tax Act, 1961. The prominent ones are accelerated depreciation on various assets; weighted deduction for capital expenditure incurred on various projects; weighted deduction for expenditure incurred on manufacture or production of specified articles; expenditure incurred on scientific research; various skill development projects etc. "In an event of a phase out approach, a reduction of 1-1.25 per cent in the corporate tax rate could be expected," Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP Partner CA Gupta said. Also, there is a possibility that no extension of sunset clause in existing case and/or a sunset clause is introduced in particular cases, he said. "It would be an ideal situation if the complete phase out is undertaken only when the corporate tax rate is reduced to 25 per cent," Gupta added. The basic rate of corporate tax in India is at 30 per cent, which is higher than the rates prevalent in other major Asian economies, making domestic industry uncompetitive. Moreover, the effective collection of corporate tax is about 23 per cent after taking into account various exemptions. The Finance Minister had earlier said:"We lose out on both counts, i.E. We are considered as having a high corporate tax regime but we do not get that tax due to excessive exemptions. A regime of exemptions has led to pressure groups, litigation and loss of revenue. "It also gives room for avoidable discretion. I, therefore, propose to reduce the rate of corporate tax from 30 per cent to 25 per cent over the next four years. Over 80,000 houses will be built in urban areas in seven states for the economically weaker sections (EWS) with the Centre today giving its nod to the proposals which entail a total investment of more than Rs 4,000 crore. The houses will be built in 163 cities in the seven states. Read more from our special coverage on "HOUSING" NCR to take 4.3 years, while MMR to take 3.5 years to clear unsold homes The Ministry of and Urban Poverty Alleviation said a total central assistance of Rs 1,226 crore at the rate of Rs 1.50 lakh for each house will be provided under the Prime Minister's Awas Yojana (Urban) with the overall cost of the project estimated to be Rs 4,076 crore. West Bengal has been sanctioned a total of 27,830 houses, followed by Telangana (22,817), Bihar (13,315), Mizoram (8,922), Rajasthan (6,052), Jharkhand (2,337), and Uttarakhand (484), an official release said. An inter-ministerial Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee, chaired by HUPA Secretary Nandita Chatterjee, approved the proposals received from the seven states after detailed discussions and once it was satisfied about the availability of land for the initiative and the share of the states and the beneficiaries, it added. Of the total houses sanctioned, 58,456 will be built under the 'Beneficiary-Led Construction' component. Under this, beneficiaries will build new houses on their own land with assistance from the central and state governments. Another 23,301 houses will be built under 'Affordable in Partnership' component under which the state governments will provide land while the Centre would extend assistance of Rs 1.50 lakh per beneficiary. With the latest approval, the government has so far sanctioned a total of 5.07 lakh houses for EWS in 13 states, the total central assistance for the same amounting to Rs 7,519 crore. Under PMAY, the government has a target to aid the construction of two crore houses for urban poor in 4,041 statutory urban local bodies in the country. To meet the demand of the growing population in the Jammu region, the state government plans to increase the limits of Jammu city by including 103 additional villages by increasing the area from 305 square km to 652.32 square km. Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra viewed the preparation of revised Master Plan-2032 in a meeting held at Civil Secretariat in Jammu today. "The draft Master Plan-2032 emphasises increase in the limits ofJammucity by increasing its area from 305 Sq km as envisaged in 2021 Master Plan to 652.32 Sq km, to cover an estimated population of 20.50 lakh," an official spokesman said. Several senior officials of the state administration attended the meeting. The Governor was informed that the revised Master Plan forJammuhas been prepared keeping in view the provisions under the J&K Development Act 1970, the spokesman said. The present Master Plan Jammu-2021 is proposed to be revised to address the gaps and discrepancies which have arisen from the rapid expansion of Jammu city leading to rising demand of housing, infrastructure and services. The revised Master Plan is envisaged to also address the issues relating to haphazard urban growth, unauthorised habitation and rising demand of housing, infrastructure and services. It was informed that the revised Master Plan proposes inclusion of 103 additional villages of Jammuand Samba districts as part of Greater Jammu. The Governor called for, striking a rational balance between the vital requirement of sustainable agriculture growth and the demands of urbanization, also for specifically focusing on the availability of adequate urban infrastructure facilities, particularly ground water and for ensuring regulated constructions in accordance with the building bye-laws, particularly in the context of Jammu falling in Seismic Zone-IV. Keeping in view the need for regulated use of land for various purposes, the Governor directed the Chief Secretary to examine the feasibility of an appropriate legislation to provide for a Policy on Land Use and Land Conversion. The proposed Policy could prescribe levying of appropriate development charges while allowing use or conversion of land for various legitimate purposes that could be used for development of urban infrastructure in the new areas of growth, in a planned manner. The Policy should lay down a clear framework for decision making to minimize exercise of discretion, leading to corrupt practices. The Governor stressed the high responsibility of the two enforcement agencies, Jammu Municipal Corporation and Jammu Development Authority, to take immediate measures to strictly enforce the provisions of building bye-laws and issuance of building completion certificates to ensure that the actual constructions are strictly in accordance with the approved plans. The Governor also directed the JDA and JMC to use modern technology, including satellite imageries, for ensuring effective checking of encroachments. The Governor directed that the urban agencies should also focus on urban design, height and facade control of public and private buildings. The Governor also directed the Housing and Urban Development Department to come out with a suitable legislation to regulate the unplanned and haphazard growth in the areas at the periphery of the existing local areas that are not urban in the existing Master Plan area. Emphasising the importance of much higher transparency in land management, the Governor directed the Revenue Department to expedite digitization of all revenue records in the entire State in a time bound manner and furnish an Action Plan to him by March 10, 2016. The Housing and Urban Development Department was directed to finalise a Memorandum for submission to the State Administrative Council to seek approval regarding extension in the limits of Jammu city to meet the projected demand of 2032 population. The draft Master Plan should be placed in the public domain for inviting comments from various stakeholders and people at large before the same is finalised. The Housing and Urban Development Department will also contact the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, and seek assistance for capacity building of Architects and Town Planners in the State, and also seek their technical inputs on the draft Master Plan. Security agencies will approach Twitter India to block all accounts having links with Lashkar-e-Taiba founder and Jamaat-ud-Dawa which are often found to be spreading venom against India. There are several accounts which have links with LeT's front outfit, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, as well as terror mastermind Saeed and it has become necessary to shut these down as quickly as possible, officials said. "We are approaching Twitter India which in turn will tell its US-based parent company to deactivate the accounts. Hopefully, it will be done soon," a official said. Earlier, Twitter had blocked several accounts operated by Jamaat-ud-Dawa, headed by Saeed, following requests from security agencies in different countries, including India and the US. However, such accounts again cropped up after a gap of several months. A fake account of Saeed had recently asked Pakistanis to support the JNU students who are protesting against the registration of a case of sedition against JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar. It had also asked users to trend the topic #PakStandWithJNU with the posts sparking a huge controversy. Last Sunday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said the event organised at JNU to protest against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru had the backing of Saeed. Even though the Home Ministry clarified that Singh's statement was based on inputs from different agencies, it was reportedly made in the wake of the posts on the fake Saeed Twitter account. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) will benefit logistics firms and result in lowering the product prices by up to 10 per cent, integrated supply chain solutions provider TCI said today. The indirect tax regime will also incentivise logistics firms to invest more in assets and technology, Transport Corporation of India (TCI) said. The government has expressed hope that the GST Bill, which is held up in the Rajya Sabha, will be passed in the upcoming Budget session of Parliament. "The GST will benefit companies operating in the supply- chain business. This shall make logistics firms more efficient besides reducing their actual requirement for commercial vehicles and will help in lowering product prices by approximately 10 per cent," TCI Managing Director Vineet Agarwal said. Agarwal said the current trade boundaries between states will cease to exist in theory and companies can consolidate their supply chains, resulting in a seamless supply across the country. "GST will also catalyse investments in IT to help in avoiding delay and detention of trucks, which in turn will not only ensure fast delivery of goods, but will also catalyse the industry towards better fleet utilisation...Which translates into revenue and not overheads," Agarwal said. This will significantly reduce the vertical imbalance between the Centre and states by enhancing the tax base of the states, he said. Also, the implementation of GST in conjunction with states will promote the development of logistics parks, and free-trade warehousing zones will speed up formation of regional hub-based infrastructure and an environment conducive for rationalisation of the logistics network, he said. "This in turn will incentivise logistics companies to invest in assets and technology to align their service offering to complement the supply chains of their customers," Agarwal added. TCI claims that with its expertise, customer centric approach and extensive infrastructure, it moves 2.5 per cent of India's GDP by value. Ross Van Dusen, former advertising creative director, will be at Page One Books at 2:30pm Sunday, March 13, to talk about and sign his children's book, What Makes a Snowflake (along with What Makes a Rainbow). The book is described as such: "What makes a snowflake? We have all seen snowflakes but do we know how they happen? Artist Ross Van Dusen takes a whimsical look at how snowflakes comes to be. Everyone is told from an early age that no two snowflakes are the same. A child looks at the different shapes and sizes to give an explanation of why snowflakes are in our world. Readers will love the colors, the words and the ideas brought together in this magical book of frozen droplets of water. The art is an amazing collection of images that children and adults will fall in love with over and over again. Snowflakes will never be seen the same way again. Summary: In rhyming text this book imagines and explores the nature of snowflakes." Van Dusen turned his attention to drawing, painting, sculpting and writing after he retired as executive vice president and creative director of a San Francisco advertising agency. He has never looked back. Van Dusen has written and published eight light-hearted mysteries for adult consumption with more on the way. But childrens books are the perfect way to combine his two main interests. He says that childrens books allow him to express the whimsy and joy all children feelwith bright colors and happy words. He also likes to include a little real information along the way. He has two grown children, one grandchild and one great grandchild. He lives in Albuquerque with wife. The Gujarat BJP will elect its new state president tomorrow and Transport Minister Vijay Rupani is likely to get the post. Rupani's elder brother, Pravin, said in Rajkot his brother's name has been finalised. Sources in the party also confirmed Rupani would most likely get the job. Rupani, who if elected will also lead the party in the next year's Assembly polls, today visited former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel and sought his blessings. After meeting Patel at his residence in Gandhinagar, Rupani said, "I came to seek blessings of Patel since we both come from the same city (Rajkot). He is a veteran politician and played a very important role in shaping up my career." He, however, did not reply to queries related to his likely appointment to the party post. The new state president will head the party at a time when it's passing through a tough phase in the wake of Patel agitation and drubbing in local body polls late last year. The delay in appointing a new head in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi fuelled speculation about differences in the leadership over the final choice. Earlier, the state unit had announced the new Gujarat BJP president will be appointed after 'Makarsankranti' (January 15), but that did not happen. The term of current Gujarat BJP head R C Faldu ended long back. BJP president Amit Shah, who also hails from Gujarat, was here for three days (Jan 13-15) and met several leaders. Gujarat BJP on last Tuesday announced the party will get its new chief on February 19. A schedule released by the party said candidates can file their nomination between 11 AM and 12 noon and the winner would be announced shortly after. Voting will be held if multiple candidates are in the fray. BJP MP from Rajasthan Arjun Meghwal has been appointed the election observer. The new leader's name will be announced in the presence of several dignitaries, including Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, Gujarat BJP in-charge Dinesh Sharma and Faldu, among others, a party release said. Hearing a PIL, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court today issued notices to the Centre and the state authorities over the issue of teenagers riding motorbikes in violation of the law and causing accidents. Close to 12 lakh two-wheelers ply on the city roads, according to an estimate. In 2014, 5,046 two-wheeler riders lost their lives in accidents in Maharashtra, the PIL says. A division bench of Justices Bhushan Gavai and P N Deshmukh sought replies in three weeks from the Union Transport Ministry, State Transport department, Transport Commissioner, RTO, Nagpur Municipal Corporation, and the Education Secretary. The PIL is an offshoot of a petition filed by parents of a 15-year-old boy who, driving a two-wheeler, knocked down a woman who suffered a serious head injury. The petition sought quashing of the charge sheet. The court separated the larger issue of teen-agers driving illegally and recklessly and asked advocate Shreerang Bhandarkar to file a PIL acting as an amicus curiae (court's friend). Bhandarkar has pointed out that transport authorities are blatantly violating Motor Vehicles Act in issuing permanent licenses to teen-agers. The PIL cites the information obtained by Anil Wadpalliwar under RTI Act. According to Section 4 of Motor Vehicles Act, no person in the 16 to 18 age-bracket can drive a vehicle above 50 cc engine capacity. But most of the scooterettes in the market have engines with over-50 cc capacity, some even have 125-150 cc engines, the PIL says. Also, the teen-agers who use the two-wheelers to go to tuituion classes in residential areas also create parking and traffic problems, it says. They don't wear helmets, drive rashly, speak on mobile phone while driving, it adds. Wearing helmet should be made mandatory for all teachers and students and no licence should be issued to teenagers who ride above-50 cc bikes, it says. The Bombay High Court today imposed a penalty of Rs 20,000 and above each on 15 political workers belonging to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and BJP, including two MLAs, for putting up illegal hoardings here and directed that the money be donated for welfare of drought-hit farmers. Hearing two petitions challenging the practise of political parties displaying illegal hoardings as part of their propaganda, a division bench, headed by Justice Abhay Oka, said that the penalty amount may be donated to an organisation or an NGO working for welfare of farmers. The Judges asked the respondents to submit demand drafts on February 26 for sums ranging from Rs 20,000 and above for a social cause. Among the political workers who were penalised, one belonged to MNS. The rest were from BJP which leads the coalition government in Maharashtra and at the Centre. Sachin Gunjar, the lone MNS worker who had displayed a hoarding without seeking permission of the civic authorities, was asked to pay Rs 20,000, in addition to the amount he wished to donate. Twelve others of BJP were also asked to pay Rs 20,000 each plus personal donation, while two more of the same party, including Mumbai unit chief and MLA Ashish Shelar and Mumbai MLA Parag Alvani were asked to pay Rs 25,000 each, in addition to the amount they wished to give for farmers welfare. The bench was hearing petitions filed by SuSwaraj Foundation and Bhagwanji Riyani of Janhit Manch against illegal hoardings. All these political workers admitted through their lawyers that they had put up hoardings and banners without the permission of the civic authorities and tendered an unconditional apology. They also assured the high court that they would not do so in future. However, the high court asked the respondents to file a written undertaking to this effect. Earlier, the high court had asked the political parties not to put up illegal posters, banners and hoardings in the city or else it would issue contempt notices to them for violating rules and defacing the mega-polis. The bench said that it did not intend to send the violators to prison for displaying illegal hoardings/banners but would invoke such an action that would deter them from taking the step again. The PILs alleged that political parties, in total disregard to the rules and laws, had put up illegal hoardings and banners all over Maharashtra, defacing private and public properties in the towns and cities. The bench said the parties had violated their own undertakings by putting up hoardings and banners without permission of the civic authorities and despite notices issued to them by the court commissioners appointed to check this practise. "It is painful to hear that despite assurances such practise continues... We will take stern action against the concerned," the bench said. Earlier, NCP, Congress, Shiv Sena and MNS had filed separate undertakings in affidavits to the high court assuring that their workers would not put up such illegal hoardings, posters and banners. In response to high court orders, the political parties had even issued advertisements in local newspapers asking their party workers to refrain from putting up posters without permission of authorities. The petitions claimed that political parties were not taking permission from the local authorities to put up hoardings and banners and thus did not pay the necessary charges. Moreover, after erecting such illegal banners the parties did not remove them for several months thereby violating laws and rules of the local authorities, the PILs added. In August last year, while hearing the petitions, the high court had appointed nodal agencies to check illegal hoardings across Maharashtra and asked them to take strict action against the guilty. The bench had also ordered senior police inspectors in Mumbai and officers in-charge of police stations concerned outside the city to provide protection to the municipal team which removes illegal posters and hoardings. The court had ordered police protection because municipal bodies complained that workers of political parties beat up their staff whenever they moved in to remove such hoardings. The Madras High Court today refused to grant anticipatory bail to a 67-year-old man and his 32-year-old woman partner, saying they are not entitled to it considering the nature of charges levelled against them by his wife. "Considering the nature of allegations made against the petitioners, this court is of the opinion that the accused are not entitled to anticipatory bail at this stage," Justice K Kalyanasundaram, before whom the petitions filed by one Madhava Mohan and his partner G Vani, said. Both apprehended arrest on the basis of a complaint by Mohan's wife and had filed advance bail petitions. Petitioner Anandini submitted that she married Madhava Mohan in 1971 and had a daughter and two sons. At the time of marriage, 50 sovereigns of gold jewellery and Rs one lakh in cash had been given as dowry, she said. She alleged that he abused and beat her up for refusing to have unnatural sex with him. He had got Vani married to another man, gifted them property and used to indulge in the illicit relationship with that woman in both homes, she said. Anandini then lodged a complaint at an all women's police station, following which the two moved the court. The petitioners contended that a false case had been foisted on the basis of a matrimonial dispute and prayed that advance bail be granted to them. The government advocate objected to grant of bail and submitted that the probe in the case was at a crucial stage and if let out on bail, the accused would tamper with the investigation. The head of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) today denied Turkish allegations that the group was involved in a bombing in Ankara that killed 28 people. "We deny any involvement in this attack," Saleh Muslim told AFP, after Turkey's prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu accused his party's armed wing of carrying out the attack in coordination with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, an outlawed Kurdish group in Turkey. Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara that the bombing was carried out by a Syrian national named Salih Necar, adding that nine people had been detained in connection with the attack. "We have never heard of this person Salih Necar," said Muslim. "These accusations are clearly related to Turkish attempts to intervene in Syria," he added. The Wednesday night bombing targeted military vehicles in the Turkish capital. It comes as Turkey shells Kurdish militants in Syria who have seized territory in recent days from rebel groups backed by Ankara in Aleppo province. Ankara considers Muslim's PYD party and its armed wing, the People's Protection Units (YPG), to be affiliates of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state. Ahead of the Budget, healthcare service providers including Apollo and Fortis, have sought incentive packages, including ten year tax holiday on hospital projects, saying it will encourage investments in the sector. Besides, the hospital chains said that in order to make healthcare affordable and accessible to all, the government should work with private third party insurance players to reduce out of pocket spending by citizens. "Government support for this sector is crucial... To encourage investments in medical and hospital infrastructure, clear guidelines, giving substance to the infrastructure status accorded to the sector need to be spelt out," Fortis Healthcare Executive Chairman Malvinder Mohan Singh told PTI. He further said, "An incentive package with direct tax benefits for capital expenditure and a ten year tax holiday for hospital projects and exemption from GST could galvanise significant investment in the expansion and creation of healthcare infrastructure". Stressing on the role of government to make healthcare affordable, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Managing Director Suneeta Reddy said: "In order to ensure affordable and accessible healthcare to all, the government should work with private third party insurance players to reduce out of pocket spending by citizens." In an ideal situation, healthcare spending should reach 6 per cent of GDP with considerable contribution from the government and private players, where out of pocket spending by individuals is less than 30 per cent, she added. Reddy said healthcare expenditure by the government is currently at 1.2 per cent of the GDP whereas countries like China and the US spend 3 per cent and 8.3 per cent, respectively. Singh said steps to expand access to healthcare by increasing health insurance penetration need to be taken up. Calling for a holistic approach to overcome paucity of skilled manpower in the sector, Singh said: "A forward looking policy that provides a realistic framework and encourages the private sector to set up medical and nursing colleges, needs to be announced. This will help overcome medium to long term talent shortages. Emphasising that putting tariff barriers will not help in manufacturing of medical devices in India, Philips India Vice-Chairman and MD V Raja said: "The healthcare industry in general along with Philips feels creating tariff barriers will not help indigenous manufacturing." Instead, it would lead to a hike in prices of medical devices, which contributes significantly to healthcare costs for patients, he added. Last month government had increased import duty on certain medical devices to 7.5 per cent from 5 per cent earlier, a move that was opposed by the industry body Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed). "The government's recent decision to raise duties on imported life-saving medical devices and equipment would only exacerbate the financial burden on patients and compromise patient access," AdvaMed had said. On the whole Reddy said, "The government should prioritise healthcare and realise that a healthy country in turn leads to increased productivity, thus stronger economic development. A Los Angeles hospital has paid USD 17,000 in bitcoins to hackers who took control of its computers for more than a week, officials said. Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center said in a statement that it paid 40 bitcoins, the equivalent of $17,000 dollars, in ransom money to bring its computer systems back online earlier this month. The hospital's chief executive Allen Stefanek said staff first noticed problems with accessing the facility's information system on February 5 and a probe was launched. "The malware locked access to certain computer systems and prevented us from sharing communications electronically," Stefanek said. "The quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom and obtain the decryption key," he added. "In the best interest of restoring normal operations, we did this." He said the systems were back up on Monday and there was no evidence that patient or employee information had been compromised. Law enforcement officials told the Los Angeles Times that the ransom was paid before authorities were alerted. The FBI's Los Angeles bureau said it was investigating the cyber attack, called "ransomware," which is a type of malware that prevents or limits users from accessing information on their computer system. Bitcoin is a form of digital currency that is increasingly becoming the favorite way for bitcoing hackers to collect ransom money. Union Minister of State for Urban Development Babul Supriyo today said he was hopeful that the East-West Metro Project till Sealdah will be operational from December 2017. "We had earlier set a date of June 2018 for the East-West Metro project to be functional. Going by the current progress of work, we think by December 2017 we will be able to start train services at least till Sealdah," Supriyo said. He said by first week of April, the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) would start working for the tunnel under river Hooghly for the project. "We are hopeful that the entire unit of the TBM will start digging the tunnel under Hooghly," he said. The tunnel, 520 m wide, would be at a depth around 13 m from the river bed, the Minister said adding, there was no financial crisis regarding the project. A new TBM machine today started working at the Howrah Maiden, he stated. Meanwhile, the Bangalore-based PSU, BEML Limited, was awarded the contract to manufacture rakes for the East-West Metro, Supriyo said. "The company will build 14 rakes for the project in 20 months and we will get them by September 2017... This will give us the time for test-run," Supriyo added. "Deadpool" star Ryan Reynolds has revealed though he was the youngest of the four brothers in the family, he wasn't pampered by his siblings but considered a "moving target." The 39-year-old actor said his growing up years prepared him for his role in "Deadpool", reported People magazine. "It's intense when you're the youngest of four boys. You sort of cultivate all these other aspects, survival aspects, that you wouldn't normally cultivate, you know, being the oldest." He continued, "It's something I always related to and I think that's why I connected to the character 11 years ago. As a kid, I was the youngest of four boys. I wasn't considered a younger brother, I was considered a moving target." Reynolds, who plays the role of a "kind of hyper-funny, hyper-violent, but very meta" superhero, admitted that growing up in a house full of boys wasn't exactly easy, but proved to be beneficial. "The way I stayed alive was with my mouth because I'm not going to win with my fists," he said. "I felt like I was sort of rehearsing for Deadpool from the get-go." In fact, the actor said that him and his brothers would "destroy the house." "That's part of the reason I don't want boys, because I don't want a wiffle house. I just want the house to be normal," he said. Union minister at a book launch on Thursday, emphasised on the importance of knowing facts saying that people can't live under the impression that they know most of the things. He was speaking at the launch of India-2016, a book which contains wide ranging details from achievements of the government, its policies, programmes and other aspects related to development. "The book is a must read for everyone particularly for journalists and politicians," Jaitley said. "After reading, you would realize how much we don't know." Jaitley, who holds Finance and Information and Broadcasting portfolios, said he feels the book would be of great use to Parliamentarians as well as students, including those preparing for competitive exams who are are a natural constituency. Jaitley also launched the e-version of India 2016 in Hindi and English. The e-version would be cheaper than the hard copy and would help in saving paper, he said. The e-version of India 2016 will also be available on e-commerce platforms. Jaitley said the digitised version of collected works of Gandhiji had also been released some time back. The money received by the sale of these publications will go to the Consolidated Fund of India, the minister added. Sticking to its position, India today said it disagreed with the US' rationale that supply of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan will help combat terrorism but at the same time noted that its ties with Washington were not a single-issue relationship. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said the US' decision to sell eight F-16 jets "will create negative sentiment" in the India-US relationship. "We have our concerns and we do not agree with their rationale. They said F16 will be used for combating terrorism. It will be to fight against terrorists. We do not agree with that rationale," Swarup said. He was asked about US' reaction on India's opposition to the decision. On Saturday, India had summoned US Ambassador Richard Verma to convey its "displeasure and disappointment" over the decision. However, Swarup added that the relationship with the US "is not a single issue relationship". Rejecting India's disappointment over the issue, the Pentagon had yesterday said the decision to sell the F-16 jets to Pakistan should not be a cause of concern for New Delhi as the regional security situation was taken into account. "We don't think it should cause concern for India," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook had said. Asked about Pakistan's view that it was "surprised and disappointed" over India's reaction to the US decision, Swarup said it was on expected lines. "We are not surprised at the Pakistani reaction. That was on expected lines," he said. The Obama Administration said on February 13 it had decided to sell eight nuclear-capable F-16 fighter jets worth nearly USD 700 million to Pakistan despite mounting opposition from influential lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties. These additional F-16 aircraft will facilitate operations in all-weather, non-daylight environments, provide a self- defence/area suppression capability, and enhance Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter terrorism operations, the Pentagon had said. India today conveyed to Vietnam its support for peace and security in the South China Sea where China has deployed surface-to-air missiles, escalating tensions. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj held talks with Vietnam's Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung during which the dispute over South China Sea figured among other issues. "The External Affairs Minister conveyed India's consistent support to peace and security in South China Sea," official sources said. She also conveyed to him that the duspute must be settled on the basis of recognised international law. China and Vietnam are locked in dispute over the South China Sea, a huge source of hydrocarbons. China has been objecting to India's oil exploration projects in the disputed waters. Swaraj and Trung also discussed cooperation between the two countries in various key sectors including in oil and natural gas. India has been supporting freedom of navigation and access to resources in the South China Sea in accordance with principles of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister told Swaraj that his country attaches great importance to ties with India and looks forward to a visit to Vietnam by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India and Myanmar have signed an agreement on standard operating procedure for coordinated patrols in the strategically significant Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal even. As part of the ongoing India-Myanmar defence relations, the fourth edition of the India-Myanmar Coordinated Patrol (IMCOR) was successfully undertaken from February 13-16 along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in the Andaman Sea. Indian Navy ships Saryu and Bitra, along with Myanmar ships Aung Zeya and FAC 563, participated in the 4th IMCOR. During the closing ceremony of 4th IMCOR, the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for IMCOR was signed between Indian Navy and Myanmar Navy. Myanmar is only the third country with which India has signed a formal agreement for maritime coordinated patrols and reflects growing naval interaction between India and Myanmar, a statement by the Navy said. The signing of the SOP will facilitate smooth conduct of coordinated patrols between the two neighbours that share a long maritime boundary in Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal. Indonesia and Thailand are the other two countries with which India has signed such an agreement. Nepal Prime Minister K P Oli today said the main focus of his first visit to India, taking place in "complex and special circumstances", is on building trust after differences cropped up in bilateral ties due to protests over the new Constitution. Addressing a press conference ahead of his six-day India visit, Oli said, "Our country will definitely benefit from my visit to India beginning from Friday and we won't lose from the visit." "To gain friendship is also a gain and we will get much more than that (from the visit)," the 63-year-old Communist leader said. He said he has no specific agenda for the talks as the visit is taking place in "complex and special circumstances". "The main focus of the visit will be to create favourable situation and to build trust," Oli asserted. During his visit, the two countries are expected to sign a number of pacts, mostly related to the areas on which agreement has been reached in the past, sources close to the premier said. Among others, two MoUs -- one on the USD 1 billion line of credit that India has already committed to Nepal during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit and another on USD 1 billion that India has pledged during External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's trip here for the country's post-earthquake reconstruction -- will be signed during Oli's visit, the sources said. Responding to a question, Oli said India has already welcomed the amendments made in the Constitution by saying that it was a positive development. "We have followed all due processes while promulgating the Constitution and the document was endorsed with overwhelming majority votes in the Constituent Assembly. We need to clear some misunderstandings in our relations and the process of clearing misunderstanding has already begun," he said. Oli's visit comes after a period of strain in ties over the protests by Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin. Nepal alleged that the blockade in its southern border with India was imposed by Indian authorities as they were backing the agitation led by Madhesis -- a charge India vehemently denied. The United Democratic Madhesi Front, the four-party alliance, officially announced withdrawal of their protests including the border blockade earlier this month. Oli also refuted allegations that he played the "China card" against India in the wake of the border blockade. "It is not true that Nepal has played any card against India," he told reporters at his office. "There is no question of playing a card for one against the other. We want to develop friendly relations with both our great neighbours on the basis of mutual respect and benefit," Oli said. Earlier some reports had said that Oli could visit China before India due to hiccups in Indo-Nepal ties over the Madhesi issue. An Indian-origin student from Cambridge University is facing trial for allegedly raping a fellow student. Prithvi Sridhar, who is on trial at Cambridge Crown Court, denies the charge, saying he was too drunk to perform the sexual act. "He says intercourse did not take place at all," prosecutor David Matthew told the court yesterday. The 21-year-old is studying for an engineering degree at well-known Queens' College in Cambridge University. 'The Daily Telegraph' reports that the incident took place after a night out on November 4, 2014 and the alleged victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, reported the incident to the police a week later on November 11, 2014. The pair had shared a taxi back to the halls of residence after the night out, where Sridhar began kissing her but she tried to stop his advances. "I told him multiple times that I didn't want to have sex with him. He tried to push himself inside me and I laid back because it hurt less. I was trying not to look at him because I did not want it to happen," she told the jury. A close friend of the victim, who also cannot be named, told the court after the alleged incident the victim was "not in a very good state and was crying and distressed". The trial is expected to conclude by next week. A 40-year-old Indian-origin restaurant owner in the UK who employed four illegal immigrants at his eatery has been disqualified for six years from being director of a limited company. Harcharan Singh Sekhon, owner of the Bombay Blues restaurant in Glasgow, gave an undertaking to UK Insolvency Service not to manage or control a company for six years from tomorrow until 2022, an insolvency service statement said. "The Insolvency Service rigorously pursues directors who break employment and immigration laws. Taking on staff illegally means they do not enjoy basic employment rights, a clear breach of a director's duties," saidRobert Clarke, Group Leader, Insolvent Investigations North. "The public has a right to expect that those who break the law will face the consequences. Running a limited company brings with it statutory obligations as well as protections, and this should serve as a warning to other directors tempted to take on illegal staff," he said. An investigation by the Insolvency Service found that Sekhon's failed as a director of Kirkcrest Limited to ensure that the company complied with its statutory obligations under immigration law (specifically, to make sure that relevant immigration checks were completed and copy documents retained), resulting in the employment of four illegal workers. Following a visit from the UK Home Office Immigration officers in January last year, during which the illegal workers were discovered, the company was issued with a 25,000-pound penalty notice, which remained outstanding at the date of liquidation. All the illegal workers were also found to be paid less than the national minimum wage, contrary to the National Minimum Wage Act 1998. "I failed to ensure that Kirkcrest Limited (Kirkcrest) complied with its statutory obligations under The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 to ensure that relevant immigration checks were completed and copy documents retained resulting in the employment of four illegal workers," Sekhon admitted in his undertaking to the Insolvency Service. "In addition, I caused or allowed Kirkcrest to breach the National Minimum Wage Act 1998," Sekhon said. Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order in the UK and do not involve court proceedings. Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor feels women in both urban and rural areas across the country are the real heroes. The 30-year-old "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo" actress, known for voicing her opinion on gender issues, says women in India are brave and are empowering themselves. "I feel that women today, here and in India's smaller cities, rural areas and everywhere, are our everyday heroes. They are bold, brave, standing out and empowering themselves. They are compassionate, giving and sensitive to the needs of others around," Sonam told reporters here. She will be seen in "Neerja" a biopic of Neerja Bhanot, a Pan Am flight attendant who died saving passengers on a hijacked plane. Sonam said Neerja represents the Indian women, who are ready to face any challenge with courage. "Neerja as an empowered and brave young woman embodies the characteristics of women today... Brave and ready with what life throws at you. This is what Neerja did under an extraordinary circumstance with a resolve and defiance that was parallel to none..." She was speaking at the inauguration of FICI FLO Film Festival. The three-day event will showcase more than 40 films themed on women empowerment, gender equality and social change. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was present at the event, said movies should be used to spread awareness among people. "People worldwide, specially in India, love, dream and idolise films. Our lives are impacted by what happens in films. Although one may say that films are based on imaginary stories but mostly they are a reflection of what has been happening in the society," he said. Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao also attended the event. "Neerja", directed by Ram Madhvani, hits theatres tomorrow. Publishers from around the world have urged Hong Kong authorities to demand China release five of the city's booksellers, in a case that has fuelled growing fears over disappearing freedoms. Four of the men are under criminal investigation on the mainland and the fifth has said he is "assisting" authorities there. All five worked for Hong Kong's Mighty Current publishing house, known for often salacious titles critical of the Beijing government. Publishing associations, booksellers and advocacy groups from the United States and Europe penned the joint letter to Hong Kong's leader Leung Chun-ying, saying the case sent a "terrifying message" to the semi-autonomous city's literary world. Signatories included the PEN American Center, which campaigns for freedom of expression in literature, the Association of American Publishers and the Federation of European Publishers. "This case has sent a terrifying message to writers, publishers, and booksellers in Hong Kong that tackling politically sensitive topics can imperil an individual's freedom and safety," the letter, dated February 17 and published in full on PEN American Center's website, said. "These developments offer chilling confirmation of the steady erosion of freedom of expression in Hong Kong," it added. The letter urged Hong Kong "to do everything in its power to investigate these cases and demand the release" of the men. Britain, the US and the EU have all expressed concern over the case. Last week the UK issued its strongest comments yet over the case of Lee Bo -- the only one of the five publishers to have disappeared from Hong Kong. Lee is a British passport holder and was last seen at a Hong Kong book warehouse in December. British foreign secretary Philip Hammond said Lee had been "involuntarily removed" from Hong Kong in a "serious breach" of the joint agreement to protect the city's freedoms, signed before the handover of the city from Britain to China in 1997. That agreement promised Hong Kong's way of life would be protected for 50 years. The Chinese authorities have not said Lee is under investigation. In letters purportedly written by him, Lee has said he is on the mainland helping with investigations. Beijing hit back at Hammond, slamming London for making "groundless accusations against China" and meddling in Chinese domestic affairs. A 32-year-old IPS officer was today found dead in the police officer's mess here. The body of Assistant Superintendent of Police N Harish, attached to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, was found in a room of the officer's mess premises at Egmore around noon, police said. Harish was an officer of 2009 batch and had recently been transferred from Madurai to Chennai. The cause of death was being ascertained and investigations were on, police said. The Iraqi government has decided to cut the number of state-financed paramilitary forces due to a shortage of funds as the international oil price declines, a spokesman for a leading militia group said today. Karim al-Nouri, the spokesman for the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group made up predominantly of Shiite militias, told The Associated Press that around 30 per cent of paramilitary troops were expected to be laid off. Some 130,000 fighters in Iraq are affiliated with pro-government paramilitary forces. Al-Nouri added that the decision would not affect the fight against Islamic State group, which controls areas in northern and western Iraq. He said the cuts will also cover non-combat troops providing administrative and logistical support. He did not give details on the how many combat troops will be laid off. In mid-2014, several Shiite militias along with volunteers joined the fight against IS after large divisions of Iraq's military fled rapidly in the face of the militant group's advance. A number of Sunni tribes later joined the fight. It is unlikely the cuts to paramilitary funding will lead to frontline defeats as Iraq's army is receiving support from the US-led coalition against IS. Iraq's oil-reliant economy has been severely hit by falling crude prices, and the war on terror is proving costly for the cash-strapped government. Iraq has the world's fourth largest oil reserves and oil revenues make up nearly 95 percent of its budget. The government introduced a series of austerity measures in 2015, merging several ministries and cutting government posts, halting spending on infrastructure projects and raising taxes. An Israeli man was killed and another moderately wounded when two Palestinians stabbed them in a supermarket in the occupied West Bank today before being shot, officials said. A 21-year-old victim was taken to Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek hospital in serious condition, where he was pronounced dead after extensive efforts to resuscitate him, a spokeswoman said. A moderately wounded 36-year-old was being treated in the city's Hadassah hospital, a spokeswoman for the facility said. Medics said the two had sustained stab wounds to their torsos. "Two Palestinians entered the Rami Levi (supermarket) in Shaar Binyamin (industrial zone) and stabbed two Israeli civilians," a police statement said. "The two terrorists were shot and neutralised by an armed civilian at the site." The Hadassah spokeswoman said one of the assailants was in a moderate to serious condition and was being treated at the hospital for gunshot wounds. The second assailant was in serious condition and being treated at Shaare Zedek, a spokeswoman said. Palestinian sources said the two assailants were both 14-year-olds. The supermarket is located in an Israeli-controlled industrial zone near Ramallah frequented by settlers. Since October 1, Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks have taken the lives of 27 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean, according to an AFP count. At the same time, 172 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most while carrying out attacks but others during clashes and demonstrations. For actor Manish Paul, starring in the spin-off of the "Tere Bin Laden" was a huge responsibility. Manish, who has replaced Pakistani actor Ali Zafar for "tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive", said he just tried to give his best shot to the film. "It was definitely a burden for me. The first part was a sleeper hit. I had to keep in mind several things. But I still did not pay much attention to the burden part because I have a feeling that this film is surely going to repeat the history. The script of the film is strong and we had a great time shooting it," Manish told reporters here. Directed by Abhishek Sharma, the satire questions the death of Osama Bin Laden. The film stars actors Sikander Kher and Pradhuman Singh besides Paul. "We were like brothers on the set. We never treated each other like co-stars. Working with Abhishek is irritating initially because he does a lot of workshops, which really bug everyone. But we later realised that it helped. He used to scold us as we used to waste time on the sets by cracking jokes on each other," Manish said, In the film, which releases this Friday, Manish plays a director. "Abhishek has written the character modelled on himself, I thought it would be easy to play a director because I thought I just have to shout 'Lights, Camera and Action'. But it was completely different. I had to shed weight for the film which I had gained for 'Mickey Virus'," he said. Starting as a radio jockey and VJ, Manish moved to acting on television daily soaps, before taking up stand-up comedy, hosting television reality series and trying his luck in films. The actor said he is greedy as an artiste. "I am in the happiest phase of my life. I am doing both television and films. As an artiste, I am greedy, I want everything. But one thing is sure that I won't quit TV ever because I have got film offers due to my stint on TV. Civilians residing within the radius of two Kms of an encounter site should stay inside their homes and make sure their children are indoors too, an advisory issued today by Jammu and Kashmir police said. The advisory that is to be followed by civilians in case an encounter breaks out in their area also said that if children are outside their homes, they must be called back immediately by parents. "(They) need not venture out as any stray bullet can hit and cause damage. The residents are also requested not to come out of their houses or peep out of the window panes," a police spokesman said. He said Section 144 CrPC, which prohibits assembly of five or more persons, comes into force immediately at the encounter site and surrounding areas. "The elders, chowkidars and village headmen are requested to advise people to stay away from encounter site. "Assembly of five or more people be discouraged as it is prohibited under the provisions of this Section of CrPC," he added. The spokesman also asked people not to rush towards the encounter site immediately after the gunfight has stopped. "After encounter, people are requested not to rush towards encounter site as there are chances of unexploded grenades or explosives lying there. "It should be ensured that the encounter site and area around is properly sanitised by the police or any other security agency, before people come near it," he said. The advisory comes two days after Governor N N Vohra directed the police and other security agencies to exercise maximum restraint and take steps for avoiding collateral damage during encounters. His directions came after two university students were killed allegedly in firing by security forces in Pulwama district of south Kashmir on Sunday. A Japanese lawmaker is being criticised for saying President Barack Obama was a descendant of black slaves and so would have been an unthinkable presidential choice in America's early history. Kazuya Maruyama, a lawyer-turned-lawmaker in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling party, apologized hours after making the remark at a parliamentary constitutional panel, saying it was misleading. "Today, America has a black person as President. A person who inherits black people's blood. Frankly speaking, they were slaves," he said Wednesday, then went on to explain how civil rights improved in the US. "Back at the beginning of US history, it would have been unthinkable that a black person, a slave, would become President. That's how dynamic a transformation this country makes." Opposition lawmakers demanded Maruyama resign over the comment, but it wasn't clear what they considered insulting, except it could have sounded racist and seemed mistaken about his ancestry. Obama's father was from Kenya. The president has spoken often about America's racial history and what it means for him to be the first black US president. Japanese often exercise self-restraint or overreact to certain words and actions to avoid controversy. A zoo last year was accused of insulting British royals by naming a baby monkey Charlotte for the British princess, but it kept the name as the public's choice. The US Embassy declined to comment. "It was outrageous. The remark could have been interpreted as an insult to the US president. It's an extremely serious problem that could even hurt Japan's diplomatic relations," said Yosuke Kamiyama, a member of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, during a parliamentary session Thursday. Maruyama denied any racist intent. The remarks were made as he questioned experts about a revision to Japan's constitution, which has never been amended since it was drafted by the United States during its post-World War II occupation. He noted there would be no problem if Japan becomes America's "51st state" and that would allow people from "the state of Japan" to become US president. Then he mentioned Obama. He quit the constitutional panel Thursday but refused to resign as lawmaker. Several lawmakers in Abe's party have recently been hit by scandal. A communications minister was criticised for warning television networks their licenses could be stripped if they aired "biased" political . A parliamentarian who admitted to adultery resigned. The economy minister quit over a bribery allegation. With Rohtak region emerging as epicentre of the ongoing Jat agitation, the administration today imposed prohibitory orders in the entire district, banning assembly of five or more persons. "Section 144 has been imposed with immediate effect from today in Rohtak," Additional Deputy Commissioner Amit Khatri said. Noting that the protesters have been asked to clear the blockades and disperse, he said, "We have warned them first and are hoping they will comply." The orders were passed by Rohtak's Deputy Commissioner D K Behera amid reports that anti-social elements might join protesters to disturb law and order situation in the district. Khatri said paramilitary forces have been put on standby in the district. Jat protesters have blocked Badahurgarh-Delhi road at Bahadurgarh affecting vehicular movement to Delhi from Haryana. They have also blocked Saharanpur-Kurukshetra road at Pipli, Ladwa in Kurukshetra district and Radaur of Yamunanagar district. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar again appealed to the protesters to end the stir as it is causing huge inconvenience to the common people. Jat leaders today refused to withdraw their agitation till a legislation is passed giving quota to the community under OBC even as the authorities in the worst-affected district suspended Internet and mobile SMS services due to the stir which has disrupted rail and road traffic. The protesters accused Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar of resisting their demand as he was "not from the community" even as the state government called an all-party meeting to end the impasse. Normal life was badly hit as the ongoing for quotas spread to more parts of Haryana after talks between community leaders and the government failed to break the deadlock, even as prohibitory orders were clamped in Rohtak, banning assembly of five or more persons. The agitation spread to Kaithal, Karnal, Jind and other districts, disrupting road and rail traffic as protestors blocked various highways and railway lines. While college and university students had yesterday joined the protest at Rohtak, today students from various places, including Hisar, Kurukshetra and Kaithal also joined them. Jats are demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions under OBC category. While rail and road traffic has been worst hit in the Rohtak-Jhajjar region, the epicentre of the protests, Bhiwani, Sonipat, Hisar have also been adversely hit by the agitation. The protesters, who last evening rejected Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's offer to enhance quota for economically backward classes to include Jats, also blocked roads in many places in Panipat which also affected movement of vehicles towards Uttar Pradesh. Due to the blockades set up by the agitators, Haryana Roadways suspended its bus services on many affected routes. The Rohtak administration today imposed prohibitory orders in the entire district banning assembly of five or more persons. Rohtak is the native place of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and the Parliamentary Constituency represented by his son, Deepinder. "Section 144 has been imposed with immediate effect from today in Rohtak," Additional Deputy Commissioner Amit Khatri said. Noting that the protesters have been asked to clear the blockades and disperse, he said, "We have warned them first and are hoping they will comply." The orders were passed by Rohtak's Deputy Commissioner D K Behera amid reports that anti-social elements might join protesters to disturb law and order situation in the district. Khatri said paramilitary forces have been put on standby in the district. Traders and advocates today clashed outside the court premises at Rohtak during a protest in connection with the ongoing agitation by members of Jat community. Advocates of the district court at Rohtak were protesting over non-inclusion of Jat community in the OBC category outside the court premises from where traders of the city were passing in a procession to submit a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, police said. Some unidentified persons also set on fire a motorcycle in Rohtak. As the protests continued, supply of milk, vegetables, fruits and other items on the highway connecting Rohtak with other parts of the state and NCR was also affected. Meanwhile, blockade also continued on roads from Rohtak to Delhi, and roads to Sonipat, Jhajjar remained blocked while those leading to Hisar, Jind and Bhiwani were also affected. Railway traffic on the Rohtak-Delhi section was affected due to the agitation, officials said, adding many trains had been cancelled or diverted through alternative routes. Jat protesters have blocked Badahurgarh-Delhi road at Bahadurgarh affecting vehicular movement to Delhi from Haryana. They have also blocked Saharanpur-Kurukshetra road at Pipli, Ladwa in Kurukshetra district and Radaur of Yamunanagar district while several roads in Hisar and Hansi also remained blocked. A 'kutcha' road, which was being used by people for going to Bhiwani as the protesters had blocked main road, was dug up by protesters at Charkhi-Dadri today. Managements of private schools, which fall in the affected areas, have also declared holidays due to the stir while Maharishi Dayanand University announced postponement of some of its undergraduate and postgraduate examinations that were scheduled to be held between February 17-22. A group of Kurukshetra University students, belonging to the Jat community, held a demonstration in the KU today over the reservation issue. They held demonstration in front of Vice-Chancellor's office and raised slogans against the BJP-led state government. Later, the students led a procession to Jat Dharamsala at Kurukshetra, where other members from the community joined them. They sat on 'dharna' on Kurukshetra-Pehowa road and blocked vehicular traffic. Police diverted the traffic from Panorama chowk to Pehowa road via out-ring road from Jhansa road. The protesters also blocked all main roads in Jind district including those leading to Patiala, Panipat, Kaithal, Rohtak, Gohana, Hansi and Bhiwani. Meanwhile, INLD senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala, who is also Leader of Opposition in Haryana assembly, today demanded that a session of state assembly be convened immediately on the Jat stir issue. Chautala said a two-line resolution should be passed in the assembly and later forwarded to the Centre favouring reservation for Jats and other communities, including Jat-Sikhs, Tyagi, Ror and Bishnois. The reservation benefit which the Jats are getting in four states should be implemented in entire country, he said in a statement. Chautala also appealed to various communities to maintain peace and brotherhood and not lend an ear to any rumour which may disturb peace. Jat protesters today rejected Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's offer to enhance quota for economically backward classes with the agitation spreading to Faridabad, Kaithal and Karnal disrupting rail and road traffic. In view of the blockades set up by the agitators, Haryana Roadways suspended its bus services on many affected routes. The Jat continued to block roads in Rohtak-Jhajjar, the epicentre of the protests, disrupting supply of milk, vegetables, fruits and other items on the national highway connecting Rohtak with other parts of the state and NCR. A day after holding talks with the Chief Minister, All India Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti's national president, Yashapal Malik told PTI that, "We reject the offer, it is not technically viable. It is illegal and cannot be implemented." "We (Jats) cannot be befooled once again, we have been fighting for our right for several years now. The agitation has further spread to Kaithal, Faridabad, Karnal, Palwal today and by tomorrow, it will cover entire Haryana," Malik said. Jat and Khap leaders had held a four-hour long meeting with Khattar and some of his ministers here yesterday during which the CM had announced enhancement of the reservation quota under EBC and the annual income ceiling from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh. The Chief Minister had announced an enhancement of the quota of reservation for Economically Backward Classes in the state from 10 to 20 per cent, but the community remained adamant on their demand for reservation under OBC category. The protests continued at other places including Sonipat, Bhiwani and Hisar. Malik said the Jats will fight for their rights and continue to protest till they get it. "People (who do not belong to the Jat community) have also come out on the streets in support of our demand," Malik said when asked about the inconvenience caused to passengers and students due to the stir. Lawyers, students and women have also joined the protests at various parts of the state. The protesters are demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions under OBC category. A Committee constituted under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to study all the aspects of the reservations for Special Backward Classes, will submit its report before the forthcoming budget session of state Assembly next month, Khattar had said yesterday. The committee will consider all suggestions including bringing an appropriate bill in this regard, he had said. Meanwhile, blockade continued on roads from Rohtak to Delhi, and roads to Sonipat, Jhajjar remained blocked while those leading to Hisar, Jind and Bhiwani were also affected. Railway traffic on the Rohtak-Delhi section was affected due to the agitation, officials said, adding many trains had been cancelled or diverted through alternative routes. Managements of private schools, which fall in the affected areas, have also declared holidays due to the stir while Maharishi Dayanand University also announced postponement of some of its undergraduate and postgraduate examinations that were scheduled to be held between February 17-22. (Reopens DES11) Meanwhile, a group of students Kurukshetra University students, who belong to the Jat community, held a demonstration in the campus today in connection with the reservation issue. They held demonstration in front of Vice-Chancellor's office and raised slogans against the BJP-led state government. Later, the students led a procession to Jat Dharamsala at Kurukshetra, where other members from the community joined them. They sat on 'dharna' on Kurukshetra-Pehowa road and blocked vehicular traffic. Police diverted the traffic from Panorama chowk to Pehowa road via out-ring road from Jhansa road. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today announced free bus travel for senior citizens in Chennai metropolitan area from her 68th birthday on February 24. Making the announcement in the state assembly, she asserted that with this the AIADMK government has fulfilled "all the electoral promises" made by the party in 2011 in the state, which is set to go to polls in barely three months. "We had made a poll promise in our election manifesto that senior citizens would be provided free bus passes...I am happy to say that with this announcement we have fulfilled all the promises made in the AIADMK's election manifesto in 2011," she said. The free travel, with a cap of ten journeys in a month, is the latest in the series of freebies implemented by the AIADMK regime such as cost-free milch cows, sheep, mixers, grinders and fans and laptop for students. "I am also very happy to say that besides fulfilling all our electoral promises, we have also implemented various other welfare schemes," she said amid thunderous applause from ruling party legislators and allies. She said in the first phase, the scheme for free travel for senior citizens would be implemented in the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses in Chennai. Under the plan, elderly people over the age of 60 may travel in all the MTC buses barring air-conditioned buses. The beneficiaries would be given ten tokens per month and they could give it to conductors in buses and travel free of cost. "The scheme envisaging free travel for senior citizens in Chennai Metropolitan Corporation buses will be implemented from February 24 and after eliciting people's response it will be extended to other places," she said. Those willing to avail the scheme should fill in an application form and submit it to transport authorities and get an identity card and tokens for travel. The forms could be obtained from transport corporation depots and transport department website, she said. There is no deadline to submit application forms and these can be presented at the transport corporation bus depots any time, she said. Soon after she made the announcement, eight legislators, Transport Minister P Thangamani and Speaker Dhanapal praised and thanked her for the new initiative. Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) has urged the Manipur government to take immediate measures to register indigenous labourers for identification of illegal immigrants in the state. The JCILPS said workers who do not possess work permits, will be handed over to the police so that they are deported outside the state. Co-Covenor of JCILPS, Md Shah Moijingmayum told PTI that the umbrella body will intensify its democratic agitation in the form of poster campaign and launch awareness drive. Earlier, the JCILPS had announced its intention to resume its agitation from February 17 for implementation of the Inner line permit system. The agitation had been muted for the last four months due to religious festivals and the devastating January 4 earthquake that hit the state, the co-convenor said. Condoling the death of nine persons which occurred after the violent agitation of September 1 in Churachandpur district, Md Shah said the people's demand for implementation of ILP is to protect the indigenous population from the massive influx of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal. He clarified that it was not directed towards the tribal population of the state as alleged by tribal bodies. He also appealed that the ILP issue should not be politicized. In a veiled attack on the political leadership of BJP's adversaries, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu today sought to know whether the leaders visiting the JNU are providing the "moral support" to backers of the Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru who was hanged and said certain leaders are "poisoning" the varsities. He also criticised the organisers of the meeting to commemorate the death anniversary of Guru on JNU campus, which set off a chain reaction of protests and counter-protests. "Whether the leaders who are visiting JNU are giving moral support to Afzal Guru's supporters and (for) dividing India. They are poisoning the varsities," the Urban Development Minister said after laying the foundation stone of Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER) here. The senior BJP leader also termed as "anti-nationals" the organisers of the controversial meeting. "What a great shame and a stupid idea to organise such a meeting. Afzal Guru was the co-conspirator of the attack on Parliament which was the attack on our democracy. Our brave security forces sacrificed their lives to protect 740 people's representatives. "We are not saying that the entire university (JNU) is like that, but there are such elements that are to be isolated, separated and toughly acted on," Naidu said. He said certain political forces are dividing India on the lines of caste, creed, religion, region and colour. "Some anti-social elements are trying to destabilise the unity, integrity, harmony and tranquillity of the country in the name of caste, creed, religion, language and district," the minister said. He said tough action should be taken against those "elements" who raise "anti-national" slogans. On allegation of "rising intolerance" in the country, Naidu said, "They (raising the allegation) should take note that India is known for its utmost tolerance in entire world". Referring to the JNU row, he said no country compromises on its sovereignty, integrity and unity. A section of overseas students studying at JNU and other foreign nationals residing in the national capital today expressed their solidarity with the ongoing row, and described the varsity's campus as one that "inspires envy". JNU every year receives several foreign students, who make its verdant campus their temporary home for masters and doctoral programmes. A section of such students, including those from Germany, Canada, the UK, and currently pursuing courses there took part in the massive protest march that was taken out by thousands of people in the heart of the city. "We completely stand by the JNU students and their efforts to not let their voices be stifled by authoritarian forces. We are with them in their struggle," a second-year German student at the School of International Studies said, requesting anonymity. When asked about her experiences at the central varsity's campus, she said, "I wanted to pursue my higher studies in India and JNU was the name recommended to us. The people here have been open, warm and friendly... We actually feel jealous of India for having such an extraordinary campus," she said. A Canadian student at the varsity echoed similar sentiments saying, India's Constitution is admirable and at no cost the citizens' democratic rights should be suppressed. "We are in complete solidarity with the JNUSU president and support wholeheartedly this struggle. But, it is important that this struggle goes beyond rhetoric," she said. A British student at the School of Languages, who also took part in the march, said, "I have lived in India for long. I got my Master's degree from MSU Baroda and I agree with my Indian friends here that what has happened in the aftermath of that incident is not right at all. So, I chose to be here." Besides, students, some of the foreign nationals residing in Delhi, also participated in the march. German national Gerd, in his 50s, who has been living in Delhi for the past three years, said, "We grew up reading about fascism and democratic rights being harmed in our country. I am happy to see that people of India are raising voices against such attempts." "I think these protests are necessary to show that people are willing to stand up to the government," said Margaret Hass, another German student. Akhil Bharatiya Vidya Parishad (ABVP) today organised a "Nation First Tricolour March"here against an event in support of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and alleged anti-India sloganeering at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. Terming the the JNU event "anti-national", they called on the people to unite and ignite the spirit of patriotism in the country. The ABVP students formed a human chain and marched with a 200 metre-long tricolour shouting patriotic slogans near Freedom Park here. Student leaders demanded that those who have indulgedin alleged anti-national sloganeering at JNU campus should be arrested immediately and strict action should be taken against them. They claimed that their march is for national integration. ABVP said similar protest marches had been organised in different parts of Karnataka including Putturu near Mangaluru and Davanagare. A complaint was today filed in a local court against Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, party leader Anand Sharma and others for allegedly supporting "anti-national" elements in Jawahar Lal University. The complainant, Manoj Ojha, has alleged that Gandhi and Sharma supported the people who shouted "anti-national" slogans. He also named JNU Students' Union President Kanhaiya Kumar, other students Banjyotsna Lahiri, Umar Khalid, Riyazul Haq, Rubina Saife, Aniraban Bhattacharya and Komal Bharat in the complaint and said that action against them was needed. Otherwise they would prove to be a danger to the country, he contended. The complaint was filed in the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, seeking direction to police to initiate a probe under sections 121 A (waging, or attempting to or abetting waging of war against the Government of India), 124 A (sedition), 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups), 153 B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration), 506 (criminal intimidation), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) and 120 b (criminal conspiracy). Meanwhile, BJP MLA from Barmer Kailash Choudhary called Gandhi a "traitor" and said he should be hanged and shot for backing "anti-national" students of JNU. Choudhary, who represents Baytoo constituency, made the remarks at his residence in Barmer which invited sharp reaction from Congress. A video clip of his remarks was circulated on social media following which Congress members today held protests in front of his house. They blackened the nameplate outside the house and wrote the name of Rahul Gandhi on a wall. A complaint was also filed in the court of a Metropolitan Magistrate, demanding action against him for creating hatred against Gandhi. The complaint was filed under sections 115 (abetment of offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life), 116 (abetment of offence punishable with imprisonment), 153 a (promoting enmity between different groups), 153 b (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration), 166 (public servant disobeying law with intent to cause injury to any person) and 120 b (criminal conspiracy). The court will hear the matter on February 25. PCC President Sachin Pilot condemned and demanded public apology from the MLA. "The remarks expose BJP's character. He should be suspended from the party and a case be registered against him," he said in a statement. The arrest of JNU students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar and related developments echoed in Kerala Assembly today as CPI(M)-led LDF opposition raised the issues while seeking permission for an adjournment motion against the death of a party activist killed in an attack allegedly by RSS functionaries. Senior CPI(M) leader S Sharma alleged that after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, RSS and Bajrang Dal activists were having a "free-run" in the country. He referred to the recent attack at the Supreme Court premises recently and said the attackers had not even spared the apex court-appointed commission. "CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury received death threat. Congress leader and senior lawyer Kapil Sibal also had to face their ire," Sharma said. The leader also alleged that the UDF government in the state was supporting the "terror" unleashed by the RSS. A M Ariff (CPI-M), who gave notice for the adjournment motion in connection with the death of CPI(M) activist Shibu in Alappuazha district recently, said though it was evident that RSS activists were behind his death, police was reluctant to register murder charges against them. Congress was also a part in the RSS conspiracy against CPI(M) in the state, he alleged. Stating that it was difficult for even the Supreme Court to function properly due to the RSS "terror" in the country, he said the attack against CPI(M) offices in Punjab and Delhi were proof for this. State Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, in his reply, said the death of Shibu was not a 'political murder'. The minister said Shibu was killed by drug mafia in the area as a revenge for lodging a complaint against them with the police. (REOPENS MES4) Meanwhile, a section of lawyers, owing allegiance to the Left parties, today boycotted the sessions court here protesting the alleged attack on their march yesterday to the State Secretariat. The lawyer's had marched to express solidarity with the JNU students and to protest against the attack on lawyers at Patiala court complex in connection with the JNU row. The All India Lawyers Union also took out march to the Kerala High Court in Kochi against the attack on lawyers here and in Delhi. Students today held protests in the Aligarh Muslim University campus against the attack on students and journalists in Delhi's Patiala House courts, with noted historian Irfan Habib saying the entire judicial system has come under threat from "hooligan forces". Students and several senior faculty members participated in the protest meeting at the Kennedy Hall grounds. "Different students today came on a single platform to highlight the fact that if such incidents take place in the national capital in brazen defiance of the Supreme Court directives, then the very essence of democracy in India is under threat," Mahfooz Alam, convener of the protest rally said. Later speaking to PTI, noted historian, Habib said, "What has happened during the past few days is an open subversion of the judiciary of India within the precincts of the courts. "What is a cause of serious concern is that the police appeared to be supporting hooligans despite the directive of the Supreme Court and in the presence of some lawyers appointed by the Supreme Court," he said. Habib said that the SC should examine the role of police especially in the light of yesterday's incident. He said the country's Constitution today faces a grave threat since the entire judicial system has come under attack by "hooligan force". It is now for the SC to step in, in defense of the judicial system of the country, he said. Habib made it clear that while he was strongly opposed to some of the slogans which were raised by some fringe elements during the controversial JNU protest rally, he saw no justification for painting the entire protesting community with the brush of "anti-nationalism". Referring to the charge of sedition, which has been clamped against some JNU student leaders, Habib said, "The archaic law of sedition was drawn up by the British colonialists and not by Parliament of a free country. Let the people of India know that even the British rulers did not misuse this law against those millions of Indians, who were involved in freedom struggle and raised slogans against the government of the day." He said that "It was true that this law was used against Mahatma Gandhi in 1922 when he entered the court precincts and proudly declared, 'I am guilty'. "The British judge is on record to have remarked that if Mahatma Gandhi had not himself pronounced his own guilt, he would never have used this law against him," he said. Thousands of students in Delhi and several other cities today protested against the arrest of JNUSU leader Kanhaiya Kumar who has directly approached the Supreme Court for bail even as a senior lawyer accused Delhi Police of collusion with his attackers in Patiala House court violence. Even after two spells of violence in the last two days, the lawyers including Vikram Chauhan who brazenly defied Supreme Court orders to assault Kumar and journalists continued to be free. The lawyers' body in Delhi district courts virtually came in defence of the attackers in black robes in the Patiala House courts, including Chauhan who was garlanded in Karkardooma courts, to whose bar he belongs. Claiming that certain "outsiders" in lawyers' robes indulged in violence, the Coordination Committee of all District Court Bar Associations demanded a "fair" inquiry into the incidents. BJP MLA O P Sharma, who was involved in Monday's violence, was detained by Delhi Police but was bailed out a little later. The first-time MLA was questioned for around eight hours at the Tilak Marg police station in connection with the case. He was then arrested on charge of causing hurt and was released on bail, a senior police official said. The Supreme Court, which had stepped in yesterday to ensure law and order in Patiala House court complex, today warned everyone that it was watching the situation and people should be careful about making statements on the issue. Claiming threat to life in jail and from lynching mobs in the court complex, Kumar made the bail plea before the apex court which will be heard tomorrow. Rahul Gandhi will take the battle over the and the alleged targeting of students in various parts of the country to President Pranab Mukherjee when he meets him today. Accompanied by senior leaders and also the young MPs of the party, the Congress Vice President is expected to highlight the "lawlessness" in Delhi in the wake of Patiala House court attacks and the way the government has handled the as also the Rohith Vemula suicide and the agitation in FTII in Pune. Party sources said Gandhi will be accompanied by Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of the party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and several other party leaders and MPs. Only yesterday, Congress had demanded immediate removal of Police Commissioner BS Bassi. Citing the attacks in Patiala House court here, Congress had yesterday alleged that "jungle raj" is prevailing in Delhi. JNU students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar and some journalists were yesterday attacked in a court complex here by rowdy lawyers. Despite instructions by the apex court to ensure security at the Patiala House Court, where violent men in black robes had attacked journalists on Monday, Delhi Police failed to prevent the attack on Kumar, who has been accused of sedition. On Monday too, journalists were attacked by such elements. The Congress Vice President had led protests over the Rohith Vemula issue in Hyderabad and also the FTII students agitation in Pune. The Supreme Court today asked people to be careful while issuing statements on the ongoing row over arrest of JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar under sedition charge. A bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar also said that it was keeping an eye on the law and order situation prevailing in the Patiala House court complex here. The observation case when lawyer R P Luthra alleged that Delhi Police is being pressurised not to oppose the bail application of the jailed students union leader. The bench, which is to hear the plea in the matter at 2 PM, said, "We are keeping an eye on law and order situation in Patiala House court. Everyone should be careful while giving statements. Amid the ongoing JNU row, the Shiv Sena today hit out at the Congress and SP, saying that the recent Assembly bypoll results in various states reflect that people have rejected the idea of politicians backing the students indulging in protests. "After looking at the results of byelections, it is clear that the tamasha (Congress Vice-President) Rahul Gandhi indulged in Jawaharlal Nehru University and Hyderabad Central University is unacceptable to the people," the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'. "Those (students) supporting Yakub Memon in Hyderabad University and Afzal Guru in Jawaharlal Nehru University are a threat to the nation. Those (politicians) supporting them (students) have lost in bypolls of seven states," the ruling alliance partner said. Notably, the BJP and its allies made gains in the Assembly bye-elections held recently, winning seven of the 12 seats in eight states as the party inflicted blows on ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and Congress in Karnataka. Mocking the Samajwadi Party for losing 2 out of 3 seats in Uttar Pradesh, the Sena said people have started putting an end to caste-based politics, and pointed out that Muslim appeasement also did not help the SP. "The results have laid bare the discontent of people towards the (Akhilesh) Yadav government. They had invited Pakistani artists to appease Muslim vote bank. But nothing, including the hate speeches, worked for the party. People have started putting an end to caste-based politics," it said. The Calcutta High Court today admitted petitions by four convicts in the gangrape and murder of a 21-year-old college girl at Kamduni in North 24 Parganas district, challenging a sessions court judgement. Petitions by the four convicts, two of whom were awarded death sentence, were moved before a division bench comprising Justice Nadira Patheria and Justice Debi Prasad Dey, which directed that the matter would be heard after a month. Of the four, Ansar Ali and Amin Ali were awarded death sentence, while Bhola Naskar and Sk Imamul Islam were sentenced to life imprisonment by Additional District and Sessions judge Sanchita Sarkar on January 30. Counsel Firoze Edulji stated in the petitions that the convictions were not based on sound evidence and that these be set aside and prayed for acquittal. Two others were also convicted in the case. While Saiful Ali was sentenced to death, Aminul Islam was sentenced to life imprisonment. These two have not yet filed an appeal before the HC. Two accused - Rafiqul Islam and Nur Ali were acquitted owing to lack of evidence against them. Another accused Gopal Naskar died during trial in August last year. The gangrape and murder of the girl took place when she was returning home at Kamduni in North 24 Parganas district, about 50 km from Kolkata, after appearing for an examination at her college on June 7, 2013. The second year BA student was pulled into a farm when she was walking back home along a deserted road after alighting from a bus. She was subsequently gangraped and murdered. Her mutilated body was found the next morning in a corner of the farm. Claiming threat to life in jail and from lynching mobs in the court complex, JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar on Thursday directly moved the Supreme Court seeking bail which will be heard on Friday. His bail petition was mentioned before a bench of justices J Chelameswar and A M Sapre by senior advocate Soli J Sorabjee and Raju Ramachandran who wanted it to be heard today itself saying that he was "manhandled" even while being brought to the court room. Kumar, who has been arrested on sedition charges, said he is a student and not some hardened criminal and no prejudice would be caused to any one, if he is released on bail. "The present circumstances are exceptional and call for an exceptional remedy" the petition filed on behalf of Kumar said while claiming him to be innocent. "The Petitioner is an innocent person, and his presumption of innocence is sacrosanct. However, the mob at the Court complex was ready to lynch the Petitioner as if the Petitioner is guilty, which erodes a citizen's faith in the justice delivery mechanism established under the laws by our Constitution," his bail plea said. However, when the bench asked Kumar's lawyers whether they can wait till tomorrow, they agreed. "We will take the matter tomorrow," the bench said. The plea filed through advocate Anindita Pujari said "the situation of dire threat to life of the Petitioner still prevails and further incarceration of the Petitioner in these circumstances is a constant threat to his life. The Petitioner perceives a threat to his life in the prison where there is a great likelihood of an attack on him by his co-prisoners." In his plea, he said there has been a repeated breakdown of law and order machinery at the Patiala House Court complex, both before and after the order of apex court. "It is most serious and egregious that such breakdown does not cease even after the writ of this Court. The situation as it prevails, does not inspire any confidence in the Petitioner and violates his right and aspiration of Justice not only be done, but seem to have been done. The Petitioner's right of access to justice is gravely and severely impeded," the plea further said. Kumar, who has been booked under sedition charge in connection with an event in JNU where anti- slogans were allegedly raised last week, has been arrested by Delhi Police. He has been remanded to judicial custody till March 2. JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar's father today refused to accept security at his home here and alleged that his son was "punished" by BJP and RSS for defeating their candidate in the students' union elections. "We politely urged the policemen to go back as we do not require security. The entire village is with us," Kumar's father Jaishankar Singh told PTI. "Instead of us, please provide security to my son who was mercilessly beaten up by lawyers during production in the Patiala House court," Jaishankar, who is confined to his home due to paralytic stroke two years ago, said. A day after Kanhaiya was assaulted by lawyers in the court complex, the police today deployed security at his home. The JNUSU president's mother Meena Devi is an Aganwadi worker, earning Rs 4,000 a month and running the household. Jaishankar alleged that his son was "punished" by BJP and RSS for defeating their candidate in the JNU student's union polls. "They are out to destroy the career of my son for following a different ideology," he alleged. Kanhaiya's native home is in Masnadpur Tola in Bihat village under Barauni police station, about 30 km from the town headquarters of Begusarai. Jaishankar said the whole family and neighbours are worried about Kanhaiya and sought justice for him. Kanhaiya's elder brother Manikant Kumar, who works in a private firm in Assam, has rushed back home, so has his younger brother Prince Kumar, who is preparing for Civil Services examination in Delhi. After clearing MA from Nalanda Open University in Bihar, Kanhaiya had joined JNU in 2011 to pursue an MPhil in International Studies. He is now in the final year of his PhD. Attacking the Modi government for "not following" the Supreme Court order for maintaining peace at Patiala House Courts, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal today said such a situation could lead to "dictatorship" and insisted courts be "shut down" if issues like what is anti-national are to be adjudged outside judiciary. Reacting to attacks on mediapersons and JNU students and teachers in Patiala House courts complex despite the directives of the apex court to maintain order there, the Chief Minister said, "This was a message that the Centre was giving to the Supreme Court that do whatever you like, we will not follow your orders. It has given an open challenge." Talking to reporters after meeting President Pranab Mukherjee on the JNU row, the Chief Minister said if Supreme Court's order is not followed barely 200 meters from where it sits, "then there will be no such thing called Constitution. Then it will be the Centre and the Prime Minister's dictatorship. This is something very serious. There is no judiciary after that." Questioning the failure of the police to arrest Delhi BJP MLA O P Sharma, accused of beating up a student in the court complex, Kejriwal said "A BJP MLA and some anti-social elements attacked students, journalists and innocent people at the Patiala Court. When those who attacked the journalists, students at the Patiala Court were asked why did they attack, they said they were shouting pro-Pakistan slogans. If anyone raises pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans should we kill him? "It's like if anyone commits murder and police asks about the reason for it, the accused will say he was raising pro-Pakistan slogans. And then police will let him off. Is this a new law in this country?" Flanked by his Cabinet colleagues, Kejriwal said that a "new law" is being followed in the country where anyone can be killed on the pretext of raising anti-national slogans. "Why is O P Sharma still free...Is this a new law... who will decide whether it is against the nation? Then shut down the Supreme Court and High Court," Kejriwal said. He said the Centre had yesterday given an open challenge to the apex court saying "we don't follow your orders. Do whatever you want. This is dangerous for the nation." He said if the Centre could not arrest those involved in the act, then how can they arrest Pathankot terrorists. Kejriwal alleged that the Centre was not arresting the accused to keep the pot boiling over the issue. Lambasting the Modi government over its "failure" to arrest four students who raised anti-nationals slogans at the JNU, Kejriwal said if the Centre cannot not bring to justice those involved in the act, how can they arrest Pathankot terrorists. "Why has the Centre not been able to arrest (those involved in anti-India sloganeering) so many days after the incident. There can only be two reasons. "Either the Centre does not want to arrest them so that the pot keeps boiling over the issue. Or is it that despite a force of 80,000 police personnel, the paramilitary forces, RAW, IB at their disposal the Centre is unable to arrest four students. If they cannot even arrest four students who raised anti-national slogans, how can they arrest Pathankot terrorists. They have failed, they don't want to arrest them," Kejriwal said after meeting the President. He said all political parties, students and teachers have been demanding action against those involved in anti-India sloganeering. "That the Centre has been unable to arrest those who gave anti-national slogans raises questions. No person belonging to any political party or ideology will tolerate anti-India activities. No student or teacher is saying that they support anti-India activities. Everybody is demanding action," the Delhi Chief Minister said. The delegation also apprised the President of threat calls to Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra over the on-going JNU row. "He has been receiving a calls since morning saying 'You have been speaking a lot over the JNU issue'. I want to say that we are not afraid of such calls. Do whatever you want. "It is a serious matter. If Ministers receive calls like this, it is not right from the country's point of view," Kejriwal said. Kenya's army said today it had killed the intelligence chief of the Shebab insurgents and 10 other commanders in an air strike in Somalia. Kenyan troops, part of an African Union force fighting the Islamist insurgents in Somalia, killed top commander and spy chief Mahad Karate in a "major" strike, the army said in a statement. Kenya's army said today it had killed the intelligence chief of the Shebab insurgents and 10 other commanders in an air strike in Somalia. The US government had placed a USD 5 million bounty on the head of spy chief Mahad Karate, with Kenya celebrating what it called a "major blow" to the Al-Qaeda-linked group. Kenyan troops, part of an African Union force in Somalia (AMISOM) fighting the insurgents, claimed to have killed Karate, a top commander also responsible for internal security, in an air strike at a Shebab training camp earlier this month. Karate -- head of the Shebab's Amniyat unit, a special security wing responsible for intelligence, attacks and assassinations -- is said to have been involved in plotting the 2015 massacre of 148 people at Garissa university in northeastern Kenya. "The killing... Is a major blow to the terrorist group," army spokesman David Obonyo said in a statement. "The Kenya Defence Forces, under AMISOM operations, would like to confirm that Mahad Mohammed Karate... And 10 other middle level commanders were killed in a major KDF strike," in southern Somalia on February 8, Obonyo said. The claims could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate reaction from the Shebab. But the 10-day delay in announcing Karate's death suggests thorough efforts to identify the remains were carried out. Karate was at a Shebab training camp to "preside over the passing out of an estimated 80 Amniyat recruits who had completed their training, and were due for deployment to carry out more terrorist attacks," Obonyo said. "It is confirmed that 42 recruits were also killed while many others sustained injuries." Karate was put on the US State Department's wanted terrorist list in April 2015 after the Garissa attack, which followed the 2013 attack in the Kenyan capital when Shebab gunmen slaughtered at least 67 people at Nairobi's Westgate Mall. "Karate, also known as Abdirahman Mohamed Warsame, played a key role in the Amniyat, the wing of the Shebab responsible for assassinations and the April 2, 2015 attack on Garissa University College," said the US Rewards for Justice wanted notice. "The Shebab's intelligence wing is involved in the execution of suicide attacks and assassinations in Somalia, Kenya and other countries in the region, and provides logistics and support for Shebab terrorist operations throughout the Horn of Africa," it added. Karate was also the deputy of former Shebab leader Ahmed Godane, killed in a US drone strike in September 2014. Khalsa College Governing Council President Satyajit Singh Majithia today hit out at Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh for "gatecrashing" the institute saying he had "stooped low" and was telling lies for petty political gains. Majithia said he was "saddened" to hear the way Amarinder "behaved" at Khalsa College where he "stormed and gatecrashed" on Wednesday when the institute was open for academic activities. He claimed that the security staff has made written complaints regarding "misbehavior" by the local MP's security men when they snatched keys to storm into the college campus. Amarinder during his visited to the college yesterday, had to take an alternative route to enter the campus as after learning about his proposed visit, the management blocked the main gate. Majithia said Amarinder, whom his father Surjit Singh Majithia had made Chancellor of the institution, behaved like a "petty uninformed politician" and forcibly entered the institution, vitiating the academic atmosphere by making frivolous insinuations. "Does he not know the Governing Council is functioning as per the 125-year-old constitution. Is he oblivious to the fact that the present management in a short span of 11 years has added nine professional colleges and one school to impart education in fields which have great employment potential," Majithia said. "How can he (Amarinder) not understand that the need to further raise the education levels to cover M.Phil, Ph.D, Masters courses and providing facilities for research by upgrading libraries and laboratories is not education enhancement," he said. By reaching the requisite standard for University, we will be free to collaborate with the best institutes in the world to provide the best education. We cannot do this without becoming an independent University, Majithia said. "We have spent close to Rs 90 crore for facilities to enhance education in professional fields to university levels here at the campus adjoining the main Khalsa College," he said. "How can any normal person suggest not to upgrade when the facilities have been created by hard work and go about setting up a University where you do not even have an inch of land," Majithia said. Notably, the Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) had announced to set up Khalsa University Amritsar (KUA) to provide "quality education" to students. Islamic State militants recently fired mortar shells believed to have been filled with a chemical substance, possibly chlorine, at Kurdish troops close to the Iraqi town of Sinjar, wounding 30 fighters, a Kurdish military officer and a medical official said today. Nine Kurdish soldiers, known as Peshmerga, were admitted to Azadi Teaching Hospital in the city of Dohuk last Friday with symptoms including vomiting, nausea, shortness of breath and itching, the director of the hospital, Dr Afrasiab Mussa Yones, told The Associated Press. He said that the symptoms suggested that chlorine had been used, but that further analysis was needed. Yones said he would send samples taken from the soldiers' clothes for analysis. All the Peshmerga were discharged after treatment. "One of the mortar rounds landed near my position and there was a lot of smoke," said Col. Lukhman Kulli Ibrahim of the 8th Peshmerga brigade based in Sinjar. He said he "fell down immediately and went unconscious." He said that after coming to, "I felt burning in my eyes, I struggled to breathe, had a headache and a burning in my chest." The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons confirmed earlier this week that IS used mustard gas on Kurdish forces last August. Chlorine is an easily obtainable chemical element that is widely used in water purification. It was first used as a weapon in the First World War. When it reacts with water in the lungs it forms hydrochloric acid, a potentially lethal irritant. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe today warned opponents of his government's plan to forge international trade pacts with several countries, including India, to "stop playing games". He was responding to a public demonstration by trade unions and professional groups who are opposed to the proposed Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India. "I urge them to stop playing games with my plan to create one million jobs. We have to sign international trade agreements with India, China and Singapore to create one million jobs during the next five years," Wickremesinghe said. Sri Lankan worker unions claim the proposed ETCA will endanger jobs of locals in the IT sector as Indian IT professionals would flood the job market. The doctors' trade union has also joined the protests against the ETCA. Wickremesinghe said he would counter public agitations by these groups opposed to trade pacts with counter demonstrations with the participation of youth. "Do not try to upset our plans to create employment, you will fail. We have the mandate to create jobs," Wickremesinghe warned. Government school teachers in Punjab will be felicitated with a 'Life Time Achievement Award' in recognition of their contribution to education, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said. The award, carrying a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, would encourage the teaching fraternity to excel in the field of education by upgrading their teaching skills and adopting innovative practices, and by creating a bonding between them and pupils, the Chief Minister said at launch of 'Mukh Mantri Vigyan Yatra. Badal said his government is enhancing the award money being given to the teachers conferred with state award from the government schools from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 every year. The Chief Minister asked the Education Minister to put in place a mechanism for timely recruitment. The Chief Minister asked the students to shun the practice of copying in the exams. He said that it was incumbent on the part of parents and school teachers to motivate the students to work hard to secure high marks by dint of hard labour. Highlighting the initiatives taken by the state government to promote quality education, the Chief Minister said that the Mentoring schools, Maharaja Ranjit Singh school and Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Academies at Mohali for boys and girls respectively were testimony to state government's resolve to provide a healthy platform to compete with their peers of convent schools in securing lucrative jobs not only in civil and defence services but also to get gainful employment across the globe. He said the government was mulling to regularise the services of the contractual employees in various departments, adding that a decision to this effect would be taken very soon. On the occasion, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal claimed that there was a "massive wave" in favour of the SAD-BJP alliance in the run-up to the Assembly polls. He also claimed that both the Congress and the AAP would be "swept away" in the "tsunami" of the alliance which was all set to form the government in the state for the third consecutive term and added that the impressive gathering was a proof that the people were solidly behind it. Coming down on AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Sukhbir claimed that he wanted to assume power in Punjab only to "settle the score with the Union government" and added that if the party was voted to power, there would be a direct clash between the state and the Centre which would be "disastrous" for the former as it would have to rely on the latter for development-oriented issues and policies. "Punjab can progress only if the SAD-BJP combine retains power. It can get the maximum benefits for the state from the BJP-led government at the Centre," he claimed. Sukhbir alleged that Amarinder had done "nothing" for Punjab and it was on record that even the Congress MLAs could not list even a single achievement during his tenure as chief minister in the Assembly. He announced that 2,000 medical stores would soon be opened across the state to distribute free medicines among the people. Likewise, he said skill development centres would be set up in every block to impart free technical education to the people, thereby enabling them to be gainfully self-employed. Addressing the gathering, state Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia slammed both the Congress and the AAP for their "anti-Punjab and anti-Sikh" mindset. Cautioning the people about Kejriwal's party, he called the Delhi Chief Minister a "con man" who "habitually duped" the people by showing them greener pastures. He claimed that Kejriwal had "failed" as a chief minister as he had not fulfilled even a single promise made to the people. US fighter jet maker Lockheed Martin today said it is ready to manufacture F-16 aircraft in India and supports the ongoing talks between the two countries to set up the first manufacturing facility, one of the largest projects under the 'Make in India' initiative. "We are ready to manufacture F-16 in India and support the Make in India initiative," Phil Shaw, chief executive of Lockheed Martin India Private Ltd told reporters at the Singapore Airshow 2016. But the American corporation's executive did not commit any time-frame to have the plant operational, saying the group supports the ongoing government-to-government talks. Shaw expressed strong interest in having the F-16 made in India "soon" without elaborating on the time-frame, linking it to the progress of the government-to-government talks. Currently, Lockheed Martin manufactures one jet a month from its plant in the US and has a series of contracts and joint ventures in India with over 1,000 employees. It has supplied six C130J Super Hercules planes to India in 2011 and will be delivering another six helicopters next year. Industry observers said Lockheed Martin's "wish to manufacture F-16 is based on the strong demand from the Indian armed forces and would want to lower the cost of the planes for exports by using the low-cost capability in India". "Certainly, Lockheed Martin would want to exploit the engineering skill and low cost capabilities in India and make F-16 very competitive in the fighter jet markets," a well-informed source told PTI. "Both the US government and Lockheed Martin see the advantage of placing a manufacturing base in India and make F-16 affordable for emerging markets," the source said. The making of F-16, which will be among the largest projects under the Make in India initiative, will be conditional to the Indian government making contractual commitment to buy the fighter jets for its armed forces, said the source. "Washington, in return, would ensure technology transfer to the Indian engineering sector and a huge boost to Indian exports," he said. If the two government reach an agreement this year or 2017, putting aside all differences on the mega project and the US' move to supply eight F-16 to Pakistan, Lockheed Martin could roll out the first made in India jet in 2019-2020, said the source. Lockheed Martin has already decided on India as its best option for low-cost and highly qualified engineering workforce, and the final go on this is dependent on approval from New Delhi and Washington. The Maharashtra government is in the process of appointing a consultant to help design the International Financial Centre (IFC), state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said today. The remarks by the CM come even as the controversy over providing the land to the Railways for setting up a bullet train terminal at the same location in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) is yet to be resolved. Fadnavis said two task forces have already been formed to devise the final contours of IFC. "As of now we are at a stage of appointing a consultant who would plan this entire area (BKC)," Fadnavis told reporters here today on the closing day at the Make in India (MII) Week. Fadnavis further said the (state) government is also contemplating on whether IFC should be a financial SEZ or just a centre. Earlier this week, the Railways had said it was in talks with the Maharashtra government on the issue of land allocation for the proposed Rs 98,000 crore Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train terminal at BKC, even as the state had earlier ruled out the possibility. The land where the Indian Railways had proposed the station is the same place where the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is planning to develop the IFC. "One is working on the technicalities where in people from financial sector like RBI, SBI chairman are involved. The other task force which is under MoS Finance which is looking in to the legal framework," he said. "Both the models are working globally and working well and have their advantages and disadvantages, so we have to take a call on this," he said adding in couple of months the government will announce the exact time line IFC," he added. The Chief Minister further said he has spoken to Railway Board Chairman A K Mittal regarding the issue of the terminal. "I have brought to his notice about the IFC issue and they have suggested a under ground train terminal. We have also given some suggestions and we believe that centre and state can sit across the table and comets a favourable conclusion," he said. Mittal had said the state government hadn't refused the possibility of the terminal on the BKC land parcel. "Discussions are going on with the Maharashtra government and nothing has been finalised on the same. Design of the proposed terminal will be an underground station, 3 levels below the ground level and the above space is available for the centre," Mittal had earlier said during the MII Week. "We are in talks with them (Maharashtra government) and they have not completely refused," he had added. A man, who was accused of killing a colleague with a butcher's knife following an altercation, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Delhi court which said the offence was pre-planned. Additional Sessions Judge Naresh Kumar Malhotra held 25-year-old Anil, resident of Jwala Puri in west Delhi, guilty of murdering 21-year-old Sanjay and awarded him the jail term. "The offence was pre-planned by convict Anil and he has motive to commit murder of the deceased," the court said. The court, however, said death penalty cannot be awarded to the convict as there was nothing on record showing that he cannot be reformed or that he was a menace to the society. "I, therefore, sentence convict Anil to undergo rigorous life imprisonment under section 302 of the IPC and to pay a fine of Rs 20,000... It is ordered that out of Rs 20,000, Rs 15,000 will go to parents of the deceased," the judge said. The court also asked the legal service authority of west Delhi district to award appropriate compensation to the victim's family. Anil and Sanjay used to work a salesmen in a garments shop in west Delhi. According to the police, the incident took place in June 2011, when a quarrel took place between Sanjay and Anil, who had threatened the former. After 2-3 days, a verbal altercation again broke out between them and Anil took out a butcher's knife from his pocket and stabbed Sanjay, it said. After assaulting the victim, the accused fled the spot and Sanjay was taken to a hospital where he was declared brought dead by the doctors. During trial, Anil claimed that he was innocent and was falsely implicated in the case. He also sought leniency in sentence on the ground that he belonged to a poor family and was the only earning member. Mauritius has sought India's help in implementing reservation for persons with disabilities in the government sector in the island nation. Currently, there is only 2 per cent reservation for persons with disabilities in the private sector in Mauritius. Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity and Reforms Institutions of the Republic of Mauritius, Fazila Jeewa Daureeawoo met the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment (SJ&E), Krishan Pal Gurjar. "The Minister from the Republic of Mauritius informed the Minister of State for SJ&E that at present there is only 2 per cent reservation for persons with disabilities and this reservation is only there in the private sector. The Mauritius government is keen to extend the reservation in the government sector as well," said a statement issued by the Ministry. The Minister also held a detailed discussion on the new Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill that has been introduced in the Parliament. "She mentioned that there is no such exclusive law in Mauritius dealing exclusively with persons with disabilities and said that they now intend to bring such a law dealing exclusively with the rights of the persons with disabilities and sought the help of the Indian Government in bringing about such a law in Mauritius. "The meeting concluded with both sides reiterating their intentions to benefit each other in matter of programmes and policies based on the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)," the statement said. The Minister has requested the government to provide her with the list of the high-end aids and appliances that are being provided by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) to such people. Technology giant Microsoft today said it has been working on a pilot to link Skype with the Aadhar database to explore if the identification service can be used on video calls, including those with government institutions. The US-based software giant said it is very enthusiastic and has "embraced the universal ID system". "We have been pursuing work, initially on a pilot basis, but it will continue to grow, to use that specific technology and integrate it into Skype," Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith told reporters here. Citing an example, Smith said he expects Skype to evolve in a way that will enable somebody at home to authenticate themselves using that ID system with a fingerprint or an iris scan. "(The person can) then communicate with someone on the other end, who might for example, work for a government agency and the government agency will know that person is who he or she says they are," he added. Smith said this will enable people to testify in court proceedings or get a licence they need. "The kind of convenience this can bring to people's lives will be significant. They will not need to travel long distances for many requirements," he said. Details of the pilot were, however, not disclosed. Smith said the company is also working closely with the Indian government on setting up the Cyber Security Engagement Centre (CSEC). "The centre will work with law enforcement agencies as well as customers and help stakeholders fight cyber crimes," he said. Microsoft India Chairman Bhaskar Pramanik said the company is offering security consulting to companies in areas like power plants and defence. Microsoft has recently set up a CSEC in Gurgaon, which brings together attorneys, investigators and security response experts from across the company to help protect, detect and respond to cyber threats in real-time. It works closely with government agencies like CERT-India. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) today staged a protest at the state Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) here for failing to ensure installation of sanitary napkins vending machines in engineering colleges. A directive issued by Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Department in November 2014 had asked the DTE to ensure installation of sanitary napkins vending machines in every engineering college in the state. "Earlier, the National Commission for Women had issued guidelines to all schools and colleges to install sanitary napkins vending machines. The initiative was undertaken to safeguard woman's right to health, hygiene and self-esteem," MNS General Secretary Shalini Thackeray said. "Taking a cue from these guidelines, the State Higher and Technical Education Department on November 20, 2014 and the DTE on December 5, 2014 had issued directives to all aided and unaided technical and professional educational institutions to install sanitary napkins vending machines on their campuses," she said. Thackeray further claimed that until now only two engineering colleges have followed the directive. Meanwhile, DTE Director S K Mahajan said, "In the coming months, active steps would be taken towards the installation of sanitary napkins vending machines in all educational institutions which come under it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today arrived here to take part in Kisan Kalyan Mela at Sherpur village in neighbouring Sehore district. Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan welcomed the Prime Minister at the Raja Bhoj Airport. After the customary welcome, Modi left for Sherpur in a helicopter for the Kisan Kalyan Mela where he will be felicitated by the farmers for launching Pradhan Mantri Crop Insurance Scheme. Earlier in the day, Modi tweeted "Will be in Madhya Pradesh for a special programme- the Kisan Kalyan Mela, where I will interact with my farmer sisters & brothers." Modi also informed through his twitter handle, "I look forward to releasing guidelines for operationalisation of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the path breaking crop insurance scheme." "Will distribute soil health cards & crop insurance settlement claims to some farmers during the programme," he said in a tweet. Private equity firm Motilal Oswal Real Estate has raised Rs 500 crore which will be used for investments in realty projects. The company, the realty arm of Motilal Oswal Private Equity, today announced the first closure of its recently launched real estate fund - India Realty Excellence Fund III (IREF-III), at Rs 500 crore. "The fund, launched in November 2015, with a target of raising Rs 1,000 crore has been able to raise Rs 500 crore in a quick time span of 3 months," Motilal Oswal Real Estate said in a statement. The new fund, with a tenure of five years from final close, will target a gross internal rate of return (IRR) of 23-25 per cent from its investment. The company has already started committing money from its third fund. The second fund (IREF-II), with a corpus of Rs 500 crore, was raised in 15 months and closed in March 2015. Total asset under management now stands at Rs 1,500 crore. "Real estate vertical has become one of our key vertical within the overall private equity business. Motilal Oswal Private Equity now manages more than Rs 3,000 crore across 5 funds spread across growth capital and real estate," said Vishal Tulsyan, MD & CEO, Motilal Oswal Private Equity Investment Advisors. Indirect investing would be the preferred investment route of the company, given the current market scenario. "We plan to undertake mezzanine transactions with established developers across top Indian cities and are focused to generate superior risk adjusted returns for our investors," said Sharad Mittal, Director and Head, Real Estate Fund, Motilal Oswal Real Estate. Further, the company has announced its first complete exit from Mahaveer Developers in Bengaluru. IREF-II had invested Rs 40 crore for their two projects in Bengaluru in March 2014 and exited this investment at an IRR of about 30 per cent. The company recently invested Rs 58 crore in Kolte Patil Developers in Pune and Rs 56 crore in Skylark Mansions in Bengaluru. Entire capital raised for the second fund has been committed and invested in ATS Infrastructure, Shriram Properties, Rajesh Lifespaces, Ahuja Constructions, Casa Grande, Kolte-Patil Developers, Mahaveer and Skylark. Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Babulal Gaur today suggested that the Centre should make Bhopal the sub-capital of India. He made this proposal through a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi which he handed over to him at the airport here. Gaur alleged in the letter that some organistaions are indulging in anti-India activity which creates an anti-national atmosphere in the country. In order to carry on with the effective steps being taken by the government, it is "not only necessary to make a sub-capital but it is absolutely essential. Strategically also Bhopal is situated at the Centre of the country and is very secured," the letter stated. The Minister also highlighted historical, religious, industrial and environmental importance of Bhopal, especially the round-the-year moderate climate of the city which is very favourable for creating sub-capital of the country. "Modi assured me that he will look into the demand seriously ," Gaur told PTI. He also highlighted rail, air and road connectivity of the MP capital with other parts of the country to prove viability of the proposal. "In view of the above characteristics, I humbly request you to declare Madhya Pradesh capital, Bhopal as the sub-capital," he said. Aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said today that at least 18 people had been killed in fighting in South Sudan, including two of its local staff members. "This attack on civilians is outrageous and we demand that armed groups stop these actions," said Marcus Bachmann, coordinator of MSF projects in South Sudan, in a statement. "People came to the PoC (Protection of Civilian camp) looking for protection and this should be a sanctuary respected by all parties," he added after the fighting in the northeast town of Malakal. Initial fighting went on for about three hours, forcing around 600 people - mostly women and children - to gather inside the MSF hospital, said the MSF statement. "MSF teams worked through the night to treat the injured. At least 25 of the initial intake of patients to the hospital had suffered gunshot wounds and eight of them required surgery," it said. The two MSF staff killed were South Sudanese employees, who were attacked in their own homes. "Our thoughts are with the families of our colleagues who have lost their lives," said the MSF. Earlier UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that an outbreak of fighting at a UN peacekeeping base sheltering civilians in South Sudan has killed at least seven people and injured 40. Violence between the ethnic Dinka and Shilluk communities broke out overnight and continued into the day, he said. The MSF statement added that some 40,000 people are currently sheltering in the Malakal PoC site, many from areas where no aid had been available for months. The National Population Register (NPR) is expected to be finalised by December 31. At an all-India conference, the state governments and UT administrations presented the NPR progress report of their respective states and made various suggestions for completion of various NPR data in respect of each household. Registrar General of Citizen Registration of India, Sailesh, who chaired the conference, said the next six months will be devoted towards final updation tasks and requested the state governments to ensure that these are completed and the NPR is finalised by December 31, 2016, an official spokesperson said. The emphasis of the conference was to complete and publish the Population Register, which will form the basis for preparing the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC). The delegates deliberated on various aspects of implementation, quality control, monitoring, data entry, software interface etc. After data entry, the designated state authorities will publish the Register at local levels and obtain claims and objections which will require to be disposed of through a quasi-judicial process. A Naxal, who was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head, was today killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Sukma district, police said. The skirmish occurred in the forests of Gondiguda village under Golapalli police station limits between a joint team of security forces and rebels, Inspector General of Police Bastar Range SRP Kalluri told PTI. A composite squad of Special Task Force (STF) and District Reserve Group (DRG), around 200 in number, led by Sukma Superintendent of Police D Shravan had launched an anti-Naxal operation to the interiors of Golapalli, located around 500 kms away from here, based on specific inputs about the movement of ultras, he said. While they were cordoning off Gondiguda forest, a gun-fight broke out between security forces and the ultras. However, Naxal soon fled to the deep forests on finding security forces zeroing on them, the official added. Later during search, dead body of a cadre clad in 'uniform' besides two muzzle loading guns, couple of detonators, pitthu (bags), Insas rifle rounds and Naxal literature were recovered from the spot, the IG said. The killed Maoist Madkam Rajulu, a native of Singaram village was active as the head of Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Majdoor Sangthan (DAKMS)- a frontal outfit of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), he said. According to the officer, he was also serving as Jan Militia section commander of Singaram Jantana Sarkar. He was allegedly involved in several incidents of violence including an attack on police party in Maraiguda police station area in which a CRPF jawan was killed last year, Kalluri added. In a separate incident, four 'suspected Maoists', including a woman, were arrested from Gadiras police station area of Sukma. While carrying out a combing exercise, a joint team of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and district force rounded up four suspects at Dhruwaras village who later admitted to their involvement with the outlawed movement, a police official said. Nepal government today formulated a plan of action aimed at ending the energy crisis in the country within a couple of years. The meeting of the council of ministers endorsed th action plan on ending the energy crisis period within two years, according to cabinet sources. The meeting held at the residence of Prime Minister K P Oli directed the ministry of energy to prepare concrete action plan for removing the general power shortage within a year and absolute power shortage within two years. National Energy Crisis Reduction and Electricity Development Decade was declared starting this year, said government spokesperson Sherdhan Rai. As per the plan, power outage will be ended within a year by developing solar and wind energy as well. However, within next two years, the load shedding will be solved through generating hydro-electricity. The current electricity demand in Nepal stands at 1,400 MW and the country has about 850 MW of electricity during the peak season. Nepal recently marked 105 years of construction of the first hydropower plant in the country and it is probably the first nation in Asia to produce hydropower. However, the current hydropower generation is little more than 300 MW, though Nepal has the potential to generate 83,000 MW of hydro electricity. On his maiden foreign trip after assuming charge, Nepal Prime Minister K P Oli will arrive here on a six-day visit tomorrow during which he will hold talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on a range of key issues including matters relating to the newly adopted Constitution of the Himalayan nation. It will be the first bilateral visit by a Nepalese Prime Minister here after the trip by the then premier Baburam Bhattarai in October 2011. Oli's predecessor Sushil Koirala had attended Modi's swearing-in ceremony in May 2014. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said a range of issues, including matters relating to citizenship to Indian-origin people, will figure in the talks between the two sides. It is expected that India will ask Nepal to complete the "unfinished task" of making the new Nepalese Constitution more inclusive to address the concerns of the Indian-origin Madhesi community. Oli will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa, Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel and Home Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet among others. The Chief Executive of the National Reconstruction Authority of Nepal and 13 MPs from various political parties will also accompany Oli. The Nepalese Prime Minister will stay at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Oli will hold extensive talks with Modi on Saturday on entire gamut of bilateral ties following which both sides are expected to sign a number of agreements. Two MoUs -- one on the USD 1 billion line of credit that India has already committed to Nepal during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit and another on USD 1 billion that India had pledged during External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's trip to Kathmandu for the country's post-earthquake reconstruction -- are likely to be signed during Oli's visit. Asked about essential supplies from India to Nepal, hit by a prolonged blockade by the Madhesi community, Swarup said it has almost been normalised. He said yesterday 1608 trucks had gone to Nepal from India. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will be among those who will call on the Nepalese Prime Minister. Oli will also call on President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Hamid Ansari. He will visit Dehradun on Sunday to inspect the Tehri hydel power project and will return here in the evening. On Monday, he will address the Indian Council for World Affairs and attend a business meeting. He will leave for Bhuj in Gujarat on Tuesday to have a first hand experience of the earthquake reconstruction work there. Nepal was struck by a devastating quake in April last year and is currently in the process of carring out reconstruction work. The same day he will leave for Mumbai from Gujarat and will meet Maharashtra Governor. He will leave for Nepal from Mumbai on February 24. Asked about anti-India sentiments whipped by some Nepali political leaders in the recent past, Mahat admitted that ties with India should not be held hostage to domestic politics, but said actions need to be taken by the Indian side to address Nepal's concerns so that those forces who don't want good Indo-Nepal ties are deprived of issues. The Nepalese Foreign Minister also referred to various projects which needed to be completed as well as redressal of gaps in treaties like water sharing which is perceived as "unfair" to Nepal by many Nepali leaders. There is a perception in certain quarters that Nepal was not given due share in the three major water deals between Nepal and India, namely the Kosi Agreement, the Gandak Treaty and the Mahakali Treaty, he said. Criticising the new crop insurance scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Swaraj Abhiyan today said it will make no difference to the farmers as premium will be deducted without their knowledge and on crop loss, compensation would be calculated in the same yield-based assessment by patwaris arbitrarily. It accused the government of coming up with Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and its guidelines without due consultations and, claimed it was a tweaked version of the two existing schemes, NAIS (National Agricultural Insurance Scheme) and the MNAIS (Modified NAIS). "Having sensed the political cost of being seen as anti- famer, the Modi Sarkar is window-dressing its image through symbolic palliative measures like PMFBY, which do not address the fundamental causes of farm crisis in India. "The most anti-farmer government in history of the country is now applying heavy-makeup on its anti-farmer face by holding Government sponsored kisan sammelans, pretending to be friend-of-the-farmer," Swaraj Abhiyan said in a statement. "At the ground level, PMFBY and the Guidelines will make no difference to the farmer-as is prevalent now, the insurance premium will be deducted without the farmers' knowledge, consent and information and when there is crop loss, the same yield based assessment arbitrarily decided by patwaris will apply," Abhiyan added. It further said the scheme will leave farmers mercy of the administration while the insurance companies will laugh all the way to the bank. "There is nothing historic and path-breaking in the guidelines or PMFBY as claimed by the Government; it leaves the farmer in the same dead-end. "The Government has just dressed up the existing crop insurance schemes, made minor changes, provided some additional resources on paper and added a lot of hype to create an impression as if the Indian farmers have been finally secured from recurrent crop losses. If anything, this scheme represents a missed opportunity to redress a long- standing and critical problem of the farm sector," it said. Alleging that ever since the NDA government came to power, it has taken several "anti-farmers" steps like not importing urea, thereby creating artificial scarcity, scrapping of bonus on MSP, reneging on the written promise to raise MSP to 50 per cent above production cost and attempting to bring the land acquisition act. Mortgage firm regulator National Housing Bank (NHB) today announced cancellation of licence of Kerala Housing Finance Ltd. The bank has cancelled the Certificate of Registration of Kerala Housing Finance Ltd in exercise of the powers conferred on it under Section 29A(6) of the National Housing Bank Act, 1987, NHB said in a statement. However, the regulator did not specify the exact reason of cancellation except specific section of the act under which the licence was cancelled. "Following the cancellation of registration certificate, the above company cannot transact the business of a housing finance institution...," it said. Kerala Housing Finance Limited was incorporated in 1992 as a public limited company and has 28 branches across Kerala. Indian-American South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has endorsed Marco Rubio which will give a major boost to the Florida Senator's presidential ambition ahead of the state's pivotal Republican primary. "I wanted somebody with fight. I wanted somebody with passion. I wanted somebody that had conviction to do the right thing, but I wanted somebody humble enough that remembers that you work for all the people," Haley said yesterday at Chapin in South Carolina as she announced to endorse Rubio for president. Read more from our special coverage on "US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS" Ted Cruz overtakes Donald Trump in latest Republican presidential poll "I wanted somebody that was going to go and show my parents that the best decision they ever made for their children was coming to America. We say that every day is a great day in South Carolina. Ladies and gentlemen, if we elect Marco Rubio, every day will be a great day in America!" Haley said. The two-term Republican governor of South Carolina is considered to be a highly popular Republican leader in the country and a potential vice presidential pick. However, if Rubio bags the party's nomination she is unlikely to be on his ticket because the two leaders are from the same region of the country and both of their parents are immigrants. "You know that I always say I am the proud daughter of Indian parents. That reminded us every day how blessed we were to live in this country," she said in her brief remarks. Haley said she wants a president who is going to have the backs of military veterans, and those in active duty. "I want a president that knows that when we fight wars, we win wars. I want a president that understands we have to stop the federal mandates that have been pushed on the states like Obamacare and the EPA," she said. "But I want a president who understands that they have to go back to Washington DC and bring a conscience back to our Republicans. Our Republicans need to remember what we are about, which is about balanced budgets, cutting debt, building reserves and making sure that they understand that this guy, he is all about term limits in DC, and that is what we want to see in a president," Haley said. Haley's endorsement is seen as a big boost for Rubio, but this does not guarantee him a win in South Carolina, despite the fact that the Indian-American is one of the most popular governor's in the state's history. Indian-American South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has endorsed Marco Rubio, giving a major boost to the Florida Senator's presidential ambitions days ahead of the state's pivotal Republican primary. "I wanted somebody with fight. I wanted somebody with passion. I wanted somebody that had conviction to do the right thing, but I wanted somebody humble enough that remembers that you work for all the people," Haley said yesterday at Chapin in South Carolina as she announced to endorse Rubio for president. "I wanted somebody that was going to go and show my parents that the best decision they ever made for their children was coming to America. We say that every day is a great day in South Carolina. Ladies and gentlemen, if we elect Marco Rubio, every day will be a great day in America!" Haley said. The two-term Republican governor of South Carolina is considered to be a highly popular Republican leader in the country and a potential vice presidential pick. However, if Rubio bags the party's nomination she is unlikely to be on his ticket because the two leaders are from the same region of the country and both of their parents are immigrants. "You know that I always say I am the proud daughter of Indian parents. That reminded us every day how blessed we were to live in this country," she said in her brief remarks. Haley said she wants a president who is going to have the backs of military veterans, and those in active duty. "I want a president that knows that when we fight wars, we win wars. I want a president that understands we have to stop the federal mandates that have been pushed on the states like Obamacare and the EPA," she said. "But I want a president who understands that they have to go back to Washington DC and bring a conscience back to our Republicans. Our Republicans need to remember what we are about, which is about balanced budgets, cutting debt, building reserves and making sure that they understand that this guy, he is all about term limits in DC, and that is what we want to see in a president," Haley said. Haley's endorsement is seen as a big boost for Rubio, but this does not guarantee him a win in South Carolina, despite the fact that the Indian-American is one of the most popular governor's in the state's history. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today held a high level meeting for early implementation of Bihar Public Grievance Redressal Bill, 2015 in the state. The CM took stock of preparation for implementation of the Legislation at state, division, district and sub-division levels, Principal Secretary Home Amir Subhani said in a press statement after the meeting. Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh, Subhani, Principal Secretary to CM D S Gangwar and Additional Mission Director Bihar Administrative Reform Mission Pratima S Verma attended the meeting. Subhani said that the CM directed officials to speed up preparation for implementation of the legislation at the earliest. The CM ordered to set up a special counter down to sub division level for submission of public complaints and instructed to ensure basic facilities like drinking water and toilet there. The proposed arrangement would provide time bound redressal of grievances with provision of punishment to officials found not doing so. The CM directed to formulate comprehensive work plan at all levels and present it to him at the earliest, Subhani added. The Legislative Assembly had in August last year passed Bihar Public Grievance Redressal Bill, 2015 with an aim to empower people to seek redressal of their grievances in a time-bound manner by government officials. (Reopens CAL4) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today met various socialist leaders and representatives of various organisations from across the country at his official residence 7, Circular Road in the state capital. Representatives of organisations asked Kumar to adopt the drought-affected two districts - Beed and Latur - of Marathwada besides the Bihar government should also provide potable water and fodder for cattle to these districts. Agreeing to their demands, Kumar said that he had directed his officials to contact railway officials for transporting water to the affected districts but the railway officials did not heed to the proposal. "I am directing my officials to make fodder available to the two districts of 'Marathwada'. The state government will provide all possible help to the affected Beed and Latur districts of Marathwada," Kumar said. Asserting that prohibition is a social issue in which he would play an active role, Kumar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in favour of prohibition and hence he should enforce prohibition in all the BJP ruled states. He further said that Jharkhand government should follow the Gujarat model, if not Bihar model, for enforcement of prohibition as there is prohibition in Gujarat too. In reply to social activist Medha Patkar's suggestion to organise a meeting of organisations fighting against liquor either at Patna or Delhi, Kumar said "I will certainly participate in such meeting either at Patna or Delhi. Former Delhi Metro Chief Dr E Sreedharan today said that he was not in favour of at present, instead emphasised on the need for the Indian Railways to improve the existing facilities. "This is not the right time for in the country but there was a need for improving existing facilities, speed, infrastructure and comforts of passengers," Sreedharan, also known as the 'Metro Man' for developing the vibrant Delhi Metro, said in an informal interaction with reporters on sidelines of a function here.. Read our full coverage on Union Budget 2016 He said the Railways should concentrate on betterment of the existing facilities at the outset and think of later. "May be after eight to 10 years, we may require bullet train," Sreedharan said. To a query on the proposed bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, Sreedharan, who had spent about 36 years with Railways, expressed his satisfaction over the progress of the Nagpur Metro Rail project. The Nagpur metro project, he said, was using a new technology where the via duct will be of 8.5 metres against the 10 metres in other Metro Rails across the country. Earlier, at the first foundation day programme of Nagpur Metro Rail, Sreedharan said the project should be completed on time and it should be affordable to the users, since it was a public transport. "If you don't complete the project within the time frame, the cost will escalate Rs 50 lakhs per day. When the detailed Project Report of Delhi Metro was drafted, the completion target was given 10 years but we finished in seven years and three months, which was a record, thereby saving a huge revenue," he said. Educate the public and users about the utility and engage them so that there are no inordinate delays in execution, he said, emphasising on evolving a work culture among employees and staff to inculcate a 'sense of integrity'. Citing example of Delhi, he said a run of 65 kms Metro Rail reduced congestion on road traffic as about 35,000 cars were off roads and Rs 3 lakh crore was saved on fossil fuel. Managing Director of Nagpur Metro Brajesh Dixit, Divisional Commissioner Anup Kumar and Municipal Commissioner Shrawan Hardikar were also present on the occasion. As part of their 'Nyay Yatra' (March for Justice) initiative, activists of the "Forum for Fast Justice" went to Howrah district court today to sensitise people on the need of judicial reforms. Members of the "Forum for Fast Justice" went to Howrah District Court today with banners like "Save the nation", "Save the Judiciary". "There should be reforms in the judiciary. It is need of the hour. But do not blame the judge and lawyers altogether. Both are tied to the system. In fact, the system needs to be changed," National Convener of the Trust Pravin Patel said. Many lawyers gathered outside the Howrah court premises to discuss their views and displeasure of the slow judiciary. The Forum held programme near Calcutta High court and Bankshall court in Kolkata yesterday. The Forum's 35-day Nyay Yatra began on January 30 from New Delhi aiming to sensitise people about the need for time-bound disposal and reduction in backlog of cases. The activists, comprising social workers and lawyers, will cover around 170 districts as well as major towns across 22 states in four-wheelers. The Yatra will culminate at Jantar Mantar on March 4 in the national capital. 'Nyay Yatra', organised by the New Delhi-based 'Forum for Fast Justice' to create awareness among common people about the judiciary, reached here today. The 35-day Yatra, organised by the New Delhi-based Forum for Fast Justice Trust is being held to create awareness among the public about the judiciary and the need for reforms. Founder chairman of the Trust, Bhagvanji Raiyani, leading the drive, said the Yatra was an attempt to sensitise the masses on the need of judicial reforms. As part of the propaganda, pamphlets on judicial reforms were also distributed to the public. He said two teams were participating in Yatra. While one team was going from Kashmir to Kerala another is going from Kutch to Kolkata. Both the teams will together cover 22 states and 175 districts in 35 days covering 17,000 km to create awareness among general public. The Yatras will culminate at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on March 4, followed by a two-day annual national convention in the national capital. The Yatra began on January 30 from Rajghat in New Delhi, he said. Time-bound justice, permission for audio and video recording of all court proceedings to ensure transparency, Gram Nyayalaya in all villages, use of Information Technology tools for court/time management, increasing government budget allocation for judiciary by at least two per cent of GDP are among the demands of the trust, he said. US President Barack Obama is likely to make a historic visit to Cuba next month, the first sitting American president to go to the island nation in 80 years, as the two Cold War-era foes make efforts to normalise their ties, a media report has said. The was first reported by ABC which said that the announcement could be made today. "The trip is planned for March 21-22 before the president flies to Argentina," the channel reported yesterday. Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio, who is of Cuban descent, slammed Obama for his planned trip to Cuba. Rubio said if he was the president, he would not visit the island nation unless it were a "free Cuba". The Cuban government is "an anti-American communist dictatorship. They are a repressive regime," he said. The White House did not immediately comment on the potential trip of the US President to Cuba. Obama's reported to visit Cuba comes roughly 15 months after his pledge with Cuban leader Raul Castro to reopen diplomatic channels following a prisoner exchange and the humanitarian release of US contractor Alan Gross in December 2014. Thereafter the two countries have moved ahead to restore diplomatic ties after decades and the US lifted sanctions on Cuba. The two countries have also decided to resume direct flights. Calvin Coolidge was the last US president to visit Cuba in 1928. He went there to address the Sixth Annual International Conference of American States in Havana. Former US president Jimmy Carter visited Cuba twice in 2002 and 2011, but two decades after he left the office. Barack Obama today announced that he along with Michelle will next month make a landmark Cuba visit, the first by a US President in nearly 90 years, as the two arch-rivals look to bury their Cold War-era animosity. "Next month, I'll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people," Obama said in one of a series of tweets. "14 months ago, I announced that we would begin normalising relations with Cuba -- and we've already made significant progress," he said. Obama's brief stop is planned for March 21-22. On Obama's Cuba visit, White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes, said, "For more than fifty years, the United States pursued a policy of isolating and pressuring Cuba. While the policy was rooted in the context of the Cold War, our efforts continued long after the rest of the world had changed." "Put simply, US Cuba policy wasn't working and was well beyond its expiration date. Cuba's political system did not change," he said. Talking about the landmark visit, Obama said, "We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly. America will always stand for human rights around the world." Calvin Coolidge was the last US president to visit Cuba in 1928. He went there to address the Sixth Annual International Conference of American States in Havana. "Our flag flies over our Embassy in Havana once again. More Americans are travelling to Cuba than at any time in the last 50 years," Obama said, referring to the moves of reopening of embassies in each other's country and the agreement to resume commercial air traffic. Explaining why President Obama is visiting Cuba, Rhodes said, "the United States was isolated within our own hemisphere -- and in the wider world -- which disagreed with our approach. Most importantly, our policy was not making life better for the Cuban people and in many ways, it was making it worse." Noting that the Cuban government has taken some steps to increase connectivity with the wider world, Rhodes said, "still, this progress is insufficient." Obama's Cuba visit attracted criticism even before it was announced with Republican presidential aspirant Marco Rubio, who is of Cuban descent, slamming Obama for his planned trip. "Today, a year and two months after the opening of Cuba, the Cuban government remains as repressive as ever. But now, they have access to millions to not billions of dollars in resources that they didn't have access to before this opening," Rubio said last night. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said, "It is a tragedy in my mind that we have diplomatic relations and the President is trying to build legacy here when, if you have a different view than the Castro regime, you're put in prison." Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced in late 2014 that they would begin normalising ties after a half- century of Cold War opposition. The Obama administration is eager to make rapid progress on building trade and diplomatic ties with Cuba before the President leaves office. Earlier this week, the US and Cuba signed an agreement to resume commercial air traffic for the first time in five decades. Even though bilateral ties continue to improve, Rhodes said, "We've made clear that we will continue to have serious differences with the Cuban government -- particularly on human rights." White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said, "This historic visit -- the first by a sitting US President in nearly 90 years -- is another demonstration of the President's commitment to chart a new course for US-Cuban relations and connect US and Cuban citizens through expanded travel, commerce, and access to information. From Cuba, Obama would travel to Argentina on March 23 and 24. "In Cuba, the President will work to build on the progress we have made toward normalisation of relations with Cuba -- advancing commercial and people-to-people ties that can improve the well-being of the Cuban people, and expressing our support for human rights," Earnest said. "In addition to holding a bilateral meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro, President Obama will engage with members of civil society, entrepreneurs and Cubans from different walks of life," he said. Out on parole, former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala visited Panchkula today and spent some time with party's senior leader Pradeep Chaudhary. When asked if Chautala had addressed a party workers meeting at Panchkula, a party spokesman replied in the negative. Notably, on February 1, the Delhi High Court had granted four weeks parole to Chautala, serving 10-year jail term in teachers' recruitment scam case, for medical treatment. 82-year-old Chautala had sought 60 days' parole for treatment of some problem in his polio-afflicted leg. A local Hindu outfit has condemned controversial Madras High Court judge Justice C S Karnan for his outbursts against the judiciary and claimed to have sent him a letter and a Rs one lakh cheque, requesting him to leave the country. Indu Makkal Katchi, a Hindu outfit, claimed to have sent the letter along with the cheque to Madras High Court judge Justice C S Karnan, asking him to migrate to any country, if he so desired. IMK President Arjun Sampath, in the letter, criticised the judge for speaking against the judicial system in India, "thus disrespecting the Constitution." Sampath referred to Justic Karnan's recent remarks that he was a victim of caste discrimination in the judicial system and that if his birthright was cancelled, he would migrate to another country where there was no caste discrimination. "This has become a fashion for anybody to speak against India and try creating religious and caste divisions and discrimination, without any respect to the constitution. It is high time we teach such persons a lesson," he told PTI. "If Karnan accepts the cheque, he has to mention which county he is migrating to," he said to a question. Sampath said he has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue and requested him to take stringent action against Karnan and allow him to migrate to any country of his choice. Justice Karnan had on February 15 "stayed" the Chief Justice of India's order, transferring him to Calcutta High Court, which was suspended later that day by the Supreme Court with a direction that he not be assigned any judicial work. To this, Justice Karnan had said he would 'order' lodging an FIR under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities Act) against the two apex court judges who gave the direction. A Hindu lawmaker has sought an amendment to the recently adopted law on Hindu marriages in Pakistan's Sindh province over a controversial clause that a marriage will be dissolved if either spouse changes religion. The law was passed by Sindh provincial assembly on Monday, making the province the first in the country to allow the minority community to register their marriages. This was after theNational Assembly committeeon law and justicelast week approved the draft law on Hindu marriages, paving the way for registering marriages in Pakistan's minuscule Hindu minority after decades of delay and inaction. It marked the first step to help over 3 million Pakistani Hindus, majority of them living in Sindh, to register their marriages. However, the clause about automatic dissolution of a Hindu marriage in case of a change of religion by either partner has drawn criticism with many describing it as a veiled effort to facilitate forced conversions, which has been a major issue faced by Hindus in Sindh. Ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) lawmaker Ramesh Kumar Vankwani yesterday got support of the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights for amending the bill. Interestingly, Vankwani was part of the panel which passed the bill last week but has now become its vocal critic demanding removal of the dissolution clause. "The clause 12 can be misused to forcefully convert married Hindu women the same way young girls have been kidnapped and forced to convert to other religions," he said. Vankwani said the clause was against the basic human rights of Hindus living in Pakistan. Senator Farhatullah Babar of Pakistan People's Party also supported removal of what he termed the "repressive" clause. "It amounts to promoting forced conversions not only of young unmarried girls but also of married Hindu women. It is a grave human rights violation of the Hindus," said Babar. There is also debate about the Hindu marriage law fixing the minimum age of 18 years for marriage with Hindu parliamentarians like Vankwani saying that Hindu men and women cannot marry until they are 18. There is growing consensus that the issue of age should be left to the "discretion" of Hindu lawmakers but the removal of the regressive clause is problematic as religious groups involved in forced conversion of Hindu women are opposing it with the support of right-wing political parties. After Sindh, other provinces and parliament are also planning to pass the Hindu Marriage Law. Hitting out at Pakistan for dismissing evidence provided by India in connection with the Pathankot terror attack, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today accused the neighbouring country of "pretending to sleep" and not being serious about the probe. The minister also ruled out allowing the Pakistani Special Investigation Team into the Pathankot air base. Noting it is a matter that concerns the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of External Affairs, Parrikar told Karan Thapar in his programme 'To the Point' on India Today TV channel, "If somebody pretends to fall asleep, it's difficult to find out." He was asked about Pakistan's claim that the evidence given by India is not concrete enough. Told that Pakistan has also claimed that Pakistani mobile numbers given by India were "unregistered and had fake identities", Parrikar responded, "Fake identity and non- registration indicates connivance of some. You have to investigate and find out who gave numbers that are not registered." He said that the Indian government has been continuously giving evidence relating to so many attacks to Pakistan. "If someone is serious, he can definitely act," he said. Asked whether the Pakistani SIT would be allowed inside the Pathankot base, the minister said he was not aware of any such request from them. "As far as air bases and defence installations are concerned, no one can enter them without permission of the Defence Ministry," he said. Asked again, he said whatever information they need, it can be provided by NIA through the External Affairs Ministry. "The incident has happened here and we will investigate what has happened here. What we are asking them to investigate is the role of their people in their country," he said. The Defence Minister also said he is "hurt" by the US' decision to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. On the 'One Rank, One Pension' scheme, Parrikar said the government will differentiate between voluntary retirement for better prospects and premature retirement in the interest of the army. He said that a judicial committee has been set up to look into the issue of premature retirement. On the resentment among armed forces on the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, Parrikar said all the legitimate concerns of the armed forces would be addressed. Parrikar also said the ministry plans to cut the 'slack and flab' of the military. However, he made it clear that the "effective component of armed forces will not be compromised". Pakistan is planning to set up a brigade-level military infrastructure in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to provide security to its ambitious USD 46 billion economic corridor with China passing through the strategic region. A substantial piece of land is being allocated to Pakistan Army in Diamer district of the region so that it can set up "headquarters" and ensure security for China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Express Tribune reported. The site is situated in Thak Das, a barren piece of land near Chilas, where a brigade (5,000 personnel) will be stationed, the daily said. "The army will make its headquarters in Thak Das, this will help provide security to CPEC installations," Diamer district Deputy Commissioner Usman Ahmad was quoted as saying. Another official told the daily that the army will soon take over the land formally and start work immediately so it can assume responsibilities. The strategic region in the north, which provides the only vital link with China, is on the key route of the CPEC. The CPEC will link China's underdeveloped far-western region to Pakistan's Gwadar deep-sea port on the Arabian Sea via PoK through a massive and complex network of roads, railways, business zones, energy schemes and pipeline. There are also reports that Pakistan is planning to upgrade the status of the Gilgit-Baltistan to bring it almost at par with the status of its provinces. The Palestinians have welcomed an initiative put forward by France to hold an international Middle East peace conference, a proposal which Israeli Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed. "We definitely welcome the French initiative, we see it as a major possibility for challenging the status quo," Hossam Zomlot, an advisor to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, told reporters yesterday. Zomlot, however, said the Palestinians insisted on their call for a United Nations resolution against Israeli settlement building ahead of any renewed peace process. "Nothing will convince us that we should not go to the United Nations Security Council over settlements," said Zomlot, who is a senior official in Abbas's Fatah party. France's ambassador to Israel, Patrick Maisonnave, met Israeli officials this week to outline the initiative, which proposes setting up a support group of the permanent Security Council members, some Arab and European states and international organisations. It would work in two stages, meeting first without the conflicting parties and then bringing them into the conference. Netanyahu called it "mystifying" and counterproductive, arguing that the proposal gives Palestinians no incentive to compromise. "It says, 'We shall hold an international conference but, if it doesn't succeed, we are deciding in advance what the consequence will be -- we shall recognise a Palestinian state,'" he told reporters during a visit to Berlin. "This of course ensures in advance that a conference will fail, because if the Palestinians know that their demands will be accepted... They don't need to do anything," he said. The rightwing leader restated his position that peace could only come through direct negotiations between the two sides. Palestinian officials have long argued for an international process to end Israel's occupation and bring about a two-state solution. US-brokered peace talks collapsed in April 2014 and the prospects of fresh dialogue have appeared increasingly remote. Union Minister Ramvilas Paswan today condemned the attack on journalists in a Delhi court premises yesterday and said he has sympathy for JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar as he is a "son of Bihar." "I outrightly condemn the attack (by some lawyers) on journalists covering JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar's appearing in a court premises in Delhi yesterday.... It is regrettable that the mediapersons were attacked in the court premises....," he told reporters. On the arrest of the JNUSU president, Paswan said "I have sympathy for him as he is a son of Bihar but I cannot say anything about his arrest." The LJP supremo said one does not commit treason by merely attending meetings but raising 'anti-India' slogans come under the ambit of sedition and demanded a thorough probe into the JNU incident. Though batting from freedom of speech and expression, he said there should a 'Laxman Rekha' for free discourse as nothing should be said or done which violates the provisions of the Constitution and nationalism. "I favour open-ended discourse on whatever issues irrespective of ideologies as far as the students are concerned but there must a 'Laxman Rekha' for all such discourse," the Minister said. Deploring raising of 'anti-India' slogans in JNU, he said a wrong message has gone out from that University. "A wrong message has clearly gone out from JNU where the protesters chanted for dismemberment of India," Paswan said adding those shouting 'anti-India' slogans clearly breached the sanctity of the Constitution. The Bar Council of India has decided to crack the whip on the group of unruly lawyers who indulged in violence at the Patiala House Court complex here, saying the licences of those found guilty will be suspended for life. Apologising for the violence in the court premises yesterday which had occurred for a second time in a row ahead of the hearing of JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar's sedition case, BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra said names of the bar members, if found guilty of indulging in this violence, will be removed from the roll. "I seek apology from mediapersons and that boy Kanhaiya Kumar for such mishappenings and misconduct. Strong action will be taken against lawyers, if found guilty of indulging in violence at Patiala House Court.""The action includes suspension of their licence for their entire life. Therefore, we can remove name of any of the advocates from the roll of Bar Council for whole life," Mishra said. The apex law body has set up a three-member committee, headed by a former High Court judge, to probe the incidents of February 15 and 17 at the Patiala Court where a group of lawyers attacked Kanhaiya and thrashed students, media persons as well as a team of senior advocates constituted by the Supreme Court which had gone there to take a stock of the situation. "We have made a special request to the committee to submit its report and complete its proceedings within three weeks from today and we hope that soon after receiving the report of inquiry committee, we will take a strong action against the guilty," he said. He said BCI has taken a serious view of the incidents and termed it "shameful" and added "handful of lawyers have done this."The men dressed in lawyers' robes had allegedly thrown sharp-edged objects at the team of senior lawyers and hurled abuses and expletives at them. Under attack for the alleged inaction during violence at the Patiala House court complex, Delhi Police has registered two fresh cases against "unknown persons" who carried out brazen attacks on journalists, a lawyer and JNU students' union leader Kanhaiya Kumar. While the first FIR, registered at Tilak Marg police station, is based on a complaint filed by the lawyer, who was thrashed by a group of men dressed in black robes, the second case is to probe yesterday's assault on Kumar, who was produced in the court following end of his police custody, a senior police official said. "Both the cases were registered against unknown persons late last night under relevant IPC sections. While the first one is based on a complaint received by the police, the second case was registered after taking suo motu cognizance of the matter," the senior official said. Yesterday, a group of persons dressed in black robes, led by a lawyer Vikram Singh Chauhan, unleashed an attack on journalists and Kumar at the Patiala House Courts complex. Earlier on Monday, several scribes, activists, teachers and students of JNU were assaulted at the same court premises while a hearing of the sedition case was on in connection with which Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested. Chauhan was identified as one of the perpetrators in Monday's attack too. Before Kanhaiya was produced in the court yesterday, a group of persons dressed in lawyers' robes were seen jostling with another group of lawyers allegedly targeted for speaking in favour of the arrested student leader. One of them was allegedly assaulted, following which the police complaint was lodged. (Reopens DEL87) Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi, who has been left red-faced over the developments, had claimed that Kanhaiya was not beaten up and also defended the handling of the situation by Delhi Police, saying use of "heavy force" against lawyers would have been counter-productive and inappropriate. Referring to Monday's violence, following which two FIRs were registered by the police, Bassi told reporters that three lawyers, including V S Chauhan, and BJP MLA O P Sharma were summoned for questioning. Sharma turned up at a police station today, where he was arrested and later bailed in connection with one of the two cases registered for Monday's incident. The three lawyers are yet to turn up. Claiming that Kanhaiya was well-protected while being taken inside the court, the Commissioner said, "some people at the court did indulge in pulling and pushing. Some of them, in their attempt to reach this person (Kanhaiya) even hit our men. With the continuing unabated, Union minister Kiren Rijiju today said people are free to criticise the government but cannot abuse the nation. In a Facebook post, Rijiju said a group of people in Jawaharlal Nehru University have taken a "despicable vow to break India into pieces" and declared Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru as their hero. He said a group of politicians have defended the actions of "these anti- elements". "As an Indian, the foremost requirement is allegiance to the unity and integrity of India. Anyone can criticise the government but don't abuse the nation," he said. The Minister of State for Home said despite massive condemnation from patriotic citizens, they are still proud of their "atrocious act". "These people are so firmly indoctrinated in their ideology that their hatred for India is subsumed in their freedom of expression. I won't succeed in making them patriotic citizens," he said. Rijiju said there is just one solution left to this issue and such "pseudo students and politicians" should live with the soldiers in 16,000 feet altitude for one year or see the conditions of the widows of martyrs who gave their lives for the nation. "That will make them understand what love for motherland means," he said. In the backdrop of JNU incident, Union Minister Babul Supriyo today said people must understand the definition of "freedom" and should act "responsibly" rather than "recklessly". "There is a belief in our country that by freedom we think we can do and say whatever we feel like. But, freedom is not something that should make you reckless, it is something which should make you responsible," he said reacting to the ongoing JNU row. "I think, when educated minds get into saying or doing things which prima facie looks inappropriate, then definitely it is a danger to the society...And I will say bringing in political colours into this matter is unfortunate." Criticising Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi for his comments on the issue, Supriyo said he (Rahul) was playing with fire. "And with almost everybody criticising the Centre's role in calling the police to contain matters in JNU, I will say Rahul Gandhi is playing with fire with the kind of comments he is making since yesterday," the Minister said. Asked about the rally by Jadavpur University (JU) students in support of JNU students in the controversy over pro-Afzal slogans, Supriyo said "What I have seen in yesterday's JU students' rally where slogans regarding Azadi for Kashmir, Azadi for Manipur, Azadi for Nagaland were raised. I believe there were fringe elements in the rally. "Or, if this is the mindset of the people, then India will have the similar fate of the USSR (break up of the Soviet Union)." Asked for whom was his definition of freedom meant, the Union Minister said "Samajdaro ke liye ishara kafi hai (An indication is enough for those who understand). Definitely it's for whoever acting recklessly. We must remember, whether it's JNU or JU, end of the day all are students. Supriyo hailed efforts of JU students coming out with a rally today protesting yesterday's march. Talking about the role of the state government in the JU students' rallies in support of the JNU protests, the Minister said "Law and order of a state is completely a matter of the state government. I will not like to comment much on this, but will expect that the law and order situation will be contained as per the situation." "Everything is subjudice. Personally I am not a supporter of death penalty, even if the highest court orders it as per the law. How can one give slogans against it or for the Azadi of Kashmir inside a college? "There must be an appropriation. If people make such comments on Afzal Guru, then it is an insult to the system. An insult to the security forces who are giving their lives everyday," he said. Supriyo was also supportive of TV Mohandas Pai, former CFO and head of HR at Infosys, describing it as a very "appropriate one." Pai, who is now chairman, Aarin Capital Partners, had said "Dear JNU students, we fund your studies, not your politics. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said the politics being done in the country now is "dividing the people" and called for such "forces" to be rejected. Taking part in a 'Walk of Hope' event led by Sri M at Ahinsa Sthal in south Delhi, the chief minister alleged that some political parties are working to "divide the people". "Today, there are different divisive forces in the country and the politics that is being done today is dividing the people," Kejriwal said. The Chief Minister said that such strategies are bound to change when "people reject these political parties". "We will have to make people aware as we did during the Assembly polls, when people from all religions voted for AAP. "If people strongly say that they will not get divided, these parties will have to change their strategy," he said. 67-year-old Sri M, who is leading the 'Walk of Hope' from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, said that the aim of the padyatra is to bring people together irrespective of their caste, creed or social standing. The padyatra will cover 7,500km across 11 states in 500 days with the Delhi-NCR leg to run from February 15 to March 4. The march had started in Kanyakumari on January 12, 2015, with 70 volunteers. Google CEO has backed Apple in its battle with FBI over opposing a US court's ruling to unlock the iPhone of a Pakistani-American terrorist who shot dead 14 people in California, saying forcing to enable hacking could "compromise" users' privacy. In a series of tweets, Pichai said that although Google gives "law enforcement access to data based on valid legal orders", but it is "wholly different than requiring to enable hacking of customer devices and data," which could set a "troubling precendent". "Forcing to enable hacking could compromise user's privacy," the Indian-American CEO said as he supported Apple CEO Tim Cook's stand. "We know that law enforcement and intelligence agencies face significant challenges in protecting the public against crime and terrorism," Pichai said. "We build secure products to keep your information safe and we give law enforcement access to data based on valid legal orders," he said. "But that's wholly different than requiring companies to enable hacking of customer devices and data. Could be a troubling precedent," he said as debates are on on the merits of the case between Apple and federal law enforcement agencies. Apple, which is eyeing big on the Indian market, yesterday opposed a US court's ruling to unlock the I-Phone of of San Bernardino gunman Syed Farook who shot dead 14 people and injured 22 others last December. In an open letter to its customers, Cook said building a backdoor access to encrypted data on the iPhone of the gunman would be "too dangerous" to create. Cook's response came after a federal judge ordered Apple to provide investigators access to Farook's iPhone after the company "declined to provide" it voluntarily. The White House Press Secretary, Josh Earnest, has said this is one of request and this does not require Apple to redesign some element of its software, or to create a new backdoor. "It's a very specific request that the Department of Justice has made, and a judge agreed with them," Earnest said. Meanwhile, leading Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz supported the FBI on the issue. "I believe they (Apple) should (be compelled to enforce the court order)," the Texas Senator said during a CNN town hall. "They have a binding search order. And, listen, any time you're dealing with issues of security, and civil liberties, you got to balance them both. I think we can walk and chew gum at the same time. We can protect yourself from terrorist, and also protect our civil rights," Cruz said. Another presidential candidate, Marco Rubio, said,"Apple is under court order and I'm sure they're going to appeal it. They need to follow whatever the court order is ultimately. UK's popular pizza chain Pizza Hut took a dig at rapper Kanye West following his plea for money on Twitter by offering him a job. West went on a Twitter rant on February 13, claiming he's USD 53 million in personal debt and asked Mark Zuckerberg to "invest 1 billion dollars into Kanye West ideas." First, the pizza chain's UK Twitter account re-created West's The Life of Pablo album artwork to read "The Life of Pizza", reported Us magazine. "@KanyeWest Love the new cover, mate. Can't wait to hear the album. Hope Zuckerberg gives you the cash you deserve," its accompanying tweet read. The chain also offered the the 38-year-old rapper a job. "Stop telling everyone you need dough and try kneading some dough," the account tweeted at the "Famous" rapper. "We got your CV today. You start at 9 am tomorrow," the tweet read. The team behind Pizza Hut UK's social media also has a knack for Photoshop, so, the account then rejected West's "CV". The District management has plans to launch solid waste management in 119 village panchayats, with the twin objective of using plastic waste and making the farm lands richer with natural manure. Under the scheme, the waste would be separated into bio-degradable and non-degradable wastes. Plastics would be convered into granules that could be used for road formation, while the degradable wastes would be used for promoting vermin compost. The administration had appointed 220 'Thoomai Kavalars' (Clean environment protectors), who would be paid under Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee scheme.The vermi compost would help panchayats earn revenue also. According to collector Saravanaselvaraj, the scheme was successful in 25 panchayats where it had been implemented. The proposed phase would cover 1,57,353 households in 580 cluster habitations.More 'Thoomai Kavalars' would be appointed for this work.They would be engaged in segregation and vermi compost yard works. The Keelapalur Panchayat Level Federation has been provided with plastic shredding machine at a cost of Rs 2,74,050. Saraswathi Ganesan, Project Officer,District Rural Development Agency, said seven roads have been relaid by using plastic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declined to receive an honorary doctorate from Banaras Hindu University, citing his policy of not accepting such degrees, official sources said here today. Modi will be visiting BHU on February 22 to attend its convocation during which the University had proposed to confer him with honorary Doctorate of Law. BHU, in a statement, had said it proposed to confer Doctor of Laws (LLD) (honoris causa) on Modi in recognition of his "yeoman services as an innovator, reformer and an outstanding leader in public service and governance". It had requested for his consent but the Prime Minister has said he will not accept the doctorate, the sources said. This is not the first time that Modi has declined such a doctorate. In the run up to his US visit in 2014, a university in Louisiana had proposed to confer an honorary doctorate on the Prime Minister in recognition of his contribution towards social transformation, especially for empowering women and minorities in Gujarat, to which he did not agree. Even as chief minister, he has declined several honorary doctorates from various universities. Curtains will come down on the centenary celebrations of Patna High Court on March 12 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to close the year-long programme at a function where a grand laser show and a documentary film will relive its glorious journey. "We were constantly in touch with the PMO and finally they have agreed, and so the centenary celebrations of our court will be closed by honourable Prime Minister. We have planned a grand event, which would be graced by the Chief Justice of India as well," Registrar General of Patna High Court Vinod Kumar Sinha told PTI. "We wanted to hold it in the first week of March, but we are glad that the prime minister has consented to close the function on March 12. Our closing celebrations would be held for two days. On March 11, we will hold some culture programmes and a dinner would be hosted for the guests. "We have planned a laser show lasting about 20 minutes that will tell the story of the Patna High Court on a grand visual scale. Also, a 20-minute long documentary film encapsulating the journey of our court, with the aid of old pictures and archival material will be screened," Sinha said. President Pranab Mukherjee on April 18 last year had opened the centenary celebrations on the court's famed front lawns, in the centre of which ornamental marble tablets were installed to mark the landmark occasion. The court's building, an architectural icon, was also beautifully illuminated and a souvenir was released. Built in a neo-classical style based on a Palladian design, the grand building of the court, inspired from the new building of the Allahabad High Court, was formally inaugurated on February 3, 1916 by Viceroy Lord Charles Hardinge, who had also laid the foundation stone of this august institution on December 1, 1913. Soon after the building's opening, a Letters Patent was issued by King George V on February 9, 1916 constituting the High Court of Judicature at Patna. The formal session of the high court began with its first sitting on March 1 the same year. The first judges of the Patna High Court were Chief Justice Edward Maynard Des Champ Chamier and six other puisne judges including three Indians -- Justice Saiyid Shurfuddin, Justice Basant Kumar Mallick and Justice Jwala Prasad. As part of its centenary, the High Court building has been given a fresh paint job and corridor floors and steps attached to them, are getting topped with marble slabs after removing the old stone plates of the British era, a move that has upset a section of lawyers and heritage experts. "There was no need to remove those stone plates from the corridor floors or the steps leading to them. They complemented the architecture of the building. The marble has cost so much of money and people are likely to slip off on it more often than not," said an old court employee, who did not wish to be identified. Notwithstanding these minor issues, there is a wave of excitement among current advocates and lawyers and also among family members of legendary barristers like Sir Ali Imam and Hasan Imam, Sir Sultan Ahmad and Saiyid Shurfuddin (among the first batch of judges), who once walked its famed corridors. The main building with its red-coloured mansard roof punctured by dormer window is now basking in the glory of its 100 years, standing tall as a magnificent symbol of dispensing impartial justice in the province which has been through easy times and turbulent times including the country's partition and the Emergency era. The court's main building houses the grand Marble Hall, one of the high-points of its architecture, while the wrought-ironwork on its main entrance (for judges) to the lobby and the British-era lifts add to the old-world charm. The court's iconic east lawn, which in the past had been used for the court's sporting events, has given way to an under-construction 'Centenary Building' of the high court, foundation stone for which was laid in February 2014. "Our 'Centenary Building' (Shatabdi Bahwan) is still under construction and a large part of work is left. We had wanted it to be completed for it be opened by the Prime Minister on the occasion, but at least six more months would be needed," the Registrar General said. "As part of the celebrations, just as during the opening of it, we would put up an exhibition of old pictures of the court and other functions from our archives and museum, in the Marble Hall," he said. The high court since opening the celebrations last April has been holding functions and events at several local courts in some of the districts, where lawyers and judicial officers have presented papers on various subjects. "During this one year, we have covered 37 judicial courts, spanning Rajgir, Samastipur, Hajipur, Siwan, Purnea and Bhagalpur. We have held regional-level celebrations and also those employees who have completed 50 or more years of service have been felicitated. Besides, we have screened the Patna High Court documentary at various places during this period," a senior official of the Centenary Cell told Solidarity freedom hero Lech Walesa was a paid secret agent who collaborated with Poland's communist regime, according to newly-found documents revealed today -- triggering an angry denial from the man himself. Poland's first post-communist president has long insisted such allegations are "absurd" and a special vetting court cleared him in 2000. But rumours persist that he covertly fed the communist regime information while leading the freedom-fighting Solidarity, the Soviet bloc's only independent trade union. A newly-found secret police file contains "a collaboration agreement signed by Lech Walesa (codename) 'Bolek'," said Lukasz Kaminski, head of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) which prosecutes Nazi and communist era crime. Apparently dating from the 1970s, the documents also contain payment receipts signed by "Bolek", Kaminski told reporters in Warsaw Thursday. The IPN published a summary of its findings on its website. Walesa was quick to blast the allegation in a social media post today saying: "There cannot be any materials written by me." The 72-year-old Nobel Peace laureate who as Solidarity leader in 1989 negotiated a bloodless end to communism in Poland also vowed to prove his innocence in court. The allegations against Walesa first surfaced in 1992, two years after he was elected president. It was then that former interior minister and current Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz published a list of 60 suspected SB agents, including Walesa as "Bolek". Although Macierewicz and Jaroslaw Kaczynski -- the powerful head of the governing right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party -- worked with Walesa as dissidents during the communist era, they became his sworn enemies during Walesa's presidency. The new-found documents are from a cache the IPN recently seized from the home of the widow of Communist-era General Czeslaw Kiszczak. He helped orchestrate a brutal 1981 crackdown on the Solidarity movement and died last year. Experts have consistently raised doubts about the credibility of communist-era secret police files, arguing they could easily have been manufactured to frame opposition activists like Walesa. But historian and former IPN chief Andrzej Paczkowski told reporters in Warsaw today the new-found files could put an end to the 'Bolek' controversy once and for all. "Up to now we've been in possession of photocopies... But if now we have the complete file of original documents, the matter will finally and definitively be closed," he said. A day after JNU students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar was assaulted by lawyers in a Delhi court complex, police have taken steps to ensure security to his family here. "We have put a police team comprising five armed policemen and an officer at FCI police station on stand by mode to rush to Kanhaiya Kumar's house located in Maksaspur Tola in Bihat village," Begusarai Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar said. The decision to keep the police force ready to deal with any threat to the JNUSU president's family members or house has been taken strictly as a precautionary measure, he said referring to the incident yesterday at Patiala House court premises in New Delhi where Kanhaiya Kumar was attacked. Kumar said that the team would remain at the FCI police station for the "time being" and will be put on duty only in the event of any threat or intimidation to Kanhaiya Kumar's family or house. Local BJP and ABVP workers have been agitating in Begusarai district demanding stern action against Kanhaiya Kumar and others for 'anti-national' sloganeering in JNU last week. Meanwhile, Kanhaiya Kumar's elder brother Manikant Singh, who works in a private factory in Assam's Bongaigaon district and younger brother Prince Kumar, who studies in Delhi, have returned to their native village to be with their parents Meena Devi and Jai Shankar Singh for the time being. While Kumar's mother works as Anganwadi Sevika, his father is bed-ridden due to a paralytic attack. A CPI leader today said that the attack has left his parents "worried", but they are showing "exemplary courage" at this difficult juncture and are confident he will come out clean. Political parties across the spectrum must strive together to tackle alcohol and substance abuse, KPCC President V M Sudheeran said today. "I am for parties coming together to debate, rather than confront each other on this," he said addressing 'Subodham', a three-day international conference on 'Effective Strategies for the Prevention of Alcohol and Substance Abuse', which began yesterday. There was need to go for a four-phased strategy which should include campaigning through primary classes and a permanent district-level mechanism to coordinate the police, Sudheeran, who has been at the forefront of the government's Abkari policy, said. He noted that the Alcohol and Drug Information Centre India had congratulated the state government policy which brought down alcohol consumption by 20.27 per cent since the implementation of the new policy in April 2014. Dr T N Seema, Rajya Sabha MP from the Opposition Left Democratic Front, said If the LDF came to power, it would not open new bars. The master plan prepared by LDF government in 2009 had proposed the constitution of an 'authority' for tackling alcohol and substance abuse. "To make Subodham into an effective body, it has to be made into an authority with necessary powers," she noted. Global Policy advocate Derek Rutherford, speaking at a session on Global & National Policies/Strategies, said alcohol consumption was increasing because of the diminishing influence of a protective culture, as is the case with India. "This culture is on the wane.It is wise that the state government has taken on the drinks industry," he added. Global Alcohol Policy Alliance Chairperson Prof Sally Casswell, who noted that the drinks industry was appealing to growing market segments of young people and women, emphasised that policy making is an important first step in combating alcohol consumption. The session was chaired by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Joint Secretary, Ghazala Meenai and Kozhikode Collector N Prashant. The conference, inaugurated by chief minister, Oommen chandy, will showcase to delegates from around the world the state government's 2014-15 liquor policy aimed at an 'addiction free Kerala' by 2030. Around 150 national and international delegates including representatives from the WHO, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance and NGOs are participating in the conference. Francis spoke about the church's handling of sex abuse cases while flying home from Mexico, where victims of that country's most notorious pedophile, the Rev. Marcial Maciel, are still coping with the trauma of his abuse. "It's a monstrosity," Francis said of clerical abuse. "Because a priest is consecrated to bring a child to God and if he eats him in a diabolical sacrifice, it destroys him." The role of bishops in the abuse scandal made headlines again recently after a French priest told a Vatican course for new bishops that they don't have to report suspected abuse to police. His comments drew a swift correction from Francis' top adviser, Cardinal Sean O'Malley, who said bishops have an "ethical and moral" obligation to report suspected pedophiles to civil authorities. "A bishop who changes parish when he detects pederasty is reckless and the best thing he can do is present his resignation," Francis said. "Clear?" Francis also reaffirmed the Vatican's oversight of Maciel's Legion of Christ, saying it is continuing to help the scandal-plagued religious order reform and praising his predecessor for bringing the truth of Maciel's misdeeds to light. Pope Francis has decried the "human tragedy" of what he described as "forced migration" worldwide during a huge mass at Mexico's border with the United States. Francis made a point of holding the service in Ciudad Juarez, which lies across from El Paso, Texas, to pray for migrants who risk their lives crossing the border between the two nations. While he bemoaned the fate of Central Americans and Mexicans who flee poverty and crime-infested regions to seek a better life in the United States, he also talked about a global tragedy yesterday. "We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis which in recent years has meant the migration of thousands of people, whether by train or highway or on foot, crossing hundreds of kilometres through mountains, deserts and inhospitable zones," Francis said. "The human tragedy that is forced migration is a global phenomenon today." He did not mention other parts of the world by name but Europe is facing its gravest migration challenge since World War II, with many asylum-seekers fleeing war in Syria and drowning in the Mediterranean. Migrants, he said, are "excluded as a result of poverty and violence, drug trafficking and criminal organisations." "Injustice is radicalised in the young; they are cannon fodder, persecuted and threatened when they try to flee the spiral of violence and the hell of drugs. Then there are the many women unjustly robbed of their lives," he said. "No more death. No more exploitation. There is still time to change, there is still a way out and a chance, time to implore the mercy of God." The pontiff then asked for a moment of silence. Taking no chances after two days of violence in the Patiala House Courts complex, Delhi Police today presented former Delhi University lecturer SAR Gilani, arrested on sedition charges, before a magistrate in a police station for remand proceedings. The remand proceedings passed of peacefully far from the Patiala House Courts which was the scene of violence on Monday and Wednesday when a group of lawyers had thrashed journalists and JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar in brazen defiance of Supreme Court order. Gilani, who was arrested in connection with an event at the Press Club of India here where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised last week, was remanded to judicial custody till March 3 by the magistrate. He also moved a bail application which will come up for hearing before Metropolitan Magistrate Harvinder Singh tomorrow. Earlier in the day, not wanting to take any risk, the police approached the magistrate and requested that the remand proceedings be held in a police station away from Patiala House Courts complex. The violence had triggered nationwide outrage and the Delhi Police had come under criticism for its alleged inaction. A magistrate then went to Chanakyapuri Police Station, about 7 kms away from Patiala House Court, for the hearing when police said Gilani was not required for any further custodial interrogation so he be remanded to judicial custody. Advocate Satish Tamta, who represented Gilani, moved a bail application on behalf of his client and the magistrate fixed it for hearing tomorrow. On February 16, the court had sent Gilani to two-day police custody after the agency had said they required his custodial interrogation to identify those involved in raising anti-India slogans. Police had earlier told the court that an event was held on February 10 in which banners were placed showing Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat as martyrs and anti-national slogans along with slogans demanding independence for Kashmir were raised. It had also said the hall in the club was booked by Gilani through one Ali Javed by using his credit card and another person Mudassar was also involved. Gilani's counsel, however, had said he was only the convenor and the event was open for all. Gilani's arrest has come amid the raging row over the arrest of JNU Students' Union President Kanhaiya Kumar over sedition charges in connection with an event at the varsity campus against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru on February 9. At the Press Club event, a group had allegedly shouted slogans hailing Guru, following which the police had lodged a case under sections 124A (sedition), 120B(criminal conspiracy) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the IPC against Gilani and other unnamed persons. The police had claimed to have registered the FIR taking suo motu cognisance of media clips of the incident. Following registration of the FIR, the police questioned for two consecutive days DU professor Ali Javed, a Press Club member who had booked the hall for the event. Gilani was arrested in connection with the 2001 Parliament attack case but was acquitted for "need of evidence" by the Delhi High Court in October 2003, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in August 2005. Delhi Police are on the look out for four persons who allegedly raised anti-India slogans at the Press Club event here in connection with which former Delhi University lecturer SAR Gilani was arrested on sedition charges. "The four youths, of which some are believed to be students of a central university, were identified by Gilani during interrogation. The youths raised anti-India slogans at the event," a police official said, adding that several teams are trying to locate them. The police are keeping track on their social network profiles and monitoring CCTV grabs of the February 10 event organised at the Press Club of India here, the official said. The hall for the event was booked through Gilani's credit card, by a youth who has been identified as the student of a central university here. They are all likely to be charged under sedition, he added. At the Press Club event on February 10, in which Gilani was present, a group had allegedly raised slogans hailing Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. The next day, the police registered a case of sedition, criminal conspiracy and unlawful assembly against Gilani and other unnamed persons taking suo motu cognizance of video clips they had obtained from a channel. Gilani was detained for questioning on Monday evening and later arrested in the wee hours of Tuesday. He was produced before a court today which sent him to 14-day judicial custody. Earlier, police had claimed that Gilani was booked as he was presumed to be the "main organiser" of the event. Request for booking a hall at the Press Club was done through his e-mail and the nature of the event was proposed to be a public meeting, which did not turn out to be so, senior officials had said. DU professor Ali Javed, under whose membership the hall was booked, was questioned by Delhi Police for two consecutive days. The police also questioned DU professors Nirmalangshu Mukherji and Tripta Wahi. All three of them were present with Gilani on the dais set up for the event, police said. In 2001, Gilani was arrested by Delhi Police in connection with the Parliament attack case but acquitted for "need of evidence" by the Delhi High Court in October 2003, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in August 2005, which at the same time had observed that the needle of suspicion pointed towards him. Republican presidential hopeful and Texas Senator Ted Cruz has called for a massive expansion of the US military, saying its current size is far below than what is needed to keep America safe. "President (Barack) Obama has proposed reducing the regular Army to 450,000. I think that is far below what is needed to keep this country safe. I intend to increase it to a minimum of 525,000 soldiers," Cruz, 45, told a CNN town hall in South Carolina yesterday. Noting that the Air Force has been reduced to about 4,000 planes, he said the US needs to increase it to a minimum of 6,000 planes so that America can project power, and use its air power superiority. On the Navy, the current fleet of 272 ships is the lowest since 1917. "Literally a century ago was the last time we had a navy with this few ships. We need to increase that to a minimum of 350 ships. We need an overall force level of 1.4 million troops at a minimum. "We need to dramatically expand missile defence as we see asymmetric threats, rogue nations, we need to be able to defend ourselves. We need to expand cyber defence," Cruz said. The Texas Senator, who is currently running behind front runner Donald Trump in polls except for the latest one which was released yesterday, also called for a change in America's foreign policy. "We also need to focus our foreign policy and military policy on identifying and defeating the real enemies. I have got strong disagreements with the mistakes of the Obama- Clinton foreign policy the last seven years. One perfect example is Libya," Cruz said. He said that President Obama and Hillary Clinton led the world in toppling the government in Libya and sadly they were supported by more than a few establishment Republicans, including several who are running for President. That has proven to be a catastrophic mistake. "Toppling the Libyan government meant that we handed that country to radical Islamic terrorists. It is now a chaotic war zone where ISIS and other radical Islamic terrorists pose an acute national security threat to this country. It led directly to failures of the Obama-Clinton foreign policy, led directly to the tragedy of Benghazi," Cruz said. He said that rather than engaging in trying to topple governments in the Middle East and nation build, I think the focus of the military needs to be defending this country, protecting the US' national security interests. "Instead of getting in the middle of civil wars, we ought to be focusing on the enemies of America. We ought to be utterly destroying ISIS. We ought to be using overwhelming airpower, we ought to be arming the Kurds, we ought to be using the tools we have to utterly, and completely destroy them," Cruz added. The Witch, the ominous and intricately constructed writing-directing debut from production and costume designer Rob Eggers, comes with the attached subtitle A New England Folktale. Thats probably a better descriptor than the horror label with which its been saddled. As a horror film, its too slow-going to actually instill fear in most mainstream audiences. As a dark supernatural drama, however, its moody, chilling and frequently quite effective. The film is set in 1630, some years before the infamous Salem Witch Trials rocked early America. In an uptight Puritan courtroom we are introduced to William (Ralph Ineson from Game of Thrones), a devout family man whos in the process of being kicked out of his community because the leaders have accused him of blasphemy. William insists hes only following the true word of Jesus and slams his fellow settlers as false Christians. So basically, this guy is being ejected from the Puritans for thumping his Bible a little too hard. Wow. In the early 17th century, being banished from your community could be a death sentence. But William, his loyal wife (Kate Dickie, also from Game of Thrones) and his five children bear up stoically under the village elders ruling and trundle off into the rough New England woods alone. Months later the family has constructed a credible farmstead and is trying their best to make a go of it. Bearing the brunt of this burden is teenaged Tomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy from BBC Americas Atlantis), the oldest of the children. Things go from bad to worse, though, when Tomasins baby brother vanishes in front of her eyes. Dad blames a wolf. Mom blames Tomasin. The younger kids are pretty sure a witch was involved. Tomasin doesnt know what to think. Ultimately, The Witch is more interested in historical, psychological and religious truths than in jump scares and severed limbs. With the dark woods enveloping them, suggesting all manner of peripheral eldritch horror, poor Tomasins family descends into paranoia and mistrust. Mom accuses her of sleeping with the devil. She accuses her twin siblings of communing with goats. Dad accuses everybody of not praying hard enough. Is Williams farm struggling with rotting crops because its been cursed by a devil-worshiping witch or is he just a lousy farmer whose spiritual pride has doomed his family? Has Tomasin been seduced by the power of Satan or is she just hitting puberty? Is her younger brother possessed by the devil or a really bad fever? Are the twins seeing actual supernatural entities in the primordial woods or are they simply imaginative little kids making shit up? Eggers script allegedly lifts whole conversations from actual witch trials. The cast (particularly the commanding Mr. Ineson) does an admirable job navigating the thick, stylized dialogue (filled to the brim with Biblical thees and thous). Its rare to encounter a filmparticularly a horror filmso deeply concerned with the concept of sin. Its easy to see how much the idea obsesses the people in this filmand how such fervent, oppressive beliefs could have led to the madness of the Witch Trials. Lust, sloth, greed and a host of others bedevil this family on a daily basis. If you believe wholeheartedly in the literal text of the Bibleas early Puritans surely didthen the mere, passing thought of a sin is a one-way ticket to Hell. And thats a pretty scary cross to bear. The temptation to blame all your ills on some outside sourceabsolving yourself in the processis mighty. Whether you adapt to its high-minded chilliness or not, youll be forced to admit The Witch looks and feels like few other horror films. With its impenetrable forests, hardscrabble farms and gray-faced residents, its like some long-lost film from Bergmans grindhouse period. (No, Bergman did not have a grindhouse periodbut its intriguing to think of.) Smart, psychological, historically accurate and curious about a great many things, the film has a literary air to it. Rest assured, there is a witch in The Witch. But its a minor element, really. In fact, it should probably have been even smaller. When its dealing in spiritual and psychological ambiguity, The Witch casts a powerful spell. When it settles on more concrete boogeymenas in the films final, hurried actit loses a lot of its grim impact. Had Mr. Eggers gone the Dario Argento route, pushing his narrative even further into the hallucinatory and phantasmagorical, he could have produced a truly transgressive piece of shock cinema. Instead, we get an intriguing suggestion of things to come. Any participation by Saudi forces in a US-led ground operation in Syria would focus on fighting the Islamic State group not President Bashar al-Assad, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said today. "Saudi Arabia has expressed its readiness to send special forces to Syria as part of the coalition, with the goal of eliminating Daesh. This is the mission and the responsibility," Adel al-Jubeir said, using an Arabic acronym for IS. Riyadh has been a fierce opponent of Assad, but Jubeir said any participating Saudi force would make the battle against IS the priority. "For now the objective of any ground forces or special forces would be to fight Daesh on the ground in order to seize territory from them," he said. "If they enter Syria, these forces will work in the framework of the international coalition to fight Daesh, there will be no unilateral operations," he said. Asked if the mission could be expanded to include operations against Assad's forces, Jubeir said: "This would be something the international coalition would have to make a decision on." Saudi Arabia backs rebel forces fighting Assad and insists he must leave office for the country's conflict to be resolved. Violence broke out during Jat agitation for quota in Rohtak today leaving at least 15 persons injured even as Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar convened an all-party meet tomorrow to find a way out of the impasse. Police and the paramilitary troops staged a flag-march to get the town roads cleared from protesters who blocked these in support of their reservation demand. Traders and advocates clashed outside the court premises at Rohtak during the protest,in which several vehicles were also damaged. Advocates of the district court were protesting against non-inclusion of Jat community in the OBC category outside the court premises from where traders of the city were passing in a procession to submit a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, police said. Police and paramilitary forces resorted to lathi-charge and teargas shells to control the situation, during which unidentified persons torched some motorcycles and pelted stones. Prohibitory orders were clamped in Rohtak, banning assembly of five or more persons. In Chandigarh, an all-party meeting has been convened for tomorrow and a decision in this regard was taken by the Chief Minister at an emergent meeting of the Cabinet. Khattar reviewed the situation arising out of the ongoing agitation. The state cabinet appealed to the agitating Jats to call off their agitation in the larger interest of the state. The administration and the police were fully alert to meet any eventuality and the government has kept all its options open to deal with the situation, Agriculture Minister Om Prakash Dhankar told reporters after the Cabinet meet. The government today ordered repatriation of yet another private secretary to a Union Minister, besides sending back two other IAS officers to their home cadre. In a strange order, the government said Gargi Sharma Goel, a 2004 batch Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officer, has been repatriated and she will be "eligible to come on central deputation only after March 16, 2023". Goel was appointed as Private Secretary to Minister of State for Rural Development Sudarshan Bhagat on February 24 last year. The reason for her premature repatriation was not immediately known. Last week, the government had curtailed the tenure of M K Tripathi, Private Secretary to Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister M Venkaiah Naidu. Tripathi, a 2000 batch Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officer of Karnataka cadre, was placed on compulsory wait for posting. Besides Goel, the Appointments Committee of Cabinet has sent back Atanu Purkayastha, a 1983 batch IAS officer of West Bengal cadre. He had joined the Centre last year as Secretary to Central Information Commission (CIC) and is due for retirement on February 29. Rajni Sekhri Sibal, an IAS officer of 1986 batch from Haryana cadre, has also been repatriated a year before completion of her tenure. She was posted as Joint Secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry. Last week, four officers belonging to various All India services were sent back to their parent cadre. The rush of senior bureaucrats from the Centre to states continues ever since the new government took over in May 2014. At least 65 IAS and IPS officers have either availed the option of returning to their parent cadre or have been prematurely repatriated, officials said. The Puducherry Tourism Development Corporation has inked an MoU with Parveen Holidays Private Limited to operate tourist packages from Puducherry to Tirupati and vice versa and also to link the union territory with Shridi, Welfare and Tourism Minister P Rajavelu said today. This has been done to increase the tourist influx, he told reporters here. Rajavelu said Chief Minister N Rangasamy would flag off the Puducherry-Tirupati trip on February 26. The Union Territory attracted an influx of around 12 lakh domestic tourists during 2015-2016 fiscal, he said. He said Parveen Holidays private limited would take care of accommodation of the pilgrims making use of the package trips to Tirupati and also Shridi. He said road shows would be held by PTDC in various parts of the country and abroad to bring to focus the tourist scenario in Puducherry. A training programme would also be conducted to cover staff of travel agencies in association with the Parveen company so as to raise the influx of tourists. On reactivating the airport here, which has been defunct for almost a year after a private flight operator withdrew from providing services between Puducherry and Bengaluru, Rajavelu said government was intensifying steps to reintroduce the service in association with another private fleet operator. Talks were on and this would materialise soon to bring the airport back on the air service map, he said. Puerto Rico says it's buying blood from the Red Cross after the federal government said US territories affected by the Zika virus should limit the use of locally donated blood. Health Secretary Ana Rius said late yesterday that blood from the Red Cross will be used immediately for pregnant women and babies who need it. She said the directive from the US Food and Drug Administration currently applies to Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and American Samoa. The FDA recently recommended that US blood banks refuse donations from people who have travelled to countries where the Zika virus is active. Puerto Rico has more than 30 confirmed Zika cases. The virus is suspected of causing a birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads. Shares of software security solutions provider Quick Heal Technologies made a weak stock market debut today, falling 5 per cent over the issue price of Rs 321. The stock listed at Rs 304.95 on BSE, down 5 per cent from the issue price. Later, it saw some recovery and climbed 2.78 per cent to touch the day's high of Rs 329.95, but soon reversed the gains and was trading lower 5.34 per cent at Rs 303.85. At NSE, the company debuted at Rs 305, loss of 4.98 per cent. It commands a market valuation of Rs 2,125.76 crore. On the volume front, 22.35 lakh shares of the company changed hands at BSE and over 84 lakh at NSE during the morning trade. The company's Rs 451 crore IPO, which closed on February 10, was over-subscribed 11 times at a price band of Rs 311-321 per share. In the IPO, the portion set aside for qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) was subscribed 4.34 times, retail investors saw 3.8 times subscription and the non-institutional investors category was subscribed by 36.7 times. While the proceeds from the offer of sale will not go to Quick Heal, the Rs 250-crore funds raised from fresh issue of equity shares will be used by the company for advertising and sales promotion and capital expenditure for research and development. Quick Heal, which provides software security products and solutions in India, said proceeds will also be invested to purchase, develop and renovate its office premises in New Delhi, Kolkata and Pune as well as for general corporate needs. Software security solutions provider Quick Heal Technologies made a debut on the stock exchanges on shaky note today, plunging nearly 21 per cent over the issue price of Rs 321. The stock, which listed at Rs 304.95, down 5 per cent from the issue price on the BSE, finally settled with a steep loss of 20.73 per cent at Rs 254.45. Intra-day, it tanked 23.36 per cent to Rs 246. At NSE, the stock plummeted 20.91 per cent to close at Rs 253.85. On the volume front, 55.40 lakh shares of the company changed hands at BSE and over two crore shares were traded at NSE during the day. The company, at present, commands a market valuation of Rs 1,781.91 crore. Quick Heal is the third company after TeamLease Services and Precision Camshafts that made stock market debut this year. The company's Rs 451-crore IPO, which closed on February 10, was over-subscribed 11 times at a price band of Rs 311-321 per share. In the IPO, the portion set aside for qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) was subscribed 4.34 times, retail investors saw 3.8 times subscription and the non-institutional investors category was subscribed by 36.7 times. While the proceeds from the offer of sale will not go to Quick Heal, the Rs 250-crore funds raised from fresh issue of equity shares will be used by the company for advertising and sales promotion and capital expenditure for research and development. Quick Heal, which provides software security products and solutions in India, said proceeds will also be invested to purchase, develop and renovate its office premises in New Delhi, Kolkata and Pune as well as for general corporate needs. Meanwhile, as per media reports, one Manohar Malani, Managing Director of NCS Computech has complained to Sebi that Quick Heal did not disclose its entire shareholding details. In a clarification to the BSE, the company said, NCS Computech was an erstwhile distributor of the company's products, business arrangements with whom were discontinued by the company in 2014 on account of NCS's failure to pay its outstanding dues to the company. Taking on BSP chief Mayawati, a key contender for power in Uttar Pradesh, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today accused her of not "encouraging Dalit leadership" in a bid to keep her "firm grip on power". He also attacked the Modi government, accusing it of "killing" Rohith Vemula, the Dalit scholar from Hyderabad university, whose suicide triggered a nationwide outrage. "Mayawati did not utilise the platform provided by Kanshiram...She did not encourage Dalit leadership in the party in a bid to keep her firm grip on power," he said addressing a 'Dalit concalve' at party office here. He alleged the BSP chief, in fact, "crushed and suppressed" emerging Dalit leadership. "Mayawati failed to ensure proper benefit to the Dalits. She did not promote young Dalit leadership when she became the Chief Minister. She tried to crush and suppress Dalit leadership and attempted to concentrate all power in her hand," he alleged. Claiming that the Dalit youth are now "frightened" by Mayawati's leadership, he said this presents an opportunity before the Congress. Congress now wants to give them the space to transform Uttar Pradesh, he said. "Congress has a big opportunity since Dalits have now started raising questions as to why they have not got any benefits in the last ten years. "We want to invite you (Dalit youths) to Congress and give you powers because you have not progressed the way you should have," he said. BSP's emergence on the Uttar Pradesh's political landscape led to gradual erosion of the solid Dalit vote base of the Congress, which it is trying to regain. Speaking about his Hyderabad visit after the suicide by Dalit research scholar Vemula, Rahul said, "Rohith was killed by the government of India. He was supressed by the government and forced to commit suicide. An RSS man is heading the institution there and voice of Rohith was not heard." Congress has kept the heat on the NDA government over Vemula's suicide with its Scheduled Caste department raising it in several places across Uttar Pradesh during the party's ongoing Bhim Jyoti yatra. He said, "Dalits are asking themselves whether Congress could give place to Dalit youths and leaders in the party. We want to take Dalits with us as they did not get desired progress in UP and in the country". On his visit to Dalit homes, Rahul said, "BJP men termed my visit as 'dhong' (drama) but he want to tell them that a true Congressmen has concern for the poor...They (BJP) will not understand it,". (Reopens DEL48) Attacking BJP and RSS, Rahul said they were trying to "hamper progress" of the country by "imposing" their ideology but Congress would not let that happen. "BJP and RSS are trying to hamper growth of the country by imposing their ideology. Congress is fighting with RSS and it will not let it succeed in its designs," Rahul said. He said while Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not like MNREGS scheme launched by UPA, his Finance Minister Arun Jaitely says "there is not such programme like MNREGS". "I asked Jaitley that Modiji termed it a bad scheme, while you consider it a good one. Why you don't say this outside. We will save MNREGS and fight for rights of the minorities and Dalits," he said. He also alleged that BJP and RSS were trying to impose their ideology on the education system, too. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today discussed options of an alliance in the coming Vidhan Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh with his party leaders. In a closed door meeting with legislators, Gandhi discussed the options of an alliance on the pattern of Bihar where the party put up a good show as part of grand alliance in the assembly polls winning 27 of 41 seats contested, a party MLA said on condition of anonymity. Half the legislators were of the opinion that the party should enter into an alliance while the other half were against it but none of them were in favour that the party should go with the Samajwadi Party, he said. Those in favour said the party could enter into alliance with either the BSP or RLD. The Congress vice president asked the legislators to go to their areas and work hard for strengthening the party base. The decision on alliance will be taken only after holding proper consultation with the peoples representatives and others, the Congress leader has assured. The Congress leader exuded confidence that the party will spring a surprise in the 2017 polls and form its government. Hitting out at the government, Rahul Gandhi today said the and the violence in Patiala House court are a "blot" on India's image and asserted that nationalism runs in his blood, a rebuke to BJP for its "anti-national" jibe at him. Taking the battle against the Centre to President Pranab Mukhejree, the Congress vice president said RSS was trying to impose its "flawed" and "dead" ideology on the students of the country but his party will not allow it. Speaking to the media after submitting a memorandum to the President, he also referred to the suicide by Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad and accused the Hindutva organisation of "crushing" him. ALSO READ: Arvind Kejriwal meets President over JNU row "It is not the government's job to destroy institutions bad signals have been sent out in India and abroad. It is a blot on the country's image," he said. Accused by BJP chief Amit Shah of "supporting traitors" Gandhi hit back saying, "Nationalism is in my blood. I have seen my family making sacrifices again and again for this country. Turkish media reports said a Syrian national was behind the attack in Ankara that killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens of others. Yeni Safak, a newspaper close to the government, said today that the man who detonated the car bomb yesterday that targeted buses carrying military personnel was identified from his fingerprints. It said he had been registered as a refugee in Turkey. Pro-government Sabah newspaper said the man was linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. A government official couldn't confirm the reports. The explosion occurred during evening rush hour in the heart of Ankara, in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters and lodgings. There was no immediate claim of responsibility although suspicion fell on the PKK and the Islamic State group. Voicing concern over the Obama Administration's historic decision to draft women into military combat, leading Republican presidential candidates have said defence services should not be used for "social experiments". "When it comes to the men and women of the military, I don't think the military should be governed by political correctness. Or should be used as for social experiments," Texas Senator Ted Cruz said. "If I am elected president we will not be drafting our daughters into combat on the front lines," Cruz said during a CNN town hall in Greenville South Carolina which is having a considerable military veterans' population and goes to presidential primary on February 20. Cruz slammed other Republican presidential candidates who have supported the move to draft women into military combat. "I was astonished two debates ago when three different Republican candidates for President stood up and supported drafting women into combat. I think that doesn't make any sense, Cruz said. "When I was sitting there listening to it I kind of wondered if Rod Serling was going to walk out in a second and say, 'You've entered the Twilight Zone', Cruz said. "I'm the father of two daughters. Women can do anything, but the idea that the federal government would forcibly conscript young women and put them into combat, that makes no sense at all," he alleged. Earlier, appearing during the town hall, Florida Senator Marco Rubio also voiced his concern over the decision. "I do not believe that the military is a place where we should be lowering standards in order to meet some sort of other goal. I believe that I'm open to people in both genders serving in combat, so long as they can meet the minimum requirements necessary for the job," Rubio said. He said standards should not be weakened in order to accommodate somebody into the job. "That I believe in strongly because lives are on the line. And national security is on the line. By the way, there are plenty of men that can't meet those standards either," he said. "So we should not lower standards for anyone because this is not a game. You are putting people into harm's way, where they have to be able not simply to do the job in front of them, but also to be able to protect the people that are working alongside them," Rubio said. Rubio said it was not about the gender, but about the ability to do the job. "And as president and as commander-in-chief, I will not lower standards in order to achieve some sort of societal aim," he said. Research scholars and students from prominent educational institutions here today held ademonstration expressing solidarity with Jawaharlal Nehru Universitystudents. About a 100 research scholars, students and also some faculty members from Indian Institute of Science (IISC), National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), and a few collages affiliated to Bengaluru University gathered at Town Hall here and shouted slogans in support of JNU students. They questioned the police action and charges ofsedition levelled against the students's Union leader Kanhaiya Kumar. The gathering shouted slogans demanding for "azadi(freedom)" from RSS, BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, andpolice action. "What happened in JNU was not an accident. It was partof a concerted and systematic attack on freedom of speech and expression," V K Ramachandran, Professor at ISI said. Protestors also condemned the act of lawyers atPatiala House court in New Delhi. Clifton Rozario, State General secretary of All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU, said "I hang my head in shame for the atrocities committed by the lawyers or those in the garb of lawyers. After a five-year hiatus, (RIL) is likely to resume buying crude oil from Iran beginning next month. RIL, which operates the worlds biggest refining complex at Jamnagar in Gujarat, is looking at quickly ramping up purchases to the old levels of about five million tonnes a year, sources said. Bowing to international pressure to isolate Iran over its nuclear programme, RIL had in stopped exporting gasoline or petrol to Iran January 2009. And from February 2010, it stopped buying crude oil from the Persian Gulf nation. RIL, which has substantial investments in US shale gas projects besides being a big supplier of fuel, shelved its business with Iran over fears of being sanctioned. With sanctions on Iran ending, RIL is now looking to reestablish ties with the nation, sources said. To begin with, it is likely to buy Iranian crude from the spot or current market even as it negotiated a term contract for about five million tonnes of oil annually. Sources said the company is talking directly to the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), not involving any trader. An RIL spokesperson refused to comment, saying it's not the company's policy to comment on transactions. Its CFO, V Srikanth, at a press conference after announcing third quarter earnings, had stated that RIL was evaluating buying crude from Iran after lifting of sanctions. The state-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC) too is evaluating Iranian grades. "It has to make economic sense for us to buy Iranian crude. We are evaluating them," a company official said. Iranian oil mostly comprises of heavy and sour grades such as Norouz and Soroush. The country is creating its own benchmark for pricing by moving away from Saudi-linked rates till now. Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) and Essar Oil Ltd are the main buyers of Iranian oil India, importing between them about 10 million tonnes a year. Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) too may take small quantities this year, a company official said. Immediately after Iran reached a deal with western nations on curbing its nuclear programme in exchange of lifting of sanctions in July last year, a top company official had stated that RIL would look again at starting petrol and diesel exports to the Persian Gulf nation. Oil products from RIL's refining complex at Jamnagar, with a total capacity of 62 million tonnes, are currently sold more to eastern markets. RIL expects fuel exports to the Middle East to diminish as local refineries start. Railways freight volume is likely to grow by 2.1 per cent in the next fiscal as compared to its one per cent growth in 2015-16, according to a study. The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) study on factors impacting railway freight traffic in India, presented to Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, said the doubling of the growth rate is possible without any major policy shifts. Railways had asked the economic think-tank NCAER for the study ahead of the Railway budget 2016-17 to focus on Railway's freight business and to identify the reasons for the recent plateauing of its growth to around one per cent per annum for bulk freight commodities, including coal, iron ore, cement, steel, fertilisers and foodgrains and container traffic. The NCAER study also estimates the likely volume demand in 2016-17 for railway freight. Freight accounts for nearly two-thirds of railway's revenue spread over two broad categories, bulk and other goods, according to a release. Railway's freight business is estimated to have grown at about one per cent in 2015-16. The NCAER study finds that there are several reasons for the nearly flat growth in IR's freight business in 2015-16. The Indian economy has been passing through a difficult and challenging time since 2014-15. Deficient rainfall and two drought years in a row have lowered rural demand. Industry too remains sluggish due to low investment demand. Alongside industry, growth in gross value added in 2015-16 for the mining and quarrying sector, railway's largest client, is estimated to be 6.9 per cent as compared to 10.8 per cent in 2014-15.Crucial components of core infrastructure, coal, steel, cement, and electricity, also showed a decline in their growth rate for April-December 2015 as compared to their performance in 2014-15. Railways freight charges have gone up by 67 per cent in the last five years while there has been a decline in fuel prices. Road transport for freight has now become much cheaper than rail. Among the policy reforms suggested by the NCAER study are correcting the fare/freight ratio; providing for periodic reviews of surcharges like the port congestion surcharge and busy season surcharge; steps to encourage short lead traffic; a review of the dual pricing for iron ore and review of transportation product design to cater to market requirements of smaller parcel sizes. Russia is accusing Turkey of helping jihadists recruit fighters from the Caucasus and Central Asia to fight in Syria, according to a letter sent to the UN Security Council. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said in the letter dated February 10 that recruiters from the Islamic State group had reportedly established a network in the Turkish city of Antalya for foreign fighters from the former Soviet Union. The network is led by a Russian national identified as Ruslan Rastyamovich Khaibullov, who lives in Antalya with his family and has Turkish permanent residence. In September, a group of 1,000 IS fighters from Europe and Central Asia were taken from Turkey to Syria through the border crossing at Gaziantep, said the letter. Russia has repeatedly accused Turkey of helping foreign fighters reach Syria and has stepped up its attacks after Ankara shot down a Russian warplane in November. The recruiters are active in Turkish detention centers where they connect lawyers with foreigners who agree to join IS ranks once they are released, according to the letter. In early 2015, Turkish intelligence services reportedly helped move ethnic Tatars who were fighting for the Al-Qaeda aligned Nusra Front from Antalya to Eskisehir, said the letter. Moscow said Turkish intelligence was helping to fly IS fighters from Syria through Turkey to Yemen using Turkish military air transport, or by sea to Yemen's port of Aden. Russian nationals with contacts with Turkish security and police are involved in recruitment through madrasas in a number of Turkish cities, it added. There was no immediate response from the Turkish mission to the United Nations on the allegations contained in the letter. During a meeting on Tuesday, the Security Council discussed Turkey's shelling of Kurdish forces in northern Syria, which is fueling fears of an escalation in the war. Russian Deputy Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov said he had asked Turkey's allies at the council to "send the appropriate strong signal -- stop your inappropriate behavior in Syria. Russia's top domestic security agency says it has tracked down a group of suspects accused of forging personal documents for Islamic State group militants. The Federal Security Service, or FSB, said in Thursday's statement that it has arrested 14 suspected members of the group during a raid in the Moscow region. The FSB said the suspects were forging documents for Russians willing to join IS in Syria and also making papers for IS militants sent to Russia to carry out terror attacks. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the IS threat to Russia as a key factor behind his decision to launch airstrikes on militants in Syria. He said between 5,000 and 7,000 people from Russia and other former Soviet countries are now fighting alongside Islamic State militants. Gunmen in South Sudan opened fire on civilians sheltering inside a United Nations base, residents said today, the latest atrocity in the war-torn nation. Gunfire broke out in the base in Malakal in the northeast on Wednesday night, with reports of gunfire continuing on this morning. "They killed seven people and injured 32 people, including a young boy whose father was also killed," said resident Jacob Nhial, speaking from inside the UN base. Rebels also reported the shooting, but the numbers killed could not be independently confirmed. Over 47,500 people live inside the Malakal base, among almost 200,000 civilians who have sought shelter behind the razor wire fences of eight UN bases across the country since civil war began in late 2013. "They used Kalashnikovs and machine guns... The situation is still tense, people are hiding," Nhial added. It was not immediately clear who the gunmen were. Malakal is in government control but frontlines with rebel areas are close by. In the past, the UN has said attacks on its bases in South Sudan may constitute a war crime. Veteran opposition politician Lam Akol, who comes from Malakal in the northeastern Upper Nile state, condemned what he called the "callous and cowardly attack on innocent unarmed civilians." UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) spokeswoman Ariane Quentier said there had been "an incident" but was unable to confirm details. The UN mission has more than 12,000 peacekeepers, with half them deployed solely to protect the civilians in their bases. In April 2014, gunmen killed at least 48 civilians when they opened fire on terrified civilians inside a UN base in the town of Bor. At least 10 attackers were also killed when UN troops fought back. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and over two million forced from their homes since the war began, pushing the world's youngest nation to the brink of famine. Earlier this month President Salva Kiir named his arch-rival and exiled rebel chief Riek Machar as vice-president, as part of a repeatedly broken August peace deal. Machar has yet to return to take up the post and fighting continues, with the conflict now involving multiple militia forces driven by local agendas or revenge, who pay little heed to paper peace deals. The Supreme Court today termed as "extraordinary circumstances" the violence in the Patiala House courts and rejected a lawyer's contention that exceptional importance was being given to one case which would demoralise lower judiciary and police. The court also decided to hear tomorrow a petition seeking apex-court monitored inquiry into all incidents including violence that erupted after the arrest of JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar. Justifying the rushing of a senior team of lawyers to Patiala House court complex, a bench comprising Justices J Chelameswar and A M Sapre said "Something extraordinary has happened and that called for such a step." They made the observation when lawyer R P Luthra, seeking to intervene, submitted that the apex court should either change the procedural law or allow the lower judiciary to decide cases as per law. "There is a well calculated design to terrorise the subordinate judiciary and the authorities and my issue is simple that the lower judiciary be allowed to function as per law," Luthra said. He also referred to the setting up of a panel of lawyers to take stock of the ground situation at the Patiala House Courts and also questioned the silence of some high-profile and activist lawyers on issues like Malda violence. "Don't bring all this," the bench said, asking him to keep away politics. However, he did not stop and said when sometime back, the high court was locked, nobody bothered to bring it to the notice of the apex court. He claimed that "some selective group decides that a particular situation is alarming and it is considered as alarming." At the fag end of the hearing, senior lawyer Raju Ramachandran and advocate Vrinda Grover opposed Luthra's plea seeking copies of the fresh petitions filed by Kanhaiya and others on the ground that he has no "locus" in the matter. The bench then intervened and asked the lawyers to give the copies to Luthra as well. Earlier during the day, Luthra mentioned the matter before the bench alleging that Delhi Police was being pressurised not to oppose the bail application of Kumar. The court then said that people should be careful while issuing statements. "We are keeping an eye on law and order situation in Patiala House court. Everyone should be careful while giving statements," it said. Meanwhile, the bench agreed to give urgent hearing to a plea by senior advocate Chander Uday Singh, representing a member of Kumar's defence, for court-monitored SIT probe. He submitted that advocate Subhash Chandran was the member of the defence team and Delhi Police has refused to lodge an FIR on his complaint. The Supreme Court will tomorrow hear a plea against world television premier of Bollywood flick 'Grand Masti', an adult comedy featuring Riteish Deshmukh, Vivek Oberoi and Aftab Shivdasani. A bench compising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice U U Lalit allowed urgent hearing when the lawyer representing Edara Gopi Chand said the plea would be infructuous if the film, having adult contents, is shown on television channels. The appeal, filed by lawyer D Bharat Kumar, alleged that the Delhi High Court is not justified in "vacating the stay on the television telecast of the film" without discussing the "arguments advanced" and documentary evidence. "The proposed telecast of film 'Grand Masti' on television squarely violates the Programme Code enshrined under the Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act, 1995 and the Rules made thereunder "And given the film's pervasive adult sexual content, the proposed universal telecast on television will have adverse impact on the impressionable minds of children and adolescents," the plea alleged. The High Court, on October 20, 2015, had disposed of the plea filed against the prompsed TV premier of the adult comedy. Thane guardian minister Eknath Shinde has lauded district Zilla Parishad's unique scheme - Avzar Bank (tool bank) - of lending agricultural tools to Self Help Groups (SHGs) at a subsidised rate and said it should be replicated across Maharashtra. Under the scheme, run by Thane ZP, SHGs are given agricultural tools up to worth Rs 7 lakh at 90 per cent subsidy. The scheme was started as a pilot project in June last year and was formally launched yesterday in presence of Khadse, Kalyan MP Dr Srikant Shinde, Murbad MLA Kisan Kathore and other officials. Speaking at the function, Khadse said, "The scheme is for the benefit of farmers and has proved to be successful. It should be replicated in other districts as well." District agriculture development officer, Dr Prafulla Bansode giving details of the scheme said, tools like power tiller, mini tractor, pump-set, grass cutter, spray pump, plastic crates, paddy trimming machine, paddy sowing machine are available with the bank. "A provision of around Rs 2.30 crore has been made for the purpose. There is also facility where farmers can take tools on rent and return them after work. A total of 32 tool banks are operating in different talukas of Bhiwandi, Sahapur, Murbad. One tool bank covers four-five villages of a taluka," Bansode said. Scotland has organised a 'Make in India' day to coincide with Mumbai's 'Make in India' Week in Edinburgh in an attempt to attract Scottish businesses to the initiative. The High Growth Markets Unit at the Scottish Development International (SDI), in collaboration with the Indian High Commission here, Confederation of Indian Industry and UK India Business Council (UKIBC), brought together a number of Scottish companies, primarily in the small and medium enterprise sector. "India's aspiration to become a globally significant manufacturing hub requires successful partnership with UK and Scotland. I believe such collaborative events will be one of many to follow and will yield positive results in stronger bilateral trade and investment between India and Scotland," Dr Virander Paul, Deputy High Commissioner of India, said at the event organised yesterday. SDI, in a first of its kind initiative, has set up the High Growth Markets Unit in Scotland to help Scottish businesses explore, identify and exploit business opportunities in India, China and the Middle East. It has three offices in India across New Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, headed by Rooma Bussi, Country Manager of SDI India. Suzanne Sosna, Head of Trade & Investment Services Directorate at SDI, who was in India on a market visit in December, highlighted the immense efforts being made in helping Scottish businesses access market opportunities in India. UKIBC director Stephen Toogood's presentation on 'Make in India' highlighted the ongoing success of the campaign, which is likely to drive India's economic growth over the next decade and the opportunities it creates for businesses in Scotland. Shuchita Sonalika, UK Director for CII, spoke about the various platforms and events where businesses could engage to further explore business and institutional collaboration, particularly in the technology, higher education and innovation space. Uzair Syed, India Lead at the High Growth Markets Unit, said the event was part of continuing collaborations with key organisations with the view to strengthening the economic ties between India and Scotland. German Ambassador to India Martin Ney today said that the second stock-taking pre-negotiation meeting on Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will be held in Brussels next week. "We had a first stock-taking meeting in Delhi in January. There will be a second stock-taking meeting, pre-negotiation, in Brussels next week," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Regional members Meet 2016, organised by Indo-German Chamber of Commerce here. Ney said he was very hopeful that the negotiations would resume as soon as possible because he felt the Indian economy would progress due to FTA with the European Union. "I am very hopeful that the negotiations will be resumed as soon as possible because this is my argument that the Indian economy will progress substantially from a FTA with a EU because it will increase the competitiveness of the Indian economy," he said. The Indian government has been trying to pursue FTA across various regulatory bodies in European Union (EU), but the negotiations had hit a roadblock. India, last August, had put off its negotiations for FTA with EU following an import ban imposed by EU on 700 drugs tested by Hyderabad-based GVK Biosciences. But on Oct 5 2015, the issue came up for discussion during German Chancellor Angela Merkel's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ney said Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has ensured that India is open for negotiations on the issue. "During the meeting with Minister Sitharaman, she has ensured that India is open for negotiations on FTA," he said. The issue had come up for discussion during German Chancellor Angela Merkel's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October in Delhi. A three-day all-India conference of seers began here today on the sidelines of the ongoing Mahamaham festival, billed as the Kumbh Mela of south. Thiruvavaduthurai Mutt head Sri Ambalavana Pandara Sannidhi Swamigal inaugurated the "Akila Bharatha Thurviyarkal Maanadu" at Sri Vittal Rukumani Samathan at Govindhapuram. Hundreds of pontiffs from various mutts and sadhus, including 150 from northern India, are participating in the conference, which will discuss socio-religious issues, the organisers said. Mahamaham, held once in 12 years, commenced on February 13 and conclude on February 22 with the main event 'theerthavari' (holy bath). However, all the preceding nine days are also considered sacred for taking holy dip. India today called "confirmation of truth" Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's reported comment that the Kargil "misadventure" in 1999 by troops of his country was a stab in the back for the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the two neighbours were engaged in a peace process. " has said something which was known to all. Everybody knew about it. He has only confirmed a truth which we all aware of," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. Read more from our special coverage on "NAWAZ SHARIF" Nawaz Sharifs foreign trips cost Pak exchequer Rs 638 million Addressing a public rally in Muzaffarabad, Sharif had reportedly agreed that Kargil offensive by Pakistani troops was a misadventure and a stab in the back for then Prime Minister Vajpayee. Pakistani troops had occupied a number of positions in Kargil heights, months after Sharif and Vajpayee had initiated a peace processs by signing the historic Lahore declaration. "Vajpayee told me he had been stabbed in the back with the Kargil misadventure because it came soon after the Lahore Declaration. I told him I would have said the same thing if I were in his place," Sharif has been quoted as saying. The MEA spokesperson said everybody knew about what Sharif had said. On proposed FS talks between the two sides, Swarup said both foreign secretaries are in touch with each other but no dates have been finalised yet. Asked about Pakistan's offer of sending a special investigation team to India to probe the Pathankot attack, he said India was waiting for a firm proposal from Islamabad on the issue. "We have said that we welcomed the decision of Pakistan government to form an SIT. As and when a firm proposal is received, then the modalities will be worked out," he said. On Pakistan's response to evidence given by India on involvement of terrorists from that country in the attack, he said the issue is being handled by NSAs of the two countries. Asked about Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's reported remarks that he was opposed to any joint probe into the attack, the MEA spokesperson said there was no such proposal. "There was never a joint investigation team. Pakistan had proposed sending a special investigation team to India and that time we had welcomed it. Since then we are awaiting a detailed proposal from Pakistan. Once we receive it, we will discuss," said Swarup. Raking up a six-year-old issue, a self-proclaimed 'shareholder association' of UTI Mutual Fund today alleged violation of rules in the 26 per cent stake sale of January 2010 by four PSUs in the fund house, which termed the charge as "totally irresponsible and frivolous". Addressing journalists at a press conference at the Press Club here, the All-India UTI MF Shareholders Association also demanded a Parliamentary panel probe into the 26 per cent stake sale in the fifth largest fund house to US-based investor T Rowe Price by the four state-owned entities. Incidentally, the demand came ahead of the proposed IPO of UTI Asset Management Company, which runs UTI MF, even as earlier pleas by this grouping has been rejected by the court. Reacting to the allegations made by the association, UTI AMC said that "the statements made by the self-styled 'shareholder association', representing a negligible shareholding perhaps acquired from shares granted in an ESOP scheme to UTI AMC employees, has neither a legal nor a factual basis". "The statement is totally irresponsible and frivolous. It appears to be the work of professional troublemakers with no substantive link to UTI AMC. We shall consider whether the lies and misstatements give rise to a cause of action, but as responsible media, it scarcely deserves attention," the fund house said in reply to queries in this regard. The state-owned UTI MF is the fifth largest MF player in a highly competitive market with over Rs one lakh crore of assets under management. After the Unit 62 crisis in the early 2000s, the then largest MF, Unit Trust of India, was spun off into three entities -- UTI Trustee Company, UTI Asset Management Company and the present-day Axis Bank -- in 2003. The government holds its stake in UTI AMC and UTI Trustee Company through State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda and LIC of India, who own equal stake. These four PSUs -- LIC, SBI, BoB and PNB -- had diluted 6.5 per cent stake each in the fund house to T Rowe Price in January 2010, constituting 26 per cent for an undisclosed sum. The association today alleged that the stake sale by these four PSUs took place in sheer violation of norms and therefore they want the government to make them buy back their shares. The association is also opposed to the proposed IPO plan of UTI MF. Amid the row over "anti-India" slogans at JNU and Jadavpur University, Punjb Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today said he has demanded strict action against those involved in pro-Khalistan propaganda on social media. "Recently I met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. This matter also came up and I have demanded strict action against such elements. We won't allow any disturbance to be spread in the state," he told reporters here. The Akali Dal leader however evaded a question on the JNU issue saying, "I do not know the details." He condemned the attacks on Hindu religious leaders in the state and said the matter is being watched closely. "The culprits would be behind the bars very soon," he said. In the wake of China deploying surface-to-air missiles in the South China Sea, India today said the resource-rich region is "pathways" to prosperity and the dispute must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said maritime security was an important area of concern and that security of sea routes in the Asia-Pacific is essential for India's economy as a majority of its global trade flows across the straits of Malacca and beyond. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said India has been consistently maintaining that all states should avoid unilateral actions in South China Sea that can lead to tensions in the region. Indian companies are involved in oil and gas exploration projects in the South China Sea, a huge source of hydrocarbons. China has been opposing India's involvement in the projects. Swaraj, speaking at Delhi Dialogue VII, an annual forum to brainstorm on all aspects of the ASEAN-India relationship, said, "We are all aware of the importance of ensuring maritime security, which has emerged as an important area of concern in recent times. The oceans and seas, including the South China Sea, are pathways to our prosperity and security." She said development of a Blue Economy and optimum utilisation of marine resources can only take place within the ambit of internationally recognised rules and norms. "The need for resolving disputes peacefully, without threat or actual use of force, cannot, therefore, be underestimated. "In this regard I would also like to stress that we support the evolution of an inclusive, balanced, transparent and open regional architecture for security and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific," she said. The MEA Spokesperson said it was important to ensure full and effective implementation of the 2002 declaration on conduct of parties in the South China Sea. He said early conclusion of negotiations to establish a code of conduct by consensus will also contribute to peace and stability in the region. The External Affairs Minister also referred to threat of terrorism and sectarianism and called for concerted efforts to deal with them. "In the last one year a lot has changed in the global environment. The most significant is the escalation of terrorism, extremism and sectarianism. The rise of ISIS in particular and the displacement of millions of people from their homes has caused enormous tension and threatens the social fabric of many countries," she said. A Swedish charity accused Afghan forces today of storming one of its clinics in the central province of Wardak, killing three people in what it what it said was a potential violation of international humanitarian law. The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) said the raid on its clinic in the Tangi Saidan area of the province tomorrow night appeared to have been carried out by members of the Afghan National Army. Two patients and one staff member were killed in the attack, it said in a statement. However Afghan officials gave conflicting accounts of the raid today, saying it had not been carried out near a clinic and that the casualties had been insurgents rather than patients or staff. A Ministry of Defence official could not confirm the information and told AFP they were looking in to the report. Wardak provincial governor Hayatullah Hayat told AFP that the area was under Taliban control, making information difficult to verify, and said the raid may have been carried out by police instead of the army. "There was an operation by the Afghan forces, possibly police, in the area which targeted a group of enemy fighters, but it was not close to any health facility," he said. Four insurgents were killed, he said. Another senior Afghan official confirmed a raid had taken place but said it was nowhere near a clinic. Wardak, southwest of the capital Kabul, was the scene of some of the most violent battles between NATO forces and the Taliban. The SCA, which runs health, education and other development programmes in almost half of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, strongly condemned what it said happened. "This attack constitutes a gross violation of humanitarian principles and the Geneva Convention that all actors of a conflict have to respect," Jorgen Holmstrom, the charity's country director said in the statement. "We will further investigate this violation and let those responsible be held accountable. Doctors Without Borders said today that it took the wrenching decision not to formally inform Syria's government or its Russian allies about the location of some medical facilities such as the one hit by a deadly airstrike this week, amid concerns that doing so could open them up to targeting amid recent violence that has killed many civilians. The charity, also known by its French acronym MSF, says repeated attacks against health facilities during Syria's five-year civil war have led medical staffers to ask the group not to provide the GPS coordinates of some sites. This was the case of the makeshift clinic run by the charity in the Syrian town of Maaret al-Numan, which was hit four times in attacks on Monday, killing at least 25 people. "Deliberate attacks against civilian infrastructures, including hospitals struggling to provide life-saving assistance are routine," MSF International President Joanne Liu told reporters in Geneva. "Health care in Syria is in the crosshair of bombs and missiles. It has collapsed. Let me be clear: Attacks on civilians and hospitals must stop. The normalization of such attacks is intolerable." Liu said the group has no certainty about who was responsible for the strikes, but the "probability" was that Syrian or Russian air power was to blame. She said MSF's policy of not informing Syrian or Russian officials about the location of health facilities has become a "hot topic" inside the organization. Also today, the head of a UN task force on humanitarian aid for Syria said that 114 "big trucks" delivered life-saving supplies over the past 24 hours for 80,000 people in five besieged areas of the country. Jan Egeland called the deliveries a "first step" by the task force that was set up last week following a meeting of world and regional powers known as the International Syria Support Group. He said the supplies are enough to last about a month. Egeland said the aim is to reach other main besieged areas, or areas surrounded by government or opposition forces, and "hard-to-reach" places within the next week. He also expressed hopes for progress in air-dropping aid to Deir Ezzor, a city which is currently under siege by the extremist Islamic State group. After going slow on expansion of Starbucks outlets owing to a host of reasons, including issues with FSSAI, Tata Global Beverages plans to enhance the pace of increasing the network of the coffee chain going forward. "This year the number of stores (of Starbucks) has not been as fast as we have had in the past, but I think we were retooling ourselves. "We were retooling the brand and the strategy and you know that for a while we had these FSSAI related issues...," Tata Global Beverages Managing Director and CEO Ajoy K Mishra told analysts. In June last year, Tata Starbucks Pvt Ltd, a joint venture of Tata Global Beverages Ltd and Starbucks Coffee Co, had suspended use of ingredients not approved by the food regulator FSSAI in certain products served at its Indian outlets. Central food safety regulator, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), had rejected applications submitted by Tata Starbucks for a total of 32 products in April. Mishra further said: "We have taken a pause to retool, re-engineer our product portfolio looking at indigenising a lot more whatever was possible." Stating that the company is now ready to resume expansion of Starbucks network, he said: "We have now reached a stage where there is going to be renewed focus on rollout and execution, so you will find that we are not consciously slowing down..." He further said the "pace that incidentally happened in the last three to six months" is not going to be how it is going forward. Mishra said, "Seven more (Starbucks) stores have been added during the year. Total number of stores stands at 79. We believe we are poised for good growth going forward having laid a very strong base." In 2013, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz had stated that his company planned to open "thousands of stores" in India in the "not-too-distant" future, making the country one of its two largest markets outside North America along with China. Telangana's Drugs Control Administration (DCA) has inspected 12 units of major pharma firms, including Dr Reddy's and Natco, following complaints that a Chinese anti-cancer formulation used by them was of poor quality. DCA received complaints that anti-cancer drug 'Vincristine' imported from China was of poor quality. Some companies were using this as an active pharmaceutical ingredient in their units, the agency said in a statement. "Based on this information, checks were conducted yesterday and today by 12 teams of regulators from DCA on the anti-cancer manufacturing firms including Hetero Labs, Dr Reddy's Labs, Natco Pharma, MSN Labs, Shilpa Medicare, Laurus Labs, SP Accura Labs, Celon Labs and Therdose Formulations," it said. When contacted, a senior official of Natco confirmed that the searches were carried out by DCA. Five samples of the drug have been picked up and these will be sent to Central Drug Laboratory, Kolkata, for analysis, DCA said. However, the agency did not mention the names of the companies from where the samples were picked up. During their checks, DCA officials also noted violations of norms. Some manufacturing firms failed to stock bulk drugs as per label conditions, failed to conduct audit trials for HPLC (laboratory equipment) and purchased APIs from unapproved vendors, among others, it said. Telangana is preparing a policy for promoting aerospace and defence sectors which will be announced in the next three months, a top state government official said today. "We want to make Telangana a hub of aerospace and defence. We are also preparing a policy for promoting these sectors, which is likely to come out in the next three months," the state's Secretary for Commerce and Power Arvind Kumar told PTI on the sidelines of the Make in India Week here. He said the hub will constitute units for research and development, manufacturing, startups and SMEs, among others. The Telangana government has also proposed to set up three more aerospace and defence parks over the next four years with an investment of Rs 2,500 crore. The state is also planning to come up with a wind power policy in the next two months. "To give a boost to the renewable energy sector, we are coming up with a wind power policy in two months. Apart from this, we also have a solar policy under which we plan to add nearly 2,500 MW of capacity," he added. The state has also tied-up with universities in Texas (US) and the Netherlands for developing incubation centres for energy, the officer said. Telangana is planning to set up a National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) for Chinese firms at Medak. "We are in talks with many Chinese players and are hopeful of setting up the NIMZ by the end of this calendar year. This NIMZ will be mainly for Chinese SMEs," he added. Japanese electric vehicle maker Terra Motors Corporation plans to sell 30,000 e-rickshaws in the Indian market by year-end on the back of enhanced sales network and new product launches. The company today expanded its electric-rickshaw range in the country by launching 'Y4Alfa' priced at Rs 1.2 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and plans to invest around USD 5 million to expand its production capacity and hiring more employees. Terra Motors also introduced Terra battery for e-rickshaws priced at Rs 27,000. "India is the second largest producer of three-wheelers in the world. Hence, India is an important market for us. We plan to sell 30,000 units of e-rickshaws and 20,000 sets of Terra batteries by the end of this year," Terra Motors Country Director Teppei Seki told reporters here. The company aims to enhance its dealers network from 13 to around 100 outlets during the year, he added. Terra Motors has a manufacturing facility for e-rickshaws in Gurgaon with an installed capacity of 2,000 units per month. It sells one e-rickshaw model in the country. "We are now looking to expand the production capacity of this plant. We plan to take it to 3,000 units a month by end of September. We are also looking for another plant," Seki said. When asked about the future investment plans, he added that the USD 5 million could be spent on new factory and hiring more employees in the country. On future product pipeline, he said: "We can look at electric two-wheelers. But that would be later as we are currently focusing just on the e-rickshaw business. There are no plans for a quadricycle or a four-wheeler at the moment." The company has already invested around USD 2 million since launching operations in India. Since the start of selling e-rickshaws in the country from August last year, it has retailed around 3,500 units. Commenting on the Y4Alpha e-rickshaw, Seki said that the 'light weight' model is water resistant and suitable for urban transport. The rickshaw weighs 380 kg and can accommodate five people including the driver. It is powered by Terra battery which gives it a range of 100 km on full charge. It has a maximum speed of 25 km/h. The company also plans to export the model to Africa and neighbouring countries like Nepal, Seki said. Tokyo-headquartered Terra Motors is the leader in electric two and three-wheelers in Japan. It also has presence in various Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam and the Philippines. ABVP office-bearers resigned from the party on Wednesday, saying there should be no Taliban culture in India and the law should be allowed to take its course. "Let Supreme Court find Kanhaiya guilty and award him life imprisonment, let Umar Khalid be jailed if he is guilty but do not attack the entire university, students and teachers,"Pradeep Narwal, former Joint Secretary of JNU unit of ABVP, said. "JNU is the most nationalist institution in the country." Pradeep Narwal, Joint Secretary of JNU unit of ABVP; Rahul Yadav, President of ABVP unit of JNU's School of Social Sciences (SSS); and its Secretary Ankit Hans, resigned from the BJP student wing, saying they "cannot be mouthpiece of such a government which has unleashed oppression on student community". Ankit Hans, said: "We had ideological differences with the party over the issue so we decided to disassociate ourselves. We want to stand for the university as students and not political leaders of an outfit, whose stand is not acceptable to us". While the ABVP senior leaders are claiming that the three students have been "influenced" to protest against the party and divert the whole issue, Hans said, "This is our individual decision which has not been taken under anybody's influence." 'This is hooliganism, not nationalism' In a hard-hitting resignation letter, the trio said, "Every day we see people assemble at front gate with Indian Flag to beat JNU student, well this is hooliganism not nationalism. "You can't do anything in the name of nation, there is a difference between nationalism and hooliganism". "We cannot be mouthpiece of such a government which has unleashed oppression on student community," they added. The three students, however, maintained that they will not join the ongoing strike by the students demanding release of JNUSU President Kumar. Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on Friday last in connection with a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy registered over holding of the event at the varsity during which anti-India slogans were alleged to have been raised. Members of the ABVP objected to holding of the event following which Vice Chancellor had withdrawn the permission for it. However, the organisers had gone ahead with the event. The largescale violence at the Patiala House Courts where JNUSU president Kanahiya Kumar was produced was the result of "police collusion," senior advocate Rajeev Dhawan, a member of the apex court-appointed six-member committee which had visited the court complex, said today. "I have no difficulty in my mind about there being a police collusion. As we went inside, we were told that somebody who was barred entry into Patiala House by the Supreme Court, had a free walk. Registrar General of the High Court asked the police to stop that man and arrest him. But the cops did not. If this is not collusion, I don't know what is," he told a private TV channel today. Dhawan, who had taken a stock of the ground situation of the violence-hit Patiala House, alleged that the attackers were shielded by the police. In an apparent reference to Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi and criticising him for arresting Kanhaiya Kumar on charge of sedition, he said police cannot discharge their duty if they are protecting people "politically". "Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi talks of anti- nationals. He must realise that the immunity he has given to all these people is anti-national. Police have a duty, but as long as they are protecting people politically, that duty will never be discharged. "You have a Police Commissioner here and it is his duty to make sure that people who indulge in such hooliganism are brought to book. There is a layer of immunity that has been provided by politics and police," Dhawan said. "Even the Police Commissioner does not understand the offence of sedition. Kanhaiya Kumar should not have been arrested for sedition. When he asked for 'azadi' (freedom), it was 'azadi' from hunger, poverty, social injustice," he said. Narrating the horrifying experience while visiting Patiala House Courts yesterday, the senior lawyer said, "Even with the cordon around us, I was pushed. How did it happen? I understand the problems of police but they did not perform their duty. Dhawan said, "If police was not there, we would have been beaten black and blue. The words used against us, debris thrown at us is simply something that cannot be done in this country." "What I saw on the premises of Patiala House court was anti-national like goondaism, hooliganism and violence. People being beaten up is anti-national. Any assault on the system of justice is anti-national," the senior lawyer said. He expressed concern over the safety of the jailed JNUSU President saying, "Our deepest concern is that the security of Kanhaiya Kumar. There is a threat even in jail from what the newspaper reports say." "If he is released on bail, proper security be given to him and his whereabouts must not be released," he said. Criticising the troublemakers at Patiala House court, Dhawan said, "they may have LLBs, they may be entitled to black coat, but they are hooligans because of the way they behaved. That is a non-lawyer behaviour. "As far as their right to protest is concerned, they have to do it peacefully. They should not attack others. Thousands of taxi drivers protested today in Madrid against competitors such as Uber, echoing similar recent demonstrations in neighbouring France. French drivers joined the thousands of protesters in the Spanish capital who sported banners that read "No to unfair competition," denouncing among other grievances the planned deregulation of the sector. Spain's cabbies fear that the country's competition and markets authority will harm their livelihoods by favouring upstart companies like Uber. The company, which allows customers to hail drivers using a smartphone app and bypass traditional taxi services, has been the target of cabbie anger the world over. Last month, French cabbies blocked roads with burning tyres and threw smoke bombs, with one Uber driver's car splattered with eggs and kicked by protesters. Uber does not employ drivers or own vehicles, but instead uses private contractors with their own cars, allowing them to run their own businesses. Licensed cabbies must undergo hundreds of hours of training in some countries, and they accuse Uber of endangering their jobs by flooding the market with cheaper drivers who only need a GPS to get around. "What multinationals want is to provide a more precarious service to citizens and more precarious jobs for workers, who become slaves," Miguel Angel Leal, head of the Spanish Taxi Federation, told AFP. Fernando Gomez, a 57-year-old taxi driver from Barcelona who was been in the business since 1984, said his revenues had halved in the space of seven years. "If we don't unite, we will go to ruin," he said. The competition authority has publicly welcomed the arrival "of new models of service providers, particularly the... Transport of travellers in private vehicles, which benefits consumers." It considers that services like Uber or car-sharing website Blablacar will lead to more competition and a drop in prices. But since the end of 2014, Uber's low-cost UberPOP service -- which allows unlicenced drivers to become taxi drivers using their own cars -- has been suspended in Spain. A three-day international conference on sustainable aquaculture, recent technologies development and opportunities in fisheries sector will be held at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari district from March 12. Over 100 national and international companies are expected to participate in the 'Aqua Biz India 2016' conference, S Jyothi Kumar, Director and Head of Andhra Pradesh Technology Development Promotion Centre (APTDC), said today. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman have been invited for the conference, he said in a statement. APTDC, the Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA), Government of India and Andhra Pradesh government are organising the conference, he said. Marine farmers have been urged to attend the 'Aqua Biz India 2016' conference so as to know the new technological methods to increase the production of sea products, like fish and shellfish, he said. Three people have died while mountaineering in Scotland and two more are missing in three separate incidents caused by a bout of freezing weather and strong winds, police said today. Police said two hillwalkers in their 70s had died and a third who was also airlifted to hospital was still being treated. A climber who was not named also died in an avalanche on a mountain south of Loch Ness in the Highlands. Rescuers described struggling against "very challenging conditions," with winds blowing up to 140 kilometres (87 miles) an hour, in the search for a couple in their 20s who went missing at the weekend on Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain. "Sadly conditions on Ben Nevis are preventing us from going out to look" for the pair, the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team said in a Facebook message late on Wednesday. In a freak accident, three persons including two pilgrims from Bengaluru were severely injured when a van rammed into a group of devotees who were climbing the stairway leading to the hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at nearby Tirumala today. The mishap occurred at Mokallamitta on the hills when the Hyderabad-based vehicle, in which a group of pilgrims was returning after paying obeisance to the deity, hit the staircase, police said. The driver was severely injured and have been admitted to a hospital, they said, adding he would be arrested after discharge. The other persons in the vehicle suffered minor injuries, police said. The injured pilgrims were initially admitted to a Government hospital and latter shifted to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam run hospital for better treatment, police said. Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have utilised close to Rs 150 cr of the funds allocated to the states for setting up different waste management projects under the Swachh Bharat Mission, according to Urban Development Ministry. Indian cities generate nearly 170 million tonnes of solid waste annually, and the projects undertaken by the two states are seen as a big step towards significantly addressing the waste management issue in the two states. Tamil Nadu has launched a waste-to-energy plant at Venkatamangalam, 20 km from Tambaram, Chennai. With an intake capacity of 300 metric tonnes per day, the Venkatamangalam plant can produce up to 20 MT of refuse-derived fuel per day, which they plan to sell to cement plants in the state. West Bengal, on the other hand, has allocated Rs 92 cr for setting up over 200 compactors across the state. State representatives confirmed that over 6000 MT per day of waste would be compacted through the compactors being set up. They plan to allocate a single compactor in smaller towns, while municipal corporations will be given two compactors each. Compactors help decrease transportation time and cost, making the overall Solid Waste Management cycle cost effective. Welcoming the commencement of the two projects, Swachh Bharat Mission director Praveen Prakash said, "Solid Waste Management, which is adversely impacting cleanliness in urban areas, has been one of the most crucial factors for us while devising plans under Swachh Bharat. "I want to congratulate Tamil Nadu and West Bengal on taking concrete steps for putting in the processes in place, which would result in waste being properly converted into reusable energy. "Many other states are setting up similar projects in their respective states and I am certain we are moving in the right direction towards solving the Solid Waste menace in urban areas." The Centre has allocated Rs 37,000 crore of the Swachh Bharat project cost of Rs 62,009 crore towards solid waste management alone. This includes leveraging modern technologies for solid waste management, capacity augmentation of urban local bodies, involving private sector, and bring behavioral and social change to encourage residents to reduce /even clean their own waste. "The mission targets the achievement by 2018-19 of scientific solid waste management in 4,041 cities and towns impacting 30.6 crore people. The national flag will fly atop a 207-ft tall flag mast on the campuses of all 46 Central Universities "prominently and proudly" to signify a "strong India", a resolution adopted at a meeting of their Vice Chancellors with HRD Minister Smriti Irani said today. The first of such flags will be hoisted on the restive JNU campus, officials in the HRD Ministry said. "At a central place in every university, the national flag will be flown prominently and proudly," the resolution passed at a meeting Irani had with the Vice Chancellors of Central universities, said. The move drew a sharp reaction from the Congress which said nationalism doesn't mean hoisting the flag and singing Vande Mataram and that it should be reflected in one's belief in the Constitution. CPM leader Brinda Karat also slammed government for the decision. The decision came in the midst of raging row over the arrest of JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar on sedition charges for being present at an event on the campus where anti-India slogans were raised. Though the government is facing strident opposition criticism over the issue, today's move reflects its resolve to adopt an aggressive posture on it. The proposal for hoisting the national tricolour atop a 207-feet pole was put forward by Irani and unanimously endorsed by all the 46 Vice Chancellors, HRD officials said. She also put forth the proposal for hoisting the first such flag at JNU, which too was backed by all the VCs, they said. Officials in HRD Ministry said as per the resolution all the central universities, including JNU, will have to fly the tricolor and the decision was taken to "symbolise a strong and united India" in the institutions of higher education. Irani had called the meeting of VCs following widespread protest over suicide of dalit scholar of Hyderabad University Rohith Vemula. "Nationalism just doesn't mean hoisting the flag and singing Vande Mataram. It is about showing your belief in the Constitution, it is about showing respect to the institutions which have made the country a democratic set up," Congress' R P N Singh said. The JNU row had become the subject of a massive political fight with opposition coming down hard on the government. The protests have taken place in many universities including in Jadavpur University in West Bengal. At the meeting several important aspects related to higher education, including the implementation of 2012 UGC regulations by varsities for promoting equity and addressing grievances of Scheduled Caste and Schedule Tribe students discussed. Ahead of the crucial South Carolina US presidential primary, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump maintained a commanding lead over his nearest rival Ted Cruz, two new polls showed today. Billionaire-turned-politician Trump (35 per cent) has a 17-point lead over his closest rival Cruz (18 per cent), ahead of Saturday's primary. Ohio Governor John Kasich (11 per cent) and Florida Senator Marco Rubio (12 per cent) are in a virtual tie for the third spot, CBS said in its poll. However, in a Fox poll - also released this morning - Trump's lead over Cruz is reduced to 13 percentage points, still considered to be very high. According to Fox News, Trump captures 32 per cent among likely Republican primary voters in South Carolina He is followed by a distant Cruz with 19 per cent and Rubio at 15 per cent. As per the average of all major polls compiled by RealClearPolitics.Com, Trump (34.1 per cent) has an advantage of nearly 16 per cent against Cruz (17.6 per cent). Meanwhile, for the first time, Trump has fallen behind Cruz in a national survey, according to the Wall Street Journal-NBC poll. Even though it falls within the margin of error, the poll released yesterday showed Republican Cruz (28 per cent) now leads nationally ahead of Trump's 26 per cent. Cruz has also challenged Trump to go ahead and sue him after the real estate mogul sent him a 'cease-and-desist letter' over an advertisement criticising the New York tycoon. During a CNN-organised town hall, Cruz, a top attorney, said he would himself argue the case in court against Trump. Turkey on Thursday blamed Kurdish militants for a car bombing targeting a military convoy in Ankara that left 28 people dead, in an attack likely to further increase tensions in neighbouring Syria. The massive car bomb struck five buses carrying military service personnel when it stopped at a red traffic light in the centre of the capital on Wednesday evening. Sixty-one people were wounded. It was latest in a string of deadly strikes that have rocked Turkey since last summer and one of the deadliest assaults targeting the military in the NATO member state in recent years. Also Thursday, at least six soldiers were killed in an attack on their convoy in southeastern Turkey blamed on Kurdish militants, security sources said. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the Ankara attack was carried out by operatives of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in cooperation with the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). "It has with certainty been revealed that this attack was carried out by members of the terrorist organisation in Turkey in cooperation with a YPG member who infiltrated from Syria," Davutoglu told reporters. "The attack has direct links with YPG." He said the bomber was a Syrian national named Salih Necar and that nine people had been detained over the attack. Davutoglu vowed to make the culprits "pay a price," saying Turkey would take any kind of measure on its border including self-defence. Hours after the attack, Turkey's air force launched new strikes on PKK targets in northern Iraq, acting on intelligence that there were dozens of fighters including top rebel leaders in the area, the army said. Davutoglu said 70 fighters had been killed in the strikes. Turkey both considers both the PKK and YPG to be terror groups, in contrast to the United States which only classifies the PKK as a terror organisation and works closely with the YPG as an effective force fighting jihadists in Syria. The attack struck the heart of power in the Turkish capital in an area where the headquarters of the army, the parliament and prime minister's offices are in close proximity. Pictures showed that at least two of the vehicles had been reduced to burned out wrecks and the massive blast was heard from all over the city, causing panic among locals. Police identified the bomber from fingerprints taken from refugees who crossed the border to escape the war in Syria, the strongly pro-government Yeni Safak and anti-government Sozcu daily said. The YPG and its political wing the Democratic Union Party (PYD) deny being PKK branches and argue they have no interest in attacking Turkey. Turkey today blamed Kurdish militants based inside the country and in Syria for a car bombing targeting a military convoy in Ankara that killed 28 people and risked a new escalation of the Syrian conflict. The massive blast struck five buses carrying military service personnel when they stopped at a traffic light in the centre of the capital yesterday evening. It was the latest in a string of deadly strikes that have rocked Turkey since last summer and one of the deadliest assaults targeting the military in the NATO member state in recent years. Also today, at least six soldiers were killed in an attack on their convoy in the Diyarbakir region of southeastern Turkey blamed on Kurdish militants, security sources said. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan both said the Ankara attack was a joint operation of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in cooperation with the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). "It has with certainty been revealed that this attack was carried out by members of the terrorist organisation in Turkey in cooperation with a YPG member who infiltrated from Syria," Davutoglu told reporters. He said the bomber was a Syrian national named Salih Necar. Davutoglu warned Russia -- whom Turkey accuses of actively backing the YPG in Syria's civil war -- that Moscow would be "held responsible" if such attacks continued. "This game of terror can come back and hit them like a boomerang," he said. Erdogan said 14 people had been detained in nationwide raids over the Ankara bombing. The attack struck the heart of power in the Turkish capital in an area where the headquarters of the army, the parliament and prime minister's offices are in close proximity. Pictures showed at least two of the vehicles reduced to burnt-out wrecks, and the massive blast was heard from all over the city, causing panic among locals. Ankara was already on alert after 103 people were killed on October 10 in a double suicide bombing blamed on the Islamic State (IS) jihadists. Davutoglu said 27 of the dead were military staff and one was a civilian. Reports said she was Gulsen Yildiz, a journalist specialising in agriculture. Eighty-one people were wounded, seven of whom are still in intensive care, the health ministry said. Hours after the attack, Turkey's air force launched new strikes on PKK targets in northern Iraq, acting on intelligence that there were dozens of fighters including top rebel leaders in the area, the army said. Turkey is looking to renegotiate the "outdated" civil aviation agreement with India and operate more flights to the country, Turkish Ambassador to India Burak Akcapar said today. "The current civil aviation agreement is outdated and far too limited...," Akcapar said here. Currently, Turkish Airlines operates one flight each from Delhi and Mumbai daily. Turkey's national carrier flies to 105 countries and connects around 230 cities in different parts of the world. "We are waiting for a new civil aviation agreement between the two countries that would (not only) increase the current frequencies but also open up not less than six cities through connections with the world," he said. Turkish Airlines is looking to have flights to Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Amristar, Bengaluru and Chennai. Also, the carrier is looking at doubling the number of flights from Delhi and Mumbai. Akcapar said Turkey has proposed opening of negotiations on the civil aviation agreement with India. "We are waiting for a positive decision from Indian government in this regard," he added. "Connectivity is key to improving tourism, trade and people to people relations. Our carriers can provide significant opportunities for India to connect better to the world," Akcapar said. Maintaining that they were looking for win-win solutions, the Ambassador said Turkish carriers are open to code sharing with other Indian carriers. Turkish Airlines already has a code share pact with Air India. "What we are looking at is win-win solutions. Basically we are not in competition with any Indian carrier. We will only complement the local capabilities of Indian carriers... We will only bring additional capacities," he said. Akcapar said Turkish entities are looking very closely at further investments and business opportunities in India. "Smart cities is an area where our cooperation can yield significant results... We have very advanced capabilities in building infrastructure," he said. He was speaking on the sidelines of an aviation conference organised by industry body PHD Chamber. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu today blamed Kurdish militants in Turkey and Syrian Kurdish fighters for the Ankara bombing targeting military vehicles that killed 28, confirming the bomber was a Syrian national. "It has been revealed that this attack was carried out by members of the terrorist organisation in cooperation with a Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) member who infiltrated (Turkey) from Syria," Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara, confirming the bomber was a Syrian national named Salih Necar and saying nine people had been detained over the attack. Davutoglu was referring to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party and the YPG, which Turkey both considers to be groups. A television journalist was allegedly assaulted by the security guard of a BMC-run hospital today, where he had gone for some coverage. The journalist, identified as Sanket Pathak, was reportedly taking visuals outside the Sion Hospital this morning when the private guards allegedly manhandled him, and also snatched his camera, police said. DCP Zone IV, Ashok Dudhe said a team has been sent to the hospital and inquiry has been initiated into the matter. Condemning the incident, the Mumbai Crime Reporters' Association has urged the hospital Dean Suleiman Merchant and Dudhe to take strong action against the culprits. Two Palestinians stabbed and wounded two Israelis around a supermarket near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on today before being shot by a civilian, police said. The Israelis, aged 17 and 35, were taken to hospital in a moderate condition with stab wounds to their torsos, Israeli medics said. "Two Palestinians entered the Rami Levi (supermarket) area in Shaar Binyamin and stabbed two Israeli civilians," a police statement said. "The two terrorists were shot and neutralised by an armed civilian at the site," the statement read. There was no immediate report on the assailants' condition. The supermarket is located in an industrial zone frequented by Israeli settlers. Since October 1, Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks have taken the lives of 25 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean, according to an AFP count. At the same time, 172 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most while carrying out attacks but others during clashes and demonstrations. The United Nations humanitarian office says it needs USD 1.8 billion dollars to provide critical and life-saving assistance to 13.6 million people who have been affected by the escalating conflict in Yemen. Four out of five Yemenis need of humanitarian assistance, and increased attacks on essential civilian and economic infrastructure have deprived millions of families of their livelihoods, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva said today as it launched its appeal. In January, the UN group delivered food rations for 2.6 million people and water deliveries to over 234,000 people. It said donors gave USD 892 million in 2015, barely half of the USD 1.6 billion requested. The United Nations and the US have condemned the terror attack on Turkish military in Ankara, with America reaffirming solidarity with its NATO partner and pledging cooperation in the fight against terrorism. Describing the attack as a "senseless tragedy", US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter strongly condemned this "cowardly attack" on Turkish military last night in which at least 28 people were killed and 61 wounded. "We stand with our Turkish allies in the face of this horrific act, which only strengthens our resolve to deepen our ongoing cooperation in the fight against terrorism," Carter said. "We stand together with Turkey, a NATO Ally, a strong partner, and a valued member of the Counter-ISIL coalition, in the face of this attack and pledge our ongoing cooperation and support in the fight against terrorism," said Ned Price, the spokesman of National Security Council, the White House. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the blast, expressing hope that the perpetrators of the terrorist attack will be swiftly brought to justice. "The United Nations stands in solidarity with the people and the Government of Turkey at this tragic time," he said. The House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said the terrorist attack at the heart of Turkey's capital "is a reminder that terrorists won't stop until they are stopped". "America reaffirms its support for our Turkish allies during this terrible time. Only constant vigilance and a strong response to global terrorism can put an end to these senseless murders," he said. "There is simply no justification for this vicious act. Today-and every day-the United States stands in solidarity with the Turkish people, who are on the frontlines of the war against violent extremism," said Paul Ryan, Speaker of the US House of Representatives. At least 28 people were killed and 61 wounded by the car bombing in the heart of capital Ankara last night, the latest in a string of attacks to shake the country. The at Austin has begrudgingly agreed to allow students to carry guns into classrooms, months after state lawmakers passed a bill outlawing gun bans at public universities. "I do not believe handguns belong on a university campus, so this decision has been the greatest challenge of my presidency to date," university president Gregory Fenves said in a statement yesterday. "I empathize with the many faculty members, staffers, students and parents of students who signed petitions, sent emails and letters, and organised to ban guns from campus and especially classrooms." Some faculty members have threatened to quit rather than allow students to carry guns in their classrooms, saying the presence of such weapons is too threatening in an environment that is meant to encourage debate. The issue is particularly sensitive given that the at Austin was the scene of one of the nation's first mass shootings on a college campus. Troubled former Marine Charles Whitman killed 14 people and wounded some 30 after opening fire from an observation platform on the university's clock tower in 1966. Gun rights activists have responded to a series of more recent campus shootings by arguing that students cannot trust the police to protect them from random acts of violence and should be able to arm themselves. Lawmakers in the politically conservative state with a cowboy ethos and frontier history agreed and passed a bill in August prohibiting gun bans on public college campuses. Fenves noted that the presidents of every large private institution in Texas -- including Baylor University, Southern Methodist University and Rice University -- have exercised their right to continue to ban guns on campus. "The presence of handguns at an institution of higher learning is contrary to our mission of education and research, which is based on inquiry, free speech, and debate," he said. "However, as president, I have an obligation to uphold the law." Guns can still be banned at sporting events, in university bars and medical facilities, certain laboratories and college dorms. The at Austin is one of the largest public institutions in the United States with more than 51,000 students and a stellar academic reputation. It is the flagship of the University of Texas system, which educates more than 214,000 students. The Uttar Pradesh government would bear the treatment expense of commando Rajesh Singh, who was injured in the terror attack in Pathankot. This was stated by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who also announced a financial assistance of Rs one lakh to Singh, who hails from Ghaziabad district, an official spokesman said here. Singh was injured during an attack on the Air Force station at Pathankot in January this year. The United States' decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan will only amount to rewarding the country for its "bad behaviour", a US-based Hindu advocacy group has said. "The Obama administration announced the move, despite its own assessment that the Pakistani government, directly and by proxy, supports Islamist terror groups that target its neighbours, India and Afghanistan," Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said yesterday in a statement. "We vociferously oppose the Obama Administration's decision to sell these sophisticated fighter jets to Pakistan," said Samir Kalra, HAF senior director and Human Rights Fellow. The outfit called upon the US Congress "to stand with the innumerable victims of terrorism" in the region and long-suffering religious minorities in Pakistan by opposing the deal. "When Pakistani citizens continue to suffer rampant persecution and Pakistan's military leadership refuses to abandon its use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy, the sale of F-16s will only reward Pakistan for its bad behaviour," Kalra said. "American aid to Pakistan should focus on civilian assistance, democratisation, and human rights, and any military assistance must be conditioned on that country relinquishing its obsession with obtaining strategic depth against its neighbours," said Jay Kansara, HAF director of government relations. The Obama Administration said on February 13 it had decided to sell eight nuclear-capable F-16 fighter jets worth nearly USD 700 million to Pakistan despite mounting opposition from influential lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties. India summoned US Ambassador Richard Verma to convey its "displeasure and disappointment" over the decision. India disagreed with the US' rationale that such arms transfers help Pakistan in combating terrorism and believes the US military aid to Pakistan goes into anti-India activities. These additional F-16 aircraft will facilitate operations in all-weather, non-daylight environments, provide a self- defence/area suppression capability, and enhance Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter terrorism operations, the Pentagon had said. The US says Russia's proposed sale of fighter jets to Iran would violate a UN arms embargo extended as part of the nuclear accord with Tehran. The State Department says transferring the Sukhoi-30 planes requires the UN Security Council's approval. The planes are comparable to American F-15E fighter bombers. State Department spokesman Mark Toner says the US plans to raise the matter with Russia and that the four other countries that negotiated the nuclear agreement "should be fully aware of these restrictions." The deal kept the arms ban on Iran in place for another five years. Toner didn't say if Washington will speak with Tehran about the possible purchase. India, the country's second biggest telecom company, today said it will invest Rs 6,000 crore in Maharashtra for capacity augmentation and new business initiatives. The investments will help increase the number of people employed by the company in Maharashtra to 15,000 over the next few years, the company said in a statement, without spelling out a timeframe for the investments. It will create a 'tier-4' data centre at Airoli in satellite city of Navi Mumbai to serve the communication needs of enterprises, it said, claiming it to be a first in the Indian telecom sector. There will be investments in capacity augmentation at a technology centre in Pune, which develops engineering and information technology products for globally, it added. Apart from it, expansion and modernisation of network will also see investments, the statement said. Additionally, the Payments Bank being set up by the company will also be headquartered in the financial capital of the country, the company said. signed an MoU with the Maharashtra Government regarding the investments on the sidelines of the Make in India Week which concluded today. Sunil Sood, the managing director and chief executive for Vodafone India, said it is deeply invested and committed in Maharashtra. It has invested Rs 1.13 trillion and contributed Rs 1.11 trillion to the national exchequer since starting operations in the country in 2007, the statement added. The West Bengal Congress today hailed the decision of CPI(M) seeking cooperation from all democratic forces by stating that every secular parties in the state should respect the aspirations of the masses. "It is not about what we decide or what CPI(M) decides. The people and the grassroots level workers of CPI(M) and Congress have decided to forge an alliance in order to oust TMC and alienate BJP. So it is our prime duty to respect the aspirations of the masses and workers," state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury told PTI. When asked when would the Congress high command take a call regarding the alliance, Chowdhury said "We have placed our views and aspirations of the masses before the high command. Now it is for the high command to take a final call." The CPI(M) Central Committee, after its two day meeting in a statement said "In West Bengal, the main task is to restore democracy and foil the aggressive efforts by the communal forces to polarise the people in the state by ousting the present Trinamool Congress government. "CPI(M) will seek the cooperation of all democratic forces in the state to strengthen people's unity in West Bengal to defeat the Trinamool Congress, isolate the BJP and their machinations," it said. State Congress general secretary Om Prakash Mishra, who has been pitching for the alliance, welcomed the decision. "We welcome the decision by CPI(M). The alliance of the masses have already in making. The decision by CPI(M) will pave way for seat sharing in West Bengal. We have also requested our high command to take a final call and we hope to hear from them soon," Mishra told The Madras High Court today said it would impose costs on authorities, payable to complainants, if they failed to apprise the latter of action taken on complaints, forcing them to approach the judiciary, The High Court also directed the Registry to mark a copy of the order to the Chief Secretary. The First bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M M Sundresh, stated this while disposing of a PIL filed by one T Muniappan of Krishnagiri seeking a direction to the Tehsildar of Bargur Taluk in Krishnagiri to remove encroachments. Government Pleader S T S Murthi told the bench that the Tehsildar has taken action and passed orders. He also stated that two encroachments have been made on road poromboke and those people sought four weeks time to vacate. The bench directed that the undertaking given be strictly adhered to. It said the litigation was unnecessary and noted that failure of authorities to inform the petitioner about action taken had resulted in his moving the court. "We have been repeatedly emphasizing that when action is taken in pursuance of a complaint, the result must be informed to complainants concerned. We make it clear that henceforth if there is no improvement, we will impose cost on the authorities to be payable to the petitioners who are compelled to approach this court. Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav today described the police crackdown on the JNU as an attack on the "idea of India", alleging the Kanhaiya Kumar episode was "carefully planned" to eventually "strike" at the very roots of the ideals on which this university was founded. "JNU was founded with a vision and ideals of democracy. Today, this attack on students in the court and the aftermath of that campus event is not something surprising. This was a carefully planned attack to strike at the very roots of JNU. They want to make an example of JNU," he said. Yadav, an alumnus of the prestigious university founded in late 60s, however, said "JNU has been built with a certain vision and this crackdown was just a pretext to target the entire university. JNU was built with an idea, and that idea was intrinsically linked to the idea of India, of democracy. And, now an attempt is being made by them to destroy that idea." Note journalist P Sainath, who also joined the march of protesting students today in the heart of the national capital, expressed his concern over the current situation. "This is very difficult time indeed. It is reminiscent of the Emergency era, except this one is more aggressive," he said. The journalist also gave a talk today at the JNU campus. 56-year-old P K Basant, another JNU alumnus and currently a professor of history at Jamia Milia Islamia University said, "one colour of nationalism cannot be imposed in a country of such vibrant diversity." "What happened in JNU, with all this police crackdown and the attack on student at the court was condemnable," he said. Actress Swara Bhaskar, another alumnus of JNU said "she was more worried about this 'hooligan nationalism' that took place after the JNU event." Theatre personality M K Raina alleged that the "current government, by disallowing voices of dissent wants to create an army of yes-men with no brains of their own. Asian physical demand slowed this week as consumers opted to wait out the metal's biggest rally in years, with discounts in key consumer India hitting a record high as some investors cashed-out holdings. has rallied 13.7% this year amid a tumble in global stocks that stoked demand for the safe-haven metal. But physical buyers have so far shied away from making big purchases as they wait to see if the rally will last. "Buyers are closely watching the wild movement in prices in the last one month. They are making enquiries but conversion ratio is low," said Tanya Rastogi, a director at Lala Jugal Kishore Jewellers in Lucknow, India. Read more from our special coverage on "GOLD" Gold down by 0.2% in futures trade on profit-booking Gold investment demand in China to grow if price rally holds Gold steadies near ,200 as equity jitters subside In India, the world's second biggest consumer, discounts surged to a record high of $50 an ounce to the global spot benchmark this week, widening from the $35 discount offered last week, dealers said. ALSO READ: Gold down by 0.2% in futures trade on profit-booking Indian consumers were also waiting to see if the government will cut the gold import duty from a record 10% in the annual budget to be presented on Feb. 29. There was also little buying interest in other Asian . "Demand has been slow across the region for the past few days. It's almost dead," said a Singapore-based dealer at an bank. "A lot of people are looking to sell at these levels." India and top consumer China bought record amounts of gold in 2013, when the price dropped by 28% after a 12-year rally, believing that the decline was a one-off and that prices would rise again. But gold dropped for two more years before rising in early 2016, leaving investors to take a more cautious outlook on prices. "The spike in prices is giving investors an opportunity to liquidate old stocks they bought at lower levels. Many investors are selling coins and bars," said a Mumbai-based dealer with a private bank. In China, demand was quiet following the Lunar New Year holiday last week, which marked the end of the peak buying season there. China has seen strong demand for gold investment products during the holiday, but for the momentum to continue bullion would have to maintain its price rally, a World Gold Council official said Thursday. Prices in China were largely on par with the global price, giving banks little incentive to import bullion. "We haven't seen much demand after the spring festival. The premiums are also not very good. So we haven't imported a lot recently," said a dealer with an importing bank. By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brent settled lower on Thursday after data showing U.S. crude inventories rose to record highs overshadowed production freeze plans by oil major producers that had sharply boosted the market this week. The U.S. government's Energy Information Administration (EIA) said crude stockpiles rose 2.1 million barrels last week, to a peak of 504.1 million barrels in the third week of hitting record highs in past month. The EIA also cited record high gasoline inventories and higher stocks of distillates that include heating oil and diesel. Brent, the global benchmark for crude, settled down 22 cents at $34.28 a barrel, having risen more than $1.20 before the data. It had gained a total of more than $4 between Friday and Wednesday. U.S. crude settled up by a modest 11 cents at $30.77 a barrel, after an earlier peak at $31.98. data showed the daily volume in U.S. crude futures at just over 200 million barrels, down 75 percent from two weeks ago. Oil prices had risen more than 14 percent over the last three days after a plan by Saudi Arabia and Russia, endorsed without commitment by Iran on Wednesday, to freeze oil output at January's highs. Thursday's EIA data, if followed through by more builds in U.S. crude, could undermine oil producers' hopes for continued price recovery, traders and analysts said. "We should see crude sell off in the days to come," said Tariq Zahir, oil trader and fund manager at Tyche Capital Advisors in Long Island, New York. "We're still in a very well-supplied market and with refinery maintenance coming up and warmer weather heading to the U.S. East Coast, we are likely to see substantial builds in the weeks to come." The Saudi-Russian production freeze plan, also joined by Qatar and Venezuela, is the first such deal in 15 years between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and non-OPEC members. But following Iran's failure to commit to a production freeze, Iraq's oil minister on Thursday signalled Iraq would wait for more cooperation between producers before committing to freeze its own production. Iran is the major obstacle to the deal, having pledged to increase output sharply to regain market share lost during sanctions, which were lifted last month after an agreement with world powers, allowing Tehran to resume selling oil freely in international markets. While oil producers hope their efforts will end the 20-month long selloff that brought crude down from above $100 a barrel in mid-2014, the only certainty ahead could be choppier markets. "What we see still is extreme volatility," said Carsten Fritsch, analyst at Commerzbank. "I would not be surprised to see prices retreating again by a big margin in coming days." (Additional reporting by Alex Lawler in London; Editing by Adrian Croft, Chris Reese and Marguerita Choy) By Atul Prakash and Alistair Smout LONDON (Reuters) - European equities fell back after climbing to a two-week high on Thursday, as support from gains in tech shares was counteracted by a decline in commodity related stocks in the energy and mining sectors. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index was 0.1 percent lower at 1,293.92 points by the close, having touched 1,304.97 points earlier in the session - its highest level since Feb. 4. It had ended 2.7 percent stronger on Wednesday following a surge in oil prices, but came back from highs as Wall Street turned lower, having posted its first three-day rally of 2016. Oil and gas shares ended in negative territory after a rise in U.S. crude stocks underlined the glut in supply, putting pressure on oil prices. The FTSEurofirst 300 is up 5 percent this week, set for its biggest weekly rise since January 2015. It has been buoyed by a recovery in the price of oil and receding fears over global growth, although the index remains down 10 percent this year. Tech shares rose 1.5 percent, the biggest sectoral riser, led up by Capgemini. The French information technology services company gained 4.4 percent after reporting a 20 percent rise in full-year operating profit and forecasting a wider operating margin for 2016. "The shares have performed poorly this year on the back of macro concerns, but the overall tone of these results is reassuring," analysts at Credit Suisse said in a note. Among other tech stocks, STMicroelectronics rose 5.2 percent after it was lifted to "neutral" from "sell" by UBS. Franco-Dutch airline Air France-KLM surged 10.7 percent after beating forecasts with a return to profit last year, helped by a drop in its fuel bill and growth in passenger traffic. However, the broader earnings picture remains mixed. About half the companies in the STOXX Europe 600 index have reported results so far, and 47 percent missed expectations. Fourth-quarter earnings have fallen 15 percent from the same quarter of the previous year, Thomson StarMine shows. Food group Nestle dropped 3.7 percent after it missed expectations, saying it was getting harder to raise prices in a tough economy. "It's a difficult environment ... Profit margins are under pressure as companies are not able to raise prices, while productivity is edging lower," said Koen De Leus, senior economist at KBC in Brussels. Nestle's decline saw Switzerland's SMI underperform euro zone blue chips in France and Germany. Britain's FTSE also lagged, hit by its exposure to commodity stocks. Some also cited concern Britain could leave the European Union, as Prime Minister David Cameron started crunch talks on keeping the UK in the bloc. Mining shares came under pressure as some investors booked profits following a rally in the previous session. The STOXX Europe 600 Basic Resources index fell 1.1 percent, after rising 8 percent on Wednesday. (Editing by Mark Heinrich and David Evans) By Noah Browning DUBAI (Reuters) - Like the prototype drone of Emirati student Talib Alhinai, the ambitions of young people across the Gulf Arab states need to soar if they - and their economies - are to prosper in the age of cheap oil. The 23-year-old now researching for his Ph.D is just the kind of innovator that the region requires, along with youngsters who want the risky life of an entrepreneur rather than a safe but unproductive job working for the state. Wearing a crisp white Arabian robe and headdress, Alhinai cranes his glasses upward as his drone climbs above an outdoor amphitheatre in downtown Dubai, and explains how it can swoop down and squirt 3D printed sealant onto damaged oil pipelines. Petrodollars won Gulf Arab states decades of prosperity, when loyalty and stability could be bought by giving graduates with subpar education cushy government posts. No more. The collapse in oil prices is forcing governments to make good on old promises to turn their growing youth populations into a workforce that can compete globally. Showing off the prototype he built with classmates at Imperial College London, winning a state-sponsored "Drones for Good" competition at the amphitheatre, Alhinai said Gulf Arab youngsters were eager to make livelihoods from their ideas, not handouts. "There's a realisation, an awakening, among my generation that the age of oil can't last forever and that we need to pick up the pace to give back to our societies, especially through innovation and technology, to shred this stereotype about us being idle," said Alhinai. Over half of Gulf Arab nationals are employed in public sector jobs; in Kuwait the figure is nearly 80 percent. But now the International Monetary Fund predicts economic growth in six oil-exporting states of the Gulf Cooperation Council will slip to 2.8 percent in 2016 from 3.25 in 2014, and private sector growth has likewise fallen. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia have both launched initiatives this year to outsource services from the state to the private sector, rein in spending and invest in education and vocational training. RECKONING Nowhere is the problem so acute as in top oil exporter Saudi Arabia, which is running a $100 billion budget deficit and has used up $90 billion of its foreign assets in the past 18 months. At that rate they would be gone in just a few years. Underlining the problem, the Standard & Poor's agency downgraded the credit ratings of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman this week in its second mass cut of large oil producers in almost a year. Vast energy reserves and tiny populations in Qatar and Kuwait mean they have more time to get their nationals into more productive work, but Saudi Arabia can no longer buy off its 20 million citizens with public sector welfare. State-owned oil giant Aramco, the largest Saudi company and a paragon of efficiency in the kingdom's often hidebound economy, is trying to encourage innovation by giving entrepreneurs training and loans. One such beneficiary is 28-year-old Loai Labani, who owns tech company Innosoft based in Dhahran Techno Valley in the country's east. He said risk-taking was still foreign to Saudi job culture and few of his peers understood why he would strive for his own success rather than take a plum official post. "My family and my friends were trying to tell me you shouldn't focus on this, just get a government job and the security that comes with it," Labani said. "Of my 20 employees, half are Saudi and I need 10 more, but it's a struggle to get the quality developers, web-designers and programmers. We have to do 2-300 interviews to hire just one Saudi, because not just the knowledge but the personality for private enterprise is so hard to find." According to a study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, promoting those skills will be one of the greatest challenges for Gulf countries and will entail a rethinking of the "social contract" under which state generosity won stability in a turbulent region. "There is a clear tension between countries' wish to encourage economic creativity and risk-taking on the one hand and their desire to maintain relative social and political quiescence on the other," wrote author Carolyn Barnett. IGNITING THE IMAGINATION The UAE leads its neighbours in trying to diversify away from oil. In June last year, the IMF said the country could keep spending at current rates for 30-40 years - but then the oil price promptly halved. This month the UAE staged its largest ever government restructuring, merging ministries to reduce costs and creating state bodies to advance science, human capital and youth. "Education is the essential prerequisite to creating a generation that's productive," said Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a senior member of the ruling family in Abu Dhabi, the largest of the emirates. "We want it so that when a student graduates - whether in engineering, humanities or anything else - they can open doors," he told reporters at his desert palace before dog and camel races that he sponsors. "We want the education standards to be strong, not weak like they are now, which can't be denied." At the reception, tables groaned under lobster and gazelle meat for his guests, and costumed desert knights on horseback held aloft banners of the ruling sheikhs' faces - trappings of largesse and reverence familiar to the Gulf. But at Dubai's Museum of the Future, a glimpse of what may await Gulf Arabs was on show. Emirati boys in robes and groups of young women dressed from head to toe in black roamed the exhibition's purple-lit chambers, gazing at concept inventions: goggles that detect others' moods, earpieces that translate and brain implants that can transmit thoughts. The Museum, set to open fully in 2018, aims to work with research companies and universities to turn such gizmos into "Made in the UAE" reality, and also to inspire. "Some of the technology highlighted here is not set to be realised until 2030," said museum director Saif Al Aleeli. "We present it here to ignite the imagination of our young people, so they can get an idea of the world that they will live in and hopefully create themselves." (Editing by Sami Aboudi and David Stamp) By Parisa Hafezi and Alex Lawler ANKARA/LONDON (Reuters) - Iran believes a global agreement to freeze oil output will not be enough to help prop up prices as the world is producing too much crude, Iranian oil sources told . Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh and his counterparts from Qatar, Iraq and Venezuela held talks in Tehran on Wednesday aimed at persuading Iran to join a global pact to restrain output, agreed this week by OPEC leader Saudi Arabia and non-OPEC member Russia, the world's two largest oil exporters. Zanganeh chose his words very carefully after the meeting saying Iran, OPEC's third largest producer, supported the initiative as a first step to rebalance the markets and help prices recover from their lowest in over a decade. But during talks Iran stuck to its standard line that Tehran needs to regain market share it lost during years of sanctions while adding that regardless of what Iran does, the world was already awash with unwanted oil. "The problem in the oil market is the glut. There is a need to do something to bring down these extra barrels. The freeze for those people that have been producing to the maximum does not help the market," one Iranian oil source familiar with discussions told . A second Iranian source said the global pact idea should be discussed further when "countries that have increased their output - mainly Saudi Arabia - drop their production and Iran reaches pre-sanction levels of production". OIL MARKET UNIMPRESSED Saudi Arabia and Russia said the global deal to freeze output could become the first step in the right direction to balance the market if all major producers agreed to abide by it. But the idea has failed to impress the market so far with oil prices fluctuating sharply this week and trading on Thursday at $35 per barrel. This is a fraction of what most producers need to balance their budgets resulting in ratings agency S&P downgrading ratings on major oil nations on Wednesday. The West's energy watchdog, the International Energy Agency, said this month that even in the optimistic scenario of flat OPEC output this year, the world would continue to stockpile huge volumes of unwanted crude adding to the already record inventories. The IEA said it saw the pace of stockbuilding slowing in the second half of 2016 but still continuing until 2017: "In the market already awash in oil, it is very hard to see how oil prices can rise significantly in the short term." Meanwhile, the likelihood of OPEC keeping output flat is very low given that Iran has pledged to raise exports after the lifting of Western sanctions in January. The sanctions, imposed over Iran's nuclear programme, were lifted last month after an agreement with world powers, allowing Tehran to resume selling oil freely in international markets. Tehran has pledged to raise supply by around 1 million bpd in the next 6-12 months and on Wednesday some Iranian banks were reconnected to the SWIFT global transaction network, which will allow it to facilitate banking business. (Additional reporting by Rania El Gamal; Writing by Dmitry Zhdannikov) By Promit Mukherjee MUMBAI (Reuters) - A week-long "Make in India" fair closed on Thursday with $222 billion in investment pledges, but thin attendance by foreign firms at the event launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi means many are unlikely to actually happen. The Mumbai jamboree was the biggest in India, but earlier events such as the "Vibrant Gujarat" launched by Modi when he led the state have only seen 13 percent of deals implemented, according to independent research. Amitabh Kant, Secretary of India's Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), told reporters investment commitments had reached 15.2 trillion rupees ($222 billion). The commitments fell some way short of the 25 trillion rupees announced at the three-day Vibrant Gujarat event a year ago. Kant said he expected 80-85 percent of the pledges to convert into serious business, much of it from foreign investors. It can take 18 months to three years for a memorandum of understanding to yield a final investment, he added. "This was the biggest multi-sectoral event ever done across Asia," he told a briefing, describing the event as a success. Research commissioned by the free-market Friedrich Naumann and Cato institutes has found the rate of conversion of such pledges into real investments in India has typically been far lower - with no state exceeding 20 percent. Among investments signed in the last seven days were a commitment by Oracle Corp for $400 million to set up nine business incubation centres. Though some participants who spoke to lauded the event, several complained about a lack of foreign involvement. "The response is overwhelming, but mostly from Indians. There are Indians everywhere. Usually in Germany, in events like these, stalls are thronged by foreigners," said Ingo Eibbeck, a representative of German manufacturer Schneider International. ($1 = 68.4550 rupees) (Editing by Rafael Nam and Douglas Busvine; Editing by Mark Potter) MADRID/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Spanish police have arrested five directors of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) after they raided the lender's Madrid offices as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering. China's large state-owned lenders have been dogged by allegations of improper conduct as they expand abroad and the probe into ICBC by police, the Spanish tax agency and Europol involves funds handled by a criminal group which the Interior Ministry says passed through the bank and were transferred to China. Over 100 police were involved in the operation, which saw the arrest of five ICBC directors, Europol said in a statement on Wednesday. A Beijing-based spokesman for ICBC, China's largest bank in terms of assets, said its Madrid branch was cooperating with the investigation. "Strictly implementing anti-money laundering regulations, and strictly operating within the law and regulations have always been our fundamental operation and management principles," the spokesman added. The Chinese embassy in Spain also said it currently had no reason to believe ICBC had been breaking the law, adding that it had not received official notification about the case from the Spanish authorities. The probe into ICBC follows a slew of allegations of money laundering levied against other Chinese banks. Last June, prosecutors in Italy asked Bank of China's (BoC) Milan branch to be tried for smuggling among other alleged crimes and a month later, the U.S. Federal Reserve told China Construction Bank Corp to address deficiencies in money laundering compliance. NOT THE WORST OFFENDERS Such probes could mar the reputation of these banks as they expand abroad, primarily to cater to the growing presence of Chinese firms, bankers at overseas branches of the lenders said. "We haven't been abroad for long, so this has an impact on all of us," said a banker at a London branch of a top-four Chinese lender. Analysts, however, said Chinese banks are not necessarily the worst offenders when compared to their global peers. "If you look at the fines globally, which firms have been fined the most in terms of anti-money laundering, you wouldn't find the Chinese banks near the top of that list although some have been asked to tighten procedures," said Mark Wightman, a partner in the wealth and asset management at Ernst & Young. For example, HSBC agreed in June last year to pay Geneva authorities $43 million to settle a money laundering investigation at its Swiss private bank. Wightman also added that conditions are likely to get tougher for all banks as the Common Reporting Standards (CRS), a global tax residency rule, come into effect this year. "Everyone will be looking at their client bases in a lot more detail as they have to store info on client tax residency as well, and manage any potential challenges to that, so that's another question the banks are struggling with," he said. ($1 = 0.8988 euros) (Reporting by Emma Pinedo in MADRID, Shu Zhang in BEIJING and Engen Tham in SHANGHAI; Additional reporting by Anthony Deutsch in AMSTERDAM and Adam Jourdan in SHANGHAI; Writing by Paul Day, Angus Berwick and Ryan Woo; Editing by Stephen Coates and Miral Fahmy) MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish police raided the Madrid offices of China's biggest bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), on Wednesday as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering, the Interior Ministry said. The investigation by police, the Spanish tax agency and Europol involves funds handled by a criminal group acting in Spain which the Ministry says passed through the bank and were transferred to China. Over 100 police were involved in the operation, which saw the arrest of five ICBC directors, Europol said in a statement. A Beijing-based spokesman for ICBC said the bank was paying close attention to the investigation. "Our Madrid branch is actively cooperating," he said. "Strictly implementing anti-money laundering regulations, and strictly operating within the law and regulations have always been our fundamental operation and management principles," the spokesman added. The Chinese embassy in Spain said it currently had no reason to believe the bank had been breaking the law. "The Chinese government has always demanded Chinese firms overseas strictly adhere to Chinese law and the law of the country they are in to carry out business legally," the embassy said in a statement on its website. "According to what we understand about events, all Chinese enterprises in Spain are doing so." The embassy added that it had not received official notification about the case from Spanish authorities. Spanish police, investigating tax fraud on certain goods imported from China in an operation, known as "Operation Snake", in May last year, dismantled a group that was found to have laundered at least 40 million euros ($45 million) through ICBC, the ministry said. (Reporting by Emma Pinedo in Madrid and Shu Zhang in Beijing; Additional reporting by Anthony Deutsch in Amsterdam and Adam Jourdan in Shanghai; Writing by Paul Day and Angus Berwick; Editing by Stephen Coates; Editing by Hugh Lawson) By Himank Sharma MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian phone maker Ringing Bells launched a 251 rupee smartphone on Thursday, with huge customer demand promptly crashing the little-known company's website hours after the phone went on sale. The Freedom 251 was unveiled a day ahead of the launch and is being sold for 251 rupees - a price that sceptics said was far lower than what its components would cost. The smartphone went on sale in the morning but the company later stopped accepting orders after its website crashed. "We humbly submit that we are therefore taking a pause," it said in an apology to customers. Ringing Bells, based in Noida, was set up only last year and the launch event for the new phone on Wednesday night was attended by a senior leader from PM Narendra Modi's party. Company president Ashok Kumar Chadha said the Android smartphone would have pre-installed apps that tie into Modi initiatives such as 'Make in India' and 'Clean India'. "Let us see what can we do to bring about a real liberation of Freedom to all our brothers and sisters," he said in a speech, referring to the name of the new phone to make a play on words. In its notice to customers the company said it was receiving 600,000 hits per second on its website, although it did not say how many of those hits converted to real orders. For comparison, Google processes an estimated 40,000 search requests per second. India is asia's fastest growing smartphone market with 103.6 million smartphones sold in 2015. Most Indians still buy cheap smartphones that cost less than $200. Although the company didn't discuss the economics behind the operation, analysts questioned the business model. "It looks like it's highly subsidized by the company and it's not clear how they plan to sustain this," said Tarun Pathak an analyst with Counterpoint Technology Research. Previous attempts at frugal engineering in India have not been very successful. In 2008, Indian government announced a $10 laptop that ended up costing over $100 before it made it to market. A $20 Android tablet sold by local company Datawind through a government subsidy scheme failed to capture significant market share. First deliveries of the Freedom 251 phone are not expected before the middle of the year, according to Ringing Bells. (Editing by Douglas Busvine and Simon Cameron-Moore) (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is "not prepared" to cut oil production, Agence France-Presse reported, quoting the Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir. "If other producers want to limit or agree to a freeze in terms of additional production that may have an impact on the market but Saudi Arabia is not prepared to cut production," al-Jubeir told AFP in an interview. "The oil issue will be determined by supply and demand and by market forces. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia will protect its market share and we have said so." Oil prices rose more than 14 percent over the last three days after a plan by Saudi Arabia and Russia, endorsed without commitment by Iran on Wednesday, to freeze oil output at January's highs. The Saudi-Russian production freeze plan, also joined by Qatar and Venezuela, is the first such deal in 15 years between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC members. Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh had welcomed the plan on Wednesday without committing to it. (Reporting by Anet Josline Pinto and Swetha Gopinath in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta) World's biggest-selling automaker said on Thursday it is recalling globally 2.87 million (28.7 lakh) vehicles as their seatbelts can be prone to damage by a metal seat frame part in the event of a crash. In an email, Motor Corp. said that the global recall involved its RAV4 SUV model produced between July 2005 and August 2014 and sold worldwide, and its Vanguard SUV model produced between October 2005 and January 2016 and sold in Japan. The recall includes 1.3 million vehicles in North America announced earlier in the day by Toyota's U.S. unit, along with around 625,000 vehicles in Europe, 434,000 vehicles in China, 177,000 in Japan and 307,000 in other regions. The automaker said it would add resin covers to the metal seat cushion frames on all affected vehicles to prevent any metal pieces from cutting the seatbelt in the event of a crash, after it had received two reports in which rear seatbelts separated following crashes. said it could not determine whether these incidents were linked to any injuries or fatalities. By Keith Wallis SINGAPORE (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures rose as much as 3 percent in early Asian trade on Thursday after Iran backed plans by Russia and Saudi Arabia to cap crude oil production at January levels, extending steep gains in the previous session. U.S. crude jumped $1.06 shortly after Asian markets opened, and was trading up 77 cents at $31.43 a barrel as of 2346 GMT, up 2.5 percent. The U.S. benchmark surged 5.6 percent in the previous session to close at $30.66 a barrel. "The price rebound looks like an over reaction as the probability of Iran not increasing production is still low in our view," ANZ said in a note on Thursday. "Iran has just started boosting production after sanctions were lifted and is unlikely to commit to maintaining output at current low levels," the note added. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh met counterparts from Venezuela, Iraq and Qatar in Tehran on Wednesday but did not say if Iran would cap output at January's levels in keeping with moves by major producers Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iraq to limit production. Iran's OPEC envoy Mehdi Asali said it was "illogical" to ask Iran to freeze production levels in comments to the Shargh daily newspaper before the talks on Wednesday. Iran exported around 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude before 2012, but sanctions, imposed by world powers to curb Tehran's nuclear programme, cut production to about 1.1 million bpd. The sanctions were lifted last month, allowing Iran to resume selling oil freely in international markets. Oil prices also gained support after U.S. crude stocks unexpectedly fell by 3.3 million barrels last week to 499.1 million, data from industry group the American Petroleum Institute showed on Wednesday. Analysts had expected crude inventories to climb by 3.9 million barrels to 505.9 million barrels in the week to Feb. 12, according to a poll on Tuesday. (Reporting by Keith Wallis; Editing by Richard Pullin) Technologies Inc is losing more than a billion dollars a year in China as it wages a fierce price war against local rival Didi Kuaidi, its chief executive said. The company's Chinese business boosted its valuation last month to more than $8 billion after raising more than $1 billion in its latest funding round, but the U.S. ride-hailing app is not yet profitable in mainland China because of the intense competition. "We're profitable in the USA, but we're losing over $1 billion a year in China," CEO Travis Kalanick told Canadian technology platform Betakit. "We have a fierce competitor that's unprofitable in every city they exist in, but they're buying up market share. I wish the world wasn't that way, he added. and China's Didi Kuaidi, backed by Chinese technology giants Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group Holding, have both spent heavily to subsidise fares to gain market share, betting on China's Internet-linked transport market becoming the world's biggest. Uber China said in an emailed statement that Didi Kuaidi was having to spend "many multiples" more than the U.S. company to increase its share of the market, adding that Uber's China business was backed up by profitable operations outside the region. A spokesman for Didi Kuaidi, which has the biggest market share of China's car-hailing app market, said that Uber's claims about its spending were untrue and that it is benefiting from its larger size. "Smaller competitors have to bleed subsidies to make up for their insufficient driver and rider network," the spokesman said in emailed comments to Reuters. He added that the Chinese company now operates in 400 cities and had passed break-even point in half of those cities. In January, Kalanick said that spending on such pricing strategies is "how you win" in China, adding that Uber aimed to beat Didi Kuaidi through deploying the spending more efficiently. Uber currently operates in more than 40 Chinese cities and plans to be in 100 by the end of the year. "I prefer building rather than fundraising," Kalanick added in the interview with Betakit. "But if I don't participate in the fundraising bonanza, I'll get squeezed out by others buying market share." Three in four businesses in Ireland have a positive outlook for the next 12 months reflecting greater confidence in economic recovery, according to the second annual Regional Business Barometer Study, commissioned by telecoms and cloud services provider Magnet. The study, conducted by Amarach Research in January 2016, showed a total of 74% of businesses surveyed are fairly or very positive about their prospects this year, a significant increase in optimism from 61% in 2015. There is a corresponding drop in negative outlook to just 5% (from 13% last year). The research was carried out among 540 businesses across eight regional authority areas in January 2016. The research encompassed a broad range of enterprises in the survey ranging, from micro businesses with 1-9 people employed right up to businesses with 250 people or more. CEO of Magnet Mark Kellett, said: The positive outlook is welcome but what is particularly striking is the high amount of businesses that plan to open new premises in 2016. Opening new premises involves a real commitment to continue growing your business which is a healthy indicator for the wider economy. As you would expect, there are ongoing issues and challenges also worth noting as an election looms. Most decision makers still believe the Government could do more to assist SMEs, in particular to help reduce the costs of running a business, he said. Reducing business costs was the single most cited response needed by the Government, according to 21% of respondents to the survey. The survey also revealed a lack of awareness by small businesses of the range of grants that may be available to them. Source: www.businessworld.ie About us http://http://marketing.magnet.ie/acton/media/18103/regional-business-barometer-2016-magnet-download The Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar, yesterday opened a new Dublin nursing home, Ardmore Lodge. The nursing home is located on Finglas Road in the Tolka Valley and will initially accommodate 89 residents with an additional 40 residents being cared for into the future with a newly planned extension set to commence later in 2016. The new nursing home is located in close proximity to the city centre, Finglas and Glasnevin. Formerly the Ardmore Hotel, the nursing home has been converted into a care facility with modern infrastructure, including governance and management structures based on nursing home care best practice. Managing Director at Ardmore Care, John Martin said, "These 140 new jobs are part of our investment in a new state-of-the art nursing home that is badly needed in a part of Dublin that features a rapidly ageing local community. Ardmore Cares focus is on employing exceptional people to provide exceptional care, and we are now actively recruiting suitably qualified Nurses and Healthcare Assistants to join the new team at Ardmore Lodge." Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar added, "I am extremely pleased to see the opening of Ardmore Lodge and the creation of these new jobs. This new nursing home will help support the care needs of the local population in North-West Dublin and is a notable economic boost to the surrounding community." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us Investec have today announced the opening of a new Munster office in Cork city at the iconic One Albert Quay development. The Munster office will be staffed by a local team adding to the 240 strong Investec team in the Dublin office a headcount which has doubled in the last few years. The specialist bank and wealth and investment manager providing specialist banking services in treasury, corporate finance and wealth and investment predominantly in the corporate SME sector and for those requiring wealth management services. The new office will create ten jobs. Global Head of Investec, Ciaran Whelan said, "As a business, weve grown significantly in Ireland over the past five years providing competitive, value-added specialist services for corporate, SME and wealth management clients. "Investec continues to invest in Ireland, and sees great opportunity in the region and the country in the long term unlike many International banks that have down scaled their operations in Ireland. Cork city is a natural next step in the groups expanding footprint in Ireland, housing many of the worlds leading companies in technology and pharmaceuticals. Having doubled our headcount in Ireland over the past few years our next challenge is to help firms in Ireland experience similar growth." Head of Treasury at Investec, Aisling Dodgson added, "Cork has 14% of the national population but contributes 19% to GDP and very much punches above its weight. We also know that there are more entrepreneurs in the South West than in any of the other regions of the country. "The South West not only opens up the FDI firms for business but also local, Irish indigenous companies created by those entrepreneurs. As the economy grows Cork and the South West will benefit from disproportionate growth given the level of entrepreneurship within the region." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us RSA Insurance Ireland Ltd have today officially launched their new Galway operations centre in Knocknacarra following the creation of 50 new jobs. The new recruits joined 100 existing RSA staff from combined Ballybrit and Liosban Business Park offices in the new state-of-the-art Knocknacarra located operations centre in January. The new Knocknacarra site will house Galways 150 strong RSA workforce with space to expand further as the business grows. RSA is continuing to invest in its capabilities in the Galway region with new jobs including SME Team Lead and SME Underwriters. In addition to these new positions, the Company has also recruited people for positions including credit controllers, training and development, personal lines underwriters, personal operations team leads and claim handlers in Galway. RSA Insurance Ireland CEO, Ken Norgrove today commented, ""In January we recruited 50 new expert roles, an investment that builds on the strong development work that has been done by our team here in Galway over the past few years and expands our footprint in the West of Ireland. "Last month, we combined over 100 staff from two other offices at our modern new operations centre and are proud to be investing in technical SME roles in Galway due to the growing portfolio of SME clients in the region. These are important roles within the RSA Insurance Ireland business and we hope to add to these with further expansion in the area in the future." Source: www.businessworld.ie DCC plc and Social Entrepreneurs Ireland (SEI) will continue their partnership for another four years to 2019 it was announced today. As part of the deal, DCC will continue its financial support of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland with further funding of 700,000 over this time. Furthermore, DCC will be the flagship sponsor of the annual Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Awards which provide financial backing and practical business support for individuals and organisations committed to delivering positive social change in Ireland. SEI will be launching its search for candidates for the 2016 Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Awards later this month. Former winners include Pieta House, Coder Dojo, FoodCloud and Men's Sheds. CEO of SEI, Darren Ryan said, "DCCs generous financial support gives us the confidence to further develop and grow our impact in the years ahead. "Since 2011, DCC has been an incredible partner for SEI, providing us with not only financial support but also employees time and expertise. Their support has been key to us driving innovative solutions to some of Ireland's biggest social challenges." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us Dublin-based digital advertising network, Adforce.com have today announced a partnership with Triton Digital, a technology provider for the audio industry which will bring the premium online audio advertising exchange, a2x, to key European markets. Through this partnership, Adforce.com will exclusively operate Tritons a2x in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland. President of Market Development at Triton Digital, John Rosso today commented, Adforce.com is the perfect partner to operate a2x in Europe. "With a reach of more than 50 million audio listeners and extensive knowledge of the European advertising industry, their ability to create value for both advertisers and publishers is unparalleled. Source: www.businessworld.ie German exports to Russia are likely to fall 5% this year after plummeting almost 30% in 2015 because of sanctions over the Ukraine conflict and low oil prices, the head of foreign trade at Germany's DIHK Chambers of Commerce Volker Treier said. "Political tensions are taking their toll on the economy," Treier told Reuters. That, combined with low oil prices, has almost halved German exports to Russia in the last two years to a value of around 21 billion euros. Germany's engineering, automobile and food businesses have been hit particularly hard, he said. Russia is a key export market for Germany with 1 in 10 of German Exporters trading with Russia. Russia is a key market for German export, however France, the UK and the US, the Netherlands and more recently China are all larger markets for German export. According to UN statistics Germanys largest imports from Russia in 2013/14 was Crude Petroleum and Natural Gas. Other key imports include refined petroleum, and basic precious and non-ferrous metals. (Reuters) About us Why does any sane person believe these knuckleheads? Global warming alarmists, green activists, celebrities, and especially the mainstream press, collaborated in a loud chorus denouncing CO2 human emissions due to its supposed destructive nature on honeybee colonies. With the onset of the widely publicized American 'colony collapse disorder', they were predicting that climate change from greenhouse gases would destroy the honeybees (and other bee species) and crop agriculture - meaning a massive starvation for mankind. Something had to be done about global warming and this potential extinction. Climate change had to be dealt with swiftly. Do it for the children honeybees!!! So, Obama proposed the typical tardy government response of more bureaucrats, taxpayer monies for scientists, and evidence-free untested policies, which will likely accomplish zilch. In the meantime, the bee problem has been solved, like usual, via free markets, capitalism and individualism, not by govt diktat. Read the whole story here. And not to be forgotten, like polar bears, another species predicted to go extinct a long time ago, bee colonies just reached a record high in the last 20 years at a time of the world's "hottest" temperatures evah and highest atmospheric CO2 levels. Prior failed predictions. A mountain lion peers through the underbrush at the Capitol Reef National Park in South-Central Utah. (National Park Service) SALT LAKE CITY More than 29,000 mountain lions have been killed across the country in the past decade by trophy hunters, according to a new report. The Humane Society of the United States lists Utah among the top five states where large numbers of the big cats, also called cougars, have been hunted and killed. Wendy Keefover, carnivore protection manager with the group, says states like Utah that allow big-cat hunts do not properly monitor their mountain lion populations. Utah, in their management plan, said that it was OK to hunt between 20 and 30 percent of the entire mountain lion population, but its so out of balance, Keefover says. Some of the best available science is saying no more than 14 percent. Utah state wildlife officials estimate the states mountain lion population to be as many as 4,500 cats but some conservation groups say the count could be much smaller. The Humane Society report says between 2005 and 2014, 3,200 cougars were taken in Utah, fourth among the states behind Idaho, Montana and Colorado, with Arizona in fifth place. Keefover says the majority of mountain lions killed in trophy hunts are mounted for display, or their pelts used for rugs. She described a typical hunt. Its done with a pack of trailing hounds and they wear high-tech radio collars on their necks, and that allows the hunters to follow their movements on a computer, she says. So once they get the cat into a tree or on a cliff face, then they come in and shoot the cat at close range. The plight of big game animals was publicized last year when Cecil, an iconic African lion, was killed in Zimbabwe by an American trophy hunter. Big game hunting is a multi-billion-dollar business worldwide, and many hunters believe that their sport contributes to conserving the species. SHARE A&M-CC nursing program makes list The Master of Science Nursing program at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi was ranked as one of the 2016 Best Online Nursing Programs by U.S. News & World Report, officials said. The degree, offered in Family Nurse Practitioner Program, Leadership in Nursing Systems and Nursing Education, earned the No. 36 spot, and A&M-CC is the fourth-highest Texas school on the national list. U.S. News ranked the online programs by calculating data from statistical surveys based upon student engagement, peer reputation, admissions selectivity, student services and technology, and faculty credentials and training. The A&M-CC online MSN program, accredited by the Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education, consists of coursework that prepares registered nurses for advanced clinical, educator or leadership positions needing specialized expertise. Information: https://gradschool.tamucc.edu/degrees/conhs.html. To view the full U.S. News & World Report: http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/nursing/rankings?page=2. Student makes Hollins dean's list Rikki Adriana Martinez, a senior biology major at Hollins University, has been named to the dean's list for the 2015 fall semester. To attain this distinction, students must earn at least a 3.5 grade-point average on a 4.0 grading scale. Martinez is the daughter of Rick and Alicia Martinez, of Corpus Christi. She is a graduate of Tuloso-Midway High School. Ingleside student joins McMurry club Austin Barajas, of Ingleside, is a member of the McMurry University Kinesiology Klub. The McMurry University Kinesiology Klub helps students in their professional growth, enhances their resume, allows them to get involved with campus activities, and promotes healthy lifestyles and quality physical education. Members are eligible to attend state, district and national conventions. Fort Lewis College honors student Bianca Rodriguez, of Corpus Christi, was named to Fort Lewis College's dean's list for the fall 2015 semester. Rodriguez's major is adventure education. To be eligible for the dean's list, a student must carry a semester grade-point average of 3.6 or better in no fewer than 15 credit hours of graded college level work and have completed all work for which they are registered by the end of the semester. Student on dean's list at Northeastern Courtney Utsey, a Northeastern University student from Corpus Christi majoring in communication studies, was named to the university's dean's list for the fall semester, which ended in December 2015. To achieve the dean's list distinction, students must carry a full program of at least four courses, have a quality grade-point average of 3.5 or greater out of a possible 4.0 and carry no single grade lower than a C- during the course of their college career. Compiled by Natalia Contreras GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Interim Provost and Vice President of Instruction and Student Services Lenora Keas from Del Mar College signs an agreement that allows students to take college preparatory courses while in high school to meet college readiness standards Wednesday at the Education Service Center Region 2. SHARE Human Resources Administrator Melissa Morin collects signatures from superintendents from the Coastal Bend after signing an agreement that allows students to take college preparatory courses while in high school to meet college readiness standards Wednesday at the Education Service Center Region 2. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Superintendent Paul Clore from Gregory-Portland Independent School District reads an agreement that allows students to take college preparatory courses while in high school to meet college readiness standards Wednesday at the Education Service Center Region 2. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Superintendents Troy Mircovach (left) from Ingleside Independent School District and Sue Nelson from Tuloso-Midway Independent School District sign an agreement that allows students to take college preparatory courses while in high school to meet college readiness standards Wednesday at the Education Service Center Region 2. By Natalia Contreras of the Caller-Times Coastal Bend school districts along with higher education representatives signed an agreement Tuesday that will allow students to meet college standards while in high school. About 30 people including Region 2 superintendents, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi chief of staff Mary Sherwood, Del Mar College interim provost and vice president Lenora Keas and Texas A&M University-Kingsville President Steven Tallant gathered to sign the agreement. The agreement came after House Bill 5, which was passed in 2013, required districts to provide college preparatory courses in language arts and mathematics. "This will be an optional course for students to take," Executive director of Education to Employment Partners Janet Cunningham said. "If they take the course and they pass it they do not have to take a remedial course while in college." Students in Region 2 which covers, Nueces, Duval, Jim Wells, San Patricio, Brooks, Kenedy, Kleberg, Ingleside, Aransas, Bee, Live Oak and McMullen counties who choose to take this course during their senior year in high school are more likely to graduate from a university faster than those who don't, Keas said. "Students who go to college and have to take a remedial class are more likely to drop out," Keas said. "We see it as a positive effect to Del Mar because this will allow more students to move more quickly into their degree majors." School districts that have started to offer these courses include Banquete, Freer, Flour Bluff, Sinton, Premont, Falfurrias, Mathis and Gregory-Portland, Cunningham said. Interim superintendent of the Premont Independent School District Eric Ramos said the courses allow students to get an idea of the type of material they'll see once they move on to college. "The feedback we have gotten from students is an appreciation to know what to expect in college and that only benefits them and encourages them," Ramos said. "We saw a lot of support from the students and the parents. Anything we can do to help them succeed is always beneficial." Twitter: @CallerNatalia FARES SABAWI/CALLER-TIMES The rosary path is one of the new renovations in the courtyard of the Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi. The organization will now move from their old downtown location in the next two months. SHARE By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi plans to move within the next two months, according to a news release from the organization. The organization will relocate to a new building located at 615 Oliver Ct. The new location gives the organization an additional 10,000 square feet in space. Moving to a new location was an effort that began several years ago, according to the news release. The relocation was made possible with a grant from the John G. and Marie Stella Kenedy Memorial Foundation. Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi has served the region for more than 50 years by assisting those who are poor or disabled and helping immigrants legally apply for citizenship. SHARE By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times The victim of a brutal 2012 assault has nightmares about the day he was sodomized and beaten by Jimmy Garza Jr. and Ramiro Serrata Jr. He can remember how much of his blood was on the floor and how his captors slipped over it as they beat him. "I am twofold devastated by the hateful nature of the attack," he said. "Firstly, as a homosexual man in America, to be sodomized, in and of itself is egregious; but even more degrading was, as an African American, to be whipped like a slave." The victim gave the statement Wednesday when District Judge Hayden Head sentenced Garza and Serrata to 15 years in federal prison. "I cannot imagine the brutality it must take to commit the crime you committed," Hayden told the defendants. "This type of brutality ... words fail me except to say it's inhuman and disgusting." Garza and Serrata pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit hate crimes and one count of a hate crime based on the victim's sexual orientation. Several weapons were used on the victim, including a frying pan, a sock filled with batteries and a broom. "I was totally unrecognizable," the victim said. "It damaged my ego. I eventually stopped looking in the mirror." The assault took such a toll on the victim that he became a drug addict, he said. Currently, the victim is in jail for drug charges. "I was already a recreational drug user but in the immediate aftermath of my attacks, my drug use was off the charts," he said. "I stopped caring about my life in general." The victim escaped the attack after jumping out of a window. "I ran for my life and I've been running ever since," he said. Still, the victim forgave the men and wished them no ill will, he said. Serrata apologized for his role in the crime. Garza did not. "You were born human," Head told them. "You abandoned your humanity for the viciousness of animals." Both men will have three years of supervised release after their prison sentences, and must register as sex offenders. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES A sign displays a location for voting as students pass by Wednesday at Del Mar College. The college was a late addition to the lineup of early voting locations this year. SHARE GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES A student walks past campaign signs Wednesday at Del Mar College. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES People stand in front of the Heldenfels Administration Building on Wednesday at Del Mar College. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Students pass by the Heldenfels Administration Building on Wednesday at Del Mar College. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES A student walks past campaign signs Wednesday at Del Mar College. By Matt Woolbright of the Caller-Times Richard Perez, a 23-year-old Del Mar College student, knows he's an oddity when it comes to civic involvement. Many people his age typically don't vote, but he does. He voted in 2012 at 19, and he recently received his voter registration card to cast his ballot in Texas' primary election next month. "I try to stay informed, but I don't think most on campus really care," Perez said as he walked to a communications class Thursday. "Even if they do know you can vote here, politics just isn't first on their mind." The college was a late addition to the lineup of early voting locations this year, and college officials want to make sure that opportunity to engage the future generation to vote isn't squandered. That's why assistant professor Teresa Klein is promoting a campus wide goal to get 1,000 ballots cast from the Heldenfels Administration Building near the center of the college's east campus. "(Voting) becomes a habit if you start early, and this is just convenient for the students and that helps get rid of one factor against them becoming engaged," Klein said. "We're on a campus to learn and this is a perfect opportunity to learn." The college saw 166 people combined vote Tuesday and Wednesday, which is short of Klein's daily goal of 100 per day, but she's optimistic the 1,000 votes is viable. To reach that milestone, the polling location will need to log about 102 votes a day for the next nine days of early voting, which includes Thursday. Nueces County Clerk Kara Sands said how many voters go to early voting sites and election day sites in the spring will be factors considered when sites are selected for the general election in the fall. The original plan was to offer a mobile voting location at Del Mar like what's being offered at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, she said. In the 2014 general election Del Mar was not an early voting site for the primaries the college ranked 13 out of 19 in terms of total turnout with 611 voters casting ballots there. Eight locations had more than 1,000 votes cast, county records show. It's not clear how many students are casting ballots at Del Mar's polling location. An election worker estimated about one in three were students. Some students on campus weren't aware voting was offered there. Brittany Garza, a 20-year-old student pursuing a career in radiology, said she wanted to vote, but hadn't heard about any deadlines, what the requirements were or even how to vote. Her understanding of the issues and candidates comes primarily from Twitter, but that's something she wants to change, she said. "It's our generation and (elections) are going to affect us," Garza said. But most won't get involved or vote, she added, "because we don't think it's that important I guess." That's not the case for her anymore, however. Garza added she intended to look into voting in this primary just after class. Twitter: @reportermatt SHARE Much can, and undoubtedly will, be said about the legacy of Justice Antonin Scalia. He is being called a "giant" of the Supreme Court. His dogmatic insistence on so-called originalism as the one true way to interpret the Constitution has shaped much discussion of the Constitution. He proudly proclaimed that, unlike proponents of a "living Constitution," he viewed the Constitution as "dead" and basically mummified in the late 18th century. A paradoxical aspect of his legacy, though, is that he seemed to care relatively little about actually persuading his colleagues on the high court, or, just as importantly, entering into necessary compromises designed to elicit their agreement. He fundamentally rewrote the job description of "Supreme Court Justice" by directing a great deal of his attention outside the court. He engaged in indefatigable public campaigning to build support for his view of the law. He recognized the important role that social movements play in what might be called "constitutional politics." For example, Scalia and his Supreme Court adversary, Justice Stephen Breyer, met in a public debate at Texas Tech University before some 5,000 people in 2010. Supreme Court justices like to think in terms of precedent, and that joint appearance and vigorous debate before a mass audience about constitutional fundamentals was truly unprecedented. One of Scalia's most important techniques in building popular support was the willingness to use his considerable rhetorical skills not only to offer vivid descriptions of his own positions, but also to denigrate those of his opponents. In fact, in many ways Scalia adopted the role of the predominant "trash talker" on the Supreme Court. Many of his opinions are altogether similar to the slash-and-burn rhetoric that we associate during this campaign season with Donald Trump. Scalia commented, altogether accurately, that he and his colleagues "are not in agreement on the basic question of what we think we're doing when we interpret the Constitution." When I teach constitutional law, as I have for almost 40 years, I try to emphasize that reasonable people can disagree. Men and women of undoubted good faith can come up with strikingly different answers to constitutional conundrums, and we have to learn to live with this sometimes discomforting reality. That was not Scalia's way, however. He really didn't believe that reasonable people could disagree about constitutional meaning. There was only one proper approach, the ostensible fidelity to the purported original understanding of the Constitution; rejection of that approach was the equivalent of heresy. This use of vituperation was on full display in what will now count as his last major dissent, in the Obergefell case that gave constitutional protection to same-sex marriage. One need not necessarily believe that the court made the correct decision (although I do). One might still bewail the language of sarcasm and insult that ran through his angry dissent. Consider his reference to the majority opinion as a "Putsch." For any well-educated adult, the one-and-only example of a "Putsch" is Adolf Hitler's "Beer Hall Putsch" of 1923, an important episode in the rise of Nazism. And Scalia immediately went on to say that his colleagues had failed their most elemental task, which was to "function as judges." This is vivid and highly quotable language, as is the case with much of what Donald Trump says. Like Trump, Scalia treated those who disagreed with him as fools or scoundrels. Law professors who adopted Scalia's approach of vituperation and insult directed toward those judges whose decisions they disagree with would properly be subject to chastisement. Our task, with very few exceptions, is to note how men and women of good faith can in fact arrive at strikingly different conclusions. To be sure, we must choose our own favorites and explain why we agree with them but that does not require simple dismissal of those on the other side as stupid or venal. Scalia, as befits someone with more than three decades of service on the high court, leaves multiple legacies. But the coarsening of our public dialogue with regard to constitutional debate stands out. Whatever the proper venue for trash talk might be, its entrance into the opinions of the Supreme Court is something we should all regret. Sanford Levinson is the W. St. John Garwood and W. St. John Garwood, Jr. Centennial Chair in Law at the School of Law at The University of Texas at Austin. SHARE Catherine Tyree Don't compare Trump and Sanders Bravo to The Washington Post editorial in Friday's Caller-Times warning voters not to give heed to the Trump-Sanders comparisons. The essence of the contrast is so much more important than the trivial similarities. Sanders means well he's idealistic, if naive; Trump means to aggrandize himself at the expense of our nation while victimizing others. Consider his notion that he can "round up" 11 million human beings and deport them. Where will he keep them once they have been seized? His proposal is reminiscent of Germany's round up of the Jews, and his viable options bear the odor of the World War II internment camps in the U.S. and the concentration camps in Europe. Where will we send these 11 million men, women, and children once we have taken them into custody? No country or countries I can think of would let Trump just drop 11 million impoverished people on their economies (despite what, I am sure, would be his tactful entreaties). And what effect would this have on our economy? Might food prices rise without such labor? What about the cost of construction? Texas would feel the impact in sales tax revenues. Human beings (they are indeed that despite the political designations) would be sent back to circumstances so odious that they left all that was family and familiar to come here, often via treacherous paths. Donald Trump is NOT like Bernie Sanders. The move follows the successful pilot of its in-store kiosks called playSpots late last year, which deliver consumer engagements called Moments of Joy (MoJos), via mini-games in retail stores right at the point of purchase. The China-based joint ventureincorporated as Fudaksuwill trade as Ksubaka () and brings with it a capital injection of US$15.6 million (RMB100 million) for 2016. Fullshare Holdings, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, is one of Chinas largest privately held businesses and specialises as a service operator of green building, community, cities and towns. Julian Corbett, CEO and founder of Ksubaka, described the joint venture as the perfect partnership to scale the business, which will maintain the global Ksubaka branding. The combination of our IP and existing brand relationships and Fullshares support to deliver the service is exciting, he added. The injection of funds will enable the company to scale at speed, with the plan to roll out more than 20,000 playSpots nationally across mainland China by the end of the year. The company claims that the expanded network will deliver in excess of 1 million daily consumer engagements, defining engagement as a brand interaction lasting for more than 60 seconds. The platform also offers promotional incentives including: discounts, coupons, loyalty points and interaction into branded WeChat channels. Speaking to Campaign Asia-Pacific, Corbett said that installations in initial tier-one cities will be complete in the coming weeks, with tier-two and -three cities next on the list in the coming months. We have an agreement to have rollout across all of China with the largest supermarket retail chain China Resource Vanguard Co, he added. They have over 4,500 locations across the country, and we are starting with the hypermarkets where we are installing 10 playSpots in each. During the pilot phase, the company had a presence in Beijing with playSpots present in 80 stores owned by Wumart, a leading Chinese retail company. In Singapore, its network spans 200 screens in Guardian stores, with another 100 screens in FairPrice supermarkets. The company has already run campaigns for some 20 major brands, including: Clear, Coca-Cola, Colgate, Dove, Head & Shoulders, Heineken, Kelloggs, Lifebuoy, LOreal Paris, Nescafe, Oreos, Sunsilk, Walls Ice-Cream and Wrigley. The best path forward The joint-venture deal marks a slight detour from the companys initial plans. Ksubaka closed a US$5 million Series A funding round in January 2015, from private investors and Dymon Capital Asia. Late last year, Corbett told Campaign Asia-Pacific that the company was looking at a Series B fundraising round. Asked about the decision to forgo the typical fundraising route, Corbett said the team looked at and had great traction on a venture capital path. Ultimately however, both the terms of the deal and access that the joint venture provided us with meant that the plan of combining forces resulted in us being able to accelerate much faster in China and get to some 100 million monthly MoJos ahead of our plan, he added. While China remains the companys priority market, entry into other Asian markets is also being explored. Julian Corbett There is a lot of interest in a number of markets for our solution for delivering an experiential shopper journey and a powerful media solution for engaging deeply with shoppers, said Corbett. We have proven the incredible sustainability of our solution since initial roll-out. The company is currently looking at three markets, two in Asia and one in Europe, which it intends to launch in within six months. We are now in a phase where we are growing all of our metrics by 100 percent month by month and seeing this kind of scalability, with a platform team fully prepared for this kind of growth, is a new and exciting phase for Ksubaka, said Corbett. As one of the most important festivals in the Chinese calendar, CNY has traditionally constituted a window period for brands to promote their products and ring up robust retail sales. It has not generally been considered a time for brands to deepen and strengthen their relationships with consumers. That perception may need to change, according to Prophet's poll, carried out last month. The company surveyed 1,000 consumers across three markets (mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore) regarding their attitudes on how brands should participate in CNY. Chinese brands that did well during this CNY included Jiaduobao, Xufuji, Want Want, Yili, Haier and Mengniu. These companies understood the strong traditions associated with the festivalvisiting family, gifting, sharing of foodand fully embraced the sentiments of this prolific time of year, the consultancy reported. This is of course expected of domestic brands, but in fact, some non-Chinese brands, such as Coca-Cola and Lifebuoy, also stood out for the emotional connections they built with natives. In the survey, 72 percent of respondents said that it was important for them to be surprised by brands CNY promotions. Chinese consumers clearly want to be captivated by brand campaigns, said Jay Milliken, senior partner in Prophets Hong Kong office. Haier, for example, catered to emotional needs this CNY with a campaign called Be your parents companion during CNY (). Partnering with China Railway, Haier labelled entire trains under its washing machine brand ("") and decorated train compartments with QR codes. People taking the trains home for family reunions could scan the QR codes and watch a short branded video about the unconditional love of parents. Prophet indicated that Chinese consumers related strongly to this sentiment. Another example highlighted by Prophet is Unilevers Lifebuoy, which has developed novel 'hongbao' or red packets from anti-bacterial soap paper. The packets, which can be used to both gift money and wash hands, were sent to 270,000 target households in Shanghai, increasing Lifebuoys brand awareness in the market by 17 percent, or the equivalent of US$830,000 in free impressions, Prophet reported. As non-Chinese brands bring innovation to marketing that delights and engages Chinese consumers, the message for Chinese brands is that they can no longer get along simply by offering the usual CNY promotions, Milliken said. Mainland respondents indicated that they are more likely to recommend brands to others (59 percent), try new brands (65 percent) or buy more from brands (64 percent) if those brands participate in CNY in the ways they wanted. "This is a big surprise because consumers told us that they were interested in brands engaging with them and would reward them with higher loyalty or trial of new brands," added Milliken. You may also like | BY Ricki Green | Brand Strategist Marco Ruckenbrod is challenging his state of mind by joining the Miami Ad Schools Planning Bootcamp in Sydney. During the coming weeks he will chat with different strategists and planners to capture some perspectives from Down Under. He is doing that in cooperation with the Account Planning Group Germany. The first chat is with Ben Hourahine, formerly Head of Strategy at Razorfish Australia. My first planners chat took place with Ben Hourahine. Over some delicious sushi, Ben and I had a chat at Miami Ad School, Sydney. Originally hailing from the UK Ben has had quite an exciting career since he graduated in Modern History and Political Science at the University of Birmingham. Amongst other things, Ben has held leading roles at Leo Burnett and Razorfish in both the UK and Australia. During the past four years Ben was responsible for the strategic performance of Razorfish Australia, including brand planning, digital strategy, user experience, business consulting and research, and insight services. Following a brief industry sabbatical, Ben has been busy developing his own business, successfully launching Splashsuits, an Australian retail start-up brand. Besides Splashsuits, Ben still works as a strategic consultant advising various clients on brand, content, marketing and digital development. On top of everything business-related, Ben lectures at Miami Ad School, for two years was a board member of the Australian Account Planning Group and a judge for the Communications Councils Effie Awards. No doubt, Ben is a brilliant strategist. When asked for a vivid metaphor to visualise the job of a planner, he was at first speechless. But eventually, he came up with an incredibly brilliant characterisation. See for yourself. ### #01 Instead of giving us an ordinary biography of yourself would you be so kind to give us an unconventional or somehow surprising 140 characters tweet of who you are. MD of Splashsuits start-up. Prev Head of Strategy @ Razorfish / Futures Editor @ Leo Burnett. APG Board. Effies Judge. QPR Believer & Record Horder. #02 Please give us an idea of how youd describe the role of strategy & planning for clients as well as within the agency. Whats the added value, both external and internal, that planning provides? | BY Ricki Green | CB Exclusive: Last Sunday, tight-as Ogilvy Melbourne writer Alex Little united lovers everywhere to crowd-fund the worlds first Valentines Day surprise. The only catch? You needed to have a partner called Prue his girlfriends name. The excessively economical creative used Kickstarter to raise money for an aeroplane banner to fly over Melbourne. So that each partner could claim credit for the stunt, the banner simply read: Happy Valetines Day, Prue. Love Me. By staying anonymous throughout, the left-my-wallet-at-home writer allowed partners to pitch in a couple of bucks and, in return, score Prue merch and the opportunity to point proudly skyward and claim, Babe, that was all me. The Ill-get-the-next-round creative says: This was an idea for all men who have had to plan a Valentines Day and come up short with a box of Roses and a bottle of bargain bin. The scheme was picked up my news.com.au, Mashable, 3AW, JJJ, MMM and spread overseas to the theindependent.co.uk and HIS Radio in the US, plus a couple of those click-baity American blogs, which helped the idea take flight over St Kilda last Sunday and allowed partners of Prue everywhere to hit that sweet spot between minimum effort, maximum froth. Alex Little the boyfriend Karsten Jurkschat the designer Sam Cloake the camera guy | BY Lynchy | The annual CB AgencyCreativity/Billings Index (or Hot+Cold Chart) has just been published, a must for all agency CEOs and ECDs plus marketers on the look-out for a new agency or to see where their agency is placed in the industry. There is a chart for Melbourne/Sydney, plus Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth, as well as New Zealand. Request your FREE hi-res PDF, which you can print out and pin on your wall or blow up to A2 or A1 and frame. About the CB Hot+Cold Chart: While size may be important to some big clients (Ive got a bigger agency than you), it is by no means the only measure of an agencys worth. Which is why Campaign Brief introduced in 1997 a new way of measuring our agencies: by relating their size to their creative product. That way, clients seeking a big, creative agency know where to look. Some may prefer a small, creative shop. Others may seek a big, conservative operation. Or a small shop that pumps out what they want, when they want it, at the right price. Whatever their tastes, CB make it easier to see where a selection of agencies in Australia and New Zealand sit in our 20th Annual Big vs Small Hot vs Cold cross-analysis. | BY Ricki Green | Isobar has announced today that it has promoted Rod Farmer to the newly created role of strategic design director, Asia Pacific. He will join the regional Isobar leadership team, and be responsible for lifting the overall design capabilities of Isobar throughout the Asia Pacific region, focusing on the areas of experience, service and business design. Farmer was previously general manager of Isobar Sydney, where he led the business operations and managed a highly dynamic team of leading creative thinkers. At the same time, he was also the executive director for experience design, which saw him leading the design practices across the Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, and Canberra offices. He and his team have played an integral role in the overall business transformation of clients by ensuring smart design across their platforms, campaigns, products and experiences. Farmer has more than 15 years experience in the industry and is highly regarded as one of Australias foremost experts on product and service design. He has also served as a trusted advisor to top organisations such as Telstra, ABC and Westpac. In his new role, Farmer will continue building Isobar Australia as APACs center of excellence in strategic design, and further expand innovative product/service design offering across Asia Pacific region. He will continue to be based in Australia and report to Konrad Spilva, CEO of Isobar Australia and New Zealand, and to Sven Huberts, managing director of Isobar Asia Pacific, in his regional responsibilities. This appointment further strengthens Isobars regional leadership team, following the appointment of Maciej Nowicki as chief creative officer, South and Southeast Asia earlier this year, and signifies Isobars continued commitment to elevating its full service digital capabilities for clients across the Asia Pacific region. Says Sven Huberts, managing director of Isobar Asia Pacific: Were thrilled to be promoting Rod, who has helped transform the businesses of our clients through innovative product and service design. The addition of Rod in our regional team strengthens our ability to deliver market leading strategic design solutions with speed and precision. We are looking to him to accelerate our regional culture of design thinking as we continuously work on delivering borderless Ideas without Limits for our clients. Says Konrad Spilva, CEO of Isobar Australia and New Zealand: I have worked closely with Rod for the past three years and his incredible experience and expertise in marrying user-centred design with business strategy, creative thinking and technology disciplines at Isobar has resulted in massive invention and change for our clients. I am eager to see his future contributions to the continued success and growth of our business. Says Farmer: Im thrilled to be joining the Regional team, and looking forward to driving our already strong Design capabilities across APAC. Daily Briefing: A warm, dry winter is coming La Nina continues third year in a row and more news to start your Friday. Wednesday, February 17, 2016 at 10:27PM Google's CEO Sundar Pichai took to Twitter to raise his concerns over the FBI's attempt to gain access to an iPhone backdoor which could expose user information. Pichai seems to agree with Apple CEO Tim Cook who today released a strongly worded public letter in response to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's desire to be able to access the contents of people's iPhones in investigations. "The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers including tens of millions of American citizens," Cook declared in his open letter. Pichai weighed in with a series of tweets, "Important post by @tim_cook. Forcing companies to enable hacking could compromise users privacy." Like Cook, Pichai is worried that, this action could set a dangerous precedent and encroach on user's right to privacy. This issue will continue to be a hot topic among technologists and there's likely more discussion to come regarding the matter. Source: 9to5Google and Twitter The federal government is under pressure to explain the long wait for Syrian refugees, many of whom are living in squalid and dangerous conditions in camps across the Middle East, following the revelation that Canada has resettled 20,490 in less time than Mr Dutton's department has taken to process 26. The government has nevertheless insisted on 4m, and Capital Metro Minister Simon Corbell said while smaller trees might grow more quickly, planting them at 4m would not reduce their viability in any substantial way. The Canberra Metro consortium would have to replace any that failed with a tree of the same size, he said. [Your Business Name] Contact Info Phone: Fax: Email: Web: CAPITOLHILLCUBANS.COM Business Overview Geographic Area Line of Business Brands We Carry Products and Services Discounts Offered Additional Information Business Hours Timezone We Accept Three college students who first met while attending a Catholic high school in Florida have launched a scholarship fund to help others experience faithful Catholic education at a Newman Guide college. As we went off to different colleges, we kept in touch and found time to catch up whenever we returned [] Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact. Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here. Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2. Maserati is halting production again to adjust its production to lower demand for the two models manufactured at their Grugliasco plant in Turin. This will be fourth time the Italian car manufacturer stops the production process, and Reuters reports that the FCA-owned company will continue using temporary layoffs until the situation is under control (until the offer matches the request). The situation seems more critical, as unlike the previous furlough, which lasted a week, now 1900 workers will temporarily stay at home from March 17 to April 4 adding a new suspension on top of the three-week layoff between January and February, as the Fiom union said: Maserati now makes use of temporary layoffs each month there is a risk that production this year will be lower than in 2015 when it was already down 30 percent on the previous year. This comes after Vincenzo Aragona, national secretary for Fismic, said in a statement that Maserati is still on the right path: We arent worried about the future. Maseratis investment in Grugliasco is one of the most positive events in the Turin area in the last 10 years. Fiat Chrysler declined to comment on the issue. PHOTO GALLERY Kias answer to the Toyota Prius is heading to Geneva after its official reveal at the Chicago Auto Show. The all-new Kia Niro is the firms first dedicated hybrid model and surprisingly comes wrapped in a crossover costume rather than the usual streamlined hatchback shape we are used to from this sort of vehicles. Based on the same platform with the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq, the new Kia Niro is powered by a combination of a 103hp 1.6-litre petrol engine and a 43hp electric motor. Rather than opting for a CVT transmission, Kia installed a six-speed double-clutch gearbox in order to make the Niro a more engaging drive. The 1.56kWh lithium-ion battery pack weighs just 33kg and offers up to 50 per cent higher energy density and 13 per cent greater energy efficiency than the battery packs found in key rivals, claims Kia. Despite the SUV shape, the Kia Niro proves to be slippery enough as the drag coefficient is just 0.29 Cd. The key economy figures are not finalized yet, with the companys engineers targeting CO2 emissions of 89g/km. The Kia Niro will offer buyers a compelling blend of crossover practicality with the cool, modern styling for which Kia is famous, and an efficient new hybrid powertrain to keep running costs down, said Michael Cole, Chief Operating Officer of Kia Europe. The Niro fills a gap in the market for a crossover with typically low hybrid emissions, and will appeal to a broad range of European buyers. PHOTO GALLERY Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer Penticton Secondary students learned about in-demand jobs in B.C. at a day-long event at the school on Tuesday. The school visit was one of the stops on the Work BC Find Your Fit tour. "The biggest value of this is getting kids understanding the labour market in B.C. and really setting goals for themselves as well as understanding how to navigate the Work BC website," said tour manager Ryley Ellement. The tour, which started in October in Vancouver, made its way to the Interior this month. On Tuesday, students were invited to learn about such occupations as carpentry, welding, truck driving millwright/heavy equipment mechanic, social work and nursing. A tech zone that showcases different jobs associated with the technology realm like computer and information systems manager, also generated a lot of interest. After the walk-through by students, the community was invited to come by between 3 and 7 p.m. The school's vice-principal, Donna Moroz, described it as a positive experience for students. "It was very interactive what the kids were doing, and the students seemed really engaged in learning about the different opportunities," she said. The tour's next stop is Vernon Secondary School on Thursday. Photo: Contributed The controversial issue of grocery store liquor sales is back on Penticton council's agenda. After hearing from a delegation representing small and medium wineries this week, council decided to take the matter to a public hearing. Under discussion will be restricting the sale of liquor in grocery stores to 100 per cent made in B.C. wines and that any bylaw maintains the rule that liquor stores within grocery stores must be at least one kilometre away from any other liquor store. "I think council recognizes that Penticton is a unique community and that we are in wine country with just over 200 wineries within a one-hour drive of Penticton and that it's a very boutique and robust industry," said Mayor Andrew Jakubeit. "And we want to give consideration to the fear expressed by some of the small and medium wineries." Last summer, council received a letter from the B.C. Private Liquor Store Association outlining its opposition to grocery store sales. And in September, a group represented by local private liquor store owners and a local winery and brewery made a presentation to council with similar concerns. In January, council heard from a representative from Overwaitea (Save-on- Foods), who explained the company's intentions for wine in grocery stores. The matter is expected to be on the agenda at council's next meeting, with the public hearing slated for March 21. Photo: Jo Slade Since my last report, we have passed the first 100 days in office since the new Liberal Government was sworn into power. As is customary, this 100 day milestone is marked by close scrutiny of Government actions from a wide variety of media and pundits. One particular analysis that caught my attention was by journalist David Akin, who examined the spending habits of the first 100 days of the current Liberal Government compared to the former Conservative Government. By the numbers, the former Conservative Government announced $3.9 Billion in spending commitments within their first 100 days. In contrast the new Liberal Government has announced spending commitments totalling $5.3 Billion in its first 100 days in office. What is most interesting is that $4.3 Billion of the total $5.3 Billion that the Liberals have announced will be spent entirely outside of Canada, leaving just $1 Billion to be spent on projects within Canada. By comparison, the $3.9 Billion announced by the former Conservative Government in their first 100 days, was almost all for projects and programs within Canada, only $211 million was spent outside of our borders. Obviously, this different direction in spending priorities was part of the promised change under which the Liberal Government was elected. We will learn more about the future spending priorities when the Minister of Finance tables his first budget on March 22. Also occurring this week in the House of Commons is debate, and a vote on the recently announced Liberal mission changes related to the campaign against the terrorist group ISIS. For more information on these changes and the new mission please see my MP report from last week that can be found here. Before I close this week, I would like to thank those citizens who came out to attend my `Hold your MP to account` town hall in West Kelowna. The attendance was very encouraging, and many good questions were asked by citizens who held me to account on a variety of different subjects. Given the success of this event I will look to have similar accountability town halls in other communities in Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola over the coming months. A reminder for those who cannot make these town halls I am always available for your comments, questions and concerns at: [email protected] or toll-free at 1.800.665.8711. This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet. Photo: Contributed - Flickr/Canadian Forces Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has ruled out cutting the size of the Canadian military, despite the country's bleak economic and fiscal picture. The Liberals will concentrate on meeting existing approved levels of 68,000 full-time and 27,000 part-time soldiers, with an eye toward eventually expanding Canada's military ranks, Sajjan said Thursday. "We are not looking at reducing our personnel," he said. "In fact, the conversations I'm having right now (are) about where do we need to increase the personnel." A recent federal report from last year's budget shows military reserves are running at roughly 20,000 paid members about 19 per cent short of full strength. The numbers are only slightly better for the regular forces, with roughly 66,000 full-time members in uniform. Sajjan says recruiting has slowed over the last few years and he wants to see measures stepped up so the country always has an agile, optimal force. National Defence is the largest single discretionary item in the federal budget. Previous governments, Liberal and Conservative alike, have often used military cuts as a way to balance the books. Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have both indicated of late that the Liberal promise to balance the budget over four years has morphed into returning to black ink over the long-term. When the Conservatives were still in power, they were being urged to cut the size of the regular force by respected voices, including former defence chief and retired general Rick Hillier, who said the number of bodies could be trimmed in order to preserve sophisticated capabilities. Sajjan said the new government's planned defence review to be carried out this year will look at the appropriate level of staffing. He suggested that the exercise will not be aimed at cutting, but rather whether there is an appropriate balance between the army, navy, air force and special forces something known as "troops to task." But in a nod to Hillier's remarks, he said the review will be wide-ranging. "We have to focus on capabilities; that perfect mix of personnel, training and equipment," Sajjan said. "We want the Canadian Armed Forces to be flexible, appropriately resourced and able to respond quickly to the challenges of the future." The minister told the annual Conference of Defence Associations Institute meeting that the review will be completed by the end of the year, but the parameters including public consultation have not yet been set. Defence analysts say that is an aggressive timetable, one that the Liberals will have a hard time meeting. Some at the conference questioned how the government could proceed with a review when it has yet to articulate an overall national security strategy. If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,... Restrepo appointed VP of Cementos Argos division ICR Newsroom By 18 February 2016 Camilo Restrepo has been appointed the new Vice President of Cementos Argos' Caribbean and Central American regional division, the company announced yesterday. Mr Restrepo began his career with Cementos Argos in 2005 as a research and development analyst and subsequently became an environmental professional and R&D Manager. In 2012 he was appointed as the company's Vice President of Innovation and has since achieved many milestones, including the launch of Argos Center of Innovation (see: International Cement Review, February 2016). Commenting on Mr Restrepo's progression through the ranks, Jorge Mario Velasquez, president of Cementos Argos, said: "I am pleased to see the professional development of Camilo, a partner who embodies the values of Argos' culture." Mr Restrepo studied Environmental Engineering at the School of Engineering of Antioquia (Colombia) and holds a Masters degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Maryland (USA). He is currently completing his MBA at the Goizueta Business School of Emory University, located in Atlanta, USA. In his new role for Argos, Mr Restrepo replaces Mauricio Ossa, who was recently named CEO of Odinsa. "We thank Mauricio for having contributed to the growth of this region, which now generates about 20 per cent of the proceeds from Argos and represents much of the multiculturalism of our company," Mr Velasquez added. Published under Gambia minister refutes reports on Dangote licence 18 February 2016 Gambia's Information Minister, Sheriff Bojang, has refuted claims that Dangote Cement was denied a licence to establish a local cement plant, explaining that such an investment was never on the cards given the west African country's lack of raw materials. In December 2015 an African news agency reported that Dangote had secured land and started implementing equipment for a new cement plant project in Gambia, but that the said licence was subsequently blocked to protect domestic cement importer Gacem Ltd. The report added that Dangote had to transfer the investment to neighbouring Senegal. The story was reproduced in some Nigerian and Senegalese media, as well as anti-Gambian government news sites. Cement project 'never discussed' Mr Bojang has since slammed the claims, describing the reports as false and baseless." Clarifying the situation, the minister said he had been informed by the Gambia Investment Agency that it had been engaged by the Dangote Group in 2011 and 2012 on discussions that centred on investments in the groundnut, juice manufacturing and electricity generation sectors. Cement was never discussed as an area of interest as the Gambia was not deemed to have the raw materials needed for such an activity, he underlined. Mr Bojang explained that the aformentioned talks on the other aforementioned industries had involved various visits to Dangotes head office by Gambian officials, and by Dangote senior officials to the Gambia capital, Banjul, which culminated in the Dangote Group's vice president visiting Gambia in February 2012. Encouraging greater regional trade and integration He further stressed that Gambia is an investment haven for Nigerians, noting that country president Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya AJJ Jammeh, Babili Mansa had recently told a forum that Nigerians are the single biggest foreign investors in Gambia. And we as a government encourage and put a high premium on greater regional trade and integration, Mr Bojang concluded. Published under It was a Godsend for all Chattanooga, and especially for the suburb of St. Elmo. Only un-married ladies were allowed to work there, and many widows or otherwise unattached ladies could not have survived without the "Medicine Company". My own grandmother was one of these, her husband - my grandfather - having died young at age 40. I grew up knowing a number of ladies who were totally dependent upon the "Medicine Company". It was founded by a man who was wounded on Snodgrass Hill (where the stone tower is today), during the Battle of Chickamauga; his name was Zeboim Cartter Patten, (known to his friends as "Zip"). While recuperating in Chattanooga he saw opportunities. Our city was destitute and needed all the help it could get. He therefore returned home to New York State briefly, before coming back here to stay. His ingenuity led to the creation of four companies that survived over 100 years - all four of which I plainly remember. They were the Patten Hotel, Patten and Payne Office Supplies (known more recently as "T.H. Payne"), the Volunteer State Life Insurance Company, and the Chattanooga Medicine Company. Although I have read an early account of how the business started, I have forgotten now just how their two principal products, Black-Draught (pronounced "Black Draft") and "Cardui" (pronounced "Car-dew-eye") were selected for production. Supposedly, British Navy personnel were obligated to take a nightly cup of water to which a black powder was added, and so it became known as a black draft. Think of it as a laxative if you had eaten bad food for dinner! And Cardui was for women's problems. Enough said. Next, the idea was to sell it, and so a fleet of salesmen was hired to peddle it throughout the entire Southeast, moving out in horse-and-buggies in all directions from Chattanooga. Barn roofs advertised both products, much as Rock City was advertised in succeeding years. The company prospered in spite of at least one lawsuit with the AMA (!) which threatened the life of the company - but good fortune smiled and the Medicine Company won! One day, when their reputation of success had been established, there was a visitor who came to the door asking to see Mr. Patten (known to his friends as "Zip"). The visitor had a secret formula he wanted to discuss with Mr. Patten, but he was not in that day. Disgusted, and unwilling to wait for "Zip's" return, the visitor went away - to Atlanta. There he made contact with someone who took one look at the man's secret formula and bought it instantly: it was called "Coca-Cola"! I heard that story directly from Mr. Alex Guerry, CEO of Chattem, Inc., whose great-grand-uncle was Z. Cartter Patten. We can only imagine how the life of Chattanooga might have been changed had Mr. Patten been around and possibly bought the man's formula! Fact is, though, that in those years the country was full of "secret formulas", "magic elixirs" and wonder-working "potions" which were supposed to cure everything from frostbite, to itch, to cancer! Chances are good that he would have rejected it simply because they already had some highly successful products. ("Kickapoo Joy Juice" of Li'l Abner Comic Strip fame, was a spoof on such elixirs and potions). Chattanooga Medicine Company continued to thrive through the years and their product acquisitions grew to astounding proportions with nationally known brand names. They gradually let go of their original products - Black Draught and Cardui - as their older customers died off and younger people sought glitzier products. Black Draught and Cardui had been advertised on a yearly calendar which could be found in almost every Southern household, and I remember many years ago while touring a visitor's center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I saw a painting of a very old mountain woman seated inside her log cabin home. There, over her shoulder, was an accurate rendering of a Black Draught calendar! These calendars came with an accompanying almanac, similar in format to other such almanacs, most notably the "Old Farmer's". My mother demanded one of each every year until she died at age 88! Mom was definitely a "believer" in the Medicine Company products! Before the computer age, and perhaps even before many offices had typewriters, notes were scribbled down by hand. To write a long name like "Chattanooga Medicine Company" took a bit of time, and probably did not help alleviate one's "writer's cramps", so the tendency was to abbreviate that long name by writing, "Chatt - M". And there you see how the old Chattanooga Medicine Company morphed into being the modern, "Chatt-em". (Chattem, Inc., to be exact). (Chester Martin is a native Chattanoogan who is a talented painter as well as local historian. He and his wife, Pat, live in Brainerd. Mr. Martin can be reached at cymppm@comcast.net ) The Cleveland City School Board voted at a special called meeting Wednesday to hire the Tennessee School Board Association staff to help with the recruitment and selection process for the next director of schools. On Feb. 5, the school board fired Dr. Martin Ringstaff from the position after learning he sent explicit sexual messages to a woman who was not his wife. Cathy Goodman was appointed as the interim director of schools. The brief afternoon meeting illuminated the fact that, by law, the director of schools could not enter into a contract 45 days before or 30 days after the general election. As a result, the school board needs to hire someone by June 1, 2016 for that person to be eligible to enter into a contract before the fall semester. Chairperson Dawn Robinson discussed the short time period from now until June 1 to tackle the difficult task of finding a new director. She recounted how the last time the board sought a director of schools it hired the Tennessee School Boards Association, an outside consulting firm, to screen applications for potential candidates. Board members Peggy Pesterfield and Tom Cloud, and Vice Chairperson Murl Dirksen remembered working with TSBA in the past and voiced their satisfaction with the organization. It is a tremendous amount of work to screen these applications, Mr. Dirksen said, to which board members agreed they did not have the time for this. Mr. Cloud said he approved of TSBA because the firm specialized in education and school board needs. Board member Charlie Cogdill, who has not yet experienced hiring a director of schools, asked what the board did regarding the candidates weeded out by TSBA the last time. Ms. Robinson answered they still looked at the names of all who applied. She said the way it works is the board decides what they want for a director of schools, and TSBA searches for that person. It could be a nationwide search if need be, Ms. Robinson said. Once TSBA narrows down the candidates, the board then travels to the prospective directors hometowns to interview them and speak with their peers. Every member present voted to hire TSBA in the search for the director of schools. They chose to go with the first of two plans the firm offered, which costs $6,500. Board member Steve Morgan was absent. If all goes accordingly, the application process will take place from March through April, and the selection process will occur in May in order to hire a new director by June. However, if the right person for the job does not turn up in that time, Ms. Robinson said the board would simply have to wait. Tennessee American Water announced Thursday that applications are now being accepted for the companys 2016 Environmental Grant Program awards. The grant awards will be available in Tennessee American Water service areas in Tennessee and North Georgia. Tennessee American Waters Environmental Grant Program is aimed at supporting local organizations with environmentally focused initiatives. For the past few years, the grant program has offered funds for innovative, community-based environmental projects that improve, restore or protect the watersheds, surface water and/or groundwater supplies through partnerships with local organizations. Tennessee American Water delivers high quality drinking water by meeting or exceeding EPA and state standards. We also recognize the importance of local source protection programs and consumer education, said Kevin Kruchinski, director of operations. We are all environmental stewards in protecting our water supplies, and this program is one way we help our community play an active role in this important effort. In 2015, Tennessee American Water awarded a total of three projects throughout its service area with grant money totaling more than $8,700. Organizations that received environmental grants in 2015 included Lookout Mountain Conservancy for its program with The Howard School, Hamilton County Coalition and Tennessee River Gorge Trust. Requirements for proposed projects are: Address a source water or watershed protection need in the community; Be completed between May 1 and Nov. 30; Be a new or innovative program for the community, or serve as a significant expansion to an existing program; Be carried out by a formal or informal partnership between two or more organizations; Provide evidence of sustainability (continued existence after the Tennessee American Water grant monies are utilized); and Be located within a Tennessee American Water service area. More information and the application can be obtained on the company website at www.tennesseeamwater.com under the Water Quality & Stewardship tab or use the following URL http://www.amwater.com/tnaw/water-quality-and-stewardship/environmental-grants-programs.html. Applications must be postmarked by April 1, and recipients will be notified in April 2016. A portion of land on 57th Street and Maryland Avenue at the University of Chicago Medical Center will be used for an expansion. The medical center announced plans to borrow $200 million to enlarge its emergency room to add trauma services and increase the number of hospital beds by 30 percent. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune) As other not-for-profit hospitals are reducing debt, University of Chicago Medicine is planning to borrow more money to finance a significant expansion of its Hyde Park campus. The medical center has amassed $868 million in long-term debt to modernize its health care facilities and expand to the suburbs. The credit rating agencies were already concerned about the amount of debt before the medical center announced plans Thursday to borrow an additional $200 million to enlarge its emergency room to add trauma services and increase the number of hospital beds by 30 percent. Advertisement While the proposal is going to be scrutinized by the Illinois health planning board, which has to approve the $269 million project, the U. of C. medical center also likely will face questions from ratings companies and bondholders about the increased spending. In addition to debt, the medical center plans to use existing cash to pay for the project. In its regulatory application filed with the state this week, the medical center included a report from a financial adviser that addressed possible concerns over the additional borrowing. The financial adviser, Melio & Company, concluded that the medical center will be able to satisfy the debt service payments on $200 million in tax-exempt bonds. Advertisement Sharon O'Keefe, president of the medical center, also said in an interview with the Tribune that she does not anticipate that the additional debt will negatively affect the hospital's debt ratings. "I think our financial performance fundamentally allows us to take on more debt," O'Keefe said. Despite being highly leveraged, the medical center is considered a low credit risk. Moody's Investors Service ranks the hospital at Aa3, its fourth-highest rating. Fitch Ratings also gave the hospital its fourth-highest grade in its most recent report. In November, Moody's upgraded the credit outlook for the medical center to stable from negative, citing improved operating performance and the growth of inpatient admissions. But the ratings company also flagged the U. of C. Medical Center's long-term debt. Moody's said the debt was equal to 56 percent of its $1.54 billion operating revenues in the fiscal year ended June 30, compared with a median of 32 percent for similar credit risks. The medical center's debt ballooned to pay for a $700 million, 10-story hospital that opened in 2013. More recently, the university has broken ground on a $67 million outpatient facility in Orland Park and a new clinic in the South Loop. While the medical center's debt has grown, Moody's noted a median decline in debt of almost 2 percent at other nonprofit hospitals in fiscal 2014. Considering the U. of C. hospital expansion still has to be approved, a Moody's spokesman said it was too early to comment on any effect the proposal will have on the medical center's credit rating. Advertisement asachdev@tribpub.com Twitter @ameetsachdev The University of Chicago is using its commitment to bring adult trauma services to the South Side to win state approval of a significant expansion of the Hyde Park medical center. University of Chicago Medicine says it would like to increase the size of its 617-bed hospital by 188 beds, a 30 percent increase. The new beds are needed to reduce overcrowding at the hospital and improve access to care for patients with complex conditions such as cancer and heart disease, said Sharon O'Keefe, president of the medical center. The proposal is a new wrinkle after December's surprise announcement that the university would build a Level 1 adult trauma center on its Hyde Park campus, after years of resisting public pressure. The university ditched plans, unveiled just three months earlier, to open a trauma center at Holy Cross Hospital on the Southwest Side, in partnership with Sinai Health System. In December, the university said trauma services would be integrated into a new, enlarged emergency department that would be built next to the core of its medical campus, the 10-story hospital that opened three years ago. The university, it turns out, has more ambitious plans tied to trauma care than an expanded ER, which may explain why it abandoned the partnership with Sinai Health. The medical center said all three parts of the $269 million project are tied together: trauma services, the enlarged ER and additional beds. Whether the university would make good on its promise to provide adult trauma services if the additional beds are not approved by the state health planning agency is unclear. At least initially, the university is taking an all-or-nothing approach, according to its paperwork filed this week with the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board, which oversees health care construction to coordinate planning of new services and control costs. "This Project has three related and interdependent components, each of which is necessary for the success of the other two," the university wrote in the 571-page application. By adding hospital beds to the trauma center plans, U. of C. Medicine has made the project more complicated to review, said Margie Schaps, executive director of the Health & Medicine Policy Research Group in Chicago. "I know we need more health care services on the South Side," Schaps said. "But every time you add a layer of complexity, you're adding the potential for more questions." South Side activists who had been campaigning for years for U. of C. to add trauma services were caught off guard by the university's expansion plans. "There are a lot of questions that can't be answered," said activist Veronica Morris-Moore, referring to how the hospital expansion could affect the proposed trauma center. She added: "We're not fighting for a commitment for a Level 1 trauma center; we're fighting for a Level 1 trauma center. Until that happens, we're going to continue to organize." O'Keefe said she is confident the health planning board will approve the entire project because the needs of the South Side go beyond trauma services. The medical center's inpatient admissions were up 9.7 percent in the fiscal year that ended June 30, according to Moody's Investors Service, a credit rating agency, continuing a trend that started in 2009. U. of C. Medicine's increase in patient volume bucks a national trend toward less hospitalization and more treatment in doctors' offices and outpatient clinics. O'Keefe said several factors have contributed to the growth, including fewer hospitals on the South Side, the demand for complex care from an aging population and more people with insurance thanks to the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Chicago Tribune This is a proposed rendering of expanded facilities included in the University of Chicago Medicine's Get CARE plan, which was submitted to the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board this week. The proposal includes redeveloping the existing Mitchell Hospital (pictured, southwest view) into a facility dedicated to treating patients with cancer. This rendering is merely conceptual and meant to give a general impression of the vision of the project. No architect has been chosen, and these plans have not been finalized. This is a proposed rendering of expanded facilities included in the University of Chicago Medicine's Get CARE plan, which was submitted to the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board this week. The proposal includes redeveloping the existing Mitchell Hospital (pictured, southwest view) into a facility dedicated to treating patients with cancer. This rendering is merely conceptual and meant to give a general impression of the vision of the project. No architect has been chosen, and these plans have not been finalized. (Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune) The hospital was so full last year that on 310 days, U. of C. had to turn patients away because of bed shortages, O'Keefe said. Bed shortages also affect the ER. In fiscal 2015, the emergency department had to divert ambulances to other hospitals 11 percent of the time, up from 6 percent in fiscal 2014, the medical center said in the application. "As opposed to thinking about trauma, emergency and specialty care as separate components, we looked at how we can best respond to all of those needs," O'Keefe said. "I think the board will see the importance of our responding to all of those demands on the South Side." U. of C. projects that visits to its adult ER will continue growing through 2021, in part because of the proposed addition of trauma services. About a quarter of ER patients are admitted to the hospital. The medical center plans to increase the number of exam rooms in the ER from 36 to 41, which includes four trauma resuscitation bays. The ER currently is located in an older facility on the medical campus, called Mitchell Hospital. By moving it closer to the newer hospital, known as the Center for Care and Discovery, the medical center hopes to reduce ER wait times. It would take two years to complete the ER and offer trauma services, if approved by the state board, U. of C. said in its application. U. of C. also would like to increase the number of medical-surgical beds, from 338 to 506.It plans to add 20 intensive-care beds to grow the unit to 146 beds. In all, the medical center would have 805 beds, about the size it was in the late 1970s, U. of C. said. As part of the project, Mitchell Hospital would be dedicated to cancer care, one of U. of C.'s top specialties. The university acknowledged that it has financial reasons for wanting to add medical beds. The adult ER lost $32 million in fiscal 2015, and the medical center expects the losses to grow with the addition of trauma services. Despite the ER loss, the medical center reported operating income of $84.1 million in fiscal 2015. Operating revenues were $1.54 billion, up 6.6 percent from a year earlier. U. of C. said it remains committed to "subsidizing" the cost of high-quality emergency care and trauma services. "To ensure the sustainability of these services, UCMC must have bed capacity to accommodate the growing demand for specialty services in addition to the demand for emergency and trauma care," the medical center said in its regulatory submission. The medical center plans to borrow $200 million to pay for the project, and the remaining funds would come from operations. Chicago Tribune's Dahleen Glanton contributed. asachdev@tribpub.com Twitter @ameetsachdev Note: An earlier version of the photo caption at the top of this story contained incorrect information about what would be located in the renovated Mitchell Hospital. In the 1950s, the Food and Drug Administration established an official definition for Parmesan cheese. According to these requirements, it cannot contain more than 32 percent moisture, while it must have a "granular texture," come with a "hard and brittle rind," grate "readily," and be made from cow's milk, among others things. Nowhere in the definition is there the suggestion that "wood pulp" would be an appropriate ingredient. Nor does it say it's acceptable to substitute in less expensive cheeses, such as cheddar, swiss, and mozzarella. That's not surprising: It should go without saying Parmesan cheese should be Parmesan cheese. Advertisement And yet, somehow, Parmesan cheese advertised as 100 percent Parmesan appears to be including wood pulp and other cheese, unbeknownst to us. The unusual tactic was first flagged by the FDA in 2012, when it found evidence that Castle Cheese Inc, which sold a variety of shaved Parmesan and romano cheeses, was introducing unexpected substances into its Parmesan cheese products. The government agency wrote the company a stern warning, which was filled with unambiguous language like "your product labels declare that the products are Parmesan cheese or romano cheese, but they are in fact a mixture of trimmings of various cheeses and other ingredients" and "your Parmesan cheese products do not contain any Parmesan cheese." Advertisement What distinguishes one cheese from another is a consequence of both its ingredients and the process in which its made. In the United States, the standards are set by the FDA, which requires that different cheeses carry different fat, moisture, protein, and salt contents. Parmesan is what is considered a hard Italian cheese, defined by its low moisture, high salt, and medium fat content, as well as its comparatively long ripening process. Mozzarella, on the other hand, is high in moisture and low in salt. It also, like cheddar, swiss, and many other softer cheeses, doesn't require the aging process that Parmesan does, making it cheaper to produce. The charge against Castle was crippling for the company, which reportedly sold doctored cheeses to major retailers like Target. Castle filed for bankruptcy the following year, and its president Michelle Myrter is expected to plead guilty this month to charges related to the cheese issue. This past October, Myrter's attorney, Stephen Stallings, told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette the case was a matter of improper labeling, not food safety. "No consumer's health or safety was ever jeopardized as a result of the labeling matters at issue," he told the paper. Castle, for its part, has mostly complied with the FDA. The company protested the accusations in a response to the FDA's original probe, claiming that the agency could only prove the likelihood that Castle was selling Parmesan cheese with a misleading label, but stopped producing the cheeses in question and threw away what inventory it had left on hand. Castle's foul play seems to be less of an outlier than an industry-wide ailment. A new report by Bloomberg News, which tested Parmesan cheese bought at various stores across the country, found that other brands advertised as 100 percent Parmesan weren't exactly that. The FDA's guidelines are vague about the permitted level of cellulose, an approved additive made from wood pulp, which stops the cheese from clustering. Cheesemakers are allowed to use as much as needed to stop their product from clumping, which, per industry standard, is somewhere around 2 percent. But some cheese makers are selling product that contains more than four times that amount, according to Bloomberg: Essential Everyday 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, from Jewel-Osco, was 8.8 percent cellulose, while Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s Great Value 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese registered 7.8 percent, according to test results. Whole Foods 365 brand didn't list cellulose as an ingredient on the label, but still tested at 0.3 percent. Kraft had 3.8 percent. What's more, major industry players are convinced the problem extends well beyond the products Bloomberg News. Advertisement "The tipping point was grated cheese, where less than 40 percent of the product was actually a cheese product," Neil Schuman, who owns Arthur Schuman Inc., which controls a third of the hard Italian cheese market in the U.S., told Bloomberg. "Consumers are innocent, and they're not getting what they bargained for. And that's just wrong." Shuman believes a fifth of all hard Italian cheese produced in the United States are mislabeled. Another cheese industry executive told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2014 that some Parmesan cheese being sold contains 20 percent or more cellulose. Tests seem to have corroborated the notion that a lot of cheesemakers are cheating. DairiConcepts, a subsidiary of Dairy Farmers of America, tested 28 Parmesan brands and found that most were lying about the protein content in their cheese, likely because they were introducing extra cellulose. The reason companies appear to be cutting corners is simple: it helps them save money. Making Parmesan, romano, and other hard Italian cheeses isn't nearly as efficient as making their softer counterparts the drying process takes months, shedding moisture and, with it, weight. Depending on how long it sits, the same amount of milk could mean significantly less cheese by weight than it would if a manufacturer were making cheddar, swiss, or mozzarella. Adding a little extra cellulose, or swapping in a little or a lot of another cheese, can save commercial manufacturers millions of dollars. Advertisement The growing popularity of hard nutty cheeses in the United States, and the relative unfamiliarity with the nuances of their flavor profile, could be making it easier for the tweaks to go unnoticed. Both Parmesan and romano production are growing rapidly in the country, rising by 11 percent and 20 percent, respectively, last year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The problem, in many ways, is emblematic of an issue afflicting the broader American food industry. The FDA's first priority is ensuring the safety of the American food system, protecting consumers from health hazards that arise when manufacturers are mishandling products or skirting essential food safety standards, which makes it hard to expend the time and resources necessary to catch coy companies like Castle. Increasingly, labels, which are supposed to allow customers to make more informed decisions, are instead turning into advertising vehicles, bending the truth in ways neither consumers nor the government appreciates. Often, these have been used to pitch questionable health benefits. In 2010, the Food and Drug Administration issued warning letters to 17 food manufacturers, mandating that they correct labels that made unfounded health claims. That same year, nearly half of all new food and beverage products came with a health- or nutrition-related claim, up from 25 percent in 2001, according to a report by the USDA's Economic Research Service. "Food labeling has become an incredibly powerful marketing tool," said Bill Marler, a lawyer and food safety expert who regularly represents consumers in claims against food companies. But packaging has also become a viable vehicle for other forms deceit, like those uncovered in the cheese industry. Look no further than the olive oil industry for evidence, which is fraught with fraud. The problem, according to Tom Mueller, the author of 'Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil,' is that we just aren't all that great at catching crooked behavior. "In America, olive-oil adulteration, sometimes with cut-rate soybean and seed oils, is widespread, but olive oil is not tested for by the F.D.A. F.D.A. officials tell me their resources are far too limited, and the list of responsibilities far too long, to police the olive-oil trade," he told the New Yorker in 2012. Advertisement The hope is that the recent crackdown in the cheese world will shine a spotlight on an unbecoming part of the industry, making it increasingly more difficult to cheat without being caught. And few feel more strongly about this than those who haven't been skirting the rules to reclaim the market. "The industry wants to be known for a wholesome, safe, honest product it's what's kept the industry growing for 100 years," John Umhoefer, executive director of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, told Bloomberg this week. CH Distillery, which creates a range of spirits at its original location in the West Loop, will open a new, larger distillery in Pilsen. (Brian Nguyen / Chicago Tribune) CH Distillery, which opened in the West Loop in 2013 focusing on vodka made from all Illinois grain, plans to open a second location in Pilsen by the end of the year. "It's a big project," admits Tremaine Atkinson, co-founder, head distiller, and managing director of operations for CH Distillery. He's not kidding. The 20,000-square-foot facility, which will include three silos that each hold 50,000 pounds of grain, will eventually produce 20 times the amount of liquor as the previous location. Advertisement According to Atkinson, the new location was picked because of its close proximity to downtown. Plus, the building happens to be by the former location of the Schoenhofen Brewery, which used to be one of Chicago's largest breweries, but faded in production in the 1970s. "It feels really good to bring back alcohol production to the site," says Atkinson. While there is no bar planned for the site, Atkinson says the location has "great skyline views," and that it's possible that a brewpub or event space could be added in the future. At first, the Pilsen location will focus on producing the distillery's CH Vodka, with the hope to add liqueur production later. Advertisement Though this may seem like a dramatic step, Atkinson believes the new location is the best way for CH Distillery to stay competitive, while maintaining its focus on using Illinois grain. "This is a different approach from a lot of other craft distilleries," says Atkinson, "I think we're changing the game." Opening late 2016, 1611 S. Clinton Street. nkindelsperger@tribpub.com Twitter @nkindelsperger OK, you've held on to your hat now hold on to your socks. While we're 39th in per capita consumption, in wine production we rank fourth. Anyone still wearing socks, feel free to gently release your grip because the bitter, shocking winds are over. Only France, Italy and Spain produce more wine than we do. There are no real surprises in the rest of the top 10 either (Argentina, China, Australia, Chile, South Africa, Germany). China is relatively new to winemaking, but when they set their minds to something, they tend to get results. If you think about it, it's not all that unusual for something to be made in China. Why not wine? A rich cheese sauce, studded with classic partners ham and peas, coats pasta in a way that's sure to please. A wine with a refreshing profile is what you'll want to wash it down. Make this Advertisement Cheese tortellini with ham and peas Cook 3 packages (9 ounces each) cheese tortellini in plenty of well-salted boiling water. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 chopped shallots; cook 1 minute. Stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons flour; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add 2 cups warm milk; cook, stirring, until mixture is slightly reduced and thickened, 10 minutes. Add 10 ounces frozen peas, 3/4 pound cubed cooked ham, 3/4 cup grated Parmesan, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, and salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Drain pasta; stir into the sauce. Makes: 6 servings Advertisement Recipe by Kristin Eddy Drink this Pairings by sommelier Ryan Arnold of Lettuce Entertain You restaurants, as told to Michael Austin: 2014 Bisci Verdicchio di Matelica, Marche, Italy: Verdicchio is one of the most underrated white grapes in Italy, and this wine is from a largely unexplored region. It is dry, crisp and medium-bodied with aromas of spring flowers, green apple and quince. For the rich, cheesy pasta, this Verdicchio delivers the freshness and balance needed. 2014 Massican Annia, Napa Valley, California: A blend of the three notable grapes in Italy's Friuli region: tocai friulano, chardonnay and ribolla gialla. Annia carries aromas of lemon peel, dried herbs and green almond, which will match the peas and chopped parsley in the dish. The chardonnay brings weight, which will match the texture of the dairy, and the tocai friulano brings acidity, which adds freshness. 2012 Vietti Barbera d'Alba, Tre Vigne, Piedmont, Italy: Barbera from Piedmont has an abundance of bright red fruits, cherry and strawberry, which are all balanced with refreshingly high acidity. This light-to-medium-bodied version is bright and lively, which will help balance the richness of the cheese sauce. Instead, "these grants support the long-term sustainability of these organizations," according to the MacArthur website. "Awards are made to organizations that are important to their fields and to the foundation's goals for those fields, exhibit strong leadership and governance, have demonstrated impact that is likely to continue into the future and are ready to implement a plan for expansion or sustainability not just of the programs but of the organization itself." Not once does she look down on her character, or hold her up as an object of ridicule. There's a warmth to Bryant's comedy. A real humanity and absurdity, too. Priceless bits of dialogue include: "I want us to be like witches goin' into combat." That boast comes from "Orange is the New Black's" Natasha Lyonne as the leader of a trio of tough-girl rockers who buy a bolt of black fabric. Darby's ensuing, hyper-eager fantasy (which she uses to pass the time as she microwaves a Hot Pocket, mesmerized by the slow spinning of the tray) has her fronting her own band and saying things like, "My whole life is black boots and throwing eggs at fat girls!" No reboot is more happy to draw attention to its own return than " Fuller House ," an exercise in nostalgia that leans heavily on knowledge of the show's past life as a prototypical '80s (and '90s) family sitcom. Old catchphrases are pulled out of storage, past stars stop by for strategically deployed visits, and a new crop of kids delivers corny lines. Those who enjoyed the original " Full House " and who don't mind its patented blend of cloying sentiment, cutesy mugging and predictable humor might find enjoyment in this unspectacular retread. However every time John Stamos wanders through "Fuller House," we're reminded that it's possible to see a better version of this sitcom -- in Stamos' "Grandfathered," for Fox. Stamos and other original cast members (including Lori Loughlin, Bob Saget and Dave Coulier) are present and accounted for in the "Fuller House" pilot, but they cycle through only sporadically after that. The center of the new version of the sitcom is Candace Cameron-Bure's D.J. Tanner-Fuller, who returns to the familial San Francisco home after the father of her three sons dies. Her sister Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and her friend Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber) pitch in to help her raise her three boys, the youngest of which is a baby played by twins. That element of the new show is, of course, a gender flip of part of the premise of the original, in which Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen portrayed the youngest of the family, Michelle. The Olsen twins did not agree to be part of the reboot, and there is a pointed comment about their absence in the pilot, after which the cast looks directly at the camera with exasperated expressions. But that scene -- one of many meta moments in this self-obsessed revival -- only fuels the idea that it may have been a good idea for the Olsens to avoid the reboot, given that it's mainly concerned with painstakingly re-creating and celebrating a program that was, in its heyday, a compilation of some of pre-millennial TV's loudest and most contrived tendencies. Cameron-Bure, a skilled and likable actress, is a solid foundation on which to build this version of the show, and there are a few laughs to be had, especially whenever Stamos is around, which isn't often enough. Moreover, there certainly are reasons to celebrate the idea of a streaming service spending money on a mainstream multicamera comedy: In this era of niche-ification, there's no reason that storied TV format shouldn't get a chance to thrive. Still, given the array of multicam classics potentially worth reviving, it's a little deflating to know that this is the old sitcom Netflix chose to bring back. Sure, thanks to the rise of streaming services, it's now possible via weaponized nostalgia to get attention by bringing back programs people liked in the past (see also "The X-Files," "Gilmore Girls," "Twin Peaks," etc.). But ideally, every reboot should prove its worth by offering substantial reasons for the program's renewed existence. Despite Cameron-Bure's charm and the occasional well-timed zinger, "Fuller House" doesn't pass that test. In general, it's simply odd for a show this derivative to frequently give the impression that it's taking a victory lap simply for existing. It'd be nice if "Fuller House" had taken the DNA of the original and freshened it up a bit for the era in which it finds itself, and it'd be even better if the new version had more lines that were actually funny, but effective jokes are few and far between. Laughs centered on Kimmy's "wacky friend" persona, dialogue about hot-to-trot Latin lovers, and humor that relies on farts and baby poop abound, and there's also a nudge-nudge joke about how Kimmy now knows all about the Kama Sutra. The third episode has a series of extended dance sequences that serve no discernible purpose, and that installment also has an awkwardly inserted guest appearance from Macy Gray. The most notable concession to the conventions of the streaming era are episode running times that stretch well past 30 minutes. As Stephanie used to say, "How rude!" There is a nimbleness and familiarity to the way that Cameron-Bure, Sweetin and other members of the original cast work together, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with a show that celebrates the loyalty and solidarity that a family can share. Group hugs are nothing to sneer at, and this show has a lot of them. But "Fuller House" continually goes to the well of having cute kids mug for the camera as they practically yell their lines, and just a little of its self-congratulatory, blaring obviousness goes a long way. There is some real affection that sneaks through, but much of it is too obviously and laboriously manufactured. Nearly a year has passed since Michele Wilkins had her unborn child "removed" from her womb during a heinous attack that occurred after she responded to a Craigslist ad offering free maternity clothes. Wednesday, in a courtroom in Boulder, Colo., the 27-year-old quietly and tearfully recounted that harrowing experience for jurors on the first day of her alleged attacker's trial. Advertisement The attack began unexpectedly, Wilkins said, when she found herself in a life-or-death struggle with the woman who stands accused of cutting the 7-month-old fetus out of Wilkins' abdomen using two kitchen knives. It ended with Wilkins lying on a basement floor, bloodied and barely conscious, but with enough wherewithal to pick up her cell phone and dial 911. As Wilkins recalled the episode in grisly detail, her alleged attacker 35-year-old Dynel Lane sat stoically nearby. Advertisement Wilkins acknowledged Lane briefly, the Associated Press reported, when she was asked her to identify her attacker. "I just kept saying, 'Why, why are you doing this?'" Wilkins recalled telling Lane during the violent assault last March. "I just remember this one point where I was holding my hand over my head and I said, 'I don't know why you're doing this. I love you.'" District Attorney Stan Garnett shows pictures of Dynel Lane, who is accused of cutting a stranger's unborn baby from her womb, pretending to be pregnant during opening statements in Lane's trial Feb. 17, 2016, in Boulder, Colo. (Matthew Jonas/The Daily Times Call via AP) "She said, 'If you love me, you'll let me do this," before using a broken bottle to stab Wilkins in the neck. Lane, a former nurse's aide, has pleaded not guilty to six felony counts, including unlawful termination of a pregnancy and attempted murder. Though he charged Lane with attempted first-degree murder, Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett did not file murder charges against her because the coroner found no evidence the baby lived outside the womb, the AP reported. That controversial decision led Colorado Republicans to introduce legislation that would have made it possible for prosecutors to file murder charges against someone responsible for killing a fetus, according to the AP. The proposal was rejected by Democratic lawmakers in the state. When Wilkins arrived at Lane's home on March 18, their encounter began innocently enough, according to the victim's testimony Wednesday. The women, who had never met before, sorted through maternity clothes together, Wilkins said, before striking up a conversation about pregnancy, shopping and their partners. Advertisement "Several times I told her I had to go and I thought she was lonely because she just kept talking over me," Wilkins said. "I felt like I was being thoughtful, you know, and listening to her and being kind to her. But eventually I said, 'I really have to go.'" Wilkins said she was then lured by Lane to a downstairs basement to look at more clothes. When she turned to leave, she said, Lane attacked. "She was pulling at my sweater, kind of scratched at me," Wilkins said. Confused, she asked Lane if she had a spider or a bug on her shoulder. "I think I got it," Lane allegedly replied. And yet, Wilkins said, Lane hit her again and a chaotic physical altercation ensued. Advertisement Wilkins said they wrestled as she tried to escape. Lane eventually pushed Wilkins into a bedroom and ended up on top of her, straddling her chest and pinning her to the ground, Wilkins said. Wilkins said her attacker initially attempted to smother her with a pillow; after she managed to knock the pillow out of her attacker's hands, she said, Lane attempted to choke her using her bare hands. She also recalled Lane smashing a glass bottle over head, covering her face and chest in a wet substance that mixed with her own blood. When she eventually lost consciousness, Wilkins said, Lane's hands wrapped around her throat. What happened next, according to Wilkins, almost defies imagination. When she regained consciousness, Wilkins said, she realized she had "a really big cut across my stomach." She attempted to stand and lock the door to the room, but her legs were weak and she fell forward, landing on top of her hand, she said. Advertisement "I just felt the blood seeping through my pants and I could feel my intestines outside of my body," she told the hushed courtroom. Realizing she was too weak to escape the home or outrun her attacker, Wilkins said she locked the door, then happened to spot her cellphone, allowing her to make an emergency call. In an audio recording of the 911 call, Wilkins told a dispatcher that her attacker stabbed her in the stomach with a knife and a broken glass as she was getting ready to leave the house. The dispatcher kept Wilkins on the phone for about six minutes, asking her to press a towel or anything else nearby on the wound until officers arrived at the scene "Don't go to sleep," the dispatcher repeatedly said. "She cut me," Wilkins said during the call. "I'm pregnant." Though her memories of the hours after the attack are fuzzy, Wilkins told the courtroom that she remembered a police officer holding her hand and asking doctors to give her anesthesia at the hospital because her physical pain was too great. Breaking into tears, she recounted the day after the attack, when it became clear that her unborn daughter Aurora had been killed. Advertisement In their opening statements, prosecutors portrayed Lane as a woman who was "obsessed" with pregnancy before the attack, according to the Denver Post. Though she wasn't pregnant, prosecutors said, Lane told family, friends and even her own boyfriend that she was expecting a baby boy, going out of her way to post photos of her growing belly. "She was obsessed with pregnancy in a bizarre way," Garnett told jurors as he showed them photos of Lane pretending to be pregnant. The prosecutor said Lane had even picked a name for her imaginary child: "James." Defense attorneys argued Wednesday that the attack was unplanned and driven by impulse, according to the Denver Post. At no time did Lane plan to kill Wilkins, public defender Jennifer Beck told jurors. Advertisement The fetus was discovered in a bathtub by Lane's partner, according to the AP. After driving to the hospital with the baby, Lane told hospital staffers she'd had a miscarriage, but refused a check-up. She eventually admitted to investigators that the child wasn't hers, police said. Her nine-day trial continues Thursday. Lane remains in custody on a $2 million bond. ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE Pope Francis has suggested women threatened with the Zika virus could use artificial contraception, saying "avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil" in light of the global epidemic. The pope unequivocally rejected abortion as a response to the crisis in remarks Wednesday as he flew home after a five-day trip to Mexico. Advertisement But he drew a parallel to a decision by Pope Paul VI in the 1960s to approve giving nuns in Belgian Congo artificial contraception to prevent pregnancies because they were being systematically raped. Abortion "is an evil in and of itself, but it is not a religious evil at its root, no? It's a human evil," Francis told reporters. "On the other hand, avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil. In certain cases, as in this one (Zika), such as the one I mentioned of Blessed Paul VI, it was clear." Advertisement Francis was responding to a reporter's question about whether abortion or birth control could be considered a "lesser evil" when confronting the Zika crisis in Brazil, where there has been a spike in babies born with abnormally small heads to Zika-infected mothers. The World Health Organization has declared a worldwide health emergency over the Zika virus and its suspected link to birth defects. On Thursday, the U.N. agency advised the sexual partners of pregnant women to use condoms or abstain from sex if they live in or have visited Zika-affected areas, echoing a recommendation made by U.S. health officials. The virus has been reported in at least 34 countries, most of them in overwhelmingly Catholic Latin America and the Caribbean, where access to birth control is often limited and abortion is heavily restricted. Theologians and some Latin American bishops cautioned the pope was not giving a green light for Catholics to use artificial birth control, nor did his remarks amount to a change in church teaching. But Francis' comments suggest that Catholics under specific circumstances could make a "conscience-based decision about whether they should prevent pregnancy," said the Rev. James Bretzke, a moral theologian at Boston College. Pope Francis prays besides crosses for those who died trying to cross the border at El Paso, Texas on Feb. 17, 2016. (Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty Images) "Certainly Pope Francis should have anticipated a question on the church's response to the Zika virus, and from his answer I believe he was well-prepared to field this query," Bretzke said. "His comment on the Zika virus and measures to avoid pregnancy is within perfect consistency with the traditional moral teaching of the Catholic Church." U.N. officials have called on Latin American countries to loosen their abortion laws to allow women to terminate pregnancies if they fear the fetus may be at risk for microcephaly, a rare birth defect that causes brain damage and may be linked to the virus. But Francis told reporters, "Taking one life to save another, that's what the Mafia does. It's a crime. It's an absolute evil." Several Latin American churchmen have reasserted the church's opposition to abortion and artificial contraception as more reports of Zika cases and brain-damaged babies emerged. Advertisement On Thursday, Bishop Noel Antonio Londono of the Diocese of Jerico in the Colombian state of Antioquia, said nobody should interpret the pope's remarks as free license to use birth control. "This isn't a blank check," he said. "Undoubtedly, with regards to Zika, there are people who need to protect themselves." Bishop Miguel Angel Cabello, of Concepcion, Paraguay, said it was too early to know exactly what Francis meant. "We need more studies on the Zika virus and its consequences" before any decisions on church policy are made, he said. "The pope made a comment and we should take it as a comment." Francis has tended to downplay the fraught moral hand-wringing over sexual ethics that preoccupied his predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. He has said the church shouldn't be "obsessed" with such issues. Coming home from Africa last year, Francis dismissed a question about whether condoms could be used in the fight against AIDS, saying there were far more pressing issues in Africa, such as poverty and exploitation, and that only when those problems were resolved should questions about condoms and AIDS take center stage. Advertisement Angelica Rivas, of the Feminist Collective for Social Development in El Salvador, said the pope's latest remarks would not be much help since the church in her country has consistently opposed sex education on the use of contraception, and birth control would not help the many women who are already pregnant. "We have to give them the alternative of interrupting the pregnancy," Rivas said. In Ecuador, Jaime Pallares, a spokesman for the Mother Mary and Queen Catholic lay group, said that as a believer he follows the word of the pope. But on this issue, he personally differs. "It's difficult for me to interpret the Holy Father's sentiment. From my perspective the best alternative would be to maintain some days of chastity," said Pallares. "I'm not going to die of chastity." Associated Press Pope Francis hasn't been afraid to wade into the depths of American politics. Depending on your political views, he's made controversial statements on everything from climate change to abortion to immigration. Now, it appears the pope has willingly jumped into a war of words with none other than GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump. Aboard the papal plane on his way back from Mexico, reporters asked the pope to respond to Trump's signature campaign proposal, to build a wall along the border with the U.S. and Mexico. The pope's response: "A person who thinks only about building walls -- wherever they may be -- and not building bridges, is not Christian." Trump fired back the pope's comment was "unbelievable" and "disgraceful." The whole affair really is kind of mind-blowing. Trump, whose brand is brash confrontation, has finally picked arguably the biggest fight of all -- with a man millions believe speaks directly to God himself. It was a bold move for both men. But the Trump-Francis feud isn't the first time a pope has placed himself directly in front of the train that is another country's politics. It's actually happened quite a few times in modern papal history. Precedents suggest that some of the popes have stepped in when they think a country's leaders have strayed too far from democracy or Christian ideals. Here's a list of some of the top papal political feuds to date, in chronological order: 1. Pope John Paul II vs. Philippines President President Ferdinand Marcos, 1981 Pope John Paul II was among the Catholic church's most active leaders in global politics, traveling to more than 120 countries during his nearly three-decade tenure. One of his first international headlines on politics came on his first official trip to the Philippines. There, Pope John Paul II was a popular man, welcomed by massive crowds nearly everywhere he went. The Philippines' president/dictator, Marcos, was well aware of the pope's popularity - and the pope's criticism of human rights abuses under his government. Marcos lifted martial law a month before the pope's visit, though he kept much of his dictatorial powers. In a speech with the president sitting nearby, the pope explicitly criticized the Marcos regime, saying, "Even in exceptional situations that may at times arise, one can never justify any violation of the fundamental dignity of the human person or of the basic rights that safeguard this dignity." It was Marcos's turn to speak next; he apparently apologized to the pope for "petty and small" conflicts between the church and state. 2. Pope John Paul II vs. former Nicaraguan Sandinista leader Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann, 1985 In the 1980s, a leading Nicaraguan priest became involved in the country's political revolution, eventually helping lead the left-wing Sandinistas. At the time, church involvement in government positions was a no-no. Pope John Paul II publicly reprimanded Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann, and the Vatican suspended him and two other priests for their involvement. In 2015, an 81-year-old D'Escoto asked the Vatican to reinstate him so that he could celebrate Mass again "before dying." Under Pope Francis, he was welcomed back into the church. 3. Pope John Paul II vs. Chilean President Augusto Pinochet, 1987 While speaking to reporters aboard a plane (sensing a theme here?) en route a two-week South American tour, John Paul II said Chile's Pinochet-ruled government was "dictatorial." Pinochet, who ran Chile from the 1970s to 1990 and presided over thousands of politically linked deaths, imprisonments and disappearances, had recently said of the country's bishops who were critical of his government's human-rights abuses: "It would be better if they spent 90 percent of their time praying.'' The New York Times report of the pope's response: "Asked if he expected to help bring democracy to Chile, the pope said: 'Yes, yes, I am not the evangelizer of democracy, I am the evangelizer of the Gospel. To the Gospel message, of course, belongs all the problems of human rights, and if democracy means human rights it also belongs to the message of the church.' " 4. Pope John Paul II vs. Bill Clinton, 1994 Pope John Paul II and Clinton clashed publicly several times on the issue of abortion. While visiting the U.S. in 1993 via an international Catholic youth festival, the pope and Clinton met for the first time. The two said they had a warm private meeting, but then in public remarks, with Clinton standing by his side, the pope criticized the president for his pro-abortion-rights stance. "If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then, America, defend life," he said. "All the great causes that are yours today will have meaning only to the extent that you guarantee the right to life and protect the human person." The Los Angeles Times reported at the time the pope's comments were non-confrontational. But a year later, the two had another open disagreement at a United Nations summit in Cairo about abortion and the availability of birth control. 5. Pope Benedict XVI vs. Turkey, 2000s A year before he became pope in 2005, Benedict told French daily newspaper Le Figaro that Turkey shouldn't be allowed into the European Union in part because of the number of Muslims in the country. In 2006, journalists accompanying Benedict on a trip to Turkey reported that he apparently tried to walk back those comments. But in an official declaration submitted later, the pope said Turkey's admittance into the E.U. must be dependent on religious freedom. "In every step towards unification, minorities must be protected, with their cultural traditions and the distinguishing features of their religion," he said. Anyone who thinks that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders can't win black votes should have seen him at a prayer breakfast in Columbia, S.C., on Tuesday. He may not have enough time to erase the big lead that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton enjoys with the state's African-Americans, but he's far from hopeless on that front. It helps him that Clinton's support, as elsewhere, is pragmatic rather than inspired. Allen University, where the prayer breakfast took place, is a small, historically black school with a four-year graduation rate of just 5 percent and a loose admissions policy, where every student gets at least some need-based financial aid. A few professors were pretty much the only white people in the audience, and Sanders was the only white person on stage. Advertisement Sanders, who was brought up Jewish, has said he's not "particularly religious," but the people next to him were ministers, and when one asked the audience to bow their heads in prayer, the senator bowed too. When R&B star Shirley Murdock, a born-again Christian invited to sing at the gathering, asked those who had a dream to raise a hand, Sanders's hand shot up with the others. Sanders is an unlikely choice for the people who welcomed him at Allen. State Rep. Joe Neal, D, who is also a Baptist pastor, had to come up with a creative way to integrate the senator's stump speech into what was essentially a prayer meeting. He recalled Sanders responding to a question about of his faith by saying, "My spirituality is that we are all in this together." "That resonated with me," Neal said. Advertisement Sanders is a white guy of 74. At one point in the meeting, he asked the audience whether any of them were around during Martin Luther King's march on Washington. "It makes me feel really old," he said, when no hands went up. "I was there." Yet the magical simplicity of Sanders' socialist agenda does resonate with audiences, black or white. He got enthusiastic applause for the same speech he has been making since Iowa, and at times, everyone rose to their feet to acknowledge the boldness of his ideas. That speech has always contained parts about combating youth unemployment, particularly severe among blacks, and about ending arrests for marijuana possession, which give too many black youngsters a criminal record. Sanders evidently doesn't think it makes sense to tailor it to different audiences: All his beliefs are already in it. He looked incongruous in these surroundings but sincere, despite his concessions to the format. The event was by invitation only, so a small crowd of uninvited potential voters all black waited for the senator at the exit. A local Sanders campaign staffer, who had been with him since the early days of his run, told me that at the beginning, no one in South Carolina had even heard of him, but as the grapevine and the volunteers worked, he began attracting unlikely allies. Sanders' strategy was simple but smart: Knowing he is popular with students, the Vermonter has been purposefully touring historically black schools. He has also gone to the leftist pastors who could relate to his preaching manner and his message of sharing and compassion. He has made a connection with Black Lives Matter activists and people close to the victims of police shootings At a rally in Columbia on Tuesday, Sanders was accompanied by state Rep. Justin Bamberg, D, the lawyer for the family of Walter Scott, the black motorist shot last year by an officer in North Charleston. All this has worked to some extent. Sanders' support among South Carolina Democrats has risen from 1.9 percent in July 2015 to about 36 percent today. According to Public Policy Polling, in November, 86 percent of the party's African-American voters backed Clinton and only 11 percent were for Sanders. Now it's 63-23 in Clinton's favor. Though her advantage will probably shrink further by voting day I doubt her race-focused speech Tuesday in Harlem was of any use to her in South Carolina, where, like in the other early voting states, local presence appears to win more points than media reports she is poised to win here. Clinton's better name recognition is still part of it. The other part Clinton's pragmatic, step-by-step approach to the progressive agenda may turn out to be more important to black voters in South Carolina than it was to almost exclusively white ones in Iowa and New Hampshire. I talked about it with Ken Riley, president of the International Longshoremen's Association's Local 1422, which counts about 850 members, almost all of them black. Riley is a charismatic 62-year-old Charlestonian who fought his way through segregated schools and a harsh four years at Charleston College (then almost all white) to become an important union organizer. At the ILA, he's also regional vice president for the entire South. South Carolina has a Republican-dominated legislature, and unions have a hard time in the state. "If someone wants to bring union jobs here, these guys say, 'We don't want them,' " Riley says. The union has endorsed Clinton, and Riley supports her. "I have lived in the South all my life," Riley told me, "and I struggle every day against the establishment. I like Bernie and the lofty goals he's laying out, but how realistic are they? Tell me how, what bills you're gonna pass with this Congress? Hillary is a leftist tempered by reality. I like her connections on both sides of the aisle." Advertisement Riley fears that if Sanders wins and tries to push his idea of a single-payer health insurance system, that will only open up the health care issue to Republican interference. "I have a 23 year-old son who is covered by my policy thanks to Obamacare," Riley said. In 2008, Riley and his union were about to back Clinton but switched to Barack Obama: "Our membership is 99.99 percent African-American, and it could have been the only serious chance we had to elect an African-American president." Now, Clinton comes off as more protective of Obama's legacy than Sanders, and voters like Riley, who are proud of their choice in 2008 and 2012, appreciate it. Yet Riley isn't a Clinton fan in the way Sanders's supporters are fans. "I'm not feeling the movement, not even seeing any signs or anything," he complains, though a Clinton staffer told me that the campaign has held nearly 2,100 grass- roots campaign events and that its volunteers have spent 20,000 hours knocking on doors and calling neighbors. If it were up to Riley, the labor unions would set up a third party and pick their own candidates. "Somehow that only ever comes up a year before a presidential election," he says. Stuck with the Democrats, though, he just hopes for an easier battle in the general election: "If Bernie wins the nomination, we'll support him, too, but we will have to pray and fight really hard for him to beat the Republicans." This kind of support for Clinton doesn't amount to a "firewall" a term that has been used to describe her advantage in more ethnically diverse states than Iowa and New Hampshire. I can't help thinking that had Sanders been more active in the South before, he could have broken through the skepticism of important African-American leaders such as Riley. As it is, his effort is impressive but it probably comes too late both for South Carolina and for the Southern states that will vote on Super Tuesday, March 1. Clinton's superior preparation counts for more here than it did in the first two states. African-American voters' experience has taught them that it's harder to get things done than to break things. They want a president who can make progress. Bloomberg View Advertisement Leonid Bershidsky, a Bloomberg View contributor, is a Berlin-based writer. I was born in 1984, the year Walter Mondale selected Geraldine Ferraro to join him on the Democratic ticket, making her the first woman to contend for the presidency or vice presidency with the backing of a major party. I watched Hillary Clinton give her concession speech in 2008. I was covering the Republican National Convention for National Journal when John McCain tapped Sarah Palin to be his running mate, sending me scrambling to the Alaska Women's Republican Clubs to find out how Palin was regarded in her home state. And the 2016 race has given us two substantive female candidates, Carly Fiorina for the Republicans and Hillary Clinton for the Democrats, even if Fiorina was never likely to capture her party's nomination. Advertisement All of these efforts have made me eager to see a woman stand on the steps of the United States Capitol and pledge to do everything in her ability to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." And even more than that, I cannot wait for the moment when that woman has served out her terms and the sexist backlash that will be one of the responses to her presidency is over. Both the 2016 campaign trail and the Obama presidency itself have offered previews of what might await America's first female president during her time in office. Advertisement Ugly sentiments have cropped up on both sides of the campaign trail this season. Donald Trump, never one to adhere to the rules that govern a gentleman's behavior in any context, has complained about Fiorina's looks, implied that Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly's tough line of questioning at a debate was inspired by her menstrual cycle and ultimately skipped a debate rather than face her again. Chris Christie, outflanked by Trump in the crassness contest, managed to fantasize about spanking Clinton before exiting the campaign to spend more time with his New Jersey-based grudges. Some Bernie Sanders supporters have adopted language and stances so aggressive and so tinged by gender that the candidate himself disavowed them, declaring "We don't want them. I don't want that." Wednesday, the rapper and Sanders surrogate Killer Mike came under fire for quoting a woman who told him that "a uterus doesn't qualify you to be president" he might have noted that, the historical record notwithstanding, possession of male genitalia seems incidental, if not downright detrimental, to the duties of the presidency. The idea that such sentiments would dissipate once Clinton, or any other woman, took the oath of office is both sweet and utterly risible. When Obama was running for president in 2008, his political opponents spread all sorts of racist memes to prevent him from gaining the presidency, from suggesting that his birth certificate had been falsified, to trying to tie him to former radical underground figures like Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dorhn, to insisting that he was an intellectual clone of his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. Those attacks failed to keep Obama out of the highest office in the land. But if his inauguration was a moment of national self-congratulation, seeming proof that we had overcome the biases that have defined the United States since its inception, the subsequent reaction to Obama's presidency proved that optimism wrong. The first woman to be elected president of the United States seems likely to face a similar experience. Her victory at the polls and her inauguration would undeniably be symbolically significant. But that triumph and her tenure in office would also provoke a nasty wave of sexist response. As much as I will be proud to see a woman serve as president, I've also come to dread that time and the ugliness that will inevitably accompany it. I can't wait to for those four or eight years to have come and gone. For all the debates about Clinton's qualifications for the presidency, which are considerable, there is a part of her resume that is particularly relevant to this dilemma. More than any other woman in the United States, Clinton has experience absorbing tides of sexist trash and getting along with her work, whether she's representing New York in the U.S. Senate, serving as secretary of state, or stumping on the campaign trail. It's true that being attacked doesn't, in and of itself, make Clinton a virtuous person. And the decades of scurrilous attacks on the Clintons have left them less able to admit error than I might like. But even so, Clinton has had decades to learn how to withstand the attacks that will be aimed at the first female president, and to build relationships with other lawmakers, bureaucrats and foreign heads of state who now know her for herself. Advertisement Perhaps asking her to weather another four or eight years of viciousness is unfair. But Clinton appears to want the role. And if she wins it, she could spare another woman the very specific politics of personal destruction aimed at the first women and people of color to hold major roles in American public life. Washington Post Alyssa Rosenberg blogs about pop culture for The Washington Post's Opinions section. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., center, walks Feb. 10, 2016, to the Capitol chamber with Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., left, for the vote to impose more stringent sanctions on North Korea for willfully violating international law by pushing ahead with its nuclear weapons program. (J. Scott Applewhite / AP) What is Sen. Mitch McConnell thinking? Or, better, is Sen. McConnell thinking? Minutes after the announcement of the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the Senate majority leader announced that the Senate will not act on any nomination President Barack Obama may send, sight unseen. McConnell gave as the reason the "tradition" that a president does not move to fill a Supreme Court vacancy in the final year of his term. Advertisement Never mind whether McConnell's position is sound constitutional principle, or even plausible political history. (It's not.) How can it be in the best strategic interest of the Republican Party, right now, to refuse even to consider a nomination? Thirty-four Senate seats are up for election in 2016. Republicans currently hold 24 of them. Most of them are in states that are so deeply red that the GOP need have no fear of losing them. Advertisement But the Republican Senate majority is 54 to 46, meaning that the Republicans are four losses away from being in the minority if a Democrat wins the vice presidency or five away if a Republican does. Obama carried six of the 23 states with Republican-held seats in 2012, in four cases by at least 5 percentage points. Mitt Romney carried no states that Democrats are defending. A Supreme Court standoff would come at a terrible time for Republican Sens. Mark Kirk in Illinois, Rob Portman in Ohio, Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire, Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania, and even a tea partyer, Ron Johnson in Wisconsin, who are all working hard on their crossover cred. They were all elected in 2010, with the assist of a gigantic midterm-year wave. In a presidential election year, do they really need another thing to motivate Democrats to come to the polls? The same question might be raised about the effect of McConnell's position on the presidential race. Even with all the turmoil in the primaries, the Republicans' prospects in 2016 are pretty good, with no Democratic incumbent on the ballot, a good but not great economy, and the fatigue that frequently handicaps the incumbent party after a two-term presidency. But the GOP cannot count on winning the White House. The party has some serious weaknesses in presidential elections, as it discovered to its surprise in 2012. Latinos, Asians and, of course, new voters are rising in numbers and influence, and the Republican primary field is not making it any easier to appeal to them. It will be hard enough for the Republican nominee to explain his party's refusal to consider a well-qualified jurist whose appointment to one of the federal courts of appeals or one of the state supreme courts was approved by a large bipartisan majority. But suppose Obama's choice is Latino, or Asian, or a woman. How will it go over with key constituencies in presidential swing states to stonewall that appointment? It goes without saying that the new associate justice will be even more liberal if the Democrats win the White House and the Senate in the fall. Finally, GOP obstruction is shortsighted because the next vacancies on the Supreme Court are more likely to be on its liberal side. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is 82 and Justice Stephen Breyer, 77. Justice Anthony Kennedy, frequently the court's pivotal vote, is 79. Suppose, in McConnell's perfect world, that the Republicans were to win the White House and maintain control of the Senate. It will be much harder for Senate Democrats to obstruct a well-qualified conservative nominee who will tip control of the court right back to the right if Senate Republicans have given respectful consideration to the qualifications of Obama's nominee. The hallmark of a leader is the ability to take the long view, to put a strategy for pursuing important goals ahead of the emotional satisfactions of acting in the moment. Perhaps, for the good of the Grand Old Party, Sen. McConnell ought to think it through again. Advertisement John Mark Hansen is professor of political science at the University of Chicago. In the inevitable clash between art and commerce, bet on commerce to prevail. That's why the inventory, website and name of the Jazz Record Mart, the venerable downtown Chicago emporium billed as "The World's Largest Jazz and Blues Record Store," has been sold to Wolfgang's Vault, a Nevada company that restores and digitizes music. Bob Koester, who owned the Jazz Record Mart, expressed the reason for the sale prosaically: "The rent is killing us." The store closed this week. But there's more to the riff. Advertisement No, Chicago, this isn't the end of jazz or the blues. Nor is it the end of vinyl, which paradoxically is becoming trendy again. But it may foreshadow the death of the jazz record. How, though, can such an indignity be? When Koester began selling jazz records in the 1950s and established the Jazz Record Mart in 1962, owning jazz records was the epitome of cool. The popularity of jazz records in that era was the result of a number of postwar social trends coalescing. With the civil rights movement coming to the fore, white people were being exposed to jazz, which had been primarily a black art form since the 1920s. By the mid-1950s, white audiences, especially affluent white audiences, familiarized themselves with the brilliance of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis. The Newport Jazz Festival, established in 1954, quickly became a major American cultural event. Advertisement America's booming economy and technical advances in recording nurtured this newfound interest in jazz. Columbia and other recording companies began featuring jazz artists on platters designed for high fidelity sound systems that offered faithful reproduction of musicians' recordings. By the early 1960s, "hi-fi" sound systems in the home or apartment were as much a status symbol as was driving a cool car. And jazz records were a staple of many hi-fi collections. In the early days, the Jazz Record Mart benefited from the enterprise of a fellow Chicagoan and one of America's most important jazz aficionados, Hugh Hefner. Hefner was an emerging force in publishing with Playboy, which featured comely women often photographed lounging around the hi-fi. Hefner was touting the new, sophisticated lifestyle, and jazz was essential to it. For those who read Playboy for the articles, Hefner included profiles of jazz artists and an article by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck on the new jazz audience. Hefner's most important contribution came in 1962 when he published a groundbreaking interview with Miles Davis by a little-known author, Alex Haley. The interview covered jazz, race, politics and culture; it raised the consciousness of a new generation to jazz, and The Jazz Record Mart prospered. Today Koester's records belong to Wolfgang's, the digital version of the dusty record store bin. Perhaps it doesn't matter. It will still be possible to download those talented jazz artists. But is our culture better off for consigning them to the dustbin of history? Will the shoppers wandering ubiquitously through suburban malls with iPod buds in their ears ever be exposed to those jazz records? If only. There's a real 99 percent versus 1 percent divide between people who have never heard the oeuvre of Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald or Louis Armstrong, and those who have. The Jazz Record Mart is gone. An appreciative subset of Chicagoans won't forget it. But many hands that once placed the stylus on the record have moved on. Follow the Editorial Board on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook. Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton converse during Gov. Bruce Rauner's second budget speech on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, at the State Capitol building in Springfield. (Antonio Perez, Chicago Tribune) Gov. Bruce Rauner addressed the Illinois General Assembly on Wednesday, outlining his plans for next year's state budget. The poindexters whipped out their calculators. But the crucial takeaway was broader than an exercise in number-crunching: We're at the end of the road in Springfield. No more pavement, nothing but dirty orange barricades and languid yellow warning lights. Advertisement The lack of a 2015-16 budget agreement between Rauner and Democratic leaders assert blame where you wish simply cannot continue, the governor suggested. No one would have guessed on June 25, 2015, when Rauner vetoed the unbalanced-by-$4-billion budget Democratic leaders sent him, that the state would have no spending plan today. Yet here we are. The lack of a budget has translated into severe cuts for social service agencies that rely on state government, and for ongoing spending commitments that the state cannot sustain. The stack of overdue bills is rising. Advertisement During his second annual budget address on Feb. 17, 2016, Gov. Bruce Rauner offered lawmakers two choices in budget negotiations: giving the executive branch authority to cut spending or agreeing together on economic and government reforms. (Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune) Rauner gave lawmakers two options: Work with him on reforming state government and negotiating higher taxes if necessary, in that order, or give him the authority to slash spending. "Either you give the executive branch the authority to cut spending to live within our revenues," he said, "Or, we agree together on economic and governmental reforms, to accompany a negotiated balance of spending reductions and revenue, that ensures that Illinois can be both compassionate and competitive. You choose. But please, choose now." Choose now. That will be difficult for Democratic leaders who, in all these months of gridlock, haven't risked laying out a taxes-and-cuts plan for crafting a balanced budget. Of course, speeches don't solve problems. They do offer glimpses of intent, however. Immediately after Rauner closed his remarks on a conciliatory tone "with my hand outstretched with a genuine desire to compromise, with respect, I humbly ask you to join me in transforming our state for the better" House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton began their customary rebukes of the governor. It's like clockwork under the statehouse dome. Madigan insisted that lawmakers would not bend on Rauner's attempts to limit collective bargaining. Never mind that Rauner said not every item of his "turnaround agenda" would have to be enacted "in their current forms" yet another indication he's willing to deal. Cullerton huffed that Rauner's proposal wasn't legitimate because it didn't include enough detail. So that brings us to the second option offered by Rauner: If Madigan and Cullerton won't negotiate sincerely on a new spending plan, they should at least untie Rauner's hands. Give him the executive authority to move money around, to reduce spending in certain categories and to squeeze resources where possible. In other words, give the executive branch greater powers to get out from beneath mandatory obligations that the state must pay under current statutes. Change the statutes. Advertisement Rauner called it the Unbalanced Budget Response Act: "It would put everything on the table to help us balance our budget everything except funding for early childhood education and general state aid to our schools. To balance the budget without reform, we'll have to take a microscope to every other category of state spending." And if lawmakers refuse to do even that, Rauner administration officials say they'll start cutting wherever they can. The only places off-limits? General state aid to schools, early education funding and debt service. Everything else would be subject to drastic reductions including employee head counts. Rauner's budget address was less about money and more about ultimatum. This is it. No more stalemate. Forced change. Will Madigan and Cullerton show signs of genuine compromise, finally? We don't know. What we do know is that Rauner has posed this ultimatum and, for the sake of his credibility and the sake of a state crying out for resolution, he had better hold true to it. If the legislative leaders will not commit to good-faith bargaining, they're inviting the governor to stop piling up bills that Illinois cannot pay. They're inviting him to make grave cuts. They're telling citizens who rely on state programs that it's more important for them to stick with their political allies than it is to stick to their commitments to those they describe as "the most vulnerable." Advertisement It's been eight months. Time's up. Their choice. Follow the Editorial Board on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook. Chicago Police momentarily scuffle with protesters during NATO Summit in Chicago in 2012. (Chicago Tribune) A Cook County Circuit Court ruling last month sheds light on a controversial tool used by law enforcement across the country: cellphone tracking systems. Ruling in a lawsuit involving a Freedom of Information Act request, Cook County Judge Kathleen Kennedy ordered the Chicago Police Department to hand over information detailing its use of cellphone tracking systems. According to online court records, the case is up Monday. The records suit The lawsuit was filed by local activist and Internet support technician Freddy Martinez after his FOIA request for documents related to the purchase of the stingray cellphone tracking device was ignored by the Chicago Police Department. "I sent a couple of requests and for months I was just kind of ignored completely. That's when we decided to file our lawsuit," Martinez said. It is not clear what cell site simulator devices Chicago police might be using. A document that the department provided in response to one of Martinez's FOIA requests, given to the Tribune, shows purchases by the department from Harris Corp., a leading manufacturer, for more than $300,000 from December 2008 through October 2009. Personally, I don't think they should even have these devices. I think that there is a very real argument that could be made that even if you are collecting data on only criminal suspects, you are still gathering other people's information at the same time. I don't think that is proper. Freddy Martinez The Chicago Police Department declined to comment because of a pending lawsuit. What is a cell site simulator? A cell site simulator is a piece of electronic equipment that allows law enforcement to track down a general location or identifying information on targeted cellular devices. The tracker can intercept data from cellphones without phone users being aware it is happening. How cellphone towers and cell site simulators work How a cellphone works normally A cellphone tower periodically sends out a signal in an attempt to "talk" to nearby cellphones. The cellphone responds to the signal and sends the tower information about itself. This back-and-forth communication allows a cellphone to make and receive calls on a network like Sprint, Verizon or AT&T. How a cellphone tracker works A cell site simulator sends out a "fake signal" that acts like a local Sprint, Verizon or AT&T cellphone tower. The simulator, which intercepts a phone's signal, is connected to a computer, a directional antenna and signal amplifier. The data collected from the phone is viewed on computers by law enforcement officers. The basics How big are they? The simulators are sometimes mounted on surveillance vehicles, such as a truck or van, but some are small enough to be carried in a backpack. Others, used by federal agencies, are installed on planes. The simulators are sometimes mounted on surveillance vehicles, such as a truck or van, but some are small enough to be carried in a backpack. Others, used by federal agencies, are installed on planes. How far do they work? A device called the StingRay, for example, has a broadcast radius of more than 650 feet. A device called the StingRay, for example, has a broadcast radius of more than 650 feet. How much do they cost? A complete system, including software and other items, can cost more than $200,000. Different models from Harris Corp., of Melbourne, Fla., range from $10,000 to $170,000. Some of the models Harris Corp. makes are called the Hailstorm, StingRay and Triggerfish. What data are collected? IMSI number (International mobile subscriber identity): This 15-digit unique number identifies the subscriber identity module (SIM card). It contains a three-digit service provider code, a three-digit country code and a nine-digit unique ID. It is used by your network operator to identify you and your handset to the network. (International mobile subscriber identity): This 15-digit unique number identifies the subscriber identity module (SIM card). It contains a three-digit service provider code, a three-digit country code and a nine-digit unique ID. It is used by your network operator to identify you and your handset to the network. IMEI number (International mobile equipment identity): This number is unique to the handset of the phone. A carrier can use this number to track the phone, discontinue service or blacklist it from a network if the device is reported stolen. Which agencies use simulators? Based on news reports and publicly available documents, the American Civil Liberties Union estimates 60 agencies in 23 states and the District of Columbia own a StingRay-type device. The technology, in some form, is more than 20 years old. It was initially developed and used by military and intelligence agencies and over time made its way to state and local law enforcement agencies. The ACLU said it has seen examples of state and local police departments purchasing devices as early as 2002, spokesman Nathan Wessler said. States known to use cell site simulator technology, according to the ACLU No data No data Local police Local police State police State police Local and state police Case study: How the FBI uses a cell site simulator The FBI uses a cell site simulator to obtain general location or identifying information about a targeted cellular device, said spokesman Christopher Allen. "You have to actually have the number of the phone you are looking for that's related to an ongoing investigation," Allen said. "We can only collect and maintain information that has investigative value and relevance to the case. Anything else that gets collected is not retained." Allen said the FBI follows Department of Justice policy and federal laws (Read them here and here.). The FBI does not collect the contents of any communication or data on the phone itself including emails, text messages or photos, Allen said. It also cannot "pull" data from a phone or collect cell tower data. Nondisclosure agreements Some of the secrecy surrounding cellphone tracking devices stems from nondisclosure agreements law enforcement agencies must sign when they purchase devices. Since the simulators operate over the airwaves, manufacturers need a special license from the Federal Communications Commission to sell them, Wessler said. The terms of that license require the FBI to sign off on sales to local police departments. Allen said nondisclosure agreements keep sensitive information about the capabilities of some devices from being disclosed. Information about how the devices work could compromise law enforcements future use of the technology. Wessler called such agreements "really stringent," saying police departments are prohibited from providing information about their use or capabilities in court filings, court testimony, warrant applications or in other submissions to judges. There's been a little bit of a misunderstanding with the nondisclosure agreement. The purpose of the nondisclosure agreement is to protect the disclosure of sensitive information regarding the tradecraft and capabilities of the device. FBI public affairs specialist, Christopher Allen The agreement should not prevent the disclosure that such a device was used in a particular case, Allen said. Thats information that a defendant would have a right to know. Sources: ACLU, FBI, BlackBerry, CNET, Tribune reporting @jemalbrins A change in residence, a change in medical status and changes in mobility are just a few of the adjustments that often come with aging. But as people age or their primary residence changes many forget to update their plans for emergency preparedness or reassess their needs and abilities. This includes many important areas from knowing if you can handle the fire extinguisher to creating a clear and easy path to get out of the home if needed, to making sure your home is safe and secure. Advertisement "Empowering seniors with knowledge about personal safety can be a literal life saver," says Bill Tynan, crime prevention officer with the St. Charles Police Department. "Knowing what to do, how to act and react in a certain situation and acting with that needed confidence can only serve somebody well." Safe and secure In law enforcement, one of the biggest challenges with older adults is helping them understand that they can't trust everybody, says Tynan, who is also a designated elderly service officer. Advertisement "As a whole, it is a very trusting age group, which is a great quality, except scammers and thieves prey on that quality," Tynan says. Part of his role is meeting with seniors and keeping them up to date on the latest scams. Tynan says home security is extremely important, especially for seniors, and encompasses a lot of areas. "Proper lighting is first and foremost," he says. "Light is the enemy of burglars." A well-lit residence also is beneficial to preventing falls. Tynan says people also have to understand that it is OK to call 911 if you are unsure of a situation or something seems suspicious. "Many people are reluctant to use 911 because they don't feel it's an emergency," he says. "Officers would rather check on something and assist a resident or neighborhood, before it turns into an issue." Tynan is available not just to seniors, but all residents to walk someone's property and discuss home security. Many towns and villages offer similar assistance as part of their crime prevention programs. Be prepared Patricia Kemp, communications manager for the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois, agrees that preparedness is the key to feeling safe and being able to respond properly in a variety of situations. Advertisement One of Kemp's top tips for older adults is to develop a personal support network of caregivers, coworkers, family, neighbors and friends you can reach out to in an emergency. "Make sure everyone knows they are part of the plan," she says. While having the information compiled electronically or on a smartphone is helpful, she also suggests printing out a copy and keeping it in a purse or wallet, as well as in an emergency bag. Technology does not always work properly in emergency situations, she says. Other important details to include might be insurance information, the property manager's contact details and an up-to-date medical history and details such as blood type. This emergency preparedness bag, she suggests, should also include a three-day supply of any medications. The bag should be something built over time. It might include an extra pair of gloves and a hat in the winter, a flashlight and batteries. As you think of things, she says, add them to the bag. The bag should be placed somewhere easily accessed during evacuation from the home. It also is helpful to exchange keys with those on the personal support network, Kemp says, so they are able to get into the home if there is a concern or question about safety. Advertisement Another important area to re-evaluate, Kemp says, is plans for sheltering in place, such as during a tornado, and evacuation, as may be needed in a fire. Many people downsize or change residences when they get older but fail to consider the best escape route in an emergency. Kemp says home fires are the No. 1 disaster seen by the Red Cross and strongly urges older adults to reach out to their personal support network and make sure their smoke alarms are properly functioning as well. She says preparedness for older adults really isn't much different than at other ages, but there may be a need to carefully consider mobility and access issues. Residents can reach out to their municipality to see what types of training or programs may be available including checks of fire alarms, Kemp says. Older residents might be surprised at the number of resources offered. Advertisement The Village of Hanover Park provides programs to community groups and fall prevention workshops to name a few, according to Andrew Johnson, deputy chief of police. He says there are a variety of programs to help older adults learn or review safety. The village also is planning a Preparedness Expo for the fall. The Red Cross offers a variety of resources especially for older adults including additional information on building a personal support network at www.redcross.org/prepare/location/home-family/seniors. Being prepared in a potential emergency can be calming, and having practiced and thought through a plan offers a greater chance for safety and less chance for panic or confusion. Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity is rehabbing this vacant house in Aurora. Aurora Advent Christian Church will host a pancake breakfast to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity Saturday. (Al Benson / Handout) Aurora Advent Christian Church will host the 24th annual pancake breakfast to benefit Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity Saturday. The menu includes all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, coffee and orange juice. Advertisement The breakfast is sponsored by the church's outreach committee. Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity is currently rehabbing a vacant house on Elmwood Drive in Aurora. The nonprofit was founded in 1989 and has partnered with 53 families in need of affordable shelter in south Kane and Kendall counties. Advertisement Information about volunteer opportunities and Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity current projects will be available at the breakfast, from 8 to 11 a.m. at Aurora Advent Christian Church, 905 N. Edgelawn Drive, Aurora. Admission is $7, and children under 10 years old get in free. For more information, call 630-896-1963. Literary event in Batavia Waterline Writers is hosting a literary event Sunday at Water Street Studios in Batavia. The monthly event features five writers and an open mic. Hemingway Writer-in-Residence and Chicago radio personality David W. Berner will read "Bare Naked Radio." Bruce Steinberg will read "Bird Woman" from his new novel. Raymond Ziemer will read a sci-fi short story. Laura Henrickson will share her poetry, which was inspired by Todd Reed's geometric paintings that are displayed at Water Street Studios. Hakeem Jones' poetry reading is also inspired by Jesse Howard's portraits of racial, economic and social injustice, also on display at Water Street Studios. Waterline Writers meet at 7 p.m. on the third Sunday of each month from September to May. The literary event and open mic is at 7 p.m. at Water Street Studios, 160 S. Water St., Batavia. Admission is $5, or $3 for students. Classical children's concert in Aurora Advertisement The Fox Valley Philharmonic Orchestra will perform "Not Just for Kids," a classical children's concert, Sunday at Our Savior Lutheran Church. Conductor Maryann Flock will lead the free concert that will feature a collection of light classical music. Participation and interaction is encouraged throughout the concert. Children can participate in the percussion feature of the "Toy Symphony" by Leopold Mozart. Children can also take turns conducting the orchestra. During intermission, children can play various orchestral instruments at the Instrument Petting Zoo. The concert is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. "Not Just for Kids" is at 3 p.m. at Our Savior Lutheran Church, 420 W. Downer Place, Aurora. Admission is free but donations are accepted. For more information, visit fvacademy.org or call 630-476-9072. Advertisement Kane County Citizens Police Academy accepting registration The Kane County Sheriff's Office is accepting registration for the Citizens Police Academy. Classes will run on Wednesday nights from March 23 to May 25. The 10-week course is taught by sheriff's deputies and Park District officers. Class topics include crime prevention, identity theft, scams, fraud, gang identification, communications, domestic violence, patrol procedures, investigation procedures, accident reconstruction and death investigations. Students will see various demonstrations, including from police dogs, SWAT teams and the bomb unit. Tours of the Kane County Sheriff's Office Adult Justice Center will also be offered. The program is free, but a criminal background check is required prior to admittance. A Spanish Citizen's Police Academy will also be held during the spring. Advertisement Citizens Police Academy classes will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, March 23 to May 25. A majority of classes will be held at Prisco Community Center, 150 W. Illinois Ave., Aurora. Some classes will be held at the Sheriff's Office at the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles. Online applications are available in English and Spanish at kanesheriff.com. Natural area management seminar in La Fox Garfield Farm Museum will host the 31st annual Native Plants and Natural Area Management Seminar Saturday. The seminar will cover the key methods and techniques of preserving and using the best plants for an Illinois environment. Covered plants include native flowers, grasses, trees and shrubs. Participants will research property history, identify native plants and invasive species, and study the use of fire, herbicides, cutting and brush stacking equipment. The seminar will go from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Garfield Farm Museum in La Fox. Registration is $55 including lunch, or $25 for a half-day without lunch. For more information, call 630-584-8485 or email info@garfieldfarm.org. Advertisement Wine seminar in Geneva Geneva Wine Cellars and Tasting Room will host the "How to Select a French Wine" seminar Feb. 25. Vincent Ehret, the Fine Vines French brand manager, will present the seminar. The seminar will teach participants about the many varietals and styles of French wine. Students will learn what to expect from the four classic regions: Loire, Burgundy, Bordeaux and Rhone. Differences between cool and warm climates and western and eastern regions will also be explored. The seminar includes a selection of wines, light hors d'ouerves and discounts on the wines presented. Tickets are $25 per person and advance ticket purchase is required. Tickets can be purchased from Al at al@genevawinecellars.com or 630-232-8888. Advertisement The event is from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Geneva Wine Cellars and Tasting Room, 227 S. Third St., Geneva. Imago Theatre comes to Fermilab Imago Theatre will perform "Zoo Zoo" at Fermilab's Ramsey Auditorium Saturday. The theatre company has toured internationally for over two decades. Created by Carol Triffle and Jerry Mouawad, Imago Theatre's shows have been compared to Cirque Du Soleil. "Zoo Zoo" is a series of short works lasting four to seven minutes. A cast of five plays a multitude of characters ranging from fireflies to giant polar bears. The production features actors playing penguins enjoying musical chairs, a cat trapped in a giant paper bag, hippos with insomnia and anteaters as waiters. "Zoo Zoo" is at 7 p.m. at Fermilab's Ramsey Auditorium, on South Kirk Road at Pine Street in Batavia. Tickets are $30, or $15 for ages 18 and under, and can be purchased at fnal.gov. For more information, call 630-840-3351 or email Fermilab@fnal.gov. Advertisement Got Pulse? Columnist Joy Davis is looking for interesting, quirky and just plain funny stories about people and places in the Fox Valley. Email her at joydavis234@gmail.com. The driver charged in a fatal DUI crash in Aurora previously was convicted of a drunken-driving crash in the city, according to court records. Stephanie Figueroa, 27, of Streator, is free on bond. She is charged with reckless homicide on allegations she was intoxicated when she lost control of her Volkswagen Jetta Feb. 7, causing the car to collide with a house in the 500 block of North Farnsworth Avenue and come to rest on its roof. Her passenger, 33-year-old Obed Cruz-Hernandez, of Aurora, died after being ejected from the car, authorities said. Advertisement Figueroa ran away from the scene but was apprehended by Aurora police officers who witnessed the crash, police said. She was initially ticketed with two counts of misdemeanor driving under the influence and released after posting bond. Kane County prosecutors upgraded the charges to include reckless homicide and aggravated DUI late last week. Figueroa was arrested at her home Feb. 12 and was released after posting $4,000 bail at the Aurora Police Department, records state. She is scheduled to appear in court March 16. Advertisement Figueroa's license was valid at the time of the most recent crash, according to the Illinois secretary of state's office, but it has since been suspended. A previous suspension followed her 2012 drunken driving arrest after a crash on Galena Boulevard in Aurora in which she had a blood-alcohol level of 0.169. The legal limit in Illinois is 0.08. Court records indicate Figueroa, then 22, crashed her Isuzu Trooper while driving with three passengers. Two of the occupants left after the accident, but a third passenger was there when police arrived. An officer's report indicates Figueroa, among other things, failed field-sobriety tests and gave police an incorrect birth date. Figueroa pleaded guilty to DUI a month later, but the case remained active because of a string of allegations that she violated her court supervision. A judge Jan. 29 closed the case by ordering Figueroa's unpaid fines and costs to be collected, documents show. She also has convictions from 2012 on marijuana and cocaine possession charges, for which she was sentenced to 30 months of probation. Dan Campana is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News Police in Harvey have one person in custody and are searching for a second in connection with a shooting late Wednesday that left a 16-year-old girl "fighting for her life" and a 23-year-old woman also injured, officials said. Harvey spokesman Sean Howard said investigators were called to an apartment building near the intersection of Halsted Street and Sibley Boulevard about 10 p.m. and discovered the two victims lying on the floor of an apartment. The teen had been shot in the head. The other victim was shot in the leg, Howard said. Advertisement Police apprehended one suspect as he attempted to flee, he said, and witnesses have provided some "very credible pieces of information" that police hoped would lead to the capture of the second suspect. Howard did not provide information about the person in custody or a description of the second suspect. Advertisement The two victims and a third individual were in the apartment when shots were fired shortly after there was a knock on the door, Howard said. After the shooting, the teen was immediately transported to Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, where she is in the intensive care unit with a head injury and is "fighting for her life," Howard said. The woman was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn with a gunshot wound to the lower leg. The third person was uninjured, he said. Howard said there had been "some suspicious activity going on in that apartment," terming it "an issue of drugs." Neither victim lived in the apartment, Howard said. Chicago Tribune's Megan Crepeau contributed. Dennis Sullivan is a freelance reporter. Rendering of the proposed $133 million Palos Community Hospital South Campus expansion in Orland Park include a four-story office building, along with above- and below-ground parking. The expansion is designed to provide integrated, coordinated care, so that patients will be able to see doctors and undergo diagnostic testing and treatments, including radiation and chemotherapy, in one location, hospital officials said. (Courtesy of Palos Community Hospital) Palos Community Hospital officials say they need to tear down the Palos Health and Fitness Center to meet the growing demand for cancer treatment and other outpatient services, even if that means upsetting smaller groups of patients who need the highly specialized services provided by the center. "We've had engineers and architects pore over this for many, many months," said Terry Moisan, the hospital's chief executive officer. "We looked at it from every conceivable angle." Advertisement The fitness center is part of the hospital's South Campus, at 153rd Street and West Avenue in Orland Park. The plan is to close the fitness center in May to make way for the $133 million expansion project, which involves adding a four-story medical office building with above- and below-ground parking. The South Campus will offer outpatient services that are integrated, said Tim Brosnan, the hospital vice president for planning and community relations. Patients will be able to see their doctors and undergo tests and treatments in one facility in a coordinated manner designed to reduce time between appointments and the number of trips from home. It will work in conjunction with the recently added Loyola Cancer Center there, providing chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Advertisement Although the existing fitness center offers many of the common amenities found in other nearby facilities, it also offers some unique medically integrated services, according to Jaimie Lehotsky, director of operations for its Addison-based management company, Power Wellness. For example, it offers classes specific to certain illnesses, such as Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis. Hospital officials believe most, but not all, of the fitness center's members will be able to find the same or similar services. Moisan said cardiac rehab services have already moved to the main hospital, and pulmonary rehab is in the process of moving. "The patients are absolutely fine with that," Moisan said. The hospital has also reached out to the Moraine Valley Community College Health, Fitness and Recreation center, as well as to the Orland Park Sportsplex both of which are newer facilities because they offer many of the same services as the Palos Health and Fitness Center. According to Mike Schneider, a spokesman for Moraine, said there are many overlapping classes, such as aqua aerobics and gentle yoga, and more may be added. Since the Palos Health and Fitness Center does not classify its members by diagnosis, there is no exact way to calculate which of the declining number of 4,300 active and inactive members use the facility just to work out, and which do so for specific medical needs, Brosnan said. About 15 percent of the membership use either the main pool or the warm water therapy pool. "While (the therapy pool) is used by a number of people, it is used by a limited number of people in the overall membership, and it's something we cannot fix at this point," Brosnan said. Lehotsky estimates that perhaps only a few hundred members will not be able to find comparable services in the area. Mary Ellen Smolinski, who started the Facebook page "Save PHFC," is one such member. She attends the MS aquacize class three time a week in the center's main pool. Unique to her disease, water temperatures must range from 82 to 84 degrees, which is lower than the 86 degree minimum specified for arthritis patients, she said. Advertisement "Warm (water) temperatures severely affect MS patients," she said. "What is still too warm for MS patients is still too cold for other people." Moraine Valley's pool offers cool enough water temperatures, but the air is too warm, which has a negative impact on MS patients, she said. Smolinski, of Mokena, would have to drive to one of the other facilities in Illinois operated by Power Wellness in Geneva, Maywood or Roscoe. Though every patient is important, proponents for the hospital's expansion say that displacing a few hundred to other locations is a small number compared to the anticipated increase from 250,000 to 400,000 patients the expanded facilities will accommodate. "We need to do what's right for the community," Moisan said. Integrated, specialized treatments are part of a growing shift in health care from hospital inpatient treatment to 85 percent outpatient care, Moisan said. Additionally, having doctors' offices, diagnostic testing and treatment in one location means health care is managed more effectively, offering more prevention, Brosnan added. Advertisement Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > Moisan and Brosnan said, ideally, the hospital would be able to keep the fitness center. However, a key obstacle is the landscape. The entire campus is built on a hill. In order to offer enough access roads, entrances and parking to accommodate 400,000 people each year, the facility has to undergo a regrading, which makes the fitness center's current location an even bigger hurdle, Moisan said. Nevertheless, opponents believe it is wrong to raze the fitness center for a parking lot. The south campus expansion is expected to create about 100 professional positions, in addition to another 350 jobs overall, Moisan said. That compares to the fitness center's 34 full-time employees who will lose their jobs, although some may be willing to commute to other Power Wellness locations where jobs are available, Lehotsky said, noting that six already have taken positions elsewhere in the company. There are approximately another 100 part-time, group-exercise instructors who teach one to two classes each week who will also be unemployed, she said. "We will absorb as many as we possibly can," Lehotsky said. On Thursday, the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board will hold a hearing related to the hospital's certificate of need at 10 a.m. at the Orland Park Civic Center, 14750 Ravinia Avenue. Smolinski is among a group of members who plan to attend in opposition to the proposed expansion. Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-18th) said he supports the expansion on the condition the hospital "finds a way" to maintain the pool facilities. He said he has received about 50 calls and emails from constituents opposing the fitness center closing. Cunningham said he was not aware what, if any, comparable services were available at other nearby facilities. Advertisement Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. Before she passed away, Emily Beazley told her parents she wanted to start a foundation that could fund the search for a cure for pediatric cancer. Next month, that foundation will be one of four to serve as grand marshall for the 2016 South Side Irish Parade. (Courtesy of the Beazley Family) Four local groups dedicated to fighting childhood cancer, including one started in the late Emily Beazley's name, will together serve as grand marshal of the 2016 South Side Irish Parade. When the parade steps off at noon March 13 from 103rd and Western Avenue, leading the procession will be representatives from Live Like John, Pat Mac's Pack, the Maeve McNicholas Memorial Foundation and Emily Beazley's Kures for Kids. Advertisement Together, they are known as South Siders Fighting Childhood Cancer. South Side Irish Parade co-chair Pat Coakley said Wednesday the event's committee is proud to feature the coalition, all of whom are working to improve the lives of others. Advertisement The groups have made it their mission to shine a spotlight on the fact that less than 4 percent of cancer research funding goes toward pediatric cancer, Coakley said. Each of the groups represented has ties to the southwest side and each is an example of how neighbors can come together to support each other, Coakley said. For Nadia and Ed Beazley, whose daughter Emily died from non-Hodgkins lymphoma last May, the honor is a double blessing: not only did their oldest child love parades, she laid the groundwork for the foundation that is dedicated to raising money for pediatric clinical trials. Before she died, Emily told her parents she wanted them to start a foundation that would help fund treatments, trials and medications for kids with cancer, Nadia Beazley said. Emily Beazley's Kures for Kids, a division of the Cure It Foundation, is closing in on raising $100,000, just since May. A walk to raise even more money is planned for spring or early summer, Nadia Beazley said. During Emily's four-year battle, the community of Mount Greenwood enveloped her in love and support, helping to send her to Disney World, pushing through paperwork to have a portion of Homan Avenue renamed in her honor and even contacting Grammy winner Taylor Swift, who phoned the girl weeks before she passed. Emily rode on a fire truck with representatives of the Cure It Foundation in last year's South Side Irish Parade, her mother said. By honoring their daughter's last wishes, Nadia Beazley said, "We're trying to make a difference." Advertisement The high-profile position in the parade will bring much-needed publicity, she said. "Clinical trials are very expensive," she said. "We really need to raise more money." Last year, she said, 220,000 people went to the parade. "If we can open the eyes of 220,000 people, that'd be amazing," she said. "This is a step in the right direction." Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > The 2016 South Side Irish Parade Honoree will be the 100 Club of Chicago, an organization that provides help to families of first responders who have lost their lives in the line of duty in Cook and Lake Counties. Since it began 50 years ago, the club has helped 260 families with more than $9 million. To offset the rising cost of producing the annual parade, the South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade will kick off the festivities with a pre-parade fundraiser at 6 p.m. Feb. 27 at 115 Bourbon Street, 3359 West 115th St., Merrionette Park. The event will feature raffle prizes, a silent auction and the South Side Irish Parade Queen Selection. Also, the South Side Irish Parade Film Fest is set for 6 p.m. March 5 at the Beverly Arts Center. For ticket information, visit http://www.beverlyartcenter.org/ Advertisement A one-mile Emerald Isle Mile will begin at 11:30 a.m. on parade day, starting at 104th and Western and run the parade route ending at 112th and Western Avenue. Registration for the race will be available at the South Side Irish Parade Pre-Parade Fundraiser. For more information, call 773-629-8587. For more information on the parade, visit southsideirishparade.org dvickroy@tribpub.com @dvickroy By Dezan Shira & Associates Editors: Nathan Wakelin-King and Qian Zhou The following is the second of a two-part article taken from our January-February magazine, A Guide to Chinas Free Trade Zones. The first part can be found here. Faster Administrative and Registration Procedures Relaxed Incorporation Requirements FTZ policies cancel the minimum registration capital of RMB 30,000 for limited liability companies; the RMB 100,000 minimum for single shareholder companies; and the RMB 5 million minimum for joint stock companies. Previous provisions on first-time capital contribution amounts and ratios for company shareholders at the time of incorporation are cancelled, as are the provisions on the ratio of capital contribution amounts to registered capital and the provisions on capital contribution deadlines for full payment by company shareholders. One Stop Application Processing In order to cut down on bureaucracy related time costs, FTZs have one-stop application processing platforms for company establishment. An online application is made through the relevant FTZ website, and then the business is checked against the updated negative list. Later, all application materials will be submitted and handled through the industry and commerce authority (AIC) in the Zone. All the relevant licenses and certificates (including the business license, enterprise code certificate, and tax registration certificate) will be issued altogether by the AIC. This means applicants may obtain all necessary documents for company establishment in one place, contrasting with outside the zone where applicants must move between different authorities for the issuance of the different varieties of paperwork. Competitive Tax Environment When the Shanghai FTZ was initially announced, investors were hopeful of a more preferential tax environment, with some predicting a CIT rate of as low as 15 percent. In reality, however, this was never likely to occur, as the Shanghai FTZ was designed more as a testing ground for new reforms than as a zone for preferential policies. That said, there are still various tax incentives that exist for certain qualified individuals and enterprises throughout the four FTZs. For example, Qianhai and Hengqin of the Guangdong FTZ, and Pingtan of the Fujian FTZ, provide special tax incentives to qualified businesses based on their respective functions. For foreigners who are categorized as high-end talents/talents in short supply, and for those who work for one successive year or more in a Qianhai registered enterprise, the Shenzhen government will subsidize the IIT paid on wages which exceed 15 percent of taxable salary income For Hong Kong and Macao permanent residents working in Hengqin, the portion of IIT paid which is in excess of the Hong Kong/ Macao IIT on such income can be refunded Cross-border RMB Cash Pooling In early 2014, China launched a pilot program to enable cross-border RMB cash pooling in the Shanghai FTZ. This program was welcomed by domestic and foreign invested MNCs, as it provides more channels to recoup RMB back to mainland China while simultaneously centralizing treasury and cash flows, thus achieving financial cost savings. In November 2014, a detailed guidance on cross-border RMB cash pooling by MNCs nationwide was issued by the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC). Compared to the national version, cross-border RMB cash pooling policies in the FTZs still have their advantages. For better understanding, we present a full chart in our online magazine. Note that in the Fujian and Guangdong FTZs there are presently no specific rules for cross-border RMB cash pooling. RELATED: Business Advisory Services from Dezan Shira & Associates Forex Cash Pooling China launched its foreign exchange cash pooling pilots as early as 2012, implemented among 73 MNCs in selected provinces. With the experience gained from the pilot programs, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) issued the Huifa [2014] No.23, (hereinafter Circular No,23) on April 18, 2014, extending the pilot programs nationwide from June, 2014. On August 5, 2015, SAFE released the revised version of Circular No.23, i.e. Huifa [2015] No.36 (hereinafter Circular No.36), further lowering the threshold and simplifying the procedures for foreign exchange cash pooling. Unlike the significant difference between the national and FTZ versions on cross-border RMB cash pooling, setting up a foreign exchange cash pool within or outside the FTZs is mostly similar, with the exception that there are lower requirements on international balance of payments. According to Circular No.36, to be qualified for applying for foreign exchange cash pooling, the MNCs international balance of payments in the preceding year must exceed US$100 million. However, as stipulated in the Detailed Implementation Rules for Further Promoting Pilot Forex Administration Reform in China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, released in December, 2015, this requirement was lowered in Shanghai to US$ 50 million. The Tianjin and Fujian FTZs released similar rules on December 18 and December 22, respectively, and the Guangdong FTZ is expected to do the same later this year. This article is an excerpt from the January and February issue of China Briefing Magazine, titled A Guide to Chinas Free Trade Zones . In this issue of China Briefing magazine, we examine Chinas four Free Trade Zones and discuss the differences and strengths that exist in each of them. We begin by providing an introduction to the FTZs, and then take an in-depth look at the market access conditions, registration procedures and tax environments of each. Finally, we highlight some of the key considerations that foreign companies should be aware of when choosing an FTZ to invest in. An Introduction to Doing Business in China 2015 Doing Business in China 2015 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in China. Compiled by the professionals at Dezan Shira & Associates, this comprehensive guide is ideal not only for businesses looking to enter the Chinese market, but also for companies that already have a presence here and want to keep up-to-date with the most recent and relevant policy changes. Selling, Sourcing and E-Commerce in China 2016 (First Edition) This guide, produced in collaboration with the experts at Dezan Shira & Associates, provides a comprehensive analysis of all these aspects of commerce in China. It discusses how foreign companies can best go about sourcing products from China; how foreign retailers can set up operations on the ground to sell directly to the countrys massive consumer class; and finally details how foreign enterprises can access Chinas lucrative yet ostensibly complex e-commerce market. Importing and Exporting in China: a Guide for Trading Companies In this issue of China Briefing, we discuss the latest import and export trends in China, and analyze the ways in which a foreign company in China can properly prepare for the import/export process. With import taxes and duties adding a significant cost burden, we explain how this system works in China, and highlight some of the tax incentives that the Chinese government has put in place to help stimulate trade. Ireland on Wednesday announced the launch of this year's St. Patrick's festival program, which will take place from March 17 to 20. The program includes a selection of music, dance, performance art, street theater and film to ensure the festival's reputation as a world-famous event continues to grow. The line-up of events and street theater will showcase Ireland both domestically and internationally, creating a carnival atmosphere across the capital, according to festival organizers. "The St. Patrick's Festival has developed into a major attraction, which provides us with the chance to showcase our own culture and talents and promote all that is great about Ireland, on an international stage," said Paschal Donohoe, minister for transport, tourism and sport, when launching the festival program. "With more than 100,000 overseas visitors coming to Ireland to help us celebrate our national day, the festival kicks off the tourist season in a most spectacular way. Generating an estimated 73 million euros (81 million U.S. dollars) in additional revenue for the country, the impact of this key tourism attraction is significant," Donohoe said. You are here: Home The G20 Trade Ministers Meeting will be held in Shanghai on July 9, 2016 to discuss ways to boost trade and investment cooperation, a commerce official said Wednesday. The two-day meeting will be held in advance of the G20 Hangzhou Summit, which is slated for Sept. 4 and 5. China took over the G20 presidency in December last year. "Global trade plays a weakened role as an engine for economic growth as its growth loses steam. Therefore, G20 members have a strong will to strengthen trade and investment cooperation," Ministry of Commerce (MOC) spokesperson Shen Danyang said at a press conference. The G20 Trade and Investment Working Group was established this year based on a proposal from China. The meetings of trade ministers and the working group will allow G20 members to hold in-depth talks on topics including trade and investment mechanisms, global trade expansion and multilateral trading system development. Efforts will be made to let the G20 play a bigger role in global economic and trade governance, fighting trade protectionism and driving global trade back to strong growth, Shen said. You are here: Home Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) producers welcomed industry support policies unveiled at an executive meeting of the State Council, China's cabinet, on Sunday. Pharmaceutical executives said the policies will bring development opportunities and hoped that local authorities will roll out more tangible measures. More traditional medicines will be added to the national list of essential drugs, said a statement issued after the executive meeting presided over by Premier Li Keqiang. More resources and policies will support the development of traditional medicine, the statement said, including conservation of ancient medical texts. The pharmaceutical industry is encouraged to use modern technology in researching traditional medicine, while hospitals and researchers are encouraged to try traditional therapies in treating complex chronic diseases. The policies gave a strong boost to pharmaceutical companies in terms of new medicine development, said Zhu Zhaoyun, R&D director at Yunnan Baiyao Group Co. The pharmaceutical firms are boosting innovation to meet consumer demand in an increasingly competitive market. Zhong Hongguang, chairman of Jiangzhong Group, said the company is developing new health care products and boosting research to develop better treatment for common diseases. The TCM industry, however, faces development challenges, industry insiders warned. Xu Daofu, director of the general office at Jiangxi provincial TCM hospital, acknowledged that the industry lacks high-level talent. TCM treatment demands a lot of knowledge and clinical experience, he added. In the coming years, local authorities should carry out more tangible measures to support the industry, Xu said. Liu Hongyu, Party chief of the Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said more work needs to be done to help explore effective treatments from ancient TCM records. Tu Youyou's Nobel Prize win for the discovery of artemisinin, a TCM-based drug widely used to fight malaria, has served as a boon to the industry, said Zhu. "TCM is a great treasure house. Combined with modern technology, it could benefit more people," Zhu said. China's State Council on Wednesday called for better handling of proposals made by the legislature. A report on the handling of suggestions and proposals made by the legislature and political advisory body, as well as policies to commercialize science and technology research, were submitted to the regular State Council executive meeting on Wednesday, which was presided over by Premier Li Keqiang. The State Council has handled 8,001 suggestions and 4,809 proposals made by legislators and political advisors since the annual sessions of the two bodies in March last year, accounting for 97.1 percent and 96.5 percent of the totals. Based on these suggestions and proposals, many policies were designed to promote economic growth and improve social administration. According to the meeting, the handling of suggestions and proposals will be an important job of the government this year. The State Council called for better allocation of responsibility when processing all proposals and suggestions, improved study mechanisms, field interviews, and improving consultations and communications systems. Departments weighed down by suggestions and proposals should convene at least one meeting attended by legislators and political advisors, the State Council said. It also called for better time management when handling proposals and suggestions, and new processes to improve efficiency. The State Council also called for transparent publication of the results and public supervision. China set a timetable on Wednesday to reform government car use in state-owned public institutions and enterprises to reduce fiscal expenses. State-owned public institutions must stop use of general-purpose government cars by mid-2016, while they may retain vehicles for emergency use, telecommunications and other special purposes. Heads of state-owned enterprises can choose to use government cars or receive transportation subsidies instead. The reform is expected to be implemented as soon as June. China started to reform government car use in July 2014 with an aim to cut unnecessary fiscal expenses and promote thrift. The country completed reforms among government departments by September 2015, revoking use of about 4,000 vehicles that were later sold to the public. A large-scale model of the FC-20, the export version of the J-10 fighter jet, on display at the Singapore Airshow 2016 on Tuesday. The airshow runs through Feb 21.[Xinhua] China appears to have given the green light for its domestically-developed J-10 fighter jet to be exported as the country looks to attract buyers at an overseas air show. A large-scale model of the FC-20, the export version of the J-10, is on display at the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp booth at the six-day Singapore Airshow 2016, which kicked off on Tuesday. It is an unspoken rule in China's defense sector that weapons solely designed for the People's Liberation Army are never displayed at foreign exhibitions, so the model's appearance in Singapore carries a clear indication: that China now wants to promote the warplane to the international market. The J-10 is a third-generation, multirole combat aircraft designed and produced by Aviation Industry Corp of China. It features a canard delta wing design, a fly-by-wire flight control system and is regarded by military experts as one of the best fighter jets in the world. First entering service as the J-10A with the PLA Air Force in 2004, the plane was declassified in 2009 and by February 2014, the PLA Air Force and PLA Navy's aviation units had at least 260 of the jets in operation, British think tank the International Institute for Strategic Studies has estimated. The country has also developed at least two upgraded versions of the aircraftthe J-10B, which has started to be delivered to the PLA Air Force, and the J-10C that is still in the testing stage, Chinese media reported. Speculation has been rife in recent years among Chinese military observers and their foreign counterparts about when the J-10's export would be approved. Potential buyers named by foreign media include Pakistan, Iran and Argentina, but none have been reported to be in substantial negotiations with China so far. Ma Zhiping, former general manager of China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp, said in September 2013 that several foreign countries from Asia, Africa and South America had "expressed interest" in the J-10, with his company expecting a huge market for the plane. Wang Ya'nan, deputy editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine and an expert in aviation, said selling fighter aircraft was never an easy task as such arms sales were often influenced by a host of geopolitical factors. "Land arms such as tanks or even short-range surface-to-surface missiles have limited impact on geopolitics, but fighter jets can perform strikes far away from their home country and thus are considered to have stronger prowess," he said. "In addition, a contract for fighter jets usually means a large amount of profit because their life span is very long, so the value behind the aircraft and the after-sale services involved would be very high. Therefore, every major player in the aviation industry will spare no effort to scramble for the contract." A weakness in China's efforts to sell its fighter jets is the fact that they are unproven in combat, according to Wang. "Fortunately, the PLA Air Force has many air combat drills each year, which can enable foreign clients to know the capabilities of Chinese aircraft." Foreigners may frown at squat toilets and terrible odors in China's public restrooms but the situation is expected to change as China considers blacklisting those behaving badly in public toilets at scenic spots. The potential move against uncivilized behavior in public conveniences was revealed by Li Shihong, deputy chief of the China National Tourism Administration (NTA), the country's tourism regulator. The move is aimed at improving the image of China's tourist attractions. "Many people spend a lot of time dressing themselves but they do not spare a second to flush the toilet. Toilet civilization has a long way to go in China,' said Li Jinzao, director of the NTA. In addition to blacklisting those behaving badly, the country will invest more than 12.5 billion yuan ($1.9 billion) to push forward "toilet reform" which will be financed by central and local government funds as well as private investors. The "toilet reform" was initiated by the NTA in 2015. Since its launch, 22,000 public toilets have been built in scenic spots across the country, and this year 25,000 more are expected to be erected, the NTA said at a national conference on public toilets. Energy- and water-saving and deodorization technology will be applied in new toilets, said the NTA. China's restroom issue has also drawn attention from foreign organizations. To find solutions to better dispose of and recycle toilet waste, a toilet-themed innovation contest jointly held by the NTA and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is collecting designs from across the country. Close to 100 elephants were killed in Zimbabwe in 2015, with poachers increasingly turning to use of chemicals to kill the jumbos, a senior official has said. Edson Chidziya, the director general of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said Monday the killing of the jumbos by cyanide poisoning was an emerging challenge they were now grappling with. "All along we had been fighting poachers with armed gangs which were easy to detect, but this menace of poisoning, it's actually a new phenomenon that we are all trying to fight," Chidziya told a parliamentary portfolio committee. He said ever since Zimbabwe experienced its first ugly episode of cyanide poisoning in 2013 where more than 100 elephants were killed in Hwange National Park, cases of the mammal poisoning in the country's wildlife parks were being recorded. Out of the close to 100 killed last year, 32 of them were killed by cyanide poisoning in Hwange National Park, the country's largest wildlife sanctuary, he said. Chidziya said there was a worrying trend where locals were increasingly being involved in poaching activities. "We are seeing a trend where local involvement in poaching is increasing and it also adds to our complexity in that we are dealing with our own people who we are supposed to be working with in fighting poaching," he said. He said the parks agency, which recently received anti-poaching equipment from China, was upping its anti-poaching activities and had over the last five years detected close to 8,000 incursions and accounted for 175 poachers, 145 of whom were locals. The parks agency had also roped in security services to assist in fighting the scourge, Chidziya said. Zimbabwe last year lost at least 50 rhinos to poaching, more than double the number killed the previous year. Zimbabwe boasts of a rich wildlife heritage but increased poaching is threatening to destroy the wildlife population, especially that of rhino which has declined from a high of around 2,000 in the 1990s to below 1,000 now. The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) called on countries on Wednesday to guard against the spread of diseases from animals such as Ebola and Zika virus as it launched a draft report outlining the link between the environment and health. UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said with the poorest people mostly worst-affected by the failure to ensure a clean environment for all, the world risked falling into a bigger global disease burden, 25 percent of which could be attributed to environmental factors. "There are indicators which speak to the linkages between health and environment," Steiner said in a keynote speech at the opening of a preparatory meeting of the U.N. Environment Assembly's (UNEA) Open Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives, attended by about 300 government officials. Steiner said at least 1,000 children die daily from diarrhea due to poor sanitation and hygiene, including unsafe drinking water, and the impact of El Nino weather which had affected 60 million people in 2015-2016. He added that the changes in the environment had also altered the disease patterns in a way that saw diseases previously found exclusively in animals spreading to mankind due to poor land use policies. "The movement of these diseases from animals to human beings shows the movements in the land-use policies," Steiner said before the ambassadors and a few ministers of environment attending the meeting. The Nairobi meeting will prepare the main agenda for the UNEA Ministerial Summit in May this year to discuss approaches against climate change, land use policies and a broad range of approaches required to deal with biological and chemical pollution around the world. "It is clearer than ever that the anthropogenic land use change impacts infectious disease transmission in human and animals through alteration of the host and vector community composition, changes in behavioral and environmental contamination," Steiner told the meeting. The UNEP chief said the spread of Zika Virus which affects newborns has sent a strong signal of the need to effectively deal with the link between the environment and health, noting that the spread of such environmental diseases were an indication of the changing patterns in populations and trends which require urgent intervention from both environmentalists and health experts. "We are discovering every day the importance of biodiversity for medicine. The disasters which are sadly occurring across the world demonstrate how the role of communities in preventing and preparing for disasters is crucial for limiting impacts on human health and well being," Steiner said. The U.N. Environmental Programme (UNEP) has identified major chemicals used mostly in the horticultural sector in some countries, including Kenya, for elimination as part of a new war to deal with the impact of chemical pollution blamed for increasing the disease burden. UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said Wednesday the organisation financed efforts by Kenya to stop the use of methyl bromide in pesticides used in the horticultural sector. This is after scientific research reports on the effects of the chemical pollutants. In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, the UNEP Executive Director said the methyl bromide chemical, also known as one of the ozone layer depleting chemicals, was one among the over 100,000 chemicals currently being studied for their impact on the environment for possible elimination. "The role of UNEP is to bring science and technology and assemble it for use by the whole world. We work with governments around the world to develop appropriate responses," Steiner told Xinhua. Steiner was speaking after addressing a gathering of 300 delegates attending the preparatory meeting of the U.N. Environment Assembly's Open Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives to discuss strategies required to deal with environmental threats, among them, chemical pollution. "UNEP is trying to demonstrate the centrality of the environment to the effective management of public health and the need for proper management of risks associated with chemicals," Steiner said. According to the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary of Environment Judi Wakhungu, the disease burden caused by the environmental pollution was currently estimated at 28 percent of all reported health cases. "We believe the disease burden could be higher. We see an increment in the respiratory diseases such as cancer, asthma and other diseases. Our approach is to reform the health and environment approaches within the government to deal with these diseases," Wakhungu said. Efforts to eliminate the use of methyl bromide in the horticulture sector have been continuing since the chemical was banned in 2000 for its ozone layer depleting properties. In Kenya, Steiner said UNEP was funding efforts to have the chemical eliminated alongside other chemicals identified under the Montreal Protocol which deals with the ozone-layer depleting chemicals. "These have a major impact in the generation of greenhouse gases," Steiner noted. Kenya's Ministry of Health said the use of methyl bromide, a fumigant, was halted in April 2015 under the commitments made by the Kenyan government in the Montreal Protocol. UNEP contributed to the elimination of lead, a chemical previously used in petroleum products because of its health hazards. Steiner said UNEP was continuing with steps to eliminate chemicals under various protocols, including the Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, which are continuing to monitor "persistent pollutants." "We have successfully implemented the global initiative to remove lead in fossil fuels. We continue to monitor its use especially in paints because of its effects on women and children," Steiner warned. In his address before the ambassadors accredited to the UNEP, which was also attended by ministers of environment, Steiner said the environment had a direct bearing on health. He called for policies to deal with premature death caused by chemical pollutants. Earlier, the UNEP Executive Director called on governments to come up with policies to phase out the ozone-layer depleting substances which are responsible for 2 million cancer cases every year, adding that ending the use of lead saved nearly a million lives every year. Forest rangers and police in southwest China's Yunnan Province are struggling to control a wild elephant that has launched three attacks on parked cars on a major highway in four days. [Photo/Chinanews.com] Forest rangers and police in Southwest China's Yunnan province are struggling to control a wild elephant that has sprung three attacks on parked cars on a major highway in four days. The animal's latest rampage on the G213 highway linking Yunnan with Northwest China's Gansu province occurred on Monday afternoon, when it damaged nine cars, forest police in Yunnan's Xishuangbanna prefecture said. The elephant, nicknamed Zhusunya ("Bamboo Shoot Teeth"), crushed or damaged almost 20 cars on the highway on Friday and Sunday. There have been no casualties from its sorties, near the Yexianggu (Wild Elephant Valley) nature reserve. After receiving an alert from the reserve at 4:40 pm on Monday, police officers closed the affected section of the highway, guided traffic and evacuated tourists. The lone male elephant returned to the nearby woods at about 11 pm. It may have been angry over a lost fight for a mate, local elephant protection workers said. The rise in the number of people in the animal's habitat during Spring Festival holiday may also have provoked it, forest police said. Xishuangbanna has special passageways for elephants on many roads, but they must cross the highway that divides the eastern and western parts of the reserve. During Spring Festival, traffic on the G213 peaked and many tourists illegally parked their cars on the roadside, police said. Visitors to the reserve have also been advised to go by bus instead of private cars. Members of staff at the reserve told Xinhua that local authorities have deployed animal specialists to track the whereabouts of wild elephants, and will warn tourists and villagers once they find any elephants moving to the main road. Wild Asian elephants are a nationally protected species in China, with fewer than 300 of them in the country. Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation. Flash China's non-acceptance of the South China Sea arbitration filed by the Philippines is merely observing the law, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the press after talks with his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop Wednesday in Beijing. Wang's comments came after Australia called for a solution to the South China Sea disputes through peaceful means, including arbitration. China in 2006 declared it would not accept arbitration of disputes concerning territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, in accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Wang said. "Chinese government will certainly stick to this position," Wang said, adding that more than 30 countries, including Australia, have also made similar "exclusive" declarations. He gave a list of reasons why the Philippines' arbitration attempt is invalid and unacceptable, including unilateral moves without consulting China, which goes against international norms, as well as the common sense argument that arbitration applications are usually lodged only when all other means are depleted. China and the Philippines have several agreements that disputes should be solved through dialogue and consultation. The Philippines has also signed the fourth article of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), which states that disputes should be solved by those countries directly related, through negotiation and consultation. Wang said that the Philippines' arbitration attempt violated previous agreements and raised suspicion of its complicated international background or even hidden political motives. Flash Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued on Wednesday a presidential pardon regarding military service violations, the official SANA news agency reported. The amnesty covers the crimes of desertion inside Syria and abroad as well as other military service-related crimes committed before Feb.17, said SANA. It added that it won't cover the fugitives until they turn themselves in to the authorities to settle their situation. The reports said that the amnesty gives defectors who fled the country two months to hand themselves in, and one month for those still inside Syria. The president usually issues such amnesties each year, but this year the pardon on the military service violations has a special importance amid reports of high number of draft dodgers. Assad issued a similar amnesty last July. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based watchdog group, said last year that there were 70 thousands draft dodgers who averted to report to service since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in mid-March 2011. Local community advertisement campaigns have started mushrooming in the capital Damascus, urging the young men to join the military service. Flash The UN envoy to peace in the Middle East Nikolay Mladenov on Wednesday called on Israel and the Palestinians to end the ongoing wave of violent tension in the Palestinian territories and get back to peace talks. "The ongoing fire shooting won't contribute in pushing the peace process forward, while Israeli settlement and homes demolition are an obstacle for the two-state solution," Mladenov told a news briefing in Gaza City. After Islamic Hamas movement clearly announced two weeks ago that its militants dig tunnels underneath Gaza to prepare for the next battle with Israel, Mladenov said "digging tunnels and firing rockets won't restore clam in Gaza." Mladenov, who arrived in the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave on Tuesday, for a two-day visit, told reporters that the only way to restore calm is to carry on with the ceasefire agreement reached at the end of 2014 Israeli offensive on Gaza. "The priority for the Gaza populations is to see an end to the Israeli blockade, an opening of the crossing points, finalize the construction plan and implement the principle of the two-state solution," said Mladenov. The last Israeli army large-scale offensive waged on the Gaza Strip for 50 days during the summer of 2014 left large destruction in housing and infrastructure, were more than 18,000 housing units were completely destroyed. Mladenov called on "the two sides" Israel and the Palestinians, to bring the situation back to what it used to be called the resumption of the Middle East peace process., adding "the situation on the ground shouldn't continue like that." Mladenov arrived on Tuesday afternoon in Gaza for a two-day visit to check an ongoing construction plan the UN is supervising. He crossed into the coastal enclave through Erez Crossing on the border between northern Gaza and Israel. As soon as the senior global official arrived in Gaza, he went with other senior UN officials to al-Shuja'eya neighborhood in eastern Gaza city to check the process of construction that goes on in the neighborhood. It is Mladenov's second visit to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip since last December. Mladenov held meetings with senior Palestinian officials, who are responsible for running the plan. He will hold a news briefing on Wednesday in Gaza city, according to a UN source. Flash The European Union (EU) has renewed sanctions on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace for another year, but the Zimbabwean ruling party dismissed the move and insisted the "illegal" sanctions must be totally removed. "The restrictive measures will continue to apply to Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, his wife Grace Mugabe, and Zimbabwe Defence Industries, while measures against five high ranking members of the security apparatus will remain suspended," according to the decision endorsed by the EU Council, presented by EU ambassador to Zimbabwe Philippe Van Damme on Wednesday. The EU ambassador added that an EU arms embargo on Zimbabwe stays, while measures against high ranking members of the security services will continue to be suspended. The EU said it had also removed sanctions against 78 of Mugabe's allies. Simon Khaya Moyo, a senior ruling party official and the party's spokesman, reputed the EU decision, saying that "all those sanctions are illegal". "They must be totally removed including the ones on President Robert Mugabe and his wife," he said. "We are not going to be trying to justify illegality in any manner. They must be removed in total." The EU first imposed the sanctions on Mugabe and more than 200 senior members of his party including their business entities in 2002 after accusing Harare of human rights abuses, a charge that Mugabe denies. The EU has, however, removed most of the sanctions with the Western bloc resuming financial support to Harare last year. Mugabe still travels to Europe for meetings of the United Nations and its organs. The sanctions move on Mugabe comes a week after the United States which also imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe in 2003 removed two Zimbabwe state-owned banks from its sanctions list. You are here: Home Flash Leban's foreign minister stressed Wednesday that the country should differentiate the real refugees from those who moved to Lebanon for economic reasons, the National News Agency (NNA) reported. "Serious measures should be swiftly adopted in an attempt to alleviate the Lebanese burden and provide Syrians with honorable returns," Lebanese Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Gebran Bassil said. Bassil pointed that seeing the refugees back to their homeland is the best solution. "Despite our love for the Syrian people, Lebanon is suffering a serious refugee crisis," he said, referring to a plan which suggested Syrian refugees return to their country gradually. According to the United Nations Higher Commission for Refugees, Lebanon hosts more than 1.1 million Syrians who have fled their war-torn country since the protest against President Bashar Assad started. Flash Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk on Wednesday said that the country's ruling coalition needs to be reshuffled with the involvement of new political parties in a bid to avoid snap elections. In his first public remarks after surviving a no-confidence vote in the parliament Tuesday, Yatsenyuk disclosed he was in talks with various political groups, including the Radical party, about a possible partnership. "We have already started consultations with political forces, including the Radical Party, on how to reshape the government, update the coalition agreement and attract additional staff to the cabinet to continue moving in the right direction on our reform path," Yatsenyuk said at a government meeting. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Tuesday asked the country's Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk and the Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin to resign amid lack of public confidence, which triggered the no-confidence vote in the parliament later in the day. The parliament failed to pass the no-confidence motion against the government led by Prime Minister Yatsenyuk as the motion didn't get enough votes. While describing the ongoing parliamentary crisis in Ukraine as a "provocation aimed at prompting snap elections," Yatsenyuk said that the ruling coalition needs to be reformatted to reflect the changes on the country's political arena. Earlier on Wednesday, Fatherland Party of Ukraine's former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko announced its withdrawal from the ruling coalition over the alleged corruption and shadow schemes inside it. Meanwhile, another political force -- the Samopomich Party has called an emergency meeting to decide their further political fate in the coalition over an "oligarchic coup" in the country. The harsh statements from the political groups came after the Ukrainian government survived Tuesday's no-confidence vote in the parliament, which some lawmakers described as "falsified" and "based on collusion between Yatsenyuk, President Petro Poroshenko and oligarchs." The pro-Western parliamentary coalition, called "European Ukraine," was formed in November 2014 by five political groups. Apart from the Fatherland and the Samopomich parties, the coalition consisted of the Solidarity Party that backs Poroshenko, the People's Front Party of Yatsenyuk and the Radical Party of politician Oleh Lyashko. The Radical Party announced its withdrawal from the coalition in September 2015. Flash Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that his country has no plans to stop shelling Syria's Democratic Union Party (PYD), classified by Ankara as an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that is labelled as a terrorist organization. "At the moment, I have difficulty in understanding America, which still hasn't called or still cannot call the PYD and the YPG as terrorists and which says to continue supporting the YPG," Erdogan said. Washington recognizes the PKK as a terror group but not the PYD and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia. The rapid advance of U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters, who are taking advantage of Russian airstrikes in the region to seize territory near the Turkish border, has infuriated Ankara. In response, Turkey has been shelling YPG positions for days. "They tell Turkey this: Stop shelling the PYD and YPG. No offense, but we do not have such a thought. If someone fires a howitzer or bullet at Turkey, they will find a response many times over," he said. Erdogan blamed the UN for remaining aloof from what he dubbed "a crime against humanity" by Russia in Syria. "Russia has showed its [true colors] by standing next to the murderer and tyrant [Bashar] al-Assad who has caused the death of almost 500,000 people. At the moment, [Russia] is close to committing a very serious crime against humanity and a war crime with the bombs that it has been showering now. What is the United Nations saying? If it is confirmed, this is a war crime," Erdogan said. Erdogan also warned the refugee crisis, which has seen more than 1.1 million cross into Europe last year, would exacerbate if the conflict in Syria was not brought to an end. "No matter [if] the West acts in a rough, relentless way, they cannot control the refugee influx," he said, adding that "there has to be a consensus immediately on finding a resolution to the Syrian crisis." You are here: Home Flash British Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon fighter jets have been scrambled to intercept two Russian bombers allegedly heading towards British airspace, local media reported Wednesday. Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornado GR4 fighter jets prepare to land at the Akrotiri British airbase, near the Cypriot port city of Limassol, after returning from a mission over Iraq on September 27, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua] The Russian Tupolev TU 160 aircraft are in Britain's "area of interest," but have not yet entered its airspace, British Sky News quoted a Ministry of Defense (MoD) spokesman as saying. The Typhoons were sent from the RAF Coningsby base in Lincolnshire, and were escorting the Russia bombers south across the North Sea, the report said. British government said its airspace extends 12 miles from its coastline. The RAF warplanes have scrambled to intercept Russian jets several times in the past year. The report did not mention how British government defines its "area of interest" beyond its airspace. Flash Moscow has filed a lawsuit against Ukraine at London's High Court over Kiev's 3-billion-U.S.-dollar debt, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said Wednesday. The lawsuit was a last resort as Kiev was not ready to negotiate a mutually acceptable compromise, Siluanov said. "The lawsuit was filed after repeated unsuccessful attempts to encourage Ukraine to enter into a constructive dialogue on debt restructuring and to recognize the loan as official," Siluanov was quoted by Tass news agency as saying. He hoped the judicial proceedings would be "transparent and open" at the "independent, authoritative court," "without prejudice against the dispute between the two sovereign states." Siluanov said that a legal investigation into such dispute in court is a historic precedent on its own account, noting "the fact that the debtor actions caused this is only regrettable." Russia bought Ukraine's 3-billion-dollar debt in the form of Eurobonds in December 2013 to shore up its economy. Bilateral negotiations failed to make a deal before the debt repayment matured. Ukraine asked Russia to follow other international creditors and take the same conditions of a debt restructuring plan reached last August, which envisages a 20-percent write-off from Kiev's 15-billion-dollar foreign debt and a 4-year extension of the loan repayment period. Moscow rejected the proposal and suggested instead a debt-relief plan, under which Kiev could repay its arrears in three installments of 1 billion dollars each within the next three years. Flash Boutros Boutros-Ghali, veteran Egyptian diplomat and the first United Nations Secretary-General from Africa, passed away Tuesday at the age of 93. He is being praised for guiding the Organization through the tumultuous early 1990s and for helping shape the UN's response to post-Cold War realities, drafting a seminal report on preventive diplomacy, peacemaking and peacekeeping. On his first working day in office, 2 January 1992, Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali is photographed seated at his desk at UN Headquarters in New York. [UN Photo] The UN Security Council announced Mr. Boutros-Ghali's death this morning, after which the 15-member body held a moment of silence. Mr. Boutros-Ghali had a long association with international affairs as a diplomat, jurist, scholar and widely published author. He became a member of the Egyptian Parliament in 1987, and at the time of his appointment as UN chief, he had been Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs of Egypt since May 1991, and had served as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs from October 1977 until 1991. . Over four decades, Mr. Boutros-Ghali participated in numerous meetings dealing with international law, human rights, economic and social development, decolonization, the Middle East question, international humanitarian law, the rights of ethnic and other minorities, non-alignment, development in the Mediterranean region and Afro-Arab cooperation. In September 1978, Mr. Boutros-Ghali attended the Camp David Summit Conference and had a role in negotiating the Camp David accords between Egypt and Israel, which were signed in 1979. The sixth United Nations Secretary-General, his term was marked by brutal conflicts in Haiti, Somalia, Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, among others. Soon after his inauguration, the Security Council met in its first-ever summit of Heads of State. At their request, Boutros-Ghali authored the report called 'An Agenda for Peace,' an analysis on ways to strengthen UN capacity for preventive diplomacy, peacemaking and peacekeeping. Also during his tenure, he spearheaded UN structural and management reform. At UN Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hailed his predecessor as a respected statesman who brought "formidable experience and intellectual power to the task of piloting the United Nations through one of the most tumultuous and challenging periods in its history, and guiding the Organization of the Francophonie in subsequent years." "As Secretary-General, he presided over a dramatic rise in UN peacekeeping. He also presided over a time when the world increasingly turned to the United Nations for solutions to its problems, in the immediate aftermath of the cold war," Mr. Ban told reporters. "He showed courage in posing difficult questions to the Member States, and rightly insisted on the independence of his office and of the Secretariat as a whole. His commitment to the United Nations its mission and its staff was unmistakable, and the mark he has left on the Organization is indelible," Mr. Ban stressed. He extended his deepest condolences to Mrs. Boutros-Ghali, as well as to the rest of the family, to the Egyptian people, and to the late Secretary-General's many friends and admirers around the world. "The United Nations community will mourn a memorable leader who rendered invaluable services to world peace and international order," he concluded. Sincere condolences were also expressed by Oh Joon, President of the UN Economic and Social Council, who hailed Mr. Boutros-Ghali as an early backer of the concept of peace-building. The President of the UN General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft also expressed his condolences, saying the UN and the world had lost and "outstanding diplomat." The High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, expressed his "profound sadness" at Mr. Boutros-Ghali,'s passing and said he will always be remembered for his continuous endeavours to achieve world peace, and noted that Agenda of Peace' continues to be a lasting legacy. Flash India is planning to launch at least 12 space missions every year for the next five years, a top official of the state-owned space agency has reportedly said. "We have already launched 55 missions during the past five years and we are looking at 12 launches per annum in the next five years," Y.V.N. Krishna Murthy of Indian Space Research Organisation said. Murthy, who is Secretary (science) of the space agency, told the media Wednesday on the sidelines of the Make in India week celebrations in Mumbai. "We have already launched two missions this year and two more will be launched next month, and the space agency's budget will be around 1.1 billion U.S. dollars this year," he said. According to the space official, the next lunar mission, Chandrayan-II, will be launched in 2017-18 and this mission will be different from the earlier one. "Unlike Chandrayan-I which was having only Orbiter and Probe, Chandrayan-II will be having Lander and Rover too, and the Rover will move on the samples and transmit the data to Earth," he added. You are here: Home Flash Six soldiers of the Turkish security forces were killed Thursday when a bomb hit a military vehicle in southeastern Diyarbakir province, local NTV reported. The explosion, in Diyarbakir province, occurred on Diyarbakir-Lice highway near Mermer Gendermarie military outpost, said the report. The attack came one day after a car bomb killed at least 28 people and wounded 61 others in Ankara. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu blamed Kurdish militants for the Ankara bombing. The Turkish military said the attack struck military service buses stopping at a traffic light, setting at least four buses ablaze within the vicinity of the Turkish General Staff headquarters and Parliament. By Bill Bumpas Wednesday, February 17, 2016 A leader of a Christian human rights group fears that Chinas arrest of the pastor of one of the largest government-sanctioned churches will have a chilling effect on many other Chinese church leaders and believers. Chinese officials in the Zhejiang province arrested Senior Pastor Gu Joseph Yuese of Chongyi Church in late January for embezzlement. But Bob Fu, president and founder of China Aid, says the accusations are politically motivated. Its political revenge with trumped up charges against him as punishment for his public opposition against the government-forced cross removal campaign, Fu says. According to China Aid, there have been hundreds of forced cross demolitions throughout Zhejiang since early 2014. I think Yuese is courageous enough to stand up to the Chinese Communist Party and this repressive policy on this front, Fu adds. And so for that, we should applaud him. Fu tells OneNewsNow that Pastor Gu is the highest-ranking national church leader arrested since the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. Its very, very shocking, he explains, and I think it will create a ripple effect, a chilling effect to many other government-sanctioned church leaders and believers. Fu is calling on Christians in the free world to pray for this situation. China Aid Media Team Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985 Email: [email protected] For more information, click here Seven routes planned to serve western areas; completion of 4 more aircraft expected in 2016 Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China delivered its first regional aircraftdesignated the ARJ21-700to Chengdu Airlines on Sunday, after the jet took 5,258-hour testing flights over the past seven years. "The ARJ21 regional aircraft is the first step in China's civil aircraft development strategy. It's also an achievement for the Made in China 2025 strategy," said Miao Wei, minister of industry and information technology. Miao attended the delivery ceremony and was aboard the flight from Shanghai to Chengdu on Sunday. The aircraft will be put into commercial operation with passengers in three months, said Zhuang Haogang, chairman of the airline, which is based in Chengdu, Sichuan province. Seven domestic routes are planned, Zhuang said, including Chengdu to Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Xi'an, Kunming, Wuhan and Guiyang. Airports in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai are already suitable for the new aircraft and will help showcase the homegrown plane to customers, he said. "But the western region is our main destination for future commercial operations of the ARJ21-700, which is a regional jet," Zhuang said. The range of the aircraft is between 2,225 and 3,700 kilometers, which is appropriate for carrying passengers on routes between major cities to nearby smaller cities. Zhuang said Chengdu Airlines also has ambitions to serve the international market, especially Southeast Asian destinations, although it will focus first on the domestic market. The airline said it has prepared for its first five years of operations with the new planes and almost 400 staff, including flight crews, flight attendants, engineers and technicians who were in training until October. "Five of our senior captains are already certified for the ARJ21-700, and another 20 experienced captains will be trained starting in January," Zhuang said. "The carrier, which is currently operating 20 aircraft in the Airbus 320 family on over 50 domestic routes, plans to receive another four ARJ21-700s in the next year," Zhuang said. "Chengdu Airlines expects to fill its total order of 30 aircraft over five years." It will be the only customer during the coming year, although COMAC has more than 300 orders from 20 clients, including some foreign carriers. The Republic of the Congo, which ordered three ARJ21s last year, may be the first foreign carrier to start operating the aircraft. With 90 seats, the aircraft is considered an advanced regional jet. It is also the first product of COMAC, which also makes a large passenger aircraft, the C919. A worker is pictured in Shougang Jingtang United Iron & Steel Co on Aug 28, 2014. [Photo / Xinhua] China has called on the European Union to work with it to jointly address global iron and steel overcapacity instead of resorting to trade protectionism that will have a further negative impact on the global iron and steel industry, the Ministry of Commerce said on Wednesday. Speaking at a news conference, ministry spokesman Shen Danyang said in response to the EU's latest anti-dumping measures against Chinese iron and steel exporters that overcapacity in the sector is a global problem which could only be solved through dialogue and cooperation. "The Chinese government and iron and steel companies have been working to accelerate structural adjustment and keep overtly high production capacity down. The increase in the output has been taken under control. The competition mechanism has eliminated some smelters," said Shen. The iron and steel industry has become the main area where China-Europe trade friction occurs. Since 2014, the European Union has initiated 15 trade remedy investigation into Chinese exports, of which eight cases are in the iron and steel industry. On Feb 12, the EU launched investigations into whether Chinese seamless pipes, heavy plates and hot-rolled flat steel were being imported at prices below cost. It then announced provisional anti-dumping duties on cold-rolled flat steel from China and Russia. Chinese steel exports were the subject of 37 investigations worldwide in 2015, equalling the total number over the previous two years, the China Iron and Steel Association warned in January. More than 5,000 iron and steel workers held a protest outside the EU's headquarters in Brussels against imports from China, calling on it not to recognize China's market economy status. "Blaming China for the slumping iron and steel market in Europe is unfair," said Xu Liying, a researcher at Lange Steel Information Research Center. "In recent years, the EU has frequently imposed anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures against iron and steel imports from China and other exporters. These measures have produced few results in bringing down the import volume, which has shown that the problem lies not in imports but in the iron and steel industry in Europe itself. "China saw a wave of shutdowns last year in small- and medium-sized iron and steel smelters. However, it is State-owned enterprises that can really impact the total output. The central government has called on them to replace outdated capacity with advanced technologies. But it will take time for these measures to have an impact," Xu said. Suspects are led by Spanish Civil Guard officers as they leave the headquarters of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) during a raid in Madrid, Spain, February 17, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] MADRID - The Chinese Embassy in Spain on Wednesday issued a statement, expressing its concern over the reported raid of the Madrid offices of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) by Spanish law enforcers. The statement said the Chinese Government "always demands that the offices of accredited Chinese companies working abroad strictly abide by the laws, both of China and the country they were working in." The embassy said that according to the information it currently possesses, "these offices in Spain have acted according to these demands," and adds that so far it has not received any information about the operation "from any official department in Spain." The statement came after Spanish Civil Guards reportedly raided the Madrid offices of the ICBC as part of a joint operation by the Civil Guard and Spain's Anti-Corruption Attorney's Office against alleged money laundering and tax fraud. Wednesday's raid was reported to be connected with a major police operation known as Operation Snake, which, launched in May 2015, saw over 65 searches carried out in Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia and led to over 30 arrests. BEIJING - The G20 Trade Ministers Meeting will be held in Shanghai on July 9, 2016 to discuss ways to boost trade and investment cooperation, a commerce official said Wednesday. The two-day meeting will be held in advance of the G20 Hangzhou Summit, which is slated for Sept 4 and 5. China took over the G20 presidency in December last year. "Global trade plays a weakened role as an engine for economic growth as its growth loses steam. Therefore, G20 members have a strong will to strengthen trade and investment cooperation," Ministry of Commerce (MOC) spokesperson Shen Danyang said at a press conference. The G20 Trade and Investment Working Group was established this year based on a proposal from China. The meetings of trade ministers and the working group will allow G20 members to hold in-depth talks on topics including trade and investment mechanisms, global trade expansion and multilateral trading system development. Efforts will be made to let the G20 play a bigger role in global economic and trade governance, fighting trade protectionism and driving global trade back to strong growth, Shen said. SINGAPORE - Despite a slowdown in economic growth, aviation giants at the Singapore Airshow still view China as being the most promising market in the near future and beyond. Boeing and Airbus have both published their expectations for the next 20 years in the aviation industry, and see strong growth in Asia Pacific market, with China, as they have stated, clearly having the most growth potential of all the markets. According to Boeing, Chinese airlines will require about 6,330 new planes worth around $950 billion over the next two decades, which accounts for about 17 percent of the global total. Meanwhile, Airbus China said that since 2010, the number of new aircraft deliveries have remained above 100 every year, with a total of 158 aircraft delivered last year, representing about one quarter of the total number in the Asia Pacific region. Over the next 20 years, Airbus expects China to require about 5,400 new planes, comprising 40 percent of deliveries for the whole Asia Pacific region. China's annual economic growth has dropped to its lowest level since 1990 at 6.9 percent last year, and emerging markets in the region have also encountered major fluctuations in stock markets, therefore, concerns have been voiced about whether the slowdown of regional economic growth, especially the slowdown of China, would pose risks to the aviation market during the airshow. John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer of Customers of Airbus said that he expects to see double digit growth in terms of aviation traffic in the Chinese market every year, while Fabrice Bregier, Airbus President and CEO stressed the company's confidence in the still burgeoning Chinese market. "We don't see the slowdown, our competitors don't see it, our customers don't see it, we have never been so happy," he said. Despite cooling GDP growth, total consumption in China has been climbing, which contributed 66.4 percent to economic growth last year and becoming a new growth driver for the world's second largest economy, while tourism has also notably expanded. According to statistics from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, it is estimated that passengers made a total of 440 million trips in 2015, up 11.4 percent on year. International routes also registered an explosion, increasing to 660 international routes. It's the strong growth that keeps new orders flooding into the books of these aviation giants. On the second day of the Singapore Airshow, China's Okay Airways signed a contract for 12 Boeing 737 jets, making it the first Chinese airline to order the 737 MAX 9 series. Multinational conglomerate Honeywell have been present in the Chinese market for decades. Its Asia Pacific Business Development Director Paul Nef told Xinhua that China, as a huge market, still has great potential in the aviation industry. "Most major cities in China now have airports, but many of the middle-sized cities don't have as of yet. A middle-sized city can be seen as a major city in other countries, so there's plenty of potential in China." Nef has been in China since 1981, who now speaks fluent Chinese. He said that Honeywell has been cooperating with Chinese companies including the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd. as well as the Aviation Industry Corporation of China on many programs and he has also witnessed the dramatic change in the Chinese aviation industry. And with the dynamic evolution of the aviation market, Honeywell has also adjusted its focus from facilities manufacturing to air traffic management and maintenance, overhaul and repair. With the number of airlines growing, some companies are looking for international companies such as Honeywell to outsource their operations and maintenance services to. That, from Nef's point of view, would create a new growth area in the Chinese aviation market. Another area with growth potential is the low-cost carrier sector, Nef said. Low cost carriers now account for an average of 30 percent of market share in North America, Europe as well as the whole of the Asia Pacific region, yet currently only accounts for 8 percent of the market share in China. "Low cost carriers can break the traditional idea of the aviation industry and create a new model of affordable travel. Especially for short-haul flights, low cost carriers definitely fit market demand here," he said. Ambassador Yang Yanyi, Head of the Chinese Mission to the EU, delivers a speech at Huawei's Chinese New Year reception in Brussels on Feb 17, 2016. [Photo by Gao Shuang/chinadaily.com.cn] Huawei is determined to enhance its innovative capacity and deepen cooperation with its European partners for a better-connected world, its top executive said in Brussels on Wednesday. Speaking at Huawei's Chinese New Year reception, Chen Lifang, Senior Vice President of Huawei, said that the company had invested between 10 percent and 15 percent of its annual revenue in research and development every year with over 36.5 billion dollars to date. She said that through the Huawei Innovation Research Program, Huawei has established numerous partnerships with universities and research institutes across Europe. "Over the next 20 years, we will use new technologies to build a Better Connected World. This will present us with huge opportunities. We will continue to invest heavily in areas such as 4K and 2K HD video, 4G mobile technologies, and cloud services," said Chen. She said Huawei held its first European Academia Salon in London just a few days ago where participants from the information computer technology sector shared their perspectives and ideas and learned from each other. Chen believed that it was a vital platform for more open partnerships across the industry. "We will work with our global partners, especially those in Europe, to grow the industry and jointly reap the benefits of the digital economy. Digital transformation will create a huge market, and it should not be the exclusive domain of just a few companies," said Chen. She said that Huawei has extended its patent cross-licensing agreement with Ericsson, where both companies can now use each other's standard patents and technologies worldwide. Chen said Huawei has already signed similar agreements with other major patent holders and she believes such open collaboration will not only drive the industry forward but also makes access to more advanced information services much easier for consumers. Ambassador Yang Yanyi, Head of the China Mission to the European Union, said that as a global ICT leader, Huawei embraces globalization with open-mindedness and international agreement, and it works closely with its global partners and value chain players, especially these in Europe, to promote the ICT industry as well as the digital economy. "Huawei's success not only lies in the improvement and advancement of its operation, but most importantly in showcasing China's approach to development, namely innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development," said Yang. After 29 years, Huawei nowadays provides ICT products and services to operators, enterprises, and consumers in over 170 countries and regions, and serves over one-third of the world's population. Its revenue was around 60 billion US dollars in 2015. In the next few years, Huawei's revenue is expected to exceed to 100 billion US dollars. To contact the reporter: fujing@chinadaily.com.cn China COSCO Shipping Corp Ltd, now the world's largest bulk vessel and oil tanker operator by fleet size, is to deploy more resources to six new businesses, Chairman Xu Lirong said on Thursday. They will focus on logistics, industrial equipment manufacturing, financial and shipping services, investment, and operations linked to the country's "Internet Plus" development program, he said. Xu was speaking in Shanghai at the company's grand opening. The newly formed company brings together China's two biggest State-owned shipping conglomeratesChina Ocean Shipping (Group) Co and China Shipping (Group) Coto further compete against well-established global rivals. "New businesses such as multimodal transportation, warehouse network development, shipping insurance services, offshore engineering equipment manufacturing, hospital and hotel management are all included in the newly formed conglomerate's scope in the long term," Xu said. Employing 118,000 staff and managing 46 container ports and 190 berths around the world, the new entity has an annual throughput capacity of 90 million twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs. It also operates a number of shipyards and maritime engineering equipment manufacturing bases in Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shandong provinces. To enhance its earning abilities, the company will complete the reorganization for its container business by the end of March, said company officials. It also expects to restructure resources and staff at its bulk vessel and logistics companies from April. Xu said the planned six new businesses are expected to transform the group's operational model-shipping into a more diversified operation that can take full advantage of the opportunities likely to come from the Belt and Road Initiative, the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, as well as encouraging domestic companies to expand overseas. Zhang Xiwu, deputy head of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, said China COSCO Shipping will improve the country's ability to ensure its energy, economic and transportation security, as well as play a leading role in the ongoing reform of State-owned enterprises. BEIJING - China set a timetable on Wednesday to reform government car use in State-owned public institutions and enterprises to reduce fiscal expenses. State-owned public institutions must stop use of general-purpose government cars by mid-2016, while they may retain vehicles for emergency use, telecommunications and other special purposes. Heads of State-owned enterprises can choose to use government cars or receive transportation subsidies instead. The reform is expected to be implemented as soon as June. China started to reform government car use in July 2014 with an aim to cut unnecessary fiscal expenses and promote thrift. The country completed reforms among government departments by September 2015, revoking use of about 4,000 vehicles that were later sold to the public. The badge of an Aston Martin DB10 is displayed at a UK Trade and Investment event in London, Britain October 21, 2015. [Photo/Agencies] Aston Martin set up a venture with Chinese consumer electronics group LeEco to jointly develop the British luxury car brand's first electric vehicle, an example of the deepening ties between the technology and automotive industries. Companies like Alphabet and LeEco are developing automotive expertise because they want to broaden their reach beyond computers and cellphones into cars, while automakers want Internet connectivity to give drivers live traffic updates and infotainment. Aston Martin and LeEco said they plan to develop an electric car based on the British automaker's Rapide S model, before developing other potential electric vehicles, including for LeEco. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. "It brings Aston Martin's electric car project forward," Aston Martin Chief Executive Andy Palmer said at a news conference in Frankfurt, adding it would come to market in 2018, and be built in Gaydon, England. LeEco, a consumer electronics company which offers branded content via the Internet, television set top boxes and smartphones, hopes to use its captive audience and celebrity endorsements to promote cars in future. "In China we have around 300 million people who visit our website. We could advertise the Aston Martin for free. And we can use celebrities to promote our vehicle. This is the way we do business," said Lei Ding, co-founder of LeEco's auto division. He previously held senior positions at joint ventures of Volkswagen and General Motors in China, said. The electric car development platform by Aston and LeEco could also be used by Faraday Future, a start-up electric car firm backed by Chinese billionaire Jia Yueting, the companies said. "Aston can offer expertise in ride, handling refinement and those sorts of things," Palmer said. China's government is promoting electric vehicles to cut the smog that frequently envelops its cities, which officials say helped sales quadruple last year and has turned China into the world's biggest market. An electric car joint venture of Hon Hai, Tencent and China Harmony Auto Holding said this month it was hiring former BMW executive Carsten Breitfeld to lead it. Harmony Futeng, launched last March, is one of several Chinese tech companies trying to develop "smart" and electric vehicles. These include Alibaba, Baidu and Leshi Internet Information and Technology Corp Beijing, recently rebranded as LeEco. A cyclist rides past a signboard of Alibaba Group in Hangzhou city, East China's Zhejiang province, June 25, 2014. [Photo/IC] China's top economic planner inked an agreement with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd on Wednesday to develop rural e-commerce, as part of its broad plan to alleviate rural poverty and boost employment as the country's economy slows down. Under the agreement, the National Development and Reform Commission and Alibaba will make joint efforts to help 300 counties to develop rural e-commerce in the next three years. The top economic regulator will help boost cooperation between local governments and Alibaba on a wide range of projects such as building rural logistics infrastructure and training local talents. Wang Xiaotao, deputy head of the NDRC, said: "The Internet is perhaps the best tool to help remote rural residents increase their income and the initiative is likely to help counties across China find new growth models." Earlier, the commission, with other nine ministry-level departments, announced that they would offer policy support to 300 counties in the next three years to encourage migrant workers, college graduates and discharged soldiers to return to their rural hometowns and start businesses. Sun Lijun, vice-president of Alibaba, said to coincide with the plan, the e-commerce giant will build about 300 county-level service stations and 30,000 village-level ones in these counties to help cultivate local talents and generate more jobs. The partnership came after Alibaba said in 2014 that it would spend at least 10 billion yuan ($1.53 billion) on expanding its presence in rural China. Wang Xiaoxing, an analyst at Beijing-based Internet consultancy Analysys International, said rural e-commerce in China is still in infancy but is expanding rapidly as urban dwellers have a growing demand for fresh agricultural products and more rural residents are embracing e-commerce. For instance, during this year's Ali Spring Festival shopping event, which was held by Alibaba in January, farmers in Luochuan, a county in northwestern China, sold about 90,000 kilograms of apples online within five days. But Wang warned that many obstacles need to be overcome before rural e-commerce can thrive. "The rural market is definitely the next big thing in China's e-commerce sector, but the boom may not come as quickly as expected given that it will take years to address the shortage of talent and the logistical challenge in vast rural areas." Ma Qijian, an Internet researcher at Peking University, said the partnership between Alibaba and the government is also aimed at tackling rising employment pressures by encouraging rural entrepreneurship. In 2016, a record 7.7 million students are expected to graduate from college, which is set to add pressure to employment. "But starting a business entails risks. The failure rate may be higher in rural areas than in cities," Ma said. A smartphone app for Lyft drivers is seen during a photo opportunity in San Francisco, California February 3, 2016.[Photo/Agencies] Lyft Inc, the online ride-hailing and sharing service provider, is looking to leverage its alliance with China's largest player in the fast-expanding sector, in an effort to become a dominant force in the United States within two years. John Zimmer, president and co-founder of the San Francisco-based company, said in Beijing on Wednesday that Lyft is aggressively gaining market share from Uber Technologies Inc, the US' biggest ride-hailing operator. "We aim to gain a majority share of the US market in the near term," he said in an interview held at the office building of China's Didi Kuaidi, which invested $100 million in Lyft in September. According to Lyft's latest statistics, it now completes 7 million rides per month in more than 190 cities in the US. Zimmer said he expects the company's collaboration with Didi Kuaidi to give a strong boost to domestic US push. Didi Kuaidi, India's Ola, Southeast Asia's GrabTaxi and Lyft entered a four-way partnership in December, which involves collaboration on a new feature on their existing taxi-booking apps to give their users access to each others' cabs in their respective markets. "The service is expected to roll out in another two to three months," Zimmer said. "Didi Kuaidi's users in China can hail cars from Lyft when they visit the US by using the same app they use in China and Lyft's users can hail cars from Didi Kuaidi when visiting China. We want to offer customers a seamless experience." Since Lyft teamed up with Didi Kuaidi, Zimmer has visited Beijing several times to share information on the latest developments at his company with Didi Kuaidi, and the new tactics Lyft's competitors have been adopting. Zimmer, who co-founded the company in 2012, said the collaboration has great potential, as millions of people travel between China and the US every year, "and the numbers are rising at an annual rate of 20 percent". Despite opportunities arising all over the world for car-hailing services, Zimmer said Lyft wants to primarily focus on its home market in the near future. Some industry observers doubt Lyft's future in the US, however, in that it remains a distant No 2 behind Uber. But Zimmer said Lyft is on a better track for development, given it was born three years later than its main rival. "We have raised more money and had a bigger valuation than Uber when it was three years old," he said. A shopper picks up her online order at an AliExpress station in Moscow. A growing number of Russians now use Chinese e-commerce sites for affordable products from China.[Photo/Xinhua] Chinese online shoppers, who spent an estimated 4 trillion yuan ($608.8 billion) in 2015, are not the only demographic smitten by China's e-commerce sector. Logistics companies in the world's second-biggest economy say there are more bargain hunters from Russia flocking to China's online shopping sites to take advantage of the vast selection of low-cost Chinese goods. Express to Russian, a privately owned courier in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province that caters to Russian online shoppers, said its average monthly revenue has surged more than tenfold since it launched in October 2014. Cui Yong, Express to Russian's general manager, said more Russian consumers are shopping online for their daily needs. "China's textile products, consumer electronics and handcrafted products are immensely popular among Russian consumers. Growth in cross-border e-commerce has helped more made-in-China products reach potential buyers in Russia," Cui said. Cross-border shopping is the fastest-growing sector in Russia's e-commerce market. In 2014, its online shoppers placed 47 million orders at international online stores and received 75 million parcels from abroad, almost three times the number of packages received in 2013, according to Data Insight, a Moscow-based research and consultancy firm. Over the course of 2014, the number of Russian orders for Chinese goods rose from 45 percent to 72 percent of all goods bought online from overseas. According to Russian Post, the national postal operator, Russians made about 80 million online purchases from platforms outside Russia in 2014, about 80 percent of which came from China. Cui, 47, said the company's average monthly revenue grew from about 100,000 yuan in 2014 to about 1 million yuan since the second half of 2015 because of the rising popularity of cross-border shopping in Russia. Launched in 2010, e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd's AliExpress allows shoppers around the world to buy goods at whole sale prices. According to Alibaba, "hundreds of thousands" of packages are sent from China to Russia on a daily basis. JD.com Inc launched a Russian-language site in June 2015 to tap Russia's cross-border e-commerce market. But Cui said the task of delivering Chinese goods to Russia, a vast but sparsely populated country, has been a challenge. Cui said the company partners with post offices and couriers in Russia rather than investing in its own delivery team and warehouses. "Having a facility in the Suifenhe Comprehensive Bonded Area in Heilongjiang, which shares a border of more than 3,000 kilometers with Russia, is ideal to carry out cross-border shipping. Goods that Russian shoppers purchase online in China are first sent to warehouses in Suifenhe and then delivered to cities across Russia," Cui said. Cui added that out of his company's 40 employees, eight are based in Russia. The company has partnered with 200 post offices and couriers in 80 cities across Russia. "With the rapid growth of cross-border online shopping in China, I plan to cooperate with more Russian couriers in 2016, offering a better user experience," he said. With the rising demand in Russia for made-in-China products, Express to Russian said goods from China are clearing customs in less time. "Now it takes about 10 days to deliver goods from China to the doorsteps of Russian online shoppers. The improvement in logistics is boosting Russian's demands for Chinese products," he said. After a number of reports regarding the supposed launch date of Apple Pay in China, the mobile payment service provided by the US tech giant with China UnionPay has officially become available in the country at 5 am on Thursday. China has become the fifth country in which Apple has deployed its payment system, after the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia. Instead of scanning a bar code, which is required by existing mobile payment services provided by Alipay and WeChat, Apple Pay users will utilize what is called near-field communication technology, or NFC, to allow contactless data exchange between iPhone, Apple Watch and point of sale terminals. The transaction will be completed when users hold their devices near a POS portal with UnionPays built-in QuickPass feature. Some of the retail merchants and fast-food restaurants have enabled the payment service, including Burger King, Pacific Coffee, Lane Crawford, Seven Eleven, KFC Beijing and Carrefour. Meanwhile, domestic group-buying sites, such as Meituan, Dianping and taxi-hailing apps, including Yidao Taxi, CAR Inc are also available for in-app purchases enabled by Apple Pay. An employee uses an Apple iPhone to demonstrate to reporters how to pay using the Apple Pay service at an Apple store in Beijing, China, February 17, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] Despite the seemingly good start, industry observers said it would not be an easy ride for Apple Pay to develop in China's already crowded mobile payment market. Apple and Chinese bankcard association UnionPay launched the contactless payment system Apple Pay on Thursday. Users of the iPhone 6 or more advanced versions, certain iPads and Apple Watches will be able to use these devices, equipped with near field communication technology, to buy items in stores in China, Apple's second largest market. Apple has pinned a lot of hope on China, which is the fifth market in the world to get the service. "We think China could be our largest Apple Pay market," Jennifer Bailey, vice-president of Apple Pay, said in a recent interview with Reuters. "Apple Pay is the new baby on the playground," said Sandy Shen, an analyst at IT research company Gartner Inc. "But the question is, when the curiosity fades, how can it secure a large number of active users?" "I don't think the great efficiency in payment alone can help get more users in the long run. After all, both Alibaba and Tencent's offerings are more than payment. You can also communicate with friends and buy wealth management products," among other things, she said. Chinese Internet titans Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings combined have more than 90 percent of the share. Gao Peng, an Apple Watch user, said it took him nearly an hour to add a bank card in order to use the service. "The process is not complicated. I think it was probably time-consuming because so many people were trying to do it at the same time," he said. Many Apple users in China said they have experienced some trouble when adding the card in the Wallet app. Apple was not available for comment when reached by China Daily on Thursday. According to Apple's website, as many as 12 Chinese banks already support Apple Pay. Millions of brick-and-mortar stores, including chains like KFC and McDonald's, and many applications also support the service. Xinhua contributed to this story. mengjing@chinadaily.com.cn Apple Inc launched its mobile payment service Apple Pay in the Chinese mainland on Feb 18, 2016.[Photo/Xinhua] Fast-food retailers McDonald's Corp and KFC are among the first group of merchants in the Chinese mainland to use Apple Pay, the smartphone-based payment system launched in the country, on Thursday. McDonald's adopted the payment system at its 1,700 restaurants across the country. "McDonald's is offering customers a digital and personalized dining experiencing," said Guan Xucong, chief marketing officer of McDonald's China operation. "We believe the fast and secure mobile payment brought by Apple Pay will further lift up our customers' digital experience at our restaurants." Fast-food giant KFC, a unit of Yum Brands Inc, will also use Apple Pay at its 258 stores in Beijing from Thursday. It has already integrated other digital platforms, including WeChat Wallet (an app developed by Tencent Holdings Ltd), and has created self-order service apps. According to Kantar Worldpanel, a company that provides information on consumer behavior, Apple Inc "regained its title of most-sold smartphone brand" in China. Jason Yu, general manager of Kantar Worldpanel China, said most Apple users in the country are well educated and have a high monthly income. "Apple Pay will undoubtedly bring more convenience at checkout counters and will improve shopping experiences, especially in supermarkets at peak times," Yu said. Apple Pay is arriving late to China's electronic payments market, which is dominated by Alipay, which is owned by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, and WeChat Wallet, owned by Tencent. The director of the science and technology department of China Petroleum University (left) promotes their newest scientific research achievements. [Photo/epaper.kelamayi.com.cn] New policy introduced to encourage more purchases by small and micro-businesses The central government is to further relax regulations covering the transfer of scientific and technological research achievements from national research institutions to enterprises. The decision was announced on Wednesday in a statement issued after a State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Li Keqiang. Measures will be introduced to encourage such transfers. First, national research institutes and universities will have the right to sell their research findings to enterprises without national-level approval. The policy is aimed at encouraging more scientific research achievements to be sold to small and micro-businesses. It calls for special organizations to be set up to supervise these sales. Second, all profits earned through the sales will go to research producers. Third, at least 50 percent of such sales will go to researchers, who will eventually be allowed to work with the enterprises that buy their research findings for a maximum of three years. They will retain their positions on research bodies to help the enterprises to better implement research achievements. The measures are also aimed at accelerating the process of turning scientific and technological achievements into productivity to advance China's innovation-driven strategy and supply-side structural reform. Bi Yalei, head of the Department of Development at the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was delighted to hear about the new decision, describing it as a long-awaited relaxation. He said that for many years financial approval procedures had been a headache when the institute had tried to sell research findings to enterprises because both sides had to wait a long time to obtain government-level approval. "The approval procedure used to take a very long time, and this delayed the process of turning such research findings into new productivity." Bi also said that such measures will greatly encourage scientific researchers in their work. Gao Xudong, deputy director of the Research Center for Technological Innovation at Tsinghua University in Beijing, praised the move to allow researchers to work with enterprises for three years. "Some enterprises who bought scientific research findings could not fully use them due to a lack of understanding of the findings," he said. This file photo with Boutros Boutros-Ghali's signiture was taken on March 26, 1996 at Beijing's Zhongnanhai during his visit to China. [Photo by Xu Jingxin/China Daily] China said on Wednesday its government and people would remember the contribution made by Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the former United Nations secretary-general whose death was announced a day earlier. Boutros-Ghali, 93, served as UN secretary-general from January 1992 to December 1996 and was the first UN chief from Africa. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Boutros-Ghali had made an "indelible contribution" to resolving conflicts, improving human well-being and strengthening the UN's role. He was also "an old friend of the Chinese people" devoted to developing Sino-Egyptian relations and strengthening cooperation between China and the UN. Veteran Chinese diplomat Hua Liming said Boutros-Ghali had advanced relations between his country and China while serving as Egyptian foreign minister. He also took a stance similar to China's on key UN issues after becoming the organization's chief. On taking charge at the UN, Boutros-Ghali had insisted that international peacekeeping operations should be authorized by the organization instead of being determined by a superpower, a view supported by China, Hua said. In 2006, on the 50th anniversary of ties between the two countries, Boutros-Ghali was among those who received awards from then-Chinese premier Wen Jiabao for their contributions to Sino-Egyptian relations. Yang Fuchang, who served as China's ambassador to Egypt from 1994 to 1998, said the Egyptian had left him with the impression of being "very knowledgeable" and "very steady and calm". Boutros-Ghali was awarded an honorary doctoral degree by Nanjing University in 2002. Huang Chengfeng, the former director of the university's foreign affairs office who accompanied Boutros-Ghali during his visit to the university in May 2002, said he was very friendly to people around him. "He made no specific demands for accommodation and food," she said. "He took the initiative to talk to the Chinese staff members, asking about their lives and living conditions. I still carefully keep the brooch that Mrs Boutros-Ghali gave tome." Contact the writer atwangqingyun@chinadaily.com.cn A large-scale model of the FC-20, the export version of the J-10 fighter jet, on display at the Singapore Airshow 2016 on Tuesday. The airshow runs through Feb 21.[Photo by Deng Zhiwei/Xinhua] China appears to have given the green light for its domestically-developed J-10 fighter jet to be exported as the country looks to attract buyers at an overseas air show. A large-scale model of the FC-20, the export version of the J-10, is on display at the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp booth at the six-day Singapore Airshow 2016, which kicked off on Tuesday. It is an unspoken rule in China's defense sector that weapons solely designed for the People's Liberation Army are never displayed at foreign exhibitions, so the model's appearance in Singapore carries a clear indication: that China now wants to promote the warplane to the international market. The J-10 is a third-generation, multirole combat aircraft designed and produced by Aviation Industry Corp of China. It features a canard delta wing design, a fly-by-wire flight control system and is regarded by military experts as one of the best fighter jets in the world. First entering service as the J-10A with the PLA Air Force in 2004, the plane was declassified in 2009 and by February 2014, the PLA Air Force and PLA Navy's aviation units had at least 260 of the jets in operation, British think tank the International Institute for Strategic Studies has estimated. The country has also developed at least two upgraded versions of the aircraftthe J-10B, which has started to be delivered to the PLA Air Force, and the J-10C that is still in the testing stage, Chinese media reported. Speculation has been rife in recent years among Chinese military observers and their foreign counterparts about when the J-10's export would be approved. Potential buyers named by foreign media include Pakistan, Iran and Argentina, but none have been reported to be in substantial negotiations with China so far. Ma Zhiping, former general manager of China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp, said in September 2013 that several foreign countries from Asia, Africa and South America had "expressed interest" in the J-10, with his company expecting a huge market for the plane. Wang Ya'nan, deputy editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine and an expert in aviation, said selling fighter aircraft was never an easy task as such arms sales were often influenced by a host of geopolitical factors. "Land arms such as tanks or even short-range surface-to-surface missiles have limited impact on geopolitics, but fighter jets can perform strikes far away from their home country and thus are considered to have stronger prowess," he said. "In addition, a contract for fighter jets usually means a large amount of profit because their life span is very long, so the value behind the aircraft and the after-sale services involved would be very high. Therefore, every major player in the aviation industry will spare no effort to scramble for the contract." A weakness in China's efforts to sell its fighter jets is the fact that they are unproven in combat, according to Wang. "Fortunately, the PLA Air Force has many air combat drills each year, which can enable foreign clients to know the capabilities of Chinese aircraft," Chinese Premier Li Keqiang speaks at the Central Urban Work Conference in Beijing, Dec 22, 2015.[Photo/Xinhua] Document shows determination to improve governance, says professor The State Council, China's Cabinet, has called for more transparent governance by 2020 by making more government information public. In a document issued on Wednesday, governments at all levels were asked to keep the public informed in five main aspects: policymaking policy implementation, managerial affairs, public services and government decisions. "The document is a new national guideline for the disclosure of government affairs," said Yang Weidong, a law professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance. Yang said the fourth plenary session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee in October 2014 set the tone for the publication of information and listed what should be made public. Underscoring that openness and transparency are the basic elements for good governance, the document called for regular information disclosure of government affairs, aiming to build a government featuring the rule of law, innovation, integrity and service orientation. The document specified when governments should make information public and when to keep it confidential. Government websites are important platforms to demonstrate administrative capacities and give the public access to official information, according to the document. Thus it's critical to push forward the cooperation of the Internet and governmental services, making websites better serve the public, it said. Interest groups, members of the public, experts and the media should be invited to attend government policymaking meetings as nonvoting delegates, according to the guideline. With the participation of people from different walks of life, and especially with the involvement of the media, the decision-making procedures are expected to be more transparent and better serve the interests of the public, Yang said. The document requires making public three lists: government powers, government responsibilities and the negative list, which identifies sectors and businesses that are off-limits to foreign investment. Meng Qingguo, a professor of governance at Tsinghua University, said the three lists reflect the central government's determination to improve governance by specifying government authority and obligations. "It is a great step forward to building a transparent and clean government and in promoting the rule of law," he said. When it comes to Lunar New Year, relations between China and the US couldn't be better. Each year, the traditional Chinese celebration moves further into the US mainstream's consciousness. White House ceremony? Check (the second one took place on Tuesday). Empire State Building illuminated in red and yellow? Check (since 2000, actually). And this year, Lunar New Year took Capitol Hill. The First Annual Congressional Lunar New Year Celebration and Reception took place at the US Capitol Building in Washington on Feb 10. "I think it is important to recognize that we have it celebrated in one of these Congress buildings, because it is a powerful statement that the US respects and honors the Lunar New Year," said Ted Lieu, a US congressman from California. For the first time in New York City, public school children had the day off for Lunar New Year on Feb 8. A new US Postal Service stamp in commemoration of the Year of the Monkey, this year's zodiac sign under the traditional Chinese calendar, also made its debut on Feb 5. The stamp was designed by Kam Mak, 54, an illustrator born in Hong Kong who grew up in New York. The stamp features two red-orange peonies symbolizing honor and wealth, which are used to decorate the drums played during lion dances; the paper-cut design of a monkey by the late artist Clarence Lee, and the Chinese character for monkey, presented in calligraphy by Lau Bun. "As the most important holiday of the year for many Asian communities around the world, Lunar New Year is celebrated with distinct traditions including giving flowers, potted plants and bouquets as gifts," the USPS website says. "The red peony featured on this year's stamp symbolizes richness and honor, making it a favorite Lunar New Year gift and decoration." Lunar New Year has its share of commercial pitches, too. In recent weeks, Tsingtao, China's most recognizable beer brand (at least in the US), ran a brilliantly lit display on one of Times Square's towering video marquees. An explosion of colors greeted those walking down West 43rd Street toward the square. Macy's stores in New York and California ran special promotions. Disneyland and Universal Studios in California also honored Spring Festival. In San Francisco, a city which has a large Chinese-American population, police officers have had a lion dance troupe for 28 years. The city's Chinese New Year Festival & Parade, billed as the largest in the world, goes back to the 1860s. The 2016 parade, sponsored by Southwest Airlines, will take place on Feb 20. "To me, the Chinese New Year is almost like Christmas, Thanksgiving and Mardi Gras all rolled into one," Parade Director Harlan Wong told CCTV America. "We pass out lucky money, red envelopes to anybody who is unmarried. And then, like Thanksgiving, we have huge family gatherings. And like Mardi Gras, we celebrate with the biggest Chinese New Year parade in the US." Perhaps someday the growing camaraderie between China and the US over Lunar New Year could spill into the political arena. Top official's visit and prime spot on New Year TV gala cements popularity and story of historic walkway Visitors flock to Liuchi Lane in Tongcheng city, Anhui province, to admire the historic site. Photos by Zhu Lixin / China Daily In East China's Anhui province there is a 2-meter-wide lane that separates a pair of gray walls. At first glance it may seem insignificant, but to those who know its history, Liuchi Lane in Tongcheng symbolizes much more than its initial appearance would suggest. During the weeklong Spring Festival, the lane was filled with thousands of visitors each day - drawn to the 100-meter-long lane by the story behind its creation, and the lessons that can be learned from it. The name derives from the Mandarin word for six and "chi", a traditional Chinese unit of length that corresponds to one-third of a meter. It was so named because of its width, and in the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) it served as the boundary between the households of two eminent families. To the south was the Zhang family and to the north the Wus. Both had male members in high positions within Emperor Kangxi's (1654-1722) court, or in other regions around the country, but the two families quarreled. The source of their dispute was the boundary between their two properties, and which family had the right to build a wall on the dividing line. After trying, and failing, to appeal to a regional official for mediation, the Zhangs wrote to Zhang Ying, their most prominent family member and a trusted top official in the emperor's court. His response, which is still celebrated to this day in the form of a poem, did not provide the support that his family had hoped for. Instead, he called for his kinfolk to step back 1 meter from the boundary - a suggestion that so moved the warring parties, the story goes, that both did exactly that and the lane was born. This legend gained national exposure following a visit by Wang Qishan, China's top graft-buster and head of the ruling Party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, on Nov 15, 2014. Sanya, one of the most famous holiday paradises in South China's Hainan province, is poised to evolve into a hub for the remote sensing industry. "In the past, remote sensing technologies were applied mainly in monitoring resources, environmental changes and natural disasters. Now, it is time to commercialize remote sensing information to serve more people," said Guo Huadong, a remote sensing expert and a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "Remote sensing, as an important aspect of information technology, should offer services to the general public," Guo said. The academy's Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth has agreed to construct a remote-sensing industrial park in Sanya in cooperation with the Hainan provincial government. If everything goes smoothly, construction will start in March. Remote sensing - the use of airborne and spaceborne technologies to detect objects on the land, in the atmosphere or in the oceans - can be put to many uses. "We can expand the use of remote sensing to the mobile Internet, say, mobile mapping with remote sensing information. But all of this requires the participation of the business sector," said Liu Yongwei, director of the Sanya Institute of Remote Sensing. When complete, the 20-hectare industrial park will provide space for 30 remote sensing companies. "A number of companies affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences have shown interest in coming here," Liu said. "If each company generates 100 million yuan ($15.2 million) in production value every year, the output of the whole industry park will be close to 10 percent of Sanya's GDP." One of the advantages of the remote sensing industrial park is the broad coverage of satellite signals it could receive as part of a nationwide ground station network. Since the 1980s, the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth has built three satellite ground stations - in Beijing, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Sanya - which coordinate with each other to oversee 70 percent of the land and sea area in Asia. In 2017, a ground station under construction in the Arctic is also expected to be completed, which will be linked to the network. "We have to ensure that we get ahold of enough space information to the furthest extent of our national interests," said Guo. All the information is shared for professional and general use. "The Chinese Academy of Sciences has produced more than 80 percent of the satellite sensors in China. In the future, I also hope the Sanya industrial park will become a production base for commercial satellites," he said. Mauken holds a temporary court at a villager's home in July, 2015. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] On the first day of the Lunar New Year of the Monkey, Mauken Habdel viewed the files of legal cases at his desk in the office of the Qiakuertu village committee in Fuyun county, Altay prefecture, in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. As an upper-level cadre dispatched to this remote and underdeveloped village, he was on duty during the Spring Festival holiday. Unlike other regions of China, populated by lively Han people celebrating the festival, the village, with more than 98 percent of residents being ethnic Kazakhs who have their own culture, was very quiet. Mauken, 30, also a Kazakh, works as a judge in Fuyun County People's Court. In March, 2014, he moved to Qiakuertu village to help deal with legal affairs, among others for residence, in Qiakuertu town, Dure township and Kalabulegen township. "Villagers are willing to seek help from us in almost every aspect of their life," said Mauken. There are other three cadres who work and live in the village forming a grass-roots level working group helping local people improve their livelihood. "For those problems we can solve, we will do it as soon as possible, while for those we can't, we will report them to higher level governmental organs. At least, we can give them an answer," he said. He once helped a sick villager demand payment from a debtor. In Sept, 2014, Mauken judged a debt case which decided the defendant should pay back money to the plaintiff. However, the defendant delayed payment, while the plaintiff waited for the money to treat his illness. Mauken went to the defendant's home and told him about legal liabilities he may take on, including paying an extra 890 yuan ($136) in deferred payment interest, if he did not fulfill his obligations. The defendant then realized the serious outcome of a default. The plaintiff got his money the same day and was sent to hospital in Urumqi, the regional capital, the following day. "Where people need me is where I will go and set up a court", said Mauken. Some residents, especially herdsmen and farmers, work during the daytime and return home in the evening. "For their convenience, sometimes, a temporary court will be set up at their homes in the evening, on weekends or on holidays", he said. Apart from solving legal disputes, Mauken also promotes legal knowledge among local people after realizing they lack legal awareness. Patients wait in line for the registration windows to open at the Beijing Stomatological Hospital on Wednesday. The windows open at 7 am to sell tickets for treatment, and it is a common practice for people to use stools or other objects to reserve a place in the line. Photo by Zou Hong / China Daily Hospitals are increasing measures to crack down on ticket scalpers who re-appeared on the first workday after the Spring Festival holiday on Feb 14, Beijing Daily reported on Thursday. Public complaints have attracted the attention of hospitals and authorities about scalpers who buy all appointment tickets months in advance and re-sell them for much more than they paid, reaping huge profits. Widespread public outcry has been raised after an online video went viral where a female patient rebuked ticket scalpers. The woman said she had been waiting for an outpatient appointment for two days, and still could not get a ticket. A scalper offered her an appointment for 4,500 yuan ($684) for a booking originally priced at 300 yuan. Beijing has arrested dozens of scalpers and pledges to investigate the case. Some hospitals in Beijing which are known for specialties in particular medical fields have seen the situation improve recently. Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital has set up a section for security guards in the lobby who can monitor possible scalpers and throw them out. One of the guards said: "We have stricter checks on suspicious scalpers, those acting as patients but actually trying to talk to real patients to sell appointment tickets to them. We will stop and ask them to leave." Some hospitals also put up big signs with phone numbers for patients to report possible violations. The appointment system has been upgraded to prevent scalpers from taking advantage. Protesters who turned Hong Kong into a battleground on Feb 9 were determined to cause mayhem with flammable liquids and by blocking firefighters, David Lai Man-hin, the city's director of fire services, said on Thursday. Twenty-two reports of fire were received that night and responses to all alarms were delayed by five to 60 minutes because of the protesters, who were throwing bricks and bottles, according to Fire Service Department statistics. Some protesters even used flammable liquids, making it harder to control the situation, Lai said. A liquefied petroleum gas taxi was also set on fire, putting people in the vicinity in great danger if the situation had not been controlled by firefighters, Lai said. Lai vowed to review the emergency management mechanism and consider equipping front-line firefighters with more portable tools. The rioters' behavior triggered concerns about escalating violence and radicalization in the city. Local political analyst Song Sio-chong said the riot was predictable to some extent after the 79-day illegal "Occupy" movement in 2014. He thought the punishment of those organizers and active demonstrators was not heavy enough, as the majority were only sentenced to imprisonment for several days, which failed to deter them. They are waiting for every chance to release their anger at society, Song said. According to Hong Kong police statistics, 70 percent of the 42 protesters who were arrested and charged after the Mong Kok riot were younger than 30. Explaining the reason behind the violence and radicalization, Song suggested the city's youth, who are facing a narrower social ladder than their parents' generation, could not cope with the current situation and refuse to put in effort to change it, instead putting the blame on society. Meanwhile, in this Internet era, people are more likely to get confined in their own social networks, which narrows their sources of information, Song said. Thus many become deeply-influenced by radical ideology delivered by some local media, publications, films and online videos, Song said. His opinion was echoed by Legislative Council member Priscilla Leung Mei-fun. At a Legislative Council meeting on Thursday, she cited a local publication that compared the riot with "a sacrifice for the future", stressing that such kind of incitement is a great threat to the city's law and order. Local education expert Li Hui also pointed out the failure in the city's education reform back in 2000, in which the authority removed a Chinese history course from the compulsory list and introduced a Liberal Studies course without comprehensive social and historic background. This resulted in young people's ungrounded criticism of society. Li urged the authority to review its education policy. Traffic police are among those who suffer most on smoggy days.[Photo by Wei Xiaohao / China Daily] China plans to expand air quality forecasting services to cover more cities after the opening of a national website at the start of the year. The expansion looks set to open up a promising market for technology companies. Luo Yi, head of the Environment Monitoring Bureau under the Ministry of Environmental Protection, said services had been launched nationwide to bring air quality forecasts to the public. The forecasts have been carried on the new website since Jan 1. "We set up the national network for air quality forecasting in major regions, provinces and cities," Luo said, adding that provincial environmental authorities can now make air quality forecasts and upload them to the website for public access. Residents from provinces, regions and cities, including the three major clustersBeijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta-can access accurate forecasts for the next five days, and learn about possible effects on health. The ministry plans to expand the forecasting network by encouraging more cities to develop the services. The new network currently covers 32 cities, according to the ministry. Technology companies involved with air pollution forecasting have welcomed the ministry's expansion plans. Many provinces and cities such as Shanghai have set up the forecasting services through cooperation with technology companies. Zhang Weifeng, manager of Shanghai Readearth Information Technology, which helped environmental authorities in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, and other cities to set up the forecasting service platform, said, "The market will expand quickly as part of the boom in environmental protection industries." He said more cities had sought technological support from companies since last year when the national network was completed. According to a research report from Guotai Jun'an Securities in October, it is estimated that the scale of the market just for software development services will reach 5.8 billion yuan ($890 million). Gong Hao, manager in charge of environmental services at Beijing SDL Technology, which has cooperated with many cities and provinces, said, "The air quality forecast market is promising, but may not reach this huge amount." He said the largest bill so far had been for a forecasting project in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, which cost about 100 million yuan. Zhang added that now is a good time for China's environmental technological companies. China urged Australia on Wednesday to be cautious over defense cooperation with Japan and to take the feelings of Asian countries into account when considering the purchase of Japanese submarines. Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks during a joint media briefing with visiting Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in Beijing. "We hope that in military cooperation with Japan, Australia will take into full account the historical context and also take into consideration the feelings of Asian countries because of that history," Wang said. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang poses for a group photo with ASEAN members' leaders when the Joint Statement on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Negotiations was released in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Nov. 22, 2015. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] The first ever US-ASEAN Summit hosted by the United States, which US President Barack Obama called "landmark", did not bear the fruit some had coveted. The final joint statement did incorporate categorical calls for "peaceful resolution of disputes", "full respect for legal and diplomatic processes", and "freedom of navigation and overflight". But refrained from the kind of name-calling some in the gathering had desperately wanted. Their fantasy of issuing a Washington-endorsed warning to Beijing turned out to be a mirage. What actually happened at Rancho Mirage the past two days was in no way beyond anticipation. It was precisely what the participating parties should and have accomplished. The US, particularly since Obama shifted the limelight to the "Pacific" aspect of its identity, has very high stakes in Southeast Asia. Obama sees very clearly that, in order to perpetuate its global dominance, his country can't afford to miss the fast train of growth on the other side of the Pacific. There is no blame attached to Washington wanting to enlarge its presence in the Asia-Pacific economic landscape. ASEAN, on the other hand, can benefit from US advantages in technologies, funds and management expertise. It should have been clear to all that taking sides between Beijing and Washington is a non-option for most ASEAN members. It is thus more than natural for the two sides to establish a Strategic Partnership. Their trade and development partnerships are not only mutually beneficial, they are ultimately conducive to economic vibrancy in the entire region. That is why Beijing has responded positively to Washington's engagement with the ASEAN. That is the kind of win-win scenarios Beijing wants to share with Washington, and any other interested parties. Rancho Mirage was obviously not a suitable venue for talks about an absent third party, because, for one thing, the South China Sea issue is not an ASEAN priority. No matter how anxious Washington and Manila are to make a case, only a minority of ASEAN members are claimants in the disputes. Not to mention that, their claims diverge, overlap, and contradict. Not to mention that, Washington is actually not a disputing party, and freedom of navigation and overflight have never been an issue in the South China Sea. Considering its unrivalled influence in the region's security affairs, the US can be a big contributor to achieving peaceful resolutions to the disputes, if it chooses to act as a mediator. A detention center in Yuncheng city, Shanxi province, Feb 18, 2015. [Photo/IC] In December, a detainee at a local detention center in Gan'gu county, Northwest China's Gansu province, was reportedly beaten to death by other detainees because he didn't wipe his nose. The local People's Procuratorate later said the guards at the detention center were guilty of a serious dereliction of duty as the detainee was under their protection. The Beijing News says: It is both absurd and lamentable that the Gansu detainee lost his life just because he did not wipe his nose, in a place where justice is done and the law is enforced. His death is more than an in-prison scandal or a "serious dereliction of duty", as it involves the failure to safeguard his right to life even in detention. In the aforementioned case, policemen on duty are suspected of "illegally employing some detainees to manage others", which is a policy of appeasement that allows bullies to get whenever they want. That there are prison bullies with a little power, who manage to rule their little communities and harm those who disobey them, has a lot to do with them being the tools of some prison guards. This is no doubt judicial wrong-doing, not the so-called practice of letting prisoners govern their communities. Maintaining order in prison is the responsibility of the police authorities, which should not be outsourced to prisoners, as stated in the country's regulations on policing. If the detainee's death proves to be related to power outsourcing, all the police officials concerned should be held criminally accountable according to relevant laws. There is good news, though, as the local authorities reacted to the scandal faster than expected, and the police officers suspected of wrongdoing are already being investigated. But that is not all. More efficient security management in detention centers and prisons, as well as stricter supervision of the prison system, are still needed to prevent similar tragedies from happening again. A traditional Chinese medicine physician takes a patient's pulse at a clinic in Beijing, Oct 16, 2014. TCM diagnosis aims to trace symptoms to patterns of an underlying disharmony, by measuring the pulse, inspecting the tongue, skin, and eyes, and looking at the eating and sleeping habits of the person as well as many other things.[Photo/IC] Anhui province in East China is proposing to introduce a special regulation that employers should give one or two days paid leave to female workers suffering abnormally heavy menstrual bleeding or severe period cramps if they have a prescription from the doctor. Beijing Times said: The regulation, no matter if it can efficiently be carried out, demonstrates the local government's concern for the overall well-being of women. But it is worth further discussion if it is necessary to specify the leave is for menstruation in the legislation. First of all, as a doctor's prescription is required as proof of inability to work, it can be taken as sick leave, which is normally permitted by most employers. Second, based on the current labor system, the majority of businesses only provide workers the basic wage when they are off sick. With absence for illness, employees usually see their allowances and bonuses affected, so the benefits of female workers are likely to be reduced if they take menstrual leave. Therefore, the legislation as it stands probably won't have much practical significance. To show special care for women, the regulation should specify they are entitled to menstruation leave in addition to their existing sick leave entitlement. However, if forced to pay women taking a couple of days paid leave every month, employers will in all likelihood hire fewer female workers. More research needs to be done to find the best way for women to benefit from menstruation regulations. Ambassador Yang Yanyi, Head of the Chinese Mission to the EU. The protectionist sentiment and the confrontational approach that have emerged in the European Union are worrying, as well as being regrettable and misleading. On Friday, the European Commission opened new anti-dumping investigations on steel products originating from China, and the European steel industry organized a demonstration against so-called Chinese dumping in the EU market and the granting of Market Economy Status to China. Nobody should be under any illusion: overcapacity, including excess capacity in the global steel sector is one of the many challenges we are all faced with. Not only the European steel industry has been hard hit, iron and steel industries in China and many other emerging economies are suffering badly from excessive production and flagging demand. According to some estimates, cutting back the overcapacity in China by 30 percent in those industries with most excess capacityiron and steel, coal, cement, shipbuilding, aluminum and flat glassis expected to affect the employment of 3 million workers. Not to mention that China is also confronted with many other daunting tasks: lifting 70 million people out of poverty, advancing industrialization to transform China into a post-industrial society, rebalancing the economy from investment and net exports to consumption and innovation. The situation is serious and requires a response. But what kind of response? Grumble, curse, cut the ground from under other's feet? Retreat into protectionism and be at each other's throats? If history serves as a guide, these are unwelcome if not irresponsible responses. They may help to give vent to the anger and frustration of some and obtain short-term gains, but they fail to serve the common long-term interests of all. Obviously the response to the challenges is up to each and every country. I only wish to share what we believe to be the best possible approach and option, and what China has been doing and will continue to do with regard to the issue. First, digest the problem and not dump it onto other's doorsteps. The development of the steel industry in China has been mainly to meet its domestic demand, rather than to export products to other countries. To effectively deal with the overcapacity problems, China has taken tough measures to control new capacity. Painful as it is, China has cut its steel industry capacity by more than 90 million tons over the past few years and its investment in iron and steel assets by 13 percent last year. The growth of Chinese steel production has basically come to a halt. To continue to address overcapacity in a serious and resolute manner, China has made elimination of overcapacity the top priority for this year and will cut the steel industry capacity by another 100 to 150 million tons. An injured TV journalist, center, is helped by his colleague and a riot policeman after being hit by a stone thrown by a protester onto his face during a clash at Mong Kok district in Hong Kong, China, Feb 9, 2016.[Photo/Agencies] Rioters clashed with the police late at night on Feb 8, the first day of the Lunar New Year, and things escalated and turned bloody in the early morning of the next day, with the rioters deliberately injuring close to 100 policemen. In the process, the police had to fire some warning shots. Worryingly, fires were started in a number of places. In all fairness, there was nothing particularly special about this riot. After all, this behavior is what radicals do all around the world, and radical localists in the special administrative region have finally caught up with international trends. The World Trade Organization ministerial conference in Hong Kong in 2005 showed people how ineffective the pepper spray used by police could be against protestors when farmers from the Republic of Korea were sprayed and then just cleaned their eyes with bottled water and charged at the police lines again, after less than a minute. In other WTO-inspired protests around the world, some demonstrators had gone so far as to burn cars, but in Hong Kong, the protesters did not break a single shop window. The Hong Kong officials congratulated themselves and thanked Hong Kong residents for being more civilized than people in other countries. Today, 10 years after the WTO conference, they realize how wrong they were. There can be no justification for the riot in Hong Kong. Attacking police officers doing their duty is wrong, period. But condemning such antics is not enough; it must be followed by concrete actions. The worst response is to just verbally condemn the rioters. Instead, the rioters must be made to suffer the consequences of their actions. Most residents are against the erosion of law and order in the SAR. Therefore, everything must be done to nip such extremism in the bud. First of all, the argument that the riot is a symptom of failed leadership in the city needs countering. This must be done with conviction and determination. Governance in Hong Kong has declined, but this is no excuse for violence. More importantly, the government alone cannot deliver good governance, as it is not an authoritarian society where the government controls everything. Good governance is the responsibility of everybody-civil society, the courts, the Legislative Council and professional organizations. The government may have some influence over them but it does not have full control. The dissidents want us to believe that simply because there is no universal suffrage the chief executive is responsible for everything which happens in Hong Kong. But clearly this is not the case; power is still highly decentralized in the SAR. In reality, governance in Hong Kong has deteriorated because much needed reforms have been stalled by endless arguments and filibusters. Consensus needs to be built to move forward, and consensus by definition is not the full realization of what each party wants. Everyone has to accept this and make compromises. In addition, the government has to take the necessary actions even though that may lead to further controversy. After this riot, the government praised the police for their restraint. This alienates the silent majority because what they want is not official restraint but the firm implementation of the law. The police should use necessary and appropriate force to protect people and property. Police restraint alone is meaningless. It is by no means a virtue. Sometimes, it has been used merely as a justification for not being more decisive in the past. Most Hong Kong people want the rule of law; they want to see a strong government willing to make tough decisions. Many of the issues which are said to divide residents are in fact not really controversial at all for most ordinary people. It is the media that plays them up as controversial. But Hong Kong residents will not be fooled. Ultimately, Hong Kong must uphold law and implement rational and sensible policies. The author is a veteran current affairs commentator. The restaurant has been shut down. Photo taken on Oct 7, 2015. [Photo/IC] Harbin investigators have shot themselves in the foot by contradicting themselves. After their probe into claims by a tourist that he was ripped off by a restaurant in the city, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, which he said overcharged him for the fish he and his relatives consumed during Spring Festival, the local government investigators initially claimed that the restaurant was not in the wrong. It was the investigations conducted by reporters that have pushed the government investigators into revealing the truth of the scandal. Now the restaurant has been closed for operating with an expired license and cheating customers with cultivated fish it claimed were wild ones. The local government's admission of lack of supervision over the illegal practice has added to the drama. That more consumers have complained about how they were ripped off at the same restaurant has, to some extent, put the local government in an embarrassing situation, as it has clearly been turning a blind eye to the restaurant's wrongdoings, and presumably that of others. What this event has exposed is not just the cheating of restaurants, but also the local government's lack of awareness of what is required for a sustainable tourist industry. Rather than immediately conducting a thorough and impartial investigation into the tourist's claims and cracking down on the problematic eatery for the wrong-doings it uncovered, the local government tried to protect the fish restaurant and failed to take action until the pressure of public of opinion made it impossible for it to maintain its stance. If it was just a couple of heartless restaurant owners trying every conceivable means to make quick and easy money it would not be so bad. But it is clear the local government has failed to recognize the importance of maintaining a fair environment for the healthy development of the city's tourism market. When a local government is too lazy to exert proper supervision over the operation of the market, it risks its reputation being ruined by just a couple of bad apples. Similar scandals emerge almost every year, along with similar mistakes by local governments that only make things worse. The protection of local interest is understandable, but if the protection is used to protect such misdeeds it will only hurt local interests instead. Spring Festival couplets, niangao cakes and family dinners help to create a festive air during Chinese New Year. So, too, do New Year posters. A tradition dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279), New Year posters are often themed with chubby cute babies, inspiring young girls, abundant harvests and folk deities. Taicang resident Zhang Jinming has been collecting such posters for more than 40 years. At his home in Pailou village, Zhang recently put his collection of some 10,000 posters on show. Zhang Jinming has amassed a large collection of New Year posters over the years. [Photo from taicangdaily.com] According to Zhang, before the founding of the People's Republic of China, New Year posters came in the form of two main types those depicting Gate Gods to deter bad omens and ones heralding a happy new year. Taicang folklore researcher Lu Jiande said that Gate God posters were often pasted on the front doors of residences to warn away bad luck for the year, while other types of paintings were posted inside main halls of each household. After the founding of the PRC, a change of theme took place, and national leaders such as Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai became regularly featured on the posters. New Year posters featuring national leaders of China's modern history feature in Taicang resident Zhang Jinming's collection. [Photo from taicangdaily.com] During the early days of the PRC, a new artistic focus began. Poster releases during this period would often depict workers plying various trades in white shirts and dungarees building a new China and working together for the common good of society. This New Year poster from Zhang Jinming's collection highlights the industriousness of the Chinese people after the founding of People's Republic of China. [Photo from taicangdaily.com] The "cultural revolution" (1966-76) was also reflected in New Year posters, an era still fresh in Zhang's memory. After having joined the army in 1969, Zhang said that one poster in particular from this time reminds him of his young years the most. In the 1990s, following the adoption of the reform and opening-up policy, the creation of New Year posters covered more themes of expression. They included scenes from hit movies, landscapes from across the world and blooming flowers. As cultural life enriched in the country and the economy developed, New Year posters faded out from Chinese life in the 21st century, along with other traditions. Many people, particularly the older generation, feel that the festive air of the Lunar New Year has been somewhat diluted as a result. However, it is Zhang's belief that the ultimate purpose of the New Year celebration is about the happiness of family reunion, not the rituals and ceremonies. Zhang Jinming shows off his collection of New Year posters. [Photo from taicangdaily.com] By Liu Sitong and edited by Jacob Hooson Belt and Road to save Chinese financial institutions 9.6b yuan in taxes (Xinhua) Updated: 2016-02-14 11:26:53 BEIJING -- Tax treaties with countries along the "Belt and Road" will save financial institutions in China 9.6 billion yuan (about $1.5 billion) in taxes, according to the State Administration of Taxation. In 2015, China conducted a number of tax treaty negotiations and modifications with countries along the "Belt and Road" including Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Romania and Russia. Besides the tax agreements, the administration also negotiated with India, Indonesia and Tajikistan on tax disputes and saved domestic enterprises 270 million yuan in taxes last year. The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China, comprises both the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, with visions to connect Asian, European and African countries more closely and promote mutually beneficial cooperation. China and the United States have established a growing mechanism for maritime cooperation that is essential to building a model relationship between the two countries, Chen Aiping, head of the China Maritime Safety Administration, said in a speech on Wednesday. He was speaking at a meeting between CMSA and the US Coast Guard in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, where exchanges and cooperation on precursor chemical management and inspection was one of the most important topics discussed. In a regulatory sense, precursor chemicals are those used in the manufacture of controlled substances or illicit drugs. China worked closely with the US last year to target the illegal shipment of precursors by container vessel, the CMSA said, which included heightened supervision of marine dangerous goods and the sending of officers for an investigation training program. Over the past several months, the Shanghai Marine Safety Administration assisted the USCG in controlling illegal shipments of precursor chemicals by checking nearly 19,000 consignment inventories and conducting searches on nine containers carrying chemicals. Since the China-US maritime safety dialogue mechanism was established in 2011, the CMSA and USCG have built a solid foundation of cooperation, working together in many fields including ship navigation safety, marine environment protection and maritime search and rescue, said Chen of CMSA. "China and the United States are both countries with vast marine territories, many ports and harbors, and huge trading volumes," he said. "Maritime trade not only carries with it economic and cultural exchange between China and the US, but also serves as an important platform for cooperation and a bond of friendship." Other topics covered at the meeting on Wednesday included satellite navigation technology, which both sides have worked on over the past year to enhance system performance control and evaluation, as well as a presentation by the USCG on human resource management in maritime administration given at the request of the Chinese delegation. A two-day workshop will follow the meeting, featuring officers from both countries using scenario-based planning processes to develop their maritime management capabilities. Meredith Austin, rear admiral at the USCG and leader of the US delegation, said she welcomed the partnership. "These exchanges will help people think differently and expand our knowledge to deal with different situations," she said. Xie Hui, head of CMSA's international cooperation department, said a high-level exchange with the USCG occurred almost every year, while other exchanges such as "meetings, training and visits, are even more frequent and regular". Firefighters prepare to extinguish fire after an explosion in Ankara, Turkey February 17, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] ISTANBUL - Turkey's fight against "pawns" carrying out attacks and the forces behind them will grow more determined, President Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement on Wednesday. Erdogan said this after at least 28 people were killed and 61 others wounded in a car bomb attack targeting the Turkish military in the capital Ankara on Wednesday. According to Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulus, the government has so far no information on who carried out the attack. "We will continue our fight against the pawns that carry out such attacks, which know no moral or humanitarian bounds, and the forces behind them with more determination every day," Erdogan said in a statement. A car laden with explosives detonated next to military buses near the armed forces' headquarters on Wednesday. The military condemned the bombing as a terrorist attack on the buses as they waited at traffic lights. WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama is preparing to visit Cuba as soon as March, a person briefed on the matter said on Wednesday, a major step in the thaw between former Cold War foes the United States and Cuba. US Secretary of Transportation, Anthony Foxx (L), and Cuba's Transport Minister Adel Rodriguez show folders containing the arrangement to restore scheduled air service between the two countries, in Havana, February 16, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] Obama said in December that he would consider visiting Cuba as part of an opening to Havana that saw the two countries restore diplomatic ties and take steps toward expanded commercial relations. A U.S. official, asked about the prospects for a March visit by Obama, declined to discuss the timing for such a trip. "The president has said he would like to go if the conditions are right," the official said. The White House declined comment. In December 2014, Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro shocked the world by announcing the former adversaries would normalize relations after a 54-year break. Obama said in a December interview that he hoped to visit Cuba in 2016 but only if enough progress had been made in bilateral relations and he was able to meet with political dissidents as part of an effort to "nudge the Cuban government in a new direction." A Cuban foreign ministry official said in reaction to the December interview that Obama was welcome to visit Cuba but not meddle in the country's internal affairs. Washington and Havana restored diplomatic ties in July, but commerce remains limited by the US trade embargo, which includes a ban on American tourism to the island. The Republican majority in Congress has defied Obama's call to rescind the five-decade-old embargo, so he has used his executive authority to relax some trade and travel restrictions. On Tuesday, American and Cuban officials signed an arrangement to restore scheduled air service between the two countries after half a century. The last sitting US president to visit Cuba was Calvin Coolidge in 1928. Brazilian Army soldiers distribute pamphlets with information to combat the Aedes aegypti mosquito during the National Day of Mobilization Zika Zero at Central train station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, February 13, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] GENEVA - The World Health Organization (WHO) called on Wednesday for $56 million to combat the Zika virus, a disease that has been linked to severe birth defects in Brazil and has spread to 39 other countries. The funds sought would be used until June to fast-track vaccines, carry out diagnostics and research into how the mosquito-borne virus spreads, as well as virus control, the WHO said. A public health expert, Lawrence Gostin, said the United Nations health agency had "grossly underestimated" the need as the virus, which has spread rapidly across the Americas, will likely spread to many other regions. The WHO declared the outbreak a global public health emergency on Feb. 1, noting the association of the virus with two neurological disorders: microcephaly in babies and Guillain-Barre syndrome that can cause paralysis. "Possible links with neurological complications and birth malformations have rapidly changed the risk profile for Zika from a mild threat to one of very serious proportions," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in a WHO strategy paper on Wednesday. The funds sought include $25 million for the agency and its regional office and the rest for aid partners such as UNICEF. The WHO expects the money to come from states and other donors. In the meantime it has tapped a new emergency contingency fund for $2 million for initial operations. Gostin, a professor at Georgetown University in Washington, said the WHO should have a much larger emergency contingency fund. He compared the funding plan to the WHO's initial slow response to the outbreak of Ebola, a virus that killed more than 11,300 people in two years, mostly in West Africa. LONDON - British Typhoon fighter jets intercepted two Russian Tu-160 bomber planes heading towards British airspace on Wednesday, a spokeswoman from the Ministry of Defence said. The British aircraft were scrambled from a Royal Air Force base in eastern England and escorted the Russian planes while they flew in an area which is closely monitored by Britain, but outside its territorial airspace. "At no point did the Russian aircraft enter UK territorial airspace," the spokeswoman said, without giving more specific details of the location of the incident. The Russian Defence Ministry did not respond to written questions submitted by Reuters. Intercepts of Russian aircraft by NATO have increased over the last year amid heightened tensions between the West and Moscow over Ukraine. There was a similar incident last November. Ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius now has a new look for the US market with the ongoing cultural event Hello Kongzi that was co-organized by Shandong Tourism Bureau and Shenzhen Broad Link Culture &Creative. Bowen Nelson, a tourist from England, visited the event of Hello Kongzi at New York's Grand Central on February 17. He said the down-to-the-earth version of Confucius was more accessible to westerners like him and his families. LONG YIFAN/ FOR CHINA DAILY The event is opening at New York's Grand Central and Times Square until February 19, according to Sha Huang, the public relations coordinator of the event. The event featured interactive demonstrations of Confucius' ideas. It included a three-dimensional plastic sculpture of Confucius, a virtual reality experiment zone where you can wear a set of computerized glass-mounted helmets and experience a horse-riding experiment in an ancient Chinese city in the era of Confucius, a quick quiz machine and a virtual dressing screen where you can try on the clothing of ancient Chinese people. Flo Doukov, a New York-based curator, said Confucius was a lofty ancient philosopher in her memory but the Confucius in this event tended to "more approachable." " The cute statues matrix at the entrance reminded me of the famous terra cotta warriors but it surprisingly turned out to be Confucius," she said. " They are cute and interesting." Lucas Strzalec and Nick Pan, two fabricators of the 3D Confucius sculptures, told China Daily that they knew more about Confucius after finishing their work. Strzales said he had not had any knowledge about Confucius beforehand but he learned Confucius' life and story while researching for the project. Strzales said they used a sculpturing robot and a white plastic bulk to fabricate the Confucius sculpture with a series of cutting and rimming steps. " We want to make sure the sculpture of Confucius could be as great as his ideas." Pan, a Philadelphia-based artist, said the combination of modern technology and ancient figure was a brand new experience for him. " Chinese culture was one of the most interesting yet profound spheres that I wanted to demonstrate," he said. The virtual reality section was one of the most popular parts of the event. Trina Consantine, a volunteer at the event, said the number of people who had experimented with the virtual reality horse-riding game was "countless" and almost everyone was awed by the accessible and life-based experience by wearing a helmet and holding the electronic horsewhip that could control the speed of the "horse". Nicella Lagonigro, a local New Yorker, said she would never have thought Confucius could be so adorable and attractive as to be fully accepted and appreciated by the locals. She said cultural products from other Asian countries were always making inroads with Americans and "this time Confucius followed suit". Long Yifan in New York contributed to the story. The Chinese students accused of kidnapping and torturing a peer stand trial at the Pomona Superior Court in Pomona, California, on June 3, 2015. [Photo/Weibo] Three students from China were sentenced to prison on Wednesday in California for kidnapping and assaulting another Chinese teenager in Los Angeles in March 2015. Zhai Yunyao was sentenced to 13 years in prison, Yang Yuhan was sentenced to 10 years in prison and Zhang Xinlei was sentenced to six years in prison. They would be expelled from the US as well when serving out their jail term, judges said. The three defendants, all of whom were born in 1996, were accused of abducting and torturing a fellow female Chinese student in March in Rowland Heights, an affluent, unincorporated community in Los Angeles County with an almost 60 percent Asian population. The victim said they beat her, stripped her clothes off and even burned her nipples with lighted cigarettes. She was also forced to the ground to eat sand. According to the girl's statement, the torture lasted five hours, and the assault left her seriously injured. The prosecutors dropped charges of torture against them after the three admitted crimes of kidnapping and bodily injury and assault. In their statements, the defendants all apologized to the victim, who said she forgave her attackers. Yang said in a statement that "this is a wakeup call for the parachute kid syndrome'", referring to teenage students sent by their parents to study abroad alone. "Parents in China are well-meaning and send their kids thousands of miles away with no supervision and too much freedom. That is a formula for disaster," she said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "Along with that came a lot of freedom, in fact too much freedom Here, I became lonely and lost," another defendant Zhai said in her statement. Members of emergency services work next to a damaged military vehicle near Diyarbakir, Turkey February 18, 2016.[Photo/Agencies] ANKARA -- A Syrian national with links to the People's Protection Units (YPG) of Syrian Kurds was identified as the perpetrator of Wednesday's Ankara car bomb attack, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Thursday. The bomber, Salih Necer, was born in Amuda province, in northern Syria, in 1992 and had ties with the YPG, Davutoglu said. Necer, who killed at least 28 and injured 61 others, received logistical support from the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in Turkey, the prime minister told reporters in Ankara. "A direct link between the attack and the YPG has been confirmed," he said, adding that nine other suspects were detained as part of the investigation. Turkey said it would share evidence with other countries about where the militants originated from and how they organized the attack. Supporting "Turkey's enemies whether directly or indirectly" risks those countries' status as friendly nations, Davutoglu said without referring to any specific states. Late Wednesday, Turkey conducted airstrikes on PKK positions in northern Iraq, shortly after the Ankara suicide bombing. The PKK resumed its violent offensive against the Turkish government following the collapse of the peace process last summer. Turkish security forces launched military operations against PKK militants in southeastern Turkey last December. An election officer verifies a voter's identity during Uganda's general election in Kampala, Uganda, Feb. 18, 2016.[Photo/Xinhua] KAMPALA -- Millions of Ugandans on Thursday turned out to vote in an election that will see a new president and legislators. Polling started at 7:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) in most parts of the country, although in the capital Kampala and neighboring districts, there was a delay for several hours. The European Union (EU) Chief Observer of the election told reporters earlier that the process in different parts of the country was peaceful. "So far the process is peaceful, calm, relaxed. There are many people queued in front of polling stations," Eduard Kukan, EU Chief Observer said. Badru Kiggundu, Chairperson Electoral Commission, told reporters that the delay of voting in some parts of Kampala and neighboring areas was as a result of the slow distribution of voting materials. He appealed to Ugandans to remain calm during the election process. Earlier in the day, Social Media was temporarily switched off. Godfrey Mutabazi, Executive Director of the Uganda Communications Commission, a state owned agency, said social media was switched off for security purposes. He did not give details. Police Chief Gen. Kale Kayihura on Wednesday said social media was being abused to create tension during the election. At 4:00 p.m. (1300 GMT) voting closed, but those who were in the queue were allowed to vote. As voting ended, counting started. At the National Tally Center, results for the presidential candidates are expected to start trickling in. According to the Electoral Commission, the final result of the election is expected on Saturday. Over 15.2 million voters, according to the Electoral Commission, are expected to have voted in an election, where Incumbent President Yoweri Museveni who has been in power for the last 30 years will faced off with two main rivals, Kizza Besigye of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change, and Amama Mbabazi, former prime minister. As European leaders gather in Brussels to discuss a new deal on UK membership of the European Union, China analysts in Europe say a stronger and united Europe is in Chinese interests. The in-out referendum planned in the UK is being hotly debated, and analysts expressed concern over how the consequences would affect bilateral relationship between China and the UK, as well as China and the EU. The European Union leaders will seek to agree a legally binding settlement at the summit on Thursday and Friday after Prime Minister David Cameron set out his plans for a referendum in the UK last June. If a deal is agreed, the referendum could be held as early as June this year. Facing terrorism, migration and economic crises, Cameron and other European leaders have been busy trying to reach compromises on the reform agenda for the European Union, at the same time trying to keep UK within the organization. Bart Kerremans, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences of Leuven University in Belgium, said the in-out referendum could have an immediate effect on the debate inside the EU on the Market Economy Status of China, which Beijing believes should be automatically granted as part of its World Trade Organization accession agreement. Kerremans said that given the explicit objective of the Cameron government to establish closer ties with China even in some cases against the will of the UKs traditionally biggest ally, the US - it actively supports the granting of MES to China. He said the US is much more reluctant in that regard and also inside the EU there are supporters, such as Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands, and opponents, mainly the southern members of the EU. "In an EU without the UK, that could be different, specifically as many hesitations exists," said Kerremans. But Fredrik Erixon, Director of the Brussels-based European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE), said he is not sure the referendum will have much of an impact, other than reinforcing the view of those in Beijing who are uncertain about the vitality and strength of the EU. "Should the UK decide to leave, however, it would make life more difficult for China," said Erixon. He said Chinese companies with trade and investment ties to bilateral UK-EU trade would possibly have to change their operations and an EU without the UK would be an EU that is less desirous of free trade relationships with other countries, including China. "And a weaker EU, which would be the consequence of Brexit, is not in China's interest," said Erixon. "Like other powers have learnt before China, a Europe that is coordinated and cooperative through common institution is far easier to deal with than a Europe that is split." Christopher Hill, professor of the Department of Politics and International Studies of Cambridge University said a British exit would make it more difficult for the UK to conduct its bilateral relationship with China, given the weight that Beijing places on its economic dealings with the EU. "Inevitably China would look at the UK as a relatively isolated middle power, without the capacity to lead the European bloc," said Hill, author of The National Interest in Question--Foreign Policy in Multicultural Societies. To contact the reporter: fujing@chinadaily.com.cn 14 arrested after deadly rush-hour bombing in Ankara; China urges anti-terrorist coordination Soldiers and security officers stand around a damaged military vehicle near Diyarbakir, Turkey, on Thursday. A bomb detonated by remote control killed at least six Turkish security force members traveling in a military vehicle in southeast Turkey on Thursday, security sources said, a day after a car bomb attack in the capital of Ankara killed 28 people. SERTAC KAYAR / REUTERS Turkey's leaders on Thursday blamed Kurdish militant groups in Turkey and Syria, as well as the Syrian government, for the rush-hour suicide bombing in Ankara that killed 28 people on Wednesday. It vowed strong retaliation against the perpetrators, which could further complicate the Syria conflict. Turkish authorities have detained 14 people in connection with the attack and were trying to identify others. Turkey's military, meanwhile, said its jets conducted cross-border raids against Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq, hours after the Ankara attack, striking at a group of about 60 to 70 rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. The car-bomb attack on Wednesday evening that targeted buses carrying military personnel also injured more than 60, as Turkey grapples with such issues as renewed fighting with the Kurdish rebels, the threat from Islamic State militants and the Syrian refugee crisis. The blast was the second deadly bombing in Ankara in four months. On Thursday afternoon, a Turkish Foreign Ministry official said the ambassadors of the five permanent UN Security Council member states had been invited to the ministry separately to be briefed on the attack in Ankara. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said a Syrian national with links to Syrian Kurdish militia carried out the attack in collaboration with the outlawed PKK. Davutoglu also accused Syria's government of responsibility for allegedly backing the Syrian Kurdish militia. The Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or PYD, denied the Turkish accusations. Salih Muslim Muhammad, a PYD co-chairman, said the Islamic State group was responsible for the Ankara attack. The Ankara bombing and the subsequent accusations and denials came amid mounting tension between Turkey and the Kurds. Turkish artillery has been shelling Kurdish fighters' positions in northern Syria to prevent them from advancing near the Turkish borders. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks at a joint news conference with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, Feb 17, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] Facilities on Xisha Islands have nothing to do with code of conduct, ministry says Deploying national defense facilities on the Xisha Islands has nothing to do with negotiations over a code of conduct on the South China Sea, China said on Thursday. The comment was made as Beijing emphasized the efforts made by the country in negotiations to arrive at the code. Deploying such facilities "is irrelevant to a comprehensive implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, or to the consultations over the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei during a media briefing. Hong made the remarks in response to speculation that China had deployed missiles on disputed islands in the South China Sea and that the country appeared not to be serious about consultations over the code. Western media have been following closely China's defense facilities on the Xisha Islands since FoxNews reported on Tuesday that Beijing had deployed a missile system on Yongxing Island in the Xisha Islands. Hong stressed that the Xisha Islands are China's "inherent territory" and are not so-called disputed islands. Equipping them with defense facilities is not militarization, but a move "within China's sovereignty", Hong said. In 2002, China and member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. In the declaration, they voiced agreement to work on the basis of consensus for adopting such a code of conduct. In 2013, China and the ASEAN countries began consultations on the code. Hong said China and ASEAN countries had been actively pushing consultations over the code. Li Jinming, a professor of maritime policy and law at Xiamen University, said the code of conduct applies only to disputed islands, while the Xisha Islands, which have always been under China's administration, are not disputed. China had taken "very active steps" and had made many efforts on reaching a code of conduct, but attaining this goal took time, Li said. "China has always been coordinating, but neighboring countries should also invest in such efforts," he said. Li added that actions such as making a unilateral request for international arbitration, as the Philippines had done, are against the spirit of negotiations set by the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea signed by China and the ASEAN countries. (Photo : Getty Images) China is planning to support African countries affected by El Nino-induced drought. Advertisement The Ministry of Commerce of China has revealed that it is planning to supply food aid to Africa as several parts of the continent is severely affected by poor harvest due to the El Nino weather phenomenon. The agency has revealed that it will outline a detailed plan together with the cooperation of other departments and will carry out the measures. China has already committed one billion yuan ($156 million) to be allocated for emergency food aid to the African countries most severely affected. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement During President Xi Jinping's visit to South Africa, he proposed to uplift the ties between the two nations through a comprehensive strategic cooperative relationship. Xi pledged $60 billion to aid 10 major proposed projects across the African continent in the next 3 years. Furthermore, he committed to train 200,000 African technicians and invite 40,000 people to study in the mainland. Aside from that, the Chinese leader also vowed to initiate agricultural project in 100 villages and develop 50 aid program to enhance Africa's local and international trading. In addition, China will continue to be involved in the peacekeeping missions of the United Nations in the continent and will allocate $60 million to the African Union to boos rapid-response forces in the country. According to Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, chairperson of the African Union Commission, the robust economic growth and industrialization of China shows that African nations have a chance to eliminate poverty given the right kind of support. The director of the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University Liu Hongwu said that unlike Western countries, China can share its talent, equipment and technology with Africa because the mode of growth of the continent is quite the same as China was in the early 1980s. African nation, in the next two decades, can utilize the development experience of China in the past 35 years for reference. Advertisement Tagschina, Africa, food security, food aid plan (Photo : Reuters) US state secretary John Kerry has said the reported deployment of missiles in the Paracels is a serious concern for the US government, but suggests that the US receives information indicating an increase in the pace of militarization in the South China Sea "every day." Advertisement The White House on Wednesday revealed a measure of its intelligence on China's activities in the South China Sea, suggesting that Beijing is speeding up construction of military facilities in contested territories of the busy waterway. Taiwanese defense officials on Tuesday confirmed the presence of advanced surface-to-air missiles on Woody Island, part of the Paracel island chain, in the South China Sea. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement "There is every evidence every day that there has been an increase of militarization of one kind or another," US state secretary John Kerry told reporters, adding that China's reported deployment of missiles to the disputed island is a serious concern for the US government. "We've had these conversations with the Chinese," Kerry sa id. "I am confident that over the next days we will have further, very serious conversation on this." "Red Banner" Beijing said that it has had sea and air defense placements on the Paracel Islands for years, but the recent reports of their existence have escalated tensions in the region. "China has the undisputed right to place military infrastructure on its territory to protect its national security and sovereignty," China's defense ministry said in a written commentary to the Russian international news agency RIA Novosti. "Chinese air defense systems have been on these islands for many years already." China has controlled the Paracel island chain since 1974, but Beijing's authority over the area is being challenged by the governments of Vietnam and Taiwan. The Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia are embroiled in disputes with China over their surrounding waters, as well. Fox News recently reported on civilian satellite images which appear to show two batteries of Chinese HQ-9 "Red Banner" missile launchers and a radar system on the disputed island. The HQ-9 is said to be capable of shooting down aircraft within a range of 200 kilometers. Experts have said the deployment of such a lethal Chinese missile system on the Paracels could complicate further US attempts to assert its freedom of navigation and over-flight in the area. US Navy Admiral Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Command, said that China's deployment of the missiles in the contested island does not come as a surprise, but pointed out that it would contradict China's pledge not to militarize the region, according to Reuters. "Diplomatic Event" "We will conduct more -- and more complex -- freedom of navigation as time goes on in the South China Sea," Harris told reporters in Tokyo on Wednesday. "We have no intention of stopping." Some analysts have argued that the missiles in the Paracels may not be about defense at all, but a message about how China intends to manage -- and bargain -- over diplomatic issues surrounding the South China Sea and Seoul's plans to allow US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems in South Korea. "China is under tremendous pressure right now with the conference in Sunnylands and the US-Korean discussion over the THAAD deployment," Alexander Huang of Taiwan's Tamkang University told Voice of America News. Euan Graham, director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney, agrees, saying the missiles may be less about defense than they are about communicating a message to the US. Graham told the New York Times the satellite images indicate that the HQ-9 missile batteries on Woody Island may not be operational at all because they appear to lack necessary supporting infrastructure. That, he said, suggests the likelihood that China's intent might not be to station the missiles on the island permanently, but to improve its negotiating position on larger issues surrounding Beijing's claims on the South China Sea. "There may be a military element to this, but also a signaling element," Graham said. "China often combines an upping of the ante before a significant diplomatic event." Advertisement TagsUS-China relations, Territorial disputes in the South China Sea, Freedom of Navigation (Photo : Getty Images) To improved ties with India, Nepalese PM K. P. Sharma Oli is set to depart for New Delhi on Friday. Advertisement Despite the recent bonhomie between Nepal and China, which conspicuously coincided with a rising of tension between Nepal and India, India will apparently continue to remain Nepal's most important neighbor. This overbearing reality is what seems to have prompted Nepalese Prime Minister P. Sharma Oli to initiate a week-long visit to India, which officially starts from Friday, Feb. 19. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Nepalese Prime Minister, while briefing the country's parliament, said that he "aims at removing recent differences between the two countries and strengthening the historic bilateral ties". The recent diplomatic tension between Nepal and India started when Nepal turned down India's wish to reform its constitution, which would have given more constitutional rights to the local "Madhesi" community. In response to Nepal's rebuttal, India enforced a blockade on the India-Nepal border from September last year, causing severe fuel shortage and economic hardship in Nepal. The blockade was finally removed by India a few weeks ago. But not without straining the diplomatic relationship between the two countries. How China capitalized on 'blockade fiasco'? As India tired to pile up pressure on Nepal by imposing economic blockade on its border, Nepal decided to warm up to China - one of India's biggest economic and diplomatic rivals. Nepal sent its Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa to China in December to arrange for fuel supply from Beijing. China, in response, was more than happy to fulfill the wishes of Kathmandu, as it was surely going to help Beijing revitalize its relationship with Nepal. Much to the dismay of the Indian government. Nepal did not disappoint Beijing either. The country has signed transit treaty with China, which would give China trade access to many trading countries. Nepal also agreed to wave off visa fees for visiting Chinese tourists as well as take steps to further promote the Mandarin language in Nepalese schools. Many foreign experts, however, believe that despite China's effort to warm up with Nepal, the latter cannot underestimate the 'importance of India'. Experts believe that the relationship between both countries is too historically deep to be overlooked by either of them. Nonetheless, some foreign policy thinkers believe that Nepal's proximity with China will certainly put some pressure on India, an may push New Delhi to have less condescending attitude towards its small neighbor. After his India's visit, Nepal's Prime Minister will be soon visiting China. This indicates that while Nepal wants to resolve its recent misunderstanding with India, it would simultaneously seek to deepen ties with China in a bid to reduce economic overdependence on New Delhi. Advertisement TagsNepal, India, china (Photo : Getty Images) Two Chinese students traveling to Canada have been deported after being found in possession of child pornography. Advertisement Two Chinese citizens have been deported by the Canadian authorities for being caught in possession of child pornographic materials on their electronic devices (mobile phones and laptops). The Chinese Embassy in Canada confirmed the news on its official website on Monday, stating that two Chinese students attempted to enter the country separately but were deported by the Canadian customs for having digital pictures of children having sex on their cellphones. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement An official account, 'lask-ca' on the Chinese WeChat social network, said obscene content was found on the two students' WeChat account and videos of children engaged in sexual acts were found on their mobile phones. Right to privacy Although the Chinese Embassy did not confirm the veracity of the case, officials warned Chinese citizens travelling to Canada to delete all pornographic, sensitive, compromising and illegal contents from their laptops, cellphones, and hard disks or run the risk of being deported or worse, jailed. Many Chinese netizens have reacted negatively to the Canadian customs' decision to search the students' electronic devices saying it violated the their right to privacy. But Canadian authorities defended their right to search the students' electronic devices and gadgets saying that they are merely exercising their mandated authority to implement the law based on the Canada Border services Agency's code of conduct. 6 months to 14 years In Canada, the possession of child pornography materials, whether printed or digitally, carries a high penalty ranging from a jail sentence of six months to 14 years. According to Canadian laws, persons who 'make, posses, distribute, or access child pornography' are punishable by a jail term of six months to 14 years imprisonment except when the materials are being viewed for purposes of research into science, medicine, education, or art. Canadian authorities said the Chinese students were not the only ones who have been caught violating the country's laws against child pornography. Gordon Lawrence Ellis, a Canadian national, was meted a six-month jail term in 2011 when he was found in possession of child porn while traveling from US to Canada in 2011. Advertisement TagsCanada, deportation, child pornographic materials, Electronic Devices, Chinese Embassy (Photo : Reuters) A J-31 stealth fighter, which looks a lot like the U.S. F-35 it copied. Advertisement The technology gap between US and Chinese jet fighters is being narrowed, although the training and experience of US pilots still allows them an "unbelievably huge" advantage over their Chinese counterparts, a top US air force official has said. Speaking to Bloomberg News on the sidelines of an air show in Singapore, the commander of the US Pacific Air Forces General Lori Robinson said on Tuesday that China is closing the technology divide between US and Chinese warplanes. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement "The technology gap certainly is closing, there's no denying that," Robinson said, adding, however, that the overall experience, training and support received by American fighter pilots affords the US a significant edge over China in terms of air superiority. "That edge is unbelievably huge." No Budget Constraints China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has enjoyed two decades of double-digit budget increases. This has allowed the Chinese military to invest billions into longer-range and higher-tech warplanes, ships and submarines, according to analysts at the RAND Corporation. China has by now replaced half its fighter fleet with fourth generation jet fighters, says RAND. And the country continues to make advances in research and development. The US is reportedly working on its next generation of bombers, which is likely to have a fighter component. Already, however, there is some debate within the Pentagon about its tremendous development cost, according to the Washington Post. Unfettered by budget constraints, China is meanwhile said to be working on no less than four airframe designs for its fifth generation stealth fighter. In November, scientists from China's Huazhong University of Science and Technology announced that they had created lightweight stealth material with absorbers that could make planes and ships more difficult to detect using current anti-stealth radar. "Our proposed absorber is almost 10 times thinner than conventional ones," said Wenhua Xu, one of the scientists. It is not clear whether the Chinese government will be using the material on its two stealth jets already in production, the Chengdu J-20 and the Shenyang J-31. But experts say the new material would give the Chinese military a dramatic increase in capability both in the air and in the sea. "Rules of Behavior" Security analysts, however, have raised concerns that Chinese pilots would behave rashly in proximity to planes from other nations. Much of their training time is spent learning doctrine, critics say, not actual flying. Bloomberg meanwhile notes the likelihood of interaction between US and Chinese pilots have increased dramatically as a result of China's aggressive claims to over 80 percent of the South China Sea. Two years ago, a Chinese jet fighter flew within 20 feet of a US P8 Poseidon flying at speeds approaching 400 miles per hour near Hainan Island, over the South China Sea. Robinson said US military pilots on missions over the South China Sea have at times received radio warnings from the Chinese military, telling them to leave. She said Japanese pilots have had similar experiences when flying over the East China Sea. The air force general nonetheless finds reassurance in the professionalism of Chinese pilots, citing a September agreement between China and the US on rules of behavior during such air encounters. "They are talking, but mostly in my world from airplanes to airplanes everybody has acted professionally in accordance with the rules of behavior," said Robinson. Claiming the US air force will continue to fly in international airspace when required, Robinson said any talk that a rising China will soon compel the US to cede hard-won ground in the Asia-Pacific region is hypothetical. "What I depend upon today is our presence in the region, because our presence in the region provides that stability and capability in the region," Robinson asserted. "Our presence in the region allows for us to have partnerships throughout the region." Advertisement TagsUS-China relations, Military Technology, Territorial disputes in the South China Sea (Photo : Getty Images) Yang Jisheng, author of the controversial book, Tombstone, claims that Xinhua news agency is blocking his departure for the United States to accept an award from the Harvard University. Advertisement Ex-Xinhua employee and author of the controversial book "Tombstone," which has been banned in mainland China, has accused his ex-employer of preventing him from leaving for the United States to receive an award for his book from the prestigious Harvard University. Yang Jisheng, author of the 2008 book "Tombstone," a 1,200-page account of the Great Chinese Famine of 1958-1961, claims that Xinhua is preventing him from traveling to the US to accept his Harvard University prize. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Harvard's Nieman Fellows awarded Yang Jisheng for his book detailing the trauma of the famine which allegedly claimed the lives of at least 36 million Chinese people. Banned "Tombstone," which has been banned in mainland China, caused a stir as Yang gained unprecedented access to restricted government archives. Critics say the Chinese government has been allegedly involved in 'whitewashing' one of the worst man-made disasters for more than five decades and that any discussions of the famine currently is 'highly sensitive'. Yang did not give details on how he was prevented from leaving the country by Xinhua. He refused to give any more details saying he was forbidden to speak to the foreign media. Grief The author said that in November, he was able to travel to Stockholm to receive an award for the book, which he claims to have "accepted with grief." He said he did not inform the officials back then about his trip. The 76-year old writer accepted the Stieg Larsson award in Stockholm and in his speech said he "grieved for the 36 million starved dead." "I grieve that this human tragedy that occurred five decades ago is still being covered up, while those who uncover this human tragedy are pressured, attacked and slandered," he said in his speech. Yang is now in retirement after allegedly being forced to quit from his job with Xinhua as a journalist. He is still writing books and is currently working on a history journal. Advertisement TagsYang Jisheng, Tombstone, Xinhua, Harvard Nieman Fellows Prize, Stieg Larsson Prize (Photo : youtube.com ) A Los Angeles court on Wednesday sentenced three Chinese teenagers to jail for charges of assault and kidnapping. Advertisement A Los Angeles court on Wednesday sentenced three Chinese teenagers for charges of assault and kidnapping. Among these three Chinese teenagers, two are females. The convicted Chinese nationals are all 19 years old. The names of these three convicted Chinese citizens are Yunyao Zhai, Xinlei Zhang and Yuhan Yang. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Yunyao Zhai and Xinlei Zhang were convicted of assaulting a 16-year-old girl at Rowland Heights restaurant and park. The two accused reportedly punched and slapped the victim badly, according to District Attorney's office. Yunyao Zhai was sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment, while Xinlei Zhang was given six years of imprisonment. Exactly two days after committing this crime, Xinlei Zhang was involved in another serious crime along with third accused 'Yuhan Yang'. Both kidnapped a 19 year old girl from Ice cream parlor and subjected the victim to brutal assault. As per the DA's office, the two stripped down the 19 years old girl, after which they continuously kicked and beat up the victim. The victim testified in the court that she was kicked with high-heeled shoes and was burnt with cigarettes, according to the Los Angeles Times. Yuhan Yang was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment for being part of this crime. All the three accused admitted to their crimes in the court.The court dropped charges of 'torture' against all three accused as part of a plea deal. All three accused have been castigated as 'parachute kid syndrome' After this shocking case came into the limelight, all the three Chinese students were accused of suffering from 'parachute kid syndrome.' Parachute kids are children of rich and higher middle class Chinese people, who go abroad to study, leaving them without supervision and too much freedom. Judge Thomas C. Falls stated that parachute kids often have "no supervision" and no-one to turn to for assistance. The accused Yuhan Yang and Yunyao Zhai also blamed their anti social behavior for not living under direct supervision and care of their parents. "Here, I became lonely and lost. I didn't tell my parents because I didn't want them to worry about me," said Yunyao Zhai. Advertisement TagsThree Chinese Teenagers, Chinese Students in US 100 Yuan notes are seen in Beijing, China. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images) Advertisement Chinese authorities have recently discovered a banking fraud that involved multi-billion worth of money that it could require government intervention and could further undermine the country's banking system. The latest banking fraud, which is one of China's biggest in decades involved the sum of US$4.9 billion with the Bank of Liuzhou as victim, according to the state-backed China Business Journal in a report on Thursday. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The discovery was the latest in the series of China's fraudulent loans, which further undermine the country's US$29 trillion banking system, according to the report. Bank of Liuzhou reportedly discovered the fraudulent Rmb32.8 billion (US$4.9 billion) loans late last year when the new chairman of the bank assumed office. The fraudulent loan represents at least 40 percent of the bank's total asset at the end of 2014, the China Business Journal said. The fraud involved the massive pile of debt accrued by one borrower during the tenure of the previous bank head. The borrower, a businessman, allegedly connived with relatives to forge collateral and proof of business operations to borrow US$4.9 billion. The report further added that the businessman, who was not named, allegedly ordered the murder of the new bank head following the discovery of the multi-billion-dollar loan fraud. A Financial Times report quoted local Chinese media as saying that the bank will not be able to recover fraudulent loans worth more than eight times its 2014 profits and that government intervention could be needed to ensure that the bank remains operating. The Bank of Liuzhou has not issued a statement regarding the report loans fraud as of this reporting. The report said the Bank of Liuzhou case is one of the country's biggest banking frauds in decades and followed China Citic Bank, the country's ninth-largest bank by assets, which late last month said it was investigating a US$147 million fraud. Advertisement TagsChina Banking, Banking Fraud, Bank of Liuzhuo A clerk counts stacks of Chinese yuan and U.S. dollars at a bank on July 22, 2005 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images) Advertisement Tianjin Tianhai Investment Co, a unit of Chinese aviation and shipping conglomerate HNA Group, announced interest to acquire electronics distributor Ingram Micro for about US$6 billion. The acquisition is the latest in a string of overseas deals by Chinese firms to sidestep slowing domestic growth, although major acquisition moves involving Chinese investors were cancelled this week. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The California-based Ingram Micro, which distributes products ranging from Apple's iPhones and Cisco's network equipment, has agreed to be acquired by Tianjin Tianhai in an all-cash deal valued at US$6 billion The offer of US$38.90 per share from HNA unit Tianjin Tianhai Investment Co Ltd represents a 31.2 percent premium to Ingram's closing price on Wednesday, news agency Reuters has reported. The deal, however, still requires regulatory approval and Ingram said Tianhai will be required to pay the American company a fee of US$400m if the deal is terminated following a US Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) investigation. Analysts, however, believe the deal will be approve considering that as it does not involved security concern because that the vast majority of the products sold by Ingram Micro do not go to high-security customers. If the deal hurdles regulatory scrutiny, Ingram would be folded into HNA Group, which owns the largest shares in Tianjin Tianhai. The deal will also bolster HNA Group's logistics arm with Ingram's supply chain network. Last year, Chinese firms spent more than US$100 billion on acquisitions abroad, the most ever, as more firms look to opportunities overseas to sidestep slowing domestic growth. Chinese companies already spent roughly US$55 billion on outbound M&As less than two months into 2016. Advertisement TagsHNA, Ingram Micro, China Acquisition The Chocolate Math of it All - v. 9/30/2022 Number of Days Since This Chocolate Bet Started: 5,860 Number of Chocolate Items Eaten: 5,860+ Number of different items combined with chocolate: 371 - from Absinthe to Zucchini) Weight of Chocolate Eaten: ~ 5,860 oz. (366.25 lbs. or 166.12 kg) Total Number of Chocolate Calories Consumed to date: ~ 879,000 (There are, on average, 150 calories in 1 oz. or 28.3 grams of chocolate.) Number of Companies producing chocolate items I've eaten: Approx. 1,592; Number of bean-to-bar makers: 194 Number of Countries where chocolates were made: 66 Number of Pounds of Chocolate Americans Eat: Approx. 11-12 pounds per year; I eat 27 lbs. (more than 12 kg.)/year. Per capita chocolate consumption in Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Ireland: 8-9 kilograms (17-22 pounds)/year. Global demand has stayed high, despite economic fluctuations. Cost of all these Chocolates: A lot of money, but worth every penny. Chocolates range from $1 to $20 each. Occasionally I receive gifts or samples. Copyright Information All other product names, logos, trademarks, and product packaging designs belong to their respective owners. Content and photos are by Corinne C. DeBra unless otherwise noted; all photos are posted in low resolution. Copyright (c) 2006-2021 Corinne C. DeBra, Chocolate Banquet ERLC joins FRC in telling Obama ISIS atrocities against Christians are genocide Christian Post Contributor | 18 February, 2016 by Anugrah Kumar WASHINGTON (Christian Post) The Christian Post obtained an early copy of a letter sent to President Barack Obama from more than 100 organizations and individuals, including Hudson Institute, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Family Research Council, as well as Assyrian and Iraqi groups, urging his administration to declare Islamic State atrocities as genocide against all minorities, including Christians, and not just Yazidis. "There is a growing chorus of political and faith leaders, genocide scholars, human rights experts and numerous Iraqi and Syrian, Christian and Yazidi firsthand testimonies recognizing that the most accurate description for the atrocities unfolding at the initiative of the Islamic State is genocide," reads the letter sent Wednesday by International Religious Freedom Roundtable, an informal and diverse group of non-governmental organizations and individuals which meets in Washington D.C. The letter comes a week after Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill stated in their historic joint statement that "whole families, villages and cities of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being completely exterminated." The letter comes a week after Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill stated in their historic joint statement that "whole families, villages and cities of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being completely exterminated." Earlier this month, the European Parliament passed a resolution declaring that the Islamic State terror group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, "is committing genocide against Christians and Yazidis ... (and) other religious and ethnic minorities." The letter, signed by numerous groups and individuals, including Nina Shea and Paul Marshall from Hudson Institute, Christian author and spokesperson for Middle Eastern Christians Johnnie Moore, Russell Moore from the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Tony Perkins from Family Research Council, Thomas Farr from Georgetown University's Religious Freedom Project, and Douglas Napier from ADF International among others. Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also used the word "genocide" to describe the Islamic States actions against Christians and other religious groups. She said on Dec. 29, 2015: "I am now sure we have enough evidence, what is happening is genocide deliberately aimed at destroying lives and wiping out the existence of Christians and other religious minorities." The signatories included representatives from Assyrian Patriotic Party in Iraq, Alliance of Iraqi Minorities, Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council, Yazidi Youth Union General Consul, Coptic Solidarity, Dwekh Nawsha Assyrian Army and many more. Without a formal declaration, the letter says, "the U.S. Government has abdicated its duty and vow to confront the most heinous of human rights violations, namely genocide," the letter states, reminding Obama that "between now and March 16, 2016, your Administration has a tremendous opportunity to extend American leadership at a crucial time on behalf of the ancient religious and ethnic minority communities who are experiencing the most brutal reality imaginable genocide." The letter noted that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq Human Rights Office have also stated clearly that "ISIL continue to target members of different ethnic and religious communities ... (These) acts appear to form part of a systematic and widespread policy that aims to suppress, permanently expel, or destroy many of these communities within ISIL areas of control." Writing for National Review, Hudson Institute's Shea wrote that the State Department in October leaked word that an official genocide designation would be forthcoming but made clear that State would recognize only a Yazidi genocide and not one against Christians. "Unnamed administration officials are proffering various arguments to justify omitting the Christians. All are flimsy, as seen below, and point to political motives," she wrote, citing an example of how a tragic, violent incident concerning a Christian woman was not included in a recent report by the U.S. Holocaust Museum. "After entering a Nineveh town in August 2014, ISIS militants confronted a Christian woman and demanded that she convert to Islam," Shea narrated. "When she refused, as the woman, now a refugee in Kurdistan, reported to the Hammurabi Human-Rights Organization in Iraq, they grabbed her infant and dashed him to the ground, killing him, and took away her husband." The report "purports to cover all minorities and that State Department officials say the administration is relying on to make its determination that only the Yazidis face genocide," Shea points out. "Nor are any others from the volumes of Christian cases documented by Hammurabi, Aid to the Church in Need, the Assyrian International News Agency, the Vatican's Agenzia Fides, and other Christian sources." The letter tells President Obama that "designating the crimes committed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria as genocide against Christians Assyrians/Chaldeans/Syriacs, Copts, etc. Yazidis, Shia Muslims, Turkmen (Shia), Shabak and other religious minority communities would build upon your 2015 National Security Strategy which acknowledges, 'We have a strong interest in leading an international response to genocide and mass atrocities when they arise, recognizing options are more extensive and less costly when we act preventively before situations reach crisis proportions.'" Such a designation would also support Obama's Dec. 23, 2015, "Statement on Persecuted Christians at Christmas" where he noted, "In some areas of the Middle East where church bells have rung for centuries on Christmas Day, this year they will be silent; this silence bears tragic witness to the brutal atrocities committed against these communities by ISIL," the letter adds. In conclusion, the letter says: "The world is watching and clear moral leadership by your Administration is needed to declare and subsequently stop such atrocities in order to preserve these ancient communities. It is our belief that officially declaring and subsequently halting this genocide is a matter of vital moral and strategic importance for the United States, the international community, and the overall state of religious freedom around the world." This article was produced by Christian Examiner. Used with permission. Former UN Secretary-General and Egyptian veteran Boutros Boutros-Ghali passed away on February 16 at the age of 93 in Cairo. His tenure at the United Nations from 1992 to 1996 was marked by major events and upheavals around the globe, which included genocide and famine in Africa and Balkan wars. It was also the era when the Cold War had just ended, paving the way for fundamental changes in the world's political dynamics. The 15-member UN Security Council session kept a moment of silence in his honor on Tuesday. According to the local newspapers, he was admitted to a hospital with a broken leg last week. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said that the former leader "brought formidable experience and intellectual power to the task of piloting the United Nations through one of the most tumultuous periods in its history." In the statement published on the official UN website, Ban also mentioned Boutros-Ghali's landmark report, "An Agenda for Peace," which set guidelines for development and democratization, many of which are still in use by the UN. The proposals also suggested a course of action appropriate for the UN in conflict resolution and prevention. He played a key role in Camp David peace negotiations between Egypt and Israel in 1978, and a subsequent peace treaty the following year. The diplomat came from one of Egypt's most influential Coptic Christian families, and studied international law. His grandfather, Boutros Ghali Pasha was the country's prime minister between 1908 and 1910. He was the only Secretary General to have served a single term at the UN. During his time as the head of the United Nations, he tried to separate the internal workings of the organization from political juggernauts of the time. He could not win a second term at the UN. He was succeeded by Ghanaian diplomat Kofi Annan. His five years at the UN came with formidable challenges, such as peaceful resolution and prevention of Balkan wars and Rwandan genocide. However, each time the efforts were complicated by limits on UN peacekeeping forces and member countries' interventions. Boutros-Ghali called the 1994 Rwandan genocide, which claimed over 500,000 lives in a period of three months, his "worst failure at the United Nations." Pope Francis gave his condolences in a telegram sent by Secretary of State of the Vatican, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. "Recalling Mr. Boutros-Ghali's generous service to his country and to the international community, His Holiness offers the assurance of his prayers for the late Secretary-General's eternal rest, and he invokes the divine blessings of peace and strength upon the members of his family and all who mourn his loss," the telegram reads. The week of February 15 is being remembered as the first anniversary of beheading of 21 Coptic Christians, who were marched on the beach and decapitated by Islamic State militants. The video of the beheadings was then circulated on the internet in a threatening message to the "nation of the cross," where the ISIS militants dressed in black were standing behind the Christians in orange jumpsuits. The Copts from Egypt had gone to Libya to work as construction workers, and were kidnapped separately between December 2014 and January 2015. Christian experts who studied the video said the martyrs cried out together "Ya Rabbi Yasou" (which is translated as "O My Lord Jesus") before the knives touched their necks. The video was titled "A Message Signed with Blood to the Nation of the Cross." And a caption read in Arabic, "These insisted to remain in unbelief as they did not accept Islam", according to BosNewsLife. The Coptic Orthodox Church in Samalot, from where most of the slain belonged, celebrated Divine Liturgy in masses and prayer meetings to honor them. Priests of the church dedicated the services to the 21 Christians, and recorded them in liturgy to be remembered as "martyrs of Libya," as they were killed for their faith. The Copts were officially registered by Patriarch Tawadros II in the Synaxarium, which chronicles the martyrs of the Coptic Church, and will celebrate February 15 as a day of remembrance every year. "We remember them, we remember what happened to them, and we will forgive because we belong to God. I also hope that it is sending a message that we stand together," he was quoted as saying by Independent Catholic News. Coptic Catholic Bishop Anba Antonios Aziz Mina said that the 21 martyrs displayed the passion of the early Christians when they "entrusted themselves to Him who would receive them shortly thereafter. And so this is a celebration of their victory, a victory that no perpetrator can take from them." Nearly 90 years ago, a missionary wrote a song meant to galvanize the Western church and draw hundreds of missionaries to China. This Sunday, more than 4,100 churches around the world will sing Facing a Task Unfinished with a modern twist. In 1920, Frank Houghton traveled east with China Inland Mission. Nearly a decade later, the missions agency issued a call for 200 men and women who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ to minister to the country then torn apart by civil war. Aided by Houghtons song, the ministry got its 200 missionaries. And by 2015, the number of Christians in China grew to somewhere between 67 million and 106 million. China Inland Mission became OMF International, which celebrated its 150th anniversary last year. As part of the commemoration, OMF asked Keith and Kristyn Getty to update the hymn. This Sunday, congregations worldwide will sing it in order to draw attention to the imperative need for Christian evangelism worldwide. ... 1 Update (Feb. 23): Four days after Pope Francis visited Chiapas, local officials agreed to restore water and electricity to 27 Protestant families. Two years ago, the utilities were turned off when the families refused to participate in or donate money to Catholic celebrations. The agreement brokered with authorities includes respect for beliefs, as well as the obligations of villagers, as long as these do not include participation in or contributions to religious festivals, a local advocate told Christian Solidarity Worldwide. But in another Chiapas village, Catholic officials refused last week to allow an elderly Protestant man to be buried there. The man was part of 12 Protestant families who were expelled from the village for their faith in 2012, and have been living in a homeless shelter in nearby San Cristobal de las Casas. The city is where Francis led Mass and denounced Mexicos treatment of its indigenous peoples. John L. Allen Jr., associate editor of Crux, ... 1 An interview with Garrison Keillor. We are highlighting Leadership Journal's Top 40, the best articles of the journal's 36-year history. We will be presenting them in chronological order. Today we present #26, from 1991. One of Garrison Keillor's stories describes the twenty-four Lutheran ministers who visit Lake Wobegon as part of their "Meeting the Pastoral Care Needs of Rural America" study tour. There to greet them as they step off the bus is the mayor of Lake Wobegon, who, according to Keillor, observes: "Ministers. Men in their forties mostly, a little thick around the middle, thin on top, puffy hair around the ears, some fish medallions, earth tones, Hush Puppies; but more than dress, what set them apart was the ministerial eagerness, more eye contact than you were really looking for, a longer handshake, and a little more affirmation than you needed. 'Good to see you, glad you could be here, nice of you to come, we're very honored,' they said to him, although they were guests and he was the host." As they walk down the alley behind Ralph's Pretty Good Grocery, past Mrs. Mueller's cat sitting in the shade of an old green lawn chair, one of the ministers tells the mayor about their tour: "We've gotten an affirmation of Midwestern small-town values as something that's tremendously viable in people's lives. But there's a dichotomy between the values and the politics that is really crucial at this point. It's a fascinating subject." Garrison Keillor's attention to detail, speech patterns, and his understanding of human nature all combine to make many of his readers feel like they have lived in his fictional town of Lake Wobegon, Minnesota. Others long to visit. Keillor's books, Lake Wobegon Days, Leaving Home, and Happy to Be Here were national best sellers. His live variety show, "A Prairie Home Companion," gained a loyal national audience in its thirteen years on American Public Radio. More recently, Keillor moved from his native Minnesota (which he calls "a Northern European nation") to Manhattan, where he writes for The New Yorker, Harper's, The Atlantic, and is in his third year with his radio show "The American Radio Company." Leadership editor Marshall Shelley and New York pastor Gordon MacDonald, who has closely followed Keillor's work as a writer and performer, visited Keillor's American Humor Institute office and asked him about his spiritual and professional pilgrimage. In your stories, you clearly identify with the values that came out of your religious background. You seem careful not to renounce or to ridicule your strict Plymouth Brethren upbringing. And yet you apparently felt the need to step away from it to embrace a larger circle. My people were Scottish; they sort of came by their Calvinism naturally. There was something in them that suited that temperament, that intellectual passion for a perfect and ordered world. And I basically grew up in one. But it's hard to stay in that world and still keep one's curiosity. As an artist you found it unfriendly? It was unfriendly, and I couldn't understand why. I only felt it as hostility from individuals. I didn't feel it as a judgment that had the weight of Scripture or divine authority behind it. So I walked away from the Plymouth Brethren, and I've had thirty years now to think about it, and I still don't know what I think. I have the same faith I had as a child. I don't use the word values to describe this. I believe that it's true. It's not that I've placed a value on the gospel or believe that it leads us toward a particular life. It's true; it's not a value. If it's true, why did you leave the Brethren? The Brethren take one aspect of the gospelthe principle of separationto the exclusion of most of the other things that Jesus taught. And this can lead so easily to the very sort of legalism that Christ was continuously rebuking in the Pharisees who were following him around, looking for a chance to trip him up in inconsistencies and in not following the letter of the law. In the same spirit, the Brethren seemed to find ample reason to separate themselves from almost everybody, even to separate themselves from each other. That track, if followed to its natural conclusion, would lead to churches made up of individuals breaking bread alone in their living rooms across America. At the same time, there's so much I would want to say in favor of the Brethren and of other fundamentalists. They were powerful scholars, and they were devoted to the Word. When it comes down to a choice between Scripture and our own imaginations and our own charm as individuals, one does well to choose Scripture. It's always good to return to that. And the Brethren never left it. They had a great passion for the Word, and that's to their credit. They also were devoted to a life of prayer, which perhaps is easier among those who are set apart. I think prayer and a prayerful attitude are the first things we lose when we get involved in the world. In one of your stories, you remarked, "In our church we had a surplus of scholars and a deficit of peacemakers." Were you saying that you were a peacemaker and that peacemakers have a tough time surviving in such churches? In the Brethren, I think peacemakers were seen as lacking conviction. I do think this has changed in thirty years, and I shouldn't sit and talk about the Brethren in the present tense because I have not been present since I was rather young. No, I wasn't one of the peacemakers. I was part of another group: the satirists. And they didn't have any place there at all. I'm not sure they should. I'm not sure where satire fits into the gospel. Satire is certainly a moral art. There's no doubt about it. Satire has to have a moral base. You can't satirize based on aesthetics. You can't make fun of what is merely tasteless. But in a church body, I don't see that satirists are of much use. As you moved further away from that strict style of faith, were there landmarks along the road-personal events, adverse or friendly-that steered you in the direction you've gone? Of course. But I think there were more cataclysmic events involved. When our family, in my father's generation, moved off the farm and into the city, that was a difficult move for them as Christian people. And it was us younger kids who felt the shock. Living on the farm, as my grandfather did, enabled him to choose a different way of life and to live by his own light. And his light certainly was the gospel. He wasn't a particularly successful farmer. He worked about 160 acres and raised dairy cows and a mixture of crops. His life was centered on his faith in a way that is impossible in the city. He began every day with a family altar, right after breakfast. My Uncle Jim, who took over the farm when my grandfather died, carried on this practice. You milked the cows before breakfast. Then, after you had your Post-Toasties and your coffee, you went into the front room-seldom used for anything else-and you sat there and you read a chapter and you talked about it and then you knelt down and you prayed for as long as he figured was necessarya long, slow prayer, everybody kneeling, putting your face into the sofa. I remember the smells of that sofa, of other members of the family. Only after this was done would you go out, hitch up the team, and cultivate the fields. It was very lovely to a kid. It was a way in which we were different from other people. In the country you could do that. The city changed that. Working for the post office, as my father did, that was impossible. We lived in close proximity to other people and felt more a part of American society. We got a newspaper in our house every day. My grandfather didn't. My grandfather wasn't a particularly patriotic person. He never voted. He didn't believe that was any of his business. He really believed that here we have no continuing city-we're sojourners, wanderers. And in some way he felt that America was a work of God but that the place of a Christian in the world didn't have a lot to do with being an American. Somewhere along the line you grew away from that. Because I assimilated. Those old fundamentalists were in some ways like immigrants from another country. By their powerful conversion, they made themselves aliens in the world, and then their children gradually find their way back. Millions of people have gone through what you're describingperhaps not consciously rejecting their roots, their theology, but having to make peace with "the more real world," the city. Some rebel and throw out their faith-bashing religion in general, conservative faith in particular. And yet, we don't hear that kind of hostility in your work. You made the transfer. How have you done it? I don't know what it is that I've done. I don't offer my experience as exemplary in the slightest. A lot of my friends who grew up in more mainline churches, Lutheran and Methodist, have also tended to fall away. Fundamentalists are pretty good at holding on to their own. Some of my family slid off to what we grew up referring to as "the systems." Do you think a person with your kind of creative drives can survive in the structured, orderly world of conservative Christianity? Yes. Goodness yes. When you started your writing career, though, didn't you ever say to yourself, "If the folks back at the home church read this, they would die"? Yes, but the work that I might have said that about is not my best work. People back at the home church, or "the meeting" as we called ourselves (we were not a "church," that was "the system's" word) ... people back in the meeting turned out to be right about a lot of things. They thought the use of tobacco was an abomination. So of course, I launched myself into twenty-five years of smoking. I finally quit six years ago. They thought all sorts of things were abominations. They may not be abominations, but we can easily do without them. If I had stayed in the Brethren, it would have been difficult. A person would have had to have renounced the idea of success, and that would be hard. Because I have really enjoyed success. I would have had to renounce that. They didn't believe in going to college and in developing yourself, developing your talent to the highest level and competing and getting ahead. They thought that was all delusion. They thought that a person had an obligation to work and to support yourself and that was about it. Your obligations were not to yourself, to your abilities, but to obedience to God. At least three interesting personalities in our century, in one way or another, stepped away from their conservative Christian roots: Ernest Hemingway, Wes Craven (the producer of horror movies), and Garrison Keillor. What makes the outstanding creative person uncomfortable in that backyard? Is Christianity hostile to artists, to those who love to let their minds roam? No, not at all. I think the sad thing, for instance, about the recent Mapplethorpe controversy was that it drew yet once again Christians, particularly evangelicals and fundamentalists, into conflict with artists, which is a tragic conflict. In many cases fundamentalists and evangelicals have been drawn into tragic alliances with capitalists and militarists, which I think is such a betrayal of the gospel. Artists are searchers. Artists, I think in some sense, are more open to the workings of the Holy Spirit. What if someone in the church had told you, early in your life, "Go for it. Go to New York. Write. Tell the world what you think and feel even if sometimes it's hard to take. Feel free to use any allusions or structures in your writing that will get the point across." We don't have the feeling that any Christian ever told you that. I'm not sure they should have told me that. But what they should not have done was to imagine that art can be controlled and made useful and made becoming. The Plymouth Brethren believed in such a thing as Christian fiction, which is fiction put to the use of preaching a message. I grew up on "The Sugar Creek Gang" books. I read them all. It was rather light entertainment. I don't denigrate the person who wrote it, but it's not all that fiction can do. The Christian fiction for adults was completely unsatisfying. A grown-up person would always prefer Scripture itself to anything so thin as the "approved fiction." Somehow they believed in giving the Spirit some latitude in other matters, but not in art. In those matters they felt that they knew best. And I had a feeling of righteousness about writing, some of which has worn off in thirty years, but not most. I do think that this is worthy work for believers. Many devout homes raise children with a sense of mission-that the number one call in life is to preach the gospel to the world. Do you at all have a sense of mission in what you're doing these days? Is your work just work, or sheer creative joy, or are you called to a kind of preaching mission? I suppose I feel called. But the evangelistic drive, I guess, strikes an old PB as a little bit entrepreneurial. We'd want to make sure we really have something before we go out and bestow the gift on others. I suppose if I had a real mission drive, I'd head for television, but I'm really headed in the opposite direction. If I had a real mission drive, I would get out there and battle for a hearing. But whenever I do go out there, the world seems to me to be irremediably corrupt. The world of media, the America we read about in news magazines and see on television, where you can imagine you are affecting millions of people-that aspect of our culture seems to me to be heartless and without much basis in reality. Do you see yourself as offering an alternative? No. No. What I'd rather do is my hoop-stitching. I do a certain kind of short fiction for The New Yorker magazine. I also do "Notes and Comment" pieces from time to time. The New Yorker has somewhere around a half million readers. In a nation of 220 million people, it's not a very big group. Public radio, likewise, is a small audience in this country. But it's a lovely audience, and it's one that I think is good enough. Your chosen medium, storytelling, influences opinion. Preachers use your stories as sermon illustrations. Communicators analyze your tapes. Discussion groups read your books and talk about your stories. And many of these stories drip with messages. That sounds messy. (Laughter) It's a wonderful kind of mess. One of your best stories is when Carla Krebsbach, the homecoming queen, rides down the main street of Lake Wobegon on a Sherman tank, dressed in white, and her father comes the other direction on his tractor, hauling to the dump a 1937 Chevy coupe that someone had buried and used as a septic tank. They come face to face, and neither can turn around. That's either a wonderful story just left as a story, or it's a great cosmic picture of purity and evil at a standoff, with all the universe of Main Street looking on, wondering who's going to blink first. My sister was a National Guard queen in high school, and it was an amazing sight. There was a tank (I assume it was a Sherman tank, I don't know) rumbling down the main street of Anoka, Minnesota, with my sister in a strapless white gown sitting in the forward cockpit. Purity personified. Yes! And with National Guardsmen marching along on either side in single formation. That enhances the story. But let us in on the secret. Did Garrison Keillor sit and type out that story with cosmic significance in mind or does that emerge only after the fact? Those Lake Wobegon stories were amazingly easy to write for about three or four yearssinfully easy, I'd almost say. I'd sit down, always with just a couple of real things in mind. In that story, the real elements are my sister and her stint as National Guard queen in Anoka, Minnesota, in about 1957. I think the 18-year-old girl in a white formal, riding a tank, is a memorable image. The other element was a friend of mine had told me that his uncle had in fact buried a car in the yard and used it as a septic tank. Well now, that's an interesting fact to anybody. (Laughter) But what they mean, I don't really have any idea. We don't normally bring them into juxtaposition. That's what you do, of course, in the story. Those stories were so easy to write, so natural, like writing a letter. I've never written anything with less effort. Not before or since. But they are fraught with certain themes and messages that just keep coming back again and again and again. I'd have to study this, and I'm not sure it would be possible for me to identify them. You come from a background where there was a high premium put upon teaching and preaching. You have chosen a more oblique way to communicate: storytelling. And you have helped revive storytelling in our country to a level that it had lost. No, I think it's always been present. Perhaps with children in the back country. But in New York City? Oh, yes. Stories are how people bring up their children, and stories are how people survive in surroundings that are inhospitable. New Yorkers are terrific storytellers and have great stories of suffering and duress and how they have managed to survive these indignities. New York stories are about survival; they're not about triumph. There is no triumph in the city. Maybe that makes them more Christian. Out in the West, hyperbole and bragging and exaggeration are part of so much of our stories. You once said that for over a year, you stopped attending church. You felt conspicuous, felt that you were under pressure to make an impression, and you felt it was better for you and the congregation that you were not there. Have you changed your perception? Oh, yes. It's different living in New York where a person can be anonymous. I tried for about a year and a half to be an Episcopalian, but in a way, the congregation was just too good for me. They have that sort of maddening high-mindedness that makes liberals sort of easy to despise. I speak as one. This church had an exemplary record. It's a wonderful church. They have a mission to gay people; they were involved in Nicaragua, South Africa, and everything else; on top of it all, this tiny congregation supported a vast, ambitious soup kitchen. But after a while, I felt that if I, a middle-aged, white, affluent male, felt real bad one week, thought about coming around to the church and talking about it, I mean, where do I stand in relation to gay people and homeless people and Nicaragua and the Third World and the environment I mean, I'm rather far down on the hierarchy of worthy causes. No, in the Gospels, Christ takes people as they come along. He didn't determine that, for instance, adulterous women were the leading social problem in Judea at that time. But when he met one, he dealt with her. So since then, I've relapsed and become a Lutheran. I mean I go every Sunday. And that I find very ... good. I was going to say comfortable, and it is comfortable, but I know I shouldn't say comfortable, so I don't want to say comfortable, but it is comfortable. I feel like I walk through the door and I am among people who are pretty much like me. It's kind of an ethnic church. When you walk into church for Sunday worship, what do you hope happens? You hope that the leaders who have worked up the exercise don't get too much in the way of the congregation, and don't try to put on too much of a performance. That's my bias because, you know, as a performer I'm intolerant of other performers. The sort of minister who sets my teeth on edge is one who is trying a little bit too hard, has just a little too much heartiness coming from up front. And the sermon is too stylized by about half. You don't go to church for an essay. The art of the essay is a great art, but you don't go to church for that. And I think that's what a lot of ministers, in my limited experience, try to provide. They offer this work of the sermon art. And it's usually not what's needed. What kinds of preaching do you appreciate? The best sermons I've heard, the ones that left me shaken afterward, always were based on simple storytelling. The preacher has told us a story from the Bible in such a way that we really can feel its reality. The story of Job is a story that everyone imagines that they know. But, I tell you, we don't know that story. You don't know that story until you would be able to look people in the eye and tell them that story, and I couldn't sit here really and tell you the story of Job so that it would have the full impact. But I can remember once in a Baptist church in Louisville, Kentucky, where the preacher did just that. He simply told the story of Job, and he read some, and he summarized some. He extrapolated it into modern analogies and modern terms a little bit but not too much. He just tried to tell a story. And it was a story that left you dazed at the end of it. We started out with a very orderly, stable, predictable world of the farm. We end up in a world like New York where the story is about survival, chaos, fifteen-minute buffers between appointments, unpredictability. That's quite a journey ... Yes. But the church is the common thread that works the same in New York as it did in Minnesota. Idyllic as the 160-acre farm may seem to us, it was not idyllic to my grandfather. Everything was unpredictable. And life was cruel. And when he came together with the other Brethren every Sunday morning for Communion, that was the redeeming moment of his week. What's the parallel between that and your experience in church today? That the institution of the church and the theology is not so crucial to the people in the pews as that feeling of union at Communion, which is a powerful moment, which brings tears to a person's eyes, and when it doesn't, it should. To me it's the heart of everything. Flannery O'Connor, a Catholic, wrote about going to church in Georgia. A friend of hers told her she didn't go anymore because she didn't care for the homily. Flannery O'Connor looked at her in disbelief; she couldn't believe that somebody would be so foolish as to think that the homily was what anyone went to church for. The priest's performance was immaterial. Has the center of gravity in the gospel shifted dramatically for you over the years, or is it still the same gospel? We're talking about a considerable passage, about a difference between a child and a man almost fifty. The God of my childhood was primarily omniscient: One who sees all and is always looking. A child is used to being watched by invisible beings, God the highest, most powerful among them. But your dead relatives are also out there watching. Eventually you realize even your thoughts can be seen by your old Scottish grandpa, who is up there watching. Increasingly as you get older, your thoughts are shameful, or what you've been brought up to imagine as shameful. And these people were death on everything erotic. As you get older, you cannot endure the gaze of that kind of God and live. It's unbearable. You have to put that merciless gaze out of your mind or you would become a nut living in a mobile home at the end of a long dirt road with his cats and sitting out there eating acorns. Against that pitiless gaze is the vision of Christ the Good Shepherd, which we also grew up with as children. Part of that vision is the miraculousness of the gospel, grace, the good news, which one learns more and more about as you get older. After a long lapse, a long absence, I came back. And the pitiless gaze is gone somehow. The apocalyptic visions of Brethren don't have as much power for me as they had when I was 8 and 10 and 11, when they had absolute power. We lived our lives in anticipation of the Second Coming, which I think is fine-that is to see the world truthfully. If you look at the world with some anticipation of the Lord's coming, you will have a different scale of values, a better scale. But, when it becomes your obsession, it's impossible to live that way. One of your stories is about the prophecy teacher who came to town every year, put his elaborate chart up on the wall, and explained the end times in great detail. And one year he goes out to the fields with the men and has a sunstroke. They strip his shirt and are shocked to see his tattoo. That was his past. Yes. That was his mark. That story summarizes the shock of the meeting between the eternal and the earthy, between the man with his finger on the ages and the man with the tattoo. That chart was a powerful thing. It was called "The Course of Time from Eternity to Eternity." I still have it in my bedroom. My wife is Danish and doesn't understand it a bit. (Laughter) But it depicts everythingthe world in chaos on the far left to the eternal hereafter on the right. When I was a kid, I could look at that chart and feel that I understood all of human history. There on the chart it was perfectly explained and simplified. This wasn't anything I could have explained to anybody else. It was simply a feeling of utter certainty. But what happens to the value of the chart when you see the tattoo? Then you start to realize that prophecy can explain only so much. Storytelling is required for the rest. Great answer. And so is the way you end that story: "My father told me, 'You must never tell anybody about this.' And I never haveuntil now." Copyright 1991 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal. Police Violate Free Speech Rights of Pro-Life Advocates in Hollywood, Florida Thomas More Society Challenges Public Sidewalk Restriction at Abortion Clinic HOLLYWOOD, Fla., Feb. 17, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- Thomas More Society attorneys have sent a letter to the city of Hollywood, Florida, and its police department challenging a recent police order. A Hollywood officer forbade pro-life advocates from standing on a public sidewalk in front of an abortion facility, apparently at the clinic's request. Last week, Officer Del Castillo told participants in the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil, that they could not stand on the public sidewalk in front of local abortion provider, A Woman's Center of Hollywood. The Thomas More Society contends that the officer's demand is a blatant First Amendment rights violation against those who gathered on the debut day of this year's public witness to the sanctity of human life. "Forbidding pro-lifers from standing on public property violates 75 years of clear Supreme Court precedent that gives broad protections to those engaging in free speech in public places," said Corrina Konczal, Thomas More Society Associate Counsel. "We are confident that, once the city and Chief of Police are made aware of this officer's unconstitutional ban, that they will reverse this order and assure our clients of their rights to publicly pray and hold signs on any sidewalk in the city." This is the third year that volunteers participating in the Hollywood prayer vigil have had a peaceful presence on the public property including both the sidewalk and the parkway outside of A Woman's Center. On February 10, 2016, Del Castillo told the pro-life advocates that they could not stand on the public sidewalk because the abortion providers had said they did not want the 40 Days for Life participants there. He stated that the abortion facility has the right to determine who may and may not stand on the sidewalk in front of its building. He implied that if this order was not obeyed, vigil participants could be ticketed. "We should not be banned from the public sidewalk just because we're pro-life," said John Hickey, a 40 Days for Life Hollywood volunteer. "We're exercising our First Amendment rights by holding a peaceful prayer vigil to help women and unborn children. Hopefully, Officer Del Castillo's supervisors will reverse his incorrect order so that our free speech will be respected for the rest of the 40 Days vigil." The Thomas More Society's letter calls upon the city of Hollywood and the office of the Chief of police to confirm that Officer Del Castillo was mistaken when he banned the vigil participants from the public sidewalk and to reassure pro-life advocates of their constitutional right to stand on the public sidewalk in front of the abortion vendor. The attorneys' missive notes specifically that "Officer Del Castillo's order is a clearly unconstitutional restriction of our clients' freedom of speech in a traditional public forum a public sidewalk." The letter requests a response from the city and police department by this Friday. Read the Thomas More Society's letter to the city Hollywood, Florida, and its police department here About the Thomas More Society 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. Already the hungriest country in the world, Burundi faces 'total implosion' Burundi is on the brink of a "major crisis", Unicef has warned, as political strife continues to dominate the country. Violence broke out in April last year when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced he was running for a third term, which opponents said was unconstitutional. A coup was attempted, but failed, and Nkurunziza went on to win the election in July with more than 91 per cent of the vote, amid an opposition boycott. A fresh wave of violence then erupted in the capital, Bujumbura, in December, resulting in the deaths of more than 130 people in just two days. Donor funding dropped, and money for essential health services to deal with cholera and malaria, for example is now scarce. Following the failure of peace talks, European Union foreign ministers said on Monday they were prepared to strengthen economic sanctions on Burundi. The EU the country's biggest aid donor has promised not to stop aid, however, much of which is already being diverted to humanitarian agencies rather than the government. According to Reuters, the UN has repeatedly warned that Burundi may be sliding into an ethnically-charged conflict, just ten years after a civil war which claimed the lives of 300,000 people. Already considered the hungriest country in the world, Burundi is facing a significant crisis. "What we [have seen] in the health arena which is 58 per cent reliant on external donors is that there are cracks in the system, beginning with essential drugs," Bo Viktor Nylund, Unicef's representative in Burundi, told the Guardian. The number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition has doubled since December, Nylund added, and the education system is suffering. "We're seeing similar developments both in terms of increased reports of kids not having had anything to eat when they come to school so not performing and so teachers not wanting them in school because they're not able to concentrate and also in terms of school materials and availability of resources for the government to actually run teacher training and so forth," he said. He also highlighted an increase in cases of sexual and gender-based violence in Bujumbura. "We're definitely seeing scary things on the health horizon," he said. "Even without any more violence, there will be a major crisis, so the time to invest is now not when it's too late... There's no way that the people of Burundi can survive with all of this support being pulled out." Speaking to Christian Today from Bujumbura, a World Vision partner, who cannot be named for security reasons, confirmed Nylund's concerns. He is working alongside some of the most vulnerable people in the country, particularly in the southeastern and northeastern regions, where hunger is a particular issue. "Malnutrition is indeed a subject of concern," he said. Two years ago, the Burundi government and stakeholders came together to tackle malnutrition and it fell by 10 per cent in under fives. "Now it is hard to tell exactly how many people are hungry because no recent stats are available," he said. "Figures might raise again if nothing is done." Since December, demonstrations have continued in the capital, the source added, highlighting grenade attacks on civilians in public places. Medecins Sans Frontieres treated more than 60 people including women and children earlier this week after a series of grenade explosions across Bujumbura. At least one child, a six-year-old boy, was killed. "Security remains an issue in the capital. Burundi was already a hungry country, and with the withdrawal of main donors, the situation worsened," he said. "Burundi has an unclear future. The government seems not to be flexible in front of main donors and has no will to sit at the same table with opposition. This position led most of the donors to stop direct aid to Burundi and threaten to take much tough sanctions. "It is difficult to predict the future of Burundi." Also speaking from Bujumbura on condition of anonymity, a source told Christian Today that food prices in the capital have doubled since the crisis kicked in last April, and many people had been struggling to afford to eat even before then. "I don't know how people make ends meet," the source said. Since December, "there has been a steady decline on every level human rights, fear, distrust," they added. "People are not going out after dark; there's a huge amount of fear." "It's hard to be hopeful," they said. Burundi is "right on the edge of total implosion, but it hasn't yet. I thought it would have by now." At Mexico-US border, Pope condemns suffering of migrants Pope Francis on Wednesday railed against immigration policies that force many underground and into the hands of drug gangs and human smugglers, praying at Mexico's border with the United States in what was once one of the world's deadliest cities. He walked up a ramp lined with flowers to a cross erected in Ciudad Juarez in memory of migrants who have perished trying to reach the United States just a stone's throw away. There he blessed three small crosses which will be sent to the dioceses of El Paso, Ciudad Juarez and Las Cruces, New Mexico. Shoes of migrants who died were laid beside them. Overlooking the Rio Grande that separates the two countries, it was the closest the Pope came to the US border during his six-day visit to Mexico. He then celebrated Mass just 80 yards (73 meters) from the border crossing in a fairground, connected via video link to faithful gathered at a university stadium in El Paso. "We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis," the Pope said shortly before he wrapped up his six-day visit to Mexico and took off for Rome. "Each step, a journey laden with grave injustices: the enslaved, the imprisoned and extorted; so many of these brothers and sisters of ours are the consequence of trafficking in human beings." "Injustice is radicalized in the young; they are 'cannon fodder', persecuted and threatened when they try to flee the spiral of violence and the hell of drugs. Then there are the many women unjustly robbed of their lives," he added. A major manufacturing center, the gritty industrial city of Ciudad Juarez has been hammered by drug violence in recent years. It also an important crossing for Mexicans, Central Americans and Asians trying to reach the United States illegally. Most in Ciudad Juarez are of modest means. Business leaders in the city say about 70 per cent of people in the city, a major low-cost manufacturing center, earn less than 210 pesos (11 USD) a day. The official minimum wage in Mexico is 73 pesos per day. The Pope's focus on the plight of migrants who risk murder, rape and extortion as they head north, comes as the number of Central American children and families apprehended at the border rises, in a spike reminiscent of a 2014 flood of migrants that created a major political headache for US President Barack Obama. Immigration reform remains one of the most divisive issues in US politics, and a key theme in the 2016 presidential vote. The Pope's stance is starkly at odds with the anti-immigrant rhetoric of candidates for the 2016 Republican US presidential nomination. Billionaire Donald Trump has surged ahead of his rivals with his message that Mexico is "killing" the United States with cheap labor, while sending over criminals and rapists. He has also promised to build a huge border wall. Trump last week dubbed the Pope "a very political person", saying he believed the Mexican government had put him up to the border visit. "To suggest that the Pope is an instrument of the Mexican government, no. That is very strange indeed," said Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, shortly before the pontiff arrived in Ciudad Juarez. "The Pope always speaks of the problems of immigration. If Mr. Trump were to come to Europe he would see that the Pope has said the same things about immigration to the Italians, the Germans, the French and the Hungarians." Tens of thousands of people crossed over the border from El Paso, Texas, to hear the Pope, though that was far fewer than expected. Earlier on Wednesday, the Pope issued a scathing critique of capitalism, saying that God will hold accountable "slave drivers" who exploit workers. "The flow of capital cannot decide the flow of people," the Argentine pontiff said, denouncing "the exploitation of employees as if they were objects to be used and discarded". "God will hold the slave drivers of our days accountable," he said. The Pope has in the past called money "the dung of the devil" and has decried what he calls the "evils" of unbridled capitalism, prompting criticism from US business leaders. He has visited some of the most marginalized areas of Mexico, urging young people in the violence-ridden state of Michoacan to avoid drug trafficking and taking a swipe at the country's rich and corrupt. Earlier in the day, it emerged that a laser beam was pointed at his plane as he landed in Mexico City last week, though there was no harm to those aboard. Colorado lawmakers kill measures that sought to ban abortion, penalise crimes against unborn child Lawmakers in Colorado have killed two bills that sought to ban abortion and penalise those who injure or kill an unborn child. In a 7-6 vote, the state's House Committee on Health, Insurance and Environment indefinitely postponed H.B. 16-1113, or the Protect Human Life at Conception Act, introduced by Republican state Rep. Stephen Humphrey. "It is the intent of the general assembly to make the practice of terminating the life of an unborn child illegal in the state of Colorado," the bill states, according to Christian News Network. The bill sought to prohibit anyone to "knowingly administer to, prescribe for, procure for, or sell to a pregnant mother any medicine, drug or other substance with the specific intent of causing or abetting the termination of the life of an unborn human being." "A person shall not knowingly use or employ any instrument or procedure upon a pregnant mother with the specific intent of causing or abetting the termination of the life of an unborn human being," the bill reads. Lawmakers also rejected H.B. 1007 or the Offenses Against Unborn Children bill introduced by Republican Rep. Janak Joshi. The House Committee on Business Affairs and Labor voted 8-4 to postpone it indefinitely. Rep. Clarice Navarro told the Aurora Sentinel that "the bill allows for the prosecutor to prosecute the individual who kills the unborn. After last year's horrific incident in Longmont where a baby was cut from the womb of the mother and later died, this bill would allow for the prosecutor to have the option of prosecuting that disgusting act as a homicide," she said. NARAL Pro-Choice America opposed the bill, saying it was intended to ban abortion in the state. "The alleged assailant in the Longmont case already faces multiple felonies and more than 100 years behind bars due to Colorado's Unlawful Termination of Pregnancy Law passed in 2013," Executive Director Karen Middleton said. Egypt orders closure of centre that fights against torture Human Rights organisations have condemned the Egyptian government's decision to force the closure of a clinic for victims of torture. Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International are among the groups concerned by the move which would see the El Nadeem centre shut down. "It's unconscionable for Egyptian authorities to shut down a clinic for torture victims, especially when Interior Ministry agents are committing rampant abuse of people in custody," said Sarah Whitson, Middle East director of HRW. "The Egyptian government should immediately revoke its closure of the Nadeem Center." The government of General Sisi has been popular with Christians and other minorities since he took control in a military coup in 2013. However, there have been accusations of torture by the regime. Last month an Italian student, Giulio Regeni, went missing in Cairo. His body was found a week later with injuries which suggested he may have been tortured. The centre has been open since 1993. As well as assisting people who have been victims of torture, it also serves women who have been victims of domestic violence. The centre also advocates for human rights. The "administrative closure order" that the centre received indicates it will need to shut this weekend. However, staff told the BBC that they intend to remain open and the organisation's director said, "Unless they arrest us all, we will continue to work." Escaped Boko Haram rape victims persecuted and ostracised by own communities Victims of rape and kidnapping at the hands of Boko Haram are often rejected and ostracised after they are released, reveals a new study by UNICEF and International Alert. As military forces reclaimed land captured by the jihadist group, hundreds of women and girls have been released from captivity, said the study. However in refugee camps or in their home communities, they face persecution. "As they return, many face marginalization, discrimination and rejection by family and community members due to social and cultural norms related to sexual violence," the report says. "There is also growing fear that some of these girls and women were radicalized in captivity. The children who have been born of sexual violence are at an even greater risk of rejection, abandonment and violence." All victims of sexual violence in Nigeria are stigmatised but those returning from Boko Haram captivity face particular persecution because communities fear they and the children fathered by jihadis have been radicalised. The report, released this week, is called 'Bad Blood: Perceptions of children born of conflict-related sexual violence and women and girls associated with Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria.' The study conducted a number of interviews and discussion groups in Borno, north-eat Nigeria. "Many perceive these victims of conflict as being partly responsible for the violence and losses suffered by entire communities during the insurgency," report authors wrote. "As a result, children and newborns as well as their mothers are being increasingly ostracized and are at risk of further violence." Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari declared the "technical defeat" of Boko Haram at the end of 2015. However the militants, who no longer control vast swathes of land in Nigeria, still carry out sporadic attacks of villages and markets. Most recently 58 were killed in a twin-bombing at a refugee camp, 55 miles outside Maiduguri. The jihadist group, who have claimed allegiance to ISIS, have exceeded their atrocities and were labelled the deadliest terror group in the world according to the 2015 Global Terrorism Index. First in U.S.: South Dakota Senate OKs bill banning transgenders from using restrooms of their gender identity The South Dakota Senate passed a bill on Tuesday that would prohibit transgender students from using restrooms of their gender identity. In a 20-15 vote, the Senate approved the Student Physical Privacy Act to require public-school students to use facilities that match their biological sex, according to the Washington Times. Transgenders, however, may seek "reasonable accommodation" including unisex, one-stall bathrooms. House Bill 1008 will be sent to Gov. Dennis Daugaard, who has not publicly expressed his position on the bill. The governor may sign the bill, veto it or it may become a law automatically if he doesn't act on it. If it becomes a law, South Dakota will become the first U.S. state to have the anti-transgender act. "This issue has been thrust upon us by an activist group of bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.," said Republican Senator Brock Greenfield, according to BuzzFeed. He said this is in response to the Obama administration's push for transgender rights in public schools. "It's only been a product of recent decisions made at the federal level," Greenfield said. "Do you feel it appropriate for a 13-year-old girl to be exposed to the anatomy of a boy?" the lawmaker asked. Democrats who opposed the bill said it could result in further discrimination and prompt the federal government to withdraw funding for the state's public schools. Sen. Bernie Hunhoff said no incident of transgender students using school restrooms has been recorded so far. "We could have egg on our face with a tourism boycott," Hunhoff said. Under the bill, "every restroom, locker room, and shower room located in a public elementary or secondary school that is designated for student use and is accessible by multiple students at the same time shall be designated for and used only by students of the same biological sex." Biological sex, according to the bill, is "the physical condition of being male or female as determined by a person's chromosomes and anatomy as identified at birth." Conservatives have been campaigning to ban men in women's bathrooms. The U.S. Justice and Education Departments under the Obama Administration said that Title IX of the Education Act of 1972 that bans sex discrimination in public schools also meant a ban on transgender discrimination. In the case of South Dakota, the "reasonable accommodation" clause has a condition that the school district should not be burdened when a transgender student makes such requests. "There is no state that bans transgender students from using facilities that correspond with their gender identity," said Sarah Warbelow, legal director at the Human Rights Campaign. Obama axes funding for 'abstinence-only' sex education Barack Obama has cut all funding for sex education programmes which teach it is best to wait until marriage. In a move that will enrage many Republican Christians, abstinence-based sex education programmes will lose their $10 million-a-year grant under the US President's 2017 budget proposal. The final budget of Obama's administration will also increase funding for the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program and maintain it for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Adolescent and School Health. Currently the US Department of Health and Human Services offers grants to states and territories teaching abstinence-based programmes. However Obama's budget would eliminate this completely and therefore remove any incentive to teach such programmes. Congress has until the new fiscal year begines on October 1 to debate the 2017 budget. Interim President and CEO of the the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the US (SIECUS), Jesseca Boyer issued a statement praising Obama's decision, which she believes will reduce teen pregnancy. "SIECUS is grateful for President Obama's leadership in seeking to end abstinence-only-until-marriage funding once and for all," she said. "After three decades and nearly $2 billion in federal spending wasted on this failed approach, the President's proposed budget increases support for programmes and efforts that seek to equip young people with the skills they need to ensure their lifelong sexual health and well-being." However advocates of abstinence-only sex education doubt the funding cut will actually pass as the Republicans, who generally support the programmes, control the US Congress. "I'm very optimistic," says Valerie Huber, president of the National Abstinence Education Association. "Every year the President sends his budget over to Congress he proposes the elimination of sexual risk avoidance programmes. For six months in the last two terms he was successful and the rest of the time Congress chose to ignore that request." She added it was an "anomaly" Obama was so opposed. "For some reason he is so hostile to abstinence education that he is willing to ignore the parents on both sides of the aisle and the good decisions made by an increasing number of teens," she said. "It's curious and disheartening." Overwhelming majority of influential British Muslims say ISIS is 'illegitimate' The overwhelming majority of influential British Muslims think ISIS is not a legitimate Islamic state, according to a study. The report on "normative Islam" examined levels of agreement within mainstream Islamic leaders in Britain on a range of beliefs including "Islamic law and consensus" and "jihad, extremism and terrorism". The report was compiled after 5Pillars submitted a list of 352 "influential British Muslims" to the market research company PCP. It found that 95 per cent believed "Islam forbids the wanton killing of non-combatants in war, and the unlawful killing of people away from a battlefield" and that "no one can be forced to become a Muslim". The study also found 94 per cent strongly agreed with the statement: "ISIS does not represent the mainstream Muslim community and is an illegitimate Islamic state". A slightly lower, but still overwhelming majority of 91 per cent, strongly agreed that "Islam promotes compassion and justice for all people regardless of religion, social status, race or any other context". The results from the survey, carried out by Peter Pickersgill on behalf of 5Pillars, broadly showed high levels of agreement and consensus among influential British Muslims on the main tenants of Islam. Statements such as "God is the sole creator, uniquely One and has no partners" and "The Prophet Muhammad is the last and final prophet and messenger of God" attracted the highest levels of agreement with 99 per cent and 97 per cent respectively strongly agreeing. "Forced marriages are forbidden in Islam" also attracted consensus with 97 per cent strongly agreeing. The report's authors said they hoped the results would be used to develop a greater understanding of Islamic belief in Britain. "The labeling of Muslims as 'moderates', 'liberals', 'reformists', 'conservative', 'extremists' and 'Islamists' has become the norm in Britain. Inevitably, this has resulted in division and misunderstandings within the Muslim community, as well as Britain's non-Muslim public," the report notes. "The desired aim of the research is to provide an empirical reference point for the media, academics and policymakers when ascertaining what equates to 'normative Islam,'" it adds. Statements surrounding governance and citizenship drew the lowest amount of agreement, although consensus was still relatively high. The belief that "Jihad, as is mandated in the Quran, is used to maintain or restore order, peace and security or to remove oppression and injustice" drew 76 per cent strong agreement and 61 per cent agreed with the idea "the true Caliphate (or any other Islamic equivalent) is not a theocratic state". "The segregation of men and women in religious and closed public settings is recommended for the best interest of society and acts as a safeguarding mechanism for the preservation of virtue" drew one of the lowest levels of strong agreement at 58 per cent. The participants were asked to complete a survey containing 95 statements. Out of the 352 names submitted, 150 completed the survey. Pilgrim's Progress: 10 classic quotes to feed your soul John Bunyan (1628-1688) was a tinker by trade, who made his living repairing pots and pans. He had hardly any education beyond learning to read and write. But he wrote one of the best-loved books of devotion in the English language, and one of its great literary treasures. The first part of The Pilgrim's Progress was published on this day in 1678. It's the story of the journey of Christian to the Celestial City, and his adventures on the way. His companions are Mr Valiant-for-Truth and Mr Greatheart. He encounters the Slough of Despond, Vanity Fair and the Giant Despair. It's a road trip that stands for the journey we all take through life, and Bunyan's vivid imagery, powerful imagination and spiritual insight have helped millions of Christians through the ages. In many ways he had a hard life. He enlisted in the Parliamentary army during the Civil War in 1644, and though he saw little service he had a narrow escape when a comrade who took his place on sentry-duty was shot through the head. He had a profound sense of his own sin, but found comfort in Martin Luther's commentary on Galatians and in the teaching of the Free Church pastor John Gifford, whose church he attended in Bedford. He had three children with his first wife, one of whom, Mary, was born blind. His wife died in 1659 and he married again not long afterwards. After the Restoration of King Charles II the authorities clamped down on Independent preachers like Bunyan and he spent 12 years in Bedford jail. He was released but then re-imprisoned, beginning The Pilgrim's Progress during his second jail term. He died after catching a chill during a rainstorm on his way to London with the manuscript of his book The Acceptable Sacrifice and is buried in Bunhill Fields. Here are 10 quotes from The Pilgrim's Progress. 1. A man there was, though some did count him mad, the more he cast away the more he had. 2. Just as Christian came up to the Cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, fell from off his back, and began to tumble down the hill, and so it continued to do till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre. There it fell in, and I saw it no more! 3. It is always hard to see the purpose in wilderness wanderings until after they are over. 4. [Valiant-forTruth] Then said he, "I am going to my Father's; and though with great difficulty I am got hither, yet now I do not repent me of all the trouble I have been at to arrive where I am. My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage, and my courage and skill to him that can get it. My marks and scars I carry with me, to be a witness for me that I have fought His battles who now will be my rewarder." When the day that he must go hence was come, many accompanied him to the river-side, into which as he went he said, "Death, where is thy sting?" And as he went down deeper, he said, "Grave, where is thy victory?" So he passed over, and all the trumpets sounded for him on the other side. 5. Now, Mr Great-heart was a strong man, so he was not afraid of a lion. 6. To go back is nothing but death; to go forward is fear of death, and life everlasting beyond it. I will yet go forward. 7. Wake up, see your own wretchedness, and fly to the Lord Jesus. He is the righteousness of God, for He Himself is God. Only by believing in His righteousness will you be delivered from condemnation. 8. He that is down needs fear no fall, He that is low, no pride He that is humble ever shall Have God to be his guide. 9. One leak will sink a ship: and one sin will destroy a sinner. 10. Who would true valour see, Let him come hither; One here will constant be, Come wind, come weather There's no discouragement Shall make him once relent His first avowed intent To be a pilgrim. Pope Francis: Contraception is 'lesser of two evils' in Zika virus outbreak Pope Francis said today that contraception could be justified in regions affected by the mosquito-born Zika virus. Contraception could be "the lesser of two evils" in the context of the virus, which is spreading with alarming rapidity in Latin America, and probably causing some pregnant woman who are exposed to it to have babies born with a birth defect called microcephaly. The babies are born with, or grow up with, abnormally small heads and may have a range of developmental problems. The Pontiff maintained that abortion is "an absolute evil" and should not be considered, even when the Zika virus is thought to have been contracted. The Pope drew a comparison between this current crisis and the Humanae Vitae decree issued by Pope Paul VI, which enabled nuns to use contraception in Africa due to the risk of rape. "Avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil," Francis said. "In certain cases, as in this one, such as the one I mentioned of Blessed Paul VI, it was clear. "I would also ask doctors to do their utmost to find vacancies against these mosquitoes that carry this disease. This needs to be worked on." The Pope spoke during an overnight flight on Wednesday en route back to Rome, following a six-day-long trip to Mexico. His comments concerning contraception come in the context of the World Health Organisation advising that women in Zika-affected areas should avoid getting pregnant for the time being, whether through abortion or contraception. The traditional Catholic position on contraception is that using any artificial form is a sin. Pope Francis suggests Donald Trump 'is not a Christian' Pope Francis has called into question Donald Trump's faith, saying "a person who thinks only of building walls... rather than building bridges, is not a Christian". The Pope was asked to comment on Trump's threat to build a wall along the southern border of the US with Mexico. Speaking aboard the papal plane on his trip back to Rome from Mexico today, Francis said: "A person who thinks only of building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the gospel". He refused to comment on whether Americans should vote for Trump in the upcoming elections, but added: "I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and I will give him the benefit of the doubt". Trump has taken a hard line on immigration, pledging to build a wall to slow down the number of Mexicans entering the United States, and even promising to make Mexico pay for it. In July last year, he claimed that Mexican immigrants were responsible for a significant number of rapes in America. "If you look at the statistics of people coming, you look at the statistics on rape, on crime, on everything coming in illegally into this country it's mind-boggling!" he said in an interview with CNN. In his speech announcing his bid for presidency, Trump also said: "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best... They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people." The Pope, meanwhile, has been vocal in his condemnation of the harsh treatment of migrants, and yesterday railed against immigration policies during a Mass in Ciudad Juarez, on the Mexico-US border. "We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis," Francis said. "Each step, a journey laden with grave injustices: the enslaved, the imprisoned and extorted; so many of these brothers and sisters of ours are the consequence of trafficking in human beings." Last week Trump said the Pope was a "very political person", and accused Francis of being an instrument of the Mexican government. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the allegation was "very strange indeed". "The Pope always speaks of the problems of immigration. If Mr Trump were to come to Europe he would see that the Pope has said the same things about immigration to the Italians, the Germans, the French and the Hungarians," Lombardi added. Primates 'sanctions' against Episcopal Church 'fail to heal tear in fabric of Anglican Communion' The imposition of penalties by Anglican leaders on The Episcopal Church (TEC) has failed to heal the tear in the fabric of the Anglican Communion, conservative leaders said. "There can be no true walking together until there is repentance for what is acknowledged even by TEC as a breach of core doctrine," said Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, Primate of Kenya and Chairman of the Gobal Anglican Futures Conference, in his letter on the Primates' Meeting. "The fabric of the Communion is still badly torn and there is a strong possibility that this year we shall see other provinces taking the same step." The primates imposed "consequences" on TEC for approving gay marriage and consecrating gay bishops. The Anglican Church in Canada is expected to vote on gay marriage this summer. According to a statement from the primates at last month's meeting in Canterbury, TEC will "no longer represent us on ecumenical and interfaith bodies, should not be appointed or elected to an internal standing committee and that while participating in the internal bodies of the Anglican Communion, they will not take part in decision making on any issues pertaining to doctrine or polity." However, Archbishop Wabukala said it was clear that TEC "appear to have moved well beyond the possibility of changing course." He said he believed the three years during which the penalities will be in place will make no difference. "I can say that all of us in the GAFCON movement need to set our faces to go to Jerusalem." He condemned "the rise of a false gospel in the Anglican Communion" and said there was a "duty to reject the authority of churches and leaders who deny orthodox faith in word or deed." He said the steps taken "to sanction" the Episcopal Church were "a step towards restoring godly faith and order" but soon after the end of the meeting "it was made very clear that there would be no repentance or change of direction on the part of TEC." Archbishop Wabukala continued: "It is now clear that nothing has changed as a result of the Canterbury meeting." George Conger of Anglican Ink also reported on a talk given by the chair of the Anglican Consultative Council, Bishop James Tengatenga. According to excerpts at Episcopal Cafe, Tengatenga said TEC "cannot be kicked out of the Anglican Communion and will never be kicked out of the Anglican Communion." He said the structures of the Anglican Communion did not permit the primates, or any other "instrument of communion", to discipline a member church. He said the next meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council will be held in two months' time in Lusaka. "Are the Americans going there? Yes." There were not going there to be rude. It was their "right and responsibility" to attend the meeting. "Are they going to vote? Yes, they are going to vote as it is their right and responsibility." Sex, homosexuality and celibacy: Why society can't cope with Christians being Christian Attacks on the decision by the Charity Commission this week to grant charitable status to the Christian group Living Out are quite revealing. Living Out supports Christians who are same-sex attracted but who don't believe it's right to engage in sexual activity with people of the same gender. The Charity Commission thought this was perfectly reasonable, saying in its statement that the group was "concerned with promoting the wider Christian principles of unconditional love, compassion, acceptance and understanding, and a welcoming place in the Christian Church for same-sex attracted individuals who wish to stay true to their Christian faith". However, Tory MP Mike Freer a former party vice-chairman was outraged and said it amounted to public backing for 'gay cure' therapies. He told PinkNews: "I am surprised the Charity Commission could remotely believe this to be of 'public benefit'. "Imagine if this group provided counselling and pastoral care to support those 'attracted to' stoning people to death for wearing two different cloths, or for the desire to sell ones daughter in a foreign market! That'd be helping to live a life according to biblical teaching! "They may not use the words 'gay cure', but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it's a duck! This is gay cure therapy rebranded!" We should note the violent and contemptuous hostility toward the Bible Freer's outburst demonstrates. We should also be clear that Living Out doesn't advocate the discredited 'gay cure' therapy that so exercises him; it says it offers "counsel and pastoral support to live a chaste life and, as part of this process, some may seek and experience changes in the strength or direction of their same-sex attractions". It's rather odd that Freer and another Tory politician, Lord Blackwood should take offence at this; the notion that sexuality is rather fluid is usually taken for granted among cultural liberals. But, there is, I think, something more going on here. At the root of the hostility demonstrated towards traditional Christian sexual ethics is not just a critique of its attitude to homosexuality. It's a rejection of the idea of sexual restraint at all. The idea that someone should deliberately deny themselves what is one of humanity's great pleasures in the name of an abstract belief in a higher good is baffling. The Western world is probably, at present, the most sexually 'liberated' in human history. Sex outside marriage is no longer frowned upon. It's become routine to have multiple sexual partners before settling down with 'the one', if indeed that's the end result. All sorts of sexual expression are mainstream. This new normality is reinforced by sitcoms regarded as family viewing and by a public discourse in which sexual fulfillment is assumed to be a basic human right. It hasn't necessarily made us happier, though there are things about the collapse of the consensus formed under Christendom that aren't bad. Perhaps we're more honest. Perhaps more people who need help in what can, after all, be quite a complicated area can find it more easily. Whatever one thinks about the appropriateness of homosexual relationships for Christians, no one can look back at the days when homosexuality was criminalised and gay people were stigmatised with anything but repugnance. But still, the assumption is that sex is natural and that restraint is unnatural. It's like eating or sleeping; why wouldn't you? The only constraint is in the area of personal choice. It becomes a question of autonomy: if I want to do something it's not up to anyone else to tell me I can't. So morality becomes free-floating, self-generated and unaccountable. If there are any considerations outside the purely personal, they have nothing to do with a vertical relationship to God or some other moral absolute: the highest good one can reasonably aspire to is not hurting someone else. So there is something at best pitiable and at worst offensive for Christians to assert their freedom to choose celibacy over sex. It is not, in fact, a choice all Christians, gay or straight, feel obliged to make, and we should not be too quick to condemn their choices. But those who do are making a statement that runs so starkly counter to the cultural current that reactions like Mr Freer's are only to be expected. The truth is that if we truly believe, it will have consequences for how we live. Helping people understand and live out those consequences is what the Church does, and has always done. In 1 Corinthians 6:13 Paul quotes a proverbial saying: "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food." In other words, the sexual appetite is as normal and morality-free as any other. But God will destroy them both, he says and "The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body." To stand against the universal consensus requires considerable moral courage. But part of being a citizen of a different kingdom is that you live by different rules. We don't believe our happiness or our value as human beings is demonstrated by whether we are sexuality active. We believe in friendship and in community. We believe our worth isn't measured by whether we've 'succeeded' in the relationship stakes, but by how we grow into maturity as people redeemed by Christ and patterning our lives on his. We believe in God. In the sort of world we live in, it's no wonder people don't get it. But same-sex attracted or otherwise, we're called to walk the same path toward Christlikeness, and sex has very little to do with it. Turkey removes 'religion' category from ID cards Turkey has ditched the requirement for citizens to name their religion on identity cards as part of the country's bid to join the European Union. The law was passed in January after a Christian MP said the system discriminated against non-Muslims. The new ID card will remove the "religion" category and the blue or pink colour coding to denote gender. However religion will still be registered on the card's chip, Middle East Eye reports. Garo Paylan, an Armenian MP for the Peoples' Democracy Party (HDP), called for the change during a speech in parliament. "When they see a name like Garo that isn't familiar, they look to find the religion listed," he said. "When they see that I am listed as a Christian, one day's work won't get done for a week or 10 days... I am repeatedly discriminated against." The speech followed the government's announcement it would officially renew ID cards and passports as part of its renewed bid to be accepted by the EU. The move was announced in December after activists from the Turkish Atheist Association launched a petition calling for Turks not to be labelled "Muslim" at birth. "We want politicians to restrain themselves when tempted to make discriminatory statements starting with 'even the atheists'," read the petition. "We want equal treatment before the law. We do not want to be treated as though we have 'insulted religious values' when we express our faithlessness." Turks are officially Muslim at birth and 98 per cent are listed as Islamic. However around 20 per cent are thought to adhere to Alevism, a sect related to Shia Islam which is unrecognised by the Turkish state. Professor Niyazi Oktem, an expert in Turkish Alevi affairs, told Zaman the attitude of the Turkish state was geared towards "assimilation" of non-Sunni groups. "Since Sunnis approach the issue with an assimilation [viewpoint] in mind, there is no concrete solution project," he said. "The Religious Affairs Directorate is also not very sincere [about a solution to the Alevis' problems]. There is always the idea in the back of their minds of turning Alevis into Sunnis, and this can be observed." We must get used to being offended. Without free speech democracy crumbles We Christians seem to find it quite easy to get offended. Remember the huge campaign against Jerry Springer The Opera? We get offended by Richard Dawkins' every tweet (often missing the point that many of his communications are designed to elicit just that response). How about the absurd faux-outrage over Stabucks' plain red cups? Yep, we're good at being offended. In wider society, the concept of offence is becoming more and more common. Again and again, and especially on university campuses, the possibility that one group of people might be offended by another group of people's opinions is being used to stifle free speech... Well over ten years after I left university there are some lectures that remain fresh in my mind. Probably aware that many of his students were half-awake when they arrived, my American History tutor would begin every lecture with a piece of music. On the day we were studying the Bill of Rights, he pressed play on the ghetto blaster (I know, I know) and out came the sound of The Clash. The song, Know Your Rights, is a stinging satire on how rights enshrined in laws or constitutions can be overridden by those in power. "You have the right to free speech," sings Joe Strummer, "as long as you're not dumb enough to actually try it!" Sadly, in the UK (and the US), this song is more apposite than ever. Corporations and governments using tools such as the Lobbying Act to stifle criticism. Writers from across the political spectrum are now highlighting another worrying drift towards authoritarianism. Universities, which are supposed to be bastions of freedom of expression, are at the vanguard of a chilling descent into a post-free speech world. This was brought into sharp focus this week when the veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell was 'no-platformed' by a representative of the National Union of Students, accusing him of "racism" and "transphobia." Tatchell has been not only a redoubtable campaigner for LGBT rights around the world for decades, but he has also championed the freedom of speech of Christians and others with whom he profoundly disagrees. He has defended the rights of Christians to say things which deeply offend him as a gay man because he realises that freedom of speech is the 'canary in the coal mine' of a free society. When freedom of speech is systematically threatened, we have got a real problem. It's not an isolated case by any means. Political journalist Ian Dunt has catalogued just a few of the many attempts to stifle free speech in recent months: "Oxford University cancelled a debate on abortion because protesters objected to the fact it was being held between two men; the Cambridge Union was asked (but refused) to withdraw its speaking invitation to Germaine Greer because of her views on transgender issues; officials at London Southbank took down a "flying spaghetti monster" poster because it might cause religious offence; UCL banned the Nietzsche Club after it put up posters saying "equality is a false God", and Dundee banned the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children from their freshers' fair." Let's be clear what's going on. A calamitous error is being made. People who are calling for bans on free expression have mistaken the airing of views which they find offensive or abhorrent as some kind of endorsement of those views by the university. This is clearly nonsense. But it's sinister nonsense. It implies that only the views tolerated by a certain clique in charge of discerning who is to be allowed a 'platform' are the views that will prevail. This is the beginning of totalitarianism. If we want to live in a society where we are free to express ourselves and the government and big corporations cannot imprison us simply for our views, then those views have to be allowed to be aired even if they cause offence. Offence has become the metric by which some university students define whether a view should be heard or not. This doubtless comes from good intentions not wanting those who've suffered racisim, sexual assault or other persecution to be forced to re-live their ordeals. We have to take this concern seriously and gratuitous offence should never be encouraged. However, there is no right not to be offended. As the atheist author Phillip Pullman said when told by a Christian that his book was offensive, "No one has the right to live without being shocked. No one has the right to spend their life without being offended." When it comes to freedom of speech, we have to draw the line somewhere, though. That line for me is when advocating violence. That's why I'm comfortable with rape advocates, suicide bombing enthusiasts and far right extremists being denied a platform, and even banned from the UK altogether. There is no way people who directly threaten safety or even lives should be welcome on our shores. However, beyond those constraints, people must be allowed to air their views, or we're heading for big trouble. Without the freedom to express our ideas, even if they are offensive, the freedom we claim we have is meaningless. Does this mean we should support the work of the anti-religious trolls of Charlie Hebdo? What about those publishers who've sought to reproduce images of Mohammed? Of course not. We shouldn't encourage behaviour which is going to cause hurt and pain. But should we ban these things? I'm afraid not. Christians should care about this topic deeply not least because our sisters and brothers in many places around the world are systematically denied freedom of speech and religion. In places like North Korea, Pakistan and Eritrea, they are facing real persecution and real risk to their lives. However, here in the West, we don't face persecution and maybe it's time for us to develop thicker skins and realise that from time to time, we're going to be offended, and that's the price we pay for living in a free society. If someone says something offensive about us, or our faith, let's not seek to curtail freedom of speech. That's the tip of an iceberg we really don't want to see the rest of... Instead, let's seek a mature debate around the issues we care about let's live up to our calling as citizens in a free society, rather than dwelling on the offence. In Galatians 5, Paul talks about the "offence of the cross." The Gospel we proclaim as Christians will, at times, be offensive. While we should never seek to offend and while the Gospel is also comforting Good News, we can never rid it of its power to offend. In this context, Christians must defend the right to speak freely and openly even if those doing the speaking are offending us! Free speech is a two way street. George Orwell said, "At any given moment there is an orthodoxy, a body of ideas which it is assumed all right-thinking people will accept without question... Anyone who challenges the prevailing orthodoxy finds himself silenced with surprising effectiveness. A genuinely unfashionable opinion is almost never given a fair hearing, either in the popular press or in the highbrow periodicals." As ever, Orwell's foresight is remarkable. This is the risk we now face. As well as maintaining a truly free society, there's another advantage to preventing a small cabal of thinkers deciding what is and isn't acceptable to talk about. The oxygen of publicity often helps to destroy the arguments of bigots and crackpots of all kinds. When fascist Nick Griffin appeared on BBC Question Time in 2009, protestors lined up outside. I wrote this about Griffin at the time, "He's a repugnant human being with toxic views that will wreck this country if he ever gets a chance to put them into practice. But how do I know this? Because he's been given enough rope by TV documentaries and other media outlets to hang himself. If the only thing I knew of the BNP was their party political broadcasts I might think they were reasonable. So while I think a protest is a good idea, a protest which calls for the BBC not to have him on TV is nonsense. The demonstrators' line should be: "we may not like what you say, but in the sort of society we want to live in, you're allowed to say it." Since that broadcast (and as a result of lots of dedicated local campaigning) Nick Griffin lost his seat in the European Parliament, The British National Party has folded and he has become a footnote in history. Because he was given free speech? Not entirely but I suspect it played a role in his catastrophic fall in popularity. As Heather Tomlinson wrote for Christian Today earlier this week we seem to be entering a worrying new period where people are being condemned for what they believe, rather than what they do. As Christians, we need to play our part in building a culture where robust disagreement can be managed well and offence is rare, but tolerable. The alternative a society without offence to some, but without freedom of speech for many, is a grim prospect indeed. Is attending Church really necessary for Christians? Our experience of church can vary dramatically depending on the denomination, congregation, country and a variety of factors. But what unites the church is that it is the gathering of a body of believers in God's presence. In Europe, church attendance has been declining. A study of church attendance revealed that Church of England weekly attendance has dropped to below 1 million for the first time. But what stops us from going to church? And does it matter if we don't go? There are a number of reasons why as Christians we can stop attending church. Prioritising our work or social activities can mean that it appears that there is no time in our schedules for it. We shouldn't choose our church to fit around our lives, but there are opportunities to attend church weekly on other occasions than Sunday morning. Sometimes the business of our lives is not what is stopping us. If we are passionate about something we usually don't want to miss it, and so the case should be with church. There is no such thing as a perfect church but with so much variety available, there really is something for everyone. Treating church as a "spectator's sport" can also make it easy for us to avoid going. Finding a way to contribute such as joining a choir, meeting for Bible study or organising a prayer group helps us feel more a part of the family, which is key. But, no matter what the reason, at the root of refusing to go to church is often a lack of realisation of how important church is. Belonging to the church is an essential part of being a Christian. Surrounding ourselves with other Christians enables us to "consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds," (Hebrews 10:24). The value of the church is outlined again in Ephesians 5:25, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her". Matthew 18:20 illustrates two reasons why we should go to church, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." When we gather together as community of Christians in the name of Jesus he is present. Although Jesus' presence is not limited to within the walls of church, he is there when we come together and that is reason enough to go. Stieglitz, Steichen & Weston how photography became a modern art form Nine visionary works offered in our Modern Visions sales on 17-18 February at Christie's New York The first decades of the 20th century were among the most fruitful periods of artistic production of the modern era, especially for the still-fledgling art of photography. In New York, just after the turn of the century, a small circle of photographic visionaries revolved around the magnetic figure of Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946) , whose influence as artist, patron and gallerist galvanised this tight-knit community. As a gallerist, Stieglitz was the first to show the European avant-garde in America: Matisse , Rodin , Picasso and Brancusi were all exhibited at his Gallery 291, and the ripples of their artistic energy spread throughout the continent. Stieglitz was also a central figure for both the Photo-Secession a movement in the early 1900s that was known for works in a pictorialist style and later, in the development of photographic art along Modernist lines. The photographers and artists who were influenced by Stieglitz in the early days will be familiar to any student of the period: Edward Steichen , Gertrude Kasebier , Alvin Langdon Coburn , Marsden Hartley , Georgia OKeeffe , John Marin , and Arthur Dove . Here Darius Himes, International Head of Photographs for Christies, highlights key images by the artists who defined, straddled and shaped photographys transition from Pictorialism into Modernism all of which are offered in the Modern Visions: Exceptional Photographs auctions on 17 and 18 February at Christies New York. Pictorialist Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946) The Steerage, 1907 . Photogravure on Japan tissue, printed 1911. Image: 12 3/4 x 10 1/8 in. (32.4 x 25.7 cm.) Sheet: 16 x 11 in. (40.7 x 28 cm.) Estimate: $20,000-30,000. This work is to be sold on behalf of the U.S. Government and is offered in Modern Visions: Exceptional Photographs , 17-18 February at Christies in New York Stieglitz advocated photographys recognition as an art form and not merely a documentary tool. Through his pioneering publication, 291, he had promoted the use of painterly devices that blurred the lines between photography and fine art. The Steerage, however, became a pivot in Stieglitzs photographic career and subsequently shaped his approach to the medium. Gone were the foundations of Pictorialism: a central subject, a clear horizon, staged compositions, soft focus and feathery printing. The Steerage instead offers a series of sharp diagonals energetically slicing through the seemingly chaotic scene and converging into a striking congregation of lines of shapes. A century on from its creation, The Steerage remains an icon of Modernist photography. Taken while on a trip with his wife Emmeline in 1907, it represents a crucial departure point in Stieglitzs work. Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946), Georgia O'Keeffe with African Statuary, circa 1919 . Waxed palladium contact print, mounted on board. Image/sheet: 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (24.1 x 19 cm.) Mount: 20 3/8 x 15 5/8 in. (51.8 x 39.6 cm.) Estimate: $250-350,000. This work is to be sold on behalf of the U.S. Government and is offered in Modern Visions: Exceptional Photographs , 17-18 February at Christies in New York Stieglitzs lover, his muse, and a substantial artist in her own right, Georgia OKeeffe was the subject of a considerable number of his portraits. These studies constitute a telling account of the multiple facets of their relationship. A central theme is the erotic dimension of this relationship, evidenced in images through which we share the photographers seduction by OKeeffes self-assured physicality. This image suggests an enigmatic narrative. Backlit against a window in a soft pictorialist light, OKeeffe holds up a carved spoon that is a clue to a determinedly Modernist aspect of Stieglitzs activity, not as an artist, but as a broader champion of the avant-garde. The ritual spoon is an artifact of the Baule tribe from the Ivory Coast, and had featured in the landmark exhibition devoted to sculpture and ritual objects of Africa staged by Stieglitz in 1914 at his 291 gallery. Put in context, in the year following the historic 1913 Armory Show that had so dramatically introduced the ideas of the European avant-garde to an American audience, Stieglitz presented to this same audience the first exhibition of African sculpture to focus on its aesthetic rather than ethnographic interest. The influence of such artifacts on a generation of artists from both sides of the Atlantic was considerable at a time when they were determined to break with Western pictorial and sculptural conventions. Edward Steichen (1879-1973), The Pool Evening: A Symphony to a Race and to a Soul, 1899 . Platinum print with hand-applied ink border, mounted on original grey paper, mounted on large sheet of original buff paper. Grey paper mount: 8 7/8 x 7 in. (22.7 x 17.9 cm.) Tertiary mount: 22 1/4 x 15 1/2 in. (57.5 x 39.4 cm.) Estimate: $150,000-250,000. This work is to be sold on behalf of the U.S. Government and is offered in Modern Visions: Exceptional Photographs , 17-18 February at Christies in New York Edward Steichen (1879-1973) was a brilliant young artist from the Midwest. Fifteen years Stieglitzs junior, he first met the gallerist when he was just 20 years old. At that meeting, in New York in 1900, Stieglitz purchased three works by the young photographer, including a platinum print of Steichens The Pool Evening: A Symphony to a Race and to a Soul, acknowledged as one of Steichens earliest significant works. The print of this image purchased by Stieglitz was eventually gifted by Georgia OKeeffe to the Art Institute of Chicago, and bears the inscription Steichens first Masterpiece on the reverse in Stieglitzs own hand. Steichen and Stieglitz defined early American art photography, shaping the field unlike any other artists. Edward Steichen (1879-1973), In Memoriam, 1901 . Coated platinum print, flush-mounted on original board, printed 1904/1905 signed and dated in roman numerals twice. Image/sheet/flush mount: 18 1/2 x 15 1/8 in. (47.1 x 38.5 cm.). Estimate: $400,000-600,000. This work is to be sold on behalf of the U.S. Government and is offered in Modern Visions: Exceptional Photographs , 17-18 February at Christies in New York Edward Steichen most likely captured this arresting image in 1901 during his formative trip to Paris while enrolled at the Academie Julian. Steichen was an idealistic and ambitious young man, with a reverence for the romantic and a newly cemented devotion to the medium of photography. Exemplified by In Memoriam, Steichens explorations of Pictorialism during this time, notably with portraiture and nudes, are some of the artists most beautifully raw objects their palpable texture and mood often heightened by the use of the gum bichromate or multiple processes. For this particular print, the photographer has coated the platinum print with a consistent layer of soft wax, gum, or natural resin in order to create the rich, painterly surface characteristic of Pictorialist works. Edward Weston (1886-1958) Maud Allan with Century Plant, 1916 . Gelatin silver print signed by Dody Weston Thompson in pencil (verso). Image/sheet: 6 x 4 in. (16.5 x 11.3 cm.) Estimate: $6,000-8,000. This work is to be sold on behalf of the U.S. Government and is offered in Modern Visions: Exceptional Photographs , 17-18 February at Christies in New York Edward Weston (1886-1958) began his artistic career producing work in the Pictorialist vein, before becoming a leading light of Modernist principles. A mutual admiration developed between Weston and Stieglitz, who was some 24 years older than the Michigan-born photographer. Modernist Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946), New York, from the Shelton, 1935 . Gelatin silver print, flush-mounted on board, mounted on board. Image/sheet/flush mount: 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (24 x 19 cm.) Mount: 19 5/8 x 14 7/8 in. (49.8 x 37.8 cm.) Estimate: $50,000-70,000. This work is to be sold on behalf of the U.S. Government and is offered in Modern Visions: Exceptional Photographs , 17-18 February at Christies in New York My New York is the New York of transition, Stieglitz stated in a letter to Hamilton Easter Field in 1920. The Old gradually passing into the New... His earlier depictions of the city dating back to 1902 were taken from his window and are noted for their soft, Pictorialist compositions. Later images, first from his 291 gallery, which was open from 1905 to 1917, and then from the gallery that followed, An American Place, which ran from 1929 to 1946, embody the Modernist tenets that Stieglitz would later herald: crisp lines and a near abstraction in form. Edward Steichen (1879-1973), The May Pole (The Empire State Building), 1932 . Gelatin silver print photographer's and Conde Nast copyright credit stamps and number '1345-21' in pencil (verso). Image/sheet: 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (24.2 x 19.1 cm.) Estimate: $50,000-70,000. This work is to be sold on behalf of the U.S. Government and is offered in Modern Visions: Exceptional Photographs , 17-18 February at Christies in New York By the end of the First World War, Edward Steichen was a celebrated Pictorialist photographer whose early experimentations with the medium helped redefine the strength and appeal of photography. It was then that he began adopting a more Modernist style. Photographs from the mid-late 1910s to the early 1920s ranging from close-ups of flowers to abstracted still lives reveal a fondness for clarity and linearity, features that had been previously absent from his earlier works. The liberating effects of abstraction are evident in this photograph of the Empire State Building taken a year after its construction. The photograph was the result of a commission from Vanity Fair. Steichens crisp elegance had been a defining factor in the magazines vision since 1923 (a tenure that would last until 1937), with Vanity Fairs editor Frank Crowninshield describing him as among the worlds greatest living portrait photographers. The challenge with photographing the Empire State, the artist recognised, was translating the awe-inspiring monumentality of the building onto the flat surface of a photograph. Ingeniously, Steichen chose to layer two separate negatives into a single frame, thereby imbuing the resulting image with a powerful sense of three-dimensionality and vitality. I conceived of the building as a Maypole and made the double exposure to suggest the swirl of a Maypole dance, he later explained. Edward Weston (1886-1958), Shell, 1927 . Gelatin silver print, mounted on board. Image/sheet: 9 1/2 x 7 1/4 in. (24 x 18.4 cm.) mount: 17 x 13 in. (42.3 x 33 cm.) Estimate: $250,000-350,000. This work is to be sold on behalf of the U.S. Government and is offered in Modern Visions: Exceptional Photographs , 17-18 February at Christies in New York Representing a pinnacle of American photography between the World Wars, Edward Westons Shell from 1927 perfectly embodies the principles of Modernism. Following a brief if productive Pictorialist phase, Weston began building on the foundations laid by Alfred Stieglitz and his New York circle during his three-year stay in Mexico. By the time Weston returned to California at the end of 1926, his style inspired and informed by Cubism, Dada and Mexican Social Realism was emphatically modern, displaying a crispness in line, abstraction in form and wide-ranging tonality. In March of 1927 Weston began photographing shells. His inspiration was likely derived from a variety of sources, including the paintings of his friend Henrietta Shore. In an essay about the Shell, Edward Weston said: I am not blind to the sensuous quality in shells, with which they combine the deepest spiritual significance. Indeed it is this very combination of the physical and the spiritual in a shell like the Chambered Nautilus, which makes it such an important abstract of life. Edward Weston (1886-1958), Dunes, Oceano, 1936 . Gelatin silver print. Image/sheet: 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. (19.2 x 24.2 cm.) Mount: 14 1/8 x 15 1/2 in. (38 x 39.5 cm.). Estimate: $70,000-90,000. This work is to be sold on behalf of the U.S. Government and is offered in Modern Visions: Exceptional Photographs , 17-18 February at Christies in New York During the 1930s, the coastal sand dunes of Oceano, California, were home to artists, writers, and assorted misfits, mystics, and nudists who were collectively known as the Dunites. They published a magazine, the Dune Forum, whose first issue, in late 1933, featured a cover photograph by Edward Westons son Chandler. At the urging of Chandler and his brother Brett, Edward Weston himself made five Oceano studies in 1934 (numbered in the SO series, short for Soil) and nearly 50 more in 1936. They mark his greatest achievement in landscape photography. Edward Weston (1886-1958), Dunes, Oceano, 1936 . Gelatin silver print. Image/sheet: 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. (19.2 x 24.2 cm.) Mount: 14 1/8 x 15 1/2 in. (38 x 39.5 cm.). Estimate: $100,000-150,000. This work is to be sold on behalf of the U.S. Government and is offered in Modern Visions: Exceptional Photographs , 17-18 February at Christies in New York Of these, the two in the present collection, 37SO and 45SO, commonly known as Black Dunes and White Dunes, respectively, were selected by photo-historians Beaumont and Nancy Newhall for inclusion in their seminal 1958 book Masters of Photography, and ever since have been the two most celebrated and reproduced dunes in the series. A firefighter was hurt and a 94-year-old woman was sent to the hospital late Tuesday night after a blaze swept through a home in northeast Houston. The fire broke out about 11:50 p.m. at the house in the 2000 block of Common Street near James, according to the Houston Fire Department. Facing the threat of a lawsuit from a statewide criminal-justice advocacy group, the city of Brazoria has repealed an ordinance barring registered sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of where children gather, the Brazosport Facts reported Wednesday. The group, Texas Voices for Reason and Justice, announced in November that it was issuing legal challenges to 46 cities around Texas, including Brazoria. The city council last week repealed its ordinance -- passed in 2005 to ban registered sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of schools, day care facilities, playgrounds, public or private youth centers, public swimming pools and video arcades. As Second Baptist School students prepare to perform "Grease" Feb. 18-21 in Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Rebecca Schwinger recalls how far the shows have come in 30 years. As Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn, the first lady of River City, Iowa, in "The Music Man," the Memorial-area resident barely had room to lead other town biddies in "Pick-a-Little" in a small chapel on the school's campus. The idea of seventy-six trombones leading a big parade in the show's signature number was never a possibility in the 1986 production. Backstage was the size of a closet, said Schwinger, whose son, Corbin, now plays Kenickie, a young hipster complete with a car onstage. More Information Want to go? What: Second Baptist School production of "Grease" Where: Zilkha Hall, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby St. When: 7 p.m. Feb. 18, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19-20, 2 p.m. Feb. 20-21 Details: 713-365-2310, www.secondbaptistschool.org See More Collapse For Kenickie's "Greased Lightnin' " number, another student, John Maurer, used his welding skills to transform a jalopy into a set of wheels for the show's big "Greased Lightnin' " number, said director Cindy Blades. Besides Rebecca Schwinger, another alumnus, David Bolling, who once performed as Scarecrow in "The Wizard of Oz" at SBS, will get to see his son Joseph, a senior, portray a "Greaser" and daughter Claire, a freshman, as a cheerleader in "Grease." "David also volunteers his time as a dance specialist for the cast," said Blades. "Alumni roots run deep when it comes to fine arts at SBS." Students, faculty and volunteers have worked together for months on the production, said Blades. The show's musical director is Claire Westmoreland. Nathan Verghese, a senior, is the stage manager. "Nathan transitioned from working lights and sound to this year calling the show," said Blades. In addition to Kenickie, the show's leading characters include Sandy Dumbrowski, played by Gabie Adickes, Danny Zuko, who is portrayed by Caleb Pedersen, and Betty Rizzo, played by Rachel White. Rizzo is the tough-talking leader of the Pink Ladies, who mocks Sandy, the proper new girl at school, in the song "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee." Among other memorable tunes in the show are "You're The One That I Want," "Summer Nights," "Born to Hand Jive" and "Hopelessly Devoted To You." The tale of fast cars and first loves against the backdrop of 1950s rock 'n' roll is Second Baptist School's entry in the 14th annual Tommy Tune Awards. The program, sponsored by Theatre Under the Stars in Houston, honors excellence in musical theater productions at high schools throughout the Houston area. It will culminate in a Tony Awards-style ceremony April 19 in the much-larger Sarofim Hall at the Hobby Center. Don Maines is a freelance writer who can be reached at donmaines@att.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Lone Star College System board has approved a proposal that will allow the system to contract with Baker Hughes for the use of the Western Hemisphere Education Center in Tomball for one year. The vote by the trustees allows the Lone Star College Chancellor Stephen Head to negotiate and execute a master service agreement with the oil field services firm for oil rig training and facility use services for an amount not greater than $400,000 for a one-year term. Baker Hughes, which is in the process of being acquired by Halliburton for $35 billion, confirmed its in discussions with the college about utilizing the company's Western Hemisphere Education Center for training. "While the agreement has not been finalized, Baker Hughes is a strong supporter of training and education programs to advance the oil and gas profession," said Melanie Kania, enterprise media relations for Baker Hughes. The deal will allow the Lone Star College System to provide hands-on training and education for the oil field industry while it works toward designing and building its planned oil and gas training center on 18 acres at the intersection of Humble Road and Texas 249, not far from the LSC-Tomball campus. "It works now because the industry is down and Baker Hughes doesn't have a lot going on with their site. What this will allow us to do is build our facility out during this downturn," said Lee Ann Nutt, president of Lone Star College-Tomball. "I am certain we will move quickly to finalize the details, but we do not yet have a fully executed contract or a specific date when students will begin using the facilities. However, I anticipate we will be able to provide access within a few weeks, or couple of months." The center will offer a number of expanded workforce programs and give students access to drilling equipment to simulate real-life experience - all designed to quickly prepare students for the workforce. "As far as we know, Lone Star College would be the only higher education institute with a working drilling rig," said Bill Van Rysdam, media relations manager for the Lone Star College System. Other courses offered at the training center will include electrical technology, pipefitting, welding technology, drafting, industrial diesel and logistics management. The Lone Star College System currently offers these programs at some campus locations, but the center will offer expanded access to these programs, Nutt said. The land for the planned facility for the college system was purchased for $4.5 million from a 2013 bond referendum. The money from the bond will be used primarily to prepare the infrastructure, construct a warehouse and a classroom building. However, the bond does not cover the cost of the equipment. As a result, the Lone Star College System is also working with businesses in the oil and gas field to provide donations of equipment and in-kind services. Some of those services include assistance with the Texas Railroad Commission with document filings, which will be provided by FreeportMcMoran, while Dow-Corning plans to provide student scholarships and lubricants for the training rigs. White Star Pumps will provide a mud pump for student training, and TAMS Industries has offered to store some of the training equipment while the new training facility is being constructed. "By the time the center is up and running, those industry partners will be looking for significantly training again, so the timing is actually pretty good," Nutt said. All of those donations are estimated at about $10 million. With the continual drumbeat of bad news related to the oil and gas industry - layoffs, hiring freezes, net losses of billions of dollars - the economic uncertainty is palpable in region. To get a handle on the situation and glimpse the health of the local economy, business leaders and economists from around the state are converging for The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce 30th annual Economic Outlook Conference Feb. 26 at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. "Everybody is so worried about oil, as they rightfully should be, but even during the last five oil downturns, the Houston region and Texas still has an increase in the economy and a net increase in job growth," said JJ Hollie president and CEO of The Woodlands chamber. "(The conference) gives you the true picture, not just what you read or hear on Facebook or headlines." The conference is one of the largest events held by the chamber, with about 800 people expected to attend. "It truly is one of the largest business-to-business events in the region," said Gil Staley, CEO of The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership, which is a major underwriter of the conference. The chamber has invited several speakers and panelists to share their insight on the economy, including chairman, president and CEO Greg Brenneman of the private equity firm CCMP Capital, U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, and Kate Warne, principal investment strategist at Edward Jones. Staley will also present the 2015 job count numbers for major employers in The Woodlands, which will highlight whether companies have laid off employees since the energy commodities market tanked in mid-2014. "You're going to gain knowledge of the economy locally, statewide and nationally. Secondly, and perhaps as important, you're going to expand your network as a business leader. You'll be able to network with 800 attendees. It's the largest business-to-business event (in the area). A lot of people will gain a huge benefit from the networking opportunities there," Staley said. "It has grown to such a prestigious event that speakers want to come to speak at our event." But it's not all doom and gloom for the economy, and oil and gas isn't the only thing that will be addressed. The medical industry, particularly in Montgomery County, is on the rise, providing a silver lining during this downturn. Energy is still the largest segment of The Woodlands economy, accounting for nearly one-third of all major employers. Health care, on the other hand, currently stands at only 18 percent of major employers. To put that in perspective, the combined job count of the only two full-service hospitals in The Woodlands area is still far less than the number of employees at Anadarko Petroleum Corp., the largest employer in The Woodlands, according to 2014 figures from the economic development partnership. With two new full-service hospitals set to open in 2017, The Woodlands economy is expected to hold steady and weather the downturn. A medical panel at the conference, which includes top executives from hospitals around Montgomery County and Tomball, are expected to delve into details on how the industry as a whole is thriving. "The health care industry is truly a growth industry, not only for our area, but for the Houston region," Staley said. To keep up with specialized medical needs in the rapidly-growing Woodlands and south Montgomery County area, Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital has opened a new facility for premature babies and those with developmental disorders. The Preemie Place offers both general pediatric care as well as specialized therapy for children from birth to three years who were born prematurely. It's the only facility of its kind in the hospital system. "The impetus for the clinic is that premature babies, up to 70 percent, are not only in growth failure but they're in developmental failure by the time they're age two. There's no really good graph of why that is because a lot of the babies go off to see their regular pediatricians, and the care will vary from one pediatrician to the next. We're here to optimize their care," said Joseph Edralin, a pediatrician at the Preemie Place. The clinic also provides care to babies sick at birth or have developmental, feeding or language needs but may not necessarily be premature although preemies tend to exhibit these difficulties more often. Since opening, babies from the neonatal intensive care unit who need specialized therapy and treatment after discharge receive a recommendation to go to the Preemie place. "The parents really feel like they trust us, they know us and they're very comfortable with us seeing their babies and that we have the extra special skills to care for these tiny ones," said Heather Batman, program specialty coordinator of Pediatric Rehab Services for Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital in The Woodlands. At Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital alone, more than 4,000 deliveries were made each year for the past five years on average. At CHI St. Luke's Health The Woodlands Hospital just north of Memorial Hermann, an additional 2,000 babies are born annually. As the population continues to grow, deliveries will tic up as well. That may include premature births, too. In the U.S., 10 percent of infants are born preterm, which is prior to 37 weeks of gestation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Babies who are born prematurely are not able to go through all stages of development within the unique environment of the uterus. This can lead to a variety of health issues. Many organ systems are not fully developed until the final weeks of pregnancy, including the brain, lungs and liver, which can lead to a risk of disability or death. Other issues related to being born prematurely include feeding difficulties, developmental delays, vision or hearing impairment and even breathing problems, according to the CDC. "They're born early, and they're missing out on all that development in the womb. They're missing out on swallowing up to 50 percent of the amniotic fluid in the womb every day. When the baby moves in the womb and they kick out their feet, the womb is there to provide a surface that helps with muscle tone and bone development. When they're born early, they don't get those opportunities," Batman said. For Batman, who is also an occupational therapist, the Preemie Place was the difference between waiting a month to see a specialist and taking her seven-month-old baby to the emergency room because he had feeding issues and could not breastfeed. After almost a week of her baby not eating, she said she decided to go to the Preemie Place. By then, her baby was yellow from jaundice. "Coming up here was the best decision I made," Batman said. "Instead of spending an hour in the office to have five minutes with my pediatrician, I spent five minutes in the office to have an hour of the physician's time. I got in to see a specialist the same day. Within two hours, my baby got what he needed that in a month he couldn't get living where I live." At the Preemie Place in The Woodlands, parents and their babies enter through two separate entrances into different waiting rooms - one for sick and the other for healthy babies. There is no minimum age of gestation for the Preemie Place, though most preemies aren't younger than 28 weeks old. Once there, the Preemie Place serves as a "one-stop shop" for parents as a full-service pediatric clinic. General pediatricians work alongside specialists and can refer patients in-house for speech, physical and occupational therapy. "What I do here is what I tried to do in my regular practice, but I had constraints in my regular practice," Edralin said. "In my old practice, I had to make sure that they were actually getting therapy, that they were going. In this place, I go down the hall, and there they are. They're getting it done." Instead of waiting for files to be transferred to outside physicians who don't share the same system or waiting for an appointment to open up with an outside specialist, patients can have all their needs met, often times, in a single visit. Services that the Preemie Place needs to outsource, like imaging, lab work or subspecialist needs like cardiologists and neurologists, can still be found in-house through the hospital, meaning parents are able to tap into a wealth of resources for their child's care without having to balance the schedules of different outside physicians. The Preemie Place is expected to also serve as a research hub for the hospitals. Doctors track their preemie patients every four months to determine the efficacy of different therapies to see whether they help them catch up developmentally to their full term peers and by how much. By conducting a long-term study, the hospital will be able to better cater to its growing clientele. "By optimizing what they're getting now with their physical therapy and medical therapy, we're hoping it makes a difference moving forward," Edralin said. The Preemie Place can also step in to help parents who may be at CHI St. Luke's Bridge Clinic, which offers care to newborns for up to six months only but isn't specifically catered to preemie development. Children with developmental issues may receive care at the Preemie Place after growing out of the Bridge Clinic. Texas Children's Pediatrics Woodlands, which is located on the grounds of CHI St. Luke's as it's full-service hospital is under construction near by, offers pediatric inpatient and newborn care as well. Want to know more? The Preemie Place is a multidisciplinary clinic designed to serve prematurely born babies or those who were born sick or with developmental issues. The completed build-out earlier this year and is located at 920 Medical Plaza Dr., Suite 460. More information can be found online at www.memorialhermann.org. Pope Francis' historic five-day visit to Mexico is now over. But not without controversy over things he's said even as his airplane was jetting him from Latin America back to Rome. The pope's remarks that suggested Donald Trump is not Christian has already made big news. After a look back at the pope's journey it's apparent his entire trip was marked by a slew of comments that pushed the envelope. However, it's nothing new for a pope who has made his career bucking expectations for how people thing a pontiff should act. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A string of a half-dozen wild turkey hens snaked along the side of a wooded hill in Angelina County, the big bronze/black birds carefully picking their way through the shadow and light of a park-like landscape beneath a mixed stand of longleaf and shortleaf pine punctuated here and there by winter-bare oaks and a hickory or two. From his vantage behind the wheel of a truck parked along a two-track lane maybe 80 yards from the foraging flock, Randall Kroll watched the birds as they moved slowly, deliberately, one hen stopping to scratch at a clump of leaf duff under which might hide a tasty insect or a vagrant acorn. "That's a great sight to see, isn't it?" Kroll said, as much to himself as to his passenger. "Maybe in a few years, it won't be so rare." That goal - making wild turkeys a common sight in East Texas - was why Kroll, a Jasper-based wildlife biologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, was in the Angelina National Forest last Saturday morning. He'd just spent the better part of two days deeply involved in a project state wildlife managers believe could finally re-establish substantial, self-sustaining populations of eastern subspecies wild turkey in East Texas. "Based on the research and what we've learned over the years we've been working with eastern turkeys in East Texas, we believe we have our best chance of success with the 'super stocking' approach we've gone to," said Jason Hardin, who heads wild turkey programs for TPWD's wildlife division. "It's already showed some really encouraging results." Past failings Encouraging results would be welcomed in the decades-long effort to re-establish eastern wild turkeys in Texas; they've been hard to come by. Eastern wild turkey are native to most of the eastern portion of the state, where the mosaic of millions of acres of upland and riverine forests interspersed with patches of prairie provided perfect habitat for the big birds. At least it did until about a century ago. Wholesale harvest of the native forest, replacing most of it with commercially grown pine stands, conversion of native grasslands to "improved" pastures dominated by non-native vegetation, other development-related losses of habitat, and unregulated hunting by the region's growing population had by the 1940s extirpated wild turkeys from East Texas. Texas game managers in the 1940s and '50s made a handful of attempts to re-establish the birds, including releasing pen-raised turkeys, wild Rio Grande subspecies turkey and even a few wild Osceola subspecies turkey from southern Florida. All failed miserably. Wildlife managers eventually learned the only way to re-establish eastern wild turkeys is to stock wild eastern wild turkeys into suitable habitat. And such efforts, which involve trapping, transporting and releasing wild turkeys, was hugely successful in much of the nation over the past 50 years. Texas' efforts to re-establish eastern wild turkey using wild-trapped birds began in the late 1970s with sporadic stockings of handfuls of birds, then greatly accelerated in 1990s. From 1979 to 2003, TPWD released more than 7,000 eastern wild turkeys in more than 300 locations in 58 counties of eastern Texas. The project focused on a tactic termed "block stocking," releasing 15-20 wild-trapped birds in several locations across counties. Rivers for traveling Block stocking proved successful in some states but had limited success in Texas. While it did establish solid, self-sustaining populations in a handful of counties along the Red River in northeast Texas and a pocket in central Pineywoods, most of the flocks withered and eventually evaporated. TPWD suspended the block-stocking program in 2003. The problem was that East Texas' landscape has been so transformed that only portions of the region hold the necessary diversity of habitat required to support turkeys, and those areas were often fragmented islands in a sea of unsuitable land. Intense research over the past decade has given biologists a better hand on evaluating turkey habitat, Hardin said. And the shortcomings of block-stocking forced managers to look at new ideas. The one they came to embrace involves forgoing the small, scattered stockings on relatively small islands of isolated habitat and focusing on saturating large, contiguous tracts of land holding excellent turkey habitat with wild-trapped birds. Almost a decade ago, TPWD began experimenting with the "super-stocking" program. The program uses tracts of 10,000 acres or more that hold suitable turkey habitat and where landowners agree to manage the land to benefit the birds. The tracts are stocked with about 80 wild-trapped eastern turkeys, a mix of about 20 gobblers and 60 hens. "We're focusing on large tracts on river corridors, which will give birds connections - travel corridors - along which they can move as populations expand," Hardin said. The idea, he said, is to build "oceans" of eastern turkeys on these large tracts, with the birds expanding their range and populating new areas via the riverine travel corridors. The initial super stockings have been focused along the Neches River and involve multiple sites. Results from the first super-stocking site, an Anderson County tract initially stocked in 2007, has been very encouraging, Hardin said. "The birds have done great there," he said. "There's been good reproduction and poult survival. It's really pretty impressive to be there during spring and hear all the gobblers up and down the river. You'd think you were on the Llano River and not the Neches." Buoyed by that success, TPWD ramped up the super-stocking program in 2014, focusing on four sites. Almost 400 birds have been stocked since 2014, with TPWD hoping to get another 180 before the end of this winter. The birds come from states with healthy populations of eastern turkeys, with TPWD and those states' wildlife agencies working together to effect the trapping and transport of the birds. Funding for the trapping and transportation, which runs about $525 per bird, is paid for with funds generated through sale of Texas' upland game bird endorsement, a $7 license fee charged all persons who hunt turkey and other upland game birds. Grants from the Texas Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, a hunter-based organization focused on conservation and management of the nation's wild turkey, also provide crucial funding for parts of the program. "Texas hunters are the ones footing the bill for this program," Hardin said. One of the super-stocking sites is the large tract of Angelina National Forest where Kroll watched the small flock of hens forage. He knew the birds well; he'd just driven to Iowa to pick up a load of 20 hens and drove back to Lufkin where he, Hardin and Daniel Sullivan, a Ph.D. candidate from the University of Georgia, placed bands on the birds' legs and fit each of the hens with a GPS tracking device. So far, so good The birds, secured in large cardboard boxes provided by NWTF, were transported to the Angelina National Forest and released at the same spot where an earlier group of turkeys had been freed. All of those birds wear the GPS tracking units that Sullivan is monitoring as a research project looking at how timing and scale of controlled burns, crucial to maintaining turkey-friendly open understory in forests, affects the bird's reproduction. "We're incorporating as much research as we can in these areas," Hardin said. "We learning things and improving our understanding of what works and what doesn't and what it takes to be successful at re-establishing turkeys in East Texas." Hardin said it will take a few years before managers can gauge the effectiveness of the super-stocking program. "I'm not going to claim success or failure until at least five years down the road," he said, noting that he'd like to see a 25 percent increase in turkey numbers on the stocked tracts over that period but would be encouraged with slightly less. "So far, things are looking pretty good," he said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Authorities are investigating a 2-alarm apartment fire in southwest Houston. The fire broke out about 9 p.m. Wednesday in the 6200 block of Renwick, Houston Fire Department officials said. Firefighters began a search after reports that two people may have been trapped inside the apartment. The HFD crews searched but were unable to find anyone, officials said. There were no injuries reported from the fire, officials said. The blaze was brought under control about 15 minutes later, officials said. Pope Francis ended his five-day journey through Mexico Wednesday by praying for migrants in Juarez across from El Paso and appealing for recognition of the "human tragedy that is forced migration." In a powerful moment minutes before his mass, history's first Latin-American pope prayed at a memorial that had been built for those who die along the border. He walked up a ramp toward a large cross overlooking the Rio Grande, then placed a bouquet of flowers before it. About 200,000 people in Juarez and thousands more in El Paso watched mostly silently as he did so. In his homily, Francis implored for compassion for the thousands of Central and South Americans who he said are fleeing violence back home. "We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis which in recent years has meant the migration of thousands of people, whether by train or highway or on foot, crossing hundreds of kilometers through mountains, deserts and inhospitable zones," he said. "They are our brothers and our sisters, who are being expelled by poverty and violence, drug trafficking and organized crime." He called for, "No more death! No more exploitation!" His message comes as immigration has become a divisive flash point in the presidential election with two GOP contenders, billionaire Donald Trump and Texas U.S. Ted Cruz, saying they would deport all immigrants here illegally and build a wall along the U.S. -Mexico border. Trump last week criticized the pope for visiting the border, saying he did not understand "the danger of the open border we have with Mexico." The papal visit at the Texas border comes nearly two years after a surge of unaccompanied Central American children, many of them fleeing violence back home, overwhelmed the federal government there. That sparked a fierce crackdown and their crossings plummeted, but the number of arrivals spiked again dramatically again last fall. Earlier this year, President Barack Obama's fellow Democrats harshly criticized him for a series of high-profile raids in which he deported Central American mothers and children who the government said had lost their appeals for asylum. As he wrapped up his homily, Francis called across to supporters across the Rio Grande, saying, "Thanks brothers and sisters in El Paso for making us feel like one community." A North Texas mother posed as her 9-year-old daughter on text messages in order to catch a Grapevine man in the act of soliciting sex from a minor, according to police. Jonathan Ashley Butler, 36, was charged with a second-degree felony of online solicitation of a minor, which poses a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. He is currently being held on a $50,000 bond. The selfie craze has claimed a young dolphin as a victim. Thats a sad, real headline in 2016. In photos and videos circulating online, tourists in Argentina can be seen taking photos with a small dolphin they scooped up from the shoreline. The dehydrated dolphin is then left in the sand by the mob. RELATED: Museums around the world banning selfie sticks The incident occurred in Santa Teresita, a beach town near Buenos Aires. The Argentinian Wildlife Foundation noted that the La Plata (or Franciscana) dolphin is classified as a vulnerable species and that likely less than 30,000 individuals exist. In the video, its not clear if the dolphin couldve already been dead when the beachgoers found it. One Argentine paper quoted a young woman saying thats not the case and the dolphin was still breathing. Ayelen Rodriguez told Clarin that she tried to tell the group to stop touching the animal and return it to the sea. She and a man tried to revive the dolphin afterward to no avail. OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO-TV) An Oklahoma man and U.S. Army Reservist has filed a lawsuit against a gun range owner for religious discrimination. Raja'ee Fatihah and representatives with ACLU Oklahoma and CAIR filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday morning and held a press conference at the Capitol to announce the lawsuit. October Fatihah visited the Save Yourself Survival and Tactical Gun Range in in October in Muskogee County to tell the owners that Muslims aren't bad people. RELATED: What feds ask gun owners In July, the owners Chad and Nicole Neal, placed a sign outside their store, declaring it a Muslim-free establishment. "I tried to engage Chad in a dialog, he expressed some concerns and I tried to address those concerns, I told him I was a service member," Fatihah said. "The longer we talked the less willing they were to allow me to use their facilities, ultimately they asked me to leave." Robert Muise, co-founder and Chief Council of the American Freedom Law Center, was hired Tuesday night to represent the Neals. He said Fatihah went to the business to look for trouble. "He went there for the purpose of really instigating this litigation. He was very confrontational," Muise said. "He showed up with an AK-47 over his shoulder to an outdoor range when it was pouring rain. There was nobody else that was there." Muise said Fatihah's religion wasn't ever a factor in the denial for service. "The owner didn't deny him. He said fill out the application and we will get back with you," Muise said. "They wanted to do a background check on this individual because they were very concerned about his behavior." Muise said the Neals were concerned about public safety. He adds that the sign placed outside the facility is protected by freedom of speech. Attorneys with ACLU Oklahoma said they were aware of Fatihah's plan to visit the facility and advised him that he had a legal right to be there. Fatihah has been a board member with CAIR Oklahoma since 2013. Story originally published on KOCO.com A Hutchinson, Kansas, couple dealing with a pregnancy tragedy got a glimmer of hope, thanks to an astonishing sonogram, and their story went viral on Wednesday. Brittani McIntire is pregnant with twins. One, a girl, is growing, while the other, a boy, suffers from a hole in his heart and an abnormal brain. He is not expected to survive, according to KWCH in Wichita, Kansas. "He's only weighing 9 ounces and his sister is over 2 pounds, so big size difference," Brittani McIntire told the TV station. "His only chance of survival would be heart surgery but they wouldn't do heart surgery on him because of his brain." With each visit to the doctor, Brittani McIntire and her husband, Ian, got bad news, until Tuesday. In a sonogram image, the boy, named Mason, seems to be gripping the hand of his sister, named Madilyn. "She's the only one who can actually be there and is holding onto him ... so it's comforting to know that if he does pass, he won't be alone," Brittani McIntire said, according to FOX 8 in High Point, N.C. Read this: See the Houston conjoined twins One year after separation The sonogram is bringing comfort during a trying time for the family. The McIntires already have two daughters, according to reports. "We know we have a piece of them together that will last forever... and it's special to have," Ian McIntire said, according to FOX 8. Click through the slideshow above to see photos of some famous couples who are pregnant. For the first time in 88 years, a sitting U.S. president will visit Cuba. Barack Obama and the first lady will fly to the Caribbean neighbor for a trip March 21 and 22. The White Houses statement on the trip notes this will be a very different kind of visit than the first time a president visited Cuba. Live Chris, live, Kate (Laura Dawn) tells her son in the final scene of Montana Repertory Theatres production of All My Sons. But no one is really living throughout the drama, written by Arthur Miller in 1947 about a small Ohio manufacturer who sold faulty airplane parts to the U.S. Air Force during World War II. The audience does not completely understand whose fault it was to cover up the crack in the propellers of 100 planes, leading to the death of 21 pilots. And that uncertainty drives the action of the play, which is directed by Jere Lee Hodgin. Montana Rep will finish the national tour of All My Sons" on March 12 in Uniontown, Pa., after performing the play 21 times throughout Montana and eight other states. In its 50-year history, Montana Rep has met its mission to celebrate great American theater, bringing to the stage such classics as Miller's "Death of a Salesman" and Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." In Millers signature style, much is illuminated about the human condition through the dialogue of "All My Sons," making the production about so much more than shoddy workmanship. Two takeaways from this production are that we need to show compassion and learn to forgive. Chris, played by Colton Swibold, is the son who lived through World War II, while his brother Larry died and his body was never recovered. Chris initially comes across as almost a simpleton because he is so naively blissful, acting like the perfect son to his father, Joe, played by Mike Boland. As the play unfolds, though, we see there is a darkness to Chris, who admits at one point, I felt ashamed to be alive. But Kate delivers the line that brings us to our knees: How we worked and planned and you turned out no better than us. Kate and Chris remind us that the hardest person to forgive is ourself. SAN ANTONIO Texas House Speaker Joe Straus is being accused of murder by GOP primary rival Jeff Judson as early voting gets underway in the state's primary. Judson, a tea-party Republican who successfully worked to shut down VIA Metropolitan Transits streetcar project, sent out an email blast Thursday morning stating that Straus is to blame for murder, because the San Antonio Republican has failed to pass legislation banning so-called sanctuary cities in this state. Alexander Orokotan aspires to be a Renaissance man, and hes got a pretty good start on it. The Rocky Mountain College senior is on his college debate team, holds down a part-time job, and is double majoring in business management and small-business operations. And last month, he and some pals quietly put Rockys first FM radio station on the air. The radio idea had its roots in a late-night talk session between three friends at Rocky Orokotan, Nicolas Nico Cordero and Jack Jennaway. We got tired of how Billings, and Rocky in particular, had no culture, Orokotan said He and his friends coined the phrase, temporary people mentality, meaning that many college students limit their interactions because their setting is temporary. So we wanted to start a club where people could just come in, jam, and show who they really are without judgment. said Orokotan, who serves as the station's general manager. That idea morphed into Rocky Beats, which became the radio station KVRM 104.5, or as the students call it, the Cave Room. The studio is a far cry from a cave, though. It is located on second floor of one of Rocky's oldest buildings, Alden Hall. With two large wood-trimmed windows and white painted walls, it's a bright spot on a dreary Saturday in more ways than one. The campus community, all the way to the top President Bob Wilmouth got behind the station. Rocky art professors Mark Moak and Jim Baken gave up their photography studio to provide space for the radio station. Academic vice president Steve Germic pitched in to help lay carpeting and a team of about 15 students, educators and community members contributed playlists and ideas for programming, as well as finding funding to upgrade equipment. Two members of Rocky's IT staff, Dan Walters and Andrew Niemantsverdriet, found a transmitter and got the students set up with the required licensing to get the nonprofit, low-power station on the air in mid-January. Its range is two miles, but plans are to raise $2,500 this spring to purchase a newer, more powerful transmitter that would reach four miles. Under their license, KVRM can operate at a maximum of 100 watts in a noncommercial, educational setting. That means the station can seek program sponsors but not advertisers. Its the perfect setup to teach Rocky students how to run a radio station, from the programming to the business end. And hopes are high that the station will get students more engaged in Rocky activities, and intellectual and artistic conversations. What I have heard as a senator at Rocky is that we have a decline in activities, said Dan Murphy, a Rocky student from White Sulphur Springs. Students will be more likely to get involved if they can find out what is happening and we plan to keep them up to date with the station. Orokotan said another idea is to promote Rocky musicians on the air. We want to turn the closet in here into a recording studio, Orokotan said. All we lack is funding and experience. Vince Long, retired technology education teacher from Senior High, is providing valuable help setting up the station. The students dont lack for ideas or dedication. Jack Jennaway, a Rocky student who competes on the debate team with Orokotan, is working on creating talk shows. I really want the station to have an intellectual side, Jennaway said. We are a college station and we should be educational. I want to give everybody something to think about. Most of the students behind the radio station dont have radio experience, except for Cordero, who has a part-time job as a party deejay with Prince Productions and has read poetry on a radio station in his homeland of Ecuador. He wants to work some poetry, including poetry slams, into the programming at KVRM. We are reaching out to the English department and to our literary magazine staff at the Sandstone to do readings, Cordero said. In the meantime, the station is streaming music from every genre, with two notable exceptions, Top 40 and country. The radio club is right in considering that the Billings market is oversaturated with country and Top 40 and they want something else. Weekly programs featuring jazz and talk-show formats that highlight alumni or allow students to call in to talk about their college experience are in the works. Every Monday during lunch, the radio team operates a booth in the Bair Student Center to talk with students about the station and get ideas for programming. Want to get in on the ground floor of this new station? Send your ideas or offers to help to rockybeats@rocky.edu. Do you realize that wet fly fishing is the original method of fly fishing? It dates back to medieval times and wasn't supplanted by dry fly fishing until the 1850s. Nymph fishing didn't come along until the late 19th century. Oh well, now we are back to the future. On Labor Day 2015 I had the distinct pleasure of guiding Dave and Emily Whitlock. The Whitlocks and I go back many years; Dave to 1971. Each time I bump into Dave, he has shared his recent discoveries. On the Labor Day outing Whitlock proclaimed that he had a very effective method of catching trout and he was going to demonstrate it so I could learn the technique. All that Whitlock requested was a fairly fast run where he could fish his setup. Whitlock explained that he had learned from Davy Wotton and improved on Wotton's techniques. Essentially, the technique was wet fly fishing. Wotton had utilized the standard wet fly fishing techniques in order to target trout feeding on emerging mayflies and caddis. Immature mayflies and caddis flies swim up to the water surface to emerge as adult insects. Trout feed heavily on the emerging insects and key in on the swimming immature insects. Many nymph fly fishers have discovered that a nymph pattern that imitates the emerging insect will often gather strikes, especially at the end of the drift when the nymphs swing up from the bottom. In fact, a method of nymph fishing, the leisering lift, was developed to match that movement. Whitlock uses a three-wet-fly system (only two lures or flies per line in Wyoming and Montana). Essentially the bottom fly is a heavily weighted one; the middle fly is lightly weighted, and the top fly is unweighted. Whitlock casts the fly set up across the current, mends downstream a couple of times, and then lets the rig swing in an arc across the current while lightly raising the rod six inches and then dropping it every couple of seconds. Whitlock contends that this method does a great job of imitating the emerging aquatic insect and that it triggers a feeding response. He also warns that if an angler holds the line tightly, the strike will break the leader. Well, Whitlock's method works, but I have also been exposed to other wet fly methods that are outlined in a book, "Wet Flies," by Dave Hughes. Hughes has piqued my curiosity by describing how to fish wet flies under a variety of circumstances. In his book he describes how yellow Sally hatches had sometimes given him fits. He finally tried an unweighted wet fly, partridge and yellow. He casted slightly upstream and mended a couple of time (upstream) and then let the fly swing. Hughes went from frustration to success in matter of seconds. I, too, have had some tough moments fishing yellow Sally hatches but I have managed to pick up enough trout on dries so I didn't whine. However, one day I was guiding some young men from a school, NSI. The trout were gobbling the yellow Sallies but my young anglers weren't doing too well and dead drifting the dry flies I had put on their lines. One fellow wasn't very good at mending his line so his fly starting dragging across the surface. Wham! A trout nailed that dry fly and hooked up. The young fellow landed the fish and soon the other guys were imitating his method and catching trout. Come to find out that they were wet fly fishing and didn't know or care how they were catching; just that they were catching fish. Hughes writes about several methods of wet fly fishing and several types of wet flies. He breaks down the flies into four categories: soft hackles, flymphs, winged wet flies, and all fur wet flies. He sometimes fishes wet flies as a drowned adult insect and casts pretty much upstream as one would cast a dry fly. Other times he fishes his flies across and down. The tactics can be tailored to fit the particular situation. I heartedly recommend that you pick up a copy of Hughes' book and start investigating the ins and outs of wet fly fishing. Perhaps you discover as I have that this ancient technique is a very effective means of catching trout. THE LEAD: Siren for Cruz? The Washington Posts Robert Costa and Philip Rucker write that the first primary in the south is challenging Ted Cruz to be the winner conservatives have long hoped for. Texas might be an easier get for Cruz on March 1, but what happens if Trump takes several of the southern states that the Cruz campaign has banked on? The conservative movement finally had a presidential candidate it believed could go the distance: Ted Cruz, an adept communicator with deep pockets and a sophisticated national organization. But here in South Carolina, a state tailor-made for a hard-liner who appeals to evangelicals, the Texas senators ideologically pure candidacy is struggling to overtake the celebrity-infused populism of Donald Trump and contend with the religious overtures of Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), who on Wednesday picked up the coveted endorsement of Gov. Nikki Haley. Happy Thursday, yall. Sorry for the delay this morning. Consider this your mid-morning snack. Find me at bobby.cervantes@chron.com or on twitter at @bobbycervantes. -- NEW this morning: Obama seeking court nominee who enjoys GOP support, Biden says. In a radio interview airing Thursday, Biden pushed back against Republicans who insist that Obama hand off the decision to the next president. Still, Biden acknowledged that the Senate gets to have a say in confirming the president's pick, writes the APs Josh Lederman. -- Republican primary turnout on day one of early voting nearly doubled from 2008 in Texas' 10 largest counties , likely reflecting elevated interest in the heated contest for the Republican presidential nomination. Data compiled by the Texas Secretary of State shows that 41,508 Republican voters cast an early or absentee ballot in the state's 10 largest counties as of Tuesday, up from 21,130 on the first day of early voting in 2008. Participation increased just 13 percent from Texas' Mary 2012 Republican primary, however, when former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was leading the Republican field by a wide margin, per the Chronicles Rebecca Elliott. -- Dems alliance with Battleground Texas shows strains, by The Texas Tribunes Jamie Lovegrove. So where does Lon Burnam see Battleground Texas in his plan to be the first Texas Democrat elected to a statewide office since 1994 ? No comment, he said, before adding as he walked away, In 20 years of public service, thats the first time Ive ever said that. Burnam's response echoed that of many of the longtime liberal activists in the room and around Texas, underscoring the complicated feelings many Democrats have toward Battleground Texas. Many declined to comment for this story. Others were careful to avoid either actively criticizing the group or offering strong praise of it. -- Must read: Pro-life PACs endorsements raise questions, by the Chronicles Matthew Tresaugue. But the newly formed group's (Texans for Pro-Life) endorsements have some candidates and abortion opponents doubting the organization is anything more than an artificial effort to grab real dollars in the run-up to the Republican primary March 1. Texans for Pro-Life, for example, endorsed state Rep. Sarah Davis, R-Houston, who has voted against new limits on abortion. She said she was unaware of the group and was surprised to see her name on the list. So was Texas Right to Life, one of the state's most recognized anti-abortion groups and a supporter of Davis' opponent in the House District 134 primary contest, David Palmer. -- Sharp elbows thrown in three-way scramble to succeed Rep. Scott Turner, by Quorum Reports Scott Braddock. One of the races were watching for you thats almost certain to be ultimately decided in a runoff is the three-way North Texas contest to succeed retiring Rep. Scott Turner, R-Frisco, who last year unsuccessfully challenged Speaker Joe Straus to preside over the Texas House. The three Republican candidates, two from Rockwall County and one from Collin County, have stepped into the fray and all of them have government experience a fact that has contributed significantly to the tone of the race in just the last 24 hours. -- Fight over gay marriage, equal rights laws renews in Texas, per the AP. Powerful members of the GOP-controlled Texas Legislature signaled Wednesday they are continuing to pursue new efforts that critics say are discriminatory in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court legalizing gay marriage. -- Ted Cruzs not-so-secret Super Tuesday weapon: the ground game, by the Dallas Morning News Tom Benning. Cruz wont be able to campaign the way he likes ahead of Super Tuesday by visiting every far-flung corner of the map Texas is just one of 13 states casting ballots or going to caucus on that day, and early voting started Tuesday. That means he must, for the first time, ditch part of his tried-and-true playbook. And with Texas 155 delegates hanging in the balance, Cruzs motivated home-state supporters are already setting up phone banks, walking blocks and otherwise working to get out the vote for that days biggest prize. -- UT prez OK with guns in classroom but not dorms, by the Chronicles Mike Ward and Matthew Adams. Concealed handguns would be banned in most dormitories but not in classrooms under campus carry rules announced Wednesday by University of Texas at Austin President Gregory Fenves, who called the decision the greatest challenge of my presidency to date. The decision - UT-Austin is the largest state school to set its rules so far - appears to conflict with a nonbinding legal opinion issued two months ago by Attorney General Ken Paxton, a divergence that promises to ratchet up the politically charged debate by both supporters and opponents. -- Cracks emerge in GOP refusal to consider Supreme Court pick, by the APs Josh Lederman and Alan Fram. Concerted Republican opposition to considering President Barack Obama's pick for the Supreme Court showed early signs of splintering on Wednesday as a handful of influential senators opened the door to a possible confirmation hearing. One Republican even suggested the president should nominate a candidate from his state. Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, did not rule out a committee hearing on Obama's forthcoming nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, went a step further and said she'd support such a move. SPEED READ Public schools can determine lifetime earnings, Houston Chronicle UH one of many colleges considering tuition increases, Houston Chronicle Turner: Layoffs likely as city tries to close budget gap, Houston Chronicle Popes visit to Juarez still felt across border in El Paso, Associated Press Crystal City mayor in hot water again, San Antonio Express-News Texas conservative group makes national hate org list, Texas Observer The Latest: Cruz says Obama shouldn't travel to Cuba, Austin American-Statesman Pope Francis decries 'human tragedy' that forces migration in landmark Mass at the U.S.-Mexico border, Los Angeles Times South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley endorses Sen. Marco Rubio ahead of primary, The Dallas Morning News Indicted Texas mayor posts bond after disturbance arrest, Austin American-Statesman How drafting women became a wedge issue for GOP on the trail, The Washington Post San Antonio police to roll out body cameras next week, San Antonio Express-News Cruz hits Trump for advocating impeachment of George W. Bush, The Dallas Morning News In a first, Ted Cruz now leads in national poll, topping Trump, The Dallas Morning News Trump speaks in MSNBC town hall to counter Cruz, Rubio appearance on CNN, The Dallas Morning News Clinton bid a financial boon for strapped Dem party, Associated Press THE CALENDAR House: 10:00 a.m.: Mental Health, Select E2.016 Senate : 9:00 a.m.: Health and Human Services - Senate Chamber 9:00 a.m.: State Affairs - E1.016 QUOTE TO NOTE If using crass language and insults is really how we define leadership these days, well then, some of the people I served with in the Texas Legislature belong on Mount Rushmore. -- Speaker Joe Straus during a San Antonio Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Wednesday RACE TO 2016 -- GOP feud escalates, as Haley backs Rubio, by the APs Scott Bauer and Steve Peoples. A three-way feud among the GOP's leading White House contenders escalated Wednesday, with Republican Ted Cruz daring Donald Trump to sue him and dismissing Marco Rubio's charges of dishonesty just days before South Carolina's high-stakes primary. Yet it was Rubio who may have scored the day's biggest win as he secured the coveted endorsement of South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. The popular governor said she was tasked with identifying the best candidate as she surveyed the crowded GOP field. -- Trump dominant in SC: poll, by Politicos Nolan McCaskill. Donald Trump maintains a double-digit lead in South Carolina ahead of Saturdays primary, according to a Fox News poll out Thursday. The billionaire businessman, who won the New Hampshire primary after finishing second in Iowa, leads the field with 32 percent support among likely primary voters. Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio follow at 19 percent and 15 percent, respectively. -- Trump back on top in national poll, by Politicos Nick Gass. Donald Trump is on top of the field in a new CBS News national poll of likely Republican primary voters released Thursday. Trump holds a commanding 17-point lead over Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, 35 percent to 18 percent, a significant difference from an NBC News/Wall Street Journal national survey released Wednesday evening that found Cruz ahead by 2 points. Unlike that survey released Wednesday, this one included data from interviews conducted prior to the most recent debate on Saturday in South Carolina. Its not yet clear whether the NBC/WSJ poll was an outlier, or if Trump's support has waned after the most recent GOP debate. -- 5 takeaways from CNNs GOP town hall, by CNNs Eric Bradner. Marco Rubio showed why he spooks Democrats, while Ted Cruz tried to put a scare into Donald Trump during CNN's town hall Wednesday night.The first three candidates to participate in the two-night event moderated by Anderson Cooper showcased their different styles of conservatism. Ben Carson quoted Scripture to show how faith guides his politics. Rubio, the Florida senator, told stories about the values he learned as a child. And Cruz, the Texas senator, argued he's the most rock-ribbed of them all, saying he has defended conservative values throughout his private and public career. The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p. HELENA It wasnt a perfect system, but at least it was something. Since 2009, the Quality Schools Grant Program has paid for roof repairs at an elementary school in Columbus, a new boiler at Fairview High School and a new technology lab in Wolf Point. The program has distributed $35 million in state funding to 33 projects. About $30 million in federal recovery dollars funded dozens of other energy efficiency audits and projects. But last year the state didnt have the money to approve any of the applications schools submitted to fix failing infrastructure or build new facilities. Thats because the grant was set up to operate using money from timber harvest on common school trust lands and rental income received from power site leases deposited into the school facility and technology account. With the timber industry trending down and the state no longer collecting rents on some riverbeds after losing a lawsuit, the account dwindled. Two other programs are projected to leave the account with a negative fund balance of $5.7 million by June 2017, according to the Legislative Fiscal Division. So whats next for Montana schools that need money to make much needed repairs and add space to accommodate growing class sizes? No one is quite sure, but many fixes have been suggested and more will materialize out of an interim legislative committee tasked with looking at the issue of school funding. There were 53 applications submitted to the grant program last cycle, requesting $30.2 million. Early during the 2015 Legislature, Gov. Steve Bullock suggested using bonds and cash to pay for the projects, but that bill died. In the end, no money came to the program. We didnt get any funding for planning or emergency grants or for projects for the 2017 biennium, but the statute says we will take applications and the governor will recommend them to the Legislature. We are in that process now, said grant Administrator Kelly Lynch. The deadline for applications is March 1. Focus on facilities The School Funding Interim Commission, formed by a bill last session, is required to issue a report on its findings, which can include draft legislation for amending the states school funding formula. While the committee is focused on all school funding issues, facilities have been a focus. Sen. Matt Rosendale, R-Glendive, said any solution will have to address two core concerns: identifying the best way to divvy the funding between schools and finding enough money to pay for it without encouraging poor fiscal management by districts. Other states havent found a perfect solution either, Michael Griffith, a school finance strategist who spoke to the committee, said. It is a problem that requires a good deal of money and it requires that money on a consistent basis. Griffith said Arizona provided $2 billion to its their needy schools and still didnt get to where it wanted to be. Eleven states do no capital funding and leave it all up to districts, 25 do grant programs like Montana and 15 give out annual appropriations. Billings taxpayers foot the bill for schools' technology upgrades When Billings Public Schools decided to upgrade Internet connections, the district was able Rep. Edie McClafferty, D-Butte, said shes heard from districts that they dont like how competitive the grant program is. We need to make sure its not competitive and schools dont feel like theyre always being left out. I heard from many people theyve put in several years and not gotten anything. Dianne Burke, executive director of the Montana Quality Education Coalition, said it would be best for the states 400-plus districts if the program is reliable in how it operates. Predictability is key, she said. The fact we didnt get any quality schools grants was just devastating for many school districts that were counting on that for some pretty high-impact projects. Patrick Audet, associate director of School Administrators of Montana agreed. You dont know who is going to be picked, how many projects and how much funding youre going to get. Bullock's spokesman said the governor plans to bring another plan to the 2017 Legislature, though he did not give specifics. Balanced approach Lynch, who has administered the Quality Schools Grant since 2009, defended the program, noting that legislators had wanted to retain their ability to balance assistance statewide. She also said the grant program was good because it forces schools to manage the money and use it well. When you have a grant agency overseeing that process and staying on you you see that construction get done a lot faster. There will be a request to fund the grant program in the coming Legislative session, she said. Sen. Tom Facey, a Missoula Democrat who leads the interim committee and has been a teacher in Montana schools for more than 35 years, echoed McClafferty and suggested looking at steady money for districts that could be saved up over a decade to spend on new buildings or projects. He also said itd be easier to get taxpayers to support schools more if the state did the same. While the total general fund budgets of schools have increased 88 percent between 1991 and 2016 from $570 million to $1.07 billion state support has only grown 68 percent from $407 million to $685 million. That has led district property taxes to quadruple to about $308 million, signaling a move of the burden to local taxpayers. The trend holds true even when evaluating on a per-student basis to account for enrollment changes. Weve had a huge tax shift, he said. I would argue that if state support of schools was at (1991 levels), itd be a lot easier for a lot of these towns to raise their mill levy or budgets or pass bonds to build schools and other things. Dave Lewis said those figures must be parsed carefully and that just because local leaders decide to expand some school programs, doesnt mean the state must keep pace. Its not fair to say that a states share has decreased when really the local leaders have decided to spend more local money, said the former state budget director and longtime legislator who sits on the commission. Laurels school district passed a five-year building reserve levy to help with $9 million in deferred maintenance. Two years into it, the levy has addressed about a quarter of the problems. But Laurel is growing, and needs room for elementary and middle school students. Where are we going to get the rest of it? asked Norm Stamper, facilities director for the district. The district hopes to have a bond in 2017, but passing them in the past have been hard. Knowing the history of Laurel, its going to take quite a bit of education to get our taxpayers to understand the issues, Stamper said. Its quite an eye opener to come in from the private sector into a school district and see the struggles that districts do have with funding sources. School budgets are regulated by the state to ensure quality education for all students, which places some constraints on how certain state appropriations can be spent and how much can be saved. Finding enough money for facilities within those rules can be difficult and some districts are better able to set funds aside for maintenance than others. Audet said the issue is that theres not enough general fund money to make facility spending a priority over cash needed for day-to-day operations. You have so much money and you have to take care of several entities, he said. "Not all the time is facilities going to be that priority. If it is, youve got the question of where do you rob from to pay the other. Facey asked if the state should track how districts spend their allotment from the state before giving out money. The commission also has discussed raising the cap on reserve funds. And while declining natural resources revenues have hurt the states pocketbook, lawmakers are also worried about aging citizens eyeing their own tight budgets. Nobody likes to say it, but were still a resource state, Lewis said. We sell raw materials, oil, coal, beef, timber. The demand isnt there so prices are down. Were just going to be losing money the next few years. Unsustainable solution Lewis said the solution isnt to add onto property taxes, saying that lower-income workers and an aging population wont support that. Property tax just doesnt make sense anymore, he said. We just dont have the population interested in paying higher property taxes. The day of the bond issue is over. You cant, in my mind, do it with property taxes, not looking at the age of people in the state and the lower incomes of senior citizens. He advocated for a local government answer and supports a sales tax as a way to replace money from bonds. He said the state paying for more is just an incentive to build more. The decision should be made locally whether they need a facility and how to pay for it, he said. They need more tools to talk about how to pay for it. Rep. Jeff Essmann, R-Billings, agreed that shifting demographics change the mentality of local voters and could present problems for school leaders, particularly in rural districts with declining enrollments that reduce their state assistance. Average age of Montana school buildings: 53 years HELENA It would be good if the toilets didnt periodically overflow at Hawthorne Elementar Its a lot easier to check that yes box on a mill levy ballot if youre working and you feel good about your future. Once you turn that retirement door, suddenly you got so many eggs in the basket. How am I going to make them last long enough? he said. I think thats a profound implication for policy makers that we havent adequately factored into everything. Essmann pitched prioritizing coal trust fund dollars to pay for projects even if that means cutting funding for other programs. A lot of it has been nickeled and dimed into a bunch of little stuff and thats where its been going for 35, 40 years. Maybe its time to say this stuff is really priority stuff. Regardless of how its funded, Lewis said $360 million in infrastructure needs identified by a 2008 state survey could not be paid for in a single legislative session. Thinking the state could pay for that is just not realistic, Lewis said. The committe's final meeting is scheduled for May 4-6, and it has until Sept. 15 to write any draft bills to pitch the 2017 Legislature, which will also consider which applications submitted to the grant program will be funded if a bill passes to pay for the program. Griffith said theres no right answer, but schools need one thing reliability. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is Jewish. Does anyone care? We hear nothing about it in the campaign; voters seem uninterested. Things would have been different a generation ago: remember that, up to the 1960s, American universities imposed a de facto quota on Jews. In France, Laurent Fabius, the new president of the Constitutional Council, the nations highest court, is of Jewish origin, a fact that has escaped notice. The new Minister of Culture is Jewishcould this have been imagined in the country of the Dreyfus affair and of Marshall Petain, the Nazis most enthusiastic collaborator? In Spain, the descendants of Jews expelled in 1492 can now have their original nationality restored, if they request it. It is true that, especially in France, in places where the Jewish community is mostly of North African origin, Jews are victims of violent criminal acts. But these remain quite rare, committed by young Arabs who reenact the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in their sections of Paris or Marseille. And anti-Zionism shouldnt be confused with anti-Semitism. Anti-Zionism is based on a real situation: the Palestinians are not a mythical people, nor are their demands mythical, however difficult they may be to satisfy. Anti-Semitism, on the other hand, is entirely mythical: the Jew was not a real person but a mystical and political construction. The extermination of Jewish communities, which began in France and Germany around A.D. 1000, and continued in the wake of the Crusades, was almost always set off by an accusation of ritual crime: a Christian child supposedly had his throat slit in order to mix his blood in with the ingredients of bread for the Jewish paschal feast. The pogroms in Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century similarly took off from this myth. For 1,000 years in the West, the Jew was the standard scapegoat for explaining bad harvests, economic crises, and bank failures. Jews, thought to be rich when almost all lived in poverty, were expelled, massacred, and stripped of their possessions. Anti-Semitism was also based on the accusation of deicide, until Vatican II erased this reference from the Easter liturgy. The mythic character of anti-Semitism is demonstrated by the lack of correlation between the number of Jews and the virulence of anti-Semitic feelings. When the Dreyfus affair broke out, less than 60,000 Jews lived in France, and they held mediocre ranks in society. Dreyfus himself was only a modest colonel. Germany was home to fewer than 100,000 Jews when Hitler seized power in 1933. In Poland, where one still finds anti-Semitic currents on certain radio stations and in certain newspapers, Jews themselves have disappeared. Jews are not necessary for anti-Semitism to flourishas shown by its persistence in Poland, as it persisted in Stalinist Russia and even in France in the immediate aftermath of the war. Some of my lycee professors (high school teachers) were openly anti-Semitic. The emigration of 7,000 French Jews each year, some argue, proves that being a Jew in France is unbearable. But this figure, representing about 1 percent of Frances Jewish population, is misleading, since it mixes together economic exiles (who are not only Jews) with those who, for religious reasons, wish to pursue their life in Israel, and perhaps some who fear the hostility of young Arabs. It is time to admit that Jews are no longer scapegoatsin fact, they are hardly distinguishable from the non-Jewish population. Is this because Jews have assimilated? Jews have always shown a surprising patriotism wherever they lived: in 1914, my ancestors, Austrian Jews, fought in the Austrian army, and my Russian ancestors in the Army of the Czar. I did not yet have French ancestors, but they likely would have rushed to the front just as Dreyfus did. It is not Jews who have changed but Western society. Of course, the discovery of the Shoah in 1945 made it forever clear that anti-Semitism is diabolical, but I would date the end of anti-Semitism to the trial of Adolf Eichmann in 1961. This banality of evil, according to Hannah Arendt, made it so that after this trial no bureaucrat (I am a bureaucrat who obeyed orders, Eichmann said in his defense) and no intellectual could call himself an anti-Semite. Anti-Semitism, which had been an elegant position in Europe among Christian intellectuals on the right and anti-capitalists on the left, became grotesque after Eichmann. Then, in 1962, came Vatican II, whose influence remains fundamental. The church became sincerely philo-Semitic. Because of the persistence of attacks that mix old-fashioned anti-Semitism with contemporary anti-Zionism, some in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands will consider me too optimistic. But I remember that in 1940, the French police deported my family. Today, they protect us. Its a very different world, and we need to keep that truth in view. Photo by Djampa It can be hard for middle-schoolers to keep their eye on the ball, academically. Its a little easier if the ball is flying at them. Students at Castle Rock Middle School enjoyed a blitz day Wednesday, which allowed those caught up on school work to participate in reward options like dodge ball games. The school also used the day to offer leadership programs. Its a way of taking a day to further school leadership, school pride in our building, said Castle Rock Principal Nikki Hofmann. Its instruction in a different way. Castle Rock started to implement Power of ICU, a homework program used by Skyview High and Laurel High, during early November. The program allows students to turn in homework late, but notifies parents via text message if their student misses a deadline and turns up pressure from staff members to turn in late work to dodge ball-pelting levels. For some kids, theyll take the zero, Hofmann said. But what they dont want to take is that text home every adult in the building is hounding them. Using the same program as Skyview helps create a cohesive approach, Hofmann said. She plans to bring the program to Medicine Crow Middle School, where she was recently hired as principal for the upcoming school year at the new building. 3 Billings middle schools get new principals at board meeting Three new middle school principals were announced at the School District 2 Trustee meeting M Having a short-term reward, like a blitz day, helps further incentivize students and offers a chance to build in lessons about leadership, perseverance and character. Students worked on team-building exercises and heard from speakers on leadership. We need our students to be able to have those soft skills, Hofmann said. We want them to develop that confidence that I know Im doing the right thing. In the cafeteria, students broke into groups to work through activities like the human knot, in which they have to join hands across a circle and find a way to untangle. Alright, there we go, said eighth-grader Preston Flammond as another student twisted to duck under linked arms. See, it almost worked. While these exercises arent likely to sharpen algebra skills, they help reinforce lessons about teamwork. Lauded late-work program kicks off at Skyview High If you have a child at Skyview High and get a text from school warning that theyre in the I You have to think critically," said John Stukel, a Castle Rock support specialist. "You have to think outside the box. You have to communicate with your teammates." Eighth-grader Brady Shipman was less than convinced. This is like dancing in gym class, he said, tangled in arms. For a portion of the day, students who had missing assignments were given time in classrooms with teachers to catch up. Others could participate in activities like dodge ball, karaoke, dancing or playing cards. Perhaps the most-utilized reward was that students could use their cellphones for the day, which is typically prohibited during school hours. Its a reward for staying on top of things, Hofmann said. Auditors have reported finding unchecked squalor including rodents, vermin, mold and fire hazards in New York homeless shelters, faulting inadequate state oversight. In a report released Tuesday, the comptrollers office said its auditors visited 20 certified and 19 uncertified shelters statewide, including 26 in New York City, giving operators less than 24 hours notice. We did identify numerous issues that rendered living conditions unacceptable at most of the shelters, they reported. They estimated New Yorks homeless population at 80,000. The audit from April 2013 until last Aug. 5 said most shelters were in disrepair with filthy living conditions, some posing serious and obvious health risks. They found evidence of rodent and vermin infestations at 16 shelters, fire safety issues like expired extinguisher inspections at 15 shelters, and mold in residents rooms at eight shelters, as well as various worn and soiled mattresses, missing carbon monoxide detectors and holes in walls and ceilings. At Community Housing Innovations family shelter in Westchester County, they found a rooftop-access door removed from its hinges, allowing anyone including children unprotected access to the roof. At Bellevue mens shelter in Manhattan, with capacity for 850, two of three elevators were out of service. The shelters state certification lapsed after 2004 because of its physical condition. The Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance watches over 157 state-certified shelters, delegating oversight of uncertified shelters to the New York City Department of Homeless Services and to county social services departments. OTDA is formally responsible for the mostly small uncertified shelters, auditors said, but was minimally involved in their oversight. The audit, conducted in the middle of last year, may have raised valid points, but its now dated as our policies have since been revised, OTDA spokeswoman Kristi Berner said Tuesday. New regulations have been put in place, its partnering with state, New York City and Buffalo comptrollers to examine every shelter statewide and legislation has been advanced to make it easier to remove bad operators, she said. Auditors found that 22 of the 47 most serious issues had been previously noted in OTDA annual inspections but remained uncorrected, with no follow-up or enforcement actions. They identified six uncertified shelters with capacity for 20 or more residents, which requires state certification. That list included Bellevue, from which OTDA has withheld $25.9 million, despite upgrades since 2004, to complete them. For 2014, the city and counties billed the state about $1.1 billion for homeless housing, with more than $954 million for New York City and $140 million for the rest of the state, the report said. Were spending a lot of money. But its not being well run, and I agree that the state was not aggressive enough for a period of time, Gov. Andrew Cuomo told NY1 on Tuesday. And that has now changed, and we have to do a better job, and the city has to manage the shelter system in accordance with the rules and regulations. And were going to make sure that that happens. Spains National Court ruled Tuesday that a businessman accused of being part of a group that commissioned and sold $33 million in high-priced fake art passed off as famed expressionist works can be extradited to the United States to face charges in New York City. The court issued the ruling for Jesus Angel Bergantinos Diaz, who is indicted in New York on federal charges of being part of the ring that created, and sold to Manhattan art galleries, fake art attributed to artists such as Jackson Pollack, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning Franz Kline and Robert Motherwell. It could take months for him to be sent to the United States because he can appeal and Spains government must also approve the extradition, said a court official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of a rule preventing the official from being named. Also charged in the U.S. is his brother, Jose Bergantinos Diaz, and Pei Shen Qian, the Chinese artist who allegedly painted the works from a home studio in the New York borough of Queens. Qian collected only hundreds or thousands of dollars each for the fakes. He has fled to China. His paintings were promoted as never-before-exhibited and previously unknown works of art, eventually attracting more than $80 million from unsuspecting customers. The Bergantinos Diaz brothers are accused in the indictment of taking part in the 15-year scam with New York art dealer Glafira Rosales, who pleaded guilty in 2013 and said she arranged for sales proceeds to be transferred to Spanish banks. Tuesdays ruling did not affect Jose Bergantinos Diaz, who is being sought by U.S. authorities for extradition but has asked to be tried in Spain, the court official said. A civil trial brought forward by clients who bought some of the paintings ended last week in New York with an undisclosed settlement just before the once highly respected president of a gallery was about to testify. The Knoedler & Company gallery closed in 2011 and had defended itself against claims resulting from $69.8 million in sales from the collection of bogus paintings, saying it was duped by the fakes. The trial focused on claims from Domenico De Sole, chairman of the board at Sothebys auction house and a former Gucci CEO, who said the gallery refused to return $8.3 million he spent on a fake painting. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A Takata Corp. engineer involved in testing the companys airbags invoked his constitutional right against self-incrimination in declining to testify in a lawsuit brought by a woman left paralyzed in a 2014 accident. Lawyers for accident victims claim Takata withheld or doctored bad test results before and after the companys airbag inflators began exploding, spewing shrapnel into drivers and passengers in accidents in the U.S. and elsewhere. Al Bernat, an auto safety specialist at Takata sought as a key witness on multiple tests, refused to testify in a deposition in the lawsuit, citing his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself, Ted Leopold, a lawyer for the victim, said at a court hearing Friday in Jacksonville, Florida. Guy Petrillo, Bernats attorney, didnt immediately respond to phone and e-mail messages seeking comment on Leopolds statements in court. TK Holdings believes the lawsuit is without merit and intends to defend itself vigorously, Jared Levy, an outside spokesman for Takatas U.S. unit, said in an e-mail. Levy declined to comment on Bernat. Leopold, who represents accident victim Patricia Mincey, asked a Florida judge at the hearing to allow her to seek punitive damages in a trial against Takata in August. Mincey alleges the company committed fraud in withholding test data, starting with its largest customer, Honda Motor Co. David Bernick, a lawyer for Takata, said in court that claims the company falsified data on tests didnt matter in the case. It is not about whether Takata was candid with Honda, Bernick said. It is about what did Takata know about Mrs. Minceys car. Takata doesnt believe the airbag inflator in Minceys car was defective or that it was a cause of her injuries, he said. Leopold presented evidence at Fridays hearing that he said showed Takata took product validation tests and eliminated results that fell outside Hondas specifications before the findings were given to Honda. Test Results This is a document that was provided to Honda for PSDI-4 inflator, he said, showing the judge a document referring to the inflator device. It was done in the U.S, sent to Japan, then given to Honda. On the Japanese side and the U.S. side, they alter the test data, Leopold said. The evidence will show the level of dishonesty and fraud is perhaps the worst we have ever seen in automobile history, he said. Florida Circuit Judge James Daniel on Friday denied the request for the jury to consider awarding punitive damages at the trial. Daniel allowed Minceys lawyers to resubmit that request later. Automakers including Honda have recalled more than 19 million vehicles equipped with Takata airbags, the largest automotive safety recall in U.S. history. The exploding airbags have been linked to at least 10 deaths, most involving Hondas. Takata has been sued by drivers and passengers claiming its airbags caused shrapnel injuries. Others, including Mincey, contend the dangerous nature of the propellant in the bags can cause excessive-force deployments, often in low-speed collisions. Takata has settled most of the shrapnel cases but is contesting the excessive force claims, according to court records reviewed by Bloomberg. Honda has also been defendant in airbag cases involving its vehicles. Mincey has been a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic since an accident in her 2001 Honda Civic on June 15, 2014. The case is set for trial in August in state court in Jacksonville. Honda, which also had been sued, reached a confidential settlement with the plaintiff. Bernat was described in a November 2014 New York Times story as supervising secret tests of inflators in 2004 that showed unexpected ruptures. The test results werent disclosed. Takata disputed the report and said Bernats integrity had been unfairly questioned on the basis of two anonymous sources. The case is Mincey v. American Honda Motor Co., 15CA000377 Div CV-E, Circuit Court, Duval County, Florida (Jacksonville). Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Dr Ben Carson Talks Love for Classical Baroque Music During CNN SC Town Hall We got a little bit of insight into the mind of one the world's brightest neurosurgeons thinks to Anderson Cooper and the good people of of South Carolina. During CNNs Wednesday night town hall event is Greenville South Carolina, the Silver Fox spoke with Republican Presidential hopeful Dr. Ben Carson about a host of issues including criminal justice reform and national defense. Carson also opened up about his love for classical baroque music and playing pool. During the CNN AC360 GOP Town Hall special on Wednesday night, Anderson Cooper asked Dr. Ben Carson the most important question of them all. What type of music do you listen to: I primarily like to classical music, particularly baroque music. Cooper went on to ask Carson if he would listen to classical musical while performing surgery to which the Dr replied: Absolutely. All the residents knew when the came and did their pediatric neurosurgery rotation that the would also learn classical music. I remember one resident, I would always ask him questions and he would always say, Thats the 1812 overture. He said, I know I am going to be right one time. Anderson also asked Dr. Carson what type of sport or leisure active he like to partake in, with Carson I love to play pool. Anderson followed up by asking the mild mannered candidate if he got competitive while playing to which Carson replied: I like to win. I tell you it relaxes me. When I would come home from busy day of surgery I would shot pool. My wife, who didnt know how to play pool, learned how to play and has become an excellent player. She is good competition. If I mess up she will beat me. What did you think of Dr. Carsons performance at the CNN town hall? Did he win over your vote? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of the page. 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsDr Ben Carson, Love, ClassiCal, baroque, Music, During, CNN, SC, Town Hall Marijuana possession, Front Street: A Warren man, 24, was arrested at about 3 a.m. Feb. 13 after police found marijuana in the car he was driving. An officer checked the car's license plate number while the car was southbound on Front. The car belonged to a 30-year-old Berea woman, who was wanted by Middleburg Heights police. The officer stopped the car at Lincoln Avenue. When the driver - the Warren man - rolled down his window, the officer smelled marijuana. The officer asked the man if marijuana was in the car. The man said no, he had just smoked it all. However, the officer found a jar of marijuana on the front passenger seat. The officer then learned that the man's license had been suspended, so he told the man to call someone to pick him up. The man called the car's owner - the Berea woman - who also was arrested when she arrived. Resisting police, Ohio Route 237: Police are looking for a Lorain man, 36, who ran away after police stopped a car he was driving. It happened at about 9 p.m. Feb. 13. The car was parked outside Speedway at Sheldon Road and Rocky River Driver. Three passengers were in the car, but not the driver. Police checked the license plate and learned the car's owner had a suspended license. Police followed, then stopped the car, on 237. The driver, later identified as the Lorain man, jumped out, hopped over a guard rail and ran into woods east of 237. The car's front passenger told police she was the driver's ex-girlfriend, and the two backseat passengers were her children. She said the driver did not own the car; police later learned the driver was wanted in Lorain. The driver left footprints in the snow that led northwest to the I-X Center, then south toward Dante's Pizza at 237 and North Rocky River Drive. Driving with a suspended license, North Rocky River Drive: A Cleveland man, 32, was arrested at about 2 p.m. Feb. 15 after police caught him driving with a suspended license. An officer checked the license plates of a car the man was driving while it was parked outside Delta Blue Seafood & Barbeque on North Rocky River. The car's owner, a 28-year-old Euclid woman, had warrants for her arrest, and her driver's license was suspended. Police records also showed that a Cleveland man - later identified as the driver - also had a suspended license, and was wanted in Summit County. The man eventually drove onto Riveredge Parkway. The car then turned onto North Rocky River, where it straddled the two northbound lanes. The officer stopped the car, arrested the driver and found a passenger, a 28-year-old Cleveland man, inside. The passenger also had felony warrants and was arrested. Police towed the car, and the owner was arrested when she arrived at the police station to claim the vehicle. Petty theft, West Bride Street: Police are looking for a man and woman who stole several 12-packs of Sprite, Coca-Cola and ginger ale at about 10 p.m. Feb. 15 from Giant Eagle, 50 West Bridge Street. A Giant Eagle worker saw the man and woman enter the store and load a pushcart with soft drinks, which were on display in the store lobby. At first they pushed the cart toward the inner entrance door, but then turned suddenly toward the exit. The worker yelled at them to stop, but the man and woman continued pushing the cart into the parking lot. As the worker called police on her cell phone, the man and woman slammed the cart into a parked car, jumped into a silver sport-utility vehicle and drove away, leaving the soft drinks behind. Drugs & drug paraphernalia, West Bagley Road: A Berea woman, 27, was arrested at about midnight Feb. 15 after police found pills - including Suboxone, a pain reliever - in her car. Someone had called police about a suspicious vehicle parked outside Marco's Pizza, 435 West Bagley. When police arrived, they found a passenger, a 31-year-old Berea man, in the car. He had two warrants for his arrest, so police arrested him. The woman driver gave police permission to search her car, which in addition to the pills, contained rolling papers, a cut straw, a rolled-up dollar bill, a grater and other drug paraphernalia. Aggravated menacing, East Bagley Road: Police were called to Snow School at about noon Feb. 11 about an out-of-control pupil who threatened his teacher. The teacher said the pupil, 15, refused to return to his seat during class. He grabbed items on the teacher's desk, rolled around on the floor and punched the teacher's legs. When the teacher ordered the student to calm down, he threatened to kick her in the throat and murder her. He tried to expose his genitals. The pupil assaulted other school staff members before they brought him under control. The boy was placed in "transition," then removed from the building. The teacher said she did not want to press charges. Criminal damaging, Depot Street: Someone used a rock to break the driver's-side window of a car parked outside Berea Union Depot Taverne, 30 Depot Street. It happened between 12:30-1:20 p.m. Feb. 16, while the car's owner was eating lunch with a friend inside the restaurant. best marg collage Cleveland.com is looking for the best margarita in town. Vote for your favorite in our poll. CLEVELAND, Ohio - The secret to a good margarita is not a mystery: use fresh ingredients and don't skimp on the tequila. That's the advice of Will Cobbin, director of the Cleveland Bartending School (see recipe below). Cobbin recommends top shelf tequila, like Patron or Herradura. Use fresh ingredients, like fresh-squeezed lime juice, and shake your margarita 8-10 times. Don't forget about a fancy glass and a nice garnish for some "eye appeal." Cleveland.com is searching for the best margarita in Northeast Ohio in celebration of National Margarita Day, which is Monday. With the help of our readers and a bit of research, we've selected 10 mouthwatering finalists. But we're looking for the tastiest of the bunch. Vote for your favorite margarita in the poll below. Hurry, voting is open until Friday at noon. We'll announce the winner Monday morning, leaving you plenty of time to make plans to celebrate National Margarita Day that night. Cobbin said any bartender worth their salt should be able to mix up this class drink. But if you're angling to mix one up for yourself at home, Cobbin suggests trying your hand at the Silver Surfer Margarita. Cobbin recommends the recipe of Rob Turek, a drink "craftologist" and part-time instructor at the Cleveland Bartending School. INGREDIENTS 1.5 Tequila Blanco .5 Amaretto Disaronno .5 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice .5 oz agave nectar 1 oz pineapple juice Dash of West Indian orange bitters Top with Coco-Lime Foam* Garnish with a brulee'd coconut agave pineapple ring and a pineapple leaf. Also a sugar/salt rim on half the glass. METHOD Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and shake thoroughly. Strain into a goblet over a large slow melting ice cube. Top with Coco Lime Foam* Place pineapple ring on a burn free surface, drizzle with agave nectar, top with shredded coconut, and brulee using a chef's torch. *COCO LIME FOAM: Fresh squeezed lime juice (4 limes), pasteurized egg white (6 oz), and Coco Real Cream of Coconut (6 oz). Combine ingredients into an iSi (cream) whipper and charge. Keep chilled in the refrigerator until ready to be served. I can almost feel the ocean breeze just reading over that recipe. Come Monday, bartenders nationwide will be making plenty of margaritas in honor of National Margarita Day. And if you think you've got a good margarita recipe, share it with us in the comments section below. Former Northern Cheyenne Chief Judge John Robinson remembers his mentor, Willie Hollow Breast, as a spry man in his 60s who could go up and down icy hills thinning trees like it was nothing. Hollow Breast fought in World War I, but was not made a U.S. citizen until five years after the Treaty of Versailles was signed. Later a Northern Cheyenne judge, Hollow Breast convinced Robinson to obtain the education necessary to become a judge, too, a position Robinson attained in 1979 and held through his retirement in 2012. Hollow Breast told Robinson that his commanders during the Great War at first separated Native American fighting forces but soon learned to integrate them with other troops. There was no trust on either side, Hollow Breast told Robinson, but we fought together and we decided, Theyre OK. Some are good, some are bad, some are liars and some I would trust with my life. He survived because they stuck together. Robinson and Adrian Jawort spoke Wednesday on tribal sovereignty as part of a speaker series that follows last years Native American Race Relations and Healing Symposium. That event and the speakers series were organized by Jawort, an author and anthologist, and Russell Rowland, a Billings author. About 30 people attended Wednesday's talk, seated in a circle in the Royal Johnson Community Room at the Billings Public Library. Robinson briefly recounted the history of the Northern Cheyenne moving into Canada, then into the Great Lakes region before settling in the American plains. We have stuck to our ways and kept our language and our primary ceremonies, he said, even after the U.S. government made and then, he said, broke all eight treaties that the government signed with the tribe. Robinsons ancestor, the peace chief Black Kettle, was killed in November 1868 in Washita, Okla., by troops led by George Armstrong Custer. They tried to keep us in Oklahoma, but our people escaped, got caught, then escaped again and made it back to our land in southeastern Montana, 444,000 acres of beautiful land with game you guys cant get, Robinson said with a smile. Robinson traced U.S. legal thinking on tribal sovereignty back to John Marshall, the fourth chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. What he came up with is that we have internal sovereignty, but we dont have the authority to exercise our sovereignty with any state or any other nation. He said that we were sovereign dependent, (calling Native tribes in one opinion domestic dependent nations) which really doesnt make any sense. Ever since the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act, we have had two governments a sovereign government and a Bureau of Indian Affairs, or agency, government," Robinson said. "We can use the money from the bureau in a good way, but what is lacking for us is working on our infrastructure. All people, he said, carry around the weight of knowing we are sovereign and free, but having this inability to connect with each other. The one thing I see thats absent is having a better understanding of who we are, as cultures and human beings. I enjoy this kind of communication, because we all keep coming back hoping that a door will open. Citing a 2014 article he wrote, Jawort noted that just after the writers of the Declaration of Independence talk about everyone being created equal and being endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, is found this complaint about King George III of England: He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. Pause right there, Jawort said. Does the most famous document in American history really state All men are created equal, then hypocritically proclaim right afterward its first inhabitants are merciless Indian savages? Ive always compared Native American rights to a sword of Damocles hanging over our heads, he said. Montana tribes are trapped in a system that is not working. But Jawort said he doesnt favor abolishing reservations and becoming mainstream. People fought hard for those little pieces of land, he said. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A former Oberlin first-grade teacher was sentenced Thursday to nearly five years in prison because his child pornography collection was discovered after a parent complained that he took pictures of a student's bare feet. Jacob Garlock, 27, of Sterling, admitted to U.S. District Judge Christopher Boyko that he struggled with obsessing with sexual fetishes. With his voice trembling, Garlock said that "my career that I've poured out every last ounce of mental energy into is gone." Boyko ordered the U.S. Marshals Service to take Garlock into custody immediately following the sentencing. Garlock was a teacher at Eastwood Elementary School, part of Oberlin City Schools, from 2012 to April of last year. A parent of a first-grader reported in February 2015 that her daughter said Garlock told her to take off her shoes and socks. Garlock then took pictures of her bare feet. The FBI got involved, and agents found child pornography on Garlock's computer. He pleaded guilty in November to child pornography possession. Boyko said that no child should ever be exploited and trust that parents often put into teachers is now shaken. "It sends a chill up their spines ... and nobody is the same after that," Boyko said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan said Thursday that Garlock was "exploiting children in his care for his own sexual purposes." His actions went beyond that. Sullivan also said Garlock admitted to a probation officer that he conducted explicit video chats on the social-media website Omegle with a 16-year-old and a girl he assumed was 12. Richard Lillie, Garlock's attorney, argued that Garlock should be sentenced to home detention. He said that the amount of child pornography found on Garlock's computer was far less than other defendants. Lillie also said that Garlock, upon learning that the FBI was investigating, "knew he had reached his bottom" and immediately sought treatment and counseling. With his fiance and family sitting behind him, Garlock said that "I want to re-establish healthy relationships with children and adults of all ages." Boyko told Garlock that he has no doubt that Garlock would ever commit a criminal act in public. In the privacy of his own room, though, all bets were off. "The Internet is the very best thing and the very worst thing that has happened to us," Boyko said. "It has made criminals out of cowards." Garlock will have to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. Lillie said after the hearing that his client will likely have to do so for 25 years. Several parents of Garlock's former students attended Thursday's sentencing. The mother of the child whose feet Garlock photographed was present for the hearing but declined to comment. Diana Steele said her daughter had Garlock as a teacher in a summer-school program and "idolized him." She said Garlock would have been his daughter's first-grade teacher without the investigation and that she was "still feeling a little nauseated" after hearing about the video chats. The Oberlin school district came under fire for not informing parents of the investigation into Garlock. Many first learned about it through an article in the Oberlin News Tribune. A news release on the district's website says that the district did not inform parents because they did not want to interfere with the investigation. The release also said that officials removed Garlock from the classroom once they received word of the incident. Updated with mugshot provided Friday by FBI. Parking dispute, Cedar Road: A Legacy Village security officer informed police he was threatened by a woman whose car was illegally parked and was about to be towed on the night of Feb. 12. The woman was able to prevent having her car towed. As for the threat, the woman told police she told the security officer, speaking about his teeth, not that she would "bash them in," but that he should "brush his teeth." Police spoke to the woman about Legacy Village's parking policies. No charges were filed. Possessing drug instruments, Mayfield Road: Police stopped a car driven by a Euclid man, 35, at 3:50 a.m. Feb. 15 as his vehicle displayed fictitious plates. A search of the man's car produced drug paraphernalia, including a needle. The man's car was towed. Disturbance, Cottingham Drive: A woman reported at 9:40 p.m. Feb. 14 that her boyfriend had a knife and was threatening to harm himself. The man, 22, of Cleveland, then walked from the home without harming himself. Police found the man and took him to Hillcrest Hospital. The man was examined and released. He then returned to the woman's home. The woman did not want him there and police instructed him to leave. Animal concern, Haverston Road: A woman called police just before 6 p.m. Feb. 11 after seeing a buck in her yard that had an arrow stuck in its head. An officer located the buck and noted that it appeared as if a crossbow had been used to strike the animal. The officer attempted to get close to the buck to remove the crossbow bolt, but the buck scurried away. The officer stated in his report that the animal did not appear to be in pain. Fraud, Acacia Park Drive: A couple reported a possible scam on the afternoon of Feb. 11. The couple had been contacted by a online company seeking to remotely fix their computer. The company then began to frequently call the couple asking for their credit card number. Police contacted the company and told them to cancel the couple's order and to not contact them again. Road hazard, Gordon Road: A motorist informed police at 5:25 p.m. Feb. 9 that a manhole cover was missing and that there was a large hole in the road. A barrel was subsequently placed near the hole. Customer dispute, Landerbrook Drive: At 9:15 p.m. Feb. 8 a woman who had dined at J. Alexander restaurant, refused to pay for her food. The woman, wearing a fur coat, got in a taxi and left the premises. Management did not wish to pursue charges. Customer problem, Cedar Road: Staff at University Hospitals Lyndhurst Surgery Center, 29017 Cedar Road, reported the afternoon of Feb. 8 that a disgruntled patient who did not cooperate with staff, refused to leave the building. Before police arrived, the man left the scene, escorted by his father. Breaking and entering, Mayfield Road: The owner of Abo's Grill, 5288 Mayfield Road, reported just before 8 a.m. Feb. 8 that someone broke into the business during the previous night. According to police, about $1,000 was stolen. Police are investigating. dante-soiu.jpg Dante Soiu, a native of suburban Columbus, was acquitted by a jury in Los Angeles of charges he stalked actress Gwyneth Paltrow. (Courtesy of WBNS-TV Columbus) Gwyneth Paltrow COLUMBUS, Ohio - A Columbus-area man has been acquitted on charges he stalked actress Gwyneth Paltrow. A jury in Los Angeles acquitted Dante Soiu, 66, of Dublin, of stalking Gwyneth Paltrow after prosecutors said he sent her dozens of unsolicited letters and gifts in recent years, The Associated Press reported. The case against was the second in which he was accused of stalking the actress. He was committed to a mental institution in the early 2000s after he was accused of sending lewd messages and sex toys to Paltrow and found not guilty by reason of insanity, AP reported. The jury of six men and six women issued the verdict Wednesday, after beginning deliberations on Tuesday in the latest case. They heard from a variety of witnesses, including Paltrow, who described the fear she felt after learning Soiu was writing to her again. One letter described Paltrow "bowing to death," a reference the actress found disturbing. In another, Soiu wrote: "I have a goal: to marry Gwyneth Paltrow and take care of her." Jury foreman Ryan Austin told AP jurors found Paltrow and Soiu were credible witnesses, but the panel ultimately had doubts Soiu intended to frighten the actress. He said the jury thought Soiu's conduct was reprehensible, especially in light of the previous pornographic messages to the actress, but didn't amount to felony stalking. Here are other top stories from the Columbus area today: With his solar panels pointed toward the gray southern sky, Warren Louis dropped a well pump into a stock tank on the MetraPark lawn, flipped a switch and hoped for the best. Water erupted from the black polyvinyl tube. The Shepherd entrepreneur was primed for the Montana Agri-Trade Exposition, which begins Thursday at MetraPark. The MATE show, which runs through Saturday, is the largest show of its kind in Montana. Its a modern-day winter rendezvous for farmers and ranchers, many of whom have finished up early calving season and have a little break before spring planting. The trade show has been serving this purpose for 40 years. This years show is packed to the rafters with shiny new farm equipment, or new paint as the farmers call it. Farm machinery has been a MATE show staple from the beginning, said MATE manager Jennifer Boka, but theres more for MATEs 40th anniversary show. Next door, at the Home and Health Expo, there are health screenings and healthy living exhibits, exercise equipment and home decorating booths, a strange marriage between curtains and combines that only seems to grow. At the Case International Harvester display, Dane Nobles was working up a sweat putting the final touches on a brilliant red Case combine. Shiny red finishes and glossy black tires made the Torgersons Tractor and Farm Equipment exhibit stand out. We went through nine cans of Black Magic tire polish and probably a gallon of the glossy tire dressing, Nobles said. Global positioning technology is a hot ticket this year, Nobles said. GPS has been around for several years, but its becoming more accurate. A farmer can overlap cuts just three inches with new GPS technology, compared to a yard of overlap with the old tech. This years MATE show comes as commodities prices are declining. Net cash farm income is declining for the third year in a row, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Equipment dealers say farmers will be spending their money cautiously, but farm debt is at historical lows and there are unavoidable costs to doing business. Todays farms have gotten so big and they have so much to do that they have to go as fast as they can, said Mark Prewett of Vermeer equipment. Vermeer was showing off a brand new mower/conditioner with hydraulic suspension. The farm equipment will fit into a farms tax deductions and actually save the business money, Prewett said. Those are the kind of deals people will be looking for at MATE. Check out the companies making headlines after the bell Wednesday: Wholesale technology distributor Ingram Micro saw its stock jump after news it would be acquired by Chinese shipping company Tianjin Tianhai in a $6 billion all-cash deal. The merger will allow the companies to expand bulk shipments to key Asian markets, according to the Associated Press. Quick service restaurant Jack In The Box saw shares sink after its fiscal first-quarter earnings fell nearly 10 cents per share short of estimates. The burger chain, and owner of Qdoba Mexican Eats, pointed to increased competition for breakfast consumers as other chains, like McDonald's , moved in on their morning turf. Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Getty Images "Jack in the Box sales in the last part of the quarter were lower than we anticipated as several competitors began promoting aggressive value offers," Lenny Comma, the company's chairman and CEO, said in a statement. "We also experienced weakness at breakfast and lunch throughout the quarter, which we attribute primarily to our decision to shift the timing of some of our promotional activity around breakfast to the second quarter as compared to the first quarter of last year." Shares of Newmont Mining dipped in extended trading after the company reported fourth-quarter earnings that fell short of Wall Street's expectations. Newmont, one of the world's largest producers of gold, reported adjusted earnings of 4 cents a share, lower than the 13 cents expected by analysts, according to the AP. Spot gold prices are nearly flat over the past year. watch now The Veterans Choice Act was created to provide U.S. veterans with the choice of getting care closer to home when VA care was more than 40 miles or 30 days away. The new program has far to go before it keeps that promise. In Billings on Tuesday for a small business workshop, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester heard from local veterans who had been referred by Veterans Affairs to Sheridan, Wyo., for services available in Billings hospitals. One woman told of being sent to Sheridan for an MRI scan. Thats not the way the Veterans Choice Act is supposed to work, Tester said after the workshop at Montana State University Billings. Its been a rocky rollout. The intent is to get veterans timely care close to home. Waiting too long According to information from Testers office, last week in Montana there were 5,000 unscheduled appointments through Veterans Choice, and 2,600 of those requests were older than 90 days. Another problem is lack of timely reimbursement to private sector providers who care for veterans in the choice program, Tester said. A member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Tester has directed his staff to hold meetings around Montana to ask veterans how the choice program is going. The meetings are continuing, but Tester said Tuesday that its clear Congress must cut red tape and that VA middle management in Helena and Denver must do a better job of implementation. We appropriated a lot of money to the VA, he said. Money is not their problem. We dont have enough doctors, we dont have enough nurses. We dont have enough administrative personnel. A new law creating additional primary care and psychiatric residency slots still awaits funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, he said. VA Montana continues to recruit for vacancies. This week, its 19 health professional job postings included nurses, psychiatrists, primary care doctors, respiratory therapists and physician assistants. Legislation stalls The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee has passed several bills that Tester supports, but none have been brought to the Senate floor. Stalled committee bills include measures introduced by senators from both parties. Last July, the committee approved legislation concerning veterans compensation cost of living adjustments, access to immunizations and chiropractic care, provisions to expedite the veterans appeal process, to address the claims backlog, to require reporting of PTSD related to military sexual trauma, to forbid the VA secretary from giving bonuses to employees found to have performed poorly, and to improve womens health services. Seven months later, no further action has been taken. In early December, the Senate committee passed Senate Bill 290 to increase VA accountability with increased whistle blower protection and other reforms. On the same day, the committee approved SB 425, the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program Reauthorization introduced by Tester and Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark. That bill includes provisions to increase physician assistant pay, expand eligibility for caregiver support services, expedite survivor and funeral benefits and establish a VA office of patient advocacy. Neither of those bills has seen Senate action. Asked about prospects for making needed changes in laws affecting U.S. veterans this election year, Tester said it depends on what the Senate leadership does. He praised Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., but pointed out that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., hasnt brought committee bills to the floor. The VAs challenges remain complex and widespread. Its going to take acts of Congress, significant reform of the departments clunky processes and the constant pressure of veterans and their advocates to fix what ails the VA. Tester needs to keep speaking up for veterans. The House and Senate must find common ground this election year to keep moving forward to improve services to U.S. veterans. A weaker euro and lower fuel prices helped Air France-KLM return to profit in 2015, offsetting the drop in bookings due to the terrorist attacks in Paris, Group Chief Financial Officer Pierre Francois-Riolacci told CNBC on Thursday. "I think that people sometimes overestimate the fuel price and the effect in 2015, which was a bit more than 400 million euros, because there was hedging and also there was the euro-dollar rate that of course upset quite a lot of this price decrease. So it surely helped us but at the same time, we had downward pressure on the revenues, with unit revenues being down, excluding forex, significantly, from one year to the other," Riolacci told CNBC. Riolacci said the company is expecting a further decrease in their 2016 fuel bill. "From 2014 to 2015, the fuel bill [decreased] by about 2 billion dollars [but] in euros, it's only about 400,000 million," said Riolacci. However, "if we knew where the oil prices were going, we would be rich. Our business is not to play on the oil price, our business is to transport passengers and cargo," Riolacci told CNBC. One of the biggest threats Americans face this year is with their health information. The health-care sector fell victim to hackers multiple times in 2015, and the targets included some of its biggest companies: Anthem, Premera Blue Cross and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield were all hacked last year. In the process, a total of nearly 95 million patient records were exposed. Once inside the databases of health organizations, cyber criminals potentially have access to Americans' most sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers, health insurance ID numbers, and even employment and income data. Why hackers are targeting health care now is two-fold: In part, it's because hackers can make more money selling people's personal information compared to what they can make selling only credit card numbers. It's also partly because of the ease with which hackers can crack the health industry's defenses. Rawpixel Ltd. | Getty Images "They're open, leaky systems. It's probably easier to break into a hospital system than it is to break into a bank system," said Katherine Keefe, head of Breach Response Services at Beazley , which provides breach coverage and cyberliability insurance to nearly 500 hospitals and health care providers in the U.S. Health-care industry experts indicate that providers and the roughly 5,000 hospitals in the U.S. will be just as vulnerable to data breaches in 2016. Greg Bell, U.S. leader for KPMG Cyber, said much of the focus has been on gaining access to health care systems and exfiltrating (withdrawing) the data, but another form of attack can be even more troubling for the health-care industry. "Think about implications where access to that data is restricted, and then someone says, 'Pay me X dollars or we won't give you the password to the encrypted data,'" Bell said. Bell's question is no longer theoretical. This week, a Los Angeles hospital's computer network was crippled by hackers who demanded a ransom of near-$4 million in bitcoin to release the hospital's "kidnapped" servers. Beazley data shows that the company dealt with 750 breaches last year compared to 500 in 2014 and that hacking was the root cause of roughly one-quarter of those breaches. (Other causes include loss of a physical hard drive or device with data on it, payment card fraud and insiders handing over information. The second-biggest reason for data breaches after hacking was "unintended disclosure," such as an outsider posing as a company employee and being given information by an unwitting company employee.) KPMG paints a similar picture: In a survey conducted last August, 81 percent of 223 executives in charge of health-care providers and health plans said that their organizations had been the target of at least one cyberattack over the last two years. watch now According to Gartner security analyst Avivah Litan, the health-care industry is about a decade behind the financial services industry when it comes to security, which makes the entire sector a tempting target for a cyber attack. Hackers are now homing in on health care because they've discovered that while credit card numbers sell for only a few bucks, information about people obtained by combing through their health-records can sell for more than $30. "Criminals have discovered how much personally identifiable information sells for on the black market, and health-care companies are really good targets for personally identifiable information," Litan said. Premera Blue Cross and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield did not respond to a request for comment. Anthem directed CNBC to its AnthemFacts website, which the company set up in the wake of its data breach. Health-care companies have become more vigilant about training employees on how to spot phishing attacks the credible-looking email with a malware-infested attachment an employee shouldn't open up. Bell said such attacks continue to be the most common way hackers infiltrate health care systems. Of the 223 health-care executives KPMG surveyed in August, 65 percent of them cited malware as the "most frequently reported line of attack." When you go to the doctor and fill out a form, if there's a space for your Social Security number, don't put it down. Katherine Keefe head of Breach Response Services at Beazley As cyber attacks against health-care companies continue, Bell warned that attackers' methods will become more sophisticated to the point where hackers will target specific employees inside health-care organizations. "Hackers can do things like ID existing employees and, with a little bit of online research, they can learn information about the individual," he said. "They can target that email to that individual to make them more likely to trust that email. If you're targeting a bill administrator, for instance, it looks like a bill or an invoice." "External actors will eventually infiltrate any network, and you need to assume that," said Roy Katmor, CEO and co-founder of data exfiltration prevention company enSilo. "But data breaches are preventable." To better protect their networks and sensitive patient information, health-care organizations should be spending their time making sure data isn't extracted during or sometime after a cyber attack, Katmor said. The solution is to block an outbound malicious connection. Instead of preventing the initial breach, enSilo works to shut it down as a hacking attack is in progress, which enables a user to continue their work on a compromised computer or tablet. Gaps in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) don't help. According to Karen Porter, executive director of Brooklyn Law School's Center for Health, Science, and Public Policy, the security requirements contained in HIPAA are not as strict as the security requirements for financial services companies. Health-care organizations can find themselves in trouble if they haven't "followed what HIPAA really asks them to do," Beazley's Keefe said, referring to the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rule. Health-care organizations must "Identify and protect against reasonably anticipated threats to the security or integrity of the information," the rule states, and conduct risk analysis of their online patient data. The government provides a risk analysis tool that companies can opt to use on a voluntary basis. In recent years, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights has been fining health organizations for failing to implement policies to detect and contain security breaches. WellPoint now known as Anthem was fined $1.7 million in 2013 by HHS after the federal agency said the company left some 600,000 patient records "accessible to unauthorized individuals over the Internet." watch now Apple is resisting a court order to help the FBI hack into the iPhone used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook. At the heart of the matter, the court is demanding that Apple enable investigators to use brute force to gain access to information stored on the phone. In an open letter to customers on Tuesday, CEO Tim Cook said Apple will fight the order and warned that compliance with the FBI's demands would open up a Pandora's box. "In the wrong hands, this software which does not exist today would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone's physical possession. Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor. And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control," Cook wrote. The phone is owned by Farook's former employer, the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health. The department has supported federal investigators' requests to search the contents of the device. The White House contends that the Justice Department is not asking Apple to create a new backdoor, but is simply asking for access to one device. In this case, the details matter, said cybersecurity experts. "The FBI is technically correct," said Herb Lin, senior research scholar at the Stanford Center for International Security and Cooperation. "Tim Cook is taking a broad view of it." While Apple is using this opportunity to reaffirm its privacy policy and reassure customers that the company is not giving the government backdoor access to iOS devices, in doing so it is conflating two separate issues, experts said. "It is not the same thing as a backdoor, because it does not allow access to the device," said Alexander Heid, chief research officer of cybersecurity start-up Security Scorecard. "The government would still have to figure out the password to the device, whereas a backdoor would allow the government to access the device surreptitiously." An Apple iPhone 5S with fingerprint technology security. Gordon Chibroski | Portland Press Herald | Getty Images To use brute force a standard hacking technique investigators need to be able to enter as many passcodes as it takes to guess Farook's passcode without the device auto-erasing after 10 attempts, a standard security feature Apple offers. The court order requires Apple to help the FBI create and install software on the device that would bypass this and other security features. Investigators could then theoretically crack the four-digit passcode between 0000 and 9999 with 10,000 attempts, cybersecurity experts said. "Apple would be providing software that prevents the iPhone from erasing," said Heid. "It would be letting the guard down for an attack." Silicon Valley and the U.S. government have been at loggerheads for years about how much access companies should grant government and law enforcement agencies a debate that took on new urgency following the 2013 Edward Snowden revelations. "Pre-Snowden, the iPhone cryptographic process was different and easier to break," said Gabe Gumbs, vice president of Strategy at Identity Finder, a company that helps companies identify and classify sensitive information. "As a response to consumer affairs, when Apple released a new version of the iPhone they improved the encryption process they currently had." Privacy advocates and technology leaders largely came out in support of Apple's stance Wednesday. Google CEO Sundar Pichai commented via Twitter. Tweet 1 Tweet 2 Tweet 3 Tweet 4 Tweet 5 The Information Technology Industry Council, an advocacy and policy organization in Washington representing America's tech giants, also defended Apple's position. "Our shared fight against terrorism must be grounded in principle," it said. "We worry about the broader implications both here and abroad of requiring technology companies to cooperate with governments to disable security features, or introduce security vulnerabilities into technologies. Our fight against terrorism is actually strengthened by the security tools and technologies created by the technology sector, so we must tread carefully given our shared goals of improving security, instead of creating insecurity." Tim Cook, Apple CEO Chris Hondros | Getty Images With this court order, the government has picked an emotional case with which to test the limits of the All Writs Act of 1789, the statute the DOJ is citing to obtain information in this case. Sen. John Cotton, R-Ark., accused Apple of choosing to protect a dead ISIS terrorist's privacy over the security of the American people. "Regrettably, the position Tim Cook and Apple have taken shows that they are unwilling to compromise and that legislation is likely the only way to resolve this issue." House Intelligence Committee ranking Mmmber Adam Schiff, D-Calif., adopted a more nuanced assessment. "This case is at the heart of the difficult debate over privacy and security," he said. "The FBI has a compelling interest in gaining access to a phone used by one of the shooters in the San Bernardino attack the data contained on the phone could tell us more about the shooter's plans, and whether there were other plots against additional targets. At the same time, there is also a compelling interest in favor of strong encryption, and avoiding any precedent that could degrade the privacy rights, cybersecurity and the legitimate business interests that encryption helps to promote." Emerging market equities have had a good month, outperforming their developed market rivals and managing to avoid some of the harsher sell-offs, data show, leading some analysts to reassess their outlook for the region this year. The MSCI Emerging Markets index is up over 3 percent in the last week, climbing with its developed market peers, on a month view it is down around 0.8 percent, beating the MSCI World and the developed market MSCI EAFE, which was down around 2 percent on the month. Mark Ralston | AFP | Getty Images While short periods of outperformance are not enough to go on, senior markets economist at Capital Economics, David Rees, said the expected EM slowdown for this year has been overdone, and he expects a small pick-up in growth both in 2016 and next year. "Admittedly, this is partly due to recessions in Brazil and Russia becoming less bad. But there are more positive stories out there too: Central European economies are motoring ahead and, more importantly, we think that growth in China will accelerate this year rather than slow further," he said. "All of this chimes with our forecast for the MSCI Emerging Markets Index to rise by about 25 percent by the end of next year," he added. Risks clearly exist, particularly among EM countries with outsized debt growth and strong dependence on commodity exports or China. Add to the mix the prospect of a rising dollar and low-for-longer commodity prices and a number of concerns remain. If the idea of Donald Trump becoming the next U.S. president is your biggest fear, then fear no more as a Canadian island is offering you shelter. Cape Breton, just off the coast of Maine, is opening its arms to Americans who want to leave the States if billionaire Trump wins the 2016 elections. In fact, the island's website even urges you not to wait that long: "Don't wait until Donald Trump is elected president to find somewhere else to live! Start now, that way, on election day, you just hop on a bus to start your new life in Cape Breton, where women can get abortions, Muslim people can roam freely, and the only 'walls' are holding up the roofs of our extremely affordable houses." To entice new residents, Cape Breton, which is about the same size as the Big Island of Hawaii, brags about regularly featuring on lists of the world's most beautiful islands, along with its free healthcare, its open embrace of diversity, friendly neighbors and "nobody has a hand gun!" soldier rides a bicycle in front of the Long March II-F rocket loaded with China's unmanned space module Tiangong-1 before its planned launch from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu province. A sequel to "Star Wars" may arrive sooner than anyone expects, as China funnels vast resources into an outer space program that may stoke new tensions with the United States. The country plans to launch more than 20 space missions in 2016, making the year ahead the busiest ever for the nation's rapidly growing space program. After successfully launching 19 missions in 2015, the People's Republic plans a range of civilian and military missions that will test new rockets, launch a space laboratory, hone China's manned spaceflight capability and loft new satellites into orbit all while furthering plans to bring a habitable space station online by 2022 and put Chinese astronauts on the moon in the mid-2020s. At the same time, the Asian colossus is investing in anti-satellite technologies that would destroy or disable space-based assets in the event of conflict. Considering the fact that the U.S. relies upon satellites for a lot of its intelligence collection and communication, it's a worrisome trend. And it is exacerbating tensions with U.S. defense officials and security analysts concerned by China's focus on enhancing its military capabilities in space. Behind the red curtain Right now China spends $2 billion to $3 billion on its space program annually, a fraction of the $19 billion NASA will spend this year. Although China remains decades behind the U.S. in terms of space technology and know-how, it has managed to fast-forward innovation by leveraging existing technologies and its inexpensive labor and material markets. The strategy is working: Over the last 15 years, it's been able to start closing the gap with U.S. and Russian rivals likely helped along by funding from the Chinese military. The accelerating tempo of China's civilian space activities now presents a further threat to U.S. space dominance. The fear is that at some point in the foreseeable future, the Chinese could overtake and even rocket past the U.S. industry. "You've got this combination of civilian projects for prestige and military projects for power," said James Andrew Lewis, a senior fellow and director of the Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). "It shows that the Chinese are moving to be a leader in space if not the leader." watch now Among the 20-plus launches scheduled for this year are maiden flights of China's Long March 7 and Long March 5 rockets, the latter being its heaviest and most technically sophisticated rocket to date. China will launch communications and Earth-imaging satellites into orbit for Argentina and Belarus (marking the first time China has exported a satellite to Europe) as well as several satellites of its own. At least two scientific satellites, two navigation satellites and three spacecraft to augment China's High-Resolution Earth Observation System are slated for launch before the end of the year. The most visible and most ambitious mission will launch in the second half of the year, when a Long March 2F rocket sends the Shenzhou XI spacecraft and its crew of three astronauts to dock with China's Tiangong 2 space laboratory, a habitable module that will launch into orbit separately sometime in the first half of the year. Tiangong 2, while not designed for long-term habitation, is an important steppingstone toward building a Chinese space station that can be inhabited long term, similar to Russia's Mir or the International Space Station. The Shenzhou XI mission will allow Chinese scientists to research technologies and identify potential engineering flaws or other issues before launching the core module of its permanent space station sometime later this decade. If the schedule holds, China hopes to have its very own space station online by 2022 a space station that some security analysts worry could be used for military applications. The Shenzhou 9 manned spacecraft, Long March 2F rocket and escape tower wait to be transferred to the launchpad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu province June 9, 2012. China Daily | Reuters Those missions will join an already lengthy Chinese mission portfolio as several ongoing science and technology programs launched in previous years continue to progress. Those missions include a lunar orbiter that is presently scouting locations for a future robotic landing on the lunar surface (likely in 2017) that will pave the way for Chinese astronauts to land on the moon by the mid-2020s a feat that would make China the only nation capable of putting astronauts on the moon a full five decades after Americans terminated the Apollo program. "The significance of all this is that China clearly intends to have a competitive space capability," said Dr. John Logsdon, a space policy expert and professor emeritus at George Washington University. If the Chinese hit all the milestones they've set for themselves, they'll still be where the U.S. and Soviets were three decades ago, but they'll also have ticked many of the boxes on the modern space-power checklist. "These are steps in the logical development of a highly capable space program," Logsdon noted. "They're not successes or milestones to get worried about as long as our own program moves forward." You've got this combination of civilian projects for prestige and military projects for power. James Andrew Lewis director, Strategic Technologies Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies Given the huge lead the U.S. enjoys over China in space in the entire spectrum of technology and capability, the notion of China's space program leapfrogging the United States' in the foreseeable future is somewhat alarmist, Logsdon said. But the fact that China's civilian space program is so closely linked to its military space activity is worrisome, particularly for the U.S. Alongside its civilian and scientific space programs, China has invested heavily in anti-satellite technologies that would destroy or disable space-based assets in the event of conflict weapons like ground-based missiles capable of destroying targets in orbit, as well as experimental lasers and signal jammers that could disable or otherwise "blind" satellites that can be used in a military conflict. In 2007, China publicly demonstrated one such weapon by launching a ground-based interceptor missile at one of its own defunct satellites in orbit, destroying it (and creating a cloud of dangerous space debris). The test was largely viewed as a shot across the bow for U.S. military planners that rely heavily on military satellites for everything from navigation and communication to intelligence gathering, weapons targeting and piloting its drone aircraft. While the Pentagon retains its own means of interfering with an adversary's satellites in orbit including ship-based anti-satellite missiles U.S. military and commercial interests maintain a far greater presence in orbit and thus have the most assets to lose there. "There are a lot of avenues to go after satellites, and what worries people is that the Chinese are pursuing all of them," CSIS's Lewis said. "The question becomes: If they're so into peace, why are they building so many weapons?" What lies ahead? WHEN: Today, Thursday, February 18th WHERE: CNBC's "Power Lunch" Following is the unofficial transcript of a CNBC interview with Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak on CNBC's "Power Lunch" (M-F, 1PM-3PM ET) today, Thursday, February 18th. Following are links to video of the interview on CNBC.com: http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000495052&play=1, http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000495049&play=1 and http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000495050&play=1. All references must be sourced to CNBC. BRIAN SULLIVAN: TECH PRIVACY AND APPLE ON TOP OF THE NEWS ONCE AGAIN, AND A "POWER LUNCH" EXCLUSIVE NOW JUST FOR YOU WITH APPLE CO-FOUNDER STEVE WOZNIAK. HE IS CALLING IN FROM HIS HOME IN LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA. STEVE IT IS GREAT TO CHAT WITH YOU AGAIN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR TAKING A LITTLE TIME FOR US HERE ON CNBC. WHAT IS YOUR TAKE, STEVE, ON THIS FIGHT BETWEEN APPLE AND THE FBI? SHOULD APPLE BUILD THAT NEW VERSION OF IOS ALLOWING THEM TO UNLOCK THAT PHONE? STEVE WOZNIAK: I'M NOT INTIMATELY INVOLVED IN THE FIGHT BUT I'M DEFINITELY AGAINST THAT. I DON'T THINK THAT THE PHONE SHOULD HAVE BACKDOORS. I BELIEVE THAT APPLE'S BRAND RECOGNITION AND VALUE AND PROFITS IS LARGELY BASED ON AN ITEM CALLED TRUST. TRUST MEANS YOU BELIEVE SOMEBODY. YOU BELIEVE YOU'RE BUYING A PHONE WITH ENCRYPTION. IT SHOULDN'T HAVE HIDDEN BACKDOORS AND WAYS THAT YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE. WHAT -- TELL YOU WHAT, YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO HIDE, RIGHT, BRIAN? SULLIVAN: WHAT'S THAT? WOZNIAK: YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO HIDE. YOU DON'T CARE IF I HAVE GOT A BACKDOOR TO EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS, RIGHT? SULLIVAN: I WOULD LIKE TO BELIEVE NO, BUT IN THE BLOG AGE PERHAPS I DO, STEVE. I MIGHT SAY YES. WOZNIAK: OKAY. WELL, YOU COULD SEND ME YOUR HARD DISK. YOU WOULDN'T MIND DOING THAT. SULLIVAN: NO, BUT -- OKAY. I HEAR YOUR POINT, BUDDY. BUT HOW ABOUT THIS THOUGH? I ALSO AM NOW BEING ACCUSED OF TERRORISM. I MEAN, AND I THINK THAT THE PUBLIC IS SAYING, WELL, WE UNDERSTAND YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT PRIVACY, BUT THIS WAS AN INCREDIBLY SERIOUS TERRORIST ACT AND THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS SAYING, HEY, IT'S ONE PHONE. WE DON'T WANT A BACK DOOR AND WE'RE NOT LOOKING TO POPULATE THE WORLD WITH THIS NEW SOFTWARE. WOZNIAK: IT'S A CRACK AND I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S BEING TERRORISM IS JUST A PHONY WORD BEING USED. THE CASE INVOLVED ACTUALLY WITH APPLE RIGHT NOW HAD TO DO WITH I BELIEVE IT WAS A SHOOTING OR A MURDER OR SOMETHING. IT WASN'T TERRORISM. YOU KNOW, WHAT IS TERRORISM? IT'S JUST A DEEPER CRIME. ANYTHING YOU CAN ASSOCIATE WITH POLITICS. NO, I DON'T THINK WE WANT LEADERS -- WE'RE HUMAN BEINGS. I HAVE BEEN WITH APPLE MY WHOLE LIFE, AND APPLE HAS HAD A REPUTATION FOR BUILDING DEVICES THAT WORK IN THE HUMAN WAY. LET HUMANS BE HUMANS. TYLER MATHISEN: STEVE, I THINK, STEVE, THE RECORD SHOWS THAT THE SHOOTERS IN SAN BERNARDINO WERE AFFILIATED WITH OR HAD CONNECTIONS INTO KNOWN TERROR GROUPS AND THAT THIS WAS AN INTENTIONAL TERRORISTIC ACT. I DON'T THINK THAT'S DISPUTABLE. WOZNIAK: YOU CAN'T GENERALIZE THAT AND SAY THAT'S THE ONLY WAY EMBARRASSING INFORMATION WOULD EVER BE USED. I MEAN, ASK ANYBODY ON FACEBOOK. ALSO YOU CAN'T TRUST WHO IS IN POWER. IT'S LIKE BELIEVING THE AUTHORITY AND POLICE WHEREVER THEY GO. GENERALLY WHEN THEY WRITE THE RULES, THEY'RE RIGHT WHEN THEY'RE WRONG. BUT THIS IS JUST TOTALLY ARBITRARY. HOW IT WILL BE USED IN THE FUTURE IS OUT OF BOUNDS AND NOT NEEDED. MICHELLE CARUSO-CABRERA: YOU'RE SAYING THERE COULD BE MISSION CREEP DOWN THE ROAD. IN OTHER WORDS THEY SAY THEY WANT IT FOR ONE THING TODAY, BUT THEN IT'S USED FOR SOMETHING ELSE. STILL, HOW DO YOU LOOK COULD YOU LOOK A PARENT IN THE EYE OR A RELATIVE IN THE EYE OF SOMEBODY WHO DIED THAT DAY AND TELL THEM THIS EXACTLY AND SAY, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO HELP THEM GET THAT INFORMATION? WOZNIAK: NO, I'M NOT JUDGMENTAL. WHEN I LOOK PEOPLE IN THE EYE, I DON'T THINK THEY'RE WRONG IF THEY THINK DIFFERENTLY THAN ME. THEY'RE RIGHT IN THEIR WORLD AND MY THINKING IS DIFFERENT FOR MY REASONS. FIRST OF ALL, I BELIEVE THAT WE ARE VERY MUCH RESPECTING WHAT IS A HUMAN BEING AND WHAT SORT OF RESPECT DOES HUMAN BEING MEAN? OUR RIGHTS OVER TIME IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM HAVE COME ABOUT BECAUSE OF ABUSES THAT HAPPENED IN THE LONG RUN WHEN YOU HAVE THINGS LIKE KINGS AND HIGH AUTHORITY MAKING THEIR OWN RULES, GOING AFTER WHO THEY WANT TO GO AFTER. DISLIKING YOU, MAKING UP STORIES. A LOT OF RIGHTS HAVE BEEN BUILT INTO THE COURT SYSTEM, IF YOU WILL, AND THEY HAVE A BACKGROUND THAT SAYS PROTECT HUMAN BEINGS FROM THINGS LIKE TORTURE. MELISSA LEE: STEVE, IT'S MELISSA LEE. I'M WONDERING IF YOUR VIEW IS ABSOLUTE OR DOES IT CHANGE? LET'S SAY THE CIRCUMSTANCES WERE DIFFERENT WHERE IT WAS CLEARLY AN ACT OF TERRORISM. THERE WAS NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF THE PARIS ATTACK OR 9/11. WOULD YOUR VIEW CHANGE? COULD YOU ACTUALLY TELL AUTHORITIES, NO, I BELIEVE THAT PRIVACY OF EVERY CUSTOMER INCLUDING THESE PROVEN TERRORISTS IS WORTH PROTECTING? WOZNIAK: THERE WILL ALWAYS BE TERRORISM. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT PROTECTS TERRORISM THERE ARE OTHER METHODS OF DOING INVESTIGATION. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ONE CASE OR A GENERAL CATEGORY OF CASES, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY EVERYBODY -- THERE'S A BACKDOOR FOR EVERYONE AND IF THAT GETS ABUSED IT COULD BE CONQUERED BY HACKERS. IT COULD BE FUTURE PEOPLE THAT RUN COMPANIES LIKE APPLE DECIDE TO USE IT IN WAYS THEY SHOULDN'T. PRIVACY HAS A GOOD BARING -- I GREW UP AND WAS KIND OF TAUGHT THAT THE BILL OF RIGHTS WAS REALLY ABSOLUTE CORE VALUES THAT WE SHOULD HAVE, AND NOW I FIND OUT, OH, WELL, WE CAN JUST SORT OF DISAGREE AND GO AROUND THEM ANYTIME WE FEEL LIKE IT AND THE WORD TERRORIST HAS BEEN USED WAY TOO OFTEN TO SCARE PEOPLE -- LEE: BUT THE QUESTION, STEVE -- I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT. THE QUESTION THAT I PUT FORTH TO YOU IS WHAT IF WE KNEW THIS WAS A CASE OF TERRORISM, THERE WAS NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO SAY COMFORTABLY THAT APPLE SHOULD NOT BUILD ANY BACKDOOR EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW THERE IS A TERRORIST ATTACK, THERE MAY BE OTHER PLOTS BEING BREWED RIGHT NOW? WOZNIAK: YOU KNOW WHAT? I THINK WITH COURT ORDERS AND WHATNOT, THAT APPLE WOULD RESPOND, YOU KNOW, IN AN INDIVIDUAL CASE. HOWEVER, THE CASE IS MORE LIKE SHOULD YOU BUILD IN A BACKDOOR THAT YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND OUT WHAT SOMEBODY HAD, THEY CANNOT HAVE A REALM OF PRIVACY, AND I'M ON THE PRIVACY SIDE. SULLIVAN: OKAY, STEVE, LET'S BROADEN THIS OUT JUST A BIT BECAUSE IT WAS A REALLY INTERESTING ARTICLE IN "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL" YESTERDAY ABOUT A COMPANY CALLED CASTLIGHT HEALTH CARE. BASICALLY THAT THEY TRACK EVERYTHING YOU BUY AND DO AND THEN THEY LET YOUR EMPLOYER KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, IF I LIKE WINE AND CHICKEN WINGS, WHICH I DO, BOTH THOSE THINGS, THEY KNOW AND SO MAYBE MY EMPLOYER KNOWS THAT, OH, HE'S EATING FRIED FOOD AND HE'S DRINKING WINE AND, THEREFORE, MAYBE HIS HEALTH CARE COSTS ARE GOING TO GO UP. IS THERE AN IMPLIED UNDERSTANDING WHEN YOU BUY A PHONE, NOT EVEN AN IPHONE ANY SMARTPHONE, THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE TRACKED ANYWAY? LIKE WHERE DO WE DRAW THE LINE? WOZNIAK: YES THAT'S OBVIOUS. IN A SENSE TECHNOLOGY HAS WON A LOT OF THE BATTLES BUT THE HUMAN VERSUS TECHNOLOGY, WE SHOULD HOLD OUT WHAT WE CAN FOR THE HUMAN ALSO. CARUSO-CABRERA: WHAT DO YOU THINK STEVE JOBS WOULD HAVE DONE? WOZNIAK: STEVE WAS A VEGAN HE CARED ABOUT PEOPLE HOW HAD FEELINGS ONCE WE HAVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DOING THE SEARCHING OF THESE DATABASES CAN WE TRUST IT? I THINK STEVE WOULD HAVE GONE FOR THE PRIVACY. ONE TIME WE TALKED TO THE FBI. THEY CAME INTO APPLE AND NOTIFIED US HOW TO WATCH FOR ALL THESE CHINESE SPIES THAT WERE GOING TO TRY TO GET OUR IP, AND STEVE ASKED THE FBI ONE QUESTION. HE ASKED THEM -- WE DO THE SAME THING, RIGHT? AND THE FBI GUY SAID, NO, WE DON'T. I BELIEVE IN TRUTH. I'M SORRY, I FOLLOW THE PERSON WHO IS BEING HONEST BEFORE I FEEL THE PERSON I WANT TO FEEL AN EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT TO WHAT THEY SAY. CARUSO-CABRERA: YOU THINK THE FBI WAS LYING TO YOU THAT DAY IN OTHER WORDS. WOZNIAK: THAT THE U.S. DON'T DO SPYING ALSO TO GET I.T.? YES, I THINK THEY WERE LYING AND I THINK -- AND I DON'T RESPECT THAT ANSWER. CARUSO-CABRERA: HOW MUCH MATHISEN: I THINK IT'S WELL KNOWN THAT THE UNITED STATES ENGAGES IN SPYING WOZNIAK: STEVE WAS THE ONE WHO THOUGHT THAT WAS MATHISEN: AND ESPIONAGE AND CYBER ESPIONAGE. STEVE, LET ME ASK YOU THIS. IF ON THE PHONE OF THE SAN BERNARDINO SHOOTERS WHO I THINK WERE TERRORISTS, I THINK MOST PEOPLE THINK THEY WERE TERRORISTS THERE WAS INFORMATION THAT WOULD HAVE LED THAT INDICATED THAT APPLE'S HEADQUARTERS WAS THE NEXT TARGET OF AN ATTACK, A BIOLOGICAL ATTACK LET'S SAY. AND THAT PHONE WAS STILL LOCKED UP AND MAY STILL BE LOCKED UP. THAT INFORMATION WAS ON THERE AND THAT HAPPENED, HOW WOULD YOU FEEL? WOZNIAK: YOU'RE KIND OF OFF IN LEFT FIELD IS HOW I FEEL RIGHT NOW. MATHISEN: I DON'T SEE WHY I AM. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY I AM. IF THERE'S VITAL INFORMATION ON A PHONE THAT WAS IT WASN'T OWNED BECAUSE IT WAS OWNED BY THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO, BUT WOZNIAK: OK, IF YOU SAY THAT, YES, EVERYTHING WE'VE EVER DONE IN OUR LIVES SHOULD BE OPEN TO EXPLORATION, WE SHOULD HAVE ABSOLUTELY ZERO PRIVACY BECAUSE THAT "IF" CAN APPLY TO ANYTHING. MATHISEN: WELL, IF YOU'RE INVOLVED IN A CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY OF SOME SORT OR ANOTHER, YOUR RIGHT TO PRIVACY IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE SOCIETY'S INTEREST IN PROTECTING THE COMMON GOOD WOULD TRUMP MY INDIVIDUAL RIGHT TO PRIVACY. WOZNIAK: YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IF SOMETHING THAT ISN'T HASN'T BEEN DECIDED AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT PROBABLY DOESN'T EVEN EXIST. IF THEY HAVE SOMETHING ON THEIR PHONE THAT SAID APPLE HEADQUARTERS WAS THE NEXT TARGET, THAT'S OUT IN LEFT FIELD. CARUSO-CABRERA: BUT YOU GET THE SPIRIT OF HIS QUESTION, RIGHT? MATHISEN: YEAH, THE SPIRIT OF MY QUESTION. I MEAN, IF IT COULD HAVE PREVENTED 9/11, SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY DID HAPPEN. WOZNIAK: YOU'RE OFF IN LEFT FIELD. MATHISEN: WOULD YOU FEEL DIFFERENTLY ABOUT PROTECTING THE PRIVACY OF THE ABILITY TO UNLOCK THAT PHONE? WOZNIAK: YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IFS, TRYING TO SWAY AN EMOTIONAL FEELING OF SOMETHING THAT THERE THAT TELLS US THERE IS ACTUALLY A CONNECTION THAT COULD BE STOPPED THAT WAY. LEE: WE WILL ONLY KNOW THESE THINGS THOUGH, STEVE, IN HINDSIGHT. SO I MEAN, GETTING BACK TO THE CASE AT HAND. THE FBI HAS SAID THAT THEY WANT TO UNLOCK THIS PHONE FOR THIS PARTICULAR CASE ONLY. WHY DO YOU NOT BELIEVE THEM? YOU SOUND, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, A LITTLE PARANOID IN YOUR DISTRUST OF THE AUTHORITIES. WOZNIAK: I'M ACTUALLY NOT TALKING ABOUT THIS CASE. I'M TALKING ABOUT THE GENERAL CASE THAT GOES MUCH DEEPER THAN THIS CASE. AND THAT IS THE FBI WANTS A PERMANENT BACKDOOR BUILT IN. AND I JUST THINK THAT'S WRONG. I THINK YOU SHOULD BUY A PRODUCT AND FEEL THIS IS MY PRODUCT AND WHAT I HAVE IS WHAT I THINK I HAVE AND I HAVEN'T BEEN I DON'T HAVE COMPANIES PLAYING TRICKS BEHIND ME IN THE BACKGROUND. EVEN GOOGLE MARKETING TO ME IS SOMETHING APPLE DOESN'T DO. SULLIVAN: OK, OBVIOUSLY WE SORT OF YOU KNOW, THERE'S GOING TO BE PEOPLE I DID A POLL ON THIS YESTERDAY ON TWITTER, STEVE. HALF THE PEOPLE AGREED, HALF DIDN'T. WE'RE NEVER GOING TO AGREE ON YOU KNOW, NOT YOU OR NOT ME OR NOT MY PARENTS OR NOT TYLER'S FAMILY, WHATEVER. EVERYONE'S GOT THEIR OWN VIEWS. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY. THE GOVERNMENT SAYS THAT IF WE BUILD OR IF APPLE BUILDS THIS, THEY JUST WANT ONE COPY, THEY WILL DESTROY IT AFTERWARDS, I PRESUME. HOW DOES THE TECHNOLOGY WORK? IF APPLE DOES HAVE TO BUILD THIS SOFTWARE THAT WOULD ALLOW THIS BACKDOOR, WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO SIMPLY DESTROY IT OR WOULD IT BE KIND OF LIKE CREATING A NEW TYPE OF BACTERIA? OR A VIRUS THAT POTENTIALLY COULD BE THEN SPREAD OUT? WOZNIAK: YOU'RE TRUSTING SOMEBODY WHO HAS NOT LIVED UP TO THEIR TRUST IN THE PAST AND THAT YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHO IS GOING TO BE OPERATING IN THE FUTURE AND YOU GIVE UP TOO MUCH. SULLIVAN: WOULD IT BE VERY EASILY DUPLICATED, I GUESS, WOULD BE A SMARTER WAY TO ASK MY QUESTION? WOZNIAK: I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN BY EASY. I PRESUME EVERYTHING IN TECHNOLOGY IS EASY. SULLIVAN: YOU KNOW, IF THEY BUILT A NEW VERSION LET'S CALL IT IOS 12.1. THEY JUST CREATE ONE VERSION OF THIS NEW IOS THAT WOULD ALLOW THE GOVERNMENT TO GET IN, WHERE WOULD THAT IOS SIT? HOW WOULD BECAUSE PRIVACY ADVOCATES ARE WORRIED THAT OK, THIS WILL SPREAD AND, THEREFORE, YOU COULD GET ON MY PHONE OR I COULD GET ON YOUR PHONE. HOW DOES THE DISTRIBUTION OF A TECHNOLOGY LIKE THAT WORK, STEVE? MAYBE MY QUESTION IS A LITTLE BIT CRAZY, BUT I DON'T KNOW 1% OF WHAT YOU DO ABOUT TECHNOLOGY. WOZNIAK: WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I MEAN, IT COULD JUST BE BUILT IN. SULLIVAN: BUT WHERE WOULD IT GO? HOW COULD IT SPREAD? APPLE'S WORRIED THIS COULD SPREAD TO STEVE'S PHONE, OR MELISSA'S PHONE OR MICHELLE'S PHONE. WOULD IT BE THAT EASY TO JUST MOVE IT AROUND TO WHERE IT WOULD SUDDENLY BECOME THIS WOULD BECOME SORT OF A PIRATED VERSION OF A DANGEROUS IOS AROUND AMERICA? WOZNIAK: I'M NOT SURE WHAT YOU'RE ASKING EXACTLY CARUSO-CABRERA: I WONDER, STEVE SULLIVAN: ME NEITHER. IT MAKES TWO OF US, STEVE. CARUSO-CABRERA: WHEN I READ TIM COOK'S LETTER, READING BETWEEN THE LINES, TO WHAT DEGREE DO WE KNOW ABOUT FOREIGN SPIES WORKING IN SILICON VALLEY IF THIS BACKDOOR WERE CREATED, COULD IT BE CAPTURED BY THE CHINESE? COULD IT BE CAPTURED BY THE RUSSIANS DESPITE HOW MUCH CONTROL? WOZNIAK: OH, WELL, IN THE PAST YEAH, PAST HISTORY HAS SHOWN US THAT THESE LITTLE SECRETS CAN BE DISCOVERED, EXPLORED, BROKEN. EVERY DAY YOU READ ABOUT A NEW COMPANY THAT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OR MILLIONS OF ACCOUNTS GOT VIOLATED. SO YOU CAN'T BE SURE NO MATTER HOW CONFIDENT YOU ARE IN THE MATHEMATICS AND ALL. QUANTUM COMPUTING. SO WHO KNOWS. LEE: STEVE, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR APPLE TO BUILD THIS BACKDOOR AND KEEP CONTROL OF IT? NOT HAND IT OVER TO THE GOVERNMENT BUT USE IT TO UNLOCK THE PHONE WHICH WOULD THEN BE HANDED OVER TO THE GOVERNMENT? OR IS THAT JUST NOT A POSSIBILITY? WOZNIAK: WELL, WE KNOW WHO APPLE IS TODAY AND WE TRUST THEM AND THEY'RE GOOD, BUT WHO IS APPLE TOMORROW? WHO ARE THE PEOPLE INVOLVED? WHO ARE THERE INSIDERS THAT WOULD BE A LITTLE SECRETIVE, YOU KNOW? IT'S JUST LIKE AN INSIDER CAN PUT A WHOLE BUNCH OF DATA ON A FLASH KEY AND WALK OUT OF A COMPANY. MATHISEN: COULD SOMEONE ELSE BESIDES APPLE ENGINEER THE KIND OF BACKDOOR THAT APPLE WOULD PREFER NOBODY HAVE? IN OTHER WORDS, COULD THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY COME UP WITH A WAY TO BREAK INTO THAT OPERATING SYSTEM AND OPEN THE PHONE? WOZNIAK: IN MY MIND, IT DOESN'T MATTER. IT'S JUST, IT'S STILL AN ASSAULT ON A RIGHT THAT PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE, IN MY MIND. AND IF YOU DISAGREE, YOU'RE GOOD TOO. YOU'VE GOT YOUR REASONING AND YOUR LOGIC AND I HAVE GOT MINE. IT JUST COMES FROM MY WHOLE BACKGROUND. SULLIVAN: STEVE, THE BOTTOM LINE IS DO YOU THINK APPLE ENDS UP HAVING TO DO THIS? DO YOU BELIEVE THAT IF THE COURT ORDERS THEM, THEY WILL DO IT? WOZNIAK: MY HUNCH IS YES, BUT I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW. I MEAN, IF I WERE THERE, I MIGHT FIGHT IT QUITE VIGILANTLY BUT, PROBABLY LEE: I ASSUME, STEVE, THAT YOU USE AN iPHONE. IF THE ANSWER IS YES AND YOU'RE AFRAID ABOUT THIS BACKDOOR BEING RELEASED, WOULD YOU THEN SWITCH? HOW WOULD YOU THEN PROTECT YOURSELF IF YOU THEN BELIEVE THAT THAT WILL OR COULD BE USED FOR HARM? WOZNIAK: SOME OF US FIGHT FOR PRIVACY IN OUR LIVES. I HAVE HAD A LIFE OF BEING TOTALLY OPEN, OF SHARING ALL SORTS OF DATA ABOUT ME, EVEN WHEN I DID WRONG THINGS, BREAKING THE LAW. I WOULD TELL MY PARENTS WHEN I WAS YOUNG BECAUSE THAT WOULD KEEP ME FROM DOING THINGS I DIDN'T BELIEVE IN. AND SO I AM A VERY OPEN PERSON. I JUST SHARE SO MUCH WITH THE WHOLE WORLD AND I DON'T HIDE OUT. I DON'T MAKE MYSELF UNFINDABLE, SO TO ME PERSONALLY IT DOESN'T MATTER. I'M STANDING UP FOR OTHER PEOPLE. SULLIVAN: STEVE WOZNIAK, IT WAS VERY INTERESTING, WIDE-RANGING INTERVIEW. STEVE, WE DO APPRECIATE YOU TAKING A LITTLE TIME FOR US ON CNBC TODAY. About CNBC: With CNBC in the U.S., CNBC in Asia Pacific, CNBC in Europe, Middle East and Africa, CNBC World and CNBC HD , CNBC is the recognized world leader in business news and provides real-time financial market coverage and business information to approximately 371 million homes worldwide, including more than 100 million households in the United States and Canada. CNBC also provides daily business updates to 400 million households across China. The network's 15 live hours a day of business programming in North America (weekdays from 4:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. ET) is produced at CNBC's global headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and includes reports from CNBC News bureaus worldwide. CNBC at night features a mix of new reality programming, CNBC's highly successful series produced exclusively for CNBC and a number of distinctive in-house documentaries. CNBC also has a vast portfolio of digital products which deliver real-time financial market news and information across a variety of platforms. These include CNBC.com, the online destination for global business; CNBC PRO, the premium, integrated desktop/mobile service that provides real-time global market data and live access to CNBC global programming; and a suite of CNBC Mobile products including the CNBC Real-Time iPhone and iPad Apps. Members of the media can receive more information about CNBC and its programming on the NBC Universal Media Village Web site at http://www.nbcumv.com/mediavillage/networks/cnbc/. watch now watch now watch now watch now Europe's stock markets finished mixed on Thursday as optimism on earnings failed to completely offset turbulence surrounding various commodities and the performance in U.S. markets. The pan-European STOXX 600 finished roughly flat, with weak trade in U.S. weighing on sentiment. France's CAC came off session highs to close 0.15 percent up, while Germany's DAX ended 0.9 percent higher. London's FTSE 100 however slumped 1 percent, as several U.K. listed miners slipped. European markets An initial rise in the price of oil gave a lift to market sentiment, after Iran said it supported a production "ceiling" to stabilize prices, however this didn't mean a commitment to limit Iran's production. Prices, however, came under pressure after the EIA reported that U.S. crude stockpiles had risen by 2.1 million barrels in the last week. Brent last hovered around $34.40, while U.S. crude dipped below $31. Inside the oil and gas sector, Tullow Oil sank to the bottom of Europe's benchmarks, off more than 11 percent after the oil and gas producer said it had to change some of its operational procedures at its Jubilee field in Ghana, having identified a potential equipment issue. The sector closed 0.9 percent down, however Seadrill finished up near 2 percent, with Total also closing in the green. Basic Resources stocks continued to come under pressure as metal prices saw more declines. Glencore and Rio Tinto both closed sharply lower, while an increase in gold and silver prices boosted precious metal firms Fresnillo and Randgold Resources . Anglo American was off some 7.7 percent, as its credit rating was downgraded to "junk" by Standard & Poor's on Thursday. Fitch Ratings and Moody's have also cut their ratings on the miner's debt this week. Air France-KLM surges; Nestle falls watch now Mark Cuban weighed in on Thursday on the Apple versus FBI debate, applauding the tech giant for resisting a federal court order to unlock a terrorist's iPhone. In a blog post, the Dallas Mavericks' owner said Tim Cook did the "exact right thing by not complying with the order." "Every tool that protects our privacy and liberties against oppression, tyranny, madmen and worse can often be used to take those very precious rights from us," Cuban wrote. "We must stand up for our rights to free speech and liberty." The government is pinning its order on the All Writs Act of 1789, which Cuban calls a "catch all for anything for which there is no law." He suggests that a better way to deal with the situation at hand is to pass new legislation to deal with the issue. "The issue is that as often happens, technology speeds past our ability to adapt or create new laws that match the onslaught of daily technological change," said Cuban. He added that he's normally in favor of fewer laws, but in this case, new legislation is essential to prevent the "slippery slope of privacy violations hidden behind the All Writs Act." A federal magistrate on Tuesday ordered Apple to assist in the San Bernardino terror attack investigation by designing a new operating system to disable the feature that erases all contents after 10 failed passcode attempts. This would allow the FBI to unlock the iPhone 5C used by Syed Rizwan Farook, who with his wife killed 14 people on Dec. 2. The phone is owned by Farook's former employer, the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health. The department has supported federal investigators' requests to search the contents of the device. watch now watch now watch now On Wednesday, Cook said Apple would oppose the order. "The implications of the government's demands are chilling," he said in a note to customers. "If the government can use the All Writs Act to make it easier to unlock your iPhone, it would have the power to reach into anyone's device to capture their data." In his blog post, Cuban drew a link between encryption and the protection of free speech. "Speech can only be free when it is protected," he said. "We have a right to protect our speech from those, domestic or otherwise, who may watch or monitor us. Which is why encryption is vitally important to all of us." He added that encryption is incredibly easy and compared it to wearing a seatbelt in your car. President Obamas energy policies make no economic or political sense. The latest evidence of this is the Supreme Courts ruling to temporarily block the administrations effort to combat global warming by regulating emissions from coal-fired power plants. The courts action which was unprecedented came in response to a challenge from 29 states, including Montana, and dozens of corporations and industry groups. Obama pretends we exist in a world where renewables like solar and wind can drive economies and meet our individual energy needs, but rest assured that were going to continue to rely on coal to generate electricity well into the future. In 2015, coal was the largest source of electricity in the United States, accounting for nearly 40 percent of power production. We all favor renewables, but theyre no match for coal. Coal can address peak performance and on-demand issues. Although the cost of generating electricity from solar and wind has declined dramatically in recent years, together they supply less than 5 percent of the nations power. Solar and wind wont be competitive with coal until theres a technological breakthrough in large-scale electrical storage because solar only works when the sun shines and wind only works when the wind blows. Foolish lease moratorium The Obama Administration foolishly announced plans to temporarily suspend all new coal leases on federal public lands. Left unchecked, this action would have led to the loss of 40.8 percent of the nations coal production, which has already fallen to its lowest level in 30 years. It will have devastating consequences for jobs throughout the coal supply chain. Hillary Clinton wants to go one step further. If elected president, she intends to suspend all new oil and natural gas leases on public lands as well. More than 21 percent of the nations oil and 14.1 percent of the nations natural gas comes from these lands. Our nations efforts to reduce foreign dependence on these commodities will be undermined. The loss of jobs from this assault on fossil fuels will be horrific, particularly coal. The administrations latest stream-protection rule could result in the loss of millions of dollars in revenue for local communities in mining areas and wipe out as many as 78,000 coal-mining jobs. State regulations already protect streams, so the federal rule will saddle coal producers with yet another layer of bureaucracy. Nuclear energy restricted Adding insult to injury, Obama wants to propose a $10.25 per barrel tax on oil that could literally kill the oil industry. With oil prices plummeting, companies are operating at razor-thin margins. Not only that, nuclear power is constricted by Obamas decision to kill the Yucca Mountain project in Nevada. Even though the Nuclear Regulatory Commission certified that the facility would be safe for thousands of years, Obama pulled the plug on the project at the behest of Nevada Sen. Harry Reid. About 75,000 metric tons of high-level radioactive waste is still being stored at nuclear plant sites around the country and the amount is increasing by 2,000 tons annually. We cant just say goodbye to all our older energy industries. They make up 86 percent of our nations electricity production, heat our homes, and provide fuel for factories and our transportation system. And they are going to be around for a while at least until a sensible plan is adopted to phase out fossil fuels and phase in renewables. Once again I ask: Where is the plan? I have been asking for countless years and still get no answer. I use the Internet, including social media, as a creativity-catalyzer and journal. Following different people who I share interests with on Instagram and Twitter pushes me to be a better artist and writer. The political blogs on my Facebook feed ensure that I'm up to date, informed and active in what I care about. And when I want to reach out to my friends with things I'm unsure about, I feel supported by the community that exists online. And it's so much faster than reaching out to each one of your friends individually. Some of the first people who I really felt understood me were friends I met through the Internet. I was bullied incessantly growing up, but on social media there were opportunities for me to be myself in ways I couldn't at school or at home. I came out as bisexual online far earlier than I did in my "actual" life, but the experience of being open about who I was online made the transition so much easier. Once I left home to attend college, I started using social media as a way to stay in touch with friends all over the world. I have people I haven't seen in years who I still feel close to, regardless of physical presence because I connect with them often online. Instead of having to keep a detailed list of contact information, my friends from Paris, Montana and Australia are all easily available on Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram; I can see what they're doing with their lives, even if they're far away. For every other company in the Dow 30, none has had a return statistically different from random noise, luck or chance. So what's going on here? Maybe Travelers just has a great year every fourth year. The honest assessment is it's impossible to tell. It's just one of those quirks in the numbers that shows how weird the data can get. Giant companies don't really move all that much because of an election. They move because of what's happening in the market. For a real counterexample, look at healthcare stocks. They might have seemed like an obvious loser from the government overhaul of insurance. But after the Affordable Care Act, they turned out to be big winners in the final product of the bill. UnitedHealth stock is up 264 percent from the day President Barack Obama signed the ACA into law, through Jan. 31, 2016. That makes it the second-best performer in the Dow 30. Trying to predict a good stock to pick based on the election? You'd be better off waiting a few months to see what's actually coming out of the Oval Office, rather than running to your broker on election night. watch now U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the self-described "democratic socialist," has drawn within striking distance of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the national race for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. The survey, taken after Sanders ran even with Clinton in the Iowa caucuses and then routed her in the New Hampshire primary, shows Clinton with a 53 percent lead among Democratic primary voters to 42 percent for Sanders. She held a 25 percentage point lead a month ago. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton Reuters (left); Getty Images The poll shows Clinton with a nearly 2-to-1 advantage among nonwhite voters, whose support she is banking on as the nomination race moves to Nevada on Saturday and South Carolina on Feb. 27, among other contests. She leads by 58 percent to 39 percent among women, by 62 percent to 31 percent among Democratic primary voters aged 50 and older, and 58 percent to 37 percent among self-identified Democrats. (Registered independents can vote in some party primaries.) Sanders draws strength from his 54 percent to 41 percent edge among white men, his 61 percent to 33 percent lead among independents and his 57 percent to 40 percent advantage among primary voters under age 50. Some 22 percent of Democratic primary voters cited Clinton's ties to Wall Street as their greatest concern about her; just 7 percent identified the controversy over her private email server. But fully two-thirds said neither issue substantially troubled them. Apple CEO Tim Cook is challenging federal authorities on privacy, and the tech giant's co-founder Steve Wozniak believes late chief executive Steve Jobs would have done the same. "I think Steve would have gone for the privacy," Wozniak told CNBC's "Power Lunch" on Thursday. Cook on Wednesday denounced a court order requiring the tech giant to help authorities search an iPhone used by one of the attackers who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California last year. Cook called the order "chilling," saying the government could eventually use it to "extend this breach of privacy and demand that Apple build surveillance software" to gather personal data. A former Ravalli County Treasurer who was placed on leave after she failed to pay bills and make reports has sued a western Montana newspaper for libel. The lawsuit was filed on Feb. 11 by Richard and Valerie Stamey, even as county officials have been trying to serve legal papers to Valerie Stamey, the former county treasurer, since June 2014. The Stameys are requesting $8 million from the Bitterroot Star and its proprietors, Michael and Victoria Howell. The lawsuit alleges that the Star falsely represented a dispute over a political ad that ran in the paper in 2010. The ad was for Richard Stamey's bid for state Legislature in 2014. His wife, Valerie Stamey, was the campaign treasurer. The Stameys claim that the ad did not print as intended after they paid $125 up front, but the paper continued to bill them. In the complaint, the Stameys say that the Star "failed to tell their audience the facts surrounding their breach of this agreement" in subsequent article on Feb. 12, 2014. The Star story referenced in the lawsuit refers to a 2014 decision by the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices that found that the cost of the ad had not been forgiven, and the Stamey's still owed $162 for it. Additionally, the Stamey campaign had reported the ad as an in-kind contribution by the paper, which the Howells have denied. Missoula radio station KGVO reported that Valerie Stamey made this claim on a radio show in 2014. Valerie Stamey was appointed as Ravalli County treasurer in September 2013 after the former treasurer resigned. The office fell months behind in its workload. A tumultuous relationship formed, and in January 2014, Ravalli County commissioners placed her on administrative leave after she refused to answer questions about her involvement in a South Carolina civil lawsuit. An audit of the treasurer's office found no indication of fraud. The county sought a $29,000 judgment against Stamey for the ordeal but has been unable to serve her with court papers. In late 2014, a bank purchased her house at an uncontested sheriff's sale. The lawsuit indicates that Stamey lives in South Carolina. An employee demonstrates a Motorola Moto E android smartphone in the Lenovo Group Ltd. pavilion at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Simon Dawson | Bloomberg | Getty Images Apple's tight control over its hardware, software and app developer ecosystem means that when a government agency wants to crack into a device it needs help from the iPhone maker. The situation would likely be very different with an Android phone. As the drama unfolds between the FBI and Apple over whether the government can access data from an iPhone used by the San Bernadino gunman, the public is getting a glimpse into what a 21st-century terrorist investigation entails. And how the type of device matters. In the U.S., Android is the most popular platform with 53 percent market share, topping Apple at 43 percent, according to comScore. Apple charges a premium for its phones, with a promise of reliability and security. Android phones are sold by an array of handset manufacturers, mostly out of Asia, and often at very low margins from mass manufacturers. "The security of Android devices pales in comparison because Google ultimately doesn't control devices sold to consumers," said Chris Soghoian, principal technologist at the American Civil Liberties Union. "Google made a deal with the devil. To get market share, it allowed hardware partners and carriers to have control over the devices." Apple CEO Tim Cook said Wednesday in a letter to customers that the FBI has requested help unlocking a phone used by one of the perpetrators of the Dec. 2 terrorist attack, which killed 14 people. watch now To crack the password, the FBI needs a "backdoor to the iPhone," with Apple developing software "circumventing several important security features," Cook wrote. He said the company is challenging the court order because in creating the technology for a single phone, the tools would exist to access any phone and the knowledge of how to do it would spread. This is a familiar argument from Cook. The CEO has loudly beaten the drum on consumer privacy, criticizing ad-supported companies that build their business on user data. Google , of course, makes almost all its money from advertising, while giving away its operating system for manufacturers to build upon freely. Read MoreApple CEO lashes out at app developers Because Apple's revenue comes from device sales, it has a very different relationship with customers. IPhones released in the recent years have what's called a Security Enclave, which is effectively a separate processor that limits the frequency and number of times an incorrect password can be entered. Critically, the process creates a separate ID that "is not known to Apple," according to its security guidebook. The FBI has asked Apple for a way to circumvent the password limitations for one particular phone. With Android, every manufacturer handles privacy and security separately, and there's only so much Google can add to the operating system without slowing down the phone. According to Zuk Avraham, founder and chief technology officer of mobile security provider Zimperium, the quality varies dramatically from one Android vendor to the next. While Avraham wouldn't say which do well and which perform poorly, the top Android sellers in the U.S. are Samsung , LG, Motorola and HTC. "The boot process looks different in each vendor of Android, which is an opportunity to have a more secure phone but also an opportunity to have a more vulnerable phone, depending on how much time you spend with it," said Avraham. "Some make it better and some make it much worse." A Google representative didn't respond to requests for comment. In the latest versions of Android dubbed Lollipop and Marshmallow, the operating system bolstered so-called full disk encryption, which is encryption at the hardware level that requires a virtual key to access. But it's only effective on new devices, not older phones with upgraded operating systems. SYRACUSE, N.Y. Pinnacle Holding Company, LLC announced it has named Ryan W. York as CEO of Pinnacle Investments, LLC, its broker-dealer unit that has more than $1.2 billion in assets under management. York previously served as CEO of Pinnacles sister company, Confidential Planning I LLC. He replaces Eric Krouse as Pinnacle Investments CEO. Pinnacle Holding Company recently appointed Krouse as its chief operating officer. He will also continue to serve as chief financial officer and a board member York says Pinnacle Investments has big plans for the future. Weve been working a number of projects that will help our company continue to grow and have a big impact on the Central New York economy, York said in a news release. York joined Pinnacle Investments in 2011 after starting his career with a global investment firm. He is a graduate of the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. Pinnacle Holding Company is a Syracusebased financial services firm with businesses in brokerage, money management, employer-sponsored retirement plans, and insurance. Contact The Business Journal News Network at news@cnybj.com America's largest coal company may be operating in violation of mining law, federal regulators said in letters sent Tuesday to officials in three western states, in what marks a significant expansion of the spiraling debate over companies' ability to pay for mine cleanup. Peabody Energy, like many coal companies, has long used so-called self-bonds to cover its reclamation costs. Companies with self-bonds are not required to post collateral on future cleanup expenses. Instead, they are secured by the companies' assets. Peabody maintains roughly $1.4 billion in self-bonds, including almost $814 million in Wyoming. But in a letter to Wyoming regulators, the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement warned the Missouri-based firm may be in violation of the law because it continues "to extract coal while failing to meet the criteria for self-bonding." Similar letters were sent to officials in Colorado and New Mexico. The warnings, known officially as 10-day notices, came in response to a complaint filed by environmentalists, who have pushed for federal regulators to closely scrutinize mining firms' bonding status. Concerns have grown over companies' ability to pay for cleanup after Alpha Natural Resources and Arch Coal filed for bankruptcy protection with a combined self-bonding tab of roughly $900 million in Wyoming. Environmentalists have urged regulators to act in Peabody's case, saying it is easier to ensure money is set aside for mine cleanup before a firm files for bankruptcy. In both Alpha and Arch's cases, state regulators struck deals guaranteeing a fraction of the companies' total cleanup costs after the firms filed for Chapter 11 protections. WildEarth Guardians, the Santa Fe, N.M.-based environmental group responsible for the compliant, applauded federal regulators' response. "The 10-day notice letters are a critical step toward resolving this issue," said Jeremy Nichols, who oversees WildEarth Guardians' climate and energy program. "From our standpoint, it's critical for Interior to step up to resolve Peabody's bonding issues before the company likely files for bankruptcy." The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, or OSMRE, is a division of the Interior Department. Peabody has been battling bankruptcy rumors of late. The company last week reported a $2 billion loss for 2015 and announced it had drawn down the entirety of its $1.65 billion credit line. Loss of its self-bonding status would be a serious blow, potentially forcing the company to post $1.4 billion in the form of cash, surety bonds or some other form of secured credit. The warnings do not amount to a loss of self-bonding status. State regulators have 10 days to take enforcement action, determine if no violation exists or seek more time to investigate. Federal officials will decide whether the company ultimately qualifies for self-bonding after receiving the states' responses. Beth Sutton, a Peabody spokeswoman, noted state regulators had approved self-bonds for all the mines where the company has employed the program. "This includes affirmation by the state of Wyoming for our North Antelope Rochelle and Rawhide mines as recently as December of 2015," Sutton said. Peabody's self-bonding status has for months been the subject of intense debate. Wyoming regulators have said the company continued to qualify for the program through a subsidiary, Peabody Investment Corp., which holds the miner's bonds and passed the financial tests needed to maintain self-bonding eligibility. A Department of Environmental Quality spokesman acknowledged Wyoming had received the federal notice and would soon offer a response. He declined further comment. Environmentalists have questioned whether companies should be able to secure self-bonds through subsidiaries. Arch Coal, they note, maintained its self-bonding status through its subsidiary Arch Western Resources LLC before both filed for bankruptcy last month. WildEarth Guardians' complaint alleges Peabody, as the parent company, no longer qualifies for self-bonding because its failed several financial thresholds needed to maintain eligibility for the program. The group pointed to credit downgrades by rating agencies and argued Peabody's reclamation liability now exceeds its net worth, among other factors. OSRME asked state regulators to consider those allegations in their response to Washington. The 10-day notices apply to the North Antelope Rochelle, Rawhide, Caballo, Shoshone No. 1 and School Creek mines in Wyoming, as well five in Colorado and two in New Mexico. CHEYENNE, Wyo. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to recommend approval of a bill that would provide convicted criminals the chance to seek a retrial based on new, non-DNA evidence establishing their actual innocence. Senate File 51 nearly passed the Legislature in an earlier incarnation in 2014. That year, it cleared both the House and Senate, but the two chambers were unable to reconcile their separate amended versions of the bill. In addition to giving convicts a shot at a new trial, the bill also contains a provision that would provide compensation for anyone who is eventually found innocent based on either DNA or non-DNA evidence with a cap of $500,000. Sen. Floyd Esquibel, D-Cheyenne, introduced the bill Wednesday, noting that the vast majority of convictions happen in cases where DNA evidence is not a factor. Esquibel said the standard to request a new trial would be high so that the court system would not be flooded with frivolous claims. You cant just say I didnt do it and expect to be heard, Esquibel said. I think thats an unfounded fear. Rather, he said, SF51 would apply to situations where, for example, a crimes actual perpetrator comes forward after an innocent person has already been convicted. It also could apply to situations in which witnesses later recant their testimony, provided the new evidence is sufficient enough that it would have likely altered the outcome of the original trial, had it been introduced. Aaron Lyttle, an attorney with the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center, spoke in favor of the bill, noting that despite what you see on CSI, biological evidence is not a factor in more than 90 percent of criminal cases. Right now, if new non-DNA evidence is discovered, if someone else confesses to the crime, you dont have any recourse, he said. He added that the $500,000 cap on compensation for those proven innocent is in line with similar laws in neighboring states, and well below the caps in the federal system and in Texas both signed into law by then-Governor and later President George W. Bush, he noted. As to whether SF51 would clog up the court system, Lyttle said theres simply no evidence of that happening in those states. You need to have some kind of new evidence discovered that wouldnt have been reasonably discovered by due diligence (at the time of the original trial), Lyttle said. If that isnt met, the judge can simply dismiss it without a hearing. Lyttle introduced several amendments to the bill, which were approved by the committee. They would add various types of new evidence that could be accepted for purposes of a retrial request, including a reassessment of discredited or junk science that may have previously been accepted at the time of trial. The amendments also suggested paying a lump sum of $150,000 upfront to those who are proven innocent so that they have an easier time reintegrating into society, with the remainder paid as an annuity. Sen. Dave Kinskey, R-Sheridan, said he agreed with the intent of the bill but wanted to see it studied further during the interim, rather than approved this year. He also wanted more information about the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center and wanted to know whether there was some model legislation other states have used before. Lyttle noted that the previous incarnation of SF51 from 2014 was already vetted through an interim study, but he also didnt object to going through the process again. If an interim study is whats necessary, thatd be a great thing, to go through all the data and possible concerns, he said. Sen. Larry Hicks, R-Baggs, agreed that SF51 should be an interim topic, adding that he felt it could have a better chance at eventual passage now that theres water under the bridge. Hicks comment referred to the case of Andrew Johnson, a Cheyenne man who was freed from prison due to new DNA evidence, and who was seeking compensation from the state for the decades he spent behind bars. Johnsons situation became somewhat of a political hot potato during the 2014 session, with some legislators siding with then-Laramie County District Attorney Scott Homar in arguing that Johnson had still committed his crime, despite being freed based on DNA evidence. Despite their reservations, committee members voted 3-2 to recommend approval of SF51 and allow it a hearing on the Senate floor. The no votes were Hicks and Sen. Michael Von Flatern, R-Gillette. Ellen is an assistant city editor for spring 2017. She has reported on the Missouri General Assembly and Columbia city government for the Missourian. Reach her at: eccg25@mail.missouri.edu or in the newsroom at (573) 882-5720 Follow this search Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Terminal ready to take flight The new Columbia Regional Airport terminal is open for business. Flights will start next week. A judge has condemned the handling of the case of inmate Jessica Tsao, accused of stealing a rental car which she drove from California to Bismarck, as "confusing" and "unacceptable." On Thursday, South Central District Judge James Hill signed an order for a new bond hearing, which will be held 11 a.m. Friday, and will also hear when Tsao's psychiatric evaluation will take place and where. "The defendant cannot continue to languish in the Burleigh County Detention Center without some end date, Hill wrote in the document. Both a prosecutor and Tsaos attorney, Kent Morrow, will be present to discuss Tsaos present bond set at $1,000 and whether it should be modified. Jessica Tsao was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in April and hasnt yet been convicted on any charges. She has languished in the Burleigh County Detention Center since Aug. 29. Her mother, Snowy Zhou, said her 29-year-old daughter should not be sitting behind bars and needs to be treated for her illness. Several attempts have been made by Zhou and her two lawyers, including Bismarck attorney Tom Dickson, to secure a criminal competency exam as quickly as possible, but to no avail. Tsao was first scheduled to have a criminal competency exam Dec. 8 at North Dakota State Hospital in Jamestown. In January, an evaluation still hadnt been performed, and another evaluation was scheduled for March 23, which was signed into the court on Jan. 5. The postponement was caused by delay in getting necessary criminal and medical records to the state hospital, Morrow said by email. Today, Tsao continues to sit behind bars, without a competency exam or treatment. Late last month, an earlier exam was approved to take place within 30 days at West Central Human Service Center in Bismarck. The evaluation date was again changed last week, and another request was made to transport Tsao to the state hospital March 16 for an evaluation. Morrow said West Central was found to be unfit to perform the evaluation. Dr. Andrew McLean, the medical director for the North Dakota Department of Human Services, said the states human service centers usually dont perform criminal competency exams. Typically, the state hospital forensics unit has been the group thats done that or a private provider, said McLean, adding that human service centers usually work to treat individuals and not as agents to the court. Best of Business 2022: Learn Who Won Our 15th Annual Reader Poll Local professionals chose their favorite business and professional services, products, healthcare, dining and more. Find out who their top picks are. By Jody Callahan of The Commercial Appeal The man who Memphis police believe opened fire in a crowded community center earlier this month is now in custody, officials said. Marcus Dotson, 26, was taken into custody Wednesday by the Shelby County Sheriffs Offices fugitive squad at his girlfriends residence in the 3100 block of Ford Road in South Memphis. Deputies found him hiding in the attic around 2 p.m., SCSO spokesman Chip Washington said. He was wanted on 51 counts of aggravated assault as well as using a firearm to commit a felony and contributing to the delinquency of a child. Dotson has prior arrests for domestic assault and aggravated burglary. The incident happened Feb. 5 at the Riverview Community Center at 1891 Kansas. According to police, Dotson entered the centers gym and pointed a gun at a group of kids. He then opened fire and fled. A juvenile who was with him has already been taken into custody, police said. First Tennessee Bank Right before the holidays, First Tennessee Bank hired an executive to oversee its lending programs in black neighborhoods. Then it bought $1.5 million worth of preferred stock in Tri-State Bank, one of the largest black-owned businesses in Memphis. Last month a $1.9 million dispute with the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department was settled, ending a question about mortgage loan applications made by African American and Hispanic borrowers. Sounds like the city's biggest homegrown bank has a Community Reinvestment Act problem, right? Not hardly, said First Tennessee president David Popwell. "We're in acquisition mode," Popwell said. Moving the bank's Community Reinvestment Act grade from solid to exemplary, he said, can help win favor on merger applications reviewed by banking regulators. "We've built the bank to grow with acquisitions," Popwell said. "A very good CRA program can help. We're trying to be best in class." That's a good sign for the bank, and most likely good for Memphis. Lending in black neighborhoods matters in Greater Memphis, where about half the households are African American, but it also matters that the 151-year-old bank remain in business. While Leader Federal, Morgan Keegan, National Bank of Commerce and Union Planters were rolled up into larger companies, shifting control out of Memphis, First Tennessee survived, the last big hometown bank left standing from the city's era as a regional financial center. Looking for mergers signals the 4,300-employ bank has shaken off the 2008 financial hangover created by contentious home appraisals at former sister company First Horizon, a national mortgage lender bought by New York-based MetLife Inc. An array of hometown companies in recent years were purchased by out-of-town rivals from Buckeye Technologies to Accredo Health. With its weak stock price, First Tennessee could have taken the same course made money for its shareholders by attracting a buyer, a move that generally leads to layoffs in the administrative offices. Instead, bank executives chose to build profitability by getting larger. "We've come to the conclusion that it probably makes more sense to look for what I would describe as larger transactions," bank chairman Bryan Jordan recently told industry analysts. "First Tennessee has never been a company that lacked for people to buy it," said Marty Mosby, director of bank and equity strategies at Vining Sparks, a Memphis investment firm. "It has a strong franchise throughout Tennessee. It is in good position to make the decision that it wants to grow." No merger candidates have been publicly identified, although Mosby figures banks with assets of $5 billion to $15 billion in Tennessee and the Southeast look likely. Pouring those assets onto First Tennessee's books would sharply increase the bank's size and could add a few jobs in the Downtown headquarters. First Tennessee currently has about $25 billion worth of assets chiefly outstanding loans and investments in securities. One of the most widely owned local stocks among residents in the region, First Tennessee's hangover and lately the weak economy has held back the share price of parent First Horizon National Corp., a Memphis company headed by the same executives who run the bank. The parent is an on-paper-only legal entity that owned the mortgage lender and the bank. Its only asset now is First Tennessee, which includes a major investment business named FTN Financial. Investors have been wary of the stock. First Horizon National traded at $12.06 per share Friday, a price only 2.4 percent higher than five years ago. The Standard & Poor's 500, an index that measures the stock performance of 500 major U.S. corporations, rose 38 percent over that period. Jordan said acquisitions, which can boost profits and in the turn the stock price, can reward shareholders along with repurchases of First Horizon stock on the open market and dividend payments. "We think our buyback, used opportunistically, is a great way to get capital back into our shareholders' hand," Jordan told analysts. "And if we have the right deal opportunities, we certainly would consider those, and look for opportunities to grow through acquisition." As it set the acquisition strategy in motion, First Tennessee took note of regulators urging bankers throughout the nation to remain committed to the Community Reinvestment Act, a federal law that encourage bankers to loan money in poor and minority neighborhoods. First Tennessee executives last fall invited Keith Turbett to explain how he shaped policies as community development officer at SunTrust Bank's Memphis branches. Turbett and Popwell had worked together at SunTrust and earlier at National Bank of Commerce, which Atlanta-based SunTrust bought in 2004. "He made a very good impression on us," Popwell remembered after the fall meeting. "We huddled afterward in the parking lot, and asked, 'How do we hire that guy?' " Turbett joined First Tennessee in November, after Tri-State Bank, seeking to shore up its finances, invited the big bank to buy $1.5 million worth of preferred shares. Popwell said CRA regulators will likely look favorably on the stock investment, although First Tennessee would have bought the stock even if there was no buyout strategy. "We would have made the investment anyway," Popwell said, noting it was considered important to strengthen Tri-State. Tri-State is not considered a merger candidate. Only days after the stock sale was announced, an event unrelated to Turbett, Tri-State or the strategy came up. First Tennessee reached a $1.9 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. First Tennessee denied allegations that it engaged in discriminatory lending, saying the organization that brought the complaint, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, did not provide evidence to support its claims, but the Memphis bank wanted to settle to avoid "the extraordinary expense to all parties." "I don't see that settlement being a result of systemic problems," Popwell said. SHARE The Stax Museum's "Soul Cinema" monthly Soul Cinema series kicks off on February 29 with Isaac Hayes feature "Truck Turner." (Photo courtesy Stax Museum of American Soul Music) A promo poster soundtrack to the Isaac Hayes film Truck Turner Record producer Terry Manning will be exhibiting his photos and performing at the Stax Museum in March. By Bob Mehr of The Commercial Appeal Coming into his job as director of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Jeff Kollath had a sense of just how deep and powerful was the story of Soulsville. But after eight months heading the museum, Kollath has an even deeper appreciation not just for the history, but also for the legacy that continues at Stax. "There's always going to be something inherently interesting about the music and that core Stax story, but there's so much more than that," says Kollath. "Really, Stax is about a message of empowerment and opportunity. Being here on the campus for the last eight months, I see that every day with The Soulsville Charter School and the Stax Music Academy. To see the manifestation of that legacy still continuing today, it's really great. It's what drives a lot of us here on campus." Kollath, 38, came to Stax last summer, having spent eight years working as curator of programs and exhibitions for the Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison. He also worked as director of museum experience at the Milwaukee County Historical Society. Most recently, he served as the public humanities manager for the Center for Humanities at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Beyond his curatorial experience, Kollath has a background in African-American and soul music history. He holds a bachelor's degree in history and a master's in public history, for which he wrote a thesis called "Soul City: Indianapolis' African-American Community and Soul Music, 1967-1974." Kollath has spent his first months on the job getting to know Soulsville as a community and Memphis as a city. "The main thing is getting familiar with people in town, and really trying to develop collaborative relationships with as many like-minded organizations in Memphis, and outside of Memphis, as possible," says Kollath, who is working to strengthen the museum's ties to venues like the Levitt Shell and organizations like the Tennessee Arts Commission, and has begun working with record stores like Shangri-La and Goner. "It's important to have relationships with record stores for a lot of reasons. The main one is that it further affirms how much we value music. Not just music of the past but current music, too." Ultimately, Kollath says, "What I've found is there is a real hunger for the Stax story and how it can be extrapolated in a variety of ways." He has begun to program along those lines. This week, in partnership with Indie Memphis, the Stax Museum announced its first "Soul Cinema" series. The spring screenings, held at the museum, will focus on the films of Isaac Hayes. It kicks off Feb. 29 with Hayes' 1974 blaxploitation classic "Truck Turner." That same year's "Three Tough Guys," (co-starring Fred "The Hammer" Williamson) shows March 28. The programming culminates with "Shaft," featuring Hayes' Oscar-winning music, on April 25. "They're films that capture a certain era in American and African-American cinema," Kollath says. "And interestingly, Stax was a company that had planned on going fully into the movie business and if things had gone differently with the company's history, they might have," says Kollath. "For us, the music in these films in particular shows the breadth and depth of Isaac as a writer and composer." The music from the films also highlights Hayes' work with members of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, who added strings to many of his most notable works. On April 27, the relationship among Hayes, Stax and the MSO will be part of a live performance and panel at Stax's Studio A, featuring music from symphony players, including veteran violinist Ann Sperbeck, and members of Hayes' band. Kollath has more in store for the spring. Next month, Stax will shift the focus to one of the key behind-the-scenes figures in Memphis music: engineer, producer, player and photographer Terry Manning. On March 12, an exhibit of Manning's music photographs will open at the museum (it will be on display through June 30). Manning will also perform with the Stax Music Academy on March 15 (part of a series of appearances that month to promote his new record). The photo exhibit is the first long-term show of Manning's photos. A former freelance photographer for Britain's New Musical Express magazine in addition to his studio work with Stax and Ardent, Manning's images capture some of the giants of Memphis and '60s music. "There are some really amazing images," says Kollath. "There's Terry's shot of Steve Cropper mixing 'Dock of the Bay,' a day after Redding's passing. Photos of Tom Dowd and Dusty Springfield recording 'Dusty in Memphis.' Candid shots of Booker T. and various other Stax and Ardent stars. It's a rich collection of images." Stax's concert programming will continue in April, with the return of the "Live in Studio A" series, which will feature day and evening shows from Nick Black, Southern Avenue and the SMA Alumni Band, through the summer. For the fall, Kollath has secured another retrospective exhibit, called "Motown in Black and White," a collection of images and ephemera from label employee and archivist, the late Al Abrams. Abrams also worked with Stax in the mid-'60s, and the exhibit mixes and juxtaposes Motown material with various Stax pieces from his collection. The museum is already eyeing programing for 2017. Next year will mark several key events in the label's history: the 60th anniversary of the founding of Stax's precursor, Satellite Records; the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Stax/Volt European tour; and the 50 years since the death of Otis Redding. February 18, 2016 - Errol Johnson talks to Raven Ruth in Judge Bobby Carter's Criminal Court Division 3 courtroom during his sentencing hearing for the death of their 12-year-old daughter, Andrea Ruth, in November 2012. Johnson was sentenced to 22 years in prison without the chance of parole. (Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal) By Katie Fretland of The Commercial Appeal Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Bobby Carter sentenced a Millington father to 22 years in prison Thursday in the death of 12-year-old Andrea Ruth, who a prosecutor had said was so neglected that she "rotted until she died." A jury convicted 44-year-old Errol Johnson in January of two counts of criminally negligent homicide. Johnson was also convicted of aggravated child neglect with serious bodily injury of a vulnerable child and aggravated child neglect that was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel of a vulnerable child. Emergency responders were called in November 2012 to Andrea's residence in the 7000 block of Arapaho in Millington where she was on the floor with her mother attempting CPR. Andrea had a history of health problems including asthma, high blood pressure and obesity, at one point weighing 252 pounds. She was a patient at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital three times in 2011. She had symptoms of nausea, fever and diarrhea in February 2011 and returned to the hospital later that month with the same symptoms. According to testimony during Johnson's trial, she was in such bad condition during one admission to the hospital that medical steps were taken to keep her organs going. This caused a loss of blood flow to her lower extremities, and she left the hospital with dry gangrene, which required further care. She was sent home from the hospital with a plan of treatment and appointments, but records showed no indication of doctors visits after October 2011. The child died in November 2012 and witnesses described a putrid odor in the house and flies. There were maggots on her, her feet were rotting off and she had a large infected ulcer on her hip in addition to other sores on her body. "Everybody in her life failed her," said Assistant District Attorney Carrie Bush. Assistant District Attorney Abby Wallace said during Johnson's trial that Andrea was in extreme pain as she was suffering from her wounds at home. The only thing she was given for pain was over the counter generic pain relief and something to make her sleepy commonly found in Benedryl, Wallace said. Prosecutors argued that Johnson lived in the house with his daughter and had a responsibility to take action as she was suffering, while his public defender, Nigel Lewis, said Johnson was working over 120 hours a week as a taxi driver in Memphis and taking out pay day loans to try to care of the family. Johnson believed the child's mother and a home health aide were taking care of Andrea, Lewis said. During a sentencing hearing Thursday, Johnson's father Ernest Johnson, described him as a smart and dedicated person. "He was always taught to work to get what he needed," Ernest Johnson said. He said Andrea had been sick "all her life." Errol Johnson testified Thursday that he worked excessively. "I never tried to hurt anyone much less my children," he said. The trial involved photos of the child's injuries that prompted the judge to warn people seated in the courtroom that they may want to get up and leave. Carter said Thursday that the crime was horrific and the images in the case were among the worst he has seen. "It is just absolutely horrific," Carter said. The case was investigated by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Millington Police Department. The cases of two other people, the child's mother, 37-year-old Raven Ruth, and a home-health aide, 43-year-old Chasara Jones, are pending. February 17, 2016 - FedEx employee Robert C. Gordon, 25, who had recently gotten off from work, waits on his bus to arrive from the MATA American Way Transit Center Wednesday afternoon. Eventually, the bus was over an hour late picking Gordon and other passengers up at the station. Gordon, who doesn't have a drivers license or car, depends on MATA for his transportation needs. "If MATA stop the buses, MATA needs to up some money, give me a car so I can get back and forth to work," Gordon said. MATA CEO Ron Garrison told a City Council committee MATA needs $30 million from the city in operating funds in the next fiscal year budget - a roughly $7 million increase - to avoid cuts in bus routes and service frequencies. Gordon asked, "You take the buses away from the people, then, what are they going to do - walk ten miles to work in the cold? I don't really just think that's fair." (Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal) By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal Memphis Area Transit Authority CEO Ron Garrison says he's considered privatizing MATA and has asked Shelby County for funding to help resolve a financial crisis. Garrison covered those issues and a number of others in an interview Wednesday with the InforMemphis team of The Commercial Appeal. Tuesday, Garrison told Memphis City Council members in a committee meeting that he needed $30 million in operating funds about $7 million more than in the current fiscal year and $5 million in capital funds to avoid "stark cuts" in bus routes and frequencies beginning in July. MATA has used capital funds to pay operating expenses for years, leaving little money to replace its buses, he said. Wednesday, Garrison said privatization has been in the "back of my mind," and talk about the option has gone on in "different circles," but his staff isn't actively researching the possibility. "If done correctly, there could be a benefit to privatizing some or all of MATA, but we haven't begun any serious calculations or negotiations or discussions about that at this point," he said. "We're just taking a look at it." Garrison acknowledged that the topic was sensitive, but said he is not "necessarily opposed to privatization," and has worked for private transit organizations in the past. He said he hasn't talked to his board or Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland about privatizing MATA, but said he thinks "that's something (Strickland) would consider." Garrison also said he's had brief discussions with County Mayor Mark Luttrell and his staff about the county joining Memphis, the state and the federal government in funding MATA. "They're looking at it with us, but that was a while ago," he said. "I haven't had any recent discussions with them." Garrison said he's not sure why the county hasn't contributed to MATA in the past, but that the city is inside the county, so the county also benefits from MATA. "We're not very far down that road," he said of discussions. But if the county does begin funding MATA, that could pave the way for a bi- or tri-state transit authority, Garrison said. "That would be advantageous to the community and the region, in so much as it would provide us additional funding and resources for projects, such as reaching out to those areas," he said. MATA's financial woes have real-world implications for city bus riders. At the MATA American Way Transit Center on Wednesday afternoon, Robert Gordon ate snacks, drank a soda and smoked while waiting for the bus after his shift ended at nearby FedEx. The bus, due at 3:02 p.m, was late and didn't arrive until 4:15 p.m. If the city doesn't increase funding, Gordon said he hopes MATA is prepared to help him out if services and routes are cut. With no car and no driver's license, the bus is all he has to get to work, to shop, to take his one-year-old daughter to doctor's appointments or to just get around. "MATA must be going to buy me a car. And all of these people in here too," Gordon said, pointing to the transit center's waiting room. Staff writer Linda A. Moore contributed to this report. Follow more politics and policy coverage from the InforMemphis team on Twitter and Facebook. Daily oil production in North Dakota declined by 29,500 barrels per day in December from the previous month, which was the largest drop in daily production in nearly a year. December preliminary numbers for oil production released Wednesday were 1,152,280 barrels per day, down from the final November total of 1,181,787 barrels per day. Thats a very significant decline. It finishes up a really interesting year, North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources director Lynn Helms said. The last time daily oil production in the state dropped by more in a single month was a drop of nearly 37,000 barrels per day from December 2014 to January 2015. In three other months in 2015, oil production dropped more than 20,000 barrels: a more than 25,000 barrel drop from August to September, nearly 22,000 barrels from March to April and more than 20,500 barrels from July to August. The recently revised budget revenue forecast has the state maintaining 1 million barrels of oil per day for fiscal year 2016 before dropping below that mark early next year and averaging 900,000 barrels per day for fiscal year 2017. Helms said companies continue to try and find ways to increase efficiencies and deal with low oil prices, which have declined for more than a year. The price for West Texas Intermediate, a U.S. benchmark for oil, was just over $31 per barrel on Wednesday. The prices speak for themselves. I think were going to see that for longer, Helms said. The states active rig count continued its downward trend, with the count at 40 on Wednesday; its expected to drop to about 30 before oil prices rebound. Helms said to also expect more layoffs by companies during the first six months of this year. The number of wells waiting on completion by hydraulic fracturing declined slightly from an estimated 969 in November to 945 in December. Flaring in the state as a percentage in December remained largely unchanged at 15 percent. Preliminary statewide natural gas production in December was at 1.67 billion cubic feet per day compared to 1.68 billion cubic feet per day in November. Statewide oil production for December was at 35.7 million barrels, up from 35.4 million in November. February 18, 2016 - Brooks Brasfield, the state's lead organizer for the Hillary Clinton campaign, sweeps up the floor near a Clinton stand-up at Clinton's Hillary for Tennessee office at 3177 Poplar Ave. in Memphis Thursday. Brasfield and others were busy preparing Clinton's office an hour and an half before the official opening. Most recent polling shows Clinton ahead of Bernie Sanders by 26 points in TN. (Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal) SHARE February 18, 2016 - Left to right - Andrew Green, Mary Green, and Wade Murphy watch U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen speak at Hillary Clinton's Hillary for Tennessee office at 3177 Poplar Ave. in Memphis Thursday. Cohen and other supporters were in attendance for the official opening. Most recent polling shows Clinton ahead of Bernie Sanders by 26 points in TN. (Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal) February 18, 2016 - Lee Nix came to show her support of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at the office opening of Hillary for Tennessee at 3177 Poplar Ave. in Memphis Thursday evening. Most recent polling shows Clinton ahead of Bernie Sanders by 26 points in TN. (Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal) By Michael Collins of The Commercial Appeal WASHINGTONWith the election just a little more than a week away, Hillary Clinton holds a commanding 26-point lead over Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primary in Tennessee, a new poll says. Clinton has the support of 58 percent of Tennessee voters, while Sanders gets 32 percent, according to the survey by the group Public Policy Polling. Clinton, a former secretary of state and U.S. senator, has held a steady lead in the Volunteer State in the weeks leading up to the March 1 primary. A poll conducted in January by Middle Tennessee State University showed her with a 32-point lead over Sanders, but suggested nearly 26 percent of Democratic voters remained undecided. The most recent poll, released Wednesday, showed Clinton leading not only in Tennessee but in 10 of the 12 states that will hold primaries between March 1-8. Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, has an overwhelming lead in his home state and also leads in Massachusetts. While Clinton easily won Tennessee's Democratic primary in 2008, she lost to Barack Obama in Memphis and Nashville. Clinton is targeting African-American voters as part of her first television ad buy in Tennessee. The campaign said it is spending at least $100,000 on the spots running the Memphis and Nashville markets. The first ad running Memphis addresses what Clinton calls the "fundamentally broken" criminal justice system that disproportionately targets African-Americans. The Clinton campaign is opening a grass-roots organizing office at 3177 Poplar in Memphis on Thursday. A number of elected officials and community leaders were scheduled to attend, including U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen and state Rep. Raumesh Akbari, Memphis Democrats who are backing Clinton. The Sanders campaign formally opened its Memphis office last Saturday. It's at 2869 Poplar. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland greets Memphians who attended a luncheon for the Shelby County legislative delegation sponsored by Greater Memphis Chamber Wednesday in Nashville. SHARE By Richard Locker of The Commercial Appeal NASHVILLE Memphis and Shelby County business and governmental leaders flooded the hallways of the state legislative building Wednesday to promote the region's interests and lobby for the Greater Memphis Chamber's legislative agenda, including state support for St. Jude's expansion plans. The chamber of commerce and the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau organized the State Capitol visit for nearly 100 local officials and business leaders, in conjunction with the Shelby County legislative delegation. The two transformed one end of the legislative office building's main corridor into a Memphis display lined with blue-suede curtains, music and locally produced products. At a large buffet luncheon, the local and state officials sang each others' praises and pledged to work together for the betterment of Memphis and Shelby County. State Rep. Curry Todd, R-Collierville, called it "the largest gathering I've seen since I've been here for 18 years so many folks from Shelby County here together." Chamber President and CEO Phil Trenary presented his organization's legislative priorities, with an emphasis on state financial aid to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's planned expansion, primarily through improvements for the blighted Pinch District neighborhood west of the hospital's campus. He also asked the Shelby legislative delegation for state measures to help improve the quality of the region's workforce and to speed up long-delayed improvements of Lamar Avenue between Winchester Road and the Mississippi border. Trenary said the chamber's entire agenda is "all very important but there are a few things that we just have to get right, some things that we cannot fail. We all know St. Jude is the world leader in cancer research for children and we are doing our best to make sure the expansion stays and happens in Memphis and Shelby County. This is not about Memphis. This is about Tennessee." Memphis leaders and St. Jude executive have told Gov. Bill Haslam they need the state's help to make sure that a planned $1 billion, 2,000-employee expansion of the hospital occurs in Memphis and not elsewhere. Haslam told The Commercial Appeal's editorial board Feb. 3 that the state stands ready to help probably through infrastructure funding to improve the Pinch District when the hospital finishes and releases details of its expansion plans. "This is already a world-recognized institution in the state of Tennessee," Trenary told the delegation. "There's already almost 5,000 people there doing this work. This will take up to an additional 2,000 people, average salary of $125,000 a year, in a part of Memphis that really needs it ... We have to keep it in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee. What it will do to the north end of Memphis and that entire neighborhood is truly transformative." Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, told the crowd that he and other Shelby lawmakers are "working hard" with the governor on a supplemental amendment to Haslam's state budget plan that will include the local priorities outlined Wednesday. The governor proposed a $34.8 billion state budget Feb. 1 and he and legislative leaders always draft a comprehensive amendment that includes legislative priorities every year before the final budget is approved, in late April. "I'm not going to spill the beans here but all the things that are important to you are important to me and important to Gov. Haslam," Norris said. "There aren't any bad proposals. There's just a question of funding availability and timing for that funding. I meet with (Haslam) every Wednesday. We're working on every single project that's been mentioned here today and it's hard work. "Some of these things now are projected to be funded. If I talked about them it would be premature and they might be at risk. But we are working very hard to meet your expectations and to help move the community forward." Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal District Attorney Amy Weirich speaks during a Town Hall meeting as Shelby County Sheriff Bill Oldham listens at Sea Isle Elementary School Wednesday evening. SHARE February 17, 2016 - Citizens listen to a police officer speak during a Town Hall meeting at Sea Isle Elementary School Wednesday evening. Shelby County Commissioner Steve Basar, who represents District 13, held the event. Major topics of conversation was public safety and crime. Concerned citizens from neighborhood associations, churches, senior citizens groups, and the community at large had a chance to express their thoughts and issues to local Law Enforcement leaders while receiving information vital to helping each resident play their part in the promotion of neighborhood public safety. (Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal) By Jody Callahan of The Commercial Appeal For two weeks, law-enforcement authorities targeted Sea Isle and its surrounding communities in East Memphis, looking for a man they believed was responsible for numerous home burglaries in that area. On Tuesday, authorities took Daniel Webster into custody, and the career criminal is facing numerous charges, officials said. In fact, Shelby County Sheriff's Office Sgt. David Ballard thinks Webster may be responsible for as many as 42 incidents in the area. "I think this will really impact the numbers in this community," Ballard said. That arrest was good news to about 50 or so East Memphians who gathered at Sea Isle Elementary Wednesday night for a community forum on crime and safety. That area has been particularly hard-hit lately by burglars targeting homes. The forum, organized by County Commissioner Steve Basar, included Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich, Memphis Police Interim Director Mike Rallings, Shelby County Sheriff Bill Oldham, and several of their staff members. Weirich encouraged those gathered to contact their local state representatives in support of a bill that would make penalties for aggravated burglary stiffer. Such a measure, she said, would provide a "tougher" penalty for any "knucklehead" convicted of aggravated burglary more than three times. "It's a revolving door," Weirich said. "It's frustrating for law enforcement and more importantly, it's much, much more frustrating for you." That would surely be good news for Jeff Pugh, a 33-year-old electrician and resident of the area. Last Thursday afternoon, his wife came home from work to find their front door kicked in. Someone had stolen three televisions, a PlayStation 4 and games, brand new Air Jordans, Beats headphones and even a class ring. Total value: $2,800, and the Pughs didn't have renters insurance. "I was a victim, my family was a victim. We feel violated," a clearly frustrated Pugh said. "This is ridiculous. I shouldn't have to feel this way." He was so frustrated that he installed a home security system two days after the theft. He now has security cameras keeping an eye on the place, but even that brings frustrations. "I feel like I'm in a prison, man," he said. Oldham particularly empathized with those gathered Wednesday: His daughter had her home burgled in recent days. Area resident Alvin Swiney injected a bit of levity, however, when he asked those in law enforcement their thoughts on keeping a gun in the home for protection. "It is a proven fact," Swiney said, "that criminals commit less crimes when they've been shot." February 17, 2016 - Vice President Joe Biden speaks with Norfolk Southern division manager Gary Ricard (right) as the deputy secretary of transportation Victor Mendez and Rep. Steve Cohen talk at the Norfolk Southern Memphis Regional Intermodal Facility in Rossville, Tenn. outside of Memphis. (Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal) SHARE February 17, 2016 Vice President Joe Biden shakes hands with guests after delivering a speech at the Norfolk Southern Memphis Regional Intermodal Facility near Rossville, outside of Memphis to commemorate the 7th anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. (Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal) February 17, 2016 Vice President Joe Biden delivers a speech at the Norfolk Southern Memphis Regional Intermodal Facility near Rossville, outside of Memphis to commemorate the 7th anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. (Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal) February 17, 2016 Vice President Joe Biden speaks with Norfolk Southern division manager Gary Ricard (right) as the deputy secretary of transportation Victor Mendez (left) and Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis talk at the Norfolk Southern Memphis Regional Intermodal Facility near Rossville, Tenn. outside of Memphis to commemorate the 7th anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. (Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal) Related Photos Joe Biden's Visit Gallery By Daniel Connolly of The Commercial Appeal Vice President Joe Biden called for greater public investment in transportation infrastructure during a Wednesday afternoon visit to a logistics yard in Fayette County east of Memphis. Dignitaries in suits and railroad workers in orange vests and hard hats listened, sometimes shielding their eyes from the glaring sun as Biden spoke after touring the Memphis Regional Intermodal Facility south of Rossville near the Tennessee-Mississippi border. In his speech, Biden said America can compete well with any nation in the world in attracting business because of favorable factors ranging from fair courts to productive workers. "But guess what?" he said. "If we do not improve our infrastructure if we do not improve it we will not take advantage of being able to lock down for the next 40 years that we remain the best place in the world to invest." Biden spoke at the a big logistics yard where cargo containers are transferred between trains and trucks. Federal funds helped pay for the facility. Biden noted investment in transportation creates jobs and draws businesses. "You're going to make the region a haven. Because you're going to be able to pull up to the Rossville depot and put your product in the back of a train and you can get it anywhere from New Orleans to New York City." The event illustrates the potential economic development in Rossville, a very small town near Collierville, a major suburb. Collierville Mayor Stan Joyner was among those who heard Biden's speech. He said Collierville doesn't necessarily expect growth in logistics jobs within its own limits, but the intermodal center could draw more businesses, and some of those employees would live in Collierville. "I think we'll see some people move to town because of the jobs that are created by a facility like this," he said. The vice president's visit is one of several he's making around the country to highlight the seven-year anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, an economic stimulus bill signed by President Obama in February 2009. The intermodal facility was funded in part by a $52.5 million grant through the program. Most of the remaining cost of the $125 million project was covered by Norfolk Southern Corp., a railroad company. The project faced opposition from some critics who said the big yard would cause groundwater pollution and ruin the rural character of the area. In response, builders removed dirt to sink the yard below ground level and build a big berm with trees to screen nearby residential areas. The yard opened in the summer of 2012. In an intermodal system, the same cargo container can travel by ship, train or truck. Representatives of Norfolk Southern say intermodal facilities allow them to shift long-haul traffic to trains, which save fuel. Trucks are reserved for shorter distances. The Rossville facility is one of four in the Memphis metro area. At the Biden speech, cargo containers were stacked two high, creating a long semi-enclosed area with a stage at one end. Armed officers walked around on top of green containers. Biden took a brief tour before coming to the stage. Speakers amplified his message, a banner hung from a locomotive and American flags hung from the big yellow machines used to hoist trailers. One notable person was helping the federal officials organize the event: Christopher Dean, known for his famously witty introduction of Barack Obama at Booker T. Washington High School in 2011 and for a subsequent documentary called "As I Am." Now 23, he said he had completed a White House internship and returned to volunteer at the event. SHARE By Clay Bailey of The Commercial Appeal There are a lot of days I wish I still had my ol 1978 lime green Mercury Monterey. Ran well. Big as a tank. Dinged and banged up enough that there was no worry about cosmetic damage. And perfect for not surrendering to other drivers who know good and darn well that the right lane they are in runs out and still want to force their way into traffic. All of us have cussed those people. Decades ago, I remember riding west on Central just past Cooper. Approaching the railroad overpass, the driver in the right lane just veered in front of the guy with whom I was riding. This usually calm individual, blurted out Hey, @$4o13#. You act like youve never driven on Central before. That could hold for places across the city, of course. The westbound center lane of Union becomes a left turn lane now. There are many spots where roads widened didnt mean widening of underpasses so the right lane runs out for a bit. (See Lamar near Willett) And we wont even start with EXIT ONLY lanes on the interstate. For me, the desire for the old Mercury is the eastbound lanes of Walnut Grove approaching Hope Presbyterian Church. During afternoon rush hour, you can bet 95 percent of those people are regular commuters -- drivers perfectly aware the right lane ends as the road narrows past Viking. Yet, a small percentage believe they dont have to wait with the rest of us in traffic lines, bolting down the right lane until someone lets them in. Or they can forcefully merge in front of everyone who is patient. Then Im not sure whether to direct my cussing at the person running down the right lane or the driver who didn't close up tight enough to thwart letting them in. With that rant, were going to head Outside the Loop, keeping in mind that approaching the Mount Moriah exit past Perkins, the outside right lane is EXIT ONLY. GERMANTOWN RETURN OF RED LIGHT CAMERAS: As Germantown reporter Jane Roberts told readers Wednesday (and in this mornings print edition) the red light cameras are returning to several intersections in the suburb. That may come as a surprise to a lot of people, who were unaware the cameras were gone in the first place. The city initially installed the cameras in 2002 at three intersections -- Poplar at West Farmington and Poplar at Germantown Road. The third camera was at Wolf River Boulevard and Germantown Road. At the time, officials considered those the three most dangerous intersections. But any thoughts in recent years of the cameras catching red-light violators were more myth than fact. Truth is, they were disabled 2012. The ones on Poplar were taken down as part of the road improvements in the center of the city. The one at Wolf River and Germantown Road stopped functioning when the contract with the vendor expired. The previous presence still was effective. Some continued to worry the electronic eyes were watching them. In other cases, drivers were convinced cameras were at every Germantown crossroads with a traffic signal. Police officers -- just as they did previously -- will review each of the violations caught by the cameras to see if it is clear the driver ran the light. If so, a $50 citation is mailed to the owner of the vehicle. City Administrator Patrick Lawton said the cameras should be operating in June. And just to spread the impact, they are using three different spots -- Poplar and Kimbrough; Poplar and Exeter and Germantown Road and West Farmington. Its up to you to remember whether the cameras are at the new intersections or the previous locations. And, if you cant remember, Germantown benefits from you thinking you could be caught at six different junctions. ACROSS THE SUBURBS ELECTION YEAR: The recent appointment of Tim Francavilla to the Bartlett Municipal Court bench and his commitment to run in November for the remainder of the late Freeman Marrs judicial term was a reminder that many suburbs have elections this year. Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown and Millington have various alderman and school board offices on the November ballot. Mayor Stan Joyner of Collierville and Terry Jones in Millington also face re-election. Along with Francavilla, Bartletts second judge -- Dan Brown -- is up for re-election. He won a 2010 election to serve the remainder of the late-George McCrarys term. We wont delve into who is running for what yet. Still a little early for that, I suppose. Just consider this a reminder -- if you see some new folks hanging around city meetings in the coming months, they could be there monitoring city business for a possible run for office. BARTLETT FINALLY: Years ago (Im not sure I remember when), I wrote a story about Bartlett putting a traffic signal at Altruria and Memphis- Arlington Road. I updated that story a time or two, when I thought people forgot the city planned to put in the traffic signal. Well, Im here now to write this -- Bartlett is putting in a traffic signal at Altruria and Memphis-Arlington. Not thinking about it. Not waiting for funding for it. Not negotiating right-of-way for it. None of those reasons its not at the intersection already. Erecting it. Started this week. City officials said work will begin at the driveway of the Walmart Neighborhood Market next week, closing the access about two weeks. ROSSVILLE RAILROAD YARD BIDEN OUTSIDE THE LOOP: Im not sure if a vice president has ever showed up in Rossville, not even for a good meal at the Original Wolf River Cafe. But, as we all know, a veep did show up this week. Joe Biden stopped by for a tour of the Memphis Regional Intermodal Facility near Rossville. Collierville reporter Daniel Connolly stretched his coverage area a bit south of the town borders to write about the vice presidents visit, all part of the seventh anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, an economic stimulus bill signed by President Obama in February 2009 that helped fund the intermodal facility. Rossville is actually the turf of U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher, but its doubtful the Republican congressman was ever going to be the one to greet the vice president -- a Democrat -- upon Biden's arrival. Instead, Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, ventured a bit out of his primarily-Memphis district and accompanied the vice president, introducing Biden to the crowd gathered at the facility. SHARE By Dana Milbank WASHINGTON I had a twinge of nostalgia watching George W. Bush campaign for his little brother in South Carolina Monday night. He was earthy. He recalled a previous visit to a South Carolina breakfast spot, where an animal-rights demonstrator dressed as a pig interrupted Bush's meal by dumping a "steaming pile of manure" in the parking lot to block his exit. Bush was corny. He spoke about how, in his presidential "afterlife," he has become a tree farmer "gives me a chance to practice my stump speech." He was also self-deprecating. "I've written two books, which has surprised a lot of people, particularly up east who didn't think I could read, much less write," he said. But mostly, W's cameo in the 2016 campaign served as a reminder that, not too long ago, conservative politics wasn't so beastly. Bush, wading into the manure pile that is the 2016 Republican primary fight, was pleasant, civil and decent. "If serving as president of the United States makes me a part of the so-called establishment, I proudly carry that label," he said, responding to the "outsider" fury fueled by Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. "There seems to be a lot of name-calling going on, but I want to remind you what our good dad told me one time. Labels are for soup cans. The presidency is a serious job that requires sound judgment and good ideas." Without mentioning Trump's name, Bush belittled the bombastic billionaire. "These are tough times, and I understand that Americans are angry and frustrated, but we do not need someone in the Oval Office who mirrors and inflames our anger and frustration," Bush said. Then he made his best case for Jeb: "Strength is not empty rhetoric. It is not bluster. It is not theatrics. Real strength, strength of purpose, comes from integrity and character. And in my experience, the strongest person usually isn't the loudest one in the room." This isn't to idealize Bush, who did his share to coarsen political discourse: impugning his opponents' patriotism, exaggerating intelligence to lead the country to war, and building the false case that Iraq was behind the 9/11 attacks. But even Karl Rove's underhandedness seems almost quaint compared with today's brutality. The party isn't necessarily more conservative; Trump is less a conservative than a purveyor of insults, nationalism and conspiracy theories. Trump and Cruz are making the Republican Party into a rage-filled movement, as the dueling demagogues chew up opponents and each other. Some excerpts from Saturday night's debate: "They lied!" "He lies." "This guy lied." "That's a lot of lies." "Why do you lie?" "You are the single biggest liar." "It's a disgrace and an embarrassment." "Give me a break." "This country is dying." "I don't know how he knows what I said on Univision because he doesn't speak Spanish." "He is so weak on illegal immigration it's laughable." "You want to talk about weakness? It's weak to disparage women. It's weak to denigrate the disabled." "He said he would take his pants off and moon everybody." "He called him pathological and compared him to a child molester." "Nasty guy." Trump took particular aim at the 43rd president, saying: "They lied. They said there were weapons of mass destruction. There were none, and they knew there were none." At a news conference on Monday, the same event where Trump repeatedly called Cruz "unstable" and said he would file a lawsuit to disqualify Cruz from the presidency because of his Canadian birth, Trump flirted with the "truther" accusation that Bush had advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks. "They knew some bad things were going to happen," Trump alleged. "They could have stopped it." Bush responded mildly to Trump's provocations, recalling the child's face he looked into when he first learned of the 9/11 attacks. The former president answered the Bible-bungling Trump with a passage on hypocrisy from Matthew about removing the speck from your brother's eye when there is a log in your own. "We need someone who can take a positive message across the entire country, someone who can inspire and appeal to people from all walks of life, not just one party or one class of people," he said. Jeb "will rise above the petty name-calling." Maybe, or maybe W's appearance will serve only to remind voters of Jeb's inferior political skills. Either way, the 43rd president's re-emergence offered Republicans a chance to reflect on how Bush's party of conservatism so quickly became Trump's party of rage. Dana Milbank is a columnist for The Washington Post. SHARE By John Gehring With his visit to the U.S.- Mexico border Wednesday, Pope Francis brought a clarion message from the heart of the Judeo-Christian tradition. The biblical imperative to welcome the stranger and protect the refugee is an ancient commandment. The presence of the first Latin American pope at the border also symbolically put the most influential religious leader on the global stage squarely in the middle of a fierce presidential election-year fight over immigration. Donald Trump last week called the pope "a very political person" and implied Francis was being used by the Mexican government. "I think Mexico got him to do it," Trump sniffed, "because Mexico wants to keep the border just the way it is because they're making a fortune and we're losing." A pope who travels to the margins as a witness to God's solidarity with the poor and vulnerable isn't playing politics. He is following the Gospel. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus radically redefined the definition of neighbor beyond language, religion and border. Don't expect Pope Francis to call out Donald Trump or cheerlead for Hillary Clinton or Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.). His challenge to a "globalization of indifference" tests liberals as much as conservatives. But, unwittingly, Trump is onto something. In the best sense of the word, Pope Francis is political. "A good Catholic meddles in politics," the pope has said, a pithy summation that reflects centuries of Catholic teaching that views the common good and human dignity as the ultimate aim of politics. The pope also has a global pulpit, and he's not afraid to spend his moral capital. He played a key role in opening new diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba, met with the president of Iran to give a boost to a historic nuclear deal, weighed in on U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and, during a visit to the Holy Land, prayed in silence before a dividing wall the Israeli government erected to separate Israel from the Palestinian West Bank. Last fall, he became the first pope in history to address Congress. At a time when the politics of fear and xenophobia are ascendant, Francis reminded us of our own history. "We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners," he told Congress. "I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also descended from immigrants." The Obama administration, while taking important steps to offer relief to the children of undocumented immigrants, has deported more immigrants than any other in U.S. history. The hard-line stance, intended to persuade congressional Republicans to eventually support comprehensive reform with an earned path to citizenship, failed to convince House GOP leaders, who balked at taking up bipartisan Senate legislation. The administration's crackdown on Central American women and children fleeing gang violence was intended to, as Hillary Clinton callously described it in a recent debate, "send a message." Vulnerable families don't need a message from the most powerful nation in the world. They need protection and opportunity. Meanwhile, Trump warned of rapists and criminals crossing the border, stirring fear and anger with little regard to the facts. Before announcing his candidacy for president, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., broke with powerful Republican leaders to work with Democrats to support comprehensive reform. This political courage fizzled quickly once he aspired to the White House. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has also tacked right to appease a conservative base that sees any bipartisan common ground as unacceptable. In Iowa, the evangelical candidate told a 30-year-old woman who was brought to this country as a child by her undocumented parents that he supports deportation for thousands like her in the same position. There are "human tragedies when people break the law," Cruz insisted. But the pope's presence serves as a stark reminder to politicians and presidential candidates especially those who tout their Christian values and court religious voters that immigrants and refugees are not, in his words, "pawns on the chessboard of humanity." Demonizing immigrants, talking tough about higher walls and promising massive deportation stirs up a base of angry voters on the campaign trail. The hard work of governing requires practical and humane solutions to address the reality of an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the country. Any nation has a right to protect its borders, but as the U.S. bishops' conference, Jesuit Refugee Services, the Evangelical Immigration Table and other faith-based groups that advocate for immigrants make clear, enforcement-only solutions will never address the root causes of why migrants risk death to come here. In Mexico, Pope Francis has reminded us once again that politics does matter because people's lives are on the line. John Gehring is Catholic program director at Faith in Public Life, and author of "The Francis Effect: A Radical Pope's Challenge to the American Catholic Church." Select Commodity All Ajwan Alasande Gram Almond(Badam) Alsandikai Amaranthus Ambada Seed Amla(Nelli Kai) Amphophalus Antawala Anthorium Apple Apricot(Jardalu/Khumani) Arecanut(Betelnut/Supari) Arecanut(Betelnut/Supari) Arhar (Tur/Red Gram)(Whole) Arhar (Tur/Red Gram)(Whole) Arhar Dal(Tur Dal) Ashgourd Astera Avare Dal Bajra(Pearl Millet/Cumbu) Bajra(Pearl Millet/Cumbu) Balekai Bamboo Banana Banana - Green Barley (Jau) Bay leaf (Tejpatta) Beans Beaten Rice Beetroot Bengal Gram Dal (Chana Dal) Bengal Gram(Gram)(Whole) Ber(Zizyphus/Borehannu) Ber(Zizyphus/Borehannu) Betal Leaves Bhindi(Ladies Finger) Bitter gourd Black Gram (Urd Beans)(Whole) Black Gram Dal (Urd Dal) Black pepper BOP Bottle gourd Bran Brinjal Broken Rice Broomstick(Flower Broom) Bull Bunch Beans Cabbage Calf Capsicum Cardamoms Carnation Carrot Cashewnuts Castor Seed Cauliflower Chapparad Avare Chennangi Dal Cherry Chikoos(Sapota) Chili Red Chilly Capsicum Chow Chow Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum(Loose) Cinamon(Dalchini) Cloves Cluster beans Cock Cocoa Coconut Coconut Oil Coconut Seed Coffee Colacasia Copra Coriander(Leaves) Corriander seed Cotton Cotton Seed Cow Cowpea (Lobia/Karamani) Cowpea (Lobia/Karamani) Cowpea(Veg) Cucumbar(Kheera) Cummin Seed(Jeera) Custard Apple (Sharifa) Dalda Dhaincha Drumstick Dry Chillies Dry Fodder Dry Grapes Duck Duster Beans Egg Elephant Yam (Suran) Field Pea Firewood Fish Foxtail Millet(Navane) French Beans (Frasbean) Galgal(Lemon) Garlic Ghee Gingelly Oil Ginger(Dry) Ginger(Green) Gladiolus Cut Flower Goat Gram Raw(Chholia) Gramflour Grapes Green Avare (W) Green Chilli Green Fodder Green Gram (Moong)(Whole) Green Gram Dal (Moong Dal) Green Peas Ground Nut Oil Ground Nut Seed Groundnut Groundnut (Split) Groundnut pods (raw) Guar Guar Seed(Cluster Beans Seed) Guava Gur(Jaggery) He Buffalo Hen Hippe Seed Honge seed Hybrid Cumbu Indian Beans (Seam) Indian Colza(Sarson) Isabgul (Psyllium) Jack Fruit Jaffri Jamun(Narale Hannu) Jarbara Jasmine Jowar(Sorghum) Jute Kabuli Chana(Chickpeas-White) Kacholam Kakada Kankambra Karamani Karbuja(Musk Melon) Kartali (Kantola) Khoya Kinnow Knool Khol Kodo Millet(Varagu) Kulthi(Horse Gram) Lak(Teora) Leafy Vegetable Lemon Lentil (Masur)(Whole) Lilly Lime Linseed Lint Litchi Little gourd (Kundru) Long Melon(Kakri) Lotus Lotus Sticks Lukad Mahedi Mahua Mahua Seed(Hippe seed) Maida Atta Maize Mango Mango (Raw-Ripe) Marasebu Marget Marigold(Calcutta) Marigold(loose) Mashrooms Masur Dal Mataki Methi Seeds Methi(Leaves) Millets Mint(Pudina) Moath Dal Mousambi(Sweet Lime) Mustard Mustard Oil Myrobolan(Harad) Neem Seed Niger Seed (Ramtil) Nutmeg Onion Onion Green Orange Orchid Ox Paddy(Dhan)(Basmati) Paddy(Dhan)(Common) Papaya Papaya (Raw) Patti Calcutta Peach Pear(Marasebu) Peas cod Peas Wet Peas(Dry) Pegeon Pea (Arhar Fali) Pepper garbled Pepper ungarbled Persimon(Japani Fal) Pigs Pineapple Plum Pointed gourd (Parval) Pomegranate Potato Pumpkin Raddish Ragi (Finger Millet) Raibel Rajgir Ram Rat Tail Radish (Mogari) Raya Resinwood Rice Ridge gourd(Tori) Ridgeguard(Tori) Rose(Local) Rose(Loose) Rose(Loose)) Round gourd Rubber Sabu Dan Sabu Dana Safflower Sajje Same/Savi Season Leaves Seemebadnekai Seetafal Seetapal Sesamum(Sesame,Gingelly,Til) Sesamum(Sesame,Gingelly,Til) She Buffalo She Goat Sheep Snake gourd Snakeguard Soanf Soapnut(Antawala/Retha) Soji Soyabean Spinach Sponge gourd Squash(Chappal Kadoo) Sugar Sugarcane Sunflower Sunhemp Suram Surat Beans (Papadi) Suva (Dill Seed) Suvarna Gadde Sweet Potato Sweet Pumpkin T.V. Cumbu T.V. Cumbu Tamarind Fruit Tamarind Seed Tapioca Taramira Tender Coconut Thinai (Italian Millet) Thogrikai Thondekai Tinda Tobacco Tomato Toria Tube Rose(Double) Tube Rose(Loose) Tube Rose(Single) Turmeric Turmeric (raw) Turnip Walnut Water Melon Wheat Wheat Atta White Peas White Pumpkin Wood Yam Yam (Ratalu) Select State Select Market I've been following cloud-based point-of-sale (POS) vendor Vend since its inception half a dozen years ago. Actually, I've been following the company since before its inception. Prior to starting Vend, founder Vaughan Rowsell rode his bicycle from one end of New Zealand to the other. En route he stayed a night at my place and we discussed the opportunity for putting POS in the cloud. Rather than just talking about it, Rowsell went on to found a company, get backing from some big names early on, and raise venture capital from, among others, Point Nine Capital, the Berlin-based VC fund that has backed other SaaS success stories including Zendesk, FreeAgent and ChartMogul. Vend grew rapidly and was seemingly everywhere -- offices in North America and Europe, big offices and all the trappings of a seeming unicorn in the making. But where things grow rapidly, they can also deflate similarly quickly, and last year was something of an annus horribilis for Vend. A drying up of venture funds and perhaps execution which lagged behind the hype meant some hard calls had to be made. Vend slashed its workforce and closed some of its international operations. It was a hard period -- the company handled things very well but there's no avoiding the fact that anytime widespread staff cuts are made, things take on a somber tone. Often there is a flow-on effect from these changes which finds its way into the upper echelons of the company. And so it is with Vend, where Rowsell announced today that he is going to stand down from the CEO position to focus on the product. Into the vacancy, Rowsell is embarking on a process to appoint a new CEO to run the business. In the meantime Vend is appointing Alex Fala, who is the current head of strategy and finance, to be acting CEO. Rowsell told me via email that this is part of him being able to focus: "... after shedding all my hats over the years I was left with two. CEO and product visionary. And I found that the CEO hat was all-consuming and we were not focusing on the big vision around product as much as we should. So I figured there would be someone out there who has a truckload of experience going through the next phase of Vend, growing from $20 million to $100 million of revenue." I put it to Rowsell that this move is potentially going to be seen as a sign that his investors and board don't have faith in his ability to execute upon Vend's opportunity. He denied any relationship with last year's angst and pointed out that he will still have a seat on the board. He also, true to his character, was pragmatic and open about this move: "I would be kidding myself if I didn't think dealing with high growth and restructuring the business to fix speed wobbles didn't ultimately play a part in my thinking about what I am best to focus on and what I am passionate about. Since then I've been heads down making sure the business was in good order so we had a solid base to work from. Now it is perfect timing to bring someone new in." Rowsell was quick to point out that the change came from himself and that the board and investors haven't been pushing for the change to occur. He simply wants to focus on the product side of the company and find someone who can execute the bigger business opportunity. In terms of the timing of the announcement, and the fact that it comes before the CEO appointment process begins, Rowsell was similarly pragmatic: "I want to go far and wide with the search and the best way to do that is to talk about it. It's not me to keep secrets from the team, and I didn't want to create any uncertainty about what I am doing. I am steering product, working on partnerships, but most importantly right now I am finding the best CEO to drive the business to be as big as it can be. Also doing it like this the new CEO knows what she or he is taking on. It can be a bit weird to come into a founder-led business. This way it really is clear how we will work together." Finally, Rowsell allayed any concerns that this would mean a shift of location for the business, saying that the incoming CEO will be based in Auckland, New Zealand, where Vend is headquartered. Vend seems to be recovering from last year's speed wobbles. It has had some high-profile partnerships with SaaS accounting vendor Xero and payments provider PayPal, and future partnership announcements are apparently in the cards. Change is hard, but it is also a constant in this sort of high-growth company. It will be interesting to see the decisions that the incoming CEO makes. Poor Chipotle! No company wants CNN, Forbes, MSNBC or other news services reporting on its latest corporate debacle. An E. coli outbreak in the food industry is a companys worst nightmare, and can tank a companys reputation (and stock price!). Businessweeks barfing-burrito cover is an image that will live in advertising history and, unfortunately, customers memories. While I hope Chipotle will not back away from its commitment to small, local farmers supplying hormone- and antibiotic-free meat, the outbreak highlights the difficulty of managing a complex supply chain with a large number of suppliers. The supply chain in most multinationals has evolved over many years to minimize the cost of raw materials, labor, transportation and taxes. The supply chain is further complicated by mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and partnerships. Given the pace of business, it is unlikely that underlying business processes and supporting IT applications are thoroughly analyzed and improved to accommodate each change. New regulations are making supply chain management even more complex. In recent years, the U.S., the European Union and others have created a number of regulations that are creating a great deal of work for large companies that manufacture or handle physical products. The regulations require such companies to regularly gather and report additional data about their supply chain. New IT support will be required whether the company gathers the information itself or engages the services of a third party. The supply chain team must understand all significant legislation, including: The U.S. and the EU have other supply chain regulations in addition to the ones listed above. China, Denmark, Malaysia, South Africa and others have created or are creating their own regulations. Most of this legislation has three primary goals: keeping products safe, reducing human trafficking and helping stem the use of product profits to fund continued fighting. While these goals are laudable, these new requirements complicate supply chain management even further. Moreover, since these regulations are being created by different governments, the resulting data is not shared, and the enforcement processes are neither coordinated nor consistent. Even within the U.S., regulations vary from state to state. Complicating matters even further, requirements will likely change as the list of conflict materials grows and war zone boundaries spread or contract. Compliance violations can result in stiff fines, publicity nightmares and lawsuits from plaintiffs alleging unfair business practices. Since supply chain software products were typically not designed with all these regulations in mind, creativity will be necessary to collect and manage the additional data mandated. If it has been some time since your supply chain was reviewed, leverage the demands of these regulations to create a business case that justifies renovation of your supply chain monitoring processes. Even if your supply chain was recently streamlined and associated processes upgraded, the regulations are likely to result in significant amounts of work for IT. Start lobbying for additional budget and staff now. Bart Perkins is managing partner at Louisville, Ky.-based Leverage Partners Inc., which helps organizations invest well in IT. Contact him at BartPerkins@LeveragePartners.com. Google is working on advancing its Google Glass technology, while also working on the concept of a driverless delivery truck. Google, which holds a myriad of patents, was recently granted two U.S. patents, one for a more rugged and flexible version of its computerized eyewear, and another for an autonomous delivery truck. The company received a patent for a hinged display device for its Google Glass smart eyeglasses on Feb. 9. The hinged device would enable the display screen, which sits slightly over and above the user's right eye, to be flipped up and out of the way. The display also is being built to be more rugged. A Google spokesperson would not comment on the patents. "We hold patents on a variety of ideas some of those ideas later mature into real products or services, some don't," the spokesperson said in an email to Computerworld. "Prospective product announcements should not necessarily be inferred from our patents." While the patent does not specify that the new Glass technology is meant for a version of the device that would be aimed at enterprise users, industry analysts say the technology would be perfect for a version of Glass aimed at business. "It's nice to see Google build a product that would be so well-suited for enterprises," said Zeus Kerravala, an analyst with ZK Research. "Typically, they try and move consumer technology into businesses, but in this case it seems like they are thinking of the specific needs of enterprises -- like better quality glass." Google gave the world its first look at Google Glass during its annual Google I/O developers conference in 2012. With a processor, memory and a display screen, users wearing the glasses could take photos and video and then upload the data to social networks. They also could use the wearables to view news alerts or maps of a city they're walking through. While Glass received wide attention, the device was criticized over privacy issues. Google eventually pulled back the glasses for to redo their look and functionality. The new patent appears to offer a look at some of the work Google is doing on its computerized glasses. "This looks slightly more substantial," said Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research. "I think the Glass project is more business-oriented than it was originally. A hinged display makes Glass more flexible, more fit for a variety of applications." If a business user wearing Glass is meeting with customers, for instance, having the display down in front of an eye might make the customer uncomfortable. Being able to flip it out of the user's line of sight makes it easier to talk with someone Gottheil said. Google also was granted a patent on Feb. 9 for an autonomous delivery platform. The patent describes a driverless delivery truck with separate secured compartments to hold whatever the truck is delivering. The customer receiving the delivery would use a keypad to type in a code that would unlock the compartment so the customer could take out the delivery. "This is a good idea. Pizzas can't drive themselves," Gottheil said. "The customer has to take the delivered object out of the truck, which means that they have to be waiting for it, so I think it would be used locally. Take-out food is an obvious application." Kerravala added that this is a great use for the self-driving car technology that Google has been working on for several years. "I don't think customers care how they get their delivery, but this can help businesses lower costs and improve shipping times," he said. London Councils is a very well funded lobbying group. Each of the 32 London boroughs stumps up 161,958 of Council Taxpayers money, per year, in subscriptions. Thats topped up with another 1 million of our money courtesy of the European Social Fund. There was an outrageous example recently of this Labour controlled group using their resources for partisan purposes. They produced some invented figures about how schools in various London boroughs would lose money under the Governments proposed national funding formula. The figures were invented as the funding formula has not yet been published. A new formula is proposed due to the valid concern that it is unfair for a school to receive far less funding per pupil, in one area, than in another. Some relatively well-funded London boroughs are expecting to lose out as a result of this review, with many rural authorities benefiting. But then lets also consider whether the London weighting which boosts teachers pay by 2,000 or 3,000 a year (depending on outer or inner London boroughs) is up to date? A review of fairer funding should include whether the relative cost of living principally housing costs has risen. At the moment we dont know what will be proposed. So why the dishonesty from London Councils in coming up with these premature figures? The timing might just have something to do with the election of Mayor of London on Thursday May 5th. London Councils are using Council Taxpayers money to boost the campaign of Sadiq Khan who was naturally available with a quote to endorse the figures which he said would spell catastrophe. Why does each Conservative council in London go along with this? Why do they hand over money from their residents for Khans electioneering? Something to remember next time you come across a Tory borough council leader in London complaining about the climate of financial rigour in their town hall. Once you have finished laughing, ask how they justify the 161,958 bung to London Councils. Another question for councils across the country is whether they should be devoting resources to lobbying the Government even if it is done in an honest and non-partisan basis. After all, charities are being prohibited from using taxpayers money for that purpose. If councils want to do something practical to ensure fair funding for their schools they could consider this report by a group of MPs and bishops about hunger. It says under: Registration for free school meals The problems stemming from the under registration of children who are eligible for free school meals are twofold: first, each of these poor children risks going without a decent meal each day; second, their school misses out on up to 1,320 each year in Pupil Premium funding to support their education. Fortunately, we have encountered and encouraged a small but growing number of Local Authorities who are using their Housing Benefit records to identify such families whose children are eligible, but not registered to receive free school meals. Once identified, each family is informed by the Local Authority that their child has automatically been signed up to receive free school meals, with no need to fill in any forms unless they wish to opt out of entitlement. This innovative work delivers a win-win situation, at no extra cost to Local Authorities, in that children need not suffer hunger and their schools receive vital additional funding towards their education. Councils that have already implemented automatic registration for free school meals include Greenwich, Walsall and Hartlepool. But they are a small minority. My own council, Hammersmith and Fulham, has devoted great energy to scaremongering over the national fairer funding formula. But when I challenged my Council to implement automatic registration for free school meals they took two months to reply and then came up with a weak and non-committal reference to reviewing the link between information we currently hold and how we can use it. I hope they get on with it, but it sounds as though there will be dithering. Even these modest changes do require political will to overcome administrative inertia. Perhaps another way to boost school funding would be to reallocate the funds wasted on London Councils? You may have listened to a friend describing why he intends to end a marriage, and realised in the course of doing so that his account, while cogent in itself, does not tell the entire story because the whole of his decision is greater than the sum of the parts. So it is for me with Tim Montgomeries article in the Times () today, in which he explains why he is leaving the Conservative Party. He runs through a list of ills that the Government has failed to cure and in some cases worsened (the unconquered deficit, uncontrolled immigration, smaller armed forces, inter-generational injustice) before touching a central issue: the contrast between Margaret Thatchers strategic purpose and David Camerons tactical manoeuvering the way in which so much is done to get through today rather than plan for tomorrow, and rushed out for the short-term rather than consistently crafted for the long. Tim is scarcely isolated in believing that there is a fundamental lack of seriousness about the Cameron project. Party membership has halved since the latter became leader, and not all of the losses are deaths and defections. Tim once wrote on this site about Ruth Leas decision to quit the Party, made because she believed that the leadership simply didnt care about people like her. She and he are far from alone. A casual reading of Tims article might lead one to conclude that because he admired Thatcher and doesnt admire Cameron he wants a more right-wing party. But this is not the case as that term is usually understood. He is a consistent critic of UKIP and a campaigner for social justice. And it is here that I think a deeper reason for his leaving is to be found. Tim is a bit of a visionary: anyone who set up from scratch first the Conservative Christian Fellowship, then the Renewing One Nation project, then the Centre for Social Justice, and then this site deserves that description. But visionaries are not always comfortable people, since the vision tends to come first, last and always. Less than a month ago, Tim was instrumental in helping to form a new lobby for social justice within the Conservative Parliamentary Party. Today, he is quitting the Party altogether. I suspect that what reconciles these apparent irreconcilables has been a slowly growing realisation that, even with a leadership election round the corner, the Conservatives will not become the party he wants them to be what he once called the National Party. He did so in a Times article about realignment. It may well be that, in his intuitive way, he senses that the EU referendum will mark a sea-change in British politics, leading to party rupture and regrouping. My take may be more blinkered, but I find his reasoning about Camerons renegotiation and referendum, a central part of his case for quitting, deeply puzzling. The former certainly has no substance, but the latter is real enough. Without the Prime Minister, we wouldnt be having this referendum at all. If the British people vote to Remain which I infer from Tims piece he believes that they will that will be their decision (and fault) not Camerons. Above all, I cant help but read Tims exit as one of the many consequences of Lynton Crosby having scraped that majority for the Prime Minister last May. And while I agree with parts of his critique which is about to be given further force by the power-grab from the centre being prepared for the Feldman Review other parts of it seem harsh. I would place much more stress on the Governments public service reforms (which he rightly praises). Indeed, I suspect that historians will take a much more benign view of parts of Camerons record, seeing his premiership as opening up an extraordinary flowering of renewal: Michael Goves academies, Iain Duncan Smiths welfare overhaul, Theresa Mays policing changes, Francis Maudes streamlining of Whitehall, Chris Graylings work on rehabilitation (a point of continuity with his successor). For parts of this mission of change, Tim should take a bow himself. Have a look back at his Building a Majority series on this site, for example, and see how many of his ideas the leadership borrowed from more political firepower for Ministers to making more use of MPs. Ending a marriage doesnt usually mean leaving ones family altogether, and so it will be in this case. Tim will still be around to think, write, speak, and campaign. But he will know well that divorce is a big step to take, and is very seldom followed by shacking up with the same person all over again. I owe him a lasting debt: he created the timepiece that is ConservativeHome; his successor must merely strive to keep it in good condition. It is striking and somehow ominous that first the proprietor and now the founder of this site are estranged from the Conservative Party. Herbert Schneider, 84, Mandan, died peacefully at home Feb. 16, 2016. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 22, at Mandan United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Bruce Adams officiating. Visitation is scheduled for one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be held at North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, where Herb and Joy will be buried together. Herbert Edward Schneider was born Oct. 26, 1931, in Driscoll, to Henry and Kathryn (Stefanovich) Schneider. During his childhood, he lived in Driscoll and Wing. Herb joined the Army and served in the Korean War from June 1952 until being honorably discharged in May 1954. He was stationed outside of Seoul, Korea. He recounted many stories of the children that would run up to the soldiers for little treats, and he always enjoyed sharing with them. Herb was working at a gas station in Sterling when he met his loving wife, Joy. They were married on May 7, 1957, in Billings, Mont., where they resided for a short time and then moved to Roundup, Mont., and finally settling back in North Dakota. In his early working career, Herb worked as a roughneck and also built grain elevators. Once Herb and Joy moved back to Mandan, Herb worked at Johnson Truck Stop in Mandan and then Trucks of Bismarck. He was known as The guy to bring trucks to if the injectors needed work. He loved working on all kinds of engines and he especially liked to hear his John Deere stationary engine running. Herb served as an usher at church and helped at many church events. Herb and Joy also worked as church custodians for several years. Herb thoroughly enjoyed driving across states on traveling vacations. He also enjoyed fishing and hunting. He made the best homemade sausage in North Dakota, according to his family and friends. He built his own smoker to smoke meat and he cured his own bacon. Herb was funny, loving and a very kind man. His large hands matched his heart. He was also a prankster and enjoyed telling jokes. One of his more memorable pranks was when he put his false teeth into the mouth of a northern pike and surprised his brother. Herb is survived by two daughters and sons-in-law, Teri Lizzy and Steve Stone, Mandan, and Lori and Mark Rapozo, Tacoma, Wash.; honorary son, Melvin (Kerry) Uhrich; five grandchildren, Jeremy Shaver, Lakewood, Colo., Travis (Shea) Shaver, Parker, Colo., honorary grandson, David Claypool, Lakewood, Colo., Justin (Mimosa) Rapozo, Federal Way, Wash., Matthew Rapozo, Puyallup, Wash., and Krista Rapozo, Lakewood, Colo.; four great-grandchildren, Madison, Luke and Molly Shaver and Edison Rapozo; two brothers, John (Val) Schneider and Donald (Judy) Schneider; four sisters, Bertha Lein, Elsie Thompson, Violet Miller and Rose (Leslie) Stewart; and two sisters-in-law, Agnes Schneider and Iris Schneider. He was preceded in death by Joy, his wife of 57 years; his parents; three brothers, Henry, Bill and Joe; and one sister, Dora. Go to www.bismarckfuneralhome.com to sign the online guest book or to share memories with the family. (Bismarck Funeral Home) India: Chhattisgarh Should Act Against Repeated Incidents Of Intimidation And Harassment Of Journalists By Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development 18 February, 2016 Countercurrents.org Authorities in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh should take immediate steps to stop the repeated incidents of intimidation and harassment of journalists who are working in very trying circumstances in a region torn by armed conflict, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) said today. Since July 2015, at least 3 journalists have either been arrested or physically intimidated by state and non-state actors on accusations of supporting armed Maoist insurgents who are active in the state. Journalists and human rights defenders working with Adivasi, or indigenous communities, and other marginalised groups in Chhattisgarh have been targeted by both state forces and the outlawed Maoist insurgents. In the latest incident, journalist Malini Subramaniams house was attacked with stones on 8 February 2016 by unknown assailants. A day before, on 7 February, a local anti-Maoist group, which is known to work closely with state agencies, gathered outside her house and shouted slogans accusing her of being an agent of the Maoist insurgents. On 8 February a local anti-Maoist groupissued a statement accusing her of:portrayingBastar in a poor light in her reportage;and of advocating Maoist ideology. When MaliniSubramaniamwent to register a police complaint on 8 February 2016, police officers refused to do so, claiming they needed the approval of a senior officer who was travelling. This was in direct contravention of the law,and a violation of the journalists rights, as no special permission is needed to file a First Information Report (FIR). A case was finally registered on 9 February 2016 after severe criticism in the national media. This incident comes on the heels of two journalists being arrested last year for allegedly colluding with Maoist armed groups. On 16 July 2015, Somaru Nag was arrested on charges of: being a Maoist sympathiser; and allegedly collaborating with a group of villagers to vandalise equipment used to build roads.Somaru Nag, an Adivasi journalist, who reported on rural issues such as access to water and electricity, is still in prison.There is a lack of clarity on the exact charges levelled against him. Then on 29 September 2015, Chhattisgarh Police arrested freelance journalist Santosh Yadav, who has reported extensively on human rights violations perpetrated by state authorities againstAdivasi and communities.He was booked under the draconian Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, as well as under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, both of which violate international human rights standards. A court denied him bail on 7 January 2016. Santosh Yadavalleges he has been harassed by police on several occasions including in June 2015 when he was detained and beaten. A South Asian media watchdog group The Hoot has alleged that both these journalists have been tortured in detention. In December 2015 local journalist groups accused the ChhattisgarhPolice of mischief and endangering their lives by circulating cartoons on social media and mobile messaging platforms linking local journalists to Maoist insurgents.To Protest against the repeated harassment and intimidation, journalist groups met state Chief Minister Raman Singh in December 2015 to demand immediate action. However, despite the Chief Ministers assurances Malini Subramaniams case demonstratesthat Chhattisgarh authorities lack any serious intent to protect journalists or to facilitate their very important work. FORUM-ASIA condemns the harassment and intimidation of journalists in Chhattisgarh regardless of who is committing these human rights abuses. In a state facing serious human rights challenges, it is imperative that the state protect those who bring important information to the public arena. About FORUM-ASIA: FORUM-ASIA is a regional human rights group with 58 member organisations in 19 countries across Asia. FORUM-ASIA addresses key areas of human rights violations in the region, including freedoms of expression, assembly and association, human rights defenders, and democratisation. For further inquiries, please contact: Human Rights Defenders Programme, FORUM-ASIA, hrd@forum-asia.org South Asia Programme, FORUM-ASIA, sasia@forum-asia.org Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) 66/2 Pan Road, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500 Dissent Is The Essence Of Democracy: AMU Student Gathering Express Solidarity With Ongoing JNU Struggle By Mahfooz Alam 18 February, 2016 Countercurrents.org A public gathering was organized by the student, teacher and employee fraternity of Aligarh Muslim University at Kennedy Lawns on Feb. 18th 2016. The theme of the meeting was to express solidarity with Kanhaiya Kumar (JNUSU President) and other innocent students of JNU and to discuss the creation of free space in universities for right to dissent and right to debate. As we seen in the recent episode of JNU stir that students were framed as anti-national just because they didnt have ideological alignments with RSS-BJP-ABVP nexus. The sedition charges are imposed on JNU students which are totally undemocratic and unconstitutional move of Delhi Police working under direct control of present NDA regime. This move is nothing but the part of their ongoing Saffronization of Education program which is already taking place in the form of amendments in the text books in Gujarat, Rajasthan and other states of India. In their very recent move they targets, the institutions of national repute like IIT (Madras), FTII and now JNU as a step forward to achieve their Psuedo Nationalism program. We, the students of AMU gathered here to oppose all such moves and dares the government to not to touch the very foundation of the nation which is nothing but plularism. The prime idea of the university lies in the sensible and critical analysis and debate on various socio-cultural issues and to put forward the idea to civil society as a process essential for healthy debate and nation building and not into labeling the universities as anti national entities. It should be understand by the present executive government of India In continuation to the above, the students, teachers and non teaching employees of AMU demand unconditional release of Kanhaiya Kumar and his colleagues. We also demand a fair probe into the alleged anti-national activities at JNU Campus or anywhere else in India and strict action against those involved in anti-national activities, whosoever they are. We also demands strict action against lawyers, BJP MP and others involved in hooliganism at Patiala House Court in New Delhi with Journalists, Teachers, Students of JNU especially Kanhaiya Kumar and his colleagues. Some of the speakers those addressed the todays meeting were Mr. Shamim Akhtar (Gen. Sec. AMU Employees Union), Dr. Muraad (AMU), Mr. Bhavya Kumar (BALLB 3rd), Mr. Adil Alwi (Student Leader), Armuga Khan (Research Scholar) etc. The event was supported by AMU Students Action Committee, AISA, SFI and various other student organizations and leaders. The event was anchored by Mr. Mubasshir Shah (Research Scholar). Organizers were Mr. Mahfooz Alam, Salman Siddiqui, Amirul, Fahim Akhtar, Javed Iqbal, Shahzada Iqbal, Faraz Ahmad, Irani etc. Mahfooz Alam (Convener) Resurgence Of Tagores India! By M.Ashraf 18 February, 2016 Countercurrents.org The spark in JNU is the beginning of the end for the Golwalkars India! A columnist friend recently opined that a spark was born in JNU and the spark was from the raging fire in Kashmir. It is true; the sparks from the burning Kashmir are going all over and setting fire to the bastions of the neo-imperialists and the neo-colonialists. India has two images. One is of a progressive, secular and modern country based on the sublime thoughts of Rabindranath Tagore. The other is of a retrograde Hindu Brahmin India of the Chandragupta Maurayas timeconceived and promoted by Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar.Arundhati Roy calls this India which is being thrust by the Hindutva Brigade as an Upper Caste Hindu Corporate Republic. It is the Brahmin class which constitutes about 5% of the total population that is in reality the ruling class. Notwithstanding the fact that 65 percent Brahmin households in India, with about 40 million people, live on less than $100 a month, according to a 2007 Wall Street Journal report. After the departure of the British, the elite of this class took over the governance of the country and continued the system which had been established by the British Imperialists. The entire system of administration, law and order and so on was the system set up by the British as colonialists to keep under their control the colony of India. All the laws, the retributive justice systems and other state apparatuses which were needed by the foreign rulers to keep the people under their oppressive control were not only continued but made more stringent. Newer laws were enacted to keep the people down. After the independence of the country, Congress which too had Brahmins as its members outwardly pursued a progressive and secular policy but in essence they too allowed slow resurgence of the Hindutva polity. Again it was the Brahmins which occupied the important positions. Dalits and other lower castes were in a minuscule minority in the decision making process. The control of all important institutions, and the state organisations was with Brahmins. Lower castes were like sprinkling here and there. This covert discrimination came into open once the power was virtually usurped by the followers of Golwalkar through a Hindutva wave. Not only are they targeting the minorities especially Muslims but members of all the lower castes in their own religion. Over a period of time, the lower castes had started asserting themselves. However, the Upper Caste again manipulated the lower castes and did not allow a full resurgence. The weapon used was the highlighting of the Hindu religion as the basis of being true Indian. The deprived illiterate masses were given, in the words of Marx, the opium of the poor, the religion! Instead of taking India to a modern progressive goal, efforts both covert and overt were made to retrograde it to the Hindu period of Vedic times. The main weapon being used is the hatred of the Muslim minority. All the ills and wrong doings are being labelled on them. The process which had earlier remained covert and low key is being now continued with greater vigour openly! But all Hindus are not bad. It is a particular class of the Chanakya or Kautilya genre which dominates all bad ones. Tagore, Gandhi and Nehru too were Hindus but poles apart from the Golwalkars kind! In the meantime, the younger generation among all the classes of the people continued its progressive march with the rest of the world in different institutions including the now controversial JNU. The rabid Hindutva brigades remain mostly confined to the so called Cow Belt. The greatest obstacle in their march has been these progressive institutions like the JNU. All this time Kashmiris have been subjugated in a manner worse than the one adopted by the British to sub-due India. The new generation did realise this tyranny and started protesting and resisting it both within Kashmir and outside. The President of the JNU Students Union Khanaiya Kumar recently detained for Sedition for raising the issue of Afzal Gurus illegal hanging, had visited Kashmir sometime back and addressed the Kashmir University students. He had fully sympathised with them for all the oppression they were suffering at the hands of security forces unleashed on them by the Golwalkars India. The JNU spark has already started raging fires in many other institutions in different parts of India. It is in fact, the beginning of the end to Golwalkars India and the resurgence of Tagores India. Tagores lines from Geetanjali may truly usher in the India of his dreams through the spark of JNU! Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free; Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; Where words come out from the depth of truth; Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection; Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit; Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action --- Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake. Mohammad Ashraf, I.A.S. (Retired), Former Director General Tourism, Jammu & Kashmir Three ABVP Leaders Resign Over JNU Action By Countercurrents.org 18 February, 2016 Countercurrents.org Causing major embarassment to the ruling BJP government, three office-bearers of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have resigned citing difference of opinion on the current JNU incident among other issues. Criticising the Centre for unleashing oppression on the student community, they said they cannot be the mouthpiece of such a government. Announcing the decision on his Facebook page, Pradeep Narwal, joint secretary, ABVP, JNU, said: We, Pradeep, joint secretary, ABVP, JNU unit, Rahul Yadav, president, SSS (School of Social Sciences), ABVP, and Ankit Hans, Secretary, SSS, ABVP, are resigning from ABVP and disassociating ourselves from any further activity of ABVP as per our difference of opinion. He cited the reasons as the current JNU incident and longstanding difference of opinion with party on Manusmriti and Rohith Vemula incident. Here is the full Facebook Post #SAVEJNU #SAVEDEMOCRACY Dear friends, We, Pradeep, Joint Secretary, ABVP JNU UNIT, Rahul Yadav, President SSS ABVP UNIT and Ankit Hans, Secretary SSS ABVP UNIT resigning from ABVP and disassociating ourselves from any further activity of ABVP as per our difference of opinion due to the following reasons: 1. Current JNU incident. 2. Long standing difference of opinion with party on MANUSMIRITI and Rohith Vermula incident. Anti-national slogans on Feb. 9 in university campus were very unfortunate and heart breaking. Whosoever responsible for that act must be punished as per the law but the way NDA government tackling the whole issue, the oppression on Professors, repeated lawyer attacks on Media and Kanhaiya kumar in court premises is unjustifiable and we think there is a difference between interrogation and crushing ideology and branding entire left as Anti-national. People are circulating #SHUTDOWNJNU but I think they must circulate #SHUTDOWNZEENEWS which has demeaned this world class institution, this biased ZEE news media generalize and related the act done by few people to the whole student community of JNU. JNU is considered as one of the progressive and democratic institution where we can see intermingling of people from lower to upper income strata of the society, notion of equality. We cant be mouthpiece of such a govt. which has unleashed oppression on student community, legislature like O P Sharma, govt. which has legitimized the action of right wing fascist forces either in Patiala house court or in front of JNU north gate. Every day we see people assemble at front gate with Indian Flag to beat JNU student, well this is hooliganism not nationalism, you cant do anything in the name of nation, there is a difference between nationalism and hooliganism. Anti-India slogans cant be tolerated in campus or any part of country, JNUSU& some left organization are saying that nothing has happened in the campus but here we want to stress that veiled persons in the event organized by former DSU persons shouted slogans BHARAT TERE TUKADDE HONGE of which there is concrete evidence in videos, so we demand any person responsible for the slogans should be punished as per the law, and in this whole process we also condemn media trial which has culminated in Anti-JNU sentiments throughout the country. Today we all must stand together to save JNU which has given us identity, we need to come across party lines to save reputation of this institution, to save future of JNUites as more than 80% of students dont belong to any political party so lets unite to save this JNU culture. |VANDE MATRAM | | JAI BHIM | | JAI BHARAT | A Swollen River Of Refugees By David Smith-Ferri 18 February, 2016 Countercurrents.org The author, Mohammad and Omar at a Finnish camp for asylum seekers, January 2016 Photo credit: Hakim, Afghan Peace Volunteers Last month, as US border patrol agents began rounding up Central American women and children denied asylum, a small group of international peace activists from Voices for Creative Nonviolence boarded a plane for Helsinki, Finland, to visit two longtime Iraqi friends who fled Baghdad last summer and somehow completed a perilous seven-week journey over land and sea to reach this northern seaport. Negotiating our way from the airport in Helsinki to Laajasalo, a small island and suburb where we were to stay with a Finnish journalist, we crossed a frozen and snow-covered Baltic Sea, as white flakes swirled in the streetlights and the temperature dropped to minus 25 degrees Celsius, a long, long way from Baghdad. Our friends Mohammad and his teenage son, Omar, come from a small farming village where they grow okra. Last autumn, like hundreds of thousands of others, they were part of the swollen river of refugees whose headwaters sprang from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, where endless war has devastated society and local violence has left so many people at grave risk. The journey to Europe is not merely a long, exhausting trip. It is treacherous from the start. To begin with, while leaving their country of origin, people risk their lives traveling through contested parts of their country or over roads controlled by militias or warlords known to capture and kill people of their ethnicity or religious sect. Risks, we can be sure, they wouldnt undertake except out of desperation. All of this merely to enter Turkey. In Istanbul, where refugees must try to find a trustworthy smuggler, make a deal with one of his agents, and pay a hefty fee held in a sort of escrow until a specific, agreed-upon part of the trip is completed Turkish police patrol the streets and coffee houses looking for migrants. Iraqis are particularly at risk. If captured in Turkey and identified, they are imprisoned and eventually turned over to Iraqi authorities. And in the charged, sectarian atmosphere in Iraq, refugees shudder to think what might follow. From Turkey, Mohammad and his son planned to travel by bus to a port town Well, its not really a town, just a place at the beach and launch a rubber dinghy onto the Aegean Sea at night. Their hope was to reach Farmakonisi, a tiny, largely uninhabited Greek island five and three quarter miles from the Turkish coast. Leaving Istanbul is itself like crossing open seas. It involved a nine-hour bus trip. The first trick is getting on the bus without being captured by police, and then again eluding police while traveling out of the city. No small feat. This isnt a tourist bus or a standard bus route where you gather with other passengers trying to blend in at a regular, authorized location. Its an empty mini-bus into which twenty refugees cram themselves and their luggage all at once. Not an easy thing to hide. The bus, Mohammad told us, will wait 2 minutes. No more. Of course, people are anxious and on edge. He described three failed attempts to successfully leave Istanbul. In one attempt, the smugglers agent assigned a meeting place, then changed it four times over the next couple of hours, until the group, which included women and young children, crouched in the dark on the edge of a wood, looking down a dirt path to a street corner where, at a specified time, the bus was supposed to appear. According to the smugglers agents directions, a phone call would alert the refugees that the bus was approaching the appointed pickup spot. In the meantime, they should organize themselves into four sub-groups of twenty people, the first sub-group dashing out when the first bus appears. By this point, however, and despite the best efforts of Mohammad and other group leaders, such discipline was beyond them. Sleep-deprived, frightened, and hungry, too many people ran out, and the mini-bus fled without boarding anyone, forcing the smugglers agent to reschedule the attempt for another day and leaving the refugees with nothing to show for their effort but an unfulfilled promise. On another attempt, the refugees successfully boarded only to be spotted by police as they left the city. Two of the four buses were apprehended. In the third bus, Mohammad and Omar watched as their driver swerved recklessly around the police and drove breakneck down the road. He has to do this, Mohammad explained. For him it is life or death because it is a twenty-year prison sentence if you are caught. In the end, this attempt also failed, when the group was rounded up by police after being delivered to the beach. Mohammad describes what happened: After a long wait, some tourists came down the side of the hill and saw women and children lying in the woods, and we were afraid they will tell the police. We could see police boats on the water, and hear their sirens. Eventually a Turkish man came and questioned us, we told him the truth, he said ok, dont worry, and he brought water and some biscuits. Another Turkish man came and said everyone should gather in one place. This was suspicious. Then suddenly the police opened fire, we hear the sound of bullets. Some young people run toward sea and start swimming, some run away into the woods. The police say they will keep us until everyone is here. The young people are captured, and we are taken back to Istanbul and held in jail for questioning. They hold us for six days, but they accept that the Iraqis in our group are Syrians and they let us go. After this, Mohammad and his son spent two weeks in Istanbul, resting, thinking, planning, gathering their strength for another attempt. Almost everyday in the coffee shops, we hear stories about people drowning [trying to cross the Aegean Sea], but we try to ignore this because we dont want our motivation to weaken. This is why I waited two weeks to make the crossing, some people only wait a couple of days, but I am very careful, questioning the smuggler, asking his agent questions. Where is your crossing? Where do you land?...I saw that there were more women and children than men refugees, and this made me strong. They inspired me. If they can face death, I can too. Finally, on the fourth attempt, they succeeded. (This time, we left during the day, and the police were right there. So we believe bribes were paid). A nighttime sea crossing was set, and Mohammad, a mechanical engineer by training, agreed to pilot. The trip was harrowing, with the boat overloaded and passengers frantic, Turkish police on the waters, and navigation a literal shot in the dark. I never drove a boat beforeMy son and I cant swim. I believed we would die, but I thought, if I am going to face death, then I will face it carefullyThank God we made it. On Thursday, January 21, at least forty-three refugees, including seventeen children, died when their boats capsized while trying to cross the Aegean Sea. One of the boats was headed to Farmakonisi. It is two hundred twenty-five miles in a straight line across the sea from Farmakonisi to Athens. Before reaching the Greek capital, Mohammad and Omar had to travel to other small Greek Aegean islands, waiting on one for almost a week, with little food. Everyday more refugees landedthe good thing is that I was able to beg some food for Omar, a bit of bread, a few dateshe was losing strength. Travel time by air from Athens to Helsinki is about six and a quarter hours, including a Munich layover. If you count the layover in Munich, the trip increases to six and a quarter hours. For Mohammad and Omar and those they met traveling overland, it took weeks, with the borders opening and closing like jaws before and behind them. As a young man in Iraq, Mohammad had few chances to use his professional training. Following on the heels of a costly eight-year war with Iran (a conflict in which the US participated in a number of ways, including providing weapons to both sides), Iraqs economy collapsed under the weight of international economic sanctions. In 1993, Mohammad began working for a French NGO working to provide medical relief to Baghdads malnourished children, a job that brought him a good deal of unwanted attention from Iraqs intelligence services. It was work as a journalist for foreign media that brought the death threats that forced Mohammad and his family to flee their Baghdad home and go into hiding. Continued threats, the murder of his brother by a Shia militia, and the kidnapping and murder of his father forced him and Omar to flee their country. Omars mother and his six younger siblings remain in Iraq, waiting for the chance to reunite with Mohammad and Omar in Finland. On an evening toward the end of our visit, Mohammad and I walked from the bus stop to our apartment. Snow danced lazily in the air. Without preamble, speaking thoughts that carried him from Baghdad to Finland, Mohammad said, I came here because of my children. If I stay in Iraq, they will kill me. And what will happen to them in such a society? In the silence that followed, his words rose into the air and joined the dance. David Smith-Ferri is a member of Voices for Creative Nonviolence (www.vcnv.org) and the author, most recently, of Where Days Are Stones, Afghanistan and Gaza Poems, 2012-2013. He recently returned from a VCNV delegation to Helsinki, where he visited with Iraqi friends who fled their country and are seeking asylum in Finland. He can be reached at dsmithferri@gmail.com The head of North Dakotas largest state agency is accused of conspiring to block an investigation into a childcare provider whose license was expired when a 5-year-old girl under its care drowned last summer. Department of Human Services Executive Director Marget Maggie Anderson, 48, was charged Friday in McHenry County District Court with conspiracy to obstruct a government function and with public servant refusing to perform a duty for allegedly allowing the facility to operate without a license and not notifying authorities. Both are Class A misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail and $3,000 fine. The same charges were filed against DHS attorneys Julie Leer, 52, and Jonathan Alm, 39, and Laurie Gotvaslee, 54, director of the North Central Human Service Center in Minot. Former DHS Early Childhood Services Administrator Jennifer Barry, 42, also is charged with felony conspiracy to tamper with physical evidence for allegedly directing an employee to delete email conversations about the case. Barry denied giving that directive, according to an affidavit filed with the charges. The 43-page affidavit by state Bureau of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Craig Zachmeier outlines alleged actions by DHS officials to backdate a license for the KidQuarters child care center in Velva after the drowning incident and to impede his investigation. According to the affidavit: The operating license for KidQuarters had expired one week before 5-year-old Gracelyn Aschenbrenner was found unresponsive in the Velva city pool June 8. The girl died July 1 at a Fargo hospital. Heather Tudor, the operator of the child care center, was charged with negligent homicide, felony child neglect or abuse and operating a child care facility without a license. A jury trial is set for April 4. The day after the pool incident, Human Services employee Alysha Berg sent an email to multiple DHS employees including Anderson and Leer notifying them that KidQuarters license had expired June 1 and DHS was waiting on relicensing documents. Supervisory staff and command staff at DHS knew the day care was not licensed, yet allowed it to operate unlicensed until issuing new licenses after June 22, Zachmeier wrote. When Zachmeier served a search warrant Aug. 19 at the facility, he saw a license on the wall certifying that it was licensed from June 2, 2015, through June 1, 2016. However, when he questioned Berg by phone the next day about whether KidQuarters was legally licensed on the day of the pool incident, she said it wasnt and that she had backdated the license to June 2. McHenry County social worker Cheryl Johnson, who allegedly submitted an application to DHS on June 16 asking that the license be backdated to June 2, was charged in September with felony criminal conspiracy, felony tampering with public records and two misdemeanors. Her preliminary hearing was postponed last week at the prosecutions request, and her attorney, Lloyd Suhr, said he expects she will enter not guilty pleas next month. When Zachmeier went to the Minot human service center on Aug. 24 to interview Berg in person, Gotvaslee, the human service centers director, told him they had received legal advice not to allow him to talk to Berg. Gotvaslee later told Zachmeier that she had been on the phone with Leer and Anderson and they didnt want Alysha (Berg) talking, the affidavit states. Reached by phone Wednesday, Gotvaslee said her attorney had advised her not to comment. When Zachmeier later asked Berg why KidQuarters was allowed to operate without a license and was going to be allowed to reopen Aug. 25, she said, it was such a mess people wanted to cover it up, the affidavit states. Bismarck attorney Michael Hoffman, who was retained by Anderson on Tuesday, said she did not know the license was backdated and she plans to plead not guilty. Initial court appearances are set for March 23. She didnt act with knowledge of wrongdoing, if there was any wrongdoing, Hoffman said. As for the charge of impeding the investigation, Hoffman said DHS officials were simply trying to figure out what they should be doing as they dealt with the BCI, which is overseen by the attorney generals office, and received advice from their own attorneys, who have special assistant attorney general status. Its a catch-22 kind of thing, he said. Chief Deputy Attorney General Tom Trenbeath said he couldnt comment on the ongoing case. He said the attorney generals office provides legal counsel to DHS and other state agencies but does not provide criminal defense for individual state employees charged with crimes. With more than 2,000 employees and a $3.5 billion two-year budget, DHS is the states biggest agency. Gov. Jack Dalrymple appointed Anderson as interim executive director of DHS in August 2012 and named her permanent director in April 2013. Dalrymple gave Anderson a $27,692 retention bonus last June. No action had been taken against any of the Department of Human Services employees, Dalrymple spokesman Jeff Zent said Wednesday afternoon. We take seriously any charge against a state employee, Dalrymple said in a statement. We will take the necessary time to be informed of the facts of the situation, and then determine if any action is necessary regarding their employment responsibilities. Attempts to reach Barry, Leer, Alm and McHenry County States Attorney Cassey Breyer for comment were unsuccessful. Leer resigned from her full-time job as director of the departments legal advisory unit on Oct. 31 and is working on temporary status for DHS through the end of February to finish some projects, human resources director Marcie Wuitschick said. Barry resigned May 31 -- eight days before the pool incident -- but continued working for DHS as a temporary employee through Aug. 7, Wuitschick said. With the felony charge and misdemeanor public duty charge, Barry faces up to six years in prison and $6,000 in fines if convicted. We Are Of This Country And Love The Soil Of India Full Text of Kanhaiya Kumars speech 18 February, 2016 Countercurrents.org Kanhaiya Kumar, Student's Union President of Delhi's prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was arrested on sedition charges for making this speech on 12th February. He is now lodged in Tihar Jail. They are the people who burn the tricolour; they are the stooges of Savarkar, who apologised to the British. They are the people who, right now, in Haryana, run the Khattar government that has renamed after a Sanghi an airport named after Shaheed Bhagat Singh. The upshot is, we dont need a certificate of patriotism from the RSS. We dont need the RSS to certify us as nationalists. We are of this country and love the soil of India. We fight for those 80 per cent of this countrys people who are poor. For us, this is desh bhakti. We have full faith in Babasaheb. We have full faith in our countrys Constitution. And we want to firmly assert that if anyone lifts a finger against this countrys Constitution whether the Sanghis or anyone else we wont tolerate it. We have faith in the Constitution. But we have no faith in the constitution that is taught at Jhandelwala and Nagpur. We have no faith in the Manusmriti. We have no faith in or trust in the deep-rooted caste system in this country. That very Constitution, that same Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, talk about constitutional remedies in the Constitution. That same Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar talked about abolishing capital punishment. That same Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar talked of freedom of expression. We uphold the Constitution. We want to uphold our basic right, our constitutional right. But it is a matter of great shame, a matter of great sorrow, that today, the ABVP, with its media partners, is orchestrating a campaign. It is diluting issues. Yesterday, the ABVPs joint secretary said that they fight for fellowships. It is so ridiculous to hear this because their government, Madam Manu-Smriti Irani, cut fellowships and the ABVP says We fight for fellowships. Their government has cut the higher education budget by 17 per cent. Our hostel hasnt been built in four years. We havent got wifi till date. One bus was given to us by Bhel but the administration doesnt have money to pay for fuel. The ABVPs people take photographs like Dev Anand in front of rollers and say that they are getting hostels made and bringing wifi and increasing fellowships. Their lies will be exposed, friends, if there is a debate in this country on fundamental questions. And I am proud that we JNU-ites discuss and raise fundamental questions. [Subramanian] Swamy says that there are jihadis in JNU. He says that people at JNU spread violence. On behalf of JNU, I challenge RSS pracharaks to come and debate with us. We want to debate on the concept of violence. And we want to raise questions. We want to raise questions on the ABVPs slogan that says khoon se tilak karenge, goliyon se aarti. Whose blood do you want to let flow in this country? You have offered bullets, alongside the British, and used them against people who were fighting for this countrys independence. When the poor in this country demand food, when people dying of starvation talk of their rights, you use bullets against them. You have used bullets against Muslims. And against women when they raise the issue of their rights. You say that the five fingers of a hand cannot be equal, that women should live like Sita and should have to go through trials by fire like Sita. But there is democracy in this country, and democracy gives everyone the right to equality. Whether they be a student or a karamchari or a poor person or a worker or a farmer or Ambani or Adani; everybody has equal rights. So when we talk about womens right to equality, they say that we want to ruin Indian culture. We do want to trash traditions of exploitation, casteism (jaativad), Manuvad and Brahmanwad. So why are they so uncomfortable? They have a problem when the people of this country talk about democracy. When people do a neela salaam along with a lal salaam. When alongside Marx, people talk about Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar. When people talk of Ashfaqulla Khan, then they cant tolerate it. They are conspiring, they are stooges of the British. Come, bring a case of defamation against me. I say that the RSSs history is the history of standing strong with the British. And these traitors of the nation today distribute certificates of desh bhakti. Check my mobile, friends, they are viciously abusing my mother and sister. Of which Bharat Mata do you speak if my mother is not part of this Bharat Mata? I do not agree with that Bharat Mata concept. My mother is an anganwadi worker. My family survives on Rs 3,000. And they are abusing my mother. I am ashamed that the mothers of the poor, workers, Dalits, farmers of this country are not part of Bharat Mata. I will hail Bharats many matas, fathers, sisters, farmers, workers, Dalits, Adivasis. If you have the guts, then say inquilab zindabad. Say Long live Bhagat Singh. Say Long Live Sukhdev. Say Long live Ashfaqulla Khan. Say Long live Babasaheb. Then we will believe that you have faith in this country. You do a drama of celebrating Babasahebs 125th birth anniversary. If you have the guts, then raise the issues that Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar raised. In this country, casteism is the biggest issue. Speak against casteism. Bring reservation. Bring reservation in the private sector. This nations was never yours and will never be yours. A nation is made of its people. If the nation doesnt have space for the hungry, the poor, the workers, then it is not a nation. Yesterday, I was saying this at a TV debate to Deepak Chaurasiaji: Chaurasiaji this is a sombre moment, remember this. Even the media wont be safe from the way fascism is creeping in this country. The media will get scripts written at the Sangh offices just like it used to get scripts written at the Congress offices in Indira Gandhis time. Remember this. If you really want to show your desh bhakti. Some media people were saying that JNU runs on taxpayer money, on subsidy. Yes, this is true. JNU runs on taxpayer money. It runs on subsidy. But a question arises: What is a university for? A university is there to critically analyse societys common conscience. To promote critical thinking. If universities fail in this job then there can be no nation, there will be no peoples participation. The country will only be fodder for capitalists. Itll only be fodder for loot and exploitation. If the peoples culture, values, rights are not included, then there will be no nation. We stand by this country and that dream that Bhagat Singh and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar saw. We stand by the dream of equality for all, the dream of the right to live, the right to food, water and shelter. We stand by these dreams. Rohith gave his life to stand by these dreams. But I want to tell these Sanghis, shame on your government. I challenge the Central government, what you did in Rohiths case, we wont let happen in JNU. We will remember Rohiths sacrifice. We stand by the side of freedom of expression. Forget Pakistan and Bangladesh, we say that the whole worlds poor should unite, workers should unite. We salute the humanity of the world, the humanity of India. We have today identified the group that stands against this humanity. This is the most serious issue before us today. We must not forget this identification. That face of casteism, that face of Manuvad, that face of the alliance between Brahmanwad and capitalism. We have to expose these faces. Real democracy, real freedom, everyones freedom is what we want to establish in this country. That freedom will come and it will come with the Constitution, Parliament and democracy. Thats why I beseech all my friends to set aside their differences. We have to safeguard our freedom of expression, our Constitution, our country. We have to stay united to keep the country together, to counter the divisive forces the forces that give shelter to terrorists. Who is Kasab? Who is Afzal Guru? Who are these people who have reached a point that they are willing to blow themselves up? If this question is not raised in a university then I dont think there is any point in having a university. If we dont define violence, how do you see violence? Violence is not just killing people with guns. Violence also occurs when the JNU administration refuses to honour the rights given to Dalits by the Constitution. That is called institutional violence. These people talk about justice. Who will decide what is justice? When Brahmanism was dominant, Dalits were not allowed to enter temples. At that time, that was justice. During British colonial rule, dogs and Indians were not allowed to enter restaurants. At that time, that was justice. We challenged this justice. And today as well, we challenge the RSS and the ABVPs notion of justice. If your notion of justice does not accommodate my notion of justice, then we wont accept your concept of justice. We wont accept your concept of freedom. We will consider this country free when everyone gets their constitutional rights. When every individual in this country is equal under the Constitution, then we will accept that there is justice. The JNUSU does not support any violence, any terrorist , any terror attack, any anti-national activity. I want to reassert this in no uncertain terms. There are some unidentified people who have raised the slogan of Pakistan zindabad. The JNUSU strongly denounces them. I also want to share a question for the JNU administration and the ABVP. A thousand things happen in this campus. Please listen carefully to the ABVP slogans. They say communist kutte [dogs], they say Afzal Guru ke pille [puppies], they say jihadiyon ke bachhe [children]. Dont you agree that if this Constitution has given us the rights of a citizen, then calling my father a dog, is it not the trampling of our constitutional rights? I ask this to the ABVP. I want to ask this question to the JNU administration: Who do you work for? Who do you work with? And on what basis do you work? Today it has become absolutely clear that the JNU administration first gives permission. Then, after receiving a call from Nagpur, it takes back its permission. This process of granting and retracting permission has become just as frequent as the process of granting and retracting fellowships. Like they first announce an increase in fellowships and then turn around to say fellowships have been stopped. This is the Sanghi pattern. This is the RSS-ABVP pattern. The pattern on which they want to run this country. And they run the JNU administration on the same pattern. We want to question the JNU VC. There were posters displayed in JNU, pamphlets distributed in the mess. If you had a problem, then you should not have given permission. But once you gave the permission, the JNU administration must clarify what caused it to take it back. I also want to tell you the truth about these people. Please dont hate them because we cannot hate anyone. In fact, I pity them. They are cock-a-hoop. Why? They believe that just like Gajendra Chauhan was made to sit [as the head of the FTII], they will get a Chauhan, diwan and farman. They think they will send farmans and they will keep getting jobs with these farmans. That is why, when they yell Bharat Mata ki jai, you should immediately understand that they are about to appear in an interview. But as soon as they get the job, they will forget about patriotism and Bharat Mata. Forget the tricolour, which they never recognised, they wont even honour the saffron flag. I want to ask them, what kind of patriotism is this? If an employer doesnt treat the employee well, if the farmer does not treat the labourer well, if the capitalist doesnt treat his employees properly, and all these TV journalist who work for Rs 15,000, even your CEO does not treat them properly. The ABVP-RSSs patriotism is limited to an India-Pakistan match. Thats why when they are out on the streets, they mistreat the fruit-seller. When the fruit-seller says, Sahib, the bananas are Rs 40 a dozen, they hurl an abuse and say, You people are looting us. We will give only Rs 30. But what will happen the day the fruit-seller turns around to say, You are the biggest looter. You have looted crores? Then, they will label him anti-national. I know a lot of friends in the ABVP. I often ask them, Do you really feel patriotic? They say, What to do? The government is for five years. Two years have gone by. Three years talk time is left. Whatever we have to do, we will do in these remaining years. So I tell them that if you lie about JNU, then tomorrow someone might catch your collar too. Perhaps it will be one of your friends who will do that, the kind who checks beef in trains. Hell catch you and lynch you and tell you that you are anti-national because you are a JNU-ite. Do you understand the danger in what you are doing? They say, we understand this and that is why we oppose #JNUShutdown. I said thats great. First create the atmosphere for #JNUShutdown and then oppose it because you have to stay in JNU. Thats why I want to tell all JNU-ites, there will be an election in March and the ABVP will come to you with the Om symbol. Please tell them, We are anti-nationals, jihadi terrorists. If you take our vote you will also become anti-national. Make sure you say this. Then they will say, No, no, its not you. Those were some other people. Then ask them, Why did you not say that those were some other people [and not the whole of JNU] before the media? Why didnt your VC say that? Why isnt your registrar saying that? And what about those few people? Are they saying that we did not raise the slogans of Pakistan zindabad? Arent those few people saying that we are not in favour of terrorism? Arent those few people saying that retracting permission, which was duly acquired, is an attack on their democratic rights? Those few people are saying that if a battle is being fought in some part of the country, then we will stand by it. They will never understand this small thing. But I am sure that people who have assembled here on short notice, they are getting this. And you people will go to each student of this campus. The ABVP is trying to break this country, it is trying to break JNU. We wont let JNU be divided. Long live JNU! All the struggles that are currently on in the country, JNU will wholeheartedly participate in them and strengthen the voice of democracy, voice of independence, strengthen the freedom of expression. We will go forward. We will struggle and we will win and defeat the traitors of this city. With these words, I appeal for unity. Jai Bhim, lal salaam! War On Constitution By Vidya Bhushan Rawat 18 February, 2016 Countercurrents.org Those of us who witnessed what happened when the goons demolished Babari Masjid in 1992 and later assaulted journalists covering the incident can vouch that it is almost after 25 years that we are witnessing the same kind of situation in India. We have not forgotten how the Bharatiya Janata Party and its leaders proclaimed proudly that they demolished the Babari Mosque and then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Kalyan Singh wanted to use the situation for his own political growth when he claimed that, he is ready to go the jail for contempt of the court as his bigger court is lord Ramas court and we know how he went to jail proudly with slogan shouting supporters. There are many in their respected team who still believe India to be governed by Manusmriti laws where the Dalits, aadivasis and women do not have any fundamental rights and whatever the Brahmin say become rule of law. It is well known fact that media build the frenzy and today when electronic media has reached in our bed rooms such frenzy seems to be planned strategy of the Sangh Parivar and its allies who control our media. Each incident that is happening and where they are uncomfortable is being blown out of proportion and then screaming anchors are turning into a public debate. Problem with this is that governance is lost some where and we are back to Hindu-Muslim debate which is the favorite of the BJP and its hardliners. The things that unfolded in Patiala house yesterday brought back the memories of Ayodhya 1992 when journalists reporting there were beaten up and abused. The shout of Jai Shree Ram became the test of nationalism. If you dont think Ram as your ancestor or God then you are a Haramzaada, was the favorite quote during those hey days. Today, they have understood that one slogan will not work as due to their inability to carry masses with them they are using the media to whip up passion and change the political discourse. None of us who are in public life need to swear by nationalism in symbols. A nation is much bigger than mere jumlas. If follow our constitution and its preamble and are following our constitutional duties as citizens of the country, we are nationalists. India will have to define that street goons just because they are carrying tri-color in their hand become nationalists and got right to lynch any one who they think disagree with them. Such goons must be identified and brought to justice. Threats, intimidation and physical assault must be condemned at all level and the state must protect the citizens. A lot of time the issues come before us as why despite a great constitution we still have violence against the marginalized, Women are burnt due to dowry, untouchability is practiced not just in the villages but also in cities, manual scavenging is still prevalent and Dalit face caste discrimination in the so called modern universities. Why is that AAdivasis are still isolated, people are dying of hunger and there is unrest in various parts of the country. You cannot crush peoples voices for justice in the name of bogey of nationalism every time there is an unrest in the country or society. Failing in responding to the issues concerning the people, we try to bully them through counter political agenda. What happened at the Patiala House court yesterday brought disgrace to the country. It was nothing but fear of those who swear in the name of constitution, to provide justice, that the case against Kanhaiya might not sustain in the courts. Lawyers are the protectors of law and need to abide by the law. We know well that constitution provide opportunity to defend them at all level. An accused does not become convict just because Arnab Goswami , Delhi Police or RSS want like that without giving him a chance to defend himself. An incident has happened in the University and all it needed was an investigation by the local teachers or their committee and if recommend to the authorities if a criminal case was to be filed. Instead, we see that not only the police intimidated students by entering inside the campus but political masters mobilise people outside to discredit an entire institution terming it as anti national. We all know that these street hooliganism wrapped in slogan shouting nationalist slogans is an to promote the idea of lynch mob and Talibani justice where you can kill a person at your whims just because he or she did not follow your diktats. If trial takes place in the media houses and public places can we expect justice. If we allow free to all kind of situation can we expect that this country will move forward in the right direction. Believe me our condition then will be worst than Taliban as we will find hundreds of such cases daily at every village if mobs are allowed to provide justice. Can we save our children from becoming criminal once such practices are widely accepted as norms. What is this fear when you have your own government and its machinery? A fairly large number of TV channels are following the government diktats and promoting ruling partys agenda shamelessly rather than reporting news. Kanhaiyya Kumar is an accused under sedition law and was being produced in the court. The channels have already declared him convict along with other RSS organisations but the courts, as long as we have a democratic set up will have to look into entire sequence and constitutionality. Every law abiding citizen and political party should have understood that the first days incident brought shame to India that we dont allow judiciary to function independently. The Supreme Court had issued clear guidelines and restricted entry in the court rooms and yet when Kanhaiyya was being produced the same bunch of goons appeared to attack him shouting Vande Mataram. Was this an attempt to polarize the law fraternity and intimidate judiciary? My opinion is yes, because they had realized the writings on the wall and now want to convert it into a massive political battle to be used in various states which go to poll in the coming months as much to the future of this government lies with the outcome of Assam, West Bengal, Tamilnadu and finally Uttar Pradesh where things are not easier for the saffron party. It was unprecedented situation when the Supreme Court had to send five senior most lawyers to the Patiala House to look into the emerging condition there with agitating lawyers and security of the accused and those accompanying him. In every profession people respect their seniors even when they might belong to diverse ideological background but what we saw in Patiala House courts was absolute goondagardi and lumpenism which only the Sangh Parivar elements and their mouthorgans in the media can know justify through counter attack and distorting the information. No person having faith in democracy and independence of judiciary can justify it. Eminent lawyer Rajiv Dhawan said he was abused in the worst possible way along with others. The Committee reported that they would have been lynched if there was no police protection that time. Abusing and intimidating to those who have been appointed by the highest court of land to oversee a crisis is itself anti national and against the spirit of the constitution. It is requested to Supreme Court, local courts and bar council to not only cancel their license to practice but also prosecute them for dishonoring the constitution. I have mentioned many time that those who are giving certificate of nationalism and patriotism to all of us actually never had faith in the Constitution of India framed by Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar. They might hate Saudi Arabia, Taliban or Pakistan for political purposes but in the heart of their heart they want India to be turned like that. Their role model remain Sharia laws or kangaroo courts operated there where all the dissenters are accused and they have no right to defend them. Accused are publically lynched and lashed to protect Islam and the laws in the name of Islam. Indias Hindu right wing aspire an India of the same variety where their lynch mob pronounce verdict at the streets or at the Timesnow, Zee News, India TV and other TV channels heavily supported by the Sangh supporting capitalists. They have no time to discuss the issues of common people, the atrocities on the poor people, forest dweller and women. Rather they are sitting there to find gaps in the protest movements and justify the misdeeds of their masters. They have brought shame to entire profession of media and forgotten their professional duties and insulted humanity. Despite our differences, we still respect many of the friends who have reported against prejudices in deeply disgusting and difficult situations. Political and ideological differences are bound to happen in a democratic society but what is happening here in India is an attempt to bulldoze the political opponents and paint each one of them as anti national. While we refuse to respond these nationalists whose sole aim is to protect their brahmanical status quo which is fast losing ground and slipping. Therefore, they are making all efforts to destroy institutions of judiciary, media and academia which secular polity (with all differences and weaknesses) have been able to built up over the years. This will be the biggest challenge how to bring back democracy and sanity in these institutions. As Supreme Court hear the petitions and probably must be worried about the situation prevailing in the country today, it is time they give unambiguous and blunt signals to those in power to protect the independence of judiciary. If the lawyers or those who claim to believe in constitutionalism truly believe in it, it is time for them to decide whether they believe in mob justice or due process of law. If they believe that our courts are unable to provide justice and therefore they need to provide justice in the street then all of them must voluntarily leave their profession. If they dont do so the Bar Association and Supreme Court must act to save their profession from further degradation. There is nothing new in the entire episode as Sangh double speak is well known. They will justify the act through using various contradictions and playing other stories in the media through their devotees there. Prime Minister talked of constitution and we know well who formed a commission to change the constitution in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee regime and thanks to the Supreme Court which clearly said that basic structure of the constitution can not be amended. A few things emerged from the incident at Patiala House yesterday. One that the politicians masquerading as lawyers wanted to create such a scenario in the court absolutely like Babari Masjid demolition to politically use it and create absolute frenzy in the country. It is serious and the court must come out clearly on the same. The lawyers who did it are well known and need to be arrested and debarred from practicing as the credibility and strength of judiciary is at stake at the moment. Whether a police commissioner will follow the orders of the Supreme Court or just ignore it follow the diktats of his political masters. Second, Supreme Court must provide clearcut guidelines to electronic media. We can not ignore the fact that heavily paid media has launched a vilification campaign on the entire issue. Can the media pronounce some one criminal before the things come before the court? Is not it an attempt to influence judiciary? Third, Supreme Court must ask the lower courts and high courts to do away with frivolous petitions against individuals in the name of nationalism just to intimidate people. The Hindutva politics is clearly multifold to intimidate people from street to the courts. It is time courts particularly at the lower level must be instructed clearly to verify the locus standi of a person to file such frivolous petitions. The nation is looking to the Supreme Court today for its instructions will have far reaching impact on our polity and judiciary as well. We hope it will not disappoint all those who have faith in the rule of law and our republican democratic secular constitution. For the people, it is time to protect these values and be alert from the forces who want to subvert the constitution and create absolute anarchy in the country. Vidya Bhushan Rawat is a social and human rights activist. He blogs at www.manukhsi.blogspot.com twitter @freetohumanity Email: vbrawat@gmail.com Where Do We Go From Here! By Shah Alam Khan 18 February, 2016 Countercurrents.org A Muslim man is bludgeoned to death in his home by a mob for allegedly possessing beef meat. Where do we go from here? A dalit student is forced to commit suicide. The lawmakers of the nation question his caste; his intent and wish lost in the din! Where do we go from here? A student leader is arrested on charges of sedition without a formal enquiry. His speech sounds as patriotic as the war song of a moving army! Where do we go from here? A murderous mob of lawyers (and a lawmaker!) pins down an innocent, a la medieval justice! The rabid lawmaker desires to have been in possession of a gun for venting out his love for the motherland! Where do we go from here? A Police Chief sounds so in tune with the party in power! It is spine chilling what this nexus can achieve! Where do we go from here? A news anchor, the so-called harbinger of facts, thumps his chest so loud that the sound of truth gets drowned in the insanity of his primetime! He stands naked in inciting violence. Where do we go from here? Not long ago we made a tryst with destiny; today the shards of that broken dream wound the soul of our nation. Where can we run away from our dreams, how so ever broken they may be? May be tomorrow we learn that the shame of the so called anti-nationalist rant made Kanhaiya Kumar commit suicide within the iron confines of the Tihar jail. Would we then ask, where we go from there? May be not. We would have arrived, exactly were we are meant to be- in a dark hollow abyss of obscurantism and fascism. Shah Alam Khan, AIIMS, New Delhi Do Lawyers Have The Right To Threaten And Punish In India? By Shubhda Chaudhary 18 February, 2016 Countercurrents.org In a democratic state, who has the Right to threaten and the Right to Punish? Is it the Court, the lawyers, the journalists rampantly going on a media trial or even citizens? The egregious manner in which Kanhaiya, JNUSU President was assaulted by the lawyers within the premises of Patiala High Court on 17th February makes us question, whether the lawyers have this Right to Punish. Can this episode be shunned, as it is currently being, under the garb of Right to Protect? In this case, the protection of the so-called Idea of Nationalism or India is debatable. There are basically four forms of punishment. The first is physical punishment followed by verbal punishment and then withholding rewards and penalties. Ronald J. Rychlak from University of Mississippi states The commonly identified theories of punishment for lawbreakers are either utilitarian, in that punishment is justified because it leads to a better society by reducing crime, or they are retributive, in that punishment is justified because the convicted criminal is morally deserving of punishment. Neither of these schools of thought presents a completely compelling argument for society's right to inflict punishment on a specific individual. If society does have such a right, however, it should be possible to identify the source of that right. Especially in the case of Kanhaiya, the threats like Let Kanhaiya come, we will burn him alive sound obnoxious as he, till date has not been judicially proved as a criminal. Rychlak further questions, by what authority or for what reason can society bring its weight to bear on an individual who has violated that societys rules? For centuries, philosophers have sought to identify societys moral right to fine, incarcerate, or even execute a convicted criminal. Punishment requires that we do evil to a person, and evil in any form is difficult to justify. Yet, few serious scholars would advocate stopping all punishment. After all, an eye for an eye would turn the whole world blind. Quoting The Right to Punish in Thomas Hobbess Leviathan, Arthur Yates states that There is an apparent ambiguity in Thomas Hobbess account in Leviathan of the source of the sovereigns right to punish. Hobbes appears to both claim and deny that the prospective sovereign is granted the right to punish by prospective subjects. In claiming that the sovereign is granted the right to punish, we understand Hobbes to hold that the acquisition of the right follows from authorizationa process by which a representative is commissioned to act on the behalf of another person. In denying that the sovereign is granted the right to punish, we understand Hobbes to hold that the possession of the right is merely the product of the mass relinquishment of natural rights; the prospective sovereign alone does not relinquish any natural rights. The tradition has called attention to this apparent ambiguity in Hobbess account of the right to punish. Foucault seeks to analyze punishment in its social context, and to examine how changing power relations affected punishment. He begins by analyzing the situation before the eighteenth century, when public execution and corporal punishment were key punishments, and torture was part of most criminal investigations. Punishment was ceremonial and directed at the prisoners body. It was a ritual in which the audience was important. Public execution reestablished the authority and power of the King. Popular literature reported the details of executions, and the public was heavily involved in them. In the case of Kanhaiya, our black coats were meant to signify that we are an educated class, but some of the lawyers have tainted the image of the bar. Whats so civil about a war anyway? Shubhda Chaudhary is a doctoral student at JNU. She can be reached at shubhda.chaudhary@gmail.com JNU Has Brought Into Focus Several Issues By Dr. Vivek Kumar Srivastava 18 February, 2016 Countercurrents.org Union communication minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that JNU is a medium and source of alternative voice and it should be heard. JNU is a very premier institution of India, widely respected also. It has produced outstanding civil servants, great academicians and also well known public figures. Its faculty and students also excel well. We all think there is also a very eloquent, powerful and constructive alternative voice in the JNU. The country is equally eager to hear that voice. It is a welcome statement and should be taken note by all Indians. JNU and any other university help to liberate human soul from the chains of conservatism and mental knots. Hence any deliberation going on inside the campus should be welcomed. This statement needs to be analyzed in this background. Now government is also ready to respect the pluralism of thoughts. It shows that there is flexibility in its approach in dealing such sensitive matters where the own Indian citizens are involved and they appear to be silenced or crushed by the force and other medium. This sane approach to any matter will always bring positive developments to such issues. But equally important is for the students of JNU and any other university that they must not sponsor or speak anything which is against to the spirit or unity and integrity of India. The institutions of higher learning are crucial to maintain the intellectual freedom and intellectual expansion to wider public audience. These are places where ideas are generated and are debated but no idea can be of any consequence or related to intellectual development if in its core or spirit or in pith or substance is sponsoring those elements which can lead to destabilization of the state. It happened in Pakistan where such ideas were fed and promoted often by the support of the government that today these have attacked to the state in return. The birth of terrorism in Pakistan is result of support of such ideas in public domain. JNU since its establishment in 1969 was a bastion of the communist ideas and in later years the growth of another groups started to take place in strong manner when Hindu oriented organizations started to play a role in the politics of the university. This was soon concerted into an enmity when the student affiliations to two different ideologies were sharply crystallized. Its consequence was the increasing rivalry between these organizations. The role of the political persons from different political parties is also under question as they could never teach their ideological off springs that any dividing issue is not and can never be part of the debates. This idea was never entertained by any political person that one day the intellectual liberty may even endanger not only the existence of JNU on the intellectual level but also may bring several problems to the students, country and society at large. Another point which requires deep analysis is related to the freedom of the academic staff of the country. JNU history faculty is often tagged as communists and major attack is on the historical books and material written by these scholars. These attacks are not in consonance to the true spirit of Indian nation state where plurality of ideas have been always been respected. Everyone needs to know that history written by the JNU scholars is well grounded. It is dependent upon the high quality research and there is much involvement of the high quality focused research which is based on the documentary records. The history writing is not the result of a layman speaking but it is product of quality research. Hence these attacks have no merit and should be contained although in the recent past this has come into light that such attacks have become common. These also create ambience of sadness among the faculty of the JNU, in fact politicians should remain away from dictating the terms and knowledge in the areas of scholarship. The issue of JNU has another connotation which relates to the violence being conceptualized by some people. This development is against to the rule of law but one must understand the psyche of mob which has no brain. Hence any violent orientation is against to human survival but the issue of violence has brought issue of polarization in the Indian society which is likely to percolate to the political world. This development will definitely affect the country in longer term. Hence every politician must appreciate the gravity of the issue and should make genuine, nationalist efforts to preserve everything which has been given by constitution and which are the part of Indian people existence. Minster Prasads statement therefore assumes importance JNU has emerged as a symbol of a highly polarized Indian society. It needs to be thought by all that right course of action is the right way of progress and survival, otherwise nation hood may come under danger, along with the human liberty and academic freedom and finally the country as a whole. This idea should not be allowed to proliferate at any cost. Dr. Vivek Kumar Srivastava is Assistant Professor, CSJM Kanpur University (affiliated College) and Vice Chairman CSSP, e mail-vpy1000@yahoo.co.in Western Propaganda And Two Parallel Realities By Andre Vltchek 18 February, 2016 NEO I thought about writing this essay when I was working in Iraqi Kurdistan, not far from the city of Mosul, one of the areasoverrun by ISIS. Since my last visit at the end of 2014, the entire Kurdistan Region has been collapsing. Unemployment has been on the rise, unofficially reaching 50%, poverty is rampant, official numbers are massaged. Salaries have not been paid for months, and the influx of refugees arriving from Mosulareoften in near starvation, relying only on their relatives and friends for help. But the West has been singing the praises of this obedient part of Iraq. It is because like several countries in Africa or Indonesia the Kurdistan Region has been willing to sacrifice its own people. As long as Western and Turkish corporations could fill their coffers here and as long as they were satisfied, why bother with the local people and their misery? There is one reality one that could be seen and confirmed, one described by the local population, if one would bother to listen. The second reality is that constructed by Western propaganda. Here, the Kurdistan Region has been portrayed as safe, secular, democratic and friendly towards the West. * At night in Erbil, I tried to watch the news. I could not find any familiar channels: RT, PressTV or TeleSUR. The Syrian army was finally liberating the city of Aleppo. Russia was providing air support. Hope was slowly returning to a country that has been totally ruined by Western, Turkish and Saudi interests and by several,directly NATO manufactured, terrorist groups. Thanks to the Syrian-Russian coalition, more than one million internally displaced people have already been able to return home. I got this information first hand, because I am based in Lebanonand work all over the Middle East. And I can testify that the coverage provided by the best alternative media outlets, such as the RT, has been consistently detailed and objective. Now, being stuck in this extremely uninformed pro-Western enclave, I was in need of an urgent update. But my hotel only allowedthose official propaganda outlets of the Empire like CNN, Fox and the BBC - outlets beaming their vitriolic propaganda 24/7. Both CNN and BBC were blasting visuals from the Syrian-Turkish borders. The narrative was the same on both channels: people are fleeing Aleppo, trying to cross into Turkey to save their lives. Turkey does all it can to help. Syrian and Russian gains were portrayed as a disaster, a true calamity. These two television stations are influencing billions of people worldwide, dictating how the most important events should be perceived on all continents. They are manufacturing one uniformed narrative, one dogma. As I gazed at the screen, it suddenly occurred to me that the world now has two realities: a true one, consisting of human stories and testimonies, and one hyper reality, twisted and manipulated, but increasingly dominant. No good deed, no objectively positive event could bring optimism and joy to the people of our planet, if it is against the interests of the Empire. The propaganda media would simply bathe it in filth and nihilism, as well as dark sarcasm. Images of a group of refugees at the Syrian-Turkish border, with a perfectly tailored propaganda narrative repeated again and again by the BBC announcer, areso tailored as toconvince the world that the Syrian and Russian initiatives have not been saving Aleppo, the most populous Syrian city, but on the contrary, they have been destroying it! After two minutes of watching the news on the BBC, I began to feel unwell. The contrast between Realityas I have witnessed it with my own eyes, and the farce, was too great. I wondered, how those journalists and reporters who serve the Empire,can face themselves in the morning, looking into the mirror. I turned off the box and opened the RT site on my computer. It was so easy. It was still so easy! At least for me and for those who were still not contaminated! * You come to Ecuador, a country on the rise, with its brilliant public places, medical posts and endless cultural institutions, but you are soon told that the nation is corrupt and unwell. You reply that you knew it before, decades ago, when it was like Peru, racist, depressing, dirty and totally against its own people. They still insist: it is a failure; immediate change is needed! You go to Brazil, to the Amazonia. You talk to people in the jungle and in what used to be appalling urban slums. People tell you that things are now good, that they are much better off than before, with a socialist government in place for so many years. But then you turn on O Globo at night, and it is all shit once again. You are in Zimbabwe, where you are told to expect filth and misery. You come from pro-Western Nairobi where over 50% of people live in horrible slums. In Harare, Zimbabwes capital, there are almost no slums, but there is culture and public projects, as well as the highest literacy rate inthe entire African continent. The city is clean. But you read the Economist and almost all other major British publications, and you are told that the country is in ruins. You go to China... Everything is upside down from what you would expect, reading the Western press. In the PRC you see clearlyan extremely forward-looking Communist nation, with much more intellectual and artistic freedom than what you would encounter anywhere in Europe, and also with many more possibilities. But when you return to Paris or London and speak of what you really saw, you are laughed at. Pseudo reality has won. Especially in the West, almost everyone is hooked on it, stoned by it. Humble and genuine reality is spat on, humiliated, ridiculed, and not only by the media and propaganda outlets, anymore. The great majority of those common people of the West are now submissively and self-righteously volunteering: they feel that they have to demonstrate their allegiance to the narrative of the regime. They do it, while bragging loudly about democracy, freedom and liberties in their part of the world. Paradoxically, the more brainwashed, servile and un-free they are, the louder they promote themselves as the true and only flag carriers of democracy. It all feels so fascist and hopeless! * Two realities: one genuine but beaten into silence. The other one - loud, aggressive, supported by billions of dollars, but based on lies, manipulations and Machiavellian goals. To use the words of my dear friend Eduardo Galeano: What can those who still have some dignity left, philosophers, reporters, writers and filmmakers with passion for that beautiful lady called Reality, do? They can, they should, and they are obliged, to repeat again and again what is obvious even with an unarmed eye. They have to tell the truth, even if the indoctrinated masses wouldrelentlessly spitin their faces. It is not so difficult, and it goes like this: Iraqi Kurdistan betrayed the Middle East and it is now collapsing, abandoned by its Western handlers. Syrian forces and Russia are, right now, liberating the great Arab city of Aleppo. Latin American revolutions are injured mainly from the outside, and also by those 5th columns inside their own countries. But many of them are still standing, solid. We will fight and defend them until our last breath. And we will speak about and write about them, with passion, relentlessly. Jaroslav Seifert, a Czech poet, Nobel Prize laureate and author of some of the most beautiful lyrical verses written in the 20th century, once shouted at his fellow authors: A writer is the conscience of his nation... If anyone omits the truth, it could be seen as a strategic maneuver. If a writer omits the truth, he is a liar! Writers and true thinkers are obliged to defend reality: that real one, that shy and genuine one. And the truth is, there is only one reality! What the Empire and its propaganda has managed to manufacture as the second or parallel reality, is nothing less than a destructive narrative, which is there to prevent people from thinking, comprehending, and most importantly, from dreaming about a much better world that isbased on humanism, truth and justice. Andre Vltchek is a philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. His latest books are: Exposing Lies Of The Empire and Fighting Against Western Imperialism.Discussion with Noam Chomsky:On Western Terrorism. Point of No Return is his critically acclaimed political novel. Oceania - a book on Western imperialism in the South Pacific. His provocative book about Indonesia: Indonesia The Archipelago of Fear. Andre is making films for teleSUR and Press TV. After living for many years in Latin America and Oceania, Vltchek presently resides and works in East Asia and the Middle East. He can be reached through his website or hisTwitter. (originally published by NEO) ST. PAUL -- Another delay on the time table of two oil pipeline projects in northern Minnesota has opponents of the projects declaring victory. Enbridge Energy, the company behind the proposed Sandpiper and Line 3 projects, announced this week both pipelines wont be ready until early 2019. Decembers decision by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to require a fully completed environmental impact statement to be done by state agencies before either project gets approved is likely to drive the cost of both projects higher, according to an Enbridge press release. Spokeswoman Lorraine Little confirmed costs were likely to rise, although the release nor she were able to state exactly what the new price tags would be. The Sandpiper project was originally scheduled to come online this spring. The 616-mile pipeline from the North Dakota Oil Patch to Superior, Wis., and was expected to cost $2.6 billion. The Line 3 replacement would run from northern Alberta to Superior. The 1,031-mile project was estimated to cost $7.5 billion, with the American portion costing $2.6 billion. The reason behind years of delays for the projects -- Sandpiper was originally scheduled to be completed this year, with Line 3 re-opening in 2017 -- is solely on the unusually slow regulatory process the pipelines are receiving in Minnesota, Little said Wednesday. It really has all to do with the written orders weve received from the states Public Utilities Commission, she said. We filed our petition for reconsideration but we dont have an exact schedule that says these are the next steps. What Enbridge is asking the commission to reconsider is its December decision to require a fully completed environmental impact statement to be done by the state before proceeding with approval of the projects. The commission has 60 days to consider Enbridges petition. We support (an EIS), Little said. Its that theyre requiring it to be in its final form, and thats not typical. In past applications, the PUC has normally allowed an EIS to be developed while other steps of the regulatory process have been worked on, Little said. The requirement of the final EIS is a real victory, says Richard Smith, president of Friends of the Headwaters, which has stood in opposition of the projects routes through northern Minnesotas lakes country. Enbridge has proposed Sandpiper and Line 3 follow a shared corridor from Clearbrook in northwest Minnesota to Superior. Our position from the beginning is that if projects of this magnitude are going to be done, a complete EIS needs to be done, Smith said. Had the company embraced that in the first place, its possible the company may have completed construction of their pipeline by now. It may not have been on the route they wanted, but it may have been over with. Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton said Wednesday that if the PUC needs more staff to deal with the two Enbridge projects, he will ask the Legislature for more funds when he submits a revised budget to lawmakers next month. He told reporters he can support adding staff if the commission needs it "in order to keep things moving along that project, or any project, on a timely basis." He said he already made that offer to the commission. "These are huge projects," Dayton said of the pipeline plans. Attempts to reach PUC Executive Secretary Dan Wolf on Wednesday regarding Daytons offer were unsuccessful. The governor had suggested ways to speed up the general permitting process, not just for the Enbridge projects, but lawmakers did not act on them two years ago. Dayton said there is little more he can do to speed up pipeline construction. State law requires "hands off by the governor and the administration" in making pipeline permitting decisions. "I support that." Forum News Service reporter Don Davis contributed to this report. Gov. Jack Dalrymple urged the oil company developing a massive drilling unit to preserve Little Missouri State Park as the company continues working in the area. Dalrymples comments came Tuesday after the Industrial Commission received an update on the Corral Creek-Bakken Unit, a 30,000-acre oil development near Killdeer that includes the state park. I hope that we do let people know out there, including ConocoPhillips, that we would like to continue to stay back from the Little Missouri as much as possible and continue to preserve the viewscape as much as possible, Dalrymple said. I think they know that. But lets keep reminding them that remains the same. Director of Mineral Resources Lynn Helms said ConocoPhillips met or exceeded all of the promises or requirements to develop the unit, which the Industrial Commission approved about four years ago. Helms said the company moved some wells away from the river valley at its own expense to drill in a safer, better location. When the unit was proposed, ConocoPhillips planned to drill 81 wells in addition to 12 wells that were already drilled in the unit. The timeline was anticipated to be 3 years. But the company added more wells targeting the Three Forks formation, and now expects to continue drilling until at least 2019, a ConocoPhillips representative told the Oil and Gas Division in January. As of last month, the unit had 120 producing wells, 14 wells that were drilled or partially drilled and ConocoPhillips planned to add 60 more. The Industrial Commission did not make any changes to the unit development. Dalrymple also urged the Oil and Gas Division to address concerns about royalty statements for mineral owners in the unit being difficult to understand. Under a unitization agreement, dozens of royalty owners share the revenue of the whole area according to a formula rather than having individual leases for their wells. Royalty owner David Schwalbe has said the way the mineral owners are compensated is so complex that they dont know if theyre being treated fairly. In this case, where we decided a mega-unit was a good idea, lets just be sure that the acreage is calculated exactly right, Dalrymple said. Not only should it be correct, but it should be, I think, understandable to people. FILE - In this March 21, 2014 file photo, CSX hopper cars sit in a yard in Baltimore. CSX Corp. reports quarterly financial results on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) SHARE By Susan Orr of the Courier and Press The transportation company CSX says it's cutting jobs at multiple locations, including Evansville, as part of a "streamlining" of its mechanical operations. Company spokeswoman Melanie Cost told the Courier & Press that CSX will furlough 14 of the 22 employees at its Evansville car shop. Employees were notified Feb. 12. The company is working with affected employees to "identify new opportunities and assist in the transition," Cost wrote in an email. Car shops are the facilities where CSX performs repairs, maintenance and inspections. "These decisions are part of CSX's ongoing commitment to network improvement and resource efficiency to match lower volume, and were undertaken after careful consideration and a review of all other possible options," Cost wrote. The Evansville cuts are part of a bigger picture for the transportation company. In a news release, CSX said it is "streamlining operations at 16 lower-volume mechanical facilities," cutting a combined 116 jobs. In addition to Evansville, those cuts are coming from Indianapolis; Montgomery, Alabama; Washington, D.C.; Baldwin, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; Detroit and Grand Rapids, Michigan; Wilmington, North Carolina; Kenmore, New York; Ashtabula, Ohio; Erie and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Florence, South Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; and Huntington, West Virginia. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, CSX has about 29,000 employees. It serves 23 states in the East and Midwest, along with the District of Columbia and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. PHOTO FURNISHED Kirk Rich, an Evansville native and an award winning organ player, will return to the area to perform a solo concert. SHARE By Kelly Gifford of the Courier and Press Sitting down to play at the Fisk pipe organ at First Presbyterian Church is like coming home for Kirk Rich. And technically, Rich does have to actually come home to play the noted instrument. He currently lives in Houston, Texas, where he is working on a doctorate in organ performance at the University of Houston. When he gets to come back to Evansville and play the instrument, however, he feels like he becomes part of organ the instant his hands touch the keys. Rich will return to his seat at the First Presbyterian pipe organ at 4 p.m. Sunday in the Downtown church for a solo concert that is free to the public. The concert was made possible by the Evansville Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and will feature a selection of works picked out by Rich himself. Sunday's concert will be the fifth at First Presbyterian for Rich. He performed there during his middle school and high school years as well as during his collegiate career. Rich studied at Oberlin College in Ohio as well as Indiana University before moving out to Houston. He has won many awards, including the Evansville AGO Dufford Organ Competition in high school. And he performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in 2014. Rich's love for the organ started with the piano. He learned to play on his mother's baby grand and attended lessons and camps to develop his skills from a young age. It was a music camp in Owensboro, however, that introduced Rich to the pipe organ. He remembers walking into a chapel at Mount St. Joseph's where an older camper showed Rich some of the organ techniques he was learning. He was hooked from then on, asking his parents if he could learn how to play the pipe organ after experiencing the big sounds of the instrument. At the time he was living in Western Kentucky, so Rich and his parents would commute into Evansville for his lessons until they moved to the city. He was taught by Doug Reed of the University of Evansville, who also designed the First Presbyterian organ. For the Sunday concert, Rich said he wanted to perform a wide range of organ pieces and also showcase the different sounds and tones the instrument can produce. Rich is going to perform music from the likes of Johan Sebastian Bach, Mendelssohn and many more famous composers. "Many of the pieces have so many big sounds that either sound like other instruments as well as sounds in nature," he said. "The organ is a much more colorful instrument than people realize." Helen Reed, dean of the Evansville chapter of the AGO, said having Rich come back to Evansville for a performance helps to show the wide reach of area organists. "There have been a number of successful organists that have come out of Evansville and it's a very multi-generational bunch," Reed said. "Bringing Kirk back seemed like a great way to support one of our own as well as show where you can go with hard work and passion." SHARE By Brian Slodysko Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said Wednesday he has "confidence in the integrity" of his State Board of Education despite an Associated Press review of documents that showed a top education official made significant alterations to a report that detailed a so-called independent investigation into the troubled and unpopular standardized ISTEP+ exam for students. "I haven't seen the memorandum. I didn't see the recommended changes," the Republican governor said, before adding that he has "every confidence in the integrity of our team, the integrity of the members and the staff of the State Board of Education." A Microsoft Word file obtained through a public records request shows that the report included edits and suggested changes made by State Board of Education executive director John Snethen, who was hired his $107,000-a-year post by the Pence-controlled board. The changes, which two outside consultants who were paid to conduct the investigation agreed to, altered language that had reflected poorly on Republicans' decision to adopt the exam after lawmakers dropped national Common Core academic standards. While Pence sought to downplay the findings, Democrats seized on them. "Students, parents and teachers deserve the unvarnished truth not more politics, scandals and cover-up," said former Democratic House Speaker John Gregg, who is running against Pence in the November election. "This latest news is disturbing, disappointing and reminds us that Mike Pence always seems to place his ideology and political agenda ahead of the best interest of the state." Indianapolis Democratic Rep. Ed Delaney said the revamped 2015 exam was hastily rolled out and troubled from the beginning. That's because Republicans who dropped the national benchmarks for math and English were "driven by ideology because someone claimed Common Core was President (Barack) Obama's idea and it had to be dumped at all costs," he said. But Pence said the findings of the investigation, which have not been released to the public, will play an important role as the state rethinks how student learning is assessed. "Look, we're working through a framework in this session of the General Assembly to really reconsider the ISTEP test and to take a step back and think about ways we can do testing better," Pence said. Educators initially balked at the ISTEP+ test, which features Indiana-specific academic standards, saying it would take 12 hours to complete; the GOP-controlled Legislature shortened the exam. After that, some students who took it online reported computer glitches, which were found to have an impact on their performance. The documents obtained by AP show Snethen helped shape the content of the report. For example, Snethen objected to strong language in an early version that stated: "It is safe to say that the 2015 ISTEP+ program is a work in progress, put in place quickly and without the usual procedures (e.g., field testing) used with most new assessment programs." "Why is it safe to say this?" Snethen asked in notes typed into the draft, adding: "This is an example of a statement that could raise concern." The phrase was not included in the final version of the report. Report co-author Derek Briggs, who's a University of Colorado professor, confirmed Tuesday that state officials were concerned about "messaging." Snethen viewed the first version of the report as one that had a "glass half-empty perspective," and wanted it to show that the glass was "half full," Briggs said. But Board of Education spokesman Marc Lotter said the edits didn't impact the ultimate conclusion, which was that the test was a mostly reliable measure of student performance. "Given the numerous errors and problems that have been faced with the ISTEP, we knew there would be a lot of interest in this report," Lotter said. "We needed to make sure there was something there that would be easily understood." He also disputed the suggestion that edits were made to make Pence look better, pointing to several deleted lines that were also critical of Democratic state schools Superintendent Glenda Ritz, who has frequently clashed with Pence over education policy. SHARE By Mark Wilson of the Courier and Press The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says Posey County's air quality fails to meet new standards for sulfur dioxide pollution around Vectren's A.B. Brown power plant. Indiana's southwestern-most county would be branded partially in nonattainment of the standards under new proposed designations released by the agency on Wednesday. The EPA also is proposing to designate in nonattainment part of Jefferson County around the Clifty Creek power plant owned by Ohio Valley Electric Corporation. The public now has 30 days to comment on the proposed regulations, after which the EPA has 90 days to review any comments. Sulfur dioxide emissions from the A.B. Brown coal-burning power plant rose from 5,293 tons in 2010 to 8,080 tons in 2014, according to the EPA's Clean Air Markets database. Annual sulfur dioxide emissions "basically follow generation," fluctuating with the amount of power produced, said Angela Retherford, Vectren's vice president for environmental affairs. Vectren operates scrubbers pollution controls to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions on its power plants, Retherford said. She noted that EPA's proposed designations are based on air quality modeling because. There is only one actual state-operated air quality monitor in the region, located on Evansville's North Side. "We are in discussions with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to alleviate some of EPA's concerns," Retherford said. Such a measure could include tightening restrictions on sulfur dioxide emissions in A.B. Brown's air quality permit, she said. Indiana has until February 2017 to respond with a plan to address the problem, said Ricky Junquera, a spokesman for the Sierra Club. The environmental group was involved in a lawsuit that in 2015 forced the EPA to begin making attainment designations for the sulfur dioxide standard which had been updated in 2010. The EPA was required to make its designations for attainment of the standard in three rounds. The attainment designations including Indiana are to be finalized by this July. In June 2010, the EPA issued a revised primary air quality standard for sulfur dioxide and revoked the previous standards. The action set a new one-hour standard of 75 parts per billion (ppb) for sulfur dioxide. Designations are based on a three-year average. The federal government has been setting standards for sulfur dioxide pollution since 1971. Exposures to sulfur dioxide for levels as short as five minutes to 24 hours have been linked to adverse respiratory effects and increased asthma symptoms, according to the EPA. Studies also have connected short-term sulfur dioxide exposure to increased visits to emergency departments and hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses, especially among children, the elderly and asthmatics. It can also contribute to the formation of fine particle pollution, which can penetrate deeply into the lungs and cause or worsen respiratory disease, such as emphysema and bronchitis, and aggravate existing heart disease, leading to increased hospital admissions and premature death, according to the EPA. The EPA also is proposing that Gibson and LaPorte counties, as well as an area around Rockport, Indiana, in Spencer County be considered in attainment even though it considers them "unclassifiable." MANNING Dunn County will ask the North Dakota Supreme Court to uphold its authority to apply zoning to oil and gas development. The commission decided to appeal Wednesday after a district court judge ruled Tuesday that the North Dakota Industrial Commission has sole jurisdiction over an oil waste treatment facility in the county. States Attorney Pat Merriman recommended the county push back against Southwest District Judge Dan Greenwoods decision, saying all oil producing counties are adversely affected by the ruling. McLean, Williams and McKenzie counties filed in support of Dunn Countys case. The dispute started in 2013, when Environmental Driven Solutions sued the county for denying zoning for storage tanks on property adjacent to the treatment facility. EDS said state law gives the Industrial Commission authority that preempts local zoning. In this case, the NDIC had issued a permit for the treatment plant. In his ruling, Greenwood said there is a dearth of case law on the topic and relied on three attorney generals' opinions that support the Industrial Commissions jurisdiction. Greenwood said the commission controls drilling, all operations for oil and gas production, and, since 2013, the disposal of saltwater and oilfield wastes. Merriman said the ruling puts the county in a like it or lump it position and changes the harmonious relationship between local and state government. He said hes worried about how far the ruling could extend and whether the county would lose jurisdiction over all aspects of oil and gas development, including roads or even man camps. In its argument to the court, the county said there needs to be a more precise distinction between activities that can only be performed at an oil and gas well or disposal well, as opposed to activities, such as treatment, that can be performed elsewhere and fall within county zoning. The county also pointed out that the attorney general is a member of the Industrial Commission. Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem had filed in support of EDSs case and was the author of one opinion cited by the judge. Merriman said he agrees that the Industrial Commission rightfully regulates oil and gas activity below the surface, but said, activity on the surface should also be subject to reasonable zoning restrictions. The Industrial Commission is required to give counties 15 days notice of a permit hearing and Merriman said that means residents who have concerns must travel to Bismarck rather than talk locally to their zoning board. Shawn Kluver, owner of EDS, did not return two requests for comment on this story. However, his attorney Zachary Pelham said, on behalf of the company, Environmental Driven Solutions, LLC, looks forward to providing a necessary service to treat oilfield waste in Dunn County. SHARE By Zach Osowski INDIANAPOLIS -- Funding for a third Regional Cities group could be in jeopardy due to lack of support in the House Ways and Means Committee. House Speaker Brian Bosma said right now Senate Bill 302, which would allocate an additional $42 million to a third Regional Cities program, does not have support from a majority of Republicans in Ways and Means. "I do not believe it would pass Ways and Means without extra help," Bosma said, adding he doesn't know where the Democrats on the committee stand. "They adopted a statute last year (for $84 million), and there are some who feel the administration circumvented that." During the 2014 session, lawmakers passed a bill to fund two regional projects for $42 million each. In December, the Indiana Economic Development Corp., tasked with picking the winners, chose three regions, instead of two including Southwest Indiana. The decision to fund three regions came after Gov. Mike Pence's tax amnesty program, created to fund the programs, brought in more money than anticipated. The money is available but requires legislative approval. SB 302, authored by Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, passed the Senate with a 35-15 vote. It was then assigned to Ways and Means, where it has not been scheduled for a hearing. Bosma didn't pronounce the bill dead, instead saying discussions on how to proceed are still ongoing. He said the bill could be attached to another bill to make it more palatable to the committee, and that including it in the House's transportation bill might make sense. He said Pence's office has been working hard behind the scenes to get enough votes for the bill. Over in the Senate, President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne, said the language of SB 302 would be attached to a House bill if it dies in Ways and Means. He is not in favor of including it in a transportation bill, saying SB 302 should stand on its own. "We're perfectly happy to find a home for it over in the Senate in a House bill," Long said. "We'll continue to discuss that issue." Southwest Indiana, which includes Vanderburgh, Posey, Gibson and Warrick counties, was one of the three winning regions. There was no ranking from the IEDC of who was in the top two. When the winners were announced in December, IEDC officials said if the money was not secured, they would either eliminate a region or split the $84 million three ways. The Fort Wayne region and South Bend region were the other two winners. Thursday is the final day to get bills passed out of committee. SHARE By Brian Slodysko INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The chairman of Indiana's Democratic Party called Thursday for the firing of a State Board of Education official who altered a report that detailed a so-called independent investigation into the troubled and unpopular standardized ISTEP standardized exam. Chairman John Zody said that actions taken by State Board of Education Executive Director John Snethen "manipulated" the report which officials had billed as an "independent" review of the validity of the test, which was plagued by problems after it was revamped in 2015 and hastily rolled-out. Zody cited a story by The Associated Press based on documents provided through a public records request that show Snethen made edits and requested changes to the report. Some passages Snethen altered or asked to change were critical of a decision by Republican Gov. Mike Pence and his GOP allies to adopt last year's exam after dropping national Common Core math and science standards in favor of Indiana-specific ones that were included in the 2015 test. "Any way you look at it, Mr. Snethen manipulated what was supposed to be an independent report to strike out information damaging to his boss, Governor Pence. This clearly crosses a line. It violates the public trust, it's unethical, and it's grounds for termination," Zody said in a statement. "Mike Pence needs to do the right thing here - terminate this individual and explain to the public how this happened." Pence spokeswoman Kara Brooks dismissed Zody's comments in a two sentence statement: "Hoosiers are tired of political antics. This doesn't merit a response." The Republican governor previously said he has not seen changes made to the document and expressed "confidence in the integrity" of state education board, as well as its staff. Republican Senate leader David Long said Thursday that the ISTEP has become a major problem and needs to be scrapped in favor of a different test. "The test is damaged goods in my eye and a lot of other peoples' eyes and we need to move on," Long said. Eric Holcomb (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, FILE) SHARE By Zach Osowski INDIANAPOLIS Gov. Mike Pence's office has established a date for Eric Holcomb to officially be confirmed as the next lieutenant governor. Pence's office announced Thursday that out-going Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann will officially resign March 2. On March 3, the Indiana General Assembly will vote to approve Holcomb. Pence announced Feb. 9 that Ellspermann was leaving her position to pursue the Ivy Tech University president's job, and that Holcomb would replace her. Holcomb will also join Pence on the 2016 ballot as Pence seeks a second term. Holcomb had previously been running for the U.S. Senate before Pence offered him the job. With super-majorities in the House and Senate, Republicans are expected to approve Holcomb. Both House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senate President Pro Tem David Long have publicly approved of Pence's choice. What's going on with the real estate market in Evansville? How did Vanderburgh County's housing market do in July? The median price for a house in 2022 was lower than 2021. FARGO -- As the city mourns the death of a police officer killed in the line of duty, a handful of folks are getting a second chance at life through his generosity. The organs of 33-year-old Jason Moszer found recipients in five people, ages 26 to 61, said Drew Schwan, a friend of Moszer's since elementary school. "Helping people was important throughout his whole life and career, and he still had the opportunity to do so afterwards," Schwan said. Moszer's heart went to a 46-year-old man who waited 1,102 days on an organ transplant list. His lungs were received by a 60-year-old man who waited 375 days. His liver was given to a 59-year-old man who waited 496 days. His pancreas and one of his kidneys went to a 61-year-old man who waited 924 days. His other kidney went to a 26-year-old woman who waited an unknown length of time. Schwan said Moszer's family does not know the names of the recipients or where they live. That information may be disclosed to them later, he said. Typically, a donor's family can learn a recipient's name if the recipient wants to share it. "One can only imagine how Jason impacted the lives of these recipients, much less their friends, families, and loved ones when they received the call about his gift of life to each of them," Schwan said in an email. "Our lives have been forever changed, but there is some comfort knowing that he still lives on in others." Along with his organs, Moszer's various tissues could benefit additional people, Schwan said. Transplantable tissues include blood, blood vessels, bones, bone marrow, cartilage, connective tissues, eyes and skin. Moszer, who spent six years with the Fargo Police Department, died Feb. 11 after he suffered a single gunshot wound while responding to a report of a domestic disturbance Feb. 10 at a house in north Fargo, police said. It's believed the shot was fired by 49-year-old Marcus Schumacher, police said. Schumacher was later found dead in the house after a standoff with officers. Schumacher's sister-in-law, Juliane Hegle of New Hampshire, said he was designated to be an organ donor, but the circumstances of his death prevented his organs from being transplanted. Mission Black Sun Security Sentinel publishes insightful, well-sourced analysis on the full range of contemporaneous security matters. Its materials address conventional topics, including war and peace, and more cutting-edge constructs of security, including the environmental, demographic, humanitarian, and cyber issues and the ascent of global terrorist organizations. Czech Radio car was attacked by anti-islamic demonstrators at Prague Castle on Saturday 7. 2. 2016 cas cteni < 1 minuta A radio car operated by Czech public service radio was repeatedly attacked at the Prague Castle during the demonstration of the extremist "Anti-Islamic Bloc" on Saturday afternoon, says a press release published by Czech Radio on Sunday. Several agressive attackers were repeatedly trying to break into the radio vehicle, they tried to disrupt Radio Prague's live broadcast and eventually they managed to disable the radio car's power source. In this difficult situation, a Radio Prague journalist asked a group of policemen standing by for help but they refused to act. According to the journalist's testimony, one of the policemen said to him "You broadcast lies, so organise your own private security." It is well known that Czech police tends to side with extreme right wing demonstrators. Czech Radio will lodge a complaint to the President of the Czech Police. It emphatically protests against all attempts to limit freedom of speech and to infringe democratic principles which it defends as a public service broadcaster. Source in Czech HERE 0 Victorias anti-corruption watchdog has served dramatic evidence that a group of bidders conducted secret correspondence with the state Department of Education executive in charge of the failed Ultranet rollout, in breach of strict probity rules. IBAC is investigating a cohort of former employees of the Glen Waverley Secondary College and their associates, who went on to maintain close relations on both the government and supplier sides of the doomed Ultranet project. In day two of public hearings into the saga, IBAC zeroed in on the aborted first tender to find a systems integrator to roll out the state-wide intranet platform. Investigators uncovered a 2008 email addressed to the daughter of the Education deputy secretary in charge of the Ultranet rollout, Darrell Fraser, asking whether she can pass documents on to her father. The email, IBAC claims, was sent from an account specifically set up to ferry messages between members of a company called Cinglevue - allegedly set up to help WA systems integrator ASG and Oracle bid for the deal - and Department of Education officials. The author of the message - purportedly from growlerbarman - is suspected to be then-Oracle employee and CingleVue director Greg Martin. It was forwarded between fellow CingleVue directors Greg Tolefe and Frank Aloisio. Aloisio had formerly worked as a teacher under Fraser when the latter was principal at GWSC. Attached to the message was a file called Darrell.doc which outlined a strategy for moving forward with the tender. It was sent during a strict non-communication period where departmental officials tied to the tender were prohibited from corresponding with bidders to protect the integrity of the evaluation process. Quizzed about the email in Melbourne yesterday afternoon, Aloisio conceded it was not good form. Counsel assisting IBAC, Ian Hill, put it to Alosio that what has clearly been done is that documents that clearly shouldnt have been seen by anyone had been forwarded in a way that keeps the forwarding of the documents secret. Clearly the tender process was not being obeyed by no less than a deputy secretary who was on the Ultranet board, he said. Best restaurant in town IBAC also produced evidence that Fraser and Aloisio crossed paths during a lavish 2006 trip to New York City funded by Ultranet software provider Oracle, where Fraser and a trio of Harvard academics were to show off the Australian-developed platform to the rest of the global company. Darrell allegedly told Aloisio and Martin (who both then worked for Oracle) that he had promised the professors we will be staying at a 5 star hotel, limo transfers, and that they can expect to have the time of their lives in New York - a Broadway show and a private showing at the Met prior to a dinner at the best restaurant in town. Aloisio admitted he did recall seeing Jersey Boys the musical as part of the trip, and accepted he had probably paid for Fraser and his colleagues' accommodation after IBAC produced an invoice to Oracle for $4593 in hotel fees for the officials. The hearings continue. Award-winning reseller LeetGeek has rebranded as Blackbird, saying the new name better represents the work the company does in the enterprise sector. Ben Corbett, a director at the Adelaide-based reseller, said: We felt like [the former name] didnt reflect the sophisticated nature of the work were doing. Ninety-nine percent of our work is referral-based and we were often being miscategorised in terms of our capabilities. What were passionate about isnt necessarily technology or specific solutions. What we love is outcomes. Its seeing improvements in efficiency, seeing kids engaged in schools or staff that are able to be passionate about education," said Corbett. The name Blackbird symbolises soaring high, reflecting the idea of realising the companys potential. Corbett hopes the name change will also change the perception that prospective customers have about the company. This whole change has been coming for a while and its been a hell of a ride, but its worth it, said Corbett. LeetGeek was founded in 2007 originally as a clothing side project while founder Richard Stafford worked as an IT manager. When Stafford branched out as a sole trader in IT, he repurposed the LeetGeek brand for the new company. The company now has 25 staff in its Adelaide office and caters for corporate, education and government clients. LeetGeek won the CRN Fast50 in 2012, growing 299.33 percent with revenues of $3.4 million. The company also appeared in the CRN Fast50 in 2013 and 2014. IBM's push to infuse intelligence into its products through cognitive platforms will be reflected in a major revamp of its channel program. The reworking of the technology giant's PartnerWorld channel program shifts the focus from products to solutions while simplifying the overall structure, Marc Dupaquier, general manager of IBM Global Business Partners, told attendees of its PartnerWorld Leadership Conference in Orlando, USA on Tuesday morning US time. The changes were spurred by IBM's transformation to cognitive computing and cloud, technologies that require partners to build on top of the IBM platform by integrating deep industry expertise and adding value to the solutions they deliver customers. For two years, IBM has been talking about its transformation, the market shift, and the need for its partners to "change a lot of things - basically everything", Dupaquier told partners gathered from 82 countries. The focus on cloud and cognitive computing "forced us to completely rethink how we are helping partners", Dupaquier said. Partners were following a certification path aligned to products, and that had to change. The value partners add doesn't come from product mastery. "We realised while the product knowledge was absolutely necessary," Dupaquier said, "the essential thing was everything you build on top" Dupaquier said that while some partners in attendance haven't seen business growth while they worked to transform their businesses in line with IBM's larger vision, "they're still here, so they believe in IBM". Now is the time for them to reap the rewards of all the work they've done, he added. "We have transformed. We made being a business partner simpler," Dupaquier said. "I believe the market is coming our way." The new IBM PartnerWorld program will go into effect in January 2017, introducing all new tiers, as well as skills, competencies, benefits and digital assets. While partners have 11 months to gain new competencies, many of the credits they've already earned will apply to the new structure. Dupaquier shared with CRN USA the details of the channel restructuring, which converts IBM's current three-tiered system Member, Advanced and Premier to one with four tiers to add granularity. The new structure will have an entry-level tier called Registered. It's for partners with no real skills or engagements, and once they earn US$25,000 in revenue and gain a competency, they advance to Silver. Partners in the Member tier will automatically transition to Registered. Those in Advanced will go to Silver, and Premier will shift to Gold. All partners will have to earn new certifications to make it all the way up the ladder to Platinum, including a certification in client satisfaction. After six months, until June 2017, they'll be evaluated to see if they have done enough to remain in the tiers in which they first landed, he said. Beyond the new tier structure, IBM will introduce 44 different competencies. That's not a magic number, Dupaquier said, and it eventually could change. Any competency that doesn't have many partners certified after a year will likely be removed, while new ones might be added. Competencies, as opposed to products, are solution-based, he told CRN USA. In the past, "you could be best in one product", Dupaquier told CRN USA, but the solution is broader than any one product. IBM is still developing a system of benefits to reward partners as they advance up the tiers. Those will vary by country, and they will not be linked to earnings. The benefits will help partners further differentiate themselves and continue to advance through the tiers. They'll include vouchers for additional classes and competencies, helping solution providers see more staff members earn certifications. For a Silver partner, benefits will include a digital marketing assessment; at Gold, it will be assistance implementing the digital experience. And Platinum partners will have access to a "lab advocate" essentially a direct connection to senior IBM engineers. IBM has also "completely, completely redefined our curriculum" for PartnerWorld University, an online portal in which partners can develop sales and technical skills, Dupaquier said. This article originally appeared at crn.com A court order demanding that Apple help the US government unlock the encrypted iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters opens a new chapter in the legal, political and technological fight pitting law enforcement against civil liberties advocates and major tech companies. The government argues that the phone is a crucial piece of evidence in investigating one of the worst attacks in the United States by people who sympathised with Islamist militants. But privacy groups warn that forcing companies to crack their own encryption endangers the technical integrity of the Internet and threatens not just the privacy of customers but potentially citizens of any country. A federal judge in Los Angeles on Tuesday US time ordered Apple to provide "reasonable technical assistance" to investigators seeking to read the data on an iPhone 5C that had been used by Rizwan Farook, who along with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people and wounded 22 others on 2 December in San Bernardino, California. Both were killed in a shootout with police. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been investigating the couple's potential communications with Islamic State and other militant groups, and argued that it needs access to the iPhone to find out more. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the Department of Justice was asking Apple for access to just one device, a central part of the government's argument, which Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook has said was "simply not true". Representatives of several other tech companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the ruling. "They are not asking Apple to redesign its product or to create a new backdoor to one of their products," Earnest told reporters at the daily briefing. In a letter to customers, Cook wrote: "The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor. And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control." Most technology security experts, including many who have served in government, say technical efforts to provide government access to encrypted devices inevitably brings in law enforcement. The argument has been made on-and-off since the 1990s, when the government tried and failed to force tech companies to incorporate a special chip into their products for surveillance purposes. The government suggests this tool could only be used once, on one phone," Cook said in a statement on Tuesday. "But thats simply not true. Once created, the technique could be used over and over again, on any number of devices." If the federal judge, Magistrate Sheri Pym, rejects Apple's arguments, the vendor can appeal her order to the district court, and then up the chain to the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco and ultimately the US Supreme Court. The 9th Circuit is known to be pro-privacy. "The government ultimately will have an uphill fight, said Robert Cattanach, a former Justice Department lawyer who advises companies on cyber security issues. Farook was assigned the phone by the county health department he worked for, prosecutors said in a court filing on Tuesday US time. The health department had "given its consent" to authorities to search the device and to Apple to assist investigators in that search, the document said. Next: Apple's 'master key' Australian cloud distributor Rhipe has posted its highest ever half-year revenue, raking in $69.5 million. Revenue was up by 44 percent for the half-year ending 31 December or $21 million from the same period last year. Underlying EBITDA excluding growth was up by 17 percent to $3.2 million. Gross margins were also up by 65 percent from last year to $12.9 million. Rhipe put the strong results down to a handful of new products around Microsoft, as well as investments in south-east Asian markets. The Microsoft distributor launched its Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) Program in June, joining the likes of Westcon, Ingram Micro and Distribution Central with its own marketplace. Since launching Microsoft CSP, Rhipe has added 482 customers to the program, 163 of which were completely new Rhipe customers. Rhipe recently added public cloud services from Azure to its product lineup, which includes to Office 365, Windows InTune and Enterprise Mobility Suite. OHanlon said that Rhipe has been selected as one of two Microsoft partners to implement a new Azure incentive program, but declined to mention specifics. Overall, Rhipe operated at a net loss of $772,000 for the half-year. Chief executive Dominic OHanlon explained that investments throughout the year were funded through the companys profit, and the distributor has no external debt facilities. Channel programs News Distribution Blockbuster: Chinese Logistics Giant To Buy Ingram Micro for $6B, Partners Say 'Stay The Course' Michael Novinson Share this Chinese logistics firm Tianjin Tianhai in one fell swoop has reshaped the technology landscape with plans to acquire Ingram Micro, the No. 1 technology distributor, for $6 billion. The $46 billion distribution powerhouse will be folded into $29 billion HNA Group, creating a global conglomerate with more capital to fuel both organic growth as well as mergers and acquisitions. Ingram Micro said the deal will expand its geographic reach and add more capabilities around high-value IT solutions, mobility lifecycle services, cloud, and commerce and fulfillment solutions. . As a part of HNA Group, we will have the ability to accelerate strategic investment, as we continue to capitalize on the constant evolution of technology and emerging trends by adding expertise, capabilities and geographic reach, Alain Monie, CEO of the Irvine, Calif.-based distributor, said in a statement Wednesday. /**/ /**/ /**/ brightcove.createExperiences(); /**/ [How Fast-Growth Technologies Have Changed Supply Chains, Distribution] Solution providers who work with Ingram Micro urged the company to stay focused on its commitment to delivering top-level services to the channel. Sam Haffar, CEO of Houston-based Computex Technology Solutions, No. 130 on the CRN 2015 Solution Provider 500, said the distribution behemoth needs to "stay the course," maintaining the same high level of services for partners. "Ingram has been a great partner for Computex for 28 years," said Haffar. "They need to stay the course. They have to make sure they keep the same level of service and consistency that has made them a leader. They need to stay focused on being the best. If the people running the ship continue to run the ship the same way everything will be okay." [RELATED: Ingram Micro Boosts European Presence With Latest Acquisition] The new Chinese conglomerate may even bring new benefits to partners, said Haffar. "There could be significant advantages," he said. "That remains to be seen. We'll continually assess what this means and what this new relationship will bring to us." Haffar's advice to Ingram executives: "Keep doing what has made you great. If things start slipping the competition will come knocking. It's that simple." The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2016 and will provide Ingram Micro shareholders with a 39 percent premium over the average closing share price in the month prior to the acquisition. Ingram Micros stock soared by 23.6 percent in after-hours trading Wednesday to $36.65 per share, approaching the $38.90 per share offered by HNA Group. Both Ingram Micro and its U.S. partners have been pushing hard in recent years to expand their ability to sell outside of North America, said Dave DeCamillis, vice president of sales and marketing for Denver-based Platte River Networks, pointing to Ingram's move to expand its Trust X Alliance elite partner program to the United Kingdom and South America in recent months. This could possibly pave the way for Asia, which would be pretty cool, DeCamillis said. Martin Wolf, president of martinwolf M&A Advisors of Walnut Creek, Calif., one of the top channel investment advisory deal makers, said the blockbuster deal has major implications for the global technology business. "This is a big deal," said Wolf. "Ingram is a great American company. What is interesting is it is being valued by this Chinese company as something much different than a distributor. They are getting money out of China by buying a diversified company that trades essentially with the U.S. economy. Ingram shares have traded in a narrow range. What the Chinese get is essentially a beachhead into the U.S. Ingram is a global company in one of the most important markets: technology." Historically Ingram shares have traded at just 10 percent of sales, said Wolf. "This is a company that has traded in a narrow price range forever," he said. "It has been a low value company based on how the market sizes its revenue." Wolf said he expects the U.S. government to approve the deal, but noted that it will be "interesting in this politically charged environment to see if the government raises questions. Ingram is a great company that blocks and tackles really well in an important segment." Wolf also cautioned that if Ingram makes significant changes competitors will pounce to grab solution providers away from the distribution giant. "To the extent they make changes even incrementally, their competitors will prosper." Ingram Micro will retain its name, brand, headquarters and management team following the merger, according to the company. HNA Group does not plan to close any Ingram Micro offices, facilities or warehouses, and very few, if any, layoffs are expected as part of the transaction. HNA Group is a Haikou, China-based company with 180,000 employees, focused on transportation, tourism, logistics and financial services. Everybody is becoming more of a global company, said Guy Baroan, president of Elmwood Park, N.J.-based Baroan Technologies. Maybe this will open the door for Ingram to be even bigger in China. Paul Read, Ingram Micros president and COO, told investors in July that demand for U.S. vendors in China was very slow and muted, with the distributor struggling to rapidly grow its foothold in the country. Were really working that business model to try and change the mix and change the offering there, Read said at the time. Ingram Micro has moved aggressively to expand its market share abroad, acquiring six South American or European companies or business lines since the start of 2015. Similarly, HNA Group has made three acquisitions worth a combined $10.9 billion since July. Steven Burke contributed to this story Channel programs News Capgemini Buys 70-Person, Cutting-Edge Design Consultancy Michael Novinson Share this Capgemini has purchased a 70-person design consultancy with experience in boosting the digital brand of corporate giants like The Coca-Cola Company, Marriott and Citi. Paris-based Capgemini said its acquisition of New York-based Fahrenheit 212 will pave the way for offering enhanced business transformation and digital customer experience solutions. We didnt know what we wanted exactly until we saw Fahrenheit, and then we knew, Dee Burger, CEO of Capgemini Consulting North America, told CRN. We saw Fahrenheit as among the best in innovation, and this will fundamentally advance what our clients are doing in terms of change. [RELATED: Capgemini, Accenture Buy Salesforce Partners] Fahrenheit 212 said the deal will enable the company to marry its creative impulse with an entirely new set of capabilities around robust software development, supply chain expertise, unique access to emerging technology and data analytics. The ability to shape the future is only half the question, Todd Rovak, Fahrenheit 212s managing partner and CEO, told CRN. Being able to deliver the future in also vital. Burger expects Fahrenheit 212 will help Capgemini shift from traditional linear consulting to an approach focused on continuously fusing innovation into all business processes. We, in some ways, created the innovation consulting category, Rovak said. It wasnt a thing 10 years ago. Traditional management consulting is analytical and deductive, Rovak said, and typically uses data to advise companies on new markets or fields to play in. If youre waiting for the data to validate your decision in this market, youre waiting too long, Rovak said. Fahrenheit 212 fused design and development skills with a traditional management consultancy so they could assist clients well beyond identifying strong markets. By bringing creative and analytical capabilities together, Rovak said Fahrenheit can help clients unlock new spaces by identifying what existing assets to leverage and helping them design a brand strategy for the new market. The deal will additionally allow Fahrenheit to plug into Capgeminis Applied Innovation Exchanges, 30 workspaces around the world where companies can immerse themselves in emerging technologies in areas like retail innovation, the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality and artificial intelligence. The Exchanges are also intended to help firms address the business disruptions confronting their industries. Terms of the deal, which closed a couple of days ago, were not disclosed. Fahrenheit 212 will for now continue to operate as a freestanding brand and group within Capgeminis North American consulting operation. The Fahrenheit 212 deal comes less than a year after 180,000-person Capgemini dramatically bolstered its North American presence by purchasing 31,000-employee iGate for $4 billion. Since then, Capgemini has shifted its focus from large geographic acquisitions to smaller, tuck-in deals intended to boost skills in particular areas, according to a video statement from chairman and CEO Paul Hermelin. That process began last month, when Capgemini bought 100-person Oinio, a leading European Salesforce partner with a presence in both Germany and China. Data center News Dell Official Reaffirms Progress On Deal To Buy EMC Matt Brown Share this The Dell executive in charge of the integrating the company with EMC Corp. is firing back at reports that claim financing for the blockbuster deal is uncertain. In a letter to employees, Rory Read, Dell's COO and chief integration officer, counters arguments made recently that Dell was having difficulties putting together the financing it needs to close the acquisition of data storage giant EMC. Paul Neyman, president of Houston-based Dell partner Waypoint Solutions, said he keeps an eye on all the will-it-or-won't-it news concerning the Dell-EMC merger, but stressed that he must plan for either outcome. [Related: Report: Dell Hits Financing Hiccup In Blockbuster $67B EMC Acquisition] "We look for signs as to what impact the merger activities have on Dell's market and sales strategies while we're waiting," Neyman said. He added that Waypoint has also begun to train its sales and engineering teams on EMC products. "We've reached out to the EMC folks to begin conversations on how we work together," Neyman said. "Our intent is to be prepared either way, and hopefully at the end of the day we see new upside." Read's letter was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Tuesday. In it, he makes the same argument Dell CEO Michael Dell and EMC CEO Joe Tucci have made recently, namely that the merger, the largest in technology industry history, is on track and set to close on its original timetable, between May and October. "I want to address some of the chatter over the past few weeks about possible financing headwinds with the transaction," he wrote. "I can assure you any suggestions our debt financing is in jeopardy are off target and do not reflect our financing terms and the progress of our financing to date. The debt financing is fully committed and is being underwritten by many of the leading global banks. The process of syndicating and placing the debt for a transaction of this nature frequently encompasses a time period of several months from start to finish. That process currently is underway and remains on track, as planned." It was reported last week that sagging credit markets had prompted the coterie of banks financing up to $49.5 billion of the merger to ask for more time to put a financing package together. That group of banks includes Credit Suisse, JP Morgan, Barclays, Bank of America, Citi, Goldman Sachs, RBC Capital and Deutsche Bank. Dell intends to offset some of that debt by offloading business units, and sources told CRN Tuesday that Dell is in an exclusive, 30-day negotiation period with Tokyo-based NTT for the sale of Perot Systems, an IT consulting business Dell acquired in 2009. On Monday, Dell acknowledged that steep declines in the stock price of VMware which is 80 percent owned by EMC would drive down the cost of the acquisition. When it was originally announced, the deal came to about $67 billion. If it closed today, it would be valued at around $59.5 billion, according to Dell. Read highlighted recent financial results from EMC and VMware, and asked employees to continue focusing on customers and "business at hand." He said employees would receive surveys asking for their opinions on the merger and how well executives at both companies are handling it. "People always ask me what they can do to help with the integration," Read said. "The number one thing each of us can do is to focus on our customers and current business at hand. We must deliver on our current business commitments and continue helping our customers solve their problems and win. This is something you can directly control and it is the most important thing we all can all do." Data center News Report: Dell-EMC Merger Poised To Win EU Antitrust Approval Matt Brown Share this Dell's proposed acquisition of EMC appears ready to win antitrust from the European Union. The European Commission, the executive body of the EU, is expected to give its unconditional approval of the deal by Feb. 29, according to a Reuters report. In an emailed statement to CRN, a Dell spokesman would not comment specifically on the report, but said, "The EMC transaction is on schedule under the original timetable and the original terms."[ [Related: Dell Official Reaffirms Progress On Deal To Buy EMC] "It is certainly fun and interesting to watch the drama play out on a daily basis," said Scott Winslow, president of Waltham, Mass-based Dell partner Winslow Technology Group. "We have great interest in seeing how it plays out, yet at the same time we have goals to hit for the quarter and for the year, a pipeline to close, and customer problems to solve, so we pretty much have to keep our heads down and focus on the task at hand." "At the end of the day, we think the deal is going to happen because it seems that both parties want it to happen," Winslow said. "We are betting on a successful outcome to the acquisition and organizing our efforts around that outcome." The acquisition, originally pegged at $67 billion when it was announced in October, would be the largest in the history of the tech industry, and it's expected to close between May and October. The deal's value has been driven down by VMware's declining share price, which has dropped by more than 40 percent in the last four months. EMC owns 80 percent of VMWare. Dell recently pushed back against reports that claimed the deal had hit a snag with the group of banks arranging financing for the acquisition. Dell expects to take on as much as $49.5 billion in debt to make the deal happen, and has plans to begin paying down that debt aggressively in the first 18 to 24 months after the transaction closes. Part of that debt pay-down includes selling off business units, and Dell is close to unloading its Perot Systems unit. Dell is in an exclusive, 30-day negotiating period with Tokyo-based NTT for the Perot unit, which Dell bought in 2009. A look at wartime Britain, usually with a London slant. Mostly the Second World War but sometimes we look at other conflicts - notably the First World War and sometimes the Cold War too. Zeppelins, The Blitz, Battle of Britain, V Weapons. Local heroes and villains, the equipment, the offbeat. Book reviews and sometimes films as well. You name it, we've covered it - come and join the party! Networking News Verizon, Viptela Join Forces For Channel-Friendly SD-WAN Service Gina Narcisi Share this Telecom giant Verizon is bolstering its hybrid networking capabilities. The carrier has partnered with software-defined-WAN startup Viptela and the two have developed a new SD-WAN platform and managed service for Verizon partners and enterprise customers. The new SD-WAN Verizon service, powered by Viptela and announced Thursday, will allow enterprise customers and channel partners to use both private and public connections, such as MPLS, wireless LTE, and broadband for their applications. SD-WAN is becoming more interesting to businesses because it allows different connections to be used based on the bandwidth requirements, geographic location, or even performance and reliability expectations of a latency-sensitive application. SD-WAN can save a business money if an application can be dynamically rerouted to a cheaper connection. [Related: Here's Who Made Gartner's 2016 Global Network Services Magic Quadrant ] Kingcom, a Portland, Ore.-based national Verizon platinum partner who exclusively sells Verizon products and services, just began selling SD-WAN solutions a few months ago. The provider is already seeing high interest from its own partners in selling these solutions, said Michael Wolfington, vice president of West partner sales for Kingcom. "SD-WAN is a key strategic focus for us in 2016 and beyond. It's the next evolution of MPLS," Wolfington said. Kingcom is in the process of training its own channel partners to build awareness around these offerings. According to Wolfington, the partnership between Verizon and Viptela shows that Verizon is focusing on heavily building out its hybrid WAN portfolio. "Verizon is betting on [SD-WAN] and believes it will really be a game-changer for the next year," he said. The SD-WAN service will give partners a centralized platform they can use to provision and customize specific services for their end customers. Partners can also choose to let Verizon manage these customers on the same platform, said Viraj Parekh, managing director of product innovation and managed services for Verizon. "In addition to cost, what SD-WAN really offers is agility over the traditional networking model with very fixed assets where you have to plan for changes or new applications for months, which becomes [time-consuming] and expensive," Parekh said. Verizon is already seeing a great deal of interest from its channel partners for SD-WAN capabilities. The partnership will also give Viptela access to Verizon's large channel of partners, he said. Via the terms of the agreement, Viptela also entered into an exclusive managed services arrangement with Verizon in the U.S. Through this agreement, both Verizon and Viptela will continually work on joint-development activities related to the SD-WAN platform, Parekh said. Viptela, a San Jose, Calif.-based company that emerged from stealth mode in 2014, is arguably one of the most well-known SD-WAN players on the market today, according to industry analysts. Prior to the partnership, Verizon had the opportunity to work with Viptela on a few customer use cases and was impressed with the maturity of its SD-WAN capabilities, Parekh said. One use case involved a large healthcare customer going through a divestiture. The company needed to separate a piece of its network and associated applications. "Typically, this would have involved many months of planning and then building a whole separate network out. But with Viptela, without planning anything out, we were able to deliver this segmentation in isolation for the customer within a matter of weekends," he said. For carriers like Verizon, hybrid WAN capabilities should be table stakes at this point, but Verizon is ahead of the pack, Kingcom's Wolfington said. "Verizon feels like they have at least a year before the competition catches up to the products and services that [Verizon] has implemented," he said. Princess Cruises announced today the launch of Cook My Catch, a "new culinary experience offering guests the ability to enjoy their very own catch. of the day." It is is available on Princess port calls in Juneau and Ketchikan, as well as Princess Land & Sea Vacations featuring stays at Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge and Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge. The new offering is available on select shore excursions including Salmon Sport Fishing Adventure in Juneau; Salmon Sport Fishing Expedition, Hunting for Halibut and the Discovery Exclusive Alaska Fishing & Wilderness Dining excursion in Ketchikan. As guests return from their excursion, they select their preparation and accompaniments to be prepared by the culinary team. The newest North to Alaska offerings, including Cook My Catch, truly demonstrates our commitment to provide our guests authentic local experiences in the destinations we visit, said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. Alaska offers so many opportunities to create lifetime memories ultimately ensuring our guests come back new. Carnival Australia has welcomed the QLD Governments decision to allow further investigation of a new dedicated cruise terminal for Brisbane, according to a press statement. The Government has granted an exclusive mandate to Port of Brisbane to investigate the development of a new terminal at Luggage Point. Carnival Australia Executive Chairman Ann Sherry said Brisbane was one of Australias main cruise hubs and the Governments decision meant the proposal could now move to the next phase of development. "The announcement means we are moving one step closer to a solution that meets the long-term needs of the industry for a modern terminal that can accommodate large ships in Brisbane," Sherry said. "Some of the worlds most prestigious ships - such as Cunards Queen Elizabeth which visits Brisbane later this month - currently have to berth at a grain terminal. Brisbane is a wonderful city that deserves a cruise facility that can cater for the growing number of larger vessels in the region." Subject to the required environmental and technical investigations, Sherry said Luggage Point was a suitable location for a facility. "Luggage Point is close to the mouth of the Brisbane River and its location means it can accommodate larger cruise ships, which currently cant get down the river. It is also a gateway for South East Queensland and regional Queensland," she said. Fashion designers will join Cunards Queen Mary 2 seven-night Transatlantic crossing in September to New York for the inaugural Transatlantic Fashion Week voyage, which will arrive the same day New York Fashion Week 2016 begins. Award winning British fashion designer Dame Zandra Rhodes will be the featured guest aboard, according to a news release. Guests are going to be able to look forward to a fantastic fashion experience, said Rhodes. Im going to be doing a dress show, as well as doing a talk with the fabulous Colin McDowell. Guests will have the chance to dine with all these specialists in the industry, ask questions from us all. Im there to enhance everyones experience. Joining the line-up of fashion royalty is the highly respected fashion historian and commentator Colin McDowell and Fern Mallis. As Dame Zandra Rhodes reveals designs from her collections, emerging faces from Storm modelling agency will take to the catwalk during the voyage. Alongside these great fashion authorities, guests will also have the opportunity to meet the designers of the future, as students from the worlds number one postgraduate fashion programme, based in the worlds number one university of art and design, The Royal College of Art, showcase their latest collections on board. Cunard has long been associated with style, a sense of occasion and the enriching experiences we deliver to our guests, said Richard Meadows, president, Cunard North America. We are pleased to welcome on board such venerable fashion industry experts, so that our guests have the opportunity to gain insight into the glamourous world of fashion whilst immersing themselves in stylish designs and world-renowned White Star Service of the newly remastered Queen Mary 2. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Richard Blumenthal on Wednesday joined progressive activists in calling for Republican senators to stop blocking consideration of a replacement for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. In a conference call organized by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, the two Democratic senators said they see cracks in Republican opposition to nominating or confirming a new Supreme Court justice while President Barack Obama remains in office. Weve seen this movie before, said Schumer, of New York, noting that Republicans backed off their budgetary demands in 2013 after public opinion blamed them for closing the government. Its going to be deja vu all over again for our friends on other side of the aisle. Shortly after the sudden death of Scalia on Saturday at a West Texas resort, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the GOP-controlled Senate should not consider a replacement in an election year. The unstated subtext was that a third Supreme Court pick by Obama could tilt the court in a clearly liberal direction for the first time since the 1960s. Republicans initially lined up behind McConnell, even those facing formidable re-election races in battleground states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. But the wall appeared to spring leaks Tuesday, when Senate Judiciary Chairman Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said he would consider holding confirmation hearings and a vote on any nominee the White House puts forward. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., locked in a tight race with former Sen. Russ Feingold, a Democrat, said he, too, would not close the door on confirmation. Our Republicans colleagues are reflecting and reconsidering, and must relent as the outcry and outrage of public opinion surges, said Blumenthal, D-Conn. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nevada, on Wednesday also broke ranks, saying Obama should go ahead and nominate someone who could win bipartisan support. In a statement, Heller said the president should use this opportunity to put the will of the people ahead of advancing a liberal agenda on the nations highest court. Schumer and Blumenthal are both members of the Judiciary Committee, which would hold confirmation hearings for any judicial nominee. But as part of the Democratic minority, they are powerless to schedule hearings and have little more than a bully pulpit from which to shame the Republican majority. Spokespeople for PCCC and other progressive groups like MoveOn.org Civic Action, said they started a petition drive calling on Senate Republicans to drop their opposition and let the nomination process go forward. Activists so far have gathered 500,000 signatures, they said. Local grassroots pressure will be key to winning this fight, said Adam Green, co-founder of PCCC, which also goes by the name Bold Progressives and says it represents the Elizabeth Warren wing of the Democratic Party. The groups Kentucky activists plan to deliver the petition on Friday to McConnells office. Schumer and Blumenthal joined in the call for grassroots pressure on Republicans. In his travels this week throughout New York, Schumer said he was amazed at how upset people are, not just political people but average folks saying whats going on here? Blumenthal said in Connecticut, I find outrage against shutting down the Supreme Court is motivated by the same feelings about shutting down the government (in 2013). The Republican stance epitomizes what people regard as the worst characteristic of Washington today, which is partisan paralysis and gridlock, Blumenthal said. In a Republican-controlled Senate, confirmation hearings could be held and the majority could derail any prospective nominee simply by voting no. But both senators said that, come what may, the process should be allowed to unfold in accordance with the Constitutions mandate that the Senate give its advice and consent to nominations. This year, thanks to the grassroots voices of millions of Americans, I believe Republicans will have to back off once again, Schumer said. We are not saying the presidents nominee should be rubber stamped, said Blumenthal. The nominee should be given exacting, demanding scrutiny. There should be a full hearing and there should be a vote. The Constitution doesnt say the president serves for four years but only has power for three, Schumer said. dan@hearstdc.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WESTPORT More Connecticut doctors, therapists and psychologists are turning to the practice of mindfulness to help treat depression, anxiety, chronic pain and even addiction. The practice which cultivates an awareness of the present moment and an acceptance of the feelings and emotions that come with it has reached the mainstream and is being adopted by new fields. Veterans groups are using mindfulness and yoga as a healing tool. Dr. Paul Epstein, a naturopathic physician in Westport who uses mindfulness as one of the many tools in his practice, said if people come to mindfulness for a quick fix, they are missing the point. "Don't do this meditation to get rid of your migraine headaches," Epstein said he told the group at the first day of the workshop. "Do this meditation because this will help you relate to the migraines in a different way. Not to get rid of them, but to create a space that's more loving and compassionate." Teachers in some Connecticut elementary schools have incorporated it into their classrooms to help students focus. And universities are offering mindfulness training to help students deal with stress. Today, about 600 studies on mindfulness are published annually, according to Dr. Judson Brewer, the director of research at the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts. The Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards millions of dollars in grants for mindfulness research. The Centers total budget has more than doubled, to $124 million, since 1999. In September, the NIH directed $4.7 million for studies at Brown and Harvard universities and UMass to gauge whether mindfulness interventions improve medical regimen adherence, including regimens for weight loss. Physicians at Yale University are studying the use of mindfulness meditation in chronic widespread pain and fibromyalgia in adolescents. Researchers analyzing findings of past studies have found small but consistent positive effects from mindfulness, which has its roots in Buddhist philosophy. Two recent meta-analysesone published in 2013 by researchers in Israel, and one published in 2014 by Johns Hopkins University researchersfound benefits in pain management, anxiety and depression. Connecticut has seen the emergence of new mindfulness centers and meditation groups. A group called New Haven Insight offers regular meditation meetings in New Haven and Hamden, and a new mindfulness center, Copper Beech Institute, opened in West Hartford in 2014. In response to its growing popularity, the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) and Central Connecticut State University hosted a Mindfulness Conference in December, bringing together more than 165 educators, psychologists, doctors and therapists. The Science Scientific, peer reviewed studies on mindfulness and its health effects started getting published in the early 1980s. The continued practice of mindfulness meditation actually changes the parts of the brain that deal with attention, body awareness and emotional responses, according to a meta-analysis published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science in 2011. For example, people practicing mindfulness have more activity in an area of the brain associated with positive emotions. It was also found that those using mindfulness training had a greater rate of reducing smoking, and kept those gains for longer than those in the traditional program. Now, Yale's Student Wellness department is subsidizing the cost of Brewers mobile application Craving to Quit for all students looking to quit smoking, as the university transitions to a tobacco free campus. Mindfulness can be practiced during everyday scenariossuch as when the Craving to Quit application asks users to mindfully smoke, accompanied by an audio recording guiding the process. "Feel the texture, the weight of the cigarette," a female voice says on the recording. "Look closely at the paper, the colors. Smell the cigarette. What does it smell like?" The Paradox While the science suggests mindfulness can help with a variety of health issues, proponents say the goal is not to simply meditate away problems. "What we learn in mindfulness is this paradoxical wisdom," said Brandon Nappi, the executive director of Copper Beech. "We are much more able to manage our pain when we let go of this agenda of needing to manage this pain." Compassion is key to Berzins' therapy group at Connecticut Valley Hospital, a state hospital for people with mental illness. Berzins leads a meditation in which clients focus on a situation that caused them distress, then pay close attention to their physical sensations, as well as their breathing. Berzins then asks them to put their hands over their heart and repeat phrases of self-compassion, such as "May I be kind to myself." "It's sort of instinctive that people want to push bad feelings away," Berzins said. "Mindfulness and self compassion are sort of the exact opposite. All feelings are welcome, even the ones that really hurt." "Pain is inevitable in life," Berzins said. "But suffering is pain plus resistance to it." C-HIT Writer Lisa Chedekel contributed to this report. This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (www.c-hit.org). This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Stamford town clerk wont say if shes considering run for mayor STAMFORD Mayor David Martin will undergo surgery on his 63rd birthday Tuesday to remove early stage skin cancer from the left side of his face. My prognosis is excellent, Martin said Thursday in a press conference where he stressed the value of prevention and early detection of cancer. This is in no way going to affect how I view my life or the work I do as mayor. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. While melanoma is not the most common form of skin cancer, it is the most deadly if its not found in its earliest stages. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts 76,000 new melanoma cases will be diagnosed in the United States this year, said Dr. Henry Yoon, medical advisor for the City of Stamford. More Information Melanoma facts More than 1 million people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year. This year, about 76,000 will be diagnosed with melanoma, the most lethal type of skin cancer unless caught early. Connecticut's rate of new melanoma diagnosis was 31 percent higher than the national average from 2001 to 2005. An estimated 1,060 state residents were diagnosed with melanoma in 2008. About 110 people in Connecticut die of melanoma every year. Skin cancer prevention People 40 and up or at high risk for skin cancer should get a complete skin exam at least once a year. In addition, examine your own skin using the A-B-C-D-E guide: A is for asymmetrical shape. Look for moles with irregular shapes, such as two very different-looking halves. B is for irregular border. Look for moles with irregular, notched or scalloped borders - the characteristics of melanomas. C is for changes in color. Look for growths that have many colors or an uneven distribution of color. D is for diameter. Look for growths that are larger than about 1/4 inch (about 6 millimeters). E is for evolving. Look for changes over time, such as a mole that grows in size or that changes color or shape. Moles may also evolve to develop new signs and symptoms, such as new itchiness or bleeding. See More Collapse The rates are increasing Yoon said. Fortunately, most of these cases will be treated successfully. However, there is a small percentage of cases that are going to end up in an untimely and unnecessary death. When detected early and treated properly, cancers like his have just a 5 percent chance of recurrence in 10 years, Martin said doctors told him. Martin said he has whats called a melanoma in situ, which means it has not spread beyond the surface of the skin. Martin learned of his diagnosis in early January after visiting a dermatologist on New Years Eve. What had happened was this spot over here, which looks like an age spot, had grown darker and a little bit irregular, Martin said, while touching his left cheek near his eye. I went to my dermatologist and I said, Take a look at this. He will have surgery to remove the cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and return home the same day. John Mallozzi, head of the Democratic City Committee, said he doesnt expect the cancer diagnosis to affect Martins leadership as mayor or his chances for re-election in 2017. Knowing David, the way he is, its not going to stop him, Mallozzi said. Hes really dedicated to what he does. While Martin has not announced his political plans, Mallozzi said he expects the mayor to stand for office again. Eva Maldonado, head of the Republican Town Committee, did not return a phone call. Like many in his generation, Martin spent his early days in the sun without shielding his skin from its rays. When I was younger, more younger than I want to admit, I was a lifeguard, and yes, I got a lot of exposure to the sun and rarely used sunscreen, he said. Taking sun seriously Elizabeth Manfredo of Stamford Hospitals Bennett Cancer Center said that everyday exposure from driving or even taking a walk outside can be dangerous if you dont protect your skin. When we talk about sun safety, we think about going to the beach and sitting out in the sun, but sun safety really needs to be taken seriously all the time, Manfredo said. Like the mayor, Mandredo had a superficial melanoma she blamed on youthful sun exposure. All the things we did as kids, we cant take back, but we can prevent anything from happening now by going to the dermatologist all the time, really getting anything checked out and really covering up when were exposed to the sun, she said. John Watkins from American Cancer Society also put in a word urging everyone to avoid tanning beds, which he called a huge cause of skin cancer, and praised Connecticut lawmakers for banning the practice for minors. Martin said he hopes his experience will be a warning to fellow citizens. If four or five other people in this city see something and get to their dermatologist, I dont want to say its worth it, but thats a good thing, he said. The Alabama Association of Realtors, in conjunction with the Alabama Center for Real Estate and the University of South Alabama's Center for Real Estate & Economic Development, will host the Alabama Commercial Real Estate Strategies Seminar Feb. 23 in Montgomery. For more information on the CRE Strategies Seminar, click here. A ULI presentation on Feb. 23 in Montgomery will feature the Lyric as a case study for historic rehabilitation. One of Birmingham's most iconic buildings and most talked about historic rehabilitation projects will be the subject of the morning session presentation on historic renovation. The Urban Land Institute's Birmingham Chapter, which currently operates under the Atlanta Chapter, will present the Lyric Theatre as a case study for historic rehabilitation. Tickets for the event, which will include two sessions for a cumulative six continuing education credit hours, are currently available. Tickets for the full day, which includes an afternoon session, includes lunch. The Lyric is one of Alabama's most talked about historic rehabilitation projects, following its $12 million renovation. The event will kick off with a three-hour morning session (9 a.m. to noon). ACRE's Grayson Glaze will be the instructor for the session, which will include a presentation on historic rehabilitation made up of John Pittari Jr. (associate professor, College of Agriculture Design & Construction at Auburn University), Anne King (director, Midtown Neighborhood, Columbus, Ga.), Bruce Adams (vice president, Stewart Perry Construction), Randy Minor (attorney with the Birmingham office of Maynard Cooper & Gale P.C.) and Brandon Hill (president, Fusion Advisory Services). The Lyric Theatre, as profiled here, underwent a $12 million renovation that restored the once-abandoned downtown Birmingham icon. David Skinner The lunch session will feature Patrick Rutledge (vice president, Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta) on the subject of federal home loans. The second session offering three continuing education credit hours will feature David Skinner (David C. Skinner LLC), who will wrap up the daylong event with "Real Property Asset Protection Strategies." The session is designed to discuss exemptions, deeds and basic "structures" such as using LLCs wisely. The event will be at the Alabama Association of Realtors building at 522 Washington Ave. in Montgomery. Earn up to six hours of CE credit with this all-day commercial real estate education opportunity. This seminar features two educational sessions, lunch and guest speakers from across the southeast. Tickets are available to individual sessions or for the full day at a discounted price. Lunch is included with all tickets. Visit the event page on the Alabama Association of Realtors' website by clicking here. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate FAIRFIELD Christopher Andrews and one of his children were already outside their house, both holding weapons, when Officer Sean Fenton pulled up to their Mountain Laurel Road home before sunrise Tuesday. Fenton ordered them to drop their weapons. Police said that the elder Andrews refused and moved toward Fenton. Fenton shot him. Andrews died. But before any of that happened, the Andrews family underwent what family advocates are calling the worst case of domestic violence in the recent history of Fairfield County. Fenton is a 26-year veteran of the Fairfield Police Department. He has received 35 letters of commendation. In 2008, Connecticut State Police gave him a citation for meritorious service as part of a group of state and local officers who helped sound out and capture an armed fugitive from Maine. Police Chief Gary MacNamara said Fentons quick actions had prevented further serious injuries to family members. But shooting a suspect is never easy. It is rare for police officers to draw their guns, and rarer still for them to fire. In Connecticut, police officers begin firearms training with 86 hours of skills training, plus classroom instruction and scenario drills with fake ammunition, according to Geoffrey Anderson, a training officer at the Connecticut Police Academy and a retired sergeant with the Newington Police Department. The state requires officers to brush up on firearms training every three years to maintain their certification. The Police Officer Standards and Training Council recommends yearly training. Shooting to stop Police also spend days upon days learning how and when they can use which types of force. But everything comes down to the moment an officer arrives on scene, and sometimes has only seconds to react. You think its one thing and it turns out to be something totally different, and now your mind is catching up to events as youre trying to process it, said Anderson. Meanwhile, the actor doesnt care, hes (advancing) upon you as you have to really get in gear really quickly and access all that info. When an officer encounters a possibly violent suspect, the theoretical intersects with the physical. If an officer decides to draw pepper spray, he or she must have enough room to get it out of its holder without the suspect grabbing it. If an officer decides to shoot, he or she has more downrange to consider than just the suspect. We shoot to stop. So, if its one bullet that takes it, thats fine; if its more rounds that it takes and hes still moving on you and hes still a threat, that deadly force threat, theyre trained to shoot at the upper body mass to make sure that bullet hits what its supposed to hit and stop the subject, Anderson said. Some people can take a lot of bullets and they can keep going. The body will keep going until such trauma affects it and stops it from what its trying to do. So when a suspect is waving a weapon, or perhaps threatening a victim, officers do not waste time trying to aim at a flailing arm or pumping leg if and when they decide to use their firearms, they shoot straight for the torso instead of risking a miss on a smaller moving target. Otherwise, that bullet will continue on moving, it will ricochet, it will continue into other unwanted areas, Anderson said. For many officers, using their firearms can have a devastating impact, he said. Dealing with consequences Joann Peterson, another academy instructor and former New Haven police captain, said violence and the use and threat of lethal force takes different tolls on different officers. Every officer is an individual, Peterson said, and they come to this point in their career with all their life experiences and the way that they process it has a lot to do with their experience, the type of personality that they are, their coping mechanisms, their social networks all of that comes into play with stressful situations. The stress of the job eats at cops, she said. Its very difficult being a police officer, Peterson said. We make decisions in split seconds, and people will look at those decisions and analyze them over hours, days, months and years. In the case of Tuesdays shooting in Fairfield, Fenton was taken off patrol duty, pending the outcome of state troopers investigation into the shooting, a standard procedure, police said. Fenton has already been put in touch with a psychiatrist, according to Fairfield Police Department Deputy Chief Chris Lyddy. They put together a plan, and as long as the officer adheres to the plan, he can return to duty. Lyddy said Fenton was eager to return to active duty, rather than take time off. Good People Brewing Company, a Birmingham-based brewery, is supporting the Alabama Ballet Junior Board this week with their "Charity Beer of the Week." The "Bearded Lady," the chosen beer for supporting the organization, is described by Good People as a "light-bodied wheat ale marries a hint of hops with a whisker of tartness for a subtle citrus flavor." Interested consumers should visit the establishment near Regions field on the south side of downtown Birmingham and order a Bearded Lady. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Alabama Ballet. The promotion is valid February 15-19. Members of the Alabama Ballet Junior Board wish to take an active part in supporting and raising funds for the Alabama Ballet. It is the goal of the Junior Board to increase awareness of Alabama Ballet and make it more accessible to Birmingham's young professional community. That effort includes creating fun and unique events surrounding the Ballet's performances. Alabama Ballet is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization committed to "Changing lives through dance by promoting and fostering the development of classical and contemporary ballet through high-quality performances, dance education, and community outreach." Alabama Ballet's outreach missions include City Dance, an inner-city dance outreach program that offers dance lessons to school-age children on-site at their schools, Second Tuesdays, student scholarships in the Alabama Ballet School and free student matinees of elaborate productions. Cuba resumes medical cooperation with Bahamas A brigade of 18 Cuban health professionals arrived on Tuesday in The Bahamas to resume medical cooperation with that Caribbean country after the conclusion there of "Operation Miracle" almost a decade ago. According to a note by the Cuban ministry of foreign affairs, the physicians will offer their services in different Bahamian public hospitals, mainly in the capital Nassau and in Freeport, Grand Bahama. Upon arrival at Nassau's Lynden Pindling International Airport, the Cuban medical staff was warmly welcomed by the Cuban ambassador to the Bahamas, Ismara Vargas, as well as by other members of the Cuban diplomatic mission and executives of the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA). The director of the PHA, Herbert H. Brown, expressed his satisfaction at having Cuban physicians working in The Bahamas and the high expectations for the work they will carry out. On December 21, 2015, in Nassau, Cuba and The Bahamas signed a health cooperation agreement, which has now materialized with the arrival of the first 18 physicians, a figure expected to increase before the end of this month. President Barack Obama to visit Cuba in the coming weeks A senior administration official told NBC News on Wednesday night President Barack Obama will visit Cuba in the coming weeks. The official said details would be announced Thursday as part of a larger tour by Obama of Latin America. Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced in December 2014 that they would normalize relations after decades of broken ties. Obama and Castro met last April in Panama in the first official meeting of the leaders of the two nations since the United States cut diplomatic relations in 1961 after Castro's brother, Fidel Castro, seized power. Related News Ian relief: Deadline extended for property tax payments Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order delaying the payment of property taxes across 26 Florida counties struggling from impact of Hurricane Ian. The University of Memphis is likely to split from the Tennessee Board of Regents and form its own governing body. Soon, however the student representative on this new board may not have voting privilege. Rudd said he could bring up the issue of the student member having voting privileges. I have one voice and one vote, he said. I am happy to raise that issue and explore it. BAILEY CLARK The University of Memphis is likely to split from the Tennessee Board of Regents and form its own governing body. Soon, however the student representative on this new board may not have voting privilege. Rudd said he could bring up the issue of the student member having voting privileges. I have one voice and one vote, he said. I am happy to raise that issue and explore it. The University of Memphis will soon have the power to raise student fees and tuition without state approval through a new local governing board. However, the student member of this soon-to-be-created board will likely have little say in decisions made. U of M president David Rudd confirmed the independent board would have at least one student member during the Wednesday meeting with faculty and students. However, at this time, the U of M student member appears to have no voting privileges. aIf you look at the act, there is an inclusion of a student as a non-voting member,a he said. Unlike other members of this soon-to-be board, the student member position would likely change more frequently than other members, Rudd said. This means the student would likely not have the ability to learn about or understand complex issues. aTo be able to offer a response to some of the issues requires a familiarity that takes an enormous amount of time and investment in terms of the decision making process,a Rudd said. aI think that the belief was that the student member would not participate for a long enough period of time to really gain that level of familiarity.a However, the decision to allow the student to vote on the board is still up in the air, as much of how the new governing board will operate has yet to be decided. aIt certainly is not a decision that I make independently,a Rudd said. For now, it seems the board will have at least 10 members. One will be from the faculty and another from the student body. It seems that at least nine of the members will have voting privileges. aThere will be more rotation on the student representative than the faculty representative,a the University president said. aBut thatas a process yet to be determined.a This comes as state lawmakers are dismantling the Tennessee Board of Regents, the governing body for public colleges and universities across the state. TBR approves tuition rates, fee hikes and building permits for all of these institutions. Under a new proposed law, the Focus Act, every public institution of higher learning will have itas own governing board and TBR will become a thing of the past. Rudd said he has every reason to believe legislators will unanimously vote for the U of Mas separation from TBR. aThis is an opportunity for enhanced transparency,a Rudd said. aItas an opportunity for additional involvement at the local level, and it is certainly an opportunity for enhanced accountability at the local level. That means enhanced accountability of me and the leadership team and the administration at this university. aThis separation has been an issue for the University for decadesa Rudd said. Rudd is one of about two-dozen members of the committee that decides how the future U of M board will be shaped, he said. Rudd said he could bring up the issue of the student member having voting privileges. aI have one voice and one vote,a he said. aI am happy to raise that issue and explore it.a Students at the University of Memphis will be able to voice their opinions and ask questions to a panel of administrators about any campus issues Thursday. U of M officials from parking, police, finance and technical support will be at this meeting. The town hall meeting, held by the Student Government Association, will start at 6:45 p.m. in the University Center River Room. Senior Ali Kingston, 21, speaker of the student senate, wants students who do not typically have a voice to attend and ask questions. The town hall, like all student government meetings, is open to all students and faculty. This meeting will be different because it is more about the students and will not have the regular business feel to it, Kingston said. There will be free food for everyone, then the discussion portion will begin at 7 p.m. All student government senators, freshmen senators and cabinet members will be in attendance. There will be six different administrators at the meeting to answer questions. We chose these administrators based on what kind of questions we thought students might have, Kingston said. Rosie Bingham, vice president of student affairs, and Danny Armitage, dean of students, will be able to answer a wide range of questions because they have many different obligations with their jobs. Robert Jackson from IT Services will also attend because there were a lot of technical questions at the last student senate meeting, Kingston said. David Zettergren, vice president for business and finance at the U of M, will be able to answer questions about how student money is spent. Most colleges and universities in Tennessee proposed a bill that would lower the cost of online course fees, but state officials denied it, Kingston said. That will be one question Zettergren should be able to answer. Angela Floyd, director of parking services, and Bruce Harber, chief of police, may have some of the toughest questions with campus safety and parking problems in the front of many students minds. Kingston assured every question will be answered either by one of the administrators present or with a follow up email Monday morning. There will be no fluff answers, she said. They are going to be straight forward and tell you the how and why. If the administrators are standing in a room with 100 students, they cant dodge the questions. Student government will be live tweeting throughout the meeting to reach students who are unable to physically attend. Kingstons realistic goal is to have 50 students attend, but she said she would jump for joy if 100 students came. The town hall meeting will give students a chance to interact with administrators to whom they dont normally have direct access. The meeting will end at 8 p.m., and if students have more questions, they can email Kingston, and she will send them to the appropriate person. Sophomore Nashville native Tyler Franklin, 20, thinks its a great idea but hopes students will actually see results. I think its a good idea to have a time students can ask questions that usually get avoided by the people in charge, Franklin said. I hope that they actually do something about the problems and not just say they will. I want to see actions to back up everything they tell us. There will not be any academic administrators because the town hall falls on the same night as Dinner with the Dean, so most of them will be busy, Kingston said. The University of Memphis has a unique opportunity available for its veteran students. The Veterans Reconnect internship program is taking applications through April 4 to fill positions for its summer internships The U of M received a grant from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission to accelerate the success of currently enrolled veteran students. In the wake of the passage of the post-9/11 GI Bill, Tennessee has experienced a significant increase in the number of veterans enrolled in higher education, Tola Jenkins, academic internship coordinator at the U of M, said. The primary goal of the Veteran Reconnect Grant Competition is to accelerate the success of veterans already enrolled on Tennessee campuses and create favorable conditions to recruit new student veterans. The program is open to undergraduate or graduate veteran students who are actively enrolled at the U of M and are at least a sophomore with a 2.5 GPA. They must have one or more regular semesters remaining before graduation Stipends of $10 per hour, or $1,500 total, will be distributed to veteran interns every other week during a semester. Students selected into the internship program will be provided with the opportunity to work with campus or community partners. They are paired with the partners based on major, experience, career goals and availability of approved internship sites. The internship opportunities available for veteran students through the program varies based on each veteran student applicant, Jenkins said. We utilize an internship matching process to meet the needs of our veteran students. We employ the application and interview process to know each of the applicants individually. Some of the community partners have collaborated with the U of M to provide quality internship placements, he said. These places include the City of Memphis, MIFA and Memphis Shelby County Office of Sustainability. We have had a great set of applicants whose diverse experiences in the military, academic pursuits, extracurricular interests and career goals have been used in making recommendations for an internship site, Jenkins said. Veteran graduate student Mark Woodall took advantage of the program and is currently working to help other veterans in the internship program. It really is fulfilling to be able to help fellow veterans, Woodall said. Most of them dont know about this program, so when I am able to help them get involved, it gives me a sense of self satisfaction. We have hundreds of veterans on campus, and very few know about this program. Having worked for 22 years before coming back to school in 2014, Woodall understands how this program is helpful for veterans. It was a jarring experience to be reintegrated into an academic environment, Woodall said. There was a learning curve. It was a rough semester coming back in. It helps them transition from a military environment to a different career field like a civilian path. Lifestyle | Daily Life | News | The Sydney Morning Herald Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss The Bishop of Carlisle, James Newcome, 62, decrees that Christians have a moral duty to donate their organs. Will he explain this when he next meets the Supreme Governor of the Church of England ie the Queen with whom hes in regular contact as the quaintly styled Clerk of the Closet? The Windsors do not donate their organs. Nor have they expressed approval of the practice. The Bishop of Carlisle, James Newcome, 62, decrees that Christians have a moral duty to donate their organs. Will he explain this when he next meets the Supreme Governor of the Church of England ie the Queen with whom hes in regular contact as the quaintly styled Clerk of the Closet? Often worried looking, Prince William must be fretting over the reception accorded to his (Foreign Office-written) speech to young diplomats, interpreted by some as being pro-EU. He thought hed avoided the EU debate mire by singing the praises of the Commonwealth, who, for some, are faithful friends we abandoned in favour of knavish Europeans. Hollywood actress Natascha McElhone, 44, discovered prior to a holiday with her sons that her passport had expired Hollywood actress Natascha McElhone, 44, discovered prior to a holiday with her sons that her passport had expired. Her Irish mother Noreen tells me: She went to the British passport office but, although she has a British father and was born here, she was told theyd need to conduct a special investigation. Remembering my Irish nationality, she tried the Irish passport office. They said, Sure, we know fine who you are, and her passport is on its way. Noting the embarrassment of Sir Paul McCartney, 73, in Los Angeles denied entry to a party for nobodies Piers Morgan gloats: Moment Sir Paul McCartneys ego met an LA doormans iron resolve... hilarious. Morgan was responsible for introducing Sir Paul to his second wife, Heather Mills, 48, and they were together for six years. Daughter Stella (by first wife Linda) later told Piers (he says): Dads really grateful, you cost him $50million. EU-supporting actress Emma Thompson, 56, who described the UK as a cake-filled, misery laden, grey old island, is sometimes suspected of hypocrisy. When it was revealed the high-profile Left-winger had sent her daughter, Gaia, to a private school, Ms Thompson insisted they didnt live in the catchment area for a suitable state school. As you do. Well-nourished Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames, 68, tells Twitter fans: Do you ever listen to Womens Hour (sic)? Goodness me! Did you ever hear such a dismal litany? Must be hell being a woman. No doubt his second wife, Serena a niece of the Duchess of Grafton takes this in her stride. London buses are emblazoned with adverts for Las Vegas, Nevada, saying: A place where your accent is an aphrodisiac. Strangely, theres no sign of the ads on Birmingham, or Glasgow, omnibuses. Following EU discussions with the PM yesterday, Boris Johnson quoted Arnold Schwarzeneggers catchphrase: Ill be baaaack! In 2007, when Boris was the (chaotic) warm-up act for David Cameron at the Tory conference, Arnie appearing via a satellite link was heard chortling: Hes fumbling all over the place! There is a long and inglorious history of British intellectuals, notably on the Left, disparaging their own country. George Orwell described the phenomenon in 1941 when Britain was fighting for its survival. England is perhaps the only great country whose intellectuals are ashamed of their own nationality. In Left-wing circles it is always felt there is something slightly disgraceful in being an Englishman and that it is a duty to snigger at every British institution. Nothing has changed. At a press conference in Berlin on Tuesday, the actress and self-declared socialist Emma Thompson witheringly referred to her country as: A tiny little cloud-bolted, rainy corner of sort-of Europe, I mean really, a cake-filled, misery-laden, grey old island. At a press conference in Berlin on Tuesday, the actress and self-declared socialist Emma Thompson witheringly referred to her country as: A tiny little cloud-bolted, rainy corner of sort-of Europe, I mean really, a cake-filled, misery-laden, grey old island. Note the imputation of smallness. Britain in her estimation is not only dismal but also so peripheral and irrelevant that it makes no sense by itself. It follows that its future can only be in Europe. Miss Thompson declares that she feels European and says it would be madness for Britain to leave the EU. By the way, what does she mean by cake-filled? Is this a dig at our national obsession with baking, as exemplified by the BBC programme The Great British Bake Off? Or is she suggesting in a haughtily dismissive, rather nasty way that Britons are fat because they eat too many cakes? Pacifist So there we have it. Miss Thompson may be a slight figure given to ill-considered outbursts. But what she said in Berlin (isnt running down your own country abroad especially bad form?) represents not just the views of mushy-headed luvviedom but also large swathes of the British Left. When George Orwell wrote his essay in 1941, he blamed fellow Leftists before the war for chipping away at English morale, trying to spread an outlook that was sometimes squashily pacifist, sometimes violently pro-Russian, but always anti-British. He was thinking of people such as Sidney and Beatrice Webb, founders of the London School of Economics, who in the 1930s ignored Stalins mass purges in the Soviet Union and extolled his supposed achievements. Or Professor Harold Laski, also of the LSE, who was chairman of the Labour Party and mentor of Ralph Miliband, father of Ed. Laski was apparently unconcerned that Soviet prisoners had their teeth smashed with iron bars, and he could not see much of a difference between the general character of a trial in Russia and this country. Its uncanny how closely the Corbynista Emma Thompson (she has expressed her admiration for the new Labour leader) is following the path described by Orwell. She feels the familiar distaste for her own country, and in place of Russia finds hope and meaning in the European Union. Of course, I am not equating the Soviet Union with the peace-loving EU, where the rule of law generally prevails. But I cannot help observing the grotesque irony that in the capital of Germany this deluded woman should have spoken of how Englands fascistic side affected the British view of Germany and World War II. She even had the nerve to grumble about being completely brainwashed by films she saw in her childhood showing the British being marvellous and beating the Nazis. In other words, so keen is Miss Thompson to find fault with her own country that she represents Britains role in the war as being less than heroic, while the Nazis were, relatively speaking, not as bad as is usually made out. Isnt this bonkers? It takes flagellation of ones own country to new extremes. If this garrulous actress had thought more deeply, she might have reflected that on two occasions last century it was Germany, not Britain, which invaded other European countries without justification, leading to the deaths of tens of millions of people. Let me ask this question. If Britain is so hopeless, and the rest of the EU so wonderful, why is it that so many migrants from Europe and beyond (on whose behalf Ms Thompson has previously spoken) are beating a path to our shores rather than to most other European countries? Flocking The answer is that Britain has a much more buoyant economy than almost every other nation in Europe, which is why not just East Europeans but also hundreds of thousands of French, Italians, Spaniards and others are flocking here. Needless to say, Britain has much more going for it than a comparatively strong economy. It should be celebrated for the beauty and variety of its countryside, the wonder of its ancient buildings and the general decency of its people. For its respect for the rule of law and its love of tolerance (neither of which attributes have fared as well in most of Europe). Instead of writing off the land of her birth as a dingy little place on the edge of Europe, why cant Emma Thompson acclaim its achievements in culture and the arts (including film, where she has earned a bob or two)? The country which she finds so contemptible is in fact admired and envied by many Europeans. A love for ones own country is the most natural of instincts, like love of family. Miss Thompson evidently does not feel it. For her, patriotism is a dirty word, or something incomprehensible. Remember how in 2014 the Labour MP Emily Thornberry mockingly tweeted a photograph of a house in Rochester draped with flags of St George and the owners white van parked in the driveway. This condescending woman has recently been promoted to Shadow Defence Secretary. To many on the Left but not, of course, to old working-class Labour any expression of patriotism is at best embarrassing, and at worse evidence of bigotry. Its all right, though, to put your faith in a multi-national club like the EU, and to overlook its short-comings and to forget the dark history of some of its member states, as it was once with the Soviet Union. Incidentally, the one thing the British intellectual Left hates next to its own country is the United States of America, but Emma Thompson is too canny to turn her fire in that direction for fear of a public backlash that might put pay to lucrative future Hollywood films. Over the coming weeks and months we are going to hear a lot of comments from luvvies and writers and others (albeit probably more sophisticated than Miss Thompsons) which portray Britain as a sad, arid little country that has to remain part of the infinitely more important EU. When George Orwell wrote his essay in 1941, he blamed fellow Leftists before the war for chipping away at English morale, trying to spread an outlook that was sometimes squashily pacifist, sometimes violently pro-Russian, but always anti-British Nonsense They will try to wear down our belief in our country, and our confidence in its ability to shape a future outside the European Union. They will also insinuate that those who want to leave the EU hate Europe which is nonsense. It is possible to love Europe while believing that the European Union is bureaucratic, undemocratic and unaccountable. My response will be to ignore the advice of anyone who celebrates the EU and deprecates this country. The only pro-EU people to whom I will listen are those who are plainly British patriots. Everything Emma Thompson said was wrong-headed. She even claimed that she lives in Great Britain, and in Scotland as well. So dim is her affection for her own country that she doesnt even realise that Scotland is still part of it! Nearly three quarters of working-age Britons now have a job (an astonishing figure that includes two million EU workers and well over a million from outside Europe). That is the highest rate of UK employment since records began. How apt that these figures should be released yesterday, just as David Cameron who originally said he would not back staying in the EU without fundamental reform was attempting to extract ludicrously modest concessions from the leaders of countries with disastrous levels of unemployment. Talk about a two-speed Europe! On one side of the Channel ours the rate of unemployment stands at just over five per cent. David Cameron who originally said he would not back staying in the EU without fundamental reform was attempting to extract ludicrously modest concessions from the leaders of countries with disastrous levels of unemployment while nearly three quarters of working-age Britons now have a job On the other side, there is seven per cent unemployment in Poland and Sweden, eight in Belgium, 10 in France, 11 in Italy, 21 in Spain and nearly 25 in Greece. Only Germany and the Czech Republic beat us, at 4.5 per cent. The European average is nine per cent. The Government deserves credit for the latest UK figures. Admittedly, our levels of productivity are worrying and youth unemployment is more than twice the national average. Yes, this is a modest recovery. However, our economy is booming compared to the woeful finances of much of Europe. But then, with every month that passes, Britain does less trade with the EU and more with the rest of the world. Thanks to the one-size-fits-all euro, continental economies are sluggish. A desperate shortage of jobs is reviving the ugly ideologies of both the far Left and far Right. A Martian arriving on this planet might ask: Why on Earth would Britain want to stay in this club? Call the real expert The latest recruit to the pro-EU Project Fear is the AA, which warns that our petrol bills could rise by 500 a year if we vote for Brexit. Really? In a world that is now awash with cheap fuel? Compare this doom-laden prophecy with the opinion of Neil Woodford, an investment guru with a knack for bucking the markets. He suspects that leaving the EU would have little effect on our economy. Suggesting otherwise is a bogus argument. In recent years the AA like other organisations, especially charities has taken to issuing portentous statements as if it were a government body. In fact, its main responsibility is to look after vehicles. When our cars break down, we do not bother Mr Woodford. Likewise, when contemplating Brexit, there is no need to consult the AA. Everyones a loser The NHS is prescribing drugs to treat people ruined by the crack cocaine of gambling fixed-odds betting machines. This development is both tragic and infuriating. It is tragic because these touch-screen machines are frighteningly addictive. They offer only a tiny chance of making a lot of money quickly. More pertinently, they have spread like a cancer through Britains poorest areas. The NHS is prescribing drugs to treat people ruined by the crack cocaine of gambling fixed-odds betting machines. This development is both tragic and infuriating - because politicians have ignored pleas to ban these machines It is infuriating because politicians have ignored pleas to ban these machines. This paper campaigned passionately against them for years. But New Labour paid no attention, because it had fallen in love with gambling as a cheap source of revenue. That poisonous legacy lives on in the shape of human victims, lured into reckless stupidity by greedy businessmen and their Westminster allies. Now these victims will be medicated at our expense. But there is no guarantee that drug treatments will save them from electronically stimulated self-destruction. Ms McCormack said 'it did not feel good' to be the only female director When first time filmmakers Angela McCormack, Jessica Campbell and Joel Perlgut made their film Tay Man, they never expected to make the finals of Australia's biggest short film festival Tropfest. The young team made Tay Man as part of their final year project at university, with a view to also enter it in the film competition. Their short film- a mockumentary about middle-aged Australian men who confess they love Taylor Swift- was made on a small budget and garnered plenty of laughs at the festival on Sunday night. But now Ms McCormack and Ms Campbell have gained additional attention, for being the only team with a female director, and one of only four with a female producer, in the finals of the short film competition. Scroll down for video Boys club: Angela McCormack was the only female director in the Tropfest finals Girls (don't) run the world: Angela McCormack (left) and Jessica Campbell (right) were the only female director and producer team at the festival Now the two have spoken to Daily Mail Australia about gender and diversity in the film industry, and how representation can be increased. 'It did not feel good to be the only female director up on that stage at Tropfest,' Ms McCormack said. 'I know so many fantastic young female filmmakers, so it was really baffling to see such a lack of diversity among the finalists.' On the night the lack of female representation was so obvious that the two young women were moved from where they were standing, at the side of the finalist group, to the center of the stage. 'They said it looked like a male film festival,' Ms Campbell said. 'It did not feel good': Ms McCormack (left) said being the only female director at a festival isn't a good feeling Shake it off: The team's film, Tay Man, was a mockumentary about middle aged men who like Taylor Swift Not only was the festival lacking in female directors and producers, but there was only one woman in a leading role for any of the 16 films. This meant that there was no competition for actress Natalie Bassingthwaighte, who went home with the Best Female Actor award. Many viewers were quick to point out their disappointment with the lack of female talent on social media. On Twitter, Beverly Callow called it the 'biggest boys club film festival in Australia' whilst others questioned how out of 600 films entered, only one female director made it to the finals. 'What does it say about Australian society that women were so underrepresented as actors and directors at #Tropfest?' Twitter user Elle Jayne asked. 'Boys club': Some viewers were very disappointed by the lack of women in the finals Questions: Critics questioned how with so many films entered, only one female director made it to the finals 'We can do better': Tropfest judges acknowledged on the night that there was a lack of diversity in the finalists The issue of gender was addressed on the night of the festival by the judging panel, who acknowledged the lack of female talent in the finals. 'One of the judges Maya Newell said on the night: "we can do better". And you can't argue with that - one out of 16 is a terrible statistic,' Ms McCormack said. 'I'm sure more could be done to either attract, encourage or recognise female talent more at Tropfest. Let's hope the lineup is much more diverse next year.' 'More could be done': Both Ms McCormack and Ms Campbell said that more diversity is needed in the industry 'Young Australian women are pretty strong': Ms Campbell (right) said women should feel like they can tell their stories Both Ms McCormack and Ms Campbell said they were disappointed at the lack of diversity. Ms Campbell said she thought some of the issue was cultural, with women feeling like they can't 'step up' and director and produce their own films. 'Young Australian women are pretty strong women,' she said. 'They shouldn't feel like they can't tell their own stories. We need to have more awareness.' Ms McCormack said that whilst the lack of women at the Tropfest finals and in the industry in general is disappointing, she felt progress was being made slowly. 'We're not there yet, but we're seeing a lot of really great progress for diversity in the Australian film industry,' she said. When celebrities including Catherine Zeta-Jones and Charlize Theron are asked how they keep their skin youthful and their hair glossy, they all seem to rave about one product above all others: argan oil. Charlize claims the oil rescued her hair when she used it as a conditioner after too much dye caused it to split and break. Catherine has said she 'saturates' her face with it to nourish her skin as she sleeps and prevent it feeling 'like a Walker's crisp'. And they're far from alone. Argan oil, which has been used for centuries by Moroccan tribespeople to treat dry skin and joint pains, has become the beauty elixir du jour. Argan oil, which has been used for centuries by Moroccan tribespeople to treat dry skin and joint pains, has become the beauty elixir du jour Full of antioxidants and vitamin E, the oil, which is produced from the kernels of nuts from Morocco's argan trees, is said to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, scars, stretch marks and acne. Little wonder it's used by beauty brands including L'Oreal, Lush and Kiehl's in everything from shampoo to body lotion to bubble bath. It's even in mascaras that claim to make lashes grow longer and more lustrous. It's infiltrating kitchens, too, after celebrity chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Gizzi Erskine sang its praises as a nutritious alternative to olive oil as a dressing for salad and vegetables, or to add a nutty flavour to soup and cous cous. It is stocked in M&S and used in the kitchens of no less glamorous an establishment than London's Ivy restaurant. Not bad for an oil that can't be cooked, as heat damages its chemical profile. Those who extol its virtues believe the omega-3 fatty acids in the oil reduce cholesterol and protect the heart. Research suggests it can also aid digestion and may contribute to the prevention of various cancers and diabetes. As a natural anti-inflammatory, it can help ease arthritis. So massive is the demand that the global market for argan oil - or 'liquid gold', as it is sometimes known - is expected to reach 1 billion by 2022, with 40 per cent of that coming from the cosmetic sector. But can it truly be the youth-prolonging wonder product that celebrities, chefs and beauty companies claim? 'Argan oil contains carotenoids, vitamin E and fatty acids such as oleic acid, making it an effective antioxidant that protects the skin against damage,' says Dr Rabia Malik, a cosmetic doctor based at Grace Belgravia in Knightsbridge, London. Charlize Theron claims the oil rescued her hair when she used it as a conditioner after too much dye caused it to split and break 'But there's no such thing as a miracle product. And with argan oil, there are a lot of factors to consider when talking about its benefits.' In recent years, because of increasing concerns over some chemicals, demand for natural or organic beauty products has risen - and few products could seem more pure than argan oil. The argan tree is grown almost exclusively in the barren lands of south-west Morocco. Traditionally, Berber women would collect the argan fruit and extract its oil by drying it, extracting the nuts, cracking them to reveal the kernels and pressing them to release the oil. The process used to be done by hand and producing one litre of oil took around five stone of fruit and 15 hours of labour. Catherine Zeta-Jones said she 'saturates' her face with argan oil to nourish her skin as she sleeps and prevent it feeling 'like a Walker's crisp' Now, the nuts are still cracked manually, but electric cold presses are often used on the kernels, speeding up the process considerably but leaving the oil undiluted. The problem is that since being discovered by major cosmetic brands, the chances of getting this unadulterated argan oil in the majority of products available on the High Street are slender. 'Many of the products that use the words 'argan oil' as a marketing claim will have only a very small percentage of the actual oil in them,' says Dr Malik. 'A drop of argan oil in a product isn't going to offer many benefits.' The best-selling brand in Britain is Moroccanoil. Its Pure Argan Oil is 100 per cent argan oil and costs 50 for 50ml. But its best-selling Moroccanoil Treatment (31.85 for 100ml) is predominantly silicone. Dr Malik warns that there are some products on the market that have Morocco and oil in their names, but don't actually contain any argan oil In fact, argan oil is only the fifth ingredient on the product listing, which means there are four other ingredients in the formula in greater quantities. Dr Malik warns that there are some products on the market that have Morocco and oil in their names, but don't actually contain any argan oil. 'They could be any sort of oil, so don't make the assumption that it's argan oil just because it claims to be from Morocco,' she says. Indeed, the amount of 'argan oil' exported from Morocco every year is believed to be double the amount that the trees could produce. Perhaps the biggest drawback of argan oil is its scarcity - the very attribute that has fuelled its popularity. 'The high price of argan oil and burgeoning demand are raising concerns over its sustainability,' says Amarjit Sahota, director of Organic Monitor. 'There are concerns that the argan nuts are not collected properly.' And there are fears that as demand for the oil increases, producers will be tempted to harvest directly from the trees to try to keep up, instead of gathering fruit from the ground. There are also fears that some producers may be adulterating the oil. Studies have found it's often tainted with sunflower, vegetable or olive oil. The trees, which take 50 years to reach maturity, act as a natural barrier against the advance of the desert, preventing soil erosion and protecting water resources. To prevent deforestation, co-operatives have been created to involve local people, particularly women, in the argan industry. These co-operatives provide the women with an income and, in some cases, an education and access to healthcare. However, the Berber women in the co-operatives are not equipped to conduct business with international organisations, which leaves them at risk of exploitation. 'Our research has found natural cosmetic brands such as Neals Yard Remedies and L'Occitane are cutting out the middle men - the traders - by working directly with charities or women's co-operatives to ensure the supply is sustainable and the quality remains high,' says Amarjit. But other, larger cosmetic firms are pushing for the co-operatives to produce more argan oil at a lower quality. As a result, in the future the oil could be more expensive yet inferior quality. There is little doubt that in its pure form, argan oil does offer many benefits. For the face and body, it's a rich moisturiser that's unlikely to clog pores. For the hair, it's an effective conditioner that can reduce frizz and improve manageability. And as a food, it contains three times the amount of vitamin E as olive oil, which is essential for healthy skin, protection of the cell membranes in our eyes and for a strong immune system. As for whether it's a wonder beauty product, Dr Malik remains sceptical. She says that even 100 per cent pure argan oil is not the best anti-ageing product available. 'I believe in taking the best of what nature has to offer, but a natural product alone won't necessarily give the best results,' she says. 'For that, you need the benefit of technological advancements.' Her advice for those who want to sample the Moroccan magic? 'Look for reputable brands with products containing few ingredients - the fewer the better - and a good concentration of the actual oil,' she says. 'Good skin is about protecting it from the elements, not smoking and drinking too much, and being healthy internally. Before you shell out for that expensive face cream, take a closer look at whats in it. Many ingredients arent unique to one brand and some are developed by laboratories that sell them at a high price to start with, before letting them filter down into cheaper High Street creams, as Claire Coleman reveals... Want: La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream Sheer (298, selfridges.com) Try: Lacura Caviar Ilumination Day Cream (6.99, Aldi) Why would you want caviar in your face cream? Well, its a good source of omega fatty acids, which can help improve the top layer of skin so less water evaporates, leaving it looking plumper. They may also boost collagen production. Want: La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream Sheer (left, 298, selfridges.com); Try: Lacura Caviar Ilumination Day Cream (right, 6.99, Aldi) Want: SK-II Signs Uplifter (145, harrods.com) Try: Olay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Serum Fragrance Free (15.95, clearchemist.co.uk) Olay is owned by global giant Procter & Gamble, which may be why its serum is incredibly similar to the SK-II version, also owned by P&G. Both contain high levels of Matrixyl, which has been shown to boost collagen production, and anti-ageing niacinamide. Want: Guerlain Orchidee Imperiale The Cream (295, houseoffraser.co.uk) Try: Innisfree Orchid Intense Cream (22.50, innisfreeworld.com) Guerlains orchid-based cream has become something of a cult. Devotees claim it can reduce fine lines and wrinkles, though Paula Begoun of evidence-based skincare website Beautypedia.com claims orchid extract can be a skin irritant. The version by Korean brand Innisfree is far cheaper, though. Want: Rodial Bee Venom Super Serum (160, rodial.com) Try: Manuka Doctor ApiRefine Radiance Serum (17.99, manukadoctor.co.uk) After the Duchess of Cambridge was revealed to have bee venom facials, beauty brands jumped on the bandwagon. Although theres no solid evidence that it does anything, if you must have it, buy the cheaper Manuka Doctor version. Want: Dr Brandt Time Arrest Creme De Luxe, (168, spacenk.com) Try: Superdrug Optimum Super Antioxidant Grape Serum (6.48, superdrug.com) When you stand up in front of your friends and family at your wedding and vow 'until death do us part', most people can expect years and decades together before this becomes a reality. For Thomas Moore and Abbey Shortus, tragically, they can expect around two months. The young couple, from Christchurch, New Zealand, were engaged and planning their wedding when they received the heartbreaking news that Mr Moore's cancer had returned after eight years in remission. Heartbreak: Young New Zealand Couple Thomas Moore and Abbey Shortus (above) were devastated when Mr Moore was diagnosed with terminal cancer Happier times: Mr Moore and Ms Shortus have pushed the date of their wedding forward as Mr Moore has only two months left to live Late in 2015 Mr Moore was told cancer had been discovered in his vertebra. In January doctors informed him that he would only have around three months to live. With a sudden deadline put on his life, Mr Moore and his fiance Ms Shortus pushed forward their wedding to this coming Sunday. 'When we got the bad news it was the one thing we wanted to do,' Mr Moore told stuff.co.nz. The couple met in 2013 when working on the play Zombie: Red Zone together. Mr Moore was playing the part of a solider and Ms Shortus was a makeup artist for the performance. By the time the couple met Mr Moore had been cancer free for five years. He had been diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2007, and spent a year undergoing chemotherapy and a bowel resection. Tragedy: Mr Moore had been in remission for eight years, after previously battling bowel cancer Mr Moore believed his health issues were over and everything was going well for the pair when they got engaged last year after Mr Moore popped the question in a low key way. 'It wasn't as exciting as it should have been...We both had a bad day one day and we were lying in bed watching TV and I just brought the ring out,' he said. But a workplace accident late in 2015 caused back pain for Mr Moore, so he went to a physiotherapist because he thought he had strained a muscle. 'The physio wasn't really working so they sent me in for a MRI about six or eight weeks later,' Mr Moore said. Young love: The couple met in 2013 and got engaged last year The results were devastating. Doctors discovered cancer in his fractured vertebra, which had spread down his back. Ms Shortus said she remembers the day they found out about the diagnosis and thinking to herself 'please don't be cancer.' 'It was very hard but after a while you just go into denial I think... he's a pretty stubborn b******," Ms Shortus said. Newlyweds-to-be: The couple will marry on Sunday and focus on spending the little time they have left with each other The couple are getting married in an intimate backyard ceremony at Ms Shortus' parent's house on Sunday afternoon, followed by dinner with their family and friends. They are spending their honeymoon in Hanmer Springs, on the South Island of New Zealand. Charity Race 4 Life Trust has organised for the newlyweds to stay for two nights, with travel, food and accommodation all paid for. On Wednesday, PR professional Roxy Jacenko revealed that her four-year-old daughter, Instagram star Pixie Curtis, was the victim of a sick photoshop prank, when lewd doctored photos of Pixie were circulated. The photos were reportedly sent between three fashion identities and each of the photographs involved the little girl's face photoshopped onto inappropriate pictures - Roxy later calling those involved as 'sick in the head.' But with Pixie the face of a successful bow business and boasting over 100,000 followers on Instagram, Corrine Barraclough says Roxy 'failed to properly consider the risks' involved with the account and as a result, has 'waived any right to sympathy.' Scroll down for video 'Failed to protect her own daughter': Writer Corrine Barraclough said Roxy is a 'smart woman' but has been looking at her daughter Pixie Curtis (left) too much as a client How could you not see this coming? Ms Barraclough (pictured) says Roxy Jacenko should have predicted the consequences Roxy Jacenko is a smart woman. She founded her incredibly successful PR firm when she was just 24 years old, has an eager eye for an opportunity and breathes business. Shes slickly managed mega brands and repeatedly hatched huge deals, at one time reportedly juggling 70 big-name clients. Sadly, the client she has failed to protect is her own daughter. Roxy made herself a public figure when she stepped outside her Sydney PR office, appeared on TV and wrote successful books. This was a considered an intentional manoeuvre on her part, which she has every right to make as an adult. She made her four-year-old daughter, Pixie Curtis, a public figure when she set her up with her own Instagram account which was more than a cute bit of fun. She created a commercialised business as an off-shoot to her own success, cashing in on a powerful account which has 100,000 followers and masterminded a lucrative, bankable business. Roxy has herself admitted that she has an 'extreme' dedication to her career, perhaps she got so caught up in the styling, adrenaline of success and appealing cash flow that she forgot this isnt a business, this is a childs real life. Because, do you know whats absolutely integral to public relations? Risk management. Inevitable? 'She made her four-year-old daughter, Pixie Curtis, a public figure when she set her up with her own Instagram account which was more than a cute bit of fun,' Ms Barraclough said Caught up in the adrenaline of success? Ms Barraclough said that perhaps Roxy forgot that 'this isn't a business, this is a child's life' Has she missed the pivotal point? Ms Barraclough said Roxy has made a choice to make her daughter 'public property' 'You put a price on childhood': Ms Barraclough said that presents Roxy was sent for Pixie might have been free but they had a 'very dark, heavy price tag attached to them' Conscious choice: Ms Barraclough said that some celebrities, unlike Roxy, safeguard their children rather than making them a 'commercial product and have chosen to bank sweet memories not grubby dollars' When you start a business and create a client you identify and analyse the risks of that business, such as safety and security. Listening to Roxy being interviewed last night on TV, even in the face of the offensive and deplorable events of this week, she still seems to have missed the pivotal point. 'I am very, very confident in the way she is on social media in the sense of I dont put pictures of her in the bath with no clothes on,' she said. However, choosing not to post photos of your daughter naked in the bath is entirely irrelevant, this is about making your child public property. Certain celebrities have, very successfully, safeguarded their children from the spotlight as much as possible and hand in hand with that decision they have protected their childhood. They have not made them a commercial product and have chosen to bank sweet memories not grubby dollars. A clear decision: 'If you take your children to a red carpet event, post photos on social media or pose with them on the cover of a magazine, you make them public property,' Ms Barraclough wrote Driven to succeed: Roxy shared a snap on Instagram on Wednesday, hitting back at those involved in the scandal Privacy laws exist to protect children. When children grow past the point of being babies parents in the public eye have a very clear decision to make. If you take your children to a red carpet event, post photos on social media or pose with them on the cover of a magazine, you make them public property. You have made that conscious, presumably carefully deliberated decision to allow the world access to them and the world, as we all know, isnt full of well-intentioned, morally sparkling human beings. But you dont get to pick and choose, you get the lot. You dont get a checklist to tick off what you find acceptable and what is out of bounds. No boundaries, no censorship, no restrictions. The world isn't full of 'morally sparkling' humans: 'You dont get to pick and choose, you get the lot. You dont get a checklist to tick off what you find acceptable and what is out of bounds,' Ms Barraclough said Business: Pixie has her own bow business 'Pixie's Bows' that primarily does business through Instagram If you go down this path, you lose your sympathy and defence when the paparazzi take photos even if its not convenient for you or the public take control of images and do what they want to them. You dont get any picture approval, your risk management strategy should have foreseen the very worst and prepared for it. You can either follow in the footsteps of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin who have protected their childrens identity to the hilt or you can put noise-cancelling headphones on them and showcase them on stage like Gwen Stefani. You can choose to protect your childrens faces and have the law behind you, like Jude Law. Or, you can get free holidays and take a cut of the profits from selling the photos to magazines and newspapers around the world, like the Kardashians. To be expected? 'If you go down this path, you lose your sympathy and defence when the paparazzi take photos even if its not convenient for you or the public take control of images and do what they want to them' 'You must pay for everything': Ms Barraclough said a lesson can be learned through this 'hideous, sordid tale' and says it is one 'we learn at Pixie's expense' In life, you never, ever, ever get something for nothing; there is a price you must pay for everything. Those pretty presents that Roxy was sent for Pixie might have been free but they had a very dark, heavy price tag attached to them. She did not need the money and even if it is sitting in a trust account, you cant put a price on a childhood. In managing your client (daughter), you failed to properly consider the risks and you have waived any right to sympathy. Our sympathy is for your beautiful daughter. There is a lesson for all of us in this hideous, sordid tale and unfortunately it is a lesson we learn at Pixies expense. Sex is something many people discuss in hushed tones, their cheeks flushed an embarrassed shade of crimson. But Sally Mustang and Mitch Gobel are not only open about the most intimate details of their sex life, they are happy to share what goes on between the sheets with thousands of strangers. The Byron Bay artists recount their explicit sex romps in Instagram posts so steamy one was reported and deleted by the site. But who are Sally and Mitch and what brought them to share their sex life online? Scroll down for video Passionate: Sally Mustang and Mitch Gobel are a couple from Byron Bay who share intimate details of their love life online Causing controversy: Some of the couples' posts were so sexually explicit they were reported by Instagram users and subsequently deleted off the site With her tanned skin, blonde hair and enviable figure, its not hard to see how Sally has garnered more than 108,000 Instagram followers. Sally is a model, stylist, yogi, artist and blogger, and her Instagram page reads like a how to guide for a bohemian way of life. On her blog page she said she has spent the past five years travelling Australia, Asia and The Pacific, sharing details of her enviable lifestyle in whimsical blog posts. More recently Sally has settled in Byron Bay with her boyfriend Mitch Gobel. Creative mind: Sally is a model, stylist, yogi, artist and blogger who has more than 108,000 followers on Instagram Artistic flair: Mitch is an artist and conservationist who sells resin and acrylic artwork with some pieces selling for as much as $11,000 Grateful: I'm sure no one will ever value my work as much as I do, but the fact that they're selling for that amount of money still blows my mind,' Mitch said Mitch is a professional artist and passionate conservationist. The 25-year-old owns Mitch Gobel Resin Art, where he sells hand-made acrylic and resin artworks that retail for as much as $11,000 each. The Sunshine Coast Daily reported Mitch worked in horticulture before he quit his job to focus on art full time. My latest original artwork's are selling for around $10,000AUD each, Mitch wrote on Instagram. I'm sure no one will ever value my work as much as I do, but the fact that they're selling for that amount of money still blows my mind. Helping out: Mitch is a passionate conservationist and donated $25,000 from art sales to Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors Sharing his passions: He credited Terri and Steve Irwin as pioneers for saving wildlife and wild places His passion for conservation led him to found MGRA Wildlife and Habitat Conservation, a not-for-profit charity funded entirely by his art. In 2015, Mitch donated $25,000 from art sales to Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors, the Sunshine Coast Daily reported. Mitchs donation went towards treatment for sick or injured animals based at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. Conservation is the driving force behind my artwork, and Steve and Terri [Irwin] are pioneers in saving wildlife and wild places so Im really proud to be supporting Wildlife Warriors and the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, he told the Sunshine Coast Daily. Team effort: Mitch and Sally often share photos of themselves working on artwork at home Steamy encounters: The couple said their New Year's resolution was to be more open about sex Together, he and Sally share intimate posts of their life in Byron Bay, including their sex lives. The couple told Daily Mail Australia it was their New Years resolution to be more open about sex and they hope to inspire others to put effort in to their own sex lives. While their honesty has received some backlash, some of their more raunchy posts were deleted by Instagram after being reported, Sally said 90 per cent of people had been positive. Online support: Sally said 90 per cent of people had been supportive of them posting sex stories online 'A beautiful experience': Sally wrote about one particular sexual encounter that saw her don thigh-high stockings for an afternoon of love making An example of their sexual escapes can be seen in a post Sally shared a week ago that showed a photo of her naked except for thigh-high stockings bent forward on her knees, her hands tied behind her back and Mitch by her side. She captioned the image with an insight in to their sex life. I put on some stockings just for fun and to be honest I knew it made the whole deal a little more special to regular afternoon lovemaking, she wrote. Advertisement A man in his underwear has been Photoshopped by designers in 19 different countries to reveal the different ideals of 'hunky' - with very different results. A UK-based online doctor's surgery sent the same image of New York photographer Richard Storm to graphic designers - made up of 11 women and eight men - around the world. Perfection varied considerably depending on the country. In the UK, Richard was given a slimmer waist, tanned arms and longer legs. While in the US, he ended up with a six-pack, ripped arms and stocky legs. Australia was one of the few countries which preferred a fuller-figured man. Scroll down for video A man in his underwear was Photoshopped to show beauty standards for the male form in 19 different countries. New York photographer Richard Storm, left, was made thinner in the UK and muscular in the US China, Russia, Spain, Egypt, Macedonia, Phillipines, Croatia, Venuzuela, Nigeria, Serbia, Colombia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Portugal and South Africa also took part. Many of the designers made Richard slimmer - with China in particular choosing a dramatically thinner body. The UK and Croatia also picked a leaner frame, while Macedonia and the Phillipines went more muscular despite given him a slim build. But many countries chose to create an extremely muscular man, with Egypt, the US and South Africa having incredibly defined six-packs, arms and legs. In Egypt, Richard was unrecognisable, thanks to a darker skin shade, a new haircut and more facial hair as well as bulging muscles. China's entry showed Richard with a dramatically thinner body, left, Egypt created a remarkably muscular man, centre, and Russia also chose a powerful looking build The designer in the Philippines made Richard toned but slim, left, in Nigeria his skin was darkened, centre, and he had a fuller figure while in Indonesia his waist was narrowed and his arms slimmed Both Russia and Venuzuela chose a build, which although it was muscular, appeared less about going to the gym and more about looking powerful. Explaining the concept behind the experiment, the unnamed medics involved wrote on the Superdrug Online Doctors website: 'In order to better understand body image issues around the world, we asked graphic designers 11 women and eight men in 19 different countries to Photoshop our guy (a photographer who courageously provided his self-portrait) to produce their own version of an attractive man for their country. 'Fuelled in part by the media and popular culture, men around the world may feel even more body imagerelated pressure than women do pressure to be stronger or slimmer or more muscular.' The designer in South Africa made Richard darker with a gym-toned body, left, Serbia had Richard with a fuller figure and a tattoo while Australia slimmed his arms The designer in Venezuela created a toned torso and shaved his chest hair, left, Croatia made him slimmer, centre, while Columbia embraced a fuller figure but gave more stomach definition They added: 'Their revisions ranged from subtle to jaw-dropping in some cases, its hard to believe every image represents the same person. His physique, skin colour, and hair transform noticeably in virtually every submission.' The Serbian entry has a half-sleeve tattoo and is made noticeably hairier while many changed the hair style, with the American man having carefully coiffed hair and the Russian man sporting a golden mane. Richard told FEMAIL: 'I took all the image manipulations with a grain of salt and honestly most of them are pretty hysterical. I've always been comfortable in my body and was super curious to see what my body type would look like modified for different country's ideals. 'My personal favourites are Nigeria because he looks jolly, Serbia because he looks like a cage fighter, and Venezuela - because they didn't modify my head at all. So maybe that's where I'll retire.' The designer in Macedonia created a muscular figure for Richard and made him hairier, left, and in Pakistan they liked a fuller figure In Bangladesh, the designer made Richard darker and gave him a scarf to cover his boxers, left, Spain made him slightly thinner, centre, while Portugal slimmed him down and made his face more defined Denise Hatton, Chief Executive of YMCA England, a founding partner of the Be Real campaign for body confidence, said: 'Men suffer equally with women around low body confidence as many strive to attain a standard of "attractiveness" that is both often unobtainable and, as this report shows, driven by cultural perceptions and advertising ideals. 'Our own research found that 40 per cent of men in the UK felt pressure from television and magazines to have a "perfect body" and this has negative effects on how they view themselves and others.' A teenager who tipped the scales at 15st aged just 13 has lost five stone after doctors warned her weight could kill her. Maddie Smith, now 19, from Crawley, West Sussex, has turned her life around and dropped five dress sizes after hearing she had developed dangerous fatty deposits around her liver usually seen in morbidly obese people much older than her - or alcoholics. The teenager, who now weighs 9st 11lbs after slimming from a size 20 to a svelte size ten, believes relatives and friends made excuses for her large frame when she was younger. Maddie Smith (pictured today) has shed almost five stone and dropped five dress sizes after doctors told her she could die Maddie (pictured left and right before her weight loss) says that she began gaining weight as a teenager, reaching a size 20 and weighing almost 15st by the time she was 13 The harsh reality check forced Maddie to reassess her eating habits aged just 13, and she has now gone on to become a fitness instructor. After her health scare, Maddie cut out sugary treats - like cola and energy drinks - opting only for natural alternatives. She claims most of her weight loss happened before she ever hit the gym. Now the teenager is urging other youngsters to take their weight problems into their own hands as early as possible. Maddie said: 'I had always been chubby as a child. 'But when I got to ten or 11, I began putting on a lot more weight. At my biggest I was just under 15 stone.' For Maddie (pictured after her weight loss) this was breaking point she needed to make a change giving up sugar treats and hitting the gym five times a week Aged 13 she was rushed to hospital where she was told that she had a fatty liver - usually associated with alcoholics or the morbidly obese. Pictured: Maddie at school in her early teens She believes her weight gain was largely down to her increasing independence, as she spent most of her pocket money on treats and rarely exercised. WHAT IS FATTY LIVER? Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the term for a range of conditions caused by a build-up of fat in the liver. It's usually seen in people who are overweight or obese. A healthy liver should contain little or no fat. It's estimated that up to one in every three people in the UK has early stages of NAFLD where there are small amounts of fat in their liver. Early-stage NAFLD doesn't usually cause any harm, but it can lead to serious liver damage, including cirrhosis, if it gets worse. Having high levels of fat in your liver is also associated with an increased risk of problems such as diabetes, heart attacks and strokes. Source: NHS Advertisement Maddie was a size 20 when she was rushed to hospital with suspected appendicitis. However she was later told her agony was caused by a fatty liver - which increased the risk of problems such as diabetes, heart attacks and strokes. She said: 'When I was 13 I had to go to hospital because of concerns I could have had appendicitis. 'While I was there I was told I had a fatty liver and it was a reality check for me. 'Having fat around your organs is never a good thing but the liver is vital for metabolism and the doctors were worried for me. 'Me and my mum looked at each other as if to say "this is the final straw". There were no more excuses after that point.' She gave up sweet biscuits, chocolate bars and put her energy into visiting the gym five times a week - and has just achieved her ideal weight. Maddie, who now weighs 9st 11Ibs and is a svelte size ten, is now determined to help others. She said: 'As a teenager I was very uncomfortable in myself and had no confidence. 'It is difficult for a teenage girl to be overweight. Maddie, pictured pins her weight gain on increasing independence after spending much of her pocket money on snacks Maddie now works as a personal trainer at a gym in Crawley (left) and trains five times a week to maintain her new size ten figure 'But when you're young and podgy, it's easy for people to make excuses for you.' She now works as a personal trainer at the K2 gym in Crawley and trains five times a week. She continued: 'I'd like to be the happiest and healthiest version of myself and I think I've achieved that.' 'I could not have done this without the support of my mum and friends. Support is really important for any other girls facing weight problems. Traces of the Zika virus have been detected in the amniotic fluid of two pregnant women whose babies were diagnosed with microcephaly, it emerged today. The reports suggest the virus can cross the placental barrier, experts warned. But, they cautioned, it does not yet amount to proof that the virus causes the serious birth defect. Researchers analysed the whole genome of the virus detected in two pregnant women. In doing so they were able to ascertain the strain infecting the expectant mothers is genetically related to that which has caused an outbreak in French Polynesia in 2013. So far 36 countries have been affected by the current outbreak and WHO officials have predicted as many as four million people could be infected with the virus this year. A report published in the Lancet reveals traces of the Zika virus were found in the amniotic fluid of two pregnant women whose babies had already been diagnosed with microcephaly, a birth defect that causes babies to be born with unusually small heads, and often brain damage Dr Ana de Filippis, lead author of the new study, from the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro, said this is the first research to identify Zika virus in amniotic fluid. 'Previous studies have identified Zika virus in the saliva, breast milk and urine of mothers and their newborn babies, after having given birth,' she said. 'This study reports details of the Zika virus being identified directly in the amniotic fluid of a woman during her pregnancy, suggesting the virus could cross the placental barrier and potentially infect the foetus.' It comes as Brazil's health ministry today said most of the 508 confirmed cases of microcephaly reported in the country are likely to be related to the Zika outbreak. The placental barrier is made up of layers of tissue in the placenta and regulates the exchange of substances - including infections - between the mother and foetus. The amniotic fluid is the protective liquid that surrounds the foetus. Dr de Filippis said: 'This study cannot determine whether the Zika virus identified in these two cases was the cause of microcephaly in the babies. 'Until we understand the biological mechanism linking Zika virus to microcephaly we cannot be certain that one causes the other, and further research is urgently needed.' The number of reported cases of newborn babies with microcephaly in Brazil in 2015 has increased twenty-fold compared with previous years. At the same time, Brazil has reported a high number of Zika virus infections, leading to speculation that the two may be linked. Though the discovery does not amount to concrete proof of a link between the virus and microcephaly, scientists say it does show the virus can cross the placental barrier and infect an unborn baby ZIKA FOUND IN BRAIN OF BABY ABORTED DUE TO BIRTH DEFECT The latest report comes a week after experts in Slovenia revealed the Zika virus had been found in the brain of an aborted fetus. An autopsy showed the fetus was suffering microcephaly - a smaller than normal head size, as well as severe brain injury and high levels of the virus in brain tissue. The level of Zika was higher than would normally be seen in blood samples, according to researchers at the University Medical Center in Ljublijana, Slovenia. The findings 'strengthen the biologic association' between Zika virus infection and microcephaly, experts at Harvard noted in an editorial accompanying the study. The pregnant mother, who was from Europe, became infected with Zika virus at 13 weeks gestation, while she was working in northeastern Brazil. She subsequently returned to Europe when she was 28 weeks pregnant. Scans performed a week later revealed her unborn baby had a small head and brain calcifications, as seen in other cases linked to Zika virus. It was also noted that the fetus had stopped moving as much. After consulting experts, the woman chose to terminate her baby. During an autopsy, it was noted that the fetus's brain was 'grossly diseased'. The researchers said genetic consultation, including a detailed family history, revealed no suspicion of genetic syndromes or disease that was likely to trigger microcephaly. Therefore, they concluded the birth defect was caused by the mother's Zika infection. They note two other cases where fetuses were found to have microcephaly, and Zika was found in the amniotic fluid surrounding the unborn child - providing more evidence of transmission in the womb, across the placenta. In an editorial, experts at Harvard, said: 'The findings of this case report do not provide absolute proof that Zika virus causes microcephaly.' But they add: 'This case report makes the link stronger.' Advertisement Such is the concern over a potential link, that the World Health Organization declared the Zika outbreak currently sweeping the Americas an international public health emergency earlier this month. Babies born with microcephaly have abnormally small heads, and are at risk of incomplete brain development. Microcephaly has previously been linked to a range of factors including genetic disorders, drug or chemical intoxication, maternal malnutrition and infections with viruses or bacteria that can cross the placental barrier such as herpes, HIV, or some mosquito borne viruses such as chikungunya. In this study, the team led by Dr de Filippis investigated the case of two women, aged 27 and 35, from Paraiba, a state in northeast Brazil. The two women presented with symptoms of Zika virus infection including fever, muscle pain and a rash during their first trimester of pregnancy, the report, which is published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, said. Ultrasounds taken at approximately 22 weeks of pregnancy confirmed the foetuses had microcephaly. Samples of amniotic fluid were taken at 28 weeks of pregnancy and analysed for potential infections. Both patients tested negative for dengue virus, chikungunya virus and other infections such as HIV, syphilis and herpes. Although the two womens blood and urine samples tested negative for Zika virus, their amniotic fluid tested positive for Zika virus genome and Zika antibodies. The amniotic fluid was analysed using a process called metagenomic analysis. This allows the detection of any microorganism that could be present in the samples, but only Zika virus genome was found. The RNA of the two Zika virus samples was then compared with samples from previous outbreaks, and was found to be genetically related to the strain identified in French Polynesia in 2013. Reflecting on the findings, Professor Didier Musso from the Unit of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institut Louis Malarde in Tahiti, said: 'Even if all these data strongly suggest that Zika virus can cause microcephaly, the number of microcephaly cases related to Zika virus is still unknown. The World Health Organization declared the Zika outbreak in the Americas an international public health emergency earlier this month, over concerns of a link between Zika and microcephaly 'The next step will be to do case-control studies to estimate the potential risk of microcephaly after Zika virus infection during pregnancy, other fetal or neonatal complications, and long-term outcomes for infected symptomatic and asymptomatic neonates.' Responding to the report, Jimmy Whitworth, professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: 'This study does strengthen the body of evidence that Zika virus is the cause of foetal microcephaly in Brazil. 'The investigators have shown that the virus crossed the placental barrier during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy in two women with fever and rash. 'Importantly they did not find evidence of any other of the main infections known to cause microcephaly. 'Studies of this sort can show an association between Zika and microcephaly but cannot show that Zika virus definitely caused the microcephaly. 'This will require the accumulation of evidence from a variety of studies from different perspectives. Author Gail Gauthier's Reflections On Children's Books, Writing, And The World of Children's Publishing A young mother diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer after being denied a smear test because of her age had died at just 22. Jade Pateman, from County Durham, who has a two year-old son called Oscar, developed cervical cancer at the end of 2014 but was only diagnosed last May. Last summer doctors warned she had between 18 months and two years to live. But the disease progressed quicker than predicted and she passed away at home last Thursday, surrounded by devastated family and friends. Before her death Miss Pateman had campaigned for the cervical screening age to be lowered from 25 to 20, creating an online petition. She believed had had she been offered the test, it would have saved her life. Scroll down for video Jade Pateman, with two-year-old son Oscar, was diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer at the age of just 21. She was deemed too young to have a routine smear test that could have saved her life Smear tests are not designed to detect cancer. Instead they look for abnormalities that have the potential to develop into cancer at a later date. After launching the petition Miss Pateman had said: 'There are too many people being told, "sorry, we can't help you". 'I believe if I had been given the cervical screening when I was 20, I could have had the abnormal cells removed and be fine now. 'Instead, because I was classed as being too young, the cells developed into cancer and now it's spread around my body. 'It only takes a minute for one person to wake up and realise what is going on. 'I mentioned it to the staff when I've been in hospital and they say they agree, but that's not enough, it's got to come from the top. 'That's why I started the petition. I know that there's nothing that can be done for me now and I've accepted that I'm never going to grow old, but it can save other women. 'They say it does more harm than good to be tested younger than 25, but how? It's caused me more harm not being screened.' Cervical cancer often has no symptoms in its early stages but the most common is irregular bleeding, in between periods, after sex or after the menopause. She was treated with antibiotics for an inflamed cervix and when further tests came back clear she was referred to a colposcopy clinic. But further tests revealed a 6cm tumour on her cervix which had already spread to the lymph nodes in her stomach, chest and neck. Miss Pateman was as determined to prolong her life for the sake of her son and underwent chemotherapy, which finished just before Christmas. But three weeks ago, she was told the cancer had spread to her liver and there was nothing else medics could do. Miss Pateman (with partner Simon) believes had she been offered the test, it would have stopped the cancer As her condition deteriorated rapidly, loved ones hastily set about making her final wish come true by organising a blessing ceremony with her boyfriend Simon. The couple had been living together, but Miss Pateman returned to her family home for her final days. SYMPTOMS OF CERVICAL CANCER Symptoms of the disease are not always obvious and may not appear until it is in an advanced stage. In most cases, abnormal bleeding is the first sign. It usually occurs after sex although any unusual bleeding should be investigated. Other symptoms include: pain in and around the vagina during sex an unpleasant smelling discharge pain when passing urine If the cancer has spread there may be other symptoms including constipation, blood in the urine, loss of bladder control, bone pain and swelling in the legs and kidneys. Advertisement Last Wednesday evening, close family gathered round for a 'hen night' - with the blessing ceremony was due to take place the following day. Tragically, at 5.30am that morning, Miss Pateman passed away. Her mother, Yvonne Claude, 49, said: 'Jade said to me "mam, I'm so excited about tonight (the hen night) and tomorrow (the blessing), but I can't get my body to show it". 'That was one of the saddest things. She had seen everybody that day, including Oscar, her dad, and my two sisters. 'Maybe she was ready to go.'I think her body gave up, but her mind hadn't. 'She was still Jade and we continued treating her like that, laughing and joking on with her all the time.' Ms Claude said she was extremely proud of the way her daughter had used her own diagnosis to try and help others. She said: 'It was typical of Jade to still be thinking of other people - that's how she was. 'I was so proud of her that she could make something positive out of something so negative in her life.' The mother-of-six described her eldest daughter as being 'a little monkey' during her teenage years, who developed into a 'lovely, responsible young lady' after turning 17. She said it was hard seeing Oscar for the first time after Jade's death but said he was too young to understand what was going on. Miss Pateman, with Oscar, received her devastating diagnosis in May. Tragically by June, the cancer had spread into lymph nodes in her stomach, chest and neck - beyond the point where radiotherapy could help She added: 'Jade was a really brilliant mam to Oscar, she was fantastic. The depth of her devotion to him was amazing. 'She never wanted to leave him with anyone and never wanted us to babysit, she always just wanted to look after him herself. 'She just loved him to bits, he was her world - and it wasn't for him, she probably wouldn't have fought so hard. 'He is my last link to my eldest baby daughter.' Ms Claude has urged people to continue supporting the petition. She added: 'It took five months from Jade first visiting the doctors with symptoms to being diagnosed. 'We had been telling ourselves, and Jade, all along that it wouldn't be cancer. We said 'you're only 21, it will be something else' and the doctors did too. 'The diagnosis was devastating. It was shocking and unbelievable.' She describe how as soon as her daughter received the terrible news, she began her campaign. 'Jade attacked the cancer head on and said she wouldn't let it beat her. 'But obviously it beat her down so fast. The more signatures that we can get, the more likely it is to get to Parliament.' Paying tribute to her daughter, Miss Pateman's mother Yvonne said: 'Jade was a really brilliant mam to Oscar, she was fantastic. The depth of her devotion to him was amazing' Women of all ages can develop cervical cancer and about 3,000 cases are diagnosed each year. It is most common in sexually active women aged between 30 and 45 and rare in women under 25. In 2003, the Advisory Committee on Cervical Cancer advised increasing the minimum screening age from 20 to 25. Five years later, the NHS began offering 12 and 13-year-old girls the HPV vaccination to protect against the virus responsible for 99 per cent of cervical cancer cases. A spokesperson from Public Health England said screening women under the age of 25 may do more harm than good. She said: 'Women below the age of 25 often undergo natural and harmless changes in the cervix that screening would identify as cervical abnormalities. 'Despite this, cervical cancer is very rare in this age group. In most cases these abnormalities resolve themselves without any need for treatment. 'Research has shown if women suffer unnecessary treatment, this could have an adverse effect on their future childbearing.' Robert Music, chief executive of Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, said: 'It is crucial to see a GP straight away if suffering symptoms. 'For those under 25 who present with symptoms such as abnormal bleeding, the most common symptom of cervical cancer, there is an NHS pathway for GP's to follow which aims to result in a faster route to diagnosis.' Donations for Oscar's future be made at crowdfunding.justgiving.com/jadeandoscars-angels-charity. Dr Richard Redett is one of the surgeons at Johns Hopkins University set to perform the first penis transplant in the US Surgeons are to give 60 soldiers new penises in the first ever transplants of their kind in the US. The first patient, who has not been identified, lost most of his penis and sustained serious groin injuries in a bomb explosion while he was deployed overseas. Media reports have suggested he was wounded while serving in Afghanistan. And now dozens of injured US veterans are to also have the surgery so they can start families. Doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore will perform the surgery on the man - the first transplant of its kind to take place at an American hospital. Surgeons hope a donated organ from a recently deceased man will provide full function including urination, sensation and sex. The surgery requires joining nerves and blood vessels under a microscope. Doctors and advocates who work with wounded soldiers note that the loss of the penis is one of the most emotionally traumatic injuries because it affects a sense of identity and manhood, especially for men hoping to become fathers. 'When you meet these guys and you realize what they've given for the country, it makes a lot of sense,' Dr Richard Redett, a plastic surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital who will help perform the operation, told Reuters. The surgery could occur in the coming weeks. Doctors are looking for a donor who is a good match in terms of age and skin color. The donor's family will need to give permission for the penis to be removed. There have been two penis transplants in the world to date. The first in China in 2006 was unsuccessful, while the second in South Africa in 2014 was a success. Thor Wold, who served as a Marine medic in the Iraq war and now works as an advocate for veterans, said that after suffering genital injuries servicemen immediately wanted to know if they would still have sexual function. 'They would ask, "Is everything OK down there, doc? My wife's at home and we're trying to have a baby when I get back",' Mr Wold said. Dr Redett said penis injuries sustained in bomb blasts can mean patients need more than just a penis transplant. The patient, who has not been identified, lost most of his penis and sustained serious groin injuries in a bomb explosion while he was deployed overseas. Media reports have suggested he was wounded while serving in Afghanistan (file image) The diagram shows how surgeons in South Africa performed the first successful penis transplant last year. The nerves of the donated penis were joined to the recipient's genital region, in a bid to restore function He said it is likely the scrotum, part of the abdominal wall, groin tissue and part of the inner thigh would have to be replaced as well, in many cases. 'We've sorted out how to take that block of tissue from a donor and give it to a recipient,' he said. The penis transplant does not involve the testes, where sperm are produced, so if a man with a transplanted penis does father a child, the baby would be his genetic offspring, not the donor's. While for now only wounded veterans are being considered for penis transplants, the surgery could eventually be performed on men with birth defects and transgender men and women. The results of the South African transplant offer hope of a success. The 21-year-old patient told the doctors who performed his transplant, in June that he was due to become a father. The news came six months after the pioneering operation. The nine-hour operation took place at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town. The South African patient, who was not named, lost all but a 1cm stumo of his penis three years ago, following a botched circumcision. He was able to resume a sexual relationship with his girlfriend just five weeks after the transplant, doctors said. Professor Frank Graewe, who took part in the nine-hour surgery on the South African man, said last March: 'He gets good quality erections, ejaculates and has frequent sex with his partner.' Ten years ago, a man in China received a transplant, but asked surgeons to remove the donated penis two weeks after the operation. Surgeons who carried out the first penis transplant at Tygerberg Hospital in South Africa revealed months later that their patient was due to become a father Prosper Mathe's lower lip and tongue grew out of control The desperate family of a one-year-old Zimbabwean boy with a debilitating facial deformity are pleading for help to save his life. Prosper Mathe was a happy, healthy baby but soon his parents noticed his lower lip and tongue was growing rapidly. Doctors diagnosed him with haemangioma, a benign, non-cancerous tumour of the endothelial cells, but the poor family have no money to pay for an operation. Prosper's tongue is so large that it threatens to suffocate him, which forced doctors to cut off the tip. However they were unwilling to operate on his lower lip unless the family paid. His mother, Moditor Shoko, has no job and his father, Gilfred Mathe, works in a supermaket and they cannot scrape together the funds to pay for the surgery. His father said that after failing to find doctors that could help them in Zimbabwe, they moved to South Africa but had been unable to come up with the cash needed for the treatment. He said the hospital in the township of Tembisa in Gauteng Province, in north-east South Africa, where they are currently staying, wanted 1,300 to carry out the operation. Local Tembisan journalist Jantji Ngwenyama is publicising the story in the hope that someone will step forward with a donation to pay for the life-changing surgery. Doctors are less likely to die in hospital, have surgery or be admitted to intensive care, than the general public, new research has revealed. While most people report a wish to die at home rather than in a medical facility, the majority of deaths do occur in a hospital or nursing home setting. However, two recent studies suggest doctors are more likely to die in a manner more consistent with end-of-life wishes, than the general population. Experts suggest one of the reasons doctors may receive less intensive end-of-life care is because they are all too aware of the burden it places on both the patient and their loved ones. Doctors are less likely to die in a hospital than members of the general public, two recent studies have suggested. One reason to explain the trend is that doctors are very aware of the burden intensive end-of-life care can place on the patient and their loved ones Another reason, they put forward, is that doctors know better than most the benefits of palliative care in the home - and are able to afford to pay for the often expensive nursing. The first study, carried led by Dr Joel Weissman at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, examined whether doctors receive higher or lower intensity end-of-life treatments compared with non-physicians. They examined the medical records of people aged 66 or older who died between 2004 and 2011 in Massachusetts, Michigan, Utah and Vermont. Researchers concluded doctors were less likely to die in a hospital compared with the general population - 28 per cent versus 32 per cent. They were also less likely to have surgery - 25 per cent versus 27 per cent - and were less likely to be admitted to intensive care - 26 per cent versus 28 per cent. The authors wrote: 'The possible reasons physicians received less intense end-of-life care than others could be knowledge of its burdens and futility, as well as the benefits and the financial resources to pay for other treatment options, such as palliative care or skilled nursing required for death at home.' There comes a time for every person when his or her identity is gone, and the quality of life should be valued more than the mere presence of it Dr Jacquelyn Corley The second study, led by Dr Saul Blecker, of the New York University School of Medicine, compared the location of death of doctors with that of other healthcare professionals, and the general public. Researchers analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Mortality Study, including individuals aged 30 to 98 years old who died between 1979 and 2011. They placed each person into one of four categories relating to profession - physician, other health professional (dentist, nurse, pharmacist, for example), other high education and all others. Those deemed to be in other higher education roles included people not employed in health care who completed six or more years of post-secondary education. Next, they looked at two outcomes - death in an inpatient hospital, and more broadly death at a medical facility, including clinics, nursing homes, and physician's office for example. Of the 471,243 people in the study, 815 were doctors, 2,635 were other health professionals. Meanwhile 15,308 were categorized as other higher education and the remaining 452,485 were all others. Another reason for the trend, experts say, is that doctors recognize the benefits of palliative nursing at home, and can afford the often expensive care Of deaths, 40.3 per cent happened in an inpatient hospital, and 72.1 per cent occurred in any facility. Researchers found those in the 'all others' category were 'more likely than physicians to die in a hospital'. The authors of the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) noted: 'Our results suggest that familiarity with health care and educational attainment may have a small association with experience of death.' Addressing the issue, Dr Jacquelyn Corley, writing for CNN, said: 'There comes a time for every person when his or her identity is gone, and the quality of life should be valued more than the mere presence of it.' That, she said is a view shared by many healthcare professionals. But, it is an idea that can conflict with the public's general consensus. Dr Corley added: 'It is a painful truth that doctors are often asked to continue the kind of intensive measures they would never wish for themselves or a loved one.' She said medical professionals 'know how precious life is'. 'We understand how difficult it is to watch family members lose people they love. 'But we also know in modern medicine, dying with dignity is a luxury more people should enjoy.' The Afzal Guru controversy has given Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) a bad name. Many of the students, who have nothing to do with the row, are bearing the brunt. Students are afraid to venture out of their hostels. The situation is no different outside. A number of JNU students residing in Munirka and other neighbouring areas have been asked to vacate their rented accommodations. A number of JNU students who stay in rented accommodations in neighbouring Munirka have been asked to vacate their houses. Even auto drivers are refusing to go near JNU. As the students put it, they are facing a hate wave following the alleged anti-national activities on campus and the subsequent arrest of JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar on sedition charges. I havent left the campus from the last three days. It feels we are under constant surveillance. Life outside the university campus has come to a standstill, said a student from Kashmir, studying in JNU. Many students staying on rent outside are now searching for hostels inside the campus. JNUites staying in neighbouring areas like Munirka, Ber Sarai, Jia Sarai and Katwaria Sarai are trying to shift inside the campus to protect themselves from any possible hate crime. JNU students continue to hold protests at the varsity, demanding the release of Kanhaiya Kumar The residents of Munirka had protested against the alleged anti-national activities in JNU after the arrest of Kanhaiya. Students said the atmosphere inside JNU was safer. I stay at Neb Sarai, but I dont feel safe. There is constant fear since the Afsal Guru row. My friends who are staying in JNU hostels pick me up every night, so that I can sleep peacefully. I have never gone through such fear in my life, said Shivik, another student from the university. I have to appear for a job interview after three months. The interviewers will question us on these irrelevant issues. What am I supposed to say? This has badly affected our future prospects. I always felt proud of being a JNU student, but some elements have ruined it, he added. That is not all. Some students alleged rickshaw drivers are refusing to take them to JNU campus now. Narrating his story, a student told Mail Today how he was bluntly refused by an auto rickshaw driver when he told him his destination. The driver refused to drop me to JNU when he got to know about my destination. When I insisted, other auto drivers gathered around us and began to threaten me, he said. More than 7,000 students are currently studying in the university from across the world. The controversy started on February 9 when a group of students from the university organised an event on Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru who was hanged in 2013. It was to be held the day after Gurus third death anniversary. Since then, it has all gone downhill. People have started mistreating us. We are being termed anti-national without doing any wrong, Suresh, acting secretary of Students Federation of India (SFI), JNU Unit, told Mail Today. People want to see our identity cards, before giving us accommodation now, another student from the university said. Vande Mataram echoes inside the courtroom of Supreme Court By Harish V Nair Scenes of drama that unfolded at the Supreme Court were similar to those at the Patiala House Court Complex with cries of Vande Mataram echoing inside the courtroom. Ironically, the sloganeering came seconds after a bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar, which was hearing a plea seeking a fair trial and protection for arrested JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar called for some degree of moderation. Moderation seems to be a forgotten word in todays society, which is a dangerous trend. We are not taking any sides or going into merits, but the atmosphere in and around a courtroom cannot be vitiated like this. This is a matter of concern as this phenomenon is increasingly seen in sensational cases, Justice Chelameswar said. A lawyer, who was standing at the rear of the packed courtroom and was identified as Rahul Yadav, shouted Vande Mataram. He then managed to give the security personnel a miss for 20 minutes before they brought him near the dias on the orders of the court. Yadav, while explaining his case, told the court that he got carried away and could not contain himself. Another lawyer supporting Yadav said: If they say Pakistan zindabad, Afzal zindabad, how can one remain quiet? To this the judge snapped and asked: All of us are patriotic. Nobody is trying to demean our motherland but if somebody does it, will you take law into your own hands? Yadav then tendered an unconditional apology, which was accepted by the court despite Dhawan and Bhushan pressing for the initiation of contempt of court charges. Supreme Court order fails to curb chaos at trial court By Sneha Agarwal The atmosphere at the Patiala House Court Complex, where JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar was produced on Wednesday, remained tense after Mondays chaos even as police made arrangements to prevent untoward incidents. Lawyers held a demonstration and despite security arrangements, a mob heckled and thrashed journalists, police personnel and lawyers. Defying Supreme Court orders, the group of men in lawyers robes also raised slogans of Vande Mataram and waved the Tricolour. JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, who was arrested over sedition charges, is shielded by policemen after a mob tried to assault him at the Patiala House Courts Complex on Wednesday The police made minimal efforts to ensure that the law and order situation was under control. Mediapersons were surrounded by the mob while they were in an enclosure which was made for them. The mob then threatened them not to use their mobile phones and checked their identity cards. A man, who had attacked the Mail Today correspondent and her fellow reporters on Monday tried to justify his act. You should have not tried to save your fellow reporter. Nationalism is above all. When I saw you scared, I got swayed and attacked you, he said. The section of the deployed police made minimal efforts even as the mob was getting out of control and made efforts to break the barricade. As the news of Kanhaiya Kumar entering court broke, the mob attacked him. Some police personnel were also attacked as they tried to save the JNUSU president. Later, police personnel and people from the mob were seen shaking hands over their success. A visibly shaken Kanhaiya was brought into the courtroom at 2.45pm, where an unidentified person tried to attack him. During the hearing, which commenced at 3pm, advocates Vrinda Grover and Sushil Bajaj, who appeared for Kanhaiya, told the magistrate that the police had failed to maintain law and order despite Supreme Court orders. They said their client had been assaulted inside and outside the court premises. The lawyers claimed that despite Kanhaiya asking police officers to apprehend the person who was trying to assault him near the gate of the courtroom, they allowed him to go scot free. At 3.25pm, the Supreme Court appointed panel consisting of six lawyers -Kapil Sibal, Rajeev Dhawan, Dushyant Dave, ADN Rao, Ajit Sinha and Harin Raval reached the trial court, to take the stock of the situation, which was also video graphed. The JNUSU president narrated, how he was assaulted and the police had escorted him inside the courtroom. In his statement, he said he is an Indian who has full faith in the judiciary and the Constitution, a statement the police latched on to say that it will not oppose his bail. The media trial against me is painful. If there is evidence against me that I am a traitor, then you please send me to jail. But if there is no evidence against me, there should be no media trial, he said. Umar Khalid, a PhD student in Jawaharlal Nehru University Democratic Students Union (DSU) activists led by Umar Khalid, a PhD student in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) who conceived the idea of a cultural evening to mark the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, had planned similar events across the country. Intelligence reports suggest the group wanted to hold such events in 18 universities in the country. An intelligence report on the role of the 10 DSU activists who organised the event to commemorate Gurus death anniversary where anti-India slogans were raised, however, has no mention of Kanhaiya Kumar, JNU Students Union president who was arrested for sedition. Kumar is the only one to be arrested leading to a controversy over police action that followed Union Home Minister Rajnath Singhs comment that anti-national activities will not be tolerated. The intelligence mechanism seems to be divided on the decision to arrest Kumar. Organising such events or being part of them alone cannot be viewed as sedition. There needs to be prima-facie evidence to suggest that the sloganeering was to incite people to commit acts to overthrow the state, an official said. Joining hands: JNU students demonstrate demanding release of students union president Kanhaiya Kumar The report explains the role of DSU activists in organising the event. DSU is an extreme Left group active in JNU. However, students who shouted anti-India slogans have not been identified in the report. The DSU activists responsible for organising the event have not been named as accused in the FIR registered by the Delhi Police. A case has been registered against Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in the district court of Allahabad after a lawyer Shushil Mishra filed a PIL in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate stating that Rahul took an anti-national stand by voicing his support for students of JNU. The FIR mentions that the posters for the event had their names. The report states that Umar Khalid, a Phd student from the School of Social Sciences, was the main organiser of the event. He conceived the idea of organising a cultural evening on February 9, the day on which Afzal Guru was hanged, the report states. Khalid did his M.A. in history and M.Phil from JNU and has been doing field work in Jharkhand, according to the report. He is one of the applicants who sought permission for organising the event on JNU campus. The report names Banjyotsana Lahiri, a guest faculty in Ambedkar University, who conceptualised the event in consultation with Umar. She proposed the title of the event as A country without a post office against the Brahminical cannibal collective conscience, against judicial murder of Afzal Guru, AFSPA and atrocities by Indian Army, Right to Self Determination including assassination of people of Kashmir, the report states. According to the report, Reyaz- Ul-Haq, a student of the School of International Language (Spanish), invited other like-minded people to join the event and also uploaded photographs on social media. Foreign students say sedition tag may tarnish future By Astha Saxena Over 150 foreign students in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) are in a state of fix. Just a few days ago they were the proud students of the prestigious university, but the sedition row has cast a shadow on their future. A majority of them have expressed fear that they were under constant surveillance by unknown groups. Dissenting voices: Activists staging a protest against alleged anti-national activities at JNU We are terrified. We feel our phone calls are being tapped; messages and emails have been hacked. These anti-human elements should not treat and portray JNU as Afghanistan. People here are constantly contributing to the idea of democracy, which is an important part of any country, a student of German studies told Mail Today. On Tuesday, hackers defaced the website of Jawaharlal Nehru Universitys library and left a message threatening anti-nationals as students and teachers boycotted classes on campus to protest against the arrest of a student leader accused of sedition. However, some of them came out in support of students union saying the comments made by political parties and ministers are unfounded. Its a wonderful place. Whatever is happening is damaging the image of the university. I have never felt unsafe here. I am well aware about the issue and the political parties, who are adding fuel to the matter should stop it immediately, one of the students from the United States said. Scared of voicing their opinion, students are now reluctant to comment on the issue. This event has turned into a much bigger issue than everyone expected. Whatever happened on Saturday could have been prevented. People should not violate the basic human rights. Some people from outside the camps are portraying a wrong image of the campus, Konstantin, a student of Arts and Aesthetics told Mail Today. JNU campus is under police surveillance since February 10. With the students going on an indefinite hunger strike, the academic calendar of the varsity has also got affected. The present students union is at no fault. Rest, I dont want to comment anything. But, due to the protests our classes have been cancelled. Yesterday, teachers also joined the movement, said Suzuka Sanada, 23, a student from Japan. Now azadi slogans raised at Jadavpur University By Soudhriti Bhabani Kolkata's Jadavpur University campus, a nerve-centre of students movement in West Bengal, continued to remain on the boil as students took out rallies and counter-rallies on Wednesday, making the varsity a hotbed of dissent over the ongoing turmoil at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). A group of students were seen calling for freedom for Kashmir, Manipur and Nagaland on the varsity premises. Hum kya chahe - Azadi. Kashmir ki Azadi. Manipur ki Azadi. Nagaland ki Azadi (We demand freedom. Kashmirs freedom. Manipurs freedom. Nagalands freedom), one of the posters at the campus read. Activists take out a protest rally condemning the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar, in Kolkata The posters were signed by a group called Radical. Two other groups of Jadavpur University (JU) students also brought out rallies in the campus shouting slogans Bharat Mata ki Jai. The opposite group of 100- strong students said they would not tolerate any anti-national activity within the campus. They also tore posters and banners around the campus that were put up to express solidarity with the JNU students protesting the arrest of their leader Kanhaiya Kumar. We are also JU students and we dont support such activities within the university. We will not allow anyone to litter our campus with anti-national slogans and posters, a group of protesters said. A day after pro-Afzal Guru slogans were raised at JU when students took out a torch rally against police crackdown on students at JNU, the high drama continued for the whole day on Wednesday on the university premises. Jadavpur University vice-chancellor Suranjan Das said: Certain fringe elements raised the slogansThe entire university cannot be blamed I personally met the students union leaders this morning and they categorically told me that they disassociate themselves with all anti-national slogans. Meanwhile, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) sought a detail report from the West Bengal government regarding the protest march by JU students on Tuesday. It also directed the state government to mention the circumstances leading to the students protests. Olympian Yogeshwar slams JNU By Chetan Sharma Olympian Yogeshwar Dutt wrote a poem on JNU controversy Reacting to the JNU controversy, ace wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt has written a patriotic poem in Hindi that has gone viral on the internet. The poem criticises the alleged anti-national activities on the varsitys campus. It was uploaded on Dutts official Facebook page on February 13 and has received tens of thousands of likes and hundreds of comments since then. In his poem, the London Olympics bronze medal winner has compared anti-national elements to Mahmud of Ghazni and even questioned their Right to Expression when they choose to demean the country. The Padma Shri recipient also accused the students and their supporters of dishonouring the sacrifice of Indian soldiers, including Lance Naik Hanamanthappa - one of 10 soldiers who died in an avalanche in Siachen earlier this month. Here's a translation of Dutt's poem: Those who are singing praises of Afzal Guru have the blood of Mahmud Ghazni in them. They consider themselves as enemies of the country in which they are born. What sort of freedom of speech is this that permits one to abuse Mother India. What sort of freedom of expression allows one to violate the honour of my country? CBI director Anil Sinha refuses to comment on Ishrat Jahan case as it is sub-judice In order to avoid a controversy, CBI director Anil Sinha was well-guarded, when he was asked about the Ishrat Jehan case as the matter surfaced again after David Headleys deposition in a Mumbai court. He was asked if he stands by CBIs investigation that led to a charge sheet being filed against IB officials and other police officers from Gujarat, he chose not to comment as the case is sub-judice. Top cop happy hes not in JNU now A top IPS officer heading an investigating agency thanked his stars for having graduated from JNU many years ago. Referring to the attacks on JNU students by lawyers following the controversy over the Afzal Guru event marking his death anniversary on the university campus, the officer said in jest while interacting with journalists, I hope they are not targeting those who studied in JNU long back. Saffron fire for JNU tinderbox The right-wing is using all kinds of aliases to keep the JNU row heated. Bajrang Dal activists staged several protests outside JNU. Other more moderate RSS-BJP affiliates are being used as well. BJP leaders such as Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi protested at Jantar Mantar under the aegis of social organisation Lok Abhiyaan. RSS-affiliated Group of Intellectuals on Monday marched from VB Chowk to Press Club. Now another alias, Initiative for Public Cause will organise a human chain of professionals on Friday around JNU campus. Journos frisked, lawyers go free After the ruckus at Patiala House Courts on Monday in which the role of Delhi Police was criticised, New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police personally frisked the five journalists, who were granted permission to attend the court proceedings of JNU student Kanhaiya Kumar on Wednesday. But the six lawyers were let in after checking their identity cards. To maintain law and order in the trial court, the apex court restricted the entry of people inside the court room to just six lawyers, one JNU professor and five journalists. Bassi in race for CIC post? As the retirement of Delhi police chief BS Bassi draws closer, the buzz of him being appointed as Information Commissioner to Central Information Commission is again in the air. In or out? Barring disaster, at some point soon we will make that decision on Britains life in the European Union. Even if you are nearing Brexit exhaustion already, it is worth reading a report released yesterday from Capital Economics, commissioned by Woodford Investment Management. Brexit: the economic implications - an independent examination of the economics of Britain and the EU - reckons that the stay or go decision may not have the financial impact both extremes of the argument suggest. Although the impact of Brexit on the British economy is uncertain, we doubt that Britains long-term economic outlook hinges on it, says the report. Things have changed a lot since 1973, when joining the European Economic Community was a big deal for the United Kingdom. On the slide: Britain's exports to the European Union are on a downward trend It says that even in a worst case scenario, where Britain failed to negotiate a free trade agreement with the EU, we may not suffer as much as has been suggested. EU import tariffs have fallen substantially to about 4 per cent from 8 per cent at the start of the 1990s, manufacturing has declined as a share of the British economy from 20 per cent in the mid-1990s to 10 per cent now and Europe itself has become a less important trading partner. Exports to the EU now make up 45 per cent of Britain's total, compared to 55 per cent in 1999. Poll Would Britain be better off in or out of the EU? In Out Would Britain be better off in or out of the EU? In 16244 votes Out 60553 votes Now share your opinion So what if we voted to leave? Benefits would arise from our own more tailored approach to immigration and regulation, according to the report and a net contribution saving of 10billion a year is estimated. Yet, it acknowledges that Britain is likely to keep quite a bit of that regulation anyway. Changes to immigration could see a tilt towards non-EU residents but the report highlights how people moving to the UK only add an extra 0.5 per cent to the workforce each year. It also says we would probably have to spend a considerable chunk of the 10billion we could save on EU contributions on supporting Brexit affected industries. It says: With the single market as it stands, the United Kingdom needs to apply European Union regulations to the whole of the economy, even though only 14 per cent of its output is exported to the European Union. So, for example, the National Health Service must comply with the Working Time Directive and retailers are affected by the Agency Workers Directive. 'Nevertheless, the benefits of getting rid of European Union regulations should not be overstated as Britain would probably want to keep many of them anyway. The growth of services and decline of manufacturing eases our reliance on tariff-free EU trade Meanwhile the tariffs imposed on trade from outside the EU have more than halved since 1990 If we could not come to a free trade agreement, the report suggest we may end up with the EUs common external tariff sometimes called the World Trade Organization option. The extra costs which British exporters would pay in higher tariffs would be less than the savings the United Kingdom would make on its contributions to the European Union making it feasible for the government to compensate the losers from Brexit, at least in the short term, it says. In the long term, the British economy is flexible enough for there to be a reallocation of resources from industries that are made less competitive by Brexit to those that become more competitive. Assessing the state of play for Britain as a whole, it claims that no region would be considerably more adversely affected than the nation as a whole, although a chart highlights how different parts of the UK export substantially higher amounts of goods than others. Some parts of the UK export substantially more goods to the EU than others, they may need to be compensated in the event of Brexit Star fund manager Neil Woodford, himself, recorded an accompanying video interview. In it he said that while Brexit was important for investors to consider, he believed the outcome was a 'nil sum game'. In the long-term investors would neither win nor lose, which ever way Britain decides. As for his portfolio, Woodford is not overly worried. 'Most of the companies - the really big companies - that I invest in really have very little interaction with the slings and arrows of the UK economy,' he said. 'Many of them have absolutely nothing to do with the UK economy. It does have an influence at the margin, in parts of the portfolio, but for the overall strategy it's a global perspective that drives strategy.' In the short-term a Brexit would be likely to see volatility for both the UK stock market and for the pound. The pound sliding against the euro and dollar - as would most likely occur - could boost the manufacturers who have most to lose from Brexit. The financial services industry would be affected, but the report says that London is not a global financial capital just because of EU membership - its status may be dented by Brexit but not fatally wounded. The report adds: It is plausible that Brexit could have a modest negative impact on growth and job creation. But it is slightly more plausible that the net impacts will be modestly positive. This is a strong conclusion when compared with some studies. Despite that suggestion, the report comes down firmly on the fence. It does not provide the answer for those of us who would struggle to choose to remain or leave if the vote arrived right now. The question we face is whether Britain and the EUs relationship is akin to a tempestuous couple who are genuinely better off together, or that of warring parents sticking together for the sake of the kids, but who would have more to gain by going their separate ways. The Woodford report does, however, lay out a relatively rosy picture whatever we choose. We continue to think that the United Kingdoms economic prospects are good whether inside or outside the European Union, it says. Britain has pulled ahead of the European Union in recent years, and we expect that gap to widen over the next few years regardless of whether Brexit occurs. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MONEY: LISTEN TO THE THIS IS MONEY PODCAST > Listen on iTunes Crouching in a hangar on the outskirts of Derby, on a lime green transporter, is a gigantic Trent XWB engine in a grey protective covering. The huge turbine, whose fan casing is bigger than the fuselage of Concorde, is about to be driven under police escort to East Midlands airport near Castle Donington, around 12 miles away. Once there, it will be loaded on to a Ukrainian-built Antonov transporter jet which has been chartered for around 500,000 to fly it to Winnipeg, Canada. Golden era: Rolls-Royce's Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XVIII fighter warbird in Angelholm, Sweden On arrival, it will be driven, slowly and carefully, along icy highways 470 miles to GLACIER the Global Aerospace Centre for Icing and Environmental Research at Thompson, Manitoba, where it will undergo extreme cold weather testing. The XWB, which powers passenger jumbo jets, is a genuine marvel of British manufacturing, made by our flagship industrial company, Rolls-Royce. Unfortunately, the technical prowess that has made the Rolls-Royce name famous throughout the world has not always been matched by managerial skill. The sheer brilliance of the XWB is starkly at odds with the companys nose-diving profits and share price. Despite hopeful results earlier this month, the FTSE 100 firm still faces its biggest financial crisis since the early Seventies. Rolls-Royce went bankrupt 45 years ago due to the burgeoning costs of developing the RB211, the forerunner of the XWB. Shortly after, the company was nationalised by Ted Heaths Tory government. The country reacted as if Britain itself had gone bust, asking how it could happen to the maker of the Merlin engines that powered the Spitfire (pictured above) and saved the nation from the Luftwaffe, not to mention the countrys most coveted make of car. The Britain of today is a very different place and the outlook for Rolls is not as bleak now as it was then but the future is beset with uncertainty. Rolls is not on the brink: it has a 73billion order book and has commandeered more than half of the global market for engines for larger wide-bodied jumbo jets. But long-term investors have taken flight and at least one US hedge fund has bought a stake. The Government has looked at emergency plans including part-nationalisation and a rescue merger. Firing up the engines: An XWB under production by Rolls-Royce workers in Derby Such drastic measures are unlikely, but the fact they have been on the radar shows the seriousness of the situation. The company traces its roots to 1904, when Charles Rolls met Henry Royce at the Midland Hotel in Manchester. The pair set up in business, producing the Silver Ghost car two years later and an aero-engine, the Eagle, at the start of World War One. As well as making the Merlin engine for the Spitfire, Rolls developed the Welland engine for the Gloster Meteor fighter in 1944. The rights to the use of the name and marque on the cars were sold to BMW of Germany in 1998, leaving the British firm to concentrate on aero-engines. It also has a marine division and an energy arm. Shenanigans at the banks, and retailers such as Tesco and Marks & Spencer, have dominated the City pages, while Rolls-Royces woes have attracted relatively little attention. But its fortunes should concern every Briton. It employs more than 21,000 people in the UK and is responsible for 6 of every 1,000 of national income, and 1 in every 50 of UK exports. Equally important is the tug of pride at the mention of the name Rolls-Royce, a byword for British excellence. The extent of its travails has gradually been coming to light over the past two years, with thousands of job losses, and profit forecasts cut five times. And theres the small matter of a Serious Fraud Office investigation into alleged bribery and corruption overseas. The company is pinning its hopes on new boss, Warren East, who took the top job in July. The 54-year-old engineer, comes with a stellar reputation earned at British smartphone chip-maker ARM. The general perception is that he is a serious operator, he eats nails for breakfast and is tough as teak, says City commentator David Buik. Faith: The company is pinning its hopes on new boss, Warren East, who took the top job in July East, however, has admitted he cannot guarantee the flood of bad news will dry up any time soon, because the business is shrouded in what he calls accountancy fog. When he took the helm, he was stunned to find the company is riddled with inefficiency and bureaucracy. Under predecessors Sir John Rose and John Rishton, it appeared to be a tremendous success but behind the scenes, red tape was burgeoning and arrogance was taking hold. Shares rose last week when it unveiled its full-year results despite a stinging dividend cut and profits at the low end of expectations on the basis it could have been worse. In Whitehall the company is being watched like a hawk. The Government cannot be a casual bystander here said one senior industry insider. One of the options under consideration if the situation gets worse is for the state to take control of the companys nuclear submarine business. Another is a rescue merger, with the defence giant BAE Systems taking over all or part of the business. Neither option is likely unless the problems at Rolls become worse. The fact these possibilities have been discussed at all, however, underlines the companys crucial role in ensuring our national security. Rolls is protected from foreign predators by a golden share agreement struck when it was privatised in 1987, under which the Government holds one special share, but it has been targeted by so-called activist shareholders. San Francisco hedge fund ValueAct last year built a 10 per cent holding. Now the single biggest investor, it is clamouring for a seat on the board and there are fears it could encourage Rolls to break itself up. Some of the companys most loyal long-term supporters have been jettisoning their shares, including Neil Woodford, who sold a 230million holding late last year saying his confidence in Rolls business model had been shaken. Back in Derby, however, Simon Burr, director of the Trent XWB programme, insists the profit warnings and talk of a merger have no effect at all, on the engineering. We are sensitive to the fact that investors are key stakeholders and they need a return. Customers are confident in us. Indeed, walking the polished factory floors you feel this is the epitome of 21st-century manufacturing. Head of production for the XWB engine, Tanya Palmer, says: It is the most successful engine we have ever built. There were more than 1,500 orders before aircraft went into service. Up close, the XWB is a thing of beauty and an engineering marvel. It boasts 68 turbine blades, each generating 800 horsepower at take-off, equivalent to a Formula One racing car. Inside the turbine, temperatures can exceed 2,000C, so to prevent them melting each blade has tiny holes drilled in order that cool air at 700C! can be blown through. The blades need the strength to cope with a force at take-off equal to nine London buses hanging off each one. In No 58 test bed, an engine is being pelted with dead birds and hail. But in the control room, just a few metres away, the sound-proofing is so effective there is barely a murmur. The Derby plant has its own railway station to take delivery of more than 20million litres of jet fuel a year, and has its own 20-strong fire brigade. Aerospace analyst Howard Wheeldon says of Rolls: Their profit margins are too low, they have allowed top-level management to get too large, and they need to cut costs. But they are addressing that. Rolls-Royce is not just any old business, but the beating heart of British engineering. Aerospace is one of the few fields where this country still excels, and for all our sakes the company needs leadership and political support to match its superlative engineering. The engines of growth must be fired up again at Rolls, because the alternative is too awful to contemplate. Rolls-Royce is preparing to give an American activist shareholder a seat on its board as it battles to bounce back from a string of profit warnings, writes Rupert Steiner. The troubled British engineering giant has held talks with ValueAct after the San Francisco-based investor built up a 10 per cent stake in the business, which has made it the biggest shareholder. ValueAct, which has pushed for change at companies including Microsoft and Sara Lee, tends to take a less confrontational approach to shaking up businesses than other activist investors. In the past two years Rolls has issued five profit warnings as governments and airlines reined in their spending A Rolls spokesman said: Were engaged in constructive discussions with ValueAct and no decision has yet been taken. Shares in the engineer, which have halved over the past 10 years, rose 4.51 per cent or 28.50p to 660p. Rolls cut its dividend for the first time in 24 years last week as it announced a fall in profits and warned that more job cuts are on the way. In the past two years Rolls has issued five profit warnings as governments and airlines reined in their spending. Sources said ValueAct is not seeking a break-up of the firm and that it is aligned with Rolls on most areas of its strategy. It had been thought it wanted to see non-essential parts of the business sold. Charles Busby House Education Committee member Rep. Charles Busby, R-Pascagoula, explains the facets of a charter school bill that authorizes open enrollment across school district lines during the committee's meeting at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. (Rogelio V. Solis/The Associated Press) JACKSON, Mississippi -- A House Republican sponsoring a bill to expand access to Mississippi charter schools said Wednesday that a Hinds County Democrat's amendment to allow the schools statewide was improper and will be stripped from the measure. Rep. Charles Busby, R-Pascagoula, told The Associated Press that the amendment by Rep. Jarvis Dortch, D-Raymond, isn't allowed under House rules because House Bill 1044 lacks the appropriate sections of state law. Dortch had apparently succeeded in his amendment Wednesday in a meeting of the House Education Committee, saying he wanted higher-achieving school districts to share the burden of charter schools. But Busby later said the House Revenue and Expenditure General Bills Committee, which must also agree to the bill before it goes to the full House, will strip the language and return it to the Education Committee for more consideration. That would restore the original version of the bill, which would for the first time allow students anywhere in Mississippi to attend any charter schools. However, that version would keep the veto of school boards in districts with academic rates of A to C over charter schools in their districts. The Senate Education Committee passed Senate Bill 2161 earlier Wednesday, allowing students to cross district lines and schools to locate in C-rated districts without local approval, in addition to the current freedom to locate in districts rated D and F. Both bills passed on split voice votes. The location restriction was a key compromise that allowed House leaders to win enough votes to pass the original charter school law in 2013, and Democrats on Wednesday were generally resisting any expansion of charter school attendance. Members of the Legislature's minority party generally oppose charter schools, which are public schools operated by private, nonprofit organizations. Democrats say charter schools drain local taxes and top students from traditional schools, leaving schools that serve most students worse off. Dortch said he wanted to kill the bill but said he offered the amendment to ensure a school couldn't open in Jackson only to poach students from the city's suburbs. "If they want Madison County students, they can open in Madison County," Dortch said after the meeting. "If it passes, I would like those schools be open statewide, not just in Jackson." Busby said he didn't think a majority of House members would allow charter schools statewide without local input. Though he ultimately wants charter schools statewide, he said he wants to move in a measured fashion. "To blow it wide open like that before the charter schools have proven themselves undermines that argument," Busby said. So far, Mississippi has only two charter schools, both in Jackson. Both schools first opened in August, and each has about 120 students, with plans to grow in later years to serve grades 5 through 8. Two more schools have been approved to open in Jackson. Busby said he expected few students would exit high-rated districts to attend charter schools but said he was happy to give parents the option. "If we thought the best of the best got a better education in the charter schools, then that's what we're doing," Busby said. Three shamed MEPs take share of 20m retirement payout as Cameron recommits to EU referendum Conservative Party leader David Cameron has called for a referendum on the European constitution to help restore public trust in MPs David Cameron today called for a referendum on the European constitution in a bid to restore public trust in the political system following the fallout over MPs' expenses. The Conservative leader warned that voting for the minor parties would be 'letting the Government off the hook' over the issue of a referendum on the European constitution. Mr Cameron, who repeated calls for a snap General Election, said he believed the polls showed that anger over the MPs' expenses scandal had not subsided, but, if anything, had 'got worse'. His comments come as it emerged that three MEPs accused of abusing their expenses will be paid hundreds of thousands of pounds as part of a 20 million retirement package for British MEPs. Den Dover, Tom Wise and Ashley Mote will be paid up to two years salary when they step down from their positions this week. Mr Cameron said the issue of MEPs' expenses was a 'scandal' but added the Conservative Party had taken steps to 'stop the rot' and deal with the issue. 'What I have tried to do with my party is atone for the mistakes of the past by getting people to pay back money, by forcing some to retire, by threatening to withdraw the whip if they don't retire, but I recognise that is not enough,' he said. 'In the end what the British public want is all of that, plus a General Election - they want to be able to pass judgment on all their Members of Parliament. 'In terms of rebuilding trust, I think this issue of when you make a promise, sticking to that promise, like the promise we have all made about having a referendum on the constitution, is as important as anything else.' He added trust had to be rebuilt 'brick by brick' with an early General Election an element in this process. Mr Cameron said he was publishing a Bill today which would allow for a referendum to be passed through Parliament with a vote on the same day in the autumn as the Irish. Meanwhile the fury over MP's expenses continues to grow as it was revealed that 22 British MEPs who are stepping down this week will each receive up to two years' salary and will share a 10 million index-linked pension pot. MEPs Ashely Mote, Tom Wise and Den Dover will walk away with hundreds of thousands of pounds when they stand down from their roles this week The Times said 17 were also members of the European Parliament's controversial second pension scheme, which allows MEPs to have an additional pension pot of up to 209,000 for every five-year term. An 18th MEP who was a member of the scheme until 2007 will also receive a payout. Den Dover, who was expelled from the Conservative Party after he claimed around 500,000 in 'unjustified expenses', has an estimated pension of 235,000. He will receive a 'transitional allowance' of 59,367. Former Ukip MEP Ashley Mote, who was jailed for falsely claiming benefits of more than 65,000, has a pension worth 174,968 and will receive a transitional payment of 32,382. As both men are in their 70s, they can begin to draw their final-salary pensions immediately. Former Ukip MEP Tom Wise, who was charged with fraud and false accounting in relation to his expenses, has a pension valued at 235,000 and will get a 32,382 transitional payment. The Conservative Bill would require the support of substantial numbers of Labour rebels to get through the House of Commons, and is thought extremely unlikely to succeed. But Mr Cameron said that Thursday's elections to the European Parliament gave voters a chance to put pressure on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to grant a referendum by voting Conservative. Britain ratified the Treaty by a parliamentary vote in June last year, but it cannot come into force until all 27 member states have ratified. As well as the hurdle of the Irish referendum this autumn, the Treaty must also gain the assent of the Czech President and Poland must deposit its documents confirming ratification. Mr Cameron has promised a referendum in the UK if the ratification process has not been completed across the Union by the time a Conservative administration comes to power. But he declined to say what he would do if ratification is complete and the Treaty is in effect by that time. The Tory leader has said that he 'would not let matters rest' in that case. Speaking to the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, Mr Cameron resisted several requests to spell out exactly what his plans were. But he did indicate he may seek to use a forthcoming renegotiation of the EU's budget to seek reforms to bring powers back from Brussels to Westminster. 'I don't want to go into every last detail of what happens if a series of things happen - if there isn't an early election, if the Irish vote yes in a second referendum, if the Poles decide to ratify this treaty, if the Czechs decide to ratify,' said Mr Cameron. 'I know that, of course, my opponents would love me to focus on what happens if all these things happen, but I am not going to do that. 'I am going to focus on the here and now, because on Thursday people can go into these voting booths, vote Conservative and pile pressure on Gordon Brown to hold a referendum. I don't want to let him off the hook.' Mr Cameron said the Conservatives believed in being members of the EU but wanted it to be more about trade and co-operation rather than 'this endless process of building a superstate'. Czech mate for EU treaty referendum as President Vaclav Klaus gives in Too late: Vaclav Klaus has thrown in the towel after refusing to ratify the EU treaty The last faint hope of blocking the Lisbon Treaty was dashed yesterday when the Czech president threw in the towel. With it went any real prospect of Britain having a referendum on the treaty that critics say will rob nations of their sovereignty. Vaclav Klaus had been the only EU leader still refusing to ratify it and the Conservatives had hoped he would hold out until next year's General Election. They have promised a referendum if they are elected, but only if it has not been ratified by all EU member states. A No vote would scupper the whole plan. But President Klaus said yesterday: 'I do not consider the Lisbon Treaty to be a good thing for Europe, for the freedom of Europe, or for the Czech Republic. 'However, the train has already travelled so fast and so far that I guess it will not be possible to stop it or turn it around, however much we would wish to. 'I will not and cannot wait for the British election. They would have to hold it in the coming days or weeks.' The treaty is expected to be ratified within weeks. President Klaus will sign if as expected the Czech constitutional court throws out a challenge to it brought by a group of senators. It comes as Tony Blair gave his strongest hint yet that he hopes to be EU President, a role introduced by the treaty. Mr Blair refused to rule out standing, saying: 'When that job exists I can talk about it.' Cameron's EU backlash as two Euro-MPs resign in protest at referendum U-turn (and the French call him pathetic) Two Tory MEPs quit over David Cameron's new Europe policy French accuse Tories of 'castrating' Britain with Eurosceptic stance Cameron vows 'never again' will Britain lose powers to Europe David Cameron faced a backlash from inside and outside his party yesterday over his new policy towards Brussels. Euro-MPs Roger Helmer and Daniel Hannan resigned their frontbench posts in protest over the Tory leader's decision to reverse his pledge to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. And the Conservatives were branded 'pathetic' and 'autistic', and accused of having 'castrated' British influence in Europe for insisting that they would try to repatriate powers from Brussels. France's Europe Minister Pierre Lellouche has made an outspoken attack on Cameron's Tories and said that a decision to restrict further European integration would cut Britain off from the rest of Europe On Wednesday Mr Cameron abandoned his 'cast iron' pledge to hold a referendum after the Treaty, which is widely feared to have ushered in an EU superstate, was finally ratified. He has vowed to change the law so no further powers could be lost to the EU without the British people having their say. He says he will pass a Sovereignty Bill to make explicit that ultimate authority remains with the Westminster Parliament. France's Europe Minister Pierre Lellouche said: 'It's pathetic. It's just very sad to see Britain, so important in Europe, just cutting itself out from the rest and disappearing from the radar map. 'It's not going to happen for a minute. Nobody is going to indulge in rewriting treaties for many, many years.' Euro-MPs Daniel Hannan, left , and Roger Helmer, right, have both resigned in protest He said Mr Cameron's decision to pull out of the main right-wing grouping in Brussels had ' castrated your UK influence' and accused senior Conservatives of having ' a bizarre sense of autism'. Mr Lellouche's spokesman later issued an apology saying he ' bitterly regrets that he may have wounded people', but this to be directed at the autistic community rather than the Tories. Senior Conservatives privately admitted that the intervention of an outspoken Frenchmen is 'more likely to have won us votes than lost them'. Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague was relaxed about Mr Lellouche's outburst. 'We have had a bit of an emotional outburst from one of the French ministers, but I don't think we should take that as a sign of how things will be in the future,' he said. 'I think more senior members of the French Government would take a more careful approach. We take that in our stride.' INNER SANCTUM: THE TORY LEADER WORKS ON HIS KEY SPEECH But Mr Cameron also faced a backlash from within his own party. Mr Helmer, the party's employment spokesman in Brussels, branded the compromise policy 'confused' and 'cosmetic'. He warned that it would not be possible for Mr Cameron to wrest back powers unless he holds a referendum to give him public backing. He said: 'I was elected on an explicit manifesto commitment to a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. Yesterday, David Cameron rejected that commitment and repudiated that policy. 'What we have is an essentially cosmetic policy. We are installing a largely ineffective burglar alarm when the family silver has already been stolen. 'The British people don't want vague promises. They want the family silver back in good order. I can neither justify nor support our new EU policy.' Privately senior Tories were relieved that criticisms were confined to figures with a history of speaking out on Europe, while most MPs kept their heads down. Does Hillary have double vision after blood clot scare? Close up shot shows 'Fresnel prism' lenses in Clintons glasses Hillary Clinton's glasses appeared to have a Fresnel prism on the lens when she appeared before the Senate this week The stick-on prisms are used to assist people experiencing double vision Doctors discovered a blood clot close to Clinton's brain after she suffered a fall and concussion last month Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has wasted no time in getting back to business since returning to work following treatment for a blood clot. But tiny lines visible on the 65-year-old's glasses when she appeared before the Senate this week indicate she may still be experiencing the after-effects of her spell of ill health. It is thought Clinton was wearing a Fresnel prism on her spectacles - a stick-on panel often used to treat double vision. Double vision? Hillary Clinton, who was hospitalised last month due to a blood clot close to her brain, wore glasses when she appeared before the Senate this week Treatment: Lines visible on the lens of the Secretary of State's glasses are thought to be a Fresnel prism - a stick on panel used to treat double vision The faint vertical lines are visible on the left lens of Clinton's glasses in photographs taken during her testimony about the terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11 2012, in which four Americans were killed. WHAT ARE FRESNEL PRISMS? Fresnel prisms are wafer-thin, transparent sheets of adhesive plastic. One side is fixed to the lens of the wearer's glasses, while the other has special grooves that alter the way light enters the eye. The prisms, the strength of which can be adjusted depending on the patient's needs, are often used to treat double vision. The stick-on panels may be worn for several months. If they prove particularly successful, patients can have glasses made with built-in prisms. Double vision can occur in one or both eyes. It can be caused by an irregularly shaped cornea or abnormalities of the cornea, dry eye, or abnormalities of the lens or retina. Eye experts told the New York Daily News it is likely she has had an adhesive Fresnel prism placed on her glasses. 'If she's wearing a Fresnel prism, then she has double vision without it,' said Dr Mark Fromer, medical director at Fromer Eye Centers. Professor Dan Reinstein, from the London Vision Clinic, told MailOnline that double vision occurs when both eyes are receiving good images individually, but the alignment of the eyes is not exactly parallel, causing the brain to interpret the images as coming from different positions. 'Fresnel prisms can be used to compensate for the deviation between the eyes,' he explained. Professor Reinstein said the Secretary of State's fall could have affected the muscles that control the movement of her eyes. 'If indeed Secretary Clinton is wearing a Fresnel prism, and if indeed this is related to what has been described as a result of her recent unfortunate fall, this would imply the head injury may have affected her extraocular muscle balance,' he said. Professor Reinstein said such squints are often temporary, or can be corrected by squint surgery. 'I doubt this will have any effect on her ability to see clearly all the way to 2016,' he said of the Secretary of State, who is widely expected to run for the presidency in three years time. Clinton's spokesperson confirmed she was wearing glasses as a result of the fall and concussion she experienced last month, but did not elaborate further. Clinton returned to work earlier this month following a month long absence, after initially falling ill with a stomach virus. While at home recuperating from the bug, which forced her to cancel a planned visit to North Africa and the Middle East, Clinton suffered concussion after fainting and falling. Doctors later discovered a blood clot between her skull and her brain during a follow-up exam on December 30, and she was admitted to New York-Presbyterian for treatment with blood thinners. Recovery: The Secretary of State returned to work earlier this month after spending three days at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Evidence: Clinton was testifying on Capitol Hill about the terrorist attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya Focus: A spokesman for Clinton confirmed she was wearing the glasses as a result of the fall and concussion she suffered last month, but did not elaborate further Clinton attended back-to-back hearings on the Benghazi attack before the Senate and the House on Wednesday. The attack on September 11 left four Americans dead, including ambassador Chris Stevens. Clinton, who faced tough questions and harsh criticism from senators during heated exchanges on Capitol Hill, defended the State Department's response in the aftermath of the attack. Support: The Secretary of State is seen leaving the hospital in New York accompanied by daughter Chelsea and husband Bill on January 2 A Japanese mother has been arrested after forcing her teenage daughter to eat more than 30 pet goldfish as a punishment, police said. Yuko Ogata and her boyfriend Takeshi Egami reportedly killed the teenager's fish by pouring detergent in the tank, after which they made her eat her dead pets. Police in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, said the child had allegedly suffered abuse on a daily basis. Cruel: The mother and her boyfriend killed the teenagers fish by pouring detergent into the tank, after which they forced her to eat more than 30 of her dead pets Local media said the couple killed the fish after which they forced the teenage girls to eat more than 30 of the fish one by one. No damage to the daughter's health has been reported, according to local media. Ogata and Egami were reportedly indicted last year for tying the daughter to a bed with rope, punching her in the face and burning her tongue with a lit cigarette. The latest arrest was their fifth since last year in relation to abuse of the child, reports said. The case is just the latest in a string of such shocking incidents in Japan. Arrested: Yuko Ogata and her boyfriend Takeshi Egami, from Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, reportedly subjected the teenage girl to daily abuse Last month, a three-year-old girl died after her mother deliberately poured boiling water on her, causing serious burns to her face. Police arrested the mother and her boyfriend for negligence in caring for a child. According to the health ministry, Japan's child protection centres dealt with a record 89,000 abuse cases in the year ending March 2015. Japan is also struggling with abuse against the elderly. A former nursing home worker was arrested on Monday for allegedly throwing an 87-year-old resident from a balcony to his death in 2014. 1,500 residents moved 15 miles away to Aksai - but still get the symptoms But owners Shell and its foreign partners and government deny allegations They say they have been poisoned by toxic emissions from power station Parents say children fall off their chairs in school and stay asleep for days A Kazakh village of 1,500 people is being abandoned after children were struck down by a mystery illness which led them to fall asleep for days. Dozens of school children struck down by the bizarre 'Sleepy Hollow' disease have fallen off seats in class, have tummy cramps, convulsions, lose feeling in their limbs, dizziness and blurred eyesight. A father whose little boy was struck down by the strange symptoms told MailOnline: 'Every day my son goes to school and by 11 am, the teachers call me to take him home because he became ill again.' Those living in the village of Berezovka, western Kazakhstan have been evacuated to the village of Aksai, around 15 miles away - but still suffer from dizziness and fall asleep for up to a week at a time. Parents in Berezovka blame the symptoms on toxic emissions being emitted from the Karachaganak Petroleum Operating power station run by energy giant Shell. Bizarre: 1,500 people had to be evacuated from a Kazakh village after dozens of children (pictured) began mysteriously passing out Mystery: Children in the village of Berezovka (pictured) had to be rushed to hospital after passing out and falling of their seats in class Illness: Other children (pictured) suffered painful convulsions and cramps lost all feeling in their limbs and felt their eyesight getting worse They say the symptoms began in November 2014 when 90 people fell ill after there was a 'loud noise' at the site and black smoke coming from one of the buildings. The power station says the noise in November 18 months ago was from excess gas being burned off at the plant and denies causing the symptoms. Young victims of the mystery illness have passed out at school during classes over the past 18 months. Alia Kusmangalieva, whose 14-year-old daughter Alina collapsed at school, told MailOnline: 'We got a call from the school and was told that Alina felt unwell. 'We were waiting for an ambulance for an hour and a half. All this time my daughter was unconscious. She did not wake up until she got an oxygen mask.' Tiek Temirgaliev, the father of 12-year-old Termilan, who also kept fainting, said: 'Previously, he had convulsions. 'After treatment in Aktobe [a nearby town] the convulsions stopped, but his vision deteriorated. Blame: Deputy Prime Minister Saparbayev has blamed the children's (pictured) illnesses on a faulty chimney and hot water plant at the local school Hospitalised: The Karachaganak Petroleum Operating (KPO) facility and its parent company, Shell, have denied the plant is behind the illnesses local children (pictured) are suffering Unconscious: This young girl is one of more than 100 to be struck down with the illness since November 2014 'Now, my boy suffers sharp pressure drops, sometimes his legs become numb and he cannot speak. Also, my son had pains in the chest, but not often.' Oksana Nazbayeva, whose 12-year-old daughter Ruzanna suffered the same symptoms, added: 'Teachers say that Ruzanna will be sitting in class and then suddenly fall off her chair. Teachers say that Ruzanna will be sitting in class and then suddenly fall off her chair... She could be walking down the hall and collapse Oksana Nazbayeva, mother of 12-year-old Ruzanna 'She could be walking down the hall and collapse. My daughter was treated at the clinic in Aktobe. They cured convulsions - but now it has all started again.' Parents have accused owners Kusmangalievaly owned by Reading based BG Group, a subsidiary of Shell - and the Kazakhstan government of covering up the 2014 incident, which they claim is the source of the illness. Activists 'Crude Responsibility' claim there was an attempt to protect the reputations of the foreign partners working at one of the world's largest oil and gas fields. It said: 'Almost 50 per cent of the villagers are chronically ill and 80 per cent of the children suffer from respiratory diseases.' Dangerous chemicals, including hydrogen sulfide which is very poisonous, in Berezovka's air, independent monitors found. Anger: Parents are blaming their children's illnesses on the toxic emissions from a local oil and gas factory Emergency: Several children (pictured) had to be collected by their parents or rushed to hospital after passing out in class Struck down: Parents have accused the KPO - which is owned by Shell - of covering up what they believe was an 'emergency' at the factory (pictured, children who fell ill from mystery illness) Endemic: US based campaigners claimed around '50 per cent of the villagers are chronically ill and 80 per cent of the children suffer from respiratory diseases' Victim: Dinara Irmikbaeva (pictured), 17, was treated at four different hospitals after suddenly fainting in school But when officials inspected pollution levels they found them to be safe. The country's Deputy Prime Minister Saparbayev blamed it on a faulty chimney and hot water plant at the local school. According to our data, there is the impact of the boiler facility, which is located near the school. The chimney does not meet all the standards Deputy Prime Minister Berdybek Saparbayev Saparbayev said: 'Our specialists, and psychologists have been working there. No excess of harmful substances was found in the atmosphere. The government said everyone from the village will be rehoused by the end of the year. So far more than 1,500 people have been moved - which will increase to 1,808 from 423 families by 2017. But attempts by parents who demanded that the village's children be sent abroad for medical checks have been rejected. Concerns expressed by residents about an unhealthy environment since 2002 also fell on deaf ears. After the first few people fainted in 2014, KPO said 'if there are lessons we need to learn from the results we will wholeheartedly apply these to our activities'. Unexplained: Many locals and young children have already been relocated to the village of Aksai, around 15 miles away, but continue to suffer from attacks of dizziness and unconsciousness there too It also said that an incident in November 2014 did not involve 'a release, emission or leak of gas, including hydrogen sulphide, in excess of permitted levels'. The BG Group claimed there was 'no evidence that the emissions from KPO's operations were the cause of the illnesses'. KPO had provided 'transport to medical treatment centres for patients', the British company added. 82 families have been moved into 128 new flats in two-story blocks in the town of Aksai... In 2016, we will fully resolve this problem Regional head Nurlan Nogayev In a statement, KPO said: 'We welcome the outcome of the independent investigation that show there is no evidence that the emissions from KPO's operations were the cause of the illnesses which affect people in the village of Berezovka. 'Moreover, KPO supports the resolution that, as part of the possible further development of Karachaganak, in accordance with RoK [Kazakhstan] legislation the Sanitary Protection Zone might require further reassessment. 'KPO looks forward to contributing to this work and will comply with all regulatory requirements. The bizarre goings on in Berezovka have been compared to those in Kalachi, another Kazakh village dubbed 'Sleepy Hollow', where locals began inexplicably falling asleep for days at a time. That phenomenon was put down to toxic gases seeping to the surface from a disused Soviet era uranium mine. Toxic: Independent monitors were reported to have found dangerous chemicals including hydrogen sulfide, which is very poisonous, in Berezovka's air Safe: But officials claimed the village was outside the 'hazardous zone' of toxic emissions which included hydrogen sulfide and 20 other poisonous substances Sleepy Hollow: The bizarre goings on in Berezovka (pictured) have been compared to those in Kalachi, another Kazakh village dubbed 'Sleepy Hollow', where locals began inexplicably falling asleep for days at a time As well as suddenly dozing off, sometimes for days at a time, residents also complained of strange hallucinations. One girl imagined she saw an elephant's trunk on her mother, and a boy said saw horses and light bulbs flying around him. They insist Brazilian authorities are 'doing nothing' to help support them Neatly made up and covered with cuddly toys, these are the beds awaiting unwanted babies with 'shrunken head' syndrome expected to be dumped in orphanages as Brazil's Zika crisis spirals out of control. Children's shelters today told how they were preparing to receive 'a large number' of young children suffering with microcephaly - the head-deforming condition linked to the Zika virus - amid warnings that mothers are struggling to cope with the strain of raising their disabled babies alone. Babies born with the condition need round-the-clock care, with pressure on the child's brain and higher sensitivity to light and sound causing most to cry almost constantly, while eight out of 10 babies will start to suffer seizures and other serious complications before they reach one year old. Braced: These beds in the Rejame Marques children's home, in the Campo Grande district of central Recife, are prepared to receive 'a large number' of babies suffering from Zika virus Prepared: Specialists have warned that they are expecting an influx of babies being dumped in orphanages in Brazil, as mothers find themselves unable to cope with caring for their disabled infants. Pictured, rooms in the Rejame Marques children's home Meanwhile, an 'alarming' number of mothers have also found themselves caring for their desperately ill newborns alone after being dumped by their children's fathers, health workers have warned. Professionals claim they 'fear the worst' for the women and their children, with many poor mothers pushed to the brink after losing what is often their only source of income. Yet the mothers themselves claim Brazilian authorities are 'doing nothing' to help them, with social security offices even allegedly refusing to release benefits they are entitled to, and the state blocking funding to non-profit organisations trying to support them. One mother told us: 'I feel completely alone. I love my baby, but honestly don't know how long I will manage to cope.' One paediatrician said: 'I have been alarmed by the number of mothers who are looking after their child alone, because the father simply decided to abandon the family. Without support from the state, I dread to think what they future holds for them.' Brave: Jaqueline, 25, is pictured with her son Daniel, who suffers from microcephaly. They live in a rented one-bedroom home in a poor district of Olinda, greater Recife Together: Jaqueline discovered she was pregnant just weeks after finishing treatment for breast cancer. Jaqueline is pictured with her baby son Daniel And Angela Rocha, the director of Recife's Oswaldo Cruz hospital infectious disease unit, which treats 332 babies with microcephaly, told MailOnline : 'I'm extremely worried that, as time goes by, the emotional ties of the mothers to their babies will be broken, because of the fatigue and wearing out. 'The mothers' ability to cope and stay with their babies will depends much on each one's emotional and family structure, which for many of them is very fragile indeed.' Last week, three babies with microcephaly were reportedly abandoned by their mothers in just one district, Madureira in Rio de Janeiro. A female judge managed to convince the mothers to take their babies back, according to reports. But the fear of a flood of further cases led Rio's Social Development secretary, Adilson Pires, to call a summit of the city's children's judges to discuss dealing with the problem, reportedly due to take place this week. In impoverished Recife, in northeastern Brazil, where so far 243 babies have been diagnosed with 'shrunken head' syndrome, many fear that for many mothers struggling to raise their brain-damaged babies in difficult circumstances, the strain will soon become unbearable. Already in the city one newborn baby with the condition has been abandoned by a mother who, according to reports, lives below the poverty line and claimed she didn't have any support from the baby's father. Children's judge Elio Braz said: 'We are appealing for any extended family members of this baby to come forward to try out all possibilities of reintegrating the child into the family of origin. But so far nobody has appeared.' Strain: Mothers across Brazil say they have been left alone to look after their severely disabled babies, after fathers walk out on their families and government support is practically non-existent Concern: Angela Rocha, director of the infectious diseases unit at the Oswaldo Cruz hospital in Recife, has warned that the mothers' emotional ties with their babies could be broken by the stress of raising them The baby is now being looked after at the Rejame Marques children's home in the Campo Grande district of central Recife, where staff claim they are preparing for a deluge of other unwanted child victims of the Zika epidemic. The centre's coordinator Daniele Silva told MailOnline that a 'significant part' of the number of mothers of babies with microcephaly may end up deciding they cannot cope as their daily struggles and financial difficulties mount up. I'm extremely worried that, as time goes by, the emotional ties of the mothers to their babies will be broken, because of the fatigue and wearing out. Angela Rocha, director of Recife's Oswaldo Cruz hospital infectious disease unit She said: 'This is the scenario we fear. Babies with microcephaly don't appear too different from other babies when they are first born, but with the passage of time the problems start to appear, such as their eyesight, heart problems, eating problems and fits. 'Many of the mothers are from low income homes, who will begin to experience their own difficulties too, financial problems, not being able to work, partners and family members deserting them. The chances of their mothers deciding down the line that they simply can't carry on are great.' The home is hoping to provide 30 new places to cope with the number of abandoned children with microcephaly expected to arrive in the coming months and years. They are also providing courses for staff, and hoping to buy specialist equipment, such as a suction machine which is recommended to help stimulate the senses of babies with the condition. But while the home receives unwanted children sent to them from local government, the institution does not receive a penny of public money, instead relying on donations to keep the home running. Ready: A wardrobe filled with baby clothes has been prepared at the Rejame Marques children's home, ready for the influx of Zika babies which are expected as mothers crack under the strain Struggles: Mothers, many of them only in their early 20s, have found themselves without financial or emotional support and are desperately trying to continue caring for their disabled babies She said: 'We are experiencing serious financial problems. Last year both the state government and local council said they had no money to give to us. Occasionally we can compete with other institutions for a small amount of money, but if we succeed we are expected to pay tax on the amount back to the government, which we can't afford.' The institution's psychologist, Cintia Portela, said that recently the state also stopped providing free medicines for the home's children, most of whom suffer a mental disability. She said: 'We used to get medicines free of charge from the state pharmacy, but recently we've been informed that we will have to buy them ourselves. Everything we have, from the beds to the food the children eat and the clothes they wear, are donated to us by members of the public.' Haven: A baby lies on a mat at the Altina Ventura Foundation, where mothers can meet once a week to discuss their problems with other mothers who know what they are going through Care: As well as offering medical care for babies, the centre also provides a space where, once a week, mothers of babies with microcephaly can go for encouragement and advice Victims: In impoverished Recife, in northeastern Brazil, 243 babies have so far been diagnosed with 'shrunken head' syndrome, which is believed to be linked to mothers contracting Zika virus while pregnant Abandoned: Many babies who suffer from microcephaly don't appear to be different from other babies when they are first born, but as they grow older they develop problems with their eyesight, heart and eating She added that, if more babies with microcephaly are abandoned, the government should also be blamed. She said: 'The idea that the state is offering any support to these mothers is fictitious. The truth is that the state is in total chaos, completely unprepared to deal with this epidemic. 'If nothing changes, many children will end up being abandoned in the crucial period of their development, which will be a tragedy. 'Of course, fathers who walk out on their wives or partners at the moment they most need them are making matters worse. Many men do not want to assume responsibility for a damaged child. And many of the mothers are not emotionally prepared to deal with all the battles they will inevitably have to face.' Safe place: Mothers who have children with microcephaly meet at the Altina Ventura Foundation, where they can talk to women with the same problems and who can empathise with them Peaceful: For the women, the Foundation represents an oasis of calm in the tumultuous sea of emotional and financial problems they are facing Vulnerable: Many of the women at the Foundation are first-time mothers and were already facing enough difficulties raising their disabled children, even before they found themselves abandoned and alone One of those women is Jaqueline Viera, whose husband Dalton Douglas walked out a month after their baby, Daniel, was born with microcephaly on October 22 last year. The 25-year-old discovered she was pregnant weeks after finishing treatment for breast cancer, a condition which left her unable to work. Jaqueline, who lives in a rented one-bedroom home in a poor district of Olinda, greater Recife, said she contracted Zika in her second month of pregnancy, and was told her baby had microcephaly after an ultrasound scan at seven months. My husband never helped with the baby. He started to complain that I was giving all my attention to Daniel and nothing to him. Jaqueline, 25-year-old mother of a baby with microcephaly She remembered: 'I never once thought of aborting or giving him away. I just believed God would help me. 'Dalton didn't want to believe anything was wrong though. When he was born he burst into the delivery room, took a look at Daniel and said, "See, there's nothing wrong with him". 'Then he turned him over and saw his head. He started to ask the doctors questions, "Will he be intelligent?", "Will be know how to do things?" 'I knew he couldn't handle that his son wasn't everything he'd wanted.' Over the next weeks, Daniel's condition put more strain on the couple, who had been together for a year. Jaqueline, who also has a two-year-old son, said: 'Daniel would cry for hours on end. Every night he was sick. 'He suffered a lot of allergies because our house had a concrete floor and was very dusty. 'My husband never helped with the baby. He started to complain that I was giving all my attention to Daniel and nothing to him.' A month after Daniel was born, father Dalton Douglas, 20, left to go to work and never came back. Jaqueline remembers: 'He rang me that night, but only to tell me that the gas canister belongs to him and I needed to give it back. He didn't even mention his son.' It means that Jaqueline now has to survive just on her sickness benefit of 152 a month - half of which goes on paying the rent. I feel completely abandoned, not just by my husband, but even more so by the state. It's not our fault that our babies were born with this curse. Jaqueline Viera, 25 She said: 'As well as food and bills, I have to take Daniel to the physiotherapist every Thursday, and to his paediatrician appointment every two weeks, and each trip I have to take two buses. 'When I go to pick up my benefit money I get a pain in my stomach, my head, my soul. The doctors say I need buy things to stimulate Daniel's sight and touch, but I can't even afford the mat he needs to lie on. 'It's too much for any one person to deal with alone. I don't know why I haven't got depression yet. 'The worst thing is that I know Daniel needs a male figure in his life. 'When a man picks him up and cuddles him, he always calms down. I think he misses having a man around.' Jaqueline claimed that when she called social services to book an appointment to claim disability benefit for Daniel, she experienced even more difficulties. She said: 'I had to fight with them just to book the appointment. They should be doing everything to help mothers like us, not trying to make things more difficult. 'I feel completely abandoned, not just by my husband, but even more so by the state. It's not our fault that our babies were born with this curse. If they don't want to give us money, they should help with milk or nappies, something that could help us get by and care for our children. Alone: Jaqueline, pictured with her baby son Daniel, was abandoned by her 20-year-old partner Dalton Douglas. He left the house one day to go to work and simply never returned Tearful: Baby Daniel cries during a meeting at the Altina Ventura Foundation with his mother Jaqueline. Babies suffering from microcephaly cry almost constantly due to their illness, putting great strain on the mothers Help: Jaqueline has to survive just on her sickness benefit of 152 a month - half of which goes on paying the rent. Now, NGOs which offer support to struggling mothers are also in crisis after finding their funding blocked 'I hear them saying they are doing everything to fight Zika, but personally I feel completely alone. I love my baby, but honestly don't know how long I will manage to cope.' To make matters worse, non-profit organisations which provide vital support for mothers struggling with raising their brain-damaged babies are also in crisis after finding their public funding blocked. One is the Altina Ventura Foundation, Recife's most prominent specialist treatment centre, which provides free care and support for 138 children with microcephaly, and their families. As well as offering medical care for babies, the centre also provides a space where, once a week, mothers of babies with microcephaly can go for encouragement and advice, and to meet other women in the same situation. I hear them saying they are doing everything to fight Zika, but personally I feel completely alone. I love my baby, but honestly don't know how long I will manage to cope. Jaqueline, 25 Yet the state government inexplicably stopped sending agreed funding to the centre in May last year - just as the true scale of the Zika epidemic was emerging - and now owes more than 2.3million, and the centre now faces the real prospect of closure. Brazil's health ministry claims the federal government passed the money to state coffers and blames the government of Pernambuco state for withholding the funds. Last month the foundation was forced to dismiss 16 workers and deactivate one surgical wing because of the impasse, and is now looking for loans in order to pay remaining staff in a last attempt to avoid the unthinkable. Mylena Valenca, spokesperson for the foundation, told MailOnline: 'We have the facilities and we want to treat more babies. But certainly if this continues we will arrive at a point where we won't be able to treat any.' The centre's psychologist Alzeni Gomes said mothers often arrive at their first session 'completely shattered' by the situation, but often find strength in meeting others going through a similar nightmare. She said: 'They've all been through so much. Giving birth is an emotional journey for every woman, and even more so when the baby is born with a handicap. For those who are dealing with it all alone that sense of panic and fear is even more acute. Needed: The government has inexplicably stopped sending agreed funding to the centre in May last year - just as the true scale of the Zika epidemic was emerging. Pictured, a baby at the Altina Ventura Foundation Comforted: Mothers arrive at the Foundation desperate for answers. A psychologist at the Foundation said they remind the women all they need to pass onto their babies is love, confidence and security 'They arrive here full of questions, afraid they won't know how to get through. But what we remind them is that they have much more knowledge of their baby than we do, after all they've just spent nine months together. 'All they need to pass on to their babies is love, confidence, security and the will to fight. Growing up disabled in our society isn't easy.' All they need to pass on to their babies is love, confidence, security and the will to fight. Growing up disabled in our society isn't easy. Alzeni Gomes, psychologist for Altina Ventura Foundation The centre's social worker Camila Cabral said she has seen many cases of mothers who are hiding extremely difficult personal circumstances, including being left by their husbands or partners. She said: 'It often takes a while for the mothers to open up. 'This morning a young mother from an interior town finally told me how her baby's father is a married man. She said she tried to end the relationship before she got pregnant but he didn't accept it and started being violent towards her. He once tried to strangle her, and on another occasion attacked her with a knife. 'When her baby was born with microcephaly the man didn't want to know about the child. But he still won't let her end their affair. 'The woman works as a waitress and lives on her own. The man is refusing to provide any support for the baby. In our sessions she cries more than she talks, she doesn't know what to do and feels like she has nowhere to turn. 'We're trying to help this young mother go back to live with family, who are in another town. We're offering support to help her escape this man and be able to look after her baby. 'Her greatest fear of all is that she won't be able to cope with raising her child on her own.' It is a worry shared by many of the women, including Daniele Santos, 29, who is also having to raise her baby son, Juan Pedro, alone, after her husband of two years left her. Troubles: Daniele Santos, 29, is another mother who is having to raise her baby son, Juan Pedro, alone after her husband left her Family: Daniele's 11-year-old daughter Jennifer Karine (pictured) now helps her mother look after her brother Daniele, from the poor Apipucos district of Recife, suffered red rashes on her body - signs of Zika infection - in the fourth month of her pregnancy. A month after Juan was born with microcephaly on December 4, husband Valdir Francisco, 39, who earned a living by selling acai berry sorbet on the street, walked out on his family - taking the TV and DVD player with him. Daniele said: 'He complained that I wasn't giving him enough attention. On the night before he left, he argued with me because, although I'd cooked food for him, I hadn't put the food on a plate and handed it to him! 'Juan would cry for hours and hours, and would only stop crying when he went to sleep. I was still trying to be the best wife, but Valdir wanted me to give him more time than my baby. 'But I think he really couldn't accept that his baby wasn't normal. He seemed embarrassed to show Juan to others, it was all about his pride, and in the end he preferred to abandon us than be the father of a disabled child. 'He was more worried about what his friends would think of him than about his own son.' Daniele said she woke up from a morning nap to find him sneaking out of the house, with the TV under his arm. Difficulty: It was only a month after baby Juan was born with microcephaly on December 4 that Daniele's husband Valdir Fracnsico, 39, walked out on his family Love: Daniele is currently on maternity leave from her job as a receptionist, but she is facing trouble trying to claim disability benefits for her son She remembered: 'I became hysterical, saying, "Are you going to leave me all alone?" and he told me if would be better like that. I was furious with him for weeks, but then I decided to breathe deeply and get on with things. After all, there are so many other things to worry about. 'I've asked him for the DVD player back, because Juan needs things to stimulate him, but he hasn't brought it back yet. He's started coming by occasionally to see his son, but as soon as he starts crying he hands him back and leaves.' The doctors say that the first six months of my son's development is crucial, but at the moment I can't afford any of the things he needs. Daniele Santos, 29, mother of baby Juan, who has microcephaly Daniele's 11-year-old daughter Jennifer Karine now helps her mother look after her baby brother. Jennifer said: 'I play with him and do the things the doctor told me to do, to stimulate his eyes and movements. 'I love him so much. I always wanted a brother and he's everything to me.' Like Jaqueline, Daniele, who is on maternity leave from her job as a receptionist, said she has also tried to claim disability benefits for her son - but was also fobbed off by Recife's social security office. She said: 'They told me that, as I had a job, and only one other child, I wouldn't get the benefit and that I was wasting my time trying to claim it. 'But I knew I had the right, so I insisted and they gave me an appointment, but only for April 25, three months later! I have to go back to work on April 1. Juan will be five months old by the time I even get to find out what I need to do to claim benefits. 'It's ridiculous. I'm a single mother with a young daughter. The doctors say that the first six months of my son's development is crucial, but at the moment I can't afford any of the things he needs. Battle: Parents are told by doctors to buy things to help stimulate their babies sight and touch, and that the first months of their lives are crucial, but they can't even afford to buy the basics like blankets and food Efforts: Daniele is already paid just 154 a month, and is now terrified that she will have to give up her job to look after her son as he needs round-the-clock care Suffering: As the financial and emotional stresses begin to take their toll on mothers of babies with microcephaly, the Brazilian authorities fear that they will begin to leave their babies at orphanages 'Apart from that, he needs milk because he can't suckle, and he's on two medicines, one for reflux and one to calm him. They are expensive and I have to buy them myself.' Daniele, whose monthly salary is just 154, said she fears she will have to give up her job to care for her son. 'I'm really angry. This epidemic is the state's fault for not controlling these mosquitoes and this virus. But they have done nothing for me, the victim. And even then they want us to give up trying to get what is ours as right. 'Without more support, I fear having to give up my job so I can look after my son. If that happens I really don't know how we will cope.' With at least 4,314 cases of confirmed or suspected microcephaly in Brazil so far, and with most mothers receiving little or professional or even moral support, many feel it is just a matter of time before many mothers like Daniele decide they can no longer bring up their children. Fearing a flood of abandoned 'shrunken head' babies as the financial and emotional stresses on mothers begin to take their toll, Brazil's Council of Psychology recently communicated to its members that pregnant mothers should begin counselling as soon as they are suspected as carrying a baby with the condition. Carrying on: Recife's children's judge Dr Elio Braz insists the idea that mothers will give up on their children is 'unthinkable', as motherly love will win out in the emd One dissenting voice, however, is Recife's children's judge Dr Elio Braz, who said the idea that mothers will give up on their children is 'unthinkable'. He points out that, of over 1,000 cases of the condition in Pernambuco state, there has only been one case of abandonment so far. He said: 'It is true that, in supporting these mothers and their children, the country has not reached the level of excellence required of it. 'There is a fragility in the whole system, from health to education and social assistance. No one was prepared for this epidemic and much still needs to be done. 'But those who are predicting that these mothers will abandon those babies are underestimating the maternal instinct. Rather than giving up on their child, the disease will make them want to protect and provide for them more than ever. A diary written by a British soldier reveals the hellish conditions Allied troops faced as they fought against German forces in the dense jungles of West Africa during the First World War. Major Charles Stooks described how his men battled intense heat, swarms of mosquitoes and 'rampant' malaria as they moved against enemy forces in modern-day Cameroon. He wrote how they struggled with the almost impossible task of tracking down enemy camps in the thick jungle undergrowth, venturing out into dangerous land unfamiliar to British forces. The 'brutally honest' descriptions are among the entries in Stooks' private diaries, which have been published for the first time by the National Army Museum. Service: Charles Stooks, seated left, with a colleague and their servants in Chakrata, India, in 1898 Warfare: German colonial soldiers being brought into a camp for parley, photographed in 1914 Recruits: German colonial soldiers, in 1914. British troops fought them in the jungles of West Africa Between September 1914 and February 1916 Allied forces launched an offensive against Germany's West African colonies, eventually conquering modern-day Togo and Cameroon. But the drawn-out campaign was challenging for British troops more familiar with trench warfare, and Stooks' diaries show how his regiment, the 5th Light Infantry, struggled to adapt. Stooks, who was born at Longbridge Deverill, Wiltshire, and educated at Sandhurst, compared searching for enemy encampments to 'looking for the proverbial needle'. He explained how the challenge was made all the more difficult because there was a constant threat of an ambush by enemy troops more familiar with the jungle terrain. 'It is still more disquieting when there may be a selection of armed Huns round the next corner with a machine gun nicely covering the path,' he wrote. A page from the diary of Major Charles Stooks The German forces would also use their knowledge to disappear into the jungle after their strikes. Stooks added: 'The means by which this disappearing trick was executed was discovered later on. 'The Huns had beaten down lanes through the grass along which their various parties could retire without showing themselves.' He also offered detailed descriptions of the painful conditions faced by the troops. Referring to the tropical weather, he wrote: 'It has been raining for weeks and every bit of ground is either marsh or a roaring torrent, when it is not actually raining a thick mist hangs over the place. 'The heat reduces the white man to the consistency of a bit of chewed string and the mosquitoes make high carnival.' A number of the men were struck down with malaria carried by disease-ridden mosquitoes, but it was the jigger flea that really caused problems. 'The jigger flea which attacks one's feet, and having burrowed into the flesh proceeds to lay eggs,' Stooks wrote. It meant feet inspections became part of the daily routine. The regiment briefly moved to Somaliland in December 1917 before returning to India a month later. The regiment was disbanded in 1922 as part of the restructuring of the Indian Army. Stooks retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, dying at the age of 78 in May 1953 at Bromhams in Yateley, Hampshire. Support: Locally recruited British troops from Cameroon, photographed circa 1918 Dr. Peter Johnston, of the National Army Museum, said: 'Stooks' diaries provide a rare and unique insight into what it was like for a soldier to venture into an unfamiliar and dangerous land. 'He reminds us how thousands of First World War soldiers felt particularly vulnerable, not only to the enemy who knew the land, but also to the harsh climate that caused so many problems.' Such personal accounts are being unveiled each month in the Soldiers' Stories series, 100 years on from the time that they describe. A Harvard graduate is suing the school over allegations she was forced to live in the same building as her ex-boyfriend after he sexually assaulted her during their relationship. Alyssa Leader, who left in 2015, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court in Massachusetts claiming the Ivy League institution failed to act when she complained about the alleged abuser. The lawsuit says Leader told campus officials that a male student who lived in her dorm had been sexually abusive while they dated but that Harvard refused to move him to another hall. Alyssa Leader, a recent Harvard graduate, has sued the Ivy League school over allegations she was forced to live in the same building as her ex-boyfriend after he sexually assaulted her during their relationship The lawsuit says Leader (left and right) told campus officials that a male student who lived in her dorm had been sexually abusive while they dated but that Harvard refused to move him to another hall Leader says they failed to protect her from retaliation after she reported the abuse and one official even discouraged her from filing a formal complaint. During a press conference on Wednesday, Leader said: 'Harvard has an institutional culture of ignoring and silencing people like me. 'My hope is that no one else will have the experience that I had,' she added. 'I hear my story over and over and over again from different people' The lawsuit, seen by the Boston Globe, says Leader's alleged abuser got back at her by becoming threatening and irate when she resisted him. He allegedly harassed her at her job in the dormitory cafe, and made threatening comments to her in the dining hall. Despite her reports, she said, school officials did not issue a no-contact order and he was allowed to continue living in her dormitory. Leader said she was also targeted by her friends, who would sit outside her job so she would have to pass by them when she left. She said she was forced to carry pepper spray in her dormitory, Living in constant fear, she never sat with her back to a door and blocked doors when she went in rooms on her own. Harvard says it responds fairly to all allegations of sexual assault. The alleged abuser was moved out of the dorm a month before Leader graduated. She says it was too little too late. Leader (pictured during a press conference on Wednesday) says they failed to protect her from retaliation after she reported the abuse and one official even discouraged her from filing a formal complaint 'My hope is that no one else will have the experience that I had,' she added. 'I hear my story over and over and over again from different people' Manny Pacquiao has issued an apology for commenting on homosexuals After provoking a huge backlash for his remarks in a recent TV interview, former world champion boxer Manny Pacquiao has issued an apology for saying that people in homosexual relationships are worse than animals. Outrage had spread like wildfire on social media on Monday, after the boxer-turned- politician said in an interview in his native Philippines that it was common sense that animals didnt have same-sex mating patterns. Continuing to put his foot in it, Pacquiao went on to say that men and women who did are worse than animals. Apologising via the TV5 Facebook page, belonging to station on which the original interview aired, he said: Im sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals. Please forgive me for those Ive hurt. I stand on my belief that I'm against same sex marriage because of what the Bible says... I love you all with the love of the Lord. God Bless you all and Im praying for you. When the outrage was just beginning to grow, Pacquiao had initially refused to apologise. -contactmusic.com Unforgettable cancelled again Unforgettable has been cancelled (again). The Poppy Montgomery led procedural, which ran for CBS on three seasons before getting cancelled and moving to A+E, will not return for a fifth season, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. This is technically the third time that Unforgettable has gotten the axe from the television channel. The series was cancelled by the television channel after just one season in 2012. The network then resurrected the drama and aired it in the summers of 2013 and 2014 before opting not to move forward with a fourth season. -hollywoodreporter.com Green Tea for Arthritis Researcher at Washington State University in Spokane have identified a potential new approach to combating the joint pain, inflammation and tissue damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis. Their discovery is featured on the cover of Arthritis and Rheumatology, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology, in print Tuesday, February 16. Rheumatoid arthritis is a debilitating auto immune disorder that mostly affects the small joints of the hands and feet. OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- A Lovers Lane tree which has been the subject of a months-long controversy was granted a stay of execution by Ocean Springs aldermen. Two weeks after accepting the fire chief's recommendation and voting to cut the tree down because it hampered fire truck access to the area -- and one week after Mayor Connie Moran vetoed that decision -- aldermen overrode Moran's veto and then approved a new motion to let the tree remain while other options are considered. Aldermen Greg Denyer said the board discussed the issue in executive session during Tuesday night's meeting because a bill of exceptions had been filed by Lovers Lane resident and attorney Ken Aultman. Matters of litigation are allowed under state law to be discussed in closed session, which was the recommendation of City Attorney John Edwards. "We wanted to hold off on taking the tree down while we look at other options," Denyer said. "We'll see how that goes." Denyer said those options include a lighting system to warn drivers of approaching vehicles from either direction, lighting the tree itself and putting additional signage along the roadway and the tree. One option that has been discussed, but will likely not be pursued, is exercising eminent domain to seize some of Lovers Lane resident Dixie Guice's property, which sits directly across from the tree. Guice has been approached repeatedly about willingly giving up some of her property to widen the road and thus allow easier passage under the leaning oak tree for large vehicles -- including a fire department ladder truck. But Guice has politely declined each time, saying having the roadway widened would jeopardize the well-being of trees running along the edge of her property. "We've discussed eminent domain," Denyer said. "but Mrs. Guice's attorney has told (John) Edwards she is prepared to fight it to the (state) Supreme Court. That would be a lot of money in legal representation to go that far. The reality is we probably won't pursue that." Denyer added there are plans to approach Guice again about surrendering the needed property. The Lovers Lane tree has been the subject of debate and study for nearly nine months since a resident expressed concerns in a letter to the City that it could cause delays in emergency vehicle reaching his home. Fire Chief Jeff Ponson and Building Official Hilliard Fountain supported taking the tree down for public safety concerns and continue to stand behind that opinion. A number of Lovers Lane residents, however, have continued to fight against the removal of the tree. Denyer said the board's reversal of its earlier decision came after several aldermen went to the site recently and watched firsthand as a fire truck passed under the tree. "We all said the same thing -- yes, it's close, but not impassible," Denyer said, noting that seeing it firsthand gave aldermen a better picture of the issue than the videos they had relied upon earlier. A former running back for the Denver Broncos was arrested after allegedly throwing his girlfriend across a hotel room. Montee Ball, who is currently a free agent, has been charged with disorderly conduct after his girlfriend, 20, reported to police in Madison, Wisconsin that he came to the room they were staying in at a Motel 6 on February 5 just before 4am and threw her into a table. Upon further speaking with the woman, police also learned that just days before Ball, 25, had allegedly backhanded the woman while they were driving to his parents' house when she tried to speak with him about his spending habits. Ball will not face felony charges for either incident. Trouble: Montee Ball (above with his lawyer on Monday February 8), who is currently a free agent, allegedly threw his girlfriend across a hotel room on February 5 Back in the day: Ball previously played for the Denver Broncos (above in August) and was dropped from the New England Patriots practice squad a few days after the alleged assault The victim, who said she was previously abused by an ex-boyfriend, told police the two argued after Ball spent the night out with friends and some females. Ball later said in the police report that he his girlfriend was upset because he had cheated on her. He was picked up two blocks away from the Hampton Inn when police arrived on the scene walking in just shorts and a shirt despite the below-freezing weather, and was cooperative while speaking with authorities. He admitted 'things had gotten physical' and he pushed his girlfriend away when they were arguing, after which he decided to leave and walk to the nearby DoubleTree to spend the night. Ball also said that his girlfriend had not hit him or attacked him at any point during the incident. His girlfriend meanwhile was taken out of the room on a stretcher and had a cut on her right leg and bump on her head that she claimed left her dizzy. The cut required stitches. The girlfriend later said the two began dating in September 2015 and that there had never been any physical altercations between the two before that week. She said that Ball was going through 'personal issues.' Off easy: Ball (left in Jan. 2015, right in July) will not face felony charges for the incident and has been charged with disorderly conduct The Broncos had cut Ball earlier in the season and were heading to the Super Bowl at the time, which they eventually won. A few days after the incident on February 9 he was dropped from the New England Patriots practice squad. Police hold fears for a 20-year-old woman who went missing after saying she was going to a friend's house in Melbourne. Adele Muller was last seen at her home on Arthur Street in Burwood in Melbourne's east about 6.30pm on Wednesday night. She had told her family she was going to a friend's house. Adele Muller, 20, was last seen her home on Arthur Street in Burwood in Melbourne's east about 6.30pm on Wednesday night after she told family she was going to a friend's house Ms Muller never showed at her friend's house and has not been seen since. 'Police and Adele's family hold concerns for her welfare as she suffers from a medical condition and her disappearance is out of character,' Victoria Police said in a statement. Her sister April told Daily Mail Australia it was likely Ms Muller lied about going to her friend's house because she left home without her phone, wallet, identification, Myki card and water bottle. 'She never leaves home without this stuff but she did this time,' she said. Police are appealing for public help to locate the missing woman. Anyone who sees Adele Muller is urged to call Glen Waverley Police Station on 03 9566 1555. Adele told her family she was going to visit a friend but she failed to show and hasn't been seen since she left her Melbourne home Three students from China were sentenced Wednesday to several years each in prison for stripping, beating and burning two classmates. The defendants and victims were 'parachute kids' who studied in Southern California while their parents remained back home. Yunyao 'Helen' Zhai was sentenced to 13 years behind bars; Yuhan 'Coco' Yang got 10 years; and Xinlei 'John' Zhang received a six-year term. All three, who admitted kidnap and assault, apologized in court for their actions. 'I hope they do not carry the wounds from what I did for the rest of their lives,' Zhai wrote of the victims in a statement read by her attorney. Yunyao 'Helen' Zhai, 19, was sentenced to 13 years in a California state prison on Wednesday. The Chinese national pleaded no contest to charges she brutalized two of her high school classmates Shortest sentence: Xinlei Zhang, also 19 (pictured on Wednesday), was sentenced to six years for his part in the brutal bullying of two fellow 'parachute kids' Ashamed: The third bully, 19-year-old Yuhan Yang, covered her face as she appeared in court for the sentencing hearing on Wednesday. Yang was sentenced to 10 years in prison Zhai and Zhang were accused of bullying a 16-year-old girl who was punched and slapped last March at a restaurant and a park in Rowland Heights, east of Los Angeles. Two days later, prosecutors say, all three kidnapped an 18-year-old classmate and took her to a park where she was stripped, beaten, punched, kicked, spat on, burned with cigarettes and forced to eat her own hair during a five-hour assault. The 16-year-old was attacked because Zhai felt she had disrespected her, and the other woman was attacked because of disputes over a boy and an unpaid restaurant bill, investigators said. The defendants pleaded no contest last month to kidnapping and assault. A charge of torture, which carries a potential life sentence, was dropped. Disappointed: The father of Xinlei Zhang watches media gather in the press area outside Pomona Court after the sentencing of his son on February 17 They are among thousands of Chinese students studying in the U.S. Many stay with host families who are paid to provide room, board and substitute parenting. Many have flocked to San Gabriel Valley suburbs east of downtown Los Angeles. Some of the attackers were students at Oxford School, a private school with about 140 international students - most of them from China. Tuition costs $12,000 a year. The judge deciding the case said it reminded him of 'Lord of the Flies' - the 1954 novel by William Golding about a group of British schoolboys stranded on a desert island who separate into rival gangs when forced to fend for themselves. In her statement, Zhai said living so far from her parents played a role in her actions. Scene of the crime: Rowland Heights Park, pictured on June 23, 2015, is where the 18-year-old victim says she was brought in March by fellow Chinese 'parachute kids' who beat her and tortured her with cigarettes Some of the attackers were students at Oxford School, a private school with about 140 international students - most of them from China. Tuition costs $12,000 a year. The campus pictured above 'They sent me to the U.S. for a better life and a fuller education,' she said. 'Along with that came a lot of freedom, in fact too much freedom. 'Here, I became lonely and lost,' she wrote. 'I didn't tell my parents because I didn't want them to worry about me.' Yang said the case was a wakeup call for 'parachute kid syndrome.' 'Parents in China are well-meaning and send their kids thousands of miles away with no supervision and too much freedom,' Yang said in a letter read by her attorney. 'That is a formula for disaster.' Before sentencing, Zhang's father - a laborer-turned-businessman from Shenzhen, China - told reporters he regretted sending his son abroad. 'If he'd never left my side, that would have been better,' Zhang told the Los Angeles Times. The victims weren't in court Wednesday but prosecutor Casey Jarvis said the woman who was stripped and burned has forgiven her attackers. 'She's a happy person, and that was taken from her repeatedly. But somehow she was able to find forgiveness,' he told the judge. A 16-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy were previously sentenced to juvenile camp for their roles in attacks. Another man, Zheng Lu, 20, is facing trial on charges of kidnapping, torture and assault. They say you never know someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes and this rings true for a man who befriended the woman whose thongs he drunkenly wore home. Jason arrived home from a concert on Sunday in West Australia's Dunsborough to realise he was wearing an odd pair of right-footed flip-flops one women's sandal and one men's - neither of which belonged to him. Deciding he didn't want to be in the rightful owners' shoes, Jason took to social media in hopes of tracking them down and that's when he uncovered an uncanny twist of fate. Jason decided to use social media to track down the rightful owners of the thongs he drunkenly wore home 'Did anyone lose a thong last night at the Fat Freddie's gig? Somehow I ended up wearing these two? Many apologies if they are yours, was a big night.....' Jason's post on the 'Dunsborough NOT buy and sell' group read. A reply from a girl named Amy put the shoe on the other foot by revealing her boyfriend had worn the matching thong combination home. 'No way! These are ours. One's mine and one's my partners,' her post reads. 'We couldn't find them, so he walked him [sic] in your matching combo and he found me a pair to wear instead.' Taking the ordeal a step further, Amy then posted an image of the sandals she stole after losing her own pair shining light on the domino effect Jason had sparked. 'I am so sorry! Mine went missing and I wasn't allowed upstairs. That's when I came across yours? Not very proud of my actions, was very drunk!' he wrote in a guilty follow-up post. In an unlikely twist of fate he learned they belonged to a girl named Amy and her boyfriend, who wore the matching combination home Amy confessed she too had stolen a pair of sandals after hers went missing, revealing a domino effect The pair managed to settle their differences and arrange to meetup so the shoes can be returned to their rightful owner Jason decided to clear his conscience by confessing his drunken deed and apologising to any anyone who had fallen victim. 'I just remember thinking you beaut! And running off into the night (geez you have small feet).' 'Looks like a domino effect as well. Much apologies to you and the person next in line, innocent victims.' it was too complex and was lagging behind New Zealand A leading businessman has hit out at Australia's tax laws, saying the country lags behind New Zealand and none of his new employees want to move to Sydney. Mark Adamson, the British-born CEO of Auckland-based $4.4 billion company Fletcher Building, has blasted Australia's tax system as too complex and expensive. 'When we recruit, people spend five minutes looking at the tax regime and they all want to move to Auckland. No one wants to live in Sydney,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald, adding New Zealand's tax regime was a global leader. Scroll down for video Mark Adamson the CEO of Australasia's largest building materials supplier has blasted Australia's complex tax regime The British-born CEO also criticised Australia's volatile politics for hindering infrastructure planning Mr Adamson said Australia's tax system was lagging behind New Zealand's, which was a world leader He also took aim at Australia's infrastructure planning, which he believed was being derailed by the country's volatile politics. 'How many prime ministers have we had in four years? Four? I'm not building my strategy in Australia on that infrastructure spend happening,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald. Fletcher reported earnings before tax and other expenses of $NZ278million ($A258million), $NZ54million in the last six months of 2015, ($A50million) of which came from its Australian operations. Mr Adamson's comments come hot on the heels of Australia's first 15-year Infrastructure Plan released on Wednesday. The landmark report recommended 'fundamental changes' to Australia's infrastructure planning and published an infrastructure priority list. The 93 projects identified include new metro rail systems in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane; road and rail projects to help reduce congestion in Perth; public transport in Perth and Canberra; 'urban renewal' in Hobart; and improving water supply in Darwin. Fletcher Building is Australasia's largest building materials supplier and has more than 19,000 staff in 40 countries. Mr Adamson said new employees at Fletcher Building want to live in Auckland, New Zealand - not Sydney 'No one wants to live in Sydney,' Mr Adamson said, saying Australia's tax regime was too complex Added fundamentals of the economy will be 'relatively unmoved' either way Influential: Fund manager Neil Woodford One of Britains biggest investors last night described claims that leaving the EU would crash the UK economy as bogus. Business groups including the CBI and banks such as Goldman Sachs have issued increasingly shrill warnings about the dangers of leaving the EU. But their claims were savaged by fund manager Neil Woodford. In a video message to his army of loyal investors, he said claims Britains future prosperity hinges on its ties with Brussels lack credibility. The 55-year-old who runs more than 14billion of savers cash and backs a string of blue-chip companies including BT and GlaxoSmithKline said the fundamentals of the economy will be relatively unmoved whether the UK stays or leaves. He conceded that Brexit would be politically, a significant event, but added: Ive heard both views that staying is incredibly beneficial or leaving would be very damaging, and Ive heard the opposite argument from an economic point of view. I think its pretty clear that thats a bogus argument. I think its really hard to see any significant credibility in an argument to stay or to leave constructed around economics. Last night Eurosceptics said the intervention by Mr Woodford considered one of the most influential City figures was another blow for pro-Brussels scaremongers. Ukip MP Douglas Carswell, of Vote Leave, said: Neil Woodford has managed to persuade thousands of Brits to look after billions of pounds of their savings. He understands what a good bet is and is one of the most successful fund managers of all time. Unlike spin doctors at the CBI and cheerleaders for Brussels behind the Remain campaign this is a man who understands how wealth is created. We should listen to him and not the scaremongers. Matthew Elliott, chief executive of Vote Leave, said: Pro-EU campaigners are relying on hollow scaremongering because they havent got a positive message about the EU. It is clear if we want decisions about the economy, our borders and our democracy to be taken in the UK then the only safe option is to vote to leave. Eurosceptics: Ukip MP Douglas Carswell, left, and Matthew Elliott, chief executive of Vote Leave, right Mr Woodfords comments echoed the findings of an independent report into the economic impact of Brexit a report he commissioned to address growing concerns about the EU referendum among his investors. The report by consultancy firm Capital Economics rejected warnings from the In campaign that quitting the EU would blow the UKs recovery off course and cause irreparable damage to trade, jobs, foreign investment and the City. NEIL WOODFORD: FUND MANAGER 'WHO ALWAYS GETS IT RIGHT' He is the City fund manager with an unparalleled reputation for selecting profitable shares. Neil Woodford may not be a household name, but his impressive record for picking winners has seen him build a loyal following of private investors. It means his intervention in the debate over Britains membership of the EU is hugely significant. His comments are a powerful counter to the claims of banks such as Goldman Sachs that leaving would seriously damage the economy. Mr Woodford spent most of his career at Invesco Perpetual, where savers who put 10,000 into his top-performing High Income Fund would have seen their nest egg grow to 230,000 over 25 years. Not surprisingly, tens of thousands of savers rushed to put their money in his hands when he set up his own fund, Woodford Equity Income. It attracted a record-breaking 1.6billion when it launched in June 2014 and is Britains best seller over the past 18 months. Thanks to a combination of rising values and investors ploughing in more money, it is now worth 8billion. Although he has made investments that have lost money, including in engineer Rolls-Royce, mistakes have been rare. Advertisement The pro-EU camp has regularly warned Brexit would lead to a slump in trade with EU countries, and result in the loss of up to four million jobs among Britains manufacturers and exporters. But this was dismissed as wild overstatement by Capital Economics. The report added it is highly probable a favourable trade agreement would be reached after Brexit and that the UK could broker its own trade deals with non-EU countries. The optimistic prognosis is supported by official figures released earlier this month showing Britains economy is less reliant than ever on the crisis-hit EU. Sales to EU countries lagged behind exports to the rest of the world in 2015 for the second year in a row. Capital Economics said the UKs dominant financial services sector would probably be hit in the short term by Brexit but it would not spell disaster, adding: Although the impact of Brexit is uncertain, we doubt that Britains long-term economic outlook hinges on it. Earlier this week, the heads of 21 business federations, led by the pro-EU CBI, signed a letter calling on the UK to maintain ties with the EU. But this gave ammunition to Eurosceptics, as several signatories warned Brexit would be a disaster for Europe rather than Britain. Pro-EU Wall Street bank Goldman Sachs warned earlier this month that the pound would collapse in value if Britain left. But this was shrugged off by Mr Woodford, who said any currency weakness would be relatively temporary and would boost exports by making them cheaper abroad. The difference between the two pictures is heart-breaking. In one, chubby-cheeked Faye Burdett gives a toothy grin for the camera. In the other, she is rigged up to hospital drips, as her tiny rash-covered body is ravaged by meningitis. The second was taken just hours before the two-year-old died from the disease and has been released by her grieving parents as part of their call to make the meningitis B vaccine available to all children. It became part of the routine round of jabs offered to babies last year. Older children can have the treatment privately but their parents have to cover the 450 cost. Devastating: These heartbreaking images show how chubby-cheeked toddler Faye Burdett was ravaged by meningitis. The two-year-old died from the disease just a fortnight after she was admitted to hospital Fayes mother Jenny Burdett, from Maidstone in Kent, said: All children are at risk from this terrible infection. We are campaigning for change in her memory. Her daughter developed flu-like symptoms on February 2 and was rushed to hospital. She was released after tests but her condition worsened and she was taken to Kings College Hospital in South London the next day. Mrs Burdett, 36, a beauty therapist, said: We were given a 1 per cent survival rate but she proved them wrong and carried on fighting. After a few days she seemed to turn a corner but the sepsis [where the immune system over-reacts to an infection] started to affect her and the decision of limb removal was made. The extent of the removal was massive, full leg amputation and one arm. But she was getting tired, her little body consumed by meningitis and blood poisoning. We had to make the decision a massive operation where she may die or we let her go peacefully. We decided the latter and watched our little girl slip away. Faye died on Valentines Day, less than a fortnight after being admitted to hospital. Mrs Burdett and her husband Neil, a 37-year-old lorry driver, hope that by sharing the pictures on social media it will put pressure on the government to offer the meningitis B jab to children up to the age of 11. An online petition has been launched and had attracted more than 340,000 signatures by last night. Petitions with more than 100,000 signatures have to be considered for a debate in Parliament. Call for help: Faye's parents are calling for all children, at least up to the age of 11, to be vaccinated against the disease, after witnessing the devastating effect it had on their young daughter Mrs Burdett said: There needs to be a rollout programme to vaccinate all children, at least up to age 11. Family friend Charlene Reed added: Faye fought for a whopping two weeks and at times we really thought she would come through. Receiving the news [that she had died] was not only heart-breaking but shocking. There needs to be a rollout programme to vaccinate all children, at least up to age 11. Fayes mother Jenny Burdett The meningitis B jab has been made available on the NHS to babies born after July 1 last year as part of their routine immunisation schedule. An injection is administered at two months, followed by two boosters before the child reaches their first birthday. However this means many older children have missed out on the scheme, leaving them vulnerable to infection. Meningitis affects the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord causing them to become inflamed, which can lead to nerve and even brain damage. The bacteria can also lead to blood poisoning, or sepsis. The meningitis B strain of the meningococcal bacteria can kill within hours. Around 30 people die from it each year in the UK, mainly children under five. However ten times as many are left with lifelong health problems, and many have limbs amputated because of the resulting blood poisoning. Experts urge parents to trust their instincts when it comes to spotting the disease, and warn that youngsters can decline rapidly if it is not caught. Tragedy: An injection is administered at two months, followed by two boosters before the child reaches their first birthday. However this means many older children have missed out on the scheme, leaving them vulnerable to infection. Pictured, two-year-old Faye, who died of meningitis on Valentine's Day The Meningitis Research Foundation says: Trust your instincts. Someone who has meningitis, sepsis or septicaemia could become seriously ill very quickly. Get medical help immediately if you suspect meningitis or septicaemia its a race against time. The infection can be identified by a rash appearing anywhere on the body. Parents are advised to use the tumbler test where a clear glass is pressed against the rash. If the marks remain clearly visible, they should seek urgent medical help. Other symptoms include a stiff neck, sensitivity to bright lights, confusion or delirium and seizures. Victims may also suffer from severe headaches and fever or vomiting. Faye fought for a whopping two weeks and at times we really thought she would come through. Receiving the news [that she had died] was not only heart-breaking but shocking. Family friend Charlene Reed Public Health England offered their condolences to the Burdett family. Dr Shamez Ladhani, consultant in immunisation at PHE, said: Our condolences are with this family, who tragically know too well the devastating impact this disease can have. Immunisation programmes are targeted at groups at highest risk from a particular disease. In the UK, infants in the first year of life have the highest incidence of meningococcal B disease, with cases peaking at five months and remaining high in the second half of the first year of life. For this reason, babies are offered the vaccine with other routine immunisations at two months, four months and 12 months of age. By 2017, all children aged under two years will have been offered the MenB vaccine. He added that while the jabs help provide protection against both B and C strains of meningitis, they will not shield children from all forms of the disease. It therefore remains important for parents to be alert to the symptoms and seek urgent medical attention if ever there is concern, he said. A record number of women are running their own businesses part-time, official figures show. The number of mumpreneurs mothers starting firms from home and other women setting up part-time now exceeds 800,000. Those wanting to fit work around family life are likely to be behind the boom, experts said. Mumpreneurs: A record number of women are running their own businesses part time, figures reveal There are 807,000 self-employed women working part-time the highest since records began in 1992, according to the Office for National Statistics. The figure has risen 3.7 per cent on last year. The number of men working for themselves part-time is at 564,000, up 7.3 per cent in a year. Mandy Garner, of Workingmums.co.uk, said: One of the main reasons women choose to set up their own business is flexibility. They also want a challenge to be able to use their skills and do something they feel passionate about. She said technology meant it was easier than ever before to work outside an office, with some mothers running global businesses from home. MUMPRENEUR OF THE YEAR Sarah Pittendrigh, of County Durham, set up her business eight years ago, when her son William was nine. She was bankrupt, divorced and on benefits. I wanted flexibility. If I worked for an employer I would have felt I was missing out on William growing up, she said. Sarah Pittendrigh, of County Durham, supplies tablecloths and chair covers for weddings She now expects to make 100,000 in annual profits from Simply Bows and Chair Covers, which supplies tablecloths and chair covers for weddings, and has 11 franchises. She won the Daily Mails Mumpreneur of the Year Award for 2015. The 44-year-old, who has remarried husband Stewart, said: It makes me a better wife and a better mother, because I am a happier person it never feels like work. Advertisement Dan Godsall, founder of WOMBA, said: Creating a lifestyle for yourself that fulfils your needs and desires, enabling you to be professionally and personally fulfilled, has to be a good thing for the family. Pursuing your passions in life creates contentment and builds your self-esteem and feeling of self-worth. These are magic ingredients that help relationships thrive. [It is] also great for role-modelling for your children, and giving them the confidence that you can make positive choices about your life and how you want it to be. Inge Woudstra, author of Be Gender Smart, warned that it could be hard for businesses run part-time to make a profit and said it was sad that well-educated women were leaving the mainstream workforce because of a lack of flexibility. She said: Parents crave more flexibility. Starting your own business allows you to create a culture, colleagues and working hours that work for you. Figures show there are about two million stay-at-home mothers in the UK, a drop of 3.5 per cent in a year. Claire Paye, of Mothers at Home Matter, warned that there was a demonising of the stay-at-home mother for not doing enough to contribute financially. She said: There is a slightly worrying trend towards stay-at-home mothers feeling guilty they are not earning anything. There is a cultural shift that suggests if you are not earning anything then you are of no value caring for your children is not enough. But she said the growth in the number of women running their own businesses showed they had creativity and good ideas and should not be under-valued. Women are realising work outside the home is not all its cracked up to be and would rather do something they are interested in and fits around their children, she said. Dispute over trust fund worth millions is thought to be the motive A neighbor discovered their bodies just before 9am on Wednesday It is believed he killed Katherine Giehll and her son Raymond IV at home Lucius Hamilton III, 61, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after he allegedly killed his niece and her four-year-old son A 61-year-old man suspected of killing his niece and her four-year-old son was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a downtown Indianapolis hotel on Wednesday. The manhunt for Lucius Hamilton III began when police were called to a Zionsville home after a neighbor found the bodies of Katherine Giehll, 31, and her son Raymond Giehll IV just before 9am. It ended seven hours later after police tracked down Hamilton to the Hilton Indianapolis Hotel and knocked on his door. After Hamilton realized the police had found him, he fired a semi-automatic pistol twice and died from a gunshot wound to the head, authorities said. Investigators believe a long-time dispute over a family trust worth millions of dollars involved was the motive behind the double murders, according to WTHR. Mrs Giehll was the daughter of Hamilton's brother, Russell Hamilton, a 27-year veteran of the Marion County Sheriff's Office, who died in 2012. Federal, state and local authorities, as well as the US Marshal Service, were involved in the day-long hunt for Hamilton. Police initially focused their search on the all-male Wabash College, where Hamilton worked as the Major Gifts Officer, and had checked out a van at 9.30am that day. Authorities put the campus on lockdown and classes were canceled as they searched every building. Scroll down for video The manhunt for Hamilton began when police were called to a Zionsville, Indiana home after a neighbor found the bodies of Katherine Giehll, 31, and her son Raymond IV (pictured together with her husband Raymond) Grisly discovery: A neighbor found the bodies of Katherine Giehll and Raymond IV at this home after Lucius Hamilton killed them in a dispute over a family trust A highway sign on I-70, east of downtown Indianapolis, displays a message asking motorists to be on the look out for the van that Hamilton checked out of Wabash College at 9.30am on Wednesday Police initially focused their search on the all-male Wabash College (pictured in a file photo), where Hamilton was an employee Alcohol and prescription drugs were found inside Hamilton's room at the Hilton. Police believe Hamilton, a father-of-four who lived with his wife Liz in a gated community in Clay Township, about 20 minutes from Zionsville, arrived at Giehll's home around 8am. It is unknown if Giehll, who turned 31 on the day, let him inside the home. 'We've done this girl justice and that little baby justice,' Sheriff Mike Nielsen said during a press conference. 'It's said that it had to happen today. It's said that it had to happen at all. But in eight hours, we solved this crime. That's what it's all about, with everybody working together. 'We were able to track Hamilton down to a specific location in downtown Indianapolis where he cowardly took his life instead of choosing to face justice for his actions.' 'My heart goes out to the Giehll family, and to those first responders that had to witness this horrific scene today.' Sheriff Nielsen added that the trust worth millions had been a 'lingering issue' over the last few years. Indiana State Police Captain Dave Bursten said that the fourth floor of the Hilton was evacuated while police tried to negotiate with him. 'It's a group effort to capture somebody who commits a crime like this,' he said. Ron Evans, head of Traders Point Christian Academy, where Raymond IV attended, said the boy was 'just one of those students that just lit up every time he came in the room.' Tom Santelli, a friend of Hamilton, said that he was a 'good guy and then something turned', adding that he began to dissociate himself from friends when his brother died in 2012. 'Here is a guy that was loving and caring and then goes off the deep-end,' he told Fox59. 'The Hamilton family was very well off. They had very large estates in Hamilton County. 'People do crazy things when they are financially motivated.' A statement from Wabash College read: 'All of us at Wabash College are deeply saddened by the event that unfolded in Zionsville this morning, and we extend our condolences to all who are affected by these tragedies.' Law enforcement on a driveway near Giehll's home. It is believed Hamilton arrived at her home around 8am Police tracked down Hamilton to the Hilton Indianapolis Hotel (pictured in a file photo). After they knocked on his door, Hamilton fired two shots and killed himself A Delaware school district was forced to apologize after a staff member accidentally emailed parents a sarcastic 'Hurt Feelings Report' that mocked 'whiners'. The document, structured like a bullying report, claims its purpose is 'to assist whiners in documenting hurt feelings' was sent by an employee at Lombardy Elementary in Wilmington and has been seen on several humor websites. The one-page blank form was attached to an email about an upcoming 'Exercise Your Brain Day' event at the Brandywine Hundred school. A satirical 'Hurt Feelings Report' was sent to parents at Lombardy Elementary School in Wilmington, Delaware, this week A Brandywine School District spokeswoman said on Wednesday that a staff member accidentally attached the wrong document to an email The document offers that 'an EMS team will be dispatched to soak your socks in coal oil to prevent ants from crawling up your legs and eating their way up your candy a**'. It also includes blanks for 'Whiner's Name' and 'Type of Whine Used', and responses such as 'I am thin skinned', 'I want my mommy' and 'two beers is not enough'. A parent who did not want to be identified forwarded the document to The News Journal and called it 'completely offensive and mocks children who are bullied in schools'. Brandywine School District spokeswoman Alexis Andrianopoulos said on Wednesday that a staff member accidentally attached the wrong document to the email message. She said the satirical document came from 'a source external to the school' and that it was 'not an official document of Lombardy Elementary or the Brandywine School District'. Lombardy Elementary School hosts children in grands kindergarten through fifth as well as special education. The Brandywine School District has an anti-bullying committee and a form that can be filled out anonymously online to report incidents. The district's code of conduct calls bullying 'unacceptable and a culture of openness is the best way to counter such behavior'. It says that students, staff and parents should 'report instances of bullying or suspicions of bullying, with the understanding that all such reports will be listened to and taken seriously'. OS state of city 2016 001.jpg Ocean Springs Mayor Connie Moran delivers he annual State of the City address inside the auditorium of the Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Arts Center Wednesday night. (Warren Kulo/Gulflive.com) OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- Ocean Springs Mayor Connie Moran delivered her 10th State of the City address Wednesday night in front of about 100 people at the Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Arts Center. During her roughly 30-minute presentation, Moran touted improving City finances, current or pending projects and commercial growth. Noting finances struggles in recent years, Moran gave credit to the board of aldermen, many of whom were present, and City department heads for their efforts in helping the City rebound financially. The City has a current operating budget of $13.4 million -- in line with the total budget of recent years -- but thanks to cuts and frugal spending, the City now has a cash reserve of more than $1 million and a projected ending cash balance for fiscal 2016 of $443, 456 -- up from just $174,675 two years ago. Moran also said sales tax revenues continue to grow, but auto taxes and property taxes have seen slight decreases. "Our sales taxes far outweigh what we take in in property taxes," she said. "People think property taxes in Ocean Springs are so high, but we're actually among the lowest on the coast. "We do a lot in terms of services for the small amount of property tax we collect." Moran also said City payroll currently sits at $9.8 million, out of a $13.4 million budget. The mayor also took time to talk about something all four Jackson County municipalities are dealing with -- astronomical rate increases from the Jackson County Utility Authority. Moran said JCUA -- an unregulated entity which provides sewer service to the cities -- has increased Ocean Springs' costs from $1.5 million last year to $2.1 million. "That's a huge jump for one year," Moran said. Residents will pay an addition eight percent on their water and sewer bills this year, with another eight percent increase added the following year to offset the cost. But there's more. Moran said JCUA's recently-released five-year plan calls for more massive increases. "There seems to be no end in sight," Moran said of the JCUA rate hikes. She noted all four Jackson County municipalities have formed a task force to fight the rate increases, which have been shrouded in secrecy, with local officials saying JCUA is refusing to turn over many financial documents which have been requested. The four municipalities are "seeking legislative relief from the JCUA," Moran said, "which is an unregulated entity not under the auspices of the Public Service Commission." Moran also cited numerous projects, including drainage projects, the harbor improvement project -- which has recently come to include a floating dock and kayak launch, and sidewalk improvements in the downtown area. "We've become such a festival town, we need to ensure those sidewalks are safe," she said, adding that funding for sidewalk improvements has been secured from Gulf Regional Planning. Moran also said the City would open bids on Thursday for the long-awaited, $1.2 million Government Street improvement project, funded by the Mississippi Department of Transportation. After touting business growth in the city, included slides of numerous ribbon-cutting ceremonies across the city, Moran closed her address with her long-standing habit of calling Ocean Springs "the jewel of the Gulf Coast." Chancellor George Osborne said the results were 'encouraging' in the face of 'significant turbulence in the global economy' Unemployment has fallen to a ten-year low with record numbers of people in work. A record employment rate for older workers has helped drive the overall employment rate to 74.1 per cent the highest since records began in 1971. The number of people without work fell by 60,000 in a quarter, taking the jobless total to 1.69million in the three months to December. Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures showed the unemployment rate of 5.1 per cent was the lowest since the end of 2005. Chancellor George Osborne said the results were 'encouraging' in the face of 'significant turbulence in the global economy'. He tweeted: 'But we can't be complacent: with cocktail of risks in world economy we must stick to plan to deliver economic security and build resilience. 'Today's statistics show we're moving towards our goal of full employment, but with risks out there much more work to do.' He added; 'In the face of significant turbulence in the global economy, it is encouraging that more people than ever have the security of a job and a rising pay packet. 'With a record number of people in work and unemployment and youth unemployment reaching 10-year lows, this is further evidence of the need to stick to the Government's long-term plan to deliver economic security against the cocktail of risks affecting the world.' The figures revealed nearly 8.4million people aged between 50 and 64 were in work 70.1 per cent of the age group. The rate of employment of older people was the highest since records in the series began in 1992. There were also around 1.2million people aged over 65 in work equivalent to one in ten. Increases in the state pension age for women have contributed to the growing number of older people in employment, as thousands of women are working for longer. Pensions Minister Baroness Altmann (pictured, in pink) said the record employment rate for over-50s was 'great news' and showed older people were 'invaluable for employers and our economy' Pensions Minister Baroness Altmann said the record employment rate for over-50s was 'great news' and showed older people were 'invaluable for employers and our economy'. But she said more needed to be done to encourage businesses to see the potential of recruiting older workers. Despite positive employment figures, wages increased by just 1.9 per cent in the year to December, down by 0.2 per cent on the previous month. Controversial suspended deputy mayor Salim Mehajer has hit out at fellow councillors, accusing them of discriminating against him because of his age and skin colour. In a long Facebook rant Mehajer accused Irene Simms and George Campbell of 'grossly' targeting him and branding them 'dole bludgers'. On Wednesday it was revealed that Mehajer could lose millions of dollars after planning decisions that benefited some of his major property developments were thrown out. Scroll down for video Controversial suspended deputy mayor Salim Mehajer has hit out at fellow councillors in a social media post Earlier it was revealed Mehajjer may have lost millions of dollars in half an hour after profitable decisions for major development plans were overturned 'Dear "suspended councillors" Irene Simms & George Campbell,' he posted on his Facebook page. 'Since both your phones have been confiscated, I hope you will be able to reply to this post.' He then went on to detail in dot point form why they were wrong about labelling his purchase of the council car park as 'dodgy'. Mehajer said he was willing to purchase the land at the 'highest valuation figure', and accused the pair of holding 'negative ideologies'. 'Yet when it comes to me or someone with an "olive complexion" lodging a development application, I/we are grossly targeted, the former deputy mayor wrote. 'Or perhaps it is because I don't have enough "grey hairs"? Or perhaps you may all suffer from tall-poppy syndrome? In retrospect, I generally refer to the above as the "jealousy of success".' He then accused Ms Simms and Mr Campbell of being 'dole bludgers' and told them 'jealousy is a disease'. 'Good day to you both,' Mehajer signed off the post, which has since been removed from his Facebook page. The reverse on the council's most controversial development plans could see the Mehajer family reportedly lose up to $10 million in profits. Cr Mehajer pictured above with his wife Aysha The colourful deputy mayor's extravagant wedding to glamorous wife Aysha brought him to public attention last year Earlier this month, NSW Local Government Minister Paul Toole suspended the entirety of Auburn Council amid allegations several members were misusing their position for personal financial gain. Former general manager of Mosman Council Viv May was then appointed administrator and on his first meeting on Wednesday night he revoked two of Cr Mehajer's development applications. The reverse on the council's most controversial development plans could see the Mehajer family lose up to $10 million in profits, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. The first application was for a site on John Street in Lidcombe, west of Sydney, where Cr Mehajer's development company had planned to build a high-rise building with up to 96 residential units. The second application, known as the South Auburn Planning Proposal, was for rezoning a section of land on Auburn Road to allow up to 12 storeys to be built, ABC News reported. According to council minutes, Cr Mehajer declared conflicts of interest and excused himself from the meeting as his colleagues voted on the proposals. Last month, he was suspended from office for four months after failing to disclose his financial interests Suspended councillor George Campbell said it was a pity the entirety of the council were suspended in order to get 'good quality, honest and decent' decisions. 'The administrator was correct to rescind two very dodgy decisions which gave gifts on behalf of the ratepayers to Salim Mehajer,' Cr Campbell said, according to ABC News. 'I'm glad to see the place getting cleaned up, whether I'm on the inside or the outside, it doesn't matter.' This comes just less than a month after Cr Mehajer was suspended from office for four months after he failed to disclose his financial interests. The Civil and Administrative Tribunal handed down the decision last month after a report found the property developer had failed to disclose a pecuniary interest on three occasions. Six patients a week are falling victim to so-called never event errors on NHS wards. The incidents mistakes categorised as so serious they should never happen are blighting the lives of hundreds of patients, figures show. They include surgeons operating on the wrong body parts, muddling up organs and leaving behind scalpel blades or other instruments inside their patients. Six patients a week are falling victim to so-called never event errors - mistakes categorised as so serious they should never happen - on NHS wards MY TWO-YEAR ORDEAL Claire Hill won more than 50,000 in compensation after a botched operation. The mother of three had a hysterectomy in 2011 that left her with a hole in her bladder. Claire Hill won more than 50,000 in compensation The surgeon, Rob Jones of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals, did not realise his error. It was only picked up five months later, leaving Mrs Hill, 37, incontinent for two years, in severe pain and feeling worthless, she said. Mr Jones was suspended in 2013 for harming up to 1,000 women over 20 years. Advertisement Women have had kidneys removed instead of ovaries, or fallopian tubes taken out rather than their appendix. In one case last year, surgeons mixed up two patients, in each case performing the operation intended for the other. In another incident, a man had a testicle removed instead of only the cyst on it. Other potentially fatal mistakes include patients being given the wrong dose of chemotherapy or ordinary air rather than pure oxygen. Figures from NHS England show there have been 1,188 never events over the past four years. They include 420 cases when patients had foreign objects left inside them after operations, including scalpels, needles, patches and cotton buds. Another 400 suffered as a result of so-called wrong site surgery where surgeons got the intended organ or limb muddled up. The mistakes also include patients falling from windows because staff have failed to properly close them. Others have accidentally been given potentially fatal overdoses for drugs to treat arthritis. The statistics show the errors are occurring just as frequently as two years ago. They reveal there were 254 never events in the nine months to December 2015, about six a week. There were 306 from April 2014 to March 2015, 338 from 2013 to 2014 and 290 from 2012 to 2013. Clare Marx, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said: This data shows an unacceptable level of preventable mistakes are still happening in the NHS... never should mean never. Learning from mistakes and using best practice and guidance to avoid such errors should be the priority of every medical and surgical team across the country. 'The NHS must continue to learn from these errors so we can become the safest healthcare system in the world. Last year one woman had her ovaries removed when they were meant to be conserved, leaving her infertile. Another two patients were given the wrong types of hip implant and another the wrong replacement knee. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has previously described the scale of never events as utterly shocking. In 2014 he promised to ensure the NHS learned safety lessons from the airline industry to ensure fatal errors were very rare. But the figures show no sign of improvement. An NHS England spokesman said: One never event is too many and we mustnt underestimate the effect on the patients concerned. However there are 4.6million hospital admissions that lead to surgical care each year and, despite stringent measures put in place, on rare occasions these incidents do occur. Janet Tracey: 'Had every will to live' Hospital patients may be left to die because a new form for Do Not Resuscitate cases is too complicated, experts warn. The two-page Emergency Care and Treatment Plans are being introduced later this year to encourage staff to talk to patients and relatives about dying. They are intended to replace DNR orders which have often been slipped into patients' notes by doctors without consulting families. But experts say the new forms are so confusing that doctors will not fill them in properly or have the sensitive discussions required. Some campaigners say they will encourage more box-ticking and repeat the mistakes of the controversial Liverpool Care Pathway. This involved fluid and food being withdrawn from dying patients and was abolished two years ago after concerns raised by the Mail that it was causing harrowing suffering. The new form revealed by Health Service Journal was drawn up by a panel of 36 experts after patients died when DNR orders were wrongly put in their notes. They included Janet Tracey, 63, who died in 2011. She had been in a car accident and had terminal lung cancer but her family said she had 'every will to live' and spend time with her four children and seven grandchildren. Her daughter Kate Masters who now campaigns for improved end-of-life care said the forms would repeat the mistakes of the Liverpool Care Pathway. She is concerned families and patients will not be involved in discussions and decisions on resuscitation will be hidden. The forms will be issued for those regarded as nearing the end of their lives: the elderly or those with serious long-term conditions. They will not be compulsory but hospitals will be encouraged to use them in place of DNR orders. Doctors will sign to state if a patient is 'for' CPR resuscitation or 'not for'. Mrs Tracey's daughter Kate Masters (pictured right with sister Alison and father David) who now campaigns for improved end-of-life care said the forms would repeat the mistakes of the Liverpool Care Pathway Controversially, they must also state if a patient's priority is to 'get better', be just offered 'comfort' or something inbetween. Professor Patrick Pullicino, a consultant neurologist at East Kent University Hospitals, is very concerned doctors were even being asked this when they should seek to make all patients better. 'It muddies the water. It's dangerous,' he said. Solicitor Merry Varney, of Leigh Day who represented Mrs Tracey's family, told HSJ the form could repeat the pathway's mistakes. She said it did not solve the problem of 'a very paternalistic view by some doctors that it is their place to decide' or establish 'clear communication' with patients and families. A scheme championed by David Cameron aiming to train armed forces veterans as teachers was branded a flop last night. Only 28 veterans qualified as teachers under the Troops to Teachers programme during the last Parliament, the latest statistics have revealed. Last night Labour claimed the figure shows the scheme is struggling, and accused the Government of failing to deal with a crisis in teacher recruitment. The programme, which has cost 4.3million so far, was a 2010 Tory manifesto promise aimed at getting experienced and high-quality ex-service personnel into classrooms. Promise: The 4.3m scheme was a 2010 Tory promise to get 'high-quality ex-service personnel into class The government scheme launched in June 2013, and the first group of teachers completed their two-year training in December last year. At the time, ministers claimed that retraining veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts would teach pupils self-discipline and teamwork. And two years ago David Cameron pledged to support the scheme when concerns were raised. He told the House of Commons: We support the programme. It is a good idea and a good proposal, and I want to make sure it is working. But figures have revealed that only 28 trainees have completed the programme. Around 100 more are still going through their training making the cost per qualified teacher around 33,000. Failure: Labours education spokesman Lucy Powell said the statistics highlighted the government's failure to tackle to teacher shortage crisis Labours education spokesman Lucy Powell said: This is more evidence in a series of failures by the Tory Government to get a hold on the teacher shortage crisis. Despite David Camerons personal commitment to the scheme, the Government has only managed to get 28 veterans to qualify as teachers. She added: Whats clear is that, as with the Governments general slow response to teacher shortages, this scheme isnt working because the Government isnt focusing on teacher recruitment. We urgently need a proper strategy for teacher recruitment including of veterans for whom this could make a great second career. The figures also show that initially, only a small percentage of those who applied for the course were accepted. In the first year there were nearly 300 applications but only 41 trainees started the programme. The 28 graduates were the first trainees to be recruited and completed their two-year course at the end of December (file photo of soldiers from the 11 Light Brigade in training on Salisbury Plain for deployment to Afghanistan) The following year 52 were accepted out of nearly 200, and 51 out of 62 in the third year with application numbers dropping by 80 per cent over the three years. Recently a National Audit Office report also found the Government has missed its teacher recruitment targets for the last four years. But a Department for Education spokesman insisted: These figures are an unfair portrayal of a scheme that is giving talented service leavers a chance to inspire young people and use their unique experience. The 28 graduates referred to are the first trainees to be recruited and completed their two-year course at the end of December. Further cohorts are being trained. Police chiefs can no longer blame government cuts for slashing routine patrols by bobbies, a watchdog concluded last night. Red tape rather than budget cuts diverts thousands of officers from frontline duties, with some spending less than half their time on the beat, a wide-ranging investigation found. Senior officers have warned bobbies on the beat could vanish if expected budget cuts of up to 40 per cent were made. Police chiefs can no longer blame government cuts for slashing routine patrols by bobbies, a watchdog concluded last night. Red tape rather than budget cuts diverts thousands of officers from frontline duties, with some spending less than half their time on the beat, a wide-ranging investigation found Sara Thornton, chairman of the National Police Chiefs Council, claimed random patrols did not prevent crime or make people feel safer, and warned that in future they would not be sent to low-crime areas. But HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoe Billingham, who led the investigation, described the traditional bobby on the beat as the cornerstone of British policing and said they should be protected. And Chancellor George Osbornes decision to rule out more cuts to police budgets in Novembers spending review meant chief constables could not blame a lack of funds for putting more officers behind desks, she concluded. We dont think it should be inevitable that the preventative neighbourhood presence should be eroded, she said. The [Government] is not cutting so hard and deep and there is an opportunity [for police chiefs] to review their decision. If they prioritise and focus on prevention work, forces are not barred from doing that by lack of money. The HMIC report found vital chances to catch terrorists and organised criminals could be missed by the erosion of neighbourhood policing. Senior officers have warned bobbies on the beat could vanish if expected budget cuts of up to 40 per cent were made. Sara Thornton (pictured), chairman of the National Police Chiefs Council, claimed random patrols did not prevent crime or make people feel safer, and warned that in future they would not be sent to low-crime areas It said the decline of beat bobbies is putting the elderly and vulnerable at risk, while failing to stop career criminals from offending. The inspection of all 43 forces in England and Wales warned constabularies risked being isolated from communities. Inspectors found beat officers are regularly ordered to sit on reception desks, book in prisoners and guard crime scenes. They found local officers in Lincolnshire spent less than half their time on the beat, while police from other forces admitted they devoted only half their time to their patch. Communities in Essex were plagued by a rise in anti-social behaviour after the force decided to prioritise other investigations, HMIC said. And in London hundreds of beat officers are being taken off patrols each month to deal with protests and major events. There is a risk that the police service is sleepwalking to a return to their old model of policing where police are isolated from communities HM Inspector of Constabulary, Zoe Billingham Meanwhile, police community support officers, rather than police officers, are increasingly being sent to investigate crimes such as shoplifting. Miss Billingham said: Frontline neighbourhood police officers have told us repeatedly they are being pulled from important preventative work in communities to fulfil other duties, like guarding crime scenes, spending time in stations investigating crimes or staffing police station front counters. Losing our eyes and ears in the community is only likely to hamper good performance in preventing crime. There is a risk that the police service is sleepwalking to a return to their old model of policing where police are isolated from communities. Thats why we are sounding this alarm bell now. Neighbourhood policing is a cornerstone of the British policing model and we cant afford to lose it. A study last year found only 32 per cent of people saw bobbies on the beat at least once a week in 2013-14, compared with 40 per cent in 2010-11. A desperate Sean Christian Price, who was found guilty of the brutal murder of teenager Masa Vukotic, has provided his sentencing judge with hand-written notes in a bid for leniency. The ABC reports Price apologised for using hand-written notes, telling Justice Lex Lasry he had difficulty using photocopiers in his high-security prison. The contents of the notes were not made known to the court. Price was appearing briefly in Victoria's Supreme Court for a pre-sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to killing Ms Vukotic, 17, at a park near her Doncaster home in Melbourne last March. Scroll down for video Sean Christian Price, 31, killed Masa Vukotic, 17, in a stabbing frenzy at a Doncaster park on March 17. He provided the judge with hand-written notes in a bid for leniency on Thursday at Victoria's Supreme Court 'I dispute some of the submissions,' Price told Victoria's Supreme Court on Thursday. His two pages of hand-written submissions were given to Justice Lasry who said he would read them before sentencing Price at a later date. Price recently threatened to kill a prison guard in January and is now classed as a serious violent offender. 'Protection of the society ... is now the primary matter,' Chief Crown Prosecutor Gavin Silver told the court on Thursday. In an earlier pre-sentence hearing in December, Price told police he had been thinking of stabbing someone for some time and Ms Vukotic was his unfortunate victim. A postmortem found Price was stabbed Ms Vukotic 49 times during the frenzied assault Price said the 17-year-old student was dressed 'like a yuppy' when he saw her in a Doncaster park on March 17 and thought he just had to kill her, before he stabbed her 49 times. 'I just hated society. It just built up,' Price told police after his arrest. 'She started talking to a bird like... Snow White,' Price told police. 'This one just ended up being the one.' Ms Vukotic had gone for a walk in Doncaster about 6.45pm after having dinner with her family before she was randomly attacked by Price. Price, who has pleaded guilty to the murder as well as other charges of rape, robbery and attempted theft, was the subject of a supervision order when he went on his two-day rampage in March last year. Price apologised for using hand-written notes, telling Justice Lex Lasry he had difficulty using photocopiers in his high-security prison 'I dispute some of the submissions,' Price told Victoria's Supreme Court on Thursday The father of murdered teen Slabvoljub Vukotic (right) arrives for a pre-sentencing hearing in Melbourne in December The day before his attack on Ms Vukotic, Price's corrections officer noted his behaviour was unusual. Price was hostile, agitated, staring intently and didn't complete his appointment with his corrections officer on March 16. It had previously been noted that Price was paranoid, misogynistic, possibly becoming aggressive and 'speaking about women', Ms Williams said. In mid-February a corrections officer noted the high-risk client's behaviour was 'steadily deteriorating', and 'he was becoming increasingly hostile'. After Ms Vukotic's murder, Price (centre) then went on a crime rampage that ended when he raped another woman on March 18 Ms Vukotic had begged for her life, but Price showed her no mercy Following his arrest, Price told police he'd been wanting to stab someone for a while - and he wanted to stab a rich person. 'I thought rich people ... they don't care unless it happens to them,' he told police. 'I was just getting this urge for a while.' Following the murder, Price realised he was likely to be arrested and decided to sexually assault someone. The woman he raped on March 18 said in a victim impact statement that nine months on she still suffers nasty anxiety attacks. Mr Vukotic was in court for Price's pre-sentence hearing at the Victorian Supreme Court in December She said there was a point during the attack in her workplace when she knew she had no more energy to fight him off. 'I seriously considered the fact that they were going to be my last moments,' the victim said. 'I'm angry that I was raped and assaulted. I'm angry he took a young girl's life.' She said she had chosen to forgive but she would never forget what happened to her. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has been keeping people on their toes during her visit to China - and not just in meeting rooms. Ms Bishop was photographed on a run - part of the daily routine, not matter where she is in the world - through Ritan Park in Beijing ahead of high-level meetings with Chinese officials on Wednesday. Clad in tight black leggings, joggers, gloves and parka vest to protect her against the northern hemisphere winter, the foreign minister was seen running through the ancient imperial park and stretching outside an altar. In one photo, two Chinese minders appear to be struggling to keep up with Ms Bishop, who is known to run between six kilometres and 10 kilometres a day. Scroll down for video Australian Foreign Minister Minister Julie Bishop runs through Ritan Park in Beijing. Two Chinese minders, pictured in the background, appear to be struggling to keep up Ms Bishop stretches in Ritan Park, which translates to Altar of the Sun and was built in 1530 Ritan Park, which translates to Altar of the Sun, was built in 1530 and is regarded as one of the most peaceful parks in the bustling Chinese capital, which is home to more than than 20 million people. After her morning run, Ms Bishop met with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, to discuss growing tensions in the South China Sea. At a press conference with Mr Yi on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Yi downplayed reports China has positioned anti-aircraft missiles on a disputed South China Sea island. Ms Bishop stood besides Mr Yi as he dodged the reports and blasted the media for exaggerating the issue. Tensions in the area have almost reached boiling point in recent days with U.S. President Barack Obama calling for restraint as Ms Bishop tried to get assurances from Chinese officials that they will not militarise the disputed island. Ms Bishop is known to run between six and 10 kilometres a day After her morning run, Ms Bishop met with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, to discuss tensions in the South China Sea 'We believe this is an attempt by certain Western media to create news stories,' Mr Yi said on Wednesday. 'All of those are actions that China, as the biggest littoral state in the South China Sea, has undertaken to provide more public goods and services to the international community and play its positive role there,' he said. However, US Pacific Command head Admiral Harry Harris Jnr described the missile reports as greatly concerning. 'This could be an indication, if there are missiles there, it could be an indication of militarisation of the South China Sea in ways that the president of China, that President Xi said he would not do,' Admiral Harris said. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, left, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pose for photographers as she arrives for a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, Wednesday, February 17, 2016 Ms Bishop (left) stood besides Mr Yi (right) as he dodged reports China had deployed missiles and blasted the media for exaggerating the issue It comes after Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said it had 'grasped that Communist China had deployed' an unspecified number of missiles on Woody Island in the Paracel group. The Philippines also said the development increased regional tensions. The missile deployment would follow China's building of new islands in the disputed sea by piling sand atop reefs and then adding airstrips and military installations. Julie Bishop still found time for a work-out during the high pressure talks in China this week Ms Bishop was filmed on an early morning jog near Beijing on Tuesday morning They are seen as part of Beijing's efforts to claim virtually the entire South China Sea and its resources, which has prompted some of its wary neighbors to draw closer to the U.S. The most dramatic work has taken place in the Spratly Island group, where the militaries of four nations have a presence, although similar work has also gone on at Woody and other Chinese holdings in the Paracels. 'The military will pay close attention to subsequent developments,' the Taiwanese ministry statement said. Relevant parties should 'work together to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea region to refrain from any unilateral measure that would increase tensions,' the statement added. Ms Bishop has tried to get assurances from Chinese officials that they will not militarise the disputed islands Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (middle) and Julie Bishop (right) talk as they arrive for a joint press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs China's move is likely to rattle Vietnam the most because of its proximity to the Paracels and because of a history of maritime tensions with China that spiked in 2014 with a standoff after China moved a massive oil rig into disputed waters. China regards Australia and the U.S. as unwelcome outside interlopers in regional waters. Mr Yi and Ms Bishop engaged in a testy exchange in December 2013 after Australia criticized China's unilateral declaration of an air defense zone in the East China Sea. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop speaks during a joint news conference with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi A map of the South China Sea shows the difference areas that are claimed by different nearby countries A file handout picture dated 18 February 2015 and made available by the Armed Forces of the Philippines shows an aerial view of construction at Mabini Reef by China Ahead of Ms Bishop's visit, President Obama and the leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations called Tuesday for the peaceful resolution of the region's maritime disputes. Mr Obama told a news conference that disputes must be resolved by legal means, including a case brought by the Philippines challenging China's sweeping claims over most of the South China Sea. China has refused to take part in the proceedings, but the President said parties to the U.N. law of the seas are obligated to respect the ruling, expected later this year. China lands more planes on its man-made island in the disputed South China Sea, sparking fears it will impose an 'air defence zone' Wife beaters will be given counselling in an attempt to curb domestic violence. The project will try to persuade serial offenders to abandon abuse rather than encouraging their victims to leave them. It has won the backing of ministers, who said yesterday rehabilitation could help prevent attacks. The Drive programme of counselling will be aimed at criminals and will run alongside efforts to help victims However, one womens charity said there was no evidence that therapy for offenders would prevent men from attacking. The Drive programme of counselling backed by police and crime commissioners from Essex, Sussex and South Wales will be aimed at criminals and will run alongside efforts to help victims. The SafeLives charity said its staff would meet the most dangerous offenders to try to reduce the likelihood of further attacks. The group said: The response to domestic abuse in the UK has always focused on expecting the victim to leave and start a new life in a new community, causing major disruption and taking them away from their support network of family and friends. Often the perpetrator is left to continue their life as normal and frequently repeats the same behaviour with new partners, creating more victims. 'Providing an extensive system of support for victims and their children is essential, but on its own it will not stop domestic abuse. It said the approach may help reduce numbers of serial and repeat attacks. SafeLives chief executive Diana Barran said it was not possible to reduce numbers of victims of domestic violence without reducing the number of offenders. The victims we work with have asked us why they are always the ones expected to change and why too often the perpetrator is left free to continue their abuse of them and others, she said. One womens charity said there was no evidence that therapy for offenders would prevent men from attacking One victim, Rachel Williams of Newport in South Wales, who was subjected to years of violence at the hands of her former husband Darren, who is now dead, said: The perpetrator is the problem. 'Why is it that the victim is the one who has to move and seek refuge, when the perpetrator carries on as normal? 'If we dont deal with them - then they just move onto the next victim. We have to at least try and change their mind-sets. Minister for Preventing Abuse, Exploitation and Crime Karen Bradley said: Domestic violence is a devastating crime that shatters the lives of victims and families and the Government is determined to put an end to it. 'Protecting victims will always be at the heart of our approach, and this includes future partners and children who may also be at risk. Our new Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, which we will publish shortly, will look at ways to better understand and address the causes of offending behaviour to stop these terrible crimes from happening in the first place. This innovative pilot will give us greater insights into the causes of offending behaviour and the role of rehabilitation. However Sandra Horley of the charity Refuge told the BBC that there was no evidence that attempts to reform violent partners can work. Charged: Christi Howell, 40, was arrested last week for allegedly abusing a mentally disabled child A Texas woman and her boyfriend are accused of waterboarding a mentally abused relative under the age of 14. Christi Howell, 40, and her boyfriend Casey Shackleford, 45, allegedly also tied a rope around the child's genitals after he confessed to sticking his finger inside the family dog's butt, according to The Dallas Morning News. 'The victim stated that he wanted to be honest and admit what he had done,' said the affidavit. Howell was arrested last week and is being held in the Kaufman County Jail on $250,000 bail. Police are still looking for Shackleford who last year was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Shackleford is accused of employing waterboarding on the child, a form of punishment that causes the sensation of drowning. Shackleford grabbed the boy by his hair, pinned him down, and held a towel over the boy's face as he poured cold water over his mouth and nose. The boy told police that he was able to 'breathe slightly' if he moved his head to the side while underneath the towel, according to NBC. The boy also accused of the couple beating his when he couldn't keep proper form as he did push ups. His parents would beat him 20 to 30 times on the back, buttocks and elbows, according to The Dallas Morning News. HARRISON COUNTY, Mississippi -- An Ocean Springs woman was arrested Tuesday and charged with domestic violence/aggravated assault after police say she stabbed her boyfriend in the chest during an argument. According to Harrison County Sheriff Troy Peterson, deputies responded to a call of a stabbing near Big Ridge Road and Highway 67. After arriving, deputies learned that 38-year-old Rayla Marie Williams had stabbed her boyfriend -- identified as Keith Alan Morris -- in the chest during a domestic dispute. The dispute between the couple began in Tillman's Corner, Ala., and continued until Morris stopped the vehicle they were traveling in at Big Ridge Road. Morris was transported to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery for his injury. Williams was treated for a less-serious injury and released to the custody of the Harrison County Sheriff's Department. Williams was booked into the Harrison County Adult Detention Center under a $50,000 bond set by Justice Court Judge Diane Ladner. The universities minister has written to the head of Oxford urging her to consider disciplinary action over alleged rampant anti-Semitism at the universitys Labour club. Jo Johnson demanded an urgent investigation after the student groups co-chair said members had a poisonous attitude towards minority groups and resigned. Alex Chalmers, 20, said a large proportion of the Oxford University Labour club (OULC) had some kind of problem with Jews and that some had used offensive terms. The club, which counts Michael Foot and Ed and David Miliband among its former members, describes itself as the home of the Labour Party and the left at Oxford University and the largest in the country. Yesterday, the universitys Jewish society released a list of alleged anti-Semitic incidents involving the club and claimed they were mocked when they raised concerns. Former Labour leader Ed Miliband postponed an event at the OULC next month with his spokesman stating he was deeply disturbed at the reports of anti-semitism. Investigated: The Oxford University Labour Club has been accused of 'rampant anti-Semitism Jo Johnson (pictured) demanded an urgent investigation after the student groups co-chair said members had a poisonous attitude towards minority groups and resigned Last night, Mr Johnson said he was concerned over a number of reports of intimidation of Jewish students on campuses, which risked curtailing free speech. He urged Oxford vice-chancellor Professor Louise Richardson and other university leaders to take action to show they were taking students safety seriously. He wrote: I am writing now following reports in the press alleging rampant anti-Semitism among members of the Oxford University Labour Club, and following the resignation of its chairman Alex Chalmers. There can be no justification for attacks on Jewish students, and no tolerance for institutionalised racism within an organisation that bears the University's name. Universities must be places for students, irrespective of their background, to develop as individuals and citizens, free from the fear of racism or the kind of intimidation that curtails free speech. Jewish students at Oxford and all universities must feel confident that university leaders take their safety seriously. I would welcome your assurance that the situation involving the OULC is being urgently and thoroughly investigated, with strong disciplinary action taken where necessary. Mr Johnson said he had already raised concerns about a public meeting involving the King's College Israel Society in London which was abandoned due to violent interruptions from pro-Palestinian protestors. History student Mr Chalmers resigned after OULC voted to endorse Israel Apartheid Week (IAW), an annual series of lectures against Israeli settlement in the West Bank and Gaza. Mr Chalmers, who is not Jewish himself, said the movement had a history of targeting and harassing Jewish students and inviting anti-Semitic speakers. Yesterday, his claims about the group were supported by the university Jewish Society, which revealed it had compiled a list of incidents reported by OULC members over the course of a year. It included an allegation that several people have been known to sing an offensive song called Rockets over Tel Aviv and expressed support for attacks by Hamas on civilians. Another member is accused of stating that the club should not associate with any Jew who does not publicly denounce Zionism. The society also said that one member of the OULC was formally disciplined by their college for organising a group of students to harass a Jewish student and to shout 'filthy Zionist' at them. A spokesman for the society said: It is not the first time that Oxford JSoc has had to deal with anti-Semitic incidents within the student left and it will not be the last. Members: Both Ed and David Miliband were former members of the Oxford University Labour Club It is a significant and worrying issue and one that on many occasions, Jewish students have felt that they are fighting alone. Many of Oxfords Jewish students who hold progressive views have long felt excluded from left-wing political spaces. Jewish students who raised the issue of anti-Semitism at the OULC meeting were laughed at and mocked. It is high time that this issue is confronted. We hope Alexs resignation triggers a broader awakening amongst student political movements, and that anti-Semitism, particularly on the student left, is finally taken seriously. Yesterday, John Mann, Labour MP for Bassetlaw in Nottinghamshire, called for the party to sever ties with the club while an investigation is carried out. He wrote on Twitter: There needs to be a full enquiry [sic] and suspension of Oxford University Labour Club for the allegations of racism. It follows a growing number of complaints from Jewish students that they are being made to feel unwelcome on campuses around the country. Mr Mann later said that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn should ensure a thorough investigation into the allegations is carried out. He said: I have written to the Labour Party asking for an investigation as a matter of urgency. It is hugely embarrassing for the Labour Party. This is something Jeremy Corbyn should personally look into. These allegations are quite precise and there needs to be an investigation to see if they are true. The club endorsed 'Israel Apartheid Week', an annual series of lectures against Israeli settlement in the West Bank and Gaza Mr Milibands spokesman said: Ed is deeply disturbed to hear of reports of anti-Semitism in the Oxford University Labour Club. It is right that the executive of the club has roundly condemned the comments and fully co-operates with the Labour Students' investigation. Ed and the Labour Club have agreed that his talk should be postponed until the investigation is resolved. MP Louise Ellman, vice chairwoman of Labour Friends of Israel, said: 'I am deeply disturbed by the news that Oxford University Labour Club has decided to support Israel Apartheid Week and by the revelations from Alex Chalmers about the troubling tone of the discourse in which this debate appears to have been conducted.' She said comparisons between Israel and apartheid-era South Africa 'are a grotesque smear and the Labour Party should dissociate itself from them'. In a statement, national umbrella body Labour Students said it was 'deeply troubled' by the allegations. Disturbed: MP Louise Ellman, vice chairwoman of Labour Friends of Israel said she was 'Oxford University Labour Club has decided to support Israel Apartheid Week It added: 'We unequivocally condemn any form of anti-semitism. We are taking these allegations very seriously and will do whatever is necessary to ensure every Labour club is a safe space for Jewish students.' A Labour Party spokeswoman said: 'The Labour Party condemns anti-Semitism in any form. 'Labour Students have launched an immediate investigation and the Labour Party welcomes and supports this action. 'If complaints are made about any individual member of the Labour Party, the party will take robust action to deal with any anti-Semitic behaviour.' Noni Csogor, remaining co-chair of the club, said in an online statement: We take allegations of anti-Semitism in the club very seriously and I will be discussing, with my executive committee, how to deal with the kinds of statements Alex mentions, and what concrete steps we can take in future to preserve a club thats been a safe haven for Jewish students in the past. A spokesman for Oxford University said: Oxford University does not tolerate any form of harassment or victimisation - including on the grounds of religion and belief - and expects all members of the University community, its visitors and contractors to treat each other with respect, courtesy and consideration. 'We would strongly urge anyone who has experienced harassment or intimidation on the grounds of religion and belief to come forward and officially report any incident to the university authorities. We take allegations of harassment extremely seriously, and where offences are found to have been committed they are considered grounds for severe disciplinary action.' In March last year, Moselle Paz Solis, Jewish Society president at the School of Oriental and African Studies, told the Jewish Chronicle that she was too scared to go anywhere after a controversial vote where students agreed to academically boycott Israel. U.S. burger chain Wendy's has dissed Australian beef in a new television commercial that aims to promote its use of fresh meat instead of frozen beef like their rivals. Wendy's tongue-in-cheek ad is intended to promote its use of '100 per cent North American' beef patties over fast-food rivals like McDonald's who use Australian beef. The 30 second advertisement, which is getting big play in the U.S., shows three tough Aussie rugby players asking: 'What's wrong with Australia?' when the fast food restaurant criticises its competitors for outsourcing its beef. Scroll down for video Wendy's tongue-in-cheek ad is intended to promote its use of '100 per cent North American' beef patties over fast-food rivals, including McDonald's who use Australian beef. It then goes on to suggest Wendy's burgers are far 'superior' because it uses beef native to the US. The ad has hit a nerve with one outraged viewer posting online that the ad was incorrect and Australia's meat is in fact superior due to Australian farmers not using enhancing agents when rearing the animals. Another viewer of the clip asked Wendys to 'stop making ads'. Wendy's tongue-in-cheek ad is intended to promote its use of '100 per cent North American' beef patties over fast-food rivals like McDonald's who use Australian beef Many US companies prefer Australia's beef because it's leaner than US beef The ad has hit a nerve with one outraged viewer posting online that the ad was incorrect and Australia's meat is in fact superior Meat & Livestock Australia's North American business manager David Pietsch said many U.S. companies prefer Australia's beef because it's leaner than U.S. beef. The Wendy's campaign also pokes fun at rival chains' use of frozen burger patties with the faux product Freezy Diskz! At the end of the video it does say that Australians have cool accents. The 30 second ad features three 'tough' Australian rugby players asking: 'What's wrong with Australia?' Wendy's tongue-in-cheek ad is intended to promote its use of '100 per cent North American' beef For more of the latest on Barack Obama visit www.dailymail.co.uk/obama Cuban President Raul Castro and Obama announced an end to 54 years of diplomatic tensions in December 2014 At the time Benito Mussolini ruled over Italy and Joseph Stalin was in charge of the Soviet Communist Party The last serving President to visit Cuba was Calvin Coolidge in 1928 Is part of the bid to expand diplomatic ties between the two nations U.S. President Barack Obama is preparing to visit Cuba as soon as March, officials have said Obama said in December that he would consider visiting Cuba as part of an opening to Havana that saw the two countries restore diplomatic ties and take steps toward expanded commercial relations. 'The president has said he would like to go if the conditions are right,' a U.S. official said. Scroll down for video U.S. President Barack Obama is preparing to visit Cuba as soon as March, officials have revealed. He is pictured in the Oval Office on Wednesday Obama said in an interview in December with Yahoo News that he hoped to visit Cuba in 2016 but only if enough progress had been made in bilateral relations and he was able to meet with political dissidents as part of an effort to 'nudge the Cuban government in a new direction.' In December 2014, Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro shocked the world by announcing the former adversaries would normalize relations after a 54-year break. The last and only American president to visit Cuba while in office was Calvin Coolidge in 1928. Former President Jimmy Carter visited in March 2011. Coolidge traveled to Cuba to address the Sixth Annual International Conference of American States in Havana on January 16, 1928. Coolidge and his wife met with Cuba's President Gerardo Machado, who was in office from 1925 to 1933 until he was forced into exile. It was the only foreign country he visited during his time in the White House. At the time Benito Mussolini ruled over Italy and months earlier, Leon Trotsky has been expelled from the Soviet Communist Party, leaving Joseph Stalin in charge. A Cuban foreign ministry official said in reaction to the December interview that Obama was welcome to visit Cuba but not meddle in the country's internal affairs. The last and only American president to visit Cuba while in office was Calvin Coolidge (second from left) in 1928. Coolidge and his wife met with Cuba's President Gerardo Machado (far right), who was in office from 1925 to 1933 until he was forced into exile Washington and Havana restored diplomatic ties in July, but commerce remains limited by the U.S. trade embargo, which includes a ban on American tourism to the island. The Republican majority in Congress has defied Obama's call to rescind the five-decade-old embargo, so he has used his executive authority to relax some trade and travel restrictions. On Tuesday, American and Cuban officials signed an arrangement to restore scheduled air service between the two countries after half a century. Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, a Florida senator whose parents emigrated from Cuba, asked at a CNN town hall event in South Carolina whether he would visit Cuba, replied: 'Not if it's not a free Cuba.' The mystery substance was seen on resident's roofs, cars and porches A city in Michigan is perplexed after a a tar-like substance has rained down on their cars, porches and driveways this week. The black, oily substance first appeared on at least six driveways in Harrison Township on Sunday, and days later, what the material is still remains a mystery. Michigan Department of Environmental Quality officials collected samples of the substance on Wednesday. A black, oily substance first appeared on at least six driveways in Harrison Township, Michigan, on Sunday The mysterious substance remained on outdoor surfaces through Wednesday, when Michigan Department of Environmental Quality officials collected samples The city's fire chief sad that it is not bird droppings and is not flammable, according to WXYZ. Harrison Township resident Paul Schlutow, 73, said 'everybody's concerned' about the substance and the major concern is that the substance could potentially be harmful. Residents originally believed that the substance could have come from the nearby Selfridge Air National Guard Base, but the base released a statement saying it was not coming from their location. 'There is no indication that the substance in question came from a military aircraft of any type,' the statement said. The statement said the airbase has 'been in communication with the Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality, which was sending a representative to the area in question to review the material'. Residents originally believed that the substance could have come from the nearby Selfridge Air National Guard Base, but the airbase released a statement saying it was not coming from their area Residents of the neighborhood have been trying to clean off their cars, porches and driveways since the substance arrived Residents said they are concerned the substance could be toxic. Officials assured them it was not flammable 'As Michigan's Hometown Air Force, we take being a good neighbor very serious,' Brig Gen John D Slocum, commander of the 127th Wing and the Selfridge base commander told ABC News. 'We will continue to work with our local and state partner agencies to resolve this question.' Fire Chief Michael Lopez told Fox 2 Detroit that the airbase will still investigate. 'It does not appear to be a fuel substance at all and so we did confirm that but it appears as though it came from an aircraft but we haven't confirmed that but we did turn it over to Selfridge to investigate,' he said. A Michigan Department of Environmental Quality officer said it could be at least a week before the organization discovers what the substance is. Cook has argued that if Apple unlocked the phone it would create a backdoor for the FBI to get into other phones 'We should find out what happened, why it happened, and maybe there's other people involved and we have to do that,' added Trump 'But to think that Apple won't allow us to get into the cellphone. Who do they think they are?' said Trump A judge ruled Apple had to unlock the phone for the FBI, which was owned by Farook's employer, who consented to the search Donald Trump has attacked Apple and CEO Tim Cook over their decision to refuse to unlock the iPhone of San Bernardino terrorist Syed Farook Donald Trump did the unthinkable on Wednesday by siding with President Barack Obama and his administration. The presidential hopeful blasted Apple after the company refused to unlock the iPhone of San Barnadino terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook who, along with his wife Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people in December. A federal judge had ruled on Tuesday that Apple must unlock the phone for the FBI to investigate, which did not even belong to Farook but rather his employer San Bernardino County - who consented to the search of the device. Scroll down for video Donald Trump (above oin Wednesday) has attacked Apple and CEO Tim Cook over their decision to refuse to unlock the iPhone of San Bernardino terrorist Syed Farook Cook (above in June 2012) has argued that if Apple unlocked the phone it would create a backdoor for the FBI to get into other phones 'I agree 100% with the courts,' Trump said during an appearance on Fox & Friends Wednesday morning. 'In that case, we should open it up. I think security, overall, we have to open it up, and we have to use our heads. We have to use common sense.' He went on to say; 'But to think that Apple won't allow us to get into the cellphone. Who do they think they are? No, we have to open it up.' Apple CEO Cook said 'this moment calls for public discussion, and we want our customers and people around the country to understand what is at stake' in response to the judge's decision. He said that the U.S. government order would undermine encryption by using specialized software to create an essential back door that he compared to a 'master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks.' A judge ruled Apple had to unlock the phone for the FBI, which was owned by Farook's employer, who consented to the search (Tashfeen Malik, left, and Syed Farook, as they passed through O'Hare Airport) 'In the wrong hands, this software - which does not exist today - would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone's physical possession,' Cook wrote. 'The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a back door. 'And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control.' Trump commented on this response by saying; 'Apple, this is one case, this is a case that certainly we should be able to get into the phone, and we should find out what happened, why it happened, and maybe there's other people involved and we have to do that.' A man convicted of a one-punch attack on a Sydney bouncer that left the victim suffering frequent seizures has been sentenced to almost five years in prison. James Ian Longworth, an admin worker at an investment bank in Sydney, struck Fadi 'Fred' Taiba after being refused entry to Bar 333 on George St in September 2013. He was convicted of recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm in October last year. Scroll down for video James Ian Longworth has been sentenced to at least three years behind bars for the one-punch attack of a bouncer in September 2013 Shocking CCTV footage of the moment (left) shows Longworth hitting Mr Taiba, sending him flying (right) Fadi Taiba was placed in a coma for 19 days after having some of his skull removed when he was king hit In handing down the sentence of four years and 10 months on Thursday, Judge Richard Cogswell said Mr Taiba's injuries were in the upper scale of grievous bodily harm. But he said the court could not find the punch was premeditated. 'The act was not accompanied by planning or calculation, but nor was it immediate or instinctive,' Judge Cogswell told Sydney's District Court. The court heard Longworth, 35, was suffering from depression at the time due to his father's death and the temporary misplacing of his ashes. After consuming 10 drinks at a nearby Sydney pub, Longworth and his work colleagues tried to gain entry to Bar 333, only to be refused by Mr Taiba at the door. 'Mr Taiba instructed that Mr Longworth was not sober enough to enter the bar. Obviously, he was responsibly discharging his duties,' Judge Cogswell said. The men then stepped a few metres away from the entrance, but Longworth turned back and struck Mr Taiba while he was speaking with other patrons. 'He launched a heavy blow to Mr Taiba while he was turned away,' Judge Cogswell said. 'One witness said he "fell like a tree".' There is shocking CCTV footage of the moment Longworth connected with Mr Taiba, sending him flying. Judge Richard Cogswell said Longworth's actions were not premeditated Longworth will be eligible for parole in three years, in February 2019 In a victim-impact statement, Mr Taiba's wife Danielle (left) said her husband now changed personality 'in a split second' Mr Taiba hit his head on the ground and went into a coma, with doctors ultimately having to remove a part of his skull. He was in a coma for 19 days. In a victim-impact statement, Mr Taiba's wife Danielle said her husband now changed personality 'in a split second' and took 140 tablets a day to manage his seizures and medical problems. In his own statement, Mr Taiba said the attack scarred him 'from the front of my forehead to the back of my neck'. 'It will be with me until the day I die,' he said. Outside court on Thursday, Mr Taiba said he was relieved it was all over. 'All I can say to Longworth is that you've made your bed, now lay in it. 'We've got a good outcome.' His son Adam, 19, disputed the notion Longworth was a good person who happened to commit a crime 'It will be with me until the day I die,' Mr Taiba said in his victim impact statement His son Adam, 19, disputed the notion Longworth was a good person who happened to commit a crime. 'There is no good criminal,' he said. 'We're not the same after this.' In sentencing Longworth, Judge Cogswell said his depression and grief was a mitigating factor but his intoxication on the night was not. He also said he was not satisfied Longworth knew the potential impact of a 'king hit', having been overseas during several high-profile one-punch deaths, and that he was very unlikely to reoffend. He handed down an ultimate penalty of four years and 10 months in prison, given his good character and sense of remorse. The loneliest chimp in the world just got the best surprise - a hug from a new friend. Ponso has been by himself for nearly three years, finding himself alone after his wife and children died on the island where they were abandoned by a medical testing company decades ago. For years a nearby villager named Germain has been Ponso's only company, visiting him every so often to bring bananas and bread - the chimp's only source of food on the tiny island. Ponso, a chimp that has been living by himself on a tiny island for nearly three years, is all smiles when he gets a visit from Estelle Raballand, the director of the Chimpanzee Conservation Center Ponso, who lost his partner and two children at the end of 2013, immediately embraced Estelle in a huge hug It was clear how much Ponso missed companionship when he was recently visited by Estelle Raballand, the director of the Chimpanzee Conservation Center, according to The Dodo. The chimp immediately embraced Estelle in a huge hug and laughed as she reached out for him, his smile from ear to ear. For those who know Ponso's backstory, his immediate ease and trust in humans might be surprising. Ponso was one of 20 chimps, all between the ages of seven to 11 years old, relocated to an island off the Ivory Coast after being used for testing by the New York Blood Center. Ponso was one of 20 chimps, all between the ages of seven to 11 years old, relocated to an island off the Ivory Coast after being used for testing by the New York Blood Center Eleven died within months after the relocation and the nine surviving chimps, including Ponso (pictured) and his family, were moved once again The chimps, many captured from the wild, were used for hepatitis research. They were biopsied, anesthetized and chained by their necks to jungle gyms, according to The Dodo. After the tests were completed, the lab reportedly transferred the chimps to a string of islands, intermittently dropping off food and water because there was none in the chimps' new homes. Eleven died within months after the relocation and the nine surviving chimps were moved once again. Disease and hunger soon left only Ponso, his mate and their two children standing. But at the end of 2013 they died within days of each other, and Ponso was now completely alone. Germain, who had been caring for the entire family, said Ponso helped bury them. Ponso's only companionship is Germain (pictured), a villager who brings him banana and bread every so often as the there is no source of natural food on the island Germain helped Ponso's entire family, and helped him bury them when they died within days of each other Although Ponso had long been abandoned, the New York Blood Center was still caring for the 66 chimpanzees long after the testing program ended in 2005. But in May the NYBC announced it would be withdrawing all support for the chimps because of a breakdown in discussions with the Liberian government, according to The New York Times. A released statement said there was conflict regarding the government's own responsibilities for the chimpanzees, with the NYBC noting they had 'incurred millions of dollars of costs' for their care. NYBC also claimed it 'never had any obligation to care for the chimps, contractual or otherwise'. The Humane Society of the United States is currently supporting the chimps and trying to raise money for them. And a group called SOS PONSO is trying to do the same for the poor lonely chimp, already surpassing its goal of 20,000 - all of which will be used for Ponso's care. The funds will help provide 'feeding, enrichments and urgent vet care for Ponso', according to the GoFundMe page. Ponso and 19 other chimps were relocated to an island near the Assagny National Park after they were used for testing by the New York Blood Center in 1983 She was found murdered at rented flat in Aberdeen, 600 miles from home Mother said she worked as a stripper but was paid 1,800-a-night for sex A doting mother's secret double life as a 1,800-a-night prostitute has emerged after she was found brutally murdered in a rented flat 600 miles from the home she shared with her young son. Jessica McGraa, 36, told friends she worked as a stripper to help pay for bringing up her son but was in fact working as a 200-an-hour sex worker who travelled across the UK to offer her services. The Nigerian-born mother, who left her son at home in London when she travelled the country for work, was found dead at a flat in Aberdeen and a murder investigation has now been launched. Mother-of-one Jessica McGraa, 36, from London, who told friends she worked as a stripper to help pay for bringing up her son but was in fact working as a 200-an-hour prostitute, was found dead at a flat in Aberdeen The Nigerian-born mother (pictured), who left her son at home in London when she travelled around the country for work, was found dead at a flat in Aberdeen last Friday and a murder investigation has now been launched Police have arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with her death last Friday and he was due to appear at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday. Relatives of Ms McGraa said they were too upset to talk at their north-west London home last night. Friends also expressed their shock at discovering the mother was working as a prostitute. One said: 'I thought she was a dancer in clubs - I had no idea what was really going on. But it doesn't change my opinion of her.' Ms McGraa, who offered the 'ultimate girlfriend experience', boasted online of taking regular holidays around the world and promoted her services under the names Ebony Bianca, Kelly West and B Bianca. According to the Adult Work website, she charged up to 1,800-a-night and took bookings from men, women and couples and was currently 'on tour' around the UK. Friends have expressed their shock at discovering the mother was working as a prostitute, who charged up to 200-an-hour and 1,800-a-night for her services. She worked under the names Ebony Bianca and Kelly West Police have arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with the death of Ms McGraa in Aberdeen last Friday She described herself as 'classic, stylish, naughty, horny, sexy'. The site has topless photos of her with her face blurred out. She wrote: 'My face is covered to protect myself as I'm ultra-discreet. I have my regular job and a private life. Do be polite when you call me.' Ms McGraa grew up in Aberdeen and later moved to Manchester before settling in London. She described her son as the 'love of my life' and her Facebook page was full of photographs of the pair together. In one post, she said: 'Love me love my son.' In 2014 she wrote online: 'None of us will die unfulfilled. We all shall make a formidable impact in this world.' Ms McGraa, who claimed to offer the 'ultimate girlfriend experience', boasted online of taking regular holidays around the world. Pictured: Police officers at the rented flat in Aberdeen where she was found dead last Friday Francis Kofi Okrah, 36, said his defence lawyer Nicholas Clarke had been 'too soft' on his 22-year-old victim and should have cross-examined her until she cried during his trial at Manchester Crown Court A remorseless rapist who tried to appeal his seven-year jail sentence by claiming his trial was unfair because his barrister didn't make his victim cry in the witness box has had his prison-term increased. Francis Kofi Okrah, 36, said his defence lawyer Nicholas Clarke had been 'too soft' on his 22-year-old victim and should have cross-examined her hard enough to reduce her to tears during his trial. Okrah, of Levenshulme, Manchester, was jailed for seven years at the city's Crown Court after being convicted of raping the lesbian who he lured to his flat on the pretext of helping her re-charge her phone. She ended up on her own after a night out in Manchester in 2010 and was at the train station at 2.30am when she realised her mobile phone had run out of battery. Isolated from her friends, she met Okrah by chance and he invited her back to his home, then in Beswick, to charge her phone. Having been drinking, she 'naively' agreed, the court heard. She told Okrah she was a lesbian and not interested in him but, after falling asleep on his bed, she woke up to find him raping her. Despite screaming at him to stop, he carried on regardless telling her 'he wanted to make her pregnant'. Swabs were taken from the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, but a DNA match to Okrah was not made until 2013 when he was arrested on suspicion of another offence. He told the court the woman had consented but the jury found him guilty of rape in November 2013. He then tried to challenge his conviction, claiming Mr Clarke had been too soft on the woman after she described her ordeal to the jury from the witness box. He argued the barrister was wrong when he 'refused to cross-examine the complainant so as not to make her cry'. The Ghanaian national also claimed the jury should not have been told about her sexual orientation or his immigration status. He even complained that Mr Clarke's closing speech to the jury was 'ill-advised and inappropriate'. Okrah, of Levenshulme, Manchester, was jailed for seven years at the city's Crown Court (pictured) after being convicted of raping the lesbian who he lured to his flat on the pretext of helping her re-charge her mobile phone But Appeal Court judges were so horrified by Okrah's complaint that they instead gave him an extra six weeks behind bars for wasting their time. Judge Munro told him: 'No point you raise renders the decision of the jury arguably unsafe.' She said Okrah's barrister was simply 'not entitled to cross-examine a victim for the purpose of making her cry'. The jury was fully entitled to know the victim was a lesbian and to be told of Okrah's status as an illegal over-stayer, she added. And Mr Clarke's closing speech was 'carefully crafted and delivered', she concluded. Judge Munro, who was sitting with Lord Justice Simon and Mr Justice Hickinbottom, dismissed the appeal. Police are scouring sand dunes in search of a mobile phone that belonged to one of two backpackers who were allegedly sexually assaulted while camping at a remote beach in South Australia. The two women, aged in their 20s, were allegedly attacked at Salt Creek, south-east of Adelaide, on February 9 by a 59-year-old man they had only recently met. One of the women suffered a serious head trauma and remains in hospital, but she returned to the area with police on Tuesday to provide detectives with further information. Scroll down for video The two women, aged in their 20s, were allegedly attacked at a remote camping spot at Salt Creek, south-east of Adelaide, on February 9 by a 59-year-old man they had only recently met As a result of her help, her friend's black Samsung mobile phone became a key target for police as they continue to investigate the alleged sex attack. Inspector Trent Cox says police are looking for anything of interest but are particularly keen to locate a black Samsung phone belonging to one of the two women allegedly attacked. 'The scene here is large and challenging to search, so this has meant police and volunteer searchers have returned several times to target particular locations,' Insp Cox said. 'Investigators ask that should any member of the public locate this phone they should immediately contact their local police station, or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 so that the phone can be seized and analysed.' The women, who cannot be named, had joined the 59-year-old on a road trip to Melbourne. One of the women suffered a serious head trauma and remains in hospital, but she returned to the campsite area with police on Tuesday to provide detectives with further information Inspector Trent Cox says police are looking for anything of interest but are particularly keen to locate a black Samsung phone belonging to one of the two women allegedly attacked About 30 searchers converged on the Coorong National Park on Thursday morning to widen the area previously checked by crime-scene specialists One of the women ran from a camp site between sand dunes naked and bleeding in an attempt to escape the mans alleged attack. She raised the alarm with nearby fisherman and they phoned authorities - who then recovered the second woman. About 30 searchers converged on the Coorong National Park on Thursday morning to widen the area previously checked by crime-scene specialists. Mounted police were deployed and metal detectors are being used as members of the special Coorong task force, elite STAR Group officers and State Emergency Service volunteers scour the area. The 59-year-old man, whose identity has been suppressed, has been charged with a string of offences including unlawful sexual intercourse and attempted murder. He faced court on February 10 and will return in April. The 59-year-old man, whose identity has been suppressed, has been charged with a string of offences including unlawful sexual intercourse and attempted murder PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Pascagoula officials had said they hoped the community would put on a good show for Amtrak officials when the Amtrak tour train stopped Thursday. Mission accomplished. A large crowd, along with the Pascagoula High School band and cheerleaders, and city fire trucks, welcomed the train -- which carried Amtrak officials, Gov. Phil Bryant, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker and a host of other dignitaries. Officials with Amtrak and the Southern Rail Commission toured the railway Thursday between New Orleans and Jacksonville, Fla., along with the CSX railroad infrastructure to get a feel for the economic opportunities along the Gulf Coast. The 12:16 p.m. stop in Pascagoula was the only one scheduled in Jackson County, along with other Mississippi coast stops in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport and Biloxi. Blevins said he has high hopes for what Amtrak has the potential to bring to the city. "Pascagoula is such a great town," Blevins said, "and it is kind of a hidden gem to some people, so we need ways to bring people here and one way to do that is by bringing Amtrak here to the city." "We are very excited to have people to come here that will be able to ride the train and to experience things such as tourism and business. It is all about bringing more people here to see the numerous things we have going on in Pascagoula, so the impact will be a huge economic development." Businessmen and women being able to get back and forth was also a way Blevins feels Amtrak will be a plus for the city. "Amtrak would provide an opportunity for businessmen and women such as lawyers, engineers, workers, and contractors who come to Chevron and Ingalls to get back and forth to utilize the local resources we have here in the city," he said. Wicker said that while the City of Pascagoula is in the study phase, the numbers would be crunched to see if the state could make the case to Amtrak to come to Pascagoula. "It is another aspect of transportation," he said. "When you look at job creation, you want a strong airport, you want as many airlines coming into your airport as possible, and we also look at a port system. "In the areas of the Gulf Coast like this, we have shown across the nation that we can make Amtrak work and we are approaching this in a very methodical manner. It authorizes a study the President has signed off on to see if we can make it work for the taxpayers and for job creation." "What they are seeing is that the ridership is there, if the public can feel it is reliable, always on time, and that the schedule is favorable for people needing to get back and forth," Wicker added. "But for right now, we are in the study phase until the study is completed." State Rep. Charles Busby of Pascagoula -- chairman of the House transportation committee -- feels Amtrak would be great for Pascagoula. "It is the only stop in Jackson County and it gives us the opportunity to showcase our town," Busby said. "It also gives our citizens the opportunity to travel to places like Jacksonville and to New Orleans. "Obviously the Saints are mighty popular around here so that would allow them to go over to see a Saints game and travel by Amtrak back, which would keep them from having to park in the city over there. It brings an amenity to our city that we do not have currently." A hapless arsonist nearly became a victim of his own fire when he fled a cafe with his shoes ablaze last week. Victoria Police released footage of the incident after the Richmond property in Melbourne went up in flames just before 2.30am on February 10. CCTV vision from the cafe shows the man - dressed in a short-sleeved t-shirt and cloaked in a balaclava - charge into a set of tables as the room behind him explodes with fire. Holding a jerrycan of fuel and with both feet alight he stumbles out of the camera's frame and onto the street, where a getaway four-wheel-drive was believed to have been parked. Scroll down for video A hopeless arsonist has been filmed escaping a burning cafe with his shoes caught on fire The arsonist, holding a jerrycan and wearing a balaclava, stumbles through the blaze and out of the CCTV footage Victoria Police have released an image of a man seen in the area shortly after the fire Three people asleep in the unit above the cafe woke up to see flames and thick plumes of smoke billowing out the windows below them, and were lucky to escape without injury. The suspicious blaze was extinguished before fire investigators attended the scene. Police say the damage to the building is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. 'The footage shows that a person is running from fire and is then doused in fire, so quite possibly this person has watched too many films as to how accelerant burns,' Victoria Police Detective Senior Constable Phoebe Coulson told 9 News. She also said that investigators were now searching for a man with 'burning or singeing' to his lower legs. Detectives released pictures of a Nissan Patrol 4WD they believe was used by the arsonist. The car is two-toned in colour, has a black bonnet, large tyres, a bull bar and fishing rod holders. Investigators have asked anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit www.crimestoppersvic.com.au Detectives believe this Nissan Patrol 4WD was used by the arsonist to escape A man who was killed by South Carolina police last November pulled a gun and shot an officer as he was being placed in handcuffs during a misdemeanor drug arrest, footage released Monday shows. Two police officers were cleared in the November 17 shooting in Cayce, a town near the state capital Columbia, that left Demetrius Shelley Bryant, 21, dead. Newly released footage captured by a squad car dashboard camera shows the two officers approaching Bryant, who was found sleeping in a car parked outside a home on Lorick Street, near State Street. Bryant was originally going to be let off with a warning for failing to register his vehicle, but the officers decided to handcuff the young man after he revealed he had a bag of cannabis in his pocket, the video shows. The footage shows Bryant beginning to resist as the officers hold his arms to restrain him. Dashcam footage shows Demetrius Shelley Bryant, 21, being arrested for possession of cannabis on November 17, 2015 As the officers try to handcuff Bryant, he begins to resist and a struggle ensues The officer on the left takes a step back as he sees Bryant reaching for his back pocket with his right arm Bryant can be seen breaking his right arm lose from the officers' grip and reaching for his back pocket, at which point one of the officers takes a few steps back. Bryant then produces a gun, reaching over the officer still restraining him, and shoots the other officer in the leg. When the shot rings out the officers scatter and Bryant makes a dash for an alleyway. One officer pulls his gun and fires two shots. From the alley, off-camera, several more shots can be heard. Bryant pulls a gun out of his back pocket and fires a shot over the shoulder of an officer that strikes the other The injured officer runs away as Bryant dashes for an alleyway between the two houses in the background One officer fires his gun at Bryant as he escapes into the alley. Bryant was killed in the incident 'He tried to shoot me in the face and I got him,' an officer can be heard saying as he catches his breath after the shooting. 'I think the blast of the gun went right by my head,' he added, 'because I could feel the bullet beside my head.' Bryant died from two gunshot wounds to the upper body. An investigation by the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division found there was a 'lack of any sufficient evidence that would support criminal charges against our officers,' according to WLTX. An investigation by the Cayce Department of Public Safety, which employed the two officers, also cleared them of wrongdoing. The nightmarish moment an enormous swarm of angry wasps launch into a stinging frenzy on a scientist digging into their nest has been captured on camera. Landcare Research scientist Dr Bob Brown was burrowing into the ground in Christchurch New Zealand to study a new species of mites that take residence in wasp nests, hoping they can be used in future to control the high number of the stinging insects. As soon as Dr Brown breaks into the surface of the dirt with a spade, he is greeted by a horde of furious wasps who attempt to attack him through his beekeeper suit. A horde of wasps break attack a Landcare Research scientist who broke into their nest A calm Dr Brown continues his mission as the insects swarm around him and the video shows the wasps even planting venom on the camera lens in their fury. The newly found species of mites are hoped to be used as a biological control tool against the invasive German wasps known as Vespula germanica. The video shows Dr Brown eventually removing the entire nest from the ground, but he claims not to be killing the wasps' home, just taking a 'survey.' Dr Bob Brown was burrowing into the ground in Christchurch New Zealand to study a new species of mites that take residence in wasp nests As Dr Brown broke into the surface of the dirt with a spade, the wasps attempted to attack him through his beekeeper suit 'I need to keep the nest alive for my survey for parasites (like mites, fungus, etc),' he wrote. 'Some nests will be re-housed into nest boxes for use in behaviour assays.' Dr Brown said although he uses specialised equipment to excavate the nests, he often still gets stung a couple of times by the relentless insects. 'As you can see from the copious amount of venom on the camera lens, these wasps mean business,' he said. Furious, the wasps are even seen planting venom on the camera lens The entire wasp nest is removed from the ground however Mr Brown claims this will not kill the wasps Donald Trump plans an ambitious public rollout of a foreign policy team a week from now, he said Wednesday night in South Carolina, but pointedly refused to take sides in the Israel-Palestine conflict, one of the world's most vexing foreign policy challenges. Responding to a wide-ranging menu of questions from 'Morning Joe' hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, the Republican presidential front-runner also said during an MSNBC town hall broadcast that he would make gun rights a litmus test for Supreme Court nominees if he wins the White House. Asked by Brzezinski for the names of three foreign policy experts he consults with, Trump declined with a reason. 'I'd rather not because I'm going to be announcing a team in about a week,' Trump told Brzezinski and her 'Morning Joe' co-host Joe Scarborough. Donald Trump plans an ambitious public rollout of a foreign policy team a week from now, he said Wednesday night in South Carolina 'I know the people but we're announcing a team in about a week,' he added, saying that some of its members have been Morning Joe guests. 'And I'm going to keep it a little bit secret.' Trump made no attempt to hide his plans for America's highest court, saying he wouldn't nominate justices who would have disagreed with the late Antonin Scalia on the landmark 'District of Columbia v. Heller' case, which guaranteed Second Amendment rights to ordinary U.S. citizens. 'I give that commitment right now. Absolutely,' Trump told Scarborough. But the moment that caused the steepest waves on Wednesday night was a non-answer to a question about whether the legendary dealmaker thought he could achieve lasting peace in the Middle East. 'Whose fault do you think it is?' Scarborough asked Trump, referring to the Israel-Palestine conflict. 'You know, I don't want to get into it,' The Donald responded. 'I don't want to get into it for a different reason, Joe, because if I do win, there has to be a certain amount of surprise, unpredictability. Our country has no unpredictability!' 'If I win, I don't want to be in a position where I'm saying to you, and the other side now say, "We don't want Trump involved, we don't want" ' 'Let me be sort of a neutral guy,' Trump pleaded, while admitting that bringing Arab and Jew together in a lasting way might be beyond him. 'I don't know if it's doable,' he said. 'I have friends of mine that are tremendous businesspeople that are really great negotiators; they say it's not doable.' Responding to a wide-ranging menu of questions from 'Morning Joe' hosts Joe Scarborough (left) and Mika Brzezinski (center), the Republican presidential front-runner also said during an MSNBC town hall broadcast that he would make gun rights a litmus test for Supreme Court nominees if he wins the White House Trump was pictured mimicking an illegal immigrant driving a foreign car across the border during a rally in Sumter earlier on in the evening 'You understand, a lot of people have gone down in flames trying to make that deal! So I don't want to say whose fault is it. I don't think it helps.' Trump's coy play may be seen as helplessly transparent, however: He has already enraged many Muslims by insisting that the U.S. should temporarily close its borders to noncitizen Muslims in the wake of a 2015 jihadi attack in southern California. The MSNBC duo peppered Trump with questions and invited audience members in Charleston, South Carolina to follow suit. The billionaire real estate developer revealed that he believes Apple Computer should be forced to give federal law enforcement a way to hack into an iPhone once owned by one of the two San Bernardino killers. 'I think it's disgraceful that Apple is not helping on that,' Trump said. 'I think, security first. And I feel I always felt security first.' 'Apple should absolutely we should force them to do it. We should do whatever we have to do.' 'Those two people killed 14 people,' he added. 'There were other people that saw the bombs laying all over the ... apartment. You had bombs laying all over the floor. You had all sorts of ammunition. You had all sorts of everything in that apartment.' 'People knew that. I'd like to know who else knew it because they're almost as guilty, and maybe just as guilty. I think you have to be able to correct that and I think Apple is absolutely in the wrong.' Also in the wrong, he said, is Republican Ted Cruz, whom Trump has been hitting all week over his attack ads and what he considers a series of dirty tricks that won the Iowa caucuses for Cruz last month. Fourteen-year-old supporters Kaylie Kilpatrick (center) and her friend James Hanna (left) arrived at the rally dressed as Trump 'What he did to Ben Carson, I thought, was disgraceful in Iowa when he said he was out of the race,' Trump said of Cruz. 'Essentially he said he was out of the race and, "This race is over. Come with me, come with me".' Trump's longstanding bromance with Cruz evaporated weeks ago as the Republican contest began to look like a two-man race. And The Donald's supporters are all-too-aware of the bad blood in which they're now wading daily. An hour before the MSNBC town hall aired it was pre-taped five hours ahead of time Trump was speaking to a crowd of nearly 5,000 in the South Carolina town of Sumter. When he recounted a recent debate squabble over whether the CIA should regain the use of waterboarding as an interrogation technique, a man in the crowd shouted out: 'Waterboard Ted!' Trump flashed a mischievous grin. 'He says waterboard Ted,' he chuckled as the man repeated himself. 'I know. I heard you.' 'I won't repeat it because I'll just get in trouble with these people,' Trump said, recalling a New Hampshire rally where he repeated a fan who branded Cruz 'a p***y.' When Trump recounted a recent debate squabble over whether the CIA should regain the use of waterboarding as an interrogation technique, a man in the crowd shouted out: 'Waterboard Ted! Cruz is pictured at the CNN town hall event held on Wednesday 'I've decided not to go that way, absolutely. I'm not using those words anymore,' he said. While televised town halls broadcast to millions have become staples of modern campaigning, there's little doubt Trump is more in his element as a live performer in arenas whose capacities are measured in thousands. 'Cruz is a fraud!' another man in Sumter yelled mid-way through Trump's speech, his third of the day. 'Stand up and say that again!' Trump urged him. And as he boasted that his own crowds are 'much bigger than Bernie [Sanders], although he is second,' another catcall announced that 'Bernie Sucks!' Trump ended the event with a pitch that wasn't always part of his stump speech, but has become a standard offering just days before a critical primary election. 'Were going to pull those triggers!' he said perhaps meaning to say 'levers.' The infamous 'Stoner Sloth' adverts which were dubbed 'the worst anti-drug campaign ever' cost taxpayers more than $350,000, it has been revealed. The NSW government campaign, which featured human-sized sloths falling asleep in class and struggling to talk at house parties, was relentlessly mocked on social media. Freedom of information documents obtained by the Greens have now uncovered that the series of adverts cost a total of $351,790 and involved 265 hours of work by public servants. The campaign, which aimed to raise awareness about the dangers of smoking marijuana, was even panned by anti-cannabis groups and described by NSW Premier Mike Baird as 'quite something'. The infamous 'Stoner Sloth' adverts which were dubbed 'the worst anti-drug campaign ever' cost taxpayers more than $350,000 Advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi was paid $36,386 from the total cost for the campaign, the Guardian reported. At least $179,000 was spent on research for the adverts which were introduced in December using the slogan 'you're worse on weed'. This included handing $28,000 to the Sax Institute and the University of New South Wales for background on cannabis education programs and $23,000 to the University of Technology Sydney. Some $64,000 was also set aside for 'market research', according to the documents. A further $136,700 was spent on production, including $59,814 for production company 8Com Australia and $23,000 on actors. The remaining $99,990 for the adverts, which had more than four million views on Facebook and YouTube, went to the media agency Universal McCann. It was initially reported that the campaign cost $500,000, but this is thought to have included the time spent by public servants - which was equivalent to almost two months of full-time work. The bizarre clip depicting a lethargic sloth has been argued by Saatchi & Saatchi to specifically be aimed at teens and 'not for adults or long-term cannabis users' In the bizarre and 'patronising' advertisements, the sloths struggle with everyday activities and fall asleep in class. They were slammed on social media, with many pointing out that the popularity of sloths among the internet generation will deem the stoner sloth is admired rather than pitied. Others said the advert went against public feeling at a time when marijuana is being decriminalised and picked up for medicinal use across the world. Madeleine Baud said: 'I think the people who made Stoner Sloth vastly underestimate the public's hero worship of sloths.' Leah said: 'What a stupid advert to release at a time when we will be legalising the drug for medicine, completely inaccurate.' The campaign includes Tumblr videos and has tags like #fail #awkward #embarrasing (which was ironically spelled incorrectly) and #examfail. The National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC) distanced itself from the campaign. Advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi was paid $36,386 from the total cost for the campaign which was even described by NSW Premier Mike Baird as 'quite something' At least $179,000 was spent on research for the adverts which were introduced in December using the slogan 'you're worse on weed' The attempt to raise awareness about the dangers of marijuana has been relentlessly mocked on social media Social media users pointed out that the popularity of sloths among the internet generation will deem the stoner sloth is admired rather than pitied A spokesman said: 'The current stoner sloth campaign doesn't reflect NCPIC views on how cannabis harms campaigns should be approached'. Saatchi & Saatchi was forced to defend the adverts, saying the concept was intended specifically for teens and 'not for adults or long-term cannabis users'. Saatchi & Saatchi told Fairfax: 'The unexpected global media attention is now providing a platform for parents and teenagers all over the world to have 'the conversation' about cannabis in an engaging way.' The creative agency UM who took care of media buy, strategy and social media said there is a 'strong viewership and engagement' of the ad. UM told Fairfax: 'While in its early days, our research shows the majority of negative comments are not from our target audience, which is teenagers.' A NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet spokesperson said: 'The Stoner Sloth campaign was targeted at a niche audience of 14-18 year olds who have never tried cannabis. It was not aimed at adults, frequent users nor pro-cannabis advocacy groups. 'The message was designed to focus on the immediate negative consequences of cannabis use and was not designed to change behaviours relating to teens already using cannabis. It was to promote the message 'You're worse on weed'.' Many claimed the campaign appears more like a parody than anything else Others lashed the campaign for being anachronistic at a time when marijuana is being decriminalised and picked up for medicinal use across the world The campaign includes Tumblr videos and has tags like #fail #awkward #embarrasing (which was ironically spelt incorrectly) and #examfail Advertisement They may not be as grand as some houses youd see in Sydneys eastern suburbs, but investors from there are still buying up properties in some of Brisbanes much less glamourous areas. Domain reports that estate agents in Brisbane's suburbs have been inundated with Sydney buyers interested in buying property in usually unfavourable places as they believe they can make a profit on the houses over time. Many Sydney investors were not even inspecting the properties in person and were relying solely on photographs, while skipping inspections altogether, Domain reported. This property at 47 Bluejay Street, Inala, in Queensland is priced at $369,000 if any Sydney buyers are interested Its also bad news for Brisbane house buyers as the sudden interest has boosted house prices in what historically have been their less trendy, affordable suburbs. The Logan City suburbs of Woodridge, Eagleby, and Slacks Creek - all 25 minutes south of Brisbane - are now very popular with Sydney property buyers. Logan City is a local government area situated within the south of the Brisbane metropolitan area. But these suburbs also all featured in Queensland Polices top suburbs for unlawful entry with intent in 2014-15. However, in the likes of Logan City, this has not stopped Sydney investors flooding the market to get what they consider to be some cut-price deals. There unfortunately wasn't what you would call an Olympic size swimming pool at 47 Bluejay Street house The view from the property at 47 Bluejay Street in Inala, in Brisbane, wasn't exactly expansive either Bedrooms at 47 Bluejay Street were also sparsely furnished and not the biggest you'd find Out of every 10 sales, five will be investors, and two will not have viewed the home, and that is a modest estimate, White Knights Realty Logan agent Kym Whalan said. Often it seems as the investors have no idea about the areas reputation. Or maybe they are overlooking them because of the good house prices. I think locals might be wondering to themselves why it is becoming more expensive all of a sudden. Some Sydney investors were even buying properties in the Logan City suburb of Eagleby without even viewing the homes first. The property at 12 Rudduck Street, Logan City in Queensland can be bought for the cost of $299,000 The living room at the 12 Rudduck Street property is small and spartan in comparison to others in more affluent areas of Brisbane In 12 Rudduck Street the bedrooms are also functional and straightforward Whether using them for parking your car in or storing your gardening equipment, the garages at 12 Rudduck Street have seen better days We are seeing about 70 per cent of Sydney investors buying without seeing the homes, Professionals Beenleigh office manager Lesley Waters said. I always make sure to explain the area to buyers, and make sure they are not under the wrong impression. But investors are drawn to being close to the highway, the location between Brisbane and the Gold Coast and also good rental returns. This house at 21 Charles Avenue, Logan City in Queensland is on the market for $295,000 The kitchen that has been fitted in the at 21 Charles Avenue property could be called basic This property at 8 Reading Street, Logan City in Queensland is on the market for $330,000 A classified email chain on Hillary Clintons personal server discussed an Afghan nationals ties to the CIA, a US government official has revealed. A report that the Afghan national was on the CIA payroll was also in the chain, an official with knowledge of the document told Fox News. The email exchange included then-Secretary of State Clinton, then-special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke - who died in December 2010 - and possibly others. A classified email chain on Hillary Clintons personal server discussed an Afghan nationals ties to the CIA and a report that the Afghan national was on the CIA payroll was also in the chain, a US official with knowledge of the document said Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, left, responds on Wednesday to the crowd's applause after an introductory poem by Geneva Reed-Veal, the mother of Sandra Bland, who was found dead in a Texas jail cell Clinton laughs during a campaign stop in Chicago on Wednesday, where she is joined by Geneva Reed-Veal, the mother of Sandra Bland, who was found dead in a Texas jail cell It was one of 29 classified emails provided to congressional committees to be reviewed. The emails about the foreign national reference a New York Times report, which, based on timing and details, Fox News claims to be one of two stories. The first potential story is an October 2009 Times story about an Afghan national named Ahmed Wali Karzai, the half-brother of then-Afghan president Hamid Karzai, as a person who received regular payments from the Central Intelligence Agency Or it could refer to an August 2010 Times story, which identified Karzai aide Mohammed Zia Salehi as being on the CIA payroll. Karzai was killed during a 2011 shootout. It is unclear who initiated the discussion in the email exchange, or whether the Afghan nationals relationship with the CIA was confirmed. A CIA spokesman said they had no comment on the email chain. More than 550 that were released on Saturday, three of which were deemed to be 'secret', while another 84 were labelled classified. One of the messages is a long note from David Satterfield, a top US diplomat to Egypt, who told White House and State Department officials about negotiations in the Sinai. The message's contents have been deemed 'secret', though there is no sign they were labeled such at the time in which the email was sent, according to the Washington Times. Mothers and sisters who have lost a family member to violence, stand behind Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during a campaign stop in Chicago on Wednesday Clinton speaks at campaign stop at the Parkway Ballroom in Chicago on Wednesday. She met with family members of people struck down by gun violence during her visit Clinton was forwarded the message by top aide Jacob Sullivan who asked Clinton to calm down the 'hysterical' US Ambassador to Pakistan, Cameron Munter, following the assassination of Osama bin Laden at a compound in Abottabad. 'Can you get me the facts (such as they are) before I talk with Kerry?' Clinton replied. The remainder of the email is highly redacted. The department has now released more than 45,000 pages of emails from the private account Clinton used as secretary of state. It plans to finish making her emails public on February 29, a day before the critical Super Tuesday primaries. But ahead of the deadline previous deadline - January 29 - the State Department told the judge that they had discovered 4,000 additional emails that had not been checked for classified or private material. The a top State Department open-records official took blame for not hitting the January deadline. Clinton has struggled to put the email controversy to rest as she seeks the Democratic presidential nomination. Last month, 22 emails were withheld in full because they contained 'top secret' material. The FBI also is examining the security of the homebrew server she maintained for email use while in office. France is set to give workers the 'right to disconnect' from work emails outside of their contracted hours in a bid to ease pressure and offer a better work-life balance. Workers will be able to ignore telephone calls and emails from their bosses during evenings and weekends in an attempt to help them have more of a social life outside of their working week. France already operates a strict 35-hour working week policy, with workers also enjoying six weeks paid holiday, as well as extremely generous sick leave and striking rights. Labour Minister Myriam El Khomri is still thrashing out the final details of the new employment law but it is said to be coming into force within a matter of weeks. A new law is set to be passed in France to allow workers to ignore emails from their bosses during evenings and weekends in an attempt to help them have more of a social life outside of their working week (file picture) The law will make it illegal for workers to respond to emails or phone calls out of working hours and companies must ensure that their employees come under no pressure to look at work-related emails or documents on their devices. It was an idea first touted by Bruno Mettling, the director general of mobile giant Orange. He said: 'There are risks that need to be anticipated and one of the biggest risks is the balance of a private life and professional life behind this permanent connectivity. 'Professionals who find the right balance between private and work life perform far better in their job than those who arrive shattered.' Strict French labour laws have already seen Apple fined for making staff in France work nights. Labour Minister Myriam El Khomri is still thrashing out the details of the new employment law but it is said to be coming into force within a matter of weeks This is because the law forbids shifts between 9pm and 6am unless the work plays an important role in the economy or is socially useful. The 35-hour week, introduced by the Socialists in 1999, has come under threat from the increasingly widespread use of smartphones and other mobile devices, with the new Labour law hoping to ease workers 'burning-out'. Jean-Claude Delgenes, of Technologia, said research suggested that some 3.2million French workers were at risk of over-doing it because their employees did not respect their right to disconnect. He said a 'change of attitude' is necessary, adding to The Local: 'We have poor self-control when it comes to new technology. Work spills over into people's private lives. 'The difference between work and social life used to be clearly distinct. 'If we introduce a right to disconnect but not reduce the workload for those under pressure, managers will just ignore it or find a way of staying connected.' French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has confirmed there are no plans to change the 35-hour-week. France's working week differs somewhat to the UK's, where employees are allowed to work up to 48 hours. Britons work 1,677 hours annually, compared to the French who spend 1,473 hours in the office. Advertisement Statues and sculptures have quickly become one of North Korea's biggest exports with the country making millions of pounds every year by selling historic monuments to the likes of Africa. In recent years, North Korea has carved out healthy business with its cultural trade, selling special artworks and commissioned pieces to a host of counties from Cambodia to Zimbabwe. The country's Mansudae Art Studio, which was founded in 1959 in Pyongyang, is one of the largest art production centres in the world and by far the largest and most important of North Korea. It has a workforce of more than 4,000 people, around 50 supply departments and is divided into 13 different creative groups each producing works which range from oil paintings and bronze sculptures to ceramics, woodcuts, embroideries, murals and jewel paintings. Pier Luigi Cecioni, an Italian who is the sole representative of the art factory, says: 'It's in the heart of Pyongyang, Mansudae is the name of the district. Actually, it's more of a campus than a factory, more of a studio, the biggest in the world.' Recent works include a giant embroidery for fashion firm Benetton, while there are reports of two giant statues of Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe in storage waiting to commemorate his death. In fact, it is giant bronze sculptures of leaders and dictators which have produced some of the biggest business for the country, with the Mansudae Overseas Projects - the international commercial division of the Mansudae Art Studio overseeing the trade. The construction firm has earned more than 112million designing monuments and memorials of a host of well-known figures including the likes of Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-Il, Kim Jong-il, Samora Machel, the first President of Mozambique and Laurent Kabila, the assassinated president of the Democratic Republic of Congo. North Korean residents bow their heads in respect as they stand in front of the giant 22-metre high bronze Kim Il Sung statue in Pyongyang. It forms part of the The Grand Monument collection on Mansu Hill (Mansudae) and was was constructed in April 1972 The Samora Machel Statue is a bronze sculpture located in the centre of Independence Square in Maputo, Mozambique. It depicts Samora Machel (1933-1986), the first President of Mozambique, and was designed and built in North Korea by the Mansudae Overseas Projects The Statue of the Members of the Workers' Party of Korea is situated at the base of the Juche Tower. Juche is a blend of autarky, self-reliance, nationalism, traditionalism and Marxism-Leninism. The tower was designed by the Dear Leader himself and completed in 1982 The Three Dikgosi Monument is an 18 foot tall bronze sculpture located in the Central Business District of Gaborone, Botswana, which depicts three tribal chiefs: Khama III of the Bangwato, Sebele II of the Bakwena, and Bathoen I of the Bangwaketse. The three chiefs travelled to Britain in 1895 to ask permission for the country to remain under direct British rule, which it did until independence in the '60s Heroes Acre at Windhoek, Namibia, in southwest Africa is a memorial to the heroes of the independence wars and an official war memorial of the Republic of Namibia. It was unveiled in August 2002 and operates for the purpose of 'foster(ing) a spirit of patriotism and nationalism, and to pass on the legacy to the future generations of Namibia'. It depicts an unknown soldier standing on a marble obelisk Children are pictured looking at the 'African Renaissance Monument' in Dakar, Senegal, in April 2010. The controversial bronze work - which at 50 metres (164 feet) tall stands four metres taller higher the Statue of Liberty - depicts a couple rising from the mouth of a volcano This photograph shows the statues of late leaders Kim Il-Sung (third from left) and Kim Jong-Il (third right) at Mangyongdae Revolutionary School in Pyongyang, North Korea. It was taken in February 2013 as the statues were unveiled on the birth anniversary of Kim Jong-Il The Two Statues Of The Dear Leaders are seen in the Grand Monument of Mansu Hill, Pyongyang. The first statue was unveiled in 1972 to celebrate Kim Il-sung's 60th birthday. The statue of Kim Jong-il in his trademark parka was added in 2012 following the Dear Leader's death A large bronze monument in honour of Kim Il Sung, the supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, stands tall in Pyongyang (left). Right: A statue of King Behanzin in Abomey, in the Zou Department of Benin, was among those designed by North Korea Mansudae Art Studio in North Korea has more than 4,000 staff members working on bronze statues, murals, banners and artworks, while its international arm - Mansudae Overseas Projects - has made millions of pounds in recent years by providing bronze sculptures of leaders Mansudae fountain-park in Pyongyang, North Korea, was opened in 1976 and is situated on Mansudae Hill. It has jets of water reaching up to 80 metres high and comprises of white statues of groups of women playing or dancing. It is surrounded by a host of other important important including the Mansudae Grand Monument, the Chollima Statue, Mansudae Assembly Hall and the Sungyong and Sugin Temples Lovely Robinson, 25, was arrested after allegedly attacking Wendy's manager Latanya Nelson in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday night A Virginia woman was arrested after she allegedly attacked a Wendy's worker and bit her in the leg over a wrong order. Lovely Robinson, 25, confronted manager Latanya Nelson in Richmond just after 11.30pm on Monday, and during the altercation she bit Nelson hard enough to break skin, police said. Robinson was charged with malicious wounding, intentionally damaging property, preventing law enforcement from making an arrest and trespassing. Nelson said Robinson was the angriest customer she had personally served. She said the incident began when Robinson stormed into the fast-food restaurant's lobby behind another employee after ordering from the drive through and having the food delivered to her car, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, reported. Robinson was angry that her order was wrong, after she had changed her order from two spicy chicken sandwiches. 'She changed the order from that to four, 99-cent chicken sandwiches, so I'm guessing she only had $4 instead of $11,' Nelson told WTVR. Nelson said she had to defend myself when Robinson came across the counter. Manager Latanya Nelson said the incident began when Robinson received the wrong order in the drive-thru and stormed into the restaurant to confront workers Robinson lunged at Nelson once behind the counter and bit her in the left leg, breaking the skin just above the knee, police say 'She came in cursing and said I'll come across the counter,' Nelson told WTVR. 'So I said, 'OK.' She jumped over, so I defended myself.' 'She didn't have me in size, but she had heart I'll give her that,' Nelson said. 'I told her, "You can't be in here. You gotta' go".' When the pair reached the area where employees cook fries, Robinson lunged for Nelson's leg, the manager said. 'She clamped down right above my knee, so I continued to punch her as she was biting me,' she said. Nelson was finally able to fight Robinson off, she was left with a large bite mark above her left knee. The injury did not, however, stop her from working on Tuesday night. Robinson is in jail with no bond until her next court appearance in April. 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. National Guard Specialist Alek Skarlatos has been awarded the Oregon Distinguished Service Award for the heroic actions he took to subdue a terrorist on a train to Paris last summer. Oregon Governor Kate Brown presented the award to Skarlatos on Wednesday morning in the ceremonial office at the state capitol in Salem. 'It is notable that not once, but twice, Spec. Skarlatos put the safety and comfort of others ahead of his own interests, even his own life,' Governor Brown said. National Guard Specialist Alek Skarlatos has been awarded the Oregon Distinguished Service Award for the heroic actions he took to subdue a terrorist on a train to Paris last summe Oregon Governor Kate Brown presented the award to Skarlatos on Wednesday morning in the ceremonial office at the state capitol in Salem 'To me, that speaks volumes about his character and his deep sense of duty.' Skarlatos, who is from Roseburg, helped take down the gunman after he suddenly opened fire on a French train in August 2015. Skarlatos had been traveling on the train on a vacation with his longtime friends Spencer Stone, who is in the Air Force, and California college student Anthony Sadler. As the gunman entered their train car and stopped to reload, Skarlatos managed to grab his rifle. He struck the gunman with the butt of the weapon and Stone helped wrestle him to the ground. Stone was injured when the gunman slashed him with a box cutter during the struggle. Sadler later told TODAY that the friends had been asleep when they heard the sound of a gunshot and breaking glass. 'Spencer was first, and I saw him make it to the gunman,' Sadler said. Skarlatos, who is from Roseburg, helped take down the gunman after he suddenly opened fire on a French train in August 2015 Skarlatos had been traveling on the train on a vacation with his longtime friends Spencer Stone, who is in the Air Force, and California college student Anthony Sadler (all pictured here with President Obama) 'We follow up, about a few seconds later. And then we just did whatever we could to disarm him.' The three friends eventually subdued the gunman and tied him up until handing him over to authorities at the next train station. Their bravery earned global attention and accolades from world leaders. The three men were awarded the Legion of Honour, France's highest decoration, and were each called by President Obama. Skarlatos also received the United States Army Soldier's Medal from the president. And yet, on Wednesday he said it was the honor from home that meant the most. 'I've gotten tons of awards and honors, from the French government and the federal government. But it means a lot more coming from my state,' Skarlatos said during the ceremony in Salem. 'Obviously this is the state I represent in the military and this is home for me. So, it's a lot more personal for me...getting an award from my state.' Skalatos also recently just finished the Dancing With the Stars Live tour after coming in third place on the dancing competition's 21st season in November When asked what was next for the hometown hero, Skarlotos said he is writing a book that will hopefully be ready to hit bookstores in August. He's also still in the military, but will be taking a break in Roseburg. 'I'm looking forward to being back home and trying to figure out the rest of my life,' he added. Skalatos also recently just finished the Dancing With the Stars Live tour after coming in third place on the dancing competition's 21st season in November. 'Such a great time with these guys and a great way to finish tour and my dancing career,' he wrote in a caption after posting a picture of the group on Instagram. Today another bomb explosion killed seven people in south east Turkey A car bomb attack which killed 28 people in Turkey last night was carried out by a Syrian Kurd who had registered in the country as a refugee, the country's prime minister claims. Detonating close to the parliament and armed forces headquarters in the country's capital, buses carrying military personnel were among those hit by the blast. It marked the second deadly bomb attack to hit the country in the past few months as Ankara battles with growing disorder among its own Kurdish population and chaos south of its border. However, the bomb attack has now been followed by a blast in the country's south-east, where today a remote controlled explosive targeting a military convoy killed seven. The explosion hit the armoured vehicle on the highway linking Diyarbakir, the largest city in the mainly Kurdish southeast, to the district of Lice. Scroll down for video A young family member of one of those killed in the bomb blast mourns outside a mosque in Ankara today Relatives of victims cry outside a mosque where many of the 28 killed were taken following the attack The country's Prime Minister has stated the bombing was carried out by a Syrian Kurd working for the PKK The apparent suicide bomber had entered the country from Syria pretending to be a refugee, it was claimed Two women comfort each other at a morgue in Ankara today, just hours after last night's deadly attack Firefighters work at the explosion scene in Ankara yesterday, believed to have been caused by a bomb The blast, which occurred close to the country's parliament, killed 28 people and wounded dozens more A burning bus smoulders at the site of the deadly bombing, the second to occur in Turkey in the past few months More family members of those killed embrace each other while gathered outside a medical forensics tent Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was today unequivocal in who he believed was to blame for last night's attack. Claiming the bomber was identified by his fingerprints, he stated: 'The attack was carried out by the PKK together with a person who sneaked into Turkey from Syria.' The head of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party today denied the Prime Minister's allegations. 'We deny any involvement in this attack,' Saleh Muslim said, after his party's armed wing was accused of carrying out the attack in coordination with the PKK - which is outlawed in Turkey. In October, suicide bombings blamed on ISIS targeted a peace rally outside the main train station in Ankara, killing 102 people in Turkey's deadliest attack in years. Turkey's military meanwhile, said its jets conducted cross-border raids against Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq, hours after the deadly attack, striking at a group of about 60-70 rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. The military said today that Turkish jets attacked PKK positions in northern Iraq's Haftanin region, hitting the group of rebels which it said included a number of senior PKK leaders. The claim could not be verified. Turkey's air force has been striking PKK positions in northern Iraq since a fragile two-and-a-half year-old peace process with the group collapsed in July, reigniting a fierce three-decade old conflict. Soldiers and security officers stand next to a military vehicle that was bombed in the south-east today Turkish soldiers raced to the scene of the remote controlled bombing, which targeted a military convoy The bus was destroyed in the blast which occurred less than 24 hours after the attack in Ankara Turkish police officers carry out a forensic investigation at the scene of the bombing today The site of the blast, believed to be the work of a suicide bomber, was today covered by a police tent Located near the country's parliament buildings, the attacker is thought to be linked to the PKK Turkey has been battling an insurgency led by Kurdish separatists fighting for autonomy in the country's south Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu today visited a hospital where those injured in the blast are being treated On the same day he laid blame for the blast with Kurdish separatists, he met with the survivors Here the Prime Minister visits a man injured in the blast while accompanied by health minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu (right) 'Our determination to retaliate to attacks that aim against our unity, togetherness and future grows stronger with every action,' President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday. 'It must be known that Turkey will not refrain from using its right to self-defense at all times.' The attack came at a tense time when the Turkish government is facing an array of challenges. Hundreds of people have been killed in renewed fighting following the collapse of the peace process and tens of thousands have been displaced. Turkey has also been helping efforts led by the U.S. to combat the Islamic State group in neighboring Syria, and has faced several deadly bombings in the last year that were blamed on ISIS. The Syrian war is raging along Turkey's southern border. Recent airstrikes by Russian and Syrian forces have prompted tens of thousands of Syrian refugees to flee to Turkey's border. A police officer stands as security officials close the main roads around the explosion site in Ankara An ambulance arrives at the scene last night where 28 people were killed and dozens more wounded Smoke billows from a fire following the explosion last night, carried out by a PKK separatist attacker This is the moment dozens of furious protesters blocked off part of a busy dual carriageway as they called for a footbridge to be installed after a 13-year-old boy was mown down and killed by a BMW. Demonstrators barricaded themselves on the A127 near Basildon, Essex, to demand a footbridge after the death of Joseph Sheridan who was killed as he walked to McDonald's earlier this week. The teenager was seriously hurt after being struck by the vehicle on the Southend-bound carriageway at around 8pm on Monday evening and later died from his injuries in hospital. Demonstrators barricaded themselves on the A127 near Basildon, Essex, to demand a footbridge after the death of 13-year-old Joseph Sheridan who was killed as he walked to McDonald's on Monday evening Joseph Sheridan, 13, (pictured) was seriously hurt after being struck by the vehicle on the Southend-bound carriageway of the A127 in Essex at around 8pm on Monday evening and later died from his injuries in hospital Joseph Sheridan was struck by a BMW just yards from the junction with Oak Lane, a private road off the Southend-bound carriageway, which leads to the former Dale Farm travellers' site as he walked to McDonald's Just 24 hours later, dozens of protesters turned up and blocked off the road with six vehicles before standing on their cars and showing off banners which read: 'We want a footbridge. How many more'. Traffic in the area was brought to a standstill on Tuesday evening and by 11.45pm some motorists were complaining they had been stuck for more than an hour-and-a-half. Officers were called to the scene at around 9.45pm and were greeted by a 'large number of people and vehicles' which were blocking the highway. It is believed Joseph was related to Dale Farm campaigners Richard and Mary Sheridan, who took their eviction fight to the High Court in 2011, and many from the site are said to have joined the protest. The spot where he was struck by a BMW was just yards from the junction with Oak Lane, a private road off the Southend-bound carriageway, which leads to the former Dale Farm travellers' site. Gipsy Council chairman Joseph Jones told The Sun: 'It is a dangerous road and everybody in the area would benefit from a footbridge not just those at Dale Farm.' However, councillor Stuart Allan, whose ward covers Dale Farm, added to the newspaper: 'It could cost up to a million pounds for a footbridge. 'No one needs to take their life into their own hands anyway because there is a footbridge not too far away.' Dozens of protesters turned up and blocked off the busy dual carriageway on Tuesday evening (pictured) before standing on their cars and showing off banners which read: 'We want a footbridge how many more' One car was emblazoned with the motto: 'We want a footbridge how many more' during the protest on Tuesday Traffic in the area was brought to a standstill on Tuesday evening and by 11.45pm some motorists were complaining they had been stuck for more than an hour-and-a-half. Pictured: Police at the scene of the incident A helicopter was eventually scrambled to monitor the crowd and both carriageways on the London to Southend arterial road were closed until around 2.45am the following day. The handling of the protest by police caused anger among some of the motorists caught in the tailbacks. Sarah-T-182 wrote on Twitter: 'A127 still not moving! Been here since 10pm, it's freezing and no one is getting anywhere!' Meanwhile another user wrote: 'An hour-and-a-half stuck still on the A127 whilst protesters wander up and down drinking beer. @EssexPoliceUK pull your finger out.' 'No sleep tonight it is then..... #StuckOnRoad #A127' said another. Those stuck in the lengthy traffic jam said they were only permitted to U-turn after around four hours at a standstill. Protesters set off what appeared to be flares and stood on top of a vehicle as they called for a new footbridge to be installed over the A127 near Basildon, Essex, following the death of the teenage boy on Monday night Officers were called to the scene at around 9.45pm on Tuesday and were greeted by a 'large number of people and vehicles' which were blocking the highway (pictured), including some protesters who stood on their cars Traffic in the area was brought to a standstill by the incident and the road had to be shut for a total of five hours An Essex Police spokeswoman said officers worked hard at the scene to 'achieve a resolution as quickly and safely as possible' and several diversions were put in place. The force also confirmed that the 31-year-old driver of a BMW car involved in the incident which resulted in the death of young Joseph had been arrested and bailed pending further inquiries. Essex County Council confirmed it is 'urgently reviewing the safety measures' on the road. Council leader David Finch said: 'It is a tragedy when any child loses their life in a road traffic accident. Our thoughts are with the child's family at this very difficult time. 'We are currently working with Essex Police to investigate the incident, which will take some time to complete. In the meantime, we are urgently reviewing the safety measures along this particular stretch of the A127. 'Our engineers [have] visited the site to consider all the available options for improving safety along this stretch of dual carriageway. 'Over the coming days we will look to engage with the local community and listen to the concerns raised following this tragic incident.' A toddler was left temporarily paralysed with his hand swollen up 'like a balloon' after he was bitten by a spider that was hiding in a bunch of Aldi supermarket bananas. Evan Waters, two, was screaming in pain after he was bitten on the finger while eating the fruit at his home in Bishop Auckland, County Durham. The tot was rushed to hospital by his terrified mother Kellie who feared the bite could have been from a deadly spider. Bite: Evan Waters, two, pictured recovering from his injury, was bitten by a spider that was hiding in a bunch of Aldi bananas. He was left temporarily paralysed by the bite and spent two days recovering in hospital Sore: Evan's hand, pictured after the spider bite, swelled up 'like a balloon' as a result of the attack and even after treatment he was still left with blistering' from the effects of the spider's venom Kellie, 29, said: 'It was horrifying to think my boy was hospitalised because of a spider hiding in the bananas. It was absolutely terrifying. 'The spider had already scurried away when we heard Evan screaming. But his hand blew like a balloon and he was crying for dear life. We had just had no idea what was going until we got to the hospital and doctors said it was a spider bite. 'We didn't know whether it was a Tarantula, a Black Widow or a Huntsman spider. We were determined not to fear the worst but Evan looked so poorly and I wished it was me who was bitten. 'There is nothing worse than seeing your child like that and not being able to do anything to help. 'The doctor said it was a bite and that he had never seen anything like it before.' She added: 'It was hurting him (Evan) constantly, you couldn't touch it or bump it. Even when he was asleep he was holding it in the air out of the way. 'At first he was just upset, then I noticed the swelling and lump. He didn't know what was going on apart from having no use of his hand, it was really distressing for him. Recovery: Evan, pictured, is now on the mend following his ordeal but his mother said he still suffers from a high temperature and a fast heart rate Evan was treated with a course of antibiotics at University Hospital of North Durham for two days before he was released home. Describing the wait, Kellie, a stay at home mum, said: 'I was reading things on the internet and read that certain spiders were killing people within two hours. 'You can't imagine what it's like to read those things. I thought the worst at that moment, I just thought that the poison could travel up to his organs. When you start Googling things, it doesn't help.' Even after he left hospital Evan still suffered from the side effects of the ordeal. Kellie said: 'Evan's skin has blisters now, most of the swelling has gone down - but his temperature has still been high and his heart rate was up. The doctors put that down to the infection being in his system and used medication to help get everything back to normal. 'I panicked when I was told about his heart rate and temperature and I was panicking the whole time.' SPIDERS AND THEIR SIDE EFFECTS Tarantulas, pictured, attract fear but in fact the are harmless to humans with venom weaker than a bee Tarantula Tarantulas often attract fear due to their size (similar to that of a tea cup) but in fact they are harmless to humans apart from the initial pain of their bite. In fact, their venom is weaker than that of a bee. Found predominantly in North and South America as well as Asia, tarantulas are also popular pets with people around the world. Huntsman Known for its size (most can grow to have a leg span of 15cm) the huntsman spider is similar to the tarantula in that its appearance is worse than its threat. While side effects of a huntsman bite are still unpleasant - they include nausea, headaches, swelling and other pain - its venom is not considered dangerous to humans. Huntsman are considered reluctant to bite humans which leads to the opinion that attacks happen when people react to a sighting in a shocked manner, prompting the startled spider to act. Black Widow Predominantly found in Asia and South America the black widow spider is notorious for its deadly bite. Despite being the size of a mere paper clip the spider is feared because of the potency of its venom, which is 15 times stronger than a rattle snake's. Adult deaths from bites are uncommon but younger children and the elderly are vulnerable to their toxins. Symptoms of a black widow bite include: muscle aches, nausea and paralysis of the diaphragm, which leads to breathing problems. Black widows will bite in self-defence and attacks on humans often come about when people unknowingly sit on them. Advertisement Even more concerning for Kellie, Evan and his three siblings, is that the venomous spider is probably still running around their family home. She said: 'Evan had an awful experience, especially being so young. Even my older children were terrified to go back into the house. 'They thought the spider could still be inside and didn't want to go back. I've been told to contact Environmental Health to get it seen to and get someone in to sort the house out, just in case. 'I feel angry at the fact that I had three other children at home that I couldn't be there for, because they needed me as well, I had to get other people to watch them. 'The doctors are happy with his progress now and he doesn't need any more treatment. He said another week or two and it will all be healed and back to normal.' Aldi have since apologised to the family and offered four free hampers and 400 in cash as a gesture. An Aldi spokesman said: 'We are investigating with our suppliers.' The Paris terrorist attackers had also planned attacks on Belgian nuclear plants, local media reports. Belgian investigators have found hours of video footage of a senior Belgian nuclear official filmed at the person's home in the Flanders region. It is believed that the group that carried out the horrific Paris attacks on November 13 last year, killing 130 and injuring 352, had spied on the person as part of research for an attack. The jihadist group behind the Paris attacks had reportedly also planned attacks on Belgian nuclear plants, and spent hours 'spying on' a director of the country's nuclear research and development programme The ten-hour long video footage obtained by Belgian officials showed the front door of the home of a director of Belgium's nuclear research and development programme. The footage was discovered 'as part of seizures made following the Paris attacks,' the prosecutor added, refusing to divulge the individual's identity 'for obvious security reasons'. Belgium's federal agency for nuclear control stressed the importance of not revealing the name of the person involved so as 'not to endanger the enquiry or nuclear security' or indeed the person involved and their family. The images were captured by a camera hidden in nearby bushes and recovered by two suspects who left the area in a vehicle with the lights off, a report in Belgian daily Derniere Heure said. Terrorist attack: The bombing and shootings in Paris on November 13 last year, left 130 dead and 352 injured It was discovered by investigators during one of the numerous searches carried out in Belgium since the Paris attacks. On the run: Key Paris terror suspect Salah Abdeslam, from Molenbeek, Belgium, is still at large The paper said it was not possible to date the seized video, and therefore to know whether it was taken before or after the November attacks. This comes after the director of the United States' National Security Agency said the Paris attacks 'would not have happened'. NSA director Michael Rogers said that had the terrorists not used encryption, the U.S. would have picked up on their communication and warned France. Rogers told Yahoo News that 'some of the communications' of the Paris attackers 'were encrypted,' preventing intelligence officials from picking up the trail. As a result, he was quoted as saying, 'we did not generate the insights ahead of time. Clearly, had we known, Paris would not have happened.' France has been under a state of emergency since jihadist gunmen attacked several sites in Paris on November 13, killing 130 people and leaving 352 wounded. Since mid-November, 11 people have been arrested and charged in Belgium in connection with the killings, with eight remaining in custody. Key suspect Salah Abdeslam and his associate Mohamed Abrini, both from the Molenbeek area of Brussels, are still at large. When Jane Sanders saw an early cut of the 'America' ad for her husband's presidential campaign, she felt something wasn't quite right. The problem? Her husband was talking in it. The uplifting spot for Bernie Sanders features sunny images of his packed rallies while Simon and Garfunkel's song 'America' plays. Jane Sanders found herself being carried away by the mood and the music, not by the clip of him speaking. 'So I just asked to cut Bernie out,' she said. 'He's talking all the time in other places.' Scroll down for video Jane Sanders (left) has been a constant at her husband Bernie Sanders's (right) side since he announced his run for the White House. This week she's campaigning with him in South Carolina Jane Sanders has become an influential voice in Bernie Sanders's campaign making key decisions on things like his television ads Jane Sanders stripped Bernie Sanders's voice out of his ad, 'America,' which uses the tunes of Simon and Garfunkle to tout his version of the American dream Jane Sanders is playing a central role in her husbands surging presidential campaign. Momentum is on Bernie Sanders's side after his 22-point win in the New Hampshire primary and a close finish in Iowa Nine months into his insurgent presidential campaign, that ad stands out as a symbol of Bernie Sanders' effort to spark a grassroots political movement competing with the more traditional campaign of Hillary Clinton. And Jane Sanders' hand in the final product shows her influence in the campaign one that may increase as she headlines more events on her own. She's a former community organizer who has worked alongside her husband for more than 30 years as a city department head when he was mayor of Burlington, Vermont, a volunteer congressional aide, and a campaign adviser. 'She is not afraid to be constructively critical,' Bernie Sanders said. 'She lets me have it if she thinks I make a mistake.' And he joked that happens 'every day, including 10 minutes ago.' Momentum seems to be on Bernie Sanders' side after his 22-point win in the New Hampshire primary and a close finish in Iowa. His campaign, propelled by promises of 'political revolution' and small-dollar donations, has proven a surprisingly robust challenge to Clinton Along the way, Jane Sanders has done everything from buying the office furniture to helping prep for debates. Jane Sanders, left, and her husband Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders arrive for a rally at Morehouse College in Atlanta in an effort to boost their name recognition among African-American voters Jane Sanders, wife of Democratic presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Detroit, Michigan this week She has tried to lighten up her policy-wonk husband, urging him to offer a 'little less doom and gloom and a little more hope' in his speeches. She has also encouraged him to talk more about his congressional record, noting that 'his opponent is trying to say that she's more effective than he is, so he needs to let people know how effective he's been.' Sanders has been deeply involved in her husband's political career practically from the moment they met, when he was running for mayor of Burlington in 1981. She was working as a community organizer for a youth center. They quickly began working together and dating. They married in 1988 and promptly took off on a diplomatic trip to Burlington's sister city in Russia. 'She's one of his most trusted advisers, if not the most trusted adviser,' said Sanders' senior adviser, Tad Devine. Over the years, Jane Sanders has served as director of youth services for the city of Burlington, helped set up her husband's congressional office and advised his congressional and Senate campaigns. She also did stints outside of government, as provost of Goddard College and president of Burlington College. She resigned the latter job in 2011 amid apparent tension with the board of trustees. Jane Sanders sheds a tear as she listens to her husband Bernie Sanders speak about the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan Jane Sanders was at her husband's side in New York City last week when he met with activist Al Sharpton at Sylvia's Restaurant in Harlem 'She is tough and has a very quiet sense of confidence,' Sanders said, recalling some criticism when he made his then-girlfriend youth director in Burlington. 'When she was attacked, she didn't blink an eye. She'd go on the radio and defend herself extraordinarily well.' Today the couple jets around the country on a Boeing 737 aircraft, accompanied by Secret Service protection and a robust political staff. Jane Sanders, 65, recently hugged nurses at an organizing event in Minneapolis. In Detroit, she joined her 74-year-old husband as he met families grappling with the Flint water crisis. She frequently takes videos of the senator's rallies on her iPhone and is with him for rare moments of downtime like taking a brief waterfront walk in Charleston, South Carolina, or stopping for lunch tuna fish and grilled cheese sandwiches at a St. Paul, Minnesota, cafe. After some solo appearances in Iowa, Jane Sanders is expected to hold more events of her own soon. But Sanders said she won't be like her rival Democratic political spouse, former President Bill Clinton, who has at times gone negative about his wife's opponent. 'I'm not going to put down Bill or Hillary,' Jane Sanders said. 'I'm going to talk about what Bernie is proposing for the country, who he is as a person.' Brooklyn-born like her husband, Jane Sanders favors black attire and sensible shoes and wears her red hair long and loose. She said she first became aware of injustices as a child, when her father, who suffered health problems for years after breaking his hip, couldn't get good medical care until her brother started earning enough money as an equestrian to pay for it. Brooklyn-born like her husband, Jane Sanders favors black attire and sensible shoes and wears her red hair long and loose Bernie Sanders (left) bought Jane Sanders (right) treats from Dancing Lion Chocolate in Manchester, New Hampshire, for Valentine's Day 'It seemed really unfair that somebody could be in and out of the hospital for most of my childhood,' Sanders said. 'It seems very unfair that people cannot have adequate health care.' While Bernie Sanders is loath to share personal details, his wife offers a window into life behind the scenes. They love the movies, most recently, 'The Big Short.' He bought her treats from Dancing Lion Chocolate in Manchester, New Hampshire, for Valentine's Day. But they miss their kids and grandkids she has three children from her first marriage; he has one from a past relationship, and they have seven grandchildren. She also said it is harder for them to do simple things they enjoy. 'In Wisconsin, we said we have a break in the schedule, we're going to go for a walk,' she recalled. 'It was frigid, but it was great to walk for an hour.' They've come a long way from Burlington, but as she watches the rallies packed with thousands shouting 'Feel the Bern,' Jane Sanders thinks maybe they could end up in the White House. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered terror attacks on South Koreans that could occur in busy shopping malls, subways and other public places, Seoul claims. Officials also fear the tyrant could target activists and defectors with poisoning attacks or lure them to China in order to be kidnapped. Details of the terror warnings emerged in a briefing South Korea's National Intelligence Service gave to members of the country's ruling Saenuri Party. North Korea's spy agency has begun implementing Kim Jong-un's order to 'muster anti-South terror capabilities'. Here he is pictured with his wife Ri Sol-ju paying tribute at the graves of his father and grandfather The North Korean despot has ramped up tensions in the area with recent nuclear tests and missile launches One senior official said North Korea's spy agency has begun implementing Jong-un's order to 'muster anti-South terror capabilities that can pose a direct threat to our lives and security'. Presidential aide Kim Sung-woo added that the possibility of North Korean attacks 'is increasing more than ever' and asked for quick passage of an anti-terror bill in parliament. The North has a history of attacks on its neighbour, such as the 2010 shelling on an island that killed four South Koreans and the 1987 bombing of a South Korean passenger plane that killed 115. His comments came just hours after the NIS briefing, which stated the attacks could target anti-Pyongyang activists, defectors and government officials. A party official, requesting anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to media publicly, said attacks on subways, shopping malls and other public places could occur. The South's current standoff with North Korea is not expected to ease soon, with Seoul and Washington discussing deploying a sophisticated U.S. missile defense system in South Korea that Pyongyang warns would be a source of regional tension. The allies also say their annual springtime military drills will be the largest ever. South Korea's defense minister said Thursday that about 15,000 U.S. troops will take part, double of the number Washington normally sends. The North says the drills are preparation for a northward invasion. South Korean army soldiers walk across Unification Bridge, an area which leads to the DMZ on the border The stand off between the North and South is unlikely to end soon with the U.S. reaffirming its commitment to protecting its southern ally. Pictured is a group of South Korean soldiers deployed to the border Four U.S. F-22 stealth fighters are pictured flying over Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea yesterday Seoul defense officials also said that they began preliminary talks on February 7 with the U.S. on deploying the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense. The talks are aimed at working out details for formal missile deployment talks, such as who'll represent each side, according to Seoul's Defense Ministry. The deployment is opposed by China and Russia too. Opponents say the system could help U.S. radar spot missiles in other countries. The same day North Korea conducted what it said was a satellite launch but was in fact a banned test of missile technology. The United States on Wednesday flew four stealth F-22 fighter jets over South Korea and reaffirmed it maintains an 'ironclad commitment' to the defense of its Asian ally. Last month, it sent a nuclear-capable B-52 bomber to South Korea following the North's fourth nuclear test. A disgraced Missouri professor who was caught on camera shouting profanities at police officers during a protest has admitted she 'made mistakes'. Melissa Click, 45, a media professor at the University of Missouri, was suspended from her post last month after she was caught in a fracas with two reporters covering an anti-racism protest in November. Then earlier this month, police body camera footage emerged of her shouting and swearing at officers during an earlier protest. Scroll down or video Disgraced Missouri media professor Melissa Click who was been caught on camera yelling profanities at officers during the Mizzou protests The footage came when black Missouri students blocked a homecoming parade and were shoved away - which led to the eventual resignation of former university president Tim Wolfe. Students halted the parade to protest right in front of Wolfe's convertible, complaining about the college's failure to address an alleged catalog of racist incidents including the smearing of a swastika in human feces on a wall. But now Click has admitted she made mistakes during both fracas but her only intention was to support students. She told FOX2: 'I made mistakes supporting these students, but my intention was to, like other faculty and staff, to support a student group that was expressing that they had been excluded from MU and the MU community. 'We live two hours from Ferguson. It's been a pretty rocky year in the United States and to see a police officer shaking a can of pepper spray at students who were acting non-violently, I thought, I will, I will protect them.' Police body camera footage has emerged of Click, 45, jostling with police and shouting profanities at officers during an earlier protest 'That's a moment that I'm sorry for. I think I was surprised that an officer put his hands on me and pushed me. Like I said, I've never done anything like that before.' After the incidents emerged, the interim chancellor of the University of Missouri's Columbia campus Hank Foley said he was appalled and disappointed by Click's behaviour. He told the Missourian: 'Her actions caught on camera last October, are just another example of a pattern of misconduct by Dr. Click - most notably, her assault on one of our students while seeking 'muscle' during a highly volatile situation on Carnahan Quadrangle in November.' In the fracas with police, demonstrators also took turns on a megaphone to speak about incidents of alleged systemic racism from the founding year 1839 through 2015. Melissa Click (pictured) the University of Missouri communications professor was filmed calling for 'muscle' to remove a student journalist from covering a protest. She has been charged with misdemeanor assault Student videographer Mark Schierbecker (left) recorded the confrontation with Click, an assistant communications professor, and it quickly went viral Officer's body camera footage shows Click among the protesters as police ask repeatedly for demonstrators to 'clear the road, move out of the road. Let's go, let's go.' They come face to face with Click who stands between the students and officers, and begins shouting at them to 'back up, back up.' Colombia police shout back that the professor has to 'get out of the road or get arrested' and one officer appears to momentarily take hold of her arm. Click screams back at the officer 'Get your f***ing hands off me.' In November, the professor was caught on camera siccing muscle on a student journalist who was trying to cover a protest on campus on Carnahan Quadrangle. She is seen marching up to Mark Schierbecker , a photographer, and trying to cover his camera before demanding that he leave. 'Who wants to help me get this reporter out of here?' she yells out. 'I need some muscle over here. Referring to Schierbecker, Click (above) was caught yelling: 'Hey, who wants to help me get this reporter out of here? I need some muscle over here' He says: 'I'm media. Can I speak to you?' She replies 'no' and tells him to 'get out'. When he refused, insisting he had a right to be there, she is seen yelling at other people nearby: 'Hey, who wants to help me get this reporter out of here? I need some muscle over here.' Schierbecker's video of his run-in with Click went viral, amassing more than 2.7million views, and he filed a complaint with university police. After Click was charged, the photojournalist released a statement which said: 'Although my video might seem to pin free speech issues on an individual, Click's actions reflect a broader problem that students and journalists are facing on college campuses. 'I don't want anyone to assume that because the city is dealing with her criminal behavior, that this problem goes away.' He urged the university to enact 'reasonable protections that ensure journalists can gather news without being strong-armed'. Click had been at an earlier protest at homecoming when she was filmed swearing at the police He added: 'Missouri started working on this problem this summer with the passing of the Campus Free Expression Act, but there still remains much to be done to ensure that Mizzou can be a safe space for journalists.' On January 29, the city prosecutor announced he would drop the criminal charge in a year if she completes her community service. Click remains suspended from her job at the university pending a review by the UM System Board of Curators and is not allowed to step foot on campus. The discovery is the result of Two surgically removed legs found in a pile of rubbish at a garbage tip came from two different people, investigators believe. A forensic expert examining the legs - one left and one right - that were found at the Summerhill Waste Manage Centre in Newcastle, NSW, confirmed the legs were not from the same person, according to the Newcastle Herald. The investigator also said it appears the legs were removed during 'legitimate' surgeries, and were likely dumped at the trash site by mistake. Scroll down for video Two surgically removed legs found in a pile of rubbish at a garbage tip came from two different people NSW's Environment Protection Authority is working to determine where the body parts came from. 'We are looking into a number of possible scenarios at this stage of the investigation, including establishing the chain of disposal the body parts went through prior to ending up in the landfill,' the EPA said in a statement. 'NSW law requires all producers of clinical waste to correctly label and store it in a secure bag or container. 'When the waste is ready to be disposed of, it must be transported in a safe and secure container and not left unattended. Due to the number of rubbish entering the pit daily, investigators may struggle to uncover whether the error was deliberate or a mistake 'Importantly this type of waste, like asbestos can only be taken to certain landfills that are specially licenced to receive, store and/or dispose of clinical waste.' It comes after the legs were found sticking out from a pile of rubbish at the waste management centre on Tuesday. The limbs were left rotting for up to six weeks after being inappropriately discarded by health management. Vials of blood and bio-hazard bags were also found and removed from the site for forensic examination. Newcastle Council, owner of Summerhill Waste Management is assisting with the investigation Medical Error Action Group spokeswoman Lorraine Long was not surprised by the discovery. 'This is hospital management for you at its best. 'No system, don't care. But the point of all of this is, no respect for the dead,' Ms Long said. Shadow Health Minister Walt said an investigation by the state government needs to be undertaken. 'Absolutely unacceptable but we must always remember these human remains belong to loved ones,' said Mr Walt. The owner of the dump, Newcastle Council is also assisting with the investigation. Security cameras are also being examined by authorities. A former CFA volunteer and convicted arsonist may have to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet after he got drunk and lit small fires inside Melbourne's Crown Casino. Damian Lisle, 42, used a cigarette lighter to set fire to toilet rolls in two of the casino's bathrooms last year, damaging attached partition walls. He then went into a staff-only section near a bar and lit up some documents on a clipboard, standing back to watch as an employee doused the blaze, the County Court of Victoria heard. Lisle pleaded guilty to three counts of arson and one count of burglary on Thursday, the second string of arson offences he has committed. The staff-only area of Crown Casino where Damian Lisle, 42, lit documents on fire in August last year In February 2010, Lisle - shortly after being suspended by the CFA - drove around fire-prone Mt Evelyn and threw lit pieces of paper out of his car, starting nine small bushfires. Those fires were extinguished by Lisle's former CFA crew and didn't do much damage, the court heard. Crown prosecutor Andrew Grant said Lisle should be jailed for the latest fires and subject to a community corrections order when he is released. The order should include a condition that Lisle wear an electronic monitoring bracelet to keep him away from places such as the Dandenong Ranges National Park, he told the court. 'A warning would be activated and authorities could be notified,' Mr Grant said. It would be the first time a person on a CCO had been ordered to wear one, though the supervision condition has been linked to parolees. Defence barrister Martin Kozlowski said Lisle had no recollection of the incident in August last year. He admitted there were some similarities to Lisle's past offending, but said he had not intended to burn down the casino or cause significant damage. Lisle, a former CFA volunteer and convicted arsonist, has pleaded guilty to arson offences over the Crown incident The court heard Lisle became agitated at a work meeting on the morning of the incident and was drinking in the hours before he lit the fires. He had intermittently binged on alcohol throughout his life, with an incident in his 20s leading to post-traumatic stress disorder, Mr Kozlowski told the court. Lisle was remorseful and had lost his wife and job, he said. Judge Jeanette Morrish said the fires in the casino had the potential to cause panic and massive harm. A university in Texas has apologized after high school students touring the campus say they were subjected to racial slurs and had the Confederate flag waved at them by other students. About 60 students from south-west Dallas charter school Uplift Hampton Preparatory reported they were taunted by students while visiting Texas A&M University. Two black high school students claimed they were approached by a white A&M student wearing Confederate flag earrings. Officials at Texas A&M University have apologized to a group of high school students who say they were subjected to racial slurs as they toured the campus According to reports, the incident was sparked when one A&M student spotted one of the high school children carrying a University of Texas bag. While others touring the campus say they heard white A&M students telling them to 'Go back where you came from' and used other racial slurs. A counselor from the tour group is thought to have called the police after the incident, and a campus officer came and investigated at the scene. University president Michael K. Young said there had been no video or audio of the incident, which had complicated efforts to find out who said what. However, now it has emerged that Mr Young and Texas A&M President Michael Young met privately with the junior class to apologize personally to the students. Yasmin Bhatia from Uplift Education said: 'The leadership team extended an apology to the class, praised them for the manner in which they handled a difficult and offensive situation, and offered them the opportunity to ask questions.' Texas A&M Student Body President Joseph Benigno, who also attended the meeting, presented letters from thousands of students at the college who disavowed racism and supported the high school students. Organizers had hoped to send 10,000 handwritten notes with letter-writing stations set up on Monday across campus. Thousands of A&M students then wrote letters to the High School group to condemn the racism and apologize to them Organizers had hoped to send 10,000 handwritten notes with letter-writing stations set up on Monday across campus Uplift Education spokeswoman Sara Ortega did not have an estimate on how many letters the students received but said there were thousands. Joshua Lewis, a Texas A&M student who serves on the university's Black Student Alliance Council, said he's never had racial slurs directed at him, though other students have told him they have had them. Subtler forms of racial insensitivity are more common, he said, like other students assuming he is a scholarship athlete because he's black. Lewis said he was encouraged by strong statements this week from Young and campus leaders, but wanted to do more to improve campus dialogue and awareness of race. 'No one's going to have a reset button to change these ideologies,' Lewis said. 'But we have to start thinking of creative ways to not only get students from diverse backgrounds who want to come to the school, but be at the school and then stay at the school.' Mr Emmanuel says he only confessed because they A disabled Christian man and his wife sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy have claimed they were tortured into confessing. Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar, from Gojra, east Pakistan, were found guilty of sending a text message which 'blasphemed' against the Prophet Mohammed to their local imam in 2013. Mr Emmanuel, who is paralysed from the waist down, claims the only reason he confessed to the crime was because he could not stand watching his wife be tortured by police. Death penalty: Disabled Shafqat Emmanuel and his wife Shagufta Kausar were found guilty of sending a blasphemous text message to their local imam, but Mr Emmanuel claims he only confessed under torture 'There is no man who can stand to see his wife being tortured by police, so to save my wife, I confessed,' Mr Emmanuel said in an appeal for bail lodged this week. The couple were arrested in July 2013 after their local imam, Maulvi Mohammed Hussain, claimed Mr Emmanuel had used his wife's phone to sent him a text insulting the Prophet Mohammed. The couple, who have four children, denies ever sending the text, saying the phone had been stolen from them months before the message was supposed to have been sent. There was no evidence that the text messages came from a phone owned by the couple,' Farukh Saif, an official of World Vision in Progress giving legal aid to the couple, told Christians in Pakistan. In the first place they had lost the phone some months before July 2013 and secondly there was no SIM card in their names. The only evidence police produced was a bill for a SIM card from a shop owner which is unheard of.' The couple denies ever sending the text, saying the phone had been stolen from them months before the message was supposed to have been sent Mr Emmanuel and Ms Kausar were initially sentenced to death for blasphemy, but as with nearly all such convictions, it is most likely they will spend the rest of their lives in jail. Pakistan's blasphemy laws are notoriously harsh, and accusations of blasphemy against Islam is taken very seriously in the country. Being found guilty of desecrating the Koran or blaspheming against the Prophet Mohammed is punishable by death or life imprisonment. The laws have long been criticised both in Pakistan and internationally as they are often used to settle personal grudges and accusations are made with little to no evidence. They have lodged an appeal at Lahore High Court on the grounds of Mr Emmanuel's deteriorating condition, claiming lack of treatment in jail has left him with bedsores and life-threatening ill health. Pakistan's blasphemy laws are notoriously harsh, and accusations of blasphemy against Islam is taken very seriously in the country. Being found guilty of desecrating the Koran or blaspheming against the Prophet Mohammed is punishable by death or life imprisonment. The laws have long been criticised both in Pakistan and internationally as they are often used to settle personal grudges and accusations are made with little to no evidence. Last month, the head of a powerful religious body in the country said he is willing to review Pakistan's harsh blasphemy laws, to decide if they are Islamic. Pakistan's religious and political elites almost universally keep clear of debating blasphemy laws in a country where criticism of Islam is a highly sensitive subject. Even rumours of blasphemy have sparked rampaging mobs and deadly riots. But Muhammad Khan Sherani, chairman of a body that advises the government on the compatibility of laws with Islam, told Reuters he was willing to reopen the debate and see whether sentences as harsh as the death penalty were fair. "The government of Pakistan should officially, at the government level, refer the law on committing blasphemy to the Council of Islamic Ideology. There is a lot of difference of opinion among the clergy on this issue," Sherani said in an interview at his office close to Pakistan's parliament. A second elderly man has died of hypothermia after a group of three hillwalkers went missing. A large-scale search was launched for Bobby Thomson, 64, George Crosbie, 73, and Geoffrey Stewart, 74, after they failed to return from a walk in the hills around Durisdeer in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on Tuesday afternoon. Police Scotland confirmed Mr Crosbie died of hypothermia shortly after the trio were airlifted to hospital yesterday. The force have also now said Mr Stewart died late last night at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary. Mr Thomson is recovering in hospital after the men were found 2.5 miles east of the village yesterday following a search involving police and mountain rescue teams. Goeffrey Stewart (left) and George Crosbie (right) died with hypothermia after being stranded in the hills The force have now said Mr Stewart (left) died in hospital late last night. Mr Crosbie (right) passed away shortly after arriving at hospital Mr Thomson (pictured) is still recovering in Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary Relatives of Mr Stewart have released a statement through Police Scotland. It said: 'Our family would like to extend our love and thoughts to the families involved at this very sad and tragic time. 'Sincere gratitude and appreciation goes out to all the services involved in the rescue efforts and hospital staff at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.' It comes as a Ben Nevis rescue chief revealed two experienced climbers who went missing on Britain's highest mountain during a Valentine's trip were 'probably' buried in an avalanche. A major hunt for couple Rachel Slater, 24, and Tim Newton, 27, was sparked after they were reported missing on Monday. Mountain rescuers fear it could be the spring before the young couple are found. John Stevenson, the leader of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, said it may take a 'big thaw' to reveal where they may have met their fate. The team were again unable to search the 4409ft high mountain today because of the conditions and the risk of avalanche. Two members were caught up in a terrifying avalanche during Monday's search. Mr Stevenson said members had met Miss Newton's parents - who are both mountaineers and had travelled from Canada - last night to explain the search. The news of the deaths come as rescue chief revealed two experienced climbers, Tim Newton and Rachel Slater, who went missing on Britain's highest mountain during a Valentine's trip were 'probably' buried in an avalanche 'They understand the situation and they are trying to get their heads around things,' said Mr Stevenson. 'It is obviously a very tough time for them. We explained what we have been doing. 'The weather today is again atrocious - it is snowing heavily, there is rain and the visibility is almost zero. 'The avalanche risk is also a big danger still. 'We think there is a strong possibility Rachel and Tim have got caught up in an avalanche. We know where avalanches occur on the Ben, but when you get new snow on old snow continually it is difficult to pinpoint it. It just keeps piling up and then when it freezes it is almost impossible to tell where exactly it has happened. 'We need a big thaw and a lucky break. The harsh reality is it may be some time before we get the thaw. We have had people missing for months and months before.' Rescuers resumed the search for the two climbers with help from a Coastguard helicopter on Wednesday afternoon - but were soon called away to reports of another larger avalanche elsewhere The families, however, 'remain hopeful' they will be found. Ms Slater's family have reportedly flown to Scotland from Canada to be kept up to date with the latest developments. In a joint statement with Mr Newton's family, they thanked rescue teams for their work. They said: 'We are extremely grateful to members of the emergency services and search and rescue personnel who are searching for Rachel and Tim. 'The overwhelming response from members of the public and the climbing community has greatly assisted the search effort and we appreciate all the support and words of encouragement. 'As the search continues we remain hopeful Rachel and Tim will be found and reunited with their families and friends.' The families added that Ms Slater is thought to have been wearing a turquoise jacket and purple helmet while Mr Newton was wearing a red jacket. They added: 'As a family we urge anyone who was in the Ben Nevis area last weekend and may have seen or spoken to Rachel and Tim at any time to get in touch. 'We'd also like to appeal to anyone planning to climb or hike in the area this weekend to be aware of the ongoing search activity and to report anything they feel may be relevant - even if it appears insignificant - to police on 101.' Mountain rescue teams and police officers spent hours desperately searching for the couple, from Bradford in West Yorkshire, before the hunt was suspended yesterday afternoon due to 'treacherous' weather. Above, pictures released by the search party showing the conditions Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team planned to resume the search at first light yesterday but heavy snow, fog and blustery winds have forced them to review their plans. Two members of the rescue team were caught up in an avalanche during the search of Tuesday but survived unscathed. When the helicopter eventually managed to take off yesterday afternoon, rescue teams were instead sent to a large avalanche in North Lochaber after reports of people trapped. Police Scotland confirmed there had been 'a large avalanche' on Creag Meagaidh but said it was too early to say if there had been any casualties. Mr Stevenson told BBC Radio Scotland yesterday morning: 'We're expecting more bad weather so we've put everything on hold and are reviewing it. 'There were high winds yesterday, which have died down a bit but it's still very blustery on the hill. 'The areas we want to look at have had a lot of fresh snowfall blown in so they are very unstable and we wouldn't like to put people in there until there is a bit of settlement. Conditions on Ben Nevis had not really improved on Wednesday although hill walkers - perhaps from the rescue team - could be descending the mountain 'It's always a worry when you're putting people in to these areas. It's quite scary and very hard work in these conditions.' It is believed the couple had been camping behind the Charles Inglis Clark memorial hut on the north side of the mountain. Seasoned climber Ms Slater is a graduate of Manchester University and is employed as an environmental consultant near Bradford. He's a very competent mountaineer and if anybody is able to deal with this situation, he can David Gair, Hinckley Mountaineering Club president Mr Newton, originally from Leicester, also lives in Bradford and studied physics at the Universities of Manchester and Leeds, according to his Facebook profile. He joined Hinckley Mountaineering Club in Leicestershire in 2010 before he moved away to university, with fellow climbers there calling him a natural. David Gair, club president, said Mr Newton had a wealth of experience garnered in the Himalayas, the Alps and in Scotland. He added: 'He's a quiet, unassuming and very likeable young man. He's a very competent mountaineer and if anybody is able to deal with this situation, he can.' Mr Stevenson said it is hoped that teams can take to the mountain later. He said: 'We'll just have to wait and see - it's the snow conditions that will determine what we can do and where we can go. 'We'll keep reviewing it and as and when we'll try and send people out.' Police cars and vans could be seen outside the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Centre as teams tried to locate the two climbers He added: 'As time goes on it's very difficult, the weather conditions have been really bad and no-one has heard from them or seen them is a worry. 'You always have hope but as time goes on that diminishes quite rapidly.' Friends and fellow climbers have been posting messages on social media praising the search teams and voicing hope that the couple will be found safe. One wrote on the UKClimbing forum: 'Great, enthusiastic young climbers. Such good role models for the sport. You always have hope but as time goes on that diminishes quite rapidly Rescue leader John Stevenson 'I've seen them out and about in the past and follow their logbooks cos they climb routes I'd like to. I hope they are found OK. I'm crossing everything and thinking of them and the search teams' (sic). An appeal was also made by Chris Denham, pastor at Hope City Church in Leeds, where Mr Newton's brother is assistant pastor. He posted a picture of the couple on Instagram with the message: 'Please pray today for the safe return of Tim & Rachel (Tim is the brother of our Assistant Pastor, Ed Newton, in Leeds). 'Also pray for the weather to clear which is preventing rescue teams from searching at present and for all the family. Believing for miracles to be taking place on that mountain because God is Able.' It comes as a separate search for three elderly hillwalkers who went missing in Dumfries and Galloway yesterday was stood down after the gentlemen were found. The men are believed to have got lost in the hills around Durisdeer on Tuesday afternoon. Seasoned climber Ms Slater, pictured above, is a graduate of Manchester University and is employed as an environmental consultant near Bradford Police and Moffat Mountain Rescue Team carried out searches in the area overnight but Police Scotland said efforts were affected by driving rain and very strong winds. Officers confirmed around 3pm on Wednesday that the trio had been found, with a spokesman adding: 'They have all been taken by HM Coastguard helicopter to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.' Wintry showers are expected to sweep across Britain today and into tomorrow, triggering warnings of possible travel disruption caused by heavy rain and snow. Forecasters say there could be a light dusting of snow across the Midlands, eastern England and London as temperatures plummet overnight and the slow-moving band of wet weather heads south-eastwards. Forecaster Mark Wilson said: 'Motorists really need to be aware of the weather conditions as there is heavy rain and snow in places so give extra time and stay up-to-date with the forecast and warnings.' Advertisement These incredible black and white photographs offer a rare window into the hidden life of Tanzania's 'ghost people' - the country's persecuted albinos who are hunted down and mutilated for their body parts. In some parts of the country, albino hunters brutally hack off the hair, arms, legs, skin, eyes, and genitals of their victims - abandoning them dead or alive - because these body parts are used in witch doctors' spells and potions. Albinos represent one in every approximately 1,400 births in Tanzania - the largest proportion in all of Africa - and stems from a genetic condition caused by a reduction in melanin, the pigment which colours skin, hair and eyes. A young albino boy in Tanzania rests on a seat with his arms behind his head at one of the country's homes for children with the condition A man suffering from the rare condition, which leads to persecution in Tanzania and other African countries, smiles for a photograph A young boy with albinism poses for a photograph next to a friend who does not carry the genetic condition Albinism is triggered by a lack of melanin - the pigment which colours the body's eyes, skin and hair A young albino child, photographed at one of the retreats set up to protect the community, plays with a drinking mug A woman with only one arm (left) and a small child (right) pose for photographs. Albinos are often attacked, killed or mutilated in Tanzania due to a belief their body parts contain magical properties A group of albino children play together at an orphanage that is protected by a surrounding high wall and barbed wire Albino children at the orphanage are able to carry out school work and their education without fear of being attacked A group of children sit on a top bunk together at the orphanage safe from being attacked by people hoping to use their body parts in witch doctors' spells and potions Italian photographer Claudio Simunno captured the poignant images of the African country's albino community - known as the zeruzeru in Swahili - during a visit in November last year. Mr Simunno, 35, said: 'I decided to visit Tanzania because I wanted to photograph the ghost people. Poverty and ignorance lead people in rural east Africa to take refuge in a superstition that believes albinos are magical beings. 'In some areas they are seen as a punishment of the gods or a carrier of the evil eye. In other places their body parts are used as talismans or ingredients to create potions to heal illnesses and bring good luck in business. Because of these beliefs albinos are victims of attacks, killings and mutilations. Some also believe having sexual intercourse with an albino can cure AIDS - a belief which often leads to rapes, even against children.' Albinism causes extremely pale hair, skin and eyes, eyesight problems and sensitivity to light. While globally it affects approximately one in 20,000 people, in Tanzania and other parts of east Africa that figure is much higher, likely a result of consanguinity. Mr Simunno spent 20 days in the Shinyanga region of Tanzania, visiting many village with large numbers of albino residents and an orphange set up for albino children fleeing persecution. Mr Simunno, who lives in Savona in northern Italy with his wife and works as an electronics technician, first became passionate about photography during a visit to Africa six years ago. He said: 'During my trip I learned more about the difficulties people less fortunate than myself face every day. People who have seen my images were impressed because many do not know about the existence of albinism in Africa, and therefore were intrigued.' To see more of Claudio's photography go to http://www.albengaphotography.com/ or http://www.africanphotos.it/ An albino woman sits at a desk where she undertakes her daily work. Albinism causes extremely pale hair, skin and eyes The condition also causes a eyesight problems and a sensitivity to light. Pictured in an albino woman bathing a small child Albinos represent one in every approximately 1,400 births in Tanzania - the largest proportion of any African country Children in the orphanage play together in this poignant photograph of Africa's often harassed and persecuted albino community Witch doctors believe albinos' body parts contain magical properties and their use in potions fuels attacks and persecution Two teenagers at the orphanage do their homework together while sitting in a hallway in the safe camp Italian photographer Claudio Simunno captured the poignant images of the African country's albino community during a trip last year An albino man poses with his family, none of whom suffer from the rare condition Albinos are known as 'ghost people' in Tanzania due to their appearance. However, they are persecuted and often mutilated or killed A young boy stares at the camera while sitting between the legs of a carer in a small village in Tanzania Australians must 'grow up' and stop taking naked or explicit photos of themselves to curb the growing threat of revenge porn, a senior police officer says. An Australian parliamentary inquiry being held into revenge porn - when naked or sexual images of a person are shared without their consent to humiliate or embarrass them - has heard the act is an exponentially increasing crime. But authorities say they can't arrest their way out of the problem and must teach people to be more cautious about posting naked photos of themselves online. Scroll down for video Australians must 'grow up' and stop taking naked or explicit photos of themselves to curb the growing threat of revenge porn, Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Shane Connelly said 'People just have to grow up in terms of what they're taking and loading on to the computer because the risk is so high,' Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Shane Connelly told the inquiry in Sydney on Thursday. When asked whether he was victim-blaming, Assistant Commissioner Connelly denied he was, but said 'wicked' people would always try to take advantage of others and linked that to revenge porn, cyber-crime and online child abuse. '(They say) if you go out in the snow without clothes on you'll catch a cold - if you go on to the computer without your clothes on, you'll catch a virus,' he said. 'It's a wicked analogy but it's pretty realistic.' Revenge porn is when naked or sexual images of a person are shared without their consent to humiliate or embarrass them (stock image) An Australian parliamentary inquiry being held into revenge porn has heard the act is an exponentially increasing crime (stock image) He also stressed education plays a critical part in tackling the problem. Children's eSafety Commissioner Alastair MacGibbon said criminal sanctions will need to be teamed with education and prevention to tackle the problem. 'You can't just arrest (your way) out of a social problem,' he told the inquiry. Commissioner MacGibbon added that it needs to be made easier and faster for victims to have images removed. 'People just have to grow up in terms of what they're taking and loading on to the computer because the risk is so high,' Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Shane Connelly said (stock image) Children's eSafety Commissioner Alastair MacGibbon said criminal sanctions will need to be teamed with education and prevention to tackle the problem South Australia and Victoria are the only Australian jurisdictions with laws targeting revenge porn, with a maximum penalty of two years' imprisonment. Tasmania Sexual Assault Support Service policy officer Alex Martin said national laws were need to send a strong message that revenge porn was not acceptable. The Attorney-General's Department is advising the government on whether new laws are required to deal with the growing issue. 'Happy': Chilean chef Favio Onate died after falling overboard while working on the Queen Mary II cruise ship in August last year. His death was ruled a suicide, but this has been dismissed by his family Police have seized CCTV from the Queen Mary II cruise ship and interviewed its captain as part of an investigation into death of a chef who apparently threw himself overboard. Detectives boarded the vessel yesterday in an eight-hour operation after it arrived in the Chilean port of Valparaiso. They quizzed the captain under order from public prosecutors investigating the death of 26-year-old Chilean chef Favio Onate after a local court issued a warrant. Detectives took photos of the deck where Mr Onate fell from the luxurious ship, the flagship liner of Cunard cruises, on August 15 last year near Newfoundland, and inspected the cabin where he slept. The ship worker's family, who believe his death was ruled a suicide as part of a cover-up and may be the result of something more sinister, held a demonstration at the port with banners which read: 'Justice for Favio.' Favio's mother, Carolina Ordones, told local press: 'He was happy with his job. 'After four years' service he had more days off than the rest of the crew and he was planning to stay here when the ship reached Chile. 'Despite splitting from his girlfriend, he never suffered depression. I believe something led him to a situation he should never have been in. 'I suspect there are other people involved but the crew changed a week after Favio died.' Friend Nicolas Murillo, who gave passengers leaflets in three languages explaining that that six months after Favio died they still know next to nothing about what happened, added: 'The idea was to show the passengers we still have doubts and very little information about Favio's disappearance.' Yesterday's police operation began soon after the Queen Mary II, which left the UK on January 10, made its scheduled stop in Valparaiso around 5am local time and passengers finished disembarking an hour and a half later. Officers from Chile's Special Police Investigations Brigade (BIPE) joined forensic police experts who boarded the vessel under instructions from public prosecutors leading a Chilean investigation into Favio's death. The detectives are understood to have been given access to the vessel's CCTV cameras the day of the incident. Prosecution service spokesman Denis Pavez said the results of the day's work would be 'handed over to the lawyers, in this case, the victim.' Passengers look out to sea aboard the Queen Mary II during the search for Favio Onate last August The Queen Mary II (pictured) was en route from New York to Southampton when Mr Onate went overboard. The vessel turned round to look for him but the search was called off due to the freezing temperatures in the sea Sigrid Ramirez, captain of the Port of Valparaiso, added: 'The ship's crew were well-disposed towards helping the police board the vessel accompanied by a public prosecutor. 'We lent the necessary support and the passengers' disembarkment was not affected.' Reports last August said crew members on the Queen Mary II had been banned from drinking alcohol after Mr Onate's death. The ship was en route from New York to Southampton when he fell overboard and the vessel turned round to look for him before the search was called off due to the freezing temperatures of the sea. A crew member quoted after the incident said Mr Onate was put to bed after drinking and climbing up to the seventh deck wearing only his underwear. He added: 'He was put to bed and everybody left. Apparently he woke up again and went from his room all the way to deck seven. They all feel very guilty now.' The 26-year-old had been working as an assistant cook on the cruise liner for four years and planned to leave his job and open a restaurant after the Queen Mary II left Valparaiso and reached Easter Island. The 26-year-old had been working as an assistant cook on the cruise liner for four years and planned to leave his job and open a restaurant after the Queen Mary II left Valparaiso and reached Easter Island A Cunard spokesman said at the time the company could not comment on any alcohol ban or on the circumstances surrounding their employee's death as an investigation was ongoing. The company reportedly sent a statement to Chilean papers ahead of the police operation saying it had been in regular contact with Favio's family, both directly and through the Chilean Consulate in London. The statement added: 'This has included the arrangement of a trip for his parents and sister to the UK to receive information about the circumstances surrounding the incident.' Speaking ahead of their peaceful port protest, Favio's sister Carolina Onate said: 'Our objective is not to go and fight with Cunard or create a scandal. 'All we want to do is show that our battle is ongoing. We have an aim which is to find out the truth. We're not going to sell out, we are going to fight with all our might.' Referring to witness reports that the dead man acted out of character after been seen in one of the ship's bars with a passenger, and claiming the family had never been given the CCTV footage from the day of Favio's death, she added: 'I have faith justice will be done and we will achieve our aim of finding out the truth about what happened that night.' His father, Segundo Onate, added: 'The death certificate we were given said my son had committed suicide. 'I am convinced this is not the case. It's not just me saying it, his friends and everyone who knew him say it as well.' For more of the latest news from Russia visit www.dailymail.co.uk/russia Obama has previously stated he kicked the smoking habit many years ago An opposition MP said the advert was 'embarrassing' and 'disgusting' With relations between Russia and the U.S. hitting a new low over crises in Syria and Ukraine, one could be forgiven for expecting a certain level of finger-pointing rhetoric. But Russia appears to have struck the lowest blow yet - with the mysterious appearance of a poster warning citizens that smoking cigarettes causes more deaths than Barack Obama. The U.S. president, who has previously said he quit smoking in 2007, is even pictured on the billboards in a doctored image showing him sucking on a cigarette. President Barack Obama was illustrated smoking a cigarette on the bizarre poster seen in downtown Moscow Accompanying the picture are the words: 'Smoking kills more people than Obama, although he kills lots and lots of people. Dont smoke, dont be like Obama.' Mystery surrounds who is behind the bizarre public health warning, with the advert having no attribution or statement of claim. Dmitry Gudkov, an opposition MP, posted the image on his Facebook page, saying it was 'disgusting and embarrassing that this is appearing on the streets of the Russian capital'. And in a reference to a feared character from children's fairy tales, he told The Guardian: 'Soon theyll be scaring kids with Obama rather than Baba Yaga.' In 2013, Obama was caught on a live microphone telling a United Nations official that he hadn't smoked in six years because he was scared of his wife. 'I haven't had a cigarette in probably six years,' Obama was overhead telling Maina Kiai at the U.N. General Assembly in New York. 'That's because I'm scared of my wife,' he added with a grin. In June 2009, Obama himself addressed the question, saying he had mostly kicked the habit, but had moments of weakness. He told a news conference: 'I constantly struggle with it," the president said. "Have I fallen off the wagon sometimes? Yes. Am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No.' North Korea's nuclear tests could trigger the eruption of a volcano that once produced one of the most powerful explosions ever recorded, experts have warned. The 9,000ft Mount Paekdu lies just 70 miles from the Punggye-ri facility where last month Pyongyang carried out the fourth of its nuclear bomb tests. That underground detonation triggered a 5.1-magnitude earthquake that shook roads and buildings hundreds of miles away. A documentary aired in North Korea last month claimed to show Kim Jong-Un at a peak of Mount Paekdu Mount Paekdu lies 70 miles from the Punggye-ri facility where Pyongyang carries out its nuclear bomb tests Now seismologists fear one more test could jolt the magma chamber back into life after noting that it has been expanding in recent years. It last erupted in 1903. They said the volcano was once responsible for 'one of the largest explosive events in human history' when it erupted in 946, producing a flow of hot gas and rock nearly 1,000ft thick. A cloud of ash two inches thick also coated parts of northern Japan some 650 miles away. Experts have now detected increasing seismic activity beneath the peak, including seismic uplift and rising levels of sulphur dioxide, it was reported by The Daily Telegraph. Analysts warn Kim Jong-Un (pictured on Mont Paekdu) could carry out a fifth nuclear bomb test with 'little or no warning' In a paper published in Nature, South Korean scientists led by Hong Tae-kyung said: 'Strong ground motions induce large dynamic stress changes that may disturb the magma chamber of a volcano, thus accelerating the volcanic activity. 'An underground nuclear explosion near an active volcano constitutes a direct threat to the volcano.' Over the past 10 years, North Korea has conducted four nuclear tests and launched six long-range missiles all in violation of Security Council resolutions and Pyongyang's international obligations. Analysts warn Kim Jong-Un could carry out a fifth test with 'little or no warning'. Last month, Kim claimed to have scaled Mount Paekdu, the country's tallest peak that straddles the border with China, with his entourage in memory of his late father. Advertisement Prime Minister David Cameron has met with the six EU leaders who are set to decide Britain's future over a glamorous meal of avocado and shrimp, but they are finding his demands more difficult to swallow. Mr Cameron has been pleading at a summit in Brussels for a credible package to help him lock Britain into the EU for a generation. But his colleagues have strongly objected to his plans to limit access to the so-called welfare state. The Prime Minister has allies in Germany's Angela Merkel and Denmark's Lars Lokke Rasmussen. But he still has to square concerns from France's Francois Hollande, and eastern European leaders including Poland's Beata Szydlo and Hungary's Viktor Orban. Austrias Werner Faymann arrived at the talks with a strong agenda to tackle the flow of migrants into his country. Before the formal talks began, EU leaders gathered for the traditional family photo. David Cameron (front row, third from right) has allies in Germany's Angela Merkel and Denmark's Lars Lokke Rasmussen. But he still has to square concerns from France's Francois Hollande, and eastern European leaders including Poland's Beata Szydlo and Hungary's Viktor Orban. Austrias Werner Faymann arrived at the talks with a strong agenda to tackle the flow of migrants into his country David Cameron and Angela Merkel walked into the talks together, pictured left, as the formal meetings got underway. Mr Cameron made an anxious expression in conversation with Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar, pictured right as the talks began David Cameron last night promised EU leaders his draft deal could end Britain's 'festering' relationship with the group and move them to a new 'live and let live approach'. Speaking to his 27 colleagues at the first working session of a summit that could define his career, the Prime Minster said there was a 'big prize' on offer if the deal could be struck - but he warned progress was vital to come up with a 'credible offer' for the British people. But Eastern European leaders insisted curbs on welfare handouts to foreign workers must be phased in gradually. In a further slapdown, EU leaders warned that any package that is cobbled together will be final - the UK must take it or quit the European Union for good. The French and the Belgians insisted there could be no second referendum if the UK votes to leave. The group last night joined together for a meal of avocado and shrimp 'imparfait'; cod loin with wheat beer emulsion and duo of potato; followed by a light mango mousse with caramelised pineapple and coffee. WHAT'S ON THE MENU? Avocado & shrimp imparfait Cod loin with wheat beer emulsion & duo of potato Light mango mousse with caramelised pineapple Coffee Wines for the occasion were chosen from a secret list Advertisement Wines for the gathering were reportedly chosen from a secret list. Mr Cameron arrived at the crunch Brussels summit vowing he would be 'battling for Britain' at the talks which are due to conclude around lunch time today. Downing Street insisted Mr Cameron was resisting the demands for a further cave-in. Sources indicated he was looking to toughen his own requirements asking for a brake that restricts migrants claiming tax credits to last for up to 13 years. But Eurosceptic MPs said it still seemed that the thin gruel on offer to voters appeared to be getting even thinner. They added that, despite the drama in Brussels, the negotiation remained a huge missed opportunity to fundamentally change Britains relationship with the EU. Sources close to Mr Cameron warned it was likely to be a 'long night' as the first round of summit talks had been 'tough' with 'real outstanding issues'. Failure to strike an overnight deal could force Mr Cameron to delay Britain's EU referendum from the summer despite clear signals it is pencilled in for June 23. EU leaders sat down for their first formal talks last night as they wrestled with competing demands from Britain and the fears of other member states - particularly the so-called 'Visegrad group' from eastern Europe who are worried about benefit restrictions. At the first session of the talks, Mr Cameron said: 'The question of Britain's place in Europe has been allowed to fester for too long and it's time to deal with it. Mr Cameron's talks, assisted by EU Council president Donald Tusk pictured left as the talks began, could run into the early hours of the morning as a deal is hammered out 'If we can reach agreement here that is strong enough to persuade the British people to support UK membership of the EU, then we have an opportunity to settle the issue for a generation. 'It's an opportunity to move to a fundamentally different approach to our relations with the EU - a live and let live approach, reflecting that those states who wish to integrate further can do so while those of us who don't can be reassured that their interests will be protected and they won't need to fight for those at every turn on a case by case basis. 'It's a big prize for all in the room.' He said he needs a package that is 'credible with the British people' and that 'there are therefore a number of areas where we need to make progress tonight'. EU leaders will all come together again at around 10am today in a bid to finalise the deal following late night bilaterals and informal talks on the margins of the summit. The Prime Minister's plea came as other EU states demanded a 'no second chance' agreement to make clear to Britain that Europe will not come back with a better offer if it votes to Leave. As wrangling over a proposed reform package got under way in earnest at a 'make or break' Brussels summit, Britain's line on key welfare measures appeared to be hardening. THE KEY PLAYERS WHO CAN MAKE OR BREAK DAVID CAMERON'S DEAL AT THE EU SUMMIT LAST NIGHT Francois Hollande, France France has raised significant concerns about how the British deal on the eurozone and protections for the City of London will work. Concessions to Mr Hollande included confirmation there would be a 'single rule book' on how the single market will work. Mr Cameron rushed to Paris on Monday night to work on the deal but confirmation of a resolution only began to appear today when EU sources indicated the European Central Bank had agreed to the changes. Viktor Orban, Hungary The Hungarian prime minister sparked alarm when he suggested the British agenda was treating his citizens like 'parasites'. Hungary had strong objections to banning EU migrant workers from claiming benefits alongside their jobs in Britain. Today his concerns appeared to have been dealt with as he told waiting media: 'I think we will have a good negotiation and I think we have a good chance to make an agreement. 'I am rather optimistic.' Werner Faymann, Austria The Austrian chancellor threw what could have been a huge spanner into the works by suggesting his country would impose a strict cap on asylum claims. Austria has been left reeling by the migration crisis and has sought to use Mr Cameron's renegotiation as a way of easing its own concerns. He has complained the European solution for dealing with the migrant crisis - set to see more than a million people try and get into the EU this year - is 'too slow' Angela Merkel, Germany One of the longest serving and most senior EU leaders, Angela Merkel has become a key ally for David Cameron in completing his deal. Germany did raise concerns about the plans damaging the principle of free movement across the EU by introducing discrimination. But as Mr Cameron's deal evolved toward the 'brake' on migrant benefits rather than outright ban, Mrs Merkel has become a cheerleader for concluding the deal - insisting the British demands were 'justified'. Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Denmark Denmark has been a crucial ally for Mr Cameron during his talks, insisting the proposals on offer were 'understandable and acceptable'. After the first draft was published, Mr Rasmussen vowed to help the British Prime Minister conclude his deal. He said: 'Denmark will work hard to ensure results which can help the British government win the referendum and remain a key member of the European Union. Beata Szydlo, Poland Squaring Poland and the rest of east Europe has been a key challenge for Mr Cameron. The Polish prime minister hit out at the proposed reforms for migrants last year. Even last week Poland was still warning the current draft of Britain's deal was no more than 'mostly acceptable'. Moves to expand the emergency brake on benefits beyond Britain have caused further worries. Advertisement A key figure will be Germany's Mrs Merkel, pictured with Mr Cameron as the 'family photo' marking the beginning of the summit broke up early yesterday afternoon It is understood the PM has set his face against calls from eastern Europe for child benefit cuts to be imposed only on new migrants with offspring living in their home country. AS DAVID CAMERON WRESTLES WITH EU LEADERS JEREMY CORBYN DECLARES HIS RENEGOTIATION TO BE 'LARGELY IRREVELANT' Jeremy Corbyn last night dismissed David Cameron's EU deal as 'largely irrelevant' as the Prime Minister sat down with his 27 fellow EU leaders for hours of decisive talks over Britain's future membership of the EU. The Labour leader described the months of negotiations over demands for reforming Britain's membership of the EU as a 'missed opportunity'. Mr Corbyn, who also travelled to Brussels yesterday, said Mr Cameron should have instead focussed on winning stronger rights for workers. Holding his own summit of left wing allies in the EU capital - including a meeting with the French socialist President Francois Hollande, Mr Corbyn attacked plans for an 'emergency brake' on handing benefits to EU migrants, saying there was 'no evidence' it would cut migration to the UK. 'And it won't put a penny in the pockets of workers in Britain or stop the undercutting of UK wages by the exploitation of migrant workers,' he told a meeting of the Party of European Socialists in Brussels. He said the 'real reforms' needed in Brussels included 'an end to austerity' and a 'halt to the enforced privatisation of public services'. Mr Corbyn described the Prime Minister's hard-fought negotiations as a 'theatrical sideshow' that was more about appeasing internal Eurosceptic critics in his own party than addressing the real problems with Britain's membership of the EU. Advertisement Mr Cameron wants the new system - under which payments would be made at the lower rates of the migrant's homeland - brought in quickly and believes it is not acceptable for it effectively to be phased in over 16 years as the children of 34,000 existing claimants in the UK reach adulthood. UK officials said child benefit was among a number of key issues, including protections for non-euro countries and a proposed emergency brake on migrant welfare, which remain to be settled at a crunch European Council summit. Mr Cameron was prepared to keep talking into the night as officials tried to hammer out the precise terms of a deal which can be agreed on Friday, clearing the way for the announcement of a referendum date following a special Cabinet meeting in London. As he arrived at the summit yesterday afternoon, Mr Cameron said: 'We've got some important work to do today and tomorrow and it is going to be hard. I'll be battling for Britain. 'If we can get a good deal, I will take that deal, but I will not take a deal that does not meet what we need. 'It is much more important to get this right than to do anything in a rush. 'But with good will, and hard work, we can get a better deal for Britain.' At his first meeting, Mr Cameron joked with EU Council president Donald Tusk that they faced a 'long night tonight' before adding perhaps a 'long day tomorrow'. The summit is due to end at lunchtime today and British officials admitted this was 'crunch time' and it would be 'deal or no deal'. If Mr Cameron declares he has an acceptable deal he is due to meet his Cabinet this afternoon to formally agree a Government position. He will then suspend collective responsibility to allow ministers who oppose him and the deal to speak out. Changes which emerged overnight are likely to be fiercely opposed by eastern European countries at last night's talks. They fear millions of their citizens living in western European states will face discrimination over benefits. In previous versions of the text the so-called 'emergency brake' would have only applied to Britain, Ireland and Sweden - the three member states that did not take advantage of transitional controls on EU migrants from Poland and nine other eastern European countries in 2004. Countries such as Germany and Austria - overwhelmed by refugees fleeing the Middle East - demanded that they too can introduce temporary restrictions on EU migrants claiming in-work benefits. But in a sign of progress, EU sources said French concerns over protecting the eurozone may have been dealt with. One set of 'square brackets' - which denote disagreement in the draft text - were set to be lifted before the first formal meeting began. The latest changes on benefits are still likely to make a deal more difficult to reach. Romania voiced opposition to the latest changes yesterday morning, worried that the ability of all member states to impose restrictions on benefits being paid to their citizens would harm the million Romanians currently living in Spain and Italy. Arriving at the summit, Mr Tusk - the man charged with running today's talks - warned there was a lot of work to do. He said: 'As you know we are in the middle of still very difficult and sensitive negotiations on the UK question. 'One thing is clear to me, this is a make or break summit, I have no doubt.' The EU leaders talked informally before the meetings began, with Mr Cameron locked in conversation with Mrs Merkel and Irish premier Enda Kenny, right In conversation with Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras, Mr Cameron made a pointing gesture with his hands Mr Cameron, pictured making his first remarks at the Brussels summit, said he would be 'battling for Britain' but would only take the right deal home with him EU LEADERS HAD A 'FAMILY PHOTO', THEN STARTED TALKS - AND QUICKLY STOPPED FOR DINNER The first working session began last night, pictured above, at around 5pm. The UK's renegotiation was the only item on the agenda. The meeting was expected to be an opportunity for each leader to highlight their current concerns. 7pm: EU leaders due at a working dinner. The main topic for discussion here was due to be the migration crisis and Britain's demands were not expected to be discussed. Late Thursday: Informal and bilateral conversations to try and reach agreements and resolve problems would continue into the night. 9am Friday: EU leaders will reconvene for an 'English breakfast' in an attempt to hammer out the final version of the deal. Around 11am: The summit is due to end. David Cameron is expected to declare whether or not he has a deal before returning to London. If an agreement has been reached, Mr Cameron will meet his Cabinet later on Friday. Advertisement As she arrived, German chancellor Angela Merkel: 'We gladly want to do everything to create the conditions so Britain can remain a part of the European Union.' In his own first statement at the summit, French president Francois Hollande said: 'Agreement on Britain's EU membership is possible because it is necessary but no country should have a veto right. 'France wants Britain to stay in the EU but Europe must not be stopped from moving forward. 'We must at the same time as we are talking about Great Britain, think about all the other countries. 'It's the European Union that's at stake, not simply one country of the European Union. 'I hope that Great Britain will stay in the European Union, but I especially hope that we all advance together and that no-one, no head of government can stop that.' Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite struck a more positive note. She told reporters yesterday afternoon: 'Everybody will have his own drama, then we will agree.' Hungarian PM Viktor Orban said: 'I think we will have a good negotiation and I think we have a good chance to make an agreement. I am rather optimistic.' And Estonian PM Taavi Roivas said: 'We are here today to agree on a fair deal - a fair deal for both the UK and EU so that David can recommend the British people to vote Yes at the referendum. I am convinced that this kind of deal is achievable and we will work hard to achieve it today.' Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny said as he arrived at the summit: 'There will be some bilateral contacts with countries that still have some difficulties about the ins/outs of the 'ever closer union', about the question of welfare. 'We expect that to be finalised tomorrow. 'We are very supportive of this, we will back up the claim that Britain should remain a central member of the European Union and I do hope that it can be concluded tomorrow so that the Prime Minister can make his timing of a referendum known to the British people.' Speaking yesterday morning, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said he was 'convinced' that the UK would remain a 'constructive and active' member of the 28-nation bloc. Mr Juncker said: 'I'm quite confident that we will have a deal during this European Council.' He added: 'I'm convinced that Britain will be a constructive and active member of the European Union.' Mr Cameron departed for Brussels yesterday knowing key elements of his demands for change in Britain's relations with the EU still in dispute. The Prime Minister met Mr Tusk at the European Council building for discussions ahead of the summit and was also due to meet Croatian PM Tihomir Oreskovic and Latvian PM Maris Kucinskis, both of whom have been elected since the last Council summit in December. An EU source said at the end of last night's dinner Mr Tusk would tell leaders 'we'll see each other again tomorrow' and added the breakfast this morning will be 'when the real negotiations take place and hopefully there will be an agreement. The source said: 'At the round table at the start of the summit the main issues will identified and the persons with biggest problem identified. Sherpas will work through the night to find a solution. Mr Cameron and Mr Tusk, pictured at their meeting yesterday have worked closely in recent weeks to finalise a version of the deal leader can back at yesterday's meeting Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, pictured right alongside Parliament president Martin Schulz yesterday morning, said he was 'convinced' the UK would remain a 'constructive and active' member Nigel Farage, pictured in Brussels as the leaders gathered, continued his criticism of the deal warning Mr Cameron would get no meaningful reform 'Tomorrow morning they will hopefully assemble to adopt conclusions. Each and every member state will sign. They won't need to vote as it has to be consensus.' The source said: 'It's a last chance to meet and see where Cameron is and for Tusk to explain his intentions in managing the meeting.' The source added that it is 'our hope' that the square brackets will be 'lifted' from the section on the Eurozone safeguards before the start of the meeting. Ukip leader Nigel Farage yesterday dismissed the deal before talks even formally began, insisting it would not be 'legally binding' and was like offering voters a car but 'telling them they can't check if the engine works'. Parliament president Mr Schulz yesterday told reporters: 'We as legislators will be working intensively as soon as we have the basic text available, the pre-requisites of this are that there would have to be an agreement today amongst all the member states and secondly we need to have a yes vote in the referendum. 'In the European Parliament I can say we have a great deal of interest in ensuring the UK remains a member of the EU together we are stronger and we will work constructively to ensure that is what ensured is actually put into legislative form in the EU.' Ahead of the summit, Britain made clear that the PM is ready to walk away without agreement if he cannot secure a satisfactory package. The section details the emergency brake on migrant benefits, pictured in the latest draft, was also set to be highly contentious at the talks. Eastern European countries are keen for it only to apply to Britain but other states, led by Germany and Austria, have said it could be a wider power for all members. Leaders will have to discuss a deeply technical section of the document on financial stability responsibilities as they remain in 'square brackets', pictured. France and Germany are said to be uncomfortable with clauses marking the City of London as different under EU rules There are further square brackets around a clause, pictured, committing all member states to changing the treaties on economic governance 'This is crunch time,' said one UK official. 'We need to secure the right settlement for the British people.' Mr Cameron's deal with EU leaders is far from done and talks may go down to the wire later today. EU officials have scheduled a 'brunch' of English breakfast to nail down the final details. Many points in the final document remain in 'square brackets', a mark in diplomatic circles indicated an unagreed point. Government sources yesterday insisted there was 'broad support' to find a way through on every point. But there remains an impasse on several key areas: Ahead of the talks, the EU's media director revealed fresh flowers and a selection of drinks were placed on every leader's desk. Mr Cameron will choose from Coca Cola, orane juice or water. Ahead of the talks, Mr Tusk had a crucial meeting with the new Croatian Prime Minister Securing 'treaty change' on two points: the commitment to 'ever closer union' and how the eurozone works in relation to other countries like the pound. The 'red card' mechanism for escalating issues of concern in member states to the European Council The 'emergency brake' on restricting benefit payments to migrants. There are particular difficulties on how long this will last. Exactly how child benefit will be 'indexed' to local rates and whether the change will apply to new migrants only or people already in Britain. Despite signs of another roadblock in the deal, a Government source said ahead of yesterday's summit: 'The PM will be battling hard on all of those areas, seeking to fix the issues that really matter to people here in Britain.' 'We have made a lot of progress compared to where people thought we were. 'We have got broad support for finding a way through on every issue. 'The outstanding things where I expect leaders will be focusing their time and energy are around the issue of treaty change, whether or not every country is willing to incorporate the two areas where we would like treaty change - ever closer union and the eurozone.' On plans for an 'emergency brake', the Government source added: 'On welfare and free movement I expect the focus to be around the emergency brake on restructuring benefits to migrants for four years, in particular the length of that and also around indexation of child benefit.' David Cameron, pictured leaving Downing Street yesterday morning, faces another roadblock in his plans to reform Britain's membership of the EU THOUSANDS OF MILES AND COUNTLESS HOURS ON THE ROAD: HOW DAVID CAMERON GOT HIS DEAL ON EU MEMBERSHIP THIS FAR Mr Cameron has met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on many occasions during his renegotiation, most recently at last week's annual Matthiae-Mahlzeit dinner at the city hall in Hamburg, pictured David Cameron has visited 20 European countries and met everyone of his 27 fellow leaders during his renegotiation tour. As a deal inched closer to completion, Government sources spelled out the unprecedented diplomatic offensive embarked upon by Mr Cameron to get his agreement. The final document is the first attempt to 'fundamentally reform' a country's membership of the EU from inside. The source insisted no country had ever tried to renegotiate its membership before and pointed to successes secured on the single currency and sovereignty The source said: 'The Prime Minister has really led the charge on this. 'He's taken a very personal involvement from the moment he was re-elected to meet and engage with European leaders.' Mr Cameron has travelled far and wide during his talks, including to Hungary to meet Viktor Orban in January, left, and Portugal in September last year for talks with Pedro Passos Coelho Earlier this month, Mr Cameron visited Poland for talks with Prime Minister Beata Szydlo on his deal as he worked to finalise the details ahead of last night's summit Mr Cameron has trekked to 20 different EU states for talks - many more than once. The PM has met every EU leader twice during the talks, including 10 of them in Downing Street. The renegotiation has been raised at 13 different world summits - either as the main business or in the fringes of unrelated gatherings. And Mr Cameron has had talks on 'more than 26' occasions with the leaders of the European Commission, European Council and European Parliament. The source added: 'He was the first Prime Minister to go to Austria in over 30 years. The first to go to Bulgaria and Romania in over 16 years. The first ever British Prime Minister to visit an independent Slovenia.' Advertisement Boris Johnson and Michael Gove are 'leaning towards' backing Brexit over David Cameron's 'unimpressive' deal Boris Johnson and Michael Gove are 'leaning towards' supporting Britain's exit from the EU, it emerged as David Cameron left for Brussels yesterday morning for crunch talks with European leaders. The pair are not impressed with the Prime Minister's efforts to make British law superior over EU law, according to friends. If the pair decided to back Brexit, it would deal a major blow to the Prime Minister's hopes of keeping Britain in the EU. Boris Johnson (left) and Michael Gove (right) are 'leaning towards' backing Brexit, it emerged as Eurosceptics won over another influential voice in Penny Mordaunt (centre), the defence minister who starred in ITV diving show Splash two years ago Mr Johnson's decision could be particularly decisive after a poll revealed that one in three people see him as 'important' to helping them decide which way to vote in the EU referendum, which is expected to be held in June. News of another minister to back Brexit emerged this morning, with Penny Mordaunt, the Armed Forces minister who starred on the primetime ITV diving show Splash two years ago, being won over by Eurosceptics. Mr Johnson and Mr Gove want assurances from Mr Cameron that he end the practice of European courts overriding British law. Judgments by the European Court of Human Rights that have caused outrage over recent years have included the decision to block the deportation of the radical preacher Abu Qatada and the attempt to force Britain to give prisoners the right to vote. The Court is not an EU institution and will not be reformed as part of Mr Cameron's talks in Brussels. But in parallel to the agreement he hopes to secure, Mr Cameron has reportedly tasked Mr Gove with drawing up new laws in Britain which will be presented as part of a wider package of reforms. A new piece of Commons legislation could be revealed by Mr Cameron as soon as tomorrow if he seals a deal in Brussels. Nigel Farage, pictured, arrives in Brussels ahead of David Cameron's crunch summit with EU leaders. A poll found one in five people viewed him as 'important' in deciding which way they vote Earlier this month Mr Cameron promised to 'put beyond doubt' the sovereignty of the British Parliament after Mr Johnson demanded assurances. But despite a 40-minute private meeting in Downing Street yesterday, it appears the Prime Minister has yet to convince the Mayor of London of his plans to reform Britain's membership of the EU. And now he and Mr Gove are 'leaning towards the exit' due to the weakness of Mr Cameron's plans, two 'well-placed sources' told ITV News last night. Mr Johnson has told reporters that he will make up his mind on which side of the referendum campaign to join when he finds out whether the sovereignty package is a 'bazooka or a popgun'. At the weekend he made a further hint he would join the Out campaign after saying there was 'no reason to be afraid' of leaving the EU. The London Mayor said he would 'come off the fence with deafening eclat' as soon as Mr Cameron secures a deal. The uncertainty over two of the biggest Tory figures deals a blow to Mr Cameron's hopes of securing a deal that will persuade the British public to stay in the EU. He will leave Downing Street around mid-morning and will hold a meeting with EU Council President Donald Tusk before EU leaders sit down to discuss the details of Britain's renegotiation. Britain's membership is due to be top of the agenda at the summit and EU leaders hope to agree a deal by tomorrow morning, which would allow the Prime Minister to head home to kick-start the referendum campaign tomorrow. He is expected to choose June 23 as the date of the referendum. Cancer patients at a private Sydney hospital have been prescribed significantly lower doses of their chemotherapy drug than recommended. Up to 70 patients at St Vincents Hospital in Darlinghurst, inner-Sydney, were prescribed a flat dosage half or even a third as much as they ought to have been by medical oncologist Dr John Grygiel. Those suffering head or neck cancer were all given the same incorrect dosage of carboplatin for three years beginning at 2012, ABC's 7.30 reported on Thursday night. Scroll down for video Up to 70 patients suffering neck and head cancer at St Vincent's Hospital (stock image) have been given the incorrect dose of their chemotherapy drug for three years from 2012 The patients were all given a flat dosage of 100mg of carboplatin by medical oncologist Dr John Grygiel (pictured), despite the recommended dose varying between 200 and 300mg depending on the patient St Vincent's Hospital has only this week begun informing surviving patients and their families this week, even though the hospital has known about the error since August last year. The hospital has so far only informed patients who've relapsed. The NSW Cancer Institute recommends a varying dosages depending on the patients kidney tests, age and sex. All Dr Grygiels head and neck cancer patients were prescribed 100 milligrams of the drug, though the dose is most commonly between 200 and 300mg. I think that he felt that the dose he prescribed was genuinely effective and caused less side effects for patients, Dr Richard Gallagher, director of cancer services at the hospital told 7.30. The hospital told ABC in a statement that the under-dosage does not appear to have had any type of significant negative impact on the patients outcome This may or may not have an impact on whether they survive or their long-term survival,' he said. However, hospital told 7.30 in a statement that the under-dosage does not appear to have had any type of significant negative impact on the patients outcome. Four patients have relapsed, but St Vincent and an independent investigator have agreed that rate was within normal expectations. A spokesperson for the hospital also told Sydney Morning Herald the insinuation that the underdosage has had adverse impact on patients was misleading. I'm not happy that this has gone on. I freely admit there's clearly a breakdown in clinical governance, he said. He said some of the patients were his own and that he was cranky and upset. St Vincents Hospital has declined to release the details of their internal investigation. Dr Grygiel has continued working at the hospital, though with a lesser role treating patients and with more supervision. Advertisement Hundreds of victims of brutal rapes and sexual assaults carried out during one of the most chaotic periods of Kenya's history have spoken of their horrifying ordeals. Among them are an elderly father who was ordered to join in when a group of young men gang-raped his daughters. When he refused, they stripped him of his clothes and took turns raping him as well. The man, only identified as Joseph N., 83, spoke of how a group of 50 youths attacked his home and raped him and his two daughters, both of whom later died as a result of the assaults. Abused: Fatma W. was 17 when she was gang raped at their home in Nairobi by three men who accused her family of hiding men from the enemy tribe during the 07-08 Kenya crisis. Her seven-year-old son is a result of the rape. Horrifying: Joseph N., 83, (top left) spoke of how a group of 50 youths attacked his home and raped his two daughters. When the elderly man refused, the men pulled out his teeth and cracked his skull before raping him too. His daughters both later died as a result of the assaults. Joseph is now taking care of some of his grandchildren, but he has chronic health problems since the attack 'They beat and raped both my daughters; so many of them. Then they told me to rape my children. I refused,' he told Human Rights Watch. 'They hit me with a metal bar and some teeth came off. They pulled out some of my other teeth one by one. They broke my chin. 'They said, "If you don't want to do what we are telling you, you will be our wife". Six boys took me aside and told me to undress. I refused. 'They did a very bad thing to me. They made me their wife; they made me a homosexual.' Joseph N. reveals one of his daughters contracted HIV as a result of the rape, and died in June 2014. His second daughter never recovered from the injuries she sustained in the attack, which included being shot with a poisoned arrow, and she died in May last year. In the dark: Cheptoo M., a blind woman, displays her walking cane. She was raped together with her younger sister by two General Service Unit officers at their home in a slum in Nairobi. Her husband became verbally abusive following the rape and eventually left her. Cheptoo is also living with HIV. She is raising her own child and four children of her sister who died in 2013, with no family support Shunned: Wangechi N., 60, was raped by men she did not know in December 2007, after which she and her family were evicted from their home in Eldoret. She is pictured here in her vegetable garden in an area where some families expelled from their homes during the post-election violence bought land and rebuilt homes Suffering: Wairimu V., 65, was raped by a group of men at a camp for internally displaced persons in the wake of the crisis. Her husband blames her for the rape, and beats and verbally abuses her including in the presence of their children. She would like to leave her abusive husband but is worried that she will not be able to support herself. She has such severe pain in her leg, lower abdomen, and back that she has to take pain killers daily; she also has vaginal bleeding and hypertension Rising again: Regina W., 23, was raped in December 2007 at the age of 15. She now works with Grace Agenda, a community-based organization that supports survivors of sexual violence Broken family: Nyasiongo F., 24, stands outside her house in a slum in Nairobi with her seven-year-old son born from rape. Kamene is also raising her young sister whose rape was so violent it left her with a brain injury she faints often and cannot use a toilet, feed herself, or go to school. Their family abandoned them when they learned of the rapes Abandoned: Mwende T., was just 16 when she was raped in January 2008 by a neighbor who said he would help her to escape from marauding youths. When she went to the police after a few days to report the rape, a police officer said she was lying about being raped. Mwende had to move when the man who raped her threatened to kill her when he learned she had gone to the police Joseph N now cares for some of his grandchildren, but has been suffering from chronic health issues since the January 2008 attack. Violence erupted across Kenya after incumbent President Mwai Kibaki won the presidential election held on December 27, 2007. The chaos lasted two months, and left at least 1,130 people dead and displaced up to 600,000 people in the country. President Kibaki's government accused supporters of his opponent Raila Odinga of 'ethnic cleansing,' to which Odinga himself responded by claiming the Kibaki government was guilty of genocide. Human Rights Watch estimates that at least 900 cases of sexual assaults, violence and rapes occurred in the months after the 2007 presidential election in Kenya. Most of the 163 female and nine male survivors of sexual assaults interviewed by HRW had been raped by more than one perpetrator. In many of the cases, the brutal sexual assaults involved more than four perpetrators and, in a few instances, more than ten. Sinapei P., 62, stands at her husbands grave at their home in Rift Valley region. When Sinapeis husband found out that she had been raped, he refused to sleep with her, beat her, chased her away from home, brought other women home, and verbally abused her. He died in 2014 and she is very worried that her brothers-in-law will take away her land and home and she will have nowhere to live Lucy G., 46, from Nairobi was married with a good job, but her world fell apart when she was gang raped in December 2007. Lucy had a stroke in 2012, which has limited her ability to use her hands properly, walk, and work. She lives alone in a one-roomed house in a slum in Nairobi, and has no family support. She is often hungry and has no money to seek proper treatment Fightr: Jaqueline Mutere, 48, walks on a rail line in Kibera, the largest slum in Kenya, which was one of the hotspots of the post-election violence. She was raped in December 2007 by a man she knows. She is now raising her daughter born from the rape although she says she struggled to accept her. Jaqueline started Grace Agenda, a community-based organization, to support survivors of sexual violence particularly women struggling to raise children born from rape Living in fear: Atieno O., 36, was raped in December 2007 during the post-election violence. She has never told her husband about the rape but says he is suspicious and still questions whether she was sexually assaulted during the violence. She is afraid that if he finds out the truth he will chase her away and she would not be able to support their three children on her own Several victims describe how the perpetrators used foreign objects during the rapes, inserting everything from guns to bottles in their vaginas. One survivor from Mombasa told of how she was raped using a gun, while another was so badly abused with sticks that her uterus had to be removed. Another woman, identified only as Mwanaidi H. was raped by officers of the General Service Unit (GSU), the para-military wing of the Kenyan Police Force, when she was seven months pregnant. She was subjected to such brutal rape and assault that her baby died inside her. Nyasiongo F., aged 24, was gang raped with her then 12-year-old sister, who was subjected to such a violent sexual assault she suffered a brain injury. 'The man was so violent with my sister because she was screaming. He hit her on the head with his fists and she fainted,' she told HRW. 'She was in a coma for six months. She is not okay mentally. She does not know how to use a toilet. She faints often. 'Sometimes she gets violent and breaks things in the house. I became pregnant following the rape and I live with her and my son. We have no relative to help us. It is very hard on me.' Maua E., 53, at her relocated home in Rift Valley. Maua went to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital for treatment two days after being gang raped but the health workers ridiculed her and delayed treatment They will not be reporting the incident to the police Campaigners StopHam hopes to prevent congestion in the city of Moscow His wife claimed the incident had been a planned stunt to humiliate him He was filmed attacking the protester four times in total was furious and hit the activist with his palm Olympic legend Alexei Nemov was caught on camera attacking activists in Russia during an angry street brawl over a parking spot. The four-time Olympic gymnastics champ was furious when his luxury Mercedes 4x4 was plastered with a 'no parking' sticker. The angry showdown - in the Russian capital Moscow - came as traffic activists StopHam targeted the athlete's car for double parking for the second day in a row. Attack: Alexei Nemov was furious when his luxury Mercedes 4x4 was plastered with a 'no parking' sticker and after tearing off the sticker he flew at one of the activists, lunging at his face The huge stickers - saying 'I Park Wherever I Want' - are part of a campaign to help cure the city's chronic car congestion. But after tearing off the sticker, a foul-mouthed Nemov flies at one of the activists, lunging at his face. However the man is bigger than Nemov and quickly wrestles him to the ground. A second man joins the fray to try and calm the situation but unsuccessfully. The trio argue angrily before the gymnast hits the first activist once again using the palm of his hand before the third man tries once again to separate them. Another blow is dealt before the video comes to an end. In total, Nemov - who won 12 Olympic medals in his career - was filmed attacking the activist four times before storming off; a number comically recorded in the video using medals popping up in the corner for each blow. Momentarily defeated: However the man is bigger than Nemov and quickly wrestles him to the ground Conflict: A second man joins the fray to try and calm the situation but unsuccesfully and the trio argue angrily The 39-year-old athlete's wife Galina Nemova later claimed the confrontation had been a planned stunt to humiliate her husband. He only snapped after being targeted by the group twice on consecutive days, she said. She told local media: 'We are currently thinking what we should do in this situation. It is a real provocation. 'They pretend to be very polite and at the same time, all they do and all they say is extremely provocative.' She further claims that the activists damaged their car and broke her husband's watch, seen dangling from his wrist in the video footage. But StopHam spokesman Dmitriy Chugunov explained: 'We don't want to inform the police about that matter as it is not worth it. 'However, if Nemov tries to press charges against us, we will have to strike back.' Violent: the gymnast hits the first activist once again using the palm of his hand before the third man tries once again to separate them. He attacks the man four times in the course of the video Others, overcome with emotion at seeing relatives, broke down in tears Today they were pictured kissing the ground after landing back in Iraq Many cited family issues and disappointment with the country's weather They have cancelled asylum applications and are being flown to Baghdad Iraqi refugees who left Finland voluntarily due to chilly weather conditions have been pictured kissing the ground in joyous scenes upon their return to Baghdad. Thousands of the migrants who left Finland arrived back in the Iraqi capital today and were pictured greeting loved ones and celebrating their return home. They had originally fled to Finland only to become disappointed with life in the frosty Scandinavian country. Two Iraqi migrants kneel down and kiss the ground after arriving back in the capital of Baghdad Hundreds of refugees given seats on a flight from Finland make their way through the airport Refugees who had claimed asylum in Finland but voluntarily returned to Iraq wait at the baggage claim A woman and her daughter break down in tears in relief at having arrived back in Baghdad today A woman and a boy make their way through the airport, where up to 5,000 migrants may eventually return An Iraqi refugee grins and he pulls his luggage through Baghdad Airport today Last year Finland saw its number of asylum seekers increase tenfold to 32,500 - up from 3,600 in 2014 Photographs taken of their arrival in Baghdad showed some crying with relief at being reunited with loved ones, while others kissed the floor of the airport after touching down. Europe is in the grip of its worst migrant crisis since the Second World War, with more than a million people arriving last year having fled wars and poverty in the Middle East and Africa. Although Germany and Sweden have taken in many of the migrants, Finland too saw its number of asylum seekers increase nearly tenfold in 2015 to 32,500 from 3,600 in 2014. Almost two thirds of these were young Iraqi men, but some changed their mind and returned after Finland chartered flights to Baghdad. Officials said about 4,100 asylum seekers had so far cancelled their applications and that number was likely to reach 5,000 in the coming months. A majority of the home-bound migrants have told immigration services they want to return to their families, but some expressed disappointment with life in Finland. Tobias van Treeck, programme officer at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said: 'Some say the conditions in Finland and the lengthy asylum process did not meet their expectations, or what they had been told by the people they paid for their travel.' Nearly 80 percent of the migrants returning home are Iraqis. Only 22 of 877 Syrians - whose country is engulfed in civil war - and 35 of the 5,214 Afghans who sought asylum in Finland last year have asked to return to their home country. Alsaedi Hussein, buying a flight back to Baghdad at a small travel agency in Helsinki, said last week: 'My baby boy is sick, I need to get back home. Somalia-born Muhiadin Hassan, who runs a travel agency, said he was selling 15 to 20 flights to Baghdad every day. 'It's been busy here for the past few months,' he said. Many of the refugees have cited family issues and disappointment with life in the frosty Nordic country for the reason they were heading home The freezing cold winter temperatures in Finland have been one of the reasons refugees have decided not to stay in Finland Most Iraqi returnees pay for their own flight home or seek help from Iraq's embassy in Helsinki Finland had been preparing to reject up to 20,000 asylum seekers from 2015, but the number of voluntary returnees could significantly reduce that figure. Paivi Nerg, an official for the Finnish interior ministry, said: 'The number of returnees is increasing steadily. 'All asylum seekers are informed about the options for voluntary return and about the available financial assistance. However, most Iraqi returnees pay for their own flight home or seek help from Iraq's embassy in Helsinki, she added. Last year the Finnish government and the IOM provided financial help to 631 returnees and a similar number is expected this year. The charter flights will carry up to 100 passengers back to Baghdad from Helsinki every week for as long as demand lasts, officials said. Along with other Nordic states, Finland has recently tightened its immigration policies, for example requiring working-age asylum seekers to do some unpaid work. Hostility to migrants has also increased in Finland, a country with little experience of mass immigration and which now has economic problems. Germany too, which took in 1.1 million people in 2015, has seen small numbers of Iraqi refugees choosing to go home. Somalia-born Muhiadin Hassan (left), who runs a travel agency, said he was selling 15 to 20 flights to Baghdad every day Finland had been preparing to reject up to 20,000 asylum seekers from 2015, but the number of voluntary returnees could significantly reduce that figure A 15-year-old schoolboy has been arrested by the FBI after hacking their computer system (file photo) A 15-year-old schoolboy has been arrested by police in Britain on suspicion of hacking into the FBI's top-secret computer system. Officers searched the teenagers home in Glasgow and arrested him on Tuesday, before he was interviewed in a local police station. He could now face extradition and imprisonment in the United States. Police confirmed today that the boy was arrested but later released. A Police Scotland spokesman said: 'Following a search of a property in the Glasgow area on Tuesday, February 16, a 15-year old male was arrested in connection with alleged offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. 'He has since been released and is the subject of a report to the procurator fiscal. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.' The schoolboy was questioned by Police Scotland as FBI agents flown in from the US watched on, according to the Daily Record. He was arrested over the Computer Misuse Act which covers hacking and unauthorised access to computer material. Just days ago, police in the East Midlands arrested the alleged teen mastermind of cyber attacks on US government officials. It is not known if the Glasgow teenager's case is linked to those events. The Glasgow operation comes just months after a British man was dubbed the most dangerous hacker of all time by activist group Anonymous. IT whizz Gary McKinnon, 49, broke into 97 Pentagon and NASA computers, stealing passwords, deleting files and shutting down networks on military bases. He faced trial in the US and up to 70 years in jail if convicted - but Home Secretary Theresa May blocked his extradition under human rights laws. Revellers dancing on table tops and drinking shots out of belly buttons after trading hours has cost a pub a hefty fine for breaching the liquor licensing laws. The South Aussie Hotel in South Australia's Mount Gambier were reportedly caught serving liquor and allowing partygoers to kick on after the venue's 2am closing time in March last year. Among the patrons, were staff members from the Consumer and Business Services Department, who secretly took photographs of the illegal act for evidence, The Advertiser reported. Revellers dancing on bar and drinking shots out of belly buttons after trading hours has cost a pub a hefty fine Pictures of wild scenes have emerged showing a woman apparently straddling a man who was lying on the bar and patrons taking 'belly shots' - slurping liquor straight from someone's navel. The images show a striking resemblance from the Hollywood hit movie Coyote Ugly, with raunchy behaviour, including a topless man dancing on the bar as revellers clapped and cheered on. Pub director Mark Lane and hotel owner Alcareka Pty Ltd have copped a $7000 fine after pleading guilty to six disciplinary charges in the Licensing Court this week. Under the Liquor Licensing Act, the hotel was in clear breach of liquor being served after trading hours, no security guard on duty and irresponsible service of alcohol. Photographs show a woman apparently straddling a man lying on the bar and patrons taking 'belly shots' The South Aussie Hotel in South Australia's Mount Gambier were reportedly caught serving liquor and allowing partygoers to kick on after the venue's 2am closing time in March last year Consumer and Business Services Minister John Rau told The Advertiser that Mr Lane, who was the barman on the night of the incident, did not supervise the hotel as a 'responsible person'. Consumer and Business Services Commissioner Dini Soulio said licensing laws exist to crackdown on the 'incidence of harm at licenced premises and promote the responsible service of alcohol.' 'The uncontrolled behaviour and serious nature of conduct displayed by Mr Lane had clearly put the safety of the public at risk,' he said. The 18-year-old man who was arrested this week for allegedly pretending to be a medical doctor stormed out of an interview with ABC News on Wednesday after a reporter asked if he was a fraud. Malachi Love-Robinson, of West Palm Beach, Florida faces several charges, including practicing medicine without a license, fraud and grand theft. He was released on $21,000 bail Wednesday morning and later sat down for a remote interview with ABC Los Angeles correspondent Matt Gutman. Showing up to the interview with his grandfather, the teen who went by the name of 'Dr. Love' admitted he never graduated from medical school but insists he did nothing wrong and that the allegations against him are 'merely accusations'. Scroll down for video Malachi Love-Robinson pulled out his ear-piece and stormed out of the interview with ABC News after being asked if he was in 'big trouble' Before he left, Love-Robinson (pictured during the interview) admitted he never graduated from medical school but insisted he did nothing wrong and that the allegations against him are 'merely accusations' When asked if he is any kind of doctor at all, Love-Robinson claimed he does hold a PhD but refused to say in what field 'because that is not the issue here'. 'The issue I face now is accusations,' he said. He added: 'There are many types of degrees out there that hold the title of doctor - whether they are physicists or engineers. Just because someone has the title of doctor in front of their name does not necessarily imply "MD".' During the clip, ABC showed footage that affiliate WBPF took last month in which Love-Robinson showed reporters around his new clinic. In the clip, a reporter can be seen peeling away tape covering an 'MD' typed after Love-Robinson's nameplate in the clinic - suggesting he did in fact lie about being a graduate of a medical school. When confronted with the footage, Love-Robinson said the sign on the door was 'due to be changed'. Love-Robinson sat down for a remote interview with ABC correspondent Matt Gutman (pictured) after he posted $21,000 bail on Wednesday Cover-up: When reporters with ABC affiliate WBPF showed up for a tour of Love-Robinson's clinic last month, they found a piece of tape covering up an 'MD' after his name - suggesting he did in fact lie about being a graduate of medical school Gutman then pushed Love-Robinson on whether he had any training whatsoever in the medical field. 'I have shadowed many doctors,' Love-Robinson responded, while refusing to go into specifics. 'I have been studying this particular field for a while. It may have not been eight years, nine years, ten years. But it has been long enough to, I would say, justify what I do,' he said. I have been studying this particular field for a while. It may have not been eight years, nine years, ten years. But it has been long enough to, I would say, justify what I do. Malachi Love-Robinson Among the many patients who have allegedly been conned by Love-Robinson is an 86-year-old woman who says she paid the teen more than $3,000 for treatment of severe stomach pains. Love-Robinson tried his best to dodge responsibility for stealing money from someone old enough to be his grandmother, saying 'I can tell you these accusations are merely accusations.' While he denied the $3,000 charge, Love-Robinson also said 'whether she paid for me to just show up - that's up to her'. Love-Robinson (pictured being detained) was arrested and charged with practicing medicine without a license At the end of the interview, things got tense between Love-Robinson as the reporter asked whether he was a fraud. 'I don't appreciate your tone,' Love-Robinson said. 'I don't appreciate the way you are portraying this interview to actually be.' Gutman responded: 'Are you in big trouble? I mean it seems like you've spoken to a lawyer whose prepared you to talk not only to the media but the police as well.' That's when Love-Robinson snapped, pulling out his ear piece and storming off the set. 'I don't know where you're receiving this information from but it's inaccurate,' he said. 'I'm sorry, I'm going to have to cut this interview short. I'm going to have to cut this interview short.' Malachi Love-Robinson (pictured left on his 'clinic's' website and right in his mug shot) masqueraded as a doctor at New Birth New Life Holistic and Alternative Medical Center & Urgent Care center Love-Robinson was arrested Tuesday after he performed an exam on an undercover agent and gave medical advice. The arrest comes just a year after he was caught posing as a gynecologist. Love-Robinson claimed to be 25 and the co-founder, president and CEO of New Birth New Life Holistic and Alternative Medical Center & Urgent Care center in West Palm Beach, where he masqueraded as 'Dr Malachi A Love-Robinson, PHD, HHP-C, AMP-C'. But police said his medical 'career' ended abruptly when the fake doctor was caught in the act. The Department of Health served a notice to cease and desist and issued Love-Robinson several citations, authorities said. Love-Robinson's grandfather, William Robinson, told the Sun Sentinel that his grandson never claimed to be a medical doctor, only a 'holistic doctor'. He said his grandson had never seen patients. But the latest incident is the third time in just over a year that Love-Robinson has allegedly been found to be pretending to be someone he is not. After his latest arrest, he told WBPF: 'All these are accusations and I will have my lawyer contact you.' In January 2015, he reportedly impersonated a gynecologist at St. Mary's Medical Center and looked in on exams. Dr. Sebastian Kent, an OB/GYN at the center, told the Sun Sentinel: 'I've been in practice for 36 years, this is the first time something like this has happened. It's very strange. Very, very strange. Love-Robinson was caught in a pregnant woman's exam room in St. Mary's Medical Center wearing a coat, a face mask and stethoscope with the clinic's logo, WPBF reported. But the station also reported that staff had seen the teenager roaming the halls for around a month before that incident. The center denied the then-17-year-old Love-Robinson had ever come in contact with patients and decided against pressing charges. Afterwards, Love-Robinson denied he had pretended to be a doctor, telling the station: 'I requested to shadow some physicians. The next things I know, the cops are there.' Love-Robinson's biography on the New Birth New Life website refers to him as a 'well rounded professional' and highlights his preference for alternative therapies Then he was investigated and cited by the Department of Health for practicing medicine without a license in October 2015 after allegedly posing as a massage therapist without a license at a rehab center in Boynton Beach. But in January this year, the Sheriff's Office, as well as the Palm Beach Narcotics Task Force (PBNTF) and its partners at the Florida Department of Health, began investigating Love-Robinson again after receiving an anonymous tip. Three weeks ago, the teenager had thrown a grand opening for his clinic, leading concerned family members to report him to authorities, according to WBPF. 'Our investigation revealed that Love-Robinson had opened a medical office at 4700 North Congress Avenue, suite 303, West Palm Beach, Florida and was presenting himself as a medical certified doctor,' a spokesman for the Sheriff's Department said. 'Members of PBNTF and Department of Health conducted an undercover operation at the medical office of Love-Robinson. During this undercover operation, Love-Robinson performed a physical exam on an undercover agent and offered medical advice.' Meanwhile, Love-Robinson's profile on New Birth New Life's website shows him with a white lab coat and stethoscope. It describes him as 'a well rounded professional that treats, and cares for patients, using a system of practice that bases treatment of physiological functions and abnormal conditions on natural laws governing the human body'. It goes on to say that he 'utilizes physiological, psychological, and mechanical methods'. These methods apparently include 'air, water, light, heat, earth'. On HealthGrades, a site that lets users rate doctors, Love-Robinson's profile includes a personal statement that reads 'I believe that if you restore your health the natural way and the right way you will be able to maintain that grade of health easier and more efficiently, why? because is natural [sic].' It also states his age as 25. The case has drawn comparisons with fictional TV doctor Doogie Howser - played by Neil Patrick Harris - who was a physician from the age of 15 in the hit 1990s comedy series. Tesco has announced that true to it's 'every little helps' motto it is to stop selling traditionally crescent-shaped croissants because customers 'can only spread jam on straight ones'. The move has been mocked by social media users - particularly as 'croissant' means 'crescent' in French. The supermarket giant made the announcement today, and claimed that it is removing the curved pastries from sale amid claims their 'tricky' curves have led to falling demand in sales. The supermarket giant announced today that it is removing the curved pastries (like this one, pictured) from sale as British people struggle to butter them and will instead only sell croissants with straight edges From tomorrow Tesco will no longer sell the crescent-shaped French pastry and the move will affect nearly one million of the supermarkets own label croissants a week which are currently made in a crescent shape. Tesco claims three quarters of customers prefer the patisserie classic to be straight. Harry Jones, from Tesco, said: 'At the heart of the move away from curved croissants is the 'spreadability' factor. 'The majority of shoppers find it easier to spread jam, or their preferred filling, on a straighter shape with a single sweeping motion. Tesco claims three quarters of customers prefer the patisserie classic to be straight (like these, pictured) 'With the crescent shaped croissants, it's more fiddly and most people can take up to three attempts to achieve perfect coverage, which increases the potential for accidents involving sticky fingers and tables.' On Twitter users mocked the move. Tom Kretchmar wrote: 'England I love you so much but you are better than this (actually England this is very you).' Laura Drake Chambers wrote: 'SERIOUSLY??? Kill me now.' Another wrote: 'So NOT croissants! Easier to spread with jam? Just how infantile are some Tesco shoppers?' A rather more cynical user tweeted: 'More likely Tesco's driving motive to scrap the curved croissant is bcs u can fit + straight on tray = cutting baking costs.' From tomorrow Tesco will no longer sell the crescent-shaped French pastry While the croissant is always thought of as a traditionally French pastry, its origins lie in Austria and a crescent shaped roll called a Kipferl the German word for crescent shaped - which was created to celebrate the defeat of the Turkish army at the siege of Vienna in 1683. The Viennese bakers came up with a brioche in the shape of a crescent, an emblem which was part of the Turkish flag. Then, around 1838 an Austrian artillery officer founded a Viennese bakery in Paris which sold, among other breads, the Kipferl. They became extremely popular and quickly inspired imitations across the whole country and other parts of Europe including Britiain so much so that they even gained a mention in a Charles Dickens written periodical called All The Year Around in 1872. This February 17 photo shows 64-year-old Marilyn Hartman, a so-called serial stowaway who was arrested again Wednesday at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport It looks like notorious serial stowaway Marilyn Hartman is at it again. The 64-year-old woman with a long and well-documented history of trying to sneak aboard airplanes has been arrested again at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Chicago police say Hartman was busted at around 2.30pm Wednesday at an airport bus shuttle center. Police say she's in custody and scheduled to appear later today in bond court. Hartman has tried numerous times in recent years to board planes without a ticket, succeeding at least once. She was arrested twice in two days last summer at O'Hare and Chicago's Midway International Airport. Police say she is a 'habitual trespasser and stowaway in violation of her court-ordered probation'. Hartman is charged with felony probation violation and misdemeanor criminal trespass. She was released on probation to a Chicago nursing home in December and ordered to avoid 'exclusion zones', including O'Hare and Midway international airports and Union Station. At the time of her release to Sacred Heart Home, a locked mental health facility, Hartman was fitted with a GPS system allowing law enforcement officials to keep tabs on her. On Wednesday afternoon, sources tell NBC Chicago that authorities were alerted to Hartman's presence at O'Hare, which was on the list of places from which she had been barred. Incorrigible: Hartman, pictured here in one of her April 2015 mugshots, has been arrested twice in 24 hours at Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway Airport in July Repeat offender: Hartman, seen here in a booking photo from last year, has made around 13 known failed attempts to board flights without a ticket Hartman, pictured left in court in 2014 and right in a mugshot, was arrested no fewer than three times in August 2014 During a court hearing two weeks ago, Cook County Judge William Raines agreed to have Hartman transferred from Sacred Heart Home to a less restrictive institution where she would be allowed to come and go as she pleased. The judge reminded Hartman at the time that she was to stay away from O'Hare and Midway airports, and that violating the conditions of her probation was punishable by up to a year in jail. 'Im not trying to be your dad,' the judge told the 64-year-old woman. 'Im doing everything in my power to keep you out of jail.' Speaking to reporters after her release from jail in early July, Hartman said she was done with stowing away. A day later, she was arrested at Midway Airport. Authorities said at the time Hartman actually had a ticket to board a Southwest Airlines flight out of Midway, but was arrested for causing a disturbance. A day after her release, she landed behind bars again, this time for trespassing at O'Hare. The back-to-back arrests came after she had spent two months in jail for loitering by a security checkpoint at Midway. Hartman has made around 13 known failed attempts to board flights without a ticket. She has been successful at least three times, including for a flight from Minnesota to Jackson, Florida and a trip from San Jose, California to Los Angeles. Hartman was arrested on August 4, 2014, at LAX after she tried at least three times to get on a plane at Mineta San Jose International Airport. She was finally able to get past an airport security officer who was busy checking a family's documents, law enforcement officials said. Hartman was arrested no fewer than three times that month, and was taken into custody at Sky International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona less than two weeks after she was released from jail. She had been sentenced to 117 days in jail for violating her probation after she was spotted at LAX just days after she had been banned from the premises. Hartman had spent two months behind bars after she was arrested five different times for trying to get past airport security in March and April of 2015 Hartman has been successful at least three times, including for a flight from Minnesota to Jackson, Florida and a trip from San Jose, California to Los Angeles But she was released just three days later from the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, California due to overcrowding. After her August arrest in Phoenix, the 64-year-old wondered aloud at a press conference, 'Why has the government allowed me to get past security points?' Before her arrests in the summer of 2014, Hartman walked free after sneaking on to a flight from Minnesota to Florida and posing as a guest checking in for a Biggest Loser weight-loss program. The court deemed Hartman, who has often said she is homeless and feels more comfortable in airports than streets, mentally unstable. Hartman has blamed her penchant for sneaking on to planes on an unrecognized medical condition she calls 'whistleblower trauma syndrome'. The Conservative Party today faces an investigation into its election spending in the battle to defeat Nigel Farage in South Thanet. The Electoral Commission confirmed it would look into Tory spending following an investigation by Channel 4 News. The Conservatives declared hotel bills costing thousands of pounds as 'national spending' meaning they were not counted against the spending limits of their winning candidate Craig Mackinlay. The Electoral Commission announced today it will look into whether the 14,000 bill should have counted within strict 'candidate spending' - sending Mr Mackinlay far over tight limits. Scroll down for video The Conservative Party is today facing an investigation into campaign spending in South Thanet where Craig Mackinlay, right at the declaration last May, beat Nigel Farage, left, and Al Murray, centre Kent Police, which is responsible for investigation breaches of the law relating to candidate spending, has announced it will not pursue a probe into the claims. The Electoral Commission said today: 'The Commission reminded Kent Police that the ability to investigate these allegations will end one year on from the May 2015 UK Parliamentary General Election. 'Unless the police apply to the Courts for an extension, which they are entitled to do under the Representation of the People Act (RPA), they will have missed the opportunity to investigate any allegations. 'Anyone found guilty of an offence under the RPA 1983 relating to candidate spending or the making of a false declaration in relation to candidate spending, could face imprisonment of up to one year, and or an unlimited fine.' Turning to its own investigation, the Commission added: 'The investigation opened by the Commission today focuses on whether the Conservative Party met their reporting obligations under the Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act (PPERA) 2000.' It will examine 'whether the spending reported by the party in its 2015 UK Parliamentary General Election (UKPGE) campaign spending return, in relation to the Royal Harbour Hotel Ramsgate, was not national campaign spending and therefore should not have been included in the partys return. The Commission will also study 'whether spending on the Premier Inn Margate was national campaign spending and therefore should have been included in the partys 2015 UKPGE campaign spending return'. The Conservative Party today insisted it had declared all of its spending properly A spokeswoman said: 'All spending has been correctly recorded in accordance with the law.' Channel 4 claimed the Tories included a bill for 14,000 at the Royal Harbour Hotel in Ramsgate in their national expenses submission. It means that the bill, submitted to the Electoral Commission, is not deducted from local campaign spending limits for the party fighting such a key constituency. These are the latest in a series of allegations that the party breached guidelines for campaign spending, after it emerged that thousands more in receipts were not declared in by-elections. Hundreds of receipts allegedly show the party failed to declare thousands of pounds in hotel bills, which suggests the party broke the 100,000 spending limit for each of three crucial by-elections. Ukip leader Mr Farage told Channel 4 after the broadcaster revealed its claims that he would not make a formal police complaint for fear of looking like a 'whinger'. But he said: 'I have no doubt that what happened in that Thanet constituency was in complete breach with electoral law.' Nigel Farage. pictured with Mark Reckless during the Rochester and Strood by-election in 2014, expressed fears that the Conservatives had breached the spending limits at the time The Rochester by-election in 2014 was won by Ukip's Mark Reckless, pictured with Nigel Farage, despite the Tories outspending Ukip by thousands He added: 'Ive got a referendum to fight. I dont look backward, I look forward.' The Channel 4 News investigation also made allegations about Conservative hotel bills at a string of byelections in the last Parliament. Spending in those polls is governed by different rules to those applying to general elections and local police forces in Clacton, Rochester and Newark have not yet ruled out investigations. The Tories failed to beat Ukip in two of the by-elections - in Clacton they were overwhelmingly beaten by Douglas Carswell after he defected from the Conservatives, while they narrowly lost out to fellow Tory defector Mark Reckless. They managed to beat Ukip in Newark, but at the time Mr Farage accused the Conservatives of breaching the spending limit. The receipts claim to have uncovered 57,000 of undisclosed hotel bills in Rochester, which would have taken the party more than 50,000 over the spending limit. In Clacton, the party was accused of more than 10,000 in overspend, while in Newark it was alleged of breaching the limit by more than 6,000 in hotel bills. Patrick O'Flynn, who was Ukip's director of communications at the time of the by-elections, said the evidence uncovered was 'truly shocking'. Conservative MP Charles Walker said following the revelations he would raise the allegations at the next Conservative party board meeting. The family of Lee Rigby who was murdered by Islamic extremists has accused Apple of ignoring their 'moral duty' to help victims get justice after refusing to unlock a terrorist's iPhone The family of Lee Rigby who was murdered by Islamic extremists has accused Apple of ignoring their 'moral duty' to help victims get justice after refusing to unlock a terrorist's iPhone. Apple prompted a debate over privacy after refusing to unlock a phone belonging to Syed Rizwan Farook who, alongside his wife Tashfeen Malik, shot 14 people in California after apparently pledging allegiance to ISIS. The company had been ordered in a court ruling to help the FBI circumvent security software on a phone used by Farook, which police say contains crucial information. But today Ray McClure, the uncle of the murdered soldier, said what Apple was 'denying victims of attacks a course to justice'. He accused Apple of protecting terrorists, drug dealers and paedophiles, adding: 'Life comes before privacy.' He told the BBC: 'I would hate to see on the streets of London another murder like happened to Lee Rigby, I'd hate to see another attack like happened in Paris. 'How many victims of crime are not getting justice because of Apple's stance?' He added: 'If Mr Cook (Apple CEO) has no sympathy for terrorists, why is he stopping the FBI accessing those phone records? 'There is a moral issue here about justice for the victims. If they don't do something, the victims of terrorism go without justice.' Apple has already said it would oppose the court order - which involved a phone owned by Farook's employer San Bernardino County - because it 'set a dangerous precedent'. CEO Tim Cook said the U.S. government order would undermine encryption by using specialised software to create an essential 'backdoor' that he compared to a 'master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks.' He argued this would be exploitable by hackers with malicious intentions. But Mr McClure added that he did not believe that Apple was unable to currently do this and was instead 'protecting a murderer's privacy at the cost of public safety'. A number of tech leaders and privacy advocates have backed Apple following the court ruling. Apple prompted a debate over privacy after refusing to unlock a phone belonging to Syed Rizwan Farook, who shot 14 people in California after apparently pledging allegiance to ISIS. Pictured: CEO Tim Cook in 2014 A judge ruled Apple had to unlock the phone for the FBI, which was owned by Farook's employer, who agreed to the search. Pictured: Tashfeen Malik, left, and Syed Farook, as they passed through O'Hare Airport They include Google's chief executive Sundar Pichai today said that requiring companies to enable the hacking of their customer devices 'could be a troubling precedent'. WhatsApp founder said he admired Apple's move, adding: 'Today our freedom and our liberty is at stake.' Lee Rigby, 25, was murdered in May 2013 by jihadists Michael Adebolajo and his accomplice Michel Adebowale near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, South-East London. I'm way behind on my magazines but this cover of Food & Wine has been haunting me since it arrived. Chocolate babka is one of my favorite things. It has always remained firmly in the category of items that I buy rather than make, but now I'm wondering why that is, because, let's be honest, there's a lot of bad babka i the world. As a kid we would buy ours at the local supermarket. The one that sold it was not our usual market so I only got babka if my aunt happened to make a special stop in that neighborhood and remembered to pick up some babka. It was always chocolate. The fact that we had to slice it ourselves made it special right out of the wrapper. I loved the play of textures, the crispy crust that sort of crumbled off of the loaf. If it was fresh, the interior would be moist and almost creamy in texture with ribbons of chocolate swirling through the pastry. Even as a kid, I knew this wasn't bread, it was a loaf of pastry, something special and ethereal, permeated with the scent of sugar and almonds. If it was towards the end of it's shelf life the babka would be dry almost all the way through, dehydrating in it's perforated plastic packaging but then I simply toasted it and slathered it with sweet butter. Still wonderful but in an entirely different way. Many years later we were at the beach house in Rhode Island and Barbara brought up some chocolate babka from the Riviera Bakehouse in Ardsley, NY. As she unwrapped it my memories came rushing back. And yet, it was different, more tender and more flavorful than I remembered. It had a richer chocolate flavor and more than a hint of almond swirling through the filling. It was better than I remembered and eating it made me happy. It brought me back to my childhood and it was delicious. Every so often, when we're visiting Alex's parent's, I make a trip to Ardsley for babka. Maybe next time I feel nostalgic I'll pull out my flour yeast and see if I can recreate a memory. Years Past February 17, 2015 February 17, 2014 February 17, 2013 February 17, 2012 February 17, 2011 February 17, 2010 February 17, 2009 February 17, 2008 February 17, 2007 February 17, 2007 (2) February 17, 2006 February 17, 2005 Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table Just one day after Sen. Ted Cruz christened himself the 'new national front runner,' two new polls show that it's Donald Trump who remains the commanding leader of the Republican field. A new USA Today/Suffolk University poll, released last night, shows Trump 15 points ahead of Cruz, who is in second place, and beating both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders by a hair in general election match-ups. This morning, CBS News released new numbers, which showed Trump besting second place-finisher Cruz by 17 points, making yesterday's number released by NBC and the Wall Street Journal, which showed Cruz up by 2 points, look like a blip on the radar and not a change in momentum toward the Texas senator. Scroll down for video That was quick: While one poll yesterday had Ted Cruz ahead, two new polls show the Trumpentum alive and well with The Donald receiving 35 percent of Republican support in each survey The new CBS numbers show Donald Trump comfortably in front and also show John Kasich coming close to Marco Rubio's third place spot Ted Cruz proclaimed yesterday that he was the 'new national front runner' after an NBC/Wall Street Journal survey had him besting Donald Trump by two points A USA Today/Suffolk University poll, which dropped around dinner time last night, again has Trump ahead, but in this Survey John Kasich falls 10 points behind third place finisher Marco Rubio In both polls, Trump hold's the support of 35 percent of the Republican electorate. In the USA Today poll, Cruz has 20 percent support, while in the CBS News poll the Texas senator receives 18 percent. Marco Rubio is in third place in both of the new national polls, but CBS has New Hampshire's second place finisher John Kasich nipping at the Florida senator's heeled boots with Rubio receiving 12 percent to Kasich's 11 percent. USA Today has Rubio at 17 percent, 10 points ahead of Kasich, who has 7 percent. Ben Carson and Jeb Bush each take a turn in the bottom slot in these polls. Carson's campaign looked strong through November and then the wheels started falling off, with a staff shake-up and overspending on fundraising plaguing the first time politician's bid. Bush felt that his fourth place finish in New Hampshire was enough to stay in the race. To compete in South Carolina he's trotted out his brother, former President George W. Bush, and his mother, former first lady Barbara Bush, is headed to the state today. But yesterday the campaign suffered a blow when the popular GOP governor of the state, Nikki Haley, decided to endorse Bush's establishment lane rival Rubio, picking one Floridian over another. Looking toward the general election, USA Today's polling shows Trump a wee bit ahead within the poll's margin of error when matched up against Hillary Clinton and her rival Bernie Sanders. Trump bests Clinton by 2 points, 45 percent to 43 percent, while he beats Sanders by just one point, 44 percent to 43 percent. Clinton looks generally weaker against the GOP hopefuls since the USA Today survey was last taken in December. She also loses to Cruz by 1 point (44 percent to 45 percent), Rubio by 6 points (42 percent to 48 percent) and Kasich by 11 points (38 percent to 49 percent.) Sanders does slightly better, though only beats Cruz when matched against the top Republican hopefuls. Hollyoaks stars will encourage people to register to vote for May's elections across the UK, it was announced today. Jennifer Metcalfe, who plays Mercedes McQueen in the Chester-based soap, and Amanda Clapham, who plays Holly Cunningham, are among four actors who will appear in adverts on Channel 4 targeting youngsters this spring. They have joined up with elections watchdog, the Electoral Commission, to make sure 18 to 24-year-olds sign up to vote before the deadline on April 18 ahead of elections for London Mayor, the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh and Northern Irish assemblies and local elections across England on May 5. From left to right: Amanda Clapham, Jennifer Metcalfe, Duayne Boachie and Jazmine Franks will appear in the TV ad campaign to make people aware of the April 18 deadline for registering to vote for the May elections Jennifer Mecalfe (left), who plays Mercedes McQueen in the Chester-based soap Amanda Clapham (right), who plays Holly Cunningham, will encourage 18-24-year-olds to vote in May's elections The other two Hollyoaks actors taking part in the campaign are Duayne Boachie, who plays Zack, and Jazmine Franks, who is Esther Bloom in the soap. The adverts will target 18 to 24-year-olds - the age group least likely to be registered on the electoral roll. It comes after Government reforms forcing people to sign up individually - instead of relying on university halls of residencies or other automatic enrollments - led to fears that up to 800,000 people have fallen off the electoral register since last year's General Election. One in four 18 and 19-year-olds are not registered to vote and one in three 20 to 24-year-olds are unregistered - compared to just one in 20 over the age of 65. The ads will also aim to encourage the 35 per cent of private renters who are not registered. This compares to just 6 per cent of people who own their home outright and 11 per cent of homeowners with a mortgage. Jazmine Franks, pictured playing Esther Bloom in Hollyaoks alongside Anna Shaffer as Ruby, will also appear in Channel 4 adverts that will try to persuade young TV viewers to register before the April 18 deadline Hollyoaks was enlisted by the European Commission because it has a 'special connection' with younger TV viewers, Channel 4 commissioning editor Lee Mason said. 'I'm thrilled that Hollyoaks, in particular, can play an important role in educating young people of the importance of registering to vote and encourage them to engage with one of their most fundamental rights - the right to vote,' he said. The campaigns will run during ad-breaks on Channel 4 and E4. Ms Clapham said she was 'really excited' to be part of the advertising campaign. 'It's important for young people to vote but, in order to do so, it's also important to remember to register by 18 April, as this is something that can easily be missed. Jennifer Mtcalfe, pictured as Mercedes McQueen kissing Carl Costello in Hollyoaks, has been starring in the Chester soap opera for eight years. She will be targeting youngsters to sign up to vote in a new ad campaign 'Young people are the future and that's why they should make their vote count.' Alex Robertson, director of communications at the Electoral Commission said: 'We're really excited to be working alongside the production team and cast members of Hollyoaks. 'It's a fantastic opportunity to spread the message to younger people in particular, who our research has shown are less likely to be registered. If you're not registered you won't be able to take part in the elections in May, but registering is really easy to do online.' Research by Labour earlier this year found an estimated 800,000 people have dropped off the electoral register since the new system of individual sign-ups was introduced by the Government in 2015. The party said it feared students in particular were a 'casualty' of the move away from household registration after an analysis suggested some university cities had seen electoral roll reductions of up to 13 per cent. Amanda Clapham, pictured with fellow Hollyoaks actor Duayne Boachie, said she was 'really excited' to be participating in the campaign. 'Young people are the future and that's why they should make their vote count' The Government previously defended the decision to finalise the individual electoral registration (IER) change in time for polls in May this year, saying it would remove 'phantom voters' and reduce electoral fraud. But Labour's shadow minister for young people and voter registration Gloria De Piero said: 'About 800,000 people are missing from the electoral register. Research by Labour's Gloria de Piero, pictured, found an estimated 800,000 people have fallen off the electoral register since last year's election 'The Government ignored independent warnings not to rush through IER, and now it appears that students are a casualty of their hasty changes. 'The Government can act by issuing guidance to universities to support them with voter registration - we hope they listen.' Ms De Piero has written to constitutional reform minister John Penrose calling for universities to be issued guidance to offer voter registration to students when they enroll. She said areas including York, Cambridge and Dundee West were among the worst affected by the switch to IER and also cited Sheffield University's opt-in initiative as a model for other institutions. Some 67 per cent of Sheffield students were registered, the MP said, and uptake at universities in Cardiff and Leicester also had a 'big impact'. In the letter, she said: 'As you will know, IER prevents universities from block registering all their students in halls of residence, but measures should be taken to ensure that it is as easy as possible for individual students to register. 'I write to you today to call for official guidance to be issued to every vice chancellor in the country about how they can adopt the Sheffield model in their universities for next year's enrolment. 'This would be an important step forward in rectifying the big drop in student registration and representation resulting from the Government's rushed changes to voter registration.' Before the move to IER was completed earlier than planned last year, the Electoral Commission warned that the truncated transition process could leave some of the 1.9 million people still listed under the previous regime without a voice. A woman has pleaded guilty to stealing her former friend's identity to obtain a fake driver's licence and take out a $12,000 loan to buy a new car. Aldina Ederlina Fanning, 31, appeared in Adelaide District Court on Thursday for a sentencing submission and could face up to 10 years prison for conning ex-flatmate Vanessa Curnow. Not only did Fanning swindle Ms Curnow, but the real estate agent attempted to hide her deception by changing her housemate's mailing address, telephone plan and email address, according to the Adelaide Advertiser. Aldina Ederlina Fanning (pictured) has pleaded guilty to stealing her former friend's identity to obtain a fake driver's licence and take out a $12,000 loan to buy a new car The 31-year-old's lawyer, Andrew Ey, pleaded with the court in asking they do not sentence Fanning to jail time, saying she desperately wants to do the right thing from this point forward. Mr Ey also said Fanning has repaid the $12,000 loan, using her wages as a real estate agent and money from her beauty salon Le Lash Beautique.. 'This has been an extremely stressful time for her, she knows imprisonment is inevitable, but she is in an extremely good place now,' he said, the Adelaide Advertiser reports. 'Though quite impulsive, she is a young woman that's intelligent and does have a bright future and a lot of potential.' Fanning, 31, (pictured) appeared in Adelaide District Court on Thursday for a sentencing submission and could face up to 10 years prison for conning ex-flatmate Vanessa Curnow Not only did Fanning (pictured) swindle Ms Curnow, but the real estate agent attempted to hide her deception by changing her housemate's mailing address, telephone plan and email address Fanning, 31, appeared in the Adelaide District Court (pictured) on Thursday for a sentencing session Fanning used her housemate's identity to take out the loan in February 2015, and was only exposed when Ms Curnow received a customer service phonecall from Optus regarding changes made to her account. Ms Curnow's statement was read to the court on Thursday, according to the newspaper, where she said it is 'nearly impossible' to explain how she felt after the incident. 'I have been deceived, manipulated and taken advantage of by someone who I looked up to as a sister ... there are so many toxic emotions and negative feelings,' the statement said. Chief Judge Geoffrey Muecke remanded Fanning on bail ahead of sentencing in April. Fanning (pictured) used her housemate's identity to take out the loan in February 2015, and was only exposed when Ms Curnow received a customer service phonecall from Optus regarding changes made to her accoun Jailed: Care worker Aleem Dass, pictured, was convicted of sexually assaulting a cancer patient A care worker who sexually assaulted a 'defenceless' cancer patient while giving her a bath has been jailed for two and a half years. Sick Aleem Dass, 46, took advantage of the woman as she lay helplessly on a bed in a Nottinghamshire nursing home. He denied sexual assault but was convicted by a jury after a trial at Nottingham Crown Court. Sentencing him, Judge Stuart Rafferty said: 'On clear evidence the jury has convicted you of sexually assaulting an utterly defenceless woman. 'I have no doubt that you thought that she suffered from dementia and because of that you were prepared to take the risk that you took; you being able to sexually assault her in a nursing home when people were close by. 'It would be nice to think that offences like that never happen but, sadly, they do, and people who do commit them can only receive one punishment. 'Why? Because people are entitled to be protected. She could not move, she closed her eyes, which you probably took as a fortunate development. 'You touched her in a wholly inappropriate way. But what you did in itself was bad enough. It wasn't just bad, it was unforgivable. 'She was a patient. She was in your care. People were paying you money to care for people like her. 'She was vulnerable, she was afraid and wholly defenceless for those moments.' The court heard how Dass assaulted the victim, who is in her 40s, when he went in to her room to clean her after she pushed a buzzer for help. He asked if she wanted a bed bath and then removed her T-shirt leaving her lying half-naked on the bed. The twisted carer then began washing her with a flannel and moved to her genitals where he sexually assaulted her. The victim, who has advanced cancer, told police she then opened her eyes and thought Dass was trying to kiss her. Dass was caught when the woman told one of his colleagues, he was then reported to the care home manager who called police. The court heard how the agency worker had turned up for work on the day of the assault acting 'strangely'. Nottingham Crown Court, pictured, heard how Dass cleaned the woman with a flannel before sexually assaulting her on a bed in the care home Prosecutor Jonathan Dee said he 'inappropriately' asked a co-worker out for a drink before he sexually assaulted the cancer patient. He added: 'To those who don't know her (the victim), she gives the appearance of having dementia.' Mr Dee said the victim was completely naked from the waist down when the incident took place. He added: 'Two things were wrong about this. 'A. It was very quick. B. He should not have been doing it in the first place.' The victim, who cannot be identified, told police what happened when Dass, who she didn't know, was alone with her in the room. Dass gave a variety of accounts afterwards and claimed he 'only touched her face' as well as saying a colleague was in the room at all times. Matthew Smith, defending, said Dass had worked in the care industry for some time without complaint and had never been in trouble before. He added: 'On the complainant's own account, this was a short-lived, isolated incident, lasting about a minute.' The grieving parents of a young man who was left to die after he was dragged behind a taxi have spoken out about their anguish over the lenient sentence given to the cab driver. Amarjot Singh Randhawa was sentenced to an 18-month intensive corrections order in Sydney District Court on Thursday after being found guilty in October of dangerous driving occasioning the death of 23-year-old Andrew Francis Heffernan. The court heard Mr Heffernan was on his way home after drinking with friends when he approached Randhawa for a lift a taxi rank in Castle Hill, north-west of Sydney on the night of May 26, 2012. Amarjot Singh Randhawa (left) has avoided jail time over the death of Andrew Francis Heffernan, 23, (right) Mr Heffernan's parents - Kym and Lisa Heffernan - have spoken out about their anguish over the verdict After a 90-second dispute, Randhawa, 42, drove away from the rank with Mr Heffernan, who was believed to be intoxicated, clinging to his vehicle as he was dragged along the road. The young man, the eldest of four brothers, fell and died as a result of his injuries. Judge Gregory Farmer permitted Randhawa to serve out his term under an intensive corrections order in the community with supervision and 32 hours of community service. Following the verdict, Mr Heffernan's father, Kym Heffernan said outside court: 'The lenient sentences in this state are an absolute disgrace. 'How can 32 hours a month of community service be equivalent to someone's life? 'What this judge today has done is send the message it's okay for professional taxi drivers to take off and not take care of their passengers.' His wife Lisa said: 'We dont have a judicial system we have a legal system. It is not right. It is not justice.' Randhawa was sentenced to an 18-month intensive corrections order and 32 hours community service The court heard Mr Heffernan was on his way home after drinking with friends when he killed in a hit and run On the night in question, Mr Heffernan stood at the passenger window of the taxi for about 90 seconds and appeared to be speaking to Randhawa, the court heard, before Randhawa drove off. Mr Heffernan, who was tapping the window of the vehicle, fell down as the taxi moved forward. '(The victim) somehow managed to hold on to the taxi,' Judge Farmer said. 'He collided heavily, and fatally, with the road. 'The act of continuing to drive the vehicle away from the kerb while Mr Heffernan was on the car was not an appropriate course of action.' Randhawa (pictured) who was waiting at a taxi rank, had refused to give Mr Heffernan a lift, the court heard CCTV image shows Mr Heffernan at the passenger window of the taxi in the final minutes before he was killed In coming to his sentence, the judge said Randhawa, a father of two who migrated to Australia from India in 2008, was clearly remorseful despite his plea of not guilty. He also had a clean criminal record and had recorded only one driving offence during his time living in Australia. Randhawa's decision to drive off while Mr Heffernan was hanging on to the car was a case of 'momentary misjudgment'. Rolex watches gifted to former Prime Minister Tony Abbott and two other senior Liberal MPs by a Chinese billionaire could have been bugged, a former defence minister has claimed. Labor frontbencher Joel Fitzgibbon said it is 'absolutely possible' the $250,000 worth of Rolex watches were a security risk, reported The Age. Li Ruipeng gifted the watches to Mr Abbott and former ministers Ian Macfarlane and Stuart Robert at an informal dinner at Parliament House in June 2013 as a goodwill gesture - which they kept and did not declare under proper parliamentary rules because they said they assumed they were fakes. Rolex watches gifted to former Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his wife Margie could have been bugged The Rolexes were gifted to Tony Abbott and two other senior Liberal MPs from a Chinese billionaire 'When I was Defence Minister, if I was given so much as a USB drive, I'd hand it over to DSD,' said Mr Fitzgibbon. 'Anyone in a senior position should do the same in the interests of national security,' he said. China targeting Australian MPs is an issue continuously discussed among intelligence officers and any gifts should always be checked, he said. 'Instant noodle' billionaire Mr Ruipeng is the chair of the Li Guancheng Investment Management Group and met with MPs to discuss investment opportunities in Australia, reported The Guardian. The Rolexes were given to Abbott, Ian Macfarlane and Stuart Robert at an informal dinner at Parliament House in June 2013 as a goodwill gesture 'Instant noodle' billionaire Mr Ruipeng is the chair of the Li Guancheng Investment Management Group and met with MPs to discuss investment opportunities in Australia According to The Guardian he also gifted watches to Mr Abbott's wife, Margie, and Mr Robert's wife, Chantelle, who were not present at the dinner. Former minister for industry and science Ian Macfarlane said he wore the Rolex 'occasionally', but believed it to be a fake and declared the gift to the clerk of the House of Representative to be worth between $300 and $500. Mr Macfarlane had the watch valued in Sydney after the September federal election, he was told it was was worth about $40,000. The clerk of the House of Representatives told him because the watch was on his register, he would be allowed to keep it. But he decided to return the watch to the company in China, and informed Abbott and Robert theirs were the real deal. Both Robert's and Abbott's offices said they had returned theirs as well. Ian Macfarlane said he wore the Rolex 'occasionally', but believed it to be a fake and declared the gift to the clerk of the House of Representative to be worth between $300 and $500 'There was no way in hell I'd keep a watch worth that,' Macfarlane said. A spokesman for Abbott told Guardian Australia that the two watches given to him were declared as well, though Abbott had also taken them to be fake because of the way it was given. 'My understanding is that they were handed over in a plastic bag, as has been reported, and I think everybody was of the same view,' said the spokesman. Liberal MP's dealings in China have come under scrutiny recently as Turnbull's department investigates whether Robert, minister for veterans' affairs, breached ministerial standards when he flew to China in 2014 to help a friend and Liberal Party donor secure a mining deal. Hillary Clinton has been pictured in glasses on the campaign trail in Las Vegas in what is believed to be the first time she has ditched contact lenses while running for the White House. The Democratic favorite, who has seen her poll lead go from commanding to concerning in recent weeks, met hotel workers at Caesars Palace well after midnight after a day spent largely in Chicago. She had flown from the mid-west to Nevada in the evening, suggesting she had put on the glasses for the flight. Until now she has been photographed wearing contact lenses, but was frequently seen in glasses as secretary of state. Spectacle: Hillary Clinton wore glasses on the campaign trail while calling for support at a surprise stop in the basement laundry room of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. It is thought to be the first time she has worn them on the trail Late night with Hillary: Clinton, under pressure in Nevada, met laundry workers at Caesars Palace at 12.35 in the morning At one point the glasses she wore then were special 'Fresnel prism' lenses designed to treat double vision in the aftermath of a brain injury - in her case a concussion sustained due to a fall. In Las Vegas Clinton was wearing normal glasses for her short sight. The unusually late campaign stop was only announced a few hours beforehand, and comes amid mounting concern that her support in Nevada has fallen to the point at which she could tie or even lose to Bernie Sanders, her avowedly socialist rival. Clinton arrived at 12.35am Pacific time in the basement of Caesars Palace, to greet workers and urge their support. 'Hi everybody. How are you?' said Clinton as she walked into the basement room. A table was set up in the middle of the room where several women were folding clean towels and sheets. She addressed three or four workers, and several managers. 'So glad to see you! I came to help. I came to help,' Clinton said to the women working. 'I know you're doing a hard job.' 'My goodness,' Clinton said. 'Well, we're staying here and I thought I'd come see who's working. Good to meet you. Thank you all. How is it going?' Clinton inquired about the women's hours, and was told they work a 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. shift. 'So, is it towels and linens every day?' Clinton asked the women. They laughed. 'I flew in from Chicago, so before I went to my room I said, 'Well, who is still working?' Clinton said. 'Well, there are a lot of people still working. A lot of people,' Clinton added. Previous issue: In January 2013 the then-secretary of state wore Fresnel prism lenses, which are designed to counter double vision after head injuries. She had suffered concussion from a fall Glasses wearer: Clinton was pictured wearing spectacles while at Wellesley College. As First Lady she largely wore contact lenses Interrupted her speech: Hillary Clinton had a coughing fit while giving a speech on Tuesday in New York Odds are, the card cutting process will be employed again in Nevada, where a new CNN poll has Clinton and Sanders in a dead heat ahead of Saturday's caucuses there 'So I wanted to come and ask you to please come caucus for me Saturday morning,' Clinton said. One woman asked: 'Where?' 'Here. Right here,' Clinton replied. 'I appreciate all the work you do. Whenever I come in I appreciate it,' Clinton said. 'I hope you'll come out and caucus for me. 11 a.m. Saturday. I'll work hard for you as your president.' Reaching unionized workers is now a key aim for Clinton, whose husband and daughter are also to campaign for her in Nevada. Clinton and Sanders go into this weekend's Nevada contest tied, potentially setting up a repeat of the Iowa caucuses when coin tosses were used to decide the winner in a reported half dozen situations. Except in Nevada, home to the gambling capitol of the country, Las Vegas, a deck of cards will be used to decide the winner at caucus locations when neither of the candidates claims outright victory. The only poll so far published in Nevada, a CNN survey early this week suggested a dead heat. Clinton leads Sanders among women in the poll by 16 points. Data on men was unavailable. Among white Democrats the candidates were roughly tied. Clinton has the edge by two points. Sanders was likewise winning the under 55 vote by double digits. His support in that demographic was 18 points higher than Clinton's. This week has however seen two questions raised over Clinton's health on the campaign trail. In New York she had to interrupt a speech about race relations because of a coughing fit, drinking water and taking a cough lozenge to carry on speaking. And in the course of a lengthy Vogue magazine profile she told how she would wash her hands after meeting the public as 'the first line of defense' for her health. This is the moment a Russian Blackjack bomber, capable of carrying 16 nuclear missiles, was intercepted by RAF Typhoons as it headed for UK airspace. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed two Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack aircraft were spotted heading towards Britain with Typhoons sent out in response. The Russian jets were in the UK's area of interest, forcing the RAF to launch its aircraft, but did not enter UK airspace. Scroll down for video This is the moment a Russian Blackjack bomber, capable of carrying 16 nuclear missiles, was intercepted by RAF Typhoons as it headed for UK airspace The Russian jets were in the UK's area of interest, but did not enter UK airspace. A map showing the flight path of the Typhoons to intercept the Blackjack bombers yesterday afternoon The Typhoons, which were dispatched from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, escorted the bombers south across the North Sea. They are part of the UK's Quick Reaction Alert. The UK's airspace covers a 12-mile radius out from the coastline. It is believed the aircraft were with the Long Range Aviation branch of the Russian military, which are involved in strategic bombing missions and carry nuclear weapons. They have never penetrated UK airspace. Typhoon jets can be deployed in a range of operations, including combat. More recently, Typhoons have been involved in the campaign against Islamic State in Syria, with jets dispatched from the British military base of RAF Akrotiri. Vladimir Putin has previously been accused of Cold War-style 'brinkmanship' over similar incidents with Nato aircraft across Europe, including more than 100 Russian planes intercepted in 2014. A RAF Typhoon jet similar to two that have been scrambled to intercept Russian planes (file picture) A Russian Blackjack bomber (Tupolev Tu 160) being intercepted an RAF Tornado F3 fighter near Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, in March 2014 Vladimir Putin has previously been accused of Cold War-style 'brinkmanship' over similar incidents with Nato aircraft across Europe. Pictured: The Russian President in Moscow today Last November tensions mounted further when Turkish forces shot down a Russian jet after it allegedly entered Turkish airspace while operating missions in Syria. HOW THE TU-160 IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST OPERATIONAL BOMBER The Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack, which is also known as the White Swan, is the world's largest operational bomber. The Blackjack can fly twice the speed of sound It has also been billed as the world's largest combat aircraft, supersonic aircraft and variable-sweep aircraft - and been compared to the American B-1 bomber. Measuring 178ft long and with a spread wing span of 183ft, the aircraft has a range of more than 7,500 miles. With a crew of four men, the Blackjack entered service in 1987 and can carry 12 Kh-55 cruise missiles as well as 24 Kh-15 attack missiles. The aircraft is part of the Long Range Aviation branch of the Russian Air Force which is involved with long-range nuclear weapons. Advertisement Intercepts of Russian aircraft by NATO have increased over the last year amid heightened tensions between the West and Moscow over the Ukraine crisis. The Blackjack is the world's largest operational bomber and is nicknamed the White Swan by the pilots. It can travel at twice the speed of sound and carry 16 nuclear missiles. It is possible the bombers were taking an unusual route to Syria, after a similar incident last November when two Blackjacks came close to entering UK airspace and Typhoons were scrambled from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland to intercept them. The Russian aircraft were making an out-of-the-ordinary 8,000-mile trip round Europe on their way to a bombing mission in Syria. The bombers departed from Olengorsk, in the Kola Peninsula and made their way westbound, coming close to Norwegian and British airspace, where they were met by the RAF. Once intercepted by Britain's Typhoons, they made their way over the Atlantic Ocean and headed back east to Gibraltar, before firing their missiles from the Mediterranean Sea. After flying over Syria, they took the usual route home, over Iran and the Caspian Sea, according to The Aviationist. In October, Typhoons intercepted a Russian Tu-95 'Bear' over the North Sea and Russian warships passed through the Channel and had to be escorted by the Navy. As previously reported in May 2015, The RAF was forced to scramble two fighter jets after Russian bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons were spotted flying towards British territory. The Typhoon jets were launched from RAF Lossiemouth in north-east Scotland to intercept two Russian Bear aircraft and escort them away from the UK. The Russian Eastern Military District pictured loading a cannon onto a Kamov Ka-52 attack helicopter at Vozdvizhenka airfield in Russian Attack helicopters are moved from Chernigovka principal aerodrome to Vozdvizhenka airfield during tactical flight exercises conducted by the Russian Eastern Military District A baby boy who was born in the bathroom of a Subway restaurant in California this week and abandoned in a toilet by his homeless mother has survived and is doing well, police say. Officials have released footage of the harrowing incident and 911 call inside the sandwich shop in West Covina in the hope that it will raise awareness about 'safe-haven' laws, which allow parents to lawfully surrender a child within 72 hours of their birth without any questions asked. The baby's mother, Mary Grace Trinidad, 38, was arrested Monday and is currently hospitalized. Surveillance video from inside the restaurant shows her entering the Subway just 8am on Sunday, asking for a cup of water, filling up the drink, and then entering the bathroom. Scroll down for video Mary Grace Trinidad, 38 (left), has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly leaving her baby partially submerged in a Subway toilet. Surveillance captured her arriving at the restaurant around 8 a.m. Sunday (right) Surveillance footage from inside the West Covina, California, chain shows she entered at 8.07am. She asked an employee for a cup, filled it up with a beverage, and entered the bathroom (pictured), locking the door In the 10 minutes Trinidad was locked in the bathroom workers heard screaming and asked if she was alright, but Trinidad refused help. She then emerged covered in blood and left (pictured) Bloodied footprints: In this still from the security footage, taken as Trinidad was leaving the restaurant, a noticeable trail of blood can be seen behind her as she moves for the door Though an employee tried to stop her, Trinidad went straight for the door. Footprints of blood can be seen Customers and workers said they heard the woman screaming for about 10 minutes, but she declined offers of help. She then walked out at 8.17 a.m. bleeding and with her clothes soaked in blood. A worker tried to stop her but Trinidad fled. The baby was found partly submerged in water in the toilet. Another worker called 911, with the called now released by police. 'We tried to keep her in and she just walked out, and there's a crying baby in the restroom,' a woman identifying herself as a Subway employee says in 911 call audio provided by police. The dispatcher tells the staffer to get the baby out of the toilet, wrap him in towels, and check his mouth for any obstructions. Paramedics arrived at the scene at 8.24 a.m., as shown in the surveillance footage. In less than a minute they were transporting the baby to Queen of the Valley Medical Center. The baby was initially described as being in critical condition because the cold water lowered his body temperature. However police say the little boy is 'doing well'. Rescue: This is the moment that two paramedics remove the child, who is wrapped in towels, from the bathroom and take him to hospital The paramedics were in and out of the Subway restaurant in less than a minute, the surveillance showed Authorities followed the trail of blood the mother left behind for about 500 yards, and found Trinidad at a Pep Boys car repair, located about 20 miles outside of Los Angeles, around 20 minutes after her baby was rescued. She was arrested and taken to the same hospital as her baby for pregnancy-related issues. Trinidad was wanted for a previous narcotics charge, according to police. She had been arrested on January 3 for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Police said bail will be set at $2million. California has a Safely Surrendered Baby Law to prevent newborns from being abandoned. The law allows parents to give up their infants within 72 hours of birth with no questions asked. For more of the latest Islamic State news visit www.dailymail.co.uk/isis She praised Paris attacks and expressed desire to marry an ISIS fighter Authorities found ISIS videos and pictures of beheadings on her phone A Swedish teenager has been sentenced to a year in prison in Austria after being found guilty of trying to join ISIS. The 17-year-old from Linkoping, Sweden, was arrested in Vienna, Austria, where she claims she was due to meet up with two other Swedish teens to head to the Syrian front. After going through her phone, police found images of ISIS beheadings, as well as messages where the teenager praised the terrorist attacks in Paris ISIS fan: The 17-year-old from Linkoping, Sweden, was arrested in Vienna, Austria, in December, after she ran away from home to join ISIS, having read terror group leaflets on how to travel to the Syrian front The girl was a born in Falun, Dalarna, in north-central Sweden in 1998, but was brought up in Linkoping by her parents, who are Somalian immigrants. The family has previously told Swedish media how she has been bullied at school and had been taking anti-depressants. They said had noticed her becoming more radicalised in the months before her arrest, having found ISIS videos on her devices, and became instantly worried when she disappeared. They reported her disappearance to Swedish police, but it was one of her two younger brothers who managed to track her down using the Find My Iphone app. The family called Austrian police and sent them a photo of the teenager, which led to her arrest on December 5. Proof: When examining her phone, Austrian police found images of ISIS beheadings, books on how to join the terrorist group, as well as messages where the teen expressed over the November 13th Paris terror attacks Regrets: The girl has admitted to planning on going to Syria but that she became scared when she got to Vienna and realised what she had signed up for Support: The teenager's mother and younger brother are pictured arriving in Landesgericht fuer Strafsachen (Vienna regional court for criminal affairs) in Vienna, Austria on Thursday Upon her arrest it emerged that she had managed to get to Vienna without a passport, and nothing but her phone, a charger and 55 in cash. Her defence attorney Wolfgang Blaschitz, used this during his statement in court on Thursday, arguing that the girl was 'naive'. When police examined the teenager's phone, they found that she had been a member of a WhatsApp chatt group for ISIS supporters where images of beheadings and terrorism had been shared. One of her messages read: 'But if they cannot be converted, they must be killed', and she also expressed happiness and support for the November 13th Paris terror attacks. Defence: A lawyer for the defendant, Wolfgang Blaschitz told the court that the girl was 'naive' The girl has today spoken to Swedish media, admitting to planning on going to Syria but that she became scared when she got to Vienna and realised what she had signed up for. 'I am not a terrorist. I am not a terrorist, I have made a mistake,' she told Expressen. 'I read the books [on how to travel to Syria and join ISIS], but it was months ago. 'I backed ISIS, but not anymore. I got problems and my mum and dad helped me - not ISIS.' A spokesman for the prosecutor said 'it's clear that she was trying to persuade other young people to join ISIS and that she intended to marry an Isis fighter in Syria,' The Local reports. A court in Vienna today handed down a one year conditional sentence, and told she would not have to spend any more time in jail, having been incarcerated since her arrest in December. Timothy Storey (pictured) began his grooming by sending the girls flattering messages on Facebook An Oxford-educated pastor who preached about abstinence raped two teenage girls after grooming hundreds of children online. Timothy Storey, 35, sexually assaulted the churchgoers of St Michael's Church in Belgravia, London. The former theology student at Wycliffe Hall began his grooming by sending the girls flattering messages on Facebook. One of his victims, who was raped twice, was so under his control she described him as 'more influential than God'. Both had complained to the Church of England about Storey, but the allegations were 'brushed aside', Woolwich Crown Court heard. Storey claimed the girls had given their consent but today he has been convicted of three rape charges and one count of sexual assault. The first victim, now 25, met the children's pastor when she joined the church in 2002. He was also her leader on the Crusaders bible camp in Kent when she was aged 14. Storey first raped her at his home when she was 17 before telling her to leave so he could watch a film and order a Chinese takeaway. She said: 'There was no direction where I could turn where I wasn't somehow being affected by him. 'He had me trapped and I knew that if I didn't do what he wanted me to, I wouldn't get the good things. 'He ground me down and treated me like a piece of meat. 'I felt like a blow-up doll. He once said to me 'You are not worth wasting a condom on'. 'When he wants sex, he will not stop until he gets it. I put him on a pedestal and he knew it.' The teenager approached Revered Jeremy Crossley about the abuse which she had been on the receiving end of. However, she was told the church had to 'look after' Storey and think about his 'welfare and needs'. The second victim said Storey began grooming her on Facebook from the age of 16. He would ask her what underwear she was wearing and begged her to send him a picture of her in her school uniform. A few months later he invited her to a concert in Birmingham where he plied her with alcohol before taking her back to his student room at Oxford and raping her twice. The woman, now 24, was also a member of the St Michael's congregation, and attended Crusader camp. Timothy Storey, 35, sexually assaulted the churchgoers of St Michael's Church (pictured) in Belgravia, London Hanna Llewellyn-Waters, prosecuting, said: 'She heard a knock at the door and prayed for matters to stop. 'She cried during the night. She did not know how to get to the station and felt helpless.' When she made a complaint to the church, she was told a safeguarding officer was 'dealing' with the matter. Storey claimed the girls had given their consent but today he has been convicted of three rape charges and one count of sexual assault The Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, allegedly sent her a letter of apology, but she said nothing else was done. The pair did not go to police until May last year after reading a Daily Mail article about Storey's previous convictions for sex offences. He had admitted seven counts of inciting children to engage in sexual activity and two counts of making indecent images of children at Woolwich Crown Court. The pastor would pose as a privately educated teacher called 'Tim Stone' and persuade girls as young as 12 to film themselves naked. Storey would then threaten to tell their parents if they tried to escape his clutches. When police raided his home they found over 3,000 pages of sexually explicit Skype chats he had with underage girls along with 72 indecent images of children. Storey initially escaped a prison sentence and instead received a three-year rehabilitation order and a sexual offences prevention order, and was ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for five years. But he was later jailed for three years after a public outcry over the leniency of his sentence. Throughout the abuse Storey preached 'no sex before marriage' to youngsters, and was even responsible for training other youth leaders in child safeguarding practices. He denied abusing the two girls, claiming that the sex was consensual, pointing out that both women were over 16 at the time of the attacks. He said the victims 'seemed to be enjoying it'. Outlining the case, Ms Llewellyn-Waters said: 'The defendant targeted vulnerable victims and his conduct revealed a wholesale breach of trust in his position of relative power as the church youth leader. 'After gaining their confidence and trust, he made contact with them and groomed them to form inappropriate relationships with them before manipulating [them] into sexual activity.' Storey's behaviour illustrated his 'entrenched manipulation of young females to engage in sexual activity for his own gratification'. Timothy Storey was educated at Oxford University's Wycliffe Hall, where he studied theology Storey, from Peckham, South London, denied but was convicted of three counts of rape and one of sexual assault. Judge Philip Katz, QC, praised Storey's family and thanked them for the 'great dignity and composure' they showed in attending court every day throughout the trial. The judge said: 'I cannot just deal with Mr Storey today. 'The law provides, in certain circumstances, that judges may treat offenders as dangerous offenders and that is something I need some more information about as that information is not before me today. The Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, allegedly sent one of the victims a letter of apology A spokesman for the Diocese of London said: 'Timothy Storey has today been convicted of a series of appalling crimes and we are profoundly sorry for what his victims endured. 'The Diocese of London first received complaints regarding Timothy Storey's conduct in early 2009. 'He was then training as a Church of England ordinand at Wycliffe Hall. The Diocese's Child Protection Adviser at the time looked into the allegations and spoke with the Metropolitan Police Westminster Child Protection Team, raising concerns that his actions were an offence under the 2003 Sexual Offences Act. 'Whilst the Diocese's Child Protection Adviser recorded that police did not believe any criminal act had been committed, the Diocese nevertheless took the decision to withdraw him from ordination training. 'The Diocese subsequently submitted a report to the Independent Safeguarding Authority (now known as the Disclosure and Barring Service). 'Within the submission, the Diocese stipulated that it deemed Timothy Storey's behaviour to pose a risk to those under the age of 18 and included first-hand statements that the Diocese gathered from the individuals who had made allegations against Mr Storey. 'The National Church of England was also notified, to prevent him from applying for ordination elsewhere in the country.' Comedian Alan Carr's tour manager was seriously assaulted outside a McDonald's restaurant after trying to stop fans taking photos of the star. Elliott Andrews was attacked by Jaleel Burman in Liverpool city centre after getting worried about people crowding around the star, who was in the city as part of his UK tour. Mr Andrews was ushered outside the fast-food restaurant by the 29-year-old around 4am on September 20 last year. He was punched in the face before falling to the ground and fracturing his ankle. Tour manager Elliott Andrews (left) was attacked by Jaleel Burman in Liverpool city centre after getting worried about people crowding around Alan Carr (right), who was in the city as part of his UK tour. Burman admitted causing grievous bodily harm at Liverpool Crown Court and could face jail when he is sentenced next month. The court heard Mr Andrews grew increasingly agitated about his client being 'overwhelmed' by customers wanting selfies as they waited inside. Mr Carr was badgered by some people who had been drinking, who were told to 'stop it' by his entourage, before Burman ushered Mr Andrews outside with the help of a girl. The confrontation turned violent when Burman punched Mr Andrews in what prosecutors described as an unprovoked attack. The tour manager, who has also worked with stars including Paolo Nutini, The Maccabees and Kate Nash, was taken to hospital with facial injuries and a broken ankle. The assault was said to have had a traumatic effect on him. In a police interview, Burman, from Wavertree, Liverpool, said he launched himself at Mr Andrews in 'the heat of the moment'. Elliott Andrews was attacked by Jaleel Burman outside this Liverpool city centre McDonald's after getting worried about people crowding around the star, who was in the city as part of his UK tour Rob Jones, prosecuting, added: 'Mr Andrews was a little bit excited by his client Mr Carr being overwhelmed by people wanting to take photos of him. 'The defendant's actions were way over the top, particularly after he escorted Mr Andrews out of the building.' Judge Denis Watson, who ordered a pre-sentence report on Burman, told him: 'I'm told the CCTV is going to be very informative. All sentencing options will be open, including an immediate custodial sentence.' Meet the rock n' roll band of nuns who became overnight sensations and got to perform in front of the Pope yesterday. In a viral music video posted to YouTube last year the sisters perform 'Trust in God', a hit that became so popular they received the ultimate accolade of getting to play it live to his holiness in Juarez. The band from Peru, named 'Siervas' or 'The Servants', performed before Pope Francis on Wednesday at the end of his five-day tour of Mexico. Nun selfie: The group called 'The servants' pose for a picture. They performed in front of 200,000 spectators including his holiness in Juarez, Mexico. The group is made up of nuns from all corners of the world, including Peru, China, Japan, Ecuador and Chile among other countries. In the music video the nuns can be seen dressed in full habits on top of a helipad. With a range of rock instruments they hit the high notes as their performance is interlaced with a young boy walking around with an action toy watching people overcome their problems. Rock n' roll sisters: In their music video the group perform 'Trust in God' on top of a helipad Sound of music: With a range of rock instruments including electric guitars they hit the high notes The ultimate accolade: The video was watched by a Mexican priest who then asked them to visit the country Their success after the release of the song came as big shock to the sisters. Sister Monica told CNN: 'We couldn't believe how many people were watching our video. 'Then a Mexican priest saw it and asked us to come to Mexico - so we did.' Sister Candy said: 'I never dreamed I would ever get to play for the Pope, words cannot express how it feels.' We are family... I got all my sisters with me: members of the eclectic group come from countries as varied as China and Ecuador The eclectic group travelled from Peru to Juarez to perform at the end of the Pope's tour of Mexico, where he focused on the plight of immigrants and the drug problems facing country. They were the warm-up for the last Mass and performed in front of 200,000 spectators alongside the Vatican leader. The band has assured the public that their main aim is to use their fame to spread the word of God. Sister Cindy said: 'Our faith speaks volumes, which is what we are hoping to transmit to young people around the world.' Suspect: Joseph Boller, 18, was arrested on Tuesday after allegedly abducting his ex-girlfriend A bitter custody dispute between a young woman and her 18-year-old ex-boyfriend took a sinister turn this week when he stuffed her in the trunk of his car and started driving west. But the unidentified victim was rescued thanks to her mother, who was able to help police track down the estranged couple using an iPhone GPS app. Joseph Boller, 18, was arrested at a McDonald's more than two hours away from the home where he allegedly abducted his ex-girlfriend and he now faces charges of kidnapping, unlawful restraint and false imprisonment. The woman, whose name and age have not been reported, told police that Boller became aggravated when she said she did not want to see him any more and could only speak for 30 minutes. Boller and his ex-girlfriend met at his grandmother's home in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday to discuss the custody of the young child they have together, according to the criminal complaint, obtained by the Centre Daily Times. She says he shut the bedroom door where they were speaking and refused to let her leave, taking away her cellphone - which he wrapped in aluminum foil - and duct-taping her wrists together. Boller then allegedly drove the victim and their child to a friend's house, where he planned to drop the child off. The victim and her child have not been identified, but Boller has posted several pictures of him with a young woman (left) and baby girl (right) on Facebook in the past year While he was walking towards the house, the woman was able to free her hands and she tried to start the car with a spare key - but not before catching the attention of her ex, who ran back to the car and started pounding on the windows saying 'things would get much worse'. Boller got back into the car and this time he duct-taped her wrists, ankles and mouth and forced her into the trunk of the car. He went back to dropping off their child, and while he was gone, the victim was able to get her cellphone and text her mother for help. The victim's mother saw the text and alerted police. She was able to track her daughter's movements, as Boller drove west on I-80, thanks to the iPhone app Find My iPhone. Police were eventually able to track down Boller to a McDonald's in Milesburg, Pennsylvania - more than a two hour drive west from where he kidnapped his ex. He was arraigned on Wednesday and remains held at Centre County Prison on $150,000 bail. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for February 24. While the identity of the victim has not been revealed, there are several pictures posted to Boller's Facebook page showing him with a young woman and a baby daughter. David Cameron pressing on with reforms to migrant benefit rules at talks Jeremy Corbyn tonight dismissed David Cameron's EU deal as 'largely irrelevant' as the Prime Minister sat down with his 27 fellow EU leaders for hours of decisive talks over Britain's future membership of the EU. The Labour leader described the months of negotiations over demands for reforming Britain's membership of the EU as a 'missed opportunity'. Mr Corbyn, who also travelled to Brussels today, said Mr Cameron should have instead focussed on winning stronger rights for workers. Scroll down for video Jeremy Corbyn meets Francois Hollande, pictured, as he told a meeting of European socialists in Brussels that David Cameron's renegotiation was a 'missed opportunity' for 'real reforms' Holding his own summit of left wing allies in the EU capital - including a meeting with the French socialist President Francois Hollande, Mr Corbyn attacked plans for an 'emergency brake' on handing benefits to EU migrants, saying there was 'no evidence' it would cut migration to the UK. 'And it won't put a penny in the pockets of workers in Britain or stop the undercutting of UK wages by the exploitation of migrant workers,' he told a meeting of the Party of European Socialists in Brussels. He said the 'real reforms' needed in Brussels included 'an end to austerity' and a 'halt to the enforced privatisation of public services'. Mr Corbyn described the Prime Minister's hard-fought negotiations as a 'theatrical sideshow' that was more about appeasing internal Eurosceptic critics in his own party than addressing the real problems with Britain's membership of the EU. The Labour leader is a long-standing Eurosceptic and voted against Britain's membership of the European Community in 1975 - the last time voters were given a say on European integration. But he has committed to campaign to stay in the EU - in line with the vast majority of Labour MPs - saying continue membership brings 'investment, jobs and protection for British workers and consumers'. Mr Cameron, pictured today making his first remarks at the Brussels summit, said he would be 'battling for Britain' but would only take the right deal home with him Jeremy Corbyn, pictured fourth from the right alongside European socialist leaders in Brussels, denounced David Cameron's EU deal for its lack of focus on protecting and boosting worker rights for Brits His criticism comes as Mr Cameron faced challenges from all sides of the referendum debate. He is fighting off efforts from eastern European countries to water down his attempt to limit benefits going to EU migrants in the UK. EU LEADERS WILL HAVE A 'FAMILY PHOTO', THEN START TALKS - AND QUICKLY BREAK FOR DINNER David Cameron shakes the hand of EU Council president Donald Tusk ahead of the EU summit that could define his premiership Assuming there are no delays before they even start, EU leaders will formally convene for their summit at around 4pm. There will be an 'exchange of views' with European Parliament president Martin Schulz. 4.30pm: The first order of main business will be the 'family photo' of all the EU leaders. 4.45pm: The first working session is due to begin. The UK's renegotiation is the only item on the agenda. The meeting is expected to be an opportunity for each leader to highlight their current concerns. 7pm: EU leaders are due at a working dinner. The main topic for discussion here is due to be the migration crisis and Britain's demands are not expected to be discussed. Late Thursday: Informal and bilateral conversations to try and reach agreements and resolve problems will continue into the night. 9am Friday: EU leaders will reconvene for an 'English breakfast' in an attempt to hammer out the final version of the deal. Around 11am: The summit is due to end. David Cameron is expected to declare whether or not he has a deal before returning to London. If an agreement has been reached, Mr Cameron will meet his Cabinet later on Friday. Advertisement The likes of Poland, Romania and Bulgaria want Mr Cameron's benefit clampdown only to apply to new migrants, rather than the two million EU workers already in the UK. At the same time, Germany and Austria are demanding plans for an 'emergency brake' are open for all member states to use and not just the UK. On the domestic front, the Prime Minister will return home tomorrow to face a divided party on the EU referendum and will attempt to limit the damage by trying to persuade some of his most senior colleagues to campaign for an 'In' vote. But it emerged this morning that Boris Johnson and Michael Gove are 'leaning towards' supporting the Brexit campaign, according to reports by ITV News. The pair are not impressed with the Prime Minister's efforts to make British law superior over EU law, according to friends. If the pair decided to back Brexit, it would deal a major blow to the Prime Minister's hopes of keeping Britain in the EU. Mr Johnson's decision could be particularly decisive after a poll revealed that one in three people see him as 'important' to helping them decide which way to vote in the EU referendum, which is expected to be held in June. News of another minister to back Brexit emerged this morning, with Penny Mordaunt, the Armed Forces minister who starred on the primetime ITV diving show Splash two years ago, being won over by Eurosceptics. And although Mr Cameron will have the backing of the Labour party when it comes to the overall referendum question of whether to stay in the EU, many on the left are also angry at the way Mr Cameron has handled the negotiations. Mr Corbyn, speaking to the meeting of European socialists in Brussels today, said: 'The negotiations David Cameron is conducting on Britain's relationship with the European Union are a theatrical sideshow, designed to appease his opponents within the Conservative party. They are not about delivering reforms that would make the EU work better for working people. 'The Labour Party will campaign to keep Britain in Europe in the forthcoming referendum, regardless of the outcome of the talks being held in Brussels today. That is because it brings investment, jobs and protection for British workers and consumers. 'David Cameron's misnamed 'emergency brake' on migrants' in-work benefits is largely irrelevant to the problems it is supposed to address. There is no evidence that it will act as a brake on inward migration. And it won't put a penny in the pockets of workers in Britain or stop the undercutting of UK wages by the exploitation of migrant workers. 'David Cameron's negotiations are a missed opportunity to make the case for the real reforms the EU needs: democratisation, stronger workers' rights, an end to austerity, and a halt to the enforced privatisation of public services.' Mr Hollande is one of the EU leaders standing in the way of Mr Cameron securing reforms. Boris Johnson (left) and Michael Gove (right) are 'leaning towards' backing Brexit, it emerged last night as Eurosceptics won over another influential voice in Penny Mordaunt (centre), the defence minister who starred in ITV diving show Splash two years ago Mr Cameron's latest trip to Brussels began with yet another meeting with Donald Tusk, the EU Council President, pictured left at today's meeting He is opposed to demands that Britain and other non-eurozone countries are given a veto over decisions that seek to make the euro stronger at the expense of other European currencies and also has concerns over plans to exempt the City of London from EU regulation. Speaking no his arrival at the summit in Brussels today, Mr Hollande said: Agreement on Britain's EU membership is possible because it is necessary but no country should have a veto right. 'France wants Britain to stay in the EU but Europe must not be stopped from moving forward. We must at the same time as we are talking about Great Britain, think about all the other countries. Its the European Union thats at stake, not simply one country of the European Union. I hope that Great Britain will stay in the European Union, but I especially hope that we all advance together and that no-one, no head of government can stop that. Sting: Aron Fink, 44, used the screen name 'KinkyDaddy4y' to entice a woman to engage in incestuous sexual activity with him and her children A Florida man who thought he was going to create an 'incest family' with a woman he had seduced online and her two young daughters has been sentenced to ten years in prison after being arrested in a FBI sting. Aron Fink, 44, of Deerfield Beach, was arrested at a Steak N' Shake in Royal Palm Beach in August after arranging to meet the woman and the two girls - aged 8 and 10 - at the restaurant. Fink had detailed in online chats how he was looking for a woman to explore 'the beautiful world of incest with their kids', and hoped to have a child with the woman so that he could sexually abuse the infant. 'I have wanted an incest family since I was younger. Nothing turns me on more than family incest. So special and hot!' Fink wrote in one message. However Fink was actually chatting to undercover FBI officers and was arrested upon arrival at the restaurant, The Sun-Sentinel reported. In October he pleaded guilty to a federal charge of using a cellphone and computer to try to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. Fink cried as his sentence was handed down on Wednesday but did not deny his behavior. 'I have no excuses I do have a problem,' Fink told the judge. Fink apologized to his parents, who were not in the court room, and said he was glad the online exchanges were part of a sting operation, so that he couldn't act on his desires. Scene: Fink was arrested on August 13 at a Steak N' Shake in Royal Palm Beach, Florida, where he arranged to meet the woman and her daughters. However it turned out to be a sting operation The FBI found no evidence that Fink had ever abused a child. He had no prior criminal record. Fink used the screen name 'KinkyDaddy4y' to communicate with potential victims. He approached the undercover FBI agent by writing: 'Hello kinky perverted guy from South Florida into incest, family and lots more.' He later sent naked photos of himself and wrote: 'I have been looking for a mom who was raised in an incest family and wants to continue the beautiful world of incest with their kids.' Following his arrest, Fink was badly assaulted at Palm Beach County Jail. He suffered multiple fractures to his jaw, which had to be wired shut for five months Assault: Fink was badly beaten inside Palm Beach County Jail (pictured) following his arrest in August. He suffered multiple fractures to his jaw, which had to be wired shut for five months For his own protection he has been kept in solitary confinement ever since. However Fink did not tell officials who assaulted him. The judge expressed sympathy for the assault, saying it should never have happened, however Fink replied: 'I put myself in this position.' After his release from jail, Fink will spend 20 years on probation. He will have to submit to random searches of his computer and be prohibited from being around children, the judge ordered. The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church appears to have won over the locals in Antarctica with a a history-making trip to the freezing continent. For Patriarch Kirill's divine presence captivated not just Russian scientists and explorers - he also converted the penguins. Footage of his visit, released by the church, showed him being chased across the beach by one particularly enamoured bird. Scroll down for video Patriarch Kirill wanders along the stony beach while a particularly enamoured penguin followed him When the bird broke into a run with outstretched arms, the church figurehead stopped and turned to greet it He had finished tending to the penguin colony when many of the birds began to take a liking to him Patriarch Kirill, leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, stares at a penguin during his historic trip In this photograph released by the church, Patriarch Kirill poses for a photograph with the penguins Here he is photographed staring out a window from inside Russia's Bellingshausen research station With outstretched arms, it waddled after the religious leader, who stopped and stared as it followed him across the rocks. A photograph of the 69-year-old - making the first-ever church leader visit to the continent - kneeling eye-to-eye with a curious penguin also went viral on social networking sites. Kirill arrived in Antarctica late yesterday Moscow time and visited Russia's Bellingshausen research station on the island of Waterloo, the church said. At the station's onion-domed Holy Trinity Church, he held prayers for polar researchers including 64 Russians who have died on polar expeditions. The Russian Orthodox church, which opened in 2004, is the only one on the continent to hold services all year round with priests spending the winter there. He said: 'Here you are at the end of the planet. When I blessed water in the Antarctic today, I thought about the whole Earth that is below us and prayed for God's creation,' RIA Novosti state news agency reported. His spokesman Alexander Volkov declared: 'This is an historic event in the life of Russian Orthodoxy, a proof that the Russian Orthodox Church exercises its office on all continents. 'There the Patriarch will pray for the entire world.' Russia has 10 research stations on the Antarctic, some of which operate only in summer, able to accommodate up to 120 people. About 30 nations operate permanent research stations in Antarctica including the United States Russia, Australia, Britain, France and Argentina. Kirill was on a tour of South America that had included a historic meeting with Pope Francis in Cuba, the first encounter between the heads of the long-estranged Churches in nearly 1,000 years. Patriarch Kirill, of Moscow, conducts a service at the Holy Trinity Church in the station in Antarctica Here the revered figure of the largest of all Orthodox churches poses by a Russian sign on the windswept continent He also held a service inside the station's tiny chapel, where he prayed with polar explorers and scientists Marco Rubio says Ted Cruz's latest assault on him - a website dedicated to the 'real' Rubio that includes a photoshopped picture of him shaking President Barack Obama's hand - is both 'disturbing' and 'startling.' 'The picture's fake and that alone tells you everything I've been saying for the last few days - he's making things up,' Rubio told reporters after a lunchtime event today in South Carolina. The Republican presidential candidate said, 'I think is now a disturbing pattern, guys, it's a disturbing pattern, every day they're making things up. In this case they literally made up a picture.' At the Florida senator's first top of the day, in Greenville, top Rubio strategist Todd Harris brought the website to reporters' attention and said, 'This is how phony and how deceitful the Cruz campaign has become.' 'There is a culture of dishonesty, from top to bottom, in Cruz's presidential campaign. It's reflected in what Ted Cruz himself says. It's reflected by the phony, fake Facebook pages that his supporters put up. It's reflected by calls to Iowa voters saying Carson dropped out.' Scroll down for video Marco Rubio's presidential campaign unloaded on Ted Cruz this morning following his latest assault on the Republican senator - a website dedicated to the 'real' Rubio that includes a photoshopped picture of him shaking President Barack Obama's hand 'This is how phony and how deceitful the Cruz campaign has become,' top Rubio strategist Todd Harris told reporters of the website The website, therealRubio.com, is openly sponsored by Cruz's presidential campaign and attacks Rubio for his positions on amnesty for illegal immigrants, regulations and what his opponent dubbed the 'Obama-Rubio Trade Pact.' The website, therealRubio.com, is openly sponsored by Cruz's presidential campaign and attacks Rubio for his positions on amnesty for illegal immigrants, regulations and what his opponent dubbed the 'Obama-Rubio Trade Pact.' 'Rubio cast the deciding vote to fast-track three highly secretive trade deals negotiated by Obama and encouraging corrupt, backroom deals,' it says. The Rubio campaign isn't denying that the U.S. senator voted to give Obama fast-track authority to negotiate a 12-nation Pacific Rim deal. He did, along with the majority of Republican lawmakers in the Senate. Five Republicans broke from the party and voted against the Trade Promotion Authority, TPA, bill, including Ted Cruz. Cruz had supported an earlier version of the bill but changed his position last minute, on the day of the final vote, to nay. 'Ted Cruz is attacking us for holding a position that he himself held just a few short months ago before he flip-flopped for political gain,' Harris said today. The website attacking Rubio calls him the 'Republican Obama' - a charge Cruz has lobbed at him for weeks now. One photo has him shaking Obama's hand with a boyish enthusiasm. Except the Rubio campaign insists it isn't real. 'There is so little honesty left in the Cruz campaign, that they are actually willing to photoshop...a fellow Republican's face onto the body of some other person,' Harris said this morning. He told reporter a little later, 'Marco Rubio doesn't own that tie, doesn't own that watch, doesn't own that suit.' South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who yesterday endorsed Rubio, avoided hitting Cruz herself while stating that politics in her state is a 'bloodsport' and the voters here are used to aggressive campaigning. 'I wear heels, and its not for a fashion statement. 'Its because you gotta be prepared to kick it any time,' she said, showing off her black, high-heeled boots. But she said of the argument about photoshopping - which a reporter pointed out Rubio has done in the context of TV ads that include pictures of Ted Cruz - 'these are all tactics and games.' ISN'T ME: 'Marco Rubio doesn't own that tie, doesn't own that watch, doesn't own that suit,' his campaign said of the photoshopped picture. Rubio is seen here today at a rally in Greenville The Obama battle was but another episode in an increasingly bitter primary contest that has in the last week seen Rubio and Donald Trump lock arms and call Cruz a liar. Cruz supporters this week circulated a Facebook page that claimed Benghazi committee chairman and South Carolina Representative Trey Gowdy was no longer supporting Rubio. Gowdy accused the Cruz campaign of contributing to the kerfuffle but the Texas senator says he had 'nothing to do with that.' 'I think it is unfortunate that the Rubio campaign would make allegations with no evidence,' Cruz told The Greenville News. Today Gowdy taped a video for Rubio reupping the charge. 'Youre better than that. Youre running for the highest office in the land. Your campaign ought to be better than that,' he said. Anger over a rumor that Carson was dropping out of Iowa on the evening of the caucuses there in January also continues to linger. 'For a number of weeks now, Ted Cruz has just been telling lies,' Rubio said at the GOP debate last week. 'He lied about Ben Carson in Iowa, he lies about Planned Parenthood, he lies about marriage, he lies about all sorts of things, and now he makes things up.' Trump has been calling Cruz a liar for weeks now and this week threatened to sue him over an attack the businessman's lawyers are labeling defamatory because it presents old clips of the Republican advocating positions he says he no longer holds. Cruz mocked Donald Trump last night at a CNN town hall as he addressed the issue. 'I'll confess I laughed out loud,' he said of a cease and desist letter Trump's lawyers sent him, Cruz relied on his 20 years practicing law as he proclaimed it 'really pressed the bounds of the most frivolous and ridiculous letters I've ever seen.' 'It is quite literally the most ridiculous theory I've ever heard, that telling the voters what Donald Trump's actual record is, is deceitful and lying,' Cruz said at the televised own hall. Donald Trump (left) had his lawyer send a cease and desist letter to Ted Cruz (right) and his campaign over an ad that suggests Trump isn't pro-life 'I'll confess I laughed out loud,' Cruz said of his initial response. He told CNN's Anderson Cooper at a town hall, 'It is quite literally the most ridiculous theory I've ever heard, that telling the voters what Donald Trump's actual record is, is deceitful and lying' The Cruz camp sent a lengthy rebuttal to reporters yesterday after a press conference that said the ad, which questions whether the Republican frontrunner is really pro-life, will not be scrapped 'because it is accurate and factual whether Mr. Trump and his army of lawyers agrees or not.' 'In fact, they now plan to air the ad with greater frequency,' the statement said of Cruz and his campaign. Trump doubled down in his own response, labeling Cruz again a 'liar,' his favorite insult for the Texas senator this week. 'He is a liar and these ads and statements made by Cruz are clearly desperate moves by a guy who is tanking in the polls watching his campaign go up in flames finally explains Cruz's logo,' Trump said. Cruz's logo is a teardrop-shaped flame colored like the Texas or American flag. Marco Rubio has also claimed Cruz is a liar over the Texas senator's attacks on his immigration record. 'I said he's been lying because if you say something that isn't true and you say it over and over again and you know that it's not true, there's no other word for it,' Rubio said at the CNN town hall, at which he appeared before Ted Cruz. Rubio defended his hits on Cruz and said, 'When it's about your record, you have to clear it up, because if you don't, then people say, well, then it must be true. He didn't dispute it.' The U.S. senator cited several times Cruz's credibility has been called into question, including an incident on caucus night in Iowa, when his campaign admittedly spread a rumor that turned out to be false that Ben Carson was dropping out of the race. 'So these things are disturbing and they need to be addressed. And I'll address them,' Rubio said. Earlier in the day Cruz had charged that 'Rubio is behaving like Donald Trump with a smile.' Rubio didn't quite know how to respond to the accusation. 'Donald smiles. I've seen him smile,' he said. Cruz declined at the CNN event to reciprocate any name calling he characterized both Rubio's and Trump's pattern of response as, 'They start screaming liar, liar, liar,' 'I can't think of any precedent' in any previous presidential election,' he said. 'I'm not gonna say the same thing about them. I think the people of South Carolina deserve more than people just throwing mud at them.' And he said, as he broke down their arguments one by one, 'Just yelling liar doesn't make it so.' Marco Rubio has also claimed Cruz is a liar over the Texas senator's attacks on his immigration record. 'I said he's been lying because if you say something that isn't true and you say it over and over again and you know that it's not true, there's no other word for it,' Rubio said at the town hall last night This week Jeffrey Goldman, a lawyer representing Trump, sent a letter to Cruz, Chad Sweet, Cruz's campaign chairman and Jeff Roe, Cruz's campaign manager, accusing him of defamation. At a press conference yesterday in South Carolina Cruz waved the letter around and taunted Trump. 'Mr Trump you have been threatening frivolous lawsuits for your entire adult life,' Cruz said, according to the Guardian. 'Even in the annals of frivolous lawsuits this takes the cake. And so, Donald, I would encourage you, if you want to file a lawsuit challenging this ad, claiming it is defamation, file a lawsuit.' The letter 'demanded,' as the Cruz team put it, that the Texas senator's campaign stop running the ad 'Supreme Trust,' which is currently on the airwaves in South Carolina as Republicans from that state head to the polls Saturday. 'Supreme Trust,' reminds voters that in 1999 Trump said he was pro-choice in an interview with the late Tim Russert. As Cruz and his aides point out, because 'they do not believe Mr. Trump's recent campaign claim that he is pro-life and, more importantly, the voters should not believe Mr. Trump either.' The Cruz spot selectively edits out the portion of the interview in which Trump utters 'I hate it,' on the topic of abortion, which would have shown Trump expressing some reservations on the issue. Trump has been running as a pro-life candidate. As a result of Cruz's behavior, Trump said this week that he is mulling a lawsuit over the 'liar's' Canadian birth. 'I'm thinking about it very seriously, Trump told George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America. 'He was born in Canada, He can't be president because of the fact he was born in Canada. He lived there for years.' Monday Trump said he wanted to sue the Texas senator over his Cruz's Canadian birth, unless he received an apology for various attacks. 'Ted Cruz is a totally unstable individual,' it said. 'He is the biggest liar I've ever come across, in politics or otherwise and I have seen some of the best of them.' Ted Cruz was also in South Carolina this week and used Twitter as a way to respond to Trump's allegations Ted Cruz defended himself via Twitter suggesting that all he did was articulate Donald Trump's actual policy prescriptions Trump then held a press conference for reporters and said the same thing. 'He's an absolutely disgusting liar,' Trump said of Cruz. 'And he goes around saying he's a Christian? I don't know, you're going to have to really study that,' Trump said to reporters this afternoon. Cruz took to Twitter to respond. 'You cannot simply scream 'liar' when someone points out your actual positions,' he wrote, calling the trend 'curious' in a longer video message about the spat. The Texas senator also said at an event in South Carolina that he had never seen Trump so rattled. Soon after, Trump called into CNN and said that was just not so. 'He doesn't mean that,' Trump said. 'He's says that just for effects. He's the one. He's an unstable guy ... he's just using that expression because he likes it and it's just ridiculous.' Tory peer Baroness Rock has reportedly been signing up company bosses to a letter endorsing a deal David Cameron has not yet finalised The Tories came under fire last night after it emerged a top party official has been cobbling together a supportive letter from big business. Business leaders have been approached by the in campaign to sign an open letter endorsing David Camerons agreement with European leaders on our relationship with Brussels. The statement was being circulated to bosses at major firms even before the crunch two-day summit at which the Prime Minister hopes to finalise the agreement. Backbench MPs said this proved that the deal was irrelevant and nothing more than imaginary gruel. Bosses likely to be asked to sign include those at BAE Systems, BT and Diageo. Controversially, the enterprise has been overseen by Baroness Rock, the Tories vice chairwoman for business who has taken leave of absence to help the in campaign. This is despite the promise given by Conservative central office that it would be strictly neutral in the European referendum debate. The plan is to publish the letter from business leaders on Tuesday, according to one potential signatory who spoke to Sky News. A source said it was hoped that hundreds of businesspeople would sign it, enabling the In campaign to claim that it was representative of companies employing more than one million people. Last night Jacob Rees-Mogg, Tory MP for North East Somerset, said: That this letter is being circulated now underlines just how irrelevant this deal is. I said it was thin gruel now it appears it is imaginary gruel. Businesses need to think of what if in their interests and in the interests of their customers and employees. So far the biggest business to come out in favour of staying in the EU has been fined for dishonesty. They should note the company they are keeping. The Eurosceptic MP said it would be wrong if party resources were being used to support the in campaign. The Conservative Party has said formally that it will be independent in this debate, he said. Kate Rock was elevated to the peerage by Mr Cameron in the summer following years of service to the party. She is a long-standing friend of George Osborne, who was criticised four years ago for going on holiday to her ski lodge in the Alps. Shortly after announcing major spending cuts in 2011, the Chancellor took his family on holiday with Mrs Rock and her husband Caspar who runs a City investment fund in their 1.7million ski chalet in fashionable Klosters. THE BARONESS BEHIND THE PRO-EU LETTER HOSTED THE OSBORNES AT HER FAMILY'S SWISS CHALET Baroness Kate Rock and her husband Caspar, pictured right, once hosted Chancellor George Osborne and his family at their Klosters chalet for New Year. Boasting a vaulted ceiling, a log-burning fireplace and state-of-the-art kitchen appliances, the chalet commands sweeping views of the Gotschna mountain. The modern steel and wood design, with floor-to-ceiling electronic shutters, overlooks an apartment owned by Tara Palmer-Tomkinson. Mrs Rock was appointed to the House of Lords by the Tory party following last year's general election and she formally took her seat in October. She is now vice-chairwoman for 'business relations'. The new Tory peer was also instrumental in coordinating a letter of support for the Tories during last year's election campaign. Advertisement It was claimed by Mr Osbornes spokesman at the time that his wife Frances and 46-year-old Mrs Rock had been friends since the age of 15. She has worked on the last two election campaigns. Mr Rock is chief investment officer of Architas, part of the 15billion AXA Wealth fund. His annual salary and bonus is estimated at more than 500,000. When Baroness Rock took up her place in the House of Lords in the autumn, she was supported by Lord Feldman, the Tories under-fire chairman. Conservative HQ confirmed last night that she had taken leave of absence from the partys headquarters this month to work on the campaign to remain a member of the EU. City sources close to the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign said a letter is expected to be compiled. It is thought that those who are likely to sign, or be asked to sign, include former CBI presidents Sir Roger Carr, now chairman of BAE Systems, and Sir Mike Rake, now chairman of BT. Others expected to be asked to take part include former Diageo chief executive Paul Walsh and advertising guru Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP. But a number of senior figures told the Mail that they have not been approached. One captain of industry said: There has been talk about a letter but so far it is only talk. Im sure there will be a letter but I havent been approached. The timing of the publication of the letter is subject to change if an agreement with the rest of the EU is delayed, and it may yet not materialise at all if Mr Cameron fails to win sufficient concessions. Baroness Rock was closely involved with a letter supporting the Tories published during last years general election campaign. Among those who signed the pre-election letter were the property tycoon Nick Leslau, Lord Rose, the former Marks and Spencer chairman who now heads Britain Stronger in Europe, the group campaigning for Britain to remain in the EU, and Paul Walsh, the former boss of Diageo, Other signatories included explicit eurosceptics such as Luke Johnson, the entrepreneur who chairs Patisserie Valerie and built Pizza Express into one of Britain Mr Cameron, pictured arriving at the summit in Brussels today, insisted he still had a lot of work to do on his draft deal It was not known yesterday which business leaders had agreed to sign the new letter backing an agreement on EU reform. Steve Baker, Tory MP for Wycombe, said: While the Prime Minister is in Brussels telling EU leaders that he has ruled nothing out, his top aides are trying to drum up support for the campaign to keep us in the EU at all costs. Number 10 have jumped the gun and are seeking support for this inconsequential deal which would keep Britain under the cosh of EU law made by EU judges and Brussels bureaucrats. The only way to take back control is to Vote Leave. In a statement, a Conservative spokeswoman said: CCHQ has always said it will permit its staff to work for either side by taking unpaid leave of absence. Downing Street declined to comment last night. Apple is appealing a federal court decision ordering them to crack the passcode of a terrorist's iPhone to allow the FBI to access the data on the handset, despite unlocking dozens of other phones in recent years. The company has written an open letter to its customers assuring them that their private data is safe, yet law enforcement authorities complain that the same software is being used by criminals. Apple's CEO Tim Cook has criticised the decision to compel the company to access the data on Syed Farook's phone, who along with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people in a December attack in San Bernardino, California. Scroll down for video Apple CEO Tim Cook, pictured, expressed concern over the federal judge's order to assist the FBI in bypassing the security software on an iPhone 5c used by San Bernardino terrorist Syed Farook Syed Farook, right, along with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, left 14 people in December's attack in San Bernardino According to the Daily Beast, Apple has complied with 70 similar requests for assistance accessing iPhones since 2008, figures which the company does not dispute. However, the previous instances involved cases which were far less serious than terrorism. One case involved a meth dealer who had information on his iPhone that investigators wanted to access. In a briefing for the court Apple said: For these devices, Apple has the technical ability to extract certain categories of unencrypted data from a passcode locked iOS device. Apple said that it did not want to do so because forcing Apple to extract dataabsent clear legal authority to do so, could threaten the trust between Apple and its customers and substantially tarnish the Apple brand. It said: This reputational harm could have a longer term economic impact beyond the mere cost of performing the single extraction at issue. Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump attacked Apple's decision to challenge the court's ruling regarding the San Bernardino killers. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found 82 percent of U.S. adults deemed government surveillance of suspected terrorists to be acceptable. Only 40 percent of the Pew respondents said it's acceptable for the government to monitor U.S. citizens, however. The survey also found nearly three-fourths of U.S. adults consider it 'very important' to be in control over who can retrieve personal information about them. Farook's iPhone 5C is protected by a four-digit code, which if is entered incorrectly ten times, will prompt the handset to delete all of the data. Privacy campaigners fear that if Apple produces the software to bypass the phone's in-built security systems, this could have a profound impact on users of the technology in countries such as China, pictured The FBI wants Apple to develop software to bypass this safety feature. They also want a second piece of software to allow them to try thousands of code combinations in a minute to reduce the length of time it would take to 'guess' the correct code. FBI Director James Comey has complained publicly about terrorists using advanced encryption to communicate secretly. In a letter to Apple customers, Cook said: 'Smartphones, led by iPhone, have become an essential part of our lives. 'People use them to store an incredible amount of personal information, from our private conversations to our photos, our music, our notes, our calendars and contacts, our financial information and health data, even where we have been and where we are going.' Cook accused the FBI of wanting the company to create a 'backdoor into the iPhone'. Ajay Arora, CEO of tech encryption firm Vera said the FBI's request is technically feasible, but very concerning. He said: 'Imagine if that got into the wrong hands. What they're asking for is a God key - and once you get that, there's no going back.' Apple has five days to challenge the order which will lead to a major legal confrontation between federal authorities and the federal government. Ryan Calo, law professor at the University of Washington claimed: 'This is really a deep question about the power of government to redesign products that we use.' Phil Lee, Fieldfisher Privacy and Protection Partner based in Silicon Valley, said: 'Judged alone, you might think "Of course Apple should give the FBI this data". But Apple's point is that building in security back doors to their products comes at the expense of everyone's privacy - and that's a principle they're not prepared to concede. 'Silicon Valley companies have taken a public beating over recent years for not doing enough to protect their users' data. 'Now Apple is taking a stand. At stake is not only the privacy of our communications, but whether Silicon Valley can restore the trust it has lost.' Google CEO Sundar Pichai, pictured, claimed this case could be a 'troubling precedent' Fellow technology giants Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo have been watching the ongoing legal battle. Google's CEO Sundar Pichai tweeted: 'Forcing companies to enable hacking could compromise users' privacy.' He claimed the case 'could be a troubling precedent'. While tech companies have spoken against broad government surveillance in the past, the Obama administration has recently sought to enlist the tech industry's help in fighting terrorism. Several companies have recently heeded the administration's request for voluntary efforts aimed at countering terrorist postings on social media. Civil liberties groups warned the fallout from the San Bernardino dispute could extend beyond Apple. Nuala O'Connor of the Center for Democracy and Technology in Washington said she was incredibly concerned about the developments in California. 'This is asking a company to build a digital defect, a design flaw, into their products.' Others said a government victory could encourage regimes in China and other countries to make similar requests for access to smartphone data. Apple sells millions of iPhones in China, which has become the company's second-largest market. Lee Tien, staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco claimed: 'This case is going to affect everyone's privacy and security around the world.' The case turns on an 18th-century law that the government has invoked to require private assistance with law enforcement efforts. Apple has also challenged a federal search warrant based on the same law in a Brooklyn drug case. Apple has complied with previous orders invoking that law - the All Writs Act of 1789 - although it has argued the circumstances were different. While experts said the case will likely end up in appeals court, both sides seemed to be framing the debate for a public audience as much as for a judge. The federal request 'is very strategic on their part, to be sure' said Robert Cattanach, a former Justice Department lawyer who handles cyber-security cases for the Dorsey & Whitney law firm. He said it appeared the government took pains to ask only for limited assistance in a mass-murder case that horrified the nation. Cook may have no choice but to mount a legal challenge, given his very public commitment to protecting customer data. He's made that position a part of Apple's marketing strategy, drawing a contrast with companies like Google and Facebook that sell advertising based on customers' online behavior. Donald Trump told a Christian broadcaster in an interview released Thursday that Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that forbade states from banning abortions, was a mistake that can be overturned in the long run. He also told Christian Broadcasting Network that if a bill reached a President Trump's desk that would bar federal funding for Planned Parenthood, the nation's biggest abortion provider, he would sign it. Trump is working overtime to position himself as the beneficiary of doubts among many evangelical Christian voters in South Carolina who have broken off from Ted Cruz in the wake of dirty-tricks scandals that followed him from Iowa. The two men have publicly feuded all week, following a debate where Trump branded Cruz as 'the biggest liar' a charge he repeats daily as he complains about an attack ad the Texas senator is running against him. Scroll down for videos Bitter clash: Ted Cruz and Donald Trump are increasingly at odds, with the pro-life question now taking center stage in their dispute. Cruz claims Trump is pro-choice, Trump angrily says he is not The Cruz ad shows Trump in sometimes decades-old news footage defending anti-abortion positions and saying he is 'pro-choice in every respect.' Trump insists he has 'evolved' from that position. He told a crowd Wednesday in Bluffton, South Carolina: 'I am pro-life.' The Donald combined the two approaches romancing evangelical voters while grinding his boot on Cruz in his Christian Broadcasting Network interview. 'Ted's been caught in a lot of lies,' he told interviewer David Brody. 'He holds up the Bible nice and high but he lies, and I think the evangelicals have figured it out ... 'You don't hold up the Bible and lie.' Trump offered more measured comments on abortion, saying his Supreme Court nominees would be limited to 'constitutionalists' but warned that 'it's going to take a long time' before the high court reaches critical mass and reconsiders Roe v. Wade. Asked point-blank if he thinks the Court got it wrong in 1973, Trump didn't hesitate. 'Well, I do,' he said. Trump added that the issue was 'strongly decided [but] it can be changed. Things are put there and they're passed, but they can be unpassed with time but it's going to take time because you have a lot of judges to go.' In the mean time, he suggested, the federal government shouldn't be in the business of funding abortions, especially those performed in Planned Parenthood clinics. In front? Cruz, whose campaign stops included a school in Spartanburg, was given a poll boost which suggested he was ahead of Trump in South Carolina - but other polls put Trump far ahead nationally. Cruz is under fire over whether his claims about rivals are true 'As long as they do the abortion[s] I am not for funding Planned Parenthood,' he said, 'but they do cervical cancer work. They do a lot of good things for women, but as long as they're involved with the abortions as you know they say it's 3 per cent of their work. Some people say it's 10 per cent, some people say it's 8 per cent, I hear all different percentages but it doesn't matter.' 'As long as they're involved with abortion, as far as I'm concerned forget it, I wouldn't fund them regardless.' Congress funds Medicaid and other Health and Human Services programs according to the 1976 Hyde Amendment, named after the late Republican congressman Henry Hyde, which was the pro-life's first major victory on Capitol Hill following the Roe decision. Advertisement Migrants are seen trudging through mud and gathering around open fires in the temporary camp they call home while they wait to enter Britain in grim images that resemble scenes from the First World War. Winter cannot end quickly enough for the 2,500 people living at the Grande-Synthe camp near Dunkirk, which is rife with people smugglers and criminals looking to exploit them. Two suspected smuggling networks operating at the camp have recently been shut down by French police. The raids followed multiple reports of shootings - petty gangland feuds which claimed no lives but terrified the people living there. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve confirmed that ten people were in custody, among them suspected people smugglers, following the raids. Keeping warm: One migrant man warms his hands over a fire at the Grande-Synthe camp while another adds fuel to the flames Hard: A woman carries a box filled with cooking utensils across the camp, which is a temporary home to thousands of refugees Hell on Hope Street: A sign reading 'Hope Street' is attached to a tree in front of a number of tents in the Grande-Synthe camp near Dunkirk Mud: Groups of migrants make their way through the muddy camp while one woman struggles with a baby in a pram Two raids were carried out on the Grande-Synthe camp near Dunkirk, which has a reputation for people smuggling, in the past two days Time for a bit of fun: Two young children make the most out of their desperate situation by creating a large number of snowballs A dad walks with his daughter and ferries his young son - who looks less than impressed - around the squalid camp in Northern France Women and children from Iraq stand in the migrant camp where thousands of people live together in very close proximity Help: Members of a humanitarian association trudge through the mud at the camp providing aid to the people living there Local media recently reported on two non-fatal shootings in the camp in Northern France, where 2,500 refugees from Kurdistan, Iraq and Syria live. In 2015, 28 smuggling networks were dismantled in the Calais region - double the previous year, the Interior Ministry statement said, adding that 251 networks were shut down nationally. Up to 1,500 migrants, most trying to get to Britain, are currently in the Grande-Synthe camp. Situated in the east of Calais, around 4,000 travellers are reportedly staying at the site. Recent photographs taken inside capture the squalid conditions people are living in. Some show families huddled around fires while desperately trying to keep warm. A group of men are photographed making tools inside a tent at the camp as migrants attempt to get on with their daily lives Packed: The numbers of migrants and refugees living at the Grande-Synthe camp have risen since last October Busy: From around 800 people sleeping rough at the squalid camp in October, there are now around 2,500 migrants living there Most of the people living at the camp are Kurds from Iran, Syria and Iraq who are looking to cross the channel to the UK All in this together: A family of migrants huddle around a small fire and attempt to warm themselves up in the freezing conditions According to Medecins Sans Frontieres there are some 250 children living at at the camp near Dunkirk, which is rife with people smugglers Last month it was announced a new encampment at Grand-Synthe would be built with heated tents, running water, toilets and showers Two young children accompany their mother while trudging through the mud at the camp that is home to thousands of migrants Others show children making the most out of their situation and gathering snowballs. A plaque reading 'Hope Street' has also been attached to a tree. The numbers of migrants and refugees at Grande-Synthe have steadily risen since last October, from around 800 people sleeping rough there to around 2,500 in recent weeks. There are also some 250 children, according to Medecins Sans Frontieres. The organisation recently took action against what it called a failure by the authorities to offer decent living conditions to the masses camped there. Growing: In 2015, 28 smuggling networks were dismantled in the Calais region, a figure that is double the previous year A man trudges through the mud while ferrying his cooking utensils from one part of the camp to the other in a wheel barrow Local media recently reported that two non-fatal shootings took place at the Gande-Synthe camp in Northern France Two suspected smuggling networks in a makeshift camp near Dunkirk have recently been dismantled by French police Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve confirmed that 10 people were in custody, among them suspected smugglers, following two raids Time for change: Aid workers said people have been living in ultra-thin tents surrounded by puddles of water and food Help and donations, including food, clothing and tents, come from volunteers from the UK, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands Aid workers said people have been living in ultra-thin tents surrounded by puddles of water and food, which has attracted rats, prompting regular extermination operations. Last month it was announced that a new encampment at Grand-Synthe would have heated tents, running water, toilets and showers and will be built close to the site of an existing rat-infested shanty town where thousands are squatting. Meanwhile help and donations, including food, clothing and tents, continue to come from volunteers from the UK, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Progress: The Interior Ministry statement said that 251 networks smuggling networks were dismantled nationally last year Squalid: Puddles and discarded food around the camp has attracted rats, prompting regular extermination operations Two woman escort a young boy, who appears to stamp around in the mud in his welly boots, while negotiating the camp in Dunkirk Two migrant men are pictured at the camp alongside a broken bicycle, tents on top of each other and mud everywhere A young boy looks back at the photographer while making his way through ankle-deep mud at the camp in Northern France Without stable living conditions, families are required to huddle around small fires in order to keep warm Hope: Two men gesture for the camera while sitting around a fire inside a tent at the squalid camp in Dunkirk Elsewhere in Europe on Thursday, police chiefs of five countries on the migrant route announced an agreement for a joint refugee registration point at the Greek-Macedonian border. Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria will jointly profile and register migrants from war-torn countries and then organise their 'controlled transport' through to Austria, Croatia's police director Vlado Dominic said. 'We made an agreement on the joint profiling and registration of migrants at the Greek-Macedonian border,' he said, explaining the plan would take effect immediately. He said the profiling of refugees would be done through interviews and the aim is to ensure that those who do not meet the register's requirements 'stay in Greece and Turkey'. The refugees allowed through would then be transported in bus and train convoys to Austria, where police would take over and migrants heading for Germany could 'continue further'. A woman carries her child as migrants board a train heading to Serbia after crossing the Greek-Macedonian border near Gevgelija A migrant is pictured holding a baby in a camp near the Macedonian-Greek border. Police chiefs of five countries on the migrant route announced an agreement for a joint refugee registration point at the border A migrant boy sits in the wheel of a truck as he waits with other migrants to board a train after crossing the Macedonian-Greek border Children stretch out their arms while waiting with others on a train heading to Serbia from the Macedonian-Greek border near Gevgelija Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria will jointly profile and register migrants from war-torn countries and then organise their 'controlled transport' through to Austria 'Our goal is that the refugees' transfer from Greece to Macedonia, and later to Austria, is as painless as possible,' Dominic said. He said that joint profiling, instead of each of the five nations profiling migrants individually, would prevent the travellers from being shuttled back from one country to another. The new plan comes after Croatia sent 217 Afghan, Syrian and Iraqi refugees back to Serbia late Tuesday for reasons that were not immediately clear, according to the UN refugee agency. But Dominic said: 'If profiling and registration is done well, there should be no returns.' Bulgaria and Albania would also be consulted about their inclusion in the plan in case they begin to receive large numbers of migrants, Dominic added. Donald Trump traded blows with the Vatican on Thursday in an unprecedented religious squabble for an American presidential candidate after Pope Francis declared that anyone who embraced the billionaire's border-security positions 'is not Christian.' In mere minutes Trump's aides had helped him craft a biting reply, which he read from a podium during a late-morning speech in coastal South Carolina. And by day's end the conflict drew Trump's Republican rivals out of the shadows, with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio the presidential race's two Roman Catholics backing The Donald over The Pontiff. 'For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful,' Trump said in South Carolina, just two days before the state's critical presidential primary election. He doubled down on that comment when he talked to DailyMail.com at lunch. The Pope's dramatic rhetorical jab at Trump came during a freewheeling conversation with reporters on his flight back from to Europe a visit to Mexico. Francis was asked to react to Trump's vow that he would build a wall on the southern U.S. border if he becomes president. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Blunt: 'A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian,' the leader of the Catholic Church said as he flew back to Rome from Mexico 'Disgraceful': Donald Trump, campaigning in Kiawah Island, South Carolina today, was furious in his response to the Pope TRUMP'S FURIOUS RESPONSE 'If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS's ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened. ISIS would have been eradicated unlike what is happening now with our all talk, no action politicians. The Mexican government and its leadership has made many disparaging remarks about me to the Pope, because they want to continue to rip off the United States, both on trade and at the border, and they understand I am totally wise to them. The Pope only heard one side of the story - he didn't see the crime, the drug trafficking and the negative economic impact the current policies have on the United States. He doesn't see how Mexican leadership is outsmarting President Obama and our leadership in every aspect of negotiation. For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful. I am proud to be a Christian and as President I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened, unlike what is happening now, with our current President. No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man's religion or faith. They are using the Pope as a pawn and they should be ashamed of themselves for doing so, especially when so many lives are involved and when illegal immigration is so rampant.' Advertisement 'A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian,' Francis replied. 'This is not in the gospel.' The Pope said he wouldn't 'get involved in' the U.S. election directly, but 'I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt.' 'Vote, don't vote. I won't meddle,' he added. But by lunchtime, the Internet's political subcultures were drawing battle lines. Trump issued a furious response, reading a lengthy statement from the podium on a campaign stop in the coastal community of Kiawah Island. He reflected on the seismic impact of crossing swords with the leader of the world's largest religious denomination, and shrugged it off. 'Now it's probably going to be all over the world. Who the hell cares? I don't care!' he said. 'We have to stop illegal immigration ... and crime.' Trump blasted the Vatican for what he said was a naive outlook on the ISIS terror army, saying in a statement released to reporters that 'If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS's ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened.' 'ISIS would have been eradicated unlike what is happening now with our all talk, no action politicians.' Trump partisans, including his social media director Dan Scavino, circulated photos of the massive wall that separates Vatican City from the rest of Rome. 'Amazing comments from the Pope - considering Vatican City is 100% surrounded by massive walls,' Scavino wrote in a highly retweeted message. And reporters swarmed around the rest of the presidential field looking for reactions to the global cultural battle royale. Rubio told reporters during a press conference in Anderson, South Carolina, that he had not seen the Holy Father's full statement, but defended the Republican Party's line essentially, Trump's position on immigration. 'There's no nation on earth that's more compassionate about immigration than we are,' Rubio said. Noting that the U.S. takes in a million immigrants a year, he declared that 'Mexico doesn't do that. No other country in the world does that.' 'We're a sovereign country. We have a right to control who comes in, when they come in and how they come in,' he added. 'Vatican City controls who comes in, when they come and how they come in, as a nation-state, or a city-state. And as a result, the United States has a right to do that as well.' At the border: The Pope celebrated mass in Ciudad Juarez during his visit to Mexico, right at the American border. Outreach: Pope Francis blessed hundreds of people on the US side of the border, just before celebrating mass in Ciudad Juarez Pressed to respond to Trump's characterization of the Pope's comments as 'disgraceful,' the Catholic senator suddenly balked and said he has 'tremendous respect and admiration for him.' Bush also rushed to Trump's defense and insisted that no one should determine the validity of another person's faith in God. 'I think his Christianity is between he and his creator. Don't think we need to discuss that,' Bush told reporters in Columbia, South Carolina, according to CBS News. The campaign straggler did throw a shoulder at Trump for his boasts about ISIS, suggesting the billionaire isn't prepared to mount a serious military campaign against the terror army. 'As it relates to his policies related to ISIS, he's not the right guy to be commander-in-chief,' Bush said. WHAT THE OTHER CANDIDATES ARE SAYING ABOUT POPE FRANCIS Marco Rubio: 'Vatican City controls who comes in, when they come and how they come in, as a nation-state, or a city-state. And as a result, the United States has a right to do that as well.' Ben Carson: 'Enforcing our immigration laws is not in contradiction with love and kindness.' Bernie Sanders: 'We must heed Pope Francis' call to put compassion at the center of our immigration policy.' Jeb Bush: 'And that is clear, it's not an un-Christian thing to do, to make sure that people aren't coming across our border illegally. That's a just thing to do.' Ted Cruz: 'Listen, thats between Donald and the Pope. Im not going to get in the middle of that. Ill leave it to the two of them to work it out.' Advertisement But 'it's not an un-Christian thing to do, to make sure that people aren't coming across our border illegally,' he added. 'That's a just thing to do.' He also said he wouldn't want to personally engage in a tiff with the Pope. 'I'd stay away from that,' the Catholic convert told reporters. Dr. Ben Carson, another low-ranking GOP presidential candidate, also defended his party's border security position. 'Enforcing our immigration laws is not in contradiction with love and kindness,' the retired neurosurgeon said. Ted Cruz, a Texas senator who has battled with Trump all week over the content of attack ads, sat the fight out. 'Listen, thats between Donald and the Pope,' Cruz told journalists before heading into a South Carolina barbecue joint, according to Politico. 'I'm not going to get in the middle of that. I'll leave it to the two of them to work it out,' Cruz added, despite basing much of his campaign on strong religious messaging aimed at Bible-belt Christians. Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders also didn't weigh in on the Donald-Francis fight, but showed his support for the Pope on Wednesday night. 'We must heed Pope Francis' call to put compassion at the center of our immigration policy,' the Vermont democratic socialist wrote. Pope Francis himself reacted to Trump's fury and to the day's political tempest. Asked if he felt Mexico was using him as a political pawn, he said he didn't know. 'I leave that judgment to you, the people,' he said. But Francis seemed pleased to hear Trump had called him a 'political' figure, noting that Aristotle had described the human being as a 'political animal.' 'Thank God he said I was a politician because Aristotle defined the human person as "animal politicus." So at least I am a human person,' Francis quipped. Trump himself declined to expand dramatically on his morning statement against the Pope. But he told DailyMail.com during an unscheduled lunch stop in North Charleston that he and his aides reacted quickly Thursday morning when the Pope's remarks became a breaking news story. It took them 'one minute' to write his statement,' he said. 'Very quick. Are you impressed?' 'We heard it about 10 minutes before I walked onto the stage,' he said of the Pontiff's comments, recalling how he nearly went onstage in Kiawah Island without knowing what the rest of the world was talking about. 'So we did it very quickly.' Before the Trump-Pope Francis feud Democrat Bernie Sanders said that Americans should be guided by the Catholic leader in terms of immigration Donald Trump's social media director reminded the Twitterverse that Vatican City was surrounded by a very large wall DailyMail.com asked the billionaire if he would have reacted differently in the middle of a state with a greater concentration of Roman Catholics. South Carolina is tied with six other states as the second-least Catholic in the U.S. 'I don't even think about that,' he insisted. 'I don't even think about that.' 'I have no idea what the percentages are. I just know that I speak the truth,' Trump continued. 'I don't go to pollsters. I can have all he pollsters in the world. All the other candidates have them. I don't go to pollsters.' 'But you know,' he added, addressing the Pope's slap in his direction. 'I thought that it was inappropriate.' WHAT POPE WAS ASKED ON PLANE TO ROME - AND EXACTLY WHAT HE SAID The Associated Press released a full transcript and translation of the exchange between an unnamed reporter and the Pope on board the Pontiff's flight from Mexico Q: Good evening, Your Holiness. Today you spoke eloquently about the problems of migrants. On the other side of the frontier there's a very tough electoral campaign going on. One of the Republican candidates for the White House, Donald Trump, in a recent interview, said you are a "political man" and that maybe you are a pawn of the Mexican government as far as immigration policy is concerned. He has said that if elected, he would build a 2,500-kilometer-long wall along the border. He wants to deport 11 million illegal immigrants, thus separating families, etc. I would like to ask you, first off, what do you think of these accusations against you, and if an American Catholic can vote for someone like this. A: Thank God he said I was a politician because Aristotle defined the human person as 'animal politicus'. So at least I am a human person. As to whether I am a pawn, well, maybe, I don't know. I'll leave that up to your judgment and that of the people. And then, a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel. As far as what you said about whether I would advise to vote or not to vote, I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt. Advertisement Trump was sitting down to lunch at Fratello's Italian Tavern, accompanied by senior aides Hope Hicks and Corey Lewandowski, and North Charleston mayor Keith Summey. Summey offered an impromptu endorsement of Trump, and then the two men sat down to reflect on the news. 'I don't care if he's the Pope or not,' Summey told Trump. 'The bottom line is, your faith is your faith. And for someone to question your faith because he disagrees with you, that's getting back to the fight that you have among the different faiths of the world.' 'I'm a Baptist, but I think there are some darned good Catholics. Some darn good Jews. A lot of good people out there,' he said. 'Just because they say something I disagree with doesn't mean I have any less faith than they do.' Summey told DailyMail.com that if Pope Francis had made his controversial remarks in his town, 'I would tall him that I think it's inappropriate. He's not in the political spectrum. And he shouldn't question other people's faith.' Reminded that Francis is also a head of state as the chief political official in Vatican City a sovereign country Summey grimaced. 'Nobody can vote to elect him outside of the Catholic church,' he said. 'I think he's a great man, but I think in this instance he spoke out of place.' The Pontiff's long-awaited visit to Mexico concluded with a Mass on the U.S. border between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas, where he railed against American immigration policies that refuse legal status to Mexicans and Central Americans who sneak across the border. Trump told the Fox Business Network a week ago that Francis did not understand Mexican border issues. 'The Pope is a very political person. I think he doesn't understand the problems our country has. I don't think he understands the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico,' he said. But the Pontiff's final day in Mexico on Wednesday brought hundreds of thousands to his Mass while an estimated 30,000 more watched via simulcast at a football stadium on the Texas side of the Rio Grande. Francis also aimed a message north of the border at a time of increasingly tough presidential campaign rhetoric on immigration in the United States. The pope appealed for governments to open their hearts to the 'human tragedy' of forced migration. 'No more death! No more exploitation!' he implored. Francis stopped short of calling outright for the U.S. to open its borders, but he urged recognition that the multitudes fleeing gangland killings and extortion in their homelands are victims. Pope Francis waves as he boards a plane for Rome at the airport in Ciudad Juarez, bringing his four-day visit to an end The pontiff railed against immigration policies that force many underground and into the hands of drug gangs and human smugglers, praying in what was once one of the world's deadliest cities that lies on the Rio Grande 'We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis which in recent years has meant the migration of thousands of people, whether by train or highway or on foot, crossing hundreds of kilometers through mountains, deserts and inhospitable zones,' he said. 'They are our brothers and sisters, who are being expelled by poverty and violence, drug trafficking and organized crime.' Angelica Ortiz, one of those invited to be on the U.S. side, said she left Ciudad Juarez because drug traffickers threatened her son's life and now lives in El Paso after being granted asylum. 'I'm overcome by emotion,' Ortiz said afterward, practically speechless. 'A lot of emotion.' TRUMP AND RELIGION Trump has only occasionally made his Christian faith the centerpiece of his presidential campaign, emphasizing it in evangelical-heavy states like Iowa and South Carolina but sidelining it in New Hampshire and other more secular places. He was raised in the Presbyterian Church, which he has emphasized is in the 'middle of the road' between conservative Southern Baptists and more progressive denominations. Trump first raised eyebrows among the faithful in Iowa last year when he said that he doesn't make seeking God's forgiveness a central part of his religious practice. That led to charges that he was arrogant and ungodly the same sort of complaints evangelicals raised about Trump rival Ted Cruz when his tax returns revealed that he doesn't 'tithe' ten per cent of his earnings to his church as Bible-belt orthodoxy requires. Ultimately Trump tried to dispel the fears of Christian voters by saying that he regularly takes communion during Sunday services. 'When I drink my little wine which is about the only wine I drink and have my little cracker, I guess that is a form of asking for forgiveness, and I do that as often as possible because I feel cleansed,' he said on the campaign trail. Republican candidates actively covet evangelical voters' support early in the presidential primary season, when most of the deep South goes to the polls in the winter. That enthusiasm tends to fade, though, as Midwestern and northern states monopolize more of their time in the spring. March 1 will see more than a half dozen southern primaries contested, on a day historically known as Super Tuesday. Many of those Christian-saturated and deeply conservative States have college athletic teams that compete in the South Eastern Conference leading pundits to call it the 'SEC Primary.' Advertisement Earlier in the trip, Francis appeared to go beyond the normally gentle criticism that popes make on foreign trips, holding the feet of Mexico's powerful to the fire again and again. On his first full day in the country, Francis told President Enrique Pena Nieto and other members of the government in a speech at the National Palace that public officials must be honest and not be seduced by privilege and corruption. Observers said the pontiff's actions, words and choice of events showed he feels both the Mexican church and the government have failed the country's poorest and most vulnerable. Trump's angry response to the Pope is likely to be used by both sides in the presidential election. The Republican base has responded positively to his calls to cut illegal immigration and deport 11 million immigrants already in the United States. So a robust response to a Pope seen as supporting immigration is likely to play well with voters in the primaries. Trump's own response was a marked change of tone from what he had said just hours earlier when he was asked about the Pope celebrating mass at the border. Speaking on SiriusXM radio early on Thursday morning, he was asked by host Stephen K. Bannon: 'Yesterday, the Pope had a mass at the border and put the blame principally on Mexico. 'Do you believe the Pope blinked because you brought up the fact that "Hey, please do not get involved in American domestic politics?"' Trump responded: 'I heard the Pope and I respect the Pope and I love the Pope in many ways. I love what he stands for and I like his attitude. He's very independent and he's very different.' 'He's sort of a modern day pope if you think about it. But I put it out there because he was going to be at the border, and I said, you don't know, because he made statements about sort of me I guess or whatever, and I put out a very strong statement that you've got to take a look at what's happening.' 'There's tremendous crime, there's drugs pouring through the border,' Trump vented. 'It's not coming from us, it's coming from the other side. And I made a pretty strong argument and I talked about the wall very quickly and it got picked up.' 'And he could have been persuaded. I don't know. But I really respect the fact that he sees both sides. You know a lot of people are inflexible they won't change.' Trump's remarks on Thursday were also a dramatic departure from his original perception of Pope Francis. 'The new Pope is a humble man, very much like me, which probably explains why I like him so much!' he tweeted on Christmas Day in 2013. Merry Christmas! Donald Trump's initial reaction to Pope Francis was to compare the pontiff to himself Trump has only occasionally made his Christian faith a centerpiece in his presidential campaign, emphasizing it in evangelical-heavy states like Iowa and South Carolina but sidelining it in New Hampshire and other more secular places. He was raised in the Presbyterian Church, which he has emphasized is in the 'middle of the road' between conservative Southern Baptists and more progressive denominations. Trump first raised eyebrows among the faithful in Iowa last year when he said he doesn't make seeking God's forgiveness a central part of his religious practice. That led to charges that he was arrogant and ungodly the same sort of complaints evangelicals raised about Cruz when his tax returns revealed that he doesn't 'tithe' ten per cent of his earnings to his church, as Bible-belt orthodoxy requires. Ultimately Trump dispelled the fears of Christian voters by saying that he regularly takes communion during Sunday services. 'When I drink my little wine which is about the only wine I drink and have my little cracker, I guess that is a form of asking for forgiveness, and I do that as often as possible because I feel cleansed,' he said on the campaign trail. Republican candidates actively covet evangelical voters' support early in the presidential primary season, when most of the deep South goes to the polls in the winter. That enthusiasm tends to fade, though, as Midwestern and northern states monopolize more of their time in the spring. March 1 will see more than a half dozen southern primaries contested, on a day historically known as Super Tuesday. An NYPD sergeant accused of persuading women to abuse young children while he watched on Skype was outed as an alleged pedophile by a psychic who has not met him. Sgt Alberto Randazzo, 39, was arrested in 2013 and police later found recordings of Skype conversations on his computer. Prosecutors claim these files show Randazzo asking women to molest children while he watched. Sgt Alberto Randazzo is accused of having women molest young children while he watched on Skype and was turned into the police by his then girlfriend after her mother was warned about him by a psychic It has now emerged that police were tipped off by the cop's then girlfriend, who was warned about him by her mother who had just seen a psychic, the New York Daily News reported. Jenny Zerello told Brooklyn Federal Court that she met Randazzo on Match.com in October 2012 - a year after Skype conversations in which he allegedly had a woman molest an eight-year-old boy. Three months after Randazzo and Zerello started dating, she bought her mother, Tina, a session with a medium as a gift. The psychic told Ms Zerello's mother that her daughter was dating 'a very bad person and that I was in a dangerous situation and I needed to separate myself from him', Ms Zerello told the court. Randazzo's former girlfriend said she was already concerned he might be a pedophile because he spent more time talking to a seven-year-old girl at a holiday party than adults. Ms Zerello told the court that she hacked into his iPhone when he was sleeping, correctly guessing that his police badge number was his password. Jenny Zerello's mother, Tina (left, with Jenny Zerello), was warned by a medium that her daughter was dating 'a very bad person' and that she was in danger Appalled by what she found on his phone, she then looked at Randazzo's computer and found incriminating photos and videos and sent them to the NYPD. The hearing on Tuesday was to decide whether the evidence can be used against Randazzo at his trial, with a judge ruling it was legally obtained. Randazzo is suspended without pay from the police and is being held without bail. The 15-year NYPD veteran was first arrested in 2013 on charges of having 23 sexual images of children as young as one. He was bailed but was re-arrested after allegedly downloading dozens of child porn videos. The Daily News reported last July that police had arrested a woman in Massachusetts who had allegedly abused an eight-year-old on camera for Randazzo. The alleged molestation, which is said to have taken place in 2011, saw the woman - who has not been identified to protect the identity of the child victim - drug the boy. On one occasion, the woman sent the NYPD sergeant a picture of her breasts. 'Omg, now I know why [the victim] is in love with them,' he is said to have replied. The relationship between the woman and the boy has not been disclosed. However she had 'regular access' to him. Randazzo also faces charges for soliciting another woman in Colorado to abuse her one-year-old son on video. Zahera Tariq disappeared last summer with her daughter and three sons, sparking an international manhunt. She denies four counts of abducting a child under 16 A mother abandoned her husband and fled the country with her four children aged between five and 13 in a bid to reach war-ravaged Syria, a court heard today. Zahera Tariq disappeared last summer with her daughter and three sons, sparking an international manhunt. The 33-year-old travelled from London City Airport to Amsterdam Schiphol on August 25. The family then travelled on to Istanbul, it was claimed. Tariq was eventually arrested on August 29 in Kilis, one of the two crossing points from Turkey into Syria. She stayed in contact with one of her four sisters, Aisha Tariq, and her sister's husband Siddartha Dhar, jurors heard. Tariq's husband, named only as Mahmood, was completely unaware his wifes plans and had not given permission for her to take the children, Southwark Crown Court heard. Two of the boys also suffered from an eye condition called Keratoconus, for which they were being treated by Moorfields Eye Hospital. Mukal Chawla, prosecuting, said: One parent cannot simply take a child or children abroad without the consent of the other parent. To do so without the consent of the other parent amounts to the offence of child abduction and thats what this defendant is charged with. Tariq, of Walthamstow, east London, and her husband were married in Pakistan in 2000, and he joined her in the UK in 2001. He returned to his home in Walthamstow from his job at a dry cleaners in Edmonton on August 25 to find his home empty. He was described as a straightforward man of no sophistication who was unable to tell police the exact ages of his children. He was not initially worried, as he believed his family may be at her mothers house or with one of her sisters. But when she had not returned by 10pm, he called her mobile and the call went straight through to voicemail. Mr Chawla said: When they hadnt returned home later that night he called his wifes aunt and one of the defendants sisters. He discovered that his wife and children were not at either of those relatives homes. The aunt asked him to check if the passports and his wifes jewellery, and he discovered that they were gone. Tariq's husband, named only as Mahmood, was completely unaware his wifes plans was and had not given permission for her to take the children, Southwark Crown Court (stock image) heard Tariq had not, however, taken the Pakistan ID cards that would have allowed her to enter Pakistan without a visa. Mr Chawla continued: The defendants father came over to his house and they decided that they should call the police. You will hear that just as they had decided this, the defendants aunt with at least one of the defendants sisters arrived. At least one or more of the relatives persuaded him not to call the police, saying that his wife may have gone to Syria because thats where her sister was.' The family decided to go to Tariqs aunts house in case she telephoned there. They waited up all night but did not receive a call which never came. Eventually, Mahmood rang his brother who reassured him that he had done nothing wrong and that he should call the police. Mr Chawla said: His brother will tell you that his brother was upset and crying on the phone, and consequently he arrived very soon thereafter. You may think this is not the reaction of someone who knew his wife was taking their four children abroad.' The court also heard how Tariq bought five return tickets to Amsterdam from a local travel agent the day before leaving the UK and activated a new, pay-as-you go mobile phone. She then left from one of her sisters addresses in Walthamstow and travelled via taxi to London City Airport. The 33-year-old travelled from London City Airport to Amsterdam Schiphol (stock image) on August 25. The family then travelled on to Istanbul, it was claimed Mr Chawla added: It is clear that [her sister] knew that the defendant was going away with the children, even though the defendants husband had been left in the dark. Upon arrival at Amsterdam Schiphol, she bought five single tickets to Istanbul, which she paid for in cash, the court heard. When they reached Turkey, they spent the night in the Adana Saray Hotel in Adana before making their way to Kelis, it was said. Mahmood did not receive a call from his wife until August 30 after her arrest by the Turkish authorities. Upon the familys repatriation to the UK, Tariq was initially held at Luton airport. She answered no comment to all questions put to her by police. The court later heard Mahmood explicitly say he had not given permission for his wife to take the children to Turkey. He insisted he had no idea they were leaving or where they had gone and said he had recently spent a 'happy' couple of weeks at home, in which his wife did not mention anything. Mahmood said he knew his wifes sister Aisha was in Syria but was not aware if the two women were in touch. The prosecution need to prove only that the defendant took these children abroad, not what her motivation was, and you may hear some evidence about that in due course Mukal Chawla He told the court he was paid 676 monthly but his wife received between 1,100 and 1,200 monthly in benefits, including child benefit. Peter Carter, defending, said Tariq had told Mahmood she was going to try and persuade her sister to return home. He added: She said she had tried to persuade her on the telephone but Aisha wanted to stay in Syria. Therefore you, your wife and your children were going to go to Turkey to try and persuade Aisha to cross the border into Turkey and come home. This was going to have to take place in the school holidays so the kids didnt miss out on any education. Mahmood denied this suggestion. Mr Carter continued: By August 24 you were back at work and your wife said now you are back at work you are able to travel, so we can all - meaning you, her and the children - can travel to Turkey to rescue Aisha. But Mahmood again denied any knowledge his wife had gone to the travel agent and said he had not seen her packing. He also revealed he did not want to live with his wife following the incident and said he was scared, which is why he did not initially tell police. Mr Chawla told the jury: The issue is simply that she took the children out of the UK without the consent of her husband. If you consider that she did, shes guilty, if you consider that she didnt, shes not guilty. If Mr Mahmood knew that his wife and family were travelling abroad to Turkey or anywhere else, why did it become necessary to call the police to report them missing? In addition, you may think that his reaction as witnessed by his brother and his father-in-law speaks volumes about the defendants decision to take her children suddenly and without warning out of the UK. He added: The prosecution need to prove only that the defendant took these children abroad, not what her motivation was, and you may hear some evidence about that in due course. If the defendant took the children abroad without the consent of her husband, shes guilty. Tariq denies four counts of abduction of a child under 16. Condoms could be coming to porn studios across California if workplace safety officials vote to adopt new regulations to protect adult film actors. The state Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) was scheduled to vote on the regulations following a hearing Thursday in Oakland. It would widen a rule already enforced in Los Angeles County - which has since seen porn film permit applications plummet. Porn industry officials say the proposed restrictions go too far and could result in actors having to wear not only condoms but also safety goggles and dental dams - a rectangular piece of latex designed for the mouth - when engaging in some acts like oral sex. Lawmakers in California will vote on Thursday whether to make condoms compulsory in porn. Industry executives have slammed the proposal, saying their regular sexual health test policy is even protection Porn executives say their own requirement that actors be tested every 14 days for sexually transmitted diseases provides adequate protection. They add that tougher Cal/OSHA rules could drive their multibillion-dollar business, much of which is based in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, out of the state. HOW ONE LOS ANGELES STUDIO USES CGI TO AIRBRUSH CONDOMS The imposed use of condoms was introduced in November 2012 as part of the County of Los Angeles Safer Sex In the Adult Film Industry Act, also known as Measure B. All porn filmed in the state must feature condoms during penetration scenes. Additionally, each production must obtain a license before being made. Supporters of Measure B claimed it would stop the spread of disease and protect industry workers. Yet the opposition claimed the measure was a waste of money and would damage the local porn industry. Reports claim that since the introduction of the act, permit applications during 2013 dropped from 480 to 24 - almost 95 per cent. Viewing figures also dropped - so one studio turned to airbrushing and CGI to appease both the law, and the customers, by digitally removing the condoms in post-production. Director Tony DiMarco from Falcon Studios said all the scenes in his latest California Dreamin 1 were filmed using condoms. During post-production he removed some condoms using airbrushing, while in others he used CGI to overlay the original image with computer-generated genitalia. Falcon Studios has used condoms in its films since the 1980s, yet these new techniques make it possible for them to appear as 'non-condom' productions, and appeal to more viewers. Advertisement 'These are unworkable regulations based in fear and stigma, not science or public health,' said Eric Paul Leue, executive director of the industry trade organization the Free Speech Coalition. He added that more than 100 actors plan to speak out against the proposed regulations. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is bringing a handful of former actors to the hearing who say they were infected with HIV while working in the business. Under the 21-page proposal the agency is considering, so-called engineering controls, 'such as condoms' must be used by actors engaging in sex to reduce the risk of being infected. Producers would also be required to pay for medical visits, treatments and other health-care costs for their performers. Condoms are already required for films made in Los Angeles County, thanks to an AIDS Healthcare Foundation-sponsored ordinance that voters adopted in 2012. It was part of the County of Los Angeles Safer Sex In the Adult Film Industry Act, also known as Measure B. All porn filmed in the state must feature condoms during penetration scenes. Additionally, each production must obtain a license before being made. Supporters of Measure B claimed it would stop the spread of disease and protect industry workers. Yet the opposition claimed the measure was a waste of money and would damage the local porn industry. Reports claim that since the introduction of the act, permit applications during 2013 dropped from 480 to 24 - almost 95 per cent. Weinstein has complained that filmmakers, who sometimes work out of houses they rent for just a day or two, sometimes ignore that law. Cal/OSHA could enforce its regulations with, among other things, the kind of workplace visits it requires of other industries. Dr Adam Perkins' (pictured) talk at the London School of Economics has been temporarily postponed over concerns that campaigners were threatening to disrupt it Left-wing activists have succeeded in stopping a university lecture in which a respected academic was due to present his research on welfare. The talk at the London School of Economics has been temporarily postponed over concerns that campaigners were threatening to disrupt it. Dr Adam Perkins had been due to speak about his book, which examined the relationship between personality and the welfare state. However, organisers suspended the event after a social media backlash from activists who labelled it 'nauseating' and threatened to 'shut it down'. It represents an escalation of the long list of 'no-platforming' incidents, in which students have attempted to stop speakers appearing who they disagree with. Until now, their efforts have been focussed on political campaigners and provocateurs, but this latest incident appears to show that even ordinary academics presenting their work can now be targets. Last night, Dr Perkins said he was 'saddened' by the activists' 'knee-jerk reaction', which he said might discourage other researchers from carrying out similar studies. He told the Daily Mail: 'I was surprised by it. I think some of these people have got the wrong end of the stick about the book. 'It actually has a fairly positive message that we can improve the welfare state by taking advantage of personality research, although there are some findings which some people will find uncomfortable. 'Certain people are primed to be outraged by data they don't like. But there's no place for outrage in science. 'People are afraid to speak up about challenging topics for fear of abuse, but data will always win in the end. 'It is absurd to protest against data without offering any counter-data. 'This is a new and unfortunate turn of events.' Dr Perkins, a lecturer in the neurobiology of personality at King's College London, has already seen his work criticised by those who say it stigmatises the long-term unemployed. His book, The Welfare Trait, states that 'individuals with aggressive, rule-breaking and antisocial personality characteristics are over-represented among welfare claimants'. It suggests that because personality is partly formed by environmental factors, a welfare state that increases the number of children born into disadvantaged households can proliferate employment-resistant personality characteristics. Dr Adam Perkins talk at the London School of Economics (pictured) has been temporarily postponed over concerns that campaigners were threatening to disrupt it Dr Perkins said the research builds on more than 100 peer-reviewed studies and that the findings have been discussed in academia for many years. He added that his book's central argument is that 'if we want a sustainable welfare state that provides a safety net during unemployment but without eroding work motivation, we need to take account of discoveries from personality research'. He added: 'The sad thing is that the findings that I'm citing go back decades. Researchers have known about this but have kept their head down. 'They don't want talk about it publicly because they know that it would be a risk to their career. I was like this for a while but eventually a friend convinced me that I owed it to the tax payers to publicise these data.' In the run-up to his LSE talk earlier this month, his views were denounced as 'grotesque' on Twitter, and disability rights group Black Triangle appeared to be organising a picket and protest on the day. Certain people are primed to be outraged by data they don't like. But there's no place for outrage in science. Dr Adam Perkins 'I think [work and pensions secretary] Iain Duncan Smith would love this idea as it fits the Tory notion of 'benefits scroungers',' said the group's Facebook page. One Twitter user appeared to call on student campaign groups Occupy LSE and the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts to protest at the event. Another woman wrote of the lecture: 'Nauseating. This is how the further dismantling of welfare and demonisation of claimants will be justified.' Organisers postponed the event with just days to go due to 'unforeseen circumstances'. It is understood they hope to reschedule the event for a later date when a more robust security team can enlisted to manage any potential protests. Dr Perkins said that LSE staff had been 'open-minded and helpful' and that the postponement had not been forced on them or suggested by any central LSE body. Nevertheless, the failure to ensure that the original event went ahead is likely to dismay some academics in light of recent concerns about campus censorship and the fact that social media comments did not suggest that any violence was planned by protesters in this case. Black Triangle is a Glasgow-based campaign group which protests against the current government's attempts to reform the welfare system regarding incapacity benefits. It claims changes are a breach of human rights and stigmatise disabled people. The lecturer had been due to speak about his book, which examined the relationship between personality and the welfare state. However, organisers suspended the event after a social media backlash from activists who labelled it 'nauseating' and threatened to 'shut it down' The group was co-founded by John McArdle, 48, an Englishman who lives in Edinburgh and appears to have worked as a reporter in China in his younger life. An LSE spokesperson said: 'The speaker and hosting department agreed to postpone the lecture for logistical reasons. 'The speaker and organisers were aware of some negative social media activity and the postponement is to ensure the safe and smooth running of the event, once it is rescheduled.' The LSE has long been a centre for radical politics of all persuasions and has been at the centre of controversy in the past. In 2012, the LSE Islamic Society invited in extremist speaker Haitham Al Haddad, who is alleged to have described Jews as 'the enemies of God, and the descendants of apes and pigs' a charge he denies. The event was cancelled after complaints from Jewish students. In 2011 the LSE was criticised for a 'chapter of failures' in its links with the Gaddafi regime in Libya. A report by former Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf said mistakes and errors of judgement damaged the LSE's reputation. The school's former director, Sir Howard Davies, resigned in March over a 1.5 million gift from a foundation led by Colonel Gaddafi's son Saif, a former student. FBI agents on Thursday were searching the California townhome of the brother of San Bernardino terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook amid lingering questions about a possible third shooter. The brother, Syed Raheel Farook, is a Navy veteran who earned medals for fighting global terrorism. Agents were carrying out a search warrant as part of an ongoing investigation, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller confirmed. No arrests had been made. Raid: FBI and Homeland Security investigators carry a computer tower and manila envelopes from the Corona, California, home of Syed Raheel Farook, the brother of one of the San Bernardino shooters Navy man: Syed Raheel, pictured here with his wife, Tatiana Chernykh, is a decorated US Navy veteran Reporters and onloookers stand across the street from the Farook home on Forum Way in Corona Thursday morning A local police cruiser drives by the townhouse of Raheel Farook, which is also home to his father Eimiller declined, however, to comment on where the search was happening or whether it had anything to do with the deadly shooting. An affidavit in support of the warrant was under seal. Syed Rizwan Farook's brother and sister-in-law, Tatiana Chernykh, live in a home in the 1700 block of Forum Way in Corona. Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people and wounded more than 20 others in the December 2 terror attack at a meeting of his coworkers in San Bernardino, about an hour east of Los Angeles. Syed Raheel Farook was in the Navy from 2003 to 2007, military records show. During his stint, he received the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, among other awards. After going through training in the family's native Illinois, Syed Raheel Farook served for three years aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise as an information system technician. Farook and Chernykh's neighbor told the station KTLA the FBI descended on the couple's home at around 6.30am on Thursday and left more than four hours later carrying stacks of manila envelopes, bags and a desktop computer. Terror duo: Syed Raheel's brother, Syed Rizwan (right) and his sister-in-law Tashfeen Malik (left) carried out a mass shooting on December 2 in San Bernardino that left 14 dead and more than 20 wounded In this December 19, 2015, photo, Syed Raheel Farook, left, brother-in-law Farhan Khan, second from left, and mother, Rafia Farook, third from left, leave the Redlands home of Farook and Malik The couple live at the Forum Way address with their child, Mr Farook's father, and until recently, his mother, Rafia Farook, who had moved out of her slain son and daughter-in-law's Redlands home after the terrorist attack. Neighbor Stacy Mozer said that Syed Raheel and his wife are ideal neighbors and very pleasant people. Mozer revealed that the family's home was searched twice after the December terror attack and that authorities previously broke down the front door. Shards of wood and damage to the lock were still visible Thursday. Tatiana Chernykh's sister, Marya, was married to Syed Rizwan Farook's former neighbor and friend Enrique Marquez,. who has been charged with plotting failed attacks with Farook in 2011 and 2012, and buying two AR-style rifles used in the San Bernardino massacre. He is also facing an immigration fraud charge stemming from his sham marriage to the Chernykh sister. The search warrant was executed a day after Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company would fight federal government efforts to help the FBI hack into an iPhone that had been used by shooter Syed Farook. A federal magistrate ordered Apple to help the FBI get into the phone but Cook said doing so would mean building a 'backdoor' that would bypass digital locks protecting consumer information on iPhones. He says the software would be too dangerous to create. Meanwhile, it was revealed this week, more than two months after the ISIS-inspired mass shooting in California, that the FBI still has not ruled out the possibility that Farook and Malik had a third accomplice. Lingering questions: More than two months after the deadly attack, which ended with Farook and Malik being shot dead by police in their rented SUV (pictured), officials still have not ruled out the possibility that the couple had an accomplice Victims: A composite photo of all 14 victims from the San Bernardino shooting rampage. They are top row left: Robert Adams, Isaac Amanios, Bennetta Betbadal, Harry Bowman and Sierra Clayborn. Second row from left: Juan Espinoza, Aurora Godoy, Shannon Johnson, Larry Daniel Kaufman and Damian Meins. Bottom row from left: Tin Nguyen, Nicholas Thalasinos, Yvette Velasco and Michael Wetzel Law enforcement officials told ABC News that in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, some people reported seeing three gunmen at the Inland Regional Center, not two. 'What we have confirmed is evidence indicating that two weapons were fired at the Inland Regional Center,' Laura Eimiller, the FBI Los Angeles spokeswoman, told ABC. 'But in the absence of video its something you cant entirely rule out until every question is answered. Theres still unanswered questions.' Eyewitness Sally Abdelmageed told the press back in December that she saw a trio of shooters in black military-style clothing and tactical vests. However, Lt Mike Madden, the first San Bernardino police officer to respond to the scene of the shooting, said there was no evidence to support the theory that there were three suspects. A 92-year-old widow who lives in Britain with her only child has been ordered to leave the country and return to her native South Africa after losing her battle to stop her deportation. Myrtle Cothill, whose father fought for Britain in the First and Second World Wars, suffers from heart problems and relies on the care of her 66-year-old daughter, Mary Wills, who is a British citizen. She has lived at her daughter's home in Poole, Dorset, since February 2014 and applied for leave to remain in the country as an adult dependent on the grounds of human rights. Myrtle Cothill, pictured right, whose father fought for Britain in the First and Second World Wars, suffers from heart problems and relies on the care of her 66-year-old daughter, Mary Wills, left, who is a British citizen But her application was refused and Mrs Cothill has now been told she must board a flight back to South Africa on Tuesday, despite having no close family in her home country. In a heartbreaking statement posted online, Mrs Wills wrote how she fears the move will kill her mother, who depends on her for her personal care, cooking and shopping. She posted: 'My mother just cannot live on her own, and emotionally, to her as well as for myself, it would really tear strips out of our heart and probably would kill my mother, and maybe myself as well.' Mrs Willis, a professional carer, lives with her husband David, who suffers from Parkinson's disease and has problems with his heart. She said her husband's health means they cannot travel to South Africa to look after her mother, and that they do not have a right to live in the country. Mrs Cothill's barrister, Jan Doerfel, said: 'This is a heart-breaking situation for Myrtle and Mary. If Myrtle does not depart, she will be at risk not only of immigration detention but also of enforced removal.' Appeal: More than 52,000 people have signed an online petition calling for Mrs Cothill to be allowed to remain Mr Doerfel set up an online petition on change.org calling for his client to be allowed to stay in the UK. More than 52,000 people have signed. James Davies, Mrs Cothill's immigration adviser at the International Care Network, said: 'Myrtle does not have close family members in South Africa willing and or able to look after her, and is dependent on both the emotional and physical care of her daughter in the UK. But many individuals said to have donated to the charities 'did not exist' John Davies, pictured, along with his son Benjamin Davies and daughter Melody Davies, allegedly pocketed vast sums in tax relief paid by the government to two charities Three members of the same family were involved in a 5million charity gift aid scam, a court has heard. John Davies, 58, and his son Benjamin Davies, 31, and daughter Melody Davies, 27, allegedly pocketed vast sums in tax relief paid by the government to two charities. The Davies family, along with 38-year-old Olsi Vullnetari, allegedly organised repayments through the Sompan Foundation and Kurbet Foundation. But many individuals said to have donated to the charities did not exist, Southwark Crown Court heard. The four defendants deny charges of cheating public revenue and money laundering between June 2005 and January 2014. The foundations each used PO boxes as mailing addresses at Mailbox Etc in Eden Street, Kingston-upon-Thames. Sompan provides relief for women and children in poverty while the Kurbet Foundation focuses on the well-being of migrants. David Hughes, prosecuting, said: Behind this case is the tradition that we have in this country among people, no doubt yourselves included, of donating to charity. The government supports charities by what is known as gift aid tax relief. They are getting money back off the government when they are not entitled to it. Here we say what is being stated is we have had a donation, please give us the gift aid relief. This was just a complete sham. Fraudulent tax repayments were claimed on behalf of the Sompan Foundation worth 3,294,450.43 between March 2007 and January 2014 while the Kurbet Foundation received 1,743,748.20. Jurors heard money was sent to 15 countries including Ireland, the US and UAE from the Sompan foundation with almost half the funds being diverted to Hungary. Mr Hughes told jurors the Davies family owned a holiday home in Balastya, Hungary, where a significant amount of the money was sent. Benjamin Davies, left, and his sister Melody Davies, right, both deny charges of cheating public revenue and money laundering between June 2005 and January 2014 For all of those there has been no donation, no entitlement to gift aid, no entitlement to any money from the government,' he added. Vullnetari had been a trustee of the Sompan foundation from November 2004 until January 2008 when Benjamin Davies became a trustee until he resigned in August 2012. Mr Hughes claimed Vullnetari carried out some of the transactions under the alias Thomas Hamilton. He said the real Thomas Hamilton was a vice principal at a school in Coleraine, Northern Ireland and was unaware of the charities until he was contacted by investigators. Jurors saw a photocopy of a passport which held Mr Hamiltons name but featured a picture of Vullnetari. Mr Hughes claimed Vullnetari hijacked the teachers identity and used the alias John Shelton for some of his dealings. John Davies, of Mill Road, Esher, Surrey, Benjamin Davies, of Allanson Road, Manchester, Melody Davies, of Nettles Lane, Shrewsbury, and Vullnetari, of Charney Avenue, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, all deny two counts of cheating the public revenue and one of money laundering. The trial continues. Nadine Smith, 38, pretended she had been taken hostage by a criminal gang in Jamaica who were threatening to kill her unless her lover Chris Laytham paid up A care worker who faked her own kidnapping to try and get a 25,000 ransom from her lover has walked free from court. Nadine Smith, 38, pretended she had been taken hostage by a criminal gang in Jamaica who were threatening to kill her unless her lover Chris Laytham paid up. The 56-year-old received a picture in December of Smith tied up and gagged, wearing a t-shirt with the words 'gold digger' written on it, which he recognised. However, Southwark Crown Court heard today Smith was actually in her Battersea flat all along. Mr Laytham had already given her 100,000 over their five year relationship and even helped her buy a house in Jamaica. He chose not to send any money but notified the police about the texts and the possible kidnapping. Scotland Yard's kidnap squad found all the calls and texts had been made in the UK and that Mr Laytham had been the victim of an attempted fraud. They went to her address and arrested Jamaican born Smith who pleaded guilty to one count of blackmail last month. Today the single mother-of-two was told how close she had come to being jailed as she was given a 18 month sentence, suspended for 12 months. Prosecutor Douglas Adams told the court Mr Laytham had been the manager of the estate Smith had lived on and the pair started a relationship in 2010, but it cooled off over a period of time. 'He says over the period up to the end of December last year he had given the defendant 100,000,' explained Mr Adams. 'Indeed he helped her buy a property in Jamaica that he was hoping they would retire to. 'In December last year the defendant told him her mother was ill in Jamaica and she wanted to go there to see her and care for her.' The court heard he gave her the money for the flight and an operation totalling 3,000. Mr Adams continued: 'Then on the 16th of December a series of messages are received by Mr Laytham. 'The first one was a man speaking with a Jamaican accent who said "who is Chucky to you", referring to the defendant. He said they were going to kill her.' He then received a message from her and she told him: 'They have got me and they want money'. The victim then received two pictures, one of a close up of Smith's face with a gag in her mouth, the second of her hands tied up behind her back to give the impression she had been kidnapped. Mr Adams said: 'He then got another message saying the person was going to kill her if the money wasn't paid. He was also told if he contacted anyone she would die.' The court heard about other messages, including one from Smith which said 'two other people had been with her and they had been killed because no-one had paid the money that had been asked for.' In another message she claimed she had 'soiled herself' because she was so scared. Mr Laytham eventually tried to get in contact with Smith's brother but did not pay any of the money. Instead he went to Lewisham police station and reported the messages. Kidnap squad officers examined the phone calls and messages, and found they had been made in this country. However, Southwark Crown Court (pictured) heard today Smith was actually in her Battersea flat all along. Mr Laytham had already given her 100,000 over their five year relationship and even helped her buy a house in Jamaica. He chose not to send any money but notified the police about the texts and the possible kidnapping They went to her home address and found her there as well as the t-shirt and tape seen in the photos. In interview she admitted she had made the whole thing up, but said her mother was really sick and she wanted the money to help her. Her lawyer Andrew Frymann said the incident was a 'prank which had gone too far' and insisted Smith was only seeking attention because she felt under appreciated. Sentencing, Judge Andrew Goymer said: 'Blackmail is a particularly odious offence, sometimes described as moral murder.' He did point out that this case was 'not particularly sophisticated' as not method of receiving payment from the victim had been set up, but had caused him 'anxiety'. Judge Goymer added: 'This was nevertheless a particularly mean and cruel deception on the victim with the hope the defendant would get more money from him.' He added the fact Smith was a single parent was 'not a get out of jail free card' but he was 'just persuaded he was able to suspend' on the count of her early plea and the lack of sophistication of the scam. Speaking directly to her, he said: 'Normally for blackmail you would go straight to prison, but I have suspended it. You should know it was a very close run thing.' Smith wept in the dock as the she was given her suspended sentence, and two other counts of fraud were ordered to lie on the file. Salesman Stuart Hamilton killed himself following a family feud over his father's will, a coroner has heard. An inquest heard that the 59-year-old had been left 'deeply disturbed' after falling out with his brother over their inheritance when their father died. Mr Hamilton was found dead in his flat in a pool of his own blood last December having stabbed himself. The inquest heard how his older brother Ian had challenged their father's will, secretly hiring a 'no win no fee' lawyer to sue for the entirety of the estate, leaving his two siblings without a penny. The inquest was heard at the North East Hampshire Coroner's Office, located within Hampshire council's Golding complex, pictured Their sister Lucinda told the coroner that her brother had seriously struggled with the death of their father and the subsequent fight over his will. 'He never dealt with my dad's death and he felt so very betrayed by our older brother - it ate away at him,' she told the hearing in Basingstoke, Hampshire. 'Our brother Ian sent him a very vicious letter and said he didn't care, all he wanted was the money. Stuart felt so betrayed.' She said their brother had lied to them about the finances, successfully challenging the will to cut them out of the inheritance entirely. North Hampshire Coroner Andrew Bradley said that it had been a 'bitter pill to swallow' and a 'sad business'. On the day of Mr Hamilton's death in December, both Ms Hamilton and her brother's long-term partner, Lorraine Wright, thought he was staying with the other person. When they realised he wasn't with either of them and had possibly said his goodbyes to them, Ms Wright said they 'panicked', and his sister raced around to his flat. After using a spare key to go inside, she discovered Mr Hamilton laying on the floor in the foetal position. Ms Wright, his partner of 10 years, said that on being told of his death she just started screaming. 'I was devastated by the news,' she said. 'I loved him so much. I've taken it pretty badly. I know he got very upset when he and Lucinda had a disagreement with Ian about their dad's will. I think Ian was more like a dad to him.' Hampshire coroner Stuart Bradley recorded a verdict of suicide The mother-of-two said his divorce and the 'family feud over the will' caused him to become depressed and he had once asked her to join a suicide pact, saying, 'let's do it together'. Police constable Dumisani Sikhosana, who was called to the flat on Bell Vue Road, Old Basingstoke, Hampshire, said: 'I could see him lying in a pool of blood. There were two knives and some car keys in front of him. 'I could not see where the blood came from due to the way his body was positioned.' His family said despite engaging with mental health teams with their help, he had been reluctant to take more drugs and when he had been prescribed sleeping tablets he had begun abusing them. The father-of-one had worked in sales for pipe suspension equipment manufacturer Carpenter & Paterson across the UK, Middle East and Texas. Fears he was going to lose his job over his mental state were unfounded, his boss told his sister, and he was a highly valued employee. Ms Hamilton said her brother believed there was life after death, adding: 'He lived life at a hell of a rate - like a shooting star. I don't think any of us were enough to hold him.' Coroner Mr Bradley said it was 'significant' that Mr Hamilton had gone back to the flat to end his life when both his sister and partner thought he was with the other person. Recording a conclusion of suicide, Mr Bradley said: 'The deceased was William Stuart Hamilton, known as Stuart. 'On December 9, 2015 he was found dead at home having cut his own throat while suffering from depression. 'Certainly Stuart had had a troubled time. You see him closing the doors one by one. The nature of his father's will is clearly something that left him deeply disturbed.' Mr Hamilton's family declined to speak after Thursday's hearing. A woman whose oil trader husband blew 600,000 on drink, drugs and call girls yesterday won a landmark battle to be awarded more than half their fortune. David Rapp and his wife Francoise enjoyed a life of luxury for 16 years, living in a 3.5million flat in one of Londons most prestigious addresses and spending almost every weekend in Monte Carlo. But Mr Rapp, 56, was a drinker, drug addict and user of call girls, a court heard, and after years of putting up with it, Mrs Rapp walked out in 2009. David Rapp (right) and his wife Francoise (left) enjoyed a life of luxury for 16 years, living in a 3.5million flat in one of Londons most prestigious addresses and spending almost every weekend in Monte Carlo In divorce proceedings, she claimed that she should get more than half of their 13.6million fortune, but her ex-husband argued he should not be punished for his addictive illness with a lesser share. Pointing to the vows they took on their wedding day in 1994, he said she had taken him for better or worse and should have accepted him as he was. In 2014, a family court judge awarded 47-year-old Mrs Rapp a 7.4m slice of the fortune - 1.2m more than her husband - and yesterday senior judges upheld the award. Lady Justice Black said it was necessary to ensure that the wife, who has no hope of making a living, can meet her 170,000-a-year needs. Luxury living: Their former 3.5million London home The assessment of a spouses needs includes a consideration of the way in which the parties led their lives whilst together, she said. When approaching the wifes budget, the judge was entitled to take account, as he did, of the parties high standard of living during the marriage. The court heard that, over the course of the marriage, they accumulated a huge fortune, including properties in St Tropez and a substantial investment portfolio. With no children, they enjoyed a luxury lifestyle, and at one time were worth well over 20million, before failed investments knocked 9million off their balance sheet. In the early years, Mr Rapp did not take drugs, use escorts or drink to excess, but that all changed in 2003 when his life began to go downhill rapidly. The court heard it was accepted on all sides that he drank excessively, became addicted to cocaine and spent money on escort girls. He tried rehab in South Africa, but did not beat his addiction and ultimately lost his job when his employers found out about his behaviour. In a divorce hearing in 2014, Judge Mark Everall QC said 600,000 had probably gone on drink, drugs and escorts in three years after they split. He said Mr Rapps conduct justified a departure from the usual rule that assets are split equally in big money cases. The judge awarded the wife 7.43million, including their Pont Street apartment near Harrods, and Mr Rapp assets worth 6.2million. Brent Molyneux, representing the husband, had said Mr Rapps spending was not a lifestyle choice - because he had been acting in the teeth of compulsion. Theres nothing morally culpable about a man who suffers from an addiction... addiction is punishment enough, he said, adding: One takes ones spouse as one finds them. But Howard Shaw QC, for the wife, said: It was wanton, it was reckless, and family money was frittered away. She had done her very best to help her husband through his problems, joining him in attending therapy and counselling but to no avail. Judge Everall had found that Mrs Rapp, who gave up work early on in the relationship, was not now likely to be able to make her own living, in contrast to her ex-husband. The Obama administration plans to veto a proposal to bomb the Islamic State's growing stronghold in Libya, a report claims. Defense officials have spent weeks designing papers that describe the most effective way of crippling the terror group in Sirte, the Libyan capital which is becoming its north African headquarters. However, senior military figures involved in the talks told The Daily Beast the entire proposal to strike ISIS resources and train up a Libyan special ops team has been swept to one side. Apparently reluctant to take the lead over Europe, Obama says the United States would only take action where there was a 'clear target'. Scroll down for video Reluctant? President Obama says the United States would only take action where there was a 'clear target' Meanwhile, European leaders are also resisting pressure from military officials to confront the growing terrorist strongholds in what was once Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's home city. 'There is little to no appetite for that in this administration,' one unnamed official told the site. Another said: 'There's nothing close to happening in terms of a major military operation. 'It will continue to be strikes like the kind we saw in November against Abu Nabil [then-leader of ISIS].' The jihadist group has established a base with thousands of fighters in the coastal city of Sirte. The hometown of late dictator Muammar Gaddafi, the city is a strategic port near oilfields that could provide a lucrative source of income. 'We are working with our other coalition partners to make sure that, as we see opportunities to prevent ISIS from digging in in Libya, we take them,' Obama said in a press conference on Tuesday. 'We will continue to take actions where we got a clear operation and a clear target in mind.' He added: 'The tragedy of Libya over the last several years is Libya has a relatively small population and a lot of oil wealth, and could be really successful.' Stronghold: The jihadist group has established a base with thousands of fighters in the coastal city of Sirte Forces loyal to Libya's General National Congress prepare to fight ISIS jihadists on the outskirts of the city of Sirte, the hometown of late dictator Col Gaddafi Since rebels and Western airpower toppled Gaddafi's regime in 2011, the country has effectively lacked a government. In the chaos a disparate group of foreign fighters, homegrown militiamen, tribes and remnants of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group have coalesced around the IS banner and gained a foothold. Until now, US involvement in Libya has been limited to isolated airstrikes and the deployment of US special forces, who are building ties with local armed groups and providing intelligence. In November, an American F-16 fighter jet struck the eastern town of Derna, killing Abu Nabil - also known as Wissam Najm Abd Zayd al-Zubaydi - the local IS leader. A Second World War veteran who received a Purple Heart before becoming a white supremacist and Holocaust denier has been buried at Arlington National Cemetery, in a decision that has been branded a 'national disgrace'. Willis Carto received the military decoration after he was wounded fighting in the Philippines during World War II, but later became 'known for his anti-Semitism, anti-black racism and the wild alternative health claims regularly made in his various publications', according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a hate group watchdog. Carto died in October 2015, aged 89, and his family requested his remains be buried among other veterans at the United States military cemetery in Virginia. Controversial: Willis Carto received a Purple Heart after he was wounded fighting in the Philippines during World War II, but later became known for his anti-Semitism and anti-black racism. He died in October, aged 89 'National disgrace': Rabbi Marvin Hier (right), founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Holocaust research and awareness organization, branded the burial of Willis Carto (left) at Arlington National Cemetery a disgrace The request was recently approved and Carto was buried at the grounds on Wednesday, The Huffington Post reported. A spokesperson for Arlington National Cemetery confirmed Carto's burial to the newspaper, saying they 'do not determine burial eligibility based on political views'. 'However, we do prohibit interment or memorialization of persons committing Federal or State capital crimes,' the spokesperson said. The decision has been branded as a 'national disgrace' by Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Holocaust research and awareness organization. 'For a person who supported a man responsible for the greatest mass murder in the history of mankind to be buried in the sacred ground where service members who fought to do everything to defeat this man, it profanes the cemetery,' Hier told The Huff Post. 'If Hitler had won the war, defeating first Britain and then the United States, Willis Carto would have been a perfect candidate to be a cabinet member in Hitler's government.' A spokesperson for Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia (pictured) said they cannot refused a military burial based on political agenda. Carto was buried on the grounds on Wednesday Todd Blodgett - a former press aide in the Reagan White House who managed advertising for Liberty Lobby, a white supremacist group founded by Carto - said that Carto used to laugh at the thought of being buried at Arlington. 'He was chuckling over the irony that a man who was a big fan of Adolf Hitler was going to be buried in Arlington Cemetery,' Blodgett told The Huff Post. 'He was laughing about it: ''I'm probably America's biggest Hitler fan, but I'll be buried alongside all these World War II vets.'' The Anti-Defamation League, a national anti-Semitism watchdog, said that the cemetery cannot refuse a burial request based on agenda. 'It is unfortunate that someone with Carto's views gets to be buried in our national cemetery, but if he meets the criteria there is not much that can be done,' Marilyn Mayo, a spokeswoman for the Anti-Defamation League, told the newspaper. 'The government cannot be tasked with whether or not to bury someone based on their ideology.' News of Carto's military burial sparked outrage on social media on Thursday. Many pointed out the irony of all the soldiers who fought against the Nazi regime now being buried next to a Hitler supporter After Carto's release from the armed services, he renounced the United States and its efforts against the Nazi regime. He wrote in a published letter in 1966: 'Hitler's defeat was the defeat of Europe. And of America.' Cato then shot to infamy for his opinions and continued to espouse. He focused mainly on on historical revisionist efforts that focused on Holocaust denial and sympathizing with Nazis. His group, the Liberty Lobby, published a weekly newsletter in the 1980s that dealt mostly with anti-Jewish sentiment. At one point the newsletter had an estimated readership of 400,000. Dead and buried: Willis Carto was an infamous Holocaust denier and Nazi sympathizer. He rounced the United States after returning from the war. He is pictured here giving a speech in Costa Mesa, California As such, Cato was not short of supporters. Some were in attendance at his burial on Wednesday. One man, who would identify himself only as Joel, told The Huff Post that Cato was a 'great man'. 'He stood up for the best interests of this country and against all the special interests, who would like to see us submerged into this polyglot, one-world -- whatever you want to call it,' he said. Joel then clarified that by 'special interests' he meant Jewish people. Positive profile does not mention her plunging poll numbers and quotes unnamed woman calling her presidency bid 'act of generosity' She's the editor so formidable, she is known to staff as 'Nuclear Wintour'. But when it comes to politics, Vogue boss Anna has a clear favorite Democratic contender Hillary Clinton. Not content with hosting glitzy fundraising galas, including a lavish bash at designer Vera Wang's Manhattan home in October, Wintour has now devoted a ten-page spread in the latest issue of Vogue to Clinton and her faltering campaign. 'Will Hillary Clinton Make History?' comes complete with glossy portraits taken by top fashion photographer Mario Testino and goes on to paint her in highly flattering terms. It even includes a quote from a supporter in Iowa who describes Clinton's decision to take a second tilt at becoming the Democratic presidential candidate as 'fundamentally, an act of generosity'. The unnamed woman, who is described as being 'a decade younger than Hillary with a thick Midwestern accent' is further quoted as saying: 'So I want to say thank you to you because you're pleasant, you're joyous, you're happy.' Scroll down for video Portrait: The Vogue profile features a portrait of Hillary Clinton taken in her campaign headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, in which she is dressed in Michael Kors Collection Relationship: Anna Wintour, who was at New York Fashion Week on Wednesday, has held fundraisers for Clinton and edits Vogue, where the 10-page glossy profile was published Lot of coverage: The 10-page glossy spread in the March edition lionizing Clinton features three portraits - one of them also including Huma Abedin, her right-hand woman Ready for Hillary? Wintour certainly is - this is the strap line on the March edition of Vogue she gave to the presidential candidate she has helped repeatedly And yes she's been there before: Clinton was given the cover treatment in the aftermath of the Lewinsky scandal - with not a word about her husband's affair ANNA ON HILLARY... 'It's not because she's a woman, it's because she's the best choice. I think Hillary is running a very strong campaign; she feels very confident.' - speech to University of York, England, students, January 2016 'Imagine my amazement, then, when I learned Hillary Clinton, our only female president hopeful, had decided to steer clear of our pages in this point in her campaign for fear of looking too feminine. The notion that a woman must look mannish in order to be a seeker of power is frankly dismaying. This is America, not Saudi Arabia.' - Vogue editorial after Hillary turned down a cover shoot, January 2008 'All of us at Vogue look forward to putting on the cover the first female president of the United States.' - a speech made at the opening of an Oscar de la Renta exhibition, July 2013 'I hope so! Of course. Yes. But it's only just started.' - asked if she would support Hillary's bid for the Democratic nomination during an interview with New York Magazine, May 2015 'I've been very lucky to put women I sincerely admire on the cover of Vogue: the then First Lady and now Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and, more recently, First Lady Michelle Obama. Those were benchmarks for the magazine, and certainly covers I've been very, very proud of.' - interview with Forbes magazine in August 2011 Advertisement Unusually for such lengthy feature, the spread is unbroken by advertising - usually such profiles are stopped half-way and readers have to turn to the end to read the rest. And, as endorsements go, it couldn't be more flattering and more needed by the Clinton camp who, still reeling from defeat in New Hampshire at the hands of Bernie Sanders, are desperate for a good showing in Saturday's Nevada primary, where she is now in a dead heat. What's more, it isn't the first time that Wintour, whose younger brother Patrick was political editor of left-leaning British newspaper The Guardian, has made her political feelings clear. The daughter of Charles Wintour, the late editor of the London Evening Standard, the 66-year-old has a history of endorsing Democratic candidates and using her formidable social network to give their campaigns a boost. Supremely well-connected, Wintour is also no longer just editor-in-chief of Vogue - she has oversight of almost every part of Conde Nast's empire, as 'artistic director', a position created in March 2013. Only the New Yorker and Vanity Fair are outside her control. All of which adds up to a useful connection for Clinton, who has long enjoyed a particularly close friendship with Wintour and has appeared in Vogue no fewer than seven times. The first came in 1993, five years after Wintour took control of the fashion bible, and included photos of Clinton so glossy that they led to comparisons with French actress Catherine Deneuve. That interview, which appeared in the December issue, came weeks after Clinton told a reporter that 'clothes are not something I really think about'. Nevertheless, that wasn't enough to prevent her from posing in a $975 black velvet gown by Donna Karan in the Annie Leibowitz photos albeit with the off-shoulder neckline hoisted up to hide any hint of collarbone. Then, as now, the spread provoked huge debate with some commentators expressing outrage that the then First Lady was 'dressing up for Vogue', while others noted the highly expensive 'swagged and draped' decor she introduced to the White House. For Clinton, it was the start of a relationship that has led to Wintour being dubbed 'Hillary's favorite journalist' and for the British editor's penchant for riding to her rescue when she most needs it. Twenty years of friendship: In 1996, the First Lady, the Vogue editor-in-chief and Diana, Princess of Wales, were on the same table for a Breast Cancer Research breakfast at the White House Enduring relationship: The friends were happy to be seen together in 2003, when Clinton was the one-term junior senator from New York and they met at Cirpriani's, the elite restaurant in midtown Manhattan In 1998, at the height of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Vogue came to Clinton's aid with yet another flattering profile and, in a US publishing first, put her on a very stately cover. By coincidence or perhaps not it appeared on the shelves at the same time as an issue of Vanity Fair featuring a tell-all interview with Lewinsky herself. Styled by the late L'Wren Scott, the former White House intern was photographed by Herb Ritts clutching a pink poodle and looking glamorously innocent in a delicate lilac tulle gown. Clinton, again photographed by Annie Leibowitz, appeared every inch the First Lady and was shown seated and smiling graciously in a floor-length plum velvet dress. A cover line, positioned prominently, read: 'The Extraordinary Hillary Clinton'. The article itself, written by reporter Ann Douglas, began: 'The First Lady has never been more popular or effective'. It went on to describe her efforts to save America's historical treasures in glowing terms and again included flattering quotes from voters. 'She's a phenomenal person,' one man was quoted as saying. 'She looks so much better and younger than on TV,' a woman is reported to have gushed. The Lewinsky scandal, which eventually led to Bill Clinton's impeachment, was thoroughly glossed over and only referenced in quotes from yet more unnamed bystanders as being 'nonsense'. Clinton, who is regularly photographed with Wintour at high society events, later gave the magazine exclusive excerpts from her book Hard Choices when it was published in May 2014. The gang's all here: Anna Wintour and the Clinton family were all on stage in Little Rock in 2013 for a reception for the fashion designer Oscar de la Renta Favorites: Anna Wintour, Hillary Clinton and Michael Kors - who dressed her for the latest photoshoot. Clinto was receiving the Michael Kors Award for Outstanding Community Service in New York in October 2013 Together again: Hillary Clinton and Anna Wintour with Lupita Nyong'o and Cindi Leive at the Glamour 2014 Women Of The Year Awards Wintour, left, was photographed beaming up at Mrs Clinton at a summer 2015 fundraiser in Southampton held at designer Tory Burch's estate And the slew of glowing Hillary profiles are not the only gift from Wintour's Conde Nast corner office to reach the Clintons. In August 2012, a gushing profile of Chelsea Clinton, written by the same author as the latest work on Hillary, appeared - accompanied by anoher Testino photoshoot. 'With her fathers magnetism and her mothers discipline, Chelsea Clinton is finally embracing her political birthright,' it read. The author continued: 'Although Chelsea claims she is "not a naturally fashionable person", I cant help noticing that she always looks great,' On top of that, Clinton and Wintour are happy to make clear their admiration for each other and, on the Vogue editor's part, frequently and publicly. Although always a fashion journalist, the well-connected Conde Nast executive, memorably described by fellow Democrat Kanye West as 'the boss' last week, has become an increasingly political animal. She was in favor of Clinton in 2008, but when she lost, publicly endorsed Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2008 and 2012. Previously a supporter of John Kerry's run in 2004, she is now pulling out all the stops for Clinton - and not for the first time. ...people should vote for her because she's the best choice. Anna Wintour on Hillary Clinton Wintour also put her own money into Clinton's run for the Senate in 2000 and did the same during her tilt for the Democratic nomination in 2008 and again this year. Tellingly, she also hired a former Democrat and Clinton staffer as Vogue's Director of Communications in April 2013. Hildy Kuryk, who began her career in the White House during the Clinton administration, also worked on the 2008 Obama campaign and served on the Democratic National Committee before taking up her role at the fashion glossy. More recently, Wintour has spoken out publicly about her support for Clinton while also slamming Donald Trump's presidential aspirations, even though she also knows him socially and once cajoled him into letting designer Marc Jacobs use one of his properties for a fashion show free of charge. Last month, during at an appearance at a student event at the University of York in England, she described the magnate's bid for the White House as 'unviable' and questioned 'whether he even knows where Syria is'. Wintour, who in 2013 declared that she 'looks forward to putting the first female US president on the cover', then said of her support for Clinton: 'It's not because she's a woman, it's because she's the best choice'. She continued: 'I think Hillary is running a very strong campaign; she feels very confident. Of course it would be wonderful for Hillary Clinton to be the first female president, but I think she would be the first to say that she wouldn't want people to vote for her just because she's a woman. 'I think that's a rather old fashioned way of thinking; people should vote for her because she's the best choice. And if you look at who's she's running against, there's no question that is the truth.' Britains economy is set to power ahead this year leaving the crisis-torn eurozone trailing in its wake, a major study has found. The report, by respected international economists, predicts that the UK will be the fastest-growing major economy in the developed world this year. Meanwhile the countries of the moribund single currency bloc, such as France and Germany, are set to falter, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. On the up: The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development report predicts that the UK will be the fastest-growing major economy in the developed world this year (in orange, above) OECD INTERIM ECONOMIC OUTLOOK FORECASTS: REAL GDP GROWTH (%) 2015 2016 2017 February 2016 interim projections Difference from November economic outlook February 2016 interim projections Difference from November economic outlook World 3 3 -0.3 3.3 -0.3 United States 2.4 2 -0.5 2.2 -0.2 Euro area 1.5 1.4 -0.4 1.7 -0.2 Germany 1.4 1.3 -0.5 1.7 -0.3 France 1.1 1.2 -0.1 1.5 -0.1 Italy 0.6 1 -0.4 1.4 0 Japan 0.4 0.8 -0.2 0.6 0.1 Canada 1.2 1.4 -0.6 2.2 -0.1 United Kingdom 2.2 2.1 -0.3 2 -0.3 China 6.9 6.5 0 6.2 0 India 7.4 7.4 0.1 7.3 -0.1 Brazil -3.8 -4 -2.8 0 -1.8 Rest of World 2.1 2.5 -0.3 3.1 -0.2 The bleak analysis for the continent will be seen as a major boost to the campaign to leave the European Union in this summers referendum. It will be seized upon by eurosceptics as good reasons for Britain to leave and strike out on its own, free from Brussels bureaucracy and the stagnation and austerity at the core of the European project. And in a further blow, the Paris-based think tank also warned of growing challenges to maintain political support for the European project. The OECD cited the surge in refugees, security threats and the unpopularity of austerity measures across the Continent. The think tank said uncertainty in Europe is already having a dramatic impact on business investment by countries in the region denting hopes of recovery. George Osborne said the report was another demonstration of the cocktail of risks facing the world this year. Revised estimates: The OECD trimmed its forecasts as it slashed the outlook for countries around the world Falling: The OECD notes that the first six weeks of this year were exceptionally bad for global stock markets as shares tumbled, although there has been some improvement in the last week The OECD trimmed its forecasts for economic growth in the UK this year from 2.4 per cent to 2.1 per cent as it slashed the outlook for countries around the world. But growth of 2.1 per cent is still better than the 2 per cent forecast for the United States and 1.4 per cent expected in the eurozone. Chancellor: George Osborne said the report was another demonstration of the cocktail of risks facing the world this year Britains growth rate will slip to 2 per cent next year but will continue to outpace that of the largest eurozone economies Germany, France and Italy. The dramatic finding undermines claims made by advocates of the stay campaign including the CBI that business investment and inward investment to the UK would suffer if it were outside the EU. The head of Germanys business lobby group this week warned that a divided Europe would sink into oblivion if Britain left the EU. Markus Kerber, director general of the BDI business group in Germany, said: A Brexit would lead to a dead end. Only a unified Europe will be successful on the global scene. A divided Europe will sink into oblivion. Michel Guibuad, director general of the MEDEF in France, said: For France and for Europeans, a Brexit would be a major step backwards. Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Vote Leave group leading the campaign for Brexit, said: The language of the various business groups reflects the dire position of the eurozone and its inability to face up to global problems. Of course they may want Britain to remain to pick up their bills but for voters in this country the only safe option is to vote to leave. The OECD warned that uncertainty in the eurozone including over the outlook for the economy and the refugee crisis was hitting investment and could increase stress in the financial system. This uncertainty risks dampening investment further and could lead to more difficult financial conditions, which would depress already weak growth in Europe and elsewhere, the OECD said. Europe needs to regain a sense of self and speak with a single voice to promote unity and growth. The OECD is demanding collective action by the EU to pull out of its slump. It advocates reforms in terms of integration across the single market including more harmonisation of regulation, anathema to much of the UKs business community, and investment in long-term infrastructure projects. Commodities: Europes problems are being compounded by financial instability and the collapse of world trade Opinion: Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Vote Leave group leading the campaign for Brexit, said the eurozone has n 'inability to face up to global problems' Britain already has begun to respond to this challenge with the completion of Crossrail, the Northern industrial powerhouse, investment in HS2 and the Thames Tideway tunnel. In the OECDs view the Luxembourg based European Investment Bank needs to take a higher risk approach to the projects that its backs. Europe needs to regain a sense of self and speak with a single voice to promote unity and growth Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Europes problems are being compounded by financial instability and the collapse of world trade. The OECD notes that the first six weeks of this year were exceptionally bad for global stock markets as shares tumbled, although there has been some improvement in the last week. It traces the uncertainty back to the fall in the exchange rate for the Chinese currency the renminbi and notes that bank shares have been particularly hard hit. In spite of Britains outperformance in terms of growth it was the laggard as far as productivity is concerned in 2014 according to a new release from the Office for National Statistics. This shows that output per hour was a startling 18 percentage points below that of the other G7 countries the biggest gap since the data was first collected in this way in 1991. and that he has no connection to the Middle East He added that he is ethnically Filipino and Rejected: Jonathon Kari had this picture banned from his high school yearbook A teen in southern California has had his photo banned from the yearbook after he wore a keffiyeh to make a political statement. Jonathon Kari, a graduating senior at Dana Hills High School in wealthy Dana Point, California, says he wore the Middle Eastern head scarf because he knew it would cause a stir. 'I wanted to provoke the school system into stereotyping me and censoring me,' Kari told CBS Los Angeles. 'And I wanted to open people's eyes to the fact that this is still happening. People are still stereotyping and still putting down on people who they think are inferior to them.' The school's yearbook staff of 30 students voted unanimously to bar Kari's image. Sara Madani, the editor of the yearbook, says it would have been a completely different situation had Kari donned the head scarf out of a personal connection to Middle Eastern culture. The keffiyeh is a traditional headscarf worn by men in Arab and Persian cultures. 'If you wear something for religious or cultural purposes, obviously you're more than welcome to wear that in your senior portrait,' Madani said. 'This student doesn't wear that every day. He never has.' Scroll down for video Not Middle Eastern: Kari (left and right) says he wore the headscarf 'to provoke the school district into stereotyping' him. The teen admits he has no ties to the Middle East, and is ethnically Filipino and Caucasian Kari admitted that he has no ties to the Middle East, and is ethnically Filipino and Caucasian. 'I can see how it can be offensive to people who are ignorant to the fact that it's a universal piece of clothing,' Kari said. 'I'm not trying to make fun of any particular race or any religion. This is a form of free speech.' Kari's father doesn't think it should matter whether or not his son has a connection to Middle Eastern culture, and has written a letter to the Capistrano Unified School District, demanding they support his son's right to freedom of speech. Free speech: Sara Madani (pictured), the editor of the high school yearbook, says she believes in freedom of speech but doesn't think it's owed to Kari in the yearbook Madani says she believes in the First Amendment but doesn't think it's owed to Kari in the yearbook. 'Start a club, write an article, get a soapbox and stand in the middle of the cafeteria and yell it out for everyone to hear, but to put it in the yearbook, that just is obscure, and it doesn't make any sense,' she said. Advertisement Egypts political and religious elite have laid former United Nations Secretary Boutros Boutros-Ghali to rest, holding a funeral procession with top honours in Cairo. The Egyptian diplomat, who steered the world body through several global conflicts during one of its toughest periods, died aged 93 on Tuesday. He was given an elaborate military send-off in the Egyptian capital, with a procession led by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Egypts President al-Sisi walked at the front of the cortege as a horse-drawn hearse carried Boutros-Ghali's coffin. Send-off: Egypt's political and religious elite gathered in Cairo to lay to rest the former United Nations Secretary Boutros Boutros-Ghali Mourners: Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi led the procession, while a horse-drawn hearse carried Boutros-Ghali's flag-draped coffin The ceremony began in a prominent Cairo mosque, and was also attended by Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayib, the head of Sunni Islams seat of learning, Al-Azhar, and Coptic Pope Tawadros II. Boutros-Ghalis coffin, draped in the Egyptian flag, was later carried to the citys main cathedral for a Christian service led by the Coptic pope and attended by Egyptian, European and African diplomats. Egypt has lost one of its symbols, one of its best leaders, an example of patriotism, Amr Mussa, former head of the Arab League, told mourners. Boutros-Ghalis controversial tenure as UN chief began in 1992 but ended abruptly in 1996 when the U.S. vetoed his second term, making him the only UN secretary-general to serve a single term. But he led the world body through one of its most tumultuous periods, marked by crises in Somalia, Rwanda, the Middle East and the former Yugoslavia. After a series of clashes with the Clinton administration, Washington turned against Boutros-Ghali and decided to back Ghanaian Kofi Annan for the top post in late 1996. Memory: Egyptian Coptic Pope Tawadros II, head of the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church, leads a funeral mass for former U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali at the Saints Peter and Paul Coptic Orthodox church in Abassya district in Cairo Honour: Mourners attend the funeral of former UN secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali at the St Peter and St Paul Orthodox church that was built by his family in Cairo's Abassya district Loss: Boutros-Ghalis coffin, draped in the Egyptian flag, was later carried to the citys main cathedral for a Christian service led by Coptic Pope Tawadros II and attended by Egyptian, European and African diplomats Family: Egypt's President al-Sisi greets Leia Boutros-Ghali, the wife of the former UN secretary-general, at the funeral ceremony in Cairo Leaders: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (centre) attends the funeral of former UN secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali in Cairo Under Boutros-Ghalis tenure, the UN expanded its peacekeeping missions despite having limited resources. But a retreat from Rwanda ahead of the 1994 genocide and from the Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica a year later were seen as dismal failures. Relations with the U.S. began to sour in late 1993, when a U.S.-led operation in Somalia led to major casualties among American troops. There was also friction over UN sanctions against the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq, which had invaded and was ejected from Kuwait a year before Boutros-Ghali took up his post. When his candidacy for a second term was vetoed, Boutros-Ghali felt that he was being punished for pushing UN member states to pay their membership arrears an issue on which the U.S. had long delayed and for condemning Israeli actions in southern Lebanon. In his farewell speech to the UN, Boutros-Ghali said he had thought when he took the post that the time was right for the United Nations to play an effective role in a world no longer divided into warring Cold War camps. Elaborate: The coffin containing the body of former U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali is seen during the military funeral Remembered: Egyptians mourners carry the flag-draped coffin of the former Secretary-General of the United Nations Boutros Boutros-Ghali after the military funeral Controversial: Boutros-Ghalis controversial tenure as UN chief began in 1992 but ended abruptly in 1996 when the U.S. vetoed his second term, making him the only U.N. secretary-general to serve a single term Top-honours: The ceremony began in a prominent Cairo mosque, and was also attended by Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayib, the head of Sunni Islams seat of learning, Al-Azhar, and Coptic Pope Tawadros II World figure: Former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali with former U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1996 (left) and (right) with former PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat in 1996 'But the middle years of this half decade were deeply troubled,' he said. 'Disillusion set in.' In a 2005 interview with The Associated Press, Boutros-Ghali called the 1994 massacre in Rwanda in which half a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in 100 days 'my worst failure at the United Nations.' But he blamed the United States, Britain, France and Belgium for paralyzing action by setting impossible conditions for intervention. Then-U.S. President Bill Clinton and other world leaders were opposed to taking strong action to beef up UN peacekeepers in the tiny Central African nation or intervening to stop the massacres. 'The concept of peacekeeping was turned on its head and worsened by the serious gap between mandates and resources,' he told the AP news agency. Friction: After a series of clashes with the Clinton administration, Washington turned against Boutros-Ghali and decided to back Ghanaian Kofi Annan for the top post in late 1996 Tearful: Under Boutros-Ghalis tenure, the UN expanded its peacekeeping missions despite having limited resources. But a retreat from Rwanda ahead of the 1994 genocide and from the Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica a year later were seen as dismal failures Shock: In a 2005 interview with The Associated Press, Boutros-Ghali called the 1994 massacre in Rwanda in which half a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in 100 days 'my worst failure at the United Nations' Respect: Then-U.S. President Bill Clinton and other world leaders were opposed to taking strong action to beef up UN peacekeepers in the tiny Central African nation or intervening to stop the massacres. Pictured, Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria (left) and mourners (right) Grand: Boutros-Ghali's death was announced by Venezuelas UN Ambassador Rafael Ramirez, the current council president, at the start of a session on Tuesday on Yemens humanitarian crisis Elaborate: In his farewell speech to the UN, Boutros-Ghali said he had thought when he took the post that the time was right for the United Nations to play an effective role in a world no longer divided into warring Cold War camps Boutros-Ghali was born on November 14, 1922, into a Coptic Christian family in Cairo. He was educated at Cairo University and in Paris, where he established a life-long connection with France. He is survived by his Jewish wife Leia Maria, although the couple had no children. His death was announced by Venezuelas UN Ambassador Rafael Ramirez, the current council president, at the start of a session on Tuesday on Yemens humanitarian crisis. The 15 council members stood in a silent tribute. The president of the European Parliament told David Cameron last night that his renegotiation deal would be ripped up by MEPs if EU leaders agreed to allow Britain to curb migrant benefits. In an extraordinary intervention, German socialist Martin Schulz said the Parliament was prepared to 'fight' the Prime Minister's plans. At the start of a crunch summit in Brussels, Mr Schulz reminded member states that MEPs had the power of veto anything that 'discriminated' between EU citizens. In an aggressive address, he also extolled the virtues of ever closer union and ruled out treaty change, saying it would open a 'Pandora's box'. President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz, left, and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker David Cameron appeared to be deep in talks with Mr Juncker at a round table meeting in Brussels yesterday And he suggested that Britain and the rest of the EU would 'be left to drift into the insignificant backwaters of the world political scene' if voters decided to leave. His words will fuel warnings by Eurosceptics that any deal struck by Mr Cameron will simply by watered down by the European Parliament following a referendum. On his way into the summit, Belgian prime minister Charles Michel gloated about how Mr Cameron had already been forced to water down his demands. He said: 'Our common will is to find a deal. We cannot allow for an endless saga, and in the end the British people will have to make a choice. 'It is a decision and an opportunity that the UK stays in the EU but without jeopardising our values. We were hard on Cameron in the last months, there is still a lot of work but there was a lot of compromise on Cameron's side, on the ever closer union or the veto right for example, and these efforts really allowed to make progress on the text.' SO HOW'S THE SUMMIT GOING SO FAR, DAVE? David Cameron looked assured at first in Brussels yesterday, left, until Angela Merkel gave him the evil eye (centre) ... and he seemed to crumple (right) Advertisement Angela Merkel said she wanted to do 'everything' possible to make sure Britain can remain part of the EU German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: 'There are still things to be resolved but overall I'm heading into the discussion with the attitude that we gladly want to do everything to create the conditions so Britain can remain a part of the European Union. From the German point of view that is important, but of course it will be up to the citizens of Britain to decide in the end.' Polish prime minister Beata Syzdlo said: 'We want a deal, but not at all costs.' EU leaders are expected this morning to agree plans to restrict in-work benefits, such as tax credits, to new arrivals in Britain, and to cut child benefit payments to workers whose children remain in their home countries. But for the changes to come into force, they will need to be put into EU law by the European Parliament in the months after the referendum. We Europeans have to stick together more than ever. If we part ways, labouring under the fond illusion that, now of all times, the finest hour of the nation state has arrived, we should make no mistake about the consequences Martin Schulz Mr Schulz said he wanted to set out clearly his objections to what was being offered 'to avoid misunderstandings later on when legislation will need to be debated and adopted in the European Parliament.' On the issue of the migrant benefit curbs he said the 'solutions cannot come at the price of discriminating against EU citizens'. He said the key reform, a plan for an 'emergency brake' to restrict payments of in-work benefits to migrants in Britain, 'would mean that two workers, both EU nationals, paying the same taxes, doing the same work, would for a certain time not be paid the same'. 'Allow me to say this very clearly, the European Parliament will fight against discrimination between EU citizens,' he said. Mr Schulz warned that 'no one stood to gain' from Mr Cameron's demand to recognise that the euro is not the only currency of the EU. He said: 'The treaties are very clear: the currency of the European Union is the euro. The UK is guaranteed an opt-out from the common currency. Where could there be any need for further clarification? It's crystal clear. Opening up this chapter without an unequivocally good cause risks introducing ambiguities and could be detrimental. 'We Europeans have to stick together more than ever. If we part ways, labouring under the fond illusion that, now of all times, the finest hour of the nation state has arrived, we should make no mistake about the consequences.' Mr Schulz said the Parliament was prepared to 'fight' the Prime Minister's plans. Pictured together this week Tory MEP Daniel Hannan said the 'simian' European Parliament was likely to pass the deal but then 'un-pass it' next year. He told Radio 4's Today programme: 'I don't know of any MEPs or Eurocrats in private who think that this is a fundamental change. All of the sound and fury, all of the negotiations, have come down to amending one directive - which we could have done at any time without needing any renegotiation. 'Privately, the Eurocrats were whooping and high-fiving and turning cartwheels because so little has been asked for.' Mr Hannan was asked about anonymous claims that MEPs could be like 'monkeys with guns' when they start looking at the deal. He said: 'They certainly can be simian, occasionally, in their behaviour. 'I think that they will pass this deal, because they will be told to by their party leaders, but they can then un-pass it the following year because it isn't a constitutional change, it is just one amendment.' Mr Schulz was left red-faced as he arrived for the summit in Brussels yesterday after he became trapped in the back of his car. A Colorado woman who had her unborn child sliced out of her womb had lost half her blood and was holding her own intestines while she called 911 for help. A jury in Boulder heard the grisly and grim details of the moment Michelle Wilkins awoke to find herself in the home of Dynel Lane after being hit over the head and stabbed in the neck with glass before she was cut open from 'hip to hip' and her fetus was removed from her body. Prosecutors in the case also showed the jury the bloody pillow and bedding from the crime scene. Scroll down for video Horrifying: A jury in Boulder, Colorado heard graphic and grisly details of the moment Michelle Wilkins awoke after her unborn baby was cut from her womb (the bloody pillow from the crime scene above) Silent: Lane (above on Thursday) has remained emotionless during the first two days of the trial, and her team has not cross examined most prosecution witnesses Heartbreaking: Wilkins (above on Wednesday) had lost half her blood and could feel her own intestines when she called 911 to report the attack at the home of Dynel Lane Happy: Wilkins (above) was just two months away from giving birth at the time of the attack Wilkins, 27, testified on the first day of the trial that she went to Lane's home after she posted an Craigslist ad saying that she was selling maternity clothes. She said that after an hour she went to leave, but Lane, 35, convinced her to look at some baby clothes she had in the basement. That is when Wilkins said that Lane hit her over the head and attacked her, while she told the woman; 'I love you.' Wilkins had said she believed that might get Lane to stop the attack, but instead she responded by saying; If you love me, you'll let me do this.' When she awoke some time later, Wilkins said that she immediately noticed 'a really big cut across my stomach.' That is when she said that she tried to stand up but immediately fell down, too weak from the attack and loss of blood. 'I just felt the blood seeping through my pants and I could feel my intestines outside of my body,' she said. Wilkins somehow managed to call 911, where an operator kept her on the phone and urged her to hold a towel to her stomach in hopes of stopping the blood that was pouring out of her body. She also locked the door, not knowing at the time that Lane was no longer in the house but at the hospital with the baby she had just cut out of Wilkins, having told her boyfriend David Ridley that it was her child and she had suffered a miscarriage. Wilkins did not learn until the next morning, after doctors were miraculously able to save her life, that she had lost her unborn child - a girl she had named Aurora. Unreal: The prosecution showed jurors the bloody matress (above) nfrom lane's basement Evidence: Also shown was a bloody shirt (above) that was found in Lane's trash can Violent: The knife that was used to cut out Wilkins' unborn child at the scene of the crime (above) Wilkins broke down in tears on the stand while she recounted learning the horrible news. Prosecutors also showed the jury the pillow and mattress from the crime scene on Thursday, both soaked in blood. They also presented the blood-caked knife that was found at the scene and two bloody shirts that were found in Lane's trash. The defense has not examined many of the prosecution's witnesses and it appears that they may rest tomorrow. Lane's lawyers are arguing that the March 18 attack on Wilkins was not premeditated or planned but rather driven by impulse. She has pleaded not guilty to six felony counts including premeditated murder. She has not been charged with murder because a fetus is not considered a living person in the state of Colorado. There is also no evidence to suggest that the unborn child survived outside the womb. Faker: Lane had claimed to be pregnant for about 14 months at the time of the attack, and posted fake pregnancy photos (above) Weapn: The top of the lava lamp (above) that was broken and sued to attack Wilkins Awful: On Wednesday the prosecution showed photos of the bloody room where the attack took place (above) Early testimony seems to suggest that Lane - who had been claiming to be pregnant for around 14 months at that time - may have attacked Wilkins because of an ultimatum that was given to her by her boyfriend at the time. Ridley testified that Lane's due date kept shifting and she refused to see a doctor with him. Ridley says Lane told him in April 2014 she was expecting a boy. But when 10 months passed and she hadn't given birth, he told her he needed answers from a doctor about the baby or he would leave her. He had planned to meet her for a pre-natal appointment the day of the attack. But when he came to pick her up, she told him she had delivered the baby at home. He says he found the baby in a bathtub. Ridley also said during this time Lane had been sending him ultrasound images and photos of her distended belly. On Thursday social media messages Lane sent were also shared, and showed that she had told some people she gave birth to a baby boy and others that she was still pregnant. She had even had a baby shower in November 2014 and told people she wanted to name the baby James. Artist and graphic designer Shepard Fairey, best known for creating the iconic 'Hope' poster for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, is feeling the Bern. The 46-year-old illustrator on Wednesday threw his support behind Democratic candidate for president Bernie Sanders and unveiled a new T-shirt design for his campaign. 'I'm supporting Bernie sanders because I want to push principles, not personalities,' Fairey said in a video released by the Sanders campaign on Wednesday. Scroll down for video High hopes: Artist and graphic designer Shepard Fairey, best known for creating the iconic 'Hope' poster for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, has endorsed Bernie Sanders Feeling the Bern: Fairey appeared in a video Wednesday announcing his support for the Vermont senator 'I'm tired of portraits. I want to make images about people of substance, about the issues they care about.' Fairey's elaborate design features the colors of the American flag and Sanders' slogan 'Feel The Bern' above a bare-breasted figure of winged victory. The shirts, which are available in sizes ranging from small to 4XL, retail of Sanders' campaign website for $30. Under product description, Fairey is quoted as saying: 'Bernie Sanders is the real deal and I feel its important for me to voice my support for his bid for President. I think hes the candidate who will look out for the interest of average Americans and the candidate who to me embodies the principles of justice, equality, liberty, and access to the American Dream. Sanders swag: Fairey has created a new T-shirt design for Sanders' campaign featuring his slogan 'Fell The Bern' In hot water: Fairey got in a legal dispute with the Associated Press after using an AP photo in his famous Obama poster Bernie needs help from people like you and me and I think hell look out for the needs of people like you and me. Pick up a t-shirt and help support Bernie Sanders! As The Hill reported, Hillary Clintons campaign spokesman Brian Fallon wasted no time going after the Vermont senator, who has been critical of some of President Obamas policies, after learning of Fairey's endorsement. 'Diss Obama by day, do poor mans imitation of 2008 campaign by night,' he tweeted. Fairey got his start as a street artist and rose to prominence after launching his 'Andre the Giant Has a Posse' sticker campaign. The South Carolina native got in a legal dispute with the Associated Press after using an AP photo in his famous Obama poster. He agreed in 2011 to pay the news wire service $1.6million. Seeing eye to eye: Fairey (left), 46, said in an interview last year the entire campaign finance structure angered him. One of the central planks in Sanders' (right) platform is campaign finance reform Potshot: Hillary Clintons campaign spokesman Brian Fallon attacked Sanders on Twitter after learning of Fairey's endorsement In an interview with Esquire magazine last year, Fairey said Obama has not come close to living up to his expectation but conceded that the two-term president 'had a really tough time' in office. 'I'm not giving him a pass...but I do think the entire system needs an overhaul and taking money out of politics would be a good first step,' he said at the time. Fairey, who called Obama a 'quality human being', also said he agreed with Hillary Clinton on 'most issues' but that the entire campaign finance structure angered him. The US military has deployed tanks and artillery equipment to Cold War-era caves in Norway in an effort to better equip stations near the NATO-Russia frontier. The move is part of a push by Washington to bolster NATO's defenses in Europe and have weaponry 'ready to go' should a crisis with Russia arise. Russia shares a 121.6-mile long border with Norway. 'Any gear that is forward-deployed both reduces cost and speeds up our ability to support operations in crisis, so we're able to fall in on gear that is ready-to-go and respond to whatever that crisis may be,' Col. William Bentley, operations officer for the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, told CNN on Thursday. Scroll down for videos Gearing up: The US military has deployed tanks and artillery equipment to Cold War-era caves in Norway in an effort to equip stations near the NATO-Russia frontier. Here Marines tour the six cave facility in April 2015 U.S. Marine Corps assault vehicles line up by the Trondheim Fjord, Norway, on January 9. These vehicles from the Marine Corps Prepositioning Program in Norway will support exercise Cold Response 16 Spacious: Humvees are stored inside the Frigaard Cave in central Norway. The cave is one of six caves that are part of the Marine Corps Prepositioning Program in Norway The Norwegian facility has the space to fit enough equipment for 15,000 Marines for up to 30 days High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles and trailers, which belong to Marine Corps Prepositioning Program in Norway, are seen here in a storage cave at Tromsdal, Norway in February 2014 Rows of front loaders and 7-ton trucks sit, gassed up and ready to roll in one of the many corridors in the Frigard supply cave located on the Vaernes Garrison near Trondheim, Norway The six-cave system, located in central Norway, is considered classified. However the caves were first used by the US as an arms depot in 1981 during the Cold War. They are climate controlled and operated by about 100 Norwegian and US personnel. The cave system contains enough equipment to support 15,000 Marines. In a drill scheduled to take place later this month, called Cold War Response 16, 6,500 pieces of equipment from inside the facility will be deployed, according to CNN. Twelve NATO allies and partners and more than 16,000 troops will be involved in the drill. Heather Conley, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Europe Program, told CNN the caves had once again become a strategic asset because of their location. 'Now that we have a very new security context with Russia, it now makes sense to rethink what is needed,' she said. U.S. Marine Corps amphibious assault vehicles get ready for a public "splash" demonstration in the Trondheim Fjord in Norway on January 10 The partnership between the Norwegian military and U.S. Marines enables NATO to pivot toward crisis by alleviating logistics requirements to support a broad-spectrum military operations The deployment of new equipment caves comes amid renewed tensions between NATO and Russia. CNN reported that Russian president Vladimir Putin remains angered that President Obama referred to Russia as a 'regional power' in a now-infamous speech. The deployment in Norway comes after the Pentagon announced comes after the Pentagon announced a $3.4 billion budget for the European Reassurance Initiative in an effort to deter what the US calls Russian aggression against NATO allies. The weapons and other equipment stored in the caves have also been used to support operations in Iraq. 'Russia is a regional power': Analysts say Putin is still angered by the now-infamous remark from Obama Earlier this week, the US pressed NATO to play a bigger role against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, putting Washington at odds with Germany and France, which fear the strategy would risk confrontation with the alliance's old Cold War foe Russia. All 28 NATO allies are already part of a 66-nation anti-Islamic State coalition, so the United States is looking to NATO as an institution to bring its equipment, training and the expertise it gained leading a coalition in Afghanistan. 'It is worth exploring how NATO, as NATO, could make an appropriate contribution, leveraging for example its unique capabilities, such as force generation,' U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said after meeting allies at NATO headquarters in Brussels last week and referring to NATO's know-how in drumming-up troops, planes and ships from allies. MPs last night demanded a formal investigation into Cherie Blair MPs last night demanded a formal investigation into Cherie Blair over allegedly corrupt payments from the repressive Maldives government. There were also calls for an inquiry into HSBCs role in the murky deal. The demands came after the Mail revealed yesterday how Mrs Blairs legal firm received at least 210,000 for its work for the tax havens autocratic president from a suspected conman and terrorist who is now an international fugitive. The payment landed in Omnia Strategys HSBC account in September last year after being approved by the bank. The legal watchdog is understood to be looking into the case following the revelations, although a formal investigation has not yet been launched. Firms subjected to a full probe by the Solicitors Regulation Authority can be reported to the Crown Prosecution Service and Serious Fraud Office, or hit with fines and formal reprimands. Law firms have strict legal requirements to report suspicious activity which may indicate money laundering, and to verify the identity of clients and the source of funds. Banks also have to comply with strict rules to ensure they are not being used by corrupt states, criminals, terrorists or drugs gangs to launder money. HSBC was fined 1.1billion in the US in 2012 for laundering billions of pounds for Mexican drugs cartels and rogue states. Any further breach could result in the bank losing its US licence to operate. Tory MP Nigel Mills, chairman of the All-Party Group on Anti-Corruption, said the Maldives case appeared to highlight what money laundering rules were supposed to stop. Law firms need to make more detailed checks before undertaking work for such persons... it should have aroused suspicions and been reported to the UK authorities, he said. If Omnia have not complied with their obligations, there should be serious sanctions for the firm as a whole and for the individuals involved. There is no excuse for professional firms not complying with the money laundering rules, and any competent individual would have realised this was a risky situation and should have taken great care before proceeding. Fellow Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said Mrs Blairs firm should be interviewed by the authorities. It would appear that Cherie Blairs firm may have breached the money laundering rules through the payments it received, he said. There are certainly questions to be answered. Steve Goodrich of Transparency International UK, which campaigns against money laundering, said: These are serious allegations that need to be investigated. Regardless of where the money came from, UK firms should not be involved in laundering the reputations of corrupt and repressive regimes. Receipt for return business class ticket for Carl Buckley from Manchester to Male, the capital of the Maldives. Mr Buckleys 3,506 fare was paid by Cherie Blairs firm Omnia Strategy March 20th email from Paul Roberts, an employee of Christian Solidarity Worldwide and senior figure in the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, suggesting that Cherie Blair was willing to write a newspaper article in support of Mohamed Nasheed, the jailed opposition leader of the Maldives John Glen, Tory MP for Salisbury, called Mrs Blairs conduct outrageous and indefensible, saying there was no reason why she needed to take work from the repressive Maldivian regime. Her willingness to take this case shows appalling poor judgment, he said. I hope Mrs Blair will return the money. Mrs Blairs firm earned 2,000 a day representing Abdullah Yameen, the president of the Maldives, who has jailed more than 1,700 opposition activists. Yameen seized power following the 2012 overthrow of the countrys first democratically elected president, Mohamed Nasheed, who was later jailed for 13 years after what Amnesty International described as a sham trial. Mr Nasheed told the Mail yesterday: Mrs Blair must have known she was working for an authoritarian regime, with links to money laundering, organised crime and corruption. I hope Mrs Blair finds it in her heart to apologise to the Maldivian people for what shes done. Omnia was hired by the Maldives government last summer, claiming its role was to promote democracy and transparency. But the Mail revealed that the firm was hired in part to handle PR during the regimes legal battle with Mr Nasheed, who was represented for free by human rights lawyer Amal Clooney. Omnia billed Abdullah Ziyath, former managing director of the state-run Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) for 420,000 last August for six months work. The payment landed in Omnia Strategys HSBC account in September last year after being approved by the bank. There are calls for an inquiry into HSBCs role in the murky deal Ziyath is now facing 50 embezzlement charges as part of an investigation into corruption allegations totalling 55million. A payment for 210,000 subsequently made to Mrs Blairs firm came not from Ziyaths agency, but from MC Maldives Private Ltd, a garment company with no links to political activity. The money had been paid to it by Mohamed Allam Latheef, a businessman now wanted by Interpol accused of corruption, arms trafficking, terrorism and the embezzlement of more than 30million. Omnia says it stopped working for the Maldives government following the arrests of Latheef and Ziyath, was urgently reviewing the 210,000 payment and took suggestions that it was not paid by its client very seriously. Senior barristers expressed surprise at Mrs Blairs decision to work with a government wildly criticised for human rights abuses. Jonathan Fisher QC, who specialises in financial crime, said: There are many firms that would think twice about this. A Solicitors Regulation Authority spokesman said: When we become aware of situations like these, we will look at all the relevant evidence and decide on an appropriate course of action. The case could have serious ramifications for HSBC, which avoided prosecution in 2012 only by striking a deal with the US government. If found guilty again, it could be banned in the US. MPs said the payment to Mrs Blair firm should have set alarm bells ringing among HSBCs compliance officers and called for an investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority. Regulatory sources said that both Yameen and Mrs Blair would be classed as politically exposed persons or PEPs people whose prominent public position makes them more vulnerable to corruption. Banks internal anti-money laundering systems are meant to raise red flags on any transactions involving PEPs. They must then apply tougher checks to ensure transactions are legitimate. UK regulators said they could not discuss the case. An HSBC spokesman said: In order to protect our customers and to prevent financial crime such as money laundering, we have robust systems in place to monitor payments that are made to and from our customers. Payments are flagged, and in some instances stopped, only when suspicious or criminal activity has been found to be taking place. First, a lucrative offer to help a jailed politician. Next, it's all off after Amal Clooney said she'd do it FREE. Then, guess what, Cheries law firm took a fat fee from the corrupt despot who'd put the man in jail! By Guy Adams Back in March last year, Maldives opposition leader Mohammed Nasheed was thrown into prison for 13 years by the countrys despotic President Abdulla Yameen, in what Amnesty International dubbed a travesty of justice. Days later, his anxious supporters received some heartening news. An email arrived in their inbox suggesting that the famous British human rights lawyer Cherie Blair was prepared to throw her weight behind the campaign to free Nasheed by writing a newspaper comment article, or op-ed, about his plight. There is a possibility Cherie Blair QC, wife of former PM Tony Blair, may be willing to do an op-ed, it read. She is Chancellor Emeritus (and previously Chancellor) of Liverpool John Moores University, where President Nasheed graduated from. I have been introduced to her and she asked me for a draft [of the article]. Legal business: Cherie Blair (pictured left) and Amal Clooney (right) The message, obtained by the Mail this week, carried weight because it was written by Benedict Rogers, a senior figure in the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. Marked Strictly Confidential; Please Do Not Forward, and dated March 20, it carried a copy of the draft article that Mr Rogers expected Mrs Blair to put her name to. Very compelling it was, too. The piece described Nasheeds trial as an extraordinary farce and said his imprisonment meant that democracy is dead in the Maldives. In its place, we have thuggish authoritarian rule... Comparisons with Nelson Mandela or Aung San Suu Kyi are deserved, it added. Mr Nasheed should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. As for the dictatorial President of the Maldives, who has imprisoned around 1,700 opposition activists, the draft article was unequivocal. It is clear that Mr Yameens regime does not respond to soft diplomacy. It is therefore time to speak to the regime in a language it will understand. Hitting it where it hurts: in its wallet. Targeted sanctions are needed. Wise words indeed. And ones which closely echoed very similar sentiments put down on paper only a few days earlier by a second man very close to Mrs Blair called Toby Cadman. On March 4, Nasheeds office in the Maldives had been sent a document by Mr Cadman, a barrister who happens to work on the advisory council of Mrs Blairs international law firm, Omnia Strategy. Headlined draft agreement it made a proposition: that, for a fee, he would offer professional legal and public advocacy services to the jailed opposition leader, along with the development of a long-term lobbying strategy to help secure his release. His arrest and trial is a politically motivated show-trial aimed at cementing further an already authoritarian regime, read Cadmans pitch. The government of the Maldives must immediately release Mohamed Nasheed or face international isolation, diplomatically and economically. Tourists must boycott the Maldives, it went on. The international community cannot allow the Maldives to drift towards a pariah state there are already clear signs of a military dictatorship, rising Islamic fundamentalism and the abuse of women. Cadman claimed hed be able to place three or four articles supportive of Nasheed in key international newspapers. Hed also approach all major news networks seeking to set up TV interviews, and start an online grassroots campaign to shame the government on Twitter and Facebook. It intrigued supporters of Nasheed, who had served as the first democratically elected President of the Maldives from 2008 until 2012 until being deposed at gunpoint. But there was also a catch. Amal Clooney listens as Mohamed Nasheed, the Maldives' first democratically elected president who was overthrown in 2012, speaks during a press conference in London, on January 25, 2016 Cadman wanted to be paid for his services, explained one of Nasheeds supporters. We just werent in a position to do that. More to the point, we already had a brilliant team of people prepared to do legal and lobbying work for us entirely for free, including Amal Clooney. So after considering Mr Cadmans offer for a while we decided not to follow it up. Around the time that decision was made, Nasheeds office got another urgent and confidential email from Benedict Rogers, the man who had been hoping to persuade Cherie Blair to write an article in support of their campaign. It brought bad news. Regrettably, Cherie Blair felt she does not have a track record on the Maldives and therefore in the end declined [to put her name to the article], it read. The news came as a disappointment. But some three months later that turned to outright anger, when Nasheeds office got a piece of strange and upsetting news. Omnia Strategy, the firm run by Mrs Blair a supposed champion of human rights, who previously seemed so supportive of their cause had just signed a lucrative deal to represent Nasheeds opponents: the despotic and corrupt government of President Yameen. To their dismay, Mrs Blair and Mr Cadman then began to work tirelessly to advance the dictators ugly agenda. In September Ms Blair issued a joint PR statement with Maldives Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon, the niece of dictator Yameen. Made against the backdrop of growing international outrage about the regime, it criticised proposed sanctions as inappropriate and unjustified saying they threaten the economic stability of the Maldives. Thats the opposite of the position that had been set out in the draft article of March 18, which specifically advocated targeted sanctions. The PR statement also seemed oddly confident in tone given that, only months earlier, Mrs Blair had apparently declared that she didnt have a track record to comment on the Maldives in an unpaid capacity. But money, or the scent of it, appears to do strange things to Mrs Blairs firms sense of judgment. How else can we explain Omnias extraordinary decision, revealed by the Daily Mail yesterday, to accept a 210,000 payment for its services to the Maldives government from the bank account of a private company? Or its failure to realise that the money originally came from an international fugitive wanted by Interpol on charges of corruption, money laundering, and embezzlement from the government quango Omnia had billed? Asked about Mrs Blairs decision not to put her name to the draft newspaper article, a spokesman said: it had no link whatsoever with any potential work for Omnia Strategy in the Maldives. Mohammed Nasheed was thrown into prison for 13 years by President Abdulla Yameen (pictured), in what Amnesty International dubbed a travesty of justice As for Mr Cadman, he denied any hypocrisy on Omnias part by insisting that his initial pitch to Nasheed was not made on behalf of Omnia. Instead, he said, it was submitted in his capacity as the co-founder of a consultancy firm called International Forum for Democracy and Human Rights, an entirely separate organisation whose logo appeared on the draft agreement. The discussion that took place almost a year ago was in my private capacity and had nothing to do with Omnia or Cherie Blair QC, he said. Supporters of Nasheed disagree. They will in the coming weeks file a complaint with the Bar Standards Board, which regulates barristers in the UK, and the Solicitors Regulation Authority, which regulates Omnia, claiming the firm, and Mr Cadman, may have breached rules that prevent double pitching to both sides in a dispute. Any such claim will be vigorously disputed. Indeed, Cadman says: Members of the Bar may be approached by either party during the preliminary stages of any dispute. He adds that he was asked by Nasheeds team to submit a written proposal but that there was never any discussion of fees, or being formally instructed. I did not pitch both sides in the same dispute, Cadman insists. I never met or spoke to any member of the former Presidents legal team or political office. Furthermore, he adds that he could never have anticipated that the government of the Maldives would have approached Omnia some three to four months later. We must, of course, take him at his word. However there is at least some documentary evidence that the International Forum for Democracy and Human Rights through which he pitched for Nasheeds business has very close financial links to Cherie Blairs firm. Indeed, the Mail can reveal that in September last year, Omnia Strategy paid 2,695 for a Mr Carl Buckley to fly business class from London to Male, the capital of the Maldives, on Emirates Airlines. There, he met Cadman, who had flown out the previous day on a return ticket which cost 3,516. We have obtained a copy of the receipt for both tickets, which were booked on the same day via Preference Travel, a Hertfordshire travel agent, and billed to Omnias London address. Intriguingly, Mr Buckley just happens to be a senior employee of The International Forum for Democracy and Human Rights. So why on earth did Omnia pay a 2,695 air fare to Male for a man who worked for an organisation which it says had nothing to do with its highly dubious work in the Maldives? For now, that must remain a mystery: neither Omnia nor Mr Cadman chose to answer the Mails inquiries about the air ticket. A teenager in China has been named 'fang boy' after his rare medical condition left him with just two pegs for teeth. The 15-year-old, known as Lan Hai (not his real name), lives in Yongchuan town, Chongqing, and suffers from congenital Ectodermal Dysplasia, the People's Daily Online reports. According to his mother, Ma Yuxu, several of her families members also have the condition, which has resulted them being called the 'vampire family' by neighbours. Labelled Fang Boy: 15-year-old Lan Hai suffers from a rare disease called ectodermal dysplasia Loving mother: Ma Yuxu says that her son has spent most of his childhood in hospital being treated for fevers The disease has affected Lan Hai's hair and teeth. Apart from only having two pegs for teeth, his hair is sparse and he is sensitive to light. The boy said due to his appearance, he had been constantly laughed at by his playmates and classmates. He says his only wish is to have teeth implants in order to improve his quality of life, however his family can't afford the treatment costs. His mother, Ma Yongxu, spoke to local reporters on Tuesday at the Southwest Hospital of Third Military Medical University in Chongqing while she was taking Lan Hai for treatment. Ma said when Lan Hai was born in 2001, the midwives were shocked. She added: 'They thought the boy looked so strange because there was not a single hair on his head.' According to Ma, the disease seems to be genetic. Her youngest brother also suffers from Ectodermal Dysplasia and among all the children of her seven siblings, four of them including Lan Hai have the symptons. Ma said in her hometown Xuyong County in Luzhou, all neighbours were afraid of her siblings and relatives and have called them the 'vampire family'. Ectodermal Dysplasia: The disease meant that the boy's teeth were just two pegs by the time he was two Self conscious: The boy says the disease has affected his self confidence and a new set of teeth would help Because of the state of Lan Hai's teeth, Ma has to feed him with liquid foods leading to signs of malnutrition. His best option is a teeth implant. According to his mother, Lan Hai spent most of his childhood in hospital being treated for fevers and sensitivity to light. She says that by the time he hit his second birthday, he only had two pegs for teeth. When he was just four years hold, he was hospitalised for a fever and doctors told Lan's parents that he wouldn't survive. It was discovered that the boy does not have sweat glands. Without sweat glands, he cannot control his body temperature and risks suffering a fatal seizure if his body overheats or gets too cold. Devoted mother: His mother sells food at a snack stand during the evenings to keep them financially afloat His father installed a tank in a shaded area of their yard so that he could keep cool during the summer months. When Lan Hai was five, his father became ill and later passed away. Before he died, he made his wife promise that she would not abandon the boy. In 2009, his mother remarried and in 2013 she gave birth to another boy. Unfortunately the baby had the same disease and died within six months from a fever. Her new husband couldn't cope and later disappeared leaving Lan Hai and his mother to fend for themselves. She makes money by running a late night food stand. The boy says sometimes people's stares are hard to deal with and affect his self confidence. He says that if he had new teeth then it would make him more confident. Ectodermal dysplasias are a group of 150 inherited disorders that are estimated to affect just 7,000 people worldwide. A three-year-old boy in China had four fingers crushed after accidentally getting them stuck in an escalator. The shocking incident occurred in a department store in Nanjing city on February 17 at around 5.30pm, reports the Peoples Daily Online. Luckily people near by saw the incident and were able to stop the escalator before the boy - who is being called Qi Qi by the Chinese media was seriously injured any further. Traumatic: Yesterday a three-year-old boy in Nanjing city, east China almost lost his fingers on an escalator Horrific: Qi Qi was rushed to hospital and went into surgery so the doctors could attempt to save his fingers As soon as the escalator stopped, Qi Qi's hand was released with the help of a guard at the store and he was immediately rushed to the hospital. Doctors said he seriously injured his left hand and could lose four of his fingers and a thumb. According to the report, CCTV footage of the accident shows Qi Qi lying down on the floor near the escalator playing with a friend. His parents are nowhere to be seen when he gets up and goes down the stairs towards the first floor of the store. Qi Qi jumped onto the elevator and fell face forward, trapping his hand in the moving metal stairs. A man and woman in the store who witnessed the incident rushed to his aid and pressed the emergency stop button, but his hand was already severely trapped. Several people surrounded Qi Qi and tried to help him. Eventually his anxious parents rushed to his side as a security guard used a screwdriver to release his severed hand. Qi Qi remained calm and did not cry for around 50 minutes before his hand was removed from the escalator. It is understood that his parents work at the department store in Nanjing and were in their shop at the time of the incident. He was rushed to hospital and immediately went into surgery so the doctors could attempt to save his fingers. Doctors reconnected the blood vessels and nerves at the Ninth Peoples Hospital in Wuxi, he was then transferred to the Nanjing Childrens Hospital. Danger: The escalator at the department store was closed after a three-year-old boy became trapped His parents stayed in the hospital where he is being treated and spoke to local reporters about the incident. His father Mr Hou told a reporter from People's Daily: 'Apart from his thumb on the left hand, all four fingers were pierced through (by a metal nail).' Although doctors are optimistic that Qi Qi will not lose his fingers, his recovery is vital as there was a lot of oil from the escalator in his hand which may cause infection if it is not looked after carefully. One of his doctors said: 'His four fingers suffer from a crush injury with the index and ring fingers being the worst. We have completed the re-plantation and attached blood vessels and nerves.' The next week for Qi Qi is crucial, if his left hand is not properly cared for he could end up losing four fingers and a thumb. Qi Qi is still in hospital recovering from his traumatic experience. At last, a mini drone fit for Batman himself. Engineers have developed an unmanned vehicle inspired by the way in which bats fly by changing the shape of their wings. The team behind the wings believes the design is revolutionary and could pave the way for a new generation of drones. Scroll down for video The bat-inspired wings work like artificial muscles, changing their shape in response to physical forces they experience. A prototype drone using the bat wings is pictured Developed by engineers from the University of Southampton, the wings work like artificial muscles, changing their shape in response to physical forces they experience. Just like the Batman's memory cloak in the Dark Knight, they use electroactive material that changes shape when an electric current is passed through the polymers. This makes the polymers stiffen or relax. The drone is powered by rotor engines on the front, but as the voltage alters the shape of the wing membranes it means the aerodynamic characteristics can be altered as the drone flies. This could significantly improve the vehicle's performance in the air enabling better in-flight control. Just like the eponymous superhero's memory cloak in Batman Begins (pictured), the wing membranes use electroactive ploymers which change shape when an electric current is passed through them, making them stiffen or relax DEVELOPING THE BAT WING DRONE Engineers from Southampton worked with computer scientists at Imperial College London on the design, with added experts insight from the US Air Force and European aerospace industry. Just like the eponymous superhero's memory cloak in Batman Begins, the wing membranes use electroactive ploymers which change shape when an electric current is passed through them, making them stiffen or relax The work has culminated in a 50cm (19.7-inch) wide working prototype, which has completed extensive wind tunnel testing as well as a successful test flight over land and water. The team said that the prototype wing will eventually enable flight over much longer distances than currently possible. Advertisement With no mechanical parts, its creators believe the wing design will make it even easier to maintain the small drones, or micro air vehicles (MAVs). The engineers from Southampton worked with computer scientists at Imperial College London on the design, with added experts insight from the US Air Force and European aerospace industry. Using bats' wings for inspiration, the group mimicked the biological design and function of the world's only true flying mammals, incorporating computer models to refine their designs. The work has culminated in a 50cm (19.7-inch) wide working prototype, which has completed extensive wind tunnel testing as well as a successful test flight over land and water. Data from the wind tunnel trials indicate that design can improve flight performance The team said that the prototype wing will eventually enable flight over much longer distances than currently possible. Using bats' wings for inspiration, the group mimicked the biological design and function of the world's only true flying mammals (pictured), incorporating computer models to refine their designs Data from the wind tunnel trials indicate that design (pictured) can improve flight performance. The team said that the prototype wing will eventually enable flight over much longer distances than currently possible 'We've successfully demonstrated the fundamental feasibility of MAVs incorporating wings that respond to their environment, just like those of the bats that have fuelled our thinking,' said Professor Bharath Ganapathisubramani, of Southampton's Aerodynamics and Flight Mechanics Group, who led the project. He added: 'We've also shown in laboratory trials that active wings can dramatically alter the performance. 'The combined computational and experimental approach that characterised the project is unique in the field of bio-inspired MAV design.' The work has culminated in a 50cm (19.7-inch) wide working prototype (pictured), which has completed extensive wind tunnel testing as well as a successful test flight over land and water If successful, the wing design (prototype pictured) could be deployed in the real world, such as for military, surveillance or search and rescue missions, within the next five years The team is now looking to incorporate the active wings into existing MAV designs. If successful, the wings could be deployed in the real world, such as for military, surveillance or search and rescue missions, within the next five years. Professor Ganapathisubramani told MailOnline: 'The applications include military, search and rescue and other typical drone applications. 'The key is that we are talking about a new type of technology here and we have not scratched the surface in terms of its applications.' Dr Rafael Palacios of Imperial's Department of Aeronautics, added: 'This is a paradigm shift in the approach to MAV design. 'Instead of a traditional approach of scaling down existing aircraft design methods, we constantly change the membrane shape under varying wind conditions to optimise its aerodynamic performance.' The bat wing drone takes to the air during a test flight. Source: University of Southampton A bright orange mushroom that grows on the volcanic slopes of Hawaii can make women orgasm spontaneously. At least that's according to a controversial study done almost 15 years ago, which suggests around half of all women will experience intense pleasure from its odor. But when one reporter attempted to experience the odour for herself, the extreme sensation she was not what she expected. Scroll down for video A mysterious mushroom has been found to trigger orgasms in women. It may resemble Phallus multicolour (pictured), which is found in Hawaii. The unknown species has long been rumoured to have potent properties. But when one reporter attempted to experience the odour for herself, she was in for a surprise CHRISTIE WILCOX'S REACTION 'It was, hands down, the worst smell thats ever violated my nostrils. 'I swear it was worse than the rotten slimer manatee carcass I helped dissect as an intern in a marine mammal forensics lab. 'Worse than the combination of algal toxins and dead fish that comprised the air off Casey Key during a massive red tide event. 'What did it smell like, exactly? I guess if I had to put a name to the odor, the closest I can come up with is semen, but this was not the healthy biological fluid fresh from a male donormore like fermented, decomposing semen. Or diseased, fetid semen.' Source: Discover Magazine Advertisement 'It was, hands down, the worst smell that's ever violated my nostrils. I swear it was worse than the rotten 'slimer' manatee carcass,' wrote Christie Wilcox for the Discover blog. The supposedly orgasm-inducing mushrooms were discovered growing on lava deposits dating back 600 and 10,000 years. It is thought they belong to the genus Dictyophora, a family of mushrooms that bear distinctive net-like heads. In a brief study, published in the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms in 2001, John Holliday of Next Laboratories in Kula, Hawaii and Noah Soule of Aloha Medicinals tested the mushroom's aphrodisiac effect. In a small experiment involving 16 women and 20 men, volunteers were asked to sniff the mushroom, which is said to have a 'fetid odour'. Its smell triggered spontaneous orgasms in six of the women, while the other 10, who received smaller doses, experienced an increase in heart rate, Snopes.com reported. The study explained: 'There are significant sexual arousal characteristics present in the fetid odour of this unique mushroom. 'These results suggest that the hormone like compounds present in the volatile portion of the spore mass may have some similarity to human neurotransmitters during sexual encounters.' However, commentators are far from convinced by the results. 'I guess if I had to put a name to the odor, the closest I can come up with is semen,' said Wilcox. In a small experiment involving 16 women and 20 men, volunteers were asked to sniff the mushroom, which is said to have a 'fetid odour. Its smell triggered spontaneous orgasms (stock image) in six of the women 'But this was not the healthy biological fluid fresh from a male donormore like fermented, decomposing semen. Or diseased, fetid semen.' According Holliday, the women who orgasm from the smell of the mushroom have a functioning vomeronasal organ (VNO). Women who don't have a VNO are immediately repulsed. 'It is found in about fifty five percent of humans,' he told Wilcox. 'The same percentage of women that had a positive response to the smell of this.' When Wilcox looked deeper into the study, she found that there is considerable debate about who has the organ. She cites a 2001 study that found more than 90 per cent of people had 'some evidence of at least one VNO pit.' Interestingly Dictyophora mushrooms - also known as 'veiled ladies' - grow length so quickly that they can 'bloom' in just 45 minutes. It is thought that the mushrooms produce the potent smells in order to reproduce. Another mushroom from the same family, named Dictyophora indusiata, emits an unpleasant smell similar to faeces. This specific branch of the fungus family has long been considered to possess special powers. They were ingested during ancient Mexican divinatory ceremonies and in New Guinea the mushroom is considered sacred because of its suggestive form. In Nigeria, the mushroom is one of several stinkhorns given the name 'Akufodewa' by the Yoruba people. The name is formed from a combination of the Yoruba words: ku ('die'), fun ('for'), ode ('hunter'), and wa ('search'). It refers to how the mushroom's stench can attract hunters who mistake its odour for that of a dead animal. In Chinese medicine the fungi has been used to treat many inflammatory, gastric, and neural diseases. Southern China's Miao people continue to use it traditionally for a number of conditions, including coughs, dysentery, enteritis and even leukemia. Groundwater moving beneath a massive tectonic rift zone helped carve some of Mars' deepest basins. Now, a new study claims that these basins may have been habitable, suggesting that life once existed on the red planet. The discovery could help future exploration missions decide where to look for evidence of Martian life. Scroll down for video Perspective views of (top) the floor of a basin where scientists that shallow lakes could have formed within the last few tens of millions of years, and (below) the floor of a proposed Martian analog high mountain lake in the Tibetan plateau, where researchers want to study to see if life can exist under extreme conditions IS MARS HUMID ENOUGH TO SUPPORT LIFE? Mars appear to be a dry, barren planet, but the alien world is also remarkably humid. Now one group of scientists claims that this humidity could be enough to support life. They say the humidity could support life if the water condenses to form short-term puddles in the early morning hours. 'The conditions on Mars, where the relative humidity is high and the available water vapor is approximately 100 precipitable microns, is the equivalent of the drier parts of the Atacama Desert in Chile,' John Rummel, of East Carolina University, told Space.com. Advertisement Scientists from the Planetary Science Institute in Tuscon, Arizona, have been studying a region of Mars close to a massive volcanic plateau. The basins may have been alternately covered with lava and water over the course of hundreds of millions of years. They could have created the ideal temperature ranges, water pressure and nutrients necessary to sustain life, scientists claims. Huge lakes may have formed in these lava-covered basins, the study claims. 'The temperature ranges, presence of liquid water, and nutrient availability, which characterize known habitable environments on Earth, have higher chances of forming on Mars in areas of long-lived water and volcanic processes,' said lead author Alexis Palmero Rodriguez. Salt deposits and features of the ancient lakes are important 'when looking for past habitable areas on Mars,' he added. The detection of paleo-lake sites on Mars is particular challenging because under the planet's frigidly cold and thin atmosphere, their ponded water would have behaved differently than on Earth, he said. 'In this research we propose a Tibetan region where high mountain lakes show unique sets of landforms that might explain some basin interior features in the studied region of Mars.' It follows research last year which suggested fossilised life could be found in gemstones mined deep within Martian craters. The discovery was made in traces of the opal, which were found in a Martian meteorite. Pictured is the streaks on the slopes of Hale Crater which could have been created by seasonal flow of water on surface of present-day Mars. Basins on Mars could have been alternately covered with lava and water over the course of hundreds of millions of year A University of Glasgow team has identified traces of the gem known on Earth as 'fire opal' for its brilliant orange, yellow and red colouration, within a Martian meteorite. The discovery could help future exploration missions decide where to look for evidence of Martian life Opal is an intriguing find, not only because it can preserve fossils, but also because it forms around hot springs where microbial life thrives. Researchers discovered the opal in a 1.7-gram fraction of the Martian meteorite known as Nakhla, which was supplied by the Natural History Museum in London. Nakhla is named after the town in Egypt where it fell to Earth in 1911, millions of years after being blasted from the face of Mars by a massive impact of unknown origin. The University of Glasgow team identified traces of the gem known on Earth as 'fire opal' for its brilliant orange, yellow and red colouration. Several years ago, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter revealed Martian rocks containing a hydrated mineral similar to opal. The rocks are light-toned and appear cream-colored in this false-color image Using a powerful scanning electron microscope, the team found very small traces of the gem in the rock created by the interaction of Martian water with silica within the meteorite. 'The slice of Nakhla that we have is small, and the amount of fire opal we've found in it is even smaller, but our discovery of opal is significant for a couple of reasons,' said lead author Professor Martin Lee. 'Firstly, it definitively confirms findings from Nasa's imaging and exploration of the Martian surface which appeared to show deposits of opal. 'This is the first time that a piece of Mars here on Earth has been shown to contain opal. 'Secondly, we know that on Earth opals like these are often formed in and around hot springs. 'Microbial life thrives in these conditions, and opal can trap and preserve these microbes for millions of years. 'If Martian microbes existed, it's possible they too may be preserved in opal deposits on the surface of Mars.' It has raised the prospect of AI computers taking over share dealing Most human analysts can only get 48 per cent of their forecasts right Their algorithms has got its predictions correct 68 per cent of the time The stock market is notoriously unpredictable - for those who can make the right calls, vast sums of money can be made, but get it wrong and the losses can be equally huge. Now some stockbrokers are hoping that artificial intelligence will tip the balance in their favour. Japanese researchers have developed a computer capable of predicting the rise and fall of the market correctly 68 per cent of the time. Scenes of stressed out traders and despairing brokers on the floors of the world's stockmarkets (pictured) could disappear completely if technology being tested in Japan is successful. Japanese researchers have developed an algorithm they say can predict the rise and fall of stock market prices Most human stockbrokers rarely get this right more than 50 per cent of the time on average. It suggests learning algorithms, which assess huge volumes of data to predict stock prices and economic fortunes, could transform the markets. COULD TEACHING COMPUTERS TO READ STOP AI KILLING MANKIND? As artificial intelligence systems become more advanced, researchers say teaching them ethical behaviour will become important. The key could be to simply let them read. A new system, called Quixote teaches 'value alignment' to robots by training them to read stories, learn acceptable sequences of events and understand successful ways to behave in human societies. Quixote learns that it will be rewarded whenever it acts like the protagonist in a story instead of randomly or like the antagonist. For example, if a robot is tasked with picking up a prescription for a human as quickly as possible, the robot could a) rob the pharmacy, take the medicine, and run; b) interact politely with the pharmacists, or c) wait in line. Without value alignment and positive reinforcement, the robot would learn that robbing is the fastest and cheapest way to accomplish its task. With value alignment from Quixote, the robot would be rewarded for waiting patiently in line and paying for the prescription. Advertisement While computer algorithms have been used in share trading for decades now, allowing transactions to be timed to a fraction of a second, the use of AI has been slow. Dr Junsuke Senoguchi, a senior equity strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities in Tokyo, however, has being testing a new robotic stockbroker. Every month, for four years it has produced a single simple prediction whether the Nikkei 225 Stock Average index will be higher or lower in 30 days time. Dr Senoguchi told Bloomberg Business that the robot has been getting more and more accurate. He said: 'Artificial intelligence gives you much better results than conventional statistics. 'Sometimes the structure of the market changes greatly. 'The ability to change the model when this happens is a big difference from previous approaches.' According to Dr Senoguchi, since March 2012, his robotic stockbroker has been right about the changes in the market 32 times out of 47 giving it a hit rate of 68 per cent. Although this is still a relatively small number of tests, it exceeds the figure that would be expected by chance. Indeed, research compiled from market forecasters since 1998 by CXO Advisory Group revealed humans were only able to accurate predict the market direction 48 per cent of the time. With a prediction hit rate of 68 per cent, the machine is already outperforming human stockbrokers, although the number of forecasts the computer has made are still small. Some experts believe artificial intelligence could transform how trades are made. Stock image of share prices on a computer pictured Dr Senoguchi's algorithm combines 92 economic indicators over multiple timeframes and uses sets of rules to eliminate those that it sees as being least predictive over the past 48 months. It then uses this data to produce model to predict what will happen in the coming month. Each month it starts afresh and takes into account any changes. However, the AI stockbroker is still far from being perfect. According to Bloomberg it utterly failed to predict the huge fall in share prices around the world that marred the start of 2016. It said the period ending January 10 would see the Nikkei 225 rise. Instead it fell to one of its lowest levels on record. Regardless, artificial intelligence experts have described the approach being taken by Dr Senoguchi as 'extremely new' and said the computer's level of success was 'pretty high'. The AI stockbroker failed to forecast plunging markets at the start of 2016, sparked by massive falls in share prices on China's stockmarket (pictured) which reverberated around the world Although the live-stream video from the bald eagle nest near Hanover, York County, is down, apparently from heavy traffic, posters on the Hanover, PA Eagle Cam group on Facebook report that the female eagle laid her first egg of 2016 at 3:13 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18. The female bald eagle at the nest near Hanover that is live-streamed through the Pennsylvania Game Commission website apparently has laid her first egg of 2016. Although the Facebook group is a completely unofficial and unauthorized group not associated with the nest camera, which is operated through the website of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, some of the posters did have photos to support their claims. The female at the Hanover nest laid her eggs on Feb. 14 and 17 last year. They hatched on March 24 and 25. The eaglets fledged around June 22. A live-stream from the Hanover nest is available 24 hours per day through the Pennsylvania Game Commission website. Talking to people on holiday has just got a lot easier after Google added 13 new languages to its Translate app. Travellers can now translate speech in real-time in a total of 103 languages, with new additions including Scots Gaelic, Corsican, Kurdish, Samoan and Hawaiian. The addition of the languages means Google Translate can now be used by 99 per cent of the worlds population. Google adding 13 new languages to its Translate app. The app allows users to let their phone listen someone talk and get a written translation of what they're saying, in real time, on the screen (illustrated) There are thought to be around 7,000 different spoken languages in the world. However, 2,000 of these have fewer than 1,000 speakers and 90 percent are used by less than 100,000 people. Supporting 103 languages will mean around 120 million new people will be able to benefit from the app, which allows users to let their phone listen to someone talk and get a written translation of what they are saying, in real-time, on the screen. The 13 languages added to Translate are Amharic (Ethiopia) - a stock image of a boy in the highlands is shown above - Corsican, Frisian, Kyrgyz, Hawaiian, Kurdish, Luxembourgish, Samoan, Scots Gaelic, Shona, Sindhi, Pashto and Xhosa LANGUAGES ADDED TO THE APP Amharic - Ethiopia Corsican - Island of Corsica, France Frisian - Netherlands and Germany Kyrgyz - Kyrgyzstan Hawaiian - Hawaii Kurdish - Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria Luxembourgish - Luxembourg Samoan - Samoa and American Samoa Scots Gaelic - Scottish highlands, UK Shona - Zimbabwe Sindhi - Pakistan and India Pashto - Afghanistan and Pakistan Xhosa - South Africa Advertisement The 13 languages added to Translate are Amharic (Ethiopia), Corsican (Island of Corsica, France), Frisian (Netherlands and Germany), Kyrgyz (Kyrgyzstan), Hawaiian (Hawaii), Kurdish (Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria), Luxembourgish (Luxembourg), Samoan (Samoa and American Samoa), Scots Gaelic (Scottish highlands, UK), Shona (Zimbabwe), Sindhi (Pakistan and India), Pashto (Afghanistan and Pakistan) and Xhosa (South Africa). Google said it wants to continue to support even more of the worlds languages by involving native speakers whose languages arent already included in the app. 'Weve come a long way with over 100 languages, but we arent done yet,' said Google Translates senior program manager, Sveta Kelman. 'If you want to help, International Mother Language day - just around the corner on February 21 - is a great time to get involved in Translate Community.' 'To start, just select the languages you speak; then choose to either translate phrases on your own or validate existing translations. 'Every contribution helps improve the quality of translation over time.' Googles move to support over 100 languages builds on the firm's current Translate tools, which offer written as well as spoken translations on both iOS and Android devices. The app has also updated its Word Lens tool. Word Lens lets people use camera mode to take a photo of text and get a translation in 36 languages. Now, while using the Translate app, users can point their camera at a sign or text and see the translated text overlaid on the screen - even if they don't have a data connection The move builds on Google's current tools, which offer written translation of 90 languages, as well spoken translations in a select number of languages on Android devices (pictured) WORD LENS APP TRANSLATES USING A PHONE'S CAMERA Word Lens uses augmented reality to translate text including road signs, menus, newspapers, and more by pointing a phones camera towards it. Supported languages include Russian, Spanish, French, Italian, German and Portuguese. Google bought the technology by acquiring California-based developers Quest Visual in May last year. Available on iOS, Android and Google Glass, users choose the language they want to translate to and from, before holding a camera up to text, such as a road sign or menu. Word Lens automatically translates the text and overlays it on the same image on the phone's display. As part of the latest app update, this feature now works without a data connection. Advertisement Google Translate is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year and since launching in 2006, has grown to offer users an array of language tools, including the introduction speech-to-text translation, which interprets what someone is saying, in real time, on the screen. Google launched the feature just over a year ago and has seen much success as it makes conversing with someone of a different language much easier than before. Users with the app simply have to tap the microphone to enter the voice translation mode. Tapping it again means it will automatically recognise which language is being spoken by both members of the conversation. Once the two languages have been recognised, the app will be poised to translate speech, meaning the user doesn't need to press the mic button again. Translate can also recognise handwritten notes and translate these into text, and users can point their phone cameras at road signs, for example, to translate them in real-time. The Word Lens tool works in 36 languages, including English to and from French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Translations in the app arent always perfect but Google hopes users will share feedback directly on how it could improve. 'For each new language, we make our translations better over time, both by improving our algorithms and systems and by learning from your translations with Translate Community,' Kelman added. There have been a number of significant events throughout history in which people blamed their actions on their superiors, claiming they were just following orders. And now a group of psychologists has found that the feeling of responsibility for a harmful action is reduced in our brains when we've been ordered to do it. When subjects were coerced into inflicting pain on someone else, they felt as if more time had passed between their action and the result, and consequently felt less responsible. Psychologists has found that the feeling of responsibility for a harmful action is reduced in our brains (stock image) when we've been ordered to do it. When subjects were coerced into inflicting pain on someone else they felt as if more time had passed between their action and the result, and consequently felt less responsible The research was carried out by experts at researchers at University College London and Universite Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium. 'People often claim reduced responsibility because they were 'only obeying orders,' said Patrick Haggard, lead author of the study published in Current Biology. 'But are they just saying that to avoid punishment, or do orders really change the basic experience of responsibility?' WHAT IS A 'SENSE OF AGENCY'? Haggard and his research group measured what they called the 'sense of agency.' This is the feeling that one's own actions have caused an external event. When you feel a sense of agency, you feel responsible for an outcome, and this changes your experience of time. What you do, and the outcome you produce seem closer together when you feel more responsible. Advertisement To answer this question, the researchers measured what's known as a 'sense of agency' to explore changes in perception when someone delivered a mild electric shock to another person, either on orders or by their own choice. A 'sense of agency' is the feeling that one's own actions have caused an external event. When the participants chose freely, they were encouraged along with the promise of a small financial gain. They also knew exactly what kind of harm they were inflicting because pairs of participants traded places with each other. Those who delivered shocks or suffered financial losses in some trial sessions received the same treatment in others. 'When you feel a sense of agency, you feel responsible for an outcome, you get changes in experience of time where what you do and the outcome you produce seem closer together,' Haggard said. To answer this question, the researchers measured what's known as a 'sense of agency' to explore changes in perception when someone delivered a mild electric shock to another person, either on orders or by their own choice (set up illustrated). This is the feeling that one's own actions have caused an external event The subjects knew exactly what kind of harm they were inflicting because pairs of participants traded places with each other. The experiments were similar to those undertaken in the 1960s. STANLEY MILGRAM EXPERIMENTS In the 1960s, psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted experiments in a Yale university basement. They showed that a high proportion of people would inflict pain on others just because someone authoritative told them to. These experiments began three months after the start of the trial of German war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem. Milgram devised the study to test whether Eichmann could have just been obeying orders. Advertisement Psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted experiments in a university basement showing that people will apparently inflict pain on another person just because someone authoritative told them to. In the latest study, Haggard found that when the subjects were coerced, it led to a small but significant increase in the perceived time interval between action and outcome. This meant people felt less responsible for the actions, the researchers concluded. Coercion also reduced the neural processing of the outcomes of the actions, the researchers found. They concluded that claims of reduced responsibility under coercion could indeed correspond to a change in basic feelings of responsibility, not just attempts to avoid social punishment. Haggard said it would now be interesting to find out whether some people more readily experience a reduced sense of agency under coercion than others. 'Fortunately for society, there have always been some people who stand up to coercion,' he explained. The study found that when the subjects were coerced, it led to a small but significant increase in the perceived time interval between action and outcome. This meant people felt less responsible for the actions. Coercion also reduced the neural processing of the outcomes of the actions (pictured in light blue above) Parking tickets are a $20 billion industry in the US, and an undergrad has developed a 'chatbot' program to help make the appeals process easier and more successful. Joshua Browder, a Stanford University freshman, created a robot to appeal parking tickets in the UK, which has saved drivers $3 million dollars and will soon be available in New York. The robot lawyer generates documents and answers legal questions, but wont charge you hundreds of dollars in fees. Joshua Browder, a Stanford University freshman, created a robot to appeal parking tickets in the UK, which has saved drivers $3 million dollars and he plans bring the bot to New York this spring. The robot lawyer can generate documents and answer legal questions, but wont charge you hundreds of dollars in fees HOW DOES IT WORK? The first step to fighting against a parking ticket is to sign into the website and a chat screen will appear. The bot will then proceed with questions in order to learn the details of your case such as were you or someone you know driving? or was it hard to understand that parking signs? After it analyses your answers, the robot will then decide if you qualify for an appeal, if yes, it will generate an appeal letter that can be brought to the court. The robot uses a scripting language, AMK, which combines word choices and similarity of phrases to find what users are saying, explains Browder. Once it knows what youre saying, it will begin asking questions, pick out the variables and place them in the correct fields. Advertisement So far 151,000 people have used my site to appeal parking tickets, Browder told DailyMail. When I first started the site, I sent it around to half a dozen family and friends and it is heart-warming that some many people have since used the site to overcome basic legal issues. Browder created this technology when he was 18 years old, after receiving a parking ticket on a Saturday and experienced how time consuming the appeals process is. I realized there is a formulated process for appealing tickets, so I wrote a script that does the same thing and I started winning, says Browder. I created this robot to help people with legal issues and make it a free service. The first step to fighting a parking ticket is to sign into DoNotPay.co.uk, where a chat screen will appear. The bot will then proceed with questions in order to learn the details of your case such as were you or someone you know driving? or was it hard to understand that parking signs? After it analyzes your answers, the robot will decide if you qualify for an appeal, if yes, it will generate an appeal letter that can be brought to the courts. The robot uses a scripting language, AMK, which combines word choices and similarity of phrases to find what users are saying, explains Browder. Once it knows what youre saying, it will begin asking questions, pick out the variables and place them in the correct fields. Joshua Browder (pictured) taught himself to code by the age of eight and at 12 years old, he created an unofficial iPhone app for Pret A that was adopted by the firm. And the lawyer robot isnt the only and last thing Browder is working on to help the public The site, which is only available in the UK at the moment, and has shown a 47 percent success rate, which Browder notes, many parking lawyers have a much lower rate than 47 percent. I feel that parking tickets are already hurting the elderly and disabled, the most vulnerable in society, the most, says Browder. From my experience, parking lawyers are making millions appealing tickets from these groups, a task that can be easily automated for free. So far 151,000 people have used my site to appeal parking tickets, Browder tells DailyMail. The site, which is only available in the UK at the moment, and has shown a 47 percent success rate, and Browder notes, many parking lawyers have a much lower rate than 47 percent The challenge will be getting people to trust a robot over a human, but in light of the high fees parking lawyers are charging, and the higher success rate of my free website. I hope to convince everyone to give it a try and one day replace these exploitative lawyers completely. The robot has also learned the laws about cancelled and delay flights and payment protection insurance. And even though the program is based around UK law, Browder says it can help those in the US as well, such as if a flight is delayed going from New York to London the users can claim compensation using the robot. The first step to fighting against a parking ticket is to sign into the website and a chat screen will appear. The bot will then proceed with questions in order to learn the details of your case such as were you or someone you know driving? or was it hard to understand that parking signs? After it analyses your answers, the robot will then decide if you qualify for an appeal, if yes, it will generate an appeal letter that can be brought to the court. The robot uses a scripting language, AMK, which combines word choices and similarity of phrases to find what users are saying, explains Browder About 7,000 parking tickets are given out in New York City every day and all together, individuals pay more than $102 million in fines a year. But this may all change once the lawyer robot launches in New York at the end of early March. The site is currently working for this area, but I want to be sure it is safe from a legal liability standpoint to provide services from the robot lawyer, says Browder. I am therefore having to redraft the Terms of Service, which is the reason for the delay. Browder taught himself to code by the age of eight and at 12 years old, he created an unofficial iPhone app for Pret A that was adopted by the firm. The robot has also learned the laws about cancelled and delay flights and payment protection insurance. And even though the program is based around UK law, Browder says it can help those in the US as well, such as if a flight is delayed going from New York to London the users can claim compensation using the robot And the lawyer robot isnt the only and last thing Browder is working on to help the public. He is developing technology for driver-less cars that will automatically appeal speeding tickets, as Browder explains, it can help those who get into a car accident and find themselves in the hospital its just one less thing to worry about. I also want to help refugees, in the US and UK, he says. Believed dress was worn in life by an 'elite figure' in ancient society Other ancient articles of clothing are typically draped, but this is tailored An ancient bundle of rags discovered in an Egyptian tomb more than a century ago actually contained the world's oldest dress - but it wasn't spotted for almost 65 years after excavation. In 1977, researchers uncovered a curious, pleated V-neck shirt among the dirty linens, a portion of what was once likely a floor-length Tarkhan dress. Now, radiocarbon dating has confirmed that this article is the oldest known woven garment in the world, dating back between 5,100 and 5,500 years. With pleated sleeves and bodice, the Tarkhan Dress is the earliest example of clothing that was individually tailored. Other early historical garments uncovered by archaeologists were draped or wrapped upon the body, but this one is cut and fitted THE OLDEST DRESS IN THE WORLD Radiocarbon dating from the University of Oxford has confirmed that the Tarkhan Dress is the oldest known woven garment in the world, dating back between 5,100 and 5,500 years. The V-neck shirt has pleated sleeves and bodice, and likely was a part of a much longer dress. Signs of wear suggest the dress was used in life, and was not a ceremonial item. Though its exact context is unclear, the team suggests it was worn by an elite figure. Advertisement The ancient linen dress is made of materials from the beginning of the First Dynasty, or possibly earlier, during the Naqada III period. Radiocarbon dating conducted in 2015 by the University of Oxford puts its origins at 3482-3102 BC, based on a sample of the intact garment. With pleated sleeves and bodice, the Tarkhan Dress is the earliest example of clothing that was individually tailored. Other early historical garments uncovered by archaeologists were draped or wrapped upon the body, but this one is cut and fitted. In a paper published to the journal Antiquity, authors Alice Stevenson, curator of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology and Michael W. Dee, of the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art explain the rarity of such a find. The survival of highly perishable textiles in the archaeological record is exceptional; the survival of complete, or almost complete, articles of clothing even more so, the authors write. Signs of wear on the dress suggest it was used in life, and though the context is not certain, researchers say it was likely from a wealthy figure. And, though it now appears to be a shirt, similar floor-length garments from later dates suggest it was once much longer, the researchers explained to National Geographic. Researchers have worked out a true age, of 33663120 BC (68 percent probability) or 34823102 BC (95 percent probability). Radiocarbon dating from the University of Oxford has confirmed that the Tarkhan Dress is the oldest known woven garment in the world, dating back between 5,100 and 5,500 years DATING THE OLDEST DRESS Researchers have worked out a true age, of 33663120 BC (68 percent probability) or 34823102 BC (95 percent probability). The team explains that these age windows are broad because of the small sample size, and the inherent challenges with the calibration of radiocarbon dates in the late fourth millennium BC. Flax fibres grow over a short period of time and are suitable for radiocarbon dating, and the team determined the materials used for the garment were not recycled. The researchers exposed the sample to organic solvents, acetone, methanol, and chloroform, to rid the sample of any contaminants introduced during conservation, or those built up over years in the tomb. Advertisement An excavation led by W.M. Flinders Petrie at Tarkhan, an ancient cemetery roughly 31 miles south of Cairo, first took note of a great pile of linen cloth in 1912-1913. But, the original team never noticed the ancient garment lying within the dirty bundle. Decades later, in 1977, the linens were sent to the Victoria and Albert Museum for conservation, where the garment was discovered lying among 17 different types of textiles. Linen textiles are made up of flax fibres, the researchers explain, which grow over a short period of time and are suitable for radiocarbon dating. As the dress had remained intact, researchers determined that the materials had likely only been used for this piece, and were not recycled. The process, however, was not without challenges. To tackle potential contamination, including oils or resins from age, or glues and preservatives from conservation, the sample was exposed to organic solvents acetone, methanol, and chloroform at room temperature. Flax (Linum usitatissimum) textile fragments, like the ones pictured above which were excavated in the Fauym, have been discovered from as far back as Egyptian Neolithic times. Linen textiles are made up of flax fibres, the researchers explain, which grow over a short period of time and are suitable for radiocarbon dating Over the past week, iPhone owners globally have been reporting their handsets have been rendered useless due to a code known as 'Error 53'. It only appears on handsets that have been repaired by non-Apple engineers but it effectively 'bricks' them, making them unusable. Apple claims the code protects customers, but today apologised and issued a fix for the broken handsets amid claims the move may be illegal and some customers were planning to launch a lawsuit to address their concerns. Over the past week, iPhone owners have been reporting their handsets have been rendered useless due to a code known as 'Error 53'. It only appears on handsets that have been repaired by non-Apple engineers but it effectively 'bricks' them, making them unusable. Apple claims the code protects customers WHAT IS ERROR 53? iOS checks that the Touch ID sensor in your iPhone or iPad correctly matches your device's other components. If iOS finds a mismatch, the check fails and Touch ID, including for Apple Pay use, is disabled. As a result, Error 53 shows up, rendering the phone unusable. Any third-party repairs that affect this area, like the home-button or the screen, can spur the messages, and thus, the death-sentence, for an iPhone. Advertisement 'Some customers devices are showing Connect to iTunes after attempting an iOS update or a restore from iTunes on a Mac or PC, the firm said. 'This reports as an Error 53 in iTunes and appears when a device fails a security test. This test was designed to check whether Touch ID works properly before the device leaves the factory. 'Today, Apple released a software update that allows customers who have encountered this error message to successfully restore their device using iTunes on a Mac or PC. 'We apologize for any inconvenience, this was designed to be a factory test and was not intended to affect customers. 'Customers who paid for an out-of-warranty replacement of their device based on this issue should contact AppleCare about a reimbursement.' At least one US law firm has announced its intention to bring a class action against Apple on behalf of iPhone owners whose handsets have been crippled by the update, The Guardian has reported. And a London-based barrister believes the move may be an crime in the UK too. Users of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have reported seeing the 'Error 53 code' after the roll-out of the iOS 9 updates. The error is actually shown in iTunes on handsets that have had a TouchID sensor replaced, or a cable changed, since the last software upgrade. Handsets are said to be 'bricked' and don't function properly, while any data stored on them is reportedly lost without any hope of retrieval. The focal point of the issue lies in the security measures of the Touch ID sensor. Apple previously told MailOnline: 'We take customer security very seriously and Error 53 is the result of security checks designed to protect our customers. 'iOS checks that the Touch ID sensor in your iPhone or iPad correctly matches your device's other components. 'If iOS finds a mismatch, the check fails and Touch ID, including for Apple Pay use, is disabled. 'This security measure is necessary to protect your device and prevent a fraudulent Touch ID sensor from being used. If a customer encounters Error 53.' However, experts are suggesting the move may be illegal and are planning to launch a lawsuit to address their concerns. At least one US law firm has announced its intention to bring a class action against Apple (logo shown) on behalf of iPhone owners whose handsets have been crippled by the iOS 9 software update Any third-party repairs that affect this area, such as the home button or the screen, can spur the messages, and thus, the death-sentence, for an iPhone. While some people have pointed out the move makes sense from a security point of view, because it ensures data associated with Apple Pay is kept safe, others have slammed it. Apple has recommended users contact Apple Support for help, but customers are reportedly being turned away from Apple stores, having been told unauthorised repairs void the device's warranty. The error message has reportedly also popped up for users who had damaged their phones, and gone on using them without seeking repair. Seattle-based law firm PCVA has called on users with crippled handsets as a result of the 'Error 53' code to get in touch, with a view to bringing a class action. HAS APPLE ACTED ILLEGALLY? Seattle-based law firm PCVA has called on users with crippled handsets as a result of the 'Error 53' code to get in touch, with a view to bringing a class action. It said Apple's move may breach consumer protection laws in the US. 'We believe that Apple may be intentionally forcing users to use their repair services, which cost much more than most third party repair shops,' PCVA's website says. Richard Colbey, of Lamb Chambers in London, said Apple's 'Error 53' update could potentially be viewed as an offence under the Criminal Damage Act 1971, which said it is an offence to intentionally destroy someone else's property. 'It is hard to see how something which ceases to work in this way could be said to be of reasonable quality, one of the determinants of which is durability,' he explained on his blog. But freelance technology writer Charles Arthur explained: 'The "property" argument isnt a great one, to be honest. 'Apple sells you a device, but it doesnt give you untrammelled rights to it; you arent legally allowed to (try to) decompile the software, or the firmware, or to dig into things like the Secure Elements. 'You dont own the entire thing.' Advertisement It said Apple's move may breach consumer protection laws in the US. 'We believe that Apple may be intentionally forcing users to use their repair services, which cost much more than most third party repair shops,' PCVA's website says. 'Where you could get your screen replaced by a neighbourhood repair facility for $50-80, Apple charges $129 or more. There is incentive for Apple to keep end users from finding alternative methods to fix their products. 'Think of it this way: Let's say you bought a car, and had your alternator replaced by a local mechanic. 'Under Apple's strategy, your car would no longer start because you didn't bring it to an official dealership. They intentionally disable your car because you tried to fix it yourself. 'That is wrong, and we hope to prove that it violates various consumer protection laws in the United States.' Richard Colbey, of Lamb Chambers in London, said Apple's 'Error 53' update could potentially be viewed as an offence under the Criminal Damage Act 1971, which said it is an offence to intentionally destroy someone else's property. 'It is hard to see how something which ceases to work in this way could be said to be of reasonable quality, one of the determinants of which is durability,' he explained. However, revered technology writer Charles Arthur has pointed out that the argument of ownership is a shaky one, and the issue could potentially be fixed. 'Replace the new Touch ID processor with the old one (people say they have successfully done this,)' he wrote on his blog. Before adding: 'However, saying it is a lot easier than doing it. Some people don't have the old one. Or the old one might just be broken.' Local residents have complained of late night noise and being followed by security guards when walking their dogs near what is believed to be Apple's secret electric car lab. The nondescript garage in Sunnyvale, California, is where Apple is believed to be building its self driving 'Titan' cars. Local residents say the building has late night deliveries, and loud noises 'almost every night'. Scroll down for video This office complex is believed to be home to Apple's secret car project. The building is advertised as home to a mysterious company named SixtyEight Research STEVE JOBS AND THE iCAR Claims that Apple is building a car may seem like a leap, but it isn't the first time such projects have been discussed by the Californian firm. In an interview last year, Apple board member Mickey Drexler said that before his death in 2011 Steve Jobs had considered building a car. He told Paul Goldberger: 'Steve Jobs was gonna design an iCar. 'I think cars have an extraordinary opportunity for cool design.' Advertisement 'At three in the morning, they have deliveries,' Joann Porter told CBS. 'It's very dark, very secretive. 'We don't know what's going on, but almost every night there is noise that wakes the dogs up,' Neighbours on Bartlett Avenue near the facility said security guards tail them when they walk their dogs. One blog claims the address is the HQ for the project which could one day take on Tesla. 'Two people with knowledge of the project say Apple has been working on it and receiving shipments related to its development at a building just minutes from 1 Infinite Loop, in the town of Sunnyvale,' wrote AppleInsider. 'We can confirm that Apple does indeed have a large presence at the location, and that numerous automotive-related renovations, including an 'auto work area' and a 'repair garage,' have been constructed on the premises.' The building is advertised as home to a mysterious company named SixtyEight Research. Aside from a sparse website registered through GoDaddy less than a year ago that reveals virtually no information about the company, SixtyEight has no discernible online presence. 'We are experts in market research; helping companies find the relevant market data and industry analysis required to make informed decisions,' its site says. The building is apparently known as SG5 within Apple, and issues visitor passes identical to Apple's - minus the logo. Apple could have an electric car ready to go on sale by 2020, putting it in direct competition with rivals Tesla Motors and General Motors, according to an industry expert. Evidence is mounting that the tech giant is gearing up to revolutionise the automobile market, just as it did with smartphones and tablets. Images taken over the past few weeks have shown a prototype car that suggests Apple is testing the water - ahead of a release in as little as five years. When AppleInsider visited SixtyEight's headquarters at building '175' earlier this week, its windows were a 'frosted' opaque, and security cameras were visible outside Bloomberg has claimed that Apple could have a car ready by 2020, based on images of a test car. After the first mysterious camera-mounted car was spotted in California last week, further sightings of Apple's minivans have been posted online, with equipment on top (shown here) According to Tim Higgins from Bloomberg, automakers 'typically spend five to seven years developing a car'. And a 2020 timeframe would underscore Apple's 'aggressive goals and could set the stage for a battle for customers with Tesla Motors Inc and General Motors Co.' Both of those are planning to release a sub-26,000 ($40,000) electric car in 2017 that can travel more than 200 miles (320km) on a single charge. Steve LeVine, author of 'The Powerhouse,' a book about the automotive battery industry, said on Bloomberg TV Thursday: 'Was GM really going to be able to match Tesla? Apple can.' This latest speculation follows sightings of mysterious camera-mounted cars registered to Apple in the US last week. At least two videos - one recorded in California, another filmed in Florida - suggest the top-secret project is more widespread than first thought. And rumours range from a Street View-style mapping service to an electric car that will rival Tesla or a self-driving van to rival Google. The Californian footage was sent to MacRumors and shows a silver people-carrier driving down a street in Palo Alto. The Florida recording was filmed on a highway in Coral Springs and uploaded by Apple Insider. This footage shows a white Dodge Caravan fitted with cameras on the roof. As the filmmaker pulls alongside the van, they wave at the two men inside. The passenger is seen concealing an iPad from view, while the driver points to the camera and drives off. The Florida recording (pictured) was filmed in Coral Springs. This footage shows a white Dodge Caravan fitted with cameras on the roof. As the filmmaker pulls alongside the van, they wave at the two men inside and the passenger is seen concealing an iPad from view Other reports have spotted the vans in Hawaii and Wisconsin. The latest vans haven't officially been confirmed as belonging to Apple, but the similarities with previous confirmed sightings suggests they are. The far-reaching nature of the project lends more weight to the claims Apple is developing a mapping service. With 12 cameras on top of the car, however, some have said that is too many for it to be a mapping car like Google's Street View. Plus, reports recently claimed Apple has several hundred employees developing an electric car at a secret lab. This project has been dubbed 'Titan'. This Apple research lab was reportedly set up late last year - meaning any car could still be years away - and is being overseen by Apple designer Sir Jonathan Ive. Apple could, of course, be using the vans for both projects. The Wall Street Journal added that hundreds of employees are working on the Titan project and boss Tim Cook approved the project close to a year ago. The Californian footage (pictured) was sent to MacRumors and shows a silver people-carrier driving down a street in Palo Alto These reports followed rumours that Apple was developing a vehicle as part of a project that 'will change the landscape and give Tesla a run for its money.' The claims were made in an email from an unnamed Apple employee. In an interview last year, Apple board member Mickey Drexler said that before his death in 2011, Steve Jobs had considered building a car. An unnamed Apple employee recently hinted that the tech giant is developing a vehicle as part of a project that 'will change the landscape and give Tesla a run for its money.' It followed sightings of an Apple-owned car fitted with cameras (pictured) in California In particular, Apple may be working on an electric car to rival Tesla's range (the Tesla P85D is pictured) or the email could be referring to an advanced iPhone in-car control system that would rival Tesla's software PUBLIC COULD HAVE SELF-DRIVING CARS IN TWO YEARS The head of self-driving cars for Google expects real people to be using them on public roads in two to five years. Chris Urmson said the cars would still be test vehicles, and Google would collect data on how they interact with other vehicles and pedestrians. But Mr Urmson wouldn't give a date for putting driverless cars on roads en masse, saying that the system has to be safe enough to work properly. He told reporters last month at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit that he wants to reach the point where his test team no longer has to pilot the cars. Advertisement He told Paul Goldberger: 'Steve Jobs was gonna design an iCar. I think cars have an extraordinary opportunity for cool design.' Alternatively, the Apple employee's email could be referring to an advanced iPhone in-car control system that would rival Tesla's software. The original Dodge van with the equipment on the top was spotted by the blog Claycord in San Francisco. The blog owners apparently asked the driver what he was doing, but he refused to give an answer. The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) confirmed the vehicle was leased to Apple. Last year, footage emerged of a self-driving Dodge Caravan that looked like the current Apple minivans. When contacted by MailOnline, Apple declined to comment on the car in question or what its purpose was. With 12 cameras on top of the mysterious Apple car, some have said that is too many for it to be a mapping car like Google's Street View (pictured left). Google launched its Street View technology in 2007, and has refined the technology ever since (Street View screenshot near Trafalgar Square in London pictured right) Local authorities in Benidorm have started to paint 'Look Left' signs on zebra crossings, in a bid to curb the number of road accidents involving confused British tourists. Council chiefs in the Spanish city said the idea is to reduce the number of accidents, especially at night-time when holidaymakers who have had too many drinks look the wrong way before crossing. Many of the 17 pedestrians knocked over in the famous Costa Blanca resort in the six years leading up to 2013 - and the 102 accidents involving damage to vehicles - have been linked to Brits making mistakes when they cross roads. The first zebra crossing to be painted with the words 'Look Left' in large capitals on it is on the corner of the busy intersection where Mallorca Street meets Gerona Street Jose Ramon Gonzalez de Zarate, Benidorm's Head of Mobility, said: 'The main problems are in roads with traffic going in both directions in which cars in our country, from the pedestrian's point of view, are coming from the left. 'I'm sure we're going to significantly reduce the number of accidents involving British nationals. 'We have to look after our tourists and that includes improving their security with regards to the increasing volume of traffic on our roads.' A council source added: 'You can come across British holidaymaker's who look the wrong way at all times of the day, but the problem is usually worse at night when people have had too many drinks and have not necessarily got all their wits about them.' The first zebra crossing to be painted with the words 'Look Left' in large capitals on it is on the corner of the busy intersection where Mallorca Street meets Gerona Street. Council chiefs say the idea is to reduce the number of accidents, especially at night-time when holidaymakers who have had too many drinks look the wrong way before crossing Council chiefs are expected to focus their campaign on the area known as Little England which is full of bars and restaurants. British visitors to the resort - made even more famous by the hit ITV comedy series of the same name - outnumber every other nationality including the Spanish. A central government spokesman for the area said last year he hoped to see British officers working in Benidorm this summer as part of an pioneering exchange. Advertisement It appears that love is not just in the air, but also hidden in natural wonders all over the planet. From peaceful atolls, vibrant islands and rocky cliffs there are heart-shapes surprises to be discovered among the landscape. Sir Richard Branson is even a fan of the phenomenon, forking out for a heart-shaped island resort in Australia. Romantics may wish to spend a day exploring Croatia's perfectly shaped paradise, Galesnjak, which received international fame after it was captured by a Google Earth satellite in 2009. Travellers can also visit Tupai, a tiny atoll located just north of Bora Bora. There are flights available for tours and couples can even tie the knot on the stunning island. Here are some of the most spectacular natural wonders - that are sure to capture your heart. Heart of the ocean: If you are lucky enough to get a helicopter ride over Australia's Great Barrier Reef you should look out for Heart Reef, in Hardy Reef, which is a stunning composition of coral that has naturally formed into the shape of a heart Sir Richard Branson owns the tranquil Makepeace Island off Australia's Sunshine Coast. The secluded sanctuary offers 20 explorers the chance to stay in luxury villas with access to a lagoon pool and island bar At sunset the silhouette of this heart-shaped hole in the rocky cliffs of Calanques de Piana on Corsica Island, France, is breathtaking Contrasting against the lush green mountain, this bright turquoise heart-shaped lake is located near Ala-Kul Lake, Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan This large formation of vegetation in New Caledonia is called the Coeur or Heart of Voh. It was made famous in a photograph taken in 1990 and published a few years later on the book cover Earth from Heaven, by French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand Heart Island in Galesnjak, Croatia, first gained worldwide recognition in 2009 when Google Earth captured its unique shape with this satellite image. Galesnjak is uninhabited and does not have any tourist facilities, but visitors can travel by boat for a day with their loved one Travellers can also visit Tupai, a tiny atoll located just north of Bora Bora, with flights available to tour or tie the knot on the stunning island In Germany there is a heart-shaped island in Kleine Muritz Lake, perfect for lovers wanting to escape the hustle and bustle of the world At the foot of Dunsinane Hill in Perthshire, Scotland, surrounded by fields, is a cute heart-shaped pond Those travelling by boat may not be able to fully appreciate this small heart-shaped island in Germany located where the Ruhr River joins the Kemnade reservoir, as it is best viewed from above Have the ultimate romantic retreat on Tavarua Island in Fiji. The 29-acre island is surrounded by a stunning coral reef Located in the Bavarian Alps, this beautiful heart-shaped islands sits on Germanys Lake Walchensee Those flying above the British Columbia landscape in Canada can catch a glimpse of this unusually carved lake In 2013 it was rumoured that Angelina Jolie bought the heart-shaped Petra Island near New York as a 50th birthday gift for partner Brad Pitt but this was later disputed This scenic property in Pas-de-Calais, Louches, France, comes with its own heart-shaped lake - ideal for romantic strolls Those who venture up Austrian Alps should look out for a glimpse of this heart-shaped glacier lake during the trip Water in this reservoir in Goldried, High Tauern National Park, Austria, is collected in the shape of a heart Its often portrayed as a glamorous, jet-setting lifestyle loaded with perks, but flight attendants have revealed that their careers arent as easy as everyone thinks. On a daily basis theyre forced to deal with incredibly rude passengers, disgusting scenarios and even lawbreakers while flying around the world. From mums changing their babys diapers atop the food service cart to male passengers exposing their genitalia, these are some of the weirdest or most shocking cabin crew experiences. Flight attendants took to the website Quora to discuss amusing or bizarre tales from their time in the skies In a new thread on Quora, where airline staff are often asked to share their secrets, flight attendant Alicia Fort revealed that she once had to assist a mum who was travelling with her two small children and was stuck in a truly revolting situation. Fort wrote: While we were serving lunch, the first kid had a brutal nose bleed and the second kid decided that was the time to release her explosive diarrhoea in her pants, up her back, all over the seat. Mom wasn't sure which kid to deal with first so she took her hand full of diarrhoea contents and scooped it on the floor while I took the nose bleeder who promptly looked me in the face and sneezed blood in my mouth. 'The flight was quarantined briefly when we landed back in the US. In her time on the job, Fort has caught passengers masturbating in their seats and once had to deal with a divorced couple who threatened each other and caused a diversion. Olivia Roqua said one of her strangest moments occurred when she was clearing tray tables after meal service. She wrote: Having a lady hand me a teacup to clear, and then asking me to wait while she pulled some long loose strands of hair from her head, balled them up and popped them in the teacup that was now on my tray. Several flight attendants said passengers have used drink carts as tables to change their babies' nappies A passenger once asked if it was possible to book a massage during the flight, while others have asked her to make turbulence stop. She also claimed to have seen a woman put her baby in a planes overhead bin and a pop star demand that no one walk past them. Cabin crew member Heather Wilde said she has witnessed parents changing their babies nappies on snack trays in full view of fellow travellers. Some passengers have even made soup using the planes water supply. She wrote: Guys, the water lines havent ever been cleaned ever. Another weird situation? People who decide it is too risky to use the lav to join the mile high club and just ask for a pillow - then leave it on the seat when they leave, she added. Bill Haymaker, a former British Airways employee, was on a flight from Bahrain to London when a man wearing a thobe, an ankle-length robe, left a female cabin crew member in tears after exposing himself. Haymaker, who confronted the passenger, wrote: I paused a second, waiting for the inevitable denial to come from the passenger. But his response was a surprise. "She likes these things, doesn't she?" he asked, with an utterly creepy look on his face. Haymaker told the passenger that she doesnt and warned him that they would notify the police, but the man lifted his thobe and exposed himself again. The passenger was arrested when the flight landed at Heathrow Airport six hours later. Trish McDonald said she was working on a full flight from San Francisco to New York when a passenger with a cat in a carrier was seated next to a passenger with a large talking bird in a cage. She wrote: It was a long flight as one might imagine. The cat would meow and then the bird would say a swear word or two, and this repetition went on for about six hours. Needless to say, when we landed in NY, the crew had never been happier to see its passengers, and these two delightful creatures, deplane. Another flight attendant, Julien Durand, said she once had a passenger bring a freshly cut antelopes head on board a flight in Africa and blood started dripping from the overhead bink. A passenger has been fined almost 550 after he was caught without a train ticket - that would have cost just 2.80. Nicky Haywood, of Nottingham, was found guilty of travelling on a East Midlands train from Nottingham to Newstead without a valid ticket. The 27-year-old, who did not turn up for his hearing yesterday at Nottingham Magistrates Court, is now being made to pay the price - which is almost 200 time the original price - for the 20 minute journey. Haywood was found guilty of travelling on a East Midlands train from Nottingham to Newstead without a valid ticket (stock image) HOW THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD DEAL WITH FARE-DODGERS Martin Abrams from the Campaign for Better Transport told MailOnline Travel: 'Fare dodging costs the rail industry around 250 million each year and can mean that honest passengers pay higher fares as a result of these losses. 'The Government and the rail industry can do much more to stamp out fare evasion such as introducing long overdue London style smart ticketing and tap-in tap-out barriers at stations. 'This would make the fares and ticketing system simpler, more reliable and should ultimately make our railways more affordable as losses are minimised.' Advertisement According to the Nottingham Post, Magistrates have ordered Haywood to pay a 220 fine, 302 in costs, a 22 government surcharge - and the 2.80 fare. A total of 544.80 is now owed to the court, a significantly higher figure than the 2.80 ticket price for the journey. His fine was based on the average weekly wage of 440 because he failed to provide details of any income. Senior conductor, Yvonne Clay was working on the date of the incident in March 2014, according to the Nottingham Post. The newspaper reported that she said Haywood had boarded the train without a ticket, despite having the opportunity to purchase one from both vending machines and booking offices on the platform. She said: 'He offered a Solo Electron card but we could not take that on the train. I issued him with a notice to pay. He gave his name and address and had 21 days to pay the fare.' The 27-year-old, who did not turn up for his hearing yesterday at Nottingham Magistrates Court, now owes the court a total of 544.88 Despite being given three weeks to pay the 2.80, a payment from Haywood was not received. Speaking to MailOnline Travel, an East Midlands Trains spokesperson said: 'We are pleased the court has sent a strong message that avoiding paying for rail travel is unacceptable.' MailOnline Travel previously reported on a similar incident in South Devon, which saw a 49-year-old man fined 800. Andrew Davies, of Exeter, Devon, was found guilty of travelling on a Great Western Railway train in Paignton, south Devon, in June with intent to avoid paying the fare. Torbay magistrates fined the 49-year-old 550 and ordered him to pay 215 costs - and the 2.70 fare in compensation. Family have been hit with bills of 167,000 that are not covered by insurer Denise Griggi was rushed to hospital shortly after landing in A British woman has become trapped in America after falling ill during a visit to her daughter - and racking up medical bills of more than 300,000. Denise Griggi, 63, travelled to California with her husband Dario, 69, but had to be rushed to hospital shortly after landing. She spent two weeks in intensive care in San Diego with a heart condition and is now in a stable condition. A desperate appeal has now been launched to try and raise the 175,000 shortfall to get Denise home But the family have already been hit with medical and care bills of 167,000 that are not covered by their insurance. And they have also been told a medical flight home will cost a further 150,000. A desperate appeal has now been launched to try and raise the 175,000 to get Denise home to St Columb, Cornwall. Family friend, Victoria Walker, said: 'The family has exhausted all of their financial resources and have recently found out that their travel insurance has been denied in the United States. 'Denise's husband, Dario, has been off work for a month with their daughter Lucia and they have both remained in the cardiac intensive care unit for the past two weeks. 'Dario will be forced to return to the UK to continue working so he can help provide for his wife the best he can. Denise Griggi (seated) travelled to California with her husband Dario (pictured), but had to be rushed to hospital shortly after landing HOW TO PICK TRAVEL INSURANCE MoneySuperMarket recommends at least the following level of cover: 2m for medical expenses 1m personal liability 3,000 cancellation - or enough to cover the total cost of your holiday 1,500 baggage 250 for cash Policy excesses under 100 Cover for scheduled airline failure and end supplier failure as desirable Delay cover (e.g. 20/hour for first 12 hours). Advertisement 'Unfortunately they have no support. 'Not only do they have a medical bill of well over $240,000 (167,000), but after the cost of keeping Denise in the United States before she is medically cleared to fly is extensively growing.' Denise - who developed coronary heart disease 20 years ago but managed it with medication - had developed early stage congestive heart failure during the ten-hour flight on January 7. She was in intensive care for two weeks and, although now in a stable condition, is too unwell to return home to the UK on a standard commercial flight. Daughter Lucia and friend Victoria have set up a Go Fund Me page to help raise money to get Denise and Dario home. So far they have raised nearly 5,000 of their 175,000 target. Mrs Griggi spent two weeks in intensive care with a heart condition and is now in a stable condition Victoria added: 'I am asking for help for dear friends of mine, the Griggi family. 'My hope for this campaign is to raise enough funds to get Denise, Dario and Lucia home to England. 'These are some of the best people I've had the privilege of knowing and loving over the years. I am asking you to please help them in whatever way you can.' The campaign can be found at gofundme.com/s6nzq8bb. THE COST OF A HOSPITAL BED AROUND THE WORLD Destination Singapore USA Hong Kong Netherlands Canada United Kingdom Germany France Japan Spain Cost of a hospital bed 430 362 347 323 291 272 270 249 244 234 Travel insurance cost 35 49 36 40 48 38 39 82 38 39 Source: Finder.com Advertisement Insurance policies for the over-50s, and particularly for the over-65s, often include some cover for some medical conditions. Unfortunately it can be more difficult to get hold of reasonable-priced cover as travellers get older if they are in poor health. Holidaymakers can use online travel insurance comparison services designed specifically for those with a medical condition. Advertisement These vintage photographs reveal the beginnings of one of the most famous aircraft of all time before it took its first commercial flight 40 years ago. Black-and-white images show how the Concorde the worlds first supersonic passenger jet was designed and built for record-breaking long-haul journeys to destinations such as New York, Singapore and Rio de Janeiro. Nearly 13 years after its final flight at twice the speed of sound (Mach 2.04 or 1,354mph), the revolutionary plane used primarily by British Airways and Air France remains a beacon for designers and manufacturers who are hoping to build the next supersonic airliner. Scroll down for video Airline pilots and flight attendants pose in front of the Concorde at an official roll-out ceremony at a factory in Toulouse, France, in 1967 Cleaners work inside the stripped fuselage of a Concorde prototype at the British Aircraft Corporation factory at Filton, Bristol, in 1967 A team of designers examine the interior of a Concorde prototype in 1964. The supersonic airliner made its first flight 12 years later The Concorde underwent several years of design and testing in the UK and France, including this vibration test at Toulouse in 1967 Queen Elizabeth II and British Aircraft Corporation officials during a tour at its facility in Filton, Bristol, in September 1966 The Concorde made its first commercial flights on 21 January 1976 on two routes London Heathrow-Bahrain and Paris-Rio de Janeiro Through a partnership between British Aircraft Corporation and Aerospatiale, Concorde aircraft were manufactured at Filton, Bristol, and Toulouse, France, in the late 1960s. At the two factories, employees built a full-scale wooden model and two prototypes that made their first successful test flights in 1969. Photos show the era show workers installing seats and cleaning the stripped interior of a prototype, while other shots show Queen Elizabeth IIs 1966 visit to the Filton factory and crew members posing in front of a finished Concorde in late 1967. After years of testing around the world, the Concorde made its first commercial flights on 21 January 1976 on two routes London Heathrow-Bahrain and Paris-Rio de Janeiro. At British Aircraft Corporation's facility in Bristol, employees work on a full-scale wooden model of the Concorde in October 1963 In February 1996, British Airways had a record-breaking flight time from London to New York, at two hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds Media were given an opportunity to view the full-scale wooden mock-up of the Concorde at British Aircraft Corporation's factory in 1967 Carrying up to 128 passengers, including the rich and famous, the Concorde added New York flights when a US ban on the aircraft was lifted a year later and was able to make the transatlantic journey in just three-and-a-half hours. In February 1996, British Airways had a record-breaking flight time from Heathrow to JFK Airport, at two hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds. Twenty Concordes were built until the aircraft was retired in 2003 in a decline caused by a deadly crash in 2000, high operating costs and the fallout from the September 11 terror attacks. Of those, 18 have been preserved and are displayed at locations such as the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museums facility in Chantilly, Virginia, and Musee de lAir in Le Bourget, France. Twenty Concordes were built until the aircraft was retired in 2003 in a decline that was accelerated by a deadly crash in 2000 A model line-up of the various designs suggested for the shape of Concorde, with the eventual deign is at the far end of the row This model of the Concorde was displayed for the public at the Farnborough Air Show, in Hampshire, in September 1962 Now, the first ever Concorde to land on American soil is opening to the public at the Delta Museum in Orly, just outside of Paris. The prototype plane, which helped convince US authorities that it was safe, was decommissioned in 1975 and has spent the last decade sitting on the tarmac at Paris Orly Airport. Once an empty shell, the interior is being restored to its former glory with the help of British donors. The TOWIE stars are not known for their modest ensembles. Yet Danielle Armstrong and Chloe Sims took sexy looks to a new extreme while heading to a pool party while filming the ITVBe reality show in Gran Canaria on Wednesday night. The 27-year-old blonde beauty left very little to the imagination in an entirely sheer gown with just nude knickers beneath, while her co-star, 33, went for a backless bodysuit with sheer drapery. Scroll down for video Too much? Danielle Armstrong and Chloe Sims took sexy looks to a new extreme while heading to a pool party while filming the ITVBe reality show in Gran Canaria on Wednesday night Danielle, who joined the show in series 10, flashed her surgically enhanced chest in a perilously plunging gown in which she opted to go braless - with her nipples just visible through the material. She did little to protect her modesty beneath the dress - with just an oversized pair of nude knickers beneath the dress - proudly flaunting her sensational derriere. While the material was entirely sheer, it was overlaid with a turquoise applique detail comprising of a floral, lace design. Busty display! The 27-year-old blonde beauty left very little to the imagination in an entirely sheer gown with just nude knickers beneath, while her co-star, 33, went for a backless bodysuit with sheer drapery Proving her figure looks incredible from every angle, the former girlfriend of James Locke posed up a storm in an array of expertly executed positions. Showing her attention to detail, she coordinated her nude strappy sandals, which elongated her long legs, to her over-sized underwear. The boutique owner's hair was styled into blonde, beachy waves which screamed holiday chic while her make-up was dripping with highlighter and bronzer. Comparing notes? The ladies went for similar looks in contrasting patterns and colours Glamour girls: The stunning duo certainly knew how to work the sidewalk as they strutted their stuff Chloe meanwhile meant for an extremely glamorous and retro look as she too opted for a floor-sweeping yet flesh-flashing ensemble. The unique dress comprised of a black, thong bodysuit with sheer sleeves while the waist band extended down into lengths of sheer black material. The beauty salon-owner flashed her pert derriere through the see-through material and thong style leotard - showing off a shapely behind despite previously contemplating buttock enhancement surgery. Wild locks: Chloe meanwhile meant for an extremely glamorous and retro look as she too opted for a floor-sweeping yet flesh-flashing ensemble Sheer delight! The unique dress comprised of a black, thong bodysuit with sheer sleeves while the waist band extended down into lengths of sheer black material Billowing booty beauties: The girls were walking into the night while showing off their incredible behinds Opting to go braless for her night on the town, the London-born beauty flaunted her underwear choice by baring her entire back through the backless detail of the gown. Adding a dramatic feel to the ensemble, Chloe styled her peroxide blonde hair into huge curls tumbling from a centre parting. Her make-up was typically heavy-handed, with deeply outlined eyes and a muted plum lipstick accentuating her surgically enhanced pout. Strutting her stuff: Chloe jutted out her hip as she made the most of her striking outfit for her night out Blonde beauty: Opting to go braless for her night on the town, the London-born beauty flaunted her underwear choice by baring her entire back through the backless detail of the gown Joining the girls on the night out was Kate Wright, who joined the show as Dan Edgar's girlfriend last series, who looked incredible in the flowing navy gown which boasted an extremely plunging neckline. The blonde beauty's bosom was spilling out of her stunning gown as two triangle cups protected her modesty before the dress exposed two revealing cut-outs. Sure to put on a super-sexy display, the Essex-native flashed a touch more flesh with the raunchy split along her left leg. Glamazons: Kate Wright [right] and Georgia Kousoulou [left] were further glamorous editions at a pool party on the Spanish shores on Wednesday night - no doubt for an evening laden with drama Also hitting the night out was Georgia Kousoulou, who joined the show in series 11, went for a super raunchy yet playful look in a flesh-flashing crop-top and scanty shorts. Her stretchy crop-top made the most of her ample assets with the cut showing off her sculpted abs while her acid-wash shorts exposed the entirety of her legs. She gave the look an edgy feel with a red checked shirt tied around her waist which perfectly coordinated with her suede, peep-toe ankle boots. Busty display: As ever, the 24-year-old newcomer put her best assets forward in a plunging cut-out maxi-dress while Georgia, also 24, went for a sexy sporty look Blonde beauty: Her stretchy crop-top made the most of her ample assets with the cut showing off her sculpted abs while her acid-wash shorts exposed the entirety of her legs Loved-up: Georgia was joined by her handsome boyfriend and co-star Tommy Mallet Georgia's boyfriend Tommy Mallet also hit the town wearing camel coloured shorts and a black T-shirt while also wearing trainers, no doubt of his own design. Seemingly having caught the sun, Tommy revealed a bright red face - the result of a touch too much sun exposure. Liam Blackwell looked much smarter than Tommy, wearing a cream suit jacket and white jeans yet his co-star could't resist larking around and jumping on him. Bobby Norris also attended the night out wearing skin tight light denim jeans with a wide-necked, long-sleeved white T-shirt while clutching a Louis Vuitton handbag. Larking around: Georgia's boyfriend Tommy Mallet also hit the town wearing camel coloured shorts and a black T-shirt while also wearing trainers, no doubt of his own design He has been busy hosting an extreme survival show in the wilderness of Botswana, Africa. And after a three-week stint in the bush, it appears Kris Smith isn't quite ready to let go of his time abroad. On his arrival back Down Under, the 37-year-old model caught up with friends for lunch in Sydney's Bondi Beach and donned a large wide-brimmed hat perfect for blocking out the African sun. Scroll down for video Hatta boy! Kris Smith donned a large wide-brimmed hat while catching up with friends for lunch in Sydney's Bondi Beach Clearly making a statement, the Myer ambassador wore the distinctive hat, which looked like a refined Akubra, as he sat down for a meal at Bondi's popular haunt The Bucket List. For the outing, Kris allowed the hat to be the talking point of his ensemble, teaming the stand-out head wear with a matching black shirt, jeans and fresh white Hi-Top sneakers. He also shielded his eyes with green-reflective sunglasses. Interestingly enough, it is almost the exact same outfit the former rugby player had on three weeks prior when he jetted to Africa. (T)hat's a good look! Clearly making a statement, the Myer ambassador wore the distinctive hat, as he sat down for a meal at Bondi's popular haunt The Bucket List Making sure he stands out! For the outing, Kris teamed the stand-out head wear with a matching black shirt, jeans and fresh white Hi-Top sneakers Posting a mirror selfie of himself before boarding his flight, the model was wearing the same hat and a similar top and sunglasses. 'Exciting times ahead, bush bound today to live and film in the complete wilderness for 3 weeks, can not wait to share my experiences with you all,' he captioned the shot. Kris revealed to Daily Mail Australia last month that he will be an hosting extreme survival show for international broadcaster Insight Television. The filming schedule for the series meant that Kris - who has been an ambassador for Myer since 2009 - was a notably absence from the department store's Autumn/Winter showcase this month. 'Exciting times ahead, bush bound today': Interestingly enough, it is similar to the outfit the former rugby player had on three weeks prior when he jetted to Africa New venture: The Myer ambassador has been busy hosting an extreme survival show in the wilderness of Botswana, Africa His usual spot alongside fellow ambassador Jennifer Hawkins, was left vacant for the show and interestingly, the former Daily Edition panelist was silent on social media and didn't post any public good luck messages to his Myer colleagues back in Australia. Despite this, a spokesperson from the department store giant told Daily Mail Australia that he is still very much a part of the family. 'Kris is a Myer ambassador currently under contract. We just re-signed him,' they said. Time abroad: He seemed to be enjoying the scenery while away if his social media is anything to go by Gossip queen: Hedda Hopper was the Hollywood gossip columnist whose revelations, whether true or false, enraptured tens of millions of Americans Hedda Hopper died 50 years ago this month. The cause of death was given as double pneumonia, which in a way was apt: she never did things by halves. Hedda was the Hollywood gossip columnist whose revelations, whether true or false, enraptured tens of millions of Americans and struck terror into the hearts of the biggest movers and shakers in the movie business. In two new films she is played, brilliantly, by leading British actresses. In the recently released film Trumbo, Helen Mirren portrays her as unscrupulous and bitterly vindictive. And Tilda Swinton does much the same in the forthcoming comedy Hail Caesar! Trumbo is the story of Dalton Trumbo, the top screenwriter who spent most of the Fifties persecuted for his Communist sympathies. With the rest of the so-called Hollywood Ten, he was blacklisted, unable to work under his own name. The same era is depicted in Hail Caesar!, a riotous Coen Brothers parody of Hollywood in its so-called Golden Age, in which Hedda is thinly disguised, with Swinton playing her as one of two scheming twin sisters. But in both films she looms large and terrifying. In Trumbo, we see her as the embodiment of Americas Cold War paranoia about the enemy within, whipping up fear of Reds under the bed. In Hail Caesar!, Swintons twins (the other is based on her arch-rival Louella Parsons) are more concerned with dishing the dirt on movie stars caught with their pants down. Both movies, in their different ways, show precisely how Hedda Hopper operated. From 1920 until the mid-Thirties, she was a bit part actress, appearing in more than 120 films, but never as a leading lady. Then she was invited to parlay her fondness for industry tittle-tattle into a syndicated newspaper column. When the mighty Los Angeles Times picked it up in 1937, she at last had the attention she craved. With it came power and wealth. She loved to refer to her stylish home on Tropical Avenue in Beverly Hills as The House That Fear Built. The fear was well-founded. She could bury careers with a swipe of her pen, and did, sometimes simply because she could. When the English actress Merle Oberon asked why she kept writing such horrid things, Hedda smiled sweetly and patted her arm. Bitchery, dear, sheer bitchery, she said. But often there were reasons other than sheer bitchery. When Ingrid Bergman arrived in Hollywood from her native Sweden in 1939, Hedda was beguiled by her and praised her lavishly in print for her talent, beauty and wholesome domestic life with her nice dentist husband. That would all change, dramatically. In two new films she is played, brilliantly, by leading British actresses. In the recently released film Trumbo, Helen Mirren portrays her as unscrupulous and bitterly vindictive. And Tilda Swinton does much the same in the forthcoming comedy Hail Caesar!. Pictured, Hopper with actors Martha Hyer and Robert Horton in 1950 In both films she looms large and terrifying. In Trumbo, we see her as the embodiment of Americas Cold War paranoia about the enemy within, whipping up fear of Reds under the bed. Pictured, Helen Mirren as Hedda Hopper in Trumbo, with Bryan Cranston as Dalton The fear was well-founded. She could bury careers with a swipe of her pen, and did, sometimes simply because she could. When the English actress Merle Oberon asked why she kept writing such horrid things, Hedda smiled sweetly and patted her arm. Bitchery, dear, sheer bitchery, she said Tilda Swinton plays twins based on Hedda (the other is based on her arch-rival Louella Parsons) who are more concerned with dishing the dirt on movie stars caught with their pants down In 1949, Hedda travelled to Rome and asked Bergman whose recent performance as Joan of Arc had merely compounded her saintly reputation whether there was any truth in the scandalous rumour that she was pregnant by the married Italian film director Roberto Rossellini. Hedda, look at me, Bergman replied. Do I look as if I am going to have a baby? Hedda duly reported that there was not a word of truth in the rumour. But Bergman was, indeed, pregnant with Rossellinis illegitimate child, and the scoop went to another columnist, Heddas former mentor turned bitter rival Louella, who was just as powerful. There was rarely any respite for those on whom Hedda Hopper turned her fury, and fighting back wasnt the answer either. For studio publicists, keeping Hedda and Louella happy was a full-time job. Not least because cosying up to one often meant the undying enmity of the other. Thats what happened to Bergman. Enraged, Hedda led a campaign to taint her name. Almost overnight, the star of Casablanca and Joan Of Arc became box-office poison, and was denounced on the floor of the U.S. Senate, no less, as a free-love cultist, a horrible example of womanhood and even a powerful influence for evil, as if she were a serial killer. There was rarely any respite for those on whom Hedda Hopper turned her fury, and fighting back wasnt the answer either. She was incorrigibly, irredeemably, relentlessly nasty. But she was also elegant, charismatic and fun. And she knew that reputations in Tinseltown were all about image. Before the 1942 Oscars, those attending were told to dress informally because America was at war and too much ostentation might be regarded as tasteless. A few female movie stars, led by Ginger Rogers, wore evening gowns regardless. But no one flouted the order quite like Hedda, who glided in dressed up to the nines in one of her trademark extravagant hats. Mirren (pictured) makes the most of those hats in Trumbo, but for all Heddas glamour, there was no greater scourge of Left-wing idealists in Hollywood. At the 1950 Oscars, word went round that if the Socialist Jose Ferrer won Best Actor, Hedda planned to stand up, unfurl an American flag and storm out. In Hail Caesar!, Swintons twins are inspired by Hedda and her arch-rival Louella Parsons. Pictured, Swinton at the Hail Caesar! screening in Berlin on February 11 (left) and (right) at the tribute to David Bowie: The Man Who Fell to Earth in Berlin Hail Caesar! is a riotous Coen Brothers parody of Hollywood in its so-called Golden Age, in which Hedda is thinly disguised, with Swinton playing her as one of two scheming twin sisters Fiona Shaw is pictured playing Hopper in the film RKO 281. Hedda had spies everywhere, and everyone knew that if a star so much as flounced off a set she would know within the hour Mirren makes the most of those hats in Trumbo, but for all Heddas glamour, there was no greater scourge of Left-wing idealists in Hollywood. At the 1950 Oscars, word went round that if the Socialist Jose Ferrer won Best Actor, Hedda planned to stand up, unfurl an American flag and storm out. He did win, and when she later heard about the rumour, she said she was sorry she hadnt thought of it. With her friend John Wayne she was a leading light in the pompously named Motion Picture Alliance For The Preservation of American Ideals. But for Hedda, an ideal American life didnt just mean political conservatism. She was also passionate about the sanctity of the family, and in Hollywood there was no one more likely to make your life a misery if you were having a clandestine affair. Hedda loathed adultery and sexual promiscuity, like she loathed Commies Hedda loathed adultery and sexual promiscuity, like she loathed Commies. Her energetic trashing of Ingrid Bergman owed as much to genuine moral outrage as it did to damaged professional pride. Her spies were everywhere. Everyone knew that if a star so much as flounced off a set, Hedda, or Louella, would know within the hour. But they both preferred meatier tip-offs. In his 1975 memoir Bring On The Empty Horses, David Niven recalled Hedda dropping heavy hints in her column that married movie star Joseph Cotten had been caught by the Malibu beach patrol in the back seat of his car astride a teenage Deanna Durbin. Cotten, and more particularly Mrs Cotten, were aghast. He threatened to boot Hedda up the backside the next time he saw her, and accounts vary as to whether he did or if he instead pulled away her chair just as she was sitting down at a swanky dinner. Either way, he reacted as if there were no truth in her gossip-mongering. Doubtless he felt he had to. But Orson Welles, who knew Cotten well, later confirmed that he had, indeed, been f****** Deanna Durbin, and moreover, that he liked to do it in his car. Hedda had not been misled by her spy in the Malibu beach patrol. Of course, no gossip columnist these days could ever wield the power she did. And Hollywood itself is nothing like the community she knew so well. Yet some things havent changed. For example, as the 2016 Oscars approach, she would undoubtedly recognise the febrile atmosphere caused by the apparent snubbing of black actors and directors. As it happens, she took full credit for the first Oscar bestowed on a black male actor. At the 1948 ceremony, a special award was given to James Baskett, who had played the former slave Uncle Remus and sung Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah in the Disney film Song Of The South. Hedda thought this would be a great humanitarian move and championed the idea in her column. But she was no paragon of racial understanding. In a 1958 interview with a young Sidney Poitier, she asked if he sang, adding: So many of your people do. Poitier replied he couldnt. Of course, no gossip columnist these days could ever wield the power she did. And Hollywood itself is nothing like the community she knew so well The man she despised most vehemently and publicly of all, however, was Charlie Chaplin. In print she hounded him for years, not only for his Leftist politics, but also for his fondness for much younger women Youre the first one Ive ever met who says he cant sing, said Hedda. Ive never known any of your people who couldnt sing. She had similar preconceptions about the Jews. Rabidly anti-Semitic, she held them responsible for much of Hollywoods political extremism. The man she despised most vehemently and publicly of all, however, was Charlie Chaplin. In print she hounded him for years, not only for his Leftist politics, but also for his fondness for much younger women. In 1943, when weeping, pregnant 22-year-old Joan Barry arrived on her doorstep, claiming Chaplin was the father, Hedda helped her file a paternity suit. Weeks later, as also chronicled by David Niven, Hedda nearly went up in flames when she heard that Chaplin, then 54, had married Oona, the 18-year-old daughter of playwright Eugene ONeill. Significantly, Heddas fairly brief marriage had been to a man 27 years her senior. She was his fifth wife and divorced him after finding him cheating on her, so that may well have been why Chaplins predilections enraged her so. She was also furious that he had made such a fortune out of Hollywood while remaining a British citizen. In fact, Britain generally seemed to annoy her. At the 1963 Oscars, she was furious that three of the five Best Actor nominees were from the British Isles (Richard Harris, Rex Harrison and Albert Finney). Significantly, Heddas fairly brief marriage had been to a man 27 years her senior. She was his fifth wife and divorced him after finding him cheating on her, so that may well have been why Chaplins predilections enraged her so. She admitted they could act, but added: The weathers so foul on that tight little isle that, to get in out of the rain, they all gather in theatres and practise Hamlet on each other. Years earlier, she had so enjoyed her visits to London that Niven recalled her once coming back with a bogus British accent, complete with the broadest A in the business. On her return, she informed me that London was arbsolutely farntarstic . All her long life, Hedda was a hypocrite on an almost heroic scale. She liked to draw a veil over when precisely that life began, but it seems to have been between 1880 and 1885, to Quaker parents in Pennyslvania. Born Elda Flurry, she ran away from home to become a chorus girl on Broadway, and there met the handsome actor and producer DeWolf Hopper, whom she married in 1913. She changed her name to Hedda, apparently because Elda was too similar to the names of his first four wives: Ella, Nella, Ida and Edna. But they soon divorced anyway, and Hedda was forging her first career as a Hollywood actress. That she never enjoyed anything like the movie-star status of those whose peccadilloes she would later expose surely helps to explain why she so enjoyed exposing them. She picked up three Grammys on Monday night. And on Wednesday, Taylor Swift added to her trophy haul with a top prize at London's NME Awards with Austin, Texas, winning the International Solo Artist of the Year gong. Elsewhere, Coldplay were presented with the Godlike Genius award by Chris Martin's pal Kylie Minogue during a star-studded night at Brixton's O2 Academy. Scroll down for video Another win! Taylor Swift added to her trophy haul with a top prize at London's NME Awards with Austin, Texas, on Wednesday night, winning the International Solo Artist of the Year gong Taylor accepted her prize with a video message from her home, in which she jokingly referred to the iconic design of the NME Award as 'feeling a little aggressive'. She decided in the end that the trophy was in fact 'cheeky' before granting it a place on her crowded mantelpiece. Charli XCX was one star who did show up to receive her prize, wowing in a plunging black jumpsuit to take home the 'Best British Solo Artist' supported by Pilot Pens, presented to her by comedian Katherine Ryan, who rocked an equally daring look. See more of the latest on Taylor Swift as she takes home a top prize at the NME Awards Triumphant: Charli XCX was one star who did show up to receive her prize, wowing in a plunging black jumpsuit to take home the 'Best British Solo Artist' supported by Pilot Pens Congrats: Comedian Katherine Ryan, who rocked an equally daring look, presented Charli with the gong Hosted by Radio 1's Huw Stephens, the ceremony saw Wolf Alice bag two of the most coveted gongs of the night 'Best Live Band' supported by Red Stripe and 'Best Track' for their 2015 smash hit, 'Giant Peach'. Also celebrating were The Maccabees, scooping arguably the top title of the night 'Best British Band'. Foals, who opened the show with 'What Went Down', beat off stiff competition from The Maccabees and Wolf Alice to pick-up the 'Best Album' award supported by HMV. Top prize: Coldplay were presented with their Godlike Genius award, before closing the show Coldplay were presented with their Godlike Genius award, before closing the show with a set of career-spanning hits. The band joked their Super Bowl half-time show was just a warm-up for their performance at the awards. Chris quipped: 'We haven't played a proper gig for ages. We did a warm up gig in Santa Clara last week for the NME Awards. This is supposed to be the last one but if you want, we're going to keep f***ing playing.' Pals: Kylie Minogue gave frontman Chris Martin a big hug as she presented the band with their award Ukip's Nigel Farage's 2015 Villain of the Year crown was handed over to US presidential hopeful Donald Trump while Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl was crowned 'Hero of the Year'. For a second year in a row, 5 Seconds of Summer proved unpopular with the NME audience, with the Aussie group voted 'Worst Band of the Year'. Yoko Ono attended the ceremony on the eve of her 83rd birthday to collect the NME Inspiration Award in recognition of her long standing achievements across art, music and philanthropy. Legend: Yoko Ono attended the ceremony on the eve of her 83rd birthday to collect the NME Inspiration Award Big winners: Wolf Alice bagged two of the most coveted gongs of the night 'Best Live Band' supported by Red Stripe and 'Best Track' for their 2015 smash hit, 'Giant Peach' Mike Williams, NME editor-in-chief, said of the 2016 awards: 'The last 12 months have been massive for NME, so I'm delighted that we've been able to celebrate with such an amazing knees-up.' 'Once again we lived up to our reputation as the most rock'n'roll awards ceremony on the planet, and it's great to see so many brilliant artists being crowned NME Award winners. Roll on another year of brilliant music.' We did it: Also celebrating were The Maccabees, scooping arguably the top title of the night 'Best British Band' Another gong: Foals, who opened the show with 'What Went Down', beat off stiff competition from The Maccabees and Wolf Alice to pick-up the 'Best Album' award supported by HMV Brit legends: Coldplay closed the ceremony with a medley of their biggest hits They're The Only Way Is Essex's newest faces. But Courtney Green, 20, and Chloe Meadows, 23, proved they certainly aren't afraid to stand out as they joined their cast mates for a night on the town in some rather glamorous ensembles on Wednesday. After spending the earlier part of the day sizzling in some sultry swimwear, the girls switched their two-pieces for dressy evening looks. Scroll down for video Here come the girls! TOWIE newcomers Courtney Green, 20, and Chloe Meadows, 23, proved they certainly aren't afraid to stand out as they joined their cast mates for a night on the town in some rather glamorous ensembles on Wednesday Courtney pulled out all of the stops in an embellished miniskirt which showcased her shapely pins, which she elongated further with the aid of skyscraper nude stilettos. The petite star gave the look a formal finish by pairing it with a chic black blouse, which featured a cross-over neckline, and a khaki leather handbag by Prada. She wore her brunette locks in glamorous curls, while her face sported a dramatic make-up look, comprised of a kohl-lined eye and bronzed cheeks. All dressed up: After spending the earlier part of the day sizzling in some sultry swimwear, the girls switched their two-pieces for dressy evening looks Not afraid to stand out, Chloe hit the town in an off-the-shoulder blouse, which boasted bell sleeves and a bold striped pattern, and a tiny skirt that featured a slightly asymmetric hem Her co-star looked equally as alluring as she stepped out in a vivid co-ord, that also gave onlookers a glimpse of her lithe legs. Not afraid to stand out, the stunning blonde hit the town in an off-the-shoulder blouse, which boasted bell sleeves and a bold striped pattern, and a tiny skirt that featured a slightly asymmetric hem. Ensuring her style wasn't too loud, Chloe muted the look slightly with gold lace-up stilettos and a quilted nude handbag by Chanel. Her glossy tresses were styled into tousled waves, which cascaded down one side of her made-up face. Courtney pulled out all of the stops in an embellished miniskirt which showcased her shapely pins, which she elongated further with the aid of skyscraper nude stilettos The petite star gave the look a formal finish by pairing it with a chic black blouse, which featured a cross-over neckline, and a khaki leather handbag by Prada Chloe's glossy tresses were styled into tousled waves, which cascaded down one side of her made-up face The pretty duo are the best of friends and already know several of their new male co-stars, which should no doubt provide some juicy storylines for viewers. Single lady Courtney - who knows Mike Hassini and Liam Blackwell - is set to share her emotional story with viewers, having lost two stone following the breakdown of her last relationship. Meanwhile, Chloe is already well acquainted with Lewis Bloor, Jake Hall and Dan Edgar, as well as being close friends with CBB star Megan McKenna. The blonde is also single and her trip to Spain will no doubt bring back bad memories since she was recently dumped by her boyfriend while on holiday in the sunny country. Glamazons: Kate Wright [right] and Georgia Kousoulou [left] led the glamorous arrivals at a pool party on the Spanish shores on Wednesday night - no doubt for an evening laden with drama She only announced she was divorcing her husband of nearly two years on Valentine's Day. And now it has emerged Orange Is The New Black actress Lauren Lapkus has offered her spouse Chris Alvarado a one-off lump sum settlement of $85,000. While she made their split public last week, legal papers show the 30-year-old actually filed to end their union last month. Scroll down for video Cashing in: Orange Is The New Black star Lauren Lapkus has offered her husband Chris Alverado a one-off divorce settlement of $85,000 According to TMZ, she is willing to give him $85,000 in cash to settle their community property. She is also insisting that he is not due any Lauren broke the news of her split in the caption of a throwback Instagram photo of herself and husband Chris inside a car. She wrote: 'Happy Valentine's Day.Today feels like the right time to post that Chris and I have decided to part ways. 'This has been a tough time but we are still friends and wish the best for each other.' Single and ready to mingle: The actress seems keen to get her divorce finalised as soon as possible 'Today feels like the right time to post': Lauren used this Valentine's Day Instagram picture to announce she had split from her husband Lauren and Chris were just three months shy from celebrating their two year wedding anniversary, having tied the knot in May 2014. The former couple are both actors, with Chris recently appearing in the 2015 film Spare Change. Lauren for two seasons starred on Netflix's Orange Is The New Black as correctional officer Susan Fischer. Happy couple: Lauren shared a snap of herself joyfully posing with Chris only last September The award-winning program recently nabbed the gong for Best Ensemble In A Comedy Series at the SAG Awards. Lauren has also appeared on the big screen, having starred in Jurassic World opposite Chris Pratt. In June the comedian revealed to Glamour how a teacher's suggestion ultimately opened her to the world of acting. Sealed with a kiss! The actress shared a snap of herself and Chris in 2013 celebrating the New Year 'I think I was always a class clown growing up and a funny kid. I never really knew how to channel that until I got into high school, ' she told the magazine. 'I had a teacher who recommended I take improv classes in ChicagoI'm from Evanston, Illinoisso I did improv classes at Improv Olympic and that kind of opened me up. 'I was in adult classes when I was 18, so being around 25 years old when you're 18 is like really, "Whoa! Totally crazy!" 'That's where I started to find my voice and figure out where I fit into the world. Doing improv really got me started in my whole career. One Child Rating: Three minutes was all it took, three minutes of bleeps and blarps and strobing lights, before I was prepared to thoroughly dislike One Child (BBC2). This three-part mystery drama, about a British student fighting to save the brother shes never met from Death Row, is part of BBC2s Chinese season. Most of the programming has been earnestly educational, such as Robert Pestons analysis of the countrys economic system in The Great Chinese Crash?, or Kate Humble and the Hairy Bikers celebrating Chinese New Year. Thats all well and good, highly improving and all that. But One Child promised to be something more, with suspense and a story television you could watch without feeling that you ought to be sitting up straighter. One Child: Katie Leung played Mei, a 21-year-old astrophysics student in London, contacted by a journalist in China who claims her birth mother needs her help Instead, it grated from the beginning. The opening sequence was set in a Western-style nightclub north of Hong Kong, where a slimy-suited playboy was stuffing his nose with drugs and slugging back whisky. That went on, with no dialogue and a constant electronic cacophony, for an eternity before the picture went blurry and the playboy was booted out by bouncers for groping a dancing girl. This wasnt just bad, it was formulaic. Every other TV drama starts in a nightclub at the moment. Vinyl, the HBO series dreamed up by Mick Jagger and directed by Martin Scorsese, opened on Monday with drug-fuelled excess at a dingy club. London Spy, the thriller starring Ben Whishaw last year, did much the same thing. The subtext seems to be that, if we were dangerously interesting people living life to the limit, wed be at a nightclub instead of flopped on the sofa in front of the box. But I draw a different conclusion, more of a kneejerk reaction: anyone daft enough to think thats a good way to spend an evening deserves everything they get and has automatically forfeited all sympathy. One Child went out of its way to keep being irritating. The picture was cropped in letterbox format, like an old Panavision movie stretched across the screen with strips of black above and below. Thats sheer pretension, a statement by director John Alexander that hed rather be making art-house cinema. SPECIAL OFFER OF THE WEEK Are You Being Served, the saucy comedy set in a Seventies department store, is to return in a one-off as part of BBC1s sitcom celebration this summer. An all-star cast will play Mrs Slocombe, Captain Peacock and Co. Ground floor perfumery... going up! Advertisement The story was spelled out in text messages and emails, with the camera panning over each line of type. There might as well have been a ball bouncing along the words. None of this masked how improbable the story was. Katie Leung played Mei, a 21-year-old astrophysics student in London, contacted by a journalist in China who claims her birth mother needs her help: Mei must fly to Guangzhou and persuade the authorities not to execute her brother. Mei had no idea this brother existed: like many girl babies, she was given up for adoption to a Western couple at two weeks old, under the Chinese policy that allowed mothers to keep only one child. She jets off, bamboozling her adoptive parents with a couple of half-truths, and doesnt discuss her plans with anyone else. How could she? Mei doesnt have friends, as shes just a cardboard cut-out, invented to let BBC2 educate us some more about China. The 100: Pretends to be a dystopian fantasy about young pioneers reclaiming the Earth after a nuclear holocaust, but really its a high-school drama about a bunch of teenage friends (file photo) The 100 Rating: The 100 (E4), beginning its third series, is completely the opposite: it pretends to be a dystopian fantasy about young pioneers reclaiming the Earth after a nuclear holocaust, but really its a high-school drama about a bunch of teenage friends. They do all the things American adolescents yearn to do getting drunk at parties, cramming into a car and singing along to the radio, worrying about their sexuality, being the centre of attention. They also get to fire crossbows and fight mutant bandits, but theres been a nuclear war, so school rules have to be relaxed. Those mutants are a nuisance, but the real enemy is anyone over 30. Its no different from the sci-fi of yesteryear, The Tomorrow People or Logans Run, except the sets are made using computer graphics instead of plywood. Jessica Alba brought back memories of her Dark Angel character on Wednesday while arriving at Los Angeles International Airport. The 34-year-old actress wore dark tones while making her way through the airport concourse. The entrepreneur donned a black sweater over a grey shirt along with black skinny jeans and grey ankle boots. She's back: Jessica Alba arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday in a dark outfit Alba rose to fame portraying Max Guevara in the Dark Angel television series co-created by James Cameron. She was only aged 19 when she took on the lead role in the cyberpunk sci-fi drama that ran for two seasons on Fox from 2000 to 2002. Alba would later move to the big screen with starring roles in movies such as Sin City, Fantastic Four, Into The Blue and Good Luck Chuck. Simple style: The actress wore a black sweater over black skinny jeans at the airport Breakout role: Jessica is shown in a 2002 promo still for Dark Angel The actress in 2012 also co-founded The Honest Company that sells non-toxic household goods. She was returning from Minneapolis, Minnesota where she was meeting with Target. The Minneapolis-based retail giant since June 2014 has been selling The Honest Company products at its stores and on its website. Busy star: Jessica was returning from a business trip to Minneapolis, Minnesota Fan favourite: The Sin City star stopped to sign an autograph for a fan A lawsuit was filed on Friday by Brad and Manon Buonasera in US District Court in Manhattan accusing The Honest Company of fraudulently labeling dozens of home and personal care products as natural, plant-based or chemical-free, causing consumers to overpay, according to the New York Post. The company was accused of falsely marketing at least 41 items such as floor cleaners, laundry detergent, children's toothpaste, soap and bubble bath. The lawsuit sought class-action status for New Yorkers who bought Honest's products and Alba was not named as a defendant. Woohoo @honest @target #minneapolis #minnesota A photo posted by Jessica Alba (@jessicaalba) on Feb 16, 2016 at 3:50pm PST This article is intended for most of my US/international clients that are small e-commerce businesses that do not want to shut off their E... She may have shed her former Playboy image but this mother-of-two still knows how to twerk it. And Kendra Wilkinson was proud to flaunt her moves as she attended a Pilates class in West Hollywood on Wednesday. The 30-year-old reality star was filming for her Kendra on Top show when she broke out into the sexy, booty dance. Scroll down for video Booty-licious! Kendra Wilkinson, 30, started twerking during a pilates class in West Hollywood on Wednesday Dressed in a hot pink sports bra and white graphic tee, the ex of Hugh Hefner broke a sweat as she took part in the grueling routines. She wore dark blue cropped workout leggings and matching Nike trainers while she participated among the other women in the group. The former model swept her signature blonde locks up into a high bun and wore minimal make-up which highlighted her natural beauty and flawless complexion. Twerking out! She was filming a scene for her Kendra on Top show when she broke into the sexy booty dance Hot mama! Kendra may have shed her former Playboy image but this mother-of-two still knows how to twerk it Good sport! The ex of Hugh Hefner was all smiles as she participated among the other women She stretched and flexed her body, as she used a variety of Pilates tools to increase the intensity of her workout. Kendra stars on her self-titled reality show with her husband, Hank Baskett, 33, and the couple is known to have a tumultuous relationship due to his alleged cheating scandal with transsexual Ava London in June 2014. But earlier this month the pair was spotted out and looked happier than ever as things seem to be on the upswing for the couple - who have been married since 2009. Feel the burn! Kendra broke a sweat as she took part in the grueling routines Wilkinson's workout gear: Kendra dressed in a hot pink sports bra, white graphic tee and cropped leggings Bendable beauty! She stretched and flexed her body, as she used a variety of Pilates tools to increase the intensity of her workout Kendra and Hank are parents to their gorgeous children, six-year-old son Hank Jr. and 20-month-old daughter, Alijah. At the end of last year, the couple was said to be on the verge of divorce after the reality star confessed on her Kendra on Top show: 'I feel like this is the end with him.' However, in an interview with Hollywood Life earlier this year, the Kendra on Top star made it clear that she's sticking with the relationship, citing that the couple is 'in it for the long haul.' Real life drama: Kendra stars on her reality show with her husband, Hank Baskett and the couple is known to have a tumultuous relationship due to his alleged cheating scandal with transsexual Ava London in June 2014 Uncertain future: At the end of last year, the couple was said to be on the verge of divorce after the reality star confessed on her Kendra on Top show: 'I feel like this is the end with him' Devoted: However, in an interview with Hollywood Life earlier this year, Kendra made it clear that she's sticking with the relationship, citing that the couple is 'in it for the long haul' Shocking: It comes after InTouch Weekly reported in October that Kendra was still so 'repulsed' by Hank after his alleged affair that she wanted to end her marriage - which her reps denied 'We want to make it. Thats what we are in it for to make it. Of course, like we are human and we want to have some fun,' she said. It comes after InTouch Weekly reported in October that Kendra was still so 'repulsed' by Hank after his alleged affair that she wanted to end her marriage - which her reps denied. The publication quoted a source saying: 'Kendra told Hank she wants a divorce because she can't stand to look at him anymore. Kendra is done.' It was also claimed the two only stay together for their reality show. She was blacklisted by the UN, chastised by a Hollywood star and labelled a 'bimbo' by a fellow journalist last week in a string of blows to her character. But things were looking up for Sunrise host Samantha Armytage on Thursday. The 39-year-old appeared to have won the affections of comedian John Cleese who grabbed her arm during a live broadcast and refused to let go. Scroll down for video Hands-on: Samantha Armytage was left speechless when John Cleese grabbed her arm during a live broadcast on Sunrise on Thursday morning The 76-year-old had been appearing alongside his Monty Python co-star Eric Idle when Samantha tried to wrap up their segment. Holding her arm out as she prepared to switch cameras to Edwina Bartholemew, Samantha was left speechless when the veteran actor grabbed it. Laughing, she said: 'Mr Cleese, what are you doing?' The star was in stitches himself, responding: 'I don't know. I'm just being silly.' Not letting go: The 76-year-old clutched on to the presenter's arm to the amusement of her co-hosts Capturing the moment: David Koch wasted no time in taking a selfie to document the comedians' appearance 'What are you doing Mr Cleese?': The 39-year-old was stunned when the veteran comedian latched onto her Popular: Last month Hollywood star Burt Reynolds made his feelings for the presenter known It comes a week after Samantha found herself facing the criticism of actress Kristin Davis who complained she had not been given enough time to talk about her work with refugees during an appearance on the show. Kristin took to Twitter to respond to another user who slammed an excruciating Sex And The City skit led by Armytage during the broadcast. She was later dropped as the host of an Australia for UNHCR luncheon held in the actress's honour and described as a 'bimbo' by a fellow journalist in a scathing column. Back to business: Samantha brushed off the scandal of her run-in with Australia for UNCHR last week Getting on with it: The star and her co-star David Koch were back to the show's usual formula on Thursday Moving on: Samantha and David led an on-air apology last week and have since not addressed the issue on air Her return to normality comes after she issued a strongly-worded response to the article, defending her position and urging the writer not to attack women 'in the name of feminism.' Samantha's encounter with Cleese on Thursday's show was not the first time she has attracted the eye of a male guest. Last year she found herself the object of actor Burt Reynolds's affections, flirting with the actor during a cross interview. Cleese and Idle are in Australia to promote their forthcoming comedy tour, Together Again For The Very Last Time. The pair became international stars with their hit series Monty Python. Putting it behind her: Sam, who left part of her blouse untucked as she made her way around the studio, appeared to have overcome the furor She announced last November that she's expecting a second child. And Ginnifer Goodwin showed off her blossoming baby bump at the Hollywood premiere of her latest movie, Zootopia, on Wednesday. The 37-year-old actress also revealed that she's found out the sex of her baby - and it's a boy - according to E! Expecting: Ginnifer Goodwin showed off her blossoming baby bump at the Hollywood Premiere of her latest movie, Zootopia, on Wednesday Ginnifer chose a patterned floor-length silk gown as she put on a loved-up display at the El Capitan Theater with husband Josh Dallas - also 37. Her distinctive glossy dark pixie cut was tousled and framed her pretty features. The star added a striking pink lip to otherwise natural make-up, for the outing. Colourful: The 37-year-old actress chose a patterned floor-length silk gown She's voicing idealist rabbit Judy Hopps in the 3D animated adventure Disney movie. Josh - who married Ginnifer in 2014, after they met on the set of Once Upon A Time - looked smart in a dark blue suit. They appeared to have left their 21-month old son Oliver at home, to enjoy a child-free night before they have to juggle two. Loved up: She looked besotted with husband Josh Dallas - also 37 - at the El Capitan Theater Quirky style: Her distinctive glossy dark pixie cut was tousled and framed her pretty features She told the Spring edition of Disney 23 magazine that she hopes both her sons continue to share her loves for all things Disney. 'Oliver loves, loves, loves it. I have a video of him having a dance jam with [Disney characters] Pluto and Donald. He cries when we take him away from the characters instead of what most toddlers do, which is cry when the characters come to them,' she told them. She revealed her biggest fear is she will over-saturate them with Disneyland as she visits so often. Work place romance: Josh - who married Ginnifer in 2014, after they met on the set of Once Upon A Time - looked smart in a dark blue suit She's having a boy! She told the Spring edition of Disney 23 magazine that she hopes both her sons continue to share her loves for all things Disney Disney fanatic: She's voicing idealist rabbit Judy Hopps in the 3D animated adventure Disney movie Shakira proved her lips don't lie as she took time to blow a kiss to the waiting crowd. The 39-year-old singer put on a leggy display as she confidently turned heads in a pink and peach skater style dress. The Hips Don't Lie hitmaker teamed it with nude heels, which elongated her already long bare pins. Star: Shakira proved her lips don't lie as she took time to blow a kiss to the waiting crowd Leggy display: The 39-year-old singer confidently turned heads in a pink and peach skater style dress Wearing her blonde tresses in a high ponytail, she appeared to have channeled a cheerleaer. The Colombian beauty upped the glamour of the proceedings with perfectly applied bronze eye colour and mascara, with blush cheeks and a glossy pink lip which stayed in place. Kristen Bell stepped out without husband Dax Shepherd and their two children as she rocked a brightly coloured dress. Can't miss! Kristen Bell stepped out without husband Dax Shepherd and their two children as she rocked a brightly coloured dress Look who it is! The 35-year-old Veronica Mars actress stood out in fuchsia - as she got excited about seeing Shakira Co-stars : Jason Bateman, 47, looked dapper as he joined Kristen The 35-year-old Veronica Mars actress stood out in fuchsia - which left her legs exposed - as she returned to Disney, after voicing Princess Anna in Frozen. The star - who plays a sloth called Priscilla, teamed her Louboutins perfectly with the colour of her satin dress, and clutched a beaded bag. Her hair was straightened and worn harshly in a side parting. Red lipstick clashed a little with her pink outfit choice, but perhaps she figured that if the colour rule no-no worked for Taylor Swift at the Grammy's then it'll work for her. Smart: He looked dapper in a skinny black and grey tie, white shirt and black suit Getting in the mood: Actor Johnny Knoxville brought wife Naomi Nelson and their children Arlo and Rocko Family man: Johnny Knoxville wore a leather jacket and glasses Jason Bateman, 47, looked dapper as he joined his co-stars. In a skinny black and grey tie, white shirt and black suit, the actor - who plays a fox who is a small time criminal - seemed delighted to catch up with Kristen on the red carpet. Johnny Knoxville was on hand with his two children with girlfriend Naomi Nelson. Plunging: Jenny Slate joined Ginnifer to put on a revealing display in a strapless gown Fun times: Jenny and Ginnifer posed with the characters from the film Jenny Slate - who plays Dawn Bellwether in the movie - put on a revealing display in a plunging strapless gown, which made the most of her elegant shoulders and sculpted arms. Allison Holker, 28, also showed off her baby bump - in a tightly fitted teal mini-dress. The dancer announced last October that she was four months pregnant with husband Stephen 'tWitch' Boss. On board: Allison Holker, 28, also showed off her baby bump - in a tightly fitted teal mini-dress They later revealed they are also expecting a son, their first child together. The dance pros were joined by Allison's seven-year-old daughter, Weslie Renae, from a previous relationship. The Disney animation centres around a city full of animals, and in particular, Ginnifer - who plays a police officer. Shakira plays a pop star called Gazelle and lends her vocals to the song Try Everything, which was penned by Sia and Stargate. The movie is scheduled to be released on March 25. Excited: Allison and husband Stephen 'tWitch' Boss revealed they're expecting a boy It seems things are really heating up for Sandra Bullock and her man. For her beau Bryan Randall has reportedly moved into her $23 million Los Angeles mansion and is helping her to raise her children. The beloved actress is she said to be 'the happiest she has ever been' as she grows closer to the ex-jailbird turned professional photographer. Scroll down for video Moving with Speed: Sandra Bullock has reportedly had her man Bryan Randall move in with her. The couple are pictured at Disneyland in December A source told E!: 'Bryan has officially moved in with Sandra. He still has his home as well, but lives with Sandra full time. 'They have been spending most of their time together.' But the Oscar-winner is most joyful at the bond Bryan is fostering with her children Laila, three, and five-year-old Louis. The insider said: 'Bryan treats Sandra's children like his own. He really is a great father figure. Sandra is the happiest she has ever been.' New home: He is said to have moved into her sprawling $23 million Los Angeles mansion Bryan certainly has plenty of experience of fatherhood, as he has a 22-year-old daughter named Skylar, who is said to get on famously with his new squeeze. Sandra's extended family is said to be so impressed at their union that they expect the pair to be engaged before the end of the year. But this does not mean they will be having a child together any time soon, despite reports to the contrary, with the source saying another baby is 'not on the table' at the moment. This is because The Heat favourite is so wrapped up in the children she already has, and 'Sandra's favorite thing is to be a mom and take care of Louis and Laila. It's her biggest joy in life.' Daddy cool: The snapper joined the Miss Congeniality favourite on a ski trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, recently The latter child, who was adopted back in November, is said to be loving her new life, while little Louis is said to be relishing being a sibling to the point he is even over-protective. It comes after the snapper joined the Miss Congeniality favourite and her two children on a ski trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming last month. The happy couple were spotted cuddling up to each other during a snowy outing. Sandra's close friend Jennifer Aniston was also on the holiday, and was showing off her skills as she zoomed down the slopes. The Proposal star was previously married to bad boy biker Jesse James, but their five year union ended in 2010 due to his philandering. She cracked the entertainment industry more than 20 years ago. And while appearing in Late Late Show host James Corden's latest Carpool Karaoke skit, Sia Furler opened up about her dark past of drugs and alcohol. The 40-year-old said: 'I was a singer already for like 10 or 11 years to mediocre success, and I was an alcoholic and a drug addict, and I sobered up and decided I didn't want to be an artist any more. Scroll down for video Deep and meaningful: Singer Sia Furler has opened up about her dark past of drugs and alcohol 'I was starting to get a little bit famous and it was destabilising in some ways...so I thought "What doesn't exist in pop music at the moment?" and it was mystery.' The Elastic singer went on to explain that she now chooses to hide underneath her oversized wigs 'to try and maintain a mediocre of privacy'. When James asked her if the record executives have a problem with her shrouding her face in mystery, Sia simply replied 'no'. See SIa updates as she opens up about her dark past and how her fame was 'damaging' Moment: The 40-year-old opened up to James Corden in his latest Carpool Karaoke skit In detail: The Australian explained: 'I was a singer already for like 10 or 11 years to mediocre success, and I was an alcoholic and a drug addict, and I sobered up and decided I didn't want to be an artist any more' The carpool chat soon turned to the popstar's belief in aliens. After James pressed her on the issue she said she did believe in life outside of Earth and gave her reason for her beliefs. 'I only believe in them (aliens) because I watched a video of the ex-Canadian Minister of Defence just saying, plainly, he knows for a fact the American government is working with five different alien races, and my blood ran cold and I was like, "That guy is the ex-Canadian Minister of Defence, he's not just some guy on YouTube,"' Sia said. Reasoning: The Elastic singer went on to explain that she has now hides her identity underneath her oversized wigs 'to try and maintain a mediocre of privacy' High notes: The pair also showed showed off their vocal capabilities with a spot of karaoke The singer was likely referring to Paul Hellyer who was Canada's Defence Minister in the 1960s and admitted he believed in aliens publicly in 2005. But as the conversation between the pair went into personal details, it didn't conclude without a classic sing off. The pair were seen driving around Los Angeles in James' plush Range Rover, singing some of Sia's hits including Chandelier, Elastic Heart, Alive, Titanium and Diamonds, the song she originally wrote for Rihanna. He admitted to be being miffed by the fact she'd signed a contract with the sports brand 'without consulting him'. And Kylie Jenner was preparing to face the music and the wrath of her brother-in-law Kanye West - who said he was 'a little bit mad' about her Puma deal - when she landed back in Los Angeles from New York on Wednesday. The youngest member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan appeared untypically fresh-faced as she was pictured striding through Los Angles International Airport, hours behind the controversial rapper, after having made a brief appearance at New York Fashion Week earlier in the day. Scroll down for video Time to face the music (and Kanye)! Fresh-faced Kylie Jenner arrived home to LA from NYFW after 'secretly' signing a deal with Puma, much to Kanye West's disappointment, on Wednesday Kylie, 18, was pictured striding through the terminal building, dressed in a casual ensemble and accompanied by a male companion. The world-famous teenager struck the perfect balance between style and comfort in her cosy but cool all-black outfit. She slipped into a pair of skin-tight leather trousers, a turtle-neck jumper and a zip-detail bomber jacket. Kylie prioritised comfort in the footwear department and shunned her expansive collection of designer heels in favour of a pair of white sole black trainers. See more of the latest updates on Kylie Jenner and her 'secret' deal with Puma 'I was mad a little bit': Kanye, 38, told photographers as he strode through Los Angeles International Airport, hours ahead of his sister-in-law Mates not dates? Kylie, 18, was pictured striding through the terminal building, dressed in a casual ensemble and accompanied by a male companion Casually cool: The world famous teenager slipped into a pair of skin-tight leather trousers, a turtle-neck jumper and a zip-detail bomber jacket Kylie also gave her glam squad a break as she braved baring her mostly make-up free face to the world and she looked worlds apart from her characteristically done-up self. She boasted a flawless complexion, despite the lack of contouring, while her pout was without artistically-applied lipstick. Meanwhile, her glossy locks were secured into cute French plait pigtails and she afforded herself some coverage beneath a pair of clear-frame sunglasses. Contouring not on fleek: The Keeping Up with The Kardashians star boasted a flawless complexion, despite the lack of contouring, while her pout was without artistically-applied lipstick 'I'm happy for her though': Her brother-in-law told the paps he was miffed by the partnership but eventually came to terms with it as he landed back in LA, hours before her Her latest sighting comes amid trainer-deal controversy and after she sat front row at Hugo Boss' Womenswear Fall/Winter 2016 show as part of NYFW. Kylie sported Adidas trainers to the event despite the fact she's signed a contract with rival sports brand Puma. The partnership riled Kanye West who tweeted: '1000% there will never be a Kylie Puma anything. That's on my family! 1000% Kylie is on Yeezy team!!!,' last week. He went on to post: 'Puma we gone give you your measly million dollars back!!! Never try to divide the family!!!' According to TMZ, the teen signed with the brand in secret which annoyed him. As he landed back in LA, shortly before her, he explained: 'She had already signed and I was mad for a little bit... but I'm really happy for her though.' Make-up be gone: While Kylie was pictured in LAX looking fresh-faced (left), she arrived at JFK Airport with a full face of make-up Comfort is key: Her male mate looked super-cosy in a grey tracksuit with a graphic-printed blanket thrown over his head Kylie's facial appearance was a stark contrast to when she was spotted arriving at JFK Airport in New York City a few hours previous. There, she sported a full-face of make-up which she'd clearly got rid of on the flight. The Broadway musical Kinky Boots is set to come to Australia in October. And by the looks of it, entertainment journalist Richard Wilkins and his son Christian can't wait for the show to come Down Under. Richard, 61, and his 20-year-old boy were seen on Thursday trying on a pair of red thigh-high and high-heeled leather boots from the musical. Scroll down for video Like father, like son: Entertainment journalist Richard Wilkins and his son Christian tried on a pair of Kinky Boots on Thursday ahead of the musical of the same name coming to Australia in October Richard shared a snap on Instagram of the pair walking around in the boots after he interviewed American singer Cyndi Lauper, who wrote the music and lyrics for the production, on The Today Show. The TV personality captioned the snap: 'Hey @cyndilauper thanks for the #kinkyboots! Looking forward to having the show in Australia. @theprincewilkins and I will see you in Melbourne in October X.' In the picture, the duo stand side-by-side wile Christian wraps his arm around his father. Richard had his boots completely laced up over his blue suit, while Christian held his up over his leather pants. Those boots were made for walking! Richard had his shoes completely laced up over his blue suit The Today Show also shared a snap of Richard prancing around the office in the fancy footwear, saying he 'loves' the shoes from Cyndi. The musical follows the characters Charlie Price and cabaret performer Lola, who create amazing shoes which take the fashion industry by storm and help save Charlie and his family's English shoe factory. It is based on the 2005 British film, also called Kinky Boots. During the Today Show Interview, Cyndi, 62, appeared alongside playwright Harvey Fierstein and spoke about the musical and their collaboration. Opening up: During the Today Show Interview, Cyndi Lauper, 62, appeared alongside playwright Harvey Fierstein and spoke about the musical and their collaboration Cyndi said Harvey 'walked her through' the process of writing the music. Harvey opened up about how he approached Cyndi to collaborate with him on the musical. 'When I went to Cyndi, I said, "darling, I know you want to do a Broadway musical, but I'm going to promise you now, it's going to take years." And it did take four years,' he said. 'So you really have to love something when you get into a project like this. But I also said, if we do it right, it will be a part of your life, for the rest of your life.' Cyndi added: 'I thought it was worth spending time on something like that. It's a bigger idea than yourself.' She's working hard to regain her pre-pregnancy figure and Ashlee Simpson looked in great shape as she enjoyed a sunny stroll with husband Evan Ross and their seven-month-old baby daughter Jagger on Wednesday. The mother-of-two favoured a slimming colour theme - head-to-toe black - as the family headed out for a spot of lunch in West Hollywood, California. Ashlee, 31, looked every inch the rock chick as she slipped into a pair of distressed-denim jeans while stomping around in some chunky-soled boots for the low-key outing to Cafe Med in Sunset Plaza. Scroll down for video Baby on board: Ashlee Simpson looked slim in an all-black outfit as she headed to lunch with husband Evan Ross and their baby daughter Jagger in West Hollywood, California, on Wednesday Although almost every inch of the singer's svelte figure was concealed in her layered look, she appeared trim from head-to-toe. Ashlee highlighted her lean legs in the skin-tight skinny jeans which she styled with a looser-fitting top and a longline cardigan. She toughened up her plain outfit with a pair of black-red leather Chelsea boots which featured a thick gum heel and sole. Super cool parents: Ashlee, 31, sported ripped skinny jeans, a looser fitting top and a longline cardigan while Evan, 27, wore a statement plaid bomber jacket and a funky oversized hat Ashlee left her flowing blonde locks loose and in a natural wave while a light application of orange-pink blusher flushed her cheeks. She carried a black leather designer tote bag hooked on her arm and threw a bag filled with baby essentials over her shoulder while 27-year-old Evan was in charge of pushing the stroller. While Ashlee kept things plain and simple, Evan made more of a sartorial statement, throwing on a plaid and embellished bomber jacket and an oversized fedora hat. Taking the reigns: The son of Diana Ross pushed his only child's stroller while his wife-of-one-year carried all the baby essentials The Chicago actress gave birth to baby girl Jagger in July, just one month before the couple celebrated their first wedding anniversary. The proud parents have been keeping their social-media followers updated on the young tot's progress with The Hunger Games actor sharing an especially adorable picture of the trio at the weekend. Mother-of-two Ashlee was seen lifting her youngest child in the air while Evan snapped the sweet family selfie. 'LOVE,' he simply captioned it. They escaped to the slightly warmer climes of Spain's Costa Del Sol for the half-term holiday. However, on Thursday it was back home to London for Elizabeth Hurley and her lookalike - and very tall - son Damian as they headed to Malaga airport. The Royals actress, 50, and her 13-year-old son were spotted checking out of their family suite at the five-star Marbella Club before making their way to the terminal, but all eyes were no doubt on the teen as he towered over his famous mum. Scroll down for video Family time: Elizabeth Hurley and her super-tall teenage son Damian arrive at Malaga airport in Spain on Thursday following a mini break on the coast Although Liz stands at an above-average height for a woman at 5ft 6in, it seems that her boy has recently had a growth spurt as he now seems to be at least three or four inches taller than her. While evidently not warm enough for sunbathing, the 12-16 degree Celsius temperatures and sunshine in Marbella this week was a welcome respite from the freezing weather back home in London. The mother and son were wrapped up warm for the winter weather in complementary skinny jeans as they shielded under the hotel's umbrellas. Liz and Damian spent three nights at the luxury resort after spending last weekend at their English country home. Winter chic: The 50-year-old actress and her teenage son were wrapped up warm for the chilly weather Home James! The mother and son had spent three nights on the Spanish coast during his half-term holidays from school During the mini break, the actress posted several candid holiday snaps of her and her son on her Instagram. On Wednesday, it appeared Elizabeth joined Damian in the hotel's Kids Club as they enjoyed a lesson in making home fragrances and diffusers. Although Damian is currently focused on his studies, the Austin Powers star recently admitted her son may follow her into showbusiness. Quality time: While evidently not warm enough for sunbathing, the 12-16 degree Celsius temperatures and sunshine of Marbella was a welcome respite from the freezing weather back home in London Waiting game: Elizabeth and Damian wait in line at check-in ahead of their 3 hour flight back to London Speaking on the Lorraine show earlier this month, she said Damian loved helping out on set when she's filming The Royals. She said: 'We shoot right across the the summer holidays so actually there's not a lot of choice in that but thank goodness he enjoys it even more than I do. 'So he sets my alarm every morning, he gets out my clothes for me, he runs my lines with me, he bullies me all day long. Why does it always rain on me: Liz and Damian take shelter as they are escorted to their taxi by a hotel worker at the Marbella Club Handicrafts: Elizabeth joined Damian in the hotel's Kids Club on Wednesday as they enjoyed a lesson in making home fragrances and diffusers 'I dont know if he will be an actor. I think he will be in showbusiness. He might be behind the camera. 'Hes quite despotic when hes making his own little mini movies, hes quite good at it. 'I think he wants to run a studio, maybe employ his ageing geriatric mother, well see you, never know.' Hollywood career? Liz admitted her son was showing an interest in a career in the same industry as his mother She's been busy promoting her 'three minute bum blitz' DVD since touching down in Sydney last week. And Geordie Shore's Charlotte Crosby was back on promotional duties once again on Thursday as she met with Australian fans buying her latest fitness plan. The reality TV star looked incredibly relaxed, wearing just a simple and loose-fitting denim dress for the meet-and-greet at a Big W department store in Penrith, west of Sydney. The 25-year-old also opted to wear minimal make-up to show off her natural beauty and a slightly rosier hue after days soaking up the sun at the beach. Scroll down for video Pure natural: Charlotte Crosby showed off her natural beauty as she opted for very minimal make-up on Thursday at her latest fitness DVD launch in western Sydney Charlotte matched her attire to her simple make-up look as she covered her newly slender figure with a light denim dress. The short-sleeves piece fell loosely over her frame - swamping the trim figure she has gained through her 'three minute bum blitz'. She pulled her long dyed blonde locks over her right shoulder and styled them in a loose plait. Simple: While showing off her natural beauty, the 25-year-old covered her newly slender figure with a light denim dress which fell loosely over her frame Out of her way: The Geordie Short star pulled her long dyed blonde locks over her right shoulder and styled them in a loose plait Hard worker: She was promoting her 3 Minute Bum Blitz DVD workout plan The media personality showed off a large smile as she posed for photos with fans. It comes after she spoke exclusively to Daily Mail Australia earlier this week about her on-again, off-again relationship with Geordie Shore's bad boy Gary 'Gaz' Beadle. The TV star admitted things between the fiery couple were 'different now' and that he sent her a romantic gift for Valentine's Day while she was Down Under. Charlotte revealed her co-star sent a huge bunch of red roses, a green heart-shaped balloon and box of chocolates to her hotel for the celebration. Making time: During the appearance she showed off a large smile as she posed for photos with fans Smile and say cheese: This is the first time she has been to Sydney since filming the reality TV series Down Under in 2013 'We're getting on very well,' she said while adding the countless arguments had come to a halt because they have finally grown up. 'It was always just kinda of a sex thing, although I obviously wanted it to be more and then weve grown up so much now that I cant even explain it but something is different now, something is really different I think weve both matured. 'For the first time in a long time we were both really honest with each other and we let our guard down and its crazy what happened afterwards.' She surprisingly added: 'For five years weve been on and off but weve never really been in a relationship. Ive never even slept over at his house.' PRIVACY First up is Apple versus the FBI over end-to-end encryption on the iPhone. For privacy nerds, Barry Eisler's new book, God's Eye View, was a scary realization that the NSA has too much reach -- and very little oversight. Over at AVC, there is a discussion about privacy - or rather whether you think Apple should bother - or if all info will be hacked, why not just let it out to stop terrorists and child porn?? The way I feel: if you make the argument about those 2 extremes, you lose the argument. You don't do things like give up freedom because of a fraction of the users. 99.97% of iPhone users are not hiding, so why should the 99 be subject? BTW, Your Toaster May Eventually Spy On You, and Your Camera Could Kill Your Kid SAAS 5 things about the SaaS industry. (I tend to extrapolate data from SaaS to the UCaaS vertical). CLEC Layoffs at EarthLink AND they sold off the IT division. Layoffs at Windstream too. If you are laying people off and cost cutting and you are in the C Suite at a telco, please pink slip yourself too because you are not fixing anything!!! Running a CLEC is not just about controlling costs. It requires a Strategic Plan that is executed to properly. EarthLink had a couple of plans that just could not get executed. Talent is important but so is Culture and a Vision that the talent (the employees) buy into and want to see succeed. There needs to be a feedback loop. Tom Peters really needs to keynote a telecom event. Or one of these CLECs should hire him to help you over the hump of failure. CONFERENCING The founder of Vidtel, Scott Wharton, is over at Logitech, who just unveiled a Breakthrough Group Video Conferencing Solution, which turns any meeting room into video-enabled collaboration space. Metaswitch just announced Accession integrates with Zoom Video Conferencing. After buying video conferencing company, Fuze, ThinkingPhones changed its name to Fuze. PanTerra Networks Overview in 2 minutes 19 seconds - UC, Storage, Slack, analytics and more. Communications, Collaboration or Workflow? Forbes article. NoJitter has a similar article about adopting UC for work flow. Patent troll sues Apple, Verizon and AT&T for $7B in Various Patent Infringements! Avaya vs Cisco in mid-market WHY TIDBITS??? I write columns for Channel Vision magazine, Internet Telephony and Cloud Computing magazine plus this blog, plus work as an agent and consultant. Not everything that happens is worth 350+ words. Sometimes just listing the stuff that is crossing my desk helps me to tick off the puzzle pieces so that later I can write 700 words about a trend or an idea or whatever. So there have been a lot of tidbits posts especially in the last year, but it is so that you can quickly consume some industry news and I remind myself of stuff happening. Thanks for reading! She's never been shy of sharing a saucy selfie. And Louise Thompson posted one of her most risque shots to date on Thursday, stripping off to pose fully nude in her bathtub. Making the most of her trip to New York, the 25-year-old decided to start the day off with a relaxing bath, showing off her bare back as she stared out across the cityscape. Scroll down for video Cheeky! Louise Thompson, 25, posted one of her most risque shots to date on Thursday, stripping off to pose fully nude in her bathtub in New York where she was visiting her American beau, Alik Alfus Exposing a hint of her pert posterior in the clear waters, the Made In Chelsea star put on a sizzling display, gazing out of the window with her sodden chestnut tresses slicked back. Holding her arms up close to her chest, Louise looked deep in thought, no doubt planning how to spend her day with her American boyfriend, Alik Alfus. 'My marble tub has city views,' she captioned the sultry snap. Long-distance lover: On Valentine's Day, the Made In Chelsea star decided to show Alik exactly what he was missing, stripping off to a lacy pink bra that put her ample assets on full display Louise has been jetting between London and New York in order to spend as much time as possible with her beau who she met during a Stateside spin off of Made In Chelsea back in 2014. And on Valentine's Day, the reality star decided to show Alik exactly what he was missing, stripping off to a lacy pink bra that put her ample assets on full display. Lining her hazel peepers with a sweep of rose coloured eye shadow, the star put on a sultry show as she looked down the lens seductively. Going the distance! Louise has been jetting between London and New York in order to spend as much time as possible with her beau Alik who she met on the New York spin off of MIC in 2014 Louise has been looking loved-up with Alik following the revelation that she cheated on him back in December. In shocking scenes aired on Made In Chelsea last year, the brunette beauty drunkenly locked lips with Elliot Cross, to the dismay of her new beau. But the American business tycoon seemed to place the blame with Elliot, launching into a furious Twitter tirade against the MIC newcomer. As the scenes aired, Alik tweeted, then swiftly deleted: 'Nothing condones cheating and please correct me if im wrong but this s**t just seems rapey!!! (Sic).' But whilst the star removed his tweet after fans criticised him for comparing the kiss to rape, he later posted: 'Not to excuse anything but only weak losers hu with drunk girls that are incapacitated, blacked out, and belong to someone else...' This reality star has a new theme song - 'Blame It (On The Alcohol)'. Jax Taylor barely escaped being convicted of a felony after telling a Hawaiian judge he stole expensive sunglasses last year after having too many drinks. On Wednesday, the 36-year-old Vanderpump Rules star was sentenced to second-degree theft in Honolulu after striking a plea deal that allowed him to avoid jail time, Khon 2 reports. Scroll down for video Close call: On Wednesday escaped being convicted of a felony after telling a Hawaiian judge he stole expensive sunglasses last year after having too many drinks, he as sentenced to second-degree theft in Honolulu after striking a plea deal Jax - whose real name is Jason Michael Cauchi - appeared downcast as he faced court in Honolulu and apologized for his actions. The reality star, who wore his hair slicked back, a suit and reading glasses, admitted he had taken the sunglasses from a store last July. He told the court: 'I just want to apologize to the court and to the state, again I had too many drinks, too many mai tais. I made a mistake, took full responsibility and I understand this is going to follow me the rest of my life due to the fact that I'm on television. 'So I just want to say I'm sorry and I apologize.' No poker face here: Jax - whose real name is Jason Michael Cauchi - appeared downcast as he faced court in Honolulu and apologized for his actions His apology and deal with prosecutors meant the star's felony charge - as the sunglasses were so expensive - was downgraded and he will not face jail. Instead the star was sentenced to 364 days of probation, which means that if he can stay out of trouble, his record will be wiped clean after that time. The SUR employee did not get off scott-free, however, as he also had to pay $350 to the store to cover the cost of the shades, $105 to the crime victim compensation fund, and $1,150 in fees and fines. Probabtion: The reality star, who wore his hair slicked back, a suit and reading glasses, was sentenced to 364 days of probation, which means that if he can stay out of trouble, his record will be wiped clean after that time He did, however, managed to find the bright side of having to return to Hawaii, treating his girlfriend Brittney Cartwright to a romantic Valentine's Day vacation. Caught: Jax was arrested on a felony back in July (pictured is his mug shot) Despite having to go to court, the couple soaked up some sun, went on a boat tours, got massages and even got stuck into an alcohol beverage or two but no doubt avoided mai tais. Jax made sure to get himself hooked up while there mentioning every company that had helped made his court date a little sweeter. Jax was previously punished by employer Lisa Vanderpump after she found out about the theft and she suspended him from work for two weeks. The shady drama all started last year while Jax and his girlfriend Brittney were with the rest of the cast of Vanderpump Rules filming for the show. On their final day in Hawaii, Jax went solo to the sunglasses store and was captured on surveillance camera walking out with the sunglasses. He later returned to the store, and was arrested. While the Vanderpump Rules cameras did not capture the moment he was arrested, they were with his girlfriend and cast mates when they found out they needed to bail him out of jail. The theft has been a storyline on this season of the Bravo show and some of his friends have accused him of stealing other items previously including a wallet and silverware from Lisa's restaurant SUR. Party it out: The star did, however, managed to find the bright side of having to return to Hawaii, treating his girlfriend Brittney Cartwright to a romantic Valentine's Day vacation So fun it should be a crime: Despite having to go to court, the couple soaked up some sun, went on a boat tours, got massages and even got stuck into an alcohol beverage or two No mai tais this time? Jax made sure to get himself hooked up while there mentioning every company that had helped made his court date a little sweeter Jax showed some rare humility on a recent Vanderpump Rules when discussing the incident. The star said: 'I'm sorry. I got really drunk and walked in the store and just said ''I'm taking these'' and walked out,' he said. 'I apologise. If you don't want to be with me any more I understand.' 'It's embarrassing, it really is.' Wiping his eyes, he added: 'I'm embarrassed because it's not the person I am.' Trust a supermodel to look this gorgeous whilst out lunching with friends. Clutching on to her gorgeous pooch, 28-year-old Rose Huntington-Whiteley proved her fashionista status by donning a light blue denim jacket with navy jeans as she headed out in Beverly Hills to indulge in a spot of afternoon cuisine on Wednesday afternoon. Not wanting to look cookie-cutter, the blonde Devon born beauty amped up the edginess with a combination of quirky accessories and looked glorious whilst doing so. Scroll down for video Supermodel chic: Supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley looked stunning as she stepped out with her pooch to grab lunch with her friends in Beverly Hills Strutting down the street in orange-red stiletto heeled boots and a quirky Gucci shoulder bag, she added an element of mystery with a thick black lace choker stacked against a silver chain. Basking in the glorious Californian sunshine, the leggy British beauty shielded her eyes with large black sunglasses. Looking noticeably happy the Burberry model didn't seem to have a care in the world as she enjoyed her afternoon off, ahead of her likely UK return to London Fashion Week after being a no-show at New York Fashion Week. Supermodel chic: The Burberry model teamed ripped black jeans and a pair of bright red ankle boots Sky high! The statuesque beauty didn't break a sweat as she paraded around Beverly Hills in sky high heels Life is most definitely sweet for the Max: Fury Road star who confirmed her engagement to actor Jason Statham at the Golden Globes, whilst flashing a large gorgeous diamond ring. The attractive duo who have been together for five years also spent a week enjoying some time off in London at the end of January before returning to their LA pad. A spokesperson for Rosie was on hand to confirm the news to MailOnline. Dream team: Rosie confirmed her engagement to actor Jason Statham, 48, at the Golden Globes earlier this year Whilst there is no set date yet for the wedding, Rosie has been keeping herself busy with the launch of her new make-up collection for M&S beauty. Speaking to Hello! magazine, she enthused: Former Disney Channel star Orlando Brown, 28, took to Instagram on Thursday with his girlfriend to laugh off allegations that he struck her during an argument on January 17. TMZ reported that the former That's So Raven star was arguing with his girlfriend inside their car in the parking lot of a police station in Torrance, California, when he struck her. They say I beat my woman, Brown muttered in a selfie video posted to Instagram. He was in the front passenger seat as his girlfriend drove. The actor went on to post six more Instagram videos to plead his innocence on his way to Torrance courthouse. Scroll down for video Clearing things up: Former Disney Channel star Orlando Brown posted a video to his Instagram account on Thursday with his girlfriend to deny striking her during an argument last month Baby did I beat? he then exclaimed as he positioned the camera to center her face. The unnamed woman with long curly hair can be seen smiling and shaking her head. So damn funny ha ha ha ha ha, he continued as he put a cigar in his mouth before the video ended. The video was captioned: 'We ain't got no worries.' Laughing matter? The 28-year-old can be seen laughing and smoking a cigar in the 15-second video where he's in the front passenger seat while his girlfriend drives Law enforcement sources told TMZ that Brown initially refused to leave his car once authorities responded, adding police officers found methamphetamine on him when they booked him into jail. The actor was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery, obstruction of justice, drug possession with intent to sell and having contraband in jail, according to the celebrity news website. Brown is perhaps best known for his role as Eddie Thomas on Disney Channel's That's So Raven opposite Raven-Symone until the show went off air in 2007 after four seasons. Not fazed: The actor best known for starring in That's So Raven laughed off the allegation calling it 'so damn funny' Before that, Orlando had a recurring part on Family Matters along with appearances on TV's Moesha and Lizzie McGuire. The January incident isn't the first time hes had a run in with the law. He was arrested two years ago after allegedly threatening to kill a woman and other members of her family. Firing back: The actor seemed unfazed by the allegations that he struck his girlfriend last month on January 17 Orlando was taken into custody on July 24, 2014 in North Hollywood after he apparently went to the woman's home, banged on her door and shouted that he was going to 'kill you, your mama, your daughter, everybody,' according to police documents. Neighbours heard the shouting and the commotion, and called 911. Orlando was not charged with making death threats because the Los Angeles City Attorney decided there wasn't enough evidence to support the charge. Famous role: The 26-year-old actor starred in Disney Channel's That's So Raven opposite Raven-Symone until it went off the air in 2007 Nina Dobrev was seen leaving the Villa Lounge on Tuesday night with Chace Crawford. The two were later spotted walking to nightclub Bootsy Bellows for more revelry. This comes just after E! News reported the Vampire Diaries beauty had split from her boyfriend of seven months, Austin Stowell, inviting speculation she had moved on with the former Gossip Girl star. Scroll down for video More than friends? Nina Dobrev was seen leaving the Lounge Villa in West Hollywood on Tuesday night with Chace Crawford There were other pals there too: Also with the actors were two male friends; after Villa they all walked to another club, Bootsy Bellows But Crawford and Dobrev appear to have been friends since at least 2010, when they hung out at the Teen Choice Awards. In 2014 they were spotted at a Thanksgiving dinner with his sister Candice Crawford and her husband, NFL player Tony Romo (who used to date Jessica Simpson). Again in 2015 they were spotted with Candice and Tony, making it seem as if they are all in the same clique. Cute: For their outing, Nina looked casual in skinny jeans with a sheer white top, red Chanel purse, grey shirt boots and a key around her neck. The brunette held onto a lit cigarette and her cell phone For their outing, Nina looked casual in skinny jeans with a sheer white top, red Chanel purse, grey shirt boots and a key around her neck. The brunette held onto a lit cigarette and her cell phone. Chace, who last was on the series Blood & Oil, wore a grey sweatshirt and baseball cap with fitted jeans and rugged outdoor shoes. They go back: Crawford and Dobrev appear to have been friends since at least 2010, when they hung out at the Teen Choice Awards Split! Nina and her boyfriend Austin Stowell called it quits, E! reported on Tuesday (here they are pictured at the premiere of Bridge Of Spies in October in New York) On Tuesday news broke that Nina and Austin split. 'It started to get hard with both of their schedules,' a source told the website. The website added that the break-up occurred at some point during January or February. The couple took their relationship public in June 2015 during a getaway to St. Tropez after they became the focus of romance rumours. Speculation sparked when, according to People, Nina and Austin were seen getting cozy at the Hallmark Shoebox relaunch in Hollywood on June 10. More recently Nina, 27, shared a snap of herself in January kissing the Whiplash actor during a winter holiday on the slopes. The way they were: Dobrev Instagrammed a snap of herself nuzzling with Stowell on the slopes in January However, that image became one of the final ones that she has posted on her Instagram account of the actor. She recently went on a Hawaiian holiday with gal pals Jessica Stam and Jessica Szhor, and her now former beau did not appear to be in attendance. On Valentine's Day, she posted a snap of herself surround with her girl friends, which contained the telling hashtag 'Happy GALantines day.' Austin was nowhere to be seen in the snaps. The Bulgaria-born actress previously dated Dancing With The Stars pro Derek Hough as well as her former on-screen leading man, Ian Somerhalder, who is now married to actress Nikki Reed. Last year, Nina spoke about the split with Ian to E! News, saying, 'I've said this before, that we didn't break up because anything bad happened or because there wasn't love or friendship,' Fun in the sun! The actor gave the Let's Be Cops actress a piggyback ride during their St. Tropez trip in July 2015 'I love him and the friendship is still strong and I think he's great and I care about him. And that didn't change. Yes, we're professional and that's fine. We were friends long before we dated and we still are now.' Nina's healthy attitude on the subject was refreshing, especially since many fans believed she left the Vampire Diaries because of awkwardness surrounding the love triangle. 'When I heard about the wedding, I thought it was beautiful,' she said. 'They look happy and I am happy and so I don't see why there should be a problem with that. 'The drama is in the media, it's not with us. But of course, we're on a teen drama show, everyone's going to look for drama.' On Thursday, Real Housewife of Melbourne Gamble Breaux told Daily Mail Australia that she didn't invite her friend Gabi Grecko to her wedding because she didn't want her near her doctor husband. But Geoffrey Edelsten's ex hit back in a dismissive post to social media later that night as tensions between the pair continue to boil over. In a post she shared with her Instagram followers, the 26-year-old Maxim model said she will 'no longer respond or address' anything Gamble has to say on the matter. Scroll down for video 'I'm not even in Australia to attend your wedding': Gabi Grecko claimed on Thursday RHOM Gamble Breaux LIED about the reasons for not inviting the Maxim model to her nuptials 'Again with this @gamble_breaux,' she wrote in the caption of the photo that cited the Housewife's chat with Daily Mail Australia. 'I'm no longer responding, addressing or giving these things you say a second thought. I'm not even in Australia to attend your wedding why go tell the press I wasn't invited. Your a s***** friend bye (sic).' On Thursday, Gamble revealed she was in no rush to invite her former friend to her plush Byron Bay wedding. Explaining why she chose to exclude Gabi from the event, Gamble said she was eager to keep the model away from her 'legitimate' doctor husband. Biting back: Gabi posted the rant to Instagram hours after Daily Mail Australia's chat with the 'No longer responding': The 26-year-old Maxim model said she will 'no longer respond or address' anything Gamble has to say on the matter 'We were just social friends': Gamble downplayed the pair's closeness in an interview with Daily Mail Australia Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Australia, Gamble said: 'The problem with Gabi is...Rick's a really proper, legitimate surgeon, for his whole life, and a specialist,. 'I just didn't want him painted with the same brush. I mean bless her heart but it's a wedding and I didn't know her that well,' the 44-year-old said. Playing down the pair's relationship, she added: 'We were just social friends. She's fun, she's a nice girl.' Gamble and Gabi had fell out last year when Gabi failed to call her when she returned to America following her split with Geoffrey Edelsten. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia at the time, the reality TV starlet complained she had tried to make friends with the model but the effort was not returned. Wedding of the year: Gamble and Dr. Rick Wolfe (pictured) will wed on an upcoming episode of RHOM Former friends: Real Housewife of Melbourne Gamble Breaux revealed she did not invite Gabi Grecko to her wedding because she didn't want her associated with her doctor husband 'I tried to extend friendship to Gabi when she was living in Melbourne because she was very lonely from her Instagram posts. 'I reached out to Gabi when she was having problems with Geoffrey. I actually thought she was being picked on by other women but she doesnt reciprocate friendship.' 'When she went back to the states she had the opportunity to speak to me. I sent her a message and I havent heard from her since, so shes doing the same lonely looking stuff in the states.' Further slamming the model, who was married to Geoffrey Edelsten for some months before the pair parted ways in a bitter public split, she continued: 'My partner didnt want me to have anything to do with her. My friends, the Housewives, everyone. Frenemies: Gamble and Gabi had a spectacular falling out late last year after the RHOM star slammed Gabi for not calling her after she returned to America following her split with her estranged husband Geoffrey Edelsten Selfie friends: The pair's original falling out happened after Gamble claimed that she stuck her neck out for the star by inviting her into her elite inner circle 'Its disappointing, because I didnt need to be friends with her. It was actually probably more detrimental to my character.' She added: 'The problem is that she isnt a good buddy, you know? Enough drama - I can do without it.' They mended their fractured friendship following a public apology from Gamble and a much needed long-distance phone call from Gabi weeks later. 'Super happy miss @gabigrecko has surfaced from her melancholy to get in touch with me this week,' the Gamble said n December. She added: 'Looking forward to catching up on her turf in NY!'. Troubled time: Gamble claims she tried to befriend Gabi when she was living in Melbourne with estranged husband Geoffrey Edelsten Fun times: While most people turned up their noses at Gabi's wild ways, Gamble was a fan of the socialite's eccentricity At one time the pair were inseparable, regularly appearing at red carpet events together in Melbourne. They were often seen out at A-list events together, and even shared kisses on the lips in public on more than one occasion. Gamble even went as far as to introduce Gabi to her Real Housewives of Melbourne co-stars and family. Season three of Real Housewives of Melbourne will air on Sunday at 8.30pm. With his history of beautiful girlfriends and love of a sharp suit, David Walliams is not entirely dissimilar to 007. So the Little Britain star was a natural guest at the James Bond Spectre: The Auction at Christie's Kings Street in London on Thursday night. The 44-year-old funnyman looked incredibly dapper in a suave navy suit with a blue shirt and patterned tie as he eyed up the memorabilia on sale. Scroll down for video His idol? With his history of beautiful girlfriends and love of a sharp suit, David Walliams is not entirely dissimilar to 007 David, who has recently been announced as the host of the Jameson Empire Film Awards, looked at ease as he posed alongside one of Bond's famed supercars. Clearly admiring of the possessions of the super sleuth, the handsome star went for his favoured suited and booted look for his night with the movie prop greats. A legend of Bond was present at the sale, in the form of Barbara Broccoli, who has been involved in a host of the legendary movies and acted as producer on the movies starring Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. Night with the stars: The 44-year-old funnyman looked incredibly dapper in a suave navy suit with a blue shirt and patterned tie as he eyed up the memorabilia on sale One of the greats: A legend of Bond was present at the sale, in the form of Barbara Broccoli, who has been involved in a host of the legendary movies and acted as producer on the movies starring Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig Barbara's brother, Bond screenwriter and producer Michael G. Wilson, was attending the party looking smart in a navy suit with a bright red tie. He posed alongside a host of movers and shakers in the auctioning world including Christie's chairman Viscount Linley, known professionally as David Linley, who is a furniture maker atop his role as head of the famed auction house. Viscount Linley's son Charles Armstrong-Jones was also in attendance alongside his dad. The auction was held to celebrate the release of 2015 movie Spectre, the 24th film in the series, which starred Daniel Craig and was directed by Sam Mendes. Both Thursday night's auction and an online sale with see the 24 lots of 'Spectrememorabilia' from the archives of EON Productions go on sale. The Bond big ballers: Barbara's brother, Bond screenwriter and producer Michael G. Wilson, (left) was attending the party looking smart in a navy suit with a bright red tie Men of the moment: Viscount Linley's son Charles Armstrong-Jones was also in attendance alongside his dad Party time: Author Henry Conway attended the bash in a smart ensemble The gang: He posed alongside a host of movers and shakers in the auctioning world including Christie's chairman Viscount Linley (left), known professionally as David Linley, who is a furniture maker atop his role as head of the famed auction house alongside producer Michael Wilson (right) The name's Bond... Donations have been made from Daniel , Sam and Barbara Broccoli, as well as Michael G. Wilson, Jesper Christensen and Sam Smith Bond girl! Actress Carole Ashby, who starred in both Octopussy and A View To Kill alongside Roger Moore, looked stunning in a white scarf with a monochrome outfit Actress Carole Ashby, who starred in both Octopussy and A View To Kill alongside Roger Moore, looked stunning in a white scarf with a monochrome outfit. Donations have been made from Daniel, Sam and Barbara Broccoli, as well as Michael G. Wilson, Jesper Christensen and Sam Smith. The only Aston Martin DB10 to be offered for public sale to date is the highlight of the sale. Other items set to tantilise Bond fans include an Omega Seamaster 300 watch and further props from the latest film. All proceeds from the auctions will benefit Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). You got a fast car... The only Aston Martin DB10 to be offered for public sale to date is the highlight of the sale Suited and booted: One of Bond's tuxedos was a talking point of the auction She's quite the exhibitionist and former Celebrity Big Brother star Nancy Dell'Olio made sure she was the star attraction on Thursday night. The 54-year-old was pictured looking incredible when she attended the launch of the Bernard Buffet exhibition hosted by Jean-David Malat at The Opera Gallery. Dressed to impress, she exposed her shoulders in a Bardot-style metallic jumpsuit which had a layered effect at the front. Scroll down for video Making her mark: Nancy Dell'Olio looked incredible when she attended the launch of the Bernard Buffet exhibition hosted by Jean-David Malat at The Opera Gallery on Thursday night Sven-Goran Eriksson's ex draped an elegant shawl over her shoulders, which had a fur trim as she elegantly sashayed around the venue. Wearing her raven locks in an neat chignon, Nancy seemed perfectly at ease as she posed for pictures. She also took the time to pose with Jean-David Malat, an art dealer and curator, and current director of the London branch of the gallery. Working her magic: Sven-Goran Eriksson's ex draped an elegant shawl over her shoulders, which had a fur trim as she elegantly sashayed around the venue Nancy has recently returned from a trip to Rome and kept her followers up to date with her pursuits on Twitter. Her outing comes after she was linked to Ex On The Beach star Jordan Davies, who at 23 is 31 years her junior. The unlikely pairing recently went for drinks at swanky London bar 68 And Boston on Tuesday and are planning to meet up again. A source told MailOnline: 'Jordan got in contact with Nancy's camp as he has admired her from a far (from CBB) and asked to meet her. Nancy agreed after seeing some pics. Firm friends: She also took the time to pose with Jean-David Malat, an art dealer and curator, and current director of the London branch of the gallery 'She's been to Bar 68 & Boston a few times recently and it's her new favourite haunt, so Nancy chose to have the date there. 'Eager Jordan travelled from Cardiff for the date. Nancy (in true Nancy style, was an hour late). 'They hit it off. The air was electric - and they flirted and teased throughout the night. They were very touchy-feely with each other - spending the date holding hands.' She has been a long-time crusader for plus-sized clothing. And Beth Ditto has yet again gone with the curve in the name of fashion as she launched her first ever stand alone clothing collection in the London EDITION hotel on Thursday. The 34-year-old Gossip hitmaker looked sensational in a black jumpsuit from the collection while debuting her new grey hair with a chic short fringe. Scroll down for video All-black: Beth Ditto has yet again gone with the curve in the name of fashion as she launched her first ever stand alone clothing collection in the capital on Thursday at The London EDITION Beth, born Mary Beth Patterson, looked funky and fresh in her chic jumpsuit which flattered her curvaceous figure as she partied at The London EDITION. The shiny ensemble draped over figure in stunningly designed detail, with a large shimmering waistband fastening under her sizeable bust. She added height to her frame with a stunning pair of round-toed Mary-Jane shoes with gold piping and a gold heel. By keeping her look simple, the stunning star was able to let the ensemble speak for itself - acting as the perfect advertisement for the stylish designs. Posing up a storm: The 34-year-old Gossip hitmaker looked sensational in a black jumpsuit from the collection while debuting her new grey hair with a chic short fringe Strutting her stuff: Beth knew exactly what poses to pull to make the most of her curves Her grey hair added an edgy and super-trendy touch to the look - a new style she has debuted in conjunction with her latest collection. Formerly a fan of wild and bright hairstyles - the grey is relatively muted for the outlandish star. Beth's make-up was kept simple and stunning as her eyes were outlined in a glimmering gold while she added an expert slick of liquid eyeliner. A host of stars turned out to ring in the soiree including MTV correspondent Poppy Jamie, who looked chic in a heavily-adorned cape-like coat. The stunning garment, adorned with hues of purple, green and cream was floor-sweeping and concealed her simple black ensemble underneath. Glamorous addition: A host of stars turned out to ring in the soiree including MTV correspondent Poppy Jamie, who looked chic in a heavily-adorned cape-like coat A coat of class: The stunning garment, adorned with hues of purple, green and cream was floor-sweeping and concealed her simple black ensemble underneath Shaggy chic: Blogger Bip Ling also attended the show in white jeans and knee-high white boots paired with a shaggy cream coat and a black camisole Silk chic: Former Made In Chelsea star Amber Atherton dressed down in a satin bomber jacket and flared jeans while rocking hardly any make-up and pulled back hair Blogger Bip Ling also attended the show in white jeans and knee-high white boots paired with a shaggy cream coat and a black camisole. Former Made In Chelsea star Amber Atherton dressed down in a satin bomber jacket and flared jeans while rocking hardly any make-up and pulled back hair. Earlier in the day, Beth launched the stunning collection in London's Selfridges - showing off the brightly coloured garments. Wearing a brightly-coloured gown featuring a funky geometric print, Beth looked gleeful to share the fruits of her labour with her fans. It's party time! Beth later headed over to Marylebone hotspot, The Chiltern Firehouse, to celebrate her big night alongside some of her showbiz pals Plenty to smile about: The singer teamed her black flowing jumpsuit with a simple denim jacket to keep the winter chill in the capital at bay for her night out on the town It's all go! Earlier in the day, Beth launched the stunning collection in London's Selfridges - showing off the brightly coloured garments Beth, who is reported describing herself as a 'fat, feminist lesbian from Arkansas', is fiercely political and suggests that capitalism is at the root of judgemental attitudes towards larger women and suggests that women are encouraged to viewer plus-size people as inferior. She also lamented that women give into the pressure to be thin, but added that she didn't feel it is her place to judge. The star, who is married to her childhood sweetheart Kristin Ogata and lives in hipster capital Portland, Oregon, says her attitudes towards gender are just as open minded as her take on beauty. Proud of his work: Wearing a brightly-coloured gown featuring a funky geometric print, Beth looked gleeful to share the fruits of her labour with her fans Snuggling up: Beth looked thrilled to see Sophie Jewes on the red carpet Glamorous: A host of eccentric guests graced the party in a nod to Beth's wild style Created in New York her collection aims to capture the journey, from Arkansas punk-rocker rummaging for clothes in thrift stores to appearing in a number of fashion campaigns, including walking the catwalk for friend and designer Marc Jacobs in September 2015. Eleven pieces all together make up the collection, available in sizes 18 to 32. Says Beth: 'I wanted to make pieces to last years. Beyond trends, beyond chain stores. I wanted to create something all its own, something just for us, made with love and consideration. 'Made ethically in the USA as a small company with no big corporate input.' Rudisha returns to Australia for Olympic build-up Kenyan Olympic and world champion David Rudisha will begin his build-up to this year's Rio Olympics in Australia next month, Athletics Australia said on Thursday. The world 800-metre record holder will compete at the IAAF Melbourne World Challenge and the Perth Track Classic. It will be the 27-year-old's fifth trip to Melbourne, and his first appearance in Perth. Kenya's 800m world record Olympic champion David Rudisha (C) and other Kenyan athletes attend a training session in Iten in the Rift Valley on January 13, 2016 Simon Maina (AFP/File) "Im really looking forward to getting back to Australia, it has played such an important part in my programme over the years," Rudisha said in a statement. "As I ready for the Olympic Games again I am keen to duplicate the build-up that worked in 2012. "Perth is somewhere that I havent competed before and I always look forward to running in a new city." Rudisha will be joined in Australia by a fellow Kenyan, the 1500m runner James Magut, Jamaican 400m hurdler Kaliese Spencer and compatriot Christine Day in the 400m. Africa's Garamba Park was once home to 500 northern white rhinos, more than 20,000 elephants and 350 giraffes. Today the rhinos have been wiped out, there are less than 1,500 elephants and just 38 Kordofan giraffes remain in a region plagued with regional conflict, tough terrain and isolation. The situation is so dire, that if the park loses just five more of the tiny, rare giraffes, they will be unable to sustain themselves and would ultimately face extinction. Africa's Garamba Park was once home to 500 northern white rhinos, more than 20,000 elephants and 350 giraffes. Today the rhinos have been wiped out, there are less than 1,500 elephants and just 38 Kordofan giraffes (pictured) remain in a region plagued with regional conflict, tough terrain and isolation 'This is one of the most trouble-ridden parts of Africa,' said Chris Thouless of Save the Elephants, a conservation organisation. 'Simply, Garamba's survival is an absolute miracle.' When vet Pete Morkel first visited Garamba to put tracking collars on northern white rhinos in the 1990s, it was a different place. 'It was quite easy to see rhinos, there was a lot more elephant, a lot more hippo, just a lot more of everything,' said the 55-year old Namibian vet. THE TINY KORDOFAN GIRAFFE The Kordofan Giraffe is a subspecies of giraffe typically found in northern Cameroon, southern Chad, Central African Republic and possibly western Sudan. Compared to other subspecies, the Kordofan Giraffe has small, more irregular spots on the inner legs. There are an estimated 34 adult giraffes in Garamba park, split between two herds, with four young calves between them. Their skin is used for luxury goods and they produce enough meat to feed poachers for 'weeks' the experts claim. Advertisement In February last year, he put radio tracking collars on elephants and giraffes, darting the animals from a hovering helicopter. Eight giraffes and 28 elephants now have collars enabling conservationists to monitor their every movement and park rangers to track their whereabouts. The existence of the tiny Kordofan giraffe population, the last in Congo, is particularly precarious and special units are assigned to protect them. There are an estimated 34 adult giraffes in Garamba park, split between two herds, with four young calves between them. Their skin is used for luxury goods and they produce enough meat to feed poachers for 'weeks' the experts claim. When conservation non-profit African Parks took over management of Garamba in 2005, it was too late to save the northern white rhino, now the struggle is to protect what's left. The tiny Kordofan giraffe population is the last in Congo (pictured). There are an estimated 34 adult giraffes in Garamba Park, split between two herds, with four young calves between them. Their skin is used for luxury goods and they produce enough meat to feed poachers for 'weeks' the experts claim Garamba was established in 1938, making it the continent's second oldest park after Virunga to the south. In 1980 Garamba was made a World Heritage Site, but a quarter of a century later the rhinos the designation was intended to protect were gone In February last year, conservationists put radio tracking collars on elephants and giraffes, darting the animals from a hovering helicopter. Eight giraffes and 28 elephants now have collars enabling the experts to monitor their every movement and park rangers to track their whereabouts Garamba was established in 1938, making it the continent's second oldest park after Virunga to the south. Old black and white photographs are all that remains of a once famous elephant domestication programme. They show white men in pith helmets sitting on an elephant-drawn plough, or regal upon a horse in sparkling jodhpurs with elephants and locals lined up in neat rows on either side like a coronation scene from Jean de Brunhoff's cartoon 'Babar'. In 1980 Garamba was made a World Heritage Site, but a quarter of a century later the rhinos the designation was intended to protect were gone. Today the presence of vehicles and people is rare - and because of poachers, sometimes deadly - so the animals are 'skittish'. The park costs around $3 million (2.7 million euros) a year to run, much of that donated by the European Union, so conservationists are considering other schemes to help fund Garamba, such as a hydroelectric dam on one of the park's many rivers, selling power to nearby mining operations Today the presence of vehicles and people is rare - and because of poachers, sometimes deadly - so the animals are 'skittish'. A young female elephant lies sedated as Garamba National Park rangers attach a GPS collar to track her movements The park costs around $3 million (2.7 million euros) a year to run, much of that donated by the European Union, so conservationists are considering other schemes to help fund Garamba, such as a hydroelectric dam on one of the park's many rivers, selling power to nearby mining operations. But before any of that can happen the park must be secured. 'There's been a massive improvement in law enforcement within Garamba but elephants are still being killed at an unsustainable rate,' said Thouless. He manages the Elephant Crisis Fund, which was kick-started by a million dollar donation from actor Leonardo DiCaprio in 2014, and disburses emergency money to protect threatened elephant populations, including in Garamba. Canada's fighter jets fly final anti-IS raids Canadian F-18 fighter jets have flown their last raids against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged, authorities said. The final air strikes were against an IS "fighting position in the vicinity of Fallujah," Iraq, a Defense Ministry statement said. The planes flew their last sortie on Sunday, it added. In place of the six F-18 fighter jets, Ottawa said it would triple the number of special forces training Kurdish militia in northern Iraq to about 210. Canadian air force jets have made their last strikes, targeting an IS "fighting position in the vicinity of Fallujah," Iraq, a Defense Ministry statement said Mircea Rosca (AFP/File) Canadian CC-150T Polaris refueling and CP-140 Aurora surveillance aircraft would continue to play roles in the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group, it said. Kerry slams Beijing's 'militarization' in South China Sea US Secretary of State John Kerry has slammed China for its increased "militarization" in the strategically important South China Sea, after Beijing deployed surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island there. "There is every evidence, every day, that there has been an increase of militarization of one kind or another. It's of a serious concern," Kerry told reporters on Wednesday. A US official told AFP that China has deployed surface-to-air missiles on Woody Island, part of the Paracel Islands chain. The island of Yongxing, also known as Woody island, in the disputed Paracel chain, on which China has deployed surface-to-air missiles according to the United States The official said the missiles appeared to be HQ-9s, which have a range of about 125 miles (200 kilometers). Experts say they could be used to target enemy aircraft. Fox News first reported missile launchers and a radar system had arrived on Woody Island in recent days, referring to satellite imagery. Taiwan's defense ministry later confirmed the facility's existence. "We believe the photos are accurate and that China has deployed SAMs to Woody Island," the US official said. Beijing has controlled all of the Paracels, which are also claimed by Hanoi and Taipei, since seizing several from South Vietnam in a brief, bloody battle towards the end of the Vietnam War. But tensions in the sea -- through which a third of the world's oil passes -- have mounted in recent months since China transformed contested reefs in the Spratly islands further south into artificial islands capable of supporting military facilities. - 'No militarization' - Washington says the move threatens free passage in a strategically vital area and has sent warships to sail close to the disputed islands to assert freedom of navigation, raising fears of escalation. "We have said repeatedly with respect to China that the standard that should be applied to all countries with respect to the South China Sea is no militarization," Kerry said. The secretary of state recalled that during a state visit to Washington last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed not to militarize in the disputed waters. "We had these conversations with the Chinese and I'm confident that over the next days, we will have further very serious conversations on this," Kerry said. The top US diplomat expressed hope that Beijing would work to resolve the maritime disputes "not through unilateral action, not through force, not through militarization but through diplomacy and by working with other countries and claimants." On Tuesday, President Barack Obama called for "tangible steps" to lower tensions in the South China Sea. Beijing meanwhile has insisted it has the right to build "self-defense" systems in the region. Disputed claims in the South China Sea Adrian Leung (AFP) Erdogan's son probed for money laundering in Italy Italian prosecutors are investigating the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for money laundering amid accusations he smuggled large amounts of cash into the country, a judicial source told AFP on Thursday. A probe was launched into Bilal Erdogan after Italian authorities were petitioned by Turkish businessman Murat Hakan Uzan -- an exiled political opponent of Erdogan -- to investigate a purported "getaway operation" from Turkey to Italy. Erdogan's son moved to Bologna in August to complete his doctoral studies, but was accused by anti-government parties of fleeing his homeland after being implicated in a corruption scandal. Italian prosecutors are investigating Bilal Erdogan for money laundering Ozan Kose (AFP/File) Bilal, who lives in the north Italian city with his wife and two children, insisted he was merely winding up his PhD in international relations at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. The 35-year old was one of the main protagonists implicated in corruption allegations that exploded in December 2013 against the president's inner circle and were bitterly denied by Erdogan, then premier. Leaked tapes emerged in February 2014 of Erdogan allegedly telling Bilal to dispose of some 30 million euros ($37 million) in cash. Erdogan has dismissed the recordings as a "vile montage". Uzan's petition stated that Bilal flew into Italy with a "large sum of money" and a team of armed bodyguards who were denied entry before swiftly being assigned Turkish diplomatic passports, according to Italian media reports. US-led strikes kill 15 civilians in northeast Syria: monitor Strikes by a US-led coalition against the Islamic State group killed at least 15 civilians, including three children, in northeastern Syria on Thursday, a monitor said. The strikes hit four IS-controlled villages in Hasakeh province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, saying the toll could rise. It said nine IS fighters had also been killed in the strikes on the four villages. The US-led coalition began air strikes in Syria in September 2014 Senior Airman Matthew Bruch (USAF Central Command/AFP) The Britain-based monitor said the latest civilian casualties came after two days of civilian deaths in US-led strikes in Hasakeh. It reported another eight civilians, including one woman, were killed in US-led strikes on another IS-controlled village in the province on Wednesday. Strikes elsewhere in the province also killed 26 IS fighters on the same day, it said. And on Tuesday, 15 civilians were killed in US-led strikes on the town of Al-Shadadi, the group said. That brought the number of civilians reported killed in US-led strikes in Hasakeh to 38 since Tuesday. Lieutenant General Charles Brown, who leads the US air forces in the Middle East, said he was aware of the allegations. "Like we do for every potential civilian casualty, we go through an assessment to assess the credibility," Brown told Pentagon reporters in a video briefing. "At the same time as we're doing that ... we're always trying to mitigate any civilian casualties." The US-led coalition has reportedly stepped up its raids in Hasakeh since the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces alliance launched a new operation against IS in the southern part of the province on Tuesday. The alliance has scored successes against IS in other parts of the province in the past, backed by the coalition which began strikes in Syria in September 2014. It has rarely acknowledged civilian deaths in its campaign against IS. In January, it admitted three "likely" civilian deaths last year near the IS stronghold of Raqa, bringing to at least 21 the number of civilians the coalition has acknowledged killing in both Syria and neighbouring Iraq. The Observatory said last month that the coalition campaign had killed some 332 civilians in Syria since it began, among them 90 children. Syrian Kurdish PYD denies involvement in Ankara attack The head of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) on Thursday denied Turkish allegations that the group was involved in a bombing in Ankara that killed 28 people. "We deny any involvement in this attack," Saleh Muslim told AFP, after Turkey's prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu accused his party's armed wing of carrying out the attack in coordination with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, an outlawed Kurdish group in Turkey. Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara that the bombing was carried out by a Syrian national named Salih Necar, adding that nine people had been detained in connection with the attack. A Kurdish fighter guards a checkpoint near the Syrian town of Ain Issi Delil Souleiman (AFP) "We have never heard of this person Salih Necar," said Muslim. "These accusations are clearly related to Turkish attempts to intervene in Syria," he added. The Wednesday night bombing targeted military vehicles in the Turkish capital. It comes as Turkey shells Kurdish militants in Syria who have seized territory in recent days from rebel groups backed by Ankara in Aleppo province. EU leaders 'to demand Russia, Assad halt attacks on rebels' EU leaders will demand at a summit that Russia and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, its long-term ally, immediately halt attacks on moderate opposition groups and bolster peace efforts, a draft document said Thursday. The 28 European Union leaders were due to issue the appeal after the two-day meeting in Brussels amid efforts to implement an agreement reached by world powers in Munich last week to cease hostilities and ramp up humanitarian access. "The European Council calls on Russia and the Syrian regime to stop at once attacking moderate opposition groups, which threatens the prospects for peace, benefits Daesh and drives the refugee crisis," the council said in a draft obtained by AFP. A Syrian man carries his two girls across rubble following a barrel bomb attack on Aleppo's rebel-held al-Kalasa neighbourhood Karam al-Masri (AFP/File) The council, which gathers the 28 EU leaders, is concerned that Russian military support for Assad is undermining US-led efforts to quash Daesh, or the Islamic State group, and is fuelling the worst migrant crisis in Europe since World War II. "The European Council is concerned by the risk of further military escalation and condemns the repeated bombing of civilian infrastructure and calls for an immediate cessation of aerial bombardments in civilian areas," it said. "The implementation of it should jointly be verified by the relevant parties," it added. "The council urges all sides to refrain from escalating the dire humanitarian situation and recalls that unhindered humanitarian access to those in need must be guaranteed, including in the besieged areas," it said. A ceasefire based on the Munich deal is due to come into effect on Friday, but prospects of a lasting truce appear weak as a Russian-backed regime offensive around second city Aleppo has forced tens of thousands from their homes this month. Almost half a million people in Syria are in areas under siege, according to the UN. The council leader called for implementing swiftly the terms of the Munich deal. Rescue workers search for victims amid the rubble of a building following a reported air strike by Syrian government forces on Aleppo's Sukkari neighbourhood Baraa al-Halabi (AFP) Iraq court sentences 40 to death over 2014 Tikrit massacre An Iraqi court on Thursday sentenced 40 men to hang over the June 2014 massacre by Sunni jihadists and allied militants of hundreds of military recruits in Tikrit, the judiciary said. The central criminal court in Baghdad found 40 of 47 defendants guilty of involvement in the "Speicher" massacre, named after the base near where the victims were captured before being executed. "The court ordered the execution of 40 (people) convicted of involvement in the incident, while seven were released for lack of evidence," Iraq's judiciary spokesman Abdel Sattar Bayraqdar said in the statement. Iraq says 1,700 cadets were executed in 2014 at the Speicher military base in Tikrit Ahmad Al-Rubaye (AFP/File) Bayraqdar said the sentences were handed down under Article Four of Iraq's anti-terrorism law, which states that anyone who perpetrates, incites, plans, finances or assists acts of terrorism will be sentenced to death. A judicial source said all 47 were Iraqi citizens and present in court for their sentencing. "Some of them actually did the killing and others assisted them in this crime," the official, who could not give his name because he was not authorised to talk to the press, told AFP. He said the 40 were sentenced to death by hanging. The court itself did not reveal the identities of the defendants nor any details of the circumstances of their arrest. In a similar trial in July 2015, 24 men were sentenced to hang over the Speicher massacre, which was committed during the first days of the Islamic State group's sweeping offensive in Iraq. All of them had denied involvement. Some had said they were not even near Tikrit at the time, others that they never saw a lawyer and that the confessions used to secure convictions were obtained under torture. - 'Flawed trial' - Rights groups had criticised that trial as not meeting many of the standards required for such crimes. The highest estimate for the number of men murdered in the Speicher massacre is 1,700. Tikrit was retaken from IS in April 2015. Amnesty International on Thursday criticised "a fundamentally flawed mass trial" which it said brought the number of death sentences handed down by Iraqi courts this year to 92. "For Iraqi courts to hand down 92 death sentences in just six weeks is a grim indicator of the current state of justice in the country," the rights watchdog's Middle East and North Africa deputy director James Lynch said in a statement. "The vast majority of the trials have been grossly unfair, with many of the defendants claiming to have been tortured into 'confessing' the crimes," he said. Before a death sentence can be carried out in Iraq, it must be ratified by the president. Amnesty said the current head of state, Fuad Masum, has come under significant pressure to do so but called on the Iraqi authorities to establish an official moratorium on executions. The Speicher massacre is considered one of IS' worst crimes since it took over large parts of the country in 2014. Syria rebels cross from Turkey to join Aleppo battles Hundreds of Syrian rebels prepared to head to frontlines in northern Aleppo province on Thursday, after crossing from Turkey to reinforce fighters battling Kurdish militia. The group of 500 opposition fighters was in the border town of Azaz, after arriving from Turkey on Wednesday through the nearby Bab al-Salama crossing, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The fighters are expected to head to frontlines nearby with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which has in recent days seized several former rebel bastions in Aleppo province. A Syrian opposition fighter keeps watch as Syrians fleeing Aleppo wait on February 5, 2016 in Bab-al Salam, next to the city of Azaz Bulent Kilic (AFP/File) The alliance is led by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), and its advances have alarmed Turkey, which considers the YPG a branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party that has waged a decades-long insurgency against Ankara. The Observatory said the Syrian rebels were a mixture of Islamists and other fighters, with most from the Faylaq al-Sham group. It said they had arrived with weapons, though it could not provide details. "They came from (neighbouring) Idlib province and western Aleppo, entered Turkey through (Idlib's) Atme, and reentered Syria through Bab al-Salama," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. The route allowed the rebels to avoid crossing Kurdish or regime-held territory to reach northern Aleppo, where the SDF and pro-government forces have recently advanced. Syria expert Thomas Pierret described Faylaq al-Sham as "the official military branch of the Muslim Brotherhood... a faction that is close to Turkey." He said their arrival could help reinforce Azaz, but might be insufficient to roll back the SDF's gains. "These reinforcements could contribute to stopping the fall of Azaz, but considering the Russian aerial support the YPG benefits from, I doubt that they will be pushed from most of the positions they captured in recent days," he said. The SDF denies coordinating with Russian forces who began an air campaign in support of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in late September. But Russian warplanes have carried out strikes benefitting the alliance as it has advanced, and its successes have come as regime troops backed by Russia's air power have pressed their own major military operation further south in Aleppo province. - Hasakeh, Latakia gains - The Kurds have long sought to unite Kurdish-majority areas in north and northeast Syria, and their latest advances could help link the areas under their control. Turkey is fiercely opposed to that goal, and has been shelling SDF positions inside Syria for days in a bid to halt the group's advances. In its latest gains, the SDF, which launched an offensive Tuesday in the northeastern province of Hasakeh, has seized control of seven villages from jihadist fighters, according to the Observatory. Elsewhere in the country, Syrian state media said regime forces had taken the village of Kinsaba in northern Latakia province, the last remaining rebel stronghold in the region. The Observatory said fighting was ongoing but confirmed that large parts of the village had been captured by regime forces. According to a Syrian military source on the ground, regime forces backed by Russian air power now control more than 70 percent of the north of Latakia province. The regime advances in the Kinsaba area bring them closer to Jisr al-Shughur in Idlib province, which has been a key goal for government forces since it fell to rebels last April. Syrian refugees in in Bab al-Salama, near Azaz on February 6, 2016 Bulent Kilic (AFP) Indian universities told to fly flag amid sedition row India's government on Thursday told top public universities to fly the country's flag on campus to promote national unity, as thousands protested in the capital's streets against the arrest of a student for sedition. The university at the centre of the storm, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), was among those directed to "fly the tricolour on a high mast", said an official at the human resource development ministry, which includes education. "The flag will symbolise the unity of the nation under which our education system can flourish," she told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding that the directive, issued to 20 leading public universities, was not a binding order. An estimated 5,000 people, chanting "release Kanhaiya Kumar" and "down with state terrorism", marched through the centre of New Delhi in one of the biggest student protests India has seen in years Chandan Khanna (AFP) It came as an estimated 5,000 people, chanting "release Kanhaiya Kumar" and "down with state terrorism", marched through the centre of New Delhi in one of the biggest student protests India has seen in years. Police arrested the 32-year-old head of the JNU student union last Friday over a rally at which anti-India slogans were chanted. Kumar denies he was among those chanting the slogans and has apparently condemned the incident in a letter released by police. But he had publicly criticised right-wing nationalism, and many of the protesters saw his arrest as an attempt to stifle dissent. "We are today standing for human rights and freedom of speech. The government can't dub people anti-national and dump them in jails," protester Avik Devdas told AFP. Thursday's protest march came a day after Kumar was attacked by right-wing lawyers as he was escorted into a hearing by police, prompting an intervention by the Supreme Court which had ordered police to ensure his safety. Journalists covering his case have been attacked and a panel of Supreme Court lawyers sent to investigate were heckled, with one describing an "atmosphere of terror" in the lower court. Kumar was remanded in custody until March 2, but his lawyers have asked the Supreme Court to intervene and release him on bail. That case will be heard on Friday. Students in several other cities including Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore also held protests on Thursday in solidarity with Kumar and JNU, which has a long history of left-wing activism. Staff at the university have condemned his arrest. Many went on strike this week in protest at what some said was an attempt to defame JNU. - Counter marches - There were also some counter marches by the student wing of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which the opposition Congress party has accused of orchestrating the violence. And in the southern city of Chennai police arrested Kovan, a folk singer, and 47 members of a left-wing student group for staging a protest in front of a state government building. On Thursday Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi met India's President Pranab Mukherjee to express concern, saying the scenes in court were an "affront to the democratic ideals of this country". Rights group Amnesty International has called for Kumar's immediate release, accusing the government of using the British-era sedition law to "silence and harass those with divergent opinions". Sedition carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment although convictions are rare. But police have defended their actions and say they are still searching for other JNU students who they say chanted anti-India slogans at last week's rally. It was held to mark the 2013 hanging of Kashmiri separatist Mohammed Afzal Guru over a deadly 2001 attack on the Indian parliament. A second scholar, the former Delhi University professor S.A.R. Geelani, was arrested on Tuesday on the same charge in connection with another event marking Guru's death. Protests against Guru's execution have regularly been held in Kashmir, where many believe he was not given a fair trial. Guru always denied plotting the attack, which was carried out by Kashmiri militants. Sedition charges have been used in the past against supporters of independence for the disputed territory of Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed in full by both. Indian student union leader Kanhaiya Kumar (centre) is escorted by police into Patiala Court for a hearing in New Delhi on February 17, 2016 Chandan Khanna (AFP) Students in New Delhi and several other cities including Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore also held protests on Thursday in solidarity with Kumar and the JNU, which has a long history of left-wing activism Prakash Singh (AFP/File) Uganda police fire tear gas at voters angered by delays Ugandan police fired tear gas to disperse furious voters Thursday in the capital Kampala as the election commission apologised for hours-long delays in delivering ballot papers, AFP reporters said. Voting was due to begin at 7:00 am (0400 GMT) but was stalled for several hours in some polling stations in the city and surrounding Wakiso district when ballot boxes and papers did not arrive on time. The capital traditionally shows strong support for the opposition. Ugandans line up to cast their vote in presidential and parliamentary polls on the outskirts of Kampala, on February 18, 2016 Isaac Kasamani (AFP) "There has been a delay in delivery of polling materials in some parts of Wakiso district and Kampala capital city. The Electoral Commission regrets the delay," the commission said in a statement. "The polling materials have now been delivered to all these places and polling has commenced in most of the places." President Yoweri Museveni is widely predicted to win a fifth term at the presidential and parliamentary elections. Some frustrated voters accused the authorities of deliberately stalling the vote. "People are quite angry and everybody is believing that there is something wrong behind this because of the way they are delaying things," said Moses Omony, a motorbike taxi driver. "We know this has been done intentionally," said Marius Nkata, a builder. Tunisia calls on European countries to review travel warnings Tunisia has called on European governments to revise travel warnings for the country, highlighting its efforts to boost security after deadly jihadist attacks hit its vital tourism sector last year. "Showing solidarity with Tunisia in this period requires (European) states to review their warnings to citizens against travelling to Tunisia, which will help the tourism sector regain its normal pace," Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui said in a statement released late Wednesday. European countries such as Britain and Ireland advised their nationals to leave Tunisia and avoid "all but essential travel" there after a July attack killed 38 tourists -- including 30 Britons -- in a beach resort near Sousse. Tourists look at flowers at the site of a shooting attack on the beach in Port el Kantaoui south of Tunis, on June 28, 2015 Kenzo Tribouillard (AFP) That attack followed another on the National Bardo Museum in Tunis in March that killed 21 tourists and a policeman. Both were claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group. An IS-claimed suicide bombing on a bus in Tunis in November killed 12 presidential guards. Jhinaoui, Interior Minister Hedi Majdoub and Tourism Minister Selma Elloumi Rekik on Wednesday spoke about revising the travel advice when they met ambassadors of European Union countries. "The police and army stand" ready to confront any threats, Majdoub said. He presented measures to "improve the security situation and secure ports, airports and touristic places" at the meeting, the statement said, without providing further details. Tunisia lost more than a third of its tourism revenues in 2015, the central bank said last month. The number of tourists from Europe fell by more than half from 2014 -- and by nearly two-thirds compared with 2010, the tourism ministry said. The 2011 revolution that ousted longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali also dealt a blow to the tourism sector. Yemen loyalists seize town overlooking rebel-besieged Taez Yemeni pro-government forces on Thursday seized a town overlooking the besieged city of Taez after weeks of deadly fighting with Iran-backed rebels in the area, military sources said. The capture of Al-Misrakh comes as part of an offensive loyalists launched in November to break the siege on Yemens third city, where some 200,000 civilians are caught up in the fighting. The town is south of the provincial capital, where two days earlier a rebel sniper shot dead a cameraman working for the government-run Yemen TV channel, drawing condemnation from international media watchdogs. Yemeni pro-government forces have seized a town overlooking the besieged city of Taez Ahmed al-Basha (AFP) Yemen's National Union of Journalists said in a statement that Ahmed al-Shaibani was killed on Tuesday while he was covering clashes in the city. Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists condemned Shaibani's killing and urged all parties in Yemen's conflict to respect the lives of civilians, including journalists. A Saudi-led coalition has been backing pro-government forces fighting the Huthi rebels and their allies since March last year. To the west, the rebels have advanced in the Dhubab coastal area of Taez province near the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait following two days of clashes that left 12 pro-government fighters and eight insurgents dead, loyalist military sources told AFP. Clashes continued in the area on Thursday as coalition jets pounded rebel positions. UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told the Security Council on Wednesday that Yemen's warring parties have so far been unable to agree on terms for a new round of peace talks, two months after holding their first face-to-face meeting. The UN envoy said the parties were divided on "whether a new round of talks should be convened with or without a new cessation of hostilities" and were not willing to offer sufficient guarantees that a truce would hold. "Many parts of Yemen are again witnessing air strikes and extensive ground fighting," said the envoy. More than 6,100 people have been killed in nearly a year of conflict, about half of them civilians, according to the United Nations. Fighters loyal to Yemen's President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi stand guard in Taez's Misrakh District on November 26, 2015 Ahmed al-Basha (AFP) DR Congo to probe C. Africa peacekeeper sex abuse claims The government in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday announced a probe into fresh allegations of sexual abuse by Congolese soldiers serving in the UN mission in Central African Republic. "I have given instructions to the chief military prosecutor to send three military magistrates to investigate on the scene with a view to legal proceedings," Justice Minister Alexis Thambwe Mwamba said. The UN mission in the Central African Republic, known as MINUSCA, has been hit by a wave of allegations of sex abuse by its peacekeepers, whose mandate is to protect civilians in the strife-torn country. The UN mission in the Central African Republic, known as MINUSCA, has been hit by a wave of allegations of sex abuse by its peacekeepers, whose mandate is to protect civilians in the strife-torn country Marco Longari (AFP/File) On Tuesday, UN spokesman Farhan Haq revealed new abuse allegations against the DRC's MINUSCA contingent, concerning four children living in a displaced people's camp who were assaulted in 2014 and 2015. Notified the same day by the UN, Congolese authorities then had 10 days to decide whether to carry out an investigation or leave it up to the world body. Under UN procedures, if troops serving with UN missions are convicted, their country of origin should pass sentence. Five DRC soldiers in MINUSCA were accused of raping five women last November, while three soldiers from the smaller Republic of Congo were accused of raping three young women, one of whom was underage. Judicial authorities in DRC conducted an inquiry but it was inconclusive. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon fired the head of the 10,000-strong MINUSCA force in August over the mounting number of sex abuse cases, but the allegations have continued to surface. An independent panel set up by Ban found there had been serious flaws in the UN's handling of the cases, despite an official zero-tolerance policy on sexual violence. In January, MINUSCA decided to send home the whole contingent of 120 soldiers from the DRC on the grounds that the troops only partially met UN requirements on equipment, recruitment and the level of combat readiness. Obama to make historic visit to Cuba in March Barack Obama will next month become the first US president to visit Cuba in almost a century, championing engagement with the Communist-ruled island and burying one of the last vestiges of the Cold War. The White House hopes the trip will be a "Berlin Wall" moment, crowning a policy they see as being among Obama's greatest foreign policy achievements. "Next month, I'll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people," the US leader said in one of a series of tweets. A woman wearing leggings with the colours of the US flag walks along a street of Havana on February 18, 2015 Yamil Lage (AFP) Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will travel to the Communist-controlled island March 21-22. The last American leader to visit Cuba while in office was Calvin Coolidge in 1928 -- before television or air travel were commonplace. In the generations that followed Cuba became synonymous with crisis and threat for Americans -- from the disastrous CIA-backed invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 to a Missile Crisis the following year that terrified the nation. For Cubans, antagonism with a superpower neighbor led to a crippling economic embargo that still makes everyday life difficult. Since coming to office in 2009, Obama argued that engagement would do more to change Cuba than embargoes and isolation. "We tried it one way for 50 years," said top Obama foreign policy advisor Ben Rhodes. "We had an embargo. We had democracy funding. And you did not have a promotion of human rights on the island." In December 2014, Obama made a shock announcement that he and Raul Castro had been in secret talks on a rapprochement. The pair then met in April 2015 in Panama, making Obama the first sitting US president to meet a Cuban leader since Dwight Eisenhower in 1956. Diplomatic relations were restored in July. - 'Still have differences' - A presidential visit will be the capstone of Obama's policy of engagement, but it is also a gamble. Raul Castro's government has shown a willingness to slowly open the economy, but Cuba's political system is still utterly dominated by the regime. Human rights groups say that detentions have actually increased of late, reaching around 8,000 last year, even as longer-term prisoners have been released. "What worries us is that Obama had said in December that he would only come to Cuba if there was progress on human rights," Berta Soler of the Damas de Blanco told AFP. "The repression continues," she added. Anticipating such criticism, Obama said: "We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly. America will always stand for human rights around the world." Rhodes said Obama would meet civil society leaders during his trip and would look to address the Cuban people directly. He will not, however, meet long-time American nemesis Fidel Castro. "Raul Castro is the president of Cuba," said Rhodes. Obama's visit will come just weeks before a pivotal Cuban Communist Party congress. The meeting could decide who becomes the first non-Castro to control Cuba since the brothers came down from the Sierra Maestra mountains and ousted Fulgencio Batista on New Year's Day 1959. Obama will want to prod Havana into more direct elections, but the White House is betting that opening Cuba to a flood of American tourists and American business is the fastest and most enduring way to bring change. Cuba lost its chief economic benefactor in 1991 as the Soviet Union collapsed and is likely to suffer the same fate again as tumult in Venezuela turns off the spigot of heavily subsidized crude. For now the United States and Cuba are treading cautiously, taking incremental steps to facilitate trade, investment and the movement of people. There are 1.8 million Cuban Americans and Cuba has a population of 11 million. But Cuba's leaders will want to manage reforms in a way that does not threaten their political power or vested interests in state-run firms -- taking their ideological lead from Vietnam and China. The government's baby steps to open the economy have not convinced the thousands of Cubans who voted with their feet and left the island since ties warmed. - Opposition at home - For Obama a deeply symbolic trip to Cuba puts his presidency back in the limelight as power shifts to his possible successors and the 2016 election. But he faces significant opposition to any further warming of ties. The Republican-controlled Congress has made it clear it does not intend to end the embargo. For that to happen requires that Cuba move toward direct elections and begin to settle some 6,000 compensation lawsuits for US-owned property seized during the 1959 revolution. Those suits are estimated to be worth about $8 billion. Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio, a son of Cuban immigrants, said the trip was a "mistake" and urged Obama to reconsider. But there was considerable support for the president's trip elsewhere in southern Florida, even in Miami, home to America's biggest concentration of Cuban expatriates. "Fantastic! It's a great idea," Ramon Pereira, 60 told AFP at a restaurant in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, adding that an infusion of "a little indirect capitalism" is the best way to bring greater freedom to the island. US-Cuba relations Jonathan Jacobsen (AFP) US President Barack Obama (R) holds a meeting with Cuba's President Raul Castro on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on September 29, 2015 Mandel Ngan (AFP/File) President Barack Obama announced Thursday he and First Lady Michelle Obama will make a landmark visit to Cuba on March 21-22 Adalberto Roque (AFP/File) Israeli soldier dead in West Bank Palestinian stabbing attack A off-duty soldier was killed and another Israeli moderately wounded when two Palestinians stabbed them in a supermarket in the occupied West Bank on Thursday before being shot, officials said. A 21-year-old victim was taken to Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek hospital in serious condition, where he was pronounced dead after extensive efforts to resuscitate him, a spokeswoman said. He was later identified by the Israeli army as Tuvia Weissman, a soldier from Maale Mikhmas, a nearby settlement, who was off duty at the time of the attack. Israeli security forces stand guard outside the Rami Levi supermarket in Shaar Binyamin in the West Bank, after a stabbing attack on February 18, 2016 Ahmad Gharabli (AFP) A moderately wounded 36-year-old was being treated in hospital. Medics said the two had sustained stab wounds to their torsos and that three women who witnessed the attack were being treated for shock. "Two Palestinians entered the Rami Levi (supermarket) in Shaar Binyamin (industrial zone) and stabbed two Israeli civilians," a police statement said. "The two terrorists were shot and neutralised by an armed civilian at the site." A hospital spokeswoman said one of the assailants was in a moderate to serious condition and was being treated for gunshot wounds. The second assailant was in serious condition and being treated at Shaare Zedek. Palestinian sources said the two assailants were both 14-year-olds. The supermarket is located in an Israeli-controlled industrial zone near Ramallah frequented by settlers. Since October 1, Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks have taken the lives of 27 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean, according to an AFP count. Egypt's elite bids farewell to ex-UN chief Boutros-Ghali Egypt's political and religious elite turned out Thursday for the funeral of former UN secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who steered the world body through several global conflicts during one of its toughest periods. The Egyptian diplomat, who became the first African secretary-general in 1992, died in Cairo on Tuesday aged 93. He was given an elaborate military send-off attended by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Leia Boutros-Ghali (L), the wife of former UN secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali, sits next to her husband's coffin during his funeral in Cairo, on February 18, 2016 Khaled Desouki (AFP) The ceremony in a prominent Cairo mosque was also attended by Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayib, the head of Sunni Islam's seat of learning, Al-Azhar, and Coptic Pope Tawadros II. Boutros-Ghali's coffin, draped in the Egyptian flag, was later carried to the city's main cathedral for a Christian service led by the pope and attended by Egyptian, European and African diplomats. Boutros-Ghali remained "a man faithful to his nation... and who advocated peace at every position he held," said Pope Tawadros II at the service. "Egypt has lost one of its symbols, one of its best leaders, an example of patriotism," Amr Mussa, former head of the Arab League, told mourners. Boutros-Ghali's tenure as UN chief began in 1992 but ended abruptly in 1996 when the United States vetoed his second term. Following his death on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described Boutros-Ghali as a respected statesman and scholar of international law who brought "formidable experience and intellectual power" to the top UN job. A former foreign minister, the veteran diplomat headed the world body during one of its most difficult periods marked by crises in Somalia, Rwanda, the Middle East and the former Yugoslavia. After a series of clashes with the US administration, Washington turned against Boutros-Ghali and decided to back Ghanaian Kofi Annan for the top post in late 1996. Under Boutros-Ghali's tenure, the United Nations expanded its peacekeeping missions but a retreat from Rwanda ahead of the 1994 genocide and from the Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica a year later were seen as dismal failures. Relations with the United States began to sour in late 1993, when a US-led operation in Somalia led to major casualties among American troops. There was also friction over UN sanctions against the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, which had invaded and was ejected from Kuwait a year before Boutros-Ghali took up his post. When his candidacy for a second term was vetoed, Boutros-Ghali felt that he was being punished for pushing UN member states to pay their membership arrears -- an issue on which the United States has long been a laggard -- and for condemning Israeli actions in southern Lebanon. Boutros-Ghali was born on November 14, 1922 into a Coptic Christian family in Cairo. He was educated at Cairo University and in Paris, where he established a lifelong connection with France. He is survived by his Jewish wife Leia Maria. They had no children. Former UN secretary-general Boutros Boutros Ghali, pictured in March 2002, died in Cairo aged 93 Suhaila Sahmarani (AFP/File) Pentagon asked Russia to avoid Syrian areas with US commandos The Pentagon has asked Russia to stay away from parts of northern Syria where US special operations troops are training local fighters to combat the Islamic State group, military officials said Thursday. The acknowledgement is significant because the Pentagon has repeatedly stressed it is not cooperating with Moscow as the two powers lead separate air campaigns in war-ravaged Syria. Lieutenant General Charles Brown, who commands the US air forces in the Middle East, said US officials had asked Moscow to avoid "broad areas" in northern Syria "to maintain a level of safety for our forces that are on the ground." A general view shows Russian fighter jets on the tarmac at the Russian military base in Latakia province, in the northwest of Syria, on February 16, 2016 He added that Moscow had itself asked the US-led coalition to avoid some of the airfields the Russian military is using. "They don't want us flying close to (these,)" Brown said. "Typically, we don't fly there anyway. So, that hasn't been an issue." Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said Russia had honored the request, and stressed the Pentagon only provided broad geographic descriptions of where the US troops are, not their precise location. There was "one instance in which we have asked, for the safety of our special operators, (the Russians) to not engage in that particular geographical area," Cook said. "We think it's a reasonable request." The Pentagon last year said it was sending about 50 special operations forces to work with anti-IS fighters in Syria, though officials have said next to nothing about their whereabouts and progress since. The United States has since August 2014 led an international coalition against the IS group in Iraq and Syria. Russia entered the Syria conflict in September, when it began bombing rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad. Russia says it is attacking the IS group and other "terrorists." Though coalition and Russian planes generally operate in different parts of the country, military officials fret about the possibility of an unintended clash between the two sides. Syrian mothers say separated from children in Aegean rescue Two Syrian mothers who crossed from Turkey to Greece on a refugee boat said Thursday that they were separated from their children during a Turkish coastguard operation to stem the flow of migrants. The women told journalists their boat was intercepted mid-sea by the Turkish coastguard, who began transferring migrants to their patrol vessel to return them to Turkey, starting with the children -- when the handler of their boat started the engine and sped off towards the Greek coast. The two women of Kurdish origin, one of them pregnant, were picked up with the rest of the passengers by the Greek coastguard and taken to the island of Lesbos without their children, they said. A Syrian Kurdish woman, Deniz, waits at the port of the northern island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey, on February 18, 2016 Aris Messinis (AFP) One of them, who gave her name as Deniz Sidur, said she had been travelling with her 20-year-old son Omar and another five children. The UN refugee agency's representative on Lesbos island, Boris Cheshirkov, said he had been informed "of an incident at sea that led to the separation of a family". He added that a process had begun to bring the children back together with their mother. "Contact has been established with their uncle, who remained with the children, and who says they were all taken to a road leading to a refugee camp in Turkey," Zoe Livaditis of the Red Cross told AFP. The other woman was a mother of two children, whose age had not been specified. Authorities are currently verifying her testimony, in order to launch a reunion procedure should her claim be proven. Trump calls pope's criticism of him 'disgraceful' Donald Trump on Thursday called remarks by Pope Francis "disgraceful," after the pontiff argued the Republican White House hopeful could not claim to be a Christian based on his anti-immigrant stance. "For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful," Trump said in a statement that he read out to a crowd at a campaign stop in South Carolina, which holds its primary vote on Saturday. "I am proud to be a Christian and as president I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened." Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump reads from a statement about Pope Francis during a campaign rally in Kiawah, South Carolina on February 17, 2016 Jim Watson (AFP/File) The comments framed an extraordinary public exchange between a candidate and the leader of the Roman Catholic church in the run up to a US presidential election. Francis issues his remarks after concluding a five-day trip to Mexico, where he delivered a mass before 300,000 people near the US border and decried the "human tragedy" of migrants fleeing violence worldwide. In a highly symbolic gesture the pontiff climbed a ramp facing the Rio Grande and looked out across the border into US territory, where hundreds of migrants waved at him. Trump, the brash real estate magnate, has vowed to build a wall on the US southern border to keep migrants from illegally crossing into the United States, a pledge that has caused a firestorm in the presidential campaign where immigration is a hot-button issue. "Anyone, whoever he is, who only wants to build walls and not bridges is not a Christian," the pontiff told journalists during his return journey from Mexico, in response to a question about Trump's anti-immigrant stance. Trump's reaction was notable for its tone against a global religious figure. "If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS's ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president because this would not have happened," Trump said, referring to the Islamic State extremist group controlling wide swathes of Syria and Iraq. Trump said Mexican authorities told the pope only "one side of the story." "He didn't see the crime, the drug trafficking and the negative economic impact the current policies have on the United States," Trump said. Hollywood hospital pays bitcoin ransom to hackers A Los Angeles hospital has paid $17,000 in bitcoins to hackers who took control of its computers for more than a week, officials said. Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center said in a statement that it paid 40 bitcoins, the equivalent of $17,000 dollars, in ransom money to bring its computer systems back online earlier this month. The hospital's chief executive Allen Stefanek said staff first noticed problems with accessing the facility's information system on February 5 and a probe was launched. A Los Angeles hospital has paid $17,000 in bitcoins to hackers who took control of its computers for more than a week Karen Bleier (AFP/File) "The malware locked access to certain computer systems and prevented us from sharing communications electronically," Stefanek said. "The quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom and obtain the decryption key," he added. "In the best interest of restoring normal operations, we did this." He said the systems were back up on Monday and there was no evidence that patient or employee information had been compromised. Law enforcement officials told the Los Angeles Times that the ransom was paid before authorities were alerted. The FBI's Los Angeles bureau said it was investigating the cyber attack, called "ransomware," which is a type of malware that prevents or limits users from accessing information on their computer system. FBI raids home of San Bernardino shooter's brother: reports Federal agents on Thursday raided the home of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook's brother, US media reported. FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller confirmed to AFP that a search warrant was executed at a residence in Corona, an hour east of Los Angeles "to seek evidence in an ongoing investigation" but did not specify the case. No arrests were made, she said. A pastor leads a prayer for people that knew some of the victims of a mass shooting, by suspects Syed Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik, at a makeshift memorial on December 4, 2015 in San Bernardino, California Robyn Beck (AFP/File) The search warrant was executed on a sealed affidavit and authorities were barred from disclosing further details, Eimiller said. Local media outlets identified the home as that of Farook's brother. Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, opened fire on his coworkers in the California city of San Bernardino on December 2, killing 14 people and wounding 22. It was the deadliest terror attack in the United States since the September 11, 2001 attacks. Farook and Malik were killed in a shootout with police. The news comes with Apple and the US authorities in a standoff after the tech giant refused to comply with a judge's order to help the FBI break into Farook's iPhone. Apple chief executive Tim Cook has said doing so would be an "unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers" and would have "implications far beyond the legal case at hand." Guard charged in inmate's hot jail cell death gets probation NEW YORK (AP) A correction officer who prosecutors said skipped her rounds, leaving a mentally ill inmate to die in a stifling 101-degree jail cell, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to falsifying logbook entries to try to cover it up. Carol Lackner pleaded guilty to a felony charge of falsifying business records in state Supreme Court in the Bronx and was sentenced to five years of probation. She falsely indicated that she had checked on Jerome Murdough, a homeless ex-Marine, and other inmates at the Rikers Island jail complex every half-hour on Feb. 14, 2014, even though video didn't show her doing so, prosecutors said. The Associated Press first reported on the death of Murdough, who was left unchecked for at least four hours overnight as malfunctioning equipment caused his cell to overheat. A city official, speaking to the AP on the condition of anonymity, said Murdough "basically baked to death." In this Feb. 8, 2016 photo, former New York City corrections officer Carol Lackner appears in court in New York. Lackner, who was arrested after a mentally ill inmate died in a stifling 101-degree cell on Rikers Island in 2014, has pleaded guilty to falsifying logbook entries saying she checked on him. She was sentenced to five years of probation. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) An investigation found Lackner had left her post about 20 minutes before the 56-year-old Murdough was found in a pool of his own blood and vomit in the Rikers unit for mentally ill inmates. Murdough, who suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, was on psychotropic drugs, which experts said can make a person more sensitive to heat. The medical examiner ruled his death an accident. Murdough's mother agreed to a $2.25 million settlement with the city. Lackner's attorney, Damond Carter, had argued after her arrest that she performed visual tours, not walking tours, which he called an accepted departmental practice. Carter did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Wednesday. City Department of Investigation Commissioner Mark Peters said Lackner "ignored her responsibilities as a correction officer, failing to perform the required checks and leaving her shift prematurely while an inmate under her watch died in his cell." Documents obtained by the AP showed Lackner had been disciplined by jail officials four years before Murdough's death for abandoning her post and leaving the sprawling jail complex. A series of AP stories has detailed questionable medical care and suicides that might have been prevented but for missteps including the improper distribution of medication. Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said the Rikers complex, which houses most of the city's 10,000 inmates, is dangerous and should be replaced. But Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has insisted that progress is being made to reform Rikers, said that while the call to close the 400-acre island on the East River is "noble" it would raise major financial and logistical issues. ___ Follow Michael Balsamo on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MikeBalsamo1 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/journalist/michael-balsamo . Review: Family secrets dug up in harrowing 'Buried Child' NEW YORK (AP) There's more than one way to damage a child, as evident in Sam Shepard's "Buried Child," a darkly surreal comedy about the decline of the American family that won the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for drama. Although Shepard rewrote the play for its 1995-96 Broadway debut, which was nominated for five Tony Awards, his trademark mordant humor, absurdism, primal metaphors and resonant themes of identity and lineage remain. Scott Elliott applies discipline in directing a wild ride of a harrowing revival for The New Group that opened Wednesday off-Broadway at the Pershing Square Signature Center. In this image released by The New Group, Taissa Farmiga, from left, Ed Harris, Rich Sommer, Amy Madigan and Larry Pine appear in a scene from Sam Shepards "Buried Child," in New York. (Monique Carboni/The New Group via AP) Shepard's cleverly crafted and layered drama pits three generations of a shattered, self-destructive Midwestern farm family against one another, as these once-prosperous, self-proclaimed "good people" try to protect a long-buried, ugly secret. Ed Harris is sublimely cantankerous and engrossing to watch as Dodge, the dying, couch-ridden patriarch. Dodge mumbles humorous, pointed asides to himself and tries to ignore his nattering wife, Halie, who converses piercingly with him from her perch upstairs. Amy Madigan is restrained, taut perfection as Halie, whose nostalgic, often delusional pronouncements in a high, sweet voice belie the vicious barbs she launches when feeling threatened by outsiders. Halie and Dodge are barely hanging on as their two adult sons have returned home after failing to cope with reality. Shell-shocked Tilden (Paul Sparks) keeps digging up things behind the house and bringing them inside. Sparks is memorably zombie-like as Tilden, a quietly grimy mockery of the once-independent and fruitful American farmer. He appears to be risen from beneath the earth like the bundles of vegetables he hauls around the shabby living room. Rich Sommer charges around like a human fist as Tilden's brother, Bradley, an accidental self-amputee and childish yet menacing one-legged bully. When Halie leaves for a barely concealed assignation with her priest, Father Dewis, (Larry Pine, easily wearing a mantle of benignly ineffectual authority), things really go haywire. The outsiders who arrive are Tilden's estranged, college-age son Vince (an intense Nat Wolff) and his naive, snippy girlfriend, Shelly (Taissa Farmiga, radiating innocent confidence). They're shocked when nobody in the family seems to welcome or even recognize Vince. Wolff engagingly morphs from reunion excitement into frenetic distress, as Vince re-enacts childhood games with his unresponsive father and grandfather until falling into sullen defeat. His character sums up the overall despair of American's failed expectations when Vince says, "Something has fallen apart. This isn't how it used to be." Shepard's complex ambiguities leave some matters unexplained, while the waning of American resilience, independence and family values is keenly reflected in the lack of affection within this family. They've destroyed themselves in an effort to hide their ugly secret, but it surely can't remain interred much longer. ___ Online: AP Interview: Angelina Jolie returns to Cambodia as director BATTAMBANG, Cambodia (AP) Between bites of spicy Cambodian curry and fried fish with rice, Angelina Jolie Pitt explains how this tiny country with a tumultuous past changed the course of her life. She first visited Cambodia 16 years ago to portray "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" the gun-toting, bungee-jumping, supremely toned action hero that made her a star. Soon after, she adopted her first child from a Cambodian orphanage and returned again and again on humanitarian missions. Now, she's back for another movie but this time as a director, and the subject matter is a far cry from Lara Croft. "First They Killed My Father," is based on a Khmer Rouge memoir written by survivor Loung Ung that recounts the 1970s Cambodian genocide from a child's perspective. The film, which she is directing and co-wrote with Ung for Netflix, is in Khmer, with an all-Cambodian cast and according to Jolie Pitt "the most important" movie of her career. During a break from filming, she talked to The Associated Press about how, more than ever, she feels a satisfying symbiosis between her life and work. FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2015, file photo, U.S. actress Angelina Jolie Pitt poses for a photo with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Angelina Jolie Pitt first came to Cambodia 16 years ago to film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - the gun-toting, bungee-jumping, supremely toned action hero that made her a star. Shes back now for another movie, First They Killed My Father, as a director, and the subject matter is a far cry from Lara Croft. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, File) In person, Jolie Pitt is engaging and down-to-earth, dressed in a T-shirt and long black skirt, her hair pulled into a casual bun. She goes out of her way to play down her celebrity, hopping into the back of an SUV and squeezing into the middle seat beside a reporter for a short drive from the set to the crew's outdoor lunch tents. She is relaxed and articulate as the conversation veers from acting and directing, to history, humanitarian work, motherhood and her special relationship to Cambodia. "When I first came to Cambodia, it changed me. It changed my perspective. I realized there was so much about history that I had not been taught in school, and so much about life that I needed to understand, and I was very humbled by it," said the 40-year-old Jolie Pitt, who grew up in Los Angeles where she felt "a real emptiness." She was struck by the graciousness and warmth of Cambodian people, despite the tragedy that left an estimated 2 million people dead. While shooting Lara Croft in 2000, some scenes required sidestepping land mines, she said, which made her aware of the dangers refugees face in countries ravaged by war. "That trip triggered my realization of how little I knew and the beginning of my search for that knowledge." It prompted her to contact the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees to learn about the agency's work before joining as a goodwill ambassador in 2001. She was then given an expanded role as Special Envoy in 2012. It was during an early trip back to Cambodia with the U.N. that Jolie had another epiphany this time about motherhood. "It's strange, I never wanted to have a baby. I never wanted to be pregnant. I never babysat. I never thought of myself as a mother," Jolie, now famously a mother of six, says with a laugh. But while playing with children at a Cambodian school, "it was suddenly very clear to me that my son was in the country, somewhere." She adopted Maddox in 2002, and a year later opened a foundation in his name in northwestern Battambang province, which helps fund health care, education and conservation projects in rural Cambodia. Maddox is now 14 and sporting what his mom calls "a blonde stripe" a shaggy mohawk with the top dyed blonde. He joined her in Cambodia to help behind the scenes for the project that she sees as a unique merger of her film work and family with humanitarian interests. "For me, this is the moment, where finally my life is kind of in line, and I feel I'm finally where I should be," Jolie Pitt said. Her fondness for Cambodia is mutual, according to the country's most celebrated filmmaker Rithy Panh, who says "First They Killed My Father" will be the first Hollywood epic filmed in Cambodia about the country's genocide a sign that the government trusts her to respectfully revisit the horrors of the past. "I don't think they authorized Hollywood to come here. They authorized Angelina Jolie. It's not the same. She is special. She has a special relationship with the Cambodian people. There is a mutual respect," said Panh, her co-producer. "I wonder if she's not a reincarnated Cambodian," he laughed, then thought about it. "Maybe. Maybe in a previous life she was Cambodian." She expects to return to hold the film's premiere in Cambodia at the end of the year, before its release on Netflix. ___ Jocelyn Gecker is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jgecker FILE - In this Sept. 2, 2003, file photo, U.S. actress Angelina Jolie poses in front of a poster of her movie "Tomb Raider 2: The Cradle of Life" during its Tokyo screening to raise funds for handicapped people and refugees. Angelina Jolie Pitt first came to Cambodia 16 years ago to film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - the gun-toting, bungee-jumping, supremely toned action hero that made her a star Shes back now for another movie, First They Killed My Father, as a director, and the subject matter is a far cry from Lara Croft. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File) FILE - In this Nov. 18, 2006, file photo, U.S. actress Angelina Jolie, left, with son Maddox, her adopted child from Cambodia, take a boat ride in Mumbai, India. Angelina Jolie Pitt adopted Maddox in 2002, and a year later opened a foundation in his name in Cambodia's northwestern Battambang province, which helps fund health care, education and conservation projects in rural Cambodia. She first came to Cambodia 16 years ago to film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Shes back now for another movie, First They Killed My Father, as a director, and the subject matter is a far cry from Lara Croft. (AP Photo/Rajesh Nirgude, File) FILE - In this July 6, 2014, file photo, actress Angelina Jolie Pitt speaks to Cambodian reporters during a visit to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Angelina Jolie Pitt first came to Cambodia 16 years ago to film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, - the gun-toting, bungee-jumping, supremely toned action hero that made her a star. Shes back now for another movie, First They Killed My Father, as a director, and the subject matter is a far cry from Lara Croft. (AP Photo/Andy Eames, File) FILE - In this Dec. 3, 2007, file photo, actress Angelina Jolie talks to her son Maddox, her adopted child from Cambodia, in New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward. Angelina Jolie Pitt adopted Maddox in 2002, and a year later opened a foundation in his name in Cambodia's northwestern Battambang province, which helps fund health care, education and conservation projects in rural Cambodia. She first came to Cambodia 16 years ago to film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Shes back now for another movie, First They Killed My Father, as a director, and the subject matter is a far cry from Lara Croft. (AP Photo/Bill Haber, File) Obama planning historic trip to Cuba to cement warmer ties WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama will pay a historic visit to Cuba in the coming weeks, senior Obama administration officials said Wednesday, becoming the first president to set foot on the island in nearly seven decades. The brief visit in mid-March will mark a watershed moment for relations between the U.S. and Cuba, a communist nation estranged from the U.S. for half a century until Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro moved to re-launch more than a year ago. Since then, the nations have reopened embassies in Washington and Havana and moved to restore commercial air travel, with a presidential visit seen as a key next step toward bridging the divide. Obama's stop in Cuba will part of a broader trip to Latin America that the president will take next month, said the officials, who requested anonymity because the trip hasn't been officially announced. The White House planned to unveil Obama's travel plans Thursday. President Barack Obama talks to media in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, at the bottom of a meeting, where he announced that former IBM CEO Sam Palmisano, former National Security Adviser Tom Donilon are being appointed as the Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, of the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Though Obama had long been expected to visit Cuba in his final year, word of his travel plans drew immediate resistance from opponents of warmer ties with Cuba including Republican presidential candidates. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, whose father fled to the U.S. from Cuba in the 1950s, said Obama shouldn't visit while the Castro family remains in power. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, another child of Cuban immigrants, lambasted the president for visiting what he called an "anti-American communist dictatorship." "Today, a year and two months after the opening of Cuba, the Cuban government remains as oppressive as ever," Rubio said on CNN. Told of Obama's intention to visit, he added, "Probably not going to invite me." With less than a year left in office, Obama has been eager to make rapid progress on restoring economic and diplomatic ties to cement the rapprochement with Cuba that his administration started. Following secret negotiations between their governments, Obama and Castro announced in late 2014 that they would begin normalizing ties, and months later held the first face-to-face meeting between an American and Cuban president since 1958. But Obama, facing steadfast opposition to normalized relations from Republicans and some Democrats, has been unable to deliver on the former Cold War foe's biggest request: the lifting of the U.S. economic embargo. Opponents argue that repealing those sanctions would reward a government still engaging in human rights abuses and stifling of democratic aspirations. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican born in Cuba, called the visit "absolutely shameful." "For more than 50 years, Cubans have been fleeing the Castro regime," said Lehtinen, the longest-serving Cuban-American in Congress. "Yet the country which grants them refuge the United States has now decided to quite literally embrace their oppressors." Obama and supporters of the detente argue the decades-old embargo has failed to bring about desired change on the island 90 miles south of Florida. Still, while Obama has long expressed an interest in visiting Cuba, White House officials had said the visit wouldn't occur unless and until the conditions were right. "If I go on a visit, then part of the deal is that I get to talk to everybody" including political dissidents, Obama told Yahoo News in December. "I've made very clear in my conversations directly with President Castro that we would continue to reach out to those who want to broaden the scope for, you know, free expression inside of Cuba." Officials didn't immediately specify what had changed in the last few weeks to clear the way for the trip, first reported by ABC News. But on Tuesday, the two nations signed a deal restoring commercial air traffic as early as later this year, eliminating a key barrier to unfettered travel that isolated Cuban-Americans from their families for generations. Hundreds of thousands more Americans are expected to visit Cuba per year under the deal, which cleared the way for the U.S. Department of Transportation to open bidding by American air carriers on as many as 110 flights a day. Currently, there are about one-fifth as many flights operating between the two countries all charters. For Obama, the diplomatic opening with Cuba reflects one of the crowning achievements of a foreign policy rooted in a belief that the U.S. should test opportunities to ease hostilities with its historical enemies. Last month, the Obama administration lifted economic sanctions against Iran's nuclear program, following a diplomatic deal that has raised hopes about warmer ties between the U.S. and Iran. Yet those achievements have been offset by deepening security challenges in Iraq, Syria, Libya and elsewhere as Obama nears the end of his term. President Harry Truman visited the U.S.-controlled Guantanamo Bay on the southeast end of the island in 1948, and former President Jimmy Carter has paid multiple visits to the island since leaving office. No sitting president has visited Havana since President Calvin Coolidge traveled there in 1928. ___ South Korea mulls next steps against nuclear-armed North SEOUL, South Korea (AP) Furious about North Korea's recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch, South Korea vows to hit back hard and says the shutdown of a jointly run factory park in the North will only be the start. But what's next for Seoul as it looks to make its nuclear-armed northern neighbor hurt? Some experts say South Korea's leverage began shrinking when it shut the industrial complex in Kaesong, North Korea, the last major symbol of cooperation between the rivals. In this Feb. 11, 2016, photo, a South Korean army soldier moves a barricade to close a road at the customs, immigration and quarantine office near the border village of Panmunjom, in Paju, South Korea. Furious about North Koreas recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch, South Korea vows to hit back hard and says the shutdown of a jointly run factory park in the North will only be the start.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) But other ways South Korea can pressure the North are being discussed. A look at some of them: ___ MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEMS In response to North Korea's recent locket launch, Washington and Seoul have begun preparatory talks on deploying an advanced U.S. missile defense system in South Korea, despite opposition from Beijing. Seoul says the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, system would be intended to destroy North Korean missiles targeting the South. But China is worried the system could allow U.S. radars to spot missiles in its territory. There is debate in Seoul about whether having the system is worth the fallout from angering China, South Korea's biggest trading partner. THAAD is designed to intercept incoming targets at high altitudes midflight. The system would be useless against North Korean short-range missiles that fly at lower altitudes, and which pose the biggest immediate threat to South Korea because they could be fired quickly from mobile launchers. Still, it would be meaningful for Seoul, which has been developing its own missile defense system to counter the North's shorter-range arsenal, to acquire multiple layers of protection as Pyongyang continues to diversify its weaponry, said Jin Moo Kim, an analyst at the government-funded Korea Institute for Defense Analysis. ___ TIGHTENING PORT CONTROLS The Kaesong complex, created in 2004 during a period of rapprochement between the rivals, was the lone exception when South Korea banned all southern trade and investment to North Korea in 2010 in retaliation for the sinking of a South Korean warship that killed 46 sailors. Seoul had already stopped joint tours to North Korea's scenic Diamond Mountain resort two years earlier, following the shooting death of a South Korean tourist by a North Korean guard. With Kaesong now gone, perhaps for good, the last meaningful non-military option the South could take against the North would be prohibiting third-country commercial vessels from entering South Korean ports if they had previously visited North Korea, analysts say. It is unclear, however, how badly this could hurt the North. Japan after the recent rocket launch declared a complete ban on visits by North Korean ships to Japan, something the South already does at its ports. Experts say any new measures against North Korea need the backing of China, the North's last major political ally and by far its largest trade partner. Beijing is seen as protecting the North over fears of provoking a collapse in Pyongyang and a stream of refugees across their border. ___ SOUTH KOREAN NUKES? It's difficult to imagine South Korea acquiring its own nuclear weapons to counter the North Korean threat. But the idea has entered the political debate. Won Yoo Chul, the floor leader of President Park Geun-hye's Saenuri Party, told Parliament on Monday that the time has come for South Korea to start considering the pursuit of its own nuclear weapons program, echoing some media outlets. Won also says the United States should bring back the tactical nuclear weapons it withdrew from South Korea in the early 1990s. The conservative Chosun Ilbo newspaper said in an editorial last month that it's inevitable the South should begin discussions on acquiring nuclear weapons. ___ CUTTING AID South Korea in previous standoffs has maintained humanitarian aid to the impoverished North, including food and fertilizer shipments. It has also supported programs by international organizations to help North Korean children and the needy. Seoul now seems no longer willing to continue such aid. Jeong Joon-Hee, a spokesman for Seoul's Unification Ministry, told reporters Wednesday that a temporary suspension of humanitarian exchanges is inevitable considering the severity of the North Korean threat. South Korea has sent more than $3 billion in government and civilian aid to the North since the mid-1990s, according to President Park's office. In this Feb. 16, 2016, photo, a barricade is placed on the Unification Bridge, which leads to the demilitarized zone, near the border village of Panmunjom, in Paju, South Korea. Furious about North Koreas recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch, South Korea vows to hit back hard and says the shutdown of a jointly run factory park in the North will only be the start.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) In this Feb. 11, 2016, photo, South Korean vehicles returning from North Korea's joint Kaesong Industrial Complex pass the customs, immigration and quarantine office near the border village of Panmunjom, in Paju, South Korea. Furious about North Koreas recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch, South Korea vows to hit back hard and says the shutdown of a jointly run factory park in the North will only be the start.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) One of four U.S. F-22 stealth fighters flies over Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. Four U.S. F-22 stealth fighters flew over South Korea on Wednesday in a clear show of power against North Korea, a day after South Korea's president warned of the North's collapse amid a festering standoff over its nuclear and missile ambitions. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) Should high school punishments go on college applications? They are basic yes-no questions that ask whether a college applicant ever got into trouble in high school. Yet they're anything but simple, say some who want run-ins at school or with the law taken out of the college admissions equation. Advocates, school districts and even some colleges share concerns about youthful mistakes haunting students into adulthood, especially minority students, who federal statistics show are suspended and arrested at disproportionately higher rates than their white peers. The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law on Thursday is calling for the removal of discipline questions from the Common Application used by more than 620 colleges and universities. The Center for Community Alternatives in Syracuse, New York, has issued similar appeals, saying that while most colleges collect the information, few have formal policies guiding its use. In this Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 photo, Miaija Jawara poses for a portrait in New York. Jawaras approach when it came time to disclose on a college application a one-day suspension for a schoolyard fight that happened in 10th grade was to describe using the experience to work toward in-school restorative justice in her New York City school. The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2016, is calling for the removal of discipline questions from the Common Application used by more than 620 colleges and universities. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) "So long as racial disparities persist at every stage of our criminal justice system, we fully expect that these kinds of questions will unfairly deny educational opportunity to, or have a chilling effect on, African Americans and other minority groups," wrote Kristen Clarke, Lawyers' Committee president and executive director, in a letter to the Common Application. At a time of heightened vigilance against campus shootings and terrorism, admissions officials say questions about student discipline are seen as a necessary piece of a much larger picture. "College admissions is trying to take educated risks, whether it be academic risks or students that have had indiscretions in their past," said Kent Rinehart, dean of admission at Marist College and a board member of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling. "After the Virginia Tech shooting, colleges really started to look closely at the responsibility the admissions office had in seeing whether there's some warning signs that are going to come along with it," he said. At Marist, the questions have turned up everything from private school students suspended for not pulling up their socks to cheating, cyberbullying and felony convictions. All, Rinehart said, are taken in context. The Common Application, completed by 860,000 students last year, added the discipline questions at the request of participating universities in 2006-07. Colleges using their own applications often include them, as well. New York University in January asked the Common Application to review whether the queries do anything to make campuses safer or discourage minority applicants. The university, which uses the application, this year began ignoring whether the criminal conviction box had been checked until after an initial screening. The Common App is looking at the issues, said Aba Blankson, senior director at the not-for-profit group. In the meantime, applicants who check yes have room to elaborate. "A student can say in ninth grade, I was expelled or suspended and because of that incident, the alcohol thing I did, I became interested in (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) or became a volunteer," she said. That was high school senior Miaija Jawara's approach when it came time to disclose a one-day suspension for a schoolyard fight that happened in 10th grade. She described using the experience to work toward in-school restorative justice in her New York City school. Even so, "It made me feel like I'm lessening my chances of being admitted," said Jawara. "It was, like, two years ago. I'm definitely not the same person I was then," she said. "So I think they shouldn't judge me on something I did when I was so naive and so immature. I've grown since that experience." There were weeks of worry until acceptance letters from Iona College and others arrived. She still wonders, though, what to blame for two rejections. The school board in Syracuse, New York, voted to no longer share disciplinary information with colleges when asked on the Common Application or elsewhere. "How many times should a student pay? You make a mistake when you're a ninth grader and it hurts you when you are applying to college?" asked Sharon Contreras, superintendent in Syracuse. Contreras said her urban district is particularly sensitive since being among those singled out by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in recent years for suspending black students at higher rates than white students, often for subjective, nonviolent offenses like insubordination. The district agreed to change its practices under a 2014 agreement with Schneiderman's office. About half of U.S. high schools disclose disciplinary information about their students in at least some cases, according to a report last May by the Center for Community Alternatives, though the majority has no written disclosure policy. The same report found 73 percent of colleges and universities collect high school disciplinary information and 89 percent of those use it in deciding admission. But only 25 percent of the universities had formal policies guiding the use, the report said, and less than a third of schools had trained admissions staff to interpret disciplinary findings. In this Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016 photo, a student works during a forensics class at the Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central in Syracuse, N.Y. The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2016, is calling for the removal of discipline questions from the Common Application used by more than 620 colleges and universities. (AP Photo/Mike Groll) In this Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016 photo, Derrick Dorsey, president of the Syracuse City School District Board of Education, poses at the district headquarters in Syracuse, N.Y. The school board in Syracuse, New York, voted to no longer share disciplinary information with colleges when asked on the Common Application or elsewhere. The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2016, is calling for the removal of discipline questions from the Common Application used by more than 620 colleges and universities. (AP Photo/Mike Groll) In this Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 photo, Miaija Jawara poses for a portrait in New York. Jawaras approach when it came time to disclose on a college application a one-day suspension for a schoolyard fight that happened in 10th grade was to describe using the experience to work toward in-school restorative justice in her New York City school. The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2016, is calling for the removal of discipline questions from the Common Application used by more than 620 colleges and universities. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) In Egypt, clamp on academic freedoms sparks scholar backlash CAIRO (AP) Egyptian authorities are increasingly harassing foreign academics with restrictions, bans on entering the country and deportations. Particularly targeted are those researching anything related to Egypt's "revolution" or social issues like organized labor the Ph.D. topic of an Italian student recently killed under mysterious circumstances. The case of Giulio Regeni has only deepened worries among academics that they are being caught up in a crackdown that Egypt's government has waged the past two years against dissent. Regeni disappeared on the fifth anniversary of Egypt's Jan. 25, 2011 uprising, and his body turned up days later with marks of torture. Egypt's Interior Ministry has denied security forces were involved in his death and said he was never detained by police. FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2014 file photo, Egyptians walk outside Cairo University in Cairo, Egypt. Egyptian authorities are increasingly harassing foreign academics with a slew of restrictions, visa denials and deportations, especially those researching anything related to Egypts revolution or social issues like organized labor _ the focus of an Italian student recently killed under mysterious circumstances.(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File) Academics say the past years of harassment show how sensitive research work is in the eyes of authorities especially amid a public atmosphere where foreigners are depicted in the media as spies or agents stirring up turmoil. Amy Austin Holmes, a professor of sociology at the American University in Cairo, knows several foreign colleagues who have been arrested or barred from entering Egypt because of their work. Most, she said, keep quiet to avoid antagonizing authorities. "They think if they don't make a fuss, they'll get a visa next time. That's why people aren't even aware that there is a pattern here," she said. "It's a shame since it's creating holes in research that have ripple effects across disciplines. It's like there's a campaign to erase recent history." Egypt has been rocked with turmoil since the 2011 uprising that ousted longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. An Islamist president was elected but then overthrown by the army in 2013 amid mass protests against him. Finally, general-turned-President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi was elected, promising to bring stability. Under el-Sissi, authorities have waged crackdowns against Islamists, then left-wing activists and finally against broader dissent. Anyone voicing criticism can come under condemnation in the media, harassment or prosecution by authorities or detention or even forced disappearances. Rights groups have documented hundreds who have disappeared, most of them later turning up in police custody, though police deny the practice takes place. In an open letter, some 4,600 prominent academics demanded Egyptian authorities investigate not just Regeni's death but all cases of forced disappearances. The Middle East Studies Association one of the most prominent bodies of scholars studying the region said in a toughly worded statement that "The growth of violence and repression against academics and associated researchers in Egypt has now reached its tragically predictable outcome with (Regeni's) murder." Some academics, whether Egyptian or foreign, whose work is politically sensitive say they have faced intimidation in multiple ways large and small. Last year, French graduate student Fanny Ohier was arrested in the coastal city of Damietta around the time of the anniversary of the July 3, 2013 overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi. She was doing research on the April 6 movement, a pro-democracy group that was prominent in the 2011 uprising but has since been banned. She said a dozen security agents entered her hotel, took her to the local police station and then to Cairo, where she was told to immediately buy a ticket back to Paris or spend time in a cell before being deported. "They didn't even let me stop at my apartment to pick up my things I left with only my book bag after spending a night in the airport's deportation hall," she said. "To this date I've had no official explanation they've just answered with silence." Kholoud Saber, an Egyptian psychology assistant lecturer at Cairo University and human rights activist, was on a leave in Belgium, starting a 4-year Ph.D. program with the required approval from her university when she was abruptly told her leave was revoked and must return home or lose her job. She told the AP that she was told unofficially that security officials were behind it. After filing a lawsuit and sparking a solidarity campaign, Saber was just as suddenly informed she could continue her Ph.D. Researchers in a range of topics have met troubles. Some are connected to rights issues or any subject seen as sensitive by authorities. In January, Amel Grami, a Tunisian professor of women's rights, was detained at the airport and deported as she arrived to attend a conference. Regeni was focused on labor topics, including street vendors and independent trade unions which often engage in strikes and are a constant worry for the government. He had told friends he was unnerved and feared he was under surveillance after someone took his picture at a labor meeting he was attending. Hoda Kamel, who handles the labor file for the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights, said she took Regeni several times to meet street vendors and introduced him to organizers from the sector. She fears his case will intimidate others. "How could anyone from outside come here now?" she said. "You can never guess the security forces' next move. That's why it's so dangerous." The labor sector appears to be particularly fraught with problems for researchers. Marie Duboc, a French national, was denied entry in September 2011 even though she had already signed a contract with the American University in Cairo as an assistant sociology professor and her husband was already working at the university. She waited 12 hours at the airport with her three-month-old baby before being sent back on the next flight. "As is the pattern in all these cases, no explanation was given," she said. The only reason she said she could imagine was her previous research on labor strikes in the textile sector under Hosni Mubarak's rule. "I can't imagine that Ph.D. supervisors would encourage their students to conduct fieldwork" in Egypt, she said. ____ Associated Press writer Sam Magdy contributed to this report. FILE - In this May 12, 2011 file photo, Mohammed Salim gives a lecture in a journalism and mass communications course at the American University in Cairo campus in New Cairo, Egypt. Egyptian authorities are increasingly harassing foreign academics with a slew of restrictions, visa denials and deportations, especially those researching anything related to Egypts revolution or social issues like organized labor _ the focus of an Italian student recently killed under mysterious circumstances. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File) Van Gogh Museum shows Paris prostitution through paintings AMSTERDAM (AP) The ballet rehearsal painted in 1874 by French artist Edgar Degas looks, at first glance, like an innocent portrayal of dancers limbering up for a performance. But who's that man in the shadowy background, straddling a chair, his top hat pulled down low over his eyes? "Why is he there? What's he doing? Was he a member of staff of the Paris Opera? It's possible," said Prof. Richard Thomson, one of the curators of a new exhibition at Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum. "Or was he the lover of one of the dancers? Somebody who kept a dancer? These are the things we don't know." Ambiguity is one of the key themes of the exhibition opening Friday that explores artists' fascination with prostitution in Paris in the second half of the 19th and start of the 20th centuries. Models pose next to a 19th century bed of a French courtesan during a photo call for the upcoming exhibit Easy Virtue at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016. The exhibit, which runs from Feb. 19 till June 19 2016, shows prostitution through the eyes of Vincent van Gogh and many other well-known 19th-century artists, including Edgar Degas, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Pablo Picasso. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) The exhibition was a hit at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris before traveling to Amsterdam. "Sex sells," says Van Gogh Museum director Axel Rueger. But the show is about much more than sex, Rueger said Wednesday while standing in front of a gilded bed decorated with cherubs, its white sheets rumpled. The bed dominates a corner of one of the galleries where more than 100 works by some 40 different artists hang on walls painted the lurid reds and pinks of a boudoir in a Paris brothel. Divided into four themes, it first explores the age of ambiguity as Paris grew into a center of conspicuous consumption the 19th century where everything, including women, could be bought and sold and nobody could be quite sure whether the woman on a street corner was a prostitute or not. "Hierarchies disappeared. People often slipped into unemployment and had nothing to back them up, so prostitution was flourishing," said Thomson, the Watson Gordon Professor of Fine Art at the University of Edinburgh. "People were uncertain about identity. Ambiguity made questions get raised: Who's who? Will she? Won't she? Is she, isn't she?" The exhibition then looks at Parisian prostitution's superstars the courtesans through ostentatious portraits and some of their belongings, including a walking cane that hid a dainty if a whip can be dainty "cat-o-six tails" that would not look out of place in "Fifty Shades of Grey." Courtesans effectively high-priced 19th century call girls "were independent women who had become extremely successful and highly regarded in society and they became fashion icons and sort of celebrities," Rueger said. A gallery upstairs exposes life in brothels, including several paintings by the artist whose name is most closely linked to Parisian nightlife Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. "What's interesting about his work is that he depicts things as he sees them but also with compassion," Rueger said. "He doesn't glamorize the subject, and he also, for example, shows scenes in the brothels of a very personal nature when the women are just waiting around or are waiting for doctor's examinations." The brothel section does not flinch from the seedy side of prostitution, including a sinister pastel and gouache work, "The Hour of the Flesh," by Emile Bernard. There's a range of photographs from early pornography which often used prostitutes as models to police records and the scarred faces and bodies of syphilis victims. Finally, the exhibition moves on to the early 20th century and depictions of Paris prostitution by international artists drawn to the city including Pablo Picasso and Edvard Munch. There are a handful of Van Gogh paintings, although he is not well-known for depicting prostitution and ultimately turned his back on Paris' bustling nightlife. But the museum dedicated to Van Gogh is still a fitting host for the exhibition, in part because the Dutch capital is still home to one of the world's best-known red light districts. "The Van Gogh museum is in Amsterdam and of course we cannot deny that Amsterdam also has a certain reputation on that subject," Rueger said with a smile. ____ The exhibition "Easy Virtue. Prostitution in French Art, 1850-1910" opens Friday and runs until June 19. Tickets to the Van Gogh Museum cost 17 euros ($19) for adults. Children under 18 get in for free. A painting by Carolus-Duran (Charles Emile Auguste Durand) titled "Portrait of Julia Tahl known as Mademoiselle Alice de Lancey" (1876) is seen as invited guests listen to a presentation during a press preview of the Easy Virtue exhibiton at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. The Van Gogh Museum is dedicating a new exhibition to the world's oldest profession, examining the fascination for prostitution among artists like Van Gogh, Edgar Degas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The exhibit can be viewed from from Feb. 19 till June 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) A flogging cane know as the "cat-o-six-tails" belonging to Louise Valtesse de la Bigne, is displayed together with her portrait, rear, painted by Henri Gervex in 1879 during a press preview of the Easy Virtue exhibition at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. The Van Gogh Museum is dedicating a new exhibition to the world's oldest profession, examining the fascination for prostitution among artists like Van Gogh, Edgar Degas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The exhibit can be viewed from from Feb. 19 till June 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) Two men look at Vincent van Gogh's painting "In the cafe, Agostina Segatori in Le Tambourin" (1887) during a press preview of the Easy Virtue exhibition at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. The Van Gogh Museum is dedicating a new exhibition to the world's oldest profession, examining the fascination for prostitution among artists like Van Gogh, Edgar Degas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The exhibit can be viewed from from Feb. 19 till June 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) A woman looks at Frantisek Kupka's "Gallien's Girl" (1909-1910), left, as Andre Derain's "Woman in a Chemise, or Dancer" (1906) is seen at right, during a press preview of the Easy Virtue exhibition at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. The Van Gogh Museum is dedicating a new exhibition to the world's oldest profession, examining the fascination for prostitution among artists like Van Gogh, Edgar Degas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The exhibit can be viewed from from Feb. 19 till June 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) Two men look at Vincent van Gogh's painting "In the cafe, Agostina Segatori in Le Tambourin" (1887), while Edgar Degas' painting "Absinthe" (1875-1876) is seen left, during a press preview of the Easy Virtue exhibition at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. The Van Gogh Museum is dedicating a new exhibition to the world's oldest profession, examining the fascination for prostitution among artists like Van Gogh, Edgar Degas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The exhibit can be viewed from from Feb. 19 till June 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) A man takes a picture of Pablo Picasso's painting "Woman with Shawl or Melancholy Woman" (1902) during a press preview of the Easy Virtue exhibition at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. The Van Gogh Museum is dedicating a new exhibition to the world's oldest profession, examining the fascination for prostitution among artists like Van Gogh, Edgar Degas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The exhibit can be viewed from from Feb. 19 till June 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) Henri Gervex's painting titled Rolla (1878) is seen as invited guests listen to a presentation during a press preview of the Easy Virtue exhibiton at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. The Van Gogh Museum is dedicating a new exhibition to the world's oldest profession, examining the fascination for prostitution among artists like Van Gogh, Edgar Degas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The exhibit can be viewed from from Feb. 19 till June 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) Protests against India student leader's arrest spread NEW DELHI (AP) A protest that rocked a New Delhi university this week spread across India on Thursday, with students and teachers in at least 10 cities demanding the release of a student leader arrested on sedition charges and accused of being anti-Indian. The protesters were outraged by nationally televised scenes of Kanhaiya Kumar, the student union president at Jawaharlal Nehru University, being kicked and punched while he was escorted to a court hearing Wednesday, renewing allegations that the Hindu nationalist governing party is intolerant. He was arrested last Friday over his participation in events where anti-India slogans were allegedly shouted. A New Delhi court has ordered him to stay in custody for two weeks. The court will hear his bail plea on Friday. Students, teachers and supporters of left parties protest against the arrest of a student union leader of New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University outside Jadavpur University campus in Kolkata, India, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Scenes of protest that rocked a New Delhi university this week spread across the country Thursday, with students and teachers from cities including Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai joining demands for the release of a student leader arrested on sedition charges. (AP Photo/Bikas Das) The demands for the student's freedom in the Indian capital were met by mobs of Hindu nationalists, including many lawyers, attacking students and accusing them of being anti-Indian. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party and other Hindu groups accuse left-wing student groups of anti-nationalism because of their criticism of the 2013 execution of a Kashmiri separatist convicted of an attack on Parliament. Kumar's treatment and attacks on teachers who supported him have triggered allegations that the Modi government and the BJP are cracking down on political dissent in the name of patriotism. Soon after the protests began, India's Home Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted that anyone shouting anti-India slogans "will not be tolerated or spared." The violence by lawyers occurred despite the Supreme Court ordering the police to ensure security in the court and has drawn wide criticism of the lawyers and police. "Such a deliberate obstruction of justice amounts to constitutional contempt and cannot go unpunished," said Maja Daruwala of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. The Bar Council of India said it had appointed a three-member panel to investigate the violence by lawyers. "We are going to take a strong action against them," Council president Manan Kumar Mishra said. "We are going to punish the lawyers if they are found guilty," he said before apologizing on behalf of the lawyer community. On Thursday, students in at least 10 Indian cities marched through the streets and denounced Kumar's arrest. In New Delhi, thousands of students, professors and journalists gathered in the center of the city. They carried flowers as a sign of peace, Indian flags and placards saying, "Free Speech under attack" and "Just because I don't agree, doesn't mean I am an anti-national." Police said the rally was not authorized, but allowed the march to proceed to a central space used frequently for public protests. In the southern city of Chennai, 40 students were arrested after they clashed with police. In Kolkata, police were on alert as two groups of students held rival rallies in the Jadavpur University campus. Student groups affiliated with the BJP demanded strict action against Kumar and others who they accused of being anti-Indian. Indian students, teachers and journalists protest against the arrest of a student union leader, Kanhaiya Kumar, whose portrait is seen on the right, in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Scenes of protest that rocked a New Delhi university this week spread across the country Thursday, with students and teachers from cities including Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai joining demands for the release of a student leader arrested on sedition charges. (AP Photo /Bernat Armangue) Students, teachers and supporters assemble for a protest against the arrest of a student union leader of New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, outside Jadavpur University campus in Kolkata, India, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Scenes of protest that rocked a New Delhi university this week spread across the country Thursday, with students and teachers from cities including Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai joining demands for the release of a student leader arrested on sedition charges. (AP Photo/ Bikas Das) Supporters and activists of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its student wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), take out a protest rally against left parties and alleged anti-nationalist students, in Kolkata, India, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. The protest was against a section of Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University students and their supporters at Jadavpur University in Kolkata, who during programs earlier this week, described the execution of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru as "judicial killing. The posters read: "Rally against Jadavpur's anti national leftist organization," "Save India rally" and "Rally against the anti-nationalism of communists." (AP Photo/ Bikas Das) An Indian student carries a poster as she sits in a bus to join other protesters at the Jawaharlal Nehru University against the arrest of a student union leader in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Scenes of protest that rocked a New Delhi university this week spread across the country Thursday, with students and teachers from cities including Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai joining demands for the release of a student leader arrested on sedition charges. (AP Photo /Tsering Topgyal) Activists from the youth wing of the ruling Bharatiya Janata party burn an effigy of anti-nationalist students during a protest in Jammu, India, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. The protest was against a section of Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University students who during a program earlier this week described the execution of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru as "judicial killing. The banner in local language reads: "Arrest the supporters of Afzal Guru." (AP Photo/Channi Anand) The Latest: Kurd leader: Rogue elements may be behind attack ANKARA, Turkey (AP) The Latest on Turkish airstrikes on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq and aftermath of Ankara bombing (all times local): 5:40 p.m. The leader of a Kurdish umbrella organization which includes the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK has said he does not know who is behind the suicide car bombing in Ankara that killed 28 people. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, left, talks to a man, wounded in Wednesday's explosion in Ankara, Turkey, during a visit at the hospital, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. The explosion occurred during evening rush hour in the heart of Ankara, in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters and lodgings. (Hakan Goktepe/Prime Minister's Press Service, Pool Photo via AP) However, Cemil Bayik did not rule out the possibility that rogue Kurdish militants, angered by Turkish military operations in the country's southeast, may have been behind the attack Wednesday that targeted buses carrying military members. Bayik told the pro-Kurdish Firat News: "We don't know who carried out this act. But we know that previously such acts have been carried out in retaliation for massacres in Kurdistan. It is possible that those who did it will soon explain why they did it." Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says the attack was carried out by a Syrian who belongs to a Syrian Kurdish militia group, in collaboration with the outlawed PKK. Turkey's military has been conducting large-scale military operations against PKK-linked militants in the southeast, operations that it says has killed hundreds of militants. Human rights groups have raised serious concerns over Turkey's military operations, which have led to civilian deaths as well as displacing tens of thousands of people. ___ 3:55 p.m. A coalition of Arab and Kurdish groups in Syria has condemned the bombing in the Turkish capital of Ankara that killed 28 people and wounded others. The predominantly Kurdish Syria Democratic Forces has been a main force in fighting the Islamic State group in Syria. The SDF statement was read Thursday by the coalition's spokesman Talal Sillo and posted on their Facebook page. SDF called upon the international community to intensify its efforts in fighting terrorism in order "to uproot it." Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said earlier Thursday that a Syrian national with links to Syrian Kurdish militia, YPG, carried out the suicide bombing in Ankara that targeted military personnel. ___ 3:10 p.m. A Turkish Foreign Ministry official say the ambassadors of the five permanent U.N. Security Council member states have been invited to the ministry separately and are being briefed on the attack in Ankara which killed 28 people. The five permanent members are Britain, China, France, Russia and the U.S. The ambassadors of Germany and the Netherlands as well as the head of the European Union delegation were also invited on Thursday, the ministry official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because she wasn't authorized to speak publicly on the issue. Turkey's leaders say a Syrian national who was a member of Syrian Kurdish militia group carried out the suicide car bombing on Wednesday evening in collaboration with Turkey's own Kurdish rebel group, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. Turkey labels both groups as terrorist organizations and is pressuring allies to stop backing the Syrian Kurdish militia group. The Syrian Kurdish militia, however, are a key force in the fight against the Islamic State group. --By Suzan Fraser in Ankara ___ 1:45 p.m. The main Kurdish militia in Syria says it has no links to the bombing in the Turkish capital, adding that accusations by Turkey's prime minister are "lies" aimed at paving a way for a Turkish attack on Kurdish areas in Syria. The People's Protection Units, or YPG, says its main role has been to protect "our people from barbaric gangs" in Syria, referring to the Islamic State group and al-Qaida's affiliate. Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said earlier Thursday that his country will retaliate against YPG, whom he held responsible for the bomb attack in Ankara that killed 28 people and wounded dozens. The statement said YPG is not engaged in any military activity against neighboring states or other forces. It said that despite Turkey's "provocations and attacks" on Kurdish areas in Syria, it has never retaliated against Turkey. ___ 1:15 p.m. The German government says Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken with Turkey's leaders to offer her condolences after the bombing that targeted military personnel in Ankara killed 28 people. Merkel's office said she spoke Wednesday evening with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Thursday morning with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It said that Merkel strongly condemned the attack and assured both leaders that "Germany stands in solidarity at Turkey's side in the fight against terrorism." Merkel has been working closely with Turkey lately in an effort to reduce the flow of migrants to Europe. Davutoglu canceled a planned trip to Brussels to meet with leaders from several EU nations following the bombing. ___ 12:40 p.m. Turkey's president says that despite denials, evidence obtained by Turkish authorities points to Syrian Kurdish militias as being behind the car bombing in Ankara that killed 28 people. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking to reporters Thursday during a visit to the chief of military staff's office, said the attack would show the international community the strong links that exist between Turkish rebel group the PKK, and the Syrian Kurdish militia groups. Turkey insists that the Syrian militias and the PKK are the same and both are terror groups. It has been pressing its ally, the United States, to recognize the Syrian Kurdish forces as terrorists. The U.S. already lists the PKK as a terror group. But Washington has relied heavily on the Syrian Kurds in the battle against the Islamic State group and has rejected Turkish pressure. ___ 12:20 p.m. Swedish police say they are investigating an explosion late Wednesday in a Turkish association in southwestern Stockholm that caused "major damage." There were no injuries because the association was closed at the time. Police spokesman Lars Bystrom says no arrests have been made, adding police couldn't immediately say whether it was linked to a bombing in Ankara that killed 28 people. Bystrom said Thursday "we have been in touch" with Sweden's security police about the blast in Fittja, a suburb with a large immigrant population. He declined to elaborate. The blast came after a man was seriously wounded when shot during a pro-Kurdish demonstration in Fittja on Saturday. Bystrom said "it was very hard to say" whether it was linked to the Wednesday evening blast. ___ 11:45 a.m. Turkey's state-run news agency says six soldiers have died in a Kurdish rebel bomb attack in southeast Turkey a day after a suicide blast killed 28 people in Ankara. Anadolu Agency said Thursday that the rebels detonated a bomb on a road linking the cities of Diyarbakir and Bingol as a military vehicle was passing by. Another soldier was seriously wounded in the attack, which came a day after the car bombing in the Turkish capital that targeted military personnel. The PKK has been fighting Turkey for Kurdish autonomy since 1984. The conflict reignited in the summer after the collapse of a fragile peace process. ___ 11.30 a.m. The leader of the main Syrian Kurdish group has denied that his group is behind the Turkey blasts and warns Ankara against taking Syria ground action. Salih Muslim told The Associated Press from his base in Europe Thursday that the Turkish accusations are "totally rejected." He also says that the blast in Ankara that killed around 28 people is similar to bombings carried out in the past by the Islamic State group. "We have no link to these bombings and with what is happening inside Turkey," he says. He says that any Turkish ground action in Syria will be confronted by a coalition of Kurdish and Arab fighters ___ 11 a.m. Turkey's prime minister says his country will retaliate against a Kurdish rebel group he has held responsible for the attack in Ankara that killed 28 people and wounded dozens of others. Ahmet Davutoglu also told reporters Thursday that Syria's government, which he accused of backing Syrian Kurdish militias, is also to blame. Wednesday's blast in Ankara targeted buses carrying military personnel. In an apparent reference to the U.S., Davutoglu called on allies to stop its support for the Syrian Kurdish group. Turkey regards the Syrian Democratic Union Party, and its military wing, the People's Protection Units as terrorists because of their affiliation to Turkey's outlawed Kurdish rebel group. The Kurdish militia, however, has been fighting the Islamic State group, alongside the United States. ___ 10:40 a.m. Turkey's prime minister says a Syrian national with links to Syrian Kurdish militia carried out the suicide bombing in Ankara that targeted military personnel and killed at least 28 people. Ahmet Davutoglu said Thursday that Turkey's Kurdish rebels collaborated with the Syrian man to carry out the attack. Davutoglu said: "The attack was carried out by the PKK together with a person who sneaked into Turkey from Syria," referring to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, known as the PKK. The prime minister said authorities had detained nine people in connection with the attack. ___ 10:15 a.m. Turkey's military says its jets hit Kurdish rebel positions across the border in northern Iraq, following a suicide bombing that targeted military personnel in Ankara killed 28 people. The military said Thursday the warplanes struck the region of Haftanin in northern Iraq, targeting a group of some 60-70 rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. It said the raids were conducted on Wednesday night. The military said the group included a number of senior PKK leaders. Turkey's air force has been striking PKK positions in northern Iraq since a fragile peace process with the group collapsed in July. ___ 9:35 a.m. Turkish media reports say a Syrian national was behind the attack in Ankara that killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens of others. Yeni Safak, a newspaper close to the government, said Thursday that the man who detonated the car bomb Wednesday that targeted buses carrying military personnel was identified from his fingerprints. It said he had been registered as a refugee in Turkey. Pro-government Sabah newspaper said the man was linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. A government official couldn't confirm the reports. The explosion occurred during evening rush hour in the heart of Ankara, in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters and lodgings. There was no immediate claim of responsibility although suspicion fell on the PKK and the Islamic State group. Members of Turkish forces gather around a bus that was destroyed in an explosion on the road linking the cities of Diyarbakir and Bingol, in southeastern Turkey, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Six soldiers were killed after PKK rebels detonated a bomb on the road as their vehicle was passing by, according to Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency.The deaths come a day after a suicide bombing claimed the lives of at least 28 people and wounded dozens of others. (AP Photo/Mahmut Bozarslan) The damaged offices of the Turkish association the day after the explosion in Fittja, southwest of Stockholm, Thursday Feb. 18, 2016. Swedish police say they are investigating an explosion late Wednesday in a Turkish association in southwestern Stockholm that caused "major damage. There were no injuries because the association was closed at the time. (Erik Nylander / TT via AP) SWEDEN OUT Ismail Zengin, chairman of the Turkish association, right, shows the dAmaged officee the day after the explosion in Fittja, southwest of Stockholm, Thursday Feb. 18, 2016. Swedish police say they are investigating an explosion late Wednesday in a Turkish association in southwestern Stockholm that caused "major damage. There were no injuries because the association was closed at the time. (Erik Nylander / TT via AP) SWEDEN OUT From two-speed Europe to emergency brake, EU lingo decoded The European Union can be a bewildering place, full of mystifying acronyms and impenetrable jargon. With EU leaders meeting Thursday and Friday to thrash out a deal that aims to keep Britain in the bloc, here are some key terms deciphered: EUROPEAN UNION: Formed in 1957 as the European Economic Community by France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands, the group is now a 28-nation bloc of more than 500 million people stretching from Ireland to the Aegean Sea with substantial powers over member states' laws, economies and social policies. Britain joined in 1973, but has always been a less enthusiastic member than many of its neighbors. ___ In this photo taken on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016 the EU and the Union Jack flags are placed next to each other at EU headquarters in Brussels. European Union leaders meet in Brussels for a two day summit beginning Thursday, Feb. 18th to hammer out a deal designed to keep Britain in the 28-nation bloc. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) EUROPEAN COUNCIL: Made up of the 28 heads of state or government, plus a president (currently Poland's Donald Tusk), the council sets the EU's direction and must agree major changes like those sought by Britain. It says any deal it strikes at this week's summit will be legally binding and irreversible. ___ FOUR BASKETS: Britain is seeking change to its relationship with the EU in four areas, known as baskets: economic governance; competitiveness; sovereignty; and social benefits and free movement. The last one has met with the most opposition from other EU leaders. ___ EVER CLOSER UNION: The EU's founding treaty called for an "ever closer union among the peoples of Europe," and the language remains on the books. Cameron wants a guarantee it won't apply to Britain, saying recently that "for us (the EU) is principally a common market and not an ever closer union." ___ EUROPEAN SUPER-STATE: Only ever used negatively, this is what "ever closer union" will inevitably lead to, according to opponents of the EU. ___ FREE MOVEMENT: Free movement of people, goods, services and capital is a fundamental principle of the EU. Citizens of all EU countries may live and work in any other EU country and, crucially, get "equal treatment with nationals in access to employment, working conditions and all other social and tax advantages." Britain wants to bar workers from other EU countries from receiving some benefits for several years in order to curb "welfare tourism" workers coming to the U.K. because of its supposedly generous welfare system. Many EU leaders see this as a violation of the free-movement principle. ___ EMERGENCY BRAKE: A compromise the EU is offering Britain to curb benefits. The proposal says countries may limit free movement of workers if there is a "risk of seriously undermining the sustainability of social security systems." Britain can introduce limits on benefits by claiming its welfare system is under strain from half a million European immigrants who have come to the country in the past decade. Some details of the emergency brake including how long it will last are still the subject of wrangling. ___ TWO-SPEED EUROPE: The original six "core Europe" member states recently restated their commitment to "ever closer union." But countries including Britain and, to an extent, some Scandinavian and eastern European nations want to remain aloof from some aspects of the EU project, including the euro single currency. Some, though not all, European officials view this as a problem for the bloc's long-term unity. ___ Turkey blames Kurdish militants for Ankara car bombing ANKARA, Turkey (AP) Turkey on Thursday blamed Kurdish militants at home and in neighboring Syria for a deadly bombing in Ankara and it stepped up pressure on the U.S. to sever ties with the Syrian Kurdish militia that has been a key force against the Islamic State group in the complex Syrian conflict. The blast at rush hour Wednesday killed 28 people and wounded dozens more in a car bombing that targeted buses of military personnel. Ankara's second bombing in four months came as Turkey grappled with an array of serious issues, including renewed fighting with Kurdish rebels, threats from Islamic State militants and the Syria refugee crisis. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said a Syrian national with links to Syrian Kurdish militias carried out the attack in concert with Turkey's own outlawed Kurdish rebel group, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which has waged a 30-year insurgency. He also blamed the government of President Bashar Assad for allegedly supporting the Syrian Kurdish militia. Family members attend funeral prayers for Turkish army officer Seckin Cil, who was killed in Sur, Diyarbakir Wednesday, in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Six soldiers were killed after PKK rebels detonated a bomb on the road linking the cities of Diyarbakir and Bingol in southeastern Turkey as their vehicle was passing by, according to Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency. The deaths come a day after a suicide bombing claimed the lives of at least 28 people and wounded dozens of others.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) Turkish leaders vowed to retaliate for the Ankara attack, and the military said its warplanes conducted cross-border raids within hours against PKK positions in the Haftanin region of northern Iraq, striking about 60-70 rebels, including senior leaders. The report could not be independently verified. Turkey had been pressing the U.S. in recent weeks to cut off its support to the Kurdish Syrian militias that Ankara regards as terrorists because of their affiliation with the PKK. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Washington to choose between Turkey and the Syrian Kurdish group as its partner. The U.S. already lists the PKK as a terrorist group. But in the complicated tangle of friends and foes in the Middle East, Washington relies heavily on the Syrian Democratic Union Party, or PYD, and its military wing, the People's Protection Units, or YPG, in fighting extremists from the Islamic State group. The U.S. has rejected Turkish pressure to brand those Kurdish groups as terrorists. Turkey also wants the United States to stop providing weapons to the Syrian Kurdish militias, arguing that the arms end up with the PKK. Turkish leaders pushed that effort further Thursday. "Those who directly or indirectly back an organization that is the enemy of Turkey risk losing the title of being a friend of Turkey," Davutoglu said in an apparent reference to Washington. "It is out of the question for us to excuse a terror organization that threatens the capital of our country." Erdogan said the bombing would serve to make Turkey's friends "better understand how strong are the links between PYD and YPG in Syria's north with the PKK in Turkey." The ambassadors of the U.S., Russia, Britain, China and France the five permanent U.N. Security Council members were invited separately to Turkey's Foreign Ministry and briefed on the Ankara bombing, a ministry official said. Ambassadors to Germany and the Netherlands, as well as the head of the European Union delegation, also were invited. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because she wasn't authorized to talk publicly on the issue. Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said the attack blamed on the Kurdish militias places the U.S. in a difficult position. "If Turkey were to launch full-throttle battle against the PYD, this would almost certainly hurt U.S.-Turkish ties, which is exactly what the PKK would want to achieve from the attack in Ankara," Cagaptay said. "And if Ankara provides convincing evidence that the PYD was behind the attack, Washington will be left between a rock and a hard place to choose either Ankara or PYD as its key ally against the so-called Islamic State in Syria," he said. An Arab-Kurdish alliance dominated by the YPG has made significant advances against IS and other insurgents in northern Syria near the Turkish border in the past week. On Wednesday, the U.S.-backed group known as the Syria Democratic Forces launched an offensive to try to reach Shaddadeh, a major IS stronghold in Syria's northeastern Hassakeh province, which borders Iraq. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition activist group that monitors the 5-year-old civil war, said the Syria Democratic Forces which is dominated by YPG fighters had seized eight villages around the town of Hol in the past 24 hours. Turkish artillery has been shelling PYD and YPG positions along its border in Syria, apparently concerned by recent gains there by the militias. Any Turkish escalation against the PYD is likely to further strain ties with the U.S. "It has been determined with certainty that this attack was carried out by members of the separatist terror organization together with a member of the YPG who infiltrated from Syria," Davutoglu said, identifying the Ankara bomber as Salih Neccar. He was born in 1992 in the mostly Kurdish Syrian town of Amouda, near the Turkish border, Davutoglu said. At least 14 people have been arrested in the Ankara attack, Erdogan said, adding that the number of detained suspects is likely to increase. In an interview with The Associated Press, the leader of the main Syrian Kurdish group, Salih Muslim, denied his group was behind the bombing, and he warned Turkey against taking ground action in Syria. Cemil Bayik, the leader of a Kurdish umbrella organization that includes the PKK, told the pro-Kurdish Firat News agency that he did not know who was behind it. But he suggested that Kurdish militants, angered by Ankara's military operations in southeastern Turkey, may have acted independently. Erdogan insisted the evidence pointed to the Syrian Kurdish group. "Despite the fact that their leader says they have nothing to do with this, the information and documents obtained by our Interior Ministry and all our intelligence organizations shows that (the attack) was theirs," Erdogan said. In new violence in southeastern Turkey, six soldiers were killed after PKK rebels detonated a bomb on a road linking the cities of Diyarbakir and Bingol, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Hundreds of people have been killed in Turkey in renewed fighting following the collapse of the peace process between the government and the Kurds in July. The fighting has displaced tens of thousands in the area as Turkey carried out large-scale military operations against PKK-linked militants. Turkey also has been struck by several bombings in the last year that were blamed on IS as the government joined efforts led by the U.S. to fight the extremist group in Syria. The deadliest came in October when a peace rally outside Ankara's main train station killed 102 people. Turkey also has been housing tens of thousands of refugees from the Syrian war, including many who have streamed to the border in recent weeks amid airstrikes and ground fighting in northern Syria near Aleppo. ___ Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report. Police remove a damaged vehicle from the scene of Wednesday's explosion in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Turkish media reports said Thursday that a Syrian man, registered as a refugee in Turkey, detonated the car bomb Wednesday that targeted buses carrying military personnel, and was identified from his fingerprints. The explosion occurred during evening rush hour in the heart of Ankara, in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters and lodgings. (AP Photo) Members of Turkish forces gather around a bus that was destroyed in an explosion on the road linking the cities of Diyarbakir and Bingol, in southeastern Turkey, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Six soldiers were killed after PKK rebels detonated a bomb on the road as their vehicle was passing by, according to Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency. The deaths come a day after a suicide bombing claimed the lives of at least 28 people and wounded dozens of others. (AP Photo/Mahmut Bozarslan) Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, left, arrive to attend funeral prayers for army officer Seckin Cil, who was killed in Sur, Diyarbakir Wednesday, in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Six soldiers were killed after PKK rebels detonated a bomb on the road linking the cities of Diyarbakir and Bingol in southeastern Turkey as their vehicle was passing by, according to Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency. The deaths come a day after a suicide bombing claimed the lives of at least 28 people and wounded dozens of others.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) Relatives of Turkish Forces' Sergeant First Class Feyyaz Ilhan, killed in Ankara's explosion Wednesday, cry over his national flag-draped coffin during his funeral in Bursa, northeastern Turkey, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Turkey blamed Kurdish militant groups at home and in neighbouring Syria on Thursday for the deadly suicide bombing in Ankara and vowed strong retaliation for the attack, a development that threatens to further complicate the Syria conflict. (DHA via AP) TURKEY OUT Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, right, accompanied by Turkish Forces' Chief of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar, makes a statement regarding Wednesday's explosion in Ankara, Turkey, following their meeting, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. The explosion occurred during evening rush hour in the heart of Ankara, in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters and lodgings. (Hakan Goktepe/Prime Minister's Press Service, Pool Photo via AP) Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, left, talks to a man, wounded in Wednesday's explosion in Ankara, Turkey, during a visit at the hospital, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. The explosion occurred during evening rush hour in the heart of Ankara, in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters and lodgings. (Hakan Goktepe/Prime Minister's Press Service, Pool Photo via AP) Family members of victims comfort each other outside the medical forensics site in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. A Syrian national with links to Syrian Kurdish militia carried out the suicide bombing in Ankara that targeted military personnel and killed at least 28 people, Turkey's prime minister said Thursday. Turkey's Kurdish rebels collaborated with the Syrian man to carry out Wednesday's attack, Ahmet Davutoglu said during a news conference. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) Family members attend funeral prayers for army officer Seckin Cil, who was killed in Sur, Diyarbakir Wednesday, in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Six soldiers were killed after PKK rebels detonated a bomb on the road linking the cities of Diyarbakir and Bingol in southeastern Turkey as their vehicle was passing by, according to Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency. The deaths come a day after a suicide bombing claimed the lives of at least 28 people and wounded dozens of others.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) A funeral car containing the body of a victim leaves he medical forensics center in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. A Syrian national with links to Syrian Kurdish militia carried out the suicide bombing in Ankara that targeted military personnel and killed at least 28 people, Turkey's prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Thursday. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, talks to a man, wounded in Wednesday's explosion in Ankara, Turkey, during a bit at a hospital, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. The explosion occurred during evening rush hour in the heart of Ankara, in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters and lodgings. (Yasin Bulbul/Presidential Press Service, Pool via AP) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, talks to a man, wounded in Wednesday's explosion in Ankara, Turkey, during a bit at a hospital, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. The explosion occurred during evening rush hour in the heart of Ankara, in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters and lodgings. (Yasin Bulbul/Presidential Press Service, Pool via AP) Medics give medical assistance to a relative of a victim outside the medical forensics in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. A Syrian national with links to Syrian Kurdish militia carried out the suicide bombing in Ankara that targeted military personnel and killed at least 28 people, Turkey's prime minister said Thursday. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) Jurors shown Islamic State flags recovered in Texas attack PHOENIX (AP) Jurors at the trial of an Arizona man accused of helping plan an attack on a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas were shown evidence Thursday found in the aftermath of the gunfire, including two flags bearing the logo of the Islamic State terrorist group. Other items recovered from the scene of the May 3 attack in Garland, Texas, included three assault rifles, three pistols, bulletproof vests, a large supply of ammunition and a book titled, "Fortress of the Muslim." The Islamic State flags were about the size of a legal pad. FILE - This undated file booking photo from the Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff's Department shows Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem. The Arizona man is set for trial Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, on terror charges linked to Islamic State. Kareem is accused of providing the guns used in an attack at a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas. (Maricopa County Sheriff's Department via AP, File) The evidence was presented at the trial of Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem, a 44-year-old moving company owner accused of encouraging two Arizona men to carry out the attack and providing them with guns. Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi were fatally shot by a Garland police officer after they abruptly stopped their car outside a conference center where the event was being held and opened fire. No one who attended the event was hurt. A security officer was shot in the leg. Prosecutors say Kareem, Simpson and Soofi initially wanted to acquire explosives to blow up the metro Phoenix stadium hosting the 2015 Super Bowl and a nearby shopping center. When that plan failed to materialize, they allegedly set their sights on the cartoon contest in Garland. Authorities say the trio also researched traveling to the Middle East to fight alongside the Islamic State. Kareem denies the allegations and claims the government is using guilt through association to target him. It's unclear whether some of the items were carried by Simpson and Soofi or left in the car they used. Many pieces of evidence from the Garland attack are believed to have been in the car but were later strewn across the scene after authorities who were concerned about the possibility of explosives being in the car set off a pre-emptive explosion. In the end, Soofi and Simpson weren't believed to have had explosives with them. An Arizona Department of Public Safety detective who works on an FBI terrorism task force also testified Thursday about an al-Qaida magazine that was found on Kareem's computer. Detective Jeffrey Nash said Kareem acknowledged during an interview with investigators that he looked at the magazine. "He said he didn't follow that kind of thing," Nash said. "He just looked at it to see what it was all about." 10 Things to Know for Today - 18 February 2016 Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today: 1. OBAMA PLANS HISTORIC TRIP TO CUBA President Barack Obama's planned visit to Cuba in the coming weeks will make him the first U.S. president to set foot on the island in nearly seven decades. Medics and people help a collapsed relative of a victim outside the medical forensics site in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. A Syrian national with links to Syrian Kurdish militia carried out the suicide bombing in Ankara that targeted military personnel and killed at least 28 people, Turkey's prime minister said Thursday. Turkey's Kurdish rebels collaborated with the Syrian man to carry out Wednesday's attack, Ahmet Davutoglu said during a news conference. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) 2. TENSIONS ESCALATE BETWEEN TURKEY, KURDS AFTER ANKARA ATTACK Turkey's prime minister says his country will retaliate against a Kurdish rebel group he has held responsible for the attack in Ankara that killed 28 people, while a Syrian Kurdish leader denies his group is behind the blasts and warns Ankara against Syria ground action. 3. HOW APPLE ENDED UP IN US GOVERNMENT'S ENCRYPTION CROSSHAIRS Apple has positioned itself as a champion of user privacy and landed in the government's encryption crosshairs as a result. 4. WHAT'S AT STAKE AT EU SUMMIT Prime Minister David Cameron is bracing for a crucial European Union summit with continued British membership in the bloc on the line and the migration crisis bedeviling the continent is also high on the agenda. 5. REPUBLICAN FEUD RAMPS UP Republican Ted Cruz dares Donald Trump to sue him and dismisses Marco Rubio's charges of dishonesty just days before South Carolina's high-stakes primary. 6. WHERE PORN ACTORS COULD HAVE TO WEAR CONDOMS Condoms could be coming to porn studios across California if the state adopts proposed new regulations aimed at protecting actors who make adult films. 7. WHY SOUTH KOREA SAYS NORTH KOREA IS PREPARING ATTACKS A top Seoul official says North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently ordered preparations for launching "terror" attacks on South Koreans. 8. WHO FACES INDICTMENT IN NEVADA A federal grand jury has indicted Cliven Bundy, along with his sons Ammon and Ryan Bundy and two others, on charges related to an armed standoff near his ranch in 2014. 9. A LONGTIME AFRICAN RULER IS ON THE BALLOT Uganda President Yoweri Museveni faces his toughest challenge yet after three decades in power, amid delays blamed on slow delivery of voting materials. 10. WHAT JAPANESE COMPANY WILL RECOGNIZE SAME-SEX MARRIAGES Panasonic Corp. says it will recognize same-sex marriages in its employment policies in a rare move for a major Japanese manufacturer. A policeman stands guard by an empty ballot box at a polling station where five hours after voting was due to start no voting papers had yet arrived, in the capital Kampala, Uganda Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Ugandans voted Thursday in presidential elections seen as the toughest challenge yet for the country's long-time president, but voting was marred by delays of voting materials in many places, and people complained of an apparent shutdown of social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) Germany: PEGIDA leader faces trial in April for incitement BERLIN (AP) A leader of the anti-Islam and anti-immigration group PEGIDA will go on trial in April, charged with incitement over Facebook posts calling foreigners "cattle" and "trash." Lutz Bachmann wrote on Facebook on Wednesday evening that the trial will open in Dresden on April 19. The district court in Dresden confirmed the date Thursday, news agency dpa reported. Dresden prosecutors said when they filed charges in October that, with the posts, Bachmann was trying to incite Germans against refugees. Bachmann co-founded PEGIDA, short for Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West, which has staged weekly protests in Dresden and spawned similar though less successful groups elsewhere. Diack's son questioned by Senegalese police DAKAR, Senegal (AP) The son of former IAAF president Lamine Diack was interviewed for more than seven hours by police in his native Senegal in connection with the corruption scandal surrounding track and field's world governing body. Papa Massata Diack, a former IAAF marketing consultant who is also wanted for questioning by prosecutors in France, was interviewed late into Wednesday night at police headquarters in Dakar. Papa Massata was banned for life from the sport last month in a bribery and extortion case involving Russian doping, and Interpol has issued a wanted notice for him to face corruption charges in France. Papa Massata Diack, centre, son of former IAAF President Lamine Diack arrives at the central police station in Dakar, Senegal, Monday, Feb. 17, 2016. Diack is accused of money laundering and alleged corruption and is wanted by French prosecutors. (AP Photo/Vincent Tremeau) Although Senegal says it will not extradite him, he could be arrested if he leaves his home country. Papa Massata's lawyer, Bamba Cisse, described the appearance at the Senegalese police station as a "hearing" but said his client was not facing any criminal charges in Senegal. Police did not characterize the interview and Senegalese authorities have not said if they will pursue charges against Diack. Wearing a long white robe, Diack arrived for questioning just after 4 p.m. He left at midnight without commenting, only smiling and saying "thank you" to a group of apparent supporters who had gathered outside. "He was summoned by police for a fair hearing," the lawyer, Cisse, told The Associated Press. Papa Massata Diack has appealed his life ban from athletics to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He was banned after being found guilty by the IAAF's ethics commission of conspiring to extort hundreds of thousands of dollars from Russian marathon runner Liliya Shobukhova so she could avoid a doping ban before the 2012 Olympics. Papa Massata Diack and his father are both under investigation in France for extorting bribes from athletes to cover up doping. Lamine Diack, who headed the IAAF for 16 years, is accused by French prosecutors of pocketing more than 1 million euros ($1.1 million) from bribes in exchange for covering up doping cases, mainly involving Russian athletes. Papa Massata Diack, who worked under his father at the IAAF, was "very active" in the corruption, French prosecutors have alleged. Lamine Diack was arrested in France last year and released on bail after being placed under investigation for corruption and money laundering. Prosecutors said they would also have arrested the son if he had been in France. Papa Massata Diack and another of Diack's sons, Khalil, are also accused of attempting to blackmail Turkish runner Asli Cakir Alptekin a few months after she won gold in the 1,500 meters at the 2012 London Olympics, suggesting she could pay to quash a doping positive based on her blood readings. Papa Massata Diack faces other allegations related to the bidding process to host the Olympics. Britain's Guardian newspaper reported that it had seen emails from him regarding alleged "parcels" to be delivered to six IOC members in connection with the failed bid from Doha, Qatar, for the 2016 Games. Questions and answers about Europe and the migration crisis BRUSSELS (AP) At a summit Thursday, European Union leaders will underline the urgent need to act on decisions made in recent months about how to manage the continent's refugee emergency as more than 10,000 people continue to arrive each week. With some nations determined to keep ID checks in place in Europe's passport-free area, the leaders will emphasize the need to stop people from leaving Turkey in the first place, according to a draft summit statement seen by The Associated Press. They also fear that Macedonia might close its border, isolating overwhelmed Greece. Here are some questions and answers about the issues involved and how leaders plan to react at the summit: A coast guard officer keeps notes as a man sits at a registration and hospitality center for refugees and migrants, known as a hotspot, on the eastern Greek island of Chios, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016. Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos said that military teams have set up most of the long-delayed migrant reception facilities the country has promised its European Union partners to build. But he said the installations may not have to be fully used. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) Q: How big is the challenge? A: Though winter weather generally discourages migrants from Mediterranean Sea travel, more than 84,000 people had already arrived between Jan. 1 and Feb. 16, the International Organization for Migration says, up from 11,000 in all of January and February last year. Most are from Syria, but many are also from Afghanistan and Iraq. More than 400 are dead or missing. Q: How have European Union countries reacted? A: In a word, badly. Greece, where the vast majority of people land after short trips by boat from Turkey, is unable to manage the arrivals. It can't shelter them and lacks the capacity to even correctly register their entry. Doubting the speed and effectiveness of a European solution among 28 countries, nations further along the route migrants take to get to more prosperous nations have tightened border controls and built fences without keeping neighbors informed. Q: What is the EU doing? A: The EU has set up a scheme to share 160,000 migrants arriving in over-burdened Greece and Italy. It has emphasized the need to deport people who are not fleeing conflict and therefore not entitled to stay. Some countries are also accepting refugees from outside Europe, in places like Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, so they don't have to make the dangerous journey. Q: How well is it working? A: It's not. In six months, barely 600 people have been relocated from Greece and Italy. In any case, only some EU partners have offered places for them, fewer than 5,000 spots in all. More than 1 million people arrived in 2015, yet EU figures suggest that just 900 have been officially sent back. National efforts to resettle refugees from outside have been patchy, and too few people have been moved. Q: Why aren't they coming up with new policies? A: In short, they think the policies in place are good enough to do the job. A new European border and coast guard agency is in the pipeline already and due for endorsement by July. Several EU member countries are opposed to drawing up new policy measures when the ones they have are simply not being respected, diplomats say. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that it would be "laughable" for the EU to approve new quotas when it has barely started to share refugees under existing agreements. Q: So what will come out of this summit? A: EU leaders will urge Turkey to live up to its pledge to crack down on migrant movements, after Ankara was promised billions in refugee aid, an easing of visa rules for Turks and a fast-track EU membership process. They'll express concern that countries in the western Balkans are "waving through" migrants, permitting them move to neighboring countries. This will be backed by a pledge to respect the passport-free area's border control rules. They'll underline that people not entitled to stay must quickly be sent back and that asylum seekers do not have the right to choose where they want to stay. Concern will be expressed about migrant movements in the Western Balkans and the need to slow the flow without closing borders. Above all, everything they have agreed so far "should be implemented rapidly." By the way, the leaders will come back to the migration issue in a month, at their March 17-18 summit. Kurdish forces say Islamic State group used chemical shells IRBIL, Iraq (AP) Islamic State militants recently fired mortar shells believed to have been filled with a chemical substance, possibly chlorine, at Kurdish troops close to the Iraqi town of Sinjar, wounding 30 fighters, a Kurdish military officer and a medical official said Thursday. Nine Kurdish soldiers, known as Peshmerga, were admitted to Azadi Teaching Hospital in the city of Dohuk last Friday with symptoms including vomiting, nausea, shortness of breath and itching, the director of the hospital, Dr. Afrasiab Mussa Yones, told The Associated Press. He said that the symptoms suggested that chlorine had been used, but that further analysis was needed. Yones said he would send samples taken from the soldiers' clothes for analysis. All the Peshmerga were discharged after treatment. "One of the mortar rounds landed near my position and there was a lot of smoke," said Col. Lukhman Kulli Ibrahim of the 8th Peshmerga brigade based in Sinjar. He said he "fell down immediately and went unconscious." He said that after coming to, "I felt burning in my eyes, I struggled to breathe, had a headache and a burning in my chest." The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons confirmed earlier this week that IS used mustard gas on Kurdish forces last August. Police: Maryland officer shot passenger during traffic stop ESSEX, Md. (AP) A Baltimore County police officer shot a passenger who exited a car that was pulled over during a traffic stop Thursday, according to a department spokesman. The incident occurred about 2 a.m. on Old Eastern and Harrison avenues in Essex. Spokesman Cpl. John Wachter said the passenger, who has not yet been identified, exited the car after the vehicle was pulled over for suspected narcotics activity. Wachter said the man then reached for his waistband and turned his body in a motion that made the officer fear for his life. Wachter said the man was taken to a local hospital for treatment, and that the driver of the car was taken into custody but has not yet been charged with a crime. Although police initially said no weapon was recovered, Wachter on Thursday evening said police did find a handgun in the car after a search warrant was executed on the vehicle. Wachter couldn't say whether the firearm was legal and whether it was registered to the passenger or driver. The incident comes amid a national debate over police treatment of black people, but Wachter says in this case the officer and the passenger are white. Their names weren't released. Maldives' jailed ex-leader seeks extension to medical leave COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) The Maldives' former president has sought an extension of the medical leave from his 13-year prison sentence so he can undergo spinal surgery in Britain, the government said Thursday. Former President Mohamed Nasheed asked for 60 more days of leave and the government requested more information from him before approving it, government spokesman Ibrahim Hussain Shihab said. Nasheed completed nearly one year of his sentence when he was given a 30-day temporary release from prison to undergo surgery. Speaking to media in London, Nasheed had indicated he may not return. Nasheed was convicted of terrorism charges for ordering the arrest of a senior judge when he was president in 2012. The government earlier said it will give an extension if needed but criticized Nasheed as using his leave for political purposes. Nasheed became the country's first democratically elected president in 2008, ending decades of autocratic rule in the Indian Ocean archipelago. Global economic growth seen leveling out this year PARIS (AP) A leading global policy organization says world economic growth is likely to level out this year and next. In a forecast released Thursday, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimated growth of 3 percent this year, the same as last year. Catherine Mann, the organization's chief economist, blamed a slowdown in trade, investment and wage growth in developed economies. She said emerging markets that rely on commodities are also suffering from stagnant trade and the drop in commodity prices. A port worker stands near a container ship at a port in Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong province Monday Feb. 15, 2016. According to customs data released Monday China's trade tumbled in January, in a possible fresh sign of the weakness confronting the world's No. 2 economy. (Chinatopix Via AP) CHINA OUT The Latest: 'Some progress' at EU-UK talks but no deal yet BRUSSELS (AP) The Latest on EU summit on changes demanded by Britain (all times local): ___ 2:49 a.m. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, speaks with British Prime Minister David Cameron, left, during a group photo at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. European Union leaders are holding a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to hammer out a deal designed to keep Britain in the 28-nation bloc. At right is Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and second right is Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) EU President Donald Tusk says talks between Britain and the 27 other European Union nations have made "some progress, but a lot remains to be done." Tusk spoke after a 15-hour day in which EU leaders discussed Britain's goal of a new deal with the bloc, and the unfolding migrant crisis. British officials said the first session of talks had not closed gaps on all issues, and "there's a lot of hard work to do overnight." EU leaders are due to reconvene at breakfast Friday for more talks ___ 10 p.m. European leaders' first working session in Brussels has ended without a breakthrough on how to redefine Britain's relationship in the 28-nation bloc. A British official says there's no "sense that gaps in key issues had narrowed ... there's a lot of hard work to do overnight." The official was speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks. Another European official said a main source of tension was the length of time that Britain's limit on welfare benefits for EU workers would last. The Czech Republic is opposing the U.K.'s goal of a seven-year freeze. The leaders are discussing Europe's migration crisis over dinner Thursday night before returning to the subject of Britain's renegotiation of its relationship with European Union. ___ 4:30 p.m. French President Francois Hollande is warning European leaders against making too many concessions to Britain as it debates whether to stay in the European Union. Speaking upon arrival at an EU summit Thursday in Brussels, Hollande said that could prompt other countries to seek "special rules" and undermine the principles of European unity. Hollande said, "I want Britain to stay in the EU. But I hope most of all that Europe can advance, can be stronger, and that no chief of state could stop that." He said that at this summit, "It's the European Union in question, not just one country." ___ 4:10 p.m. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she wants to do everything to help ensure that Britain remains in the European Union. Merkel said as she arrived Thursday at a summit of EU leaders that some issues remain to be cleared up but added: "I'm going into this debate with the position that we would like to do everything to create the conditions so that Great Britain can remain part of the European Union." Merkel said that "this is important from the German point of view." ___ 3:10 p.m. European Union President Donald Tusk says Thursday's summit of the 28 EU leaders to decide on the reforms that British Prime Minister David Cameron is calling for will be one of the most important the bloc has seen. With many core issues still outstanding going into the two-day summit, Tusk said hours ahead of the opening summit session: "One thing is clear to me though. This is a make or break summit, I have no doubts." Tusk said that both sides were still "in the middle of still very difficult and sensitive negotiations," as the summit center not only started filling with leaders but also legal experts who would have to pour any decision into binding legal texts. ___ 2:30 p.m. Prime Minister David Cameron says he'll be "battling for Britain" but still faces hurdles in his talks on a deal with the European Union. Arriving at an EU summit in Brussels, Cameron said he was fighting to close a deal by Friday, but "it's going to be hard." He said that "if we can get a good deal I'll take that deal, but I will not take a deal doesn't meet what we need. I think it's much more important to get this right than to do anything in a rush." Cameron hopes the 28 EU nations can strike agreement on the changes Britain seeks to its relationship with the bloc, so he can call a referendum on U.K. membership for as early as June. British Prime Minister David Cameron arrives for an EU summit at the EU Council building in Brussels on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. European Union leaders are holding a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to hammer out a deal designed to keep Britain in the 28-nation bloc. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) British Prime Minister David Cameron speaks to the media as he arrives for an EU summit at the EU Council building in Brussels on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. European Union leaders are holding a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to hammer out a deal designed to keep Britain in the 28-nation bloc. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) British Prime Minister David Cameron speaks with journalists as he arrives for an EU summit at the EU Council building in Brussels on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. European Union leaders are holding a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to hammer out a deal designed to keep Britain in the 28-nation bloc. (AP Photo/Francois Walschaerts) British Prime Minister David Cameron gets in the back of a car as he leaves 10 Downing Street in London, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Cameron on Thursday is due to attend a crucial EU summit in Brussels. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) European Council President Donald Tusk speaks with journalists as he arrives at the European Council building in Brussels on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. European Union leaders will hold a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to hammer out a deal designed to keep Britain in the 28-nation bloc. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) European Council President Donald Tusk, center left, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, center right, walk with leaders of the countries on the Western Balkan migration route prior to a meeting at the European Council building in Brussels on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. At left is Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's President Gjorge Ivanov, and right is Croatian Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, Pool) Leader of UKIP, Nigel Farage is interviewed in the press room at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. European Union leaders are holding a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to hammer out a deal designed to keep Britain in the 28-nation bloc. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) Britain's Prime Minister, David Cameron, leaves 10 Downing Street in London, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Cameron is due to attend on Thursday a crucial EU summit in Brussels. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) British Prime Minister David Cameron, left, is greeted by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at EU headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016. David Cameron is visiting EU leaders two days ahead of a crucial EU summit. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) British Prime Minister David Cameron, centre, speaks with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, right, and European Council President Donald Tusk during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. European Union leaders are holding a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to hammer out a deal designed to keep Britain in the 28-nation bloc. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) German Chancellor Angela Merkel greets British Prime Minister David Cameron during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. European Union leaders are holding a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to hammer out a deal designed to keep Britain in the 28-nation bloc. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) Dozens of Iraqi migrants return home from Europe BAGHDAD (AP) Emotional scenes unfolded at the Baghdad International Airport on Thursday as dozens of Iraqis who had sought refuge in Europe returned home. More than a hundred Iraqis, mostly young men, landed in Baghdad on a flight from Finland. Some kneeled, kissing the ground. Many were holding the so-called "yellow passport," travel documents issued by Iraqi embassies in Europe and elsewhere to those wishing to return home. "It's too difficult to live there," said one of the women, Um Ealia, who declined to be identified by her full name fearing for her own security. "I've come back home. I feel happy. I have good memories in Iraq." Iraqis arrive from Europe at Baghdad International Airport, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. More than 100 Iraqi migrants, who sought for a better life in Europe, returned home on Thursday some returned because they were homesick, and others returned because they didn't find jobs in Europe, migrants said. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) She was just one of 103 people who returned to Iraq on Thursday, according to Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman, Ahmed Jamal. Over the past 12 months thousands of Iraqis are estimated to have returned home from Europe, citing lack of economic opportunity due to language barriers, cold weather and cultural differences as the reasons for going back after often harrowing journeys by sea and land that can take weeks. The Geneva-based International Organization for Migration says it helped nearly 3,500 Iraqis return from Europe in 2015 alone. But the OIM says that is just a fraction of the total estimated number as many individuals and families return by the own means. In 2015, an estimated 70,000 Iraqis joined the tide of refugees and migrants making the thousands of miles long journey to Europe in an effort to escape war and poverty across Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, according to figures from the IOM. "We are very pleased with the arrival," said Jamal, the foreign ministry spokesman in Baghdad. "Those people represent the first batch of Iraqi migrants in Finland who voluntarily wish to come back home." The flight was organized by the Helsinki Police Department, which has organized flights for returning migrants for more than a decade and said they are ready to continue similar chartered flights between the two countries to meet a growing number of returning Iraqis, according to Detective Superintendent Hannu Pietila. More than 3,100 Iraqis in Finland have withdrawn their asylum applications since January 2015, but most paid their own way back or caught flights organized by the European Union from other countries, Immigration officials in Finland said Thursday. Last year, nearly 32,500 asylum-seekers arrived in Finland, a near tenfold increase over 2014. Some 20,500 were from Iraq. "Thank God we came back home from Finland," said Amir Abas as he was collecting his luggage at the airport in Baghdad. "It is too difficult to live (in Finland) because our traditions and culture are different," he said. ___ Associated Press Writer Matti Huuhtanen in Helsinki, Finland, contributed to this report. Umm Ealia and her daughter weep after arriving from Europe at Baghdad International Airport, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. More than 100 Iraqi migrants, who sought for a better life in Europe, returned home on Thursday some returned because they were homesick, and others returned because they didn't find jobs in Europe, migrants said. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) Iraqis arriving from Europe kiss the ground at Baghdad International Airport, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. More than 100 Iraqi migrants, who sought for a better life in Europe, returned home on Thursday some returned because they were homesick, and others returned because they didn't find jobs in Europe, migrants said. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) Iraqis arrive from Europe at Baghdad International Airport, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. More than 100 Iraqi migrants, who sought for a better life in Europe, returned home on Thursday some returned because they were homesick, and others returned because they didn't find jobs in Europe, migrants said. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) A returning Iraqi migrant holds one- way return to Iraq travel documents, issued after his family lost their passports when they crossed the Mediterranean, as they arrive to Baghdad airport, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. More than 100 Iraqi migrants, who sought for a better life in Europe, returned home on Thursday some returned because they were homesick, and others returned because they didn't find jobs in Europe, migrants said. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) Iraqis returning from Europe wait for their luggage at Baghdad International Airport, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. More than 100 Iraqi migrants, who sought a better life in Europe, voluntarily returned home on Thursday some returned because they were homesick, and others returned because they didn't find jobs in Europe, migrants said. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) Umm Ealia and her daughter weep after arriving from Europe at Baghdad International Airport, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. More than 100 Iraqi migrants, who sought for a better life in Europe, returned home on Thursday some returned because they were homesick, and others returned because they didn't find jobs in Europe, migrants said. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) An Iraqi family returning from Europe waits for their luggage at Baghdad International Airport, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. More than 100 Iraqi migrants, who sought a better life in Europe, voluntarily returned home on Thursday some returned because they were homesick, and others returned because they didn't find jobs in Europe, migrants said. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) Iraqis kiss the ground as they arrive at Baghdad International Airport, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. More than 100 Iraqi migrants, who sought a better life in Europe, voluntarily returned home on Thursday some returned because they were homesick, and others returned because they didn't find jobs in Europe, migrants said. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) Coke and Pepsi want to shake their Big Gulp image and cultivate a more hipster appeal. The two soda giants are trying to rehabilitate soda's cheap image and fetch higher prices as Americans keep cutting back on sugary fizz. That means more stylized cans and bottles of Coke and the expansion of Mexican Coke, which is sweetened with sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. Pepsi is pushing 'craft sodas' and even plans to open an eatery 'honoring the kola nut' in New York City in the spring. Pepsi is pushing 'craft sodas' and even plans to open a bar 'honoring the kola nut' in New York City in the spring. A rendering of Kola House, set to open in the Meatpacking District, is seen in this image A press release for Pepsi's Kola House (pictured) last month was peppered with marketing buzzwords, and said the lounge would have a 'resident cocktail curator' and 'artisanal menu' A press release for Pepsi's Kola House last month was peppered with marketing buzzwords, and said the lounge would have a 'resident cocktail curator' and 'artisanal menu.' The idea is that its mere existence could burnish soda's image, even if most people never go. 'At the end of the day, we just have to stay culturally relevant,' said Seth Kaufman, chief marketing officer for PepsiCo beverages in North America. Soda remains a big business, with the familiar sizes like 12-ounce cans and 2-liter bottles still accounting for the vast majority of the market. But Americans keep reaching for alternatives, with soda facing a proliferation of competitors and being blamed for fueling obesity. Between 2000 and 2014, U.S. soda sales volume fell 14 percent, according to industry tracker Beverage Digest. If they're selling less soda, Coke and Pepsi at least want to charge more for it by giving it more cachet. PepsiCo has also introduced Caleb's Kola (left) and Mountain Dew Dewshine (right), which comes in a glass bottle and is made with sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup It's why PepsiCo in 2014 introduced Caleb's Kola, which comes in a glass bottle with the words 'Honor in craft.' At a Beverage Digest conference soon after, CEO Indra Nooyi said soda had lost some of its 'cool factor' and that drinks like Caleb's were helping bring it back. That cool factor comes with a price. At a New York City grocery store, a 20-ounce bottle of Pepsi was selling for $1.49, compared with $1.99 for a 10-ounce bottle of Caleb's. PepsiCo also introduced Mountain Dew Dewshine that comes in a glass bottle and is made with sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup, and displayed a soda called "1893" at a trade show. Like Caleb's, 1893 is a reference to Pepsi's creation by Caleb Bradham in 1893. 'It does address the coolness problem or attempts to address the coolness problem,' said Ali Dibadj, a Bernstein analyst. Dibadj said the focus on craft sodas is an attempt to emulate what happened in the beer industry, where craft beers have been the main driver of growth. But Dibadj thinks craft's potential on soda may be more limited, since soda's problem for most people isn't taste, but the calories. Coca-Cola is expanding Mexican Coke (pictured), which is sweetened with sugar instead of corn syrup There is no definition for what makes a soda 'craft,' but the trend is characterized by traits such as glass bottles and ingredients that are seen as more wholesome. Jaime Jose, a 21-year-old student from New York, doesn't drink soda but said she's tempted to buy the glass bottles of Coke as an occasional treat. 'It's that retro thing of having a story behind it,' Jose said. The idea is compelling enough that Coca-Cola created a 'craft beverages team' last year that oversees recently acquired brands like Hansen's. It's also presenting its flagship soda to fit craft sensibilities. Sandy Douglas, head of Coke North America, said last year that Coke's packages by the end of the 1990s were all 'huge' and 'boring.' But he said the newer aluminum bottles and mini-cans were winning back customers, particularly those with more earning power. He also said the smaller sizes were in line with the desire for more modest portions. Coke Chief Financial Officer Kathy Waller said she thinks such alternative sizes could "easily go to 30 percent" of sales, up from about 15 percent last year. Pope vs. Trump: 'Not Christian' to only build border walls ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) Thrusting himself into the heated American presidential campaign, Pope Francis declared Thursday that Donald Trump is "not Christian" if he wants to address illegal immigration only by building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump fired back ferociously, saying it was "disgraceful" for a religious leader to question a person's faith. The rare back-and-forth between pontiff and presidential candidate was the latest astonishing development in an American election already roiled by Trump's free-wheeling rhetoric and controversial policy proposals, particularly on immigration. It also underscored the popular pope's willingness to needle U.S. politicians on hot-button issues. In this photo taken Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 Pope Francis meets journalists aboard the plane during the flight from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico to Rome, Italy. The pope has suggested that women threatened with the Zika virus could use artificial contraception but not abort their fetus, saying there's a clear moral difference between aborting a fetus and preventing a pregnancy. (Alessandro Di Meo/Pool Photo via AP) Francis' comments came hours after he concluded a visit to Mexico, where he prayed at the border for people who died trying to reach the U.S. While speaking to reporters on the papal plane, he was asked what he thought of Trump's campaign pledge to build a wall along the entire length of the border and expel millions of people in the U.S. illegally. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," he said. While Francis said he would "give the benefit of the doubt" because he had not heard Trump's border plans independently, he added, "I say only that this man is not a Christian if he has said things like that." Trump, a Presbyterian and the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, responded within minutes. "For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful," he said at a campaign stop in South Carolina, which holds a key primary on Saturday. "I am proud to be a Christian, and as president I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened." Trump also raised the prospect of the Islamic State extremist group attacking the Vatican, saying that if that happened, "the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president because this would not have happened." Trump eased off later Thursday, saying he thought the pope's comments were "probably a little bit nicer" than first reported. Francis, the first pope from Latin America, urged Congress during his visit to Washington last year to respond to immigrants "in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal." He irked Republicans on the same trip with his forceful call for international action to address climate change. Immigration is among the most contentious issues in American politics. Republicans have moved toward hardline positions that emphasize law enforcement and border security, blocking comprehensive legislation in 2013 that would have included a path to citizenship for many of the 11 million people in the U.S. illegally. Hispanics, an increasingly large voting bloc in U.S. presidential elections, have flocked to Democrats in recent years. President Barack Obama won more than 70 percent in the 2012 election, leading some Republican leaders to conclude the party must increase its appeal to them. However, the current GOP presidential primary has been dominated by increasingly tough rhetoric. Trump has insisted that Mexico will pay for his proposed border wall and has said some Mexicans entering the U.S. illegally are murderers and rapists. While Trump's words have been among the most inflammatory, some of his rivals have staked out similar enforcement positions. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson are among those who have explicitly called for construction of a wall. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, one of the few GOP candidates proposing a path to legal status for people already in the U.S. illegally, said Thursday he supports "walls and fencing where it's appropriate." Bush said that while he gets his guidance "as a Catholic" from the pope, he doesn't take his cues from Francis on "economic or environmental policy." Marco Rubio, another Catholic seeking the GOP nomination, said that Vatican City has a right to control its borders and so does the United States. Rubio said he has "tremendous respect and admiration" for the pope, but he added, "There's no nation on Earth that's more compassionate on immigration than we are." Cruz said he was steering clear of the dispute. "That's between Donald and the pope," he said. "I'm not going to get in the middle of them." Ohio Gov. John Kasich, on the other hand, said he was staunchly "pro-Pope." "We have a right to build a wall," Kasich said Thursday night. But he added: "We need bridges between us if we're going to fix the problems in Washington 'cause all they do is have walls." The long-distance exchange between the pope and Trump came two days before the voting in South Carolina, a state where 78 percent of adults identify as Christian, according to the Pew Research Center's 2014 U.S. Religious Landscape Study. Of that group, 35 percent identify as evangelical and 10 percent as Catholic, the survey found. It's unclear what impact, if any, the pope's rhetoric will have, here or in other states. An October poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that most Americans had no strong opinion on the pope's approach to immigration issues, though he was overall viewed favorably. Even before Thursday, Trump had been critical of Francis' visit to Mexico. He said last week that the pope's plans to pray at the border showed he was a political figure being exploited by the Mexican government. Francis glossed over Trump's assertion that he was a pawn of Mexico, telling reporters on his plane that he would "leave that up to your judgment." But he seemed pleased to hear the candidate had called him a "political" figure, noting that Aristotle had described the human being as a "political animal." ___ Pace reported from Greenville, South Carolina. AP writers Jill Colvin in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, and Tom Beaumont in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report. ___ Follow Nicole Winfield on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/nwinfield and Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump listens to his mobile phone during a lunch stop, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Pope Francis waves goodbye before his departure at the Abraham Gonzalez International Airport in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. Francis returned to Italy after a five-day visit in Mexico. His plane took off from the border city of Ciudad Juarez after night fell Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ivan Pierre Aguirre) Death sentence tossed for Florida mom of 'Baby Lollipops' MIAMI (AP) A Florida mother condemned to die for the beating death of her young son known as "Baby Lollipops" deserves a new trial because of inflammatory and improper statements made by prosecutors during closing arguments, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The justices tossed out the 2011 murder conviction and death sentence for Ana Maria Cardona, 54, marking the second time the court has reversed her case. Cardona's original 1992 conviction and death sentence was overturned because prosecutors failed to disclose key evidence to the defense. This time, the court found that Miami-Dade prosecutors crossed the line in closing arguments during the second trial, repeatedly attempting to stir up juror emotions and sympathy for the 3-year-old victim, Lazaro Figueroa. Testimony showed the boy had been severely beaten and suffered from chronic neglect, weighing only 18 pounds when his body was found in some bushes in Miami Beach in 1990. In this undated arrest photo made available by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows Ana Maria Cardona. The murder conviction and death sentence imposed on Cardona for killing her young son known as "Baby Lollipops" in 1990, have been thrown out by the state Supreme Court in Tallahassee, Fla., Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. The decision means that Cardona is likely to face a new trial. (Florida Department of Law Enforcement via AP) Police dubbed the boy "Baby Lollipops" because he was wearing a T-shirt with a lollipop image when he was found. The Supreme Court, in a 28-page decision, said the trial judge erred in allowing prosecutors to repeatedly use the phrase "justice for Lazaro" in closing arguments to the jury. Prosecutors were also wrong, the justices added, in describing the defense case as "diversionary" and calling Cardona herself a "drama expert" who belonged on Spanish-language telenovela program. Cardona's lawyers objected 58 times but Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Reemberto Diaz overruled nearly all of them. "As we have stated for decades, we expect and require prosecutors, as representatives of the state, to refrain from engaging in inflammatory and abusive arguments, to maintain their objectivity, and to behave in a professional manner," the justices wrote in a 6-1 opinion. "All of these arguments used by the prosecutor in this case were clearly improper." Justice Ricky Polston dissented but did not issue an opinion. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said prosecutors will try Cardona on murder and other charges a third time in a case that his riveted South Florida for decades. "The cruelty involved in young Lazaro Figueroa's murder deserves our fundamental commitment," Rundle said in a statement. According to testimony at both previous trials, Lazaro's badly beaten and scarred body was found by utility workers in Miami Beach on Nov. 2, 1990. Police did not immediately know the boy's identity and decided to call him "Baby Lollipops" as they distributed fliers door-to-door and held frequent news conferences. Eventually, the investigation led Miami Beach detectives in December to Cardona, who had moved with her other two children and her companion to a motel in Osceola County. She initially claimed, police said, that the boy had fallen and hit his head on a tile floor while jumping on a bed. She also claimed her companion, Olivia Gonzalez, had left the boy in front of the Miami Beach home. Two juries rejected the defense case, finding Cardona guilty of killing her son and of regularly abusing the child. The jury in the second trial recommended the death penalty by a minimal 7-5 vote, which the judge then imposed. Under a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, Florida judges will no longer have final say in imposing capital punishment. A bill currently proposed in the state Legislature would switch that authority solely to juries and would require a minimum 10-2 vote to impose death. _____ Pope suggests contraception can be condoned in Zika crisis ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) Pope Francis has suggested women threatened with the Zika virus could use artificial contraception, saying "avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil" in light of the global epidemic. The pope unequivocally rejected abortion as a response to the crisis in remarks Wednesday as he flew home after a five-day trip to Mexico. But he drew a parallel to a decision by Pope Paul VI in the 1960s to approve giving nuns in Belgian Congo artificial contraception to prevent pregnancies because they were being systematically raped. In this photo taken Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 Pope Francis meets journalists aboard the plane during the flight from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico to Rome, Italy. The pope has suggested that women threatened with the Zika virus could use artificial contraception but not abort their fetus, saying there's a clear moral difference between aborting a fetus and preventing a pregnancy. (Alessandro Di Meo/Pool Photo via AP) Abortion "is an evil in and of itself, but it is not a religious evil at its root, no? It's a human evil," Francis told reporters. "On the other hand, avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil. In certain cases, as in this one (Zika), such as the one I mentioned of Blessed Paul VI, it was clear." Francis was responding to a reporter's question about whether abortion or birth control could be considered a "lesser evil" when confronting the Zika crisis in Brazil, where there has been a spike in babies born with abnormally small heads to Zika-infected mothers. The World Health Organization has declared a worldwide health emergency over the Zika virus and its suspected link to birth defects. On Thursday, the U.N. agency advised the sexual partners of pregnant women to use condoms or abstain from sex if they live in or have visited Zika-affected areas, echoing a recommendation made by U.S. health officials. The virus has been reported in at least 34 countries, most of them in overwhelmingly Catholic Latin America and the Caribbean, where access to birth control is often limited and abortion is heavily restricted. Theologians and some Latin American bishops cautioned the pope was not giving a green light for Catholics to use artificial birth control, nor did his remarks amount to a change in church teaching. But Francis' comments suggest that Catholics under specific circumstances could make a "conscience-based decision about whether they should prevent pregnancy," said the Rev. James Bretzke, a moral theologian at Boston College. "Certainly Pope Francis should have anticipated a question on the church's response to the Zika virus, and from his answer I believe he was well-prepared to field this query," Bretzke said. "His comment on the Zika virus and measures to avoid pregnancy is within perfect consistency with the traditional moral teaching of the Catholic Church." U.N. officials have called on Latin American countries to loosen their abortion laws to allow women to terminate pregnancies if they fear the fetus may be at risk for microcephaly, a rare birth defect that causes brain damage and may be linked to the virus. But Francis told reporters, "Taking one life to save another, that's what the Mafia does. It's a crime. It's an absolute evil." Several Latin American churchmen have reasserted the church's opposition to abortion and artificial contraception as more reports of Zika cases and brain-damaged babies emerged. On Thursday, Bishop Noel Antonio Londono of the Diocese of Jerico in the Colombian state of Antioquia, said nobody should interpret the pope's remarks as free license to use birth control. "This isn't a blank check," he said. "Undoubtedly, with regards to Zika, there are people who need to protect themselves." Bishop Miguel Angel Cabello, of Concepcion, Paraguay, said it was too early to know exactly what Francis meant. "We need more studies on the Zika virus and its consequences" before any decisions on church policy are made, he said. "The pope made a comment and we should take it as a comment." Francis has tended to downplay the fraught moral hand-wringing over sexual ethics that preoccupied his predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. He has said the church shouldn't be "obsessed" with such issues. Coming home from Africa last year, Francis dismissed a question about whether condoms could be used in the fight against AIDS, saying there were far more pressing issues in Africa, such as poverty and exploitation, and that only when those problems were resolved should questions about condoms and AIDS take center stage. Angelica Rivas, of the Feminist Collective for Social Development in El Salvador, said the pope's latest remarks would not be much help since the church in her country has consistently opposed sex education on the use of contraception, and birth control would not help the many women who are already pregnant. "We have to give them the alternative of interrupting the pregnancy," Rivas said. In Ecuador, Jaime Pallares, a spokesman for the Mother Mary and Queen Catholic lay group, said that as a believer he follows the word of the pope. But on this issue, he personally differs. "It's difficult for me to interpret the Holy Father's sentiment. From my perspective the best alternative would be to maintain some days of chastity," said Pallares. "I'm not going to die of chastity." ___ Associated Press Religion Writer Rachel Zoll in New York; Marcos Aleman in San Salvador, El Salvador; Pedro Servin in Asuncion, Paraguay; Libardo Cardona in Bogota, Colombia, and Gonzalo Solano in Quito, Ecuador, contributed to this report. In this photo taken Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 Pope Francis meets journalists aboard the plane during the flight from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico to Rome, Italy. The pope has suggested that women threatened with the Zika virus could use artificial contraception but not abort their fetus, saying there's a clear moral difference between aborting a fetus and preventing a pregnancy. (Alessandro Di Meo/Pool Photo via AP) Britain and EU still don't agree on benefits, treaty change BRUSSELS (AP) British Prime Minister David Cameron and 27 other European Union leaders headed back into talks Friday after marathon overnight negotiations failed to cement a new deal for Britain in the bloc. The broad outlines of an agreement have been in place for weeks but here are some continuing points of contention: A BRAKE ON BENEFITS The draft deal offers Britain the chance to temporarily limit some government benefits notably those to families with children to immigrants from other EU countries because the "exceptional inflow of workers" to Britain from eastern European EU nations in recent years has placed the U.K. welfare system under a severe strain. British Prime Minister David Cameron leaves the EU Council building after an EU summit in Brussels on Friday, Feb. 19, 2016. European Union leaders are continuing a two-day summit in Brussels to hammer out a deal designed to keep Britain in the 28-nation bloc. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) Eastern European countries, however, are putting up resistance over how long the "emergency brake" on benefits would last. Britain is proposing a decade or longer, but Poland and others want it kept to three or four years, according to officials. They also want it made clear that the limit on child benefits won't extend to other payments such as pensions. There's no plan to change unemployment benefits; the payments on the table are all made to workers. ___ EURO NATIONS VS NON-EURO NATIONS Britain is seeking an explicit guarantee that the nine EU countries that don't use the shared euro currency can't be steamrollered or sidelined by the 19 countries that do. But France, in particular, has expressed concern this could lead to non-eurozone nations being able to block decisions by the rest, and could give an advantage to London's lightly regulated financial district. President Francois Hollande has insisted that Britain should not be given any "right of veto or blockage" and that all EU countries should have rules limiting speculation to avoid new financial crises. ___ TO CHANGE OR NOT TO CHANGE THE TREATY? Texas couple accused of waterboarding 13-year-old boy KAUFMAN, Texas (AP) A North Texas woman and her boyfriend have been jailed for allegedly punishing her 13-year-old son by tying a rope around his genitals and subjecting him to waterboarding, authorities said Thursday. The boy told investigators the incident occurred in late January. The man allegedly grabbed the boy by the hair, pinned him down and held a towel over his face as the woman poured water over his head and nose, according to an affidavit filed by a Kaufman County sheriff's investigator. The affidavit notes the tactic is known as waterboarding, which was once used by the U.S. to question terror suspects but has since been banned. "The victim said that he was able to breathe slightly if he moved his head to the side and that kept him from feeling like he was drowning," the affidavit said. The woman then tied a rope around the boy's genitals and the back of his neck, and the man left the boy in a curled position for five to 10 minutes, according to the affidavit. The boy told authorities the incident occurred after he told the man he inappropriately touched the family dog. The Associated Press is not naming the accused couple to shield the child's identity. The couple was being held at the Kaufman County Jail, each facing a charge of felony injury to a child, said Kaufman County Sheriff's Office spokesman Fred Klingelberger. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Neither the man nor the woman had a defense attorney listed in jail records, and no phone numbers were publicly listed for their home. No court hearings had been scheduled Thursday in either case, according to online court records. The woman was booked into jail on Feb. 9, and she remains in custody with a $250,000 bond. The man turned himself in Wednesday and was expected to be booked into jail Thursday. Superdelegates help Clinton expand her lead despite NH loss WASHINGTON (AP) So much for Bernie Sanders' big win in New Hampshire. Since then, Hillary Clinton has picked up endorsements from 87 more superdelegates to the Democratic National Convention, dwarfing Sanders' gain from the New Hampshire primary, according to a new Associated Press survey. Sanders has added just 11 superdelegate endorsements. If these party insiders continue to back Clinton overwhelmingly and they can change their minds Sanders would have to win the remaining primaries by a landslide just to catch up. He would have to roll up big margins because every Democratic contest awards delegates in proportion to the vote, so even the loser can get some. FILE - In this Feb. 15, 2016 file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks in Reno, Nev. Bernie Sanders won big in New Hampshire, but Hillary Clinton is still adding to her wide lead in the delegates that will decide the Democrats presidential nominee. Over the past week, Clinton has picked up the endorsements of 87 more superdelegates, according to a new Associated Press survey. Sanders added just 11. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) After the contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, Sanders has a small 36-32 lead among delegates won in primaries and caucuses. But when superdelegates are included, Clinton leads 481-55, according to the AP count. It's essentially a parallel election that underscores Clinton's lopsided support from the Democratic establishment. The disparity is sparking a backlash among some Sanders supporters, who complain that the Democratic nominating process is decidedly undemocratic, rigged in favor of Clinton. Some of them not part of the campaign, Sanders' people say are contacting superdelegates who have publicly endorsed Clinton. Their message isn't subtle, or always welcome. "I'm sick and tired of them," Cordelia Lewis-Burks, a superdelegate from Indiana, said of the Sanders backers. "It's very aggravating to be bashed on my own computer by these people who it's probably the first time they've ever voted. I've been in the trenches since I was 20." Pressure tactics won't sway Lacy Johnson, another Indiana superdelegate who backs Clinton. "They were saying 'We're not going to forget this,'" Johnson said. "I'm an African-American male who is in my 60s," Johnson said. "I have experienced the struggles. The experiences they are sharing don't faze me in comparison." Superdelegates aren't new. They have been part of the Democratic Party's nominating process since 1984. They automatically attend the national convention and can support the candidate of their choice, regardless of whom primary voters back. They are party leaders members of Congress, party officials and members of the Democratic National Committee. There are 712 superdelegates, about 30 percent of the 2,382 delegates needed to claim the nomination. The Republicans also have some automatic delegates but not nearly as many. Clinton's campaign expresses confidence that she will maintain a strong lead among superdelegates even as she focuses on upcoming voting. "Our campaign strategy is to build a lead with pledged delegates" won in primaries and caucuses, spokesman Jesse Ferguson said in an email. The Sanders campaign, meanwhile, doesn't consider the early superdelegate count to be very meaningful. "I think that if we are able to see our momentum grow, if we are able to do well in Nevada, do well in other states on Super Tuesday, I think your average superdelegate is going to look and say, 'Hmm, I started off this campaign supporting Secretary Clinton, but you know what, the most important point is for us to defeat Republicans,'" Sanders said Thursday. In 2008, some superdelegates who initially supported Clinton did switch to Barack Obama after he started racking up victories in primaries and caucuses. But Obama is a Democrat who had worked on campaigns and cultivated relationships with many of the superdelegates. Sanders is an independent. "To my knowledge there has been zero outreach to the New Hampshire automatic delegates from the Sanders campaign," said Kathleen Sullivan, a DNC member from New Hampshire. "Not just since the primary, I mean since he first decided to run." New Hampshire, which Sanders won by 22 percentage points, has eight superdelegates. Six back Clinton and two are uncommitted. Many Clinton supporters question whether Sanders could win the general election. "He'd get killed!" said Rosalind Wyman, a DNC member from California. "A socialist independent?" Others talk about their relationship with Clinton, who has been in Democratic politics for decades. Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said, "Superdelegates are interested to see who can win, and many of them have strong ties to the Clintons, like me." Sanders supporters are tired of hearing these arguments. "I'm so damned sick of people saying I love this guy but he can't win," said Troy Jackson, a DNC member from Maine who supports Sanders. "People need to start voting with their heart, what they know is right," Jackson, a superdelegate himself, said he will push to have all five of Maine's superdelegates back the candidate who wins the state's caucuses in March. Three have endorsed Clinton and the other is undecided. "I want someone who's going to fight for me, not cut deals, not compromise on core values," Jackson said. "While I have respect for Secretary Clinton, she does that too much." AP reporters in every state and U.S. territory surveyed the Democratic superdelegates after the New Hampshire primary. When AP did this in November, Clinton led Sanders 359-8 in pledged support, meaning her already substantial margin has grown. ___ Associated Press writers Brian Slodysko in Indianapolis, Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, Christopher Weber in Los Angeles, Summer Ballentine in Jefferson City, Missouri, David Sharp in Portland, Maine, and Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, contributed to this report. ___ Follow Stephen Ohlemacher and Hope Yen on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephenatap and http://twitter.com/hopeyen1 Pope on JPII letters: 'Healthy, holy' female friendships OK ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) Pope Francis says even popes need women and can sustain "healthy, holy" friendships with them. Francis was asked en route home from Mexico on Wednesday about reports of a close friendship between St. John Paul II and a philosopher, Anna Teresa Tymieniecka, that emerged from their correspondence. Officials at Poland's National Library who have read the letters say they indicate that she may have been in love with John Paul but that the pope kept the relationship on a friendly and intellectual level. Francis said he knew of their friendship and that, in general, any man who is unable to have a good friendship with a woman "is missing something." Pope Francis arrives to pay a visit to the St. Mary Major Basilica Rome, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Pope Francis landed in Rome Thursday after a week-long trip to Mexico. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Francis said he himself values the advice of women since they "look at things in a different way" than men do. "A friendship with a woman is not a sin, it's a friendship," he said. "A romantic relationship with a woman who is not your wife, that is sin. Understand?" "But the pope is a man," he continued. "And the pope, too, has a heart that can have a healthy, holy friendship with a woman." Francis acknowledged, though, that the church still hasn't figured out how to value women. "We have not understood the good that a woman can do for the life of a priest and of the church in the sense of counsel, help, of healthy friendship," he said. Francis has something of a mixed record on women's issues. From the start he has said the church needs more women in governance positions, but three years into his pontificate, few if any have been appointed to high-level Vatican positions. Francis has ruled out women's ordination, and on occasion has sounded tone deaf in speaking about women. He once called Europe a "barren grandmother," urged nuns not to be "old maids" and praised new female members of the world's most prestigious theological commission as "strawberries on the cake." His comments about the positive aspects that a "healthy, holy" friendship with women can bring even to celibate priests in many ways breaks a taboo. Francis noted that there have been famous friendships in the course of church history St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi, John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila. Some want to limit justices to 18 years on Supreme Court WASHINGTON (AP) Justice Antonin Scalia's sudden death a month before his 80th birthday and the potential impasse over replacing him is giving new impetus to an old idea: Limiting the service of Supreme Court justices. Scalia had been on the court for nearly 30 years, longer than any of the current justices and all but 14 of the 112 men and women who have served on the court. "I think 30 years on the court is too long for anyone liberal or conservative. That is just too much power in one person's hands for too long a period," said Erwin Chemerinsky, a liberal legal scholar and dean of the law school at the University of California at Irvine. FILE - In this Jan. 21, 2016 file photo, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer speaks in Washington. The Constitution says federal judges shall hold their offices during good behaviour, essentially as they long as they wish. The most talked-about idea has support among both liberals and conservatives. A single 18-year-term would replace lifetime tenure. Going forward, presidents would appoint a justice every two years, ensuring both continuity on the court and two picks for each presidential term. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) The Constitution says federal judges "shall hold their offices during good behaviour," which means essentially as they long as they wish. The most talked-about idea has support among both liberals and conservatives. A single 18-year-term would replace lifetime tenure. Going forward, presidents would appoint a justice every two years, ensuring both continuity on the court and two picks for each presidential term. On the right, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry advanced a similar idea during his 2012 Republican campaign for president. The Supreme Court already had been a topic of conversation in the presidential race. Scalia's death has brought into stark relief how Supreme Court appointments can be a president's most lasting legacy. Even with Scalia's death, there remain three justices who are at least 77 years old and have served more than 20 years. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's 83rd birthday is March 15. Justice Anthony Kennedy turns 80 on July 23. Justice Stephen Breyer will be 78 on August 15. Even with improved medical care and longer life expectancies, health crises on the court are as inevitable as they are in society at large, said historian David Garrow. "One thing we can say in the present day is the fact that we have a court that is this elderly at the moment and there aren't any signs of decrepitude ... is like the Florida Gulf Coast dodging a hurricane," Garrow said. Justice William Douglas' declining health provided the clearest example in recent decades of what can ensue when a debilitated justice remains on the bench. The 76-year-old Douglas suffered a stroke on December 31, 1974, but did not retire until the following November. Douglas tried to participate in the court's work, but had trouble staying awake, even during public court sessions. Court arguments were interrupted when the justice, who used a wheelchair, had to leave the bench. Still, it took many months before Douglas agreed to retire. He was not alone in staying on the court too long, Garrow said. Justices Hugo Black, Thurgood Marshall and Lewis Powell all suffered significant declines in what Garrow called their mental energy and should have left the court earlier than they did, he said. The last time the court had as many as three justices in their 80s was in 1990, with Justices William Brennan, Harry Blackmun and Marshall. Brennan retired that year, and the other two also left the bench over the next four years, along with Byron White, though he was a relatively youthful 76 when he retired. Knowing that their picks may outlive them by decades, presidents tend to choose younger men and women for the job. President Ronald Reagan named the 50-year-old Scalia to the court in 1986. Douglas, the longest serving justice of them all, was appointed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt before the start of World War II and served until 1975. He took his seat at age 40. Other than Ginsburg, who was 60 when she took her seat in 1993, no one older than 55 has joined the court since 1972. "If you are 62 years old, no one is going to appoint you under the current rules," said University of Chicago professor Harold Pollack. Another point in favor of term limits, Pollack said, is that judges educated in the 1940s and 50s are making decisions about same-sex marriage and technology. "They're from a totally different time. That's not a wise institutional design," he said. Life tenure also undercuts the importance of elections, George Washington University law professor and former Kennedy clerk Orin Kerr wrote on the Volokh Conspiracy blog. Kerr pointed to President Jimmy Carter, who made no Supreme Court appointments in four years in the White House. Reagan made four in the following eight years. Staggered appointments of Supreme Court justices would more closely align the composition of the court with the prevailing political majority, Kerr said. One hazard of such a system, though, is that a two-term president could name a majority of the court if a justice appointed by the previous president were to die or be forced to leave the court early. Yet Scalia's clear and consistent articulation of a method of interpreting laws and the Constitution over many decades underscores the value of lifetime appointments, said Roy Englert, a Washington lawyer who has argued 20 cases at the high court. "Scalia was a brilliant thought leader on the court and within the country up until the day he died, literally," Englert said. Past efforts to drum up support for term limits have failed, mainly because most scholars believe the Constitution would have to be changed. It takes two-thirds of the House and Senate to propose an amendment, and 38 of the 50 states to ratify it. Scalia himself said in recent years that one thing he wished the framers of the Constitution had done differently was to make the document easier to amend. FILE 0 In this Jan. 28, 2016 file photo, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. The Constitution says federal judges shall hold their offices during good behaviour, essentially as they long as they wish. The most talked-about idea has support among both liberals and conservatives. A single 18-year-term would replace lifetime tenure. Going forward, presidents would appoint a justice every two years, ensuring both continuity on the court and two picks for each presidential term. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File) Egypt buries veteran diplomat Boutros-Ghali with top honors CAIRO (AP) Egypt on Thursday laid to rest its veteran diplomat Boutros Boutros-Ghali, holding a funeral procession with top honors in the capital, Cairo, followed by a service at the nation's largest Coptic cathedral for the man who was the first U.N. chief from Africa. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi led the procession, walking at the front of the cortege as a horse-drawn hearse carried Boutros-Ghali's flag-draped coffin. The head of Egypt's Coptic Church attended the service in Cairo, along with senior dignitaries. Eulogizing Boutros-Ghali, the Coptic patriarch, Pope Tawadros II, said Egypt was bidding "farewell to this fine example in Egyptian life and in Egyptian history." Laila Boutros-Ghali, the wife of former U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, sits near his coffin during his funeral in Al-Boutrossiya Church, at the main Coptic Cathedral complex in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Boutros-Ghali, a veteran Egyptian diplomat who helped negotiate his country's landmark peace deal with Israel but then clashed with the United States when he served a single term as U.N. secretary-general, died Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, aged 93. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) UNESCO chief Irina Bokova, representing the United Nations, Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby, and his predecessor Amr Moussa and other Egyptian ministers and officials attended the service at the Coptic Cathedral in the Abbassia district in Cairo. At U.N. headquarters in New York and U.N. offices around the world, flags flew at half-staff in honor of the sixth U.N. secretary-general. The 193-member General Assembly paid tribute to Boutros-Ghali, led by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who said that as the first post-Cold War secretary-general he "helped the United Nations find its footing in a new global landscape" at a tumultuous time. "He broke barriers as the first African and Arab secretary-general of the United Nations, and consistently gave voice to the poorest and least powerful members of the human family," Ban said. "Boutros-Ghali also oversaw remarkable growth in peacekeeping. His 'Agenda for Peace' report made far-reaching proposals for fortifying this flagship U.N. activity, many of which have since become standard practice but many of which also remain unfulfilled." Ban said Boutros-Ghali "never attempted to endear himself to everybody" and was too independent for some people. But he said Boutros-Ghali considered independence "among the highest virtues for any secretary-general of the United Nations." Boutros-Ghali, who died on Tuesday at the age of 93, helped negotiate Egypt's landmark peace deal with Israel but then clashed with the United States when he served a single term as U.N. secretary-general. The scion of a prominent Egyptian Christian political family, he was the first U.N. chief from the African continent, stepping into the post in 1992 at a time of dramatic world changes, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the end of the Cold War and the beginning of a unipolar era dominated by the United States. His five years at the world body's helm remain controversial. He worked to establish the U.N.'s independence, particularly from the United States, at a time when the United Nations was increasingly called on to step into crises with peacekeeping forces, with limited resources. Some blame him for misjudgments in the failures to prevent genocides in Africa and the Balkans and mismanagement of reform in the world body. ___ Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer contributed to this report from the United Nations. Coptic Pope Tawadros II, prays during the funeral of former U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, in Al-Boutrossiya Church, at the main Coptic Cathedral complex in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Boutros-Ghali, a veteran Egyptian diplomat who helped negotiate his country's landmark peace deal with Israel but then clashed with the United States when he served a single term as U.N. secretary-general, died Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, aged 93.(AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Coptic Pope Tawadros II, center, prays in front of the flag draped coffin of former U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, during his funeral in Al-Boutrossiya Church, at the main Coptic Cathedral complex in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Boutros-Ghali, a veteran Egyptian diplomat who helped negotiate his country's landmark peace deal with Israel but then clashed with the United States when he served a single term as U.N. secretary-general, died Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, aged 93. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Laila Boutros-Ghali, left, the wife of former U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, sits near his flag draped coffin during his funeral in Al-Boutrossiya Church, at the main Coptic Cathedral complex in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Boutros-Ghali, a veteran Egyptian diplomat who helped negotiate his country's landmark peace deal with Israel but then clashed with the United States when he served a single term as U.N. secretary-general, died Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, aged 93. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Coptic Pope Tawadros II, centre, prays during the funeral of former U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, in Al-Boutrossiya Church, at the main Coptic Cathedral complex in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Boutros-Ghali, a veteran Egyptian diplomat who helped negotiate his country's landmark peace deal with Israel but then clashed with the United States when he served a single term as U.N. secretary-general, died Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, aged 93. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) The flag draped coffin of former U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, is carried during his funeral in Al-Boutrossiya Church, at the main Coptic Cathedral complex in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Boutros-Ghali, a veteran Egyptian diplomat who helped negotiate his country's landmark peace deal with Israel but then clashed with the United States when he served a single term as U.N. secretary-general, died Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, aged 93.(AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) From left to right, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, former Secretary-General of the Arab League Amr Moussa, and Secretary General of the Arab League Nabil Al-Araby, pay their respects during the funeral of of former U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, in Al-Boutrossiya Church, at the main Coptic Cathedral complex in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Boutros-Ghali, a veteran Egyptian diplomat who helped negotiate his country's landmark peace deal with Israel but then clashed with the United States when he served a single term as U.N. secretary-general, died Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, aged 93.(AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Obama OKs new sanctions against NKorea over nuclear program WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama slapped North Korea with more stringent sanctions Thursday for defying the world and pushing forward with its nuclear weapons program, weeks after it launched a satellite-carrying rocket into space and conducted its fourth underground nuclear test. Both actions led to worldwide condemnation of the reclusive country and fueled fears that it continues to move toward building an atomic arsenal. Democratic and Republican lawmakers, many of whom argue Obama hasn't been tough enough with North Korea, overwhelmingly approved the bill last week and sent it to the White House. The House voted 408-2, following a unanimous vote by the Senate. FILE - In this Feb. 9, 2016 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. President Barack Obama has signed legislation imposing new sanctions against North Korea for refusing to stop its nuclear weapons program. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File) Obama signed the legislation away from the news media and issued no statement. Up until Wednesday, the administration had said it didn't oppose the bill but declined to say whether Obama would sign it into law. The expanded sanctions are being imposed as the U.S. and China are in delicate negotiations over a United Nations Security Council resolution on new sanctions. China, North Korea's most important ally, has raised concerns about measures that could devastate North Korea's economy. The new measures are intended to deny North Korea the money it needs to develop miniaturized warheads and the long-range missiles required to deliver them. The legislation also authorizes $50 million over the next five years to transmit radio broadcasts into North Korea, purchase communications equipment and support humanitarian assistance programs. "This is an authoritarian regime. It's provocative. It has repeatedly violated U.N. resolutions, tested and produced nuclear weapons, and now they are trying to perfect their missile launch system," Obama told "CBS This Morning" after North Korea launched the long-range rocket, Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat and sponsor of the bill, said he hoped the U.N. Security Council and China, in particular, will "take notice of this strong showing of U.S. leadership" and work to put in place similar measures. "Let's stand together with a single voice and one clear message: Any provocation will be met with consequences that will shake the Kim regime to its foundations," Menendez said. Obama consulted with Chinese President Xi Jinping after the Jan. 6 nuclear test, and separately with the leaders of Japan and South Korea after the Feb. 7 rocket launch to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to their security. The U.S. has also opened talks with South Korea about developing more missile-defense systems to eliminate the possibility that a North Korean missile could reach U.S. facilities. Japan announced new sanctions last week that include expanded restrictions on travel between the two countries and a complete ban on visits by North Korean ships to Japan. South Korea cut off power and water supplies to a factory park in North Korea, a day after the North deported all South Korean workers there and ordered a military takeover of the complex that had been the last major symbol of cooperation between the rivals. ___ The bill is H.R. 757. ___ Associated Press writer Richard Lardner contributed to this report. ___ Walesa was a paid informer for communist regime, papers show WARSAW, Poland (AP) Lech Walesa, the legendary anti-communist leader who played a historic role in bringing down communism in Poland and across Eastern Europe, had served as a paid informant in the 1970s for the same communist regime that he later fought, according to documents revealed publicly Thursday. It is not yet clear how damaging the revelations will be to Walesa, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 for his defiant opposition to the communists and who became Poland's first democratically-elected president after the 1989 fall of communism. Walesa, now 72, has long admitted that he signed a document in the 1970s agreeing to provide information to the generally-hated communist secret police, although he insisted he never informed on anyone and never took any money. In 2000, he was cleared by a court, which said it found no evidence of collaboration. Poland's former president and Solidarity founder Lech Walesa delivers a speech during a special session of Venezuela's National Assembly, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Walesa, the icon of Poland's successful struggle to topple communism and the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has previously acknowledged signing a commitment to be an informant, but has insisted he never acted on it. In 2000 he was cleared by a special court, which said it found no evidence of collaboration. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) On Thursday, Walesa suggested that the newly uncovered papers were fake and vowed to fight to clear his name. "There can exist no documents coming from me," Walesa said in a written message from Venezuela, where he is traveling. "I will prove that in court." Communism and strong controls by Moscow were imposed on Poland and other Eastern European nations after World War II measures despised and opposed by most people in the region. The secret service was the regime's harshest tool for keeping people under its control, using personal information to blackmail and discredit opponents and dissidents. But the secret police also fabricated information on people, a fact that calls for meticulous confirmation of the authenticity of any compromising documents that emerge. The fate of the files was a major concern after the communists lost power in 1989, with reports saying that secret agents at the time were fabricating new documents and burning or hiding others. The newly discovered evidence implicating Walesa was found among documents seized this week from the home of the last communist interior minister, the late Gen. Czeslaw Kiszczak, said Lukasz Kaminski, the head of the National Remembrance Institute, a state body that investigates Nazi and communist-era crimes. Kaminski said they include a commitment to provide information that is signed with Walesa's name and codename "Bolek." There are also pages of reports and receipts for money, signed "Bolek," and dated from 1970-76. Kaminski said the 279 pages of documents on Walesa seem to be authentic and will be made public in due course. He said historians need time to analyze the content of the documents. Antoni Dudek, the institute's leading historian and an expert on Walesa, predicted that the impact would not be that great unless some evidence emerged that Walesa continued to be an informant after he had founded the Solidarity freedom movement in 1980. "Lech Walesa is the symbol of Poland's struggle for freedom. He is the symbol of Solidarity and nothing can destroy that, unless we learn that he continued that collaboration," Dudek said. The papers concerning Walesa came to light on Tuesday, when Kiszczak's widow offered to sell the institute documents concerning secret informer "Bolek." She demanded 90,000 zlotys ($23,000) for them. Prosecutors seized the documents the same day because the law requires that important historic or state papers be handed over to authorities. According to Kaminski, the institute seized five more packets of documents but these have not yet been opened. Prosecutors and police also searched Kiszczak's summer house on Thursday. Walesa is the icon of Poland's and Eastern Europe's drive for freedom that abolished communism and brought down the Iron Curtain without bloodshed. He founded and led Solidarity from 1980, when it was born out of shipyard worker protests on the Baltic Sea coast, and through communist-imposed martial law. He led Solidarity in round-table negotiations with the communists, Kiszczak among them, in 1989 that ushered in massive democratic and economic changes. Walesa was democratic Poland's first popularly elected president from 1990 to 1995, but, following a term of office when his style was perceived as authoritarian, he painfully lost a re-election bid to ex-communist Aleksander Kwasniewski. Walesa has withdrawn officially from politics, though he comments publicly on current events. He is a sharp critic of Poland's new conservative ruling party, the Law and Justice party, whose leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, is a longtime political foe of Walesa's. Walesa has recently accused the new leadership of undermining democracy. ___ This story has been corrected to show that the receipts were signed "Bolek," not Walesa. FILE - In this Feb. 19, 2015 file photo Poland's former president and Solidarity leader Lech Walesa talks with The Associated Press in Warsaw, Poland. The head of Poland's National Remembrance Institute said Thursday Feb. 18, 2016 that recently seized documents show that Walesa was a paid informant for the communist-era secret security from 1970 to 1976. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, file) FILE - The 1981 file photo shows Lech Walesa, leader of the forbidden Polish 'Solidarity Movement' in Poland. The head of Poland's National Remembrance Institute said Thursday Feb. 18, 2016 that recently seized documents show that Walesa was a paid informant for the communist-era secret security from 1970 to 1976. (AP Photo) FILE - In this June 16, 1983 file photo former Solidarity leader Lech Walesa makes the V-sign and raises his arms to a cheering crowd as he leaves the shipyard in Gdansk where he worked. The head of Poland's National Remembrance Institute said Thursday Feb. 18, 2016 that recently seized documents show that Walesa was a paid informant for the communist-era secret security from 1970 to 1976. (AP Photo/Jacques Langevin) FILE - The 1983 file photo shows Lech Walesa, former leader of Poland's Solidarity movement during a press conference in Gdansk, Poland, after the Nobel committee announced that he is to receive the Nobel Prize for peace. The head of Poland's National Remembrance Institute said Thursday Feb. 18, 2016 that recently seized documents show that Walesa was a paid informant for the communist-era secret security from 1970 to 1976. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, file) FILE - In this April 30, 2009 file photo former Polish President Lech Walesa speaks in front of the Congress Hall hosting the European people's Party congress in Warsaw, Poland. The head of Poland's National Remembrance Institute said Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016 that recently seized documents show that Walesa was a paid informant for the communist-era secret security from 1970 to 1976. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, file) FILE - In this Nov. 14, 2015 file photo Polish 1983 Nobel peace laureate Lech Walesa looks down during the XV World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Barcelona, Spain. The head of Poland's National Remembrance Institute said Thursday Feb. 18, 2016 that recently seized documents show that Walesa was a paid informant for the communist-era secret security from 1970 to 1976. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, file) FILE - In this Feb. 19, 2015 file photo Poland's former president and Solidarity leader Lech Walesa talks with The Associated Press in Warsaw, Poland. The head of Poland's National Remembrance Institute said Thursday Feb. 18, 2016 that recently seized documents show that Walesa was a paid informant for the communist-era secret security from 1970 to 1976. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, file) Poland's former president and Solidarity founder Lech Walesa, center, is greeeted by lawmakers upon his arrival to deliver a speech during a special session of Venezuela's National Assembly, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Walesa, the legendary anti-communist leader who played a historic role in bringing down communism in Poland, had served as a paid informant in the 1970s for the same communist regime that he later fought, according to documents revealed publicly. Walesa has previously acknowledged signing a commitment to be an informant, but has insisted he never acted on it. In 2000 he was cleared by a special court, which said it found no evidence of collaboration. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) Poland's former president and Solidarity founder Lech Walesa, center, is greeted by relatives of Venezuelan jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, after he delivered a speech during a special session of Venezuela's National Assembly, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Walesa, the legendary anti-communist leader who played a historic role in bringing down communism in Poland, had served as a paid informant in the 1970s for the same communist regime that he later fought, according to documents revealed publicly. Walesa has previously acknowledged signing a commitment to be an informant, but has insisted he never acted on it. In 2000 he was cleared by a special court, which said it found no evidence of collaboration. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) Poland's former president and Solidarity founder Lech Walesa delivers a speech during a special session of Venezuela's National Assembly, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Walesa, the legendary anti-communist leader who played a historic role in bringing down communism in Poland, had served as a paid informant in the 1970s for the same communist regime that he later fought, according to documents revealed publicly. Walesa has previously acknowledged signing a commitment to be an informant, but has insisted he never acted on it. In 2000 he was cleared by a special court, which said it found no evidence of collaboration. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) A woman poses for a photo next to Poland's former president and Solidarity founder Lech Walesa, center, prior a news conference at Venezuela's National Assembly building, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Walesa, the legendary anti-communist leader who played a historic role in bringing down communism in Poland, had served as a paid informant in the 1970s for the same communist regime that he later fought, according to documents revealed publicly. Walesa has previously acknowledged signing a commitment to be an informant, but has insisted he never acted on it. In 2000 he was cleared by a special court, which said it found no evidence of collaboration. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) FILE-- In this Feb. 6, 1989 file photo then Solidarity leader Lech Walesa takes his seat as long-awaited "round-table" talks begin with authorities, in Warsaw, Poland. Recently seized documents show that Walesa was a paid informant for the communist-era secret security service from 1970-76, the head of Poland's history institute said Thursday Feb 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, file) FILE - The 1983 file photo shows Lech Walesa, former leader of Poland's Solidarity movement during a press conference in Gdansk, Poland, after the Nobel committee announced that he is to receive the Nobel Prize for peace. The head of Poland's National Remembrance Institute said Thursday Feb. 18, 2016 that recently seized documents show that Walesa was a paid informant for the communist-era secret security from 1970 to 1976. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, file) FILE - In this April 30, 2009 file photo former Polish President Lech Walesa speaks in front of the Congress Hall hosting the European people's Party congress in Warsaw, Poland. The head of Poland's National Remembrance Institute said Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016 that recently seized documents show that Walesa was a paid informant for the communist-era secret security from 1970 to 1976. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, file) FILE-- In this Aug. 28, 2005 file photo former Polish President and first Solidarity leader Lech Walesa signs an autograph on a picture showing him 25 years ago during the Gdansk shipyard strike, in Warsaw, Poland. Recently seized documents show that Walesa was a paid informant for the communist-era secret security service from 1970-76, the head of Poland's history institute said Thursday, Feb 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz,file) FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2013 file photo Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Polands former President, Lech Walesa, looks at the audience during the annual meeting of laureates in Warsaw. The head of Poland's National Remembrance Institute said Thursday Feb. 18, 2016 that recently seized documents show that Walesa was a paid informant for the communist-era secret security from 1970 to 1976. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz, file) FBI searches home of San Bernardino shooter's brother CORONA, Calif. (AP) The investigation into the San Bernardino terror attack that killed 14 people burst back into public view Thursday, when FBI agents searched the home of the brother of gunman Syed Rizwan Farook. The FBI conducted an hours-long search of Syed Raheel Farook's home in Corona, Calif. Curious neighbors and media outlets captured images of at least a dozen investigators carting out armloads of thick manila envelopes, a computer tower and an unidentifiable object so heavy it took two men to carry. The search warrant is sealed, and FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller would not disclose any information other than to confirm a search was conducted at a Corona home in an ongoing investigation. FBI and Homeland Security investigators carry a computer tower and manila envelopes from the Corona, Calif., home of Syed Raheel Farook while executing a search warrant at the home on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. FBI agents on Thursday were searching the California townhome of the brother of one of the shooters in the San Bernardino terror attack. Syed Raheel Farook is a Navy veteran who earned medals for fighting global terrorism. (Stan Lim /The Press-Enterprise via AP) MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT The massive investigation into the shootings has largely been progressing behind the scenes, with agents conducting hundreds of interviews and analyzing mounds of evidence. Following the search of his home, Raheel Farook was not arrested and has not been named a suspect. Messages left for attorneys representing the Farook family were not immediately returned. Raheel Farook is a military veteran who earned medals for fighting global terrorism. One of his neighbors, Stacy Mozer, described Raheel Farook and his wife, Tatiana, as ideal neighbors. The couple drove another neighbor to doctor's appointments last year when she had cancer surgery, treated her to meals out and fetched her prescriptions for her, even paying for them, he said. The couple frequently strolled with their 1-year-old daughter around the community of townhomes and took her to the pool. "I would find it very hard to believe that they would be involved in any way," he said. "I do know that if you have a family member, you don't have control of their lives, and I don't think they had control of their brother's life." Mozer said the family's home was searched twice after the December shooting, and authorities broke down the door on an earlier occasion. To serve a search warrant, authorities must have probable cause that a crime was committed and items connected to the crime are likely to be found at the location. Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, opened fire Dec. 2 at a meeting of his San Bernardino County co-workers. They died hours later in a shootout with police. The 14 people killed marked the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil since Sept. 11, 2001. Farook's family has said it had no inkling about the plot. Raheel Farook was a Navy information system technician from 2003 to 2007, military records show. He was stationed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise and received the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, among other awards. The chief of the FBI's Los Angeles field office told The Associated Press last month that some of the most basic questions related to the shootings had not been answered, including whether anyone else was involved. At the time, David Bowdich said investigators were not looking past anyone and had "a very open mind on this investigation." The search of the Farook home came a day after Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company would fight federal government efforts to help the FBI hack into an iPhone used by the gunman. So far, the only person charged in connection with the attack is Enrique Marquez, a friend and former neighbor of Rizwan Farook's. Marquez is charged with providing the assault rifles used in the massacre, making false statements about when he bought the weapons and conspiring with Rizwan Farook on a pair of previously planned attacks that were never carried out. Marquez also faces charges of marriage fraud and lying on immigration paperwork. The FBI said he acknowledged that he was paid $200 a month to marry the sister of Raheel Farook's wife, and he lied on immigration papers that he lived with her so she could stay in the U.S. Marquez and his wife listed their address at the same Corona home that was searched by the FBI on Thursday. ___ Myers reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Amy Taxin in Tustin contributed to this report. Stacy Mozer, neighbor of Syed Raheel Farook, brother of one of the San Bernardino attackers, talks to reporters after FBI agents carried out armloads of papers and a computer from the Farook home during a raid Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Mozer described Raheel Farook and wife Tatiana as ideal neighbors and very pleasant people. Mozer said the family's home was searched twice after the December terror attack and that authorities previously broke down the front door. (AP Photo/Gilliam Flaccus) Members of the media and onloookers stand across the street from the home of Syed Raheel Farook, the brother of Syed Farook, one of the shooters in the San Bernardino mass shooting as FBI investigators execute a search warrant at the home on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016, in Corona, Calif. Syed Raheel Farook is a Navy veteran who earned medals for fighting global terrorism. (Stan Lim /The Press-Enterprise via AP) MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT Profit or patriotism? What's driving fight between US, Apple WASHINGTON (AP) Battling in intense public broadsides, Apple Inc. and the government are making their cases before anyone steps into a courtroom over a judge's order forcing Apple to help the FBI hack into an iPhone in a sensational terrorism case. Both sides are framing their statements in ways that foreshadow the high-profile legal arguments that pit digital privacy rights against national security interests and could affect millions of cellphone users. Apple has until next Tuesday to protest in court the decision by U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym in California. But the public relations campaigns pitting one of the world's leading technology companies against the muscle of the U.S. government are already underway. FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2014, file photo, Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during an announcement of new products in Cupertino, Calif. Faced with a federal judges order to help investigators break into an iPhone allegedly used by one of the San Bernardino, Calif., shooters, Apple may well argue that the request would place an unreasonable burden on the company. In fact, doing what the government asks is not likely to be a tough technical feat for Apple. But doing so might have dramatic consequences on the data security of the millions of iPhone users around the world. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) Is Apple adequately cooperating with federal agents investigating the deadly terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California? Is this simply a dispute to recover information from an iPhone 5C used by the gunman, or more broadly a fight affecting the privacy rights of innocent citizens who use Apple's flagship product? Is this about profits or patriotism? It depends on who you ask, and key players include powerful institutions of government, politics and industry. The Justice Department fired its first salvos in court papers asking the judge to order Apple to create sophisticated software that the FBI could load onto the phone to bypass a self-destruct feature that erases all data after 10 consecutive, unsuccessful attempts to guess the unlocking passcode. Pointedly, prosecutors said Apple could help the FBI "but has declined to provide that assistance voluntarily," and they said Apple could perform the task easily. That point is crucial because the government can't compel a company's help in some cases if doing so would be unreasonably burdensome, even though the U.S. would almost certainly pay Apple for the work. Apple CEO Tim Cook disputed the claims in his first public statement, distancing the company from the suggestion that it was protecting the privacy of a terrorist. "The FBI asked us for help in the days following the attack, and we have worked hard to support the government's efforts to solve this horrible crime," Cook said. "We have no sympathy for terrorists." Cook also said the FBI's latest demand went beyond previous requests for help: "The U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create," Cook said. "They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone." Cook introduced that radioactive word "backdoor" into the current debate, and the White House quickly rejected it. The pejorative term, describing a behind-the-scenes method hackers use to gain unauthorized access, has for years colored the discussion of how the government can obtain protected information or eavesdrop on encrypted communications from criminals or terrorists. The government is stressing that it wants help to unlock only the work-issued iPhone used by Syed Farook, who along with his wife killed 14 people in December. The FBI is "simply asking for something that would have an impact on this one device," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. But Apple says helping the U.S. bypass its encryption locks on Farook's iPhone would threaten the privacy of all its customers. "While the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control," Cook said, adding: "Ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect." On Wednesday, the Justice Department took the unusual step of responding to Cook's statement. "It is unfortunate that Apple continues to refuse to assist the department in obtaining access to the phone of one of the terrorists involved in a major terror attack on U.S. soil," spokeswoman Emily Pierce said. The back-and-forth marks an escalation of a dispute that, at least in public, has played out in mostly polite terms. FBI Director James Comey has been slow to criticize U.S. technology executives, describing them as "good people" who share the bureau's commitment to public safety. In recent months, he foreshadowed a different approach by suggesting companies have the technical capability to help the FBI but don't have a business interest. "Lots of good people have designed their systems and their devices so that judges' orders cannot be complied with for reasons that I understand," Comey told the Senate Judiciary Committee one week after the California shootings. "I'm not questioning their motivations. The question we have to ask is, should they change their business model?" The rhetoric has drawn in presidential candidates, too. Marco Rubio acknowledged Wednesday night the issue is complex and said Silicon Valley needs to figure out a way for access to information in emergency circumstances such as preventing a terrorist attack. Ted Cruz said Apple should be compelled to help the government hack the iPhone because it's a binding order. "Any time you're dealing with issues of security, and civil liberties, you got to balance them both. And I think we can walk and chew gum at the same time," Cruz said. But he indicated Apple was on the right side against weakening the security of every iPhone. ___ Follow Tami Abdollah on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/latams and Eric Tucker at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP. Casino magnate Adelson facing 49 hours of pretrial questions LAS VEGAS (AP) A judge said Thursday that billionaire casino magnate and Las Vegas newspaper owner Sheldon Adelson can be questioned for up to 49 hours beginning next week by lawyers for a former Macau casino executive who claims he was wrongly fired in 2010. A lawyer for former Sands China chief executive Steven Jacobs said in court that he expects an attempt by Adelson and his lawyers to disrupt the sworn deposition in an effort to scuttle plans to begin the long-awaited civil trial June 27. The questioning won't be in open court. "We will start with Mr. Adelson, and then there will be a blow-up in an attempt to obstruct this deposition so it cannot be done," Jacobs' attorney, Todd Bice, told Clark County District Court Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez. FILE - In this May 5, 2015, file photo, Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson testifies in court in Las Vegas. The company owned by Adelson lost a bid to oust the Nevada judge handling a years-long legal fight by a former Macau casino executive who claims wrongful termination. A ruling Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, by Chief Clark County District Court Judge David Barker leaves Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez on the case filed in 2010 by former Sands China chief executive Steven Jacobs. (AP Photo/John Locher, File) Outside court, Bice said he believes it's clear that Adelson and lawyers for Las Vegas Sands and Sands China Ltd. want a delay. Jacobs has also been undergoing days of pretrial questioning by attorneys for Adelson, Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Sands China Ltd. Jacobs contends he was fired by Adelson and Las Vegas Sands in an attempt to cover up improper activities by the company in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau. Adelson and Sands deny wrongdoing. Attorneys for Adelson and the companies declined to comment outside court. A spokesman for Las Vegas Sands didn't immediately respond to Bice's claim about delaying tactics. There was no talk in the courtroom about a ruling Wednesday by Chief Clark County District Court Judge David Barker keeping Gonzalez on the case. But a statement from Sands Las Vegas said the company will appeal Barker's ruling to the Nevada Supreme Court. It would be the 12th pretrial issue taken to the state high court, and it also could delay trial if the justices order a halt to proceedings pending a decision. The case has also spawned several related cases, including a defamation claim and a federal lawsuit filed last month by Jacobs. Attorneys for Las Vegas Sands have argued in the state court case that Gonzalez should be disqualified for "personal dealings with the press" and for letting Jacobs' lawyers make inquiries about the Adelson family buying the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper in December. Gonzalez has issued statements denying bias. She filed a document last week declaring she "will continue to be fair and impartial toward all parties in this case." The purchase of the Review-Journal came weeks after several reporters were assigned by then-owners Gatehouse Media LLC to investigate Gonzalez and two other Las Vegas judges not involved in Adelson litigation. No story appeared in the Review-Journal, but a small Connecticut newspaper headed by an executive affiliated with Gatehouse published a story about specialized business courts that criticized Gonzalez for "inconsistent" and "contradictory" rulings. The judge has clashed numerous times with Adelson lawyers in the Jacobs case. She sanctioned the legal team last year for "misrepresentations and lack of candor" and failing to turn over documents. They were ordered to pay $250,000 to legal charities and cover court costs incurred by Jacobs in the document battle. Gonzalez also admonished Adelson during his testimony in open court last year for not answering a routine question from Jacobs' lawyers. Cubans welcome Obama trip, say they want economic progress HAVANA (AP) Cubans hailed President Barack Obama's announcement Thursday that he will make a two-day trip to the communist-run island, saying that just like the American leader, they want the historic visit to spur faster change in their lives. Obama's March 21-22 trip is meant to create so much momentum behind his new policy of detente with Cuba that the next U.S. president cannot reverse it, administration officials said. More than a year after the detente was announced, the pace of normalization has been accelerating even though millions of Cubans have yet to see benefits. Dozens of new public WiFi spots have created Internet access for tens of thousands across Cuba since Obama and President Raul Castro announced on Dec. 17, 2014, that they would restore diplomatic relations. A surge in tourism has flooded private and government-run tourism businesses with cash. Over just the last week, the two countries have sealed deals to re-establish commercial flights, open the first U.S. factory in Cuba in six decades and return a U.S. missile that was mistakenly shipped from France to Cuba in 2014. Josefina Vidal, director general of the U.S. division at Cuba's Foreign Ministry, announces the upcoming visit of the United States President to Cuba in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. President Barack Obama said that he will visit Cuba on March 21-22, making him the first sitting president in more than half a century to visit the island nation. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan) But ordinary Cubans interviewed by The Associated Press on Thursday said they have seen little improvement in their lives and they hope Obama's trip will help them see more benefits from the re-establishment of relations. "Until now we haven't seen any direct impact on the economic well-being of the Cuban people," said Jose Miguel Gomez, a merchant sailor. "The visit will be important because it may lead to more agreements in the warming between the two countries." Cuban state media waited several hours after Obama's announcement to report the visit, the first by a U.S. president in 88 years. When the news began to spread, it was enthusiastically welcomed, including by those who saw it as a step toward ending the half-century-old trade embargo on Cuba. "The trip will open the door to what we need, that they get rid of the blockade that's hurting us," said Yosvany Martinez, a parking attendant. "I feel the change at least in the growth of tourism and people are happier, but the everyday lives of people like me, who live on a state salary, they haven't changed." Cuban officials welcomed the trip but offered few details about Obama's schedule in Cuba or topics that would be discussed, aside from the longstanding Cuban demand to lift the embargo and return the Guantanamo Bay naval base to Cuba. "This visit is another step toward improvement in relations between Cuba and the United States," said Josefina Vidal, head of U.S. affairs for the Cuban Foreign Ministry. The White House said Obama will meet with dissidents while in Cuba and push for improvement in human rights. Activists said the treatment of opposition members has worsened since detente began, with short-term detentions of protesters and dissenters rising from several hundred a month to about 1,000 monthly. The number of long-term political prisoners is far smaller and has shrunk in recent years. "The figures show that the situation has clearly worsened more than a year after the re-establishment of relations between the two governments," said Elizardo Sanchez, head of the non-governmental Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation. "The state of civil and political rights in Cuba is imposed by a government that has no inclination to change things." ___ Michael Weissenstein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mweissenstein The stars and stripes and the Cuban national flag are placed together on the dashboard of a vintage American convertible in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. President Barack Obama said that he will visit Cuba on March 21-22, making him the first sitting president in more than half a century to visit the island nation. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan) Tourists ride vintage American convertibles as they pass by the United States embassy in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. President Barack Obama said that he will visit Cuba on March 21-22, making him the first sitting president in more than half a century to visit the island nation. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan) Cuba's Minister of Foreign Trade and Commerce Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz, left, meets U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. President Barack Obama said that he will visit Cuba on March 21-22, making him the first sitting president in more than half a century to visit the island nation. Malmierca, in Washington for business talks, said that Obama's visit will be good news for his country. (Ismael Francisco/Cubadebate via AP) Judge weighs delaying Bland wrongful-death lawsuit trial HOUSTON (AP) The Texas state trooper who pulled over Sandra Bland and now faces a perjury charge in the case remains on the payroll even as a federal judge heard arguments Thursday on whether a wrongful death lawsuit should be delayed until he's tried in criminal court. Brian Encinia deserves a fair criminal trial on the misdemeanor, said Seth Dennis, an assistant Texas attorney general. "Let the criminal case play out," Dennis urged the judge. Geneva Reed-Veal, mother of Sandra Bland, who were found dead in a Texas county jail three days after a confrontation with a white state trooper, speaks to the media as she leaves the federal courthouse Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016, in Houston. A federal judge heard arguments Thursday on whether to delay a wrongful death lawsuit Blands family has filed until the Texas state trooper who arrested her last summer is tried on a criminal charge. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) U.S. District Judge David Hittner told attorneys he wants to move the civil case along, but offered no timetable for a decision on the delay request. The family of Bland, a 28-year-old black woman, sued after Bland died last summer in a jail following her arrest stemming from a confrontational traffic stop on the outskirts of Houston. Her death was ruled a suicide. The case provoked national outrage and drew the attention of the Black Lives Matter movement, with protesters linking Bland to other black suspects who were killed in confrontations with police or died in police custody. Lawyers for Bland's mother, Geneva Reed-Veal, said they oppose any delay in the lawsuit trial, now set for January. Her lead attorney, Cannon Lambert, said only "extraordinary circumstances" should merit a trial delay and state lawyers were unable to show him any in this case. Lambert amended the lawsuit to drop the Texas Department of Public Safety as a defendant. Encinia remains a defendant. "Mr. Encinia is effectively DPS," Lambert said afterward. State attorneys have insisted the Department of Public Safety has constitutional immunity from such lawsuits and that Encinia has similar protection. Encinia, although indicted last month, has not yet been arraigned on the perjury charge. He's accused of lying about his July 10, 2015, confrontation with Bland. Hours after his indictment, the Department of Public Safety said it would begin the process of firing the trooper. Encinia, who had been on paid desk duty, has been suspended with pay since the agency announced it would move to terminate him. Department of Public Safety spokesman Tom Vinger said in an email Thursday that there is no timetable on when Encinia will be formally let go, but that decision is now in the hands of Director Steve McCraw. Encinia's lawyer in the criminal case, Larkin Eakin, said Encinia "remains on the payroll with state employee benefits" and hasn't received formal notice from the agency's director that he's been dismissed. Troopers can appeal firing decisions. "A letter of termination will trigger the appeals process to the Texas Public Safety Commission, which, as I understand the process, can reverse, uphold or take no action on the director's decision," Eakin said in an email Wednesday. "Once the commission issues its decision, the next step in the appeal process is an action in a Texas district court." Department of Public Safety records show firings in recent years have taken considerable time, with most formal terminations coming months or even years after the incidents that led to the dismissals. Encinia stopped Bland for making an improper lane change near Prairie View A&M University, her alma mater, where the Chicago-area woman had just interviewed and accepted a job. Dashcam video from Encinia's patrol car shows the traffic stop quickly became confrontational and Bland was arrested for assault and taken to the Waller County jail. Three days later, she was found hanging from a jail cell partition with a plastic garbage bag around her neck. Bland's family has said they were working to get about $500 for her bail when they learned of her death. A grand jury last month tied its perjury indictment of Encinia to his statement in an affidavit where he said Bland was combative and uncooperative after he stopped her and that he removed her from her car to further conduct a safer traffic investigation. In December, a grand jury declined to indict Waller County sheriff's officials or jailers. Judge Hittner on Thursday ordered the FBI to give him a redacted report on the Texas Rangers' investigation of the Bland case that attorneys for Bland's mother are demanding. Hittner said he wanted to review the report before making it available to the family's legal team. Prosecutors said they would get it to him Monday. Hittner also ordered state lawyers to allow the Bland attorneys to view the original traffic stop and jail videos. Lambert said he was concerned about jumps or glitches in the videos and wanted to ensure they hadn't been tampered with. Hittner said the family's attorneys could see the recordings, but not test them. The judge also was considering a request from a lawyer for Waller County seeking to have two county jailers who are defendants in the lawsuit tried separately. Nearly a dozen other employees in the county, about 50 miles northwest of Houston, have been added as defendants by Lambert. Bland's case has surfaced in the presidential campaign with her mother, Reed-Veal, making appearances with Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. ___ Associated Press writer Paul J. Weber in Austin contributed to this report. Geneva Reed-Veal, mother of Sandra Bland, who were found dead in a Texas county jail three days after a confrontation with a white state trooper speaks to the media as she leaves the federal courthouse Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016, in Houston. A federal judge heard arguments Thursday on whether to delay a wrongful death lawsuit Blands family has filed until the Texas state trooper who arrested her last summer is tried on a criminal charge. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) Geneva Reed-Veal, mother of a black woman found dead in a Texas county jail three days after a confrontation with a white state trooper speaks waves to supporters as she enters the federal courthouse Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016, in Houston. The family of Sandra Bland has filed a civil rights lawsuit over her death. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) Geneva Reed-Veal, whose daughter Sandra Bland was found dead in a Texas county jail three days after a confrontation with a white state trooper speaks to the media as she leaves the federal courthouse Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016, in Houston. A federal judge heard arguments Thursday on whether to delay a wrongful death lawsuit Blands family has filed until the Texas state trooper who arrested her last summer is tried on a criminal charge. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) Eoin Morgan returns to form and Alex Hales in runs again in England T20 win Eoin Morgan made a blistering return to form, and Alex Hales was on top of his game again, as England beat South Africa A by 44 runs in their Twenty20 warm-up match at Boland Park. Hales passed 50 in every match of England's one-day international series defeat to South Africa, culminating in his second century in that format at Newlands on Sunday. Morgan had less to smile about after mustering just 12 runs in his last three innnings. Alex Hales was in the runs again on Wednesday Here, Hales (78) confirmed he remains in control against the white ball, and Morgan's 42 from just 13 deliveries was even more heartening as England racked up 202 for six - two days before the first Twenty20 international at Cape Town - and then restricted their hosts to 158 for eight, despite a fine half-century from Theunis de Bruyn (56). The South Africa A number three put on 88 with Morne van Wyk for the second wicket, but there was not the firepower down the order to keep bowlers under sustained pressure as England had. Coming in at 138 for three, having won the toss in this day-night fixture, Morgan dominated a stand of 49 with Jos Buttler - hitting five sixes off his first 10 balls. Hales had got England off to a flier, with seven fours from his first 12 balls and 32 of the first 33 runs alongside Jason Roy. The latter caught up to have a slightly more even share of the 50 partnership, which came up in under five overs, and he had just hit Andile Phehlukwayo for the first six of the innings - down the ground - when he mistimed another attempted big hit into the hands of deep mid-on. Hales continued unchecked, in company with James Vince, and had 10 fours and a six in his 32-ball 50. Vince ticked over handily too until he clubbed Wayne Parnell (three for 26) to deep midwicket, and Hales was eventually caught in the leg-side deep. But Buttler hit his second ball for six over long-off, and Morgan took the hint with a series of towering blows into the crowd before holing out in the last over as England nonetheless passed 200. It was a tough target, all the more so after Reeza Hendricks fell lbw to some inswing from Reece Topley (three for 29) in the first over of the chase. De Bruyn provided some impetus, though, taking 15 of the 17 runs which came from the first of Chris Woakes' overs. Woakes, the only player in this side who will not be involved at next month's ICC World Twenty20, proved England's weakest link. But he had Van Wyk caught at long-on, before De Bruyn chipped one into the off-side ring off the impressive Adil Rashid - who doubled up in his next over when his former Yorkshire team-mate David Miller was stumped on the charge. England had breathing space, after three wickets had fallen for 14 runs, and were not unduly pushed to close out the match. It was a promising performance, with more exacting tests to come both in the final week of this tour and then in India next month. 'Thousands to seek legal advice' over joint criminal enterprise ruling Thousands of prisoners will seek legal advice after the Supreme Court ruled that trial judges had been wrongly interpreting a law relating to joint criminal enterprise for 30 years, lawyers predict. But solicitors say it is impossible to know how many cases might reach the Court of Appeal or how many convictions might be overturned. A panel of Supreme Court justices said on Thursday that prosecutors, judges and jurors had to take a different approach when dealing with defendants accused of being involved in some kinds of joint criminal enterprises. Ameen Jogee and Mohammed Hirsi were jailed over the death of former policeman Paul Fyfe (Leicestershire Police/PA) Justices said the interpretation of part of the law relating to joint enterprise - which can result in people being convicted of assault or murder even if they did not strike the blow - had taken a "new turn" in the mid-1980s. Senior judges had decided in 1984 that a "secondary party" would be guilty of murder if he or she "foresaw" the possibility that the "principal" might act with intent to cause death or serious harm The Supreme Court said that development was wrong. Justices said it was not right that someone should be guilty merely because they foresaw that a co-accused might commit a crime. They said jurors should view "foresight" only as evidence to be taken into account, not as proof. Five Supreme Court justices had analysed the issue at a hearing in London when considering an appeal by a man who was convicted of murder after egging on a friend to stab a solicitor. Ameen Jogee and Mohammed Hirsi, both in their 20s, were given life sentences at Nottingham Crown Court in March 2012 after being convicted of Paul Fyfe's murder. Jurors heard that Hirsi stabbed Mr Fyfe - a former policeman - at a house in Leicester in June 2011 while being egged on by Jogee. A judge imposed a minimum 22-year term on Hirsi, who lived in Leicester, and a minimum of 20 years on Jogee, who was of no fixed address. Jogee's minimum term was cut to 18 years by the Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court allowed Jogee's appeal against conviction. Justices said he would stay in prison pending a decision on whether he should be re-tried for murder or re-sentenced on the basis that he was guilty of manslaughter. Mr Fyfe's widow, Tracey, 53, from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, said the ruling had left her "absolutely gutted". She said she wanted Jogee re-tried on a murder charge. Lord Neuberger, the President of the Supreme Court, had headed the panel which analysed the joint enterprise issue. He said trial judges could not be criticised for following a "principle" established by senior members of the judiciary three decades ago. Lord Neuberger said the Supreme Court decision would not affect all joint enterprise cases. And he said it did not "follow as night follows day" that people convicted under the "erroneous rule" would "not otherwise have been convicted". Solicitors predicted many calls from prisoners. "I think lawyers can expect many calls. Probably running into the thousands," said Maria Theodoulou, a partner at Stokoe Partnership Solicitors. "This ruling will reverberate with those who have been convicted of joint enterprise offences but this does not automatically mean that can can appeal their convictions." She said it was an "outrage" that a "fundamental error" had gone uncorrected for 30 years. Sean Caulfield, a partner at law firm Hodge Jones & Allen, said he also expected calls to lawyers to run into the thousands. He added: "This judgment does not overturn previous convictions automatically. However the Court of Appeal are likely to receive a series of appeals based on today's decision." Sandra Paul, who works for law firm Kingsley Napley, went on: "A lot of people will want to know if they are affected. I expect lawyers will get a lot of calls. How many of those calls result in a significant change is hard to say." She said the ruling related to a specific facet of the law on joint enterprise. And she said the public should not assume that every case they had read of involving joint enterprise would be affected or result in appeals. "It relates to cases where people start out doing one thing and then someone does something else. It relates to people foreseeing what someone else will do. There are other kinds of joint enterprise cases which this will not affect. The Lawrence case, for example. From what I know of that, this ruling will not affect it. It may be that a lawyer will be asked for advice. But I don't think this ruling would affect it." The Prison Reform Trust said the ruling had brought "useful clarity to a complex area of law". Director Juliet Lyon added: "The court's ruling that the law 'took a wrong turning' will undoubtedly bring back to court cases where the original outcome was unjust. It is impossible to say how many cases this will affect." A spokesman said he expected the trust to receive many calls for advice from prisoners. Campaign group Jengba (Joint Enterprise Not Guilty by Association) hailed the ruling. "This is a major turning point in British justice," said Jengba campaigner Deborah Madden. "The joint enterprise rule has been used to get mass convictions without evidence. It has caused devastation for families." She added: "We know of 650 people who we think will be affected by the ruling - and we don't know everyone." Jogee's solicitor, Sandeep Kaushal, said he also thought that around 600 cases could be affected. Mrs Fyfe vowed to fight on to ensure those found responsible for her husband's death remained in prison. "We just know it will either go to a retrial or change to manslaughter," she said. "It's not ideal, but I would prefer a retrial, because this was a murder - it's not manslaughter." Mrs Fyfe said Mr Fyfe had represented both Jogee and Hirsi at police stations. She added: "The law seems to be on the side of the criminal and the victims just get forgotten." Mr Fyfe's youngest daughter, Jess, 20, said the family faced the possibility of seeing Jogee out on the street. "He needs to accept the consequences and serve his time," she said. Court concern as surrogate mother gets 'wrong information' on father's identity A High Court judge has raised concern after a surrogate mother was given "incorrect information" about the identity of the biological father of a baby she was carrying. The surrogate mother had made an arrangement with a married couple in 2012, become pregnant in early 2014 and thought that the biological father was the husband, Mrs Justice Theis heard. She had not realised until late in her pregnancy that the married couple separated after making the arrangement - and the father was the wife's new partner, the judge was told. A surrogate mother received "incorrect information" about the identity of the biological father of a baby she carried Mrs Justice Theis, who analysed the case at a family court hearing in London, said she was greatly concerned. She said, in a written ruling, that the problem was an example of difficulties which could arise when surrogacy arrangements were made. The husband had provided sperm when the couple made an agreement with the surrogate mother, said the judge. More sperm had then been provided by the wife's new partner after the marriage broke down. Mrs Justice Theis said "embryo transfer" had taken place at a fertility clinic in Cyprus and the surrogate mother had given birth to a girl in October 2014. The wife had said she was initially told by a solicitor that the surrogate mother need not be informed that an embryo had been created from her new partner's "genetic material" - not from her husband's. She had said she felt "uncomfortable" about giving "inaccurate information" and lawyers had subsequently advised her to tell the surrogate mother. Mrs Justice Theis said the surrogate mother had learned the identity of the genetic father two months before she was due to give birth. "It was of great concern to this court ... that a situation had arisen whereby (the surrogate mother) had embryos transferred to her that were different than what she understood to be the position under the agreement she had signed," said Mrs Justice Theis, who sits in the Family Division of the High Court. "(The surrogate mother) should have been informed of the genetic changes in the embryo prior to it being transferred. The distress this caused to (the surrogate mother) is clearly and powerfully articulated." The judge said: "This case highlights the difficulties that can occur in this type of arrangement and the need for there to be complete transparency on both sides prior to any significant steps being taken." Mrs Justice Theis said s he had made orders which gave the wife and her new partner parental responsibility for the little girl. She said the surrogate mother had consented to the making of a "parental order". Charles and Camilla to visit Yorkshire village hit by December floods The Prince of Wales is spending a second day in the north of England where he will be joined by the Duchess of Cornwall for a visit to a Yorkshire village badly affected by the post-Christmas floods. The royal couple are due in Stamford Bridge, in the East Riding, where they will meet residents and business owners, including at The New Inn, in The Square, which was inundated by the River Derwent at the end of December. They will also meet representatives from The Prince's Business Emergency Resilience Group, which helps businesses and communities across the UK to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies such as flooding, cyber-attacks and civil unrest. Carles and Camilla are due in Stamford Bridge, where they will meet local residents and business owners From Stamford Bridge, Charles and Camilla will move on to Harrogate, in North Yorkshire, where they will see a showcase of events to mark Harrogate International Festivals' 50th anniversary year. As well as meeting supporters and some of the key groups, the royal couple will be entertained in the Royal Hall by s oprano Lesley Garrett and clarinettist Emma Johnson, introduced by Julian Lloyd Webber. Charles and Camilla's day in Yorkshire is due to continue with a visit to meet patients and staff at the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre, in Harrogate District Hospital, before moving on to the tea tasting rooms at Taylors of Harrogate. The royal visitors will conclude their day in Harrogate at Betty's Cookery School. On Wednesday, Charles paid tribute to the "extraordinary reserves of resilience" and "wonderful sense of humour" of the people of Redcar on a visit to the crisis-hit town. E-cigarettes being used by 2.2m as trend for fewer smokers continues More than two million people in Britain now use electronic cigarettes, although 59% also smoke regular cigarettes alongside, new figures suggest. Estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed there are 2.2 million current e-cigarette users - 4% of the population. Just over half (53%) of e-cigarette users said they used vaping as an aid to quitting regular smoking. The most common age group for women to vape is 35 to 44, while among men most users are aged 45 to 64 The data also suggests there are 3.9 million people who are former users of e-cigarettes and a further 2.6 million people said they had tried an e-cigarette but never went on to use it. Just over one in five (22%) of current users said their main reason for vaping is because they feel e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes. One in 10 (9%) said their main reason was because they could use e-cigarettes indoors. A relatively small number (56,000) of current e-cigarette users have never previously smoked, the data showed. Of the former e-cigarette users, around three-quarters said they were currently smoking cigarettes. Some 59% of the current users said they also smoked cigarettes (1.3 million). When it comes to regular cigarette smoking, the numbers who smoke continues to fall. In 2014, 19% of adults smoked, with 20% of men smoking - the lowest on record. Some 17% of women smoked, slightly up on the previous year. Senior ONS statistician Jamie Jenkins said: "These figures continue a long-term trend for fewer people to smoke cigarettes - only 19% of adults today compared with 46% when our survey began in 1976. "While the majority of people are using e-cigarettes as an aid to quit smoking it seems they don't work for everyone, as three-quarters of former vapers are still smoking cigarettes." The most common age group for women to vape is 35 to 44. Among men, most users are aged 45 to 64. Most people (67%) use an e-cigarette on a daily basis and a further 19% use one at least once a week. People tend to prefer e-cigarettes that do not resemble a cigarette. Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: "It is encouraging that the number of adult smokers is the lowest on record, but we can't be complacent. "Smoking cessation services - the most effective way of helping people quit - are under threat around the country due to budget cuts. If we want to continue helping people to quit and look after their lung health, investment in these vital services must be protected. "While there is still a lack of data on the long-term health impact of e-cigarettes, it is encouraging to note that three-quarters of people now know that vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking. "E-cigarettes shouldn't be seen as a permanent alternative to smoking, and these figures confirm that they don't work for everyone as a quitting aid. "However, if you haven't successfully quit using other methods, including your local smoking cessation services, then it may well be worth trying e-cigarettes, with an aim of eventually quitting them too." Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said the slowdown in the numbers of people stopping smoking was worrying and there was a need for a comprehensive tobacco control policy. Manu Tuilagi preparing to make his Leicester comeback Manu Tuilagi will make his Leicester comeback on Friday in what is shaping up to be his penultimate club appearance before reinforcing England's push for the RBS 6 Nations title. Tuilagi has recovered from the hamstring strain that has forced him to miss the Tigers' last three games and starts the Aviva Premiership clash with Harlequins at Twickenham Stoop knowing Eddie Jones will be watching from the stands. Jones is hoping to involve him against Wales on March 12, although Leicester director of rugby Richard Cockerill has expressed misgivings over such a rapid return to international rugby. Leicester have named Manu Tuilagi at inside centre against Harlequins Having recovered from a groin injury that sidelined him for 15 months, Tuilagi then damaged his hamstring three games into his comeback last month. "Manu hasn't played enough rugby at club level, never mind Test level. If Eddie decides to pick him because he is playing well enough then so be it," Cockerill said. If Tuilagi - who starts at inside centre - comes through unscathed against Quins and then London Irish nine days later, he is likely to be summoned into England's training camp ahead of the visit of Wales to Twickenham. Also returning for Leicester on Friday night are club captain Ed Slater and flanker Brendon O'Connor, who have recovered from respective knee and hamstring injuries. Former South Africa centre Jean de Villiers is set to make his Leicester debut off the bench after being included in the matchday 23 for the first time, finally overcoming a fractured jaw and calf problem. Number eight Nick Easter returns for Quins - who will replace the Tigers in third place if they win - as one of five changes in personnel to the team thrashed 28-6 at Gloucester last week 'Yawning' productivity gap between UK and other countries New figures have revealed a "yawning" productivity gap between the UK and other countries. Output per hour in the UK in 2014 was 18% below the average for the rest of the major G7 advanced economies - the widest productivity gap since comparable estimates began in 1991, said the Office for National Statistics. In financial services, the UK was 5% more productive than Germany but 6% less productive than France and 22% less productive than the USA between 2010 and 2014. The UK lags behind other developed nations in terms of productivity In manufacturing, the UK was 24% less productive than Germany, 18% less productive than France and 45% less productive than the USA. UK output per hour in 2014 was 5% lower than Spain and considerably lower than productivity in Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands, said the ONS. TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "For all the good news on rising employment, the UK is still not creating enough quality jobs. "The yawning productivity gap between us and other countries shows how much room there is for us to do better. "The loss of middle-income jobs, in vital industries like steel, is holding the economy back and dragging down pay." Acas chairman Sir Brendan Barber said: "It is clear from these figures that we need to find new ways to tackle the UK's productivity crisis. "The workplace is where the factors of production come together to deliver goods and services. We believe that a well-managed, efficient and innovative workplace can bring the improvements in productivity that we all want to see. "To help solve the UK's productivity gap, we have just launched an accessible productivity tool kit to help businesses assess their strategies for boosting workplace performance." Seema Malhotra, shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said: "Britain's shocking lag on productivity on his watch exposes the failure of George Osborne's short-term policies. It is the key to long-term prosperity, which George Osborne is now threatening with today's figures showing that the productivity gap has now widened to the worst level since records began. "Instead of allowing vital industries like steel to go to the wall, and hitting sectors of the future like renewables with cuts in support, we need a Government prepared to invest in skills, infrastructure and research." Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke said: "The Government's failure to adopt an active industrial strategy is holding back the UK's productivity in manufacturing and leading to the loss of vital skills in key industries such as steel. "A low-waged, low-skilled economy built on precarious and insecure work will see the UK's productivity gap continue to grow and fail to deliver sustainable economic growth. By Corey Mitchell. This story originally appeared on the District Dossier blog. UPDATED The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that the Philadelphia School Reform Commission, which runs the citys public schools, does not have the authority to cap charter school enrollment in the district or cancel seniority provisions of the teachers contract. The rulingwhich found that the commission does not have the power to cancel portions of the charter law and state school codecould ultimately affect how the commission manages school closings, teacher contracts, and decisions on charter schools. School Reform Commission member Bill Green told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he thinks the panel acted in good faith when it made those decisions based on what the written law was. The decision could require reshuffling of all teachers in the district midyear because the commission has routinely bypassed seniority when making personnel decisions, Green told the newspaper. Tuesdays decision stems from a case involving the West Philadelphia Charter School, which was fighting the districts charter enrollment caps. The Pennsylvania Supreme Courts ruling on our schools case is a victory for all Philadelphia families whose children most need to exercise their right to choose a public school that best meets their academic, social, and personal needs, said Stacy Gill-Phillips, founder and CEO of the West Philadelphia Achievement Charter Elementary School. It is a major victory that the Court has upheld Charter School Law to ensure we do not go backwards, but continue to move forward in giving our most vulnerable families a choice in public school education. The ruling came the same day that the city schools commission approved three applications for new charter schools in the city. The Philadelphia Public Schools Notebook reports that the decision to add more charters has proved more costly than administrators and commission members anticipated . Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan slammed the decision to add new charters, arguing that the planned expansion is too costly for a district already mired in debt. The district has had to borrow money just to keep its doors open. The ruling from the PA Supreme Court is indeed a double-edged sword for our schoolchildren. Though it seems to place much-needed checks and balances on a SRC (School Reform Commission) run amok, it also has the potential to put our school district finances in an extremely precarious position, Jordan said in a statement . Although litigants in this case are West Philadelphia Achievement Charter, the School District and the SRC, the Courts ruling has a significant impact on the [teachers union]. Our attorneys are currently reviewing the ruling to determine how it will impact our members. Related stories: UK airstrikes in Syria 'have killed or injured seven IS fighters' British air strikes in Syria have killed or injured just seven Islamic State fighters, according to estimates released by the Ministry of Defence. David Cameron won the support of MPs for strikes against IS in its Syrian strongholds in December, but the MoD figures show by the end of January just four attacks had resulted in the jihadist group suffering casualties. None of the strikes involved the high precision Brimstone missile which was cited by the Prime Minister as the kind of UK asset which would make a "meaningful difference" to the coalition's battle against IS in Syria. MPs backed airstrikes against IS in Syria in December The RAF's operations against IS in Syria have focused on targeting the infrastructure used to support the group, including the oil fields which are a major source of revenue for the militants. MoD sources said strikes targeting IS fighters were only carried out if there was no risk of civilians being injured. Details of the estimated casualties were released by the MoD in response to a Freedom of Information request by the Huffington Post UK. An attack on Christmas Day near Raqqa - the city dubbed the "head of the snake" by Mr Cameron because IS has its main headquarters there - saw one militant killed or injured by a Hellfire missile. An MoD update for December 25, 2015 said an RAF Reaper struck an IS checkpoint south of Raqqa with a Hellfire missile. Two more fighters from IS - also known as Daesh - were hit on the same day in Tabqa, also with a Hellfire. On January 11, two fighters were killed or injured in a Hellfire strike in Al Busayrah, the figures showed, while two more were hit by a Paveway IV guided bomb on January 15. A spokeswoman for the MoD said: " We are playing a crucial role in a campaign that will take time and patience. Using the right weapon for each scenario, RAF jets have struck Daesh almost 600 times. Venezuela devalues strongest exchange rate amid crisis CARACAS, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Venezuela on Wednesday devalued the country's strongest official exchange rate by 37 percent and turned a three-tier exchange rate system into a dual system as part of a package of measures meant to address the OPEC nation's economic crisis. President Nicolas Maduro said the 6.3 bolivars per U.S. dollar exchange rate, which applies for priority goods such as food and medicine, will weaken to 10. Murders in Honduras drop 12 pct in 2015 as drug bosses extradited -group TEGUCIGALPA, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Homicides in Honduras fell 12 percent in 2015 thanks in part to the capture and extradition to the United States of drug cartel bosses, a United Nations-backed organization said on Wednesday. The murder rate in the impoverished Central American country dropped to 60 per 100,000 people from the 2014 rate of 68 per 100,000 people, according to the respected National Autonomous University of Honduras' Observatory of Violence program. In addition to the capture of cartel leaders, the observatory attributed the lower rate to the dismantling of gangs of hitmen. In the last two years, Honduras says it has extradited eight gang leaders to the United States. Since taking office in 2014, President Juan Hernandez' ramped-up military offense against drug traffickers and gangs has dramatically driven down the homicide rate. Poland - Factors to Watch Feb 18 Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland's financial markets on Thursday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 1 hour): C.BANK MINUTES The central bank is to publish minutes from its February sitting at 1300 GMT. DEBT Poland is to sell 4-6 billion zlotys in bonds due January 2020 and April 2021 at tender at around 1030 GMT. SWISS-FRANC LOANS Polish banks lobby said quoting its lawyers that the president's draft law that would allow bank clients to convert their Swiss-franc loans into zlotys is unconstitutional, Rzeczpospolita daily said. Banks are expected to provide the financial market watchdog by the end of this week with their own calculations on how much the converting will cost them, Puls Biznesu daily said. DIVIDENDS The government seriously considers a shift in the dividend policy so that the state-run companies could keep more money for investment, contributing to Poland's big investment plan, Puls Biznesu daily said quoting an unnamed government source. WORK SERVICE HR company Work Service will be the first Polish firm to debut on the London Stock Exchange on Thursday as part of dual listing. KOMPANIA WEGLOWA Trade unions at the EU's biggest coal producer Kompania Weglowa entered a collective dispute with the management over planned cuts in salaries, which could hamper the company's talks with potential investors, Rzeczpospolita daily said. ADVERTISING MARKET Companies' spending on advertisements rose by 4.5 percent to over 7.6 billion zlotys last year, Rzeczpospolita daily said quoting SMG data. POLENERGIA Poland's private power company Polenergia wants to pay out dividend at 0.5 zlotys per share in 2016 and starting from 2017 it plans to spend 30-60 percent of its annual consolidated profit on dividend payouts, the company said on Wednesday evening. ****Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.**** Radioactive material stolen in Iraq raises security concerns By Ahmed Rasheed, Aref Mohammed and Stephen Kalin BAGHDAD, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Iraq is searching for "highly dangerous" radioactive material whose theft last year has raised fears among Iraqi officials that it could be used as a weapon if acquired by Islamic State. Baghdad reported the stolen material to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in November but has not requested assistance to recover it, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday. The material, stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer, went missing from a storage facility near the southern city of Basra belonging to U.S. oilfield services company Weatherford, an environment ministry document seen by Reuters showed and security, environmental and provincial officials confirmed. A spokesman for Iraq's environment ministry said he could not discuss the issue, citing national security concerns. Weatherford said in a statement that it was not responsible or liable for the theft. "We do not own, operate or control sources or the bunker where the sources are stored," it said. The material, which uses gamma rays to test flaws in materials used for oil and gas pipelines in a process called industrial gamma radiography, is owned by Istanbul-based SGS Turkey, according to the document and officials. An SGS official in Iraq declined to comment and referred Reuters to its Turkish headquarters, which did not respond to phone calls and emails. The U.S. State Department said it was aware of the reports but has seen no sign that Islamic State or other militant groups have acquired it. The environment ministry document, dated Nov. 30 and addressed to the ministry's Centre for Prevention of Radiation, describes "the theft of a highly dangerous radioactive source of Ir-192 with highly radioactive activity belonging to SGS from a depot belonging to Weatherford in the Rafidhia area of Basra province". A senior environment ministry official based in Basra, who declined to be named as he is not authorised to speak publicly, told Reuters the device contained up to 10 grams (0.35 ounces) of Ir-192 "capsules", a radioactive isotope of iridium also used to treat cancer. The IAEA said the material is classed as a Category 2 radioactive source, meaning that if not managed properly it could cause permanent injury to a person in close proximity to it for minutes or hours, and could be fatal to someone exposed for a period of hours to days. How harmful exposure can be is determined by a number of factors such as the material's strength and age, which Reuters could not immediately determine. The ministry document said the material posed a risk of bodily and environmental harm as well as a national security threat. DIRTY BOMB FEAR Large quantities of Ir-192 have gone missing before in the United States, Britain and other countries, stoking fears among security officials that it could be used to make a dirty bomb. A dirty bomb combines nuclear material with conventional explosives to contaminate an area with radiation, in contrast to a nuclear weapon, which uses nuclear fission to trigger a vastly more powerful blast. "We are afraid the radioactive element will fall into the hands of Daesh," said a senior security official with knowledge of the theft, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. "They could simply attach it to explosives to make a dirty bomb," said the official, who works at the interior ministry and spoke on condition of anonymity as he is also not authorised to speak publicly. There was no indication the material had come into the possession of Islamic State, which seized territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014 but does not control areas near Basra. A State Department spokesman declined to comment on whether the missing material might be suitable for use in a dirty bomb. The security official, based in Baghdad, told Reuters there were no immediate suspects for the theft. But the official said the initial inquiry suggested the perpetrators had specific knowledge of the material and the facility. "No broken locks, no smashed doors and no evidence of forced entry," he said. An operations manager for Iraqi security firm Taiz, which was contracted to protect the facility, declined to comment, citing instructions from Iraqi security authorities. A spokesman for Basra operations command, responsible for security in Basra province, said army, police and intelligence forces were working "day and night" to locate the material. The army and police have responsibility for security in the country's south, where Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim militias and criminal gangs also operate. POLLUTION RISK Iraqi forces are battling Islamic State in the country's north and west, backed by a U.S.-led coalition. The Sunni Muslim militant group has been accused of using chemical weapons on more than one occasion over the past few years. The closest area fully controlled by Islamic State is more than 500 km (300 miles) north of Basra in the western province of Anbar. Islamic State controls no territory in the predominantly Shi'ite southern provinces but has claimed bomb attacks there, including one that killed 10 people in October in the district where the Weatherford facility is located. Besides the risk of a dirty bomb, the radioactive material could cause harm simply by being left exposed in a public place for several days, said David Albright, a physicist and president of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security. "If they left it in some crowded place, that would be more of the risk, if they kept it together but without shielding," he said. "Certainly it's not insignificant. You could cause some panic with this. They would want to get this back." The senior environmental official said authorities were worried that whoever stole the material would mishandle it, leading to radioactive pollution of "catastrophic proportions". A second senior environment ministry official, also based in Basra, said counter-radiation teams had begun inspecting oil sites, scrapyards and border crossings to locate the device after an emergency task force raised the alarm on Nov. 13. Australia says China "challenged" S.China Sea missile report By Ben Blanchard BEIJING, Feb 18 (Reuters) - China has "challenged" reports that it deployed advanced surface-to-air missiles to a disputed island in the South China Sea, but any militarisation would be a concern, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Thursday. Taiwan's Defence Ministry said the missile batteries had been set up on Woody Island in the Paracels chain, which has been under Chinese control for decades, but is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. A U.S. defence official also confirmed the "apparent deployment" of the missiles, first reported by Fox News. Bishop, the first senior Western official to visit China since the missile reports, said she had raised the issue of the South China Sea's militarisation in her talks. "President Xi said in Washington last year that China did not intend to militarise the islands and we certainly hold China to that and that's been reiterated to me," she told reporters, after meeting China's top diplomat, State Councillor Yang Jiechi. "In the case of the surface-to-air missile claim, that's disputed by China. We raised the matter and we've had a discussion about it," Bishop added. Pressed on whether China was denying the presence of missiles, she said, "No, they did not deny, but nor did they admit that there were. It was challenged. The reports were challenged. "The point about the surface-to-air missiles is in dispute, so until such time as we have a clear picture of it, of course it's a matter of concern." China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion in global trade passes every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims. The Chinese government has offered few specific details in response to the missiles claim, while accusing Western media of "hyping up" the story and saying China has a legitimate right to military facilities on territory it views as its own. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei on Thursday would also neither confirm nor deny if the missiles were on Woody Island, repeating that China has had defence facilities on the islands for decades. China has been angered by air and sea patrols the United States has conducted near artificial islands China has built in the Spratly islands chain farther south in the South China Sea, including some by two B-52 strategic bombers in November. Last month, a U.S. Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island in the Paracels, a move China condemned as provocative. China needs to strengthen its "self-defence" in the South China Sea in the face of "more frequent provocations from the U.S. military," the influential state-run tabloid, the Global Times, wrote in an editorial on Thursday. "Jet fighters from the United States, an outside country, may feel uneasy when making provocative flights in the region. To us, that's a proper result," it said of the reported missile deployment. Pakistani Taliban kill nine paramilitary personnel in attacks in northwest By Jibran Ahmad PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Pakistani Taliban militants on Thursday shot and killed at least nine security forces personnel in two separate attacks in a volatile northwestern region, security and government officials said. Since 2007, the Pakistani Taliban have been waging an insurgency in the area around Mohmand, about 177 km (110 miles) from Islamabad, the capital, to demand imposition of a strict interpretation of sharia, or Muslim religious law. Several military operations, the most recent begun in 2014, have reduced the number of large-scale militant attacks in the region, but security forces and civilians are occasionally still targeted. Two members of the Khasadar paramilitary force on guard duty were shot dead, followed by an attack on a village checkpost in Akar that killed seven, said Naveed Akbar, a senior government official in Mohmand. Another government official, Khyal Nabi, confirmed the death toll, saying the bodies were being handed over to their families for burial. The Jamaat-ur-Ahrar faction of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. "Jamaat-ur-Ahrar accepts responsibility for both attacks with this vow that until the imposition of sharia our attacks will remain ongoing, God willing," spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said in an email statement to Reuters. Last month, militants killed at least 20 people, mostly students, at the Bacha Khan University, about 48 km (30 miles) distant from the sites of Thursday's attacks. Parties and politics in Iran's parliamentary election Feb 18 (Reuters) - Iranians will vote in a parliamentary election on February 26, seen as a litmus test for popularity of pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani's policies since his 2013 election. Political infighting has intensified among Iran's faction-ridden elite since a nuclear deal was reached with six major powers last year that led to lifting of crippling sanctions in return for curbing Tehran's nuclear programme. The country's top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Rouhani have called for a high turnout after half of the candidates, mostly moderates, were disqualified by a hardline watchdog body, the Guardian Council. Leading pro-reform parties and politicians have criticised the disqualifications, but say that they have no intention of boycotting the vote. The current parliament is dominated by Rouhani's hardline rivals, who reject his economic policy of boosting foreign trade and investment. Following are some facts about Iran's 10th parliamentary election since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. * CANDIDATE VETTING - Candidates for the 290-seat assembly were screened by government-run committees and the Guardian Council, a hardline body of six clerics and six law experts that checks hopefuls for commitment to Islam, their belief in the Velayat-e Faqih (religious system of law) and the pillars of Iran's revolution. - After the vetting process, some 6,300 candidates were allowed to enter the race out of an unprecedented number of more than 12,000 potential hopefuls who registered to run for the elections of parliament and the Assembly of Experts, which has the authority to appoint or dismiss the supreme leader. * MAJOR POLITICAL FACTIONS - Iran has over 250 registered political parties, according to the Interior Ministry. But it has no tradition of disciplined party membership or detailed party platforms. Two main pro-reform parties were banned after the 2009 election that led to hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second-term win. Months of anti-government protests followed. In major cities like Tehran, two main groups have emerged but some candidates are backed by more than one group and allegiances often shift. - The United Front of Principlists: The biggest hardline group, encompassing loyalists to Khamenei, emphasizing Islamic social values and support a free market economy. This group is supported by the establishment's backbone - influential clerics, the elite Revolutionary Guards and powerful bazaar merchants. The coalition includes various parties like the Devotees and Path-seekers of the Islamic Revolution, the Front of Islamic Revolution Stability, Islamic Coalition Party and the Association of Combatant Clergy. They are trying to agree on a united lists for major cities, like Tehran with 30 seats. But they still remain split. - Some pragmatic principlists, most notably parliament speaker Ali Larijani, fall in the middle of Iran's political spectrum, working with both principlists and pro-reform parties. - The Pro-Reform Front: The alliance is made up of members of dozens of parties, including the Union of Islamic Iran People Party, Nedaye Iranian, Iranian-Islamic Freedom Party, Association of Combatant Clerics, Islamic Labour Party and Moderation and Development Party. As most of prominent pro-reform candidates have been disqualified, the main pro-reform parties have agreed on a joint list of candidates, the "Alliance of Reformists and Government Supporters", which will include women and young candidates. - Independent candidates in small cities and towns could attract more support as the vote in such places would depend on the reputation of candidates and personal contacts with voters. * THE VOTE AND THE RESULT - There are about 50 million eligible voters, who must be over 18 years, in the country of around 80 million people. - All ballots will be counted manually so the final result may not be announced for three days, although partial results may appear sooner. - Iran's constitution mandates five reserved seats in parliament for religious minorities. * CAMPAIGNING - The parliamentary election campaign will be from Feb. 18-24. * A NEW PARLIAMENT - Iran's parliament does not determine policy in areas such as Iran's foreign affairs, but it plays a major role in economic policy and winning a majority is critical for factions that jockey for position before the 2017 presidential race. Catalonia puzzle weighs on Spain's political pacts By Sarah White BARCELONA, Feb 18 (Reuters) - A cartoon in the Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia sums up the state of play in the prolonged struggle to form a Spanish government. A construction site worker brandishes a big metal panel in the shape of Catalonia and asks his boss where he should mount it, only to be told to leave that particular piece until last. "As you wish," he says. "But I'm warning you - it's very big and we won't know where to put it." The question of Catalonia and its surging separatist movement has become pivotal as Spain's political leaders try to thrash out a pact on a government after the most fragmented national election in decades. The issue is shaping up as a deal-breaker for any left-wing alliance and as a big stumbling block for a "grand coalition" involving the ruling People's Party (PP) and the Socialists, who agree that the region must not become independent but differ hugely on what should be the stance of the central government. The matter has become ever more pressing as Spain enters its third month in a political vacuum following the Dec. 20 election at a time when pro-secession Catalan authorities are trying to move forward with their so-called "roadmap" to independence. But parties in Madrid have so far carefully avoided getting deeper into the question. "They have it in mind but don't give it the attention they should given how important and significant it is," said Agustin Costa, a 47-year-old antique dealer by Barcelona's Gothic cathedral. Like Costa, many in Catalonia believe the separatist question is used by parties to make political gains but none of them is actually ready to agree on painful compromises and risk a backlash with voters, thus making any coalition deal unlikely. "Even Podemos, which is in favour of an independence referendum, seems to use this option depending on its political needs of the moment," Costa shrugged as he sheltered under his stall from a drizzle. The conservative PP, which won most seats in the election but lost its parliamentary majority, passed on its first chance to form a government and now the baton has passed to the Socialists. Their natural allies would have appeared to be the left-wing Podemos but for the Catalan question. Podemos has dangled the option of supporting a referendum on Catalan independence, a possibility backed by about 80 percent of people in Catalonia. The Socialists reject this however, with their leader Pedro Sanchez saying he is ready to reform the constitution to better accommodate Catalonia but would not form an alliance with a party that supported the break-up of Spain. Senior Podemos leaders have since blown hot and cold on the question of a plebiscite - a campaign pledge that helped them score a strong showing in Catalonia - even though the party said it would recommend voting against secession. "The Socialist Party is not going to accept a referendum on independence," said Miquel Iceta, head of the Socialists' Catalan faction, at its offices in Barcelona. If Podemos were to back down, it risks provoking internal divisions among its own Catalan contingent. UNPRECEDENTED DILEMMA While the separatist movement is still a long way from succeeding in its goals, never before has it played such a role over the formation of a national government. Not only has the Catalan question become the big hot potato of the talks, but 17 of the 47 Catalan parliamentarians who sit in the national 350-seat lower house are independence supporters - a significant contingent when it comes to coalition-forming. A Socialist-Podemos alliance, currently seen as Spain's best shot at avoiding a new national election, would for instance need backing or an abstention from Catalonia's two main pro-independence parties to achieve a majority. Meanwhile, the opposition of those two parties to any combination involving the PP and newcomer party Ciudadanos, both in favour of a tighter control of the central government over regional politics, makes other alternatives unlikely. A potential three-way pact between the Socialists, Podemos and Ciudadanos, which would have a strong absolute majority, has also been ruled out in great part because they have incompatible views on Catalonia. But some believe the new splintered political scene could instead provide new opportunities to break the deadlock with Catalonia and defuse the separatist sentiment because it makes it compulsory for several parties to compromise. The Socialists' Iceta is hoping the party's plan for constitutional reform - which would shake up how regions are financed, redefine their powers in more of a federal system, and recognise some of Catalonia's singularities - can form the basis for talks with parties as well as defuse the separatist push. There also remains a chance the separatist issue could sow the seeds for a "grand coalition" between the PP, Socialists and Ciudadanos. Even some of the parties at loggerheads on economic policy have common ground in their defence of Spanish unity. "Any concession over the Catalan question implies a huge political cost for any leader within his party," said Anton Costas, who runs the Circulo de Economia, a powerful business lobby based in Catalonia. "But the December election has created a new landscape in which it is now possible to give an answer to this question." Turkish army bombs Kurdish militant PKK camps in northern Iraq - sources DIYARBAKIR, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Turkish warplanes bombed camps belonging to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq late on Wednesday, security sources said, following a car bomb attack in Ankara that killed 28 people. Online-services giant Google has acknowledged that it collects and data-mines for some commercial purposes a wide range of personal information on student users who log in through its popular Apps for Education service, then venture to the companys search engine and other products. What kinds of student-data-privacy concerns are raised by that revelation, included in a letter from Google to U.S. Senator Al Franken last week? Depends who you ask. This is the first time that Google has admitted that it is in fact spying on children in schools, said Joel Reidenberg, a law professor and privacy expert at Fordham and Princeton universities, in an interview. They are appropriating [students] educational login to be able to track students when they use the [account] for non-Apps for Education purposes. Industry representatives, on the other hand, argued that Google is doing nothing wrong, the company should be applauded for its increased transparency, and that it appears to be making a good-faith effort to navigate tricky technical waters faced by many large technology companies who provide both commercial and educational products and services. I think theyre within their right to improve their products by using student information, said Brendan Desetti, the director of education policy for the Software & Information Industry Association, a Washington-based trade group. A Google spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for further comment. Google Scrutinized on Student-Data-Privacy The new information about Googles practices is the latest in a stream of controversies surrounding the Mountain View, Calif.-based companys handling of student information. In 2014, the company found itself in hot water after Education Week reported that it had acknowledged scanning and indexing student email messages sent using Google Apps for Education, or GAFE. Google officials say the company has since stopped that practice. But in December, privacy-advocacy group the Electronic Frontier Foundation filed a complaint against Google with the Federal Trade Commission, alleging in part that the company was using information collected from GAFE users who venture to other Google services in ways that violate the volunteer Student Privacy Pledge. That complaint prompted Franken last month to demand answers . Googles response to the senators request was sent on February 12 and signed by Susan Molinari, the companys vice president for public policy and government relations in the Americas. It includes the following description of what types of information the company collects from student users who venture outside of Apps for Education to use the companys other services: If a school permits access to one of Googles additional services outside the GAFE core services, such as Google Maps, Google collects the information described in our Privacy Policy. The information we collect in these services is similar to that collected from any other Google user, and includes: Information the user gives us, including personal information like name, email address, or telephone number. Device information (such as your hardware model, operating system version, unique device identifiers, and mobile network information including phone number). Log information, including user entries like maps queries, the networks IP address, and device event information such as crashes, system activity, hardware settings, browser type, browser language, the date and time of the request and referral URL. If any of that information is associated with a students Apps for Education account, according to the letter, some additional protection for that student kicks innamely, that Google will not use the information to target ads to that child. In describing how the company does use such information when it is collected, however, Googles letter does reference other commercial purposes: Google may use the data from additional services outside of the GAFE core services for the purposes described in our Privacy Policy, which include, for example, product improvement and product development. We make further commitments for GAFE users in our GAFE Privacy Notice, including a commitment not to use personal information from K-12 GAFE users to target ads. In other respects, the additional services outside of the GAFE core services work for students just as they do for any other user. Privacy advocates and industry representatives are likely to interpret such uses of those data in different ways, said Desetti of the Software & Information Industry Association. I think it really comes down to what we mean by commercial purposes, he said. Ultimately, it will be the FTC who really makes that determination. Also a challenge: regulating what happens when students jump back and forth between an educational service and a commercial product. State and federal laws and the voluntary Student Privacy Pledge now signed by Google and more than 200 other companies cover only that information collected within an educational service, said Brenda Leong, senior counsel and director of operations with the Future of Privacy Forum, a Washington think tank with industry ties that is the prime mover behind the pledge. We feel that Googles actions and response are consistent with observing those requirements, Leong said in an interview. A Thorough Response From Google Among the other issues Googles letter addresses: What kind of information is collected on students within Apps for Education and how it used (personal, device, and login information, but only to provide those educational services). Whether Google has ever used personal information to target ads to students (still unclear) Whether it is possible for the company to require parent to opt-in to the types of data collection described above (the company puts the burden on schools). Whether Google shares or sells student information (only under exceptional circumstances commonly cited by most companies). In a statement, Senator Franken called the companys response thorough, but said there are issues he hopes to further clarify. Im still concerned about what Google does with the information it collects and processes from students who are browsing outside websiteslike YouTubewhile logged into Googles education service, Franken said. Im also still interested in whether or not Google can provide parents and students with stronger privacy protections. The companys letter stressed that it is up to schools to grant access to students to venture outside of GAFE and to secure parental consent for allowing them to do so. Reidenberg, the Fordham privacy professor, took particular issue with that stance. Number one, school administrators are generally not informed that this is what Google does, he said. Second, we have very strong public policies trying to get schoolchildren online for educational purposes and Internet research. If administrators follow those [policies], and kids are logged into Apps for Education, this is letting Google spy on them. Photo: The Google sign at the companys headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.--Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP-File See also: South Korea cites North threat in calling for tough 'terror' law By Jack Kim SEOUL, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Seeking to push through a sweeping "anti-terrorism" law that has been blocked by opposition parties, South Korea's government cited on Thursday the heightened risk of North Korea instigating "terror attacks". The call from President Park Geun-hye's office for parliament to pass the new security bill follows a week of tough comments and action by her government in response to North Korea's test launch of a long-range rocket this month and its fourth nuclear test last month. The ongoing tension with the North is looming as an election issue ahead of parliamentary polls in April, when Park's Saenuri Party is expected to retain its majority. The security bill proposes to establish a new anti-espionage unit that would report to the spy agency chief and will coordinate surveillance, analysis and investigation into leads that point to a possible attack. The proposed law would give South Korea's intelligence agency authority to monitor private communications. The bill has met with resistance from the country's liberal opposition parties, which say the spy agency is not politically impartial. Building its case for more oversight, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said earlier on Thursday it believed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had ordered his military to prepare acts against the South, including possibly kidnapping or attacking people or targeting subways or power utilities. "(It) reported that Kim Jong Un ordered stepped up anti-South operations and that the level of threat of terrorism has never been higher," said Kim Jung-hoon, chairman of the ruling party's policy committee, according to a transcript provided by the party. Kim was speaking after a briefing for his committee by top national security officials. South Korean officials have said authorities lacked legal power to monitor and defend against possible attacks from radical groups, and the legislation was not designed specifically to defend against threats from North Korea. South Korea has been on heightened alert for possible actions by the North, including cyberattack. Last week, Seoul suspended operations at the Kaesong industrial complex run jointly with the North as punishment for Pyongyang's recent rocket launch and nuclear test, both of which violated U.N. Security Council resolutions. President Park has pledged further measures against the North, reversing her earlier policy seeking dialogue and confidence-building. "The possibility of North Korea's anti-South terrorism becoming reality is rising to an ever-higher level," Park's public affairs secretary, Kim Sung-woo, said in a statement. "We ask again that parliament swiftly pass the anti-terrorism law so that we have the legal and systematic foundation to protect the lives and property of the people." The spy agency has been involved in a series of political scandals over the years, and has struggled to shed a reputation for being used as a political tool by sitting presidents. Park's father, Park Chung-hee, who ruled the country after taking power in a 1961 coup, was assassinated in 1979 by his disgruntled spy chief. Kenya says it killed head of intelligence for Somalia's Islamist insurgency NAIROBI, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Kenya has killed the commander of an elite unit within Somalia's al Shabaab Islamist insurgency, a man blamed for masterminding a deadly attack on a Kenyan military camp in southern Somalia last month, the Kenyan military said on Thursday. Kenyan troops, working under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), killed Mohamed Karatey, al Shabaab's deputy commander and head of intelligence, at a graduation ceremony for insurgent fighters on Feb. 8, the Kenya Defence Forces said in a statement. "It is believed Karatey played a major role in the recent attack on KDF troops in El Adde by the deployment of his suicide bombers," KDF said in a statement. "His killing now adds to that of the killing of Abdi Dek, the operation commander of the Abu Zubeyr Brigade that carried out the attack in El Adde." The statement gave no further details on killing of Karatey but said the Kenyan military had also killed 42 al Shabaab recruits and 10 other mid-level al Shabaab commanders during the raid. It was not possible to independently verify the killings. Kenyan troops took heavy losses when al Shabaab launched a dawn raid on their camp in El Adde near the Kenyan border on Jan. 15, although they have not disclosed exact casualty figures. Al Shabaab claimed the attack had killed more than 100 soldiers. The Islamist insurgents have links to al Qaeda and seek to overthrow Somalia's weak Western-backed government and drive out the African Union soldiers supporting them. Al Shabaab has inflated casualty figures in the past, while other official estimates often play them down. Ukraine says ready for court battle with Russia over $3 bln bond KIEV, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Ukraine is ready to defend itself against a lawsuit brought by Russia in relation to a $3 billion Eurobond that Moscow insists Kiev must repay, the Ukrainian Finance Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. Ukraine included the two-year bond in the commercial debt it planned to restructure to shore up its war-torn economy, but Russia, which lent the money, has refused to participate and on Wednesday filed a lawsuit in London. "Ukraine acknowledges the formal commencement ... of proceedings before the English High Court of Justice. Ukraine intends and is fully prepared vigorously to defend its interests," the ministry said in a statement. The Eurobond was taken out by the government of Moscow-backed ex-president Viktor Yanukovich just two months before he fled to Russia in February 2014 in the face of street protests that brought a pro-European government to power. Kiev has offered Russia the same restructuring terms, including a writedown, that it offered its other creditors. Russia, whose political relations with Kiev are at rock bottom over the Kremlin's role in Ukraine's separatist insurgency, has refused to accept the restructuring terms, insisting the bond is an official country-to-country loan, not commercial debt. In a surprise move late last year, President Vladimir Putin offered Ukraine new terms on the bond, saying Moscow would accept an annual debt repayment of $1 billion over three years if the West provided guarantees. Ukraine did not agree to those terms, but said it was willing to negotiate a deal. Fighting at U.N. compound in South Sudan kills five - U.N. mission NAIROBI, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Fighting between youths sheltering in a U.N. compound in South Sudan's Malakal killed five people and wounded 30 after violence erupted between two ethnic groups, the U.N. peacekeeping mission said on Thursday. South Sudan descended into civil war in December 2013 when a row between President Salva Kiir and his sacked deputy Riek Machar ended with fighting that often ran along ethnic fault lines. People have been taking refuge in U.N.-administered "protection of civilian" sites, or POCs, since then. Thousands have been killed since late 2013. The U.N. peacekeeping mission, UNMISS, said youths from the Shilluk and Dinka ethnic groups -- both staying in its protection site -- began fighting on Wednesday night using small arms, machetes and other weapons. "UNMISS police in charge of maintaining order within the protection sites immediately intervened with tear gas to disperse the crowd. Casualties were brought to the international NGO clinic in the site," it said in a statement. UN aims to make first air drops of food to besieged in Syria - Egeland By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The United Nations plans to make its first air drops of food aid in Syria, to Deir al-Zor, a town of 200,000 besieged by Islamic State militants, the chair of a U.N. humanitarian task force said on Thursday. U.N. aid agencies do not have direct access to areas held by Islamic State, including Deir al-Zor, where civilians are facing severe food shortages and sharply deteriorating conditions. Jan Egeland, speaking to reporters in Geneva a day after U.N. aid convoys reached five areas, some besieged by government forces and others by rebels, said the U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP) had a "concrete plan" for carrying out the Deir al-Zor operation in coming days. He said the WFP hoped to make progress reaching "the poor people inside Deir al-Zor, which is besieged by Islamic State. That can only be done by air drops," said Egeland. "It's a complicated operation and would be in many ways the first of its kind," Egeland said, giving no details of the air operation which is far more costly than land convoys. Deir al-Zor is the main town in a province of the same name. The province links Islamic State's de facto capital in the Syrian city of Raqqa with territory controlled by the militant group in neighbouring Iraq. Egeland chaired a three-hour meeting of the humanitarian task force on Syria, where he said that many member states pledged support for the attempt to reach Deir al-Zor, citing "excellent cooperation" between Russia and the United States. Russia is Syria's main ally in the five-year war, while Western and Arab states support rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad. U.N. aid agencies say they do not have access to areas held by Islamic State. Austria sticks to migration cap despite EU legal warning By Gabriela Baczynska, Robert-Jan Bartunek and Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Austria said on Thursday it would go ahead with introducing daily caps on migrants despite warnings from Brussels that the move broke European Union rules, which have already been badly stretched by the migration crisis engulfing the bloc. Vienna announced it would let in no more than 3,200 people and cap asylum claims at 80 per day from Friday as it tries to cut immigration, drawing criticism from the European Union's migration chief. "Politically I say we'll stick with it ... it is unthinkable for Austria to take on the asylum seekers for the whole of Europe," Austria's Chancellor Werner Faymann said on arriving at an EU leaders' summit in Brussels. Around 700,000 migrants entered Austria last year and about 90,000 applied for asylum in the country sitting on the migrant route from Turkey via Greece and the Balkans to Germany. "After 100,000 refugees, we can't tell the Austrian people that it will just continue like this. That's why I tell the EU: we set a good example but to think that you don't have to do anything, then I have to say it is time for the EU to act," Faymann said. Austria is the latest EU state to resort to its own measures to curb migration and try control the flows as the 28-nation bloc has all but failed to implement a joint response to its worst migration crisis in decades. "It is true that Austria is under huge pressure," European Union Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos told Reuters earlier on Thursday. "It is true they are overwhelmed. But, on the other hand, there are some principles and laws that all countries must respect and apply." Avramopoulos sent a letter to Austria's Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner on Thursday, urging Vienna to reconsider the move as it was against EU laws. "The Austrians are obliged to accept asylum applications without putting a cap," Avramopoulos said. But Faymann blamed the failure of the European migration and refugee policies, saying the bloc's relocation plan to ease the burden on most-affected countries was not working and criticising central-eastern EU members who have stalled it. The migration crisis, which saw more than a million people reach Europe last year, opened deep rifts between EU states, which are trading blame and increasingly resorting to ad-hoc national solutions despite Brussels calls to prevent them. Faymann backed Merkel in pushing for more cooperation with Turkey to get Ankara to curb the number of migrants and refugees who embark from its shores towards Europe. Germany and Austria are among 11 EU states that were due to meet Turkey separately before the summit of all 28 EU leaders to discuss taking in more people directly from Turkey to discourage perilous journeys across the Mediterranean. "Every agreement between Turkey and Greece to protect the common border and make legal immigration possible, every advance and may it be ever so mediocre, would be necessary and right," Faymann said, adding he would seek a new meeting with Turkey after the Thursday one was cancelled over a bombing in Ankara. UN aims to air drop food to IS-besieged city in eastern Syria By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The United Nations plans to make its first air drops of food and other aid in Syria, to Deir al-Zor, an eastern city of 200,000 besieged by Islamic State militants, the chair of a U.N. humanitarian task force said on Thursday. U.N. aid agencies do not have direct access to areas held by Islamic State, including the city, where civilians face severe food shortages and sharply deteriorating conditions. Speaking a day after U.N. road convoys reached five areas, some besieged by government forces and others by rebels, Jan Egeland said the organisation's World Food Programme (WFP) had a "concrete plan" for carrying out the Deir al-Zor drop in coming days. "It's a complicated operation and would be in many ways the first of its kind," he told reporters in Geneva. Egeland, who is head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, later told Reuters in Oslo: "It is either airdrops or nothing. Airdrops are a desperate measure in desperate times." The government had given permission for access to Kafr Batna, on the outskirts of Damascus, he said, adding: "And we hope to deliver there in the next few days." Referring to peace talks between the government and opposition, due to resume next week, Egeland said: "I hope it will also help the parties back to the negotiation table." The WFP is planning a "high-altitude operation" to drop the life-saving assistance by parachute to the ground in Deir al-Zor where it will be collected and distributed by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, WFP spokeswoman Bettina Luescher said. The agency, which provides logistics support for U.N. aid operations, would use a single aircraft initially, she said, adding: "It will take a little while." Speaking in Damascus, U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said he hoped to expand aid deliveries to other civilians under siege, citing needs in areas including rebel-held eastern Aleppo and government-besieged Daraya in Ghouta. STARVING CIVILIANS The U.N. estimates there are 486,700 people in around 15 besieged areas of Syria, and 4.6 million in hard-to-reach areas. In some, starvation deaths and severe malnutrition have been reported. Many member states of the humanitarian task force on Syria had pledged support for the attempt to reach Deir al-Zor, Egeland said after chairing its second meeting. Deir al-Zor is the main town in a province of the same name, which links Islamic State's de facto capital in the Syrian city of Raqqa with territory controlled by the militant group in neighbouring Iraq. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said requests were still pending with the government for convoys to bring aid to 50,000 people in Afrin, 50,000 in eastern Aleppo city, 75,000 in the western Aleppo countryside, and 50,000 in northern rural Aleppo province. The international community, particularly Russia, needed to put pressure on the Assad regime to lift sieges and grant full humanitarian access, Britain's foreign minister Philip Hammond said. Russia is Syria's main ally in the five-year war, while Western and Arab states support rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad. In the past 24 hours, 114 U.N. trucks had delivered life-saving food and medical supplies to 80,000 people in five besieged areas, enough for one month, Egeland said. Austria says will stick with migrant cap plan BRUSSELS, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Austria will stick with its plan to cap the number of migrants it will allows to cross its borders, the country's Chancellor said on Thursday. "Politically I say we'll stick with it. Sweden and Germany will have to speak for themselves but it's unthinkable for Austria to take on the asylum seekers for the whole of Europe," Werner Faymann said before a meeting of European leaders in Brussels. "After 100,000 refugees we can't tell the Austrian people that it will just continue like this," he added. Numbers coming into Austria along the main route from Slovenia have fluctuated widely over the past year, from as many as 14,000 a day to the latest figures that suggest around 1,000 are currently braving the winter cold every 24 hours. Far-reaching French labour reform plan fuels political tensions PARIS, Feb 18 (Reuters) - France's government is preparing reforms that will put almost all aspects of the country's strictly codified labour relations up for negotiation, but opposition within the ruling Socialist party means the plan is likely to be watered down. The 130-page draft bill seen by Reuters on Thursday marks President Francois Hollande's most far-reaching attempt yet to make good on a promise to tackle a stubbornly high unemployment rate. But by making it easier for employers to shed workers it risks widening already deep divisions within his ruling Socialist party as he gears up for a possible re-election bid in May 2017. "The debate is going to be fierce because there is a change of philosophy," Labour Minister Myriam El Khomri said in an interview with Les Echos business newspaper. The aim of the reform, to be formally presented to the cabinet on March 9, was to align labour norms in France with those in other countries, she said. "We want the country to progress through social dialogue while better guaranteeing rights and making companies more competitive." The reform, which would leave open to negotiation everything from maximum working hours to holidays and pay on rest breaks, drew praise from the head of the Medef employers federation Pierre Gattaz, who said the leaked draft "goes in the right direction". But figures on the left were critical. The head of the hardline Force Ouvriere, Jean-Claude Mailly, said it went much further than expected. Leftwing Socialist lawmaker Yann Galut promised a "Homeric battle" in parliament against the reforms, and even party head Jean-Christophe Cambadelis said he could not vote for the bill in its current form. "Everything in this bill on layoffs for economic reasons is open for debate and will be debated," Cambadelis said on BFM TV. El Khomri did not rule out invoking a rarely used constitutional article allowing the government to bypass parliament, but she also said she would work with lawmakers which suggested some concessions are likely. In a government reshuffle earlier last week, Hollande promised to keep reforming the euro zone's second-biggest economy up to the end of his mandate. Though a root-and-branch labour reform is politically risky, Hollande is desperate to make inroads into unemployment, currently at an 18-year high of 10.6 percent. Ugandan police arrest presidential candidate on election day - opposition KAMPALA, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Ugandan police arrested opposition presidential candidate Kizza Besigye during elections on Thursday, a senior official at his party said, a move likely to heighten tensions in the capital after a largely peaceful vote. "I can confirm he has been arrested," Ingrid Turinawe, an official from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party told Reuters. The police did not make an immediate comment. Cell Phone Security: Is the NYPD Spying on You? The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) reported last week that the New York Police Department (NYPD) is not seeking proper warrants when using stingray spying devices to generally track cell phones. Instead, police are requesting "pen register orders" which are easier to obtain than warrants and are normally used to collect data on one specific cell phone, according to The Hacker News. The NYPD admits its use of stingrays -- cell phone surveillance devices that work by imitating cell phone towers -- without seeking the proper court warrants. And this has happened more than 1000 times since 2008. Let's look at what this means and why we, the people, should be wary. What's a StingRay? Stingrays are small cell phone surveillance devices that force all nearby phones to connect to them and reveal the owners' locations. A stingray can be used to track and collect information on multiple parties at once, which seems efficient for law enforcement. So why is this a problem for the people, and why should you be worried when you hear such reports? Your Constitutional Rights The Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution provides, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." As you can see, this amendment guarantees that searches, seizures, and arrests are all based on specific information. A request for a warrant must not only be sworn to sworn to by the person seeking to search but it must also describe with some specificity "the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." Based on a reading of the Fourth Amendment, use of the stingrays for general cell phone spying on an unspecified number of people for unspecified matters is a gross constitutional violation. By admitting the repeated use of stingrays to spy on groups of people for unspecified matters, the police are saying that they have failed to respect the right of the people to be secure in their effects (their phones) from unreasonable search and seizure. "If carrying a cell phone means being exposed to military-grade surveillance equipment, then the privacy of nearly all New Yorkers is at risk," NYCLU executive director Donna Lieberman says. The FBI and other federal authorities must obtain a proper court warrant before deploying tracking devices like the stingray. Yet in response to the report by the NYCLU, the NYPD said it used the surveillance technology in emergency situations. Related Resources: Wary on Turkey, EU prepares for refugee crisis in Greece By Alastair Macdonald and Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The European Union hopes Turkey will prevent as many migrants reaching Greece as last year but is readying "contingency" plans to shelter large numbers who may arrive but can no longer trek north toward Germany. Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos told Reuters on Thursday that it was unclear how far Turkey could reduce numbers once the weather improves and, with efforts under way to prevent a repeat of last summer's chaotic treks through the Balkans, the EU was working with Athens to shelter refugees in Greece. "As long as our cooperation agreement we made with Turkey doesn't start giving results, the situation will not be easy at all. The flows will continue," said Avramopoulos. "That is why we have already started working on contingency planning." "If this happens, we are going to be confronted with a huge humanitarian crisis and this has to be avoided." When more than 800,000 people, many Syrian refugees, arrived in Greece last year, most moved north through the Balkans to Germany. Berlin does not want a repeat, leaving states to the south along the route tightening borders and raising a prospect that a large proportion of new arrivals may be halted in Greece. Assessing how far Turkey will help reduce the flow in return for cash and closer ties with the EU is difficult. Avramopoulos noted that arrivals had dropped sharply in the past week or so, despite good sailing weather, but spiked again on Wednesday. Avramopoulos, a former Greek foreign minister who has found himself handling what many see as the biggest crisis the Union has ever faced, said Athens was slow to start cooperating with the EU to manage the influx but had made "spectacular" strides in recent weeks to identify and fingerprint new arrivals. He said work was going well on new reception centres on the mainland and with Greek preparations to house up to 50,000 migrants while their claims to asylum are assessed. DISASTER PLAN The EU executive is also pressing other member states to respond to Athens' request for equipment, including tents, to deal with a possible concentration of homeless people - using an EU system first conceived for handling natural disasters. Avramopoulos is also pressing EU governments to make good on agreements to help Greece by taking in tens of thousands of people while their claims for refugee status are assessed. "This is a moment for everybody to assume their responsibilities, especially the member states," he said. So far since October fewer than 600 have been relocated under the EU scheme - partly because migrants have been free to make their own way north, rather than wait to be processed. With borders tightening, notably in Greece's northern, non-EU neighbour Macedonia, Brussels wants to establish order by obliging people to seek asylum in the country they arrive in and then accept temporary accommodation wherever they are sent. "Everybody wants to go to Germany; this is not possible," Avramopoulos said. "The door is open for all those entitled to international protection. But it will be up to the system to tell them where to go." Avramopoulos, who listens to classical and film music at his desk to help him concentrate at the eye of Europe's migration storm, stressed, however, that time was short to prevent new chaos this year: U.S. has asked Russia not to attack special forces in Syria - military By Yeganeh Torbati WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The United States has told Russia broad areas in which U.S. special forces are operating in Syria and asked them not to strike there, U.S. military officials said on Thursday. The move marks a step up in U.S.-Russian military coordination in Syria, which the United States had previously said was limited to a mechanism to avoid accidents in the air as both countries undertake bombing campaigns there. Lieutenant General Charles Brown, the head of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, disclosed the request at a Thursday news briefing at the Pentagon. "We told them (the Russians) these are ... general areas where we have coalition forces that we don't want them to strike there, because all it's going to do is escalate things," Brown said. "It's really just to maintain the safety for our forces that are both in the air and in this case on the ground." The United States announced in October it would deploy dozens of special operators in northern Syria to advise opposition forces in their fight against the militant group Islamic State. A senior U.S. defense official said at the time that the United States had not notified Russia of the special forces' location in Syria, but was open to doing so in order to keep the troops safe. Russia launched air strikes in Syria last year saying it was targeting Islamic State militants. But rebels on the ground and Western officials say the strikes have mainly targeted moderate rebel groups not associated with Islamic State, including U.S.-trained fighters. Major powers agreed last week to a limited cessation of hostilities in Syria in a deal that takes effect at the end of this week. Russia says the "cessation" does not apply to its air strikes, which have shifted the balance of power toward Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The United States has not shared with the Russians specific locations or times of the U.S. special operators' movements, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said on Thursday. The request was made via the two countries' defense ministries, and U.S. Secretary Ash Carter was aware of the request, Cook said. "We provided (the Russians) a geographical area that we asked them to stay out of because of the risk to U.S. forces," Cook said. "Up to this point they have honored this request." Norwegian Air to start U.S.-Paris flights; Ireland postponed -CEO Feb 18 (Reuters) - Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA will start direct flights between Paris and the United States this summer but must postpone new service from Cork, Ireland, as U.S. regulators mull whether to approve those flights, Chief Executive Bjrn Kjos said in an interview on Thursday. Norwegian Air to start U.S.-Paris flights; Ireland postponed - CEO By Jeffrey Dastin Feb 18 (Reuters) - Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA will start direct flights between Paris and the United States this summer but must postpone new service from Cork, Ireland, as U.S. regulators mull whether to approve those flights, Chief Executive Bjrn Kjos said in an interview on Thursday. The Paris flights underscore the ambitions of Europe's third-biggest budget carrier to rapidly expand its long-haul business from the United States. The airline has relied on the fuel-efficient 787 jetliner from Boeing Co to keep its costs low and cut fares on trans-Atlantic routes dominated by traditional flag carriers. "The most interesting cities for (U.S.) tourists to go to are London, Paris, Barcelona and Rome. That's where we see large leisure growth in the future," Kjos said, noting Norwegian will more than double the number of 787s it flies in the next two years and grow faster from New York. "We have opened a new base in Rome now. Obviously there is a reason why we open new bases," he added. A more than two-year review by the U.S. Transportation Department of a request by Norwegian's Irish subsidiary to fly from the United States is putting certain growth plans on hold, however. Opposition from U.S. airlines and unions that allege the subsidiary would undermine wages and working standards - claims dismissed by Norwegian - has slowed a typically swifter approval process. Kjos said Norwegian cannot launch flights from Boston to Cork and Cork to Barcelona in May 2016 as planned because its subsidiary must wait three months after the U.S. government grants approval before putting seats up for sale. Even then, "You can't fill a flight a day after you start to sell tickets," Kjos said. He said he expects the European Union to seek arbitration on the delay, which Kjos said violated a U.S. aviation pact with Europe. Flights to Paris from New York will start on July 29, followed by Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale service. The company said peak one-way fares begin at $275, and off-peak ones begin at $175. FBI Busts GA Prison Guards for Crime Inside If you ever wondered what goes on in prisons, an FBI bust last week will provide insight. Nearly 50 Georgia Department of Corrections guards were arrested after a 2-year FBI undercover operation revealed "staggering corruption," reports CNN. Prison guards provided inmates with cell phones and sold drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. The cell phones allowed inmates to commit crimes on the inside, including identity theft and other frauds. Plus, as if that was not enough, among those busted were two officers from an elite special Cobra unit designed to target drug dealing in prison. Dealing in Prison John Horn, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia revealed the indictment to reporters last week. He said that former and current Corrections officers are charged with using their badges to facilitate drug deals on either side of the prison wall. They allegedly trafficked in kilos of cocaine and methamphetamines in exchange for thousands of dollars in bribe money. The drugs are not a new problem in prison, as evidenced by the existence of a special unit designed to target internal dealing. But because some guards are corrupt, including special Cobra anti-drug unit members, the traditional criminality of incarceration has been supplemented. Enter the tech. Tech Convenience Many prisoners have access to cell phones, not just in Georgia, and most don't use the contraband to commit crimes. They call family and even attorneys, thus avoiding the need to make more expensive calls on less "secure" lines and limited phone use rules. But the bust in Georgia uncovered another use for prison cell phones that is much more disconcerting, if not unknown to authorities. Prisoners used the technology to commit crimes from inside, including identity theft and wire fraud, and to launder money. Britt Johnson, special agent in charge of the Atlanta FBI office, told CNN that contraband cell phones in prisons are a tremendous problem. "It makes a huge challenge for law enforcement," Johnson said. "After you chase down, arrest and prosecute criminals and put them away for life, and they continue to direct crime on the streets from their jail cells." The arrested Corrections officers are being held at an undisclosed location while awaiting trial. Hopefully they won't get their hands on contraband while they wait. Related Resources: Liberal Politics from the Heart of Bluegrass Country This blog is looking for wisdom, to have and to share. It is also looking for other rare character traits like good humor, courage, and honor. It is not an easy road, because all of us fall short. But God is love, forgiveness and grace. Those who believe in Him and repent of their sins have the promise of His Holy Spirit to guide us and show us the Way. The iPhone battle between the FBI and Apple isn't about getting help unlocking a terrorist's phone. It's about our government forcing Apple to invent a customized-on-demand version of its iOS operating system, effectively stripped of all security and privacy features. Command performance coding. As security researcher Dan Guido describes it in his widely cited technical explainer blog post, what they're asking for is an 'FBiOS.' After the mass shootings in San Bernardino, FBI investigators seized shooter Syed Rizwan Farook's iPhone. It was his work phone, and the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health gave the government the green light to search their employee's work device. The FBI is having a hard time bypassing the phone's security, which says something great about Apple. In his explainer blog post, Dan Guido offers a comprehensive technical analysis of whether it's technically possible for Apple to comply with the court's order to do what the FBI demands, and create special software just for the government, coded to the government's specifications, to crack the phone without data loss. Can Apple do this? Probably. Had Farook used an iPhone 6, this discussion might be different. But yes, what the FBI's asking for looks like it may be technically possible. But this isn't about whether Apple can do what the government demands. It's about whether they should. This is the slipperiest of slippery slopes, guys. If you think this makes sense, will you feel the same about the government demanding backdoors or software rewrites in every other technology device or service you use? How about when China demands backdoors in everything? The whole world is watching. Read Dan Guido's post here, or listen to the Risky Business podcast episode where he discusses his analysis in detail. Previously on Boing Boing: "Rallies planned at Apple stores to protest the FBI's crusade to hack your iPhone" "FBI demands iPhone backdoor access; Tim Cook tells them to get lost" An honest essay has numerous characteristics: original thinking, a good structure, balanced arguments, and plenty more. But one aspect often overlooked is that an honest essay should be interesting. It should spark the readers curiosity, keep them absorbed, make them want to stay reading and learn more. An uneventful article risks losing the readers attention; whether or not the points you create are excellent, a flat style, or poor handling of a dry subject material can undermine the positive aspects of the essay. The matter is that a lot of students think that essays should be like this: they believe that a flat, dry style is suited to the needs of educational writing and dont even consider that the teacher reading their essay wants to search out the essay interesting. You might want to have online essay editor service to boost your confidence in writing with an error-free output. Academic writing doesnt need to be and shouldnt be bland. The excellent news is that there is much stuff you can do to create your essay more attractive, while youll be able only to do such a lot while remaining within the formal confines of educational writing. Lets study what theyre. Have an interest in what youre writing about Dont go overboard, but youll be able to let your passion for your subject show. If theres one thing bound to inject interest into your writing, its being fascinated by what youre writing about. Passion for a subject matter comes across naturally in your essay, typically making it more lively and fascinating and infusing an infectious enthusiasm into your words within the same way that its easy to talk knowledgeably to someone about something you discover fascinating. Include fascinating details Another factor that may make an essay boring maybe a dry material. Some topic areas are naturally dry, and it falls to you to form the article more interesting through your written style and by trying to seek out fascinating snippets of knowledge to incorporate, which will liven it up a small amount and make the data easier to relate to. A way of doing this with a dry subject is to create what youre talking about that seems relevant to the critical world, as this is often easier for the reader to relate to. Emulate the fashion of writers you discover interesting When you read lots, you subconsciously start emulating the fashion of the writers you have read. Reading benefits you a lot, as this exposes you to a spread of designs, and youll start to require the characteristics of these you discover interesting to read. Borrow some creative writing techniques Theres a limit to the quantity of actual story-telling youll do when youre writing an essay; in the end, essays should be objective, factual and balanced, which doesnt, initially glance, feel considerably like story-telling. However, youll apply a number of the principles of story-telling to create your writing more interesting. consider your own opinion Take the time to figure out what its that you think instead of regurgitating the opinions of others. Cut the waffle Rambling on and on is dull and almost bound to lose the interest of your reader. Youre in danger of waffling if youre not completely clear about what you wish to mention or havent thought carefully about how youre visiting structure your argument. Doing all your research correctly and writing an essay plan before you begin will help prevent this problem. Editing is a vital part of the essay-writing process, so edit the waffle once youve done a primary draft. Read through your essay objectively and eliminate the bits that arent relevant to the argument or labor the purpose. employing a thesaurus isnt always a decent thing Avoid using unfamiliar words in an essay; theres too great a likelihood that youre misusing them. You may think that employing a thesaurus to seek out more complicated words will make your writing more exciting or sound more academic, but using overly high-brow language can have the incorrect effect. Avoid repetitive phrasing Please avoid using the identical phrase structure again and again: its a recipe for dullness! Instead, use a variety of syntax that demonstrates your writing capabilities and makes your writing more interesting. Mix simple, compound, and complicated sentences to avoid your paper becoming predictable. Use some figurative language Using analogies with nature can often make concepts more accessible for readers to know. As weve already seen, its easy to finish up rambling when youre explaining complex concepts mainly after you dont know it yourself. One way of forcing yourself to think about a couple of pictures, present it more simply and engagingly is to form figurative language. This implies explaining something by comparing it with something else, as in an analogy. Employ rhetorical questions Anticipate the questions your reader might ask. One of the ways ancient orators held the eye of their audiences and increased the dramatic effect of their speeches was by using the statement. A decent place to use a statement is at the top of a paragraph, to steer into the following one, or at the start of a replacement section to introduce a brand new area for exploration. Proofread Finally, you may write the top interesting essay an instructor has ever read. Still, youll undermine your good work if its plagued by errors, which distract the reader from the particular content and can probably annoy them. Kozhikode: Our Jackfruit (JF) is going global through a 121-member Whatsapp group of a vice-chancellor, horticulture scientists, hoteliers, entrepreneurs, farmers and a host of JF enthusiasts from countries like the US, the UK, Malaysia, Indonesia and Mexico besides India. The information shared in the Aranmula Jackfruit group triggered many successful experiments with JF. Stephanie Shelton, an hotelier in Kansas City of the US, replaced meat in Tamale (steamed Mexican dish) with JF, and it became a huge hit. The gluten free JF Tamale is shipped frozen and now available all over the continental US. Thea Ford, a UK woman running a coffee bar, has multiplied her customers by introducing Jaffee, the coffee brewed from JF. The group is providing useful information. For instance, farmers in Maharashtra never knew that JF is available in September, November months anywhere. That belief has fallen through, says Sree Padre, the well-known agricultural journalist. Upendra Pendse, an entrepreneur from Dapoli, Maharashtra, introduced frozen ready to cook JF and he sold a tonne last year. Recipes for various products off JF are first discussed in the group," Vishnu K. Santhosh of Aranmula, who started the group a few months back, said. "Several new products like vacuum fry chips, products from JF seed, methods for commercialisation etc. were discussed threadbare. Mr Santhosh was the coordinator of JF festival conducted in Aranmula in last May and he created the group to sustain the tempo and innovative ideas to promote the fruit. Dr G. Karunakaran, head, Central Horticultural Experiment Station (CHES), ICAR, in Tumkur, told DC that after the group interaction, he had initiated conservation of JF diversity products at CHES. Dr D.L. Maheshwar, VC of University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot, Karnataka, is an active member. New Delhi: Hitting out at Pakistan for dismissing evidence provided by India in connection with the Pathankot terror attack, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday accused the neighbouring country of "pretending to sleep" and not being serious about the probe. The minister also ruled out allowing the Pakistani Special Investigation Team into the Pathankot air base. Noting it is a matter that concerns the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of External Affairs, Parrikar told Karan Thapar in his programme 'To the Point' on India Today TV channel, "If somebody pretends to fall asleep, it's difficult to find out." He was asked about Pakistan's claim that the evidence given by India is not concrete enough. Told that Pakistan has also claimed that Pakistani mobile numbers given by India were "unregistered and had fake identities", Parrikar responded, "Fake identity and non-registration indicates connivance of some. You have to investigate and find out who gave numbers that are not registered." He said that the Indian government has been continuously giving evidence relating to so many attacks to Pakistan. "If someone is serious, he can definitely act," he said. Asked whether the Pakistani SIT would be allowed inside the Pathankot base, the minister said he was not aware of any such request from them. "As far as air bases and defence installations are concerned, no one can enter them without permission of the Defence Ministry," he said. Asked again, he said whatever information they need, it can be provided by NIA through the External Affairs Ministry. "The incident has happened here and we will investigate what has happened here. What we are asking them to investigate is the role of their people in their country," he said. The Defence Minister also said he is "hurt" by the US' decision to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. On the 'One Rank, One Pension' scheme, Parrikar said the government will differentiate between voluntary retirement for better prospects and premature retirement in the interest of the army. He said that a judicial committee has been set up to look into the issue of premature retirement. On the resentment among armed forces on the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, Parrikar said all the legitimate concerns of the armed forces would be addressed. Parrikar also said the ministry plans to cut the 'slack and flab' of the military. However, he made it clear that the "effective component of armed forces will not be compromised". It is believed Karatey played a major role in the recent attack on KDF troops in El Adde by the deployment of his suicide bombers, KDF said in a statement. (Photo: AP) Nairobi: Kenya has killed the commander of an elite unit within Somalias al Shabaab Islamist insurgency, a man blamed for masterminding a deadly attack on a Kenyan military camp in southern Somalia last month, the Kenyan military said on Thursday. Kenyan troops, working under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), killed Mohamed Karatey, al Shabaabs deputy commander and head of intelligence, at a graduation ceremony for insurgent fighters on February 8, the Kenya Defence Forces said in a statement. It is believed Karatey played a major role in the recent attack on KDF troops in El Adde by the deployment of his suicide bombers, KDF said in a statement. His killing now adds to that of the killing of Abdi Dek, the operation commander of the Abu Zubeyr Brigade that carried out the attack in El Adde. The statement gave no further details on killing of Karatey but said the Kenyan military had also killed 42 al Shabaab recruits and 10 other mid-level al Shabaab commanders during the raid. It was not possible to independently verify the killings. Kenyan troops took heavy losses when al Shabaab launched a dawn raid on their camp in El Adde near the Kenyan border on January 15, although they have not disclosed exact casualty figures. Al Shabaab claimed the attack had killed more than 100 soldiers. The Islamist insurgents have links to al Qaeda and seek to overthrow Somalias weak Western-backed government and drive out the African Union soldiers supporting them. Al Shabaab has inflated casualty figures in the past, while other official estimates often play them down. The unit that Karatey headed - known as Amniyat - comprises spies, suicide bombers and explosives experts. Seoul: South Korea's spy agency has told ruling party officials that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently ordered preparations for launching attacks on South Korea, in the latest sign of high tensions on the Korean peninsula after the North's recent nuclear test and missile launch. One official from the Saenuri Party who attended today's closed-door briefing by the National Intelligence Service says Kim's spy agency has begun work to implement his order to "actively muster capabilities" to launch cyber and other attacks on South Korea. North Korea has a history of attacks against South Korea, but it is impossible to independently confirm what's really happening in the secretive North Korea. The Saenuri official refused to say whether the briefing discussed how the information has been obtained. He requested anonymity because he wasn't authorised to speak to media on the briefing. The spy agency said the attacks could target anti-Pyongyang activists, defectors and government officials. The comments come a day after four of the most advanced US fighter jets flew over South Korea in a clear show of force against North Korea amid a festering standoff over its nuclear and missile ambitions. The stealthy, high-tech F-22 planes capable of sneaking past radar undetected landed at Osan Air Base near Seoul after the flyover escorted by other US and South Korean fighter jets. Pyongyang will likely view the arrival of the planes flown from a US base in Japan as a threat as they are a display of US airpower apparently aimed at showing what the United States can do to defend its ally South Korea from potential aggression from North Korea. The US military would not say how long the F-22s will be deployed in South Korea. The United States often sends powerful warplanes to South Korea in times of tension with North Korea. Last month it sent a nuclear-capable B-52 bomber to South Korea after North Korea defiantly conducted its fourth nuclear test. The international standoff over North Korea deepened earlier this month when Pyongyang ignored repeated warnings by regional powers and fired a long-range rocket carrying what it calls an Earth observation satellite. Washington, Seoul and others consider the launch a prohibited test of missile technology. Foreign analysts say the North's rocket launch and nuclear est put the country further along it its quest for a nuclear-armed missile that could reach the US mainland. South Korea's president on Tuesday warned North Korea faces collapse if it doesn't abandon its nuclear bomb program, an unusually strong broadside that is certain to infuriate Pyongyang. Kabul, Afghanistan: A United Nations official has condemned all sides in Afghanistan's conflict for using child soldiers, noting that while government forces have reduced the number of under-age recruits, insurgent groups continue to train large numbers of child fighters. Leila Zerrougui, special representative of the U.N. Secretary General for children and armed conflict, said the government has made progress on the issue. However, she added that Afghan Local Police - who often operate independently from central oversight - are major perpetrators of child recruitment among Afghan forces. She, further, added that insurgent groups recruit more children in areas where the fighting is fiercest. The Taliban, whose war against the government is in its 15th year, mainly recruits children in provinces bordering Pakistan, Zerrougui said. German Ambassador to India Martin Ney will visit Bengaluru from February 18-19, 2016. I am very much looking forward to visit Bengaluru, and having a discussion with the Governor. Bengaluru is known to be one of the most dynamic R&D hubs in the world. I am happy to have the chance to witness this first hand. It will be interesting to see how German companies develop their fast growing R&D centres in Bengaluru to be prepared for the global economy, Ney said. He will call on Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala, and visit the R&D centres of Mercedes Benz Research and Development (MBRDI) and SAP Labs in Whitefield, before visiting the Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO), a release said. With National Food Security Act (NFSA) coming into effect on February 15 in Jammu and Kashmir, people across the Valley have been protesting against the implementation of the controversial Act. The Act guarantees five kilogrammes of rice per person in a month. The protesters allege that store keepers at ration depos further deduct the quantity, providing only three kilos rice per person. Earlier every family used to get 35 kg of rations, irrespective of the number of family members. In old city areas of Srinagar and other districts of the Valley, protests against the Act erupted at several places with people demanding immediate revocation of the law. The protesters burned used tyres and raised pro-justice slogans,and said that the controversial Act has forced them to starvation. We demand immediate revocation of this Act. Scientifically, an individual needs 13 kg rice per month for consumption. Under NFSA, the authorities have announced five kg per person. The situation went from bad to worse as store keepers are reducing the quantity from five to thee kg per persons, said a protester. Director Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Abdul Rashid War said they were exploring how to increase the scale of ration distributed per person under NFSA.People misinformed We have made a proposal and will submit it soon to the government, he told reporters here. The Director said people are being misinformed about the Act and the scale of rations. We are rationalising the system of public distribution of foodgrains and people will get ration properly. Some miscreants and people with vested interests are spreading false information among people about the law, Var claimed. NFSA was one of flagship programmes of the UPA-II introduced in 2013. However, the then J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah, who was heading the National Conference-Congress coalition government in the state, refused to implement it on the ground that it was not beneficial to the people of the state. However, after the delay of more than two years, state government headed by late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed last December decided to implement the Act. J&Ks population is estimated to be 1.36 crore. While the programme will cover 74 lakh population, Centre will reportedly provide tide-over quota at Above Poverty Line (APL) rates for feeding 45 lakh people. For the left-out 17 lakhs, sources said, state government will purchase foodgrain from open market. Nearly 400 scientists, faculties and researchers predominantly based in India have joined the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Union Students protest, demanding release of student leader Kanhaiya Kumar who was remanded by a court to 14-day judicial custody in connection with a sedition case. The JNU Student Union protest also received support from academia across the world with as many as 86 eminent scientists and writers from, including renowned thinker Noam Chomsky and Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, joining the chorus, noting in a statement the arrest of Kanhaiya had brought great dishonour to the Narendra Modi government. In a letter to the JNU Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar, the group of scientists and faculties in India noted that senior members of the government have aggressively targeted the JNU students but the varsity administration failed to protect them. The JNU administration should have protected its students against these attacks and charges that have also vitiated the police investigation. We are deeply disappointed that you have failed to carry out this responsibility, they said. They described the arrest of Kanhaiya as troublesome, noting that he was allowed to put behind the bars even though he was not an organizer of the event held on the university campus in memory of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and that he was merely present there to express his solidarity. However, even as far the organizers and the speakers at the event are concerned, we hope that you recognize that expressing controversial views in a peaceful forum cannot be equated with sedition. We hope that you will take urgent corrective steps to ensure that the police releases the arrested students, and also to ensure that it drops the unsubstantiated charges against them, they said. They also hoped that the vice chancellor would take steps to protect freedom of speech on the JNU campus in future. If you have experienced change around you and your family with growing affluence, this book is for you. Capturing the effect of affluence and the accompanying changes in relationships in a middle-class family has come naturally to Kannada writer Vivek Shanbhag, whose first translated into English book Ghachar Ghochar, was released here on Wednesday. The shy Bangalore-based engineer author, who has penned 10 books over 30 years, was candid enough to admit that the novel reflects his humble upbringing in a coastal Karnataka town and subsequent stay in cities, and working in corporates. The story is not just about money but other linked things as well, said Shanbhag, whose Kannada novel has been translated into English by writer and friend Srinath Perur for HarperCollins India. In a conversation with writer Jai Arjun Singh, Shanbhag said his Bangalore links especially the famous city coffee house get reflected in the backdrop created for the novel that sees a middle-class family get rich. Getting rich is a relative term and many middle- class families would identify with this family. It is not that they become super rich, said the writer. About the Bangalore flavour of the setting, he said it is not a conscious attempt. Its got to be a city. Any city. The cosmopolitan set-up is needed for the anonymity that characters require to do certain things without being noticed, which is not possible in a small town. During a conversation with critic Trisha Gupta, the writer admitted that he was excited about his first English translation. There are certain sections in the English translated version which are not there in the Kannada work, he said. I had to reopen the work for adding two-three chapters. It was a challenge to rework on something which in my mind was closed, he said, adding that the additions would add freshness and relevance. Asked about the choice of the title, Shanbhag said, Ghachar Ghochar is a nonsense word that I created. It does not mean anything but it is required to convey that something more is required to understand it. I did not start writing this book with the title in mind, said the writer. Brutal honesty Gupta praised Shanbhag and Perurs efforts to present, through the narrator in the novel, the brutal honesty about money and how it changes relationships and equations in a family. The book traces the life of a Bangalore family for which eating out once a week was a luxury. It later grows financially through a masala business to be able to move into a big house from a poor neighbourhood and throws a lavish wedding party for the familys daughter. Upping the ante on the JNU row and Patiala House court violence, Rahul Gandhi today dubbed them as a "blot" on India's image and sought President Pranab Mukherjee's intervention for immediate action to "check the state of lawlessness and subversion of democratic rights". "It is not the Government's job to destroy our educational institutions and crush expression of all students. Across the country, RSS is trying to impose a flawed ideology on the students of this country," he told reporters here. Leading a delegation of party leaders to the President, the Congress Vice President also launched a counter attack on the BJP for its "anti-national" dig at him, asserting that "nationalism is in my blood. I have seen my family sacrifice again and again and again for this nation." "The country is gripped in a serious crisisThe scenes of utter lawlessness playing out on the premises of the court in the heart of the capital are an affront to the democratic ideals of the country" the delegation said in a memorandum submitted to the President. Besides the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, the delegation included Leader of the party in Lok Sabha Mallikarun Kharge, Deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma besides senior leaders Shiela Dixit, Randeep Surjewala Ajay Maken and Manish Tewari. They told the President that despite a "direct order" from the Supreme Court to ensure adequate security outside Patiala House court, the government has "refused" to prevent attacks on journalists and students. The Supreme Court- appointed panel to assess the situation was itself subjected to abuse and assault. "Such lawlessness in defiance of a Supreme Court directive on two occasions by the same set of people, some of whom are identified with the ruling dispensation on various fora, cannot be but without the tacit support, encouragement or at best, the indifference of the ruling establishment", it told the President. Expressing concern over the incident, the Congress leaders sought President's "assistance in ensuring that immediate action is taken to check the state of lawlessness and subversion of democratic rights". Alleging that across the country, whether in JNU or Hyderabad Central University, in FTII and other places of learning, students are being "bullied and threatened", the delegation told the President that "As the patron of Universities, we call upon you to protect their freedom and uphold the values that built our nation". Gandhi said if somebody has said anything against thie nation, they should be punished according to law. He also referred to the suicide by Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad and accused the government of "crushing" him. The Congress Vice President expressed concern that people were being beaten inside the Court and the police are "just watching." "This is sending a very, very bad signal not only in this country but also abroad. It is damaging India's image and is putting a blot on it", he said. Seeking President's intervention, the party said as representatives of people, it cannot "stand by quietly" as the government fails to do its duty. The Congress delegation told the President that it was a matter of concern that journalists, students and teachers are being physically assaulted inside and outside the court premises by a BJP legislator and workers "while the police look the other way and the government remains complacent and silent". "The Government's complete failure in managing tensions and restoring law and order and its refusal to protect the democratic rights of its citizens is a cause of deep concern to us", the memorandum said. Asserting that the Congress will defend the rights of students everywhere, Congress said RSS was trying to impose its "flawed" and "dead" ideology on the students of the country but his party will not allow it. "This country grows and prospers because of students' imagination, because of their belief and because of their dreams and imposing this dead ideology on top of our students is the biggest crime that can be done", he said. Gandhi alleged Rohith Vemula was "crushed" by the Government because he expressed himself and "that is happening in every single University". "Most worringly, such intimidation and violence is taking place with alarming regularity in our universities, which are meant to nurture new ideas, encourage debate and discussion", the memorandum said alleging that this was happening simply for holding views contrary to the ruling establishment. The delegation said the attack on the press appears to be designed to intimidate and threaten the fourth pillar of democracy, to prevent them from doing their job without fear or favour. "This does not bode well for our democracy. It is unacceptable". The delegation told the President that the party and its leadership condemn any expression of anti-nationalism outright. Those resorting to such behaviour must be identified and dealt with strictly. Jat protesters today rejected Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's offer to enhance quota for economically backward classes with the agitation spreading to Faridabad, Kaithal and Karnal disrupting rail and road traffic. In view of the blockades set up by the agitators, Haryana Roadways suspended its bus services on many affected routes. The Jat continued to block roads in Rohtak-Jhajjar, the epicentre of the protests, disrupting supply of milk, vegetables, fruits and other items on the national highway connecting Rohtak with other parts of the state and NCR. A day after holding talks with the Chief Minister, All India Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti's national president, Yashapal Malik told PTI that, "We reject the offer, it is not technically viable. It is illegal and cannot be implemented." "We (Jats) cannot be befooled once again, we have been fighting for our right for several years now. The agitation has further spread to Kaithal, Faridabad, Karnal, Palwal today and by tomorrow, it will cover entire Haryana," Malik said. Jat and Khap leaders had held a four-hour long meeting with Khattar and some of his ministers here yesterday during which the CM had announced enhancement of the reservation quota under EBC and the annual income ceiling from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh. The Chief Minister had announced an enhancement of the quota of reservation for Economically Backward Classes in the state from 10 to 20 per cent, but the community remained adamant on their demand for reservation under OBC category. The protests continued at other places including Sonipat, Bhiwani and Hisar. Malik said the Jats will fight for their rights and continue to protest till they get it. "People (who do not belong to the Jat community) have also come out on the streets in support of our demand," Malik said when asked about the inconvenience caused to passengers and students due to the stir. Lawyers, students and women have also joined the protests at various parts of the state. The protesters are demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions under OBC category. A Committee constituted under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to study all the aspects of the reservations for Special Backward Classes, will submit its report before the forthcoming budget session of state Assembly next month, Khattar had said yesterday. The committee will consider all suggestions including bringing an appropriate bill in this regard, he had said. Meanwhile, blockade continued on roads from Rohtak to Delhi, and roads to Sonipat, Jhajjar remained blocked while those leading to Hisar, Jind and Bhiwani were also affected. Railway traffic on the Rohtak-Delhi section was affected due to the agitation, officials said, adding many trains had been cancelled or diverted through alternative routes. Managements of private schools, which fall in the affected areas, have also declared holidays due to the stir while Maharishi Dayanand University also announced postponement of some of its undergraduate and postgraduate examinations that were scheduled to be held between February 17-22. Taking no chances after two days of violence in the Patiala House Courts complex, Delhi Police today presented former Delhi University lecturer SAR Gilani, arrested on sedition charges, before a magistrate in a police station for remand proceedings. The remand proceedings passed of peacefully far from the Patiala House Courts which was the scene of violence on Monday and Wednesday when a group of lawyers had thrashed journalists and JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar in brazen defiance of Supreme Court order. Gilani, who was arrested in connection with an event at the Press Club of India here where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised last week, was remanded to judicial custody till March 3 by the magistrate. He also moved a bail application which will come up for hearing before Metropolitan Magistrate Harvinder Singh tomorrow. Earlier in the day, not wanting to take any risk, the police approached the magistrate and requested that the remand proceedings be held in a police station away from Patiala House Courts complex. The violence had triggered nationwide outrage and the Delhi Police had come under criticism for its alleged inaction. A magistrate then went to Chanakyapuri Police Station, about 7 kms away from Patiala House Court, for the hearing when police said Gilani was not required for any further custodial interrogation so he be remanded to judicial custody. Advocate Satish Tamta, who represented Gilani, moved a bail application on behalf of his client and the magistrate fixed it for hearing tomorrow. On February 16, the court had sent Gilani to two-day police custody after the agency had said they required his custodial interrogation to identify those involved in raising anti-India slogans. Police had earlier told the court that an event was held on February 10 in which banners were placed showing Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat as martyrs and anti-national slogans along with slogans demanding independence for Kashmir were raised. It had also said the hall in the club was booked by Gilani through one Ali Javed by using his credit card and another person Mudassar was also involved. Gilani's counsel, however, had said he was only the convenor and the event was open for all. Gilani's arrest has come amid the raging row over the arrest of JNU Students' Union President Kanhaiya Kumar over sedition charges in connection with an event at the varsity campus against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru on February 9. At the Press Club event, a group had allegedly shouted slogans hailing Guru, following which the police had lodged a case under sections 124A (sedition), 120B(criminal conspiracy) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the IPC against Gilani and other unnamed persons. The police had claimed to have registered the FIR taking suo motu cognisance of media clips of the incident. Following registration of the FIR, the police questioned for two consecutive days DU professor Ali Javed, a Press Club member who had booked the hall for the event. Gilani was arrested in connection with the 2001 Parliament attack case but was acquitted for "need of evidence" by the Delhi High Court in October 2003, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in August 2005. The brutal conflict in Iraq is not between Shias and Sunnis, but against the dreaded Islamic State militant group which is killing members of both the sects, an Indian-origin top Shia cleric here has said. "Daesh is a brutal terrorist group which is killing both Shias and Sunnis. They are killing everyone," said Grand Ayatollah Bashir Hussain al-Najafi. He said the fight in Iraq is not between Shias and Sunnis. "It was against Daesh," said Najafi, a close aide of Grand Ayatollah Syed Ali Sistani. He also criticised the Western media for projecting the war in Iraq as sectarian conflict, saying Shia and Sunni are brothers and they are together fighting against ISIS and liberated several cities from them. "During a war the most important posts are that of defence minister and head of the state. In Iraq both positions now are headed by Sunnis," the cleric said. "The terrorists are enemy of Iraq. Those who paint this conflict as a sectarian war are trying to destabilise Iraq," he said, adding that this war is between Iraqis and terrorists. He also slammed some foreign forces for destabilising Iraq, saying these powers are attempting to bring back the old regime by destroying democracy in the country. Daesh or ISIS has killed and displaced thousands of Sunnis in Iraq, prompting Sunni tribes to join the Shia-dominated paramilitary forces to fight against them, a senior tribal leader-turned military commander has said. "Daesh entered into Iraqi cities saying Sunnis are in danger and they have come to protect them. And they succeeded to some extent," said Sheikh Mohammed Mikhlif, a Sunni Hashd al-Shaabi Commander and in-charge of operations in Anbar province. "But they occupied our land and suppressed us. They have killed thousands of Sunnis and Shias both and displaced them," Mikhlif, also the chief of Albu Shaban tribe in war-torn Anbar province, told a group of visiting Indian journalists. Mikhlif said that a number of Sunni tribes in the contested province joined the government forces and the paramilitary Hashd al-Shaabi or the Popular Mobilisation Forces, a state-sponsored umbrella organisation composed of several armed groups formed in 2014 to fight against the ISIS. The underpowered Iraqi army, which lost several cities to ISIS, has been relying heavily on Hashd soldiers to regain the control over lost cities. Mikhlif said Najaf-based Grand Ayatollah Sistani's call to defend the nation brought Shias in Sunni areas to fight against Daesh and protect the Iraqi nation. "When we see the Shias from southern cities of Basra or Karbala come to Anbar to protect us, it gives us strength to fight against Daesh," he said. In a major goof-up, popular social media platform Twitter today showed Jammu as part of Pakistan and J&K as being in China in its location-tagging service -- drawing flak from its own users. Twitter, which is very popular among politicians, government leaders and others seeking to spread their views, also identified Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) as 'Azad Kashmir' province of Pakistan. Left red-faced over the faux pas, Twitter's India office said the problem has been identified and it will be resolved soon. The government on its part said the matter will be taken up with the micro-blogging site. "I am sure this will be taken up," External Affairs spokesman Vikas Swarup told reporters. While posting a new tweet, Twitter gives an option to the user to tag his or her location, wherein the microblogging site was today found to be showing Jammu as being part of Pakistan. Besides, a user seeking to tag Jammu and Kashmir as the location was being shown the option of this place being in 'People's Republic of China'. The development created a flutter among Twiterrati, a term used for frequent users of this platform, and large number of the users criticised Twitter for the goof-up, with some terming it being biased against India. Several ministries and departments of the government including the President's Secretariat and Prime Minister's Office have been using Twitter to communicate with the people. Prominent politicians, cine stars and blue-chip companies of the country have also been using this platform. Incidentally, Twitter had shot into prominence in India after a major controversy over former Congress Minister Shashi Tharoor's "cattle class" tweets, which he had apparently used for economy class air travel. Wooing dalits ahead of the 2017 UP Assembly polls, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today said it wants to develop a young Dalit leadership in all states and attacked BSP supremo Mayawati for not "encouraging Dalit leadership" to keep a "firm grip on power". He also attacked the Modi government, accusing it of "killing" Rohith Vemula, the Dalit scholar from Hyderabad university, whose suicide triggered a nationwide outrage. "Mayawati did not properly utilise the platform provided by Kanshi Ram. She did not encourage Dalit leadership in the party in a bid to keep a firm grip on power," he told party's conclave on "Dalit leadership development convention" at UPCC office here. "I see a difference between Kanshi Ram and Mayawati... Kanshi Ram did a lot of good work for the Dalits .... when she became chief minister she suppressed and crushed Dalit leadership. She did not allow any Dalit leader to move upward," he said. "Congress wants to bring Dalits into its fold and give them an opportunity not only in Uttar Pradesh but also in other states. It wants to develop young leadership of Dalits," Rahul said. "Dalits are asking themselves that they have not got the desired results...they have a question for the Congress and that is whether it will give Dalit youths and leaders a place in the party. I believe that if Congress holds their hand, UP will be a different place altogether," he said. Congress and Ambedkar framed Constitution and the right of 'one man one vote' was given to the people but still a lot of work remains to be done though a lot has been done, he said. "Mayawati failed to ensure proper benefit to the Dalits. She did not promote young Dalit leadership when she became the Chief Minister. She tried to crush and suppress Dalit leadership and attempted to concentrate all power in her hand," he alleged. Claiming that the Dalit youth are now "frightened" by Mayawati's leadership, he said this presents an opportunity before the Congress. Congress now wants to give them the space to transform Uttar Pradesh, he said. "We want to invite you (Dalit youths) to Congress and give you powers because you have not progressed the way you should have," he said. BSP's emergence on the Uttar Pradesh's political landscape led to gradual erosion of the solid Dalit vote base of the Congress, which it is trying to regain. Recalling his recent visit to Hyderabad after Vemula's suicide, Rahul said, "Rohith was killed by the government of India. He was supressed by the government and forced to commit suicide. An RSS man is heading the institution there and voice of Rohith was not heard." The Congress leader alleged that the Modi government wanted to do away with welfare schemes lauched by the previous UPA government. "In the ten years of UPA rule, Congress gave right to employment, food and information, besides giving rights to adivisis...farmers' loans were waived...these programmes were aimed at strengthening the poor..we never asked under the MNREGS the caste or relgion of the beneficiaries or where you belong to," he added. Attacking BJP and RSS, Rahul said they were trying to "hamper progress" of the country by "imposing" their ideology but Congress would not let that happen. "BJP and RSS are trying to hamper growth of the country by imposing their ideology. Congress is fighting with RSS and it will not let it succeed in its designs," Rahul said. He said while Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not like MNREGS scheme launched by UPA, his Finance Minister Arun Jaitely says "there is not such programme like MNREGS". "I asked Jaitley that Modiji termed it a bad scheme, while you consider it a good one. Why you don't say this outside. We will save MNREGS and fight for rights of the minorities and Dalits," he said. He also alleged that BJP and RSS were trying to impose their ideology on the education system, too. As part of its initiatives to boost bilateral trade, the European Union will soon restart pre-negotiations to reach Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India. Interacting with Deccan Herald at the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce meeting on Thursday, German Ambassador to India Martin Ney said the second stock-taking pre-negotiation meeting on FTA will be held in Brussels next week. The first stock-taking meeting was held in Delhi in January. There will be a second stock-taking meeting and pre-negotiation in Brussels next week, said Ney. The ambassador said he is hopeful that the negotiations will be resumed as soon as possible because the Indian economy will progress due to FTA with the European Union. I hope that the negotiations will be resumed as soon as possible because this is my argument that the Indian economy will progress substantially from a FTA with the EU because it will increase the competitiveness of the Indian economy, he said. Ney said during the Make in India week in Mumbai, Minister Nirmala Sitharaman assured that India is open for negotiations. He said India is the only country among BRICS nations to achieve 7.5 per cent growth rate. India will have to bring in more ease of doing business initiatives. We are going in the right direction. But a lot more to be done on IP protection, improvement in procurement policy and solid legal frame work to protect investments, he said. Ney also reinforced Germanys commitment for an enduring relationship. The USs proposed sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan has understandably raised concern in India. The Barack Obama administration claims that the sale of the jets is to enhance Pakistans ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counterterrorism operations. This is a disingenuous explanation. F-16s are not the best aircraft to be used in counter-insurgency situations. They are more suitable for use in conventional war. The supply of F-16s to Pakistan will only embolden its military to indulge in provocative, indeed reckless behaviour vis-a-vis India. This has been the experience over the last seven decades. Washingtons supply of combat aircraft to Pakistan in the Cold War years was ostensibly meant to fight Communism but Pakistan used it in its wars against India. The US is well aware of it. Yet it is keen to sell the F-16s to Pakistan, not bothering about its negative impact on India-Pakistan relations or even Pakistans domestic politics for that matter. Supply of aid and equipment to the military has in the past tilted the military-civilian balance in Pakistan in favour of the military. At a time when Pakistans fragile democratic institutions are struggling to break free of military pressure, it is unfortunate that the Barack Obama administration is weighing in on the side of the generals. It is likely that the US is selling the F-16s to Pakistan to get its militarys support in fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. That is, the jets are to ensure good behaviour on the part of the Pakistani generals. But this has never worked in the past. Has the US forgotten that its $3,6 billion military aid to Pakistan in the 1980s, which the then American president Ronald Reagan justified as necessary to dissuade Pakistan from acquiring nuclear weapons, failed in this objective? The Obama administrations decision to supply F-16s to Pakistan will need the nod of the US Congress. It is likely to sell the $700 million deal to Congressmen as one that will generate jobs for Americans and also help the US achieve its counter-terrorism objectives in Pakistan. India must use its influence to draw the attention of Congressmen to the sales destructive impact. Should the deal be sealed, it will not only undermine South Asian regional security but also have dangerous implications for the rest of the world. An empowered Pakistan military will feel emboldened to incite trouble. It could deepen its support to terrorist groups. This would defeat the USs objectives in Afghanistan. Obama must call off the sale of the F-16s to Pakistan. Documents obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by four advocates, on behalf of the Cubbon Park Walkers Association (CPWA), show that there are a total of the 68 security guards in Cubbon Park. But a reality check shows that there are only a handful of them, claim CPWA members. Confirming this, a Horticulture department employee told Deccan Herald that from 2013 till date, there are only five to six guards for the 192-acre lung space. He said, About 66 Home Guards were deployed on the park premises in the beginning of 2013, but they were removed after two months. The department spends about Rs 7.8 lakh every month on security, including payment to guards. Further, their attendance is not maintained properly. S Umesh, advocate and president of CPWA, along with other advocates Sakeena, Lingegowda and Vishwanath, representing UK Associates Lawyers Association, applied under RTI on December 9 last year, seeking information such as amount sanctioned by the government in the budget for Cubbon Park from 2013 till date, details about the security tender and constructions undertaken in the park. Umesh and Lingegowda said that not only was the RTI information delayed to them by two months, the details furnished by the department in the documents were incomplete. Expenditure of fundsWe sought details about the number of events organised at Cubbon Park, money collected from organisers and what purpose the money was utilised for. The park officials have maintained in the document that from 2013 till date, 31 events have taken place. We doubt the number and feel it is more, Umesh said. He said that while the authorities have claimed to have collected Rs eight lakh from event organisers, no information was provided as to what purpose the amount was spent for. The RTIreveals differences in the amount sanctioned by the government for development of Cubbon Park and amount spent. The advocates now plan to approach the Lokayukta and the High Court against department officials. Info not delayed: officialMahantesh Murugod, Deputy Director of Horticulture department, Cubbon Park, dismissed the charges that the information was delayed. On the number of security guards, he said that it was only in the last three months the number of guards has decreased. Murugod said: We have given all the information we have. Let them (CPWA and advocates) do what they want. Six men have been arrested for murdering a young man who had accidentally jostled one of them during the Rathasapthami procession in Adugodi, southeast Bengaluru, recently. Police identified the suspects as Rajesh, 23, Vinay Kumar, 22, Vinay, 24, Hemanth Kumar, 22, M A Abhishek, 22 and Murali M, all residents of Adugodi. Five men Santhosh, Venkatesh, Leon, Prashanth and John, all residents of Ejipura had gone to Adugodi to witness the Rathasapthami procession on the night of February 14. Around 1.30 am, they started dancing during the procession. Four other men, all of them drunk, were dancing, too. Venkatesh accidentally jostled and stepped on the feet of one of them. The men got angry and picked a fight with him and attacked his friends. He bled profusely while three others were also injured. Venkatesh was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries some time later, the Adugodi police said. Based on a complaint, the police arrested the suspects. Professor and Associate Dean, Research and External relations, McMaster University, Canada, John S Preston, on Thursday, said India had its own tradition in development of software. While delivering the keynote address and lecture on Epitaxial Growth of Semiconductor Films on Oxide Substrates, during the second Indo-Canadian Symposium on Nano-Science and Technology (ICSNST16), organised here by National Institute of Engineering (NIE), he said, India had a long history in Material Research and software development. With new innovations on a wide range of materials, the cost has become cheaper, but, there are many challenges ahead. The vast majority of epitaxial semiconductor growth takes place on semiconductor substrates that are either identical or isostructural with the overlaying material. The professor also highlighted various examples in which semiconductors can be grown with excellent structural and electronic properties on oxide crystals such as sapphire. These film-substrate combinations offer some interesting opportunities for novel device architectures and possibly the integration of silicon and compound semiconductor technologies at a modest cost, he said.Addressing the gathering NIE Principal G L Shekar said, the primary objective of the symposium is to provide a stimulating and buzzing platform for the participants from academia, research organisations and industry, who are actively involved in research on nano-science and technology, to present results from their ongoing works. The event covered a range of topics from nano scale science and technology and also addressed the interdisciplinary, international nature of this exciting and rapidly growing field. It also provides opportunities for the delegates to directly exchange new ideas and applications to foster business or research initiatives and to find global partners for future collaboration through their poster presentations and abstracts, the principal said. NIE Board of Management Secretary S K Lakshminarayana said the NIE and the McMaster University had signed an agreement, which leads to new scientific and research discoveries. He stressed on the need for faculty and student exchange programmes for scientific growth to update the knowledge on nanotechnology. McMaster University Electrical and Computer department professor Shiva Kumar, NIE vice-president N Ramanuja and others were present. The student leaders who quit ABVP on Wednesday evening said they wanted to burn copies of Manusmriti on the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus after Hyderabad student Rohith Vemula suicide split the ABVP ranks. The protest was planned around mid-January, said Pradeep Narwal, former secretary of the ABVPs JNU unit. He, along with two other office bearers, resigned from their positions protesting the sedition charges against JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar. Even though Narwal cites online rage trending with #shutdownJNU on Twitter as an immediate reason for his resignation, he said his problems with ABVP started after the Dalit student suicide in Hyderabad Central University sparked an outrage on the JNU campus. If the book says something wrong, it should be burnt down, he said, adding that he had expressed his reservations about applying doctrines of the Manusmriti to the non-Brahmins. He said the ancient legal text holds bias against women and Shudras. We raised our issues on the party platform, the 25-year-old student of MA History said, claiming that a rift within the partys JNU unit surfaced after it rejected the proposal pushed by him. Hailing from Kathura village in Haryana, having known and seen oppression of Dalits in his state, the handling of Vemula's case by ABVP irked him. The inefficient handling of the incidents of February 9, he said, was the final straw. Lag raha tha JNU ki laash pe rajneeti kar rahe hain sab, politics is not a joke. So I quit, he said. According to Narwal, he initiated his friends Ankit Hans, secretary, School of Social Sciences (SSS), and Rahul Yadav, president SSS, months after he joined ABVP in August 2015. For 26 year old Ankit, it was the development agenda being promised by ABVP that drew him in. Hailing from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, the ex-IIT Roorkee alumni took a party post in January. The ABVP wasnt typical right wing in JNU polls, but had a development slant. The left hadnt been able to do much, and I thought with Modi at the Centre, maybe ABVP could get things done, especially when it came to things like getting hostels made. But nothing changed. Everyone is just busy doing politics, he said. Rahul Yadav, a former Hindu College student, said it was the anti-nationalist brand name that the University was acquiring due to a certain kind of politics, that made him quit ABVP. Justifying the move to part ways with the RSS-affiliated student party, Narwal said, The right is pursuing a game of political vendetta, while the left is trying to hide things to suit their own agenda. All Central universities including the Jawaharlal Nehru university (JNU) will soon be flying the National Flag atop a 207 feet tall pole. This resolution was passed at a meeting of the vice chancellors presided by Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani here. This comes at a time when some Left-backed JNU students are accused of being anti-nationals. The arrest of JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar had sparked a major political row and nationwide outrage. At a central place at every university, the National Flag will be flown prominently and proudly, the ministry said in a statement. The Tricolour, weighing 35 kg, will be flown atop a 207 feet tall flag pole at all the 46 Central universities like the one installed inside the Central Park in Delhis Connaught Place in March last year, an official told Deccan Herald. The ministry also said that the proposal for hoisting of the National Flag was moved by the vice chancellors and not the government. At the meeting which was primarily called to review the mechanism created for addressing the complaints of caste and community-based discrimination, it was decided that Central varsities will ensure a transparent proactive mechanism for grievance redressal of the university community, including students, staff and faculty. The universities were asked to take steps to appoint an anti-discrimination officer to address the complaints from students, teachers and other staff. To ensure that no student is deprived of higher education due to language limitation, it was decided that universities will make arrangements for teaching in English and an Indian language as applicable to the state. Amid nationwide outrage over police crackdown on JNU students, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi called on President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday, urging him to intervene and protect the students right to debate, dissent, criticise and express their views fearlessly. Leading a delegation of his party leaders to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Rahul drew Mukherjees attention to the attack on JNU teachers, students and journalists on the Patiala House Court premises. In a memorandum submitted to the President, he urged him to ensure that immediate action was taken to check the state of lawlessness and subversion of democratic rights. Over the last few months, the NDA government has displayed a dangerous tendency of undermining democratic freedoms and crushing the voices of those who do not share their views, the party leaders said in the memorandum. Referring to Rohit Vemulas suicide in Hyderabad University, the Congress leaders claimed that the Dalit scholar was pushed to take the extreme step as he was deemed anti-national merely for his association with the Ambedkar Students Association. Across the country, whether in JNU, in Hyderabad University, in FTII and other places of learning, students are being bullied and threatened, simply for holding views contrary to the ruling establishment, they added. As many as 17 Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, party leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, accompanied Gandhi to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. We are here to place our concerns before you and request your assistance in ensuring that immediate action is taken to check the state of lawlessness and subversion of democratic rights. As the patron of the universities, we call upon you to protect their freedom and uphold the values that built our nation, the party leaders told the President. After meeting the President, Rahul told reporters that the RSS was trying to impose its flawed ideology on this country. The Bar Council of Indian on Thursday decried the violence resorted to by a group of lawyers in Patiala House Courts a day before on journalists and supporters of JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and assured the Supreme Court of taking adequate action against them. Appearing before a bench of Justices J Chelameswar and Abhay M Sapre, BCI chairman, senior advocate Manan K Mishra submitted that the apex statutory body of the advocates was examining the issue and will file a report by Monday. We have taken serious note of the incidents of violencewe will place a report on record on Monday, he submitted. As a counsel complained that about 15 lawyers were beaten up in Patiala House courts during production of Kumar, the BCI chairman said that the action would surely be taken into the matter. We have earlier in case of similar incident in the Madras High Court, recommended for suspension of licence of about 15 advocates, he said. Senior advocate K T Tulsi, appearing for PIL petitioner N D Jayaprakash, submitted that the matter must be referred to the Delhi Bar Council as the advocates were directly affiliated to it. Mishra, however, submitted that the BCI, being the parent body, can recommend action in the instant case. Amid mobile industry expressing concern over a Noida-based company Ringing Bells launching a smart phone priced at Rs 251, dubbed as world cheapest handset, the Centre asked the Department Electronics to probe and submit the report. Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had sought the report from the Department of Electronics on how the firms can offer such a low price when the manufacturing cost itself will be over Rs 2,500, sources said. Ringing Bells, set up five months ago by Amity University graduate Mohit Kumar Goel, launched the Freedom 251 at a high-profile function on Wednesday, attended by BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi. Though company said it will receive booking through online on Thursday at 6 am, it said site crashed due to large number of hits. However, the company claimed that it will ready for receive order within or before 24 hours. Ringing Bells president Ashok Chaddha said manufacturing cost of the phone is about Rs 2,500, which will be recovered through a series of measures like economies of scale, innovative marketing, reduction in duties and creating an e-commerce marketplace. The phone will be manufactured in Noida and Uttaranchal. Two plants will be set up for Rs 250 crore each with a capacity of 5 lakh phones," he said while rejecting getting any subsidy from the government. However, expressing concern over the phone, Indian Cellular Association has written the Telecom Minister to order probe into it. Even BJP MP Kirit Somaiya also demanded probe on how the company is selling a phone on a such low price. The hunting hound species - Mudhol - will now be in the service of the nation, with their induction into the Army. Six of these canines were handed over to the authorities of the Indian Armys Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) Centre and College, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh at a programme in Bengaluru recently. The Mudhol dogs thus became the first native breed to be serving the Indian Army. The dogs of this breed can be found at Mudhol in the district and surrounding areas. Lieutenant Colonel N Prakash said at the ceremony to hand over the dogs that the canines would join duty after they are given the necessary training. The dogs will be trained in bomb detection, defence skills and detective abilities. Army veterinarian Lieutenant Colonel Surinder Saini has examined the dogs and has said that they are eligible to serve in the Army. The services of the canines will be utilised in the areas of detection of criminals, vigil against acts of terrorism and other military activities. Dr Suresh S Honnappagol, who works as the commissioner of the department of animal husbandry of the central government, is credited with efforts to make the Mudhol dogs ready to be inducted into the Army. Honnappagol is a native of Bagalkot district. Three central teams will arrive on a three-day visit to the State on February 23 to assess the drought scene in North Karnataka. The team comprising top officials of various ministries of the Centre will visit Bidar on February 23, Belagavi the next day and Dharwad on February 25. A warp-up session will be held with officials of the State Revenue and Agriculture departments in Bengaluru on February 26, sources said. Rabi crop damaged The State had sought a central assistance of Rs 1,417 crore after witnessing a disastrous winter harvest season. It is estimated that rabi crop worth Rs 7,209 crore was damaged. The State government submitted a memorandum to the Centre in January stating that rabi crop has been affected in 24.64 lakh hectares (more than 70 per cent of the sown area). Amid reports about China deploying surface-to-air missiles in one of the disputed islands in South China Sea, India on Thursday asked the neighbouring country to refrain from taking any unilateral action in the region. India has consistently maintained all states should avoid unilateral action that can lead to tension in the region, Vikas Swarup, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said. He was responding to a journalist who asked for New Delhis reaction to reports about China deploying the missiles in one of the disputed Paracel Islands. A news agency on Thursday reported from Washington that a US official had confirmed that the satellite images had suggested China deploying two batteries of eight missile launchers and a radar system on the Woody Island. Fox News earlier reported about the satellite images suggesting China deploying missiles. India has consistently maintained that all states should avoid unilateral action that can lead to tension in the region, Swarup added. The report from Washington also quoted the US official as stating that the missiles appeared to be HQ-9s, which have a range of about 201 km. The South China Sea has been at the centre of an escalating conflict between China and its maritime neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Philippines. New Delhi has been of the view that freedom of navigation in international waters must be protected. It has also been arguing that sovereignty issues must be resolved peacefully by the countries, which are parties to the dispute in accordance with accepted principles of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982. India also referred to the 2002 Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and called upon all to adhere to the code. The 2002 code states that the Parties undertake to resolve their territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means, without resorting to threat or use of force. New Delhi has of late been raising its voice on the South China Sea dispute. Beijing is not amused and it has conveyed to New Delhi its unease, particularly reacting to reference to the row in the joint statement issued after Prime Minister Narendra Modis meeting with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in December last. The power situation in the state is likely to be affected following a fire accident at the Sharavathi hydroelectric plant near Jog Falls in Sagar taluk on Thursday. The States power situation has already been hit with units seven and eight of the Raichur Thermal Power Station down due to water scarcity. According to the dam authorities, the accident occurred around 4.30 pm when around 20 workers were busy generating power in the second floor of the plant that contributes 23 percent of the power to the State. Several cables caught fire due to a short circuit following the damaged power distribution lines. However, transformers, and machines are said to be safe as firefighting staff doused the flame in time and contained the damage. The 20 workers who were trapped in the plant have reportedly been rescued. The Sharavathi generating station with 10 units, has an installed capacity of 1,035 MW a day and has been severely hit due to the fire accident. K R Shivaji, Chief Engineer (Electrical), Sharavathi Hydro Electric Project, told Deccan Herald the fire severely damaged the plant with several cables burnt to ash. The power distribution set-up has been severely hit and it would take more than a month to restart power generation in the plant. This is the first such incident at the plant since its inception in 1964. The extent of loss will be known only in the morning since there is no power now, the official said. Meanwhile, it is learnt that the fire spread to the nearby forest region, late in the evening. Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, who is presently in Delhi, will be rushing to the accident spot on Friday morning. For the first time, the international language fair conducted by the Foreign Languages department of Bangalore University (BU), has invited teams of foreign students in colleges affiliated to BU, and some private universities to take part in the annual event. The aim is to promote an understanding of the cultures and languages between local students and numerous foreign students in the City. The fair is scheduled to be held on February 28. The effort is being supported by the Overseas Centre for Foreign Students (OCFS) under the Karnataka State Higher Education Council (KSHEC). So far, teams from around 25 colleges and private universities in the City have been invited and more are likely to join the event. As part of the fair, they will participate in a cultural event that will involve various activities such as songs, dances, plays of their respective countries, said Jyothi Venkatesh, assistant professor and co-coordinator, Centre for Global Languages (CGL), Bangalore University. At present, the fair comprises activities such as competitions in cooking, poster making, among others, that mostly involved students of the CGL. The aim is to make this cultural exchange between the CGL and foreign students an annual feature at the fair. This is an attempt to make foreign nationals feel at home in Karnataka, especially in the light of recent untoward incidents in the City. If they come together with local students here and involve in such cultural exchanges, I feel there will be a lot of positivity, said Venkatesh. N Ramesh Kumar, advisor, OCFS, said: When people get a platform such as this, there is embracing of cultures and a celebration of diversity. With our aim to promote Karnataka as a destination for foreign students, such a platform will help in developing a global perspective and trans-national awareness. When Bangalore University came up with the proposal, we immediately said yes to it. N Harish, the 2009-batch IPS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre who was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the Police Officers Mess in Chennai, was an introvert and a well-read man, according to his batchmates serving in Karnataka. Harish was from Bengaluru. They recalled his Dollu Kunitha performance during the IPS training days, saying it was truly unforgettable. Dollu Kunitha is a popular drum dance of Karnataka. When Deccan Herald spoke to Harishs IPS batchmates, they expressed deep shock over his sudden death. Preliminary reports suggest he committed suicide. M N Anucheth, Superintendent of Police (SP), Chitradurga, said, Its unfortunate and hard to believe that an IPS officer took such a drastic step. He was shy and introvert but a friendly man. He was brilliant in studies and a good debator during the training programmes at the National Police Academy (NPA) in Hyderabad. He said his best memory of Harish was a Dollu Kunitha performance at the South Zone Cultural Day at the NPA. He grabbed all the eyeballs, Anucheth said. According to SP, he wasnt in regular touch with Harish. But we had a WhatsApp group of some officers and exchanged messages once in a while. Uttara Kannada SP, C Vamsi Krishna, remembers Harish for his soft nature and sweet talk. I couldnt interact much with him as we were in different training modules. Whenever we exchanged pleasantries, he turned out to be a kind person. I had no idea about him being upset about anything. Ramesh Banoth, SP, Bengaluru Rural, recalled the time he spent with Harish during the training session and said the deceased loved being to himself. The last time I spoke to him was during the second phase of the training at the NPA. After that I couldnt talk to him. Its unfortunate to lose a disciplined officer. IAS officer Dr Venkatesh M V, who is Deputy Commissioner of Chikkaballapur, said he spent four months with Harish during the foundation course programme at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie. He was a determined and focused person, and constantly talked about his aspiration to serve the public, especially the poor and the needy. He was good at cultural activities, too. His Dollu Kunitha performance can never be forgotten. Iada Martin Marbaniang, SP, Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Bengaluru, said he was pained by Harishs death. He was a very decent person, an intellectual and a gentleman. There were a total of 120 people in our batch during our training days and I remember Harish as a very dedicated person who took all the courses very seriously. After passing out, he was posted to Tamil Nadu. We used to keep in touch from time to time. As far as recall, he didnt have any problems. IPS officer N Harish, 32, died exactly a month before his wedding. His family, which lives in Manjunathanagar near Rajajinagar in northern Bengaluru, was planning to distribute wedding invitation cards when news broke of his death on Thursday morning. Harishs wedding was scheduled for March 18 and 19 at a function hall in Basaveshwaranagar here. The family, which was preparing for the wedding, is now busy with plans where to conduct his funeral, in Bengaluru or his native village in Malur taluk of Kolar district. Scores of his childhood and college friends gathered outside the house on 13th cross in Manjunathanagar on Thursday. They remember him as a studious and hardworking person. A reserved person He was a hardworking person but a bit reserved since his college days. He had cleared the civil services exam in the very first attempt. He wanted to make it to the IAS and made a second attempt. Once he was inducted into the IPS, he was first posted to Rameswaram (in Tamil Nadu). He was later transferred to Madurai and we hardly met since he would be very busy. He would come to Bengaluru for a few days. We were only in touch with him by phone, the deceased officers childhood classmate Vijay Tejas told Deccan Herald. According to another childhood friend Ajit, Harish studied at Florence High School in Basaveshwaranagar before enrolling in PUC at KLES College in Rajajinagar. After joining RV College of Engineering, we went our ways and would meet occasionally. Harishs father Nagarajappa retired as Executive Officer of Anekal Taluk Panchayat in April 2015. He was a class-1 officer and started his career as a Panchayat Development Officer and served for a long time in Hoskote. He got the news of his sons death around 11.30 am and immediately left for Chennai along with a close relative. Harishs mother Shivamma had stayed with his son for some time in Madurai but came back to Bengaluru after he was transferred to Chennai. Nagarajappa has two daughters, Asha and Poornima, a close relative said. A source in his family said Harish had reported to his new post in Chennai on January 25 and was yet to be allotted quarters. Nagarajappa went to Chennai on Sunday and stayed with his son till Tuesday afternoon since Harish had to go to Kanchipuram for a court hearing. The Army and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have received sharp criticism from the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) for promoting a Brigadier twice in violation of the norms and later hiding vital facts from the tribunal when his promotion was legally challenged. The officer was recently cleared for the Lt General rank even as the Lucknow branch of the AFT found him unsuitable even for his existing two-star rank. He seems to be not eligible for promotion even to the rank of Major General, the AFT said in an order issued on Wednesday. The quasi-judicial body came down heavily on the defence ministry and Army for concealing facts before the tribunal while promoting the Brigadier. The people involved in the process committed a fraud, ruled the AFT. Army sources, however, pointed out that the tribunal dismissed its 2012 review petition opposing the promotion and he was elevated because of a previous AFT order. Its the rivalry between two 1979 batch officers from the Army Ordnance Corps Maj Gen R S Rathore and Brig N K Mehta that resulted in AFT litigation in Delhi and Lucknow. When their promotion board came up in 2011, Rathore was selected, but he could not pick up the rank pending the resolution of a disciplinary and vigilance ban. Mehta was found ineligible by the board as he did not fulfil the requisite criterion. Mehta was subsequently found ineligible by another special board convened by the MoD. But he received his promotion, thanks to a 2012 order from the AFT. Around 200 scholars and faculty members from various City-based research institutes protested against the governments crackdown on New Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University at Town Hall on Thursday. Students and faculty members from institutes like the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) and International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS) participated in the protest. Abdul Raoof, a PhD student from the Institute of Social and Economic Change (ISEC) said: The government is trying to promote a new idea of nationalism and trying to reframe this entire concept by using Brahmanical ideology. We have seen that it has been trying to re-write the history of the country and has made many attempts to promote Hindutva ideology. More than the action taken at JNU, the larger aim of this protest is about the need for democratisation of higher education. Sedition should not be used as a tool to curb dissent. In the case of Kanahaiya, he was victimised using this law. Just because I oppose the AFSPA Act, it does not make me an anti-national. Such decadent laws should be completely removed, said Ashwin V S, an independent researcher at the Azim Premji University (APU). After the first list for nursery admission was released, the problem of schools asking for donations from parents under several garbs has again come to light. Parents have complained that schools are openly asking for donations despite the name of their child appearing in the admission list. The amounts being asked in the name of institute fund range from Rs 3,200 to Rs 2 lakh. The name of Kamini Chopras child had appeared in the first list of Maxfort School, Pitampura, but she was asked an extra Rs 50,000 in the name of institute fund.As I entered the school, they asked me hand over my mobile phone and any other electronic item and nobody was being allowed to carry these inside the school, she said. Then they asked me to deposit Rs 50,000 in addition to the fee. I told them my child has got a seat and he is not in the management quota or waiting list, but they refused to listen, said Kamini. The school explicitly refused any receipt or refund of the amount and asked Kamini to make up her mind about it. I asked the officials to let me to talk to the principal but they just said I have to pay it and if I am not interested, I can leave, she said. Deccan Herald tried to contact the school, but the calls went unanswered. Kaminis childs name also came in the list of another school. However, the story was the same. Adharshila School also asked a nominal amount of Rs 3,200, over and above its fee. I am reconsidering it because its a small amount. I hope the name comes in the second list, she said. Similarly, another parent, Nitin was asked to donate Rs 2 lakh to Indraprastha World School in Paschim Vihar. I was told to come to the school and right from the entrance things looked very suspicious. I was asked to keep my mobile phone in a locker and I think it was because so that I dont record anything. Inside the admission counselor told us that my child has been shortlisted based on my educational background for the management quota and asked if I would like to accept, he said. Nitin said that since his childs name had not appeared in any of the schools so he decided to go for the management quota seat. But later he learnt that Rs 2 lakh amount is in addition to the fee under the quota. They said they would not give any receipt for it and neither will the amount be refunded, he said. The school has not even made public the list of candidates selected in the first list and has given a registration number for individual results, which the parents called non-transparent. When contacted, Indraprastha World School denied the allegations and said parents say whatever they want to. Education activist Sumit Vohra has written a letter to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia who also holds the charge of Education Department, to look into such complaints. World Trade Center Denver has selected for its new campus a development team and a location in one of Denvers hottest neighborhoods, River North Art District. We have spent the past year communicating with more than a dozen developers about the opportunity, said WTC Denver president Karen Gerwitz. WTC Denver chose Sean Campbell, who co-developed Industry, 3001 Brighton Blvd.; Trae Rigby, head of Saunders Commercial Development, a subsidiary of Saunders Construction; and Andrew Feinstein, a co-managing partner of the EXDO Event Center and an owner of some of the land proposed for the campus development. We have a bit of a blank canvas, Campbell said. We have one amazing shot to do something transformative. Plans could take about 12 to 18 months to hammer out, with a groundbreaking next year and delivery of the first phase in 2019, Campbell said. No proposals have been submitted to the city, Campbell said. Financing will be arranged after concepts are firmed up. We are in the early stages. We have several interested parties, Campbell said. It will be a traditional mixed-use development in terms of financing. Gerwitz said the hope is to create a must-see destination that rivals Denver Union Station and Larimer Square. Campbell and Feinstein control what are mostly vacant lots along 38th Street between Walnut and Blake streets where the new campus could take shape. A key appeal of the location, Gerwitz said, is its proximity to a stop on the soon-to-open commuter rail line connecting Union Station and Denver International Airport. That will allow foreign visitors easy access to the location from the airport, not to mention a quick ride downtown. The campus may also include a flagship business hotel to host foreign visitors, as well as classrooms and meeting space to accommodate the numerous training sessions and events the group hosts. The concept plans call for traditional office space for other trade-focused groups and companies, as well as shared office space, incubators and accelerators to help local startups break into global markets and foreign firms establish a U.S. presence. They see this as more a business development project more than a real estate development. How do we build our international community? Gerwitz said. Campbell said he is talking to nearby developers and land owners in the area about expanding the international focus into surrounding blocks, including housing for international students and retail space for ethnic restaurants and stores. Details such as the number of buildings, as well as their height, square footage and architectural style, are all still being worked out. Denver-based Oz Architecture will handle the master plan. But specific building designs will be solicited in an international architectural competition. WTC Denver left its high-rise home of 27 years on 16th Street and Broadway early last year, in part because of limited space to host events and to bring in other trade-focused groups. In the interim, WTC Denver chairman Jeff Popiel is hosting the group at Geotech Environmental Equipment, the north Denver company where he is CEO and president. Aldo Svaldi: 303-954-1410, asvaldi@denverpost.com or @aldosvaldi By Peter Hannam 16 February 2016 (Sydney Morning Herald) This year has got off to a scorching start, with global temperatures marching to new highs as a giant El Nino rode on the back of creeping climate change, data from Japan and the US show. Just a month after the world notched its hottest year on record , Januarys global land and sea-surface temperatures were 0.52 degrees above the average for 1981-2010, Japans Meteorological Agency reported. The departure from the norm easily eclipsed the previous record of 0.29 degrees shared equally by 2002, 2007 and 2015, the agency said. Temperatures in January are rising at the rate of about 0.75 degrees per century, the agency said. While more data will be released in coming days by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a chart from fellow US agency NASA (see below) also shows Januarys temperature spiking higher. The data indicates last month had the biggest increase over the previous record for any month in more than a century of records. January also had the largest anomaly or departure from the long-term norm for any month on record, Stefan Rahmstorf, a researcher from Germanys Potsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research and a visiting professorial fellow at the University of New South Wales, says. The record is helped along a bit by El Nino, but most of it more than 80 per cent is due to human-caused global warming, Dr Rahmstorf said. A strong El Nino event can elevate the monthly global temperature by up to 0.2 degrees, but this January is a whopping 1.1 degrees warmer than the average January during the baseline period of 1951-1980. During El Nino years, the usual westward-blowing trade winds stall or reverse, lowering the rate the ocean absorbs the excess heat being trapped in the atmosphere by rising levels of greenhouse gases. Global annual temperature records were broken in 2014 and then again in 2015, with the UK Met Office forecasting 2016 may lift the temperature bar again. This sequence of new records every few years and now even two in a row reflects the on-going rapid global warming trend, Dr Rahmstorf said. As the El Nino event winds down over the coming months we can expect somewhat lower global temperatures again for a while, but the global warming trend will continue until we phase out fossil fuels, he said. [more] Mobile money hub TransferTo has signed a framework agreement with Vodafone to enable real-time international money transfers to M-Pesa mobile money accounts worldwide. Powered by TransferTos cross-border mobile money network, the global partnership will make it faster and easier for consumers and organisations to send money to multiple M-Pesa accounts, in real time. TransferTos mobile money hub provides a dedicated, scalable and fully compliant solution to connect with millions of M-Pesa users via a single connection. Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK as an Authorised Payment Institution, the firm provides its partners with assured compliance for all relevant regulatory standards. Eric Barbier, CEO of TransferTo, said: Mobile Money has the power to drive greater financial inclusion globally, transforming the lives of the two billion people who are currently unbanked today. By making it faster and easier for consumers to send money to multiple M-Pesa accounts, we are giving M-Pesa users greater freedom to spend and receive money, while accelerating the growth of Mobile Money accounts worldwide. Michael Joseph, M-Pesa Director at Vodafone Group, said: TransferTo has the global reach, network of partners and assured compliance required that we need as we continue to rapidly scale international money transfers with financial institutions and mobile operators worldwide, enabling our users to receive funds from even more countries globally. You can leave a response , or trackback from your own site. by Kathleen Gilbert BEIJING, September 7, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) Escaped Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng is leading international opponents of forced abortion in calling upon the worlds largest company to end compliance with the Chinas one-child policy. Family planning police have targeted employees (569) Sign up below to have the hottest Catholic news delivered to your email daily! Close Sign up below to have the hottest Catholic news delivered to your email daily! Church Militant, we need to band together to protect our religious liberties and win the culture war! The partnership will see Ericsson help Idea expand its 4G services to Maharashtra, North East, and Himachal Pradesh Idea has partnered with Ericsson to deploy its 4G LTE networks across select circles in India. This deployment includes Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, the North East and Himachal Pradesh, and will serve more than 40 million subscribers. The agreement also includes the transformation of Ideas existing mobile infrastructure across nine circles for 2G, and five circles for 3G services. The company did not disclose the financial details of the deal. Idea has already launched 4G LTE services in eight telecom circles, and is looking to expand to 750 towns across 10 circles by June 2016. Himanshu Kapania, CEO, Idea Cellular says, We are committed to offering our customers the best possible mobile experience. Transforming our 2G and 3G network will enable us to offer optimized mobile data and better smartphone performance, while our LTE deployments will take the customer experience on Idea Cellulars networks to the next level. Airtel has already launched its 4G services across India, while Vodafone is in the midst of expanding its recently-launched 4G LTE services across Delhi-NCR and Mumbai. Reliance Jio also launched its 4G services in December 2015, initially for its in-house employees. JPMorgan Cazenove upgraded Rolls-Royce to neutral from underweight and lifted the price target to 690p from 395p. It said although many headwinds remain, news flow over the next six months is biased to the positive. JPM said it had been expecting the aerospace and defence group to cut its guidance when it reported last week. However, this was not the case and management was more prudent with its November 2015 guidance than JPM thought. Last week, Rolls-Royce cut its final dividend by 50% - the first dividend cut in 25 years as it announced a drop in full year underlying profit that was not as bad as some had feared. We cannot rule out further EPS downgrades if macro conditions deteriorate, and/or certain industry trends deteriorate (eg. the number of parked RR aero engines increases); but this looks much less likely in the next six months, JPM said. It said that while RR looks very expensive based on its depressed earnings in the next few years, many investors now appear willing to value the stock on potentially much higher profits towards the end of this decade or early the next. JPMorgan said the companys new management was making progress, with financial disclosure and communications with investors and analysts improving. A new cost reduction plan is in place; however, we think much greater cost reduction is needed if RR is to achieve its 2020-2025 profit targets. At 0944 GMT, Rolls-Royce shares were down 1.7% to 666.32p. Auto Trader welcomed a mobile industry stalwart on Thursday, announcing the appointment of Jeni Mundy as an independent non-executive director and member of the Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committee from 1 March. The FTSE 250 company said Mundy was currently the enterprise product management director for Vodafone, responsible for the strategy, delivery and life cycle management of the telco's product portfolio worldwide. Mundy began her career as a radio engineer with mobile network BellSouth in New Zealand, before joining Vodafone when it acquired BellSouth in 1998. Her time with Vodafone included five years as chief technology officer in New Zealand, five years as CTO in the UK, and a year leading the Northern Europe sales team. "I am excited to be joining Auto Trader, a company that has shown real digital innovation over a sustained period of time, and look forward to working with the team to help guide the company through its next phase of growth," said Mundy. Following her appointment, the board would comprise four independent non-executive directors, two non-executive directors, two executive directors and the non-executive chairman. "Jeni's strong technology background will be a welcome addition to the Board, and we are looking forward to benefitting from her extensive experience as we continue on our mission to lead the UK's digital automotive marketplace," said Auto Trader chairman Ed Williams. Also on Thursday, Auto Trader applied to the Financial Conduct Authority and the London Stock Exchange for the admission of 400,000 ordinary shares of 1p each be admitted to the Official List. They were being reserved under a block listing, and would be issued as part of the award of shares pursuant to the group's Savings Related Share Option plans in the UK and Ireland. Admission was expected to be granted on 19 February, with trading commencing on 22 February. Save my User ID and Password Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site. Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site. real nitty-gritty of expat life in Cuenca Ecuador. People want to know, What is it really like to live in Cuenca Ecuador? We like to give our readers thein Cuenca Ecuador. People want to know, What is itlike to live in Cuenca Ecuador? We have a really good story for you today. But first, let us make you aware of how paying a bill is done here in Cuenca Ecuador. When it is time to pay your bills, namely phone bill and Internet, the company does not send you a bill in the mail like they do in North America. Amusingly, instead you have to just remember when the bill is due, and then go pay it. FYI: Houses in Ecuador do not have mailboxes. When you move here you will have to get a PO Box with the Post Office and then go to El Centro Post Office and get your mail that way. You cant go to pay your bill too early either or they will send you away and tell you to come back on the due date of the bill. Weve already tried that one just because we were in the area. And you can't overpay two months at a time either. So every month, you will need to go stand in line and wait your turn. Put in your time in line to pay your bills. Its your duty. Besides, you're retired, remember? Don't be in such a hurry! So, of course when we learned of this awesome service of automatic bill pay that the banks provide for its customers, we were elated!! How much more convenient we thought. And this brings us to the meat of this article: BEWARE of using automatic billing service with your bank in Cuenca Ecuador. Why do we say this? Well, because maybe it wont work. Heres our experience with using automatic bill pay in Cuenca Ecuador. It may or may not be your experience. Last time the Internet just shut off for no apparent reason was when the bill did not get paid and that was about 8 weeks after setting up the automatic payment system. Now, it totally makes sense that your ISP would cut you off when the bill doesnt get paid for two payment periods; in fact thats normal. But why wasnt it paid, we were wondering? First, we call Etapa which proceeds to tell us they did not receive the payment. So next, we go trekking downtown to find out what the problem is. The Etapa offices tells us they accidentally input the bank account number wrong. Is that something to be concerned about or not? Well anyway, we didnt make the error but we still had to go downtown, wait in line, etc. etc. half a day gone. Hey, youre retired remember? Whats your hurry? They apologized for the inconvenience. Everyone makes a mistake from time to time. No problem. Moving on. About two months passed without incident; now understand, were not sitting here thinking, oh I wonder if the Internet got paid because we use this wonderful service that a certain bank touts to its customers that makes paying your phone line and Internet more practical and handyautomatic bill pay, what a novel idea, for Cuenca that is. Its so novel I guess they dont have the kinks in the system ironed out yet because One evening were enjoying watching a mystery movie streaming from Netflix when the Internet goes out. Ok, so we just think they are rebooting their modem which they do about once a day. Were waitingand waiting and still no Internet. We wait for about 20-minutes and still no internet and so we decide to finish the movie the next day. We go to bed. The next morning at 6:30am we turn on the modem as usual, only to find out, still no Internet. Umm, thats odd? We call Etapa and ask whats going on with the Internet. They proceed to tell us the bill has not been paid. We explain to them that we have an automatic bill-pay with such and such bank. Etapa tells us they cant do anything over the phone. So, we head down to the Etapa offices and let them know we want to cancel our automatic bill-pay contract; thats the first step. They tell us that they cant cancel it until we pay the Internet. Ok, we go stand in line at a different window to pay the bill where there are about 40 people in front of us because its a Monday morning. About 30 minutes go by and we finally pay two months of Internet that the bank seemed to have a problem doing with automatic pay. Next, we go to the service window, and fill out a cancellation of automatic pay contract we go outside to get a copy of our Cedula. Total about 45 minutes. Next, we go to the bank to cancel the automatic pay from the banking contract. Yes, two contracts, one with Etapa to authorize the automatic pay, and one with the bank to authorize the automatic withdrawal that never happened. They tell us that many expats are complaining of the same problem, so were not alone and you wont be alone either, if you move to Cuenca and use the automatic payment service. Another half day gone, not my mistake. But every one makes a mistake from time to time. And besides, youre retired arent you? Whats your hurry? Now, for those that think Im being annoying by repeating this phrase, you should know that its what a banker asked me after I gave her my explanation that the lines are too long at the bank, in answer to her question as to why they hadnt seen me lately. It was nice while we thought it was going to make things easier for us. People often say that they pay more here in Ecuador for convenience sake. Good luck with that one. Were back to doing it the old fashioned way, waiting in line to pay our phone and Internet at either Etapa or at one of its local service centers just like we did beforethis is just another day in the life in Cuenca Ecuador. No problem, were in paradise, whats a little waiting in lineeh? Until we write againyou might like these articles too! Two Columbus-area solar farms could power 100,000 homes State regulators have signed off on turning a chunk of Darby Dan Farms into a solar farm in western Franklin County. Here's how you know An official website of the United States government Oil rallies towards $35 as Iran welcomes output freeze Crude oil prices shot up to levels around $35 a barrel today after Iran welcomed plans by Russia and Saudi Arabia to freeze output at January levels and a report showed a surprise drop in US inventories. Today's gain comes after a more than 7 per cent surge in the previous session. North sea Brent futures rose 38 cents to $34.88 a barrel in early morning trade, after closing 7.2 per cent higher in the previous session. Benchmark US sweet light crude gained 69 cents at $31.35 a barrel. While Iranian oil minister Bijan Zanganeh met counterparts from Venezuela, Iraq and Qatar on Wednesday, he did not commit to any capping of output, although he welcomed the move by both Opec and non-Opec producers to cut output. Market also gained support after the American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, said US crude stocks fell by an unexpected 3.3 million barrels last week. Oil has collapsed from levels above $100 a barrel seen in mid-2014 due to excess supply, arising mainly from increasing shale gas production in the United States combined with unrestricted production by both Opec and non-Opec producers. While oil is now in excess supply and the market is extremely volatile, oil producers cannot press Iran to cap its output at this juncture, when it is barely out of the sanctions regime. So long as Iran keeps pumping more oil, the freeze in oil production by other major producers will not have any great impact on an oversupplied market, say analysts. Iran used to export about 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude before 2012, which had since dropped to about 1.1 million bpd after sanctions imposed by world powers to curb Tehran's nuclear programme cut oil shipments. Iran is unlikely to freeze output at current levels. 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. Registration fees and fuel taxes for motorists could be abolished under a bold plan to revamp Australian roads. A landmark report produced by Infrastructure Australia this week recommended that conventional revenue-raising methods be dropped in favour of a "user pays" system that charges drivers for every kilometre they travel. Motorists are at the core of the government-funded Australian Infrastructure Plan, which features dozens of recommendations that could shape the nation for decades to come. Infrastructure Australia chair Mark Birrell says, "some of the ideas will be tough to progress, but let that all be part of an open public dialogue about the infrastructure people want, the outcomes it should deliver and the best ways to plan and pay for it." The report recommends that authorities "commit to the full implementation of a light vehicle road charging structure in the next 10 years", with heavy vehicles set to get the ball rolling in half that time. While the report is light on technical details, it is possible that in-car tolling systems or satellite tracking devices could record where and when motorists drive before billing them for the journey. Infrastructure Australia says the current approach to charging for road use and investing in future infrastructure "is unfair, unsustainable and inefficient", and that funding models should be shaken up so individual users "fund the greatest possible proportion of costs, freeing up taxpayer dollars to invest in other priorities like social services, health and education". Analysts predict Australia's population will grow to more than 30 million people by 2031, placing additional demand on urban areas. The report suggests that Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth will need to accommodate another 5.9 million residents over the next 15 years, putting further stress on a congested road network projected to cost the country $53 billion in productivity by 2031. The report found that a congestion charge for major urban centres could reduce traffic levels by 15 per cent, saving motorists more than a week spent stuck in traffic each year while helping pay for investment and maintenance in the road network. Other recommendations include a reduction in on-street parking, reduced curfews for heavy vehicles and further investment in public transport to help free up urban roads. Infrastructure Australia says the first steps toward implementing its proposals should include a public feasibility study of the proposal, and that "governments should carefully consider the implications of increased user charges on individuals and families on lower incomes". It predicts that average households will be $3000 better off per year by 2040 if a suite of recommendations that extend to several other industries are adopted. Speaking broadly about changes that affect power, housing, transport and other areas, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told the ABC that infrastructure changes were critical to the nation's success. "The innovation nation needs the infrastructure to support it, right across the board," Turnbull says. "We are determined to make sure that we provide Australians, particularly in cities, large and small, with all of the support they need." What do you think of this idea to charge drivers based on how much they drive? Tells us what you think below in the comments section. On Thursday evening last, fifteen DkIT computing students took part in the third edition of Hash Code, a team-based programming competition organised by Google. During the online qualification round, teams of students were presented with a real-life engineering problem to solve challenge accepted! Organised into teams of three and four students, the DkIT cohort set out to overcome the challenge which involved the efficient and effective delivery of goods using drone technology. Under the umbrella of the DkIT ACM Student Chapter and the watchful eyes of chairperson, Shane Gavin and secretary, Gwion Smith, a hub was set up in the IT Learning Centre in the Carrolls Building where the teams came together, though competed side-by-side, over the course of four hours. Now in its third year, Hash Code initially began as a one-day programming competition for students and professionals from across France. The online qualification round was introduced in 2015 where more than 1,500 students and professionals competed. This year, over 17,000 students took part worldwide, and the winners will be invited to the Google Paris office to face off in the final round of the competition. So your business has expanded and you are considering employing your first member of staff. However, you are not sure whether to employee a full time, contract or even a casual worker. Before you go ahead start recruiting, here are some important legal issues to consider when hiring staff: Contractor vs Employee In law, there is what is called a control test which determines the manner in which people carry out their work and whether they are required to comply with what you ask them to do. In addition, there are a number of additional factors that a court would determine to whether there is an employment relationship in place. The common mistake made is that virtual or remote workers are not employees. This is not necessarily the case. According to the law, any person that works under your supervision, works exclusively for you, has access to company benefits and does not have the complete freedom to decide upon their own working hours, is actually an employee. Therefore, you are responsible for paying any taxes or superannuation that is applicable. It is important that you are clear on the main differences between contractors and employees when recruiting staff to your business. These are as follows: An employee cannot sub-contract out your work, while a contractor can. Employee sign an ongoing contract while contractors often work on per-project base while contractors often work on per-project base Employees work at your office or retail space while contractors can carry on their tasks wherever they choose. while contractors can carry on their tasks wherever they choose. You pay taxes on behalf of your employees, but not for your contractors on behalf of your employees, but not for your contractors Employees work under the supervision of someone, while contractors carry out their work independently of someone, while contractors carry out their work independently The working hours and the direction of the work of an employee are under your control, while contractors usually set their own rules and the direction of the work of an employee are under your control, while contractors usually set their own rules Employees are entitled to public and company benefits but contractors take care of their insurance arrangements themselves but contractors take care of their insurance arrangements themselves You provide all the necessary tools, training and environment for an employee to carry out his or her work, while contractors are responsible for their own work setting for an employee to carry out his or her work, while contractors are responsible for their own work setting Your business is legally responsible for the work done by the employee and they carry no commercial risks, while the contractor carries legal responsibility for their actions The other key area to remember is that an employee has rights that a contractor will not, this includes unfair dismissal. Unfair dismissal is when an employee is dismissed from their job in a harsh, unjust or unreasonable manner. Small businesses have different rules for unfair dismissal. A small business is defined as any business with fewer than 15 employees. The Small Business Fair Dismissal Code came into operation on 1 July 2009 and it must be complied with by small business when dismissing an employee. It provides protection to small business when dismissing employees due to downturn in the business. However it should not be misused and the downturn must be genuine. About the author: Katherine Hawes is a Sydney based lawyer at New Age Legal Solutions who specialises in offering fixed fee and low cost legal advice to start up businesses. "We must be ready to dare all for our country. For history does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid. We must acquire proficiency in defense and display stamina in purpose." - President Eisenhower, First Inaugural Address Over 300 investors from Turkey, Europe, the Gulf, Central Asia and other countries gathered in Istanbul to discuss ideas and opportunities The FT-EBRD Central Asia Investment Forum: Forging Relationships for Growth has been held in Istanbul today. Speaking to the media just before the conference, EBRD President Sir Suma Chakrabarti reaffirmed the Banks commitment to Turkey: The EBRD will not be deterred from investing in Turkey by the Ankara bombing. In comparison with many countries, Turkey is an oasis of stability, despite the latest attack, and safe for investors, he added. Turkeys Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek also referred to yesterday's bombing in Ankara, saying that whether such events happened in Paris or Ankara the only response was to be strong. Turkey's economic fundamentals are strong and not affected by events such as the bombing, he added. The forum discussed the practicalities of doing business in Central Asia, the opportunities for international investors in the region and how to navigate the complexities of operating there. Speakers included Burak Basarr, CEO of Coca-Cola Icecek; Ambassador Ayse Sinirlioglu, Deputy Undersecretary for Economic Affairs, Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Wang Dan, Executive Vice President of Chinas Silk Road Fund. High-level government representatives from Central Asia included Rakhim Oshkabaev, Deputy Minister for Investments and Development, Republic of Kazakhstan; Aidai Kurmanova, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy, Kyrgyz Republic; Bayanjargal Byambasaikhan, CEO, Erdenes Mongol LLC; Jamoliddin Nuraliev, First Deputy Chairman, National Bank of Tajikistan; and Muratniyaz Berdiev, Deputy Chairman, Central Bank of Turkmenistan. Deputy Prime Minister Simsek and EBRD President Chakrabarti both underlined the importance of reform and further investment in Central Asia. EBRD President Chakrabarti stressed that Central Asia is a very important region for the EBRD, and reminded the audience of the Bank's record investment in 2015 1.4 billion, bringing total EBRD investment in the region to 10 billion. He said that reforms are important to boost investment, but also stressed the need for investors to know more about the region and its opportunities. Sir Suma said: The region can be challenging, with lack of access to financing and unstable electricity supply among the chief obstacles to doing business. But it is also full of great promise. Central Asias massive investment needs can be turned into big opportunities. He also made the first official announcement about the EBRD's future cooperation with the China-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, whose inauguration he attended last month. Sir Suma said that the EBRD and AIIB are already in early stages of talks about co-financing road projects in Central Asia. Deputy Prime Minister Simsek commented that Turkey was one of the most important investors in Central Asia, a region with which it has strong economic and cultural links. Central Asia's success is our success because we think of them as our brothers, he said. Turkey is prepared to provide grant financing to support reforms and for technical cooperation. Deep reforms could help turn challenges into opportunities in Central Asia, he said, and added that Turkey was also continuing to reform and improve its business environment. Mr Simsek said: Deep historic and cultural ties exist between Turkey and Central Asia. In Turkey we stand ready to provide all support that we can for the development of these countries together with the EBRD. We are ready to continue to provide administrative support to those countries. He also called for a larger role of the private sector in Central Asia and globally, presenting Turkey as an example. Turkey made use of the dynamism of the private sector, and we used PPPs to increase investments. The private sector has a lot of resources. To improve the business environment we need to improve investment conditions. Even Turkey needs to engage in further reform and we are actually engaged in serious reform to further improve the investment climate. The first panel focused on the Central Asian investment climate and opportunities for investors in the region. Panellists looked at new economic links, discussed currency devaluations, mentioned new realities in countries which are now members of the Eurasian Economic Union, and discussed countries' investment strategies. Other discussion panels explored the end of the commodity super-cycle, diversification opportunities, and building up the regions infrastructure in the light of new Silk Road regional programmes and improved links with Russia, China and Europe. The discussions saw a frank exchange of views about how to tackle the challenges the region is facing today. Contributions showed many similarities but also differences between the individual countries. All participants acknowledged the important role the EBRD plays in private sector development and in policy dialogue contributing to the reform agendas of the governments of the region. Sir Suma said that the conference, which attracted strong interest from investors and experts, could become a regular EBRD event for Central Asia. The EBRD and the Financial Times are gathering investors, policymakers and experts in Istanbul to discuss investment opportunities and challenges in Central Asia, including Mongolia. The event is taking place on 18 February in Istanbul, Turkey, a major regional hub with strong commercial links with Central Asia. The FT-EBRD Central Asia Investment Forum: Forging Relationships for Growth will bring together leading investors, policymakers, economists and experts in Central Asia to discuss the future of the region and the prospects for investment. This event, supported by the EBRDs local partner, TOBB, will provide a platform to discuss the practicalities of doing business in the region, the opportunities for international investors in Central Asia and how to navigate the complexities of operating in the region. The programme of the event includes three panels and several addresses, including from Turkeys Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek and EBRD President Sir Suma Chakrabarti. The Central Asia Investment Forum will also hear from Burak Basarr, the CEO of Coca-Cola Icecek, the Turkish company present in almost all Central Asian countries; Ambassador Ayse Sinirlioglu, Deputy Undersecretary for Economic Affairs, Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will talk about Turkeys vision of the new Silk Road links, and Wang Dan, Executive Vice President of Chinas Silk Road Fund, who will talk about the Funds role and strategy. A welcome address will be also given by Mr Ali Kopuz, Vice President of Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and Chairman of Istanbul Commodity Exchange. High-level government representatives from Central Asia will inform the gathering of the latest regulatory steps and investment opportunities. The speakers will include Rakhim Oshkabaev, Deputy Minister for Investments and Development, Republic of Kazakhstan; Aidai Kurmanova, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy, Kyrgyz Republic; Bayanjargal Byambasaikhan, CEO, Erdenes Mongol LLC; Jamoliddin Nuraliev, First Deputy Chairman, National Bank of Tajikistan; and Muratniyaz Berdiev, Deputy Chairman, Central Bank of Turkmenistan. Read the programme and biographies on FT Live website. Two more discussion panels will explore the end of commodity super-cycle, diversification opportunities, and building up the regions infrastructure in the light of new Silk Road regional programmes and improved links with Russia, China and Europe. EBRD representatives, Managing Director for Energy and Natural Resources, Riccardo Puliti, and Managing Director for Turkey and Central Asia, Natalia Khanjenkova, will join the two panels. The event will be moderated by the Financial Times editorial team: the FT Emerging Markets Editor James Kynge, the FT Moscow and Central Asia Correspondent Jack Farchy, and the FT Confidential director for ASEAN Gavin Bowring. The forums local partner, the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), will provide networking opportunities. The EBRD, originally founded to help the newly democratic emerging Europe on its way towards the market economy, entered newly independent Central Asian countries in 1993; in Mongolia, it opened up an office in 2006; and has invested in the region over 10 billion in total. In his welcoming speech to the gathering, EBRD President will say: We have been committed to Central Asian economies market transition right from the start. We are also very actively engaged in supporting policy reform on green energy, diversification, the investment climate and the role of the private sector. On the same day, ahead of the investment forum, a high-level event meeting chaired by the EBRD President will see the Banks governors from the five countries discuss recent and future steps to improve business climate and stimulate investment and economic growth in the region at times of external economic shocks. EBRD governors are representatives of the Banks shareholder governments which form the EBRDs Board of Governors. The EBRD and the Financial Times joined up in 2014 for a highly successful Leadership Forum: Tajikistan at the crossroads in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, where government representatives and private investors discussed opportunities and issues of the day. Follow live updates from the Forum on Twitter #InvestCA There are two rallies planned to protest the Snyder administrations lack of effective response to the catastrophic poisoning of the drinking water in Flint. Today, there will be a rally starting at 11 a.m. that being organized by UlltraViolet, MoveOn.org and Democracy for America: A number of organizations are set to protest in Lansing this week in hopes of getting one million signatures demanding that Gov. Rick Snyder is prosecuted and resigns in regards to the Flint water crisis. UlltraViolet, MoveOn.org and Democracy for America said in a press release that the groups plan to rally at the state capitol building starting at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18. Governor Snyder is a criminal disguised as a public servant, said UltraViolet co-founder, Shaunna Thomas in the Feb. 17 release. It is clear he knew that Flints water was poisoned for at least a year and shipped in bottled water for state employees, all while ignoring the concerns of Flints worried, mostly poor and Black, residents. [] [P]rotestors plan to place a dirty ice sculpture that will be tinted brown to resemble the brown water that some Flint residents have experienced. Tomorrow, Friday, February 19th, there will be another rally/march in Flint: Several organizations are expected to come together Friday, Feb. 19 for a mile-long national march organized in part by Rev. Jesse Jackson to highlight the push for clean water in Flint. Pastor Alfred Harris, president of the Concerned Pastors for Social Action Group, said the march will begin at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 19 at the Metropolitan Baptist Tabernacle, 930 E. Myrtle Ave. The roughly one-mile march will run from Myrtle, up Industrial Avenue, east on Stewart Avenue, and end at the Flint Water Plant, 4500 N. Dort Highway. [Protest rally photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog] Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center last week revealed its computer systems were offline after a ransomware attack scrambled the data on its systems. Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts data and system files on a computer and demands payment of a ransom to unscramble the files. Since the attack, HPMC medical personnel reportedly have had to resort to faxes and handwritten charts to perform their daily tasks. The hospital called in the Los Angeles Police Department and the FBI. The FBI is investigating the intrusion, spokesperson Ari Dekofsky told the E-Commerce Times. Comma Error? The extortionists reportedly asked for 9,000 bitcoins more than $3.7 million to unscramble the hospitals data. None of the compromises weve seen anywhere have been for 9,000 bitcoins. Not even hundreds of bitcoins, said Rodney Joffe, senior vice president atNeustar. However, in Europe, the normal nomenclature for numbers is to use a comma, not a period. It is quite possible that this was for 9.000 bitcoins, which is more in line with what weve seen, he told the E-Commerce Times. I dont think the bad guys would mind if they got 9,000 bitcoins, he added, but its just not consistent with anything weve seen. Random Attack The attack was not specifically aimed at the hospital, according to news reports. It was just a random attack, HPMC CEO Allen Stefanek told an NBC affiliate. Its absolutely possible it was a random attack, Joffe said. These criminal organizations scan the Internet for openings. Hollywood Presbyterian was probably compromised through a normal series of scanning of the open Internet, he explained. Theres every possibility that the bad guys had no idea because their systems are so automated they were attacking a hospital, Joffe added. Hollywood Presbyterian isnt the only hospital that has been attacked by ransomware in recent months. A regional hospital in Mount Pleasant, Texas, was crippled for a week by ransomware in January, and a hospital in Florida was offline for five days in September after such an attack. Ripe Targets Healthcare providers have become an attractive target for hackers. Healthcare organizations deal with highly sensitive health records, payment information and personally identifiable information, said Ryan Kalember, senior vice president of cybersecurity strategy atProofpoint. If information is destroyed, both patient health and the healthcare institutions ability to provide the best care may hang in the balance, he told the E-Commerce Times. Because of the profit potential, healthcare organizations are widely targeted with these sort of attacks, Kalember added. Hospital security can be more challenging than security in other industries, noted Rick Kam, president ofID Experts. Theyre not like a financial institution or bank that have centralized security functions, he told the E-Commerce Times. Fragmented Environments Theyre about as far from a homogenous environment as you can imagine, said Eldon Sprickerhoff, chief security strategist ateSentire. There are typically dozens of IT vendors, and the hospital IT staff dont generally have admin access to all these machines, he told TechNewsWorld. A lot of them operate as black boxes. Whats more, everything is connected to networked storage devices that contain terabytes and terabytes of data. Theyre a terrific target for these guys, Sprickerhoff said. It is the richest data target you can imagine. Weakest Link This month, the U.S.Office for Civil Rights, which hands down fines to healthcare providers that violate federal data protection laws, made these recommendations for combating ransomware: Back up data onto segmented networks or external devices and make sure backups are current. Ensure that software patches and antivirus software are current and updated. Install pop-up blockers and ad-blocking software. Implement browser filters and smart email practices. However, whatever measures are taken to thwart digital extortionists, they can all be undone by the weakest link in the security chain. Human behavior can always undermine everything, said Rick Orloff, CSO ofCode42. If you educate your employees not to click links in emails and they do it anyway, he told TechNewsWorld, thats a killer. 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But Donald Trump derided the Pope for saying the U.S. Republican Party presidential candidate hopeful cannot claim to be a Christian and also pledge to build a wall along the Mexican border to shut out immigrants. "Anyone, whoever he is, who only wants to build walls and not bridges is not a Christian," Francis set on the papal flight from Mexico. "Vote, don't vote, I won't meddle. But I simply say, if he says these things, this man is not a Christian," Francis said. "We need to see if he really said them and for this I will give him the benefit of the doubt." On a campaign stop in South Carolina, which holds its Republican primary this weekend Trump hit back saying, "For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful. "I am proud to be a Christian and as president I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened," said Trump who is a Presbyterian. "For Pope Francis, who ended his visit to Mexico on Feb. 17, there were few topics or institutions too taboo to tackle," wrote Ana Campoy in Quartz. But at least one commentator found Francis not hitting the key notes in speaking with compassion for justice in the world's second biggest Catholic nation. "During his six-day stay, he took on drug trafficking, the government's failure to provide economic opportunity, corruption, discrimination, human trafficking, and even employee exploitation," Campoy, however extolled. "He's really taking off the gloves," Andrew Chesnut, Chair in Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, tells Quartz. "We haven't seen him this prophetic and this outspoken in any of his previous national tours." At the Mexico-U.S. border town of Ciudad Juarez, just a few years ago one of the deadliest places on earth, he compared Mexico to Nineveh, an ancient city "so used to degradation" that its inhabitants had lost all sensibility to pain. "No more death, nor exploitation!" he said during a mass in the border city. "There's always time to change." Francis told hundreds of thousands of people present to beg God for the "gift of tears" over the suffering of others, especially forced migration. "Let us together ask our God for the gift of conversion, the gift of tears, let us ask him to give us open hearts," he said during the mass at Benito Juarez stadium. "No more death! No more exploitation!" Francis was the first pope to be received at Mexico's National Palace, the seat of the executive power. Still he criticized his hosts. After shaking President Enrique Pena Nieto's hand, he essentially laid down the blame for the country's biggest problems at the feet of its ruling class. CHIDING MEXICANS The Pope also scolded all Mexicans, including the Church, for failing the country's indigenous communities, which are Mexico's poorest. When he spoke in the southern state of Chiapas, where about a quarter of the population is indigenous, he said the world has much to learn about their culture. Instead, however, it has "systematically and structurally" excluded them and snatched their lands. "How sad!" he said. "What good it would all do us to examine our conscience and say 'Sorry!'" The presence of the first Latin American pope at the border also symbolically puts the most influential religious leader on the global stage squarely in the middle of a fierce presidential election-year fight over immigration, wrote John Gehring in The Washington Post. Donald Trump has called the Pope, a week earlier, "a very political person" and implied Francis was being used by the Mexican government. "I think Mexico got him to do it because Mexico wants to keep the border just the way it is because they're making a fortune and we're losing," Trump moaned. Gehring wrote, "A pope who travels to the margins as a witness to God's solidarity with the poor and vulnerable isn't playing politics. "He is following the Gospel. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus radically redefined the definition of neighbor beyond language, religion and border." Trump is onto something, wrote Gehring. "In the best sense of the word, Pope Francis is political. "A good Catholic meddles in politics," the Pope has said, a pithy summation that reflects centuries of Catholic teaching that views the common good and human dignity as the ultimate aim of politics. But commentator Miguel Guevara, wrote in Al Jazeera America that the Pope's visit to Mexico was disappointing. "Many assumed that he would be especially bold in a country that has known no end to the violence that started with the so-called war on drugs," wrote Guevara. "Francis found a country that has steadily become less Catholic. "While 50 years ago, virtually every Mexican considered himself or herself a Catholic, nowadays, only 4 in 5 Mexicans do so. "Catholics in Mexico are mainly clustered in the center of the country, with the indigenous south shifting toward other forms of Christianity. Islam has been on the rise in Chiapas, a largely indigenous state that Francis visited." 'ANODYNE MASSES' Guevara said, "His Masses in Mexico have been largely anodyne. He focused on one of his main talking points, inequality, while skipping any thorny local political issues." When the Pope flew to Ecatepec, a gray slum on the outskirts of Mexico City with a representative sample of the half of Mexico's population living in poverty. There he addressed the country's glaring disparities and mourned the deaths of those who make the journey to the U.S. at the hands of "dealers of death." "However, his speech and visit largely avoided addressing any controversial topics. In the months before his trip, the parents of the 43 college students from Ayotzinapa who disappeared a year and a half ago asked him to meet with them. He did not see them, but they were invited to a mass he held in Juarez, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said. "The Mexican government might have had an influence on Francis' message," speculated Guevara. "While he scheduled symbolic stops on his visit, he largely failed to address the epidemic of violence in Mexico," noted the writer who said that in a visit to the western state of Michoacan, Francis barely mentioned the role of drug dealing in the carnage. "This is especially disappointing, since Michoacan has been one of the states hardest hit by drug violence. In fact, it was in Michoacan that President Felipe Calderon launched the country's war on drugs in 2006." Guevara said that, "While Francis has been known as a poignant political messenger, he largely failed in Mexico." WASHINGTON General Motors is recalling 179,861 Saab and Saturn vehicles in the U.S. because they may have potentially defective airbag inflators made by Takata, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall is part of a larger recall of about 200,000 Saab and Saturn vehicles in North America. The affected vehicles are the 2003-'11 Saab 9-3, 2010-'11 Saab 9-5 and 2008-'09 Saturn Astra. "Upon deployment of the driver's frontal airbag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture," said NHTSA in its recall summary. "The inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death." GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson told Edmunds that neither Takata nor GM has any field reports of ruptures, injuries or deaths in the U.S. or Canada from inflators in the Saab and Saturn vehicles covered by the recall. The vehicles contain the Takata PSDI-5 driver's front airbag inflator. Takata said in January that inflators in more than 5 million vehicles were defective. The affected Saab 9-3s were built from May 31, 2002 to February 15, 2011. The affected Saab 9-5 vehicles were built from June 23, 2010 to February 21, 2011. The affected Saturn Astra vehicles were built from April 11, 2007 to July 24, 2008. GM dealers will replace the driver's frontal airbag inflator on the Saab 9-3 and 9-5 vehicles and will replace the driver's frontal airbag module on the Saturn Astra vehicles. A date has not been set for the recall. Owners can contact Saab customer service at 1-800-955-9007 or Saturn customer service at 1-800-553-6000. Edmunds says: Owners of these vehicles must wait for parts to become available. It's best to stay in touch with your local dealer who is on the front lines of this ongoing Takata recall. The NSW Education Minister has warned the Federal Government that an oversupply of underperforming teaching graduates is hurting the quality of education in classrooms.In a statement, NSW Education Minister, Adrian Piccoli , said a cap on the number of student teachers was necessary to address this issue.Where there are a limited number of places or jobs available, they should be capping places, he said.Why are we training all of these people when the majority of them won't get jobs?The Ministers comments follow reports that student teachers in NSW will have to sit army-style personality tests from next year in a move designed to assess teacher quality.The NSW Board of Studies (BOSTES) unveiled the initiative which will be carried out at all universities across the state.Under a recent pilot test designed to evaluate basic literacy and numeracy skills, almost one in 10 trainee teachers failed to pass, a result Federal Education Minister, Simon Birmingham said was concerning.A prospective cap on university places for teaching graduates would see ATAR minimum entry cut-offs put in place, as students would have to compete for a limited number of taxpayer funded enrolments.Last month, Piccoli said universities were using students as cash cows under the demand-driven system introduced by the Gillard Government in 2012.I'm not sure I want someone teaching my children who got an ATAR of 35, Piccoli said.It's the same in nursing, there are only a certain number of places in hospitals.: Would a cap on student teaching graduates improve the quality of education in our classrooms? Boston's multi-faceted building boom is undoubtedly changing the city's feel, never mind its look. The latest case in point? Dive bars, those hard-to-define, you-know-it-when-you-smell-it watering holes that used to dot neighborhoods such as Southie and the West End; and that now seem in shorter supply because the new luxury apartment tower down the block has driven up property values and driven dive-bar owners to sell. The Globe's Beth Teitell did a little pop-cultural spelunking and found that around 20 of the city's known dive bars have shuttered in the past five years. A big reason for the die-off is tied to all those cranes and that scaffolding: "In neighborhoods where real estate is hot, such as South Boston and the Fenway, restaurants are paying in excess of $50 per square foot per year in rent a 75 percent increase from five years ago ... As longtime owners age along with their bars and turning a profit gets harder, there's an incentive to liquidate a lucrative asset while real estate is booming ..." We think, though, it has as much to do with shifting demographics wrought by the luxury apartments, condos, et al, as with the rising costs of keeping a $3-a-Bud bar thumping along. At some point, there are just not enough neighborhood locals seeking the darkness at 2 p.m. on a spring day. And tourists or others who are curious can only sustain things for so long. So, is it the culture of dive bars that's dying off in Boston? Or just the bars themselves? Boston's Endangered Dive Bars Becoming Casualties of City Development [Globe] Boston's Biggest Apartment-Building Openings of 2015, Mapped [Curbed Boston] [Photo by Denise Mattox via Flickr] To build the largest and most complete Amateur Radio community site on the Internet - a "portal" that hams think of as the first place to go for information, to exchange ideas, and be part of whats happening with ham radio on the Internet. eHam.net provides recognition and enjoyment to the people who use, contribute, and build the site. This project involves a management team of volunteers who each take a topic of interest and manage it with passion. The site will stand above all other ham radio sites by employing the latest technology and professional design/programming standards, developed by a team of community programmers who contribute their skills to the effort. The site will be something of which everyone involved can be proud to say they were a part. We welcome your comments. The eHam.net Team, Revision 07/2020. Today in Rome two loans were signed between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Basilicata Region in support of new projects worth EUR 1.3 billion throughout the Region. The EIB was represented by Vice-President Dario Scannapieco and Basilicata by its President, Marcello Pittella. The two loan operations concern the fight against hydrogeological instability and the implementation of the Regional Operational Programme (ROP). Hydrogeological instability: EUR 250 million. Basilicata's programme to curb the effects of hydrogeological instability will cost EUR 500 million in the coming years. The EIB will bear 50% of the cost of this programme via an aggregate credit line of EUR 250 million, the majority of which (EUR 223 million) is being signed off on today. The term of the loan is 25 years. The funds will be deployed throughout Basilicata to improve safety standards and protect the Region against the potential impact of climate change. ROP 2014-2020. Basilicata's ROP for the 2014-2020 programming period will cost around EUR 800 million, co-financed by a number of parties. The largest share, corresponding to 50% of the total, will be provided by the European Commission from the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund). The ERDF contribution can only be activated simultaneously with that of the Italian Republic (35%) and the Region itself (15%). The EIB loan covers the finance required by Basilicata for the ROP: EUR 120 million, a figure that is being fully signed off on today. Specifically, the ROP projects in Basilicata will concern multiple sectors. There are nine priority areas: R&D, digital agenda, competitiveness, energy and urban mobility, environmental protection, transport and infrastructure, education and technical assistance. "For many years I have drawn attention to the need for greater project capacity in the south of Italy. I am therefore particularly proud of the two operations with Basilicata that we are announcing today", said EIB Vice-President Dario Scannapieco, "firstly because of the considerable level of investment vis-a-vis the Region's GDP but also thanks to the quality of projects which, as the European Union's bank, we are helping to implement in a Region that is not without difficulties." According to the President of the Basilicata Region, Marcello Pittella, "this agreement opens up great opportunities and gives an immediate boost to our Region's economy. Furthermore, it will help us to quickly implement the projects planned over the course of the EU's new programming period, so enhancing the quality and effectiveness of our spending. However, the agreement is also the result of our collaboration with the EIB, which recognises that the Basilicata Region has sufficient authority and administrative capacity to meet the challenges facing it." The European Investment Bank (EIB) today agreed new loans totalling EUR 150 million that will support crucial investment by local small, medium and midcap sized companies. The loans will be managed by four banks in Cyprus and help to bolster liquidity, support economic recovery and create new jobs. The European Investment Bank is firmly committed to supporting the Cypriot economy. We have demonstrated this engagement throughout the crisis and again today with significant new support agreed with local banks, said European Investment Bank Vice President Jonathan Taylor. The European Investment Bank, Europes long-term lending institution, has been a key and reliable partner for Cyprus over recent years, providing long-term financial support for crucial infrastructure, as well as backing investment in the knowledge economy and innovation. The EIB will remain active and is committed to supporting economic growth and helping local firms invest and create new jobs. Across Europe, including here in Cyprus, small businesses are the backbone of the economy, Jonathan Taylor added. The EIB today agreed a new EUR 100 million loan with the Bank of Cyprus to support investment by local SMEs and MidCaps. This is second EIB loan that follows a EUR 50 million EIB loan with Bank of Cyprus signed in September 2014 and brings the total of loans approved with the Bank of Cyprus to EUR 150 million. The EIB also signed today three loans with local Cypriot banks, raising the total number of active counterparts from seven to ten. This will further enhance competition in the banking sector and benefit local companies. The new loans to support local companies include EUR 15 million with Cyprus Development Bank, EUR 20 million with RCB Bank and EUR 15 million with USB Bank. The loans include dedicated lending under the Jobs for Youth programme, which offers even more favourable financial terms to eligible SMEs. The Jobs for Youth lending initiative, launched by the EIB in July 2013, is part of a wider European commitment to tackle youth unemployment requested by the European Council in June 2013. The scheme targets countries with high unemployment amongst young people. In order to benefit from financing under the Jobs for Youth window, SMEs in the fields of industry, commercial services and tourism need to fulfil a limited number of conditions, including the employment or training of young people. The new EIB loans signed today will support private sector investment crucial for boosting economic growth and creating quality new jobs, added Jonathan Taylor. The four finance agreements totalling EUR 150 million were signed in Nicosia today in a public ceremony. Alongside EIB Vice President Jonathan Taylor, Cyprus Minister of Finance Harris Georgiades, Bank of Cyprus Director of Consumer Banking & SME Charis Pouangare, Cyprus Development Bank CEO Kyriakos Papadopoulos, RCB Bank CEO Kirill Zimarin and USB Bank CEO Andreas Theodorides were also present. La Paz, Feb 18 (EFE) .- The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, expressed solidarity with the families of the six people who died in a fire during an attack by protesters at the city hall of El Alto and asked the prosecution to find the culprits. Six persons died of asphyxiation in a fire caused by a mob of protesters in the municipal building of El Alto, a city near La Paz. "We show our solidarity with the families that have lost their lives at noon in the city of El Alto. We condemn all kinds of violence. We also ask responsible institutions to investigate and find the perpetrators of the death of the six persons," Morales said Wednesday. The president made this statement to the media, who were not allowed to ask questions, in the city of Santa Cruz before closing his election campaign in the region to ask for support in a referendum on Sunday. It will settle whether the number of consecutive terms of the Bolivian presidency will be extended, which would allow Morales to seek re-election for a fourth term in 2019. Morales said that what happened in El Alto hurt him a lot and asked his ministers to give humanitarian aid to the families of those deceased. He also hoped that authorities can punish the perpetrators of the fire and violence. Four people died in a bathroom where they had fled to while two others died after being taken to a terrace to receive first aid, confirmed the government. The demonstration was called by associations of parents of this city to demand better school buildings but suspected supporters of the ruling party who encouraged violence also joined, according to the mayor of El Alto. 180216 Polytechnic School Contractor appeals to Land Owners for project to be completed. By Joe Elijah A special appeal has been made to the Land owners of the portion of land where the Polytechnic School will be located at Hahela, here on Buka Island. The Management Contractor, who have been awarded the project ATIHA Management Services, is strongly calling on the people of Bougainville to stand together and support the project for the people of Bougainville, because this project once completed will save many parents, time, money and resources to send their children to other Provinces to get an education.. Managing Director of ATIHA Management Services Mr. Dominic Eiso told New Dawn FM Station today that, in two weeks time the next shipment of building materials will arrive from Australia, if nothing is done about the Land issue, there will be another delay in completing the project, or worst still we may not have another project like this in 6the future for our children if the project is scrapped. Mr. Eiso said, the Land owners must be proud and happy about the project, because their children and Buka Islanders will be the first to benefit from the project once completed, because it will be day school and the neighboring students will have access to the institution. End 180216 Regional Member may not pay 2016 School Fee Assistance to Parents request By Joe Elijah Parents, who applied for school fee assistance from the office of the Regional Member Hon Joe Lera, may not get what they asked for. This is according to the Finance and Administration officer for the Regional Members office, Mr. James Hasun. Mr. Hasun said revealed the sad news at a press conference today, adding that the last deposit done by the National Government was in September last 2015. He said they do not know when the next payment will be done by the Government and if nothing is received, that will be the end of the story. The National Government is focusing on priority areas with huge cuts on other areas in this years budget. Mr. Hasun added that, because of that situation, they will not also issue verification and guarantee letters which many parents have requested for their children to attend educational Institutions outside the region. The Office of the Regional Member sympathizes with the parents but the whole country is also feeling the pinch. 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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 180216CONTRACTOR APPEALS TO LAND OWNERS By Joe Elijah/tk A special appeal has been made to the Land Owners of the portion of the land where the Polytechnic School is located to allow the project to go ahead without hindrance. Managing Director of Atiha Management Contractor overseeing the project, Dominic Eiso told New Dawn FM Station that the project should be completed by the middle of this year. Mr. EISO is calling on the land owners and the people of Bougainville to stand together and support the project describing it as a project of great benefit to the whole region. He also announced that the company is awaiting the arrival of two shipment of materials to complete the project. It is expected that these materials would be in Bougainville in the next two weeks, with the project expected to be ready for use by June or July. He said land owners should be proud and happy because their children would be enrolled at this very institution. This is the first project of its kind to be established in Bougainville. Ends 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. Resume [CV] writing for the Swiss market ) BUT, I am "terrified" of writing a resume. I've never really had to write one, I got hired into "retail optics" at a Pearle Vision Center fairly fresh out of high school. I went from there to working at LensCrafters after a year and transferred within that company for the next 15. Then comes the empty spaces... staying at home to care for my mother while working part time or seasonal (or both) for folks I already knew so it was more a matter of filling an application form to have paperwork in place rather than going through a hiring process. So... with that background out of the way... I feel like my resume looks a bit empty. I see articles with tips and things (like Top that off with corporate policy at LensCrafters being to have any potential employers call home office for references and I feel even more lost. The question is: How does one really sort out what is or isn't a valuable "trick" for a resume? Too boring is bad, too fancy even worse, not enough info, too much info... out-dated catch phrases (weren't they cheezy to begin with?!), on and on. REAL hints from folks who hire or got hired here in Switzerland would help. Thanks! I've been thinking to get serious about looking for a job. I know it's not necessarily the wisest thing to admit here (not knowing who may or may not be hiring, not knowing who may or may not be involved at some point of an interview process... and reading this) BUT, I am "terrified" of writing a resume.I've never really had to write one, I got hired into "retail optics" at a Pearle Vision Center fairly fresh out of high school. I went from there to working at LensCrafters after a year and transferred within that company for the next 15.Then comes the empty spaces... staying at home to care for my mother while working part time or seasonal (or both) for folks I already knew so it was more a matter of filling an application form to have paperwork in place rather than going through a hiring process.So... with that background out of the way... I feel like my resume looks a bit empty. I see articles with tips and things (like this one ) and while some of the tips could work for me, at this point, I don't have the numbers off the top of my head (or old performance reviews or similar papers I could put my hands on) to back up any claims I may have.Top that off with corporate policy at LensCrafters being to have any potential employers call home office for references and I feel even more lost.The question is:How does one really sort out what is or isn't a valuable "trick" for a resume?Too boring is bad, too fancy even worse, not enough info, too much info... out-dated catch phrases (weren't they cheezy to begin with?!), on and on.REAL hints from folks who hire or got hired here in Switzerland would help.Thanks! The Joys of Opticianry __________________ Documents and tips needed to rent an apartment Hello everybody, I'll soon come to Zurich to do a 6 month internship in a IT company. It's the first time for me that I go living out of my native home (in Italy), and I have some doubts about documents needed to rent an apartment and living there. From what I've read and understood, you need a proof that you are employed (no problem for that), a copy of your passport (either), and...anything else? I don't think I need a work permit, because I'm from a country in the EU, but this wouldn't be a problem either, since my employer could provide me with that. Do I need a birth certificate from my native town? Do I need to register in some town office as soon as I arrive in Zurich (other than to the Italian consulate)? Also, since last week I subscribed to hometown.ch, and I daily receive renting offers into my e-mail inbox: So far I've looked for small apartments (I'm single, that is I have no friends who are moving together with me) with kitchen and bathroom for less than 1000 CHF, in the entire city, and I found only very few offers...Could you give me some tips for finding an apartment? Is it better to rent unfurnished apartments and spend money on Ikea/2nd hand furnishment, or searching only for furnished apartments? Of course, for the first days/weeks I'll live in hotel... Thanks a lot for your help A new book is attempting to investigate the truth behind the Steven Avery case presented in Netflix's Making a Murderer. Steven Avery's Brother Talks Night Of Teresa Halbach's Death Columnist Jessica McBride and her team at OnMilwaukee.com have released a new book called Rush to Judgment, which reportedly "delves into the full evidence" behind the Avery case. McBride spoke with WBAY (local ABC affiliate in Wisconsin) about how the docuseries did not present the whole truth in the criminal prosecution of Avery for the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach. 'Making a Murderer' Defense Attorney Warns Against Becoming 'Armchair Sleuths' "When I started looking into the case file for OnMilwaukee.com, I was rather shocked to see how much the documentary distorted things," McBride said. Rush to Judgment is an attempt at providing "a fuller view of the evidence, and I think it will lead people to a different conclusion than Netflix did," she said. One of the biggest points they uncover is the blood vial with a hole in it, which Avery's defense team used as evidence of possible corruption. "The infamous hole in the blood vial? A prison nurse said she put it there," McBride revealed. "And, I talked to national experts who say such holes are not only common, they are how the blood gets into the vial. I was first to report this that I know of, for OnMilwaukee, and turned it into a full chapter." The book also delves into the case of Halbach's voicemail messages possibly being deleted the day before she was reported missing. "Defense attorney [Jerome] Buting told Rolling Stone that someone accessed Halbach's voicemails the day before she was reported missing. However, this was also not proven and there was no evidence for it. The wireless expert who testified said he couldn't tell when the voicemails were accessed, just when they were left," McBride noted. Rush to Judgment: The Unfiltered Story of Steven Avery is available on Kindle now. Cheyenne Jackson recently discussed what it was like to be naked on FX's American Horror Story and whether he wants to return for another season. Best Fan Video Concepts For 'American Horror Story' Season 6 Jackson played fashion designer Will Drake in American Horror Story: Hotel, and while his screen time was sparse, he did get to do a number of outrageous things. This includes going completely naked in a scene with Lady Gaga! But the actor spoke with Out Magazine this week about that nude scene and why it wasn't a big deal. Should Cheyenne Jackson Return For Bigger Role In Season 6 Of 'American Horror Story'? "She's so cool and being naked is a nonissue for her. It was just being naked on primetime television in something that my parents could potentially see," he said. "And also while you're doing it, it's just a weird thing. You're standing around and you have like a sock on your junk, and there are 40 crewmembers. It's a bizarre thing but you just have to get into it. But yeah, she was so fun and sweet though. She made it easy breezy." He also admitted that taking on a role in American Horror Story was "exciting, daunting, nerve-wracking" though it wound up being "great" in the end. "My very first day, I had a scene with Kathy Bates, and she's been one of my favorite actresses for about 15 years. So it was really great. And I just love Ryan [Murphy]." As for whether Jackson is open to returning to American Horror Story for season 6 this fall, he is interested but doesn't know if he will. "Not yet. I hope to come back," he said, when asked if he was returning. "They're supposed to start telling people within the next few months, so fingers crossed." The stars of American Horror Story are converging on March 20 for PaleyFest, so it's possible that we'll find out more information on who's returning and what the concept of season 6 will be at that time. American Horror Story season 6 is set to premiere this fall on FX. The article sheds light on the Adi Ganga, one of the most significant streams of the Ganges in its lower course, and narrates how the stream (later Tollys Canal) which was once the life line of Kolkata transformed into a mere sewer and was ruthlessly slaughtered with the changing politico-economic interests of the state. Introduction Cities and civilisations flourished on the banks of rivers, rivulets, canals and creekspopularly known as riverine ecology. The relationship between wo(man) and nature was that of mutual interdependence. This continued till capitalism commodified labour and transformed the sustainable relationship between the social and ecological to metabolic rift in Marxist terms (Foster 2000). This economic system ensured that nature was commodified in keeping with the politico-economic interests of the state. Within this framework, the article studies the Adi Ganga, one of the significant streams of the Hooghly River across historical trajectories since the pre-colonial to the present times. Using a political ecology approach it traces the shift in development perspectives that determined the fate of the stream in colonial and postcolonial Kolkata. The Present Situation of the Canal One cannot miss the sight and foul smell of a polluted water tract beneath Alipur bridge on the way to the National Library or while travelling from Naktala to Garia in the southern part of Kolkata. This water tract is none other than the Tollys Canal which was part of the old route of the Adi Ganga revived by William Tolly between 1772 and 1777. The derelict condition of this important water channel can be partly attributed to the fact that Calcuttas canals were excavated for two reasonstrade-transportation and drainage-sewerage-sanitation. Though it was properly maintained during the colonial period (due to its important role in riverine ecology), in the post-independence period it turned into a sewer because the water channel was neither restored, nor maintained. Huge amount of silt was deposited when the heavy silt laden water of the Hooghly River entered the canal especially during high tides resulting in the increase in the bed level at alarming proportions ranging between 6 and 12 feet (Vasundhara Foundation unpublished report). A large number of sewerage drains belonging to the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) and the Calcutta Metropolitan Water and Sanitation Authority (CMWSA) discharged untreated effluent directly into Tollys Canal. These networks did not have lock gates to check and regulate the flow of water during high and low tides. The canal carried effluent from the southern part of the city and discharged it in the eastern marshlands (later called the East Kolkata Wetlands). It was also polluted by household garbage from local residents. Some schemes and plans were discussed to revitalise the canal since the late 1990s such as the Calcutta Environment Management Strategy Action Plan (199697) (CEMSAP). However all plans went into disarray when the metro rail was planned between Tollygunge and Garia, the elevated railway tracks going directly over Tollys Canal. 300 pillars, each at a distance of 20 m from the other, were dug into the canal bed. (Source: Survey Report 2008, Metro Railway, Kolkata. Courtesy: Jenia Mukherjee) The metro rail project was sanctioned in spite of protests, petitions and litigations from different rungs of society and in spite of violation of Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1986 and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 1994. The strongest weapon to facilitate the implementation of the project against tremendous socio-ecological cost was the archaic Section 11 of the Railways Act 1989, a leftover of the colonial revised edition of the Act of 1890 that provides the railways to construct, upon, across, under or over any land, any rivers, canals, brooks, streams or other waters Ganga's Old Stream The Adi Ganga, also known as the Gobindapur creek, Surmans Canal and (presently) Tollys Canal, was the main flow of the Hooghly River between the 15th and 17th century that virtually dried up due to natural reasons (Roy 2005). The Hindu legend of the Ganges in Bengal will provide a background on the importance of the river to the lives of people. The king of Oudh, Sagar, who was the 13th ancestor of Lord Rama and the 7th incarnation of Vishnu, performed the Aswamedha Yajna (horse sacrifice) 99 times. He was desperate to perform the yajna one more time, but Lord Indra, the king of heaven, who had already performed it 100 times and earned the title Satamanna, was jealous of being displaced by Sagar. He subsequently stole Sagars horse and concealed it in a subterraneous cell, where the sage Kapilmuni was meditating. The 60,000 sons of Sagar started searching the horse and ultimately they were able to trace it. They assaulted Kapilmuni as they suspected that he was the thief. Beside himself with anger, the sage cursed them and they were burnt to ashes. A grandson of Sagar came to Kapilmuni and begged him to redeem the souls of the dead. That was only possible if the waters of Ganga (the aqueous form of Vishnu and Lakshmi) could be sprinkled to the ashes. Bhagirath prayed before Brahma, the creator, to send Ganga to earth. Bhagirath led the way as far as Hathiagarh in the 24 Parganas, but was unable to show her the way beyond that. Ganga, in order to make sure of reaching the desired place, divided herself into numerous channels, and thus formed the delta. One of the channels reached the cell, washed the ashes, purified the souls which then could reach the heaven. Ganga thus became the sacred stream; the sea took its name Sagar (Hunter 1998); this point of junction of the river and the sea (known as Ganga Sagar where an annual festival is held) is considered a holy place by Hindu pilgrims. The earlier course of the lower Ganges as it flowed through the Bhagirathi channel was somewhat different from what it is today. At Tribeni, near Bandel, the Ganges branched into three streams (Majumdar 2005). The Saraswati flowed in a south-westerly direction, past Saptagram.The Jamuna (not the same river as in North India or many streams of that name in eastern Bengal) flowed in a south-easterly direction.The Hooghly flowed in the middle; it glided down to Kolkata and then flowed through the Adi Ganga, past Kalighat, Baruipur and Magra to the sea. So far as the old route of the Adi Ganga is concerned, the original channel was quite identical to present day Tollys Canal from Khidderpore to Garia and further on to the sea. According to old records, the Adi Ganga emerged out of the Sundarbans at Kakdwip, from where it passed along the Baratala River (Muriganga) and then found a passage along a creek between Dhoblat and Monosardip, and proceeded first in a westerly and then in a southerly direction until it fell into the Bay of Bengal at Ganga Sagar (OMalley 1998). During the second half of the 19th century, the colonial official WW Hunter reflects, The old channel is still traceable as far as Hathiagarh Fiscal Division, where it loses itself. This channel long ago dried up, and the bed now consists of a series of tanks. Many large Hindu villages are situated on the banks of the old stream, which is called the Adi, or original Ganga. The Hindus still consider the route of the channel sacred, and burn their dead on the sides of the tanks dug in its bed (Hunter 1998: 1415). The Adi Ganga was also known as the Gobindapur creek as it marked the southern boundary of the Gobindapur villages. The virtual drying up of the river is often connected to it being artificially linked to the lower channel of the Saraswati, whereby that became the main channel for oceangoing ships and the Adi Ganga became derelict. Excavating Tolly's Canal Calcuttas colonial urban planning and development is loaded with the history of excavation of canals and reclamation of marshes. In 1690, Job Charnock, along with his council and a contingent of 30 troops, landed on a narrow strip of land on the bank of the Hooghly River, surrounded by swampy jungles and brackish lagoons on all sides. From several colonial reports, letters, and other secondary sources it is evident that this place was uninhabitable. In spite of such disadvantages why did the British still select this marshy tract of land as the colonial capital? This was because Calcutta was ecologically subsidized (Ghosh 1997) with the Hooghly in the west, Bidyadhari in the east and the numerous tributaries, distributaries, channels and creeks in between as also the saline marshes and swamps to the extreme east that provided unique opportunities to the mercantile British colonisers. Interestingly, the nomenclature Calcutta is a reflection of its hydraulic topography. Calcutta lay in the centre with Sutanuti to the north and Gobindapur to the south. The middle portion of the landmass was marked by indentation in the coastline because of creeks and inlets. To denote this, a Bengali word was usedkol-kata, kol meaning shore, coast and kata meaning cut open. The two words together imply a coast or shore cut open by creeks and inlets (Biswas 1992: 18). The colonial understanding of the significance of this site in terms of both defensibility and serviceability led them to intervene with and tame the natural ecology (channels and marshes) into waterscapes involving the use of labour and capital in the production of nature (Baviskar 2007). This was the best way to ensure a riverine transport system and simultaneously find solutions to drainage, sewerage and sanitation for the emerging urban site with revenue generation motive at its core. The excavation of the Tollys Canal by reviving part of the old route called Adi Ganga was the first revolutionary step taken by the colonisers to avoid the existing route which was not only circuitous but also impractical for the movement of the country boats especially during monsoons (OMalley 1998). On 6 July 1775, Major William Tolly applied for permission to excavate a canal between the Hooghly and the salt lakes (to the east of Kolkata) at his own expense. He initially suggested two alignmentsone to the north and the other to the south of Calcutta. The latter received the governments approval. Tolly received a temporary land grant from the government for a term of 12 years and the right to levy tolls at 1 % on the price of all goods carried by country boats that would take up this route using the canal. Conjectural Map of Calcutta Showing the Course of the Adi Ganga. (Source: Chattopadhyay 1990) In 1776, the old bed of the Ganges was excavated from its confluence at Hastings, south-eastwards to Garia, a distance of 13 km. Then the canal was excavated till the point it met the Bidyadhari River at Samukpota, a distance of 15 km. Thus, it could provide access to an inner route which led eastwards from Canning (towards the south of Kolkata near the mouth of the Bay of Bengal). The 27 km long canal (named Tollys Canal after William Tolly) was opened for navigation in 1777 to accommodate boats of 400 maunds. After the death of Major Tolly, Mrs Tolly was given the right to levy tolls and it was taken over by the government in 1804. Apart from playing a huge role in trade and transportation, the canal acted as an outlet for waste water of the city. From various official reports and letters we find that the colonisers invested in timely maintenance of the canal (Inglis 1909). This was imperative as the functioning of the water route accomplished colonial capitalist intentions promising huge returns over investment. There are records that reveal boat traffic and goods carried through Tollys Canal during the 19th century (Table 1). It is interesting to note that the water-borne traffic (including Tollys Canal and other canals) to Calcutta was seven times more than what was carried by the Eastern Bengal State Railway during the 19th and early 20th century (OMalley 1998). Table 1: Boat Traffic and Goods Carried Through Tolly's Canal (1868-69) Articles Name of Chowkey Number of Boats * Mundage by Canal Measurement * Mundage of Cargo by Estimate Coal Samookpota Russah Kidderpore .. .. 203 .. .. 2,12,000 .. .. 1,23,550 Imported Fabrics Do .. .. 4 .. .. 900 .. .. 300 Rice Do 4,361 3,623 132 13,63,300 1,02,275 56,225 6,40,975 75,725 29,250 Jute Do 14 .. .. 3,3,050 .. 15,700 .. .. Indigo Do .. .. 5 .. .. 1,150 .. .. 1023 Salt Do .. .. 967 .. .. 5,39,100 .. .. 2,77,900 Castor Oil Do .. .. 2 .. .. 1,025 .. .. 475 (Source: The Administrative Report on Calcutta and Eastern Canals and Nuddea Rivers, 1868-69 (Calcutta: Bengal Secretariat Press, 1869)) From Canal to a Sewer After independence, Tollys Canal has neither been restored, nor maintained. This has several socio-ecological implications. Water logging in the citys roads and neighbourhoods is a common occurrence every monsoon. This is largely due to the failure of our age old sewerage system that has been neglected by the government. The situation is aggravated by the unregulated and unsustainable urban growth of Kolkata to her eastern side at the cost of her canals and wetlands. Several pumps are pressed into service after every spell of heavy rains but they fail to drain out water as the canals remain heavily silted resulting into tremendous water logging in several parts of the city. Along with ecological costs, the social costs of the degradation of the Tollys Canal have been severe. Once the Adi Ganga was revitalised by William Tolly, a number of ghats grew up on the banks of the canal including Balaram Basus Ghat, Mukherjees Ghat, Hindu Mission Ghat, Kalighat, Ghatak Ghat, Prasannamayis Ghat, Rashbarir Ghat, Tarpan Ghat, Kudghat, Rathtala Ghat, etc. In 1862, Prankrishna Halders (influential elite of 19th century Bengal) mother established the burning ghat of Keoratala on its bank. The tract was a lively route and the locals are still nostalgic about how Bhatiali (boatman songs) was sung under the full moon sky providing an intense satiety to people living on its banks. But gradually since the 1960s the water route lost its vigour though it still continued to be a discharging outlet for the southern part of the city. The once navigable canal transformed into a mere nullah (drain) due to lack of restoration and maintenance. Over a period of time, several illegal settlements grew up on both banks of the entire stretch of the Tollys Canal. The settlers were mostly from different areas of rural West Bengal who migrated to Kolkata thinking of the opportunities of work that the city would have provided. For 40 years the canal bank was occupied with people who were already victims of development from the countryside facing landlessness, alienation of land, poverty and flood (Seabrook 2002). An eviction drive was carried on by the state to displace the population to make way for the metro rail project. The five-hour operation on 22 September 2001 cleared and evicted settlers from 2.5 km stretch along the canal. Around 700 policemen along with the Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority and other agencies carried out the demolition drive. Around 400 hutments were demolished and 2000 people displaced (TOI 2001). During the second phase of the eviction on 25 February 2002, another 2.5 km from Kudghat was cleared in three to four days, followed by a third demolition drive of the remaining 6.5 km stretch (TOI 2002). Table 2: Demographic Data Across the Banks of the Tolly's Canal Area Families Number of People Hastings to Tolly Golf Club 2, 500 12, 500 Tollygunge to Garia 1, 300 6, 500 Garia to Samukpota 450 2, 250 Boat Canal to Tollys Canal 4, 350 20, 250 (Source: Biday Adiganga (in Bengali), Vasundhara Foundation, 2003, p 10) There were protests and demonstrations and even appeals before the judiciary for the preservation of the canal. Protests were of different kinds, forms and by different groups of people (urban middle class, environmental activists and grassroots organisations mobilising the victims) with similar yet different priorities. While for some the preservation of the Adi Ganga was the burning issue (the cause of ecology superseding over people), for others displacement without proper rehabilitation of the poor people residing across the canal banks was the key issue (the cause of people superseding over ecology). However none of the agendas met with successpillars were dug into the bed of the heritage river for extension of Kolkatas metro railway. Ecologically Subsidised--For How Long? Time and again there had been plans promises to turn Kolkata into Venice by reviving her inland water transport. But till date there is no such initiative. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) sponsored Kolkata Environment Improvement Project (KEIP) sought to restore Kolkatas canal system and wetlands since it was launched in 2002 (KEIP 2006). However very little seemed to have happened on the ground. Kolkata may be an ecologically subsidized city (Ghosh 1997); but the way we have ignored our ecosystems, especially water bodies, is making the delta city more vulnerable to environmental changes. The slaughter of Tollys Canal proves that in spite of pluralities in urban environmentalism(s), authoritative environmentalism perpetuated by the state often (though not always) gains support from the bourgeoisie transforming it into bourgeoisie environmentalism (Baviskar 2003; Bose 2013) In the neoliberal context (Brand and Thomas 2005) this turns out to be the dominant form of environmentalism driven by the logic of capital and with utter neglect to the functioning of ecosystems and social lives surrounding those. The small narrative on the transforming tale of the Adi Ganga, quite a forgotten entity by now, is but a tiny component of the bigger canvas of shifting development needs and interests within changing temporal contexts. References Baviskar, Amita (2003): Between Violence and Desire: Space, Power, and Identity in the Making of Metropolitan Delhi, International Social Science Journal, Vol 55, No 175, pp 8998. (2007): Waterscapes: The Cultural Politics of a Natural Resource, Ranikhet: Permament Black. Biswas, O (1992): Calcutta and Calcuttans: From Dihi to Megalopolis, Calcutta: Firma KLM Pvt. Ltd. Bose, P S (2013): Bourgeois Environmentalism, Leftist Development and Neoliberal Urbanism in the City of Joy, Locating Right to the City in the Global South, T Roshan Samara, S He, G Chen (eds), New York and Oxon: Routledge. Brand, P and M Thomas (2005): Urban Environmentalism: Global Change and the Mediation of Local Conflict, New York and Oxon: Routledge. Chattopadhyaya, Haraprasad (1990): From Marsh to Township East of Calcutta: A Tale of Salt Water Lake and Salt Lake, Calcutta: K P Bagchi. Foster, John Bellamy (2000): Marxs Ecology, New York: Monthly Review Press. Ghosh, D (1997): Environmental Agenda for Calcutta: Conserving the Water Regime for an Ecologically Subsidized City, Banabithi, Department of Environment and Forests, Government of West Bengal. Hunter, W W (1998): A Statistical Account of Bengal: 24 Parganas, Vol 1, London: Trubner & Co, 1875, reprinted and published by Kumud Ranjan Biswas, Calcutta: Government of West Bengal. Inglis, W A (2002): The Canals and Flood Banks of Bengal, Calcutta: The Bengal Secretariat Press, 1909, reprinted and published by Kumud Ranjan Biswas as Rivers of Bengal: A Compilation, Vol 5, Calcutta: Government of West Bengal. Majumdar, R C (2005): History of Ancient Bengal, 1971, Calcutta: Tulshi Prakashani. Marik, S (2001): Rights Violation, State Violence and Resistance: The Tollys Nullah Eviction, Mainstream Weekly, 27 October. O Malley (1998): Bengal District Gazetteers: 24 Parganas, Calcutta: The Bengal Secretariat Book Depot, 1914, reprinted and published by Kumud Ranjan Biswas, Calcutta: Government of West Bengal. Roy, N (2005): Bangalir Itihas, Adi Parba (in Bengali), 1972, Kolkata: Deys Publishing. Seabrook, J (2002): Imperial Battle against the poor, Statesman, 2 October. Times of India (2001): Payloaders Pulverise Shanties, 2000 Homeless, 23 September. Times of India (2002): Bulldozers set to Roar at Tolly, 26 January. A common cause of diabetes is a deficiency of insulin-producing cells in the endocrine tissue of the pancreas. New findings suggest the exocrine tissues of the pancreas instead could make a promising target for stem cell-based diabetes treatment. Diabetes describes a disease where the body is not receiving a sufficient supply of insulin. It commonly inflicts the pancreas, the organ responsible for insulin production. More specifically, it inflicts the cells that produce insulin, which are found in the endocrine tissue of the pancreas. However, new results from the Yoshiya Kawaguchi lab suggest the exocrine tissue, which is responsible for digestion, could have a role in treatment. "The pancreas is constituted of two tissues that are structurally and functionally distinct, which makes it unique", says Prof. Yoshiya Kawaguchi of the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, which is why most researchers attend the endocrine tissue for diabetes. However, while the exocrine and endocrine tissues operate independently in mature pancreas, they are formed at the same time during pancreas development. Kawaguchi wondered if diseased exocrine tissue could cause deficiencies in the production of endocrine cells. To investigate this possibility, his team constructed mice that depleted the Pdx1 gene, which in the pancreas is exclusively found in exocrine tissue. The result was underdeveloped pancreas, but in addition, and surprisingly, the mice showed diabetes phenotype, such as low insulin levels, suggesting endocrine development was also affected. However, what caught the researchers' attention was which cells had changed. Endocrine progenitor cells that did not have the mutation in the mutant mice also showed poor survival. These results suggest non-cell autonomous effects, which describes the phenomenon where cells with genetic defects may cause malfunction in neighboring, genetically healthy cells, and could have important implications for diabetes treatment. "This is an exciting finding", explains Kawaguchi, adding, "It means the exocrine cells secrete something that promotes the differentiation and survival of endocrine cells during development". This substance, Kawaguchi hopes, could lead to promising treatments for diabetes. ### Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) and Thermo Fisher Scientific have agreed to develop a next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based panel designed specifically for pediatric cancer research. The assay would be CHLA's first NGS panel designed to target biomarkers associated with childhood cancers. The NGS panel under development is a unique targeted DNA and RNA sequencing-based research gene panel. Its results could lead to better understanding of the pathogenesis and future therapy of pediatric cancer patients. It will utilize Thermo Fisher's Ion Torrent NGS platform and Ion AmpliSeq technology. Unlike other cancer gene panels, it detects DNA mutations, gene amplifications and the expression of more than a thousand specific gene fusion variants, representing over a hundred tumor-specific gene translocations common to pediatric malignancies. The panel will include virtually all somatic genetic alterations identified for childhood cancer to date in the scientific literature, and requires as little as 10ng of DNA and RNA from fixed, fresh, or frozen tumor tissue. The assay builds on the experience and expertise of a team of pathologists and laboratory research scientists from CHLA's Center for Personalized Medicine, and clinicians and pediatric cancer investigators at CHLA's Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases--home to one of the largest pediatric hematology-oncology programs in the country. "We anticipate the pediatric panel to be of great value to clinical researchers dedicated to improving outcomes in childhood cancer, providing a tool with the potential to further advance personalized cancer treatment," said Alan S. Wayne, MD, director of the Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases at CHLA, adding that the use of molecular genetics to firmly establish the diagnosis--including the specific biologic subtype--may help one day determine the most appropriate choice of therapy for children with newly diagnosed or relapsed malignancies. "Such personalized cancer care is of considerable benefit to patients and practitioners as we work to develop genomically targeted therapies," added Wayne, who is also a professor of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) and associate director for Pediatric Oncology at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. CHLA is recognized for its groundbreaking research and clinical innovation in pediatric cancer including retinoblastoma, neuroblastoma and leukemia. "The development of this powerful NGS panel is the realization of a long-standing vision of Dr. Timothy Triche, founding director of the Center for Personalized Medicine," said Jaclyn A. Biegel, PhD, who joined CHLA in July 2015 as director of the Center for Personalized Medicine and chief of Genomic Medicine in the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at CHLA. "The assay is built on CHLA's institutional knowledge and has the potential for great clinical utility, as it combines many individual molecular tests into one comprehensive panel." Biegel is also a professor of Pediatrics and Pathology at USC's Keck School of Medicine. "Targeted sequencing is showing tremendous promise as an effective and rapid solution to elucidate the molecular underpinnings of cancer," said Joseph Bernardo, president of Clinical Sequencing at Thermo Fisher Scientific. "We are pleased that Thermo Fisher's Ion Torrent and AmpliSeq technologies will serve as the basis for the first pediatric cancer gene panel that we will develop in partnership with Children's Hospital Los Angeles." ### More information about CHLA's Center for Personalized Medicine can be found at http://www.chla.org/cpm Though separated from the rest of their species by hundreds of kilometers, the Virginia's Warblers that colonized South Dakota's Black Hills two decades ago continue to maintain genetic ties with the rest of their species, according to a new study in The Auk: Ornithological Advances. These results provide some of the first insights into how the genetic diversity of species around the world may be affected as ranges expand and shift due to climate change. Virginia's Warblers first appeared in the Black Hills about eighteen years ago, colonizing an island of forested habitat cut off from the next nearest Virginia Warbler population in Wyoming by 370 kilometers of prairie. However, genetic analysis by Christine Bubac and Garth Spellman of Black Hills State University shows that the Black Hills population has maintained continuous gene flow with the rest of the species, suggesting that new individuals have continued to arrive in the area over the ensuing generations. This is good news for the Black Hills population, suggesting they will escape the negative effects of inbreeding. "The relevance of a lack of significant patterning among Virginia's Warbler populations, coupled with evidence of recent population expansion, is that global climate change may be continuing to shuffle the genetic deck of highly-mobile species," according to Jeremy Ross of the Oklahoma Biological Survey, an expert on the evolutionary and conservation implications of bird movements. "It is refreshing that, despite such knowledge running counter to prior publication biases toward reporting significant differences among populations, Bubac and Spellman provide another example of the insights that could drive future conservation planning in the face of expected habitat shifts." To perform their analysis, Bubac and Spellman captured 20 Virginia's Warblers at three sites in the Black Hills and compared their DNA with samples from 112 museum specimens of Virginia's Warblers from around the continent. "The Black Hills provides an opportunity to study in a really neat setting," says Bubac. "It has many of the same species that you would find in the Rocky Mountains, yet it is isolated from the mountain range by Great Plains habitat. I learned a hard lesson while doing field work in the Black Hills: Mind your mist nets near mountain mahogany, a plant that seems to catch everything!" Bubac hopes to return to South Dakota in the future. "To build upon this study, I think it would be interesting to perform a survey to gain a better understanding of Virginia's Warblers' complete distribution throughout the Black Hills," she says. "Monitoring of the Virginia's Warbler will be necessary as this species continues to expand its range northward." ### "How habitat connectivity shapes genetic structure during range expansion: Insights from the Virginia's Warbler" will be available Feb. 17, 2016, at http://www.aoucospubs.org/toc/tauk/133/2. About the journal: The Auk: Ornithological Advances is a peer-reviewed, international journal of ornithology that began in 1884 as the official publication of the American Ornithologists' Union. In 2009, The Auk was honored as one of the 100 most influential journals of biology and medicine over the past 100 years. Increasing health care providers' level of concern about prescription drug abuse in their communities may be an effective public health tool in fighting America's prescription drug abuse epidemic, according to a study by researchers from the School of Public Health and the Department of Sociology at Georgia State University. The researchers found concern about prescription drug abuse may affect providers' practices. "Our research suggests that a number of health care providers already have voluntarily begun to change their prescribing and dispensing practices in ways that may be reducing the supply of scheduled prescriptions in communities," the researchers said. The study results are published in the Pain Physician Journal in a report titled, "Concern about the Expanding Prescription Drug Epidemic: A Survey of Licensed Prescribers and Dispensers." The study's lead author is Dr. Eric Wright, a professor with appointments in Health Management & Policy and Sociology at Georgia State. Prescription drug abuse is an epidemic in the United States, posing the greatest risk to white men and rural residents, according to the report. The cost associated with abuse of opioids -- one kind of prescription pain medication--reached nearly $56 million in 2007 and has likely increased, the report noted. The researchers surveyed nearly 6,000 doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dentists and pharmacists in Indiana about their views and practices related to addictive prescription drugs. The majority of those surveyed indicated they were very concerned about community prescription drug abuse, but a minority of responders -- mainly dentists -- indicated they were relatively unconcerned, the researchers found. "This research underscores the critical importance of engaging health care providers fully in public health efforts to reverse the course of the prescription drug epidemic," the report concluded. ### The study's authors also included Georgia State sociology graduate students Nia Reed and Neal Carnes, as well as Harold E. Kooreman, a policy analyst at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis' Center for Health Policy. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Dana-Farber) and Lifespan Health System have signed a letter of intent to enter into a partnership in Rhode Island. The goal of this innovative arrangement is to elevate the level of cancer treatment for patients seeking care at Lifespan-affiliated institutions, and to benefit both organizations' clinical, teaching and research missions. As envisioned, the partnership will provide a seamless system of care for patients needing treatment for rare and complex cancers. It will also facilitate access for Lifespan cancer patients to a broader array of clinical trials, and to emerging and novel cancer therapies. "In addition to the specific benefits for appropriate patients, making clinical trials more widely available will also help hasten the development of new therapies," said Edward J. Benz, Jr., M.D., president of Dana-Farber. "We are excited to begin developing a thoughtful and unique partnership with the superb system of caregivers and researchers at Lifespan." "We share a deep interest in developing a top notch, patient-centered, cost-effective and seamless cancer care delivery system for the region," said Timothy Babineau, M.D., president and CEO of Lifespan. "I can't think of a better partner to collaborate with than Dana-Farber." As cancer treatment advances and patient outcomes improve, the institutions will gain considerable expertise in treating cancer as a chronic condition, with a focus on the special circumstances associated with cancer survivorship. The Dana-Farber/Lifespan partnership will be supported, in part, by a similar electronic health record system (Epic platform) that will enhance the use of cancer care pathways, reduce clinical redundancies and facilitate patients' participation in their care. ### About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute From achieving the first remissions in childhood cancer with chemotherapy in 1948, to developing the very latest new therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is one of the world's leading centers of cancer research and treatment. It is the only center ranked in the top 4 of U.S. News and World Report's Best Hospitals for both adult and pediatric cancer care. Dana-Farber sits at the center of a wide range of collaborative efforts to reduce the burden of cancer through scientific inquiry, clinical care, education, community engagement, and advocacy. Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center provides the latest in cancer care for adults; Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center for children. The Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center unites the cancer research efforts of five Harvard academic medical centers and two graduate schools, while Dana-Farber Community Cancer Care provides high quality cancer treatment in communities outside Boston's Longwood Medical Area. Dana-Farber is dedicated to a unique, 50/50 balance between cancer research and care, and much of the Institute's work is dedicated to translating the results of its discovery into new treatments for patients locally and around the world. About Lifespan Lifespan is a five-partner not-for-profit health system based in Providence, R.I. Formed in 1994, Lifespan includes three teaching hospitals of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University: Rhode Island Hospital and its Hasbro Children's Hospital; The Miriam Hospital; and Bradley Hospital, the nation's first psychiatric hospital for children. It also includes Newport Hospital, a community hospital offering a broad range of health services, and Gateway Healthcare, the state's largest provider of community behavioral health care. Lifespan teaching hospitals are among the top recipients in the country of research funding from the National Institutes of Health. The hospitals received nearly $81 million in external research funding in fiscal 2012. All Lifespan-affiliated partners are charitable organizations that depend on support from the community to provide programs and services. PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A study from Hasbro Children's Hospital has found that nearly 50 percent of teens seen in the emergency department for any reason report peer violence and nearly 50 percent also report being the victims of cyberbullying. Almost one-quarter of teens in the emergency department also report symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study, led by Megan Ranney, MD, MPH, shows that cyberbullying, physical peer violence and PTSD are common and inter-related, and that early identification and treatment are crucial. Currently published online in General Hospital Psychiatry, the study examined 353 adolescents in the Hasbro Children's Hospital emergency department. Regardless of chief reason for emergency room visit, 23.2 percent of the teens reported current symptoms consistent with PTSD, 13.9 percent had moderate or higher depressive symptoms and 11.3 percent reported suicidal thoughts within the past year. The adolescents commonly reported physical peer violence (46.5 percent), cyberbullying (46.7 percent) and exposure to community violence (58.9 percent). "PTSD in adolescents has been associated with long-term functional impairment, including poor physical health, academic failure and increased need for medical services," said Ranney. "But, despite the availability of effective treatment, PTSD is currently underdiagnosed, underreported, and undertreated, especially among children and adolescents." The study found that the PTSD symptoms strongly correlated with a variety of co-occurring risk exposures, such as being a victim of cyberbullying or physical peer violence, exposure to community violence and alcohol or drug use. Few of the teens with PTSD reported receiving any mental health care in the past year. "These results should serve as a reminder to parents, schools and physicians that these problems are prevalent in our community," said Ranney. "This study also highlights that teens with a history of cyberbullying or peer violence are more likely to have PTSD, which is a very treatable disease if properly identified and addressed." Previous studies have suggested that emergency departments should screen adolescents for psychiatric disorders, given the large number of high-risk adolescents seen in the emergency department and its role as a liaison to community mental health services. "The problem is that there has been a lack of knowledge about the prevalence and impact of PTSD in adolescent emergency patients, particularly among patients who are not presenting in the aftermath of an obviously traumatic event," said Ranney. "Existing literature on PTSD in adolescent emergency patients describes its development after an acute assault or motor vehicle crash," said Ranney. "But, this study highlights the need for improved efforts at more standardized mental health evaluation, possibly even screening for PTSD regardless of the reason for a teen's visit to the emergency department." Ranney hopes this study will lead to greater attention to PTSD and its co-occurring risk factors in adolescent emergency department patients, as the disease is well known to impact adolescents' long-term quality of life, and is unlikely to improve without treatment. For more information on PTSD in children and teens and how to help a child who may be affected by PTSD, visit: http://www.bradleyhospital.org/posttraumatic-stress-disorder-in-children-and-teens.html ### This study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) as part of grant number K23 095866. In addition to Ranney's primary affiliation at the Hasbro Children's Hospital emergency medicine department, she is also director of the Emergency Digital Health Innovation program; a physician researcher at the Injury Prevention Center of Rhode Island Hospital; and an assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and the Department of Health Services, Policy and Practice at Brown University. About Hasbro Children's Hospital Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, R.I., a part of the Lifespan health care system, is the premier pediatric facility for clinical care, research and education for Rhode Island and surrounding southeastern New England. A private, not-for-profit institution, it is the pediatric division of Rhode Island Hospital. Rhode Island Hospital is the principal teaching hospital of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, through which the department of pediatrics brings in $23 million in external research funding annually. Hasbro Children's Hospital is designated as a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). The hospital's "All for One" commitment devotes all of its knowledge, experience, and passion for healing to each child in its care. For more information visit http://www.hasbrochildrenshospital.org, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or Pin with us. Largest panel of Ebola neutralizing antibodies published to date, All antibody sequences will be made available to the research community via GenBank Lebanon, New Hampshire - February 18, 2016 - Adimab, LLC, a global leader in the discovery of human antibodies, today reported the isolation of a broad panel of neutralizing anti-Ebola virus antibodies from a survivor of the recent Zaire outbreak. The work, published online today in the journal Science, highlights the remarkable speed of Adimab's recently launched single B cell isolation platform, and constitutes the largest panel of functional anti-Ebola antibodies reported in the scientific literature to date. The sequences of all antibodies isolated in this study will be made freely available to the research community through the GenBank database. "Our Science paper describes the first in-depth view into the human antibody response to Ebola virus," said Laura Walker, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at Adimab, and the corresponding author of the study. "Within weeks of receiving a blood sample from a survivor of the 2014 Ebola outbreak, we were able to isolate and characterize over 300 monoclonal antibodies that reacted with the Ebola virus surface glycoprotein." After the initial isolation and characterization of the anti-Ebola antibodies at Adimab, several leading institutions in the field of virology, including The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA and the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Fort Detrick, MD, provided an in-depth analysis of the therapeutic potential of these newly isolated antibodies. "Over the past decade, our laboratory has analyzed over one hundred antibodies against the Ebola virus," commented Pamela Glass, Ph.D., Senior Investigator at USAMRIID. "Several of the antibodies provided by Dr. Walker's team display the most potent neutralization and protection we have ever seen." Additional structural analysis at The Scripps Research Institute provided further insight into the diversity of the human immune response to Ebola. "The antibody panel discovered by Adimab covers every previously known binding site on Ebola virus and their work further revealed a new, highly potent neutralizing site, that has not been reported to date," said Prof. Andrew Ward, Scripps Research Institute, a co-author of the study. "In less than two months the Adimab team isolated more neutralizing Ebola antibodies than the entire Ebola field has reported in the past two decades," said Tillman Gerngross, Ph.D., CEO and Co-Founder of Adimab and a Professor of Bioengineering at Dartmouth College. "The global public health community has been looking for a rapid response platform to emerging infectious disease threats and Laura's team has set an entirely new standard for rapidly isolating protective antibodies that could be turned into effective therapeutics. We now have a broadly applicable platform to deal with these threats." "Not only has the Adimab team isolated an extensive panel of therapeutically promising Ebola antibodies in such a short time frame, the fact that they have made these antibodies available to the research community for further studies is remarkable and shows their humanitarian intent to advance the field without regard for commercial gain," says John Dye, Ph.D., Chief of Viral Immunology at USAMRIID. Adimab separately noted that it has applied its B cell isolation platform against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) with similar results. The Company also intends to demonstrate the applicability of the B cell isolation platform against the Zika virus. [The study, entitled "Isolation of Potent Neutralizing Antibodies from a Survivor of the 2014 Ebola Virus Outbreak" is available online and will be published in the February 18th, 2016 issue of Science. The sequences generated in this work will be made available to the research community via GenBank.] ### About Adimab Over the past six and a half years, Adimab has established antibody discovery collaborations with over 35 pharmaceutical companies including many leading drug companies, such as Merck, Novo Nordisk, Biogen, GSK, Roche, Novartis, Eli Lilly, Genentech, Celgene, Gilead, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, and Sanofi. There's no question that our species has had a dramatic impact on the planet's physical environment, particularly over the last few centuries, with the rise of modern industry, transportation, and infrastructure. But as new research shows, humans have been transforming the landscape, with lasting impacts, since long before the start of the Industrial Era. Scientists from MIT and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst have found that a widespread and permanent loss of forests in Madagascar that occurred 1,000 years ago was due not to climate change or any natural disaster, but to human settlers who set fire to the forests to make way for grazing cattle. The researchers came to this conclusion after determining the composition of two stalagmites from a cave in northwestern Madagascar. Stalagmites form from water that percolates from the surface, through the soil, and into a cave. These finely layered pillars can be preserved for thousands of years, and their composition serves as a historical record of the environment above ground. From their analysis, the team found that around 1,000 years ago, both stalagmites' calcium carbonate composition shifted suddenly and completely, from carbon isotope ratios typical of trees and shrubs, to those more consistent with grassland, within just 100 years. Was this landscape transformation triggered by climate change? The team's results suggest otherwise. Around the same period, they found that oxygen isotope levels remained unchanged in both stalagmites, indicating that rainfall rates -- and climate in general -- remained relatively stable. "We went in expecting to just tell a climate change story, and were surprised to see a huge carbon isotope change in both stalagmites," says David McGee, the Kerr-McGee Career Development Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT. "Both the speed at which this shift occurred and the fact that there's no real climate signal suggest human involvement." The team's results are published this week in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews. Caving for clues McGee, who studies the composition of stalagmites as an indicator of past climates, teamed up with lead author Stephen Burns, professor of geosciences at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst; Laurie Godfrey, professor of anthropology also at UMass Amherst; and colleagues at the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar. Godfrey has been studying the extinctions of giant lemurs that occurred in Madagascar over the past 1,000 years. Populations of other large animals declined dramatically around this time, including pygmy hippos and giant tortoises. The megafaunal extinction was likely accelerated by habitat loss and the widespread destruction of forests at the time. However, it's been difficult to pin down exactly why the forests shrank, and when. Scientists who have analyzed sediment deposits from ancient lakes in the region and in other parts of Madagascar have observed an increased abundance of charcoal microparticles -- a signal of fire. They've also noticed a spike in grass pollen levels, indicating a larger extent of grasslands. But dates for these sediments are uncertain. McGee says stalagmites offer a more precise record of environmental change. "You'd think stalagmites in a cave are insensitive to what's going on in the landscape above them," McGee says. "But because they're basically fossilized groundwater deposits, precipitated in very regular layers, they're a fairly sensitive recorder of climate and ecosystem changes." In a 2014 expedition to the island, Burns, Godfrey, and their Malagasy colleagues collected samples of stalagmites from Anjohibe Cave, a large cave system in northwestern Madagascar. They sent two meter-long stalagmites to McGee to analyze at MIT. Seeing a shift In the lab, McGee and research scientist Benjamin Hardt determined the ages of each stalagmite's layers by measuring the ratio of uranium to thorium -- a common geological dating technique, but difficult in these samples given their relative youth. Burns then measured their carbon and oxygen isotope ratios. All plants take up carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. While carbon dioxide in the air consists of a fixed isotopic ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-13, all plants preferentially take up carbon-12. Among plants, trees and shrubs more strongly exclude carbon-13 compared with grasses. When the dating and isotope results were put together, McGee and Burns observed a dramatic shift in the ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-13 around 1,000 years ago in both stalagmites. "What we see in the record is that the change from carbon isotopes that look like forest, to isotopes that look like grassland, happens really rapidly, within a century, and it would be unusual for a forest to naturally completely turn into grassland that quickly," McGee says. With additional analysis, Burns and McGee determined there was no corresponding change in oxygen isotopes at the time, eliminating climate change, or any natural drop in precipitation, as a trigger for forest loss. Godfrey and others have found evidence that humans settled on Madagascar around 3,000 years ago and later adopted a more agrarian lifestyle, introducing cattle to the island before 1,000 years ago. McGee says the results suggest that humans used "slash and burn techniques" around this time to create pastureland for cattle. "I think this is one more piece of evidence that human impacts on the environment don't just start with Europeans and the Industrial era," McGee says. Going forward, Godfrey says the team plans to sample more caves across Madagascar to determine the timing and extent to which humans transformed the landscape. "The transition from ephemeral forager to dedicated agro-pastoralist occurred, probably across Madagascar, around 1,000 years ago," Godfrey says. "We know that a dramatic landscape transformation occurred in the northwest. We know that this transformation was not triggered by climate change. But we don't yet know whether similar shifts, also unrelated to natural aridification, occurred elsewhere on the island, and if so, when, exactly. We are currently seeking to answer these questions." ### This research was funded, in part, by the National Science Foundation and National Geographic Society. Additional background ARCHIVE: Intensity of ocean storms may affect phytoplankton http://news.mit.edu/2015/desert-storms-affect-ocean-phytoplankton-0827 ARCHIVE: Stalagmites pinpoint drying of American West http://news.mit.edu/2015/stalagmites-dry-american-west-desert-0727 ARCHIVE: A 'green' Sahara was far less dusty than today http://news.mit.edu/2013/sahara-was-far-less-dusty-than-today-0405 Backed by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an interdisciplinary, student-led team from New Jersey Institute of Technology is building a low-cost water filter for villagers in the north central farming region of Sri Lanka who are suffering from high rates of chronic kidney disease. The heavy metal-laden fertilizer they apply to their fields is considered a likely cause, and their drinking water a possible vehicle for the contamination. Nearly 40 students - from biologists to engineers - are working on various aspects of the project, from the design of the clay pot filters individual families would use to purify their water each day, to the development of prototype tests that will simulate local conditions, to research into government policies that encourage the use of fertilizers that contain toxic levels of cadmium and arsenic. Their goal is to produce a prototype by the end of August. "We're developing a filter that will absorb both heavy metals and disease-causing pathogens," said Janitha Hewa Batagoda, a doctoral student and Sri Lankan native who is leading the team of undergraduates, primarily from NJIT's chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB). "The idea is to make it easy and inexpensive to manufacture, using locally available materials, and also ensure it is simple to use. Each system would cost the equivalent of about $5 and enable families to filter 10 gallons of water a day." The filter, which will sit inside a five-pound bucket, will be made of locally available clay mixed with hematite, a mineral containing iron oxide that binds with heavy metals. Colloidal silver, a suspension containing silver particles that captures biological pathogens such as e-coli and cholera, will be added to the filter. The NJIT team won $15,000 to develop the idea through the EPA's P3 - People, Prosperity and the Planet--Program, an annual competition intended to inspire college students to "design solutions for a sustainable future." In April, the team will display its project at the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C., where it will compete against other Phase 1 winners for the P3 Award and a grant of $75,000 to develop it as a real world application. Earlier this week, members of the team were tinkering with the ratio of sawdust and kaolinite clay used in the filter - mashing different combinations together in a vessel resembling a French coffee press - in order to determine the right balance of permeability and absorption. They then heated them in a laboratory kiln to 850 degrees Celsius. "We want to see how quickly water flows through the filter, which will determine if we can get 10 gallons of water a day. The more sawdust we add, the more pores the filter has after it's baked and the faster the water will flow through," said Patrick Delong '17, of East Brunswick, the president of the EWB chapter at NJIT. "But we need to achieve the right balance: the amount of time the water remains in the filter will determine how much of the contaminants are absorbed by it. Today, we're testing ratios of 70 percent clay versus 30 percent sawdust by mass." While the current prototype is being developed for Sri Lankan farming villages, the technology is designed to be extremely adaptable in order to suit a range of rural areas that lack modern water infrastructure. Each version of the clay pot would be constructed of locally available materials such as clay, sawdust, bio-char, charcoal and hematite. The manufacturing process is both generic and simple. "The proposed filter is a fully sustainable design with the ability to purify water at affordable costs. The production is a low energy process where agricultural waste will be combusted in the kiln to heat the air-dried filters," the team noted in its grant application. "The filtering system will have the capability to operate under adverse economic, social, and environmental conditions." "Sri Lankans make cooking pots in kilns that are located close to the clay deposits they use, and we would use these same kilns to make the filters," said Jay Meegoda, a civil engineering professor and the group's advisor. The project builds on the EWB chapter's ongoing work on the development of a portable water filter for the residents of Milot, Haiti, a sprawling commune in the island's north, where water-borne diseases are the principal concern. "Adapting the filter to screen heavy metals as well definitely raises the level of complexity," said Delong, who joined the organization his freshman year and said he embraced the opportunity to "jump into the arena of international development." He plans to travel to Sri Lanka's farming region this summer with a filter prototype in hand. Mark De Jesus '17, of Woodbridge, said he was looking for hands-on experience in environmental engineering and was particularly drawn to the filter project as it offered the chance to redress longstanding, often devastating problems. He noted, "There are a lot of water-borne diseases and children are the ones primarily affected, so providing an adequate water supply is a challenge that really needs to be addressed." ### About NJIT One of the nation's leading public technological universities, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is a top-tier research university that prepares students to become leaders in the technology-dependent economy of the 21st century. NJIT's multidisciplinary curriculum and computing-intensive approach to education provide technological proficiency, business acumen and leadership skills. With an enrollment of 11,300 graduate and undergraduate students, NJIT offers small-campus intimacy with the resources of a major public research university. NJIT is a global leader in such fields as solar research, nanotechnology, resilient design, tissue engineering and cybersecurity, in addition to others. NJIT ranks fifth among U.S. polytechnic universities in research expenditures, topping $110 million, and is among the top 1 percent of public colleges and universities in return on educational investment, according to Payscale.com. NASA engineers Neerav Shah and Phil Calhoun will realize a long-held ambition later this year when a Space-X launch vehicle deploys two tiny satellites that will fly in a precise formation to create, in effect, a single or "virtual" telescope benefitting a range of scientific disciplines. Through a NASA international agreement, Shah and his team have partnered with South Korea's Yonsei University and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) to validate technologies that would allow a pair of miniature spacecraft to fly in tandem along an inertial line of sight toward the sun and then hold that configuration -- a feat not yet performed in space. Called CANYVAL-X, short for the CubeSat Astronomy by NASA and Yonsei using Virtual Telescope Alignment eXperiment, the technology-demonstration mission is expected to launch in mid-2016 aboard a SpaceX Falcon launch vehicle. Never-Before-Tried Demonstration "The key differentiator with our mission is that we are attempting to align two satellites along an inertial line of sight to a distant celestial target and hold them in alignment for a long enough time to make a science measurement," said Shah, an engineer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "Although others have flown two or more satellites in tandem, we are the first in the world to even try holding them in alignment to a distant source." Currently, the European Space Agency (ESA) is developing Proba-3, a large-scale science experiment that will fly a pair of satellites in a tight formation to form a 492-foot-long solar coronagraph to study the sun's faint corona, the outer atmosphere. Unlike CANYVAL-X, which is designed to test only the alignment technologies, Proba-3 also will gather scientific measurements. According to ESA, however, the mission isn't expected to launch until the end of 2018. Virtual Telescope Beneficiaries The technology's obvious beneficiaries are scientists who study the sun's corona and more particularly coronal mass ejections that hurl enormous bubbles of superheated gas across the solar system. Traveling at a million miles per hour, they can disrupt low-Earth-orbiting satellites and terrestrial power grids when they strike Earth. The technology also could benefit scientists searching for planets beyond the solar system. Both scientific disciplines rely on coronagraphs, which employ an occulter mask to block bright starlight to reveal faint objects hidden by the star's bright light and a camera or spectrograph to gather measurements. Today, space-based coronagraphs house both the occulter and a camera or spectrograph in the same telescope, positioning them relatively close to one another. Some scientists believe, however, that they could gather even more detailed information if they positioned the occulter hundreds of feet away from the camera or spectrograph. A case in point is the moon, itself. When aligned with the sun -- called an eclipse -- the moon provides a near-perfect coronagraph. "Creating a single telescope that achieves these distances is not possible. It would be too large to launch into space," Shah said. A solution is launching two spacecraft -- one that carries the occulter disk, the other the science instrument. Flying these devices on two separate spacecraft that are precisely aligned to the target of interest solves this challenge, he added. "Formation flying offers the ability to increase the separation distances, which leads to reduced diffracted light." "Actually any mission where you need to fly in tandem to gather a measurement, would certainly benefit," Shah said. "If we demonstrate the concept, we will enable the next-generation of space telescopes." CANYVAL-X Demonstration Under the CANYVAL-X technology demonstration, the team plans to position a 2U and a 1U CubeSat in a 435-mile sun-synchronous orbit, where the two will maintain a tight alignment along a line of sight to the sun. The larger of the two spacecraft will carry two Goddard-provided technologies that make up the mission's all-important guidance, navigation and control (GN&C) system: a miniature sun sensor and the micro cathode arc thruster (mCAT) system. Developed at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia's Eastern Shore, the sun sensor calculates a direction to the sun. The George Washington University (GWU)-designed micro-cathode arc thruster (mCAT) system, which is about the size of a coffee mug, fires its thrusters to move the spacecraft so that it maintains its alignment with the smaller CubeSat separated by nearly 33 feet. Under the collaboration established by the international agreement, Yonsei and KARI are providing the two spacecraft, integrating the Goddard-supplied sun sensor and GWU-Goddard mCAT system, and launching the spacecraft. "We want to show that the architecture works," Shah explained. "We have all the technology to keep an alignment." Once he and his partners show the capability, they plan to prepare another mission that would gather scientific data. "Once we do this modest demonstration, we can scale up. We're taking baby steps." ### For more Goddard technology news, go to https://gsfctechnology.gsfc.nasa.gov/newsletter/Current.pdf Tropical Cyclone Winston made a U-turn in the Southern Pacific Ocean just north of Niue, and appears to be headed back toward Fiji. On Feb. 18, the gale warning for Niue has been cancelled now that Winston has moved west. However, a tropical cyclone alert is in force for Fiji, specifically the Lau group, Taveuni, Lomaiviti group, eastern half of Viti Levu, Kadavu. In Tonga warnings remain in effect. A storm warning is in effect for Vava'u and a gale warning is in effect for Niuatoputapu, Ha'apai, Tongatapu and 'Eua. At 1500 UTC (10 a.m. EST) on Feb. 18, Tropical Cyclone Winston's maximum sustained winds were near 100 knots (115.1 mph/185.2 kph). It was a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale, making it a major hurricane. Winston was located near 17.1 degrees south latitude and 172.3 degrees west longitude, about 182 nautical miles northwest of Niue. Winston was moving to the west at 7 knots (8 mph/12.9 kph) and generating wave heights to 28 feet (8.5 meters). On Feb. 18 at 12:41 UTC (7:41 a.m. EST) NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite passed over Tropical Cyclone Winston and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard saw very strong thunderstorms around the eye. Infrared date from VIIRS showed a large eye with tightly curved, strong bands of thunderstorms wrapping into the center. Strongest thunderstorms and coldest cloud tops were in the northwestern quadrant. Temperatures in storms there were as cold as minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 62.2 Celsius). Animated enhanced infrared satellite imagery showed that Winston has a large, ragged eye with cloud-top cooling observed within the eye wall over six hours before 1500 UTC. When cloud top temperatures cool it means that the air is rising faster and stronger than before, pushing cloud tops higher into the troposphere (where temperatures are colder). Cooling cloud tops are an indication of a strengthening storm. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) forecast expects Winston to strengthen to 110 knots (126.6 mph/203.7 kph) and then begin on a weakening trend from Feb. 19 as it tracks over cooler sea surface temperatures. By Feb. 20, Winston is forecast to run into increasing vertical wind shear which will also help to weaken the system. JTWC calls for Winston to move closest to southern Fiji on Feb. 21. It is then expected to turn southeast. For updated warnings and information from the Fiji Meteorological Service, visit: http://www.met.gov.fj/aifs_prods/20036.txt. ### Four out of ten nightclub/festival attendees who use ecstasy/Molly test positive for 'bath salts' despite reporting no use Ecstasy -- or MDMA, the active chemical ingredient--is one of the most prevalent party drugs; it is estimated to be used by at least one out of ten young adults in the United States. The popularity of ecstasy use has increased in recent years since ecstasy became known as 'Molly', short for 'molecule' which is often marketed as "pure" MDMA powder. However, the ecstasy/Molly consumed is often far from pure: it is frequently adulterated with other drugs, such as synthetic cathinones, commonly known as "bath salts," or other novel psychoactive substances. Novel psychoactive substances are unregulated mind-altering drugs that have become newly available on the market and are often intended to mimic the effects of traditional illegal drugs. "Given the sharp rise in poisonings and recent deaths at dance festivals related to ecstasy use, research was needed to examine whether nightclub/festival attendees who use ecstasy or Molly have been unintentionally or unknowingly using "bath salts"" said Joseph J. Palamar, PhD, MPH, an affiliate of the Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR) and an assistant professor of Population Health at NYU Langone Medical Center (NYULMC). "Little is known about these new drugs and some may be more dangerous than MDMA." To this end, Dr. Palamar and his team of researchers are the first to examine whether ecstasy users are unknowingly or unintentionally using "bath salts" and/or other novel psychoactive drugs. The study, "Detection of 'Bath Salts' and Other Novel Psychoactive Substances in Hair Samples of Ecstasy/MDMA/'Molly' Users" was recently published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence. The researchers surveyed young adults outside of nightclubs and dance festivals from July through September of 2015 about their use of ecstasy and other drugs. The survey assessed whether participants had ever knowingly used ecstasy, MDMA or "Molly." Participants were also asked whether they had ever knowingly used any of 35 listed "bath salts" or other novel drugs. "Then, we asked the participants if we could snip a lock of their hair to test for new drugs such as "bath salts"," said Dr. Palamar. "We collected hair samples from about a quarter of the survey sample to be tested for novel drugs." The researchers focused on the hair samples provided by 48 participants who reported ecstasy use. While half of the samples tested positive for MDMA, half tested positive for "bath salts" and/or other novel psychoactive substances. The most commonly detected "bath salts" were butylone and methylone -- common adulterants in ecstasy/Molly. "Among those who reported no use of "bath salts" or unknown powders or pills, four out of ten tested positive for "bath salts" and/or other novel drugs," said Dr. Palamar. "One sample also tested positive for alpha-PVP -- the strong stimulant known as "Flakka" that has made headlines in the last year. "A lot of people laughed when they gave us their hair saying things like "I don't use bath salts; I'm not a zombie who eats people's faces." Yet our findings suggest many of these people have been using "bath salts" without realizing it." "Ecstasy wasn't always such a dangerous drug, but it is becoming increasingly risky because it has become so adulterated with new drugs that users and the scientific community alike know very little about," said Dr. Palamar. "Users need to be aware that what they are taking may not be MDMA. "As Molly is becoming a much riskier substance, I really hope that those who decide to use educate themselves about what they're doing. While it is safest to avoid use, test kits are available online for those who decide to use, and want to ensure that they're taking real MDMA and not a new synthetic stimulant such as Flakka." ### Researcher Affiliations: Joseph J. Palamar1,2* Alberto Salomone 3, Marco Vincenti 3,4, Charles M. Cleland 2,5 1 New York University Langone Medical Center, Department of Population Health, 2 Center for Drug Use and HIV Research, NYU College of Nursing, New York, NY, USA 3 Centro Regionale Antidoping e di Tossicologia "A. Bertinaria", Orbassano, Turin, Italy 4 Dipartimento di Chimica, Universita di Torino, Turin, Italy 5 New York University College of Nursing, New York, NY, USA Declaration of Interest: No conflict declared Contributors: All authors are responsible for this reported research. J. Palamar conceptualized and designed the study, and conducted the statistical analyses. C. Cleland mentored and assisted J. Palamar with regard to study design, time-space sampling, and statistical analysis. A. Salomone and M. Vincenti conducted the hair analyses via UHPLC-MS/MS methods and quantified the biological findings. All authors drafted the initial manuscript, interpreted results, and approved the final manuscript as submitted. Acknowledgements: This pilot study was funded by the Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR - P30 DA011041). J. Palamar is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (NIDA K01DA-038800). About NYU Langone Medical Center NYU Langone Medical Center, a world-class, patient-centered, integrated academic medical center, is one of the nation's premier centers for excellence in clinical care, biomedical research, and medical education. Located in the heart of Manhattan, NYU Langone is composed of four hospitals--Tisch Hospital, its flagship acute care facility; Rusk Rehabilitation; the Hospital for Joint Diseases, the Medical Center's dedicated inpatient orthopaedic hospital; and Hassenfeld Children's Hospital, a comprehensive pediatric hospital supporting a full array of children's health services across the Medical Center -- plus the NYU School of Medicine, which since 1841 has trained thousands of physicians and scientists who have helped to shape the course of medical history. The Medical Center's tri-fold mission to serve, teach, and discover is achieved 365 days a year through the seamless integration of a culture devoted to excellence in patient care, education, and research. For more information, go to http://www.NYULMC.org, and interact with us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. About New York University College of Nursing NYU College of Nursing is a global leader in nursing education, research, and practice. It offers a Bachelor of Science with major in Nursing, a Master of Science and Post-Master's Certificate Programs, a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and a Doctor of Philosophy in Research Theory and Development. For more information, visit https://nursing.nyu.edu/ About CDUHR The mission of the Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR) is to end the HIV and HCV epidemics in drug using populations and their communities by conducting transdisciplinary research and disseminating its findings to inform programmatic, policy, and grass roots initiatives at the local, state, national and global levels. CDUHR is a Core Center of Excellence funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Grant #P30 DA011041). It is the first center for the socio-behavioral study of substance use and HIV in the United States and is located at the New York University College of Nursing. For more information, visit http://www.cduhr.org. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes transmit a number of pathogens, including the Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika viruses. Wolbachia, a bacterium that naturally infects many insect species but not Aedes aegypti, can nonetheless be introduced into the Aedes aegypti population and then block virus replication in the infected mosquito host. As with any antiviral strategy, the potential development of resistance by the virus is a concern. A study published on Feb. 18, in PLOS Pathogens reports on a strategy to make it harder for Dengue (and possibly other viruses) to develop Wolbachia resistance. Wolbachia are vertically transmitted by female mosquitoes to their offspring, and a phenomenon called "cytoplasmic incompatibility" gives infected females a reproductive advantage: they can mate and produce viable (and infected) offspring with infected or uninfected males, whereas the cross between uninfected females and infected males doesn't produce progeny. Over time, these mating outcomes facilitate the replacement of a local, native Aedes aegypti population by a Wolbachia-carrying mosquito population -- and recent field trials in five countries have confirmed this to be the case. Because the infected mosquitoes are resistant to being infected by Dengue, Chikungunya and probably Zika virus, this approach should reduce the number of human cases over time and potentially lead to local elimination of these arboviruses. Cameron Simmons from the University of Melbourne in Parkville, Australia, and Scott O'Neill, from Monash University in Clayton, Australia, are involved in these field trials. Besides examining the effect on Dengue virus disease in human, they, together with colleagues, are also working on further improvements to the use of Wolbachia in Dengue control. One concern is that the virus will mutate and eventually be able to multiply even in Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti hosts. One way to make this harder -- at least in principle -- is to increase the number or type of Wolbachia parasites in the host cells. To this end, the researchers explored the possibility of "superinfection", namely the secondary infection of mosquitoes that already carry one strain of Wolbachia with a second one. For a second infection to rapidly spread into a population already carrying one Wolbachia strain, it must benefit from cytoplasmic incompatibility, and the second strain must not reduce the fitness of the mosquitoes. And in order to reduce the risk for the development of viral resistance, mosquito hosts that are co-infected must have higher levels of Wolbachia parasites in the host cells that the virus uses for replication. In this paper, the researchers report the generation of superinfected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that fulfill these criteria. The first Wolbachia strain is called wMel, and it is the one that is currently spreading through wild Aedes aegypti populations as part of the ongoing field trials. The second strain, called wAlbB, has similar characteristics in singly infected mosquitoes: it grows to relatively high densities in infected mosquitoes and does not diminish their fitness. (A third strain that has also been developed and tested grows to higher densities -- and these are associated with stronger inhibition of virus replication -- but the infected mosquitoes are less fit and therefore do not spread the infection as efficiently). The researchers found that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with both Wolbachia strains showed normal fitness and had higher parasite densities than mosquitoes infected with either one of the Wolbachia strains alone. Moreover, the two parasite types seemed to populate the same mosquito tissues. When the researchers compared Dengue virus inhibition in the superinfected mosquitoes with virus in the two singly-infected ones, they found that the superinfected mosquitoes were at least as efficient, and in some tests more, so than singly-infected ones. For example, when the researchers allowed the mosquitoes to feed on human volunteers with a Dengue virus infection, they found that the superinfected mosquitoes had fewer dengue viruses in their salivary glands, suggesting that they might be less likely to transmit the infection to their next human victims. Critical for its ability to spread into the existing Aedes aegypti population, the double-infected strain showed cytoplasmic incompatibility with either of the single-infected ones, suggesting that it could 'sweep' quickly across areas that has seen previous release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes and transform the population. "In summary", the researchers say, "the generation and characterisation of a superinfected line with the desired phenotypic effects to replace single wild infections provides a potential mechanism to overcome the emergence of DENV resistance. Both Wolbachia strains are stably maintained in the line with minimal mosquito fitness effects. Importantly, DENV replication is inhibited to a greater extent in the superinfected line compared to both parental lines. The observed CI [cytoplasmic incompatibility] phenotype induced by the superinfected line is of particular significance as it would enable the line to be released "on top of" existing wMel or wAlbB field releases in Dengue endemic areas." ### Please use this URL to provide readers access to the paper (Link goes live upon article publication): http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1005434 Authors and Affiliations: D. Albert Joubert, Thomas Walker, Jyotika Taneja De Bruyne, Inaki Iturbe-Ormaetxe, Scott L. O'Neill School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Lauren B. Carrington, Duong Hue T. Kien, Nhat Le Thanh Hoang, Cameron P. Simmons Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Wellcome Trust Major Overseas Programme, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Lauren B. Carrington, Cameron P. Simmons Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Nguyen Van Vinh Chau Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Please contact plospathogens@plos.org if you would like more information. Funding: This work was supported by a grant from the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health through the Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Health & Medical Research Council of Australia programme grant 1037003. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Citation: Joubert DA, Walker T, Carrington LB, De Bruyne JT, Kien DHT, Hoang NLT, et al. (2016) Establishment of a Wolbachia Superinfection in Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes as a Potential Approach for Future Resistance Management. PLoS Pathog 12(2): e1005434. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1005434 PRINCETON, N.J.--As world leaders grapple with containing the Zika virus, the Ebola epidemic in West Africa provides valuable lessons for how to respond to infectious disease epidemics, according to a policy report published by researchers at Princeton University and the Wellcome Trust. Rebuilding local health care infrastructures, improving capacity to respond more quickly to outbreaks as well as considering multiple perspectives across disciplines during decision-making processes are among the key recommendations the authors propose. The report, which was published in Science, states the World Health Organization (WHO) must again become the respected global health body with a clear mandate to provide global health leadership. This can only be made possible with binding commitments from the international community alongside an ability and willingness of WHO to lead, the researchers conclude. Based on an international conference held in Dublin, Ireland - "Modern Plagues: Lessons Learned from the Ebola Crisis" - the report was written by Janet Currie and Bryan Grenfell, both based at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust. Farrar was a keynote speaker at the event, and Currie and Grenfell served as panelists. "We hope that the Ebola crisis will provide the impetus to change the ways in which we prepare for and respond to epidemics, especially as new threats like Zika virus continue to emerge," the researchers wrote. The researchers' recommendations are as follows: Strengthen local health care. During the Ebola epidemic, workers on the ground bore the brunt of the outbreak. More than 800 health care workers were infected, and 500 workers died. Therefore, strengthening and rebuilding these local health care infrastructures is the key to containing future outbreaks. This can be done by building trust within the health care system as well as political structures. Improve international response. The first cases of Ebola were confirmed in March 2014, and yet, the WHO did not declare it a public health emergency until August 2014. The WHO must be able to respond more quickly and with greater impacts going forward. By setting up a dedicated Center for Health Emergency Preparedness and Response, this could be achieved. Likewise, research should be coordinated during the time between epidemics as well as during outbreaks. Considering multiple perspectives. The Ebola crisis shows that social structures, living environments and human behavior all influence the course of an epidemic. Therefore, moving beyond disciplinary silos is essential. One example that illustrates this importance involves the development of safe, effective and deployable vaccines. A recent Ebola vaccine in Guinea has been successful, but it could have been deployed earlier. Developing an international cooperative to support the development and licensing of vaccines is an urgent priority. Acting synergistically. History shows that the best results occur when international bodies work in collaboration with local governments and health systems with a shared agenda in mind. Providing basic health services at a community level is the key to establishing trust, improving surveillance and creating capacity to mount a rapid response. ### The article, "Beyond Ebola," was published online Feb. 18 as a perspective piece in Science. The review draws on themes developed at an international conference, "Modern Plagues: Lessons Learned from the Ebola Crisis," hosted by the Princeton-Fung Global Forum, held Nov. 2-3, 2015, in Dublin, Ireland. Visit http://fungforum.princeton.edu for more information. ABOUT THE PRINCETON-FUNG GLOBAL FORUM The Princeton-Fung Global Forum is a series of meetings that Princeton University hosts with the help of a generous gift from William Fung, a Princeton University alumnus and former trustee, and group chairman of Li & Fung. The Princeton-Fung Global Forums bring together colleagues from around the world to share views from a wide range of disciplinary and professional perspectives. The first Princeton-Fung Global Forum, "The Future of the City," took place in Shanghai in 2013. The second forum on "The Future of Higher Education" was held in Paris in 2014. The latest forum, "Modern Plagues" took place in Dublin on Nov. 2-3, 2015. The next forum is scheduled for spring 2017 in Berlin, Germany, and will focus on cybertechnology. Zika virus has been detected in the amniotic fluid of two pregnant women whose foetuses had been diagnosed with microcephaly, according to a study published today in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The report suggests that Zika virus can cross the placental barrier, but does not prove that the virus causes microcephaly, as more research is needed to understand the link. Researchers also analysed the whole genome of the virus found in the two pregnant women and confirmed that the virus is genetically related to the strain identified during an outbreak of Zika virus in French Polynesia in 2013. "Previous studies have identified Zika virus in the saliva, breast milk and urine of mothers and their newborn babies, after having given birth. This study reports details of the Zika virus being identified directly in the amniotic fluid of a woman during her pregnancy, suggesting that the virus could cross the placental barrier and potentially infect the foetus" [1] said Dr Ana de Filippis, lead author from the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The placental barrier is made up of layers of tissue in the placenta and regulates the exchange of substances (including infections) between the mother and foetus. The amniotic fluid is the protective liquid around the foetus. Dr de Filippis added "This study cannot determine whether the Zika virus identified in these two cases was the cause of microcephaly in the babies. Until we understand the biological mechanism linking Zika virus to microcephaly we cannot be certain that one causes the other, and further research is urgently needed." [1] The number of reported cases of newborn babies with microcephaly in Brazil in 2015 has increased twenty-fold compared with previous years. At the same time, Brazil has reported a high number of Zika virus infections, leading to speculation that the two may be linked. Babies born with microcephaly have abnormally small heads, and are at risk of incomplete brain development. Microcephaly has previously been linked to a range of factors including genetic disorders, drug or chemical intoxication, maternal malnutrition and infections with viruses or bacteria that can cross the placental barrier such as herpes, HIV, or some mosquito borne viruses such as chikungunya. In this study, the team led by Dr de Filippis investigated the case of two women (aged 27 and 35) from Paraiba, a state in northeast Brazil. The two women presented with symptoms of Zika virus infection including fever, muscle pain and a rash during their first trimester of pregnancy. Ultrasounds taken at approximately 22 weeks of pregnancy confirmed the foetuses had microcephaly. Samples of amniotic fluid were taken at 28 weeks of pregnancy and analysed for potential infections. Both patients tested negative for dengue virus, chikungunya virus and other infections such as HIV, syphilis and herpes. Although the two women's blood and urine samples tested negative for Zika virus, their amniotic fluid tested positive for Zika virus genome and Zika antibodies. The amniotic fluid was analysed using a process called metagenomic analysis. This allows the detection of any microorganism that could be present in the samples, but only Zika virus genome was found. The RNA of the two Zika virus samples was then compared with samples from previous outbreaks, and was found to be genetically related to the strain identified in French Polynesia in 2013. Writing in a linked Comment, Professor Didier Musso from the Unit of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institut Louis Malarde in Tahiti, French Polynesia, says: "Even if all these data strongly suggest that Zika virus can cause microcephaly, the number of microcephaly cases related to Zika virus is still unknown. The next step will be to do case-control studies to estimate the potential risk of microcephaly after Zika virus infection during pregnancy, other fetal or neonatal complications, and long-term outcomes for infected symptomatic and asymptomatic neonates." ### NOTES TO EDITORS: Study funded by Consellho Nacional de Desenvolvimento e Pesquisa (CNPq), Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) [1] Quotes direct from authors and cannot be found in text of Article. On February 18th, the award ceremony for the recipients of the 2016 Samsung HumanTech Paper (HTP) Award took place at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, South Korea. The ceremony was held to acknowledge seven deserving engineering students at UNIST for their scientific contributions at the 22nd Samsung HTP Award contest. Among the many eminent individuals, the following seven graduate students won prestige for their latest research in their respective fields. The winners are: Min Woo Ryu (Advisor: Prof. Kyung Rok Kim), SeoJin Choi (Advisor: Prof. Jaehyouk Choi), SungDong Lim (Advisor: Prof. Hyunhyub Ko), EuiJin Jeong (Advisor: Prof. Kyunghan Lee), SangYoon Ji (Advisor: Prof. Jang-Ung Park), EunMin Go (Advisor: Prof. Sang Kyu Kwak), Atul Rahman (Advisor: Prof. Jongeun Lee). Moreover, current statistics indicate that this is the fourth largest number, following Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Seoul National University, and Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH). Atul Rahman (School of Electrical & Computer Engineering, UNIST) stands out among the seven award recipients, as he is one of the only two international students in South Korea to receive the award, this year. The Samsung HTP, sponsored by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. in South Korea, recognizes an elite cadre of creative young researchers who through competition have demonstrated excellence in research. Each year, over 1,500+ papers were submitted, yet only a small percentage of papers are selected to receive this prestigious recognition. In this year, out of 2,105 excellent papers considered from high schools and universities, only 119 papers were selected to receive the awards. ### An international team of scientists, led by the China University of Geosciences in Beijing and including palaeontologists from the University of Bristol, has shed new light on some unusual dinosaur tracks from northern China. The tracks appear to have been made by four-legged sauropod dinosaurs yet only two of their feet have left prints behind. Previous studies of such trackways have suggested that the dinosaurs, which were far too big to walk on their hind legs, might have been swimming. Scientists agree that dinosaurs could swim - nearly all animals can - but evidence for swimming has been disputed. It has been suggest that trackways in which only the front or hind feet are imprinted into the sediment could have been made by swimming dinosaurs, their bodies buoyant in deep water while they paddled along with their arms or legs. Now, a new study of fossil trackways from Gansu Province in northern China has provided evidence that some feet-only tracks were produced by walking, not swimming animals. The tracks, dating from the Lower Cretaceous, over 120 million years ago, are roughly circular and with a clear set of four or five claw marks at the front. These prints are matched perfectly by the feet of medium-sized sauropod dinosaurs, massive long-necked, plant-eating dinosaurs such as Brontosaurus and Titanosaurus. But how could only the prints of the hind feet be preserved? Lead author Lida Xing said: "Nobody would say these huge dinosaurs could stagger along on their hind legs alone - they would fall over. However, we can prove they were walking because the prints are the same as in more usual tracks consisting of all four feet, it's just that here, we don't see the hand prints. If they had been swimming, with the hind legs dangling down, some of the foot prints would be scratch marks, as the foot scrabbled backwards." The tracks are well preserved, but there is evidence the animals were walking on soft sand. They pressed down because of their weight, and the claws dug deeper so they could gain purchase in the sediment. Most of the animal's weight was towards the rear, and so the hind-feet pressed deeper. The front feet, on the other hand, did not apply enough pressure to make a lasting mark. Co-author Professor Mike Benton of the University of Bristol's School of Earth Sciences said: "This is not to say that sauropods did not swim. We are simply suggesting that a closer study of the details of fossil footprints and the sediments can suggest a rather less romantic idea. The loss of hand prints is down to sedimentology, not dinosaur behaviour." ### Paper 'Digit-only sauropod pes trackways from China - evidence of swimming or a preservational phenomenon?' by Xing, L., Li, D.Q., Falkingham, P.L., Lockley, M.G., Benton, M.J., Klein, H., Zhang, J.P., Ran, H., Persons, W.S., Jr., and Dai, H. in Scientific Reports 6, 21138 (doi: 10.1038/srep21138) With forests and farmland, mountains and desert and almost 900 miles of scenic coastline, California's vast terrain is both dramatic and varied. The newly published "Ecosystems of California" (UC Press, 2016) provides a comprehensive synthesis of this biologically diverse state examining its myriad landscapes through multiple lenses: past and present, flora and fauna, aquatic and terrestrial, natural and managed. A dozen researchers from UC Santa Barbara contributed to the 1,000-page volume, providing chapters that evaluate natural processes for a specific ecosystem, describe drivers of change and discuss how that ecosystem may be altered in the future. The chapters explicitly incorporate both human impacts and conservation and restoration efforts, and show how ecosystems support human life. "This is a landmark volume in a lot of ways," said environmental historian Peter Alagona, an associate professor of environmental studies and history at UCSB, who contributed a chapter on population and land use. "Our chapter emphasizes that while California has the largest population of any state in the country, it also has the most urban population as of the 2010 census," Alagona added. "Even though we have this enormous population, California still has vast wild lands and open space areas. As matter of fact, we have the most area of protected wilderness in the nation other than Alaska. This creates challenges and opportunities." The book explores the drivers of California's ecological patterns and the history of the state's various ecosystems and outlines the challenges of climate change and invasive species, as well as opportunities for regulation and stewardship that could affect the state's ecosystems. "Our chapter on sandy beaches is probably the first time that all this material for California has been pulled together in one place," said Jenifer Dugan, an associate research biologist in UCSB's Marine Science Institute (MSI) who collaborated with MSI colleague David Hubbard. "We put together the ecology as well as some of the environmental driving factors and human activities that affect these vulnerable coastal ecosystems. One valuable recurring theme throughout the book is the identification of threats and the conservation opportunities being used to address them." "Not only does the book pull together many different facets of the conservation angle, it also incorporates historical perspectives," said Carol Blanchette, the associate research biologist at MSI who co-authored the chapter on rocky intertidal ecosystems. "California is really where rocky intertidal ecology was born, and we discuss the early work of Ed Ricketts done along the Monterey shoreline and made famous by John Steinbeck in 'Cannery Row.'" Edited by Hal Mooney of Stanford University and Erika Zavaleta of UC Santa Cruz, "Ecosystems of California" has been 10 years in the making. According to Zavaleta, the original plan was for a 20-chapter volume. "In the end, the book doubled in scope with 149 contributors in total, and I think it's a better product for it," she said. "We have three target audiences -- first and foremost, students and people who want to learn about California ecology, conservation and history," Zavaleta continued. "But it's also for the scientific community since it provides a comprehensive synthesis of what we know -- and don't know -- about these ecosystems. And last but not least, it's a resource and reference for managers and conservation practitioners as well as nonprofits and agencies that manage, set priorities and plan for conservation of systems." ### Additional UCSB authors include Tanya Atwater, a professor emeritus in the Department of Earth Science; Scott Cooper and John Melack, professors in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology; Frank Davis, director of UCSB's National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis and a professor at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management; research biologists John Engle, Milton Love and Dan Reed of the Marine Science Institute; and Claudia Tyler of the Institute for Computational Earth System Science. Several graduate students also contributed. URBANA, Ill. - Soybean farmers in the United States can choose from a "candy store" of hundreds of varieties of soybean seed--high-yielding seed with proven performance traits for every region and latitude. Soybean farmers in Africa may either only have access to a few seed varieties with an unimpressive yield potential, or a few high-yielding varieties for which no performance data exists for their latitude and altitude. A new coordinated soybean variety evaluation program is underway that will address these problems and give African growers more and better seed options. "An important component to establishing a foundation for soybean in Africa is having a third-party trial program. It's vital to have independent confirmation about varieties, yield, adaptation to a particular area, yield performance in area A versus B, and disease resistance," says Peter Goldsmith, University of Illinois economist and principal investigator of USAID's Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL). "Through a partnership with the African Agricultural Technology Foundation and the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, which operates independently from its parent company, we are transforming the process of soybean seed production by introducing the concept of variety testing." Goldsmith explained that the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture has extensive experience running variety and input trials across Africa. "They have test plots and protocols, and managers to make sure everything is done consistently. Planting soybean trials at those same locations saves time and money." The trials are running at 12 locations in Kenya, Malawi and Zambia. Each research station tests about 25 varieties on small standardized plots, each about 12 by 15 feet. "Varietal testing is a necessary piece of the process of assuring high quality seed is available to farmers, and in turn that allows farmers to be productive and profitable, which leads to reduced levels of poverty and malnutrition," says Goldsmith. "You don't always know if the yield response was due to genetics, seed quality, agronomics, or just the wrong seed for that particular location. Varietal testing addresses that by testing a set of varieties in numerous locations. Soybean seed is very sensitive to both latitude and altitude so this kind of varietal testing gives objective, third-party assessment of the yield, disease resistance, etc." University of Illinois soybean geneticist Brian Diers and USDA-ARS geneticist Randy Nelson are working with the Syngenta Foundation on this project. "Collecting and distributing unbiased variety testing results will be important as soybean production increases in Africa," says Diers. "Only through testing varieties together in field trials do we know which varieties have the best potential to help African farmers generate income that will help them out of poverty." Goldsmith says the Feed the Future Soybean Innovation Lab is looking at all of the pieces of the puzzle--breeder training, breeder equipment, capacity, ability to obtain and properly handle seed material, and the ability to test the varieties. "It's like a pipeline with the farmer at the end of a long seed development and commercialization process. Without good varietal performance information breeders, multipliers, seed companies, and of course farmers do not have the information to make informed decisions. Varietal testing addresses that problem." Kenya has two rainy seasons so a pretest and one trial have been completed. Malawi and Zambia are at the pretest stage of the process and should have a first harvest soon. "Having a public/private partnership is unique," Goldsmith says. "To work with the Syngenta Foundation for sustainable agriculture on a common objective, we combine University of Illinois science with their development objectives. This kind of trans-border seed movement can be complicated. Syngenta Foundation has done all of the local regulatory work, such as how to bring seed into the country. They have their own network through the donor community and private sector seed growers with their program called Seed2B (seed to business). It's educating African soybean breeders and growers about why trials and third-party information is important in countries that have had little varietal improvement thus far." Goldsmith says that since SIL began two years ago numerous soybean breeders and public and private seed organizations have come forward seeking to benefit from SIL's breeder development and varietal testing programs. Although current funds are allocated, SIL and the Syngenta Foundation are actively looking for new sources of donor and private sector funding to expand the in Africa. For more information, visit the Tropical Soybean Information Portal to see results from soybean varietal trials across the tropics, explore specific soybean interests through the searchable research database, and watch videos from SIL researchers and other experts in tropical soybean development. ### The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center was awarded $14 million this week from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) for the recruitment of three cancer scientists. The awards include $12 million for recruitment of two senior researchers and $2 million for a first-time, tenure-track faculty member The awards accounted for 54 percent of the $26 million CPRIT awarded this week for recruitment of six cancer scientists to four Texas academic health institutions. Since its inception, CPRIT has awarded more than $281 million to MD Anderson. "CPRIT is a vital source of funding that ultimately benefits our patients and others around the world facing a cancer diagnosis," said MD Anderson President Ronald DePinho, M.D. "This funding is crucial to our goal of attracting top research scientists to join our world-class faculty. I am thankful to the State of Texas and CPRIT for recognizing the significant work that occurs each day at MD Anderson as we work to accomplish our mission to end cancer." CPRIT has awarded grants to Texas researchers, institutions, non-profits and private enterprises and provides funding through its research, scientific and product development and prevention programs. Programs made possible with CPRIT funding have reached every corner of the state, brought more than 100 distinguished researchers to Texas, advanced scientific and clinical knowledge, and provided more than 2.6 million life-saving education, training, prevention and early detection services to Texans. "We continue to assemble a critical mass of expertise in cancer research in Texas through the recruitment of top scientists who have demonstrated academic excellence, innovation and potential for impact," said Wayne Roberts, CPRIT's chief executive officer. "These CPRIT grants have put Texas on the map as a destination for the best cancer researchers in the world." ### CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (February 18, 2016) - When it comes to selecting for B cells that produce antibodies to hostile viruses and bacteria, the immune system hedges its bets. Within the germinal centers that form in the body's lymph nodes during an immune response are B cells that produce antibodies with a range of affinities to an invading pathogen. Darwinian-like cycles of mutation and selection of the fittest lead to an increase in the average affinity across the B cell population. This new finding from Whitehead Institute scientists overturns a previously held notion that only a handful of B cells producing the highest affinity antibodies are allowed to survive in the germinal center. Instead, less strict competition allows multiple B cell lineages to evolve simultaneously, whereas winner-take-all events are relatively rare. This revised understanding may aid development of effective vaccines against HIV, influenza, and other viruses that mutate rapidly. "Our research suggests that we may have a window to rescue B cells that produce antibodies protecting against a family of viruses instead of against one strain," says Whitehead Fellow Gabriel Victora. "These antibodies may initially have lower affinity, so the B cells that produce them need to be preserved before they are outcompeted." Within the lymph nodes' germinal centers, B cells are presented with antigens--pieces of an invading virus or cell. In response, the B cells produce antibodies that attach firmly to these antigens. Invaders tagged with antibodies are identified as foreign and destroyed by phagocytes or neutralized by other aspects of the immune system. The higher the antibodies' affinity for an interloper's antigens, the more likely the immune system will be able to defeat the infection. To produce these high-quality antibodies, B cells undergo a selection process in the germinal centers. B cells mutate their antibody genes randomly, yielding a population of descendants with a range of different affinities. Those producing less effective antibodies are edged out by B cells whose antibodies "stick" better to the invader. Researchers had thought that this evolution in miniature would likely continue until only the few B cells creating the fittest antibodies survive. But a team led by Victora lab scientists Jeroen Tas and Luka Mesin saw something different. After they used fluorescent proteins to permanently tag individual B cells and their progeny, they watched as the B cells underwent selection. While the predicted jackpot events were indeed observed in some germinal centers, most germinal centers contained a variety of B cells, so that, in the same response, germinal centers spanned the full spectrum of heterogeneity, from those with complete domination by the progeny of one B cell, to some with a moderate variety of B cells, to others with a wide array of B cells. The team's work is described this week online in the journal Science. "There is a benefit to preserving diversity," says Mesin, a postdoctoral researcher. "It makes sense that, while the cells that are the 'best' for the ongoing response are selected, also those with the potential to be the 'best' for future responses to related pathogens are maintained. This is the essence of evolution, and it's happening every day in our bodies." For scientists working to improve vaccines for HIV or to create vaccines with broad protection for numerous strains of influenza, the insight into germinal center B cell diversity could be immensely helpful. "These viruses mutate frequently, yet certain conserved regions of them are difficult to change," says Tas, who is a former graduate student in the Victora lab and currently at Harvard Medical School. "If those parts do change, often the viruses are unable to function. However, many antibodies targeting these stable regions appear to start out with lower affinity, and are thought to be mostly lost due to competition. By increasing our understanding of how germinal centers function we might be able to encourage the immune system to actively mutate these antibodies, eventually generating broadly neutralizing antibodies for these viruses." ### This work was supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH grants 5DP5OD012146, S10 OD016326), Human Frontier Science Program Grant (RGP0033/2015), German Federal Ministry of Education and Research within the Measures for the Establishment of Systems Medicine, eMed project SYSIMIT, FKZ: 01ZX1308B, Swiss National Science Foundation Postdoc Mobility Fellowship and Cancer Research Institute Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship, and Norwegian Research Council FRIPRO mobility grant. Gabriel Victora is a Fellow of Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, where his laboratory is located and all his research is conducted. Full Citation: "Visualizing Antibody Affinity Maturation in Germinal Centers" Science, online February 18, 2016 Jeroen M.J. Tas (1,7), Luka Mesin (1,7), Giulia Pasqual (1), Sasha Targ (1), Johanne T. Jacobsen (1), Yasuko M. Mano (1), Casie S. Chen (1), Jean-Claude Weill (2), Claude-Agnes Reynaud (2), Edward P. Browne (3,4), Michael Meyer-Hermann (5,6), and Gabriel D. Victora (1). 1. Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA 2. Institut Necker-Enfants Malades, INSERM U1151-CNRS UMR 8253, Sorbonne Paris Cite, Universite Paris Descartes, Faculte de Medecine-Site Broussais, 75014 Paris, France 3. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA 4. Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA 5. Department of Systems Immunology and Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstr.7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany 6. Institute for Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technische Universitat Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany 7. These authors contributed equally to this work The confidence crisis in Ukraines banking system is over and lending growth should resume this year, according to central bank deputy governor Vladyslav Rashkovan. Speaking at Euromoneys Central and Eastern Europe Forum in Vienna, Rashkovan said the resumption of household deposit growth in Ukraine in the second half of 2015 was evidence of the central banks success in stabilizing the financial system and restoring public trust in the banking sector. Vladyslav Rashkovan Planned cuts in interest rates this year should boost demand for credit, he added. We expect to decrease the discount rate to around 14% by the end of the year, which will make lending more affordable, he said. The benchmark rate has already come down from a high of 30%, set by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) last March in the wake of its move to a free-floating currency regime, but still stands at 22%. Also on the agenda for this year is another round of bank stress tests by the NBU. Initial tests in 2014 of Ukraines top 34 banks revealed a capital shortfall of Hrn61 billion ($2.4 billion). This was mostly made up by shareholders however, a further dramatic increase in non-performing loans caused by the loss of Crimea, the war in eastern Ukraine and a sharp economic contraction, prompted the central bank to start a second assessment of the countrys 20 largest lenders last April. According to the NBU, four of the banks surveyed did not require additional capital, while a further five had met the new regulatory requirements by the time the results were announced in January. Details of the banks involved were not released. Rashkovan confirms that a further 40 banks will be assessed this year, with the process due to be completed by November. Analysts note, however, that asset quality in Ukraine has continued to decline since the start of the stress tests. According to Fitch Ratings, NPLs accounted for as much as 44% of total loans outstanding in November, while at certain individual top-10 banks the figure is reported to be well over 50%. NBU statistics also show a sharp deterioration in asset quality last year but put the current level of NPLs at just 21.2%. Rashkovan says the difference in estimates was partly due to the central banks treatment of related party lending. It is important to distinguish between types of assets when calculating NPLs, he says. If a bank owner is not servicing loans to himself, should that really be classed as a bad debt? He acknowledges, however, that related party lending remains a big problem for Ukraine. Many of the 65 banks shut down by the NBU over the past two years as part of its clean-up of the sector were effectively pocket banks for local oligarchs. They included Dmytro Firtashs Nadra Bank, Nikolay Laguns Delta Bank at the time of its closure the fourth-largest bank in Ukraine and two lenders owned by agribusiness tycoon Oleg Bakhmatyuk. In one of the latter, loans to related parties accounted for 96% of the total, according to the NBU. So far, however, the central bank has been unable to rein in Ukraines largest oligarch-owned lender. At Privatbank, which holds around 34% of the countrys retail deposits, lending to parties related to owners Ihor Kolomoisky and Henadiy Boholyubov equated to nearly 45% of total regulatory capital at end-October, well above the new limit of 25% set by the NBU. Rashkovan also admits that, while the majority of depositors in the failed banks have been reimbursed via the restructured and recapitalized Deposit Guarantee Fund, to date no prosecutions have been brought against the bank owners and none of the Hrn335 billion of defaulted assets has been recovered. The next step is to get those assets back and put the people responsible for bringing banks to bankruptcy in jail, he says. Meanwhile, losses in the sector continue to mount. According to the NBU, Ukraines banks lost Hrn53.0 billion in 2014 and a further Hrn57.3 billion in the first 11 months of last year, excluding results from insolvent banks. Deputy governor Kateryna Rozhkova is confident, however, that the system can return a positive operating result within two years. We hope that the series of measures we are conducting now will allow banks to enter the operating break-even by the end of 2017, she says. That will be too late for one of Ukraines leading foreign lenders. UniCredit has sold its local subsidiary, Ukrsotsbank, to Russias Alfa Group in a share swap deal. Carlo Vivaldi, head of CEE at the Italian group, praised the NBUs progress in modernizing and cleaning up the Ukrainian banking system, and noted that recovery was already underway in the economy. GDP growth resumed in the second half of last year and that trend is expected to continue in 2016, he said. He added, however, that full recovery was still a long way off. It will likely take a long time for Ukraine to get back to where it was before the financial crisis, he said. We considered all the options for Ukrsotsbank and we felt that the current solution was the best we could achieve at present. UK supermarket group Tesco came under scrutiny earlier this year for its procedures in paying suppliers. An investigation by the Grocery Code Adjudicator, the supermarket industrys ombudsman, into Tesco plc found that the company had taken unreasonable amounts of time to pay suppliers. The adjudicator, Christine Tacon, stated that Tesco had delayed payments to its suppliers to improve its financial position during the period June 25 2013 to February 5 2015. In a statement released in response to the findings, Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis said the company had undertaken a review of its practices and made changes, stating that they had been unsustainable and harmful to suppliers. The changes included creating a dedicated supplier helpline to address issues within 48 hours, and introducing 14-day payment terms for UK-based SMEs. Enrico Camerinelli, Aite Group Enrico Camerinelli, senior analyst, Aite Group, says Tesco has already taken steps to recover, and reacted to the severity of the accusations. He notes that it has taken a stronger approach to its client relationship management, but this is only getting up to speed to match what is already seen in other sectors, such as electronics and the automotive industry. Camerinelli adds: The buyer-supplier tug-of-war will always exist, but sustainability of this rapport is what has changed the business scenario. Tesco instead (by their own admission) have until recent remained entrenched with the old-fashioned me big, you small: you do what I say or youre out. New solutions like reverse factoring and dynamic discounting both elements of the supply-chain finance family have been in place for years, with numerous examples of use cases and best practices that cannot be ignored. I think Tesco wanted to do it the old way and has been caught in the trap. Stephen Baseby, associate policy and technical director, Association of Corporate Treasurers, says that the buyer/supplier relationship is more complicated than paying for product by a specified date. Late payments are not as simple as the buyer refusing to hand over the money on time. There are multiple potential reasons for a payment to be delayed that are not instances of deliberate withholding of funds. Baseby says not all late payments are examples of a deliberate attempt to avoid paying: From the corporate treasurer's point of view it is just a matter of improving their working capital. What we are not aware of is the agreements Tesco had with its different suppliers. These agreements they have will vary, and possibly point to why the suppliers didnt do anything about late payments at the time. He points out that there are complex relationships in place between the supplier and the buyer, which go beyond simple buying and selling: Keep in mind that the nature of the contracts the adjudicator analyses, including those which did not lead to timely payment, may be those in which both supplier and buyer are trying to bind together in long-term arrangements to their mutual benefit. Both the buyer wants optimal price and quality, and the supplier wants the high-volume customer. Stephen Baseby, ACT Baseby suggests that, more generally, problems of late payment can be for multiple reasons, including issues on the suppliers side: It is common in a contract with multiple deliveries that there is a problem with one or more of them, and because of that the payments get held up. The procurement contract will always have lots of workable points inside to try to make it as flexible as can be. It just seems Tesco's may have been a bit too flexible. Since 2008, hundreds of UK companies have signed up to the Prompt Payment Code (PPC). This is a voluntary code, whereby signatories state they will ensure they pay their suppliers within 60 days, with 30 days stated as the ideal maximum. They also agree to provide information to their clients should there be any delay to payments. Tesco is a signatory, along with other large companies, including BT and Sainsburys. Baseby believes that rather than following a code of conduct like the PPC, updated technology will ensure more payments are made on time: We know that some companies have signed up to the PPC, but now many major companies have a SAP accounts-payable system installed anyway. The payments are made automatically once approved, so the money always goes on time. He notes that the report highlights inadequate processes for correcting data errors inputted for a payment. The adjudicator also refers to the benefits of better software: The common use of standardized AP systems helps both payments and credit but only once the right data is entered. Ultimately, the large retailers have to keep their suppliers on side. Baseby concludes: Retailers need to make sure the suppliers keep on supplying them. Whatever is happening for the company or in the market they cannot push it too far or it will create problems for the supplier and the buyer alike. "If you have already been diagnosed with hemorrhoids and your symptoms are not improving with fiber supplements, an increase in water intake, over-the-counter pain relievers, or a warm bath, then schedule an appointment," Dr. Charabaty-Pishvaian says. In most cases, you can see a general practitioner or your family physician about your hemorrhoid symptoms. If complications arise, you may be referred to a specialist, such as a gastroenterologist or a proctologist. Different Types of Hemorrhoids There are two types of hemorrhoids: external and internal. External hemorrhoids arise from the anal canal, while internal hemorrhoids arise from the rectum, immediately above the anal canal. According to Cuckoo Choudhary, MD, associate professor of gastroenterology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, one type is not worse than the other, but both can cause problems. "It all depends on the size and degree of the hemorrhoid," Dr. Choudhary says. "Untreated internal hemorrhoids can cause bleeding. External hemorrhoids can cause thrombosis [blood clotting], which gives way to severe pain from hemorrhoidal strangulation." If you know you have hemorrhoids and you have acute and severe anal pain, it could be a sign of thrombosed hemorrhoids. Know When to See Your Doctor Though the annoyance of hemorrhoids can be reason enough to call your doctor, use this checklist to know when a visit is a must: If you're experiencing any type of rectal bleeding If the hemorrhoids are causing you pain or discomfort If the problems persist despite trying over-the-counter hemorrhoid creams or other remedies If you're passing stools that look maroon in color or tarry in color, a sign of bleeding If you experience a large amount of rectal bleeding that is accompanied by dizziness or faintness, be sure to seek emergency medical care immediately. Though hemorrhoids are thought of as a minor health problem, you shouldn't let that notion keep you from getting them examined. The ultimate goal is hemorrhoid relief, and for many people, that means an office visit. Read more: Hemorrhoids: What to Know Michael Dentons new book, Evolution: Still a Theory in Crisis, is stirring controversy. For example, over at University of Toronto biochemist Larry Morans blog, Sandwalk, a debate over what drives evolution natural selection or genetic drift is going on. Natural selection is, of course, the means by which evolution is supposed to receive its direction, from less fit to more fit organisms. Of all the forces proposed by modern biologists to drive evolution, natural selection is the only one that could impart directionality; in contrast, genetic drift introduces the element of chance. Genetic drift has a stronger effect than natural selection in vertebrate and invertebrate populations, whose effective population sizes are on the order of 10^6 to 10^4 breeding individuals. Many scientists go so far as to say that most molecular changes in these species are the result of non-adaptive, neutral processes (driven by chance), rather than adaptive processes (driven by natural selection). Such chance processes provide the grist for the mill of natural selection to refine at the phenotypic level, so it is said. Such scientists include Michael Lynch, Denis Noble, Eugene Koonin, Eva Jablonka, and Masatoshi Nei. Professor Moran is another. He writes: Readers of this blog will know that Im a fan of Evolution by Accident. I dont think that the history of life can be explained in strict Darwinian terms (i.e. natural selection) and I think that modern evolutionary theory includes Neutral Theory and a major role for random genetic drift. This is the view of many modern evolutionary biologists. Their work and views have been reported frequently on Sandwalk over the past ten years but you can find it in all the evolutionary biology textbooks. Im just the messenger here. Its evolutionary biologists who have made the case for non-adaptive evolution beginning long before The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm: A Critique of the Adaptationist Programme. The problem arises for Moran when fellow scientists refuse to accept the role of non-adaptive, neutral processes as a part of evolution. But he then goes on to say that intelligent design scientists think likewise. Trying to convince others of the truth of non-adaptive evolution has been a frustrating experience. Its been particularly frustrating when dealing with Intelligent Design Creationists who think that evolution by natural selection is the only game in town. They are the most adaptationist people on the planet even though they dont actually believe in the scientific version of evolution. He acknowledges that Michael Denton, recognizing that adaptation is not the only game in town, attributes evolution to non-adaptive processes distinct from known evolutionary processes. He wraps it up by saying that Denton thinks, Therefore, gods did it. But now we have an entirely new phenomenon. Michael Denton recognizes how silly it is to attribute every feature to adaptation. This is, of course, a view that been around for a long time among evolutionary biologists and they have perfectly naturalistic, non-adaptive, explanations that have been published in thousands of scientific papers. Denton wont acknowledge that. Most creationists wont even admit that there are features that dont appear to have been designed for functionality but heres Denton showing them that theyve been wrong for decades. When I tried to do that I met with huge resistance because I was trying to show them that their view of evolution is wrong. Denton takes a different approach. He assures them that their extreme Darwinian view of evolution is correct and the presence of non-functional features like the shape of a maple leaf is something that evolution cant explain. Therefore, gods did it. [Emphasis added.] There are so many things wrong with these paragraphs that its hard to know where to start. First, intelligent design proponents know that evolutionists propose more than natural selection is involved in explaining the patterns we see in life that there are neutral forces proposed to be at work. I personally have written multiple posts on this, available here, here, and here. The problem is this. Neutral or nearly neutral processes boil down to chance, and chance is a pretty poor explanation for the order and complexity we see in life. Its like saying luck will provide the ingredients that can be turned into a cake. In other words, luck will provide the ingredients to build the spliceosome, or the ribosome, or the complex gene regulatory circuits in eukaryotic cells. The thing is, there is nothing for natural selection to work on until these systems are assembled. Similarly, luck is proposed to allow the assembly of an invertebrate embryo that is capable of developing into a reproductive adult. Of course, there is no natural selection until reproduction is possible, so its all up to luck to get there. Second, Denton certainly is not a pan-selectionist. He believes that natural selection is powerless to generate the discontinuous patterns we see in life. But neither does he believe that non-adaptive, neutral forces like drift can account for it. To quote from his book: If gradual natural selection is powerless to generate the most important biological features in the history of life, as I have argued in previous chapters, then what about relying on chance saltations as an alternative mechanism? [T]he sheer complexity of biological life renders such a proposal incredible. Chance cannot resuscitate the corpse of Darwinian evolution. [p. 225] The complexity of living systems is so great that there is now an almost universal consensus, as we saw in the discussion of ORFan genes, that the simplest of all biological novelties a single functional gene sequence cannot come about by chance mutations in a DNA sequence. And if an individual gene sequence is far too complex to be produced by chance, then the sudden origination of a morphological novelty like a feather, a limb, or even such a comparatively simple novelty as an enucleate red cell all novelties vastly more complex than an individual functional gene sequence is by any common-sense judgment far beyond the reach of any sort of undirected chance saltation. [p. 226] According to Denton, and all intelligent design proponents I know, neither selection nor drift can account for major transitions during evolution. Denton does allow that it is theoretically possible that if a long sequence of transitional adaptive forms were potentially able to produce a complex biological feature, natural selection might accomplish the task. But he does not say this is likely, nor does he attribute the arrival of novelties to gods, as Moran claims. From Denton: [C]umulative selection can be the causal agency responsible for the creation of a complex biological novelty if the novelty can be reached via a long sequence of transitional adaptive forms. But if the novelty cannot be actualized in this way, either because it is obviously a non-adaptive Bauplan (like the tetrapod limb, or the angiosperm flower) or because no adaptive intermediates can be conceived of (as in the case of adaptations like the bats wing or human language), it is no use turning to undirected chance saltations or hopeful monsters as a way of making the leap, as some authors do. If cumulative selection has no functional continuums to traverse the gaps, or if a novelty appears to be a non-adaptive ground plan, then it could only have been actualized by some directive agency other than cumulative selection. [p. 228] For him, the directive agency is the emergent behavior of natural forms. There is increasing evidence perfectly consonant with the structuralist view that a great deal of organic order is emergent, the result of the self-organization of different categories of biomatter and not specified in the genes as the alternative Darwinian contingent model predicts. There is the evidence of evo-devo that the paths of evolution have been constrained by deep homologies, shared in some cases by all metazoan organisms, and that the specific taxa-defining novelties themselves have been shaped largely by internal causal factors rather than cumulative selection. Finally, there is the existential challenge to Darwinian functionalism posed by the non-adaptive nature of so many of the homologs and Bauplans. [p. 279] But Denton is also not averse to intelligent design: [R]andom trial and error could never have actualized the sorts of complex adaptations that permeate the entire living kingdom from the molecular to the organismic levels. But many authors in the intelligent design (ID) movement have ably presented this argument over the past decade. [p. 28] And in another place: It is important to stress that structuralism implies that organic order is a mix of two completely different types of order, generated by two different causal mechanisms: a primal order [including the taxa-defining homologs] generated by natural law, and a secondary adaptive order imposed by environmental constraints (by natural selection according to Darwinists, by Lamarckian mechanisms and by intelligent design according to current design theorists). The adaptive order of living things [which serves specific immediate environmental constraints] represents a completely different sort of order, outside of the explanatory framework of structuralism altogether. This means that structuralism per se can never give a complete causal explanation for all organic order. Structuralism is NOT a biological theory of everything. [p. 18] He then says: The origin of the natural laws that generate the primal order is, of course, its own important question. As I and others have argued elsewhere, those laws may point to the intelligent design of the universe as uniquely fit for life. Bur arguing that thesis is not the purpose of this book. [p. 18] All I can say is, Moran must have engaged in very selective reading of Dentons book to make the claims he does. He misrepresents what intelligent design proponents think, and he attributes to Denton a point of view and motive that is incorrect. Denton does not believe that gods did it, nor does he tell design proponents that. All Moran gets correct is that we all doubt the ability of natural selection or genetic drift to drive the evolutionary process. Editors note: Get your copy of Evolution: Still a Theory in Crisis now. For a limited time, youll enjoy a 30 percent discount at CreateSpace by using the discount code QBDHMYJH. Global mobile app store gross revenue will rise to $51 billion in 2016 and exceed $101 billion in 2020, with growth largely driven by two factors: strong app adoption in developing economies and mobile apps ability to capture greater wallet share in mature economies. The App Annie mobile app data report forecasts that global mobile app store downloads will reach 284 billion in 2020, as the global installed base more than doubles between 2015 and 2020. The iOS App Store will retain gross revenue leadership until 2017, at which point the combination of Google Play and third-party Android store revenue will surpass it due to the wider proliferation of Android devices, according to the report. While games revenue will dominate through the forecast period, revenue for apps, excluding games, will exceed 2015 levels by more than four times by 2020, accounting for more than 25 percent of all app store spend. Time spent in apps from categories like social, shopping and transportation strongly suggests that advertising and commerce will form a significant proportion of economic activity in the app ecosystem beyond the $101 billion App Annie is projecting in store sales. The report also noted that mature markets like the United States are in the midst of a shift from a download growth phase to one that is characterized by strong growth in app use and resulting revenue expansion. China drives the most downloads of any countryroughly one out of every threeand is expected to remain the greatest contributor to downloads through 2020, even as Indias app store downloads soar. There is also expected to be a growing contribution from apps as they expand into new platforms, namely wearables, TVs, virtual and augmented reality, home Internet of things and automotive. Revenue generated per device will grow from $15.42 in 2015 to $16.22 in 2020, with growth driven by existing smartphone users in mature markets. Even though new smartphone owners will generally come from lower income brackets, mobile will continue to capture more of consumers share of wallet, driving revenue per device up in the Americas; Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and globally. Meanwhile, revenue per device in the Asia-Pacific region will see a small decline from 2015 to 2020 as less affluent users in India, Malaysia and Indonesia balance results from Japan and China. We are only in the early stages of the app markets maturity cycle. Apps are set to become the most important interface between consumers and businesses as mobile consumes more of our time and as apps expand into new device platforms, the report concluded. Mobile apps have already dwarfed previous computing revolutions and we can look forward to even more growth ahead for the app economy. That's the kicker really, this blanket approach.I appreciate that the government needs to protect itself from inheriting dependants. I also understand that immigration is not a black and white topic and the interests of the country's residents need to be kept paramount. Effectively I am not unsympathetic to the need for control and ensuring that people who join a nation can effectively integrate, contribute and partake in the overall "fabric of society".However having my country tell me that they will deny me the right to be with my wife should I return. Especially with zero real appeal, case by case or any legitimate avenues to pursue.The required yearly earning of 16,500 if I was living inside the UK, we have that and could easily liquidate to excess of that. So with that in mind, surely permitting a year Visa and allowing us to reapply, would be logical.I could go on about the fact that finding work is my smallest concern, social security and benefits are basically unheard of here. So if your out of work you starve. It may also bare mentioning my small business and my wife's decent paying job are in no jeopardy. So we are not fleeing a hardship. Simply we thought we could exercise a supposed right of my nationality and return home.I could bore everyone with paragraphs about how we are socially minded people with long standing documentable ties to reputable international and local service groups.However the term return home, that's the one. People are being denied their right to return home. As to return home would require sacrificing the fundamental right of families. However somehow this slipped through without checks and balances, likely because it only affects a small group who have been dealing with a weak currency outside of europe and the minimum wage group in UK.Apologies this turned into a bit of a rant, however although I know writing on forums is like spitting into the wind. I am becoming more and more passionate about this as a humanities issue and an injustice.I am still fortunate to be united in a place where I can work, be secure and examine numerous options. For some people this must be a plain nightmare. Of course if the UK leave the EU those options could be cut considerably, but thats a bridge to cross when it catches fire Hi everyone, Thanks to the wealth of knowledge on these forums and the advice from the lovely moderators I successfully got my spouse leave to remain approved at Croydon PEO/PSC yesterday. So here is my experience, document list and tips for others if it might help you as well. I switched from Tier 2 Gen and was not working since Dec and me and my wife only moved in together after our wedding last week so we didn't have much cohabitation history. So I was worried it may cause complications/questions if they thought I was desperate to stay and married for that reason blah blah. It didn't and was really straightforward! EXPERIENCE: 1) My appointment was at 8.50am and I was done by 11am! Early appointments = no queue and quicker result. We parked right opposite at the Whitgift car park right opposite HO on Wellesley road. 2) Arrived at entrance at 8.35 and the guard let us into a premium appointment entrance room and 5 mins later we cleared airport style security to go up to the 3rd floor where the PSC is. 3) We went to reception where the lady checked the payment sheet and form and passport and told us to wait for case registration in the cafe. 4) 10 mins later we went for registration and the man took down all details and documents and put them in a plastic bag. This took 15-20 mins. 5) We then waited 5 mins and then went in for biometrics which took just 5-10 mins. We were then told we can go out for 2 hours if we wish and they would call us if ready so we went to the nice shopping centre across the road looking for home stuff (if I get to stay) and suitcases (if I had to leave UK)! Also a cheeky McD breakfast :wink: 6) Around 10.45 we decided to head back. Security took longer this time. We went to desk 44 to ask if ready and this emotionless guy nodded and brought over my pile of stuff and said "It was approved. Check these BRP details and sign the form." My wife squealed and the guy thought we were weird for being happy. :roll: 7) The lifts were cordoned off all the time and we had to use stairs each time! Maybe they want to make sure you're disabled or not and make you sweat more? 8) I never once saw/spoke to a caseworker and only spoke to a human for maybe 10 mins total. DOCUMENT LIST: I ONLY PROVIDED ORIGINALS IN ONE PILE as I don't believe in making their job even easier when I pay them 1500 already. Plus think of the trees! And it was a good idea because I could see from the order of pile returned which documents they took out for photocopying (I've called these out below) so I'd suggest only copy these if you must. Or just make these tax funded public servants do it for you as that's their job right? :twisted: My documents were sectioned as below each separated with a coloured A4 divider sheet specifying which documents are provided to meet specific Appendix FM rules followed by those documents in that very order. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION SECTION INDEX (See detailed document list on coloured dividers preceding each section) A. IDENTIFICATION DOCUMENTS B. RELATIONSHIP REQUIREMENT DOCUMENTS (incl. shared financial responsibilities + cohabitation) C. FINANCIAL REQUIREMENT DOCUMENTS (Cat A) D. ACCOMMODATION REQUIREMENT DOCUMENTS E. ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT DOCUMENTS A) IDENTIFICATION DOCUMENTS: (to meet requirements of Immigration Rules R-LTRP.1.1, E-LTRP.1.2 - 1.4, E-LTRP.2.1 - 2.2 under Appendix FM) 1. Applicant's current passport 2. Applicant's previous passport 3. Applicant's BRP card 4. Sponsor's current UK passport B) RELATIONSHIP REQUIREMENT DOCUMENTS: (to meet requirements of Immigration Rules E-LTRP.1.5 - 1.12 under Appendix FM, FM-SE and FM 2.0) 1. Marriage Certificate - COPIED 2. Wedding ceremony and evening reception photographs (x8) 3. Photographs together throughout the relationship (x36) 4. Letter of introduction + ID from sponsors parents 5. Letter of introduction + ID from applicants parents 6. Facebook Messenger chat screenshots Jan 15 Jan 16 (x10) 7. Email correspondence personal (x6) + travel bookings (x5) Shared Financial Responsibilities / Cohabitation intention: 8. Joint council tax bill (showing cohabitation commencement date) 9. Joint bank account statement 10. Car insurance policy showing sponsor as named driver on applicants policy C) FINANCIAL REQUIREMENT DOCUMENTS (Category A): (to meet requirements of Immigration Rules E-LTRP.3.1 - 3.2 under Appendix FM, FM-SE and FM 1.7) 1. Sponsors employment reference letter - COPIED 2. Sponsors contract of employment - COPIED 3. Financial requirement fulfilment calculation Excel sheet - COPIED and defo used 4. Sponsors payslips covering period Aug 15 Jan 16 (x6) - COPIED 5. Sponsors bank statements covering period 20 Jul 15 10 Feb 16 (salary paid in pages have been tabbed) - COPIED only salary paid in pages so worth tabbing D) ACCOMMODATION REQUIREMENT DOCUMENTS: (to meet requirements of Immigration Rules E-LTRP.3.4 under Appendix FM and FM 1.7A) 1. Applicant's property ownership Title Register and Plan 2. Applicants latest annual mortgage statement - COPIED 3. Applicants (pre-cohabitation) council tax bill - COPIED 4. Applicant's utility (water) bill - COPIED E) ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT DOCUMENTS: (to meet requirements of Immigration Rules E-LTRP.4.1 under Appendix FM/FM-SE) 1. Applicant's UK taught masters degree certificate - COPIED 2. Applicant's UK taught bachelors degree certificate Happy to answer any questions :welcome: When British people move abroad their lack of knowledge of foreign languages is well known but now they are being encourage to learn a new language in 2016.The British Council, which represents British cultural issues abroad, has launched a campaign backed by actor and broadcaster Larry Lamb calling on people in the UK to learn another language.It comes at a time when there has been a decline in language learning at both school and university levels across the UK.It says that tackling just a phrase a day could see people greatly improve their language skills with 1000 words recognised as an achievable number that would allow a speaker to hold a simple conversation in another language.And with a recent British Council survey highlighting that more than half of the UK population, 58%, regret losing the language skills that they acquired during their school days, it seems that many would indeed like to brush up our lost language skills. Indeed, some 42% of those surveyed said that they would be keen to revisit a language that they studied at school.The call comes as exam entries for languages at GCSE and A-level fell once again in 2015 with 100,000 fewer GCSE language exams taken this year compared to a decade ago. Higher Education Statistics Agency data released in 2015 also showed that entries to modern foreign language degree courses had dropped by 16% since 2007/2008.The British Council believes that these are worrying trends given that employers are crying out for language skills and the UK's current lack of them is estimated to be costing the country tens of billions of pounds."The UK is currently facing a shortfall in people who can speak foreign languages. And with lots of free and innovative ways to get started, there has never been a better time to take up a new language," said Vicky Gough, schools adviser at the British Council,"More than that, the benefits of learning one are huge, from boosting job prospects to acquiring the ability to understand and better connect with another culture. If the UK is to remain competitive on the international stage, we need far more of us to develop our language skills," she added.The campaign has also received backing from actor and broadcaster Larry Lamb who speaks fluent French and German, as well as some Spanish and Italian. "Languages, for me, are about opening the world up. It gives you another soul, it gives you another person," he said."From learning French, I learnt German, from being in Germany I found out about amateur theatre and here I am today, talking to you about learning languages having had a career that's gone on for 40 years now," he added. Not until we sat down to supper did we get the news from Papa: Dunhams Hill was going to get a telephone line! But first we had to get ten subscribers to the service. Second, the men had to cut and dress the timber for the poles just the right height, the right girth, and as nearly identical as possible. from Papa Was a Farmer, Brenda Goldie Weisberg Meckler, circa 1912 Part Two Read Part One: Escaping Russia, becoming American Read Part Three: From simple to sensational When young Goldie learned of the telephone line requirements from her father, she wrote this down clearly on paper. The telephone She spent that Saturday morning riding Ol Belle at a gallop, going from farm to farm in their southern Ohio community. She came home with 10 signatures of neighbors willing to put in the work to bring Alexander Graham Bells invention to the farm. Cream separators The telephone joined another wonderful invention: the Weisberg family had been the first in the neighborhood to purchase a DeLaval cream separator after learning of it in The Ohio Farmer. Goldie, an only child, felt driven to read any book or magazine she could find. Attending high school Several lucky breaks prompted the opportunity to attend high school, though it meant leaving home and staying with a newly-married couple in New Richmond. On the morning of March 13, 1913, Goldie was at the chalkboard working out a geometry problem when tolling church bells in the town summoned all the students to run for home. Flooding The Ohio River was swollen from constant snow and rain in Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania during late 1912 and into early 1913. Someone shouted, Backwaters into the mill basement! and everyone scattered frantically. Goldie spent the day helping the couple with whom she was boarding, moving all of their store provisions to the upstairs rooms in hopes of saving precious inventory. Goldie saw people lowering small boats from windows to row down the street. Her father came for her, and they heard stories of small houses torn from foundations, floating down streets. Surviving Later, when Goldie returned to New Richmond, she saw a tobacco barn from Kentucky near the drug store. Her host family had survived the flood, and so had everyone else in their town, though much rebuilding was required. Goldie was home in January 1914, and with the other work done for the day, the family of three worked to load a wagon. Fire While loading sacks of corn husks stored in an upstairs room to sell to a plant in Cincinnati (where they would be used to make dolls, or perhaps brooms) Goldies mother tripped coming down the stairs, knocking a kerosene lantern over. While helping her father situate the bags in the wagon, Goldie heard a scream and saw fire. Help After dragging her mother outside to safety, Goldie began ringing the bell, sending word for help. The house went up in flames quickly. New home A new home was ordered from a Sears, Roebuck catalogue. The kit arrived, each piece numbered, making it quite easy to put together. Even the right amount of paint was included. It was to create almost as much of a sensation as the telephone, Goldie writes in her life story. Selling the farm In March 1917, with many changes stirring for this family, a city real estate salesman and necktie farmer named Sam Romberg, sold the Weisberg farm with grand hopes and dreams of a rustic paradise for the young couple who purchased it. I could only hope that their dreams were made of sterner stuff, that they could withstand the assaults of reality, Goldie writes. They were definitely looking at their future through rose-colored glasses, in large part due to the necktie farmer talking up the idyllic side of country living. Next week: finale, from simple to sensational. As American agriculture grinds through Februarys dull weather and even duller commodity markets, two Chinese firms have used the month to make inroads into the American farm and food colossus. Syngenta purchase First, on Feb. 3, China National Chemical Corp., known as ChemChina, announced its purchase of Syngenta, the Swiss-based chemical and seed giant, for the equivalent of $43 billion. While thats a 22 percent premium to Syngentas total share price, its 10 percent less than Monsanto Co. offered to pay for the firm just last summer. Livestock changes Two days later, on Feb. 5, Nebraskas unicameral legislature voted 34-14 to end the states 18-year ban on meatpackers owning livestock for more than five days prior to slaughter. The move, noted the Lincoln Journal Star, means Nebraska will now join those states in allowing meat processors like Chinese-owned Smithfield to contract with farmers to raise pigs in large, concentrated operations. Economics Smithfield Foods, owned by China-based WH Foods since 2013, raises and slaughters millions of hogs throughout the U.S. Its record $15 billion in sales last year easily makes it the worlds largest pork producer. WH Foods and ChemChina are not independent, shareholder-owned firms like the companies they bought. Both are state-owned, both are almost entirely state-financed, and both are driven by national interests as much as by economics. As such, these companies and their acquisitions are less about geopolitics and international finance and more about owning or at least controlling the means to supply Chinas 1.4 billion eaters with safe, abundant, and cheap food. Foreign food In fact, noted a Feb. 3 New York Times story dissecting the Syngenta deal, China is very sensitive to its reliance on foreign food. Three years ago, 30 million Chinese were eating Western-style foods and now, according to market estimates, by 2018, 300 million Chinese [will] be consuming Western-style foods Growing, owning food That Western-style food, however, doesnt mean Western companies or Western farmers will be in charge. They may grow the food, but they wont own it. Indeed, Chinas recent moves to lock-up key elements and Syngenta is just the latest key element of the Wests food chain is what feeding the world will look like in rural America tomorrow: China either owning or controlling the technology used to grow food with American soil, water, and labor. Technology I know, I know; you thought youd be the one feeding China. While that remains partly true, its now quite clear that China is buying technology to boost domestic production. Equally clear is that it hopes to make a profit selling you the technology you need to grow the food it will import. Those clever Reds; the Long March never ended. Globalization Chinas growing investment in offshore food production is not, however, manifest destiny. Its just the latest example of how globalization, the freer, legal movement of money and ideas around the world, will shape our collective and individual futures. It also is a clear signal that American agricultures ironclad belief in a feed the world future is no longer the future. Oh, we may still feed part of the world, but its more likely well do it to honor a contract, not our conscience. This should not be news to anyone who has been paying attention. Farm policy American farmers and ranchers played an outsized role in creating this future, a future where the World Trade Organization now has more control over American farm policy than the American Farm Bureau Federation. Its also where 34 legislators in Nebraska can open the states front door to international hog conglomerates despite 1,100 local citizens petitioning them to keep it locked. Changes A generation ago neither would have even been considered. Now both hardly raise a yawn. What changed? The world changed. Not long ago it bought our production; now its buying our means of production. Christopher Columbus was right. The world is flat and getting flatter. (This is the second of 12 monthly stories Farm and Dairy is writing to profile a wide range of voices and roles within agriculture.) ALBANY, Ohio When Mary Roediger sits in on sheep industry meetings, she introduces herself as, Hi, Im Mary, and I dont have any sheep. Well, thats not entirely true. She does have a small flock of porcelain and stone sheep that she playfully refers to as her pocket sheep. Instead, her rural role comes in the form of advocacy for the sheep industry, specifically promoting wool and fiber. She plays such an important and critical role, said Roger High, executive director, Ohio Sheep Improvement Association and Ohio Sheep and Wool Program. Running her own custom sewing business, Sew True Designs, out of her home in Albany, Ohio, she admits she never attempted working with wool until she was asked to be the Ohio Make it With Wool director. When Roger first called and told me he wanted me to be Ohios Make it With Wool director, I told him he had a wrong number, she joked. High was just coming on as OSIA executive director and his first order of business was to name a program director. Roedigers name was the only name given to him. Almost 12 years later, Roediger has been asked to take on the national coordinator position. Its a pretty good honor to get someone from Ohio (to be named the national coordinator) and for Mary (to have that honor), High said. 2015 was a good year for Roediger, being promoted as the National Make it with Wool coordinator, winning the Friend of the Sheep Industry Award from the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association, and having her 4-H clothing project book receive National Peer Review status. Love of sewing I kind of joked that I was born with a needle in my hand, said Roediger. Her love of sewing stemmed from her curiosity of a forbidden sewing machine her mother kept in the basement. (My mom) was an excellent seamstress. She could use newspaper and draft her own patterns, however, she taught me nothing, Roediger said. I was not allowed to touch her machine, which she believes was for safety reasons it was a treadle machine at the time. Of course you tell a kid, dont touch and then there is an attraction, she added. She recalls slipping down to the basement when she was just 4 years old and being fascinated with the bobbin winding mechanism that was broken on the machine at the time. Her mother had come downstairs to tend to the laundry and spotted Roediger messing with the machine. She did not discipline me. She stood there and looked at me and basically turned around and walked away, she said. Roediger managed to fix the broken part on the machine. I went on to do things that you are not supposed to do, she said. Looking at pictures and seeing dresses she liked in the store, she would make a mental image and come home and sketch out her next project. In high school, I always wanted a dress I couldnt afford. So she would spend some time taking in the details she liked, sometimes that meant sitting in a dressing room with a sketch pad, but mostly drafting a new pattern from memory when she got home and making it her own. Childhood Roediger grew up in Worthington, Ohio, as the middle child of five. She didnt live the country life, but she had the opportunity to spend a few summers on her aunt and uncles farm, where they raised crops and Arabian horses. Roediger had the experiences of both worlds. By living in the city and not on the farm, its a whole different atmosphere. You dont have to rely on each other to do things, she said. A trip to the end of the drive to take out the garbage was only a few hundred steps and the tiny postage stamp that was their yard could be mowed in an hours time, so my mom could do that while we were at school, and dad was at work, she said. A trip to the farm was an entirely different atmosphere. The chore list was enormous, so I had the benefit of seeing both worlds. When she went on to have her own children, she saw the value in having chores and jobs around the house, so she put her kids to work. 4-H experience When the master clothing educator program opened up through 4-H in the late 90s, Roediger said, Ooh thats for me. Through the program, Roediger helped 4-Hers get introduced to the sewing machine and put together small projects like fleece hats and pillow cases. The ah-ha moments are what really put her job in perspective. Those are awesome, when they are like oh my gosh they get it, and you can almost virtually see the light bulb over their head, she said. Mary Roediger wool sewing projects Mary Roediger of Albany, Ohio, stands with some of her wool projects she has put together over the years. < > < > 1 View Mary Roediger wool sewing projects Mary Roediger of Albany, Ohio, stands with some of her wool projects she has put together over the years. 2 View Orange zipper coat Mary Roediger created this coat for an issue of Sew News Magazine in May 2011. The concept involved using various zipper parts to create the design. 3 View Green army coat This green army coat was made out of 50 percent wool and 50 percent nomex a fire-retardant fabric used for pilot suites. 4 View Felt cape The inspiration for this cape came to Mary Roediger after the mother of one of the 4-H children she had been working with had a heart attack at 30 years old. The mother told Mary how the heart attack made it harder for her to control her body temperature and she had to dress in layers. The felted wool cape is easy to take on and off, features a tassel made from Godiva chocolate bag handles (because dark chocolate is good for the heart), and embroidered on the hood is the quote Each day is a gift for you to unwrap, you can keep it to yourself, share it or give it away. May you find your joie de vivre (joy of living). Intro to wool Part of Roedigers textile interests came from her travels to Europe while she was growing up. She spent a month exploring Europe with her second oldest brother after attending her oldest brothers wedding in Denmark. She also attended a summer camp in Switzerland when she was 14, so she could take French lessons. But each time she visited, she found herself poring over the fabrics and textiles that were like nothing she had seen in America. She became increasingly interested in natural fabrics, like silks, and when she was asked to take on the Ohio Make it With Wool director position, she shifted her gears to learn more about wool. The more I look at wool, it is incredible the amount of things that can be done with it, and its not your grandmas wool, she said. Its wool from lightweight, sheer, gauzy, to almost like touching a cloud, to carpets and wall coverings. Its totally fascinating. Traveling to the UK Now that Roediger has taken on the National Make it with Wool coordinator position, she admits, It is a little embarrassing that I dont know much about sheep. I know a lot about working with wool fibers, yarn and fabrics but very little about the animal it actually comes from. So Roediger thought what better way to educate herself than to travel with a bunch of Ohio sheep producers to the United Kingdom last fall to see how they raise their flocks. The first stop on the trip was to a farm in Scotland where lush grass and heather bloomed across the landscape. When they met with the farmer she recalls one of the first things out of his mouth was, Yeah, we dont feed our sheep over the winter. Roediger was baffled by this statement. Scrape my jaw off the floor, he doesnt feed his sheep, she said. But what she learned is, he meant that the temperate climate allows the grass to grow all year long so they can continue to graze. So no, he was not depriving his sheep, he was actually being a very smart shepherd, said Roediger. New appreciation Roediger was intrigued by what she learned from the shepherds of the U.K. It gives me more of an appreciation of what goes into it, and to me its astonishing how many fleeces are required to make wool. Roediger commented on the ease of raising smaller livestock like sheep and said, while she could easily put a few sheep on her 5 acres at home, shell just stick to picking up already-prepared fibers from the local fabric stores. Having someone that is a supporter of the industry and its by-products has been great, not only for the sheep industry but is great for ag in general, said High. Five minutes with Mary Roediger FAMILY: Husband, Stephen; children, Tobias, Jeremiah, Rebekah, Micah and Thaddaeus HOMETOWN: Albany, Ohio; Athens County WORLDS BIGGEST PROBLEM: I have a quote on my door that reads, You will be amazed at how much good you can do when you stop worrying about who will get the accolades. People should choose to do what is right, because it is the right thing to do. SOMEONE MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT: I am kind of a renaissance because I am interested in so many things. I dont know that I am good at lot of them. ON YOUR BUCKET LIST: Win the Powerball so I could have an enormous amount of money to do some good with. IF I HAD A BUMPER STICKER IT WOULD SAY: You think you can, sew just go do it. FIRST JOB: I mowed grass and had a little lawn care business and a baby-sitting business (and was the most requested baby sitter in the neighborhood). FAVORITE VACATION SPOT: I cant answer that because I havent been everywhere in the world yet, but I would go back to Europe at the drop of a pin. Check out other stories in this Rural Roles series: January: Amish farmer and author shares story of the simple life. March: Connie Finton volunteers off the farm to build quality of life for her family. April: Conservation and cattle: Pete Conkle knows them both. May: Gerards helped give equine trail riders miles of opportunity. July: Passion for the fair runs deep: Tanya Marty. August: Tuscarawas County farmer answers the call of his industry September: Its all because of the Jersey cow October: Risky business: Tire repair has its share of dangers November: Family tradition, trees and rescue VALLEY CITY, Ohio A Medina County farmer is trying to rebuild his fleet of planting and harvesting equipment after a major fire destroyed his inventory just months before the start of the new growing season. Jeff Miller, who does custom farming across north central Ohio awoke to his worst nightmare the night of Feb. 13. At 1 a.m., he was called by a neighbor who believed the farm shop was on fire. It turned out the fire was in the machinery shed behind the shop where dozens of pieces of large John Deere equipment were kept. Everything in the shed was destroyed including three newer combines, a dozen tractors, planters, sprayers and grain heads. He estimates the damage at upward of $7.5 million. When I came around the corner, (the fire) was already coming out the big doors on the end and the roof was already starting to come down, he said. Saving buildings The focus quickly turned to protecting the other buildings, including the farm shop which became a warming spot for firemen and rescue personnel. More than 30 firefighters from a half-dozen area departments responded, according to Jack Petrone, chief of the Valley City-Liverpool Township Fire Department. Petrone said the fire is under the investigation of the Ohio Fire Marshals office, and that the cause will be hard to determine, because of the sheer size of the fire. He said it was the largest and most costly fire the area has seen in decades. Although there were no injuries, responders had to brave single-digit temperatures, and subzero wind chills. Petrone said there were at least a couple-hundred rubber tires that burned, in addition to 2,000-plus gallons of diesel fuel in the tanks of the tractors and combines. Scrap metal Miller said nothing appears salvageable and that it will most likely end up as scrap metal. It took everything, he said. Miller has been spending the past few days working with his local John Deere dealers, to order new equipment. Fortunately, the burned equipment was insured. He farms more than 7,000 acres which includes the ground of his customers and he doesnt intend to miss a beat. When youve got customers, youve got to do it in time, he said. Looking ahead His most sentimental loss was a John Deere 4020 that he had farmed with for more than 30 years. The newer tractors were worth more money but the old one held a lot of memories. He has a major task ahead. But friends and neighbors have been supportive and his equipment and seed dealers have been working with him from the first day. Its going to be a lot to get through thats for sure, Miller said. Just the cleanup and replacing everything. A new Scotch beef burger has been created by a team of cooks at Lochend Community High School in Glasgow as part of a Scotbeef initiative to get younger people excited about the food industry. As part of a competition led by Scotbeef, second year pupils developed the burger from scratch and the winners will see their product stocked in Aldi from 26 May 2016 as a fresh meat special buy. Scotbeef, Scotlands largest meat processing company, has been working with Lochend Community High School now for four years on career initiatives with 16-18 year olds, highlighting the varying areas of the business from Production Operators, Technical, Engineering and Commercial. The manufacturer led the pupils through eight different stages before a winner was decided. These included lessons on market research, product ideas, concept development, factory trials and product launch. Alison Galloway, Head of Development Innovations at Scotbeef, said: We are delighted to have the opportunity to work in collaboration with Aldi and Lochend Community High School and develop initiatives and projects designed to inspire young people. It is imperative for the future success of our business that we continue to attract, develop and grow our people. After two heats the number of teams taking part was whittled down from eight to two with the burger from Rebekah Calder, Ryan Kidd and Courtney McNulty chosen by Aldi as the winner. It will now be stocked in 64 stores across Scotland from 26 May whilst stocks last. Runners up were Neve Campbell, Jordon Lynch, Jordan Judd, Amy Martin, Rheagan Managhan. Marion MacCormick, Corporate Buying Director at Aldi, said: Aldi is proud to support local products from throughout Scotland and to have secured a place on our shelves for such young talent is a great testament to the skills of Lochend Community High Schools pupils. Its my pleasure to have been invited to judge this competition and the quality of the burgers was truly exceptional. We look forward to stocking the winning burger and Im sure our customers will love trying it out whilst also supporting the school. Geraldine Collins, Head Teacher at Lochend Community High School, said: I am very proud of all the young people that have been working hard throughout this competition and its been an enriching learning experience for them. Id like to thank Scotbeef and Aldi for giving our young people the opportunity to take their ideas from planning to shelf. At Lochend Community High School we encourage our learners to explore a wide range of skills and its great to be able to show them potential career opportunities in such a practical manner. The first negotiated settlement of a corporate bribery investigation under the UK Bribery Act involved a deferred prosecution agreement between the Serious Fraud Office and ICBC Standard Bank. That case is a turning point in the enforcement history of the UK Bribery Act and, at a global level, it fuels the debate about the use of settlements to resolve foreign bribery charges. The United States has been using negotiated settlements for years involving DPAs and non prosecution agreements. Other OECD countries have been reluctant to take the plunge. Yet negotiated corporate settlements are the most efficient way to resolve foreign bribery offenses, which typically require years and colossal resources to prosecute through the courts. Proponents of negotiated settlements also argue that they increase enforcement and therefore boost compliance efforts in the business community. So why arent negotiated settlements of overseas bribery cases more common and universal? In some civil law countries like France, the use of settlements to resolve criminal charges is inconsistent with the foundations of the penal system. In other countries, American-style pre-trial agreements are criticized for lacking transparency as to how financial penalties are determined, and for the weak judicial review the settlements receive. A recent OECD report advocates that settlement procedures should respect the principles of due process, transparency and consistency. For this reason, the outcome of the settlement should be made public, . especially the reasons why the settlement was appropriate, the basic facts of the case, the legal or natural persons sanctioned, the sanctions agreed, and the terms of the agreement. In the UK, the Standard Bank settlement provides guidance on what will be the main features of DPAs in the UK, and how they will differ from US settlements. A comparison of the two systems shows that settlements in the UK are subject to stricter, more formal rules, and the review power of the court is greater. For a DPA to be approved in the UK, the court must find that it is fair, reasonable and proportionate. And contrary to the U.S., prosecutors in the UK have to follow strict guidelines to determine the amount of any fine imposed under the DPA. Finally, any amendment of the agreement will require court approval, and only the court (not the prosecution) can decide if a DPA has been breached. The UKs use of DPAs to resolve corporate bribery investigations appears to meet the features advocated by the OECD. It could therefore be a better model for countries that are considering using settlements. In addition to being an inspiration for other countries, the use of DPAs in the UK could bring some balance to the United States predominance when it comes to enforcement of foreign bribery laws. While the jurisdiction of the UK Serious Fraud Office is more limited than the SECs, the use of DPAs in the UK could represent a big change in the enforcement landscape and bring about more cooperation among prosecutors in various jurisdictions. ICBC Standard Banks settlement with the SFO was also the first enforcement action with allegations under Section 7 of the UK Bribery Act, which makes a commercial organization liable if a person associated with it pays a bribe to retain business or an advantage in the conduct of business for that organization. The settlement also provides important guidance on the key features of this offense and the associated defense of showing that the organization had adequate procedures in place to prevent the person from bribing. _____ Elisabeth Danon is a legal analyst at the World Bank, where she specializes in public procurement. She previously worked at the Anti-corruption Division of the OECD. She can be contacted here. A testicle-eating fish is heading for the British waters. Testicle-eating fish heads for UK The Pacu - also dubbed 'The Nut Cracker' and 'The Ball-Cutter' - is normally found in South America, but has recently been spotted in parts of the USA, Denmark and Paris and now looks set to make its way to the UK in time for summer. And it looks like men cooling off in the water when the temperature heats up over the next coming months could be at risk of getting their private parts ripped off as the chunky fish boasts a sharp ''human-like'' set of gnashers. However, unlike the Piranha, which strip the flesh off anything it grabs, the Pacu is likely to cause a even-more bloody scene as it is known for cracking seeds and nuts that drop off overhead trees into the water with their powerful jaws. Local fish expert Henrik Carl is quoted by The Independent newspaper as saying: ''The Pacu is not normally dangerous to people but it has quite a serious bite. There have been incidents in other countries, such as Papua New Guinea, where some men have had their testicles bitten off.'' What can you tell us about your new book Soupelina's Soup Cleanse? I'm so excited for people to read the book, get inspired and start cooking soups, the Soupelina way. I cook my soups a bit differently than most people and can't wait to share my soup making with the world. The book has over 50 delicious and healing recipes, and gorgeous photos, shot by Par Bengtsson...and I know the photos alone will make anyone lust for those soups. I wanted to make sure we have real photos of every soup and ingredients, because when I was learning to cook I would never attempt a dish without a photo. So, whether you follow the cleanse or just need some new healthy and lip-smacking delicious soup ideas to add to your weekly arsenal, I'm hoping this will be the book you'll want to keep on your kitchen counter. Soupelina's Soup Cleanse Why are soups so healing for the body? Soup is soul food. I love asking people what soup means to them and everyone associates soup with love, comfort, cozy times with their families, mothers and grandmas. Soup heals you emotionally, not only because you know it's good for you but also because you have to sit down and sip soup...it's a bit of a ritual and that alone, eliminates stress. Nutritionally, soups give you more digestible nutrients, more fiber and they also nourish you, satisfy you and soothe you, especially during a cleanse. Scientists at Purdue University did an interesting experiment on soup in 2004: they heated up apple juice and served it to people in a bowl with a spoon and called it "apple soup"then they served the same people the same apple juice cold in a glass. People said they felt fuller and more satisfied with apple soup than they were with apple juice. I created Soupelina's Soup Cleanse to give people an opportunity to infuse their bodies with nutrients, give them extra energy we all need, especially at this time of the year, after the holidaysand also to provide fiber, improve digestion, sharpen their mind and reduce inflammation. And of course, to keep people warm, full and loved. Soup is that powerful! You use coconut oil in a lot of your recipes so why choose this over olive or rapeseed oil? I love to load my soups with as many nutrients, minerals and enzymes as possible. Soupelina soups have soup-er powers and they have to have the most goodness I can include. Coconut oil is a superfood because of Lauric Acid which breaks down into a compound called Monolaurin in the body (it's a fat that can be found in breast milk, and we all know how wonderful that is.) Both Lauric Acid and Monolaurin have anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties, thus protecting us against all kinds of illnesses. Besides, it's the perfect oil for high-heat cooking unlike other oils: coconut oil does really well with heat, without destroying any of its medicinal properties. So, it makes sense to cook with coconut oil to boost the metabolism and reduce inflammation. You also use filtered water- so what are the benefits of using this over tap water? Tap water is scary. I don't like using water that has been chlorinated and contains chemical deposits that are downright toxic for both cooking and washing your veggies. Because what's the point of healing soups if you don't cook them in the best water possible? I like to cook with filtered, purified or spring water. You will see that the soups will also taste better. Water is very important! There is a lot of debate over cooked veggie vs raw veggies- so how can cooking them still be beneficial for the body? Are there are drawbacks of eating raw food? I love raw veggies but soups are an entirely different story. How many of us are able to eat two bags of spinach? Or a whole bunch of kale? When you cook veggies, you eat more veggiesone bowl of soup can be two bags of spinach! Amazing, isn't it? I talk about it in my bookcooking veggies makes them easier to digest because it softens their fibers. You can't boil veggies though, you have to carefully simmer them in order to preserve the most vitamins and help them release the minerals. You have to also know your veggiesnot all are good raw. Asparagus, for example, only awakens its cancer-fighting potential if cooked. Same with tomatoes. The potassium in mushrooms increases with cooking, cooked spinach helps you absorb more of its calcium, iron and magnesium. In fact, a 2008 report in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, showed that cooking preserves antioxidants in vegetables, such as carotenoids and ferulic acid. Combining certain veggies with specific spices and herbs creates an even more powerful potion, and that's what heals you. Cooking veggies also balances doshas if you follow Ayurveda, cooked veggies have more yangthat's according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, plus cooked veggies have less bacteria. Did I convince you to cook your veggies? What is your favourite recipe from the book? I have so many! Every single recipe came from my soul, it's like they are my kids, it's hard to pick a favorite. That said, I am in love with I Can't Believe It's Butternutthere's something soothing and comforting about that soup; Make 'Shroom For Me is an ode to mushrooms and I love them so much; And The Beet Goes On reminds me of my childhood; The Fennel Hurrah feels like Paris every time I eat it; Lemongrass Cleansing Broth is a flavor bomb that literally makes me look at my photos from Thailand that I have hanging in my living room. I can go on and on I do tell stories about every soup in the book, so you gotta check them out. When did you discover the health benefits of soup? I have always loved soup but I didn't realize it had medicinal and healing properties until 2009. Soups became my magic medicine but also a form of self-love and comfort when I changed the way I eat while healing from breast cancer. I knew that chemotherapy was not the route I wanted to take and decided to use food as medicine instead. When I was researching what I needed to boost my immunity to change the epigenetic expression of my genes, I was coming across all these herbs and spices I didn't know anything about. Juicing was not going to work long-term because I couldn't use as many veggies, spices and herbs, plus all the mushrooms I had to have, in them. So I started creating soups and loading them with everything I needed to have in them. My mom is a chemical engineer, she spent decades conducting experiments with veggies and fruits at the Academy of Sciencesshe is also a great cook, so I would ask her about ways to mix spices and herbs. I also studied herbal encyclopedias to understand the medicinal properties of every ingredient I used. I was going to heal and I did. The soups I created were not what you would find anywhere, they are truly healing potions. What are your thoughts on organic veg? Do we need to spend so much more on our greens? Buying organic is very important! Organic means that your food was grown without pesticides and chemical fertilizers, artificial ripening agents, preservatives, genetic modifications, and radiation. So many veggies can be cancer-causing if not bought organic. I like to quote science and research, and according to The Environmental Working Group, almost all, a whopping 98% of all conventional produce is contaminated with cancer-causing pesticides. Why take that risk? I say you pay now or you pay later. When people get sick, it costs a fortune to get treatments, so why not prevent the illnesses and diseases in the first place. Prevention is the key and organic veggies are worth the price. Please tell us when you decide to work on a book and the process of putting it all together. Everything Soupelina-related came together organically, including the book. I was approached by several agents to write a book. After much soul searching, I realized that I had to because I had a responsibility to share with the world what helped me heal. Soup has been good to me. I hope it will do as much for everyone who reads the book and embarks on the soup lifestyle. What is next for you? I'm on a mission to make the world a healthier place, one bowl of soup at a time. Watching Soupelina grow is exciting and I'm proud to be a voice in the wellness revolution that I know will change the world and our health. Julianne Hough won't return as a judge on 'Dancing with the Stars' next season. Julianne Hough The 27-year-old actress-and-dancer - who won the coveted Mirrorball Trophy twice as a professional on the ABC show - announced she is taking a break from the glitz and glamour of the dancing competition and will not be returning for its 22nd season on March 21. The 27-year-old actress-and-dancer said: "I promise it's not the last you'll see of me in the ballroom. I will miss being on the panel for season 22, but have a lot of exciting stuff coming that I look forward to sharing." However, there is some good news for fans as veteran head judge Len Goodman will be back alongside Bruno Tonioli after sitting out the last series to spend time with his family, including his baby grandson, in the UK. And Julianne's departure may not be permenant as show bosses are keen to see the star "back in the ballroom" in the future. Producer Rob Wade told Us Weekly: "Julianne will always be a part of the 'Dancing with the Stars' family and we hope to see her back in the ballroom in the future." Julianne - who is the sister of the professional dancer Derek Hough - has been busy on other projects and recently played Sandra Dee in 'Grease Live', alongside Vanessa Hudgens, a TV project she enjoyed very much. She can also be seen in comedy movie 'Dirty Grandpa' alongside Zac Efron and Robert De Niro, which was released in January. Julianne has been a judge for three seasons after competing as a pro dancer in seasons four to eight. The blonde stunner lead Apolo Anton Ohno in her inaugural stint, as well as Helio Castroneves in season five to victory. Natalie Dormer is an actress who has been making a name for herself in the last couple of years with big screen and television projects. The Forest The Forest is her latest film project will see the actress tackle the horror genre as well as take on a major leading role - I really cannot wait to see her in action. Dormer will Sara Price, who set off to Japan in search of her twin sister Jess, as she teams up with filmmaker Jason Zada. There's just over a week to go until The Forest hits the big screen and we have a couple of great new clips for you to take a look at. Check them out: The Forest will mark the feature film directorial debut for Zada as he makes the leap from short projects for the first time. The director has brought together a great cast as Taylor Kinney, Eoin Macken, and Yukiyoshi Ozawa will all star alongside Dormer. An American woman, Sara (Dormer), journeys to the forest in search of her twin sister Jess (Dormer), who has mysteriously disappeared. Frustrated at Jess' pattern of behaviour, Sara's husband Rob (Macken) is unable to talk his wife out of making the 6,000-mile trip. After a visit to the school where Jess teaches, the resourceful Sara sets out for the forest itself. Accompanied by a charismatic new acquaintance, expatriate journalist Aiden (Kinney), she enters the forest having been well warned 'do not leave the path.' Forest guide Michi (Ozawa) keeps a protective eye on them both, but when night falls he cannot dissuade them from staying in the forest, and reluctantly leaves the duo to face the elements alone. Fear soon fragments Sara's consciousness; she begins to question Aiden's motives, including his claim that he has never seen Jess. Determined to discover the truth about her sister's fate, Sara will have to face the angry and tormented souls of the dead that prey on anyone who dares come near them. These malevolent spirits lying in wait for Sara at every turn will plunge her into a frightening darkness from which she must fight to save herself. The Forest is released 26th February. by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on Keira Knightley is set to star in Barbra Streisand's 'Catherine the Great' biopic. Keira Knightley Knightley is currently in talks to take on the role of the Russian monarch in the movie which follows her from her days as a young empress trapped in an abusive marriage to Emperor Peter III and through her rise to power. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Keira first held talks about the movie last year and things have been "progressing slowly". Kristina Lauren Anderson wrote the script, which topped the 2014 Black List for best unproduced screenplays. This will be Barbra's first time directing a movie since 1996 film 'The Mirror Has Two Faces'. She previously helmed 1983's 'Yentl', and 'Prince of Tides' in 1991 and her movies have received a total of 14 Academy Award nominations. Keira was recently cast alongside Will Smith, Kate Winslet and Helen Mirren in 'Collateral Beauty'. And, Keira's movie 'Colette', based on the life of the famed French author, has been one of the most sought-after titles at the Berlin Film Festival this year. It examines the novelist's life and marriage to critic Willy Gautheir-Villars. Prince Charles met his mini-me during a recent royal engagement. Prince Charles The heir to the British throne was on an official visit to Redcar in North Yorkshire when he was introduced to six-year-old Benjamin Cooper, who is such a huge fan of the royal that he wears a suit every day just to look like him. Benjamin told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: "I like him because he was the smartest dressed when we studied the royals at school. I like to dress smart so I can be like Charles." Ben's mother added: "He asked for a smart suit so he could be like the Prince." Prince Charles found the admiration of the youngster delightful and greeted the family warmly. Meanwhile, the 67-year-old royal was visiting the town to hear about the closure of the town's SSI steelworks, which resulted in the loss of almost 2,000 jobs last year. He praised the local people for their resolve during the crisis. He said: "I wasn't really expecting to say anything, but for me it's the greatest possible pleasure to come back to this part of the world where I know you have been through so many difficult times. "I remember coming here six years ago during another difficult time but, if I may say so, despite the horrors you have faced, somehow, in this remarkable part of the world, you have these extraordinary reserves of resilience and, above all, the most wonderful sense of humour. "How you keep it I don't know; it's very infectious and very special." Manish Arora has become the first Indian fashion designer to be decorated with Frances highest civilian award in recognition for his unparalleled contribution to the world of fashion.French Ambassador Francois Richier conferred the Chevalier de la legion d'Honneur on the veteran fashion designer at a glamorous ceremony in New Delhi on Tuesday. Manish is a pioneer in bringing the fashion culture of both countries together with his exuberant imagination. I am delighted to confer this high honour on him, Richier said as he pinned the insignia on the designer. Manish Arora has become the first Indian fashion designer to be decorated with France's highest civilian award in recognition for his unparalleled# On receiving the award Arora said, Im thrilled and honoured by the recognition I have received from the country that I love with all my heart. France has been an inspiration always. I now live between Paris and Delhi and for me France is literally my own country. I hope to keep getting inspired by France, the beauty and elegance of the French people.Eminent Indians who have earlier received the honour include Pandit Ravi Shankar, Amitabh Bachchan and JRD Tata. The Chevalier de la legion d'Honneur -- the highest distinction in France, is bestowed on both citizens of France as well as foreigners. (SH) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India The Union Cabinet has approved WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and decided to set up a national committee for overseeing the implementation of the deal which aims to smoothen the flow of global commerce.The Cabinet approved the proposal for Notification of Commitments under the TFA of WTO, ratification and acceptance of the Instrument of Acceptance of Protocol of TFA to the WTO Secretariat and constitution of the National Committee on Trade Facilitation (NCTF), said IT and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad., according to an agency report The Union Cabinet has approved WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and decided to set up a national committee for overseeing the implementation# The NCTF would be set up under the Joint Chair of Secretary, Department of Revenue and Secretary, Department of Commerce to facilitate both domestic coordination and implementation of the provisions of the Agreement.TFA contains provisions for expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit. It also lists measures for effective cooperation between customs and other appropriate authorities on trade facilitation and customs compliance issues.These objectives are in line with India's "Ease of Doing Business initiative", Prasad said.The FTA was agreed upon at a multilateral meeting in Bali in 2013. The pact will enter into force once two-thirds of WTO members complete their domestic ratification process. So far 69 WTO members have ratified this pact. (SH) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has ordered a probe against American multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology company Monsanto for violating competition law in the market of Bt cotton technology in India.The fair trade regulator's order comes in the wake of a complaint filed by the agriculture ministry and three Indian seed companies - Nuziveedu Seeds, Prabhat Agri Biotech and Pravardhan Seeds, according to media reports. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has ordered a probe against American multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology company# The CCI ruling recommends investigation against Monsanto, Monsanto Holdings Private Limited (MHPL), Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco) and Mahyco Monsanto Biotech India (MMBL) for forcing anti-competitive agreements and abusing their dominant position in the country's Bt cotton seeds market.The termination conditions of the sub-licence agreement entered in between MMBL and the informants are found to be excessively harsh and do not appear to be reasonable as may be necessary for protecting any of the intellectual property rights Such agreements discourage and serve as a major deterrent for the sub-licencee from exploring dealing with competitors, CCI said.In its response, MMBL said the CCI's order was only a prima-facie opinion recommending an investigation and not a reflection of any final conclusions.MMBL said it was evaluating the order and its options. It said the company conducts its business in an honest, transparent and respectful manner, and it remains confident this will be evident after all relevant information has been considered by the CCI.The company said that the Bollgard II technology provides tremendous benefits to Indian farmers and the licensing system fully complies with the relevant laws in India.According to the CCI, the Bt cotton technology sub-licensed by MMBL is used in 99 per cent of the area under Bt cotton cultivation in India.The competitors of MMBL do not seem to pose effective competitive constraints on MMBL and there is huge consumer dependence.MMBL is a 50:50 joint venture formed between MHPL and Mahyco and is engaged in sub-licensing of Bt cotton technology of Monsanto in India. MHPL is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Monsanto in India and it is engaged in marketing of Bt cotton hybrid seeds and other field crop seeds.Charging of trait value payable on the basis of MRP of the seed packet apparently has no economic justification in light of the fact that performance of the Bt cotton crop depends not only on the Bt cotton technology, but also on other factors like genetic composition, climatic conditions etc and appears to be unfair, the CCI said. The 'trait value' is the estimated value for the trait of insect resistance conferred by the Bt gene technology. It is important for every worker to know their right says the Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations Hon. Semi Koroilavesau. Minister Koroilavesau while speaking at his ministrys public consultation said many workers whether permanent or casual need to be aware of their rights as workers. Right now 90 per cent of the issues we are dealing with are on informal workers or casual workers whose rights they feel have been abused and this is due to the workers not knowing their rights, Minister Koroilavesau said. The rights of the Fijian workforce are now stronger than ever before and Government has brought about these changes to protect the rights of employees however, we would not be able to do anything if the workers themselves do not know their rights. Minister Koroilavesau added that employees also in fear of victimization refrain from speaking out on certain issues such as those relating to abuse. If you feel that your rights are being abused, please do let the ministry know so we can take actions against these employers and businesses because we do not have the authority to come to any business house and take action without a complain, Minister Koroilavesau said. We are currently finalizing our public relations teams to go to all towns, and districts to ensure that all employees are well versed with their rights. Government has approved the establishment of two labour tribunals to assist in the backlog of pending labour cases. Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations Hon. Semi Koroilavesau says the tribunals would be in place soon following Cabinets endorsement. I am happy to announce that we will soon have two more tribunals in the western and northern division which would fast track the backlog of pending cases, Minister Koroilavesau said. We now have the budget for the two tribunals and we would be advertising very soon. Minister Koroilavesau made the comments during his Ministrys public consultation at the Lautoka City Council. Hon. Koroilavesau says Cabinet was supportive of the proposal put forward by him given the high number of cases that are currently before the tribunal. Fiji currently has only two tribunals and Minister Koroilavesau said that they had been dealing with cases in the central and western division and is adamant that the two additional tribunals will assist in the backlog of cases. Meanwhile, Minister Koroilavesau also added that while the tribunal is attached with the ministry, its role and work is independent to that of the ministry. The tribunal falls under the ministry but the proceedings are all independent and its system is similar to a court. We are there just to facilitate, Minister Koroilavesau said. OFFICIAL COMMISSIONING OF THE NAITUTU ELECTRIFICATION PROJECT Na Turaga na Tui Nawainovo;Ladies, Gentlemen, Young People and Children of Namena.Bula vinaka and a very good day to you all.It gives me great pleasure to be with you today here in Namena to commission this new rural electrification project. Since the start of the New Year, Ive had the privilege of spending time in the Western and Northern Divisions, opening new projects, expanding the reach of Government services and bringing new, modern infrastructure to every corner of Fiji.I have also brought with me a message. A message that, no matter where in Fiji you call home, your hard work has made Fiji the country it is today. The developments my Government is creating are not gifts or handouts, they are developments for hard working Fijians. And the same goes for our Fijians here in Tailevu and the electrification project that is opening here today.Not so long ago, Fiji was at a crossroads. Together, united as a people, we chose the good road and have walked a path that has brought many blessings to our people. Since then, Fiji has grown and achieved an unprecedented sustained economic success success that is shared by every Fijian.I will not tolerate a Fijian society comprised of the haves and have-nots or a society that rewards privilege over merit. My Government is committed to giving every Fijian an equal shot at life, no matter where in Fiji they call home. And that starts by bringing infrastructure and essential services to our rural and maritime communities.My Government has a vision of a modern, dynamic Fiji but to make that a reality, we need to set in place a foundation that is strong enough to support our future development. That foundation is built by installing telecommunications, providing clean and safe water, building new and better roads and, as is the case today, giving our people access to electricity.This electrification project has been completed at a cost of $44,319 and will provide a reliable supply of electricity to nine families in the Naitutu settlement24 hours a day, seven days a week.Now your community can share in the many advantages that electricity can bring. Electricity means the difference between back-breaking labor and modern electrical appliances that help with community work. Electricity gives your children the ability to study late into the night and be better prepared for school. And electricity creates well-lit, safe homes and streets that everyone can feel comfortable in at any hour of the day.These advantages will give you a step up in life and allow you to achieve even greater things for your families and for Fiji. When my Government invests in our people, it is because we believe that your hard work can bring even greater benefits for our country down the road. And Im confident you will meet those expectations. You have the ability, and now, with the power of electricity on your side, there is no telling how great the Naitutu settlement can become.When we provide Fijians with electricity, we also keep you connected to the rest of the country. Moving Fiji forward is a group effort, and we are better off every time another community is added to our national grid. That means one more community that is up-to-date on current events and able to contribute to the important conversations happening around Fiji.Ladies and gentlemen,One of those important national conversations is about finding a new national flag for Fiji. Every day, Fiji becomes a newer more distinct nation than we were at our independence. We are making our own future, determining what kind of nation we will be, what kind of people we will be. And that is why I am asking the people of Fiji to help us adopt a new flag.I love our flag. I have served under it with pride as a military officer and your Prime Minister. But while that flag took us out of the past, I would like us to have a flag that takes us into the futureto where we are going rather than from where we have been. The new flagalways with our beloved Fiji bluecan stand for the kind of people we are, the kind of nation we aspire to be, and the kind of country we will leave with our children.The deadline for new flag design submissions is rapidly approaching on February 29. In March, we will select five designs to put before the people. There will be a national consultation during which time you will be able to tell us which design you like best.I believe we will love whichever design we choose as much as we have grown to love our current flagbecause it stands for Fiji. It stands for us. The new flag will tell the world that Fiji is a modern country, a leader in the Pacific, and a country on the move.Today, your community can celebrate the opening of this new electrification project, and I hope all of you are planning ways you can use this project to better your lives. Use this power to remain prosperous and productive and know that my Government will keep working hard to bring more development your way as soon as we can.Thank you. Vinaka vakalevu. Sarbjit first look is out and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan looks breathtakingly beautfiul in her desi avatar. The actress has transformed into a whole new look for this biopic directed by Omung Kumar. Not just Aishwarya, even Randeep Hooda's first look from the movie is out and might we say he looks rather hot and intense. The film is a biopic on Sarabjit Singh, an Indian prisoner who died in Pakistan prison a week after he was brutally assaulted by his inmates, he breathed his last at the Jinnah Hospital, Lahore. The new movie stills of Aishwarya and Randeep were released yesterday and the actors are already receiving a whole lot of compliments for it. This film also stars Richa Chadha and Darshan Kumar in pivotal roles. The desi look of the actress is just spectacular, Aishwarya who plays Sarabjit Singh's sister Dalbir Kaur, is sporting a salwar kameez and an sad expression on her face. The film is said to be narrated through her prespective, so may be this is a scene where she is penning the story of her brother and that's why the heart-wrenching expression. Randeep Hooda is essaying the role of Sarabjit Singh, an Indian convicted of terrorism by Pakistan court. To look the part, Randeep went through an amazing transformation where he lost close to 18 kgs. The weight loss was for the part of the movie when Sarabjit has been in jail for long and is inching towards death. Sarbjit is all set to release on May 19th and much of the shooting took place in Punjab. CHECK OUT THE NEW MOVIE STILLS FROM THE SARBJIT BIOPIC ALSO READ: After Fitoor FAILURE Salman Khan To Produce Film For Katrina Kaif The Republic of the Philippines cemented its status as the darling of the emerging market bond universe overnight on Wednesday with the completion of a wide-ranging accelerated switch and tender into a new 25-year SEC-registered deal. The Baa2/BBB/BBB- rated credit succeeded on a number of fronts, not least in overcoming choppy markets and choosing a stable day to complete Asia's first sovereign G3 bond of 2016 and the world's first sovereign long bond of the year. More importantly, the Philippines has now been able to clean up and extend its maturity profile, as well as lock in low long-term rates at a time when US Treasury yields are close to 12-month lows. Ultra low Treasury yields also means the sovereign has been able to achieve its lowest coupon on record despite the fact that the new $2 billion 3.7% 2041 deal has the longest maturity of its entire curve. The exercise was a mirror image of a similar liability management exercise in January 2015, only this time on much a larger scale and in far more volatile markets. In terms of scale, the Republic offered up 16 bonds with $21 billion of aggregate notional value into the switch and tender offering compared to five bonds in 2015. After the tender closed, it announced that it had accepted $1.5 billion in tenders from five bonds spanning 2016, 2017, 2020, 2032 and 2034 maturities. Same demand as 2015 Bankers reported that total switch demand topped $4.2 billion when final price guidance was revised from 4% to 5 basis points (bp) either side of 3.75%. A further $8 billion of demand came from new investors. A total of 759 investors participated. As a result, the final order book was very close to the $13.5 billion of combined demand the Republic achieved in 2015. This is a quite stunning achievement considering how much more difficult markets are in February 2016 compared to January 2015. Then, the Republic received $1.23 billion in tenders, leading it to price a $2 billion January 2040 deal with a coupon of 3.95%. Its success is testament to the fact that emerging market funds now view the Philippines as their safe haven asset, not a situation the country has found itself in for most of its overseas borrowing history. Distribution stats show that 62% of the deal went to Asia (Philippines 48% and ex Philippines 14%) with 26% going to the US and 12% to Europe. In 2015, 50% went to the US, 41% to Asia and 12% to Europe. By investor type banks predominated on 56% with funds taking 39% and insurers, corporates and sovereigns 5%. Bankers said the high proportion of Filipino banks reflected the fact that they had bought up a lot of sovereign bonds over years and accounted for a high percentage of switch demand. EM funds were more heavily represented in the new money component. The Philippines paid a new issue premium of between 10bp and 18bp, depending on where brokers were quoting the secondary market curve at the time of pricing. One broker estimated the curve was worth about 1bp to 2bp per annum. Given one brokers spot price of 3.51%/3.49% for the 2040 bond, this means the Philippines paid about 18bp over in yield terms. Sales desks said the whole Philippines' curve had traded up about 0.25 to 0.75 points higher over the course of the day as momentum built up for the switch and tender offering. However, a second bank estimated fair value around the 3.6% level. Either way, the weighting of US-based emerging markets fund managers in the order book meant the Philippines needed to pay the kind of new issue premium they are accustomed to receiving from other emerging market sovereigns rather than the slim to non-existent premium Chinese issuers can get away with in Asia. The best examples come from two other emerging market sovereigns, which priced on the same day as the Philippines. The Kingdom of Bahrain offered a new issue premium of 30bp before it pulled its tap while the Republic of Mexico paid a 25bp premium. Trading through its peers The Philippines deal appears to have been particularly well timed from the borrower's perspective since its curve has been on a tightening trend since mid-December. Spread stability over the past few years, means global emerging market bond funds also tend to view the Philippines as a safe haven relative to its peer group. In the immediate run up to the deal this outperformance did show signs of turning with the 2040 bond peaking at a mid-price of 108.46% on February 11. After another mini-rally on Wednesday, sentiment turned more negative again on Thursday with the whole curve trading back down to where it was before the switch and tender was announced. However, the new 2041 performed well, trading up two points from its part issue price to the 102% level by lunchtime. In its online roadshow, the country underscores just how stable and high performing its spreads have been compared to its peer group in recent years. One graph shows that its five-year credit default swap (CDS) spreads have traded in a tight band between 100bp and 138bp over the past two years. As of February 16, they stood at 136.34bp.This places the country second only to Baa3/A-/BBB+ rated Slovenia, which is trading at 116.98bp. Notably the Philippines has consistently traded through much higher rated credits such as Malaysia and Mexico since the end of 2014. On Feb 16, five-year CDS paper for A3/BBB+/BBB+ rated Malaysia was quoted at 195.5bp level, for example, while A3/BBB+/BBB+ rated Mexico was trading around 225bp. In its online roadshow the Philippines concluded that it is "the standout credit amongst global emerging market peers." Governance: Benigno Aquino It attributes its strong investor following to the huge efforts the government has made to improve overall governance since Benigno Aquino become president. A large part of the roadshow presentation is devoted to the recognition it has received in this respect. For example, the Philippines has risen from 85th to 47th place in the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index and from 148 to 103 in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index. As Fitch said in September 2015, "The Philippines governance standards and business environment have improved markedly since President Aquino took office in 2010. Global Competitiveness as assessed by the World Economic Forum has now risen to a level commensurate with a BBB rating." The agency currently ranks the Philippines at BBB-, one notch lower than Moody's and Standard & Poor's. However, Fitch has it on positive outlook suggesting an upgrade may soon be on the cards and potentially providing the new deal with ratings momentum as well. Improving metrics One fund manager told FinanceAsia he also has a favourable outlook on the Philippines. "It will be less impacted by global volatility because it's very much a domestic growth story," he said. "Its economy is also buttressed by very strong US dollar remittances from overseas workers." The net roadshow reveals these have risen from $10.7 billion one decade ago to $22.8 billion in the first 11 months of 2015. Over the same period, the Philippines has also been able to transform its debt metrics and become far less reliant on overseas investors. Over the past decade national government debt as a percentage of GDP has fallen from 68.5% to 44.8% for instance. Last year, the sovereign also sourced only 35% of its debt requirements from international markets compared to 42% in 2010. Joint global co-ordinators for the new bond deal were Citi, Deutsche, HSBC and Standard Chartered. Joint bookrunners were Credit Suisse, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and UBS. This story has been amended after final publication with updated distribution statistics. Wells Fargo has recently added several recruits managing more than $350 million to its independent advisor network, a spokeswoman said. In the largest of three moves, former Morgan Stanley advisors Noel Culberson and Kristy Tochihara opened Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network in Louisville, Colo. They manage more than $186 million in client assets. Tochihara has 26 years of industry experience; Culberson has 11. They joined Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in 2008 from UBS, according to FINRA BrokerCheck records. Shahab Moradian also left Morgan Stanley to join a satellite office of Capital Strategies, an independent practice affiliated with Wells Fargo FiNet. Capital Strategies is based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., but Moradian will be based in San Francisco, according to a spokeswoman. He has more than 13 years of industry experience and manages more than $50 million in client assets. A spokeswoman for Morgan Stanley could not be reached for comment. Former Raymond James advisor Steven Collins left that firm's independent channel to join Wells Fargo FiNet in Bethesda, Md. A Wells Fargo spokeswoman said Collins manages more than $132 million in client assets. Collins had been with Raymond James since 2008, according to FINRA BrokerCheck records. A spokeswoman for the firm declined to comment. This is not the first recruit that Wells Fargos FiNet has picked up from Raymond James so far this year. Last month, the firm said it hired veteran advisor Mitchell Kauffman, who oversaw more than $200 million in AUM. He joined Wells Fargos IBD in Pasadena, Calif. Mitchell had been affiliated with Raymond Jamess independent broker-dealer since 1988, according to FINRA BrokerCheck records. Read more: Greg Hoffman was ready to get out of the advisory business. To be sure, he had a good run closing in on 30 years and had built a nice, small-town business in Nevada, Mo. With around 200 clients, over $120 million in assets and a stellar reputation for retirement planning, Hoffman Financial Resources, a dually registered LPL affiliate with offices in a historic former Carnegie library, had become a veritable local institution. But Hoffman, 56, says he was ready for a change of scenery and another chapter. A question posed by his firms advisory committee set him in motion: What happens to us if something happens to you? Hoffman, who ran a one-man shop, contacted local universities with finance programs, looking to bring someone into the business. As it happened, Ross Lawrence, a recent graduate of the University of Arkansas, was looking for an advisor job. He had completed a Merrill Lynch training program, didnt want to leave the area and Googled RIAs within a 20-mile radius of his home. Lawrence, 28, was hired by Hoffman in 2011. The two men clicked, and Lawrence fit in beautifully, according to Hoffman. He learned the business, got to know the clients and became deeply involved in the community. Lawrence also wanted to become an owner. From the beginning, I treated the job like I owned the business, he says. Lawrence was polite, but not shy: Almost immediately, he asked me, When do you want to get out of here? Hoffman recalls. But Lawrence had no clue how he might be able to finance a purchase. At a Peak Advisor Alliance conference, Lawrence came across a Live Oak Bank booth and learned the three-year-old company was working with the Small Business Administration to provide financing for junior advisors like him to buy into advisory firms. Lawrence, Hoffman and Live Oak began talking last year. On Jan. 1, 2016, Ross Lawrence became the owner of Hoffman Financial Resources. Working with the SBA, Live Oak financed a 10-year loan allowing Lawrence to buy 75% of the business, using a promissory note from Hoffman to complete the rest of the purchase. Hoffman is staying on for at least a year and couldnt be happier. I wanted to make sure my clients were treated like family and had no interest in selling to an unknown entity, he says. The clients are comfortable with Ross, hes doing all the right things and so far its been a seamless transition. Nicely done, right? Heres the problem: The equity transfer from Hoffman to Lawrence appears to be the exception among advisors that proves the rule. According to research in People and Pay, FA Insights 2015 compensation report, advisory firms have not improved the rate at which they are admitting new owners, nor have they increased the share of primary owners within their teams. Only 13% of firms surveyed in 2011 had a new owner a figure that remained the same four years later. And according to the 2015 Fidelity RIA Benchmarking Study, the median number of owners for all advisory firms surveyed was only two. Whats more, RIA owners are continuing to leave the business at a rapid rate. Indeed, the percentage of firms with owners who are within three years of exiting has more than doubled since 2011, and the share of owners leaving the business within seven years has also increased in the past four years. CRISIS POINT The scenario is unsettling, to say the least if not approaching a crisis point. Where firms will find a sufficient number of replacements for these soon-to-be-departing owners is unclear, the report states. Dan Inveen, a principal of FA Insight and its director of research, says, The data is not encouraging. Why are owners so reluctant to distribute or transfer equity? Among the most commonly cited reasons are a reluctance to give up control of a company they have nurtured, grown and poured time and money into, as well as the all-too-familiar human tendency to procrastinate. According to Inveen, many founding owners also have a not so healthy fixation on looking for successors who are just like them. As a result, he says, theyre unnecessarily limiting the field of potential buyers. To make matters worse, there are a limited number of younger advisors in the business to begin with: Only 20% of advisors are under the age of 35, according to FA Insights 2015 study. One issue for buyers is obtaining financing, because most commercial banks wont provide loans to buy RIAs. Younger buyers have been reluctant to use personal assets as collateral for loans, and founding owners have hesitated to finance a large loan to a junior advisor through a promissory note. And all too many owners wont act to distribute equity until theres a trigger event to disrupt the status quo, such as illness, a family crisis or a major problem with the business, says industry consultant John Furey, principal and founder of Phoenix-based Advisor Growth Strategies. We saw one case where an owner wouldnt transfer any equity, and he was in his mid-70s, Furey says. Finally, his employees said if he didnt sell the firm to them at a steep discount, they would quit. It was a horrible situation. ENCOURAGING SIGNS There are encouraging signs, however, that a number of forward-thinking firms are taking steps to more broadly distribute and transition equity. According to FA Insight, the largest percentage of new owners purchase shares through a financing plan, followed by the use of cash up front. Distributing earned equity as part of an incentive plan or through outright granting of shares is also popular. And, of course, some advisors become owners through mergers or acquisitions, swapping their contributed book of business for an equity stake. A recent whitepaper by aRIA, the Alliance for Registered Investment Advisors, one of the industrys most influential study groups composed of executives of advisory firms stresses the importance of ownership development within firms. For advisory firm owners who want to enhance their firms valuation, distributing ownership beyond the founders is almost universally beneficial to firm value, the report states. The best-managed firms set equity criteria, usually a set of guidelines consisting of quantitative and qualitative measurements, says Furey, who founded aRIA and wrote the report. In addition to revenue contributions, Furey says, criteria can include boosting the firms value proposition by investment performance, enhancing client experience, community involvement and developing internal teams and leadership. Advisors with growing books of business may receive more direct forms of equity, such as voting class shares. For key support-level employees, Furey explains, less permanent equity, such as profit-sharing interests, phantom equity (which allows employees to participate in profit distribution without actual ownership rights) or deferred compensation may be more appropriate. Providing equity should result in incenting professionals to continue to grow revenue, the whitepaper concludes. This results in benefits for the firm, the founding partners and the next generation of ownership. EQUITY APPRECIATION Indeed, aRIA member Neal Simon, CEO of Bronfman E.L. Rothschild, says he fundamentally believes in tying employee compensation to the success of the firm. For example, Bronfman has granted some of its key employees equity appreciation rights, which allows the holder to share in the firms growth if it appreciates in value. Management shows each employee how much those rights will be worth if the company doubles in value. At Simons previous company, Highline Wealth Management (which Bronfman bought last year), Simon issued several key employees phantom equity. This program allowed the employees to both receive profit distributions and, in the event of a liquidity event, convert to actual equity. Simon is thinking big Bronfman has over $3.5 billion in AUM, and Simon wants it to double in value within five years and he wants to incentivize others in the firm to do the same. Allowing access to equity, Simon says, ties motivation to financial success, rewards key employees and, with a five-year vesting period, is also a retention vehicle. PRACTICING WHAT THEY PREACH When it comes to a broad distribution of equity, SignatureFD, a $2.5 billion Atlanta-based firm, practices what it preaches: 21 of its 53 employees are partners. Its a fundamental part of our philosophy, says Heather Robertson Fortner, a partner in the firm and its COO. We believe broadening equity was the right thing to do. In order to attract and retain the most talented people, they have to have the opportunity to participate in the companys growth. We let all partners participate in the growth of the firm based on the value they contribute. Cash compensation and equity participation are based on production, generation, management and overall value creation, Fortner says. In addition to revenue generation, she explains, this can also mean working with a team to improve the firms data and tech capabilities, client experience, internal culture or client communities, including women, executives, lawyers or entrepreneurs. Employees who meet specific metrics (some subjective, Fortner admits) are granted a combination of cash and a percentage of the firms increase in future value. NOT FOR EVERYONE But transferring equity isnt for everyone. At Waldron Private Wealth, a $1.2 billion RIA that is based in Pittsburgh, the founder, John Waldron, retains 100% ownership. A big reason, President Matt Helfrich says, is that the firm, which works with high-net-worth clients, has been unnerved by ownership transfer issues. Weve seen the issues that can surface around ownership, Helfrich says. Youre talking about big amounts of money, and people try to get too cute. And the same people youre negotiating with at night, you have to work next to during the day. Instead, Waldron uses incentive compensation to motivate staff to think and act like owners, Helfrich says. Employees, for example, are rewarded for their performance in such initiatives as fostering the advancement of junior staffers to upper management and increasing the amount of business from client referrals. Equity transfers also may not be a priority for solo practitioners or owners of smaller firms who simply want to keep working. If work itself is the reward and not the economics, its probably not an issue, Furey says. Overall, however, the benefits of thinking about future ownership far outweigh the alternative, he warns. Read more: Nutiteq's native-mobile technology will help expand CartoDB's enterprise offering and deliver multi-platform SDK and innovative location intelligence applications CartoDB, a world leading company for location intelligence, data analysis and visualization, today announced the acquisition of Nutiteq, a mobile mapping software development company with more than 15 million unique installations of their SDK, and a roster of clients that includes SeatGeek, LonelyPlanet, iRobot and Accenture, among others. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160217006700/en/ This acquisition will allow CartoDB to offer a cross-platform mobile mapping SDK, with a core rendering engine that complements its geo-analytics capabilities. The offline mapping and routing capabilities along with their ability to work with a number of different sources of data, will enable enterprise customers to implement core location intelligence apps from a one-stop solution. "We believe there is a big opportunity to rethink how we interact with location data on mobile devices. Most geospatial innovation has been pushed to the consumer space. Now enterprises will be able to make use of location intelligence on mobile devices with CartoDB," said Javier de la Torre, CEO of CartoDB. Nutiteq's current SDK offering, including on-device analytics and vector rendering, will be augmented with CartoDB's cloud location analytics and self-service products. This will provide a complete solution for companies building external facing apps or productivity tools on mobile. "We're thrilled for the potential to unlock massive value for location intelligence in virtually every industry," said Jaak Laineste, CEO of Nutiteq. "It's no surprise that people are moving from laptops to smartphones, and it's safe to say that enterprises will be quick to follow." Laineste will lead the mobile division for CartoDB. The entire Nutiteq team will join CartoDB, with an office opening in Estonia, where Nutiteq is currently headquartered. To learn more, visit: https://cartodb.com/mobile ABOUT CARTODB CartoDB leads the world of location intelligence and data visualization, empowering any organization and individual to extract valuable insights from location data. CartoDB transforms layers of geospatial information into data driven maps that enable visual discovery of trends and patterns to make better, faster decisions. CartoDB's technology is used together with big data and real-time systems to develop custom location intelligence applications. CartoDB's self-service web platform allows anyone to effortlessly connect location data to gain insights through simple analysis and visualizations with no coding skills. CartoDB is spearheading the democratization of location intelligence, permitting anyone in industries such as financial, government, journalism, education and scientific to map and understand their world's data in a more meaningful way. CartoDB launched in 2012 and is headquartered in New York. See more at cartodb.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160217006700/en/ Contacts: Moxie Communications Group Lauren Ianuzi, 315-420-0277 cartodb@moxiegrouppr.com End-to-end ERP solution implemented to improve resource management for global organic foods brand IFS (http://www.ifsworld.com/), the global enterprise applications company, today announced that Pukka Herbs (http://media.ne.cision.com/l/fkqcvfas/www.pukkaherbs.com/), the organic herbal tea and supplement company, will implement IFS Applications 9 (http://media.ne.cision.com/l/fkqcvfas/www.ifsworld.com/en/solutions/ifs-applications/ifs-applications-9/) to integrate and automate processes across its global operations, in a deal worth 500k. Founded in 2001 by entrepreneurs Sebastian Pole and Tim Westwell, Pukka Herbs is an entirely organic business and works with over 5,000 growers across the world, offering herbal teas, food supplements and formulas in over 40 countries. The company's portfolio includes over 35 forms of fruit herbal tea and over 75 wellbeing supplements. With a rapidly expanding international presence and a complex supply chain involving multiple sub-contractors across its shipping, storage and manufacturing operations, Pukka Herbs chose IFS's comprehensive ERP solution to centralize management processes and gain greater oversight of its assets. The company sought to refresh its legacy IT infrastructure. With IFS Applications 9, Pukka Herbs will streamline and have complete control of its entire product lifecycle, including third-party procurement of raw materials from India, packing of products in warehouses across the UK, and shipping to third-party distributors worldwide. The company will use the solution to manage these operations, and to obtain a holistic and real-time view of its assets across inventory, supply chain, CRM, quality management, assurance and finance, human resources, graphical forecasting, and document management. Pukka Herbs elected to switch its enterprise software provider after a sustained period of growth. From beginnings in Pole and Westwell's spare bedroom in 2001, the company has enjoyed rapid growth, growing at an average yearly rate of 30%. During this period, the company has taken on new distribution partners in regions including Australia, Hong Kong, the United States and across Western Europe. As a result, the business was looking for a flexible platform that could improve efficiencies and help employees make smarter, data-driven decisions. Pukka Herbs' growth has come during a burgeoning period for health food markets, particularly in the UK. Organic UK food sales defied a decline in overall food spending in 2014, growing by four per cent, and are expected to increase on a global basis by a steady four per cent over the next four years (http://media.ne.cision.com/l/fkqcvfas/www.researchandmarkets.com/research/xvqgtc/global_health_and). The same is true for herbal tea-between 2012 and 2014 the total volume of green tea sold in the UK increased by over 50 per cent (http://media.ne.cision.com/l/fkqcvfas/www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/tea-sales-in-decline-as-britons-desert-black-tea-for-more-exotic-brews-10437907.html), and fruit and herbal teas were up by 31 per cent over the same period. "As our operations expanded into new markets and product lines, it became clear that we required a better way of tracking and planning processes, which wasn't easy with our diverse product development and distribution methods," David Anderson, Head of Sustainability at Pukka Herbs, said. "As an entrepreneurial business, we didn't want a solution that would anchor us in so much process that we ground to a halt, and IFS's flexibility will help us to achieve this. We're looking forward to continuing our ongoing relationship and the significant business benefits it will bring." IFS UK managing director Paul Massey said, "Pukka Herbs is a true British success story. The company's growth has outperformed a very strong market in recent years, which has led to the expansion of its UK team and increasing demand from its international customer base. This growth has brought challenges, however, and the team knew that in order to sustain flexible and controlled growth, they needed an ERP solution agile enough to support this." Massey continued, "From our first meeting, there were clear similarities between Pukka and IFS. We are both passionate about our products and have a professional yet close relationship with our customers and suppliers. The management team wanted a solution which would fit their business well, with a strong user interface that could free up time for back-office staff and management, and this is exactly what IFS offers them. We're very excited about supporting the company's continued growth going forward." Following the core implementation, the company intends to continue to expand the system use across all aspects of the business as part of its ongoing development. About Pukka Herbs Pukka create delicious teas and incredible wellbeing supplements, helping people discover a healthier, happier life. 'Pukka' means authentic and this is at the heart of everything the organisation does. From the organic, fairly traded herbs, carefully sourced from over 50 countries worldwide, to the fact that Pukka gives 1% of its turnover to support the work of environmental non-profit making organisations. About IFS IFS (http://www.ifsworld.com/en/) is a globally recognized leader in developing and delivering enterprise software for enterprise resource planning (ERP), enterprise asset management (EAM) and enterprise service management (ESM). IFS brings customers in targeted sectors closer to their business, helps them be more agile and enables them to profit from change. IFS is a public company (XSTO: IFS) founded in 1983 and currently has over 2,700 employees. IFS supports more than 2,400 customers worldwide from its network of local offices and through a growing ecosystem of partners. For more information visit: www.ifsworld.com. Follow us on Twitter: @ifsworld (http://twitter.com/ifsworld) Visit the IFS Blogs on technology, innovation and creativity: http://blogs.ifsworld.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/20160217006704/en/ Contacts: IFS Jill Rick Marketing Communications Analyst, IFS North America Phone: 262.317.7425 jill.rick@ifsworld.com SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwired - February 17, 2016) - At the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance's (PNAA) 15 th Annual Aerospace Manufacturing Conference on February 10 th , Paul Michaels, Aerospace Director at GM Nameplate, was honored with the 2016 Aerospace Executive of the Year Award. The PNAA is a group dedicated to the growth and success of the Aerospace industry in the Pacific Northwest region. This award showcases an executive from an Aerospace company located in the Pacific Northwest who has surpassed expectations in contributing to the Aerospace industry, and inspires success in themselves and those around them. Since he started at GM Nameplate in 2002, Michaels has supported initiatives to reduce customer costs and driven change in the supply chain to support increased efficiency. Such efforts have led to a 25% increase in sales for GMN Aerospace over the past five years. Within his team, Michaels has cultivated a culture focused on world class customer support and service, which is reflected in GMN Aerospace's 99% quality and delivery ratings. Additionally, this open and outgoing culture encourages support between the members and has formed a close-knit group. As a result, their team has achieved a 0% employee turnover rate in the past decade. "I feel so incredibly honored to receive this recognition from PNAA. This award would not be possible without the support of the GMN Aerospace Team and the dedication they bring to work every day," expressed Michaels. "I see my role as communicating the vision, making sure they have the resources they need, and getting out of their way to let them succeed. I love knowing I can trust our team, and giving them the support and freedom they need to be creative and productive in reaching our goals. Sincere thanks to everyone at PNAA for this amazing award!" About GM Nameplate GMN is recognized as a leading international manufacturer that meets and exceeds customer expectations every time. Established in 1954, GMN has grown its capabilities from nameplates and brand identity, to include labels, die-cuts, front panel integration, printed electronics and biosensors, plastics, keypads and more. The company is committed to serving its customers with the highest quality possible. Contact: Cynthia Schulte Marketing Manager 206-436-6964 cindys@gmnameplate.com CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Australian dollar weakened against the other major currencies in the Asian session on Thursday. The Australian dollar fell to a 9-day low of 0.9763 against the Canadian dollar and a 2-day low of 1.0748 against the NZ dollar, from yesterday's closing quotes of 0.9817 and 1.0821, respectively. Against the U.S. dollar, the yen and the euro, the aussie dropped to 0.7134, 81.29 and 1.5599 from yesterday's closing quotes of 0.7182, 81.94 and 1.5486, respectively. If the aussie extends its downtrend, it is likely to find support around 0.97 against the loonie, 1.05 against the kiwi, 0.69 against the greenback, 77.00 against the yen and 1.60 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. Finstar Financial Group acquires 51 stake in the company and invests in its promising alternative financial products Prestamos Prima ("the Company") has at the same time announced a significant enhancement of its product offering including new features for its European peer-to-peer lending platform, which offers low risk investments in loans supported by mortgages, adding high-yield consumer loans and a 'Secondary Market' to the platform. Finstar already has a strong track record in the financial technology and consumer finance space and has established successful partnerships with fast-growing lenders across Europe. Last year it also launched its own portfolio company, Digital Finance International, with the aim of applying the most advanced technological solutions to deliver tailored consumer lending solutions globally. Prestamos Prima's newest product is Viventor, a peer-to-peer investing platform open to investors from all over Europe. All loans listed on the platform are secured by a 60-day Buyback Guarantee, and are 100% pre-funded. The loans are issued by Twinero and Prestamos Prima. Investors can choose from a range of low-risk loans secured by real estate mortgages that generate modest returns, and a variety of newly added short-term consumer loans that have no underlying assets, have comparatively higher levels of risk, generating returns as high as 15% per annum. Investing in Viventor is free, with a minimum deposit of just EUR 50 needed to open an account and you can invest as little as EUR 10 per loan. A 'Secondary Market' enables investors to sell their stakes in loans to other investors at a par, premium or discount, and exit their investment positions prematurely. Andris Rozenbahs, COO of Viventor: "Offering short-term consumer loans on Viventor is a big step forward for us as a company. A considerable number of our investors have expressed their desire to diversify their portfolios across different loan types, seeking higher returns. Twinero is a trusted name that has been operating in Spanish market for years, building up a strong track record. We believe offering short-term loans is a great way of satisfying the demand of our investors." "Partnering with Finstar Financial Group is a huge advantage for us in the long term. The Finstar team consists of number of highly experienced professionals in the financial services industry and this expertise will greatly aid Viventor's development in the rapidly growing space of peer-to-peer financing and beyond." Nicholas Jordan, CEO of Finstar Financial Group: "We are excited about our partnership with a peer-to-peer lending platform such as Prestamos Prima's Viventor. Finstar is always looking for innovative products in the fintech space and Prestamos Prima is a leader in the European market. We are delighted to work with the talented management team to strengthen Viventor, assist with rapid expansion of other projects and the further diversification of its portfolio." 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 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 Prestamos Prima Prestamos Prima has been operating in the European non-bank lending and alternative finance market since 2012. The company has gradually developed its portfolio, both in terms of loan volume and product diversity. Having established a leading position in the Spanish market, the group is aiming at international expansion in 2016 and beyond. Viventor has been nominated for the European Fintech Awards 2016. Read more about Prestamos Prima: http://prestamosprima.com/ and Viventor: https://www.viventor.com/ View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160218005602/en/ Contacts: Finstar Financial Group Public Relations: Larisa Shishkina Marina Evseeva, +7 905 529 12 52 Shishkina@finstar.com / Marina.Evseeva@finstar.com or Prestamos Prima Group Andris Rozenbahs, +34 935 297 780 info@prestamosprima.com or Instinctif Partners David Simonson Mark Walter, +44 20 7866 7887 David.Simonson@instinctif.com / Mark.Walter@instinctif.com TORTOLA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS -- (Marketwired) -- 02/18/16 -- On Tuesday, February 16, a federal judge in California ordered Apple to help the FBI hack into one of the encrypted iPhones of the San Bernardino shooters. Apple immediately released a public statement opposing the court order, stating how this decision would greatly endanger the privacy of its users. As proud sponsors of nonprofit privacy advocacy groups the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Fight for the Future, ExpressVPN strongly supports Apple's decision and is a firm believer that everyone, no matter their level of technical expertise, has the right to use the Internet freely and securely. Google, WhatsApp and Mozilla have already released statements aligning themselves with Apple. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has publicly stated how the FBI's request, if enforced, could set a troubling precedent for the future of privacy. In a public statement, Apple CEO Tim Cook warned of the repercussions of following this order, stating: "The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers - including tens of millions of American citizens - from sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals. The same engineers who built strong encryption into the iPhone to protect our users would, ironically, be ordered to weaken those protections and make our users less safe." ExpressVPN encourages everyone who values their privacy to make their voices heard in this pivotal fight. To learn more about ExpressVPN, visit:https://www.expressvpn.com/. About ExpressVPN ExpressVPN, the world's most trusted VPN, enables Internet users worldwide to browse websites safely and anonymously. With VPN servers in 78 countries across the globe, ExpressVPN has a comprehensive reach and allows unobstructed access to international content. ExpressVPN's award-winning apps for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS ensure that customers are only a click away from a secure, encrypted Internet connection. ExpressVPN has been operating since 2009 and today is one of the world's largest providers of premium VPN services. The company is a vocal advocate for Internet freedom and privacy, and is a financial supporter of nonprofit organizations fighting to protect these rights. ExpressVPN continues to grow its customer base and service offerings as an ever-greater number of people are adopting the use of critical online security tools. Contacts: ExpressVPN David Lang Communications Manager david.lang@expressvpn.com www.expressvpn.com Copenhagen, 18 February 2016 - Zealand informs that its Annual General Meeting for 2016 will be held onTuesday, 19 April 2016 at 1.30 pmatPlesner Law Firm,Amerika Plads 37,2100 Copenhagen , DenmarkAfter the meeting, there will be a light serving and the opportunity to speak with members of Zealand's senior management team.Deadline for submitting proposals to the agendaThe deadline for submitting proposals to be included on the agenda for the Annual General Meeting is Monday, 7 March 2016. Proposals may be sent by email to agm@zealandpharma.com or by letter to Zealand Pharma A/S, Smedeland 36, 2600 Glostrup, Denmark, att.: Department of Investor Relations.The notice to convene for the Annual General Meeting will be sent only per emailIn consideration of the environment and of costs, Zealand has previously communicated that from 2016 and onwards, notices to convene for Zealand's general meetings will be sent out directly to our shareholders per email. All Zealand shareholders can register an email address via the Shareholder Portal on the company's website.Shareholders, who would like to still receive notices to convene for general meetings by letter, are kindly asked to register for this on the Shareholder Portal before 16 March 2016.Attachment:https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=547474 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. VIENNA (dpa-AFX) - German shares traded slightly higher in choppy trade on Thursday, with sentiment supported by a rally on Wall Street overnight and strong gains in Asia. With Eurozone current account surplus narrowing in December and Chinese producer price data adding to deflationary pressures in the world's second-largest economy, investors look ahead to the publication of ECB meeting minutes later in the day for further direction. Investors also await the outcome of a summit of EU leaders today that will decide Britain's relationship with the European Union. The benchmark DAX was up 32 points or 0.35 percent at 9,410 after rising 2.7 percent the previous day. Banks traded mixed, with Commerzbank rising 0.4 percent while Deutsche Bank lost half a percent. Fresenius Medical Care shares slipped marginally. The dialysis specialist has reached an out-of-court settlement with plaintiffs to resolve litigation in the U.S. involving GranuFlo/NaturaLyte. Deutsche Borse rallied nearly 4 percent. The stock exchange operator boosted dividend despite reporting a drop in fourth-quarter profit. Allianz shares rose 0.7 percent. The insurer struck a deal with Enstar to reinsure its U.S. run-off business. Automaker Daimler shed half a percent after extending its CEO's contract. 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. LOS ANGELES, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/18/16 -- Pasadena Mediator and Family Law Attorney Mark Baer today announced that the book he recently co-authored, "Putting Kids First in Divorce: How to Reduce Conflict, Preserve Relationships and Protect Children During and After Divorce" is now a best seller on Amazon.com. In this child-centered guide for parents who are considering divorce or separation, Attorney and Mediator Baer contributes the opening chapters: "Choosing Cooperation Over Combat" and "Stay Out of Court! Choose Mediation or Collaborative Divorce Over Litigation." By offering unique insight into the legal processes of mediation and collaborative divorce, he empowers parents to make better decisions as it relates to the health and welfare of their children. Putting Kids First in Divorce is comprised of ten, value-packed chapters featuring content and interviews with high-integrity divorce professionals unified by a common theme: putting the needs of children first through cooperative processes. "Going through a divorce is never easy," suggests the book's narrative. "Tension can be high, and too often, the adversarial family court system only escalates the conflict. Sadly, children can become collateral damage." "Based on everything I know, when parents are combative in a divorce," states Mediator Mark Baer, "it permanently impacts the dynamics of the family that still exists after the marriage ends in a negative way, and this tends to harm children." In the first chapter of the book, "Choose Cooperation Over Combat," Family Law Attorney/Mediator Baer walks parents through concepts frequently used in the more constructive processes of mediation and collaborative law. He describes how to start with the end goal in mind to help to reduce conflict and maintain focus of the bigger picture, how to view divorce from a child's perspective, identifies what harms children and how to protect them from harm, and explains how ongoing conflict can cause more harm to children than the divorce itself. Likewise in Chapter Two, "Stay Out of Court! Choose Mediation or Collaborative Divorce Over Litigation," Mediator Baer arms parents with a solid understanding of why cooperative methods to divorce such as mediation or collaborative law are typically superior to litigation; he explains that Family Court is inherently adversarial and how attorneys can either be part of the solution or part of the problem. "Putting Kids First in Divorce" is author Mark Baer's second book writing collaboration. He previously authored a chapter in "Strategies for Family Law in California, 2013 edition," an authoritative, insider's perspective on navigating the nuances of California family law. Mark Baer is recognized as a thought leader in legal circles for his innovative, widely -- published blogs that question old practices and invite new outlooks on improving the practice of mediation, collaboration, and family law and is best known for his child-centered and psychologically-minded approach to family law. As a regular contributor to The Huffington Post, he has had more than 70 blogs published since May 2013. As a speaker, he has given a number of high-profile presentations on family law, mediation and collaborative law. Most recently, he spoke on a panel that he spearheaded for the 27th Annual Southern California Mediation Association Conference and the American Bar Association Section of Family Law 2015 Fall CLE Conference. A five-time Southern California "Super Lawyer," Attorney Baer was crowned "Most Compassionate Family Mediator - California" by Corporate America Legal Elite 2015 in addition to being named "Best Collaborative Divorce Practitioner - California" in Acquisition International's 2015 AI Legal Awards. Since 2008, he has authored a psychology and family law column in the San Gabriel Valley Psychological Association's award-winning newsletter. Putting Kids First in Divorce is available on Amazon.com in Kindle format by visiting: https://mogulymedia.clickfunnels.com/kids-first Embedded Video Available Embedded Video Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2965931 Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2965923 Media Inquiries: To schedule an interview with Attorney Mark Baer, please call: Mark B. Baer, Esq (626) 389-8929 E-mail: Email Contact www.markbaeresq.com PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island, Feb. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --REBRAND' recently launched the first-ever Hall of Fame for branding expertise worldwide, in partnership with London-based VIM Group, the global brand implementation experts. Beyond the global agencies with offices in Europe such as Interbrand, FutureBrand, MetaDesign, Landor, and Brand Union, there are talented other firms representing the only honorees from their respective countries. Among that list are: Brandient, the Romania-based consultancy that developed the highly acclaimed Romanian National Olympic and Sports Committee identity Brandoctor in Croatia that helped strengthen Froddo children's shoe brand towards successful extension into other markets KW43, known for their work with brands like Mont Blanc, Deichman Shoes, and Thuringer Energie Make in Denmark that helped Danish brands like Rosendahl reclaim their prominent, luxury retail presence Porkka Kuutsa Oy in Finland, that revitalized Ekovilla to greater market share, also working with such clients as Granlund and Efora Radley Yeldar in the UK, having worked with such clients as the GREAT Britain campaign and TEDx House of Parliament Logo- http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160217/334380LOGO Marc Cloosterman, CEO of VIM Group, said "We are honoured to partner with REBRAND for this very important recognition of the value of rebranding to the global economy. Paying tribute to the value of good rebranding cases, both creatively and in terms of implementation, is what REBRAND has brought the industry, now already for more than a decade. We congratulate all the Hall of Fame winners for their long lasting contribution to the sector!" There were 25 consultancies from around the world that merited this first phase of the REBRAND Hall of Fame. Future phases will include individuals and organizations with widely acclaimed contributions to branding beyond the REBRAND 100 winners. "It was high time this distinct expertise that drives valuation of public and private companies be given its proper acknowledgement and respect," said Anaezi Modu, Founder and CEO, REBRAND. "Branding deserves it's own celebration for successful integration of various capabilities, and for the exceptional work elite brand professionals do to further causes and to touch many aspects of our lives." About VIM Group As one unified organization, VIM Group ensures that brands are consistently delivered around the world. Implementation of brand properties across all touchpoints, both digital and on the ground, is their business. As the category's founder, VIM Group has completed over a thousand brand implementation projects. Their global network brings unrivalled experience and knowledge to clients such as Deutsche Telekom, Airbus Group, Danfoss, Suzuki, ING Group and DHL. About REBRAND' REBRAND is the world's leading platform for brand transformation insights, case examples, programs, and expertise. Celebrating 10+ years of excellence, its renowned REBRAND 100 Global Awards is the most highly-respected, juried recognition for repositioned brands, having reached participation from 51 countries in over 40 industries. Featured in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, Bloomberg News, articles and books, the competition has contributed to an unrivaled global library of transformed brands. Past winners have included American Airlines, Audi, Cancer Research UK, Fiji Airways, Hyatt Hotels, and National Bank of Kenya. Contact: REBRAND' Andrea Walker 1-401-785-1412 awards@rebrand.com BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Swiss watch exports continued to decline at the beginning of the year, figures from the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry showed Thursday. Watch exports fell notably by 7.9 percent year-over-year in value terms in January to CHF 1.5 billion. All main price segments recorded significant decreases during the month. Among the main export markets, demand from Hong Kong declined the most by 33.1 percent in January from last year. It was the twelfth consecutive monthly fall. Similarly, shipments to the United States extended its downward trend in January. It dropped for the fifth successive month by 13.7 percent. China registered a slight decrease of 1.9 percent after rising in the previous two months. At the same time, exports to Japan grew markedly by 35.8 percent. Improved market conditions also observed in main European markets, including France. 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. GRENOBLE, France, February 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In March 2015, Spartoo made a strategic shift and launched into physical distribution. Since then, the group has opened a new store each month, bringing the number of Spartoo stores up to 10. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160218/334632LOGO ) An innovative concept, a well thought-out strategy The group's move into physical distribution is the result of a long thought-out strategy. This strategy involves many aspects, including the willingness to humanize the relationship with consumers and provide reassurance for those who are new to online shopping, as well as increase Spartoo's visibility. "We have to humanize the relationship with our customers to create a close relationship and also to generate brand preference. The stores are a real measure of customer loyalty," explains Boris Saragaglia, CEO of Spartoo. The lines between physical retail and online retail are becoming more blurred, and consumers want to enjoy these complimentary ways to shop. "With the help of the Paris agency Intangibles, we have developed the concept of connected stores, so that we can offer all items on the website as well as those in the store, thanks to tablets and tactile screens," explains Boris Saragaglia. "It's not about the site and the store competing but creating synergy between the two." A focused regional presence for carefully managed development To ensure strong implementation, the group took advantage of its roots in the Rhone-Alps region to advance step by step. "Our strategy is based on opening our own stores regionally, in town centres and shopping centres. Today we are focusing our efforts in Rhone-Alps and plan to progressively spread out to the Northeast and Southeast regions of France," explains Boris Saragaglia. After the Grenoble opening last March, a first wave of openings happened in September. Very encouraging initial feedback After only 9 months of activity, the first Spartoo store, located in the heart of Grenoble town centre, has already had very positive reports, allowing the management team to work with confidence on the 2016 openings. "The first results of our Grenoble store are very promising and show how much the customers still enjoy boutiques," said Boris Saragaglia, CEO of Spartoo. It's the first step in the group's plan to have a network of about 50 of their own stores by 2017. Contact: Margaux MIGNARD m.mignard@spartoo.com +33476099466 NOIDA, India, February 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- "Participation of so many countries on 12thFebruary - International Day of Journalism and 13thWorld Radio Day proves that love, peace and unity is still the priority of the World. Here I have learned more than my expectations," said H.E. Dr. Mbuya Isaac Munlo High Commissioner of Malawi to India, while inaugurating the World Radio Day on the second day of 4thGlobal Festival of Journalism Noida 2016. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160218/791025) (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140814/10104379-a) 4thGlobal Festival of Journalism offered workshops, seminars, master classes, documentaries, symposiums, talks, interactions with the people from all over the World and to bring Love Peace and Unity through journalism. "Radio has proved to be the most popular medium of communication. It is also the completion of six years of our Radio Noida 107.4FM. Radio Noida can be heard all over the World through mobile and internet," added Sandeep Marwah, President of Marwah Studio and Global Cultural Minister. "Journalists must realize their responsibility while reporting and publishing news. Every word leaves an impact on the reader. We are here to build the nation," said Yogendra Narain, Former Secretary General of Rajya Sabha and Chairman ICMEI Planning Commission. "The trends must change from negative news to positive news. This is the country of young people, we must guide them through all the mediums of media," expressed Sushil Chandra Tripathi the former Secretary Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. Madhurendra Sinha, Editor of Live India Channel, K.D.Gupta Chairman Environment Committee ICMEI, Laxmi Shankar Vajpai former Director General All India Radio, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Maann Singh Deep a filmmaker also spoke on the occasion. A poster of, 'No More Missing Campaign', poster of, 'International Women's Film Forum', a book on film industry- Unmasking and a news letter all were released by the guests. Later Sandeep Marwah honored the guest with the life membership of International Journalism Centre of AAFT. The festival was attended bylarge number of film, television and media persons from all over India and abroad. H.E. Dr. Mbuya Isaac Munro, High Commissioner of Malawi to India proposed to startthe Indo Malawi Cultural Forum soon. About AAFT Located in the picturesque film city of Noida, Asian Academy of Film & Television (AAFT) enjoys its proximity to several renowned production houses and satellite TV news channels and provides an environment which is conducive in training the media professionals. Asian Academy of Film & Television is headed by an internationally acclaimed personality Prof. Sandeep Marwah. AAFT has been imparting education and training in various areas of cinema and mass media since last 25 years. AAFT has however, remained steadfast in its objective of providing cost effective education and training to the aspirants of a career in media industry. For more info, visit http://www.aaft.com. Media contact: Viney Kumar +91-(0)1204-831-143 info@aaft.com HKTDC Communication and Public Affairs Department Joe Kainz Tel: +852 2584 4216 Email: joe.kainz@hktdc.org HONG KONG, Feb 18, 2016 - (ACN Newswire) - Two of the jewellery industry's leading trade fairs are set to dazzle in Hong Kong next month. Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the 3rd Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem & Pearl Show takes place from 1 to 5 March at the AsiaWorld-Expo, while the 33rd Hong Kong International Jewellery Show will open from 3 to 7 March at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.World's largest jewellery marketplace tailored to industry needs"This is the third year that we are using the 'two shows, two venues' format, an arrangement that has been well received by exhibitors and buyers alike," said HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau. "By showcasing raw materials and finished pieces separately, we can accommodate more exhibitors with a more spacious exhibition environment and provide a greater selection of products to buyers with enhanced product specialisation."This year, the two shows will welcome more than 4,380 exhibitors from 50 countries and regions, forming the world's largest jewellery marketplace.Consumer demand for jewellery reboundingBenedict Sin, Chairman of HKTDC's Jewellery Advisory Committee, said consumer demand for jewellery had rebounded since the price of precious metals fell last year, including gold and platinum. "According to a report published by the World Gold Council, global gold demand for jewellery in the first half of 2015 dropped by eight per cent; but in the second half of the year demand increased by two per cent year-on-year," said Mr Sin. "This indicates that consumers had capitalised on the price drop and returned to the consumer market for jewellery. Under the current economic conditions, consumers may prefer high quality and reasonably priced products rather than conspicuous brands. This may be good news for Hong Kong's exporters as they are likely to receive more orders."New zones and pavilionsAt the two shows, new zones and pavilions will be set up to cater to different buyer demands. At the Diamond, Gem & Pearl Show, a new Rough Stones & Minerals zone will be set up to showcase unpolished and uncut stones and gems. Over at the Jewellery Show, there will be a new zone, Wedding Bijoux, which showcases wedding rings and other bridal jewellery; and a new pavilion, T-GOLD+ METS, which features international professional jewellery and watch making machinery, equipment, technology and supplies. T-GOLD+ METS is co-organised by the HKTDC, Hong Kong Jewellery & Jade Manufacturers Association (HKJJA) and Fiera di Vicenza.The Hall of Extraordinary will present a series of high-end fine jewellery pieces. Dehres, one of Asia's top diamond jewellers, will showcase a range of pear-shaped diamond jewellery each valued at over US$1 million. Dawn Jewellery, renowned for its fusion of East-West elements, will feature a necklace made of icy jade, Tahitian pearls, diamonds and emeralds that is worth nearly HK$2 million. Other renowned exhibitors include Louis Glick & Company from the United States, Switzerland's Thomas Faerber and Zebrak London from the United Kingdom.Hall of famous brandsApart from eye-catching materials, jewellers are also gaining attention for their unique designs and high-quality brands. The Jewellery Show's Hall of Fame will showcase collections by more than 40 top-tier international brands. Famous Italian jewellery designer Roberto Coin will bring his signature The Fifth Season by Roberto Coin collection to the show. Another local brand Lady Heart will present its heart-shaped jewellery collections for the first time at the Jewellery Show. Other exhibitors include renowned jewellers TTF Haute Joaillerie and Lao Feng Xiang from the Chinese mainland, Kuwayama from Japan and Imperial Collection from Hong Kong, all set to introduce their finest to Hall of Fame visitors. Other highlighted exhibition zones include Designer Galleria, Antique & Vintage Jewellery Galleria, World of Glamour featuring Hong Kong exhibitors, and Treasures of Craftsmanship, which displays ornaments and decorative pieces.Many countries and regions are setting up group pavilions at the two shows, reflecting the event's global influence. France will present its first pavilion at the Jewellery Show, while the Tanzanite Foundation pavilion will debut at the Diamond, Gem & Pearl Show. Tanzanite is a special kind of violet-blue gemstone that was discovered in Tanzania less than 50 years ago, and is already highly sought after by the gem industry.Networking activities aplentyLawrence Ma, Chairman of the shows' organising committees, said, "The jewellery industry sees the shows both as important trade and sourcing platforms and an opportunity for exchanging industry intelligence, understanding market trends and networking. That is why the HKTDC will be organising a series of seminars and networking activities for visitors during the shows."On the first night of the Jewellery Show, the HKTDC will host a Royal Cruise-themed Gala Dinner with a menu designed by celebrated chef Michael Gilligan, Royal Caribbean International's Director of Culinary. Guests will be able to enjoy a night of fine dining while networking with other industry professionals. The HKTDC will also invite expert speakers to host seminars on such topical issues as Tanzanite, brand establishment of chuk kam (pure gold) jewellery and consumer trends. A number of jewellery parades will enable buyers to sample a series of collections in a short period of time.Jewellery competition pieces on displayThe 17th Hong Kong Jewellery Design Competition received 277 entries this year. Winners of Open and Student Group awards and the Craftsmanship & Technology Award have been selected. The winning pieces will be exhibited during the Jewellery Show (Hall 1E Concourse). The competition was jointly organised by the HKTDC and Hong Kong Jewellers' & Goldsmiths' Association, Hong Kong Jewellery & Jade Manufacturers Association, Hong Kong Jewelry Manufacturers' Association and Diamond Federation of Hong Kong, China.Fair websites:Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem and Pearl Show: http://www.hktdc.com/hkdgpHong Kong International Jewellery Show: http://www.hktdc.com/hkjewelleryshowPhoto Download: http://bit.ly/1oM8YBPMedia Registration: Media representatives wishing to cover the event may register on-site with their business cards and/or media identification.To view press releases in Chinese, please visit http://mediaroom.hktdc.com/tcAbout HKTDCA statutory body established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is the international marketing arm for Hong Kong-based traders, manufacturers and services providers. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China and throughout Asia. The HKTDC also organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in overseas markets, while providing information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Google+, Twitter @hktdc, LinkedIn.Google+: https://plus.google.com/+hktdcTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/hktdcLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/hong-kong-trade-development-councilSource: HKTDCContact:Copyright 2016 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM -- (Marketwired) -- 02/18/16 -- Epistem Holdings Plc (LSE: EHP), the personalised medicine and biotechnology company, announces today that its Genedrive point of care Hepatitis C ("HCV") test has successfully completed its first external assessment. The assessment was conducted on reference material and patient samples at the Institut Pasteur, Paris, and its success allows clinical trials of the HCV test to commence, in anticipation of regulatory approval and market launch in the EU during 2017. The qualitative HCV test, which is proprietary to Epistem, has been developed for use on its Genedrive platform in collaboration with Inserm, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, under a EUR6m funded programme supported by the European Commission's 7th Framework HCV programme (EU FP7 PoC-HCV, www.poc-hcv.eu) which commenced in September 2013. The Genedrive qualitative HCV test detects viral RNA, covers all HCV genotypes and is performed at "point of need" medical centres directly on plasma without the requirement for complex laboratory equipment or highly trained operators. The test is completed within 90 minutes and has shown excellent alignment to target product profile specifications for HCV, as specified by the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND)(1 ). An estimated 150 - 200 million people are understood to be living with chronic HCV viral infection and some 350,000 people die each year from HCV related diseases. The advent of Direct Acting Antiviral Drugs promises to revolutionise the treatment of HCV but to maximise their impact qualitative diagnostic testing will be required. The new Genedrive HCV test has been developed to address this need, particularly in parts of the world where access to centralised diagnostic laboratories is limited. Dr Darragh Duffy, programme co-coordinator of the EU FP7 PoC-HCV programme, said: "We are pleased to have successfully demonstrated the performance of the Genedrive HCV test in this initial assessment at the Institut Pasteur and we look forward to further assessment in the upcoming clinical studies of retrospective and prospectively collected patient samples." Dr Matthew Albert, M.D, Ph.D, Director of the Immunobiology of Dendritic Cell biology unit at Institut Pasteur, Paris, said: "The Genedrive HCV test delivers results in under 90 mins rather than days - with the simplicity and ease of use of a point of care test. It is suitable for confirmation of infection and monitoring of HCV, and, once approved, should assist scale up and roll out of HCV diagnostics in resource limited countries." Dr Ian Gilham, Chairman of Epistem, commented "The commencement of clinical trials of our HCV assay is an important step in our ongoing commercialisation of Genedrive, alongside the introduction of our TB test into the Indian market. The excellent results seen with HCV serve as a key proof of principle of our ability to develop blood-based tests and allow us to proceed with the development of tests for Hepatitis B and HIV, positioning Genedrive as the point of care platform of choice for the diagnosis of infectious diseases." It is anticipated that the Genedrive HCV test will be available as a Research Use Only (RUO) product from mid-2016 and for market launch in 2017. 1. http://www.finddiagnostics.org/programs/hepC/target-product-profile/ Contacts: Epistem Holdings Plc Dr Ian Gilham Chairman +44 (0)161 606 7258 info@epistem.co.uk Epistem Holdings Plc John Rylands Finance Director +44 (0)161 606 7258 info@epistem.co.uk PERTH, AUSTRALIA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/18/16 -- Researched by Industrial Info Resources Australia (Perth, Australia) -- On February 25, Industrial Info Resources (IIR) will be presenting a complimentary Market Outlook & Networking Event in Perth, Australia at the Swan Theatre, where we will discuss both the drivers and obstacles of project spending in Oceania and the broader global arena, with a special emphasis on the Oil & Gas sector. Within this article: Lists some of the questions that IIR seeks to answer at the event. For details, view the entire article by subscribing to Industrial Info's Premium Industry News, or browse other breaking industrial news stories at www.industrialinfo.com. Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. To contact an office in your area, visit the www.industrialinfo.com "Contact Us" page. Contact: Brian Ford (713) 980-9393 MOLINE (dpa-AFX) - Agricultural machinery maker Deere & Co. (DE) claims it remain well-positioned to serve its customers while continuing to make investments in quality and innovation that are designed to drive growth in the future. The company has also been proactively controlling expenses, costs and managing assets. Moreover, the company believes that it 'can continue to earn solid returns even in a weak farm economy, deliver financial performance, much improved over downturns in the past and longer term see substantial benefits from the world's growing need for advanced equipment and technology solutions.' For fiscal 2016, net income attributable to Deere & Co. is anticipated to be about $1.4 billion, lower than $1.94 billion in fiscal 2015. Company equipment sales are projected to decrease about 7% for fiscal 2015 and to be down about 11% for the first quarter. The Street expects the company to earn $4.24 per share for the year on revenues of $23.66 billion for fiscal 2016. 'Although our forecast calls for lower results in the year ahead, the outlook represents a level of performance that is considerably better than we have experienced in previous downturns,' Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Samuel Allen said. The company is slated to release its first-quarter results before the bell on Friday, February 19, with analysts polled by Thomson Reuters estimating earnings of $0.70 per share on revenue of $4.94 billion. Analysts' estimate typically exclude certain special items. In the previous quarter, the company's performance benefited from the adept execution of its business plans and disciplined cost management. Fourth-quarter net income attributable to the company fell to $351.2 million or $1.08 per share from $649.2 million or $1.83 per share for the same period last year. On average, 22 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected earnings of $0.75 per share for the quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude certain special items. Worldwide net sales and revenues decreased 25% to $6.72 billion from $8.97 billion in the previous year. Net sales of the worldwide equipment operations declined 26% from last year to $5.93 billion from $8.04 billion. Analysts expected revenues of $6.13 billion. Sales included price realization of 1% for the quarter and an unfavorable currency-translation effect of 5%. 'John Deere has completed a successful year in the face of further weakness in the global agricultural sector and a slowdown in construction-equipment markets,' said Samuel Allen, chairman and chief executive officer. 'Sales and earnings for the year were the sixth-highest in company history, a notable achievement in light of the challenging market conditions we experienced.' Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN and SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/18/16 -- Heliospectra AB (publ) (OTCQB: HLSPY) (FIRSTNORTH: HELIO), a world leader in intelligent lighting technology for greenhouse cultivation and plant research, is pleased to announce that it will be a featured speaker and exhibit at the upcoming Cannabis Business Expo taking place at the Hilton Union Square in San Francisco California, March 3-5. Heliospectra will exhibit in booth 701. This will be the 2nd Annual Cannabis Business Expo, produced by MJIC Media. The event focus on decision makers in the cannabis industry including; current business owners and managers, entrepreneurs starting a cannabis business, investors providing private equity & resources, as well as professional and business service providers. This year the expo will be held in California -- the largest legal cannabis market in North America. According to estimates made by California NORML, there are now more than 750,000 and as many as 1,125,000 medical marijuana patients in California making it a highly sought after market. Heliospectra General ManagerChris Walker will be speaking on Saturday, March 5that 1:30 pm on the topic "Advanced Lighting Technology". He will also take part in the "Technology Updates"panel on March 5th at 10.00 am. For more information on the event please click on the image below. http://sanfrancisco.marijuanainvestorsummit.com/2016/ About Heliospectra AB Heliospectra AB (publ) (OTCQB: HLSPY, FIRSTNORTH: HELIO) (www.heliospectra.com) specializes in intelligent lighting technology for plant research and greenhouse cultivation. The Company's lighting system provides an effective and durable technology for cultivating greenhouse and indoor plants by combining several different groups of versatile light emitting diodes (LEDs) with optics, remote sensing techniques, and a robust heat dissipation solution. This proprietary setup gives growers the ability to control the intensity and wavelengths of the light emitted, creating a spectrum specifically adjusted to different plant species and growth stages to better facilitate photosynthesis. The complete, highly-engineered lamp produces crops that look better, taste better, and have a longer shelf-life than those grown under HID lamps. The technology not only reduces energy consumption by up to 50%, but also helps stimulate growth characteristics and improve plant quality. Other benefits include reduced light pollution, lower mercury use due to the avoidance of traditional HID/HPS bulbs, and less HVAC investment and monthly expense requirements. Heliospectra products are based on in-depth knowledge in plant physiology and photosynthesis along with a unique way to utilize modern LED technology. After six years of development in Sweden, the company has now begun to expand into the international market. The company has raised more than $ 21 million in capital and has received more than $2.6 million through academic scholarships and grants. It has also received numerous awards for its forward thinking technology. Principal owners: Weland Steel www.welandstal.se, Swedish Industrial Fund www.industrifonden.se, Midroc www.midroc.se, Avanza Pension www.avanza.se. Forward-Looking Statements The statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws. Such statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control. In addition, such forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions with respect to future business strategies and decisions that are subject to change. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, technical advances in the industry as well as political and economic conditions present within the industry. We do not take any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or developments after a forward-looking statement was made. Investor Relations: Staffan Hillberg CEO Heliospectra AB Tel: +46 (0)708 36 59 44 Email: staffan.hillberg@heliospectra.com Michael Swartz Senior Analyst Viridian Capital Advisors, LLC Tel: 212-333-0257 Email: mswartz@viridianca.com www.heliospectra.com WALTHAM, MA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/18/16 -- Alignable, the social network for small business owners, today announced the findings of its first quarterly SMB Trust Index(SM), highlighting the sentiments of more than 6,000 North American small business owners toward the products and services they are most and least likely to recommend to their peers. This first publicly available Net Promoter Score (NPS) report for small business technology brands reveals how they stack up to each other and the competition. Notable findings from Q4 2015 include: WordPress, with a NPS of 73, ranks highest among small business owners, followed by Authorize.Net and MailChimp. Yelp and Groupon are at the bottom of the barrel with scores of -66 and -65, respectively. Facebook continues to lose ground, falling out of the top 10. MailChimp and Square both saw their scores rise by three points. "The availability of NPS data on local marketing providers will impact how business owners make buying decisions," says Greg Sterling, VP of strategy for Local Search Association. "That, in turn, could radically affect how brands act in the market." The number of small and medium businesses (SMBs) adopting cloud-computing services, such as those highlighted in Alignable's SMB Trust Index, is growing at a staggering rate. According to Compass Intelligence research, the American SMB cloud computing and services market is poised to hit $55 billion in 2016, up 450 percent from 2011. "There is certainly huge opportunity for brands in this market, but in selling to small businesses, success revolves around gaining a disproportionate share of the available market," says Eric Groves, Alignable co-founder and CEO. "To claim this share, brands must be both present and trusted among the small business community. These net promoter scores reflect just how well some brands are -- and aren't -- doing that." Insights from the index include: Internal NPS Scores Don't Tell the Whole Story When brands survey existing customers to determine NPS, true brand sentiment is only partially captured. Of course, those who use a brand are in general more likely to recommend it than are the others who have decided to not work with that brand. This situation can lead to disparities in reported NPS and actual NPS. For instance, OnDeck has self-reported a NPS of 73, yet the Alignable SMB Trust Index (which surveyed a population representative of all small business owners) shows OnDeck's NPS is actually closer to -50. SMBs Trust Each Other When Evaluating Brands With more than 6,000 small business owners sharing their honest thoughts on multiple brands for the benefit of business owners they don't even know, it's clear they welcome the opportunity to help others make informed business decisions. As borders vanish with technology's growth, social networks are becoming the environment small business owners seek to share insights, concerns and opinions with one another. Social Networks Offer Remedy for Choice Fatigue A recent report from the Local Search Association shows that SMBs receive on average 17 sales calls a month. Though overwhelming, this number is unsurprising, considering the multiple names on the SMB Trust index that are actively pitching their products and services to small businesses. This overload causes small business owners to turn to each other to figure out which brands are worthwhile and trustworthy. The index shows WordPress and Authorize.net are worthy of referrals, while Groupon and Yelp miss the mark. "Small business owners find themselves inundated by vendors marketing to them, and the decision-making process can be overwhelming," says Venkat Krishnamurthy, Alignable president and co-founder. "It's never been more important for entrepreneurs to have a solid network where they can seek advice and ideas from one another." To view Alignable's SMB Trust Index, see here. Additionally, to help understand what makes a brand strong as well as weak, Alignable created word clouds from the comments on four of the more popular brands in this version of the SMB Trust Index. Head to Alignable's SMB Insights page to see those. Methodology, Timing, and NPS More than 6,000 North American small business owners have used Alignable's platform to provide detailed ratings and reviews of the brands they're most and least likely to recommend to other business owners. Between June 1, 2015, and December 31, 2015, 6,496 Alignable members rated these brands on a sliding scale from 0-10. The scores were calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors (everyone who rated a brand 0-6) from the percentage of promoters (everyone who rated a brand 9-10). Relative position changes from Q3 to Q4 were generated from the 25 percent net new ratings added to the database in the quarter. Far more opinions than a single brand can reach or leverage, the businesses on Alignable's platform candidly and openly stated who they are most and least likely to recommend to other business owners. The Net Promoter system was introduced by Fred Reichheld of Bain & Company in 2004, and was based on research supported by Satmetrix. It helps to measure the likelihood that consumers will recommend a brand's products or services to one another. Net Promoter, Net Promoter Score, and NPS are registered trademarks of Bain & Company Inc., Satmetrix Systems, Inc., and Fred Reichheld. About Alignable Alignable is the free social network for small business owners. Using Alignable's platform, small business owners connect with others nearby, within their industries, and across North America based on their interests. More than 7,000 communities across North America are using Alignable to build business networks to grow their businesses and succeed. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, Alignable is a privately held company with the backing of prominent investors in small business, networking and data, including Mayfield, Saturn Partners, NextView Ventures, Boston Seed, CrunchFund, Kensington and Lead Edge Capital. Kristin Farrell kristin@highwirepr.com Global Activation Agency and Printed Electronics Leader to Bring Digitally Connected Products to the Store and the Home Thin Film Electronics ASA ("Thinfilm") (OSE:THIN.OL; OTCQX:TFECY), a global leader in printed electronics and smart systems, today announced an exclusive partnership with Arc, the shopper marketing and activation agency inside Leo Burnett. The two companies will collaborate to deliver Thinfilm's NFC OpenSense technology to Arc and Leo Burnett clients across a variety of product categories. NFC OpenSense tags are thin, flexible labels that adhere to products and can be activated with the tap of an NFC-enabled smartphone. Each tag is uniquely identifiable and can detect both a product's "factory sealed" and "opened" states. Once tapped, the tag wirelessly communicates with a smartphone, instantly delivering contextual brand content at shelf or when using the product at home. Thinfilm and Leo Burnett/Arc teams will work side-by-side, ensuring the technology is accessible to brands and creating custom NFC OpenSense solutions for agency clients. In addition, the combined team will help further shape the technology to ensure the technology is more attractive and accessible to brands. "Technology affords people the opportunity to plan, shop, and buy on their own terms anytime and anywhere, resulting in highly sophisticated shoppers and a highly competitive marketplace," said Nick Jones, EVP, Innovation Growth Arc/Leo Burnett, "Thinfilm's NFC OpenSense technology is a game changer. It allows brands to connect with shoppers beyond the point-of-sale, delivering multiple messages throughout a product's lifetime." In June 2015, Thinfilm highlighted its NFC OpenSense technology at Leo Burnett/Arc's fifth annual FutureShop showcase in Chicago. Leo Burnett/Arc clients and staff learned firsthand how next-generation, mobile-centric retail marketing technologies can change the way brands communicate and the way consumers make purchase decisions. "Thinfilm is very excited to partner with a global leader and innovator in the field of digital communication and shopper marketing," said Davor Sutija, CEO of Thinfilm. "We look forward to working closely with the team at Leo Burnett/Arc to help provide the agency's clients with solutions that strengthen consumer relationships and ultimately, grow their businesses." About Thin Film Electronics ASA Thinfilm is a leader in the development and commercialization of printed electronics. The first to commercialize printed, rewritable memory, the Company is creating printed systems that include memory, sensing, display, and wireless communication, all at a low cost unmatched by any other electronic technology. Thinfilm's roadmap integrates technology from a strong and growing ecosystem of partners to enable the Internet of Everything by bringing intelligence to disposable goods. Thin Film Electronics ASA ("Thinfilm") is a publicly listed Norwegian company with headquarters in Oslo, Norway; product development and production in Linkoping, Sweden; product development, production, and business development in San Jose, California, USA; and sales offices in the United States, Hong Kong, and Singapore. For more information, visit www.thinfilm.no. About Arc Arc is the Intelligent Activation Agency within Leo Burnett Worldwide. Headquartered in Chicago, Arc provides brands with innovative, insightful and imaginative creative solutions rooted in understanding people and behavior through the lens of a shopper. As part of one of the world's largest agency networks, Arc boasts 26 offices in 22 countries with more than 1,000 employees. Arc works with some of the world's most valued brands including Coca-Cola, Fiat, Adidas, Samsung, Microsoft, McDonald's and P&G. To learn more about Arc, please visit www.arcww.com. About Leo Burnett Worldwide Leo Burnett Worldwide believes in using creativity to drive dynamic business change for its clients. Through a HumanKind approach to marketing, the agency puts a brand's purpose at the center of communications to transform human behavior. Part of Publicis Communications, Leo Burnett Worldwide is one of the world's largest agency networks with 85 offices and more than 8,000 employees. The global agency works with some of the world's most valued brands including Coca-Cola, Fiat, Kellogg's, Kraft, McDonald's, Nintendo, P&G, Samsung and Tata among others. Leo Burnett is the most awarded network in the world based on Advertising Age's 2015 Awards Report. To learn more about Leo Burnett Worldwide and its rich, 80-year history of creating iconic brands, visit our site, Facebook page and follow us via @leoburnett. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160218005392/en/ Contacts: Thin Film Electronics ASA Bill Cummings, +1 408-503-7312 VP, Marketing Communications bill.cummings@thinfilm.no or Blanc & Otus for Thin Film Electronics ASA Jennifer Smith, +1 415-856-5152 jsmith@blancandotus.com or Leo Burnett/Arc Michael Cowen, +1 312-607-6874 Associate Director, Reputation Communications michael.cowen@leoburnett.com Trends expected to drive innovation and investment in the current year MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, Feb. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- WHEN: 11:00 a.m. EST, Tuesday, February 23, 2016 LOCATION: Online, with free registration at http://frost.ly/23 EXPERT PANELIST: Frost & Sullivan Senior Consultant, Lauren Martin-Taylor Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst, Yash Mukherjee Futurist, Brian David Johnson Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160217/334480 What are the major trends occurring in 2016 that your company should be aware of and investing in? Frost & Sullivan's Visionary Innovation Group, containing a team of global futurists, layout 16 key trends predicted to make an impact on not only business, but society in the present year. Join Frost & Sullivan to discover how your company can best utilize these predictions and focus on the convergence of these 16 trends and their impact to stakeholders across industries. Topics of this webcast include: US and EU clashing data policies Augmented eLearning China's economic slowdown economic slowdown Fintech revolution This presentation will assist registrants looking for insight into emerging trends reaching a tipping point this year. Senior strategy and innovative executives will benefit from being in attendance as the webcast will provide insight into industries and disruptions outside of their traditional sectors that are not widely discussed in the media. Registrants should be aware that these trends will not only have implications for this year, but will affect business decisions for many years to come. Thought leader insights: "Diverse trends will collide in 2016 to have a major impact on data issues coming of age, social factors affecting the office and home and geopolitical forces changing the nature of international business," said Frost & Sullivan Visionary Innovation Senior Consultant Lauren Martin-Taylor. "Expect a complete breakdown of these trends in an effort to make data-driven predictions and an insightful discussion on the impact of these forecasts." Register: To attend the briefing, email Jaylon Brinkley, Corporate Communications - jaylon.brinkley@frost.com -- your full name, job title, company name, company telephone number, and company email address, website, city, state and country or click here: http://frost.ly/23 About Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. Our "Growth Partnership" supports clients by addressing these opportunities and incorporating two key elements driving visionary innovation: The Integrated Value Proposition and The Partnership Infrastructure. The Integrated Value Proposition provides support to our clients throughout all phases of their journey to visionary innovation including: research, analysis, strategy, vision, innovation and implementation. provides support to our clients throughout all phases of their journey to visionary innovation including: research, analysis, strategy, vision, innovation and implementation. The Partnership Infrastructure is entirely unique as it constructs the foundation upon which visionary innovation becomes possible. This includes our 360 degree research, comprehensive industry coverage, career best practices as well as our global footprint of more than 40 offices. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organization prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies? Contact Us: Start the discussion Join Us: Join our community Subscribe: Newsletter on "the next big thing" Register: Gain access to visionary innovation Contact: Jaylon Brinkley Corporate Communications - North America +1.210.247.2481 jaylon.brinkley@frost.com WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Crude oil prices continued to rise Thursday morning on signs that major producers are nearing an agreement to freeze production. Iran officials now say they are willing to discuss capping output, a day after initially resisting such a plan proposed by Saudi Arabia and others. Saudi Arabia, Russia, Qatar and Venezuela said they will keep output unchanged if Iran and Iraq agree to do the same. WTI crude oil for March was up 68 cents at $31.34 a barrel in electronic dealing, moving further from recent 13-year lows near $26. Concerns about an escalation of the conflict in Syria have also driven prices higher this week. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - US President Barack Obama is likely to make a historic visit to Cuba in the coming weeks as part of a broader trip to Latin America, US media reported. ABC News said that the announcement could be made Thursday, paving the way for the first sitting American president to visit the island nation in 80 years, as the two Cold War-era foes are on the path of restoring normal relations. In December, Obama had expressed interest to meet political dissidents in Cuba to help 'nudge the Cuban government in a new direction'. Havana welcomed it but cautioned White House not to meddle in the country's internal affairs. The ABC reported that Obama's Cuban tour is scheduled for March 21-22, after which the president flies to Argentina. Republican presidential aspirants Marco Rubio,and Ted Cruz, both sons of Cuban migrants, slammed Obama for his planned trip to Cuba. The White House did not comment on the reports. 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. DUBLIN, February 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The global mobile payments market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 36.26% over the period 2015-2019, according to a report available on Research and Markets. Near Field Communication (NFC) is one of the most effective means of carrying out mobile transactions and the increasing awareness among consumers about its convenience is predicted to increase the adoption of m-commerce, leading to market growth. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130307/600769 ) Electronic payments are already widely used in China, with reports suggesting more than 358 million Chinese conduct their payments online. Tech giant Apple will make their first attempt at cracking the Asian payment market today with the introduction of Apple Pay in mainland China. The American multinational has reached an agreement with China's UnionPay, the state-owned bankcard association, to allow cardholders to use Apple Pay. Another report projected the mobile money market to reach a value of $78.02 billion by 2019, establishing itself as one of the fastest growing markets globally. With mobile phone usage becoming a consistent communication and content access medium, mobile money services are becoming highly popular among the people. Apple confirmed the expansion on its website. Chinese customers will now be able to pay for their purchases using Apple devices like the iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch. Apple launched Apple Pay in 2014, and has since expanded into Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. It does face competition in China from established payment services Alipay and WeChat Payment. A report on the Global Mobile Wallet had identified challenges in the market. It said hindrances in communication systems and lack of accessibility and interoperability are some of the fallouts of infrastructural inadequacies, especially in the APAC region. It still forecast growth at a rate of 36.8% for the period 2015-2019, and this will now be boosted by the arrival of Apple Pay in the region. For further information on this topic, and a full list of all related documentation, please visit the M-commerce section at http://www.researchandmarkets.com/rm/LPNS. ______________ Source:http://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-pay-to-launch-in-china-this-week-1455669396 About Research and Markets Research and Markets is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. 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: +1-646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 ALBANY, New York, February 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A new market research report has been recently published by Transparency Market Research (TMR), a U.S.-based market research and intelligence firm. According to the research study, the Genome Engineering Market was valued at US$2.20 bn in 2014 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 14.2% from 2015 to 2023. Genome engineering refers to the strategies and techniques implemented for the modification of target genetic information of any living organism. During the last few years, research spending has increased in gene editing technologies covering number of patents and research papers published exponentially. Synthetic biology received funding of US$ 430 Mn in the U.S. from 2005 to 2010, which was much higher than US$ 160 Mn in Europe during the same period. About 4% and 2% funding was spent on exploring ethical, social, and legal implications (ELSI) of synthetic biology in the U.S. and Europe, respectively. Avail a Sample Research Study on Genome Engineering Market:http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=4671 Genome engineering technologies include Clustered regularly-interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), Transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN), Zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) and other technologies, while the other technologies include antisense technology and recombinant AAV mediated genome engineering. Of these, CRISPR held the majority share of the market in 2014, followed by TALEN. CRISPR has been identified as the fastest growing segment during the forecast period, as it is cost-effective with high precision. CRISPR method is used for wide variety of disorders like sickle-cell anemia, HIV/AIDS, hemophilia and several forms of cancers. These techniques are in different stages of clinical development with a focus on modifying the genetic material of somatic cells. Based on application, the cell line engineering segment accounted major share of the global genome engineering market in terms of revenue. Moreover, the segment is expected to gain market share and emerge as the fastest growing segment during the forecast period. Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology companies segment would grow as a fastest growing end-user segment with major share in the market. Browse Report:http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/genome-editing-engineering-market.html High Demand from Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Companies Bolsters Genome Engineering Market In terms of end user, the global genome engineering market is segmented into academics, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and clinical research organizations (CRO). Among these, the largest share of the market was held by the pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in 2014. The academics segment is expected to exhibit the fastest CAGR in the near future. North America Emerges as Largest Regional Market Regionally, the global genome engineering market is spread across Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and Rest of the World. Among these regions, North America held the largest share of the global genome engineering market in 2014, trailed by Europe. North American countries not only substantially contribute to the funding for genome research, but a majority of the key players are located in the U.S. Asia Pacific has emerged as the third-largest market for genome engineering; however, in the forthcoming years, the region is likely to exhibit the highest CAGR. Increase in funding for academic research spending will also boost the market in the near future. Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, Sangamo Biosciences, Inc., Lonza Group Ltd., Horizon Discovery Group Plc, Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc., Lonza Group Ltd., are the major players operating in the global Genome engineering market. Browse Research Article:http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/article/genome-editing-engineering-market.htm The global Genome Engineering Market is segmented as follows: Global Genome Engineering Market, by Technology Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) Transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN) Zinc Finger Nuclease (ZFN) Other Technologies Global Genome Engineering Market, by Application Overview Cell Line Engineering Animal Genome Engineering Plant Genome Engineering Other Application Global Genome Engineering Market, by End-User Overview Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Companies Academics Clinical Research Organizations Other Trending Reports in Biotechnology : Biotherapeutics Cell Line Development Market:http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/biotherapeutics-cell-line-development-market.html Microbiology Culture Market: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/microbiology-culture-market.html Regenerative Medicine Market: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/regenerative-medicines-market.html About Us: Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S. based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMR's global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations. Contact: Mr. Sudip.S 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 United States. Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Blog: http://www.tmrblog.com/ TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 02/18/16 -- UpSnap Inc. (CSE: UP) ("UpSnap" or the "Company"), a leading provider of mobile advertising solutions, has signed an agreement with a major U.S. retailer to provide its proprietary mobile advertising product for a total contract value of over $135,000 CAD. "After considering alternatives to better access their audience through an effective advertising medium, this major U.S. retailer has decided to sign an agreement to use our targeted mobile advertising technology to accurately identify their target audience," said Bruce Howard, CEO of UpSnap Inc. "As the benefits of our product become apparent, we expect this major retailer to not only continue to run campaigns using our platform, but allocate a larger percentage of their overall advertising budget towards our technology." UpSnap will target and serve ads via mobile apps across phone and tablet devices. Consumers will be exposed to ads while reading news, playing games, checking the weather, and other similar activities. UpSnap's proprietary customer profile tool will track responses and optimize the campaign to target look--alike customers, keeping the client's cost per lead continually in check. About UpSnap UpSnap provides highly-targeted, data-driven mobile advertising to attract the ideal audience for brands big and small. Combining first-party proprietary data and real-time analytics, UpSnap goes beyond location to deliver app agnostic and results-driven campaigns that produce qualified and engaged customers. Caution Regarding Forward Looking Information Certain information set out in this News Release constitutes forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "hope", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "Scheduled", "believe" and similar expressions. The forward- looking information set out in this News Release relates to future events or our future performance and includes: (i) information concerning the positive effect of new leadership on revenue growth; (ii) the effect of broadening the Company's revenue streams on revenue growth and predictability; (iii) the Company's ability to succeed in the mobile advertising market by focusing on the underserved small and medium sized business market. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions on the date of this news release, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve substantial known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which cause actual results to vary from those express or implied by such forward looking statements. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and they will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and based on what management of the company believes are reasonable assumptions. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or publicly revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities laws. Furthermore, the Company does not assume responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward looking statements set out in this news release. The Company's forward looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. The CSE has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this press release. Contacts: UpSnap Inc. Alex Pekurar, CPA, CA Chief Financial Officer 416-619-3903 apekurar@upsnap.com Virtus Advisory Group Inc. Babak Pedram Investor Relations 416-644-5081 bpedram@virtusadvisory.com BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims for the week ended February 13 at 8:30 am Thursday. The jobless claims are expected to have risen by 275,000 from 269,000 recorded a week earlier. Ahead of the data, the greenback showed mixed trading against the other major currencies. While the greenback rose against the franc and the euro, it declined against the pound. Against the yen, the greenback held steady. The greenback was quoted at 1.1090 against the euro, 1.4366 against the pound, 113.80 against the yen and 0.9949 against the franc at 8:25 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. NEW DELHI (dpa-AFX) - An Indian mobile handset company, which launched the world's cheapest smartphone, has suspended taking orders for 24 hours due to overloaded orders on the first day itself. The Noida-based Ringing Bells Wednesday unveiled the 'Freedom 251' model, at an astonishing price of just 251 Indian Rupees ($3.66), at a high-profile function in New Delhi. Bookings for the cheap model started Thursday at 6 am IST. But soon, their server crashed as the site received almost 600 thousand hits per second, and the web pages were unresponsive. Those who were able to book it online received the message that they would have to wait for 4 months to get the device. 'Dear friends, we are very grateful for your enormous response and your kind patronage and would submit that as of now we received approximately 6 Lacs hits per second as a result of your kind overwhelming response, servers are over loaded,' the firm said on its website later in the day. 'We humbly submit that we are therefore taking a pause and upgrading the service and will revert within or before 24 hours,' it added. The offer had raised concerns in the Indian mobile handset industry on the feasibility of offering such a low price. The Indian Cellular Association (ICA) has sent a letter to Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad raising concerns about the pricing of the device, and asking him to get into the seriousness of the issue. India is the world's second-largest mobile market and has one billion mobile phone subscribers. Ringing Bells' President Ashok Chaddha said manufacturing cost of the phone is about Rs 2,500 ($36.48), which will be recovered through a series of measures like economies of scale, innovative marketing, reduction in duties and creating an e-commerce marketplace. 'By going for Made in India components, we can save on the 13.8 per cent duty. Also, we will be selling online first and thus save the costs incurred on large distribution network,' PTI quoted him as saying. Chaddha also rejected speculations that the company is able to lower the price with the help of government subsidy. Two plants, each with a capacity of 5 lakh units, will be set up for manufacturing the smart-phones. The fund will be raised in the form of debt and equity (1.5:1), he said. The 3G handset features a 4-inch display; 3.2MP AF Rear Camera & .3MP Front camera; Spectrum 1.3-GHz quad-core processor; 1 GB RAM and 8GB internal memory with 1450 mAh battery. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de NORTH CANTON, Ohio, Feb. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Diebold, Incorporated (NYSE:DBD), today announced that the required waiting period under the U.S. Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 has been terminated early, with respect to the company's definitive agreement to acquire Wincor Nixdorf AG (FWB: WIN). Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080725/DIEBOLDLOGO With this achievement, significant regulatory requirements have now been satisfied in the home countries of Diebold and Wincor Nixdorf, representingnearly half of the global revenues of the future combined business:Previously, Diebold and Wincor Nixdorf satisfied the regulatory requirements in the United States and Germany to launch the tender offer for all outstanding shares of Wincor Nixdorf. "Achieving the Hart-Scott-Rodino milestone in the United States is a meaningful step toward completing the business combination with Wincor Nixdorf, and I am encouraged that the process continues to move forward," said Andy W. Mattes, Diebold president and chief executive officer. "Our pre-integration planning with the Wincor management team is progressing in a very positive direction, which gives us confidence we can hit the ground running and achieve synergies quickly. There is tremendous opportunity in this business combination that will create significant customer and shareholder value." For more information about the business combination agreement between Diebold and Wincor Nixdorf, please visit www.diebold.com/dieboldwincor. IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS In connection with the proposed business combination, Diebold has filed a Registration Statement on Form S-4 with the SEC, which was declared effective by the SEC on February 5, 2016, that includes a prospectus of Diebold to be used in connection with the offer. In addition, on February 4, 2016, the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bundesanstalt fur Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht, "BaFin") approved the publication of the German offer document in connection with the offer. Diebold has published the German offer document on February 5, 2016. INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROSPECTUS AND THE OFFER DOCUMENT, AS WELL AS OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN OR WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC OR BAFIN OR PUBLISHED AT DIEBOLD'S WEBSITE AT WWW.DIEBOLD.COM UNDER THE INVESTOR RELATIONS SECTION, REGARDING THE PROPOSED BUSINESS COMBINATION AND THE OFFER BECAUSE THESE DOCUMENTS CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. You may obtain a free copy of the prospectus, an English translation of the offer document, and other related documents filed by Diebold with the SEC on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The prospectus and other documents relating thereto may also be obtained for free by accessing Diebold's website at www.diebold.com under the Investor Relations section. You may obtain a free copy of the offer document on BaFin's website at www.bafin.de, and, along with an English translation thereof, at Diebold's website at www.diebold.com under the Investor Relations section. Further, you may obtain a copy of the offer document free of charge from Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, Taunusanlage 12, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany, or by e-mail to dct.tender offers@db.com or by telefax to +49 69 910 38794. This document is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell shares of Wincor Nixdorf or Diebold. Terms and further provisions regarding the public offer are disclosed in the offer document, which was published on February 5, 2016, and in documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC. Investors and holders of Wincor Nixdorf shares, or of such instruments conferring a right to directly or indirectly acquire Wincor Nixdorf shares, are strongly encouraged to read the prospectus, the offer document and all documents in connection with the public offer because these documents contain important information. No offering of securities will be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of section 10 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and a German offer document in accordance with applicable European regulations, including the German Securities Acquisition and Takeover Act and the German Securities Prospectus Act (Wertpapierprospektgesetz). Subject to certain exceptions to be approved by the relevant regulators or certain facts to be ascertained, the public offer would not be made directly or indirectly, in or into any jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the laws of such jurisdiction, or by use of the mails or by any means or instrumentality (including without limitation, facsimile transmission, telephone and the internet) of interstate or foreign commerce, or any facility of a national securities exchange, of any such jurisdiction. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ABOUT FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements contained in this communication regarding matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These include statements regarding management's intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations or forecasts for the future including, without limitation, the proposed business combination with Wincor Nixdorf and the offer. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations of Diebold and involve risks and uncertainties; consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the statements. Such forward-looking statements may include statements about the business combination and the offer, the likelihood that such transaction is consummated and the effects of any transaction on the businesses and financial conditions of Diebold or Wincor Nixdorf, including synergies, pro forma revenue, targeted operating margin, net debt to EBITDA ratios, accretion to earnings and other financial or operating measures. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industries in which Diebold and Wincor Nixdorf operate may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this document. In addition, risks and uncertainties related to the contemplated business combination between Diebold and Wincor Nixdorf include, but are not limited to, the expected timing and likelihood of the completion of the contemplated business combination, including the timing, receipt and terms and conditions of any required governmental and regulatory approvals of the contemplated business combination that could reduce anticipated benefits or cause the parties not to consummate, or to abandon the transaction, the ability to successfully integrate the businesses, the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the business combination agreement or the contemplated offer, the risk that the parties may not be willing or able to satisfy the conditions to the contemplated business combination or the contemplated offer in a timely manner or at all, risks related to disruption of management time from ongoing business operations due to the contemplated business combination, the risk that any announcements relating to the contemplated business combination could have adverse effects on the market price of Diebold's common shares, and the risk that the contemplated transaction or the potential announcement of such transaction could have an adverse effect on the ability of Diebold to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with its suppliers, and on its operating results and businesses generally. These risks, as well as other risks associated with the contemplated business combination, are more fully discussed in the prospectus that is attached as Annex 4 to the German offer document and has been filed with the SEC. Additional risks and uncertainties are identified and discussed in Diebold's reports filed with the SEC and available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Any forward looking statements speak only as at the date of this document. Except as required by applicable law, neither Diebold nor Wincor Nixdorf undertakes any obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. About Wincor Nixdorf Wincor Nixdorf is one of the world's leading providers of IT solutions and services to retail banks and the retail industry. The main focus of the group's comprehensive portfolio lies on business process optimization, especially in the branch operations of both sectors. Wincor Nixdorf has established a presence in around 130 countries around the globe, giving it an outstanding profile when it comes to customer proximity. The parent company has subsidiaries in 42 countries. The company also places great importance on building close relationships with sales partners that have an excellent knowledge of the local requirements and conditions on the customer side. Wincor Nixdorf has a total workforce of around 9,000 people. Over half of those are based outside Germany. About Diebold Diebold, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD) provides the technology, software and services that connect people around the world with their money - bridging the physical and digital worlds of cash conveniently, securely and efficiently. Since its founding in 1859, Diebold has evolved to become a leading provider of exceptional self-service innovation, security and services to financial, commercial, retail and other markets. Diebold has approximately 15,000 employees worldwide and is headquartered near Canton, Ohio, USA. Visit Diebold at www.diebold.comor on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DieboldInc. Siklu's multigigabit solutions are for the 5th consecutive year the most deployed mmWave radios in the world. Company reports significant sales growth of its 5G-ready backhaul radios in 2015. FAIR LAWN, New Jersey, Feb. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Siklu Inc., the global market leader in millimeter-wave radios, announced its share of the total millimeter-wave market grew to 29%. Offering a full range of wireless mmWave radios, Siklu expedites capacity-rich and 5G-ready small cell and macrocell backhaul solutions. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160218/334687 The increase in demand for Siklu's 60, 70/80GHz Ethernet solutions mainly stems from urban network density. Wireless carriers are facing a growing capacity crunch as ever more data streams to wireless devices packed ever closer together. This overcrowding creates encumbering backhauling challenges. As a result, mobile and other network operators are in need of multigigabit capacities to maintain near real-time global communications, and connect macrocells, small cells, and other applications, such as business and residential broadband. Siklu's mmWave radios are today recognized as the most comprehensive urban backhaul offering in the industry, and include Siklu's innovative ExtendMM' solution which for the last 2 years has been adopted by customers to enable advanced multiband deployments. "While the mmWave backhaul market is showing signs of positive momentum, Siklu has been a significant force in the market, helping to drive demand north. This focused persistence has paid off for the company, with Siklu capturing 29% of the total millimeter wave market," said Emmy Johnson, Founder and Principal Analyst at Sky Light Research, "Siklu's streel-level V-Band radio started shipping in 2015 and has seen rapid success in four short quarters.The EH-600T's out-of-the-box, easy to deploy characteristics, has helped make Siklu a leader in the global 60GHz market." Siklu's industry leadership was achieved through its range of mmWave wireless radios that encompass a wide gamut of distances and capacities, and suit multifarious applications. The small form products enable interference-free, high-density implementations, and deliver reliable fiber-like transmission with ample capacity. Siklu's EtherHaul-2200 carrier grade series, introduced last year, delivers 2Gbps full-duplex throughput with diminished latency, consumes less energy, and maintains Siklu's ground-breaking plate form factor. "The new products capacity-richen Siklu's product portfolio, facilitate increased reach, and broaden our applications offering," said Siklu's CEO, Itzik Ben-Bassat. "In 2016, the mmWave market is anticipated to witness a surge in demand resulting from the roll out of 4G small cells by cellular operators on their way to 5G." Siklu's EH-600T, the market's smallest and most advanced small cell gigabit backhaul 60GHz radios, took lead position and scored a record >50% global market share. The palm-sized radio, with its integrated gigabit switch and 8 non-overlapping full-capacity channels is easy to install, and has a field-proven MTBF of >90 years. Siklu will be demonstrating its solutions at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, February 22-25, at Qualcomm's Booth E310, and Nokia's Stand 3B10 - both in Hall 3. About Siklu Siklu delivers a diverse range of products with up to 2Gbps full-duplex capacity, utilizing the ultra-wide and abundant millimeter wave spectrum at the 60, 70/80 GHz bands. Its millimeter wave technology is the prime choice of leading mobile network operators, service providers, and integrators worldwide. With maximal availability and minimum footprint, tens of thousands of carrier-grade units delivering interference-free performance have been successfully deployed. Siklu's innovative all-silicon design has dramatically reduced prices and effectively opened the market, paving the way for ultra-high capacity wireless backhaul ideally suited for 5G. Siklu's mmWave radios provide scalable small cell and macrocell backhaul solutions, proved to be ideal for networks requiring fast and simple deployment of secure, fiber-like, high capacity and future-proof connectivity. For additional information visit www.siklu.com. Press Contacts WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - US President Barack Obama has confirmed that he will be making a historic visit to Cuba in March as part of a broader trip to Latin America. 'Next month, I'll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people,' Obama tweeted Thursday, paving the way for the first sitting American president to visit the island nation in 80 years, as the two Cold War-era foes are on the path of restoring normal relations. In December, Obama had expressed interest to meet political dissidents in Cuba to help 'nudge the Cuban government in a new direction'. Havana welcomed it but cautioned White House not to meddle in the country's internal affairs. Earlier, ABC reported that Obama's Cuban tour is scheduled for March 21-22, after which the president flies to Argentina. The White House did not comment on the report. Republican presidential aspirants Marco Rubio,and Ted Cruz, both sons of Cuban migrants, slammed Obama for his planned trip to Cuba. 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. DALLAS, TX -- (Marketwired) -- 02/18/16 -- Lincoln Property Company, the nation's second largest multifamily manager, is pleased to announce the hire of Steve Saylors, Lincoln's new Regional Vice President - West. Saylors is responsible for property management and business development in California, bringing extensive experience in real estate sales and all aspects of property management. Steve spent the past 12 years with Aimco where he was recognized for excellence on numerous occasions, winning company-wide awards for sales, site operations, and regional management. Steve studied at the University of Nebraska, graduating with honors in Business Administration. Scott Wilder, Lincoln Property Company's Executive Vice President - Residential Management, stated "We're excited to have Steve on our regional leadership team and benefit from his unique skillset. His experience in the area and in multifamily is a strategic addition to Lincoln's dynamic team of industry experts." About Lincoln Property Company Lincoln Property Company was founded in 1965 as a builder and operator of high-quality residential communities. In the early 1970's, Lincoln expanded its product mix to include commercial, build-to-suit, office, hotel, industrial, and other mixed-use assets. In 1972, Lincoln took this expertise within the United States to Western Europe and the Middle East. In 2001, Lincoln joined forces with the U.S. Department of Defense to renovate and redevelop family housing at selected bases for the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the Army. Through innovative management, property rehabilitation and award-winning new construction designs, Lincoln is now one of the largest operators of military housing in the country. Lincoln continued its growth in 2013 with the acquisition of Grand Campus Living, increasing the depth of knowledge in the rental housing sector for the firm. Headquartered in Dallas, TX, Lincoln focuses on real estate investment, construction and development, in addition to property management. Their national reputation has enabled Lincoln to attract a large client base of owners and investors who count on their ability to deliver quality results and continually serve as a market leader. For more information about Lincoln Property Company, please visit http://www.lincolnapts.com/management-services or visit http://www.lincolnapts.com/regions/ for apartment listings in your area. Follow Lincoln Property Company on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook to hear about all the new deals to help you look forward to moving into your new home! Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2965952 Media Contact: Sheri Sandefur Killingsworth Vice President - Marketing & Communications 214-740-3300 Email Contact TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 02/18/16 -- Chesswood Group Limited (TSX: CHW) ("Chesswood") announced today that it has completed the previously announced sale of its EcoHome Financial Inc. ("EcoHome") subsidiary to Dealnet Capital Corp. ("Dealnet") (TSX VENTURE: DLN) for a purchase price of $35.0 million, resulting in a pre-tax gain of approximately $10.0 million. Of the $35.0 million purchase price, $29.0 million was paid in cash and Dealnet issued to Chesswood 6,039,689 million common shares of Dealnet and a $2.5 million convertible note which will mature in February 2018 and provides for interest at 6% per annum and the right of Chesswood to convert in whole or in part at any time to acquire additional common shares of Dealnet at a conversion price of $0.64. "As we previously announced, the sale of EcoHome completes our process of becoming singularly focused on our commercial finance businesses and the many growth opportunities they offer, while generating a significant return for our shareholders on the sale," said Barry Shafran, Chesswood's President and CEO. With modest leverage, multiple funding lines, and a demonstrated ability to grow, Chesswood is well positioned to capitalize on opportunities offered by its Canadian and U.S. businesses and markets, and continue its pattern of long-term growth with superior returns on equity. Chesswood's finance receivables totaled CDN$480 million at December 31, 2015 excluding the EcoHome portfolio. Special Dividend Chesswood also announced today that its board of directors has declared a special dividend of $0.50 per share to shareholders of record as of February 29, 2016. This special dividend will be paid on or about March 15, 2016. Chesswood has designated its dividends as eligible dividends for purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada). "Our balance sheet is very strong coming off another year of excellent earnings and sizable gains generated from the recent sale of our two non-core businesses. We are very happy to be able to share the benefits of these gains with our shareholders," added Shafran. About Chesswood Group Limited Chesswood Group Limited is a dividend-paying financial services company with operating businesses in both Canada and the U.S., including its North-American equipment finance businesses Pawnee Leasing Corporation of Fort Collins, Colorado and Blue Chip Leasing Corporation of Toronto, Ontario, and its working capital loan business, Windset Capital Corporation, headquartered in Utah. To learn more about Chesswood Group Limited, visit www.ChesswoodGroup.com, The separate websites of Chesswood Group Limited's operating businesses are at www.PawneeLeasing.com, www.WindsetCapital.com and www.BlueChipLeasing.com. NO STOCK EXCHANGE, SECURITIES COMMISSION OR OTHER REGULATORY AUTHORITY HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN. Contacts: Chesswood Group Limited Barry Shafran 416-386-3099 bshafran@chesswoodgroup.com HOUSTON, TX -- (Marketwired) -- 02/18/16 -- Allen Xi and Ed Anello have been promoted to senior leadership positions at Burns & McDonnell's Houston regional office. Allen Xi has been promoted to senior vice president and will continue to lead development and execution of major transmission and distribution projects for the firm. Xi joined Burns & McDonnell in 2000 and in 2002 transferred to the Houston regional office where he has been instrumental in the firm's overall growth in the region. An electrical engineer, Xi is a specialist in design of substations, power system studies and EPC project execution and has led several major projects for key clients throughout the Southwest. Anello has been promoted to vice president and will now be responsible for total execution of all the firm's Process & Industrial (P&I) projects. Since joining the firm in 2011, he has managed many of the largest projects within the P&I Group. Anello's career in project management has included executing projects from concept development through startup and commissioning. He has had experience in a variety of industries from polymers to refining to basic chemicals, and understands how to match project management skills with a strong technical background. His experience also has included departmental leadership of project controls and estimating. "Allen Xi has unbelievable tenacity, a tremendous inner drive for success and an insatiable desire to learn -- traits which have helped him build T&D Houston into one of the top profit centers for all of Burns & McDonnell," said Burns & McDonnell CEO Greg Graves. "Ed Anello is considered the project manager's project manager," Graves continued. "Ed held in high esteem both inside and outside of Burns & McDonnell -- in fact, a client said of Ed, 'He is the best PM in the industry.'" Xi earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1992 from Wuhan University in China and his master's degree in electrical engineering from the China Electric Power Research Institute in 1995. He earned an MBA from the University of Kansas in 2001. Anello received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1987 from Texas Tech University. About Burns & McDonnell Burns & McDonnell is a company made up of more than 5,300 engineers, architects, construction professionals, scientists, consultants and entrepreneurs with offices across the country and throughout the world. We strive to create amazing success for our clients and amazing careers for our employee-owners. Burns & McDonnell is 100 percent employee-owned and is proud to be No. 15 on FORTUNE's 2015 List of 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit burnsmcd.com. Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2966406 Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2966409 Contact: Roger Dick Burns & McDonnell 816-822-3339 RDick@burnsmcd.com RZESZA"W, Poland, LONDON and HONG KONG, February 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- G2A.COM is the world's fastest growing digital gaming marketplace, where customers can buy and sell digital products. G2A invested more than25 million Eurosinto research and development over the past two years to ensure secure and guaranteed online initiatives. With over 6 million unique users and more than 1 million transactions monthly, G2A is global #1 in number of digital gaming products- over 25 thousand. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160218/334658 ) G2A.COM has launched WebMoney Japan especially for their Japanese clients now available on the G2A marketplace and also in the G2A Pay ecosystem. It is a great opportunity for gamers who want to use WebMoney Japan for purchasing games. G2A is very active in the Japanese market and takes great care of gamers, providing social media (Twitter, Facebook) and native speaker support in Japanese. G2A took part in the Tokyo Game Show 2015 where, in cooperation with MSI, EIZO and SteelSeries, G2A prepared a booth and press conference for excited Japanese gamers. Toshifumi Tsukada, CEO of WebMoney Japan said that this co-operation was really necessary: "Now WebMoney Japan, a familiar and trusted brand, will be available for immediate use for Japanese Gamers. We are delighted to work with G2A." Executive VP of Global Payments Bob Voermans said: "G2A is honoured to work with WebMoney Japan and confirm WebMoney Japan as a trusted G2A partner. WebMoney Japan are now a part of the proposition offered by G2A PAY. By adding WebMoney Japan, buyers and sellers at G2A can now benefit from another great global payment method." Bob concluded: "In my estimation this partnership will increase growth for sellers due to the fact that customers will buy more often on the G2A.COM Marketplace." WebMoney Japan Corporation has been providing the largest server - restored prepaid e-money "WebMoney Japan" for digital contents market in Japan since 1998. WebMoney Japan enables safe payments for thousands of online service such as online games, e-books, movies, music for everyone. In addition, we cooperate with MasterCard Worldwide and our prepaid cards allow payments at all, offline and online MasterCard merchants in the world. WebMoney Japan can be purchased at more than 60,000 stores across Japan and it is also easily rechargeable by credit card and online banking. About G2A G2A is a trusted & certified global digital marketplace developed by professionals in diverse fields including gaming, management, finance, public relations and marketing. Every day G2A works hard towards creating the most outstanding digital platform for all video game enthusiasts. G2A is in the top two most popular organic keywords searches in the world in Gaming - Similarweb Search Marketing Benchmark Report 2015, currently has more than 67 million desk top visits. KANSAS CITY, MO -- (Marketwired) -- 02/18/16 --Ken Gerling has been promoted to vice president of transmission projects within the Transmission & Distribution Group at Burns & McDonnell. During his 25-year career at Burns & McDonnell, Gerling has managed transmission projects with capital costs of up to $1.9 billion and led teams with as many as 350 members. His experience includes project planning, design and construction management from inception to close out. He is known for his outstanding work managing difficult and large projects. In the last 12 years, Gerling has worked with regional offices in Arizona, Connecticut and Southern California on some of the largest, most complex programs in the country. One example was the Sunrise Powerlink, a 117-mile transmission line completed for San Diego Gas & Electric in 2012. Gerling was the owner's engineer and construction manager. Sunrise Powerlink started in the desert and passed through rugged terrain, rising into a forest as high as 5,600 feet above sea level. At the peak of construction, more than 35 helicopters were in the air at one time and more than 1,000 workers were spread out along the 117 miles of right-of-way. In 2012 Gerling returned to Burns & McDonnell world headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. In 2013 he became director of transmission projects. "Ken has taken on tough jobs for Burns & McDonnell and he's delivered every time," says Greg Graves, CEO of Burns & McDonnell. "His drive and determination, combined with some great talent, has made him the go-to guy for our biggest challenges." Gerling received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and his master's degree in engineering management from the University of Kansas. He is a registered professional engineer in Connecticut and Kansas, and is a member of the American Society of Professional Engineers. About Burns & McDonnell Burns & McDonnell is a company made up of more than 5,300 engineers, architects, construction professionals, scientists, consultants and entrepreneurs with offices across the country and throughout the world. We strive to create amazing success for our clients and amazing careers for our employee-owners. Burns & McDonnell is 100 percent employee-owned and is proud to be No. 15 on FORTUNE's 2015 List of 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit burnsmcd.com. Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2966414 Contact: Roger Dick Burns & McDonnell 816-822-3339 rdick@burnsmcd.com PUNE, India, February 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- RnRMarketResearch.com adds "Global and China Low-E Glass Industry Report, 2015-2018" and "United States LOW-E Glass Industry 2016 Market Research Report" with 2018 and 2021 forecasts data and information to its online business intelligence library. Low-E glass, a new type of energy-saving glass, is mainly used in the field of building energy conservation. Chinese Government has introduced policies to support the development of the building energy efficiency industry since the 1990s, which propels the advancement of Low-E glass. The annual Low-E glass capacity jumps from 25 million m2 in 2005 to 660 million m2 in 2015, presenting a CAGR of 38.7%. Complete report of 95 pages and 135 list of charts is available at http://www.rnrmarketresearch.com/global-and-china-low-e-glass-industry-report-2015-2018-market-report.html . Although China's Low-E glass capacity grows rapidly, the constraint of production technologies (especially online coating technology) leads to a low capacity utilization rate. In 2014, China's Low-E glass output ascended 11.9% year on year to 150 million m2, while the capacity utilization rate was only 25.1%. In 2015, the capacity utilization rate is expected to hit 25.8% amid the stable glass market. In addition, China's Low-E glass penetration rate is less than 15%, still lagging far behind 80% in Europe, Japan, South Korea, the United States and other developed countries. In the past two years, the adjustment in real estate market has incurred fluctuations in the Low-E glass price. For example, the price of 6mm single-silver Low-E glass dropped from RMB210 /weight case in 2012 to RMB120/weight case in mid-2015. Key Global Players are PPG Industries, Nippon Sheet Glass (NSG), Asahi Glass Co. (AGC) and Saint-Gobain. Key Players in China are CSG Holding, Taiwan Glass Group, Xinyi Glass, Shanghai Yaohua Pilkington Glass Group Co., Ltd. (SYP Group), China Glass, AVIC Sanxin, Zhuzhou Kibing Group, Shandong Jinjing Science & Technology Stock Co., Ltd., Grand Engineering Glass (ZhongShan) Co., Ltd., Suzhou Huadong Coating Glass Co., Ltd., Weihai Blue Star Glass Holding Co., Ltd, China Yaohua Glass Group Corporation and Intex Glass (Xiamen) Co., Ltd. Purchase a copy of Global and China Low-E Glass Industry Report, 2015-2018 at http://www.rnrmarketresearch.com/contacts/purchase?rname=440198 . The world's leading Low-E glass manufacturers include the US-based PPG, Japan-based NSG and AGC, France-based Saint-Gobain, China-based CSG, Taiwan Glass Group, Kibing Group and so on. These players have taken measures in response to falling commodity prices and downward market trends, like PPG develops higher value-added new products; Taiwan Glass Group and Kibing Group set up new production bases in target markets. PPG is enthusiastic about R & D of new-type Low-E glass. In September 2014, it launched SOLARBAN67 featured with excellent flexibility, transparency and other merits; in August 2015, it collaborated with Walker Glass to develop new-type high-performance anti-bird-strike solar control Low-E glass. Following Japan NSG, Taiwan Glass Group is the world's second producer boasting Low-E glass plants. Its production base is located in Changbin, Taiwan. At the end of 2015, a Low-E glass factory consisting of a Low-E laminated glass production line and two Low-E vacuum glass production lines in Shenyang invested by USD240 million is expected to be completed and put into production. CSG Holding has Low-E glass production bases in Tianjin, Dongguan, Wujiang, Xianning and Chengdu. It shows strong competitiveness in the high-end Low-E glass market -- its triple-silver Low-E glass seizes about 30% shares of the international market and 60% shares of Chinese market. In May 2015, Kibing Group decided to invest RMB1.17 billion in a 600t/d Low-E online coated glass production line and a 600t/d high-end diversified glass production line in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia to meet the market demand in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East and other regions. Explore more Materials & Chemicals market reports at http://www.rnrmarketresearch.com/reports/materials-chemicals . On Similar lines, another research titled United States LOW-E Glass Industry 2016 Market Research Report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. With 190 tables and figures the report provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market. Companies profiled in this research are CSG Holding, Xinyi Glass, SYP Glass, Taiwan Glass, Blue Star Glass, North Glass, Saint-Gobain, Sanxin Glass, Qingdao Jinjing, Qingdao Jinjing, Huadong Coating Glass, Zhongli Holding, Yaohua Glass, AGC and Doya Glass. Order a copy of this United States LOW-E Glass Industry 2016 Market Research Report at http://www.rnrmarketresearch.com/contacts/purchase?rname=460104 . About Us: RnRMarketResearch.com is your single source for all market research needs. Our database includes 500,000+ market research reports from over 100+ leading global publishers & in-depth market research studies of over 5000 micro markets. With comprehensive information about the publishers and the industries for which they publish market research reports, we help you in your purchase decision by mapping your information needs with our huge collection of reports. Contact: Ritesh Tiwari UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ Magarpatta city, Hadapsar Pune - 411013 Maharashtra, India. Tel: +1-888-391-5441 sales@rnrmarketresearch.com Connect with Us: G+ / Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/104156468549256253075/posts Twitter: https://twitter.com/RnRMR Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/RnR-Market-Research/413488545356345 BOSTON, MA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/18/16 -- Fish & Richardson has been ranked among the top 10 firms with the greatest year-over-year increase in the number of patent applications filed at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), based on research conducted by Juristat. Fish also stood out for filing more patent applications than any other firm for 10 straight years. In 2013, the most recent year included in the study, Fish filed 2,219 patent applications. Last month, Fish was also named one of the busiest firms at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), according to a recent Lex Machina report that analyzed all of the America Invents Act (AIA) reviews filed through 2015. Fish represented clients in a total of 380 AIA post-grant review cases, including 234 cases in which it represented the petitioner -- the most of any firm -- and 146 cases in which it represented the patent owner. Fish was among only three firms that handled over 350 PTAB cases. "Fish is the leading firm in patent filings, post-grant, and patent litigation, which gives our clients a unique advantage in the marketplace. We are able to think through every facet of the technology being protected, and how it might come under scrutiny at some future point in litigation, to make sure our clients' most valuable intellectual property is safe," said John Hayden, the Patent Practice Group Leader at Fish & Richardson. "Our firm is successful because we bring together experienced patent practitioners and seasoned IP litigators to work together to advance our clients' business objectives and complement their patent litigation strategies." Fish offers complete patent prosecution and strategic counseling services, including worldwide patent portfolio management, due diligence, freedom-to-operate investigations, licensing, and post-grant proceedings. With nearly 230 patent attorneys and agents, and 86 PhDs across numerous technical areas, Fish works with companies -- ranging from Fortune 500 corporations to newly formed startups -- across almost every identifiable industry. Juristat based its research on the number of patent applications filed by IP Today's "Top Patent Firms of 2015" for the years 2004-2015. They then filtered out 2014 and 2015 to lessen the impact of the 18-month publication lag. To prevent skewed results, and to highlight those firms with consistent growth, Juristat attempted to lessen the impact of outlier years by calculating the line of best fit for each firm. Fish & Richardson is a global patent, intellectual property (IP) litigation, and commercial litigation law firm with more than 400 attorneys and technology specialists across the U.S. and Europe. Fish is a Tier 1 Patent Law Firm, a "Powerhouse" for complex patent work, and the #1 PTAB Law Firm in the United States for 2014. The firm has been named the #1 patent litigation firm in the U.S. for 12 consecutive years. Fish has represented visionaries in technology, business, and the arts while boasting a broad client list from history-making entrepreneurs to multinational corporations since 1878. For more information, visit www.fr.com. Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2966450 Contact: Amy Blumenthal Blumenthal & Associates (617) 879-1511 amyb@blumenthalpr.com or Kelly Largey Fish & Richardson (800) 818-5070 largey@fr.com WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Saudi Arabia may be going back on its pledge to cut production if certain conditions are met, according to a report from AFP. 'If other producers want to limit or agree to a freeze in terms of additional production that may have an impact on the market but Saudi Arabia is not prepared to cut production,' Saudi Finance Minister Adel al-Jubeir was quotes as saying. Earlier in the week, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Qatar and Venezuela agreed they will keep output unchanged if Iran and Iraq agree to do the same. Crude oil prices tumbled late morning in New York on the news of Saudi reluctance. March crude oil was up only 8 cents, below $31, after approaching $32 in early dealing. 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. PUNE, India, February 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market research report, "Security as a Service Marketby Solution (Email Encryption, SIEM, IAM, Endpoint Protection, IDS/IPS, Data Loss Prevention and Others), by Service, by Application, by Organization Size, by Vertical, by Region - Global Forecast to 2020", published by MarketsandMarkets, the SECaaS Market size is estimated to grow from USD 3.12 Billion in 2015 to USD 8.52 Billion by 2020, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 22.2%. Browse 72 market data Tables and 53 Figures spread through 151 Pages and in-depth TOC on"Security as a Service Market" http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/security-as-a-service-market-132531603.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. With an increasing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend among organizations, the need for SECaaS solutions is growing rapidly across the globe. The rapid growth in the IT infrastructure of a business has given rise to new and sophisticated threats like zero-day malwares, Trojans, and advanced persistent threats which can put an organization's critical data at risk. This has encouraged organizations to deploy could-based security solutions to safeguard their networks, cloud, and endpoints against potential cyber-attacks. Furthermore, organizations are looking forward to shift from traditional security to advanced security to protect the critical assets from potential threats. Cloud-based security offers advanced security measures securing an organization's network, hardware, software, applications as well as endpoint devices. The healthcare vertical is expected to hold the largest market The healthcare vertical has the largest market size in the SECaaS Market, as there has been an increase in hacking cases in the healthcare industry such as recent attacks on AHMC Healthcare office near Los Angles which resulted in the data loss of nearly half million patient records. The attacks aimed at the healthcare vertical are focused toward accessing patient personal information. Similarly the retail vertical is also expected to witness traction in the forecasted period. Request for Sample @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsample.asp?id=132531603 Database cloud security is expected to grow with the highest CAGR during the forecast period The database cloud security market is expected to grow with the highest CAGR, as database cloud security solution enables enterprises to securely access their applications in the cloud. Moreover, this application is finding rapid deployment among major industry verticals as it allows easy and safe usage of enterprises applications in the cloud. North America expected to contribute the largest market share, APAC to grow the fastest North America is expected to have the largest market share and would dominate the SECaaS Market from 2015 to 2020, due to the presence of a large number of SECaaS vendors. APAC offers potential growth opportunities for the SECaaS Market to grow, as countries in APAC are investing heavily to increase the development of data loss prevention, intrusion detection systems, and endpoint security solutions. The major vendors in the SECaaS Market include Symantec Corporation, McAfee, Cisco Systems, Trend Micro, CipherCloud, ZScaler, Alert Logic, Radware, and others. MarketsandMarkets segments the Security as a Service Marketbased on solutions, services, application areas, organization size, and regions. The report covers regions, namely, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East & Africa (MEA), and Latin America. The report also covers detailed information regarding the major factors influencing the growth of the SECaaS Market, such as drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities. Browse Related Reports:- Data Loss Prevention Market by Solution Type (Network DLP, Storage DLP, Endpoint DLP), by Deployment Type (On-Premise, Cloud), by Applications, by Service, by Organization Size, by Vertical, and by Regions - Global Forecast to 2020 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/data-loss-prevention-advanced-technologies-market-531.html Endpoint Security Market by Solution (Anti-Virus, Antispyware/Antimalware, Firewall, Endpoint Device Control, Intrusion Prevention, Endpoint Application Control), Service, Deployment Type, Organization Size, Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2020 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/endpoint-security-market-29081235.html About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is world's No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers. We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository. Visit MarketsandMarkets Blog @ http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/telecom-it Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets Contact: Mr. Rohan Markets and Markets UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ Magarpatta city, Hadapsar Pune, Maharashtra -411013, India +91-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com NEWPORT BEACH, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/18/16 -- PIMCO, a leading global investment management firm, has promoted David Braun, Stuart Graham, Daniel Hyman, Andrew Jessop, Nicholas Johnson, Robin Nabors and Frank Witt to be Managing Directors. Biographies: David L. Braun, CFA, FSA, FRM Mr. Braun is a managing director in the New York office and head of the U.S. financial institutions group (FIG) portfolio management team. He oversees management of fixed income investment portfolios for both affiliated and non-affiliated bank, insurance and Stable Value clients. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2009, he was a derivatives portfolio manager and chief risk officer at Hartford Investment Management Co., a division of The Hartford. Mr. Braun has over 23 years of investment, actuarial and risk management experience. He holds an undergraduate degree in mathematics from the University of Connecticut. He is also a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a certified Financial Risk Manager. Stuart Graham Mr. Graham is a managing director in the Toronto office and head of PIMCO Canada. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2008, he was vice president and managing director for institutional investments at MFC Global Investment Management. Mr. Graham also previously worked at Fidelity Investments for 10 years, most recently as executive vice president for retirement services. He has 28 years of investment experience and holds a bachelor of laws degree from the University of Ottawa and a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Western Ontario. Daniel H. Hyman Mr. Hyman is a managing director and co-head of the agency mortgage portfolio management team in the Newport Beach office. He is the lead portfolio manager on PIMCO's Ginnie Mae and Mortgage Opportunities Strategies. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2008, Mr. Hyman was a vice president at Credit Suisse where he traded agency pass-throughs. He has 13 years of investment experience and holds an undergraduate degree from Lehigh University. Andrew R. Jessop Mr. Jessop is a managing director and high yield portfolio manager in the Newport Beach office. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2009, he was a managing director, portfolio manager and co-head of the high yield group at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, where he spent 12 years. Mr. Jessop was previously a high yield portfolio manager at Saudi International Bank in London. He has 27 years of investment experience and is a graduate of Queens' College, Cambridge University. Nicholas J. Johnson Mr. Johnson is a managing director in the Newport Beach office and a portfolio manager focusing on commodities and multi-asset portfolios. He joined PIMCO in 2004 and managed the portfolio analyst group prior to joining the portfolio management team in 2007. He specializes in structural risk premiums as well as overall portfolio construction. In 2012 he co-authored "Intelligent Commodity Indexing," published by McGraw-Hill. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2004, he was a research fellow at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, helping to develop Mars missions and new methods of autonomous navigation. He has 11 years of investment experience and holds a master's degree in financial mathematics from the University of Chicago and an undergraduate degree from California Polytechnic State University. Robin Nabors Ms. Nabors is a managing director and the head of human resources for the firm. She is responsible for leading the global human resources team and implementing PIMCO's talent management initiatives globally. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2007, she was with UBS as a director in human resources based in their New York, Zurich and London offices. She has 19 years of investment and financial services experience and holds an undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina. Frank Witt, CFA Mr. Witt is a managing director in the Munich office and the head of PIMCO's German and Austrian business. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2002, he was an investment banker with Goldman Sachs in Menlo Park, California and a risk manager with Deutsche Bank in Germany, Australia, Hong Kong, the U.K. and the U.S. He has 20 years of investment experience and holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He also participated in a one-year exchange program at the University of California, Berkeley and holds a master's degree in economics from the University of Bonn, Germany. About PIMCO PIMCO is a leading global investment management firm, with 13 offices in 12 countries throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Founded in 1971, PIMCO offers a wide range of innovative solutions to help millions of investors worldwide meet their needs. Our goal is to provide attractive returns while maintaining a strong culture of risk management and long-term discipline. PIMCO is owned by Allianz S.E., a leading global diversified financial services provider. Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including the performance of financial markets, the investment performance of PIMCO's sponsored investment products and separately managed accounts, general economic conditions, future acquisitions, competitive conditions and government regulations, including changes in tax laws. Readers should carefully consider such factors. Further, such forward-looking statements speak only on the date at which such statements are made. PIMCO undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements. Contact: Michael Reid PIMCO - Media Relations Ph. 212-739-3253 Email: Michael.Reid@pimco.com RANDERS, Denmark, February 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- It is amazing to think of the undiscovered treasures that are lurking in attics, cellars and barns around the world, following Campen Auktioner's recent discovery of more than 50 Renault automobiles in a barn on the Danish island of Funen in January this year. To view the Multimedia News Release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7763751-classic-automobile-collection-denmark-barn/ Although many of the cars are non-runners, they were carefully prepared and waxed before being placed into storage for almost five decades. The Danish collection bears all of the call signs of a dedicated enthusiast with a great passion for Renault and their contributions to the families of the fifties, sixties and seventies. The owner of this amazing discovery, Anker Krarup, calmly maintains that his collection is a consequence of pure coincidence; it began very simply when he decided to upgrade from a bicycle to an automobile in 1968. He chose the Renault 4CV because he once sat at a dinner table with a man whose wife drove the same model. Despite having a broken heater, and later a broken engine, the 4CV was repaired and used for many years- it even helped Krarup to woo his wife-to-be along the way. In 1980, Krarup replaced the 4CV with a Dauphine but decided to keep hold of his first automobile. This was a pattern which would repeat itself for many years to come. When owners thought their cars were in need of trading, Krarup bought them. His Renault count grew steadily and, as it approached sixty cars, it occupied several barns. Over the years, Krarup, and his wife Marianne and their boys, travelled many miles in their Renaults but grew uncomfortable with the fact that many of the stored cars were no longer roadworthy. They both firmly believed that such automobiles deserved to be driven and so the Krarups finally decided to put the entire collection up for sale, in the hope that the new owners would restore the cars to their former glory. There was also renewed interest in classic Renaults in Denmark earlier this month, when the Danish national Kevin Magnussen won a race seat for the French Renault team's return to Formula 1. This added interest could attract a large crowd for the auction, as nowhere else will enthusiasts find such a large collection of Renaults for sale all at once. Campen Auktioner in Randers, Denmark will sell the collection at the traditional auction of special and classic cars to be held on Palm Sunday on March 20, 2016, where the many Renaults will be the main attraction. For further information, please contact: Campen Auktioner A/S Annette Kjaer Scroggins, PR & Marketing Manager T: +45-22-543-543 E: pr@campenauktioner.dk (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160218/334800 ) Video: http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7763751-classic-automobile-collection-denmark-barn/ 2015 Number of shipments: 21.4 % 2015 Gross profit : 27.5 % Regulatory News: CLASQUIN (Paris:ALCLA): Year 2015* Year 2014* Change 2015 (re-analysed with Gueppe-Clasquin) 2014 (re-analysed with Gueppe-Clasquin) Change CONSOLIDATED (Unaudited) Number of shipments* 207,931 171,300 +21.4% 207,931 171,300 +21.4% Sales (m)** 234.2 201.7 +16.1% 243.9 211.5 +15.3% Gross profit (m) 55.6 43.6 +27.5% 62.3 50.4 +23.6% *Published figures, excluding Gueppe-Clasquin, a subsidiary (70% ownership) specialised in road haulage, freight and logistics, sold on 29 December 2015. **Note: Sales is not a relevant indicator for assessing activity in our business, because it is greatly impacted by changing sea and air freight rates, fuel surcharges, exchange rates (especially versus the $), etc. Variations in the number of shipments, the volumes shipped and-in terms of the Group's finances-gross profit are relevant indicators. The strong growth in the number of shipments (+21.4%) results from both organic growth and the contribution from acquisitions made in Q4 2014 (ECS GAF) and in Q2 2015 (LCI) (+18.5%). results from both organic growth and the contribution from acquisitions made in Q4 2014 (ECS GAF) and in Q2 2015 (LCI) (+18.5%). Same for Gross Profit(+27.5%) of which 16.9% comes from acquisitions. DETAILS ON ACTIVITY BY BUSINESS LINE NUMBER OF SHIPMENTS GROSS PROFIT (in m) At current exchange rate 31.12.2015 31.12.2014 31.12.2015/ 31.12.2014 Q4 2015 / Q4 2014 31.12.2015 31.12.2014 31.12.2015/ 31.12.2014 Q4 2015/ Q4 2014 Sea freight 98,908 92,090 +7.4 % -1.2% 27.8 22.5 +23.5% +6.0% Air freight 70,554 65,274 +8.1 % -0.2% 19.1 16.6 +15.3% -2.8% Others* 38,469 13,936 +376.4% +421.4% 7.6 3.4 +124.2% +139.2% TOTAL OVERSEAS ACTIVITY 207,931 171,300 +21.4% +16.4% 54.6 42.5 +28.4% + 12.9% Log System 2.5 2.5 +0.6% +12.4% Ecritures de consolidation -1.5 -1.4 NC NC TOTAL CONSOLIDE 55.6 43.6 +27.5% +13.6% * The strong growth in "Other" activity is linked to the acquisition of LCI: number of shipments for 9 months (April/December): 23,270; GP for 9 months: 4.7 m ** Please note: Q4 2014 was particularly strong. VOLUMES 31.12.2015 31.12.2014 31.12.2015 / 31.12.2014 Q4 2015 / Q4 2014 Sea freight: TEUs (Twenty Equivalent Units) 122,884 104,410 +17.7 % +16.1 % Air freight: Tons 50,586 49,068 +3.1 % +8.9 % Our 2015 'guidance' on profits (very strong growth) is confirmed 2015 HIGHLIGHTS LCI acquisition Since 31 March 2015 CLASQUIN has held 80% of the capital in FINANCIERE LCI, a company which acquired 100% of the capital in LCI INTERNATIONAL. LCI INTERNATIONAL is a company specialising in freight forwarding between France and Northern Africa Turkey. LCI INTERNATIONAL has 3 sites in France (Villefranche sur Saone (69), La Creche (79) and Vitrolles (13)) and 3 subsidiaries and interests in Tunisia. This transaction shall increase earnings per share and have a positive effect on profitability from this year. Sale of Gueppe-Clasquin On 29 December 2015, the company CLASQUIN sold the GUEPPE CLASQUIN Group to the ALAINE Group, active in providing Transport, Logistics and Forwarding services, whose headquarters are based in Macon (France). This transaction was completed with the agreement of the management and the minority shareholders of GUEPPE CLASQUIN Group and concerns 100% of the share capital and voting rights of FINANCIERE GUEPPE CLASQUIN, holding company of the subsidiaries GUEPPE CLASQUIN and CHRISTIAN GUEPPE LOCATION. As a reminder, CLASQUIN held a 70% equity interest in FINANCIERE GUEPPE CLASQUIN. GUEPPE CLASQUIN Group posted 2015 sales of 9.7 million and gross profit of 6.7 million. This operation will result in an accounting consolidated capital loss currently estimated at 0.9 m. The final amount will be determined in view of the GUEPPE CLASQUIN Group's 2015 profits. This sale opportunity is part of CLASQUIN Group's strategy of focusing on its core business. The transaction will enable the Group to generate cash in order to finance new acquisition projects. NEW 2016 GOVERNANCE Hugues Morin (46 years old) is promoted to Group Executive Vice President and becomes the Group's second in command. Hugues has spent his whole career at Clasquin. Having worked in Sydney, Osaka and Tokyo, he returned to France in 2002 to take on the regional management of Lyon and the South-East, and was promoted to Managing Director of Clasquin France in 2007. Until recently he managed France, Italy and Germany. Henceforth, he takes command of all of the Group's Front Office functions (operations and sales) and replaces Alain Dumoulin who retired. He is a member of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors. Quentin Lacoste (46 years old), an EPSCI graduate (Essec Group) and MBA graduate from Stirling University (Scotland) joined the Group in October 2015 as the Group COO in charge, under the line management of Hugues Morin, of Northern Europe, North America, South East Asia, India and Australia. He is a member of the Executive Committee. Quentin spent 20 years with Rohlig, a German logistics provider, first in Australia, then as Financial Controller in Germany, prior to being appointed as one of the Directors of the French subsidiary. He spent the last 12 years at the German Headquarters including 10 years as a member of the Global Executive Board, responsible for a dozen subsidiaries throughout the world, including Germany as well as Procurement and Product development for Airfreight and Seafreight. Laurence Ilhe (44 years old), ESSEC graduate, joined the Group on 25 January 2016 as the Group General Secretary, replacing Yves Barnoud who left the company at the end of April 2015. Laurence started her career as an auditor at Ernst Young before joining JC Decaux, Dell Computer and SFR Mobile successively. She then spent 10 years with Danone where she became the Financial Control Director of one of the divisions. In 2012 she joined Akka Technologies as the CFO for France and took command of all of the Back Office functions. As the Clasquin Group's General Secretary, she leads and coordinates all the support services (Legal, Finance, IT, Human Resources, Purchasing excluding business). She is a member of the Executive Committee. This rejuvenated high-level team will undoubtedly increase the Group's development and performance. 2016 OUTLOOK Market: Growth estimated at +/- 2% in volume. Clasquin : Growth higher than the market growth. UP COMING EVENTS(publication issued after market closure) -- Wednesday 16 March 2016 2015 Annual results -- Thursday 28 April 2016 Business report as at 31 March 2016 -- Thursday 25 August 2016 Business report as at 30 June 2016 -- Wednesday 21 September 2016 2016 Half year results -- Thursday 27 October 2016 Business report as at 30 September 2016 Clasquin is an air and sea freight forwarding and overseas logistics specialist. The Group designs and manages the entire overseas transport and logistics chain, organising and coordinating the flow of client shipments between France and the rest of the world, and more specifically to and from Asia-Pacific and the United States. Its shares are listed on Alternext Paris, ISIN FR0004152882, Reuters ALCLA.PA, Bloomberg ALCLA FP. For more information, see www.clasquinfinance.com CLASQUIN confirms its eligibility for the new share savings plan for MSCs (medium-sized companies) in accordance with Article D221-113-5 of the French Monetary and Financial Code established by decree number 2014-283 of 4 March 2014 and with Article L221-32-2 of the French Monetary and Financial Code which set the conditions for eligibility (less than 5,000 employees and annual sales of less than 1,500 million euros or total balance sheet of less than 2,000 million euros). Clasquin is part of EnternextPEA-PME 150 index. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160218006310/en/ Contacts: CLASQUIN Yves REVOL Chairman and CEO Philippe LONS Deputy Managing Director and CFO Stephanie CHALANDON Financial Communication Coordinator Phone: 04 72 83 17 00 Fax: 04 72 83 17 33 Mail finance@clasquin.com CLASQUIN Group 235 cours Lafayette 69006 Lyon BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Swiss stock market ended Thursday's session with a slight decline. The market got off to a weak start, but climbed into positive territory around midday and nearly reached the 8,000 point level. However, the weak opening of the U.S. market triggered further weakness in late trade. The U.S. markets opened lower Thursday, after the gains of the last few sessions. First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly decreased in the week ended February 13th, but the leading economic index edged down by 0.2 percent in January. The Swiss Market Index decreased 0.37 percent Thursday and finished at 7,916.61. The Swiss Leader Index finished unchanged and the Swiss Performance Index fell 0.17 percent. Shares of Transocean dropped 6.1 percent. Energy stocks retreated after the U.S. crude inventory report. Nestle decreased 3.7 percent. The food giant forecast softer pricing and growth in 2016 after reporting the smallest annual sales gain in six years. The luxury goods companies were under pressure, after Swiss watch exports fell sharply in January. Swatch declined 1.6 percent and Richemont surrendered 1.2 percent. The big banks also turned in a weak performance Thursday. UBS weakened by 1.8 percent and Credit Suisse fell 1.6 percent. The two pharmaceutical heavyweights provided some support to the market. Roche climbed 2.1 percent and Novartis gained 1.0 percent. Swiss Re rose 1.7 percent, after Deutsche Bank rated the stock a 'Buy.' Adecco gained 4.1 percent, adding to the gains of the previous session. Today's rise was fueled by solid results from competitor Randstad. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) revealed the role of Austrian wood processor Holzindustrie Schweighofer as the largest driver of illegal logging in Romania in its October 2015 report, Stealing the Last Forest. Yesterday, Holzindustrie Schweighofer released a statement in an attempt to "refute" EIA's evidence. In this statement, the company dismisses both the seriousness of the illegal logging problem in Romania and its own outsized role in facilitating the trade of illegal wood. "It is unfortunate that Schweighofer continues to attack the truth, rather than the problem of illegal logging," said EIA's Executive Director Alexander von Bismarck. "It is perhaps not surprising, as they have already taken a small Romanian NGO to Austrian court, have denied the publicly reported findings by the Romanian government that Schweighofer has received large amounts of illegal wood, and have even directly threatened the Romanian government with international legal action to prevent forest reform. EIA unequivocally stands by each and every statement made in our report." Schweighofer's statement focuses on minimizing the problem of illegal logging in Romania. In contrast, President Iohannis of Romania has now formally declared illegal logging a threat to the nation's security. Romania's forests are among Europe's richest in biodiversity, and the country contains two-thirds of the continent's last remaining virgin forests. Schweighofer processed 39 percent of all the softwoods cut in Romania in 2013. In 2015 the company significantly increased its imports from neighboring Ukraine, in an apparent expansion of its business model of shifting to ever more risky timber sources. Schweighofer buys logs from over 1,000 individual suppliers in Romania, a fact the company confirms in its statement published yesterday. The company goes on to suggest that it only audits around 25 suppliers each year. Meanwhile, the Romanian government, media, and NGO reports continue to show concrete examples of Schweighofer receiving and processing illegal timber. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160218006428/en/ Contacts: Environmental Investigation Agency Maggie Dewane, Press Officer 202-483-6621 mdewane@eia-global.org YORK, PA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/18/16 -- United Fiber & Data ("UFD") is a privately held communication infrastructure enterprise operating as a multi-regional fiber optic network provider. UFD is the developer and operator of Liberty Lantern-1, a 24-mile purpose-built fiber pathway offering 864 fiber strands, and future 100 Gbps Ethernet and Wavelength Service over a Dense Wave Division Multiplexing network. The Company has successfully negotiated and deployed its high speed network through the Hudson River Crossing. Key Facts: UFD's Dark Fiber network is currently available in lower Manhattan UFD's Hudson River Crossing is a key milestone towards its future expansion UFD's fiber backbone will be routed through key rural geographic locations, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia The Hudson River Crossing benefits existing clients and also allows room for future growth Key Quotes: Christopher Lodge, President & COO, United Fiber & Data "By entering into a long term agreement with Hudson River Crossing, United Fiber & Data has positioned itself to provide its clients with best-in-class connectivity between Manhattan and New Jersey. This is a key milestone in our ongoing effort to develop pathway diversity in the Northeast corridor." Stephen Klenert, CSO, Atlantic Metro "UFD's Hudson River Crossing is a major addition to the market. Most existing infrastructure is close to 20 years old -- as these fiber networks meet the end of their effective lifespan, establishing new routes is essential to maintaining the health of the telecommunications industry," said Stephen Klenert, Chief Strategy Officer of Atlantic Metro Communications. "UFD's new dark fiber route enables Atlantic Metro to offer new and existing clients lit services, such as DWDM wavelength connectivity. As the demand for bandwidth between our data center locations in Manhattan and New Jersey increases, this uniquely diverse route helps position Atlantic Metro for continued growth." About United Fiber & Data Founded in May 2011, the executive team of United Fiber & Data ("UFD") has built Liberty Lantern-1, an operational 24-mile metro ring to service enterprise clients in lower Manhattan by connecting into the largest carrier hotels in the city. UFD has also secured the licenses and right-of-ways needed to build, Atlantic Lantern-1 and Atlantic Lantern-2, a purpose-built 400-mile rural pathway between Manhattan and the largest Internet switch in the country, Ashburn, VA. The pathway traverses and intersects with second and third tier cities lacking broadband connectivity while serving as the only purpose-built alternative pathway to directly link the financial epicenter of Wall Street and the data centric community of Ashburn. For more information, please visit www.UFD.com or get to know us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. About Atlantic Metro Communications Atlantic Metro is a Managed Infrastructure as a Service Provider delivering innovative IT solutions to businesses nationwide. Our comprehensive solutions include cloud computing, nationwide network connectivity, and secure Internet data center colocation. Our Virtual Private Data Center ("VPDC") solution with Atlantic Metro virtualizes your infrastructure including applications, servers, storage, networks, and security. Atlantic Metro's VPDC solution addresses the demands of a new or growing business by providing guaranteed computing resources and on-demand scalability. Atlantic Metro's suite of customized, affordable, and reliable services enables customers to secure mission-critical data and operations, as well as complement their current IT infrastructure. Reduced time to market and rapid implementation of services maximize operating efficiency, getting customers up and running quickly. More than 375 customers including Fortune 500 enterprises, legal firms, retail, web start-ups, media and advertising agencies choose Atlantic Metro for the confidence that comes with customer-focused infrastructure solutions, support systems, and scalability. Atlantic Metro's visionary team strives to foster long-standing relationships and is dedicated to empowering the growth and success of its customers. Learn more at www.atlanticmetro.net. Forward-Looking Statement The statements contained herein may include statements of future expectations and other forward-looking statements that are based on management's current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. In addition to statements which are forward-looking by reason of context, the words "may", "will", "should", "expects", "plans", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "estimates", "predicts", "potential", or "continue" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Actual results, performance or events may differ materially from those in such statements due to, without limitation, (i) general economic conditions, including in particular economic conditions in UFD's core business and core markets, (ii) the contraction or lack of growth of markets in which we compete and in which our products are sold, (iii) unexpected increases in our expenses, including construction expenses, (iv) inability to adjust spending quickly enough to offset any unexpected revenue shortfall, (v) delays or cancellations in spending by our customers, (vi) unexpected average selling price reductions, (vii) changing levels of competition, (viii) changes in laws and regulations, (ix) reorganization measures, and (x) general competitive factors, in each case on a local, regional, national and/or global basis. Many of these factors may be more likely to occur, or more pronounced, as a result of terrorist activities and their consequences. Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Heather Gryp Email Contact 855-255-5244 www.ufd.com VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/18/16 -- Declan Resources Inc. ("Declan" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: LAN)(CSE: LAN) is pleased to announce that the Company's common shares have been approved for listing on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") and expects to begin trading on the CSE under the trading symbol "LAN" as of market open on February 22, 2016. About Declan Resources Inc. Declan is a Canadian based uranium exploration company. The Company is focused on the exploration of properties in the Athabasca Basin which hosts some of the largest, high grade uranium deposits in the world. Reader Advisory 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. This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, constitute "forward-looking statements" as well as any information that addresses activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future including the listing of its common shares on the CSE, the Company's strategy, plans or future financial or operating performance and other statements that express management's expectations or estimates of future performance. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to revise or update these forward-looking statements after the date of this document or to revise them to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated events. Contacts: Declan Resources Inc. Wayne Tisdale President and CEO (604) 639-4455 Chile is the first nation in Latin America to reach 1 gigawatt (GW) of installed solar PV. As of January, the capacity of operational PV plants stood at 1.013 GW with another 165 MW expected to be installed in the next month, according to data from the nation's National Center for Innovation and Promotion of Sustainable Energy (CIFES). This includes projects in commercial operation and in the testing stage. At the same time that Chile is reporting a considerable increase in the capacity of installed solar PV, the interconnection to Argentina in the north of the nation is returning to operation. Last week the operator of Chile's Northern Grid (SING) announced the beginning of electricity exports to Argentina across a transmission line which had been inactive for many years. Chilean Energy Minister Maximo Pacheco celebrated the re-activation of this interconnection. According to local press, he state that "the ... Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has been known to vehemently attack his political opponents, and it seems not even Pope Francis will be spared the real estate tycoon's wrath. In a statement released Thursday, Trump lashed out at the pope for remarks criticizing his proposal to build a wall along the border with Mexico. Francis told reporters aboard his plane that the idea of building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico is 'not Christian,' although the pontiff said he would not get involved in telling Americans who to vote for. Trump subsequently accused the pope of questioning his faith, which he described as 'disgraceful' in his harshly worded statement. 'I am proud to be a Christian and as President I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened, unlike what is happening now, with our current President,' Trump said. 'No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man's religion or faith.' He added, 'They are using the Pope as a pawn and they should be ashamed of themselves for doing so, especially when so many lives are involved and when illegal immigration is so rampant.' Trump claimed Francis would wish and pray he were president if the Vatican is attacked by the terrorist group known as ISIS. The billionaire's social media director Dan Scavino also weighed in on Twitter, noting that Vatican City is completely surrounded by massive walls. 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. ST. JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR -- (Marketwired) -- 02/18/16 -- Fortis Inc. (TSX: FTS) ("Fortis" or the "Corporation") today filed its audited Consolidated Financial Statements and related Management Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2015, as well as its 2015 Annual Information Form, with Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Copies of these documents are available electronically on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval ("SEDAR") website, www.sedar.com, and the Corporation's website, www.fortisinc.com, or by emailing investorrelations@fortisinc.com. The Proxy and Management Information Circular for the upcoming Fortis Annual Meeting of Shareholders are expected to be mailed on or before April 7, 2016. The Annual Meeting will be held at 10:30 a.m. (Newfoundland Daylight Time) on Thursday, May 5, 2016 at the Holiday Inn St. John's, 180 Portugal Cove Road, St. John's, NL. A live audio webcast of the Annual Meeting will be available at www.fortisinc.com. Fortis is a leader in the North American electric and gas utility business, with total assets of approximately $29 billion and fiscal 2015 revenue of $6.7 billion. The Corporation's asset mix is approximately 96% regulated (70% electric, 26% gas), with the remaining 4% comprised of long-term contracted hydroelectric generation operations. The Corporation's regulated utilities serve more than 3 million customers across Canada and in the United States and the Caribbean. For more information about Fortis, visit www.fortisinc.com or www.sedar.com . Fortis shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and trade under the symbol FTS. Additional information can be accessed at www.fortisinc.com or www.sedar.com. Contacts: Angela Doyle Investor Analyst Fortis Inc. 709.737.2800 SiriusDecisions' Laz Gonzalez keynotes at PRM leader Impartner's inaugural global customer conference, outlines top reasons PX is a priority for channel chiefs SILICON SLOPES, Utah, Feb. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As Customer Experience (CX) has moved to the front of the CEO agenda, Partner Experience (PX), has become a top priority for companies selling through the channel, a leading industry analyst said today at ImpartnerCON, a conference of global SaaS Partner Relationship Management (PRM) leader Impartner customers. In a keynote at the event, Laz Gonzalez, group service director, channel strategies, for global B2B research and advisory firm SiriusDecisions, outlined five key reasons channel chiefs consider improving their partner's experiences to be one of their top priorities: The channel is an engine of growth Increasing competition for partner mindshare Partners are more selective about investing in vendors, with PX as a primary decision driver PX directly impacts experience (CX) Evidence shows that PX directly impacts partner engagement, performance and loyalty Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160218/334972 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150821/260238LOGO "In 2016, ease of doing business is one of the key reasons partners add or drop a supplier offering," Gonzalez said. "Unfortunately, many B2B leaders who employ a multi-channel model are still only in the early stages of defining partner experience requirements or are struggling with developing and setting goals." During the presentation, Gonzalez highlighted common drivers of poor partner experience and counseled attendees to focus their partner experience efforts on the following top pillars: Product and profit: develop products that are channel-ready vs. products for customers and then selling them through the channel. People and alignment: Create the organizational infrastructure and governance supporting requirements definition and management. Programs and tools: Equip partners with quality support, effective enablement tools as well as simple and straightforward programs. Processes and technology: Improve processes to reduce difficulties in doing business with partners. Promotion and communications: Effectively manage the flow of the right messages to the right partners through the right media In closing out his session, Gonzalez encouraged attendees to begin the process of building a roadmap to PX excellence by assessing which maturity level best represents the organization's starting point for each of the PX pillars. While a number of solutions are available on the market to help companies access their partner journey, for more information on SiriusDecisions PX Maturity Model, click here. Gonzalez delivered his remarks during the keynote address to more than 100 attendees at ImpartnerCON, a three-day business management conference providing insights and tools for companies to maximize their channel program and optimize their use of Impartner's PRM technologies. The conference is being held in Snowbird, Utah, from Feb. 17-19. About Impartner Impartner delivers the industry's most advanced SaaS-based Partner Relationship Management solution, helping companies worldwide manage their partner relationships and accelerate revenue and profitability through indirect sales channels. Impartner PRM is the industry's only turnkey solution that can deploy a world-class Partner Portal in as few as 30 days, using the company's highly engineered, three-step Velocity' onboarding process. For more information on Impartner, which is based in Utah's tech hotbed, the Silicon Slopes, visit www.impartner.com, or in the US call (801) 501-7000, for EMEA general call +33 1 40 90 31 20, for London call +44 0 20 3283 4465 and for LATAM call +1 954 364 7883. Follow Impartner on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Media Contact: Kerry Desberg Impartner +1 425-231-9529 kerry.desberg@impartner.com CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/18/16 -- Veresen Inc. ("Veresen") (TSX: VSN) today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend for February 2016 of $0.0833 per common share. The dividend will be paid on March 23, 2016 to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 29, 2016. This dividend is designated an "eligible dividend" for Canadian income tax purposes. The dividend is eligible to be reinvested by shareholders, at a 5% discount, in common shares of Veresen ("Common Shares") under the dividend reinvestment component of the Premium Dividend and Dividend Reinvestment Plan of Veresen ("Plan") to be held for their account under the Plan. Shareholders may have these additional Common Shares delivered to a designated plan broker in exchange for a premium cash payment equal to 102% of the reinvested amount under the Premium Dividend component of the Plan. Registered shareholders of Veresen who have not previously enrolled in the Plan and wish to enroll in the Plan with respect to the February 2016 cash dividend and future cash dividends declared by Veresen, must deliver to Computershare Trust Company of Canada, as Plan Agent, a completed enrollment form which is available at www.computershare.com/investorcentrecanada, at or before 5:00 pm (ET) on February 22, 2016. A copy of the enrollment form may also be obtained by calling Computershare Trust Company of Canada at 1-800-564-6253, or from Veresen's website at www.vereseninc.com. Beneficial shareholders of Veresen who have not previously enrolled in the Plan and wish to participate in the Plan with respect to the February 2016 cash dividend and future cash dividends declared by Veresen, should contact their broker, investment dealer, financial institution or other nominee to provide appropriate enrollment instructions and to ensure any deadlines or other requirements that such nominee may impose or be subject to are met. Preferred Shares Series A, Series C and Series E Veresen's Board of Directors also declared the regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.275 per share, $0.3125 per share and $0.3125 per share for the period ended March 31, 2016 on its Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares Series A, Series C and Series E, respectively. These dividends will be paid on March 31, 2016 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 15, 2016. These dividends are designated an "eligible dividend" for Canadian income tax purposes. About Veresen Inc. Veresen is a publicly-traded dividend paying corporation based in Calgary, Alberta that owns and operates energy infrastructure assets across North America. Veresen is engaged in three principal businesses: a pipeline transportation business comprised of interests in the Alliance Pipeline, the Ruby Pipeline and the Alberta Ethane Gathering System; a midstream business which includes a partnership interest in Veresen Midstream Limited Partnership which owns assets in western Canada, an ownership interest in Aux Sable, a world-class natural gas liquids (NGL) extraction facility near Chicago, and other natural gas and NGL processing energy infrastructure; and a power business comprised of a portfolio of assets in Canada. Veresen is also developing Jordan Cove LNG, a six million tonne per annum natural gas liquefaction facility proposed to be constructed in Coos Bay, Oregon, and the associated Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline. In the normal course of business, Veresen regularly evaluates and pursues acquisition and development opportunities. denotes trademark of Canaccord Genuity Corp. Veresen's Common Shares and Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares Series A, Series C and Series E trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols "VSN", "VSN.PR.A", "VSN.PR.C" and "VSN.PR.E", respectively. For further information, please visit www.vereseninc.com. Contacts: Veresen Inc. Dorreen Miller Director Investor Relations (403) 213-3633 investor-relations@vereseninc.com www.vereseninc.com VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/18/16 -- Response Biomedical Corp. ("Response" or "the Company") (TSX: RBM)(OTC: RPBIF) launched the RAMP Dengue Environmental test at the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA) annual general meeting in Savannah, Georgia. The RAMP Dengue test is a rapid, quantitative test for detection of Dengue antigen in mosquitoes that transmit Dengue virus, a member of the Flavivirus genus that includes West Nile Virus, Zika Virus, Yellow Fever Virus and Japanese Encephalitis Virus. The RAMP Dengue test can detect the presence of all four strains of the Dengue virus in mosquitoes. Data presented at the AMCA meeting indicated the test is highly sensitive and specific for the detection of Dengue antigen. In an independent evaluation of the technology, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) presented data showing the RAMP Dengue test could detect a single positive infected mosquito in a pool of 25 for each of the four types of the Dengue virus, gave no false positives with non-infected mosquitoes and did not cross-react with other Flaviviruses (unpublished data). The RAMP Dengue test is the first quantitative, protein-based detection assay available for mosquito surveillance agencies and health departments to detect the presence of this deadly virus. The Dengue test, along with a similar RAMP Environmental test for West Nile Virus, is available worldwide and sold in the United States, Latin America and the Middle East by ADAPCO, a member of the Azelis Americas group of companies. Steve Burt, President of ADAPCO said "RAMP Environmental tests bring reassurance to those who feel threatened by these diseases and provide an actionable early warning system to government and regional agencies. This is the first line of defense against these emerging threats and we are pleased to offer our customers a solution to enhance their mosquito control efforts and public health campaigns." ADAPCO is the world's largest distributor of innovative products for the professional mosquito control industry and has marketed the RAMP West Nile Virus test to be the number one antigen detection system in North America. "The expansion of the RAMP Environmental line to include a rapid test for Dengue strengthens the position of Response as an expert in the detection of life-threatening viruses that use mosquitoes as their mode of transmission," said Dr. Barbara Kinnaird, Chief Executive Officer of Response. "This new test allows Response to expand its environmental testing sales into the Southern Hemisphere and new territories where mosquito borne Dengue virus is becoming an increased threat," noted Dr. Kinnaird. Dengue virus is a global concern, infecting an estimated 400 million people each year in over 100 countries, resulting in approximately 100 million cases of Dengue fever, a severe flu-like illness(1). Complications from the disease result in approximately 20,000 deaths each year and are a leading cause of hospitalization and death in tropical areas(1,2). A recent outbreak in Hawaii has affected 254 people, prompting the Hawaii Department of Health to issue a notice(3). While development efforts are ongoing, there is currently no vaccine to protect against the Dengue virus and there is no specific treatment for Dengue fever. Control of vector mosquito populations is currently the only means of preventing the spread of Dengue(1). About Response Biomedical Corp. Response develops, manufactures and markets rapid on-site diagnostic tests for use with its RAMP platform for clinical, biodefense and environmental applications. RAMP represents a unique paradigm in diagnostics that provides reliable, quality results in minutes. The RAMP platform consists of a reader and single-use disposable test cartridges and has the potential to be adapted to any medical and non-medical immunoassay based test currently performed in laboratories. Response clinical tests are commercially available for the aid in early detection of heart attack, congestive heart failure, bacterial sepsis, thromboembolism, influenza A and B and RSV. In the non-clinical market, RAMP tests are currently available for the environmental detection of West Nile Virus and Dengue Fever antigen and for Biodefense applications including the rapid on-site detection of anthrax, smallpox, ricin and botulinum toxin. Response is a publicly traded company listed on the TSX under the trading symbol "RBM" and quoted on the OTC under the symbol "RPBIF". For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.responsebio.com. About Adapco ADAPCO is the world's largest distributor to the professional mosquito control industry, with a vast line of products from over 25 well respected manufacturers. ADAPCO takes pride in partnering with suppliers that are dedicated to improving the mosquito control industry through research and new product development, resulting in a wide range of the best quality products available for mosquito control. For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.myadapco.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about Response Biomedical Corp. Examples of forward-looking statements in this press release include statements regarding our belief that RAMP Environmental tests bring reassurance to those who feel threatened by these diseases and provide an actionable early warning system to government and regional agencies, that the expansion of the RAMP Environmental line to include a rapid test for Dengue strengthens the position of Response as an expert in the detection of life-threatening viruses that use mosquitoes as their mode of transmission and that this new test allows Response to expand its environmental testing sales into the Southern Hemisphere and new territories where mosquito borne Dengue virus is becoming an increased threat. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and projections about future events. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements, and the assumptions upon which such forward-looking statements are made, are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct and if such expectations are not met, our business may suffer. Readers should not place undue reliance on these statements. Actual events or results may differ materially. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, events or developments to be materially different from any future results, events or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Many factors may cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement, including the factors detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian securities regulatory authorities, including but not limited to our annual report on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, our Current Reports on Form 8-K, our Annual Information Form and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian securities regulatory authorities. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are current as of the date hereof and are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Except as expressly required by applicable securities laws, we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. (1) "Dengue and severe dengue Fact sheet No117". WHO. May 2015. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs117/en/ 11 February 2016 (2) Gubler DJ (July 1998)."Dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever". Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 11 (3): 480-96. (3) "Dengue Fever - Hawaii Island Outbreak". Hawaii Department of Health, 11 February 2016. Retrieved from http://health.hawaii.gov/docd/dengue-outbreak-2015/ 11 February 2016 Contacts: Response Biomedical Corp. Dr. Barbara Kinnaird 604-456-6010 Chief Executive Officer ir@responsebio.com www.responsebio.com Zurich - Idyllically nestled on the shores of Lake Geneva, the Hotel President Wilson hosted the third edition of the WealthBriefing Swiss Awards on Thursday evening, 18 February. The audit and advisory firm EY took top honors at the awards ceremony for its outstanding contribution to wealth management thought leadership. Among the professionals honored for demonstrating excellence in the sector was Hans-Joachim Jaeger, tax partner at EY's Zurich office. Over 300 senior banking and wealth management professionals attended the prestigious gala event to celebrate the industry's greatest achievements in the past year. A panel of experts drawn from both private banks and advisors judged the nominees in a range of categories. EY's Hans-Joachim Jaeger received the award for "Leading Individual" in the "Experts" category. "This award means a great deal to me because it expresses recognition and appreciation from our peers and clients, not just for my contribution, but essentially also for the fine work of my colleagues across EY's global financial services network, to whom I'm indebted for their support," said Jaeger after the ceremony. Advisor in the negotiations between the United States and Switzerland for the implementation of FATCA Hans-Joachim Jaeger played a crucial role in the introduction and implementation of the Qualified Intermediary regulations and the EU Savings Tax Directive in the early 2000s, quickly earning a standing in the industry as trusted advisor in one of the early cornerstones of the move toward tax transparency. He was also one ... Den vollstandigen Artikel lesen ... Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 18, 2016) - West Red Lake Gold Mines Inc. (CSE: RLG) (FSE: HYK) (OTC: HYLKF) ("West Red Lake Gold" or the "Company") announces that the Company filed a NI 43-101 technical report on the 3100 hectare West Red Lake Project located in the prolific Red Lake Gold District, 25 km west of Balmertown, Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The Ontario Securities Commission (the "OSC") issued a Management Cease Trade Order on December 24, 2015 for failure to file an independent NI 43-101 technical report on the Company's West Red Lake Project. The Technical Report and Resource Estimate on the West Red Lake Project filed on sedar.com on February 18, 2016 (the "Technical Report") included an underground inferred mineral resource estimate of 4,468,900 tonnes at an average grade of 7.57 grams gold per tonne containing 1,087,700 ounces of gold with a cut-off grade of 3.0 grams per tonne. The inferred resource is located along a 1.8 km strike length from surface down to a depth of 350 metres at the location of the historic underground Rowan Mine site. The Technical Report was authored by John Kita, P.Eng , John C. Archibald, B.Sc., P.Geo. and Peter Bevan, P.Eng. and the authors have approved this news release. The West Red Lake Project consists of two contiguous properties, the Rowan Mine property and the Mount Jamie Mine property. The Rowan Mine site is situated on the Rowan Mine property 60% owned and managed by the Company and 40% owned by Red Lake Gold Mines. West Red Lake Gold has sole responsibility for the Technical Report as per the OSC requirement for the Company to file an independent NI 43-101 technical report on the West Red Lake Project. The Company's 40% partner had no involvement in the report. The mineral resource estimate is based on a 3D Block Model interpolated using Inverse Distance squared (ID2) methods to extrapolate grades. The software used for all geostatistical analysis and computation was Dassault Systemes, Geovia GEMS version 6.5. The database utilized contained 570 diamond drill holes, and a total of 36,062 assay records. Instart Logic, a Palo Alto, CA-based provider of application delivery solutions, acquired Kwicr, a mobile application acceleration plaform for Apple and Android platforms. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. With the acquisition, which follows the $45m Series D round of funding announced last month, Instart Logic adds a skilled team, patented technology, a Mobile Delivery Network software development kit (SDK), and new analytics capabilities for application acceleration for web, hybrid, and native applications to extend its application delivery capabilities. The company is also opening a Boston office to accommodate the Kwicr team. Led by Manav Mital, CEO, Instart Logic provides a platform that combines machine learning and security with a content delivery network (CDN) for mobile-first application delivery. The company, which will now integrate Kwicrs SDK into its platform to leverage the machine learning, analytics, and content delivery network components, is funded by Andreessen Horowitz, Four Rivers Group, Geodesic Capital, Greylock Partners, Hermes Growth Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Sutter Hill Ventures, Telstra Ventures, Tenaya Capital, Wing Venture Capital and several notable Silicon Valley angel investors. FinSMEs 18/02/2016 Jana, a Boston, MA-based provider of free, unrestricted Internet access in emerging markets, raised $57m in Series C funding. The round was led by new investor Verizon Ventures with participation from existing investors Spark Capital and Publicis Groupe. The company will use the funds to accelerate expansion into emerging markets. Jana also announced that Tim Armstrong, CEO of AOL, has agreed to serve on the companys advisory board. Maurice Levy, CEO of Publicis, is also an advisor, and further bolsters Janas ability to serve its advertising partners around the world. Led by Nathan Eagle, CEO, Jana provides free, unrestricted internet access in emerging markets to more than 30 million people. The companys model shifts the cost of data to brands via sponsored content, letting users download, try and engage with apps and in return gain free data to be used anywhere on the internet. Its mCent Android app unlocks free data in exchange for brand engagement, allowing users to earn data that can be used anywhere on the internet for example using another app like WeChat, to do a Google search or to watch a YouTube video. It currently partners with more than 3,000 brands (including Amazon, Saavn, Twitter, and WeChat), and 311 mobile carriers. Following the launch in India and expansion into additional key markets, such as Indonesia and Brazil, the company aims to start operations in China. FinSMEs 18/02/2016 Global venture capital firm Lightstone Ventures (LSV) closed a US$50m fund focused on investing in Singapore-based life sciences companies. Limited Partners in Lightstone Singapore, L.P., include Temasek, an investment company based in Singapore, and EDBI, the corporate investment arm of the Singapore Economic Development Board. The fund will focus on company creation and consider additional opportunities as well including existing later-stage Singapore-based companies or projects targeting Asia Pacific markets. In order to manage the vehicle, LSV will establish a wholly-owned subsidiary, Lightstone Singapore Pte. Ltd., a Singapore-based fund management company consisting of a dedicated team led by former Lightstone Venture Partner Dr. Kenneth D. Noonan, Ph.D., and joined by Investment Associate Dr. Wen Qi Ho, Ph.D. Founded in 2012 by the General Partners of the life science teams at Advanced Technology Ventures (ATV) and Morgenthaler Ventures, Lightstone Ventures invests in early-stage medical device and biopharmaceutical companies that have the potential to change medicine. The firm now has offices in Menlo Park, CA, Boston, MA, Boulder, Co, Dublin, Ireland, and Singapore. FinSMEs 18/02/2016 Victory Park Capital (VPC), a Chicago, IL-based investment firm focused on private middle market debt and equity investments, appointed Upacala Mapatuna as new chief investment officer. Mapatuna bring more than 20 years of financial industry experience and over 15 years of investing experience to the firm. As CIO, she will sit on VPCs investment and management committees and be involved in overseeing current and future funds. Mapatuna was previously a managing director at Goldman Sachs and a member of the Alternative Investments and Manager Selection group. In addition to her 12-year career at Goldman Sachs, she has held various positions in the investment industry, including at Mill Road Capital, a private equity firm focused on investing in undervalued public market micro-cap companies, Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm, and Lazard Capital Partners, the private equity affiliate of Lazard. Mapatuna began her career at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve and holds a bachelors degree from Williams College. Founded in 2007 by Richard Levy, CEO, Victory Park Capital is an investment firm with a focus on alternative credit. It provides privately negotiated debt and equity capital solutions to small and middle market companies across a wide range of industries. The firm, a privately held and a Registered Investment Advisor with the SEC, also has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London and San Francisco. FinSMEs 18/02/2016 PLEASE REMEMBER TO ORDER FROM AMAZON THOUGH FMF.CLICK ON ANY BOOK WE LIST TO GET TO AMAZON, AND THEN ORDER WHATEVER. thanxxx &amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;gt; 2ND EDITION!!! I hope to have some news soon about the 2nd edition of hole in my heart. Sorry for the delay! THANK YOU AND LEGAL NOTICE As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. THANK YOU TO ALL THE READERS WHO REMEMBER TO GO TO AMAZON VIA FIRST MOTHER FORUM. IT MATTERS NOT WHAT YOU PURCHASE. From the New York Times "Lorraine Dusky, a writer who relinquished a daughter as a young single mother in New York State in 1966, supports opening the records. She reported in her 2015 memoir that in the handful of states that offered women the opportunity to remove their names from original birth certificates, only a small fraction of women fewer than 1 percent chose to do so." -- Dont Keep Adopted People in the Dark by Gabrielle Glaser, June 19, 2018 From the New York Times "On FirstMotherForum.com, a blog that discusses issues among women who had given children up for adoption, Lorraine Dusky, one of the sites authors, praised the series (ABC's 10-episode Find My Family): 'Maybe this will be heard by people who think it is unloyal somehow for a person to search out his or her roots, parents, family, when it is a most natural desire of consciousness.' --Two Reality Shows Stir Publicity and Anger"--Dec. 6, 2009. This blog takes cookies. "It shouldn't take a miracle to find people you are related to by blood."--Jenn Gentlesk EMAIL US AT forumfirstmother@gmail.com Oregon court records available Instructions and forms for accessing adoption records are on the Oregon Judicial Department's website. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Material from First Mother Forum may be quoted as long as FMF is credited and with a link to original source here. Over 350 words, contact for permission: forumfirstmother@gmail.com. NEW DELHI Competition Commission of India (CCI) has ordered an investigation into a Monsanto joint venture, saying it suspected the company had abused its dominant position as a supplier of genetically modified (GM) cotton seeds. The case arose as Indian authorities consider whether to allow commercial growing of the country's first genetically modified food crop, a technology that promises to improve yields but sharply divides public opinion in India. Local farmers and some of their associations, including one affiliated to PM Narendra Modi's ruling party, have complained that Monsanto overprices its products using its position as supplier of GM seeds used in more than 90 percent of the country's cotton cultivation. U.S.-based Monsanto launched a GM cotton variety in India in 2002 despite opposition from critics who questioned its safety, helping transform the country into the world's top producer and second-largest exporter of the fibre. Mahyco Monsanto Biotech (India)(MMB), a joint venture with India's Mahyco, licenses a gene that produces its own pesticide to a number of local seed companies in lieu of royalties and an upfront payment. MMB also markets the seeds directly, though the local licensees together command 90 percent of the market. Acting on a complaint by India's farm ministry that the JV was charging "unreasonably high" royalties, CCI said there were indications that MMB had abused its dominant position and asked its director general (DG) to complete an investigation within two months. In its order, the commission also asked the director general to investigate the role of executives in charge of the business if any wrongdoing is found. MMB said it was evaluating the order and its options, but that it was confident it would be found blameless. "MMB conducts its business in an honest, transparent and respectful manner and it remains confident that this will be evident after all relevant information has been considered by the CCI," a spokesman said in an email. "MMB has assured the CCI (of) its full cooperation with the investigation and we remain confident that all allegations which the CCI proposes to investigate will be ultimately dismissed in their entirety." Its counsel told the CCI that the royalty charged from Indian seed companies was the lowest in the world, that prices had come down over time and innovation had to be rewarded. A minister involved in the issue said the government was determined to lower GM cotton prices before it potentially allows the cultivation of GM mustard, final trial reports for which are being examined by experts. (Additional eporting by Rupam Jain and Mayank Bhardwaj; Editing by Dale Hudson and Adrian Croft) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. BRASILIA Standard & Poor's downgraded Brazil's credit rating deeper into junk territory on Wednesday, citing its failure to curb its fiscal deficit, in a surprise blow to President Dilma Rousseff`s bid to haul the economy out of its worst recession in decades. S&P cut Brazil's sovereign credit rating to BB from BB+ with a negative outlook, just five months after becoming the first agency to strip the country of its coveted investment grade. Fitch ratings followed suit in December. Standard & Poor's highlighted the government's inability to plug the widening fiscal deficit amid a deepening political and economic crisis. Brazil's economy, the largest in Latin America, is on track for its worst recession since records began in 1901, after contracting around 4 percent last year. "We now expect a more prolonged adjustment process with a slower correction in fiscal policy, as well as another year of steep economic contraction," S&P said in a statement. Brazil's budget deficit has mushroomed since Rousseff took office in 2011. The deficit equalled 10.3 percent of gross domestic product in 2015, nearly five times its shortfall in the 12 months to mid-2011. By comparison, at the height of its debt crisis in 2009 Greece had a deficit of 15.2 percent of GDP. The downgrade caught Brazilian officials by surprise. Once the rising star among major emerging economies, Brazil now shares the same rating of its much poorer neighbours Paraguay and Bolivia. "We were considering this possibility, but we didn't think it would come so quickly," said a presidential aide who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Another government official said the surprise move could prompt the administration to announce a series of fiscal measures as soon as Friday. The government is working on legislation to reduce its fiscal goal for 2016 as revenues plummet. The government is also considering a budget freeze of around 24 billion reais ($6.02 billion), down sharply from the near 70 billion reais in 2015, the official told Reuters. In an official statement, the finance ministry said it was confident the downgrade will be reversed as soon as measures to rebalance the public accounts and bolster growth start to take hold. Brazil's benchmark Bovespa stock index and its currency gave back some of the day's gains immediately after the decision. The downgrade could exert further downward pressure on the real currency and prompt investors to exit an economy that only four years ago was growing above 4 percent, and raise borrowing costs for the government and corporations. The real currency lost more than 30 percent of its value last year. "This is unlikely to be the last downgrade because of the secular downward trend in emerging market credit ratings," said Alejo Czerwonko, emerging markets strategist at UBS Wealth Management, pointing to today's downgrade of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Kazakhstan. "If policymakers have not reacted to previous downgrades why would they react to this marginal change in rating." Barclays said it expects S&P to downgrade Brazil again by the end of the year as political turmoil is likely to continue. Moody's and Fitch could downgrade the country in the first half of the year, Barclays said in the research note. The downgrade highlights the challenges that Rousseff faces amid growing pressure from allies to relax an austerity drive and stimulate economic growth to survive ongoing impeachment proceedings. Markets now expect the Brazilian economy to shrink more than 3 percent this year, fuelling unemployment. More than 1.5 million Brazilians lost their jobs last year, helping to crush Rousseff's approval ratings. (Additional reporting by Bruno Federowski and Silvio Cascione; Writing by Alonso Soto and Daniel Flynn; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Bernard Orr) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. New Delhi: JNU teachers have questioned the "scope" of the university probe panel inquiring into the raising of alleged anti-national slogans on campus demanded that more members should be included into the high-level committee. The members of the students council, who have been to appear before the committee, have also refused to participate in enquiry process citing "unjust" academic suspension of 8 students. While the students are boycotting the classes release of the JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar, the teachers are divided over the disruption of classes. "The committee which has been constituted by the university has only three members in it and all of them are from the same department. This is such a serious matter. We should have more 'democratic' composition of the panel with members from outside JNU who can probe the matter in an unbiased manner," said Bikramaditya Choudhary, Secretary, JNU Teachers Association. "The panel should also include members from the hostel committee, equal opportunity cell and the gender panel. We have decided that teachers will support the student agitation but perform their academic duties and submitted our demands to the Vice Chancellor," he added. The members of JNU students council were asked to appear before the probe panel for seeking "clarifications" regarding the 0 9 February incident. "We feel that the composition of the committee is undemocratic. Also the academic suspension of the students on basis of the so called preliminary report is 'unjustified'," a student councillor said. The JNU administration had instituted a "disciplinary" enquiry as to how the event against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, took place despite withdrawal of permission. The varsity's students union president is in judicial custody in a sedition case in connection with the event. PTI There should be no Taliban culture in India and the law should be allowed to take its course, say ABVP office-bearers who have resigned from the party in protest against the Centre's handling of the raging row at JNU and "legitimising" actions of right wing fascist forces. "JNU is the most nationalist institution in the country. I do not support the government's stand over the issue. Let Supreme Court find Kanhaiya guilty and award him life imprisonment. But let the law take its course. There should be no 'Taliban culture' in India," said Pradeep Narwal, former Joint Secretary of JNU unit of ABVP. Pradeep Narwal, Joint Secretary of JNU unit of ABVP, Rahul Yadav, President of ABVP unit of JNU's School of Social Sciences (SSS) and its Secretary Ankit Hans, had yesterday resigned from the BJP student wing, saying they "cannot be mouthpiece of such a government which has unleashed oppression on student community". "We are going to fight for JNU. If law find Kanhaiya guilty, let him be punished. If Umar Khalid is guilty he should be jailed. But do not attack the entire university, students and teachers. Let there be space for voices of dissent," he added. Ankit Hans, said, "We had ideological differences with the party over the issue so we decided to disassociate ourselves. We want to stand for the university as students and not political leaders of an outfit, whose stand is not acceptable to us". While the ABVP senior leaders are claiming that the three students have been "influenced" to protest against the party and divert the whole issue, Hans said, "This is our individual decision. We have not done this under anybody's influence. In a hard-hitting resignation letter, the trio had yesterday said, "We think there is a difference between interrogation and crushing ideology and branding entire left as anti-national. We cannot be mouthpiece of such a government which has unleashed oppression on student community. "Every day we see people assemble at front gate with Indian Flag to beat JNU student, well this is hooliganism not nationalism, you cant do anything in the name of nation, there is a difference between nationalism and hooliganism". The three students, however, maintained that they will not join the ongoing strike by the students demanding release of JNUSU President Kumar. Narwal believes that anti-national slogans aren't acceptable and those who participate in such acts must be punished by the law, reported Hindustan Times. He further added that while the NDA is not tackling the issue as it should be, the attack on journalists and Kanhaiya Kumar isn't justified. The report further stated the members from various student bodies condemned the anti-India slogans but supported Kanhaiya when he was arrested and later charged with sedition. Narwal further stated in the report that it was certain 'veiled persons' who were seen shouting anti-national slogans and that they should be punished as deemed suitable under the law. The three members of ABVP who resigned have no intentions of participating in the protest demanding Kumar's release, said the report. Narwal also condemned the media, one news channel in particular, saying the #SHUTDOWNJNU idea is atrocious and believes that his university is "considered as one of the progressive and democratic institution where we can see intermingling of people from lower to upper income strata of the society, notion of equality," revealed the report. With inputs from agencies New Delhi: The Bar Council of India has decided to crack the whip on the group of unruly lawyers who indulged in violence at the Patiala House Court complex in New Delhi, saying the licences of those found guilty will be suspended for life. Apologising for the violence in the court premises yesterday which had occurred for a second time in a row ahead of the hearing of JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar's sedition case, BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra said names of the bar members, if found guilty of indulging in this violence, will be removed from the roll. "I seek apology from mediapersons and that boy Kanhaiya Kumar for such mishappenings and misconduct. Strong action will be taken against lawyers, if found guilty of indulging in violence at Patiala House Court. "The action includes suspension of their licence for their entire life. Therefore, we can remove name of any of the advocates from the roll of Bar Council for whole life," Mishra said. The apex law body has set up a three-member committee, headed by a former High Court judge, to probe the incidents of 15 and 17 February at the Patiala Court where a group of lawyers attacked Kanhaiya and thrashed students, media persons as well as a team of senior advocates constituted by the Supreme Court which had gone there to take a stock of the situation. "We have made a special request to the committee to submit its report and complete its proceedings within three weeks from today and we hope that soon after receiving the report of inquiry committee, we will take a strong action against the guilty," he said. He said BCI has taken a serious view of the incidents and termed it "shameful" and added "handful of lawyers have done this." The men dressed in lawyers' robes had allegedly thrown sharp-edged objects at the team of senior lawyers and hurled abuses and expletives at them. PTI Dozens of Kashmiri students enrolled in different colleges and universities in the national capital are living under fear, many of them going underground while others are hoping to return home following a controversy over an event to commemorate the 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru at the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University on 9 February. A week after a group of students allegedly raised slogans during the cultural event, A Country without a Post Office (the title has been borrowed from the adored Kashmiri American poet, Agha Shahid Alis book with the same title), organised by the Democratic Students Union, to protest against the judicial killing of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat, the controversy seems far from dying down. Late on Tuesday, a group of Kashmiri students from different department gathered outside a dhaba inside the campus and discussed recent events unfolding inside and out of the university over endless cups of tea. It is easy to blame Kashmiri students and brand them as anti-nationals. This was the only university in the country where you were allowed to hold a contrarian view, where dissent, a healthy sign of democracy, was welcomed, but now it is becoming scary, Tariq, a student from the southern district of Anantnag in Kashmir, said. It is telling that almost every student inside the campus gives you only his first name, fearing reprisal from the police which has launched a witch-hunt against them while right-wing elements accuse them of being "anti-nationals". The events of the week gone by have sparked fears of a fresh crackdown which is why most of the students have chosen to stay inside the four walls of the university. At the gate of the university, the ABVP activists are shouting slogans. They behave like goons; stop cars, harass commuters and pedestrians alike, and all under the nose of policemen posted there. We have not been able to set foot outside the university for many days now. We are scared, another student, Ifat, told Firstpost. Late on Tuesday evening, young students, undergraduates and graduates, marched inside the varsity raising leftist slogans and demanding immediate release of the arrested JNU Students Union president, Kanhaiya Kumar, over charges of sedition. Holding black and white posters of their arrested leader, they shouted slogans against the police for witch-hunting. "The Hindu right wingers have unsuccessfully tried to paint the most admired and envied university in India with saffron colours. They have been trying this for a very long time. Now, some officials of the university are facilitating that. The BJP wants to curb dissent by using its student wings inside the university. Outside of it, the Hindu right-wing party has employed the organs of the state to witch-hunt innocent students," a scholar at the School of International Relations told Firstpost, requesting anonymity. The atmosphere inside the university is tense. Students are refusing to go back to classrooms and now the teachers too have joined the protests. After a court extended the police remand of Kumar on Tuesday, the teachers who had waited for two days of strike, have started their own strike. It seems the protests are not going to subside soon and its impact could well affect the atmosphere outside the walls of JNU. The fear of being persecuted at the hands of security forces in Indian states is not new to Kashmiri students. In March 2014, Swami Vivekanand Subharti University suspended 67 Kashmiri students for cheering Pakistan in an Asia cup match. The charges were later dropped, but their life changed forever after that event and a majority of them never returned back to the university. What made matters worse for them was that several organisations from Pakistan, including the militant organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a banned outfit, offered them scholarships to study in Pakistan. The politics of love and hatred was played on the career of those students. We never wanted it to happen. We wanted some breathing space inside the university, but it was not there. When I see JNU students today, I remember what happened to us at that time. I never went back to mainland India again after that incident, Anees Ahmad, a student who was expelled from Swami Vivekanand Subharti University told Firstpost on the phone from Srinagar late on Tuesday. Imagine, we are talking about JNU, not any other university. The state and its apparatus have come to muzzle the voice of the students who are known for being fearless. How can you feel safe in such environment? he added. But many students say the image of JNU being a varsity which offers a healthy space for often contradictory views is not actually true, when it comes to matters of the state and its relationship with Kashmir. A majority of the students dont believe in the idea of independent Kashmir, but they respect the views of others. That is what makes this university a unique place to study in, Khaleed, another student told Firstpost. I was sitting in the canteen recently when a student of Hindi department shouted at me , 'Hey you Kashmiri, when will you arrest Hafiz Sayeed'. I felt insulted, he added. Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday alleged there was "tacit support" of the Prime Minister for the police attack on students in JNU and said the BJP-led Centre is attempting to "impose" RSS ideology on educational institutions of the country. "There has to be the tacit support of the Prime Minister for the police attack on the students in JNU. The Delhi police commissioner has not said anything on it. There has to be some power backing him," Gogoi claimed while addressing the media here. "If (JNU students union president) Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested under charges of sedition, then why is the police commissioner saying they will not oppose if Kanhaiya applies for bail. On what charges was he (Kumar) arrested if he will be allowed to go on bail?" Gogoi asked. "Look at JNU, Hyderabad University, FTII-Pune incidents and the imposition of RSS members in our Dibrugarh University managing committee. The BJP government is attempting to impose RSS ideology on educational institutions. Smriti Irani is listening to the RSS only," he said. "There is intolerance in anything spoken against the Prime Minister or BJP, thereby violating the basic principle of democracy and the right to freedom of speech. Everyone has the right to express views," Gogoi said. Referring to the Jawaharlal Nehru University row, he said "JNU is not just a top university in the country but in the world. With intellectuals and students, it is natural that there will be difference in opinions." "But BJP supporters opposed that. There is nothing in Kanhaiya's speech that is anti-India," the Congress Chief Minister said. "If the students had violated the law, then arrest them. But the government cannot take the law into its hands. It is a very dangerous trend to impose RSS ideology. It is a fascist tendency that only they will give directions," Gogoi said. PTI New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi will take the battle over the JNU row and the alleged targetting of students in various parts of the country to President Pranab Mukherjee when he meets him on Thursday. Accompanied by senior leaders and also young MPs of the party, the Congress vice-president is expected to highlight the "lawlessness" in Delhi in the wake of Patiala House court attacks and the way the government has handled the JNU row as also the Rohith Vemula suicide and the agitation in FTII in Pune. Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, leader of the party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge are expected to accompany Rahul, party sources told PTI. On Wednesday, Congress had demanded immediate removal of Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi after the scuffle outside Patiala House Court complex for the second time in a week. Citing the attacks in Patiala House court, Congress on Wednesday had alleged that 'jungle raj' is prevailing in Delhi. JNU students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar and some journalists were attacked in the court complex by rowdy lawyers on Wednesday. Despite instructions by the apex court to ensure security at the Patiala House Court, where violent men in black robes had attacked journalists on Monday, Delhi Police failed to prevent the attack on Kumar, who has been accused of sedition. On Monday too, journalists were attacked by such elements. The Congress vice-president had led protests over the Rohith Vemula issue in Hyderabad and also the FTII students agitation in Pune. PTI By Shishir Tripathi On Wednesday evening, as news started coming in that Delhi police has said that they would not contest the bail plea of JNUSU student president Kanhaiya Kumar, self-doubt was clear on the face of many ABVP activists. Within an hour of this news and at the backdrop of massive protest gathering at administrative block in JNU campus, demanding the release of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, three activists of the ABVP unit of JNU resigned from their respective posts. Those who resigned included Pradeep, Joint Secretary, ABVP JNU Unit, Rahul Yadav, President, school of social sciences (SSS) ABVP unit and Ankit Hans, Secretary SSS , ABVP unit. The letter announcing the resignation posted on their Facebook page stated that they are disassociating themselves from any further activity of ABVP. The reason is 'difference of opinion' on the 'current JNU incident' among other issues. Criticising the centre for unleashing oppression on the student community and adding that they cannot be the mouthpiece of such a government they resigned from the post. What is interesting is that change of heart among the ABVP cadres came quickly after the news of Kanhaiya's probable release started coming in. Adding to the fact that the ABVP was losing the fight was a massive gathering at administrative block demanding the JNUSU leader release. One of the ABVP leaders of the campus, while talking to Firstpost, said that Kanhaiya's release will leave them red faced. Almost after a week the incident took place, ABVP has woken up to the mishandling of the case. They are doing all this just to save their face, nothing else, said another JNU student. However, while many think that it is a realisation of a mistake that propelled the ABVP office bearers to resign, current ABVP office bearers think that they have done it under pressure. Tara Shankar a JNU scholar says, I think a lot of students start following an ideology without having proper understanding what that ideology stands for. I think these three ABVP office bearer who resigned did so because they realised that they are following a wrong ideology. Pradeep who resigned from the post of general secretary on 10 February had clearly criticised the 9 February incident and continues to do so even now. In a post on 9 February, he had written 'last nights slogans of pseudo-leftists .....bharat tere tukadde honge, inshaallah......hahahaha......... kyon allah ko bhi apne satth badnam karte hoo bhai........ The letter posted on Facebook further stated Anti-national slogans on 9 February in the university campus were very unfortunate and heart breaking. Whosoever responsible for that act must be punished as per the law. But the way the NDA government is tackling the whole issue, the oppression on professors, repeated attacks by lawyers on the media and on Kanhaiya kumar in court premises is unjustifiable and we think there is a difference between interrogation and crushing ideology and branding the entire left as anti-national This hints at the discontent among the students at the improper handling of entire JNU issue. However Alok Singh, president of ABVP JNUSU unit rejects difference of opinion theory . He says To decentralise our party work, we had appointed many students at different schools in the university. In that course, Rahul and Ankit were delegated the work of the party at the school of social sciences. They were never active in the party activities and hardly attended any meetings. He added, They never expressed any dissatisfaction with the party work. I am sure that they have done this under pressure from their teachers at SSS. Sourabh Sharma, general secretary JNUSU who won the election on ABVP ticket echoes the same view. They have resigned under the pressure of teachers from SSS. Most of the teachers at SSS are leftist and I think that they have pressurised the students to do so and the three students naturally gave preference to their career, which is normal. However, we still consider them as part of our party and will talk to them and will try to gauge the actual reason of their resignation HAVANA Cuba is willing to talk with the United States about human rights, its top diplomat for U.S. relations said on Thursday in reference to a historic visit by U.S. President Barack Obama set for March. The White House earlier said Obama would raise Washington's concerns about rights to free speech, free assembly and independent civil society during his two-day Cuba trip, the first by a sitting U.S. president since 1928. "Cuba is open to speak to the U.S. government about any topic, including human rights," Josefina Vidal, director of U.S. affairs for the Cuban Foreign Ministry, told reporters after the White House said Obama would travel to Cuba on March 21-22. The trip follows the two countries' move in 2014 to reopen ties after more than 50 years of hostile relations. But Vidal made clear that Cuba's idea of what constituted human rights did not coincide with Washington's perception. "We have different ideas (about rights), in the same way that different ideas exist about other topics like democracy, political models and international relations, she told reporters. "We hope that President Obama will have the opportunity to converse with the real Cuban civil society," Vidal said, using a term to draw a distinction from the opposition, which the government considers illegitimate. Cuba says critics of its human rights record overlook a low crime rate and guaranteed healthcare and education. Obama will meet with dissidents when he visits Cuba, the White House said. Republicans complained that the trip would lend legitimacy to the island's Communist government. Anti-government activists face harassment and short-term detention if they gather and protest in Cuba. The Cuban Commission of Human Rights and National Reconciliation, a dissident group, says there has been a spike in such detentions since November. Cuba released 53 political prisoners around the time of rapprochement in December 2014. But there are still about 90 political prisoners in Cuba, the commission said on Thursday, an increase of about 20 since it issued its annual report in June 2015. The Cuban government see the dissidents as a tiny minority with little public support and financed indirectly by Washington. (Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Andrew Hay) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Nepal prime minister KP Oli will make India his first foreign destination as Prime Minister of Nepal on Friday, when he arrives in New Delhi on a six-day visit. While arguably not quite as high-profile as some of the other recent visits to India by foreign leaders, Olis is a significant one. Significant, primarily because India-Nepal relations have been strained for a while now, and this visit gives the governments of both countries to set things right and the bilateral on a positive trajectory again. Almost like it was back in 2014. Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off his tenure by inviting Saarc leaders, including then Nepali prime minister Sushil Koirala to his swearing-in ceremony. He has since made two state visits to Nepal his most-visited country alongside the US, Singapore, Russia and France where he received a warm welcome from both, the government and the public. Its notable that his August 2014 visit was the first by any Indian prime minister to Nepal in 17 years. How relations soured A road-bump was hit in May last year, when the Indian media faced flak from Nepalis for its perceived insensitivity and exploitative behaviour in the wake of the massive earthquake. Remember #GoHomeIndianMedia? Admittedly, that didnt affect relations between New Delhi and Kathmandu, but people-to-people relations took a hit. Government-to-government relations would take a beating around four months later when Nepal adopted its first fully secular and democratic Constitution which led to the violent Madhesi revolt. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar visited Kathmandu (and met political leaders representing all sides of the debate on the Constitution) and upon his return, stated We hope that Nepal's political leaders will display the necessary flexibility and maturity at this crucial time to ensure a durable and resilient Constitution that has broad-based acceptance. That seemed to be all it took for #BackOffIndia to start trending on Twitter. And despite the Ministry of External Affairs assertion that India had not handed over any list of specific Constitutional amendments or changes to the Government of Nepal, things went further downhill. The de facto blockade came soon after. This blockade prompted Oli to accuse India of treating Nepal as if the two countries were at war. By October, Beijing had caught wind of New Delhi-Kathmandu tensions. And after Olis election as Nepals prime minister, the Chinese media began to portray him as pro-China and the coalition he leads as Beijing-friendly. The efficacy of Modis Nepal policy was under the scanner. By mid-November, and after gentle talks and an economic blockade one with which the Government of India vociferously opposed any involvement it appeared New Delhi was in search of international support in its efforts to apparently influence the Nepali leadership to amend the Constitution and allay Madhesi fears. First, it was a throwaway line in an India-UK joint statement that raised the hackles in Kathmandu. Modi and his British counterpart David Cameron stressed the importance of a lasting and inclusive constitutional settlement in Nepal that will address the remaining areas of concern and promote political stability and economic growth. Kathmandu replied with this little stinger: Nepal respects the international communitys support and goodwill for peace, stability and prosperity. However, Nepal strongly views that the constitution making is an internal matter of the country and Nepal is capable of handling its internal affairs on its own. A diplomatic way of saying, Go- well, you know. And a few days later, Oli took umbrage at India raking up the decade-old issue of human rights violations in Nepal, at a UN Human Rights Council meet in Geneva. What now for bilateral ties? It was in January this year that Oli announced he would not be breaking from tradition all his predecessors with the exception of Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' in 2008 have made India their first state visit despite speculation in the Nepali media that he would opt for Beijing. But it was only after the five-month-long blockade was lifted that Oli greenlit his visit. And since then, the general mood surrounding the bilateral seems to be more upbeat. The Kathmandu Post suggests that more than four Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) will be signed, including one on the India-announced $1 billion line of credit and further assistance of $1 billion for Nepals reconstruction effort. Nepals High-Level Political Coordination Committee has reportedly urged Oli to focus on strengthening Nepal-India relations on a sustainable foundation, states The Himalayan Times. And while Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae has predicted a successful, productive and fruitful visit for Oli, former Nepali Ambassador to India Bhekh Bahadur Thapa said, The visit should lay the foundation for good ties. All of which is very nice, but it is instructive to look at the wording of statements emanating from Nepal that stress on 'mutual interests'. Nepal has been widely seen as a buffer state between India and China, and both New Delhi and Beijing are eager to secure Kathmandu's friendship. There seems to be a notion probably not completely unjustified, but likely very opportunistic as well that Nepal gets less out of the bilateral relationship than India. And playing an active role in perpetuating this paranoia is Beijing. The China factor Sample this for an idea of the sort of narrative that dominates the issue of India-Nepal relations in China: "Facing Nepal-India rows, China should be aware that the disputes cannot be resolved immediately. As a responsible country, Beijing ought to help address the issue in accordance with its own capacities. First of all, China is supposed to play a role as a mediator between Nepal and India," writes Xu Liang in Global Times. Just how responsible, is open to interpretation and just who decided China is supposed to play that role is unclear. But the article continues to stoke the flames by stating that Beijing must "be careful not to step into the minefields between Nepal and India". It goes on to flag 'territorial disputes over the Lipu-Lekh Pass (that) have been simmering for years between Kathmandu and New Delhi' and that the pass was mentioned in an India-China joint statement has 'triggered Nepalese protests'. Sidestepping China's overtures is something that Indian governments have traditionally managed to do vis-a-vis Nepal. But to manage that during this fractious period in India-Nepal relations will be a diplomatic feat for Modi and his Cabinet. And the meeting with Modi on Saturday will set the foundation for this feat. As per Oli's schedule, he is scheduled to meet Modi at Hyderabad following a ceremonial reception and guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan and the customary payment of homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. Style over substance? A potential hiccup during the visit could be India's decision earlier this month to offer the services of its Gurkha soldiers to Brunei, which reportedly goes against the 'spirit of the 1947 tripartite agreement' between India, Nepal and the UK. According to this agreement, Gurkha soldiers may be 'integrated into the Indian and British Army, but not treated as mercenaries'. Whether or not this issue comes up, it's bound to be sitting at the back of Oli's mind. For now though, we can expect the six-day visit to be high on optics, with plenty of hugs, tweets and photo-ops flying around. The message that India will hope to send out especially to China is that things are hunky-dory and at the end of the day, both countries are still good friends. To that effect, there will be MoUs mainily cultural or aid-based signed and all sorts of consultations on a variety of issues. Will there be any substance behind all that style though? We'll have a better idea next Wednesday when the Nepali prime minister returns to Kathmandu, but the significance of the opportunity that this visit gives India and Nepal to set their bilateral on the right path cannot be overstated. WASHINGTON/HAVANA President Barack Obama on Thursday announced a historic visit to Cuba next month, speeding up the thaw in relations between the two Cold War former foes but igniting opposition from Republicans at home. In the first U.S. presidential trip to the Caribbean nation in nearly 90 years, Obama will meet with Cuban President Raul Castro, entrepreneurs, and "Cubans from different walks of life" during the trip on March 21 and 22, the White House said. After decades of animosity following Cuba's 1959 revolution, the two countries agreed in 2014 to move to reopen ties. It was diplomatic feat that is likely to be a highlight of Obama's foreign policy legacy along with the reaching of a nuclear deal with another long-time U.S. foe, Iran. Although the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba remains in place, a presidential visit carries huge symbolic value and prestige. "Next month, I'll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people," Obama wrote on Twitter. The Havana visit is likely to spark debate on Cuba policy in the campaign for the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election, particularly in the swing voting state of Florida, where many anti-Castro Cuban-Americans live. "Pitiful that Obama rewards Castros with visit to Cuba while conditions for the Cuban people are getting worse," said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Cuban-American Republican congresswoman from south Florida. Two candidates in the Republican race, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, are conservative sons of Cuban immigrants and have criticized Obama for renewing ties with Cuba. Obama said that while the United States still has concerns about human rights in Cuba, it has already made significant progress in renewing relationships. "We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly. America will always stand for human rights around the world," Obama said. Obama had previously said he would visit the neighboring Communist-ruled nation if he were able to meet with political dissidents. EMBARGO REMAINS His administration has taken steps to expand commerce with the island nation, only 90 miles (145 km) from Florida. Tourism has already surged. The countries have agreed to restore airline flights. Obama still seeks to pressure U.S. lawmakers to remove the decades-old embargo on Cuba but Republicans control Congress and are unlikely to act soon. Republican Senator Jeff Flake from Arizona, who supports ending the sanctions, said the Obama visit could help open Cuba up to the world. "For Cubans accustomed to watching their government sputter down the last mile of socialism in a '57 Chevy, imagine what they'll think when they see Air Force One," said Flake. "Just think of the progress that can come from one day allowing all freedom-loving Americans to travel to Cuba," Flake said in a statement. In Havana on Thursday, news of the trip was welcomed. "Peace reigns in this hemisphere," said Jorge Felix, a home painter. "These are two countries who have confronted each other for fifty something years, and on this occasion the visit of the U.S. president to Cuba is reason for happiness and rejoicing," he said. "We are going to give him a box of Habanos," for a real taste of Cuba, said Luis Fernandez, a retired cigar roller, referring to a Cuban cigar brand. First lady Michelle Obama will also go on the trip, which is taking place during the president's final year in office. Ben Rhodes, Obama's national security aide who helped conduct secret talks with the Cuban government that led to the diplomatic deal, was to give more details about the visit at 12:30 pm EST (1730 GMT). (Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle, Susan Heavey and Megan Cassella; Editing by Mohammad Zargham, W Simon and Alistair Bell) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Baghdad: Iraq is searching for "highly dangerous" radioactive material whose theft last year has raised fears among Iraqi officials that it could be used as a weapon if acquired by Islamic State. Baghdad reported the stolen material to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in November but has not requested assistance to recover it, the UN nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday. The material, stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer, went missing from a storage facility near the southern city of Basra belonging to US oilfield services company Weatherford, an environment ministry document seen by Reuters showed and security, environmental and provincial officials confirmed. A spokesman for Iraq's environment ministry said he could not discuss the issue, citing national security concerns. Weatherford said in a statement that it was not responsible or liable for the theft. "We do not own, operate or control sources or the bunker where the sources are stored," it said. The material, which uses gamma rays to test flaws in materials used for oil and gas pipelines in a process called industrial gamma radiography, is owned by Istanbul-based SGS Turkey, according to the document and officials. An SGS official in Iraq declined to comment and referred Reuters to its Turkish headquarters, which did not respond to phone calls and emails. The US State Department said it was aware of the reports but has seen no sign that Islamic State or other militant groups have acquired it. The environment ministry document, dated 30 November and addressed to the ministry's Centre for Prevention of Radiation, describes "the theft of a highly dangerous radioactive source of Ir-192 with highly radioactive activity belonging to SGS from a depot belonging to Weatherford in the Rafidhia area of Basra province". A senior environment ministry official based in Basra, who declined to be named as he is not authorised to speak publicly, told Reuters the device contained up to 10 grams (0.35 ounces) of Ir-192 "capsules", a radioactive isotope of iridium also used to treat cancer. The IAEA said the material is classed as a Category 2 radioactive source, meaning that if not managed properly it could cause permanent injury to a person in close proximity to it for minutes or hours, and could be fatal to someone exposed for a period of hours to days. How harmful exposure can be is determined by a number of factors such as the material's strength and age, which Reuters could not immediately determine. The ministry document said the material posed a risk of bodily and environmental harm as well as a national security threat. Dirty bomb fear Large quantities of Ir-192 have gone missing before in the United States, Britain and other countries, stoking fears among security officials that it could be used to make a dirty bomb. A dirty bomb combines nuclear material with conventional explosives to contaminate an area with radiation, in contrast to a nuclear weapon, which uses nuclear fission to trigger a vastly more powerful blast. "We are afraid the radioactive element will fall into the hands of Daesh," said a senior security official with knowledge of the theft, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. "They could simply attach it to explosives to make a dirty bomb," said the official, who works at the interior ministry and spoke on condition of anonymity as he is also not authorised to speak publicly. There was no indication the material had come into the possession of Islamic State, which seized territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014 but does not control areas near Basra. A State Department spokesman declined to comment on whether the missing material might be suitable for use in a dirty bomb. The security official, based in Baghdad, told Reuters there were no immediate suspects for the theft. But the official said the initial inquiry suggested the perpetrators had specific knowledge of the material and the facility. "No broken locks, no smashed doors and no evidence of forced entry," he said. An operations manager for Iraqi security firm Taiz, which was contracted to protect the facility, declined to comment, citing instructions from Iraqi security authorities. A spokesman for Basra operations command, responsible for security in Basra province, said army, police and intelligence forces were working "day and night" to locate the material. The army and police have responsibility for security in the country's south, where Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim militias and criminal gangs also operate. Pollution risk Iraqi forces are battling Islamic State in the country's north and west, backed by a U.S.-led coalition. The Sunni Muslim militant group has been accused of using chemical weapons on more than one occasion over the past few years. The closest area fully controlled by Islamic State is more than 500 km (300 miles) north of Basra in the western province of Anbar. Islamic State controls no territory in the predominantly Shi'ite southern provinces but has claimed bomb attacks there, including one that killed 10 people in October in the district where the Weatherford facility is located. Besides the risk of a dirty bomb, the radioactive material could cause harm simply by being left exposed in a public place for several days, said David Albright, a physicist and president of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security. "If they left it in some crowded place, that would be more of the risk, if they kept it together but without shielding," he said. "Certainly it's not insignificant. You could cause some panic with this. They would want to get this back." The senior environmental official said authorities were worried that whoever stole the material would mishandle it, leading to radioactive pollution of "catastrophic proportions". A second senior environment ministry official, also based in Basra, said counter-radiation teams had begun inspecting oil sites, scrapyards and border crossings to locate the device after an emergency task force raised the alarm on Nov. 13. Two Basra provincial government officials said they were directed on Nov. 25 to coordinate with local hospitals. "We instructed hospitals in Basra to be alert to any burn cases caused by radioactivity and inform security forces immediately," said one. REUTERS ANKARA/ISTANBUL Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu blamed a Syrian Kurdish militia fighter working with Kurdish militants inside Turkey for a suicide car bombing that killed 28 people in the capital Ankara, and he vowed retaliation in both Syria and Iraq. A car laden with explosives detonated next to military buses as they waited at traffic lights near Turkey's armed forces' headquarters, parliament and government buildings in the administrative heart of Ankara late on Wednesday. Davutoglu said the attack was clear evidence that the YPG, a Syrian Kurdish militia that has been supported by the United States in the fight against Islamic State in northern Syria, was a terrorist organisation and that Turkey, a NATO member, expected cooperation from its allies in combating the group. Within hours, Turkish warplanes bombed bases in northern Iraq of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state and which Davutoglu accused of collaborating in the car bombing. Turkey's armed forces also shelled YPG positions in northern Syria on Thursday, a security source said. Davutoglu said the artillery fire would continue and promised that those responsible for the Ankara attack would "pay the price". "Yesterday's attack was directly targeting Turkey and the perpetrator is the YPG and the divisive terrorist organisation PKK. All necessary measures will be taken against them," Davutoglu said in a televised speech. President Tayyip Erdogan also said initial findings suggested the Syrian Kurdish militia and the PKK were behind the bombing and said that 14 people had been detained. The political arm of the YPG, denied involvement in the bombing, while a senior member of the PKK said he did not know who was responsible. The attack was the latest in a series of bombings in the past year mostly blamed on Islamic State militants. Turkey is getting dragged ever deeper into the war in neighbouring Syria and is trying to contain some of the fiercest violence in decades in its predominantly Kurdish southeast. The YPG militia, regarded by Ankara as a hostile insurgent force deeply linked to the PKK, has taken advantage in recent weeks of a major Syrian army offensive around the northern city of Aleppo, backed by Russian air strikes, to seize ground from Syrian rebels near the Turkish border. That has alarmed Turkey, which fears the advances will stoke Kurdish separatist ambitions at home. It has been bombarding YPG positions in an effort to stop them taking the town of Azaz, the last stronghold of Turkish-backed Syrian rebels north of Aleppo before the Turkish frontier. Hundreds of Syrian rebels with weapons and vehicles have re-entered Syria from Turkey over the last week to reinforce insurgents fending off the Kurdish-led assault on Azaz, rebel sources said on Thursday. TENSIONS WITH WASHINGTON The co-leader of the YPG's political wing denied that the affiliated YPG perpetrated the Ankara bombing and said Turkey was using the attack to justify an escalation in fighting in northern Syria. "We are completely refuting that. ...Davutoglu is preparing for something else because they are shelling us as you know for the past week," Saleh Muslim told Reuters by telephone. Washington's support of the YPG - it views the group as a useful ally in the fight against Islamic State - has strained relations with Turkey. Both Erdogan and Davutoglu have called on the United States to cut ties with the insurgents. State Department spokesman John Kirby said Washington was not in a position to either confirm or deny Turkey's charge the YPG was behind the attack. He also called on Turkey to stop shelling the YPG. Turkey has said its shelling of YPG positions is a response, within its rules of engagement, to hostile fire coming across the border into Turkey, something Saleh Muslim also denied. "I can assure you not even one bullet is fired by the YPG into Turkey ... They don't consider Turkey an enemy," he said. The co-leader of the PKK umbrella group, Cemil Bayik, was quoted by the Firat news agency as saying he did not know who was responsible for the Ankara bombing. But the attack, he said, could be an answer to "massacres in Kurdistan", referring to the Kurdish region spanning parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. Turkey has been battling PKK militants in its own southeast, where a 2-1/2 year ceasefire collapsed last July and pitched the region into its worst bloodshed since the 1990s. Six soldiers were killed and one wounded on Thursday when a remote-controlled handmade bomb hit their vehicle, the military said. WARNING TO RUSSIA Davutoglu named the suicide bomber as Salih Necar, born in 1992 and from the Hasakah region of northern Syria, and said he was a member of the YPG. A senior security official said the alleged bomber had entered Turkey from Syria in July 2014, although he may have crossed the border illegally multiple times before that, and said he had had contact with the PKK and Syrian intelligence. Davutoglu also accused the Syrian government of a hand in the Ankara bombing and warned Russia, whose air strikes in northern Syria have helped the YPG to advance, against using the Kurdish militant group against Turkey. "I'd like to warn Russia, which is giving air support to the YPG in its advance on Azaz, not to use this terrorist group against the innocent people of Syria and Turkey," he said. "Russia condemned yesterday's attack, but it is not enough. All those who intend to use terrorist organisations as proxies should know that this game of terror will turn around like a boomerang and hit them first." Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told a teleconference with reporters that the Kremlin condemned the bombing "in the strongest possible terms". (Additional reporting by Seyhmus Cakan in Diyarbakir, Daren Butler and Ece Toksabay in Istanbul, Orhan Coskun in Ankara, Dmitry Solovyov in Moscow and Lesley Wroughton in Washington; Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Andrew Heavens and Andrew Hay) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. BEIRUT The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, said on Thursday that at least 38 civilians were killed in air strikes carried out by a U.S.-led coalition in Hasaka province in northeast Syria in the past two days. The United States and its allies are carrying out air raids in the area against Islamic State, which controls some parts of Hasaka province but has lost ground in recent months. Hasaka borders mostly Islamic State-held Deir al-Zor province and Raqqa, the group's de facto capital in Syria. The death toll published by the Observatory, which tracks the war using a network of contacts on the ground, included at least 15 people killed when strikes hit a bakery in the city of al-Shadadi near the border with Iraq on Tuesday. Air raids in at least three other villages killed 15 others on Thursday, including three children, while eight more civilians died in air strikes elsewhere, it said. Reuters could not independently confirm the reports. U.S. Lieutenant General Charles Brown, head of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, said he was aware of the report of civilian casualties. The U.S.-led coalition will begin assessing the credibility of those reports and start an investigation if required, he added. "I do know that we've been striking at that area over the past several days," Brown said. Separate raids near the town of al Houl, near the Iraqi border, and farther south killed 35 Islamic State fighters, the Observatory said. The U.S.-led coalition has also been hitting Islamic State areas of control in Iraq. Washington backs the Syria Democratic Forces in Syria, an alliance of Kurdish YPG fighters and other groups fighting the jihadists on the ground and which took al Houl from Islamic State in November. The YPG has been the most effective partner against IS in Syria for the U.S.-led coalition, and took swathes of territory from the group last year. The SDF said on its Facebook page on Thursday that it was launching another offensive, this time to capture al-Shadadi, an IS logistics hub located on a network of highways. Its capture would isolate Raqqa. Russia is carrying out its own air campaign in Syria, hitting some Islamic State targets, but mostly focusing on insurgents fighting Moscow's ally President Bashar al-Assad in the west of the country. (Reporting by John Davison in Beirut; Additional reporting by Yeganeh Torbati in Washington; Editing by Tom Miles and Lisa Von Ahn) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. United Nations: The UN envoy for Yemen has said that deep divisions between the warring parties in Yemen are preventing him from calling for a new round of peace talks. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told the UN Security Council yesterday that the parties are divided over whether a new round of talks should be convened without a cessation of hostilities. He said he hasn't received sufficient assurances that if he called for a cessation of hostilities it would be respected. The Arab world's poorest country has been plagued by fighting between its internationally recognised government, backed by a Saudi-led, US-supported coalition, and Shiite Houthi rebels allied with former President Ali Abdulla Saleh. Peace talks had been expected to resume the week of Jan. 11 but were postponed following renewed fighting and airstrikes. Cheikh Ahmed urged the Security Council to act to implement a cessation of hostilities as soon as possible. The UN envoy painted a grim picture of a country gripped by deteriorating security, a humanitarian crisis, and an upsurge in attacks by "terrorist groups." "Many parts of Yemen are again witnessing airstrikes and extensive ground fighting," he said. "There has also been a significant increase in the number of missiles fired indiscriminately into Saudi Arabia." Cheikh Ahmed said the absence of a national government in many parts of Yemen has facilitated the expansion of extremist groups. "Al Qaeda and the Islamic State are present in many parts of Yemeni territory," Cheikh Ahmed said. "There are reports of their growing influence in large areas of the governorate of Hadramout and their control of its port, maritime traffic, and illegal oil trade." The UN humanitarian chief warned Tuesday that a catastrophe is unfolding in Yemen. Stephen O'Brien cited more than 35,000 casualties since March 2015 including over 6,000 deaths; at least 7.6 million people lacking access to food; more than 3.4 million children out of school; and nearly 600 health facilities and over 1,170 schools unfit for use because of the conflict. AP Charleston: "Torture works," Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump declared on Wednesday, repeating his vow to bring back waterboarding and approve other, tougher interrogation techniques. "Don't tell me it doesn't work. Torture works, OK folks?" the brash billionaire told a crowd in South Carolina, site of the next Republican primary on Saturday. Trump has repeatedly advocated enhanced interrogation techniques for foreign prisoners, and he said again he would "absolutely" allow waterboarding, which simulates the feeling of drowning. "But we should go much stronger than waterboarding," he said. "That's the way I feel. They're chopping off heads. Believe me, we should go much stronger because our country's in trouble, we're in danger. We have people that want to do really bad things." "Waterboarding is fine, but it's not nearly tough enough," he added. Waterboarding was practiced until late in the George W Bush administration but was disavowed by President Barack Obama. A 2014 Senate Intelligence Committee report concluded that harsh interrogation techniques failed to produce information the CIA couldn't have obtained elsewhere or didn't already have. Trump's comments could further alarm some Republican leaders, who fear Trump or Texas Sen Ted Cruz will collect the delegates needed to secure the party's nomination before a more mainstream candidate can consolidate voters' support. So-called establishment Republicans worry that Trump or Cruz could jeopardize the party's chances of winning in November's general election. "We do need to get the field down to Trump, Cruz and somebody," said Henry Barbour, a Republican National Committee heavyweight from Mississippi. Candidates Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Marco Rubio are jostling to be that more mainstream candidate, or at least keep their campaigns afloat if they don't. Rubio today said going forward he'll address audience members who use "outrageous, over-the-top and egregious" language during his events. That's in response to an incident last night when an audience member shouted out "Waterboard Hillary!" Rubio laughed at the time. Rubio today said he didn't hear exactly what the shouter said. AP WASHINGTON The White House tried to defuse Republican charges of hypocrisy against President Barack Obama over Supreme Court nominees on Wednesday as liberal activists swung into action and the top Senate Democrat predicted a Republican "cave-in." The White House turned up the heat on the Republican-led Senate to allow fair hearings and a timely vote on Obama's impending selection to fill the court vacancy left by Saturday's death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia. The Democratic president's nominee could change the balance of power on the top U.S. court - Scalia's death left it with four conservative and four liberal justices - and a monumental fight is brewing over Obama's pick for the lifetime appointment. Republicans, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have said Scalia's seat should remain vacant until Obama's successor takes office next January so voters can have a say in the selection when they cast ballots in the Nov. 8 presidential election. The Senate must confirm any Supreme Court nominee. "I, first of all, think that they're going to cave in," Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, speaking in Reno, Nevada, said of the Republicans. "I think the president's going to give us a nominee that's a good one, and I think they're going to have to hold hearings and have a vote." Obama has argued the Senate has a constitutional duty to consider his nominee. White House spokesman Josh Earnest was put on the defensive over Obama's actions a decade ago as a member of the Senate when he tried to block the nomination put forward by his predecessor in the White House, Republican George W. Bush, of conservative Samuel Alito to the nation's highest court. As a first-term senator from Illinois, Obama used a procedural manoeuvre called a filibuster. Alito was confirmed anyway. "Some Democrats engaged in a process of throwing sand in the gears of the confirmation process. And that's an approach that the president regrets," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. Earnest portrayed Obama's vote to try to block Alito as "symbolic" and sought to contrast it to "Republicans' reflexive opposition" to Obama nominating a justice to replace Scalia. McConnell spokesman Don Stewart said the filibuster that Obama joined undercut the White House's argument. 500,000 SIGNATURES Liberal groups including MoveOn.org and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee said in a conference call with reporters they would mount a campaign to prod Republican senators to allow hearings and a vote on Obama's nominee. They said they already had gathered some 500,000 petition signatures opposing McConnell's stance. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, who chairs the Judiciary Committee that considers high court nominees, has not ruled out holding hearings, although he has offered mixed messages about how to proceed. "Grassroots voices are going to be the key to making Senator McConnell back off," Senator Chuck Schumer, a member of the Senate Democratic leadership, told reporters. Earnest declined to rule out that Obama would make a recess appointment: naming someone to the job on a temporary basis while the Senate is on a recess, bypassing the confirmation process. The White House has been in touch with the offices of "multiple" senators of both parties about the court vacancy, Earnest said. During a speech at Yale Law School in Connecticut, liberal Justice Stephen Breyer called for a moment of silence to honour Scalia, telling the audience: "It's going to be a grayer place without him." Earnest said Obama and first lady Michelle Obama would pay their respects to Scalia on Friday when the late justice's body lies in repose at the Supreme Court building. Earnest said Obama would not go to Scalia's funeral Mass on Saturday in Washington but that Vice President Joe Biden would attend. The remaining eight justices have cancelled a meeting set for Friday to discuss action on future cases but are due next week to hear scheduled oral arguments in pending cases. (Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton, Doina Chiacu and Megan Cassella in Washington and Joan Biskupic in New Haven, Conn.; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Sandra Maler and Peter Cooney) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Google has added support for 13 new languages viz Amharic, Corsican, Frisian, Kyrgyz, Hawaiian, Kurdish (Kurmanji), Luxembourgish, Samoan, Scots Gaelic, Shona, Sindhi, Pashto and Xhosa. Launched 10 years ago, Google Translate says that it now covers 99% of the online population. The addition of the 13 new languages brings the total number of supported languages to 103. Google said that the addition of these languages brings Translate to 120 million new people around the world. Google Translate is a free tool that allows anyone to translate information from one language to another. You can use the Translate app on your Android or iOS phone to type in over 100 different languages or hand write phrases in 90 languages. Sveta Kelman, Senior Program Manager, Google Translate said in a blog post For each new language, we make our translations better over time, both by improving our algorithms and systems and by learning from your translations with Translate Community. No matter what language you speak, we hope todays update makes it easier to communicate with millions of new friends and break language barriers one conversation at a time. In July last year, Google expanded instant visual translation support to 20 additional languages. Google had announced in December last year that it will release a new feature called Tap to Translate that allows the instant translation of any text on the Android phone. Herbal teas are considered the better sleep inducers than the black and green teas. They lack the tea leaves present in the black and green teas. Better to avoid the caffeine and go for herbal teas. Tea is the best for a smoothening night after a tiring day. The cozy sleep it gives will create the craving. Instead of caffeine filled teas, it is advisable to go for the herbal teas. They are very natural. The herb like chamomile is used as tranquilizers. Though it is not clinically proven the chamomile tea is found to be a natural sleep inducer. A 2010 study of the herb said that, despite a lack of clinical trials, "chamomile is widely regarded as a mild tranquilizer and sleep inducer." Valerian is another ingredient that is believed to help in the sleep-related problems. An article from the journal Sleep Medical Reviews published in the year 2007 explained about the valerian plant that, "evidence about the effectiveness of the herb is inconclusive". It also said that the herb in not harmful for consumption and those who believe the myth about its sleep inducing characteristics could always go on consuming it. Passionflower is an herb that helps to get a good sleep and it is proven. The passion flower tea has helped people with sleep disturbances a lot. It is found to be better and effective than the placebo. Studies have confirmed about the same. The next herbal ingredient is Lavender. Lavender is known for its sleep and relaxation characteristics. According to a study by the International Clinical Psychopharmacology in 2010, Lavender oil has very influential property over the quality and quantity of sleep. However, the effect of lavender as a tea is not known. So, when you expect an undisturbed sleep it is always better to go for herbal teas and stay away from the kicks of caffeine at night. A recent research review reveals that the consumption fish more than three times a week during pregnancy by women will lead to obesity problems in their kids in the future. The last alarm about the fish was the presence of mercury that harms the digestive system, lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes. Now the scenario is about the fish intake by mothers and obesity in their kids. A study was conducted by Dr. Leda Chatzi and her colleagues from The University of Crete in Greece. It included the women from various countries like Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the U.S state of Massachusetts. The consumption varied from one region to other region. The study was done by 26000 pregnant women over a period of six years from 1996 to 2011. They are tracked regularly until end of the study. The study revealed that the children whose mother consumed more servings of fish were gaining abnormal weight than those who consumed lesser amounts, according to reports from Fox News. However, Dr. Chatzi advises the women to eat the fish at right amounts. The fish is full of desired minerals, proteins and omega-3-fatty acids. So they should not be neglected. Though the study reveals the connection between the excessive fish consumption by the mother and the obesity of the kids, still it does not rule out the real reason that causes obesity in the kids. The omega-3-fatty acid is known to break the fat which is an important ingredient of fish. Also the mercury has no connection to obesity though they cause other problems to the body. The above controversies stay unsolved leaving the general population to speculate. So it is wise to go for the U.S health regulators' recommended intake of fish. It advises restricting the fish intake to three servings per week. That will save both you and your child. An eight-year-old boy from Oregon, Klamath Falls was hospitalized after consuming a marijuana-infused cookie on Saturday. He had reportedly found the cookie lying on the ground and ate it unsuspectingly. Later, the child complained of feeling unwell. According to the boy's mother, Jessica Hart, after Jackson returned from an outing at a neighborhood rock mine, he complained about uneasiness in breathing by pointing at his chest. He said he was finding it difficult to remain awake. Hart said on Friday, "He said everything looked like a cartoon." She added, "He said he was vibrating all over." Soon, the second-grader started vomiting, Oregon Live reported. A panicked Hart thought her son was suffering from food poisoning and asked him what he ate that day. The boy replied he ate a cookie he found lying sealed on the ground at the quarry where his mother and two more adults were shooting targets. Hart and her friends rushed Jackson to the Sky Lakes Medical Center, where he was administered intravenous fluids. All the while, the emergency room staff monitored his condition. The doctors at the medical facility later confirmed that Jackson was suffering from symptoms related to marijuana consumption. Even as demands for legalizing medical use of marijuana is gaining momentum in various parts of the United States, more reports of death due to the consumption of marijuana products are coming to light. Last year, a 19-year-old died in Colorado after consuming six times the suggested dose of a marijuana cookie and subsequently jumping from the balcony of a four-story building. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reviewed the youth's case and recommended that marijuana edibles should essentially have clear labels. In addition, they should have limited portion sizes as per the dosage guidelines. The recommendations come in the wake of several deaths due to an overdose of marijuana. A separate Oregon Live report indicated that snacks and treats prepared with cannabis are very tasty, but potent at the same time. Regulators in Oregon regulators have now introduced new rules making all such products half as potent as those legally sold in Colorado and Washington. Sale of marijuana is legal in Oregon, but the state has initiated precautionary measures to avoid the pitfalls of foods, drinks, and sweets infused with cannabis. Unlike in Washington and Colorado, where the sale of cannabis-infused foods and drinks are a burgeoning business, the market is not booming in Oregon. However, there are still reports of death following marijuana consumption by some rookie consumers. In fact, there has been an increase in marijuana-related calls to poison centers recently after food containing cannabis was legalized in the state. Here's a data point that should make it starkly clear just how far Seadrill Ltd.'s (SDRL) prospects have fallen: Before stopping dividend payments in 2014, the company had paid out $1.94 billion in cash dividends in the prior 12 months. You could buy the company twice over with that much cash today -- though you'd also have to assume over $10 billion in long-term debt. Depending on your point of view, there is either tremendous upside potential, or huge risk, even at these levels. The truth? Probably a bit of both, with the axis resting squarely on oil prices, that unknown -- unknowable -- number that guides the path of hundreds of companies in the energy business. Instead of focusing on whether Seadrill will or won't make it, a better exercise is to evaluate the company's book of business and its costs and determine how long the company should be able to weather the current downturn. Once we've figured out how much business the company has locked up today and how long those revenues will sustain the company, it becomes a little easier to think about the longer-term prospects. Without further ado, let's take a deeper look. Expenses breakdown The best place to start when looking at a company in a situation like Seadrill's, is its cost structure. The company will be able to make some cost reductions, as it already has, but there's only so much it can cut. Here's a closer look at its expenses in key categories, primarily cash costs. Operating- and debt-related expenses: General and administrative: $55 million in Q3; $181 million through three quarters. $315 million in G&A in 2014. Vessel/rig operating expenses: $374 million in Q3, down from $521 million in Q3 2014. $1.24 billion through three quarters of 2015, down from $1.45 billion in same 2014 period. Interest expense: $105 million in Q3, down from $114 million in 2014 Q3. $317 million through first three quarters of 2015, down from $356 million in same 2014 period. Seadrill has reduced operating costs, and its debt-reduction effort has also reduced the expense. But at the same time, some of that debt expense reduction is a product of dropping assets -- and the related debt -- down to its subsidiary Seadrill Partners LLC (SDLP) in mid-2015. So while that debt may be off the balance sheet, Seadrill also loses much of the financial benefit of the assets. Furthermore, vessel and rig operating expenses are largely a product of operating those vessels under contracts, and can only be cut so far. There is a risk of cutting costs too much, especially if it involves deferring maintenance, reducing staff, or anything else that could reduce a vessel's productivity or safety, or simply lead to higher costs down the road. Last quarter, Seadrill spent $534 million last quarter on interest and operating expenses, or $2.14 billion on an annualized basis. On the Q3 earnings call, CEO Per Wullf said that the company was targeting $600 million in cash cost savings for full-year 2015, with a third of that in sustainable cost reductions and two-thirds in deferred costs. Debt maturities and vessel payments Besides the cash costs above, Seadrill has capital expenses related to its newbuild program, and debt maturities that it must either refinance or pay off. According to the company's most recent quarterly Securities and Exchange Commission filing from November, Seadrill has $1.65 billion in debt maturing in the next 12 months and another $1.74 billion in "other" current liabilities, which is likely primarily fees owed to shipyards for newbuildings scheduled for delivery. Combined, that's $3.4 billion in capital due in the next 12 months. Seadrill can deal with these expenses in the following ways: Pay off debt (requires cash) Refinance debt (kicks can down the road, but preserves cash) Use more debt, cash, or some of both to pay for newbuildings Work with shipyards to delay newbuildings So far, the company has used some of each of these things, both out of necessity and based on the best option available. As things stand today, Seadrill management has made progress on delaying and deferring newbuilds. To start 2015, Seadrill had 13 newbuilds scheduled for delivery in 2015 and 2016. By the third quarter, it had deferred about half of its 2015 deliveries into late 2016, with several including options for further deferrals in six-month increments, while also delaying two drillships from 2015 into 2017. So far, Seadrill has proven capable of working with shipyards to defer vessels, but it's more of a big-picture thing than just delaying a few vessels, Wullf put it this way on the Q3 call: But let me comment on that and say this is extremely important for us that it is a good solution for both the shipyard and for Seadrill because we also need the shipyards going forward. And also please don't underestimate that we also have a major shareholder in the Company that have other things going on in these shipyards. So, concluding on that one, I will say that it's not difficult. It's just a process we've got to go through. He's, of course, speaking of John Fredricksen, Seadrill's largest shareholder and a major player in global shipping, with significant pull with shipyards who count on business from Fredricksen's various interests. In other words, Seadrill has a real heavyweight in its corner working with shipyards. So far, that's helped it manage through its excess newbuilds as the downturn plays out. Backlog This is likely to remain the core of Seadrill's business over the next year or longer, with very little new work being contracted by offshore oil producers with prices so depressed, and global oil production far and away outpacing demand. At the end of Q3, Seadrill had $5.98 billion in contracted backlog directly, while the Seadrill group, which includes subsidiaries and joint ventures where other investors share in the proceeds, was $12 billion. Of the $5.98 billion that will flow directly to Seadrill, $4.52 billion of it is tied to its floating drillships, with an average contract duration of 21 months, and $1.46 billion from jack-ups over 15 months on average. Do the math, and that's $3.75 billion in backlog revenues Seadrill should expect to generate over the next year, before seeing a steep decline in 2017 as contracts expire. 2016 looks secure, but oil prices remain the key to a recovery Put it all together, and Seadrill's backlog looks secure enough to generate enough cash flows to support the company into early 2017. But at the end of the day, until oil prices rebound in a sustainable way, any investment in Seadrill is going to be a race against time. Will Seadrill make it through the downturn? I want to say yes, and I'm leaning that way. If it does, the stock is a steal today. But the reality is, I'm making an educated guess on something that has already lasted a year longer than many experts expected. For instance, recent word of an agreement to cap production by oil states including Saudi Arabia and Russia could be indicative that the worst is behind us, but similar noises were heard about this same time last year, and you see how that's played out. And that, Fools, is the rub. I'll end this way: Seadrill should have enough cash flows to stay afloat for at least a year. Whether that will be enough to make it through the downturn is something only time will tell. Invest according to your willingness to take on that risk. What: Shareholders of Perrigo PLC (PRGO 0.85%), a drug manufacturer, are having a rough day as the company's stock is down by 11% as of 3:30 p.m. EST. The company reported fourth-quarter earnings that came up short of expectations. So what: Revenue came in at $1.42 billion for the quarter, which was up 33% when compared to the year-ago period, and its adjusted earnings per share were $1.80. Both of those numbers came up short of Wall Street's expectations, as the pros were expecting $1.93 in adjusted earnings, and $1.46 billion in revenue. The huge jump in the company's top line was mostly acquisition related as Perrigo shelled more than 4.0 billion euros last year to acquire the European drugmaker Omega Pharma, and a portfolio of over-the-counter brands from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK -0.80%). The moves led the company to create a new reporting segment that it calls "Branded Consumer Healthcare," but this division appears to be primarily responsible for the earnings miss. Here's Perrigo's CEO Joseph Papa commenting on the quarter: Since we closed the Branded Consumer Healthcare acquisition, Euro net sales have improved year over year, due to some exciting new product launches and the acquisition of our new portfolio of leading OTC brands from GSK. Although the segment did not meet our internal expectations, we are taking specific actions to address this performance. Now what: Perrigo stock has been taken to the woodshed during the past few months, as it's down more than 36% from its springtime highs. Its stock is still reeling from last year's failed takeover attempt by Mylan N.V. Perrigo's stock initially jumped when news broke that Mylan was interested in buying out the company, but after a long and drawn-out process, the deal ultimately fell through. Perrigo's shares plunged on the news, and its shares have waned ever since. Looking to 2016, Perrigo's management team is forecasting that its earnings per share will land between $9.50 to $9.80 for the year, which would be strong growth from the $7.59 it recorded in 2015. If the company can prove that it's capable of delivering on its promises, then it's possible that investors could once again warm up to the stock. The dispute between Apple Inc. and federal investigators over access to a terror suspect's phone could turn on a centuries-old law that the Justice Department uses to conscript reluctant companies into service. In a ruling unsealed Tuesday, a magistrate judge in California ordered Apple to provide software to the Justice Department to help investigators unlock a phone used by one of the suspects in the December terror attack in San Bernardino, Calif. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said early Wednesday that the company would oppose the judge's order, calling it an "unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers." The order by U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym, was made under the All Writs Act, passed as part of a 1789 law that established the federal judiciary. Use of the law in regards to unlocking iPhones goes back to 2008, about a year after the introduction of the first iPhone. At the time, the company and investigators worked together to draft language for a court order. The law grants federal judges broad authority to compel others to do what they say. According to a federal judge in Brooklyn, writing in an October order, it is a tool used when "the government seeks to fill in a statutory gap that Congress has failed to consider." Courts have used the law to make phone companies help the government track and monitor customer calls, to compel landlords to turn over security videos and to force credit card companies to divulge customer records. They have taken their cue from a 1977 Supreme Court case called U.S. v. New York Telephone Co. The majority held that the All Writs Act empowered a judge to compel the phone company to install a pen register and assist the Federal Bureau of Investigation with operating the device, which records all numbers dialed from a particular phone line. At the time, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote in dissent that the All Writs Act should be confined to orders that enable courts to carry out their functions such as enforcing previous judgments. "If the All Writs Act confers authority to order persons to aid the government in the performance of its duties," he wrote, "it provides a sweeping grant of authority entirely without precedent in our nation's history." The Justice Department has sought orders under the All Writs Act compelling Apple's assistance in bypassing phone security in at least five known cases. Apple lawyers say the company has complied with All Writs Act orders in the past, without taking a position their legality. Stephen I. Vladeck, a professor American University Washington College of Law, said the All Writs Act has no defined boundaries, and courts have yet to carve them out. "The real question is where the line is between when the government can get an order to compel a third party to do something and when it cannot, " he said. The company now takes the position that the All Writs Act "cannot extend as far as to compel a private company like Apple to be conscripted as an agent of the government into performing forensic services on a device in the government's possession," wrote Apple lawyer Jeffrey Landis in an October brief in one of the cases in Brooklyn. He compared the government's use of the All Writs Act against Apple to law enforcement agents forcing a safe manufacturer "to travel around the country unlocking safes that the government wants to access." The company has asked the Magistrate Judge James Orenstein in Brooklyn for a ruling on whether the All Writs Act can compel Apple to assist law enforcement. A ruling by the judge could influence the court considering Apple's challenge in the San Bernardino case, as well as courts in future cases. The case in California could move quickly through the courts. Apple can ask a federal district judge to review the magistrate judge's ruling. If Apple were to lose on review, it could then ask the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to consider the matter. The same process could unfold in Brooklyn, where Judge Orenstein is considering Apple's request for a ruling on the All Writs Act. Mr. Vladeck said the stakes are so high that they could drive the government and Apple to work together for a legislative solution. "The line here is too important to be left to judicial common law," he said. Apple and the government weren't always on opposite sides. Investigators approached Apple in 2008 for help in a child exploitation case in Watertown, N.Y. New York State Police needed to crack the passcode lock on an iPhone belonging to a couple who had drugged and sexually abused four children. The company agreed to help but wanted a court's blessing first. Apple's lawyers even drafted language for the federal government to use in its request for a court order, according to court documents. "There is no specific statute authorizing a private manufacturer of electronic media to assist law enforcement in the execution of a search warrant," federal prosecutors wrote in their Dec. 15, 2008, brief. Instead, they said, the court could approve Apple's assistance under the All Writs Act. The judge signed the order the same day, setting a precedent that has dogged Apple and other technology companies in recent years, as they prioritized customer privacy over assistance to law enforcement. "Apple has offered language for law enforcement to use in search warrants, but has never taken any position on whether All Writs Act orders in aid of search warrants are legally appropriate," Mr. Landis, Apple's lawyer, wrote in the Brooklyn case. Write to Joe Palazzolo at joe.palazzolo@wsj.com Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 2022 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. FAQ - New Privacy Policy Image source: Bladex. Banks around the world have had to deal with the prospects of slowing economic growth, and European banks have been the latest to feel the pinch from concerns about potential systemic issues that could hurt the industry. But Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior , better known as Bladex, has had to deal with sluggish conditions in Latin America for quite a while. Coming into its fourth-quarter financial report, Bladex shareholders had hoped the bank would be able to keep itself from contracting too much, but the poor economy in its key markets caused Bladex to fall short of investors' expectations. Let's look more closely at how Bladex did to finish 2015, and whether it sees better times ahead for 2016 and beyond. Bladex falls shortBladex's fourth-quarter results were a big letdown after solid performance in the previous quarter. Operating revenue plunged almost 15% to $43.6 million, falling at roughly double the rate investors were expecting from the bank. Net income dropped an even more precipitous 35% to $23.2 million, and that resulted in earnings of just $0.60 per share. That was $0.16 short of the consensus earnings forecast among Bladex investors. A closer look at Bladex's numbers shows mixed performance in the bank's internal metrics. Returns on equity dropped six percentage points to 9.5%, and returns on assets dropped by nearly a sixth to 1.27%. Net interest margins widened slightly from the third quarter, but they were still narrower than they were a year ago, and interest spreads showed the same general trend. Operating expenses fell, but not by enough to offset the revenue declines. From a credit-health standpoint, Bladex also didn't present a clear picture. On one hand, Tier 1 capital ratios calculated under Basel III standards climbed by more than half a percentage point to 16.1%, indicating that Bladex has plenty of capital on hand by regulatory standards. Yet credit quality metrics worsened during the quarter. Nonperforming loans as a percentage of Bladex's gross loan portfolio jumped 13-fold to 0.78%, and Bladex's loan reserve now covers less than two times the credit losses the bank expects. Bladex CEO Rubens Amaral acknowledged the difficulties but remained optimistic about the bank's performance. "Especially in the second half of the year, the economic environment took a turn for the worse," Amaral said, "with the confluence of several adverse macroeconomic trends impacting more forcefully Latin American countries." Factors like the recession in Brazil and commodity-related problems across the region held Bladex back, but the CEO pointed to "Bladex's resilient earnings generation capacity, which allowed the Bank to absorb an increase in expected credit losses for certain exposures in the process of restructuring." Can Bladex bounce back in 2016?Bladex believes its recent moves could help it weather any further difficulties this year. For instance, the company pointed to its reduction in exposure to Brazil as a potential driver in helping Bladex adapt to changing conditions quickly. Being able to move to wherever the best opportunities present themselves will be crucial for Bladex going forward. However, many investors still have little confidence in the region's capacity to expand, and the moves of large banks over the years have largely confirmed the poor sentiment. For instance, HSBC sold its once-dominant Panamanian banking unit to Bancolombia for $2.1 billion in 2013, as the Colombian buyer sought to expand its presence throughout the Central American region. The move was the latest in a string of divestitures London-based HSBC had made in withdrawing from Central America. Given HSBC's attitudes toward developing and maintaining a global presence, its willingness to make a major move out of Central America appeared prescient in hindsight. Bladex shareholders didn't seem overly disappointed with the bank's results since the stock fell about 2% following the announcement. What Bladex really needs is a pick-up in economic activity throughout the region, and if it comes in 2016, then the bank's stock could recover from its poor performance in 2015. The article Bladex Finishes 2015 With a Big Slowdown originally appeared on Fool.com. Dan Caplinger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Bladex. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Equity Commonwealth continues to shrink under the management of famed real estate guru Sam Zell. That's all part of Zell's repositioning plan to scale the company down to a much smaller core foundation, upon which he intends to make it grow stronger than ever before. That said, it is still in the midst of the slim-down process, which was evident in its fourth-quarter results that reported after the market closed on Wednesday. Equity Commonwealth results: The raw numbers Metric Q4 2015 Actuals Q4 2014 Actuals Growth (YOY) Normalized FFO $34.4 million $68.7 million -49.9% Normalized FFO Per Share $0.27 $0.53 -49.1% Data source: Equity Commonwealth. What happened with Equity Commonwealth this quarter?Earnings fell alongside its asset base. Also: It sold nine properties totaling 2.6 million square feet, which brought in gross proceeds of $275.2 million. This brought total property sales up to $2 billion for 2015. These property sales were the primary factor driving normalized funds from operations lower year over year. The same property portfolio was 91.4% leased, which was a little lower than the 91.7% from last quarter but higher than the 90% it was leased in the year-ago quarter. Cash rental rates on new and renewal leases were 5.6% higher than previous leases on the same space. It repaid at par the $116 million mortgage loan encumbering a property in Indiana. Equity Commonwealth was not required to pay dividends in 2015, and decided not to make any dividend payments for the year. What management had to sayAccording to the management team: It is now more than two-thirds of the way through with its repositioning plan, which brought in more than $1.7 billion in net cash proceeds following mortgage debt repayments and other costs. With that cash, the company reduced corporate debt by $629 million while also buying back $110 million in stock. It is still left with a substantial amount of cash that's just sitting there waiting to be put to work. Once it completes the last leg of asset sales, it intends to use that capacity to rebuild the company in a more prudent manner than the previous management team was able to achieve. Looking forwardAt the moment, however, about the only thing investors can look forward to each quarter are additional asset sales as the company marches onward toward its goal of unloading $3 billion of them. With 11 more properties already on the market at the moment, it's another step closer to hitting that goal. The article Equity Commonwealth Continues to Drop Properties and Earnings originally appeared on Fool.com. Matt DiLallo has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Equity Commonwealth. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Manufacturing activity across the mid-Atlantic continued to contract at the start of the year, as producers remain crimped by adverse exchange rates, slower global growth and reduced capital spending, though conditions improved from the three-year low notched in December. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said its index of general business activity covering the regional factory sector rose to -3.5 in January from a downwardly revised -10.2 last month. After revisions, the index has reflected five straight months of contraction. Economists expected the index to edge down to -6.0. A rebound in shipments at the start of the year pulled the gauge higher. A subindex measuring shipments jumped 12 points and into positive territory for the first time in four months; new orders also improved, though the orders index remained in contractionary territory. Employment across the sector turned lower, falling back below the flat line, as producers signaled they would reduce hiring in the coming months. The report out of the Philadelphia region follows a similar survey released last week by the New York Fed, which showed manufacturing conditions across New York deteriorated at the quickest pace since the recession in 2009. Traders and economists use the Fed surveys, five in all, as clues ahead of a carefully-watched gauge of national production. The Institute for Supply Management will next release that report on Feb. 1. A sharp pullback in capital spending across the oil patch has hit the country's manufacturing segment, and the rising U.S. dollar has pressured demand as it makes domestic goods more expensive abroad. At the same time, economic weakness outside of the U.S.--especially in China, where imports are down sharply--has added to the sector's troubles. While conditions improved modestly across the Philadelphia Fed district, which also includes New Jersey and Delaware, manufacturers turned even more pessimistic about their future prospects. The six-month outlook gauge dropped to 19.1 from 24.1 in December, marking the lowest degree of confidence since November 2012, as manufactures predicted drop-offs in new orders and shipments. The January survey included a special question on impacts of sharply lower energy prices. A large share of firms--about a third--reported negative impacts from decreased demand from energy-producing customers, the report said. Write to Lisa Beilfuss at lisa.beilfuss@wsj.com President Obama's cunning strategy for replacing a Supreme Court Justice is now beginning to emerge from the mist and in the words of Antonin Scalia, the Supreme Court Justice he is replacing, it is pure jiggery-pokery. In his opening gambit, only minutes after the announcement of the death of Judge Scalia, President Obama reminded the nation that it was his Constitutional duty to nominate a replacement for the Court and he will do so. Obama added that it is the Constitutional duty of the Senate to "consider" his nominee. Hillary Clinton immediately repeated the same words, with emphasis on the reasonable argument that the Republicans should at least "consider." The scene of President Obama giving the nation a lecture on the U.S. Constitution was covered by the mainstream media without a trace of irony. After all, this is the man whose staff say he refers to that document as "living and breathing." And one who regularly skirted the Constitution by failing to enforce laws on immigration, created new ones by fiat on gun control, while ignoring the document altogether in promoting Obamacare. One by one those issues, in various forms, keep making their way back up to the Supreme Court for resolution. If the Republicans fail to "consider" an Obama nominee, he and his third term clone, Hillary Clinton, will accuse them of intransigence. They will ask voters to throw them out of Congress. But here is the rub. If the Republicans agree to consider a nominee, as many pundits are now urging, Obama can send in a series of sacrificial lambs, knowing full well that they will be rejected but nonetheless gain political points for nominating them. He will almost certainly nominate an African-American. As each successive nominee is rejected it makes his final nominee, the real nominee, so reasonable that the Senate will look positively brutish for turning them down. Take, for example, the possible nomination of Judge Sri Srinivasan. "Those same Republicans approved him 97-0 for a lower court," the Democrats will say, "Even Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio voted for him! Republicans will be charged with dissing one more minority group. This time an Asian. But if Republicans approve Judge Sri Srinivasan, they will have replaced a sure conservative Constitutionalist, who is a devout Catholic, with a liberal Hindu who was Obama's deputy solicitor general and point man on the fight against the Defense of Marriage Act. If the Republicans continue to say they will not even consider an Obama nominee, the President will cut to the chase, name his most reasonable name and let the drama play out, like a budgetary shutdown, hoping for a similar result. President Obama must surely have grown tired of seeing the headlines captured by his Republican critics, campaigning for the White House and taking him to task for an economy that remains flat and a world that is in chaos with a vacuum in American leadership. This Supreme Court vacancy is now his way back into relevancy. And it is a way to ensure his legacy. Republicans must hold firm. This is not the government budgetary shutdown. School children will still get their milk. The Lincoln Memorial will remain open. Let the storm rage. Justice Scalia was fond of reminding us that the U.S. Constitution is not a piece of abstract art to be interpreted as one likes. It is the law. And if we are to remain a nation of laws we need a Supreme Court Justice who understands that fact. Doug Wead is a presidential historian and New York Times bestselling author. He has served as an adviser to two American presidents. Colombia, seen as a key test case for the impacts of a Zika outbreak, is reconsidering its own forecast of babies likely to be born with a rare birth defect linked to the mosquito-borne virus, indicating that it may be too high. In an interview, Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria suggested the Andean nation may revise downward its projection of 500 to 600 cases of Zika-linked microcephaly, as the condition, marked by an abnormally small head, has not yet shown up in fetal ultrasounds. That forecast would represent a fivefold spike in the number of Colombian microcephaly cases seen on average each year. "We're doubting that figure. We're analyzing what's happening in Brazil, but between when we released the estimate and now we haven't found a single case of microcephaly," Gaviria said. "The extrapolation of Brazil's figures to Colombia, which is how we got the projection, now doesn't seem reasonable." Much remains unknown about Zika, including whether the virus actually causes microcephaly. An outbreak of the virus was first detected in Brazil early last year and is now spreading rapidly through the Americas. Brazil has so far been the only country to report a spike in cases of the birth defect, with more than 4,400 reported cases, of which more than 500 have been confirmed as microcephaly. Most of the cases have been seen in two states in Brazil's northeast, raising the question of whether Zikas spread will lead to more microcephaly elsewhere. Zika arrived in Colombia in October, and the country has reported 31,555 cases, over 5,000 of them in pregnant women. If the virus does cause microcephaly, women who were infected then and were early in their pregnancies could begin to see signs of the deformity via ultrasound. But it may take several more weeks, or months, as signs of microcephaly may only be detected very late in pregnancy, experts say. "Colombia is going to tell us a lot if this link between Zika and microcephaly is really associated. At the moment it is only in Brazil," Dr. Marcos Espinal, director of the department of communicable disease at the Pan American Health Organization, the regional arm of the World Health Organization, said at an event on Wednesday. "If Zika is really the cause of microcephaly, we should expect to see microcephaly cases in Colombia in June," Espinal said. Colombia in the past has reported a relatively higher incidence of microcephaly, relative to its population, than Brazil, suggesting there may have been under-reporting in the larger country, Gaviria said. The Zika virus has also been linked to Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can cause paralysis. The ministry expects around 60 cases of the syndrome monthly, an increase of 50 percent, Gaviria said. Three deaths from Guillain-Barre have been linked to Zika in Colombia. One patient tested positive for the virus, while the other two were diagnosed by doctors but did not have their cases confirmed by a lab, he said. Doctors expect only one of Brittani McIntires twins to survive, but the Kansas mom said she is grateful her baby wont pass away without someone holding his hand. McIntire, of Hutchinson, Kansas is expecting fraternal twins: Mason and Madilyn, Fox 5 NY reported. While Madilyn is healthy and weighs 2 pounds, Mason weighs only 9 ounces, and has a hole in his heart and an abnormal brain. Surgeons could operate on his heart, but they wouldnt do heart surgery on him because of his brain, McIntire told Fox5NY.com. A recent sonogram shows Madilyn holding Masons hand in the womb an image that offers the McIntires a sense of solace. "We know that we have a piece of them together that will last forever and is special to have," Ian McIntire, the twins father, told the news station. Brittani said while she knows she is carrying Mason, she wished she could be closer to her son to be there for him. Shes (Madilyn) the only one who can actually be there and holding onto him through it, so its comforting to know that if he does pass, he wont be alone, she told Fox5NY.com. Its no secret that your late-night social media habit can interfere with your rest. But did you ever suspect your daytime Facebook use could be related to the quality of your Zs? A new study, to be presented this spring, suggests that browsing your feed a few dozen times a day could be a symptom of sleep deprivation. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, analyzed the activities of a group of 76 undergrads and found that those who werent logging enough sleep at night were logging more time on the social-networking site during the day. RELATED: 30 Sleep Hacks for Your Most Restful Night Ever Over the course of one week, informatics professor Gloria Mark, PhD, and her team gathered computer and smartphone data from the study participants with special software. The students also completed a sleep survey each morning and night; and throughout the week, the researchers polled them on their moods, how engaged they felt with their work, and how difficult they perceived various tasks to be. After the researchers accounted for gender, age, work loads, and deadlines, they discovered a direct link between chronic lack of sleep, worsening mood and productivity, and increased web browsing, including Facebook checking. They also found that the exhausted subjects shifted their attention from one screen to the next more often than the well-rested students. RELATED: 14 Reasons Youre Always Tired When you get less sleep, youre more prone to distraction, Mark explained in a press release. If youre being distracted, what do you do? You go to Facebook. Its lightweight, its easy, and youre tired. Another finding to note: Sleep-deprived students said they felt that social media helped keep them energized. If you catch yourself compulsively toggling back and forth to Facebook or Instagram or Snapchat, it cant hurt to start hitting the hay earlier. Pretty soon you may find you dont need a social media fix just to stay alert. This article originally appeared on Health.com. A woman in Brazil who had cosmetic surgery ended up with not only a flatter stomach and larger breasts, she also developed kleptomania for a few weeks, a new case report reveals. A few days after being released from the hospital following her cosmetic surgery, the 40-year-old woman began to have "recurring, intrusive thoughts and an irresistible compulsion towards stealing," according to the case report, published online Jan. 29 in the journal BMJ Case Reports. The most likely explanation for her symptoms is that the woman suffered from inadequate blood flow to the brain at some point during or right after the surgical procedure, said case report co-author Dr. Fabio Nascimento, who is currently a neurologist at Toronto Western Hospital in Canada, but who was part of the medical team during the woman's hospitalization in Brazil at the time of the case. Such a restricted blood flow could have deprived the woman's brain of oxygen and nutrients, resulting in disrupted brain function and leading to brain damage, Nascimento said. This damage likely interfered with certain circuits within her brain, causing the neurological symptoms observed after the surgery, he said. [10 Things You Didn't Know About the Brain] Indeed, there were clues that the woman had mental deficits immediately following her cosmetic procedures, which included liposuction, a tummy tuck, breast augmentation and an arm lift, done in the fall of 2013. The woman felt extremely drowsy, disoriented and apathetic after the surgery, and she also suffered memory lapses. When her doctors ordered an MRI to understand why the woman was feeling this way, it showed that she had decreased blood flow in certain parts of her brain as well as brain injury resulting from a lack of oxygen to cells in a region called the caudate nucleus which is involved in memory and learning. The woman had no prior history of mental health problems or substance abuse, according to the case report. Caught stealing After the Brazilian woman was sent home from the hospital, she began to show what Nascimento described as "fairly typical symptoms of kleptomania," such as an "urge to steal followed by a sense of relief after doing so." The kleptomania episodes lasted for only a couple of weeks, but that was long enough to get the woman into trouble with the law. One day while shopping for a gift for a friend of her daughter, she felt an irresistible impulse to steal a particular item from a store despite having more than enough money to buy it, Nascimento told Live Science. The woman snatched it from the shelf, stashed it in her purse and left the store. But a store security guard observed the theft and caught up with her before she reached her car. The woman was taken to the police station, and she was released only after her temporary psychiatric condition was explained to the police commissioner, Nascimento said. The woman did not need treatment for this temporary episode of kleptomania, and her brain injury resolved on its own, Nascimento told Live Science. The brain was able to heal itself and recover because it undergoes "rewiring," a reorganization of brain connections following injury, he said. The medical literature has reported on a few other cases of kleptomania after traumatic brain injury or neurosurgery, or after brain cells receive a lack of oxygen like this woman's did. But it is a very unusual occurrence, Nascimento said. Neurological or psychiatric symptoms can occur as a result of surgical procedures, Nascimento said. These can be as typical as temporary memory problems or as atypical as kleptomania, he said. They usually resolve without any treatment, he added. Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Even though he's never been a politician, it turns out Donald Trump is out-politicking almost everyone else, at least so far. Yes part of his success is his populist message -- he's promising to make America great again -- part of it is that he's a master marketer --- he has unbelievable talent selling things -- even selling information to voters about candidates or candidates' relatives that isn't always even true. On the other hand, the biggest reason I think he continues to lead the pack is because he knows exactly when to strike. He took on former President George W. Bush at last Saturdays debate because the former president was coming out on the trail for Jeb a few days later. He went extra hard on Cruz calling him a liar and once again bringing up the possibility of suing him again over his citizenship --just in time for voters making up their minds in South Carolina. None of that's by accident. Its shrewd and calculated and -- well -- political. One of the biggest reasons Trump is leading in the polls is because he's not a politician -- except he really is. Lets be honest. Hollywood does not exactly have the best track record when it comes to producing accurate faith-based movies. Remember the giant rock creatures from Noah? So when I heard that Sony Pictures was about to release a faith-based film called Risen, I was a bit skeptical. Typically faith-based movies are faith-bashing movies. Click here to get Todds American Dispatch a must-read for conservatives. And when Risen earned three-and-a-half stars from the left wingers at the Seattle Times, I was incredulous. But when I saw the films trailer, I was astonished Hollywood got it right. Risen is a powerful telling of the aftermath of the resurrection of Jesus told from the perspective of a non-believer a Roman military officer. Joseph Fiennes plays Clavius, assigned to investigate the disappearance of Jesus body. Its like an old school detective noir story think C.S.I. Jerusalem. PODCAST: Listen to Todds interview with Risen star Joseph Fiennes. Its a movie that sees the resurrection through the eyes of a non-believer," Fiennes told me. Its a wonderful, fresh way in seeing the story of Christ unfold through the eyes of a skeptic. Fiennes is well aware of Hollywoods past attempts to bring Bible stories to the big screen. Anybody choke on their popcorn during Noah and Exodus: God and Kings? The ever-diplomatic Fiennes did not name names, but he did refer to revisionist films that polarized a lot of people. On the other hand there are the cinephiles who took issue with preachy and conservative and low production value Christian films that did not speak to them. Thats why Affirm Films and Sony Pictures went the extra mile to make sure they got Risen right. We strived very hard in getting the balance between cinema and Scripture, Fiennes said. Working with the church communities in the process of making the film has allowed us to stay as true as possible to Scripture. At the same time, they were also tasked with producing a solid work of art. Its a film and we want people to have a great cinematic experience, Fiennes told me. In other words its a night at the movies not a Sunday morning church service. We are not selling religion or pushing religion, he said. We are pushing for great cinema and great story telling and I believe we got the balance right. And so do many evangelical Christian leaders most notably revered media critic Ted Baehr, chairman of the Christian Film and Television Commission. It is a very powerful dramatic movie, Baehr said in a video posted on his website. Its a powerful heart-rending story. I recommend it for every Christian to take their friends to see Risen. The film was also endorsed by a group of prominent Christian leaders and ministers. Its a movie that makes you think, said Chris Williamson, pastor of Strong Tower Bible Church. Its not your typical Christian-themed movie even though its dominated with Christian themes. If you are an atheist, a new believer, an unbeliever I think you can find yourself in this film. Renowned Christian leader Rick White attended a screening of the film in Tennessee. He said the film demonstrates that its okay to ask the hard questions on your spiritual journey. Mr. Fiennes and Affirm Films and Sony Pictures have demonstrated a deep respect for the Christian faith. And in doing, so they have produced a film that will encourage and challenge and entertain a very diverse audience. So as a fellow believer, Id like to share these words with Sony Pictures --- thank you. He is Risen. He is Risen Indeed! When the sad news came of the sudden death this past weekend of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, I wept for my friend. We had developed a happy friendship during the past 15 years, one which I had selfishly hoped would endure. He permitted his friends to see all of him. We knew him to be in private just as he appeared in public -- happy, loud, brash, warm, engaging, challenging, witty, brilliant, courageous, Catholic, traditionalist. He also let us know that he understood the significant role history gave him. Knowing him personally and spending private time with him was one of the great gifts of my adult life. In my heart, there is a great sense of loss. Regrettably, in the nation there is a sense of loss for the Constitution as well. Justice Scalia was the most aggressive and consistent defender on the Supreme Court of the primacy of the text of the Constitution in the post-World War II era. He was the modern-day progenitor of the idea -- and eventually the jurisprudence -- of interpreting the Constitution faithful to the plain meaning of its words. He was utterly and unambiguously faithful to this concept. This theory of constitutional interpretation has two names -- textualism and originalism. Justice Scalia argued that the Constitution means what it says; it says it is the supreme law of the land; and all American judges have taken a solemn oath to be subject to what it says. It is superior to the jurists who interpret it. It is what it says, not as they might wish it say. Thus, all judges are bound by the text. Hence the word textualism. So no law means no law. Due process guarantees fair process, not substance. A constitutional guarantee is a real guarantee. The exercise of rights articulated in the Constitution cannot be subject to popularity contests. If the text of the Constitution is ambiguous, it then becomes the duty of the jurist to ascertain the original public meaning of the words that form the ambiguity. Hence the word originalism. Ascertaining original public meaning often requires the skills of a historian; yet, thanks to James Madison, the historical record is ample. The rejection of this line of thinking permits jurists to interpret the Constitution in novel and creative or even destructive ways, according to their own ideologies. It permits them to adapt a meaning in the text that they wish had been there to fortify contemporary societal attitudes. Justice Scalia argued that that is not the job of jurists. Federal judges have life tenure because they represent the anti-democratic part of the federal government. Their job is to preserve constitutional norms and structures and guarantees from interference by the popular branches of the federal government or the States, even when those branches or the States command popular support. The job of the jurist, he argued, is not to adapt the text of the Constitution to public trends or cultural changes. That is the job of the Congress and the States through legislation. His textualism/originalism arguments provoked a firestorm of opposition on the Court and in the legal academy. The opposition reacted and coalesced around a concept called the living Constitution. Its tenets are that modern-day jurists can adapt the Constitution to modern-day societal preferences and governmental needs. Justice Scalia argued that that itself violates the judicial oath, which is to uphold the Constitution as it was written, not as some jurists may wish it to be. Only three-quarters of the States, he maintained, can change the Constitution -- by amendment -- and they have done so only 27 times in the past 225 years. Some justices throughout history have been compromisers and conciliators. Not Justice Scalia. He was a lion of textual orthodoxy. He was a rock of original meaning. Law students jokingly called him the pope of originalism, a phrase he loved. This steadfast attitude about the proper judicial role on the Court led him to author staunch defenses of the right to life even in the womb, free speech even when hateful, private property even when it is in the governments way, the right to confront ones accusers at trial even when unpleasant, the right to keep and bear arms in the home even if locally prohibited, and the right to privacy in persons, houses, papers, and effects. He famously voted to limit privacy to those four areas because of his fidelity to the text of the Constitution, which articulates persons, houses, papers and effects as the areas immune from government intrusion without a proper search warrant. He believed that if those areas are to be expanded, it is for the States to expand them by amendment, not for the Court to do so based on a wish list. In the early days of our friendship, I was a bit awed by him. I once asked him if he felt he belonged to the Court. His reply was short and blunt. He told me he belonged to the Roman Catholic Church, he belonged to his family, and he belonged to the Constitution. The Court, he said, was just one creature intended to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. The Constitution is the Courts creator. No creature can be greater than its creator. He liked the Court. He loved the Constitution. Now he is with the Creator of us all. Now he belongs to the ages. Several years ago I attended a dinner ceremony in New York honoring Americas heroes in Federal law enforcement. At the time the NSAs surveillance program was under attack in the aftermath of the Snowden revelations. As I walked into the gala that night several reporters stopped me to ask for my thoughts on the NSA. My answer apparently surprised them because it ended up making headlines the next morning: Ex-Homeland Secretary says I dont want the NSA looking at my emails. I didnt then, and I still dont. I objected to reports that an NSA surveillance program had given agency operatives the green light to look at the emails of American citizens without probable cause. It was an overreach of a program that began in the months after 9/11 when I served as advisor to the president on Homeland Security. I share this anecdote today because it not only underscores my record of protecting privacy, it will help you to better understand why I hope Apple CEO Tim Cook will reconsider his opposition to the court order to unlock an iPhone used by a suspect in the San Bernardino terrorist attack. Mr. Cooks open letter to Apple customers, in which he explains the companys rationale, is both thoughtful and sincere. He raises valid concerns about the dangerous precedent that would be established should Apple work with the FBI to unlock this particular phone. I would agree such a danger would exist if the federal government were asking for broad powers to unlock phones without hard evidence or approved warrants. However, that is not the case in this situation. It is one thing for Apple to oppose, on privacy grounds, providing back doors to the FBI regarding consumer phones generally. But in this case, we know the heinous acts committed by the San Bernardino terrorists. Fourteen people were murdered. When we know that a particular individual has committed a crime as we know here it is a wholly different matter. It is logical to assume that there are phone numbers and other information on that iPhone that could very well lead to co-conspirators and perhaps prevent other attacks. Earlier this month, Twitter announced it had suspended 125,000 ISIS-related accounts. Facebook has also started to take steps to help combat terrorism. I applaud such efforts and was pleased to see that leaders of our tech giants recently agreed to sit down with administration officials to take a more proactive approach to dealing with the growing scourge of terrorism and their use of technology. This situation underscores the need for the broader tech community and government to come together to prevent known terrorists from hiding behind technology. While I strongly believed the NSA was overreaching in its review of emails, I see no such overreach by the FBI in their investigation in California. Nor do I see a threat to Apple customers broadly like me who will continue to benefit from the strong privacy shields Apples programmers have developed. I believe Mr. Cook when he says he has no sympathy for terrorists and that he thinks Apple customers will agree with his position. Yet in opposing this court order, and in the wake of events in places like Paris and San Bernardino, can terrorists now conclude they have an ally in Apple? I believe Apple customers in this instance are able to separate the need to protect their privacy with the needs of law enforcement to defend all of us from future terror attacks. Editor's note: The following column originally appeared on The Resurgent website. A federal magistrate in California has ordered Apple to rewrite iPhone software to allow a government backdoor into your phone. We live in a day and age when hackers have infiltrated the American governments computers routinely and stolen confidential information. Hackers prey on Android devices, Blackberries, etc. They steal information, add malware, and spy. Resourceful hackers can take over phones audio and cameras to spy with greater detail. Apple has taken an approach with its iPhones to make them as secure for consumers as possible. Software is sandboxed, meaning various software on your phone cannot interact with each other. Fingerprint reader codes are stored on the phone and are not able to connect to the internet or other systems. Apples phones are very secure. They keep hackers out. They run reliably. But because the phones keep hackers out, they make it harder for the government to break in during an emergency. In the case at hand, one of the San Bernardino terrorists used an iPhone and the government wants access. Apple has given the government what it can give, but has not given direct access to the phone because it is not in Apples powers to give it. They designed the phone that way. They did not design a phone for terrorists, they designed a phone for consumers in an unsafe world where even super secure government servers can get hacked. The federal magistrate wants Apple to redesign its software to make it less secure, less safe, and more easily hackable. Today, in an open letter, Apple is declining to do so. I agree with Apple. There are lots of terrible people out there from terrorists to child pornographers who might want an iPhone because they think the government will not be able to get access. But there are vastly more people out there who want to hack into my phone. The government cannot keep its own servers secure. If the government gets a backdoor to my phone, it will not be able to keep the backdoor to itself. I support Apples relentless pursuit of consumer privacy. Bad people are always going to do bad things. But good people should not see their privacy reduced as a result. Donald Trump has been knocked from his perch atop the GOP presidential primary field by Sen. Ted Cruz, according to a new national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Wednesday evening. The poll showed Sen. Cruz of Texas leading the New York businessman by two percentage points, 28-26, among Republican primary voters. Cruz lead is within the poll's 4.9 percent margin of error. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio came in third, garnering 17 percent, followed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Dr. Ben Carson and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. The survey was conducted following Saturdays debate in South Carolina. The NBC/Wall Street Journal poll's results contradict a Qunnipiac survey released earlier Wednesday that showed Trump lapping the rest of the Republican field with 39 percent compared to second-place candidate Marco Rubios 19 percent. Fox News will release its new national poll, taken after Sunday, Thursday at 6 p.m. ET. Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer told viewers Wednesday on "Special Report with Bret Baier" that if Republican voters don't like current frontrunner Donald Trump, they must stop splitting their vote among the other anti-establishment candidates in the field. The problem in this race is not necessarily that there is a revolt of Trump-ites against the Washington establishment. [There] is a significant plurality, Krauthammer said. "The reason he's way ahead and it looks like a wholesale revolt is because the anti-Trump vote is so split," he added, pointing to recent polling that shows the New York billionaire leading against his Republican rivals. Krauthammer said that if voters dont come together in their anti-Trump vote, then they may find themselves with the one candidate they dont want. "The problem is [the GOP vote has] not consolidated and if it remains split, it may never consolidate and Trump will win the nomination," he said. Congress and the White House are gearing up for what could be a protracted fight over the shaky ideological balance of a mostly conservative Supreme Court, as President Obama prepares to nominate a replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia. But, whether a successor is confirmed this year or next, the 113th justice by most measures will have a tough act to follow -- as he or she seeks to navigate the complex dynamics of a divided bench, and gain some measure of the influence and public acclaim Scalia enjoyed for nearly three decades on the bench. Current and former Obama administration officials quietly acknowledge the desire to excite progressives in an election year with an outspoken justice willing to take on the right, a "Scalia of the Left." He or she will be hard to find. Scalia, in a sense, will be irreplaceable. His iconic legacy on and off the bench may serve as a lesson for future presidents considering a nominee who will have an influence long after the executive -- and the justice himself leaves. On most of the major hot-button issues of his day, Scalia tilted right: against abortion, which he believed was not a right guaranteed under the Constitution, but a political issue to be decided by the other branches. He supported use of the death penalty, gun rights, state rights, and executive authority. He held tight to his views and never compromised for sake of consensus or internal harmony. Court sources say he grew frustrated over the years being on the losing side of many cases, or not being able to write the majority opinion. Yet through speeches and books, Scalia developed a cult following of sorts among young conservatives, a gleeful swashbuckler with his ideological opponents. To thine own self be true," was a favorite mantra of Justice Scalia, a man both respected and dismissed, feared and feted -- a personality combining equal amounts of levity and judicial heft. "The real impact is to have a justice on the court that had such a clear intellectual vision of the Constitution, and the role of a justice," said Paul Clement, a former Scalia clerk, who has argued more than 40 cases before the justices. "And like it or hate it, it was hard to ignore him and that will be his real legacy coming forward." Going forward, Obama is ignoring Republican threats to block whomever he chooses, and vowing to tap a nominee in due time. Short-term considerations drive much of the politics over who the nominee will and should be. Many progressives treat the vacancy as an unexpected "gift" for Obama to firmly move the court to the left for the first time in decades, and they will urge him to name a forceful advocate for the left. "We are confident that the president will nominate someone who understands the lives and struggles of everyday Americans," said Nan Aron, president of Alliance for Justice. "And trust that that the Supreme Court will not become a casualty of the politics of destruction, denial, and obstruction." Leaders from the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and MoveOn.org insisted Wednesday they are seeing a surge in voter interest and enthusiasm over the Senate Republican leadership's stance on a nominee to replace Scalia. But conservatives say Republican senators will be able to convince Americans that putting off a confirmation until next year is true democracy in action. On both sides of the aisle the voters are in revolt. Isn't this an even more important opportunity to ask Americans what values they want the court to reflect?" said Carrie Severino, chief counsel of the Judicial Crisis Network. "The constitutional follies of this administration -- from Obamacare to his executive power grabs -- were what gave Republicans control of the Senate in 2014." The late liberal lion, Justice William Brennan, was noted for saying the most important number at the court was "five," the votes needed to command a majority on the nine-member (or current eight-member) bench. Such practical concerns also figure in the White House calculus over whether their nominee will pass Senate muster, without fear of a filibuster. A so-called "consensus" pick may be the safest option in a volatile election year, but perhaps unlikely in the heat of the moment to please either the rhetorical right or the left. Still, many of Obamas federal judicial nominees thus far have been non-controversial, center-left candidates. Some liberal activists say the president may be inclined to go the same route, choosing a nominee who will be spared a bruising confirmation. The White House indicated Wednesday it had reached out to senators from both parties for their input into the nomination, indicating at least a show of inclusion into the process. For their part, many conservative activists would not mind a fight, and their early rhetoric suggests they anticipate one. "While President Obama remains free to appoint a conservative committed to upholding the Constitution as his replacement, he has given us no reason to believe he would," said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice. "So the American people should get to decide." Allegations of dirty tricks at the Ted Cruz campaign have put the spotlight on campaign manager Jeff Roe, particularly after the campaign was accused of spreading rumors on Iowa caucus night that rival Ben Carson was planning to drop out. This isnt the first time Roes been accused of shady campaign tactics he faced similar accusations while working on a Missouri congressional race in 2010, though the Federal Election Commission ultimately put the blame on another individual for the episode. Back then, in the final days of the contest for Missouris 7th congressional district, a fraudulent email claiming to be from Democratic congressional candidate Scott Eckersley was sent to news outlets saying he intended to suspend his campaign for personal reasons, according to The Joplin Globe. At the time, Roe and his firm, Axiom Strategies, was doing consulting work for the campaign of Republican candidate Billy Long. Eckersley alleged that operatives for his opponent were responsible, and placed blame at Roes feet. You know this is dirty politics. This is Jeff Roe-style management. Thats who Billys retained. Thats who he writes the big checks to, Eckersley told KTTS. Roe denied any involvement at the time in such underhanded tactics. And when the FEC investigated, they determined in 2012 that another political consultant named Patrick Binning was solely responsible for the fake press release and was not an agent or employee for any federal candidate. Eckersley, though, told KSMU radio at the time that he was disappointed the investigation did not subpoena phone records, suggesting there might still be a connection to the campaign. Id be hard pressed to see that there wasnt some calculation, some connection going on here between Patrick Binning and Longs campaign, Eckersley was quoted as saying. Fast-forward to 2016, and the Cruz campaign is facing roughly the same accusations. Asked if the tactics in Iowa bear Roes fingerprints, Carson spokesman Jason Osborne, said: "Absolutely. He runs the show over there and they take their direction from him." But the Cruz campaign insists what happened in Iowa was just a mix-up. Cruz, who has apologized, says campaign representatives mistakenly forwarded a CNN report on Carsons plans to return to Florida. (Still, some campaign representatives apparently took the CNN report a step further, suggesting he was not just returning to Florida but suspending his campaign.) Requests by FoxNews.com to speak directly with Roe were not granted, but Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier rejected any suggestion of impropriety, sticking by the CNN story explanation. We passed along an accurate story [reported by CNN] to campaign staff and volunteers. Mr. Carson did return to Florida, which was an unusual step. It was breaking news that night, she added. Roe, who worked for Cruzs 2012 Senate primary opponent David Dewhurst, is well-known for hardball politics and has embraced the reputation of being a bad boy of campaign politics. When asked whether Roes history raised questions over whether the Iowa incident was truly an innocent mistake, Frazier said the past allegations in Missouri were proven false and there is no pattern. She also sent FoxNews.com a news report about former Democratic candidate Eckersley pleading guilty in 2015 to charges he improperly disposed of a business competitors brochures. Carson campaign staffers, however, argue that the rumors about the retired neurosurgeon leaving the race started before the CNN story. What we saw in the week leading up to the caucus were rumors being circulated that Ben was going to be dropping out after Iowa. Someone was contacting voters making the case to vote for Cruz. It all culminated in that evening [of the caucus] in calls, voicemails and text alerts spreading a narrative that was false, said Ryan Rhodes, the Carson campaigns Iowa state director. Days after the Iowa caucus, Breitbart News released voicemails that indicated Cruz campaign staff had contacted precinct captains instructing them to inform voters Carson was suspending his campaign and to not waste a vote for the neurosurgeon. Rhodes did not assert the campaign itself was engineering the calls, but that Cruz backers or affiliated groups were responsible. Osborne said reporters embedded with the campaign were well aware of Carsons post-Iowa plans. He further noted that CNN never claimed Carson was dropping out. In the end, Cruz won the Iowa caucuses. Donald Trump has openly challenged the results, claiming Cruz stole the election. Suspicions of underhanded tactics re-emerged this week in the days leading up to Saturdays South Carolina primary. According to The Washington Post, Palmetto State voters have received automated push polls from Remington Research, a consulting firm started by Roe. Chris Wilson, Cruzs director of research, denied the campaign was behind the calls and has suggested that anyone was capable of making the calls as Remington Research in order to screw with reporters and make Jeff look like hes doing something. A fake Facebook page also turned up claiming South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy, an affirmed supporter of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, planned to switch his support to Cruz. Gowdy, who has appeared in television ads supporting Rubio, asserted the Texas senators campaign was lying about him and demanded Cruz repudiate the dishonest and underhanded tactics. Cruz tweeted on Tuesday night that his campaign had absolutely nothing to do with this fraudulent Facebook post and stated that kind of deception is deplorable and nothing like it would be tolerated by this campaign. U.S. officials are still unsure whether an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist was killed by an airstrike in Libya last summer, according to a published report. Mokhtar Belmokhtar and several other militants were the target of the June 14 airstrike outside the eastern city of Ajdabiya. At the time, one senior defense official told Fox News that the airstrike "likely" killed Belmokhtar, while another official said, "We are confident it was a good strike." But according to The Washington Post, enough officials have expressed doubt about Belmokhtar's fate to prevent the Obama administration from formally declaring him dead. "We took a shot, but we could never really confirm his demise," one U.S. official told the Post. The case is an example of the difficulties U.S. forces face when targeting terrorists in places like Libya, where there is little troop presence on the ground and intelligence networks are tenuous. In the days after the attack, two groups linked to militants in Libya released statements listing the names of those they claimed were killed in the airstrike. Belmokhtar's name did not appear in either statement. Officials also noted that Belmokhtar's followers did not issue any statements celebrating his martyrdom. However, the Post reported that enough circumstantial intelligence supported Belmokhtar being killed in the airstrike for the State Department and FBI to remove him from their respective most-wanted lists. However, officers in the U.S. Africa Command were less confident and demanded more intelligence. In recent months, Belmokhtar's organization, Al-Murabitun, which calls itself "Al Qaeda in West Africa" named him leader of their jihadist activities and the group has been blamed for several deadly attacks since last fall. Among them are the Nov. 20 attack on an upscale hotel in Mali that killed 20 people, including an American development worker and last month's attack on a hotel and cafe in Ouagadougou that killed 30 people, including an American missionary. Following the Mali attack, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told a French television station that he believed Belmokhtar was still alive. Belmokhtar, a veteran of the 1990s civil wars in Afghanistan and his native Algeria, was wanted in connection with a 2013 attack on a gas plant in Algeria that killed 38 hostages, including three Americans. Click for more from The Washington Post. Bernie Sanders now tops Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic nomination. The latest Fox News national poll finds 47 percent of Democratic primary voters now back the Vermont senator, up from 37 percent in January. Clinton gets 44 percent, down from 49 percent a month ago. CLICK TO READ THE POLL RESULTS This is the first time Sanders has been ahead of Clinton, who not long ago was regularly described as the presumptive Democratic nominee. Clinton led Sanders in the Fox poll by as many as 46 points last summer, and had a 22-point lead as recently as two months ago. One thing that is clear from our poll -- and others -- is that Clinton has been losing support and Sanders has been gaining, says Democratic pollster Chris Anderson. And this process appears to have accelerated since the contests in Iowa and New Hampshire. The timing of Sanders surge doesnt surprise Republican pollster Daron Shaw: Historically, lesser-known candidates beating establishment candidates in early contests have seen the biggest boost in their national support. Shaw and Anderson jointly conduct the Fox News Poll. The last two Fox News polls show Clintons drop-off has been most striking among women (she has gone from 28 points ahead of Sanders to just 3 points up, for a shift of minus 25 points), whites (-13 points), and regular Democrats (-14 points). She has mostly held constant among black voters and those with a college degree. Shaw says a detailed comparison of the polls suggests, Blue-collar, white Democrats have been a major source of Clintons defection. Sanders outperforms Clinton in a hypothetical matchup against Republican front-runner Donald Trump. He leads Trump by 53-38 percent. Clinton has a narrower five-point edge over Trump: 47-42 percent. One reason Sanders has a larger lead over Trump than Clinton is independents are more likely to go for Sanders over Trump (54 vs. 33) than for her (43 vs. 39). Sanders also does better against Trump in a potential three-way matchup if former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg were to jump into the race. Under that scenario, its Sanders 46 percent vs. Trump at 35 percent with Bloomberg taking 12 percent. If the Democratic candidate is Clinton, she gets 39 to Trumps 37 percent and Bloomberg receives 17 percent. And theres more: Three in 10 voters nationally would feel either extremely or very satisfied if Sanders wins the presidency (30 percent). Thats more than say the same about Clinton (24 percent satisfied), Trump (21 percent satisfied), and Jeb Bush (15 percent satisfied). On the flip side, Sanders has the smallest number -- 37 percent -- saying they would be not at all satisfied if he wins the White House. Fifty-five percent would feel not at all satisfied if Trump wins, 49 percent for Clinton, and 45 percent for Bush. Many see Sanders promises of free college and universal health care as pie-in-the-sky, but 72 percent of Democrats say he is realistic enough to serve effectively as president. Overall, however, views are more mixed: 48 percent say Sanders is realistic enough, while 47 percent disagree. Among independents, its 48-44 percent. Clintons Achilles heel may be trustworthiness. While Democrats think by 75-22 percent that Clinton has the integrity to serve effectively as president, a 55-percent majority of voters overall say she doesnt. That includes 64 percent of independents. The poll also confirms dynasty fatigue: 52 percent of voters say they are tired of Clintons running for president and 59 percent feel that way about the Bush family. Meanwhile, Clintons close ties to the Obama administration could work to her disadvantage relative to the economy. By a 45-42 percent margin, voters say it feels like the economy is getting worse -- not better. President Obamas approval rating currently stands at 49 percent, up from 45 percent last month. Forty-seven percent of voters disapprove of the job hes doing. When voters are asked who they think will be the next president, the largest number says Clinton (28 percent). Shes closely followed by Trump (25 percent). Another 17 percent say it will be Sanders, up from five percent who named him last September. Of course, the electorates crystal ball is often foggy. Back in March 2008, almost exactly eight years ago, voters said McCain would be the next president (35 percent) -- Barack Obama came in second (26 percent). Pollpourri A new batch of Clinton emails were released Saturday by the State Department, including 81 that have now been marked classified. Sixty percent of voters think Clinton put national security at risk by mishandling classified emails while she was secretary of state, up from 54 percent in August. If Clinton escapes indictment for mishandling classified information, half of voters, 50 percent, think it will be mainly because the Obama administration is protecting her. Forty-one percent say it will be because there isnt proof she committed a crime. A third of Democrats (33 percent), 59 percent of independents, and 89 percent of Republicans believe national security was put at risk due to Clintons actions. The Fox News poll is based on landline and cellphone interviews with 1,031 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide and was conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R) from February 15-17, 2016. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points for all registered voters, and 4.5 points for the Democratic primary voter sample (429). While the Democratic race in South Carolina has narrowed, Hillary Clinton continues to trounce Bernie Sanders. Likely Democratic primary voters favor Clinton over Sanders by 28 points (56-28 percent), according to a Fox News poll released Thursday. Another 17 percent remain undecided or plan to back someone else. CLICK TO READ THE POLL RESULTS In December, Clinton held a 44-point lead (65-21 percent). The South Carolina electorate is more diverse than those of Iowa and New Hampshire, the two states that have held contests so far -- and that helps the former secretary of state. Even so, sentiment has shifted among some of Clintons best groups. Clinton led among black voters by 82-11 in December (71 points). The new poll finds she leads Sanders by 63-21 percent among blacks (42 points). Thats still a big lead, no doubt. But theres been a 29-point narrowing. In addition, two months ago Clinton topped Sanders by 55 points among women (72-17 percent). Now shes up by 33 points (58-25 percent). Younger voters are a key Sanders constituency. In New Hampshire, the Fox News exit poll showed he outperformed Clinton by 49 points among voters under 45, and by a whopping 67 points among the under 30 crowd. The new poll, however, shows that in South Carolina, he trails Clinton among those under age 45 by 11 points (49-38 percent). Sanders trails by just three points among those under 35. Voters ages 45+ prefer Clinton by 42 points (62 vs. 20 percent). Men (by 53-32 percent) and whites (by 48-36 percent) also back Clinton. Clintons supporters are more committed: 82 percent of her backers are certain to vote for her compared to 69 percent of Sanders. Twenty-nine percent of his supporters may change their mind, while 17 percent of Clinton backers say the same. The South Carolina Democratic Primary is Saturday, February 27. The Fox News Poll is conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R). The telephone poll (landline and cellphone) was conducted February 15-17, 2016 with live interviewers among a random sample of 1,401 South Carolina voters selected from a statewide voter file. Results for the 642 likely Democratic primary voters have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points. Donald Trump continues to dominate the race for the Republican nomination, according to a new Fox News national poll of registered voters. Trump leads with 36 percent among self-identified GOP primary voters. Ted Cruz captures 19 percent and Marco Rubio receives 15 percent. CLICK TO READ THE POLL RESULTS Jeb Bush and Ben Carson get nine percent a piece, and John Kasich gets eight percent. The poll, released Thursday, was conducted Monday through Wednesday evenings -- after a heated Republican debate Saturday in South Carolina (and also after Valentines Day Sunday). Trumps success is due to his ability to make in-roads with core elements of the GOP base. For example, white evangelical Christians voting in the GOP primary favor Trump (28 percent) and Cruz (26 percent) over Rubio (15 percent) and Carson (15 percent). Cruz has a slim one-point edge over Trump among those who identify as very conservative (29-28 percent). Another 16 percent back Rubio. Men (40 percent) are more likely than women (32 percent) to make Trump their first choice. Still, hes the favorite for each. Nearly six in 10 Republicans want the next president to be someone from outside the political establishment -- and those voters go heavily for Trump (55 percent vs. 15 percent for Cruz and 11 percent Carson). Meanwhile, Trump is the candidate Republican voters trust to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Thirty-nine percent would put Trump in the room with Putin -- thats more than double the 18 percent who say Cruz. Fourteen percent say Rubio and 10 percent Bush. For those pundits who thought the Republican faithful would fall back in line when faced with the possibility of Trump making Supreme Court appointments, consider this: Trump ties Cruz as the candidate GOP primary voters think would do the best job handling nominations to the high court (26 percent each). Taking into consideration that this is an election year, 62 percent of all voters say it is the responsibility of current leaders, President Obama and the Senate, to act to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Scalias recent death. Compare that to 34 percent who think the president shouldnt get to nominate someone for a life-time appointment this late in his term. Despite Trumps strengths in the primary race, hes the weakest of the GOP candidates in hypothetical matchups against Clinton. Rubio (+4) and Kasich (+3) perform best against Clinton. Cruz and Bush each top Clinton by just one point. Trump trails the Democrat by five points: Clinton 47 percent vs. Trump 42 percent. Sanders trounces Trump by 53-38 percent. By a slim 49-48 percent, Republicans think Trump has the temperament to serve effectively as president, while voters overall say he doesnt by 67-30. Republicans say by 62-31 percent that Rubio has the toughness to serve effectively. By comparison, most voters arent so sure: 43 percent say he does, while 46 percent disagree. Is Cruz likeable enough to do the job? By two-to-one most Republicans say he has the personality to serve effectively as president (65-30). Overall, voters are more likely to say no (44 percent yes vs. 49 percent no). Who could kids look up to in the White House? GOP primary voters think Carson (26 percent) is the best role model for children today, while nearly half say Trump is the worst (49 percent). Pollpourri The president is on television -- a lot. Voters say they would most dread watching Trump (40 percent) and Clinton (31 percent) on television for the next four years. Democrats are more likely to say Trump (56 percent) than Republicans are to say Clinton (50 percent). Independents? They would dread watching Trump the most (40 percent), followed by Clinton (27 percent). The Fox News poll is based on landline and cellphone interviews with 1,031 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide and was conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R) from February 15-17, 2016. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points for all registered voters, and 4.5 points for the Republican primary voter sample (404). President Obama said Thursday he'll raise human rights issues and other U.S. concerns with Cuban President Raul Castro during a history-making visit to the communist island nation. The brief visit in mid-March will mark a watershed moment in relations between the U.S. and Cuba, making Obama the first sitting U.S. president to set foot on the island in nearly seven decades. While in the country, Obama plans to meet with groups advocating for change in Cuba, a condition the president had laid out publicly for such a trip. "We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly," Obama wrote on Twitter in announcing the visit. "America will always stand for human rights around the world." Cuban Foreign Trade Minister Rodrigo Malmierca, on a visit to Washington, told The Associated Press that Obama's visit is good news for Cuba. "The president will be welcomed," he said in Spanish. The U.S. was estranged from the communist nation estranged for over half a century until Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro moved toward rapprochement more than a year ago. Since then, the nations have reopened embassies in Washington and Havana and have moved to restore commercial air travel, with a presidential visit seen as a key next step toward bridging the divide. Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, said the president will carry the message that the U.S. and Cuba need not be defined by their "complicated and difficult history." He said the U.S. wants to expand opportunities for U.S. businesses in Cuba, facilitate travel for Americans and coax Cuba's government into passing those benefits on to the public. "Cuba will not change overnight," Rhodes wrote in a Medium blog post. But he said the guiding principle behind the visit is "taking steps that will improve the lives of the Cuban people." Rhodes noted the ultimate aim is to persuade Congress to lift the trade embargo -- Havana's biggest request of the U.S. Although short-term prospects have seemed unlikely, a Republican congressman just back from leading a delegation of lawmakers to Cuba said he believed legislation ending the embargo could pass Congress by the end of the year. "The momentum is growing," said Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota. In addition to meeting with Castro, Obama will interact with members of Cuban "civil society," the White House said, referring to activists that advocate for various social causes. Prior to announcing the trip, Obama had said he'd only travel to Cuba if he could speak to all kinds of groups -- including those that oppose the Castro government. From Cuba, Obama will travel to Argentina, where he'll meet with new President Mauricio Macri, the White House said. Word of his travel plans drew immediate resistance from opponents of warmer ties with Cuba -- including Republican presidential candidates. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, whose father came to the U.S. from Cuba in the 1950s, said Obama shouldn't visit while the Castro family remains in power. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, another child of Cuban immigrants, lambasted the president for visiting what he called an "anti-American communist dictatorship." "Probably not going to invite me," Rubio said. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican born in Cuba, called the visit "absolutely shameful." But Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who traveled to Havana with Secretary of State John Kerry last year for the U.S. Embassy's re-opening, cheered the announcement. "For Cubans accustomed to watching their government sputter down the last mile of socialism in a `57 Chevy, imagine what they'll think when they see Air Force One," Flake said. With less than a year left in office, Obama has been eager to make rapid progress on restoring economic and diplomatic ties to cement warming relations with Cuba begun by his administration. Obama and supporters of the detente argue the decades-old embargo has failed to bring about desired change on the island 90 miles south of Florida. Officials didn't immediately specify what changed in the last few weeks to clear the way for the trip. But on Tuesday, the two nations signed a deal restoring commercial air traffic as early as later this year, eliminating a key barrier that isolated Cuban-Americans from their families for generations. A day earlier, the Obama administration approved the first U.S. factory in Cuba since Fidel Castro took power in 1959 and nationalized billions of dollars of U.S. property. The last sitting president to visit Havana was Calvin Coolidge in 1928. Harry Truman traveled in 1948 to the U.S.-controlled Guantanamo Bay and its naval base on the island's southeast end. Its never easy being a president in his eighth year, when the spotlight is fading, would-be successors are bashing him, and the opposition party doesnt even want to let him pick another Supreme Court justice. So Barack Obama seized the opportunity to strike back. In taking on Donald Trump at that California presser, Obama seemed to be giving voice to lots of pent-up resentments. It is highly unusual for a president to whack the other partys front-runner so early in the process, but that didnt deter Obamaperhaps because he senses that after South Carolina, Trump may be very difficult to stop. To be sure, Trump has attacked the president so relentlessly on so many issues, from health care to terrorism, that its easy to understand why Obama wanted to get a few licks in. But theres a back story that goes beyond sparring on the trail. Five years ago, Trump garnered enormous attention for appearing the embrace the birther movement, questioning whether Obama was actually born in Hawaii. Then, as now, much of the media and political establishment came down on Trump for pushing a conspiracy theory, although the billionaire kept saying he was just raising the question. He got under Obamas skin, and finally prodded the president into releasing his long-form birth certificate. I was at the White House Correspondents Dinner when Obama took delight in mocking Trump, who was glowering in the audience as a guest of the Washington Post. No one is happierno one is prouderto put this birth certificate matter to rest than The Donald, Obama said in 2011. And thats because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter: Like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac? So its personal. Thus it was that Obama told reporters on Tuesday: I continue to believe Mr. Trump will not be President. And the reason is because I have a lot of faith in the American people, and I think they recognize that being President is a serious job. Its not hosting a talk show or a reality show. Its not promotion. Its not marketing. Its hard. Obama did try to pivot to the other Republicans, saying Trumps rivals agree with him on many issues but just dont put things as colorfully. There was also a not-so-veiled shot at Marco Rubio on immigration. But Trump was the only one he mentioned by name. Surely Obama recognizes that his opposition only helps Trump with Republicans by elevating him. My guess is that he weighed that factor against the downside of remaining silent. Its highly unusual for a president to attack the other partys front-runner this early in the cycle. In August 1988, referring to rumors that Michael Dukakis had been treated for depression, President Ronald Reagan jokingly said Im not going to pick on an invalid. But Dukakis had already won the Democratic nomination. In fact, Trump is now at war with the last two presidentsObama and George W. Bushwhich burnishes his brand of taking on the establishment in both parties. Bush is a riskier target for a Republican, but so far it doesnt seem to have hurt Trump. Meanwhile, Obama chose to weigh in on the Democratic contest as well: I know Hillary better than I know Bernie because she served in my administration and she was an outstanding secretary of State. And I suspect that on certain issues she agrees with me more than Bernie does. On the other hand, there may be a couple issues where Bernie agrees with me more, I don't know. That was virtually an endorsement, or as close as a president proclaiming to stay neutral can come. And Hillary Clinton, after some earlier distancing, is hugging Obama pretty closely as she finds herself in an unexpectedly tight contest with Bernie Sanders after getting clobbered in New Hampshire. She not only invokes their working relationship but has chided Sanders for his criticism of Obama and for encouraging a primary challenge in 2012. Clearly, Obama wants his former rival to be the one to potentially take on his former tormentor, Donald Trump. The Marco Rubio campaign is crying foul over what appears to be a Photoshopped image of the Florida senator shaking hands with President Obama over a trade pact, on a website apparently produced by the Cruz campaign. .@dtoddharris: "this is the latest most egregious example of what we're saying" re Cruz pic.twitter.com/FncLl7W3XL Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) February 18, 2016 The website, which features other digitally altered images of the Florida senator, offers visitors the chance to take a stand against Rubio, with a link to Ted Cruzs get-out-the-vote site "This is a disturbing pattern, they are making stuff up every day," Rubio told reporters Thursday. Rubio senior advisor Todd Harris said the body shown in the image in question is "not Rubio." This person, we dont know who that is, but they Photoshopped Marcos face onto somebody else. This is how phony and how deceitful the Cruz campaign has become. The campaign says the original image, apparently reversed, was from a stock photograph. The Cruz campaign has not offered a response publicly. Campaign manager Jeff Roe instead tweeted out a different Getty Images photo of Rubio and Obama shaking hands at an Obama address to Congress. This is the latest in a war of words between the two campaigns over alleged dishonesty -- whether on Capitol Hill or the primary trail. Cruz was accused earlier in the week of being behind a fake Facebook page declaring that South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy, who had endorsed Rubio, was switching over to Cruz. Unfortunately it appears that the campaign of Senator Ted Cruz may not place the same value on waging a contest based on the truth and facts," Gowdy said in a statement. Cruz vehemently denied the charges on Facebook. Our campaign had absolutely nothing to do with this fraudulent Facebook post. This kind of deception is deplorable and nothing like it would be tolerated by this campaign. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is bent on refusing to consider any nominee President Obama may submit to succeed late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. And if he doesnt give ground, Obama may have only one option for an end-run: a recess appointment. But Republicans can rest easy: GOP leaders have an ace up their sleeve. The truth is, it doesnt take much to prevent a recess appointment, as long as congressional leaders are watching the calendar. Closely. If youre trying to block the president from making one to the Supreme Court, all the Senate has to do is commence a session every three days. Because the Senate is only truly in recess after that three-day period. The Constitution actually requires the House and Senate to meet every three days unless theres an agreement between the two bodies to skip, and go on recess. With the battle over a Supreme Court pick heating up, dont expect that to happen in the near future. All McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., have to do is schedule what are called pro-forma sessions at three-day intervals for the rest of the year. Pro-forma sessions are brief meetings of the House and Senate, lasting but a minute or two and sometimes, a matter of seconds. They help the House and Senate comport with the constitutional mandate of huddling every three days even if they arent really doing anything. The House and Senate dont conduct any business during these confabs. In congressional parlance, theyre sometimes referred to as just gavel-in, gavel-out. No votes. No speeches. Few words are uttered at all. The phrase pro-forma is derived from Latin, meaning formality. Congress doesnt consider itself adjourned or on recess if its meeting every three days. And thats all it takes to block a recess appointment for the rest of the presidents term. In 2011 and 2012, Democrats still controlled the Senate. But Republicans ran the show in the House. The GOP-controlled House refused to agree to an adjournment resolution in an effort to block Obama from scuttling a Senate filibuster of his nominees to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Thus, the House and Senate met every three days. In early 2012, the president made four recess appointments in the window between the three-day pro-forma sessions. But the Supreme Court later voided those appointments. The court said that was the point of the three-day sessions. The Senate was indeed in session. The Supreme Court ruled 9-0 against the administrations brazen attempt to slip in appointments between the sessions every three days. Ironically, Scalia, Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito wrote a concurring opinion to the NLRB case. They argued that recess appointments will remain a powerful weapon in the Presidents arsenal. They added it was unfortunate because the recess power is an anachronism. When the roles were reversed, Democrats used the same tool. For much of the final two years of President George W. Bushs term, the Democrat-controlled Senate met every few days to block him from making a recess appointment. In 2003, Senate Republicans blasted minority Democrats for holding up a number of judicial nominations. Democrats had particular trouble with the nomination of Judge Bill Pryor to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Georgia. Democrats didnt like Pryors views on womens issues and homosexuality. So they filibustered Pryor. During a summertime adjournment (not amid the three-day, pro-forma theater discussed here), Bush went around the Senate and appointed Pryor without its advice and consent. Democrats may try to force Republicans to take that vote this summer, too. But Republicans know that the best way to prevent a recess appointment later this year is to just meet every three days. Capitol Attitude is a weekly column written by members of the Fox News Capitol Hill team. Their articles take you inside the halls of Congress, and cover the spectrum of policy issues being introduced, debated and voted on there. **Want FOX News First in your inbox every day? Sign up here.** Buzz Cut: Tight fight for second on in South Carolina poll Cruz to Trump: File the lawsuit Nevada no longer looking like Hillarys firewall The Judges Ruling: A tribute to friend, scholar Scalia Not so grateful moose TIGHT FIGHT FOR SECOND ON IN SOUTH CAROLINA POLL With only two days to go until South Carolina makes its decision, a new Fox News poll shows the fight for second place is the spot to watch. Republican frontrunner Donald Trump maintains his wide lead over the pack with 32 percent, while Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, comes in second at 19 percent and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., within striking distance at 15 percent. No other candidate reached double digits. Cruzs lead falls just outside the polls margin of error leaving Rubio in good position to pull off a second place finish in the first southern primary of the cycle. In the Florida senators favor: he tops the field as second choice for voters and ranks among the lowest of candidates who GOP primary voters say they would never support. Cruz does not fare as well, trailing only Trump and Jeb Bush in the never support column. Still, Cruz has built up a lead over Rubio, picking up 4 points since Decembers South Carolina poll results, when the two were tied. Time is running short but the poll shows there is still room for significant movement: 25 percent of these GOP likely voters say they could change their mind. National scramble - A CBS News poll out today shows that Trump maintains a commanding lead on the field nationally with a 17-point advantage over second place finisher Ted Cruz. This follows Quinnipiac Universitys national poll Wednesday that put Trump in the lead 10 points ahead of Marco Rubio. By contrast, Wednesday evenings WSJ/NBC News poll found Trump trailing Cruz by two points with Rubio falling into third place Why? - WaPos Philip Bump explains why the WSJ/NBC News poll shows dramatically different results than other recent national polls: The NBC/WSJ poll is the first national poll conducted entirely after the debate. Quinnipiacs poll was in the field from Feb. 10 to 15 -- straddling the debate on Feb. 13. NBC and the Journal talked to voters from Feb. 14 to 16. Cruz to Trump: File the lawsuit - The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier: Feuding in the Republican presidential primary kicked up a notch Wednesday when Sen. Ted Cruz responded to a cease-and-desist request from Donald Trumps camp asking him to stop airing a TV ad with a blunt call of file the lawsuit. Cruz told reporters the letter accused his campaign of misleading the public in a commercial that includes older footage of Trump saying he is very pro-choice.Cruz said the letter threatened to sue him if the campaign doesnt remove the ad. I have to say, that, Mr. Trump, you have been threatening frivolous lawsuits for your entire adult life, Cruz said. Even in the annals of frivolous lawsuits, this takes the cake. So, Donald, I would encourage you if you want to file a lawsuit challenging this ad, claiming it as defamation, file the lawsuit. [In a new ad in South Carolina, Cruz slams Rubio on amnesty by comparing him to President Obama.] Trump says hed find out who really knocked down the World Trade Center - RCP: At a Wednesday morning campaign event in Bluffton, SC, Donald Trump takes his relitigation of the Bush administrations record on 9/11 and Iraq to the next level, seeming to imply that we dont currently know who really committed the 9/11 attacks. Trump says if he is elected: you will find out who really knocked down the World Trade Center. It wasnt the Iraqis, he explained. You may find its the Saudis. They have papers in there that are very secret, he also said, referencing the 28 still-classified pages of the 9/11 commission report. But you will find out. Rubio snags prized endorsement from S.C. governor - NYT: Senator Marco Rubio of Florida on Wednesday won the coveted backing of South Carolinas governor, Nikki R. Haley, bringing together two of the youngest Republican rising stars at a moment when their party is facing difficult questions about whether instead to look to its past or to political outsiders for leadership. Coming just three days before the South Carolina presidential primary, Ms. Haleys endorsement could provide Mr. Rubio with a crucial lift on Saturday. But it may also help him beyond, by associating him with a widely admired leader who, as a woman and a minority figure, shatters traditional perceptions of a Republican politician. [Team Rubio is out with a new ad featuring Haley. The ad is set to air in South Carolina today.] Jeb, Rubio tie for most spent on television ads - Tampa Bay Times: Jeb Bush has spent nearly $81 million on TV ads, by far the leader in either nomination fight, according to new figures. And Marco Rubio is second with $50 million. In South Carolina, Bush and Rubio are even closer. All told, $262 million has been spent on ads, according to ad-spending tracker SMG Delta released Wednesday by NBC News. [GOP delegate count: Trump 17; Cruz 11; Rubio 10; Kasich 5; Bush 4; Carson 3 (1,237 needed to win)] WITH YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEE Science News brings us the story of one scientists journey to Plutos atmosphere: Plutos shadow raced across the Pacific Ocean at more than 85,000 kilometers per hour. Planetary scientist Michael Person was on a 747 chasing the shadow, which formed as Pluto passed in front of a distant star. Until last summer, everything researchers knew about Plutos atmosphere came from stellar eclipses like this one. But for this June 2015 run, the analysis would get a reality check from the New Horizons spacecraft, which was speeding through the Kuiper belt toward the dwarf planetThe rendezvous with Plutos shadow required precision: The remote world would block the star for just a couple of minutes. And while the entire shadow is as wide as Pluto 2,374 kilometers SOFIA was aiming for a 50-kilometer-wide spot at the shadows center. At that spot, known as the central flash, researchers can get the fullest sense of Plutos skies. Got a TIP from the RIGHT or the LEFT? Email FoxNewsFirst@FOXNEWS.COM POLL CHECK Real Clear Politics Averages National GOP nomination: Trump 33 percent; Cruz 22 percent; Rubio 17.7 percent; Kasich 8; Carson 6 percent; Bush 4.7 percent South Carolina GOP Primary: Trump 34.5 percent; Cruz 17.3 percent; Rubio 16.8 percent; Bush 10 percent; Kasich 9.7; Carson 6.2 percent National Dem nomination: Clinton 49.3 percent; Sanders 36.5 percent South Carolina Dem Primary: Clinton 58 percent; Sanders 36.8 percent General Election: Clinton vs. Trump: Clinton +2.6 points Generic Congressional Vote: Democrats +1 NEVADA NO LONGER LOOKING LIKE HILLARYS FIREWALL A new Quinnipiac University poll shows that Hillary Clintons electability argument has taken another hit. The general election matchups show Clinton losing to every GOP candidate except Donald Trump, while her opponent socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., beats them all handily. This comes ahead of what looks to be an increasingly close contest in Nevada this weekend, where Clinton was hoping to bring Sanders early state momentum to an end with support from the states minority voters. Despite Clintons early ground game in the Battle Born State, younger, first-time voters are gravitating to Sanders, and could give him the push he needs to narrow Clintons lead, or even beat her. The Clinton team has already begun to downplay expectations for Nevada and next weeks Democratic South Carolina primary as they brace for a longer battle than originally expected. [Sanders is out with a pair of new ads in Nevada on how to caucus and urging them to caucus for him.] But shes good for the partys purse - AP: Hillary Clinton isnt yet the Democratic Partys presidential nominee, but shes already good for its bottom line. The Democratic National Committee began the presidential election year almost $1 million in the hole - a bad situation that would have been even worse without the millions of dollars in fundraising that Clinton's campaign sent its way. That kind of assistance makes Clinton unique in the 2016 presidential field. No one else, Republican or Democrat, is raising money for his or her party at this early stage, including her Democratic rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders. Hillary donors worry over Bernie attacks - The Hill: Key Democratic players are worried that Hillary Clintons super-PAC ally David Brock could be hurting her image and hampering her chances of winning the presidency. In interviews over the past month, Clinton donors, fundraisers and operatives have told The Hill that the concerns about Brocks comments, particularly some of his attacks on Bernie Sanders, stretch all the way to the top of Clintons political machinery. A leading figure in the Democracy Alliance, the liberal equivalent of the conservative Koch brothers donor network, said donors he associates with would like to put Brock back in the can. [Watch Fox: A new Fox News poll on the Democratic race in South Carolina as well as a national poll of both Democrat and Republican fields will be released tonight on Special Report with Bret Baier at 6 p.m. ET] Hillarys emails detail Afghan nationals ties to CIA - Fox News: One of the classified email chains discovered on Hillary Clintons personal unsecured server discussed an Afghan nationals ties to the CIA and a report that he was on the agencys payroll, a U.S. government official with knowledge of the document told Fox News. The discussion of a foreign national working with the U.S. government raises security implications an executive order signed by President Obama said such unauthorized disclosures are presumed to cause damage to the national security. The U.S. government official said the Clinton email exchange, which referred to a New York Times report, was among 29 classified emails recently provided to congressional committees with specific clearances to review them. In that batch were 22 top secret exchanges deemed too damaging to national security to release. [Democratic delegate count - Clinton 394; Sanders 44 (2,382 needed to win)] The Judges Ruling: A tribute to friend, scholar Scalia - Fox News Senior Judicial Analyst Andrew Napolitano pays tribute to his friend and fellow legal scholar Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Noting that Scalia was a strict interpreter of the Constitution and a champion of judicial restraint, Napolitano describes an exchange he had with Scalia that encapsulates the justices view of the Supreme Court: I once asked him if he felt he belonged to the Court. His reply was short and blunt. He told me he belonged to the Roman Catholic Church, he belonged to his family, and he belonged to the Constitution. The Court, he said, was just one creature intended to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. The Constitution is the Courts creator. No creature can be greater than its creator. He liked the Court. He loved the Constitution. Read here. Senate Republicans will stick with McConnell - WashExs David Drucker reports that Republicans will stick with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on his early decision not to appoint a successor to Justice Antonin Scalia until after the election this November: Republican operatives familiar with McConnells thinking and closely aligned with GOP senators said they expect the blockade to hold. The stakes of letting the now-evenly divided nine-member high court swing liberal with the confirmation of what would be Obamas third nominee, and the political repercussions for doing so, are enough to keep most Republicans on board with McConnells plan. NOT SO GRATEFUL MOOSE UPI: A British Columbia man who saw a moose get its back leg caught in a fence freed the animal and was kicked and chased around his yard by the ungrateful beast. Marc Schoene was in his West Kelona yard with his wife when the large moose calf tried to jump a fence and ended up with one of its back legs caught in the wires. Schoene, who posted video of the incident to YouTube, used wire cutters to free the moose, thinking it would leave the yard, but the confused and ungrateful moose kicked him in the back and shoulder before chasing him around the yard. Schoene was not seriously injured and the moose eventuality left by jumping over a few neighboring fences to reach an open area. AND NOW A WORD FROM CHARLES We were talking about the polls. How disparate they are. But the one thing they agree on is that if you take Trump against the field, the field wins. Charles Krauthammer on Special Report with Bret Baier Chris Stirewalt is digital politics editor for Fox News. Want FOX News First in your inbox every day? Sign up here. The top White House spokesman said Wednesday that President Obama regrets his 2006 decision to filibuster the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court after being accused of hypocrisy for blasting obstructionist Republicans now vowing to block his next high court nominee. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest was pressed on Obamas 2006 vote, as a U.S. senator, at the daily briefing. Looking back on it, the president believes that he should have just followed his own advice and made a strong public case on the merits about his opposition to the nomination that President Bush had put forward, he told reporters. Earnest said that Republicans are going further than Obama did, with a pledge to not consider anyone the president nominates. There is a pretty stark difference here. What Republicans are advocating is wrong and is inconsistent with the requirements of the Constitution, primarily because the wording of the Constitution is unambiguous and does not provide an exception for election years, he said. Earnest also argued that the 2006 filibuster of Alito was different, because it was not likely to succeed since the votes already existed for him to be confirmed and was based on substance. What the president regrets is that Senate Democrats didn't focus more on making an effective public case about those substantive objections, he said. Instead, some Democrats engaged in a process of throwing sand in the gears of the confirmation process. And that's an approach that the president regrets. Obama, in his most extensive remarks on the vacancy since the 79-year-old Scalia was found dead at a Texas ranch on Saturday, rejected widespread calls by Republican lawmakers and 2016 candidates to defer to the next president to fill Scalias seat. There is no unwritten law that says that it can only be done on off-years. Thats not in the constitutional text, Obama said at a press conference Tuesday, blasting what he called an obstructionist Senate. In 2006, then-Senator Obama tried to filibuster the nomination of Alito, who ultimately was confirmed. When asked about that seeming discrepancy, Obama did not answer directly, noting that senators are sometimes worried about primary elections and a backlash from supporters, and take strategic decisions. He also brushed off his own opposition to Alito, saying hes on the bench now, regardless of which votes particular senators have taken. A jawbone found in Romania more than a decade ago provides the first genetic evidence that humans and Neanderthals knocked boots in Europe before the latter disappeared between 35,000 and 40,000 years ago. Scientists who came across the bone of one of the earliest modern humans in Europe in a cave known as Pestera cu Oase noticed it had both modern human and Neanderthal traits. Now, a study of the bone's DNAmade possible by recent technological advancesexplains why. "The sample is more closely related to Neanderthals than any other modern human we've ever looked at before," Harvard researcher David Reich explains in a press release. "We estimate that 6% to 9% of its genome is from Neanderthals. This is an unprecedented amount." In comparison, all people except sub-Saharan Africans share 1% to 4% of their DNA with Neanderthals today. DNA in the fossil, which is 37,000 to 42,000 years old, suggests the Oase individual had a Neanderthal ancestor four to six generations back, reports Reuters. In other words, a great-great-grandparent might've been a Neanderthal, notes LiveScience. That shows interbreeding occurred far more recently than scientists had guessed; they initially thought interbreeding took place only in the Middle East between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago. "It's an incredibly unexpected thing," Reich says. "In the last few years, we've documented interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans, but we never thought we'd be so lucky to find someone so close to that event." You aren't likely to share any DNA with the jawbone's owner, however. Reich says the hunter-gatherer was from a "pioneer population" that entered Europe but "didn't give rise to the later population." (The oldest Neanderthal DNA is some 150,000 years old.) This article originally appeared on Newser: Jawbone Lifts Lid on Human-Neanderthal Sex More From Newser Astronomers have found one of the largest-ever black holes in giant galaxy NGC 4889, some 300 million light years away. The Hubble space telescope has captured an incredible image of elliptical galaxy NGC 4889, which is located in the Coma Cluster. Scientists, however, note that the giant galaxy harbors a dark secret. Related: The best of Hubble The European Space Agency explains that the galaxy contains a supermassive black hole that has 21 billion times the mass of the Sun and an event horizon the surface at which even light cannot escape its gravitational grasp of approximately 81 billion miles. That makes the event horizon about 15 times the diameter of Neptunes orbit from the Sun. However, the black holes time of swallowing stars and devouring dust is past. Astronomers believe that the gigantic black hole has stopped feeding, and is currently resting after feasting on NGC 4889s cosmic cuisine, explained the ESA, in a statement on its website. The environment within the galaxy is now so peaceful that stars are forming from its remaining gas and orbiting undisturbed around the black hole. Related: Hubble space telescope captures stunning image of barred spiral galaxy Scientists explain that, when it was active, NGC 4889s supermassive black hole was fuelled by a process known as hot accretion. When galactic material such as gas, dust and other debris slowly fell inwards towards the black hole, it accumulated and formed an accretion disc, they said. Orbiting the black hole, this spinning disc of material was accelerated by the black holes immense gravitational pull and heated to millions of degrees. This heated material also expelled gigantic and very energetic jets. During its active period, astronomers would have classified NGC 4889 as a quasar, according to the agency, with the disk around the supermassive black hole emitting up to a thousand times the energy output of the Milky Way. Related: Hubble showcases star cluster that dazzles like diamonds The ESA notes that, although it is impossible to directly observe a black hole as light cannot escape its gravitational pull its mass can be indirectly determined. Using instruments on the Keck II Observatory and Gemini North Telescope, astronomers measured the velocity of the stars moving around NGC 4889s centre, it explained. These velocities which depend on the mass of the object they orbit revealed the immense mass of the supermassive black hole. The Hubble space telescope, which was launched by NASA in 1990, celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. Related: Supermoon lunar eclipse in pictures In 2015 astronomers used three telescopes, including the Hubble to spot a baby blue galaxy that is farther away in space than any other galaxy ever seen. The galaxy, named EGS-zs8-1, is 13.1 billion light-years away. In October the telescope also captured a stunning image of a faraway galaxy known as a barred spiral. Earlier this year Hubble showcased a star cluster that dazzles like diamonds in an image made with data taken in 2005-2006 by the telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys. A new study has shown that humans interbred with Neanderthals approximately 100,000 years ago, between 40,000 and 50,000 years earlier than first thought. The new study, published in the journal Nature, reports that genetic analysis of the remains of a Neanderthal woman detected residual DNA from Homo sapiens, a sign of inter-species mating. The discovery by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology forces scientists to reasses the accepted timeline of when humans migrated out of Africa to other parts of the world. One theory is that the recently discovered interbreeding arose from what scientists call a failed dispersal. That refers to a small population of Homo sapiens trekking to the Middle East and other parts of Eurasia, but failing to establish lasting colonies. The remains of the Neanderthal woman at the center of the study were found in southern Siberia, near the border with present-day Mongolia. We don't know what happened to them," geneticist Martin Kuhlwilm told Reuters. "It seems likely that this population went extinct, either by environmental changes or maybe direct competition with Neanderthals ... It implies that modern humans left Africa in several waves, some of which probably went extinct." Neanderthals, renowned for their skill as hunters, lived in modern-day Europe and Asia. The last of them are believed to have died out approximately 40,000 years ago. Last week, a study published in the journal Science presented evidence that one bit of Neanderthal DNA can boost the risk of tobacco addiction, while others can slightly raise or lower the risk of being diagnosed with depression. Past studies have suggested Neanderthal DNA raises the risk of allergies. Neanderthals and modern people split off from each other on the evolutionary tree an estimated 600,000 years ago. In people of Asian or European ancestry, around 2 percent of DNA can be traced to Neanderthals. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Click for more from Reuters. Israeli scientists are confident that their SpaceIL spacecraft will clinch the $20 million Google Lunar XPRIZE to land an unmanned probe on the moon by the end of next year. SpaceIL is one of the leading contenders among the 16 teams vying for the Lunar XPRIZE. The competition offers a $20 million prize to the first privately-funded team to land a rover on the moon by the end of 2017. After landing on the moon, the craft must move 1,640 feet across the lunar surface and send high-definition pictures (including a selfie) and video back to Earth. The second team to successfully complete the mission will be awarded $5 million. Teams, however, must prove that 90 percent of their mission costs were funded by private sources. Last year SpaceIL signed a launch contract with satellite specialist Spaceflight to carry its moon probe on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The Israeli team's launch is scheduled for the second half of 2017. Related: Digital Mars map shows contours, legend Rival team Moon Express announced a contract with Rocket Lab last year to launch three robotic spacecraft to land on the Moon starting in 2017. In order to reduce the cost of the mission, SpaceIL will share its space ride with a number of satellites. SpaceIL co-founder Yonatan Winetraub told FoxNews.com that the satellites will be released into orbit first, with SpaceIL the last craft to leave the rocket. The rocket's engine will be ignited to provide SpaceIL with a final boost, he added. After separating from the Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceIL will undertake the final stage of its journey to the moon, a trip that will take significantly longer than NASAs Apollo missions of the '60s and '70s. Winetraub, a doctoral student in biophysics at Stanford, explained that on a direct trajectory, such as those used by the Apollo missions, it usually takes three days to get to the moon. However, SpaceILs craft is expected to take a couple of months to reach its destination after separating from the rocket. Because the Falcon 9s trajectory is not purely determined by the SpaceIL moon mission, SpaceIL will need to do more maneuvering in space to get the spacecraft to the moon, he said. We will carefully time SpaceILs engines burns to space to specific locations and for specific durations. Related: Fears grow that Philae comet lander may never wake up Then, of course, the spacecraft has to complete a tricky moon landing. Landing is the most difficult part of the mission for multiple reasons, said Winetraub, noting that SpaceIL will control its own landing, removing the risk of delayed messages from mission control. It takes radio signals traveling at the speed of light 2 to 3 seconds in total to send and receive messages the spacecraft is traveling at 2 kilometers a second at that point. Instead, SpaceIL will use a sophisticated accelerometer and gyrometer called an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) to help control its descent, a sensor that measures distance to the moon, and a Star Tracker device that uses stars for navigation. Its an advanced version of using the North Star for navigation, said Winetraub. So, how will SpaceIL avoid the fate of the Philae lander, which made history when it landed on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014, but then bounced twice, leaving scientists uncertain about its exact location. After touching down in the correct location, the probes first bounce lasted 2 hours and took the craft up to a distance of more than half a mile. The second bounce was a small jump of just over an inch per second for 7 minutes, according to scientists. Related: Scientists find evidence of gravitational waves predicted by Einstein [Philae] was a completely different problem the moons gravity is significantly stronger the Moons geometry is very well understood we have got a good idea of where we will land, said Winetraub. Were doing our best it is rocket science! After landing on the moon, SpaceIL must then complete its video and picture tasks, as well as undertaking its short journey over the lunar surface. Were going to do it in a single hop were going to reignite the engines, do a little launch and land again, 500 meters [1,600 feet] to the side, said Winetraub. SpaceIL will also conduct scientific experiments in conjunction with Israels prestigious Weizmann Institute to measure the lunar magnetic field. Its additional data on top of what the Apollo missions did, said the SpaceIL co-founder. Related: Meteorite probably didn't kill man in India, NASA says The spacecraft will use solar panels and a battery for power while on the moon. We plan [to operate it] for a few days, but it might be longer, said Winetraub. Were trying to land on the lunar sunrise we need the place to be lit so that we have energy to power our solar panels; we need to be able to see the land and its cooler [during the sunrise], as opposed to when the sun is fully up. The scientist, who researched Martian colonies at NASAs International Space University, hopes that the eventual success of SpaceIL will inspire young people. We want to put the spotlight back on science because its very important for the economy of Israel and the U.S. that kids will want to become engineers and scientists and one day, they could make breakthroughs of their own, he told FoxNews.com. We use the spaceship as a source for them to identify and choose science as careers. SpaceIL partners include Israel Aerospace Industries, telecommunications company Bezeq, Tel Aviv University and the Technion Israel Institute of Technology. Israel is a small country that has extreme innovation, said Winetraub. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers This story has been updated to reflect that SpaceIL has signed a launch contract with satellite specialist Spaceflight to carry its moon probe on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. A Los Angeles hospital paid a ransom of nearly $17,000 in bitcoins to hackers who infiltrated and disabled its computer network because paying was in the best interest of the hospital and most efficient way to solve the problem, the medical centers chief executive said Wednesday. Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center CEO Allen Stefanek said the hackers demanded a ransom of 40 bitcoins, currently worth $16,664. The FBI is investigating the attack, which began on Feb. 5. Authorities said this kind of attack is called ransomware, where hackers encrypt a computer networks data to hold it hostage, providing a digital decryption key to unlock it for a price. "The quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom and obtain the decryption key," Stefanek said. "In the best interest of restoring normal operations, we did this." It was unclear if anyone had recommended the hospital pay off the hackers. Law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times the ransom was paid before authorities were called to help. The hospital said it alerted authorities on Monday and was able to restore its network by Monday with the help of technology experts, according to the Los Angeles Times. Stefanek said patient care was never compromised, nor were any hospital records. FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said the agency is investigating the attack, but couldnt provide any further details. Neither authorities nor the hospital have an idea who is behind the attack. Computer security experts normally recommend people not pay the ransom, though at times law enforcement agencies suggest they do, said Adam Kujawa, Head of Malware Intelligence for Malwarebytes, a San Jose-based company that recently released anti-ransomware software. It's difficult to know how many victims pay the ransom, because many who do don't reveal it. "Unfortunately, a lot of companies don't tell anybody if they had fallen victim to ransomware and especially if they have paid the criminals," Kujawa said, "but I know from the experiences I hear about from various industry professionals that it's a pretty common practice to just hand over the cash." Bitcoins, the online currency that is hard to trace, is becoming the preferred way for hackers collect a ransom, FBI Special Agent Thomas Grasso, who is part of the government's efforts to fight malicious software including ransomware, told The Associated Press last year. During 2013, the number of attacks each month rose from 100,000 in January to 600,000 in December, according to a 2014 report by Symantec, the maker of antivirus software. A report from Intel Corp.'s McAfee Labs released in November said the number of ransomware attacks is expected to grow even more in 2016 because of increased sophistication in the software used to do it. The company estimates that on average, 3 percent of users with infected machines pay a ransom. It's not clear how many of those users were individuals and how many companies. Some ransomware attacks go unreported because the victims don't want it publicized they were hacked. The 434-bed hospital in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles was founded in 1924. It was sold to CHA Medical Center of South Korea in 2004. It offers a range of services including emergency care, maternity services, cancer care, physical therapy, and specialized operations such as fetal and orthopedic surgeries. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A jury has been selected for the trial of an Arizona man charged with supporting the Islamic State terrorist group and helping plan a violent attack last year at a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas. The selection of the jury on Tuesday for Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem cleared the way for opening statements Wednesday. It's believed to be the first time the government has put a person on trial on charges related to Islamic State. Kareem is accused of providing the guns used at the May 3 attack in Garland, Texas. Authorities say Kareem and the two men who carried out the attack also researched travel to the Middle East so they could join Islamic State fighters. Kareem denies the allegations. A man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to killing his mother two days after he completed a 30-year prison sentence for killing a neighbor. Steven Pratt pleaded guilty to manslaughter for killing Gwendolyn Pratt, 64, at their Atlantic City home in October 2014. An autopsy found that she died from massive blunt-force head injuries. Pratt was 15 when he shot and killed his next-door neighbor Michael Anderson in an apartment building in 1984. He was tried as an adult and was convicted of murder in 1986. According to court records, Pratt and Anderson argued after Pratt and some of his friends refused to leave an apartment hallway where they were noisily hanging out. Pratt went back to Anderson's apartment with a lead pipe, but Anderson took the pipe away from Pratt and bloodied his face, the records show. Pratt then returned with a borrowed handgun and shot Anderson in the face and shoulder, the court records show. Anderson, who Pratt said acted like a father to him, died days after the shooting. Pratt told a judge through tears after killing his mother that he was guilty and didn't want a trial. Pratt, 47, must serve 85 percent of a 25-year prison sentence before he'll be eligible for parole. A New Jersey town is attempting to protect illegal immigrants from really unfortunate arrests by publishing handouts in English and Spanish that encourage immigrants to remain silent and have a plan! if confronted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The response from Princeton officials comes following the targeted arrest of two illegal immigrants in the town early Thursday morning, one of whom had a drunken driving conviction, an ICE official told NJ.com. Councilwoman Heather Howard has been a leading advocate for working with the local immigrant population to prevent detentions and deportations. These [arrests] are really unfortunate, she told NJ.com. They cause fear and panic in the community, and they work to undermine the communitys effort to improve law enforcement relations. An ICE spokesperson told FoxNews.com the towns efforts wouldnt impede ICEs duties. Its not gonna hinder our operations, Alvin Phillips said. Standard operations are still ongoing and based on priorities. He added: "ICE arrests are not unfortunate. In fact to the contrary of previous reports -- ICE actions are in keeping with the laws and homeland security priorities: National Security, Public Safety and Border Security. I will also add, arrests in question are afforded an opportunity to meet with legal counsel." Several Know Your Rights handouts on the town governments website advise immigrants if you or someone you love is deportable, have a plan! Another section of one of the pamphlets tells immigrants to not answer questions about your immigration status or where you were born. Keep saying you want to call your attorney. The publications come complete with cartoons of smiling immigrants flashing cards that say I want to speak with my lawyer and shocked immigrants being busted by angry ICE agents, often appearing menacing and wearing dark sunglasses. The pamphlets even encourage readers not to provide their names to officers: Remember that providing your name has risks, and that your name can be used to start a deportation process. A Right To Remain Silent Card is printed near the end of one of the publications with cut-out lines drawn around it for those who wish to detach and carry it. The card states: TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Please be informed that I am choosing to exercise my right to remain silent and the right to refuse to answer your questions. If I am detained, I request to contact an attorney immediately. I am also exercising my right to refuse to sign anything until I consult with my attorney. Elisa Neira, the executive director of Human Services, said the goal of the literature is to better inform illegal immigrants of their rights. We want our residents to be educated, to have access to competent immigration attorneys and nonprofit agencies, to have their documents and records in a safe place and not to fear seeking assistance from local police, schools and other agencies, when needed, Neira said in a press release. The material was not limited to online publications, however. Howard told NJ.com about community outreach efforts, including one in which a Spanish-speaking police officer and a community advocate spoke to the crowd at a Spanish Mass at St. Pauls Catholic Church. We recognize that these are stressful times for our community and our residents, the town of Princeton said in a statement. Arthur Burch loves his wife. He recently marked his 59th wedding anniversary by getting a tattoo of her. The portrait of Patricia Burch is positioned on the left side of his chest, just above the heart, and has the date of their wedding anniversary beneath it: 12-21-56. "She was 18 when we got married, and I was 17," Burch said. "She's now 77, and I'm 76." He visits his wife at Wesley Manor Retirement Center every day at lunch time. Patti Burch, as he has called her for over five decades, has Alzheimer's disease and can no longer live at home with her husband. "I go every day at noon to feed her lunch. I haven't missed a day since she got there," Burch said. "She may not recognize, or know me, but she's still mine. But some days I can tell she knows me because of the way she grins. When it comes down to it, I love her." Burch calls it his duty as a husband to take care of his wife. "We said `til death do us part' and we meant it," Burch said. "I've had five spine surgeries, and she took care of me for three years and eight months. Now it's my turn." Burch moved to Dothan in late 2007, when he took care of his then recently diagnosed wife with the help of their daughter, Melanie Burch Hadley, who also lives in Dothan. He remembered the roller rink where he met Patti like it was yesterday. "She used to do a lot of roller skating, and I used to watch her skate," he said. "Then we just a started talking, and then we started dating." Around a year later, Arthur and Patti Burch were married by her uncle at his home near Scottsburg, Indiana. The couple has two children, Hadley and Lisa Burch Patton, who still lives in Indiana. "Both sides of the family said it would never last, but here we are 59 years later," Burch said. "I know nowadays people don't stay married 59 days. But I still love her just as much as I did the day we married." Burch said they found a strategy that worked for them over the years. "We never went to bed mad at each other," he said. "We always tried to work things out before we went to sleep, and it seemed to work out best that way. There was some times when we didn't agree, and one of us had to say we were wrong. I guess it worked because we're still together. I still love her today." Burch smiled last week as local tattoo artist Don Childree finished "touching up" the portrait of Patti, and remarked how he could now go to sleep with his wife again. "Now I can carry her with me for the rest of my life. We never know nowadays when somebody's time will be up," he said. "She's been through some tough times. She's had open heart surgery, but she's still here with me." Burch said the touch-up job on the tattoo of his wife last week didn't hurt as it had become his fourth tattoo, and the second one in honor of his wife. "This one is like tickling me compared to the one I got when I was 13 years old," he said. At 13, he got a small heart tattoo on the top of his forearm, for which he said he got a "whooping" after it was discovered at home. Childree applied three of the four tattoos on Burch, including a purple ribbon with the word "Patti" inside it in honor of his wife and all those going through Alzheimer's disease. The portrait of Patricia became the third tattoo drawn by Childree, who works at Good Luck Tattoo & Body Piercing Parlour on Montgomery Highway. Last year Childree also tattooed an orange and pink rose on Burch's shoulder with his daughter's initials, "MBH" (Melanie Burch Hadley), underneath it. Childree first met Burch after doing a tattoo for one of his relatives. "I've never tattooed someone his age, and I was all for it," Childree said. For Childree, Arthur's tattoos came with a special relationship-building meaning to them. "It's more than just a Chinese symbol," Childree said. "I can actually use the talent I have in one sense to help make somebody complete." Authorities say a Louisiana couple faces charges after leaving four children, ages 8 months to 8 years, home alone while they went to a movie for Valentine's Day. Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office deputies say a witness found the 8-year-old boy walking alone carrying his 8-month-old brother Sunday night. Department spokesman Glen Boyd tells NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune (http://bit.ly/1SB4Z7i) that the 8-year-old told a deputy he was looking for his parents. He took deputy to his apartment. Boyd says deputies found two more children, ages 5 and 3. Deputies say 25-year-old Catherine Brumfield, and her boyfriend, 29-year-old Terrance Swinney, of Metairie, face four counts of child desertion. Brumfield and Swinney were released Monday on $4,000 and $6,000 bonds, respectively. Online jail records don't list attorneys to contact for comment on the couple's case. ___ Information from: The Times-Picayune, http://www.nola.com The British Royal Navy sailors accused of assaulting a Dallas police officer in a drunken brawl last weekend will not be allowed to leave the country after their lawyer Wednesday withdrew a request for their passports. Fox 4 reported that all three men had been on track for upcoming foreign deployments. Vickers Cunningham, the lawyer for the three sailors, said he withdrew the request to get the passports back. He didnt give a reason why. The three involved in the alleged assault were identified as Christopher Hickman, 30, Callum Duncan, 26, and Christopher Casey, 28. The sailors are accused of assaulting veteran Dallas Police Officer Gerardo Huante early Saturday after closing time outside a popular uptown bar, Concrete Cowboy. Court documents said the three were fighting in the street and Huante tried to break it up, but they turned on him. Hickman held the officer down while Casey kicked him in the face and Duncan punched him several times, the report said, citing court documents. Cunningham said the men will now have to wait stateside for their next court appearance, but theres nothing upcoming on the court docket for the three. A decorated Army sergeant who protected an Afghan boy from a child molester could find out any day whether his actions will end his career in the military. Sgt. First Class Charles Martland, a Green Beret with an 11-year Special Forces career, was stationed in Afghanistan in 2011 when the boy's mother came to him and said she'd been beaten and her son raped by a local police commander. Martland and another soldier summoned the police official and, when the man laughed at them, threw him off the base. Martland and Daniel Quinn were both disciplined for their actions. Last year, amid military cuts, the Army Human Resources Command recommended Martland be discharged in part based on his disciplinary record, but an official decision by U.S. Army brass is expected by March 1. Charles did the right thing in Afghanistan by standing up to a child rapist and corrupt commander, and now its the Armys turn to do the right thing and reverse the decision to expel him from the service. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) Charles did the right thing in Afghanistan by standing up to a child rapist and corrupt commander, and now its the Armys turn to do the right thing and reverse the decision to expel him from the service, said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., whose office has been assisting Martland. Permitting Charles to continue serving is in the best interest of the Army and the nation. Supporters mounted an online petition backing Martland and separately, 93 members of Congress have called for an investigation into the military's silence in the face of rampant sexual abuse of children in Afghanistan. While Quinn left the military voluntarily, Martland, who graduated in 2006 from Special Forces Qualification Course, has always seen himself as a lifer. After a deployment to Iraq in 2008, he deployed to Afghanistan in January 2010 as part of a 12-man unit. He and his team found themselves fighting large numbers of Taliban militants in the volatile Kunduz Province. Martland was awarded a Bronze Star with Valor for his actions. According to one evaluation, he also was praised by Gen. David Petraeus, then commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan. The 2011 incident occurred at the remote outpost where Martland was stationed. The 12-year-old boy and his mother showed up at camp, and the boy showed the Green Berets where his hands had been tied. A medic took him to a back room for an examination with an interpreter, who told them the boy had been raped by a man identiffied as Afghani Police commander Abdul Rahman. Rahman allegedly beat the boy's mother for reporting the crime after learning that they went to the Army outpost. This led Martland and team leader Daniel Quinn to confront Rahman. According to reports of the incident, Rahman confessed to the crime and laughed it off. This led Martland and Quinn to shove the smug police official to the ground Rahman reported the incident to another Army unit in a nearby village, which led to Quinn and Martland being pulled from their assignments. One year ago, the Army conducted a "Qualitative Management Program" review board and called for Martland - among thousands of other soldiers with prior disciplinary issues - to be "involuntary discharged by Nov. 1, 2015. Martland appealed the decision and a final ruling on his discharge has been delayed until now. With the deadline rapidly approaching, other legal advocates have come to his aid, and even garnered over 300,000 signatures in a petition calling for the decision to be overturned. "After acting to protect a child from sexual assault from an Afghan commander, SFC Martland was punished and could be kicked out of the military at any time," said Jay Sekulow, of the American Center for Law and Justice. "What's equally disturbing are reports that the military has allowed Afghanistan forces to sexually abuse young children on U.S. bases. A Massachusetts man under investigation in the hacking of a Boston hospital was rescued from a sailboat off the coast of Cuba by a Disney cruise ship and arrested Wednesday, weeks after relatives told police they had last heard from him, authorities said. Martin Gottesfeld and his wife made a distress call Tuesday from a sailboat and were picked up by the nearby ship, federal prosecutors said. Gottesfeld, 31, of Somerville, was arrested Wednesday on a conspiracy charge after the Disney ship returned to Miami. He's charged in a 2014 computer attack at Boston Children's Hospital in the name of the hacking group Anonymous. Prosecutors say the FBI searched Gottesfeld's home in 2014, so he knew about the federal investigation. Last week, the FBI learned that Somerville police did not find Gottesfeld during a well-being check at his apartment after his employer and family members reported they hadn't heard from him in weeks. Then on Tuesday, an FBI agent in the Bahamas called the FBI's Boston office to report that Gottesfeld and his wife were on a Disney Cruise Line ship in the Bahamas after being picked up not far from Cuba. The couple had luggage and three laptop computers with them. Authorities say the computer attack was in protest of the hospital's treatment of Justina Pelletier, a Connecticut teenager who was at the center of a custody dispute based on conflicting medical diagnoses. Tufts Medical Center had treated Justina for mitochondrial disease, a disorder that affects cellular energy production. But Boston Children's Hospital later diagnosed her problems as psychiatric. When Justina's parents rejected that diagnosis and tried to take her back to Tufts, the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families took custody of her, setting off a bitter dispute. Justina's case drew national media attention as various groups cited it as an example of governmental interference with parental rights. An affidavit filed in court by an FBI agent said that on March 23, 2014, a video was posted on YouTube calling for action against a Massachusetts hospital in response to its treatment of her. The girl was not identified in the FBI affidavit, but Children's Hospital confirmed at the time that its computer network had been attacked over the Pelletier case. The video was narrated by a computer-generated voice and stated that Anonymous "will punish all those held accountable and will not relent until (Justina) is free." The video directed viewers to a posting on the website that contained necessary information about the hospital's server to initiate an attack against it. On April 19, 2014, the hospital reported an attack against the server identified in the posting. The attack disrupted the hospital's network, took its website out of service and cost more than $300,000 to respond to and mitigate, according to the affidavit. During a search of his home in October 2014, Gottesfeld admitted posting the video but denied participating in any attacks, the FBI agent said in an affidavit. Tor Ekeland, a New York attorney who represents Gottesfeld, declined to comment, saying he hadn't had a chance to review the criminal complaint or speak to Gottesfeld. Gottesfeld is charged with conspiracy to intentionally cause damage to protected computers. During an initial appearance Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Miami, he agreed to voluntary detention pending a hearing in U.S. District Court in Boston. No date has been set yet for that hearing. Representatives for Children's Hospital and Disney Cruise Line did not return calls seeking comment. Click for more from Fox 61. A Muslim man, who is also a U.S. Army reservist, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the owners of an Oklahoma gun range after they allegedly told him to leave when he identified himself as a Muslim. Rajaee Fatihahs lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Muskogee against the owners of Save Yourself Survival and Tactical Gun Range in the town of Oktaha. A sign posted on the business declared the range a "Muslim-free" establishment, and is similar to signs that have been placed at businesses in Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky and New York, said Brady Henderson, legal director for the Oklahoma chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the suit. "Whether the sign in question says 'no Muslims' or whether it says 'no coloreds' or whether it says 'no women' or 'no Christians' or 'no Buddhists' ... it is just as un-American and fundamentally it is just as wrong," Henderson said. Fatihah is a board member with the Muslim advocacy group Council on American-Islamic Relations Oklahoma chapter. He said he went to the gun range after learning about the signage. He said the owners of the gun range were warm and welcoming until he told them he was a Muslim. "At that point, they started treating me with suspicion," Fatihah said. The lawsuit also alleges that the owners asked Fatihah if he was there to murder them, The Oklahoman reported. Robert Muise, with the American Freedom Law Center, is representing Chad and Nicole Neal the owners of the gun range in the case. Muise said Fatihah was denied service because he was being belligerent, not because of his religion. Muise also said the sign declaring the shop a Muslim-free business is protected free speech. Fatihah denies he acted belligerently. "The only thing the law prohibits is if somebody denies services strictly on the basis of religion, and that didn't happen here," Muise said. Muise previously represented a Florida gun shop owner in a similar case. Claims of discrimination by business owners against Muslims have been reported in numerous states, and formal complaints have been filed with the U.S. Department of Justice regarding incidents in Arkansas, Florida and New Hampshire, said CAIR's national director, Ibrahim Hooper. "It's one of those issues that's tied to the overall rise of anti-Muslim bigotry in our society," Hooper said. A similar lawsuit was filed by CAIR last year against a gun shop in Florida, but that case was dismissed by a federal judge who determined CAIR could not prove its members were harmed by the store's Muslim-free policy, Henderson said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A chemist on New York's Long Island said the gates of his gated community didn't do much good, because a "mob" of intruders attacked him inside a clubhouse, breaking his jaw, local media reported Wednesday. Sergei Lymar, 61, told WCBS the assault unfolded on Jan. 3 while he was getting exercise. He said roughly two dozen strangers inside the gym had refused to let him in. When he tried taking a photo of the men with his phone's camera, he said they attacked. Surveillance video appeared to show them punching Lymar in the face, knocking him over, Newsday adds. There were hits in the mouth, to my shoulder, my back, over shoulder to the jaw, Lymar said. Doctors performed emergency surgery on his face, wiring his jaw shut for weeks, WCBS reports. Police released photos of two suspects, urging people near the Atlantic Point apartment complex in Bellport to be on the lookout. Lymar reportedly works at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, 60 miles east of New York City. Neighbors complained to WCBS that the gates outside the community were left open too often. A sign posted on a door to the clubhouse reads "No Guests Permitted." The University of Texas announced Wednesday it will allow concealed handguns in classrooms, but will bar them from on-campus dorm rooms, under the new state law. Texas universities had been gun-free zones under the states previous concealed handgun laws, but a Republican-dominated Legislature voted last year to force public universities to allow license holders to bring their guns to campus starting Aug. 1. "I do not believe handguns belong on a university campus, so this decision has been the greatest challenge of my presidency to date," University of Texas President Greg Fenves said in announcing his decision to adopt rules recommended by a campus study group in December. Fenves opposes allowing guns on the roughly 50,000-student campus. Fenves recommendation that handguns should be banned from on-campus dorm rooms could be rejected or altered by the universitys Board of Regents, according to the Dallas Morning News. If they are approved then handguns will be allowed most offices and off-campus residence halls in addition to classrooms. Fenves said his revised measure brings a balance between the law passed by the Legislature and addressing concerns of students, faculty and other staff who have opposed the so-called campus carry measure, according to the Morning News. I empathize with the many faculty members, staffers, students and parents of students who signed petitions, sent emails and letters, and organized to ban guns from campus and especially classrooms, he said. As a professor, I understand the deep concerns raised by so many. However, as president, I have an obligation to uphold the law. State lawmakers allowed public universities to carve out some gun-free zones as long as it didn't result in a campus-wide ban. Fenves said a blanket ban on guns in classrooms would have violated the law. Gun-rights activists had insisted that the right to have weapons on a college campus falls under the Second Amendment and they call it a critical self-defense measure. Private schools, including Baylor, Rice, Southern Methodist and Texas Christian, have opted to keep banning weapons on campus, Fenves noted. State lawmakers allowed public universities to carve out some gun-free zones as long as it didn't result in a campus-wide ban. In most cases, a person must be 21 years old to get a gun license in Texas, which trims the gun-carrying student population a bit. And while licensed students will be allowed to bring their handguns to class, they won't be able to do so openly. A separate law that allows the open carry of handguns doesn't apply to college campuses. Laboratories will remain gun-free, as will areas or events that involve school-age children. State law still prohibits weapons at sporting events. Guns will generally be banned from dorm rooms, but they will be allowed in residence hall common areas such as dining rooms and study areas. Family members who are licensed to carry can keep their weapons when visiting students. University staff members who are licensed to carry may also hold onto their weapons if they must enter a dorm. The rules now go to the University of Texas System Regents for review. If no changes are made within 90 days, the rules will be final. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Click for more from The Dallas Morning News. The EU's top migration official says an Austrian plan to cap asylum-seeker numbers is unlawful. Dimitris Avramopoulos said in a letter Thursday that "Austria has a legal obligation to accept any asylum application that is made on its territory or at its border." The letter to Austria's interior minister, seen by The Associated Press, said imposing a ceiling on asylum-seekers "would be plainly incompatible with Austria's obligations" under EU and international law. Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said Wednesday that Austria would allow no more than 80 migrants a day to apply for asylum at southern border crossing points. Avramopoulos also warned Mikl-Leitner that Austria should not allow people to travel through the country if their aim is to apply for asylum elsewhere. ISIS publicly beheaded an Iraqi teenager on Tuesday for listening to western pop music, the ARA news agency reports. The 15-year-old boy was detained by Islamic State militants in the Iraqi city of Mosul after being accused of listening to the music at his fathers grocery store, the media outlet added. The unnamed boy was taken to Sharia Court, which issued a decision to execute him, a spokesman for the local Nineveh media center told ARA News. The execution is believed to be the first case of its kind documented in Mosul and has sparked outrage among the citys residents. While Western music is not specifically banned under Islam's strict Sharia law, analysts say the Islamic State is vehemently opposed to many western cultural influences. An airstrike killed the head of intelligence of the Somali-based extremist group Al Shabaab, who is believed to have been among those who planned attacks on Kenyans, Kenya's military said Thursday. Al Shabaab denied the claim. Mahad Karate, also known as Abdirahim Mohamed Warsame, was killed along with 10 mid-level Al Shabaab members and 42 recruits in an airstrike 10 days ago in Nadris camp in Somalia's south, military spokesman Col. David Obonyo said. Al Shabaab denied the claim, saying it was aimed at drawing attention from "significant losses" of Kenyan soldiers in a recent attack by Al Shabaab in Somalia. "The claims by Kenyan government that it killed what they called the Al Shabaab intelligence chief is a mere fabrication," the online Al Shabaab radio Andulus said. Karate had gone to the camp to preside over a graduation ceremony for an estimated 80 recruits into the Amniyat wing of Al Shabaab, Obonyo said. Obonyo said suicide bombers deployed from the Amniyat took part last month's attack on the Kenyan army base in El Adde, Somalia believed to be worst defeat Kenyan forces have ever suffered in the battlefield. Al Shabaab claims more than 100 soldiers died in the attack. Kenyan authorities have declined to release the official death toll. The U.S State Department says Amniyat is Al Shabaab's intelligence wing, which plays a key role in the execution of suicide attacks and assassinations in Somalia, Kenya, and other countries in the region. The State Department in April designated Karate a terrorist, saying he played key role in the Amniyat, which was responsible for the April attack on Garissa University College in Kenya that resulted in nearly 150 deaths. Al Shabaab wants to topple Somalia's weak government and has launched extremist attacks on neighboring countries that have sent troops to back Somalia's government. The dismembered bodies of more than 100 prisoners were discovered Wednesday in the drain pipes of one of the largest prisons in Bogota and surrounding jails, Reuters reported. The number of victims is unknown, but we know its over 100 and could be considerably higher, Caterina Heyck, an investigator at the attorney generals office told the news agency. Remains of prisoners, visitors and others were thrown in the drainage system. Telesurtv.net reported that the bodies appeared to have been dismembered between 1999 and 2001 and were reportedly described as recluses, visitors, persons from outside the prison, whose remains were thrown into sewage ducts. The report said the jails in the country are some of the most overcrowded in Latin America. The horrors of what happened in that prison should be analyzed in a criminal investigation, but also call for a deep reflection within Colombian society, Heyck said. EXCLUSIVE: United Nations investigators have concluded a long and secretive probe into charges that the head of the U.N.s World Intellectual Property Organization ordered illegal break-ins of the offices of his own staffers, who he suspected had written anonymous letters against him. What the watchdogs decided at the end of their nine-month investigation into the alleged actions back in 2008 of Francis Gurry, director general of the Geneva-based organization known by its acronym as WIPO, is still not known. The bulky report awaits its reception by the 188 nations, including the U.S., who belong to a little-known but important U.N. body that is responsible for safeguarding and allowing access to the worlds patent system -- the crown jewels of the 21st century economy. (The U.S. is by far the largest contributor to WIPOs patent storehouse.) A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department Wednesday gave guarded confirmation of the probes completion, and declared that the United States strongly supports this investigation and looks forward to learning of its findings. The spokesperson added that the U.S. trusts that the formal recipient of the document -- Gabriel Duque, a Colombian diplomat who is the current chair of WIPOs General Assemblies, the organizations chief policymaking body -- would review the report and inform member states in an appropriate manner. Whether appropriate means public is another question. Ambassador Duque had not responded to questions asked by Fox News on Tuesday about his receipt of the report and what would happen to it next before this story was published. Likewise, Director General Gurry had not responded to Fox News questions prior to this storys publication about his official rebuttal to the report. The Gurry probe and its outcome promise to bring closure to only one chapter, albeit perhaps the most important, in a bizarre saga of controversy that has surrounded WIPOs director general starting before his election to office in October 2008. In addition to the alleged break-ins, Gurrys tenure in office has included, among other things that ruffled the feathers of important WIPO member-states: unannounced WIPO shipments of sophisticated U.S.-made computers and servers to North Korea and Iran, both under U.N. sanctions at the time for their illegal nuclear bomb-making activities; the unannounced and apparently impromptu opening by Gurry of new patent offices for WIPO in Russia and China; the unprecedented -- but largely symbolic -- withholding of U.S. funds for WIPO to protest his treatment of internal whistleblowers who pointed the finger at his actions. management practices that failed to include the oversight mechanisms of other U.N. agencies, and a penchant for keeping member states -- who supposedly control WIPO -- in the dark about the meetings of top officials. In 2012, an investigative committee picked by Gurry himself declared that his computer shipments to North Korea and Iran did not violate the U.N.s sanctions regime. But the committee also said they found inexplicable and unfathomable WIPOs decision to provide the sensitive equipment shipments without informing the U.N.s committees that monitored sanctions against the two countries. The whistleblowing charges against Gurry also hark back indirectly to the long-ago alleged break-ins. They were laid by one of his top deputies, James Pooley, after he blew the whistle in April 2014 on the earlier alleged burglaries and called them violations of national and international law. At the time, Pooley called for Gurrys suspension pending an independent investigation. Gurry denied the charges, calling them without foundation. Pooley, then head of WIPOs Innovation and Technology branch, also laid a still-confidential retaliation complaint against Gurry. It took another year before the current investigation, by the U.N.s Office of Internal Oversight Services in New York, got under way -- in part because the head of WIPOs own investigation unit reported in part to Gurry. In fact, Pooley was echoing accusations that had been put forward years earlier by other former WIPO staffers at U.N. internal justice tribunals, but which had led to no outcome. The accusations also had been taken up by Miranda Brown, a former Australian government official who served as a senior adviser to Gurry. She reported his alleged role in illegal DNA collection in 2012. Brown told Fox News last year that she had been forced to leave WIPO after reporting the alleged actions due to lack of whistle-blower protection. Shortly thereafter, the State Department levied its own first-ever sanctions on WIPO for a similar reason. The WIPO staffers allegedly victimized by Gurry had also left the agency. They became embroiled in the alleged break-ins after anonymous letters circulated that made vague charges of financial impropriety against Gurry and his wife, in advance of his initial election as WIPO chief. The DNA evidence collected against the staffers formed part of the tests subsequently performed by Swiss police on the staffers -- their diplomatic immunity was temporarily lifted to let that happen -- to determine their guilt or innocence in the letter-writing episode. They were cleared of being involved. And it was when the staffers discovered mention of the DNA samples in testing paperwork that they said they realized it had come from illegal entry of their offices. In the State Department spokesmans statement to Fox News this week about the just-completed probe, he underlined that the U.S. takes whistleblower protection very seriously. We have been working tirelessly, he added, to ensure that United Nations organizations effectively implement and enforce whistleblower protection policy and other transparency and accountability measures. How true that holds may well depend on what the undisclosed investigation of Gurry says -- and what it recommends be done as a result. Said Pooley to Fox News: My only goal was that the members of WIPO get the facts so that they can decide what to do. If the investigation has now been completed, then it's time to get the report in front of them." George Russell is editor-at-large of Fox News and can be found on Twitter: @GeorgeRussell or on Facebook.com/GeorgeRussell Pope Francis questioned Donald Trump's Christianity Thursday over the Republican presidential hopeful's plan to build a wall on the Mexican border, but the pontiff himself lives behind massive stone walls. Speaking from Mexico as he departed from a weeklong tour in which he spoke before millions, His Holiness took a direct shot at Trump, who has made his plan to build a wall and make Mexico pay for it a centerpiece of his campaign. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," Pope Francis said. "This is not in the Gospel." Trump supporters quickly took to the Internet, noting the irony of the pope's comment. Amazing comments from the Pope- considering Vatican City is 100% surrounded by massive walls. pic.twitter.com/g3iVLDVGe5 Dan Scavino (@DanScavino) February 18, 2016 One tweet read: '"People who build walls are not Christians," said Pope Francis, who lives in Vatican City, which is essentially a giant fortress." The pope said he'd give the benefit of the doubt since he hasn't heard Trump's plan himself, according to AP, adding, I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. Trump has proposed the border wall to combat illegal immigration. The developer, who is Presbyterian, shot back at the pope after having his faith questioned. For a religious leader to question a persons faith is disgraceful, Trump said in a statement. I am proud to be a Christian and, as president, I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened, unlike what is happening now, with our current president. The Vatican's walls, which do not completely surround the enclave, date back more than 1,000 years, to the time of Pope Leo IV, who commissioned the construction of what is known as the Leonine Wall following the sacking of Old St. Peter's Basilica by Islamic Saracens in 846. A Ugandan presidential candidate who called the countrys leader a dictator was arrested during a chaotic election day Thursday following an apparent shutdown of social media sites and fights at polling stations, an aide says. Shawn Muburi, who is in charge of communications for Kizza Besigye's Forum for Democratic Change party, said Besigye was arrested late Thursday in the Kampala suburb of Naguru, where he had gone to investigate alleged ballot stuffing in a house run by the intelligence agencies. He said Besigye was arrested and taken to an unknown location and police did not respond to requests for comment. Besigye is Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's main challenger in the polls. Amid tardy delivery of voting materials, Ugandans tried to cast ballots Thursday in presidential and parliamentary elections, with tempers sometimes boiling over. A top international election observer called the delays "worrying" while the main opposition party said they were deliberate, aimed at favoring Museveni. Even at noon, five hours after voting was supposed to start, some polling stations in the capital, including a major one, still had not received any voting papers. People had formed long lines and ballot boxes had arrived mid-morning, but still there were no ballots, so no one could vote. Museveni faces a strong challenge from Besigye, who has called Museveni a dictator and said he doubts that voting will be free or fair. In Kampala's Ggaba neighborhood, hundreds of people waited for seven hours for one polling center to open before voting papers finally arrived. When the people found out there were ballots only for choosing members of parliament, with no ballots for the vote for president, they overpowered the police, grabbed the ballot boxes and threw them all over the field at the polling station. Police fired tear gas, leading polling officers to abandon the station with no votes cast. "If the election is free and fair we will be the first people to respect it, even if we are not the winner," Besigye said Thursday at a polling station in his rural home of Rukungiri. "But where it is not a free and fair election then we must fight for free and fair elections because that is the essence of our citizenship." In Kampala, the spokesman for Besigye's party, the Forum for Democratic Change, said the delays were a "deliberate attempt to frustrate" voters in urban areas where Besigye is believed to be very popular, especially Kampala and the neighboring district of Wakiso. "Why is it that in areas where we enjoy massive support, like Kampala and Wakiso, that's where these things are happening? We can't have a credible election under this environment," said Ssemujju Nganda. Many people complained of an apparent shutdown of social media sites like Twitter and Facebook when they couldn't open those sites on their computers and phones. Godfrey Mutabazi, the head of the Uganda Communications Commission, said the network failure was likely due to an ongoing operation to contain a security threat. "It's a security matter and I cannot answer on behalf of security," he told The Associated Press. Speaking to reporters after voting in the western district of Kiruhura, Museveni said the shutdown of social media sites "must be steps taken by security" in anticipation of certain threats. But Sarah Jackson of Amnesty International said in a statement: "The Ugandan government's decision to block access to social media on mobile phones on election day is a blatant violation of Ugandans' fundamental rights to freedom of expression and to seek and receive information." "Without clearly defined security concerns, this closure is nothing but an exercise in censorship as Ugandans elect their leaders," said Jackson, Amnesty International's deputy regional director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes regions. Museveni said security forces would deal with those who threaten violence during and after the election. Those who arrive at polling stations in time should be allowed to vote, he said. Later the electoral commission said voting had been extended from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. for voters in the Kampala and Wakiso districts. More than 15 million people were registered to vote, for members of parliament as well as president. Many waited under the hot sun to vote at polling stations that at mid-day were still not functioning. "These cases are worrying because every citizen of Uganda has the right to vote," said Eduard Kukan of Slovakia, chief of the European Union's election observer mission. "And if they are prevented by this kind of method then it would have to be criticized, because it would mean that they didn't manage organizing of the elections the right way." Some ballot boxes had missing lids. Voting officials frantically made calls. "We are late simply because the lids for ballot boxes are not here. The boxes and the lids should have arrived at the same time," said Moses Omo, an official who was presiding over voting at a Catholic church in the central Ugandan district of Wakiso. Many of those waiting said they would not leave without voting. "This is very disappointing but I am going to stay here under the sun until it is my turn to vote," said Fred Mubiru, a taxi driver. "Nothing will discourage me." Museveni, 71, came to power in 1986 and pulled Uganda out of years of chaos. He is a key U.S. ally on security matters, especially in Somalia. But his critics worry that he may want to rule for life, and accuse him of using the security forces to intimidate the opposition. Besigye, 59, is running for the fourth time against Museveni. He promised a more effective government, vowing to stem official corruption. The Associated Press contributed to this report. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently ordered preparations for launching "terror" attacks on South Koreans, a top Seoul official said Thursday, as worries about the North grow after its recent nuclear test and rocket launch. In televised remarks, senior South Korean presidential official Kim Sung-woo said North Korea's spy agency has begun work to implement Kim Jong Un's order to "muster anti-South terror capabilities that can pose a direct threat to our lives and security." He said the possibility of North Korean attacks "is increasing more than ever" and asked for quick passage of an anti-terror bill in parliament. North Korea has a history of attacks on South Korea, such as the 2010 shelling on an island that killed four South Koreans and the 1987 bombing of a South Korean passenger plane that killed all 115 people on board. But it is impossible to independently confirm claims about any such attack preparations. The South Korean presidential official did not say where the latest information came from. Earlier Thursday, Seoul's National Intelligence Service briefed ruling Saenuri Party members on a similar assessment on North Korea's attack preparations, according to one of the party officials who attended the private meeting. During the briefing, the NIS, citing studies on past North Korean provocations and other unspecified assessments, said the attacks could target anti-Pyongyang activists, defectors and government officials in South Korea, the party official said requesting anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to media publicly. Attacks on subways, shopping malls and other public places could also happen, he said. The official quoted the NIS as saying North Korea could launch poisoning attacks on the activists and defectors, or lure them to China where they would be kidnapped. The Saenuri official refused to say whether the briefing discussed how the information was obtained. The NIS, which has a mixed record on predicting developments in North Korea, said it could not confirm its reported assessment. The standoff with North Korea is not expected to ease soon, as Seoul and Washington are discussing deploying a sophisticated U.S. missile defense system in South Korea that Pyongyang warns would be a source of regional tension. The allies also say their annual springtime military drills will be the largest ever. South Korea's defense minister said Thursday that about 15,000 U.S. troops will take part, double of the number Washington normally sends. The North says the drills are preparation for a northward invasion. Seoul defense officials also said that they began preliminary talks on Feb. 7 with the United States on deploying the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, the same day North Korea conducted what it said was a satellite launch but is condemned by Seoul and Washington as a banned test of missile technology. The talks are aimed at working out details for formal missile deployment talks, such as who'll represent each side, according to Seoul's Defense Ministry. The deployment is opposed by China and Russia too. Opponents say the system could help U.S. radar spot missiles in other countries. The United States on Wednesday flew four stealth F-22 fighter jets over South Korea and reaffirmed it maintains an "ironclad commitment" to the defense of its Asian ally. Last month, it sent a nuclear-capable B-52 bomber to South Korea following the North's fourth nuclear test. Foreign analysts say the North's rocket launch and nuclear test put the country further along it its quest for a nuclear-armed missile that could reach the U.S. mainland. Innovation in non-traditional locations defines Gina Puente's approach to business. When we profiled her in 2010, she told us how her family business, Puente Enterprises, had created La Bodega Winery, a winery in an airport, in the mid-1990s. She also had a half-dozen other concepts going in the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. We caught up with her recently and she's been at it again. In 2013, Puente created and launched Sky Canyon by Stephan Pyles, a unique restaurant that serves contemporary Texas cuisine along with a dose of Southern hospitality and charm. It too, of course, is located in an airport--one at DFW and another at Dallas Love Field. She likes to say her company's "unique-ability" is to create and adapt new, innovative concepts into non-traditional environments. Since we last spoke with her, Puente has also added four more Travelex locations: one more at DFW for a total of six there, and three at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport. In May 2013 she opened Sky Canyon by Stephan Pyles at Love Field, and in December she opened a second at DFW. She currently operates 10 different brands in 19 locations. In early September, she was the successful bidder on a lease for a quick-service barbecue space at DFW. "Chef Pyles and I are again collaborating and we are bringing Stampede 66 Express to DFW," says Puente. "I am thrilled to have the opportunity of turning up a notch what people perceive as quick-service barbecue. I am not a typical barbecue lover, but when I first tasted Chef Pyles' brisket and sandwiches, I knew a whole concept could be carved out to answer this bid." With all she has going on, Puente keeps a close eye on the markets where she operates--and beyond. "Watching global shifts of retail and food trends, the impact of Millennials and Baby Boomers, and the changing needs of the traveler are all the groundwork for why I have added new concepts," she says. "My company has been completely out in front of the curve on opening airport locations that offer wine, healthy offerings, unique concepts that pique interest, and, more recently, the need for higher-quality food and drinks." She says her company's continued emphasis on chef-driven concepts, quality farm-to-table offerings, and craft cocktails is not accidental. "When such global leaders as McDonald's are having issues with their brand, and with the rise of fast casual, these are the indicators I research to determine what concept we will open next," she says. Business is always front and center for Puente, but it's been a tumultuous time for personally over the past few years. She divorced her husband, who had been chief operations officer, and earlier this year her father, Victor Puente, Sr., died. "He was without a doubt, in addition to being an incredible father, my mentor in business," says Puente. Name: Gina Puente Title: CEO/owner Company: Puente Enterprises, Inc. No. of units: 1 Main Street News, 2 Wall Street News, 9 Travelex, 1 UFood Grill, 1 Urban Taco, 2 Blimpie/Cereality Cereal Bar/Nrgize Lifestyle Cafe (tri-branded locations), 2 Sky Canyon by Stephan Pyles, 1 La Buena Vida Vineyards Age: 47 Family: Single but with 170 extended family members who are a part of the PEI team. Years in franchising: 19 Years in current position: 21 Personal First job: Child actress in TV commercials and stage productions. I received my first paycheck at the age of 9 for performing in South Pacific at the Dallas Summer Musicals. Formative influences/events : Raised in an entrepreneurial family, I was mentored in business by my father, Victor Puente, Sr., who knew the value of treating people with respect and had a great gut instinct. My mom, Virginia Puente, was my female role model. She was a lady with moxie and assertiveness. Key accomplishments: Creator of La Bodega Winery, the world's first winery in an airport, in 1995, and creator of Sky Canyon by Stephan Pyles, which opened in 2013. My company's "unique-ability" is creating or adapting new innovative concepts into non-traditional environments. Biggest current challenge: Mining great talent is our current challenge. Successfully obtaining annual growth opportunities for our company is not an obstacle, however increasing our bench strength can be very difficult. Every single day we are seeking quality people who are not intimidated by working in an airport environment, who are flexible in their job tasks, and who have a clean background to pass TSA requirements. The good news is that once we identify and make offers, it is easy to see within 90 days if new hires will make it in their roles long term. I have noticed that all employees either love or hate being in an airport environment, which allows for long-tenured team members if they make it past the first three months. Next big goal: My business, like many others, went through an overhaul in 2009 because of the recession. We were top-heavy in management before 2009 and in a structure that was not effective and unproductive in some areas. I eliminated some jobs and outsourced others. Now because of growth and the turn in the economic picture, I need to add the right bench strength to my management team. This is my current big goal. First turning point in your career: The total experience of exercising all skill sets in creating a concept like La Bodega Winery was an incredible foundation to have at the age of 27. The saying "an owner has to wear many hats" definitely came to life for me with having to field regulatory issues, approvals (state, federal, and DFW), meet and negotiate with wineries (getting them comfortable with a another "competitor" winery selling their wines), to marketing, location design, purchasing, hiring, training, wine production (for the La Bodega Winery brand), and finance. It was a great challenge that set up my mindset that anything is possible! Best business decision: Outsourcing where possible such as payroll support (we use a PEO), IT needs, and consultants who can fill strategic areas when I wasn't quite ready to hire a full-time manager for that role or skill set. Hardest lesson learned: Never pass up bidding on a project you feel is beyond your company's reach. I saw a competitor who went for something that I didn't because I thought we could not possibly get the location. Well, he did and beat a lot of other bigger companies than ours. I thought that was cool of him and have often told him he taught me a valuable lesson about how to "Go for it!!" Work week: Sunday to Sunday, mostly 24/7/365. Exercise/workout: Not consistent enough, but definitely an improvement area that I see value in and work to add more consistency every week. Best advice you ever got: Cash is king. What's your passion in business? Creating concepts with magnetic and innovative products or services that fulfill unmet needs of airport traveling guests. How do you balance life and work? Domestic and international travel when possible. I call it my "R&R&R" time. In addition to rest and relaxation, I fit in research time. I receive inspiration and rejuvenation with international travel and often bring back concept ideas or product lines to the airport. Favorite movie: The Godfather. There are some good family business lessons in that entire series. What do most people not know about you? I am actually an introvert by nature. I push myself to accept speaking engagements and take on high-profile board positions that are very much against my nature. Pet peeve: People who have a strong BS factor. I want honest answers. What did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be the next Barbara Walters. Last vacation: New Orleans (domestic); Spain and Portugal (international). Person I'd most like to have lunch with: My mom and dad. I lost my dad this year and my mom in 2009, so I would welcome the opportunity to have one more lunch with them. Management Business philosophy: Always strive to be the best. Even small- to mid-sized companies can compete with multinational companies such as my direct competition in the airports. Management method or style: Don't take yourself too seriously and always remember your team can make you or break you, so treat them with the respect and care they deserve. Greatest challenge: Work-life balance. How do others describe you? Energizer Bunny. Most people wonder if I sleep. One thing I'm looking to do better: With some additional management placements I hope to visit all my locations in person more frequently. I get buried behind the computer with what I call "administrivia" and get hit hard with an average of 250-plus emails daily. When I identify and hire the right executive assistant--and more importantly a director of operations--the handcuffs to my desk will be removed. How I give my team room to innovate and experiment: I encourage them to try new things and reiterate that just because something fails the first time, we often "trial" it again to show that ideas sometimes are just too early, or to realize that circumstances change. How close are you to operations? I currently have 8 direct reports and stay in constant connection with them. However, I realize the buck stops with me and my reputation is on the line every day. What are the two most important things you rely on from your franchisor? 1) I ask that the franchisors I choose to work with will trust in my 25 years of operating experience in high-profile, non-traditional locations. If there is something better for both the brand and my individual business that may push up against the contract, then I will ask them to work with me and hope we can mutually agree that even a contract can just be the framework, but good decisions will supersede. 2) As a franchisee or licensee, we all pay a percentage of sales for royalty fees. I know all of us can have either a good or bad feeling if we feel the franchisor actually does something of value for those fees... or not. If the franchisor is not obviously reinvesting in the brand, providing new offerings, advertising, support that is of value to the operator, then it most certainly affects future growth of the brand and the respect of the franchisee. What I need from vendors: Competency in product knowledge at a fair price. Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the economy? How? At an airport, we have fees that contribute to the marketing fund for all airport locations, so those funds and their usage are dictated by the airport. How is social media affecting your business? It underscores the customer service values we already have in place. How do you hire and fire? For hiring, layers of candidate screens, including phone and in-person interviews by several sets of managers. Firing is normally a verbal and three written write-ups. How do you train and retain? We use a series of training webinars and written training materials. How do you deal with problem employees? Counseling and retraining. Fastest way into my doghouse: Dishonesty. Bottom Line Annual revenue: $62.7 million. 2016 goals: Succession planning. Growth meter: How do you measure your growth? By adding leases, incremental locations, and brands to our portfolio. Vision meter: Where do you want to be in 5 years? 10 years? Self-financed operations in 5 years and a succession plan at a halfway completion point by 2025. How is the economy in your region affecting you, your employees, your customers? The global economy, in addition to the regional economy, affects our daily business as we operate in an international airport. Traffic patterns, new routes, new airlines, or airline bankruptcy or strikes all can affect foot traffic in positive and negative ways. In addition, the global economy directly affects currency rates, which causes transactional changes in our Travelex currency locations at DFW and George Bush Intercontinental. Are you experiencing economic growth in your market? Yes, especially at Love Field now that the Wright Amendment has been lifted. However in addition, most airlines have lifted out of their bankruptcy or near-bankruptcy status and have soared back to the profit zone, which equates to more airline traffic overall. How do changes in the economy affect the way you do business? Staffing and reviews of price points if needed. How do you forecast for your business? Based on traffic enplanement information. What are the best sources for capital expansion? Traditional bank loans. Experience with private equity, local banks, national banks, other institutions? Why/why not? We work with several Texas banks for our lending needs. What are you doing to take care of your employees? Working to add back more training programs to increase their job satisfaction. How are you handling rising employee costs (payroll, minimum wage, healthcare, etc.)? We are watching this closely. It makes our analysis of each new opportunity more of a precise exercise. How do you reward/recognize top-performing employees? Recognition and monetary thank-you's. What kind of exit strategy do you have in place? I am currently working on an exit strategy that will be completed by 2016. Global Franchise Group Offers Franchisees Consulting From National Real Estate, Lease And Renewals Expert Franchisees for all Global Franchise Group brands; Great American Cookies, Pretzelmaker, Marble Slab Creamery, and Hot Dog on a Stick will receive real estate consulting and expertise from Andrew Margolick of ARM Consulting, LLC February 18, 2016 // Franchising.com // ATLANTA Finding and negotiating the ideal location for your franchise can be intimidating, but Global Franchise Group (GFG), the strategic brand management company and franchisor of Great American Cookies, Pretzelmaker, Marble Slab Creamery and Hot Dog on a Stick, is helping franchisees by offering consulting from Andrew Margolick, a leading expert in lease/renewals for both mall and off-mall release estate. Global Franchise Group champions brands and the people who build them and we pride ourselves on offering our franchisees exceptional support and an unparalleled level of service for potential success, said Tim Linderman, Chief Development Officer for GFG. Andrew is a great asset to franchisees as they build their businesses. Based on his results and established contacts in commercial real estate, GFG offers Andrews consulting services to our franchisees. Unlike other franchisors, GFG will cover the cost for its existing and new franchisees to use Margolick to consult on business goals, review and tour potential markets and properties, prepare growth plans, set up broker networks, attend meetings with landlords, and negotiate lease renewals and extensions. Margolick is the president of ARM Consulting, LLC. He is a proven professional in the industry and has wide range of expertise from acquisition and ownership to tenant representation. He has worked on the real estate portfolios of many leading companies in the retail, grocery and restaurant sectors. Andrew helped me look at the fine print on my lease and negotiate the extra fees that can really add up, said Andy Forman, a Marble Slab Creamery franchisee in Lubbock, Texas. Thanks to Andrew, I knew I was communicating with the right people and I felt more powerful having him in my corner. He saved me time and made me feel confident during the process. Andrew will be an excellent asset to all GFG franchisees. "In engaging Andrew Margolick, GFG has gained not only a highly experienced and effective retail real estate professional, but also an individual capable of adding value for store operators, said David Hull, Senior Vice President of Leasing for Jones Lang LaSalle. Having Andrew, who we have known for more than 15 years, tells me that GFG is serious about their franchisees needs. As landlords, we recognize and appreciate that." About Global Franchise Group, LLC - www.globalfranchise.com Global Franchise Group, LLC is a strategic brand management company with a mission of championing franchise brands and the people who build them. The company owns a portfolio of franchise brands that includes five primary quick service restaurant (QSR) franchise concepts: Great American Cookies, Hot Dog on a Stick, Marble Slab Creamery, MaggieMoo's Ice Cream & Treatery, and Pretzelmaker. The brands are managed by GFG Management, LLC, a subsidiary of Global Franchise Group, LLC. Global Franchise Group, LLC is a portfolio company of Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, an independent investment firm, with approximately $7 billion of capital under management and substantial franchise management experience. SOURCE Global Franchise Group, LLC Media Contacts: Kathleen Shaffer 470- 388-6170 kshaffer@gfgmanagement.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Marco's Pizza Announces Expansion Plans for the Birmingham, Alabama, Area One of the Fastest-Growing Pizza Franchise Chains in the Nation Is Seeking Entrepreneurs in the City of Birmingham TOLEDO, OH - (Marketwired - Feb 18, 2016) - To meet the growing demand for pizza in the metropolitan area of Birmingham, Alabama, Marco's Pizza franchise is seeking to partner with entrepreneurs who want a slice of the action. How big is the demand for pizza in Alabama? The largest city in Alabama is booming; Birmingham boasts a population well over 210,000 and a thriving business community, including several major international corporations such as the Coca Cola Bottling Co. and Vulcan Materials Company, as well as several Fortune 500 companies. Birmingham is also firmly committed to bolstering its thriving small business community, which will keep the city bustling for years to come. That kind of growth makes it a perfect location for a Marco's Pizza. Their Ah!thentic Italian-style pizza is fresh-made with delectable cheeses, meats and vegetables, and they have several prime locations in Birmingham available for franchise partners who want to be part of the nation's fastest-growing large pizza chain. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently published a study on American eating habits that found that on any given day, 13% of the entire U.S. population is eating pizza. When applied to the city of Birmingham -- population over 210,000 -- that statistic means that more than 27,000 Birmingham residents are eating pizza every single day. Marco's Pizza prides itself on making the best pizza money can buy. It is handmade in the Italian tradition, using fresh, never-frozen cheeses, making the dough in stores daily and using only premium meats and vegetables. Founded in Toledo in 1978, Marco's is the only Top 20 pizza chain founded by a native Italian. Marco's has enjoyed stunning growth in recent years and is on pace to open 1,000 restaurants by the end of 2017. The brand's proven business model and sustainable growth has been heralded by the likes of Forbes, Consumer Report,Entrepreneur, Franchise Times and Nation's Restaurant News. "Our franchisees come from a remarkably wide variety of backgrounds. But there's a common thread among our franchisees -- passion for the Marco's product. Almost half of them were Marco's consumers first. They fell in love with our product," said Cameron Cummins, Chief Development Officer for Marco's Pizza. Marco's Pizza is growing faster than the overall pizza industry Marco's Pizza has the fastest unit growth, according to Nation's Restaurant News, which named the beloved pizza franchise as part of its Second 100 List. That list analyzes businesses that are smaller but are focusing on growing around the nation. The publication states that while the pizza industry is mature and growth is limited, Marco's Pizza is the exception. Not only is Marco's growing faster than other pizza franchises, Marco's Pizza sales growth also is higher than any other pizza franchise. The publication reports that Marco's Pizza sales growth is tops for system-wide sales in the Second 100 pizza segment. Marco's Pizza franchise seeks friendly, passionate entrepreneurs in Birmingham Marco's Pizza wants welcoming, friendly individuals who remember customers' names and are passionate about the product to join the Marco's Pizza franchisee family. The investment required to start a Marco's Pizza franchise is typically about $350,000. The pizza franchise is looking for people who have a net worth of $150,000 and a minimum liquidity of $100,000. To learn more, visit www.marcosfranchising.com. SOURCE Marco's Pizza Contact: Cameron Cummins Chief Development Officer ccummins@marcos.com ### Add to Request List Added Request Information Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Outdoor Living Brands Launches 2016 Season with Record Number of Franchisees, Revenues and Accolades Mosquito Squad, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives & Renew Crew Named to Entrepreneur Magazines Top Franchise List February 18, 2016 // Franchising.com // RICHMOND Fresh off a record year with recent accolades from Entrepreneur Magazine recognizing three of its key brands, Outdoor Living Brands (OLB) has launched its 2016 season by opening approximately 40 new locations across 19 states and Canada, proving that serving homeowners and the outdoor living category is big business. Entrepreneur Magazine recently named Mosquito Squad as the number one ranked franchise in the pest control category, with an overall ranking of #249 on the top franchise lists. Outdoor Lighting Perspectives was ranked at #362, closely followed by Renew Crew at #375. These awards follow notable accolades from Inc. Magazines Fastest Growing Companies and other industry resources. Outdoor Living Brands now boasts 318 franchises in 42 states. Chris Grandpre, Chairman and CEO of Outdoor Living Brands, said the concept of enjoying an outdoor living lifestyle, whether through creating a comfortable outdoor space, lighting it, maintaining it, or protecting it from mosquitoes and ticks, continues to be a priority for homeowners. Continued stress from our hectic lives, a desire to spend more quality day and evening time outdoors with family and friends or to simply enjoy nature has increased the interest in all four of our brands, he said. We expect each of our businesses to post substantial increases in 2016, especially our Mosquito Squad and Renew Crew business units. To support its rapidly growing franchise structure, Outdoor Living Brands has increased corporate staff, appointing long-time Archadeck franchisee Michael Reeder as Vice President and Brand Leader for Archadeck. As one of the top performing Archadeck offices for more than a decade, Reeders team generated sales of more than $2 million while receiving high customer satisfaction ratings. Outdoor Living Brands also added staff in its information technology, on-line marketing and franchise operations teams to support new technology launches across all brands. Grandpre added that this is the time to join the outdoor living business, if not to leverage the fact that Americans are more and more desirous of spending time outside, then due to the increase in mosquito and tick borne illnesses. Just in the last few weeks, every major news outlet including Time Magazine and USA Today have covered the challenge of controlling mosquito borne illness such as Chikungunya and Zika, while the spread of Lyme disease was reported to be more geographically diverse than we ever anticipated. For information on acquiring an Outdoor Living Brands franchise, visit www.outdoorlivingbrands.com About Outdoor Living Brands Outdoor Living Brands is a national franchisor specializing in the outdoor living industry. With 318 franchised locations, its award-winning brands include Archadeck Outdoor Living, Mosquito Squad, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives and Renew Crew. Outdoor Living Brands' franchise concepts have been continually recognized for excellence by many organizations, including Inc. Magazine (Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011), Franchise Research Institute for franchise excellence (2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010) and Franchise Business Review for franchisee satisfaction (2013, 2012, 2011, 2010). For franchise information, visit http://www.OutdoorLivingBrands.com. SOURCE Outdoor Living Brands Contact: Susan Stoga susan@carsonstoga.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Renew Crew Signs New Veteran Franchisee in Denton, Texas Air Force Veteran Set to Open Renew Crews Newest Location in Texas February 18, 2016 // Franchising.com // Richmond, VA Renew Crew is happy to announce their newest franchisee, Kris Schweitzer, who will be opening his location in Denton, TX this summer. Schweitzer is a veteran of the Air Force and began looking for a business opportunity that would allow him to relocated to Texas when a broker introduced him to Renew Crew. I wanted to continue to serve after my military career and see results based on something that I did, explains Schweitzer. With Renew Crew, I can serve my community by providing a superior service with direct results. I also feel that Outdoor Living Brands, Renew Crews parent company, shares the same values as me. Im excited to be a member of the crew. Were thrilled to have Kris as the newest member of Renew Crew, says Rob White, Vice President and Brand Leader for Renew Crew. His military background provides him with the ability to follow franchise systems and build and lead a team in his local market. Renew Crew of Denton, Texas will officially open for business in July, 2016 after Kris finishes his last military assignment and relocates to Texas. The location will provide eco-friendly outdoor cleaning and sealing for decks, patios, siding, gutters, driveways and other outdoor surfaces in the Greater Denton area including McKinney and Lake Dallas. About Renew Crew Renew Crew is Americas leading power washing company, providing green solutions for outdoor cleaning and sealing. Founded in 1996, Renew Crew is now present in 17 states and was recently honored with a spot on Entrepreneur Magazines Franchise 500 and Inc.s list of fastest growing companies. Franchise information for Renew Crew can be found at www.RenewCrewFranchise.com. Information regarding the business and its services are available on www.RenewCrewClean.com. About Outdoor Living Brands Outdoor Living Brands is a national franchisor specializing in the outdoor living industry. With more than 300 franchised locations, its award-winning brands include Archadeck Outdoor Living, Mosquito Squad, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives and Renew Crew. Outdoor Living Brands' franchise concepts have been continually recognized for excellence by many organizations, including Inc. Magazine (Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011), Franchise Research Institute for franchise excellence (2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010) and Franchise Business Review for franchisee satisfaction (2013, 2012, 2011, 2010). For franchise information, visit http://www.OutdoorLivingBrands.com. SOURCE Renew Crew Media Contact: Jane Campbell Outdoor Living Brands, Inc. P: 804-353-6999 x 241 F: 804-358-1878 ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Scooters Coffee Signs Lease in The Colony National Franchise to Increase Texas Footprint in 2016 February 18, 2016 // Franchising.com // OMAHA, NE Scooters Coffee, the emerging national franchise that opened a record number of locations in 2015, announced that it has signed a lease for a drive-thru coffee kiosk in The Colony, Texas. The kiosk is slated to open in June 2016 and will be located on the Southeast corner of South Colony Blvd. and Main Street. The new store marks the companys sixth location in Texas, with plans to double store count in this state by the close of 2016. Based out of Omaha, NE, Scooters has changed the coffee landscape in Texas by offering world-class, premium coffee, espresso and smoothies in the convenience of a drive-thru model. The growing franchise also hand-crafts its pastries and roasts its own 100% shade grown coffees (sourced through the Arbor Day Foundation), at their Omaha headquarters. We have many successful sit-down coffee shops in our system, but the drive-thru kiosk remains our core business model., stated Carolyn Snider, Director of Real Estate, Scooters Coffee. Our kiosks are small in area, but they drive big business to the targeted areas that we choose. Its a game-changer for landlords looking to maximize their profit, creating an additional revenue stream in what would have been 10-12 parking spaces. Cris and Mike Taylor will own and operate the Colony location. The couple, who were born and raised in Nebraska, witnessed the brands unprecedented success in the Midwest. Having visited Dallas frequently, they realized that the bustling metro area was the perfect spot to launch a drive-thru specialty coffee shop. With more than 130 stores in soon-to-be 15 states, Scooters recently signed a large Area Representative Agreement in Phoenix, along with several other Multi-Unit Agreements in Florida, Oklahoma and Arkansas. In late 2015 the company opened its first location in Roswell, Georgia, (Atlanta metro) and plans to build several more stores in the Atlanta area. At the same time, Scooters will continue to build locations in the Midwest region, with several stores slated to be opened in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, South Dakota and Missouri. For site submission consideration, please contact Carolyn Snider, Director of Real Estate, Scooters Coffee at Carolyn@scooterscoffee.com. About Scooters Coffee Founded in 1998 by Don and Linda Eckles in Bellevue, Nebraska, Scooters Coffee roasts only the finest coffee beans in the world at its headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. Scooter's success over 17 years of history is simple: Stay committed to the original business principles and company core values. The Scooter's mantra, often recited to franchisees, customers and employees is: "Amazing People, Serving Amazing Drinks, Amazingly Fast. It represents the company's business origins from 1998 and reflects a steady commitment to providing an unforgettable experience to loyal customers. For more information, visit scooterscoffee.com or Facebook.com/ScootersCoffee. SOURCE Scooters Coffee ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Sweet Lorraines Opens First Mac n Brewz! Location February 18, 2016 // Franchising.com // SOUTHFIELD, Mich. Award-winning chef Lorraine Platman, founder of Sweet Lorraines Cafe & Bar and Sweet Lorraines Fabulous Mac n Cheez!, is expanding her macaroni and cheese empire with the opening of her third brand, Sweet Lorraines Fabulous Mac n Brewz! The new restaurant, located at 4870 Cass Ave. in Midtown, is set to open at the end of February. In addition to serving 15 of Platmans signature macaroni and cheese dishes, the restaurant will also offer over 30 Michigan-brewed craft beers, spirited infusions, and wines by the glass. Throughout my entire time as a chef, Ive always been very animate about using locally made products, said Platman. Michigan is a hot bed for locally brewed craft beers, so when the opportunity presented itself to serve local beers with our signature mac and cheese, we instantly jumped at the opportunity. New additions to the menu also include Sweet Lorraines fair-trade organic "world beat" coffees and teas, breakfast wraps, and sweets and pastries. The restaurant will feature 88-seats that accommodate both lounge and bar patrons. Customers will have the option to dine-in or carry out in the space that features a bright color palette, exposed ductwork, and walk-up counters. Sweet Lorraines plans to expand even further with the opening of its second Mac n Brewz location scheduled to open this March in Waterford. The mac and cheese concept currently has six locations currently open and operating throughout Michigan, and plans to open locations in Vernon Hills, IL and Toledo, Ohio this year. Founded in 2010 and franchising since 2013, the Detroit-based restaurant chain offers vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free soups, salads, sandwich wraps, grilled cheese, and 14 different kinds of meat-topped and vegetarian macaroni and cheese dishes, all made fresh to order. Ive spent 30-plus years perfecting my recipes, so it should come as no surprise that our goal is to continue to offer our customers a high level of customization with the new flavors for their macaroni and cheese, said Platman. By offering local craft beers, breakfast, and delicious sweets, we want to give our customers an experience in quality and options that is far from the standard quick-service restaurant. About Sweet Lorraines Fabulous Mac n Cheez! Sweet Lorraines Fabulous Mac n Cheez!, a spinoff of the 30-year-old Sweet Lorraines Cafe Bar brand, is a chef-driven, fast casual dining concept that specializes in unique, creative and exciting macaroni and cheese dishes. Founded in 2010 and franchising since 2013, the Detroit-based restaurant chain offers vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free soups, salads, sandwich wraps, grilled cheese and 14 different kinds of meat-topped and vegetarian macaroni and cheese, all made fresh to order. There are currently six locations open and operating throughout Michigan, with several more in various stages of development. For more information, visit www.macncheez.com. SOURCE Sweet Lorraines Fabulous Mac n Cheez! ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus WASHINGTON A U.S. magistrate's order for Apple Inc. to help the FBI hack into an iPhone used by the gunman in the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, sets up an extraordinary legal fight with implications for ordinary consumers and digital privacy. The clash brings to a head a long-simmering debate between technology companies insistent on protecting digital privacy and law enforcement agencies concerned about becoming unable to recover evidence or eavesdrop on the communications of terrorists or criminals. On Wednesday, the White House began disputing the contention by Apple's chief executive officer, Tim Cook, that the Obama administration is seeking to force the software company to build a "backdoor" to bypass digital locks protecting consumer information on Apple's popular iPhones. The early arguments set the stage for what will likely be a protracted policy and public relations fight in the courts, on Capitol Hill, on the Internet and elsewhere. "They are not asking Apple to redesign its product or to create a new backdoor to one of their products," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. "They're simply asking for something that would have an impact on this one device." Within hours of the judge's order on Tuesday telling Apple to aid the FBI with special software in the case, Cook promised a court challenge. He said the software the FBI would need to unlock the gunman's work-issued iPhone 5C would be "too dangerous to create" and called it "undeniably" a backdoor. Cook compared it to a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks, and said there was no way to keep the technique secret once it's developed. "Once the information is known, or a way to bypass the code is revealed, the encryption can be defeated by anyone with that knowledge," Cook said. At the center of the debate are the private data carried on nearly 900 million iPhones sold worldwide: Photographs, videos, chat messages, health records and more. There was swift reaction on the presidential campaign trail, where Donald Trump told Fox News that he agreed "100 percent with the courts," and on Capitol Hill, where the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Richard Burr, R-N.C., said, "Court orders are not optional and Apple should comply." Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, who fought encryption in the 1990s, said she thought the government should be able to access the phone. On Twitter, Edward Snowden called it "the most important tech case in a decade." But Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., called the Justice Department's request "unconscionable and unconstitutional." The ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym represents a significant victory for the Justice Department, which last year decided not to pursue a legislative fix to address encryption but has now scored a win instead in the courts. Federal officials until now have struggled to identify a high-profile case to make its concerns resonate. But in siding with the government, Pym, a former federal prosecutor, was persuaded that agents investigating the worst terror attack on U.S. soil since Sept. 11 had been hobbled by their inability to unlock the county-owned phone used by Syed Farook, who along with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people in December before dying in a police shootout. The dispute places Apple, one of the world's most respected companies, on the side of protecting the digital privacy of an accused Islamic terrorist. "We have no sympathy for terrorists," Cook said. Apple has provided default encryption on its iPhones since 2014, allowing any device's contents to be accessed only by the user who knows the phone's passcode. The phone Farook was using, running the newest version of Apple's iPhone operating system, was configured to erase data after 10 consecutive, unsuccessful unlocking attempts. The magistrate ordered Apple to create special software the FBI could load onto the phone to bypass the self-destruct feature. The FBI wants to be able to try different combinations in rapid sequence until it finds the right one. The Justice Department said it was asking Apple to help unlock only the iPhone used by Farook and owned by the county government where Farook worked as an environmental inspector. The judge said the software should include a "unique identifier" so that it can't be used to unlock other iPhones. But it was unclear how readily the software could be modified to work against other iPhones, or how quickly Apple might update its own software to render the new bypass ineffective. "If a court can legally compel Apple to do that, then it likely could legally compel any other software provider to do the same thing," including helping the government install tracking or eavesdropping software on a phone or laptop, said Kevin Bankston, director of the Open Technology Institute at New America. The next step wasn't immediately clear. The judge gave Apple five days to contest the order as unreasonably burdensome. A magistrate judge on the lowest rung of the federal judiciary almost certainly could not establish meaningful precedent without affirmation from a higher-court judge, which means the fight is likely to proceed up the chain. The former head of the FBI division responsible for producing some of the FBI's most cunning surveillance tools, Marcus Thomas, said Apple faces a challenge in showing that the government's request is overly burdensome. Thomas, the chief technology officer at Subsentio LLC, said companies that build ultra-secure products that might be used by criminals or terrorists can expect government requests for help. "If you're going to build these devices and they're going to be air-tight and you can't get data out of them, then expect to get burdensome requests to help or maybe build solutions," Thomas said. "Society wants to know that companies aren't producing these complicated services and devices that can be used as weapons against them." WASHINGTON Concerted Republican opposition to considering President Barack Obamas pick for the Supreme Court showed early signs of splintering on Wednesday as a handful of influential senators opened the door to a possible confirmation hearing. One Republican even encouraged the president to nominate a candidate from his state. Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, did not rule out a committee hearing on Obamas forthcoming nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. And Sen. Dean Heller said chances of Senate approval were slim, but added that his home state of Nevada should have a voice in the debate. Thats why I encourage the president to use this opportunity to put the will of the people ahead of advancing a liberal agenda on the nations highest court, Heller said. Sen. Orrin Hatch, RUtah, who sits on the committee, said he opposes a filibuster to prevent a vote, as some Republicans have suggested. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley has also said hed wait to see who Obama selects before ruling out a hearing in his committee. Those senators formed a cautious but growing chorus of voices breaking with the absolutist position of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has told the White House not to even bother nominating a candidate. The Kentucky Republican and several Republicans up for re-election have maintained that voters in Novembers presidential election should have a say in the direction of the nations highest court. Trump fired back ferociously, saying it was "disgraceful" for a religious leader to question a person's faith. The rare back-and-forth between pontiff and presidential candidate was the latest astonishing development in an American election already roiled by Trump's free-wheeling rhetoric and controversial policy proposals, particularly on immigration. It also underscored the popular pope's willingness to needle U.S. politicians on hot-button issues. Francis' comments came hours after he concluded a visit to Mexico, where he prayed at the border for people who died trying to reach the U.S. While speaking to reporters on the papal plane, he was asked what he thought of Trump's campaign pledge to build a wall along the entire length of the border and expel millions of people in the U.S. illegally. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," he said. While Francis said he would "give the benefit of the doubt" because he had not heard Trump's border plans independently, he added, "I say only that this man is not a Christian if he has said things like that." Trump, a Presbyterian and the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, responded within minutes. "For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful," he said at a campaign stop in South Carolina, which holds a key primary on Saturday. "I am proud to be a Christian, and as president I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened." Trump also raised the prospect of the Islamic State extremist group attacking the Vatican, saying that if that happened, "the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president because this would not have happened." Francis, the first pope from Latin America, urged Congress during his visit to Washington last year to respond to immigrants "in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal." He irked Republicans on the same trip with his forceful call for international action to address climate change. Immigration is among the most contentious issues in American politics. Republicans have moved toward hardline positions that emphasize law enforcement and border security, blocking comprehensive legislation in 2013 that would have included a path to citizenship for many of the 11 million people in the U.S. illegally. Hispanics, an increasingly large voting bloc in U.S. presidential elections, have flocked to Democrats in recent years. President Barack Obama won more than 70 percent in the 2012 election, leading some Republican leaders to conclude the party must increase its appeal to them. However, the current GOP presidential primary has been dominated by increasingly tough rhetoric. Trump has insisted that Mexico will pay for his proposed border wall and has said some Mexicans entering the U.S. illegally are murderers and rapists. While Trump's words have been among the most inflammatory, some of his rivals have staked out similar enforcement positions. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson are among those who have explicitly called for construction of a wall. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, one of the few GOP candidates proposing a path to legal status for people already in the U.S. illegally, said Thursday he supports "walls and fencing where it's appropriate." Bush said that while he gets his guidance "as a Catholic" from the pope, he doesn't take his cues from Francis on "economic or environmental policy." Marco Rubio, another Catholic seeking the GOP nomination, said that Vatican City has a right to control its borders and so does the United States. Rubio said he has "tremendous respect and admiration" for the pope, but he added, "There's no nation on Earth that's more compassionate on immigration than we are." Cruz said he was steering clear of the dispute. "That's between Donald and the pope," he said. "I'm not going to get in the middle of them." The long-distance exchange between the pope and Trump came two days before the voting in South Carolina, a state where 78 percent of adults identify as Christian, according to the Pew Research Center's 2014 U.S. Religious Landscape Study. Of that group, 35 percent identify as evangelical and 10 percent as Catholic, the survey found. It's unclear what impact, if any, the pope's rhetoric will have, here or in other states. An October poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that most Americans had no strong opinion on the pope's approach to immigration issues, though he was overall viewed favorably. Even before Thursday, Trump had been critical of Francis' visit to Mexico. He said last week that the pope's plans to pray at the border showed he was a political figure being exploited by the Mexican government. Francis glossed over Trump's assertion that he was a pawn of Mexico, telling reporters on his plane that he would "leave that up to your judgment." But he seemed pleased to hear the candidate had called him a "political" figure, noting that Aristotle had described the human being as a "political animal." Funkatology Records LLC Announces New Single Release: "MAKE NO MISTAKE" Funkatology Records LLC Announces the Launch of New Single "FUNK MAMBO REMIX" by Jesse Jones Jr. Funkatology Records LLC is the World's Premiere Funk, Jazz and Soul Groove Record Label | the Detroit - Miami Axis. For more information, visit http://funkatology.com -- Funkatology Records LLC, an established leader in exciting Funk, Jazz and Soul Grooves, today announced the the debut of the New Single "FUNK MAMBO REMIX" by Jesse Jones Jr., "Funk Mambo Remix" is a brand new master on a classic "Scat-Hop" track with a whole new sound. Featuring the one and only Jesse Jones Jr. on flute, also saxophone and vocals with other Miami music notables such as Joe Collado on Latin percussion, Ike Woods on rhythm guitar and Dennis Sierra on lead guitar. Hugh Hitchcock holds down the bass, acoustic piano and hammond B3. Produced by Hugh Hitchcock at Funkatology Studios, Miami. Jesse Jones Jr. is a Miami Jazz Hall of Fame inductee who frequently tours Europe and Asia with his well-loved brand of Jazz and Soul music. Joe Collado is known as having been honored as Miami's new times "Percussionist of the Year". Ike Woods, known in Miami as the "legendary" Ike Woods is an international recording artist who performs regularly with his Ike & Val Soul Revue. Dennis Sierra recently released his own CD after coming off tours with Miami's KC and the Sunshine band. According to Funkatology Records LLC Executive Producer Hugh Hitchcock, the New Single "FUNK MAMBO REMIX" by Jesse Jones Jr. will be available for purchase on immediately and will be available http://cdbaby.com/cd/jessejonesjr22. "Funkatology Records starts the new year with several new releases, starting with 'Funk Mambo Remix' by Jesse Jones Jr.," said Hitchcock. "Jesse is totally off the hook on these tracks," Hitchcock continues, "but don't forget the other awesome players like Ike Woods and Dennis Sierra - and prominently featured is Joe Collado, Miami's Percussionist of the Year. You will absolutely dig this track, I promise you." Check it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaugA8kJG58 More About Funkatology Records LLC Founded in 2008, Funkatology Records LLC has published a wealth of exciting Funk, Jazz and Soul grooves. In fact, the company's mission statement is "Remember Folks - Ain't Nothin' But a Groove!". To learn more about Funkatology Records LLC, call (305) 490-5338 or visit them online at http://funkatology.com. CONTACT INFORMATION Funkatology Records LLC Attention: Hugh Hitchcock PO Box 61-2552 Miami, Florida 33261 Phone: (305) 490-5338 Fax: (305) 359-5499 Website: http://funkatology.com Email: info@funkatology.com For more information about us, please visit http://funkatology.com Contact Info: Name: Hugh Hitchcock Organization: Funkatology Records LLC Address: Funkatology Records LLC Attention: Hugh Hitchcock PO Box 61-2552 Miami, Florida 33261 Phone: (305) 490-5338 Release ID: 104179 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sorry that press release couldn't be found. [ Vist our sister sites: Linux news | Bible Study Tool ] Site design and layout copyright 2005-2015 Free Press Release Center Aesthetic Dentures To Support Local Ageing Population in Goulburn Aesthetic Dentures is currently planning to expand and support the ageing population in Goulburn. -- Dr. Elias Sara, owner of Aesthetic Dentures has recently been working in the Goulburn, and has now purchased property in the area. The new denture clinic (still under construction) is dedicated to serving the local community, despite the growing trend of dental tourism within the country. The Demand for Dentures A study by the Goulburn / Mulwaree Council has shown that the ageing population is growing. Statistics from Economic Portrait (2006 - 2011) shows that middle-aged residents in Goulburn are down 0.4%, whilst retirees are up 1.8% and seniors up by 1.2%. The population of Goulburn Mulwaree is expected to grow a further 6% by 2020. The Goulburn community will see an age shift as retirees move into a senior category and middle-aged to retirees. The demand for dentures and cosmetic dentistry is therefore expected to rise. Although these figures forecast population growth, one article published tells another story for Victoria. The Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV) has released news that "better dental care has led to a 16% reduction in the need for false gnashers, Dental Health Services Victoria data shows". Dental Tourism The Australian Dental Association (ADA) presented in a report that 1 in 3 Australians delay or go without dental treatment simply because it is not a priority within their budget. The ADA also acknowledges dental tourism is on the rise and have prepared a Dental Tourism fact sheet that outlines the risks involved. Within Australian culture, it's common for Australians to look to Thailand for cheaper cosmetic dentistry options. This culture has grown into a marketing frenzy with the ABC warning Australians that they're falling victim to underqualified and unsafe practitioners. "The dental association estimates up to 10,000 Australians head overseas each year seeking cheaper dental treatment." - Richard Baines (ABC Journalist) Aesthetic Dentures Aesthetic Dentures Sydney is currently a market leader for aged care cosmetic dentistry and implants plus mouthguards for sporting activities. Aesthetic Dentures is owned and operated by Dr. Elias Sara with over 15 years experience in dental prosthetics and dental technology. Aesthetic Dentures Shop 22 & 23 Camden Village Court 180 - 186 Argyle Street, Camden, NSW, 2570 Phone: (02) 4655 4438 For more information about us, please visit http://www.aestheticdentures.com.au/ Contact Info: Name: Dr. Elias Sara Organization: Aesthetic Dentures Address: 180 - 186 Argyle Street, Camden, NSW, 2570 Phone: (02) 4655 4438 Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b8GZ9SYEC0 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/aesthetic-dentures-to-support-local-ageing-population-in-goulburn/104309 Release ID: 104309 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Rep. Kenneth Sheets Starts New Year To Help Roofing Industry DFW Best Roofing is going to try help pass legislation to make licensing for roofers mandatory in the state of Texas. -- FORT WORTH The owners of a Fort Worth roofing company pleaded guilty Tuesday to bilking 27 Tarrant County residents -- including a Fort Worth police officer -- out of more than $100,000 for work that they never started! Theft charges are still pending against Raul Garcia in Dallas and Denton counties, where he is also accused bilking homeonwers for roofing work. Roofing is still one of the few professions in which sales people still go door to door. Some roofing companies have sales people that go door to door every day. Added to this is the fact, the state of Texas does not require licensing for roofers. Rep. Kenneth Sheets is working on taking some positive steps in this direction. Nor is there a way to know how is the level of expertise of the roofer. Very few roofing companies are good in all types of roofing. In times of storm damage, a roofing company must not only be good in roofing but know how to deal with the insurance company and to submit things properly to them. Rep. Kenneth Sheets is trying to take some positive steps. "You're seeing Texas as a spot of opportunity for these guys," Sheets said. He's proposing legislation to change that. His bill would allow roofers to voluntarily join a state registry.However, DFW Best Roofing wants to help not just create a registry but to verify a roofing company. "Unlike our neighbors in New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana that all require registration or licensing, Texas has no such requirements." He says. That worries state Rep. Kenneth Sheets who says the Lone Star State is now a haven for the rip-off roofer. "You'd be part of a statewide database that consumers can go look at so that when consumers are looking for a roofer there's already a database that the state is maintaining for them," Sheets said. Consumers would know that registered roofers have insurance, contact information and an address. That's important. Consumers need a physical address to be able to serve them with a lawsuit. Sheets says he constantly hears from consumers who pay roofers for work they don't complete. Another common scenario occurs when the roofer does shoddy work and can't be found to honor the promised warranty. When consumers try to take the roofer to small claims court, they can't find them. A Fort Worth Roofing Company DFW Best Roofing has started a petition on its website to help this process. They are looking for at least 100,000 signatures. Help DFW area rid of this problem of roofing scams, Click here to help Make Licensing Mandatory in Texas for Roofers For more information about us, please visit http://www.dfwbestroofing.com Contact Info: Name: Omar Baloch Organization: DFW Best Roofing Address: 6709 Starnes Rd Phone: 8173816855 Release ID: 103882 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) StaffingZOOM Launches, Delivering Reliable, High-Quality Outsourcing to All Carefully selected developers, designers, and business process specialists work from company's offices as oversight and support to ensure results, StaffingZOOM reports Los Angeles, CA -- February 18, 2016 (FPRC) -- The founders of StaffingZOOM announced the launch and immediate availability of the new service. Created by a team with over a decade of experience outsourcing important work for their own successful companies, StaffingZOOM is the easiest and most reliable way for companies today to connect with skilled developers, designers, and business process experts in India. After submitting a job description or working with StaffingZOOM experts to create one, clients will be presented with a carefully screened list of qualified, professional candidates. Once matches are made, outsourced talent works directly from StaffingZOOM offices overseas, ensuring that any issues can quickly be overcome and that targets will be met. "When we first started experimenting with outsourcing a decade ago, we quickly discovered, as so many others have since, that there are plenty of potential pitfalls," said StaffingZOOM co-founder Tucker Waterman. "Over time, we identified the most common sources of trouble and learned how to overcome them," added Nishit Rathod, StaffingZOOM co-founder. "Having built up and sold three highly successful companies since then, we're ready to share what we've learned with the rest of the world. With the launch of StaffingZOOM, truly reliable and accessible outsourcing is now available to all." Fresh from the University of Southern California, StaffingZOOM's founders went to work in 2006 on a technology start-up project, trying to keep their costs down by opening an overseas office and recruiting developers. As that team swelled to 30 members, progress was being made, but missteps and disappointments were common, as well. Whether it was scope creep setting in and distracting from core needs or weak developers and managers dragging down overall performance, it became clear that outsourcing was not the magical solution that might have been hoped for. When one of the core members was forced to return home to India from Los Angeles, the team realized that this could be turned into a new opportunity. With that informed, invested member in place on the ground in India, the team resolved to tackle the challenges involved with outsourcing head-on. Overcoming the hurdles encountered earlier and learning many new lessons along the way, the group of entrepreneurs designed and built up an effective, resilient outsourcing culture as they pursued each of several successive projects. With all three of those startup companies having since been turned into successes and sold to investors in recent years, StaffingZOOM now launches to bring the benefits of that proven, established approach to others. The straightforward StaffingZOOM process allows those in need of outsourced developers, designers, or business process specialists to submit jobs and then consider and interview carefully selected candidates based in India. Once a suitable candidate has been found, StaffingZOOM managers stand by as the new employee operates from the company's office in India, ensuring continual oversight and always-on assistance should any problems crop up. Serving as an extension of clients' existing offices and work forces, this important new option does away with the usual downsides of outsourcing while delivering all of its advantages. More information can be found at the StaffingZOOM website. About StaffingZOOM : Making it easy to find and work with the best talent the world has to offer, StaffingZOOM connects clients with qualified, carefully selected developers, designers, and business process specialists who work from the company's own offices in an environment proven to produce results. Send an email to Tucker Waterman of r (855) 979-9669 Recent Press Releases By The Same User ShapeHost Launches New Spring Sale Offering Savings Of Up To 35% On VPS Packages (Tue 8th Mar 16) Paypro Finance Launches their Consumer Financing for Small Business Program (Mon 7th Mar 16) Kuber Ventures Publishes New Infographic To Show Difference Between EIS for Pensions and SIPP (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Pregnancy Exercise Publishes New Guide Into Training For Fitness While Pregnant (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Centex Hosting Launches Newly Redesigned Website To Herald Expansion Into VPS Hosting (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Royal Cliff Receives ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Certification (Wed 2nd Mar 16) Viva Auto Group Partners with CCTA to Boost Local College Seniors' Motivation Helping students who are making an effort to complete their education is an important element of community outreach, publishes vivaautogroup.com El Paso, TX -- February 18, 2016 (FPRC) -- Numerous studies conducted by research teams in the educational sector reveal incentive programs increase college students' likelihood of success by 40 percent or more. In light of these findings, Viva Auto Group in El Paso, TX recently teamed up with the College, Career and Technology Academy in an effort to boost the drive of some local college seniors. Students with exemplary attendance and grades will be qualified to win a certified used car. This partnership was officially announced during a ceremony held at the CCTA campus. Ryan Brown, currently a sophomore at CCTA, commented, "It's going to encourage a lot of students here. If I can get a car just by coming to school and getting good grades, I'm going to definitely strive for that." Housed in the former Houston Elementary School building, CCTA provides an opportunity for those ages 17 through 26 to work toward earning a high school diploma; at the same time, students may obtain career-based certifications or college credits depending on their end goals. Debbie Brooks, a teacher at CCTA, contacted Viva Auto Group owner Jimmy Dick asking for a donation toward the school's student incentive program. Brooks noted her initial request was for a gift card or other contribution, but the donation of a vehicle far surpassed her expectations. In order to be eligible to win one of the dealership's Used cars in El Paso, TX, CCTA graduating seniors must attend the school for two consecutive semesters, incur five absences or less and take part in at least one extracurricular activity while maintaining A's and B's. CCTA faculty and administrators firmly believe the partnership with Viva will generate greater motivation among students. "Alternative campuses like CCTA provide an opportunity for students to complete their graduation requirements," stated principal Adan Lopez, "but these campuses often struggle with attendance issues. It's great to develop partnerships like this that generate greater incentives for the students. Any encouragement to get the kids to class is great." One of the few Car dealerships in El Paso, TX offering new and used vehicles from a wide variety of manufacturers, Viva Auto Group has developed a reputation for participating in community-wide events and outreach opportunities. Previous local festivities at which the Viva team made an appearance include the El Paso Eggstravaganza and Monster Bash. The dealership has also worked in conjunction with Morale, Welfare and Recreation in a number of events, such as the Fort Bliss Relocation Fair for soldiers and their families facing permanent changes of station, the BOSS Bash geared toward single soldiers, and 4th of July celebration Pop Goes the Fort. "I think it's important that we help students who are making an effort to complete their education," said Viva Auto Group Marketing Director Raul Rodriguez. "This will help out not only during high school, but also in college when they are pursuing a career." About Viva Auto Group: A multi-line auto group located in El Paso, Texas, the team at Viva demonstrates a commitment to excellence by continually striving to fulfill the unique needs and exceed the high expectations of each customer. Send an email to Rudy Arocha of r (915) 834-6200 Recent Press Releases By The Same User ShapeHost Launches New Spring Sale Offering Savings Of Up To 35% On VPS Packages (Tue 8th Mar 16) Paypro Finance Launches their Consumer Financing for Small Business Program (Mon 7th Mar 16) Kuber Ventures Publishes New Infographic To Show Difference Between EIS for Pensions and SIPP (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Pregnancy Exercise Publishes New Guide Into Training For Fitness While Pregnant (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Centex Hosting Launches Newly Redesigned Website To Herald Expansion Into VPS Hosting (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Royal Cliff Receives ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Certification (Wed 2nd Mar 16) Jose Soriano Photography Launches a Fashion Photography Campaign with Fruit Fruitography demonstrates Calgary ProPhoto's creativity to the market and this project turned into something truly special, reports JoseSoriano.com Calgary, Alberta -- February 18, 2016 (FPRC) -- Jose Soriano ( http://josesoriano.com ) recently came up with a concept that truly demonstrates Calgary ProPhoto's commitment to creativity and developed a project that shares this vision with the Calgary market, specifically in the area of fashion photography. Working with Jesse Yardley, the founder of Calgary ProPhoto, and a team of makeup artists and talented models, Soriano developed this concept into something truly special. "The campaign started with color, as vibrant colours instinctively draw the human eye, creating an emotional reaction in the person viewing the images. Successful marketing initiatives leverage this power, and fruit tend to naturally possess the shades and hues that garner attention. The kiwi fruit in the photos provided the green look, strawberries supplied the red look and lemons presented the yellow look," Jose Soriano ( http://www.josesoriano.com ) explains. Fruitology is only one way to show products in a new light. Creativity remains crucial, as individuals are bombarded by marketing messages on a daily basis. In fact, advertising clutter has been discussed for decades now, with complaints about this problem being heard as far back as 1759. At that time, Samuel Johnson wrote about the numerous advertisements and how this overabundance led to pathetic eloquence, in many cases, and magnificence of promises. "Although experts appear to vary greatly in terms of how many advertisements a consumer sees every day, the number is extremely high. Ads are seen in subways, on billboards, on television, on the Internet and even on mobile phones, and advertisers are finding new places to put them every day. For this reason, a distinct photography campaign is essential for a business to truly get noticed, and the Fruitology campaign is an example of how I make images stand out in the crowd and remain in the mind of the viewer," Soriano ( www.josesoriano.com ) goes on to say. Jose Soriano works with a variety of industries to create captivating campaigns. Fashion photography is only one of these industries, and editorial-commercial, business, events and interior design are a few others. Competition continues to increase in all niches, thus standing out has never been more important and Jose Soriano Photography can be of help. "When you are in need of a fresh, new idea, one that truly captures the eye of the public, look no further than Jose Soriano Photography. I'll work with you to ensure you have a campaign that draws attention to your brand and brings in new business. Why settle for boring stock photos when you can have one of a kind images? Regardless of the type of genre of photography you are searching for, I can be of help," Soriano declares. About Jose Soriano Photography: Jose Soriano brings more than eight years of experience to the commercial photography industry and has hands on knowledge of all photography genres. Working with start-up businesses, top commercial brands and amazing people in a variety of locations, including Canada, Spain and Venezuela, Soriano tells a story with the images he takes. For more information about us, please visit http://josesoriano.com Send an email to Jose Soriano of r 4034002544 Recent Press Releases By The Same User ShapeHost Launches New Spring Sale Offering Savings Of Up To 35% On VPS Packages (Tue 8th Mar 16) Paypro Finance Launches their Consumer Financing for Small Business Program (Mon 7th Mar 16) Kuber Ventures Publishes New Infographic To Show Difference Between EIS for Pensions and SIPP (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Pregnancy Exercise Publishes New Guide Into Training For Fitness While Pregnant (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Centex Hosting Launches Newly Redesigned Website To Herald Expansion Into VPS Hosting (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Royal Cliff Receives ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Certification (Wed 2nd Mar 16) Global Portable Bluetooth Speakers Market 2016 Industry Analysis Survey Research Growth and Forecast to 2021 QYResearch Group added a depth and professional market survey report on Global Portable Bluetooth Speakers Market 2016. This report also provides additional information about industry Capacity production, market share analysis, import and export consumption and price cost production value gross margins Deerfield Beach, FL, United States of America February 18, 2016 /GlobalMarketNews.us/ -- Global Portable Bluetooth Speakers Market 2015 The report provides a basic overview of Portable Bluetooth Speakers Market including definitions, applications and industry chain structure. Global market analysis and Chinese domestic market analysis are provided with a focus on history, developments, trends and competitive landscape of the market. A comparison between the international and Chinese situation is also offered. Global Portable Bluetooth Speakers Industry Research Report 2015 also focuses on development policies and plans for the industry as well as a consideration of a cost structure analysis. Capacity production, market share analysis, import and export consumption and price cost production value gross margins are discussed. A key feature of this report is it focus on major industry players, providing an overview, product specification, product capacity, production price and contact information for Global Top15 companies. This enables end users to gain a comprehensive insight into the structure of the international and Chinese Portable Bluetooth Speakers industry. Development proposals and the feasibility of new investments are also analyzed. Companies and individuals interested in the structure and value of the Portable Bluetooth Speakers industry should consult this report for guidance and direction. GET FREE Sample Report @ http://www.qyresearchgroup.com/report/3620#request-sample Table of Contents Chapter One Portable Bluetooth Speakers Industry Overview 1.1 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Definition 1.1.1 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Definition 1.1.2 Product Specifications 1.2 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Classification 1.2.1 2014 Global Portable Bluetooth Speakers Sales Market Share by Product Type 1.3 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Application 1.3.1 2014 Global Portable Bluetooth Speakers Sales Market Share by Application 1.4 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Industry Chain Structure 1.5 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Industry Regional Overview 1.6 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Industry Policy Analysis 1.7 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Industry News Analysis Chapter Two Portable Bluetooth Speakers Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis 2.1 Raw Material Supplier and Price Analysis 2.2 Equipment Suppliers and Price Analysis 2.3 Labor Cost Analysis 2.4 Other Cost Analysis 2.5 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis 2.6 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Manufacturing Process Analysis Chapter Three Portable Bluetooth Speakers Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis 3.1 2014 Global Key Manufacturers Portable Bluetooth Speakers Capacity and Commercial Production Date 3.2 2014 Global Key Manufacturers Portable Bluetooth Speakers Manufacturing Plants Distribution 3.3 2014 Global Key Manufacturers Portable Bluetooth Speakers R&D Status and Technology Source 3.4 2014 Global Key Manufacturers Portable Bluetooth Speakers Raw Materials Sources Analysis Chapter Four Portable Bluetooth Speakers Production by Regions by Technology by Applications 4.1 2010-2015 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Production by Regions (Such as US EU China Japan etc) 4.2 2010-2015 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Production by Technology (Key Type Product) 4.3 2010-2015 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Production by Applications 4.4 2015 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Price by Key Manufacturers 4.5 2010-2015 US Portable Bluetooth Speakers Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value Analysis 4.6 2010-2015 EU Portable Bluetooth Speakers Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value Analysis 4.7 2010-2015 Japan Portable Bluetooth Speakers Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value Analysis 4.8 2010-2015 China Portable Bluetooth Speakers Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value Analysis 4.9 2010-2015 US Portable Bluetooth Speakers Supply Import Export Consumption 4.10 2010-2015 EU Portable Bluetooth Speakers Supply Import Export Consumption 4.11 2010-2015 Japan Portable Bluetooth Speakers Supply Import Export Consumption 4.12 2010-2015 China Portable Bluetooth Speakers Supply Import Export Consumption Chapter Five Portable Bluetooth Speakers Sales and Sales Revenue by Regions 5.1 2010-2015 Sales by Regions (Such as US EU China Japan etc) 5.2 2010-2015 Sales Revenue by Regions (Such as US EU China Japan etc) 5.3 2010-2015 Sales Price by Regions (Such as US EU China Japan etc) 5.4 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Price Cost Gross Analysis Chapter Six 2010-2015 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Productions Supply Sales Market Status and Forecast 6.1 2010-2015 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Capacity Production Overview 6.2 2010-2015 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Production Market Share Analysis 6.3 2010-2015 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Sales Overview 6.4 2010-2015 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Supply Sales and Shortage 6.5 2010-2015 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Import Export Consumption 6.6 2010-2015 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Cost Price Production Value Gross Margin Browse Full Report with TOC @http://www.qyresearchgroup.com/market-analysis/global-portable-bluetooth-speakers-industry-2015-market-research.html Chapter Seven Portable Bluetooth Speakers Key Manufacturers Analysis 7.1 Harman Kardon 7.1.1 Company Profile 7.1.2 Product Picture and Specification 7.1.3 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value 7.1.4 Contact Information About Us: QYResearch Group is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. QYResearch Group also carries the capability to assist you with your customized market research requirements including in-depth market surveys, primary interviews, competitive landscaping, and company profiles. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics. QYResearch Group is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air. Contact US: Joel John 3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442, United States Tel: +1-386-310-3803 GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714 USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651 Web: http://www.qyresearchgroup.com Email: sales@qyresearchgroup.com The post Global Portable Bluetooth Speakers Market 2016 Industry Analysis Survey Research Growth and Forecast to 2021 appeared first on Global Market News. For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Global Retro-Reflective Sensors Market 2016 Industry Size, Trends, Demand Review & Forecast 2025 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Research on Global Quatrz Oscillator Market 2016 Industry Analysis, Review & Forecast 2020 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Global Private Branch Exchange(PBX) Market 2016 Industry Size, Trends, Research, Demand & Forecast (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Global Print Mark Sensor Market 2016 Industry Size, Research, Trends, Growth & Analysis 2022 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Global OLED Lighting Device Market 2016 Industry Trends, Demand, Analysis & Review Forecast 2020 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Global Network Card Market 2016 Industry Size, Research, Trends, Demand Review & Forecast 2020 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Author Jane Zarse Inspires People In Her Book - Love & Compassion Is My Religion Jane Zarse pens down journey from the bottom of her life to the heights she's at today in her new book "Love & Compassion Is My Religion". It's a motivational take on believing in God to get out from worst phases of life. -- Life is never same for all. Some people can be sitting at the top of success while at the same time; some could go down the wrong path, take not-so-good decisions in life and end up as a mess. At such points, life starts seeming meaningless and future seems nothing but dark. At such times, a belief on God and his love can be the only way of getting out of that mess and rise as a better person and make a new start in life. This is what Author Jane Zarse is trying to inspirationally convey through her new book - "Love And Compassion Is My Religion". The motivational book, which takes the readers through the extremes lows and highs of Author's own life, is a positive take on her belief that God never stops loving people and doesn't care about their religion or any other thing. His love can help them in rising again in their lives. To fill the same positivity in every reader's heart is her aim through this book. "I have been through the worse than the worst phases in my life. I have been at that point from where I could see no way out. But a faith on God and his love has made me what I am today and this is my story to inspire others", Jane said. The book, which is author's attempt to motivate people through her own life experiences, has been written in a simple yet effective manner. Jane Zarse has penned down the darkest parts of her life to reach out to those people who think that there can be nothing worse than what they are going through. Her journey included all her phases, coming from the rich background, her alcoholism, drugs, self-destructive decisions in life and much more. Wrapped up in alcohol-infused daze, Jane had lost it all including her marriage, her mother and much more. "When you feel this lost, life becomes very dark, and it is impossible to see any way out. I remained focused on what a disaster I had made out of my life and couldn't see past my horrible circumstances", she said while letting people know the extreme lows of her life. With her new book, Jane has honestly and beautifully presented her journey from a rich and successful start to a state of self-destruction and then with God's love she earned her self-respect. Her book is her attempt to motivate people to believe in God even in the worst phases of their lives. "God's love doesn't depend on one's religion or anything else. It is there if you believe and once you believe, it will take you out from the darkest of the pits in life", she said. "Love and Compassion Is My Religion" comes as an inspirational story that aims at motivating people. "The reason for my misery was that I lacked love, Love from God as I shut my doors for him. Once I opened them, I found peace. I started feeling good about myself and once you feel good about yourself, you start feel good about life too", her book reads. While people might have different views about God, especially in their darkest of times when everything start seeming meaningless, the book from Jane that depicts her own life changing experiences might be something to have a look at. "I think it can help anyone and everyone. Whether people are in a state of darkness or trying to find the true meaning of spirituality, my book can be something that can aid all of them as my experience with spirituality has changed me", she said while talking about the probabilities of her book getting success in what it is being aimed at. About Jane Zarse: Jane was born in Lake Forest, Illinois. Coming from one the most prestigious communities of the area, she went on to attend Boston University. This is her debut book and her attempt at motivating people and taking them towards positivity by believing in God's Love. In her words - "Trust God, love yourself and others, and stay at peace... and you will take the world by the tail." For more information about us, please visit http://www.amazon.com/Love-Compassion-Religion-Beginners-Spirituality/dp/151695095X/ Contact Info: Name: Jane Zarse Organization: Jane Zarse Release ID: 104184 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cellulose Acetate Butyrate (CAB) Industry Size And Growth Report By 2016 : Radiant Insights,Inc RadiantInsights.com includes new market research report on "Global Cellulose Acetate Butyrate (CAB) Industry Size, Share And Trends Report To 2016 : Radiant Insights" to its huge collection of research reports. -- The Global Cellulose Acetate Butyrate (CAB) Industry 2016 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Cellulose Acetate Butyrate (CAB) industry. Browse Full Research Report With TOC on http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-cellulose-acetate-butyrate-cab-industry-2016-market-research-report With the development of industry, global cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) production increased from about 42000 MT in 2011 to 55000 MT in 2015. Global average production increase rate was about 7% during 2011-2015. Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Cellulose Acetate Butyrate (CAB) market analysis is provided for the international market including development history, competitive landscape analysis, and major regions' development status. Secondly, development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states import/export, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions (United States, EU, China and Japan), and other regions can be added. Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. What's more, the Cellulose Acetate Butyrate (CAB) industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Browse All Reports of This Category at: http://www.radiantinsights.com/catalog/chemicals-and-materials Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered. In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market. About Radiant Insights Radiant Insights is a platform for companies looking to meet their market research and business intelligence requirements. We assist and facilitate organizations and individuals procure market research reports, helping them in the decision making process. We have a comprehensive collection of reports, covering over 40 key industries and a host of micro markets. In addition to over extensive database of reports, our experienced research coordinators also offer a host of ancillary services such as, research partnerships/ tie-ups and customized research solutions. Contact Details: Michelle Thoras Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Radiant Insights, Inc Phone: 1-415-349-0054 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: sales@radiantinsights.com Web: http://www.radiantinsights.com/ For more information about us, please visit http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-cellulose-acetate-butyrate-cab-industry-2016-market-research-report Contact Info: Name: Michelle Thoras Email: sales@radiantinsights.com Organization: Radiant Insights, Inc. Address: 28 2nd Street Phone: 14153490054 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/cellulose-acetate-butyrate-cab-industry-size-and-growth-report-by-2016-radiant-insightsinc/104360 Release ID: 104360 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) The 3 Best osCommerce Hosting for 2016 Published by TheHosting.review TheHosting.review today published the 3 best osCommerce hosting choices for 2016. The providers receiving the award all offer a high level of security and performance to help eCommerce sites succeed. -- The leading web hosting review site TheHosting.review today published the 3 best osCommerce hosting choices for 2016 based on years of hosting experience and the reviews of over 100 osCommerce hosting providers. According to the official information, BlueHost, InMotion and Arvixe are the winners because they provide a rare combination of high security, excellent performance, 100% compatibility and ample upgrade options. o They offer PHP 5, MySQL 5, FastCGI, CURL and GD for the optimal osCommerce operation. The required PHP extensions are also installed on each server. o They provide shared SSL, data encryption, password protected directories and daily backups to secure website data and online transactions. o They use custom-built data centers and technologies like CDN and SSDs to speed up eCommerce sites. o They offer a refund guarantee to ensure the customer satisfaction. BlueHost has been serving dozens of eCommerce applications including osCommerce for over 10 years. The company provides shared hosting, cloud hosting, VPS and dedicated servers to cover the demands of websites of all sizes. Shared hosting, the choice for beginners and small osCommerce sites, is priced from $7.99/mo. New customers can activate a 56% discount for $3.49/mo. For this type of service, BlueHost guarantees 99.9% uptime, and offers technical support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. InMotion has been known for fast speed and the extensive support center. The company has built data centers on both coasts and equipped each server with the latest-generation processors and SSDs. According to monitoring, the server response time is less than 300ms. In the support center, InMotion offers a knowledgebase with thousands of tutorials and an education channel for osCommerce. The education channel covers both basic and advanced topics. The price of InMotion web hosting solutions starts at $3.49/mo. Dissatisfaction will result in a full refund within the first 90 days of signup. The highlights of Arvixe are the rich features. The provider supports the 1-click installation and update of osCommerce, and offers advanced features including SFTP, SSH and brute force protection. A free domain and $200 advertising credits are also available. Among the 3 providers, InMotion and Arvixe have kept a long-term partnership with the osCommerce project, and they are listed on the homepage of osCommerce.com. "The best osCommerce hosting providers are selected based on our reviews as well as hundreds of votes from our readers. With the reliability and security of their web hosting services, osCommerce users can expect better sales and a quicker success in the year of 2016," said Susan, an editor of TheHosting.review. For more information about us, please visit https://thehosting.review/best-oscommerce-hosting/ Contact Info: Name: Eunge Email: founder@eunge.com Organization: Eunge Media and Technology Group Ltd Source: http://marketersmedia.com/the-3-best-oscommerce-hosting-for-2016-published-by-thehosting-review/104257 Release ID: 104257 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Rafael Valdivieso Paint and ink on canvas Mask featured in CPT's Pandemonium Clay sculpture, wall piece Born and raised in Quito, Ecuador Rafael Valdivieso was not like most of his family members who pursued occupations in politics and engineering. Valdivieso had an undeniable passion for painting.Born in a house with politics, every day was differenthe says. I didnt follow in the traditional careers. My parents knew that I was someone who was perfect for the arts.Now established as one of Cleveland's fine artists, Valdiviesos most recent works are on display at the Spotlight Gallery in Heights Arts in Cleveland Heights through Saturday, March 12.Professionals, artists, and families were in attendance during the well-attended and energetic opening. One of Valdivieso's larger works sold within the first hour.Rita Gochberg, an interior designer and Shaker Heights resident attended the opening.This is my second show of his, I became a fan right away, she says. I love how his style is very particular. Every part of each painting could be its own painting by itself.While he has definitely arrived, Valdivieso's journey from Ecuador to Cleveland provides much of the inspiration for his creative process and his art.Following mandatory service in the Ecuadorian Army, Valdivieso first embarked on a journey to become a Catholic priest. He joined the seminary and studied religion in Ecuador and Peru. But after two years, a newfound spiritual epiphany made it clear that his true calling was in the arts.I know my gift. I had to make sure it was the right time to follow my gift, he says. This is the reason to live. The art was the voice, and not the church.Valdivieso left the seminary and enrolled in classes at Facultad de Artes at La Universidad Nacional in Quito and earned degrees in painting and sculpture before becoming a publicist and graphic designer at the Instituto Latinoamericano de Diseno de Artes Graficas, also in Quito.After his stints in the academic world, Valdivieso traveled to Israel to hone his art. While there he met his soon-to-be-wife Iwona, who hailed from Cleveland. The two returned to Ecuador. A few years later, they decided to move to Cleveland in order to be closer to Iwonas family. They have called Cleveland Heights home since 2000.Upon arriving in Cleveland, Valdivieso continued to focus on his art. My black and white series, it was the beginning he recalls of his earliest works in the United States. Valdivieso continued to flourish in Clevelands art scene, participating in numerous solo and collaborative area exhibitions.Valdiviesos recent works include small clay sculptures and papier-mache masks, while others are large acrylic, oil, and ink illustrations on paper and canvas. They burst with color and evoke romanticism, while his distinctive details include hypnotizing elements and thoughtful expressions. Each stroke of his brush, each line that is drawn is deliberate and calculated. The viewer discovers new intricacies each time she revisits one of Valdivieso's works.His pieces also depict happiness, sorrow, and contemplation. Each composition is different, often including his trademark whimsical representations of faces, creatures and wilderness executed with undeniable creative talent and meticulous control of his tools.It all culminates to showcase Valdivieso's life journey, including notably, moving from his family in Ecuador and starting a new life in America.Some people always see the drama, he says. I have great people [in Cleveland] and my friends have given great support. I have found my second family. Its rough, but its evolution.Over the past 12 years, Valdivieso has lent his talents to the creation of larger-than-life costumes for the Cleveland Museum of Arts Parade the Circle . You can see the whole process, the change of the art, he says of his work for the museum.Similar works were showcased in 2015 during Pandemonium , Cleveland Public Theaters yearly over-the-top bash, where volunteers danced through the crowds wearing Valdiviesos surreal creations of masks and full body costumes.Combing a years worth of his newly created artwork, last fall Valdivieso also presented Mesmerizing, a solo exhibition at Negative Space Gallery that included more than 20 large acrylic and oil paintings on canvas and clay and papier-mache sculptures. The show aimed to challenge the viewer regarding the inner workings of Valdivieso's mind as well as their own.The things that everybody sees are different, he explains. Its hard to describe when it is so natural, its what I really love to do.In the meantime, Valdivieso is constantly working and exploring new subjects. Every surface of his home studio is covered with captivating works of art. I have to be more simple, more quiet, more all around, try to maintain the freedom, the romanticism of life, he says. His hope for his future is to create more murals and other forms of large public art.That is my dream, like a fish in water.Photos - Rebecca Groynom Perhaps the most obscure films in any Oscar category, even among the short films, the documentary shorts tend to be a showcase for up and coming talents in the field. Doc shorts allow filmmakers to explore interesting subjects that may not be enough to carry their own feature film, but are nonetheless stories worth telling. In a few cases this year, however, some of these subjects absolutely deserve their own feature, and the shorts leave us wanting more. This year's nominees cover a wide variety of subjects, from Red Cross workers tasked with disposing of the bodies of Ebola victims in Liberia, to arraigned marriages and "honor killings" in Pakistan.A team of Red Cross workers are tasked with removing and disposing of the bodies of Ebola victims in Liberia during the disastrous outbreak of 2014 in David Darg's Oscar nominated documentary short. It's fascinating to see how the crew interacts with the families of the victims, many of who refuse to let them remove the body, thereby putting others at risk of infection. The problem is that it's almost too short. At only 13 minutes, we barely get the time to get to know the subjects, much less the families of the victims. There's a strong story here waiting to be explored, but BODY TEAM 12 merely scratches the surface.A young, aspiring Vietnamese artist struggling to overcome his birth defects as a result of Agent Orange is the subject of, a short documentary that chronicles his journey from a special hospital, to striking out on his own to pursue his dream. Chau is an interesting subject, but I found myself more drawn to the broader plight of the millions of Vietnamese children still being born with major birth defects due to the United States' use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. I think there is a larger story to tell here, of which Chau plays a vital role, about the continuing fallout from the Vietnam War, and the grotesque exploitation of Agent Orange hospitals as tourist attractions for people to come and gawk at deformed children. Director Courtney Marsh shows these things, but never really explores them, focusing instead on Chau alone, when it feels like the focus should be much broader. There is a feature documentary waiting to be made here, and a much bigger story that deserves to be told.More of a portrait of an artist than an appreciation of his work,examines the toll of filming the monumental, years in the making, 10 hour long documentary,, on its director. Begins with some brief accolades of the film by critics and filmmakers, but mostly focuses on Lanzmann and how he remains haunted by a work that almost drove him to suicide. Feels a bit like a DVD supplement, and while the beginning of the film seems a bit extraneous (and even perfunctory) given the film's main focus, Lanzmann's own remembrances are chilling stuff, reminding us of the seemingly neverending ripple effect of Hitler's final solution, and the enduring power of art.A young Pakistani woman is shot in the face and left for dead in the river by her own father and uncle in a self described "honor killing," after she ran away from home to marry the man she loved against her father's wishes. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's harrowing documentary takes a hard look at a patriarchal society that condones such honor killings, as the young woman's quest for justice is continually blocked by men in her community who strong-arm her into forgiving her would-be murderers in order to preserve the honor of her family. It's a difficulty and frustrating watch, and with good reason. We watch, completely helpless, as a young woman is forced to give up her agency to appease a society dominated by men and their fragile sense of masculinity. A tough but surprisingly fair minded film that examines both sides of the issue, interviewing both the accused and the accusers, and comes away with a quiet sense of righteous rage.Heartbreaking animated documentary examines the case of a Vietnam veteran executed for murder, despite overwhelming evidence that it was a PTSD flashback episode that lead to his crime. Told from the point of view of the man's brother, who remains haunted by the fact that he turned his own brother into the police after discovering evidence of the crime,is a powerful look at the American justice system, and how it failed one of its own soldiers, who was just as much of a victim as the woman he killed. The Council of Mortgage Lenders, British Bankers Association and Payments UK have voted in favour of a trade body merger. The respective boards have urged their members to vote for the merger, with Payments UK being the first to fully approve it after a member vote on 9 February. The Asset Based Finance Association and UK Cards Association are also involved in the proposed merger, but their boards have not reached a decision. Last March, former Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards was appointed to review the possibility of such a merger, and after an initial report in July, he laid out the plans in November. The merger was first suggested following an independent review last summer, after pressure from Barclays, Clydesdale Bank & Yorkshire, Bank, Co-operative Bank, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide, RBS, Santander, TSB and Virgin Money. The lenders wanted to review the current trade body setup in order to cut costs and avoid duplication of work. A statement from the CML explained its members will vote on the boards recommendation in March. If the recommendation is approved, the trade body landscape could look very different next year. But there will be no certainty about the future CML position until after both our members and the members of the other trade bodies have voted. At this stage, it is for individual members to decide what will happen. A spokesman for the BBA responded that its board unanimously agreed on the merger, so subject to further discussions and the approval of the wider membership, the BBA would integrate as part of a wholly new organisation as set out in the Financial Services Trade Associations Review. A Payments UK spokesman added: Delivering effective representation for the industry is at the heart of our organisation, so we welcome our members decision. Both the Building Societies Association and the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association have already ruled themselves out of the merger. peter.walker@ft.com Columbia Threadneedle bond manager Martin Harvey has left the company after a decade with the firm. Mr Harvey, who joined the asset manager in 2006, served as co-manager on the 334m Threadneedle Global Bond fund. He also worked on the companys 150m European Bond and 130m Global Opportunities Bond funds, as well as the Luxembourg-domiciled European Strategic Bond and Global Strategic Bond vehicles. In a statement a Columbia Threadneedle spokesperson said: Martin Harvey, fixed income fund manager, has decided to leave Columbia Threadneedle Investments and we wish him well. We have a large global fixed income team of 89 investment and 64 research professionals, including 18 portfolio managers in Emea. We are the process of hiring a new portfolio manager. According to FE Analytics, the Global Bond fund has returned 4.7 per cent, compared to 0.7 per cent from its peer group, the Investment Association Global Bonds sector. A judge has paid tribute to a farmer whose evidence helped bring two sheep thieves to justice. Judge Tony Briggs described Teesdale farmer Richard Betton, of the Swaledale Sheep Breeders Association, as one of the cleverest and most helpful experts he had ever come across. Mr Betton, who was an expert witness at the trial of the farmers, provided evidence and advice during the investigation, which lasted more than four years. The evidence he provided allowed the jury to understand sheep farming generally, along with specific aspects of the case, said Judge Briggs. See also: Rustlers who stole more than 100 sheep jailed for three years Philip Raine, 46, and uncle Charles Raine also known as Neville 66, of the Bowes area, were jailed for three years at Teesside Crown Court last month after being convicted of stealing more than 100 sheep from neighbouring farmers in County Durham, North Yorkshire and Cumbria. The pair had attempted to disguise the sheep by filling away horn marks, removing ear tags and washing off wool paint, the court heard. Both men had denied conspiring to use criminal property, namely sheep, while knowing them to be stolen. The farmers who were targeted felt hurt and betrayed by what had happened, describing the mens actions as a breach of the unwritten Shepherds Bible. Out of 151 sheep seized, 116 were returned to a total of 16 victims, comprising farmers from Cumbria, County Durham and North Yorkshire. This was partly thanks to an identity parade of sheep, which took place in Cumbria in November 2013 to help reunite the animals with their rightful owners. Mr Briggs also honoured two Durham Constabulary officers PC Harry Marsh and Debbie Morrison, a recently retired detective constable for their part in what he described as a very difficult investigation. After the conclusion of the case, Durhams chief constable Mike Barton met with victims to reflect on the case, which, for years, had spoiled the atmosphere in the local farming community. Durham Constabulary is thought to be the first police force to secure a prosecution for theft of sheep under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Farmers are still waiting for basic payments in Wales, but the Welsh government insists those payments are not late, reports Debbie James. Farmers in Wales are mounting pressure on the government to release unpaid subsidies without delay warning that further hold-ups will have the dire consequences for their businesses and the wider rural economy. Two-and-a-half-months after the Basic Payment Scheme payment window opened, around 17% of Welsh farmers have still not received their subsidy. The Welsh government said the 108m paid to 12,853 farm businesses by Friday 12 February, exceeded its target. But this is little comfort for those still waiting. Livestock producer Huw Davies, who farms 320ha (800 acres) on two separate holdings near Newcastle Emlyn, has received 80% of his BPS for one 400-acre holding but he fears it could be at least two months before he gets paid the sum due on the second holding. See also: BPS wait plunges Welsh farmers into crisis This claim is subject to a penalty notice following an inspection in August 2015. Mr Davies is angry that although the breach was rectified in the same week as it was flagged up, it wasnt until 21 January that he received a letter from the government advising him that he would have 60 days to appeal. I needed to do some work on a footpath that hadnt been used for 40 years. I got this done in the same week as the inspection and informed the inspector by telephone. Why did it take five months for the government to get in touch? This is now going to extend the process to the end of March and possibly beyond. Mr Davies admitted he is better off than many farmers because he has received his BPS for 160ha (400 acres) at Trefaes Farm but his cashflow is relying on the subsidy due on his second holding. Our main business is selling store cattle and we need to buy in to keep the cycle going. It has to be a continual cycle as there is very little margin. We have just received a big feed bill and we have wages to pay. Does the Welsh government want the agriculture industry in Wales to survive or not? BPS Payments Update Payments made and value % of applicants paid England 68,572 (valued at 1.043bn) 78.7% Scotland* 7,300+ at n/a 40% Wales* 12,982 at 110m 83.4% Northern Ireland 22,161 at 209m 96% *Part payment equivalent to 80% of full entitlement The Welsh government said its staff had been working weekends since July to process payments. Dairy farmers Philip and Helen Davies were among those fortunate to receive their BPS when the payment window first opened in December. They said it would have been a financial struggle if this money hadnt been forthcoming because they had invested heavily in converting to dairying from livestock production. The BPS ensured they could keep up repayments on the substantial bank loan they secured to establish the new dairy unit at 190-acre Maesneuadd Farm, near Pontrobert, Powys. We are spring calvers so we wont have any income until we receive our milk cheque next month, said Mr Davies. For farmers who have yet to be paid, some banks have been supportive. HSBC regional agricultural director Euryn Jones said a number of the banks farmer clients had been offered a capital repayment holiday. Unions have been keeping up pressure on the Welsh government to speed up the payment process. NFU Cymru president Stephen James said at the very least farmers should be given guidance on when they are likely to receive their cash. Mr James also wants farmers to be assigned a named contact to discuss their case with. This is absolutely crucial to help with farm business planning and for farmers to be able to discuss their circumstances with their bank and creditors, he insisted. But the government said such a move would divert staff from processing claims. They wouldnt be able to provide more information to what farmers may obtain from the Customer Contact Centre, whose staff are specially trained to assist in these matters, said a government spokesperson. For farmers who are appealing against cuts to the area they are claiming entitlements on, the next big worry is whether their appeals will be heard before the 15 May submission deadline for their next Single Application Form. John Crimes, of Cymru Agricultural & Rural Advice (CARA), said he could see no guarantee that appeals would be heard by 15 May. This may mean for some that if they lose their appeal and have entered the same land, or part of that land again, their penalty will be doubled as intentional error. My advice is that unless the assembly is forthcoming on why they have deducted the land, and farmers believe they are correct, then claim it. The implications of not doing so could last for several years in reduced payment receipt. Farmers who have yet to receive their BPS can expect no interest on the sum outstanding. As these payments are most definitely not late the payment window opens from December to June there is no interest to be accrued, the government spokesperson confirmed. Story Highlights 30% have a favorable impression of Russia, 65% unfavorable Younger Americans give highest ratings 39% say Russia's military power is a critical threat to the U.S. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- After reaching a new low in 2015, Americans' impressions of Russia have recovered somewhat this year, with 30% viewing the country favorably versus 24% in 2015. The majority of Americans continue to view the nation unfavorably, and their favorability rating is still half as high as it was a decade ago. Russia and the U.S. have a tempestuous history. As part of the Soviet Union, the Russian government engendered fear and resentment among Americans for decades after World War II during the Cold War. Hostilities began to ease during the era of glasnost in the mid-1980s. Through much of the 1990s and 2000s, Americans' favorable opinions of Russia climbed, swelling to 66% in 2002. This sentiment began to crash when Vladimir Putin returned to the presidency in 2012. Some of his policies and actions, including discriminatory policies against gays and Russia's involvement in Ukraine, contributed to favorability dropping to a low point of 24% last year. But in Gallup's annual World Affairs update survey conducted Feb. 3-7, Americans' favorability toward Russia has edged back up. The reason for this may be that Russia simply isn't dominating news headlines as it did in 2013 and 2014. Putin's interventions in the Middle East and Ukraine have arguably been most in the news in the past year, while Russia has also been prominent for its economic free fall as oil prices collapsed worldwide. The economic free fall, however, may not inspire a negative or positive response in Americans. Younger Americans Have Highest Favorable Opinion Toward Russia Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 gave Russia the highest favorable rating across all age groups at 43%. This is significantly higher than those aged 35 to 54, and more than double the percentage of Americans aged 55 and older. In the past four years, young Americans have maintained a relatively positive opinion of Russia, with the exception of last year. This may be attributable to most of this age group not living through the Cold War and not viewing Russia as the enemy to the U.S. that other generations experienced. In the political spectrum, favorability of Russia is similarly low across party lines, with Republicans, Democrats and political independents all giving Russia a favorable rating between 29% and 32%. Perceptions of Russia's Military Power as a Critical Threat Decline As Americans' opinions of Russia improve, a smaller percentage believes Russia's military power is a critical threat to the U.S. Thirty-nine percent of Americans say Russia's military power is a critical threat, down 10 percentage points from last year, but still above where it was from 2004 through 2014. Nearly two years since Crimea became part of Russia, stirring up a hornet's nest of geopolitical tension in Eastern Europe, many of the concerns voiced by NATO countries have not materialized. Russia has not invaded other former Soviet republics or made any pronouncements of aggression toward the U.S. Americans' perception of the military power of Russia as a critical threat comes in far below the threats that Americans are most concerned about, including international terrorism and cyberterrorism. Bottom Line Russia's image has become slightly less negative this year among U.S. adults, although it remains near the lowest level Gallup has recorded. After a period of several years that Putin has expressed criticism of the U.S., harbored alleged cyberterrorist Edward Snowden, restricted gay rights in his country and annexed Crimea, Americans do not have the same positive feelings toward Russia than in the halcyon period following the end of the Cold War. It will be interesting to see if the next president reaches out to Putin, potentially boosting the favorable ratings of Russia in the U.S. Historical data are available in Gallup Analytics. Survey Methods Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Feb. 3-7, 2016, on the Gallup U.S. Daily survey, with a random sample of 1,021 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is 4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting. Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 60% cellphone respondents and 40% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods. View survey methodology, complete question responses and trends. Learn more about how Gallup Poll Social Series works. A Pinch of Salt: To vote now or to vote later that is the question A Philomath man posted sexual photos of his 10-year-old daughters underage friend online, court documents allege, but the man has denied the charges. Nicholas Robert Strobel, 36, has pleaded not guilty to four charges of felony first-degree child sex abuse in connection with the explicit photos that were allegedly posted online from Strobels Philomath home. Strobel was arrested Saturday at his current home at 24110 Highway 20 in Philomath, but the charges stem from records showing child pornography uploads in September 2014 and May 2015 from a computer at Strobels former address at 2136 Main St. in Philomath. According to the probable cause affidavit filed in the case, 12 images depicting a young girl wearing little clothing and posing for a camera were posted online in September 2014 and linked to a computer at the 2136 Main St. address, where Strobel lived from February 2014 to September 2015. The same account that sent the photos also linked to a social media page for Strobel, according to the affidavit. A second set of files, which depict a naked young girl smiling for the camera and an adult males hand touching the girl in a sexual way, was allegedly uploaded from the same Philomath home in May 2015. Investigators say it was later determined that the photos were uploaded using a WiFi signal coming from Strobels parents home next door. According to the affidavit, Strobels 10-year-old daughter recognized the young girl in the photos as a friend she knew while Strobel and his daughter lived in Montana. The name Strobels daughter reportedly gave to investigators matched the name listed on the file titled Babysitting, according to the affidavit. Investigators said in the affidavit that Strobel was the only person capable of living in Montana, taking or obtaining images (of the girl) and uploading them to the Internet from Strobels Philomath home. After conducting a search of Strobels home at 24110 Highway 20, investigators reported finding a CD at the residence containing child pornography. Strobel previously pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine charges and was convicted of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer in separate cases in 2007, according to court records. Strobel was not listed on the sex offender registry in Oregon or Montana. Strobel has been booked into the Benton County Jail on a $300,000 security. He has a status check scheduled for Friday in Benton County Circuit Court. This log includes incidents in which there might have been a public disturbance or a risk to the public. Information comes from the Corvallis Police Department, the Benton County Sheriffs Office and Oregon State Police. It does not include all calls for service. The status of incidents might change after further investigation. Locations are approximate. People arrested or suspected in crimes are considered innocent until proven otherwise. Corvallis Police Department WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17 EXPLODING WINDOW: 12:05 a.m., 300 block of Northwest 11th Street. Officers responded to a possible burglary after a couple reported that they were inside their home when one of their kitchen windows shattered. The residents reported that the window sounded like it exploded or was shot out. There were no suspects. Benton County Sheriffs Office SATURDAY, FEB. 13 DUII-JA VU: 9:32 p.m., Northwest Fifth Street and Harrison Boulevard. Steven Mixon Johnston, 43, Odessa, Texas, was released from the Benton County Jail to a sober friend and had reportedly had a blood alcohol content of 0.11 percent when a deputy reported seeing Johnston getting into the drivers seat of a car parked in front of the courthouse and drive away. Johnston was then arrested and charged with DUII and booked back into the Benton County Jail. The Oregon Legislature is rushing forward with a measure that would allow courts to shield the identity of a law enforcement officer who uses deadly force for up to 90 days, and possibly longer. We understand the reason behind the legislation, House Bill 4087, which is being sponsored by Rep. Jeff Barker, D-Aloha. But we urge legislators to think through the implications of the bill before they cast their vote. In this case, the bill was crafted in response to a specific situation involving a specific officer and its always a tricky bit of business to craft wide-ranging legislation to deal with one specific case. The bill was written after officers received what they deemed to be credible death threats against the Oregon state trooper who shot and killed Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation leader Robert LaVoy Finicum on Jan. 26. The name of the officer involved has not yet been released by authorities on grounds that the case is an ongoing investigation. (This big exception to Oregons public records laws is frequently invoked by law enforcement agencies, sometimes legitimately and sometimes, to be blunt, not so legitimately.) The superintendent of the Oregon State Police told members of the House Judiciary Committee that police and other government officials in Burns received a series of threats during the 41-day occupation at the refuge. And Barker has said that there was a real, credible threat directed at the specific officer involved in the Finicum shooting, which prompted this urgent legislative effort to protect his identity. Under the terms of House Bill 4087, an officer or a law enforcement agency can file a petition with a circuit court judge to withhold from disclosure the name of the officer. A judge can order that the name be kept secret for 90 days. That 90-day period can be extended, and the bill doesnt limit the number of extensions that can be granted, if the law enforcement unit can demonstrate a credible threat of present danger to the life of the police officer or a member of the police officers immediate family. The original version of the bill mandated that the officers name be withheld for six months; after the American Civil Liberties Union objected, the period was reduced to 90 days. (The ACLU now is officially neutral on the bill, which probably is the diplomatic move on its part.) But there is a countervailing argument in this case, and legislators need to keep it in mind as they consider the bill: Members of the public have a compelling interest in knowing the identity of officers who are involved in incidents of deadly force. In the words of Kimberly McCullough, the legislative director for Oregons ACLU: Any allowance to withhold officers names needs to be very carefully and narrowly crafted to avoid abuse. Were not confident that House Bill 4087, as currently crafted, meets those criteria. Legislators need to take a deep breath and consider the bills implications before casting a hurried vote. Mike and Tami Kibble were surprised when they received a code violation letter from Philomath City Planner Jim Minard. Despite what they believed had been a positive visit with the city manager the previous week, the longtime Philomath residents were being ordered to remove a recreational vehicle from their property within 45 days or be subject to fines up to $500 per day for each day the violation is allowed to continue. This past March, the Philomath City Council unanimously approved an ordinance amendment to clarify code language on the definition of a recreational vehicle. Minards letter referenced the ordinance that prohibits such structures to be used as a domicile in residential zones. Municipal code 9.15.025 defines RVs as a vehicle that is self-propelled or towed by a motor vehicle and designed for camping, nonpermanent or recreational habitation and that no person shall live, cook, sleep or reside in a recreational vehicle or trailer located on a lot or on a public street for more than five consecutive days nor more than 10 days total in a 30-day period. In this case, the RV currently set up at 436 S. 17th St., is more accurately described as a tiny house that serves as the living quarters for Kyle and Brittney McGann and their young daughter. McGann, a U.S. Air Force veteran who served three tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, is now a full-time student at Oregon State University. The Kibbles live directly next door, purchasing the neighboring property in 2006 when it became available on the market following the death of its owner. They tore down the house but maintained the propertys utilities, including the installation of a power pole and water spigot. This issue of the couples presence in the tiny house apparently came to the attention of the city through a complaint. Chris Workman, city manager, said he also got a complaint about a tiny house at an Applegate Street address but that owner had it sitting temporarily in his driveway while performing maintenance. But in the case of the McGann couple, it has set off a situation that some city councilors seem to believe is not a black-and-white issue. The background Tami Kibble wrote in a letter to councilors that she had the intention of moving her parents up to the property at some future date following the purchase. But following the death of her father, her mom hasnt been ready to leave memories behind and relocate. Prior to the ordinance amendment, the Kibbles helped a young family by allowing them to live on the property for about a year. It was just a way to provide a place for them when they were basically getting their feet on the ground, she said. After they moved on, the Kibbles decided they wanted to help someone who had served their country through military service. We prayed about it and we wanted to bring in a military family and give back they do so much for us and I had the provisions to be able to do that, Mike Kibble said. Tami Kibble said they then offered to help the McGann couple not knowing that we may be doing something wrong that was never our intention. She said they never tried to hide the situation and never received any complaints from neighbors. Kyle just got out of the military, still active, and is a full-time student, she said. Hes been in Iraq and Afghanistan and hes been in the service for 10 years and theyre just trying and its their way to afford and thats what weve provided. The tiny house would serve as their residence while Kyle McGann pursued a degree. We had the house built for us, the shell of it, and had an electrician and plumber come in and do everything to code in the house, Kyle McGann said. And then I came in and actually did a lot of the work myself, too. Kyle McGann is majoring in mechanical engineering. The last deployment really took a lot out of us and out of my husband and so we decided not to do the military life anymore, especially with the baby, Brittney McGann said. And hes going back to school and pursuing his dream. The ordinance The letter from Minard caught the couple off guard. The city manager came out the week before and looked at everything and he said everything looked great; he didnt see anything wrong with it, Mike Kibble said. And so, a week later, we got the note and it was like, well, Im going to do the best I can for these guys because of the situation. Workman said the new ordinance had not entered his mind while on the property visit. Im not a planner by background so Im not as well-versed in these and so I came back to the office after talking to them and said, yeah, its a cute house, looks great and they look like a great couple, great addition to the community, Workman said. I came back and talked to Jim and Jim looks at me and says Chris, youre an idiot. We just passed a new ordinance last year specifically talking about trailers and RVs and people not being able to live in them. Workman then recalled the ordinance and they looked through it. He said it was clear about what is acceptable. These are registered as a recreational vehicle, the codes really clear, Workman said. Youre not allowed to live in recreational vehicles in a residential neighborhood whether its on its own lot or on the street or in a backyard. The codes pretty specific that you cant live in them outside of a mobile home park. Philomath has one mobile home park inside the city limits and two others just outside of town. The code does not allow anyone to reside in a recreational vehicle within the city limits for more than 72 hours. Such homes could become legal if taken off their axles and secured to a foundation, but even then, they must have a minimum square footage of 1,000 square feet. So there are really no allowances for it in the code outside of it being in a mobile home park, Workman said. The city decided that given the situation, they would increase the 72-hour limit to 45 days for the tiny house to be moved. Thats what weve done from the administrative side at this point, Workman said. Its not really about the personalities involved or the situations involved, its about the code written the way its written for a reason. Theres a kind of standard for a residential neighborhood, theres a standard for a commercial district, there are standards for industrial properties and these tiny homes just dont meet the standard that we currently have for residential neighborhoods outside of mobile home parks. The reaction The Kibbles and McGanns canvassed the neighborhood in search of comments from those living near the property. They came back with 48 signatures from families that supported the idea, which was submitted to the council along with letters of support from community members. We never wanted it to be a permanent thing for us, Brittney McGann said. We want more children and Im not doing that in a tiny house. This is just a temporary thing to get our feet under ourselves and for him to pursue his dream and focus on school. We never intended to hide anything or go against the city or whatever, she added. Mike Kibble then made a plea to councilors. What we hope to accomplish tonight is for you to open your hearts and have understanding and compassion, he said. Im asking you to make an exception for us and this military family. We have an opportunity tonight to do something great. Council members appeared to react with compassion and understanding of the situation. City councilor Sean Manning said she had driven by the site and was impressed with its appearance. I feel like thats a very different situation than the reason the ordinance was written, Manning said. And I feel like we should consider possibly a grandfathered-in clause. Small towns are meant to be able to sometimes work with our citizens and looking at that and what youve done and your reasons for it, I would encourage us as councilors to consider some kind of exception or whatever we call it in this kind of case. Mike Kibble, who has been collecting garbage in town for the past quarter century and has lived on the same property for 35 years, said he understands the problems. I totally understand what theyre saying when it comes to RVs on the same lot and in the backyard and what you have east of town with big problems, he said. So Im asking, Im really begging for this family because I have an opportunity to let them stay there and complete at least his first year of schooling. Councilor Angie Baca sympathized with the situation and said tiny houses are beginning to gain in popularity and are built to quality standards. To me, its just a house, she said. I dont think this is an RV or a manufactured home or trailer. I think theyre built better than the manufactured homes. Council member Eric Niemann believes the situation falls within the scope of the councils goals, one of which is to strengthen ties with Oregon State. Clearly, housing is one thats very much in the spirit of that, Niemann said. Id encourage our city attorney to investigate on how we might be able to create an exception or investigate whats possible in that regard to help this family. The response My take on it is theres a reason why there are mobile home parks, Mayor Rocky Sloan said. There are reasons why in Portland they have areas where they have the tiny houses; they have their own communities. Sloan added that its reasonable for homeowners to wonder if the value of their home will depreciate based on whats going on next door or in the neighborhood, thus, the reason for such ordinances. Although Sloan said its great that neighbors do not mind the presence of the tiny house, he said Im sure the city attorney can back me up we cant be changing an ordinance to put a tiny house on an island surrounded by normal homes. Jim Brewer, city attorney, indicated there could be a way to solve the issue possibly through a couple of extra steps. He said granting the tiny houses occupants additional time to stay at the site while we figure it out probably wouldnt be a bad idea. In the end, the council gave approval by consensus to give the McGann couple more than the previously suggested 45 days to see if a solution could be reached through work with the city attorney and city planner. The matter would then come back to the council at its March meeting to determine if a resolution could be reached. Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. Hells Angels trial : Former Hells Angel testifies against ex-boss Foto: dpa Koblenz/Bonn In a trial against biker group Hells Angels, a former member has broken his silence to testify against his ex-boss. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken On the third day of a court case against the Bonn chapter of biker group Hells Angels, a former member broke his silence and testified against his ex-boss. The move was highly unusual because members are known for not talking to the state and not respecting the law. The 41-year-old former member is accused along with eight other members of forming a criminal organization, weapons violations, assault, coercion and extortion. Looking for camaraderie, the 41-year-old unemployed man said he turned to the Hells Angels. But he didnt find it there. Instead, he found humiliation and jealousy. He said that one man and his brother dominated the group and went too far with their acts of revenge. State prosecutors accuse the Hells Angels of carrying on brutal fights with other clubs in their turf between Bonn, Westerwald and northern Rhineland-Pfalz. A member of the Outlaws Ahrweiler is accused of beating a victim so badly that he needed to be taken to hospital. The group was also found to have loaded weapons. The size of the Hells Angels is not huge; it was reported to have had 18 members at the time of a raid in 2015. Most members had normal jobs but were required to attend meetings at the clubhouse and pay monthly dues of 100 Euro. It is expected that a second former member will also break his silence and testify in the trial in Koblenz. PHOTOS: Uganda Unveils First Africas Solar Powered Bus bohlah at 17-02-2016 07:51 PM (6 years ago) (m) Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni launched the first ever Solar Bus in Africa yesterday. The bus was designed by Kiira Motors Corporation. The president during the launch said the government will provide UGX500 billion for the Innovation Fund, which will support such projects. Photos below; For more scintillating and juicy stories, follow the official Naijapals accounts On Twitter - https://twitter.com/Naijapals and Facebook - www.facebook.com/naijapals Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni launched the first ever Solar Bus in Africa yesterday. The bus was designed by Kiira Motors Corporation. The president during the launch said the government will provide UGX500 billion for the Innovation Fund, which will support such projects.Photos below; Post Reply I have been reporting on latest news from Nigeria for almost 10 years now. I report on every possible news area I come across, but always ensure my reports are compiled with dignity and fact to uphold my personal values and duty as a journalist Posted: at 17-02-2016 07:51 PM (6 years ago) | Addicted Hero gogoman at 17-02-2016 08:07 PM (6 years ago) (m) so na there naija still dey do mago maga budget for this year Posted: at 17-02-2016 08:07 PM (6 years ago) | Addicted Hero so na there naija still dey do mago maga budget for this year Reply akinmanchy at 17-02-2016 08:12 PM (6 years ago) (m) And the so called giant of Africa shall unveil it own solar keke napep soon....stay tuned Life na jeje so just try to take am softly Posted: at 17-02-2016 08:12 PM (6 years ago) | Hero And the so called giant of Africa shall unveil it own solar keke napep soon....stay tuned Reply Ennyolalekan at 17-02-2016 08:49 PM (6 years ago) (m) I see Posted: at 17-02-2016 08:49 PM (6 years ago) | Gistmaniac I see Reply emma4love3 at 17-02-2016 09:38 PM (6 years ago) (m) heheheh ...wow.... see small uganda don do weitin meanwhile we have all the material here we culdnt create one just becos of those thieves in power.....thank God that the ibos has started something e.g innoson motors ivm Posted: at 17-02-2016 09:38 PM (6 years ago) | Hero heheheh...wow.... see small uganda don do weitinmeanwhile we have all the material herewe culdnt create one just becos of thosethieves in power.....thank God that the ibos hasstarted something e.g innoson motors ivm Reply ajepakoromance at 17-02-2016 10:39 PM (6 years ago) (m) Beautiful, 10 gbosa to Uganda and everyone that brought this idea to live, GBOSAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!. Posted: at 17-02-2016 10:39 PM (6 years ago) | Upcoming Beautiful, 10 gbosa to Uganda and everyone that brought this idea to live, GBOSAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!. Reply kp45 at 17-02-2016 11:56 PM (6 years ago) (m) Good job Posted: at 17-02-2016 11:56 PM (6 years ago) | Hero Good job Reply nwaafoigbo at 17-02-2016 11:57 PM (6 years ago) (m) all we need is biafra.im from biafra the land of wisdom and rising sun.all hail biafra Posted: at 17-02-2016 11:57 PM (6 years ago) | Upcoming all we need is biafra.im from biafra the land of wisdom and rising sun.all hail biafra Reply zezprincess at 18-02-2016 12:07 AM (6 years ago) (f) Nawaooo,see small Uganda,they don dey upgrade small small.only for naija,na missing budget&sack&fire,loot me,loot you,na him u go dey hear&una president wey de globetrote with no result to show for it rather keep on lavishing our money.Rubbish. Posted: at 18-02-2016 12:07 AM (6 years ago) | Hero Nawaooo,see small Uganda,they don dey upgrade small small.only for naija,na missing budget&sack&fire,loot me,loot you,na him u go dey hear&una president wey de globetrote with no result to show for it rather keep on lavishing our money.Rubbish. Reply ujmaria at 18-02-2016 12:15 AM (6 years ago) (f) Nice one Posted: at 18-02-2016 12:15 AM (6 years ago) | Gistmaniac Nice one Reply kison at 18-02-2016 12:29 AM (6 years ago) (m) NAIJA GOVERNMENT NO GO LEARN FROM THIS,,THEIR MAIN AIM IS JUST TO MASTURBATE WITH NIGERIANS MONEY,,,YOU PPL BETTER be careful, be very very careful,CAREFULLLLLLLLL... Posted: at 18-02-2016 12:29 AM (6 years ago) | Hero NAIJA GOVERNMENT NO GO LEARN FROM THIS,,THEIR MAIN AIM IS JUST TO MASTURBATE WITH NIGERIANS MONEY,,,YOU PPL BETTER be careful, be very very careful,CAREFULLLLLLLLL... Reply Asterimou at 18-02-2016 12:58 AM (6 years ago) (m) EVERYTHING WE ARE GOOD AT IS RIGGING. WE WILL RIG ELECTION, RIG BUDGET, AND RIG-LOOT. Posted: at 18-02-2016 12:58 AM (6 years ago) | Gistmaniac EVERYTHING WE ARE GOOD AT IS RIGGING. WE WILL RIG ELECTION, RIG BUDGET, AND RIG-LOOT. Reply appearz at 18-02-2016 01:14 AM (6 years ago) (m) great work. Bobohari Muhammed, come see waitin your mate day use budget day do. nor bi for cows training. Posted: at 18-02-2016 01:14 AM (6 years ago) | Upcoming great work.Bobohari Muhammed, come see waitin your mate day use budget day do. nor bi for cows training. Reply lilchuks28 at 18-02-2016 03:10 AM (6 years ago) (m) nor be news like did person supposed to dey hear? for naija nah only we are fighting Kwaraption we dey hear from our President...... Que Sera Sera Posted: at 18-02-2016 03:10 AM (6 years ago) | Upcoming nor be news like did person supposed to dey hear? for naija nah only we are fighting Kwaraption we dey hear from our President...... Que Sera Sera Reply AmazingMarie at 18-02-2016 04:41 AM (6 years ago) (f) they tried o. i like that. Posted: at 18-02-2016 04:41 AM (6 years ago) | Hero they tried o. i like that. Reply Frederick01 at 18-02-2016 08:24 AM (6 years ago) (m) WHICH PART OF THE BUS THE SOLAR SYSTEM IS BEING POWERED FROM? Posted: at 18-02-2016 08:24 AM (6 years ago) | Upcoming WHICH PART OF THE BUS THE SOLAR SYSTEM IS BEING POWERED FROM? Reply princedafe at 18-02-2016 09:10 AM (6 years ago) (m) Another SENSIBLE act Posted: at 18-02-2016 09:10 AM (6 years ago) | Gistmaniac Another SENSIBLE act Reply DAMILARE100 at 18-02-2016 09:23 AM (6 years ago) (m) Quote from: Frederick Acheaw on 18-02-2016 08:24 AM WHICH Posted: at 18-02-2016 09:23 AM (6 years ago) | Gistmaniac Reply DAMILARE100 at 18-02-2016 09:25 AM (6 years ago) (m) Quote from: Frederick Acheaw on 18-02-2016 08:24 AM WHICH PART OF THE BUS THE SOLAR SYSTEM IS BEING POWERED FROM? OBVIOUSLY AT THE ROOF, SOLAR PANELS ARE NOT PLACED IN AN HIDDEN LOCATION Posted: at 18-02-2016 09:25 AM (6 years ago) | Gistmaniac OBVIOUSLY AT THE ROOF, SOLAR PANELS ARE NOT PLACED IN AN HIDDEN LOCATION Reply #1 Often user don't know whether the post they are sharing on Facebook are shared publicly or just within their friend circle. Just in case you have tinkered with your FB settings before then do check whether the shared posts are set to Only Friends or Friends of Friends. Well, the obvious reason behind this is that your posts may contain some vital information including the photo of your home (making it prone to burglary), places your son/daughter visits frequently (making them prone to kidnapping) and what not! #2 It always better divide your resources into a few bank accounts. Well, the same philosophy applies in the world of internet world. So it is recommended to make separate email addresses which you can use for different purposes. For example, it's always better to have an email address for all your vital account and another less used one for signing into new sites which require sign up procedure to view content. Often than not these sites spam your mail box with unnecessary notifications which you could easily do without. #3 One needs to be careful while surfing internet from a public computer especially in cyber cafes. While surfing the net users leave traces of their search history on the computer which can be misused any time. Apart from that the computer also contains details of your various accounts like emails, e-commerce sites, social media etc. Hence it is recommended to always use Incognito Mode (Chrome)/In-Private Windows (Microsoft Edge) for browsing in such environments. #4 With piracy at its peak, the users are downloading files over torrent like never before. While it doesn't mean that all torrents contain malware, it's definitely true that some do. Always download torrent from trusted sources like Torrentz, Torbox etc. These sites will redirect you to other torrent hosting platforms. It is recommended to download the torrents from site which has a comments section. This will allow you to know the feedback of other fellow users before downloading it. #5 Very often software which you download for free come with popular add-ons which you might not want to install on your PC. Apparently the developers who are providing you the free software are earning their share of money by pushing other lesser known softwares onto your PC - in short this is called affiliate marketing. So while installing the popular software you downloaded, don't just blinding keep clicking on next. The boxes for downloading the additional bloatware is already checked, so you need to uncheck it if you don't want it to clog your PC. #6 With users going gaga over e-commerce, many portals have cropped up across the country. So always check whether or not the site comes https' at the beginning of the URL in the top bar of your browser. In case it doesn't and comes with just http' then it is recommended to avoid paying online at such a portal. It worth noting that the s' stand for secure! Cyber thieves selling your information for millions: Researchers News oi -GizBot Bureau Cyber thieves who steal credit and debit card numbers are selling your information for millions of dollars, a team of researchers has warned. Thomas J Holt, Michigan State University criminologist and lead investigator of one of the first scientific studies to estimate cybercrime profits, said the findings should be a wake-up call for consumers and law enforcement officials. SEE ALSO: 5 apps to record phone calls on your Android Smartphone "In the past two years, there have been hundreds of data breaches involving customer information, some very serious like the Target breach in 2013. It is a real economic phenomenon that has real economic impact and consequences," said Holt, associate professor of criminal justice. For the results, Holt and fellow researchers analysed online forums in English and Russian where criminals sold stolen financial and personal information, often in batches of 50 or 100. On average, a batch of 50 stolen credit or debit cards can make a seller between about $250,000 and $1 million. Although, buyers, in turn, assume more risk of getting caught but if they succeed in using the information, they could make between $2 million (if only 25 percent of the cards worked) and nearly $8 million (if all cards worked). "If we do not understand the scope of this problem, if we just treat it as a nuisance, then we are going to enable and embolden this as a form of crime that would not stop," Holt noted in a paper published in the journal Deviant Behavior. SEE ALSO: 5 Steps to getting your computer files organized Ultimately, Holt said he hopes to help protect consumers from the potentially disastrous effects of identity theft and credit fraud. "My goal is make people cognizant of just how much their personal information means, how much value there is," Holt said, adding that "if we don't understand the scope of this problem, if we just treat it as a nuisance, then we're going to enable and embolden this as a form of crime that won't stop." Source IANS Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications USS Carter Hall Rescues Fishermen in Distress Navy News Service Story Number: NNS160216-23 Release Date: 2/16/2016 3:45:00 PM By Lt. Michael Hatfield, Expeditionary Strike Group 2 Public Affairs ATLANTIC OCEAN (NNS) -- The Norfolk-based dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) rescued three fishermen Feb. 15 after responding to a distress call. It was late afternoon and the crew of the Carter Hall was conducting training and qualification operations in the Atlantic Ocean when they received a bridge-to-bridge mayday call. Two fishing vessels were sinking, and a group of fishermen needed help. Carter Hall quickly responded and steamed toward their location, about 60 miles off the coast of Virginia. As the sun began to set, the Sailors aboard Carter Hall could see a flare sent by the motor fishing vessels (MFV). The ships, MFV Miss Kaylee and MFV Capt. David, were both taking on water. After arriving at the MFVs, Carter Hall launched a rescue life boat and assessed the damage to the vessels. Miss Kaylee was determined to be seaworthy, but Capt. David was not. The three-man crew of Capt. David returned to Carter Hall, and the two-man crew of Miss Kaylee chose to stay aboard their vessel until the U.S. Coast Guard arrived. Once the fishermen arrived aboard Carter Hall, the ship remained there until a Coast Guard vessel arrived. Carter Hall then escorted the Coast Guard ship towing Miss Kaylee to the Oregon Inlet near Nags Head, North Carolina. 'My crew's performance was outstanding, and I couldn't be more proud,' said Carter Hall's Commanding Officer Cmdr. Christina Dalmau. 'We train for these types of lifesaving events frequently because assisting the distressed is the responsibility of all vessels at sea.' NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address F-22 Raptors conduct show of force over South Korea 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs / Published February 17, 2016 OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea (AFNS) -- Four U.S. F-22 Raptors conducted a combined formation flight alongside South Korean F-15K Slam Eagles and U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcons here to demonstrate the capabilities of both nations Feb. 17, in response to recent provocative actions by North Korea. "The F-22 Raptor is the most capable air superiority fighter in the world, and it represents one of many capabilities available for the defense of this great nation. The U.S. maintains an ironclad commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea," Lt. Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, the United Nations Command Korea and U.S. Forces Korea deputy commander and U.S. 7th Air Force commander, told reporters. Lt. Gen. Lee Wang-keon, the South Korea Air Force Operations Command commander, spoke about the strength of the alliance's air combat capabilities during his brief remarks. "The ROK and U.S. combined air forces remain ready to deter North Korean threats, and are postured to defeat them with the strength of our combined air combat capability," Lee said. U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Nicholas Evans, the 36th Fighter Squadron commander, flew alongside the formation, showcasing Osan Air Base's readiness mission. "The combined nature of this flyover highlighted the high level of integration and interoperability between our two air forces, developed through decades of combined training," Evans said. "Furthermore, the inclusion of F-22s, and a B-52 in January, demonstrated the firm resolve of all (U.S.) forces as we stand united with our counterparts from the ROK air force," he added. The mission demonstrated the strength of the alliance between the U.S. and South Korea and the resolve of both nations to maintain stability on the Korean Peninsula. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Inherent Resolve Strikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, February 17, 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, ground-attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted eight strikes in Syria: -- Near Hasakah, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL vehicles, four ISIL buildings and an ISIL fighting position. -- Near Hawl, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL buildings and an ISIL vehicle. -- Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes cratered a road ISIL uses. Strikes in Iraq Fighter, attack, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 13 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government: -- Near Albu Hayat, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and an ISIL mortar system. -- Near Mosul, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units, destroying an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL supply cache and suppressing an ISIL mortar position. -- Near Ramadi, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL beddown locations, an ISIL command and control node, two ISIL-used bridges, and an ISIL vehicle-bomb facility. -- Near Sinjar, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL heavy machine gun. -- Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes destroyed five ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL heavy machine gun. -- Near Tal Afar, a strike destroyed an ISIL tunnel. Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Part of Operation Inherent Resolve The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, the region, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the 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, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S., Southeast Asian Nations Reaffirm Support for Regional Order By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, February 17, 2016 Along with the leaders of the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations, President Barack Obama yesterday reaffirmed their commitment to a regional order in which international rules and norms and the rights of all nations, large and small, are upheld. The president spoke at the end of the U.S.-ASEAN conference in Rancho Mirage, California. ASEAN members are Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei and Burma. "When ASEAN speaks with a clear, unified voice, it can help advance security, opportunity, and human dignity, not only for the more than 600 million people across ASEAN, but for people across the Asia-Pacific and around the world," Obama said. The leaders discussed many issues, from economic development to reinforcing the rule of law to security, the president said. In the security realm, he added, the leaders discussed the need for tangible steps in the South China Sea to lower tensions. These steps include a halt to further reclamation, new construction and militarization of disputed areas, he said. Freedom of Navigation, Unimpeded Commerce "Freedom of navigation must be upheld, and lawful commerce should not be impeded," Obama said. "I reiterated that the United States will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, and we will support the right of all countries to do the same." The United States will continue to work with allies and partners in the region to strengthen their maritime capabilities, Obama said. "We discussed how any disputes between claimants in the region must be resolved peacefully, through legal means, such as the upcoming arbitration ruling under the U.N. Convention of the Law of the Seas, which the parties are obligated to respect and abide by," he added. Libya Situation Reporters asked the president about the situation in Libya and potential further actions against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. "I have been clear from the outset that we will go after [ISIL] wherever it appears, the same way we went after al-Qaida wherever they appeared," he said. As evidence, he pointed to a U.S. attack that killed one of the terror group's most prominent leaders in Libya. "We will continue to take actions where we've got a clear operation and a clear target in mind," he said. "And we are working with our other coalition partners to make sure that, as we see opportunities to prevent [ISIL] from digging in in Libya, we take them." Obama said the United States is working closely with other countries and the United Nations to get a government in place in Libya. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Situation Remains Volatile, Inherent Resolve Spokesman Says By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, February 17, 2016 The situation in Syria remains volatile, even as the region prepares for a cessation of hostilities so nongovernmental agencies can feed starving civilians, the spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve said today. Army Col. Steve Warren laid the responsibility for that suffering at the feet of the Bashar Assad regime. Russia's intervention on the side of the regime has only made matters worse, he said. "This week, we all saw the reports of continued indiscriminate bombing by Russian and regime forces, and even the use of barrel bombs," Warren said from Baghdad. "We also saw the reports of two hospitals and a school in northern Syria being struck. This reckless disregard for civilian casualties only complicates the situation and prolongs human suffering." The colonel updated Pentagon reporters on coalition airstrikes against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant financial targets. These are like ISIL banks that pay terrorists' salaries and finance terror operations, and Warren estimated the strikes have cost ISIL hundreds of millions of dollars. Strikes Include Oil Targets The coalition also launched strikes against oil targets as part of Operation Tidal Wave II, Warren said. "All of [the] targeting of their industrial base or their ability to generate revenue has had an impact," he said. "We've seen reports of ISIL having to reduce its salaries to its fighters, in some cases by as much as half." Warren called this a "fairly significant indicator" that the strikes against ISIL profit centers are "beginning to squeeze them a little bit, and we're going to continue to do that." Coalition forces will continue to hit ISIL's cash, the oil targets and various leadership targets, he added. In other operational news, Iraqi forces continue with the removal of ISIL improvised explosive devices in Ramadi, Warren said. Iraqi forces also are moving along the Tharthar Canal toward Fallujah. "These operations have been supported by 11 [combined joint task force] strikes this week," he added. Finally, Warren said, coalition aircraft conducted 29 strikes in and around Mosul in a week. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taiwan will not accept court ruling on South China Sea disputes ROC Central News Agency 2016/02/17 17:11:05 Taipei, Feb. 17 (CNA) The Republic of China will not accept an imminent ruling on the sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday. The ministry was responding to a call by U.S. President Barack Obama a day earlier that claimants to the disputed islands in the region should seek solutions through legal means and respect international law. 'Any disputes between claimants must be resolved peacefully through legal means such as the upcoming arbitration ruling under the U.N. Convention of the Law of the Seas, which the parties are obligated to respect and abide by,' Obama said at a press conference held at the end of a meeting between the U.S. and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in California. 'The Republic of China cannot accept the ruling,' since Taiwan was not invited to take part in the arbitration process, nor did the court solicit its opinions during the hearings, said the ministry. The Philippines brought the case to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague in 2013 after Beijing refused to withdraw its ships from a disputed shoal under a U.S.-brokered deal. On July 7, 2015, case hearings began with the Philippines asking the court to invalidate China's sovereignty claims. The hearings were also attended by observers from Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The court is expected to hand down its ruling later in the year. 'As a responsible member of the international community, the ROC agrees with the principle that all concerned parties should respect the rules as stipulated by international law, avoid taking unilateral measures that would escalate tensions, and jointly safeguard freedom of navigation around and aviation over the South China Sea,' the ministry said. 'All these are in line with the spirit and principles of the road map to the South China Sea Peace Initiative (as espoused by President Ma Ying-jeou),' it added. Saying that it is regrettable that the ROC has been absent from the hearing process, the ministry said the court ruling should not in any way have any influence on the fact that the ROC owns the sovereignty of the South China Sea islands and is entitlement to the rights in the surrounding waters. (By Tai Ya-chen and Bear Lee) ENDITEM/J NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President-elect urges restraint as tensions rise in South China Sea ROC Central News Agency 2016/02/17 13:37:04 Taipei, Feb. 17 (CNA) President-elect Tsai Ing-wen () on Wednesday called for restraint in the South China Sea, after news surfaced that day that China has deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile system on one of the islands in the contested region. Tensions are now higher in the region, Tsai told reporters before attending a DPP conference, when asked how China's actions would impact regional safety. 'I call on all parties to exercise self-control based on the principle of peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea,' she said. Fox News published satellite images from ImageSat International (ISI) on Tuesday (U.S. time), showing two batteries of eight surface-to-air missile launchers as well as a radar system on Woody Island, according to the news channel. Woody Island, a part of the Paracel Islands, is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. A U.S. official confirmed the accuracy of the photos, Fox News reported. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense spokesman Maj. Gen. Luo Shou-he () said his ministry is aware of China's missile deployment and 'will closely watch subsequent developments.' (By Sophia Yeh and Christie Chen) ENDITEM/ke NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Presidential Office reaffirms ROC sovereignty over Diaoyutais ROC Central News Agency 2016/02/17 13:30:04 Taipei, Feb. 17 (CNA) The Republic of China's (ROC, Taiwan) sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands in the East China Sea is indisputable and any statements that deny this fact are tantamount to the surrender of the country's sovereign rights under humiliating terms, Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen () said Wednesday. Chen's remarks came after former President Lee Teng-hui () wrote in a new book titled 'Remaining Life: My Life Journey and the Road of Taiwan's Democracy' () that 'the Diaoyutai Islands do not belong to Taiwan. This is an unquestionable fact.' In the book, he criticized former premier Yu Shyi-kun's () decision to include the islands under the administration of Toucheng Township, Yilan County, saying 'there is nothing more stupid than this.' In response, Chen said that the ROC government has consistently asserted that the Diaoyutai Islands are an island group appertaining to Taiwan. 'It is an indisputable fact that from the perspective of geography, geology, history and international law, the Diaoyutais are an inalienable part of ROC territory,' Chen noted, while emphasizing that 'no person or country can deny our nation's sovereignty over the islands.' (By Hsieh Chia-chen and Evelyn Kao) Enditem/ke NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tsai refutes ex-president's controversial remarks on Diaoyutais ROC Central News Agency 2016/02/17 12:00:04 Taipei, Feb. 17 (CNA) President-elect Tsai Ing-wen () on Wednesday refuted former President Lee Teng-hui's () controversial remarks that the Diaoyutai Islands in the East China Sea do not belong to Taiwan. 'The Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP's) stance on the matter has always been clear, and that is the Diaoyutai Islands belong to Taiwan,' the DPP chairwoman told reporters before a DPP conference, when asked about her stance on the issue and Lee's remarks. When reporters tried to ask follow-up questions, Tsai quickly walked into the conference venue. Lee stirred up controversy recently with remarks he made in his new book 'Remaining Life: My Life Journey and the Road of Taiwan's Democracy' (:), in which he wrote that 'the Diaoyutai Islands do not belong to Taiwan. This is an unquestionable fact.' In the book, he criticized former premier Yu Shyi-kun's () decision to include the islands under the administration of Toucheng Township, Yilan County, saying 'there is nothing more stupid than this.' It is not the first time that Tsai has refuted Lee's remarks on the Diaoyutai Islands. In July last year, she stated that 'the Diaoyutais belong to Taiwan' when asked about her response to Lee's remarks that the disputed archipelago belongs to Japan during his visit to the country that month. Meanwhile, when asked Wednesday about his stance on the sovereignty of the Diaoyutais, Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan () of the DPP said the islands are 'of course' the territory of the Republic of China (Taiwan). 'Everybody knows this,' Su said. The Diaoyutai Islands have been controlled by Japan since 1972 and were named the Senkaku Islands by the Japanese government. They are also claimed by China, which refers to them as the Diaoyu Islands. (By Sophia Yeh and Christie Chen) ENDITEM/ke NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ex-president's Diaoyutis remarks draw ire of fishermen ROC Central News Agency 2016/02/17 18:09:05 Taipei, Feb. 17 (CNA) A statement by former President Lee Teng-hui () that the Diaoyutai Islands do not belong to Taiwan has drawn the ire of fishermen in the northeastern county of Yilan, with some threatening to protest Japan's attempts to restrict Taiwanese fishing vessels' access to fishing areas near the islands in the East China Sea. Lee wrote in a newly published book titled 'Remaining Life: My Life Journey and the Road of Taiwan's Democracy' () that 'the Diaoyutai Islands do not belong to Taiwan. This is an unquestionable fact.' In the book, Lee criticizes former Premier Yu Shyi-kun's () decision to include the islands under the administration of Toucheng Township () in Yilan County, saying that 'there is nothing more stupid than this.' Suao Fishermen's Association head Chen Chun-sheng () said Wednesday at a press conference that Taiwanese fishermen have operated in the area over the past 100 years and asked how Lee could erase this historical fact. Chen lambasted Lee for lowering himself with his statement pandering to the Japanese at the expense of Taiwanese fishermen's rights and Taiwan's national sovereignty, describing his conduct as unacceptable and shameful. Chen also noted, citing a Japanese newspaper report, that Japanese fishermen have asked their government to unilaterally exclude a designated area near the Diaoyutais from the fishing area covered by the Taiwan-Japan Fishery Agreement, in an attempt to restrict Taiwanese fishing vessels' access to the region. This could harm friendly relations between Taiwan and Japan and create animosity between the fishermen of the two countries, Chen added. Taiwanese fishing vessels have been operating in the area, which is included in fishing areas covered by the fishery agreement, Chen said, adding that if Japan wants to unilaterally exclude the area from the agreed-upon fishing areas, the fishermen's association will not rule out staging a protest. In related developments, Kuomintang (KMT) legislative caucus whip Lin Te-fu () also described Lee's remarks as inappropriate, saying that the Diaoyutai Islands certainly belong to Taiwan. (By Wang Chao-yu, Wang Cheng-chung and Evelyn Kao) ENDITEM/J NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Department of Defense Press Operations News Transcript Presenter: Colonel Steve Warren, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman February 17, 2016 Department of Defense Press Briefing by Col.Warren via teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq CAPTAIN JEFF DAVIS: Good morning, everybody. Apologies for the delay. We did want to let you know that tomorrow we expect to have Lieutenant General Brown, our Air Force Central Command's commander, doing a brief here at 1100 via DVIDS as well. Pleased to be joined today by Colonel Steve Warren. Steve, this will be your last brief via video for a couple of weeks, but we're glad -- look forward to seeing you in person in very short order. But good morning and welcome to you, and hope everything is okay there. COLONEL STEVE WARREN: Thanks, Jeff. Good morning. We just completed an unannounced drill, so sorry for the delay. So -- but I'll jump right in. I've got some prepared remarks here, so let me get started. Good morning, Pentagon press corps. As we've witnessed over the last week, the situation in Syria remains volatile. But let's be clear, the human suffering on the ground is a result of the Assad regime's brutal dictatorship. The Russian intervention has only strengthened his position and worsened the situation there. This week we all saw the reports of continued indiscriminate bombing by Russian and regime forces, and even the use of barrel bombs. We also saw the reports of two hospitals and a school in northern Syria being struck. This reckless disregard for civilian casualties only complicates the situation and prolongs human suffering. Moving on to the operational update. In Ramadi, the removal of IEDs and other hazards continues. Police and security forces are going back through the city to begin making it safe for civilians to return. Roads which were previously unsafe are now open and Iraqi engineers are repairing the Albueta Bridge. Opening this bridge along the Euphrates will facilitate additional military and eventual civilian traffic into the city. Near Fallujah, the ISF continue operations along the Tharthar Canal. These operations have been supported by 11 CJTF strikes this week. Further north, Iraqi security forces and the Peshmerga continue to hold their defensive positions, the ISF between Baiji and Tikrit and the Peshmerga near Sinjar. The coalition has conducted 29 airstrikes in Mosul since last Wednesday, applying significant pressure against ISIL finances and other targets. And that's the end of my brief opening comments this morning, and with that, we'll go straight to questions. Bob or Lita, I guess we'll start with you. Q: Good morning, Colonel Warren. Thanks. A couple of quick questions. You referred to Russian indiscriminate bombing and you then later refer to reckless actions and you mentioned the hospital, are you associating those two things by -- are you saying the Russians were responsible for that particular attack? And also can I ask you separately, you made a brief allusion to striking Islamic State financial targets. Can you give us an update on the degree of financial distress that you think that that is causing, and is it having any effect on their fighting capability? COL. WARREN: Sure. In Syria, we know the Russians conducted -- the Russians and the Syrian regime, frankly -- conducted strikes in the areas where those hospitals and schools were hit. Whether it was Russian strikes or Syrian regime strikes is unclear, but they both conducted strikes in that area. And, of course, those structures were damaged or destroyed. It's important to note that there were no coalition strikes in that area. In fact, there have been no coalition strikes in Aleppo this year, in 2016. On the financial targets, yeah, in fact, we recently struck some more financial targets over the weekend. We hit several more what we'd like to call Daesh cash collection areas. This is areas where ISIL will collect its cash holdings for eventual distribution either to pay salaries or to, you know, finance other military or terrorist operations. So that brings us to a total of 10 cash strikes that we've conducted. Additionally as you know, we've had a long-running campaign called Operation Tidal Wave II, which focuses on oil targets, oil infrastructure, oil capability, oil production, oil transportation. So all of these various targeting of their industrial base or their ability to generate revenue has had an impact. We've seen reports both in Open Source and through other sources of ISIL having to reduce its salaries to its -- to its fighters, in some cases by as much as half. So they're, you know, cutting peoples' salaries, cutting wages. So, I mean, this to us is one fairly significant indicator that the -- these strikes against their ability to generate revenue is beginning to squeeze them a little bit. And we're going to continue to do that. You know, it's going to -- gets into our broader approach, which is to strike against their fielded forces to degrade their ability to fight today, to strike their leadership -- various leadership targets, which of course, degrades and hampers and reduces their ability to command and control their own forces. It also, we believe, sows paranoia within the organization. After every leadership strike, we have a tendency to see an uptick in executions. For example, so it creates hate and discontent within side -- within the ranks. And then, finally, the third leg is this industrial base, which we look at more as really body blows, right? Like a shot to the gut, which may not knock you out today, but over time begins to weaken your knees and cause you to not be able to function the way you'd like to. So we believe we are having some noticeable effects. Bob. Q: Michael or -- well, I have a question related to PYD. Yesterday, the Syrian (inaudible) told press in New York that quote, 'The Syrian Kurds, supported by the American administration are also supported by the Syrian government.' And he had the victories achieved in the northern part of Syrian by Syrian army and Syrian Kurds are the victory of the Syrian government and all Syrians. First of all, isn't weird a little bit that a U.S.-backed group is also supported by Assad regime, which you call a brutal dictatorship. And also, you say your focus is on ISIL. That's okay, we understand that, but are you also concerned that a partner that you are supporting to fight Daesh is also up to some other political enemy (inaudible), which in fact doesn't have anything to do with the fight against ISIL? COL. WARREN: Well, I didn't catch who made this comment in New York. I missed the name that you've said. But you know, I don't know if we've seen any evidence to indicate that the Afrin Kurds are working with the regime. What we've seen is the Afrin Kurds are moving a little bit to the east. Really, we believe in an effort to block the regime from moving north. Tom, if you could pull up the second map there, the Aleppo situation map, we can take a look at it. I think it's notable. So, what you've got here -- and you know, we've found this map as an FOI, found on the Internet. But we believe it is a good representation of the situation on the ground there. I wouldn't normally get one of our maps declassified quickly enough, the situation is changing so rapidly. But this kind of gives you a picture of what the situation looks like that we generally agree with. You'll see there, kind of off to the right-hand side of your map, you'll see the purple area, which is ISIL controlled. And towards the center, you see kind of the orange area. That's opposition force controlled territory. The orange part is really what we've been referring to as the Afrin gap. And off to the left in the yellow, and you have the -- what we're referring to as the Afrin Kurds. This is area controlled by the Afrin Kurds. Down towards the bottom of your map, you see in green an area that's controlled by the regime. And so you had is two weeks ago, the regime kind of closed off that green portion down there. There was a little bit of green off to the left, there was a little bit of green off to the right. Well, two weeks ago, the regime was able to close that gap. So it created a contiguous area of regime control just north of Aleppo. Aleppo is just off the map to the bottom there. So, when that happened, what we believe is that the -- then the Syrian, or the Afrin Kurds, off to the left there in the yellow, began moving from west to east in an effort to prevent the regime forces from being able to push any further north. And so, about a week and a half ago, you can see that -- and there's no label on it, but there's a road that runs along kind of the left hand portion of the map there, a road running north-south. It's in white. Two weeks ago, the Syrian Kurds, the Afrin Kurds were west of that road, they were to the left of that road. As you can see the progress that they've made, moving to the right of your map there from west to east, to the point now where even they've actually come into contact with ISIL, in the purple. You can see that one little spot where yellow meets purple. So, that's kind of what has developed here over the last several days. Yes, we are concerned that forces that we're working with to focus on Daesh or focused on other things, but we certainly understand it. You know, this is a civil war. There's a civil war going on in Syria, right now. Civil wars are messy, civil wars are complicated, civil wars have friction. Civil wars have confusion, and that's what we see playing out here. Q: And -- and just a follow up, is there any other places on the map you can show where the PYD -- or the YPG forces are fighting ISIS, but for that line that you show in -- around, inside Afrin gap? COL. WARREN: Well, and this is only a small piece. I guess, Tom, if you can flip to the opener map, which I don't have here for some reason. I'll just look at it on the screen. So, that opener map there, you can see where green, throughout Syria, that is a combination of Syrian Kurds and -- the Syrian-Arab Coalition, the SAC, we call them. So, that green area, kind in the upper left hand corner of your map there, bordered on the left -- or the west by the Euphrates River, and bordered on the right by the Iraq-Syria border. All of that stretch of green there is area controlled by a kind a combination of Kurds, who, for example, retook Kobani a year ago or more, and the SAC, the Syrian-Arab Coalition. And so, all that green-shaded area there represents territory lost by ISIL since the beginning, since August of 2014. So, all along -- and then, of course in brown, you see areas controlled by ISIL. So, everywhere, where green meets brown, along the northern stretch of that map, that's where -- you know, forces that we are working with are battling ISIL. Q: Seeing that the YPG forces getting to -- (inaudible), and then move toward Azaz, where the two places that are a strong hold of the U.S.-backed opposition groups, how would you consider this? You know, as -- groups supported by you is taking on another group that you also support? COL. WARREN: Yeah, we want them to stop fighting each other and start fighting Daesh. Q: Thanks, Colonel Warren. Glad to hear that you'll be getting a break soon. I have a couple of questions. One, could you give us an update on the status of the Mosul Dam? We've seen reports recently that it might be in danger, and endanger millions of Iraqis. And the second, any additional information you could provide on the three contractors who were freed over the last couple of days? Thank you. COL. WARREN: Sure. Well, we're grateful that those three contractors were freed. Of course, we're thankful for the help that we got from the Iraqi government to make that happen. This was really a -- this was a matter that was handled kind of in diplomatic circles. The CJTF didn't have anything to do with it. Now, on the dam, kind of the same. The CJTF doesn't have anything to do with the Mosul dam. This is something that, you know, that the Iraqi government and that, you know, Iraqi engineers -- and I know that they're working with some civilian -- some foreign civilian companies to get a contract in place to -- to shore that dam up. Q: So there are no, I guess, CJTF forces helping protect it or keep it from failing? COL. WARREN: No, not at this point. Q: One other follow-up on the cash strikes. Do you have an estimate as to how much money in general has been taken out of ISIS's hands through these cash strikes? COL. WARREN: We don't have a hard number that we're prepared to release. We know it's in the -- we believe it's in the hundreds of millions of dollars. So it's -- it's a significant amount of cash that we believe was in those various collection points before we struck them. Obviously, it's impossible to burn up every single bill. So presumably they were able to collect a little bit of it back. But we believe it was a significant series of strikes that have put a real dent in their wallet. Q: And he didn't answer the three American question. CAPT. DAVIS: Did you have anything more to say on the three American contractors? COL. WARREN: Sure, on the three Americans, all I have is that, you know, we're very grateful for the help that we got -- that the Iraqi government gave in securing their release. But we, the CJTF, had absolutely nothing to do with it, frankly, other than just observational. This was something that was handled really by the Iraqi government and I'm sure there were some other American government, U.S. government agencies participating, but none of them were the CJTF. Q: Colonel Warren, could you just go back over this sort of emerging development that the groups the U.S. is backing now some appear to be diverted to other agendas, fighting each other, fighting the regime? Could you just sort of summarize where that stands right now and what your concerns about it are? COL. WARREN: Well, so, you know, if we -- let's pull up the Aleppo map again, please. Tom? So, what we see is, you know, the -- the city of Mari obviously is threatened now by the regime. Right? So the city of Mari is almost dead center on your map there. And you see where the regime runs -- you know, the regime border there is -- is in green. So what we're beginning to see is the moderate Syrian opposition, the MSOs as we call them, the rebel fighters, if you will, in orange there beginning to position themselves southward to counter the threat, the perceived threat, of regime forces pushing north. So in other words, we're seeing this re-positioning at this point, and so that is a little bit of a concern for us because it bleeds combat power off the Mara Line. So the Mara Line is the area where orange meets purple, kind of, again, in the center of your map beginning at Mara and moving north to the Turkish border. That's the Mara Line. And so what -- you know, because of this new threat to the south, we see some re-positioning of forces, movement of combat power off the Mara Line south to face this threat to their southern flank. So it's perfectly understandable, obviously, if they feel threatened, they're going to want to act, but so that's our concern that it is -- it's thinning the line there in Mara Line. Q: If I could just follow up on a couple of points, what's the sort of strategic impact on that tactical piece of the battlefield? In other words, with this bleeding, with this moving south, what does that do to -- if you take power off the Mara Line, what's the impact of that? And you now have, by all accounts from what you're saying, troops that you are supporting with weapons, supplies, assistance, training, now fighting the regime. So U.S. proxies are now fighting the Assad regime. Would that be correct? COL. WARREN: Well, I don't know that there's been any contact yet, or no significant contact. Again, because you see that the Afrin Kurds are still in a position in between the regime and the moderate Syrian opposition. So there has yet to be released, at least in this spot, any real contact. But certainly, you know, time will tell what happens in the future, and obviously, you know, the purpose of the train-and-equip mission is to fight ISIL. That's the purpose. But at the end of the day, we're not there on the ground to force people to do anything. Strategic significance of the Mara Line, thus far, there's been no significant impact. There's enough combat power remaining on the Mara Line supported by coalition airpower that the enemy has not -- ISIL has not had an opportunity to take advantage of it. Again, we'll see what the future holds. Certainly, we want the Mara Line to be held. That, we believe, is important both to us and, frankly, to the Turks as well. So we want the Mara Line to hold -- yeah, we want the Mara Line to hold. CAPT. DAVIS: (off-mic.) Q: Thanks a lot for this, Colonel, for this update. On the Mara Line, there are some press reports suggesting that the Kurds are negotiating with -- now with U.S.-backed forces in Mara Line to take over the city. Are you confirming the reports? COL. WARREN: No, I can't confirm those reports. You know, obviously, tactically, you know, again, we don't have people there on the ground, so local -- at the local tactical level, what's happening is -- you know, has to kind of develop before we see it. But again, you know, what we want to see is these two sets of forces, the Afrin Kurds in the west and the moderate Syrian opposition forces in the center, what we want to see is them come together and -- and fight ISIL. That's what we want to see, that's certainly what we're encouraging through whatever communications channels we're able to establish. Q: That -- (inaudible) -- the advance of the Kurds are -- is productive to counter ISIL efforts in the area to unite with the U.S. backed forces in the area and does advance to cut the regime to -- (inaudible) -- north? Is it -- is productive in terms of the counter-ISIL efforts? COL. WARREN: You'll have to ask me that again. I'm sorry, I missed almost all of it. Q: As you know, the Turkish military is shelling - artillery shelling -- against the Kurdish targets in the area because of this Kurdish advance, but as far as I understand from your comment, this advance -- the Kurdish advance from -- often toward the east, which is cutting the route of the regime toward north, is helping the ISIL -- anti-ISIL efforts in the area. Am I correct? COL. WARREN: Well, it really is de-linked from the counter-ISIL efforts, right? What they've done is -- is cut the regime's ability or they've blocked the regime from being able to -- to progress north. Doesn't really have a whole lot to do with the counter-ISIL fight, it has everything to do with the -- the threat that -- that these forces collectively see from -- from the regime forces. Q: Just one last follow-up. There are also press reports suggesting that this -- some U.S.-backed group in the area, like 101st Brigade or 16th Division, are united under the umbrella of -- (inaudible) -- leader. Is that correct to fight again especially the Kurdish forces in the area? And the second thing, are you ready to support Kurdish forces who reach to ISIL from just below the Mara Line from there? COL. WARREN: On the first part of your question, that's the first I've heard of that, so I can't confirm it. On the second part of your question, as forces are -- are battling ISIL, we will certainly consider whether or not we can provide airpower to support them. Right now, our airpower is focused on vetted Syrian opposition and some with moderate Syrian opposition. We've not yet taken strikes in support of the -- of these -- this group of Afrin Kurds, but it's certainly something to consider. Q: Warren, this is Joe Tabet. If -- (inaudible) -- just to follow up on what -- what you are saying right now, if we -- if we take a broad look at the map, how likely -- do you know how -- how likely do you believe that the Syrian -- the regime forces are capable of to take control of the whole Aleppo area? COL. WARREN: Well, I mean, that remains to be seen. It's difficult to know at this point. They've obviously had some considerable success because of the support they receive from the -- from Russian airpower. I mean, that's indisputable. So their focus right now is more than likely more on Aleppo City. I think that's probably a strategic objective for this enemy, or really for the regime, I guess, probably a strategic objective for the regime forces. Whether or not they intend to move further north, you know, that's something really that remains to be seen. CAPT. DAVIS: Next to (inaudible). Q: Hi, colonel. It's (inaudible). I wanted -- could we go back to Iraq for a moment? That we got a report late last week that as many as 700 Iraqi soldiers had arrived at this northern base called Makhmour, began training for retaking Mosul. Can you give us any details on that? Are there American trainers at this base? How many? And will more Americans be flowing into that region as more Iraqi brigades arrive? COL. WARREN: Sure. There's a lot going on in Makhmour, that's where one of our operations centers is located. So there are American advise and assist capabilities there. Additionally, there, -- that's where the 15th Iraqi division has set up -- established their headquarters there Makhmour where they will kind of begin the process of generating the combat power that's necessary to you know, progress this campaign with an eventual goal of Mosul. Yes, Mosul's far down the road, but you know, that's going to become an area that really kind of directs I think, the battle going forward and through then on. Q: Can you tell us how many Americans are in the area and if more will be coming? COL. WARREN: Cammie, I don't have a number and I probably wouldn't give it to you any ways. So, we do have forces there, both force protection, capabilities as well as advise and assist capabilities. And I'll leave it there. Q: Do you know if not more will be headed there as more brigades arrive? COL. WARREN: Well, again, I don't want to telegraph our punches, so, you know, we've got a certain number of American and coalition trainers, advisers and assisters here in Iraq now. You know, we'll see what happens in the future. Q: One more follow up. This training, is this -- will this be done sort of rotationally? Will Iraqi forces arrive and then head out again, or will they stay up there until it's time to retake Mosul? COL. WARREN: They will cycle through. They won't, they won't stay there, I don't think, for very long. The primary training sites, by the way, are really Taji and Besmaya. So up in Makhmour is really more combat power generation process. We'll do some final training and rehearsals and things like that. But the real training focus is in Baiji and Tikrit, or Baiji and Taji, sorry. CAPT. DAVIS: Next is Andrew Tilghman. Q: Hi, Colonel. It's Andrew Tilghman. First I wanted to -- COL. WARREN: Sorry, did you say something? Q: As you get on -- (inaudible), Tigris Valley corridor -- CAPT. DAVIS: Steve, we can't hear you. COL. WARREN: Just a second ago, I said -- sorry. The delay is fighting us. A minute ago, what I said was the training sites are in Besmaya is what I meant to say. Training is Besmaya and Taji. I think I accidently said training is in Baiji. It's not. It's in Besmaya. Sorry, go ahead, Andrew. Q: Yes, as you move your focus over towards the Tigris River and thinking about Mosul, that's an area we've associated more with the -- the militia organizations. I'm wondering, has anything really changed since, for example, Tikrit last year in terms of your plans for working with those groups or not with those groups? Is there any discussion of maybe some of those militia groups taking part in the training? Is there any -- is there any change in the policy of not wanting to work with them at all and sort of differentiating between the two types of militias that you will and you won't work with? COL. WARREN: Well, so, I mean, our focus is on the Iraqi security forces, right? I mean, that's who we work with. We work with the Iraqi security forces. Now, there are pieces of the PMF, for example, you know, the Sunni tribal fighters who enroll in the popular mobilization force program who, of course, we're going to work with. So, but really, all of it's channeled and funneled and focused through the ministry of defense, right? I mean, the end question is whoever is working directly under the control of the ministry of defense, that's who we'll support. So I think that's kind of been our policy all along. That will continue to be our policy. Q: Could I ask you about Syria also? You mentioned that you want these groups that are -- that the U.S. is supporting that are either potentially fighting each other or fighting the regime forces, and you want them to -- to turn their attention to ISIS. But is there any -- what can you do given the situation now that you don't have anybody on the ground? Is there anything that you can do in terms of offering military support or withdrawing military support? Or making phone calls to pressure them? What -- what can you offer Baghdad do -- to try to make that happen? COL. WARREN: Yeah, so, from here and Baghdad, really the focus is, you know, through our interlocutors in -- the SDF, right -- the Syrian Democratic Forces. You know, we're talking to them and laying out what's best in our view for them as well. And -- and really continue to just, you know, convince them that focusing on Daesh really is in their best interests. And, you know, we've seen success there. Just today, we're seeing efforts to seize Shaddadi, which is a city, a small town, I guess, just south of Alhal (inaudible), kind of near the Iraqi-Syrian border. So this is a fairly significant operation that the Syrian-Arab coalition has launched to push into Shaddadi, which is going to really provide significant added pressure on to Raqqah. And this operation is planned and staged and prepared for and now executed with advice from this coalition and with the support of air power from this coalition. So that's -- that's really the mechanism that we use. CAPT. DAVIS: John, right? Okay. Q: Colonel Warren, John Hines, One America News. Thank you for your information. I just wanted to ask you about these cash collection stations. How do you identify those? And how do you know that its cash -- cash is being exchanged? What does that look like? I'm trying to get an idea of what this looks like and how you figure out that's what's going on. I don't know how you do that. COL. WARREN: Yeah. I can't get into much detail on how we figure it out. It's using various intelligence techniques. We know about the success, though, afterwards. In fact, we showed a video several weeks ago of a strike against one of these sites, and you could -- you could see the actual bills kind of fluttering out of the sky after the -- after the building was struck. So, you know, we use all of the sources of intelligence that we have available to us to determine where these targets should be, as we do with any target. I mean, target tiering is intelligence driven, right? You receive intelligence, you develop the target, you refine the target, you strike the target. And so this is simply another target and -- so we use the same process as with any target. And then, of course, afterwards, we're able to use overhead, various, you know, UAVs, drones et cetera to observe the target area and see what happened. Q: And I had a follow-up. Just -- so these are -- these are strikes from the air, airstrikes. Is that correct? COL. WARREN: These are all airstrikes. That's correct. Q: That must be some pretty good intelligence, though, if you -- if you have an idea of what's going on, I mean, in that detail, that granular detail. COL. WARREN: It is. Q: Hey Steve, it's Lus. Three quick questions, please. You referred to the cash Daesh, you've upped your estimate now. You used to say tens of millions, now you're saying hundreds of millions. Can you give us a little ballpark figure? Is it in the low hundreds of millions or in the high hundreds of millions? COL. WARREN: It is in the hundreds of millions, Luis. I'm not -- I'm not going to go much past there. I -- yeah. I'm just going to stay there. Hundreds of millions. That's a good -- that's a good number. Q: I anticipated that answer. So the next question, General MacFarland, he's -- how is his assessment going of potential force increases for more training or trainers for advise-and-assist? Has that begun? Where is that -- where is that in the process right now? COL. WARREN: Right. So we're continuing that. You know, General MacFarland will -- and the staff here will create what we believe are the additional capabilities that we need, you know, for the fight, for the future fight. And we're going to -- we're going to give those to CENTCOM, U.S. Central Command, and we'll let them have a look at them and they'll process them, run those recommendations through their staffing process and then it'll move along the chain of command from there. So we're fairly far along on it. I believe that no matter what happens, all of these things have to get worked concurrently, if you will, through the government of Iraq, right? We've been very clear that we're not going to bring additional forces here without the government of Iraq's approval, so we're going to have to work these things on two parallel tracks. But we're moving right along. Q: And last one has to do back with Syria. Last August, there were American airstrikes in support of those vetted democratic -- you know, the moderate rebels, the new Syrian forces. Have there been any airstrikes in support of them since then, and defensively? COL. WARREN: Well sure. I mean, we strike along the Mara Line almost daily. You know, I mean, there's -- yeah, there's been, you know, fairly steady fighting along the Mara Line -- and I'm pointing at my map here, sorry -- along that area of orange and purple on the Aleppo map. You know, as those forces come in contact with the -- with ISIL, you know, we're there to provide them the airpower that they need. Q: That -- I guess that's more tactical, but I'm talking about in -- back in August, they were in danger of being overrun, that's why you launched those kinds of airstrikes. Have there been any similar episodes since then where facing, you know, that kind of a situation? COL. WARREN: No, not really. I mean, there's -- you know, along that Mara Line, you know, there's been -- there's been a real steady back-and-forth, right? The MSOs will seize a town or a village and then, you know, ISIL will counter attack and take it back. And then a week later, it'll go back. So there are several -- along that line there, there's been villages and towns changing hands, you know, fairly frequently. It's -- you know, it's a fairly static line, so movements along that line are really minuscule, you know, a matter of a town, a few hundred meters, a kilometer at the most, and that's just been ongoing like that, you know, really for months, if not a -- if not a full year. And, you know, we're going to continue to support those guys as they continue to keep this pressure on the enemy. But as far as, you know, they are -- what you're talking about in August, that was -- I mean, that was really a -- that was kind of a one-off right? That was a -- that was a force that we had trained, right, we -- under the old Syria train-and-equip program. We had trained some fighters, infiltrated them back into Syria; I'm trying to recall the details. And then -- and then there was a fight that dusted up with al-Nusra and then we provided airpower to support our newly trained, vetted Syrian opposition who at that point had been integrated with a larger unit, and this whole unit was under attack from al-Nusra and it was a tough fight and a, you know, at the time very significant fight. And we did provide airpower there in support of those. I'm not aware of any other cases of that happening since then. I can't think of any other situations where that's happened. Q: Thanks. CAPT. DAVIS: Anybody else? Quick follow-ups from Barbara. Q: Can we go back to Russia? So Russia, of course, has publicly denied that it had anything to do with either -- with the hospital strike types, I believe also the school, but at least they've publicly denied the hospital strikes. You have pointed out that the U.S. had no planes, no aircraft near that area at all. As we're now perhaps just over 48 hours from the cease-fire supposed to be going into effect, one, do you see any evidence of the Russians even getting ready to support the cease-fire? What is the pace of their bombing activity? And what is the pace of their public candor about their activities? COL. WARREN: Well, their bombing has continued apace. We've not seen a lessening of the intensity. If anything it's increased. In fact, we saw some shorter range ballistic missiles fired off in the last couple of days, three of them, again, landing in this area. So there has been no lessening of the intensity of the Russian and the regime air campaign. We saw continued use of, you know, these barrel bombs that cause tremendous damage, and most of that damage indiscriminate. We've seen, you know, continued use of just regular tactical aircraft. So there has been no noticeable decrease. But again, this is only aircraft, right, so all you have to do is not fly that day and you can stop. So I don't know that there's really -- we won't see any notable preparation for the temporary cessation of hostilities, which is what this is. Cease-fire and temporary cessation of hostilities, I've learned, are terms of art and have different meanings. So -- so there. No -- no -- no diminishing of their -- of their -- their campaign. As far as their public candor, you know, all I can tell you is -- is what actually happened. What actually happened is that Russian regime aircraft conducted strikes in those areas and those hospitals were hit. Unclear to us whether -- if it was a Russian aircraft, Syrian aircraft or a Russian missile or a Syrian missile. That -- that part is, at this point, a little bit unclear to us. But what we do know is that there were strikes in the area and we know that hospitals were hit. So that's what we know. CAPT. DAVIS: (off-mic.) Q: Steve -- (inaudible). I just wanted a clarification. You mentioned when you were talking about the -- the Russian airstrikes, cessation of hostilities, you mentioned barrel bombs. You're not saying that the Russians are dropping barrel bombs, are you? Or are you? COL. WARREN: No, I'm not. The barrel bombs came out of the back of Syrian helicopters. Q: Just to clarify, since -- COL. WARREN: It happened on some of our overhead. There's no question. Q: And just to clarify, since you've now determined the difference between cease-fire and cessation of hostilities, is there any evidence that there has so far been a cessation of hostilities? COL. WARREN: At this point, there has been no cessation of hostilities from -- from our perspective, no. CAPT. DAVIS: (inaudible) -- quick. Q: Yes, just -- just this one. Colonel, do you have any indication or evidence that the Assad regime is targeting the Kurdish -- Afrin Kurds as the regime is moving northward? COL. WARREN: Evidence that the Assad regime is targeting Afrin Kurds. Well, I mean, their -- their lines have -- (inaudible). I don't know that we've seen -- I think we have seen some kind of low-level, I think one of those barrel bomb strikes executed -- conducted by the Syrian regime, you know, a Syrian helicopter, was against Afrin Kurds. But it's been limited. CAPT. DAVIS: Quickly, please. Q: Colonel, is there any indication that the Afrin Kurds are cooperating with the Russians? COL. WARREN: Well, you know, it's difficult to tell from here. Like I said, we -- we did see, you know, a strike against the -- the Afrin Kurds in recent days, so certainly, that's not cooperative. So it's really difficult to tell. CAPT. DAVIS: Thank you, everybody. Steve, thank you very much. We look forward to seeing you in person in the coming days. COL. WARREN: Thanks, guys. I'll see you next week. Take care. http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/657450/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address USNS Maury (T-AGS 66) Delivered Navy News Service Story Number: NNS160217-05 Release Date: 2/17/2016 12:35:00 PM From Team Ships Public Affairs PASCAGOULA, Mo. (NNS) -- The Navy accepted USNS Maury (T-AGS 66) from builder VT Halter Marine Feb. 16. The USNS Maury was designed to perform acoustic, biological, physical and geophysical surveys. The vessel will provide the U.S. military with essential information on the ocean environment. 'The Navy's acceptance of T-AGS 66 is the culmination of a dedicated team effort between the Navy and VT Halter,' said Mike Kosar, the Support Ships, Boats, and Craft program manager for the Navy's Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. 'I look forward to learning of the new and innovative contributions to science and ocean exploration that USNS Maury and her crew will undoubtedly make over the next 30 years.' T-AGS 66 is named in honor of Cmdr. Matthew Fontaine Maury, known as the 'Father of Modern Oceanography,' and nicknamed, 'Pathfinder of the Seas.' He dedicated his life to the study of naval meteorology and oceanography, and made copious contributions to the charting of wind and ocean currents. USNS Maury will continue to contribute to his curiosity and thirst for ocean discovery and understanding. The vessel is 353 feet in length with an overall beam of 58 feet. Maury is 24 feet longer than the previous T-AGS design to accommodate a moon pool for deployment and retrieval of autonomous underwater vehicles. Maury will be operated by the Military Sealift Command (MSC). MSC consists of non-combatant, civilian crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, chart ocean bottoms, conduct undersea surveillance, tactically preposition combat cargo at sea and move military equipment and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces around the world. As one of the Defense Department's largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all major surface combatants, amphibious ships, special mission and support ships, and special warfare craft. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Limited defense facilities on Nansha Islands have nothing to do with militarization: FM People's Daily Online (People's Daily Online) 17:48, February 17, 2016 China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday said China's limited, necessary defense facilities on Nansha Islands of the South China Sea are in accordance with international law, which endows any sovereign state with the rights of self-protection and self-defense. The facilities are therefore indisputable and have nothing to do with militarization, Wang said. Wang made the remarks at a press conference after meeting with his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop in Beijing. He stressed that non-militarization in the South China Sea serves the interest of all parties concerned, but the principle should be used to hold all parties - instead of any single country - accountable, and there should be no double or multiple standards regarding the matter. The minister also expressed hopes that the media can pay more attention to the civilian facilities China has built and is going to build on relevant islands and reefs, which are the public goods provided for the international community by China as the largest state along the South China Sea coast. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China urges Australia not to meddle in the South China Sea issue People's Daily Online By Yuan Can (People's Daily Online) 16:24, February 17, 2016 Australia should adopt an objective and unbiased attitude and refrain from doing anything that undermines regional peace and stability, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday. Deploying necessary national defense facilities on its own territory is China's exercise of self-preservation and defense, a right granted by international law to sovereign states, said Hong Lei at a regular press conference. Hong said that the Philippines' unilateral initiation of international arbitration does not comply with international law and runs counter to the consensus reached between China and the Philippines as well as relevant provisions of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and the action will never be accepted by China. 'The Australian side should not selectively evade that objective fact,' said Hong. For the South China Sea issue, China has expounded on its principled position on many occasions. According to earlier report, before leaving for visits to Japan and China, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told reporters that Australia expects continued freedom of navigation of planes and ships, civilian and military, in the South China Sea, and will seek explanation from China on the latest development of its island building activities. She hoped that China would halt construction activities. Furthermore, Australia supports the right of the Philippines to take its maritime dispute with China to international arbitration. In the meantime, the U.S. continues to stir up the South China Sea issue. Military expert Li Jie told the Global Times that it is reasonable for China to establish defense facilities in the area for the safety of fishing boats, hydrological and meteorological observatories and civilian flights. At the conference Hong said China welcomes Foreign Minister Bishop's visit to China. It is very important to maintain regular exchanges between China and Australia. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address HRW denounces Taliban use of child soldiers Iran Press TV Wed Feb 17, 2016 6:38PM Human Rights Watch (HRW) has strongly denounced the Taliban militant group for recruiting children and young boys to its ranks for militant activities across Afghanistan. In a detailed report on Wednesday, the New York-based group said the Taliban have been training and deploying child soldiers to combat since the middle of 2015 due to expanded militant operations against Afghan government forces. It added that the militant group has recruited children as young as six years old to eventually be deployed to combat missions. The report noted that Taliban have used special centers to provide military training to children between the ages of 13 and 17 in the northern province of Kunduz over the past months. The militant group had briefly overrun the provincial capital of Kunduz during its offensive in September last year. The findings are based on interviews the rights group conducted with relatives of children recruited as Taliban soldiers during the past year. HRW says it has verified these claims through interviews with political analysts, civil society activists and the United Nations. Meanwhile, Patricia Gossman, senior HRW Afghanistan researcher, has described the Taliban's strategy to throw increasing numbers of children into battle as brutal. 'The Taliban's apparent strategy to throw increasing numbers of children into battle is as cynical and cruel as it is unlawful,' Gossman said, adding, "Afghan children should be at school and at home with their parents, not exploited as cannon fodder for the Taliban insurgency." The international rights group has demanded that the Taliban militants immediately put an end to the illegal use of child soldiers. "The Taliban's increasing use of children as soldiers only adds to the horrors of Afghanistan's long conflict both for the children and their families. The Taliban should immediately stop recruiting children and release all children in their ranks, even those who claim to have joined willingly," she noted. This comes as Afghan forces have been engaged in military operations across the country to end the Taliban-led militancy and violence. Afghanistan is gripped by insecurity over 14 years after the United States and its allies invaded the country as part of Washington's so-called war on terror. The 2001 attack overthrew the Taliban, but many areas across Afghanistan still face violence and insecurity. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi Arabia blocks UN aid ship bound for Yemen Iran Press TV Wed Feb 17, 2016 5:22PM The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) says Saudi Arabia has seized a ship carrying food for Yemen over 'humanitarian IT equipment' and diverted it to its southwestern province of Jizan. The WFP's senior regional spokeswoman, Abeer Etefa, said the MV Mainport Cedar was diverted to Jizan last Thursday while it was traveling from Djibouti to an approved stop at Yemen's port of Hudaydah. 'On behalf of the Yemen humanitarian community, the vessel was transporting commodities including canned tuna, medical supplies for delivery to Hudaydah Port and United Nations emergency telecommunications cluster IT equipment for delivery to the Port of Aden,' Etefa told AFP on Wednesday. 'WFP is still in communication with the coalition forces regarding the circumstances of the ship's diversion to Jizan port,' she said from Cairo, Egypt. The agency's senior regional spokeswoman was referring to the so-called Saudi-led coalition against Yemen. Etefa said the UN agency has resubmitted documents for the 'humanitarian IT equipment' as requested by the coalition. The news comes despite the warning issued by Stephen O'Brien, the United Nations relief chief, on Tuesday about a "humanitarian catastrophe" in Yemen. Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asiri, the Saudi coalition spokesman, has claimed that the ship carried four declared containers of humanitarian aid but coalition inspectors also found 'military communications equipment' elsewhere in the ship. 'There is some equipment that wasn't declared,' he said, adding the satellite dishes, solar power units and 'crypto systems' are the type of gear used by Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah fighters. Separately, Riyadh intensified its airstrikes on the Yemeni provinces of Sa'ada and Sana'a, destroying residential buildings. Meanwhile, Yemen's al-Masirah television said Yemeni army and popular committees thwarted an attempt by Saudi forces to retake the kingdom's city of al-Rabou'a, killing and injuring an unspecified number of them. The Yemeni forces had taken control of the city in November last year in retaliation for the Saudi aggression. Scores of soldiers were also forced to flee the military bases of al-Mosafaq, Jabal al-Dukhan, al-Dabrah in the Saudi province of Jizan as they have been hit by Yemeni artillery shells. Since March 26, 2015, Yemen has been under military attacks by Saudi Arabia with the declared aim of undermining the Houthi Ansarullah movement and restoring power to the fugitive former Yemeni president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a Riyadh ally. Nearly 8,300 people, among them over 2,230 children, have reportedly been killed and over 16,000 others injured since the onset of the campaign. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country's infrastructure. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US F-22 stealth warplanes land in South Korea Iran Press TV Wed Feb 17, 2016 5:12PM In a move that is slated to further fuel tensions in the Korean peninsula, the US has flown four advanced F-22 Raptor fighter jets to South Korea, amid a standoff with North Korea over its nuclear and missile tests. The Raptors, capable of flying past radars undetected, landed at Osan Air Base near Seoul on Wednesday, marking a clear show of force against Pyongyang, a day after Seoul warned of the North's collapse. Describing the aircraft as "the most capable air superiority fighter in the world," Lieutenant General Terrence O'Shaughnessy, deputy commander of the US military command in South Korea, said in a statement that the US maintained an "ironclad commitment" to defend its ally in the peninsula. The F-22s were flown from their base in Okinawa in Japan but US military officials have yet to say how long the jets will stay in South Korea. Deployment of powerful US aircraft to South Korea in times of tension with North Korea is not unprecedented, as in January a nuclear-capable B-52 bomber were sent to the region in the wake of Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test. The move comes shortly after America deployed an additional Patriot missile battery at Osan Air Base, stirring speculations that the two countries are working on a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system deployment in South Korea. The current standoff between the two Koreas flared after North Korea carried out a nuclear test last month, followed by a long-range rocket launch in early February. The country declared itself a nuclear power in 2005 and carried out several nuclear weapon tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. Seoul, in response, shut down an inter-Korean factory park that had been the two nations' last major symbol of cooperation, arguing it had been used by Pyongyang to fund its nuclear and missile programs. In a parliament speech Tuesday, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Seoul would take "stronger and more effective" measures to make North Korea realize its nuclear ambitions will result only in accelerating its "regime collapse." On Friday, the US House of Representatives passed legislation which would impose tougher sanctions on North Korea. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Bomb attack leaves 13 dead in Yemen military camp Iran Press TV Wed Feb 17, 2016 10:44AM More than a dozen people have lost their lives in a powerful bomb explosion that ripped through a military camp housing militants in Yemen's southern coastal province of Aden. Military and medical sources said a man detonated his explosives-laden vest among soldiers at Raas al-Abbas camp in the Red Sea port city of Aden, situated 346 kilometers (214 miles) south of the capital, Sana'a, on Wednesday, leaving thirteen troopers dead, Yemen's al-Masirah television network reported. The camp reportedly houses Saudi-backed mercenaries fighting Yemeni army soldiers and fighters from Popular Committees. Earlier on Wednesday, Yemeni soldiers together with fighters from Popular Committees managed to establish full control over the strategic Dhubab district in the southwestern Ta'izz Province following heavy clashes with Saudi-sponsored militiamen loyal to fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi. At least 25 pro-Riyadh mercenaries were killed and 30 others injured in the process. 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. More than 8,300 people, among them 2,236 children, have been killed and 16,015 others injured since the start of the attacks. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 24 Yemeni civilians killed in new Saudi strikes Iran Press TV Wed Feb 17, 2016 8:38AM At least two dozen civilians have lost their lives and more than a dozen others sustained injuries in a string of new airstrikes by Saudi Arabia against areas across Yemen. On Wednesday morning, Saudi warplanes carried out aerial assaults against residential buildings in al-Mahjar Village, which lies on the outskirts of the capital, Sana'a, leaving 13 civilians, mostly women, dead, Yemen's al-Masirah reported. Three people were also killed when Saudi jets targeted their vehicle as it was traveling along Bani Hajil highway in the Nihm district of Sana'a Province. Additionally, a civilian and his wife were also killed when Saudi jets pounded the Kharab al-Marashi district of the northern Yemeni province of Jawf. Saudi jets also bombarded the Hayfan district in the same Yemeni province on Wednesday, wounding four civilians and seriously damaging a telecommunications tower and a mosque in the area. Elsewhere, in the Monabbih district of Yemen's northwestern province of Sa'ada, two civilians were killed and five others wounded in a Saudi airstrike. Meanwhile, Yemeni army forces, backed by fighters from Popular Committees, have established full control over the strategic Dhubab district in the southwestern Ta'izz Province following heavy clashes with Saudi-backed militiamen loyal to fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. At least 25 pro-Riyadh Takfiri mercenaries were killed and 30 others injured in the process. An unnamed militia commander blamed the scarcity of munitions and the unwillingness shown by Saudi forces to treat Yemeni militiamen for the defeat suffered by his forces in Dhubab. 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. Almost 8,300 people, among them over 2,230 children, have been killed and 16,015 others injured in the war. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN aid chief warns of humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen Iran Press TV Wed Feb 17, 2016 7:2AM The United Nations relief chief has warned that Yemen is facing a "humanitarian catastrophe", urging warring sides to stop restricting aid access in the impoverished Arab country. 'The parties to the conflict have a duty of care in the conduct of military operations to protect all civilian persons and objects - including humanitarian and health care workers and facilities - against attack,' Stephen O'Brien told the UN Security Council on Tuesday. He said at least 7.6 million people are seriously "food insecure" in Yemen, noting that the war in the country has made over 1,170 schools and 600 health facilities unfit, as a result of which some 3.4 million children do not go to school. The UN official asked all parties in Yemen to facilitate humanitarian access to all parts of the country, saying aid deliveries are very challenging across the country's north due to Saudi airstrikes. 'UN agencies and NGO partners are delivering assistance under extraordinarily difficult and dangerous circumstances,' said O'Brien, adding that last Sunday a Saudi airstrike hit a building 200 meters away from the Diplomatic Transit Facility, which accommodates UN and diplomatic personnel. O'Brian also referred to Saudi Arabia's recent warning to the UN and other aid agencies to withdraw staff from northern Yemen, saying this has impacted the planning of the humanitarian community. Philippe Bolopion, a Human Rights Watch official, also said on Tuesday that 'coalition members should be under no illusion that this warning absolves them of their obligation to distinguish between civilian and military objects, and to protect humanitarian personnel and facilities from attack' and said the Saudi warning could be considered a threat to aid workers. He was referring to the Saudi-led coalition involved in the bloody war against Yemen. On Monday, the World Food Program (WFP) also warned of famine in the city of Ta'izz as Saudi Arabia pressed ahead with its war campaign against Yemen. Over 8,278 people, including children, have been killed since the Saudis started attacks on the poorest Arab country in March 2015. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US officials report 'apparent deployment' of missiles by China Iran Press TV Wed Feb 17, 2016 1:55AM There has been an "apparent deployment' of China's surface-to-air missiles on Woody Island in the South China Sea, US defense officials say. The deployment was initially reported by Fox News, citing exclusively obtained satellite imagery confirmed by US officials. "The imagery from ImageSat International (ISI) shows two batteries of eight surface-to-air missile launchers as well as a radar system on Woody Island, part of the Paracel Island chain in the South China Sea," Fox News said in its report. According to the images, the missiles arrived over the past week because a beach on the island was empty on February 3, but it was deployed with the missiles by February 14. The officials said the imagery appears to show the HQ-9 air defense system with a range of 125 miles. The development came at a time when US President Barack Obama called for 'tangible steps' to reduce tensions in the South China Sea. 'We discussed the need for tangible steps in the South China Sea to lower tensions including a halt to further reclamation, new construction and militarization of disputed areas,' Obama said Tuesday after a two-day summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders in California. 'When ASEAN speaks with a clear and unified voice, it can help advance security, opportunity and human dignity." In a joint statement, Obama and the 10 ASEAN leaders demanded the 'peaceful resolution' of a myriad of competing territorial claims over islands, atolls and reefs. 'Freedom of navigation must be upheld, and lawful commerce should not be impeded,' Obama said. 'The United States will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, and we will support the right of all countries to do the same.' The US has long accused 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Daesh-Taliban clashes kill 13 militants in Afghanistan Iran Press TV Wed Feb 17, 2016 5:52AM More than a dozen people have been killed and several others injured during clashes between the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group and Taliban militants in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar. Attaullah Khogyani, the spokesman for the provincial governor, said the two sides engaged in heavy exchanges of gunfire in the Achin district of the beleaguered province, which is situated over 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of the capital, Kabul, on Tuesday. He added that the clashes claimed the lives of at least 13 individuals from the two sides, and left eight others injured. Last month, at least 30 people were killed in clashes between Daesh and Taliban in the Bati Kot district of Nangarhar Province. Earlier, in December 2015, skirmishes between Daesh militants and Taliban extremists in the Chaparhar district of the same Afghan province had left at least 15 people dead. Two civilians were caught in the crossfire and sustained gunshot wounds. Afghanistan, parts of which have long been considered a bastion of Taliban, has recently been seeing the emergence and limited expansion of Daesh. Nangarhar, in particular, is one area where Daesh has visibly gained a foothold. On June 16, 2015, the Afghan Taliban militant group warned Daesh ringleader, Ibrahim al-Samarrai, also known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, against "waging a parallel insurgency in Afghanistan." Afghanistan is gripped by insecurity more than 14 years after the United States and its allies attacked the country as part of Washington's so-called war on terror. Although the 2001 attack overthrew the Taliban, many areas across Afghanistan still face violence and insecurity. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Beijing Urges Washington to Stop Impinging on Chinese Sovereignty Sputnik News 14:24 17.02.2016 Beijing called on Washington not to impinge on Chinese sovereignty under the pretext of freedom of navigation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Wednesday. BEIJING (Sputnik) On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama said in a press conference following the US-ASEAN Leaders Summit that the United States would continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allowed, including in the South China Sea. He added that the participants of the summit agreed to take measures to stabilize situation in the region, including putting a halt to the further reclamation, new construction and militarization of disputed areas. 'The United States is not an involved party in the South China Sea issue. That's why it should act and speak on this issue carefully We oppose resolutely the flexing of muscles by other states and attempts to impinge on Chinese sovereignty and security under the pretext of freedom of navigation and flights,' Hong told reporters. He added that the United States should support international efforts to solve the problem through negotiation and not increase tensions in the region. China and a number of regional states, including Vietnam, Taiwan and Malaysia, have rival claims to hundreds of islands and reefs in the South China Sea. Beijing has claimed sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and a 12-nautical-mile zone surrounding them. The United States has recently challenged China's claims by conducting patrols near the islands, citing freedom of navigation. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN relief official calls on Israel to halt demolitions in occupied West Bank immediately 17 February 2016 A senior United Nations humanitarian official today called for an immediate halt to the destruction of Palestinian-owned property in the occupied West Bank and for respect for international law. "The number of demolitions for just the first six weeks of 2016 is greatly alarming," said Robert Piper, the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance and Development Aid for the occupied Palestinian territory, in a press release. "Over 400 Palestinians have been displaced from their homes equivalent to over half the total number of Palestinians displaced in all of 2015," he added. According to the UN, between 1 January and 15 February, Israeli forces destroyed, dismantled or confiscated 283 homes and other structures, displacing 404 Palestinians, including 219 children, and affecting another 1,150 Palestinians, who lost structures related to their source of income. Over 100 of the demolished structures were already provided as humanitarian assistance to families in need, often in the wake of an earlier demolition. These incidents reportedly occurred in 41 Palestinian locations, many in Palestinian Bedouin or herder communities in Israeli-controlled Area C. "Most of the demolitions in the West Bank take place on the spurious legal grounds that Palestinians do not possess building permits," said Mr. Piper, "but, in Area C, official Israeli figures indicate only 1.5 per cent of Palestinian permit applications are approved in any case. So what legal options are left for a law-abiding Palestinian?" Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has noted that the Israeli zoning and planning policy in the West Bank is "restrictive and discriminatory." Under international humanitarian law, the destruction of property in an occupied territory is also prohibited unless absolutely necessary for military operations. "International law is clear Palestinians in the West Bank have the right to adequate housing and the right to receive humanitarian assistance," said Mr. Piper. "As the occupying power, Israel is obliged to respect these rights." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New trust fund launched by UN and Colombian Government for peacebuilding needs 17 February 2016 The United Nations and the Government of Colombia today announced the launch of a new multi-partner trust fund in the country's capital, Bogota, to respond to stabilization and peacebuilding needs. UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric noted that the Fund will be managed by the Government and the UN, in close cooperation with interested donors, and will especially support conflict areas in the lead-up to and aftermath of possible peace agreements with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP). In January, the Security Council approved a new UN political mission to monitor disarmament should a final agreement to end Latin America's longest armed conflict be reached. The FARC rebels and the Government have been in talks seeking to end the 51-year conflict that has left nearly a quarter of a million victims. "The fund will boost access to justice, community security and local governance capacity, restore victims' rights and kick-start social and economic rehabilitation," said UN Mr. Dujarric. Norway, Sweden and the UN's own Peacebuilding Fund are the first contributors, helping the new fund kick off today with an initial $8 million dollars. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yemen: UN envoy calls on Security Council to support efforts towards cessation of hostilities 17 February 2016 A deep divide between the warring parties in Yemen, following the collapse of a truce, is forestalling the next round of peace talks, the United Nations envoy told the Security Council today as he depicted a tragic picture of the political situation there. "The parties are divided over whether a new round of talks should be convened with or without a new cessation of hostilities," said Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy, in a briefing to the 15-nation body. "I have not, unfortunately, received sufficient assurances that a new cessation of hostilities, should I call for one, would be respected." As the Secretary General has stated repeatedly, there is no military solution to this conflict, he said, stressing that a recommitment to a cessation of hostilities is the practical expression of this truth as it leads to a permanent ceasefire. He then urged the Council to support this step and promptly take action towards its implementation. His briefing comes two months after the warring parties met in Switzerland, for the first face-to-face talks of the peace process. Those talks produced agreements on several measures and provided much-needed practical and moral support to the Yemeni people, including the delivery of humanitarian aid to the city of Taiz and the release of some prisoners. Recalling that the announcement of a cessation of hostilities on the first day of the talks was accompanied by the creation of a De-escalation and Coordination Committee, he noted that the talks have served as the beginning of a process toward ending the war, and the parties left the negotiation table in a positive spirit, with practical proposals, recommendations and hope for a better future for Yemen and the Yemeni people. Tragically, the security situation in Yemen has deteriorated since the end of the talks, he said, citing the latest UN reports that more than 6,000 Yemenis have lost their lives since March 2015, and more than 35,000 have been injured. "Many parts of Yemen are again witnessing airstrikes and extensive ground fighting," Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed said, pointing to a significant increase in the number of missiles fired indiscriminately into Saudi Arabia, a notable upsurge in the number and magnitude of attacks carried out by terrorist groups in Aden, Lahej, Abyan, Shabwa and Sana'a. "The list goes on," he said, with attacks on Yemeni Army checkpoints and residences of key security officials, the assassination of prominent political and security officials in the South of the country, and the 28 January attack on the Presidential Palace in Aden, which resulted in the death of eight people including civilian bystanders. Earlier today, a suicide bomber attacked a Yemeni army camp in Aden, reportedly killing at least ten people, said Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed. Al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are present in many parts of Yemeni territory, he said, adding that there are reports of their growing influence in large areas of the governorate of Hadramout and their control of its port, maritime traffic, and illegal oil trade. "A new cessation of hostilities will open the way of new talks and agreements on Yemen's return to a peaceful and orderly transition," he said. On Tuesday, the Security Council heard a briefing by Stephen O'Brien, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, who called for an end to the "humanitarian catastrophe" unfolding in Yemen. Separately today, Adama Dieng, Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide and Jennifer Welsh, Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect, issued a joint statement expressing concern at the heavy toll on civilians of the conflict in Yemen. The two Special Advisers noted that one year after the escalation of the conflict in Yemen, the world is witnessing the erosion of respect for international humanitarian and human rights law on a daily basis in the country. Civilians and civilian infrastructures continue to be targeted by all parties to the conflict, to the point that the attention of the international media has largely become saturated. "We call on the international community and notably on the Security Council - to take action to end this unacceptable situation," they said, underlining that serious abuses and violations of human rights law and of international humanitarian law by all sides and their allied forces have been extensively documented, including by the United Nations. Evidence gathered suggests that some of these violations may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. "We acknowledge that the parties have expressed regret at the number of civilian casualties and have committed to the principle of accountability," the Special Advisers observed. "We now expect that commitments by the Yemeni authorities and by Saudi Arabia to conduct credible and independent investigations into all alleged violations and provide reparations to victims will be swiftly implemented," they said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN and partners to closely coordinate efforts ahead of DR Congo elections 17 February 2016 The United Nations and its international partner organizations said they are closely following the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), particularly in view of the upcoming elections in the country. In a joint press statement, the UN, the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU) and the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF) underscored the necessity of an inclusive political dialogue in the DRC, as well as their commitment to support the Congolese actors towards the consolidation of democracy in the country. According to the statement, the four partner organizations "underline the crucial importance of these elections, whose peaceful, transparent, smooth and timely conduct would greatly contribute to consolidating the progress made in the DRC for more than a decade." Underscoring the importance of dialogue and the search for an agreement between political actors that is respectful of democracy and the rule of law, the organizations urge all Congolese political actors to "spare no effort," within the framework of the country's Constitution, to "ensure the successful holding of elections, preserve peace and deepen democracy, including through a political process." Recalling the appointment by the AU of Mr. Edem Kodjo as Special Envoy to undertake consultations on the envisaged dialogue in the DRC, the partner organizations also urge all Congolese political actors to extend him their full cooperation. They also recalled that the decision by the AU and the efforts of the Special Envoy on the ground fall within the framework of the relevant instruments of the AU, including the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. In addition, the partner organizations said they are committed to closely coordinating their efforts in the DRC, in accordance with their principles and values, with particular regard to the promotion of democracy and the rule of law. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Darfur: amid fresh violence, thousands of displaced people now gathering near UN mission base 17 February 2016 The number of civilians fleeing the recent conflict in the Jebel Marra area in Sudan's Darfur region has jumped to 73,000 from 38,000, according to United Nations estimates, as some 30,000 people flocked to Sortony, where the displaced have been gathering next to a base operated by the African Union-UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). Civilians have been leaving the Jebel Marra since hostilities between the Government and a faction of the Sudan Liberation Army escalated in mid-January, and arriving in three main locations in North Darfur state, including an established camp for the displaced in Tawilla, which has accommodated 18,000 individuals since mid-January. "The situation remains very fluid, and the United Nations and partners have teams on the ground working to assess the needs of those who have recently arrived in Sortony and Tawilla," said Marta Ruedas, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan. "Identifying the needs of vulnerable people is a painstaking exercise, but one that is necessary in order to provide timely and targeted humanitarian relief." Food and other emergency relief including water, shelter, medical supplies and nutrition supplements were provided to the newly displaced earlier this week, and the UN and partners are working to provide additional humanitarian assistance, according to a press release from the Office of the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator. Thousands are also reported to have fled into Central Darfur but the UN has not yet been able to verify reported displacement or ascertain and respond to humanitarian needs, despite several requests to the authorities to access the relevant areas, the statement said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kerry Slams China for South China Sea 'Militarization' by William Ide February 17, 2016 U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has criticized China and said there should be 'no militarization' of the South China Sea, following news that Beijing has deployed surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island it controls in the strategic waterway. 'We have said repeatedly with respect to China that the standard that should be applied to all countries with respect to the South China Sea is no militarization,' Kerry said Wednesday. He specifically noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed not to militarize the sea when he visited Washington last year and met with President Barack Obama. 'But there is every evidence, every day that there has been an increase of militarization of one kind or another. It is of serious concern,' Kerry said. 'We have had these conversations with the Chinese and I am confident that over the next days we will have a further very serious conversation on this.' At the Pentagon, U.S. officials told VOA the Chinese missile deployment is a 'complicating aspect' of the territorial disputes involving several countries that border the South China Sea. The U.S. is watching the situation closely, the source added. Another American official told VOA the Chinese missiles are part of an HQ-9 air defense system, which has an operating range of 200 kilometers (125 miles). The Chinese missiles' arrival on Woody Island, one of the tiny islands in the area that China has greatly enlarged through dredging and construction work, was first reported by American broadcaster Fox News, based on satellite images provided by a civilian company. The images appear to show two batteries of eight surface-to-air missile launchers and a radar system. VOA's Pentagon correspondent was told 'there is no reason to doubt the imagery.' The missile issue erupted as Obama wrapped up a landmark summit with Southeast Asian leaders in California. Obama urged all parties to exercise restraint in the region and halt the militarization of disputed maritime areas. US and Taiwan confirm A U.S. defense official later confirmed the deployment, as did Taiwan's Defense Ministry spokesman Major General David Lo. 'Interested parties should work together to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea region and refrain from taking any unilateral measures that would increase tensions,' Lo said on Wednesday. Woody Island (or Yongxing Island as it is known in Chinese and Phu Lam in Vietnamese) is the largest of the Paracel Islands and is located in the northernmost part of the South China Sea, east of the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang. Woody Island has been under China's control since 1956, and is a prefecture level city of the southern Chinese province of Hainan. The island is also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan. Chinese reaction China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters Wednesday that Western media should pay more attention to the lighthouses and meteorological facilities China is building in the South China Sea. During a press conference following a meeting with his visiting Australian counterpart Julie Bishop, he did not deny reports about the missile deployments, but called them "an attempt by certain western media to create news stories." Wang did note what he called China's right to limited and necessary self-defense facilities on its islands and reefs. 'This is consistent to self-preservation and self-protection that China is entitled to under international law. So there should be no question about that,' Wang said. Chinese claims China's claim to almost all of the South China Sea and massive reclamation of formations further south has been a growing source of concern among its neighbors in the region, even as Beijing works feverishly to expand trade ties. In recent years, China has beefed up efforts to build runways and artificial islands to bolster its territorial claims. Beijing has repeatedly said that it does not seek to militarize the South China Sea, but it has increasingly voiced concerns about U.S. freedom of navigation missions in the region, at sea and in the air. What the missile deployment may mean Alexander Huang, an assistant professor at Taiwan's Tamkang University, said the deployment was sending a telling, albeit contradictory signal about China's future intentions in the South China Sea. Huang said the development sends a contradictory signal because China has repeatedly said that it would not militarize the disputed islands. Adding that while the dispute over Woody Island is largely between China and Vietnam and does not necessarily involve the United States, it "may serve as a prelude or indicator for the future militarization of the Spratlys." "China is under tremendous pressure right now with the conference in Sunnylands and the U.S.-[South] Korean discussion over the THAAD deployment," he added. US-ASEAN summit As President Barack Obama wrapped up a two-day summit with the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the first on U.S. soil, he said the two affirmed during their meeting their "strong commitment to a regional order where international rules and norms and the rights of all nations, large and small are upheld." He also said that during the meeting, the US and ASEAN leaders "discussed the need for tangible steps in the South China Sea to lower tensions, including a halt to further reclamation, new construction and militarization of disputed areas." Still, how the United States and ASEAN countries may respond is unclear. While ASEAN countries may genuinely want closer ties with the United States, they are also heavily and increasingly reliant on booming trade with China. And if the United States wishes to respond, the tougher question is what could Washington do to get China to change its behavior. Freedom of navigation Freedom of navigation actions by the U.S. Navy have not made Beijing to change its behavior, noted Ross Darrell Feingold, a Taipei-based senior advisor at DC International Advisory, a political risk consultancy. Perhaps more important is what the action says about China's ability to manage significant issues simultaneously, Feingold added. "There is the aftermath of the North Korea missile test and nuclear test, the ASEAN Summit, significant political change in Taiwan, ongoing domestic challenges economy, corruption investigations yet the Chinese leadership remains confident it can, at the same time, manage the international reaction to its missile deployment," he said. State Department correspondents Pamela Dockins and Nike Ching and VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb contributed to this report NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Polish Official Urges NATO to Deploy Troops to Deter Russia by Ken Schwartz February 17, 2016 Poland's foreign minister on Wednesday urged NATO to get over its reluctance to deploy troops along its eastern flank, to deter what he says is Russian aggression. Russia's involvement in Ukraine and its seizure of Crimea nearly two years ago have made other countries along and close to Russian borders feel less secure, including Poland, Slovakia, Romania and the Baltic nations home to a large number of Russian speakers. Witold Waszczykowski said he disagrees with many of his fellow NATO ministers that the 'idea of reassurances from a distance' is the best way to smooth over this insecurity stirred up by Russia. For some allies, the presence of troops is considered to be confrontational toward Russia, Waszczykowski told VOA on Wednesday, while in Washington to meet with Secretary of State John Kerry. "We cannot accept this philosophy," Waszczykowski said. "We are saying that a lack of presence created a feeling of weakness and may create a provocation from the Russian side.' He said the Kremlin needs a strong signal from NATO. 'Presence is a token of determination to fight, to defend and this will discourage Russia from any kind of aggressive moves toward eastern and central countries,' Waszczykowski said. NATO meeting Jens Stoltenberg, NATO's secretary general, said Wednesday in Brussels before a two-day NATO defense ministers meeting that the alliance's increased "forward presence" in Eastern Europe sends a 'clear signal' to any would-be aggressor. "NATO will respond as one to any aggression against any ally," he said, with a clear reference to Russia. Russia reaction However, Russia considers expansion by NATO to be an offensive move by a Western military alliance and a threat to its national security. According to Reuters, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Wednesday that NATO's military buildup on its eastern flank, the biggest in Europe since the Cold War, was a destabilizing factor designed to contain Russia. Moscow has reacted by building up its defenses and forces close to NATO's borders, and increasing military exercises and drills. U.S. response Kerry said Wednesday that Poland and the U.S. are determined to make it clear to any country thinking of what he calls 'destabilizing activities' that the NATO allies stand strongly together to respect the sovereignty of other nations and the integrity of international borders. Poland will host a NATO summit in July, where Waszczykowski said he hopes the ministers will have answers to such threats as Islamic State, instability in Libya and North Africa, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Some material for this report came from Reuters. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Military Strikes Target ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, February 18, 2016 U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports. Strikes in Syria Attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted seven strikes in Syria: -- Near Hasakah, four strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL building. -- Near Hawl, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL mortar position, three ISIL buildings, and an ISIL vehicle-borne bomb. Strikes in Iraq Fighter, ground-attack, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 12 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government: -- Near Albu Hayat, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed nine ISIL rocket rails. -- Near Fallujah, one strike destroyed an inoperable piece of partner nation equipment, at the request of the Iraqi government, in order to prevent its capture by ISIL forces. -- Near Makhmur, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area. -- Near Mosul, one strike produced inconclusive results. -- Near Qayyarah, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle-borne bomb. -- Near Ramadi, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL recoilless rifle. -- Near Sinjar, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL light machine gun. -- Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and an ISIL vehicle and suppressed an ISIL mortar position. Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Part of Operation Inherent Resolve The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct operations. Coalition nations conducting strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO Deputy Secretary General stresses value of Mediterranean Dialogue in visit to Morocco NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 18 Feb. 2016 - 19 Feb. 2016 NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow praised Morocco's long-standing contribution to political dialogue and practical cooperation with NATO, during the first day of his first official visit to Rabat on 18 February 2016. He underlined Morocco's contribution to international security and stability, as a force of moderation and a voice of reason, in a fast changing and turbulent regional security environment. Ambassador Vershbow held bilateral talks with Mr. Abdellatif Loudiyi, the Minister-Delegate for National Defence, with General Bouchaib Arroub, Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces of Morocco, and with Mr. Youssef Amrani, Minister Advisor to the King for International Relations. In his bilateral meetings, Ambassador Vershbow stressed that the security of NATO member countries is closely linked to the security of its neighbours in the South, and thanked Morocco for facilitating the achievement of a political solution to the crisis in Libya. On 19 February, the Deputy Secretary General will meet with Mr. Nasser Bourita, Minister-Delegate for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and with other high level government officials. He will also give an address on NATO-Morocco Cooperation in the 21st century at a Public Diplomacy seminar in Rabat. Ambassador Vershbow and his interlocutors will discuss NATO's continued commitment to working with Morocco, in the framework of the Mediterranean Dialogue. Initiated in 1994, the Mediterranean Dialogue aims to contribute to regional security and stability through enhanced political consultations and tailor-made practical cooperation between NATO and its members: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 3 killed in raid on health clinic: Aid group Iran Press TV Thu Feb 18, 2016 6:34PM A Swedish aid group says Afghan forces have killed two patients and a caretaker during an attack on one of its clinic in the central part of the war-torn country. The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) said on Thursday that the raid took place on its health facility in the Tangi Saidan area of Wardak Province on Wednesday night, accusing members of the Afghan National Army (ANA) of being behind the assault. The charity denounced the deadly attack as a violation of international humanitarian law, with its country director Jorgen Holmstrom saying, "This attack constitutes a gross violation of humanitarian principles and the Geneva Convention that all actors of a conflict have to respect." He added that the organization would further investigate the raid and "let those responsible be held accountable." However, Afghan officials gave conflicting reports, saying that those killed were members of the Taliban militant group. According to Akhtar Mohammad Tahiri, chief of the Wardak provincial council, Afghan special forces killed four at the clinic and arrested three, including a doctor. Wardak provincial governor Hayatullah Hayat also said the report is difficult to verify as the area is controlled by Taliban and that the raid may have been carried out by police and not the army. "There was an operation by the Afghan forces, possibly police, in the area which targeted a group of enemy fighters, but it was not close to any health facility," he said. Another senior official also confirmed the attack but said it was not near the hospital. The SCA runs health, education and other development program in nearly half of Afghanistan's 34 provinces. It has worked in the country since 1980. In a separate development, the International Red Cross on Thursday announced the suspension of its activities in Ghazni Province as five of its local staff there have been held hostage by what it described as a "local armed group." Last October, a US airstrike on a hospital in the northern city of Kunduz run by medical aid group Doctors Without Borders left 42 people dead. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Defense facilities on disputed island nothing new: China Iran Press TV Thu Feb 18, 2016 5:22PM Beijing has reaffirmed its sovereignty over a disputed island in the South China Sea, saying the deployment of military facilities there is part of the "national defense strategy" and "nothing new." "China has been deploying national defense facilities on Xisha Island for decades, it is nothing new," Chinese Global Times paper quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei as saying on Thursday. The official also defended the deployment as "legitimate, reasonable and justified." He was reacting to claims by the US and Taiwan last week that China had deployed surface-to-air missiles to Yongxing Island, called Woody by Beijing's rivals. Taiwan also claims sovereignty, over Yongxing, which lies in the Xisha archipelago, also known as Paracel Islands. The newspaper further criticized the Western media for hyping up Beijing's natural defense measures, adding that such a campaign "is a pure repeat of the 'China threat' theory." The commander of the Philippines military forces, Alexander Lopez, warned of regional consequences after reports of the Chinese deployment. US Secretary of State John Kerry also accused Beijing of increasing its militarization of the region, voicing serious concern. However, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday lashed out at the reports as a Western media invention, saying the deployment of "limited and necessary national defense facilities on China's own territory" does not mean the militarization of the disputed waters. Countries such as Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei, all have overlapping claims with China over disputed territories in the South China Sea, including the Paracels, Spratly Islands, Pratas Islands and Scarborough Shoal. The US, which usually sides with Beijing's rivals in the territorial dispute, has long accused Beijing of attempting to take advantage of the situation and 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US quadruples number of troops for joint South Korea drill: South Korean min. Iran Press TV Thu Feb 18, 2016 10:28AM The number of the US forces that will participate in an annual joint military exercise with South Korea this year will be four times as many as the figure last year, amid a recent uptick in tensions with North Korea over its recent nuclear and long-range rocket tests. Washington will dispatch 15,000 troops to the annual computer-simulated "Key Resolve" drill, up from 3,700 last year, South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-goo as saying on Thursday. The minister also added that Seoul, too, will increase the number of the troops it will be sending to the war games next month. Key Resolve, which lasted 10 days in 2015, usually begins simultaneously with a field exercise known as Foal Eagle, another joint military maneuver that lasts about 50 days. Pyongyang regularly slams the joint US-South Korea military exercises as rehearsals for war on North Korea. Following the start of the drills last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called on his country's army to prepare for war with the US and its allies. The Korean Peninsula has not seen calm since the Korean War of early 1950s. The military confrontation back then ended with an armistice instead of a peace treaty, meaning that the two Koreas effectively continue to be at war. In the tensions that emerge too frequently, the US has been taking South Korea's side. Washington says Pyongyang is after developing long-range missiles that can carry nuclear warheads and can reach the US. North Korea says its adversaries, including the US, seek to bring Pyongyang down, and it is thus strengthening itself against hostile countries. In January, North Korea carried out a nuclear test, followed by a long-range rocket launch in early February. Washington characteristically condemned both. North Korea declared itself a nuclear power in 2005 and, apart from the January recent nuclear test, has carried out three atomic weapon tests in 2006, 2009, 2013. In a parliament speech on Tuesday, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Seoul would take "stronger and more effective" measures to make North Korea realize its nuclear ambitions will result in accelerating its "regime collapse," only to reaffirm Pyongyang's concerns. Seoul and Washington have also arranged for the deployment of advanced US missiles inside South Korea. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Canada to Deploy Helicopters to Iraq, Syria for Troops Transportation Sputnik News 17:59 18.02.2016(updated 18:54 18.02.2016) Canada will deploy small helicopter detachment to provide reliable transportation for troops, equipment and material in Iraq and Syria, according to Canada's Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) Canada intends to deploy helicopters to Iraq and Syria in order to provide reliable transportation for its forces operating under US-led coalition against the Islamic State, also known as Daesh, Canada's Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said on Thursday. 'We will deploy small helicopter detachment to provide reliable transportation for our troops, equipment and our material,' Sajjan stated at a Defence Conference in Ottawa. The helicopter deployment exemplifies Canada's new approach toward supporting US-led efforts against the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) terrorists in Iraq and Syria. Earlier on Thursday, Ottawa announced that it had concluded airstrikes against Daesh. Now Canada would continue supporting the US-led coalition by providing aircraft for refueling and surveillance purposes, and training local military forces. Canada had been conducting airstrikes again the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq in coordination with the coalition since 2014. The Islamic State, also known as Daesh, is a designated terrorist group that has been outlawed by the United States, Russia as well as numerous other countries. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Beijing Says Military Installations in S China Sea Not Militarization Sputnik News 13:35 18.02.2016(updated 14:24 18.02.2016) Beijing has been installing military infrastructure in the South China Sea for several decades, but this process has no connection with the militarization of the region, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Thursday. BEIJING (Sputnik) Beijing has been positioning military infrastructure in the South China Sea for several decades, but this process is in no way linked to the militarization of the region, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Thursday. 'The Xisha Islands are not disputed islands. China has been deploying military infrastructure on the Xisha Islands for decades, this is nothing new,' Hong said at a daily briefing. The foreign ministry spokesman rejected US accusations that such deployments are leading to the militarization of the region. On Wednesday, Washington corroborated media reports that Beijing had deployed a radar and two batteries of HQ-9 surface-to-air missile systems on Woody Island in the Paracel archipelago, also known as Xisha in Chinese. Chinese officials said the country was legally entitled to carry out such actions and pointed out that the HQ-9 air defense systems were sent to Woody Island a long time ago. China, Taiwan and Vietnam all lay claim to strategically valuable Woody Island. Other countries in the region the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia also lay claim to disputed territories in the South China Sea. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Maduro Announces Gasoline Price Increase, Venezuelan Bolivar Devaluation Sputnik News 08:04 18.02.2016 Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced an increase in the price of gasoline in the country and the devaluation of the national currency. MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) The price of gasoline will go up from $0.01 per liter to $0.95 per liter starting from February 19. The Venezuelan bolivar will weaken from 6.3 to 10 bolivars per dollar, according to Maduro. 'This new system will have to ensure two things: the payment of what is invested in the production of hydrocarbon in addition to the healthy functioning of PDVSA [state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela oil and gas company],' Maduro said as quoted by NTN24 on Wednesday. In January, Maduro declared an economic emergency in Venezuela. The announcement came two days after Venezuela's oil price dropped to $24 a barrel, the lowest mark in 12 years. Up to 96 percent of Venezuela's budget depends on oil revenues. Maduro accepted partial blame for the economic situation in the country in an address to the National Economic Council, stressing that Venezuela needs to replace all sources of income from oil with other sources. Public discontent with Maduro's government has been growing in Venezuela amid grave economic problems, largely contributing to the victory of the opposition MUD (Democratic Unity Roundtable) group in the December 2015 parliamentary elections. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address South Sudan: UN condemns violence in Malakal civilian protection site 18 February 2016 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the violence that broke out overnight and continued today in the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) civilian protection site in Malakal, in the northeast region of the country, claiming the lives of at least seven internally displaced persons and injuring approximately 40 others so far. Noting with concern the rising inter-communal tensions between the Dinka and Shilluk that precipitated the incident, the Secretary-General warned all parties against stoking ethnic disputes and called on them to refrain from any actions or statements that could further escalate the situation, according to a statement attributable to his spokesperson. The Secretary-General also reminds all concerned, including Government security forces, of the inviolability of the United Nations compounds, according to the statement. He underscores in no uncertain terms that any attack directed against civilians, UN premises and peacekeepers may constitute a war crime. In the statement, the Secretary-General also urged the leaders of South Sudan to implement without delay the peace agreement reached six months ago, so that the people of South Sudan can begin a process of reconciliation and healing. Earlier today, UNMISS strongly condemned the violence that erupted last night. In a press release, UNMISS said that violence involving the use of small arms, machetes and other weapons broke out yesterday in the late evening between youths from both communities, and that violence also continued this morning. The Mission calls on all communities to refrain from violence, restore calm and resolve differences through dialogue, UNMISS said. The Mission said that UNMISS police in charge of maintaining order within the protection sites immediately intervened with tear gas to disperse the crowd. Casualties were brought to the international non-governmental clinic at the site. UN troops have increased perimeter patrolling while physically securing areas in the vicinity of site, UNMISS said. The Mission is also engaging with local authorities in Malakal to de-escalate the situation. Stressing that such an attack against civilians and UN premises may constitute a war crime, UNMISS also reminded all concerned, including security forces, of the civilian character of the compound, and the sanctity of UN assets and personnel, as well as that of the civilians protected inside the UN compound. UNMISS protects 47,791 civilians in Malakal, while 198,440 civilians are currently protected at six UNMISS bases throughout South Sudan. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China Defends Paracel Islands Air Defense Claims by Ron Corben February 18, 2016 China's apparent decision to deploy Russian-made surface-to-air missiles in the Paracel Islands has increased regional tensions in the disputed South China Sea, coveted for its potential oil and gas resources. The focus this time is on Woody Island, the largest of the Paracel Island group, which has been under the control of Beijing since 1956, and has an artificial harbor capable of docking vessels up to 5,000 metric tons. While the presence of missiles on Woody Island has been debated, China this week appeared to confirm the existence of defense weapons when Global Times quoted the Defense Ministry as saying it is lawful for China 'to deploy defense facilities within its territory, and the facilities have existed for years.' On Wednesday, the United States joined Taiwan and a U.S. news media outlet Fox News in confirming the existence of Chinese HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles on the same island. China's claim to most of the South China Sea, a vital international waterway, and its construction of artificial islands and an airstrip in the Spratly Islands, has raised alarm bells in Southeast Asia, where there are competing maritime claims, and in Washington. Presence still disputed But some experts doubt China's assertion that the weapons are even present. According to Professor Wu Shicun, director of the Hainan Province-based National Institute for South China Sea Studies, there is no need for China to deploy ground-to-air missiles on Woody Island, because China doesn't face air threats from nearby countries. He also described Woody Island as 'small both in size and population,' a place where is would be 'hard to hide the missiles.' "The report that China has deployed missiles on Woody Island may be speculation,' he told VOA's Mandarin Service. 'Its truthfulness is questionable because I recently visited the Island. The photo provided by the media shows a large beach. As far as I know, there is no large beach.' While China has promised not to militarize the newly-built artificial terrain near the Spratly Islands some 740 kilometers southeast of Woody Island, largely within China's 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone Beijing, says Wu, never said it wouldn't militarize the Paracels. 'When President Xi Jinping visited the United States last September, he promised President Obama not to engage in militarization of the South China Sea. What he meant was not to militarize the newly-built artificial islands near Spratly Islands,' said Wu. 'He was referring to the seven islands and reefs where China was doing construction.' "Even if China deployed missiles on the Islands, it is beyond reproach,' he said, calling Chinese sovereignty of the Paracels 'without controversy.' 'The deployment of missiles in the Paracel Islands isn't necessarily linked to the militarization of the South China Sea,' he said. 'It is the United States who is engaged in the militarization of the South China Sea. In 1959, China set up government offices in the Paracel Islands, and in 1974 China acquired and obtained full control. "China is most concerned about the freedom of navigation in the South China that any other country,' he added. 'Eighty percent of China's trade is maritime trade, and 80 percent of its maritime trade goes through the South China Sea channel.' 'Garrison island' Although Woody Island is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam, in 1974, the then South Vietnamese government suffered a naval loss to China in a battle over the Paracels. Carl Thayer, a defense analyst with the University of New South Wales in Australia, says China's long-standing control of the islands contrasts with other disputed territories in the region. 'China, from its point of view, would be legitimately, just completely upset by any challenge in the Paracels,' he said. 'The last time the Vietnamese were there was in January 1974 and the Chinese [expelled] them. But the Republic of China had abandoned its islands in about 1950, after the civil war ended and the [Communist] mainland took them over and, in a sense, the militarization question has not been raised with the Paracels. It's a bit late now. There are military bases [there] it's a garrison." Hanoi mum Vietnam has not issued any official statements on the missiles, but Dr. Tran Cong Truc, former head of Vietnam's Border Affairs Committee, told VOA's Vietnamese Service that China's action is "a new military escalation." The former official says Beijing "challenges not only other claimants like Vietnam but other outsiders like the United States, which conducted freedom of navigation near China's artificial islands in the South China Sea." "It is a serious and dangerous move,' he said. 'The deployment is a step towards China's total occupation of the South China Sea. It is not a surprise move as China has been using its power in disputed waters. They would continue to forcefully do that in the future." The former top border official also said the deployment might spark an arms race in Asia, and lead to China's unilateral establishment of Air Defense Identification Zone over the South China Sea. "Countries like Vietnam and the Philippines will try, by all means, to beef up their defense to counter threats from China," Truc said. During a recent meeting with President Barack Obama on the sidelines of this week's ASEAN summit in California, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung urged Washington to play a greater role in preventing militarization and island-building in the South China Sea, the government said on Tuesday. In another move that analysts say might concern Vietnam, China recently promoted General Li Zuocheng, a decorated hero of the Sino-Vietnamese war, to head ground forces as Commander of the People's Liberation Army. Duong Danh Dy, Vietnam's former consul general in Guangzhou, says Vietnam must "note this appointment." "Those who once fought with Vietnamese soldiers obviously know more about Vietnam's army,' said Dy. 'The promotion shows that Beijing always keeps the focus on Vietnam in its military strategy development." The veteran analyst adds that China will never cease its expansion over the disputed waters. On Wednesday, top State Department officials reiterated U.S. support for stability in the region. China expert Bonnie Glaser of the Washington-based Centers for Strategic and International Studies told VOA the missile deployment is just another step in China's steady buildup of military capabilities in the region. China's neighbors with competing regional claims, she said, are 'doing more by themselves with other nations and the United States to defend their interests,' which is something 'China does not want to see.' Victor Beattie contributed to this report, which was produced in collaboration with VOA's Mandarin and Vietnamese services. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Deadly Blast Rocks Ankara February 17, 2016 by RFE/RL A big blast in the Turkish capital, Ankara, has left 28 people dead and 61 wounded. The explosion took place during rush hour in an area close to where military headquarters and parliament are located. Governor Mehmet Kiliclar said the bomb appeared to target a convoy of buses carrying military personnel. Reports said several cars caught fire and dozens of ambulances rushed to the scene. Dark smoke could be seen billowing from far away. Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said the attack was an act of terrorism. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who had been due to leave for a trip to Brussels later on February 17, cancelled the trip. Instead, he attended an emergency security meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other senior officials. The government also banned Turkish media from broadcasting or printing graphic images of the dead or injured from the scene of the explosion. Similar bans have been imposed after previous attacks. Suspicion on who was behind the bombing fell on several groups. Kurdish militants, radical leftists, and Islamic radicals, have all staged bombings in Turkey in recent years. Commentators say a central strategy of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, which has waged a three-decade insurgency in Turkey, has been to attack military targets, although it has largely focused on the mainly Kurdish southeast. The Turkish security forces have been engaged in large-scale operations against Kurdish militants in the southeast since December. It's the second time in several months that Ankara has been the victim of a bomb attack. In October, suicide bombings blamed on the Islamic State (IS) extremist group targeted a peace rally outside the main train station in Ankara, killing 102 people in Turkey's deadliest attack in years. Militants have also targeted other sites in Turkey, which has been helping efforts led by the United States to combat IS in neighboring Syria. Last month, 11 German tourists were killed after a suicide bomber affiliated with IS detonated a bomb in Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district. More than 30 people were killed in a suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near Turkey's border with Syria, in July. With reporting by AP and Reuters Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/turkey-blast-rocks-ankara/27558283.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey PM: Ankara Bomber Syrian With Kurdish Links by VOA News February 18, 2016 Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is blaming the Syrian Kurdish militia, the YPG, for killing 28 people in a car bombing of a military convoy Wednesday in Ankara. In a televised speech Thursday, Davutoglu said the attack was carried out by the PKK Kurdish separatist group 'together with a person who sneaked into Turkey from Syria.' Davutoglu said the Syrian man was a member of the YPG, a Syrian Kurdish rebel group. Turkey considers both the YPG and the PKK to be terrorist organizations. He also appealed for international support against the YPG, an apparent reference to the U.S., which has backed the group in the battle against Islamic State militants. A spokesman for the Syrian Kurdish group denied any involvement. "These accusations are baseless. This is a lie. We have no connection to the Ankara bombing. Turkey wants to use the YPG as a pretext to intervene in Rojava [Syrian Kurdistan] and Syria," Redur Khalil told VOA. The car bomb targeted a convoy of military buses in the Turkish capital, just a few hundred meters from parliament and military headquarters. No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing. Turkey has seen similar attacks by both Islamic State and Kurdish separatist forces in recent months. Davutoglu said that nine people have been detained in connection with the attack. Speaking shortly after Davutoglu, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country would reveal evidence proving the YPG's involvement in the attack, adding 'those who support them will be judged by history.' The pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper said Thursday the assailant had been registered as a refugee in Turkey and was identified by his fingerprints. A report in another pro-government newspaper, Sabah, said the man had links to the PKK insurgent group, which has been fighting for Kurdish autonomy in southeastern Turkey. Hours after the attack, Turkey's air force launched fresh strikes on PKK targets in northern Iraq, according to the Turkish military, which said it was targeting 60-70 of the group's fighters. 'Turkey will not shy away' Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday vowed a firm response to the attack, which he said exceeds 'all moral and humane boundaries.' 'Turkey will not shy away from using its right to self-defense at any time, any place or any occasion,' Erdogan said. The attack prompted Erdogan to put off a planned visit to Azerbaijan. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu canceled his trip to Brussels, where he was to have talked about the refugee crisis with other European leaders. The U.S., a key ally of Turkey, condemned the attack 'in the strongest terms,' according to a statement by National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price. 'We stand together with Turkey, a NATO ally, a strong partner, and a valued member of the Counter-ISIL coalition, in the face of this attack and pledge our ongoing cooperation and support in the fight against terrorism,' the statement read. Pentagon chief Ash Carter also reaffirmed the U.S. relationship with Turkey. In a statement, Carter condemned the 'cowardly' attack, which he said 'only strengthens our resolve to deepen our ongoing cooperation in the fight against terrorism.' U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he hopes the perpetrators of the attack 'will be swiftly brought to justice.' NATO condemns NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also condemned Wednesday's bombing, saying there can be no justification for such horrific acts. Islamic State was blamed for last October's suicide bombing at a peace rally in Ankara which killed more than 100 people -- the bloodiest single terrorist attack since Turkey became a modern state in 1923. Turkey has also been battling the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party which has been fighting a 30-year guerilla war for more Kurdish autonomy. The Turkish military has been a frequent target of the militants. Dorian Jones contributed to this report from Istanbul NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Supreme Leader: People will disappoint enemies in the upcoming elections IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Feb 17, IRNA -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that the vigilant Iranian people once again will disappoint the enemies through mass participation in the upcoming elections. The Supreme Leader made the remarks in a meeting with thousands of enthusiastic people from East Azarbaijan on the anniversary of the uprising by the people of Tabriz on Bahman 29th, 1356, (February 18th, 1978). Thanking the Iranian people for their active participation in the 37th victory anniversary of the Islamic revolution, the Supreme Leader said presence of the people proved that the propaganda of global arrogance about weakening of the Islamic revolution did not bear fruit. Iranian people should exercise vigilance to thwart conspiracies masterminded by the enemies, said Ayatollah Khamenei. The Supreme Leader said that from early stages of the Islamic revolution, the enemies did not hesitate to create obstacles on the path of the Islamic revolution but to no avail. The Supreme Leader said that critics of the Guardian Council are not traitors, but, they should know that weakening the Guardian Council will weaken the Constitution of the Islamic Republic. Majlis should work for welfare, social justice, economic prosperity, scientific development, as well as the country's independence and national dignity, Ayatollah Khamenei said. The Supreme Leader said the Assembly of Experts is more important than the parliament, because, the body elects the leadership. Members of the Assembly of Experts should be devoted to the Islamic revolution and exercise vigilance to thwart conspiracies of the enemies, otherwise it will backfire, the Supreme Leader said. The Supreme leader called on the people to protect the Islamic system, independence and national dignity through massive turnout in the upcoming elections. US policies along with European governments are under influence of Zionist network and the performance of the Americans about Iranian nuclear dispute should be assessed on this respect, the Supreme Leader said. The Leader said that after prolonged nuclear talks and clinching the final deal on nuclear dispute, an American official has said that the US will urge foreign investors not to make investment in Iran. Such statements indicate the depth of US enmity towards the Iranian nation, the Supreme Leader said adding that the Iranian nuclear negotiators did their best to terminate the nuclear dispute in order to prepare the ground for presence of foreign investors but the Americans try to create obstacles to the waves of joint venture investments. 'The US politicians have protested to chanting the slogan of 'Death to America' in the rallies in Iran but they should notice that when they express their enmity blatantly, what response they expect from Iranian nation?' The Americans in their private meetings smile at us and speak good words in the diplomatic meetings which leave no impacts on realities, the Supreme Leader said. The fact is that after a very prolonged negotiations and clinching the final deal, they are now telling that they will create problems to this end and blatantly threaten to impose new economic sanctions, the Supreme Leader said. This is the real face of the US, said the Supreme Leader adding that in dealing with the enemies, we can not close our eyes and accept their wrong behavior. The Iranian nation should exercise vigilance to deal with such phenomena, Ayatollah Khamenei said. To resolve the country's issues, all people should exercise vigilance, maintain their faith and make use of the pious and devoted youth, the Supreme Leader said. Officials should carry out their duties for the sake of God and spare no efforts to serve nation, the Supreme Leader said. The Iranian youth will one day witness that the US or more powerful than it can do nothing wrong vis-a-vis the firm determination of Iranian nation, the Supreme Leader said. 1430**1416 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia to deliver S-300 missile system to Iran Thursday: Sputnik Iran Press TV Wed Feb 17, 2016 11:8AM Russia will reportedly hand over the first batch of the S-300 surface-to-air defense missile system to Iran on Thursday. Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan, who is currently in Russia, will participate in a ceremony to deliver the first part of the defense system to Iran via the Caspian Sea on February 18, a source told Russia's Sputnik news agency. "Hossein Dehghan will participate in the ceremony of delivering the S-300 in Astrakhan on Thursday," the source said. Dehqan's trip to Moscow comes at the official invitation of his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu. The officials discussed the latest mutual, regional and international developments, as well as enhanced defense, military and technical cooperation between Tehran and Moscow on Tuesday. Russia committed to delivering the systems to Iran under a USD-800-million deal in 2007. Moscow, however, refused to deliver the systems to Tehran in 2010 under the pretext that the agreement was covered by the fourth round of the United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. Following Moscow's refusal to deliver the systems, Tehran filed a complaint against the relevant Russian arms firm with the International Court of Arbitration in Geneva. In April 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a presidential decree, paving the way for the long-overdue delivery of the missile defense system to Iran. The decision to deliver the system came after Iran and the P5+1 group of countries - the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia plus Germany - reached a mutual understanding on Tehran's nuclear program in the Swiss city of Lausanne on April 2, 2015. Dehqan said earlier that "all changes" that have been made to the S-300 system by the Russians over the years will be implemented on the battalions that are going to be delivered to Iran. 'Iran to buy Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter jets' The Russian news agency also said that Tehran and Moscow will sign a major military contract for the delivery of Russian Su-30SM multirole fighter jets to Iran in 2016. "Iran has actually expressed its interest in the purchase of an order of Su-30SM fighters, but so far the parties are only discussing the issue in negotiations. The contract will be signed this year," a high-ranking official in the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said on Wednesday. The Russians say the aircraft is advanced and can perform different functions. It is capable of air-to-air and air-to-ground strikes and can be equipped with a wide variety of precision-guided munitions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Safe Skies: Russia to Send First S-300 Air Defense System to Iran Thursday Sputnik News 12:52 17.02.2016(updated 15:06 17.02.2016) Russian will hand over the first S-300 air defense system to Iran on Thursday, February 18. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan will participate in a ceremony dedicated to the first delivery of the Russian S-300 air defense system to Iran via the Caspian Sea on February 18, a source told Sputnik Persian on Wednesday. Dehghan is currently in Russia and will travel to Astrakhan on the Caspian Sea for the closed ceremony. "Hossein Dehghan will participate in the ceremony of delivering the S-300 in Astrakhan on Thursday," the source said. Iran's General Staff confirmed to Sputnik on Wednesday that deliveries of Russian S-300 air defense systems would begin Thursday. 'Tomorrow, Russia will make the first S-300 delivery to Iran,' Deputy Chief of Staff Mostafa Izadi said. In 2007, Moscow and Tehran signed an $800-million deal for the delivery of five S-300 missile systems to Iran. In 2010, Russia suspended the contract, citing a UN Security Council resolution that placed an arms embargo on Tehran until it proved the peaceful nature of its nuclear project. Tehran filed a lawsuit against Moscow over the incident. In April, Moscow repealed the S-300 delivery ban, after Iran and six global powers, including Russia, reached a framework nuclear agreement to remove the anti-Tehran sanctions in exchange for guarantees of the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia, Iran to Sign Contract on Delivering Su-30SM Fighters in 2016 Sputnik News 10:40 17.02.2016(updated 11:45 17.02.2016) Moscow and Tehran will sign o contract on the delivery of Su-30SM multirole fighters to Iran this year. MOSCOW (Sputnik) A contract for the delivery of Russian Su-30SM Flanker multirole fighters to Iran will be signed in 2016, a high-ranking official in the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said Wednesday. "Iran has actually expressed its interest in the purchase of an order of Su-30SM fighters, but so far the parties are only discussing the issue in negotiations. The contract will be signed this year," the official told RIA Novosti. On Tuesday, Iranian Defense Minister Hosein Dehghan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, and other officials in Moscow. On February 11, a source in the Iranian Defense Ministry told Sputnik that the country's defense minister planned to discuss Iran's need for Su-30s and hopefully sign a procurement contract for them during his Moscow visit. The Su-30SM, commissioned in 2013-2014, is a two-seat derivative of the Su-27UB jet, capable of air-to-air and air-to-ground strikes and can be equipped with a wide variety of precision-guided munitions. Russia and Iran stepped up their military cooperation last year after Tehran reached a deal with six world powers to scale back its nuclear research in exchange for an easing of sanctions against it. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran Rejects Oil Production Cap by Ken Bredemeier February 17, 2016 Iran rejected appeals Wednesday from other oil-producing states to curb its oil exports to try to end the plunge in world crude oil prices, instead saying it intends to increase production. Iran's envoy to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Mahdi Asali, said Tehran intends to step up exports until they reach the level it had before international economic sanctions were imposed on it in an effort to force Iran to agree to a ban on its suspected development of nuclear weaponry. As the Iran nuclear agreement took effect last month, the sanctions were lifted and Iran says that within the next six to 12 months it intends to send another million barrels of oil a day onto the world market. That would add to the glut that has pushed prices down from $115 a barrel in mid-2014 to the current $30 range. Pre-sanction levels Before the sanctions took effect in 2012, Iran exported 2.5 million barrels a day, a figure that the United Nations and Western sanctions cut to about 1.1 million. Iranian oil officials met Wednesday in Tehran with their counterparts from Iraq, Venezuela and Qatar, discussing a plan adopted the day before by Saudi Arabia, Russia, Venezuela and Qatar to freeze their oil production at January levels on the condition that other large oil states do the same. But Asali rebuffed the notion that Iran should maintain its production levels. 'These countries increased their production by 4 million barrels when Iran was under sanctions,' Asali told the Shargh daily newspaper. 'Now it's primarily their responsibility to help restore balance on the market. There is no reason for Iran to do so.' He said the four countries that agreed on the oil production freeze could stabilize oil prices on their own, if they cut their production by 2 million barrels a day. Doha agreement Saudi oil minister Ali al-Naimi said the January production levels are 'adequate,' but that the agreement reached in Doha is only good if other large producers sign on as well. 'We don't want significant gyrations in prices,' Naimi said. 'We don't want a reduction in supply. We want to meet demand and we want a stable oil price.' The pact to freeze production marked a shift in Saudi oil policy. For months, as oil prices have plunged, Riyadh had refused to curb its production in an attempt to force other oil producers, especially U.S. shale oil producers, out of the market. But with producers across the globe pumping too much oil, coupled with some economies slowing and thus not needing as much oil to fuel their industrial production, prices continued to fall. That in turn has hurt oil-dependent government budgets, particularly in Russia and Venezuela. But even oil-rich Saudi Arabia, with some of the world's biggest untapped oil reserves, says it has a record budget deficit. The Doha meeting could be a signal that oil-producing nations, including OPEC members, might eventually agree to an outright production cut to halt the 19-month slide in prices to their lowest point in more than a decade. Some analysts have predicted that prices will eventually fall to at least $20 a barrel before any recovery begins. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi Kurdistan agrees to Baghdad's oil-for-wages deal Iran Press TV Wed Feb 17, 2016 1:19PM Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) says it has agreed to an initiative recently put forward by the Iraqi premier that requires the region to halt independent selling of oil in return for Baghdad paying the salaries of Kurdish workers. In an online statement published on Wednesday, the KRG said it "accepted your Excellency's proposal of the Iraqi federal government (paying) all the salaries of the employees of the Kurdistan region, who number 400,000 people." On Monday, Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced that Baghdad could afford the wages of the cash-strapped Iraqi Kurdistan's employees if the region stopped its independent export of oil. In exchange, the autonomous region would "hand over all of its oil production to the federal government of Iraq, as is clearly stated in His Excellency's proposal," the KRG statement read. It further estimated that the wages of Kurdish workers stand at IQD 890 billion (USD 747 million) a month. The KRG, however, cast doubt on Baghdad's ability to implement the deal, arguing that the federal government was not making enough from oil export to cover the salaries of its own employees. Iraqi Kurdistan has been independently exporting and selling crude via Turkey since a deal with Baghdad on oil and revenue-sharing collapsed last year. On Tuesday, the autonomous region said it had made more than USD 3.94 billion from direct oil sales between June and December 2015, compared to USD 1.98 billion it received from the federal government in the first half of 2015. Falling oil prices have hardly hit Iraqi Kurdistan, which like the capital, Baghdad, heavily relies on oil income to provide the majority of its funds. The KRG authorities have failed to pay the salaries of public servants working in the region since September 2015. KRG public employees have held protests to voice their anger at unpaid salaries and wage cuts. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkish jets target PKK positions in northern Iraq Iran Press TV Thu Feb 18, 2016 11:36AM Turkish bombers have carried out airstrikes in northern Iraq following a deadly car bomb explosion in Turkey's capital, Ankara. The attacks hit the Haftanin area in Dohuk Province of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, Turkey's General Staff said in a statement on Thursday. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said between 60 and 70 PKK militants were killed in the airstrikes, including some senior figures of the Kurdish militant group. At least 28 people lost their lives in the Wednesday bombing, during which a car laden with explosives detonated next to military buses as they waited at a traffic light. Another bombing targeted a military vehicle in southeast Turkey on Thursday, killing at least seven security forces. In remarks on Thursday, Davutoglu said the man behind the Ankara bombing was a member of the Syrian Kurdish YPG group. He also accused the Syrian government of being directly responsible for the blast. The group denied carrying out the attack, with its chief saying Ankara was making the allegation in order to escalate the conflict in Syria. Davutoglu said PKK militants collaborated with the Syrian man to carry out the deadly attack. "The attack was carried out by the PKK together with a person who sneaked into Turkey from Syria," he said, adding nine people had been arrested in connection with the bombing. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi forces make new gains against Daesh in Anbar Iran Press TV Thu Feb 18, 2016 5:45AM Iraqi government forces have made fresh gains against Daesh terrorists in the country's embattled western province of Anbar as operations continue against the extremist Takfiri group. Troops managed on Wednesday to secure the town of Hamdhiyah, which lies just north of the provincial capital of Ramadi. At least 17 Daesh terrorists were killed in the operation, Arabic-language al-Forat news agency reported. The achievement cut one of the key supply routes of the Takfiri militants, and is considered a major feat as it prepares the ground for the liberation of the strategic al-Khalidiya city. Iraqi security officials also uncovered a mass grave in the area, which is believed to be containing the remains of 50 people executed by Takfiri Daesh terrorists. Separately, fighters from Popular Mobilization units fired a barrage of Grad missiles at Daesh camps in the city of al-Saqlawiyah, located 50 kilometers (31 miles) west of the capital, Baghdad, destroying them. Iraqi bomb disposal teams also defused at least 140 improvised explosive devices, which had been planted in the farmlands surrounding Saqlawiyah. Additionally, an Iraqi helicopter crashed due to "hostile fire" and one of its pilots was killed near the city of Amiriyah Fallujah in Anbar Province. Two others on board were seriously wounded. "Initial reports suggest the helicopter was shot down by anti-aircraft machine gun," lieutenant Hani al-Jumaili, a police officer from Amiriyah Fallujah, said. Daesh later claimed on a Twitter account that it had downed the copter. A day earlier, another army helicopter had crashed in southern Iraq due to what was reported to be a technical glitch, killing nine people. Iraqi army forces also shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle operated by Daesh extremists in the suburbs of Ramadi as it was flying over the area and surveying government troopers. Violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since Daesh Takfiris launched an offensive 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 and Christians. The Iraqi army and fighters from Popular Mobilization units are engaged in joint military operations to win back militant-held regions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN envoy warns of Daesh expansion in Libya Iran Press TV Wed Feb 17, 2016 6:41PM The United Nations special envoy for Libya has warned against further postponement of a vote on a unity government in the North African state, saying delays in the task will result in the expansion of Daesh Takfiri terrorist group. 'Every day lost in political dialogue is a day of gain of Daesh," the Associated Press quoted Martin Kobler as saying in the Egyptian capital city of Cairo on Wednesday. Kobler's remarks came one day after Libya's internationally recognized parliament based in the northeastern city of Tobruk decided to postpone for seven days a vote on the national unity government. Libya's Presidency Council recently proposed a new 18-minister cabinet headed by premier-designate Fayez al-Sarraj. Many hope that Libya's new administration, if endorsed by the legislature, will end the chaos gripping the oil-rich country. In a relevant development on Wednesday, Russia also expressed hope that Libya will finally get "a full-fledged executive governing body' paving the way for restoration of security. 'Its (the government's) main task will be to stop the anarchy reigning in the country and to speedily form an effective army and police force. This will permit the restoration of security, law and order throughout Libyan territory,' a Russian Foreign Ministry commentary read. Since August 2014, when militias seized the capital Tripoli, Libya has had two parliaments and two governments with one, the General National Congress (GNC), run by the rebels in the capital, and the internationally-recognized administration in Tobruk. Daesh took control of Libya's northern port city of Sirte in June 2015, almost four months after it announced its presence in the city, and made it the first city to be ruled by the militant group outside of Iraq and Syria. Since then, the group has been boosting its presence in the violence-wracked country, particularly after the Iraqi and Syrian army advances against militants. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taliban militants gun down 9 security forces in NW Pakistan Iran Press TV Thu Feb 18, 2016 5:46PM Taliban militants have shot dead at least nine Pakistani security forces personnel in two separate attacks across a volatile tribal region near the Afghan border, officials say. Naveed Akbar, a local administration official, said on Thursday that at least seven paramilitary forces lost their lives when militants ambushed a village checkpost in the volatile Mohmand Agency, which is located about 177 km (110 miles) from the capital Islamabad. Separately, two members of paramilitary force on guard duty were gunned down by a group of militants in the same volatile region, the official added. 'The attacks came at around 1:00 am. It was pitch black and the policemen were caught unaware. The militants struck suddenly and killed them without giving them a chance to fight back,' the official said. Meanwhile, the Jamaat-ur-Ahrar faction of the Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for both attacks. Pakistan's tribal regions, located near the country's border with neighboring Afghanistan, have been dealing with militancy over the past years. In recent months, Taliban militants have launched a series of deadly attacks against the government forces and civilians across the troubled northwestern region. On January 20, four gunmen attacked Bacha Khan University campus in Charsadda District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, killing more than 20 people. Pro-Taliban militants later claimed responsibility for the assault. On December 16, 2014, a group of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants mounted an attack against Peshawar's Army School, where more than 150 people, mostly children, were massacred. The massacre shocked and outraged the country already scarred by nearly a decade of attacks. According to Pakistani officials, more than 3,100 pro-Taliban militants have been killed since the army intensified military operations against militants following the school attack. Thousands of Pakistanis have lost their lives in bombings and other militant attacks since Islamabad entered an alliance with the US in the so-called war on terror in 2001. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address S Korean Prime Minister Rules Out Nukes Amid Calls for Nuclear Capability Sputnik News 08:48 18.02.2016(updated 09:00 18.02.2016) South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn ruled out on Thursday building or deploying nuclear weapons to the country amid a heated debate in the parliament, local media said. TOKYO (Sputnik) South Korean politicians have been actively exploring a possibility of procuring nuclear weapons after the North tested a hydrogen bomb and launched a long-range rocket earlier this year. 'It is the government's basic position that the nuclear armament is not permitted,' the prime minister stressed, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency. Speaking at the National Assembly meeting, South Korea's ruling party policy chief Kim Jung-hoon urged the government to consider ways of building a nuclear bomb, such as pyroprocessing spent nuclear fuel. This would allow the South to obtain sufficient capabilities to build a bomb at any time without violating a nuclear deal with Washington, which bans Seoul from reprocessing and enriching nuclear fuel. Earlier this week, Won Yoo-chul, the floor leader of South Korea's ruling party, called on the national legislature to allow for US tactical nukes to be brought back amid rising tensions with the North. US tactical nuclear weapons were removed from the country in late 1991 as part of Seoul's denuclearization agreement with Pyongyang. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia Receives Over 60 Yak-130 Aircraft Since 2010 - Manufacturer Sputnik News 14:33 17.02.2016 According to the Irkut Corporation, the Russian Aerospace Forces have received over 60 Yak-130 combat training aircraft since 2010. SINGAPORE (Sputnik) The Russian Aerospace Forces have received over 60 Yak-130 combat training aircraft since 2010, the plane's manufacturer said Wednesday. 'Deliveries of Yak-130 aircraft to the Russian Defense Ministry were commenced in 2010, and in 2011 for export. As of the beginning of 2016, over 60 Yak-130 aircraft have been delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces, which are widely used in educational centers,' the Irkut Corporation representative told reporters at the Singapore Airshow 2016. The Yak-130 is the world's only training aircraft with the aerodynamic configuration and subsonic flight performance characteristics of modern jet fighters. The two-seat reconnaissance and light attack jet has a combat load of up to 3,000 kilograms (6,600 pounds). Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi Arabia says 'not prepared' to cut oil output Iran Press TV Thu Feb 18, 2016 6:8PM Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir says his country is 'not prepared' to cut oil production to help shore up extremely low prices. 'If other producers want to limit or agree to a freeze in terms of additional production that may have an impact on the market but Saudi Arabia is not prepared to cut production,' Jubeir said in an interview with AFP on Thursday. The comments come days after Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed to freeze oil output at near-record levels if other major producers do the same. The agreement was announced following a meeting between Russian and Saudi energy ministers in the Qatari capital of Doha to discuss the global oil market. 'The oil issue will be determined by supply and demand and by market forces. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia will protect its market share and we have said so,' the Saudi minister added in the interview. Oil prices have fallen around 70 percent since mid-2014 due to oversupply, low demand and slowing economies. Saudi Arabia has insisted that it will not cut production to tackle the global glut, arguing that it would simply be losing market share unless its rivals also agreed to reduce supplies. Military aggression against Yemen In the interview, the Saudi foreign minister also touched on his country's military aggression against Yemen, saying it will continue until the country's fugitive government is fully reinstated. Jubeir dismissed remarks that Saudi Arabia was mired in the Yemeni conflict and said, 'A very, very small part of our total military is involved in Yemen and it is not bogged down.' Saudi Arabia began its military campaign against Yemen in late March 2015. The strikes are meant to restore power to fugitive former Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a strong ally of Riyadh. Nearly 8,300 people, among them over 2,230 children, have reportedly been killed and over 16,000 others injured since the onset of the campaign. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country's infrastructure. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ground troops only solution to Syria conflict: Turkey Iran Press TV Tue Feb 16, 2016 10:42PM Turkey is among the few countries insisting that the only way to stop the war in Syria is to deploy ground forces in the Arab country's northern regions. A Turkish official told reporters in Istanbul on Tuesday that the only possible solution to the conflict in Syria is ground operations, but Turkey would not carry out such an operation on its own. "We are asking coalition partners that there should be a ground operation," the official said on condition of anonymity. "We want a ground operation. If there is a consensus, Turkey will take part. Without a ground operation, it is impossible to stop this war... Turkey is not going to have a unilateral ground operation ... We are discussing this with allies.' Another Turkish official who commented about the ground ops in Syria is Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu who is trying to cajole Ankara's allies into okaying the deployment of the troops. 'Some countries like us, Saudi Arabia and some other Western European countries have said that a ground operation is necessary ... But to expect this only from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar is neither right nor realistic,' he said. 'If such an operation is to take place, it has to be carried out jointly, like the (coalition) airstrikes." He went on to say that Ankara has repeatedly called for measures beyond airstrikes, although the subject has not been seriously discussed with the US-led coalition. 'Of course, there would be airstrikes but a cleansing on the ground is also needed. I stated in every meeting ... that Daesh could not be destroyed or stopped by air strikes," he said. Earlier in the week, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir announced that his country was awaiting a green light from the US-led coalition to deploy special forces. 'The Kingdom's readiness to provide special forces to any ground operations in Syria is linked to a decision to have a ground component to this coalition against Daesh in Syria -- this US-led coalition -- so the timing is not up to us,' he said. Corridor for Kurds? Earlier on Tuesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that Syrian military operations backed by Russian airstrikes are aimed at creating a corridor for Kurdish forces. Over the last few days, Ankara has been targeting Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) positions in an attempt to stop Kurdish forces from reaching the Syrian border with Turkey, while Syrian forces have been making daily gains against Daesh Takfiri terrorists in the northern regions. "Such attacks ... aim to form a belt for the PYD and the ground element of that is being handled by the YPG,' Erdogan added. 'I would like to address our Western allies once again: the YPG and PYD are terrorist organizations and those who have helped them form such structures will not be forgiven by history,' he said. Syrian government troops and allied volunteer forces have recently recaptured multiple villages from Daesh in the northern Aleppo province. On Monday, they freed the villages of Masqan, Kafr Naya and al-Tiba. Stop shelling Kurds: UN to Turkey Also on Tuesday, following a meeting requested by Russia, the UN Security Council called on Turkey to halt its shelling on Syrian soil. "UN Security Council members are concerned with the Turkish attacks on a number of Syrian regions," said Venezuelan Ambassador Rafael Ramirez, who currently chairs the council. 'All members of the Security Council ... agreed to ask for Turkey to comply with international law.' On Tuesday, Turkey relentlessly shelled the Syrian town of A'zaz, located just 8 kilometers from the border, for the fourth consecutive day. Russian Ministry of Defense spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov noted on Tuesday that Turkish military has launched "massive artillery strikes" on bordering areas in Aleppo since Saturday. "Impartial monitoring bodies have detected more than a hundred rounds of fire that targeted border towns in the province of Aleppo." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syria: UN mediator intends to resume Geneva talks next week 16 February 2016 After differences between Government and opposition delegations on the priority of humanitarian issues forced a pause in the Intra-Syrian talks earlier this month, the United Nations envoy mediating the discussions has said he intends to resume them by 25 February, and earlier if possible, a UN spokesperson announced today. Chairing the regular bi-weekly press briefing earlier today in Geneva, Ahmed Fawzi, interim Director of the UN Information Service in the Swiss city, said UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura is trying to convince those with influence over the warring parties to persuade them to come to the table and "stop the madness." Mr. Fawzi said the world is witnessing "a degradation" on the ground that cannot wait, but that all parties had to come to the table and certain commitments had to be fulfilled in order to be able to move forward. He also confirmed that the humanitarian task force was expected to meet again this Thursday, 18 February, and that Senior Advisor Jan Egeland was on his way to Geneva. Stressing that humanitarian work was never paused, Mr. Fawzi said that humanitarians were working around the clock on the ground. As such, securing humanitarian access and the cessation of hostilities are high on Mr. de Mistura's agenda during his trip to Damascus, Mr. Fawzi said. In the Syrian capital, Mr. de Mistura met with the Foreign Minister today, as well as with his team and with the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, Yacoub El Hillo. The head of the Special Envoy's Office in Damascus, Khawla Mattar, also attended the meeting. Mr. Fawzi confirmed that Mr. de Mistura and the Foreign Minister had spoken about unhindered humanitarian access to all besieged areas, not just those besieged by the Government. They plan to have another meeting on the topic. Later in the day, a UN spokesperson in New York reported that Mr. de Mistura had announced that access to besieged areas had been obtained for convoys, which are coordinated by the UN country team. He said it is the duty of the Government of Syria to want to reach every Syrian person wherever they are and allow the UN to bring humanitarian aid. The Special Envoy said this would be tested tomorrow. 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 intra-Syria talks at a meeting in November 2015. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pentagon: Syria Accord Tests Russia's Will to De-escalate War by Carla Babb February 16, 2016 The Pentagon on Tuesday called the cessation-of-hostilities agreement in Syria a "test" for Russia, as potential effects and implementation of the agreement remain uncertain. "The test is really it's up to the Russians at this point," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook told reporters. Cook asserted that the U.S. military's fight remained against Islamic State militants in Syria and would not be affected by the cessation agreement reached last week in Munich. He added, however, that the U.S. would be watching to see who does not abide by the agreement and would "respond" and "adjust" if necessary. The cessation agreement halts fighting to allow humanitarian aid into besieged areas. The agreement excludes attacks on terrorist groups Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaida affiliate in Syria. A task force of nations, led by the U.S. and Russia, will determine eligible targets and geographic areas. The deal raised concern about whether Russia will actually change its behavior in Syria. The U.S. and rights groups have accused Russia of using cluster munitions that have struck schools and medical facilities in Aleppo and Idlib. Russia has blamed the U.S. for those strikes, and the Russian news agency Interfax has quoted a Russian Foreign Ministry official as saying Moscow will continue its airstrikes around Aleppo even if a cease-fire agreement in Syria is reached. No penalty U.S. opponents of the cessation agreement argue that there's no provision of repercussions for those who do not abide by it. 'It requires opposition groups to stop fighting, but it allows Russia to continue bombing terrorists, which it insists is everyone, even civilians," U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said Sunday at the Munich Security Conference. If Russia or the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad 'violates this agreement, what are the consequences?' he asked. 'I don't see any.' The senator blasted the deal as "diplomacy in the service of military aggression," accusing Russia of using "the denial and delivery of humanitarian aid as a bargaining chip" to lock in the Assad regime's territorial gains and choose when to resume fighting. The cessation agreement had been expected to take effect within a week from last Friday, but the State Department on Tuesday seemed to back away from a timetable. 'I'm not trying to excuse the delay in any way," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said. "But we also recognize we need, the parties involved need, a little space in order to at least make the effort.' NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Militant-held town in Syria receives aid convoy Iran Press TV Wed Feb 17, 2016 6:51PM The Syrian Red Crescent says a convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian aid has arrived in the militant-held town of Mu'adamiyat al-Sham on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus. 'The convoy has begun to enter Mu'adamiyat al-Sham. There are 35 trucks carrying 8,800 sacks of flour, 4,400 food parcels, high energy foods and medical equipment,' the Red Crescent's Muhannad al-Asadi told AFP on Wednesday. The convoy is the first aid delivery since world powers agreed upon cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access across the country. On February 12, the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting in the German city of Munich agreed to seek a nationwide "cessation of hostilities" and to accelerate and expand aid deliveries. The deal is due to come into force later this week. The ISSG said in a statement that the planned ceasefire in Syria does not include areas held by groups designated as terrorist organizations by the United Nations Security Council, including Daesh and the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front. Damascus has pledged full cooperation with the UN and the Red Cross to deliver humanitarian aid to all civilians "without any discrimination," including those in hard-to-reach areas. Meanwhile, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Syria, Yacoub El Hillo, said aid dispatched to the towns of Mu'adamiyat al-Sham, Dayr al-Zawr, Madaya, Zabadani and Kafr Batna on Wednesday was enough for 93,000 people. 'Today, aid for 30,000 people will enter Mu'adamiyat al-Sham. Other aid will be enough for one month for 42,000 in Madaya, and close to 1,000 in Zabadani,' Hillo said. He added that the Shia towns of Fuaa and Kafraya in Idlib Province will receive aid enough for 20,000 people. The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which flared in March 2011, has claimed the lives of some 470,000 people and left 1.9 million injured, according to the Syrian Center for Policy Research. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey to continue Syria bombardment: Erdogan Iran Press TV Wed Feb 17, 2016 5:14PM President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed Wednesday that Turkish forces will push ahead with the bombardment of positions of Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, as Kurds continue to make advances there. 'They (the West) tell us to stop shelling' the Kurdish fighters in Syria, Erdogan said in a televised speech in the capital, Ankara. 'Forgive me, but there is no question of us doing such a thing. Whoever fires shells on Turkey will get not just a tit-for-tat response but an even greater one,' Erdogan stated. The Turkish president said Ankara would not allow a new Qandil to be created on southern Turkish border, in a reference to the mountain in northern Iraq, which has been the stronghold of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants for years. Over the past few days, Turkey has been shelling the positions of fighters of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and its affiliate Democratic Union Party (PYD) in northern Syria. Ankara regards the YPG and PYD as allies of the PKK, which has been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region inside Turkey since the 1980s. The YPG, which is nearly in control of Syria's entire northern border with Turkey, has been fighting against the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group. The Turkish government is angered by the rapid advance of Syrian Kurdish fighters, who are taking advantage of Russian air cover in the region to capture territory near the Turkish border. Erdogan said Ankara would 'not allow... the provocative' steps taken by them in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo. Turkey believes the Syrian Kurds are seeking to create an autonomous region in northern Syria that stretches from the Iraqi border to the Mediterranean. 'We will not hesitate to take the necessary steps against all terror organizations in Syria,' said Erdogan. He also called on the United States which backs the PYD and YPG to end its support, saying, 'Are you our friend or the friend of the PYD?... We know that we need friends. But if you don't see us as friends then please say it loud and clear.' Turkey has been among the major supporters of the Takfiri terror groups fighting to topple the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since 2011. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Fate of Syria ceasefire deal depends on US: Russia Iran Press TV Wed Feb 17, 2016 5:6PM Russia says the implementation of an international agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Syria, which was recently reached in the German city of Munich, hinges on the United States. 'Everything depends on the Americans, on whether they will be ready to cooperate on a military level,' Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday. On February 12, world powers agreed to seek a nationwide ceasefire in Syria beginning in a week's time after the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting in Munich. They also decided to accelerate and expand humanitarian aid deliveries to the crisis-hit Arab country. According to the ISSG statement, the truce in Syria does not include areas held by groups designated as terrorist organizations by the United Nations Security Council, including Daesh and al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front. The deal came as Washington along with some of its allies has been conducting airstrikes against the alleged Daesh elements since September 2014 without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate. On the contrary, Russia launched its own anti-terror campaign in Syria last September upon a request from the Damascus government. The airstrikes have expedited the advances of Syrian forces against militants. Elsewhere, asked about a latest proposal by German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the establishment of a no-fly zone over Syria, the top Russian diplomat said the plan does not belong to Berlin but rather to Ankara. 'This is not Merkel's initiative, this is a Turkish initiative," he said. The Turkish government has long been pushing for a buffer zone or no-fly zone inside Syria that covers the anti-Damascus militants' most-heavily-depended-on supply route. The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which flared in March 2011, has claimed the lives of some 470,000 people and left 1.9 million injured, according to the Syrian Center for Policy Research. The Syrian army, backed by Russian air cover, has made significant gains against Takfiri militants on several fronts, particularly in the strategic northern province of Aleppo. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address More than 100 Takfiri militants killed in Syria military operations Iran Press TV Wed Feb 17, 2016 3:48PM More than 100 Takfiri terrorists have been killed in two days of air and ground operations by the Syrian military across the Arab country. Syria's official news agency SANA reported on Wednesday that Syrian fighter jets targeted hideouts of the Takfiri Daesh terrorists in the town of al-Bab and several other villages in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo Province. The report said at least 70 terrorists were slain. The Syrian aircraft also dealt a heavy blow to the Takfiri militants in airstrikes on their command posts in Eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus. The Syrian forces recently regained control of several areas in the same region. Also on Wednesday, airstrikes by the Syrian air force targeted gathering centers of militants of the Jaish al-Fatah in Kafr Zita, Jub al-Rayan and Kafr Nabudah in the northern countryside of Hama. Jaish al-Fateh terrorists suffered another blow in similar strikes on their hideouts in the province of Idlib. On Tuesday, at least six Takfiri militants were killed in attacks by the Syrian ground forces in the provinces of Hama and Idlib. Separately, the Syrian army released footage showing the operation of liberating two strategic villages in Aleppo. The villages of Masqan and Ehras in the northern countryside of Aleppo were liberated from the control of the Takfiri militants on Monday. The army, backed by popular forces, also won back the village of al-Tiba in the eastern countryside of Aleppo as well as Kafar Naya, 25 kilometers (15 miles) north of Aleppo City. The Syrian army and its allies, backed by Russian warplanes, have recently made major advances against Takfiri militants north of Aleppo. Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said on February 10 that the government forces will soon take full control of the militant-held areas of Aleppo but predicted a tough battle for the largest city in the Arab country. 'These battles are not easy, but the day will come, God willing, when all Aleppo - its rural areas and the occupied part of the city - will return to state authority,' Zoubi said. Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. According to a new report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country's pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia dismisses proposal for creating no-fly zone in Syria Iran Press TV Wed Feb 17, 2016 3:10PM A senior Russian diplomat rejected Wednesday a proposal by German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the establishment of a no-fly zone over Syria. According to Russian media reports, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said any no-fly zone should be first approved by the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and endorsed by the UN Security Council. Merkel on Wednesday denounced the humanitarian situation in Syria as 'unacceptable' and reiterated her call for a no-fly zone. 'The current situation remains unacceptable and it would be helpful if there was an area in Syria over which nobody could fly attacks,' she told the German parliament. Rejecting the idea of negotiating with the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, she said, "but if we were able to reach an agreement between anti- and pro-Assad forces on a kind of no-fly zone, in the sense of a sanctuary for the many refugees, then this would save many lives and aid the political process about Syria's future." The German chancellor first put forward the idea in an interview published on February 15, without giving further details. The no-fly zone proposal comes as the Syrian army, backed by Russian air cover, has made significant gains against Takfiri militants on several fronts, particularly in the strategic northern province of Aleppo. Syria's foreign-backed opposition has also called for a halt in Russia's anti-terror campaign as a condition for its participation in the Geneva peace talks for the resolution of the ongoing crisis. The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which flared in March 2011, has claimed the lives of some 470,000 people and left 1.9 million injured, according to the Syrian Center for Policy Research. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ankara cooperating with militants in Syria: Demirtas Iran Press TV Wed Feb 17, 2016 1:41PM The leader of Turkey's main Kurdish party has accused the country's military of collaborating with Takfiri militant groups inside Syria. Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) co-chairman, Selahattin Demirtas, said in an interview with the Greek Efimerida Ton Syntakton newspaper on Wednesday that the army is cooperating with two extremist groups and is protecting militants as well as al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front Takfiri group in Syria. The groups 'cross fighters and weapons from Turkish soil (into Syria) with the cooperation of Turkish authorities,' he said. Ankara is accused of actively training and arming Takfiri elements and buying smuggled oil from territories held by Daesh terrorist group. Turkey has been among the major supporters of the Takfiri terrorists fighting to topple the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since 2011. EU ignoring Ankara's atrocities Elsewhere in his remarks, the 42-year-old Turkish politician criticized the European Union for turning a blind eye to human rights violations in Turkey, denouncing the move as a doomed bid for a solution to the refugee crisis in Europe. 'Europe is closing its eyes to the trampling of human rights in Turkey and is preparing to succumb to (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan's threats and blackmail,' Demirtas said but added that the policy is a "big mistake." 'Erdogan is neither willing nor able to solve the refugee issue,' he said. Europe has been experiencing an unprecedented inflow of refugees, most of whom are fleeing conflict-ridden zones in Africa and the Middle East, particularly Syria. Policies of major European powers are blamed by many for the unprecedented refugee exodus, as they have led to a surge in terrorism and war in the violence-hit regions, forcing more people out of their homes. The EU has offered Turkey three billion euros (USD 3.3 billion) in return for its attempts to stem the flow of hundreds of thousands of refugees arriving in the continent via Turkey, which is hosting 2.5 million refugees from Syria and hundreds of thousands from Iraq. The Turkish government accuses Demirtas' HDP of backing the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group, which has been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region inside Turkey since the 1980s. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey wants 'secure strip' within Syria Iran Press TV Wed Feb 17, 2016 11:22AM Turkey has demanded the creation of a "secure strip" inside Syrian territory that covers the anti-Damascus militants' most-heavily-depended-on supply route. 'What we want is to create a secure strip, including (the town of) Azaz, 10 kilometers deep inside Syria and this zone should be free from clashes,' Deputy Turkish Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan said on Wednesday, Reuters reported. Syrian troops and Lebanon's Hezbollah fighters have retaken the town, located near the northwestern Syria city of Aleppo. The militants had been depending on the corridor to ship arms from Turkey into Aleppo, where the Syrian Army and Russian aerial backup have been increasingly eating away at their turf. Having lost the route, they would have to look elsewhere for supplies, thus failing to rapidly rearm. After the town fell back into Syrian hands, Ankara also moved to threaten sending ground troops into Syria on the purported mission of fighting the Takfiri terrorist group of Daesh. The Turkish official, though, said that creation of such a safe pathway would prevent Kurdish fighters from, what he called, attempts at shaking up the demographic makeup there. 'There is a game being played with the aim of changing the demographic structure. Turkey should not be part of this game.' Over the past few days, Turkey has been shelling the positions of fighters of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and its affiliate Democratic Union Party (PYD) in the northern parts of Syria. Ankara regards the YPG and YPD as allies of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region inside Turkey since the 1980s. The YPG, which controls nearly Syria's entire northern border with Turkey, has been fighting against Daesh. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syria's President Assad grants amnesty to army deserters Iran Press TV Wed Feb 17, 2016 11:26PM Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has issued a decree pardoning all army deserters and other military-related crimes. The decree grants amnesty to soldiers inside and outside of Syria as long as their crimes took place before February 17, 2016, and will not be applicable to those who were currently under investigation or have escaped arrest, the official SANA news agency reported on Wednesday. The soldiers will be granted absolution on condition that they turn themselves in to authorities for investigations. Those currently residing outside Syria have two months to present themselves and those inside the country have one month. Last year, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that some 70,000 men had avoided being drafted in to the military since the beginning of the conflict in Syria. Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. According to a new report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country's pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Obama Says Truce Is 'Test' Of Russia's Intentions In Syria February 17, 2016 by RFE/RL U.S. President Barack Obama has challenged Russia to back peace rather than war in Syria and said a negotiated truce that is supposed to begin this week will be a 'test' of Moscow's intentions. Obama challenged recent assertions by Russian and Syrian leaders that they are winning the ground war against rebel groups in the 'shattered' country. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's troops, backed by Russian air strikes, may have made 'initial advances,' but three-quarters of the country remains out of their control, Obama told reporters in California after an East Asian summit on February 16. The president said Russia's and Syria's gains, moreover, have come at a horrible cost in human lives and displacement of thousands of Syrians, much of that the result of Russia's 'indiscriminate' bombing. 'The real question in Syria is what is it that Russia thinks it gains if it gets a country that has been completely destroyed as an ally and that it now has to...spend billions of dollars to prop up,' he said. 'A country has been shattered because [Assad] was willing to shatter it,' he added, and Russia 'has been party to that entire process.' What forced Russia to intervene in Syria was the Syrian regime's weakness, not its strength, Obama said. 'You send in your army when the horse you're backing isn't effective,' he said, asserting that Russia's deep recession and faltering government revenues will not permit Moscow to support a long war there. 'Putin may think he's prepared to invest in a permanent occupation of Syria,' Obama said, but 'that's going to be pretty costly...If you look at the state of Russia's economy, that's not what would be best for Russia.' Obama said it would be smarter for Putin to help broker a peace settlement and political transition in Syria, and this week's truce gives him the opportunity to get started on that process. The president's comments were echoed by other administration officials earlier on February 16. State Department Spokesman Mark Toner said the United States expects Russia to honor the truce, which negotiators in Munich last week said should begin by February 19, and wants to 'see some progress on a cessation of hostilities.' Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said the truce agreement is a 'test' and 'a new marker' for Russia. 'We will be keeping a close eye on who abides by it and who does not, and we will be in a position to say clearly, and to respond if necessary, if there are violations of that cessation of hostilities,' Cook said. With reporting by AP, Reuters, NBC News, and AFP Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/us-president- obama-says-negotiated-truce-is-test- of-russian-intentions-in-syria/27556821.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Council Expresses 'Concern' About Turkey's Shelling In Syria February 17, 2016 by RFE/RL The UN Security Council is 'concerned' about Turkey's shelling of Kurds in Syria, UN diplomats said after a meeting requested by Russia on February 16. Venezuela's UN Ambassador Rafael Dario Ramirez Carreno, the current council president, told reporters in New York that 'all members of the Security Council are agreed to ask for Turkey to comply with international law.' Turkey since the weekend has been shelling positions held by the Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara says is linked to Kurdish militant groups outlawed in Turkey. Ankara fears the YPG, which is an ally of the United States in its fight against the Islamic State (IS) militant group, is close to securing the last stretch of the Syrian border with Turkey not already under its control. Turkey has warned the YPG that it would face the 'harshest reaction' if it tries to capture the town of Azaz near the Turkish border. Taking an increasingly activist stance toward the conflict in neighboring Syria, Turkey on February 16 said it was seeking allies to send ground troops into Syria, apparently to bolster rebel forces that have been fighting a losing battle against government and Kurdish forces in the Aleppo region. Turkey's actions have stirred alarm in Moscow and Damascus, while prompting more muted objections from Washington, which has asked Turkey to stop the shelling. Syria sent letters to the Security Council protesting Turkey's alleged border violations, while its close ally Russia asked for the closed-door meeting on the matter. Russia's Deputy UN Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov, in an apparent allusion to the United States, said council members with close ties to Turkey should tell Ankara to 'stop your inappropriate behavior in Syria.' Turkey is a member of NATO, which has cooperated with the United States in its campaign against IS, but on Kurdish matters it has often been at odds with U.S. goals in the region. U.S. officials have lauded the Kurdish YPG militia, backed by air strikes from the U.S.-led coalition fighting IS, as the most effective force fighting against the Islamic extremist group in Syria. With reporting by Reuters, AP, and TASS Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/un-council-expresses-concern- turkey-shelling-kurdish-ypg-in-syria/27556822.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Willing to Consider Air Support for Afrin Kurds in N Syria - Pentagon Sputnik News 19:12 17.02.2016(updated 19:56 17.02.2016) The US is considering a possible air support for the Afrin Kurds. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The US military will look into the possibility of supporting from the air the Afrin Kurds' advances in northern Syria against Daesh, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Col. Steve Warren told reporters on Wednesday. 'Right now our airpower is focused on vetted Syrian opposition and some with moderate Syrian opposition,' Warren said in a briefing. 'We have not yet taken strikes in support of this group of Afrin Kurds, but it is certainly something to consider.' Afrin is a city and a district in the Kurdish region of Syria, which is being blockaded by Syria's Islamist opposition groups as well as by Turkey. Ankara claims that Syrian Kurds have links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is fighting for Kurdish independence and is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey. On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara will continue attacks on Kurdish fighter posts in Syria in response to alleged attacks by Syrian Kurds against Turkish troops. On February 10, Erdogan slammed US support of the Kurds, claiming that Washington is responsible for a 'sea of blood,' because it refuses to recognize the Syrian Kurds as terrorists and supports them militarily. In the briefing, Warren reiterated the US willingness to support forces fighting the Islamic State terror group on the ground. 'As forces are battling ISIL [Islamic State], we will certainly consider whether or not we can provide airpower to support them,' he concluded. Daesh, is a designated terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries. The infamous group, which has seized large areas in Syria and Iraq and declared an Islamic caliphate there, has sold significant quantities of stolen oil to Turkey, a charge that Ankara denies. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkish Attack on Kurds 'Aims to Derail Syrian Crisis Settlement' Sputnik News 19:02 17.02.2016(updated 19:04 17.02.2016) Turkish artillery shelling of Kurdish-held areas in northern Syria is an attempt to hinder the international commitment to a political solution to the Syrian war, the chairman of the Syrian Democratic Council told Sputnik Wednesday. MOSCOW (Sputnik) On Tuesday, the UN Security Council urged Ankara to comply with international law in Syria and reiterated its commitment to the Munich agreements, which stipulates that all parties should work on the cessation of hostilities. "All kind of military aggression should stop by the Munich decision, but the Turks aren't interested in a political solution or in the intra-Syrian talks, so they are trying to derail them in the name of Turkish national security," Haytham Manaa said. He noted that some regional countries are also trying to derail the Syrian peace talks, due to restart later this month, as well as the "international mobilization for a political solution in Syria" which is "a very good occasion for Syrians to stop this war." He stressed that the position of the Syrian Democratic Council is that Ankara's actions can be interpreted as aggression against Syria's sovereignty, as the Turkish Army has no right to bomb Syrian territory. Ankara claims that Syrian Kurds have links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is fighting for Kurdish independence from Turkey. Turkey has also been insisting on Kurds being excluded from the peace talks in Geneva, while various international powers have repeatedly stressed that the talks were doomed to fail if Kurdish representatives are not included. The UN-brokered talks on Syrian reconciliation were launched in late January, but were later put on hold until February 25. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Erdogan Urges US to Recognize Syrian Kurdish PYD Group as Terrorists Sputnik News 16:18 17.02.2016 The Turkish president has called Western allies to recognize the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) as a terrorist organization. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated on Wednesday his calls on Western allies to recognize the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) as a terrorist organization. 'There is no such thing as a good terrorist or a bad terrorist,' the Turkish president said, calling on the United States to clarify whether Washington supports Ankara or the PYD, as quoted by the Daily Sabah newspaper. Last week, Erdogan questioned US loyalty to Turkey, as Washington still supported the PYD as it had been successfully fighting against Daesh militant group, which is outlawed in Russia, the United States and a number of other countries. On February 9, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned US Ambassador John Bass to protest the US refusal to consider the PYD a terrorist organization. Ankara claims that Syrian Kurds have links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is fighting for Kurdistan independence from Turkey, and is deemed a terrorist organization by Ankara. The PKK leadership, however, denies ties to the PYD group. PYD, and its armed wing the People's Protection Units (YPG), have been active in northern Syria. The YPG scored a significant victory against IS in the Kurdish town of Kobani, which had been besieged by extremist forces between September 2014 and March 2015. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Democratic Forces to Continue Fighting Daesh Despite Turkish Threats Sputnik News 15:25 17.02.2016 The Syrian Democratic Forces will continue attacks against the Daesh's positions in northern Syria despite threats from Turkey, the spokesman for the organization said Wednesday. CAIRO (Sputnik) The Syrian Democratic Forces is an alliance of Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, Armenian, and Turkmen militias. 'They [Turkey] said that they would not allow us to move further to the West, but we have advanced. We will continue further offensives against Daesh positions. This is our land and we will liberate it,' Talal Salu told RIA Novosti. According to Salu, the alliance will not respond to the recent Turkish shelling of its positions. 'We are exerting restraint. The entire international community has now condemned Turkey's shelling of our positions and has demanded that Turkey should stop the strikes. We will not give in to provocations, our aim is to defeat Daesh,' Salu added. According to the spokesman, the Turkish strikes left nine people dead. In recent days, Turkey has intensified its artillery shelling of Kurdish-held areas in northern Syria, which has been in a state of civil war since 2011. Ankara claims that Syrian Kurds have links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which fights for Kurdish independence from Turkey. Syrian Kurds have been fighting against Daesh, which is outlawed in many countries including Russia, for years and have already liberated vast Syrian territories from under its control. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Air Campaign Repels Turkey Invasion - Syrian Democratic Forces Sputnik News 14:41 17.02.2016(updated 14:51 17.02.2016) According to a Syrian Democratic Forces spokesman, Turkey has not invaded Syria because of Russia's anti-terrorist air campaign in the country. CAIRO (Sputnik) The Turkish army will not invade Syrian soil while Russia's aerial campaign against Daesh terrorists in the country is ongoing, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance of militias said Wednesday. 'They [Turkish troops] have not approached the border and do not dare to do so, as they would become targets for the Russian air force and the regime's artillery should they enter Syrian territory,' Talal Salu told RIA Novosti. Salu added that a US-led coalition of over 60 states would also be against such an invasion of northern Syria. On Saturday, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkish forces had shelled Kurdish People's Protection Units positions in northern Syria as a retaliatory measure within the rules of engagement. The attacks have been ongoing since Sunday. Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with the country's government fighting multiple opposition factions and extremist groups. In September 30, 2015, Russia launched an air campaign against Daesh and the Nusra Front, which are outlawed as terrorist organizations, at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey Shelling Syrian Territory is 'Sheer Outrage' - Russia Sputnik News 10:20 17.02.2016(updated 12:45 17.02.2016) According to the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Turkey can't stand the fact that Syria is beeing freed libirated from extremists. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Turkey's shelling Syrian territory is outragious, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Wednesday. "What's going on on the Turkish-Syrian border is a sheer outrage. Turkey is shelling populous areas over the border, sending money, people, and material technical support in the conditions of signing and accepting the Munich statements of the International Support Syria Group," Zakharova said on RT television station. 'This is simply because [Turkey] can't stand the fact that these regions are being freed from terrorists and extremists, those whom they fostered for a long time and supported for a long time," she stressed. On Tuesday, Turkey continued its fourth straight day of shelling Kurdish YPG positions across the Turkish-Syrian border. Ankara claims that Syrian Kurds have links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which fights for the independence of Kurdistan from Turkey. Syria's Foreign Ministry branded the shelling as direct support of the terrorists. The United States has also condemned the attacks on Kurdish YPG, which have been important allies in the fight against Daesh in Syria. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Shifting Allegiances, A Free-for-All in Northern Syria by Jamie Dettmer February 17, 2016 Syrian rebel commander Abu Ali Sijjo has for months fought Islamic State, liberating a village along the border from the terror group, while at the same time battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime. Two months ago IS targeted the rebel commander in a car bombing he has a shattered shoulder and limited use of his right-arm. But as mainly moderate and Islamic nationalist rebel militias -- some backed by the U.S. -- are faced with an unrelenting Assad ground offensive, pulverizing round-the-clock Russian airstrikes and Kurdish attacks in northern Syria, even this rebel commander is questioning where his future allegiances may lie. Most rebel fighters and commanders are debating with themselves and each other about what they should do, how they should re-group and who they should align with in defense of what is left of the dwindling territory they are clinging onto in the Aleppo countryside. Some fighters have left the battlefield not from a lack of valor but in anger at what they see as Western passivity some say betrayal or in disgust with their commanders who still squabble among themselves. Others are pondering whether to join al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra or even Islamic State not out of theological reasons but to be able to continue to fight Assad. The picture is changing by the hour in the northern Aleppo in what one rebel commander told VOA is the "make-or-break moment of the Syrian revolution." Here's a look at the 'who, what, where and why' of the current situation on the ground in northern Syria and what it might portend for U.S. policy and the fate of the Syrian revolution. Are The Syrian Rebels United? The Syrian revolution has been marked by the fractiousness of its armed groups and political factions. In the face of impeding doom, deep divisions and disagreements remain. The former chief of staff of the Western-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA), General Salem Idris, recently expressed his frustration to VOA about the bickering that erupted during an emergency meeting between militia commanders in the northern Aleppo countryside. "They may lose everything but they still think about personal interests," he fumed. Over the past five years many attempts have been made to achieve some unity of purpose and alliances have come and gone with dizzying speed. As towns and villages have fallen the past week some to the Assad regime, others to fighters with the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces disputes have continued to flare, including over decisions about whether to retreat, surrender or withdraw. In the town of Mare' midweek some factions wanted to surrender; others refused to do so. On Monday, eight prominent Aleppo rebel groups agreed to unite for operational purposes under the tactical leadership of Hashim al Sheikh, a former member and ally of Ahrar al-Sham, the hard-line Islamist militia which is aligned with al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra. Although this is not a full merger with Ahrar al-Sham, it will strengthen the Islamist group, and will likely better position it to absorb later other militias, fear analysts. If more rebels Jjin Ahrar al-Sham or Jabhat al-Nusra, doesn't this prove the rebels all along were extremists at heart? Syrian President Assad has always argued that his opponents are terrorists including political foes not even in armed groups. And that has been the constant refrain of Moscow. Since the Assad offensive started more than a week ago, that line has been echoed by the leaders of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD). Its leader Saleh Muslim declined to condemn the Russian airstrikes and Assad offensive in an interview with VOA, insisting that the Russians and regime forces were "just attacking terrorists, Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat al-Nusra." The commanders of the People's Protection Units (YPG), the armed wing of the PYD, insist the towns they have been overrunning this week are being grabbed from Ahrar al-Sham or al-Qaida fighters. But towns like Tell Rifaat were never in the hands of either Ahrar al-Sham or Jabhat al-Nusra, and fighters from al -Qaida's Syria affiliate long ago vacated much of the northern Aleppo countryside, although in some areas they have returned since the offensive, especially in the city of Aleppo to fight alongside other rebel factions. A rebel realignment that appears to be emerging that strengthens Salafi-Jihadist and hardline Islamist groups will be a self-fulfilling prophecy, argue many Syria watchers. They say Moscow has been pursing a strategy it used in Chechnya: target the moderates and crush them, which in turn leaves only extremists remaining, allowing the regime to force people and foreign governments to choose between either the regime or the extremists with no moderate alternative. "It is straight out of the Kremlin playbook: destroy the middle ground, back us or back the extremists," says a senior European Union diplomat. With the noose tightening around the city of Aleppo and militias on the back foot in the countryside to the north of the city, many rebel fighters will have no option but to join the bigger more powerful groups like Ahrar al-Sham or al Nusra or align with them, says Bassam al Kuwaiti, a well known figure in pro-opposition civil society circles. "They will follow anyone who can pay them and give them a gun and ammunition," he says. "They will also have to do so for self-protection reasons," he adds. Where do the Kurds come into this? The YPG dominates the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces. Some Sunni Arab and Turkmen militias are also members of the SDF but several have checkered histories and have formed opportunistic alliances in the past with rebel militias they are now fighting. Some have even worked with jihadists in the past. Some fighters are from Western-backed militias such as the Hazzm Movement and the Syrian Revolutionaries Front, which collapsed last year after being attacked by by Islamist militias and al-Nusra. The SDF, which was unveiled in October, was embraced by U.S. officials as a proxy army to partner with in northern Syria to fight Islamic State and was seen by Washington as an alternative to a ground force the Obama administration had hoped to recruit from scratch and train and equip. Until the Assad offensive, the Kurdish-dominated SDF focused on fighting IS to the east of the Euphrates River and received arms supplies from the U.S. to do so. But in December it seized the Tishrin dam from the terror group and some of its fighters to the anger of Ankara crossed west of the river. There were signs SDF fighters would move into the Aleppo countryside. PYD leaders have made little secret they want to unite Kurdish cantons along the border. Once the Assad offensive started SDF fighters mainly Kurdish launched attacks on FSA and other rebels in the Aleppo countryside not from the East but from their enclave at Afrin to the West, seizing at first a couple of villages. But they have quickly expanded, exploiting the Assad offensive and Russian airstrikes, which noticeably have not been targeting them, to seize more towns and territory, including a major airbase that has been in rebel hands since August 2013. This week they occupied the strategic town of Tell Rifaat, just 15 kilometers form the border with Turkey. YPG commanders and the PYD's social media propaganda machine deny the Kurdish action has been coordinated with the Assad regime or the Russians. They contend they have sheltered Arab Sunni families who have fled heavy fighting in the Kurdish enclave of Afrin and by taking towns are ensuring they are denied to the regime. Syrian rebel commanders, however, insist there has been clear military coordination, and say they will never forgive what they consider treachery by the Kurds. The spectacle has been bewildering of U.S.-backed Kurds who now appear to be Russian-backed, too battling U.S.-backed rebel militias, prompting head-scratching from some analysts and triggering loud accusations from rebels that Washington and Moscow are in league with each other. The Obama administration has urged the Kurds to restrain themselves but the rebels say that if Washington really wanted the YPG to stop it could exert more pressure. Where does this Leave the US ? The realignments and shifts will impact U.S. strategy in Syria, say analysts. The Obama administration has made the defeat of the Islamic State its top priority in Syria and has argued only a political solution and not a military one can resolve the five-year-long civil war that has left upwards of 250,000 people dead. It has been reluctant to get drawn into the civil war, although it has wanted to see Assad's ouster. But some analysts warn that even the U.S. objective of defeating IS will be undermined by the events of the past week. "The U.S. requires partnerships with Syrian armed opposition groups in order to destroy ISIS and al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al Nusra in the long term," warns analyst Jennifer Cafarella in a paper for the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank. "Without local Sunni partners that hold the support of the population, the U.S. faces high costs to destroy ISIS and al-Qaida in Syria and risks failure," she says. Rebel commanders say that the U.S. will find fewer militias trusting it in the future. "America by its inaction is pushing fighters to join IS or Jabhat al-Nusra," says Abu Ali Sijjo. "They are pushing us towards extremism," he warns. What is Turkey doing? Turkey's leaders have long argued that Western policy has been flawed and that IS can't be vanquished until Assad is ousted. The two are connected, they say, and extremists will thrive in the chaos of the civil war. They lobbied last year for the U.S.-led international coalition to carve out a safe haven for the rebels and civilians in northern Syria. Last autumn, it looked as if Washington would agree to this in return for the use of a NATO airbase in Turkey for coalition warplanes striking at IS. But after weeks of talks Washington decided against establishing a safe haven. Turkish and Gulf allies such as Saudi Arabia have been lobbying for a ground force to intervene in Syria but in recent days they have made it clear that such a force would have to be agreed by the coalition and there are no signs of Western appetite for such an intervention. Now the Turks are calling for a smaller safe haven to be established around the border town of Azaz to protect the tens of thousands of displaced civilians there and to avoid the Turks having to open the border to admit them. The Turks have warned also they will not tolerate the Kurds expanding their territory in the Aleppo countryside and are continuing to shell YPG positions. The shelling though hasn't stopped YPG advances. And, according to the rebels, isn't helping them either as it is it not deterring the Russian airstrikes. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Advance Widening Discord Among US, Moderate Rebels by Jeff Seldin, Jamie Dettmer February 17, 2016 The northward push by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with heavy backing from Russian air power, is frustrating U.S. officials while simultaneously deepening the divide between Washington and some of its would-be allies on the ground. U.S. military officials caution that the regime advance has yet to substantially weaken the American-directed fight against the Islamic State terror group in Syria. But they worry it may be only a matter of time. "We are concerned that forces that we're working with to focus on Daesh are focused on other things," Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Colonel Steve Warren told Pentagon reporters Wednesday, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State. Already, the U.S. has seen indications that moderate rebel groups are shifting resources from their fight with Islamic State along the so-called Mare' line, which extends from the northern town of Mare' to the Turkish border, to try to counter the regime advance. "It bleeds combat power," Warren said of the rebels' response, describing the regime's northward push as a "perceived threat." Syrian Kurds Such comments have angered rebel commanders, who say the danger is not just from the south but also from Syrian Kurd YPG forces to the north, which until now have been a key U.S. ally in the fight against Islamic State. Rebel groups accuse the Syrian Kurds of shifting tactics, lessening their focus on Islamic State to instead seize territory once held by various opposition groups. They accuse the Kurds of working in coordination with both the Assad regime and Russian air power. "Russian airstrikes are helping the YPG on the ground. We see it every day," said Zakaria Malahefji, the political officer of the 3,000-member Fastaqim Kama Umirt, a brigade aligned with the rebel alliance Jaish al-Mujahideen (Army of Holy Warriors). U.S. officials deny such charges, reasoning the YPG offensive is actually helping by blocking regime efforts to move north and threaten moderate rebels battling Islamic State. "I don't know if we've seen any evidence to indicate that the Afrin Kurds are working with the regime," Warren said. And while he admitted Syrian Kurdish forces have come under only "limited" pressure from the regime, he urged all U.S. allies to focus on the U.S.-led coalition's mission. "We want them to stop fighting each other and start fighting Daesh," Warren said. Such words, however, may only serve to expand the growing rift between the U.S. and moderate Syrian rebel groups. "The YPG is acting as a spoiler, tactically," General Salem Idris, former chief of staff of the Free Syrian Army, told VOA last week in an exclusive interview. "They say they are not coordinating with the regime, but that is a lie." Opportunistic moves Still, the feeling among many officials and analysts is that the Syrian Kurds are merely acting as opportunists. "The Kurds are playing their own games to have their own state," said Bassam Barabandi, a former Syrian diplomat who co-founded People Demand Change, an international development organization. "If they don't get something from the U.S., they turn to Russia." Yet with the Syrian Kurds focused on shoring up some gains in the short term, possibly at the expense of moderate Syrian opposition forces, it could leave the U.S. without a reliable partner on the ground in Syria to counter Islamic State. "More and more, the U.S. is disappointing regional allies and jeopardizing temporary alliances," said Michael Pregent, a former U.S. intelligence officer who now is an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute. "It's something the U.S. needs to look at." VOA's Sharon Behn contributed to this report from Washington. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address No evidence of Russia attacks on Syria hospitals: Moscow Iran Press TV Thu Feb 18, 2016 2:32PM Russia has dismissed accusations of bombing hospitals in Syria, including one supported by the medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in her weekly press conference on Thursday that Western countries blaming Moscow for airstrikes on hospitals in Syria 'have neither direct nor indirect evidence' to prove their allegations. 'All this is a lie,' the Russian spokeswoman said in reference to the accusations, which have been mainly coming from Turkey. Zakharova also said any incursion into the Syrian territory by any foreign nation would be illegal. On Monday, almost 50 civilians, including children, were killed in bombings of at least five medical facilities and two schools in Syria's provinces of Aleppo and Idlib. One of the hospitals, which were targeted in the attacks, was supported by MSF. The MSF confirmed its hospital was hit but did not assign blame. Following the bombings, Turkey, which backs militants fighting against the Syrian government, held Russia responsible for the attacks, accusing the Kremlin of carrying out an "obvious war crime" in Syria. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia denies and does "not accept such statements, especially because those who make such statements are unable to prove their allegations in any way.' Syrian Ambassador to Moscow Riad Haddad said airstrikes on the MSF-operated hospital were carried out by US planes. 'It was destroyed by the American Air Force. The Russian Air Force has nothing to do it with,' the envoy said. The US-led coalition has been conducting air raids against what are said to be the Daesh terrorists inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate. Since late September 2014, Russia has been conducting airstrikes against foreign-backed militants in Syria upon a request by the Damascus government. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey signals escalating Syria attack Iran Press TV Thu Feb 18, 2016 8:20AM Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu accuses the Syrian government of being directly responsible for a bombing in Ankara, saying Turkey will continue to shell Kurdish positions inside the Arab country. Davutoglu on Thursday said a member of the Syria Kurdish YPG militia working with PKK militants was behind the Ankara bombing that killed 28 people a day before. The premier also accused Russia of using YPG against Turkey. The leader of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party denied the accusation, saying Ankara was making the allegation in order to escalate the conflict in Syria. 'We are completely refuting that,' Saleh Muslim, co-chair of the PYD, told Reuters. He also denied claims that the group's armed YPG wing was firing into Turkey. 'I can assure you that not even one bullet is fired by YPG into Turkey,' Muslim said. 'They don't consider Turkey as an enemy,' he said. On Thursday, a bomb detonated by remote control killed seven Turkish security force members travelling in a military vehicle in southeast Turkey. The blast hit the armored vehicle on the highway linking Diyarbakir, the largest city in the mainly Kurdish southeast, to the district of Lice. Sources had previously said the explosion hit a convoy of vehicles. Davutoglu said 26 of the 28 killed in the Ankara blast were soldiers. Shortly after the bombing, Turkish warplanes bombed northern Iraq overnight, killing 60-70 militants, including senior PKK figures, he added. In a live television speech, Davutoglu said the Ankara bombing showed that the YPG was a terrorist organization and that Turkey expected cooperation from its allies against the group. A car laden with explosives detonated next to the military buses as they waited at traffic lights near Turkey's armed forces' headquarters, parliament and government buildings in Ankara late on Wednesday. The military described it as a terrorist attack and a senior security source said initial signs indicated militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) were responsible. The co-leader of the PKK umbrella group, Cemil Bayik, said he did not know who was responsible but the attack could be a response to 'massacres' in Turkey's Kurdish-populated regions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Shell Shocked: Militants Retreat From Strategic Towns in Aleppo Province Sputnik News 08:55 18.02.2016(updated 09:26 18.02.2016) Syrian Ground and Air Forces have reportedly obliterated Daesh strongholds to the east of the city of Aleppo; scores of militants were killed and wounded. The Syrian Army, supported by the country's Air Force, has attacked Daesh (ISIL/ISIS) strongholds in northern Syria's Aleppo province, killing dozens of terrorists, according to the Iranian news agency FARS. Sources said that the Syrian troops launched a number of offensives on Daesh-held positions in the towns of Al-Bab, Qabasin, and Beza on Wednesday. Additional militant strongholds were also reportedly destroyed by Syrian fighter jets in Handarat and Hraytan north of the city of Aleppo; the Islamists suffered heavy losses in the airstrikes. In another development earlier this week, the Russian and Syrian warplanes targeted militants' positions across the city of Aleppo, damaging their military hardware in different areas of the city, FARS reported. Also this week, the Syrian Army seized back two strategic villages in eastern Aleppo and repelled a large-scale attack by Daesh and other terrorist groups in the north of the province, sources said. Earlier, government troops thwarted a large-scale attack by the terrorists on government forces' lines of defense in the northern part of Aleppo province. Dozens of militants were killed or wounded after their attempts to prevail over the defensive lines of Syrian Army positions in Tal al-Madhafah in the southern part of Handarat were dashed by the government forces. Syria has been mired in a civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting opposition factions and terrorist groups such as Daesh and the Al-Nusra Front, which are banned in Russia. Adding to the Syrian Army's anti-terror effort is Russia's ongoing air campaign in Syria 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. In addition, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed earlier this month that advanced, super-maneuverable Su-35S multi-role fighters had begun their combat mission in Syria. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Fears Mount for Fate of Syrian NGO Workers, Political Activists by Jamie Dettmer February 18, 2016 There is growing concern about the fate of thousands of Syrians working inside the war-shattered country for Western non-profits or on development and governance projects funded by U.S. agencies and European governments. Western officials fear they will be targeted by the Assad regime as a government offensive continues to grab back more towns and territory from the rebels. And behind-the-scenes, officials are urging Turkey to admit Syrian NGO workers and political activists who want to flee, say several diplomats and aid agencies contacted by VOA. So far less than two dozen "political exceptions" have been admitted by the Turks through northern Syria's Bab al-Samah border crossing, just a few kilometers from advancing government-aligned militias and near to a hospital that was hit earlier this week in a government airstrike. 6,000 Syrians at immediate risk Immediate concerns are focused on about 6,000 Syrians a number that includes Syrian contract employees for Western NGOs, as well as family members and dependents. "There are huge worries about their fate," a British official told VOA. "The danger should not be underestimated." Bassam al-Kuwaiti, a Syrian political activist based in Turkey, warned they will be "targeted by the regime and Russian troops." NGO workers, political activists face harsh treatment Throughout the five-year conflict, and before the uprising, the Assad government has treated NGO workers and political activists harshly. A 2014 U.S. State Department Human Rights report noted Syria had "detained tens of thousands of individuals associated with nongovernmental organizations, human rights activists, journalists, humanitarian aid providers, and doctors without access to fair trial," using "rape and assault as punishment." When it comes to NGO workers, the regime has targeted especially those working on civil society and democracy issues. Last week, a U.N.-backed commission of inquiry reported that thousands of Syrians are disappearing and dying in government detention centers on a scale that amounts to state-sponsored "extermination." The report gave harrowing details of detainees who have died as a result of torture or inhumane treatment in detention centers run by the Syrian government's intelligence agencies. Network of councils targeted Aside from Syrians who are working for Western non-profits, there is also rising alarm about what may befall Western-friendly political activists who have built-up a network of councils in rebel-held districts. Across parts of rebel-controlled Syria, 416 local councils were functioning before this month's Russian-backed government offensive unfolded in rural Aleppo. In some towns, council officials were elected in rudimentary-run polls. Many of the councils in Aleppo, rural Idlib, Latakia and in rebel-controlled towns ringing Damascus, originated as local relief efforts. But they developed quickly thanks to grassroots efforts and Western funding. Last October, Deputy U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken announced Washington was giving another $100 million to the moderate Syrian opposition, some of which was earmarked for local governments inside rebel-controlled Syria. Western officials viewed the councils' emergence as a civic breakthrough, hoping it would help nudge the ideological direction of the rebellion, temper sectarianism and curtail radical Islamists. And councils have often had to navigate Islamist disapproval or cope with the threat of violence. Multiple dangers The danger for councilors in the coming weeks may not only come from the government as it grabs back more territory, worry Western officials and the councilors themselves. In the aftermath of the devastating Assad offensive a realignment of rebel militias is already under way, boosting the power of hardline Islamist militias and al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, which has frowned on the council's activities. "If Jabhat al-Nusra and allied Islamists start to grow in power there will be real risks for the councilors," said Mazen Gharibah of the Local Administration Councils Unit, which advises the local councils. "They are already trying to take over the councils with their Higher Islamic Committees," he added. There are some councilors in Aleppo trying to get out now, he said. Getting out Some councilors are among the tens of thousands of displaced civilians sheltering by the border near the crossing at Bab al- Samah. Satellite imagery released Thursday by Human Rights Watch demonstrates the massive influx of civilians by the border. Estimates vary on how many displaced civilians there are some have taken refuge in the nearby town of Azaz or are spread out in nearby fields and small settlements close to the border, which makes an accurate head-count difficult. Some civilians are heading for the neighboring province of Idlib, hoping they will have a better chance to cross the border near the crossing at Bab al-Hawa. The United Nations estimates there are 70,000 refugees around Bab al-Samah and Azaz, but relief workers said the number may be closer to 100,000. But being huddled by the border isn't relieving the anxiety of displaced civilians. Relief workers describe a sense of panic one that has spread also to rebel fighters, who want to get their families out of Syria and to safety in Turkey. "Syrians fleeing bombing in the Azaz enclave aren't even safe in the places they've sought shelter, but there are so few places for them to go," warned Nadim Houry of Human Rights Watch. While Turkish authorities are not allowing civilians to pass through the border with Syria, they permitted midweek several hundred mainly Islamist rebel fighters to enter Turkey from Syria's Idlib province, pass through Turkish territory and re-enter the northern Aleppo countryside via Bab al-Samah, say rebel commanders. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition monitoring network of activists, says one group transferred over on February 15. Rebel commanders say another group on Wednesday. Most fighters headed for Azaz. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin: Ukraine Should Implement Minsk Agreements First of All Sputnik News 23:25 17.02.2016 Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Wednesday that the Ukrainian side should fulfill the Minsk agreements on reconciliation in Ukraine's war-torn eastern region. NOVO-OGARYOVO (Moscow Region), (Sputnik) The president stressed that Minsk peace deal stipulates reforms of Ukraine's constitution, adding that the key to settling Ukraine's conflict is the political process described in the agreement. 'The sanctions were unilaterally imposed on Russia by the European Union. And it does not depend on us when the European Union lifts them. We have heard and are hearing today that this depends, above all, on the implementation of the Minsk agreements between the conflicting sides in UkraineAny objective observer today sees that the ball is in the Ukrainian authorities' court. They must, above all, fulfill these Minsk agreement conditions,' Putin said, following talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The agreements entailed constitutional reform by the end of 2015, which is something that has not happened, Putin said. The Minsk agreement, aiming to deescalate the situation in eastern Ukraine, was signed by representatives of the Kiev government and the Donbass militias in February 2015. Key points of the Minsk agreements include a ceasefire, heavy weapons withdrawal from the line of contact in eastern Ukraine, constitutional reforms, including the decentralization of power in the country, and the granting of a special status to the Donbass region. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine's Government Faces Fresh Problems, at Home, Abroad by VOA News February 17, 2016 Ukraine's government faced fresh challenges at home and abroad Wednesday, when a major political party withdrew from the governing coalition and Russia filed suit against the country over a $3 billion Eurobond debt. Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko announced her Fatherland party was leaving Ukraine's governing coalition, which she criticized as an obstacle to reforms. Tymoshenko, who leads the smallest of the coalition's four factions, accused its participants of colluding to protect their seats. President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who survived a no confidence vote in parliament on Tuesday, retain a parliamentary majority despite the exit of Tymoshenko's party. They lead the largest factions in the coalition, with 217 of the parliament's 450 seats. Tymoshenko's Fatherland party holds 19 seats. Russia files lawsuit Also Wednesday, Russia filed a lawsuit against Ukraine in London's High Court over a $3 billion Eurobond debt that Moscow says Kiev has refused to repay. Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said the lawsuit was filed 'after repeated unsuccessful attempts to engage Ukraine in constructive dialogue about restructuring the debt." Moscow loaned Kyiv $3 billion in December 2013, shortly before Ukraine's then president, Russia-backed Viktor Yanukovych, left the country in the wake of mass protests. Kyiv has argued that Moscow's multi-billion-dollar loan was a bribe to Yanukovych for his November 2013 decision to annul a free trade agreement with the EU that Kyiv has since signed. Ukraine has been locked in a bitter tug-of-war with Russia since Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014 and began supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine. Fighting between government forces and the pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas region has killed more than 9,000 people since April 2014 and destroyed Ukraine's industrial heartland. Growing disenchantment Just before Tuesday's no confidence vote, Poroshenko urged Yatsenyuk to resign, after opinion polls showed growing public disenchantment with Yatsenyuk's pro-Western government. Recent opinion polls found that 70 percent of Ukrainians supported Yatsenyuk's ouster and only one percent backed his People's Front parliamentary bloc. The 41-year-old former banker vowed to clean up the government by cutting its ties to tycoons. However, voters soon grew suspicious that he was backing the interests of the billionaires he had promised to cut off. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address We're sorry, you encountered a page that doesn't exist. All dollar amounts are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated. TORONTO, Feb. 17, 2016 /CNW/ - IAMGOLD Corporation ("IAMGOLD" or "the Company") today announced its 2015 year-end mineral reserve and resource statement. (See attached table for more details.) Total attributable proven and probable gold reserves decreased by 11% from 8.6 million ounces of gold at the end of 2014 to 7.7 million ounces at the end of 2015. The decrease of 918,000 ounces was primarily due to depletion as IAMGOLD's 2015 attributable gold production was 806,000 ounces. Other significant factors that contributed to the revised reserve estimation includes: a lower gold price assumption (-294,000) for reserves at the Company's owned and operated mines of $1,200 per ounce at December 31, 2015 compared to $1,300 a year earlier, the positive impact (+337,000) of changes in the economic parameters at Essakane, at Westwood, the conversion of 213,000 ounces of resources to reserves, offset by a refinement of the reserve model that resulted from additional infill drilling and modeling, and at Sadiola, the Company's joint venture in Mali, the conversion of 211,000 ounces of resources to reserves, as well as an increase in their gold price assumption to $1,190 per ounce at December 31, 2015 compared to $1,100 a year earlier. Total attributable measured and indicated gold resources (inclusive of reserves) increased at all sites and overall by 10% or 2.1 million ounces to 23.5 million ounces of gold at the end of 2015. There was no change in the $1,500 per ounce gold price assumption for resources at the Company's owned and operated mines. The key contributors included: at Rosebel, a positive change in the economic parameters, at Essakane, cost improvements that qualified more ounces for inclusion in the resource model and the discovery of more ounces at the Falagountou deposit, at both the Cote Gold and Boto Gold projects, additional drilling and modeling identified more indicated resources, and at Sadiola, a positive change in the economic parameters partially offset by the lower gold price assumption for resources of $1,400 per ounce compared to $1,600 a year earlier. As at December 31, 2015, the Company also had attributable inferred resources of 6.7 million ounces. Steve Letwin, President and CEO of IAMGOLD, said, "In 2015, the exploration team did an outstanding job advancing our high potential projects through the pipeline. Their success was all the more impressive given that our spend of $49 million for exploration, including greenfield programs and project studies, was 30% below 2014 exploration expenditures and down 50% from the year before that. The results have been very positive with an overall 10% increase in measured and indicated resources. In addition, the Company announced the first mineral resource estimate in western Mali at the Diakha-Siribaya project where a significant portion of the estimate is derived from the newly discovered Diakha deposit which is open in all directions and has significant potential for expansion. "Drilling activities on projects and mine sites totaled approximately 240,000 metres for the year. At our current annual rates of gold production, our 7.7 million ounce reserve represents a collective mine life of our gold assets of approximately 10 years and our 23.5 million ounce measured and indicated resource give the Company an extensive resource profile, enhanced by recent resource declarations and additions at our wholly-owned exploration projects in Senegal and Brazil. Our budget for 2016 $47 million is similar to the previous year's budget, although the allocation shifts from spending on brownfield and greenfield exploration to more emphasis on feasibility and other studies, such as for the Boto Gold project." Notes to Investors Regarding the Use of Resources Cautionary Note to Investors Concerning Estimates of Measured and Indicated Resources This news release uses the terms "measured resources" and "indicated resources". We advise investors that while those terms are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") does not recognize them. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. Cautionary Note to Investors Concerning Estimates of Inferred Resources This news release also uses the term "inferred resources". We advise investors that while this term is recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the SEC does not recognize it. "Inferred resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that part or all of an inferred resource exists, or is economically or legally mineable. Scientific and Technical Disclosure IAMGOLD is reporting mineral resource and reserve estimates in accordance with the CIM guidelines for the estimation, classification and reporting of resources and reserves. Note: Mineral reserves and mineral resources for IAMGOLD's gold mines for the 2015 year-end statement were estimated using a $1,200 per ounce gold price (unless otherwise indicated in the notes in Table 1) for mineral reserves and a $1,500 per ounce price for mineral resources (unless otherwise indicated in the notes in Table 1). For open pit operations, gold resources are constrained within an economic pit shell. Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors The SEC limits disclosure for U.S. reporting purposes to mineral deposits that a company can economically and legally extract or produce. IAMGOLD uses certain terms in this news release, such as "measured," "indicated," or "inferred," which may not be consistent with the reserve definitions established by the SEC. U.S. investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in the IAMGOLD Annual Reports on Forms 40-F. You can review and obtain copies of these filings from the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml or by contacting the Investor Relations department. The Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") requires mining companies to disclose reserves and resources using the subcategories of "proven" reserves, "probable" reserves, "measured" resources, "indicated" resources and "inferred" resources. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not demonstrate economic viability. A mineral reserve is the economically mineable part of a measured or indicated mineral resource demonstrated by at least a preliminary feasibility study. This study must include adequate information on mining, processing, metallurgical, economic and other relevant factors that demonstrate, at the time of reporting, that economic extraction can be justified. A mineral reserve includes diluting materials and allows for losses that may occur when the material is mined. A proven mineral reserve is the economically mineable part of a measured mineral resource demonstrated by at least a preliminary feasibility study. A probable mineral reserve is the economically mineable part of an indicated, and in some circumstances, a measured mineral resource demonstrated by at least a preliminary feasibility study. A mineral resource is a concentration or occurrence of natural, solid, inorganic material, or natural, solid fossilized organic material including base and precious metals in or on the Earth's crust in such form and quantity and of such a grade or quality that it has reasonable prospects for economic extraction. The location, quantity, grade, geological characteristics and continuity of a mineral resource are known, estimated or interpreted from specific geological evidence and knowledge. A measured mineral resource is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity, grade or quality, densities, shape and physical characteristics are so well established that they can be estimated with confidence sufficient to allow the appropriate application of technical and economic parameters, to support production planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. The estimate is based on detailed and reliable exploration, sampling and testing information gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes that are spaced closely enough to confirm both geological and grade continuity. An indicated mineral resource is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity, grade or quality, densities, shape and physical characteristics can be estimated with a level of confidence sufficient to allow the appropriate application of technical and economic parameters, to support mine planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. The estimate is based on detailed and reliable exploration and testing information gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes that are spaced closely enough for geological and grade continuity to be reasonably assumed. An inferred mineral resource is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality can be estimated on the basis of geological evidence and limited sampling and reasonably assumed, but not verified, geological and grade continuity. The estimate is based on limited information and sampling gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes. Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Investors are cautioned not to assume that part or all of an inferred resource exists, or is economically or legally mineable. A feasibility study is a comprehensive technical and economic study of the selected development option for a mineral project that includes appropriately detailed assessments of realistically assumed mining, processing, metallurgical, economic, marketing, legal, environmental, social and governmental considerations together with any other relevant operational factors and detailed financial analysis, that are necessary to demonstrate at the time of reporting that extraction is reasonably justified (economically mineable). The results of the study may reasonably serve as the basis for a final decision by a proponent or financial institution to proceed with, or finance, the development of the project. The confidence level of the study will be higher than that of a Pre-Feasibility Study. A Pre-Feasibility Study is a comprehensive study of a range of options for the technical and economic viability of a mineral project that has advanced to a stage where a preferred mining method, in the case of underground mining, or the pit configuration, in the case of an open pit, is established and an effective method of mineral processing is determined. It includes a financial analysis based on reasonable assumptions on mining, processing, metallurgical, economic, marketing, legal, environmental, social and governmental considerations and the evaluation of any other relevant factors which are sufficient for a qualified person, acting reasonably, to determine if all or part of the Mineral Resource may be classified as a Mineral Reserve. Gold Technical Information and Qualified Person/Quality Control Notes The mineral resource estimates contained in this news release have been prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). The "Qualified Person" responsible for the supervision of the preparation and review of all resource and reserve estimates for IAMGOLD is Lise Chenard, Eng., Director, Mining Geology. Lise has worked in the mining industry for more than 30 years, mainly in operations, project development and consulting. She joined IAMGOLD in April 2013 and acquired her knowledge of the Company's operations and projects through site visits, information reviews and ongoing communication and oversight of mine site technical service teams or consultants responsible for resource and reserve modeling and estimation. She is considered a "Qualified Person" for the purposes of NI 43-101 with respect to the mineralization being reported on. The technical information has been included herein with the consent and prior review of the above noted Qualified Person. The Qualified person has verified the data disclosed, and data underlying the information or opinions contained herein. Forward Looking Statement This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding expected, estimated or planned gold production, cash costs, margin expansion, capital expenditures and exploration expenditures and statements regarding the estimation of mineral resources, exploration results, potential mineralization, potential mineral resources and mineral reserves) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words "may", "will", "should", "continue", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "believe", "intend", "plan" or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, without limitation, failure to meet expected, estimated or planned gold production, cash costs, margin expansion, capital expenditures and exploration expenditures and failure to establish estimated mineral resources, the possibility that future exploration results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, changes in world gold markets and other risks disclosed in IAMGOLD's most recent Form 40-F/Annual Information Form on file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement. About IAMGOLD IAMGOLD (www.iamgold.com) is a mid-tier mining company with four operating gold mines on three continents. A solid base of strategic assets in North and South America and West Africa is complemented by development and exploration projects and continued assessment of accretive acquisition opportunities. IAMGOLD is in a strong financial position with extensive management and operational expertise. Please note: This entire news release may be accessed via fax, e-mail, IAMGOLD's website at www.iamgold.com and through CNW Group's website at www.newswire.ca. All material information on IAMGOLD can be found at www.sedar.com or at www.sec.gov. Si vous desirez obtenir la version francaise de ce communique, veuillez consulter le http://www.iamgold.com/French/Home/default.aspx Mineral Reserves and Resources of Gold Operations As at December 31, 2015 MINERAL RESERVES AND RESOURCES (1) (2) (3) GOLD OPERATIONS Tonnes (000s) Grade (g/t) Ounces Contained (000s) Attributable Contained Ounces (000s) Rosebel (4), Suriname (95%) Proven Reserves 58,949 1.0 1,972 1,873 Probable Reserves 11,273 1.0 379 360 Subtotal 70,222 1.0 2,351 2,233 Measured Resources 136,502 1.0 4,262 4,049 Indicated Resources 63,140 1.0 2,056 1,953 Inferred Resources 22,481 0.9 635 603 Essakane (5), Burkina Faso (90%) Probable Reserves 96,463 1.1 3,414 3,073 Subtotal 96,463 1.1 3,414 3,073 Indicated Resources 137,753 1.1 5,024 4,522 Inferred Resources 18,548 1.1 637 573 Westwood (6), Canada (100%) Proven Reserves 744 7.5 180 180 Probable Reserves 1,718 7.6 418 418 Subtotal 2,462 7.6 598 598 Measured Resources 466 12.7 190 190 Indicated Resources 1,450 11.8 549 549 Inferred Resources 7,546 11.3 2,747 2,747 Sadiola (7), Mali (41%) Probable Reserves 69,795 1.9 4,357 1,786 Subtotal 69,795 1.9 4,357 1,786 Measured Resources 1,462 1.7 79 32 Indicated Resources 118,881 1.8 6,908 2,832 Inferred Resources 15,524 1.8 911 374 Cote Gold (8), Canada (92.5%) Indicated Resources 289,183 0.9 8,354 7,727 Inferred Resources 66,894 0.6 1,174 1,086 Boto Gold (9), Senegal (100%) Indicated Resources 27,670 1.8 1,563 1,563 Inferred Resources 2,922 1.3 125 125 Pitangui (10), Brazil (100%) Inferred Resources 4,252 5.0 679 679 Diakha-Siribaya (11), Mali (50%) Indicated Resources 2,102 1.9 129 64 Inferred Resources 19,816 1.7 1,092 546 TOTAL Proven & Probable Reserves 238,942 1.4 10,720 7,690 Measured and Indicated Resources 778,608 1.2 29,113 23,482 Inferred Resources 157,983 1.6 8,000 6,733 (1) Measured and indicated resources are inclusive of proven and probable reserves. (2) In mining operations, measured and indicated resources that are not mineral reserves are considered uneconomic at the price used for reserve estimations but are deemed to have a reasonable prospect of economic extraction. (3) Although "measured resources", "indicated resources" and "inferred resources" are categories of mineralization that are recognized and required to be disclosed under Canadian regulations, the SEC does not recognize them. Disclosure of contained ounces is permitted under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC generally permits resources to be reported only as in place tonnage and grade. See "Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors". (4) Rosebel mineral reserves have been estimated as of December 31, 2015 using a $1,200/oz gold price and mineral resources have been estimated as of December 31, 2015 using a $1,500/oz gold price and have been estimated in accordance with NI 43-101. (5) Essakane mineral reserves have been estimated as of December 31, 2015 using a $1,200/oz gold price and mineral resources have been estimated as of December 31, 2015 using a $1,500/oz gold price and have been estimated in accordance with NI 43-101. (6) Westwood mineral reserves have been estimated as of December 31, 2015 using a $1,200/oz gold price and mineral resources have been estimated as of December 31, 2015 using a 6.0 g/t Au cut-off over a minimum width of 2 metres and have been estimated in accordance with NI 43-101. (7) Mineral reserves at Sadiola have been estimated as of December 31, 2015 using an average of $1,190/oz gold price and mineral resources have been estimated as of December 31, 2015 using a $1,400/oz gold price and have been estimated in accordance with JORC code. (8) Cote Gold mineral resources have been estimated as of December 31, 2015 using a $1,500/oz gold price and have been estimated in accordance with NI 43-101. (9) Boto Gold mineral resources have been estimated as of December 31, 2015 using a $1,500/oz gold price and have been estimated in accordance with NI 43-101. (10) Pitangui mineral resources have been estimated as of December 31, 2015 using a $1,500/oz gold price and have been estimated in accordance with NI 43-101. (11) Diakha-Siribaya mineral resources have been estimated as of December 31, 2015 using a $1,500/oz gold price and have been estimated in accordance with NI 43-101. SOURCE IAMGold Corp. VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - February 18, 2016) - Rogue Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE: RRS) ("Rogue" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Sean Samson as President, CEO and Director of the Company, effective February 18, 2016. Mr. Samson takes the place of John de Jong, who is retiring after successfully organizing, financing, and directing the Company for the past three years. Mr. de Jong will continue to serve on the board helping to advance the Company's Lac de la Grosse Femelle Silica Project ("Femelle") in QuAbec, and supporting the growth of the Company. Mr. Samson is a mining executive with more than 20 years of management and financial experience. He was most recently Vice President ("VP") & Head of Corporate Development at First Nickel Inc. ("FNI") for four years, including a period of six months as interim COO, responsible for safety, mine development and operations at the 250 person Lockerby underground mine (Sudbury, Ontario). In 2012, he won the Canadian Young Mining Leader award from the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum. Prior to FNI, he was VP Commercial Development at Kinross Gold Corp. for five years where he had diverse, multi-functional responsibilities including: supply chain, energy, merger integration, enterprise risk and capital approvals, leading a team of more than 300 people across eight countries. Before Kinross he was a management consultant at Bain & Company and traded for investment banks in New York and Europe. Mr. Samson received his A.B. from Harvard University and an MBA from Cambridge. He is currently a PDAC board member and a Cleantech advisor at MaRS, a Toronto based Innovation Centre. "I have every confidence in Sean as he leads the Company forward, leaning on his diverse experience to guide the Company in meeting its corporate objectives," commented Mr. de Jong. "We are entering a new and important phase for Rogue, driving towards a development decision on the Femelle Silica Project and setting the strategy for the next chapter of our Company's growth." Mr. Samson stated: "I am excited to accept this leadership position at Rogue, and look forward to advancing the Company's current flagship project in QuAbec and building on what Mr. de Jong has created, identifying new opportunities and continuing to focus on growing shareholder value." Paul Davis Joins Rogue as Technical Advisor The Company is also pleased to announce that Paul Davis is joining the Company as a Technical Advisor, where he will be working with Mr. Eddy Canova, Senior VP of the Company, and the Rogue exploration team on Femelle. Mr. Davis has more than 25 years of exploration and mine management experience in base metals, precious metals and industrial minerals. Most recently, Mr. Davis was VP Exploration at FNI and over his career he has discovered, built and operated mines, including raising more than $150M in equity and debt financing. Mr. Davis graduated from the University of Western Ontario (BSc- Honours Geology) and the University of Alabama (MSc- Economic Geology). Mr. Samson and Mr. Davis are based in Toronto. About Rogue Resources Inc. With its diverse portfolio of properties, all in good standing, the Company has the ability to focus its efforts and finances on the project that demonstrates the greatest market potential for return. The projected completion of the extension by Hydro-QuAbec of high voltage power to within 4 km of the project by the spring of 2016, is seen as a great foundational point to launch our silica rich quartzite property. The Femelle Project is located approximately 42 km north of Baie-Saint Paul, situated on the St. Lawrence River, and is 4 km northeast of the Mine Sitec silica mine, in operation for over fifty years. Access to the project is via a paved highway and well maintained forestry access roads. On Behalf of Rogue Resources Inc. Sean Samson CEO & President Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain disclosures in this release constitute forward-looking statements, including timing of completion of exploration work. In making the forward-looking statements in this release, the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company, including that the Company is able to obtain any government or other regulatory approvals, that the Company is able to procure personnel, equipment and supplies required for its exploration and development activities in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis and that actual results are consistent with management's expectations. Although the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect, and the forward-looking statements in this release are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Such risk factors include, among others, those matters identified in its continuous disclosure filings, including its most recently filed MD&A. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Vancouver, BC, Canada / TheNewswire / February 18, 2016 - Rock Tech Lithium Inc. (the "Company") (TSX-V: RCK) announces that it has entered into a shares-for-debt agreement (the "Agreement") with an arm's length creditor (the "Creditor"). Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company will issue to the Creditor an aggregate total of 3,131,459 common shares in the capital of the Company with a deemed price of $0.05 per share. The total amount of the indebtedness to be settled by the Agreement is $156,572.93. The Agreement is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval and all shares issued will be subject to a four-month hold period from the settlement date. On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company, "Martin Stephan" Martin Stephan Director, Chief Executive Officer For further information please contact: Brad Barnett Chief Financial Officer Rock Tech Lithium Inc. 1021 West Hastings Street, Suite 900 Vancouver, B.C., V6E 0C3 Telephone: (604) 558-5123 Facsimile: (604) 670-0033 Email: bbarnett@rocktechlithium.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. Statements included in this announcement, including statements concerning our plans, intentions and expectations, which are not historical in nature are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements may be identified by words including "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "expects" and similar expressions. The Company cautions readers that forward-looking statements, including without limitation those relating to the Company's future operations and business prospects, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Copyright (c) 2016 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. Noma chef Rene Redzepi The lucky diners who scored a seat at Noma in Sydney have been sipping on a Canberra sparkling wine from a new winemaker. Sassafras Wines' 2015 savagnin ancestral was served at the restaurant in Barangaroo earlier this week. Winemaker Paul Starr says Noma's head sommelier Mads Kleppe was being shown around "the newer edges of Australian wine" by writer Mike Bennie when he came across Sassafras. "They had a look at our ancestral method sparkling wine out at Eden Road when visiting Canberra before the restaurant opened," he says. "Last week, Mads got in touch and ordered the wine, which we delivered yesterday for serving from today's lunch." It's a bit of a coup for the fledgling Sassafras, which Starr and Tammy Braybrook started just last year, focusing on sparkling wine made with the ancestral method. Winemakers using the method create bubbles purely through natural fermentation, rather than adding yeast or sugar to the wine. "[It] involves stopping the ferment of the wine when it is almost done, then bottling the wine that still contains some live yeast and sugar. The ferment finishes in the bottle without doing the steps of the champagne process like riddling [turning the bottles] and disgorgement [removing the lees or sediment]," he says. Starr says the savagnin was made from grapes grown at Quarry Hill vineyard. "The wine is bright and crisp, with lemony apple character and a tiny bit of yeast sediment left in the bottle, so often the last glass comes out a little cloudy, just like a bottle-finished ale or cider," he says. Canberra Times wine critic Chris Shanahan, who reviews the savagnin in his wine column next week, says it challenges the senses. Before superstar chef Rene Redzepi moved Noma to Sydney from Denmark for a six month residency, he and his team combed the country for produce and ingredients. His team came through the Canberra region last year, hunting for truffles and tasting wines. Pleasantville: Mistelle is like stepping into a movie set. Photo: Christopher Pearce Address 16 Kiaora Lane Double Bay, New South Wales 2028 View map Opening hours Tue-Fri 11am-late; Sat 10am-late; Sun 10am-10pm Features Bar, Licensed, Accepts bookings, Wheelchair access, Outdoor seating, Family friendly, Gluten-free options, Vegetarian friendly Prices Moderate (mains $20-$40) Payments eftpos, AMEX, Cash, Visa, Mastercard Phone 02 9326 1900 Remember that Pleasantville movie with Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon? Where the siblings are trapped in a black-and-white telly show from the 1950s? A drink at Mistelle is being transported to that movie. Save for a few splashes of colour thanks to cobalt-blue umbrellas and the pink stripes on bartenders' shirts, everything is black, white or grey, from the bistro chairs to the stark walls, to the Chanel Resort and Bally garb of its customers. It's a place that couldn't be more removed from the Golden Sheaf gronkfest it shares a wall with. It's 9.30 on a Friday night and I'm the only male drinking here, with the exception of the world's cutest highland terrier sticking his tongue into a fresh puddle of rainwater. The Double Bay matrons around me are having the time of their lives and, by gum, why shouldn't they? The east Sydney suburb has long been in need of a place like Mistelle, where you can swing by late at night, grab a glass of wine, a slice of cheese and discuss what time to book Catalina the next day. Mistelle's winelist features tasty French drops and a healthy selection of Australian wine. Photo: Christopher Pearce Alicia Wadsworth is at the helm and a press release tells me the wine lover is part of the Commanderie de Bordeaux, a group of Bordeaux boffins dedicated to promoting the region's vin outside of France. This goes someway to explaining why a 2009 Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte Blanc is sitting pretty on the list at $320. There's a wealth of other beaut (and less pricey) French drops available and a healthy selection of Australian wine. A 1995 Marc Bredif Vouvray ($18/$85) is sweet and floral faceplant into the Loire Valley, while a 2014 Jamsheed La Menace Rouge ($13/$65) cabernet sauvignon is terrific value with big, uncensored berry flavours that can match it in the ring with the reddest of red meats. And red meat is what you want from Mistelle's French and Mediterranean-inspired menu, especially when the Parisian bistro chairs demand oysters, tartare and steak frites. I order four Sydney rocks ($4 each) from the eager-to-please waitress two from Tuross Head, two from Wagonga Inlet. Steak tartare with quail egg yolk. Photo: Christopher Pearce However, instead of sharp, fresh south coast oysters, four clammy bits of ogre snot are thwacked on the table. There's not one drop of brine in any of them and I cry not out of sadness, but in the hope my tears might provide the little guys with flavour. The kitchen is out of steak tartare with quail egg yolk ($20) so I try for tranche of pork and pistachio terrine ($15) instead. Alas, all gone (it is kind of late) so a deli plate of assorted NSW salamis and cured pork loin instead it is. It's brilliant stuff, and I eat most of it while a fellow diner, who I'm pretty sure is Endora from Bewitched, looks on in disgust. When the steak frites arrives, the oysters become a distant memory. The frites (which you have to order separately at $8 a bowl) are hand-cut in house and burst with a taste and crunch usually only found in beachside kiosk chips. The grass-fed sirloin ($30) could have done without the pre-slicing, but it still blushes rosy pink through a flood of cafe de Paris butter that the chips enjoy a frolic in, too. Order something red from Bordeaux to go with the steak frites. Photo: Christopher Pearce To finish, the sherry, spirit and fortified selection is tightly curated affair and there's a pang of la petite mort when a vanilla-heavy 1996 Delord Bas Armagnac ($15) snifter comes to an end. What Mistelle lacks in colour it makes up for in flashes of charm and joie de vivre. For the most part, Wadsworth has put together a top little wine and food package that locals are going to flock to. Thanks for setting up shop, Mistelle. It doesn't matter if you're black-and-white. THE LOWDOWN Go for a bistro experience in the Bay. Stay for cheese and port. Drink a red and delicious something from Bordeaux. And pop down on the weekend for a Parisian breakfast. http://www.mistelledoublebay.com.au/ Can you eat 100 dumplings in five minutes? New Shanghai is looking for you. Photo: Kate Morris Photography If blitzing through yum cha is one of your superhero strengths, then you'll want to sign up for New Shanghai's dumpling-eating competition tomorrow (February 19). It'll take place from 12pm at the Chinese restaurant's Westfield Sydney outlet and you'll need to register on Facebook to be selected as a participant. Perhaps a profile photo of you destroying bamboo steamers full of xiao long bao might help your cause. The event will be hosted by goodfood.com.au columnist Adam Liaw. Pork and chinese cabbage dumplings at New Shanghai. Photo: Supplied Liaw, who recently shared his spinach and dried shrimp wontons recipe, is a pro at sizing up good dumplings. "For a Japanese gyoza, you want a thin skin that cracks on the fried side when you bite it," he says. "For xiao long bao, you want a lovely gelatinous texture to the soup inside the dumpling; and for siu mai, you want a fine skin and the filling to have a nearly springy texture from the pork and prawns inside." So for this dumpling-eating competition (which offers a $1000 Westfield gift card and New Shanghai dining voucher among its top prizes), what's his advice for outracing contest rivals? "You're going to want to dunk your dumplings before you start," he says. "Dipping them into soy sauce, vinegar or chilli after the clock starts is going to take too long, and going without sauce is frankly just not an option." 12pm, February 19. New Shanghai, Westfield Sydney, 1017-1020/188 Pitt St, Sydney, 02 8386 8368. For full entry details, visit Westfield Sydney's website. David Mackintosh at the Ides site. Photo: Justin McManus The recent arrival in Smith Street of both a large Coles supermarket and a Subway franchise plus the demise/departure of some small, chef-run dining ventures has raised speculation that the hipster heartland and dining hot spot has lost its mojo. Smith Street is doomed apparently. Or at least losing its cool, which in some circles might be considered worse. The "hot spot to has-been" tale is not unknown in Melbourne shopping strips. Think Lygon, Brunswick, Acland, Fitzroy and Chapel. Cheap rents attract experimental, inventive businesses, which attract attention and hot spot declarations. Everybody wants in, landlords jack up the rent, leaving only those able to afford it, often the same franchises and supermarkets seen everywhere else. Street loses mojo, a victim of its own success. Going, going, gone Northern Light will soon be no more. Photo: Pat Scala But is this being repeated on Smith Street? Restaurateur David Mackintosh has leased a space on the street for three years that's housed modern Chinese joint Lee Ho Fook (now in the CBD), wine-focused pop-up Semi Permanent and soon IDES, an edgy degustation-only restaurant helmed by former Attica chef Peter Gunn that's due to open in March. Mackintosh is not too worried about the arrival of Coles ("it's part of a development that brings more people into the neighbourhood") and believes there is "not any one idea of Smith Street but its success has changed what those ideas are". Kebab and chips at Smith Street newcomer Biggie Smalls. Photo: Josh Robenstone "There is a creative community here still," he says. "But there's more financial pressure now and so some find that it's not the be all and end all they hoped it was. I still believe in Smith Street but it would be sad if it was no longer able to house the dynamic ideas that made it the new hot food area in the first place." Adam Liston, who is closing his modern Asian restaurant/bar Northern Light in March, says that he was "a bit naive" when taking on his Smith Street business. "The reason that I moved here was that is was the coolest spot at the time," he says. Advertisement "There were places like Saint Crispin, Huxtable, Easy Tiger and Lee Ho Fook here and it was being talked up as the food mecca for Melbourne. "I didn't think about opening anywhere else. It worked for about a year but many of the people coming here now aren't here to dine. They want to go to the bars and have a quick bite to eat at places like Biggie Smalls [Shane Delia's new kebab joint] or Huxtaburger." Interestingly, the crowd behind Huxtaburger are part of the closures too, pulling the pin on Huxtable, their acclaimed flagship Smith Street restaurant that predated the burger chain. So does this point to rot or change? Saint Crispin has been a Smith Street success story. Photo: Michael Newbound Chief food critic for The Age, Gemima Cody, believes that "any good business still has the potential to do well on Smith Street". "If you look at places like Saint Crispin and Panama Dining Room, it shows that people are willing to travel to eat on Smith Street, so you're not just relying on the local crowd to keep your business running," she says. "And that's what will save the street keeping the unique interesting businesses in order to draw in people from beyond the local bubble." The imminent openings of Ides and a new boulangerie from Frenchman Gontran Cherrier seem to show that there's life in the street yet, despite the looming presence of Coles. Perhaps, as Mackintosh says, "it's not losing its mojo, just changing it". Provini, at Canberra City. Provini has had a minor remake, less than a year after opening in Civic. When the Italian eatery first opened it was described as a take on "nonna's house" with deliberately over the top, kitschy decor - floral patterned carpet, lace curtains, paintings of Italian scenery. But six or seven months on, nonna has exited the house, and her faux retro trappings have largely disappeared, making way instead for tall bar tables on the terrace, a slightly more modern look inside (no more red and white checkered tablecloths) and an informal menu dominated by antipasti and nibbles, pasta and pizza. San Daniele prosciutto pizza at Provini restaurant in Civic, Canberra. Photo: Supplied There are also $6 share plates and drinks on Thursdays and Fridays from 2pm to 5pm. The terrace is a good spot for a bite to eat and a drink or three, with the passing parade of people heading through Garema Place into Bunda Street. And on a warm summer's evening it's perfect for an aperol spritz. The share dishes include a couple of arancini with three milk cheese on a bed of peperonata. This is pretty good - the arancini are very well fried, extra crisp and filled with firm risotto. Perhaps less successful, to my mind, are the Italian-style "sliders" made from mini panini with a slab of fried pig head croquette, roast pepper and seeded mustard. Mains include a short list of pizzas, from margherita to roast pumpkin and a wood fired San Daniele prosciutto pizza is full of thinly sliced, excellent cured meat and rocket. A standout dish is the gnocchi with mushrooms and cavolo nero - the gnocchi well cooked, restrained in size and tossed with dark mushrooms, garlic and cavolo nero. SHARE By Michael Kelly Winters and Ballinger were rocked by a series of drug arrests over the past two days that resulted in 16 people being jailed. Runnels County Sheriff Bill Baird said the sweep was the outcome of more than six months of undercover work by his department. The arrest warrants were issued Monday, he said, for locations "pretty well even between Ballinger and Winters." They were executed with help from the Ballinger and Winters police departments and a local game warden, he said. The undercover work involved investigations and making drug purchases going back to the summer of 2015, he said, spearheaded by one of the sheriff department sergeants. "Most of the charges were delivery of controlled substance, there was a possession or two, and nearly all of it was meth, a couple were marijuana," he said. Manufacture or delivery of meth, which is in Penalty Group 1 under Texas law, could be a second or first degree felony, depending on the quantity of drugs involved. Amounts between 1 and 4 grams are a second degree felony, subject to a penalty of 2 to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000; amounts from 4 to 200 grams are first degree felonies, subject to 5 to 99 years in prison and fines up to $10,000. Amounts greater than 200 grams can carry a term up to life. Asked whether the investigation and following arrests indicate that Runnels County has a significant drug problem, Baird answered, "Yes, there is a drug problem, like every community in this country. We try to control it as best we can. It destroys people's lives, not to mention all the burglaries and thefts that go along with it, and all that will be reduced now. People won't be able to buy from them after this. "It's been a very successful ending." Suspects arrested in Runnels County drug sweep this week: Francisco Ortiz, Jr., 31 Jason Scott Rodriguez, 28 Rudy Santoya Torres, 55 Samual Deese Nall, 52 Danny Lee Duffy, 27 Lucas Matthew Collin, 49 Melissa Sue Lopez, 55 Julian Ray Nava, 33 Raymond Aleman, 43 Alberto Luis Padilla, 23 Pete Joe Tamez, 39 Erika Marie Woods, 33 Lisa Marie Lawson, 31 Elsie Marie Lopez, 33 Fedencia Quiroga, 48 Kira Joline Reel, 33 What has Gov. Abbott done about the six mass shootings on his watch? As some urge Abbott to finally take action on guns, he says the issue is mental health. Texas lags in that area, too. Will there be accountability? SHARE By Staff Report Angelo State University's Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Security Studies will host a two-day Infrastructure Resiliency Workshop Feb. 29-March 1 in the Houston Harte University Center, 1910 Rosemont Drive. Titled "Critical Infrastructure Protection: Energy Priorities for Today and Tomorrow," the workshop is designed to focus on the threats to and vulnerabilities of our regional and national critical infrastructure, and to establish a forum for increased security collaboration between various government and law enforcement agencies and energy and utilities providers, according to a news release from ASU. The Angelo State CSS is coordinating the workshop in conjunction with Texas Tech University. Workshop sessions will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 29, and from 8:30 a.m. to noon March 1, in the University Center's C.J. Davidson Conference Center. All sessions are open free to the public, and online registration is available. Topics to be discussed at the workshop will include: Cybersecurity of Critical Infrastructure Homeland Security and Threats to Municipalities Energy Sector Risk Management Water and Wastewater Potential Threats Police and Homeland Security for Energy, Water and Transportation Sectors Public-Private Partnerships Texas law enforcement officers who attend the workshop are eligible for 12 hours of continuing education credit through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. For more information, visit angelo.edu/css-workshop, call 325-486-6682 email css@angelo.edu. SHARE By Rick Smith The Standard-Times' archives ? a wealth of yellowing newspaper clippings and photos ? are a time machine. Buried in the long rows of metal filing cabinets you can find stories of people and places from years ago. I learned long ago that the thickest manila envelopes contain the most interesting stories. Recently, while looking for something else, I stumbled across a very thick envelope. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading clipped stories about someone I had never heard of, a man named Charles D. Clark. Here's what I found. On March 25, 1954, West Texans opened their San Angelo Standard-Times to find a story they either had been anxiously waiting for or dreading. The two-column story with a Huntsville dateline began: "Funeral services for Charles D. Clark, 42, convicted San Angelo wife slayer, will be held in Atlanta, Ga. The former hotel owner died in the electric chair at 12:08 a.m. today, a smile on his face." And so ended the story of one of San Angelo's most infamous crimes. The story begins on March 26, 1952 when Charles Clark, part owner of the Golden Spur Hotel, was charged with the murder of his recently divorced wife of 12 years and the attempted murder of his young stepdaughter. The shootings took place about 2 a.m. March 26 in the Clark family's large Santa Rita home. The dead woman and her badly injured daughter were discovered by the housekeeper when she came to work about 7:30 a.m. "Each had been shot one time at close range with a .38 caliber pistol," reported the newspaper story, which stretched across the front page of that day's edition. When the young girl called for help from upstairs, the housekeeper went up to see her. "She had been sick the day before, and as I came in I asked her how she felt," the housekeeper said. Then the girl told her she was paralyzed. "I still didn't know what had happened," the housekeeper said, "and the first thing I thought of was polio. I threw back the covers. Then I saw the bed was all covered with blood." The housekeeper ran next door to ask the neighbor, a doctor, for help. Charlie Clark, as he was called, had managed hotels across the south, including the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta, and was the general manager of Houston's Lee Hotel, an 11-hotel chain. He leased Menard's Bevans Hotel in 1942 and, with Menard rancher Bill Volkmann, bought San Angelo's Roberts Hotel (now the Spur Building) in 1948 for $130,000. "It is our plan," Clark told the newspaper, "to establish a chain of small hotels in West Texas. We plan to furnish clean, desirable accommodations at reasonable prices." The two partners immediately held a contest to rename the San Angelo hotel. The name "The Golden Spur" won the $100 prize. Any dreams Charlie Clark had for a hotel empire ended March 26. The day before, Laverne Clark, age 43, had finalized a divorce from her husband Charlie and changed her will to bar the ex-husband from acting as trustee to her estate, which was estimated "in excess of $50,000." According to court testimony, that night the daughter, a Lee Junior High student, woke up at 2:30 a.m. to find her former stepfather standing near her bed, hands behind his back. "What are you doing here, Charlie?" she asked. "I came to talk to your mother," he told her. "I mean to talk to her into going back to me." The girl said she wouldn't help him. "That's all I wanted to know," he said, then she noticed a gun in his hand. He shot her. Laverne Clark's funeral took place in Menard, where her mother lived, at First Baptist Church. She was buried in Bertram, the Burnet County town where she was born. Charlie Clark's trial took place in the Tom Green County Courthouse with Judge John F. Sutton presiding. Charged with the murder of his ex-wife and attempted murder of his stepdaughter, Clark pleaded insanity, stressing his agitated mental state to the all-male jury. He told the court he and his wife had been happy together until they moved from Menard to San Angelo three years before the shooting. He said he was "worried to death" after his wife filed for divorce 30 days before her death. The trial began on May 14, 1952. Crowds packed the courtroom as the stepdaughter testified from a stretcher. The judge regularly warned spectators to behave or he would clear the room. On May 15 the jury began deliberating Clark's fate. It took them 57 minutes to give Clark the death penalty. It was the first time since 1928 that a Tom Green County jury had handed out a death sentence. "A gathering of spectators of the trial stood by the courthouse intensely watching Clark as he proceeded to the jail," a Standard-Times reporter wrote. "One shook his head, saying nothing. One woman cried." Despite appeals to different agencies to save Clark's life, nothing worked. An Associated Press story published in the Standard-Times on March 24, 1954, told of Clark's last day. "A former San Angelo hotel owner went to his death smiling here tonight after chatting with guards who strapped him in the electric chair at Huntsville State Prison," the story began. Clark, the writer reported, "smiled at the attendants as they adjusted the straps on him and said, 'Gentlemen, this is just as painful to you as it is to me and I certainly want to thank you for all your courtesies." "Clark was brought to the death chamber at 12:02 a.m. and received his first charge of electricity at 12:05 a.m.," the reporter noted. He was pronounced dead three minutes later. What happened to the stepdaughter? I don't know. I still have questions. But that's where the clippings ended, so very long ago. Rick Smith is a local news and community affairs columnist. Contact Rick at rsmith@gosanangelo.com, at facebook.com/gosanangelo.rick.smith or at 325-659-8248. SHARE Mike West, Bedford Choose Dusek in judge race Growing up in West Texas instills certain qualities and values such as hard work, integrity, the importance of family and living out the tenets of faith. West Texas values are a part of us forever and serve as a guide for how we conduct our lives. No one represents these values more than Carmen Symes Dusek. I have known Carmen for approximately 30 years. From our Central High School days to college and beyond, Carmen has been the personification of West Texas values. She is a woman of integrity and passion, filled with love for God, her family, community and career. As an attorney, Carmen has represented all types of people and businesses all over West Texas. She is smart, ethical, and always seeks the best interest of her clients. Carmen is a committed public servant. Nowhere have Carmen's West Texas values been more apparent than in her tireless work and effort on behalf of children across the state and West Texas. For years, Carmen has given a voice to the many voiceless children of neglect and abuse. She has repeatedly answered the call in the courtroom and as a member of the Protect Our Kids Commission. Now Carmen wishes to serve the people of West Texas as judge of the 391st District Court. Carmen's experience makes her uniquely qualified for this position. A judge should be honest, fair, patient, wise, firm and gentle, while demonstrating fidelity and respect for the law and the Texas and United States constitutions. A judge should always be respectful of the lawyers and all people who come before the court for relief and justice. Carmen possesses and is committed to all of these values and responsibilities. I proudly ask the people of the 391st District to please support my friend Carmen Symes Dusek. n n n Giovanna Lecroy, San Angelo When given the honor to write a letter supporting Carmen Symes Dusek for 391st District judge, I began researching what makes a "good judge." I know Carmen is an amazing, giving, strong person, but I was unsure of what made a "good judge." I found qualities that make up a good judge: judicial temperament, intelligence, ethics, courage, integrity, experience, education, communication, responsibility, health and character. Since a judge is a servant of the people, I feel these qualities are important. My research has shown me that "good judges" are set apart from everyone else. They are courageous, representing the law no matter what. They are constantly learning and staying on top of the new laws and procedures. Their character is unquestionable and sets an example for our children. Their temperament is unwavering, steady and calm, polite and clear. They are held to higher standards in all areas of life. A "good judge" is there among the community, reachable, touchable, not on a pedestal to be glanced upon from afar. "Good judges" are ones with the community fighting for what is best, for us. This is not just a seat behind a bench; it is a standard of living that requires determination, courage and loads of responsibility. I do not want a judge, and we should not settle for a judge. We should demand a "good judge." I know now without any doubt Carmen Symes Dusek is the perfect candidate for a "good judge." n n n Lori Barton, San Angelo Please support Carmen Dusek for 391st District judge. In all the years I've known Carmen, both personally and professionally, not once has she ever wavered or compromised from making decisions based on what was the right thing to do because it was the right thing to do. Carmen's work ethic and integrity is second to none. Carmen is not afraid to have hard conversations with anyone about anything, including friends and family, to gain clarity and to help her reach the best resolution to a situation or problem. I am voting for Carmen because she is an advocate for children and a champion for justice. LETTERS DEADLINE Noon Wednesday is the deadline for letters relating to the March 1 party primaries. Letters may be emailed to comments@gosanangelo.com or mailed to P.O. Box 5111, San Angelo, TX 76902. SHARE The sins of the Texas Department of Transportation are many: endorsing the Trans-Texas Corridor; wasting/losing money; endorsing fraudulent, crash-causing ticket cameras; buying/displaying dishonest research and the paving fiasco on Highway 277, to name a few. We the people pay for all this. The latest sin involves TxDOT's unethical, even dangerous (mal) practice of lowering speed limits. Every time there is a very rare act of carelessness resulting in a serious crash, some emotional, misinformed politician asks TxDOT to lower the speed limit. Never mind that the vast majority of crashes result from not paying attention, drunken driving and failure to yield. For the record you cannot prevent random acts of carelessness or stupidity. And laws should be based on objective facts, not emotional reactions. Lately crashes are on a small upward trend. This should be expected. The thriving economy, plus super-low gas prices, have everyone driving again. Gas sales are finally at 2007 levels (before the Great Recession) and the Federal Highway Administration figures show miles driven are way up. More miles equals more risk, hence more crashes. Again, speed limits are not the problem. TxDOT is even trying to lower some interstate speed limits, such as I-10 near Beaumont, which finally posted a proper 75 mph just three years ago. In 2011 Rep. Gary Elkins (and I) helped pass HB 1353, which repealed the unjust nighttime 65 mph limit and permitted more 75 mph limits (should be 80) on other appropriate highways. Ironically, nobody is asking to lower the limit. The Beaumont City Council correctly voted 6-0 to keep 75. However, TxDOT traffic ops Director Caryl Rawson an unelected official decided on her own to lower the speed limit a huge 10 mph down to 65 despite TxDOT's own engineering study showing that 75 is a properly set, safe speed limit. The Institute of Transportation Engineers' and Federal Highway Administration engineers' vast research shows that lowering speed limits causes more crashes, injuries and fatalities. Underposted limits "disrupt the (safe) uniform traffic flow which increases accident potential between the faster and slower drivers." Low speed limits also increase tailgating, lane surfing and make yielding more difficult and decrease yellow time at traffic signals all of which can cause more crashes. Honest research also reveals that the slowest drivers crash the most and interstates despite the highest travel speeds have the lowest death rate of all roads. Drivers old enough to remember know the national maximum 55 mph speed limit (1974-1995) turned a nation of safe drivers into "speeding" criminals. By the grace of God, the National Motorists Association (and I) helped repeal that incredibly unjust law on Nov. 28, 1995. For 22 years the profiteers of speed enforcement (government, police and insurance) spouted "55 Saves Lives." They made dire predictions of 2,500 to 9,000 extra deaths after 36 states raised their speed limits to 70-75 mph. Reality: There occurred 400 fewer fatalities on all U.S. freeways (1995-1997). Montana with no daytime speed limit scored a record safe year in 1996. And the West German Autobahn with 4,100 miles of no speed limit scored a 12 percent lower MFR than U.S. Interstates (.87 fatalities per 100 million miles driven vs. Germany's .77). West Texas' I-20 (89 miles) and I-10 (432 miles) posted a 70 mph limit from 1999-2001 and recorded 92 fatalities. From 2002-2004 at 75 mph, the fatalities dropped to 80, for a 13 percent decline. The Martin Parker Report (FHwA, 1997) studied speed limit changes at 100 sites for five years. It recorded 1.6 million speed measurements. Where speed limits went up, crashes went down. Lowered limits resulted in more crashes. According to decades of engineering research and speed limit law (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices), the speed limit should be 85th percentile the free-flowing speed at or below which 85 percent of people drive rounded up to the next 5 mph increment. Some engineers and safety experts (me included) recommend a 90th percentile limit on Interstates. TxDOT "policy" allows bogus excuses to round down: driveways, pedestrians, roadside development, etc. Drivers already adjust their speeds accordingly. Then there is the 12-month crash trend baloney. An honest engineer/researcher knows that it takes five years to create accident trends, not 12 months. And honest trends do not compare recession years to vibrant economy years. In Texas, comparing 2012-2014's 3,460 average annual traffic deaths to 2009-2011's about 3,100 average is not a valid comparison. Texas' economy tanked from 2009 to 2011. There is no greater reducer of traffic deaths than a serious recession. Recessions in 1974, 1992 and 2008-2009 all created record safe years in the United States. A fair comparison shows current Texas fatality trends and MFRs are improved from the 2003-2008 data, despite Texans driving more than 20 billion more miles. TxDOT also claims "policy" allows it to round down a very unethical 12 mph below the 85th percentile. ITE says you should never go more than 8 mph below, which constitutes an illegal act in several states (including Florida and Massachusetts). TxDOT "policy" used to be 10 mph below still wrong. It should be illegal to post a speed limit more than 4 mph below the 85th percentile speed. Since underposted limits do not slow traffic speeds, a speed limit 8-12 mph below the 85th percentile cannot even garner a 30 percent compliance (just like 55). Any law that more than 70 percent of people disagree with is a bad law. Underposted speed limits are undemocratic, violate drivers' rights and heinously allow police and insurance to usurp money from motorists driving at reasonable, safe speeds, all while causing more crashes, injuries and fatalities. Conversely, setting proper 85th percentile speed limits creates voluntary compliance, uniform traffic flow, more honest enforcement, etc. And real research consistently proves that the 85th percentile (90th on Interstates) is the safest speed limit. There are dozens of ways to improve traffic safety. However, lowering speed limits has never been one of them. Since interstates/freeways have no cross traffic, no driveways, no pedestrians and no traffic signals, there remains no reason to ever round down from the 85th percentile speed. Furthermore, there is no valid reason to round down (underpost) a speed limit on any road. Most urban freeways should be posted at 70-75 mph, while most rural highways can safely post 80 mph. A limit of 65 whether I-10 in Beaumont or I-20 near Odessa is so unreasonably low it will create an unjust, immoral speed trap and more deaths. Since more than 90 percent of people drive safely (fewer than 5 percent crash annually), the speed limit is supposed to, by law, reflect their reasonable speeds, not the other way around. Speed limits based on politicians, police or DOT misinformed opinions are illegal. TxDOT needs to abolish this dishonest, counterproductive engineering malpractice. All lowered speed limits need to be raised. In the interest of truth, justice, freedom and real safety, all speed limits should be checked and properly set to the 85th percentile, rounded up, not down. From New York to Los Angeles, with stops in between, school districts are confronting teacher shortages. As South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard said in his recent State of the State address: The quality of education suffers when the schools cannot be selective and have to hire from a limited pool.One of the major reasons districts are short on educators is housing.In many urban areas, the cost of housing is so high that educators simply cannot afford to live anywhere near the school where they teach. As a result, many wind up with a tortuous commute after working long hours.The problem also extends to rural areas where theres practically no rental housing market, and teachers are forced to come up with a down payment for a home. Not many have that kind of cash on hand.These housing shortages are problematic not only for recruitment but also when it comes to retention of teachers. Thats because a new, young teacher might be able to afford an apartment or a house by renting with roommates, but if they get married and have children, it can be impossible for the family to find an affordable place to live.When districts fail to retain teachers, the quality of the educational system suffers. According to Anne Podolsky of the Learning Policy Institute, we found that teaching experience is positively associated with student achievement throughout a teacher's career. On top of that, educators who live in the same area as their students also have a better understanding of their pupils roots, the places they gather and the general ambience of the community.So what are districts doing to address this issue?One of the first to try to create more housing for teachers was Los Angeles, where the nation's second largest school district is working with a non-profit housing developer to build a 66-unit complex for teachers who cannot afford to live in the area. But the most comprehensive effort is in San Francisco, where housing prices are among the highest in the country: over $1,118,000 for the median-priced home.In November, San Francisco voters approved a $310 million housing bond -- the first of its kind to win acceptance at the ballot box in nearly a generation. About $80 million has been set aside to build middle-income rental housing on land owned by school districts and also to provide teachers with mortgage subsidies.Outside of San Francisco, the Roaring Fork School District in western Colorado, which is near Aspens ski resorts, passed a $122 million school construction bond that included $15 million in rental subsidies for teachers.Similar initiatives are beginning to blossom in rural areas, too.Although one of the earliest such initiatives in McDowell County, W.Va., has been slow to get off the ground, an effort in rural North Carolina has begun to show positive results. In 2007, Hertford County used a $2.4 million interest-free, 15-year loan from the State Employees Credit Union Foundation to build 24 housing units for educators. That may not sound like a lot, but the turnover rates dropped sharply -- from around 40 percent a year to between 15 and 20 percent. Similar efforts followed in three more counties.Though North Carolinas work has been paying off, theres no widespread empirical evidence that helping teachers afford housing reaps the sought-after outcomes. But despite the ongoing cry to require evidence-based outcomes before investing public dollars, this is one case where common sense is very persuasive. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said Wednesday that she endorsed U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., for president because he was best suited to restore Republican principles of limited government and cutting debt."I want a president who understands they have to go back to Washington, D.C., and bring a conscious back to our Republicans," Haley, a Republican, told a crowd of hundreds gathered outside a Chapin warehouse.Haley said she made the decision as a mother who wants safer, more prosperous nation for her children and as the wife of a combat veteran who wants more support for the military.The governor did not say why she didn't choose other candidates for Saturday's GOP primary."We have good people running for president, and I thank them today for their sacrifice and their willingness to serve and to honor this great country and make her better," she said. "But my job was to find the person I thought who could do it the best."I wanted someone with fight. I wanted somebody with passion. I wanted somebody who has the conviction to do the right thing," she said. "But I wanted somebody humble enough (who) remembers that you work for all the people."Haley, the state's most popular GOP politician in polls and a rising national GOP star, was South Carolina's most coveted Republican endorsement of the 2016 presidential race."She embodies for me everything that I want the Republican Party and conservative movement to be about," Rubio told the crowd.The governor's endorsement comes at a critical time for Rubio.The Florida senator needs momentum in South Carolina after finishing fifth in New Hampshire after a rattled debate performance. Rubio trails Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in the Palmetto State with three days ahead of the South Carolina GOP presidential primary.Haley joins U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of North Charleston, the only African-American Republican in the Senate, and U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy, a Spartanburg Republican who heads a special panel investigating the Benghazi attack, in endorsing Rubio.Haley has decided to back the establishment candidate considered to be in best position to challenge Republican front-runners Trump and Cruz.Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who has shared advice on education issues with the governor and helped her raise money for her re-election bid in 2014, also was considered a top contender to win Haley's endorsement. His father and brother, both former presidents who won the South Carolina presidential primary, have reached out to Haley in recent weeks.But he has lagged in recent South Carolina polls, falling to fifth in the six-candidate GOP field. Rubio sits third.Haley's decision was a bit of a reversal in the past day. The governor told reporters Tuesday that she had not made up her mind on who to back in the 2016 race.She endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential race. While the former Massachusetts governor won the GOP nomination, he lost the South Carolina primary to former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, breaking the state's three-decade streak of voting for the candidate who landed on the November ballot.Haley and Rubio share similar backgrounds. They are both 44-year-old children of immigrants who were elected to their current seats in the tea party fervor of 2010.Rubio first met Haley when they were first running for their current offices. The senator spoke at the South Carolina GOP party's annual dinner in 2012, a way for him to start building relationships in early-primary state. They have communicated while Rubio has been on the trail.The senator has said during stops in South Carolina this week that Haley would make a good vice president. Haley has become a favorite to make vice presidential short lists after her handling of last year's Charleston shooting and successful call to remove the Confederate flag from the South Carolina State House grounds. She gave the Republican response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union last month.Haley's endorsement, while arriving a little later than expected, was not a complete surprise.She said she would not back Trump. She said she was referring to him as one of the "angriest voices" in her State of the Union response and criticized him over his combative campaigning.Trump has said Haley is not doing enough to protect South Carolina from Syrian refugees and the possibility of Guantanamo prisoners being transferred to the Navy brig outside Charleston. Haley has protested both issues to federal officials.Haley has not criticized Cruz, but she has not kept in regular contact with the Texas senator. Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton on Wednesday delivered a hard-hitting critique of Republican Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, accusing him of pushing an agenda that would return the state to "the robber barons of the 19th century."Clinton's speech to several hundred people at the Parkway Ballroom in Bronzeville had been billed as a get-out-the-vote rally aimed at trying to galvanize African-American supporters ahead of the March 15 Illinois primary election.But the event evolved into an extended and surprising criticism of Rauner, a former private equity investor _ a potential way to reach out to backers of her tenacious political rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and his populist appeal of pushing against the wealthy, Wall Street and income inequality.In the process, Clinton _ who was born in Chicago and raised in Park Ridge _ underscored just how critical the top of the presidential ticket could be in November to lower-ballot races here _ particularly the Democratic supermajorities in the Illinois House and Senate that Republicans are challenging."When I look at what's happening here in Illinois, (it's a) Republican agenda to roll back the clock on everything that made the middle class strong in the 20th century. It's pretty terrifying," Clinton said."They want to undercut workers' rights, undercut unions. You know, the American labor movement was essential to building the American middle class," she said.Clinton, acknowledging Rauner was delivering his second state budget address at about the same time she was speaking, called it "material for some kind of sitcom because he'll be speaking without actually having a budget" _ a reference to the state's eight-month stalemate between the first-term GOP governor and Democratic-controlled legislature that's resulted in no formal spending plan put in place."The governor has refused to start budget negotiations unless his so-called 'turnaround agenda' gets passed first. Now, his plan will turn Illinois around, all right. All the way back to the time of the robber barons of the 19th century," she said.Clinton said Rauner's pro-business, union-weakening agenda called for eliminating the payment of prevailing union wages on public works projects and would take away "hard-won rights to bargain collectively" with public workers. She also said the lack of a state budget has affected working parents cut off from affordable child care, eliminated some services for treatment for drug addiction and prevented payment of grants to college students from lower-income families."They need a governor who will actually pass a budget," she said.Clinton recalled the Illinois politics of her youth."We had disagreements. There were Republicans and Democrats. My father was a Republican. We had our disagreements around the dinner table every night," she said."But there was also a common-sense understanding. There were certain things the government did, certain things the private sector did ... and it all worked together. We've lost that consensus, and we've got to rebuild it," she said.Rauner spokesman Lance Trover said he found Clinton's comments "quite ironic, coming from someone who cashed a $280,000 check for a paid speech to GTCR." GTCR was the venture capital firm Rauner headed before he became governor. Rauner had left the firm by the time Clinton delivered the speech in June 2014, Chicago magazine has reported.At the event, Clinton was joined on the ballroom stage by Geneva Reed-Veal, mother of Sandra Bland, the Naperville woman whose death in a Texas jail sparked national attention. Clinton, the former secretary of state, decried gun violence and the National Rifle Association, and called for criminal justice reforms.Clinton recited a list of names of gun and police violence, including Laquan McDonald. The court-ordered November release of a 2014 video of the black teen being shot to death by a white Chicago police officer inspired protests and a political backlash toward Clinton supporter Mayor Rahm Emanuel.Clinton noted that several mothers of victims of gun violence also were in the audience, and said their grief "must move us to action.""They must motivate every one of us to take on these issues, reforming police practices and making it as hard as possible for people to get guns who shouldn't have them in the first place," she said.Clinton said she and rival Sanders share agreement on a number of issues, but sought to portray her agenda as more achievable."We need a president, yes, who's passionate about getting as much as possible (the) money out of politics and reining in Wall Street," she said. "But we need a president who's passionate about creating jobs and raising incomes like I am."Veteran West Side Democratic U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, a superdelegate committed to Clinton, said she should be the favorite of African-American voters as the nomination process continues but warned she must continue reaching out to them."I mean, Bernie is coming and charging like the cavalry and I think that Hillary is going to have to stay out front, keep pressing the issues, keep demonstrating to the African-American community that there's no possible way that we would be taken for granted," Davis said. Description GIS - 18 February, 2015: The World Bank (WB) has reiterated its support to the new economic strategy of Mauritius during a working session held on 15th February in Port Louis by a delegation of the WB led by Mr. Mark Lundell, WB Country Director for Mauritius, and the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Seetanah Lutchmeenaraidoo. The World Bank (WB) has reiterated its support to the new economic strategy of Mauritius during a working session held on 15February in Port Louis by a delegation of the WB led by Mr. Mark Lundell, WB Country Director for Mauritius, and the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Seetanah Lutchmeenaraidoo. Discussions focused on new areas of cooperation ranging from the fisheries sector, training, Africa Strategy, flood management to business facilitation whereby the WB has expressed interest to assist Mauritius in its socio-economic development. During the working session, Minister Lutchmeenaraidoo, highlighted four salient macroeconomic objectives of Mauritius by 2018, which were raised with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Mrs Christine Lagarde, during his mission in Washington earlier this month. They are namely: reduction of the public debt to 50% of GDP; reduction of the fiscal deficit to 3% of GDP; lowering the current account deficit to 3% of GDP; and reducing the unemployment rate to 4%. He further underlined that to achieve these objectives, the country needs to diversify its economy and capitalise on new business avenues to generate new sources of revenue. On this score, he emphasised on the countrys new strategy for growth based on three main pillars namely: the Blue Economy, the Maritime Hub and economic integration within the region and Africa. It will be recalled that the working session follows the recent mission of Minister Lutchmeenaraidoo in Washington during which various issues were discussed in line with the vision of creating a high investment and high employment strategy as outlined in the 2015-2016 budget. Moreover, the WB has demonstrated interest to provide expertise to help Mauritius develop the blue economy sector, the Africa strategy and support Mauritius in the creation of Special Economic Zones in Africa, particularly in Madagascar, Ghana and Senegal through Special Purpose Vehicles to be set up to develop these areas as well as help the country emerge from the mid-income trap and attain the level of a high income economy. Mauritius has also solicited the assistance of the WB to modernise its business facilitation framework so as to make of the country one of the world's top 15 destinations in terms of ease of doing business in the next three years. Other areas of cooperation discussed pertain to the strengthening of the mechanisms to cope with natural disasters especially in the field of flood management; the water sector; and a new law that will allow greater financial participation of the local private sector and foreign investors in the development of infrastructure projects. Despite a federal judges order, Apple said it will fight the legal push to unlock one of the devices owned by the perpetrator of the San Bernardino terror attack that killed 14 people in December.Federal investigators have been unable to access data contained within the Apple iPhone that belonged to Syed Rizwan Farook, who was killed by police after he and his wife targeted his coworkers at a holiday party.The companys stance is being hailed by some as an important step in the digital privacy movement, but it is also adding fuel to the flames of the larger debate around law enforcement access to proprietary encrypted devices, like the iPhone and Microsofts Android devices.Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement , released Feb. 16, that the company opposes the chilling order based on implications far beyond the legal case at hand.Cook argued in his statement that a backdoor, once created, could be replicated and used to unlock other devices. While he said he believes the intentions of FBI investigators are good, he said the technology would simply be too dangerous in the wrong hands.Up to this point, we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help them. But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone, Cook wrote. Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation. In the wrong hands, this software which does not exist today would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someones physical possession.Though Cook acknowledged the investigative intentions behind the order and preceding FBI request, he added that the creation of an access point into the iPhone could potentially grant unlimited access to the devices and negatively impact personal privacy protections.The government suggests this tool could only be used once, on one phone. But thats simply not true. Once created, the technique could be used over and over again, on any number of devices, he said in the statement. In the physical world, it would be the equivalent of a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks from restaurants and banks to stores and homes. No reasonable person would find that acceptable.From the perspective of the U.S. Attorney Eileen Decker, the federal court order marks a potentially important step in the investigation and attempts to bring closure to the families affected by the attack.Since the terrorist attack in San Bernardino on Dec. 2, 2015, that took the lives of 14 innocent Americans and shattered the lives of numerous families, my office and our law enforcement partners have worked tirelessly to exhaust every investigative lead in the case," she said in a press release . "We have made a solemn commitment to the victims and their families that we will leave no stone unturned as we gather as much information and evidence as possible. These victims and families deserve nothing less. The application filed today in federal court is another step a potentially important step in the process of learning everything we possibly can about the attack in San Bernardino.FBI Director James Comey testified before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Intelligence Feb. 9 saying that in the months following the shooting spree, the Bureau has been unable to gain access to one of the shooters iPhone.At that time, he pointed to a need for access when approved by the court, but said he did not want a permanent backdoor into the communications device, rather a way for companies to comply with legal requests.I dont want a door. I dont want a window. I dont want a sliding glass door. I would like people to comply with court orders, and thats the conversation we are trying to have, he said during the testimony. Encryption is a problem in our investigations; it is also a great thing and therein lies the challengeShahid Buttar, director of Grassroots Advocacy with the Electronic Frontiers Foundation, said the reluctance on the part of Apple signals positive steps in the privacy fight.From where he stands, the issue extends far beyond the case being made for investigative purposes. He said once a key or flaw was created, there would be nothing to stop its use among domestic agencies and outside authoritarian governments, where it could potentially be used illegally.One of the particular concerns here is that these devices are used globally, so if Apple has to create a new security flaw to allow the FBI to crack the password on this phone using brute force, there is nothing to keep that same flaw from being exploited by every autocratic government around the world, he said.He called the order an obvious overreach on the part of the court, and said the argument for access to the encrypted devices leads back to a larger discussion about the balance between collective security and the rights of the individual.In this case, the claim is collective security: the need to keep the streets safe, means nobody can have secure phones, which is basically what this order would mean because the nature of digital security is that once you create an exploit, it's essentially accessible by anyone. Its like the cork in the bottom of a boat; you pull the cork and the water does not discriminate," Buttar said. I suspect that the judge in Riverside did not think about the way his order would play in Burma, but I know that Apple will have a chance to file a responsive brief in a few days and we hope that the judge on reflection, makes a more informed, liberty-regarding choice.Buttar said he is hopeful Apple carries the legal fight as far as it can and that he is hopeful the courts will maintain their independent position on the larger issue and the far-reaching implications of forcing a company to build a flaw into its products for investigative purposes.In the meantime," he said, "I think there is going to be a great deal of public debate surrounding these issues." For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers. proudcity-demo.jpg More templates that makes it easier to set up pages in minutes Scalable, data-driven content that pulls from commercial and government (local/state/federal) APIs with no need for administrators to manage manually (such as /vote and /representative pages) Analytics dashboard that allows administrators to view user traffic inside the ProudCity platform Full agency-specific websites Aggressive integration with more third-party services Take a look at city government websites and youre likely to find a mix of pixelated logos, jumbled hyperlinks and a baffling variety of menus. Too many sites incorporate turn-of-the-century Web design. Some of it even hails back to the '90s.The poor state of so many city sites prompted Kevin Herman, Jeff Lyon, Alex Schmoe and Luke Fretwell (who is also the founder of the government tech blog GovFresh ) to mount what might be called an intervention. In 2014 the four met at a conference in Austin, Texas, to explore what an easy, cloud-based website creation platform would look like for cities.The idea is already pervasive in the consumer world with services like Weebly and Wix. The group wondered what would happen if governments had access to the same type of service. A year later, the four fashioned a prototype and founded the startup ProudCity Today ProudCity advertises itself as an out-of-the-box, enterprise-level website platform to localities primarily small to medium-sized cities that want the latest technology, but dont want the pricing of a large Web design firm. Considering the potential impact for cities,selected ProudCity as part of its inaugural GovTech100 , a listing of notable public-sector companies as well as one of five startups to watch in 2016.In an interview, Fretwell elaborated on how ProudCity got started and what happens next.First, the delivery model. Cities that use a vendor for a large, upfront, one-time purchase and then move to a monthly support plan arent realizing the benefits of a product that gets better every day. Software-as-a-service is now the status quo in the enterprise and government can realize its benefits on both price and quality product.Second, the procurement process. Government, in general, is forced to buy then try, and theres a long, drawn-out request for a proposal process that ultimately leads to acquisition of an outdated technology product. With ProudCity, we believe in a free, try-before-you-buy beta option. Theres no reason government should have to buy a product without testing it, internally and publicly with residents.Third, the user experience. The lack of user-focused, iterative, elegant design for government websites leads to frustration. Government stakeholders are frustrated by how much time and training is needed to do simple tasks, and having a sub-par CMS [content management system] leads to outdated information and high costs to maintain. On the resident front, iterating on the design allows us to incorporate lessons-learned on what information should be prioritized, where and how.The ProudCity co-founders all have extensive experience in government Web design and development and have a strong grasp on general best practices based on working on consumer and government-focused Web products.Weve also extensively studied the incredible amount of research and work [the civic tech organization] Code for America did with its Digital Front Door initiative and other similar efforts.Much like weve seen with what 18F, U.S. Digital Service and Code for America have done to emphasize a standardized design guide, weve created our own pattern library based on the responsive framework Bootstrap, which was initially developed by Twitter, and then made available for anyone to re-purpose. So, were using best practices for mobile-friendly websites, which is important as the rate of mobile visitors is increasing dramatically every day.Our base palette, particularly our brand colors, were borrowed directly from the U.S. Web Design Standards [created by 18F and USDS]. We spent about half a day discussing what we should do for colors, then realized someone had already done that for us. So, rather than reinvent the wheel, we chose to leverage the great work done by 18F and USDS.Whats important to note is that our product design will evolve as we learn more how residents use cities services, and well experiment with new approaches based on this information. Every city on the platform will realize these upgrades at no additional cost.ProudCity is based on a modern, ever-evolving, open source content management system, Calypso/WordPress, that was built to manage millions of websites across multiple domains under one platform.Because of this, were able to focus much of our product development on issues that are specific to resident user experience and internal government needs.The administrative tools are easy to use and include user-managed roles, permissions and workflow. For on-boarding, weve built and continue to refine a wizard that walks new customers through setting up their website, from customizing the look and feel to content-specific aspects of getting a site off the ground.Were also able to integrate across a number of service providers, such as SeeClickFix, MailChimp, social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube), Mapbox and OpenStreetMap and continue to expand these offerings across various product domains. Rather than lock governments into one stack of digital services, they are free to use whatever service best meets their needs and satisfaction.For security, weve adopted a single sign-on and token-based authentication process and have plans to extend security that will be announced in the near future.Our first city launches Feb. 23, and we have a number in beta that are testing the platform and deciding how they want to move forward and promote these as their future sites.Weve talked with a number of end-user government stakeholders from executives to Web managers on what their needs and challenges are, as well as integrated the Digital Front Door findings, and continue to solicit input.Were still evolving our user feedback protocol, but based on analytical feedback, we see a big demand for easier access to payments, job listings, events and legal-related information. We will continue to gather anecdotal feedback from our live chat tools, user surveys, as well as Web traffic analytics, heat mapping and other metrics-based tools.With beta, we really want to change what it means to launch, moving away from this long process involving no public feedback and high-pressure from government to get it right out the gate. Were excited to see the dynamic change on whats considered a launch, and how getting a free, public-facing beta makes that process more collaborative and pleasant for everyone involved.Well continue to refine both the public-facing templates as well as the administrative tools for internal managers, including:We have an angel investor that is supporting our approach to changing how governments procure and manage their digital services. This is allowing us to focus on building a great service offering and getting initial customers. We have not begun to look for investors.We have nevertheless recently been approached by two investors and are considering opening our angel round or preparing an A round. Our primary goal with bringing in any new financial partners will be to increase the speed of adoption.As far as challenges, getting government stakeholders to understand the sense of urgency in adopting a new product is important. I strongly recommend to those that express a sincere interest they should be proactive in responding to follow-ups and status. Government stakeholders should also let go of preconceived notions about what a product should do and be open to new possibilities.Startups arent building a modified version of the tool or widget youve been using for the last 10 years. Theyre building something that you never realized was possible, and itll make your work exponentially more enjoyable.Im fortunate to have been part of a number of startups, and the energy around every early stage venture is incredible because theres this unified sense that youre building something exponentially better than whats currently available.When you demo your product and share your philosophical approach to changing the current paradigm, and you get a reaction that emulates your excitement and enthusiasm, its invigorating.Were talking to early adopters, so the feedback has been incredible and is slightly selective, but to hear people are going to be knocking down your door when they see what this is about something youve conceptualized and are building for thousands of cities, its rewarding and motivating.Theres a general sentiment that where we are with technology with the maturation of open source, low-cost infrastructure and the software-as-a-service business model its a perfect storm for revolutionizing how government delivers digital offerings.The advantage is that we get to package up this enthusiasm and energy, work closely with government and help change the way public services can be delivered. Montgomery, Ala., has become the first city in the state and just the fourth in the southeastern U.S. to launch an Internet exchange point, the Internet equivalent of a freeway interchange.As the city announced Jan. 20, instead of Internet service providers, content delivery services and educational institutions routing traffic through Atlanta, they can now route traffic and store data locally.The announcement coincides with the creation of a cooperative called the Montgomery Cyber Connection that includes the city of Montgomery, Montgomery County, the state of Alabama, Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base and the Air Force Cyber College, and will enable cybersecurity research and attract new economic opportunities to the region, according to officials.The Montgomery Internet Exchange (MIX) is an investment in the citys future, said Ben Venable, MIX project manager, adding that the city expects big gains for its small investment. The city, he said, spends about $900 a month to rent rack space in a local data center where project partner Akamai Technologies keeps its equipment, along with another $100 each month to pay the electricity bill and the fee for Akamais back-end connection. The Cisco exchange switch was donated by the Packet Clearing House, so for about $1,000 a month, Venable said the city established itself as an important piece of the Internet infrastructure.Montgomerys main ISPs, WOW! and Charter Communications, can now serve local customers more easily than if they needed to run backhaul to Atlanta, he said, and many ISPs from Atlanta have asked to connect to the new exchange point to add redundancy to their networks.Companies want to locate themselves and particularly their equipment close to an Internet exchange where they have the opportunity to purchase their Internet cheaper than they could somewhere else and thats the significance of the exchange, Venable said. But now when you add in the Air University piece, Montgomery has the opportunity to become one of the forefront locations in the world to do cyber-research.The exchange, he added, was made possible through a combination of dormant resources: the citys dark fiber, the data center, the citys partnerships, and Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Bases need of a public network that could be used to conduct research across universities.Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast wanted a way for his students at Air University to collaborate with other university students on cyber-research, but for him to do that, he had to have a platform outside the military on a commercial network that other university students could get to, because if he put it on the military network, nobody but the military would be able to touch it, Venable explained, noting that running fiber through an Internet exchange in Atlanta or Florida could cost billions. The exchange is a huge draw for our community in terms of education and technology.And 50 years from now, said Air University Commander Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast in a press release , "when people write about the fact that America reinvented the way it could live with freedom, independence, civil liberties and privacy in an information age and they write about the River Region, Montgomery and Alabama being the leader of that effort, they will find that in this moment the magic ingredients for innovation existed.Upon announcement, Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange told a local news outlet that the exchange is a boon for the citys technological and financial future, as it puts the city on a path to becoming a 100 gigabit city and the bandwidth will bring in millions in economic development.Though some of the citys expectations are a bit overblown, says Chris Mitchell at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, installing the exchange was a smart move.Its important and I think its terrific that theyre doing it, Mitchell said. However, the main bottleneck that most residents and businesses see will not change. And thats their connection right outside their house or business. This local peering point will not make their local connections faster, most likely. What it will hopefully do is make it easier for local ISPs, or even the city if it so chose, to expand, because they wouldnt have to figure out how to connect to Atlanta or some other major hub. They can just connect in town.That promises of such magnitude can be purchased for just $1,000 a month is curious given how rare exchange points are. The Western seaboard and New England each have dozens of exchanges, as they serve both larger populations and as intercontinental access points, but in many regions its possible to go hundreds of miles and cross entire states without finding one. Its not just cities that are without exchanges Tennessee, North Carolina, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho and Wyoming are just some of the states that dont have an exchange point. More cities should build them, Mitchell said, but one cant expect it to work everywhere.What you need is excited networks to connect within it, Mitchell explained. So to some extent, this is a quintessential public-private action where the city is working with the private providers and [educational institutions], because if a city just did this and the local networks werent interested in using it, it wont go anywhere.The Midwest Internet Cooperative Exchange (MICE) in Minneapolis, for instance, serves as a regional traffic handler that saves some ISPs a trip to Chicago or Wisconsin. For proprietary reasons, not everyone can use that exchange, Mitchell said, but even without speed boosts, more exchanges can yield other advantages. Speed is not everything on a network , he explained. Increasingly, businesses care about things like latency and other network measurements, and when you dont have to pass through a whole bunch of extra routers or go hundreds of extra miles out of your way, you get better performance.If companies can host their data closer where its needed, it can ease network congestion. Companies like Microsoft and Apple store operating system updates at exchanges, while companies like Netflix and Hulu store movies. The same principle applies to the buildout of local networks. Theres less backhaul connecting a neighborhood to a fiber network if the exchange is in town.So for a city considering an exchange, not much is needed but a little creative thinking, said Mitchell. Santa Monica, Calif., for instance, repurposed an old jail for one during a remodel.What you need for something like that is a building that has secure access and fiber optics, he said. You could take a school, fire station, police station, take a little portion of that property, build up a glorified hut that has air conditioning and heating, and make a secure entrance, and you basically have something like this. Its a little more complicated than that, but it is something that cities can do because they have property everywhere. Police shootings in Chicago Protestors including Lamon Reccord, 16, confront police during a demonstration in response to the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald in Chicago Protestor versus police officer. Chicago, October 2014. REUTERS/Andrew Nelles Discipline and training are not enough Its where you live The Department of Justice (DOJ) is currently investigating the Chicago Police Department.The high-profile police shooting of teen Laquan McDonald combined with the citys efforts to prevent the public from learning about it prompted the investigation.Given that the Justice Department is playing hardball with Ferguson, Missouri suing the city following its refusal to voluntarily enter into an agreement to reform its police department and courts advocates in Chicago may also expect something important to change as a result of DOJ involvement.In a recent paper, I analyzed 259 Chicago police shootings that occurred between 2006 and 2014 . These are all of the incidents for which Chicagos Independent Police Review Authority had made a completed report of investigation publicly available as of last month.My analysis of these incidents suggests that police reform in Chicago, like that in Ferguson , must include a critical examination of the enforcement tactics that police departments use in poor, minority communities.Better discipline and training are part of the solution, but they are unlikely to make dramatic difference by themselves. To create meaningful change, we must look beyond officer shooters in high-profile cases like that of McDonald and Michael Brown We shouldnt just ask how officers might best manage suspects during an encounter, but why certain police-civilian encounters occur at all.There is no such thing as a typical police shooting, but many share common features. For example, in nearly 50 percent of the 259 incidents I reviewed, police officers shot during or immediately following a foot chase.In my view, not all of these chases were necessary. We expect officers to chase and subdue a murder suspect who fires shots at officers as was described in one of the reports I read. But we ought to feel differently when officers chase and shoot a young black man whose only offense was looking in the officers direction or grabbing hiswaistband and turning away. Egregious high-profile shootings like McDonalds too quickly lead us to the conclusion that the problem is bad apples cops who use their badges as cover for racist aggression.The implication is that there are relatively few bad apples as compared to good cops. And that those "good cops, with the right training, will only shoot when necessary.In reality, it is hard to know how many bad apples there are in any given department because neither police departments nor unions are keen on divulging that information.This is just one of many obstacles to punishing police officers for misconduct. The public was rightly frustrated, for example, when it emerged that Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke, who shot Laquan McDonald, had a long history of civilian complaints for excessive force and racist slurs . Had Van Dyke been appropriately disciplined for any of his earlier brutality and racism, perhaps McDonald would be alive today.But in a city like Chicago where there are tens of police shootings every year, it is hard to argue that every cop involved with a shooting is a bad apple.My review of the available cases reveals that its not just racist cops who shoot. In the shootings I examined , the demographic profile of officer-shooters looks much like the demographic profile of the department as a whole. Police shootings cannot be reduced to a simple story about white-on-black racism because many of the police officers doing the shooting are black.Most police shootings in Chicago are unlike the Laquan McDonald case in that officers typically claim a firearm threat prompted them to shoot. In nearly 80 percent of the 259 reviewed cases, the individual who was shot had access to a gun. This does not mean that these shootings were unavoidable, but it does suggest that many were probably not as clearly unnecessary as McDonalds.So, what if anything can be done about good apples who shoot?Better training, many say. There can be little argument that better training is desirable. Some police shootings in Chicago have occurred because officers were physically dragged along after having reached into running vehicles. Some involved officers firing from moving vehicles, or at moving vehicles. Such practices are unnecessarily dangerous and could be readily avoided if officers were better trained to avoid them.And of course, there is deescalation , a buzz word in public discussion of police reform. Deescalation techniques are supposed to help officers defuse or withdraw from potentially violent incidents without jeopardizing anyones safety. There is nothing wrong with providing officers with more of this training. But, the emphasis on individual officer training is shortsighted.Both discipline and training focus on how individual officers manage critical incidents. That overlooks an important question. How is it that an officer finds himself squared off with a potentially armed individual? To answer that requires thinking critically about departmental choices in particular neighborhoods, not just individual officers choices in particular cases.The likelihood of getting shot by the police is much higher in some Chicago neighborhoods than in others. Of the 259 police shootings that the IPRA has released information about, nearly 90 percent occurred in minority neighborhoods . That goes a long way in explaining why 80 percent of police shooting victims were black in a city that is only one-third black.The police department and others might point out that the likelihood of getting shot by anyone is much higher in poor black neighborhoods than, say, middle-class white ones. Incidences of violent crime tend to be much higher in poor, minority neighborhoods. That would seem to explain why police shootings are also higher in those neighborhoods.Not so fast. The connection between neighborhood violence and police shootings would make sense if shooting victims consisted exclusively of persons who were suspected of violent crime.But in nearly a quarter of the 259 IPRA incidents, it was the police who stirred the pot . These police-civilian encounters began as traffic stops for minor violations, because someone made a furtive movement, or just looked suspicious. Many of these stops were likely of the stop and frisk variety that have been controversial in New York City Chicago , and other cities . The shootings that occur in the course of these kinds of encounters follow a general pattern. One of the stopped civilians flees and the police give chase. During or immediately after the chase, officers shoot in response to a perceived gun threat.Even if one believes the officers' version of an encounters final moments when a suspects threatening behavior prompted the police to shoot, we should ask whether the initial stop should have occurred at all. And, even if the answer to that question is yes, we should ask whether a foot chase was justified, given the harmlessness of the misconduct that precipitated the initial stop.My review also revealed that plainclothes officers were responsible for nearly 40 percent of on-duty shootings . There is evidence from other departments that such officers are, per capita, responsible for more shootings than uniformed officers. This may be because more aggressive officers are drawn to such assignments. It also seems possible that people have a hard time distinguishing these officers from civilians who mean harm particularly when plainclothes officers break into an ongoing fight or melee.Police departments and policymakers must critically examine the relationships between police shootings and stop-and-frisk, plainclothes policing and other enforcement tactics. Doing so will afford more insights into how to improve police-community relations in poor, minority neighborhoods. If this is truly reformers goal, more aggressive discipline and better training should be components of the agenda, not the whole of it. (TNS) -- Facebook users might be familiar with using the social media site to learn about the latest gaffs and gambits of their favorite and most reviled politicians.But Facebook is taking its political involvement a step further this election season by reminding North Carolina voters about important voter registration deadlines when they sign into their profiles."What were doing is, at the top of your feed if you're signing into Facebook, you'll see a post that says, 'The voter registration deadline is approaching. Are you registered? You can click here to find out,'" Facebook Spokesman Alec Gerlach told The Herald. " ... This is part of an effort to increase civic engagement through Facebook."The messages began appearing on Friday, and Lee County Elections Director Nancy Kimble said it was important to register by Feb. 19 if voters wanted to participate in the primary election on March 15."The cut-off will be next Friday at 5 p.m.," Kimble said Friday. "And that's for general registration, change of address, change of party."Under North Carolina law, registered Republicans will receive Republican ballots, registered Democrats will receive Democratic ballots, registered Libertarians will receive Libertarian ballots and unaffiliated voters can choose any of the three or an unaffiliated ballot, which contains only the Connect NC Public Improvement Bond.And while same-day registration isn't available for the primary itself, Kimble said it will be available during the early voting period, which lasts from March 3-12."We'll be open [for voting] from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday," Kimble said of the early voting period. "On the first Saturday, we'll be open from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and on the second Saturday, we'll be open from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. We have two voting sites, one here at the [Lee County Board of Elections], 225 S. Steele St. and one at the [McSwain Extension Education and Agriculture Center], 2420 Tramway Rd."One of the links on Facebook's announcement will provide resources on how to register, and Kimble outlined a few different ways.The easiest way would be if you're computer savvy, to go on our website and fill out a registration, print it off and bring it in," she said. "Or you can come pick one up at the office or call us [at (919) 718-4646] and we'll send you one. Sending one might be a little iffy in a week's time. I think the other options are better."Gerlach said Facebook has been a boon for candidates and voters alike, and that social media has helped create a two-way dialogue between elected officials and those they represent."I think you can kind of look at the trajectory you've already seen over past few years where a Facebook page was kind of an add-on to a campaign in the past," he said. "Now it's essential. It's a way candidates from Donald Trump to Hillary Clinton and even local elected officials are engaging directly."Kimble applauded efforts to increase voter registration, and she emphasized the importance of voting especially in municipal elections."Every vote counts," Kimble said. "A lot of people don't think their vote counts, but every vote counts. We've had a few [elections] across the state during municipal elections, a few were won by a coin toss."Kimble added that it wasn't enough just to vote and urged citizens to research the pool of candidates beforehand."[Voters] have a say in who takes office, and it's very important," she said. "But they also need to learn what those candidates stand for, what those candidates views are. They need to be informed." Was placed on leave A Green River Police officer was placed on administrative leave, after he was indicted for a first-degree murder charge. Last Wednesday, Feb. 3, Jacob Anglesey, 34, appeared in the Third District Court of Judge Nena James in front of a grand jury. The jury convened to determine whether or not there was enough probable cause to charge Anglesey for first-degree murder, which stemmed from the 2009 death of Konnor Allen, a 2-year-old boy. Allen was the son of Phylicia Rasdall and Corry Allen. "He has been placed on leave at this time," Luke Benson, GRPD detective and public relations officer, s... Officers responded to the intersection of East Flaming Gorge Way and Uinta Drive in reference to a report of a vehicle accident. Officers responded to an address on Logan Street in reference to a report of a parking problem. The owner of a residence advised someone was parking their vehicle in the driveway without permission. Officers contacted the owner of the vehicle who said they would move the vehicle out of the driveway. Kristian Mason, 30, of Green River, was arrested for alleged child abuse. Officers assisted personnel with Castle Rock Ambulance Service. Officers took a report of a... Open house scheduled Feb. 27 The residents of Granger are making use of the community building in their town. The building, originally the towns school building, was the site of a major renovation project on the buildings main floor, which now houses the Sweetwater County Library Systems Granger branch. Granger Mayor Sandy Allen said the library has more space than it used to, saying the Town Council has had the opportunity to host its meetings in the community center. An open house is scheduled for Feb. 27 and takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Allen said the town continues to seek name ideas for the building... About this time last year, the Sweetwater County Library System brought young adult author Shannon Hale to the county for an author visit. Along with having a presentation and book signing at White Mountain Library in Rock Springs, the library also arranged for Hale to talk with kids from both Monroe and Lincoln schools in Green River. Hales presentations were fantastic. She delivered a great message about not giving up while writing and not to let gender stereotypes influence your reading selections. The only regret those of us at the library have about Hales visit is that she could... Best-selling young-adult author Roland Smith will be in Sweetwater County next week. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the Sweetwater County Library System has some exciting events planned for his visit. Smith is the author of books such as "I,Q," "Storm Runners," "Cryptid Hunters," "Beneath" and "Peak." Along with his young adult books, Smith has worked with his wife, Marie, to co-author several picture books such as "Z the Zookeeper," and "S is for Smithsonian." He has also written several non-fiction books about animals. The Sweetwater County Library System is hosting two free in-libr... The Christian Adventurers are scheduled to gather at 350 Stage Place, Green River, on Saturday. Following a potluck beginning at 5:30 p.m., the group will view artifacts from Swaziland and learn about life in that small African country. Although Swaziland is about the size of Sweetwater County, it has approximately double the population of Wyoming. Everyone is welcome to attend and folks are encouraged to bring their favorite food and a carload of friends. Past excursions for the adventurers include rock climbing, searching for agates, hunting for petrified wood, hiking for Indian pe... The Community Fine Arts Center will celebrate its 50th anniversary this fall. To help out, the Sweetwater County Library Foundation and the CFAC Advisory Board are hosting a reception Thursday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the CFAC to kick off the fundraising campaign. Money raised will purchase a commissioned sculpture which will be unveiled at the Nov. 5 anniversary celebration. With a set donation level, donors will be given a print of one of the collections more recognizable paintings. The large oil painting titled The Worldly Chapel was painted by Darryl Newton in 1978. The artist has... Jack Hanrahan / Associated Press During Red Cross Month in March, the American Red Cross encourages eligible donors to join in its lifesaving mission by giving blood. Since 1943, every U.S. president has designated March as Red Cross Month to recognize how the Red Cross helps people down the street, across the country and around the world. Successful enterprises go through four stages of maturity. Each one makes extraordinary demands of its leader, who must undertake new tasks, acquire new organizational skills and expand his or her leadership abilities. In this post well focus on stage one, or finding your companys target audience. This stage truly begins when you commit to turning your idea into a tangible business. For starters, make sure your idea is something you believe in and are genuinely enthusiastic about. Once thats done, the real work begins. Your primary task in this initial stage is customer validation, i.e. figuring out whether you can turn your idea into a product or service people will pay money for. Start by talking to as many potential customers as you can. Meanwhile, seek advice from a network of donors, employees and advisors. At this stage, your startup is like a special project. There is no schedule or routine -- instead, you should simply be doing whatever is necessary to make daily progress. This lack of routine and of process drives manager-personality-types crazy; where some see creativity, they see chaos. Thats why managers who have been highly successful in big corporations often fail when they try to start a company of their own. Related: The 4 Stages of Enterprise Maturity: From Startup to Self-Sustaining How do you lead an organization that is almost 100 percent sheer effort and 0 percent process? Start by calling a huddle, i.e. an informal meeting with your team, whenever there is a significant development, positive or negative, in capturing that first set of customers. These discussions are a good way to strategize about what comes next and avoid any miscommunications among your team members. As the product or service comes into clearer focus, make sure you answer the following three strategic questions: What is the most efficient way to find real customers? Because you likely have a limited budget, its important to be quick and cost effective. How can I make a very basic product -- also known as the minimum viable product or MVP -- attractive enough so customers will agree to try it? This requires that you accurately understand the value of your product. How can I deliver the MVP to customers? Answering this question forces you to understand the processes required to make and deliver your product. Now comes the hard part. Many entrepreneurs are excited about their idea, but find few potential customers share their enthusiasm. Such rejection can hurt. For most people, changing an idea they are passionate can be difficult. Nevertheless, you must be open modifications. Its the first big test of an entrepreneurial leader. Related: Deal or No Deal? Here Are 7 Ways Due Diligence Can Help Before a Final Commitment. Its not easy. Determining which parts of your original idea are valuable and which aren't is an emotionally draining exercise. You may feel anxious and disoriented because you feel youve lost control. You are likely exhausted because you have to consider and evaluate so many possible directions for your fledgling venture. There's a good chance you are burnt out from having to contact as many potential customers as possible in order to test your assumptions about who is buying your product. As your idea evolves, you will need to change your prototype or your service description or your specifications over and over again. This is an enormous amount of work. Unfortunately, instead of staying tightly focused on customer validation, many entrepreneurs pour enormous amounts of energy into devising a business plan. Its a mistake: You cannot have a meaningful business plan until you know what your customers want. Virtually all of your time, and your teams time, should be spent listening to customers and modifying your prototype in response to their feedback. When speaking with customers, dont let yourself be deluded by casual compliments. Just because a customer says some nice things about your product doesnt mean he will buy it. Most people hate to deliver bad news. Only when a potential customer declares something like, I must have this -- how soon can I buy it now?, can you be sure you are on the right track. This initial stage only ends when you can describe, with a high degree of certainty, who will buy your product or service and how you will deliver it to them. Accomplishing this isnt for the faint of heart -- many smart entrepreneurs fail to answer these questions. The good news is people are eager to accept products or services that will improve their lives and make them happier. F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said that the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function." Thats the essence of the challenge in stage one of a startup. As an entrepreneur you selfishly want your product or service to change peoples lives. But to do so you must selflessly listen to potential customers and be prepared, even eager, to change your original idea. Related: How These Entrepreneurs Found Success in an Industry They Knew Nothing About Related: How to Find Real Customers for Your Startup 4 Simple Ways to Boost Your Customer Acquisition Strategy Can Tech-Innovations Reshape MSME Lending In India? Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Partnering with an established brand in the early stages of your startup can immediately expand your customer base and increase your exposure and credibility. Youll not only become the mentee of a more established company, but be able to apply its valuable insights to your own product. Still, this marriage might take some work: Partnering with a brand that will prove a good match (and maintain a prosperous relationship with you) may be easier said than done. Heres how to approach corporations and make them fall in love with your startup: Related: Everything You Need to Know About Business Partnerships 1. Get your timing right. Youll offer a corporation more value if you appear in its inbox or its lobby at the perfect time. So, do your research; show your product at a time that presents your company as the answer to its most pressing need: Is the company about to diversify into a new area? Is it about to recruit for a new role? This is all information you can use to woo that company. 2. Uncover an urgent need. Your product or service likely fills the urgent need of one lucky corporation out there; you just have to find it. Sixty-nine percent of marketers agree that identifying buyer needs or existing pain points is critical when crafting go-to-market strategies for product launches. Show that you understand the pain point and that you know just how to fix it. A few years ago at American Airlines, where I am strategic partnership manager, we partnered up with a company called Brightbox, which makes charging stations for on-the-go users. Users simply place their charge-starved devices in a secure chamber and walk away. We saw this as a key product at conferences, where attendees dont want to be tethered to an outlet. After meeting the team in 2012, we placed Brightboxes in some of our activation sites at conferences to get the company more exposure. After seeing how much people loved the product (and how much traffic it drew to our booth), we purchased several to use at our events. We even featured the product in our Business Extra customer spotlight in American Way, the airline's in-flight magazine. 3. Know your niche. You can offer a host of benefits to corporations. Remember the unique value you own, and sell that niche for all it's worth. Related: 4 Tips to Go Further, Faster with Strategic Partnerships When American Airlines hired a new group of flight attendants, we entrusted a startup called HarQen. Its Voice Advantage digital-interviewing tool streamlined the hiring process. CEO Ane Ohm knew exactly what she could offer us. We were nimble and able to move quickly, which was critical at that point in time, said Ohm. 4. Show off your secure side. IT considerations have been secondary priorities in decades past, but in 2016, you need to prove youre secure and data-ready before doing pretty much anything else. British insurance provider Lloyd's found that cyber breaches cost companies up to $400 billion a year. Others have estimated that cybercrime costs companies upwards of $500 billion. Any brand you partner with will need to know it can trust you. Because data is now the currency of many industries, you might need to be flexible about the data you work with and allow the big brand to maintain ownership. 5. Dont pad your resume. Startups eager to prove themselves will often mislead their new partners about their capabilities. They may enthusiastically agree to that partnership before thinking about the consequences. Don't do this, yourself: Stay true to your brand and your scale. Be honest about your abilities. Remember: 40 percent of small businesses failed between 2007 and 2010. If you promise something you cant ultimately deliver, youll lose roof partnership, your reputation and possibly your own roof. 6. Capitalize on your new relationship. Once you find your perfect partner, youll receive valuable insights and capital. Big brands have continuous revenue you havent even dreamed of. As you cozy up, be ready to grow and develop additional products with those extra funds so you can evolve with the relationship. After HarQen delivered on Voice Advantage, the news spread to other American Airlines departments, and weve since grown the partnership to include tools for pilots and reservations. Woo your perfect corporate match with your unique products and services, staying true to your vision while playing nurse to that pain point of your partners industry. Related: 10 Questions to Ask Before Committing to a Business Partner Related: How to Woo a Corporate Partner in 6 Simple Steps Winning Investors Without Losing Your Way 3 Ways Co-Marketing Can Help Your Small Business Grow Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved As the leader of your business, you're surely aware that the loyalty you inspire in your employees is more than just important; its essential. Related: How Thoughtful Leaders Earn Employee Loyalty Beyond producing improved results from your employees and reducing turnover in your staff, the loyalty you encourage in your team -- through the behaviors that you exemplify --will extend itself to your customer base, and beyond. Loyalty isn't something you can just gain, at the drop of a hat. To be a leader truly worthy of loyalty takes hard work and requires self-inquiry and a clarity of mind. After all, who can follow someone who doesnt even know what he or she wants or is headed? Inspiring loyalty may take personal work, but it will be worth the effort when you have a team that will follow you to the ends of the earth. There are many ways to inspire loyalty, but here are six essential ways in which the best leaders inspire loyalty, in even the most dubious of employees. 1. Trust. Constantly looking over your employees shoulder to second-guess his or her work creates a sense of personal doubt, especially if there has been no pertinent reason to mistrust the staffer's expertise. Great leaders give their trust to others, without reservation, and those others are then motivated to not only give trust back, but to work harder to meet the expectations of someone they respect. 2. Support for employee development In the short and long-term, all people need to feel as though their work, and by extension their lives, has meaning and positive progression. If there is no opportunity for learning in an encouraging environment, employees may start to feel stagnant and resentful. Employees who are encouraged to follow their passions and stretch beyond what they thought was their capacity are sure to have deeply loyal feelings toward a leader who fosters that development. 3. Leading by example A leader is perhaps expected to have more responsibility than do employees, but that doesnt mean that the leader is "above" any work that needs to be done. Some of the best leaders I have known are right there in the trenches when that's called for. If youre too good to get your hands dirty with your team, your team members will start to see their jobs as menial and unimportant -- just as you do. But, if you do whatever it takes for your company to be successful, so will everyone around you. Related: Inspire Employee Loyalty With Recognition Rooted in Company Values 4. Clarity A leaders clarity creates a compass by which his or her team can navigate. If you arent completely clear about your mission and values, its obvious to anyone in your employ that following you will lead nowhere. So, be communicative and definitive about your wide-reaching vision and your day-to-day tasks to enable your team to see that your leadership is true. 5. Personal relationships Of course there are boundaries around personal relationships at work, but within those boundaries, there is room to recognize that the people who work for you are humans, dealing with trials and tribulations beyond the next budget meeting. Do you know when your employees have major life milestones, like a birth, death, marriage or divorce? Great leaders know that cultivating care for their employees creates love and loyalty in return. 6. Openness and honesty Nothing inspires loyalty more than being honest. Open communication does two things: It creates confidence and trust, and also helps create feelings of inclusion. Being part of a team that works together will make any employee think twice before leaving or making a detrimental decision. Honest leaders will make team members stay much longer than they would have with a leader who hides information. The greatest leaders in the world are not revered because they demanded loyalty -- they created loyalty through their words and actions. With everyday care and personal conviction, you too can create a company that is full of employees who are devoted, hard-working, and unwavering. Related: Why 47 Percent of Your Best People Are Ready to Leave -- and What You Can Do About It Related: Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved A hibachi chef at Asahi Japanese Steakhouse in Lafayette, Indiana, decided to greet customers on Valentines Day by asking each person to state their relationship status. That teasing probably embarrassed a handful of customers, but according to Ellie Parker and her girlfriend, Lucy, he saved the homophobic and borderline sexually harassing stuff for their table: Parker says that after they announced they were each others Valentines, the chef replied, Its such a waste to not have a man, and offered to join the pair at home to heat things up. Once their $52 bill came, Parker explains on Facebook that the two of them, now duly offended, decided to leave one of those life tips that involve no actual money: Im not normally one to complain on social media, but the service I had at dinner tonight warrants a little complaining.Posted by Ellie Parker on Sunday, February 14, 2016 I cannot believe I paid over $50 to have my relationship insulted and sexualized, she fumes in her post, adding in a later comment that she hopes sharing what happened helps others avoid this situation in the future. As far as trying to work things out with their angry customers, Parkers mother said in an update that Asahi offered Parker a refund if, that is, she agrees to remove her Facebook post thats now reached 7,000 shares. That was more than a day ago, so looks like shes now viewing it as money put to good use. [Yahoo] The Oven Baked: Bacardi 8-year rum, Cynar, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Photo: Paul Wagtouicz As far as bartending goes, it would be difficult to dream up a more impressive pedigree than Giuseppe Gonzalezs. Hes a Cornell-educated, third-generation bartender and student of cocktail icon Julie Reiner; he has an unlikely modern classic, the Trinidad Sour, under his belt; and hes done stints at influential bars including Dutch Kills, Pegu Club, and Reiners Flatiron Lounge. In late 2013, he left the now-shuttered Golden Cadillac to begin work on his own place, Suffolk Arms, and tonight at 5 p.m. hell open the bar, which he calls my dream project for the last 14 years. Located at 239 East Houston Street, the bar is a partnership with his college buddy Rueben Rodriguez, a co-owner of the Bronxs well-regarded Havana Cafe, with chef Alex Garcia (Calle Ocho, Havana Cafe) in the kitchen. The handsomely old-school room is anchored by a mahogany bar that seats 12, with seating for another 63 at the banquettes and tables, and its decorated with original portraits of influential New Yorkers. The menu is likewise, Gonzalez says, an ode to the New York he knows and loves, a mishmash of Latin dishes like a Chino-Latino platter and salchipapas (fried sausage and French fries); rethought and classic pub food including Thai chili wings and tater tots; and, in reference to the neighborhoods Jewish heritage, Streits matzo-ball soup and a Russ & Daughters smoked-fish platter. Gonzalez, who studied neurobiology at Cornell, is known for his cerebral approach to drink-making, and the menu includes a clever riff of sorts on Irish coffee (the Duke of Suffock, made with Hendricks gin and two types of tea) and another drink thats equal parts Fernet and Angostura bitters (the Magic Julep). Drinks are divided into three sections, which include signatures, a.k.a. house originals; modern classics; and a whole set of vodka cocktails. Hell happily riff with you on the clear spirits virtues and importance to bartending, and there will be several martini variations including the European classic Porn-Star (Aylesbury Duck vodka, passion fruit, lime, vanilla, and pink Champagne on the side). But if you want vodka-soda, theyll happily make it for you. What Gonzalez wants Suffolk Arms to be is a place where he can be serious about his drinks, without taking himself too seriously. Gonzalez will serve his Trinidad Sour, of course, which is made with Ragtime rye, Angostura bitters, lemon, and orgeat. Photo: Paul Wagtouicz The Tough Room is a Guinness-and-whiskey sour. Photo: Paul Wagtouicz The Duke of Suffolk: Hendricks gin, Earl Grey and English breakfast tea, cream, and sugar. Photo: Paul Wagtouicz Thai chili chicken wings with blue cheese chili dressing. Photo: Paul Wagtouicz Lower East Side burger with bacon, guacamole, Vermont cheddar, and AG sauce. Photo: Paul Wagtouicz Devils On Horseback or bacon-wrapped dates. Photo: Paul Wagtouicz The room is decorated with portraits of influential New Yorkers. Photo: Paul Wagtouicz Nice bar. Photo: Paul Wagtouicz Suffolk Arms, 269 E Houston St. at Suffolk St., 212-475-0400 Moqueca: Brazilian fish stew with salt cod, okra, prawns, and Thai basil. Photo: Melissa Hom Since the Cecil opened in the fall of 2013, chef Joseph JJ Johnson has helped bring the Harlem restaurant much acclaim. It comes as a bit of a surprise, then, that he has completely revamped the menu. Weve always changed the menu but kept the staples, he says. And then, as more and more people came to dine at the restaurant, I would see them only ordering the staples. I want the culinary world to know that Afro-Asian-American cooking is not one-dimensional. Its a big conversation. Theres a lot of history. Introducing this new menu is a way to keep the conversation going. New dishes include fried-chicken fried rice, tamarind-glazed oxtails, and a Brazilian fish stew called moqueca, which Johnson says is big and bold and filled with aromatics, and replaces the once-popular gumbo. He understands that some regulars wont be thrilled with the changes, as hes only keeping the collard-green salad and the okra fries. It is a culture shock, he says. People will be nervous. People might even walk out. But this menu evolution mirrors how Johnson has grown as a chef. Recent trips to Israel and Blackberry Farm in Tennessee have informed his cooking, and hes now working closely with Anson Mills and sourcing grains like African popping sorghum. No one knew who I was, and Alexander [Smalls] and Richard Parsons gave me shot, he says. I really owned it. And I think really owning what you do helps you progress. Take a look at a few of his new creations: The Carrot: carrot puree, roasted heirloom carrot tops, coriander dressing. Photo: Melissa Hom Pan-roasted venison with cardamom celery root, ginger broccoli, and housemade harissa. Photo: Melissa Hom Braised goat dumplings served with peanut piri piri, celery coriander salad, and candied peanuts. Photo: Melissa Hom Tamarind-glazed oxtails with pickled cabbage and brown-rice grits. Photo: Melissa Hom Menu [PDF] Isn't it just great that we now live in a world where data can travel everywhere with you, seamlessly? Open up an instant messenger on your phone and voila, all your conversations are just where you left them last, perhaps on your PC or tablet. The same goes for your email, photos and most every data that you decide to hand over management of to Google, Apple, Microsoft or any other cloud service. However, as most of you have surely considered at one point or another, while this might happen "automagically", it does require quite a bit of background data usage, which most likely comes out of your data plan. Opera has always been a bit more concerned than most for proper mobile data utilization and its latest set of statistics provide a good reason why. According to data aggregated through Opera Max users in December 2015, around 30% of all mobile data consumption happens in the background. Various syncing and refreshing services eat up around 1MB out of every 3MB passing through your device and while the behind the scenes functionality is definitely an invaluable features, not all apps are particularly efficient with you data plan. According to the statistics, Facebook Messenger and Gmail do about 73% of their transfers behind the scenes, followed by Google Drive and WhatsApp, at around 50%. And while that doesn't mean said apps waste data, others might, due to lack of optimization or development oversights. If this happens to be a concern for you as well, Opera actually has a viable solution. Opera Max is a powerful Android app that helps you save on data through clever compression mechanisms, as well as monitoring tools and granular control over what and when gets a piece of the internet. Smart Alerts is a feature within Opera Max that informs you if an app is eating away too much data in the background and allows you to stop the leakage, if deemed unnecessary. You can get Opera Max free on the Google Play Store. Source Google has announced that its Translate service now supports 13 new languages. This brings the total number of supported languages to 103, Google revealed, claiming that the service now covers 99% of the online population. The newly-added languages include Amharic, Corsican, Frisian, Kyrgyz, Hawaiian, Kurdish (Kurmanji), Luxembourgish, Samoan, Scots Gaelic, Shona, Sindhi, Pashto, and Xhosa. Google says the addition "helps bring a combined 120 million new people to the billions who can already communicate with Translate all over the world." The software-giant also touched upon exactly what goes into adding a new language, revealing that until now more 3 million people have contributed approximately 200 million translated words. Head to the Source link below for more details. Source Haiti - FLASH : Forced expulsions of Haitians from French territory In a press release dated February 17, a group of organizations and associations Haitians and French: The Support Group for Returnees and Refugees (GARR), Cimade, Le Collectif Haiti de France (CHF), the Information Group and Support to Immigrants (Gisti), The League of Human Rights (LDH), The Asosiyasyon Solidarite Karayib (Assoka), the Union of Women of Martinique (UFM), is concerned about the situation of the expulsion from French territory to Haiti of Haitian migrants in irregular migration. The group urged the French authorities to suspend forced expulsions of Haitian nationals. These organizations believe that any deportation in the fragile political context born of the Haitian electoral crisis or street demonstrations are many and the population experiencing great violence may worsen their living conditions. Stressing "Our associations encounter Haitians under the influence of a deportation order that they are extremely concerned about the situation because they risk finding themselves isolated in a country they left for many years, for some, country plagued by daily violence. The safety of the deportees is not assured, therefore the latter are in a vulnerable situation which indicates a strong precariousness at the finish." Recall that in 2015, over a hundred Haitians were deported mostly from Guyana detention centers and Guadeloupe and these have continued since the beginning of the year, despite the insecurity that prevails in Haiti. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping politics... The 120 days of the term of Privert divides The duration of 120 days, of the Agreement signed on February 5 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16533-haiti-politic-the-details-of-the-agreement-from-a-to-z.html continues to divides the parliamentarians. Senator Jean Renel Senatus (LIDE) expressed against the extension of the mandate of the temporary President, "I do not think Mr. Privert be irresponsible. To have initialed the agreement of February 5, it must be able to implement all points in the deadline." In contrast Senator Steven Benoit (ALTERNATIVE) calls for the correction of the agreement. He considers unrealistic the agreement initialed by the two powers of the State believes that the signatories were well aware that it was impossible to implement all the commitments of the agreement in 120 days. For Steven Benoit, an extension of the mandate of Jocelerme Privert of a few months will have to be subject of a broad consensus. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16634-haiti-news-zapping-politics.html The CSPJ denounces the exclusion of the Judiciary, in the Agreement The Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSPJ), through the voice of the judge of the Court of Cassation; Wendelle Coq Thelot, denounced the agreements and decisions made by only two powers of the State, excluding the Judiciary. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16586-haiti-flash-the-fbh-highlights-the-dangers-of-the-call-for-candidates.html First Lady a.i. visited DR On Wednesday, Dr. Ginette Privert, the First Lady a.i. of Haiti, paid a courtesy visit to the Embassy of Haiti in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where she met with Ambassador Magali Jeanty Magloire. Steven Benoit justifies his absence Senator Steven Benoit (West), justified his absence from the session in the National Assembly on February 4 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16522-haiti-news-electoral-zapping.html intended to vote a Provisional President to lead the country, by its concern not condone anything illegal... However, it is ready to ratify the next Prime Minister ! Busy agenda of Privert Wednesday, as part of the choice of a new Prime Minister, Jocelerme Privert President a.i. of Haiti met separately at the National Palace : the President of the Protestant Federation of Haiti, Sylvain Exantus; representatives of "Pitit Dessalin" platform; 5 representatives of the G8 including Sauveur Pierre Etienne and Erick Jean-Baptiste and representatives of the press sectors, business, human rights... Resignation of Mayor Sandra Jules Finally ! Wednesday, February 17, 2016, Sandra Jules, in a letter addressed to Ardouin Zephirin, the Minister of Interior and Territorial Communities, has resigned as interim executive agent of the commune of Petit-Goave, claimed by the forces of local opposition for many months. She asked the Minister to take all necessary steps to provide for his replacement. HL/ HaitiLibre / Guyto Mathieu (Correspondant Petit-Goave) See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-14411-haiti-petit-goave-11-million-gourdes-without-justification-confirmed.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-14102-haiti-petit-goave-millions-gourdes-spent-without-justification.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-13037-haiti-petit-goave-72-hours-ultimatum-before-the-resumption-of-demonstrations.html HL/ HaitiLibre Harlow is a former New Town in Essex with a population of 86,000. Located in the upper Stort Valley, it was built in the decades after the Second World War to ease overcrowding and London and provide homes for people bombed out during the Blitz. It includes Britain's first pedestrian precinct and first modern residential tower block, The Lawn. Old Harlow, the historic part of the town, was mentioned in the Domesday Book. David and Victoria Beckham's former home, Rowneybury House, nicknamed 'Beckingham Palace', is nearby. 15:19, 20 OCT 2022 A security guard who injured himself at work while moving a heavy trolley has lost a million dollar damages claim against his employer and club occupier. Despite a first instance decision awarding the plaintiff $1,162,779.80 in damages, the New South Wales Court of Appeal found that while his employer had breached its non-delegable duty of care by failing to inspect his work environment, the breach did not cause his accident. The plaintiff Ross Gazis was working at South Sydney Juniors Rugby League Club during the early morning cash clearance round, where the club would empty its poker machines and count the money. Gazis was supplied as labour hire to the clubs security contractor Sermacs by MPS as an armed guard and his role was to stand guard outside of the soft room where the money from the poker machines was counted. Standard procedure for the cash clearance included places boxes of money from the poker machines onto large trolleys, to be transported to the money counting room. On the morning of 19 May 2006, Gazis suffered injuries while attempting to pull a trolley by grabbing hold of its handle with one hand and pulling to move it away from the wall. While doing so, he lost his grip and fell backwards landing on a smaller trolley behind him. Although he had continued to work for a further two weeks in immense pain, thereafter the court heard he was unable to keep working due to debilitating back pain caused by his injuries. Gazis commenced proceedings against the club (occupier), Sermacs (host) and MPS (employer) seeking damages for personal injuries. In the first instance, the trial judge found that although the club did not have any knowledge that the plaintiff had been moving trolleys, the clubs management knew its employees, including those working in the soft room, regularly moved trolleys and thus the club was deemed to have knowledge that the plaintiff had been moving the trolleys. In a similar case, Thomson v Woolworths, his Honour found that the club placed the trolley in the plaintiffs work location and ought to have known that as a result the plaintiff was likely to attempt to move it. By permitting the plaintiff to regularly move these trolleys, the club was effectively sanctioning a system of work that imposed a risk for workers in the area. It was found that the plaintiffs employer MPS had a non-delegable duty of care, which extended to checking the system of work which the plaintiff was required to undertake. However, this was not done by MPS. Therefore, the trial judge awarded the plaintiff the sum of $1,162,779.80 and apportioned liability 75% to the club liable and 25% to MPS, while finding that Sermacs had no liability. However, MPS and Club appealed against this decision, arguing that Sermacs as the contractor should be liable to contribute and/or the assessment of damages was in error. Sermacs insurer HCC also challenged the courts decision that it was not able to rely upon the exclusion by way of notice of contention. Special Counsel Brooke Jacobs from HopgoodGanim says it is necessary for courts to consider the scope of duty owed by employer and occupier and for workers to prove that any breach of duty was causative of harm. Relevantly, the evidence demonstrated that moving the trolley did not form part of the plaintiffs employment duties and MPS, Sermacs and the Club were unaware that the plaintiff engaged in moving the trolley, Jacobs says. Interestingly, the trial judge did not accept that Sermacs acquired the services of the plaintiff from MPS under a contract of labour hire, she says. This was relevant to Sermacs insurer HCC, which sought to rely on an exclusion in its policy with respect to claims for injury to employees of subcontractors arising out of or in the course of his/her employment in your (Sermacs) business., Jacobs says. The New South Wales Court of Appeal upheld the appeal by MPS and the Club as it related to primary liability. While Justice Basten found that the arrangement between MPS and Sermacs was clearly a contract for labour hire, HCC was not entitled to rely upon the policy exclusion. In relation to the Club, whilst the court accepted that the Club owed a duty, it found that the exercise of reasonable care did not require the Club to direct the plaintiff to desist in moving the laden trolley in circumstances where it was unaware that the plaintiff was doing so and any risks posed were obvious, but remote, Jacobs says. The court accepted that MPS, as Gaziss employer, owed a non-delegable duty of care and was in breach of it by failing to inspect his work environment. However, the court held that the breach was not causative of the accident, because even on reasonable inspection by the employer, any risk posed by the trolley would not have been identified, Jacobs says. Key take away points The following information is provided by local law enforcement agencies. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Compiled by Jessica Isaacs The following were provided by the Watauga County Sheriffs Office. Jan. 28 INCIDENT: A male suspect, 43, of 9407 N.C. Highway 194 N in Lansing, was charged with DWLR and drug violations. Jan. 31 INCIDENT: Felony possession of schedule II and schedule I controlled substances and drug violations were reported at 2705 U.S. Highway 421 S in Boone. Feb. 3 INCIDENT: Assault by pointing a firearm and possession of firearm by a felon was reported at 234 Swamp Box Road in Boone. Feb. 8 INCIDENT: A missing person was reported at 249 Little Laurel Road in Boone. Feb. 9 INCIDENT: Vandalism was reported at 1417 N.C. Highway 105 Bypass Unit #6 in Boone. Feb. 10 INCIDENT: Resisting a public officer and simple physical assault were reported at 134 Miler Drive in Boone. INCIDENT: Assault was reported at 133 Boone Circle in Boone. INCIDENT: Larceny was reported at 244 Devils Den Road in Banner Elk. INCIDENT: Calls for service were reported at 594 Faulkner Drive in Boone. Feb. 11 INCIDENT: Calls for service were reported at 623 Wintergreen Drive in Boone. INCIDENT: Fraud was reported at 940 Hopewell Church Road in Boone. INCIDENT: Unauthorized use of a motor vehicle was reported at 106 Wade Moretz Road in Deep Gap. INCIDENT: Vandalism was reported at an unknown location in Boone. ARREST: A male suspect, 31, of 127 Ford Hollars Road in Vilas, was charged with OFA misdemeanor larceny. He was held under an $800 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court on March 8. ARREST: A male suspect, 50, of 32 Matilda Ave. in Marion, was charged with felony trafficking methamphetamine and conspiring to sell methamphetamine. He was held under a $50,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court on April 1. ARREST: A male suspect, 30, of 265 Carroway Drive in Marion, was charged with felony trafficking methamphetamine and conspiring to sell methamphetamine. He was held under a $50,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court on April 1. ARREST: A male suspect, 51, of 556 Mabel School Road in Zionville, was charged with a felony magistrates order for a fugitive. He was held under a $50,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court on April 11. Feb. 12 INCIDENT: Assault on a female was reported at 139 Patton Lane in Boone. ARREST: A male suspect, 36, of 272 Horse Shoe Ridge Road W in Deep Gap, was charged with assault on a female and communicating threats. He was held under a $1,500 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court on April 1. ARREST: A male suspect, 26, of 134 Miller Drive in Boone, was charged with assault on a female and is scheduled to appear in court on April 15. ARREST: A male suspect, 48, of 515 Junaluska Road in Boone, was charged with larceny and is scheduled to appear in court on April 6. ARREST: A male suspect, 34, of 47 S Park Road in North Wilkesboro, was charged with felony maintaining a veh/dwell/place for controlled substance and misdemeanor DWLR not impaired. He was held under a $5,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court on April 6. Feb. 13 INCIDENT: Larceny was reported at 2221 Silverstone Road in Zionville. INCIDENT: Vandalism was reported at 588 N.C. Highway 105 Bypass Unit 2 in Boone. Feb. 14 INCIDENT: Drug violations were reported at Walgreens, 2184 Blowing Rock Road. ARREST: A male suspect, 19, of 1802 Silverstone Road in Vilas, was charged with injury to real property and is scheduled to appear in court on April 1. ARREST: A male suspect, 27, of 314 Meadowview Drive Apt. 513 in Boone, was charged with DWLR. He was held under a $500 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court on March 1. Feb. 15 INCIDENT: Larceny was reported at storage units across from Seven Devils in Banner Elk. INCIDENT: Fraud was reported at 2006 U.S. Highway 421 N in Boone. ARREST: A female suspect, 39, of 4438 New Walkertown Road Lot A 4 in Winston-Salem, was charged with FTA on a show cause for larceny. She was held under a $365 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on March 25. Feb. 16 INCIDENT: An unattended death was reported at 298 Basswood Road in Banner Elk. INCIDENT: Larceny was reported at 9378 N.C. Highway 105 S Unit 01 in Banner Elk. ARREST: A female suspect, 43, of 518 Nikanor Road in West Jefferson, was charged with OFA failure to appear. She was held under a $25,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court on March 14. ARREST: A male suspect, 31, of 129 Smith St. in Banner Elk, was charged with assault and battery. He was held under a $750 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court on March 22. New York (HedgeCo.net) Credit Suisse released the January performance results for their Hedge Fund Index earlier this week as well as the results for each of the various hedge fund strategy categories. While most of the worlds equity indices fell over 5% during the month of January, the Credit Suisse Hedge Fund Index was only down 1.41%. Of course dedicated short bias funds performed well with a gain of 9.48% and as we have seen with other hedge fund performance reports, managed futures performed well with an average gain of 4.02%. The only other strategy with a gain was risk arbitrage with a gain of 0.59%. On the down side, event driven multi-strategy funds performed the worst with a loss of 3.72% followed by emerging market funds with a loss of 3.45%. Long/short equity strategies lost 2.78% and that was the third worst performing group. Rick Pendergraft Research Analyst HedgeCoVest VKL has according to him proposed to the parliamentary committee responsible for determining the funding and responsibilities of YLE that the national broadcasting company discontinue the production of news intended solely for online distribution. The Federation of the Finnish Media Industry (VKL) is calling for notable changes in the online operations of YLE, its chief executive officer, Jukka Viitasaari, reveals in an interview with Uusi Suomi. This, along with the other responsibilities of YLE, should be set forth in the legislation, according to VKL. YLE would produce news for radio and television and could also publish the news online, Viitasaari explains. YLE is currently competing with private media companies by essentially publishing an online newspaper. He recognises that the proposed changes would probably encourage private media companies to introduce pay-walls but estimates that pay-walls are unlikely to become a widespread feature of the media industry. The diversity of the media industry is in danger, he argues. If the parliamentary working group preserves the current environment, you can say goodbye to the polyphonic media sector. You can say goodbye to dozens of newspapers, he warns. He admits that establishing a consensus among the parliamentary committee is likely to prove difficult. Anne Berner (Centre), however, is more appreciative of the hardships of private media companies than her predecessors as the Minister of Transport and Communications, gauges Viitasaari. Viitasaari also urges the parliamentary committee to intervene in the way the national broadcasting company operates. YLE is the only listed company I'm aware of that devises its budget before devising its strategy and action plan. Listed companies typically operate the other way around. That's an odd way of thinking, he states. YLE is allowed to run wild with its half-a-billion euro budget. Another market bully with a public service obligation is Posti, says Viitasaari. [Posti] can one-sidedly dictate prices and has introduced dramatic price hikes in recent years with a simple notification. Its notable price hikes have been hard especially on regional newspapers, he explains. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Uusi Suomi Source: Uusi Suomi It stipulated that the system of local bargaining must guarantee that unionised and non-unionised employers are on a level playing field in terms of rights and obligations; that working times and wages, bonuses and other rewards can be agreed upon locally; and that a so-called hardship clause is drawn up to help businesses overcome extraordinary difficulties. The Finnish Government decided on Wednesday that local bargaining will be promoted primarily within the scope of collective agreements and, if necessary, supported by legislative measures. The decision was met with enthusiasm by a number of trade union confederations as it was widely interpreted as a sign that the Government is content not to take legislative action to promote local bargaining. The Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland (Akava) lauded what it estimated is a decision that calls attention to the precedence of collective agreements in local bargaining. It will now be possible to promote local bargaining in a way that works the best also in practice, at workplaces. A statutory model would have also hindered the current, best practices of local bargaining but would have provided no viable alternatives, argued Sture Fjader, the chairperson of Akava. The decision promotes the efforts to find a labour market settlement [and] can even expedite the negotiations, he added. The collective agreement is the right medium for developing and discussing the contents of local bargaining. Local bargaining will remain an aspect of the negotiations dealing with the terms and conditions of employment, stated Lauri Lyly, the president of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK). The announcement was met with less enthusiasm by the National Coalition Party. Its main mouthpiece, Verkkouutiset, reported that the Government has given in to the demands of trade union confederations on local bargaining. Juhana Vartiainen (NCP) dispelled the concerns emanating from the ranks of the party by reminding that legislative measures can be adopted if collective bargaining fails to achieve the desired results. The Government has offered the possibility to implement the decisions through collective agreements. If the results are insufficient, the legislation will be used to supplement, he tweeted. The Government will adopt supplementary legislative measures if the collective agreements fail to meet the objectives of the government programme. The Government also said it will evaluate the results of the collective bargaining negotiations with labour market confederations at the end of May to determine the nature of the legislative revisions required to establish common rules and, thereby, to guarantee the realisation of local bargaining and employee representation. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Markku Ulander Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi The British will manage [outside the European Union], but if I were to give advice I'd say they'll manage even better in [it], Soini said in an interview on YLE TV1 on Wednesday, on the eve of an EU summit where the membership terms of the United Kingdom are to be re-negotiated. The United Kingdom is better off in the European Union than outside it, estimates Timo Soini (PS), the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, estimated in an interview with the BBC that the heads of state have no choice but to reach an agreement at the two-day summit in Brussels. Soini predicted that the negotiations will strengthen the position of member states that are not part of the euro area. If an agreement is struck, it will also affect Finland. And that's a good thing. If the British leave [the EU], the benefits that also Finland would be able to enjoy would not materialise, he said. The summit will set the stage for a national referendum on the EU membership of the United Kingdom to be held later this year. Soini considers it possible that the vote falls in favour of the so-called Brexit. It's possible. The polls are evenly balanced, he said. If an agreement is struck after a gruesome wrangle in the early hours of Friday, they'll have four or so months for campaigning. The campaigns will decide which way the vote goes. Finland should according to him seriously re-consider its membership if the United Kingdom decides to leave the European Union. The world is in quite a difficult situation, judging by the what's going on in Syria, Ukraine and the economy. You'd have to think what's right and what's wrong in the long term, said Soini. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi The remains of Eddie Hutch Snr are carried into his sister's home on Portland Row Gardai have received information that the Christy Kinahan cartel have a number of grenades at their disposal which it is feared could be used in the days following tomorrow's funeral of Eddie Hutch Snr. While the funeral itself is expected to pass off peacefully, there are fears of a fresh wave of violence in the days and weeks afterwards. Detectives also received reports that the rival faction to the Kinahans had planned a "spectacular attack" against cartel members in a pub this week. "These gangs are in the planning phase now, and while associates of Gary Hutch may have been planning a spectacular, they are not the ones who actually have grenades," a senior source said. Hitman "However, the Hutch crowd still have the AK-47 weapons which were used in the hotel gun attack and were never recovered, so this situation is very serious." In other developments, it has emerged that a notorious west Dublin hitman who has links to Gary Hutch's faction has been ordered to "stay out" of the gangland war because of fears that a Clondalkin-based gang boss could be dragged into the feud. It has also emerged that a hitman who is suspected of being involved in the murder of Eddie Hutch has gone to ground after innocent family members of his were threatened. Tensions surrounding the deadly feud between the two warring factions in the capital have reached boiling point after it emerged that one of them has military grade explosives ready to use. The news concerning the grenades comes as garda operations were put in place ahead of the funeral of murder victim Eddie Hutch Snr (59), who was gunned down last week at his home in Poplar Row, Ballybough. Armed gardai have been patrolling the streets of the north inner city in marked jeeps over the past few weeks. Gardai have maintained a large presence since the murder of David Byrne (35), who was gunned down by a six-man hit team at the Regency Hotel. Daniel Kinahan, the son of crime boss Christy Kinahan, and Byrne's cousin Freddie Thompson, attended the funeral in the south inner city on Monday. However, the number of gardai on the streets of the northside is set to increase significantly ahead of the funeral of Eddie Hutch Snr tomorrow morning. Mr Hutch's remains were taken to his sister's home on Portland Row shortly after 5pm yesterday. Bomb sweeps will be carried out at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on Sean McDermott Street and at Glasnevin Cemet-ery, where the gangland gun victim is expected to be buried. Despite previous reports that Mr Hutch's brother, Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch, had fled the country, he is expected to attend tomorrow's funeral to pay his final respects. Joseph Rafferty was 29 when he was shot dead by a lone gunman outside his home in the Hayward apartment complex in Ongar Park, west Dublin, on April 12, 2005. The father-of-one had grown up in Grand Canal Street in the south inner city, and in the months before his murder had become embroiled in a dispute with a family from there. In October 2004, there was a row at a function in a south inner city hotel bar and Joseph was told he was "going to get it from the RA". A family member's car was burnt with acid and the windows broken. Other family members, including his 66-year-old mother, were threatened. Detectives investigating the case believe the killer watched Joseph for two weeks before he dressed as a building worker, drew a sawn-off shotgun and shot him once in the leg and then at point-blank range in the chest. An eyewitness identified the killer as he walked away from the scene. Detectives investigating the case know the gunman to be associated with Sinn Fein and the IRA, and Joseph's family knew the identity of the man who had threatened to kill him before he was murdered. Silence Joseph's killing came three months after the IRA murdered Belfast father-of-one Robert McCartney, also an innocent man who was killed as a result of a row with local IRA figures who worked for Sinn Fein. It also bore similarities to the murder of 21-year-old Paul Quinn, from south Armagh, who was caught up in a dispute with 'republicans' who beat him to death with iron bars in October 2007. In all three cases a wall of silence was erected around the killers, and the PSNI and gardai were unable to secure any witness testimony to support prosecutions. Following his death, Joseph's sister, Esther Uzell, revealed that the family had approached Sinn Fein via local coun- cillor Daithi Doolan on three occasions with requests that he intervene to try to have the threat to her brother's life lifted. Mr Doolan subsequently lost his council seat and moved from the Dublin South East ward and has since been re-elected as a party councillor in the Ballyfermot-Drimnagh area. He has said he fully co-operated with the investigation and urged anyone with any information on the killing to come forward. Sinn Fein election candidate Chris Andrews has been branded a "liar" and a "hypocrite" by the family of an innocent Dublin man who was murdered by a Provisional IRA member. The family of Joseph Rafferty say they also feel sickened and betrayed by turncoat Andrews who was involved in their campaign to force Sinn Fein to give up his killer while he was a Fianna Fail TD. The Raffertys have accused him of telling blatant lies on the doorsteps by informing their neighbours and friends that he is still working with them in a bid to bring Josephs killers to justice. Joseph Rafferty had been subjected to several death threats from a well-known Provo and Sinn Fein election worker before being shot dead by a lone gunman in April 2005 in Ongar, west Dublin. Mr Andrews accompanied Josephs sister, Esther Uzell, to a number of confidential briefings about the murder investigation with senior gardai at which the prime suspects association with Sinn Fein were discussed. Mr Andrews also discussed Josephs murder during a Dail debate on the Criminal Justice Bill in March 2009. The Garda Siochana has put in a substantial number of man hours in trying to identify the people who killed Joseph Rafferty, he said. These people can do what they want without feeling they could be apprehended. Having met the Garda Siochana about this and other matters, I have no doubt their time will come and they will be caught. Four years later, the former TD joined Sinn Fein. We could not believe it when we heard the news that Chris Andrews had joined Sinn Fein, said Ms Uzell, whose campaign for justice has seen her being invited to meet the US President in the White House for St Patricks Day on three occasions. He supported our campaign and was in possession of highly-sensitive information about the man who gardai believe murdered Joseph, and he also witnessed members of Sinn Fein intimidating members of our family. Vile But he still had no problem joining that same party, which shows what a hypocrite he really is Andrews betrayed us in the most vile way poss-ible. As part of her campaign, Ms Uzell who was supported by the sisters of Belfast man Robert McCartney, another Sinn Fein/IRA murder victim also ran for the Dail in 2007 against Sinn Fein to highlight that the party was covering for the suspect. During the campaign, republican thugs smashed her car and Sinn Fein activists openly intimidated another sister during an incident that was witnessed by Mr Andrews. He knows the murderer is a member of Sinn Fein and worked for them in the elections and he witnessed what happened to us, yet he can go and join them [Sinn Fein]? said Ms Uzell. When I heard that he had gone to Sinn Fein I was sick in my stomach. I just could not believe the depth of hypocrisy of this man. How can you do that? I keep asking myself that over and over again. I felt that we as a family had been betrayed in the worst way possible. He knows everything about who murdered my brother and he saw the intimidation. He also knew that our family had gone to Sinn Fein to plead for Josephs life when he got the threats. Mr Andrews told the Herald that while he did attend high-level meetings, it was never discussed whether he [the suspect] was a member of Sinn Fein or not. Its hard to recall everything, every single detail of every single meeting, but generally there wasnt a political element to the conversations at the meeting. It was more to do with the gardai looking to find evidence of who killed Joseph Rafferty, he said. Mr Andrews said he knows Ms Uzell was intimidated but does not know the identity of those behind it. Afraid He claimed Ms Uzells criticisms were politically motivated by people who are afraid of Sinn Fein doing well in this election. Ms Uzell said her family were particularly distressed by a claim made by Mr Andrews on RTE Radios Sean ORourke Show last week when he suggested he was still involved in their campaign for justice. During the show, the Sinn Fein candidate for Dublin Bay South was challenged about Joseph Raffertys murder by Labour TD Kevin Humphreys. You have never been consistent in your life since you came into politics, he said. Didnt you attend confidential meetings in Harcourt Square in relation to the murder of Joseph Rafferty, and arent you fully aware that you supported the family up to, and until, you changed your colours and went into Sinn Fein? Mr Andrews replied: I worked very closely with the Uzell family and the gardai. I do so still. Ms Uzell said: I could not believe he said that, which is blatant lies. I want the good people here in this constituency to know that the man is a liar and a hypocrite and that he betrayed us. Mr Andrews resigned from Fianna Fail in August 2012 after being unmasked as the mystery person behind a Twitter account that posted negative comments about members within the party. Between March and June of that year he posted more than 300 tweets containing highly-critical and abusive material about his party colleagues and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin. The account was the subject of a sophisticated investigation by the husband of a Fianna Fail member and led to Mr Andrews unmasking. A year later he joined Sinn Fein and was elected as a member of Dublin City Council for the party in 2014. Mr Andrews served for one term as a Fianna Fail deputy from 2007 until 2011 when he lost his seat. A visually impaired woman died after she fell from a station platform and was struck by a train. Patricia Brennan (57) from Ashcroft, Raheny, Dublin 5 overstepped the platform edge at Raheny Dart Station on August 14, 2014. She fell onto train tracks and was unable to get up, an inquest into her death heard. CCTV footage showed a northbound commuter train enter the station twenty seconds later which was not scheduled to stop at Raheny station, the inquest heard. Ms Brennan, who had been using the train station for 20 years, was on her way to meet up with members of a walking group for the visually impaired at Howth. Described as active and social, Miss Brennan had taken early retirement from the Bank of Ireland two years previously. "She was always out and about. She used a white stick. She was very social and a bit of a chatterbox," her sister Marie Fogarty told the court. Miss Brennan would "count her steps and feel the bumps" in order to navigate the train station, Ms Fogarty said. Garda John Doran said CCTV footage showed Ms Brennan cross the footbridge and onto the platform. "She was using her mobility stick and moving towards the edge of the platform. She then began to walk sideways toward the edge, it appeared to me she was feeling for the platform edge with her foot," Gda Doran said. The fall was witnessed by a Venezuelan student Dilia Zepra, whose statement was read out at Dublin Coroner's Court. "I saw a woman fall from the platform onto the tracks. I shouted out to her, 'Are you okay?' She said 'Yes, I just missed a few steps.' She was trying to get up but was unable." Miss Zepra said she shouted to warn the woman to hurry, that she could hear something coming. "Then I saw the train coming and I shouted and waved for it to stop," she said. The train from Pearse Street to Drogheda had departed Connolly Station and the next scheduled stop was Malahide. The train was travelling around 70kmph according to driver Paul Dias. "Entering Raheny Station I saw a girl waving her arms and I saw something move on the tracks and I knew it was a person. I hit the brakes and blew the horn, it all happened in seconds," he said. Commuter Joanne Cuddy arrived at the station and saw a girl on the platform shouting to indicate that someone was on the tracks. She went over and spoke with Miss Brennan. "I asked her name and told her I was staying with her and help was coming," Ms Cuddy said. "She was between the train wheels and the wall, partially under the wheels," she said. Miss Brennan was rushed to Beaumont Hospital but was pronounced dead at 3.15pm. The cause of death was chest and pelvic injuries consistent with being struck by a train. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death. ABINGDON, Va. The Arts Array Film Series presented by Virginia Highlands Community College presents Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon Feb. 22 and 23. The film will be presented at the Abingdon Cinemall on Mondays and Tuesdays at 4 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m. Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon features rare and never before seen footage, this is the mind boggling story of The National Lampoon from its subversive and electrifying beginnings, to rebirth as an unlikely Hollywood heavyweight, and beyond. The Arts Array Film Series is part of the comprehensive cultural outreach program of Virginia Highlands Community College. The series is co-sponsored by the Abingdon Cinemall, the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, Emory& Henry College, and King University. Admission to the films is free for the faculties and students at the supporting institutions. Members of the general community may attend for $7.75. SALTVILLE, Va. -- The archaeologist from Radford University who identified a bone found in an excavation in Saltville as human reports in a permit application for further excavation that there are no known descendants of the individual. According to the application for archaeological excavation of human remains made through the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Cliff Boyd, professor of anthropological sciences at Radfords Forensic Science Institute, wrote that the town plans to rebury the remains once identification is completed. The permit, which has been signed by Saltville Town Manager Mike Taylor, notes that while there is no specific location for reburial, the excavation is expected to be completed in March with final disposition in April or May. Boyd said in the application that the human femur was brought to the chief medical examiners office in Roanoke in January. It was discovered protruding from a recently excavated back dirt pile in the old Elizabeth Cemetery. The bone, said Taylor, appears to be from an historic unmarked grave in the old part of the cemetery that was disturbed by the excavation of fill dirt to be used in the newer part of the cemetery. After analysis by Boyd and his wife, Donna Boyd, co-directors of the institute, the femur was identified as from an adult white male who stood about 5 feet, 5 inches tall and suffered a previous injury to the shaft of the femur that had healed. Based on the color and wear patterns of the bone, it appeared to be historic in origin, more than 50 years old, and not of forensic significance, the analysis found. Boyd, who has participated in archaeological work in Saltville since 1999 and served on the board of the Museum of the Middle Appalachians, said in an email to Taylor that he recommends screening the dirt pile for more bones and coffin materials to determine the date of burial. Only already excavated soil and disturbed areas will be examined. Boyd told Taylor the procedure will be done at no cost to the town. He plans to bring his own equipment and students will do the work. Tom Klatka, Virginia regional state archaeologist, is expected to assist in the effort and supervise the work. Any recovered bones and artifacts will be taken to the institutes laboratory for cleaning and analysis to determine the biological profile, Boyd wrote in the permit application. A report will be presented to the town and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and the remains will be returned to Saltville. The disturbed individual can be respectfully reinterred and have their grave marked after our work, Boyd said. Six school board candidates compete for three seats There are six candidates for three Washington County Board of Education seats in the Nov. 8 election. Three incumbents face challengers. This weekend might be the last warm one we have in awhile The arrest of JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar under anti-national charges is an attempt by the BJP government to snuff out the progressive voice of the university, kill campus activism and foist a Hindutva version of nationalism, said many academics and students of the university. During the Emergency, the JNU and the government were in conflict but at that time students and teachers were opposing authoritarianism. Now the government sees JNU as an ideological hurdle to its campaign for Hindutva nationalism and hence the assault on the university under the excuse of anti-national charges, said professor Prabhat Patnaik addressing a gathering of students and teachers on Wednesday. Students and teachers gather every evening on the campus to discuss nationalism, an initiative to ideologically repudiate the Hindutva concept of nationhood. Giving a lecture on What is a nation, professor Gopal Guru said constructing a nation by creating an antagonistic other was dangerous. The lecture series will conclude with Prof Tanika Sarkars presentation on Gandhis nation. Condemning the slapping of sedition charge on the JNUSU president, professor Purushottam Agrawal said, JNU is fighting for democratic and secular nationalism, not just the release of Kanhaiya. Calling the arrest and police action against students an assault on the study-and-struggle culture of JNU, Agrawal said, Democracy is not just a government formed through elections; it involves institutional norms and a mob frenzy over concocted anti-national activities is anti-thetical to it. The sangh parivar is out to marginalise thinking and demonise intellectuals. Some students fear that a false anti-national tag may put the university in bad light and hamper their job chances in interviews. Kanhaiya has not spoken anti-national language and there are no anti-national activities in JNU. The university encourages debate among divergent viewpoints, some are too radical. Wrong state actions are condemned and debated here and that should not be considered as anti-national, said a Ph D student, refusing to be named fearing police harassment. Many students were worried as police had gone to their native places and talked to their parents. One can see ABVPs commandments rejecting communism written on the same wall along side AISAs radical lines trashing neo-liberalism a testimony to the coexistence of contrasting ideologies on the campus. Calling making of a video on Kanhaiyas speech and his arrest as pre-planned, another Ph D student asked, How can anti-national tag be labelled against JNU when it has produced so many civil servants, intellectuals, policy-makers and even ministers? He said many of those who masqueraded as nationalist also wanted to build a temple for Nathuram Godse. Demolition of Babri Masjid was the biggest anti-national activity and those behind it are now champions of nationalism, said a professor, refusing to be identified fearing witch-hunting. Associate professor Mahendra Pratap Rana said, Raking up the JNU row is a diversionary tactic of the BJP government after its failure to create jobs and push growth. Government has made another mistake after facing flak over Rohith Vemulas suicide in Hyderabd University. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The first thing that we do, lets kill all the lawyers. (William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Act IV Scene 2) Though it was intended as a comic relief and not something to be taken seriously, it, nonetheless, reflects on the image lawyers have. They have been reviled from the time immemorial. Socrates, in the Theaetetus, derided lawyers in these words, He is a servant, and is disputing about a fellow servant before his master, who is seated and has the cause in his handsThe consequence has been, that he has become keen and shrewd; he has learned how to flatter his master in word and indulge him in deed; but his soul is small and unrighteous. His slavish condition has deprived him of growth and uprightness and independencehe has been driven into crooked ways; from the first he has practised deception and retaliation, and has become stunted and warpedand is now, as he thinks, a master in wisdom. Lawyers, the officers of the court, who are supposed to assist it arrive at justice, are behaving like hoodlums and henchmen of their clients. The way they unleashed violence, and assaulted students, teachers and journalists inside and outside Patiala House courts in New Delhi, is an ominous portent for the legal profession and raises a serious question mark on the role and function of advocates. Barely five days earlier, on February 10 last, lawyers in Lucknow resorted to arson and violence during a protest march against the murder of advocate Shravan Kumar Verma. An advocate was openly flaunting a gun. Is the society heading back to the old ordeal system? Modern advocate is an evolution of the gladiator of yesteryears. William the Conqueror, after coming to England, introduced a system of trial called Ordeal by battle in which the plaintiff and the defendant in a civil suit or the prosecutor and the accused in a criminal case were required to combat each other physically. It was thought that in such wrestling the party in the right would win with the blessings of God. The loser was pronounced guilty and the winner was declared innocent and to have justice on his side. Only women and the Church were allowed to hire champions who fought for them. Thus, the champion was the precursor of the present day advocate. In due course the freedom of employing an advocate to appear for the litigant was extended from priests and women to other classes of litigants. William Graham, a gladiator, was the most famous advocate in the thirteenth century. Though this form of trial became antiquated, under the law it remained open to litigants in England until the nineteenth century. The practice was abolished in 1919 after a man convicted of murder in 1918 moved the appellate court in appeal and his counsel pleaded that his client be allowed to challenge the prosecutor in a physical combat. Chief Justice Lord Ellenborough found that the right did exist. It was then that this method of trial was abolished. The trial by ordeal was quite brief compared to todays protracted trials which go on interminably. Read | JNU row: Caught on tape thrashing people, lawyer leads mob again The Supreme Court of India has commented copiously on the despicable conduct of lawyers. Condemning the callous and indifferent attitude of some advocates, the Supreme Court in Sanjiv Datta, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (1995), stressed on the need to improve the quality of service. In UP State Tax Service Association v. Taxation Bar Association, Agra, (1995), it criticized advocates attending court with firearms and browbeating or pressurizing judicial officers or authorities calling such conduct unbecoming of the legal profession which undermines the rule of law. It exhorted that an advocate should not show disrespect, overbear and overawe the court. In PD Gupta v. Ram Murti and Another (1997), the Supreme Court found that the advocate purchased property from the client, which was subject matter of dispute between the parties. Lawyers have been indulging in several unethical practices about which there are hardly any complaints. On the basis of personal experience I can authentically say that lawyers are intimidating customers of private mobile operators and of private banks for payments of arrears, which are often inflated, and settlement of accounts which are generally manipulated, and would often say that they were calling from the warrant section of some court which does not exist. The numbers from which these calls are made are that of lawyers and any thorough investigation will expose the whole racket. Read | JNU row: Another scuffle at Patiala House, lawyers beat up journalists Some lawyers commit criminal offences and use their robes to ward off penal action. When the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court directed the CBI to investigate cases in which lawyers were accused but had not been named, it found that around eighty lawyers were guilty of criminal offences and arrested two of them. Lawyers of Lucknow struck work against the police action in Lucknow in May 2010. In 2013, Delhi Police arrested an advocate, Baljeet Singh Sehrawat, who took a contract for Rs 5 crores for the murder of Deepak Bhardwaj, BSP leader and real estate tycoon. In Himmat Ali Khan v. Ishwar Prasad Arya (1997), the Supreme Court directed to remove the name of the advocate, Ishwar Prasad Arya, from the State Roll of Advocates for ever. The advocate had assaulted his opponent with a knife in the court room and he was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for a period of three years under Section 307 of the IPC. He also forged a letter signed by deputy secretary, Ministry of Home, UP, which said that the Governor had been pleased to suspend the conviction of the accused advocate under Article 161 of the Constitution. The State Bar Council of UP debarred him from practicing for three years but the BCI set aside the order and acquitted him. The Supreme Court reversed the judgement of the BCI. An advocate in Delhi was found to have links with terror outfit. It came to light in 2013 when his name was recommended by the collegium of the Delhi High Court for appointment as a high court judge and the Supreme Court collegium endorsed it and forwarded it to the government. It was the Intelligence Bureau which rang the alarm bells that the lawyer had links with a terrorist organization. In Pakistan, in January 2011, young lawyers created mob scenes to express solidarity with Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, the self-confessed assassin of Governor Salman Taseer who was awarded death sentence by the court. Lawyers showered rose petals on Qadri, a member of an elite police group assigned to guard the governor, and threatened the life of the judge who sentenced him to death. Taseer was brutally slain because he mustered courage to state publicly that a blasphemy law was being used to discriminate against religious minorities. No wonder, in the USA, they are called paid thugs and this image is reflected in a widely used bumper sticker: MY LAWYER CAN BEAT UP YOUR LAWYER. In fact, such an incident did take place in the USA in the 19th century when a lawyer killed another lawyer. Thomas Hart Benton (1782-1858) was the most influential Missouri politician during his tenure as a senator. He practised law and often argued cases against Charles Lucas, a competing attorney. During a heated argument in court in 1817, Benton felt that Lucas had slighted him. Infuriated, he challenged Lucas to a duel, and the two met on Bloody Island near St. Louis. Luckily the duel ended without any serious injuries to either, but Benton was not satisfied and asked for another duel. In the second duel, Benton killed Lucas with a gunshot that pierced his heart. In Australia also, they are portrayed in similar colours. Former Labour Queensland Attorney General Wells said that they were developing a legal-warrior caste, and added, The Wall Street sue-litigate-liquidate-terminate mentality is just not forward thinking; these black letter lawyers are the only professional group who are licensed to inflict pain-hip-pocket pain on other people. It is high time the Bar Council of India and the apex court step in before the legal profession rots away. Sudanshu Ranjan is a TV journalist, columnist and author of Justice, Judocracy and democracy in India, published by Routledge. Last December, six out of the worlds top 10 DJs were in India. And for a lot of them, it wasnt their first visit. With India having emerged as a hub for EDM (Electronic Dance Music) over the last five years, many superstar DJs have come down for multi-city tours. Edward Maya The Stereo Love hitmaker has gone on record to say he feels at home in India. The Romanian DJ is a big fan of AR Rahman, Shah Rukh Khan and Raj Kapoor (he once performed live to Mera Joota Hai Japani). We cant think of any other DJ whod feel as much at home in India. David Guetta The Grammy-award winning musician debuted in India in 2012, and has been back twice since then. The audience, at his multi-city tours in the country, never fails to show its love for the French DJ by singing his songs out loud at gigs. Tiesto One of the first few superstar DJs to visit the country, he made a low-key India debut in Hyderabad in 2007. Returning in 2013 and 2015, the Grammy-award winning Dutch DJ is all praises for Indias dance music scene. Diplo The American producer-DJs love for India goes back 15 years, when, as a 20-year-old, he travelled to Gujarat, for relief aid work, in the wake of the earthquake. He recently visited India again to tour as Major Lazer, and also to shoot for Leon On. This Friday, he brings his record labels signature event, Mad Decent Block Party to India. Hardwell The Dutch DJs love for India led him to play a charity concert here last December. He even walked about through Mumbais slums without the paparazzi capturing it. We think hed be quite comfortable living here. Dont miss What: Edward Maya will perform on February 19, 7pm onward Where: Dublin Square, Phoenix Market City, Kurla Entry: Rs 500 onward on bookmyshow.com What: Mad Decent Block Party will take place on February 19. Gates open at 4pm. Where: Mahalaxmi Race Course, Mahalaxmi Tickets: Rs 1,725 onward on bookmyshow.com Taking a dig at his rivals for projecting him as anti-farmer, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a new crop insurance scheme named Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme in MP, which, he said, would effectively look into farmers needs affected by natural calamities unlike the one that existed during the UPA government. The PM also announced launch of a national agriculture market on Dr BR Ambedkars birth anniversary on April 14 to help farmers get adequate prices for the agriculture produce. Addressing a massive crowd of farmers drawn from across the state at Sherpur at the outskirts of Sehore town on Thursday, the PM said unlike the crop insurance policy during the UPA government the farmers could draw several benefits from it provided they came forward to opt for it. In a bid to pay in kind and dub the then Congress led UPA government as anti-farmers the PM criticized it for its effecting changes in the crop insurance scheme introduced during the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. The changes, he alleged, made the farmers apprehensive and they started keeping away from the scheme. Now, not more than 20% farmers are willing to opt for the policy. Hence, the first and foremost priority is to restore the faith of farmers in the crop insurance scheme, he added. Underlining the efficacy of the new crop insurance scheme he said even those who did several experiments to dub him as anti-farmers were not in a position to criticize the scheme. Underlining a contrast between the crop insurance scheme that existed during the UPA government and the present one he said whereas the previous government put a cap on payment to the farmers they put a cap on premium i.e. maximum 1.5% premium for Rabi Crop and 2% for Kharif crop and no cap on payment to farmers. Making an appeal to farmers to avail themselves of the scheme as much as they could do he said even a single farmer would benefit from the scheme. The farmers would get 25% of the amount immediately and the documentation on the same would be lessened for the further payment. Also, it assured some relief to them even if they did not go for farming anytime due to a drought situation. Announcing use of a blend of modern technology and traditional wisdom in the growth in the agriculture field Modi said a digital platform would be created for the farmers through a national agriculture market while linking all the 550 mandis of the country through an online network for the benefit of the farmers. The latter would be able to know about the rates of the agriculture produce at different places in the country on their smart phones and thus they could sell the produce at different places at higher rates instead of selling their produce at the nearby mandi. He said when he assumed his office in 2014 he was told about the different figures regarding outstanding dues to be paid to the sugarcane growing farmers- from Rs 50000 crore to Rs 65000 crore. But after the measures taken by his government the amount of dues had come down to Rs 1000 crore till the last year. Referring to UAEs crown princes visit to India during which he sought help from India to meet the food requirement of his people after about 15 years Modi said farmers could get a world market by enhancing the agriculture production through several means and by launching a start up India and stand up India campaign in the field of agriculture too. He said the central government, state governments, chief ministers, agriculture ministers and the farmers should take a resolution today that by the year 2022 when the country would be celebrating its 75 years of Independence the income of the farmers should be double. Those who shared the dais with the PM include external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh, minister for steel and mines Narendra Singh Tomar, minister for social justice Thaverchand Gehlot and chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Speaking in the wake of the controversy over the protests in Jawaharlal Nehru University (Delhi) and the events that followed, Bollywood actor Anupam Kher has said he was scared about what was happening to the country. Kher on Wednesday said the raging JNU row had transformed into an ideological fight between the BJP and its Left rivals, as Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi offered support to JNU students. It angers me, shocks me as an Indian. I dont believe 1.3 billion people will let them destroy our country. There is much more in this country than the political games of certain parties, he said at the launch of Munmun Ghoshs novel Thicker Than Blood. Read | JNU student leader Kanhaiya named in FIR only after TV report JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested last week in connection with a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy registered over holding of the event at the varsity during which anti-India slogans were alleged to have been raised. His arrest has triggered widespread outrage among students and teachers and drawn severe criticism from non-BJP political parties. During a hearing of the sedition case against Kumar, several journalists were also beaten up by a group of lawyers inside the Patiala Court premises. Read | Politics at JNU: Kanhaiya may have been victim of various shades of Red What happened at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Whatever I have watched on video is frightening. In the capital city of our country, some groups are raising slogans about desh ki barbadi and azaadi. It angered me as a countryman. Kher, 60, said freedom of speech does not mean people have the right to create disunity in the country. Read: Latest updates over JNU row Follow @htshowbiz for more. We only knew her as Lado. When Neerja Bhanot was killed in the Pan Am hijacking in 1986, my parents werent sure if it was her. My father called up Uncle Bhanot in Bombay and asked, Is everything ok? He said, No. Lado is no more. And put down the phone. My parents and the Bhanots became friends in the 1960s in Chandigarh. Over the decades, my parents always remembered how Lado was her dads darling even before she was born. She was the Ladli whose name hed chosen months before she arrived into this world. If its a girl, I am going to name my daughter Lado, Uncle Bhanot told my parents as he and his wife, Rama, excitedly awaited her birth. Sonam Kapoor in a still from Neerja. Lados birth brought boundless joy to her father. My parents say he was beside himself with excitement at her birth. Neerja was a fruit of our long prayers for a daughter. We had two sons and were longing for a daughter. It was September 7, 1962 at Chandigarh - where I was posted at that time. The maternity ward matron rang up to inform me that we had been blessed with a baby girl, he wrote in the Hindustan Times a month after she died. Read: Listen to Neerja Bhanots last flight announcement before she was shot I was very happy to hear this and gave her a double thanks. She thought I had got her wrong and so she repeated It is a daughter. I explained to her the daughter had already two brothers and that is why it was an occasion for double thanks. It was a joy they lived every day for the next 23 years. Until Neerja Bhanot, a senior flight attendant with Pan Am airlines, died on September 5, 1986 just two days short of her 24th birthday. She was the senior crew of Flight-73 from Mumbai to New York that was hijacked at Karachi airport. Read: Sonam may not but these actors did look like the people they played The terrorists wanted to fly to Israel and crash the plane against a building. Soon after the aircraft was hijacked, Neerja Bhanot alerted the cockpit crew and, as the plane was on the tarmac, the three-member crew of pilot, co-pilot and the flight engineer fled the aircraft. Neerja Bhanot, being the most senior cabin crew member remaining aboard, took charge. The terrorists instructed her to collect the passports of all the passengers so they could identify the Americans. The terrorists wanted to put pressure on America by identifying and threatening the Americans on the aircraft. Bhanot and the other attendants under her charge hid the passports of the 41 Americans on board; some under a seat and the rest down a rubbish chute. After 17 hours, the hijackers opened fire and set off explosives. Bhanot opened the emergency door and helped a number of passengers escape. She was shot while shielding three children from a hail of bullets fired by the terrorists. Uncle Bhanots grief at Lados death was unimaginable. Lado was a source of total joy for her dad my mother says he loved hearing the pitter patter of Lados feet when he worked from home in Chandigarh in the early 1960s. I like having her around. She doesnt disturb me, he told my mother as Lado played around him. Neerja Bhanot, a senior flight attendant with Pan Am airlines, died on September 5, 1986 just two days short of her 24th birthday In the normal course of events, Neerja would have been back in Bombay on Sunday, September 7, her birthday. But instead of that we collected her coffin from the airport. She, who died so that others could live, was cremated the following day at 11 am amidst chanting of her favourite mantras as we said Goodbye darling, please keep coming, he wrote after her death. A devastated Uncle Bhanot set up a bravery award to honour the memory of Lado who saved more than 300 people. She was a kind-hearted girl, remembers my father. She lost her life because of her kindness. (Sugita Katyal works as an editor with HT) Vijay Shekhar Sharma was not in a hurry to appoint the head of the payments bank business. He didnt want to make any decision in haste, after all payments bank is Sharmas trump card. We will bring wealth and money management on to the mobile, the CEO and founder of Paytm, had told HT earlier. So, the delay was obvious. After dozens of meetings with more than 15 odd candidates Sharma chose Shinjini Kumar (her friends call her Shin), director tax and regulatory services at PwC, to head the payment banks business. What is more interesting is Kumar worked with RBI for about 16 years, and quit at the deputy GM to join Bank of America where she worked as a compliance head for nearly three years. Paytm declined comment, but sources said the decision was taken as Kumar has experience in the field of banking, regulatory and consultancy. Moreover, it is an added advantage of her RBI background as the appointment approval will be given by them. Kumar spent her childhood in Patna, where she graduated from the Patna Womens College and later studied Studied Public Policy at The University of Texas. Going by her Facebook profile, before turning into a banker she dabbled with journalism for a while. Sharma has already charted the course of the payment banks, Kumar will have to execute. The wallet will become a bank account, which will act a saving account, and can be invested in market funds and higher yield products, said Sharma. What more, cash can be withdrawn from any ATM in the country. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A teenager, who was apprehended in rape case, allegedly committed suicide inside the dormitory of a correction home in northwest Delhis Kingsway Camp on Tuesday evening. Though he was believed to be a juvenile when apprehended, he was reportedly made to undergo a bone ossification test to determine his age. The test revealed that he was not a minor. He was to be shifted to Tihar jail from the correction home soon. No suicide note was recovered. Police said the teenager, a native of Silchar in Assam, made a noose using two bed sheets and hung himself from the ceiling fan in the dormitory. He was reportedly seen by a staff member while he was trying to hang himself but before the staff could react, he hung himself. He was rushed to the hospital immediately by the superintendent, welfare officer and a nurse but was declared dead on arrival. The inmates of the correction home told us that he was upset over leaving the home and going to Tihar. He was told that Tihar houses hardened criminals and he was scared. Off late he often kept to himself. We have informed him family about the incident and have sent his body for a post-mortem examination, a senior police officer said. The police said even though they do not suspect foul play, an inquiry into the matter has been initiated. A member from the staff saw him hanging himself but could not save him. He was to be produced before Juvenile Justice Board later this week from where he was to be sent to Tihar. The cause of death will be clear once the post-mortem report is out, police said. He had been sent to the home on December 26 last year after he was accused of kidnapping and raping a minor girl in southwest Delhis Palam area. While his father died a few years ago, his mother is paralysed and lives in Siliguri. Following the incident, the Delhi government initiated a departmental inquiry into the matter which will be conducted by the director, women and child development department. Separately, a report about the incident has been submitted to the District Magistrate (North) for initiating further necessary action. Apart from this, Principal Magistrate of the Juvenile Justice Board is conducting a separate probe into the sequence and circumstances of the incident, a government spokesperson said. A Principal Magistrate of Juvenile Justice Board has already visited the observation home at and conducted a preliminary inquiry by taking statements of few juveniles in conflict with law and the matter was subsequently reported to the Registrar General of High Court of Delhi, the spokesperson said. New Delhi will have a new commissioner of police come March 1. Senior IPS officer Alok Verma takes over from BS Bassi, arguably the most controversial man in the city at the moment. Here is a look at Bassis pockmarked career: THE CONTROVERSIES Clash with Delhi chief minister: Bassi was the first police commissioner to have a major face-off with the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Witch-hunt against AAP and Kejriwal: Bassi was accused of launching a witch hunt against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs and registering cases against its politicians. He had arrested many AAP MLAs during his tenure. The Kejriwal-led party alleged the action was taken at the Centres behest. Using clout for personal gain: Accusing him of corruption, the Delhi government alleged Bassi used his position to help his brother usurp two properties. Bassi was also accused of undervaluing his property while selling it to his brother. Kerala House beef controversy: Delhi police raided the state government house based on a complaint that beef was being served in the canteen in October 2015. The incident was an embarrassment, with Bassi later stating the police action was not a raid but standard procedure in light of a security issue. Read | Alok Verma to replace BS Bassi as police commissioner of Delhi Trilokpuri riots: Though there were no deaths, police had to impose curfew in the East Delhi locality for several days after a group of Hindus and Muslims clashed over Diwali celebrations in October 2014. The area was manned by personnel from the police, Rapid Action Force and Central Reserve Police Force. Death of farmer Gajendra Singh at Jantar Mantar: Delhi government accused police of being mute spectators while the farmer threatened to commit suicide in April 2015. The case is yet to be solved. Arrest of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar: Many believe the arrest was unwarranted. Kanhaiya Kumar has been charged with sedition and criminal conspiracy. Sunanda Pushkar murder case: A murder case was registered more than a year after Pushkar, the wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, was found dead in a hotel room in January 2014. The case is yet to be solved. Rap for crimes against women: The state government accused Bassi of failing to control crimes against women. The Delhi Commission for Women had pulled him up for the murder of 19-year-old Meenakshi in Anand Parbat area in July 2015. Read | Bassi in the race for information commissioner, panel to meet soon Danish (name changed), a PhD student from south Kashmirs Anantnag district in Jawaharlal Nehru University, has been changing hostels since February 9, when the row over the anti-national event erupted. Thirty-two-year-old Danish had nothing to do with the event organised by Left-leaning organisations, nor did he lead any of the protests that followed. But he and about 30-35 other students from the Valley are having sleepless nights fearing a possible witch-hunt. Most of these students have gone into hiding, reportedly because of their Kashmiri origin. Since the day the controversy erupted, there has been a sense of fear among students from Kashmir, more so as the event witnessed pro-freedom slogans for Kashmir, he said. All these days, the Kashmiri students have been missing from their hostels fearing a raid. While some have changed hostels on the campus, others are putting up with their friends in other parts of Delhi. I have not entered the campus due to fear. I apprehend they might have kept all students from Kashmir under strict surveillance, said another student from Economics department who has shifted to a friends place. Read | Hounding of Kashmiri students in JNU unacceptable: Omar Abdullah The students said, though five people participated in last weeks pro-Azadi demonstration on the campus, no one from Kashmir was among the organisers. Apart from the Afzal Guru and azadi aspect, the JNU row has another Kashmir connect Shehla Rashid Shora the vice-president of JNU Students Union, who hails from Srinagar. She has become a prominent voice of the ongoing agitation at JNU through her eloquent speeches. The Kashmiri students also alleged that they have been facing discrimination from general students, especially after the arrest of JNUSU leader Kanhaiya Kumar. An All India Students Federation poster being circulated reads that actual anti-nationals are roaming around freely while people like Kanhaiya Kumar are behind bars, a student said. Read | Amid JNU row, Pakistan calls Afzal Gurus trial unfair Though police have not rounded up any Kashmiri student so far, some profiling exercise is being done according to sources. In coordination with law agencies in the Valley, the Home Ministry has started identifying people who allegedly shouted slogans in favour of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat on February 9. They have approached my family in Ganderbal district and tried to find out by background, a PhD student of JNU said. Sources also pointed out that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has especially directed Delhi Police to avoid detaining any Kashmiri student over the row, apparently because of the ongoing alliance talks between the BJP and PDP to form the government in J&K. Read | Yes, I too am anti-national, says proud Hindu Rajdeep Sardesai SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON As criticism of his handling of the JNU sedition row grows, Delhi Police commissioner BS Bassi remains defiant, defending his force, insisting arrested student leader Kanhaiya Kumar was not assaulted in the Patiala House courts and that rampaging lawyers did not warrant detention. He even said a conscious decision was taken by police to exercise utmost restraint on Wednesday, when Kumars bail hearing was to come up two days after rampaging lawyers overran the court premises attacking journalists and students. Preventive detention is not a rule but an exception, Bassi said Thursday in an interview to HT. It is exercised only when there is adequate ground, only in extreme circumstances, Bassi said, insisting the violence a day ago didnt fit the bill. The situation at Patiala House courts was different. The lawyers were protesting within the court premises where district judges sit. Any use of force or preventive detention was uncalled for and would have led to an adverse fallout. Wednesdays violence was the second time in three days that lawyers ran amok, this time even slapping and punching JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar as he was being escorted inside for the bail hearing. The police had plenty of time to secure the court premises after the first incident on Monday. But Bassi defended the decision to exercise restraint. In fact, many policemen deployed inside the court were without lathis to avoid the chance of any unwarranted escalation. Use of force to maintain order is always the last resort. Non-use of force against so-called miscreants was a conscious decision, he said. He explained the logic behind this surprising tactic: The place is not suitable for the use of water cannons unless trouble occurs outside the boundary walls. Use of teargas would have impacted the functioning of all courts. It is our time-tested experience that whenever lathicharge is done in closed spaces, collateral damage outweighs the objective sought to be achieved in dealing with miscreants. An FIR under sections of physical assault was registered against unknown persons on Kanhaiya Kumars complaint late Wednesday. But Bassi continued to insist the student leader was safely escorted to the courts and was not beaten up. The complex was full of people and policeman who had formed a ring around him. There was a lot of pushing and pulling. However, his safety was ensured. Policemen escorting Kanhaiya have denied the allegations of him getting beaten up by lawyers. Asked if the police were dragging their feet on the sedition case against Kumar, considering investigators are yet to put forth any concrete evidence to support the charge, the police chief who retires at the month-end said, During police custody, Kanhaiya showed remorse. He even issued an appeal stating he is not anti-national and respects the Constitution. He said he condemns the act and offered to cooperate. That is why we decided to take a relatively lenient view. However, this does not mean we do not have sufficient evidence against him. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Delhi Police team has been sent to Shimla in Himachal Pradesh in search of Umar Khalid, former Democratic Students Union (DSU) member who is evading arrest in the sedition case registered in connection with the controversial JNU event. The team was rushed after Khalids last movements were traced there. The last location of Khalids cellphone also confirmed his presence in Shimla, said a police officer. As teams of the south Delhi police have failed to trace Khalid and six other absconding students, including daughter of the CPI leader D. Raja, in the past one week, separate teams of the special cell, that primarily look into terror-related cases, and crime branch have also been roped in to arrest them at the earliest. All seven of them went underground soon after the police arrested JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar under sedition charges. They probably sensed that the police would arrest them as well, said the officer. The seven switched off their mobile phones soon after they learnt that the police had sent a notice to the universitys vice chancellor and sought details about them. Kanhaiyas arrest made it certain for them that they were on polices radar. Investigators have also claimed to have found another video footage in which Kanhaiya, Khalid and others were allegedly seen raising slogans which were anti-RSS and pro-Afzal Guru, 2001 Parliament attack convict, on February 10 at the JNU campus, a day after anti-India slogans were shouted by a group of students led by Khalid and Kanhaiya. The police are questioning family members, relatives, friends and colleagues of Khalid and other absconding students to trace their hideouts. Raids are being conducted in states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, and now in Himachal Pradesh, to arrest the seven students. The Jawaharlal Nehru University campus witnessed a charged atmosphere on Wednesday with students sloganeering, political leader Brinda Karat supporting them, and teachers holding open lectures. Students sat outside the administrative block, firm that they will not go to class till student union president Kanhaiya Kumar is released. Our leader is getting attacked in front of the police He has been falsely branded as anti-national. Had the police acted against those lawyers the other day, they would have not had guts to attack Kumar again, said Suneyna, a student from the School of Social Sciences. Senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Karat told students that the JNU issue was raised with the Prime Minister at an all-party meeting. She said they demanded the resignation of Delhi Police commissioner BS Bassi. Today justice had been hijacked by a gang of goons in court Bassi said its a small incident when teachers and students were beaten up by lawyers. Biggest anti-nationals are sitting in central government and the people sitting around the government like RSS, said Karat. Students also raised an objection to DSF being named in the Delhi Police special branch report. The report mentions Democratic Students Front as a hidden student group which is described as volatile and reactive We challenge the Delhi Police to provide even a shred of evidence regarding the activities attributed to us, said Democratic Students Federation member and former JNUSU president Lenin Kumar. Meanwhile, teachers called off their strike and one of the professors held an open lecture in the administrative block on What is a nation? The reported Chinese installation of missiles on Woody Island, one of the many disputed islets in the South China Sea that have been effectively taken over and converted into military bases by Beijing, is a not unexpected escalation in what is easily the worlds most geopolitically sensitive territorial dispute. Chinas infamous nine dashed lines claim on 80% of what is otherwise an international water body is remarkable not only for the amount of territory being claimed but also the audacity with which Beijing is going about it. There is no attempt by Beijing to nibble away at others claim, as it does on the boundary with India. There is also a far greater degree of military muscle-flexing in enforcing the claims on the South China Sea than the world is used to with Beijing. The world can only hypothesise what internal dynamics pushed Beijing to put a torch to three territorial powder kegs six or seven years ago the Indian border, the Senkaku island dispute with Japan and the South China Sea. And why it now pursues aggressively only the last. However, the external dynamic of this seems clear. Beijing has been open about its desire to become the dominant power in the western Pacific. By definition this means pushing the United States out of this area. The South China Sea has become Beijings test run for this larger programme. Unfortunately, it has been extremely successful in this regard. One, the US has been slow to respond to Chinese pressure. In two cases, most notably over the Scarborough Shoal, the US declined to back its own ally in a standoff against China. Two, China now has a very strong position on the ground. By seizing and arming many disputed islands, Beijing has reminded the world that possession is nine-tenths of international law as well. Three, Beijings actions and the weakness of the USs response mean that the US alliance structure in the region is beginning to fragment. The Southeast Asian countries have been unable to form a common front. It is obvious why: some believe China is the geopolitical future of their region and prefer to hedge their bets. India should take note. If China concludes its capture of the South China Sea, it has only two other remaining territorial disputes and one of them is with India. A day-long conference meant for vice-chancellors of central universities on sensitisation and promotion of equity in higher educational institutions had them under fire from the HRD minister for not performing up to the mark, sources said on Thursday. The ministry had organised a conference of all central university VCs in Surajkund, Faridabad which was chaired by HRD minister Smriti Irani. Sources said that the minister expressed her displeasure over the fact that most of the VCs had not responded to queries sent by her department for putting in place a grievance redressal mechanism. Soon after the first session on sensitisation of administrators on issues faced by SC/ST began, Irani hit out at the officials and told them to set their house in order. Addressing the VCs in her 15 minutes long speech, Irani asked them to perform better and scolded them for not responding to the queries sent by the ministry regarding appointment of ombudsman, equal opportunity cells as mandated by the University Grants Commission (UGC) among others. Sources said that she even threw out a member of the faculty that had organised the event for attempting to take her picture. The minister was angry over delay in updating the curriculum and asked them to look into the issue immediately. She reprimanded a few VCs who had reportedly dozed off during one of the sessions too and scolded them for interrupting the presentations. In the meeting it was decided that an anti-discrimination officer will be appointed in every university, a grievance redressal system will be put in place and new courses will be introduced on various subjects such as inter-faith studies, dialogue of culture and civilizations, citizenship and value education among others. To increase Gross Enrolment Ration in higher education from the existing 23.6% to 30% it has been decided to run evening colleges. Vice-chancellors and senior faculty members will be sent on a week long course on leadership and management at two select IIMs. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON On an ordinary day, JNU is buzzing with activity all the time. One can see students and teachers busy in the classrooms, library and canteens interacting with each other all through the day. During the nights, there is lot of activity around a number of dhabas, especially Sabarmati, Godavari and Ganga, spread all over the campus. Students can be seen discussing all kind of national and international issues on a cup of tea. But all this has changed since the February 9 incident. There is a total sannata (silence) in the campus after 11.30pm these days, says Nandini, a student from Centre of English Studies (CES). Her friends Simran, from the Centre for Political Studies and CES Prachi, sitting beside her near the famous Gopalan Canteen next to the library, nod firmly in her support. There is panic among students as we are seeing things that we had never seen before. Late in the night at around 3am we heard some people shouting slogans outside the hostel like, Desh ke gaddaron ko ek dhakka aur do, Afzal ki jo baat karega, woh Afzal ki maut marega and Jis ghar se Afzal niklega, us mein ghus kar marenge, they say. The police action in JNU and the arrest of students union president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case is a direct attack on our autonomy. The government is trying to suppress the students movement in all the universities. It is a crackdown on critical thinking, they add. JNU students protesting against the arrest of their president Kanahiya Kumar at JNU campus in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Sushil Kumar/ HT photo) The prestigious university has been in the news since a group of students held an event in the campus to protest the execution of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru three years ago. The JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested last Friday in connection with a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy registered over the event at the varsity during which anti-India slogans were alleged to have been raised. Umar Khalid, a member of the Democratic Students Union (DSU) and one of the organisers of the event, has been absconding since the event along with some other DSU members and are wanted by Delhi Police. Students and teachers alike have condemned the police action on the campus and the way Kanhaiya was arrested. All of them agree that the campus has changed and there is a sense of uncertainty amongst them. Read more: Kanhaiya may have been victim of various shades of Red Manufactured incident Lata, a PhD student at the Spanish Centre and a member of the Hundred Flowers Group, said she was present at the time of the protest near the Sabarmati dhaba on February 9. It was a manufactured incident and none of the JNU students were shouting anti-India slogans and Pakistan Zindabad, she told Hindustan Times. A Country Without Post Office was a protest against the undemocratic trial of Afzal Guru. We do not back his political ideology but we support the right of self-determination of all including Kashmiris, she said. Lata said certain fringe elements like Yogi Adityanath, Sadhvi Pragya and Sakshi Maharaj are in the BJP too but is Prime Minister Narendra Modi responsible for all their actions and asked why have they then made Kanhaiya responsible for what happened. A former JNU student, who did not want to be named, said that the slogan shouting on the night of February 9 did not seem to be the work of JNU students. He said JNUites have a style of protesting which is different from the way the protests took place that night. JNU student raise their arms and hands with their fists closed while that night one can see that the protesters were moving their fingers in a particular manner, style not seen in JNU protests. Anamika, a PhD student at the SSS and who is not associated with any political organisation, said, We are proud of being students of JNU. It is here that we have learnt to demand what is our right and have become proud of our gender and identity. We are outraged at the way we have been labelled anti-national. She added that a sense of uncertainty has crept among the students in JNU as people outside the campus are questioning them and the state has turned against them. Christian, a German student at the School of Social Sciences, said students are scared as they think that there will be more confrontation. He further said some students have even left the campus. Read more | JNU row: All you need to know about Kanhaiyas sedition charge United in protest At the administrative block, a large number of students are seen sitting on the steps and raising slogan against the arrest of their union leader. They are surrounded by journalists who were taking interviews, clicking pictures and shooting videos. Teachers of the university along with their union president Ajay Patnaik are also present. Patnaik demands the unconditional release of Kanhaiya terming him as the hero of the campus. Talking about the huge support their protest had received from teachers of universities all over the world he says that the protest would not end till Kanhaiya is released. JNU union president Kanhaiya Kumar being taken to Patiala House Court in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Virender Singh Gosain/ HT photo) Maninder Nath Thakur, an associate professor at the Centre for Political Studies (CPS), told Hindustan Times that the campus is united in the protest and they are not ready to give up their democratic freedom of debate and discussion. He says even people in the campus, who are broadly sympathetic to BJP, seem to be with them on the issue of freedom of expression. Those who want to damage this democratic institution will fail, Ramakrishna, a professor at the School of International Studies (SIS), says. Another associate professor, Moushumi Basu, from the Centre for International Politics, Organisation and Disarmament (CIPOD) is anguished over the Patiala house incident. She also expressed concern for the safety of Umar Khalid asking why his posters are being put all over and concocted stories about the university and students are doing the rounds. Ajith Kanna, an associate professor at the Centre for French and Francophone Studies, says that the undemocratic and erratic use of state apparatus is a right-wing onslaught on their freedom. We are not anti-national but anti-establishment, he says. Read More | JNU in Turmoil: Full Coverage SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The UP Boards ambitious plan to use technology to check impersonators was marred by glitches on the first day on the exam here on Thursday. At most of the exam centres, the SIM cards issued by Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UP Board) to enable scanning of bar codes on the admit cards could not be activated. At places where the SIM cards were activated, they failed to register the bar codes. As a result, the scanning had to be done manually. District Inspector of Schools Lucknow, Umesh Tripathi, admitted the failure of the mobile application on the first day of examination. He said, The app failed to serve the purpose on the first day of examination. We have informed the board about it and are waiting for further instructions. Tripathi said that the trial run of the mobile application could not be done because as per the boards directives, the SIM cards could not be activated before February 18the first day of the examination. Calling it a failure due to lack of proper planning RP Singh, state secretary UP Madhyamik Shikshak Sangh said, The SIM cards had 2G connectivity and thus did not work. At several centres where the teachers tried to use their own 3G internet, the SIM cards failed to register the application that was supposed to be used for scanning the admit cards. As per the plan, all students appearing in the UP board examinations were given a smart admit card that had a bar code along with the details of students including their name, photo, address, schools name etc. Over 68 lakh students were registered for the examinations across the state out of 37,49,977 appeared for the high school exam and 30,71892 for Class 12 exams. Besides, a total of 126 high school and 153 intermediate candidates appeared for the examination across eight jails in Firozabad, Ghaziabad, Bareilly, Banda, Gorakhpur, Fatehgarh, Varanasi and Lucknow. To ensure free and fair exams, the administration has deployed police force, flying squads and also installed CCTVs at exam centres. District magistrate Raj Shekhar has asked the DIOS to save the CCTV footage of all centres. He also said an FIR will be registered against examinees if they are caught cheating and the school will be black listed. Schools that do not ensure that the CCTVs are working properly will also be blacklisted for next year, he added. This weekend, everyone will get ready to buckle up, turn their seatbacks into an upright position and prepare for take-off as Sonam Kapoors Neerja hits theatres. Kapoor plays Neerja Bhanot, the Pan Am flight attendant who lost her life protecting more than 300 passengers aboard an ill-fated flight and became a national hero at the age of 22. Just from reading that logline, one thing is clear: Its not often mainstream Hindi movies offer films like this. Like the title character, it appears to be fearless, independent and brave. Having a strong female character as the lead, ignoring the temptations of a song and dance number and the appeal of larger than life histrionics, it refutes conventional wisdom and breaks the rules. There are so many other films that spring to mind when we think of plane thrillers. Setting a movie in a confined, claustrophobic and inescapable space offers brilliant dramatic possibilities that it makes complete sense so many great ones have been made. So why not look back on some of them? Here are 7 fantastic movies that spend a significant amount of time inside aeroplanes. And lets just get this out of the way: If youre a Snakes on a Plane fan, youre going to be disappointed. Read: Can Saala Khadoos last 12 rounds with these Hollywood fight films? Read: Move over Sunny Leone: 11 Hollywood sex comedies vs Mastizaade Read: Did Akshay Kumar Airlift the plot of these 10 Hollywood movies? Red Eye (2005) The late, great Wes Craven may be more famous for his legendary horror films like The Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), The Last House on the Left (1972) and Scream (1996), but squeezed in between his better known classics is Red Eye. Its a nifty little thriller featuring great over the top performances by Cillian Murphy (a terrorist with a far-fetched scheme to murder the US Secretary of Defense) and Rachel McAdams (the unwitting pawn in his plan). Air Force One (1997) Air Force One was part of the great 90s action resurgence. The plot was ludicrous: Harrison Ford (playing an action hero POTUS) has his ride taken over by crazy Russian terrorists led by Gary Oldman. It fully embraced its silly premise and remains fun to this day. Flightplan (2005) Jodie Foster was just coming off of Panic Room (2002), a similarly claustrophobic Hitchcockian thriller by David Fincher. Flightplan was directly inspired by the classic Alfred Hitchcock movie The Lady Vanishes (1938). Its a fiendishly clever premise, in a nutshell: A passenger vanishes into thin air, no pun intended, and everyone else suddenly loses all memory of the missing person. Yes, its enough to drive anyone mad, let alone Jodie Foster. Con Air (1997) Some may call it a cheap Michael Bay ripoff, but Con Air was another in the line of goofy 90s action movies produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The basic premise can pretty much be summed up as Suicide Squad let loose in mid air. Oh, how we miss 90s Nicolas Cage. Non-Stop (2014) Non-Stop is part of Liam Neesons Taken-inspired action star preoccupation. And like most of those movies, its pretty great. Its like a glorious mash-up of Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock. In an aeroplane. Liam Neeson plays a grave US Air Marshal who must protect his plane as a murderous maniac starts killing passengers one by one. The murderer has to be among them! (Side note: The casting is a spoiler) Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (1963) OK, so strictly speaking, this isnt a movie. Its one of the best episodes of the original run of the great sci-fi series The Twilight Zone. And even though the movie adaptation included a segment inspired by this (directed by none other than Mad Maxs George Miller), were going to include the original episode here just because its so damn good. A pre-Star Trek William Shatner plays a passenger aboard an airliner who keeps seeing a gremlin (you read that right) on a wing and unsurprisingly, no one believes him. Heres a parody version by Saturday Night Live United 93 (2006) United 93 is the best film on this list and one that Neerja resembles most closely. In fact, it is one of the best movies of the last decade. It was one of the earliest movies to directly address 9/11. Released to several people wondering Is it too soon, United 93 told the story of the fourth plane that was hijacked on that fateful day and its brave crew that staged a revolt, saving countless lives. For almost two hours, you feel like youre in the plane. It all feels uncomfortably real and if Neerja comes even slightly close to this movies greatness, it can be considered a success. Heres hoping it does. Follow @htshowbiz for more The author tweets @NaaharRohan A jury acquitted an Ohio man on Wednesday of stalking Gwyneth Paltrow after prosecutors said he sent her dozens of unsolicited letters and gifts in recent years. The case against Dante Soiu, 66, was the second in which he was accused of stalking the actor. The Columbus native was committed to a mental institution in the early 2000s after he was accused of sending lewd messages and sex toys to the actress and found not guilty by reason of insanity. Read: Gwyneth Paltrow tearily testifies against stalker of 17 years The jury of six men and six women began deliberations on Tuesday in the latest case. They heard from a variety of witnesses, including Paltrow who described the fear she felt after learning Soiu was writing to her again. One letter allegedly described Paltrow bowing to death, a reference the actor found disturbing. In another, Soiu is accused of writing, I have a goal: to marry Gwyneth Paltrow and take care of her. Soiu also testified at the trial, telling jurors he was a changed man who continued to write to Paltrow because he wanted her forgiveness for his earlier lewd messages. Soiu said he was looking to make amends with Paltrow and had abandoned his desire to marry her since his arrest. Soius lawyer Lynda Westlund said her client was a Christian who was writing to Paltrow in an attempt to minister to her. The lawyer also noted Soiu hadnt recently travelled to try to meet Paltrow, as he did in 1999. Paltrow cried when a prosecutor asked her whether Soius writings made her fear for the safety of her children. I felt very upset by it. It defied logic, and I found it very, very upsetting, Paltrow said. This was something I had been through a very long and traumatic experience with already. Soiu said he was looking to make amends with Paltrow and had abandoned his desire to marry her since his arrest. I was very lonely, Soiu said. I wanted to have a pen pal. He also said he never intended to scare the actress or physically harm her. I have no desire to hurt her feelings, Soiu testified. I have no desire to harass her. Read: I am afraid I will end up in a mental asylum: Gwyneth Paltrow The recent batch of letters also described a pair of earrings he sent her in 2009 as a Christmas gift, some second-hand clothes and a Weight Watchers cookbook. He has also sent her religious books, and forwarded her letters that he sent to President Barack Obama and actor Angelina Jolie. Paltrow, 43, won an Oscar in 1999 for her role in Shakespeare in Love. She has two children with estranged husband Chris Martin, frontman of the band Coldplay. Follow @htshowbiz for more The Pakistani anti-terrorism court holding the Mumbai attack trial has ordered the Federal Investigation Agency to present all 24 Indian witnesses before it so that their statements can be recorded, an order which could further delay proceedings in the high-profile case. The Anti-Terrorism Court in Islamabad, which is holding the trial of the seven accused including Mumbai attack mastermind and LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, in its hearing on Wednesday at Adiala Jail Rawalpindi also directed that the boats used by Ajmal Kasab and others should be brought back from India and made case property. The trial court has ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general to present all 24 Indian witnesses in the court for recording of their statements. Besides, he also ordered to bring (to Pakistan) the boat(s) used by Ajmal Kasab as it is a case property and should be duly examined, a court official told PTI. The official said the interior ministry will write to the foreign ministry in this regard. He said the statements of four key Indian witnesses recorded by the Pakistani commission in 2012 were not admissible in the trial court as the Indian government had not allowed their cross-examination. The 8-member Pakistani judicial commission had recorded the statement of senior inspector Ramesh Mahale, who had investigated the 26/11 attack case. The commission had also recorded the statements of two doctors who conducted autopsies of 26/11 victims and the nine slain terrorists, before winding up its proceedings. Magistrate RV Sawant-Waghule who had taken on record Kasabs confession soon after his arrest had also recorded his statement. The judicial commission had visited India on behalf of the Pakistani anti-terrorism court (ATC). The statements of the Indian witnesses were supposed to be used as evidence in the trial. However, Lakhvis lawyer had challenged the commissions proceedings because chief metropolitan magistrate SS Shinde did not let its members cross-examine witnesses. The trial court here subsequently declared the proceedings of the commission illegal. Pakistani authorities have arrested seven LeT members involved with the planning of the attacks. Apart from Lakhvi, other arrested LeT men are Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Sadiq, Shahid Jamil, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum. A trial is underway against them at the ATC since 2009. Lakhvi, 55, secured bail in December last year and was subsequently released from Adiala Jail on April 10 after the Lahore High Court set aside the governments order to detain him under a public security act. The Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) that hires clerical staff for the city government faces allegations of a Vyapam-like scandal after complaints that it allowed some candidates to cheat during a recruitment test. A Haryana resident has alleged that 42 candidates who cleared the initial two stages of the hiring process that started in June 2014 were either siblings or close relatives and were allowed to sit next to each other at the same exam centre. This means they were given a free hand at cheating, he said in his complaint with the Delhi anti-corruption branch. The board was hiring inspectors, office assistants and head clerks, among other vacant posts. A similar complaint was filed by BJP legislator Vijender Gupta to lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung, alleging that many aspirants who scored 75% to 90% marks in the first exam were given poor marks in the second to help some select candidates. He demanded a CBI investigation and asked Jung to direct the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to release recommendations of an inquiry panel that was set up after complaints from some candidates in 2015. Gupta said a CBI inquiry is needed because the alleged scam involves people who set the questions for the exam, the press where the papers were printed, book publishers, invigilators and data operating agencies. Besides, officials of the recruitment board have to be questioned. The matter was probed by Delhi governments vigilance department, besides a two-member probe panel set up by the deputy chief minister last year. The vigilance department had recommended cancellation of the exam besides passing strictures against some DSSSB officials, he said. But for unknown reasons, the recommendations have been set aside and the recruitment process is still on. Gupta alleged that around 30 questions were directly lifted from a book published by an Agra publisher. The sequence of questions in the book and the exam were identical. He wondered how 79 over-aged candidates have passed under the general category and repeated his call for a CBI inquiry. The central agency is investigating a multi-crore college admission and recruitment scandal in the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (PEB), popularly known by its Hindi acronym Vyapam. The scam has become a sore point for the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh. A scandal in the DSSSB, which reports to the Delhi government, could embarrass the ruling AAP. The board recruits employees under the Delhi Administrative Subordinate Services (DASS) cadre, lower-rank officials in the citys bureaucracy that has officers hired by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) at the top. As the country appeared to be sinking rapidly into a violent ideological contest, the loudest questions are being asked of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Indeed, its been quite a transition for Modi that he should now be facing questions over his silence, rather than his eloquence. The irony has gone too far, so much so that former PM Manmohan Singh, often mocked for his own reticence, can now accuse Modi of keeping mum (as he did in a recent interview to a magazine). An escalating row over the arrest of Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, charged with sedition and being beaten up along with journalists inside a courts premises by lawyers in New Delhi is just one among many cases of Modis silence on right-wing bullies and rants. And when he spoke, rarely did he address the issue directly. Here are some instances worth recalling. When: January 17, 2016 What: Rohith Vemula, a second-year PhD student at the University of Hyderabad, commits suicide, allegedly over social discrimination on campus. Union labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya who had complained against Rohith was named in the FIR. When PM spoke: January 22, 2016 What did he say: The power of youth is a big legacy for us. But then we hear that my countrys young son, Rohith, was forced to commit suicideWhat would his family be going throughthe truth is that a mother lost her son; indeed Mother India has lost a son...I can feel the pain. Read: Rohith Vemula: An unfinished potrait When: September 28, 2015 What: A mob barges into Mohammad Akhlaqs house in Dadri and lynches him for allegedly eating beef. His son is also grievously injured in the attack. Read: This silence is damaging: PM Modi has to speak on Bisada When PM spoke: October 8, 2015 What did he say: I have said it earlier too. Hindus should decide whether to fight Muslims or poverty. Muslims have to decide whether to fight Hindus or poverty. Both need to fight poverty together. The country has to stay united, only communal harmony and brotherhood will take the nation forward. People should ignore controversial statements made by politicians, as they are doing so for political gains. When: December 2014 What: A spate of attacks on churches and Christian institutions in the Capital, leading to insecurity amongst the community. When PM spoke: February 13, 2015 What did he say: Expresses deep concern and anguish during a meeting with the Delhi police commissioner BS Bassi, who was summoned over the rising crime rate in the national capital. When: December 1, 2014 What: Minister of state Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti asking voters in Delhi to choose between ramzadon (those born of Ram) and haramzadon (illegitimately born). When PM spoke: December 4, 2014 What did he say: Modi told Parliament: The minister has apologised, she is new and we are also aware of her social background. She comes from a village. Modi, in fact, has spoken precious little on thorny issues. His clearest endorsement of tolerance and freedom of faith came during an address he made to Church leaders in February last year. India will remain secular he said. Religion is a matter of personal choice. We will not allow anyone to spread hatred. Yet, an image of filthy intolerance has caught world attention as much as domestic angst due to overboard sedition charges, intimidation and threats. In the wake of the JNU row, popular public reasoning has seen all this as the hegemony of a government that is half-awake, half-asleep at the wheels. Read: First Vemula, now JNU: Govt plans image makeover to counter bad PR Classical political theory, however, tells us that hegemony isnt coercion. As Italian thinker Antonio Gramsci theorised, hegemony organises itself through consent. Hegemons buy consent by influencing and shaping minds through policies. Modis own Swachh Bharat is an apt example. Hegemony isnt about beating people up. A Gramscian war of position is playing out. Diverse groups and political parties have now come to form a bigger bloc to position themselves as a counter-hegemony to the BJP. That could be a bigger problem for Modi. The right-wing is being checkmated by its biggest drawback: the inability to shape peoples mind through ideas, again a very liberal concept. Bereft of such an ability, violence and lumpenisation become the only option to claim institutions. Thats explains the events in JNU and the court. Lawyers assaulting a journalist outside Patiala House courts in New Delhi on Wednesday. (HT Photo) What is the Modi-led NDA government up to and what direction does it want to give the country are the larger questions being asked. But to no avail. But lets remember another of Gramscis line: a demagogue is often the first victim of his own demagogy. (The views expressed by the author are personal) Read: From Kolkata to Chennai, students call for Kanhaiya Kumars release SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Bar Council of India chairman Manan Kumar Mishra on Thursday said licences of advocates will be cancelled if they are found guilty of having indulged in violence against JNU students and journalists at the Patiala House Court complex. Mishra said such unruly behavior by members of the bar cannot be tolerated amid growing uproar over lawyers turning violent during JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumars hearings. It is the most unfortunate incident. We consider it shameful for the legal profession as a whole. Lawyers are educated and considered to be intellectuals. They are not expected to indulge in such activities, Mishra told HT. Prodded about the assault on mediapersons, the BCI chairman said: Media has to be allowed to function independently. No prudent lawyer would appreciate an attack on the media, whatever may be the provocation. He then apologized to media persons on behalf of lawyers community. Mishra said BCI has formed a three-member panel, headed by a former Chief Justice of a high court, to look into the matter and submit a report in three weeks. Names of the bar members found guilty of having indulging in violence will be removed from the rolls, the BCI chairman said. Maintaining that normally it was for the state bar council concerned that took disciplinary action in such matters, Mishra said: We have exercised our power to take suo motu action as it was a serious matter. On lawyers assaulting accused Kanhaiya Kumar, the BCI chairman said: Lawyers are supposed to protect the accused because an accused is presumed to be innocent till proven guilty. This kind of behaviour by them is shameful. To weed out criminal elements from the legal profession, Mishra said, BCI has framed Verification Rules 2015 under which educational certificates of lawyers and their criminal antecedents were being checked. Those not practicing would be removed from the bar rolls. We are preparing a database with the help of lawyers and state bar councils, he added. The Bihar BJP president alleged that an attack on the party office was carried out under the protection of the state government on Thursday in which a news cameraman and party workers suffered minor injuries. BJP workers claimed that the attackers were carrying banners of the All India Students Federation (AISF) and the All India Students Association (AISA) apart from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Janata Dal United (JD(U)). Mangal Pandey, state BJP president, alleged the attack was pre-planned by people owing allegiance to ruling parties the JD (U) and the RJD, and said the party would seek action against the police and the magistrate for failing to prevent the violence, apart from challenging the political parties to an open fight instead of attacking from the back. The attack was carried out with full protection from the state government and the police. The latter did not take any preventive action, Pandey said, adding, The attackers did not look like students. Students do not carry lathis and throw bottles. The incident happened during a solidarity march for Jawaharlal Nehru University student body president Kanhaiya Kumar who was arrested on Friday on charges of sedition and criminal conspiracy. Clashes between pro-BJP workers and others have been erupting across the country with many questioning Kumars police detention. Party spokesperson and MLC Sanjay Mayukh said they had alerted the magistrate and police about the march, seeking protection. They assured (us) that the march would not be allowed to reach the office. But they came soon after and attacked us, Mayukh said. He alleged that about 100 protesters attacked the office with bottles, lathis and stones while a meeting was going on, harming a few BJP workers and a journalist. AISF state secretary Sushil Kumar however rubbished the accusations, saying it was the BJP workers who attacked the AISF protesters when they were moving towards R-block via Beer Chand Patel Marg, on which the BJP office is located. They were carrying lathis and attacked us. Four to five AISF members sustained injuries and are currently being treated at Gardiner Hospital, he said. BJP legislator Kailash Choudhary, who called Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi a traitor for supporting students embroiled in the JNU row, is a history-sheeter in Barmer. The record of Kailash Choudharys misdeeds, prepared by Balotra police in 2003, can be accessed on Rajasthan Polices official website. In affidavits submitted with his nomination papers for the 2008 and 2013 assembly elections, Kailash Choudhary listed six cases registered against him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. Gaurav Amarawat, station house officer at Balotra police station, confirmed the report but declined to share case details. The controversial leader first came into national limelight in April 2014 after he shared the dais with the then BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi during the latters visit to Pachpadra (Barmer) for a public meeting. Addressing farmers in his constituency on Wednesday, Kailash Choudhary said Rahul Gandhi should be shot or hanged for siding with those who shouted anti-India slogans at the Jawaharlal Nehru University. He also said the Congress leader had no right to be in India because he met those who shouted Pakistan zindabad slogans and idolised the 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Congress condemned the BJP legislators statement and demanded his suspension. Former Barmer MP and Congress national secretary Harish Choudhary said the statement was a reflection of the ruling partys ideology and that this mentality was spreading violence in the country. Congress student wing National Students Union of India on Thursday burned an effigy of Kailash Choudhary in Barmer demanded strict action against the legislator. Kailash Choudhary, who is also the state president of the BJP Kisan Morcha, was elected to the state assembly after defeating Congress Colonel Sonaram Choudhary from Baytoo constituency in 2013; he had earlier lost against the same opponent in 2008. Colonel Sonaram Choudhary later left Congress to join the BJP before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and is currently an MP from the Barmer parliamentary constituency. A BJP legislator from Rajasthan has called Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi a traitor and said he should be shot or hanged for siding with those who shouted anti-India slogans at the Jawaharlal Nehru University. Kailash Choudhary, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Baytoo in Barmer, while addressing farmers during a kisan sammelan in his constituency on Wednesday, said the Congress leader had no right to be in India for visiting and meeting those who shouted Pakistan Zindabad slogans and idolized 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Rajasthans irrigation minister Dr Rampratap and other BJP MLAs from Barmer were present on dais while Choudhary made these comments against Rahul Gandhi. Speaking to Hindustan Times over telephone, Choudhary defended his statement and said it made his blood boil to see such leaders supporting anti-national people. Calling Choudharys comments highly objectionable, state Congress president Sachin Pilot said that it exposed the real character of the BJP. He demanded that the BJP should suspend the MLA immediately and a criminal case should be filed against Choudhary. Pilot said BJP leaders and workers are spreading hatred through their objectionable comments which is danger to integrity of this country. Pilot demanded a public apology from the BJP on this comment. Read More JNU in Turmoil: Full Coverage Bharatiya Janata Party legislator OP Sharma, who was caught on camera thrashing a CPI activist at Delhis Patiala House court on Monday, joined the probe into the assault case on Thursday, a day after he was served summons by Delhi Police. Sharma, a first-time MLA, presented himself before the Tilak Marg police station. The police had on Wednesday issued summons to him as well as three lawyers in connection with the assault on journalists and students and teachers of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) at the court complex . Delhi Police has been under attack for not taking action against those involved in the assault at the court complex on Monday and Wednesday. Sharma was not named in the two FIRs registered by Delhi Police in connection with the attack on JNU students and journalists outside the courts complex. Police on Tuesday had registered two FIRs against unknown persons even though cameras clearly showed Sharma and his supporters thrashing CPI activist Ameeque Jamai outside the court premises. The BJP MLA claimed to be a victim alleging he suffered a head injury in the attack and hit out in self-defence. Main bachpan se yahi karta aa raha hoon, mujhe mara gaya toh khali nahi baitha gaya, teen char hath maine bhi maar diye (I have been doing this since I was a child, when I was hit, I hit back in self-defence), Sharma responded after TV channels showed him assaulting Jamai and others. Sharma, an MLA from east Delhis Vishwas Nagar, is one of the three BJP legislators in the Delhi Assembly. He is under suspension and barred from attending assembly proceedings after he called AAP legislator Alka Lamba a bazaaru aurat (immoral woman). Sharma is not apologetic for Mondays incident. When I came out (of the court) some people were shouting anti-India slogans. I tried to stop them and they attacked me. In defence, I also hit them, Sharma said. (With PTI inputs) Read More JNU in Turmoil: Full Coverage The BJP said on Thursday it is ready to discuss with the PDP time-bound implementation of certain issues in their common agenda in Jammu and Kashmir, raising hopes of ending a 40-day-long stalemate in government formation in the state. The partys assertion comes a day after BJP general secretary Ram Madhav held an hour-long meeting with PDP president Mehbooba Mufti at her Srinagar residence. (The) talks were positive. Both parties are positive that the state will benefit by continuing with the arrangement which guided our 8-9 month-old government. We can give a stable government with the same arrangement, Madhav told reporters in Delhi. Though Madhav said there will be no dilution or any new addition to the agenda of alliance between the two parties, he added the BJP is willing to discuss a timeline for implementing a few issues mentioned in it. A three-member PDP team will visit Delhi soon to sort out the issues, he said. No one in PDP was willing to confirm or deny Madhavs assertion. The ideologically opposite parties ran a coalition government for 10 months headed by former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed till his death on January 7. The alliance came under strain after Mehbooba, widely tipped to succeed Mufti, did not stake claim to form the next government. Mehbooba hardened her stance later, saying the party was unwilling to form the government with BJP unless the Centre takes tangible confidence-building measures to address the causes of alienation among the states people. The PDP has 27 MLAs in the 87-member assembly while the BJP has 25. It was the first time the BJP held the reigns in the Muslim-majority state. The BJP leader said that implementation of the common minimum programme itself was a confidence-building measure and there cannot be a separate CBM.. The CMP includes contentious issues like revoking the controversial Armed Forces (Special Power) Act, commonly referred to as the AFSPA, Article 370 and delimitation. Madhav, however, denied a media report about BJP agreeing to revoke the AFSPA. There has been no discussion on it with Mehbooba. We will go by what the CMP says on AFSPA, he said. The PDP is understood to be pressing for revocation of AFSPA and holding talks with separatists among other issues with a specific timeline. In a separate development, the PDP on Thursday announced constitution of a three-member election board with senior leader Abdul Rehman Veeri as its chairman. (With agency inputs) The Central Bureau of Investigation identified around 2,200 corrupt senior central officers in 2015, registering cases against 101 of them, said the agencys director Anil Sinha. The number of cases, registered against gazette officers, in 2015 was 94% higher than the corresponding figures for 2014, said Sinha. In 2014, the CBI had registered 52 cases after a similar exercise, which usually employs physical and technical surveillance, against such officers. As part of its crackdown on corrupt officials, the CBI also registered 67 cases in 2015, which was 56% more than the 2014 figure. Sinha said that fighting corruption and crime effectively and in accordance with correct procedures has been his topmost priority, from the time he took charge of the agency over a year ago in December 2014. When asked for details on the 101 cases and the officers under the scanner, another senior officer declined the request, saying surveillance-related details cant be disclosed. We have also given high priority to complete pending investigations. We have filed 1,044 chargesheets in 2015, which is the highest in the last five years, said Sinha while interacting with reporters at the agencys headquarters. The mood of the people in the country is to fight corruption and crime, if CBI will not side with them, who will? This is what that the CBI is doing as the premier anti-corruption agency, said Sinha. In the backdrop of the Bank of Baroda scam involving sending of ` 6,000 crore illegal remittances it is probing, the CBI will also consult the Indian Banks Association to fine-tune a strategy on pre-empting such crimes in future, he said. Asked about the agencys constraints, Sinha cited the shortage of manpower as states are not keen on sending their officers on central deputation. He said that at the cutting edge levels, the staff crunch is critical Hours after the Supreme Court paved the way for lifting Presidents Rule in Arunachal Pradesh, Congress dissidents in the state hoped to form the new government by this weekend. We are waiting for PR to be lifted for Raj Bhavan to invite us, an aide of dissident leader Kalikho Pul said from state capital Itanagar. The BJP, backing the dissidents, welcomed the apex courts decision on Thursday. We have already submitted a memorandum to the governor pledging our support to a government headed by Pul. We will not be a part of the government but provide outside support, BJP legislator and opposition leader Tamio Taga told Hindustan Times. (Former chief minister) Nabam Tuki, whose rule was marked by rampant corruption, is also free to stake claim. No one is stopping him, Taga said. Earlier this week, Pul led a team of 19 Congress dissidents and submitted a memorandum to governor JP Rajkhowa staking claim to form the new government. He had the written support of 11 BJP and two independent MLAs. The Tuki camp has 26 MLAs in the 60-member assembly with an effective strength of 58. Two Congress MLAs were allegedly tricked by Tuki into quitting amid the dissident drama last year. Ours will be a Congress government supported by others. The two independents will be a part of the government, not the BJP, Pul said a few days ago. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Under fire over his stance on the Jawaharlal Nehru University row and his participation in the students protests on Rohith Vemulas suicide, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will address his partys Dalit Leadership Development Conclave here on Thursday. Read more: JNU controversy: Can Rahul revive Congress on the campus Read more: Feel proud people have right to show me black flag: Rahul Gandhi at JNU Being conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committees (UPCC) scheduled caste department, the conclave will focus on the anti-Dalit stance of the partys major political adversaries the saffron brigade, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP). A party leader said the UPCC will likely announce an Uttar Pradesh Declaration to provide a road map to reach out to Dalits in response to the anti-Dalit approach of the BJP, RSS, BSP and SP. Rising atrocities against Dalits remain on the top of agenda that the party has worked out for the conclave, the leader added. Other issues likely to come up for discussion include strategy for developing Dalit leadership and strengthening the voice of SC/ST in the state party organisation apart from Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkars mission and the partys vision for empowering Dalits both socially and economically. Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place for the conclave considering the friction between the BJP and Congress. On Wednesday, BJP youth had taken out a mock funeral procession of Gandhi to protest his remarks on the JNU controversy while Congress youth wing retaliated by burning an effigy of BJP president Amit Shah for his comments against him. Read more: Rohith Vemula suicide: BJP, Congress clash over Rahuls Hyderabad visit Read more: Sedition complaints filed against Rahul, Congress hits out at BJP The UPCCs conclave is widely being seen as a repeated attempt by the Congress to bring the backward class into its fold as national parties vie for their votes ahead of the 2017 assembly elections. Following the death of Hyderabad University research scholar Rohith Vemula, the Congress appointed Lucknow University Professor Dr AK Arya as the convenor of the conclave to drive the discussion concerning Dalit youths and students. The UP Congress has already completed two phases of its Bhim Jyoti Yatras aimed at allaying Dalit misgivings against the party across different assembly constituencies. Similar yatras are being planned to cover all the assembly seats. On the other end of the political battle is the BJP that set its Dalit agenda rolling months ago. Most recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accompanied by Union home minister Rajnath Singh, visited the Ambedkar Mahasabha office where Dr Ambedkars ashes are kept in an urn. The BSP has also been making consistent efforts to swing Dalit votes their way while the SP has been focusing on those of them who may be weaning away from the BSP. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Communist Party of India (Marxist) opened its gates on Thursday for an unprecedented pact with the Congress albeit in an informal wayfor the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal slated in April. This would be the first time when the two parties, arch rivals for decades, are set to join hands for an election. They came closest in 2004 when the Left supported the Congress-led UPA 1 government from outside but parted bitterly three years later. After pressure from the partys Bengal unit for a tie up, the CPI(M) central committee authorised it to scout for possible cooperation from all democratic forces in the state to take on the Trinamool Congress. The committee will explore possibilities for a broader unity in Bengal against the Trinamool and the BJP. It may include fielding joint candidates or backing independents, party general secretary Sitaram Yechury said. In West Bengal, the main task is to restore democracy and foil the efforts by communal forces to polarise the people by ousting the present Trinamool government. The CPI(M) will seek the cooperation of all democratic forces to strengthen the peoples unity in West Bengal to defeat the Trinamool, isolate the BJP and their machinations, read the central committees communique. Trinamools Lok Sabha leader Sudip Bandopadhyay mocked at the possible alliance: This is the same CPI(M) that had compared late Indira Gandhi to a witch during emergency and dubbed late Rajiv Gandhi as a thief on the Bofors issue. On the National Herald issue, they didnt support Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. But now the CPI(M) is sending signals to the Congress. Top leaders of West Bengal, including secretary Suryakanta Mishra, former CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and politburo member Md Selim had urged the central leaders to be flexible while deciding the electoral strategy for West Bengal where the Left is facing a crisis. The politburo, where the state leaders are in minority, has been asked to vet the states proposals. But sources said it may not risk shooting down the proposals for adjustments on different seats. Taking different approaches for Kerala and Bengal, the party categorically gave a clarion call to out the Congress in Kerala but refused to mention the rivals name in Bengal. Sources pointed out that this was perhaps the first time when a state units demands prevailed upon the central leadership in the CPI(M). SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The CPI(M) unit in West Bengal is all set to have an informal alliance with the Congress for the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal. Caught between the demands from the Bengal unit for a formal tie up and opposition from other quarters to such plan, the partys central committee opted for the middle path here on Friday. An announcement empowering the state unit to field candidates tacticallyfreeing up space for the Congress in its strongholdis expected in the evening when party general secretary Sitaram Yechury will brief the media about the Central Committee meeting. The Congress leaders of the state have also appealed to their central leadership for forging an alliance with the Left for the polls. The beleaguered Bengal unit, smarting under a series of electoral losses against Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress received unexpected support from former Kerala chief minister VS Achuthanandan. But other members from Kerala opposed the proposed alliance on the ground that would dash the Lefts chances to win Kerala. Both states would go to poll simultaneously. The CPI(M) had never been in an alliance with the Congress. Former Bengal minister Gautam Deb argued before the central panel saying such a pact could substantially help the Left parties regain ground. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Central Bureau of Investigation probing the Narendra Dabholkar murder will conduct polygraph test on two Sanatan Sanstha members after the agency found inconsistencies in their statements. Hearing the application filed by CBI, the judicial magistrate (first class) of a Pune court on Wednesday allowed the investigating agency to conduct the lie detector test on Hemant Sharad Shinde and Nilesh Madhukar Shinde. Hemant and Nilesh were found deceptive in their forensic psychology assessment and forensic statement analysis, the CBI said in its application seeking the courts nod to conduct test on Sanatan members. According to CBI, both of them have already consented to the test. While questioning them, CBI asked about their locations on the morning of August 20, 2013 when Dabholkar was shot dead. The answers given by duo and the information available with the investigating agency did not match, according to a source. According to sources, Hemant and Nilesh have been under CBI scanner after their mobile locations were traced in the vicinity where Dabholkar was murdered. Hemant is a resident of Shivaji Nagar Gaothan, an area near Vitthal Ramji Shinde bridge where Dabholkar was shot dead by two unidentified persons while Nilesh stays in Mangalwar Peth. The investigating agency has told the Bombay high court that it has zeroed in on two suspects in connection with Dabholkar murder case. The Sanatan Sanstha in the past has denied the involvement of its Seekers in rationalists killing while accusing CBI of framing its members. In his press conference held at Mumbai on November 26, 2015, Sanatan spokesperson Abhay Vartak alleged that CBI has summarily overlooked the fact that its members were visiting the area where Dabholkar was murdered for several months before for distributing and delivering daily newspaper Sanatan Prabhat and their presence in the area had nothing to do with the murder. Dabholkar, a prominent anti-superstition crusader was killed while on morning stroll when two bike-borne youth in their mid-twenties came from the rear and fired four bullets at close range. The case was handed over to CBI after the city police failed to achieve any breakthrough. The CBI will conduct polygraph test on Sanatan members at Central Forensic Science laboratory at Belapur in Navi Mumbai. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Jawaharlal Nehru University row took another turn on Wednesday after three members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) resigned from their posts stating the current governments actions were hooliganism, not nationalism. JNU is the most nationalist institution in the country. I do not support the governments stand over the issue. Let Supreme Court find Kanhaiya guilty and award him life imprisonment. But let the law take its course. There should be no Taliban culture in India, said Pradeep Narwal, former Joint Secretary of JNU unit of ABVP said a day after he posted his resignation on his Facebook page. Rahul Yadav, president of the School of Social Sciences ABVP unit and Ankit Hans, secretary of the same unit, were also named in the letter that stated they were disassociating themselves from the student wing of the BJP because of how the NDA government was tackling the whole issue. Narwal further cited the long standing difference of opinion with the BJP on Manusmriti, the traditional Hindu law book, and the Rohith Vemula incident as reasons behind the decision to quit ABVP. We think there is a difference between interrogation and crushing ideology, and branding entire left as anti-national, Narwal wrote. Given their objections, he said the three of them refused to be a mouthpiece for such a government which has unleashed oppression on the student community. They accused the NDA of legitimising the action of right wing fascist forces and slammed O P Sharma for attacking student protesters at the Patiala House court. Every day we see people assemble at front gate with the Indian flag to beat JNU students you cant do anything in the name of nation. There is a difference between nationalism and hooliganism, the student leader said. While the ABVP senior leaders are claiming that the three students have been influenced to protest against the party and divert the whole issue, Hans said, This is our individual decision. We have not done this under anybodys influence. Read more: Bar council to cancel licences of lawyers found guilty Read more: OP Sharma shouldnt have taken law in own hands: Ravi Shankar Prasad (Facebook) Anti-national slogans on February 9 on (JNU) campus were very unfortunate and heart breaking. Whosoever responsible for that act must be punished as per the law but the way NDA government tackling the whole issue, the oppression on professors, repeated lawyer attacks on media and Kanhaiya Kumar in court premises is unjustifiable, Narwal said, protesting against what he sees as state-controlled tyranny. Read more: Kejriwal, Rahul to meet President today to discuss JNU issue From the start of the controversy, many students maintained their disapproval of the anti-India slogans allegedly raised at the JNU event which sparked the row. Members across various student bodies on campus spoke out against the slogans, and later supported the student body president Kanhaiya Kumar when he was arrested on Friday in connection with a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy. Read more: I am an Indian, have full faith in Constitution: Kanhaiya Kumar Narwal reflected the sentiment but countered claims that no anti-national slogans were raised. We want to stress that veiled persons in the event organized by former DSU persons shouted slogans Bharat tere tukadde honge (India will be broken into pieces) of which there is concrete evidence in videos. So we demand any person responsible for the slogans be punished as per the law, he said, adding that anti-India slogans would not be tolerated. The three students, also maintained that they will not join the ongoing strike by the students demanding release of Kumar. Read more: Politics at JNU: Kanhaiya may have been victim of various shades of Red Narwal also hit out at the media, Zee News in particular, for attacking JNU as an institution in whole. People are circulating #SHUTDOWNJNU but I think they must circulate #SHUTDOWNZEENEWS this biased news media related the act done by few people to the whole student community. We condemn the media trial which has culminated in an anti-JNU sentiment throughout the country JNU is considered as one of the progressive and democratic institution where we can see intermingling of people from lower to upper income strata of the society, notion of equality, Narwal said. The governments communication strategists will meet on Thursday to draw up plans for image and perception management over worries that controversies such as the intolerance row and the recent JNU incident are affecting the administrations image. Read more: JNU row, Dalit scholar suicide to cast shadow on Budget Session In a meeting with the publicity officers of each of the departments, the Press Information Bureau the communication wing of the government will go over ways negative stories in the media can be countered. Read more: JNU row, Dalit scholar suicide to cast shadow on Budget Session Last month, PM Narendra Modi asked his council of ministers to shun negativism. He is said to have stressed on the need to popularise the governments initiatives. Presently, when controversies break out, perception reports are not being sent by the concerned department or ministry to the government. The DPOs (departmental publicity officers) need to discuss their strategy with the PIB director general and keep his office informed of the development, said an official. The meeting will also discuss how DPOs can showcase governments achievements more effectively. There is a perception that there is inadequate coverage of important government initiatives and ministries are not doing much to disseminate information, said a senior government official. DPOs have also been told to put special focus on social media. The information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry wants the social media cell to be kept in the loop for every government event or announcement that is made. The governments communication strategists, handling social media should be ready with proposed tweets before an important initiative is launched, added another official. A committee of secretaries set up last August had recommended that each government department should a communication strategy that should be coordinated at the level of secretary. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prime Minister Narendra Modi may be promoting his Digital India drive across the world but a village in his native district of Mehsana in Gujarat has banned mobile phones for unmarried women. In a Khap panchayat-like diktat, Suraj village 100 km from the states financial capital of Ahmedabad decided to fine women Rs 2,100 for using or possessing a mobile phone. The informer gets Rs 200 as reward. Why do girls need cell phone? Internet is a waste of time and money for a middle-class community like us. Girls should better utilise their time for study and other works, said Suraj village sarpnach Devshi Vankar. The only exception to the rule is if a relative wants to talk to a girl, her parents can pass on their phones for conversation. Vankar said the entire population of 2,500, comprising various castes, welcomed the decision. Suraj village imposed the ban on February 12 but it may spread to other parts of north Gujarat as the politically influential Thakor community initiated a drive to extend the restriction, with support of other OBC communities such as the Rabari and Vankar. The motivation of the mobile phone ban for women can be traced to an alcohol de-addiction drive by the Thakors mainly aimed at men. As the drive progressed, the community came out with rules and regulations for womens lifestyle. Community leaders felt just like liquor, the use of cell phones by unmarried women created a nuisance in society. In January, Ludar in Banaskantha district was the first village to implement such a ban. The community vowed to intensify the drive against alcohol de-addiction as well as cell phones by passing resolutions during meetings being organised in rural parts of the states northern belt. Alcohol consumption by men and cell phone use by women create a lot of disturbance in society. Young girls get misguided. It can break families and ruin relationship, said Raikarnji Thakor, a community leader from north Gujarat. It (the ban) is the villagers idea only, he added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Twenty nine students were arrested after they tried to burn an effigy of national BJP president Amit Shah at BHU gate on Thursday, demanding immediate release of JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar. Kumar has been arrested for sedition in connection with an event in the JNU where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised on February 9. He was remanded to judicial custody till March 2, 2016 by a Delhi court on Wednesday. Those arrested at the BHU included the All India Students Union (AISA) and the National Students Union of India (NSUI) members. While AISA is a Left-wing student organisation, NSUI is the student wing of the Congress party. The JNUSU president is associated with the All India Students Federation (AISF), the student wing of the Communist Party of India (CPI). The AISA members were staging a demonstration while the NSUI members made an attempt to set the effigy of Shah afire. They were first sent to the reserve police lines and later released on bail. This also led to the exchange of heated words between the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members and a group of AISA and NSUI members, police said. According to the police, after the students were prevented from burning BJP leaders effigy, they started shouting slogans and tried to create a ruckus. So, the cops arrested them. Station officer, Lanka police station, Sanjiv Kumar Mishra confirmed the arrests. As a preventive measure, twenty nine students were arrested after they tried to disrupt peace, he said. Moreover, CPI (Marxist Leninist) district secretary, Manish Sharma, who was also part of the protest, told HT over the phone, We didnt make any attempt to breach peace. We were protesting peacefully. A group of ABVP members reached the venue and protested our move which led to exchange of arguments. Sharma claimed that the ABVP members attacked one of the AISA members after the police arrested them. Manish Sharma, Sarita Patel, Kusum Verma, Sagar Gupta were among those arrested. He said the protest would continue if Kanhaiya Kumar was not released. After being set free, Sharma said the police action was one sided. On the other hand, ABVP leader at the BHU Nimesh Ranjan claimed, We neither visited the spot nor we beat any AISA member. The allegations are baseless. Ranjan, however, said he heard that a group of students, who was in no way connected to ABVP, exchanged heated arguments with the protesting groups. Bharatiya Janata Party legislator OP Sharma, who was recently caught on camera thrashing a CPI activist at Delhis Patiala House court, was briefly arrested on Thursday after he received summons by the police to join a probe into the matter. In the country, people who stop others from screaming Pakistan Zindabad, if they have to go through this, it is shameful, Sharma said after being granted bail shortly after his arrest. The investigation started at 11 am. Questioning went on for eight hours by policemen, he added. The arrest comes amid the raging row over the arrest of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who was arrested on February 12 on charges of sedition for allegedly raising anti-national slogans at an event organised at the varsity campus on February 9 against the hanging of Afzal Guru. Read: BJP MLA OP Sharma joins police probe in Patiala House attack case The police had on Wednesday issued summons to Sharma and three lawyers in connection with the assault on journalists and students and teachers of the JNU at the court complex. The police have been under attack for not taking action against those involved in the assault at the court complex on Monday and Wednesday. Sharma was not named in the two FIRs registered by Delhi Police in connection with the attack on JNU students and journalists outside the courts complex. The police had on Tuesday registered two FIRs against unknown people even though television visuals showed Sharma and his supporters thrashing CPI activist Ameeque Jamai outside the court premises. The BJP MLA claimed to be a victim alleging he suffered a head injury in the attack and hit out in self-defence. Main bachpan se yahi karta aa raha hoon, mujhe mara gaya toh khali nahi baitha gaya, teen char hath maine bhi maar diye (I have been doing this since I was a child, when I was hit, I hit back in self-defence), Sharma responded after TV channels showed him assaulting Jamai and others. Sharma, an MLA from east Delhis Vishwas Nagar, is one of the three BJP legislators in the Delhi assembly. He is under suspension and barred from attending assembly proceedings after he called AAP legislator Alka Lamba a bazaaru aurat (immoral woman). Sharma is not apologetic for Mondays incident. When I came out (of the court) some people were shouting anti-India slogans. I tried to stop them and they attacked me. In defence, I also hit them, Sharma said. JNU in turmoil: Full coverage Scenes of protest that rocked the Jawaharlal Nehru University this week spread further across the country on Thursday, with students and teachers from cities including Bengaluru, Jaipur, Kolkata and Chennai joining in the demand for the release of student leader Kanhaiya Kumar arrested on sedition charges. Kumar, whose appearance in court sparked an attack on journalists and fellow JNU students by a mob of lawyers, was taken into custody on Friday after alleged anti-national slogans raised on JNU campus led to clashes between student bodies attending the event. Kumar moved the Supreme Court for bail on Thursday. Read more: JNU row: SC law panel says police failed to do their duty Visuals of Kumar being lunged at by lawyers added to the outrage with students in at least 10 cities taking to the streets to denounce his arrest. Three JNU students also resigned from the BJPs student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parisad (ABVP), over how the NDA government was handling the issue, and called for a fair trial of Kumar. Read more: Dont want Taliban culture, hooliganism: 3 ABVP members slam NDA, quit Students across various universities in Delhi joined protesting JNU students. JNU vice-chancellor Jagadesh Kumar appealed to participating students to reconsider their decision, citing safety reasons. Read more: Unusual silence on JNU campus but students say wont be silenced Police were put on alert in Kumars home district of Begusarai in Bihar where local BJP and ABVP workers have been agitating. Begusarai superintendent of police said a special team has been put on stand-by to protect Kumars family in case of any untoward incident. ABVP activists were in the thick of things in Patna, clashing with members of the All India Students Federation (AISF). Police said a group of Communist Party of India-affiliated AISF, along with the student wing of Bihars ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal, took out a march in support of Kumar. They had also raised slogans against the BJP outside the party office before police resorted to lathicharge to control the situation. In Kolkata, police were on alert as two groups of students held rival rallies in the Jadavpur University campus. Students affiliated with ABVP demanded strict action against Kumar and others who they accused of being anti-Indian. In Chennai, police arrested 40 students for participating in a similar movement. Soon after the protests began, home minister Rajnath Singh tweeted that anyone shouting anti-India slogans will not be tolerated or spared. He further sought cooperation from all political parties and people to join in the fight against anti-national forces. Both Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who met president Pranab Mukherjee over the incident, condemned the attacks on Kumar. Both charged the central government for the violence, with Gandhi accusing the NDA of imposing their flawed and dead ideology. Read more: JNU row: Kejriwal blames Modi govt for violence at Patiala House court Read more: Rahul blames Modi govt for imposing RSS ideology on JNU students They came in thousands. They came in buses, in the Metro, and they walked, with the tricolour and roses in their hands. The route between Mandi House and Parliament Street on Thursday was occupied by a sea of people and not the usual cars. They carried placards with slogans such as JNU Bassi ke bas ka nahi (JNU is not Bassis cup of tea), We question we challenge, nothing is given. Thats how JNU learns and Mera jhanda tiranga hai, bhagva nahi (my flag is the tricolour, not saffron). Students, teachers, and professionals from various student organisations, corporate houses and political parties walked in protest, not just against JNU Students Union Kanhaiya Kumars arrest for allegedly shouting anti-national slogans but also against the states attitude towards students. The sheer number of people at the protest showed that support for Kumar had a wide appeal. Fifteen buses from JNU and 6 from Delhi University carried to Mandi House. According to police estimates, there were over 5,000 protesters outside the Parliament Street police station. That the protest was a peaceful one came as a surprise to most as they were expecting violence after some lawyers attacked students, teachers, and journalists inside the Patiala House court complex on Monday and Wednesday. We carried roses to show we dont support violence. We were ready to trade roses for blows, said Rashmi Shankar, a JNU student. Hours before the protest, vice-chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University asked students to reconsider their decision to protest outside the campus. Read: JNU row: BJP MLA OP Sharma arrested over court assault, gets bail JNU students also shouted slogans against outgoing Delhi Police commissioner BS Bassi. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo) While we appreciate your right to protest, we are apprehensive of your safety outside campus, VC M Jagadesh Kumar wrote. The students did not listen. The sheer number of people who turned up in solidarity was surprising for Ambedkar University student, Atiya. The protest has gone beyond JNU. We stand against state violence throughout the nation. I have been a regular participant in pro-Kanhaiya protests but I havent seen a gathering this big. It is overwhelming but comforting, she said. The protest saw politicians such as Brinda Karat, Yogendra Yadav, Anand Kumar and D Raja condemn Kumars arrest. Read: As JNU controversy escalates, PM Modis silence gets louder Delhi University students organised a march against anti-social elements at North Campus in New Delhi on Thursday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo) Social worker, Harsh Mander was also present in solidarity. The university has to be a place where young people have the right to dream and dissent. If that right is taken away then the country goes into darkness. I wrote to the Home Ministry and the commissioner of Delhi police, admitting to questioning Afzal Gurus hanging. If Kumar is anti-national, so am I, he said. In true JNU fashion, the protest site saw zealous sloganeering, revolutionary poetry, fiery speeches and songs. 18-year-olds walked shoulder to shoulder with 80-year-olds. JNU in turmoil: Full coverage JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar was on Wednesday assaulted by a mob of 20-25 people while he was being taken to a Delhi court. The court later sent him to judicial custody till March 2. Metropolitan magistrate Lovleen sent Kanhaiya, arrested on the charge of sedition, to Tihar jail after the Delhi Police said they did not require him for questioning any more. Kumar told the court that a mob attacked him while he was being escorted from a police vehicle to the court room. The mob even attacked the policemen escorting him, he said. Read more: IS suspects wait while JNU row takes over Patiala House court A person wearing sunglasses and a black coat succeeded in entering the corridor outside the courtroom where Kanhaiya was to be presented, Kanhaiyas counsel Vrinda Grover told the court. Kanhiaya told the court that the man attacked him outside the court room. Read more: Let Kanhaiya come, we will burn him alive: Lawyer recalls JNU horror A JNU staffer Himanshu, who was allowed by the Supreme Court to be present during the court hearing, told the court that he had asked the Delhi Police to arrest the man. The man, however, managed to walk away. Read more: Not just JNU: With lawyers acting as goons, time for SC to step in Kanhiayas counsel told the lower court that despite the Supreme Courts directions, police failed to save the student leader and allowed the attackers to run away. The defence urged the court for action against the Delhi Police for its failure in maintaining law and order in the court complex. The court said it was taking the matter on record and asked Kanhaiya to give a written statement in the incident. Observing a serious threat to Kanhaiya, the court directed for his medical examination in the court room itself. A doctor from the Patiala House courts dispensary was summoned. Kanhaiya later told the court that he had not said anything against the nation and he had full faith in the constitution and judicial system. If there is evidence against me, then send me to jail; if not, there should be no media trial against me, Kanhaiya told the court. After the lower court hearing in the case, a team of senior advocates appointed by the Supreme Court as court commissioners to inspect the court hearing also visited the court room. Kanhiaya and his counsel apprised them of the assault. Kanhaiyas legal team then called the Delhi Police officials and asked them how they failed to maintain law and order in the court complex. A senior police official told the court that the mob attacked policemen too. The team reminded the senior police officer that he was bound to act as per the Supreme Court directions and not the orders of Commissioner of Police. Defence counsel Vrinda Grover urged the court for adequate safety for Kanhaiya Kumar inside the jail, expressing apprehension about a threat to his life. The sedition case against Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader Kanhaiya Kumar appears to be an afterthought, relying mostly on a TV report. When the station house officer (SHO) of a nearby police station visited the JNU campus on February 9, he saw students at an evening rally commemorating the anniversary of the execution of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, a Kashmiri separatist. Students were accused of shouting anti-India slogans and making incendiary remarks at the event. But the police officer didnt find anything wrong at the rally that warranted an immediate FIR. He also had a word with his staff and intelligence officers present there. The next day, the police filed an FIR after watching a Zee TV report that showed Kumar at the function. They sought clippings from the channel before filing the case. Also, a police intelligence inspectors report said leaders of the ultra-radical Democratic Students Union (DSU), including linchpin Umar Khalid, had gathered and shouted slogans. Kumar was mentioned once: it is learnt that students who were present in the protest were Kanhaiya Kumar Delhi Police commissioner BS Bassi is telling reporters about irrefutable proof against Kumar but the FIR doesnt accuse him of making any hate speech. He is charged with leading a procession in which antiIndia slogans were heard. Police said they saw in the Zee News video Khalid and others giving speeches. They apparently shouted: Afzal ki hatya nahin sahengay, nahin sahengay. Kitni Afzal Marogey, har ghar mein Afzal rehta hai. Ghar ghar se afzal niklengay. haq hamara aazadi, leke rahengay aazadi. Pakistan Zindabad. (We wont tolerate Afzals murder. How many Afzals will you kill? He lives in every house. Freedom is our right and we will take it). The SHO was making the rounds after JNU authorities forwarded a complaint by an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) leader against a group putting up anti-India posters in the university. The complaint didnt mention Kumar but specifically named Khalid, who is associated with the DSU and is on the run since the controversy erupted. The ABVP, the student wing of BJPs ideological mentor RSS, warned of possible unrest during the event, called A Country Without A Post Office. The FIR said the ABVP leader alerted the universitys security officer about a proposed protest by Khalid and nine fellow students against hanging of Guru and Maqbool Bhatt, another Kashmiri separatist. Another report on Zee News, a day after the JNU incident, prompted police to arrest former Delhi University professor SAR Geelani for sedition. He has been accused of shouting anti-India slogans at an event at the Press Club on February 10. Police said the investigating officer was informed by the station house officer of Parliament Street police station about the Zee News report. Read More JNU in Turmoil: Full Coverage JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumars father on Thursday refused to accept security at his home in Bihar, and said that his son was being punished by the BJP and the RSS for defeating their candidate in the students union elections. We politely urged the policemen to go back as we do not require security. The entire village is with us, Kumars father Jaishankar Singh told PTI. Instead of us, please provide security to my son who was mercilessly beaten up by lawyers during production in the Patiala House court, Jaishankar, who is confined to his home due to paralytic stroke two years ago, said. A day after Kanhaiya was assaulted by lawyers in the court complex, police deployed security at his home on Thursday. The JNUSU presidents mother Meena Devi is an Aganwadi worker, earning Rs 4,000 a month and running the household. Jaishankar alleged that his son was punished by BJP and RSS for defeating their candidate in the JNU students union polls. They are out to destroy the career of my son for following a different ideology, he alleged. Kanhaiyas native home is in Masnadpur Tola in Bihat village under Barauni police station, about 30km from the town headquarters of Begusarai. Jaishankar said the whole family and neighbours are worried about Kanhaiya and sought justice for him. Kanhaiyas elder brother Manikant Kumar, who works in a private firm in Assam, has rushed back home, so has his younger brother Prince Kumar, who is preparing for Civil Services examination in Delhi. After clearing MA from Nalanda Open University in Bihar, Kanhaiya had joined JNU in 2011 to pursue an MPhil in International Studies. He is now in the final year of his PhD. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and will meet President Pranab Mukherjee separately on Thursday afternoon to discuss the law and order situation after the row over arrest of JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case. Accompanied by senior party members and MPs, the Gandhi is expected to highlight the lawlessness in Delhi in the wake of Patiala House court attacks and the way the government has handled the JNU row as also the Rohith Vemula suicide and the agitation in FTII in Pune. On Wednesday, Congress had demanded immediate removal of police commissioner BS Bassi. Citing the attacks at the Patiala House court, Congress had yesterday alleged that jungle raj is prevailing in Delhi. In a separately scheduled meeting, Kejriwal will be accompanied by his cabinet colleagues. Delhi Cabinet will meet Honble President at 2 pm tomorrow to discuss Delhi law and order situation (sic), Kejriwal tweeted on Wednesday. Kejriwal also alleged that Delhi Police is openly flouting Supreme Court orders and wondered what instructions Commissioner BS Bassi has from his bosses after an attack on Kumar and mediapersons at Patiala Court premises. The Delhi Chief Minister further said that Had Delhi Police been under our control, then those raising slogans against Mother India and pseudo patriots goons would have been in jail. They (Centre) are not able to handle both. The CM has been demanding that the Centre hand over the Delhi Police to the city government. Last week, the AAP government had ordered a magisterial probe into the alleged shouting of anti-India slogans by a group of students at the JNU . JNU students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar and some journalists were yesterday attacked in a court complex here by rowdy lawyers. Despite instructions by the apex court to ensure security at the Patiala House Court, where violent men in black robes had attacked journalists on Monday, Delhi Police failed to prevent the attack on Kumar, who has been accused of sedition. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday wooed rural India with a crop insurance scheme designed to protect 700 million farmers from natural disasters, an initiative that may help fend off criticism that his government is anti-farmer. But the advantage was lost as Maharashtras BJP parliamentarian Gopal Shetty has allegedly called farmer suicides a fashion and a trend, sparking outrage as his home state is struggling with drought for the third consecutive year. Modis NDA government has been facing widespread criticism of ignoring rural India as farmers, grappling with unseasonal rains, hailstorms, drought and debt, were driven to suicide. Maharashtra alone has reported 124 farm suicides since January. Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam said the BJP MPs remarks reflected the ruling partys insensitivity towards thousands of farmers who committed suicide because of debt and crop failure. Not all farmer suicides happen because of unemployment and starvation. A fashion is going on. A trend is on, Shetty, the MP for North Mumbai, said on Wednesday. Hours later, he apologised for the poor choice of words and accused media of distorting his statement. Party sources said the damage was done as the Opposition will try to rake up his remarks when Parliament and the state assembly sit for their budget sessions. But Prime Minister Modi told a rally of farmers at Sehore, about 40km west of capital Bhopal, his governments farmer-friendly insurance is criticism-proof. He promised the scheme will be much better than the one that existed during Congress-led UPA government, which he succeeded in 2014. He called the UPA anti-farmer for changing a crop insurance scheme introduced during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government of 1998-2004. The changes made farmers hesitant and started keeping away from the scheme, he alleged. Now, not more than 20% farmers are willing to opt for the policy. So the first and foremost priority is to restore farmers faith in the crop insurance scheme, he said. Besides, he announced a national agriculture market will be launched on the birth anniversary of the father of the Constitution, BR Ambedkar, on April 14 to help farmers get adequate price for their produce. (With inputs from HTC Mumbai) Mumbai police registered an FIR late Wednesday against a person who allegedly threatened a female journalist on Twitter with gang-rape for condemning an attack on journalists at a hearing of Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader Kanhaiya Kumar. A senior police official said a case was registered against a person with a Twitter handle by the name Amendra Kumar Singh after the woman complained. Apke sath Hard Gang rape hoga ak do dino me ,hos me raho ,bharat mata ke sath gaddari mat karo ,deshdroh ??? Notalwd https://t.co/1GY7nnHsAg Amrendra Kumar Singh (@Amrendr93331952) February 17, 2016 The man threatened the female journalist after she uploaded photos of a protest at south Mumbai organised by the Mumbai Press Club along with other media organisations like TV Journalists Association, Bombay News Photographers Association. The protests spoke against a group of lawyers who beat up reporters and students outside Delhis Patiala House Courts during a hearing of sedition charges against Kumar on Monday. A case under section 354(a)1 (outraging modesty), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) of IPC has been lodged at Azad Maidan police station and no arrest has been made in this connection, police said. They thought he would be a cricketer. He had played in the Delhi Cricket Academy under-12 team but an ankle injury ended his dreams of playing for the country. When he became an atheist against family wishes, they accepted him. They accepted him even when he chose to forgo his scholarship for a university abroad and instead join the ranks of the left. But one thing, they will never accept is their son JNU student Umar Khalid being branded as a terrorist. Read: Police widen net to neighbouring states for main accused Umar Khalid For the past one week, Khalids family has been constantly watching news channel reports, suggesting that Khalid booked for sedition for his alleged anti-India remarks worked for a terror group. Quoting unnamed sources, some news channels say my son is from Kashmir and has terror links. We are from Nagpur, Maharashtra. My son is a meritorious student with a Leftist ideology. In this media-trial, the vocabulary used by some channels is shocking. They have found a Muslim face. Kanhaiya is being labelled as Leftist while my son has terror links, said Khalids father Dr Syed Qasim Rasool, who was once a member of SIMI in the early 80s when it was not a banned organisation. Watch | Absconding JNU students father speaks out against trial by media Refusing to go abroad for further studies like his younger sister Fatima, Khalid had confessed he wanted to be a journalist and report from the tribal areas of the country. His father is an Editor for an Urdu newspaper, they run from the third floor of their apartment in Jamia Nagar. When he joined JNU, he was influenced by the Leftist ideology like many others there. He did not want a regular job but wanted to work for the Dalits. He was there at Jantar Mantar during the Rohith Vemula and Occupy UGC protests. His subject for PH D was the condition of Dalits in the country. How can he work for terrorists when he has openly defied religion? Charge him for sedition, send him to trial but dont tarnish our image, Syed said. JNU Union President Kanhaiya Kumar being taken to Patiala House Court on Wednesday. (Virender Singh Gosain/HT Photo) Khalids sister Kulsum Fatima, an alumni of the St Stephens College worries about her brothers return. My brothers decision to defy religion and be a leftist caused heartburn but we are fine with that. My brother questioned the Afzal Guru hanging and so has people like Justice Katju, Arundhati Roy. Will they file sedition case against all of them? Kulsum said. Devastated is the word, Khalids family believe that describes their life at the moment. The media trial has hurt them most. My brothers slogan is Jai Bhim. That is the ideology he lives by. He had got 97 in Mathematics and got admission in Kirori Mal College. He could have been anything but he developed interest in History and decided to work for underprivileged. He even used his stipend money at JNU for Dalits, said Kulsum. Khalids father Syed said he has no knowledge of his sons whereabouts. I appeal my son wherever he is - to come back and face trial. But I fear for him. I also appeal to the government to ensure he is not lynched, he said. Read: BJP MLA OP Sharma arrested over court assault, gets bail SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON At a time the raging firestorm over the arrest of a JNU student leader for alleged anti-India utterances has swept the country and has split opinion on free speech, a Kolkata-based Supreme Court lawyer has issued an advertisement on newspapers in a bid to rally support against anti-national elements. Read more: JNU fire spreads: Pro-Afzal Guru, azadi event at Jadavpur University In the half-page advertisement that was carried by some Bengal dailies on Wednesday, a city-based NGO run by the lawyer, Joydip Mukherjee, lashed out at a section of the political establishment and individuals for pledging support to the JNU protest. In the half-page advertisement that was carried by some Bengal dailies on Wednesday, a city-based NGO run by the lawyer, Joydip Mukherjee, lashed out at a section of the political establishment and individuals for pledging support to the JNU protest. A section of people having vested interests is chanting antinational slogans with support of a few political parties. They are supporting the external forces that want to destabilise our country. People who love India wont support such activities, Mukherjee, who heads the NGO, All India Legal Aid Forum (AI LAF), said. Mukherjee, who is known to be close to the ruling Trinamool Congress, had earlier been vocal on such issues as the declassification of all files related to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and the need to close down all brick kilns and hotels in Tarapith over rising pollution levels. While the Left, Congress and the BJP have already taken sides and waded into the JNU turmoil, the Trinamool has yet to make its stand known in the matter. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is known to tweet her opinion on various issues hogging headlines in the national political sphere, has reserved a studied silence on the issue. However, Mukherjee was especially critical of the Left parties over their stand on the issue. On Tuesday evening, a section of JU students, mostly affiliated to Left-backed unions, took out a torch rally on campus to voice solidarity with their JNU counterparts. A few of them are alleged to have raised slogans in the name of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Even a placard was reportedly spotted in support of the separatist movement in Kashmir. The half-page advertisement, booked for a few lakhs, was splashed in at least three Bengali dailies on Wednesday. Those who are shouting anti-national slogans today belong to a tribe of politicians who once said, Yeh aazadi jhuta hain (Our independence is fake) and called Netaji an imperialist agent and Tojos dog. We should rise against such forces, Mukherjee said. He said the forum will soon hold rallies and seminars across Kolkata to raise public awareness on the cause. Read More JNU in Turmoil: Full Coverage The Rajasthan government has ordered a probe into the incident of a male official conducting physical test of female candidates for the post of guards in the forest department. There were 18 women among the 250 candidates who had cleared the written exam and appeared for the fitness test on Wednesday. The forest department had advertised for vacancies for the post of forest guards in October last year. A medical board set up by the forest department included a female doctor, but there was outrage after a male forest guard was seen putting a measuring tape around the chest of woman aspirants. The forest minister has suspended the male forest guard and has ordered a probe into the negligence of the women doctors in the medical board constituted for the physical examination. The minister has also ordered for videography during physical measurements in future. According to recruitment rules, a women forest guard is required to have a chest measurement of 79 cm and a height of 150 cm. However, there are no such rules in the police department. A police officer, involved in recruitment of female constables, said only weight and height are measured for women candidates while for men, it is chest measurement and height. Once the incident came to light, forest minister Rajkumar Rinwa ordered suspension of the forest guard. Rajasthans minister for women and child development Anita Bhadel said she would take the matter up with the government. Rajas than Women Commission chairperson Suman Sharma has also taken cognizance of the incident and has sought a report from the principal secretary (forest). Suspension of a low ranking employee is not enough, she said. A forest department women recruitment official said the physical measurement of women is done by women in a closed room. In Chittorgarh, the physical measurement was done in full public view. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Pakistan on Thursday weighed in on the controversial protest at JNU that triggered unrest at the varsity, saying the execution of Afzal Guru for the 2001 attack on Indias parliament was the outcome of an unfair trial. Jawaharlal Nehru University students union president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested last week on a charge of sedition after being accused of shouting anti-national slogans at an event to protest against Gurus hanging in 2013. Kumar has denied the charge. Responding to a question about Kashmiri and other students reportedly being detained after slogans against Gurus execution were raised at JNU, foreign office spokesman Mohammed Nafees Zakaria told a weekly news briefing: Kashmiris have never accepted the unfair trial that led to the execution of Afzal Guru. Human rights organisations from within and outside India had also criticised the manner in which Afzal Guru was tried and executed. Zakaria did not make any references to Kumars arrest or the unrest at JNU in his remarks. While replying to another question about the Indian envoy to Islamabad saying that talks between foreign secretaries of the two sides will not be linked to the attack on Pathankot airbase, the spokesman said, In view of the statement, it is our view that the date of the foreign secretary-level talks should now be decided as early as possible. He added that both sides are in contact with each other to finalise the dates for the talks. Zakaria described alleged rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir by security forces as a serious concern. He said Pakistan had taken up this issue at international and regional forums and condemned such incidents. Reacting to Zakarias comments, the external affairs ministry spokesperson said, Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter of India. Pakistans gratuitous references to Jammu and Kashmir are unacceptable. Slamming Pakistan for not acting against the perpetrators of the Pathankot terrorist strike and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday said the neighbouring country was pretending to fall asleep despite substantive evidence shared by India. In an interview with Karan Thapar on India Todays To the Point programme, Parrikar said, If someone pretends to fall asleep, it is very difficult to find out (what they are up to). The government has continuously given evidence to Pakistanif they are serious, they can act. No dates have been fixed for foreign secretary-level talks and Pakistans failure to act could complicate matters further. He asserted there was no question of allowing Pakistani investigators access to the Pathankot fighter base as the incident happened in India and it was for the National Investigation Agency to conduct a probe. They (Pakistan) have to investigate the role of the people in their country, the minister said. Parrikar said if someone harmed the countrys interest, India would deliver similar pain to them at the time, place and method of its choosing. Pakistan ruled out the involvement of any Indian Air Force personnel but said the terrorists could possibly have been assisted by casual labourers working at the base. On David Coleman Headleys recent testimony, Parrikar said he didnt need the approvers evidence to prove that Pakistani handlers were behind the Mumbai strike. Parrikar also said the defence ministry was working on a plan to trim the militarys structure. Effective component of the armed forces will not be compromised...but unnecessary part of the military can be removed. He said he had discussed the matter with the three service chiefs and some forward movement could be expected this year. With veterans protesting over the one rank, one pension scheme being implemented in a diluted form, he said issues regarding extending OROP to future premature retirees and the frequency of equalisation of pensions would be referred to the judicial committee looking into the scheme. He said the pension scheme could be extended to the future retirees if it served the interests of the armed forces. Veterans have demanded yearly equalisation of pensions, but the government has set a five-year period for revision. Parrikar said the problem with yearly equalisation was not related to money but complex administrative processes On the Rafale deal, he said pricing was the only issue that needed to be resolved and it could take a few months. Unless I get the right price, I cant sign the deal. He said India was quite hurt by the US decision to supply F-16 fighters to Pakistan. External affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said the move to sell F-16s to Pakistan would create negative sentiment in the India-US relationship. They said F-16s will be used for combating terrorism. We do not agree with that rationale, Swarup said. On Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharifs reported comment that the 1999 Kargil misadventure by Pakistani army was a stab in the back for the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Swarup said Sharif had only confirmed a truth that everyone was aware of. The BJP-led government decided on Thursday to fly the Tricolour atop a 207-feet mast in all central universities across the country to evoke nationalistic sentiments on campuses, many of which have been rocked by anti-establishment protests over the past few weeks. The first such flag will be unfurled at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), which is on the boil over the arrest of a top student leader for alleged anti-India demonstrations and sloganeering. The decision on the flag was taken at a meeting of all central university vice-chancellors called by human resource development minister Smriti Irani on Thursday, sources said. The flag will symbolise the unity and integrity of the nation, under which higher education would flourish, a source said. The meeting was called in the wake of the suicide by a Dalit student Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad last month, which had triggered nationwide outcry over alleged social discrimination on campus. Barely a few weeks after Vemulas death, JNU was plunged into a crisis after police arrested the universitys students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar on charges of sedition, drawing protests by a section of students and opposition parties. Read | Delhi to Ranchi: Protests over Dalit suicide turn into national movement Kumar was arrested over an event at the university during which anti-India slogans were allegedly shouted. The government and the right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) accuse a section of students of being involved in anti-India activities by shouting slogans in favour of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, who was hanged by the previous UPA government. Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya too had complained to the HRD ministry that the University of Hyderabad, where Vemula studied, had turned into a den of casteist and anti-national activities. Student groups and opposition parties blame Dattatreya and Irani of abetting Vemula suicide. The sources said the VCs conference also discussed the issues of socially and economically disadvantaged students and decided to put in place support mechanisms that would help them to perform better academically. The meeting also decided to strictly implement the regulations that have been issued for ensuring equity on campuses. Read | Rahul blames Modi govt for imposing RSS ideology on JNU students Besides, the meeting decided to set up professional counselling systems in the campuses to address stress and depression among students. Ahead of the meet, the HRD ministry had asked all the universities to submit a status report on implementation of 2012 UGC regulations, including creating equal opportunity cells and appointing anti-discrimination officers. Universities were also asked if they have taken any other steps for promotion of equity and strengthening of SC and ST students grievance redressal system or any other measures. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The former Bouddhik pramukh and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue MG Vaidya on Thursday targeted Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi saying that by going to the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus and supporting the students action he has lowered the image of the century-old party. Even as journalists and other people were again attacked inside the Patiala House court premises in defiance of Apex court order, Vaidya said that any kind of violence was unacceptable, but anti-national slogans raised by the students were equally unpardonable. Political parties should not get involved in such incident. Afzal Guru and Yakub Memon were hanged on the basis of court verdicts and not on the wishes of a particular political party, he pointed out and asserted that by supporting the students, who were raising anti-national slogans and saying that war against India would go on till country is destroyed, Rahul has damaged his own party. However, Vaidya condemned the lawyers who were involved in beating and attacking the journalists and activists, gathered at the Patiala House court. This is not the way to oppose such elements, he rued. Vaidyas son, Dr Manmohan Vaidya, who is the national prachar pramukh of the RSS, said the JNU incident is of grave concern and justified the Delhi Police action. The junior Vaidya said instead of condemning and demanding strict action against anti-national activities some political leaders are condoning this act. He asked how could the nation justify such an act where instead of studying, students are getting involved in anti-national activity and some teachers are supporting the action. It is serious matter and no country in the world would allow it he said. Almost all important leaders at RSS headquarters described JNU as a hub of anti-national lobbies and justified the governments action. How can Indians tolerate such anti-national activities and that too in a prestigious university campus which is a temple of learning. The pro-Maoist students there also celebrated the massacre of 70-odd CRPF troopers in a rebel attack in Bastar of Chhattisgarh in 2010, they pointed out. The senior RSS leader, who preferred anonymity, also said that those who raised slogans in support of Pakistan and Afzal are traitors and justified the Delhi police action to charge them with sedition. He said that students participating in such sloganeering must be dealt with strictly. In the current storm over student activism, many in JNU believe the battle between the various shades of Red has got glossed over. So much so that even the Delhi Police may not have been aware of the nuanced differences between these groups before it made out sedition charges against JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar. Read more: We are keeping a close eye: SC warns lawyers over JNU violence The university has been dominated by the left, but there are multiple shades of communist students who differ on the nature of the Indian state, the Indian bourgeoisie (comprador or independent or of dual character), the paths of liberation (violent or democratic), and the place of nationalities including Kashmiris. Read more: Let Kanhaiya come, we will burn him alive: Lawyer recalls JNU horror These debates get played out in the manner in which rallies, protests, and seminars and after dinner mess talks are organised in the campus. Within the left, there are some branded right wing revisionists; others are considered adventurists in the classic jargon. Read more: Not just JNU: With lawyers acting as goons, time for SC to step in Here is a brief primer on the various outfits that make up the broader Left in JNU, which broadly reflect the strains of left politics at the national level: 1. All India Student Federation (AISF) is the oldest of the left student outfits, and is aligned to the Communist Party of India. It is often considered the most moderate of left outfits. The irony - JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, arrested for alleged sedition, is from the outfit considered least revolutionary by its rivals. CPI in the 60s and 70s, was close to Soviet Union internationally and often allied with the Congress domestically - including supporting the Emergency. AISF however had raised its flag against the Emergency. As the parent party has shrunk in size and influence, AISF remains an important element of the apparatus in recruiting the young and pushing the party agenda. 2. Student Federation of India is a wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The CPM split from the CPI in the early 60s, almost on the lines of the Sino-Soviet split in the communist world. The joke in left circles is that CPM is a regional party - of West Bengal, Tripura, Kerala and of JNU, where it is represented by SFI. From Prakash Karat to Sitaram Yechury, the partys tallest leaders have cut their teeth in the JNU unit of the outfit. The SFI has frequently won student union elections. 3. All India Student Association (AISA) is linked to the CPI (ML-Liberation). The ML itself is a fragment from the armed Naxalite movement of the late 60s. But the ML, while retaining a strong radical left character and being deeply critical of parliamentary institutions, participates in elections. It has achieved some success in Bihar. Kavita Krishnan is a prominent AISA figure who has become an important figure in the womans and civil liberties movements. 4. Democratic Student Union (DSU) is a network of students who are sympathetic to the worldview of the underground Communist Party of India (Maoist). The February 9th event in JNU, which has generated controversy, was organised by former DSU activists. DSU believes in the seizure of state power through the path of armed revolution and resistance. Within the university, DSU does not participate in student union elections directly, though it is known to have supported independent candidates. It has split on questions of caste and gender. 5. Democratic Student Federation (DSF) is a splinter of SFI, and was formed in 2012 when a group of activists split from the parent party, CPM, over its decision to support Pranab Mukherjee. DSF students claim the decision was a result of multiple grievances, including the partys mishandling of Nandigram and based on the belief that student groups must have a degree of autonomy and not report to a parent party. Its leader, V Lenin Kumar, was subsequently elected the JNUSU president. Read More JNU in Turmoil: Full Coverage Scaling up its attack on the BJP, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will take the battle over the JNU crackdown and the lawlessness in the country to President Pranab Mukherjees doors on Thursday. On their radar is the NDA government, and the BJP. Jungle raj in Delhi, alleges Congress On Wednesday, the Congress had targeted the Delhi Police commissioner BS Bassi and called the repeated attacks in Patiala House court as a reflection of the jungle raj prevailing in Delhi. It is a point that the Delhi Cabinet led by Kejriwal would also stress when they meet President Mukherjee soon after. Delhi Police reports directly to the Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, not the elected government. A senior Congress leader said Gandhi sees the police crackdown targeting JNU students as a broader attempt to suppress the voice of the youth, right from the governments handling of the agitation in Punes FTII to the Rohith Vemula suicide in Hyderabad and now, the JNU row. Read more: Politics at JNU: Kanhaiya may have been victim of various shades of Red Gandhi would also draw the Presidents attention to the attack on the media at the Patiala House court and seek his intervention to safeguard the constitutional rights of people. Gandhi has already visited the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus to express solidarity with students protesting the arrest of their leader Kanhaiya Kumar. Kumar has been booked under charges of sedition over a protest organised in the JNU campus on February 9 against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Read more: Let Kanhaiya come, we will burn him alive: Lawyer recalls JNU horror The Congress vice-president had earlier visited the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) at Pune to express solidarity with students protesting against the appointment of actor Gajendra Chauhan as its chairperson as well as Hyderabad university. The intent is clear the Congress is desperately trying to win back not only the support of the Dalits and the youth who had deserted the party in the wake of a series of corruption scandals during the UPA rule. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi targeted BSP chief Mayawati on Thursday for failing to use the party platform that its founder Kanshi Ram provided for the benefit of Dalits. Mayawati hit back, saying Gandhi was trying to mislead people and Dalits suffered hugely during Congress rule as well. Gandhi also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the UPAs welfare schemes meant for the uplift of Dalits were discontinued by the NDA government. People say BSP did not do a good job. I want to make a difference among the BSP, its chief Mayawati and its founder Kanshi Ram. Kanshi Ram did a good job for Dalits. But Mayawati did not properly use the platform that Kanshi Ram provided. So, the benefits did not reach Dalits, Gandhi said addressing a Dalit Leadership Development Conclave. A Lucknow declaration titled Dalit Manifesto (for the 2017 polls) moved by senior party leader PL Punia was adopted at the conclave organised by the state Congress units Scheduled Caste cell. Mayawati did not take Dalits forward. Instead, she crushed the Dalits in the (BSP) organisation... She keeps all the powers with her and does not use them in a right manner, Gandhi said. The Congress vice-president termed Hyderabad university scholar Rohith Vemulas suicide as a murder committed by the government of India. Rohith did not commit suicide. Hindustan ki sarkar (the central government) exerted undue pressure on him. Rohith wanted to express the pain he suffered. When he wanted to speak about this pain, the government put all the pressure on him, he said. BJP and RSS want to enforce their ideology in the education system and most of the vice-chancellors of central universities are of RSS ideology. Even the Hyderabad university VC is a hardcore RSS ideologue. Reacting to Gandhis participation in the Dalit conclave, Mayawati said, Post-Independence, the Congress remained in power for over five decades but did very little for the uplift of the Scheduled Castes and tribals. Congress leaders merely sold dreams to the have-nots to get their votes. To empower Dalits, Kanshi Ram launched the BSP in 1984. A sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) issued summons to Hindu god Hanuman among others in connection with an encroachment case, but the baffling direction has now been rectified by the court which termed it as a clerical mistake. The SDM court had on February 5 issued summons to Hanuman and others while hearing an application filed by irrigation department which claimed that Hanuman, Sai Baba and more than 100 others have encroached upon its land in Dehri-On-Sone town of Rohtas district. The SDM court had posted the matter for further hearing on February 16. But as the issue of summons to Hanuman came to light, SDM Pankaj Patel on Wednesday dictated a fresh order and admitted that the earlier order had a clerical mistake. Neither a notice can be sent to God nor God can be asked to appear in the court, Patel said and asked the manager or pujari of the temple to file his reply in this regard. The pujari of Hanuman temple, located in Anikat locality of Dehri-On-Sone, appeared on February 16 and told the court that the said temple was existing since 1970s and the temple had not encroached on the land of irrigation department. Earlier, the department had served notices to alleged encroachers after carrying out survey of the said area in the town. It also filed an application before the SDM court in this regard which issued summons to the concerned parties. Theres no question of demilitarising Siachen despite the recent death of 10 soldiers unless Pakistan was prepared to mark out exact troop positions on the worlds highest and coldest battleground, army chief General Dalbir Singh said. In his first interview a fortnight after an avalanche swept the soldiers away at an altitude of 20,500 feet, Singh said on Wednesday each casualty on the glacier only hardened the armys resolve to hold on to the heights that were of immense strategic significance. Troop withdrawal remains out of the question unless they (Pakistan) agree to sit down at the negotiating table and agree to the conditions set by us to authenticate troop positions. That has been our stand and we are not budging from it, Singh said. He has visited Siachen four times after taking over as army chief in July 2014. In coming weeks, he will travel to Sonam, the army post crushed by the February 3 slide. Nearly 1,000 soldiers have died guarding Siachen since the army took control of the glacier in April 1984, almost twice the number of lives lost in the Kargil war. (AFP) India cant risk a withdrawal as it holds dominating positions on the Saltoro ridge, with Pakistani posts located 3,000 feet below. Reclaiming lost advantage could be tough. Pakistani high commissioner Abdul Basit had last week called for mutual withdrawal of troops. Nearly 1,000 soldiers have died guarding Siachen since the army took control of the glacier in April 1984, almost twice the number of lives lost in the Kargil war. Our deployment has stabilised with the casualty rates being the lowest since we took control of the heights. Top-notch equipment, rigorous monitoring of training, fine leadership and adherence to strict codes and drills have helped save lives, said Singh, the first army chief who travels to the Palam airbase every time a martyrs body transits through Delhi. On the February 3 tragedy, Singh said avalanches on the glacier were extremely difficult to predict. We map areas meticulously and maintain year-wise records of danger zones to keep casualties low. Soldiers know at what precise time, in which month, there was an avalanche in their area, say, 10 years ago. But given the geography, such incidents are unavoidable, Singh explained. One of the soldiers, Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, miraculously survived being trapped under 35 feet of snow for six days but died in an army hospital on February 11. A group of social activist pay their homage to Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad. (PTI) Singh said, They were buried too deep and the ice had become harder than concrete. It couldnt have been blown up using explosives. We flew in electric ice cutters and radars that can detect heat signatures at a depth of 20 metres. My instructions were clear that the rescue operations would continue till the time we found survivors or the bodies. Soldiers in Siachen have faced hardships because of the governments repeated failures to provide them with special clothing and equipment to endure the punishing heights of more than 21,000 feet, but Singh said the deficiencies had been made up entirely. In 2008, the Comptroller and Auditor General had criticised gaping deficiencies in the procurement of sleeping bags, jackets, pants, multi-purpose boots and even woollen socks. If you are in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, and want to tag the location of your tweet you cant. After completing a tweet, when you click on the location tag on your smartphones Twitter application and try searching Jammu and Kashmir, there are no results shown with the country part of the address being India. When you search Jammu and Kashmir, the options for you are either Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Republic of China or Jammu, Pakistan. On the other hand if you search Kashmir on the location tag option you will again get two options either Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Republic of China or Azad Kashmir Province, Pakistan. If you search Srinagar, on the other hand, you do get a search result saying Srinagar, India but thats probably not the tag for Srinagar in J-K because if you let Twitter search for your location automatically using your GPS -- while you are in Srinagar -- it comes up with a response Unable to find your location. It can be noted that In Uttarakhand, there is a town called Srinagar. In most locations, where the GPS facility of your smartphone functions smoothly, the correct location is automatically picked up by Twitter. On the other hand, even if you are searching for any address, take any other Indian state -- from Assam to Kerala -- the very first search location search result on Twitter is Assam, India or Kerala, India. The government said the matter will be taken up with the micro-blogging site. I am sure this will be taken up, external affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup told reporters. Reacting to the issue, a Twitter spokesperson on Thursday evening told Hindustan Times, We are not commenting on it, but working to resolve the issue. (With PTI inputs) A scuffle broke out between the members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Ambedkarwadi Chhatra Sabha when the latter objected to protest against JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar on Thursday. ABVP members claimed that trouble began after the members of Ambedkarwadi Chhatra Sabha (ACS) shouted slogans in favour of Kanhaiya Kumar. However, timely intervention by the police averted a major clash. As per reports, ABVP members organised Nation First march at the gate of Deen Dayal Upadhyay University, Gorakhpur, as part of its nationwide protest against anti-India sloganeering on Jawaharlal Nehru University campus recently. ABVP leader Shantanu Srivastava said that they were taking out a peaceful march when ACS members objected to our campaign. A minor scuffle broke out but the issue was settled before situation could turn ugly, he said. He claimed that trouble began when ACS president Amar Paswan opposed the march and shouted slogans in support of Kanhaiya Kumar. Paswan, who submitted a memorandum to the district magistrate, said: ABVP members manhandled us when we opposed sloganeering against Kanhaiya Kumar and Rohith Vemula. They got furious when I asked them not to shout slogans against Kanhaiya Kumar until the charges were proved against him. When I asked them if they had any evidence against Kanhaiya Kumar, they started abusing me, claimed Paswan. JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who was arrested on sedition charges for allegedly organising an event where anti-national slogans were shouted, on Thursday filed a bail application in the Supreme Court. The petition of the Jawaharlal Nehru University students union president was mentioned before a bench of justice J Chelameswar and justice AM Sapre by senior advocates Soli J Sorabjee and Raju Ramachandran. The lawyers wanted the plea to be heard on Thursday itself. However, the bench suggested that they would consider it on Friday. Kumar said in his petition there was no need for his custodial interrogation as he has already been sent to judicial custody. He claimed his innocence and said no purpose would be served by keeping him in the jail as the police have been finding it difficult to produce him even in the court. In his application, the JNUSU president sought protection of life and limb, saying there is great likelihood of an attack on him in prison and said there was a need for the apex court to intervene. JNU students rejected an appeal by vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar and staged a march in solidarity with Kumar in central Delhi area with flowers as a mark of peace. Delhi Police, however, said that they did not have the permission for the march from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar. Students from universities across the country are protesting Kumars arrest. Leaders from various political parties too have spoken against Delhi Polices high-handedness at JNU and the violence inside and outside the Patiala House Courts in Delhi. Read: From Kolkata to Chennai, students call for Kanhaiyas release Delhi BJP legislator OP Sharma, along with lawyers linked to the BJP, thrashed reporters and students on Monday. Two days later, despite a Supreme Court directive, a mob of lawyers punched and kicked Kumar, and roughed up journalists outside the Patiala House Courts. The incident prompted the Supreme Court to ask authorities to evacuate the court room and rush a panel of top advocates to assess the security situation. Govts complete failure Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal met President Pranab Mukherjee over the growing protests on university campuses against Kumars arrest and criticised the government over the issue. The government wants to crush anyone who opposes this ideology. The governments job is to protect students, not crush them, the 45-year-old leader said outside Rashtrapati Bhavan. Gandhi condemned the violence, saying the brawls had tarnished Indias image and invoked the example of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula who killed himself in Hyderabad after months of alleged caste discrimination. Nationalism is in my blood, I have seen my family sacrifice for this nation. If anyone said something against the nation he should be punished according to law. However, its not the governments job to destroy educational institutions and crush its students, he said, with party leaders by his side. In the memorandum submitted to the President, Gandhi drew a link between the lawyer violence and the BJP, saying the brazen acts werent possible without the tacit support, encouragement or, at best, the indifference of the ruling establishment. The governments complete failure in managing tensions and restoring law and order, and its refusal to protect the democratic right of its citizens is a cause of deep concern for us, the statement said. Read: Unusual silence on JNU campus but students say wont be silenced It said that the attack on journalists appeared designed to intimidate the press. This doesnt bode well for our democracy. This is unacceptable. Kejriwal too attacked the central government over the issue, blaming Delhi Police for failing to stop violence by lawyers outside a local court. The Aam Aadmi Party chief said action should be taken against students who shouted anti-national slogans at a JNU event but criticised the Centre for failing to arrest those responsible. This government cant catch 4-5 students who shouted those anti-national slogans, how will they catch who carried out the Pathankot attacks, Kejriwal said after the meeting. Kejriwal also condemned violence by lawyers outside Patiala House Courts on two separate occasions this week. We asked the President what is this absence of rule of law, anybody can beat a person who raises pro-Pakistan slogans, he said. Lawyers fail to appear None of the three lawyers summoned by Delhi Police in connection with the February 15 attack on journalists, students and teachers of JNU in Patiala House court, have appeared before the police yet. All three of them were sent summons on Wednesday and asked to appear before the police at 3pm. While one of the three lawyers has been identified as Vikram Singh Chauhan, names of the other two have not been disclosed by the police. Delhi Police commissioner BS Bassi said they will move court and obtain warrants if the three lawyers failed to do so. BJP MLA Sharma, who was caught on camera beating a CPI activist at Patiala House court on Monday, joined the probe on Thursday, a day after he was served a similar summon. Delhi Police have been under attack for not taking action against those involved in the assault at the court complex on Monday and Wednesday. Leftist, ABVP students face off at JU The JNU issue has found support on campuses across the country especially Jadavpur University in Kolkata. Students there have staged rallies and put up posters inside the campus in solidarity over the past few days. On Thursday, Left-backed students groups organised a gathering to protest the alleged storming of JU and tearing off posters by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) supporters on Wednesday. Later, the gathering poured into the streets near the main gate of the campus. Read: Dont want Taliban culture, hooliganism: 3 ABVP members slam NDA, quit ABVP supporters, led by actors-turned-BJP leaders Rupa Ganguly and Locket Chatterjee, too staged a rally and marched towards JU chanting nationalistic slogans and waving the national flag. They were blocked by the police about 200 meters from the main gate. But some of them were able to break one of the barricades. As the news spread, teachers and security personnel of the university formed a human chain in front of the university as both sides chanted slogans against each other. Chattra Parishad too came out with a rally in support of JU students. Till the last reports came in, police were able to convince AVBP supporters to disperse. However, tension is still simmering in the campus. (With agency inputs) Read More JNU in Turmoil: Full Coverage A day ahead of his first official visit to India, Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said on Thursday his government wants close ties with both New Delhi and Beijing. Oli, known as someone with a pro-China tilt, said he doesnt believe in using one neighbour against another. We want to maintain and strengthen friendly ties with both India and China and move ahead based on mutual respect and benefit, he told journalists during a briefing about his visit to India beginning on Friday. I am not a card player or a gambler and I dont believe in playing cards, he said while replying to a query on how he would balance ties between the bigger and economically powerful neighbours. Olis government has been accused of trying to play the China card against India by trying to ink long-term agreements on importing petroleum products from the northern neighbour. India is the sole distributor of fuel to Nepal, but a border blockade imposed by Madhesis unhappy with the countrys new Constitution affected supplies and forced Kathmandu to look for other options. After a request from Nepal, China provided 1.3 million litres of petrol as a grant in October to tide over a fuel shortage caused by the blockade. Nepals attempts to secure a long-term agreement have not been succeeded because of tax and logistical issues. With the Madhesi parties ending the border blockade earlier this month, the supply of petroleum products from India has resumed and the issue of getting fuel from China put on the backburner. Oli and his government had accused India of imposing an unofficial blockade to support the Madhesis and the prime minister had contemplated breaking tradition by going to Beijing first instead of New Delhi. But with India welcoming the amendment of the Constitution to accommodate the demands of Madhesis and the lifting of the blockade, relations between New Delhi and Kathmandu are slowly returning to normal. My visit will focus on bringing ties back on track. There should be no misgivings on Indias part about our friendship, Oli said. Oli is expected to visit Beijing next month but an itinerary is yet to be finalised. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal attacked the central government on Thursday over a sedition controversy involving Jawaharlal Nehru University students, blaming the city police for failing to stop violence by lawyers outside a local court. The Aam Aadmi Party chief said action should be taken against students who shouted anti-national slogans at a JNU event but criticised the Centre for failing to arrest those responsible. This government cant catch 4-5 students who shouted those anti-national slogans, how will they catch who carried out the Pathankot attacks, the chief minister said outside Rashtrapati Bhavan. Watch | Kejriwal blames Modi govt for violence at Patiala House court He was speaking after meeting President Pranab Mukherjee the chancellor of JNU following growing protests against sedition charges against JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar for allegedly organising an event where anti-national slogans were chanted. Kejriwal also condemned violence by lawyers outside Delhis Patiala House Courts on two separate occasions this week. We asked the President what is this absence of rule of law, anybody can beat a person who raises pro-Pakistan slogans, he said. Delhi BJP legislator OP Sharma, along with lawyers linked to the BJP, thrashed reporters and students on Monday. Two days later, despite a Supreme Court directive, a mob of lawyers punched and kicked Kumar, and roughed up journalists. Why is OP Sharma free? Why are the government and police silent? Is this the new law? the CM asked. Congress MP and former union minister Shashi Tharoor has said that the autonomy of universities was very important for development of the nation. We should encourage arguments and ideas in our universities. A democracy as strong as ours should not fear from ideas, he said while responding to media queries regarding the JNU row during his Indore visit on Thursday. I will introduce a private members bill in Parliament against sedition. Until and unless arguments and ideas turn violent (maar-peet), charges of sedition should not be levelled against any person. People must be allowed to say whatever they want to, Tharoor said. The former minister said that the students in universities should be allowed to argue freely and ideate. They are young brains, many ideas come into mind, not all ideas may be good, but that does not mean we should snub freedom of thought and expression. India is a strong nation with strong values, and we do not have to fear from some comments made by a few students, he said. Tharoor also defended Rahul Gandhis support to JNU students. Patriotism is not anybodys copyright. He (Gandhi) only upheld the constitutional values of freedom of speech, Tharoor said. The entire JNU episode is portraying our nation in bad light before the world. The liberal newspapers of the world are saying that Indian government is showing authoritarian tendencies, and Indian democracy is in danger. The government should try to put an end to the situation, he said. Tharoor said, on one hand the government is promoting Make in India in the entire world, but at the same time they are promoting Break in India in our country. Tharoor was in the city as chief guest on the inaugural day of a three-day convention of the Indian Institute of Indian Interior Designers. City police on Wednesday arrested four Bajrang Dal workers on the charges of rioting in front of the office of the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPM)s in Chandigarh. As per reports, the activists of the Bajrang Dal were protesting against the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) authorities for the controversial event on Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and also burnt an effigy, before they pelted the party office with stones. Taking a serious note of the attack, Aam Aadmi Partys Punjab in-charge Sanjay Singh, state unit convener Succha Singh Chhotepur and MP Bhagwant Mann in a joint statement said, The recent incidents in India are part of Narendra Modis communal Gujrat model that he wants to implement forcefully throughout the country. They also condemned the attack on mediapersons and JNU students in Delhi as a communal act of the saffron party. Reminding Khalsa College governing council (KCGC) president Satyajit Singh Majithia of his illustrious lineage, Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh lashed out at Majithias unbridled greed to make personal capital out of a public and historic institution that holds a distinct place in Sikh history and heritage. In a hard-hitting statement issued here on Thursday, the PPCC chief claimed that Majithia was trying to grab and usurp a public institution for personal gains. Although I am not surprised over modern day Majithias unbridled greed for money after having completely been Badalised in all respects, I still expected them to at least respect the sanctity of the institution which holds an important place in Sikh history and heritage, he said, while responding to Majithias statement accusing him of politicising the issue of converting the Khalsa College into a private university. What Badals are doing to the SGPC, the Majithias are trying to repeat and replicate with Khalsa College, he remarked, while asking him (Satyajit Majithia) as what was his or his familys contribution towards setting up of this great institution. Reiterating that the emotions and sentiments of the Sikhs across the globe were associated with the institution, Amarinder pointed out that it had been built with support from the erstwhile princely states of Patiala, Kapurthala, Jind, Nabha and Faridkot. Just by grabbing the institution now and by infiltrating your yes-men into the governing council does not confer any moral right or authority on you to usurp it to make money, he told Majithia, while reiterating that even if he manages to get the act for the university passed in the Vidhan Sabha through Badals, he (Amarinder) will ensure to repeal the act after the Congress forms the government in the state in 2017. Referring to his Wednesdays visit to the Khalsa College, he said, Majithia and other members of the management should know that he has been the chancellor of the college for six years. Besides, he added, he is the local MP and an ex-chief minister of the state. All that notwithstanding do you ask people to seek prior permission to visit educational institutions? he asked. The former chief minister strongly denied the allegations that his security personnel broke open the locks of the gate to enter there. First of all let me clarify that we simply made a request and the college security staff was kind enough to open the locks, he clarified, while seeking to know as to why were the gates locked and why did the college authorities want to block and bar his entry into the campus? With deputy chief minister (CM) Sukhbir Singh Badal set to spend the entire Thursday listening to civic and administrative problems of Jalandhar, the issue of setting up solid waste management plant at Jamsher village is likely to get a solution, finally. The issue has already reached a flash point between the Bharatiya Janata Party ruled municipal corporation (MC) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA from Jalandhar Cantonment constituency, Pargat Singh. While the civic body wants the work on the solid waste management plant to begin soon and has written to CM Parkash Singh Badal for taking a final call, Pargat has been repeatedly opposing the project in his constituency. He had even declared that he would go to any extent to stop the project, which has already been cleared by central and state environment agencies. Even the local bodies department wants the project to begin at the earliest, but the project has failed to see the light of the day because of opposition from the SAD MLA. After Pargat opposed the project in August last year, CM Badal had sent a high-powered committee led by his special principal secretary SK Sandhu to visit the site. The government has been keeping mum on the project even as the MC has written more than five reminders for clarity on the status of the project. I discussed the project with the deputy CM during his meeting with all mayors from Punjab last week. I apprised him why we need to commence the project as soon as possible as further delay may hamper our chances of landing the smart city status. Cleanliness is a key condition in the evaluation system for the smart city race. The deputy CM assured me that the matter would be resolved during his visit, said mayor Sunil Jyoti. Sources in the state government also disclosed that a committee led by the special principal secretary had also submitted its report in favour of the project, bypassing the objections of Pargat. As per the project plan, solid waste collected from 27 civic bodies falling in Doaba would be treated in the plant at Jamsher village. The issue has also led to a war of words between local bodies minster Anil Joshi and Pargat on various occasions, with the SAD MLA accusing Joshi of not listening to the public and ignoring health issues in setting up of the project. I dont know if any specific meeting regarding the project would happen during the deputy CMs visit. I have been told that he would hold discussions about all the projects in the pipeline in the city. Let me clarify that I am not against the solid waste project, rather, I am opposed to the currently proposed site of the project. Already, a dairy complex running in the same village has made life hell for the locals and this plant would only worsen the situation, said Pargat. The project, termed as a dream project of the government, carries huge political importance, as its effective implementation is going to make all cities and towns of the region free of problems of solid waste. After full-scale operations of the plant are in place, Jindal Urban Waste Management Jalandhar Limited (JUWMJL), which has been awarded the project, would start door-to-door collection of solid waste and garbage collected from the towns would be brought for treatment to the plant at Jamsher village. With the government making all out efforts for an image makeover in the face of the upcoming Assembly polls in early 2017, the project, if implemented successfully, could be projected as a major gift of the SAD-BJP government to the region. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON An 80-year-old farmer from Muktsar district of Punjab, who had to be rushed to a hospital, was among those who sustained injuries as the Chandigarh police used the water cannon to prevent members of the Bhartiya Kissan Union-Lakhowal (BKU-L) from entering the city to submit a memorandum to the Punjab governor. Identified as Karnail, the octogenarian suffered the injuries in the police action after members of the outfit tried to cross the barricades that were put up on the Chandigarh-Punjab border, and one of them even rammed a tractor-trolley into the barricades. The protesters agitating against the BJPs central government for not keeping its promises included farmers from both Punjab and Haryana. They gathered at Gurdwara Amb Sahib here and started their march towards Raj Bhawan, Chandigarh, around 2pm. As per a decision of the Indian Co-ordination Committee of Farmers Movements, this march was a part of a nationwide protest against the central government for its anti-farmer policies. Addressing the farmers on the occasion, BKU-L president Ajmer Singh Lakhowal said, One of the major reasons for farmers suicides is the low price for their crops... We are upset with the Modi government for not paying attention to resolving our issues. Since the last four decades, farmers have been receiving prices that are lower than the cost. He claimed that, according to a study conducted by the Punjab Farmers Commission, due to low minimum support price of paddy alone, during the the last 20 years farmers have suffered losses of Rs 40,000 crore. The national spokesperson of the BKU, Rakesh Tikait, in his address said, The central government had formed the Swaminathan Commission to study and recommend suggestions to prevent suicides due to farming losses. This commission submitted its report in 2006 and recommended that to prevent farmers from committing suicides, a formula for giving 50% profit over input cost should be fixed; but till now the recommendations of the report have not been implemented. What are the farmers demands? 1. MSP of agriculture produce be fixed as per report of Dr MS Swaminathan 50% profit on total cost 2. All agriculture debts be waived 3. Farmer Income Commission be constituted for fixing minimum income for livelihood 4. Budget for agriculture be presented separately on the lines of budget of railways 5. As farming is not a viable profession now, reservation for children of farmers in govt jobs and educational institutions be given 6. Bind sugar mills to release payments to farmers within 15 days 7. Law be made for strict punishment for sales and manufacturing of duplicate pesticides 8. Punjab Indebtness Act 2005 be implemented with immediate effect 9. Entire expenditure of the tubewell connection (agriculture) be waived for all farmers having holding up to two and a half acres The state government is hiring school teachers on priority basis, while benches in primary schools will be taken care of later, said Punjab education minister Daljit Singh Cheema, here on Thursday. However, he did not tell the exact number of teachers being hired by the government. Cheema admitted that the district had lesser number of teachers, especially science teachers, which affected the teacher-student ratio. When asked if the state government was planning to provide benches in primary schools of the district, he said, It will be great if the government can provide benches in primary schools, but hiring teachers is its first priority, as of now, and the chief minister, too, shares the same thought. It must be mentioned that more than 70% primary schools in the district do not have benches. That is not a big issue. Even I used to sit on the floor when I was in school. They can sit on mats, said Cheema, when informed about the output of recent health checkup camp, where most of the students were found to be suffering from cold. Cheema was in Fatehgarh Sahib to distribute the consent letters with regard to the recently-hiked old age pension in the state from 250 to 500 per month, in a district-level function at the Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Engineering College (BBSBEC) auditorium, in Fatehgarh Sahib. Students forced to sit on cold floor In a report published by HT on January23, the students of Government Elementary School in Humayunpur area were forced to sit on cold floor, as some of the mats were found to be torn-off. District elementary education officer Surinder Ghai confirmed that more than 70% of primary schools in district were running without benches. Within a week, the education department claimed to have provided `1 lakh grant to each of the block officers of six blocks for buying new mats and other materials to protect the children from cold. Ghai informed that the department had written to ministry of human resource development for help in providing benches to 8,685 students in the district. 3,442 teachers demand regular posts Members of the union of 3,442 teachers hired on adhoc basis demanded regularisation of their posts and submitted a memorandum for the same to Cheema. The memorandum read that the letter to start the process of regularisation was issued on November 17, last year. The demands of the teachers include that the teachers hired under the master cadre who had degrees through the distance education should be given leverage in relief from the June 2013 guidelines of University Grants Commission (UGC) and should be made regular with effect from January 15, 2016 and earlier transfers should be made possible. Cheema slams Congress, AAP Cheema, while talking to the media, slammed Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) for hiring strategist Prashant Kishore to run the election campaign of Capt Amamrinder Singh. Hiring companies for getting votes is really inappropriate, said Cheema. What option this party was left with when it lost the workers? Cheema added, while commenting on the Congress workforce. Meanwhile, the education minister said the Aam Aadmi Party was no competition for the Shiromani Akali Dal. They havent participated in block samiti, council elections or any of the bypolls that took place in Punjab recently. They can manipulate Delhi but not Punjab for sure, said Cheema. The Rohtak district administration has imposed Section 144 under Indian Penal Code in the district following violence reports by intelligence. Rohtak deputy commissioner DK Behera said Section 144 (joining unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapon) has been imposed in the district as there were intelligence inputs that some anti-social elements might join protestors to disturb law and order situation in the district. When contacted, Behera said, Directions have been issued for the implementation of the order. Action will be taken against the violators. However, Jat leaders have blocked Badahurgarh-Delhi road at Bahadurgarh and Nazafgarh of Jhajjar district, affecting traffic movement to Delhi from Haryana. Jat agitation reaches Sainis Kurukshetra It is for the first time that the fire of Jat agitation for the demand of reservation under OBC category has also reached northern districts of the state, affecting traffic in Kuruskhetra and parts of Yamunanagar district. The protesting Jats have blocked Saharanpur-Kurukshetra road at Pipli, Ladwa and Badshami of Kurukshetra district and Radaur of Yamunanagar district, affecting the commuters. The protestors have also started a demonstration at the entrance of Kurukshetra University. As per the sources, Jat leaders from Kurukshetra district are agitated over the repeated anti-Jat statements made by Raj Kumar Saini, local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member of parliament. Normal life got affected in the region as road traffic has been diverted to link roads. The protestors have also blocked the Saharanpur-Kurukshetra road in Badshami village, the home of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader and former chief minister OP Chautalas ex-political adviser Sher Singh Badshami. When contacted, Jat leader Santosh Dhaiya said, There is no doubt that repeated unparliamentary remarks against Jats by Saini have united the entire Jat community. There was anger against Saini already and it has now come out in the form reservation demand. The agitation may last for several days till the government bows to accept the demand of Jats, she added. The local police booked Congress leader Balbir Raja Sodhi and six officials of the Phagwara Improvement Trust (PIT) on Wednesday, in a case of embezzlement in allotment of seven plots of the trust in 2005. Kapurthala senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rajinder Singh said an FIR had been lodged on the complaint of PIT executive officer (EO) Surinder Kumari. He also said a special investigation team (SIT) led by Phagwara superintendent of police (SP) Ashwani Kumar and comprising DSP Manpreet Singh Dhillon and Phagwara city station house officer (SHO) Raman Kumar would investigate the matter. Sodhi served as chairman of the trust during the tenure of Captain Amarinder Singh led Congress government from 2002 to 2007. He also unsuccessfully contested the 2012 Assembly elections as the Congress candidate against chief parliamentary secretary and Phagwara Bharatiaya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Som Parkash. He is still a strong contender for the Congress ticket in the constituency. Six other officials of the trust, including the then executive officer (EO) Jatinder Singh (currently posted as EO in Barnala), superintendent Amarjit Singh Gogia (retired as EO), senior officer Rakesh Kumar (now posted in Khanna), head draftsman Rajeev Kumar (currently posted in Hoshiarpur), junior assistant Kulwant Singh (now retired) and clerk Narinder Sharma (presently posted in Amritsar Improvement Trust), have also been booked by the police. All seven accused were booked under sections 420 (cheating), 465 (punishment for forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code (IPC). In her complaint to police, EO Kumari has claimed that she has unearthed a scam running into crores of rupees, committed by former chairman of the trust. The EO has alleged that Sodhi, in connivance with other officials of the trust, intentionally tampered with the records and gave financial benefits to some private firms in the auction of scheme number 1 plots at Hargobind Nagar, Phagwara, in 2005. The EO has alleged that the former chairman changed the clauses in the regulations for allotment and added one more clause to sell seven flats and five ready-constructed shops and sold them to private parties at throw away prices in an auction done on June 17, 2005. When contacted, Sodhi termed the FIR as a planned political conspiracy to defame him. If a fair investigation was done by the executive officer before registration of this FIR, then why was I not given any chance to represent myself and put across my viewpoint? What is the reason behind registration of FIR after 11 years of the allotment, he said. A school student was crushed to death while another was seriously injured after a school van hit their bicycles on Thursday morning. According to information, Vivek, 14, and Arun, 13, students of Class-9 of Bhullar English Medium School at the Dhawan colony, left for their school on bicycles, but when they reached near the school, a van of Sahibzada Ajit Singh School at Wazidpur village,hit their bicycles. Vivek died on the spot while Arun was admitted to the local civil hospital with serious injuries. Ranjit Singh, driver of the school van, was caught by the people and was handed over to the police. The police were looking into the matter. With the introduction of the CCE (continuous and comprehensive evaluation) for Class 10 in 2011 by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), it has been observed that an increasing number of students opt for school-based examination over board-based examination. The number of students appearing for the Class 10 examination is around 23, 000 in the tricity, of which 59% are opting for school-based exams, as per information gathered from the CBSE regional office. In 2015, out of a total of 22,513 tricity students who sat for the Class 10 examination, 12,400 appeared for the school-based examination, whereas 10,097 students opted for the board-based exam. Heads of most CBSE schools in Chandigarh believe schoolbased examination is a better option which favours students, especially those who wish to go abroad. Also, school heads feel school-based examinations help children assess their mistakes or area of weakness and work towards strengthening them. St Johns High School principal Kavita C Das said, In school-based examinations, students are in a comfortable environment. So, stress levels are low and this allows for better concentration levels and improved academic performance. Principal of Delhi Public School, Chandigarh, Reema Dewan told HT: As the syllabus, pattern of question paper, difficulty level and marking scheme remains the same, students prefer school based examinations. ABS Sidhu, director, Saupins School, and secretary of the Independent Schools Association said, The hype surrounding the result and the excessive importance given to the exam by parents and schools makes it into a no-holds barred contest, which defeats the basic idea behind continuous and comprehensive assessment. HS Mamik, president, Independent Schools Association, Chandigarh, and chairperson of Vivek High School said, School- based exams are easier in 60% of the schools as the schools are concerned more about improving their results and are lenient. The other 40 % are honest and their students normally opt for board exams, as they are easier for them. Schools taking advantage A local school teacher, requesting anonymity, however, said some schools use internal examination as an excuse to better their results. Nidhi Mehra (name changed), parent of a child studying in Class 9 in St Johns High School, feels board-based examination have more credibility as it is official. I could be wrong but it appears as though teachers tend to take it easy when its a school based examination and might skip or rush the last few chapters of the syllabus, she said, adding that since a lot of teachers take private tuitions, it leads to familiarising the child with what is likely to appear in the school-based examination. Arvind Goyal, local academician and PMT trainer, feels knowledge of a subject among students passing out of Class 10 and the will to work hard is low due to the option of school based examination provided to students. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON There was a time when hit Bollywood films of the 70s and 80s were remade in one (or more) of four South Indian languages, generally, Tamil and Telugu, to great success. In fact, many of Rajinikanths hit films {Don, remade as Billa; Deewar, remade as Thee; Amar Akbar Anthony, remade as Ram Robert Rahim; Kasme Vaade, remade as Dharamathin Thalaivan and Mard, remade as Maaveeran} were remakes of Amitabh Bachchan superhits. That changed with the coming of Jeetendra. In his second innings in Bollywood, when he was paired with Sridevi and Jaya Prada, two very successful actors down south. He went on to give hits such as Tohfa (Devata in Telugu), Maqsad (Mundadugu in Telugu) and Himmatwala (Ooriki Monagadu in Telugu), which were all remakes of South Indian hits. Watch: The other Indian beauty: Stunners from regional cinema Rajinikanth successfully remade Amitabh Bachchans hit 70s film Don as Billa. Then, there was a lull till the 2000s and again we see a wave of Tamil/Telugu remakes flooding the market. Pick some of the recent films of actors Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar, and chances are that you will find out that many of them are remakes of hit Tamil or Telugu films. Take Salmans Ready (Ready in Telugu), Bodyguard (Bodyguard in Malayalam) or Kick (Kick in Telugu) or Akshay Kumars Boss (remake of Malayalam film Pokkiri Raja), Holiday (remake of Tamil film Thuppakki) or Gabbar Is Back (remake of Tamil film Ramanaa), all these films have been remade from their original in one of the four south Indian languages. So heres presenting some upcoming Tamil and Telugu films that will be remade in Hindi. We also give you our wishlist of Bollywood actors we want to see in these remakes. Kaththi This Vijay starrer is the story of a criminal and impostor who takes up the identity of a crusader (Vijay in a double role) and fights the cause of farmers, threatened by big corporates bent on taking their land. Read: Akshay Kumar to star in Kaththi remake? Akshay Kumar would do well as an imposter who turns a crusader in Kaththis Hindi remake. (Akshaykumarofficial/Facebook) In a role that requires the actor to metamorphose from playing a petty criminal and conman to a crusader, Akshay Kumar fits in well. Given his recent track record of playing roles with reformist-nationalist overtones to vigilante, Akshay is the right choice for the job. Visaaranai A story set in a jail that focusses on police brutality and torture, Visaaranai is remarkable for the honesty with which it presents what actually happens when people are wrongfully detained and confessions extracted from them. Read: Priyadarshan to direct cop drama Visaaranai in Hindi Visaaranai is a compelling Tamil drama on police brutality. A still from the film. The rights for the Hindi remake have been bought by veteran director Priyadarshan. And while casting is yet to be done, we think Nawazuddin Siddique would do well to fit into Dineshs role while Kamlesh Sawant who played sub-inspector Laxmikant Gaitonde in Ajay Devgn-starrer Dhrishyam, would do well as the dreaded cop, played by actor Ajay Ghosh. Kamlesh Sawant and Nawazuddin Siddiqui as cop and the victim would fit well. O Kadhal Kanmani The film that pretty much marked the return of celebrated Indian filmmaker Mani Ratman back into the romantic genre, O Kadhal Kanmani is a contemporary Tamil romance set in Mumbai and one that celebrates modern lifestyle and value system (the couple is in a live-in relationship). The film has a parallel love story running starring actor Prakash Raj and the dancer and former Censor Board chief Leela Samson while the younger couple is played by Dulquer Salmaan (son of Malayalam actor Mammootty) and the charming Nithya Menen. Read: Karan Johar, Mani Ratnam team up for O Kadhal Kanmani remake Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone share a crackling chemistry as was evident in Tamasha. (TamashaOfficial/Facebook) News is that Bollywood producer-director Karan Johar has already secured the Hindi remake rights for the film. The lead pair too has been decided and it will be the Aashiqui 2 pair of Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor. While we dont quite have a fight with the pair, we feel Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone will raise the bar as far as acting and emotive skills go. For the senior pair, Pankaj Kapur and Neena Gupta would do a fine job. Srimanthudu 2015s big Telugu hit starring Mahesh Babu too is headed the remake way. A family film meets social drama, Srimanthudu is a mainstream masala film with all the necessary elements thrown in (songs, fights, star attraction) but it has one more thing its story is removed from the regular, in that, it has the hero of the film, a scion of rich city-based family, return to his village and adopt it to improve the condition of the impoverished villagers and punish their tormentors. Content over star power: Story of south cinema in first half of 2015 Ajay Devgn could easily step into the shoes of Mahesh Babu as a business scion who turns a benefactor. (AjayDevgn/Facebook) News is Hrithik Roshan is being considered for the Hindi remake but we feel Ajay Devgn will bring both the gravitas and intent to the role that Hrithik Roshan may not be able too. The plot being such, it can easily slip into bravado, chest thumping and jingoism. And while the female lead doesnt have much of a role, we feel someone like Sonakshi Sinha would be fair game to play Shritu Haasans character. In the original, the actor decides to take the road less taken at the behest and provocation of his lady love. ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop Barack Obama will become the first US president to visit Cuba in almost a century next month, a symbolic visit that will cast off one of the last vestiges of the Cold War. The White House announced that Obama and First Lady Michele Obama will travel to the Communist-controlled island March 21-22. Next month, Ill travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people, the US leader said in one of a series of tweets. The White House hopes that the trip will be a Berlin Wall moment, crowning what they say is one of the biggest foreign policy achievements of Obamas presidency. The last American leader to visit the island while in office was Calvin Coolidge in 1928. For generations of Americans, Cuba has been synonymous with crisis and threat, from the disastrous CIA-backed invasion of the island at the Bay of Pigs in 1961, to the Missile Crisis the following year. Since coming to office in 2009, Obama argued that engagement would bear more fruit than embargoes and isolation. In December 2014, Obama made a shock announcement that he and Raul Castro had been in secret talks on a rapprochement. The pair met in April 2015 in Panama, making Obama the first sitting US president to meet a Cuban leader since Dwight Eisenhower in 1956. Diplomatic relations were restored in July, allowing the red, white and blue flags of Cold War foes to fly over Washington and Havana for the first time since 1961. Still have differences A presidential visit will be the capstone of Obamas policy of engagement, but it is also a gamble. Raul Castros government has shown a willingness to open the economy, but Cubas political system is still dominated by the regime. Human rights groups say that detentions have actually increased in recent years, reaching around 8,000 a year even as longer-term prisoners have been released. The White House said that during the visit Obama would meet civil society leaders, who remain under intense pressure from the regime. We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly. America will always stand for human rights around the world, Obama said. Obamas visit will come at a crucial time, just weeks before a crucial Cuban Communist Party congress. The meeting could decide who becomes the first non-Castro to control Cuba since the brothers came down from the Sierra Maestra mountains and ousted Fulgencio Batista on New Years Day 1959. Obama will want to prod Havana into opening up politically, but the White House is betting that opening Cuba to American tourists and American business is the fastest way to bring change. Cuba lost its chief economic benefactor in 1991 as the Soviet Union collapsed and is likely to suffer the same fate again as tumult in Venezuela turns off the spigot of heavily subsidized crude. For now the United States and Cuba are treading cautiously, taking incremental steps to facilitate trade and investment. The Obama administration has focused on regulatory changes to ease travel and trade between the two countries, which have close family ties. There are 1.8 million Cuban Americans and Cuba has a population of 11 million. On Tuesday, the US and Cuba signed an agreement authorizing daily US commercial flights to the island for the first time in more than 50 years. Opposition at home Cubas leaders will try to manage economic reform in a way that does not threaten their political power or vested interests behind state-run firms, following a lead from Vietnam and China. Average wages are $20 a month and Havana frets about any opening undoing its social progress since 1959. And the Cuban governments baby steps on opening their economy clearly have not convinced those voting with their feet decisively since the past years improvement in bilateral ties. Thousands of Cubans have left in recent months over concerns that the diplomatic rapprochement will prompt Washington to drop its policy of giving them automatic residency and the right to work when they set foot in the United States. Obama faces significant opposition to his Cuba policy at home, where the Republican-controlled Congress has made it clear it does not intend to end the embargo. For that to happen requires that Cuba move toward direct elections and begin to settle some 6,000 compensation lawsuits for US-owned property seized during the 1959 revolution. Those suits are estimated to be worth about $8 billion. Cuba is likely to become an issue in the 2016 presidential race, particularly in the battleground state of Florida. Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio, a son of Cuban immigrants, said he would not travel to the island if its not a free Cuba. They are a repressive regime. Theres no elections in Cuba. There is no choice in Cuba, argued Rubio, who grew up in Las Vegas and Florida. China has defended its right to deploy defence facilities within its sovereign territory a day after it emerged that Beijing had stationed surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island in the South China Sea. Taiwans defence ministry and a US defence official have confirmed the deployment of missiles on Woody Island in the Paracel chain (the island is known as Yongxing and the chain as Xisha in China), adding to tensions in the South China Sea. The Xisha Islands are the inherent territory of China. China has justified and legal rights to implement defense facilities on its territory to protect national sovereignty and security, the defence ministrys information office said in a statement to state-controlled China Daily. China started deploying maritime and air defense on relevant islands years ago. The hyping by certain Western media is a pure repeat of the China threat theory, the statement said. Though Woody Island has been in Chinas control for decades, it is claimed by Taiwan. Besides Taiwan, China has disputes with Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia over several islands in the South China Sea. Beijing claims the largest chunk of the region and has staunchly defended its increasingly assertive presence in the area. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei on Thursday neither confirmed nor denied if missiles were deployed on Woody Island, and said the country has had defence facilities on islands for decades. On Wednesday, foreign minister Wang Yi suggested the media should pay attention to the public service done by China in the South China Sea by building lighthouses and weather stations. Chinas construction of limited, necessary facilities of self-protection was consistent with the right to self-preservation and self-protection that China is entitled to under international law, so there should be no question about that, Wang was quoted him as saying by Reuters. Military implementation on islands is an act taken by countries around the globe, while Chinas military implementation on the Xisha Islands started many years ago, Yao Yunzhu, senior researcher at the PLA Academy of Military Science, told China Daily. Tension has simmered in the South China Sea for years now. In November 2013, tensions had escalated after China set up air defence identification zone, which meant foreign airlines flying over the zone had to submit flight plans to Chinese authorities. Beijings announcement immediately triggered protests from the US, Japan and South Korea and military aircraft from these countries had breached the zone soon after. India has ramped up calls for freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and the peaceful resolution of disputes in the crucial region during its recent interactions with key powers such as the United States and the Asean bloc. New Delhis interest in the region, reflected in the India-US Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region issued during President Barack Obamas visit to India last year, is based on the fact that around 50% of the countrys trade passes through the Strait of Malacca, part of the South China Sea. Read | China deploys missiles in South China Sea, likely to escalate tensions History of the conflict China claims almost the entire South China Sea and the islands and reefs that dot it. It first made its claims in 1947 by issuing a map detailing those claims. Beijing has its eyes on an area defined by the nine-dash line, which stretches hundreds of kilometres south from its Hainan province. Beijings claims are in conflict with those of Vietnam, Brunei, the Philippines, Malaysia and Taiwan. After Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia too have declared ownership of part of the Spratly Islands. Vietnam controls 29 islands, the Philippines has seven, Malaysia three, Indonesia two and Brunei one. The reported presence of rich oil and gas reserves in the South China Sea and the regions role as one of the most important maritime trade routes has added to the complexity of the dispute. Goods worth more than $5 trillion pass through the maritime channels of the South China Sea every year. Though not directly involved, India has interests in oil blocs that Vietnam has allowed New Delhi to explore. China has opposed Indias oil exploration ventures. Read | Dont militarise South China Sea: China tells India, US Recent developments In April 2015, satellite images showed China building an airstrip on reclaimed land in the Spratlys. In October 2015, the US sailed a guided-missile destroyer within 12 nautical miles of Chinas artificial islands - the first in a series of actions aimed at asserting freedom of navigation in the region. China warned the US should not act blindly or make trouble out of nothing. In February, China deployed two batteries of surface-to-air missiles and a radar system on Woody Island in the South China Sea, upping the stakes in the dispute. The deployment was captured in satellite images taken by the private company ImageSat International. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi did not deny that the missile systems had been deployed. As for the limited and necessary self-defence facilities China has built on islands and reefs stationed by Chinese personnel, that is consistent with the self-defence and self-preservation China is entitled to under international law, he said. Read | India, US consider joint naval patrols in South China Sea Indias take on the dispute Around 50% of Indias trade passes through the Strait of Malacca, part of the South China Sea. The presence of the Chinese military threatens trade and energy exploration by other countries. Addressing the ASEAN-India Summit in Kuala Lumpur in November, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said New Delhi and the ASEAN grouping share a commitment to freedom of navigation, overflight and unimpeded commerce in line with accepted principles of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. He also said territorial disputes in the region must be settled through peaceful means. India wants all parties to disputes in the South China Sea to abide by guidelines for implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and redouble efforts for early adoption of a Code of Conduct through consensus. The India-US Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and the Indian Ocean Region of 2015 also affirmed the importance of ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea. It too called on all parties to avoid the threat or use of force. China reacted angrily to recent reports quoting US defence officials that said the Indian and US navies could conduct joint patrols in the South China Sea. Indian officials later described the reports as highly speculative. Kenya has killed the commander of an elite unit within Somalias al Shabaab Islamist insurgency, a man blamed for masterminding a deadly attack on a Kenyan military camp in southern Somalia last month, the Kenyan military said on Thursday. Kenyan troops, working under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), killed Mohamed Karatey, al Shabaabs deputy commander and head of intelligence, at a graduation ceremony for insurgent fighters on February 8, the Kenya Defence Forces said in a statement. It is believed Karatey played a major role in the recent attack on KDF troops in El Adde by the deployment of his suicide bombers, KDF said in a statement. His killing now adds to that of the killing of Abdi Dek, the operation commander of the Abu Zubeyr Brigade that carried out the attack in El Adde. The statement gave no further details on killing of Karatey but said the Kenyan military had also killed 42 al Shabaab recruits and 10 other mid-level al Shabaab commanders during the raid. It was not possible to independently verify the killings. Kenyan troops took heavy losses when al Shabaab launched a dawn raid on their camp in El Adde near the Kenyan border on January 15, although they have not disclosed exact casualty figures. Al Shabaab claimed the attack had killed more than 100 soldiers. The Islamist insurgents have links to al Qaeda and seek to overthrow Somalias weak Western-backed government and drive out the African Union soldiers supporting them. Al Shabaab has inflated casualty figures in the past, while other official estimates often play them down. The unit that Karatey headed - known as Amniyat - comprises spies, suicide bombers and explosives experts. The Indian high commission has moved into the Top 5 of the list of London-based foreign missions who owe more than 95 million to authorities as a charge introduced in 2003 to reduce traffic congestion and raise funds for the transport system. Called congestion charge, every vehicle entering a zone in central London marked by the letter C needs to pay 11.50 a day from Monday to Friday between 7am and 6pm (some emergency vehicles are exempted). Failure to pay invites a penalty of 130. Since its introduction in 2003, the missions of India and nearly 70 countries dubbed a stubborn minority have refused to pay the charge for their vehicles, on the ground that it is a tax and they are exempted from paying it under the Vienna Convention. This, however, is disputed by Transport for London (TfL), a government body that believes it is not a tax but a charge for a service, and as such, foreign missions are not exempted. The impasse has continued over the years, with the overall dues amounting to 97,048,600. According to TfLs list of defaulters, India owes it 4,477,605 for the period from 2003 to January 6, 2016. From the sixth position, India has now moved to fifth. The US embassy tops the list, with dues of 10,600,255. The missions of Japan, Russia, Germany and France too are on the list. A spokesperson of the Indian mission told Hindustan Times: We believe that the congestion charge imposed by the UK authorities was not a service charge but a tax, which should be exempted under the Vienna Convention and therefore the Indian high commission, like several diplomatic missions in London, do not pay the congestion charge. Seeking a solution in the International Court of Justice, a TfL spokesperson said: We and the UK government are clear that the congestion charge is a charge for a service and not a tax. This means that diplomats are not exempt from paying it. Around three quarters of embassies in London do pay the charge, but there remains a stubborn minority who refuse to do so, despite our representations through diplomatic channels. TfL said it will continue to pursue all unpaid fees and related penalty charge notices, and push for the matter to be taken up at the International Court of Justice. During US President Barack Obamas visit to London in May 2011, his cavalcade was fined 120 for not paying the congestion charge. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Nepal government on Thursday unveiled a master plan to end the countrys crippling power crisis, which results in daily outages of 13 hours in winter, within two years. The plan, approved by the cabinet, aims to reduce load shedding in the next 12 months and end it completely by 2018. Electricity imports from India are a crucial part of the plan. In two years, we will produce surplus power, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli told journalists in Kathmandu. Nepal needs more than 1,400 MW during the dry winter months, but the country with a generation capacity of nearly 600 MW is able to produce just 228 MW. Hydropower generation began in Nepal more than a century ago and the country has the potential to produce 83,000 MW, but a civil war and unstable governments have resulted in the current situation. Nepal began importing an additional 80 MW from India this week through the new Muzzafarpur-Dhalkebar transmission line, taking total imports to more than 300 MW. The official inauguration of the transmission line is expected to be done in New Delhi during Olis visit to India this week. According to the new plan, Nepal expects to generate more than 1,000 MW during the dry season and nearly 1,600 MW during the monsoon by importing electricity from India and increasing generation from projects under construction. There is hope that by 2018, Nepal will be able to reduce energy dependence on India and increase generation to 1,850 MW from hydro, solar and wind projects. If the projects that are underway and being planned get completed within time, we expect to generate 10,000 MW in the next 10 years, energy minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Nikki Haley, Americas only Indian-origin governor, endorsed Marco Rubios presidential bid on Wednesday as Ted Cruz surged to the top of the conservative race in a new poll. Haleys endorsement assumes importance as South Carolina, the state she leads as a governor, holds a Republican primary coming Saturday that could decide the fate of more than a few of her party candidates. If we elect Marco Rubio, every day will be a great day in America, Haley said at a campaign event, taking off on the states signature greeting Its a great day in South Carolina. I wanted somebody with fight, I wanted somebody with passion, I wanted somebody who had the conviction to do the right thing, but I wanted somebody humble enough to remember he works for all the people, Haley said. I wanted somebody who could show my parents that the best decision they ever made for their children was coming to America. Haley, whose full name is Nimrata Nikki Randhawa, is a first generation American born in the United States to Sikh parents from Punjab and continues to be an extremely popular governor. The Republican party picked her to deliver the traditional opposition party response to the President Barack Obamas state of the union speech this year, widely seen as a sign of her surging equity. Haley is a great popular as a vice-presidential candidate, and may even land it, but not if Donald Trump wins the nomination she has been openly critical of him. Trump remains the party front-runner in the RealClearPolitics national average of polls, but Cruz went past him in a poll by NBC News/Wall Street Journal related Wednesday. Cruz beats Trump 28% to 26% in the new poll, becoming the second Republican to overtake the flashy estate tycoon who has had a lock on the top slot for months now. Ben Carson, the soft-spoken neurosurgeon and the only African American in the fray on the Republican side, went past Trump briefly in November, but then the front-runner recovered. Cruz has overtaken Trump at a crucial time in the race, just days ahead of the crucial South Carolina primary, and the Texas senator thought it strategically useful to trumpet it. For the first time in many months, theres a new national front-runner on the Republican side, Cruz told cheering supporter at a campaign event in South Carolina. The sound youre hearing is the sound of screams coming from Washington, DC, Cruz said, invoking his campaign message of being an outsider to DC politics. Pakistan hanged 324 people last year to rank third worldwide in number of executions but the vast majority of those put to death had no links to militant groups or attacks, rights groups said in a report seen by Reuters. Pakistan lifted a moratorium on executions in late 2014 as a measure to deter militancy, after a Taliban gunmen attacked a school and killed 134 students and 19 adults. Of the 351 executions that followed, only 39, or about 1 in 10, involved people linked to a known militant group or guilty of crimes linked to militancy, Reprieve, an international human rights group, and Justice Project Pakistan said in a report. Pakistan now ranks after China and Iran, carrying out 324 hangings in 2015 alone, the report showed. Juveniles, mentally ill prisoners, and prisoners who had been tortured or had not received fair trials were among those executed, the report found in an analysis of media reports and data from courts, prisons and legal teams. The numbers show that the Pakistan governments claims do not match reality, said Maya Foa, director of the death penalty team at Reprieve. Those going to the gallows are too often the poor and vulnerable, she said in a statement. It is hard to see how hanging people like this will make Pakistan safer. A spokesperson from Pakistans interior ministry did not respond to requests for comment. The government initially said the unofficial moratorium was only being lifted in cases connected to militancy but it was later broadened to cover all cases, the report said. The hangings have drawn condemnation from international partners but have been broadly popular at home. Government officials told Reuters last year that the policy had been helping to deter militant attacks. Militant, insurgent and sectarian attacks have fallen since 2014, though it is unclear whether the decline is linked to the change in execution policy, as it has also coincided with a crackdown on militant strongholds. Last year, attacks in Pakistan by militant, insurgent and sectarian groups were down 48% from 2014, an independent think-tank, the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, said. An attack on a military convoy in Turkeys south-east killed at least six people, a day after a bombing by Kurdish militants killed 28 people in the capital Ankara. On Thursday, morning a bomb detonated by remote control hit security forces travelling in a military vehicle on a road linking Diyarbakir to the district of Lice. The military said six people died and one was seriously injured. Turkeys Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu alleged that Wednesdays attack was perpetrated by a Syrian national with links to the Syrian-Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG). The outlawed Kurdistan Workers party (PKK) assisted with the attack, he added. We collected intelligence all night, Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara. The perpetrators have been fully identified. The attack was carried out by YPG member Salih Necar, who came in from Syria. Nine people were detained in connection to the attack. Davutoglu said Turkish intelligence had established where the militants had crossed into Turkey and how their networks were organised. This information will be given to all countries, primarily the five permanent members [of the United Nations security council], the PM said, once again underlining Turkeys opposition to the YPGs participation at UN-brokered Syria peace talks in Geneva. The evidence that shows that the YPG is a terrorist organisation will be given to all countries Just as we dont sit down with al Qaeda and Islamic State, we cannot sit down with the YPG either. Those that see Turkeys enemy as their friend will lose Turkeys friendship. The Turkish government has lashed out at its western allies, foremost the US, over their refusal to designate the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union (PYD) and its armed wing, the YPG, as a terrorist organisation. The head of the PYD denied allegations that it or the YPG was involved. We have never heard of this person Salih Necar, Saleh Muslim said. These accusations are clearly related to Turkish attempts to intervene in Syria. Prithvi Sridhar, an Indian undergraduate student of engineering at Queens College, Cambridge, has denied in court he raped a fellow student, saying he was too inebriated during a night out on November 4, 2014. Sridhar, 21, is facing trial in the Cambridge Crown Court, where the complainant reportedly said he forced himself on her after returning to her room and left huge love bites on her neck, the Telegraph reported on Thursday. Prosecuting lawyer David Mathew told the court: There was a fair amount of drinking involved. They moved on to a club and both were drinking alcohol. He persistently wanted to dance with her and they were hugging and kissing. The complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court: I told him multiple times that I didnt want to have sex with him. He tried to push himself inside me and I laid back because it hurt less. I was trying not to look at him because I did not want it to happen. Tears were running down my face and I was shaking. The trial is expected to last a week. The daily reported Sridhar offered to escort the girl home because she was nervous about walking home alone. They shared a taxi back to her halls of residence, where Sridhar began kissing her but she tried to stop his advances. Matthew told the court how Sridhar allegedly forced himself on the woman, causing her pain: He (Sridhar) denies penetrating her and says he had difficulty in getting an erection. He says intercourse did not take place at all. The court heard how the complainant, who did not attend the same college as Sridhar, reported the alleged incident to the police a week later on November 11, 2014. There have been several cases of sexual assault in Oxford in recent months, prompting women students to develop a new app called First Response to take survivors and friends through the most relevant options available to deal with such matters. Strikes by a US-led coalition against the Islamic State group killed at least 15 civilians, including three children, in northeastern Syria on Thursday, a monitor said. The strikes hit four IS-controlled villages in Hasakeh province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, saying the toll could rise. It said nine IS fighters had also been killed in the strikes on the four villages. The Britain-based monitor said the latest civilian casualties came after two days of civilian deaths in US-led strikes in Hasakeh. It reported another eight civilians, including one woman, were killed in US-led strikes on another IS-controlled village in the province on Wednesday. Strikes elsewhere in the province also killed 26 IS fighters on the same day, it said. And on Tuesday, 15 civilians were killed in US-led strikes on the town of al Shadadi, the group said. That brought the number of civilians reported killed in US-led strikes in Hasakeh to 38 since Tuesday. The coalition has reportedly stepped up its raids in Hasakeh since the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces alliance launched a new operation against IS in the southern part of the province on Tuesday. The alliance has scored successes against IS in other parts of the province in the past, backed by the coalition that began strikes in Syria in September 2014. It has rarely acknowledged civilian deaths in its campaign against IS. In January, it admitted three likely civilian deaths last year near the IS stronghold of Raqqa, bringing to at least 21 the number of civilians the coalition has acknowledged killing in both Syria and neighbouring Iraq. The Observatory said last month the coalition campaign had killed some 332 civilians in Syria since strikes began, among them 90 children. In total, the campaign has killed more than 4,250 people in Syria, according to the monitor, which relies on a network of sources on the ground. Thank you! You've reported this item as a violation of our terms of use. This content was contributed by a user of the site. If you believe this content may be in violation of the terms of use, you may report it. Colombia's national police chief, Rodolfo Palomino, resigned from his position on Wednesday following the inspector general's announcement yesterday that a disciplinary investigation would be opened into allegations that Palomino created a male prostitution ring within the national police force. The investigation was prompted by testimony that surfaced late last year from a police captain who claimed to have been abused by his superiors during the time he served as a cadet. A retired officer further supported this allegation, saying that with Palomino's complicity, entry-level male cadets were coaxed and threatened into having sex with higher-ranking officers, the BBC reports. In his announcement about the investigatory probe, Inspector General Alejandro Ordonez stated that authorities have obtained testimony and a recorded conversation from 2008 between a then-senator and a senior police official that apparently confirms the existence of the prostitution ring, according to the Associated Press. Politicians, journalists and other critics have been calling for Palomino's removal since the scandal first broke last year, as accusations of fraud and corruption continued to develop, InSight Crime reports. In addition to alleged sexual misconduct, Palomino is also being investigated for illegal enrichment and for supposedly using illegal wiretapping against journalists investigating the scandal. At a press conference in Bogota this afternoon, Palomino said in a statement that he has taken the decision "to ask the president [Juan Manuel Santos] to remove me from my position as director of the National Police," while maintaining "the absolute knowledge of my innocence of the charges that have been laid against me." Palomino claims that the allegations are slanderous, politically-oriented, and designed to both drive him out of office and to discredit Colombia's police force. He has served with Colombia's police for 38 years. Criminal investigations over other top officials' alleged sexual misconduct are also ongoing: Rodolfo Palomino is the third top government official to resign over sexual misconduct within a month, explains Colombia Reports. President Santos has named General Jorge Nieto as the new chief of the police force. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Saleh Najar is the man Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said is responsible for Wednesday night's attacks on Ankara, the capital of Turkey. Najar was born in northern Syria, and according to Turkey's semi-official Anadolu news agency via CNN, has ties to the Kurdish separatist group the YPG. While three military vehicles were stopped at a traffic light near Turkish Parliament, an explosion hit the three plus a private vehicle. The blast is believed to have come from a rigged vehicle, as HNGN previously reported. Twenty-eight people were killed, and 61 were injured. The Turkish military confirmed that it began airstrikes on the PKK in northern Iraq. The military was targeting members of the Kurdish militant group, according to CNN. "Our determination to respond in kind against such attacks against our unity and future from outside and inside is even more strengthened through such attacks," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement, according to CNN. "Turkey will not hesitate to use its right to self-defense anytime, anywhere, and in all situations." Erdogan cancelled a planned trip to Baku, and Davutoglu cancelled his trip to Brussels soon after the explosion, according to the Associated Press. No groups came forward initially, and Soner Cagaptay, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for the Near East Policy think tank, suggested the possibility of ISIS or PKK, which Turkey considers a terrorist group. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO's secretary general, condemned the attacks and said "NATO Allies stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight against terrorism." Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization number 28, including the 12 founder countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Smartphones are becoming more than just communication and entertainment devices, as they have started to serve more practical functions such as a disaster detection device. Developers, for instance, have teamed up with seismologists and unveiled an app Friday called MyShake that effectively transforms smartphones into earthquake detectors. Unlike the elaborate infrastructure seen in the ShakeAlert system, MyShake only relies on the smartphone's accelerometer to detect quake activity. Its algorithm allows the app to estimate the earthquake's location and magnitude, CBS News reported. This information is then forwarded to a central database, where seismologists analyze data real-time. "We show that smartphones can record magnitude 5 earthquakes at distances of 10 km or less and develop an on-phone detection capability to separate earthquakes from other everyday shakes," the app's developers explained in a paper published in the journal Science Advances. The app works within the so-called "crowdsourcing quakes" concept, wherein usage can establish a network that can collect information. This will supposedly make MyShake a reliable early-warning system. "This is a citizen science project," Richard Allen, director of the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory at UC Berkeley, told The Los Angeles Times. "This is an app that provides information, education, motivation - to the people who've downloaded it - to get ready for earthquakes. Those same people are contributing to our further understanding of earthquakes, because they're collecting data that will help us better understand the earthquake process." MyShake is currently available for Android devices. There is no word yet on if it will also get ported to the iOS platform. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. President Barack Obama confirmed on Twitter Thursday that he would visit Cuba in March as part of a larger tour of Latin America, an act that would make him the second sitting U.S. president in history to visit the island since Calvin Coolidge addressed the Pan-American Conference of Western Hemisphere leaders in Havana in 1928. Next month, I'll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people. President Obama (@POTUS) February 18, 2016 The news comes after Washington and Havana restored diplomatic ties last July and the U.S. relaxed travel and trade restrictions after a 54-year freeze. The road to reach this point has been a long one, beginning in December 2014 when both Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced that they would resume relations for the first time since the conclusion of the Cold War, according to NBC News. The two later met in Panama last April in the first official meeting between leaders of the two nations since the U.S. severed diplomatic relations between the two countries after Fidel Castro seized control in 1961. Obama expressed interest in visiting Cuba at least once before he left office but said he would only do so if there was evidence of citizens being given more freedom. "I am very much interested in going to Cuba, but I think the conditions have to be right," he said in a December interview with Yahoo News' Oliver Knox. "What I've said to the Cuban government is 'if, in fact, I, with confidence, can say that we're seeing some progress in the liberty and freedom and possibilities of ordinary Cubans, I'd love to use a visit as a way of highlighting that progress.' If we're going backwards, then there's not much reason for me to be there." Based on recent developments, it is clear that Obama believes its time to visit the once Cold War-era foe and "chart a new course for U.S.-Cuban relations." "This historic visit - the first by a sitting US president in nearly 90 years - is another demonstration of the president's commitment to chart a new course for US-Cuban relations and connect US and Cuban citizens through expanded travel, commerce, and access to information," the White House said, BBC News reported. However, not everyone agrees that Obama should make the trip, and Republican presidential candidates Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, both sons of Cuban migrants, were vocal in their opposition to the upcoming visit at CNN's GOP town hall Wednesday evening. Rubio referred to the Cuban government as "an anti-American communist dictatorship" and said he wouldn't he even entertain going there unless it was a "free Cuba." Cruz mirrored his rival's sentiments, saying, "I think it's a real mistake. I think the President ought to be pushing for a free Cuba. My family has seen firsthand the evil and the oppression in Cuba. We need a president who stands up to our enemies," according to CNN. The visit is expected to occur on March 21-22, and officials say that while there, Obama could witness the signing of a peace accord between the Colombian government and the FARC rebel group. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has broken his silence on where he stands in Apple's fight against a court order that would force it to hack into an iPhone by creating a special version of the device's firmware, saying the order could "compromise users' privacy." Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a letter Tuesday that Apple would fight the order, arguing that this "chilling" precedent of a government agency requesting the tools to bypass the security of any of its commercial devices would inevitably "expose [its] customers to a greater risk of attack." Pichai echoed the words of Cook in a series of tweets, and while he said that law enforcement faces "significant challenges" to ensure public safety, he suggested the FBI's demands went beyond traditional cooperation between tech firms and law enforcement. 1/5 Important post by @tim_cook. Forcing companies to enable hacking could compromise users privacy sundarpichai (@sundarpichai) February 17, 2016 2/5 We know that law enforcement and intelligence agencies face significant challenges in protecting the public against crime and terrorism sundarpichai (@sundarpichai) February 17, 2016 3/5 We build secure products to keep your information safe and we give law enforcement access to data based on valid legal orders sundarpichai (@sundarpichai) February 17, 2016 4/5 But thats wholly different than requiring companies to enable hacking of customer devices & data. Could be a troubling precedent sundarpichai (@sundarpichai) February 17, 2016 5/5 Looking forward to a thoughtful and open discussion on this important issue sundarpichai (@sundarpichai) February 17, 2016 Pichai isn't alone in his support of Apple. The San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation is considering filing an amicus brief in support of the tech giant, and NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden came out in support of Apple on Wednesday, saying it should be the FBI's job to protect citizens' rights and not Apple's. "The FBI is creating a world where citizens rely on Apple to defend their rights, rather than the other way around," he said, according to CNN. With Pichai's statement, not only has Google made its stance clear, but it also debunked Snowden's assumption that Google was favoring the government's position over that of Google users. This is the most important tech case in a decade. Silence means @google picked a side, but it's not the public's. https://t.co/mi5irJcr25 Edward Snowden (@Snowden) February 17, 2016 @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Donald Trump has seemingly put his rivalry with Fox host Megyn Kelly on hold for the second time and is now in the midst of a rivalry with Pope Francis and the Vatican following comments issued by the Pope about the mogul's plan to build a wall between Mexico and the U.S. were he elected president. The back-and-forth between the two began even before Pope Francis left for Mexico, when Trump referred to Francis as "a very political person." "I don't think he understands the danger of the open border we have with Mexico," Trump said, according to The Washington Post. "And I think Mexico got him to do it because Mexico wants to keep the border just the way it is, because they're making a fortune and we're losing." Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi responded late Tuesday, saying that Trump's comments are founded on a lack of information while criticizing the Republican frontrunner for not being aware of the Pope's stance on immigration. "The pope always talks about migration problems all around the world, of the duties we have to solve these problems in a humane manner, of hosting those who come from other countries in search of a life of dignity and peace," Lombardi said. The feud seemed to settle, as neither the Vatican nor Trump had anything to say about the other during the Pope's time in Mexico. However, the feud was soon reignited during a press conference aboard the papal plane when Francis answered a question about Trump's plan to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, The New York Times reported. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," the pope said in a press conference where he covered topics that included using contraception to avoid having fetuses contract the Zika virus. "This is not in the gospel." Trump, not one to take such an attack lying down, immediately fired back, calling Francis' comments "disgraceful." "No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man's religion or faith," he said, according to The Independent. "If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS's ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president." Though seemingly innocuous, the feud may have an impact on the Republican primary in the months to come. Trump's GOP opponents have a new source of ammunition just by the business mogul being part of a new rivalry, while Francis' comments open him up to the criticism that his papacy is too partisan and his policies are to liberal. Neither the Pope nor the Vatican have issued a rebuttal to Trump's comment, but considering that one of Pope Francis' core ideologies in his papacy is tolerance and acceptance, it's likely that they will just leave well enough alone. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. You can be beautiful, strong and on top of the world, and it can all be taken away in a moment. Live your life accordingly! With this thought in mind it was in 2010 that I moved from Germany to the most exciting and glamorous city I've ever seen... New York City! My life turned out just fabulous and this is what I'm sharing with you ! Independent hotels in Europe must find new ways to attract customers during 2016 in order to survive. That's the stark message contained in a report on the future of the hotel sector. The diagnosis Although the gross bookings taken by independents were expected to rise to 35.9 billion in 2015 from 35 billion in 2014, that 2.4% growth is labelled "modest" by Phocuswright and h2c's Independent Lodging Market Report co-sponsored by SiteMinder. The relative stagnation of the sector is particularly troublesome when compared to hotel chains, which the report says are growing three times faster than independents. The independent share of the hotel market is expected to fall from 58% in 2013 to 56% in 2017. These figures are compounded by Europe's slow growth compared to the USA the latter has a 6.8% compound annual growth rate between 2013 and 2017, while Europe can only boast 1.1%. Embracing the role of OTAs Another key and distinct facet of the European market is the increasing reliance on OTAs over native hotel websites. In total, OTA bookings represent 71% of all online bookings for independent European hotels, compared to just 52% in the US. The report notes that OTAs "stir up mixed feelings" among those in the independent hotel industry. While some bemoan the cost, and others worry about becoming reliant on OTAs, there is an acceptance that they increase demand and enable hotels to fill empty rooms much more efficiently. And yet, despite their predominance, more than half of the independent properties covered in the report believe their own website to be their most important distribution channel, which points to a disconnect between where businesses want their customers to come from and where they actually come from. Changing channels The rise of Booking.com continues unchecked in the European market, with the site now responsible for 49% of all independent properties' OTA business. This is hardly a surprise for us at SiteMinder, with Booking.com topping our list of the top 10 revenue-generating booking sites in 2015 for the fourth consecutive year. TripAdvisor's Instant Booking sees the report rank it as the third most effective OTA for all European properties, however it fell to the fifth position specifically among hotels and motels. TripAdvisor's partnership with Booking.com has been an interesting move for the travel giant and one the industry will continue to watch this year. In marketing terms, travel review sites still fare well as far as independent European hotels are concerned 47% of independents regard review websites as their most effective marketing tool, with SEO and SEM the next best at 28%. It's also worth pointing out that more than half of European independents claim they now have a genuine mobile-friendly website. While this is a step in the right direction, with mobile technology becoming increasingly ubiquitous, it will become absolutely essential for every hotel to have a website that's not only mobile, but optimised for search in the coming years. Looking close to home Although looking for new ways to reach customers is always important, some independent hotels might benefit from looking at their internal processes in more detail. The report noted that recording rates and availability in this sector are largely done manually, with "strategy and structure missing from pricing strategy, making it difficult to optimise channels and compete effectively with chains". Somewhat surprisingly, the report found that half of the independent properties in Europe don't have an Internet booking engine, while only 31% have a property management system. For those hotels, automating processes such as room management and inventory with a channel manager, such as SiteMinder's, can make all the difference, enabling hoteliers to study detailed, tailored information, broaden the reach of their property, and find out which channels (and therefore markets and customer segments) work best for them. The future According to the report, independent properties are unlikely to have the resources to compete on a level playing field with the big chains and need to run their business accordingly. We at SiteMinder challenge this viewpoint. While the lack of resources and budget will certainly always be an issue, we believe firmly in the power of cloud technology, like ours, to level that playing field for the smallest of independents. Additionally, the report suggests OTAs are likely to dominate for years to come. Although this may be true, many European independents also expressed a wish to direct more traffic through their own website and we believe investment in these native sites would not be misguided. SiteMinder's Canvas is just one way independent hoteliers can make this investment at a low cost to their business, while also gaining full control of their brand.com website. About SiteMinder SiteMinder Limited (ASX:SDR) is the world's leading open hotel commerce platform, ranked among technology pioneers for opening up every hotel's access to online commerce. It's this central role that has earned SiteMinder the trust of tens of thousands of hotels, across 150 countries, to sell, market, manage and grow their business. The global company, headquartered in Sydney with offices in Bangkok, Berlin, Dallas, Galway, London and Manila, generated more than 100 million reservations worth over US$35 billion in revenue for hotels in the last year prior to the start of the pandemic. For more information, visit siteminder.com. Maria Cricchiola Director of Brand Communications & PR +61 2 8031 1287 SiteMinder View source It looks like you've reached a page that doesnt exist (anymore). Please use the navigation or search above to find content on Hospitality Net. Go back to home View Casi Johnson's LinkedIn Profile Casi Johnson is a graduate of The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee - United States Related Related Press Release Casi Johnson Named Chief Operations Officer of M3 Accounting + Analytics M3 Accounting + Analytics, the industry leader in hospitality accounting and analytics software, has recently promoted a key team member to lead company operations. Casi Johnson, M3's former Executive Vice President of Operations, has been named Chief Operations Officer-Innovations Leader. Allen Read will continue in his role as President/Partner of the company. Casi's career trajectory is reflective of the hard work and tenacity she exhibits in her role with M3. She began her career in the hospitality industry while a student at the University of Tennessee School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration, working as a Front Desk Clerk and moving into progressively more responsible positions after graduating. After leading hotel operations as a General Manager, Casi joined a brand-new M3 company in 2000 as the Director of Training, and received promotions to Support Manager in 2005 and Vice President of Operations in 2007. In 2009, Casi relocated to the Tampa, Florida area, opening M3's training center and expanding the service department for new M3 products. Johnson continued her leadership role after her appointment as Executive Vice President of Operations in 2009, and will continue her focus to grow and improve the company in her role as Chief Operations Officer. Casi earned her Master of Business Administration at the University of South Florida in 2012, and has served as an adjunct professor with the University of South Florida College of Hospitality & Tourism Leadership, where she taught the principles of hotel financial accounting to the next generation of hoteliers. She is also a member of the International Customer Service Association. Moxy Hotels Launches In The U.S. Moxy New Orleans and Moxy Tempe to Open Spring 2016 Moxy Hotels reinvents the select-service hotel experience to fully embrace todays Next Generation traveler and to show the world what moxie really means fun, spirited and stylish. These two new hotels will offer the style and soul of a boutique hotel that is surprisingly affordable. We are excited to debut Moxy Hotels in the U.S., beginning with New Orleans and Tempe, as we believe that the aura of each city completely embodies the essence of Moxy fun, edgy, and social, all with a youthful spirit, said Vicki Poulos, global brand director, Moxy Hotels. Todays Millennial traveler appreciates the idea of hospitality over service: they want to be welcomed, and to help themselves. Knowing that this audience views self-service as the best service, Moxy has created a new way of traveling, which is smaller in concentration, not a reduction. Thoughtful touches permeate the Moxy experience, providing Next Gen guests with everything they want and nothing they dont. Moxys inviting lobbies are crafted to be highly social spaces with a high-energy lounge, 24/7 self-service grab and go, ample plug-ins for personal devices, free and furiously-fast Wi-Fi, and the Moxy Digital Guestbook for streaming videos and pictures via Instagram. Each hotel is also equipped with a library and plug-in zones that invite a quiet read or a brief web browse. Guestrooms will offer keyless entry, screen casting and motion-sensor lighting. The design aesthetic will embody the ethos of the brand and the personality of the local areas. The brands photo booth elevators encourage and enable guests to snap fun selfies with locally-inspired props. Moxy New Orleans, located steps away from the French Quarter in downtown New Orleans, will welcome guests with its style, design and attitude. Developed and owned by Noble Investment Group, the contemporary 108-room hotel is scheduled to be unveiled in April 2016. To help introduce New Orleans to the Moxy way of life, the hotel welcomes locals and travelers to join Moxys upcoming buzz worthy get-togethers, which are designed to get the blood pumping. Pre-opening happenings will include an exclusive invite-only sleepover. The opening reveal events will include: a traditional New Orleans Freak Show, a mix-off with dueling DJs, local beer tasting and a Karaoke party. Moxy Tempe will debut in March in the Phoenix-metro hipsterhood known for its crazy college parties, underground art and epic nightlife. Launched by Newport Beach, California-based Twenty Four Seven Hotels, Moxy Tempe will feature 186 industrial chic, yet comfortable, bedrooms and an abundance of free-flowing indoor/outdoor space enabled by modern roll-up garage doors off the lobby. Old school record players, vinyl album sets and acoustic guitars will pump music in Moxy King Studios, and custom Moxy city cruiser bikes will zip guests around town. The hotels lively pool scene and state-of-the-art fitness center will ensure guests will want to extend their stay. Moxy Tempe will introduce travelers and locals alike to the Moxy lifestyle with a reveal event in April 2016. As part of Marriott International Luxury + Lifestyle portfolio of brands, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, EDITION Hotels, BVLGARI Hotels & Resorts, JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Autograph Collection, Renaissance Hotels and AC Hotels, Moxy Hotels boldly reinvents the select service hotel experience to fully embrace todays millennial traveler Moxy is spirited always buzzing with high energy, interesting people and an energetic crew. Moxy Hotels, which first launched in Milan in September 2014, is entering the U.S. market in a bold way, with several identified projects slated for major metropolitan locations in addition to New Orleans and Tempe, including New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago and Nashville. Upcoming international openings include Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin, Oslo, Aberdeen, and London. The brand expects to offer a portfolio of nearly 150 hotels around the world within the next ten years. Moxys guests enrolled in the award winning Marriott Rewards loyalty program will be able to check in and out in advance and earn points during their stay that can be redeemed for flights, hotel accommodations and merchandise, including home furnishings, fashion and more. Marriotts mobile app makes check in seamless for all Marriott Rewards members up to 24 hours in advance. Independent hotels in Europe must adapt to attract new guests in 2016 By Dai Williams, Managing Director - EMEA, SiteMinder Independent hotels in Europe must find new ways to attract customers during 2016 in order to survive. That's the stark message contained in a report on the future of the hotel sector. The diagnosis Although the gross bookings taken by independents were expected to rise to 35.9 billion in 2015 from 35 billion in 2014, that 2.4% growth is labelled modest by Phocuswright and h2cs Independent Lodging Market Report co-sponsored by SiteMinder. The relative stagnation of the sector is particularly troublesome when compared to hotel chains, which the report says are growing three times faster than independents. The independent share of the hotel market is expected to fall from 58% in 2013 to 56% in 2017. These figures are compounded by Europes slow growth compared to the USA the latter has a 6.8% compound annual growth rate between 2013 and 2017, while Europe can only boast 1.1%. Embracing the role of OTAs Another key and distinct facet of the European market is the increasing reliance on OTAs over native hotel websites. In total, OTA bookings represent 71% of all online bookings for independent European hotels, compared to just 52% in the US. The report notes that OTAs stir up mixed feelings among those in the independent hotel industry. While some bemoan the cost, and others worry about becoming reliant on OTAs, there is an acceptance that they increase demand and enable hotels to fill empty rooms much more efficiently. And yet, despite their predominance, more than half of the independent properties covered in the report believe their own website to be their most important distribution channel, which points to a disconnect between where businesses want their customers to come from and where they actually come from. Changing channels The rise of Booking.com continues unchecked in the European market, with the site now responsible for 49% of all independent properties OTA business. This is hardly a surprise for us at SiteMinder, with Booking.com topping our list of the top 10 revenue-generating booking sites in 2015 for the fourth consecutive year. TripAdvisors Instant Booking sees the report rank it as the third most effective OTA for all European properties, however it fell to the fifth position specifically among hotels and motels. TripAdvisors partnership with Booking.com has been an interesting move for the travel giant and one the industry will continue to watch this year. In marketing terms, travel review sites still fare well as far as independent European hotels are concerned 47% of independents regard review websites as their most effective marketing tool, with SEO and SEM the next best at 28%. Its also worth pointing out that more than half of European independents claim they now have a genuine mobile-friendly website. While this is a step in the right direction, with mobile technology becoming increasingly ubiquitous, it will become absolutely essential for every hotel to have a website thats not only mobile, but optimised for search in the coming years. Looking close to home Although looking for new ways to reach customers is always important, some independent hotels might benefit from looking at their internal processes in more detail. The report noted that recording rates and availability in this sector are largely done manually, with strategy and structure missing from pricing strategy, making it difficult to optimise channels and compete effectively with chains. Somewhat surprisingly, the report found that half of the independent properties in Europe don't have an Internet booking engine, while only 31% have a property management system. For those hotels, automating processes such as room management and inventory with a channel manager, such as SiteMinders, can make all the difference, enabling hoteliers to study detailed, tailored information, broaden the reach of their property, and find out which channels (and therefore markets and customer segments) work best for them. The future According to the report, independent properties are unlikely to have the resources to compete on a level playing field with the big chains and need to run their business accordingly. We at SiteMinder challenge this viewpoint. While the lack of resources and budget will certainly always be an issue, we believe firmly in the power of cloud technology, like ours, to level that playing field for the smallest of independents. Additionally, the report suggests OTAs are likely to dominate for years to come. Although this may be true, many European independents also expressed a wish to direct more traffic through their own website and we believe investment in these native sites would not be misguided. SiteMinders Canvas is just one way independent hoteliers can make this investment at a low cost to their business, while also gaining full control of their brand.com website. Media contact: Maria Franco +61 410 233 735 media@siteminder.com About SiteMinder As the leading cloud platform for hotels, SiteMinder allows hotels to attract, reach and convert guests across the globe. We serve hotels of all sizes with award-winning solutions for independents and groups alike, wherever they are in the world. SiteMinders products include The Channel Manager, the industrys leading online distribution platform; TheBookingButton, a wholly-branded booking engine for direct bookings via the web, mobile or social; Canvas, the intelligent website creator for independent hoteliers; and GDS by SiteMinder, a single-point of entry to a six-figure network of travel agents and the worlds major GDSs. With more than 20,000 hotel customers and 400 of the industry's top connectivity providers as our partners, today we have presence in more than 160 countries on six continents. For more information, visit www.siteminder.com or the team at ITB Berlin (Hall 10.1 Stand 108). O hh.....You requested a page that is no longer available. In year-over-year comparisons, occupancy decreased 1.3% to 57.5%. However, average daily rate for the week was up 7.2% to CAD144.09, and revenue per available room increased 5.8% to CAD82.92. The Canadian hotel industry reported mostly positive results in the three key performance metrics during the week of 7-13 February 2016, according to data from STR, Inc. In year-over-year comparisons, occupancy decreased 1.3% to 57.5%. However, average daily rate for the week was up 7.2% to CAD144.09, and revenue per available room increased 5.8% to CAD82.92. Among the provinces, Ontario posted the largest increases in each of the three key performance measurements. Occupancy in the province increased 7.1% to 62.3%; ADR rose 16.8% to CAD150.12; and RevPAR jumped 25.1% to CAD93.48. British Columbia was the only other province to post double-digit increases for any of the three metrics. ADR in the province increased 10.9% to CAD154.27, and RevPAR rose 16.2% to CAD90.59. Alberta reported the largest decreases in occupancy (-21.2% to 47.2%) and RevPAR (-24.9% to CAD65.78). Newfoundland and Labrador was the only other province to experience a double-digit decline in both occupancy (-10.0% to 46.1%) and RevPAR (-13.3% to CAD60.68). Saskatchewan reported the largest drop in ADR, down 5.0% to CAD125.86. About STR STR, Inc. provides clients - including hotel operators, developers, financiers, analysts and suppliers to the hotel industry - access to hotel research with regular and custom reports covering the United States, Canada, Mexico and Caribbean. STR provides a single source of global hotel data covering daily and monthly performance data, forecasts, annual profitability, pipeline and census information. STR founded the STR family of companies and is proudly associated with STR Global, STR Analytics and Hotel News Now. STR also founded the Hotel Data Conference. For more information, please visit www.str.com. He's going to be one of the 3Arena band in May In what is a pretty damn spectacular meeting of musical minds, Johnny Marr will be part of the band on May 26 when celebrated German film composer Hans Zimmer plays Dublin's 3Arena. "Playing with Hans is always great, all that great music, and the orchestra," enthuses Mr. Marr. "On the stage it goes to another level. Zimmer is a serious Hollywood hot property having scored the likes of Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, The Da Vinci Code, Sherlock Holmes and Batman Begins. Johnny appeared alongside him on The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Inception soundtracks, and has previously shared a stage with Zimmer in London and LA. His Teutonic pal also revealed in 2014 that he'll be gracing Marr's next studio album. "Johnny's got a plan," he told Bang Showbiz. "I don't want to talk about it too much, but he's roped me into something where we're going to be doing a bit of role reversal. I'm going to be his humble arranger, which is going to be fun. It will be a case of Johnny telling me what to do and I'll do it. It will be for his next album." One of the most remarkable stories in Irish music is the supergroup whove reinvented traditional music for the 21st century. Ahead of their eagerly anticipated second album, The Gloaming lead the charge in the new issue of Hot Press While the music scene in Ireland isnt short of fascinating stories, theres one that stands out; the fascinating journey of how five musicians broke the mould and turned the world of traditional folk music on its head. The Gloaming, unlikely as it may have seemed, are now one of Irelands most popular acts, and, ahead of their second album, they star on the cover of this fortnights Hot Press. Inside, the groups Thomas Bartlett tells Olaf Tyaransen the extraordinary story so far, as well as giving us a guided tour through the groups latest masterpiece. Equally remarkable are English pop-rockers The 1975, a global sensation whose success is matched only by their unflinching honesty. Our man Colm ORegan finds frontman Matty Healy in typically forthright mood, as singing about suicide, the loneliness of touring and the difficulties of wearing your heart on your sleeve are all up for discussion. Of course, its also Election season, and weve got all the major issues covered. As well as Bressie on the importance of mental health policy for the incoming government, Anne Sexton on the repeal of the Eighth Amendment, and student representative Annie Hoey on the hot topics for young voters, we sit down with Eoghan Murphy and Richard Boyd Barrett to discuss the key matters as the nation heads to the polls. Advertisement The stars of Zoolander 2 are given a right grilling by Roe McDermott, who also catches up with How To Be Single star Alison Brie. Author Glenn Paterson discusses his latest novel, while we also get excited about the return of everyones dubious lawyer on Better Call Saul. Add in a 16-page Lets Talk About Sex special, where we explore the A-Z of sex, give the ultimate soundtrack to getting it on, and supply vital information about long-acting reversible contraception; the latest in the world of craft beer; and all the usual news, review, previews and everything else youve come to expect, and youre looking at another jam-packed issue of Hot Press, on shelves now! You can Buy Hot Press 40-03 with The Gloaming on the cover direct from hotpress.com . Or download the iOS app for iPad/iPhone Or download the Android App Yesterday was another disastrous session for Clean Coal Technologies Inc. The opening price of the stock of $0.42 turned out to be its highest point for the day. The continuous slide took the ticker to an intraday low of $0.28 just an hour before the end of the trading day. While in that hour CCTC did manage to move a bit higher they still closed at $0.35 for a loss of 16.67%. So far, in just 8 sessions CCTC has wiped more than 42% of its value. At the end of January the company finally submitted its missing financial reports, which once again made it a current SEC filer. Unfortunately, what investors found in said reports was extremely depressing. CCTC finished the quarter ended September 30, 2015, with: $104,677 cash and total current assets!!! $61 million total current liabilities ZERO revenues $2.3 million loss from operations In addition to the grim financials the outstanding convertible debt also raises some serious concerns. At the end of the period CCTC had $1.4 million of debt that is convertible into shares at either a fixed price or at discounts ranging from 25% to 45%. The subsequent events section stated that from October 2015 through January 2016 Clean Coal Technologies were able to get around $1.5 million in fresh funds but that debt too can be turned into shares at a fixed price of $0.08. It is clear that the company is facing a lot of challenges. Their test plant in Oklahoma is estimated to cost $6.4 million but when you add all of the additional costs the whole amount goes up to $9 million. As of September 30, 2015, just $1.37 million had been paid towards the plant's construction. After suffering from such a rapid depreciation the stock could very well bounce. However, forming a more prolonged recovery may prove to be a difficult task. Don't underestimate the red flags around CCTC and never put any money on the line without first doing thorough research. Looking through the last couple of press releases made by National Waste Management Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB:NWMH, NWMH message board) shows that the company has been making solid progress. In the last quarter of 2015 it closed two acquisitions, on December 28 it entered into a three year contract with Citrus County in Florida, and the latest PR from January 26 announced that NWMH has expanded its Hernando, Florida facility. The encouraging PRs should have pushed the stock of the company to new heights with the equity research firm SeeThruEquity even giving the ticker a 12-month price target of $1.96 per share. The chart performance shows a different picture, though - not only is NWMH not surging up but they are actually sliding lower and lower down the chart. Yesterday the stock corrected by another 9% and closed at $0.786. During the session a new 52-week record low of $0.625 was registered. For NWMH this was the seventh session of losses in a row. The strong negative sentiment towards the stock may leave some investors surprised. While the financials of the company definitely show some weaknesses they are still not that bad - the pro forma consolidated balance statement for NWMH and its two acquisitions for the first nine months of 2015 contained the following numbers: $534 thousand cash $1.18 million total current assets $726 thousand total current liabilities $4.12 million revenues $141 thousand net loss Still, there are a couple of reasons that could explain the current slide of the stock. A few years back NWMH sold around 2.5 million split adjusted shares to a group of unnamed investors for the original sum of just $2550. Or investors might have seen the form 5 filings from January 22 according to which insiders of the company have been selling shares on the open market during the last couple of months of 2015. Not to mention the approval of an insider trading policy which allows insider to sell shares according to pre-arranged trading plans. When dealing with NWMH's stock you should use caution. Take all of the possible risks into account and only then put any money on the line. Today's actions will always have implications tomorrow. What is more, you never know how long they will last for. It could take weeks, months, or forever. This is exactly the case with Cobalt International Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CIE, CIE message board) and the potential misconduct of the company's management in connection with the company's controversial oil exploration activities in offshore Angola. It has been almost nine years since Cobalt International sealed an agreement with Sonangol E.P., Angola's state oil entity, to acquire drilling rights in the so called Lontra and Loenga wells. So far, so good, and it would probably have turned out quite good had it not been for the sham nature of Cobalt's Angolan partners, as well as the wells' less-than-stellar oil and gas deposits, if any. Given that Cobalt's management had to write off a whopping $55 million in relation to one of the two Angolan properties, what has since followed in terms of legal actions hardly seems surprising at all. All of this happened before 2010. Yet, an update on a pending lawsuit initiated on behalf of certain purchasers of CIE shares was published just two weeks ago. This came hot on the heels of a court's ruling from Jan. 19, 2016 stipulating that the Cobalt defendants could not have been unaware of what the company was really getting into. Without getting into detail with regard to the very chronology of events, one thing is for sure: as long as a final settlement has yet to be reached, Cobalt International's current and future endeavors are bound to be taken with a grain of salt, and the stock's gradual yet consistent decline on the charts proves just that. At their Feb. 17 close of $2.54 per share, CIE shares are experiencing their worst chart days ever. Whether they take a breather or not also depends, among other things, on what Cobalt's current managers will give investors on Monday morning when they announce the company's Q4 and FY 2015 results. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 1 of 2 Gary Coronado/Staff Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Gary Coronado/Staff Show More Show Less Who: Ryan Ng, chef and wine buyer for Ruggles Black, 3963 Kirby. Ng was managing a restaurant in San Antonio when he was still in high school but went on to get degrees in biology and chemistry from Texas A&M University before deciding that he didn't want to spend the rest of his life in a lab. He earned a Certificate of Completion in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry in May 2010 from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After chef jobs with Aramark, serving HISD, and 55 Restaurant in Rice Village, he joined forces with chef Bruce Molzan at the Corner Table and the Ruggles Green restaurants, then followed Molzan to Ruggles Black. Ng has his Level I certification with the Court of Master Sommeliers. What: 2012 Champ de Reves Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. Dallas Job Fair February 17th with Travel Retailer Hudson Group Leading travel retailer Hudson Group is hosting another free Dallas job fair on February 17th for fifty entry-level positions. It will take place from 9am to 4pm at Embassy Suites Dallas Lo Posted by Press Releases on Thursday, 02-18-2016 6:45 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes (PRWEB) February 15, 2016Leading travel retailer Hudson Group is hosting another free Dallas job fair on February 17th for fifty entry-level positions. It will take place from 9am to 4pm at Embassy Suites Dallas Love Field Airport Hotel, 3880 W Northwest Highway, Dallas, Texas 75220.The event is for the companys food and beverage outlets at Dallas Love Field Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Hudson Group will also be recruiting for its bakery operation in Irving.The positions available include supervisor, crew members, as well as food prep associates with major brands: Dunkin' Donuts, Jasons Deli, and Baskin-Robbins. Coffee and donuts will be provided.Candidates will have the opportunity to get hired on the spot! In addition, candidates will have the chance to be promoted to supervisor within just six to twelve months. If unable to attend the event but still interested in a job, feel free to contact DMcMonigle(at)hudsongroup(dot)com or 303-330-6498.The ... Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web. If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator. Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile Fast Growing Staffing Franchise System Plans Expansion in Jacksonville As more businesses and job seekers in Jacksonville, Florida, continue to rely on the services of staffing firms, the demand for new franchise offices grows for Express Employment Pro Posted by Press Releases on Thursday, 02-18-2016 4:37 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes (PRWEB) February 12, 2016As more businesses and job seekers in Jacksonville, Florida, continue to rely on the services of staffing firms, the demand for new offices grows for Express Employment Professionals.The growing list of small- to medium-sized businesses that benefit from staffing firms has sent Oklahoma City-based Express Employment Professionals on an expansion campaign in Florida. There are currently 30 offices throughout the state and the company is looking to open an Express franchise in Jacksonville by the end of 2016.Express Employment Professionals is ranked as the No. 1 staffing franchise in the U.S. in 2016, according to Entrepreneur Magazine, and also ranked No. 70 on the publications Franchise 500 List. Criteria for making the Franchise 500 List is based on financial strength and ability, growth rate and the number of years a company has been in business.Its a great accomplishment and honor to be ranked again on the Franchise 500 List, sai... Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web. If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator. Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile Lendio Expands Marketing Leadership with Key New HiresFormer Web Executive and Industry Leaders to Support Rapidly Expanding Business Posted by Press Releases on Thursday, 02-18-2016 7:23 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes SOUTH JORDAN, UT (PRWEB) FEBRUARY 11, 2016Lendio (http://www.lendio.com), the nations leading marketplace for small business loans, today announced a key addition to its executive leadership team appointing Edward Angstadt as senior vice president of marketing.Angstadt joins Lendio during the companys fast-paced growth phase highlighted by nearly 100 percent year-over-year revenue growth.With a proven track record of developing and executing marketing strategies that target small business owners, Edward is the ideal leader to further strengthen our management team, said Brock Blake, CEO and co-founder, Lendio. It is a priority for us to bring on exceptional talent as we continue to grow and solidify our position within the small business lending marketplace.Angstadt joins Lendio from Web.com, a leading provider of Internet services and online marketing solutions for small businesses. At Web.com, Angstadt managed and led all customer acquisition... Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web. If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator. Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile PracticeMatch to Host Physician Career Fair at Dallas Marriott Suites on February 16, 2016 The PracticeMatch Career Fair is a free one day event designed for physicians and other medical professionals looking to explore career opportunities with employer Posted by Press Releases on Thursday, 02-18-2016 6:55 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes St. Louis, MO (PRWEB) February 15, 2016The PracticeMatch Career Fair will take place Tuesday, February 16, 2016 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at the Dallas Marriott Suites, 2493 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75207. Representatives from over 50 local and nationwide hospitals, clinics and groups will be exhibiting to showcase their career opportunities. Attendees will enjoy free hors doeuvres and raffle prize drawings.Leslie Thompson, Director of Career Fairs for PracticeMatch says Dallas is an ideal location to hold a career fair event. There are thousands of medical residents and fellows who are looking for a physician role, as well as many practicing physicians and advanced practitioners who may be interested in taking on new opportunities and challenges, Thompson continues: We know that we can be instrumental in every career stage of these highly valued medical professionals.PracticeMatch Career Fairs offer convenient locations and an engaging atmosph... Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web. If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator. 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You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-02-17 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] Labour minister says government is preparing meeting with farmers at end of week [02] Greek foreign ministry condemns deadly attack in Ankara [01] Labour minister says government is preparing meeting with farmers at end of week Labour Minister George Katrougalos invited farmers who are protesting against the government's proposed social security and pension reforms to a dialog for possible solutions, following a meeting of the Government Council for Economic and Social Policy on Wednesday. "You will hear the government's proposals from the prime minister himself when the farmers come [for a dialog] as we hope they will and we're preparing this meeting for the end of the week," he told journalists. [02] Greek foreign ministry condemns deadly attack in Ankara Greece's foreign ministry strongly condemned the deadly blast in the Turkish capital on Wednesday evening, describing it as a "heinous attack" in a post on the ministry's Twitter account. "We grieve with our neighbours the victims of [the] Ankara blast. We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, this heinous terrorist attack," the tweet read. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-02-18 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] Tsipras at EUCO: 'Europe's future is not walls and xenophobia' [02] Refugee crisis, energy, Turkey discussed in meeting between Greek-Italian FMs [03] Private citizens' association sues Britain at European Court of Human Rights for Parthenon Marbles [01] Tsipras at EUCO: 'Europe's future is not walls and xenophobia' The future of Europe does not include building walls and stoking xenophobia, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said as he arrived at the European Council Summit meeting in Brussels on Thursday evening. "Europe is in a critical, very critical crossroads because we have to tackle three crises at the same time: The financial crisis which remains, the security crisis and the refugee crisis. So we must remain united and show solidarity - but united and with solidarity everywhere. Not only in the northwestern side of Europe, but also in the southeastern and in the Mediterranean," he told journalists. "The solution to the refugee crisis is not building fences and promoting racism in Europe. The future of Europe is not walls and xenophobia and European rules cannot only be for some and a la carte for others," he added. Before the Summit meeting, Tsipras met with Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, who briefed him on the mini- summit of the Visegrad Four (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) last Monday in Prague. According to a government sources, Sobotka told Tsipras his country will help Greece as it helps other countries. The Czech premier had invited Tsipras to attend the summit, but he had declined, citing excessive work load, the same sources said. On his side, the Greek premier told Sobotka that Greece cannot implement any measures that are not in line with international law, such as pushbacks. He also asked that European policy on the refugee crisis is allowed more time to bear fruit on issues such as relocation, Turkey and NATO participation. Tsipras also said that sending army and gendarmerie at the country's borders would constitute a "non-friendly action". [02] Refugee crisis, energy, Turkey discussed in meeting between Greek-Italian FMs The refugee crisis, energy issues and developments in Lybia and Syria, were the main focus of the meeting between Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and his Italian counterpart Paolo Gentiloni at the foreign ministry on Thursday. "We are bound together by the same concerns, as countries of first reception, for the refugee issue, developments in Lybia and Syria and the values of the European Union," Kotzias told journalists at a joint press conference after the meeting. "We know the big problems we are facing, such as the refugee crisis, demand creative, peaceful solutions," he added, noting that both countries are supporting the actions of the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura. Kotzias also said Greece and Italy are interested in the construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline AG (TAP), the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) and developing renewable energy sources. Asked to comment on how Wednesday's deadly terrorist attack in Ankara may affect the Syrian crisis, the Greek minister said: "Turkey is a great nation, great peoples, and will deal with terrorists in the way it chooses, but at the same time it should not let terrorism hinder the peace process with the Kurds Turkey must not be led to a hard confrontation with the Kurds in general in the name of this attack, but should march boldly against terrorists, for more democracy." On his side, Gentiloni condemned the terrorist attack in Turkey and expressed his country's sympathy to the Turkish people. "The reasons behind those attacks are matters for the Turkish authorities to express their opinions on," he told journalists. "We should emphasize on the one hand our support to Turkey who is a NATO member-country and our ally, a country that is committed to fighting terrorism in Afghanistan and against the ISIS." He also reiterated the importance of the joint decision taken by in Munich that "a solution to the Syrian crisis can only aim at a cessation of hostilities and the beginning of a transitional process that will lead to the end of the war." Gentiloni also noted that none of the actors in the region could realistically bet on a military solution to tackle the Syrian conflict. Commenting on the absence of Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu from today's Summit meeting, Kotzias admitted it will "certainly complicate" a consensus between the EU and Turkey on the refugee issue, but said more opportunities for talks will be found in the future, as he announced the visit of Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, to Athens on March 4 to prepare the intergovernmental meeting in Izmir on March 8. The two countries also agreed to cooperate in trade and culture. [03] Private citizens' association sues Britain at European Court of Human Rights for Parthenon Marbles A private citizen's group called the "Athenians' Association" said on Thursday they filed a lawsuit at the European Court of Human Rights against the United Kingdom over the removal of the Parthenon Marbles by Lord Elgin in the 19th century, the association said in a press conference in Plaka on Thursday. The association, which opened in 1895 and among whose aims is to research the history of Athens and help preserve of its cultural monuments, said the decision was taken after its board was informed about Britain's refusal to participate in a mediation procedure, as part of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Goods in the Country of Origin. "The reason we disclose our action today is because not only was the suit not rejected [by the Court], but it was officially lodged and recently the Court requested clarifications, which presages that it will reach the courtroom," the member of the association's board, Stratis Stratigis said at the press conference. Stratigis has been entrusted with monitoring the legal aspect of the suit, and is also responsible for coordinating the actions and contacts that will be needed in Greece and abroad. He said the Athens Association has been following the issue closely for years and when it realized in March 2015 that Britain had rejected even its participation in the mediation procedure, it decided it was an opportunity to appeal before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg as a private association, independently from the State. Stratigis also clarified that this move by the association does not affect in any way Greece's right to sue when it chooses at a national or international court. "Besides, the issue of recovering architectural elements recognized by UNESCO World Heritage monuments which have been stolen is ongoing," he said. "It is therefore in the country's interest to keep the issue alive in international public opinion and periodically update on the issue with appropriate actions," he added. According to the association's press release which followed the press conference, its founding members comprised of descendants of the Athenians who stood up against the destruction of the Parthenon by Lord Elgin. It also said that one of the very first actions undertaken by the Association was an event organised in 1896 to commemorate the liberation of the Acropolis from the Ottoman Turks. During the event, the association's deputy chairman, Professor Theodossios Venizelos (1821-1900) said the Parthenon was "a place of daily worship, the holy of holies, a life good for our ancestors and that the Athenians strongly protested against the despoilment of the Acropolis' extant statues by Elgin." Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article another high-profile employee-fraud case seems to have hit New Zealand, with Auckland International Airport at the centre of the latest financial scandal. The airport confirmed on Wednesday that it had dismissed a non-executive employee and called in police after uncovering unexplained transactions to the tune of $1.8 million, adding that the unnamed employee will also be pursued through the courts. Chief financial officer Phil Neutz said the investigation was still ongoing and attempted to reassure investors. "It is important for investors to note that while this is a very serious matter, the sum of money involved does not impact our current financial statements or previous reported results," he said. Danny Toresen, a director of private investigation firm Thompson and Toresen, said employee theft is widespread and indiscriminate. "It can be any industry, from small family-owned to big public companies, he told the New Zealand Herald. Most businesses put trust into people and there's always a certain percentage of the population who will abuse that trust. You've reached your limit - Register for free now for unlimited access To read the full story, just register for free now - GET STARTED HERE Already subscribed? Log in below Skill Sets The compliance functions at most big banks and corporates dont resemble what existed five years ago, said David Fein, group general counsel at Standard Chartered Plc, which employs former government intelligence agents. Whether its in terms of advances in data mining or artificial intelligence, todays systems permit much more sophisticated surveillance. Bryon Linnehan spent more than two years chasing bad guys around Iraq as a U.S. military-intelligence officer. Since May, hes been using skills he honed on the battlefield to monitor electronic communications inside Barclays Plc.Desperate to avoid more costly run-ins with regulators, investment banks are hiring former intelligence professionals like Linnehan to scrutinize virtually all aspects of their employees working lives, from how long they take for cigarette breaks to which websites they frequent. The goal: to deter the next market manipulator or rogue trader.Theres not much use in closing the barn door after the horse has left, said Linnehan, 37, who works in Barclayss New York office and was interviewed during a break from National Guard maneuvers in the Rocky Mountains. We want to be able to identify any potential issues before they turn into anything troubling.Agents more used to tracking terrorists and busting organized-crime rings have found a lucrative second career keeping tabs on Wall Street traders, according to more than a dozen recruiters, bank executives and compliance officers interviewed for this article. Methods used to analyze voice, text and e-mail communications for national-defense purposes arent far removed from those now employed to unearth trader misconduct. That makes former spies a natural choice for banks, where they can expect to at least double their pay.Military-intelligence people are used to parsing partial bits of data from communications, from behaviors, and putting those together in a way that would predict the next terrorist attack or some other type of much more horrible thing than were dealing with, said Ben Bair, global head of whistle-blowing and investigations at Barclays in London. And thats what we need to take surveillance to the next level.In the past 18 months, firms including Deutsche Bank AG, HSBC Holdings Plc and JPMorgan Chase & Co. have hired dozens of former agents from the U.S. and British military, the Central Intelligence Agency and the top secret U.K. Government Communications Headquarters , executives and recruiters said. Officials at the banks declined to comment.While banks have been hiring law-enforcement types for years, it was typically to combat thieves, said Chris Mathers, who spent 20 years with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police before joining the forensic-investigations division at accounting firm KPMG in 1995. More recently, banks have been hiring to keep out cyber criminals.The biggest threat to banks today, the absolute biggest threat, is the regulator, said Mathers, who now runs his own consulting firm, Chrismathers Inc. , in Toronto.In the wake of the financial crisis and a litany of legal probes, banks are under scrutiny like never before. The industry has become an extension of law enforcement, with managers expected to spot and report any potential wrongdoing or face the consequences, Deutsche Bank Co-Chief Executive Officer John Cryan said in Davos, Switzerland, last month.Linnehan, a native of Queens, New York, who grew up fishing off the coast of Brooklyn, joined the U.S. army a month before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He started at Barclays last May, just as the firm was fined a total of 1.5 billion pounds ($2.2 billion) for colluding with other banks to manipulate the foreign-exchange market.The London-based bank had already been fined 290 million pounds for interest-rate rigging and about $435 million for manipulating electricity markets. Linnehan, who served as an intelligence officer in a cavalry tank battalion in Iraq, now spends each day sifting through hundreds of e-mails.Its not just manpower that the banks are poaching. Most of the technology they are using to monitor employees has its roots in Cold War-era Defense Department programs.Barclays is one of several firms exploring the use of behavioral science technology to analyze past scandals, seeking patterns that could enable them to prevent traders from becoming the next Kweku Adoboli, the former UBS Group AG employee who racked up a $2.3 billion loss from unauthorized trading. JPMorgan is rolling out a surveillance program that uses algorithms to identify potential rogue employees.Banks are on the lookout for outliers -- those who deviate from the norm, either by consistently making more money than colleagues, using their work e-mail less than peers, taking fewer holidays or accessing back office systems they dont need to. Just about every moment of a traders workday is under scrutiny, from which areas of the building they access to how long they take for lunch. The websites they look at are of particular interest: frequent visits to spread-betting and gambling sites trigger alerts. Marilyn Nieves via Getty Images Playful baby boy gets close and makes a scrunchy face to kiss his dad. From 2010 to 2014, for instance, nearly 5,000 babies of both genders were named Armani, after Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani, whose high-end label became a worldwide brand. Advertisement While this new baby name trend might seem odd, its not hard to see the appeal of these fashion label-inspired names. These monikers are recognizable, internationally revered and, in some cases, incredibly unique (hello, Nike!). The trend has even caught the attention of new mom Coco Austin, who welcomed a daughter with Ice-T last year and named her Chanel Nicole. As a result of this rising trend, Vocativ looked at U.S. Social Security data from 2014 to find the most popular fashion label-inspired baby names among parents. Flip through the slideshow below to find out if your favourite brand made the list. This debris travels at an average of 28,000 km/h, although it can be double that, and, Wired magazine reports, "mere flecks of paint (of which there are many) travel with sufficient force to sever electrical wires, dent spacecraft, and kill astronauts." It adds that there are about 3,000 tons of orbiting debris all told or the equivalent of "roughly 15 blue whales, 600 elephants, or 1,500 cars." Tracking of the bigger debris is currently accurate enough that rockets can get through it, but Panek points out that Elon Musk of SpaceX and Tesla wants to create a space-based internet that requires "a huge constellation to satellites. If we get to that, 10 or 15 years down the road then it could get to be too much congestion." And then there's the Kessler Syndrome dramatized in that "Gravity" scene. "They have a syndrome where if you have a collision," she said, "that creates smaller pieces of debris and causes this cascade of never-ending debris and it's a fact that you can't stop." 'Critical density' Donald Kessler, a former NASA scientist, has actually come out of retirement to help deal with the issue, which, he told Marketplace.com, has reached "critical density" (although it would't happen as rapidly as in the film). So what can be done? There are a few ideas in the works, ranging from a laser cannon (!) on the International Space Station to a Pac-Man-inspired Swiss spacecraft called the CleanSpace One that swallows space junk and then descends to burn up in Earth's atmosphere. The Japanese are currently testing a space net that they hope to have in action by 2019, and the European Space Agency has its own net system, e.DeOrbit, aiming for a 2021 launch. While those focus on getting rid of current space junk, Panek says MDA has been working on a solution to its creation in the future. Its called hairy panic and it is causing quite a fuss. The giant tumbleweeds have surrounded homes in the city of Wangaratta, Australia, to the point where one local man joked he couldnt find his car. Fancy finding this outside your home?! There has been an invasion of tumbleweed, yes tumbleweed, in rural Australia.https://t.co/o2CbwCGvbZ BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) February 18, 2016 Advertisement It makes it difficult to get the car out in the morning if you can find it, Jason Perna told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Its just another day in paradise." The citys council held an emergency meeting about the issue Thursday, ABC reported. It may decide to send sweepers out to clean up the whole mess. Hairy panic, or Panicum effusum as its known scientifically, is a short-lived perennial that tends to be half a metre high. They blow around in the wind and pile up along buildings and fences, according to the New South Wales government. There are many other species of Panicum, or grass-like plants, but others don't have long hairs coming off their leaves like this one does. Advertisement The onslaught in Wangaratta may have blown in from nearby farmland thats been neglected, Perna said. Also on HuffPost The interim Conservative leader has accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of disrespecting Parliament by ending airstrikes against the so-called Islamic State before MPs could vote on the matter. But the motion being debated this week on the Liberals' anti-ISIS strategy which notably calls for CF-18 fighter jets to return home merely asks for the "support" of members. There is no constitutional requirement for a prime minister and the cabinet to obtain the approval of the House of Commons on military matters. Advertisement Still, the charge from Rona Ambrose in question period Thursday added a new element to the debate, riffing off Trudeau's promise to run an open and transparent government. In the House a day earlier, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan announced that members of the Royal Canadian Air Force conducted their final mission on Monday. The Globe and Mail later reported that the last airstrikes took place on Sunday, against an ISIS fighting position in Iraq. '... how could the prime minister show so much disrespect for parliamentarians?' Ambrose told the House that Canadians "mistakenly" believed that Trudeau wanted to do things differently. "But last night, on the first night of our debate on pulling out the CF-18s, we find out that the fighter jets had already actually flown their last mission," she said. Advertisement "He didn't even wait for the debate, or wait for Parliament to vote. So, my question is simple, how could the prime minister show so much disrespect for parliamentarians?" Rona Ambrose and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speak during question period Thursday. (Photo: The Canadian Press) Trudeau said he was pleased to have "participated in this debate that is ongoing." He lauded what he called Canada's "strong role" in the coalition taking the fight to ISIS. Then, in a statement that could spark questions about why a debate is being held in the first place, he reminded the Tory leader that he won a mandate to make these kinds of calls. Advertisement "As you know, Canadians got an opportunity to weigh in in the last election on what they wanted for Canada to engage in ISIL," he said. "They rejected the Conservatives' military emphasis, they rejected the NDP's stepping back. They accepted that we have the best plan for a whole-of-government approach that steps up our involvement in ways that Canada can help best." Conservatives and New Democrats have already announced they will not support the motion. Tories say the mission does not go far enough while NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair has dubbed it an "enhanced combat mission" because of the increased number of troops on the ground. 'Hatred of diversity' In her speech on the motion Wednesday, Ambrose said the Liberal plan to withdraw jets and dramatically increase training conflicted with Trudeau's commitment to diversity. "There is no hatred of diversity in the world deeper than the hatred at the dark heart of ISIS," she said. Ambrose noted that the "death cult" terrorizes through the sexual enslavement of women and children, and the murder of religious minorities. Advertisement "Those who run afoul of its oppressive rules or simply do not share its perverse world view are stoned, beheaded, burned alive, or crucified," she said. "The punishment for being gay is being hurled off the roof of a building." Liberal government's plan a betrayal' While much of her speech was a rehash of remarks she has made since winning the interim party leadership last November, Ambrose introduced a seemingly new word to the debate: betrayal. She said that withdrawing from the air combat role betrayed the people of Syria and Iraq. "It's a betrayal of our closest friends and allies. It's a betrayal of generations of proud Canadian military history," she said. "And it's a betrayal of the government's highest purpose ensuring the security of Canada and the safety of Canadians. "While ISIS thrives, no one is entirely safe from its cruelty." Also on HuffPost Canada's ISIS Mission: Then & Now See Gallery Ted Cruz may have renounced his Canadian citizenship. But that hasn't stopped his rivals from reminding people about his roots as he pursues the Republican nomination for U.S. president. One of the latest attacks comes via a link, TedCruzForAmerica.com, that redirects users to a Canadian government page instructing people on how to immigrate to the Great White North. Advertisement But that's not the only site to which the URL has directed people. The URL also once took people to HealthCare.gov, a site that provides information on the Affordable Care Act, which he has pledged to repeal. The matter of Cruz's birthplace has been a source of controversy in the Republican campaign, as fellow candidates have questioned whether he's even eligible to be president. Advertisement Earlier this week, Donald Trump threatened to challenge his eligibility in court a threat that Cruz welcomed, ABC News reported. At issue is whether Cruz can be president because he wasn't born in the United States. Though the candidate's mother is American, the U.S. Constitution requires that the president be a "natural born citizen," though it doesn't define the term, according to NBC News. "The framers of the Constitution required the president of the United States to be born in the United States." Cruz has said the matter is settled he renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2014. But experts disagree that it's been resolved. A commentary in the Harvard Law Review last year argued as follows: "Despite the happenstance of a birth across the border, there is no question that Senator Cruz has been a citizen from birth and is thus a 'natural born citizen' within the meaning of the Constitution." Advertisement But constitutional law professor Mary Brigid McManamon disagreed in an op-ed for The Washington Post. "The law is clear," she wrote. "The framers of the Constitution required the president of the United States to be born in the United States." Also on HuffPost: Comstock Images via Getty Images Doctors discussing x-rays Chances are that if you have been a patient in a large metropolitan hospital or are regularly treated in a teaching clinic, you have interacted with a resident doctor. Medical residency is that crucial period between our first days as newly-certified doctors and emerging as full-fledged, licensed physicians. When describing residency training to my friends and family, I get a lot of questions, such as, "Are you still in school? I thought you finished medical school!" or "Is residency like a work term?" I'll aim to clarify some of these misconceptions by speaking to what goes on during residency, and by describing some of the roles that I, and other resident doctors, take on during our training. Advertisement Resident doctors are medical doctors Resident doctors are physicians engaged in supervised medical training prior to independent practice. Residents are indispensable to modern health care; we are involved in all aspects of medicine, from pre-natal care and delivering babies, to managing profoundly ill patients and engaging in preventative health care. Residency is akin to an apprenticeship, and the training time is longer than most people might believe. A 2011 report titled "Shifting Public Perceptions of Doctors and Health Care," showed that over 70 per cent of the general public underestimated total duration of training for physicians. After completing high school, it takes a minimum of nine years to become a practicing family physician, and 13 to become a cardiologist. During residency, we complete training in a variety of clinical placements to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to work independently. Resident doctors work in variety of settings Resident physicians are integral to delivering health care in many settings that span across hospitals and outpatient clinics. We also do specialized training in areas such as refugee and Aboriginal health. Residents are a core part of health care teams dedicated to working with patients of all demographics, from adolescents to pregnant women to the frail elderly. Some residents will train internationally as well, completing rotations in high-, middle-, and low-income countries. In these settings, residents deliver health care commensurate with their previous experience and level of training, always under the watchful eye of a supervising physician. Advertisement Resident doctors are first-line responders in the hospital When things go from bad to worse in the middle of the night in many hospitals, a resident doctor will often be called to respond. Whether it is managing an elderly man's chest pain or evaluating patients who require imminent surgery, resident doctors are often in-house overnight, ready to respond to the call. Residents are teachers and learners Residency is a balance between delivering health care and structured learning activities. Required educational activities include patient rounds, academic days, and assessments. These are needed to ensure to ensure that all residents learn core components of their curriculum. For example, every psychiatry resident will have opportunities during their training to learn and demonstrate knowledge about depression, anxiety, psychotherapy and other skills relevant to their specialty. As a resident doctor, I look forward to teaching junior residents, medical students as well as patients and their families. Lifelong learning is an integral part of keeping up-to-date as a physician, and it begins in residency. Most importantly, the best learning truly comes from our patients. Managing individual patients' health care needs in all complexity benefits resident doctors as much as patients. Residents doctors chose their specialty and the specialty chose them Near the end of medical school, students select a field of medicine in which they wish to specialize in during their residency training, before becoming a fully-licensed physicians in that field. After placements in hospitals and clinics are completed, reference letters are written, and audition interviews are held; a dossier for each medical student helps programs select which ones they want to take on as resident doctors. That pediatrics resident taking care of an ill child was selected by the residency committee for such a privilege. Surgery programs will want resident doctors with good hands while a resident training to become an emergency physician will sure have to be good under pressure! Residency training evolves over time Since 1889, when medical residency was conceptualized by Canadian-born doctor Sir William Osler, residency programs have been continuously re-engineered in their structure and content. New residency programs have emerged and requirements in existing medical programs have evolved over time. Advertisement Recent decades have seen the expansion of sites in which resident doctors can train, an increased emphasis being placed on resident wellness, and more opportunities for global health training. Resident doctors have several other roles in addition to patient care; when not caring for patients or studying, resident doctors are active in teaching, research, advocacy and leadership. Resident doctors wear many hats. Though residency training is often busy and sometimes stressful, the privilege to go to work every day as a resident doctor is nothing if not rewarding. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook ALSO ON HUFFPOST: Shutterstock gay pride flag painted on... We know that Canadians care about LGBT rights in Uganda. In 2014, millions of people signed petitions on Avaaz.org, Change.org and Groundswell opposing Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality bill. The Canadian government provided dollars to Ugandan activists to fight the bill from within. People cheered from afar as LGBT Ugandans marched in the first Pride Parade after the bill was overturned (on a procedural technicality, not on principle.) So this election is big. There won't be an Internet petition. There won't be a parade. But since you care about LGBT rights in Uganda, you definitely care about this election. Advertisement Remember President Yoweri Museveni, the man who was so eager to sign the "kill the gays bill" into law? Thursday, Ugandans will vote to determine if he will continue his 30-year rule in a country where 75 per cent of the population is too young to remember when he was elected. This is a watershed moment for Uganda's young LGBT population. But if you were in Uganda today, you wouldn't see an "out" LGBT person on the streets. You might not see an LGBT person at the polls. Why? Because LGBT folks have gone underground. They are afraid for their lives, even more than usual. They understand that the man who so recently wanted them to die won't go down without a fight. He knows who his enemies are. And he know what his fiercely anti-gay supporters want to hear. It is in the midst of this political climate that The MATCH Fund's partner, FEM Alliance (FEMA), has built a safety network for Uganda's LGBT population. Working in one of the world's worst places to be gay, FEMA is no stranger to discrimination and fear. Their members live under the radar while, as an organization, FEMA fights for LGBT folks' rights to healthcare and other services. We spoke to FEMA on Wednesday, just days after violence erupted between the police and Museveni's opposition supporters near FEMA's office (resulting in at least one death.) The FEMA members inside knew better than to leave the building. But they certainly didn't want to stay. Advertisement Thursday -- election day -- FEMA's office is closed. They will not reopen until it is safe to do so. This, however, does not mean that FEMA isn't working. As tension came to a boiling point across the country, FEMA quickly reached out to their members via WhatsApp, phone, and email. They told people not to leave their homes, and they crafted a security plan for each individual. FEMA tapped their network of over 200 allies asking for support and for added strength in any way they could get it. Luckily, the situation is not all bleak. Museveni is, after all, not the only candidate in the race. In fact, FEMA consulted on the campaign trail with two of the seven other candidates who promised to support LGBT people once elected. The great irony is, while Uganda's LGBT population could now be close to having an elected official that represents their rights, FEMA feels that many LGBT people will not vote at all. "We know we are targets. We are scared to vote," FEMA said. "People know who we are. They know who we would vote for. We could be beat up." With these words fresh in our minds, The MATCH Fund has been closely following the election this morning. We haven't heard much from FEMA, as the government has shut down all social media at the request of the electoral commission. But we, like FEMA, share the hope that the election will be fair, that the process will be peaceful, and that FEMA's voice will be heard. So what can you do? Share FEMA's story. Follow the election. Tell everyone you know that this election is an LGBT issue. Regardless of the outcome, never -- never -- stop demanding LGBT rights around the world. And most of all this: when we asked FEMA what Canadians could do to help, they had just one message: "tell them to pray for us. Tell them to pray for peace." Advertisement Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook ALSO ON HUFFPOST: Science Photo Library - TEK IMAGE. via Getty Images Donor blood in blood bags being separated into its component parts A start-up company is looking to establish a new business model in Saskatchewan. In worsening economic times, that might seem like great news. But if their business model is one that takes advantage of people's poverty and may undermine voluntary blood donations, then the prospect is far less appealing. Last year Canadian Plasma Resources came under scrutiny after they set up three clinics for paid plasma donation in Ontario. One clinic was located beside a methadone clinic and the other a homeless shelter. The company's for-profit model led to public outcry, with concerns about the safety and the ethics of this practice. Ontario Health Minister, Eric Hoskins, upon introducing a bill last summer to shut out paid-for blood clinics, said "This government feels it's extremely important to put in place legislation that safeguards the integrity of the voluntary system that exists and has existed for so long in this province. It's a bit of a slippery slope once you start offering people compensation for donating." Advertisement A voluntary blood supply is deemed the safest and most reliable system of plasma and blood collection by the World Health Organization, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, the International Society of Blood Transfusion, the International Federation of Blood Donor Organizations and was the recommendation of the Krever Inquiry into the tainted blood scandal of the 1980s. If Canada did need to collect more blood, opening for-profit clinics is not the way to do it. Instead of encouraging more people to donate by incentivizing them, countries that introduce paid blood donation see a drop in volunteer donor numbers. According to the WHO, countries with paid donation have on average 0.9 per cent of their population sell their blood. Countries with voluntary, non-remunerated collection systems see over 3 per cent of their population donate. If Canada needs more blood products we should open more non-profit collection facilities and keep our system one of the safest in the world. Proponents of allowing Canadian Plasma Resources to operate in Saskatchewan have stated this would help overcome the fact that 80 per cent of the plasma used for patients in Canada is imported from paid donors in the United States. Intuitively, that makes some sense, but it's a red herring. Canadian Blood Services, the organization established to manage Canada's blood supply in the aftermath of the tainted blood scandal, has made it clear that they have no plans to obtain plasma from Canadian Plasma Resources. None of the plasma obtained by the company will directly benefit patients; it will be sold for a profit to pharmaceutical companies and researchers. If Canada wishes to be self-sufficient in plasma, first we need to maximize the amount received. A plasma collection facility in Thunder Bay, ON, was closed just a few years ago, citing that there was no longer enough demand for plasma due to replacement products being used in hospitals. Advertisement The practice of for-profit plasma donation centres in the United States has been called into question, with frequent donors experiencing a variety of physical complaints, and reports of questionable adherence to screening guidelines. In Saskatoon, Canadian Plasma Resources has chosen to locate their services near a disadvantaged area of the city with a high concentration of pawnshops and payday loan stores. People in poverty are already at high risk of illness; this practice can pose further health risks. As well, the high rate of blood borne illnesses like HIV and Hepatitis C in inner-city Saskatoon is cause for concern if a business was not as stringent as possible in its screening and preparation process. The only impetus for changing the practice at this time seems to be that a new company has seen a way to make money by paying for plasma. That seems the wrong driver for a major shift in policy around something as sensitive as blood products. Rather than giving a green light to this practice with no public consultation or debate, the Government of Saskatchewan should follow the example of Quebec and Ontario, ban paid plasma donation, and show Canadian Plasma Resources the door. Ryan Meili is a Family Physician in Saskatoon and vice-chair of Canadian Doctors for Medicare. Adrienne Silnicki is the National Coordinator of the Canadian Health Coalition. Vinay_Bavdekar via Getty Images By Stephanie Kusie, Amber Ruddy and Paige MacPherson According to the Chinese zodiac, 2016 will be the year of the monkey. But will it also be the year of the tax? Unfortunately, if Alberta's big-city mayors have their way, all signs point to yes when it comes to city charters. What advocates of democracy and choice can hope for is that the premier puts the power in the hands of the people and lets city residents decide. One thing is for certain: 2016 is the year of the pay raise for the mayors and city councillors in Calgary and Edmonton. Advertisement As of January 1, automatic pay hikes meant salaries went up $218,285 and $116,313, respectively. In Edmonton, councillors' paycheques fattened to $119,870, while Mayor Iveson will bring home a cool $215,149. Not bad! In Calgary, 45 per cent of the city's spending goes directly to salaries, wages and benefits. Compensation for the city manager and unionized city employees also went up. Alberta's workforce could sure use some good fortune -- layoffs are up 134 per cent last year -- and prospects are dim due to unemployment rate of seven per cent in the Calgary region. Property taxes are up 3.5 per cent this year in Calgary and 3.4 per cent in Edmonton, so do we really need to hand Mayors Nenshi and Iveson the power to impose a sales tax or a gas tax? Advertisement Why should these councils be entrusted with new revenue streams, especially when they have demonstrated the intention to tax us to the max? Late last year, Premier Notley met with Mayors Nenshi and Iveson to discuss big-city charters, policing costs, mass transit and poverty reduction. The meeting ended with an invitation to a government cabinet meeting in January. Whether new taxing powers were discussed in either of those meetings is unknown, as neither side is telling. It would also take a fortune teller to give us insight into meetings that happened behind closed doors, like the in-camera Calgary city council meeting on November 16 on the subject of city charters. Little has been reported on Edmonton city council regarding their opinion on the big-city charter, but the June 2014 City of Edmonton submission on city charters stated that municipalities need to be provided predictable funding and financial tools. Recently, Mayor Nenshi declared he hopes negotiations on big-city charters will move ahead with the province this year. He admitted it would likely involve a new fiscal framework that could give Calgary and Edmonton new tax powers. It seems the stars are aligning for the big-city mayors -- but what about for the tax-paying citizens of these cities? If city charters are passed without true consent from the people, our fate is clear. We can expect new taxes, new levies, new fees, without change set aside to even afford new pants with deeper pockets. Advertisement Our premier should do the right thing and put any new city taxes to a referendum. Otherwise, 2016 could very well be the year of the tax. Paige MacPherson is Alberta Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), Amber Ruddy is Alberta Director of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) and Stephanie Kusie is Executive Director of Common Sense Calgary. 'See Charter, Think Tax' is an Alberta-based coalition launched to demand taxpayers and small businesses have their say in any new city tax powers. The coalition is comprised of the CTF, the CFIB and Common Sense Calgary. www.seecharterthinktax.ca Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook More on HuffPost: Van Gogh nailed it with his Sunflowers Series (1888). So did Andy Warhol with his portrayal of Campbell's Soup Cans (1962) and Clara Peeters with her banquet pieces. So why do art aficionados still relegate the still life form to the contemptuous annals of art history? Throw yourself back to the 17th century. Academics in France developed the official hierarchy of artistic genres by ranking types of paintings according to their cultural importance and relevance. They deemed the most important art works to be those depicting the noble literary and religious events in human history. Because still life showed inanimate objects -- fruit, vegetables, soup cans, wine bottles, and more -- it was no match for history, portraiture, genre, and landscape. Despite the ubiquitous success of these artists' work, some art historians and philosophers continue to dismiss still life as the lowest form of artistic endeavour -- the stuff of students, hacks, and Sunday painters. Advertisement Enter Mark Clintberg, art historian, curator, and still life specialist. The Calgary-based artist is making it his mission to celebrate and reclaim the forgotten genre by proving that still life is, well, still alive. "The elements of still life -- commodities and their situation in space -- are a significant part of today's daily experience in capitalist settings," asserts Clintberg. "Images that follow the tendency of still life surround us, in advertisements for luxury goods, in supermarket flyers, in cookbooks, on billboards, and in many art practices of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries." In his own work, Clintberg makes use of the still form while exploring the relationship between public places and our feelings. Take for instance 3 x 3 with Opening Tool (2014), which combines a simple copper wedge with nine copper plates treated with a vibrant green and blue patina. Both the wedge and tiles are common items, but when arranged in this way, they open up a second space beneath 3 x 3. Clintberg admits it came out of a fascination with the frailty of public monuments -- a common theme in still life. He explains: "Many of the monuments and public artworks that we see when we're wandering in an urban environment seem to be fixed but if you think in a broader geological scale, they're very easily toppled and are not going to be around forever. This tool is meant to show that." Advertisement Photo: Mark Clintberg, 3x3 with Opening Tool (2014), milled copper, vedigris patina. As lead faculty for an upcoming Visual + Digital Arts residency called Still Alive at The Banff Centre this summer, Clintberg is eager to explore the social, political, economic, and alchemical qualities of still life with other artists through a series drawing sessions, discussions, lectures, workshops, demonstrations, and studio visits. Those looking to join him are encouraged to apply for Still Alive by March 2, 2016. For more information about the residency, visit banffcentre.ca/visual-digital-arts ericsphotography via Getty Images Hand inserting a ballot to ballot box. Flag of Israel in the background. In my recent HuffPost Canada commentary, "Israel's Actions in Palestine are the Definition of Apartheid," I argued that Israel's actions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory -- particularly in the West Bank -- meet the legal definition of apartheid under international law. I also claimed that Israel's apologists focus exclusively on "Israel proper" as a way to avoid addressing the allegations against Israel's apartheid rule in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. They also fail to acknowledge that the crime of apartheid exists in international law and can be applied to cases other than South Africa. Advertisement It appears that Jake Beaumont of the Orwellian-named Honest Reporting Canada either didn't read my commentary -- or decided it was preferable to simply ignore everything in it -- when he wrote a response on HuffPost entitled "10 Reasons Israel is not an 'Apartheid' State." Like every other piece of Israeli propaganda, it avoids the substantiated claims presented by Israel's critics. It focuses instead on rehashing the same two points: 1) Israel is a liberal democracy with full equality for its citizens and minorities, and 2) South African apartheid wasn't democratic, so Israel cannot be an apartheid state. Beaumont and other apologists for Israel consistently ignore the realities of the Occupied Palestinian Territory: roughly 600,000 Israeli Jews live there and are granted full rights as Israeli citizens, while Palestinians living in the same geographic area are subject to Israeli military rule with vastly inferior rights. Human Rights Watch's report "Separate and Unequal: Israel's Discriminatory Treatment of Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories" documents this reality in meticulous detail. Advertisement Israel's apologists assume that their audience will unquestioningly accept their claim that Israel is a Western-style democracy with full equality for its citizens and minorities. This claim has been repeated so often that it is rarely, if ever, challenged. But is this claim correct? Israel was founded as a state in 1948. Put briefly, the result of Israel's birth as a state was the forced expulsion and flight of roughly 750,000 of the native Arab inhabitants. The removal of Palestinians and the prevention of their return -- aimed to violently engineer and maintain a Jewish demographic majority -- have led Israel to declare itself a "Jewish and democratic state." Israel's laws establish that the lands it controls belong to Jews around the world, rather than to the state's citizens, and certainly not to the inhabitants who were driven out. Palestinians who lived there for countless generations are to this day barred from returning (let alone visiting), while a Jewish person from anywhere in the world can obtain automatic citizenship, choosing to live wherever they want within Israel and the occupied West Bank. Despite Israel's desire to drive out as many native Arab residents as possible in the period from 1947 to 1948, there remained roughly 180,000 Palestinians in the newly declared state. These Palestinians -- who would later become citizens of Israel and now number roughly 1.5 million -- lived under strict military rule until 1966 with severely limited rights. Israelis either have Jewish nationality -- which affords them exclusive rights and privileges based solely on their ethno-religious background -- or are assigned a nationality by the state. Like their Palestinian counterparts driven out of the newly created state, the internally displaced Palestinians were prevented from returning to their hometowns and dubbed "present absentees." This allowed Israel to orchestrate massive confiscation of Palestinian lands that were consolidated as nationalized lands for Jewish control. During this period of military rule, Israel's border police murdered 48 Palestinian civilians (including 23 children) in the village of Kafr Qasim during the 1956 Suez War. The mass murder by Israeli police of Palestinian citizens has occurred on other occasions, including the murder of 13 unarmed protesters in 2000, in which not one member of the Israeli security forces was indicted. Suffice it to say, Jewish-Israeli civilians have never been subject to massacres by Israeli police officers, and are not subject to Israel's secret police employing torture against Palestinian activists who campaign for a state for all its citizens. As well, Jewish citizens have never dealt with being repeatedly displaced by force, and aren't subjected to ongoing land confiscations and house demolitions, as the Bedouin are. Advertisement Many people are unaware that Israel lacks a constitution. Rather, it has several Basic Laws, none of which guarantee equality for Israel's Palestinian minority. In 2014 the Israeli Supreme Court upheld the Admissions Committees Law. These committees, operating in 43 per cent of Israeli towns, have been granted legal permission to reject applicants based on the criteria of "social suitability." According to Human Rights Watch, these committees "have notoriously been used to exclude Arabs from living in rural Jewish communities." Things aren't getting progressively better; in fact, they're getting worse. The Association for Civil Rights in Israel points out that "[a] tide of anti-democratic legislative proposals is being introduced in the Knesset and there is a rising wave of assaults on social, political and national minorities in the public sphere." Incitement to violence by Israeli leaders against both Palestinians and African migrants is rampant and goes unpunished by the state. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even incited racism against Palestinian citizens as part of a planned strategy to get re-elected. Advertisement Israeli political geographer Oren Yiftachel acknowledges that Israel has characteristics of a liberal democracy such as a free press and the rule of law. However, it fails to meet another requirement of any liberal democracy -- equality for all its citizens -- since Israel legally enshrines domination of one ethnic group over all others, with the dominant group controlling virtually all of the state's resources and lands. He therefore describes Israel as an "ethnocracy." A key difference between Israel and other liberal democracies is the way Israel differentiates between nationality and citizenship. In liberal democracies such as Canada, anyone can become a Canadian national regardless of their background. In Israel, there is no such thing as Israeli nationality. Israelis either have Jewish nationality -- which affords them exclusive rights and privileges based solely on their ethno-religious background -- or are assigned a nationality by the state. All liberal democracies link nationality to origin from or residence in a territory. Not Israel. If you're a non-Jewish citizen, you can never be accepted as a national of the "Jewish state," and are hence subject to discrimination based on dozens of laws. Palestinian citizens of Israel are granted more rights than Palestinians living under Israeli military rule in the occupied territories, but they are not equal to Jewish citizens. That means that between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River -- an area of land over which Israel has ruled for nearly 50 years -- there's a situation in which inhumane acts are "committed in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group or groups and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime." Advertisement This is the wording of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court's definition of the crime of apartheid. As Oren Yiftachel posits in a recent piece in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Israel's differential rights and system of ethnic domination within the areas over which it rules "... remind one of South Africa in the past: Jews between the Jordan and the sea are 'white' citizens, Arabs in Israel have 'coloured' (in other words, partial) citizenship, and Palestinians in the territories have 'black' citizenship, without political rights." This is the inconvenient truth about Israel that its apologists wish for us not to see. But regardless of the labels, it is irrefutable that the current system of rule is incompatible with Canadian values and must be transformed into a state that treats all its inhabitants as equals. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook MORE ON HUFFPOST: At home, Alyssa Hoyle is just like any other three-year-old; chatty, boisterous, playful. But at school, and around others who are not her immediate family, Alyssa is silent. In fact, six months into nursery and no-one had even heard her voice. "From about the age of two, she would quite happily babble at home around her siblings and me and her dad," Alyssa's mum Rosie says. "But she'd be mute if anyone came into the house, or if we were out in public." Alyssa avoids eye contact, puts her hands in her mouth, and turns her back to anyone outside of her close family even her grandparents, uncles and aunts. Advertisement "At home her speech developed fantastically," Rosie continues, "but anywhere she is expected to talk, such as nursery, causes her to have panic attacks. She'll be rocking in a corner, or lashing out. "Even now, sometimes the anxiety is so bad that if she's spoken to unexpectedly she freezes and wets herself in fear." 'Alyssa will sometimes whisper or make baby noises to some individuals' Alyssa may sound like she just has a case of severe shyness, but she suffers from a condition called selective mutism (SM). Although relatively unheard of, SM is thought to affect around one in every 140 children. Advertisement It's a situational anxiety disorder, which can have "very long-term effects on a child's future mental health," according to Carl Sutton, founder of SM support organisation iSpeak. The average age of the onset of SM is between two and four years of age, with the disorder first becoming apparent when a child enters a communal environment outside the family, for example, school. For reasons unknown, SM appears to be more prevalent among girls and those from migrant and multi-lingual families, according to mental health charity Selective Mutism Information and Research Association (SMIRA). Some of Alyssa's teachers and playmates have still never heard her voice, and mum Rosie says SM has prevented her daughter from making friends. Advertisement Alyssa with her mother Rosie "Shes a very intelligent little girl who wants to play and have her own friends, but she's living in a world where she can't talk, and anxiety makes her world a tough one." Those with SM tend to feel isolated and sometimes go unnoticed, says Lindsay Whittington, co-founder of SMIRA. "The essential feature of SM is the persistent failure to speak in specific social situations, such as at school or with peers, despite being able to speak in other more familiar situations," Whittington says. "No single cause has been established, though emotional, psychological and social factors may influence its development. In the past these children were thought to be manipulative or angry, but research now points strongly to social anxiety, similar to stage fright. "Some children with SM may also appear stubborn, but this is borne out of their need to control their anxiety levels, and some have a tendency to periods of aggression or tantrums in the home due to personal frustrations." In some cases, SM can last well into adulthood, as with 35-year-old Sabrina Branwood, from Rochdale, who communicates via an app on her tablet. Advertisement "When people ask me questions, my anxiety makes it hard to think," she explained through her app. "Trapped. I'm not silent because I don't want to talk. I would rather talk freely but it's very difficult and complicated. "Having selective mutism can feel like you're living your life in a box. The box is see-through so you can see out and hear people, but you can't leave no matter how hard you try." There are numerous repercussions for children with SM who do not receive sufficient therapy. "By adulthood, it's almost certain they will suffer from depression," says Sutton. "They are also significantly more likely to have any number of other anxiety disorders including social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, panic disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder." By a child's teenage years, a "significant subset" will be unable to continue in mainstream education and will require home-schooling. "Many young adults with SM are virtually housebound," Sutton adds. "Many cannot work. SM can thus be extremely disabling in terms of future prospects in life." Advertisement Early intervention is crucial to overcoming SM, as Felicity Whyte can attest. Her son Dougal simply did not speak for the four days a week he spent at his childminder's house. Felicity and her son Dougal "She alerted us to her suspicion that Dougal may have SM and we worked to see if we could get him seen by a professional," Felicity recalls. "While we were waiting for referrals we did a lot of reading on what a huge difference early intervention can make to outcomes. "We made several changes in our lives to try and alleviate Dougal's anxiety before he started school - my husband changed his career so he could care for our son at home." Dougal started school in September and, although shy, does communicate with the teacher and children. Felicity also wrote a letter for the nursery ahead of her son starting, to help the staff understand his condition. Advertisement "It's huge progress," says Felicity. "I want to share my story to show how much early identification can help. Many people don't understand the anxiety aspect of selective mutism, and many health professionals dont understand the condition or its causes. "It is so misunderstood as a speech issue, or a behavioural issue, when it truly is an anxiety issue which has a genuine physical manifestation." Felicity and her husband had to self-fund the care for Dougal, but she says doing so has meant her sons transition to school was considerably smoother. "Waiting for standard available healthcare routes would have significantly delayed diagnosis and really impeded his chance of communicating at school." Advertisement The letter Felicity wrote to Dougal's nursery Sutton says many people think SM only affects young children when in fact it affects a "significant number" of teens and adults too. "At least 7% of children with SM become young adults with SM, equating to around one in 2,400 young adults," he says. "Theres also a belief SM only occurs in school, whereas many affected children will be mute with extended relatives, strangers, step-parents and so on. And, though quite rarely, some will be mute with their own birth parents as I was." Whittington adds: "There may be a lot of children out there whose parents think they are just shy, but selective mutism is more than just normal shyness. SM is often mistaken for "normal shyness", says Whittington; a mistake teachers made with three-year-old Melanie Radcliffe. Melanie was a "normal, chatty toddler" who showed no signs of suffering from SM until starting nursery. Advertisement "She made a friend who she chatted to, albeit very quietly," Melanie's mother Sue explains. "It was eventually flagged up to me that my daughter was not speaking to her peers, other than her friend. Teachers seemed to think she was shy and that she would grow out of it." Only she didn't. Despite being confident at home, Melanie reached nine years old without speaking to anyone else apart from her one friend. "It was really starting to concern me," recalls Sue. "It was only when I watched a TV programme featuring a little girl exactly like Melanie that I had a light bulb moment." SM may become more apparent as the child reaches school age, where "hopefully" it is picked up by teaching staff, says Whittington. "There may be a lot of children out there whose parents think they are just shy, but selective mutism is more than just normal shyness. Anyone who is concerned that their young child may be selectively mute should discuss their fears with either the school, their Health Visitor or GP." Advertisement Melanie was eventually referred to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), where she was treated by therapists. "From the day my daughter was diagnosed little did I know how difficult our journey would be," Sue adds. "Because Melanie was not diagnosed at an early age, a lot of her SM behaviour had become entrenched, which in turn led to further mental health problems including self-harming and depression. "It certainly has been a tough couple of years, but although her SM is still very much present she seems to be coping a lot better." SM is by no means a "life sentence", adds Sutton. "With appropriate support, people can live fulfilled adult lives and reach their full potential." Advertisement Linda Lloyd's daughter is one such success story. At just three years old, Jennie was diagnosed as deaf. "Everyone thought her silence was a characteristic of her hearing problem, but as time went on we realised it was more than that," she says. Linda and her daughter Jennie, who did not speak for more than 10 years After trying to cope with the problem for years, Linda eventually found help for Jennie, who was put on a programme to try and overcome her condition. "Our daughter eventually came out of her silence aged 16 after more than a decade of silence. "She's now a very happy young woman of 33, a mum, and getting married next year. "It took a long time and an awful lot of patience, but were so proud of everything our daughter has achieved." Advertisement Eurosceptic hopes that Boris Johnson will join the 'Brexit' campaign have risen after claims that he is "leaning towards" the UK quitting the EU. Despite a Downing Street meeting with David Cameron on Wednesday, the Mayor of London has refused to change his belief that the decision is "finely balanced", Huff Post UK understands. Advertisement After the No.10 meeting, it appeared there was little sense of progress on key issues of Britain's sovereignty over EU laws or on the details of the negotiation with other EU leaders. Boris set out his 'red lines' in his Telegraph newspaper column last month, covering border control, migrant benefits and 'red cards' to stop fresh EU legislation. ITVs Political Editor Robert Peston tonight claimed that Mr Johnson and Justice Secretary Michael Gove were both leaning towards backing the Leave campaigns. Both @BorisJohnson and Michael Gove "leaning towards" campaigning to leave EU, well-placed sources tell me https://t.co/4w8paq907G Robert Peston (@Peston) February 17, 2016 Advertisement Mr Johnsons meeting with the Prime Minister did not get off to the best start, with the Tory MP kept waiting outside the famous 10 Downing Street door. The meeting itself appears to have offered no significant reassurances to the London Mayor. It is not just the London Mayor who Mr Cameron has to convince of the merits of the deal, but the heads of the 27 other EU states. It had been expected that an updated version of the draft deal agreed with European Council President Donald Tusk would be agreed this evening ahead of the commencement of a summit tomorrow. However, as of 11pm, no such update had arrived. A Downing Street spokesman confirmed Mr Cameron and Mr Tusk had spoken on the phone "to take stock of progress ahead of tomorrows European Council." The spokesman said: The Prime Minister thanked President Tusk for the European Councils hard work. Advertisement "They agreed that good progress had been made in all four areas of our renegotiation, and that the draft texts presented a good basis for agreement at tomorrow's European Council, subject to the satisfactory resolution of outstanding issues. "They looked forward to continuing the discussion at their meeting ahead of the Council tomorrow afternoon. If Mr Cameron is able to secure agreement on the draft deal with other the EU leaders, a special meeting of the Cabinet is set to take place on Friday evening where collective ministerial responsibility over the issue is likely to be suspended. A third of police forces are failing to fight child sex exploitation effectively, something the NSPCC condemned as "deeply depressing" in the wake of major, high-profile scandals over the crime. The charity said this was "remarkable" in light of high profile child grooming cases that were exposed in Rotherham and Rochdale after years of police failure to prevent it. The finding was made in the latest report on police effectiveness by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, which found police were better at tackling traditional forms of organised crime such as drug dealing rather than "newer" ones such as organised child sex abuse. Advertisement "Its deeply disturbing that at least one in three police forces in England and Wales are still not tackling child sexual exploitation effectively, a spokesperson for the child protection charity said. "This seems a remarkable state of affairs considering the high profile trials of grooming gangs in Rotherham, Rochdale and elsewhere which sharply brought into focus the failings of police forces in investigating these crimes and supporting young victims." The profile of child sex exploitation has risen considerably in recent years after high-profile cases and prosecutions. An independent report concluded at least 1,400 children were victims of abuse between 1997 and 2013 in Rotherham alone. HMIC found that forces were putting more resources into fighting sexual exploitation - including specialist teams with no other focus - and were providing training to help officers recognise patterns in the often-hidden crime. But the inspectorate said the forces' implementation of these changes was "patchy" and the initial commitment was not always kept up. The quality of the new training varied greatly and there was often no evaluation to tell how effective it was. It said one force was a "cause of concern" while another 13 of the 43 forces in England in Wales "had areas for improvement" over tackling child sexual exploitation. South Yorkshire Police, which was severely criticised for failing to prevent child sex exploitation in Rotherham for more than a decade, was praised for an initiative in which it trains hotel staff, shop workers and taxi drivers on how to spot the signs of child sexual exploitation. Advertisement The NSPCC said it was concerned the police were "lagging behind the offenders" over cyber crime "as child abusers increasingly groom and abuse victims online". In what might be its most audacious challenge yet, the X-Prize foundation have said they will give $4.5m to a speaker at the 2020 TED conference with there being only one requirement: That the speaker be an artificial intelligence. The IBM Watson AI X Prize will task companies to create an artificial intelligence which can fool audiences into thinking it is a human being for the duration of the talk. Advertisement Artificial intelligence in popular fiction hasn't always shown them as allies, as in Kubrick's iconic 2001: A Space Odyssey. According to X Prize the winner will be chosen based on the "audacity of their mission and the awe-inspiring nature" of the talk that's given. While there's plenty of software out there that can mimic humans and indeed fool some people into thinking that they're even conversing with a human the prize is setting a whole new bar. For this prize companies will need to demonstrate the "creation of landmark breakthroughs that deliver new, positive impacts to peoples lives, and the transformation of industries and professions." So no pressure then. The IBM Watson supercomputer has become a testbed for AI technologies. Thankfully for the competitors, Artificial Intelligence has come a long way since the days of HAL, with technologies like 'machine learning' allowing computers to analyse vast quantities of data and essentially 'tech themselves' into becoming more intelligent, more subjective and ultimately more empathetic to the world around them. Indeed in the US, Google's self-driving car could soon have the same legal rights as a human driver after the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration admitted that in place of there being no driver, Google's own computer was the legal driver of the vehicle. Advertisement This is a massive step forward for Google because while it doesn't afford Google's car the same legal rights as a human driver, it does at least acknowledge the existence of a driver at all, even if it's not human. In an open email, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Chief Counsel Paul Hemmersbaugh said: Pregnant women have lashed out at commuters after claiming they usually don't get offered a seat on TfL Tube services despite wearing 'Baby On Board' badges. A group of women who wear the badges spoke to The Huffington Post UK about their experiences, saying that they "feel uncomfortable during commutes" as seated onlookers are "absorbed in reading and pretending not to notice". Advertisement The badges, which were released in 2005, are hugely popular with travellers on the Tube with over 130,000 badges handed out to mums-to-be each year. Transport For London states its aim is to "help combat the awkwardness some mums-to-be feel if they have to ask someone to give up their seat" and to "encourage fellow passengers to help make pregnant women feel more comfortable when they are travelling". But some mothers-to-be told The Huffington Post UK it's the commuters that are making life on the move difficult as they feel like they are being actively ignored. Britt Soeder, 38, who is 26 weeks pregnant, said: "The reaction to the badge is mainly that fellow passengers either pretend to sleep suddenly or are totally focused on their phones both make it easy to ignore a pregnant woman and tell yourself not to feel guilty about it I guess. Advertisement Britt Soeder, 38, said the reaction her badge has received was not the one she hoped for "I feel uncomfortable walking over to someone in the priority seat to 'demand' the seat but the bigger I get, the more uncomfortable the commute becomes, so I might have to start asking for the seat." Midwife Anna Nella previously spoke to HuffPost UK about the importance of the badges, especially considering how women feel at the early stages of pregnancy: "I think some people have taken to be a little confronted by the baby on board badges," she says. "They think women are whining and making a fuss, but actually it takes a lot of energy to grow a baby and in that first trimester there's so much going on. "Actually in early pregnancy you feel probably the worst that youll feel throughout the pregnancy." Meanwhile 34-year-old Lisa Hancox, who used to wear the badge when pregnant, was more positive about the effect of wearing the token. Advertisement Lisa Hancox, 34, says she was offered a seat on 40% of journeys when wearing her badge "I would say I was offered a seat about 40% of the times I travelled (on the Tube)," said Hancox. "I was very fit before and during pregnancy, so sometimes when I was offered a seat I politely declined it if I felt ok. " When I didn't have a visible belly was probably when people seemed least aware of me and the badge, and I was offered a seat the least. "I was heavily pregnant in a very hot summer and did struggle with the heat on the tube, feeling quite faint - it was common for both men and women to ask me if I wanted their seat. However, the marketing communications consultant, who has an 18-month-old son, said she did notice some stigma. Advertisement "I felt resistance only occasionally, she said. "I think most of the time it was either because people were too absorbed in reading or what they were doing. "Sometimes I felt it was the typical 'pretending not to notice', but I was never shy in asking and I think it's important for pregnant women to feel like they can and should ask if they are in need of a rest." The TfL badges caused controversy last week when one pregnant woman secretly filmed her commutes and captured a number of instances when she wasn't offered a sit down. Miri Michaeli Schwartz says she felt miserable during commutes Miri Michaeli Schwartz, 31, uploaded the video to Facebook accompanied with a tirade against the onlookers, in which she said: "London tube commuters just don't care". Advertisement The problem is something that has also resonated with Samantha Boyd, a pregnant 30-year-old who works in Advertising. Boyd discussed the issue with HuffPost UK and said: "I am only 5ft1, so tend to get backpacks in the face anyway, I just hoped that by wearing the badge people might be a bit more thoughtful. "A month in it seems that this is not the case, people are in a hurry and frankly don't give a toss. "The week before last a man fully shoved me in his race to get past me in the tube station (we were the only two people in the walkway!) I feel like the next step could be getting loads of badges to put all over my coat, front and back. Samantha Boyd, 30, had hoped wearing a badge would make her fellow commuters more thoughtful "I think this is a problem with commuters, they have paid for a seat and they've had a long day," added Boyd. Advertisement "I do understand that, because I have been commuting for years and I have felt the same, but I have always given up my seat when I have seen someone wearing a badge or with a walking stick. It's just human consideration. "I know there's always the 'is she pregnant, or just fat?' worry, but if people are wearing the badge prominently then there's really no excuse." Midwife Nella further explained the changes that occur during pregnancy. "All the hormonal, metabolic and structural changes that are going on are completely out of proportion to the size of the baby, who at six weeks is the size of a lentil. At that stage women obviously dont show that theyre pregnant, but they can feel awful. "They could be feeling very nauseous, suffering from bleeding, dizziness and/or insomnia and they may be more sensitive to smells on the tube, which can make you feel more unwell. "So if you've got this combination of things and you've got a long commute standing squashed under somebody's armpit, it is likely to compound any symptoms you have. Advertisement "Fainting doesn't damage the baby, but it could end up with the poor woman hitting herself on the way down, so there's hundreds of reasons to give a woman a seat in the first trimester." Andrea-Marie Petrou, who wrote a blog on the badges on The Huffington Post UK, also told us: "I very rarely get offered a seat when I'm wearing a badge. In fact, it's more a rare occurrence to be offered a seat. "People usually ignore the badge completely, even though, in my opinion, it's common knowledge that you should let a pregnant woman sit down. I once asked to sit down as I felt dizzy and sick and was given such a dirty look I nearly told her to forget it." HuffPost UK also ran a poll to see whether our readers believe people should stand up every time they see a woman wearing a 'Baby-on-Board' badge. The results at the time of writing showed that 74% said yes, we should stand up, whilst 26% said we shouldn't. 303 votes had been cast when this piece went live. Advertisement Dear David Cameron, The recent announcement by the Calais prefecture to raze the Southern part of the Jungle refugee camp in Calais is an act that if allowed to happen, will destroy the temporary homes of over a 1000 people. Many of these people are amongst the most vulnerable in the camps as this is where the majority of families and unaccompanied minors currently live. Such an enforced move would uproot again those who have already had to abandon their homes due to war and persecution. The eviction also threatens vital community facilities built and run by the residents and volunteers including the Women and Childrens Centre, the Youth Centre, three mosques, one Orthodox church, three classrooms, the camps only library, the Good Chance Theatre, the Legal Centre, the Vaccination Centre and three crucial distribution centres for aid and food. These spaces offer much-needed respite and comfort for all those living in the intensely difficult conditions within the camp. We, the undersigned, a number of whom have seen first-hand the refugee camps in the last few days, urge the British government to do three things: 1) To create an expedited process for the implementation of Dublin IIIs family reunion provisions so that all minors who are currently residing in the camps in Calais and Dunkirk with family connections in the UK are able to reunite with their loved ones with immediate effect. 2) To ensure that those minors who have no legal right to come to the UK are protected and supported within France and that the French child protection process is also expedited to afford them the protection they are entitled to. 3) To persuade the French authorities that the decision to destroy further parts of the camp in Calais is postponed until all the minors currently residing there are either given child protection within the French system or enabled to reunite with their loved ones in Britain. We believe the above actions are the absolute minimum that the British government should be taking to alleviate the suffering of the refugees in Calais, and must be made an urgent priority. The British charities, Help Refugees and Citizens UK, have already largely identified, screened and begun to process the minors in question. This is a humanitarian crisis that needs to be acknowledged as such and it is imperative that we do everything we can to help these innocent and highly vulnerable refugees, especially the minors, as swiftly as is humanly possible. Mob Wives star Angela Raiola, better known to fans of the show as Big Ang, has died at the age of 55. Angela had been battling cancer, and began chemotherapy for stage 4 brain and lung cancer last month. Advertisement Angela 'Big Ang' Raiola, attending an event in May last year A post on her Twitter page, written by her close friend, Vinnie Medugno, confirmed the sad news of her death on Thursday morning. The statement read: It is with sad regret that we inform you that at 3:01 a.m. Angela Raiola peacefully ended her battle with cancer, and was called home. She was surrounded by nothing but love from her immediate family, and closest friends. This is @vinniemedugno on behalf of the family of Angela Raiola, please see below: pic.twitter.com/wiuPApr9Lw Angela Raiola (@biggangVH1) February 18, 2016 Addressing Angelas loyal fans, it continued: In typical Big Ang fashion, we know she would say, Love you my babies! Advertisement The New York Daily News have reported that Angela was given her last rites by a priest on Wednesday night, with her family holding vigil at her bedside in the hours before her death. Angela first underwent surgery last year, to remove a cancerous tumour that had been found in her throat, with reports at the time suggesting shed had to put a planned appearance on Celebrity Big Brother on hold while she recovered. She discovered the terrible news in December that her cancer had returned, and had spread to her brain and lungs. Angela first found fame on the reality show Mob Wives, before landing her own spin-off series, Big Ang, in 2012. The rest of the cast of Mob Wives, who usually live-tweet the episodes as they air on VH1 in the US, all remained silent on their Twitter accounts on Wednesday night. Advertisement After months of negotiations, David Cameron will today present his draft deal on changes to the UK's membership of the EU to the other heads of state. If the PM wants to call a June referendum, he effectively has until Friday afternoon to get all 27 heads to sign up to package of reforms. Advertisement As the summit in Brussels kicks off this afternoon, there are still parts of the deal which need to be ironed out, suggesting the meeting is more than a mere rubber stamping exercise. However, some of the Prime Minister's critics believe this is all a carefully choreographed piece of theatre, designed to make it look as if Mr Cameron has fought hard to win concessions which amount to little more than "thin gruel". With the deal almost done, its time for those politicians who have been keeping their cards close to their chest to finally reveal their hands. All eyes are on London Mayor Boris Johnson, who on Wednesday was granted a meeting with Mr Cameron in 10 Downing Street to discuss the deal. Advertisement But its not just Boris who is yet to reveal if they will back Brexit. Justice Secretary Michael Gove, Employment Minister Priti Patel and even Home Secretary Theresa May could all come out for Leave in the referendum. Another week, and another leave group has been formed - GO Movement. This group has sprung from Grassroots Out, with many of the same people are involved in both including Tory MP Peter Bone, Ukip leader Nigel Farage and Ukip donor Arron Banks. The plan is that GO Movement acts as an umbrella organisation under which other groups will sit. It is applying for designation to be the official Leave campaign in the referendum as is Vote Leave, the mainly Tory backed group which has repeatedly refused to merge with any organisation in which Nigel Farage is heavily involved. Grassroots Out are holding a rally in Westminster on Friday, a stones throw from Downing Street where Mr Cameron is expected to hold a Cabinet meeting where he will suspend collective ministerial responsibility on the issue. Perhaps a few Eurosceptic ministers will make the short walk down to the Queen Elizabeth II Centre to address the rally, Advertisement While we in the UK are fretting about whether we should stay or leave, its easy to forget that other countries in the EU also have a view. Having taken on Mexicans, the Republican Party, women, Islam, Jeb Bush, Fox News and Scottish wind farms, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday found himself in a scrap with the Vicar of Christ on Earth. Speaking from the Papal airliner on Thursday, Pope Francis inserted himself into the presidential race by asserting celebrity hotelier Trump was "not a Christian" because of his views on immigration, particularly his plan to deport 11 million illegal immigrants and build a wall across the border. Advertisement A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian, Francis said when a reporter asked him about Trump following his six-day visit to Mexico. Trump launched his White House bid from the bottom of a gold escalator at the Trump Tower in New York in June, telling the media he would build a wall to keep out "rapists and murderers" from Mexico. Responding to the popes words, Trump, the GOP frontrunner, told reporters at a press conference in South Carolina the remarks were "not a nice thing to say, while accusing Mexican officials of "using the pope as a pawn." "For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful," Trump puffed. "I'm proud to be a Christian, and as president I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened, unlike what is happening now with our current president." Advertisement Later Trump posted a response on Facebook. It read: If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISISs ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened, he added, threateningly. In response to the Pope:If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISISs ultimate... Posted by Donald J. Trump on Thursday, 18 February 2016 Trump's media manager Dan Scavino offered the following comment: Amazing comments from the Pope- considering Vatican City is 100% surrounded by massive walls. pic.twitter.com/g3iVLDVGe5 Dan Scavino (@DanScavino) February 18, 2016 Others also pointed out the hypocrisy on the papal attack: Pope on Trump: "A person who thinks only about building walls...is not Christian." This is Vatican City. pic.twitter.com/ehmsLoljTl Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) February 18, 2016 Francis' denunciation will likely spark a strong reaction in the US, particularly among Republican voters. In June last year, the pontiff was excoriated by then-candidate Rick Santorum for talking about the dangers of climate change and how it impacts the poor. Advertisement Santorum, a catholic, told the pope to leave the science to the scientists," despite Francis holding a masters degree in chemistry. Isn't Pope's attack on Trump, a presidential candidate, a violation of tax-free status? Tax the Catholic Church! Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) February 18, 2016 Donald Trump is currently in a flame war with Pope Francis. Best. Election. Ever. https://t.co/rALE00POdr Dan Savage (@fakedansavage) February 18, 2016 While everybody is busy picking sides in the Trump v. Pope Francis argument, I'm going to continue actively disliking both as human beings. Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) February 18, 2016 Advertisement Parents, teachers and childcare professionals have spoken out in support of The Duchess Of Cambridge's message on children's mental health, sharing their own moving stories. Advertisement Her Royal Highness wrote a blog on The Huffington Post UK to introduce her guest editorship of the website yesterday, and the Young Minds Matter campaign which aims to overturn the stigma and silence around young children's mental health problems. The Duchess shared her feelings about her children Charlotte and George, and her approach to parenting with Prince William: "William and I would not hesitate to seek help for our children if they needed it," she wrote. The Duchess was the guest editor of The Huffington Post UK "We hope to encourage George and Charlotte to speak about their feelings, and to give them the tools and sensitivity to be supportive peers to their friends as they get older. We know there is no shame in a young child struggling with their emotions or suffering from a mental illness." Advertisement But she acknowledged that seeking help was "not so easy" for families short of time or money, calling for parents and professionals to help each other. Her blog prompted conversations from readers around the world, who shared their own stories. Young Minds Matter inspires personal stories See gallery Comments have been edited for publication EastEnders boss Dominic Treadwell-Collins has announced he is to leave the BBC soap after two and half years. READ MORE: The Executive Producer, who has been credited with turning the soap around thanks to the likes of Live Week, will be replaced by The Archers director Sean OConnor. Advertisement Dominic Treadwell-Collins Speaking about his decision to quit, he explained: "My love for EastEnders is no secret and so the decision to leave Walford has not been one I have taken lightly. When I commit to something, I always give it my all - and after two and a half years of giving my blood to Walford, it is time for me to move on to other things - and keep EastEnders creatively refreshed, something that it has to do to stay at the top of its game. Before his departure, Dominic will oversee Dame Barbara Windsor's final scenes as well as Ross Kemp's return to Albert Square. Advertisement Peggy's goodbye is sure to be an emotional one He continued: "This is an incredible all-consuming show and in Sean, I know that we have found someone who already has Albert Square in his bones and who adores EastEnders as much as I do. "It's going to be gut-wrenching to tear myself away from everyone at EastEnders. It's an utterly unique place to work, with everyone working so hard and with such passion - and I am so so proud to have led that brilliant team over the past couple of years. "I know that EastEnders will continue to thrive under Sean and I'm looking forward to watching the show as a viewer again." Dominics replacement is no stranger to EastEnders, having previously acted as director, producer and story producer on the show. Advertisement Speaking about his new role, Sean, who currebtly works as director on The Archers, said: Dominic hands over EastEnders in robust health. Its a testament to his endless commitment, infectious enthusiasm and rich imagination that the programme remains BBC1s flagship drama. "Im thrilled to be back in Walford and particularly delighted to work once more with many dear friends and colleagues both backstage and on screen," he said. "I loved my time working at EastEnders previously; theres nothing quite as challenging nor as rewarding. So I feel very honoured to be asked back to lead the wonderful cast, crew and production team at Elstree." Ross Kemp is reprising his role as Grant Mitchell Earlier this month, Dominic revealed what it took to get Ross Kemp to agree to comeback to 'EastEnders', admitting that it wasnt easy. Advertisement I've had a lot of dinners with him trying to woo him to get him to come back, but he's so busy, he explained. "And then finally, the stars have aligned everyone at work's very excited about it. JK Rowling and Glasgow East MP Natalie McGarry Alamy JK Rowling has borrowed from a hip-hop anthem in the latest chapter of her lengthy row with a former Scottish National Party MP. The Harry Potter scribe - a high-profile supporter of Scotland remaining in the UK during the independence referendum - re-interpreted a line from the 2006 global hit Ridin by Chamillionaire after Glasgow East MP Natalie McGarry apologised for accusing the author of defending "abusive misogynist trolls" on Twitter. Advertisement They see me Rowlin' They hatin' https://t.co/dfiqou7vpD J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 17, 2016 Ridin by Chamillionaire The pair clashed after Rowling hinted she was prepared to sue for libel. The MP had said the author "tweeted support" for a Twitter user who goes by the pseudonym Brian Spanner. The author strongly denied the claim and demanded an apology. McGarry later apologised for "any misguided inference" that Rowling supports misogyny or abuse, but went on to retweet an image that had been altered to wrongly suggest Rowling had responded "you're a good man" to an abusive tweet sent by Brian Spanner. Advertisement This seemed to fuel the row further. .@NatalieMcGarry *sighs* OK, Natalie, that's cut and pasted to suggest I said 'good man' to that tweet, not to fundraising for charity. J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 28, 2016 .@NatalieMcGarry This 'proof' is cut and pasted. I assume you want to retract the apology you made 3 mins ago? J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 28, 2016 The "good man" tweet had actually been made after Brian Spanner helped to raise money for Ms Rowling's children's charity, the author said. Now McGarry has offered a full apology. Regards a previous discussion with JK Rowling, I apologise for using a screen grab which didn't give context to the conversation. Natalie McGarry (@NatalieMcGarry) February 17, 2016 The particular screen grab from JK Rowling didn't give the correct context to her relationship with a tweeter, so for that, I apologise. Natalie McGarry (@NatalieMcGarry) February 17, 2016 Advertisement In the context of my last two tweets, I give and continue to give and donate to charities and organisations in Glasgow East and abroad. Natalie McGarry (@NatalieMcGarry) February 17, 2016 All said and done, my priorities w/ people of Glasgow East. Twitter is Twitter. Most folk more engaged by what is happening in their lives. Natalie McGarry (@NatalieMcGarry) February 17, 2016 Rowlings Chamillionaire tweet followed a response to the MPs tweets. @NatalieMcGarry why apologise to her. She uses her obscene wealth & lawyer droids to threaten & bully. Tell the radge to bolt. Kevin Williamson (@williamsonkev) February 17, 2016 McGarry, who resigned the SNP whip in November but continues to sit in the Commons, had alleged Rowling had re-tweeted support for someone the Edinburgh East MP claimed to be a troll. Nile Rodgers has leapt to the defence of Lady Gaga, following criticism of her David Bowie tribute performance, which took place at the Grammys on Monday night. READ MORE: Nile, who made an appearance at the end of Gagas medley, has replied to critics on Twitter in a series of tweets explaining how they planned the tribute. Advertisement Well Nile and Gaga enjoyed it... When one fan told the Chic legend that he should say sorry for the show, he replied: If u think I'm apologizing you're sorely mistaken. I loved every minute I spent playing the #DavidBowieReal Tribute. Another tweet explained: We wanted to show the range of his music as best we could. Bowie's not one song or genre. To other fans, he wrote: That's how you see it. I've done tons of cover songs with David. This was a tribute and we only had 6 minutes. https://t.co/ebzQkhvgmY Nile Rodgers (@nilerodgers) February 18, 2016 Advertisement Paying homage is not exploitive. Do you know how many songs I've covered with David? Look at the history! https://t.co/XHQEI4gaVe Nile Rodgers (@nilerodgers) February 18, 2016 Nile also responded when asked for his thoughts on a tweet from Bowies son Duncan Jones, which appeared to suggest that he wasnt impressed with the performance: It's fine. He doesn't have to agree w his dad's fans & co-workers. This was not a one size fits all Bowie fans show https://t.co/AnsWTKO7OY Nile Rodgers (@nilerodgers) February 18, 2016 Overexcited or irrational, typically as a result of infatuation or excessive enthusiasm; mentally confused. Damn it! What IS that word!? Duncan had tweeted. The word hes looking for? Gaga, obviously. Advertisement Watch Lady Gaga's Grammys performance below... Leomie Anderson has called out the lack of diversity in the fashion industry in a series of shocking tweets. The British model, who has starred in catwalk shows for Victoria's Secret and Yeezy Season 1 and 2, posted a live commentary from backstage at New York Fashion Week. "We need more makeup artists and hair who are competent with all races backstage at shows," she wrote, before detailing how the beauty team was unequipped to deal with her hair type and skin tone. Advertisement Read a few of her tweets below: Why is it that the black makeup artists are busy with blonde white girls and slaying their makeup and I have to supply my own foundation Leomie Anderson (@LeLeValentine) February 17, 2016 Why is there more white makeup artists backstage than black when when black ones can do ALL races makeup? Leomie Anderson (@LeLeValentine) February 17, 2016 Why is there only ever one black hairdresser backstage yet they need four hairdressers to inspect my weave? Leomie Anderson (@LeLeValentine) February 17, 2016 Advertisement Why can a white model confidentially sit in anyone's chair and feel confident they'll look okay but black models have to worry? Leomie Anderson (@LeLeValentine) February 17, 2016 Anderson then went on to explain how her assigned makeup artist at the show refused to admit she didn't have the correct foundation, writing: "She would rather me look shit that admit that 'oh I don't have makeup for dark skin' aka you have an incomplete kit for your job." And she's not alone. In July, Sudanese model Nykhor Paul took to her Instagram page to share a powerful open letter voicing similar frustrations. "Why do I have to bring my own makeup to a professional show when all the other white girls don't have to do anything but show up?" she wrote. "Why can't we be part of fashion fully and equally?" A frail 92-year-old widow is to be deported back to her native South Africa after immigration authorities refused to allow her to remain in the UK. Senior immigration officials told Myrtle Cothill she must board a flight at Heathrow Airport next Tuesday, despite entering an appeal, which highlighted her poor health, Cothill moved to Britain to live with her 66-year-old daughter Mary Wills who now acts as her carer, helping her cope with the crippling effects of an enlarged heart and failing vision. She has no remaining relatives in South Africa. Advertisement Mary Wills (left) with her mother Myrtle Cothill (right) Cothill arrived in Britain in 2014 and has lived with Mary in Poole, Dorset ever since, the Western Daily Press reported. Her fight to remain in the UK began at a "first-tier" immigration tribunal. That hearing found Cothill had obtained entry to the United Kingdom by deception, and that she and her daughter arranged their affairs with the deliberate intention of making her removal difficult. Advertisement Over 50,000 people have signed a Change.org petition Mary Wills told the Guardian that more recent discussions with Home Office officials proved fruitless. She said: "We didnt really get a chance to talk at the last meeting, they [home office officials] just went on and on. "When we said where would my mother go when she got to Johannesburg, they said she could go to the Red Cross and get help. "My mother is in a terrible state. She is just shaking and shaking. "It is so cruel. We dont know what to do." On Tuesday, Cothill received final word of her deportation in a letter that included details of her Virgin Atlantic flight, scheduled to depart next week. People are beginning to rally against the decision, with a Change.org petition having reached 50,000 signatures on Thursday. Green Party leader Natalie Bennett was among those to share the appeal. Advertisement Cothill's barrister, Jan Doerfel, who set up the Change.org petition, said: "This is a heart-breaking situation for Myrtle and Mary, who is looking after her. If Myrtle does not depart, she will be at risk not only of immigration detention but also of enforced removal." James Davies, Mrs Cothill's immigration adviser at the International Care Network, said: "Myrtle does not have close family members in South Africa willing and or able to look after her, and is dependent on both the emotional and physical care of her daughter in the UK. North Korea could be planning to carry out Isis-style terrorists attacks on its southern neighbour, according to the national spy agency in Seoul. CNN reported on Thursday that South Koreas National Intelligence Service briefed a government official, noting that Kim Jong-un had personally given the order to prepare for attacks. "North Korea's terrorist attack could be in the form of causing harms to anti-North Korean activists, North Korean defectors or government officials," Lee Chul-woo, a member of the ruling party, told the broadcaster on Thursday. Advertisement According to the NIS, agents of the North could target subways, shopping malls, exhibition centers, power plants. The agency also said North Korea could launch poisoning attacks on anti-Pyongyang activists or defectors. Any incident would mark a dramatic escalation in tensions between the peninsula states that have in recent years restrained themselves to rhetoric and threats. After the North detonated a nuclear test explosion in January, a move that violated United Nations Security Council resolutions, followed by the launch of a satellite earlier this month, the South threatened "bone-numbing" measures against Pyongyang. Last week, the south closed the Kaesong industrial complex, the one point of co-operation between the two states, which sits on the north side of the border. In retaliation, the North expelled all South Korean workers and confiscated the property. Below are pictures of emotional North Korean generals after the successful launch of a satellite: Pope Francis has suggested that women threatened with the Zika virus could use artificial contraception. The Pope said that those infected by the virus should not abort their foetus as he argued there's a clear moral difference between aborting a fetus and preventing a pregnancy. The Zika virus has spread across South America in recent months and is thought to create complications for pregnant women. Advertisement Pope Francis aboard the papal plan on 17 February The worldwide leader of the Catholic church made the suggestion during a wide-ranging press conference aboard the papal plane. Francis was asked Wednesday en route home from Mexico if abortion or birth control could be considered a "lesser evil," when faced with the Zika-linked cases of rare birth defects such those faced in Brazil. The explosion of Zika cases has prompted some governments in Latin America to urge women to avoid getting pregnant and has fueled calls from abortion rights groups to loosen the strict anti-abortion laws in the overwhelmingly Catholic region. Advertisement A three-month-old born with microcephaly is examined by a neurologist Francis excluded abortion absolutely from the debate, the Associated Press reported. The World Health Organisation says that the recent explosion in cases of the virus in Brazil has seen an increase in Guillain-Barre syndrome which coincided with Zika virus infections in the general public, as well as an increase in babies born with microcephaly in northeast Brazil. Microcephaly sees babies born with unusually small heads, and scientists now say a study involving pregnant women in Brazil "strengthens" the theory that Zika is linked to the type of birth defect. During the press conference, Pope Francis also made comments about Donald Trump's candidacy for the Republican nomination for US president. He said Trump is not Christian because of the harshness of his campaign promises to deport more immigrants. The murder convictions of two men under the controversial joint enterprise law have been set aside in a Supreme Court ruling today [Thursday], in a "truly significant" decision that that could lead to hundreds of appeals - but one that a victim's widow has said could mean killers will "literally be getting away with murder". Under the joint enterprise law, people can be convicted of murder even if they did not inflict the fatal blow. For 30 years, prosecutors have simply had to prove that an accomplice or group of accomplices had knowledge that someone they were with could cause the serious harm that resulted in the victim's death. Prosecutors will now have to prove that accomplices actively assisted or encouraged in the killing to secure a murder conviction. However, the Supreme Court said in its ruling that an accomplice's foresight of the risk that their companion could cause serious harm that results in death will still be admissible as strong evidence in murder cases and could lead to a conviction for manslaughter. Advertisement The Supreme Court overturned the murder conviction of Ameen Jogee who was conviction under joint enterprise provisions In issuing a decision on the case of Ameen Jogee, who was convicted of murder after his friend Mohammed Hirsi stabbed Paul Fyfe to death in his girlfriend's house in Leicester in June 2011, the Supreme Court said joint enterprise crimes took a "wrong turn" in the 1980s, and ordered judges to assess the crimes of alleged accomplices in murder cases in the same way as the actual killer. Speaking ahead of the Supreme Court decision, Tracy Fyfe said she would be "devastated" and "frightened" if Jogee was freed. Advertisement She told told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that she regarded Jogee as culpable for her husband's death because he knew what Hirsi was doing and was egging him on. She said: "I think it is a very important law and it think it would be quite devastating for the victims' families like us, which would mean that criminals like Ameen Jogee would literally be getting away with murder. "If Ameen Jogee hadn't been there that night neither would Hirsi. Ameen Jogee was using Hirsi as a weapon. Ameen Jogee intended to hurt somebody that night as he had picked up a knife earlier on and, in his words, he's threatened to 'shank' somebody. "It's devastating. We have had four years of appeals, we can't move on, it just doesn't seem to stop." The Supreme Court decision follows research by criminologists into the law which found "evidence that black and minority ethnic people are serving long prison sentences because of unfair and racist criminal justice practices". It also found that this group was also "unfairly identified by the police as members of dangerous gangs", an affiliation which was often used to secure convictions under joint enterprise provisions. Advertisement Patrick Williams, who conducted the research, on Thursday said the Supreme Court decision was a "truly significant and remarkable ruling". The senior lecturer in sociology at Manchester Metropolitan University told the Huffington Post UK: "The Supreme Court have rightly discredited the use of Joint Enterprise. This is a testament to the work of JENGbA who have campaigned tirelessly to challenge the unjust law of Joint Enterprise. Of extreme importance, those women, men and children who were wrongly convicted of murder and are serving lengthy custodial sentences may now have the opportunity to appeal those unjust sentences." Williams said "appropriately", prosecution teams will now have to demonstrate intent rather than rely upon a "series of racist stereotypes, which have been used for 30 years to secure the conviction of innocent people". He added: "This is a positive step towards justice. The decision could impact cases such as that of Garry Newlove who was murdered in August 2007 by three drunken teenagers when he tried to stop them vanderlising his car outside his Warrington, Chesire, home. Advertisement Adam Swellings, Stephen Sorton and Jordan Cunliffe, were jailed for life in January 2008. Cunliffe's mother Janet claims that although he was at the scene he did not take part in the murder, and she has campaigned against joint enterprise laws. Newlove's widow, Baroness Newlove, however, has become a staunch supporter of victim's rights. After her husband's death she set up a number of foundations and was appointed the Victims' Commissioner by the UK government in 2012. In 2010 she was given a peerage and she sits in the House of Lords as a Conservative. Baroness Newlove is supported by her daughter Helen at the funeral of Gary Newlove The Supreme Court overturned Jogee's conviction after concluding that it had been secured on the grounds that he merely had foresight of the potential that the victim, Paul Fyfe, could suffer life-threatening injuries. Because Jogee had not been in the room at the time of the killing, the justices said, it had not been proven that he had actively encouraged the crime. Advertisement According to The Telegraph, Jogee will not walk free following the ruling. He will reportedly remain in prison while the Crown considers whether to seek a re-trial on murder charges or a resentencing on the lesser charge of manslaughter. President of the Supreme Court Lord Neuberger, said: "This does not mean that a person who took part in unlawful venture which any reasonable person would realise carried the risk of causing physical harm, and which in fact resulted in death, would go scot-free unless he could be proved to have intended to assist or encourage the principal (offender) to inflict death or serious harm. "Anybody who took part in a venture of that kind would be guilty of manslaughter, a very serious crime, at least unless the death resulted from something which he could not possibly have foreseen. "But to be guilty of murder, rather than manslaughter, the secondary party (to the crime) had to have had the intent which I have described." MPs previously called for an urgent review of joint enterprise laws which has been used in a wide variety of cases, including gang murders where it was impossible to prove which member's actions actually led to the victim's death. Advertisement In May 2014 a gang of teenage killers, some as young as 14, were named after being convicted of murdering their 19-year-old rival Sean "Shorty" McHugh. A major artery in his leg was slashed open with a sword after being chased into a Merseyside laundrette by five youths. The House of Commons' justice select committee said in a report in December 2014: "In light of the evidence we have heard in this inquiry ... our disquiet at the functioning of the law on joint enterprise has grown. "Notwithstanding the positive development of the publication of the CPSs guidance on joint enterprise charging decisions, there seems to be no willingness on the part of the Government to recognize that there may be negative effects from the operation of the doctrine, for the reputation of the justice system and for wider society, as well as for the interests of some of those convicted under the doctrine and for the victims of crimes." In the committee report, chairman Sir Alan Beith said the authorities should keep better figures on the use of joint enterprise so that its full impact can be monitored. Advertisement Given the degree of concern which exists about the operation of joint enterprise, we say it is not acceptable for the main authorities in the criminal justice system to give such limited attention and priority to the recording and collation of fundamental information about the use of the doctrine," Sir Alan said. "We also call for research to provide information covering the last five years, and for the CPS to monitor and analyse the way prosecutors are following the guidance in cases where the joint enterprise doctrine is used. Campaigners have claimed joint enterprise leads to miscarriages of justice and is used disproportionately against ethnic minorities. However, the report said: "The low rate of success of appeals against joint enterprise convictions is seen by some, including the Director of Public Prosecutions, as giving comfort that miscarriages of justice in this sense are not taking place to a significant degree." It went on: "We now recommend that the Government should request the Law Commission to undertake an urgent review of the law of joint enterprise in murder cases. Advertisement "This review should consider the appropriateness of the threshold of foresight in the establishment of culpability of secondary participants in joint enterprise cases. Paul Fyfe, pictured above with his family, was stabbed to death by Jogee's friend Mohammed Hirsi in June 2011 "It should also consider the proposition that in joint enterprise murder cases it should not be possible to charge with murder secondary participants who did not encourage or assist the perpetration of the murder, who should instead be charged with manslaughter or another lesser offence. "The Law Commission should be asked to present proposals for the codification in statute of the law of joint enterprise, together with any proposed changes arising from its review." Advertisement A new report published on January 27, based on a survey of 250 prisoners convicted under joint enterprise provisions "found evidence that black and minority ethnic people are serving long prison sentences because of unfair and racist criminal justice practices". The report - Dangerous associations tracked the complex process of criminalisation through which black and minority ethnic people are "unfairly identified by the police as members of dangerous gangs". "This apparent gang affiliation is used to secure convictions, under joint enterprise provisions, for offences they have not committed," the research by Williams and Becky Clarke, senior Lecturers in Criminology at Manchester Metropolitan University found. Williams said of the research published in the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies: Serious violence affects all communities irrespective of race and ethnicity, class, gender and age. Our research suggests that the ongoing preoccupation with the gang results in the unwarranted targeting and policing of young black men, which diverts attention away from the wider problem of serious violence throughout England and Wales. Advertisement "The survey responses reveal the human tragedy of young lives disrupted and damaged by the indiscriminate use of collective punishments as currently practiced through the doctrine of joint enterprise. The report was discussed with MPs at a specially convened meeting in the House of Commons on 26 January and is to be further debated at separate events with practitioners, activists and campaigners in Manchester and London. One prisoner convicted under joint enterprise provisions told the researchers: I was not a gang member. I know both of the intended victims and I had and do not have any conflict with them. And another told of the consequences of her conviction under the law. I was a mother studying to be a midwife. My partner was an electrician, we had a life, we did not hang around with anyone. Researchers said their survey found evidence that it was "black and minority ethnic defendants who bear the brunt of joint enterprise prosecutions". Advertisement Over half of the prisoners who responded to the survey (53%) described themselves as black and minority ethnic, which researchers said was much higher than the proportion of all prisoners from black and minority ethnic groups - some 18%. The researchers said that more than three quarters of the black and minority ethnic prisoners told them that the prosecution in their cases had claimed they were members of a gang, whereas only 39% of white prisoners had been presented to the court as being associated with a gang. The study found the lists of gang members maintained by police included people who "have no proven convictions and those who have been assessed by criminal justice professionals as posing minimal risk". The Supreme Court found that the joint enterprise law had taken a 'wrong turn' in the 1980s The gang lists are also dominated by black and minority ethnic people, as a result of racial stereotyping, researchers said. Advertisement It found 89% of those on the Manchester Police gang list (Xcalibre) were black and minority ethnic, yet only 23% of those convicted of serious youth violence were black and minority ethnic people. And 87% of those on the Metropolitan Police gang matrix (Trident) were black and minority ethnic, yet only half of those convicted of serious youth violence were black and minority ethnic people. "The report offers a troubling expose of the use of collective punishment against black and minority ethnic people, based on racism, rumour and innuendo," researchers said. The report recommended a rethink of the use of racist gang stereotyping in the policing of serious violence; greater transparency in the use of joint enterprise, through the production and publication of official statistics on the charging and prosecution in relation to joint enterprise, including information on the age, gender and ethnicity of defendants. Will McMahon, Deputy Director at the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, said of the research findings: Prosecutions under joint enterprise all too often seem to involve a dangerous cocktail of innuendo, hearsay and racism. Advertisement "If you have a black skin you are much more likely to be convicted under that law. This report shows that a large number of people may have been given long sentences for offences they did not commit. Regardless of ethnicity, this is an affront to justice. An urgent review is needed. AKROTIRI, CYPRUS - DECEMBER 03: A RAF Typhoon arrives at RAF Akrotiri on December 3, 2015 in Akrotiri, Cyprus. The RAF has sent two further Tornado aircraft and six Typoons to bolster aircraft now flying sorties to both Iraq and Syria. The UK government voted yesterday to authorise air strikes against so-called Islamic State targets in Syria. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images) Matt Cardy via Getty Images The RAF's celebrated Brimstone missile system has yet to kill or wound a single Isis terrorist in Syria since MPs controversially voted to support bombing raids in December. A Freedom of Information (FOI) request by The Huffington Post UK also revealed just seven Isis militants have been killed or wounded by bombs dropped by RAF jets - either with Paveway bombs or Hellfire drone missiles. Advertisement Brimstone, hailed for its accuracy, was the main reason for the UK going into Syria, offering a military capability lacking among the US and French air forces, and was cited repeatedly by the Government and MPs. Isis casualties broken down by location and missile type The revelation has raised questions over Britain's involvement, the number of targets and costs. The Scottish National Party's Alex Salmond said the finding "contrasts dramatically" with David Cameron's argument Brimstone would "cut off the 'head of the snake'" in Isis's Raqqa HQ. The Ministry of Defence (MoD), however, said the point of the air raids was not just to kill extremists, and pointed to the disruption they had caused to Isis infrastructure, including its lucrative oil fields. Advertisement Brimstone was used in nine raids between the vote and January 29, which is where the FOI data runs to. Often more than one bomb was dropped in a raid, taking out cranes, trucks and other Isis infrastructure. All the strikes are detailed on the MoD website, but the department has until the FOI refused to specify how many militants have been killed. No civilian casualties have resulted from British attacks, it says. Each Brimstone missile dropped is estimated to cost 100,000. Estimates vary, but Isis is thought to be able to muster as many as many as 32,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria. The Brimstone missile, a rocket-propelled, radar-guided air-launched ground attack weapon Cameron has hailed the accuracy of the Brimstone missiles for causing the lowest level of civilian casualties - heralding the planes high-definition camera that can hover over the Isle of Wight and be able to read the hands on Big Ben. Advertisement The SNP's MPs to a man and women opposed the raids. SNP MP Mr Salmond, the party's International Affairs spokesman in Westminster, told HuffPost UK: "This information contrasts dramatically with the case made by the Prime Minister for bombing when he said that the much-lauded Brimstone missile system would be crucial in cutting off the 'head of the snake' in Raqqa. "It is now the common practice of this Prime Minister to mislead the country into military engagement and then to only devote a passing interest towards these crucial issues as his case crumbles before our eyes. "I have little doubt that we shall soon be informed that it is back to Libya as the new crucial theatre of engagement as Cameron's attention span wanders elsewhere. Occasional spurts of interest do not represent a coherent policy against Daesh and bombing campaigns should not be used as a substitute for strategy." A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: We are playing a crucial role in a campaign that will take time and patience. Using the right weapon for each scenario, RAF jets have struck Daesh almost 600 times. "In Iraq we have helped to drive them out of Sinjar and Ramadi. In Syria, we have severely weakened them by targeting their key infrastructure. Advertisement Syrian Woman Wears Hidden Camera to Reveal Life Under ISIS Rule See gallery The UK is part of a coalition with allies including the US and France, and the specifics of where strikes occur are decided to ensure "maximum coalition effectiveness". The thinking behind targeting ISIS infrastructure, such as the Omar oil field, is to reduce its ability to raise finance to fund their terror campaign. So far, oil revenue has been reduced by around 30% and their entire income has been cut by around 10%, the MoD says. The MoD explained in the response to the FOI: "Since December 2015 UK military air activity has contributed to the Coalitions aim of disrupting and degrading Daesh military infrastructure, logistics and revenue streams inside Syria. "This includes targeting oil infrastructure and enabling equipment under Daesh control, helping to reduce their ability to profit from selling oil to fund their activities. Advertisement "We have also targeted Daeshs military equipment and infrastructure, including vehicles, defensive fighting positions firing on friendly forces, a tunnel complex, weapons stores and a command and control centre. "We estimate that 7 Daesh combatants have been killed or wounded as a result of RAF airstrikes in Syria between 2 December 2015 and 29 January 2016." HuffPost UK has approached the Ministry of Defence for any further comment. Some 397 MPs voted for the Government motion to expand bombing raids from Iraq and 223 against, a majority of 174 The House of Commons vote to back airstrikes in Syria - unlike in neighbouring Iraq a year earlier - proved controversial after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn came out against the policy, causing a deep divide among the Opposition. Advertisement Though the vote passed comfortably, it was set against a backdrop of protests outside Westminster and later contributed to Corbyn's "revenge reshuffle", despite giving his Shadow Cabinet a free vote. The RAF is using three aircraft to drop missiles: older Tornado jets which can carry Brimstone missiles and Paveway bombs; newer Typhoons that drop Paveway bombs but are not - as yet - capable of firing Brimstone missiles; and unmanned Reaper drones equipped with Hellfire missiles and bombs. A view of (L-R) Brasenose College, the Radcliffe Camera (a library), the Codrington Library and All Souls' College in Oxford. William Conran/PA Archive Oxford University's Jewish society has published a list of "anti-semitic" incidents it says students have been subjected to, after claims were made that the institution's Labour club had "a problem with Jews". On Wednesday, Ed Miliband's office announced the former Labour leader had postponed a talk at the Oxford University Labour Club (OULC) following reports of bigoted behaviour. Advertisement The OULC's former co-chair stood down from his role citing concerns over members using the term Zio a word that Chalmers claims is usually confined to the websites of neo-Nazis" - with "casual abandon". Now, Oxford's Jewish society has published a list of incidents, after students reportedly came forward to complain, saying it was "appalled". Second Statement from Oxford JSoc regarding Oxford University Labour Club:OULC has become increasingly dominated by... Posted by Oxford JSoc on Tuesday, 16 February 2016 Universities minister has written to the Oxford vice-chancellor Professor Louise Richardson demanding an urgent investigation into the claims. Advertisement "I am writing now following reports in the press alleging rampant anti-Semitism among members of the Oxford University Labour Club, and following the resignation of its chairman Alex Chalmers. "There can be no justification for attacks on Jewish students, and no tolerance for institutionalised racism within an organisation that bears the University's name. "Universities must be places for students, irrespective of their background, to develop as individuals and citizens, free from the fear of racism or the kind of intimidation that curtails free speech. "Jewish students at Oxford and all universities must feel confident that university leaders take their safety seriously. "I would welcome your assurance that the situation involving the OULC is being urgently and thoroughly investigated, with strong disciplinary action taken where necessary." Advertisement The OULC responded to claims saying the conduct of some members was horrifying and the OULC whole-heartedly condemns anti-Semitic behaviour in all its forms. Fellow co-Chair of the Club Noni Csogor declared in a blog post: Jewish students spoke on both sides of the debate this evening, but we take allegations of anti-Semitism in the club very seriously and I will be discussing, with my executive committee, how to deal with the kinds of statements Alex mentions, and what concrete steps we can take in future to preserve a club thats been a safe haven for Jewish students in the past." A spokesperson from Labour Students, the student wing of the Labour Party, announced it would be conducting an investigation. A Wales flag flies in the stands. Andrew Matthews/PA Archive The Welsh Conservative Party has announced a drastic plan to scrap tuition fee subsidies and instead replace them with grants to pay half the students rents. Currently, Welsh students have to pay 3,810, regardless of their place of study in the UK. The Welsh Government will then support anything above that up to 5,190. Advertisement The Tories have slated this as an expensive gimmick describing it as a huge cost to the taxpayer. In a speech to be made at the University of Exeter today, Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies will say: Higher Education funding in Wales needs a radical shake-up and Welsh Conservatives are the only Party proposing a radical new approach which offers students the support they need with potentially prohibitive living costs. Accommodation costs often swallow up maintenance loans meaning students and their parents often struggle with everyday living costs associated with University life. We want to change that offering students timely, urgent support that will improve the accessibility of education; simultaneously ending Labours unsustainable tuition fee grant. Education Minister for Wales Huw Lewis recently reaffirmed Labours commitment to continue subsidising tuition fees if the party wins the election in May. However, he indicated the grants might become contextual in the future. Advertisement With the Welsh Assembly Election coming up on May 5th, tuition fee subsidies are becoming a hot topic of debate in Wales with many arguing the subsidies only drive Welsh students towards English universities where students would normally be expected to pay upwards of 9,000 for their tuition. This announcement by the Conservatives comes only a few days after Plaid Cymru revealed plans to write off 6,000 of student debt per year if graduates choose to commence work in Wales. In a statement, Plaid Cymru Shadow Education Minister Simon Thomas said: The Party of Wales wants everyone to be able to study any subject and in any university they want to. But the current tuition fee policy means we give more money to universities outside of Wales than we do inside of Wales. Our plans will enable students from Wales to study anywhere they want, and will ensure that the Welsh economy can benefit from the talent of Welsh students. Meanwhile the Welsh Liberal Democrats have said they would scrap the tuition fee subsidies and replace them with maintenance grants. Advertisement Welsh Lib Dem Shadow Education Minister Aled Roberts revealed: The Welsh Liberal Democrats would replace Labours unsustainable policy with a Living Costs Grant as we recognise that it is living costs, not fees, that are the biggest barrier to people going to university. But our policy means that it is up to the individual student to best decide how to use this finance, rather than dictating to them. Early on we looked at this photo and we knew it was an important one. It had such power because of its simplicity, especially the symbolism of the barbed wire. We thought it had almost everything in there to give a strong visual of whats happening with the refugees. I think its a very classical photo, and at the same time its timeless. It portrays a situation, but the way its done is classic in the greatest sense of the word. Other members of the jury also spoke about the winning photograph. I still remember those young days when my maternal grandfather Ohan Tabourian used to start his early mornings by carrying his battery-fed transistor radio with him from room to room. He wanted the news to reach him from different sources, so he listened to a staple that included the BBC World Service, Jordan Radio and Radio Monte Carlo as well as VOA. And then he would explain to me what was wrong with the world before he went to work ... and I went to school. My grandfather was probably one of the richest carpet merchants of his time. He spent half his time in Jordan & Lebanon and the other half in Iran where he personally chose those Persian carpets that would go to his warehouses and shops across the MENA region. And yet for a person who was the envy of those who were less fortunate financially, and who epitomised the comforts of capitalism when the dotcom bubble was not yet part of our lexicon, he was also intensely disapproving of the USA. Like many of his generation, he often referred to the wars of 1967 and 1973 and remonstrated that the West (and by that he really meant the USA since the UK and France were spent colonial powers by now in his opinion) had shown an unjust bias against the Arabs on favour of Israel. Not only so, but he was also a supporter of the USSR - at a time when Leonid Brezhnev reigned supreme at the Kremlin and where Syria was one of its client states. Advertisement My grandfather 'did not do' God either, and so his politics did not clash with his irreligion. For him, Nietzsche was wrong: God had not died because He never existed in the first place! In other words, he had no problems siding with a communist and supposedly unbelieving empire such as the Soviet Union although he simultaneously continued to pile the Armenian Church in the region with donations and carpets - a nod to Armenian ethno-nationalism and no more! I was a kid then and I admired my grandfather: he was the glue that held our extended family together and he had so much wisdom in him. He taught me to drive and to differentiate between right and wrong. A refugee of the Armenian genocide, he also never ceased to recall how the West had sold Armenians down the drain when they revised the Treaty of Sevres and substituted it with that of Lausanne. But he was more scathing about the way the Arabs were sold down the drain too and how Syria was one of the few countries still resisting Western imperialism. And yet I wonder if his penchant for statist politics would still be as favourable if he were alive to witness what is occurring in Syria today - in Madaya, Zabadani, Aleppo, Homs or Deir El-Zor where the savage brutality of the Syrian regime has been recently matched by the equally indiscriminate brutality of the Russian forces. I know he would despise Daesh (ISIL) for all their terror-friendly pretensions of carving out (literally) a caliphate in Syria or Iraq and justifying their barbarities through their blurred prism of Islam. But he would also fiercely lambast Putin and Assad for targeting the civilians and carpet-bombing their schools and hospitals in Syria. However, my grandfather would also remind me of the duplicitous attitude of the US Administration that sold out its lofty principles and allowed abject dictators to run countries and control peoples in the Arab World. And he would wryly add that the West had only sown discord in the MENA region and padded its own interests at the expense of the local peoples. Besides, he would segue, the religious hierarchs (including Christian ones) have also been complicit with usurpers and dictators. They might genuinely think they are protecting their flocks, but how could one save souls or redeem lives by working hand-in-glove with any modern-day mammon? Advertisement My granddad would also tell me that eradicating Daesh by strengthening dictators is risible because it would not resolve the issues bedevilling the MENA. At best, the final standoff has been delayed until the Arab masses get a second wind and challenge their despotic rulers with a new sahwa or re-awakening. But then, he would quip, all we have today from politicians is the limp expediency of short-term tactics minus the taut boldness of long-term strategies. I've always had strong opinions on the assisted suicide debate (who doesn't really?) and unlike many other members of the disabled community, I am in favour of it. There are countless articles from disabled rights activists that argue against making assisted suicide legal in the UK for fear of how this may change how we treat the disabled and the dying. They ask 'by making assisted suicide legal are we encouraging those who are most vulnerable to end their lives so they don't feel like a burden on others?' or they pose the slippery slope argument 'could the law be used by all disabled people even if they aren't dying?' To answer both these questions quickly, no this is not what a law allowing assisted suicide should do. In September last year, an Assisted Dying Bill was debated in Parliament and being a law and human rights nerd, I watched the entire debate and read the entire Bill. I listened to MPs make many points but found myself thinking that none of them really seemed to understand what the obvious purpose (to me at least) of the Bill was. The Bill was supposed to allow those with 6 months or less to live as a result of a terminal illness to have access to a medically assisted suicide if they were found competent by more than one doctor. (Please know this is an extremely short summary of the Bill so if you'd like to read more visit Parliament.uk.) It is this group of people alone that would have had the option of an assisted suicide under this Bill because of the immense suffering they have to deal with as part of their illness. Advertisement I watched the BBC programme "How to Die: Simon's Choice" and found some similarities between Simon Binner's life and mine but there were also a lot of differences. The biggest difference was that he was going to get worse and I am going to stay the same. Simon Binner was going to lose his ability to communicate (he almost had by the end of the programme) and would eventually lose control of his muscles that allow him to breathe and swallow. I have only experienced a handful of the experiences Simon Binner and other terminally ill people will have had so I do not know exactly what they feel but I have a better understanding than those who thankfully have never had disability or a terminal illness in their lives. When I watched Simon Binner slowly lose his ability to communicate and his family's inability to understand he didn't want to live long enough to lose everything that made him who he was, I empathised with him in a way his family couldn't. I thought about if my condition worsened to the point where I couldn't communicate with my family or friends or do the things I loved anymore and I was going to die within 6 months, that I would want to have the choice of an assisted suicide. It's because I use my disability to try and understand the suffering the terminally ill that I don't understand why so many disabled people are against assisted suicide. Many argue it is because they would be tempted to use it themselves but I don't think we should have that option. "It's going to be chilly this weekend". "Lovely weather if you're planning a barbecue". "What can we expect for the Bank Holiday? A lot of rain, I'm afraid". One of my many - many! - personal bugbears is the dumbed-down, science-free weather forecasts that most of the media inflict on us in weather-obsessed Britain. Cliche-ridden, full of value judgements (rain is "bad", sun is "good"), and terminally dull (despite the forced cheeriness of the TV weather people), they're nevertheless something we're apparently stuck with. The same goes for the language of international relations and diplomacy (or at least the media reporting of diplomacy). Also relying on overworked standard phrases (oddly, weather-related ones) like "coming in from the cold, "relations now in the deep freeze", "a frosty meeting", this clunky discourse actually tells you very little about what's really going on. Advertisement Which brings me to ... the supposed "thaw" in diplomatic relations between the UK and Iran. (Sorry about this). Since January's nuclear deal there's been a great deal of commentary on this diplomatic-meteorological phenomenon (examples here, here, and here). It's supposed to be a relatively straightforward GOOD THING. US president Barack Obama said the deal was a "good day" that advanced US interests, while providing for a "better future that delivers progress for both [the US and Iranian] peoples and the wider world". The White House also issued a lengthy appraisal of the deal, with endorsements from various big-name figures like Madelaine Albright and Colin Powell. Naturally, the UK chipped in. David Cameron reportedly described the deal as "a very good day for international relations" in a phone call to the Iranian president Hassan Rouhani. (Presumably "good day" was the agreed Anglo-American key message). But now what? Another country not building nuclear weapons is probably better than the opposite (and for that matter does the UK need to spend something like 167bn on another nuclear weapons system?: discuss), but is that it? What about Iran's atrocious domestic human rights record - is that going to change? Or what about Iran's military support for the Syrian government's merciless attacks on its own people - is that going to change? I'm... doubtful. One the one hand it's encouraging that David Cameron has been able to take advantage of "warming" (sic) British-Iranian relations to raise the plight of jailed British people like Kamal Foroughi and Roya Nobakht. But I wonder how much store to set by the foreign secretary Philip Hammond tweeting photos of himself shaking hands with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in London earlier this month. Let's just take a quick look at what Zarif said during his time in London... Advertisement *Yes, Iran needs to improve its human rights record, but this should be the result of homegrown activities and not external pressure ("insisting on respect for human rights cannot be imposed from outside") *Iran doesn't have fighters in Syria *Iran will not take lessons from countries like the UK who sell weapons to Saudi Arabia and "turn a blind eye" to executions in Saudi Arabia And what of human rights in Iran, that province which is only supposed to be subject to pressure from within Iran? Well, if you're an Iranian human rights activist - for example a hard-cases-type lawyer, a journalist who reports on sensitive matters, or a film-maker who covers socio-cultural issues - then you're far more likely to be intimidated, tortured and jailed than actually gain an attentive audience within the Iranian authorities. Frankly, Mr Zarif is simply - and rather insultingly - ignoring the very unattractive reality of how the Iranian state systematically crushes virtually all dissent at home. The January 2016 cover of Vanity Fair features a stunning photo of Megyn Kelly, the Fox anchor. Smart, successful, funny, beautiful and, wait for it, a woman. Oops, shouldn't have said that. Megyn wants her gender to be irrelevant. Irrelevant? Uh? Since when is being a woman irrelevant? Not so fast. She adds "every so often, as all (women) know, you have to stop and slap somebody around a little bit who doesn't understand that we are actually equals and not second-class citizens. Wait! What? I'm confused. If every now and again Megyn has to remind someone that being a woman doesn't make her a second-class citizen, doesn't that make her gender relevant? Doesn't the whole discussion make her gender relevant? Advertisement Baffled? I am. At a time when transgender individuals are fighting for the right to be recognised, should women be trying to brush their gender under the carpet? So here's a thing. I've heard many (many!) women say "I want to be seen as 'great', not as a 'great woman'" or a variation on the theme. To date, I have NEVER heard a man say "I want to be seen as 'great', not as a 'great man'". Why is that? What makes a woman so conscious of her gender? To the point of wanting to be ungendered? So, let's wake up and take a sniff of that cappuccino, shall we? Q: When you meet someone new, your brain, in a flash of a second, involuntarily, automatically and immediately registers two characteristics. Which ones? Advertisement Take a guess. Go on, give it a go. A: In under 0.2 seconds our brains registers race and gender. It happens so quickly that we don't even notice it happening. The truth of the matter is, that it is impossible NOT to notice someone's sex. According to Harvard PhD. Juan Manuel Contreras there's even a specific part of the brain, the fusiform face area (FFA), that does this. (and the issue of recognizing race? let's tackle that gem another time). So we can't be gender-blind? Or is it sex-blind? But what's the difference? What is gender anyway? Do I care? Does it matter? Apparently so. According to the Oxford Dictionary Gender is The state of being male or female (typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones). In other words, our sex is biological, our gender is a social construct. Sounds like quite an important distinction to me. And I suspect that our discomfort in using the "dot dot dot" word lends nicely to using the very complex "gender" word. So why would Megyn, and many other women, want to make their socially constructed gender irrelevant at work? Advertisement This got me thinking. Not so long ago I was at a writer's workshop on how to find your voice (let me know if you think I've found it). The first step was to self-identify. Of course we shared our 'self-identification' with the group. A clear pattern emerged. The women always self-identified as a woman, the men never self-identified as a man. Gay participants self-identified as such, heterosexuals did not. Race/ethnicity was self-identified only by those of a "less-dominant" race/ethnicity. This reminded me of Imefelu a character in Americanah a wonderful novel by gifted author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Imefelu only realises she is "Black" when she arrives in the US from her homeland, Nigeria. The point? A minority characteristic is a salient self-identifier. Did you get that? If not read it again slowly, it'll make sense eventually. So is it being part of the minority in the workplace, and especially in leadership, that makes women's gender so salient. So salient in fact that we feel the need to say "My gender is irrelevant?". Rosabeth Moss Kanter, of Harvard, has done fascinating work on "critical mass theory". She suggests that any cohort that accounts for 35% or less of a group constitutes a minority. As a member of the minority group you inherently: stick out represent your entire social category and suffer (and therefore fight against) stereotyping. All of which has significant impact on performance as you either push to overachieve, limit visibility, fight against stereotype or all three. Advertisement It also means that you either become one of them or remain an outsider - so you can't change the culture. The culture, and the membership, is self-perpetuating. Hit 36% and you win the lottery. You are no longer a dreaded minority. You no longer have that constant spotlight shining on you, you no longer represent your entire group. Bye, bye stereotypes. Once you hit 36% you become YOU. You can BE you. You are seen as an individual. You are suddenly Jane, Aisha, Immaculada not The Woman in the room. We woke up this week to the news that the British Government is to introduce "severe penalties" for ethical boycotts. Unless blocked by parliament or public protest, this could amount to the criminalization of conscience on a scale not seen since the infamous "Gagging Acts" of 1795. You might have thought it was not possible to turn the clock back two centuries. 1795 was the year of the Seditious Meetings Act and the Treason Act, popularly decried as "The Gagging Acts". Designed to suppress rebellious tendencies in the kingdom, they curtailed public meetings and ordered that places permitting the criticism of unjust laws be labelled "houses of disorder" and punished. Advertisement You may well rub your eyes in disbelief. It's 221 years on. The government has just announced that local councils, public bodies and university student unions are now to be banned by law from boycotting "unethical" companies. All publicly funded institutions will be prevented from boycotting companies "involved in the arms trade, fossil fuels, tobacco products or Israeli settlements in the West Bank". According to The International Business Times, Cabinet Office Minister Matthew Hancock will announce the new proposed regulations this week during a trip to Israel. The bill will allow the government to prosecute universities, local government, councils, and student unions that back the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Although the announcement includes a specific reference to current efforts to boycott economic links involving Israel's policy in its occupied territories, it is not at all clear that its impact will be limited to that. "An attack on local democracy" "The government's decision to ban councils and other public bodies from disinvesting from trade or investments they regard as unethical is an attack on local democracy," said a spokesperson of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Advertisement "This government's ban would have outlawed council action against apartheid South Africa," he said. It's a telling example. It's worth remembering that at one point, London's police banned anti-apartheid demonstrations outside South Africa House in Trafalgar Square. Activists were harassed and arrested. A 1984 leaflet issued by the South African Embassy Picket Campaign warned: "The ever more open alliance of the British government with the racist South African state is inevitably leading to greater attacks on democratic rights in Britain. To protest effectively against apartheid now means to fight to defend democratic rights in Britain." For all their intransigence, the governments of the day were unable to stop the "Free Nelson Mandela" campaign and the growing boycotts of trade, sport and university contacts that eventually weakened and helped sweep away the apartheid regime. The empire and the "half-naked fakir" It's also worth recalling that for all its efforts the empire itself could not withstand the sustained impact of an earlier boycott inspired and led by a man once denounced as "a half-naked fakir". Mahatma Gandhi's "swadeshi" (self-rule movement) had, as one of its core strategies, the goal of using only the goods manufactured in India. Millions boycotted or refused to use imported goods. Advertisement Mercifully, despite the current government's lurch back to the 18th century this week, the historical record gives us reason to believe that it is just as likely to fail in its efforts to stop today's acts of popular conscience as its predecessors were through repressive legislation in the 1700s. Indeed, it was at the end of that century that British activists launched one of the earliest recorded boycotts. After parliament refused to abolish slavery in 1791, anti-slavery campaigners, led by the legendary Wilberforce, distributed thousands of pamphlets calling for a boycott of sugar imported from slave plantations in the Caribbean colonies. The government was unable to stop it. Sales of sugar fell by as much as a half, according to some estimates. In support of the boycott, shops started selling Indian sugar produced by 'free men'. Sales are said to have risen tenfold in two years. The momentum was unstoppable. Within a matter of years, the slave trade was outlawed. Difficult, Ugly and Unprofessional; are terms used by some black British women when asked to describe their natural hair texture. Today the UK black hair-care industry is worth an est. 88 million pounds; with black women now spending 3x more than white women - why? Because in order for black women to conform to a supposed European beauty standard of straight hair we must pay to chemically relax our hair, and because relaxer damages our hair we often buy hair extensions to cover the damage and thicken the style. This is all on top of buying normal hair products like shampoo and conditioner. At 10 years I remember wrapping a t-shirt around my head pretending it was straight hair... I wished it were real! I already thought my natural hair was ugly, and since I was 14 I felt I HAD to have my hair relaxed. After watching the film 'Good Hair', in 2012, I became inspired to embrace my natural hair, seeing how much damage constant relaxing had done to it. I started wearing it in public, and have learnt how to care for it by watching emerging 'Team Natural' Youtube vloggers. The truth is I never liked my natural hair because I never learnt how to, in depth, care for it! In recent news American WNCT News anchor Angela Green posted a video on her Facebook page where she advises her intern, 19 Yr. old, Madison to straighten her hair for an upcoming production. Angela also poses an open question in the video title: Advertisement Natural hair or nah? Professional advice for one of our interns. Weigh in? #naturalhair #yolo #professionalism #bighairdontcare Angela explained that in her opinion 'straight hair is what is most acceptable in today's broadcast standards', based on her own experiences and her desire to appease her bosses. After embracing my natural hair, and then reading this story I was deeply saddened - sad that such a bad view of natural black hair was so openly admitted and adhered to by such successful black role models. In a new episode of That's Your Opinion I went out and asked the UK public if they feel the same as Angela - Is natural black hair unprofessional? Could the answer to black women finally being able to feel self-confident and educated on how to care for their hair type come from Social Media? In 2009 and with the gaining popularity of social media sites, a few 'Naturalista' black women who decided to wear their hair in its natural state emerged by way of blogs, and then Youtube videos. These became Haircare teaching aids for black women, even showing us how to make our own hair products. This led some bloggers to launch their own beauty lines especially for natural hair. Advertisement In 2010 Chris Rock released his film 'Good Hair', challenging American black women to reconsider constantly chemically straightening theirs and their children's hair. In 'Good Hair' he is quoted as saying that he made this film in order to show his young daughters that their hair is 'Good Hair' even if it's not straight! However the issues surrounding why, globally, black women didn't and don't choose to wear their hair in public stems from deep-rooted self-hatred because of ignorant societal discriminations, and racist propaganda. The misconception that 'black bush people's' hair is unkempt and doesn't grow is a hurtful lie, when in reality ancient African tribes people would spend days creating intricate hair designs. And as for length many tribes' people actually believed it was spiritually harmful to cut their hair! We all know that in the 1500s Europe slavers were kidnapping African people, but did you know one of the first things they did when they caught their victims was to cut off their hair? That was merely the beginning of a long process of intentionally wiping out African culture and identity - to break their spirit, to make them easier to control. By the 1600's slave handlers were often given guidelines like that of Willie Lynch's 'Let's Make A Slave'. They were taught to dehumanize Africans by way of segregating black from white slaves, and mocking African physical features. In this time African hairstyles could not be retained because women cared more for survival than their vanity; and the knowledge was quickly lost. In the 1800s the slave ships stopped going to Africa and this meant slaves already in America could no longer be worked so hard: their lives were now worth more! So slaves started getting Sunday's off - giving the women time to do their hair for church. Even so unfortunately some high society women believed black women were 'getting ahead of themselves' when white men started showing sexual interest in them because of attention grabbing clothing and hairstyles, therefore they forced black women to dress down and hide their hair actually passing a 'Tignon Law' against them. The emotional scars and societal effects of this propaganda and history are for me the reason black women feel ashamed of their hair today. And moving on to present day it seems the ignorance and open discrimination against Afro hair is live and in practice, like the story of a young girl told in 2013 that she would be expelled from school for wearing her Afro hair out, and must cut it in order to be allowed back in school. This only happened after the 12 yr. old girl complained to teachers of her classmates racial bullying in the predominantly white school - the teachers blamed her hair for being a distraction. With role models like Angela and a large majority of famous black women opting to conform to straight styles it can feel like things may never change. Advertisement But, I believe the Team Natural movement to be a new dawn for black women to heal old wounds. It offers an opportunity to rekindle a love affair with our natural hair, and to regain lost hair care knowledge. This movement is even inspiring girls of other ethnicities, who regularly straighten their hair, to start loving their natural curls too. Whether this is a passing trend or a firm revolution in thinking... in a world obsessed with airbrushing, hair extensions and plastic surgery ... it looks like many of us are longing just to be our natural selves. So in answer to the question: is Afro hair unprofessional? ... I'll simply say, "It's My Afro Hair & I Don't Care!" Southern Lightscapes-Australia via Getty Images Flesh footed Shearwater chick resting on the beach at Lord Howe Island Shearwater seabirds dont have beautiful plumage and they cant parrot your words, but they are telling scientists a disturbing story about the effect of plastic on Australian marine life. The plight of these mutton-like birds was told at a senate hearing on Wednesday into the threat of marine plastic pollution in Australia. Advertisement The inquiry was called for by Tasmanian Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, who bluntly told scientist Dr Jennifer Lavers her work into shearwaters was "pretty depressing". "I don't know if I'd be able to get out of bed in the morning," Whish-Wilson said. Indeed Lavers' research along with colleague Dr Ian Hutton on Lord Howe Island suggested 11 percent of juvenile shearwaters were dying as a result of marine plastic -- both from growing with stunted wings as an effect of plastic ingestion right through to death via starvation when their stomach was so filled with plastic, there was no room for food. Lavers replied to Whish-Wilson: "It is quite confronting work but its one of the emerging problems were facing right now and certainly someone has to tackle it," Lavers said. "The birds have a role in this, they have a story to tell and I'm there to tell that story." Hutton said they'd found pieces of plastic inside shearwaters with clearly visible Australian labels, including corks branded with McWilliams and Penfolds wine and milk bottle tops as well as branded balloon clips. Advertisement Examination of a dead flesh-footed shearwater on Lord Howe Island reveals deadly plastic fragments. Horrifying Still is that while research shows plastic ends up inside these birds, it could also be ending up inside our own bodies. ARC senior research associate Dr Mark Browne told the hearing there was evidence microplastic passed into animals' blood streams and muscles, which humans ate. "You dont put a hernia mesh or an artificial joint [into a body until it has been thoroughly tested]. Were not seeing that for products going on the market as packaging," he said. Indeed one of the focuses of Wednesday's hearing was a question around whether plastic should be classified as a hazardous material. It was one of many levers suggested as a way of cutting down plastic, as well as a national container deposit scheme, stopping production of some plastics, improved water filtration systems to catch microplastics and systems where plastic packaging would legally be returned to manufacturers or shops. Advertisement The hearing received submissions from the likes of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the CSIRO, the Total Environment Centre, and Clean Up Australia, with executive chairman Ian Kiernan calling for a container deposit scheme with producers of plastic bottles taking responsibility. "They do not want to take responsibility for the product they are selling, and they are leaving the responsibility with us," Kiernan said. The National Environmental Law Association's Ellen Geraghty told the hearing any legislative changes needed to be treated with urgency. "Really it needs to be add as a matter of priority," Geraghty said. "Were starting to see the science now that proves this is an issue. By the time we have more comprehensive scientific information, the problem will have escalated more than it already has." The hearing is continuing and when adjourned, a report with recommendations will be presented to the federal government. Advertisement In the meantime, Lavers said change could start right now in people's attitude to using disposable plastic. "Theres definitely a societal switch that needs to occur," Lavers said. "'Disposable' and 'plastic' should never go in the same sentence. It's an oxymoron. RSPCA ACT Only in Australia would a dag-ridden sheep fleece be displayed in our national museum. Yet a joint exhibition between the RSPCA ACT and the National Museum of Australia is proudly showcasing the rather putrid wool that was shorn from our most famous sheep, Chris. Chris the Sheep has become something of an Aussie icon for the welfare of animals since he was rescued from a paddock in a shocking condition. Last August, Chris was found in Mulligans Flat -- near the ACT/NSW border -- carrying a load of 41.1kg of wool. At the time, Chris could barely walk and RSPCA vets were concerned about infection under the wool. Advertisement Chris waiting to be shorn. Picture RSPCA ACT Under the guidance of RSPCA ACT, veterinarians and with the help of a shearer, the wool was taken off Chris setting a new Guinness World Record by over 12 kilograms. RSPCA ACT CEO Tammy Ven Dange said she is still amazed that Chris survived the ordeal and the display is a fitting reminder of how dependent animals are on humans for their welfare. Advertisement Chris after being shorn: the red is antiseptic, not blood. Picture RSPCA ACT Chriss story was one of survival. How did he manage to avoid feral foxes and dogs? How did he go unnoticed for so long? How did he manage to find adequate food and water while carrying his body weight in wool? Ven Dange said. You really have to see the 'Chris the Sheep' fleece in person at @rspcaact to understand how big it really is! @nmapic.twitter.com/B6AK3U5fl6 Tammy Ven Dange (@tvendange) February 17, 2016 Canberra is known for a lot of things, but the display could possibly become another tourist attraction in itself given the national and international interest in his story. For one, the fleece is massive and the display shows this really well! Its hard to believe that any animal could carry this amount of wool around for five or six years and still live to tell the tale! The National Museum of Australia has acquired the fleece for its National Historical Collection. Director Dr Mathew Trinca said the story represents the important role the RSPCA plays in animal welfare. The phrase Australia rides on the sheeps back became a truism from the late 19th century as the wool industry took off, underpinning the national economy and culture for decades, Dr Trinca said. Advertisement With @tvendange@rspcaact with The world record fleece of Chris the Sheep, acquired @nma for the collection pic.twitter.com/eP4fZFd8Oz Mathew Trinca (@MathewTrinca) February 16, 2016 Chris illustrates how modern domestic sheep have been bred not to lose their wool and what happens when they are not shorn regularly. The fleece will remain at RSPCA ACT until it is moved to the National Museum where it will become a part of the permanent collection. ASSOCIATED PRESS The new Toyota RAV4 is unveiled at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. The annual Los Angeles Auto Show opened to the media Wednesday at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The show opens to the public on Friday, November 30. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Toyota Australia has announced a recall of 98,000 RAV4 vehicles due to potentially faulty rear seat belts. The recall affects Toyota RAV4s built between August 2005 and November 2012. "There is a possibility that, in the event of a high-speed frontal collision, the seat belt webbing could contact a portion of the metal seat cushion frame, become cut and separate," Toyota Australia said in a statement issued Thursday. Advertisement "If this occurs, the seat belt may not properly restrain the occupant, which could increase the risk of injury to the occupant." The fault is due to the construction of the vehicle and is not a problem with suppliers, Toyota has said. Toyota Australia was quick to reassure drivers that "there have been no accidents or injuries in Australia as a result of this condition." However, there have been two incidents worldwide where rear seat belts separated from the affected vehicles -- a fatal collision in Canada and an incident in the United States where a person was injured. Advertisement Toyota Motor Corp was unable to confirm whether the fault in their RAV4s were linked to any injuries or fatalities. A total of 2.87 million vehicles have been recalled globally, including 1.3 million in the United States. Toyota plans to add resin protection covers to the metal seat cushion frames of all recalled vehicles. However, due to the scale of the recall, the resin is not expected to become available until June this year. shutterstock A friend of mine, let's call him Ted*, last year had a stroke. An ambulance was called and within 30 minutes they were receiving 21st century medical care in a state-of-the-art stroke ward in a public hospital. After a few days in a high-dependency unit, he was transferred to a stroke ward and then to a rehabilitation hospital and eventually returned home with a superb discharge plan and great in-home community support. Advertisement On the other hand, another young person of my acquaintance, Jason*, was last year diagnosed with a mental illness. It took him months to get to see a psychologist, eight weeks to see a psychiatrist, and a critical incident saw him involved with an emergency involuntary hospitalisation causing huge trauma and distress to his family. He was discharged without a plan and it was only because his family were well-educated and sourced their own support that Jason is now functioning reasonably well. In different circumstances, it could easily have gone the other way for him. The reality is that in Australia a form of 'health apartheid' exists. On the one hand, there is a physical health system that gobbles up resources like there is no tomorrow and, on the other, the poor cousin in the form of the mental health care system that lives on scraps and is perpetually under-resourced and under massive pressure. This situation can no longer be tolerated. Australia cannot afford it. Research from Mission Australia in 2015 shows that young people are highly concerned with coping with stress, school or study problems, body image and depression. The largest study ever conducted in Australia by the Telethon Kids Institute, in collaboration with the University of Western Australia, last year found that 1 in 4 secondary students and 1 in 7 primary school students have a diagnosable mental illness. Alarmingly, 1 in 10 teenagers has engaged in self-harm, 1 in 13 have contemplated suicide, 1 in 40 have attempted suicide and 2 in 5 young people have tried illicit substances. In short the mental health of young Australians is worse than it was for their parents and is costing the country a fortune. Advertisement A major new report by accounting and consultancy firm Ernst and Young found the health care of young people with a mental illness is costing nearly $1.3 billion a year, and that better mental health services and early intervention could produce big savings for taxpayers as well as improve the lives of people with a mental illness. Fiscal costs include lost productivity at work, benefit payments and health-care expenditure. Social costs include poor quality of life, unnecessary burden and significant suffering when a life is lost to suicide, which happens seven times every day in Australia. Our failure to help young people with a mental illness is costing the country a staggering $6.2 billion a year in health, welfare, business and prison costs. Half the young people with a mental illness are unemployed and many are stuck in the prison system because 70 percent of them don't get help from mental health services. The Australian government is constantly under pressure from consumer groups, the mental health sector and the media, and are actively looking for new ways to deal effectively with the growing burden of youth mental health, but also new ways to improve wellbeing. A series of major reports over the past few years suggests that improving mental health services for young people would dramatically lift national productivity as well as reduce the proportion of young people requiring treatment. The question is how might this be achieved? A revolutionary idea is to use new and emerging technologies to improve and promote wellbeing in young people. The National Mental Health Commission report published last year made a strong argument that the Government could rapidly expand access to mental health care if it used online services and better integrated them into the traditional health system supports. The idea would be to first offer people a way to manage their wellbeing through evidence-based online self-care, using a combination of web-based programs, smartphone apps and biometric devices. If this support was not enough, people with more severe mental illness could access online counseling and progressively advance through to more intense levels of care if needed. A small group of researchers and clinicians at the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre have come up with a unique solution that argues that new and emerging technologies could indeed be a mental health game changer -- not just in Australian but worldwide. Advertisement This research shows that an e-mental health system can deliver seamless support across online and offline services which empowers the individual, focuses on wellbeing and can provide world-class treatment that is user-friendly, accessible and cost-effective. This revolutionary idea is based on four incontrovertible facts. First, that 75 percent of mental health problems in adults occur under the age of 25, and 50 percent under the age of 15. Second, that there are now more mobile phones than people in the world. Third, that young people are the heaviest users of both smartphones and download apps more than any other age group. And, lastly, that there is good evidence that e-mental health interventions work and are effective as an adjunct to conventional treatment. The proposal is for a digital ecosystem of online support, which includes certified apps and web-based interventions, running on an underpinning common set of technological, medico-legal and ethical standards. The ecosystem is based on the principle of self-management and is all on a young person's mobile phone. First, young people download an app from their school, university or workplace which prompts them to complete a specialised wellbeing questionnaire and then creates a tailored digital wellbeing plan on the basis of their responses. Second, through the use of smart algorithms that analyse their individual data, the system recommends a customised set of apps and web-based programs that address their specific needs and affords young people a choice as to how they respond to, control and share their data. Finally, the system can automatically determine if the young person requires clinical care and can facilitate engagement with clinical services, both online and offline. The system eliminates the need to repeat information unnecessarily and, using smart algorithms, ensures young people receive the right care at the right time. The system has a commitment to user-centred information security, strongly encrypted data storage and the establishment of guidelines to ensure all services are compliant with medical, legal and ethical standards to ensure the privacy of young people's information. Advertisement The bottom line is that such a system may have alerted Jason's carers to the nature and extent of his distress, helped him get the right help at the right time and, ultimately, prevent him from becoming so unwell and ensure that he didn't have to wait for so long to get treatment, let alone have a traumatic involuntary admission. Albert Einstein said the definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result. It is time we change the way we do things so that Jason gets the sort of treatment that Ted did. *Names have been changed. _______________________ Political Cartoon Showing Afghan King Sher Ali with "friends" the Russian Bear & British Lion During the height of the Great Game (1878) The "Great Game" refers to a period when the British Empire and Czarist Russia competed politically and economically for influence in central and south central Asia. Russia's advances in central Asia in the 19th century were regarded by Britain as a threat to their "Crown Jewel" (India). Britain thought that Russia would use Afghanistan as a launching platform to attack India and undermine their hold on the country. Thus began a great competition when Britain decided to preempt Russia by sending an expeditionary force to Afghanistan in 1838, dubbed the 1st Anglo Afghan war. The British forces installed a puppet king, Shah Shuja, but his reign was short lived and disastrous for British forces. This Great Game continued until the first part of the 20th century when Britain recognized Afghanistan's independence at the conclusion of the 3rd Anglo Afghan War in 1919. Advertisement The Cold War brought another deadly game to south central Asia when the communist Kremlin Czars decided to install another puppet regime in 1978, the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). PDPA was headed by Taraki, who like Shah Shuja did not last very long. The Red Army then directly invaded Afghanistan in 1979 to keep their PDPA puppets in power, as they were on the verge of collapse. The United States entered the foray in the early 1980s by supporting the various groups fighting the occupying Red Army. The US support to the Mujahedeen factions who had sanctuaries in Pakistan continued until the defeat of the Soviet troops. The Red Army withdrew from Afghanistan on February 15, 1989. Soon thereafter the Soviet Union itself collapsed, ushering in the end of the Cold War and the subsequent US disengagement from Afghanistan. Mujahedeen Commanders with President Reagan in 1985 Although the US and its coalition partners went to war in Afghanistan again in 2001 in response to the attacks on US soil in September of that year, this involvement was not in response to a regional superpower competition. It therefore could not be characterized as a "great game" in which Afghanistan was a pawn. However, 15 years later, with US troops still in the country, Afghanistan may again find itself in a new great game. This new great game is the result of an assertive Russia under Vladimir Putin with an eye on central and south central Asia. Putin also challenges US involvement in the Syrian conflict and in Eastern Europe in hope of recreating the glory days of Czarist Russia or the former USSR. In January of this year the Quadrilateral Talks aimed at relaunching peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government were initiated. The participants are Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the US. The Taliban have thus far been absent, but the group has come up with a road map for future negotiations with the Taliban. Russia has been dismissive of the talks, indicating that the efforts will not lead to a political settlement. While Russia and the US had a common goal of favoring Afghan stability, this is no longer the case. Russia in competition with the US wants to go it alone in combating terrorism, a route that serves its own interests. Advertisement To this end there have been reports of a certain rapprochement between Russia and the Taliban. Russia thinks that two U.S. allies, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, are behind the emergence of the ISIS branch in eastern Afghanistan. The "classic" Taliban see ISIS in Afghanistan as competition, encroaching on their turf. So while historically there is no love lost between the Taliban and Russia, the enemy of my enemy is my friend creates the atmosphere for this rapprochement. There are thousands of radical Muslims from the Russian controlled Caucuses who have joined ISIS in Syria. Russia, with its history of suppressing the Chechen separatists, fears that ISIS will cause problems for Russia. Putin, Taliban and ISIS (Photo: www.express.co.uk) Although the current Taliban leadership has stated that they have no desire to expand beyond Afghanistan, in theory they are not very different from ISIS in terms of their ambitions to create a theocratic state transcending all borders. This means that a victory by the Taliban in Afghanistan could be a threat to Russia's interests in the mostly Islam dominated countries of central Asia. But for the Kremlin a short term gain outweighs a longer term potential problem. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrive for a news conference after the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) It is a worrying time to survey European geopolitics from across the Atlantic. Like many high officials, the Polish foreign minister is now calling for NATO troops to deploy to the border with Russia. Russia is now suing Ukraine over unpaid debt, and small nations like Serbia and Armenia are trying to navigate between Russia and the West over European Union and customs union memberships. Russia feels disrespected, and the West cannot comprehend the annexation of Crimea. It all has a deeply unsettled feeling, with the split between Russia and the U.S. at the center of it. At the recently completed Munich Security Conference, hundreds of high-level delegates spent a long weekend together debating the many serious issues facing the world community. Dozens of heads of state and government, along with their ministers of defense and foreign affairs, met with representatives from big global defense firms, senior military officers and leaders of humanitarian non-governmental organizations to discuss international security concerns. Advertisement At the top of virtually everyone's list of worries was Europe. The confluence of the Syrian state collapse and the rise of the so-called Islamic State generated more than a million refugees headed to Europe last year, with perhaps another million right behind them in 2016. It is a deeply concerning situation for the nations of Europe, which historically have had a great deal of difficulty integrating Muslim and African immigrants into their societies. The likelihood of a long-term, serious Russian alliance with the Chinese is remote -- the nations, cultures, languages and geopolitical positions are simply too far apart. The recent assaults against German women in Cologne and in other cities have increased pressure on the best leader in Europe, Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Greek crisis is bubbling away and will reassert itself soon. Powerful centrifugal forces are pulling at the European Union, and a British exit ("the Brexit") is an even proposition according to most polls. But overlaying these challenges is a larger strategic conflict that looms: increasing tension between Russia and the West, with both sides blaming the other for a new Cold War. Russian Prime Minister and former President Dimitri Medvedev, in a widely publicized speech at the Munich Conference, said that not only did he feel the Cold War was back due to the bad behavior of the West, but that the year 2016 felt to him more like 1962, the year of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The U.S. quadrupling its military spending in Europe to reassure nervous NATO allies does not sit well with Russia, which sees the move as confrontational and provocative. Advertisement On the other side, U.S. Senator John McCain, who led the U.S. Congressional delegation and serves as Chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee, fired back just a day later in a dramatic and powerful speech. He spoke forcefully about Russian violations of the sovereignty of Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea, along with backing the Assad regime in Syria, which is widely accused of war crimes and other violations of international law. He placed blame squarely on Russia and criticized U.S. leadership for not acting more vigorously. Leaders and spokesmen from both sides of the ideological divide decried the ignorance, obstructionism and intransigence of the other side. No one seems to champion an approach of working together for solutions to all of these problems. Indeed, as Europe suffers from profound economic, political, security and cultural challenges, both Russia and the West are fiddling while Rome burns (Rome being a metaphor for Europe). What should we be doing? From a U.S. and NATO standpoint, we need to take a distinctly transactional approach with Russia. We are clearly and thankfully not back in the Cold War, no matter what Medvedev says. We do not have millions of troops facing each other across Central Europe, huge battle fleets at sea and a pair of nuclear arsenals ready to launch on warning. There is a reasonable level of dialogue, albeit quite strained at times. What we have is not ideal, but at least it includes the ability for our leaders to exchange ideas, occasionally cooperate and -- if they are willing to do so -- actually try to tackle the problems in the world. Exhibit A of this mildly hopeful syndrome would be the agreement to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon for a decade; for all its flaws (and I am personally skeptical of ultimate success), it does serve as evidence that we can work together when our interests align. Advertisement The closest partners of Russia are places like Syria, Iran, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia and North Korea. Is this really where Russia wants to base its future? The key for the West is to confront Russia where we must (Syria, Ukraine and Georgia for example) but cooperate where we can. And there are multiple zones of potential cooperation. Some of them include counter-terrorism (exchanging information and intelligence); counter-piracy (Russian ships have been alongside U.S., EU, NATO and other allies on this mission off East Africa for years); Afghanistan (where it is in both of our interests to resolve the insurgency and reduce the flow of opium out of the country); and possibly strategic arms limitations. On the other hand, if you step back and look at the situation from a Russian perspective, it is a very different calculus. Russia craves respect as a civilization, as a nation and as leaders (especially Russian President Vladimir Putin). Their view is that the U.S. and NATO violated agreements at the end of the Cold War to keep the Warsaw Pact countries out of NATO and to allow Russia to avoid a world in which strong NATO forces were stationed in their "near abroad," the geographic zone immediately outside their borders. They deeply and sincerely believe this narrative. This has led to a series of questionable choices: invading Georgia, destabilizing Moldova and most controversially invading Ukraine and annexing Crimea. A Russian would say that Ukraine and especially Crimea have been part of Russia for centuries and that any accurate plebiscite of the population in Ukraine would have been overwhelmingly in favor of union with Russia. The cry of "Novorussisyk," or "New Russia," has diminished over the past year, but was on the lips of many Russian nationalists. The impositions of sanctions and the coincident fall in the price of oil have exacted a serious economic burden on the people of Russia. Yet they don't seem near to a breaking point. If you want to understand the fortitude of the Russian people, throw away the CIA reports and go back to reading Russian literature. For example, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, a classic of redemption through suffering in a Gulag, will provide a fairly clear picture of Russian defiance in the face of adversity. Advertisement Over time, it seems more likely than not that Russia and the West will build better relations, given the geography, culture and history -- but it is far from inevitable. Russia should realize that, in the end, its future lies with Europe and the West. The likelihood of a long-term, serious alliance with the Chinese is remote -- the nations, cultures, languages and geopolitical positions are simply too far apart. To the south are few options for alliance and integration beyond the former republics of the old Soviet Union, many of which have drifted away from the Russian orbit. Further afield, the closest partners of Russia are places like Syria, Iran, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia and North Korea. Is this really where Russia wants to base its future? Over time, it seems more likely than not that Russia and the West will build better relations, given the geography, culture and history -- but it is far from inevitable, especially given the current angst. The best Russian strategy would be to continue to build partnerships with Europe, especially in the economic zone. Trying to find zones of cooperation with the U.S. in countering terrorism, piracy, narcotics, Afghanistan, arms control, trade and creating stability in the Levant would make sense. To do this, some behavioral modifications would be helpful, notably fully implementing the Minsk agreements in Ukraine and diminishing support to the Assad regime. Both sides need to stop fiddling while Europe figuratively comes closer and closer to truly burning. The U.S., Europe and Russia could be partners but it will require some compromises on all sides. In the midst of this very tense set of relationships, it will take creative diplomacy and a willingness to work together to put down our fiddles and pick up the tools of diplomacy. Israeli policemen body-check a Palestinian youth at Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem on February 17, 2016. / AFP / AHMAD GHARABLI (Photo credit should read AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images) Israeli opponents and skeptics of a two-state peace solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, often argue that the risks right now are too high and that maintaining the status quo is the safer option. This is dangerously misleading because there is no status quo in the Middle East. Instead, there is a policy void that is certain to be filled by extremists and terrorists. Instead of abdicating responsibility in this way, we desperately need leaders willing to state the truth: failure to realize the vision of two states is the single greatest threat to the survival of Israel. It stands to imperil both Israel's physical security and its future as the democratic home of the Jewish people. Advertisement The question for Israeli policymakers is whether constantly delaying a serious peace effort leads to change for the better or for the worse? Is time on their side, or is it running against them? Are the costs of doing nothing greater or less than the costs of moving forward? Netanyahu argues that the Middle East has become too unstable and too dangerous to move to a two-state solution right now. This is a strange argument because it makes Israel's future contingent on what happens in Syria, Libya, Iraq or elsewhere. Instead of determining their own fate, Israelis must now wait on the actions of others. This is simply an excuse for doing nothing since the region is likely to remain horribly violent and unstable for a long time to come. The fact is that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal would inject a huge dose of stability into the Middle East as well as providing a compelling example of how it is possible to resolve even the toughest issues through negotiation rather than through violence and warfare. Netanyahu has successfully managed to frame the debate inside Israel as one between risking the country's security with a foolhardy bid for a peace agreement with the Palestinians or continuing with a life that, while difficult and stressful, is at least bearable for most Israelis. But this is a false equation. Israelis should not assume that the alternative to peace is that life will remain the same as it is today. Instead, in the absence of meaningful negotiations and a peace deal, Israel can expect a gradual worsening of its strategic position on many fronts. Advertisement If there is no two-state solution, the Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement will gather strength and Israel will face deepening diplomatic isolation and diminishing international support. We're already seeing what happens when young Palestinians who see no hope but I'm afraid we'd see even more violence and terrorism, which would provoke more punitive responses from Israel. Palestinian moderates have already lost much credibility within their community for their failure to deliver tangible results but it's hard to see how their position would not weaken still further at the expense of extremists. Eventually, there is a serious risk that the Palestinian Authority will collapse, forcing the Israeli Army back on to the streets of Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem and all the other major Palestinian cities and a return to full-scale occupation. Palestinians will be face to face with their oppressors on a daily basis and many will choose armed resistance. Hamas and possibly ISIS will gain a firmer foothold. New generations of Israeli youngsters will be forced to serve in the West Bank enforcing Israel's day-to-day control over the almost every aspect of the lives of some 2.5 million Palestinians who don't want them there. Meanwhile, more settlements will be built and the settler population will continue to explode. Eventually, the possibility of a contiguous Palestinian territory will be eroded away. Advertisement Worst of all for those of us who love Israel, we will have to face the fast-approaching moment when there will no longer be a Jewish majority between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River. Israel will face the choice of remaining a Jewish homeland or maintaining its democracy because it will no longer be able to have both. This is truly a nightmare scenario - but it is where Netanyahu is leading Israel. What we need to combat this is a clear vision of a different future based on the promise of an Israel is living side by side in peace and security with a Palestinian state that will be accepted into the Middle East at the center of a regional alignment that advances common strategic and economic interests. An epidemic sweeping across southern and eastern Africa reminds me of a hard truth in public health: diseases thrive in places where there is inequity and lack of opportunity. That epidemic -- HIV among adolescent girls and young women -- is threatening to roll back many gains made in the fight against HIV in the past 15 years. Since 2000, there has been impressive progress against HIV. Hard work by global partners in health succeeded in halting and reversing the spread of HIV worldwide. But adolescent girls and young women have not seen the same progress. This week alone, nearly 7,000 young women and girls will be infected with HIV. In many countries in Africa, young women are twice as likely as young men to be living with HIV. That grim reality of inequality in the progress against HIV is connected with economic and social inequality. Advertisement For a woman in Swaziland named Gabsile, that inequality became stark when she tested positive with HIV at age 23. When she became pregnant with her first child, she did not have enough information to know how to access treatment that would prevent transmission of HIV to her unborn baby. Her first daughter was born with the virus. Education, formal and informal, is a critical tool in HIV prevention. But like many girls in poor communities in Swaziland, Gabsile dropped out of school in grade three. If adolescent girls and young women get the education and access to care to protect themselves, we can beat back HIV in all sectors of the population - including amongst adolescent girls and young women. Through innovative new programs, this is starting to happen. Swaziland, with strong support from partners, including the Global Fund, this week launched an ambitious program to invest in education and the socioeconomic needs of adolescent girls and young women. The new approach combines innovative measures that improve health by removing barriers to education among girls, supporting access to sexual and reproductive services, addressing gender-based violence, and improving the well being of girls and their families. To break the interconnected factors of disease, inequality and poverty, countries and development partners must invest in programs that link health and education. By addressing social factors that put adolescent girls and young women at increased risk for infectious diseases, these investments will build on the progress already underway in Swaziland in towards their national goals to halt the HIV and TB epidemics. Strong leadership in Swaziland is also leading that country towards eliminating malaria, partly by improving the integration of malaria and antenatal care services that reach adolescent girls and young women. Advertisement Similar Global Fund-supported programs are starting in Kenya, Zambia and South Africa, with plans for expansion to other sub-Saharan African countries. Education is tremendously important in protecting girls from HIV, and in ensuring they have the information they need to make informed choices about their own bodies and futures. A study conducted in Botswana last year showed that every additional year of schooling among young people was associated with a reduction in HIV risk from 25 percent to 17 percent. Additionally, more years of schooling provide girls with more opportunities in life, increasing their ability to make safe choices for themselves and their families. A World Bank study in Swaziland found that over 50 percent of the people who live in households headed by people with no education live in poverty. And many poor families like Gabsile's don't have enough for their children's schools fees, which means their daughters are often out of school for prolonged periods. Though primary school is free in Swaziland, once children are old enough to go to middle school, parents have to meet the costs of fees, uniforms and supplies. Gabsile now has four daughters: two of them born with HIV, and two born HIV-free. If her girls aren't in school because their parents can't afford it, growing evidence is pointing to increased risk of HIV, along with other health risks like unintended pregnancies. Poverty can push girls into age-disparate relationships, a key driver of HIV risk for young women and adolescent girls. For example, in South Africa, 34 percent of sexually active adolescent girls report being in a relationship with a man at least five years their senior. Jacques Garcia, the interior architect and designer of fabulous five-star hotels like the Hotel Costes in Paris, La Mamounia in Marrakech, and the Hotel Danieli in Venice, recently created his first Asian property, the Hotel Vagabond, in Singapore. The boutique hotel in an art-deco heritage building is located between Little India and Kampong Glam, the young, trendy district ironically situated smack in the middle of the old Malay-Muslim quarter. It is Singapore's first luxury hotel located in one of the city's funky, ethnic neighborhoods. photo credit: Andrea R. Vaucher The hotel is the brainchild of Satinder Garcha, owner of Garcha Hotels, which is also developing another uber-upscale boutique hotel in Singapore and one in Chile. Garcia and British designer Anouska Hempel will split the design responsibilities at the second Singapore property, The Duxton Club. Garcha was born in New Delhi and raised in a British-style military academy in the Himalayas until his family moved to the U.S. when he was 17. After getting a degree in computer sciences, Garcha headed to Silicon Valley where he eventually sold his tech HR start-up, People.Com to Monster.Com. An avid polo player with a 3-goal handicap, Garcha now lives in Singapore with his family. His wife, Harpreet Bedi, a lawyer, is the General Manager of the Vagabond. Satinder Garcha at the Singapore Polo Club photo credit: Andrea R. Vaucher Advertisement Essentially an artist at heart, Garcha created the Vagabond as an "art" hotel. Think New York's Chelsea Hotel in a 5-star reincarnation. He envisioned hosting international artists-in-residence who would live for a period at the hotel and present salons, screenings and concerts for the hotel guests. "He was very clear in his brief of his project," Jacques Garcia recently emailed from Paris. "Art & travel were the two main themes for the project. A vagabond is someone concerned by difference and diversity and I believe that this hotel embodies these characteristics." Garcia encouraged Garcha to display his own photographs - of his family and friends and their extensive international travels - as part of the 1,000-piece art collection that dazzles from the moment guests step through the doors and encounter a massive solid bronze rhinoceros created by artists and craftsmen from 15 different Rajasthan villages. Rhino Reception Desk photo credit: Andrea R. Vaucher French artist Franck Le Ray's two life-size golden elephants appear to be hoisting the hotel's elevator and his golden monkey presides over the lobby bar, poised to swing from the brass banyan trees stretched across the Vagabond Salon. The Salon, the design concept Garcia is most proud of in the hotel, was imagined as a ground floor multi-purpose space. The hotel's 5th Quarter Restaurant there readily converts to a theatre or even a disco, complete with DJ booth. Garcia also created two studios for the artists-in-residence in addition to 42 guest rooms. Advertisement Vagabond guest room photo credit: Andrea R. Vaucher Fittingly, the author of the photo book, "Inside the Chelsea Hotel," Julia Calfee, a filmmaker/photographer/writer from Zurich was in residence during the hotel's opening in January. At one of her salons, guests were treated to an advance screening of her latest film "A Glaciers Requiem," a sound film about the disappearance of glaciers in the Alps. Another evening, Garcha screened his just completed documentary, "Under the Turban," about a family trip to visit Sikhs around the world - cheesemakers in Tuscany, a Sikh motorcycle gang in Vancouver -- in response to his young daughter's inquiry, "who am I?" The Hotel Vagabond, with Garcia's signature more-is-more aesthetic, is the antithesis of everything one associates with a Singapore hotel, be it Raffles' colonial charm or the Marina Bay Sands's rooftop infinity pool. And that's a good thing. In a city where the streets are spotless, there is little traffic (it costs $85,000 to get a Certificate of Entitlement to own a car!) and most buildings, though starchitect-designed, are fairly conventional, it's wonderful to be able to stay at a unique boutique property with excellent service and go out the door and experience the real Asia, a roti or dim sum joint here, a $20 foot massage there. Colorful Singapore shophouse photo credit: Andrea R. Vaucher While in Singapore, check out: Chili Crab at Long Beach Restaurant, Dempsey Hill. Chili Crab photo credit: Andrea R. Vaucher Photo by Jackson Tyler Eddy for Wanderlust Festival Wanderlust event, which is taking place on Oahu from February 25-28th, is often described as a yoga and music festival but frankly, the event offers much more. Looking at this years' schedule I had a hard time choosing three daily events and one workshop, which festival ticket holders can sign up for. One of the first classes I chose was "Beauty that Transforms: Soul Flow Hoop Dance Fundamentals with Jingo Dasalla". I'm very curious to try new ways of practicing yoga -- blending hula-hooping or graceful hula dance movements with yoga (Friday class -- "The Grace of Hula Meets Yoga") sounded intriguing enough to me so I decided to give it a go. And this is exactly what the Wanderlust festival will be for me. I'm "Giving it a Go" -- I'll be open-minded and get exposed to exciting new things. Being surrounded by like-minded people, who are eager to explore, eager to try and experience with not only their eyes but all senses. I want to immerse myself in the "Deep Imagination" meditative session led by a couple of musical artists from Oregon and cross the bridge from sound to silence guided by Jennifer Reuter. Advertisement With help of Tiare Thomas, I'll try to "Master the Art of Dreamboarding" and being a jewelry designer myself I'm looking forward to attending "The Creative Flow and Custom Mala" class where we'll learn about natural stones properties and design custom malas -- strings of prayer beads used to count the mantras. So often being busy takes over our lives, we're simply too rushed and preoccupied with the present to think about a bigger picture of the future. All we can think of is playing a catch up with our daily lives. Wanderlust festival will be a break to reflect, to take a fresh look around regardless of our status quo. Being in Turtle Bay, where the Oahu festival is taking place, and looking into the ocean, you'll realize that your possibilities are limitless. All it takes is "Giving It a Go." This picture taken on February, 12, 2016 shows the an interior at Skien prison, some 130 km south west of Oslo, where Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik has been serving his sentence since September 2013. The gym will be turned into a court room next month, when Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik goes to court to argue that his effective solitary confinement makes him a victim of cruel and inhuman treatment. / AFP / NTB scanpix / Poppe, Cornelius / Norway OUT (Photo credit should read POPPE, CORNELIUS/AFP/Getty Images) Michael Moore does a lot of traveling in his new documentary, "Where to Invade Next." The film is eye-opening as Moore explores what it could be like to implement new ideas and policies in the U.S. Moore travels to several countries in Europe, North Africa and Scandinavia to make sure we slowly but surely get this point. For example, Moore visits France where students in public schools eat gourmet government lunches, as opposed to inferior meals served in American schools. He visits an Italian motorcycle factory in Italy and finds that their workers enjoy eight weeks of vacation every year, which their employer is more than happy to give them because they actually are concerned about their employee's health instead of just the owners making money. There is no clash between the profit of the company and the well-being of the workers. Then he travels to Slovenia where they visit a school and it is shown that higher education is free for all, and international students are allowed to enroll. Advertisement This was all good stuff, but for me what caught my interest was Michael Moore's coverage of the criminal justice system and the way punishment is dished out in Portugal and Norway. I guess the reason for this is my experience as a first time non-violent drug offender who was wacked with a 15 to Life sentence for passing an envelope with four ounces of cocaine to undercover cops. I wound up serving 12 years of that sentence before New York's Governor George Pataki granted me executive clemency. Moore travels to Portugal where they have decriminalized drugs in response to what was described by my colleague Sharda Sekaran in a recent opinion piece she wrote stating, "Nearly fifteen years ago, in response to a growing opiate misuse public health crisis, the government of Portugal shifted their entire approach to drug use away from arrest and punishment and towards public health." But what moved me the most was when Moore travels to Norway and visits what they describe as maximum security prisons, places that seem to be run like hotels where prisoners and prison guards act in harmony with one another, as opposed to American prisons where a cat and dog mentality exists and prisoners are treated like dirt. For me, seeing this for the first time made me shake my head in disbelief, especially when the documentary showed that prisoners had rooms that contained their own showers. With further research I found out that Norway's prison system is based on the concept of restorative justice, which repairs the harm caused by crime instead of punishing individuals. Prisoners are treated like human beings and live in a humane environment. Their prisons have no bars on their windows and their kitchens are fully equipped with what would be considered to be contraband objects in American prisons. Advertisement Prisoners in Norway live in environments that do not create systematic dependency. In sum, Norway focuses on rehabilitating prisoners instead of just warehousing them, enabling them to becoming better prepared to reenter society when released. This can be seen where Norway's 20% recidivism rate is one of the lowest in the world, as compared to the United States where 76.6 % of prisoners are re-arrested within five years. By adapting a less punitive approach, Norway's prisons prepare prisoners to return to the real world, arming them with the skills needed to effectively reenter society. Even sentences for serious crimes are limited to a maximum sentence of 21 years. However, after serving the sentence if the prisoner is found not to be rehabilitated they can be served with indefinite five year terms. Bottom line is that Michael Moore's documentary has the potential to open people's eyes to changes that need to be made in America. It should be seen by every American that is concerned with changing our system of living for the betterment of humankind. Anthony Papa is the manager of media and artist relations at the Drug Policy Alliance. Houston, we have a problem. Hillary Clinton's campaign has run into a major speed bump and it's called Bernie Sanders. As we move toward the day of reckoning known as Super Tuesday, she's dialing up Black America to answer the call to action. The woman that was supposedly married to America's first black president is now hoping that it is Black America that buoys her campaign. The problem is that regardless of whether Bill Clinton believes, as he has recently stated, that"we are all mixed-race people...", he is white and the Clintons were far from good for Black America in their last go around in the White House. Whether we look at "The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act " signed by President Clinton in 1994, a piece of legislation which led to more black men being incarcerated than we had seen in all of America's dark history, which is saying a lot. Or, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 which nearly gutted black media ownership by removing caps on corporate media ownership. The Clinton era was marked by a reality of setbacks for African Americans that are too often understated, and are best summed up by Michelle Alexander, author of the bestseller "The New Jim Crow". Advertisement "If anyone doubts that the mainstream media fails to tell the truth about our political system (and its true winners and losers), the spectacle of large majorities of black folks supporting Hillary Clinton in the primary races ought to be proof enough. I can't believe Hillary would be coasting into the primaries with her current margin of black support if most people knew how much damage the Clintons have done -- the millions of families that were destroyed the last time they were in the White House thanks to their boastful embrace of the mass incarceration machine and their total capitulation to the right-wing narrative on race, crime, welfare and taxes. There's so much more to say on this topic and it's a shame that more people aren't saying it. I think it's time we have that conversation." Michelle Alexander Under former President Bill Clinton's administration the number of incarcerated rose dramatically, the increase primarily being composed of young black males. According to the Los Angeles Times, "During Clinton's eight-year tenure, the total population of federal and state prisons combined rose by 673,000 inmates--235,000 more than during Reagan's two terms." As I wrote in one of the more popular pieces on incarceration, The Black Male Incarceration Problem Is Real and It's Catastrophic, "... there are currently more African American men incarcerated in the U.S. than the total prison populations in India, Argentina, Canada, Lebanon, Japan, Germany, Finland, Israel and England combined. India alone is a country of 1.2 Billion people, the country in total only has around 380,000 prisoners." Recently Bill Clinton admitted regret for his part in the incarceration increase stating, "... the president spoke a long time and very well on criminal justice reform,..But I want to say a few words about it. Because I signed a bill that made the problem worse and I want to admit it." But his words do little to correct the effects his legislative pen had on millions of black families. This is covered extensively in the documentary I served as a producer on "Freeway: Crack In The System", which details how lawmakers racialized the punishment of non-violent crimes, and the devastating impact that approach had on black homes across the nation. The increase in gangs and drugs that we covered in our film, resulted in Hillary Clinton calling those convicted 'super-predators', and stating they needed to be brought to heel. An action often reserved for breaking an animal, rather than rehabilitating human beings. " They are not just gangs of kids anymore. They are often the kinds of kids that are called 'super-predators.' No conscience, no empathy. We can talk about why they ended up that way, but first we have to bring them to heel..." Hillary Clinton 1996 The problem was they were not super, nor predators, they were just a generation of misguided young black men. In actuality they were brothers, fathers and sons caught in a webbing of economics that was 30 years in the making, one that dated back to a time when President Nixon formally declared a "war on drugs". This entanglement closed in on them as cheap drugs became available, and cities across the nation lost manufacturing jobs leaving employment deserts in urban ghettos. Advertisement Following her earlier statement, Michelle Alexander wrote a scathing critique, being highly critical of Hillary Clinton receiving support from Black America. In it she details the reasons why Hillary should not get Black America's vote, and calls on African Americans to take on a deeper review of the Clintons' policy history. Bill Clinton was the standard-bearer for the New Democrats, a group that firmly believed the only way to win back the millions of white voters in the South who had defected to the Republican Party was to adopt the right-wing narrative that black communities ought to be disciplined with harsh punishment rather than coddled with welfare... Clinton mastered the art of sending mixed cultural messages, appealing to African Americans by belting out "Lift Every Voice and Sing" in black churches, while at the same time signaling to poor and working-class whites that he was willing to be tougher on black communities than Republicans had been... An oft-repeated myth about the Clinton administration is that although it was overly tough on crime back in the 1990s, at least its policies were good for the economy and for black unemployment rates. The truth is more troubling. As unemployment rates sank to historically low levels for white Americans in the 1990s, the jobless rate among black men in their 20s who didn't have a college degree rose to its highest level ever. This increase in joblessness was propelled by the skyrocketing incarceration rate." Why Hillary Clinton doesn't deserve the Black Vote" - The Nation Hillary Clinton's backing from blacks should not be a given, it should be a question mark given the very questionable past the Clintons have with Black America. As stated by Shaun King of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, "The idea of an African-American firewall for Hillary Clinton is deeply insulting." For those that conveniently try to separate Bill Clinton's time in the oval office from Hillary, no matter how you slice it Hillary Clinton's campaign is indelibly intertwined with Bill's administration. It is undeniable her record of preparedness for the White House is based in large part on his presidency. Focusing in on the economy, the Clinton era is remembered as a great time for America, a time when everyone prospered. But so often what is forgotten is a detail of how at least in part all those supposed good times occurred. The prosperity everyone remembers was short lived, and it lacked sound fundamentals to sustain itself. As an example, in 1999 President Bill Clinton signed the Financial Services Modernization Act, effectively repealing Glass Steagall the law that separated commercial banks and investment banks. Many economist credit Bill Clinton signing this legislation with the creation of the sub-prime mortgage crisis. A financial catastrophe, which particularly ended up targeting so many Latino and African American families across the nation. Advertisement Incarceration was yet another instrument used to skew economic numbers. Under the administrations of Reagan and Clinton, incarceration a social tool used for punishment also became a major job creator. According to a PrisonPolicy.org piece written in 2002, During the last two decades, the large-scale use of incarceration to solve social problems has combined with the fall-out of globalization to produce an ominous trend: prisons have become a "growth industry" in rural America. Communities suffering from declines in farming, mining, timber-work and manufacturing are now begging for prisons to be built in their backyards. The economic restructuring that began in the troubled decade of the 1980s has had dramatic social and economic consequences for rural communities and small towns. Together the farm crises, factory closings, corporate downsizing, shift to service sector employment and the substitution of major regional and national chains for local, main-street businesses have triggered profound change in these areas. The acquisition of prisons as a conscious economic development strategy for depressed rural communities and small towns in the United States has become widespread. Hundreds of small rural towns and several whole regions have become dependent on an industry which itself is dependent on the continuation of crime-producing conditions. The incarceration of young blacks is part of the reason the unemployment numbers fell under the Clintons. Effectively by incarcerating young black men they became an invisible population and no longer counted as unemployed, despite still being jobless behind bars. In addition, through their imprisonment jobs were created for officers, judges, prison guards and the like, in communities across the country. While Hillary's recent speech in New York on Black America's social issues is respected, I have reviewed her plan and it falls short on specifics and timelines. At a time when the black and white wealth gap has reached astronomical levels, African Americans need more than a message in exchange for their votes in 2016. They need a commitment with performance benchmarks, and a plan focused on them and the effects of their legacy of disenfranchisement in America. Her speech lacked the recognition that would come alongside an apology, whereby it would be clear she has a better grasp these actions she is proposing are corrective in nature. In one of the more tepid moments of the same speech she stated, Advertisement "I've made mistakes, I've walked my own journey... we also learned about what doesn't work, some of what we tried didn't resolve problems. Some ended up creating new ones. And that caused disappointment, frustration, even anger." Hillary Clinton 2016 It is not enough to say Black America faces problems; the Clintons must go further and take responsibility for playing a role in planting part of those problems' roots. The great irony of her speech came when she referenced second chances for convicts stating, "... in my faith we believe in second chances, in America we believe in second chances. Let's give those chances to people who need them the most." If we take full stock of the lasting effects that resulted from the legislative policies enacted by the Clintons, we are ultimately lead to the question, why should we give you a second chance in the White House? As the Congressional Black Caucus places their backing behind Clinton, Black America should take this moment to demand more for their support. The question African Americans should ask Hillary Clinton, is what will you commit to doing in the first one hundred days that addresses our needs? Demand a real reform of criminal justice with benchmarks, demand America apologize for the institution of slavery and it be coupled with a review of the United Nation's recommendation of implementation of some form of reparatory justice, demand more avenues for black owned business to grow with improved access to commercial loans from banks. In the end Black America should come with a succinct ask, and also demand that Hillary Clinton apologize to get the black vote. Follow the discussion @Tonetalks -------------- Antonio Moore is a Los Angeles Attorney. He is also one of the producers of the documentary on the Iran Contra, Crack Cocaine Epidemic and the resulting issues of Mass Incarceration "Freeway: Crack in the System". Mr. Moore has contributed pieces to Huffington Post, Inequality.org and thegrio on topics of race, mass incarceration, and economics. Farm workers harvesting yellow bell peppers near Gilroy, California. Crews like this may include illegal immigrant workers as well as members of the United Farm Workers Union founded by Cesar Chavez. There is more to Bernie Sanders' record on immigration than what was revealed during his debate exchange with Hillary Clinton last week in Wisconsin. He has made invaluable contributions to the presidential debate, championing issues such as income inequality and economic unfairness that the United Farm Workers embraces. But the UFW has also been intimately involved championing badly needed reform for immigrants, especially farm workers, over the last 16 years. Sen. Sanders has had a contradictory record on immigration. We came close to winning comprehensive immigration reform when a bipartisan bill by Sens. Edward Kennedy and John McCain nearly passed the Senate in 2007. That measure, which would have granted legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants, also included AgJobs, negotiated by the UFW and major grower associations. AgJobs would have let undocumented farm workers earn the right to permanently stay in this country by continuing to work in agriculture after passing criminal background and national security checks. Advertisement The 2007 comprehensive bill had flaws, including big expenditures on border enforcement and a wall. There were too few guarantees to protect guest workers in new industries, although the bill boosted safeguards for guest workers in agriculture. The UFW had to make hard and painful choices during negotiations with historic adversaries -- the growers -- in exchange for legal standing freeing the undocumented from what makes them so vulnerable to abuse. If that proposal--which President George W. Bush pledged to sign -- had passed in 2007, would there still be 11 million undocumented immigrants living today in fear and constantly subjected to mistreatment? There would not be. Would Donald Trump and most Republican presidential candidates be appealing today to bigotry and rancor by scapegoating immigrants? Maybe, but he would have to deal with as many as a million new voters. The new president will also have to make painful choices, even as the Latino and immigrant vote, and the immigrant rights movement gain strength. Sen. Sanders voted against the Kennedy-McCain bill and led the push for amendments that killed the measure because he opposed the conditions pushed by business interests for guest workers, he said during the Feb. 11 debate. But Sen. Sanders' opposition to abusive guest worker programs didn't extend to a bill he cosponsored in 2011, to allow agricultural guest workers into his home state's largest farm sector -- Vermont's dairy industry. The federal H2A guest worker program only applies to seasonal farm industries; dairies offer year-round employment so they are excluded. But S. 852, cosponsored by Sen. Sanders, would have let dairies use H2A guest workers. There is no cap on the number of H2A farm workers and a well-documented pattern of abuse of agricultural workers in the H2A program. So the Sanders-backed measure could have let dairies replace all current domestic farm laborers with foreign guest workers -- with the same damaging impacts on wages and working conditions for both domestic and foreign guest workers Sen. Sanders decried in other industries. Advertisement Although Sen. Sanders opposes use of guest workers because of concerns over exploitation, is he willing to make an exception for guest workers in agriculture? Is this the same kind of exception that saw -- and still sees -- farm workers excluded from the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act guaranteeing minimum wages and overtime pay after eight hours, and other protections. For the last five decades I've seen the farm labor system in this country chew up and spit out farm workers, denying them the most basic protections afforded nearly all other American workers. That is wrong. Escaping the bustle of city life in Paris, Pablo Picasso visited the city of Vallauris in the South of France, where he would spend his summers and many of the happiest and most creative years of his life. Captivated by the annual ceramic festival in Vallauris, Picasso asked to be introduced to Georges and Suzanne Ramie, the creators of the works that were on display from the Madoura Pottery, and soon after began creating ceramics himself. Picasso explored the possibilities of creating bold and colorful ceramic sculptures at Madoura Pottery, and a year after his first visit he dedicated himself to creating unique ceramics at Madoura. Picasso's ceramics were in a sense a liberation from his large, laborious paintings. He spent his time in the South of France relaxing, attending exciting bullfights, admiring the local animals, particularly his pet owl, and enjoying peaceful summers living the simple life of an artisan. Picasso's ceramics reflect the fun and enjoyable atmosphere that he grew so fond of in Vallauris. He began creating hand painted bowls and plates; later he would create more intricate pieces, transforming pitchers into animals, and vases into life-like playful forms. His ceramics capture his time relaxing as a craftsman, using his hands and transforming the ordinary medium of ceramics, into the extraordinary. Advertisement Pablo Picasso, Tareau grave, Ceramic Plate, 1947. Photograph Courtesy of Auctionata, Picasso Ceramics Catalogue Reinventing the craft Picasso's intention was to create works that could be affordable and accessible to the public and his collectors. People would visit the South of France and purchase his beautiful ceramic pieces as souvenirs to use to fill up with wine or flowers. Over the past ten years, the market for Picasso's ceramics has been continually booming. Picasso's ceramic pots, vases, plates and pitchers have garnered the attention of museum curators, major art collectors and auction house specialists. Picasso Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art was a survey of Picasso's sculptural work, celebrating his unconventional mediums and highlighting his ceramic works. Picasso was able to transform a form of art that his contemporaries considered a craft or low form of art, into one of the most sought-after works of art on the market. Picasso Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art was a survey of Picasso's sculptural work, celebrating his unconventional mediums and highlighting his ceramic works. Picasso, the giant of the 20th century, ingeniously reinvented the way we look at ceramics. Before Picasso no one would think to transform a utilitarian bowl into an owl, or find a face in an ordinary pitcher. Advertisement Pablo Picasso, Femme du barbu, Ceramic Pitcher, 1953. Photograph Courtesy of Auctionata, Picasso Ceramics Catalogue A Hot Commodity Picasso Ceramics are a very specific niche in the market that has continued to achieve high prices. Many auction houses have frequently dedicated entire sales to these works. For example, Auctionata, the leading online auction house, has a dedicated sale of Picasso ceramics, offering a wide range of pieces at approachable price points. Other auction houses, such as Sotheby's which recently held their sale, Picasso in Private: Works from the Collection of Marina Picasso, achieved record prices for the 20th century artist. Throughout the past ten years Picasso ceramics have become increasingly popular. Collectors have begun looking away from objects to hang on their wall, and have embraced these three-dimensional jugs, pitchers and pots. Pablo Picasso, Figure de proue, Ceramic Pitcher, 1952. Photograph Courtesy of Auctionata, Picasso Ceramics Catalogue A Booming Market The affordability of these ceramics has also been an attractive quality for both beginning and established collectors alike. As the prices of Picasso's paintings, prints and sculptures has continued to soar, many collectors have been "priced out" of owning a piece of this modern artist's oeuvre. For example, owning a painting or even a drawing of Picasso's from the 1940s could be cost-prohibitive to many collectors and lovers of Picasso. Therefore Picasso Ceramics, with their modest estimates, are a great way to own a piece of one of the most inventive and playful art forms, by one of the most esteemed artists in history. FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2011 file photo, U.S. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia looks into the balcony before addressing the Chicago-Kent College Law justice in Chicago. On Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016, the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed that Scalia has died at the age of 79. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File) The adulation by admirers of Justice Antonin Scalia over his alleged role as a conservative constitutional steward who applied neutral, nonpartisan principles, is pure myth. While promoted by conservative ideologues who fawn over Justice Scalia's flamboyant jurisprudence, holding him up as an icon for conservative principles, is simply hard to take. Justice Scalia was, in fact, one of the most unabashedly partisan judges ever to sit on the Supreme Court. His manipulation of the constitution was brilliant, and maddening, mostly because he and his followers pretend otherwise. Advertisement Sometimes Scalia claimed to be a textualist, sometimes not. Sometimes he claimed to be an originalist, sometimes not. Sometimes he glorified judicial restraint and vilified his colleagues for their "Czarist arrogance" in expanding constitutional rights. Sometimes he was a clear example of judicial activism. He made his position known often with sarcastic and demeaning rhetoric . Not surprisingly, his constitutional maneuvering almost always brought him, and his boosters, to the outcome they sought, whether to stop abortions and limit homosexual rights, make guns freely accessible, limit minorities right to vote, give corporations the right to spend unlimited cash in elections and their right to pray, and, of course, to ensure the election of our 43rd President. A few examples from Justice Scalia's body of work are noteworthy. Consider his approach to the Eleventh Amendment, which says that no state can be sued in a federal court "by citizens of another state, or by citizens or subjects of any foreign state." Note what is absent from the text of the Eleventh Amendment: there is no language that bars citizens of the same state from suing their own state in a federal court. But Justice Scalia, the icon of textualism, somehow managed to invent new language for the Eleventh Amendment, construing the Amendment to bar citizens of the same state from suing in federal court, thereby closing the courthouse door to minorities, women, homosexuals, the disabled, and others. How did Justice Scalia explain this radical departure from textualism? He writes: "We have understood the Eleventh Amendment to stand not so much for what it says, but for the presupposition which it confirms." What presupposition? According to Justice Scalia, the idea that states are sovereign and do not wish to be sued in a federal court. Even so, the text of the Eleventh Amendment does not include this "presupposition." Consider the landmark gun rights case, Heller v. District of Columbia, in which Justice Scalia, ever the outspoken defender of the doctrine of judicial restraint, shattered longstanding precedent to announce, to the delight of gun worshipers, that the Second Amendment includes a private right to own a pistol. Where does the Amendment say that? Advertisement Longstanding Supreme Court precedent focused on the Framers' singular concern, as the Second Amendment explicitly states, with the "necessity of well-regulated militias," and the need to protect these state militias from being emasculated by a federal government that could forbid those in the militias to possess weapons (therefore "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed"). But Justice Scalia marginalized this clause. He de-coupled the militia clause from the right to bear arms clause, making the bizarre and illogical suggestion that instead of intending to protect the effectiveness of state militias, the Framers were more interested in creating a right of private gun ownership for all people -- which presumably included criminals, slaves, lunatics, and children -- so these people could enjoy hunting and sport shooting. A few additional points. Justice Scalia had always been a passionate defender of the political process for resolving controversial issues; he preferred that process to the Supreme Court's power to impose a rigid national rule, especially if (1) a law is enacted by a co-equal branch of the federal government; (2) there is no indication that the law is not working effectively; and (3) when there is no urgent need to overrule longstanding precedent. These are the ingredients cited by conservatives who embrace the doctrine of judicial restraint. But in Heller, and several other cases, Justice Scalia turned it upside down, and was all too willing to reach out and strike down federal laws when there was no urgent need to interfere, and offered no articulated principles for this pattern of constitutional interpretation. The hypothesis that ideology dictated the decision is inescapable. Too, Justice Scalia's use of history to support his interpretation was mysteriously selective, and in Heller much less convincing than Justice Stevens' use of history to reach the opposite conclusion. The only difference is that Justice Scalia's dogmatic view of history was able to enlist the Court's conservative majority. Indeed, as Judge Richard Posner has observed derisively, so-called historical evidence is "law office history" - where judges who advocate a particular position send their teams of brilliant law clerks scurrying to find historical documentation for their position. Justice Scalia, as any judge, is able to locate an historical basis for his position, however disinterested that historical basis may be. Advertisement One of Justice Scalia's bete noirs was the Due Process Clause; he consistently attacked his colleagues for using it to find substantive rights such as abortion, procreation, contraception, marriage, the right to raise and educate one's children in the Clause's "Right to Liberty." To Justice Scalia, the Due Process Clause guarantees procedural rights only, not substantive rights. But of his dismissal of the Due Process Clause's protection of substantive rights, again he goes only so far. In the landmark case of McDonald v. City of Chicago, the Court held that the Due Process Clause incorporated as a substantive matter the Second Amendment's right to private gun ownership and was applicable to the states. In his concurrence, Justice Scalia was entirely willing to find the substantive right to own a gun contained in the Due Process Clause, but he never explained why only this particular right should be preferred over all others. Justice Scalia's defense of federalism and states rights', as noted above, was the basis for his willingness to strike down several federal laws Congress enacted under the Commerce Clause -- criminalizing gun possession in schools and providing a civil remedy for gender-based violence. These laws were passed by Congress under principles to which the Court since 1937 always deferred. That is, the Court accepted Congress's view of the scope of the commerce clause as long as Congress had a rational basis to find that its regulation was substantially connected to commerce. However, despite Congress's singular place as the democratically-elected, law-making branch, and donning the robe of the judicial activist, Justice Scalia was more than willing to join in striking down these laws. Particularly egregious was the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which struck down under the First Amendment's Free Speech Clause the federal McCain-Feingold Act that regulated campaign contributions by corporations, and with it nearly a century of First Amendment jurisprudence and at least two prior Supreme Court precedents. Advertisement It is difficult to imagine how this embodiment of raw political activism could square with the doctrine of judicial restraint, and Justice Scalia's claim to originalism. To suggest that the Framers believed that a corporation should be treated like a real person and enjoy the right to free speech and contribute to political discourse is preposterous. Finally, Justice Scalia's coup de grace, perhaps the most indefensible decision by the Supreme Court, is Bush v. Gore. Justice Scalia has always resisted discussing the decision, snapping to questioners to "Get over it." The decision represents a savage betrayal of conservative principles. The majority abandoned all judicial restraint and feverishly reached out to prevent the highest court of the state of Florida, in the midst of its lawful and proper recount of votes, from continuing its lawful task. Why did the Supreme Court's conservative majority intervene and ultimately declare the recount procedure unconstitutional as violating equal protection? And most egregiously, why did the majority declare that its ruling was "limited to the present circumstances" because it "presents many complexities." The majority did not say what those complexities were, nor did they explain that the lack of a uniform standard for counting votes -- the constitutional basis for the majority's ruling -- would have invalidated the entire presidential election, a possibility the Supreme Court somehow neglected to consider. As Justice Stevens wrote in dissent, "This decision can only lend credence to the most cynical appraisal of the work of judges throughout the land." FILE - In this May 21, 2015, file photo, workers prepare an oil containment boom at Refugio State Beach, north of Goleta, Calif., two days after a ruptured pipeline created the largest coastal oil spill in California in 25 years. Exxon Mobil Corp. won approval Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, for its plan to use trucks to move more than 17 million gallons of oil stranded in storage tanks after the spill, despite concerns from an environmental group that highway safety could be jeopardized. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) Flooding the Earth With Fossil Fuels Heres the story so far. We have the chief legal representatives of the eighth and 16th largest economies on Earth (California and New York) probing the biggest fossil fuel company on Earth (ExxonMobil), while both Democratic presidential candidates are demanding that the federal Department of Justice join the investigation of what may prove to be one of the biggest corporate scandals in American history. And thats just the beginning. As bad as Exxon has been in the past, what its doing now -- entirely legally -- is helping push the planet over the edge and into the biggest crisis in the entire span of the human story. Back in the fall, you might have heard something about how Exxon had covered up what it knew early on about climate change. Maybe you even thought to yourself: that doesnt surprise me. But it should have. Even as someone who has spent his life engaged in the bottomless pit of greed that is global warming, the news and its meaning came as a shock: we could have avoided, it turns out, the last quarter century of pointless climate debate. Advertisement As a start, investigations by the Pulitzer-Prize winning Inside Climate News, the Los Angeles Times, and Columbia Journalism School revealed in extraordinary detail that Exxons top officials had known everything there was to know about climate change back in the 1980s. Even earlier, actually. Heres what senior company scientist James Black told Exxons management committee in 1977: "In the first place, there is general scientific agreement that the most likely manner in which mankind is influencing the global climate is through carbon dioxide release from the burning of fossil fuels. To determine if this was so, the company outfitted an oil tanker with carbon dioxide sensors to measure concentrations of the gas over the ocean, and then funded elaborate computer models to help predict what temperatures would do in the future. The results of all that work were unequivocal. By 1982, in an internal corporate primer, Exxons leaders were told that, despite lingering unknowns, dealing with climate change "would require major reductions in fossil fuel combustion." Unless that happened, the primer said, citing independent experts, "there are some potentially catastrophic events that must be considered... Once the effects are measurable, they might not be reversible." But that document, given wide circulation within Exxon, was also stamped Not to be distributed externally. So heres what happened. Exxon used its knowledge of climate change to plan its own future. The company, for instance, leased large tracts of the Arctic for oil exploration, territory where, as a company scientist pointed out in 1990, potential global warming can only help lower exploration and development costs. Not only that but, from the North Sea to the Canadian Arctic, Exxon and its affiliates set about raising the decks of offshore platforms, protecting pipelines from increasing coastal erosion, and designing helipads, pipelines, and roads in a warming and buckling Arctic. In other words, the company started climate-proofing its facilities to head off a future its own scientists knew was inevitable. Advertisement But in public? There, Exxon didnt own up to any of this. In fact, it did precisely the opposite. In the 1990s, it started to put money and muscle into obscuring the science around climate change. It funded think tanks that spread climate denial and even recruited lobbying talent from the tobacco industry. It also followed the tobacco playbook when it came to the defense of cigarettes by highlighting uncertainty about the science of global warming. And it spent lavishly to back political candidates who were ready to downplay global warming. Its CEO, Lee Raymond, even traveled to China in 1997 and urged government leaders there to go full steam ahead in developing a fossil fuel economy. The globe was cooling, not warming, he insisted, while his engineers were raising drilling platforms to compensate for rising seas. "It is highly unlikely," he said, "that the temperature in the middle of the next century will be significantly affected whether policies are enacted now or 20 years from now." Which wasnt just wrong, but completely and overwhelmingly wrong -- as wrong as a man could be. Sins of Omission In fact, Exxons deceit -- its ability to discourage regulations for 20 years -- may turn out to be absolutely crucial in the planets geological history. Its in those two decades that greenhouse gas emissions soared, as did global temperatures until, in the twenty-first century, hottest year ever recorded has become a tired cliche. And heres the bottom line: had Exxon told the truth about what it knew back in 1990, we might not have wasted a quarter of a century in a phony debate about the science of climate change, nor would anyone have accused Exxon of being alarmist. We would simply have gotten to work. But Exxon didnt tell the truth. A Yale study published last fall in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that money from Exxon and the Koch Brothers played a key role in polarizing the climate debate in this country. The companys sins -- of omission and commission -- may even turn out to be criminal. Whether the company lied to the public is the question that New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman decided to investigate last fall in a case that could make him the great lawman of our era if his investigation doesnt languish. There are various consumer fraud statutes that Exxon might have violated and it might have failed to disclose relevant information to investors, which is the main kind of lying that's illegal in this country of ours. Now, Schneiderman's got backup from California Attorney General Kamala Harris, and maybe -- if activists continue to apply pressure -- from the Department of Justice as well, though its highly publicized unwillingness to go after the big banks does not inspire confidence. Advertisement Heres the thing: all that was bad back then, but Exxon and many of its Big Energy peers are behaving at least as badly now when the pace of warming is accelerating. And its all legal -- dangerous, stupid, and immoral, but legal. On the face of things, Exxon has, in fact, changed a little in recent years. For one thing, its stopped denying climate change, at least in a modest way. Rex Tillerson, Raymonds successor as CEO, stopped telling world leaders that the planet was cooling. Speaking in 2012 at the Council on Foreign Relations, he said, I'm not disputing that increasing CO2 emissions in the atmosphere is going to have an impact. It'll have a warming impact. Of course, he immediately went on to say that its impact was uncertain indeed, hard to estimate, and in any event entirely manageable. His language was striking. We will adapt to this. Changes to weather patterns that move crop production areas around -- we'll adapt to that. It's an engineering problem, and it has engineering solutions. Add to that gem of a comment this one: the real problem, he insisted, was that we have a society that by and large is illiterate in these areas, science, math, and engineering, what we do is a mystery to them and they find it scary. And because of that, it creates easy opportunities for opponents of development, activist organizations, to manufacture fear. Advertisement Right. This was in 2012, within months of floods across Asia that displaced tens of millions and during the hottest summer ever recorded in the United States, when much of our grain crop failed. Oh yeah, and just before Hurricane Sandy. Hes continued the same kind of belligerent rhetoric throughout his tenure. At last years ExxonMobil shareholder meeting, for instance, he said that if the world had to deal with inclement weather, which may or may not be induced by climate change, we should employ unspecified new technologies. Mankind, he explained, has this enormous capacity to deal with adversity. In other words, were no longer talking about outright denial, just a denial that much really needs to be done. And even when the company has proposed doing something, its proposals have been strikingly ethereal. Exxons PR team, for instance, has discussed supporting a price on carbon, which is only what economists left, right, and center have been recommending since the 1980s. But the minimal price they recommend -- somewhere in the range of $40 to $60 a ton -- wouldnt do much to slow down their business. After all, they insist that all their reserves are still recoverable in the context of such a price increase, which would serve mainly to make life harder for the already terminal coal industry. But say you think its a great idea to put a price on carbon -- which, in fact, it is, since every signal helps sway investment decisions. In that case, Exxons done its best to make sure that what they pretend to support in theory will never happen in practice. Consider, for instance, their political contributions. The website Dirty Energy Money, organized by Oil Change International, makes it easy to track who gave what to whom. If you look at all of Exxons political contributions from 1999 to the present, a huge majority of their political harem of politicians have signed the famous Taxpayer Protection Pledge from Grover Norquists Americans for Tax Reform that binds them to vote against any new taxes. Norquist himself wrote Congress in late January that a carbon tax is a VAT or Value Added Tax on training wheels. Any carbon tax would inevitably be spread out over wider and wider parts of the economy until we had a European Value Added Tax. As he told a reporter last year, I dont see the path to getting a lot of Republican votes for a carbon tax, and since hes been called the most powerful man in American politics, that seems like a good bet. Advertisement The only Democratic senator in Exxons top 60 list was former Louisiana solon Mary Landrieu, who made a great virtue in her last race of the fact that she was the key vote in blocking carbon pricing in Congress. Bill Cassidy, the man who defeated her, is also an Exxon favorite, and lost no time in co-sponsoring a bill opposing any carbon taxes. In other words, you could really call Exxons supposed concessions on climate change a Shell game. Except its Exxon. The Never-Ending Big Dig Even thats not the deepest problem. The deepest problem is Exxons business plan. The company spends huge amounts of money searching for new hydrocarbons. Given the recent plunge in oil prices, its capital spending and exploration budget was indeed cut by 12% in 2015 to $34 billion, and another 25% in 2016 to $23.2 billion. In 2015, that meant Exxon was spending $63 million a day as it continues to bring new projects on line. They are still spending a cool $1.57 billion a year looking for new sources of hydrocarbons -- $4 million a day, every day. As Exxon looks ahead, despite the current bargain basement price of oil, it still boasts of expansion plans in the Gulf of Mexico, eastern Canada, Indonesia, Australia, the Russian far east, Angola, and Nigeria. The strength of our global organization allows us to explore across all geological and geographical environments, using industry-leading technology and capabilities. And its willingness to get in bed with just about any regime out there makes it even easier. Somewhere in his trophy case, for instance, Rex Tillerson has an Order of Friendship medal from one Vladimir Putin. All it took was a joint energy venture estimated to be worth $500 billion. But, you say, thats what oil companies do, go find new oil, right? Unfortunately, thats precisely what we cant have them doing any more. About a decade ago, scientists first began figuring out a carbon budget for the planet -- an estimate for how much more carbon we could burn before we completely overheated the Earth. There are potentially many thousands of gigatons of carbon that could be extracted from the planet if we keep exploring. The fossil fuel industry has already identified at least 5,000 gigatons of carbon that it has told regulators, shareholders, and banks it plans to extract. However, we can only burn about another 900 gigatons of carbon before we disastrously overheat the planet. On our current trajectory, wed burn through that budget in about a couple of decades. The carbon weve burned has already raised the planets temperature a degree Celsius, and on our present course well burn enough to take us past two degrees in less than 20 years. Advertisement At this point, in fact, no climate scientist thinks that even a two-degree rise in temperature is a safe target, since one degree is already melting the ice caps. (Indeed, new data released this month shows that, if we hit the two-degree mark, well be living with drastically raised sea levels for, oh, twice as long as human civilization has existed to date.) Thats why in November world leaders in Paris agreed to try to limit the planets temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, or just under three degrees Fahrenheit. If you wanted to meet that target, however, you would need to be done burning fossil fuels by perhaps 2020, which is in technical terms just about now. That's why its wildly irresponsible for a company to be leading the world in oil exploration when, as scientists have carefully explained, we already have access to four or five times as much carbon in the Earth as we can safely burn. We have it, as it were, on the shelf. So why would we go looking for more? Scientists have even done us the useful service of identifying precisely the kinds of fossil fuels we should never dig up, and -- what do you know -- an awful lot of them are on Exxons future wish list, including the tar sands of Canada, a particularly carbon-filthy, environmentally destructive fuel to produce and burn. Even Exxons one attempt to profit from stanching global warming has started to come apart. Several years ago, the company began a calculated pivot in the direction of natural gas, which produces less carbon than oil when burned. In 2009, Exxon acquired XTO Energy, a company that had mastered the art of extracting gas from shale via hydraulic fracturing. By now, Exxon has become Americas leading fracker and a pioneer in natural gas markets around the world. The trouble with fracked natural gas -- other than what Tillerson once called farmer Joes lit his faucet on fire -- is this: in recent years, its become clear that the process of fracking for gas releases large amounts of methane into the atmosphere, and methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. As Cornell University scientist Robert Howarth has recently established, burning natural gas to produce electricity probably warms the planet faster than burning coal or crude oil. Exxons insistence on finding and producing ever more fossil fuels certainly benefited its shareholders for a time, even if it cost the Earth dearly. Five of the 10 largest annual profits ever reported by any company belonged to Exxon in these years. Even the financial argument is now, however, weakening. Over the last five years, Exxon has lagged behind many of its competitors as well as the broader market, and a big reason, according to the Carbon Tracker Initiative (CTI), is its heavy investment in particularly expensive, hard-to-recover oil and gas. In 2007, as CTI reported, Canadian tar sands and similar heavy oil deposits accounted for 7.5% of Exxons proven reserves. By 2013, that number had risen to 17%. A smart business strategy for the company, according to CTI, would involve shrinking its exploration budget, concentrating on the oil fields it has access to that can still be pumped profitably at low prices, and using the cash flow to buy back shares or otherwise reward investors. That would, however, mean exchanging Exxons Texan-style big-is-good approach for something far more modest. And since were speaking about what was the biggest company on the planet for a significant part of the twentieth century, Exxon seems to be set on continuing down that bigger-is-better path. Theyre betting that the price of oil will rise in the reasonably near future, that alternative energy wont develop fast enough, and that the world wont aggressively tackle climate change. And the company will keep trying to cover those bets by aggressively backing politicians capable of ensuring that nothing happens. Can Exxon Be Pressured? Next to that fierce stance on the planets future, the mild requests of activists for the last 25 years seem... well, next to pointless. At the 2015 ExxonMobil shareholder meeting, for instance, religious shareholder activists asked for the umpteenth time that the company at least make public its plans for managing climate risks. Even BP, Shell, and Statoil had agreed to that much. Instead, Exxons management campaigned against the resolution and it got only 9.6% of shareholder votes, a tally so low it cant even be brought up again for another three years. By which time well have burned through... oh, never mind. What we need from Exxon is what theyll never give: a pledge to keep most of their reserves underground, an end to new exploration, and a promise to stay away from the political system. Dont hold your breath. Advertisement But if Exxon seems hopelessly set in its ways, revulsion is growing. The investigations by the New York and California attorneys general mean that the company will have to turn over lots of documents. If journalists could find out as much as they did about Exxons deceit in public archives, think what someone with subpoena power might accomplish. Many other jurisdictions could jump in, too. At the Paris climate talks in December, a panel of law professors led a well-attended session on the different legal theories that courts around the world might apply to the companys deceptive behavior. When that begins to happen, count on one thing: the spotlight wont shine exclusively on Exxon. As with the tobacco companies in the decades when they were covering up the dangers of cigarettes, theres a good chance that the Big Energy companies were in this together through their trade associations and other front groups. In fact, just before Christmas, Inside Climate News published some revealing new documents about the role that Texaco, Shell, and other majors played in an American Petroleum Institute study of climate change back in the early 1980s. A trial would be a transformative event -- a reckoning for the crime of the millennium. But while were waiting for the various investigations to play out, theres lots of organizing going at the state and local level when it comes to Exxon, climate change, and fossil fuels -- everything from politely asking more states to join the legal process to politely shutting down gas stations for a few hours to pointing out to New York and California that they might not want to hold millions of dollars of stock in a company theyre investigating. It may even be starting to work. Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, for instance, singled Exxon out in his state of the state address last month. He called on the legislature to divest the state of its holdings in the company because of its deceptions. This is a page right out of Big Tobacco, he said, which for decades denied the health risks of their product as they were killing people. Owning ExxonMobil stock is not a business Vermont should be in. Advertisement The question is: Why on Gods-not-so-green-Earth-anymore would anyone want to be Exxons partner? SINJAR, IRAQ - NOVEMBER 16: Yazidis work to lift an engine to salvage it from the rubble of an auto repair shop destroyed by an airstrike on November 16, 2015 in Sinjar, Iraq. Kurdish forces, with the aid of months of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, liberated the town from ISIL extremists, known in Arabic as Daesh, in recent days. Although the battle was deemed a major victory, much of the city lay in complete ruins. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) ISIS Declares a Total Jihad on the Yazidi "Infidels"Like most Iraqis who suffered under Saddam Hussein, the Yazidis celebrated the overthrow of this hated dictator but, like the ancient Christian communities of northern Iraq, they soon became the target of fanatical Sunni jihadist groups such as Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) which rose up to fight the Americans. In 2007 AQI targeted the northern Iraqi Yazidi communities of Kathaniya and Jazeera with the deadliest suicide bombing in the world since 9/11. As many as 796 Yazidis were killed and another one thousand five hundred wounded in this massive bombing that involved a fuel tanker and three cars carrying two tons of explosives. But worse was yet to come. AQI morphed into ISIS and, in August 2014, launched a blitz on the Mount Sinjar region in northwestern Iraq. Mount Sinjar had been protected by the legendary Kurdish Peshmergas (literally "Those who Face Death," a famed fighting force), but these fighters fell back before the ISIS attack leaving this region to the mercy of the fanatical ISIS fighters. As it transpires, Mount Sinjar is the primary geographic focus of the Yazidis who consider it to be a holy mountain (they believe that this mountain, which rises spectacularly out of the flat desert, is the spot where Noah's ark first touched ground after the flood and have seven temples there with eternal flames). Advertisement As the ISIS fighters stormed the town of Sinjar, which lies at the foot of the mountain of the same name, they killed as many as 5,000 Yazidis in an act that the U.N. labeled "genocide." One report of this massacre stated that Yazidis were being shot dead and dumped in mass graves and herded into temples that were then blown up. The jihadists also captured hundreds of Yazidi women as sabiya (Quran-legitimized sex slaves) and sold them like chattel in markets to ISIS fighters. These women, many of them young girls, were systematically raped and abused by their ISIS masters and most still remain living in misery as sex slaves for fanatics who legitimize their abuse by labeling them "idolaters" and "infidels" (their plight did not garner as much attention as the kidnapping of schoolgirls by Boko Haram jihadi terrorists in Nigeria). Older women who were not deemed worthy to be sabiya were dragged away and systematically murdered en masse in cold blood. As many as 50,000 panic-stricken Yazidis fled to Mount Sinjar's bleak, inaccessible heights to escape the ISIS slaughterers. To prevent their genocide, President Obama launched a bombing campaign that halted ISIS's advance and an airlift that provided food and water to the starving Yazidi refugees trapped on the mountain. Kurdish Peshmergas later broke through ISIS lines creating a corridor allowing most, but not all, of the refugees on Mount Sinjar to escape. But by then it was too late, the heart of the Yazidi population and culture had been obliterated and many distinctive Yazidi shrines, with their conical, fluted towers, were destroyed. Fortunately, in December 2015, Kurdish forces backed up by the U.S. Air Force, defeated the ISIS force occupying the town of Sinjar and some of this scattered community are tentatively returning home. But most have been scattered far and wide from their sacred lands and many have joined in the movement of refugees to Europe. The Yazidis' exile from the ancient shrines of their people threatens to dilute their identity as a distinct people. Advertisement This was the background for our visit to the holy shrine of Lailish located to the east of Mount Sinjar safely behind Kurdish Peshmerga lines in northwestern Kurdistan. A Visit to Yazidi Shrine at Lailish. As our SUV paralleled the nearby ISIS front lines through the mist-covered hills of Iraqi Kurdistan, we peppered our Yazidi guide Thamer with questions on the beliefs and rituals of his people's ancient faith. But he told us to wait until we got to the shrine since he had to show them to us. As we arrived in the narrow valley covered in mulberry trees that cradles the shrine, Thamer told us we had to take off our shoes as the ground we would be walking on was holy. This was the spot where Melek Taus, the Peacock Angel had first de scended to the earth to bring order from chaos. With undisguised excitement (and feet that were numb from the January cold) we entered the outer courtyard of the Lailish complex and approached the main gate. On the stone wall was a talisman of a black snake that was said to have tried leading the Yazidis to abjure their faith and convert to Islam centuries ago. Black snakes, we were told, had magical powers and were not to be killed. We were then asked to reverently kiss the stone sides to the inner shrine's door and step over the sacred threshold without stepping on it. As we entered the ancient complex we noticed a dark pool built into the stone floor on our right. This was the Lake of Azrael, the Angel of Death. Yazidis believe that Azrael washes his sword in this pool after taking a soul. Beyond the pool we found a stone hall of tombs with scarves hanging from it with some Yazidi women tying knots in them. Thamer told us that when you tie a knot and make a wish it comes true when the knot is later untied by another worshiper. From this hall we passed a stone staircase winding down to a subterranean cave. We could hear the sound of running water from below, but we were told we could not go visit this holy spot, known as the Spring of Zamzam, since it was off limits to non Yazidis. Here Yazidis, who must make a pilgrimage to this spot once in their lives, are baptized. From there we passed through a stone arch and entered the sacred heart of the shrine, the nine hundred year old tomb of Sheikh Adi. Sheikh Adi codified the Yazidis disparate beliefs and is worshipped as a saint and avatar/incarnation of the Peacock Angel. He is also one of the principal judges of men's souls. Advertisement From the crypt of Sheikh Adi we passed into a long dark stone chamber where olive oil was stored in ancient clay amphorae. The olives for the oil are picked from the surrounding hills and are pressed in Lalish; the oil is used for religious rituals and for burning in lamps. We were also shown to holes in the stones that were said to represent the entrance to both heaven and hell. Having toured the subterranean stone catacombs, it was now time to meet their sacred guardian, a eunuch who dedicated his life to the shrine and the second most important priest in the Yazidi faith, Baba Chawish (literally Father Guardian). We entered his chambers reverently and found the white turbaned holy man sitting with several acolytes. He warmly invited us in from the cold to his warm room and offered us sweets from a golden peacock dish. In the past, meeting with such a figure would have been difficult and the mysteries of the faith would have been kept secret. In fact, most of the Yazidi traditions are passed on orally to keep them secret. But Baba Chawish was a kindly soul who shared with us the inner workings of this ancient faith that has been for so long misunderstood by, and kept hidden from, outsiders. Man and a lady toilet sign, metal on wood When the anti-transgender student bill in South Dakota passed, it was the first step in a plan to eradicate transgender people from American life. Last year, the Family Research Council laid out a five point plan to legislate transgender people out of existence by making the legal, medical, and social climate too hostile for anyone to transition in. 1. States and the federal government should not allow legal gender marker changes. 2. Transgender people should not have any legal protections against discrimination, nor should anyone be forced to respect their identity. Advertisement 3. Transgender people should not be legally allowed to use facilities in accordance with their gender identity. 4. Medical coverage related to transition should not be provided by the government, or any other entity. 5. Transgender people should not be allowed to serve in the military. Stop for a moment here, and imagine a world where you can't get an accurate government ID. A world where you can't vote, can't drive without risking arrest, and can't get a job. You cannot prove that you are who you are, because no one will believe your ID is real. You will never be treated as your correct gender by any government agency. What ID you have will constantly out you as transgender, inviting discrimination. Perfectly legal discrimination, if part two of their plan succeeds. Now imagine being constantly outed as transgender in this world where the law explicitly states that you are a target. Imagine having that scarlet A on every ID you possess making it clear that the bearer of this card is sub-human and has no rights: fire them, kick them out of their home, refuse to serve them, take their children away, verbally abuse them for your amusement at work--it's all good. The religious "liberty" to abuse, harass, and humiliate transgender people reigns supreme in the Family Research Council's brave new transgender-free world. Advertisement Now imagine being transgender, and that on top of being legally un-personed, jobless, homeless, harassed, and hated, you'll be arrested for using a bathroom. Use one bathroom, and it's a felony. Use the other, and you're likely to be beaten, maybe to death. If you fight back against your attackers, you'll go to a prison for people of the opposite gender, that guarantees you will continue to be raped, beaten, and denied medical care. Imagine that on top of all of this, you can't get treatment for gender dysphoria other than (medically debunked, ineffective, counter-productive) religious-based reparative therapy. Unable to medically transition, the only proven treatment for gender dysphoria, you're marked constantly as being transgender. Not only does your ID mark you as an undesirable, everything on the outside of your body does too. To add insult to injury, you can't even join the Army to escape the inevitable poverty and homelessness that accompanies being transgender under the their plan. Given all of these factors, the goal of the FRC couldn't be clearer: transgender people must be eradicated from American life. Either stay in the closet, or be un-personed in a legal sense. Trans people who transition will marginalized in education, and shoved towards the underground economy. Transgender people will be forced to disappear to where all the other ragged people go: into storm drains, under bridges, and to encampments on the fringes of society. The Family Research Council and Republicans know full well that most transgender people, when faced with the certainty of personal ruin, will remain alone, in the closet, for life. However short that may be. The transgender community will be effectively be eradicated legislatively. And that's exactly what they're aiming for: to morally legislate transgender people out of existence. Call it cultural genocide if you will, it still means the effective extermination of a class of people. Advertisement Yesterday, in South Dakota, legislators enacted one part of the FRC's plan to rid America of transgender people. Schools will enact "reasonable accommodations" that make it nearly impossible to use the bathroom, in the hopes that transgender students will quit. The law, as written, considers it a reasonable accommodation to make a kid "hold it" until a teacher is available to escort them to a bathroom like some sort of suspected 7-year-old sex offender. Or to have to walk to a bathroom under a stadium three blocks away, through a snow storm, to pee. Or to simply be told, "there's no bathrooms here you're allowed to use, so you'll have to leave the school. Permanently." Or you'll have to stop being transgender. One South Dakota Senator cited the desistance myth in his support of the bill, remarking that these kids are probably just going to change their minds anyway, so why not encourage them to not be transgender? Which worked out so well for Leelah Alcorn, and the 57% of trans kids who attempt suicide in unsupportive environments. If you think for a moment that no adult would do such a thing, try watching 14 year old transgender girl Jazz Jennings reading the threats from adults to torture and murder her. Talk to most parents of transgender children, and they can tell you all about the threats they receive from community members to kill their child if they find them in a girls' bathroom. Now consider again, how far of a stretch is it just force a child to leave school in comparison? When conservatives saw an opportunity to eradicate transgender people, they went after the children first. Early on they want to send the message that you need to be straight, or get out of their society. Or perhaps they targeted children because it's much easier to make transgender people disappear if you do it to them before they can fight back effectively. Advertisement Suffer the little children is apparently a commandment in South Dakota. I always heard it quoted as "suffer the little children to come unto me". Unless you're a trans kid, apparently, and then it's just "suffer". Across the country, laws making it impossible to get accurate identification, to safely use bathrooms, laws nullifying protections, and most of all laws targeting the safety and well-being of transgender children are being heard, and passed, by legislatures. They are part of a well-funded, well-orchestrated attempt by the Family Research Council, Liberty Counsel, and Alliance Defending Freedom to erase transgender people from American life. Let's stop calling these bathroom bills. Let's stop calling these an anti-transgender bills. Let's call them what they are: Instruments of cultural genocide. Now, who will speak up, and when? More importantly, who will speak up for you when the FRC puts out its next five-point fatwa against some new class of people they want eliminated? Breaking news: Just because someone suggests, alludes, surmises, speculates, implies, infers, deduces or forthrightly declares something or someone is racist does not make it so. One of the most charged words in the American lexicon, "racism" can at times be used in the same cavalier manner we use "and," "but," and "or." Because of the role racism has played in the pursuit of the elusive "more perfect union," we are quick to give attention when charges of racism are levied, especially when it is by someone deemed credible. At first glance, we might be less inclined to accept charges of racism made by someone previously convicted of, say, bank robbery if that individual was recently apprehended at the scene of a similar crime. Advertisement What about a professor from one of America's prestigious universities who makes a charge of racism? That might pass the first glance test in the court of public opinion. That appeared to be the case when Princeton University professor Imani Perry claimed that, during a recent traffic stop, she was mistreated because of her race by two white police officers. After her arrest and release, Perry took to social media to say that she was arrested for having a single outstanding parking ticket. She further claimed the male officer (there was a female officer also at the scene) had performed a body search and that she had not been allowed to make a phone call before being placed in the squad car. She was handcuffed to a table at the police station, she said. In the court of public opinion, Perry's charges recall recent tragic incidents such as the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a white officer in Ferguson, Mo., and the chokehold death of Eric Garner by officers in Staten Island. Advertisement Perhaps more concerning to some is that this latest incident was inflicted upon a professor at one of America's most prestigious universities, which is also embroiled in its own racial controversy concerning its public adoration of Woodrow Wilson. Prior to becoming the nation's 28th president, Wilson was also Princeton's 13th university president. But his overtly racist views became a cause of concern by a number of Princeton's current student body. If we leave the narrative there, Perry becomes the latest example of why the Black Lives Matter movement exists. If black professors at well-respected institutions of higher learning can be arbitrarily abused, who's safe? But there is more to the story. Perry was stopped for driving 67 miles per hour in a 45 M.P.H. zone. Moreover, her driving privileges had been suspended and a warrant had been issued for her arrest over two unpaid parking violations from 2013. The warrant demanded that the person be taken into custody. This is not optional. Did Perry believe the officers should have risked personal repercussions by letting her go? Advertisement Perry later issued a statement saying that she did not allege racial bias. But following her arrest she posted on Facebook: "I was treated inappropriately and disproportionately. The fact of my blackness is not incidental to this matter." The tragedy in this yarn is that Perry's failure to take responsibility led her to retreat into the briar patch of racist claims. In doing so, she devalues those who may indeed be victims of institutional racism. America's original sin is too important, and our collective understanding too tenuous and sophomoric, for someone to make outlandish charges. It also reflects how reactionary racism can be when critical thinking takes a back seat to emotion. Assuming momentarily there was some legitimacy to Perry's claims, it must be done so through the lens that she was driving 22 miles over the speed limit on a suspended license with a warrant for her arrest, and to believe that only people of color would be stopped under such "benign" circumstances. Given Perry's standing as a Princeton University professor, along with the unfortunate legacy of racial profiling, it is easy to understand why many would rush to her defense. But her claims were built on a foundation of mendacity and lack of responsibility. Advertisement A Natural History of Hell is collection of thirteen stories, almost all of them previously published in magazines and anthologies but for the lead story "The Blameless." All thirteen are delightful, terrifying, thoughtful and incredibly well written. Jeffrey Ford's style is eloquent and accessible, literary and engaging. His stories have an engrossing, almost mythological feel to them, strengthened by well-placed descriptions, impeccable pacing and Ford's rare talent for delivering a satisfying ending. A Natural History of Hell delivers thirteen tales that I read through to the last page with increased enthusiasm for the next and a desire to read more of Jeffrey Ford's work in the upcoming year. The stories range from literary, science fiction, fantasy, horror and various mixtures of all four. Genre doesn't seem to matter much to Ford, as long as it serves the story he's trying to tell. His avoidance of tropes and skill in creating fresh, original, fiction should put this collection on everyone's summer reading list for July. There isn't a single bad story in this whole book, from "The Blameless," about a world where exorcisms are as casual as a sweet sixteen, to "The Angel Seems," about a town under the dubious protection of a malevolent angel, to "The Thyme Fiend," a longer piece about a boy who sees the dead. Ford writes consistent, thought-provoking fiction that occasionally plucks on some very heavy, socially relevant notes. Advertisement A real stand-out for me is "Blood Drive" about a re-imagined America where the theocracy encourages High School students to carry guns. The gun becomes a rite of passage, meant to keep society "safe." It is one of the most socially relevant, emotionally gripping stories I've read in a long time. The morality is not heavy handed, the theme artfully handled, but it struck a chord with this reader, as I suspect it has and will for many others. If you're a beach lover, you must add the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas to your travel list! When you think of summer, the beach, clear water, sunny skies, and relaxing days are a few things that come to mind, and two of the best places to experience these summer feels are two gorgeous European bodies of water: the Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic Sea! These two incredible Seas hold some of my favorite travel memories, and I would revisit each one in a heart beat! Europe is known for its amazing capital cities; however sometime the Seaside towns are less visited. I highly recommend taking a few days out of your next European summer holiday to visit either the Mediterranean or the Adriatic Sea for an unforgettable beach experience! The Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea can be accessed from various European countries as well as a few North African countries. And while many think of visiting Ibiza, Malta, or the Greek islands to experience the Mediterranean, my Mediterranean beach days came while visiting the seaside city of Marseille as well as the smaller town of Cassis in the South of France! The gorgeous crystal clear blue water made it unlike any beach day in America! Advertisement Pack your bathing suit, some sunscreen, and a towel, and you're all set for a relaxing day on the Mediterranean. Marseille and Cassis were both lovely cities with easy access to the Sea, as with pretty sandy beaches. And if you go in the summer time, you're sure to have beautiful, hot, and sunny weather! Not only were the beaches amazing, but the city of Marseille and the town of Cassis were both adorable and filled with numerous cute shops and seaside restaurants. And the Mediterranean-style food was delicious! Think whole grains, olive oil, and decadent herbs and spices with juicy fresh fruits and tasty fresh vegetables. It was definitely a nice few-day divergence from visits to bigger European capital cities like Paris and London, perfect for any traveler looking for a relaxing beach day or two. The Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea, might be a less popular beach destination for travelers then the Mediterranean, but it is equally as stunning and surely worth a visit! The Adriatic Sea can not only be accessed from Italy but also from a number of Eastern European countries such as Albania and Slovenia! I've visited the Adriatic Sea on two separate occasions, both times from the Dalmatia coast in Croatia! It is by far my favorite travel destination. The Croatian coast has numerous beach clubs, some private and some public, that tourists are able to visit and experience the beauty of the Adriatic Sea! One distinctive feature of the Croatian seaside town I visited, was the rather rocky beach in place of sand. The rocks were small and smooth making swimming in the sea and wading in the water just as easy as sandy beaches! Plus the beach clubs and cabanas have plenty of room to sunbathe and work on your tan. Just like the Mediterranean, the Adriatic Sea has equally clear, gorgeous blue waters! I loved being able to look down and see my feet, and the waters are clear enough for some amazing under water pictures! Advertisement Take a boat ride on the Adriatic Sea to heighten your experience. On my second visit to Croatia and the Adriatic Sea, I was able to take a boat ride to a smaller island with its own beach and beach club. The locals in Croatia are also extremely friendly, making the experience even more memorable. After visiting several European countries, my visits to the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas were my favorite! Any beach and aquatic lovers need to add these seas to their list of places to visit! There are plenty of access points to these bodies of water throughout Europe. So start your swim suit shopping and plan a summer trip to the Mediterranean/Adriatic Seas! Wedding veils hold an especially distinctive yet intimate place in a family's collective memory. Even more than the wedding gown, the family bridal veil has, historically, been the treasure most often passed down and shared with daughters and granddaughters, nieces and cousins. That was the case with a certain heirloom veil with a most captivating provenance. First worn by Margaret Merritt as an Edwardian bride when she married James Thomas Lee of New York City in 1903, her cathedral-length, rose point lace veil was also worn by her daughters Marion Lee Ryan, Janet Lee Bouvier and Winifred Lee D'Olier. But this veil developed a particular mystique when her granddaughter Jacqueline Bouvier wore it, along with Margaret's delicate wreath of wax orange blossoms, for her marriage to Senator John F. Kennedy in 1953. I became intrigued by this veil's lineage when I learned it was to go on a first-ever display early this year as part of the wedding costume exhibitions on Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. The veil's connection with the Vanderbilt family is through Jackie Kennedy's cousin, Mary Lee Ryan --"Mimi" wore it when she married George Vanderbilt's grandson, William Amherst Cecil, in 1957. Advertisement Jackie's only daughter Caroline Kennedy didn't wear the Lee family veil, but both Mimi's daughter and daughter-in-law wore it with their 1980s Diana-era "princess gowns." I find this is part of the beauty and pleasure of a bridal veil: as fashions change, it can be adapted to wear in various stylish ways; and even as women and their roles change, because of its strong feminine impulse, the bridal veil always carries a precious tradition. Lace was immensely fashionable for Victorian and Edwardian ladies and, indeed, de rigueur for brides during these gilded decades. Following the creation of "rose point" lace in Brussels in the mid-19th century -- a type of point de gaze needle lace so named because of its lyrical rose design, often with raised petals -- this romantic pattern became a favorite of brides. Therefore when well-to-do American women made their grand transatlantic voyages to Europe on the most majestic luxury liner of the day (it was simply the thing to do!), high on their must-do list was to bring back a lace veil from Belgium -- all with dreams of a wedding in mind. (Is that how the lovely rose point veil worn by the Lee family brides -- and then the Cecils of North Carolina -- began its notable pedigree?) Later when lace was not as popular and travel to Europe was aboard airplanes instead of ships, bringing home a lace wedding veil stayed dear to the hearts of many American women. Perhaps there is one stored away in your family's "treasure chest"? YPSILANTI, MI - FEBRUARY 15: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) speaks during his first campaign rally in Michigan at Eastern Michigan University February 15, 2016 in Ypsilanti, Michigan. At his 'A Future To Believe In' rally, Sanders spoke on a wide range of issues, including his plans to make public colleges and universities tuition-free. The next voting for the democratic candidates will be the Democratic caucus in Nevada on February 20th. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images) Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) continued his campaign's tour of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) at Morehouse College this past Tuesday. The capacity crowd at the Forbes Arena was extremely diverse in terms of race, age and gender, strongly representative of the larger Atlanta community. Many students at nearby HBCUs of the Atlanta University Center consortium were in attendance, including students from Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College. There was even a large, vocal group of students hailing from Savannah State University who trekked over 4 hours from the Georgia coast to downtown Atlanta to hear the progressive Senator from Vermont speak on the issues of racial, social and economic justice. Sen. Sanders' speech, which closely resembled the speeches he's given in other parts of the country, was preceded by a number of high-profile speakers, most notably Georgia State Sen. Vincent Fort, former Ohio State Sen. Nina Turner, and Atlanta-based Rapper/Activist Killer Mike. These Sanders surrogates are proving themselves to be instrumental players in spreading Bernie's message to the African American community, as well as the nation at large. Advertisement Michael "Killer Mike" Render, Atlanta rapper/activist and self-proclaimed "social warrior", energized the crowd about the struggles the African American community deals with on a daily basis and the civil rights leaders who have paved the way to overcome them. "If you line up Martin Luther King Jr.'s social policy for the poor, for the downtrodden, for the weak, for the woman, for the gay, for the people of color, for the people in abject poverty throughout this country ... there's only one candidate whose policy lines up." Tapping into the younger generation's discontent with establishment politician's dubious promises of slow and incremental change, Killer Mike continued, "That's what [Hillary Clinton] is telling you, 'Hold on Black Lives Matter, just wait awhile. Hold on young people in this country, just wait awhile.'" It seems clear that a large portion of the country is sick and tired of waiting for promised change that never seems to arrive on time, let alone match the promiser's rhetoric. Since then, not coincidently, many young women have been pressured by female family members to vote for Clinton simply because she's a woman. Killer Mike addressed this issue quoting a recent conversation he had with renowned feminist and social activist Jane Elliot, "Jane said, 'Michael, a uterus doesn't qualify you to be President of the United States. You have to have policy that's reflective of social justice.' Paying women a fair wage is social justice. Making sure minorities have jobs is social justice. Ending a bullshit drug war is social justice. Making sure our children can go to college is social justice." Advertisement The shaming attempts proved fruitless in New Hampshire after Bernie won an historic 22 point victory (82 percent of women under 30). With South Carolina just weeks away, the next target the foundering Clinton campaign unsurprisingly took aim at was Bernie's civil rights record. With her cadre of political establishment snipers, her campaign tried to insinuate that Bernie Sanders' impeccable history in the civil rights movement was a farce. This is completely in line with the Clinton campaign's MO thus far in the primaries and, although it is utterly false, plays into the mainstream media narrative about Hillary's so-called "firewall" with minority voters. In an impassioned and personal speech, former State Senator Nina Turner denounced the "firewall" assumption, speaking directly to African Americans, "You are nobody's firewall." She then led the crowd in a repeated chorus of "You don't own our vote, you've got to earn our vote!" Sen. Turner also brought up the Clinton campaign's recent debate talking point that Bernie Sanders is a one-issue candidate. She related an earlier conversation with Killer Mike, "What do you think about [Sen. Sanders] being called a 'one-issue candidate'? and Killer Mike said, 'He is a one-issue candidate and you are the issue, the people of the United Sates of America.'" Next up, Sen. Vincent Fort, who recently changed his allegiance from his party's establishment choice to Sanders and began his speech with an acknowledgement of that fact. The State Senator then proceeded to explain why he had switched his support. "I didn't know much about [Sen. Sanders] before, but once I learned about his policies ... I knew that he was the right candidate to lead our country forward." Sen. Fort continued, "This year we have a unique and historic opportunity to truly change America." The crowd erupted as Sen. Fort spoke to the heart of what many people, young and old of all races, are experiencing in Bernie Sanders' grassroots movement for a political revolution: the more people hear Bernie speak, the more people learn about Bernie's vision for America, the more people feel the Bern. Advertisement On November 23rd, 2015, Killer Mike sat down with Sen. Sanders in his now famous "Talking Shop" session on YouTube. During his speech Tuesday, he said he told Bernie, "Before I endorse you, I want you to understand what I expect of you. I expect for you to look out for the African American community." Killer Mike's subsequent endorsement unequivocally shows his belief that Sen. Sanders will fulfill that expectation. Whether or not the African American community in Georgia and the rest of the country stands in agreement is yet to be determined as the primary season moves forward. However, one thing is for sure, the Clinton "firewall" is a media myth. African Americans are going to make any presidential candidate earn their votes, exactly as all Americans should. Ohio Governor John Kasich has seemingly positioned himself above the Trump induced anti-immigrant frenzy that has consumed the Republican primary. While the other GOP presidential hopefuls fall all over themselves trying to show the GOP base who'll deport the most immigrants, who'll be the first to cancel President Obama's executive action and who'll build the biggest wall, Kasich talks about legalizing the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the nation's shadows--although he stops well short of offering them a path to citizenship. At Saturday's Republican debate Kasich claimed he'd send Congress an immigration reform plan within his first 100 days in office. A week earlier, just before his impressive second-place finish in the New Hampshire primary, Kasich even seemed to show compassion toward undocumented immigrants. "I couldn't even imagine," he said, "how we would even begin to think about taking a mom or a dad out of a house when they have not committed a crime since they've been here, leaving their children in the house. I mean, that is not, in my opinion, the kind of values that we believe in." So it's worth asking: Do Kasich's actions as governor of Ohio match his kinder gentler tone on the presidential campaign trail? Advertisement Unfortunately, not so much. Under Kasich Ohio has enthusiastically joined Texas and 24 other GOP-led states in a brazenly partisan lawsuit aimed at blocking President Obama's plan to defer the deportation of nearly 5 million undocumented youth and parents of U.S. citizens, including an estimated 82,000 Ohio residents. Shortly after the President announced his actions--known as DAPA and DACA expansion--the Republican governors and attorneys general sought out a sympathetic judge who predictably enjoined the deferred action guidance which is now pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. In the meantime, the very moms and dads that Kasich spoke so compassionately about on the GOP primary debate stage continue to live in fear that their families will be torn apart at any moment. That's exactly why 25 undocumented parents and their children from around Ohio met with Kasich at the statehouse in Columbus last year shortly after he announced his candidacy for president. Participants included Ohio mom Olga Flores whose 4-year-old son is currently battling cancer; an immigrant father of two small sons who recently lost their mother to a drunk driver; and a mother who has lived in the U.S. for 25 years and has lost her dad, sister and brother to deportation. The families begged Kasich to protect them, explaining how they and their children live their lives in fear, worried that a trip to the grocery store or school could end in a traffic stop and deportation. Their hopes were lifted when the President's executive actions were announced, so they told Kasich, only to be crushed by the partisan lawsuit Ohio, under Kasich's leadership, has engaged in. Are these the very same moms and dads Kasich claims he could not imagine deporting? If so, why is he standing idly by while Republican governors and attorneys general--including Ohio's Mike DeWine--target a program which will offer them a temporary reprieve from deportation and a chance to support their families? Advertisement Kasich's response? He told the undocumented parents and children that it was Attorney General Mike DeWine, his fellow Republican, who signed the Ohio onto the Texas case, not him--a curious response from the state's chief executive, and one that brings his leadership into question. He also, predictably, blamed president Obama for not getting an immigration reform package through the GOP-dominated U.S. House of Representatives. Let's not forget the House was led by Kasich's long-time House colleague and fellow Ohioan, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH). Never mind that had that Republican leadership allowed a vote immigration reform would have been enacted and the 25 families Kasich met with last summer would be earning their way toward citizenship. Nor can Kasich defend his support for the Texas attack on DAPA and DACA expansion on economic grounds. Blocking the deportation deferrals hurts Ohio's economy which stands to gain an estimated $41 million dollars in tax revenue to be paid by the undocumented Ohioans who'll qualify for the program. Ironically, the same holds true for the state of Texas which bases its right to challenge the President's immigration actions on costs in will incur through the issuance of driver's licenses to qualified undocumented immigrants. In fact, according to the Council of Economic Advisors, the immigration actions will increase Texas' GDP by $8.2 billion to $19.2 billion over the next ten years. And in South Carolina--where Kasich is hoping shore up his candidacy with a strong finish in Saturday's primary--the deportation deferrals will increase the state's GDP by as much as $2.3 billion. SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - FEBRUARY 9: Revellers participate in the Carnival group parade honoring the singer David Bowie through the streets of downtown on February 9, 2016 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The iconic musician died on January, 10, 2016 in New York City. (Photos by Victor Moriyama/Getty Images) Perhaps it is presumptuous of me to criticize an article written by an award-winning journalist. However, Andrew Jacobs -- until recently a correspondent for the New York Times bureau in Beijing -- has written about my country in his article, "Brazilians Shrug Off Zika Fears to Revel in Carnival Fun." He describes the apparent apathy shown by Brazilians towards the Zika virus outbreak, and proceeds to portray last week's Carnival activities as our sole interest. It was clearly an outsider's view, and I could understand such a perspective from an American simply addressing other Americans. But I don't believe Jacobs truly understands Brazil -- or Brazilians, for that matter. His vision of our country might be misleading to Times readers and ultimately lead to misinformed opinions about Brazil. Advertisement While I was reading Jacobs's piece, it occurred to me that he easily could have been the screenwriter behind an infamous 2002 episode of The Simpsons, when Homer and the family visit Brazil. In Matt Groening's cartoon, there are monkeys on the streets, the Amazon is next to Rio, and the population consists of nothing but carjackers, thieves and rats. Jacobs's article manages to encompass a similar type of prejudice. Jacobs emphasizes the "minimally clothed multitudes." Perhaps he expects that all Brazilians should be wearing pants right now to avoid being bitten by the Zika-spreading mosquitoes. What he failed to mention, however, is how warm Brazilian summers can be. So yes, shorts will be short, because people must wear the most suitable clothing possible for our blistering heat. Come on, we're talking about 100-plus degrees Fahrenheit. Scantily clad bodies are not exclusive to Brazil. When I lived in the United Kingdom, I saw sweaty Europeans all over the streets during summer. No shirts, just shorts. They wanted to enjoy the rare sunshine and feel refreshed. No surprise there. Further, Brazil understands the risk of Zika this season. But the "deepening fear and worry across the Americas" (or did he mean America?) due to this disease is not something new for us. Dengue fever, as mentioned by Jacobs, is also caused by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and has been a major concern of ours since at least 1916. And we have always dealt with it. Advertisement Just because the American authorities are currently preoccupied by a new disease doesn't mean that people should stop enjoying Carnival or summer and sequester themselves indoors, quiet and fully clothed. That wouldn't be Brazil. People here can take care of themselves; we can be cautious, prevent infections, and have fun. And there is nothing baffling about it, as Jacobs insinuates in his article. "The sight of so many people gallivanting about in various stages of undress and seemingly oblivious to the potential dangers of Zika can be striking," Jacobs writes. I doubt that he undertook any studies on how many people used insect repellent during Carnival. But what's really striking for me is his fixation with Brazilian bodies and sexual encounters. "Prodigious carnal possibilities," "bacchanal," "cologne-suffused sweat," "drunk on beer" and the "tradition of snogging complete strangers" are just some of the expressions used by Jacobs throughout his article to describe Carnival. Don't let us forget that America has a similar kind of celebration. Mardi Gras in New Orleans is home to an outstanding number of carnal possibilities. But as far as I'm aware, no Brazilian journalists are lurking in the streets to patrol someone else's party. The same type of drunk and sweaty youths who have left such an impression on Jacobs can also be found at Spring Break celebrations across the U.S. The differences between Brazilians during Carnival and American college students partying during Spring Break aren't so great. And I'm sure strangers also kiss strangers in America -- despite virus warnings. Advertisement So make no mistake, the fear of Zika in Brazil is real. But nevertheless, the beat goes on. We love feeling the rhythm of the drums, and dancing with everyone around us in Salvador, Rio de Janeiro or any other city celebrating Carnival. Andrew Jacobs, I want you to know that Brazil can treat you right and teach you a lesson in how to be happy when the going gets tough. So take off your shirt, spray some bug repellent, and let's samba! The American flag flies at half-staff in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016 Justice Antonin Scalia's unexpected death, and Senate Republicans' refusal to confirm a successor while President Barack Obama is in office, threatens to ignite a year-long battle over the court's future. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images The partisan bickering over when to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia must not be allowed to jeopardize the work of the Supreme Court. Those signing below are distinguished law professors, practitioners and even judges. As with all Americans, we represent a broad range of political beliefs from progressive to conservative and every shade of point-of-view in-between. We understand the importance to both political parties of filling the vacancy with someone who will bring to the bench a favored perspective or interpretive approach. However, it is most important that we not allow today's hyper-partisanship to undermine the immediate need for a full bench. There is a way to accommodate the long-term appointment interests of both sides while ensuring that the Court is not short-handed for well over a year. What is the way? Advertisement A recess appointment Ordinarily, the President must obtain "the advice and consent of the Senate" before appointing an officer of the United States, including a Supreme Court justice. But the recess appointments clause creates an exception and gives the President alone the power "to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of the next session." Article II, section 2 clause 3. Quite recently, the Court examined three questions related to this power to make temporary appointment: the scope of the words "recess of the Senate" and specifically whether or not the phrase referred only to an inter-session recess, ( i.e. that between the two formal sessions of a two-year congressional term) or also included intra-session recesses, such as those associated with holidays and summer recess. The Court determined that the authority of the president included both type of recesses, but also held that the recess had to be of sufficient length. Presumptively, the court held that a recess between three and 10 days was not enough, except in the very rare cases of emergency or necessity. The emergency imagined by the Court was described as a "very unusual circumstance or national catastrophe." Friends of Justice Scalia, even ones like me who did not always concur with his view, likely see his death as tragic, but it will be the leaving of his vacancy unfilled that has the potential for being catastrophic by seriously jeopardizing the work of the Court. Advertisement There is no justification for such jeopardy. When the Court examined what the words "vacancies that may happen" means, the Justices determined that it refers to vacancies that both come into existence during a recess, but also those vacancies -- like that created by the death of Justice Scalia -- that arise prior to a recess, but continue to exist during it. Senator McConnell and his Republican colleagues are of the view that the President should not nominate someone for the high court during his final year in office. President Obama reminds the Senator that the Constitution specifies presidential service as a four-year term. Mr. McConnell persists in seeing things differently and together with Senator Ted Cruz predicts that the President will be obstructed if he attempts to nominate someone for the high bench. The Republicans argue that the President should wait so that the voice of the American people can be heard in the national election. What these Senators cannot fully answer is that President Obama by virtue of his victory in 2012 already possesses the right (and now has the duty) to represent the American people in keeping a co-equal branch in meaningful operation. Recess appointments were intended to be the subsidiary route of appointment. Presidents are authorized to make them, and thousands have been made, including some notable appointments to the Supreme Court, such as that of Chief Justice Earl Warren's initial appointment to the Court. At the same time, the Senate's advice and consent should not be easily circumvented for as the Federalist Papers note Senate approval provides "an excellent check upon a spirit of favoritism and would tend greatly to preventing the appointment of unfit characters from state prejudice, from family connection, from personal attachment, or from a view to popularity." Advertisement The sparring between Democratic and Republican presidential candidates that emerged in response to the sad news of Justice Scalia's passing set off a firestorm even before Justice Scalia could be given a proper burial. The President has a duty to nominate, and if the Senate wants to be true to the founders in honor of the late Justice, it will want to conscientiously fulfill what Alexander Hamilton saw as a corresponding duty to conduct hearings and to vote a nominee up or down. Unfortunately, we don't seem headed in this direction, but instead destined for Donald Trump's "delay, delay, delay." Such delay, however, is harmful to the work of the Court and devastating to the litigants who have matters presently seeking resolution by the justices in the present term. Indeed, it's not only the cases that are presently pending, but if the appointment is to be pushed back until after the next president is inaugurated on January 20, 2017, it is likely that the Court would not have a full complement of nine justices until the spring 2017. A delay of that magnitude disregards the lives and liberties that will be adversely affected by such delay and sadly illustrate the axiom that justice delayed is justice denied. This is tragic, at any time, but it is especially exigent, when one contemplates that matters of race and gender discrimination, voting rights, reproductive liberty, and the executive administration of immigration laws, and much more, are all on the Court's docket, requiring determination and opinion. Thus far this term only 14 of 81 merits cases have been decided. A ninth justice is needed for definitive resolution and if someone could be appointed within the next available recess by the President all of those cases -- even those for which oral argument has already been completed (some 39 cases) -- could be resolved, with a judgment other than a tie which will result in lower court outcomes creating inequalities in how federal law is enforced across the country. Because many oral arguments remain and oral arguments already made are available in transcript and audio form, and all the briefing is of course reviewable, there is little reason why the Court as an institution should be forced to issue a series of four to four opinions, with no precedential value. Advertisement A recess appointment also gives respect to Sen. McConnell's argument that the next president has the opportunity to appoint someone to the bench. With a temporary, recess appointment, constitutionally prescribed to run only to the conclusion of the first session of Congress elected in November 2016, whoever that new president is -- Democrat or Republican -- will have the ability to fill the vacancy permanently. Who might the president appoint for such a temporary assignment ? Arguably, the most important criterion should be someone who has publicly served in high office during both Democratic and Republican administrations. Because the incomplete work of Justice Scalia must be attended to immediately, this bipartisan public servant should also be fully conversant with constitutional jurisprudence, and come from a legal career that has required careful writing and analysis. In all likelihood, the president should avoid those who he would contemplate for the permanent appointment. What is important is the sound completion of the work of the Court, and since a recess appointment does not allow the Senate the partisan examination of that appointee, the President too should set aside as much as possible the usual partisan inquiries of a completely compatible judicial philosophy or whether the candidate is of a sufficiently youthful age to serve for an indefinite time into the future. In this way, by making a bipartisan appointment that avoids favoritism and other strategic considerations that go into the typical long-term appointment, the president will be showing comity to the Senate, as well as ensuring the institutional needs of the judiciary. A salutary byproduct of this temporary appointment might also bring to the Court someone with a slightly more varied background than its present membership, which is overwhelmingly made up of former Court of Appeals judges. At various times, the Supreme Court has benefited from a wider harvest of talent, including distinguished law professors, practitioners ,and in particular, those who have headed governmental offices known for objectivity and independence of mind, such as the office of legal counsel and the solicitor general. True, the President is deprived of making a wholly partisan appointment, but that sacrifice or cost is outweighed by the benefits of avoiding a disruption of judicial work. Filling the Supreme Court vacancy also enhances the prospect of keeping the presidential campaign focused on a full range of topics from terrorism to unemployment to health care and income inequality among many other pressing policy matters. Would Justice Scalia agree? As a matter of original understanding, Justice Scalia favored a narrower conception of recess appointments. That said, even Justice Scalia acknowledged the historical accuracy of the Court's relatively recent finding that: "The President has consistently and frequently interpreted the Recess Appointments Clause to be applied to vacancies that initially occur before, but continue to exist during, a recess of the Senate. The Senate as a body has not countered this practice for nearly three-quarters of a century, perhaps longer." No one can truly replace Justice Scalia, but as someone who prided himself on the excellence of his own work, Justice Scalia would likely understand why the person who follows him will need to get down to business - sooner rather than later. Solar panels and wind turbine against blue sky Earlier this month, the Supreme Court controversially stayed implementation of the Clean Power Plan (CPP), the cornerstone of the Obama administration's climate policy, while twenty-nine states proceed with litigation against it. The CPP targets greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, which account for about a third of all U.S. carbon emissions. The rule is designed to reduce emissions from coal-fired plants, the dirtiest form of energy production, through a mix of stricter limits on existing plants, measures to increase energy efficiency, and other mechanisms that encourage producers to shift from coal to cleaner renewables and natural gas. The CPP provides for substantial flexibility in how reduction targets may be attained within states, allowing states to choose among various options proposed in the rule, to come up with their own proposals, or to opt for federal regulation in lieu of state oversight. Nevertheless, generators heavily invested in coal argue that implementation will require expensive changes. Advertisement It therefore surprised no one that states with the most coal-dependent economies, and with political leadership most sympathetic to the coal industry, are challenging the CPP in court. They argue, among other things, that EPA is unauthorized to regulate power plants this way, that the standards imposed by the rule did not take fair account of the costs of implementation, and that the final rule was insufficiently related to the proposed rule on which the public provided comment. Eighteen other states are supporting the rule, together with environmental groups and some power companies (including utilities in some states that are challenging the rule). Proponents contend that federal environmental laws have always targeted energy production, a primary source of regulated pollutants, and that the CPP legitimately follows from established legal authority, the regulatory record, and the proposed rule. EPA always knew the CPP would be litigated, and so the lawsuits came as no surprise. But the Court's move to stay the rule -- before the issues had even been aired in open court -- has apparently surprised everyone. The one-page order made no judgment on the merits of the case, but it suspends implementation of the rule while the litigation runs its full course, a process expected to take at least eighteen months. The Court split along ideological lines in issuing the stay, with the five more conservative justices voting for the stay over opposition by the four more liberal justices. Just weeks earlier, the D.C. Circuit declined to issue the plaintiffs' request for the stay, following uniformly applied federal judicial norms -- until now. The Supreme Court has never before blocked implementation of a generally applicable regulation before its merits have been considered by a federal appeals court, so the stay has provoked a vociferous response. Supporters of the CPP excoriate the move as "unprecedented" while opponents hail it as "historic." Undue judicial activism may be in the eye of the beholder, but most agree that the stay does not bode well for the future treatment of the CPP before the Court. Such an unusual move cannot help but send signals that at least five of the justices are skeptical of at least parts of the rule. Advertisement The CPP is the Obama Administration's last and best effort to take on the super-wicked problem of climate change, and its ambition responds appropriately to the magnitude of the challenge. All of us will benefit from sensible climate policy in the long run, but as with all regulatory changes, there will be winners and losers in the short run -- and the losers are passionately defending their interests in the litigation at hand. They are entitled to do so, and the courts must give their arguments the most serious consideration. Nevertheless, the Court's novel stay raises concerns of a different order. It represents another move by the Roberts Court to shift power toward the judiciary on matters that relate not to individual constitutional rights -- where judicial prowess necessarily overtakes the majoritarian tendencies of the political branches -- but to the complex allocation of costs and benefits within a comprehensive regulatory program, where judicial capacity is easily eclipsed by legislative and executive competence. The three branches of government specialize in answering very different legal questions, and conservative-leaning courts like the Roberts Court are usually quick to remind us that broad-brush public policymaking is not a judicial task. The CPP, for example, makes sophisticated choices about responsibly balancing the potential harms of regulating and not regulating harmful pollutants, and how to structure regulatory obligations to maximize health benefits while minimizing economic harms -- all after exhaustively accounting for public input on the proposed rule. If the justices nevertheless find legal infirmity after carefully engaging all evidence and arguments, it is their duty to reject it. But when the Court breaks with its own norms to block the President's capstone climate initiative for the remainder of his final term -- before meaningful judicial review of the merits -- perhaps that approaches the boundaries of appropriate use of its own authority. If it does not invite pause about the constitutional separation of powers, it at least gives cause to reflect on the lessons of the Lochner era (in which the Court struck down state economic regulations of which the majority disapproved). Opponents of the CPP argue that the stay is legitimately unprecedented because the CPP is itself unprecedented -- asserting a wide range of authority that is both proven and untested, prompting deliberation of legal questions with which the Court has not previously engaged. Yet most litigation reaching the Supreme Court raises novel questions of law; if not, they would be easily resolved in the lower courts. Claims that a pre-litigation stay was required to prevent irreparable harm are also overblown, because the CPP was designed to phase changes in gradually, giving states producers and ample time to move forward and adjust at a measured pace. States had until 2018 to submit plans for compliance -- well after this litigation is expected to conclude -- and until 2025 to begin showing actual progress. Advertisement The irreparable harm with which we must now contend is to the fragile international consensus on sustainable climate governance. In signaling such strong skepticism toward the CPP, the stay could irreparably damage the global community's efforts by weakening the very U.S. leadership that led to the historic climate accord reached in Paris just two months earlier. On December 12, 2015, breaking through decades of stalled progress, 195 nations pledged to work together on forestalling the catastrophic effects of a warming climate. While the agreement itself did not guarantee the needed results, it established a critical framework for global collaboration that, many hoped, would further spur world financial and energy markets toward investment in carbon-neutral renewables and away from fossil fuels. President Obama helped inspire the participation of other nations by assuring them that the U.S. would honor its own commitments under the agreement, and the CPP was the centerpiece of this effort. Now, all who relied on U.S. assurances before making their own commitments must be deeply unsettled. Even though the CPP may yet emerge wholly or mostly unscathed in litigation, as many experts predict it should, the damage to post-Paris momentum could already have been done. Without even reaching the merits of the case, the Supreme Court has thus cast doubt on the entire prospect of U.S. compliance with the Paris accord -- and with it, doubt on compliance by other nations as well. In this way, the stay could cause irreparable harm not only to countless U.S. citizens affected by domestic climate policy, but to the hundreds of millions of the world's most vulnerable people -- none of whom are represented in these proceedings -- who are at risk from sea-level rise, hurricanes, drought, and fires associated with climate change. Advertisement (Pause here for somber reflection... for an appropriately long and somber time.) Okay: that's the depressing, glass-half-empty view of what has happened this week. Resisting the urge to just hide under the covers, let me now suggest a more hopeful alternative. The Court has undeniably, inexplicably dealt a blow to the CPP in the short term. But in the long term, perhaps it is not the death knell for the underlying elements of the plan, for U.S. compliance with the Paris accord, and for continued momentum for a global response to the climate crisis. The CPP was designed to nudge U.S. energy markets away from its path-dependence on fossil fuels and toward sources that impose fewer harmful externalities on human health and the environment. But that path is changing anyway, as both market and environmental forces operate to shift energy production toward renewables. In some parts of the country, wind energy is now cost competitive with natural gas. In places like West Texas, solar photovoltaic is now cost competitive with gas. Extending beneficial tax treatment to renewables that oil and gas have long enjoyed would move them toward economies of scale more quickly, but the trends suggest that low-carbon energy sources will make economic sense even without regulatory incentives. As low-carbon sources become increasingly economically competitive, many states will continue to follow important elements of the CPP even if the Supreme Court ultimately rejects it. More than half the states have already established well-developed renewable portfolio standards -- requirements that a certain percentage of their electricity must come from renewable energy sources -- and they will likely continue to implement them regardless of the Court's conclusion. Most states in the Northeast are already on track to comply with the CPP. Ongoing progress in energy efficiency will further cut carbon emissions, even without changes in production. Moreover, even if the CPP struggles in court, carbon emissions from power plants will still be regulated under the Clean Air Act. Why? None other than the Supreme Court required it in Massachusetts v. EPA, which famously held that the Clean Air Act requires EPA to regulate greenhouse gases. Other air pollution rules, such as the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards that limit the emission of hazardous pollutants, will likely prevent new coal plants from coming online. Indeed, few, if any, new plants have been built in recent years. Finally, it's important to remember that while half the states have lined up against the CPP, most of the remaining half stand with it. Even some of the states opposing the rule are politically split -- such as Colorado, where the attorney general opposes the plan, but the governor endorses it. There remains substantial support for the CPP, and a growing list of experts have publicly argued that it should survive judicial review on the merits, notwithstanding the Court's apparent skepticism. So while the future of the CPP is uncertain, it is certainly not over. Only time will tell, and although time is not on our side, we can make the most of it by keeping on the path to cleaner energy as best we can while the litigation plays out. Advertisement There's a hidden epidemic of sexual harassment and sexual violence in our K-12 schools. Like countless families, we didn't know about this threat until our tenth grader was raped on a school fieldtrip in 2012. In that year, the CDC declared sexual violence a serious health concern for adolescents. Although journalists have reported on the most glaring cases of sexual violence, no one was talking about pervasive sexual harassment/assault in our schools and its relationship to college sexual violence. So we reached out to The Washington Post's national education reporter Emma Brown who addressed the epidemic in a front page report "Sexual violence isn't just a college problem. It happens in K-12 schools, too" and profiled the work of our nonprofit (SSAIS.org). Huff Post Senior Education reporter Tyler Kingkade also reported on an emerging movement to address K12 sexual violence, noting that SSAIS is "putting school districts everywhere on notice: drop the ball when a student reports a sexual assault, and [they'll] expose it to the world." Students are sick of sexual harassment, unwelcome touching, and sexual assault that infect what should be a safe learning environment. Because sexual harassment has become normative, schools are in crisis. Sex-based harassment causes real emotional, psychological, and economic damage to students. Victims are often forced to attend classes with perpetrators of sexual harassment and violence. Feeling uncomfortable and unsafe at school correlates with declining academic performance, skipping school, and dropping out. Many students never "get over it;" they commit suicide. Advertisement Although schools are required under Title IX to proactively address sexual harassment and violence at school, they rarely do. That's why SSAIS is spearheading a national movement to educate students about their rights and recourses which include filing complaints with the U.S. Department of Education and taking action through an Activism Toolkit. We also encourage students, families, educators, and community stakeholders to explore one simple procedure that prompts school districts to become Title IX compliant. To raise awareness on how families can combat sexual harassment and violence in schools, SSAIS is spotlighting the exemplary activism of Berkeley High School Stop Harassing (BHSSH). We're impressed by their student campaign to change the culture around sexual harassment as they illuminate "the many and varied awful incidents students are enduring due to unresponsive and indifferent school board and administration practices in the face of their obligations under Title IX to provide a safe learning environment," BHSSH Adult Advisor, Heidi Goldstein summarized. Like schools across the country, "Sadly, the School Board, BUSD Administration, and the BHS Site Administration are continuing to treat issues of sexual harassment and sexual violence as a series of isolated events, rather than the cultural problem that they really are. We are asking these governing bodies for comprehensive student and staff training on these topics and a simplified complaint process, one that students know how to and feel comfortable using," according to the BHSSH Steering Committee. Among the group's many activities is their Story-A- Day campaign in which school board directors receive a daily account of sexual harassment. "As students continue to feel unsafe coming forward when they are hurt, we decided to give them a voice by allowing them to send us their anonymous stories through cards collected in classrooms, Instagram, and the BHS Stop Harassing website." SSAIS recommends perusing the BHSSH website and viewing their video. Advertisement SSAIS asked Heidi Goldstein to provide suggestions for parents of sexually harassed and assaulted students. "First and foremost, stand by your student and get them the help they want to feel safe at school and reassured that you've got their back. Understand that school districts approach incidents of sexual harassment, battery or assault as risk management problems; they will do what they can to minimize their exposure and liability and make your problem go away. Your student's needs are secondary to this in their schema." SSAIS has seen this play out in countless school districts. Next, "After an incident parents need to connect immediately with the school site administrator -- typically the Principal -- and the school district Compliance Officer or Title IX Coordinator to determine next steps. If the school district doesn't have a Compliance Officer, Title IX Coordinator or other employee explicitly tasked with these responsibilities, parents should insist on a meeting as soon as possible with the Superintendent, who is ultimately accountable for these issues." SSAIS advises that parents take note if the Superintendent or Title IX officer abdicates responsibility to the general counsel; this is a prohibited conflict, as occurred in our family's case. Heidi continues: "Parents should be very clear on the remedy they want for their student (example: require the harasser or assailant to transfer out of their student's class to minimize further exposure) and put this in writing using the district's formal reporting or complaint processes, which typically require the district to respond to you in writing at regular intervals on their progress and findings. It is often challenging to make the school district step up to its responsibilities so frequent follow up and repetition of your expectations is critical to making progress, as is your ability to push hard on issues of disclosure." To learn more about what parents can expect when advocating for their students' rights, how schools minimize and dismiss complaints, and how students are enriched through such activism, read the full interview with Heidi Goldstein. As families and equity advocates like BHSSH hold schools accountable to Title IX, they must "ensure that Title IX Coordinators exist and that they fulfill their gender equity leadership role," Feminist Majority Foundation's Education Equity director Dr. Sue Klein reminds us. While every school district is required to have a Title IX coordinator, finding that person can require several steps. She encourages families and equity advocates to proactively identify Title IX coordinators and hire/train them, when needed. She also recommends "meeting with the Title IX Coordinators and making sure that they have copies of the OCR guidance and that they develop specific accountability and action plans to identify and remediate sex discrimination in their school. They should insure the collection and analysis of accountability information disaggregated by sex, race, and other pertinent characteristics needed to assure equity." Schools' websites must have all relevant information concerning Title IX compliance, as she details here. Dr. Klein insightfully recommends that Title IX coordinators be invited to present their work to community and parent organizations, thereby spotlighting their responsibilities. If sexual harassment and assault are to be remedied, student, parent, and community involvement is essential. Dr. Klein places importance on forming advisory groups that regularly meet with Title IX Coordinators to address and prevent sex discrimination. "The advisory groups may be established for multiple schools and should include relevant gender equity experts as well as equity advocates within the schools such as union representatives or supportive school board members." And she recommends "making full use of national gender equity organizations' websites including the members of the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education and SSAIS.org" to inform students of their rights and recourses. The time is here to both improve outcomes for K-12 students and address the breeding ground for college sexual assault. As Fatima Goss Graves, Senior VP of Program at the National Women's Law Center, wrote in her inaugural post for the SSAIS website: "If we do not bring a serious focus to the problem of sexual harassment and assault in elementary and secondary schools, it will be nearly impossible to make real progress at any other level of education. Too often the story of sexual violence in K-12 schools shows administrators who are poorly informed about their Title IX obligations or avoid taking the necessary steps required by Title IX to end and prevent future harassment." Join us and support a comprehensive education program to eradicate sexual harassment and sexual violence in K-12 schools! Now we know what doing "whatever it takes" to ensure the stability of the Eurozone means. That July 2015 bluff by Mario Draghi, the ECB President, is now being called. The European Central Bank is in talks with the Italian government about buying bundles of bad loans as part of its asset-purchase program and accepting them as collateral from banks in return for cash, the Italian Treasury said according to Reuters. This announcement reassured the markets if it were to be followed by action. Last week, the Italian government approved a decree on banking reform but that too was greeted with some scepticism. "We think it represents a step towards a new configuration of the Italian banking landscape. But we still have doubts on whether some of these changes, particularly when it comes to NPLs [non-performing loans], are meaningful enough beyond being a step in the right direction," write Chiara Angeloni and Gilles Moec at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. The Banking stress tests and ECB supervision failed. The news that the ECB is asking now what the non performing loans of Unicredit are is one more demonstration that it did not -when it comes to Italian Banks- do its stress test , "the best ever." We know that the non-performing loans of Italy amount to 234 billion euros ($ 260 billions) our of the $ 900 billion estimated by the IMF. Advertisement The ECB wanted to supervise important banks, including a number of Italian Banks. They concluded that no important bank in Italy (except Monte dei Paschi) needed additional equity to cover their risks. Whether they lied or did not do their job, the supervisors of the ECB are now facing the moment of truth. The ECB supervisors failed in Italy. Buying non performing loans would threaten the survival of the ECB. Central Banks are lenders of last resort and lend to banks in times of crisis. However, they can only do it against quality collateral. the ECB has watered down this principle but never to the point of accepting non performing loans. By definitions such loans are not going to be repaid. Should they do it, they would not have the ability to manage the recovery of such loans and would probably have to rely on the Italian banks to do so. It would be the same management that allowed their NPLs to reach 17 percent of their balance sheets against seven percent on average in Europe. There are mechanisms to create a bad bank without the ECB involvement It is not the first time that bad banks are created to "park" non performing loans at a substantial discount to their nominal value. It is a market and there are ways and means to execute it. The United States remember the Resolution Trust Corporation that rescued the Savings and Loans, China created asset management companies to manage such loans, and so did Ireland, Mexico, Brasil, Russia, Thailand and others. Advertisement This should be done with the support of the Italian Treasury not the ECB. Why would Italy be entitled to a privilege that was not granted to any of the other Southern European banks? Is it because Mario Draghi is the former Governor of the Banca d'Italia? The ECB has no place and no legal right to purchase such assets. For the Italian Treasury to negotiate with the ECB is equivalent to negotiating with itself. Mario Draghi did run the Tesoro for many years. The Governance of the ECB is increasingly questionable. The truth of the matter is that I am having a Rimbaud moment. My torrid affair with South Florida has been reduced to a surreal feeling of guilt. I have been living in a selfish world where the Gulf of Mexico meets real estate meets tourism in an unholy confluence of greed. The choking sensation of culpability began in the last week of January during a beach run through a graveyard of dead fish, gastropods, and untold millions of rotting micro and macroscopic saltwater organisms. Coughing uncontrollably to the point that retching was the inevitable outcome, I fled from the red tide by trespassing through the closest condominium complex to the relatively clean air of the West Gulf Drive on Sanibel Island. The guilt was as inescapable as truth. As a part time Florida resident, I have been aware for years that the fresh water releases from Lake Okeechobee, courtesy of the US Army Corps of Engineers and private sugar enterprises, was slowly sucking the lifeblood out of our saltwater estuaries. But the process was occult, subtle and akin to the proverbial frog in the pot of water that is slowly brought to a boil before the unfortunate amphibian realizes it is literally cooked. Advertisement The horror of it all was compounded with the realization that relief from the toxic soup of freshwater contaminated with organophosphates, nitrates and heavy metals was accomplished by sending the water downstream to ancestral homelands of the dispossessed. Water is a big issue in recent weeks down here in South Florida. Specifically, there has been historically high rainfall amounts resulting in black water, fish kills and fouled beaches. Lake Okeechobee rose beyond federal protocols, and contaminated waters from Okeechobee were flushed down the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie at the maximum level. More to relieve political pressure from wealthy communities than water pressures, the South Florida Water Management District opened water control gates to move water out of Water Conservation Area 3 and into Northeast Shark River Slough in Everglades National Park. Water that would normally flow to the west and into the western section of the park will now flow east, to Shark Valley Slough -- where alligators have died in recent years due to a lack of water. On the opposite side of this weighted coin, the western portion of what remains of the Everglades' river of grass has had too much water. This recent rerouting of water may make alligators, tourists, fishermen and property owners in South Florida happy, but the impact of 1,200 cubic feet per second, or over over half a million gallons per minute, will be felt elsewhere. In some instances, the "elsewhere" will be federally recognized and non-recognized Indian lands. Water Conservation Area 3 has been shown to have mercury contamination in some wildlife. Advertisement This video explains the problem. Lake Okeechobee is contaminated with all manner of chemicals and is being used as a reservoir to hold back excess runoff and back-pumping from sugar concerns. When levels get too high, the excess is pumped east and west to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Water is not allowed to flow south naturally as it once did, and what is allowed to flow south is contaminated. Florida Bay is one big dead zone.You can bet on the fact that Hemingway is rolling in the ghostly hull of his fishing boat, Pilar. The pressure on the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Governor Rick Scott's office was so intense in recent weeks that the beach community of Fort Myers had serious discussions about investing in more tourism advertising to "combat the negative perception that the discolored water is giving our region." Mayor Kevin Ruane of the wealthy beach community of Sanibel Island went so far as to say "our prayers and our voices have been heard," upon learning of the decision to send the black water into the Everglades National Park. Ruane was referencing a letter from Governor Scott to Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy; effectively redirecting the water southward. What was puzzling was the statement in the letter that indicated approval from the Miccosukee Indians. My secondary reaction was one of the aforementioned shame--shame of belonging to a very selfish community that offers prayers of thanks while our native neighbors would have to bear the brunt of Big Sugar's and agriculture's problems. On the eastern shores of Florida, fecal contamination associated with record water releases is creating a declared "state of emergency" in St. Lucie County. Advertisement Did Florida's Native community really approve of this move to accept more contaminated water? I reached out to both the Miccosukee and Seminole Nations. Only the Sovereign Seminole Nation responded. I received an education along the way. "The Miccosukee and Seminole are, historically speaking, the same people. In 1957, some Native Americans in Florida formed a political organization called the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Others, wishing to make political decisions separately, formed the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida in 1962. Today, there are also about 100 individuals living in South Florida, especially near the western end of the Tamiami Trail and the lower Gulf Coast, who qualify for membership in either Tribe but also choose to remain separate and sovereign." The federally recognized Miccosukee live on reservation lands with federal boundaries. Osceola Speaks Through the Seventh Generation In a phone conversation, Tribal Councilman Leroy Osceola of the Sovereign Seminole expressed surprise about the water releases, since his people were never notified in advance and found out only by accident on the Internet. Osceola is a seventh-generation son of the famed Seminole Chief Osceola. The "official" Seminole/Miccosukee tribal chair does not communicate with his group, who number around 100."We are almost extinct," Osceola said. The traditionalists live off the land and do not receive federal dollars. They are standing alone, with no federal compensation for decades of environmental insults. The few are being sacrificed for the many. Watch this emotional video and hear Osceola speak. The Sovereign Miccosukee Seminole nation maintain their own language, culture and history. They consider themselves truly an indigenous nation. Osceola explained that the situation is dire and reservation lands are just as threatened, but the non-sovereign status of the "official" tribe means that the federal government dictates what happens on reservation lands. Osceola's people do not eat fish from certain canals because of mercury and other heavy metal contamination. Shark River Slough is one of the principal natural drainages for the freshwater Everglades. Advertisement So, why did the Miccosukee reservation people capitulate to the water releases? In this video, published by the Everglades Trust, all Miccosukee lands are highlighted as threatened by "the polluted water that is running down from sugar and agriculture farms further north, making its way into the Everglades and right onto tribal land." Are the reservation Miccosukee being strong-armed by the "caretaking" federal government to accept the water heading their way? So far the tribe is silent on the matter. The genesis of this current crisis rests squarely with Former Governor Jeb Bush and his cozy relationship with Big Sugar. "Swamped," a January 4, 2016 article in the New Yorker details Bush's dismantling of one of the central provisions of Everglades restoration plans. Florida lawmakers had endorsed a bill to drastically weaken pollution regulations--the result of an extraordinary lobbying blitz by the sugar industry, the largest polluter in the Everglades and one of the largest political donors in the state. Newspaper editorial boards around Florida condemned the proposal as a gift to Big Sugar, the nickname for the major interests in the state: Florida Crystals, U.S. Sugar, and the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative. In a private meeting room at the Capitol, the congressmen who had summoned Bush said the bill was so egregious that it could threaten federal funding for the restoration. Bush insisted that he would not change his mind. It's complicated, but all environmental destruction is. Declines in bird species, vegetation, alligators, and other animals can be blamed on the artificial distribution of water as the culprit in this horror film of environmental malfeasance. "Other examples have been the drowning of tree islands in Water Conservation Area 3A and 2A (continual flooding), drying of the marshes east of Shark Slough (continual low water), and the dramatic decline of seaside sparrows west of Shark Slough (too much flooding)." See this report. Advertisement As I look out my window, I see that the Gulf of Mexico is returning to its "normal" blue color. The black water has receded out of view. But somewhere near Shark River Slough an Osceola mother is wondering what to feed her children. It is no longer safe to hunt and gather from the land and the black water slithers like a snake through the river of grass and spits it foul venom into Florida Bay. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's passing is a shock to die-hard conservatives for good reason. He was the bastion and spokesperson of the originalist interpretation of the Constitution, which meant any law had to divine the original intentions of the slave-owning, landowning, founding white male fathers of our nation, which excluded women and non-landowning males (and slaves, of course) from representation. So that meant turning the clock back at least one century to a time when the white male patriarchy still ruled, which was a much less democratic time. Scalia's most noted opinion was to expand Second Amendment gun owners' rights, which 'protected' every citizen's right to own a gun almost without restriction, because the Second Amendment right to bear arms also protected an individual's right of self-defense. The result has been record gun sales and gun deaths (30,000+ per year), as well as mass shootings, and no limit to the purchase of military style assault rifles with unlimited magazines. Another little-noted result was the higher incidence of gun violence in households with guns, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Advertisement In fact, "Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that living in a home where guns are kept increased an individual's risk of death by homicide by between 40 and 170 percent," said the Law Center. "Another study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology similarly found that "persons with guns in the home were at greater risk of dying from a homicide in the home than those without guns in the home." This study determined that the presence of guns in the home increased an individual's risk of death by homicide by 90 percent. Whereas other developed countries without that Second Amendment 'right', such as Australia, do not allow the purchase of a gun for self-defense to be a sufficient reason for owning such a weapon. And Australia has not had a single incidence of mass shootings since 1996 and the passing of its gun control legislation. But the Second Amendment ruling pales to Justice Scalia's opinion that gave the 2000 presidential election to GW Bush, in the Supreme Court's Bush v. Gore ruling, which overturned the Florida Supreme Court's decision to extend the vote re-count past the December 12 deadline, until a full recount had been done. What was the basis for Scalia's majority opinion? "The counting of votes that are of questionable legality does in my view threaten irreparable harm to petitioner Bush, and to the country, by casting a cloud upon what he claims to be the legitimacy of his election. Count first, and rule upon legality afterwards, is not a recipe for producing election results that have the public acceptance democratic stability requires." The four dissenting judges disputed Scalia's claim: "Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year's Presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the Nation's confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the rule of law." The consequences to our democratic system were even worse. By basically interfering with Florida's right to choose its Electoral College delegates, GW Bush became president. And his eight year term included the attack on 9/11, two wars, tax cuts that created the largest federal budget deficit in history, as well as two recessions, including the Great Recession. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor unfortunately only later in interviews hinted that she regretted casting the deciding vote with the 5-4 conservative majority. The damage to democratic values have only been compounded with more recent rulings of the 'Scalia majority', such as gutting the Voting Rights Act that makes it more difficult for minorities and immigrants to vote, and Citizens United v. FEC (Federal Election Commission). The Citizens United ruling overturned the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (commonly known as the McCain-Feingold Act or "BCRA"). Section 203 of BCRA had defined an "electioneering communication" as a broadcast, cable, or satellite communication that mentioned a candidate within 60 days of a general election or 30 days of a primary, and prohibited such expenditures by corporations and unions. Instead, the Scalia majority held that the First Amendment right to freedom of expression should be expanded to allow unlimited election spending by individuals as well as for profit and non-profit corporations and institutions. There is probably no other individual in recent history that has done as much to protect the rights of the wealthiest and most privileged. Advertisement Harlan Green 2016 ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 16: Democratic Presidentail Candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks during the Bernie Sanders HBCU Tour and Rally at Atlanta University Center on February 16, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage) Though it is little noted in discussions of this year's election, Senator Bernie Sanders' campaign has brought back the essential message of then-Senator Barack Obama's "Yes We Can" campaign of 2008. The core of that message is the word "we," in contrast with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's frequent use of "I." However this year's election turns out, the idea that the people -- not politicians -- are the most fundamental driver of change is back in the public discussion. The contrast between "we" and "I" has old roots in the progressive tradition. Debates about "socialism" are a diversion -- both Sanders and Clinton have legitimate claims to be progressive. But they represent different strands of the progressive tradition: the expert tradition and the populist tradition. Advertisement Progressivism emerged in the late 19th century and early 20th century as a movement to roll back the excesses of Gilded Age capitalism. Progressives believed in a positive role for government in taming the market. They believed in the principle of social change. They valued science. They affirmed the intrinsic worth and dignity of human beings. But as David Thelen, past editor of the Journal of American History and a leading historian of progressivism, argued in his essay "Two Traditions of Progressive Reform" and other works, beyond these general agreements were two different tendencies. One was oriented toward bureaucracy and expert decision-making; the other was more populist, focused on grassroots democracy and participation. Donna Shalala -- longtime Hillary Clinton confidant, secretary of health and human services during President Bill Clinton's administration and now president of the Clinton Foundation -- expressed clearly the tenets of the expert tradition back in 1989, in "Mandate for a New Century," a now-famous speech she delivered as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Shalala called upon higher education to engage with the problems of the world, from racism and sexism to environmental degradation, war and poverty. She also voiced the view that scientifically trained experts -- "a disinterested technocratic elite" -- should be at the center of decision-making. As Shalala put it: "The idea of society's best and brightest in service to its most needy, irrespective of any particular political philosophy ... is an idea of such great elegance... We all need to see our gifted researchers set about the work that will eliminate the cripplers we face now as thoroughly, if not as swiftly, as our research eliminated juvenile rickets in the past." Advertisement Hillary Clinton's "fighting for you" channels these expert-driven ideas. It places Clinton in the role of savior of the disadvantaged and marginalized -- Shalala's "best and brightest in service to its most needy." Clinton's calls for collective effort also suggest expert consultation. "We've got to get our heads together to come up with the best answers to solve the problems so that people can have real differences in their lives," Clinton said in her concluding remarks in a debate with Sanders on February 4, 2016. However, the democratic tradition of progressivism has long been animated by populist movements: labor union organizing, civil rights, educational reform, the struggles of farmers to keep their farms and other such crusades. Progressive intellectuals with a grassroots democratic bent like Jane Addams, John Dewey, A. Philip Randolph and Alain Locke all had strong ties to these movements. So too did Henry Wallace, Franklin Roosevelt's secretary of agriculture and then-vice president, who in 1942 delivered a speech entitled "Century of the Common Man." Wallace's speech explicitly challenged Life publisher Henry Luce's "American Century" essay of 1941, which claimed warrant for America as global policeman. Wallace's tenure as secretary of agriculture also encompassed a little-remembered but enormous effort to democratize decision-making around how American farmland is used, from 1938 to 1941. Detailed in Jess Gilbert's 2015 book Planning Democracy, this movement showed how participatory democracy could take place with government acting as an empowering partner to its citizens -- neither savior nor enemy. This populist, small-D democratic tradition of progressivism was revived in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. It surfaced again in the community-organizing movement of the 1970s and 1980s, which fundamentally shaped a young Barack Obama in Chicago. Obama took the message of grassroots democracy which he had learned from community organizing to the nation in the 2008 campaign, amplifying its themes and engaging millions of people. "I'm asking you not only to believe in my ability to make change," read the campaign website. "I'm asking you to believe in yours." The message was expressed in such memorable campaign slogans as, "We are the ones we've been waiting for," drawn from a song of the freedom movement of the 1960s. And it infused Obama's field operation. As Rolling Stone reporter Tim Dickinson noted in "The Machinery of Hope," the goal was "not to put supporters to work but to enable them to put themselves to work, without having to depend on the campaign for constant guidance." "We decided that we didn't want to train volunteers," Obama field director Temo Figueroa explained to Dickinson. "We want to train organizers -- folks who can fend for themselves." Advertisement After Obama took office, the democratic promise of his campaign remained largely unrealized. Indeed, after becoming president, Obama's language began to shift from "we" to "I." At the news conference marking the first 100 days of his administration, Obama was asked what he intended to do as chief shareholder of some of America's largest companies. "I've got two wars I've got to run already," he laughed. "I've got more than enough to do." This shift in pronouns paralleled the deactivation of the grassroots base of Obama for America (OFA), which had powered the campaign. As of election night 2008, OFA included some 2.5 million activists in the My.BarackObama social network, four million donors and 13 million email supporters. After the election, the organization's name shifted to "Organizing for America," at which point a fierce argument erupted among campaign leaders. Deputy campaign manager Steve Hildebrand argued that the new OFA should become an independent nonprofit. Joe Trippi, campaign manager for 2004 Howard Dean race, observed that OFA and its supporters had many independents and some Republicans and shouldn't lose its cross-partisan qualities. Finally, David Plouffe, a key architect of the 2008 campaign was put in charge of OFA. He decided to incorporate the organization as part of the Democratic National Committee. "The move meant that the machinery of an insurgent candidate, one who had vowed to upend the Washington establishment, would now become part of that establishment, subject to the entrenched, partisan interests of the Democratic Party," observed Rolling Stone's Dickinson in "No We Can't." "It made about as much sense as moving Greenpeace into the headquarters of ExxonMobil." Flash forward to 2016, and we find the Democratic campaign tapping into growing activism on many fronts -- from Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter to action on climate change and local development. Advertisement Bernie Sanders' core argument, that a grassroots movement will be necessary for real change, echoes the Obama 2008 message, both in its stress on participatory democracy and in its integration of a range of issues into a larger call for change -- "we" language, not "I" language. In his speech after the Iowa caucuses, Sanders said. "The powers that be... are so powerful that no president can do what has to be done alone... When millions of people come together... to stand up and say loudly and clearly, 'Enough is enough'... when that happens, we will transform this country." Should Sanders become president, he might well pursue a broad activation of citizens. "Bernie Sanders has always identified with the populist side of progressivism," Huck Gutman, Sanders's chief of staff in the Senate from 2008 to 2012, told me. It is still possible that Hillary Clinton could pick up themes from the Reinventing Citizenship project I coordinated with Bill Galston, deputy assistant for domestic policy to President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1995, now of the Brookings Institution. Reinventing Citizenship proposed a number of measures to strengthen government as a partner of citizens in public problem-solving and the work of democracy. Whatever the outcome of the contest between Clinton and Sanders, the key to real change is the people. The issues that the campaign has raised -- the power of Wall Street, economic inequality and stagnant wages, college debt, mass incarceration, universal health care, campaign finance reform, climate change and others -- will require citizen power on a large scale if fundamental change is to occur. There are also many other, large-scale issues, crucial to the fate of the nation, that scramble partisan lines: revitalization of the democratic purpose of education; local economic development in the face of radical technological change; the drug epidemic; and reweaving the social fabric in a time of eroding community ties, to name just a few. These are enormous challenges. If the Democratic debate continues and deepens the call for citizen activation, it could well catalyze civic efforts beyond the issues of the campaign. Advertisement It is also clear that the idea of "we" has found a resonant audience especially among young people. "Sanders gives young people a place in his campaign," wrote Elisabeth Bott, one of my students from the University of Minnesota. "For so many people, politics is tainted. Sanders's campaign restores the idea that politics can be a source of change. He understands that we live in a time of change and extreme injustice and wants to change that with the help of us all." This idea is not Sanders' alone. Politics -- by the definition of the term dating from the Greeks until the modern era -- has long involved citizens of diverse views and interests learning to work together to solve common problems, create common good and negotiate a democratic way of life. If we are to reverse the deepening mood of discouragement and powerlessness in the nation, we need wide civic involvement, amounting to a democratic awakening. In this election, perhaps we see its beginnings. Boutros Boutros-Ghali was not one for political correctness. Despite his urbane diplomatic ways he found it difficult to dissemble least of all when confronted with what one might call unwarranted arrogance or even common stupidity. Not exactly modest himself, at least he had a strong intellect to match his aristocratic pride. From one of the patrician families, he ended up in the party founded by Nasser, but when confronted with contumely because of his grandparent, the original Boutros Ghali, a prime minister had been assassinated by nationalists, he hyphenated the name and made it his own surname in place of Ghali. He recalled to me once that while his grandfather had to wrestle with actual British power in Cairo, his grandfather's appointment had to be ratified by a firman from the Ottoman Court in Constantinople since Egypt had passed from practical independence to British neocolonialism while still being officially bound to the Sultan. A background in such arcanae was good preparation for the UN. When he was attacked for saying that the keystone resolution, 242, on the Middle East was not a binding Security Council Resolution, it gave rise to the epithet Boo Boo. But as he explained later, 242 in itself is not binding, but 338 which invokes Chapter VII of the UN Charter and 242, did make it so. A Coptic Christian with a Jewish wife needed a thick skin in the days of heady nationalism and none more so than when he accompanied Anwar Sadat to negotiate peace with Israel. This was a dangerous era when posturing Arab nationalists were quite prepared to stand for their principles no matter what the cost to the actual Palestinians, not to mention Arab conscripts, would be. They were quite prepared to assassinate those who disagreed. Boutros-Ghali was no starry eyed idealist: he knew that the almost terminally disastrous 1973 attack was what had belatedly converted Israeli leaders to the idea that peace might have its virtues. Advertisement Later he would complain that the concomitant parts of the agreement, to attend to the Palestinian part, had been abandoned. The fervent nationalists never forgave him for his part in brokering the peace, and neither Sadat nor Mubarak had the strength to appoint him as actual foreign minister with his Coptic ancestry. When the UN vacancy came up it was almost a godsend for Mubarak in how to rid himself of this worrisome Copt who could be neither fired nor promoted otherwise. In 1992, Africa and the non-aligned countries had said it was Africa's turn for the job, and as the US told the relatively unconvinced ambassadors from sub-Sahara African countries, Egypt was in the African Union! In fact, Boutros-Ghali was already deeply concerned and involved in Africa as part of Egyptian foreign policy and did his best to bring the continent a stronger presence in the UN. The French supported him, partly because, being a French speaker educated at the Sorbonne, he promised to restore French in practice to the position it held nominally as one of the UN's two working languages. He seemed to offer a good compromise: nominally African, culturally Western, and from an Arab country. The Security Council appointed him, even though he was only a little younger than Javier Perez De Culler, the retiring incumbent. Boutros-Ghali was also perhaps one of the few Arabs acceptable, at least initially, to the Israel Lobby in Washington, because of his part in Camp David. But he genuinely tried to put Africa on the agenda of the UN, and demanded attention for a continent that was indeed dark as far as Washington was concerned. When he said 'Genocide in Africa has not received the same attention that genocide in Europe or genocide in Turkey or genocide in other part of the world. There is still this kind of basic discrimination against the African people and the African problems,' it might have been unpalatable-- but it was certainly true. Advertisement Boutros-Ghali was nobody's puppet but he had to deal with the new reality after the Soviet Union fell. Earlier SG's could play the great powers off against each other, but now, there was only one Great Power, and its Congress was run by anti-UN demagogues. In Bosnia, Rwanda, and Somalia the pattern in Clinton's Washington was to pass the problem to the UN, and then to refuse to provide the UN with the resources it would need, to cope. Boutros-Ghali once summed up his situation as follows: 'I can do nothing. I have no army. I have no money. I have no experts. I am borrowing everything. If the member states don't want it, what can I do?' While Arab nationalists and Third Worldists saw him as an American puppet, he was in fact far more nuanced. Like many he doubted the capacity of Washington to run the world, even if it had the power. He knew that the UN depended on the US to be effective, but also that the US needed to UN to steer the New World Order. His astute assessment was, 'When the United Nations was allowed to do its job without substantial US involvement, as in Mozambique, the operation succeeded. When the United States felt a political need for the United Nations, as in Haiti, the operation also fulfilled its main objective. But when the United States wanted to appear actively involved while in reality avoiding hard decisions, as in Bosnia, Somalia, and Rwanda, the United Nations was misused, abused or blamed by the United States and the operations failed, tragically and horribly.' He continually and publicly pointed out when UN peacekeeping forces were being deployed to some crisis zone only to provide political cover for domestic political reasons but were not given the resources to succeed. Washington treated the end of the Cold War as an opportunity (in the UN and elsewhere) to ride roughshod over any rival claimants to power. Boutros-Ghali, both on principle and on account of his proud temperament, refused to bow to the whims of Washington. He paid the price. While many blamed the US refusal to back him for a second term on his refusal to bury Israel's shelling of the UN camp in Qana, in South Lebanon, that killed scores of local civilians who had taken refugee there, he himself discounted that and privately attributed it to American realization that he was in effect trying to cobble together a "Loyal Opposition" to the US that would force it to listen to the rest of the world. Advertisement Ironically, the American veto that denied him a second term achieved that coalition. Madeleine Albright voted against everyone else as even America's closest allies, in exasperation voted against her. It was one of the low marks of American diplomacy. And Boutros-Ghali, sadly, might have been over-sanguine about the sophistication of American statecraft. She felt personally scorned by him, and almost certainly traded his head for her assured confirmation as Secretary of State by the antediluvian isolationist Senator Jesse Helms, Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee. The French showed their gratitude by appointing him as head La Francophonie, which gave him, if not great power, at least great influence and the ear of some 80 member states. One can be sure that he conveyed an unsentimental view of the strengths and weaknesses of the "indispensable power," as Albright called it. This article originally appeared on Inverse. The world treats outer space much in the same in way in treats international waters: No country or entity can make a claim of sovereignty over that land (or in this case, space). But that doesn't mean anything goes. The same way the international community has agreed-upon rules for what is and isn't allowed in international waters and how to prosecute people who commit criminal acts in those places, the same kind of framework largely applies to the legal space of, well, space. In a cute new video posted to YouTube, Wendover Productions goes over a quick summary about how exactly space laws came into existence, and what exactly they allow and forbid among the few countries of the world engaged in active space exploration. The whole video is worth a watch, but the most interesting nuggets are when the narrator predicts what might happen if an astronaut commits a crime in space? Aboard a rocket orbiting the Earth, the same rules that govern international waters apply to spacecraft -- it would be up to the country that owns that vessel to decide whether they want to prosecute the perpetrator, and how they would go about that. Advertisement But you don't necessarily need to be in a spacecraft to commit a crime. If you stab someone on the moon, what then? Nobody owns the moon; the 1967 U.N. Outer Space Treaty specifically forbids any country or group from having the right to claim sovereignty over pretty much any celestial object -- be it moon, planet, asteroid, even a lousy comet. As the video explains, we would most likely follow the rules established by "extraterritorial jurisdiction," where someone is bound by the laws of the country from which they originate if they are not presently in another country. If stabbing people is against the law in your own country, you've committed a crime, and that country has a right to prosecute. A friend of yours also on the moon might be free to stab whomever without repression if his/her country has no law against stabbing. As many of you are probably thinking, there's one place in space that seems to flout both of the standards we've just outlined -- the International Space Station: Advertisement The International Space Station Under the current agreement signed by all the countries that have worked on the ISS, each astronaut is covered by extraterritorial jurisdiction -- they are subject to the laws of their own country. But they also cannot infringe on the rights of other astronauts onboard. So you can't just float around kicking people in the groin or swatting iPhones out of others' hands, because another country has the right to prosecute you. In addition, all partner states must adhere to extradition requests related to crimes aboard the ISS -- even if those two states don't maintain an actual extradition treaty. For instance, Russia has never been legally obligated to send Edward Snowden back to his home country. But if he had leaked the NSA documents while he was on the ISS, Russia would have been required to ship him off to the United States on the first ride back to Earth. The rest of the video kind of goes off on the deep end and starts debating the legal ramification of babies being born in space. In a normal instance (and remember, we're not even sure if its biologically feasible to birth a kid in zero-gravity), the baby would probably just take the citizenship of their parents -- the same way a baby born to American parents on vacation China would still be born with U.S. citizenship. Some countries, however, don't have those kinds of exceptions for people born outside their own borders. In those instances, like when there's a baby born onboard a plane, the baby would probably take the nationality of the country with which the spacecraft is registered. How about a baby born on the moon? Or on Mars? Or on the ISS? Or to aliens? Obviously, we don't have answers to that stuff. And that's expected -- space travel is still such a new part of our lives, and most countries are more concerned with problems here on the ground. But the time for us to establish a legal framework for space is coming up sooner than we think. With private companies making big strides in their own launch technology and countries like the United States (and Luxembourg?) laying the groundwork for commercial space mining, the space laws will play a pivotal role for our future. Advertisement MORE FROM INVERSE: Molly Hughes: Let us know what you're curious about, and we'll work to get an answer. Denver Post Editor Greg Moore will answer as many questions as possible right here on this DPTV [Denver Post Television] set.... Moore: [Responding to a reader who complained about an error that was not corrected] "Call me directly. If any reader calls and leaves a message about incorrect information that's published in the paper or online, if you don't get a response, call me. I take all calls. So, we will correct it. Thanks for bringing it to our attention." Hughes: That was kind of the impetus for our even doing this. You were saying you're constantly getting calls. Moore: Exactly. I try to talk to at least five readers every day. It's instructive for me. But it also makes a difference, I think, when people can talk to me directly and get a response. I think we leave as friends. Hughes: Greg will answer as many questions as time allows. A pair of little-known Tennessee Williams one-act plays, written the year before the playwright's death in 1983, received their premieres this past weekend at New York City's Walkerspace, thanks to The Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company. Directed by Cosmin Chivu, the evening included the world premiere of "A Recluse and His Guest", followed by the New York premiere of "The Remarkable Rooming-House of Mme. Le Monde". The first night of the new production was Saturday, February 14th, AKA Valentine's Day! The idea of seeing two rare Tennessee Williams plays on the most romantic night of the year (with your other half, no less...) was too enticing to miss, but indeed ironic as well. Arguably, Williams' stories were more often about unrequited fantastical love than actual emotional fulfillment, and more about the darker undercurrents of human sexuality rather than the actual joys of sex. "A Recluse and His Guest", an adult fairy tale of sorts, can indeed be interpreted as a truly unorthodox "love story", with lines like "I don't get cold when I'm as happy as I am!" (Even though the play takes place in an undetermined time period, Williams apparently couldn't resist the urge to insert a character who makes references to "unnatural acts" while still indulging in them...) However, "The Remarkable Rooming-House of Mme. Le Monde", cannot be interpreted as a love story in any way-- except in the minds of those who consider exploitation, non-consensual sadism, and family dysfunction to be some form of "love". More than with most authors, Tennessee Williams' personal life and experiences have been the direct subject matter for his dramas. The audience wonders, then, if the character of Ott the Recluse in the first play was based on Williams' own reclusiveness in his last few years; or if the tragic depiction of Mint, the young gay man in the second play, was reflective of the author's famously ambivalent feelings about his own sexuality. "A Recluse and His Guest" takes place in an "far northern town" named Staad, in an unspecified "remote time". We meet a horsehide-clad mystery woman (Kate Skinner) who has been wandering through the Midnight Forest. We learn that her name is Nevrika, and she's "a woman who travels by trade", who rubs her leather wrappings with foul-smelling ointment to keep away the wolves. As we later discover, she may be a bit crazy, or a bit gifted, or both: She speaks to animals. Nevrika is searching for food and shelter, and she eventually finds both-- as well as companionship-- with Ott, the recluse of the play's title (Ford Austin). He reluctantly takes her in to live with him. Nevrika progresses from being a maid of sorts to eventually becoming something of a surrogate wife, the zenith of their relationship being when she asks Ott, "Would it offend you if I told you that I'm in love... that I love you?" Gradually, Ott breaks out of his shell, and the two even attend the town's famous Spring Festival together as a couple. However, a not-so-traumatic incident causes Ott to retreat back to his house and therefore back to his reclusive lifestyle... and he then gives his new companion an ultimatum. Does she honor her benefactor's request? The play's conclusion is up for interpretation. After the show, the audience was equally split over just what happens to the main female character. Advertisement The dialogue of "A Recluse and His Guest" is adorned by live cello (courtesy of Paul Brantley, who's also the production's Composer) for an engaging effect, and the creative staging makes for some impressive use of the space. The two leads are very charismatic; their performances, like the play itself, appropriately transcend place and time. There are also some audience-pleasing moments of high levity in the form of the Spring Festival scene, complete with singing and dancing. It's extremely corny-- and extremely funny too! Unlike "A Recluse and His Guest", the setting of "The Remarkable Rooming-House of Mme. Le Monde" is fairly clear from the beginning. The accents reveal that this play takes place in Great Britain; the blindingly loud, pastel-colored fashions (a yellow mesh T-shirt, a raspberry-colored men's suit...) make us pretty sure that we are in the 1980's. Unlike the slow establishment of the environment and the characters in "A Recluse and His Guest", the second play kicks off like a shot of adrenaline (with a dirty needle, I might add...). Almost immediately after a jolt of loud rock music and a light show of bright colors (to match the fashions, presumably...), we see one of the four characters being brutally penetrated from behind on a semi-concealed upper level of the stage. Simultaneously, a video screen shows the "Mme." of the play's title engaging in an equally noisy sexual encounter with another character. As you may have guessed by now, the second part of "Tennessee Williams 1982" has a very different feel from the first part. With both sexually explicit scenes and R-rated dialogue, it's almost as if Williams set out to write a play to patently shock his audiences-- as much as audiences could be shocked ten years after "Carnal Knowledge", "Deep Throat", and "Oh! Calcutta" entered pop culture. A better way of putting it would be to say that Williams kept his tendencies to explore the emotional dark alleys of humanity, but he was now doing it for a generation that wouldn't be traumatized by the "F" word or talk about STD's. Advertisement Still, the audience was indeed provoked by "The Remarkable Rooming-House of Mme. Le Monde", although the play is more disturbing than titillating. One of the reluctant occupants of Madame LeMonde's rooming-house is Mint, a young man who has lost the use of his legs and is forced to move around on stage via hooks hanging from the ceiling and a harness-like apatosaurus on his chest. It's a physically challenging role that Jade Ziane handles amazingly. Hall, a former classmate of Mint's from Scrotum-on-Swansea (Yep...), comes for a visit. Played by a deliciously disobliging Darwin Patrick Williams, Hall goes into a vivid description about a sexual encounter with a woman, sparing no details. He also verbally abuses the disabled Mint for being gay. The vulgar language is a long way from the coded vocabulary of Williams' earlier, more famous works. Still, Williams fans will spot the author's trademark characteristics. Among other elements, there's Williams' verbose dialogue (You'll never hear a more, shall we say, "colorful" description of homosexual tendencies than when Hall brutally taunts Mint.) and the "woe-is-me" depiction of the gay character. It's not all just talk in this rooming-house, however. One character literally drops dead, and he's not the only one. And yes, we do eventually meet the proprietor of this crazy rooming-house, the Titian-haired Madame Le Monde (Kate Skinner again) up close and personal. In eye-popping punkette imperiousness, Skinner's Madame makes a statement without even saying a word, although she does deliver one of the play's standout lines with deadpan eeriness: "The world is accident prone, no use attempting correction. After all, the loss of one fool makes room for another. A super-abundance of them must be somehow avoided..." Even with a brief 45 minute running time, "The Remarkable Rooming-House of Mme. Le Monde" packs a wallop. The four characters range from pathetic to downright scary-- but thanks primarily to the acting skills of the cast, they are all truly fascinating to watch on stage. As said before, Tennessee Williams often permeated aspects of his own life and experiences into his writings. Judging by the sold-out showing of "Tennessee Williams 1982" on its Valentine's Day kickoff, a LOT of people still want to know more about the author's life through his under-seen body of work. Ironically, after seeing this astonishing duo of plays, the iconic author will remain more of an enigma than ever. "Tennessee Williams 1982" continues through March 13 at Walkerspace Theater, 46 Walker St, NYC. For more information, visit www.PlayhouseCreatures.org. After 35 years of Episcopal parish ministry, the Rev. Barbara Schlachter had an epiphany in her family's homeplace, reading NASA scientist James Hansen's memoir on climate change as her first grandson was put to bed: "I was the grandmother in the room and my heart was wide-open with love for this family and for the young children we were adding to the family." Embracing "older means bolder," Barbara launched the 100 Grannies for a Livable Future, and cofounded the Iowa City Climate Advocates, with an unabashed call for fellow "grannies" to become a group to be "reckoned with" and take urgent climate action now. "What do we have to lose compared to what our grandchildren may not have?" Schlachter declared. By the time of her second grandson's birth, Schlachter had been arrested in front of the White House in 2011, protesting the proposed Keystone pipeline. One of the most inspiring, caring and tireless climate activists in the heartland, the Rev. Barbara Schlachter was truly a "grannie to be reckoned with" in Iowa City and the nation, a prolific newspaper columnist on climate issues, and her passing from complications with cancer this week has profoundly affected communities with a reminder of her enduring and powerful presence. Advertisement "Barbara was completely committed to ensuring that God's creation would thrive long into the future," wrote Iowa City Mayor Jim Throgmorton, who worked with Schlachter as part of the Iowa City Climate Advocates. "In part, that meant doing everything she could to reduce carbon emissions and minimize the severity global warming. Her moral commitment to this noble endeavor was rock solid and inspirational." "No single sentence or quote can capture her expansive spirit, vision and graciousness," said Dianne Dillon-Ridgley, a long-time friend and fellow environmental justice leader. "Her iron will, grit and determination; her humor and delightful silliness; her love of beauty and her grandchildren; her tolerance and patience for those who haven't quite caught up with her plan. There is a massive rip in the fabric of our community and our hearts just ache." "Barbara daily demonstrated that love is the greatest motivator," said Elizabeth Christiansen, director of the Office of Sustainability at the University of Iowa, who noted Schlachter's intergenerational influence. "Her love of people and our planet willed her to action. She was an example to all of us. If a grandmother from Iowa can stand up, take charge and work for change, we should all ask ourselves what we're doing to build a better world." Along with Schlachter, the 100 Grannies led forums, marches, and community initiatives on an array of issues, including community rights, clean energy, the Bakken pipeline, and zero waste. Advertisement In a Press Citizen column last spring, Schlachter drew a comparison between her cancer diagnosis and climate change: "I continue insofar as I am able to be active in action related to climate change, and it has given me pause to realize how cancer and our runaway reliance on fossil fuels are so similar to each other. " Having launched a call for other "grannies" around the nation to become more engaged as "guardians of the Earth," Schlachter invoked her adopted Iowa prairie for inspiration: What is amazing to me is that prairie grass roots go deep, as deep as 15 feet. Because of their deep roots, they can withstand wind and drought. They need fire from time to time to renew them, and they are of the earth itself. They also do not stand alone. They are always in community; always dense. They can break a plow trying to break them. And they are beautiful in all their colorful diversity. So, the example to us is root deep, stand tall, stay together, and don't be afraid of the fire of your passion for climate justice. "Barbara was one of the greatest fighters for the common good that I ever have had the pleasure to work with," said Johnson County supervisor Mike Carberry. "Her work with the Iowa City Climate Advocates and 100 Grannies for a Livable Future in particular should be remembered. She was a beacon of light that we will continue to follow." Her last newspaper column held out hope for the Paris climate summit last December: "We have much at stake in Paris this month. May there be something good to remember. May we be dancing in the streets." Advertisement Beyond her work on climate change and clean energy, Dillon-Ridgley also recalled Schlachter's dedication to racial justice issues: We shared a deep commitment to the future, to community, to sustainability and nature and certainly to our faith, but not everyone will know of her deep commitment to racial justice, equality and dignity. I didn't actually meet Barbara until she retired from her parish responsibilities; but I already knew I was going to like her as Mel had included stories of their life together in his sermons for years....What I could never have anticipated was that in short order I would come to love her! Our first venture together was in 2010, to celebrate the 100th birthday of Pauli Murray, poet, civil rights activist, attorney, feminist and the first African American woman to be ordained an Episcopal priest. We planned a full-on birthday bash and while we had a modest number of attendees, Barbara's joy and enthusiasm couldn't have been greater if we had had thousands. Shortly after we went together to an AME gospel service together, cementing that I had found a true "SOUL SISTER". "I have always seen creation as a gift from God and where God is revealed," Barbara wrote in a blog, Blue Planet Green Living. Her parting words serve as a fitting challenge of her life's work: The heart of humanity thrives from our universal human emotions and experiences so that we can transcend the status quo. The beauty of this "human" thing is something so simple: Heart. In the world of fast-paced media and technology, humanizing your brand creates more heart. Here's why: 1. It's Risky Risk is not something that we naturally want to seek out. We don't jump out of bed in the morning each day, thinking "I want heart-shattering, intense feelings to overtake my day!" Nope. In the traditional world of business, we tend to think more with our heads and less with our hearts. We wear our masks and scream from the sidelines that "everything is awesome!" While this positive approach has its place in the world, the next shift in business encourages us to no longer play it safe. Why is something like "risk" important today? When you risk your hearts in a human way, you're stretching yourself outsides of the confines of your limitations (that are often self-imposed). In my new book, Humanize Your Brand, I describe how I made up a word as a kid about a feeling, called "the squinzie." It's the sensation that you get when the gravity drops from underneath you on a rollercoaster, and you get scared for a few seconds - before you realize that everything will be ok. Advertisement And while everything may not always be "awesome!" (like that rollercoaster ride), risk teaches us that everything will be "ok." The squinzie allows us to become awakened in a way that's fresh and exciting. It means that we sit in the front-row seats on the rollercoaster of our lives. This challenges us to feel less guarded and more vulnerable. It's only through this clear perspective that we can open our hearts to an invigorated approach to life and business. Risk allows us to accept the temporary scariness so that we can more easily feel with our hearts. The bonus is the glorious view from the top of the tracks! 2. Our hearts are always evolving. After our hearts leap out of our chests during that "risky" first drop, we realize that "everything is awesome" if we allow our hearts to stretch. It's only after this first drop in gravity that we can prepare our hearts to rise to the next level of our humanity. It's in this place where we create the space for fun, serendipity, and business to intersect. Our hearts are evolving so that the next step on the path to our success becomes more heart opening, less debilitating. Sure, we may need a breather in-between the ups and downs of our lives. But we now have the strength to dust ourselves off quicker than ever. We start to uplevel our creativity and consciousness so that we can better understand our evolution. Advertisement 3. The next paradigm is here. If you're still using traditional media, you are missing out on a huge generation of people who would be interested in your product or services. These people are not reading the newspaper. They are not looking at traditional advertising. This message isn't a warning. It's a new reality that our human hearts are no longer "fit to print." Instead, our human hearts are more fit to fly. According to the Newspaper Association of America, the drastic decline in newspaper advertising over the last seven years leaves the print advertising industry back to where it was in 1950. So, what does this mean? The future is already here. The approach that worked yesterday with your advertising or marketing won't work today. But it's ok. Because this modern approach to "marketing" transcends all of the "stuff" that may have gotten you stuck in the past. And then you smile. You're slowly starting to soar into the white, synchronized Truth of your transforming parts. You're seeing your former self through the lens of your awakened eyes. You're sifting through the broken pieces of what no longer worked, as you open yourself up to the process (not the praise). There I was with a glass of wine in one hand and a paint brush in the other. As I created a real painting on the canvas, I marveled as I thought this was a talent I did not possess. Women (and men) around the country are discovering their inner artists at "studios" where painting and wine go together. Women haven't always used wine to lubricate their painting abilities. Women painters have been around for centuries and have made major cultural contributions. Match the artist with her accomplishment: ____ 1. The first African-American woman to have a solo exhibit at the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City. ____ 2. Remembered for her paintings of mothers and children, some of which have been featured on U.S. postage stamps. ____ 3. She began paintings in her late 70s and became an international superstar with her "American Primitive" depictions of rural America. ____ 4. She painted many of the plants and animals that surround the birds in Audubon's Birds of America. ____ 5. Known for her vivid flower paintings and depictions of the New Mexico landscape, her work has been featured on U.S. postage stamps. A. Maria Martin Bachman B. Alma Thomas C. Mary Cassatt D. Georgia O'Keeffe E. Grandma Moses It might surprise you to know that many of the plant and animals that surround the birds in John James Audubon's Birds of America were painted by a woman - Maria Martin Bachman. For twenty years (1831-1851), Bachman anonymously painted the backgrounds needed for Audubon's bird drawings. When her brother-in-law (and future husband) collaborated in 1839 with Audubon on a book about the animals in North America, The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, she also anonymously painted those backgrounds. Today, we know which drawings are hers and we also know that her work appeared in an American work on herpetology (the study of amphibians and reptiles) and some of her drawings are in the Charleston Museum. Advertisement Mary Cassatt spent much of her adult life in France and became reknown for her paintings of mothers and children. Born in Pennsylvania in 1844, Cassatt's youth involved travel, learning languages, and being educated abroad. Although her family did not approve of her becoming a professional artist, she was not deterred. In 1868, one of her paintings was accepted for a juried art show. After a brief sojourn back to U.S., Cassatt returned to Europe in 1871 and, in 1877, was invited to join the Impressionist salon. Residng in France for the rest of her life, Cassatt focused on women and children after 1900 and, from 1914 on, became a suffrage supporter. She and her paintings have been featured on U.S. postage stamps and she has been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. The first fine arts graduate of Howard University (1921), Alma Thomas had wanted to be an architect or builder. Instead, she taught art in the public schools as her professional career and pursued her own painting in her off-work hours. After she retired from teaching, she was able to develop her distinctive painting style. Her abstract paintings debuted at Howard University in 1966, when she was 75 years old. A significant role model for African-American women as well as older women, Thomas was the first African-American woman to have a solo exhibit at the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City. In addition, her art was shown at the White House on three different occasions. Modern artist Georgia O'Keeffe is remembered for her vivid flower paintings, her landscape art, and her depictions of New Mexico. After her first exhibit was mounted in New York City in 1916, she became recognized for her paintings of New York skyscrapers and flowers. Her 1929 trip to New Mexico would influence her art and her life and she would move there permanently in 1949. Many of her paintings reflected the New Mexico desert terrain and adobe architecture. Today, she is honored at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her paintings have been featured on U.S. postage stamps and O'Keeffe has been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. Like Alma Thomas, Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson) is a significant role model for older women. Taking up painting in her 70s after arthritis made embroidery too difficult for her, Grandma Moses was discovered in 1938 by a New York collector who happened upon her paintings displayed in the drugstore window of Hoosick Falls, New York. Her public debut occurred in 1940 at the Galerie St. Etienne in New York City, followed by a Thanksgiving display at Gimbels Department Store. Grandma Moses, with her depictions of rural America, called "American Primitive", became a superstar. Her life was told in a documentary and one of her paintings was published on a U.S. postage stamp. Advertisement Learn about more she-roes and celebrate amazing women. All of these painters are among the more than 850 women profiled in the book Her Story: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America. We cherish their cultural contributions. Last year it was Ebola, this year it's Zika. Disease outbreaks are in the news and people are rightly worried. And each time this happens, people ask "isn't there a vaccine for that?" Nearly one-hundred years ago, 500 million people around the world were infected by influenza (H1N1) and between 50 and 100 million people died (today, we do have a vaccine for that). In the 1940s and 1950s, polio disabled more than half-a-million people a year. Today, we not only have a vaccine for that, but polio is nearly eradicated: last year only 47 wild polio cases were reported. Also in the 20th century, smallpox claimed the lives of 300-500 million people, and hundreds of years before that it had nearly wiped out indigenous peoples in the Americas, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. By 1980, vaccines and immunization programs eradicated smallpox. Vaccines are among the most effective and inexpensive ways to fight infectious diseases and help people stay healthy. While there are a few people in affluent societies and troubled corners of the world who distrust vaccines, the history cannot be more clear: vaccines work. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to them. Globally, one-in-five children has not been fully immunized against common, vaccine-preventable diseases. Many of those children, known as "the fifth child(ren)", are in Africa, where equitable access to routine health services--including immunization--is particularly problematic due to poverty, lack of education, and weak health systems. Supporting essential routine immunization systems requires robust supply chains with functioning cold chain equipment to maintain vaccine potency all the way to the rural villages and shantytowns where so many unimmunized children live. But in too many places, supply chains are simply not strong enough to make that happen. According to the World Health Organization, "Much of the [world's] burden of disease can be prevented or cured with known, affordable technologies. The problem is getting drugs, vaccines, information, and other forms of prevention, care, or treatment--on time, reliably, in sufficient quantity and at reasonable cost--to those who need them." Too often an afterthought, relegated to untrained and poorly managed staff, and woefully under-resourced, health supply chains in many low-income countries cannot cope with the increasing demands of global health programs. The international commitment to universal health coverage by 2030 cannot be achieved if the medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, and other supplies required are not universally available. On February 24th and 25th, African health and finance ministers will convene at the African Union in Ethiopia to talk about immunization for the first time. They will focus on equity and coverage to reach and vaccinate the fifth child and the leadership and policies required to succeed. Strategies, such as Reaching Every Child, designed to identify and reach underserved communities will be high on the agenda and will generate the energy to move the needle to sustained equitable coverage. Vaccines must be consistently available if these goals are to be reached. Although supply chain is not on the official agenda, it's going to be on the menu, with a lunch-time discussion among a few ministers of health from the region who are working to improve their vaccine and medicine distribution. They will talk about adapting private-sector solutions, using data to drive supply chains, optimizing distribution networks, deploying solar-powered cold chain equipment, and developing supply chain experts to focus on performance and continuous improvement. As we call attention to the critical importance of stronger support and attention to build essential routine immunization systems to reach every child, governments and development partners must allocate more funding so that immunization supply chains can deliver more vaccines to more people. In the last decade, many new vaccines have been introduced and many more are in the pipeline including for Ebola, malaria, HIV, and even Zika. This is great, but even now, the volume of new vaccines are overburdening the old supply systems that immunization programs have long relied upon. Ministers of health and their colleagues have an opportunity to understand why supply chains are important, how they must change, and what governments must do to make change happen. They must understand that supply chains are integral to broader health system's ability to deliver the right services and supplies at the right time to the right place and the right people. NASHVILLE, TN - AUGUST 12: Ted Nugent performs at the Charlie Daniels 2015 Volunteer Jam at Bridgestone Arena on August 12, 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Webster Public Relations) NRA and Ted Nugent Inspired Hate-mongering and Bigotry Last week, I found myself in the company of a distinguished group of people I would usually be very proud to call my allies: Michael Bloomberg, Diane Feinstein, Chuck Schumer, Rahm Emanuel, Barbara Boxer, Senator Blumenthal and others. Unfortunately, we were brought "together" in an anti-Semitic Facebook post by long-time NRA Board Member and "pit bull", Ted Nugent. Besides our faces and our names, the post included Israeli flags near or over our faces and the following message: "Know these punks. They hate freedom, they hate good over evil, they would deny us the basic human right to self defense & to KEEP & BEAR ARMS while many of them have tax paid hired ARMED security! Know them well. Tell every1 you know how evil they are. Let us raise maximum hell to shut them down!" Nugent essentially called upon an armed following (NRA members) to take action against me and eleven other mostly current or former elected officials. Ted Nugent has long represented the NRA and they owe us an explanation of exactly what they're conspiring to encourage their armed followers to do with respect to "shutting me down." Advertisement This is not the first time Ted Nugent has publicly made outrageous accusations and encouraged violence against NRA opponents, and given the NRA's lack of response and long history of making similar hate-mongering public comments, it won't be his last time either. Less than a month ago, Ted Nugent called for the hanging of President Obama and Hillary Clinton for their supposed wrongdoing during the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attacks. And just two weeks ago, he referred to Hillary Clinton as a "criminal ass b**ch" on his Facebook. Regarding Apartheid, Nugent was quoted in the Detroit Free Press saying "Apartheid isn't that cut and dry. All men are not created equal. The preponderance of South Africa is a different breed of man... They are different. They still put bones in their noses, they still walk around naked, they wipe their butts with their hands...These are different people." The fact that the NRA continues to support board members that behave in this way is shocking. I sit on the boards of multiple organizations and I know that we have ousted board members for much less than Nugent's posts. Other organizations do not put up with this type of behavior either, just last week Mark Zuckerberg, on behalf of Facebook, publicly apologized for the Tweet of one of his board directors. In fact, repercussions for social media quips are so common that there are Buzzfeed lists dedicated to them. If you do an internet search for "job loss tweets" you will find dozens of examples of people losing their employment and board positions over offensive tweets and social media posts, most of these people even apologized prior to being fired. Nugent, on the other hand, has made no apology and the NRA doesn't seem to care. Advertisement To be clear, Ted Nugent's free pass from the NRA is not unusual for the historically racist NRA leadership. The NRA also didn't care when another board member referred to Iraqi soldiers as "ragheads" that were "inferior" and "lazy." They also didn't make a peep when their top lobbyist made race-fueled remarks about declining an invitation to meet with President Obama for a CNN town hall. The NRA has long promoted the idea through its programming that it was fair to compare liberals in this country to terrorists and recently posted a video claiming "the biggest threat to national security is sitting in the Oval Office". The NRA also continues to give air-time to a man who said universities encourage sexual assault victimhood. Equally appalling, now-deceased NRA board member Jeff Cooper wrote in Guns and Ammo, that urban gun violence can actually be a good thing and "the consensus is that no more than five to ten people in a hundred who die by gunfire in Los Angeles are any loss to society. These people fight small wars amongst themselves. It would seem a valid social service to keep them well-supplied with ammunition." The NRA's head of research, Paul Blackman, continued the racist theme regarding the "virtues" of urban gun violence, by saying "studies of homicide victims-especially the increasing number of young ones-suggest they are frequently criminals themselves and/or drug addicts or users. It is quite possible that their deaths, in terms of economic consequences to society, are net gains." The American flag flies at half-staff in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016 Justice Antonin Scalia's unexpected death, and Senate Republicans' refusal to confirm a successor while President Barack Obama is in office, threatens to ignite a year-long battle over the court's future. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images The untimely death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has predictably created a political firestorm over who gets to appoint the next U.S. Supreme Court justice, when, how, and where any judicial nominee will stand on the hot-button political issues of our day (same-sex marriage, Obamacare, immigration, the environment, and abortion). This is yet another spectacle, not unlike the carnival-like antics of the presidential candidates, to create division, dissension and discord and distract the populace from the nation's steady march towards totalitarianism. Advertisement Not to worry. This is a done deal. There are no surprises awaiting us. The powers-that-be have already rigged the system. They--the corporations, the military industrial complex, the surveillance state, the monied elite, etc.--will not allow anyone to be appointed to the Supreme Court who will dial back the police state. They will not tolerate anyone who will undermine their policies, threaten their profit margins, or overturn their apple cart. Scalia's replacement will be safe (i.e., palatable enough to withstand Congress' partisan wrangling), reliable and most important of all, an extension of the American police state. With the old order dying off or advancing into old age rapidly, we've arrived at a pivotal point in the makeup of the Supreme Court. With every vacant seat on the Court and in key judgeships around the country, we are witnessing a transformation of the courts into pallid, legalistic bureaucracies governed by a new breed of judges who have been careful to refrain from saying, doing or writing anything that might compromise their future ambitions. Today, the judges most likely to get appointed today are well-heeled, well-educated (all of them attended either Yale or Harvard law schools) blank slates who have traveled a well-worn path from an elite law school to a prestigious judicial clerkship and then a pivotal federal judgeship. Advertisement In other words, it really doesn't matter whether a Republican or Democratic president appoints the next Supreme Court justice, because they will all look alike (in terms of their educational and professional background) and sound alike (they are primarily advocates for the government). Given the turbulence of our age, with its police overreach, military training drills on American soil, domestic surveillance, SWAT team raids, asset forfeiture, wrongful convictions, and corporate corruption, the need for a guardian of the people's rights has never been greater. Unfortunately, as I document in Battlefield America: The War on the American People, what we have been saddled with instead are government courts dominated by technicians and statists who march in lockstep with the American police state. This is true at all levels of the judiciary. Thus, while what the nation needs is a constitutionalist, what we will get is a technician. It's an important distinction. A legal constitutionalist believes that the authority of government derives from and is limited by a body of fundamental law (the Constitution) and strives to hold the government accountable to abiding by the Constitution. A judge of this order will uphold the rights of the citizenry in the face of government abuses. A legal technician, on the other hand, is an arbitrator of the government's plethora of laws whose priority is maintaining order and preserving government power. As such, these judicial technicians are deferential to authority, whether government or business, and focused on reconciling the massive number of laws handed down by the government. Advertisement John Roberts who joined the Supreme Court in 2005 as Chief Justice is a prime example of a legal technician. His view that the "role of the judge is limited...to decide the cases before them" speaks to a mindset that places the judge in the position of a referee. Roberts' approach to matters of law and justice can best be understood by a case dating back to his years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The case involved a 12-year-old black girl who was handcuffed, searched and arrested by police--all for eating a single French fry in violation of a ban on food in the D.C. metro station. Despite Roberts' ability to recognize the harshness of the treatment meted out to Ansche Hedgepeth for such a minor violation, he ruled that the girl's constitutional rights had not been violated in any way. This is not justice meted out by a constitutionalist. This is how a technician rules, according to the inflexible letter of the law. Circuit Judge Sri Srinivasan of the DC Court of Appeals, who is rumored to be a favorite pick for Scalia's spot on the court, is another such technician. When asked to strike down a 60-year-old ban on expressive activities in front of the Supreme Court Plaza, Srinivasan turned a blind eye to the First Amendment. Srinivasan's rationale? "Allowing demonstrations directed at the Court, on the Court's own front terrace, would tend to yield the opposite impression: that of a Court engaged with -- and potentially vulnerable to -- outside entreaties by the public." This view of the Supreme Court as an entity that must be sheltered from select outside influences--for example, the views of the citizenry--is shared by the members of the Court itself to a certain extent who, as Lithwick points out, have become "worryingly cloistered, even for a famously cloistered institution... today's justices filter out anything that might challenge their perspectives." Advertisement Are you getting the picture yet? The members of the Supreme Court are part of a ruling aristocracy composed of men and women who primarily come from privileged backgrounds and who have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. When you're cocooned within the rarefied, elitist circles in which most of the judiciary operate, it can be difficult to see the humanity behind the facts of a case, let alone identify with the terror and uncertainty that most people feel when heavily armed government agents invade their homes, or subject them to a virtual strip search, or taser them into submission. Now do you understand why the Supreme Court's decisions in recent years have been characterized most often by an abject deference to government authority, military and corporate interests? They no longer work for us. They no longer represent us. They can no longer relate to our suffering. In the same way that the Legislative Branch, having been co-opted by lobbyists, special interests, and the corporate elite, has ceased to function as a vital check on abuses by the other two branches of government, the Judicial Branch has also become part of the same self-serving bureaucracy. Sound judgment, compassion and justice have taken a back seat to legalism, statism and elitism. Preserving the rights of the people has been deprioritized and made to play second fiddle to both governmental and corporate interests. Advertisement In the case of the People vs. the Police State, the ruling is 9-0 against us. So where does that leave us? The Supreme Court of old is gone, if not for good then at least for now. We can no longer depend on the federal courts to protect us against the government. They are the government. Yet as is the case with most things, the solution is far simpler and at the same time more complicated than space allows, but it starts with local action--local change--and local justice. If you want a revolution, start small, in your own backyard, and the impact will trickle up. If you don't like the way justice is being meted out in America, then start demanding justice in your own hometown, before your local judges. Serve on juries, nullify laws that are egregious, picket in front of the courthouse, vote out judges (and prosecutors) who aren't practicing what the Constitution preaches, encourage your local newspapers to report on cases happening in your town, educate yourself about your rights, and make sure your local judges understand that they work for you and are not to be extensions of the police, prosecutors and politicians. Tips You Won't Find Anywhere Else Nothing is quite like a good night's sleep. For the past 30 years, I have been collecting strategies for dozing off into the abyss. First, please note that I do not take pills. The following tips work for me without pharmaceuticals or supplements. 1. Go to sleep lying on your left-hand side. The sphincter between the esophagus and stomach lies closed when you lie on your left. Not so when lying on your right; studies have shown that the sphincter opens, causing undigested food and stomach acids to leak back into the esophagus. Conversely, lying on the right side in the morning aids in elimination of wastes. If you can arrange it, have your bed situated in your bedroom so that you face the door when you lie on your left, because it's better feng shui for getting to sleep. This idea of lying on the left is nothing new. In the Jewish religion, it was recommended to lie first on one's left, and then on one's right as the night progressed: Advertisement A person should train himself to sleep on his side. Sleeping on one's back or on one's stomach is a severe transgression. It is beneficial to begin one's sleep while lying on the left side, and afterwards to change to the right side. This is beneficial to one's health, since the liver is on one's right side, and the stomach on one's left. When one leans to the left, the liver will lie on the stomach and warm it with its heat. This will hasten the digestion of the food. After the food is digested, it is preferable to lean to the right, thus allowing the stomach to rest and the wastes to descend. One should not turn frequently from side to side. If you sleep lying on your back, consider elevating your upper body if you've eaten too close to bedtime. In general, try not to eat anything at least two hours before sleeping. 2. Open your hands for sleeping. Lie your palms flat and then relax your hands. Try not to go to sleep with clenched fists. If you learned to sleep with balled fists as a child, and it's the only way you can sleep, then ignore this tip. I don't know why this one works, but I suspect it has to do with releasing unconscious tension. 3. Use a ritual to prepare for sleep. Don't listen to music that might repeat over and over in your head. Tunes that do this are called earworms. If you have an earworm in your head, break the cycle by playing Deepak Chopra's "A Gift of Love." Works every time. Don't watch television right before sleeping. Read a book or article with a relaxing theme. Drinking warm tea can settle the body and calm the mind. I enjoy Celestial Seasoning's Sleepytime and Nighty Night, Bigelow's Sweet Dreams, Yogi Soothing Caramel Bedtime, or any chamomile tea. Advertisement 4. Use relaxing aromas on your pulse points before retiring to bed. My absolute favorite is Eve Taylor's Body Oil #10. It contains Mandarin, thyme, lemongrass, cinnamon, and lavender and it smells heavenly. I dab it on my wrists and between my collarbones. It's a ritual that tells my system to slow down and start relaxing. 5. Once you close your eyes, don't open them to look at the clock. Instead of thinking about how you can't sleep, allow thoughts to float through your mind. If you agonize over staying in bed versus getting up, ask yourself, "Should I be sleeping right now?" Are you tired? Then stay in bed and assume that you won't get up. 6. Meditate. I discovered this fabulous meditation program called One Mind Live more than a year ago. Three gifted people, Stephen Fearnley, Naomi Jenzen and Naomi Carling, each contribute their magic to, what I consider to be a world-class, online, live program each Thursday that can be repeated whenever desired by member subscribers. Stephen composes beautiful, relaxing music that underlies each 40-minute session. The first Naomi delivers a ten-minute tapping session. Tapping, or EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), invented by Gary Craig, consists of lightly tapping on acupuncture points while thinking about a specific topic. Naomi guides the listeners through each point, saying the words that relate to a theme, for example, handling stress, finding your power, dealing with pain, confronting anxiety, using intuition. Meditators repeat after Naomi, as she brings you into your body, into the present moment, and dissolves issues. She neatly prepares members for the next Naomi, who gives a truly inspired, sleep-inducing guided meditation. Her voice is gentle and soothing, and each week she comes up with a different journey for her listeners. I meditate with them at least five times per week, often right before nodding off in my bed, but sometimes in the middle of the night when my "monkey mind" won't stop ruminating. I always know that it's working when I wake up hours later, not knowing what the second Naomi was saying last. Stephen, Naomi and Naomi are very generous. They will take suggestions for topics, give out many free gifts, and begin each weekly broadcast with a discussion about spiritual topics, the vagaries of life, or fun and interesting banter. You can try them out for free before you subscribe. I love them! Hopefully I've helped you find new ways to relax, rest, and wake refreshed! Former University of Chester student, Gayle Newland, is incarcerated on the lifers' wing of a women's prison three months in to the beginning of an eight year sentence after a jury found her guilty of three counts of sexual assault by penetration; a conviction against which her legal team is in the process of appealing. The case against Gayle Newland, dubbed the "fake penis trial" by The Liverpool Echo, hit the headlines in September last year when the then 25-year-old Miss Newland appeared before Chester Crown Court accused of tricking her best friend into sex by pretending that she was a man. Given that the jury found against Miss Newland, 10/2, and that the length of her sentence has baffled hundreds of people, what are we being told about the dildo in relation to the penis in cases of gender fraud by women? Advertisement According to court reports, the jury was shown a model of the dildo Miss Newland purchased online. Subsequent to the jury's verdict, Helen Pidd, who covered the proceedings for The Guardian, wrote about how the jury had witnessed "eminent QC, Nigel Power, brandishing a lurid pink strap-on dildo" as evidence for Miss Newland's defence. Yet the term dildo, whose origin -- The Oxford English Dictionary tells us -- is unknown, doesn't appear to have been used in the court room. In press reports, both the prosecution and the defence refer to a "prosthetic penis" rather than a dildo. In one of her reports published by The Guardian while the case was still being heard, Helen Pidd describes how the jury was shown an "ultra cyberskin penis": a model which several reviewers on Amazon claim "feels just like the real deal" while others are less convinced: "not firm enough," "pungent chemically smell," "realistic to touch would be an overstatement." Writing about how she "nearly died laughing" as she followed the case, India Knight opts for a "high-end prosthetic penis" in her choice of words for The Sunday Times. This trend of substituting the word dildo with penis continued in discussions of the Newland case in the States. American political analyst, Ana Kasparian, wondered how real Gayle Newland's strap-on might have felt as she talked about the case with Cenk Uygur, co-host and co-founder of The Young Turks, in an emission broadcast a month before Gayle Newland was sentenced. "Look, I should note that we're not that educated on the sex toy industry," Ana Kasparian said. "I mean, they're coming out with all sorts of toys that seem very real, so there's a possibility that that prosthetic penis was... good. Right? I don't know. I don't know." While it can be argued that the small handful of American male "pundits" who took to YouTube following Miss Newland's sentencing aired largely misogynistic views, some of their remarks echo testimonies of people relaying their sexual experiences with dildos on internet message boards. In an interview on The Grime Report, Big Narstie says: "A fake cock does not feel like a real cock. It's not going to be warm, is it? It's plastic, cuz." Whereas The Hodgetwins, as if imitating a bad commercial for a cyberskin prosthetic penis, add their own fantastical imaginings to the "so real" fake. But perhaps one of the most revealing comments regarding the dildo as penis was made during a news report on Lip TV published on 13 September 2015. "So, the woman who had sex with her used some sort of strap-on object?" co-host Mark Sovel asked, to which Elliot Hill, presenting the story, replied: "A prosthesis. A strap-on. Whatever you want to call it." Yet, in relation to the Newland case, people have not been inclined to call "it" a dildo. Gayle Newland's case has been branded the case of the fake penis: the fake cock, the prosthetic penis, the high-end prosthetic penis, the cyberskin prosthetic penis -- almost any term alluding to the flesh-and-blood male organ, which, of course, it wasn't. And the eight year sentence she received from Judge Roger Dutton, who has delivered lesser punishments to male paedophiles, sends a clear message that a woman found guilty of impersonating the penis with a dildo has committed a serious crime. The penis is male. The penis is real. You may fake your age, your bank account, your profession or your HIV status in order to get someone into bed, but you won't get off lightly if you succeed in faking the penis. Advertisement The lawyer Harriet Wistrich, writing in The Guardian on 17 September just days after Miss Newland was found guilty, suggested that, "perhaps the real crime" (in the series of UK gender fraud convictions against women) "is that both McNally and Newland used fake penises, whereas the police officers" (involved in deceiving female political activists into having sex with them) "had real ones." The dildo is displayed in the court room in a way that the penis never would be. It appears trashy and tasteless as a result. Helen Pidd is not alone in her use of the adjective "lurid" in The Guardian. Reporter Jonathan Humphries, who covered the case for The Liverpool Echo, refers to the "bizarre, lurid and occasionally comical details" which emerged from the trial (there were reports of laughter from the public gallery). "Watching professional, serious barristers and judges discussing the features of a particular brand of prosthetic, strap-on penis was a surreal experience," he wrote following the sentencing, admitting that he found himself "utterly astonished on more than one occasion." Technology has the enviable ability to revolutionize for-profit business, non-profit impact, and everything in between. A recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center entitled "Cell Phones in Africa: Communication Lifeline" found that today cell phones are as common in South Africa and Nigeria as they are in the U.S. According to Mashable, an estimated 5 billion people will use mobile phones by 2017. Cell phones continue to act as lifelines for marginalized and impoverished populations. One such population is LGBTQ asylum seekers in the U.S. LGBTQ asylum seekers are people who are coming to the U.S. due to persecution in their home countries based on their sexual orientation or gender expression. Just a year ago, there was no online, centralized database specifically designed with the purpose of connecting LGBTQ asylum seekers in the U.S. with basic human needs service providers in their city. Co-founded in July of 2014, AsylumConnect is a volunteer initiative that seeks to empower LGBTQ asylum seekers in the U.S. through providing them with much-needed information. AsylumConnect is creating the first website and web-friendly mobile application to feature an online, centralized database of service providers useful to LGBTQ asylum seekers in the U.S. The AsylumConnect catalog will help LGBTQ asylum seekers find basic human needs resources upon their arrival in the U.S. This simple idea has the potential to directly benefit an estimated 300,000 asylum seekers. The AsylumConnect catalog is piloting in Seattle, Washington. Advertisement The version 2.0 of the AsylumConnect catalog is now live for the Seattle area. The catalog 2.0 features new search functions and improved visuals. It also includes an updated verification model aimed to better ensure that each resource listed is able to accommodate LGBTQ asylum seekers. The resources listed in the new catalog underwent a standardized and more comprehensive verification screening. Specifically, the AsylumConnect team strives to verify that each resource listed is: 1) active, 2) friendly to LGBTQ community members, and 3) will serve LGBTQ asylum seekers. A revised catalog platform features improved search capacity, information visualization and aesthetics to help connect catalog users with useful resources in their area. 1. The catalog 2.0 landing page for Seattle, WA 2. New and improved subcategories will make it easier for users to find the resource(s) they are looking for 3. For instance, user selects "Mental Health" - "Support Groups" 4. User is able to browse a list of relevant support groups in the Seattle area 5. User can then select a specific resource to find out more information. Resource will expand with additional information (such as description, population served, location, mailing address, email, website, etc.) Advertisement The launch marks the beginning of a testing and observation period during which AsylumConnect staff will assess the efficacy and accessibility of the catalog, and engage with users to guide quality improvement. Lessons from this pilot will be applied to future versions of the catalog, and eventually towards expansion of the catalog into additional U.S. cities. The long-term vision of AsylumConnect is to harness the power of technology to transform how LGBTQ asylum seekers connect with basic human needs service providers in the U.S. Oil drilling north of the Arctic Circle near Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada with the sun rising up at dawn Recently the LA Times ran an op-ed by Neva Rockefeller Goodwin in which she details the reasons why she donated her shares of Exxon Mobil to the family's environmental foundation. [Los Angeles Times Op-Ed by Neva Rockefeller Goodwin] She says she lost faith in the company's future value and what that valuation is based on. One could surmise that this decision was as much a business decision as an emotional one, but she did something good with those shares -- she put them toward aiding the problem Exxon Mobil knowingly contributed to. What Exxon Mobil knew, when they knew it and what they did to keep it hidden -- that's the bigger story here. Advertisement Exxon Mobil's research into climate change and global warming began in the 1970s. They so fully understood the role carbon emissions would play in damaging our earth that they then started investing in research that would successfully cast doubt on the science of global warming. And kept everyone outside of the company in the dark about their findings. Because the truth their very own scientists discovered would really get in the way of their ability to make money. Maybe it's a different world where they live -- those who lead and work for Exxon Mobil. Maybe after you have been exposed to this type of company culture for a period of time, you become numb and the things asked or expected of you seem normal. Like everyone sitting around the board room table laughing at the jokes of leadership even though they don't find them funny. I imagine any naysayer or the-sky-is-falling scientist is quickly replaced with someone who knows the rules of their game. Maybe it's small, indiscernible steps to get to the place where they are nodding their heads in agreement that yes -- once all of that arctic ice melts, we will have a lot of new places to drill! Maybe in their world, they have successfully convinced one another that there is no such thing as irreversible damage to our earth and if there is they certainly didn't contribute to it. Advertisement I wonder if, in their world, they sleep easy and have no shame. I suspect that after you put money above all else, things like morals and empathy and reality have been suppressed to such an extent that they are nothing but a distant and useless memory. It must just be a different world where they live. ________________________________________________________ By Kerrie L. Cooper Does someone you know need these words today? The death of a canary in a coal mine was the indicator of poisonous fumes for coal miners. Similarly, Flint's water crisis, which is being touted as one of the biggest public health debacles of the 21st century, should be calling attention to a number of health concerns well beyond lead. I served as Michigan's first -- and last -- state surgeon general from 2003-2010. Among other duties, I was charged to lead the "Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention: Call to Action" and later appointed by then-Governor Granholm to lead the Lead Commission. I witnessed the devastating cost of lead poisoning in terms of poor health, human suffering and opportunity loss. Still, focusing on lead alone ignores a larger problem of inequities and health disparities widespread in underserved populations. Advertisement As tragic and preventable as the Flint water poisoning was and is, it overshadows a frightening truth: six percent of young lives forever changed by lead exposure in Flint stand next to the 10 percent of children in parts of Detroit -- my hometown -- suffering lead poison from contaminated soil and lead paint. And they are joined by 52 percent of young people suffering from lead poisoning in Houston County, Alabama. These communities have several things in common: they are more likely to live in poverty, they are more likely to be African American, and they are more likely to suffer from other health issues. Across the country, when compared to white children, African American children are twice as likely to die before they celebrate their first birthday, twice as likely to battle asthma and three times as likely to die from it. And those that reach adulthood are 60 percent more likely to suffer from diabetes. Lead may be the issue today, but it is just one of a host of ills that shorten length and quality of life. And the investments we must make include, but go well beyond, changing out a few miles of pipe. We need physician leadership to address profound and persistent health inequities and social factors (including but not limited to lack of housing, education, jobs) that impact health. Health should be considered in all policies. Advertisement As our state's surgeon general, a cabinet-level post, I led efforts to safeguard the public's health with stakeholders throughout Michigan. I had a finger on the pulse of the community as well as a direct line to the Governor. With recognition to our many local stakeholders, on my watch the number of children tested for lead in Michigan increased by 68 percent. My last year of service, 2010, was the peak year for testing in the state; numbers have actually dropped in the five years since. We need leadership with adequate information to anticipate problems. Investments in healthy housing would protect our children from not just lead, but from the mold and vermin that also trigger asthma. We need to address the root causes of environmental racism and generational poverty. These interventions won't just address lead, but the plethora of diseases that are overburdening communities like Flint, Detroit and Houston County, Alabama. We need surgeons general in every state who won't just sound the alarm once damage has been done, but will work upstream with state, federal and local governments to assess, assure and develop policy to promote health and prevent disease and exposures that plague our children. State leadership should explore the research that outlines this innovative leadership model. Sick people need doctors, and sick communities need doctors, too. Appointing a state surgeon general will help to ensure communities and their children are no longer canaries in America's coal mine. With a surgeon general in place, the state's doctor will be "in." _________________ Dr. Kimberlydawn Wisdom is Senior Vice President of Community Health & Equity and Chief Wellness and Diversity Officer, Henry Ford Health System, and a board member at the Public Health Institute. She served as Michigan Surgeon General from 2003-2010. Low key photography of grungy old Soviet Union and United States of America flags. USSR, CCCP, USA. I've been working with the Gaidar Institute in Moscow for the last three years helping their fine economists research Russia's fiscal policy. We've been studying Russia's long-run fiscal position, its projected demographic change, and its economic transition. Like the U.S., Russia faces major challenges in maintaining its fiscal programs and sustaining economic growth. These challenges have been greatly exacerbated by the decline in energy prices and the international sanctions. During my trips to Russia I've talked with a wide range of people about Crimea, the Ukraine, Syria, NATO, and related topics. Two things come across loud and clear. First, the Russians are a very proud and patriotic people. Second, the Russians feel threatened by the expansion of NATO. This doesn't excuse their forceful annexation of Crimea or their participation in hostilities in Eastern Ukraine. But it does explain it. Advertisement Crimea became part of Russia in 1783, but was given to the Ukraine in 1954 by Nikita Khurshchev -- according to his daughter, as a present. Khurshchev presumably never dreamed that the Soviet Union would dissolve and that Crimea would become the property of an independent Ukraine. Russia is the world's largest country and doesn't need more land. But Russia's Black Sea naval base is located in Sevastopol, which is part of Crimea. Imagine that a U.S. president had handed Hawaii, including Pearl Harbor, to, say, the Chinese and you'll get a sense of Russian feelings about Crimea. The Ukrainians, no doubt, view the gift of Crimea very differently, perhaps as meager recompense for Stalin's murder, in the early 1930s, of a quarter of its population, including some 3 million children, via forced starvation. Of course, Crimea was part of an independent Ukraine for the past 16 years. So why did the Russians wait till 2014 to retake it? This connects to NATO's expansion. When the Soviet Union broke up, the Russians believe they were given informal, but nonetheless firm assurances that NATO would not expand into the Baltic States, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, and Bulgaria. All seven of these countries are now in NATO and four of the seven border directly on Russia. NATO was, of course, established to defend the West against the Soviets. But large numbers of Russians worry that its current purpose is to encircle, threaten, weaken, and ultimately invade Russia. This seems paranoid until you consider Russia's long history, which includes invasions by Sweden, France, and Germany. Nazi Germany's invasion was assisted by tens of thousands of Ukrainians. Yes, far more Ukrainians ended up fighting with the Soviets, but the Russian people retain a real fear of "Ukrainian fascists." Advertisement In 2014, pro-Russian Ukrainian President Yanukovich was overthrown in what many/most Russians view as a Western-inspired coup. The Western view is quite different - that the overthrow was a populist uprising against a terribly corrupt leader. Either way, Russians viewed the loss of their guy as step one in Ukraine's joining both the European Union and NATO. What followed in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine has established facts on the ground. Russia has guaranteed that NATO troops and armaments won't be stationed within feet of its Black Sea naval base. And it has established a relatively easy means to destabilize Ukraine if that country becomes too cozy with the EU or NATO. But Russia is paying a heavy price for what it views as additional military security. The sanctions are very costly and will hurt more through time. In addition, Western Europe will increasingly wean itself off Russian gas to limit Russia's leverage. Furthermore, the just-announced decision by President Obama to send $3.4 billion in heavy tanks and other military equipment to NATO countries in Central and Eastern Europe will produce further costly rearmament by Russia. So we now have the absurd situation of two major powers, Russia and NATO, squaring off as if they would actually go to war when both have nuclear weapons and would use them were either invaded. No rational U.S. President would order an invasion of Russia were it to have a single nuclear-armed missile, which could take out San Francisco, New York, or any other major U.S. city. And Russia has a vast number of such missiles. Equivalently, no rational Russian President would invade a NATO-member country for fear of losing Moscow, St. Petersburg, or some other major Russian city - all in the nanosecond it takes for a bomb to explode. The danger of having two schoolboys shout threats in the playground is that one pretends to throw a punch and the other reacts by doing so. With Russian and NATO air, land, and naval forces positioned in close proximity, there is a growing danger of an accidental military encounter that quickly escalates into that Cold War acronym - MAD, mutually assured destruction. Advertisement There is a way for both sides to back away. There is a way to keep former allies, the U.S. and Russia, from turning into enemies. What's required is for both sides to cut a deal, the elements of which seem clear. The first element is a formal treaty precluding further expansion of NATO into countries that border on Russia conditioned on Russia having neither regular nor irregular troops in those countries. The second is payment by Russia to the Ukraine for Crimea combined with formal recognition by the West of Russia's ownership of Crimea. The third is an immediate distancing of armed forces. The fourth is cancelation of NATO's $3.4 billion rearmament in exchange for a proportional reduction in Russian rearmament. The fifth is a deal on Syria that respects Russian interests, but stops Russian bombing of moderate Syria opposition forces and replaces President Assad with a unity government acceptable to both Russia and the U.S. The sixth is an immediate mutual lifting of economic sanctions. The seventh is further mutual reductions in nuclear arsenals and an agreement not to upset nuclear parity via the installation of new defensive or offensive missile systems. The eighth is establishing a quick path to Russian membership in both the European Union and NATO. The ninth is the immediate formation of a joint Russian-US strike force to combat ISIS. Would the Russians or we Americans make this deal? I have no idea. On my biannual trips to Russia, I meet with high-ranking Russian government officials, current and former. But I have never discussed such a grand bargain with any of them. Nor have I discussed this proposed deal with U.S. government officials, with whom I also meet on occasion. I conceived this deal because I am deeply concerned about the direction in which the U.S.-Russian relationship is heading. I'm old enough to remember Nikita Khurshchev pounding his shoe on the UN podium shouting, "We will bury you." I remember the Berlin Wall being built. I remember the Berlin airlift. I remember the Cuban Missile Crisis. I remember crossing through Checkpoint Charley into East Berlin at age 15, while an exchange student, and seeing with horror the bleak city the Wall entrapped. I remember my uncle, a left-wing sociologist, telling me about Joe McCarthy and the Red Scarce, which cost many of his friends their jobs. I remember the Vietnam War, which killed and maimed so many on the pretext of stopping Communism, when it was really about saving political face. I remember President George H. Bush stupidly and falsely claiming, "We won the cold war." All the miscalculations and all the reckless rhetoric by the Russian and American superpowers over all those years have achieved just one thing. They repeatedly brought civilization far too close to its termination. What a fluke! Academics, media professionals and experts met this week to push for a course on safety for journalists as a coalition of concerned stakeholders urged U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to uphold a pledge he made last year to defend their security. "This is a reminder that no journalist is safe in our world today," said George Awad, communications and information program officer at UNESCO's Beirut office in opening remarks at the conference in Lebanon. Fallen photojournalist's camera in Baghdad (courtesy Baz) He added that journalists had an obligation to stay safe and that the event aimed at empowering would-be reporters and correspondents to get a better grip on safety issues while providing academic institutions with a road map through a course to be incorporated in their respective media-related curricula. Advertisement The conference is a follow-up to last year's launch in Jordan of the initiative in collaboration with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). "Students of journalism must understand the risks they confront when they work," noted IFJ President Jim Boumelha. The IFJ produces an annual report of media casualties, added Boumelha, saying most of those targeted are local journalists whose names get tepid reactions and don't resonate in the media, unlike the spotlight shed on foreign correspondents and the attack on the French satirical paper Charlie Hebdo that caused worldwide condemnation. IFJ publications on journalists' casualties and safety (Abu-Fadil) The Beirut conference dovetails with the goals of the "U.N. Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity." Advertisement Regional conference on safety of journalists course (Abu-Fadil) It came 10 days after UNESCO held a conference on "News Organizations Standing Up for the Safety of Media Professionals" at its Paris headquarters that drew some 300 international media leaders focused on safeguarding their staffers and ending impunity for attacks against them. UNESCO reissued its safety guide for journalists in English, Arabic and French for that gathering. UNESCO's safety guide for journalists (courtesy UNESCO) The Beirut event coincided with a letter the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) sent to Secretary Kerry in which the signatories wrote: "We welcome the commitment you made to create a "roadmap" for the State Department's work on journalist safety and the additional resources that have been provided to the S.A.F.E. Initiative for safety training for local journalists. However, we are concerned about progress on the three other commitments that the State Department made in the conference summary and next steps document: more fully integrate the issue of impunity against journalists into the U.S. bilateral and multilateral agenda; develop worldwide protocols within the U.S. embassy community on when and how to provide assistance to journalists working in conflict zones or other hostile environments; and coordinate with relevant countries on possible exemptions for accredited journalists carrying protective gear across international borders. We would welcome an update from you on the status of these initiatives and actions that have been taken over the past year." Meanwhile, academics from Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Tunisia, Morocco and Oman went over a draft of a semester-long course to be taught as one required unit, as an elective, or, from which they can select components to incorporate in other relevant media courses. Advertisement Educational systems differ across the Arab world where public and private universities exist and the language of instruction is mainly Arabic, but where professors also teach in English and French, depending on the country. The course syllabus includes an overview and raison d'etre for safety as well as content on planning and personal safety, risk assessment, travel security, health and health care in hostile environments, demonstrations (and riots), natural disasters, gender safety, digital security, ethics, international humanitarian law, and safe investigative reporting. What is battlefield first aid? (Abu-Fadil) "We can build on this and add workshops as supplements to the course," said Hassana Rasheed from the state-run Lebanese University's Faculty of Information. Speakers included a security expert as well as four noted Lebanese journalists - two who work locally and two whose international track record in covering conflict zones is legend. "News organizations should train journalists and insist on safety measures and the use of proper equipment," said Yazbeck Wehbe, a veteran of LBCI TV News who also teaches journalism at several Lebanese universities. Advertisement LBCI TV anchor Yazbeck Wehbe (Abu-Fadil) But given the turbulent nature of events in Lebanon, students and professionals are often better off not wearing gear or signs identifying them as journalists so as not to be targeted, he explained recounting some of the close shaves he's had with danger. Patrick Baz (a/k/a "Boom Boom" Baz), a world-renowned photojournalist whose career is linked to Agence France-Presse (AFP), offered valuable insights on how he covered some of the hottest spots in the Arab world and what lingering impact it's had on him. On one occasion in Baghdad in 2013, he was told he couldn't use his professional camera to shoot in a public place but that it was OK to snap away with his iPhone, which seemed less threatening. Little did his interlocutors realize he could take professional quality shots that got equal billing on the news wire. Patrick "Boom Boom" Baz shooting with an iPhone in Baghdad in 2013 (courtesy Baz) "Being a correspondent is going to places and sometimes bearing witness to war crimes," said Samia Nakhoul, a Reuters veteran and Middle East bureau chief who was seriously injured and almost died when U.S. tanks lobbed shells into the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad where foreign media were based during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. She was on the balcony of the Reuters office and went from being a correspondent to being a victim. Her cameraman was killed. Advertisement "I can't stop thinking about all those who died in the line of duty. The risk is there and we need to raise awareness," she said of the resultant trauma, which in the past was a taboo subject. News organizations should provide trauma counseling as well as safety training while universities should equip their students with the requisite knowledge and skills to face all manner of hazards, Nakhoul said. For Karma Khayat, the vice chairman of Al Jadeed TV, there's an urgent need for cooperation among all institutions to lessen the dangers journalists encounter. Al Jadeed TV's Karma Khayat (left) explains her station's brushes with danger as Jim Boumelha and Samia Nakhoul look on (Abu-Fadil) "If there's a course, there are things we can mitigate, or avoid, but it's not 100% guaranteed," she said. Advertisement The death of Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia raises a number of questions: What will be Scalia's legacy? What will happen to the cases pending in the Supreme Court? Will President Obama successfully fill Scalia's seat on the high court? And how will Scalia's death affect the 2016 presidential election? Scalia's Record on the Court Scalia, who was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1986, was a radical right-wing ideologue who called himself an "originalist," purporting to interpret the US Constitution the way its framers did. He eschewed the idea that the Constitution is a living document that keeps pace with the times. And when voting to allow capital punishment for crimes committed by juveniles, he rejected the Supreme Court's precedent that the Eighth Amendment's banning of cruel and unusual punishments should be interpreted in light of the "evolving standards of human decency that mark the progress of a maturing society." Scalia favored unlimited corporate election spending and he wrote that the Second Amendment grants an individual the right to bear arms. He opposed reproductive rights, universal health care, same-sex marriage, affirmative action, voting rights, immigrants' rights, labor rights, LGBT rights and environmental protection. When questioned about his vote to anoint George W. Bush president in Bush v. Gore, Scalia barked, "Get over it." Advertisement During the oral arguments in Fisher v. University of Texas, the affirmative action case pending in the high court, Scalia said he was not "impressed by the fact that the University of Texas may have fewer" Black students. He added, "Maybe it ought to have fewer. I don't think it stands to reason that it's a good thing for the University of Texas to admit as many Blacks as possible." Many of Scalia's opinions demonstrate how out of touch he was with ordinary people. Authoring an opinion that created the right of police officers to chase people without probable cause or reasonable suspicion, Scalia quoted Proverbs: "The wicked flee when no man pursueth." He could not imagine why an innocent young person of color might run when he sees a police officer. And when voting to repeal Miranda rights, Scalia wrote in dissent, "Counsel's presence is not required to tell the suspect that he need not speak. The interrogators can do that." As if a police officer would be looking out for the rights of a suspect. Scalia opposed televising Supreme Court arguments. He once sanctimoniously declared, "Law is a specialized field, fully comprehensible only to the expert." The Pending Cases Several cases to be decided this term have already been argued and the justices have likely voted on them. Opinions are being written. So what will happen now? Even if Obama were to nominate a replacement, he or she would not be confirmed before the current term ends in June. Advertisement Cases in which Scalia was assigned to author the majority opinion will probably be set for re-argument next term, which starts in October, hopefully with a new justice. If Scalia was part of a five-justice majority, the court will now be divided 4-4. In cases in which there is no majority, the lower court decision will be "affirmed by an equally divided court." It will create no binding Supreme Court precedent. Some cases may be decided on narrow procedural grounds in order to avoid equally divided rulings. Nine of the 13 US Courts of Appeals have a majority of judges who were appointed by Democrats. Thus, many cases in which the court is evenly divided and the lower court decision stands will have liberal outcomes. In Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, it appeared that public sector unions would lose the right to collect mandatory dues from their members in order to fund collective bargaining. Now it appears the case will result in a tie, leaving the lower court decision in place. That means unions in California and 22 other states would retain their right to collect dues. Evenwel v. Abbott is a voting rights case. The issue is who should be included when creating voting districts: all who reside in them or only eligible voters? A 4-4 tie would leave the lower court decision in place, which upheld the counting of everybody. People who are not eligible to vote include children, non-citizens, people formerly convicted of felonies and prisoners. With the exception of prisoners, most of these people deemed ineligible to vote live in urban areas that are largely Democratic. As a result, a tie in this case would also have a liberal outcome. Zubik v. Burwell is a "religious liberty" challenge to a regulation under the Affordable Care Act that requires some employers to provide birth control to women workers if they don't sign a form opting out. The case will be argued next month and the lower courts are divided on the issue. A 4-4 tie would result in no decision. Most lower courts across the country have upheld the "contraceptive mandate." Advertisement Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt is perhaps the biggest threat to Roe v. Wadeto reach the Supreme Court. Texas imposed onerous restrictions on clinics that perform abortions. If there were a 4-4 tie, the lower court decision would stand, resulting in the closure of most clinics in Texas, but not elsewhere. Where a woman lives would determine whether she could obtain an abortion. Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy might vote with the liberals to overturn the restrictions placed on women's health clinics. But even if Kennedy does not vote with the liberals, Scalia's absence still eliminates a broader risk that previously existed: If Scalia had participated in that decision, the court may well have allowed states to impose restrictions. Fisher v. University of Texas is an affirmative action case about whether the University of Texas can maintain a race-conscious admissions plan. Since Associate Justice Elena Kagan recused herself because she had worked on the case when she was solicitor general, only seven justices can vote on it. Kennedy will be the swing vote. If he swings to the right, the university's affirmative action program will be struck down. Scalia's death eliminates the possibility of a tie vote. United States v. Texas is a challenge to Obama's plan to defer deportation for nearly 5 million undocumented immigrants. A 4-4 split would defeat the program in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, but the US Justice Department could secure authorizations to go forward with the plan in other circuits. Had Scalia not died, the Supreme Court would probably have imposed broader limitations on Obama's authority to issue executive orders. A critical climate change decision is also pending before the high court. Obama has charged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with reducing carbon emissions by 32 percent by 2030. In a highly unusual recent move, the Supreme Court issued a 5-4 emergency order blocking the plan, which was put on hold pending a decision by the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. The circuit court, which is generally liberal, refused to grant the stay before the high court did so. The DC circuit court will hear the case this summer. The EPA could change the plan slightly and expect the circuit court to allow it to proceed. What Happens Next? Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed to block anyone Obama might choose to nominate to fill the vacancy on the court. The GOP candidates piled on, reiterating that Obama should refrain from nominating someone to fill Scalia's seat so the next president could make the nomination. They know that Obama has an opportunity to change the balance of what has been a conservative court for four decades. Advertisement But Obama does not have the discretion to refrain from nominating a replacement for Scalia. The US Constitution says that when a vacancy occurs on the Supreme Court, the president "shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint ... Judges of the supreme Court." The language is mandatory, not permissive. There is no exception for vacancies that occur near the end of a president's term. Interestingly, McConnell wrote in 1970 that "the Senate should discount the philosophy of the nominee" and that "the president is presumably elected by the people to carry out a program and altering the ideological direction of the Supreme Court would seem to be a perfectly legitimate part of a presidential platform." If no justice is appointed until the next president takes office, there will be a vacancy on the high court for nearly a year, hobbling its ability to carry out its constitutional function. Republicans disingenuously claim that no Supreme Court nominee has been confirmed in an election year. But Justice Anthony Kennedy was nominated by President Reagan and confirmed in 1988, with nearly unanimous support from Democrats. And in 11 of the 13 times a vacancy occurred during a presidential election year, the Senate acted on the president's nomination. For the most part, the Senate has deferred to presidents' choices for Supreme Court nominees. Obama will probably nominate a moderate such as Srikanth Srinivasan. In 2013, on a 97-0 vote, the Senate unanimously confirmed Srinivasan, an Indian-American judge, to the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. He had served as principal deputy solicitor general, arguing some 20 cases on behalf of both the George W. Bush and Obama administrations. Although he doesn't have a long paper trail, Srinivasan would probably vote with the liberal justices. Advertisement It appears that anyone Obama nominates will not get a vote in the Senate. A president's nomination is referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is currently comprised of 11 Republicans and 9 Democrats. That committee should investigate the nominee's background and hold a hearing at which the nominee is interrogated. The committee should then vote on the nominee. If the committee votes against the nominee, the nomination will not reach the Senate floor for a decision. If it does reach the Senate floor, a simple majority is required to confirm a nominee. But Republicans can filibuster the nomination, which means 60 votes would be necessary for confirmation. The Senate has 54 Republicans and 44 Democrats. Although filibusters of Supreme Court nominations are rare, a filibuster seems possible in this case because the political system is unusually polarized. If McConnell stands by his threat to block Obama from carrying out his constitutional duty to nominate someone to the vacant seat, there could be a standoff until the election. The Democrats are likely to take back the Senate, and it would fall to the next president to fill the vacancy. Although Obama can make a recess appointment until the Senate resumes on February 22, he is much more likely to nominate a candidate in due course, and wait for the Republicans to hoist themselves on their own petard, knowing that Independents and moderate Republicans would bridle at such blatant obstructionism. Marjorie Cohn is professor of criminal law, criminal procedure, evidence and international human rights law at Thomas Jefferson School of Law. A former president of the National Lawyers Guild, her most recent book is Drones and Targeted Killing: Legal, Moral, and Geopolitical Issues. Follow her on Twitter @marjoriecohn. The atmosphere at the Capitol on Wednesday was beyond surreal. Here was Gov. Bruce Rauner, nearly nine months into the 2016 budget year with no 2016 budget in sight, back at the Illinois House podium delivering his Budget Address for the 2017 budget year. His speech had much the same message as last year's -- "I won't support new revenue unless we have major structural reforms to grow more jobs and get more value for taxpayers. I'm insisting that we attack the root causes of our dismal economic performance," he said. But this year there was a twist. On Wednesday he gave the Democrat-dominated General Assembly two choices: Work with him to implement some of his Illinois Turnaround agenda items (term limits, legislative redistricting reform, lawsuit reform, workers' compensation reform, local control of collective bargaining, a property tax freeze) and he'd help pass tax increases to avoid deep cuts or Grant him power to make cuts and move money around as he sees fit After the speech, the General Assembly's Democratic leaders -- House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton -- were every bit as dismissive of Rauner's reform agenda as they were last year. Advertisement Madigan said Rauner was focused on an "extreme right agenda, which is based in extreme right economic theory that thinks that the government ought to be used to drive down wages and the standard of living." He later added that "no one in America has followed that theory since 1933." Cullerton said Rauner's speech wasn't a Budget Address so much as "sketches for a budget." Cullerton was dismissive of Rauner's oft-stated claim that, in the spirit of compromise, he has withdrawn many of the items on his Illinois Turnaround agenda. "To the extent that he had 50 radical things and now he's down to three radical things I guess that's supposed to make me try to meet him in the middle," Cullerton said. And that's where we are today, folks. Our community colleges and universities are no closer to seeing any state funding in FY 2016 than they were on July 1, when the fiscal year began. Those private non-profits that provide services to the disabled, elderly and otherwise disadvantaged are no closer to getting paid for work they've done under state contracts. Advertisement At a briefing on the budget after Rauner's speech, budget officials said it's likely that the FY 2016 budget may never exist. We may simply move on to FY 2017. Colleges will have to pick up the pieces and carry on. Students who were promised MAP grant financial aid for the 2015-2016 school year will be out of luck. The human services providers who survive beyond July 1 will need to start over financially. Since this is an unprecedented situation, no one in the Capitol seemed to know how it would play out. Rauner's budget offers a bottom line for each of the choices he laid out in his speech. In Option 1 (pass Turnaround reforms), the total budget would be $36.3 billion, with Rauner agreeing to roughly $3.5 billion in new revenue. Option 2 is a $32.8 billion budget created unilaterally by the governor. Also included in Option 1 are a set of state government changes and reforms Rauner says will bring both immediate and long-term savings. Among are the sale of the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago, reducing the state's prison population, changing the state's procurement system and upgrading state government's outdated and inefficient information technology systems. Some would require passage of legislation to take effect while others, like changing overtime and pay raise policies, are part of negotiations between Rauner and the state government's largest employee union, AFSCME Council 31. (See chart below.) Excerpted from page 43, FY 2017 Budget Summary. Click to enlarge. After spending Wednesday in the Capitol listening to people on both sides, however, my money says Rauner is going to end up with Option 3: No Turnaround Agenda items passed by the General Assembly in a form he finds acceptable; no granting of special authority to unilaterally create a budget, and -- as has been the case ever since he took office -- no recognition by the majority Democrats that any of his Turnaround components would help the Illinois economy one iota in the short- or long-term. Advertisement As I've noted before, the philosophical divide here is so wide that there's really no point in talking about one side meeting the other halfway. There are, however, many ways of changing the script to achieve ends amenable to both sides. Charlie Wheeler, director the Public Affairs Reporting program at the University of Illinois-Springfield and a longtime Chicago Sun-Times Statehouse bureau chief, outlined many of them in Illinois Issues magazine way back in September. Here's one example: To move the (workers' compensation) discussion forward, why not return to a practice quite common in years past, the agreed bill process? Representatives of business and labor used to meet on workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, and similar issues to hash out their differences and craft compromise legislation that completely satisfied neither side but which both could accept. Once business and labor signed off, the legislature and the governor would enact their work product. In similar fashion, the process today could combine, for example, tighter definitions for workplace injuries with closer oversight of insurance companies. Unfortunately, the atmosphere in Springfield at the moment has reached such a toxic state that sensible compromises crafted in this manner simply are not discussed. Or they're dismissed as "non-budget issues" to be dealt with only outside the context of the budget (or budgets, as is now the case in our 2016-2017 budgetary netherworld). Chicago State University students, whose school may close its doors next month if no state funding arrives, protested at the Capitol on Wednesday. They made sufficient noise to be heard in the House chamber during Rauner's speech. Advertisement Two young businessmen are trying to maximize their output for the business. There was a famous study in the sixties by Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson, known in most circles as The Pygmalion Effect. Certain students with normal IQs were identified to teachers as having higher-than-normal IQs - referred to as "spurters" - and could be expected to do better that year than their peers. Not only did the mean IQ of the entire group improve at the end of the year, but the students identified as "spurters" showed statistically significant gains. In other words, children rise to the expectations we set for them. Advertisement A belief that "I am not good at math" is self-propagating. A not-good-at-math person assumes his math incompetencies limit his ability to succeed in math, thereby avoiding opportunities to learn math and improve his math skills, further eroding his math skills. The belief that you are not a "math person" is a greater determinant of mathematics competence than some innate gift, or lack thereof. Intelligence research identifies two distinctive orientations toward intelligence. Incremental orientation says that intelligence is acquired incrementally with increased effort. Entity orientation says that one is born with a fixed amount of intelligence that does not increase with effort. If you believe on the whole that intelligence is something you're born with, as opposed to something that can be acquired, you absolve yourself of the responsibility to improve your skills. And it's an issue somewhat unique to our American individualistic ideals. Noted Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, the guru of the "Growth Mindset," has devoted the bulk of her career researching, writing and lecturing on how to develop a "Growth Mindset," the belief that intelligence is acquired, not something you're born with. Advertisement In the 2007 Stanford Alumni magazine article "Effort Effect," Dweck explains how other cultures do not luxuriate in the limiting beliefs of fixed mindsets. A college physics teacher wrote to her explaining that, where she was educated in India, "there was no notion that you had to be a genius or even particularly smart to learn physics. 'The assumption was that everyone could do it, and, for the most part, they did'." And look where it's gotten us. The 2013 Skills Outlook Survey published by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), places young Americans dead last, out of 24 advanced countries, in numeracy and problem-solving skills. Even among Americans who have graduate degrees, Americans performed far worse than their counterparts. Poorer countries recognize math as difficult, just as Americans do, but simultaneously see math as the key to economic advancement. Rather than chalking it up to "I'm just not good at math," these poorer countries add more courses to the curriculum to move their children to proficiency. While this is all somewhat convincing, we know from first-hand experience that intelligence is also something you're born with. We have all met certain precocious children that learn tremendously quickly, read from an early age, and display advanced vocabulary. We have seen, or at least heard of, music prodigies, math prodigies, artistic prodigies. What we rarely see, however, are the hours and years of work involved in educating a child with a "gift." Olympic gymnasts, concert pianists, ball players, chess champions have put in countless hours of dedicated training and practice to get where they are. "Gifts" alone only go so far. "I've always hated the word prodigy," says chess prodigy Josh Waitzin, author of The Art of Learning. "I think it's dehumanizing. I think that when you're labeled 'genius, prodigy, wunderkind,' it denies the human struggle against adversity which is at the center of my relationship to success. I think that anybody can become tremendously successful at what they do as long as they approach the learning processing a way that isn't self-paralyzing." Advertisement An intelligence "gift" may open a doorway, but hard work and perseverance provide the legs to achievement. Further, time and again we've seen that hard work and perseverance, without the "gift," can open doors themselves. I recently interviewed noted photographer Kimberly Anderson about her new work, The Mama Dragons Story Project, a photographic and essay project about Mormon mothers who are fiercely defending their LGBT+ children. Mette: You are working on a photographic and essay project about Mama Dragons, a group of Mormon women who have banded together as allies for their LGBTQ+ children despite the recent policy change branding same sex couples as apostates and refusing baptism to children of those couples. What is your purpose in photographing these women and collecting their stories? Kimberly: I am a storyteller. My photography revolves around the human condition, which I find endlessly fascinating. As I was slowly introduced to the Mama Dragons I would hear their stories and fall in love with each of these lovely women and the crusade they are on for their child. These stories from the Mama Dragons are love stories from mother to child. They are real, they are powerful, they are filled with pain and they are filled with endless hope. I immediately realized that these personal narratives were supposed to be shared with those who may not have the same sense of hope or have not yet decided that they are able to overcome personal bias and religious tradition and fully love and embrace their LGBT+ child. Advertisement As a photographer I tread in the same footsteps as Lewis Hine and Edward Curtis in that I intend to heighten awareness and cause societal change in the sharing of these stories. Since I am a photographer my main tool is the camera and the way I have told stories in the past is with the visual image. In this project the narrative is so crucial that I feel I am somewhat stepping away from the image being paramount but the story taking center-stage. The image for me is the 'hook', or the thing that the reader will connect with initially and draw them in and want to find out more about this woman by reading her story. These essays and portraits are meant to serve as an example and a beacon of hope to those mothers, fathers, grandparents and friends of the individual who may have recently come out to them. The LDS church has provided little to no resources for members who are LGBT+ or their loved ones. The essays and portraits I am collecting are intended to be published as a book and will act as a that resource. Mette: Many of the homeless teens in Utah are Mormon LGBTQ+ kids who have been kicked out of devout homes by parents who think that they will convince their children to make a better "choice." Some argue that there has been a rise in LBGT teen suicide since the new policy. How do Mama Dragons represent a different devotion to Christ? Advertisement Kimberly: Nowhere in LDS doctrine, scripture or General Conference addresses does it state that parents of LGBT+ children are to shun them. Removing them from their homes has been stated by church leaders as contrary to doctrine of love and inclusion. There is no room for 'tough love' because that type of love is conditional and is not promoted by Jesus Christ. Eliminating them from their family activities and causing them to feel that they are unwelcome in their home is the opposite of what has been offered as council in their twice-yearly General Conference meetings where the leaders of the church address the faithful. Still, the reality is that homeless youth in Utah largely come from LDS homes and of those children a large portion of those are LGBT+. This is a pox on the culture that the church has created and should be an embarrassment to anyone who considers themselves to be a member of the church and a disciple of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ gave three commandments. Love God, love yourself and love your neighbor. Mette: Who can be part of Mama Dragons and how do they join the group? Where can people find out more about Mama Dragons? Kimberly: There are basically two requirements. First, you must identify as female (which, as we know can mean a lot of different things). Secondly you must have a fierce and loyal love for your child that surpasses any scrutiny from outside sources. You must love above all. You must breathe fire. You can also be an ally and not have any children that identify on the LGBT+ spectrum, but you must still qualify in the other two categories. You can find the Mama Dragons on various social media but mainly on Facebook. Mette: For Mormon women, motherhood is an important job. The Proclamation on the Family states that "Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children." How does your photography capture the purpose of these women as mothers and as divine? Advertisement Kimberly: I do not take the Proclamation on the Family to be a divinely inspired document. It says some nice things, but it is not the word of God delivered through man. I don't believe that parents are given any specific role from deity. I do believe that when you accept the role of primary or secondary care-giver of a child, either through birth or adoption (I am adopted...), your gender should not dictate how or where or when you nurture your children. It should be your duty because you feel a need to connect with them in your heart and in the core of your being. My photography captures the steely resolve these women have in defending their children against the barbs of religion and society mainly through their eyes fixated on the camera, but also their expression of determination and resolve. There are no smiles in this project. Mette: How do Mama Dragons reconcile their membership in a church with this exclusion policy and their own LGBT+ children? Or do some decide they cannot reconcile and leave the church? Kimberly: I am not the spokesperson for the Mama Dragons, only for the Mama Dragon Story Project and cannot speak for such a diverse and fierce group of women. Mama Dragons come in every shade of Mormonism possible. When and if a Mama Dragon decides to change their theological ideology the other Mama Dragons are there in a role of unconditional support and understanding. For many Mama Dragons the disconnect between what the church would have them do and what their heart says they must do instead is too great, and the mere presence of an LGBT+ member in their family quite often instigates a crisis of faith. Those who stay do so under a variety of reasons. Advertisement Many stay to be a voice of love despite their personal misgivings with leadership or current teaching. Many stay because leaving would disrupt other valuable and very real family relationships that they feel are not worth damaging. Many stay because they have an honest belief in the gospel as portrayed by the LDS church. Some Mama Dragons have been subject to disciplinary action by local leaders for the fact that they are open supporters of LGBT+ rights including gay marriage. This is in contradiction to many statements made by church leaders to the opposite, that support of individual rights and gay marriage is not a 'litmus test' that should be used by local leadership. Mette: Mama Dragons are as fierce and fire-breathing as their namesake. What courageous moments have you heard talked about by these women who are struggling to protect and nurture their kids? Kimberly: Perhaps the most courageous thing that the Mama Dragons are currently doing is approaching their local leaders with a challenge to include education and resources that can change attitudes and share real facts about the LGBT+ member to the general congregation.. Resources come from therapists and organizations that have been vetted and are nationally recognized. Dr. Caitlyn Ryan's Family Acceptance Project and anti-suicide resources provided by the Trevor Project are some of the resources provided to leaders by the individual Mama Dragon in the area. Kimberly has graciously agreed to share some of her images from The Mama Dragons Story Project: Carla Brown: Christy Searle: Chrystei Bird: Diane Oviatt: Jamie Clark: Kristin Montgomery: Leslie Cardon: Of the many doomsday scenarios that scientists and demographers like to consider, here is one situationphrased in the form of a questionthat should give every CEO pause: What happens when the organizational knowledge you think you possess suddenly vanishes because of an unexpected departure or a tragic death? Call it a "brain drain," an "operational hiccup," or whatever term suits your fancy, but the economic implications for entire industriesand the nation as a wholeremains the same, and can range from ruinous to catastrophic. To business owners, I ask again: What is your plando you even have onewhen, not if, your most valuable employees make an unexpected path to the EXIT sign? Advertisement For, unless companies have a team of experts who can customize solutions for these problems, businesses can cease critical operations and quickly collapse. Indeed, the notion of "too big to fail" organizations is a misnomer; because knowledge recovery is not a software program executives can run by pressing "Enter," or a paper trail corporate detectives can follow, resulting in the retrieval of critical operational files, presentations, spreadsheets and slides. Sorry, but the sum total of knowledge is not simply accessible via a few keystrokes. Rather, businesses must proactively implement strategic knowledge capture and management plans, which can identify and retain the key knowledge required to maintain a company's operations. According to this survey from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), a third of employers expect staffing problems this year. Advertisement "When you have large numbers that are leaving and a pipeline that is not entirely as wide as the exit pipeline, you will have temporary gaps," says Mark Schmit, executive director of the SHRM Foundation. Research from the Center for American Progress and Inc. reveals that it costs anywhere from 20% to 150% of yearly salary to replace an employee. To that end, here is a Knowledge Management Risk Evaluation Test from Novus Origo. The following questions demand detailed answers. 1. If a key employee suddenly left your company, would you be OK? 2. Do you have approved succession plans in place to maintain critical operations? 3. Are your current processes formally documented and easily accessible to your employees? 4. Do you have organizational training programs designed to support critical operations? 5. Have you evaluated your operational processes every 12-18 months to ensure proper efficiency? 6. Are your operational processes automated to reduce expenses? Having had the chance to speak with Paul Cevolani, the President of Novus Origo, whose policy positions I read on a regular basis, I now have a much better perspective about the magnitude of this crisis. Cevolani says: "Companies must pay greater attention to the risks associated with a loss of employees, or the flight of knowledge these individuals claim as their own. Without the time and preparation to respond to these matters, the consequences can be severe. As the knowledge gap widens, and as Baby Boomers retire in greater numbers, businesses will face a chasm they can narrowor a void that will consume them." "Even if you could quickly fill a vacated position with a new hire, there is still the process of training the new employee on the correct way to do the job. If you don't have the work processes properly documented, the training process could be very slow. To avoid the latter, it is crucial to have a plan on behalf of the former." Advertisement Last month, science advisers to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) dropped a bombshell, when they criticized the conclusions of a massive report the agency released last summer on hydraulic fracturing (fracking). At the time, EPA said that it found no widespread evidence of water pollution from fracking. But EPA's own scientists now say that the agency's report actually provided no justification for this conclusion, and are urging EPA to go back to the drawing board. Following the revelations about EPA (and state officials) failing to warn residents in Flint, Michigan about water pollution there, it's clear that we can't rely on the agency to protect our water. Indeed, in light of the agency's inaction in Flint and elsewhere, a new nonprofit called Healthy Babies Bright Futures is now offering nationwide water testing for anyone concerned about potential lead poisoning threats. In California, we are seeing the dire results of the oil and gas industries' operations on our clean air and water. In the Los Angeles neighborhood of Porter Ranch, residents have been suffering for months from the nation's largest natural gas leak. Just last month, researchers found high levels of methane pollution in the air as far as 10 miles from the leak, noting that residents across the entire San Fernando Valley may be at risk. This follows revelations last year that the state allowed oil and gas companies to inject tainted water from their wells into more than 2,500 potential drinking water sources. Advertisement Despite the ongoing climate and environmental threats from our addiction to fossil fuels, there has been some good news from the energy sector. In 2015, the global market saw record investments in clean, renewable energy developments, and the highest-ever year for installations of renewable power capacity. Even in the face of historically low oil prices, the market for wind and solar power is flourishing, thanks to dropping prices for renewables, greater efficiencies, and strong public and business support. Even the auto industry is looking to join the movement away from fossil fuels. Steve Levine, author of The Powerhouse, discussed the coming age of affordable, long-range electric vehicles and predicted on our recent podcast that Americans will soon perceive conventional gas engine cars the way most of us currently view traditional hard-copy newspapers -- as environmentally wasteful relics of a bygone age. Also on the podcast, Stanford University scientist Mark Jacobson explained how a global movement to electrification based on 100 percent renewable energy could power our cars, homes, and businesses, fulfilling virtually all of our energy needs. The following is an excerpt from an op-ed which first appeared in The Des Moines Register. To succeed in our innovation-based economy, where good ideas and the entrepreneurial spirit shift our paradigms of living, from smartphones to driverless cars, we must make education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) a priority. In less than 10 years, our country will need 1.7 million more engineers and computer scientists. We must inspire our young people on the promise of STEM for our country to maintain its preeminence in the global knowledge economy, ensuring job growth and our economic competitiveness. This week, leaders and school districts throughout Iowa joined forces with my agency, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), to make sure teachers and policy makers continue a concerted effort to inspire more young students to enter STEM fields and become the next generation of inventors and entrepreneurs. It's a fitting lead-in for Thursday's Iowa STEM Day at the Capitol, here in Des Moines, which celebrates STEM accomplishments and opportunities across the state. Sen. Chuck Grassley, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and I visited Bettendorf High School to support this effort. Bettendorf is one of 14 Iowa schools that hosts Camp Invention each summer, a weeklong summer enrichment program sponsored by the USPTO and Invent Now, where elementary school students get hands-on experience designing, prototyping, assembling, testing and refining a new invention made from household parts like old typewriters and computers. This annual summer program reaches more than 100,000 elementary school-aged kids every year in all 50 states, sparking in them a passion for design, creation and invention. Advertisement Through initiatives like Camp Invention, our collegiate inventors competitions, and the Girl Scouts intellectual property patch, which we are working to scale nationally, we reach every stage of the pipeline to STEM. And as the president pushes for "Computer Science for All," we are working with cities, nonprofits, coding boot camps, incubators, schools and all other entities that provide computer science training to build upon regional efforts from the National Science Foundation to make coding more accessible across the country. President Barack Obama and his family and Vice President Joe Biden and his family celebrate their nominations as the confetti falls at the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Bernie's the guy who hates fraternities on his college campus, speaks out every chance he gets about how elitist they are, how evil they are, how much money they have, and then wants to be elected to lead one of them. Bernie is not running for president as an Independent, which is what he really should have done in the first place. No, he's running to be the nominee of a political party whose grass roots ordinary members he has never met, never courted, never helped. But his campaign will complain bitterly when he loses the battle for superdelegates to the Democratic National Convention, and perhaps lose the nomination itself because of them. When Hillary got a boost from superdelegates in Iowa, a hue and cry went up from the bowels of Bernie-dom, mostly from his young supporters, that this was the Democratic Party thwarting the Will of The People. However, when Obama pursued a vigorous superdelegate strategy in 2008, there was no hue and cry from the under 30 crowd. Like most political issues, it's a scandal if it doesn't go your way, and just the way things work if it's helping your candidate. But the superdelegate bashing is likely to commence again after Nevada, a caucus state where even if Bernie wins the caucus, there are still superdelegates who, in a close race, might make the difference for Hillary in the all important delegate count. For make no mistake about it, this is a fight for a political party nomination, and the Democratic Party has made the rules thus and so for a reason. Advertisement Superdelegates are folks who automatically go to the Democratic Party nominating convention as a reward for service to the Democratic Party. They are largely Democrats serving in elected office in their states, and elected Party officials. These people are not the enemy of progressive causes. These people are the backbone of the Democratic Party, and without them, the party would wither away. And none of them owes a thing to Bernie Sanders; Bernie Sanders has never done a thing to earn their votes. In fact, just the opposite. Bernie's entire career has been a poke in the eye to the Democratic Party. So do not be surprised if he does not walk away with the vote of a single superdelegate. It won't be because of any conspiracy. It will be because Bernie Sanders has not only never been a Democrat, he's shown open contempt for Democrats for a long time. Let's stop a minute and remember what makes a political party work. It's not a Facebook page or a website. It's human beings who give up their precious free time on nights and weekends to do the grunt work of local democracy. They are the precinct captains who go door-to-door for politicians further down on the political food chain. They organize fundraisers for candidates from State Rep to County Commissioner to School Board. When the party needs somebody to run against a strong Republican incumbent in a Republican district, they are the people who recruit candidates for these political suicide missions, and they are often the people who end up running, trying to get the message out with no money, while they have to keep their day jobs as teachers or farmers or day care providers. Advertisement I met these unsung heroes first in 1984, when my state Democratic Party Chair asked me to run for Congress in what is often called a "sacrificial lamb" race. This was in Nebraska's First Congressional District, gerrymandered to make the Democratic vote too weak to ever elect a Democrat. The Party Chair asked me to run because if I didn't, one of the crazy perennial candidates would be the Democratic Nominee, and get press in small town papers with wacky ideas that made the Democrats look like nutcases. One of these candidates would talk for hours about how he had solved Einstein's unified field theory problem in his spare time after coming home from his job at Taco Bell, and the other ranted against Ronald Reagan not for his bellicose foreign policy, but for his addiction to jelly beans. I am not making this stuff up. You can't make this stuff up. This is what real democracy looks like on the local level. After my predictable loss for the U.S. House of Reps in 1984, I went on to graduate school and became a political science professor. But I still found time to serve as a foot soldier in the Party, as vice-chair of a Democratic Town Committee in Massachusetts, and a precinct worker in Denver. I kept doing this work because of the people I met in 1984. There were 27 counties in the First District back then, which meant I would meet 27 County Party Chairs and countless Precinct Captains from those cities in the District large enough to have Precinct Captains. I found these women and men to be open-hearted, generous, and dedicated. Often they were also union organizers, foot soldiers in the pro-choice movement, or were officials in local groups fighting racism or sexism. They fed me at their tables and let me sleep on the good bed while they slept on the couch. They drove me to meetings, introduced me to labor union leaders, walked with me on picket lines, handed out my literature at parades. All of this happened before the dawn of the internet, but there are still picket lines and parades and door to door organizing to be done. The Democratic Party counts on these folks to work for no money and not much recognition. Once every four years, a bunch of them get to go to the national convention and cast a ballot for their party's nomination. And I would argue they ought to get an automatic vote. They've earned it through years of service, first in the party itself, and then, if they are lucky enough to get elected, as the Democrats who make a difference in the State Legislature or the County Treasurer's Office. And I will be surprised if one of them votes for Bernie. Advertisement Here's the thing: Bernie Sanders is not a Democrat. He has never put in the kind of grass roots work that active Democrats do to help other Democrats. He doesn't care about building the party up, only about changing it. And he spits on every Democrat who has to take PAC money to get elected, which is most Democrats who don't come from personal wealth. For, unlike candidates in Vermont, which has some of the cheapest media markets in the country for advertising, candidates in most states have to spend an enormous amount of money to get elected. The average Congressional candidate has to spend at least 3 or 4 million dollars to get their message out and even have a chance of winning; the average senate candidate has to spend upwards of 7 to 20 million dollars. And Bernie Sanders sits and makes the case that this is all dirty money, this is all money corrupting the system. But he's never had to raise that much before, and now he has national exposure and access to the fund raising magic of the internet, which allows him to run his clean campaign. As to campaign finance reform, it was the Democrats that stood against Citizens United, before anybody outside of Vermont even knew about Bernie Sanders! It was the Democratic Party that pushed forward bill after bill for decades before that to establish the Federal Election Commission, and it was the Democratic Party that put campaign finance reform in every platform. The fact that Democrats have to get PAC money to win doesn't make them part of the problem, it makes them able to win elections until they can fix the problem by gaining majorities in both the House and senate. Bernie Sanders has finally admitted that none of his revolutionary plans stand a chance in Congress as long as Republicans hold majorities, but how much time is he spending to help Democrats get elected to Congress? How much time did he ever spend helping anybody get elected to Congress besides himself? Hillary Clinton has traveled the nation for over 25 years raising money for local Democrats. She's helped Democrats get elected to the House and Senate, and helped them to stay there. She is a proud member of a political party, the Democratic Party. She's eaten a million rubber chicken dinners to help raise money for local politicians from Maine to California. So when loyal, hard-working Democrats become Superdelegates, do not be surprised if they vote for Clinton almost without exception. It won't be a scandal or a conspiracy; it will be perfectly understandable. When mountain climber Joe Simpson fell 150 feet into a deep, icy crevasse while descending from the peak of the Siula Grande in Peru, he found himself in a precarious situation. A broken leg and overhanging ice prevented him from climbing up and out of the crevasse. Looking down all he saw was a black hole of nothingness. With no one coming to save him and no way to climb out, the horrible reality dawned on him. His only hope for survival was to go down. To go deeper into the crevasse and hope for another way out. Advertisement Many of us have found ourselves in the same situation metaphorically when we lose a loved one. We find ourselves falling from our life as we knew it into a deep, icy crevasse of grief. We are alone here, broken, depleted and scared. Some have the ability to climb out easily. For others, like myself, there is no climbing out. There is just sitting there with our broken hearts and our fear and our grief and our wailing that no one hears. Then that moment when the horrible reality dawns on us that no one can save us from this place; that there may be no escaping this place; that there is no way out. But there is a way in. There is a way deeper into grief, deeper into the black hole of nothingness and fear; the last place we want to go. At first it may seem better to stay here, frozen in time and alone than to face the darkness and unknown of what's below. Advertisement I found my way into grief through my breath. My breath was the rope that I lowered myself down on. Our breath is always in the present moment, never in the future or the past. It is always in our body, never in our mind. It helped me stay present as I navigated my way to the bottom of my grief. There I found a landing place. From that vantage point I could see a light. I could see a way through. Choosing to go down deeper into grief, into the fear of not having the answers, of not knowing the way does not guarantee we will emerge from our grief intact and the same as when we entered. I emerged broken, empty and forever changed but alive. Alive and learning a new way to live, to survive. At the bottom of the crevasse Joe Simpson spotted a small opening and managed to pull himself out of it. He now faced days of crawling over dangerous, icy terrain without food or water. But he lived to tell about it. Advertisement When we share our stories of survival, our stories of courage, our stories of grief, we shine a light down into that crevasse of grief that just might light the way for someone else. We cannot spare each other the pain of grief or the process of grief. What we can do is invite the conversation of grief out from behind closed doors. We can soften the stigma of grief by getting more comfortable with it, by not turning away from it, by not trying to fix those going through it. A growing number of policymakers are wisely advocating that Social Security be expanded, not cut, as a solution to the nation's looming retirement income crisis. Both Democratic presidential candidates have endorsed expanding Social Security, as well as 43 Senators and 143 members of the House of Representatives. In response to the accelerating movement to expand Social Security, those determined to cut its benefits are making desperate, ridiculous arguments. Among other claims, those advocating cuts to Social Security assert that benefits are generous. The American people disagree - and they are right. Americans know that they face a retirement income crisis. A Gallup poll, for example, lists nine financial concerns and finds that retirement worry heads the list - topping not being able to pay medical bills in the event of a serious illness and not being able to pay for children's college. Among those aged 30 to 64, about seven out of ten reported being moderately or very worried about retirement. Advertisement Expanding Social Security is the obvious solution. Social Security is already the most important source of income for the overwhelming majority of retirees. Two-thirds of retirees rely on Social Security for most of their income; one-third for virtually all of their income. It is of even greater importance to women and to racial and ethnic minorities, as the following chart shows: Future retirees are likely to rely on Social Security for even more of their retirement income in light of the decline in traditional, employer-sponsored pensions and the proven inadequacy of 401(k)s and other savings arrangements as mechanisms to build secure sources of income. Social Security is unquestionably the most universal, secure, efficient, and fair source of retirement income, disability insurance, and life insurance that most Americans have. Its one shortcoming is that its benefits are extremely modest, by virtually any measure. In absolute terms, the average Social Security benefit for all beneficiaries in December, 2015 was $1,228.12, or $14,737.44, on an annualized basis. That is less than full time minimum wage work. It is only slightly above the official federal poverty line, and well below the amount needed to satisfy the Elder Economic Index, a sophisticated measure of the income necessary to meet bare necessities. Advertisement Social Security's benefits are also extremely low, as compared to the retirement benefits of other nations, as the following chart reveals: As informative as Social Security's absolute benefit size and its size compared to other nations' benefits, there is a much more important measure. The most important measure of the adequacy of Social Security's benefits is what proportion of pay is replaced, since replacing lost wages is the goal of the program. The idea behind Social Security is that it allows workers and their families to maintain their standards of living if and when wages are lost as the result of death, old age, or serious and permanent disability, precluding substantial work. Experts estimate that workers and their families need about 70 to 80 percent of pre-retirement pay to maintain their standards of living. Those with lower income, who have less discretionary income, need higher percentages; those more affluent, with more discretionary income and other assets, need somewhat less. Social Security does not come close to providing sufficient income to meet the goal of maintenance of standards of living. It appropriately replaces a larger proportion of preretirement pay of workers who have lower wages, but the benefits are still inadequate, as the following chart illustrates: It should be noted that many retirees do not have as high replacement rates as shown in the chart, because they retire and claim benefits before age 65. Moreover, as modest as these rates are, they will be declining in the future. They have been stable for decades, but are currently declining as the result of benefit cuts that are now being phased in, and increasing Medicare premiums, which are directly deducted from Social Security checks for many beneficiaries. In 1986, workers with average earnings first accepting benefits at age 65 received a Social Security benefit that replaced 41 percent of their preretirement pay, net of Medicare premiums. For equivalent workers reaching age 65 in 2005, only 39 percent of preretirement pay was replaced. For those turning age 65 in 2030, that percentage falls to just 32 percent. When one accounts for taxation of Social Security benefits as well, which is an effective cut in benefits, that replacement rate in 2030 drops to 29 percent. Advertisement In light of these facts, how are those determined to cut Social Security claiming that Social Security benefits are generous? They cannot dispute the absolute size of the benefits or the international comparisons, but they can seek to monkey with the replacement rate calculations. To argue that benefits are higher than people realize, the main tack has been to suppress information, by sowing confusion about replacement rates. Every year, the Office of the Chief Actuary shows historical replacement rates and future replacement rates, information that, until two years ago, was included in the annual Trustees Report to Congress. Those intent on suppressing this information argued in articles, before Congress, and elsewhere, that these replacement rates were inaccurately low. This, despite the fact that the actuaries' replacement rates with respect to illustrative retirees are consistent with data looking at actual retirees, and rely on the same methodology widely accepted and used internationally. One of the people making the case was also a Social Security trustee, in theory appointed to represent the public but in reality a former staff member in President George W. Bush's White House, who served as the point person for the extremely unpopular proposal to privatize Social Security. Advertisement He somehow must have convinced his fellow trustees that the report was better without the replacement rates - despite the fact that they had been included in every trustees report for more than two decades and were the work of the career civil service actuaries of the Social Security Administration. Starting with the 2014 report, the replacement rates were removed. Ironically, simply removing the percentages but leaving the rest of the chart as is, as the trustees reports now do, presents the highly misleading impression to the casual reader that benefits are increasing, when in reality they are being cut. In addition to seeking to suppress information about replacement rates and convert a straightforward chart in the annual trustees report to one that misleads, those seeking to make the case that Social Security benefits are higher than they are received a welcome - though temporary - assist from a surprising source. Shockingly, the Congressional Budget Office issued a report in December, claiming that not only will future benefits be adequate, they will be lavish. The results should have raised internal red flags. At the least, they should have given the analysts at CBO pause. Their replacement rates were fifty percent higher than they had projected just a year earlier. They said that benefits for middle income earners were close to what they needed to replace their preretirement earnings and maintain their standards of living in retirement. Perhaps, most shocking, they said that, for the lowest twenty percent of wage workers born in the 1990s and later, their Social Security benefits would be 28 percent higher than their pay! It is not clear how this preposterous conclusion made its way into the public as an official publication of CBO, without someone there catching it. The numbers are at odds with years of findings by the actuaries at the Social Security Administration and indeed, CBO's own previous findings. The CBO findings should also have given pause to outside advocates, if they had not been blinded by their unrelenting goal to cut Social Security. Instead, at least one advocate for cutting Social Security immediately jumped on the CBO's faulty calculations. He immediately placed opinion pieces in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and elsewhere, highlighting the CBO conclusions and arguing that those fighting to expand Social Security were off base. Advertisement Fortunately, in February, CBO issued a retraction, admitting, "After questions were raised by outside analysts, we identified some errors..." In the retraction, CBO explained, "The corrected version shows substantially lower mean initial replacement rates for retired and disabled workers. For example, the corrected rate for retired workers born in the 1940s is 43 percent; the value CBO reported in December was 60 percent." It may seem arrogant of elite advocates to try to persuade policymakers that they know better what Social Security beneficiaries receive in benefits than the beneficiaries themselves. Fortunately, the actuaries at the Social Security Administration, and now the analysts at CBO are producing results in line with the perceptions of the American people - that Social Security's benefits are modest and should be expanded. Understanding the human-environmental relationship is vital to addressing more fully some of the impacts we have on the ecosystem. This relationship, evolving carefully over millions of years, tells the story of all living beings on the earth. While a characteristic of life is resilience, life may be challenged more harshly in both the shorter and longer-term. An example of this may be an environmental/natural resource catastrophe sparked by either human or non-human causes. Life, although challenged, can spring back despite loss and rebuild a more positive future (or a not-so-positive-future). This perspective is exemplified in Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke. In this film, environmental relationships are explored with some depth and, arguably, some pretty heavy symbolism. The gist is that the exploitation of natural resources creates a divide between humans, non-humans, and sometimes even other human populations that leave behind a trail of negative and misunderstood consequences. It is through appreciation, awareness, and knowledge of the environment that we are better able to understand how our interactions impact its processes. This film examines these aspects by presenting a few well-reasoned arguments for each of the positions represented in the story. Because I do not want to spoil the story for anyone who has yet to enjoy the film, I will be as general as I can but still try to convey some of the messages offered in Princess Mononoke. Eboshi, who is the primary exploiter of natural resources, mines the forests and mountains for iron to make weapons. While seeing the old ways as obstacles to progress, she provides a service to others by employing those seen as undesirable (lepers, former brothel workers) and giving them shelter. The non-human animals are seen as gods who protect the earth and various natural resources, but exploitation means an all-out war between humans and the gods. After being shot with these new weapons - guns - the gods turn into demons who, blinded by their rage, destroy all things in their path until they finally die. Ashitaka, a prince from a small village to the east, sets out to discover the story behind these emerging issues. On his journey he crosses paths with San, a human raised by the wolf god Moro, who fights with the wolf clan and other non-human animal tribes against humans destroying their homes. The diverse dynamics of this story show some of the complications we face as an advanced, intelligent species. Advertisement 'Do you have the senior discount coupons, honey?' bellowed the sweet old man as he settled down into the gondala. He was American, of course. And so was his equally adorable (and decrepit) 'honey' of a wife. It was a warm evening in Venice as she fished deep into her bag to find the 'senior discount coupons.' Sure enough, she did have them and she handed them over. They secured their five euro discount and off they punted into the sunset. All of which leads us to Groupon. Remember when that was all the rage? Except it never really was. At least, not in the UK, nor lots of the rest of the Old World. Because Groupon made the classic American mistake, and it ran something like this: Advertisement Everyone in the U.S. loves coupons, so let's take 'em to the world... with technology! Great. Except naive. Seriously, seriously naive. Because in Europe, coupons are nothing to shout about. Coupons, in Europe, are the shame-faced mother handing over 5p off a packet of cornflakes to feed her kids. Coupons, in Europe, are tied up in the history of rationing and whole nations not having enough to eat. Ultimately, coupons, in Europe, like everything else, are about class. I ain't saying this is right, morally-speaking, but that doesn't mean it's not true. Had Groupon done their homework and understood the multiple, complex markets - and cultures - involved, this would have been apparent from the outset. But they didn't. Instead, they chose to learn the lessons the long, hard, expensive way: Groupon's shares are down 49pc in the last year. To be fair to them, they've got it now and are retrenching into the market they know best, the land of the free. That's one reason Alibaba has just bought a 5.6pc stake and the stock price is beginning to rally. Advertisement But it will be a long, slow recovery from here because of those ill-conceived international adventures. Groupon and others need to recognize what the sweet old man and his 'honey' wife could have told them long ago - that doing business overseas is just like holidaying overseas. It's all in the planning. The World Government Summit, which recently took place in Dubai from February 8-10th, was a unique opportunity to understand, reflect upon and brainstorm solutions regarding the challenges that the public sector faces today. Unsurprisingly, many of these challenges are closely linked to the private sector. Many believe that we are in the midst of a fourth industrial revolution, and that seismic changes are underway. From artificial intelligence and robotics to bioengineering and nanotechnology, several disruptive technologies are growing exponentially in tandem. The fourth industrial revolution is only at its nascence but is already transforming governments, businesses and entire populations. Prof. Klaus Schwab, Founder and Chairman of the World Economic Forum, who gave the opening plenary at the World Government Summit, believes the fourth industrial revolution will impact all sectors. He also called upon the public sector to ensure that the fourth industrial revolution benefits humanity, citing the unique role of government to protect the rights of citizens. As technology changes the lives of so many of us at an unprecedented rate, over a billion people on the planet are living without access to electricity. Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, Senior Vice President at the World Bank, reminded participants during a session on the Sustainable Development Goals, that this divide will create a greater gap between the global south and global north. The rise in inequality is apparent in other ways as well, with Mohammad Yunus, Founder of Grameen Bank, mentioning that 0.1 percent of the top 1 percent of the population holds all its wealth in the United States and claiming that economic inequality could -- and will -- be the most destabilising factor for governments in the coming years. As human jobs continue to be displaced by artificial intelligence, this trend is expected to continue and impact white collar as well as blue collar employees. Advertisement In spite of these destabilising elements, it was encouraging to see that many governments are embracing this juncture and seizing opportunities to engage a growing population of youth, those who will be most impacted by these changes and will live in a dramatically different future. The government of the United Arab Emirates recently appointed a Minister of Youth who is 22 years old. The Nigerian government is engaging youth to gain support for the Sustainable Development Goals through social media. And Kathy Calvin, President of the United Nations Foundation, ceded her plenary speech to a 15-year-old activist from Ethiopia. Governments are also looking to the same disruptive technologies to provide the keys to solving systemic societal issues. Big data, smart cities and universal access to Internet are being explored by many local and national governments as opportunities to solve challenges around healthcare, pollution and education. And government are increasingly bringing citizens into the fold of decision-making, from civic crowdfunding projects in London to the creation of pocket parks from abandoned parking lots in Mexico City. When national leaders travel to Metro Detroit recently, many hail the city's recovery, pointing to the resurging automobile industry and an emerging startup community. While this is true in many regards, it overlooks a key factor in Detroit's turnaround: the role of existing neighborhood businesses. In other words, Detroit revitalization is not just about the start-ups; it's also about the "been-ups." To help cities like Detroit, we need to support small businesses that have toughed it out for decades, paid taxes, employed residents, and held on to their corner lots. Encouraging new entrepreneurs and industries like health care, advanced manufacturing and information technology is undeniably important. But such growth has greater impact when it is is shared alongside business development focused on neighborhoods. Advertisement Recently, the New Economy Initiative (NEI) awarded nearly 30 Detroit-area small businesses--each at least three years old with annual sales under $1 million--with no-strings-attached, $10,000 prizes to help them grow. Winners of the second NEIdeas challenge ranged from plumbers to day care centers, bike shop owners to light manufacturers--not the type of businesses Silicon Valley usually pays attention to. The majority of the winners were businesses owned by women or minorities; they came from a variety of neighborhoods, many which have long suffered. More than your typical business competition, the impetus behind NEIdeas is rooted in economic development for distressed communities. In places like Detroit, in particular, local small businesses anchor neighborhoods and provide vital services to community residents. In some cases, these businesses can stabilize corridors formerly lined with abandoned buildings, attract foot traffic that hasn't existed for years, and spur other business owners to open new storefronts. Operating alongside medium- and larger-sized companies, they are critical pieces of the fabric that make our communities and our economy more vibrant. Take one of last year's winners, Tijuana's Mexican Kitchen. While the owners of Tijuana's have long wanted to expand, they didn't have the requisite capital to purchase a convection oven that would have helped. Like many small businesses, they were reluctant to assume debt and had less access to capital than larger companies. But by tapping into programs such as NEIdeas and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation's D2D procurement program, Tijuana's was able to access equipment and exposure to markets, in turn helping them hire more workers and increase sales to larger Detroit-based corporations. Tijuana's isn't alone. Each of the more than 1,100 applicants to NEIdeas will now be connected to a network of services, resources and peers to help them expand their enterprise. Detroit's "BizGrid" brings together more than 50 small-business support organizations that offer assistance ranging from business planning to finding available real estate. This has been a core focus across Metro Detroit: creating an ecosystem of support-from grassroots entrepreneurs to high-growth industries. Advertisement The importance of this type of economic inclusion extends to all types and sizes of businesses, too. Noting the importance of helping small and family-owned companies doesn't diminish the role that outside investment plays in sustaining a robust economy. Indeed, both small and large businesses create jobs and create an improved sense of place; cities need tamale-makers and tech companies, barbershops and biomedical research centers. No single business or industry can, by itself, bring a city or region back to greatness or lift an economy. Progress is the sum of its parts. It requires all stakeholders, working collaboratively and innovatively, to create jobs, attract talent and drive investment. Businesses like Tijuana's are, literally, the longstanding fabric of cities like Detroit. They don't just reflect its history; they embody it. As regions elsewhere look to strengthen their economies, it is essential that the value of both startups and existing businesses be realized. If there is a lesson from Detroit's progress of late, it is exactly that: investments to spur economic development need to touch all types of businesses--the high-tech company developing cutting-edge software, as well as the corner deli, local plumber, and neighborhood fabricator that have serviced and employed residents for years. Ultimately, the success of all businesses--and residents--is inextricably linked. As a State Rep, I get a ton of emails about supporting and opposing raising the cap on charter schools in Massachusetts. One side contends that there should be more choice in public schools and the other side contends that charter schools take money away from traditional public schools. Both sides are correct. But there are more issues to consider than these two concerns. Funding The first issue is one of funding. Charter schools take money away from traditional public schools. If I may simplify it, the average cost per pupil is shifted from the public school district to the charter school to pay for the education of that individual student, and this doesn't even consider transportation. However, this is problematic. The average cost of a student is different from a traditional public school and a charter school, and then it is further complicated when we consider that the fixed costs and the marginal costs of the student that create the average costs are different between charter schools and traditional public school. The issue is still further complicated when a student leaves a charter school; after a certain period of time the money would not follow the student back to the traditional public school. If the money would just follow a student on a prorated basis throughout the academic year, there is still the issue of the difference in fixed, marginal and average costs between the traditional public school and the charter school. Advertisement The way to fix the issue is for the legislature to create a second funding stream in the budget for charter schools so that money is not taken out of traditional public schools. This issue is in need of a Legislative branch fix. Performance Another issue is one of performance. Charter schools often contend that their students perform better on standardized tests than traditional public schools. This may or may not be true. First, I have serious problems with standardized tests because the scores reflect many non-academic influences. Second, charter schools often compare their scores to other traditional public schools, but they shouldn't. A charter school is a self-selected group of students who have parents who want their children to do well so much so that they took the time to enroll them in another school. This is a cohort or self-selection bias. Comparing charter students to a group of people who are made up of people who wanted to get into a charter school mixed with people who didn't is inappropriate. It compares apples to oranges. The way to correctly measure the performance of a charter school is to compare a group of students in the charter school to a specific group of students in a traditional public school. We can do this using the lottery process. Charter schools often have more applications than they have seats. As such, a lottery is (supposed) to randomly select students. This random selection creates a group of two sets of students with no consistent difference between the two groups except that one group got into the charter school and the other did not. The group of students who did not get into the charter school is a subset of students in the traditional public school; this is who the charter school students should be compared to. Even then, it should be the same cohort that is compared. By doing this, we are comparing apples to apples. This issue is probably in need of an Executive Branch regulation on the performance indicators. Advertisement Innovation A third issue I have is that charter schools are supposed to be laboratories for best practices. As of right now, most charter schools I know of are open to visitors. However, this transparency doesn't ensure that the outcomes or practices are in-fact better than traditional public schools. This is why I believe that we need to properly measure the outcomes of charter schools, which was my previous point. Even then, we still need to have a systematic way to disseminate the best-practices. This is both a Legislative and Executive branch issue. Failing Schools A fourth issue is that we need to find out which charter schools are failing and which are succeeding. Again, this gets back to proper outcome measures. But alas, we too often see useless numbers on a page and not real outcomes. Students with Disabilities A fifth issue is that some charter schools allegedly cherry pick their students and exclude students with disabilities. This is against federal law and if it is happening, those charters should be penalized, which is probably a judicial branch issue. I support raising the cap on charter schools because it gives parents better choice about where to send their children. But before we raise the cap, we need to address these outstanding issues first. If we don't we create more problems than we solve, and we still won't know if a charter school is better than a traditional public school. Advertisement WALTERBORO, SC - FEBRUARY 17: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event held in Walterboro, SC on Wednesday Feb. 17, 2016. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) As readers of my recent posts will have discerned, I detest Donald Trump. I have despised him for thirty years, ever since Spy magazine so sublimely labeled him a "short-fingered vulgarian." This loathing has kept me from fully appreciating the public service he has been, albeit unintentionally, performing by exposing the bigotry and ignorance and hypocrisy that pervade the noxious soul of today's Republican Party. Then came Saturday night in South Carolina. In the course of attacking his rival Republicans more enthusiastically than I've seen any of them attacked by a Democrat, Donald Trump became the first politician ever to go on record -- on national television, no less -- and speak the unspeakable sacrilege that has been waiting more than a decade to be spoken: George W. Bush -- the smirking chimp on whose watch 9/11 happened after he blithely ignored CIA warnings about the likelihood of such an event, and who went so far as to tell the messenger, "All right, you've covered your ass now," and who proceeded to destabilize the Middle East and create a new generation of terrorists -- does not get to claim that he "Kept Us Safe." Advertisement It was as exhilarating a truth as has passed the lips of an American politician in this century, and only someone as boundary-free as Trump -- whose propensity for lashing out indiscriminately is unencumbered by his standing for anything beyond his own id -- could have said it. And he said it again at the solo town hall that MSNBC fellated him with last night. And tonight he is going to share a CNN stage with Jeb! -- okay, Kasich will be there, too, like anybody cares -- and there's no way he won't say it yet again. And when he does, Donald Trump will once more mock my odium of him by highlighting the not inconsiderable thing we have in common: our deep distaste for Bushes. Of course, as no one needs to be reminded, Trump is exhaustively vile: a crass boor, an uncouth lout, a coarse churl, by any accepted standards of human behavior utterly repulsive. He is a multi-billionaire -- really, just think about what a happy and generous person you would be if you had billions of dollars -- whose only true joy in life seems to derive from inflicting pain. For him, the best thing about being rich is the ability wealth confers to behave badly with impunity, especially toward those who most thoroughly disdain him: the Republican establishment that created him, suicidally underestimated him, and now has not a clue of how to scrape him off its shoe. Nonetheless, if those who shamefully and shamelessly represent everything I abhor -- the racists, the neocons, the climate-change deniers, the religious wrong, and the one-percenters who still somehow don't have enough! -- are terrified of this Ugliest American, don't I have to acknowledge that, on some heretofore unthinkable level, Donald Trump, the enemy of my enemies, is my ... friend? Democratic Presidential Candidate and US Senator Bernie Sanders's (I-VT) voice was raw in conviction as he detoured from his standard stump speech and began an hour-long, impassioned oration with a radical suggestion for bringing accountability to the Flint, Michigan water crisis: If the local government cannot protect those children, if the state government cannot protect those children, then the federal government better get in and do the right thing. Shortly before his address on Monday, February 15, 2016, Sanders met with seven individuals from Flint, Michigan who continue to be hurt by lead poisoning as a result of the water crisis in their city. During his first campaign visit to Michigan, he questioned whether we should settle for small ideas or whether we have the courage to stand up for "Yooooge" ideas. Advertisement The impact of that meeting was voluble as he delivered a commanding speech to a standing-room-only crowd of 9,400 at the Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The line to get into the venue was so long that one person drove for 2.5 minutes before coming to its end: As with his other proposals, his emotional pleas were followed by practical solutions. In the case of the Flint, MI water crisis, Sanders called for the resignation of Governor Rick Snyder when news of this tragedy first entered the public discourse one month ago. Last night he moved beyond accountability and offered a sensible solution to a problem that was incomprehensibly exacerbated by the choices and inactions of government officials who, instead of taking care of our citizens, caused them egregious harm. Advertisement While having the federal government intervene seems so common-sense, it is quite radical in today's political climate that focuses on ceding power to the states, balking at any mention of "big government." In a pre-emptive move, Sanders that has but not for Flint. The implications of a greater federal role in Flint extend beyond Michigan. Republicans would be quick to condemn an increased role they claim would result in over-regulation by the federal government. However, because sacrificing a poor, mostly minority community might be fiscally acceptable to some states, the federal government must protect the interests and well-being--and in this case, the very lives--of all its citizens. Erin Brockovich joined Sanders in his call for environmental justice and a "government [that] work[s] for ordinary people, and not just the largest corporations that contribute unlimited amounts of money to fund political campaigns." As has clearly been exemplified by the unrelenting reporting of Rachel Maddow, giving the states more autonomy in deciding the health and welfare of its citizens could result in fueling certain political agendas that have shown to cause harm to our citizens. A greater federal role is a dam in keeping these waters of such local governments contained. This practical solution is the very reason that Sanders will succeed with his political revolution. He will deliver on his proposed programs and plans, which will restore America's democracy while bringing greater prosperity to the marginalized, rebuilding the middle class so that working families can thrive once again. If you have an hour or so to kill, here is from the EMY rally in Ypsilanti, Michigan on February 15, 2016. I urge you to view it and judge for yourself whether Sanders is a as Hillary Clinton . Advertisement Special thanks to my dear friend Sarah Dubinsky, Esq., who contributed greatly to this article. You may also be interested in: These questions originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights. Answers by Yanis Varoufakis, Professor, Greece's former finance minister, and initiator of DiEM25, on Quora. A: The number one lesson many of us learned during 2015 at the level of European Union, the Eurogroup, etc., is that the old way of doing politics in Europe is obsolete - finished. Advertisement The old way was: we set up a party, an organization, or a movement in one country and we work very hard to create a manifesto, an electoral program, or promises of what we are going to do if our compatriots, in Germany, France or Greece, vote us into government. Once elected, it becomes clear that the nation-state we are running lacks the instruments to deliver on our promises. So, at that stage we seek allies with some like-minded parties in Europe. This tends to be a flimsy alliance. Very soon, and specially at the level of Brussels and the European parliament, it degenerates into a farce. If this is right and it is true that the nation-state-based political organizations have failed to connect to Europe, to create a conversation that leads to a consensus, and to bind various movements and parties together into a force to be reckoned with as a force capable of addressing Europe's multiple crises, then what is the alternative? The alternative, I think, is to invert the pyramid. Instead of starting at level of the nation-state and forging an alliance, which is flimsy and brittle, how about starting a movement throughout Europe on the basis of a very clear manifesto that binds us together? How about a movement with some very simple ideas of what we want to do as Europeans? Advertisement To begin this conversation, we started in Berlin determined to begin a the conversation Europe has been denied everywhere in Europe. Anyone who respects and feels for our Manifesto, independent of political affiliation or ideology, can join and participate. If this conversation proceeds well, it will be dialectically creative and, as a result of this conversation, it will produce a consensus that will then find expression (including electoral)in the different member-states. The expression can take different forms in different countries depending on the circumstances. ... A:DiEM25 has one objective: To democratise the EU in order to preserve and promote Europe as a realm of shared prosperity, peace and solidarity for all Europeans. As for our vision of this United Democratic Europe, I hope you will allow me to copy here the last segment of DiEM's Manifesto in which we conclude thus: We are inspired by a Europe of Reason, Liberty, Tolerance and Imagination made possible by comprehensive Transparency, real Solidarity and authentic Democracy. We aspire to: Advertisement A Democratic Europe in which all political authority stems from Europe's sovereign peoples A Transparent Europe where all decision-making takes place under the citizens' scrutiny. A United Europe whose citizens have as much in common across nations as within them A Realistic Europe that sets itself the task of radical, yet achievable, democratic reforms A Decentralised Europe that uses central power to maximise democracy in workplaces, towns, cities, regions and states A Pluralist Europe of regions, ethnicities, faiths, nations, languages and cultures An Egalitarian Europe that celebrates difference and ends discrimination based on gender, skin colour, social class or sexual orientation A Cultured Europe that harnesses its people's cultural diversity and promotes not only its invaluable heritage but also the work of Europe's dissident artists, musicians, writers and poets A Social Europe that recognises that liberty necessitates not only freedom from interference but also the basic goods that render one free from need and exploitation A Productive Europe that directs investment into a shared, green prosperity A Sustainable Europe that lives within the planet's means, minimising its environmental impact, and leaving as much fossil fuel in the earth Advertisement An Ecological Europe engaged in genuine world-wide green transition A Creative Europe that releases the innovative powers of its citizens' imagination A Technological Europe pressing new technologies in the service of solidarity A Historically-minded Europe that seeks a bright future without hiding from its past An Internationalist Europe that treats non-Europeans as ends-in-themselves A Peaceful Europe de-escalating tensions in its East and in the Mediterranean, acting as a bulwark against the sirens of militarism and expansionism An Open Europe that is alive to ideas, people and inspiration from all over the world, recognising fences and borders as signs of weakness spreading insecurity in the name of security A Liberated Europe where privilege, prejudice, deprivation and the threat of violence wither, allowing Europeans to be born into fewer stereotypical roles, to enjoy even chances to develop their potential, and to be free to choose more of their partners in life, work and society. ... A: The great difference between us is that Bernie is running for the Presidency of a social economy that is far more robust and autonomous than the Eurozone - and infinitely more sustainable than a bankrupt country (Greece) lacking any of the levers of policy making (e.g. monetary & fiscal policy, the right to legislate that was given away last summer with the 3rd Loan Agreement). Advertisement Having marked out the differences, let me now come to the stark similarities: Bernie Sanders and DiEM are calling for a democratic surge that will diminish the hold of corporate power over the demos. Sanders and DiEM are campaigning to put the demos back into our democracies. We are campaigning for common sense policies - e.g. universal health care (that is always cheaper than failing private health sectors), for a world in which graduating students are not immersed in debt even before they embark upon life, rules and regulations that prevent Wall Street and its minions from thinking of themselves as the masters of the universe (and demand from the weaker members of society to bail them out when they are crushed by their own hubris). "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?!" I sat on the floor of cold brick-shaped pavers, in the lobby of Oakland's Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse. The police megaphone sounded the warning. "This is your third lawful order to vacate the premises!" Two items rested in my lap: a chumash, a bound volume of the Jewish Torah, and a simple square of cloth that read, in block letters, "Black Lives Matter." "If you do not comply with this order, you are risking arrest!" The risk was not mine alone. Flanking me were other religious leaders, 14 of us, in solidarity with 14 African American activists who, on "Black Friday" 2014, had chained themselves to the West Oakland BART train platform, blocking service for several hours. Advertisement The activists' message was clear: on Black Friday -- that brutal spectacle of unbridled commerce and business -- as long as black lives were at risk, there would be no business as usual. "I repeat! If you do not comply with this order, you are risking arrest!" But unlike white protesters who had similarly blocked highways and mass transit, the "Black Friday 14," as they came to be called, were not charged with minor infractions and released. They faced criminal charges. And so we sat, and we sang, and we shouted, 14 religious types, one year later, refusing to move, demanding that the charges be dropped. Even though the courthouse was closing. Even though it was the day before Thanksgiving. I've been arrested before at other protests, in both Oakland and San Francisco. In my experience, the arresting officers have been kind and polite. But as the phalanx of officers moved in, I noticed one in particular, her hair pulled back in a severe bun, framing a face creased with anger. She shouted directly into my right ear. "You know I have a family!" In the midst of the mounting chaos, I struggled to understand what she had said. A beat later I realized she was angry at us for delaying her return home -- perhaps to enjoy Thanksgiving with the people she loved. Advertisement Though I had been shouting for hours, I strained to formulate any coherent response. "People are dying," I finally stammered. "They don't have families anymore." This only heightened her anger. "But I have a family! We could all be going home now. It's just rude!" Rude. As if I had cut in line at the market, or used up the toilet paper without replacing the roll. What's the proper response to someone who hears an anguished cry of sorrow and mourning primarily as a breach of etiquette? As her colleague tightened my metal cuffs, our eyes met. "There's people who will never go home tonight because they're dead," I said. "That also seems pretty rude." In my retelling of the story over the next few days, I egotistically cast myself in heroic light. After all, I had spoken truth to power. Only later did it occur to me that, in that moment, I had done something that could have gotten me seriously hurt, or worse, were I a person of color. I had mouthed off to a cop. Twice. But I'm not black in America. The officer, frustrated, simply walked away. Advertisement It is, of course, safe to say that the kind treatment I received from law officers in previous protests had more than a little to do with my skin color. That Ol' White Privilege got me under its spell. After our arrest, all 14 of us were booked and confined to holding cells. One of the officers let me keep my chumash. (Again -- my privilege at work.) Alone with the Torah, I read the story of Moses' parents sending him down the Nile in a basket, desperately hoping their baby boy would somehow escape Pharaoh's death machine. As the basket floats down the river, Pharaoh's daughter and her maidens go down to the Nile to bathe. Moses' basket interrupts the proceedings. Talk about rude. Pharaoh's daughter instructs a servant to retrieve the basket -- saving the baby's life. The Hebrew text reads va'tiftach, which is commonly translated as "she opened it," the "it" being the basket. But that's not what va'tiftach means. It just means, "she opened." Pharaoh's daughter has a family. Her family is the very power behind the pyramid. Her family ties provide every reason to close her eyes to the suffering of the Israelites. But she opens herself. Opens her eyes, and her heart. And because she does, Moses too gets to have a family. And so, too, do I. The family of the Israelites, precursor to today's Jews. I take no pleasure in the fact that the officer I met that night was late to her family Thanksgiving. Still, I don't think it's rude to ask that everybody get to enjoy the blessing of family. Even if they block a BART platform. Even if they jaywalk, or sell some loose cigarettes, or play their music loud, or walk down the center of a street, or even if they mouth off to a cop. Advertisement When I joined the service five years ago, I did so knowing that I am blessed to be born in America. As Americans, we are afforded an amount of physical, economic, and political stability that seems a rarity in today's world. Surely, as a Muslim American, all it takes is flipping on the evening news to realize that I am considerably freer here than I would be living in many countries across the Muslim world. But in spite of these rights, experience has taught me that -- on the basis of my faith alone -- some people will never treat me as a fellow American. Last fall, I was denied service at a commercial gun range in my home state of Oklahoma as a result of the prejudice and misinformation that caused this business to declare itself a "Muslim-free establishment." Working with the American Civil Liberties Union and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, I filed a federal lawsuit alleging that my civil rights were violated that day. When I went to the Save Yourself Survival and Tactical Gun Range last October, I wasn't looking for any trouble. As an active Army reservist, I shoot regularly to maintain my proficiency in marksmanship. Like the proud Oklahomans of various faiths, I also enjoy it as a hobby that has nothing to do with my religion. When I got to the counter, I signed the waiver and was preparing to pay my fee as part of standard procedure. But the transaction was never completed because as soon as I identified myself as Muslim, things took a frightening turn. Advertisement The owners of the range grabbed their handguns and demanded to know whether I was there to "commit an act of violence" or as part of a "jihad." I was nervous about what would happen next, being outnumbered two to one, but I didn't return the animosity. I have had practice dealing with Islamophobia by now, and I've learned that personal interaction can change minds. When people get to know me as an individual, many come to realize that their fears are unfounded. Sensing that the owners misguidedly believed that the Qur'an requires me to commit violence, I calmly explained a few essential verses from the Qur'an that idealize quite the opposite. The Qur'an forbids murder: "Do not take life, which God made sacred, except by way of justice and law (state authority for a crime)" (6:151) as well as the oft-repeated verse that equates killing a single person with the murder of all mankind (5:53). Advertisement I continued to explain that I am a U.S. Army reservist and even accepted the condition that I could only go onto the range if accompanied by the owners. But still it seemed that the longer we spoke, the more hostile they became toward the idea of allowing me to use the facilities at all. Ultimately, the owners told me that I couldn't use the range and forced me to leave. I've had my share of hostile encounters with people who dislike Muslims, but I've found that fear and hatred is always informed by ignorance. In fact, I've made some friends as a result of tough and candid conversations that focus on learning about one another and dispelling myths. If people just took the time to know their neighbors -- not the religion, but the people -- this shameful blight on the American identity would become a thing of the past. In the fall of 2012, the French-born photographer Frederic Brenner took me to a swimming hole in the Bet Shean valley in Israel. Crowds sat on the edge of rocks waiting to jump in. Brenner exulted in the place, where the Romans, he told me, came in ancient times, a site I "dare not miss." He had taken a hand-picked group of photographers there, as part of a briefing for a grand project he had devised. The photographers were then commissioned to take pictures of Israel. After exhibitions in Prague, Tel Aviv, and West Palm Beach, this project reaches its next great moment at the Brooklyn Museum in "This Place." Frederic Brenner does not think small. In 1996, he posed prominent Jews: Ed Koch, Roy Lichtenstein, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, among them, in a labyrinth on Ellis Island. For his Diaspora project, he traveled the world looking for Jews in unlikely locales. The ambitious undertaking resulted in a massive exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum in 2003, his photographs supplemented by a multi-volumned text with scholarly essays. Confrontational, the exhibit challenged viewers to personal places of identity. No less bold, "This Place," invites viewers to look at Israel, a place they think they know from newspaper headlines, through the artistic lenses of his select photographers, not so much to come to terms with Middle East conflicts, the abrasive edge of complicated, agenda-ridden politics, or racism. The "O" word has no place in "This Place," but an uneasy eye on "settlers" looks to the complexity of "otherness" in everyday encounters in the Holy Land and West Bank. Advertisement The selected photographers, Jungjin Lee, Martin Koller, Gilles Peress, Fazal Sheikh, Stephen Shore, Jeff Wall, Thomas Struth, Wendy Ewald, Josef Koudelka, Rosalind Fox Solomon, Nick Waplington each finding the journey life changing, approached their tenure in different ways. Each published a monograph. Rosalind Fox Solomon, for example, became interested in Christian pilgrims and shot men traveling to Bethlehem from Nigeria, their faces maps of the modern meets ethereal. And so, in her "Them," an outsider observes outsiders. Brenner originally wanted to include Israeli and Palestinian nationals, but Palestinians declined, and Brenner thought it wrong to have one without the other. Yet nationals are represented throughout. Wendy Ewald gave cameras to children and adults in Nazareth and other communities, instructing them in ways of seeing. Their intimate glimpses offer fresh visions of the familiar and disruptive. Josef Koudelka was fascinated and repelled by the wall built in the West Bank and envisioned an accordion-like fold-out book. "I grew up in Czechoslovakia, behind a wall," he explained to an interviewer. "I always wanted to go to the other side. I know what a wall is about." Nick Waplington made a survey of more than two hundred settlements in the West Bank. Now residing in New York City, he quipped he knew Frederic Brenner's invitation was serious when he took him out for an expensive dinner in London. Of his Jewish heritage, he had never been to Israel, and found ultimately, it is a place where he wanted to spend more time. Advertisement Jungjin Lee's monograph, titled "Unnamed Road," focuses on deserts in the Negev, for her meditative landscapes of the unconscious. She had worked with Robert Frank in the early 1990's; his influence is evident in black-and-white white images verging on abstraction; she printed on handmade Korean mulberry paper. Frank's iconic 1950s photos of Americans provided a disarming camera-view from this Swiss-born artist in a new land. For her first-ever commission, Lee had never traveled to Israel before curator Jeff Rosenheim suggested her to Brenner. Late in the project's development, Brenner decided to include his own work; Brenner often speaks of the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa as inspiration for his monograph, An Archaeology of Fear and Desire; his "fear and desire" further evokes a telling phrase from the American poet T. S. Eliot's "The Wasteland:" "mixing memory with desire." Brenner's "fear" reflects the terror of our time; Israel is a locus, place and metaphor, subject and object for radical ideology, violence, and redemption. He might object to that reading preferring a more poetic, psychological understanding of "fear" as response to discovering the strangeness within ourselves, just as each photograph suggests a peeling of history, and narrative, not simply an appreciation of surface beauty, although "This Place" has plenty of that. Prepare for a rich, dynamic immersion. ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 16: Democratic Presidentail Candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks during the Bernie Sanders HBCU Tour and Rally at Atlanta University Center on February 16, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage) Conventional wisdom dictates that should Bernie Sanders overcome all electoral hindrances and assume the presidency, much of his agenda would not get through the U.S. Congress. Since Sanders comes from the left wing of the political spectrum, it would be nearly impossible for him to persuade moderate Republicans to vote for his proposals. Traditionally, presidents shepherd legislation through the Congress by consolidating the votes of members from their own party, then by siphoning off the votes of enough moderates from the opposing party to get legislation passed. This is how Lyndon B. Johnson got Medicare through in 1965, how Ronald Reagan pushed his tax cut proposal through in 1981, and how George H.W. Bush won approval for the the Persian Gulf War Resolution in 1991. Advertisement Along these lines, many of Sanders's major proposals would have a near impossible chance of passing without major changes to temporize the legislation. The Republicans are likely to maintain control of the House, and while there is an outside chance they could lose the Senate, the chances are de minimus that the Democrats will hold a 60-vote filibuster-proof majority. Sanders's flagship legislative proposal to establish a single-payer health care system would not likely garner a solitary Republican vote in Congress. There are no longer any liberal Republicans in either chamber. The most moderate Republicans, like U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and U.S. Representative Mike Turner (R-OH) voted against the Affordable Care Act in 2010, and would have no incentive to go a step further to support a not-for-profit healthcare system. Any Republican who defected and supported the Sanders Plan would likely suffer recriminations by losing his/her seat on a prominent committee, by losing funding for a project in his/her state or Congressional District, or by facing a redoubtable primary challenger when he/she is up for re-election. Even if the Democrats did win supermajorities in both houses, moderate Democrats, especially those with constituents who work in the health insurance industry, would not likely support the Sanders proposal. Advertisement That being said, on many other issues, a Sanders administration would have the opportunity to revolutionize bipartisanship. Instead of working through the center, Sanders could effectuate coalitions of the progressive left and the Tea Party Right. The opposition would come from the center-left and from the center-right in both parties. American politics is not a continuum but a circle. There is a point where Ralph Nader's bicycle crashes into Pat Buchanan's Mercedes. This is the point Sanders would have to work from for legislative achievement. Sanders calls for a truncation of the U.S. military budget. He has voted against the Defense Authorization Act in 2012, 2014, and in 2015. Sanders often highlights the fact that the U.S. spends more on Defense than the next seven countries combined. Cutting the Defense budget has support on the far left, as well as on the far right. While many establishment Republicans and GOP Presidential candidates continue to call for increases in the military budget, they are often at odds with consistently fiscally conservative Tea Party members who call for across the board cuts in federal spending and they make no exception for the military budget. U.S. Representative Mike Mulvaney (R-SC) is one of the most conservative members of the Congress. On the issue of military spending, Mulvaney found common ground with one of the Chamber's most liberal members, U.S. Representative Barney Frank (D-MA) in 2012 in supporting a freeze in military spending. Mulvaney could be Sanders' pointman in securing GOP votes to freeze or cut military spending. In addition, conservative U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) could be a partner with Sanders. He is a perpetual critic of government waste at the Pentagon. Grassley once complained to Presidential Ronald Reagan: "It's great that you are going after the welfare queens, Mr. President. But when are you going to go after the welfare queens in the Pentagon?" Another issue where Sanders could consolidate a left-right coalition is on the war on drugs. Sanders, like most Congressional progressives, favors the decriminalization of marijuana and maintains: "Nonviolent offenders should not be incarcerated." Many small government conservatives concur with Sanders that the federal government has no business in punishing non-violent drug offenders. Advertisement The legalization of marijuana would not be done as part of an all-encompassing legislative process. It would have to be a gradual process. The first step would be to legalize medical marijuana. A vociferous proponent in this effort is conservative U.S. Representative Scott Perry (R-PA). Perry introduced legislation legalizing medical marijuana to help kids with Epilepsy and seizure disorders. In addition, conservative U.S. Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) is a cheerleader for marijuana legalization, averring: "The marijuana laws have been used to expand the power of government over people's lives more than just anything else I can think of." When asked if he ever smoked marijuana, Rohrabacher opined that he did: "Everything but drink the bong water." (The fluid used in a water pipe) Along these same lines, Sanders might be able to get landmark legislation passed which would end mandatory minimum prison sentences and give judges greater discretion over drug-related crimes. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act has earned the support form conservative Republicans like U.S. Senators like Mike Lee of Utah and liberal Democratic like Patrick Leahy of Vermont. Sanders has galvanized a groundswell of grassroots support for his call to "break up the largest financial institutions in the country." Here again, Sanders could assemble a right-left coalition. Sanders would work to reinstate the parts of the Glass-Steagall Act repealed by Bill Clinton in 1999, which eliminated a wall of separation between commercial and investment banking. One of the most conservative Republican Senators, Mike Lee of Utah, claims that repeal of this part of the law "probably led to our economic meltdown." Lee supports reestablishing the provision. There are other issues where Sanders could lead a left-right bipartisan coalition as well, letting the charter for the Export-Import Bank expire. The bank gives credit to U.S. exporters and foreign importers. Much of the funds are awarded to opulent corporations. Sanders brands the bank "an outrageous example of corporate welfare." Sanders could also work with Republican U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) (assuming Paul wins re-election) on this. Paul labels loans provided by the bank: "crony capitalism." Finally, Sanders could work with a right-left coalition to retrench the size and scope of federal government surveillance activities. Both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama supported the National Security Agency Surveillance Program. The program's critics include conservative U.S. Representative Justin Amash (R-MI) and his liberal House colleague John Conyers (D-MI). Advertisement Illustration by James Bravo School Improvement Grants, or SIG, are supposed to be strong medicine for the most difficult ailments in the American school system: schools performing in the lowest 5% of their states. SIG provides proportional funding to states, which then hold competitions among low-achieving elementary and secondary schools. SIG funding is quite substantial, yet evaluations of SIG recipients find modest impacts on achievement. Most SIG schools gain about as much as non-SIG schools in the same state on state achievement measures. Part of the problem with SIG is that until recently, schools had to choose among four models. All required draconian changes in governance (such as closure or charterization) or personnel (firing the principal and/or half of the staff). Worse, the grants were for only three years, so many schools spent most of that time recovering from SIG-inflicted disruptions. Not to mention that none of the solutions had any evidence of effectiveness. Last year, SIG changed for the better. Schools could choose among three additional models, including a proven whole-school reform model, in which schools could implement an externally-developed model with at least one large, randomized study indicating positive achievement effects. This and one other model were continued into the current year, after which SIG will transition into a remodeled School Improvement program under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Advertisement The proven whole-school option should have been a major advance, but it is not yet making much of a difference. Few SIG schools applied under this option for the 2015-2016 school year. One problem is that only four proven programs qualified: two elementary (our Success for All program and Positive Action), and two secondary (Institute for Student Achievement and New York City's small high schools program). Things may pick up this year, but none of us see any indication yet that this will be the case. More likely, schools will once again chose among the four original models, because they are familiar and known to reliably bring in the grants. As ESSA requires states and districts to transition to the new School Improvement program, perhaps things will be different. ESSA does not require any particular models, but does require that schools receiving School Improvement funding use programs that meet "strong," "moderate," or "promising" standards of evidence of effectiveness. ESSA could have the same problem as the previous SIG proven whole-school reform option. Not many programs will meet the evidence standards at first. With the traditional four SIG models swept away and more federal emphasis on research, perhaps there will be more use of proven programs in low performing schools, but perhaps not. Here is an additional idea that could greatly increase the use of proven programs in low performing schools. Consistent with ESSA regulations, School Improvement leaders at the federal and state levels might encourage qualifying schools to either adopt proven whole-school models, as in the current whole-school reform model, or to build their own model, using proven components. For example, a qualifying school might adopt a proven reading program, a proven math program, and a proven tutoring approach for struggling readers. Because there are several proven models of each kind, this would give schools much more flexibility and choice. Coordinating multiple programs takes some care, but the coordination itself would be part of the School Improvement plan. Imagine, for example, that the U.S. Department of Education created a recommended list of components that could be fulfilled by one partner organization (a proven whole-school program) or by several providers of proven approaches. Here is a simple checklist that might be suggested for an elementary school: Proven reading program Proven math program Proven tutoring program for struggling readers Proven social-emotional learning/behavior management approach Advertisement ESSA allows for a considerable range of evidence, from "strong" (at least one randomized study) to "promising" (one correlational study with statistical controls for pretests). The law is what it is, but I wonder if states and local districts, and perhaps even the U.S. Department of Education, might encourage schools to choose programs that meet the highest standards. The four programs approved by the U.S. Department of Education that meet the current SIG whole-school reform model in the current law had to meet what amounts to the "strong" evidence standard. For schools in major trouble, why would we encourage use of weaker evidence? Stronger evidence increases certainty of effectiveness, and certainty is the goal. When Hiba Al-Jibeihi stepped off her flight in Paris in early December, it was her first time outside the occupied Palestinian territories where she had lived all of her 24 years. She wasn't quite sure how she would relate to her fellow international social movement delegates in parallel meetings to the climate negotiations taking place during the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21). The daughter of a sheep breeder and teacher, Hiba works as an advocacy officer for the Union of Agricultural Works Committees, a well-organized group of small-scale farmers in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. She steadied herself after her first flight and headed to the gritty Parisian suburb of Bagnolet where she would join in powerful solidarity with a group of peasant activists from around the world. In Bagnolet, amongst a kaleidoscopic mix of hardworking migrants, the international peasant movement La Via Campesina was organizing a process that was the uncompromising opposite of the official climate talks, for which the political elite were camped out in a top-security complex on the other side of town. Advertisement La Via Campesina, representing some 250 million peasants transnationally, has taken on issues from land and water grabbing, to trade and migration, to biodiversity and genetic resources in more than two decades of existence as an agrarian movement. Recognizing the interconnectedness between these pressing agenda items and the climate crisis, La Via Campesina and its member organizations have become increasingly involved in prominent discussions aimed at achieving climate justice. Unlike conventional climate change mitigation strategies, climate justice affirms the disproportional impact of climate change on frontline communities, and promotes their solutions to achieve a just transition. Of significant concern at the intersection of these issues is a growing global trend in green grabbing--land and resource grabs done with a private agenda in the name of protecting the environment. These green grabs have been a centerpiece in the COP process, its 21st session in Paris being no exception. The international delegation was hosted at the modest compound of Confederation Paysanne, a French peasants' union that, like Palestine's Union of Agricultural Works Committees, is one of La Via Campesina's 164 member organizations. The French group also brought together a national delegation that included farmers from the herding lands of the Alps to the sprawling vineyards of Bordeaux, to the smallholder dairy operations of Normandy. Advertisement By the time Hiba met up with the rest of La Via Campesina's carefully selected international representatives at the Confederation Paysanne headquarters, she quickly made friends with Themba Chauke. A representative of the South African Landless Peoples' Movement, Themba is well versed in the connections between transnational corporations, the global land rush, and the climate crisis. His own family had been displaced through the expansion of South Africa's largest game reserve, Kruger National Park, under apartheid. Themba's story clicked with Hiba. It reminded her of her own family, who had been displaced from the coastal city of Haifa to the rocky hills of Tulkarm in the West Bank. "I used to think that our suffering under the Israeli occupation and its theft of our land and natural resources was one of the only causes of displacement," she said. "Yet after meeting so many other poor people from different parts of the world, I see that they are also suffering because of their own governments' policies that confiscate their lands and natural resources for the sake of interests with huge companies," Hiba continued. REDD+ Redefines Land TheftLa Via Campesina's real emergence into the world of climate negotiations came on the occasion of COP13, which was held in Bali in 2007. The meetings in Bali were significant because it was there that REDD+ (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) was rolled out, basically turning the forests of the Global South into carbon sinks and supporting industrial tree plantations as a way to mitigate ongoing emissions from polluting countries in the Global North. By COP13, indigenous and forest peoples' movements had already been tracking climate negotiations for at least a decade, when peasant movements such as La Via Campesina showed up rather late to the party. But after Bali, if one thing was clear, it was that peasants, indigenous, and forest dwellers' food-providing networks needed to work together if they were going to have any realistic hope of halting programs like REDD+, which they all denounced as forms of land grabbing. Advertisement In essence, REDD+ has served as a prototype for climate mitigation strategies, in which wealthy countries and corporations are able to offset their pollution by purchasing credits elsewhere. "One of our biggest challenges with REDD+ is that not only corporations, but also some environmental NGOs support it," said Zainal Arifin Fuad, who is both a leader in the Indonesian peasant movement Serikat Petani Indonesia and the climate collective of La Via Campesina. "So implementing more collective actions across sectoral movements is essential to peoples' victories," he concluded decisively. Zainal practices what he preaches. Some of the biggest victories his movement has seen--at the local, national and international levels--have been won through powerful partnerships between diverse social justice movements, among them peasants, pastoralists, forest dwellers, indigenous peoples, and fishers. Trading Ocean Rights to PollutersOne of the newest successors to REDD+ that was promoted with much fanfare at COP21 is Blue Carbon. This new carbon sequestration program essentially takes the elements of REDD+ and applies them to marine mangroves and seagrass ecosystems. More specifically, it puts a value on these aquatic resources and injects them into the market for speculation. For small-scale fishers and others who depend on oceanic livelihoods, the consequences can be disastrous, often leading to displacement. Blue Carbon is just one new 'green' phase of alarming trends in ocean grabbing, which has also affected coastal peoples in the form of deep-sea drilling and ports, militarized zones, development for tourism, and destructive industrial fishing practices like trawling. Advertisement But Blue Carbon also offered an opportunity to strengthen synergetic alliances between global justice movements. The World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP), an international consortium of artisanal and small-scale fishers, has tightened its ties with La Via Campesina and other sectoral movements of food providers, including forest, indigenous, and pastoral peoples, in large part through the process of the Global Convergence of Land and Water Struggles. "Cultural and customary rights and appropriate traditional models must be protected," said Herman Kumara, Special Convener of the Sri Lankan National Fisheries Solidarity Movement, and a leader within WFFP. "That means reprioritizing human rights over corporate rights," he added. In partnership with the World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fish Workers (WFF), representing both fishers and a water-dependent labor constituency that is often overlooked, WFFP released a statement firmly denouncing Blue Carbon as a false solution to climate change. They instead proposed a paradigm shift toward food sovereignty, part of which asserts peoples own rights to define their own traditional food and agricultural systems. Since approximately half of all greenhouse gas emissions are the result of industrial agriculture, grassroots food providers--whether fishers, farmers, forest dwellers or pastoralists--maintain that food sovereignty is not only a way to protect their rights, but also a real solution to climate change. "If the corporations are getting organized, then it is high time for us to organize the masses," said Margaret Nakato, the director of Katosi Women Development Trust in Uganda and the current chairperson of WFF. Calls for Convergence and Climate Justice Intensify Back at Confederation Paysanne's compound in Bagnolet, La Via Campesina activists took stock of their activities and alliances just after the official COP21 process closed with the signing of the Paris Agreement. The group expressed its disappointment with the official text and the way it facilitated further resource grabs through carbon trading schemes and other mechanisms. Advertisement But La Via Campesina also voiced profound solidarity, convergence, and an absolute determination to continue in struggle. Christian Adams, a small-scale fisher from South Africa, and representative of WFFP's delegation to Paris had been unofficially adopted by La Via Campesina's delegation, and participated in the peasant movement's closing reflections. "The system responsible for fixing the climate is biased towards commercial companies, and oppresses us in such a manner that we're now being criminalized," he explained, adding emphatically, "We need system change not climate change!" When Hiba took the microphone to offer her own closing remarks, she promised to take the lessons learned back with her to Palestine. "You have all given me so much," she said emotionally, "Because of that, I feel a new accountability to cooperate with the world's free people to do our best to protect the rights of the world's poor people." Photo by Clement Louis Haute-a-Porter, the intoxicatingly beautiful upcoming exhibit which the Modemuseum Hasselt in Belgium is hosting from April 2 - Sept 11, 2016 reveals the intimate bond that has developed between Haute Couture and pret-a-porter over the last 30 years. Filep Motwary, the exhibition's curator, described Haute-a-Porter as "an ode to elegance, an example of creative grandeur" with a sweeping gesture, as the exhibition brings together an assortment of creative themes and variety of splendid examples of high-end designer garments and accessories, along with iconic photography and various other art forms. Motwary's decade-long career as a stylist, costume designer, fashion writer and visual journalist inspired the exhibit's concept, itself something he worked on for nearly two years before presenting it to the Modemuseum in late 2014. Today, this painstaking project that is a collective work between Motwary and the Modemuseum team, including its Director, Kenneth Ramaekers, delivers a striking reflection of the theme which is based on their collective experience, passion and intimate understanding of the subject. High-end design houses such as Dior, Jil Sander, Prada, Thierry Mugler and Viktor & Rolf have participated in the exhibit and the result--if our preview of the stunning images in the book by the same name which will accompany the exhibit is anything to go by--is nothing short of spectacular! Advertisement "Each piece was selected for its identity, its singularity and character", explains Motwary regarding the meticulous selection process. "The looks featured are about different women that I would most definitely like to have as my friends in a fashion utopia." The exhibit and the accompanying book actually make up two elements of a single whole: in the book, which is to be published by Lannoo, Motwary felt that it was important to show the many diverse perspectives that various individuals who work in the same field have on a particular subject. Hence, Motwary interviewed individuals whom he loves to read about, from journalists (such as Vogue's Nicole Phelps) and curators (such as The Museum at The Fashion Institute of Technology's Valerie Steele) to designers (such as Rick Owens and Stephen Jones). The poster for the Haute-a-Porter exhibit at Modemuseum Hasselt The book's beautifully appointed pages highlight some of the most iconic images reflecting the exhibition's theme. The work of more than 30 internationally celebrated photographers and artists such as Peter Lindbergh, Vassilis Karidis, Miles Aldridge and Thanassis Krikis are also featured in the museum exhibit. Motwary also worked closely with renowned scenographer Lien Wauters, as well as the museum's team, to set up the displays for the artwork, photos and garments, which include exceptional samples of historically significant handwork items from the museum's private collection. While Haute Couture certainly holds more of a mystique and a sense of extravaganza, many of today's ready-to-wear designers, such as Vivienne Westwood and Comme Des Garcons, actually do design and work in accordance with the basic doctrines of Haute Couture as set by its highest authority, the Federation Francaise De La Couture. This includes compliance not only with the time honoured techniques that create the complex structure of a couture garment, but also in regard to the "discipline and coherence towards the House or the designer behind the garment," as Motwary pointed out in our interview. Advertisement What is essentially so unique about this exhibit and its accompanying book however, is that together they highlight the complexities of both Haute Couture as well as pret-a-porter, without displaying one as being more intricate than the other. "By mixing Haute Couture pieces with pret-a-porter in the same space, I don't want to suggest comparison but to express the harmony between them," Motwary said when asked what he's aiming for. "I want this exhibition to be a visual evaluation where visitors will appreciate the work from both calibres and decide the verdict themselves: is there a final line between the two?" Advocates received a sober reminder a few weeks ago that many in Congress involved in mental health reform efforts still all too quickly fall into the fatal trap of "us versus them." Reacting to a sign-on letter from the Center for Democracy and Technology opposing HIPAA changes in Rep. Tim Murphy's mental health bill (H.R. 2646), Murphy's Chief of Staff, Susan Mosychuk outlined the Congressman's strategy for addressing dissent with stark clarity. In an interview with Politico, Mosychuk is quoted saying, "Those who oppose the reform [HR 2646] are 'the enemy'. I challenge anyone opposing this life-saving reform to talk to someone who loves and cares for an adult family member experiencing schizophrenia." Those who provide mental health services at the local level will tell you that describing mental health providers with different viewpoints as the "enemy" is a quick recipe for community-wide failure. For many years, I have had the opportunity to visit communities across America deeply involved in working to create service delivery systems that honor both the needs of a community and the individuals and families seeking services. It is a complicated dance, but those communities that do well share in their commitment to honor difference, create opportunities for dialogue and challenge gross generalizations about what works or what does not. Advertisement Members of Congress involved in discussions about mental health reform would do well to keep this in mind as they move forward in creating mental health legislation. If they are sincere in wanting to do what is best for families (and I believe that they are), then there is no place for making broad statements that effectively say that any disagreement with "reform" (as they define it), puts you in the camp of "the enemy." CHICAGO, IA - FEBRUARY 27 : Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign event at the Parkway Ballroom February 17, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. Clinton, who is seeking the nomination for the Democratic Party has recently spoken about race in America as she tries to secure the Black vote ahead of the South Carolina and the Nevada Primaries later this month. Joshua Lott for The Washington Post via Getty Images When Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina dropped out of the race it was a sign of the inevitable, but not for the reasons one might at first think. The same powerful force at work in their defeat is also at work in the rise of Bernie Sanders and the sliding of Marco Rubio--and Hillary Clinton, who is also falling victim to it, would be wise to take heed. I am talking about the fundamental force that drives both American populism and America's global cultural influence--story. Candidates and campaign managers that know how to tell a good story gain traction. Those that don't, struggle, and leave wide openings for others to make headway against them. Advertisement Successful campaigns tell stories that voters can participate in. It is not unlike a Hollywood movie: something is out of place in the world. The candidate sets out to set things right. They begin working for change. This stirs up opposition. The battle is joined. They suffer setbacks and are tested to the depths of their being. They find new courage and insight, and with voters' help, they succeed. The most insightful political advisors begin with this principle and work from the ground up. Why are you running? What do you want to accomplish? What makes you uniquely qualified to do it? The trick is finding the cause that the candidate believes in and that also intersects with voters, so the candidate becomes the messenger for change in voters' lives. Because in the end, what moves voters is the emotion in a story, just as it has from the days cave dwellers first passed along critical survival information around a campfire and talked of their hopes for the future. The campaign story is not about the candidates' personal qualities; ie electing the first woman president, or having the most experience. Those are factors, but the campaign story is about a cause outside of the candidates, what they want to achieve if elected and are fighting for even now. This well-articulated campaign story is what is currently lacking in the campaigns that are having a harder time. One need look no further than the campaign slogans to see who understand this. Campaign slogans are the distilled embodiment of the campaign's message, the one thing that we want voters to take away as a handle on the entire campaign. Consider the slogan of the 2008 Obama campaign: "Change we can believe in." It tells a story with three elements. "Change" is what every story is about. "We can" embraces voters and draws them into the story. "Believe in" suggests integrity, earnestness, and optimism. The entire campaign is almost always symptomatically reflected in the thought processes behind the slogan. Advertisement On the Republican side, when we consider the slogans, the candidates' issues immediately jump out: Bush: Jeb! Carson: Heal + Inspire + Revive Christie: Telling it Like it Is Cruz: Reigniting the Promise of America Fiorina: New Possibilities. Real Leadership. Kasich: K for US Rubio: A New American Century Trump: Make America Great Again! Bush's slogan says nothing beyond emphatically asserting his first name, suggesting a lack of purpose in his campaign beyond entitlement that is completely at odds with an otherwise thoughtful man. Carson's is obtuse and intellectual, stated as a mathematical formula. Christie's and Fiorina's were both full of corporate-style bravado but said little beyond bluster, while Kasich's is opaque and too cute for prime time. The only candidates who are telling voters stories about why they should be elected are Cruz, Rubio, and Trump, though Rubio's is weak, conceptual, and ill-defined. Between Cruz and Trump, Trump has the stronger and more emotional narrative. And so it is generally true for the overall campaigns that these slogans distill. On the Democratic side we see the following: Clinton: Hillary for America Sanders: A Future to Believe In Here, Clinton's static, self-referential message isn't telling a story that connects with voters' lives in a meaningful way, and much of Sanders' rise can be attributed to the fact that he is. This lack of a story in the campaign is portrayed by Clinton's aides as her "rational message," and by some polls as her failing to connect as well emotionally with voters. If that's true, it's not because Clinton is somehow not personally relatable. Voters will connect deeply and passionately even with a grumpy old socialist if he tells them a story that intersects with their lives. On the stump, Sanders speaks not about himself, but about voters' lives, with passionate conviction. This is where the role of a campaign story becomes pivotal. It's not enough to have the most experience. That's a "rational" reason, but it leaves voters open to hearing a more compelling story (which is, in part, how Bill Clinton defeated the more experienced George H.W. Bush). It's not enough to run as a woman to crack what Clinton has called "the highest and hardest glass ceiling," because that is a personal quality that doesn't speak to what she wants to accomplish once she is in office that voters really care about and, more importantly, that she really cares about. Why is she running? What does she want to accomplish? What makes her uniquely qualified to do it? Clinton needs some story help, because even if she beats Sanders without telling a strong story, she'll be facing a strong story told by Trump, Cruz, or possibly Rubio. Diverse human hands showing unity Social justice activists working on issues related to Islamophobia must intensify their efforts to align with activists focused on anti-Black violence. Blacks form a large portion of the Muslim population in the United States. Muslims from Pakistan, India, the Middle East, etc. who joined them later and/or who are now first or second-generation Americans, however, have maintained separate spaces of worship and recreation. This has created fissures within the American Muslim community along the lines of race and ethnicity - in addition to differences of interpretation of Islam. Advertisement In fact, there have been moments when non-Black Muslims have actively sought to set themselves apart from their Black brothers and sisters in order to partake in the racial hierarchy. South Asian Muslims, for instance, have benefited from being marked as a 'model-minority;' Iranian Muslims from passing as White. Others have benefited from labels such as 'moderate or progressive Muslims.' This self-segregation by non-Black and/or immigrant Muslims can also be read as a mode of self-preservation as they struggled to establish themselves in a new host nation. However, such actions are no longer tenable. Non-Black Muslims in the United States, like myself, have to understand that our everyday experiences of Islamophobia today are intimately linked with the racism that our Black brothers and sisters have been experiencing for centuries. To understand this connection, we have to first recognize how racial discrimination operates and how marginalization is an effect of institutional practices. Advertisement 'Race' is a social construction - that is, bodies that look differently (complexion, phenotype, etc.) have historically been categorized and placed into different buckets (namely black, white, brown, etc.) as part of a societal consensus. This social production of race entails placing certain bodies in superior positions when compared to others (such as Whites over Blacks). It also includes allocating particular characteristics to legitimize such placements (Asians are hardworking; Muslims are backward, etc.). These characteristics are often presented as 'natural.' For this hierarchy to be maintained day after day, a range of institutional practices and structures have to reproduce it constantly. These include policing, schooling, gentrification, employment policies, etc. Together, these practices limit the opportunity set available to Blacks, for instance, and hence reproduce the cycle of poverty and marginalization. There is no conspiracy here - marginalization is an effect of a large number of unjust practices that work together day after day. Thus, the oft-repeated slogan that 'Blacks are criminals, look at the crime rates' only points to the effect of what happens when a people are systematically marginalized and discriminated against. If this happened to Brown people or White people then they, too, would experience similar lived realities. Advertisement Marginalization of Blacks, hence, is a social and political process and has to be understood as such. So why should non-Black Muslims care about racism and anti-Black violence? Because the very marginalizations that Muslims are feeling today in the era of Trump - the everyday racism, bullying, violent attacks - are part of the larger institutional processes that keep non-Whites at the periphery. Because Islamophobia is yet another aspect of structural oppression - oppression of Blacks, Latinos, women, disabled people, sexual minorities, etc. Islamophobia, therefore, can never be understood - let alone addressed - if we do not understand how systemic oppression works. Non-Black Muslims (and look-alikes, such as Sikhs and Hindus) have, of course, experienced racism before the recent GOP fear mongering. What is different today is the loud call to unite with other marginalized groups. Anti-Islamophobia work must not erase the anti-racism struggles of Black American Muslims. In fact, good allyship entails sharing privileges, knowledges, and working together towards racial justice. Advertisement Ever feel like you're wasting time in a world-class city by waiting in line at tourist traps or wandering streets you know nothing about? Sometimes the best way to get to know a city is through your stomach. You'll have to eat either way, and walking food tours, booming brewery scenes, and tasting events will keep you full and put you in touch with the local history and culture. Here are the quintessential foods that truly delivery the flavor of your destination, and where to try them.(Photo: Thinkstock/iStock) American Muslims were justifiably pleased and heartened by President Obama's brotherly remarks in a Baltimore mosque two weeks ago. "You are right where you belong," he told them. He condemned the religious bigotry that conflated the vast majority of Muslim-Americans with radicalized Islamists. "You are not Muslim or American," he said. "You are Muslim and American." He didn't fail, however, to remind the audience that he was a Christian and that he condemned the murder and persecution of Christians in several Muslim countries, especially Libya. This somber note was not the main theme of his speech, but it told his audience that they, and not just the West, had a responsibility to condemn and wage war against radicalized Islam, both at home and abroad. This challenge, if met, will go a long way toward allaying America's fear and distrust of her Muslim-American neighbors. Meeting that challenge will include the following. Advertisement Muslim-Americans suffer hate crimes daily, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the official mouthpiece of Muslim-Americans, publicizes them and sometimes brings suit. This is necessary and proper, but it won't win American hearts. CAIR would do well to place more emphasis on condemning Muslim atrocities wherever they are found around the world--in effect educating its Muslim readership. Innocent Muslim-Americans are as horrified by radicalized Islamic campaigns of terror as any of us, but most Americans, and especially Republicans, aren't so sure of this. Grass-root American Muslims in large numbers need to publicly condemn the terror campaigns of ISIS, al-Shabaab, and Boko Haram in their local newspapers, in LinkedIn, and on Facebook. In my hometown newspaper, which I read daily, I have never seen a letter about Islam written by a Muslim, not even in the wake of the San Bernardino disaster. CAIR condemned it impressively, but ordinary citizen Muslims too seldom join their voices to CAIR. They need to be heard from. Muslim Americans need to know their own history. Most Christians today acknowledge and condemn the atrocities committed by earlier generations of Christians against Jews, Muslims, heretics of all kinds, "witches," and most of all against each other. Advertisement In general, Christians are comparatively tolerant these days. But Muslims, especially in the Middle East, too often resort to killing those who don't think like they do, a practice that's been followed off and on since the middle of the seventh century. If Muslim Americans knew their own history, they wouldn't be seduced by the hate rhetoric that writes off Christians as "Crusaders," Hindus as "idolators," and ignores their own abuses. There are no persons alive on earth who wouldn't gain humility by a knowledge of their own history, and Muslims are no exception. Non-Muslim Americans would be won over by displays of objectivity and humility in their Muslim neighbors. Muslims also need to keep abreast of contemporary world events as they unfold, especially those that give voice to reformist impulses in their own religion. Only last month hundreds of Muslim leaders from 120 countries gathered in Marrakesh, Morocco, and hammered out a document of great historical importance. Known as the Marrakesh Declaration, it began with the admission that "conditions in various parts of the Muslim World have deteriorated dangerously due to the use of violence and armed struggle as a tool for settling conflicts and imposing one's point of view." It closed by affirming "that it is unconscionable to employ religion for the purpose of aggressing upon the rights of religious minorities in Muslim countries." Of special interest to me as an educator was the call to "educational institutions and intellectuals" to identify and censure "any material that instigates aggression and extremism, leads to war and chaos, and results in the destruction of our shared societies." The Marrakesh Declaration is little known among American Muslims, even less among the rest of us. It should be shouted from the housetops, for it addresses what non-Muslim Americans fear most about Islam. Almost as much, non-Muslim Americans fear the imposition of shariah. Belgium is expected to be a Muslim-majority country by 2030, and many radicalized voices there are looking ahead to the day that shariah will become the law of the land--not just for Muslims, but for everybody. This will surprise no one who has kept abreast of attitudes in today's Muslim-majority countries. According to a 2013 poll conducted by the PEW Research Center, "at least four in ten Muslims in all countries except Iraq (38%) and Morocco (29%)" thought that shariah should be applied to Christians living in their country. Muslim Americans would be wise to publicly and vehemently renounce and deplore this principle if they are to be accepted by their fellow citizens. Muslim Americans would be wise to adopt majority conventions and traditions as much as possible, even when they have the legal right to stand apart. As an example, no Muslim physician, even in the Middle East, is expected to drop his scalpel in the middle of an operation at the call to prayer. The various hadith (sayings of Muhammad) make exceptions for a number of occasions. In recent weeks Somali Muslims were fired from their jobs in Wisconsin for taking unscheduled prayer breaks that, according to the company they worked for, disrupted production. Regardless of the merits of the arguments on both sides, the fact remains that their non-Muslim coworkers took a dim view of the demand for special consideration. Both the company and CAIR agreed that the scheduling conflict "has triggered anti-Muslim sentiment, especially on social media." Most of the Somali workers stayed on, but those that didn't hardened anti-Muslim sentiment and made life a little more difficult for Muslim Americans everywhere. Joining in with other Americans, being flexible, yielding a little here and there, sharing stories, taking classes on something other than the Quran, participating in interreligious dialogue--all this helps. My wife tells me that the all-women gym she attends has recently begun attracting Muslim women who take off their hijabs and sweat with the best of them. This is progress. So is hip hop artist A D. This 29-year-old Dallas musician engagingly challenges Islamophobia with a song that contrasts Islamic terrorism to the Islam he practices, which, as she says, "could not be more different." LONDON--There was a telling moment in last Saturday night's Republican presidential debate that says a lot about America's misadventures in the Middle East over the past 15 years. Donald Trump, the real estate developer and current front-runner who has done everything from calling for a ban on Muslim immigrants to ridiculing the war record of Senator and former prisoner of war John McCain, finally did something to cause the Republican establishment to turn on him. Questioned about the presidency of George W. Bush, Trump said that the Bush Administration "lied" its way into the Iraq war by hyping weapons of mass destruction; called the invasion itself a "disaster;" and reminded the audience that "the World Trade Center came down" on Bush's watch. It was too much for the South Carolina audience, which booed him, and the other candidates, who unloaded on him. The irony is that the breaking point for Republicans was hearing Trump say something that was true. The first step to solving a problem is to admit that we have one. It's time to admit what we all know to be true: American policy in the Middle East over the past 15 years has made a bad situation worse. In fact, for all intents and purposes, America no longer has a Middle East policy, at least not one grounded in today's reality. If the next President hopes to make the world safer, the United States needs to embrace a foreign policy that recognizes that the Cold War is over and deals with the Middle East as it is today - not the way it used to be. Advertisement It's not just Republicans who are stuck in denial. Supporters of President Barack Obama assert that he has done what he set out to do in the Middle East, from bringing U.S. troops home from the wars Bush started in Iraq and Afghanistan, to killing 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, to striking a deal to limit Iran's nuclear capabilities. Yet, Democrats seem indifferent to Obama's policy of doing nothing in the region since Egyptians forced the resignation of long-time U.S. ally, President Hosni Mubarak, five years ago last week. They seem convinced that everything that has happened since has had little to do with Obama's stated policy of "leading from behind" - not the collapse of Libya, Yemen, and Iraq; nor the ruin of Syria; nor the rightward drift of Israel; the implosion of the Palestinian Authority; the Islamization of formerly secular ally Turkey; the horrific spread of the Islamic State; the Iranian takeover of governments in Beirut, Damascus, Baghdad, and the Yemeni capital of Sana'a; or the reassertion of Russian power in the region for the first time in decades. But the reality, as journalist and Middle East scholar Yaroslav Trofimov has written, is that "since ... 2011, America's ability to influence the region has been sapped by a growing conviction that a risk-averse Washington, focused on a foreign-policy pivot to Asia, just doesn't want to exercise its traditional Middle Eastern leadership role anymore." As James Jeffrey, a former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and Turkey, told Trofimov last fall, neither allies nor adversaries believe the U.S. will use its muscle "to protect our friends." Because of this, "nobody is willing to take any risks." In a perverse way, Bush's misguided adventurism and Obama's indifference have combined to make real the goal of uniting "Muslim and non-Muslims" that Obama articulated in a 2009 speech in Cairo: across the region, friends and foes alike are united in saying they don't trust America, they don't fear America, and they don't believe a single word that America has to say. Advertisement It wasn't always this way. From the end of World War II until the fall of the Berlin Wall, American policy was clear: containment. We supported major regional powers that opposed Soviet expansion - namely, Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Iran, with Egypt taking Iran's place after the Islamic Revolution 1979 - and together, we held in check those nations (Iraq, Syria) backed by Moscow. After the Soviet Union collapsed, we shifted our policy to encourage peace between Israelis and Palestinians, worked to contain Iran and Iraq, and continued to support Arab regimes that supplied the U.S. with oil while overlooking their human rights abuses. With the invasion of Iraq, all of that changed. The U.S. shifted from a policy of containment to an ambitious - some say "delusional"- policy of direct regional transformation. America had no plan for who should rule Iraq after Saddam Hussein, a Sunni, fell. Those who took his place, all Shiite, turned the post-war period into a Sunni witch hunt, radicalizing Saddam's former Sunni soldiers into ISIS warriors. In the process, the centuries-long conflict between Sunni and Shiite Islam moved to center-stage, driven by Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran, while the Israeli-Palestinian conflict became a sideshow. Meanwhile, Obama has, as scholar Steven Cook writes, "erred in a variety of ways, whether it has been ... unwillingness to consider intervention in Syria when it might have made a difference, declaring phantom 'red lines', getting roped into a Libyan intervention ... or placing the United States in a position where it needs a nuclear agreement with Tehran more than Iran needs a nuclear agreement with Washington." The next President needs a new playbook for the Middle East - one grounded in three new realities that are shaping the future of the region today. First, Islamist terrorism, starting with ISIS, is the most dangerous threat the West faces today and defeating it must be the centerpiece of our policy going forward. Advertisement In the past year, brutal Islamist attacks from Paris to Jakarta to a Russian jetliner to San Bernardino, California have signaled a tactical change on ISIS's part, making it clear that the group's attacks are now going global. If ISIS is allowed to consolidate its gains in Syria or Iraq, the threat to U.S. security and regional allies will increase considerably. Just as the litmus test during the Cold War was "with us or against us" in the fight against communism, the U.S. should work to unify all those who oppose Sunni fanatics in ISIS and other Islamist militant groups under one strategy. If that means partnering with Russia through the United Nations, supplying the Kurds in Iraq and Syria, defending Iraqi Sunnis from Shiites in Baghdad, or engaging with Iran's Revolutionary Guard to defeat ISIS fighters - we should do what it takes. Second, the United States should accept that the region is shifting back to more natural borders and not try to maintain the artificial lines drawn by the West a century ago. The Middle East is no longer the Middle East that exists today on maps. The artificial Sykes-Picot line drawn by Britain and France to create Iraq and Syria in 1916 is already being worn away. Iraq has largely reverted to the three provinces - one Shiite, one Sunni, one Kurd - that existed during the Ottoman empire. An independent Kurdistan could very well become America's greatest ally in the region as Kurds continue to defeat ISIS with regularity. Sunni Muslims could run a new country that includes part of present-day Iraq and a pluralistic Sunni-majority Syria. Just as the civil war in the Balkans in the 1990s saw the region revert to more natural borders, America should let the Middle East evolve back to its natural lines and spheres of influence. Third, some of America's long-time friends are no longer acting like friends, and we should stop treating them as friends. Advertisement It's time for America to look beyond history to see our longtime allies for what they are now. Saudi Arabia, which America no longer needs for oil, has spent billions building anti-Western madrassas across the globe to create the next generation of jihadists while funding Islamist terrorist groups from ISIS to Al Qaeda. Our once secular NATO ally, Turkey, is being transformed under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan into one of the most virulently Islamist, authoritarian countries in the region, aligning itself with Hamas while opposing U.S. interests at every turn. Pakistan will soon have the world's third-largest nuclear arsenal while providing a safe haven to Islamist terrorists. Even Israel continues to build settlements at an alarming rate in Palestinian territories while openly challenging U.S. leadership. It's time to say as clearly as possible: change your ways or the party is over - including all financial, military, and security support. If the history of the Middle East has taught us anything, it is that nobody follows the sound of an uncertain trumpet. Somewhere between the incompetence of George W. Bush and the indifference of Barack Obama, the region stopped listening to America. It's not too late for the next President to regain America's historic leadership position in the Middle East. But it will only happen if we leave the Cold War playbook behind and see the new world for what it is - for good and bad. The Constitution of the United States of America on a wooden desk It has been less than a week since Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died, and the GOP is in full glorification mode. Donald Trump tweeted that the loss of Scalia "is a massive setback for the conservative movement." Ohio Governor John Kasich called Scalia, "an essential, principled force for conservative thought." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio have taken the position that President Obama can't be trusted to replace Scalia and that it should be up to the next president to name his replacement. But was Scalia really the conservative icon he's being made out to be? Sure, Justice Scalia's record on issues like marriage equality, affirmative action, and abortion are in lockstep with right-wing conservatives. Scalia invoked mismatch theory in oral argument this past December, asking whether it might be better for black students to go to "a slower-track school where they do well" than attend a highly selective college. And he dissented in the Court's decisions banning execution of the "mentally retarded" and execution of anyone under the age of 18. In 2009, Scalia went so far as to argue that the Constitution did not prohibit putting to death someone who was factually innocent as long as they had a "full and fair trial." Advertisement But Senator McConnell mustn't forget that Scalia was actually instrumental in increasing the rights of criminal defendants under the 4th and 6th Amendments. Before United States v Jones (2012), the Supreme Court used only a notoriously ambiguous privacy test for determining whether government action constituted a search under the Fourth Amendment. It was Scalia who resurrected the trespass test, writing that where "(t)he Government physically occupie(s) private property for the purpose of obtaining information" it is a search. One year later, Justice Scalia penned the majority opinion in Florida v Jardines, which relied on the trespass test to hold that without a warrant, the police were forbidden from using a dog to sniff at the front door of a house where they suspected marijuana was being grown. The Court came to this decision despite briefs on behalf of a number of states (mostly republican) urging it to come out the other way. Indeed, it was Scalia who helped turn the 6th Amendment into a lightsaber for criminal defendants everywhere. Before Scalia's majority opinion in Crawford v Texas (2004), courts routinely allowed the introduction of victim statements against the accused without the victim actually being present in court and subject to cross examination. For a former public defender like myself, that meant that as long as a judge deemed the statement reliable, it was admitted. In a decision that would dramatically impede the prosecution's ability to secure convictions and lock people away, Scalia condemned this practice. "Admitting statements deemed reliable by a judge is fundamentally at odds with the right of confrontation. To be sure, the Clause's ultimate goal is to ensure reliability of evidence, but it is a procedural rather than a substantive guarantee. It commands, not that evidence be reliable, but that reliability be assessed in a particular manner: by testing in the crucible of cross examination." Advertisement Finally, in Apprendi v New Jersey (2000), Scalia joined a decision authored by the liberal justice John Paul Stevens, which put serious bite into a defendant's due process rights. The Court ruled that it violated the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment for a judge to increase a defendant's sentence based on facts never pleaded or found by a jury. In 2004, Scalia wrote the majority opinion in Blakeley v Washington, which struck down Washington's sentencing scheme for empowering judges to give defendants custodial terms stretching beyond the sentence associated with the jury's finding. This led directly to United States v Booker (2005), which invalidated part of the federal sentencing guidelines -- clearly a blow to law and order conservatives like Cruz and Rubio. The rationale behind Apprendi also led the Court to overturn the death penalty regimes of Arizona and Florida for putting too much power in the hands of judges -- decisions that Scalia joined. There has been an academic revolution in higher education over the past 50 years. It's been marked by disruptive innovation - think of how rapid technological advances have widened access, such as through Massive Open Online Courses. These changes have brought universities to the edge of an epoch in which they will only survive if they are able to innovate and produce knowledge fast. For this to happen, the higher education sector will have to change its ideas about leadership. It must move beyond traditional paradigms and mindsets. It must look for and develop transformational leaders. These are leaders who emerge in the face of adaptive challenges that require exploration, learning and new patterns of behaviour. Advertisement In South Africa, this need has been brought into sharp focus by the #FeesMustFall student movement. Students successfully pushed President Jacob Zuma into conceding to a 0% university fee increase for 2016. The movement has placed several issues firmly on the national agenda. These include: access to affordable, quality higher education; the insourcing of vulnerable workers; and the need to fundamentally transform university curricula. Students also want higher education to be made free for all. Addressing these demands, particularly during an economic downturn, calls for a bold response that draws on all stakeholders' collective creativity. It will also require truly transformational leaders. What do I mean by this? The characteristics of such leaders Transformational leaders are able to cope with uncertainty and contradiction. They do this by proactively engaging with divergent views in articulating a compelling vision for the future. This is an important leadership trait, since behavioural research has shown that people do their best thinking when they feel included and their views are respected and appreciated. Transformational leaders are also known for their empowering style. They build relationships of trust through authentic listening. Importantly, such leaders construct possibilities for systemic resilience by cultivating safe spaces for difficult dialogues to take place. This encourages experimentation, stimulates the emergence of creativity and gives people the opportunity to question widely-held assumptions and beliefs. Advertisement The essence of this sort of leadership lies in developing and transforming people to reach their fullest potential. This results in the university itself becoming transformed. Some transformation questions South Africa's apartheid history left a higher education system that is structured along highly stratified racial, gender, class, cultural and spatial lines. This led to the need for radical transformation to create a non-racial, non-sexist, more equal and socially just society. In this context, it is necessary to think of "university transformation" in two ways. Internally, universities need to transform to better reflect the goals contained in national policies. Externally, they must reframe their contributions to the wider society. Some pertinent questions need to be asked when reflecting on the pace and depth of transformation in higher education since the advent of democracy in 1994. These include the extent to which universities are: creating inclusive institutional cultures where the historical legacies of systemic oppression are reversed and diversity is embraced; Advertisement transforming the curriculum so that graduates are equipped to contribute meaningfully to society as enlightened and responsible citizens; and enhancing the diversity of student and staff profiles to better reflect the country's demographics. Addressing such questions will enrich the transformation discourse. It will also create the conditions for university stakeholders to openly grapple with, and share, more effective ways of ensuring that universities better reflect democratic ideals. So is this possible in South Africa right now? Yes, more than ever: because, paradoxically, systems are most likely to change when they experience what's known as bounded instability. Some instability can support innovation Under conditions of bounded instability, complex systems are constantly poised between order and chaos. They are able to spontaneously self-organise and transform themselves in order to survive. The laws of cause and effect no longer appear to apply. Our instinct is to restore equilibrium as quickly as possible. But transformational university leaders will recognise that "surfing the edge of chaos" provides a platform for innovation to emerge. This makes bounded instability more conducive to the sort of change that's required than either stable equilibrium or explosive instability. If systems become too stable, they ossify and die. If they become too unstable, they may descend into chaos and destroy themselves. Advertisement A system is far easier to change when it's at the edge of instability. That's because small actions of agents within the system can escalate into major outcomes. South Africa has witnessed this principle with the #FeesMustFall movement. The disorderly dynamics of contradiction, conflict and tension provide the driving force for adaptability and responsiveness. The lesson to be learnt The dominant paradigms in leadership theory are premised on seeking stability and avoiding uncertainty. But the lesson which emerges in the midst of complexity is that leadership does not merely comprise the influential acts of university leaders. Rather, it is embedded in interpersonal relationships and an array of interacting organisational processes. These facilitate organisational learning and intelligent adaptation. The task of transformational university leaders is to mindfully engage with diverse stakeholders, harness their creative energies and courageously co-create the conditions for deep transformation. South Africa's universities have tinkered at the edges for too long. This has heightened the frustrations of marginalised students and workers who experience the harsh realities of poverty, inequality and exclusion on a daily basis. The time is ripe for transformational leadership. Advertisement Author's note: Acknowledgement is given to Kumaree Moodley, whose MBA treatise explored the role of transformational leaders within a selected higher education institution in South Africa. The outlook for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Power Plan, a rule intended to limit greenhouse gas emissions from the existing fleet of fossil fuel-fired power plants, is the subject of debate after two key Supreme Court events last week. First, on Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision issued a stay, delaying the execution of the plan, pending the outcome of legal challenges. The New York Times called the decision "unprecedented," because the Supreme Court had never before granted a request to halt a regulation before review by a federal appeals court. At a minimum, the ruling will allow states to skip the September deadline to submit compliance plans to the EPA. A new twist on the fate of the Clean Power Plan came Saturday with the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia--leaving the Supreme Court with eight justices split evenly between conservatives and liberals, and evenly split on the question of that week's stay. Whether the White House or the Senate will confirm a new justice before the November 2016 Presidential election remains unclear, although political cynicism about any nominee's chances has dominated commentary. President Obama announced plans to nominate a new justice, and Senate Republican leadership has indicated that it does not intend to confirm Obama's candidate. Advertisement The D.C. Circuit is set to begin hearing oral arguments challenging the Clean Power Plan in June. Any ruling may be reviewed by the Supreme Court. ClimateWire suggests three potential scenarios. For Clean Power Plan opponents, the best turn of events would be appointment of a new conservative-leaning justice, which would be made possible if the Senate successfully blocks an Obama appointee and a Republican takes the White House. Those in favor of the plan would benefit from appointment of a new liberal-leaning justice or from the court's consideration of the plan before a new justice is confirmed. Politics surrounding the nomination of the new justice are complicated, writes Tom Goldstein of the SCOTUS blog. Study: More Aggressive Emissions Reductions Needed to Curb Air-Pollution-Related Deaths Advertisement Researcher Qiao Ma from Tsinghua University in Beijing said coal burned for electricity was the largest polluter in China and that the country's new targets to reduce emissions, agreed at last year's Paris climate talks, are not sufficiently ambitious to end those deaths. "Even in the most clean scenario in 2030," Ma said, China's growing and aging population will still suffer as many as 1.3 million deaths a year. "Our study highlights the urgent need for even more aggressive strategies to reduce emissions from coal and from other sectors." Although China halted approval of new coal mines for three years at the end of 2015 and has issued stringent requirements similar to those recently proposed in the United States for new coal-fired power plants, these and other measures may not halt increases in mortality, reported Time. "Air pollution is the fourth highest risk factor for death globally and by far the leading environmental risk factor for disease," said Michael Brauer of the University of British Columbia. "Reducing air pollution is an incredibly efficient way to improve the health of a population." Agreements Made to Expand Renewables, Reduce Emissions Governors from 17 U.S. states signed an accord to diversify energy generation with clean energy sources, modernize their energy infrastructure and encourage clean transportation options. Home to about 40 percent of the country's population, states signing the Governors' Accord for a New Energy Future are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Advertisement "With this agreement, governors from both parties have joined together and committed themselves to a clean energy future," said California Gov. Jerry Brown. "Our goal is to clean up the air and protect our natural resources." As part of the agreement, states will cooperate on planning and policies--pooling buying power to get cheaper clean-energy vehicles for state fleets and to build more energy-efficient regional electrical grids. Also preparing for a cleaner-energy future is Fiji, which on Friday became the first country to formally approve the United Nations climate deal reached in Paris when its parliament ratified the agreement. Under its national climate action plan, the archipelago, which is vulnerable to flooding and strong tropical storms as a result of climate change, pledged to generate all its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and to reduce its overall energy-sector emissions by 30 percent by 2030--if it receives climate finance from industrialized nations. Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, speaks during a campaign rally at the Parkway Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. Clinton, speaking yesterday in New York, is looking to minority voters, particularly blacks and Hispanics, to form a political bulwark against a surge by Sanders for the Democratic nomination. Photographer: Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images As a person with a disability and the author of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), I urge all people with disabilities to elect a President who has the ability and motivation to protect and expand upon that landmark accomplishment. And if every "disability voter" were to vote for the candidate who is best for people like them, I believe the choice becomes quite clear. For starters, I have lost count of how many times Republicans have sworn to demolish the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and with it, the tremendous advance we have made for people with disabilities by ending coverage discrimination against individuals with pre-existing conditions. They talk out of both sides of their mouths, often expressing support for access to insurance for those with pre-existing conditions, while making it their number one priority to repeal it. Advertisement Simply put, a candidate for us is a candidate that guarantees access to insurance for individuals with pre-existing conditions. Almost half of the American population between the ages of 55-64 has a pre-existing condition, and twenty percent of our young adults age 18-24 have one. The impact of access to meaningful insurance coverage that bans lifetime and annual limits for essential benefits is immense. Yet, Republicans can't even talk about improving upon the ACA, thereby protecting access to insurance for people with pre-existing conditions, for fear that its ultimate success will be attributed to a Democratic administration - politics as usual. People with disabilities have had enough of watching Republican candidates avoid us - and avoid any mention of their dastardly work to kill the international Disabilities Treaty - Senator Ted Cruz chief among them. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (or "Disabilities Treaty") embodies, at the international level, the ADA principles of non-discrimination, equality of opportunity, accessibility and inclusion. It had strong bipartisan support, in large part due to advocacy from former Republican Senator Bob Dole, who stated, "It's a shame the only countries who haven't ratified that treaty are the Congo, Guyana and the United States of America, and we are the leader in disability issues and dealing with the problem." On the Democratic side, despite the best of intentions, Senator Bernie Sanders is advocating a "Medicare for All" policy that I believe to be almost as dangerous as the Republican "repeal and replace" strategy for health reform. He proposes something akin to socialized medicine, modeled after the British National Health Service, a plan commonly known to be extraordinarily expensive. If it were a good idea, we could have a discussion about how to pay for it. The problem is that it's not only unrealistic, but it reflects a leap backward for people with disabilities. As in Great Britain, "Medicare for All" would have to rely on bare-bones coverage, certainly less robust than provided under the ACA for individuals with pre-existing conditions despite his grand assertions. Under the British model, a socialized medicine program would have to rely on what I call "one-size-fits-all" healthcare where access is limited based on value assessments like quality adjusted life years (QALYs) that measure the value of healthcare treatments based on an academic formula. As I have written before, for people with disabilities, this is a very bad deal. Advertisement In stark contrast to these extremes, there's the enlightened, yet sensible, approach promoted by Secretary Hillary Clinton. She's not looking to repeal and replace the ACA and threaten all the good that has come from it. She's not looking to move to European-style socialized medicine. Instead, she recognizes the benefits of the ACA for providing access to coverage - especially for those with pre-existing conditions that were previously left behind, but also recognizes that our health care programs have room for improvement. As a young adult, my diagnosis with epilepsy took away my ability to get a job, my driver's license, my health insurance and, ultimately, my dream of becoming a Catholic priest. It is my history with epilepsy that led me to author the ADA, to continue my advocacy for people with disabilities, and to stay engaged in politics. It is the reason I want a President that is accountable to people with disabilities. Faith, my niece, will be 6 soon. A couple of years ago my sister called me to say that Faith found a pair of scissors and cut her hair after watching Disney's Mulan, because she wanted to be a warrior just like her. Faith found the scissors all by herself in a kitchen nook and cut off a sizable portion of her plentiful afro, put on her cowboy boots and hat and tied a towel around her back as her battle cape -- just like Mulan. My sister called me again last year with a more sobering story. The pitch of her voice was low between pauses. "I need to ask your advice on something," she said urgently. "Sure, go ahead." "The other day Faith asked me why she wasn't born white." I was as stunned as I was hurt. Because my sister and her husband have always lived in upper-middle class and predominantly white suburbs in the Houston, Texas area, their daughters have gotten used to being the only black children in their classrooms. Immediately after that call during a visit to Houston, I showed them Sesame Street's incredible "I Love My Hair" song by Joey Mazzarino, the parent of an adopted Ethiopian daughter who was having issues with accepting her hair. Still, such questions arise, especially now, when childhoods are corrupted by the steady news of racism's effect on black bodies. So in a time like this, how do you change a 5-year-old's mind about race? Advertisement In Walter Dean Myers' stunning New York Times essay, "Where are the People of Color in Children's Books?," he shared the void he experienced while reading books that lacked narratives he could relate to. "As I discovered who I was, a black teenager in a white-dominated world, I saw that these characters, these lives, were not mine," Dean wrote. He finally encountered this while reading James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues, and continued: "it was a story concerned with black people like those I knew. By humanizing the people who were like me, Baldwin's story also humanized me." When we talk about representation, specifically the representation of minority perspectives in larger media cannons of film and literature, we present numbers and statistics. In the children's book world, we are presented with data, each year, collected by the Children's Book Center at the University of Wisconsin. The most recent study reported that of the 3,500 children's books published in 2014, only 180 were about Africans/African-American, 38 were about Native Americans, 112 were about Asian Americans and 66 were about Latinos. These statistics are important because, among other things, they give factual evidence of the need for stories that more accurately depict the contemporary American experience. However, we rarely examine the psychological effect exclusion in media has on children of color, despite efforts of parents and caregivers to positively reinforce their beauty and worth at home. The most famous (and heartbreaking) trial of this was "The Doll Test," by Doctors Kenneth and Mamie Clark in the 1940s. The experiments studied the psychological effects of segregation on African-American children. Children ages three to seven were asked to identify which color doll they preferred, and the majority chose the white dolls that they'd previously assigned positive characteristics to. The tests examined to which extent color and self-awareness about race and socio-economic status influenced each child's self-esteem. The test has been recreated a few times since with similar results. Conversations About Race My mother never told me to stay out of the sun. My mother has dark black skin and African features -- not mainstream America's definition of a classic beauty -- and she genuinely believed she was beautiful. She was actually her happiest when my siblings and I ran freely in the yard and sat for hours playing, returning only when the sun went down, two shades darker than the morning. During playdates when friends ran into the shade when the sun was its highest, afraid of getting darker, I stayed outside, danced in it, confused at what had made those jump ropes fall so quickly to the ground. Advertisement My family is Liberian -- we immigrated here when I was a child in 1991 -- and growing up, though in majority white neighborhoods, my issues with racism were never as austere as my issues with culturalism. I was more afraid of being teased by black and Hispanic peers for being foreign, being called 'African Booty Scratcher' (a popular derogatory insult used in elementary school against young African immigrants and first generation Americans of African descent), than I was about slights from white peers. We did not regularly talk about racism at home. It wasn't until I was older that I realized encounters in the past I once believed were effects of xenophobia, may have actually been examples of both blatant and mico-aggressive racism. So, although my sister's husband is African-American, there was a learning curve in talking about race with our nieces and children. Discussions about race were at first reactive, and not proactive. Among households in America, there's a myriad of stories that affect conversations about racism. There may be more than one culture, like Faith's; or more than one race (The U.S. Census Bureau found that, in 2010, about 9 million Americans chose two or more racial categories when asked about their race); or issues with colorism; complicated or disjointed family dynamics, or classist ideologies. In some households poverty, not race, is the biggest burden. Talking about race, in a way that truly impacts the psychological well-being of future generations in America, entails first examining ourselves, and digging into the many layers of our personal and familial journeys that contribute to the vast melting pot in which we live. These personal histories eventually dictate how we handle confrontations with that four-letter word. And it is in how we handle those confrontations, that racism, both systemic and internalized, has opportunities to thrive. Unconquerable We pulled from our mother's method, which, though she may not have realized it, empowered us to live fearlessly in a world that did not always consider us worthy. She did not regularly talk about racism, but when the outside world attempted to force-feed us lies about our dark skin and heritage, she fought for our minds daily. She censored everything -- the amount of television we watched, the music we listened to, and more passionately, the books we read -- because she understood the role the images we were exposed to played in the development of our self-confidence. So, we tried that with Faith. We found more films that featured little girls that look like her. Her mind has been changed by films like Disney's, The Princess and the Frog. The heroine of the film, Princess Tiana, wore an afro ponytail that we endlessly praised. Now it is one of her favorite hairstyles. She was front row and center, alongside her sisters, for NBC's December special, The Wiz! Live. She hung on Shanice Williams' iteration of Dorothy to the last scene, touching her hair upon notice of the large afro on the screen. Her energy changes after experiences like that. The boost in her confidence over time, though nuanced, is evidenced. Therefore, those calls for diversity in film and television are valid-- those calls for America's most popular visual platform to include, accurately, narratives that refute stereotypical portrayals of black characters, narratives that portray girls like Faith, not necessarily as heroes, but as human, visible, with stories worth telling. Advertisement For this, we are also fans of destinations like The Brown Bookshelf, a blog founded by a collective of African-American writers that seeks to raise awareness of the many African-American voices in picture and middle grade books. My sister regularly reads to Faith from such books, rehabilitating her imagination to include characters with skin and hair and a story as vibrant as hers. Eventually, my sister would overhear Faith discuss the characters and the lives they lived with her sisters, developing a deep interest in the stories, and a love of reading. If the most important support a child can be given to ensure the successful management of their future is literacy, then how powerful, how much more confident would our children be if the literature they read reflects their truth, their names and their cultures? Recently my sister called to tell me a different story. Faith is, again, the only black student in a classroom of white faces, and she proudly told her peers who invented potato chips: an African-American man named George Crum. She has developed a sense of pride more beautiful than we could have hoped, and her confidence grows. Still, like our mother, we are committed to fighting for the mind of my niece and her sisters. Each day we hold her hand and with our words, our actions, and what we believe of ourselves, we lead her into the sunlight. Each day we affirm her beauty, her complexity, and that rare, unconquerable mind, a warrior's mind--her greatest inheritance. Halfway into Black History month 2016 and evidence of the impact of Black culture is everywhere. From Super Bowl 50's telecast opening with America's beloved Golden Girl, Betty White, dabbing, to the instantly-viral hip hop inspired floor routine of UCLA gymnast Sophina DeJesus, African Americans and their cultural imprint are front and center. Blacks couldn't be more excited about it, with good reason. In the present cultural moment where "Black Lives Matter" and "Black Girl Magic" are at the forefront of discussions centering on African American recognition and achievement, there is also a larger societal shift occurring that may mark this time period as one that not only permanently reshapes the idea of Black History month, but also Blackness as a whole. The window on the world - both individual and cultural -- that social media provides has played a crucial role in fueling the increased awareness of other cultures and their experiences amongst people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. For African Americans in particular, Blackness, what it means and what it stands for has been thrust under a microscope, put on trial, tested, probed and analyzed more in the past few years than ever before. From Raven Simone & Stacey Dash who publicly contest their own Blackness to those striving to, consciously or not, incorporate elements of Black culture into their identity, like Iggy Azealia, Miley Cyrus, Macklemore, and Racheal Dolezal, conversations about race and ethnicity are dominating the front page news. There is no doubt that new recognition and attention are being given to the subject of and issues surrounding minority identities, which have not always been considered important or valid by majority culture. Consider the recent backlash against the 2016 Academy Awards, where the (mostly older, White, male) Academy failed to nominate any multicultural actors or movies for this year's Oscars, which the public response captured memorably by the trending hashtag #Oscarsowhite. Ironically, last month's Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards, typically viewed as predictive of who will win on Oscar night, proved to be a diverse affair with minority actors and actresses winning nominations and awards voted on by their peers. The divergence of two authoritative bodies, tasked with literally bestowing awards on the same industry is just one of the more obvious examples of culture's contrasting vision of who should be seen and recognized, and by whom, and what does it all mean. History is, of course, cyclical. While this resurgence of Black empowerment and cultural awareness may not necessarily be new, it does reflect a new way of existing in a world where information and human empathy meet the universal language of technology & sharing. Today the centuries-old fight for African American liberty and equality continues, only instead of notable Civil Rights leaders standing on the front lines, it is regular civilians armed with knowledge of the justice system, video cameras, and keyboards that are representing the cause. It's the muted voices of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Gardner, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland and more who are fueling the fire of outcry against the injustices that have been witnessed and experienced by many African Americans for many, many years. Despite the tragic circumstances surrounding these incidents and many more like them, a new kind of modern-day activism has been able to grow & flourish in the form of community champions, digital think pieces, bloggers, twitter activists and more. This latter-day movement has sparked community change & pushed for accountability in ways that previously weren't even imaginable such as the Justice Department suing the city of Ferguson over police misconduct, the trend of collegiate student bodies advocating for racial equality on campus and popular Black Lives Matters activist DeRay Mckesson announcing his run for Mayor for the city of Baltimore. This renewed emphasis on human rights, and redefining Blackness has spurred a phenomenon of unapologetically Black expressions of individualism, art and culture brought to the forefront by some of America's most prominent influencers. The most recent example is the now highly debated performance by Beyonce at SuperBowl 50. Her single "Formation" has been called one of the most "unapologetic" displays of Blackness in decades, stirring controversy and backlash because it features politically charged imagery focused on the lives of African Americans. As blogger Luvvie Ajay elucidates: "...some white people can only tolerate Blackness when it's tame and timid. When it's an undercurrent, not a roaring wave...A Beyonce who's talking about how Black she is, who's standing on top of a cop car that's drowning in New Orleans is a Beyonce that people will not be able to stomach. It's a Beyonce that white people will be uncomfortable about." Eli Rubel is the Vice President of Marketing at Helpshift, where he leads the charge on building brand, and flooding sales with quality leads. Prior to joining Helpshift he served as the CEO of Glider, a contract management platform for Fortune 1000 companies which was later acquired, and continues to serve customers globally. He advises and consults a number of technology companies focused on driving SaaS growth, and is always eager to meet passionate, driven people. When Eli's not on a plane or talking tech, he can be found riding motorcycles through Central America, camping in Montana, or fly fishing with friends. Did you know that the average app loses 80 percent of its users in the first 90 days after launch? It then comes as no surprise that the average mobile user has just 26 apps installed on their device -- talk about a battle for mobile mindshare! As VP of Marketing at Helpshift, I've seen this struggle firsthand. Because our technology is installed on 1.3 billion devices worldwide, we're constantly parsing mobile data to help our customers keep their users not only engaged -- but more importantly, bonded -- with their brand. Use the Medium as the Message One way to do this is to think like a teenager: after all, they constitute the percentage of the population most glued to their mobile devices. And what's the way to a modern-day teen's heart? Their phone and favorite apps. Advertisement Snapchat's garnered an enormous user base -- 100 million daily users, with 32 percent of U.S. teens using Snapchat on a mobile device -- and brands have hitched their wagon to that star. Taco Bell, for example, uses the app to announce new products and special promotions. With 80 percent of Taco Bell's snap friends opening the company's snaps and 90 percent of customers watching a video from start to finish, it's clear that the ephemeral nature of the app drives engagement. In this case, the medium really is the message. That's why it's ingenious for brands (like Taco Bell) to use Snapchat as a vehicle to form friendships with customers. Snapchat didn't start out as an advertising platform; it started as a way to send our friends unflattering selfies and our partners shots that would disappear. Users still see it that way, and brands on the platform dilute into the population of our friends. They're able to access the intimate world of their user's mobile devices, thereby collecting data that helps drive unique moments of engagement and form bonds with users. Ensure Seamless Communication Besides simply reaching out to users on popular social media platforms, there's another crucial aspect to turning users into friends: mobile messaging. The brands that do this best meet users on their preferred platforms and mimic how friends communicate, rather than speak as business to customer. Airbnb is a great example, with its "Local Companion" messaging feature for their mobile app (still in beta), which allows a user booking a house in a particular city to chat in-app with a local resident, who will provide insider tips and recommendations for the out-of-towner. The company's already built their brand on the principles of intimacy and personalization by inviting users to share their homes. By experimenting with this kind of in-app message feature, it's clear they're sticking to those founding pillars because they work. Advertisement Embrace Real Personalization: Personalized mobile messaging is becoming the key to app success and happy customers. As Airbnb and other apps are increasingly demonstrating, it all comes down to communicating with the user as you would a friend or colleague. In other words, don't use scripted or obviously generic language. One-size-fits-all messaging no longer has a place in mobile marketing. For example, it's the difference between Airbnb sending me notifications for trips to Austin under $100 a night ("Hi , we see you've been searching for a place in Austin in April, check out these super deals"), and the more impersonal "Take a trip this weekend!" message I often discard without opening. Companies like Airbnb and Taco Bell have loyal followings for a variety of reasons, but the reason they're at the top of their game is how they turn customers into friends. Both brands actually go above and beyond in this regard by not only forging a friendship between brand and customer, but between customers themselves. Taco Bell used Snapchat to make their customers into more than friends: in a Valentine's Day ad campaign, Taco Bell created a series of filters -- designed like the cards you'd give and receive in grade school -- with messages such as "Nacho Average Valentine" and "I want to crunch wrap you in my arms," with the option to personalize. So while they created a stronger bond with each user, at the same time they facilitated bonds between the user and their network of friends. Mitr On 16 February, transgender activist and founder of Delhi-based LGBT NGO Mitr Trust, Rudrani Chettri Chauhan revealed the names and pictures of the first three models that successfully cleared auditioning rounds for Indias first transgender modell agency. The auditions were held on 7 February in Khirki Extension, Saket, Delhi, where a panel of four judges celebrity stylist Rishi Raj, fashion designer Nida Mahmood, winner of the Kingfisher Model Hunt 16 Aishwarya Sushmita and Chauhan evaluated just under 30 entries before choosing the final three. Advertisement Rishi Raj admits that at first the jury panel didnt know what to expect. We werent looking for cliches, simply people who had a raw potential that could be polished and groomed, he said in an interview with HuffPost India. I dont want to create transgender models simply for them to be given work because they are transgender. The main parameters were camera presence we were looking for faces that could tell a story, not faces that were beautiful in a generic way. A face with a story was more important, which is what we found in all the finalists, said Mahmood, often referred to as Indias queen of kitsch for her funky designs. Raj revealed that the excitement surrounding the auditions was promising: Several publishing houses have expressed their interest, as has as an Indian blogger who is huge in the Bollywood and fashion genre, he revealed. Whats more, a representative of Boney Kapoors productions attended the auditions and wanted to cast two of the models in non-stereotypical roles in a film with Sridevi. Advertisement However, Raj and Chauhan are being cautious to avoid what they refer to as a half-baked impact. I dont want to create transgender models simply for them to be given work because they are transgender. We want to give them the skills required, and then put them in the arena with female models so they have an equal chance, and are selected purely on their own merit, said Raj. Mahmood and Raj also admitted that the models need a lot of polishing. Before anything, they need a lot of grooming. They need to know what the fashion and glamour world is about, and how to fit in. It will take a little time and expertise, said Mahmood who also expressed an interest in shooting with the models. All three models have had hard lives, but are also united by a determination to make it big, added Chauhan. Here are the three faces the agency chose: Sneha, 22, Jaipur Born a biological boy in Jaipur, Sneha spent most of her life hiding and repressing herself her family would only accept her as a man. Succumbing to peer pressure, she gave up her education when she was 18 and came to Delhi. However, because of poor work opportunities, she has been forced to earn her living as a sex worker she stands on the streets every night, scared and desperate to find a better way to live. She has always wanted to become a model, and having cleared the auditions, it looks like shes on the right track. Advertisement Shree, 23, Delhi An item girl, Shree is multitalented: a dancer, she also designs her own clothes and has always been fascinated by the silver and big screens. She was disowned by her family at a young age, and was embittered by a TV experience that went wrong, but she has not given up on her ambition to become a superstar. Neharika, 23, Delhi Getting into sex work at a very young age, Neharika had a very hard time coming to terms with her sexuality and even attempted suicide at the tender age of 17. Currently working at nightclubs, she supports her entire family with her income, which includes sending her little sisters to school and paying for her mothers medication. However, her hard life has not deterred her dreams to make it big. ----------------------------------------- 37-year-old Chauhan, who has dedicated over 10 years to working for transgender rights came up with the idea of the agency last year, after pictures of her self-styled shoots went viral. "I made a Facebook page just for fun where I posted some of my pictures. Then one day, two people from the UK approached me for a documentary, and that's when this took off," she said. Chauhan then collaborated with Raj to start the auditions and spread the word. Advertisement Mitr is relying on donations the fund this project. They have currently collected just under 1.45 lakh against their ultimate target of 5 lakh. To donate, click here. Also See On HuffPost: It's not my work or films you are talking about, it's my personal life and marriage and we owe no one any explanations so back off !!! Hope this message is loud and clear A photo posted by Arbaaz Khan (@arbaazkhanofficial) on Feb 16, 2016 at 10:03am PST NEW DELHI -- Reports that Gopal Shetty described farmer suicides as the "fashion" has unleashed a volley of criticism against the Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker from Maharashtra. While Shetty's linking farmer suicides to the politics of compensation is deeply insensitive and in bad taste, a perusal of his remarks revealed that he did not describe these deaths as being in vogue. Instead, the BJP leader described the one-upmanship by state governments in providing compensation as the "fashion" or "trend." Advertisement "I don't want to get into politics. All suicides are not the consequence of unemployment or starvation," Shetty said. "A fashion, a trend is going on. If the Maharashtra government is giving five lakhs then the neighboring government is giving seven lakhs, someone else is giving eight lakhs. A competition is on for giving compensation to farmers." Maharashtra recorded the highest number of suicides in 2015 largely due to crop failure, extreme weather conditions, and the inability to pay loans, The Hindu reported. Since January, this year, 124 farmers have committed suicide in Maharashtra. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - FEBRUARY 15: (EDITORaS NOTE: This is an exclusive shoot of Hindustan Times) Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor during an exclusive interview with HTCITY, as part of stars in the city series for the promotion of upcoming biographical film Neerja at HT Media Office on February 15, 2016 in New Delhi, India. Neerja is an upcoming 2016 Indian biographical film revolving around the factual hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi, Pakistan specifically focusing on flight attendant Neerja Bhanot. The film was produced by Atul Kasbekar under the banner of Fox Star Studios. This film shows how the young flight attendant fought for the lives of her passengers. The film is scheduled for release on February 19, 2016. (Photo by Shivam Saxena/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) MUMBAI -- Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor feels women in both urban and rural areas across the country are the real heroes. The 30-year-old Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015) actress, known for voicing her opinion on gender issues, says women in India are brave and are empowering themselves. Advertisement "I feel that women today, here and in India's smaller cities, rural areas and everywhere, are our everyday heroes. They are bold, brave, standing out and empowering themselves. They are compassionate, giving and sensitive to the needs of others around," Sonam told reporters here. She will be seen in Neerja a biopic of Neerja Bhanot, a Pan Am flight attendant who died saving passengers on a hijacked plane. Sonam said Neerja represents the Indian women, who are ready to face any challenge with courage. "Neerja as an empowered and brave young woman embodies the characteristics of women today... brave and ready with what life throws at you. This is what Neerja did under an extraordinary circumstance with a resolve and defiance that was parallel to none..." Advertisement She was speaking at the inauguration of FICI FLO Film Festival. The three-day event will showcase more than 40 films themed on women empowerment, gender equality and social change. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was present at the event, said movies should be used to spread awareness among people. "People worldwide, specially in India, love, dream and idolise films. Our lives are impacted by what happens in films. Although one may say that films are based on imaginary stories but mostly they are a reflection of what has been happening in the society," he said. Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao also attended the event. Neerja, directed by Ram Madhvani, hits theatres on Friday. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - MARCH 18: Jats from various states sitting on Dharna to press for their demand for the OBC status for the Jat community and reservations in Government jobs at Jantar Mantar on March 18, 2013 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Sushil Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) CHANDIGARH -- Jat protesters today rejected Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's offer to enhance quota for economically backward classes with the agitation spreading to Faridabad, Kaithal and Karnal disrupting rail and road traffic. In view of the blockades set up by the agitators, Haryana Roadways suspended its bus services on many affected routes. Advertisement The Jat continued to block roads in Rohtak-Jhajjar, the epicentre of the protests, disrupting supply of milk, vegetables, fruits and other items on the national highway connecting Rohtak with other parts of the state and NCR. A day after holding talks with the Chief Minister, All India Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti's national president, Yashapal Malik told that, "We reject the offer, it is not technically viable. It is illegal and cannot be implemented." "We (Jats) cannot be befooled once again, we have been fighting for our right for several years now. The agitation has further spread to Kaithal, Faridabad, Karnal, Palwal today and by tomorrow, it will cover entire Haryana," Malik said. Jat and Khap leaders had held a four-hour long meeting with Khattar and some of his ministers here yesterday during which the CM had announced enhancement of the reservation quota under EBC and the annual income ceiling from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh. Advertisement The Chief Minister had announced an enhancement of the quota of reservation for Economically Backward Classes in the state from 10 to 20 per cent, but the community remained adamant on their demand for reservation under OBC category. The protests continued at other places including Sonipat, Bhiwani and Hisar. Malik said the Jats will fight for their rights and continue to protest till they get it. "People (who do not belong to the Jat community) have also come out on the streets in support of our demand," Malik said when asked about the inconvenience caused to passengers and students due to the stir. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - FEBRUARY 16: JNU students protest march against Central Government at JNU campus, demand the release of Kanhaiya Kumar who was arrested on sedition charge in connection with an event organised on the campus against the hanging of Afzal Guru, on February 16, 2016 in New Delhi, India. JNU has been on the boil over the arrest of its student's Union President Kanhaiya Kumar on sedition charges after some students organised a meet to mark the anniversaries of executions of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. (Photo by Virendra Singh Gosain/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) Media has an unhindered right to report. Attack on mediapersons is highly improper and condemnable. Thus tweeteth Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Thats good to know. On the other hand, think about the kind of India we live in where the Finance Minister has to tweet out something like this, something that should be utterly self-evident. Advertisement But a tweet in time saves nothing. Its just a gambit in a good-cop bad-cop game that everyone can see through by now. As we saw at Patiala House yesterday, the men in black were back on rampage, pummeling reporters, raining blows on JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar and then boasting about it. We are so proud of you. This calls for a celebration, says lawyer Surendra Tyagi to those who took part in the mayhem. People are calling us goondas while the anti-nationals are being hailed as heroes. We will continue to fight for our motherland. If anyone casts aspersions on our Mother India, we will gouge their eyes out, says lawyer Vikram Chauhan who led the attacks on Monday and then again on Tuesday. When the Supreme Courts own team went to assess the situation, they were greeted by lawyers shouting ye saare dalle hain, aaj sab ko theek kar denge. (They are all pimps, we will fix all of them today.) Who says justice is delayed in India? It droppeth as the not-so-gentle rain from heaven upon the hapless beneath in Patiala courthouse. Advertisement We now have a new definition of lawyer in the Indian English Dictionary, forged right inside a court complex. Police throng the court premises as Kanhaiya Kumar is brought in. Lawyer (n): One who takes the law into his own hands. In most civilized countries a politician caught on tape pummeling an unarmed person would find his career in deep peril. He would disappear from sight while others in his party would try to do damage control. O P Sharma however is happy to do the rounds of television studios boasting about beating up a CPI leader in Patiala House. Sharma claims he is the victim, not the bully, that his reaction was just a natural reaction to someone striking him physically and the motherland verbally. And then he adds for good measure It is not wrong if somebody shouting such slogans is beaten up or even done to death. O P Sharma, who calls Jaitley Boss, is regarded as Jaitleys shadow but evidently not even the shadow of Jaitleys tweet falls on him. That makes one thing clear. What happened in the courthouse with O P Sharma is not overreaction. This is planned combustion. Nobody is squirming here, not Sharma, not his bosses. The BJP has decided that the way ahead is to wrap itself in the colours of the national flag and brazen it out. BJP spokesperson Srikant Sharma said, There is anger across the country over the slogans at the JNU meeting that called for the break up of India. But the party has always taken the position that it does not support violence by anyone." Advertisement Srikant Sharma did not say what that meant for its own lawmaker caught on tape delivering mob justice. He preferred to leave that to the court because the incident took place in the court. Meanwhile BJP MLA from Rajasthan Kailash Choudhary has told Zee News that Rahul Gandhi is a traitor who should be hanged or shot for joining the protests against the police crackdown in JNU. Again we see the good-cop, bad-cop game in full force with the good cop choosing to look the other way as the bad cop does his Dabaang act. Lawyers at Patiala House court. And every time OP Sharma appears on television he too is signaling the impunity he enjoys. This can no longer be regarded as the hot-headed fringe elements going on rampage. This is now a deliberate mainstream strategy, a Molotov cocktail of patriotism that the party hopes will garner fevered public support and paint everyone who opposes it as anti-national gaddars. The Bharatiya Janata Party is being positioned as equivalent to Bharat Mata. If the public cannot have development, let them eat nationalism instead. Thus we now have a new definition of minimum government as promised by the Prime Minister in his election campaign. Minimum Government (n): Minimum security for a detainee in court. Minimum control over goons loyal to the ruling party. Minimum intervention by party leaders. Advertisement Maximum Governance (n): Maximum use of national flag colours. Maximum use of sedition charges. Maximum use of anti-national epithets. In another country, the opposition would do acts like these to undermine the governments control. Maoists might try and destroy faith in the power of the state by showing its institutions as toothless paper tigers. But this is the government which sees no problem in letting its faithful undermine its own institutions, its police, its courts, to create an image of a sarkar that cannot guarantee the safety of a detainee or the press corps in a courthouse in the nations capital. Is this escalation surprising, given that the governments own minister has no problem calling the media presstitutes? Kanhaiya Kumar being escorted by police. The police in the nations capital has been reduced to the puppets of government who cannot move until their strings are pulled by the powers that be. We see the spectacle of Bhim Sain Bassi, the police commissioner of Delhi, apparently unfazed that his force has been rendered mute spectator to violence, day after day, in a courthouse. The police that showed alacrity in going to college hostels to round up anti-national students stood paralysed in a courthouse while media persons and a detainee were beaten up, their phones snatched. They formed a shield around Kanhaiya only after he had already been attacked. The police did nothing. That has been the enduring description about what the police did over the past couple of days in publication after publication. Thus we now have a new definition of police. Police (n): Mute spectator in uniform meant to stand and watch goons beat up anyone it deems anti-national elements e.g. student union leaders and presstitutes. Most often used with the phrase did nothing as in the Police did nothing. Advertisement The Prime Minister, as usual, is unfazed. He is tweeting on about soil health cards, Ramakrishna Paramhansa and birthday greetings for Sushma Swaraj-ji. Whats most telling is that unlike after Dadri and Rohith Vemulas suicide, there is not a huge clamour for the PM to speak up anymore. Its as if the nation has understood the PMs silence speaks louder than words. The O P Sharmas and Vikram Chauhans have certainly understood it loud and clear. Meanwhile Bassi who is set to retire soon has also added his own entry to our new and revised Indian English Dictionary, the Patiala courthouse edition. Jostling (n): Violence conducted in police presence involving punching, kicking, mobile phone snatching, heckling, abuse. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - SEPTEMBER 13: (L-R) AISA`s candidates Shehla Rashid Shora, Vice President, Rama Naga, General Secretary and AISFs Kanhaiya Kumar elected as President, pose during a photo call, at Jawaharlal Nehru University, on September 13, 2015 in New Delhi, India. RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) won a seat in Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) polls after 14 years. ABVP outshone its opponents by huge margins and swept the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections this year despite predictions of a tough four-corner fight. (Photo by Sanjeev Verma/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) Father of absconding Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader Umar Khalid alleged that his son was being targeted because he was a Muslim while Kanhaiya Kumar's mother slammed the attack on her son in the Patiala House Court premises and asked who would be responsible if her son died in custody. Umar Khalid, alleged to be the main organiser of the February 9 event in JNU where anti-national slogans were raised, also faces sedition charge. Advertisement Syed Qasim Ilyas (62), alleged his son was the victim of trial by media and described the reports of Khalid being a terrorist as wrong and mischievous. Ilyas said arrested student leader Kanhaiya Kumar and his son were being treated differently, adding he was hurt by the government's 'divide and rule policy'. Kumars mother accused the government of springing into action to arrest her son as soon as a complaint was filed against him, but failing to act against those who attacked him in the court. "What if he had died that day and it was proved later that he was innocent? Will the government give me my son back then,? she said. "I am not a terrorist's mother. I know it will be proved some day but until then if my son dies in custody, who will be responsible for it? They can call Kanhaiya a threat to nation but cannot protect him from other threats?," Devi added. Advertisement Devi is an Anganwadi worker who earns Rs 3,500 per month, while her 65-year-old husband who was a farmer has been bedridden for seven years due to paralysis. Kanhaiya was arrested Friday last in connection with a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy registered over the holding of an event at JNU against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. During the event, anti-India slogans were allegedly raised. Kumar was attacked while he was being produced at the court, before he was remanded in judicial custody by a metropolitan court till March 2. ASSOCIATED PRESS Jammu and Kashmir state Chief Minister Omar Abdullah addresses a press conference in Srinagar, India, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, could easily write a best-selling spy thriller. It was, after all, his little investigative work that alerted the media to a top secret meeting between BJP general secretary Ram Madhav and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti in Srinagar over government formation in the state which has been under Governor's Rule for over a month. Advertisement Here's what happened. Abdullah used his smartphone's flight-tracker app to infer that something was up between the two political parties. "Unscheduled flight VTJSG just landed in Srinagar after normal operation hours. Something is cooking with the PDP-BJP government formation," he tweeted. Unscheduled flight VTJSG just landed in Srinagar after normal operation hours. Something is cooking with the PDP-BJP government formation. Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) February 17, 2016 Even as he was tweeting, Madhav, who arrived in a chartered plane in Srinagar, was preparing to visit the residence of Mufti for a meeting to thrash out the terms of the coalition government. Madhav's visit was kept a closely-guarded secret. PTI reported that even the state leaders of BJP and senior leaders of the PDP were not aware of the meeting. Advertisement A smug Abdullah, thoroughly enjoying his handiwork, tweeted: Now we know who was in that chartered flight :) https://t.co/0YBqsa7EYo Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) February 17, 2016 "It's amazing what the occasional alert on a flight tracker app will produce. Next time fly under the radar," he tweeted to National Conference's state spokesperson, Junaid Azim Mattu. @Junaid_Mattu it's amazing what the occasional alert on a flight tracker app will produce. Next time fly under the radar :-) Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) February 17, 2016 Mattu also said that the CID was pulled out from the Srinagar Airport ahead of the arrival of Madhav. The Madhav - Mehbooba meeting was planned to be kept a secret. Hence the late evening flight. CID was pulled out from Airport. Alas exposed. Junaid Azim Mattu (@Junaid_Mattu) February 17, 2016 The marvels of modern technology! Abdullah, an enthusiastic tweeter, responded to a story that compared him to James Bond with "Neither shaken nor stirred!" :) neither shaken nor stirred though https://t.co/sdM21kn3SF Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) February 18, 2016 Also on HuffPost: Hindustan Times via Getty Images MUMBAI, INDIA - AUGUST 27: (FILE PHOTO) Indrani Mukherjea, founder of 9X Media with her husband former Star India CEO Peter Mukherjea at the launch of 9X channel at Colonial Hall on November 13, 2007 in Mumbai, India. So far, the Mumbai Police have arrested three people in connection with the Sheena Bora murder case of April 24, 2012. They are Sheena's mother Indrani Mukherjea, Indrani's former husband Sanjeev Khanna from Kolkata whom she married in 1993, and her driver Shyam Rai from Mumbai, with the possibility of more arrests not ruled out in the next few days. (Photo by Prodip Guha/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) Prime accused in Sheena Bora muder, Peter Mukerjea, has appealed to the Bombay High Court to consider stay on the upcoming film Dark Chocolate. The multilingual film (in English, Hindi, and Bengali) helmed by Agnidev Chatterjee is said to be inspired by the real-life incidents of the sensational murder case. According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, Shangom Das Gupta, Mukerjea's sister, had filed a petition in the Bombay High Court seeking a stay on the release of the movie as it might show him in an unfavourable light and thereby hamper his shot at a free and fair trial. Advertisement Senior counsel Venkatesh Dhond, appearing for Shangom, told a division bench of Justices S C Dharmadhikari and G S Patel that Peter could not file the petition himself as he is presently in jail, and hence the verification process could not be done. "We will initiate the process and include Peter as the second petitioner," Dhond said. According to the report, Chatterjee, who was present in the court, said, "Peter filed the petition based on what he gathered from social media and the only trailer we released a while ago. Yes, the film is inspired by the Sheena Bora murder case but has nothing to do with Peter's life. In fact, we finished the shooting before he was arrested. We started in September 2015 and were done by October end. Mukerjea was arrested sometime in November." "No one from the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) turned up at the hearing. They refuse to have anything to do with the matter till the film is submitted for certification. We have clarified that our film is inspired by real life events that are already in the public domain," Chatterjee added. Advertisement The court has asked the director and the producer company Macneill Engineering Studios not to release any further material or videos related to the movie on the Internet. "Other than what has been already released, nothing further should be released. We want to ensure that the accused Peter Mukerjea is not deprived of a fair opportunity to put forth his case before this court," the HC said. The bench has posted the petition for hearing after two weeks and asked the respondents to file their reply affidavits. Mumbai Mirror quoted Chatterjee as saying: "We'll be filing an affidavit countering Peter's claims before the second hearing, which is in two week's time." In the film, Mahima Chaudhary plays the role of Indrani Mukerjea and Riya Sen will be seen as the victim and Indrani's daughter Sheena Bora. Advertisement (With inputs from PTI) Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: Ex-officer was a churchgoer, family man. Police say he may be a serial rapist. The Allen family lived on the northwest side of Hutchinson, less than two miles from Rice Park, where several women said they were accosted. Illustrator Files Lawsuit Against Wu-Tang Clan, Martin Shkreli For Unauthorized Use Of Work Artist Jason Koza recently filed a lawsuit against clan member RZA, Tarik Azzougarh, (a rapper/manager/ producer affiliated with the group), and much be-loathed former pharma CEO Martin Shkreli, claiming that portraits which he illustrated were included with the one-off album/book which the Wu-Tang Clan recently released without Koza's authorization, however the suit's validity seems questionable. ______________________________________ Guest Post by Tim Cushing on Techdirt In the continually developing saga that is the Wu-Tang Clan's unexpected entanglement with the embodiment of everything that's wrong with the pharmaceutical industry, it is now apparently time for the bogus lawsuits to begin. Artist Jason Koza, a Wu-Tang Clan fan, is suing Tarik Azzougarh, a rapper, producer and manager "associated" with the group, along with one of its members (RZA) and pharma supervillain Martin Shkreli, last seen pleading the smirk in front of a Congressional hearing. Koza's story is as follows, in his own words, from his own filing [heavily edited for clarity and length]. (h/t The Hollywood Reader) Mr. Koza has long admired the music of the Wu-Tang Clan, and in late 2013 and early 2014, he rendered original portraits of nine members who recorded the groups first album. The nine portraits are titled: Ghostface Killa-Koza, GZA-Koza, Ol Dirty Bastard-Koza, Method Man-Koza, Masta Killa-Koza, Inspecta Deck-Koza, U- God-Koza, RZA-Koza, Raekwon-Koza (hereinafter the Wu-Tang Clan Portraits) In or around late 2013 or early 2014, Mr. Koza saw a solicitation on the WuDisciples.blogspot.com website stating as follows: Every Thursday we will be posting up pics of Wu-Tang artwork from fans, artists and aliens. If you have artwork you would like to share, please email us at: WuArtTats@gmail.com. Mr. Koza submitted digital images of his nine Wu-Tang Clan Portraits to the WuArtTats@gmail.com email address and the works were posted on the WuDisciples.blogspot.com website. The WuDisciples.blogspot.com did not display any language or disclaimer granting the website a license for submitted works. Mr. Koza did not grant an express license to the WuDisciples.blogspot.com for the use of his Wu-Tang Clan Portraits, although he intended that they be used for the limited purpose of public display on that website. Mr. Koza did not authorize the use of his Wu-Tang Clan Portraits outside of the implied license he granted for their display on the WuDisciples.blogspot.com. Upon information and belief, prior to 2014, Defendants Diggs and Azzougarh began work on a new Wu-Tang Clan album. [] Upon information and belief, in 2015, Mr. Diggs and Mr. Azzougarh completed production of a new Wu-Tang Clan album, which had been recorded secretly over the course of several years, titled Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. Upon information and belief, the album was sold with a leather-bound book containing, inter alia, unauthorized copies of all nine of Mr. Kozas Wu-Tang Clan Portraits. Upon information and belief, Mr. Diggs and Mr. Azzougarh made, or caused to be made, the unauthorized copies of Mr. Kozas Wu-Tang Clan Portraits that were included in the leather-bound book. Upon information and belief, in 2014 or 2015, Mr. Diggs and Mr. Azzougarh engaged New York-based online auction house Paddle8 as their agent to sell and/or distribute the Once Upon a Time in Shaolin album, including the leather-bound book that contains the infringing copies of Mr. Kozas artwork. This $2 million album, along with the book of artwork allegedly containing Koza's portraits, is now in former Turing Pharmaceutical head Martin Shkreli's possession. Koza may have a case against the unauthorized use of his work in the book sold to Shkreli. Nothing on the Wu-Tang fan site indicates Koza would have handed over his rights to his artwork by having it posted there. If those responsible for putting the book together used his work, then he may have a fairly solid infringement case. However, Koza did not register his artwork with the US Copyright Office until February 1st of this year, which is well past the point in time the infringement allegedly occurred. (The album was sold in 2015 and the book of artwork was compiled before the sale.) This may cut him out of the statutory damages he's seeking as these fees are only retroactive if the registration occurs within 90 days of publication. In his own recounting of the events, Koza indicates the first publication (at the Wu-Tang fansite) occurred sometime prior to April 8, 2014 the point at which he was contacted by Azzougarh about the "one copy album" he and RZA were putting together. Koza's copyright filings occurred nearly two years later. Despite Martin Shkreli doing nothing more than paying an exorbitant amount for an album packaged with a book of artwork he likely assumed was properly licensed, Koza wants to nail him for infringement as well. Upon information and belief, the album was unique in that only one copy was produced and Mr. Shkreli is contractually prohibited from distributing further copies commercially for 88 years following the sale. On January 29, 2016, Mr. Koza saw an article published by Vice.com that included photographs of the leather-bound book that was included with the album. The pictures in the article revealed that at least three of Mr. Kozas Wu- Tang Clan Portraits were reproduced in the book: Raekwon-Koza, Ol Dirty Bastard-Koza, and Inspecta Deck-Koza. Mr. Koza never gave his permission, express or implied, for any third party to copy, distribute, or publicly display copies of his works, other than his submission to the WuDisciples.blogspot.com website for the limited purpose of displaying the works thereon. The thing about purchased items is that "third parties" are mostly free to do what they want with their purchased goods, including displaying artwork they purchased. That this was "displayed" in an article at Vice.com does nothing to implicate Shkreli or Vice. Shkreli has the Right of First Sale and Vice.com has fair use even if Vice selected which pictures would be published. Koza's legal arguments in relation to this supposed infringement are pretty much nonsensical. Mr. Shkreli has infringed Mr. Kozas exclusive right of public display by permitting at least three of the nine Wu-Tang Clan Portraits to be displayed to the public in a news article without Mr. Kozas permission or license. Including "in a news article" in his claim pretty much guarantees Vice.com's fair use defense will work, if a judge even lets the case get as far as requiring a response from the website. As for Shkreli, he's done nothing wrong, which is probably the first time that's been said about him since his ascension into the public eye. Koza even tries to claim his truncated email exchange with Azzougarh combined with the fansite's nonexistent statement on who retains what rights to submitted artwork somehow coheres into a contract the defendants have violated. The facts alleged regarding Mr. Kozas submission of the nine Wu-Tang Clan Portraits to the WuDisciples.blogspot.com website and the subsequent communications between Mr. Koza and Mr. Azzougarh give rise to an implied-in-fact contract for a license from Mr. Koza for use the nine Wu-Tang Clan Portraits in the album in exchange for payment from Defendants. Once a judge reviews this mess of a lawsuit, it's very likely most of the defendants will be dismissed. On the sort of bright side, if the lawsuit makes it far enough, the exclusive book owned by Shkreli may be entered into evidence, giving Wu-Tang fans a chance to see at least nine pages of the multimillion dollar book. But as far as legal assertions go, Koza's are at least as shaky as anything delivered to date by Wu-Tang members unhappy with their album being in the possession of the Most Hated Man in America (Corporate Division). But at least when one of them does it, it's far more entertaining. Calling Shkreli "the man with the twelve-year-old body" beats "somebody owes me money probably" any day of the week. Update: We mistakenly identified Vice Magazine as a defendant in the law suit in our original headline. Vice has not been named as a defendant. Share on: Robo-advisors will not replace insurance brokers and agents even though online financial advice has grown. Insurance company Allianz says that both generation X and baby boomers like the human touch in dealings with their financial advisors including insurers with 69 per cent citing a lack of trust in online platforms. The Generations Apart study found that 76 per cent recognize that online insurance services are focused on selling rather than advice.Although around a third of respondents say they have some interest in using a robo-advisor only 10 per cent would be happy with that being their only relationship with their advisor.Chinese conglomerate Fosun has backed out of a planned acquisition of Israeli insurer Phoenix Holdings. Conditions for the U$462 million deal were not met to the satisfaction of the closing conditions or waivers in the agreement. The deal would have meant Fosun acquiring a controlling 52.31 per cent stake in the insurer.Employers expect the cost of employee benefits to increase in 2016. A survey by Wells Fargo Insurance Services found that 58 per cent of US employers expected costs to be above the Affordable Care Act Cadillac tax thresholds. The tax was due to be introduced in 2018 but has been delayed by two years.As they balance business goals with controlling cost, employers are also exploring additional changes to their plans to avoid the Cadillac Tax, said Dan Gowen, national practice leader with Wells Fargo Insurances Employee Benefits National Practice. The rapidly changing market and delay in the tax implementation provides another opportunity for employers to be creative as they continue to refine their benefit plans.Half of the employers in the study said they will continue to make changes to their plans either this year or in 2017 by adding a high deductible plan option (52 per cent), increasing the employee contribution percentage (56 per cent), or increasing co-insurance features (55 per cent). West Virginia: A 202% increase for people with poor credit, versus people with excellent credit Washington, D.C.: A 185% increase Ohio: 185% Montana: 179% Montana: A 66% increase Washington, D.C.: 61% Texas: 55% Its no secret that poor borrowing habits can come back to haunt you in the form of higher auto insurance rates. What many may not know, however, is that a low credit score has just as much of an impact on the price of a homeowners policy.According to a new report from insuranceQuotes.com, the controversial rating factor can result in homeowners premiums of roughly 100% more for people with poor credit as opposed to people with excellent credit. Even those with median credit fall short, paying 32% more to insure their homes.And this trend is only growing, says site analyst Laura Adams.In most states, insurers are putting more emphasis on credit scores this year. The impact of a poor credit score is higher now than it was last year in 29 states and Washington, D.C., said Adams, senior analyst from insuranceQuotes.com. Its more important than ever for people to maintain a solid credit rating by paying their bills on time, keeping their balances low and correcting errors on their credit reports.According to data, people with poor credit pay the most in the following four US states:Meanwhile, the greatest differences between excellent and median credit were observed in:In California, Massachusetts and Maryland, insurers are barred from considering homeowners credit scores when pricing policies. Insurers operating in Florida are allowed to use the rating factor, but analysis shows credit score does not materially impact premium pricing.Using credit score as a basis for assessing risk has drawn criticism from consumer advocates, but insurance companies say there is a strong connection between credit scores and claims.Speaking on auto insurance pricing models, James Lynch, an actuary with the Insurance Information Institute, said:Insurance companies dont pull these variables out of the hat. They look very closely to see what variables will reflect their likelihood to have accidents and adjust rates accordingly.And while it may seem cold and calculated to charge a person already struggling more money for an insurance policy, Lynch said historical data demonstrates that loss and poor borrowing often go hand in hand. Vermont Drug Sweep Nets Two North Adams Women RUTLAND, Vt. Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies made a massive drug sweep in southwestern Vermont on Tuesday that has resulted in 20 arrests so far, including two North Adams, Mass., women. One individual is still being sought and 10 more defendants are facing federal drug charges and will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office as a result of arrests that took place during the past several weeks. Arrested were Cassie Morse, 26, and Shari Perras, 24, both of North Adams, both of whom are facing heroin charges. All of these arrests were the culmination of enforcement efforts over the past year, specifically targeting those individuals involved in the distribution of illicit drugs. Drug enforcement efforts continue to focus on the heroin/opiate epidemic and distribution networks operating in Vermont communities. The arrests were announced on Wednesday morning at a press conference in Rutland. "These arrests involved people coming to Vermont from out of state and bringing heroin, and bringing crack but they also involve the local infrastructure that facilitates the sale of drugs in Vermont," said U.S. Attorney for Vermont Eric Miller at Wednesday's briefing. "Unless we continue to go after both of those groups, we're not going to be effective in combating this crisis." Dozens of arrests have been made in the past 18 months of Vermonters and out-of-staters, mostly from Brooklyn, N.Y., he said, that have affected a loose organization of drug distribution. "We think we made a significant dent in the organizations through these joint efforts," Miller said. The Vermont Drug Task Force has worked collaboratively with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Agency, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and local and county law enforcement agencies in southwestern Vermont to include state and federal prosecutors. Arraignments will be held in the Bennington County Superior Court on Feb. 29 at 1 p.m and Rutland County Superior Court on March 7 at 1 p.m. Chelsea Hill, 24 of Rutland, and Sherrie Fitzgerald, 52 of Rutland, will be arraigned at Rutland County Superior Court, Criminal Division on Feb. 19, at 1 p.m. Charges listed below are single counts unless otherwise indicated: State Defendants Colleen M. Keefe , 43: sale of cocaine , 43: sale of cocaine Robert S. Grady , 34: sale of heroin, three counts , 34: sale of heroin, three counts Timothy B. Euber , 38: sale of heroin , 38: sale of heroin Casey Clifford , 22: sale of heroin, two counts; sale of fentanyl , 22: sale of heroin, two counts; sale of fentanyl Anthony Courcelle , 21: sale of heroin , 21: sale of heroin Daniel Pyne , 30: sale of regulated drug (oxycodone) , 30: sale of regulated drug (oxycodone) Jerry Crandall , 46: sale of cocaine, sale of regulated drug (oxycodone) , 46: sale of cocaine, sale of regulated drug (oxycodone) Cassie Morse , 26: sale of heroin, two counts , 26: sale of heroin, two counts Candi Peters , 36: sale of heroin, two counts , 36: sale of heroin, two counts Shari Perras , 24: sale of heroin , 24: sale of heroin Andrew Onorato , 31: sale of heroin, two counts , 31: sale of heroin, two counts Chelsea Hill , 24: sale of heroin, two counts; conspiracy , 24: sale of heroin, two counts; conspiracy Sheri Fitzgerald , 52: sale of heroin, conspiracy , 52: sale of heroin, conspiracy Spencer Mumford , 23: sale of heroin , 23: sale of heroin Kevin Scully , 25: sale of cocaine , 25: sale of cocaine Felicia Ackley , 28: sale of cocaine, two counts , 28: sale of cocaine, two counts Christopher Nadeau , 26: sale of heroin , 26: sale of heroin William Manfredi , 36: sale of heroin , 36: sale of heroin Carlos Vasquez , 42: heroin trafficking, heroin transportation and conspiracy , 42: heroin trafficking, heroin transportation and conspiracy John Mason, 33: sale of heroin Wanted Richard Winnie, 42: sale heroin Federal Arrests Kevin Williams (aka Cap, Capone), 42: sale of heroin, three counts Jason Tiraboschi, 27: possession of a firearm Amanda Gibbons, 31, arrested 12/31/15, Indicted 1/7/16, charged with three counts of distribution of heroin, each count carrying potential maximum sentence of 20 years. Patrick Lorenzo, 33, arrested 1/12/16, Indicted 1/20/16, charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, carrying potential maximum sentence of 20 years. Candace Alberti, 33, arrested 1/19/16, indicted on 2/3/16 charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin, carrying potential maximum sentence of 20 years. Russell Gaspar, 32, arrested 1/19/16, indicted on 2/3/16 charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin, carrying potential maximum sentence of 20 years. Mark McGinnis, 37, arrested 1/21/16, indicted, 2/11/16 charged with distribution of heroin, carrying potential maximum sentence of 20 years. Jaiden Paige, 35, arrested 2/1/16, indicted 2/11/16, charged with distribution of heroin, carrying potential maximum sentence of 20 years. Jennifer Webster, 26, arrested 2/1/16, indicted 2/11/16, charged with distribution of heroin, carrying potential maximum sentence of 20 years. Kwasi Asante, 57, arrested 2/1/16, indicted 2/11/16, charged with distribution of heroin, carrying potential maximum sentence of 20 years. 'Goldberger in Oscarland': Digging Deep for the Winners I peered out my window. It was Oscar picking time. But no help seemed forthcoming. Over the years I've depended on the kindness of strangers to help make my selections. Last year the politically innocent squirrels who call my backyard home (a fat bunch since named The Goldberger Squirrels) made the treacherous journey across an angrily blockaded George Washington Bridge to deliver a packet containing the "winners" names. Previous years saw me kidnapped by aliens and spirited away to their planet where, Elvis, alive and in exile, supplied the cherished picks, graciously served up with a peanut butter and banana sandwich. However, with no such succor made available this go-round, it was apparent I'd have to take things into my own hands. But how is that done? I decided that wandering aimlessly, apparently the strategy this year of those presidential hopefuls on the wrong side of the aisle, might be the, er, right course of action. Thus I took to the streets which, strangely enough, all seemed to begin looking like Paris on a rainy night ... in the late 1800s. I looked at the store signs, you know, Boulangerie, a lot that ended with et Fils, but none that said "Oscar Picks." This wasn't going to be easy. Seeking sustenance to bolster me in my quest, I sidled up to a hot dog vendor sited under a streetlamp. He greeted me with a brusque, "You're late!" "Huh? Do I know you? I'm looking for ..." "Mais oui, Le Oscars. Je sais." "Is it actually masculine? Le Oscars?" To that, he edified, "It's probably Les Oscarsy'know, plural." "It's not a collective noun?" "I don't know, pal ... I'm not really French. I just took this gig in your imagination to help support me until I could find work in a more important person's illusions. So here, eat this hot dog, and then go down that manhole. I'll help you lift the cover." I ate the dog ... a surprisingly good, all-beef, perfectly boiled dirty water variety, topped with mustard, sauerkraut and sweet relish. If only the bun had been toasted. Smacking my lips, I queried, "Manhole? Will I find the Oscar picks down there? What's down there?" "I don't know, this is all they told me. But hey, sewers of Paris, whadda yuh think is down there? I'd guess Druids, trolls and the like ... probably real big rats ... maybe some godforsaken, unthinkably frightening mutant forms, but, hopefully, also, at the end of it all, some beautiful vision, kind of like Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, but modernized to look like Heidi Klum. I'd guess she'll tell you the winner of Best Motion Picture. Either that, or, you'll just get mangled, bitten and ultimately eaten. I mean, what are you doing going down a manhole anyway? Just make something up. Who cares who wins? Save yourself. Who'll know that you just guessed the winners?" Invoking my best Gary Cooper, I answered, "I'll know." I thanked Pierre and, to show my appreciation, bought a souvenir beret, kind of nice, magenta-colored, that said, "Pierre's Imaginary Hot Dog Cart - like us on Facebook." Descending into the bowels (yecch) of the sewer, I noticed a sign with an arrow pointing to the direction of the "Service Desk." I walked over to where a teen-aged girl with pink hair was busily texting on her phone. Clearing my throat, I interrupted with "scuse me, 'scuse me." Finally aware of my presence, obviously miffed, barely looking at me, she perfunctorily handed me a map that read, Sewer Guide to the Oscars, and said, "That's $12.50, $5 extra for a tetanus booster, $3 more for a typhoid shot. Want either?" I said I'd just like the map, but remarked that the prices for the vaccinations seemed quite reasonable. "Yeah, they're a lot cheaper since Obamacare. A lot of people just come down here for that, don't even bother with the Oscars," she informed and, after I thanked her, robotically responded with "No problem." I had hoped for at least an "awesome" to send me on my adventure. Four More Shots Please S3 Review: This Old Wine In New Bottle Doesn't Get You Drunk As Easily Anymore Press Release: The IMFs Regional Technical Assistance Center South Supports Strengthening Coordinated Border Management Press Release No. 16/65 February 18, 2016 On February 1519, 2016, AFRITAC South held a seminar at the Africa Training Institute in Mauritius on improving compliance of indirect taxes and coordinated border management (CBM). The event brought together senior customs officials from revenue administrations from Angola, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. International experts shared with participants their knowledge and country experience of implementing CBM. Guest speakers included the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Mauritius Revenue Authority, and the Mauritius Ministry of Agro-industry and Food Security. Mr. Lal, Commissioner General of the Mauritius Revenue Authority, noted that CBM brings a host of benefits to the government, to individual border agencies as well as to stakeholders at the borders. CBM is a global customs initiative to improve the flow of trade across borders and is strongly supported by the World Customs Organization. It is a key program for maximizing revenues, improving trade facilitation, and ensuring the security and safety of citizens. There are many challenges to governments worldwide in progressing this objective especially in mainland Africa where the borders are large, numerous, often porous, and difficult to monitor at all times. Participants shared their experiences and exchanged knowledge in the compliance of indirect taxation, in particular in relation to customs working with other Border Control Agencies in the inspection of cargo, documents and collection of various taxes, duties, fees and service charges. Through effective peer learning, the seminar promoted the importance of CBM in the region, complemented ongoing regional integration programs, and each country developed a draft national strategy and action plan. Imperial Valley News Center US Navy Aircraft Showcase Capabilities, Promote Regional Partnerships during Singapore Air Show Changi, Singapore - U.S. Navy aircraft are participating in the Singapore International Airshow February 16-21 held at the renowned Changi National Exhibition Center in Changi, Singapore. Crews from the Navy's P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and two F/A-18E/F Super Hornets joined aircrews from the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marines for the weeklong exhibition. The Navy aircraft are forward deployed to the Indo-Asia-Pacific as part of the U.S. 7th Fleet and have routine presence across the region. Singapore's biennial airshow provides an ideal forum for naval aviators and crews to engage with their U.S. counterparts along with aircrews from allied and partner nations from across the region and the world. "This year's air show really is a sight to see," said Naval Aircrewman 1st Class Phillip Weisner. "Everyone worked really hard to make this possible and to have everything ready in time. We are really excited to showcase U.S. Naval Aviation alongside our Air Force and Marine counterparts." The Singapore airshow occurs every two years and is the largest defense exhibition and international tradeshow in the Pacific region. This year's exhibition is the 5th Singapore International Airshow since its inception in 1996. The Navy teams also hosted a visit by Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, and other senior leaders during their flightline exhibition. The engagements provided the crews with opportunities to familiarize senior leaders with current operations and the capabilities of their aircraft. "It's been a really interesting experience coming here to Singapore," said Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Holly Tyler. "We helped with the setup and now we're answering questions from our senior leaders and counterparts from nations across the world. I'm very proud to be representing the U.S. Navy during the Singapore airshow." U.S. Navy participation in airshows helps demonstrate America's commitment to the peace and security of the Indo-Asia-Pacific region while fostering enduring relationships with international audiences and partner militaries. The U.S. 7th Fleet conducts forward-deployed maritime operations in support of U.S. national interests in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. As the U.S. Navy's largest numbered fleet, the U.S. 7th Fleet interacts with 36 nations across the region to build security partnerships that foster maritime stability. Imperial Valley News Center ICE partners with Europol to combat financial crime The Hague - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Executive Associate Director Peter T. Edge and Europol Director Rob Wainwright signed an agreement formalizing HSIs membership in Europols Focal Point (FP) Sustrans, which targets organized crime networks involved in money laundering. HSI plays a key role in combating cross-border crime and is a leader in the global fight against transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) that exploit legitimate travel, trade and financial systems for illicit purposes. HSI pursues intelligence-driven investigations that focus on identifying the methods by which TCOs move, store, and attempt to legitimize illicit proceeds through money laundering, bulk currency smuggling, and other financial and trade-related crimes. Simply put, when we follow the money, we find criminals. Some criminal enterprises focus on smuggling and cybercrime, others drugs and arms trafficking, but all of them - including those engaged in terrorism finance - try to manipulate financial systems for their gain, which is another avenue we can use to disrupt and dismantle their operations, said Edge. Todays signing signals HSIs commitment to the international cooperation that is crucial to law enforcement success in this arena. HSIs membership in FP Sustrans brings new capabilities and expanded reach to Europols fight against terrorist and criminal financial networks. HSIs broad statutory authority and rich subject matter expertise have already contributed significantly to Europols response to migrant smuggling and to the November 13, 2015, terrorist attacks in Paris. Todays signing further strengthens information sharing and collaboration with Europol and law enforcement agencies throughout Europe to defeat illicit trade, travel and financial networks that threaten global security. Wainwright underlined the added value the agreement brings to Europols endeavors stating, In this technological era, nations around the world cannot tackle criminality on their own. Money laundering is a complex and relentless offense which requires a concerted international response. I am therefore delighted to see such an important partner join our continued efforts to build a borderless law enforcement community. In addition to FP Sustrans, HSI belongs to FP Checkpoint, Europols network devoted to combating human smuggling networks and participates in the Joint Operations Team Mare, an initiative focused on countering irregular migration in the Mediterranean. Fresno Workshop Examines Feasibility of Natural Gas-Powered Off-Road Vehicles Sacramento, California - The California Energy Commission will host a public workshop in Fresno, Feb. 22 to gather comments on the development of natural gas engine technologies for off-road vehicles. The workshops will provide insight on the current off-road vehicle market, advanced technology needs and the market potential for natural gas-powered off-road vehicles. Two of the state's most severely polluted regions are the San Joaquin Valley and the South Coast Air Basins, and off-road vehicles are one of the largest sources of NOx emissions in those areas. Later this year, the Energy Commission will release a grant solicitation aimed at developing and demonstrating cleaner engine technologies. A workshop on the feasibility of natural gas engines and engine technologies for off-road vehicles. San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control Districts Fresno Office, 1990 E. Gettysburg Ave., Fresno The workshop can be viewed remotely at the Districts Bakersfield office, 34946 Flyover Court; and its Modesto office, 4800 Enterprise Way. The workshop can be viewed remotely at the Districts Bakersfield office, 34946 Flyover Court; and its Modesto office, 4800 Enterprise Way. Monday, Feb. 22, 2 to 4 p.m. Representatives from the Energy Commission, the off-road vehicle industry and the off-road vehicle community. More information and instructions for participating remotely can be found in the workshop notice. Wells Fargo tp present $55,000 to two nonprofit Imperial Valley Calexico, California - Congressman Juan Vargas (CA-51) will join Wells Fargos San Diego area President, Ernesto Arredondo, to unveil a new full-service ATM in Calexico. Wells Fargo will also be presenting a total of $55,000 to two nonprofit Imperial Valley organizations. Congressman Vargas will be available for interviews following the event. Thursday, February 18th - 11:00 AM Program Begins - 12:00 PM End of Ceremony/ One-on-One Interviews. Wells Fargo - 250 E. 4th Street - Calexico, California Congressman Juan Vargas (CA-51) Ricardo Ortega, Executive Director, Neighborhood House of Calexico Elizabeth Schott, CEO, ACCION Ernesto Arredondo, San Diego President Wells Fargo Christina La Page, District Manager Wells Fargo Wells Fargo will unveil a new ATM at its Calexico banking location and award grants to Neighborhood House of Calexico and ACCION in support of small business development and financial education. Vargas represents Californias 51st Congressional District which includes the southern portion of San Diego County, all of Imperial County and Californias entire US/Mexico border. Vargas was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012 and is currently serving his second term in Congress. He represented the 40th California State Senate District from 2010-2012, the 79th California State Assembly District from 2000 2006 and served on the San Diego City Council from 1993 2000. Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.8 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through 8,700 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 30 on Fortunes 2015 rankings of Americas largest corporations. Wells Fargos vision is to satisfy our customers financial needs and help them succeed financially. Ambassador Catherine Russell Hosts Forum on Sexual Violence in Conflict Washington, DC - Ambassador-at-Large for Global Womens Issues Catherine Russell will convene experts, practitioners, and policymakers for Women and Foreign Policy: Is Everything We Know About Wartime Rape Wrong? at the Department of State February 19 from 9:30 11:00 a.m. The program will include a panel discussion that questions assumptions about sexual violence in conflict, particularly in the context of broader conflict prevention efforts. As panelists, Professor Dara Kay Cohen and Professor Fionnuala Ni Aolain will discuss their own research in these fields.The event will also feature scenes from the film Weapon of War: Confessions of Rape in Congo . This is the third event in a series of forums hosted by Ambassador Russell. The Women and Foreign Policy series looks at the relationship between gender inequality and foreign policy, with a focus on solutions and best practices. Shedding Light on Dark Matter with SQUIDs Seattle, Washington - Perhaps fortunately, most folks havent noticed that 85% of the Milky Way is missing: The kind of familiar, ordinary matter we know made up of protons, neutrons, electrons, and their kin amounts to barely one-sixth of the total mass of our galaxy and others, according to repeated astronomical observations. Wheres the rest? NIST is once again helping to look for it this time in Seattle, where an ambitious search effort depends critically on a set of ultra-sensitive sensors provided by NISTs Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML). Whatever it is, the missing mass is in some form that doesnt absorb or emit light and thus cant be seen by telescopes. So it is called dark matter, and is presumed to surround and pervade the galaxy like an invisible halo, flowing through everything and everybody all the time. For decades, scientists have been searching for various theorized entities that might fill the bill with no conclusive evidence to date. One leading prospect is WIMPs: weakly interacting massive particles. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are funding two WIMP hunts in North America using deep-underground detectors for which PML provided essential elements in the form of SQUIDs (superconducting quantum interference devices), which are exquisitely responsive sensors and can serve as amplifiers of signals from photon detectors. But DOE and NSF are also supporting pursuit of another hypothetical particle: the axion. This exotic contender was first postulated in the 1970s as a way to account for a nagging theoretical problem in nuclear physics, but also turns out to have the right characteristics to be a dark matter candidate if it exists and can be detected. Thats the mission of the Axion Dark Matter Experiment (ADMX), a multi-institution collaboration based at the University of Washington. It too relies on PMLs long-standing expertise in fabricating SQUIDs for special purposes. ADMX operates on the theory that once in a while an axion will reveal itself because when it is in a magnetic field and excited by radio waves at the precise frequency that corresponds to the particles mass, the axion will decay into extremely faint microwave photons. "Could your cell phone get four bars on Mars? With help from NIST, it probably could." Leslie Rosenberg, ADMX dark matter search collaboration, on the sensitivity of NIST SQUIDs The experiment features a hollow meter-high cylindrical cavity, kept much colder than liquid helium, inside an 8 tesla magnetic field. The interior of the cavity has adjustable tuning rods that incrementally change the resonant frequency in the cavity. The idea is to sweep across a range of frequencies until they hit exactly the right one that prompts the axion decay. The resulting microwave photons should be measurable. Just barely. Thats why researchers called on NIST to fabricate a special set of SQUIDs. "PML's expertise and facilities for fabricating SQUIDs that have world-leading performance specifications enable NIST and collaborators to make unprecedented measurements of low-level signals, says Robert Hickernell, Chief of PMLs Quantum Electromagnetics Division. The axion could have a mass as small as one-trillionth the mass of an electron, and the power it releases in the chamber is projected to be around a yoctowatt: a trillionth of a trillionth of a watt (10-24 W). Detecting that requires some device that can not only register the vanishingly small signal, but amplify it without adding noise. One frequently used amplifier for this kind of work is the high electron-mobility transistor (HEMT). But high-performance HEMTs have noise temperatures of about four or five kelvin, says veteran nanofabricator Gene Hilton of PMLs Quantum Electromagnetics Division, who recently made the ADMX SQUIDs and, among other accomplishments, made the SQUIDs used in the widely heralded BICEP2 cosmological observations. Our best is around 100 microkelvin. Thats the kind of performance that allows scientists to do the experiment in a few years instead of a few centuries. ADMX collaboration leader Leslie Rosenberg explains: Every amplifier introduces noise, and this noise interferes with the desired signal. It happens that quantum mechanics sets a lower limit to amplifier noise. Regular transistors, ubiquitous in electronics, are far from reaching that quantum limit. But NISTs SQUIDs can. In general, the time it takes a receiver to detect a signal scales as the square of the noise. NISTs SQUIDs have noise levels 100 times lower that HEMTs, so the time it takes to detect a signal is thereby reduced by around 10,000. Without the NIST SQUIDs, this experiment and others would not be possible. Secretary of State John Kerry's Call With Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry called Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu today to express his deep condolences for the death of Turkish military personnel and civilians in yesterdays heinous terrorist attack in downtown Ankara. The Secretary reiterated the steadfast commitment of the United States to our partnership with our NATO Ally Turkey in the shared fight against terrorism. They also discussed the latest developments in Syria, including ongoing efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance and achieve a cessation of hostilities in Syria, and the focus on degrading and destroying ISIL. A multi-pronged approach is required to tackle antibiotic resistance, including the development of a rapid, point-of-care test for bacterial infections. Speaking after the RCPIs Faculty of Pathology Annual Symposium, Consultant Microbiologist at Beaumont Hospital Dr Fidelma Fitzpatrick told Irish Medical Times all sectors, including medical, veterinarian, agricultural and horticultural, needed to be on the same page if antibiotic resistance was to be reduced. We do need a more joined-up approach. Antibiotics are used in more than just medicine. Antibiotics are used in veterinary medicine, in agriculture; they are also used in horticulture. You have got antimicrobials in a lot of disinfectants we use. They are also used in fish farms, said the senior lecturer with the RSCI. Improved diagnostic tools are also required by doctors. She said they were often still relying on specimens to grow in laboratories for a day or two before a definite diagnosis could be made. Dr Fitzpatrick, who was the first National Clinical Lead for the prevention of healthcare-associated infection and antimicrobial resistance from 2010-2014, said: What we really want is a test, that I can go down to the emergency department and sit beside you and that test tells me, do you have a bacterial infection, what is the bug, and more importantly what antibiotic should I use. She said there was currently a 10 million (12.9m) Longitude Prize and a 1 million Horizon Prize up for grabs to develop such a test. Better, coordinated data collection was also needed. The Danish have a system of surveillance called DenMap, which links human, animal and food chain antibiotic use and resistance data. Dr Fitzpatrick said this was a system Ireland should strive towards implementing. Scientists and doctors, and doctors from different specialties, need to start talking much more closely to share information and that is how you get the best of science to patients fast, she said. niamh.mullen@imt.ie The RCPI Policy Group on Obesity is hopeful that the next government will introduce a sugar tax on soft drinks. Group Co-chair Prof Donal OShea said it was huge progress that political parties had included the measure in their election manifestos. Fine Gael is proposing adding a 10 cent tax to a can of soft drink, while Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein have also pledged to introduce a sugar tax. After the RCPIs Faculty of Pathology Annual Symposium last week, Prof OShea told IMT the introduction of a 10 per cent tax on sugar sweetened drinks in Mexico had reduced sales by 12 per cent. He was confident a tax would be introduced during the next term of government and the RCPI would continue to promote the message that obesity must be prevented. niamh.mullen@imt.ie The Member of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (MRCPI) General Medicine Clinical Exam has taken place, with the Written Exam Part 1 using Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for the first time. This marks a new chapter for the RCPI as an innovative leader in medical training. The CBT Exam ran simultaneously in Dublin, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), India (Kolkata), and Oman (Muscat). This is the first time that CBT has been used in postgraduate medical training examinations in Ireland, the College said. The CBT model provides a safer and more secure method of testing; it also reduces marking time and increases confidence amongst candidates. Meanwhile, an RCPI delegation has just returned from a visit week-long visit to the Colleges Indian Chapter in Kolkata. RCPI President Prof Frank Murray was joined by Vice President of Global Affairs Dr Len OHagan, Lead Clinical Adviser for India Dr Geoff Chadwick, Prof Declan Sugrue, Dr Lucy-Ann Behan, Sinead Freeman, RCPI Examinations Manager, and Martin McCormack, RCPI Head of Operations, on the recent trip. The delegation hosted a Chapter meeting in Kolkata, meetings with various organisations and other education providers, and visited the Irish Consulate in New Delhi. They also attended the International Master Class 2016, organised by the Indian Chapter, RCPI, in partnership with the Association of Physicians of India, which took place in Kolkata on January 24. The events scientific programme focused on chronic conditions such as diabetes, COPD and cardiac disease, and provided updates and discussion around adult vaccination and brain injuries. A highlight of the trip was the very first Indian Fellowship Ceremony, at which eight Fellows were admitted to the College. lloyd.mudiwa@imt.ie Viral Video Shows Cargo Train Running Through Huge Flames After A Truck Crashed Into It in Mexico Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Batman has been played by umpteen actors on the big screen - from Adam West to Val Kilmer - with Ben Affleck set to play the iconic superhero in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It hasnt been that long since we last saw The Dark Knight at the cinema, Christian Bale having played Batman in Christopher Nolans trilogy of films, and George Clooney taking on the role in 1997s atrocious Batman & Robin. On Good Morning America, Affleck revealed he had gone to both actors for advice on the role, asking for pointers on donning the iconic black suit. "I talked to Christian, who just told me to make sure I got a zipper in the suit, which was valuable, practical advice as it turned out, he told the talk show hosts (via DenOfGeek). Batman v Superman picture preview Show all 5 1 /5 Batman v Superman picture preview Batman v Superman picture preview Batman v Superman Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) in a James Bond-esque scene Warner Bros Batman v Superman picture preview Batman v Superman Henry Cavill plays an invincible looking Superman Warner Bros Batman v Superman picture preview Batman v Superman Jesse Eisenberg plays a rather ill looking Lex Luthor Warner Bros Batman v Superman picture preview Batman v Superman Jesse Eisenberg plays a rather ill looking Lex Luthor Warner Bros Batman v Superman picture preview Batman v Superman The Dark Knight rises? Warner Bros Meanwhile, Clooney apparently "gave [him] some advice which is not repeatable. He may very well be referring to the Batnipples, but we wont find out anytime soon for sure. In other Batman v Superman news, it is looking increasingly likely that Jena Malone will play a pretty big character in the already packed superhero flick. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} It seems an upcoming play, theme park and spin-off film clearly isnt enough for Harry Potter fans. Warner Bros has announced that it will be offering new experiences of the original movies by screening them complete with live orchestras. Thats right, Harry Potter is going on tour, with a symphony orchestra performing the full score while audiences enjoy the film on a 40-foot high definition screen. Naturally, first movie Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone will be the first, followed by additional tours focusing on the sequels. Justin Freer, president of CineConcerts, the company teaming up with Warner Bros, told Variety that the original dialogue and sound effects from the films will be kept intact. All the music is pulled out of the film so thats one of the interesting challenges - mixing the live music against the dialogue and the effects, he said. The premiere is scheduled for 23 June at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, with the Philadelphia Orchestra set to take part. Freer hopes that the subsequent tour will help expose younger generations to orchestral music when they may not otherwise go and experience it live. Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Eurovision Song Contest has announced its biggest voting overhaul yet in an effort to keep suspense running high until results from all 43 competing countries have been presented. In past years, results from professional juries and viewers have been delivered as a combined score but from 2016, they will be split into two separate sets of points from 1 to 8,10 and 12. Only the jury points will be read out by each countrys representative, with the televoting points kept secret until the scores are combined at the end of the night and read out in reverse order for a dramatic finish. In some contests, the winner has been known for up to 20 minutes before voting ends as no other act has been able to catch up. Bosses hope to inject some TV magic into proceedings by shaking up how the scores are revealed. Strange sights at Eurovision Show all 14 1 /14 Strange sights at Eurovision Strange sights at Eurovision 171463.bin Getty Strange sights at Eurovision 171811.bin Getty Strange sights at Eurovision 171810.bin EPA Strange sights at Eurovision 171809.bin EPA Strange sights at Eurovision 171808.bin EPA Strange sights at Eurovision 171806.bin EPA Strange sights at Eurovision 171805.bin EPA Strange sights at Eurovision 171804.bin EPA Strange sights at Eurovision 171824.bin Reuters Strange sights at Eurovision 171825.bin EPA Strange sights at Eurovision 171827.bin Reuters Strange sights at Eurovision 171828.bin Reuters Strange sights at Eurovision 171829.bin Reuters Strange sights at Eurovision 171831.bin Getty Jon Ola Sand, executive supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest said: This new way of presenting the votes is a big step forward, both to make a better television show as well as a more exciting competition. There is more reason than ever to vote in the Eurovision Song Contest. The new voting format guarantees that the song which is most popular among the public will receive twelve points regardless of how the juries voted. It is fitting that this change to the contests iconic scoring sequence will be debuted in Stockholm, where the famous douze points system was introduced in 1975. The Eurovision final takes place in Stockholm on Saturday 14 May. Start stocking up on Bucks fizz and rainbow wigs. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Apple Stores could be filled with protestors next week as they flood in to support Apple in its fight with the US government. The FBI has asked the company to hack into its iPhones so that it can read information on the handset owned by one of the San Bernardino killers. The company has refused, on the basis that weakening security in one case would be a dangerous precedent that could lead to intrusions on privacy. The protest group intends to hold events in Apple Stores, apparently to show its solidarity with the company. Our basic safety and security is at stake! the protestors wrote. On Tuesday, February 23rd we will gather at Apple stores nationwide with two simple messages: Dont Break Our Phones! and Secure Phones Save Lives! We're not protesting Apple, they are fighting back against this too. We're protesting the government's dangerous attempt to undermine our security by demanding a backdoor. All of the currently listed cities are in the US. But the organisers make clear that anyone can set up an event and have it listed on the page. The group also says that anyone can simply show up at the most central Apple store if they want to take part, even if no officially-organised protest is taking place. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty All of the events will be held at 5.30pm local time on 23 February. They are being held at cities including New York, San Francisco and Palo Alto. The protestors say that they will give everyone a tool that can be used to turn their devices into a sign that can be held at the veent. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The huge demand for a $4 smartphone, probably the cheapest ever made, appears to have broken the company's website. The Freedom 251, made by Ringing Bells, was revealed this week as an attempt to make a super-cheap phone and sell it to people in India. But the plan has already been hit by huge problems, including a broken website and questions over how it manages to make its products so cheaply. The site went down becuase of the "enormous response", according to a note on the website while it was taken down. The company said that the site was receiving a huge amount of traffic and that it was being taken down so that the infrastructure could be upgraded. Those who managed to get onto the website complained that buying the phone was still difficult. A Times of India journalist described how the site "kept on refreshing" and wouldn't allow users to purchase the phones. The website issues came as some queried how exactly the phone can be sold so cheaply. The company's executives have claimed that it will benefit from economies of scale by selling huge numbers of the handsets. But others have suggested that the phone is also being subsidised by the Indian government. It comes pre-loaded with a number of apps made in India, but no deal has been officially announced. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty Such a deal might recall Facebook's "Free Basics" service, which gave out internet access to people in the country but only for a selection of apps. It was widely criticised and then banned, following accusations that it hurt the principle of net neutrality, whereby all internet traffic should be treated equally. Orders for the phone opened on the morning of 18 February, and will run untl 21 February. The company requires that all customers buy the phone through its website, which may prove a difficulty since the smartphone is intended to open up the internet for its customers. Ringing Bells has said that offline orders are expected to begin sometime after the end of June. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} In a small, hot room within a compound in Tanzania's southern highlands are three white-clad technicians, a glass-and-metal chamber and a rat named Charles. After being gently dropped into the chamber, Charles aims his snout at the first of a series of 10 sliding metal plates in the base. A technician swiftly opens it, revealing a small hole. Charles sniffs and moves on. The hole is closed, and the next one opened. This time, he sniffs hard, scratching at the metal. The technician calls out: "Two!" Over by the window, a colleague holding a chart inserts a tick. It's highly possible that Charles has just saved someone's life. Charles is an African giant pouched rat, a species endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. He's also a pioneer, one of 30 of his species that live and work in Morogoro, a few hundred miles west of Tanzania's largest city, Dar es Salaam, on a programme to sniff out tuberculosis (TB). TB is a disease that can destroy the lungs. About nine million new cases are diagnosed worldwide every year, one-quarter of them in Africa. Antibiotics can cure TB, but it's fatal if untreated, and many patients are never diagnosed. This is partly because the 125-year-old microscope-based test used across Tanzania (and in many other cash-strapped countries) picks up only about 60 per cent of cases, a figure that drops as low as 20 per cent for people also infected with HIV. This is where Charles comes in. He and his fellow rats sniff cough-and-spit samples provided by suspected TB patients. The rats aren't infallible, but they do detect about 70 per cent of cases, and it doesn't matter to them if a patient has HIV which matters a great deal in Tanzania, where about four in every 10 people with TB are HIV positive. This particular morning Charles has sniffed 100 samples, missing one that has been identified as positive by the public clinic but identifying 12 new suspected cases, which will now go for secondary checking. Fidelis John, the training supervisor, is looking on. Unlike the standard lab rat, Rattus norvegicus, the African giant pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus) is not a species that has been bred over many generations to cooperate well with humans. Is it hard to train them to perform like this? "It's not easy" he says, smiling. "But it's possible." Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system PA Health news in pictures Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients Getty Health news in pictures Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. REX Health news in pictures Cannabis extract could provide new class of treatment for psychosis CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety. Getty Health news in pictures Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson's Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS Mr Bransons company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an 82m contract to provide childrens health services across Surrey, citing concerns over serious flaws in the way the contract was awarded PA Health news in pictures More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively Getty Health news in pictures Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year. Reuters Health news in pictures Long commutes carry health risks Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression Shutterstock Health news in pictures You cannot be fit and fat It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even metabolically healthy obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range Getty Health news in pictures Sleep deprivation When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself Shutterstock Health news in pictures Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the napercise class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part Getty Health news in pictures 'Fundamental right to health' to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said Getty Health news in pictures 'Thousands dying' due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves Getty Health news in pictures Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. The study, conducted by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers as infants, but then fall behind by the time they hit their teenage years Getty Health news in pictures Cycling to work could halve risk of cancer and heart disease Commuters who swap their car or bus pass for a bike could cut their risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests but campaigners have warned there is still an urgent need to improve road conditions for cyclists. Cycling to work is linked to a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 per cent and cardiovascular disease by 46 per cent, according to a study of a quarter of a million people. Walking to work also brought health benefits, the University of Glasgow researchers found, but not to the same degree as cycling. Getty Around the world, other animals mostly dogs are being used experimentally to screen human samples for disease; but the TB-sniffing rats of Tanzania are the only animal disease-detectives in routine use. When medics first hear about the programme, they are often sceptical about the idea of using rats rather than machines, says Christophe Cox, CEO of Apopo, the Belgian-based organisation behind the project. But then they are shown the case detection data. The rats are saving lives every day and, argue some advocates, the time has now come for dogs to do the same. The first "Lancet letter" (as they're known in the dog-cancer-detection community) came in 1989. Writing, as the name suggests, in the medical journal, a pair of dermatologists reported how a patient's dog had constantly sniffed at a mole on her leg, once even trying to bite it off. The woman sought medical advice. Tests showed it was a malignant melanoma. It was removed, and she remained well. The second Lancet letter was published in 2001. John Church, a British doctor, and his colleague reported the case of 66-year-old man whose pet labrador, Parker, kept pushing his nose against the man's leg, sniffing at a rough patch of skin that had been diagnosed as eczema. The man went back to his doctor. The eczema was found to be a basal cell carcinoma, which was swiftly removed. "This is how it started," Church told the inaugural international conference on medical biodetection, held in Cambridge in September 2015. "It was all anecdotal." At least, that was how interest in using dogs to sniff out cancer began. But the idea of smelling breath, urine and stools to diagnose disease goes back millennia. In the time of Hippocrates, around 400BCE, it was reportedly common for patients to cough and spit on hot coals to generate a smell that the physician would sniff to aid diagnosis. Methods for disease diagnosis have clearly come a long way. But the Lancet letters got some, including John Church, thinking: might animal noses be quicker, or more accurate, and/or cheaper and so able to be used more widely than some high-tech cancer-screening techniques? If dogs really could sniff out cancer, what other diseases might they smell? When someone with TB coughs, he or she exhales compounds produced by the bacterial pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis. If the TB is advanced enough, the smell of these compounds can even be detected by people. In 2002, when research into the potential of using dogs in cancer diagnosis was in its embryonic stage, a former product designer from Belgium called Bart Weetjens began wondering about African giant pouched rats and TB. Weetjens already knew that TB has a distinctive smell. "There is a lyric of a Van Morrison song: 'I can smell your TB sheets'." Also: "In my native language, Dutch, the name for TB traditionally is tering, which etymologically refers to the smell of tar." Weetjens also knew that these rats are superlative sniffers. More than that, he understood how to breed them and how to train them. As a boy growing up in Antwerp, Weetjens had kept pet rats. He bred them in his bedroom. "I learnt that they smell very well, but I was not occupied with that. I was simply breeding these animals to give offspring to the pet shops. It was a way to get pocket money. I gave up all rat breeding in my bedroom when I was 14." Rats sniff out TB in a laboratory (AFP/Getty) After graduating and starting work as a product designer, Weetjens found himself increasingly preoccupied with the problem of landmines. He began to consider landmine-detection systems: in theory, what kind of engineering solution would work best? Then he met a Dutch researcher who had come across stalled plans to try to use cockroaches to detect TNT exuding from buried landmines. "I thought, yes this was the way forward: using local resources, a solution based on what was available in the context." Except that Weetjens didn't think cockroaches. He thought rodents. In 1997, at a time when the local military academy was working on a landmine-detecting robot, he secured his first research grant, from the Belgian Development Cooperation, a government agency. There were all kinds of questions to address, not least: which species to use? Professor Ron Verhagen, head of evolutionary biology at the University of Antwerp, who had worked in Morogoro for many years, had a suggestion. "He said, 'I might have a suitable animal for you': the African giant pouched rat, which he had seen at some point in a village on a leash." There were some early setbacks. At first, the rats didn't breed well in captivity, and it took a while to work out how best to train them. But the landmine programme, which operates from the Sokoine University of Agriculture campus in Morogoro, has become hugely successful. At an average weight of about 1kg, the rats are too light to set off mines. They can scurry across and search 200 square metres of ground in 20 minutes, compared with 50sq m per day for a person using a metal detector. Apopo, the organisation Weetjens founded, dispatches trained rats to areas of land known or suspected to be mined and which cannot be farmed or lived upon because of the risk. The Apopo rats are trained on a practice field a short drive from the headquarters. Here, 1,500 deactivated landmines are buried up to 30 centimetres below grass and shrubs. The trainers know where the landmines are. When a rat stops and sniffs and scratches in the right location, the trainer squeezes a clicker (the kind routinely used in training dogs) and the animal darts over for a nibble of banana or a nut. The initial stage of training for rats, whether they're destined to smell landmines or TB, is socialisation, Fidelis John explains. Baby rats are first taken from their mothers when they're about five weeks old. They're handled every day for gradually extended periods. The next stage is clicker training: they learn that the sound of the clicker means food. It takes about nine months to train a rat. When an animal is thought to be ready, it's presented with 30 samples, eight of which are TB positive. To graduate, it has to detect seven out of eight positive samples with no false indications or eight out of eight with up to one false indication. Training then continues on the job. The public clinics taking part in the programme send in half of all the cough-and-spit samples given by suspected patients, along with the results of their microscopy tests, which look for the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The testing rats sniff at least 10 sets of 10 samples every weekday. Two clinic-positive samples in each set of 10 act as training reinforcers: when a rat correctly identifies one of these, it hears a click and receives a slug of food. At least two (if not more) rats sniff all the clinic-negative samples sent in. Any sample indicated as positive by any of the rats then goes for checking with a more sophisticated, more accurate and more expensive microscope technique than the one used in the clinics. In another lab in the complex are the five LED microscopes generally used for this final diagnosis. It's only if the LED microscope check confirms the rat indication that a positive result is sent back to the clinic. Better ways of detecting TB are badly needed in southern Africa, the epicentre of the epidemic, says Helen McShane, a professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford. "Anything that is quicker, or more sensitive or both at picking up TB than current methods is to be welcomed." The thing is, GeneXpert, a highly accurate DNA-based technique, which is supported by the World Health Organization, performs strongly and in an ideal world, most clinics would use LED microscopy or GeneXpert but these techniques are expensive and slow. A rat, which costs $6,500 to train, can rattle through 100 samples in 20 minutes. A GeneXpert device, which costs $17,000, takes around two hours to analyse a single sample. Daisy the dog trains to be a cancer detective (Emma Jeffery) But what about the dogs? Well, the walls of Dr Claire Guest's office are covered with framed pictures of them. And behind her head is a portrait of a golden Labrador called Daisy, who has a special place in Guest's heart. In 2009, when she was researching whether a group of dogs, including her pet Daisy, could reliably sniff breast cancer in human samples, the dog started "acting weird". "One day, I opened the boot of my car to get her out and she kept jumping at me. It was strange, because she's a very gentle dog. She bashed at me a few times, and I pushed her off. I felt where she'd bashed me" Guest touches her chest "and I thought: there's a bit of a lump there..." She ended up in hospital, had a core biopsy and discovered she had a deep-rooted malignant tumour. At that time, Guest was about a year into her role as chief executive of Medical Detection Dogs (MDD), a charity that she set up with support from John Church, co-author of the second Lancet letter. MDD, which operates out of buildings not far from Milton Keynes, has two aims. Just before her cancer diagnosis, Guest, who originally worked as a psychologist and dog trainer, was pursuing medical assistance training teaching dogs to sniff, say, a low blood sugar level in someone with diabetes as well as work on cancer detection. The assistance dog training was going well. "But then Daisy did what she did, and I thought: this is something we have to get to the bottom of." Guest is now regarded as one of the world's leading dog-cancer-detection researchers and she and her team have published a series of papers demonstrating that, yes, dogs can sniff cancer, and that more sophisticated training protocols dramatically improve their accuracy. Other teams have published work reaching the same conclusion. Dogs can smell bladder cancer, colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer and prostate cancer. One Italian study, for example, found that the dogs could accurately identify urine samples from men with prostate cancer about 98 per cent of the time. Guest's team is now working on two major studies, one on breast cancer, in conjunction with the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, and another, with Milton Keynes University Hospital, which will try to replicate the Italian prostate cancer study. Ten years ago, Guest says, there was "massive scepticism" among medics. To some extent, she says, it continues, partly because no one has identified exactly which compounds the dogs are sniffing, but the research taking the concept beyond anecdote does seem to be changing minds When she first embarked on the dog research, to engage sceptics, she said it was purely proof-of-principle work, aimed at investigating whether human cancers really do have distinctive odours. The ultimate aim, she told anyone who asked, was to use the results to develop electronic-nose cancer detectors to take dogs out of the equation. She does still believe that, one day, life-saving e-noses should result from all this research. But, she says, "What about the people who are dying now?" Dr Georgies Mgode, head of Apopo's TB programme in Tanzania, explains that, unlike with the cancer-sniffing dogs, it is known what the rats are detecting. He did the studies himself for his PhD and they revealed that the rats respond to a combination of six volatile organic compounds produced by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogen. It may even be that the rats can sniff out the bacteria at levels so low as to be undetectable even by sophisticated laboratory techniques, Mgode suggests. If the rats can detect TB at an earlier stage of infection than any other method, this could be a huge benefit, since a patient who is treated earlier is less likely to transmit his or her infection to others. In 2015, the TB rats screened more than 40,000 samples. In total, since the programme began, they have screened 342,341 and identified 9,127 patients who'd been told by the clinics that they didn't have TB. Overall, the rats have increased the TB case detection rate in the populations they're screening by around 40 per cent. For Guest, the success of the Apopo rat programme is "inspirational". When it comes to the dogs, the next three years will be critical, she says. If the prostate cancer and breast cancer studies go well, then she hopes dogs will join the rats as fully fledged disease detectors. As for the rats, no matter what happens in the future in terms of expansion and funding "already they are saving a lot of people," Mgode says. "Already, the impact is huge." This is an edited version of an article that first appeared on Mosaicscience.com and is republished here under a Creative Commons licence Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} With one call every minute about relationship abuse to the police, spotting the signs - either as a victim or outsider - is becoming increasingly important. A law brought in last year against "controlling or coercive behaviour" in relationships highlights that violent or physical abuse is no longer considered the only major problem in domestic settings. Now a raft of charities are backing a new programme called "Drive", in which one-to-one support is given to men who pose a high risk of domestic violence. The aim of putting 900 offenders through the scheme is to deal better with the "root cause" of a problem which, in its physical manifestation, kills two women every week and sees at least 100,000 at high risk in the UK. Here are six key signs of an abusive relationship you may not know about: 1. Blaming the victim An individual providing excuses for their partner's behaviour that appears unwarranted can be a sign. According to Pamela Jacobs, an advocate for ending sexual assault, a common tactic used by abusers is to play the victim and place the guilt for their actions and the relationship on their other half. 2. Seeming isolated Be aware of women or men who see the people they care about less than they used to. Lisa Fontes, who has a PhD in Counseling Psycholog told says that activities may be restricted only to spending time with the suspected abuser. Feeling as though there is no one to talk to - or it would be shameful to do so - is a sign of being a victim of an abusive relationship. 3. Having personal correspondence checked About 40 per cent of 16- to 25-year-olds have experienced controlling behaviour in the form of having their phone, messages, emails and social media accounts checked by a partner. Yet only a tiny fraction recognised this as a form of the coercive control now punishable under the Serious Crime Act 2015, the research by Women's Aid found. Women who feel it is normal for their partner to be intrusively curious about their texts and emails may be in a controlling relationship - with the rise of mobile technology is making some forms of control easier for abusive partners. Shocking images depict Hindu goddesses as victims of abuse in domestic violence campaign Show all 4 1 /4 Shocking images depict Hindu goddesses as victims of abuse in domestic violence campaign Shocking images depict Hindu goddesses as victims of abuse in domestic violence campaign lakshmi-for-front.jpg Shocking images depict Hindu goddesses as victims of abuse in domestic violence campaign Durga.jpg.jpg Shocking images depict Hindu goddesses as victims of abuse in domestic violence campaign Durga.jpg Shocking images depict Hindu goddesses as victims of abuse in domestic violence campaign lakshmi.jpg 4. 'Gaslighting' or distorting the victim's version of events This is a form of mental abuse which tricks the victim into mistrusting their own version of reality, named after 1944 film "Gaslight" of the same topic. An abuser might pretend after physically hurting their partner that no such thing happened and portray the incident as a figment of their imagination. The abuse might happen on a smaller scale too, such as denying a partner has said something and leading them to think what the abuser wants them to think - making them unaccepting of a friend's words to the contrary. 5. Acts of physical violence, however 'small' Abusive relationships need not involve extreme acts of violence to be coercive and controlling. "It can be rather constant, small acts that just let her know that she lives in a violent relationship," Dr Fontes says. This might include coming up close to their partner's face, holding them so they cannot go somewhere, and pushing them - which a victim might deny is an example of an abusive relationship. 6. Financial abuse Taking money or credit cards is a common form of restricting the activities and freedom of a partner, according to domestic abuse charity Refuge. Hollie Gazzard, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend Asher Maslin, had reported him stealing money from her bank account before he killed her. Being unable to afford rent or possessions without permission is key method of control and should raise immediate red flags, according to Refuge. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} More than 440,000 people have backed a petition calling for all children to be vaccinated against meningitis B after the mother of a two-year-old girl who died from the disease posted online photographs of the toddler, close to death and covered by a deep red rash. Last year England became the first country to start vaccinating children, but only those aged two to five months old were eligible. This came just too late for toddler Faye Burdett, of Maidstone, who died of the disease on Sunday, 11 days after she was rushed to accident and emergency with a rash on her forehead. Her family posted pictures of her as a happy young girl and then a distressing image of Faye shortly before she died. Her chest, face and arms are covered in the red rash associated with the disease and a mass of tubes and wires are attached to her. Her eyes are closed. This is a photo of Faye, two years old, who sadly lost her life to this dreadful disease. We campaign for change in her memory, her family said. They said Faye had been transferred to a different hospital and her heart had stopped in the ambulance, but she was revived successfully. We were given a 1 per cent survival chance but she proved them wrong and carried on fighting, they said. After a few days she seemed to have turned a corner, but the sepsis started to affect her more and the decision of limb removal was made. The extent of removal was massive, full leg amputation and one arm and plastic surgery. She was getting tired, her little body consumed by meningitis and sepsis (blood poisoning). We had to make the decision, a massive operation and she may die or we let her go peacefully on her own accord. We decided the latter and then watched our little girl slip away. The family called on people to sign a petition calling on the Government to vaccinate all children against meningitis B, not just newborns. All children are at risk from this terrible infection. There needs to be a roll-out programme to vaccinate all children, at least up to age 11, says the petition on the petition.parliament.uk website. On the same day, the former England rugby union captain Matt Dawson revealed his toddler son suffered two weeks of hell after being struck by meningitis. The BBC Question of Sport star tweeted a video showing a slideshow of several photographs charting his young son Samis battle with the disease at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. The series of images show the boy lying in bed covered by red blisters and fitted to a collection of tubes, before gradually getting better and posing with his father while receiving a hug from his older brother Alex. Mr Dawson, 43, said he had been umming and ahhing over posting the pictures but he and his wife ultimately agreed it was important to raise awareness about the disease. In addition to the pictures he also shared the link to a petition on the Governments website calling for all children under the age of 11 to be vaccinated against Meningitis B. The vaccine was introduced in September 2015 for babies born on or after 1 July 2015, and involves a series of three injections at two months, four months and a year old. According to the NHS, Meningitis B is the cause of 90 per cent of all meningococcal infections in young children. Meningitis is an infection of the protective membranes around the brain and spinal column. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A family who shared a photo of a toddler before she died of meningitis B have shone a spotlight on the disease, as campaigners call more children to be vaccinated. Two-year-old Faye Burdett died 11 days after she was rushed to hospital with meningitis. To raise awareness of the condition which most commonly affects children under five-years-old, Fayes family have shared a photograph on online of her in hospital. The image shows the child in bed, covered in an angry red rash connected to tubes and wires. The photograph has encouraged over 440,000 people to sign a petition calling on all children up to the age of 11 to be vaccinated against meningitis B. What does the vaccine do? It protects babies against the meningococcal group B bacteria, which causes over 90 per cent of meningitis cases in young children. If untreated, the bacteria can cause blood poisoning which can lead to severe brain damage, amputations and, in some cases, death, according to the NHS. Who can be vaccinated against the disease? Currently, babies aged two months are able to receive the vaccine for free on the NHS. They are then given a second dose at four-months-old and booster at 12 months. The vaccine, called Bexsero, is administered to the babys thigh with a needle. The scheme in England is the first in the world where routine vaccines have been offered on a national scale for free. But parents of older children with the disease must pay privately for the jab. Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system PA Health news in pictures Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients Getty Health news in pictures Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. REX Health news in pictures Cannabis extract could provide new class of treatment for psychosis CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety. Getty Health news in pictures Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson's Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS Mr Bransons company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an 82m contract to provide childrens health services across Surrey, citing concerns over serious flaws in the way the contract was awarded PA Health news in pictures More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively Getty Health news in pictures Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year. Reuters Health news in pictures Long commutes carry health risks Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression Shutterstock Health news in pictures You cannot be fit and fat It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even metabolically healthy obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range Getty Health news in pictures Sleep deprivation When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself Shutterstock Health news in pictures Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the napercise class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part Getty Health news in pictures 'Fundamental right to health' to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said Getty Health news in pictures 'Thousands dying' due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves Getty Health news in pictures Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. The study, conducted by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers as infants, but then fall behind by the time they hit their teenage years Getty Health news in pictures Cycling to work could halve risk of cancer and heart disease Commuters who swap their car or bus pass for a bike could cut their risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests but campaigners have warned there is still an urgent need to improve road conditions for cyclists. Cycling to work is linked to a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 per cent and cardiovascular disease by 46 per cent, according to a study of a quarter of a million people. Walking to work also brought health benefits, the University of Glasgow researchers found, but not to the same degree as cycling. Getty What do the experts say? Sue Davie, the CEO of the charity Meningitis Now, said in a statement: Although the introduction of the Men B vaccine on the childhood immunisation scheme for young babies was a momentous achievement, saving thousands of lives, there are still so many, like Faye, left unprotected. Moving forward, we continue to campaign to see the Men B vaccine rolled out, particularly to at risk groups to ensure a future where no one in the UK loses their life to meningitis. The Meningitis Research Foundation website states that children are at hightest risk at around 5 months of age, hence why the jab is offered a 2 and 4 months. The risk falls substantially after this point. It advises parents to first ask their GP for the vaccine. The doctor can either administer the jab themselves or pass parents on to a private surgery. This will likely be the cheapest option, according to the charity. It advises parents to look at more than one clinic as prices vary "considerably". It can cost over 125 to get a meningitis B vaccine, and more than one shot is needed for a child to be properly protected. The Independent has contacted the Department of Health for a comment. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Parliament will consider debating whether to extend meningitis vaccinations to older children after more than 440,000 people signed a petition following two high profile cases of the disease. The petition calls for all children, at least up to the age of 11, to be vaccinated against the disease on the NHS. According to the NHS, Meningitis B is the cause of 90 per cent of all meningococcal infections in young children. It is an infection of the protective membranes around the brain and spinal column, and can lead to severe brain damage, amputations and death. Vaccinations are currently only available on the NHS to babies aged two to five months old - those wanting to vaccinate older children must pay privately. It was introduced in September 2015 for babies born on or after 1 July, 2015, and involved a series of three injections at two months, four months and a year old. Two-year-old Faye Burdett fought meningitis for 11 days before her death (PA) The charity Meningitis Now released images of two-year old Faye Burdett, who died of the disease on Sunday after fighting the infection for 11 days. In a statement, Fayes mother said: This is a photo of Faye, two years old, who sadly lost her life to this dreadful disease. "We campaign for change in her memory. All children are at risk from this terrible infection." Former England rugby union captain Matt Dawson revealed his toddler son suffered "two weeks of hell" after being struck by the disease and urged others to sign the petition on social media. Sue Davie, the CEO of the charity Meningitis Now, released a statement to say: "We are using our voice to support the petition to raise the profile of meningitis, keeping it high on the political agenda and increasing awareness among the public to prevent more lives being lost to this devastating disease. Although the introduction of the Men B vaccine on the childhood immunisation scheme for young babies was a momentous achievement, saving thousands of lives, there are still so many, like Faye, left unprotected. Moving forward, we continue to campaign to see the Men B vaccine rolled out, particularly to at risk groups to ensure a future where no one in the UK loses their life to meningitis. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} While the rest of the world is focused on hunting down mosquitoes with Zika, a group of doctors and researchers in Argentina has published a report making the provocative argument that a pesticide, rather than the virus, is to blame for the alarming number of birth defects being reported in Brazil. The University Network of Environment and Health wrote that pyriproxyfen, which is added to drinking water to stop the development of mosquito larvae, may be causing something in the fetal development process to go awry when ingested by pregnant women and may be leading to the babies being born with microcephaly -- a condition defined by abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains. That idea is one of a number of alternate theories about the cause of the crisis that has been making its way around social media in recent days and has prompted a swift rebuttal from health officials from the United States, Brazil and other regions. While authorities still can't definitively make a causal link between Zika and microcephaly, they have reiterated that the evidence -- including the presence of the virus in amniotic fluid and the strong geographic and temporal correlation between the cases and infections -- is strong and it's growing. The theory that pyriproxyfen is the cause, however, has no scientific basis, they said. Still, at least one Brazilian state is taking the paper seriously enough to suspend its use of the chemical. Rio Grande do Sul Health Secretary Joao Gabbardo said that the "suspicion" of a correlation is enough, according to teleSUR, a panLatin American TV station sponsored by various governments. "We cannot run that risk," Gabbardo said. The Zika virus - in pictures Show all 5 1 /5 The Zika virus - in pictures The Zika virus - in pictures A three-month-old, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil. A rise in microcephaly cases is thought to have been caused by the spread of the Zika virus in affected countries Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A mother holds her baby who has microcephaly Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A five-month-old baby, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A pediatric infectologist examines a two-month-old baby, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A baby affected with microcephaly At a workshop on Zika hosted by the National Academy of Sciences Tuesday, experts discounted the link between larvicide and possible correlation to microcephaly. I think theres very limited application of larvicide, especially in the poor communities in Brazil where a lot of these cases are occurring, said Scott Weaver, who heads the Institute for Human Infections and Immunity at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Albert Ko, chair of the department of epidemiology of microbial diseases at Yale School of Public Health, who is conducting work on Zika in Brazil, said there is very minimal use of larvicide in Brazils northeast, hardest hit by the Zika epidemic. Larvicide is used in the rural and agricultural areas and not the urban centers where the Zika cases started. Copyright: Washington Post Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The emails arrive at an accelerating pace. Once sporadic, they now come in an incessant stream of 40, 45 or 50 per day. Most are in Spanish or Portuguese. Others are in broken English. All of them express the same sentiment, the same fear, the same desperate plea. Help! one email begins. Zika in Venezuela. I need abortion! The emails are from mothers in Latin America who are scared of giving birth to children with microcephaly, the mysterious condition marked by an undersized head and brain damage that doctors have linked to the mosquito-born Zika virus. Some of the women say they have already tested positive for the virus. Others say they only fear they have contracted the disease and that their child will be born disabled. All of them are asking for something that is simple yet elusive and generally illegal in this part of the world: abortion pills. In more than a thousand emails to Women on Web, a Canada-based group that provides advice and medication for women wanting an abortion in countries where it is banned, the women beg for the pills that are banned by law in their respective countries of Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru or El Salvador. Laws against abortion vary by country in Latin America. Some, like El Salvador, outlaw abortion in all cases, including rape and incest. Others, such as Colombia, allow for abortions when a fetus displays signs of a severe deformity a narrow exception that abortion rights advocates argue should apply to microcephaly. Across the region, Zika has thrown predominantly Catholic, socially conservative countries into a sudden and fierce debate over abortion. In some countries, arguments are raging at the highest levels of the judicial system. The mysterious disease could end up dramatically altering womens rights in the western hemisphere. In the meantime, however, women are writing to Women on Web, asking for pills. The organization was founded in 2005 by Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, a Dutch physician. Although Women on Web has been sending packages of Mifepristone and Misoprostol to women around the world for more than a decade, Gomperts said the group had seen a sharp uptick in emails from women in Brazil since the onset of the Zika crisis. In an interview with The Washington Post, Gomperts said the number of Brazilian women contacting Women on Web had nearly tripled, climbing from 100 during the first week of December (before the Zika outbreak became public) to 285 during the first week of February. When Zika hit the news we saw an [immediate] increase in the number of requests from countries that are affected by Zika, she said. We think that is related to the Zika outbreak. We cannot explain it any other way. Probably a lot of women are looking for abortion services now. Women that are pregnant and suspect that they have had Zika and they just dont want to take the risks of having a microcephalic baby, she said. Our worry is that these women will turn to unsafe abortion methods, while we can help them with a safe, medical abortion. Gomperts said her organization is currently working with two universities to analyze its data to determine exactly how much of this increase in demand for abortion pills is due to Zika. She provided The Post with several dozen emails from women who contacted Women on Web during the first week of February. Although Gomperts stressed that considering an abortion for any reason, especially in a country that doesnt allow it, is always a terrifying decision for a women, she said that Zika had made the decision even more agonizing. The emails reflect that agony. I am [name redacted], begins one email. I contacted Zika 4 days ago. I just found out Im about 6 weeks pregnant. Today. Today, I found out Im pregnant. I have a son I love dearly. I love children. But I dont believe it is a wise decision to keep a baby who will suffer. I need an abortion. I dont know who to turn to. Please help me ASAP. Many of the pregnant women said they had tested positive for Zika but were unable to travel or obtain pills to get an abortion. I contracted Zika and cannot leave the country! wrote one woman who asked to be sent abortion pills. Another woman said she was able to get Misoprostol on the black market but was unsure how to take the abortifacient. Others said they were uncertain if they had contracted the virus. Some said they hadnt been tested, while a few said they simply didnt trust their doctors diagnosis. How do I know if I am infected? wrote one woman who said she had come down with a flu five months earlier. Can you please let me know what should I do? What kind of exam do I need to tell the doctor they should do to me? Many of the emails came from Venezuela, where the outbreak is feared to be much worse than publicly acknowledged. One woman said she had shown symptoms of Zika rash, fever and diarrhea three weeks into her pregnancy. By the time she saw a doctor, however, the symptoms were gone and the doctor said it wasnt Zika. But the woman didnt trust her doctor and remained fearful for her baby. In my mind, I cant forget about the symptoms and the consequences that they might cause, she wrote in Spanish. What can I do? A pregnant woman in neighboring Colombia expressed anger towards government officials, blaming them for contracting the virus. I dare to write you because Im a resident in Colombia and here the Zika virus is a major problem, although the health authorities havent recognized it, she wrote. I want to ask for help because Im overcome by fear that my baby will be born sick. I already have two girls and work long and hard as a single mother to provide for them. Life in Bogota is difficult enough without being in charge of a sick child, especially with the health system so precarious in Colombia. Other women said they felt the Zika virus closing in on them like a mosquito in a closed room, and thought it was only a matter of time until they and their unborn children were affected by the virus. Im scared of Zika because there are so many cases in my country already, wrote one Colombian woman, six weeks pregnant. Another said someone in her town had contracted the virus, making her nervous she was next. As moving as the emails are, Gomperts said they reflect only the tip of the outbreak iceberg. In Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia, only about 60 percent of households have Internet access. In El Salvador, its even less. That means that the poorest women are unable to ask for pills. The poor meanwhile, also tend to live in areas without air conditioning and with more standing water where the mosquitoes that carry the virus breed putting them at greater risk of contracting Zika in the first place. It is the poorest women who are suffering from this crisis, Gomperts said. It is not women in the upper class neighborhoods, who can protect themselves from mosquito bites. And that is the most frustrating part. We know that a lot of these women dont have access to the Internet. So the women that we read, are only a few of the ones really affected by this crisis. To make matters worse, Brazilian customs officials have been blocking Women on Webs pills from reaching their intended destination for several years. Gomperts said she is still waiting to see if Zika changes their minds. We hope the people working in the customs have some empathy and humanity in them and that in the wake of Zika they might just decide to suspend the confiscation of the medicines so that women can at least have safe abortions in the wake of this public health crisis, she said. Although Gomperts said what her organization does is completely legal, Women on Web isnt allowed to advertise in countries like Brazil. Instead, women find the organizations website via Google or hear about it by word of mouth. Even if the pills do arrive, the women may still be at some risk. In 2008, a woman who obtained abortion pills in the mail was charged with attempted murder, although she was ultimately acquitted. Gomperts said her organizations efforts were hampered by both governmental bumbling and Zika itself. So many questions remain about the virus When during a pregnancy can it be transmitted to a fetus? What happens if a mother is asymptomatic? that Women on Web has a hard time doling out advice. When a woman writes to us and says that she wants her pregnancy but says she has also had Zika and is afraid, we have to tell her there are so many unknowns, we dont know what the risk is yet, Gomperts said. The Zika virus - in pictures Show all 5 1 /5 The Zika virus - in pictures The Zika virus - in pictures A three-month-old, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil. A rise in microcephaly cases is thought to have been caused by the spread of the Zika virus in affected countries Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A mother holds her baby who has microcephaly Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A five-month-old baby, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A pediatric infectologist examines a two-month-old baby, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A baby affected with microcephaly What is clear, however, is that many governments in the region have bungled their response and put the burden almost entirely on women, she said. The military is going into the favelas to spray to get the mosquitoes under control, she said of Brazil. Thats a response, but I dont know if thats the appropriate response to what is happening. Instead, Gomperts and other abortion rights activists are calling on countries in Latin America to loosen their abortion restrictions, if not permanently then at least temporarily. I havent seen anything from the governments of these countries themselves that indicate they are reconsidering the restrictive laws because of this crisis. I havent seen any of that, she said. The only calls that have gone out from health ministers is Dont get pregnant, which is kind of an unrealistic demand I think, if contraception is not available for the poorest Of course men are responsible for having sex and getting women pregnant as well, but the reality is that men refuse to take this responsibility seriously, Gomperts said. So women are the ones who get pregnant and they are the ones who are called upon to prevent getting pregnant. Copyright: Washington Post Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Scientists are on the verge of confirming the Zika virus is the cause of a paralysing condition. The mosquito-borne virus is believed to cause brain damage and make a child's head to grow smaller than expected. Colombian researchers told Sky News they have detected the virus lingering in the blood of five patients with the paralysing Guillain-Barre syndrome. They found persistent infection from the Zika virus can trigger a chain reaction, causing the immune system to go rogue and attack the nerves, resulting in the paralysis. Dr Andreas Zea, a neurologist in Cali closely involved in the joint Colombian-American research project, told Sky News every additional case has made the link more certain. "In my mind it is related to Zika," he said. "It is terrible. It's a mosquito. Only one bite and 15, 20 days later you are going to be in intensive care. These people have families." A chart made for The Independent by Statista showing where Zika has spread around the world (Statista) While the hospital would normally see a couple of Guillain-Barre cases a month, the number of cases diagnosed has doubled in the wake of the Zika epidemic. With Cali expecting another 20,000 patients with the Zika virus over the next four months, doctors are preparing for the numbers of Guillain-Barre to rise by 10 times. Eight countries in South and Central America have reported a rise in Guillain-Barre - French Polynesia, Brazil, El Salvador, the French territory of Martinique, Colombia, Suriname, the Bolvarian Republic of Venezuela, and Honduras. The World Health Organisation warns if the link with Zika is confirmed, the human and social consequences "will be staggering". Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Jewish boys school has been criticised by Ofsted after it discovered pupils share a universal view that a womans only role is to look after children, clean the house and cook. Beis Aharon School in Stamford Hill, north London was visited by inspectors from the education watchdog who found it did not meet the required standards for an independent school. The school, which charges annual fees of 2,860, was found to be prioritising the ethos of its faith over educational standards and not preparing children for life in modern British society. Recommended The report said: In discussions, the majority of pupils still express views about the roles of women and men that indicate that the school does not prepare them for the reality of life in modern British society. Pupils universally consider that the role of women is to look after children, clean the house and cook, while men go to work. Inspectors said pupils were also unable to show mutual respect and tolerance to people of different faiths and found their knowledge of different religions and cultures was very limited. 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 report also found that the school continues to allocate just one hour a day to secular education, which fails to conform to the schools own policy of a broad and balanced curriculum. Inspectors also reportedly found a reading book used in a Year Four lesson with the word Christmas crossed out, the London Evening Standard reported. The school was given a list of 34 points from The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulation 2014 to make sure they improve. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Film history tends to acknowledge Norman Hudis as the screenwriter of the first six films in the Carry On series, from 1958 to 1962, establishing the template of the British institution. But these entries weren't quite in keeping with the franchise's reputation. Made in black and white (with one exception), Hudis's scripts did not feature historical settings, or characters named after bodily parts or the series' actors all of that came with his successor, Talbot Rothwell. What Hudis's scripts did include were sincere romantic subplots, and a sense of community among the mischief-makers. And the Carry Ons were not really representative of Hudis's career, his adaptability as a screenwriter being given free reign by American episodic television, ranging from thrillers and medical dramas to a Biblical adaptation. Born in Stepney in East London, Hudis's family were Jewish immigrants. His mother was Polly (nee Reuben), and his father, Isaac, commonly known as Jack, was a tailor. Attaining "an appalling academic record" at Betts Street School, he got his first job in 1938, on the Hampstead and Highgate Express. In 1940, on his 18th birthday, he volunteered for the RAF, serving in Britain and in the Middle East for five-and-a-half years. Viewing sergeants as big brothers, he would later draw on wartime camaraderie for Carry On Sergeant (1958). Upon demob, he worked in the publicity arm of the Rank Organisation, initially as a "picture plugger", then at Islington, Denham and Pinewood studios. His first play, Here Is the News, presented by the Under Thirty Theatre Group at Leatherhead in 1952, was set in a totalitarian country. Two years later, the same outfit staged his The Powder Magazine at Hythe Summer Theatre. There was a BBC television version in 1955; Hudis recalled that of his 75 fee, he spent 40 of it on a celebratory party. Notable deaths in 2016 Show all 42 1 /42 Notable deaths in 2016 Notable deaths in 2016 Debbie Reynolds was an American actress, singer, businesswoman, film historian, and humanitarian. She died on December 28 in Los Angeles Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Actress Carrie Fisher died on December 27 aged 60 Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Comedian and Actor Ricky Harris died on December 26 aged 54 Rex Notable deaths in 2016 British singer George Michael died on 25 December aged 53 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Rick Parfitt OBE was an English musician, best known for being a singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist in the rock band Status Quo. 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He was 57 Notable deaths in 2016 Chyna WWE icon Joan Laurer dies aged 45 after being found at California home on 20 April Notable deaths in 2016 Victoria Wood The five-time Bafta-winning actress and comedian Victoria Wood has died on 20 April at her London home after a short illness with cancer. She was 62 Notable deaths in 2016 David Gest The entertainer and former husband of Liza Minnelli, David Gest has been found dead on 12 April in the Four Seasons hotel in Canary Warf, London. He was 62-years-old PA Notable deaths in 2016 Denise Robertson Denise Robertson, an agony aunt on This Morning for over 30 years, has died on 1 April, aged 83 Notable deaths in 2016 Zaha Hadid Dame Zaha Hadid, the prominent architect best known for designs such as the London Olympic Aquatic Centre and the Guangzhou Opera House, has died of a heart attack on 31 March, aged 65 2010 AFP Notable deaths in 2016 Ronnie Corbett British entertainer Ronnie Corbett has passed away on 31 March at the age of 85 2014 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Imre Kertesz Hungarian writer and Holocaust survivor Imre Kertesz, who won the 2002 Nobel Literature Prize, has died on 31 March, at the age of 86 REUTERS Notable deaths in 2016 Rob Ford Rob Ford, the former controversial mayor of Toronto, has died following a battle with a rare form of cancer. The 46-year-old passed away at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto on 22 March Notable deaths in 2016 Joey Feek Joey (left) passed away in March after a two-year cancer illness. She was part of country music duo, Joey + Rory, with her husband Rory (right) Jason Merritt/Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Umberto Eco Italian writer and philosopher Umberto Eco died 19 February 2016 aged 84 EPA Notable deaths in 2016 Harper Lee Harper Lee, the American novelist known for writing 'To Kill a Mockingbird', died February 19, 2016 aged 89 2005 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Vanity Vanity, pictured performing in 1983, died aged 57 REX Features Notable deaths in 2016 Dave Mirra The BMX legend's body found inside truck with gunshot wound after apparent suicide aged 41 Notable deaths in 2016 Harry Harpham The former miner became Sheffield Labour MP in May after many years as a local councillor. He died after succumbing to cancer, at the age of 61. Notable deaths in 2016 Dale Griffin The Mott the Hoople drummer died on January 17, aged 67 REX Notable deaths in 2016 Rene Angelil Celine Dion's husband and manager Rene Angelil has lost his battle with cancer on 14 January, aged 73 2011 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Alan Rickman Legendary actor Alan Rickman has died on 14 January at the age of 69 after battle with pancreatic cancer. He is largely regarded as one of the most beloved British actors of our generation with roles in Love Actually, Die Hard, Michael Collins, and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and an illustrious stage career 2015 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Maurice White The Earth, Wind & Fire founder died aged 74. The nine-piece band sold more than 90 million albums worldwide and won six Grammy awards Notable deaths in 2016 Lawrence Phillips Former NFL star found dead in prison cell on 13 January in suspected suicide, aged 40 AFP/Getty Images After "two years of enthusiastic but unfilmed scripting" under a Rank contract, he freelanced with a deluge of monochrome B-movies, "usually a hearty thriller, [made in] three weeks tops". One such, The Flying Scot (1957) was for producer Peter Rogers, who had been a Rank writer during Hudis's publicist days, and reused him on the hastily shot The Tommy Steele Story (1957). Another Steele vehicle for Rogers, The Duke Wore Jeans (1958), teamed Hudis with the other half of the Carry On partnership, director Gerald Thomas. Hudis admitted writing Carry On Nurse (1959) in 10 days, but "so many of the film's gags" had "Ritauthenticity", having been recalled by his wife, Rita, a nurse from Northern Ireland. They met at a Christmas show, during which "a piece of scenery fell on [her] shoulder; and I fell for that shoulder and everything attached." They were married for nearly 60 years. Carry On Teacher (1959), Carry On Constable (1960), Carry On Regardless (1961) and Carry On Cruising (1962) followed but the Rita-approved Nurse, the second in the series, probably remains Hudis's most fondly remembered contribution to the series. Again for Rogers and Thomas, and recognisably in the Carry On mode, Hudis wrote Please Turn Over (1959), intended to launch Margaret Lockwood's daughter, Julia, Nurse on Wheels (1963), and a retread of Carry On Nurse, Twice Round the Daffodils (1962), starring Donald Sinden and Kenneth Williams. Hudis remembered that at that time, Williams was "prone to say earnest things such as: 'The actor's job is to interpret the writer's intention.' That didn't last long." Our House (1960-62), created by Hudis, was an ITV sitcom with Hattie Jacques, Joan Sims and Hawtrey as ill-matched lodgers. For producers Monty Berman and Robert S. Baker, for whom he had written six B-movies, Hudis furnished episodes of The Saint (1964-65) and Gideon's Way (1965-66). He wrote the last two episodes of Danger Man, edited together and released in cinemas outside Britain as Koroshi (1968). Making the move "from Pine to Holly", four of his six segments of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1967-68), were two-parters shown as features in countries including the UK. The Karate Killers (1967) involved Terry-Thomas as a London bobby embarrassed by flirtatious Jill Ireland, while How to Steal the World (1968) was actually the series' conclusion. Hawaii Five-O, Cannon and CHiPs were all grist to Hudis's mill. He was pleased when an episode of Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969-76), concerning a patient with a brain disorder, helped a real-life Canadian sufferer. The Story of Esther (ABC, 1979), was intended as a 90-minute opener to a series of Bible stories; the result was cut to an hour, and no series resulted. As a firm supporter of the Writers' Guild of America, Hudis was picket captain outside the headquarters of CBS during the writers' strike of 1988. In 1965, when a letter to The Stage criticised Equity protests against apartheid, he replied, "Britain and America are doing something about the complex racial problem. In South Africa, prejudice is written into the law of the land. That is the vital difference and it makes protests from our type of country not only justifiable but morally essential." Last year, Hudis appeared on Carry On Forever, an ITV celebration. Rita and his two sons survive him. Norman Hudis, writer: born Stepney, London 27 July 1922; married 1956 Marguerita Robinson (two sons); died California 8 February 2016. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Winston Churchill would not make it to Downing Street today because his unique oratorical style would be mocked, Romola Garai, who plays the wartime leaders nurse in a new ITV drama, has claimed. Churchills speeches rallied the nation during its darkest hour. But Garai, whose fictional nurse cares for the Prime Minister when he suffers a life-threatening stroke in Churchills Secret, said his eccentricities would rule him out of high office in the modern era. Churchill would not get elected today. His speech was very peculiar, quite mumbled in some ways, the actress said. But the deep resonance of his voice and this extraordinary articulation that he had, emphasising the words, was so individual to him. Politics has become a greyer trade. Churchill was very idiosyncratic in the way he spoke. Today public speaking has become so monotone and peculiarity is something that rolling news is very afraid of, said Garai, previously star of the BBC series, The Hour. Its easy to pinpoint anybodys idiosyncracies now, which I think is a terrible shame. Because some of the great orators were very individual in the way they spoke. Churchill felt he was 'sold a pup' of a bomb shelter, letter reveals Show all 2 1 /2 Churchill felt he was 'sold a pup' of a bomb shelter, letter reveals Churchill felt he was 'sold a pup' of a bomb shelter, letter reveals 221021.bin PA Churchill felt he was 'sold a pup' of a bomb shelter, letter reveals 221022.bin EPA Garai added: Today its hard for people in politics to be themselves completely in the same way because of the way the media is now. I think thats a shame. I like personalities. I dont think people are belittled by being flawed. It was an easier time then to speak and behave as you were. Churchills Secret, screened next week, dramatises a conspiracy to cover up the serious stroke which the Prime Minister, then in his late 70s, suffered in 1953, during his second term. Believing only he can broker a detente with the Russians, Churchill refuses to accept his grip on power might be slipping and a plot is hatched with the leading press barons to keep his illness out of the papers. However Bill Paterson, who plays Lord Moran, Churchills personal physician, said the great warrior would have had no trouble adapting to the modern age. He was incredibly witty and a great one with one-liners, Paterson said. Sound bites would not have been difficult to a man who said, Never in the field of human conflict etc, and, Their finest hour... He was a soundbite guy. So I think he would have done fine. He had a twinkle in his eye. David Aukin, executive producer, said of the stroke cover-up: Surely that could never happen now? But as we know from Chilcot, Snowden and Wikileaks it does. Of course it does. It is happening all the time. Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Decisions about the effectiveness of drugs are being made with incomplete information because results of almost three-quarters of clinical trials are still not published within two years of completion, researchers have found. Some of the leading academic centres in the United States have been criticised for turning their backs on ethical obligations and sometimes legal requirements - to publish findings and report results in a timely manner, a study in The British Medical Journal says. Less than one in three (29 per cent) of completed clinical trials led by investigators were published within two years of completion and only 13 per cent reported results on the largest US clinical trial database, ClinicalTrials.gov. Recommended Read more The troubled history of clinical drug trials The authors say action is needed to change a culture which threatens to undermine evidence based clinical decision making. Clinical trials experiments that test treatments, diagnostic techniques or other interventions in patients provide information on what works and what does not. Yet the results of thousands of clinical trials have never been reported and there is not even a complete record of which trials have been conducted. Roughly 10 per cent of all drugs started in human clinical trials become an approved drug. Professor Harlan Krumholz, from Yale School of Medicine, examined rates of publication and reporting of results within two years for more than 4,300 registered trials completed between October 2007 and September 2010, across 51 leading US academic institutions -including the Ivy League universities Columbia and Cornell. No academic centre published more than 40 per cent of completed clinical trials within two years of completion or reported results for more than 41 per cent of its trials. We found noticeable variation and poor performance across leading academic medical centers in the dissemination of clinical trial results, the authors write, adding that there is no effective enforcement mechanism and no repercussions to academic institutions or individual investigators for failing to report results. Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system PA Health news in pictures Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients Getty Health news in pictures Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. REX Health news in pictures Cannabis extract could provide new class of treatment for psychosis CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety. Getty Health news in pictures Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson's Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS Mr Bransons company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an 82m contract to provide childrens health services across Surrey, citing concerns over serious flaws in the way the contract was awarded PA Health news in pictures More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively Getty Health news in pictures Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year. Reuters Health news in pictures Long commutes carry health risks Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression Shutterstock Health news in pictures You cannot be fit and fat It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even metabolically healthy obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range Getty Health news in pictures Sleep deprivation When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself Shutterstock Health news in pictures Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the napercise class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part Getty Health news in pictures 'Fundamental right to health' to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said Getty Health news in pictures 'Thousands dying' due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves Getty Health news in pictures Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. The study, conducted by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers as infants, but then fall behind by the time they hit their teenage years Getty Health news in pictures Cycling to work could halve risk of cancer and heart disease Commuters who swap their car or bus pass for a bike could cut their risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests but campaigners have warned there is still an urgent need to improve road conditions for cyclists. Cycling to work is linked to a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 per cent and cardiovascular disease by 46 per cent, according to a study of a quarter of a million people. Walking to work also brought health benefits, the University of Glasgow researchers found, but not to the same degree as cycling. Getty They conclude: The lack of timely reporting and publication fundamentally impairs the research enterprise, violates the commitment made by investigators to patients and funders, squanders precious time and resources, and threatens to compromise evidence based clinical decision making. British campaigners are also calling for greater transparency in clinical trials. In January 2013 Sense About Science launched the AllTrials Campaign, which has been bringing together organisations in the UK and around the world to call for change. Almost 90,000 people and over 600 organisations have signed their petition. In a blog post for Cancer Research UK, Stephanie Mathisen, Sense About Sciences Campaigns and Policy Officer, said: The failure to register and report the results of clinical trials means that the sacrifices made by those participants were made in vain. Thankfully, attitudes towards clinical trial registration and reporting are changing. EU law coming into force from 2018 means all new clinical drug trials will be required by law to be registered and report their results. However, there will still be decades of hidden data from trials of medicines and treatments in common use today that campaigners say the public should have access to. Ms Mathisen said: Highlights of cancer clinical trial practice in the UK show that transparency is possible. Now we need this good practice clinical trial registration and open reporting of trial results to be replicated in other disease areas, not just in the UK but around the world, and retrospectively for all the hidden trials of medicines we use today that were conducted in the past. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The partner of a nurse who burnt himself to death outside Kensington Palace has claimed he was treated disgustingly by a hospital which sacked him weeks before. Amin Abdullah was dismissed from his job at Charing Cross Hospital in December. He appealed the decision, however days before an appeal hearing into his dismissal he doused himself in petrol outside the London home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. It is understood that the 41-year-old had suffered from severe depression after the dismissal. He was admitted to St Charles Hospital in west London for treatment. However, after being released for a short period to collect clothes from his home, he failed to return to the hospital. Emergency services were called in the early hours of the morning to the scene near the palace on 9 February and tried to save him by extinguishing the flames. But he died a short time later. Recommended Nurse set himself on fire outside Kensington Palace after being sacked His partner of 12 years, Terry Skitmore, 62, criticised Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust for the way they treated Mr Abdullah. He told the Press Association Mr Abdullah had an exemplary background - even winning an award for excellence when he graduated from Buckinghamshire New University. I want to get the message out there about the way that the whole thing was terribly handled - it was badly handled because of a bad culture that they have. It just seems to be that if anyone steps out of line they are literally just crushed into the ground, he said. They treated him disgustingly - it pushed him into the depression and got us in the position we are in today. It is understood Mr Abdullah was one of 17 people to sign a petition in support of a colleague after a patient complained. Mr Skitmore said he also wrote a letter backing up his colleague by rejecting the claims and stating that the patient was known to complain. Mr Skitmore said this letter was only meant for his colleague but was mistakenly attached to the back of the petition, and Mr Abdullah was charged with writing an untrue letter and not using the correct complaints procedure. Mr Abdullah left the St Charles Hospital saying he was going to collect a change of clothes but never returned (Google Streetview) At the beginning of December he was officially dismissed on the grounds of gross misconduct. Deputy divisional director of nursing at the trust, William Gage, acknowledged that Mr Abdullah's conduct was a foolish mistake but continued to uphold the dismissal. Mr Skitmore said: At the most he should have been given a warning, not dismissed. Mr Abdullah had been an inpatient at St Charles for nearly three weeks when he was let out to go home and collect some clothes - something Mr Skitmore knew nothing about. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Mr Skitmore said Mr Abdullah's body is yet to be released and as a result he cannot organise his funeral. I can never bring Amin back, he will never walk through the door again and that breaks my heart, but if I can get justice and save one other person or more then at least he wouldn't have died for nothing, he said. An Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust spokeswoman said: We are saddened to hear of Mr Abdullah's death and would like to offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time. The trust will engage fully with any investigations into Mr Abdullah's death. Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, which runs St Charles Hospital, said it will get to the bottom of what happened and take any necessary action. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Court of Appeal has declared that Government changes to the rules which allow victims of domestic abuse to obtain legal aid are legally flawed. Campaigners welcomed the ruling and said it was an important recognition of "women's real life experiences of domestic violence". One rule change stipulated that an application for legal aid could only be made if evidence of domestic violence had been given within a two-year period. However, campaigners said this meant some victims were being turned away "at the first hurdle" because they lacked the required form of evidence. Women's Aid called it "grossly unfair". Now, three judges from the Court of Appeal have ruled this change as "invalid". Lord Justice Longmore, Lord Justice Kitchin and Lady Justice Macur also said changes which excluded financial abuse victims from legal aid were flawed. The changes were made in 2013 by former lord chancellor and justice secretary Chris Grayling and were introduced as part of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (Laspo). The same year, the Government said it wanted to cut the legal aid bill in England and Wales by 350 million a year. Thursday's ruling comes after the Rights of Women group appealed against the High Court judgement that upheld the changes as lawful in January 2015. Emma Scott, the group's director, said in a statement: "For nearly three years we know that the strict evidence requirements for legal aid have cut too many women off from the very family law remedies that could keep them and their children safe. "Todays judgement is important recognition of womens real life experiences of domestic violence and means that more women affected by violence will have access to advice and representation in the family courts." The Law Society said it welcomed the ruling. Its president, Jonathan Smithers, said the cuts had resulted in "radical consequences for access to justice with the worst impact affecting the poorest and most vulnerable sectors of society". The harsh tests exclude victims from accessing legal aid for family law disputes against an abusive ex-partner or relative and are not what parliament intended. This ruling means that access to safety and justice will no longer be denied to the very people the Government expressly sought to protect with its amendments to the regulations. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said the department would consider the findings from the court. We are determined to ensure victims of domestic violence can get legal aid whenever they need it. The spokesperson added: We have made it easier for victims of domestic violence to obtain legal aid, by ensuring a broader range of evidence qualifies. This has contributed to a 19 per cent rise in the number of grants awarded. Polly Neate, chief executive of Women's Aid, said: "This ruling will at last mean women and children get some protection in the family courts... The law has to recognise that abuse very commonly continues after the relationship has ended, so the 'two year rule' for evidence of abuse was grossly unfair. We applaud Rights of Women for this victory." Additional reporting by PA Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Only half of UK children help around the home every day, ranking above only youngsters in Germany and South Korea, a survey has found. Although this may frustrate parents, teachers have little to be happy about either as the Childrens World study also found that British children do the least homework of the countries investigated. Results suggest only 42 per cent of British children do homework every day, which put them at the bottom of the list below Ethiopia, where 61 per cent of youngsters do their homework daily. The survey was completed by 17,000 eight-year-olds from 16 countries, with nearly 1,000 children from the UK taking part. It aims to provide a fresh perspective on the lives of young people across the world, and asked children about key aspects of their lives, such as family and home life, friendships, money and possessions, school life, local area, use of their time, personal well-being and overall happiness. The 20 best places to raise children in the UK Show all 20 1 /20 The 20 best places to raise children in the UK The 20 best places to raise children in the UK The Orkney Islands The coast of the Orkney Islands near Bisray village Chmee2/Creative Commons The 20 best places to raise children in the UK The Shetland Islands A general view of the Shetland Islands JOHN D MCHUGH/AFP/Getty Images The 20 best places to raise children in the UK The Western Isles A man rides his bike on Harris, one of the Western Isles, also known as the Outer Hebrides Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images The 20 best places to raise children in the UK Winchester Choristers from Winchester Cathedral enjoy the artificial rink set up beside the cathedral The 20 best places to raise children in the UK Eden The Hartside Summit in the North Pennines in the district of Eden Christopher Furlong/Getty Images The 20 best places to raise children in the UK Craven A sheepdog works in Skipton, in the district of Craven Christopher Furlong/Getty Images The 20 best places to raise children in the UK Ryedale The Folk Museum in Ryedale Creative Commons/Dennis Smith The 20 best places to raise children in the UK Staffordshire Moorlands Three Shire Heads, which crosses over Cheshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire Wikimedia Commons/Brian Jones The 20 best places to raise children in the UK Huntingdonshire St Ives in Cambridgeshire, which lies within the boundaries of Huntingdonshire snowmanradio/Creative Commons The 20 best places to raise children in the UK South Northamptonshire The village of Bradden and St.Michael's church, in south Northamptonshire Greg Fitchett/Creative Commons The 20 best places to raise children in the UK Harrogate Spring flowers adorn the front of the Crown Hotel in the Spa town of Harrogate in Yorkshire and The Humber Christopher Furlong/Getty Images The 20 best places to raise children in the UK Rutland Normanton Church in Rutland NotFromUtrecht/Creative Commons The 20 best places to raise children in the UK Warwick The West Midlands county town of Warwick David Alonso Perez/Creative Commons The 20 best places to raise children in the UK Surrey Heath St Michael's Church, Camberley, which is situated in Surrey Heath Len Willians/Creative Commons The 20 best places to raise children in the UK Chichester A view of the Cathedral in Chichester Evgeniy Podkopaev/Creative Commons The 20 best places to raise children in the UK South Lakeland Kendal, which lies in South Lakeland Mark Fosh/Creative Commons The 20 best places to raise children in the UK Richmondshire The swing bridge in Reeth in Richmondshire Kreuzschnabel/Creative Commons The 20 best places to raise children in the UK Tonbridge and Malling Ightham Mote in Tonbridge and Malling Brian Snelson/Creative Commons The 20 best places to raise children in the UK Stratford-on-Avon Straford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare Christopher Furlong/Getty Images The 20 best places to raise children in the UK Aberdeenshire Westhill in Aberdeenshire, Scotland SCOTT CAMPBELL/AFP/Getty Images Although UK youngsters ranked the people they live with, health, and safety, highly in their responses, there were many areas which returned less positive results. In addition to housework and homework, the survey found British children are not especially fond of school, with only German children disliking it more. More than half of the boys said that they liked school, but less than 40 per cent of girls felt the same way. Some of the problems highlighted by the report included a poor relationship with teachers, in which the UK ranked 14th out of the 16 countries, and being hit by other children in school, something which 54 per cent of boys and 61 per cent of girls said had happened at least once in the last month. The report also found life satisfaction was low, with the UK only ranking above Nepal and Ethiopia, while it found itself in the bottom five for satisfaction with family life. However, the report noted that those countries South Africa, Ethiopia, Malta, Nepal, and the UK with low family life satisfaction were highly diverse, which was a likely factor. Finally, British children also seem to have low self-esteem when it comes to body issues, ranking 12th for body satisfaction and 14th for appearance. Gwyther Rees, of the Social Policy Research Unit at the University of York, which conducted the research in England, said: There are some quite troubling messages from England and the picture is quite similar to what we found with older age groups. Children are happy at home and with friends but less happy at school where there seems to be an issue around bullying and being left out. Meanwhile, Sam Royston, Policy Director at The Childrens Society, said: Its deeply worrying that eight-year-old children living in England are less happy than children living in a wide range of other countries across the world. The Government should consider making it a legal requirement for schools in England to provide counselling and to allocate childrens mental health funding to promote childrens well-being, rather than just dealing with mental health problems after they occur. Giving children a happy childhood should be a top priority, she concluded. The countries included in the survey are: Algeria, Columbia, Estonia, Ethiopia, Germany, Israel, Malta, Nepal, Norway, Poland, Romania, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Turkey and the UK. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Hundreds of Britain's killers could have their convictions for murder overturned, after a ruling by the Supreme Court. The change to the doctrine of joint enterprise could result in a number of defendants convicted under the principle appealing their convictions - contesting the 'foresight' test used to determine their mental input into the crime that was actually committed. The controversial law on joint enterprise which can result in people being convicted of murder even if they did not commit the killing has been wrongly interpreted for the past 30 years, the Supreme Court ruled this morning Judges sitting in the UK's highest court said prosecutors, judges and jurors must take a different approach when dealing with defendants in such cases in the future. Under the doctrine of joint enterprise, a person who assists or encourages the committing of a crime can be held as legally responsible as the person who actually carries it out. In cases of murder, a gang member can be convicted of murder if he foresaw that the person they were with would possibly kill or inflict serious harm. The Supreme Court's judges said it was not right that someone could be convicted of murder if they merely foresaw that the person they were with might commit a crime. Foresight was only evidence of the person's intention to encourage a crime - not as proof for a conviction of the crime committed, it said. What does the Supreme Courts ruling mean for those already convicted under joint enterprise? In its summary of today's ruling, the Supreme Court said that those convicted under joint enterprise, whose cases do not meet the time limit required to appeal, would require exceptional leave from the Court of Appeal to challenge their convictions. Gloria Morrison, of JENGbA, said the organisation will continue to help those convicted under the principle to appeal their convictions. She said: Our campaign has always been about getting people out of prison and thats what we will keep working for." Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The smart-missile cited as a major reason for Britain joining the bombing campaign in Syria has killed zero Isis militants there, it has been revealed. A freedom of information request by the Huffington Post UK website found the Brimstone missile has not yet recorded any casualties in Syria since bombing started. Only Britain and Saudi Arabia have access to Brimstone missiles and the Government argued that the weapon would represent a unique contribution by the RAF to fighting Isis. Conservative minister David Jones described the weapons as unique while MP Sir Gerland Howarth said they represented a key difference between us and other coalition partners. David Cameron himself said Brimstone missiles were among "some of the most accurate weapons known to man" and noted that the United States did not have access to them. Brimstone missiles have a fire and forget capability and it has been claimed their introduction would help reduce civilian casualties and hit targets other weapons could not. Brimstone missile strikes Isis building Ministry of Defence figures however show only seven Isis casualties since the RAF joined in last year five from US-made Hellfire missiles and two from the Paveway IV laser-guided bombs. The missiles were not even used once in the first month of operations, with their first recorded deployment on 10 January against supply trucks in Raqqa. British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Show all 10 1 /10 British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Tornado jet takes off from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, as RAF Tornado jets carried out the first British bombing runs over Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Pilots and ground crew prepare combat aircraft Panavia Tornados at RAF Marham at RAF Marham, UK Getty British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Eurofighter Typhoon jet takes off from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, as RAF Tornado jets carried out the first British bombing runs over Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A RAF Tornado arrives at RAF Akrotiri to begin operations in Akrotiri British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Tornado jet ahead of taking off from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, as RAF Tornado jets carried out the first British bombing runs over Syria, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. The air strikes were carried out within hours of a vote by MPs in the Commons to back extending operations against Isis from neighbouring Iraq British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Personnel work on a British Tornado after it returned from a mission at RAF Akrotiri in southern Cyprus British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Two RAF Tornado GR4's, both with remaining weapons ordnance, approach RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, as they return to the base after carrying out some of the first British bombing runs over Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A RAF Tornado takes off from RAF Akrotiri, on the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Tornado jet leaving RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria AKA RAF Tornado arrives at RAF Akrotiri to begin operations in Akrotiri, Cyprus. The RAF has sent two further Tornado aircraft and six Typhoons to bolster aircraft now flying sorties to both Iraq and Syria Brimstone has in total been used in nine raids since the vote and the end of last month. Each missile costs around 100,000. They are used to attack ground targets and use radar homing and laser guidance technology; the weapons can destroy targets from seven miles away. The RAF has deployed around half a dozen war planes in Syria to join US and other coalition jets fighting there. The Ministry of Defence said in its FOI response: Since December 2015 UK military air activity has contributed to the Coalitions aim of disrupting and degrading Daesh military infrastructure, logistics and revenue streams inside Syria. This includes targeting oil infrastructure and enabling equipment under Daesh control, helping to reduce their ability to profit from selling oil to fund their activities. We have also targeted Daeshs military equipment and infrastructure, including vehicles, defensive fighting positions firing on friendly forces, a tunnel complex, weapons stores and a command and control centre. We estimate that 7 Daesh combatants have been killed or wounded as a result of RAF airstrikes in Syria between 2 December 2015 and 29 January 2016. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Conservative Party is being investigated over allegations it broke electoral spending rules while fighting to prevent Nigel Farage from winning his first Parliamentary seat. The Electoral Commission launched a probe following a Channel 4 News report that hotel bills were allegedly not included in local spending declarations for the 2015 campaign. It revolves around the question of whether the cost of stays in the South Thanet constituency, which the Ukip leader unsuccessfully contested, qualified as national campaign spending. Nigel Farage loses seat Limits are enforced on both national and local campaign spending, with restrictions for each candidate in each constituency aiming to level the field. Kent Police has dropped an investigation into claims surrounding an individual Tory candidates spending but said the Electoral Commissions probe continues. Kent Police officers will liaise closely with the Electoral Commission and investigate if appropriate, a spokesperson said. Mr Farages battle for South Thanet was considered one of the most significant in last Mays general election and his confidence in the run-up to the vote was echoed by some analysts, who cited significant grassroots support for his Eurosceptic party in the area. But Conservative candidate Craig Mackinlay won the seat by 18,838 votes to the Ukip leaders 16,026, followed by Labour and the Greens. Following his defeat, Mr Farage briefly quit as Ukip leader but returned shortly afterwards when the party rejected his resignation. Best General Election 2015 quotes Show all 10 1 /10 Best General Election 2015 quotes Best General Election 2015 quotes 1. "Am I tough enough? Hell, yes, I'm tough enough." Ed Miliband bats away suggestions he would be too weak on the international stage. It likely to go down as one of the quotes we remember this election by. Matthew Lewis/Getty Images Best General Election 2015 quotes 2. "If I'm getting lively about it, it's because I feel bloody lively about it." David Cameron attempts to prove how passionate he is about wanting a second term as Prime Minister after Tory donors criticised his lack of enthusiasm. AFP Best General Election 2015 quotes 3. "Oh it's crats? I thought it was Liberal Demo-cats" Reality TV star Joey Essex is taught a thing or two during his meeting with Nick Clegg. PA Best General Election 2015 quotes 4. "Brain fade" Green party leader Natalie Bennett gave what was described as the "worst political leader's interview ever" on LBC Radio as she fails to answer how the Greens would pay for its ambitious housing policies. LBC/YouTube Best General Election 2015 quotes 5. "We're a shining example of a country where multiple identities work. Where you can be Welsh and Hindu and British, Northern Irish and Jewish and British, where you can wear a kilt and a turban, where you can wear a hijab covered in poppies. Where you can support Man Utd, the Windies and Team GB all at the same time. Of course, I'd rather you supported West Ham" David Cameron experienced his own brain fade when he forgot which football team he supported. Getty Images Best General Election 2015 quotes 6. This is a real career-defining country-defining election that we face in less than a weeks time The Prime Minister made another gaffe when he made it sound like the election was all about himself. BBC Best General Election 2015 quotes 7. Ed Miliband stabbed his own brother in the back to become Labour leader. Now he is willing to stab the United Kingdom in the back to become prime minister. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon launched a vicious personal attack on Ed Miliband. PA Best General Election 2015 quotes 8. "Ajockalypse Now." The colourful term used by Boris Johnson to describe a Labour government propped up by the SNP. JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images Best General Election 2015 quotes 9. The SNP are openly racist. The anti-English hostility, and the kind of language that is used about and towards English people, is totally extraordinary. Nigel Farage launches an attack on Nicola Sturgeon and her SNP party. AFP/Getty Images Best General Election 2015 quotes 10. "Terms are like Shredded Wheat. Two are wonderful, three might be too many." David Cameron rules out a third term as Prime Minister. Getty Images While the Electoral Commission has no powers to investigate or sanction alleged candidate spending offences, it does have powers to hand out fines of up to 20,000 in relation to national campaign spending. "The Electoral Commission has today announced that it has opened an investigation into allegations regarding the Conservative Party spending return at the 2015 UK parliamentary general election, a spokesperson said. It will specifically consider whether stays at the Royal Harbour Hotel in Ramsgate and the Premier Inn in Margate, should have been included in national campaign spending or not. The combined bills totalled 14,213.18, Channel 4 News reported, saying the local expense limit for Thanet South was little over 15,000. A spokesperson for the Conservative Party said: All spending has been correctly recorded in accordance with the law. Additional reporting by PA Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A leaked draft of David Camerons EU proposals shows there are still big differences between his demands what other EU countries are prepared to give him. The Prime Minister is heading back to Brussels on Thursday for crunch time talks after meeting MEPs earlier this week. The Guardian newspaper has obtained a copy of the draft deal to be discussed. Issues to be worked out mainly focus on Mr Camerons flagship demand to limit in-work benefits for EU migrants arriving in Britain. Here are the key points: Treaty changes Should Britain have to comply with decisions made by countries who want to move towards common policies for managing the euro? (Reuters) David Cameron pledged at the start of this morning that his EU deal would be a legally binding treaty deposited at the United Nations. However, the leaked draft shows there is far from a consensus on whether the EU deal will be written into EU treaties at all. Any reference to treaty changes in the document is reportedly bracketed out an approach suggesting that there is no consensus on that issue. Downing Street has previously said its plans would require treaty change to implement. A previously-suggested compromise is that the new rules could be earmarked for inclusion in EU treaties next time they are changed for other purposes. The City of London It is feared that the City of London would be significantly worse off were it to operate outside the EU (Getty) One of the PMs demands is for protection for the single market for EU countries who are not members of the eurozone. This sounds relatively uncontroversial: the proposal has faced less scrutiny and gained less publicity than others around benefits and migration. It is becoming increasingly important in negotiations, however. A section on allowing non-eurozone members to stall new regulations on banks and other financial institutions has been bracketed out of the draft deal, the Guardian says. France is said to be worried that Mr Cameron is quietly seeking regulations that would effectively give the City of London special treatment giving it an in-built advantage and effectively making it an offshore, low-regulation arm of the EU. Ever-closer union Barclays chairman has warned that the City of London would end up in a significantly worse position if Britain votes to leave the European Union (Getty) One area that would almost certainly require treaty change to implement is giving Britain an opt-out from the ever-closer union clause of the EU. There is said to be no consensus on this issue in contrast to the full-on treaty change promised by Mr Cameron last year. Whether the new benefit curbs affect Britain only The European Commission in Brussels; David Cameron is confident that the basis of an agreement can be struck with the European Council president, Donald Tusk (AFP/Getty) One of the areas up for dispute is whether the new benefit restrictions apply to Britain as a special case, or uniformly across the EU. Central and eastern European countries with many foreign nationals living abroad are keen to limit the effects of the rule change on their citizens. Thus Poland, the Czech Republic, and others would like to see the rules only applied to Britain. Smaller countries like Luxembourg and Malta however have a long-term interest in EU treaties applying uniformly and consistently across states and have voiced opposition to this change. One aspect of the benefit changes restricting the payment of child benefit for children living in other countries was initially restricted to Britain but has reportedly been re-instated for all EU nations in the latest draft. A possible compromise that has been floated is to apply the emergency benefits brake rules only to countries who did not implement transitional controls during EU enlargement. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Cabinet Office minister Matthew Hancock accepted a 4,000 donation from the chairman of the Institute of Economic Affairs weeks before announcing a clampdown on lobbying by charities promoted by the right-wing think-tank, The Independent can reveal. Neil Record, a City currency manager who is also a major donor to the Conservative Party, has donated 22,000 to Mr Hancock since 2010, including 4,000 paid in November last year some eight months after the businessman became chairman of the IEA, Britains oldest free market think-tank. In an unusual move, Mr Hancock went out of his way to publicly acknowledge extensive research by the IEA when he announced a controversial change in rules to ban charities from using public grants to lobby ministers, MPs and civil servants. The policy shift has sparked outrage among charities, who accuse the Government of preventing publicly funded volunteer groups from speaking up on behalf of the disadvantaged, while allowing lobbying from privately funded bodies, some backed by corporate money, to continue seeking to influence policy. Recommended Read more Cabinet minister defends decision to award Knighthood to Lynton Crosby The Independent revealed last week that the IEA accepted a 15,000 donation from an unnamed individual to develop the lobbying proposals which were eventually adopted by Mr Hancock. Britains 165,000 charities receive about 100bn a year in income, of which 13bn comes from public grants. The IEA claimed in three reports published between 2012 and 2014 that such state funding was creating sock puppet charities less inclined to criticise government policy. Mr Record, 62, who has been a trustee of the IEA since 2008, has donated 4,000 a year to Mr Hancock since December 2011 with a further 2,000 contribution towards travel expenses in 2010, according to an analysis of Electoral Commission records by Greenpeace. There is no suggestion that the donations broke any rules or were not properly declared. The IEA said it had no record of any of its staff or trustees ever meeting Mr Hancock to discuss its sock puppet research. The Cabinet Office insisted the new policy was based on advice from Whitehall officials. 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 Mr Record said he was supporting Mr Hancock because he believed he has a very sound political philosophy and his donations were to assist in the running of his staff. He said the financial support pre-dated any of Mr Hancocks ministerial roles and was in no way linked to lobbying or the IEA. Charities said links between Mr Hancock and the think-tank nonetheless raised serious concerns about formulation of government policy. John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, which does not receive any public funds, said: Matthew Hancock doesnt want taxpayer-funded charities to lobby ministers but was happy to accept money from the boss of the charity that lobbies on this very policy. People will be forgiven for wondering whos the sock puppet and whos the hand in this story. Mr Record, who has donated 245,000 to the Conservative Party since 2010, is a prominent figure in neoliberal circles, including as a backer of a leading climate sceptic lobby group. As well his role on the IEA, he is on the board of the campaigning arm of the Global Warming Policy Foundation, which takes the view that the science for manmade climate change is not yet settled. In a statement, Mr Record, a former Bank of England economist, said: I think Matt has a very sound political philosophy, and in all the support I give think-tanks, charities, political parties and individuals, I try to find those whose philosophy I support and admire. For the avoidance of doubt, I have never had any commercial or any other lobbying-type relationship with Matt in any of his ministerial posts, nor have I ever discussed his responsibilities in any context that relates to me personally or my chairmanship of the IEA. I can confirm that I have never discussed Sock Puppets with him personally. The IEA denied criticism that there was a lack of transparency about policy making, pointing out ministers have to adhere to a strict code listing all meetings and donations. A spokeswoman added: We have no record of any IEA staff member or trustee ever meeting with Matthew Hancock to discuss our sock puppets research. A press release sent out by the Cabinet Office on 6 February announcing the change in lobbying rules credited the IEA with exposing the practice of public funds being used by charities for advocacy. But the ministry last night insisted that its policy had been developed by public officials. A spokeswoman said: The decision to end the farce of government lobbying government was taken based entirely on the advice of civil service officials. Reasonable people will know that taxpayers money should be spent on improving people's lives. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Spending caps imposed on the NHS could mean some hospitals are not able to afford enough staff to provide safe care, according to a survey of health service finance directors. One in five finance directors said that new limits on the amount hospitals can spend on agency staff would affect their ability to roster safe numbers of doctors and nurses, according to the report from the respected Kings Fund think-tank The organisations quarterly survey of 83 NHS trust directors also found that more than half think the quality of patient care in their area has deteriorated in the past year. Hospitals and other NHS services are now significantly over-budget, with a 2.3bn deficit anticipated by the end of this financial year, the report says. The finding, which is an increase on previous estimates by the National Audit Office but lower than the 2.9bn deficit predicted by some experts, reinforces fears in Whitehall that the Department of Health could breach its expenditure limit this year despite a recent bailout and raid on capital savings. It is touch and go whether the Department of Health will be able to balance its budget at the end of the year, said John Appleby, chief economist at the Kings Fund. At the same time, performance is deteriorating with key targets being missed with increasing regularity and increasing concerns about the quality of patient care. The report shows that nine per cent of patients waited longer than four hours for A&E in the three months to December the highest figure since 2003, while the total waiting list for planned admissions to hospital stands at 3.5m the equivalent of the entire populations of Greater Manchester, Bristol and Southampton combined. Sugar 'will bankrupt the NHS' The next financial year, which will see 3.8bn in extra Government spending for the NHS largely used to plug hospital deficits, would be make or break for the NHS, Mr Appleby added. Caps on agency staff spending form part of a wider efficiency drive which NHS leaders hope will save 22bn by 2020, although critics have described this as a heroic assumption. In a sign of increasing central control, the Government and NHS regulators have now told hospitals they must eliminate their deficits next year or forfeit their share of 1.8bn in extra funding, and risk the suspension of the entire board. Hospitals have been handed strict new financial targets, but around one in three are expected to reject them. Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system PA Health news in pictures Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients Getty Health news in pictures Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. REX Health news in pictures Cannabis extract could provide new class of treatment for psychosis CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety. Getty Health news in pictures Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson's Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS Mr Bransons company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an 82m contract to provide childrens health services across Surrey, citing concerns over serious flaws in the way the contract was awarded PA Health news in pictures More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively Getty Health news in pictures Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year. Reuters Health news in pictures Long commutes carry health risks Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression Shutterstock Health news in pictures You cannot be fit and fat It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even metabolically healthy obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range Getty Health news in pictures Sleep deprivation When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself Shutterstock Health news in pictures Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the napercise class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part Getty Health news in pictures 'Fundamental right to health' to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said Getty Health news in pictures 'Thousands dying' due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves Getty Health news in pictures Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. The study, conducted by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers as infants, but then fall behind by the time they hit their teenage years Getty Health news in pictures Cycling to work could halve risk of cancer and heart disease Commuters who swap their car or bus pass for a bike could cut their risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests but campaigners have warned there is still an urgent need to improve road conditions for cyclists. Cycling to work is linked to a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 per cent and cardiovascular disease by 46 per cent, according to a study of a quarter of a million people. Walking to work also brought health benefits, the University of Glasgow researchers found, but not to the same degree as cycling. Getty Last week, one hospital finance director provided anonymous evidence to MPs, warning that NHS accountants were under pressure to cook the books to meet the new targets, and said he feared for patient safety if hospitals took short-term action to cut staff numbers. Staff salaries represent the largest area of NHS spending. With a shortage of full time doctors and nurses, hospitals have increasingly turned to expensive temporary agency staff in recent years but the Government has cracked down on the practice with a new cap on the fees that can be paid for such staff. Further NHS savings are being sought through attempts to improve procurement practice , and through better use and sell-offs of under-used parts of the NHS estate. On 17 February it was confirmed that University College London Hospitals chief executive Sir Robert Naylor has been appointed as a national advisor to the NHS on estates. Labour peer Lord Carter, in his recent review of savings available to the NHS, said that 1bn could be found through more efficient use of the NHS estate, which amounts to land and buildings worth an estimated 40bn. Health minister Alistair Burt said patient safety remained the NHSs top priority that there should be no choice between providing safe care and balancing books. Despite being busy the NHS continues to perform well - last year the service performed 1.6 million more operations and treated 2,100 more people every day within the four hour A & E target compared to 2010, he said. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Prominent Conservative political activist and commentator Tim Montgomerie has quit the party, launching a scathing attack on the government. The Times columnist and creator of Conservative Home joined the party 28 years ago. He established the Centre for Social Justice as a mechanism to advance compassionate conservatism and has been described as one of the most influential Tories outside the cabinet. However, in a column for The Times, Mr Montgomerie has renounced his ties to the party, arguing: This charade over the EU is the final straw and it follows abject failure on immigration, deficit reduction and inequality. He writes: [David Cameron] promised to bring down immigration but despite Theresa Mays hollow rhetoric, its rising. And that defining mission to eliminate the deficit? The Treasury is still borrowing 75 billion a year- a burden on the next generation that would once have shocked and shamed us, and still should. The national debt is up by more than 50 per cent, but this hasnt seen our armed forces rebuilt. Theyve been cut to the bone. What about the fundamental change in Britains relationship with Brussels that the PM pledged, promised and vowed to deliver? The 69 per cent who think he got a bad deal are right. The newspapers that called the deal a joke, conjuring trick and delusion werent exaggerating. and nothing registers more strongly on the social justice front than recommending staying in the EU. It remains the greatest source of social misery on the continent- requiring intense austerity in countries such as Greece and causing terrible youth unemployment across southern Europe from which millions will suffer lifelong scars. Im just glad that Mrs Thatcher cannot see what her party has become. Last month, David Cameron announced that Conservative MPs would be given free rein to campaign on either side of the EU referendum debate. A number of leading ministers have indicated that they will campaign to leave the EU, including Iain Duncan Smith, Theresa Villiers and Chris Grayling. Other prominent politicians have yet to declare which way they will vote and campaign. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Mr Cameron is due to arrive in Brussels for two days of talks on how the UKs relationship with the EU can be negotiated. Core items to be discussed are expected to include restricting benefits received by non-UK EU nationals, such as how to cut the amount of child benefit which EU migrants can send back to their home countries. Other key items include whether regulation can be rolled back and a single market extended, as well as enabling UK parliaments to block EU legislation. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Governments ban on public boycotts of Israeli goods from the occupied territories contradicts its own advice on doing business with the country, official documents show. A number of public authorities, including local councils, have passed procurement policies stating that they will not buy goods or services from Israels occupied Palestinian territories. The Government however this week notified councils that these boycotts were now against official procurement rules and would be subject to penalties an announcement coinciding with a ministerial visit to Israel. Recommended Read more Government defends ban on boycotting Israel Longstanding official government advice on doing business with Israel appears to directly contradict the new rule, however warning that procurement from the occupied territories is unwise. The Foreign Offices Overseas Business Risk assessment for Israel states that the Government does not encourage or offer support to business with the occupied territories. The UK has a clear position on Israeli settlements settlements are illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict impossible, the advice says. There are therefore clear risks related to economic and financial activities in the settlements, and we do not encourage or offer support to such activity. The business guidelines also note that: Financial transactions, investments, purchases, procurements as well as other economic activities in Israeli settlements or benefiting Israeli settlements, entail legal and economic risks stemming from the fact that the Israeli settlements, according to international law, are built on occupied land and are not recognised as a legitimate part of Israels territory. The Foreign Office confirmed to the Independent that the advice still stands and has not been affected by the new Crown Commercial Service rules. David Cameron greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside 10 Downing Street (AFP/Getty Images) The Government also says citizens and business should be aware of the potential reputational implications of getting involved in economic and financial activities in settlements as well as potential human rights abuses in the area. Disputed titles to the land, water, mineral, or other natural resources which might be the subject of purchase or investment also raise issues about doing business with suppliers based there, the advice reads. Finally the Government advice says: We understand the concerns of people who do not wish to purchase goods exported from Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The new policy banning boycotts is not limited solely to Israeli goods and effectively stops public authorities from take ethical considerations into account when procuring goods. Campaigners have said the ban will affect activity against the arms trade, fossil fuels, tobacco products and Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The Government however trailed the rule as being especially applicable to Israel and announced it on the day of a ministerial visit to the country. It says such boycotts damage community cohesion and the UKs international security. Life with the Jewish settlers in the Occupied Territories Show all 5 1 /5 Life with the Jewish settlers in the Occupied Territories Life with the Jewish settlers in the Occupied Territories Jewish settlers in the Occupied Territories 'This was taken in Teqoa; the family planted that tree, a European deciduous not indigenous to the region. The space behind them is representative of the Palestinians' Nick Waplington Life with the Jewish settlers in the Occupied Territories Jewish settlers in the Occupied Territories 'This is Bat Ayin; the wooden structure the family are standing in front of is for the Sukkot festival: for seven days the family must eat outside' Nick Waplington Life with the Jewish settlers in the Occupied Territories Jewish settlers in the Occupied Territories 'A long Israeli flag hangs on a house called Beit Yonatan [the five-storey structure right of centre, halfway up], which is occupied by settlers. It is an illegal building in the Arab district of Silwan; the settler families in there are protected by the army and the police' Nick Waplington Life with the Jewish settlers in the Occupied Territories Jewish settlers in the Occupied Territories 'This family are at Alon. The father is from Los Angeles and they have a picture of Nina Simone on the wall. Alon is split 50/50 between secular and orthodox' Nick Waplington Life with the Jewish settlers in the Occupied Territories Jewish settlers in the Occupied Territories 'This is the Alon Road on Route 1 in the West Bank, not far from Jerusalem' Nick Waplington Councils across the UK have put pressure on suppliers to cease business with Israel, which is illegally occupying and building settlements on Palestinian land, according to the United Nations. Labour-controlled Birmingham City Council warned last year that it would not renew its waste disposal contract with French waste management company Veolia unless it pulled out of the West Bank. In 2014 Leicester City Council passed a policy of boycotting products produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Labour has criticised the new anti-boycotts policy as an attack on democracy, while the Campaign Against the Arms trade said it was an attack on the rights of all local people and campaign groups across England. Other criticial groups include Amnesty UK and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which said the policy was a gross attack on democratic freedoms. Israeli politicians have previously criticised moves to boycott, divest, and impose sanctions on Israel and the new policy announcement will likely see Mr Hancock given a warm welcome. In June last year the countrys prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised the UKs National Union of Students for boycotting Israel arguing that they should condemn Isis instead. They boycott Israel but they refuse to boycott Isis. That tells you everything you want to know about the BDS movement. They condemn Israel and do not condemn Isis; they condemn themselves, he said. The NUS had however passed a policy condemning Isis, in December 2014. It does not trade with Isis, which is a listed terrorist organisation and already subject to international-level sanctions. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Electoral Commission has launched an inquiry into whether the Conservatives violated election spending rules at the general election. An investigation by Channel 4 News said that alleged irregularities in recording expenses in Thanet South meant the Tories broke spending limits during the campaign. During last year's election Ukips Nigel Farage lost to the Tories Craig Mackinlay in one of the most high-profile contests in the country. Recommended Read more Police consider allegation of electoral fraud in Thanet South seat The loss for Ukip sparked Mr Farages short-lived resignation as party leader. However, the Conservatives were said to have attributed 14,000 worth of hotel bills spent for activists in Thanet South to national election expenditure rather than to Thanet Souths account. Parties were restricted to spending a maximum of 15,016 on the constituency allocating the bills to national expenditure may have meant the Conservatives were able to spend more money on other campaigning activity to win the crucial vote. The amount of money allowed to be spent in any given seat at the general election per party is 8,700, plus six pence for every person on the electoral register. The strict rules are in place to make it more difficult to swing a seat simply by spending large amounts of money on professional campaigning. General election 2015: Polling day Show all 16 1 /16 General election 2015: Polling day General election 2015: Polling day General election 2015 Nuns arrive to vote at a polling station at St John's Church in Paddington, London General election 2015: Polling day General election 2015 A voter leaves the White Horse Inn in Priors Dean, also known as the 'Pub with no name', which is part of the East Hampshire constituency and acts as a local polling station on the day of the election General election 2015: Polling day General election 2015 General view of inside the White Horse Inn in Priors Dean General election 2015: Polling day General election 2015 People cast their votes as a man uses a punch bag in the East Hull Boxing Academy, which is being used as a polling station in Hull General election 2015: Polling day General election 2015 Penny Higbee waits to greet voters at her home in Routh, East Yorkshire, which is being used as a rural polling station General election 2015: Polling day General election 2015 Voters in Ironbridge, Shropshire, arrive to cast their vote at The Iron Bridge Tollhouse General election 2015: Polling day General election 2015 A voter arrives at the North West Ambulance Service Station at Milton Green, Cheshire, which is being used as a polling station as Britain goes to the ballot box General election 2015: Polling day General election 2015 A polling station has been installed in a launderette in Oxford General election 2015: Polling day General election 2015 SNP candidate for the Gordon constituency and Former First Minister Alex Salmond with first time voter Nicki Falconer, and her family, (L-R) Mackenzie, Nicki, Skye, Alex Salmond and Keiran at their local polling station in the Gordon constituency in Ellon, Scotland General election 2015: Polling day General election 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron and wife Samantha after casting their votes at Spelsbury Memorial Hall, Witney General election 2015: Polling day General election 2015 Liberal Democrat leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and his wife Miriam Gonzalez Durantez arrive at Hall Park Hill Community Centre to cast their votes, in Sheffield General election 2015: Polling day General election 2015 Labour Party leader Ed Miliband and his wife Justine Thornton leave the polling station at Sutton Village Hall in Sutton after casting their votes in the 2015 general election in Doncaster General election 2015: Polling day General election 2015 First Minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP Nicola Sturgeon, votes with her husband Peter Murrell in Glasgow, Scotland General election 2015: Polling day General election 2015 Ukip leader Nigel Farage arrives to cast his vote for the South Thanet constituency in Ramsgate General election 2015: Polling day General election 2015 Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood arrives at a polling station in Penygraig, Rhondda, Wales General election 2015: Polling day General election 2015 Green Party leader Natalie Bennett after casting her vote at Ossulston Tenants' Hall, London Kent Police said yesterday it had shelved an investigation into claims the partys local election agent broke the law by failing to fully disclose election expenses. Today the Electoral Commission, which regulates elections, says it has started its own probe in light of the police dropping theirs. The priority of the Electoral Commission is to conduct a fair and thorough investigation and the time taken to complete an investigation varies on a case-by-case basis, the Commission said in a statement. Once the investigation is complete, the Commission will be able to decide whether any breaches have occurred and if so what further action, if any, may be appropriate. The Commissions sanctioning powers are limited to a civil penalty of up to 20,000. A spokesperson for Kent Police said further police involvement in the episode had not been ruled out. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The controversial law on joint enterprise which can result in people being convicted of a murder they did not intend or commit has been wrongly interpreted for the past 30 years, the Supreme Court has ruled. Judges sitting in the UK's highest court said today that a different approach must be taken when dealing with defendants in such cases in the future. Under the doctrine of joint enterprise, a person who assists or encourages the committing of a crime, that both have set out to commit, can be held as legally responsible as the person who actually carries it out. Where two people set out to commit one crime, but one of the group actually commits another, an individual can be convicted of the crime that actually occurs if they foresaw that the person they were with would possibly commit that crime or inflict serious harm. The doctrine has been used, somewhat controversially in recent years, to convict several members of a group or gang of murder, when only one of them actually intended and carried out the killing. But the Supreme Court said today that, in these circumstances, it was not right that someone could be convicted of murder if they merely foresaw that the person they were with might commit a crime. They had to intend to help carry out, or encourage, the crime that actually resulted. The ruling examined the use of the joint enterprise doctrine in a murder involving Mohammed Hirsi and Ameen Jogee In a summary of its ruling, the Supreme Court said: The mental element for secondary liability is intention to assist or encourage the crime. The judgment could lead to a number of people convicted under the doctrine of joint enterprise launching appeals. Gloria Morrison, campaign coordinator for JENGbA (Joint Enterprise: Not Guilty by Association) - which helps those convicted under joint enterprise - said the judgement was a massive vindication of its work. She told The Independent: Hundreds of people are in the prison system who shouldnt be there because of this doctrine. Its not a law, its a doctrine thats applicable to the law and which is being applied to lots of different scenarios, not just murder. Miss Morrison said that the police and media had justified use of joint enterprise in recent years by presenting a narrative that it has been used to tackle gang culture. But the campaigner said this was not true, and that many cases of joint enterprise have not involved gangs at all. The police have tried to suggest that this is tackling gangs and gang crime, she said. If it was a deterrent [in this area] then [gang violence] would have stopped but it hasnt. Thats the narrative. The focus on gangs isnt right. Anyone would want someone to be charged with what they have actually done not by association. Today's judgement was handed down by the Supreme Court following an appeal by Ameen Jogee, who was convicted of murder under joint enterprise law in 2012 after his friend, Mohammed Hirsi, stabbed an ex-police officer in 2011. Hirsi, who was also convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, stabbed Paul Fyfe inside his girlfriends house using a knife from the kitchen, while Jogee egged on his friend to harm Mr Fyfe from the doorstep. Jogee appealed the decision, arguing that him foreseeing the mere possibility that Hirsi would inflict at least some bodily harm to Mr Fyfe should not have been enough to convict him of murder. JENGbA celebrating outside the Supreme Court following today's ruling Camilla Horrox (Camilla Horrox) The court said it will now explore whether Jogee should have a murder re-trial or be convicted of manslaughter instead. Ahead of the ruling, Mr Fyfe's widow said that, if Jogee's appeal was upheld, it could mean killers would literally be getting away with murder. Tracey Fyfe said she regarded Jogee as culpable for her husband's death because he knew what Hirsi was doing and was egging him on. What is the doctrine of joint enterprise? The common law doctrine of joint enterprise also known as guilt by association has been developed over time by judges in various cases. Under this principle, a person who assists or encourages the committing of a crime, a secondary offender, can be held as legally responsible as the person who actually carries it out known as the principal. While the Accessories and Abettors Act of 1861 states that whosoever shall aid, abet or procure a crime shall be liable to be tried, indicted and punished as a principal offender, there is no modern legislation enacted by Parliament on the issue. In recent years, joint enterprise has attracted controversy for its use in convicting members of a group or gang of murder, even though they had not been the ones to actually kill and did not intend for it to happen. For a secondary offender to be convicted of murder in this situation, the prosecution only needs to show that they foresaw that the person they were with would possibly kill or inflict serious harm. Campaigners have argued the doctrine results too readily in murder convictions for those playing a minor role in criminality In 2014, the House of Commons Justice Committee recommended an urgent review of the threshold of foresight required for secondary offenders to be convicted of murder. What does the Supreme Courts ruling mean for those already convicted under joint enterprise? The decision may lead to a number of defendants convicted under the law to appeal, contesting that the 'foresight' test used to determine their mental input into the crime that actually occurred was wrong. The only appeals that could be made following today's ruling would be those in which the 'foresight' test was used as the decisive test to secure a murder conviction. Defendants in such cases would need to convince the Court of Appeal that a substantial injustice occurred because of this. It is likely that most successful appeals would result in defendants' murder convictions being replaced with those for manslaughter, which can also carry a life sentence. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Captured by jihadi terrorists, forced into sexual slavery and raped, Lucy* was pregnant when she eventually escaped Boko Haram and returned home to her husband. But such is the stigma against the former wives and children of fighters, Lucy's husband told her it "won't work" having the child of a Boko Haram fighter in his household. Lucy was forced to abort the baby but because the procedure is not legal in Nigeria, she had to pour chemicals into her womb. The abortion was successful - but her husband divorced her anyway. This is the story of one of more than a dozen victims of sexual violence who have been freed or escaped capture in northeast Nigeria and become victims all over again when they returned to their communities. Their experiences form part of a new report into the victims of Boko Haram, entitled Bad Blood. Produced by International Alert and Unicef, it found that women and girls subjected to the most horrific experiences by Islamist fighters were seen as tainted, dismissed by community leaders as Boko Haram wives, Sambisa women or Annoba which literally translates as plague. The rise of Boko Haram Show all 20 1 /20 The rise of Boko Haram The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram The leader of the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram Abubakar Shekau delivers a message. Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the mass killings in the north-east Nigerian town of Baga in a video where he warned the massacre was just the tip of the iceberg. As many as 2,000 civilians were killed and 3,700 homes and business were destroyed in the 3 January 2015 attack on the town near Nigeria's border with Cameroon AFP The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram People displaced as a result of Boko Haram attacks in the northeast region of Nigeria, are seen near their tents at a faith-based camp for internally displaced people (IDP) in Yola, Adamawa State. Boko Haram says it is building an Islamic state that will revive the glory days of northern Nigeria's medieval Muslim empires, but for those in its territory life is a litany of killings, kidnappings, hunger and economic collapse The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Nitsch Eberhard Robert, a German citizen abducted and held hostage by suspected Boko Haram militants, is seen as he arrives at the Yaounde Nsimalen International airport after his release in Yaounde, Cameroon on 21 January 2015 The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Officials of the Nigerian National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) visit victims of a bomb blast in Gombe at the Specialist Hospital in Gombe. According to local reports at least six people were killed and 11 wounded after a bomb blast in a marketplace in Nigeria's northeastern state of Gombe on 16 January 2015. Islamist militant group Boko Haram has been blamed for a string of recent attacks in the North East of Nigeria The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram People gather at the site of a bomb explosion in a area know to be targeted by the militant group Boko Haram in Kano on 28 November 2014 The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram People gather to look at a burnt vehicle following a bomb explosion that rocked the busiest roundabout near the crowded Market in Maiduguri, Borno State on 1 July 2014. A truck exploded in a huge fireball killing at least 15 people in the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, the city repeatedly hit by Boko Haram Islamists The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram President Goodluck Jonathan visits Nigerian Army soldiers fighting Boko Haram Getty Images The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Displaced people from Baga listen to Goodluck Jonathan after the Boko Haram killings AFP/Getty The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan speaking to troops during a visit to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State; most of the region has been overrun by Boko Haram AFP/Getty The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Members of the Nigerian military patrolling in Maiduguri, North East Nigeria, close to the scene of attacks by Boko Haram EPA The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Boko Harams leader, Abubakar Shekau, appears in a video in which he warns Cameroon it faces the same fate as Nigeria AFP The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Nana Shettima, the wife of Borno Governor, Kashim Shettima (C) weeps as she speaks with school girls from the government secondary school Chibok that were kidnapped by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, and later escaped in Chibok The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram South Africans protest in solidarity against the abduction of hundreds of schoolgirls in Nigeria by the Muslim extremist group Boko Haram and what protesters said was the failure of the Nigerian government and international community to rescue them, during a march to the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Boko Haram militants have seized the town in north-eastern Nigeria that nearly 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped from in April 2014 AFP The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram A soldier stands guard in front of burnt buses after an attack in Abuja. Twin blasts at a bus station packed with morning commuters on the outskirts of Nigeria's capital killed dozens of people, in what appeared to be the latest attack by Boko Haram Islamists, April 2014 The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram The aftermath of the attack, when Boko Haram fighters in trucks painted in military colours killed 51 people in Konduga in February 2014 AFP/Getty Images The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram The leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau (with papers) in a video grab taken in July 2014 AFP/Getty The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Ruins of burnt out houses in the north-eastern settlement of Baga, pictured after Boko Haram attacks in 2013 AP The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram A Boko Haram attack in Nigeria, 2013 AFP/Getty Images The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Abubakar Shekau, Boko Harams leader AP International Alerts Kimairis Toogood told The Independent the women like Lucy had suffered a triple trauma their initial capture and abuse, the horror of their self-administered abortions and the subsequent rejection from their families and communities. Boko Haram is estimated to have abducted between 500 and 2,000 women and children (boys and girls) since 2012, some of whom have been rescued and placed in government-run refugee camps following a successful Nigerian army offensive last year. As they return, many face marginalisation, discrimination and rejection by family and community members due to social and cultural norms related to sexual violence, the report said. Ms Toogood said the women and girls face a kind of re-victimisation when they return to their communities because of a mix of stigmas unique to northeast Nigeria. Researchers found it was a commonly held belief in the region that Boko Haram uses witchcraft or juju (charms) to brainwash captives even among government representatives. As a result, and because of the entrenched view that a childs DNA determines the person they will become, children born of raped captives are described as having bad blood. Boko Haram kidnapped 275 girls from Chibok in April 2014 (AFP) The womens children are considered to carry the blood of Boko Haram, Ms Toogood said. They are very young now two at most but they will always be viewed like that, they will always be half a terrorist. Boko Haram likely deploys more female suicide bombers than any other terrorist group in the world, a fact which fuels distrust in those women who do manage to escape its clutches. Every victim who returns to state-controlled areas is put through a government deradicalisation programme, which is believed to cleanse them of the Boko Haram juju. Yet no such perceived exorcism is available to their children, who Ms Toogood said are a constant reminder of the abuse these women had experienced. Even among those who tried and failed abortions, however, the women had an extraordinary capacity to care for the children in the face of insurmountable social pressure. President Muhammadu Buhari has previously said he has beaten Boko Haram - but the group continues to commit atrocities (Reuters) It was really beautiful to see that they could still love these children, Ms Toogood said. They believed Allah would not deal them any challenge they could not handle, saying he has given me the capacity to look after the baby. According to a report from the Insitute for Economics and Peace at the end of last year, Boko Haram overtook Isis to become the deadliest insurgent group in the world in 2014. The group started becoming increasingly violent and indiscriminate in its attacks in 2009, and has been using sexual violence as tactic of war since 2012. The group now known as Boko Haram has been terrorising communities in northeast Nigeria in one form or another since the nineties, and researchers found some women had lived under its rule for so long that they no longer saw them as insurgents. International Alert and Unicef had to terminate one interview with a woman because she was convinced the Boko Haram fighter who abused her was simply her husband she did not self-identify as a victim. Abubakar Shekau, current leader of Boko Haram, speaking from a script to declare allegiance to Isis in October 2014 (YouTube, AFP) In their report, the charities recommend the government provide better counselling and psychotherapeutic services to the group of traumatised women whose problems have really only just begun. Ms Toogood said: All the women we interviewed were very concerned about their future prospects. They are on the verge of destitution, with no skills, ostracised by husbands, neighbours and parents and terrified to go home because Boko Haram could come again. You can see that because they were victims, because they were kidnapped, raped and now have a child they do not want, as a result of that they are going to become victims again in the future. * Lucy not her real name. All key informant interviewees for the study retained anonymity. For the full report, click here. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} He was uncatchable. Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the legendary Algerian militant, had eluded attempts to kill or capture him across North Africa and the Sahel for a dozen years, continuing his campaign of kidnapping and guerrilla attacks. But in June last year, the Joint Special Operations Command, the secretive military outfit tasked with hunting al-Qaeda, believed it had Belmokhtar in its sights as he made his way to a dusty farm outside Ajdabiya, eastern Libya, where a group had assembled for a meeting. Famously disciplined, Belmokhtar and his associates cloaked their movements and avoided electronic communications but someone slipped up. When two US F-15 jets unleashed their bombs, they demolished the farmhouse, killing at least five militants. Eight months on, US military and intelligence agencies remain unsure whether Belmokhtar was killed. We took a shot, but we could never really confirm his demise, said one official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. As President Obama prepares to step down, the uncertainty highlights the sometimes limited intelligence surrounding strikes that have become a hallmark of his response to threats overseas. Mr Obama has sought to minimise troop deployment by employing Special Operations raids and air strikes to target scores of jihadists from South Asia to Africa in recent years. British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Show all 10 1 /10 British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Tornado jet takes off from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, as RAF Tornado jets carried out the first British bombing runs over Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Pilots and ground crew prepare combat aircraft Panavia Tornados at RAF Marham at RAF Marham, UK Getty British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Eurofighter Typhoon jet takes off from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, as RAF Tornado jets carried out the first British bombing runs over Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A RAF Tornado arrives at RAF Akrotiri to begin operations in Akrotiri British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Tornado jet ahead of taking off from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, as RAF Tornado jets carried out the first British bombing runs over Syria, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. The air strikes were carried out within hours of a vote by MPs in the Commons to back extending operations against Isis from neighbouring Iraq British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Personnel work on a British Tornado after it returned from a mission at RAF Akrotiri in southern Cyprus British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Two RAF Tornado GR4's, both with remaining weapons ordnance, approach RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, as they return to the base after carrying out some of the first British bombing runs over Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A RAF Tornado takes off from RAF Akrotiri, on the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Tornado jet leaving RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria AKA RAF Tornado arrives at RAF Akrotiri to begin operations in Akrotiri, Cyprus. The RAF has sent two further Tornado aircraft and six Typhoons to bolster aircraft now flying sorties to both Iraq and Syria Civil liberties activists have been pressing for more details. A federal appeals court on Wednesday heard arguments on whether the government should be more transparent about drone strikes, in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. Some officials reservations over whether Belmokhtar was killed are enough to stop the Obama administration declaring jackpot military jargon for a conclusive hit against a militant target. And there are troubling questions raised about who the strike may have killed in his stead, and how the attack may have affected his followers, who have launched several bloody attacks since. One former senior official said the remote strikes were one of the few tools the US could use in areas that do not permit an on-the-ground presence. Advocates say precision munitions launched by drones or fighter jets, mean less collateral damage. The official said the problem was that they are going to take place in ungoverned areas [where] you dont have a clear partner. Jameel Jaffer, an attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, said: Theres only so much you can learn from surveillance conducted from 15,000ft, and their human intelligence is very limited in some of the places where theyre carrying out strikes. The Belmokhtar strike was the culmination of a long international effort against the man also known as Mr Marlboro, the Uncatchable and One-Eyed for the disfigurement he suffered handling weapons as a young man. Belmokhtar trained in Afghanistan in the early 1990s and fought with an Islamist group in Algerias decade-long civil war before joining a group that became al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). He financed operations by kidnapping foreigners including two Westerners working for the UN for ransom, and was known for prolific smuggling of cigarettes and other goods over the borders of North Africa and the Sahel. He gained local support by marrying into tribes. Given his stature, intelligence officials thought Belmokhtar would be harder to replace than militants from groups with a deeper bench, such as Isis. It made him an attractive target. In 2003, Washington considered trying to kill him from the air in north Mali, but concerns about the political backlash stopped that. A decade later, his fighters laid siege to a gas plant in Algeria, killing three Americans and six Britons. The charismatic and ambitious Belmokthar, 43, clashed with others in the African al-Qaeda outfit and twice helped form splinter brigades al-Mulathameen and, more recently, al-Murabitoun. Weve been after this guy for a long time, a former senior US official said. Ansar al-Sharia, an Islamist group in Algeria, released the names of seven of its militants whom it said died in the US raid, but Belmokhtar was not among them. Several other groups denied Belmokhtar had been killed; AQIM said he was alive and well. Ibrahim Jathran, an influential militia leader in Ajdabiya, said the wounded, known to authorities, were mostly locals and perhaps one Tunisian. We wish Belmokhtar had been killed, but theres no proof. One US intelligence official said he remained pretty confident Belmokhtar was dead. But there is room for error, and hes a wily character, he said. I wouldnt be surprised if he popped back up. The Washington Post For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The main opposition candidate in Ugandas election has been arrested, his aide said, as counting started in presidential and parliamentary polls marred by the late arrival of ballot papers. Kizza Besigye was arrested and later released in the Kampala suburb of Naguru, where he was investigating alleged ballot-stuffing in a house run by the intelligence agencies, said Shawn Mubiru, who is in charge of communications for Mr Besigyes Forum for Democratic Change party. Mr Besigye is President Yoweri Musevenis main challenger in the polls, in which six other opposition candidates are also standing. Mr Besigyes supporters said the delays were deliberate and were aimed at favouring President Museveni. Several dozen polling stations did not open, but the election commission said they would be open on Friday. Election results are expected on Saturday. Police and soldiers in riot gear patrolled the streets of Kampala and the government, citing security fears, shut down social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Mr Museveni, who is expected to win, warned that anyone fuelling or taking part in unrest would be arrested. He said: If anybody tries to bring violence, we shall just get him, put him in the deep freezer until he cools down and... the blood pressure comes down. AP/Reuters Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump has called Pope Francis "disgraceful" after the Republican presidential candidate was described as being "not Christian". Responding to the Pope comments, which were made in a conversation with reporters on his flight back from a visit to Mexico, Mr Trump insisted he is a Christian and proud of it. "If and when the Vatican is attacked by Isis, which as everyone knows is ISISs ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened," Mr. Trump said. "ISIS would have been eradicated unlike what is happening now with our all talk, no action politicians. "The Mexican government and its leadership has made many disparaging remarks about me to the Pope, because they want to continue to rip off the United States, both on trade and at the border, and they understand I am totally wise to them. The Pope only heard one side of the story - he didnt see the crime, the drug trafficking and the negative economic impact the current policies have on the United States. He doesnt see how Mexican leadership is outsmarting President Obama and our leadership in every aspect of negotiation. "For a religious leader to question a persons faith is disgraceful. I am proud to be a Christian and as President I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened, unlike what is happening now, with our current President. No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another mans religion or faith. They are using the Pope as a pawn and they should be ashamed of themselves for doing so, especially when so many lives are involved and when illegal immigration is so rampant." The war of words between began when the Pope spoke out on Trump's statements on immigrants. A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian, the Pontiff said in answer to a specific question about Trump's views. This is not in the gospel. Asked if American Catholics should vote for someone with Trump's views, Francis said: I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt. Mr. Trump, who won last week's New Hampshire presidential primary vote by a wide margin, has repeatedly said he would build a wall on the border between the U.S. and Mexico, and clais he will make Mexico pay for it. Follow @PaytonGuion on Twitter. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} An endangered dolphin was killed after beach-goers reportedly pulled it from the water in order to take photos with it. The Franciscan dolphin died last week at the Santa Teresita resort in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after a scrum of people were photographed grabbing two or the marine animals out of the surf and passing them around. Hernan Coria posted images on Facebook showing two dolphins being held aloft like trophies while grinning tourists were seemingly unaware or unbothered about the animals' discomfort. Another photo showed at least one of the animals had been left on the sand to die. Segundo delfin que aparece en el dia en Santa Teresita una lastima no creo que vivan Posted by Hernan Coria on Wednesday, 10 February 2016 After the images from Santa Teresita emerged, the Argentine Wildlife Foundation issued a warning to the public about the dolphins vulnerability in the hope that it will prevent similar incidents. "The Franciscan, like other species, cannot remain for much time out of the water. It has thick fatty skin which provides warmth, so the hot weather will cause rapid dehydration and death," a spokesperson wrote on the charity's website. The rarest animals in the world Show all 23 1 /23 The rarest animals in the world The rarest animals in the world Goblin shark Dubbed the "alien of the deep", the goblin shark was caught by a commercial fisherman off the coast of Eden, New South Wales. The carcass of the terrifying looking creature was then donated to the Australian Museum in Sydney so that it could be dissected YouTube/Australian Museum The rarest animals in the world Glass frog Scientists in South America have discovered a brand new species of frog and hes a dead ringer for Kermit the frog. Hyalinobatrachium dianae is an inch-long glass frog with identical bright green skin, a translucent belly, and bulging white eyes with black pupils. The new species found by Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center on the Talamanca hills of the country, was named after the senior researchers mother Diane and brought the total known species of glass frogs on the island to 14 BBC via YouTube The rarest animals in the world Walking fish (climbing perch) A bizarre and seemingly super-powered fish which can walk out of water and breathe on land for up to six days could spell a 'major disaster' for wildlife, scientists have warned. The aggressive climbing perch, which has lungs as well as gills, has been discovered in northern Australia YouTube The rarest animals in the world Frilled shark A rare and terrifying frilled shark has been pulled from the water by fishermen near Lakes Entrance in Victoria, Australia. Also known as the "living fossil", the frilled shark is named for its six pairs of frill-like gills. The sharks origin dates back 80 million years, and is one of two species that is still alive from this period SETFA The rarest animals in the world Black Sea Devil anglerfish Researchers in the US have released what they believe to be the first video footage showing a bizarre-looking Black Sea Devil anglerfish in the wild. As anglerfish live in the deep sea, they are very rarely seen in their natural habitat, and fewer than half a dozen have ever been captured on film or video in the wild, according to experts at the Monterrey Bay Acquarium Research Institute (MBARI) Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute The rarest animals in the world Blue lobster A rare blue lobster was caught off Pine Point in Scarborough, Maine. The crustacean is being donated to the Maine State Aquarium AP Photo/Meghan LaPlante The rarest animals in the world Two-headed dolphin A con-joined dolphin found on the beach of the Aegean Sea coastal town of Dikili, Izmir province of Turkey AP The rarest animals in the world Conjoined whales A pair of conjoined gray whale calves have been found off the coast of Mexico, in what scientists believe could be the first discovery of its kind CONANPHO/AFP/Getty Images The rarest animals in the world Fish-eating spider (Dolomedes facetus) Dolomedes facetus captured pond fish (genus Xiphophorus) in a garden pond near Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The number of spiders who catch and eat fish is on the rise across the world, scientists believe Peter Liley, Moffat Beach, Queensland The rarest animals in the world Dancing frogs A frog couple from one of the 14 new species of so-called dancing frogs AP/Satyabhama Das Biju The rarest animals in the world Kakapo Conservationists in New Zealand are celebrating after an extremely rare kakapo chick hatched from a cracked egg held together by nothing more than tape and glue. The bird joins a global kakapo population of just 125 birds Creative Commons. Photo: jidanchaomian, via Flickr. The rarest animals in the world Migaloo the white whale Migaloo the white whale, sighted at the Bernard Islands Twitter/Migaloo the Whale The rarest animals in the world Domed land snail Living in complete darkness more than 900 metres below the surface has left this tiny snail with no pigmentation in its shell. Discovered in the caves of western Croatia the Zospeum tholussum is also a slow mover, creeping just a few centimeters each week. The rarest animals in the world Leaf-tailed gecko The mottled colouring on this gecko helps it blend in with the rain forests and rocky habitats of eastern Australia. It also has an extremely wide tail (from which it gets its name) to further confuse predators Conrad Hoskin The rarest animals in the world Flying frog A Giant green flying frog which is among the new species found by scientists in the Greater Mekong region PA The rarest animals in the world Megamouth shark An extremely rare female deep-water megamouth shark has been caught off the coast of Shizuoka, Japan, and is believed to be only the 58 sighting of the animal on record The rarest animals in the world A Maui's dolphin Fears grow for Maui's dolphins after New Zealand government opens west coast block for oil and gas drilling youtube The rarest animals in the world Geep A rare goat-sheep hybrid has been born on an Irish farm, much to the surprise of a farmer who said the geep is thriving since its birth Irish Farmers Journal The rarest animals in the world Omani owl An Omani Owl, a species completely new to science PA The rarest animals in the world Albino dolphin A rare albino calf being herded into Japan's notorious Taiji 'killing' Cove, where hundreds of dolphins are slaughtered during its annual hunt Sea Shepherd/EPA The rarest animals in the world Stone curlew The stone curlew is one of the UK's most threatened birds and has recently returned from their wintering grounds in Africa and Spain Getty Images The rarest animals in the world Mascarene Petrel A unique photograph has been taken of a bird with a visible egg showing after experts sent to study a critically endangered Mascarene Petrel on a remote Indian Ocean tropical island encountered an undeniably pregnant member of the species Hadoram Shirihai The rarest animals in the world Albino cobra A "very dangerous and venomous" albino cobra has been found in a suburban Los Angeles neighbourhood after escaping from a home there Dept. of Animal Care and Control, County of Los Angeles "At least one of the animals [from the photos taken in Santa Teresita] died. The incident prompts us to inform the public about the urgent need to return these dolphins to the sea if one is found on the shore. It is vital to help rescue these animals, because every Franciscan counts." The Argentine Wildlife Foundation reports that the Franciscan dolphin is one of the smallest and rarest dolphins in the world. It is vulnerable to extinction with just 30,000 believed to be left in the wild. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} President Obama has approved more stringent sanctions against North Korea to prevent the country from developing nuclear warheads. The increased sanctions, signed by lawmakers on Wednesday, are designed to shut down North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's plans to finance the development of miniaturized nuclear warheads and the long-range missiles needed to deliver them, as reported by the Associated Press. Recommended Read more North Korea rages against new US sanctions following Sony cyberattack Included in the sanction program is $50 million to transmit radio broadcasts into the country over five years and to assist humanitarian projects. The approved sanctions come amid delicate negotiations between China and the US over a UN Security Council resolution to impose more economic limitations in the face of persistent aggression from North Korea. China has reportedly raised concerns about some measures that could potentially devastate North Koreas economy. Last week the UN, the US and South Korea condemned North Koreas long-range rocket launch, but the move was met with a more tepid reaction from China and Russia, who stressed the need for a diplomatic solution. In January North Korea was reportedly furious over a fresh wave of US sanctions after it carried out a cyberattack on Sony. The sanctions were the first that the White House had inflicted on a country due to a cyberattack on a US company. State-run KCNA news agency quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying: The policy persistently pursued by the US to stifle the DPRK [North Korea], groundlessly stirring up bad blood towards it, would only harden its will and resolution to defend the sovereignty of the country. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A San Francisco tech worker has caused outrage after publishing a letter declaring homeless people are "riff raff" whose "pain, struggle and despair" shouldn't have to be seen by "wealthy working people". Justin Keller, the founder of startup Commando.io, published an open letter to San Francisco mayor Ed Lee and police chief Greg Suhr "to voice my concern and outrage over the increasing homeless and drug problem that the city is faced with". He writes: "The residents of this amazing city no longer feel safe. I know people are frustrated about gentrification happening in the city, but the reality is, we live in a free market society. The wealthy working people have earned their right to live in the city. They went out, got an education, work hard, and earned it. I shouldnt have to worry about being accosted. I shouldnt have to see the pain, struggle, and despair of homeless people to and from my way to work every day. I want my parents when they come visit to have a great experience, and enjoy this special place." After parts of the letter were republished in The Guardian, many took to social media to vent their frustration at the letter: After the backlash, Mr Keller added an apology to his letter for his use of the term "riff-raff", which he said was "insensitive and counterproductive". There are nearly 7,000 homeless people living in San Francisco, according to an official government count. Last year, a woman developed a phone app to feed almost 600,000 homeless people in San Francisco. Komal Ahmad developed the app to allow companies and event planners to donate surplus food to help those in need within their area. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump has hit back against Pope Francis apparently branding his policies not Christian, in a strong and aggressive new statement. The Pope said that Trump's policy of building a wall between the US and Mexico was not Christian, in a comment from his plane. Mr Trump has responded with an impassioned statement that says that the Vatican will be attacked by Isis and calls the head of the Catholic church "disgraceful". He also said that the Pope had only made the comment because the Mexican government had persuaded him to do so. The full statement reads: "If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISISs ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened. ISIS would have been eradicated unlike what is happening now with our all talk, no action politicians. "The Mexican government and its leadership has made many disparaging remarks about me to the Pope, because they want to continue to rip off the United States, both on trade and at the border, and they understand I am totally wise to them. The Pope only heard one side of the story - he didnt see the crime, the drug trafficking and the negative economic impact the current policies have on the United States. He doesnt see how Mexican leadership is outsmarting President Obama and our leadership in every aspect of negotiation. Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY "For a religious leader to question a persons faith is disgraceful. I am proud to be a Christian and as President I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened, unlike what is happening now, with our current President. No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another mans religion or faith. They are using the Pope as a pawn and they should be ashamed of themselves for doing so, especially when so many lives are involved and when illegal immigration is so rampant. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Pope Francis has declared that presidential candidate Donald Trump is not a Christian because of strident views on immigration and his desire to build a wall on the Mexican border. Mr Trump has hit back and called the comments shameful. The Reuters news agency said that the remarkable intervention from Francis came in a in a freewheeling conversation with reporters on his flight back from a visit to Mexico. Pope Francis was asked about Mr Trump and some of his statements, such as vowing to build a wall between the United States and Mexico if he becomes president. A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian, the Pontiff said in answer to a specific question about mr Trumps views. This is not in the gospel. Mr Trump has already hit back at the Pope's claims (AFP/Getty) Asked if American Catholics should vote for someone with Mr Trumps views, Francis said: I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt. Mr Trump has worked hard to secure the support of evangelicals and conservative Christians as he has campaigned across the country. He released a campaign video in which appeared with what he said was his mothers bible. He also appeared at the christian Liberty University in Virginia, where he fluffed a reference to the bible but secured the support of the colleges president, Jerry Falwell, the son of the late preacher and activist Jerry Falwell Sr. Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Live and let live.' GETTY IMAGES Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Proceed calmly" in life' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Be giving of yourself to others' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Even though many parents work long hours, they must set aside time to play with their children' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Sunday is for family' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Respect and take care of nature' OSSERVATORE ROMANO/AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Stop being negative' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: Respect others' beliefs' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Peace sometimes gives the impression of being quiet, but it is never quiet, peace is always proactive' FP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness AFP/Getty Images The Republican frontrunner, who has said he would deport millions of illegal migrants if he wins the November US election, last week he told Fox Business television that Pope Francis did not understand the Mexican border issues. The pope is a very political person. I think he doesn't understand the problems our country has. I dont think he understands the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico, he said. On Thursday, Mr Trump immediately hit back and said the pope had failed to fully appreciate the issue. If and when the Vatican is attacked by Isiss, which as everyone knows is Isiss ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened, he said. For a religious leader to question a persons faith is disgraceful. I am proud to be a Christian and as President I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened, unlike what is happening now, with our current President. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The victim of a brutal attack, whose unborn baby was cut from her womb by another woman, has described in court how she tried to fight back. Michelle Wilkins gave an emotional testimony in front of lawyers about how she went to her attacker Dynel Lanes house in March last year after she spotted an advertisement offering free baby clothes. The 27-year-old from Colorado said she chatted with Ms Lane for an hour before she was taken into the basement to see the clothes. When she tried to leave, Ms Lane started choking and beating her. Recommended Read more Woman who answered Craigslist ad for baby clothes had foetus cut from I just kept saying why, why are you doing this, Ms Wilkins said in a trembling voice, as shown in a video of the court case. Ms Wilkins said she told Ms Lane that she "loved her" to make her stop. Ms Lane allegedly replied: If you love me, youll let me do this and stabbed her in the neck with a shard of glass. The victim, who was eight months pregnant at the time, tried to fight back and said she was thinking of her unborn daughter, who she was going to name Aurora. She passed out, however. Dynel Lane / AP (Rex Features) Prosectors say that the victim was hit with a lava lamp and her child was cut from her womb with two kitchen knives, as reported by The Telegraph. When she woke up, she was bleeding profusely from her abdomen and called 911. Her baby died, she found out the next day. Ms Lanes partner said he came home and found the baby in the bath. He drove both Ms Lane and the baby to hospital, where she claimed she had miscarried before admitting the child was not hers. Prosecutors say Ms Lane was obsessed with the idea of being pregnant and had posted various photos of herself with a fake, distended stomach on social media to convince her friends she was expecting a child. They even threw a baby shower for her. Ms Lane has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, assault and unlawful termination of a pregnancy. Her defence lawyer Jennifer Beck has argued that Ms Lane did not plan the attack and had not intended to kill Ms Wilkins. Ms Lane has two teenage daughters. Her third child, a boy called Michael, died by drowning in 2002. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Two staff members at a Canadian zoo who had given a pair of trousers to an otter have been disciplined after the animal drowned. An autopsy revealed that Logan, the North American river otter, died after becoming entangled in the clothing item in the pool at Calgary Zoo, in the province of Alberta, earlier this month. Although a keeper jumped into the pool, the 12-year-old otter could not be saved. Three otters now remain at the zoo. An investigation into the death found that an [unauthorised] enrichment item was given to the otters by a zookeeper and that protocols had been broken by two staff members. They have now been disciplined. Colleen Baird, the general curator at Calgary Zoo, said such an error was "simply unacceptable". The zoo's animal care protocols were among the most stringent in the industry, she said, adding: We will be reinforcing our protocols with every member of our Animal Care staff to prevent an incident like this from ever happening again. The Toronto Star reported that Ms Baird said animals were sometimes given enrichment items to encourage them to behave as they would in the wild. However, the trousers were not an item authorised to be given to the otters. The incident was criticised by Julie Woodyer of animal welfare group Zoocheck. She told CBC: "It smacks of the kinds of things you might see at a roadside zoo, not in a professional operation." There have been other incidents of deaths in unusual circumstances at the zoo before. In 2009 an employee was suspended when a capybara died after being crushed by a hydraulic door. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Kim Jong-un has ordered North Korean military and intelligence chiefs to prepare to carry out terror attacks on South Korea, politicians in Seoul have said. Citing new information from its state spy agency, the South Korean government said there was reason to believe the North planned to kidnap or poison its citizens and launch cyberwarfare attacks. An urgent meeting was called between the ruling party and the government to discuss North Korea, after which the presidential office called for new anti-terror laws to combat the apparent threat. Lee Chul-woo, a ruling party politician, claimed there was evidence to suggest the order to prepare for terror attacks came from Mr Kim himself, Yonhap reported. The North Korean ruler was pictured apparently signing off on recent nuclear tests and long-range rocket launches ordered by Pyongyang, to which the South responded with a range of sanctions and measures. And speaking on Thursday night, a spokesman for South Korean president Park Geun-hye said: "The possibility of North Korea launching terror attacks on the South has become more viable." A number of anti-terror bills are currently pending in the National Assembly, some of which were first proposed in 2011. In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test Show all 15 1 /15 In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test A lab employee from the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety's regional office in Gangneung, east of Seoul, checks for radioactive traces in the air, in Gangneung, soon after North Korea announced it successfully conducted a hydrogen bomb test. The office in Gangneung is the closest one to the site of the North's claimed test. Officials said it will take three to four days to analyze air samples in detail for any traces of radioactivity, the Yonhap news agency reported EPA In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un signing a document of a hydrogen bomb test in Pyongyang In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test People watch a TV news program showing North Korea's special announcement at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea AP In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test Getty Images In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test Getty Images In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test South Korean people watch TV news at Seoul station EPA In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test Japan's meteorological agency officer Yohei Hasegawa displays a chart showing seismic activity, after a North Korean nuclear test, at the agency in Tokyo Getty Images In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test Ko Yun-Hwa, administrator of Korea Meteorological Administration, briefs reporters showing seismic waves from the site of North Korea's hydrogen bomb test, at his office in Seoul Getty Images In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test North Korea's border county of Kaepoong is seen from a South Korean observation post in Paju near the Demilitarized zone dividing the two Koreas as North Korea announced it had successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test Getty Images But they have met with staunch opposition among politicians who are unwilling to extend the powers of the National Interlligence Service. Support gew at the end of last year following the Paris attacks, however, and presidential press secretary Kim Sung-woo said the most urgent goal in the face of North Korean aggression should be to protect the lives of South Korean people. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Eurotunnel has asked the British and French governments to reimburse it 22 million (29 million euro) for lost revenue during last year's cross-Channel migrant crisis. The Channel Tunnel operator made the claim via the Intergovernmental Commission as it revealed a 22% dividend increase to be proposed at its AGM on April 27. Despite an uncertain global outlook, Eurotunnel predicted further growth in the cross-Channel and rail freight markets amid strength in the British economy. Refugee crisis - in pictures Show all 27 1 /27 Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugee crisis - in pictures A child looks through the fence at the Moria detention camp for migrants and refugees at the island of Lesbos on May 24, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Ahmad Zarour, 32, from Syria, reacts after his rescue by MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) while attempting to reach the Greek island of Agathonisi, Dodecanese, southeastern Agean Sea Refugee crisis - in pictures Syrian migrants holding life vests gather onto a pebble beach in the Yesil liman district of Canakkale, northwestern Turkey, after being stopped by Turkish police in their attempt to reach the Greek island of Lesbos on 29 January 2016. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees flash the 'V for victory' sign during a demonstration as they block the Greek-Macedonian border Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants have been braving sub zero temperatures as they cross the border from Macedonia into Serbia. Refugee crisis - in pictures A sinking boat is seen behind a Turkish gendarme off the coast of Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016. At least 33 migrants drowned on January 30 when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A general view of a shelter for migrants inside a hangar of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees protest behind a fence against restrictions limiting passage at the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Since last week, Macedonia has restricted passage to northern Europe to only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who are considered war refugees. All other nationalities are deemed economic migrants and told to turn back. Macedonia has finished building a fence on its frontier with Greece becoming the latest country in Europe to build a border barrier aimed at checking the flow of refugees Refugee crisis - in pictures A father and his child wait after being caught by Turkish gendarme on 27 January 2016 at Canakkale's Kucukkuyu district Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants make hand signals as they arrive into the southern Spanish port of Malaga on 27 January, 2016 after an inflatable boat carrying 55 Africans, seven of them women and six chidren, was rescued by the Spanish coast guard off the Spanish coast. Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee holds two children as dozens arrive on an overcrowded boat on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures A child, covered by emergency blankets, reacts as she arrives, with other refugees and migrants, on the Greek island of Lesbos, At least five migrants including three children, died after four boats sank between Turkey and Greece, as rescue workers searched the sea for dozens more, the Greek coastguard said Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants wait under outside the Moria registration camp on the Lesbos. Over 400,000 people have landed on Greek islands from neighbouring Turkey since the beginning of the year Refugee crisis - in pictures The bodies of Christian refugees are buried separately from Muslim refugees at the Agios Panteleimonas cemetery in Mytilene, Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures Macedonian police officers control a crowd of refugees as they prepare to enter a camp after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee tries to force the entry to a camp as Macedonian police officers control a crowd after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees are seen aboard a Turkish fishing boat as they arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast to Lesbos Reuters Refugee crisis - in pictures An elderly woman sings a lullaby to baby on a beach after arriving with other refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A man collapses as refugees make land from an overloaded rubber dinghy after crossing the Aegean see from Turkey, at the island of Lesbos EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures A girl reacts as refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees make a show of hands as they queue after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures People help a wheelchair user board a train with others, heading towards Serbia, at the transit camp for refugees near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees board a train, after crossing the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Macedonia is a key transit country in the Balkans migration route into the EU, with thousands of asylum seekers - many of them from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia - entering the country every day Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures An aerial picture shows the "New Jungle" refugee camp where some 3,500 people live while they attempt to enter Britain, near the port of Calais, northern France Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A Syrian girl reacts as she helped by a volunteer upon her arrival from Turkey on the Greek island of Lesbos, after having crossed the Aegean Sea EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Beds ready for use for migrants and refugees are prepared at a processing center on January 27, 2016 in Passau, Germany. The flow of migrants arriving in Passau has dropped to between 500 and 1,000 per day, down significantly from last November, when in the same region up to 6,000 migrants were arriving daily. The Chunnel operator faced heavy disruption to its services last summer as migrants based at the Jungle camp in Calais made repeated bids to cross to Britain. As it revealed its 2015 annual results, Eurotunnel said there has been no disruption to services since last October following strengthened border security at the Coquelles terminal. It said revenues increased by 5% to 1.2 billion euro (926 million) compared to 2014. And the group's pre-tax profit for 2015 was 115 million euro (89 million), an improvement of 25 million euro (19 million) compared to 2014. Chairman and chief executive Jacques Gounon said: "In a difficult environment in 2015, the group worked with the efficiency of a private company to deliver a genuine public service. "This was achieved through the commitment of its staff, close co-operation with the two governments and an exemplary capacity to react to events." Press Association For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Women in Germany are calling for a law to protect their right to breastfeed in public after a woman said she was thrown out of a cafe in Berlin for nursing her three-month-old baby. An online petition created by Johanna Spanke - asking Manuela Schwesig, Germanys Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, to enact legislation on the issue - has attracted nearly 3,000 signatures. Writing on her petition page, Ms Spanke said: Dear Minister Schwesig, we call for a law to protect breastfeeding in public! Mothers should in Germany have the right to breastfeed their babies in public places, such as cafes and restaurants to be referenced without charging! Ms Spanke said that she never considered breastfeeding to be a taboo subject in Germany until she was made to leave a cafe in Berlin with her three-month-old baby as the owner said breastfeeding there was prohibited. There is no German law prohibiting women from breastfeeding in public, but there is also no law protecting it - with owners entitled to set their own rules for whether it can take place in their premises. Ms Spanke continued: There is no legal basis in Germany, which mothers who wish to breastfeed in cafes, restaurants, ice cream shops, museums, etc. protects against such reprimands and humiliation. Although breastfeeding in public in Germany in principle is allowed, cafe or restaurant owners can at any time exercise its domiciliary rights and discriminate against breastfeeding breastfeeding mothers. Lactating women have the right to participate in public life, without being discriminated against and ashamed. We shouldnt be surprised if fewer and fewer German women want to have babies given the current situation. In support of her petition, Ms Spanke referred to the UKs 2010 Equality Act, under which business cannot discriminate against mothers breastfeeding a child of any age on the premises. MPs last year discussed whether a ban on new mothers breastfeeding their babies in the House of Commons should be overturned. During the debate, Conservative MP Sir Simon Burns, said the chamber had to be careful that, in pushing for a more realistic approach, we do not give the tabloid press the opportunity to ridicule us. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Dutch government has announced plans to ban the export of kosher and halal meat in an effort to reduce the amount of animals killed through ritual slaughter, to minimise suffering. The website Dutch News reports Martijn van Dam, junior minister for economic affairs, told MPs in a letter: I find the current implementation unacceptable. Negative effects on animal welfare must be minimised. He said the new rules, which will be in place from January 2017, will ensure meat from animals killed ritually will be clearly labelled, only available in religious communities and will not be exported. According to the website, Mr van Dam said he had spoken to Jewish and Muslim organisations and slaughterhouses to make agreements to introduce the new rules. From next year, any abbottoirs which wish to perform ritual slaughter will need to register with the relevant authorities. Since the animals cannot be stunned, eye reflex tests will ensure animals are unconscious before they are slaughtered, Dutch News said. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A female-only groping guard is patrolling swimming pools in Sweden following reports of women and children being sexually harassed by refugees. Managers at the leisure centre in the city of Kalmar, where the Tafsvakten group was started, say only one assault has been reported in recent months but founder Siri Bernhardsson claims women are becoming too afraid to visit. The more I read, the more angry I get, she told the Kvallsposten newspaper. Siri Bernhardsson, 24, set up the Tafsvakten group (Facebook) It cannot be right that women and families should be too intimidated to go to the swimming pool, of all places. It's not a dark alley or scary nightclub. The 24-year-old is co-ordinating volunteers and collecting donations to cover transport, food and swimming pool entry through her Tafsvakten Facebook page. It was set up on 4 February and has since garnered more than 2,000 likes, as well as pledges from women in towns and cities across Sweden to set up similar patrols. The news is completely overflowing with articles about molestation and rapes at Sweden's bathhouses, Ms Bernhardssons mission statement reads. I've had enough! I want to give my support. Nasta helg den 13/2 kommer jag att finnas pa plats pa Aventyrsbadet i Kalmar med mina flip-flops och visselpipa for att... Posted by Tafsvakten on Thursday, 4 February 2016 But the initiative has been controversial, seeing her accused of vigilantism, racism and xenophobia, as well as inciting hate towards more than 160,000 asylum seekers who arrived in Sweden last year. The Scandinavian country, which has the highest number of refugees per capita in Europe, is known for its humanitarian policies but is now planning to deport tens of thousands of asylum seekers after introducing border controls and slashing benefits. Public opinion has shifted following reports that police covered up widespread sexual assaults by teenage migrants at a Swedish music festival and alleged attacks by male asylum seekers at a public swimming pool in Stockholm. Migrant children sleep on the Swedish border. Sweden has taken in, by population, more refugees than any other EU country (AP) News of a 10-year-old boy being raped by an Iraqi refugee at a leisure centre in Austria and sexual harassment at pools in several German towns have fuelled fears. Ms Bernhardsson told the 24 Kalmar website that she and other women would conduct their swimming patrol in Kalmar 11am to 3pm on Saturdays and keep their eyes open. We will keep a low profile, she added in an interview with Aftonbladet. We are not there to act as police, but to observe and be available if someone wants to talk. But the pools manager, Susanne Gryfelt, has not welcomed the intervention. Saying she had received no reports of women and families feeling too afraid to swim, she added: We do not want individuals to come in and act as lifeguards that is our job. Refugee crisis - in pictures Show all 27 1 /27 Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugee crisis - in pictures A child looks through the fence at the Moria detention camp for migrants and refugees at the island of Lesbos on May 24, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Ahmad Zarour, 32, from Syria, reacts after his rescue by MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) while attempting to reach the Greek island of Agathonisi, Dodecanese, southeastern Agean Sea Refugee crisis - in pictures Syrian migrants holding life vests gather onto a pebble beach in the Yesil liman district of Canakkale, northwestern Turkey, after being stopped by Turkish police in their attempt to reach the Greek island of Lesbos on 29 January 2016. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees flash the 'V for victory' sign during a demonstration as they block the Greek-Macedonian border Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants have been braving sub zero temperatures as they cross the border from Macedonia into Serbia. Refugee crisis - in pictures A sinking boat is seen behind a Turkish gendarme off the coast of Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016. At least 33 migrants drowned on January 30 when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A general view of a shelter for migrants inside a hangar of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees protest behind a fence against restrictions limiting passage at the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Since last week, Macedonia has restricted passage to northern Europe to only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who are considered war refugees. All other nationalities are deemed economic migrants and told to turn back. Macedonia has finished building a fence on its frontier with Greece becoming the latest country in Europe to build a border barrier aimed at checking the flow of refugees Refugee crisis - in pictures A father and his child wait after being caught by Turkish gendarme on 27 January 2016 at Canakkale's Kucukkuyu district Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants make hand signals as they arrive into the southern Spanish port of Malaga on 27 January, 2016 after an inflatable boat carrying 55 Africans, seven of them women and six chidren, was rescued by the Spanish coast guard off the Spanish coast. Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee holds two children as dozens arrive on an overcrowded boat on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures A child, covered by emergency blankets, reacts as she arrives, with other refugees and migrants, on the Greek island of Lesbos, At least five migrants including three children, died after four boats sank between Turkey and Greece, as rescue workers searched the sea for dozens more, the Greek coastguard said Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants wait under outside the Moria registration camp on the Lesbos. Over 400,000 people have landed on Greek islands from neighbouring Turkey since the beginning of the year Refugee crisis - in pictures The bodies of Christian refugees are buried separately from Muslim refugees at the Agios Panteleimonas cemetery in Mytilene, Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures Macedonian police officers control a crowd of refugees as they prepare to enter a camp after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee tries to force the entry to a camp as Macedonian police officers control a crowd after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees are seen aboard a Turkish fishing boat as they arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast to Lesbos Reuters Refugee crisis - in pictures An elderly woman sings a lullaby to baby on a beach after arriving with other refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A man collapses as refugees make land from an overloaded rubber dinghy after crossing the Aegean see from Turkey, at the island of Lesbos EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures A girl reacts as refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees make a show of hands as they queue after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures People help a wheelchair user board a train with others, heading towards Serbia, at the transit camp for refugees near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees board a train, after crossing the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Macedonia is a key transit country in the Balkans migration route into the EU, with thousands of asylum seekers - many of them from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia - entering the country every day Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures An aerial picture shows the "New Jungle" refugee camp where some 3,500 people live while they attempt to enter Britain, near the port of Calais, northern France Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A Syrian girl reacts as she helped by a volunteer upon her arrival from Turkey on the Greek island of Lesbos, after having crossed the Aegean Sea EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Beds ready for use for migrants and refugees are prepared at a processing center on January 27, 2016 in Passau, Germany. The flow of migrants arriving in Passau has dropped to between 500 and 1,000 per day, down significantly from last November, when in the same region up to 6,000 migrants were arriving daily. Ms Bernhardsson insisted her completely apolitical group would work with authorities and hit out at censorship and criticism on Facebook. I started this initiative in an attempt to do good, she added. Police across Europe have warned against the rise of vigilante groups, who have been linked to attacks on refugees in some areas. In Cologne, 11 asylum seekers were beaten by a mob roving the German city after vowing to clean it up in January, while a far-right group calling themselves the Soldiers of Odin has started up in Finland. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} More than 300 people have been killed in little over four months by a swine flu outbreak ripping through Ukraine. The countrys health minister, Alexander Kvitashvili, urged the public not to panic last month but 3.8 million cases of influenza and Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) have now been reported and transmission shows no sign of slowing. Among the 313 confirmed deaths so far were five children and two pregnant women, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health in Kiev. The toll is already higher than that seen during the global swine flu pandemic in 2009-10 and incidence is almost 50 per cent higher than the same period last year. Orphans suffer along the Ukrainian frontline It comes as fighting continues between government forces and separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, where the Donetsk region is among those hardest hit by the virus Kiev introduced infection controls in schools, medical centres and public buildings a month ago, with mayor Vitali Klitschko calling the measures preventative. Almost 17 per cent of the citys population has been affected, according to Government statistics, compared to Kharviv where the figure stands at just 4 per cent. Although the spread of swine flu has reached epidemic levels in some regions, the health minister insisted Ukraines situation was no worse than neighbouring countries last month. "There is no reason for panic," Mr Kvitashvili said. Ukrainian authorities are encouraging people to be vaccinated and seek medical advice with any symptoms (Getty Images) The highest number of deaths have been recorded in southern Odessa region, followed by Kiev, Cherkasy, Donetsk and Lviv. Most of the patients hospitalised with swine flu and Sars since the beginning of the defined epidemic season in September have been children, who are particularly vulnerable to the virus. Only a third of the dead sought medical advice promptly, a health ministry spokesperson said. Analysis of the deaths showed that all the dead had no vaccinations against influenza. More than 125,000 people have been given flu vaccinations since the outbreak started but experts have said a culture of vaccination is lacking among both doctors and the public. A woman wears a face mask while riding inside a train coach in the Moscow Metro, on January 27, 2016. At least 50 people have died of swine flu in Russia since December, according to AFP calculations (AFP/Getty Images) "From the point of view of doctors, the situation is serious," said Dr Fyodor Lapiy, Kiev's chief immunologist, told the BBC. The number of cases of sickness are growing, and very many young people have fallen ill." Swine flu, or H1N1 causes seasonal outbreaks of flu in humans on a regular basis and can be spread from person to person by coughing and sneezing. Symptoms are similar to those produced by normal seasonal flu, including a fever, cough, sore throat, aches and chills, although many sufferers show now symptoms and recover quickly. Serious illness and death is most commonly seen in the young, very elderly, pregnant women or people with a pre-existing health condition that weakens their immune systems. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty The strain was not identified until 2009, when it spread rapidly from country to country because there was little immunity to the new type of flu. Ukraines outbreak has failed to garner international attention as the Ukrainian government fights a looming coalition break-up and struggles against rebels controlling territory in the east. A fragile ceasefire was holding on Wednesday, according to monitors with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Two years after the "Maidan" protests that overthrew President Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine's economy is still shrinking, the hryvnia currency is hovering around 11-month lows and the conflict, which has claimed more than 9,000 lives so far, shows no sign of ending. Kiev's failure to tackle corruption and implement reforms has prompted the International Monetary Fund to withhold the next tranche of aid, worth $1.7 billion (1.2 billion), which is part of the $40 billion (28 billion) Western aid programme. Additional reporting by AP For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A teenager who murdered a gay man and wrapped a dead snake around his neck in Sweden last year has been sentenced to four years in juvenile prison. According to the Swedish edition of The Local, the young man, who is believed to be from north Africa, was sleeping rough when he was allegedly approached by the victim. The boy claimed the man, 54, was dressed as a red-haired woman, and had approached him offering clothes, food and a place to shower. He said when they arrived at the apartment in Gothenburg the man had attempted to rape him and so he acted in self-defence. However, The Local continued, the police found a video recording on the teenagers mobile phone which showed him verbally abusing the man with homophobic insults. The victims partner found him in his apartment in Gothenburg with stab wounds, a shirt tied around his neck and wrists, and a dead snake draped around his neck. The boys DNA was discovered in the apartment and under the victims nails. He claimed he was 15 at the time of the attack, but X-ray analysis showed he was older, although it was confirmed he was still likely to be under 18. On Wednesday he received a four year sentence in a detention for juvenile offenders and has been ordered to pay damages to the victims relatives. Once he has served his time he will be deported from the country. Another teenager, 19, was also present at the apartment and has been charged for protecting a criminal, the website reported. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Turkey has launched overnight air strikes on Kurdish rebel camps in northern Iraq after a car bomb in Ankara killed at least 28 people. Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey's Prime Minister, has announced a member of the Kurdish YPG militia group based in Syria were responsible for the rush hour attack. He named the bomber as Salih Necar, a Syrian national and member of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). Mr Davutoglu said he Necar had operated in Turkey with logistical support from the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in Turkey, BBC reports. He said: "A direct link between the attack and the YPG has been established." While Turkey considers the YPG a terrorsit organisation, the United States currently backs the group in its fight againt Isis. These latest Turkish air strikes are believed to have killed some senior PKK fighters. Ankara Bomb site In a statement a few hours after the blast, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "Turkey will not shy away from using its right to self-defence at any time, any place or any occasion. "Our determination to retaliate to these attacks, in Turkey and abroad, which aim at our unity, togetherness and future, is increasing with such actions." Ankara explosion: 'car bomb' hits Turkish capital Show all 8 1 /8 Ankara explosion: 'car bomb' hits Turkish capital Ankara explosion: 'car bomb' hits Turkish capital Ankara explosion Ankara explosion: 'car bomb' hits Turkish capital Ankara explosion People react near the site of the blast Getty Images Ankara explosion: 'car bomb' hits Turkish capital Ankara explosion Emergency services at the scene following a reported car bomb detonation. The attack targeted a convoy of military service vehicles EPA Ankara explosion: 'car bomb' hits Turkish capital Ankara explosion Smoke rises over buildings following the explosion in Ankara. Getty Images Ankara explosion: 'car bomb' hits Turkish capital Ankara explosion Turkish police officers close a street after an explosion in Ankara Reuters Ankara explosion: 'car bomb' hits Turkish capital Ankara explosion Firefighters try to extinguish flames following the explosion Getty Images Ankara explosion: 'car bomb' hits Turkish capital Ankara explosion Turkish police officers block a street after an explosion in Ankara, Reuters Ankara explosion: 'car bomb' hits Turkish capital Ankara explosion A fire engine stands at the site of the explosion Getty Images No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack which took place near the parliament and military headquarters. The co-leader of the PKK umbrella group, Cemil Bayik, said he did not know who was responsible but the attack could be a response to "massacres in Kurdistan", referring to the Kurdish region covering parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. According to the Firat news agency, Bayik said:"We don't know who did this. But it could be an act of retaliation for the massacres in Kurdistan." The PYD, a Syrian-based Kurdish group previously shelled by Turkish artillery, has denied responsibility for the the Ankara attack on Twitter Their tweet accuses President Erdogan of blaming Kurds for the bombing as a way of distracting the Turkish people from "failed" foreign and domestic policies. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} An explosion has severely damaged part of a building that houses a Turkish cultural association in Stockholm. Swedish police said all the windows of the centre were blown out and technicians were on site investigating. No one was inside at the time of the blast in the basement of the building in Fittja, southwest Stockholm. A police spokesman said: "No one was inside. No one was injured. It had been locked since earlier in the evening." There have been no arrests and currently no suspects, he added. Last week a 52-year-old man was shot while taking part in a pro-Kurdish demonstration in Fittja. The attacker opened fire on protesters while reportedly shouting 'long live Daesh (Isis)' from a black Audi before fleeing. It comes as 28 people were killed and 61 more were wounded in Turkeys capital, Ankara, when a car laden with explosives detonated next to military buses near the armed forces headquarters, parliament and other government buildings. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty A statement from the armed forces said a bus carrying military personnel was targeted when it stopped at a set of traffic lights outside army barracks in the centre of the city. Deputy Prime Minister, Numan Kurtulmus, said the explosion had been caused by a car bomb and seven prosecutors had been assigned to investigate the "well-planned" attack. A Turkish security official said "early signs" indicated the attack had been carried out by the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), but no other source has confirmed this. The PKK has carried out several attacks on Turkey since peace talks broke down with President Recep Tayyip Erodgan's government last June. But government troops have waged an increasing assault on Kurdish forces in the south-west and shelled their strongholds over the border with Syria. Mr Erdogan has been criticised for using the conflict with the PKK to tarnish the reputation of the People's Democratic Party (HDP), the pro-Kurdish opposition which sits in the Turkish parliament, by association. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Isis jihadist group has reportedly beheaded a teenage boy for listening to pop music and shot dead two others for missing Friday prayers, as part of a crackdown on personal freedoms in the group's Iraqi stronghold of Mosul. The incidents, reported by Kurdish media, come with enemy forces lined up within miles of Mosul and with the group having suffered repeated military setbacks across Iraq. According to ARA News, a 15-year-old boy named Ayham Hussein was caught during a patrol by Isis fighters, listening to music in his father's grocery store. A spokesman for the Kurdish Nineveh media center was quoted by ARA News as saying the boy was listening to "Western music". "He was referred to the Sharia Court, which issued a decision to execute him." The boy was reportedly publicly beheaded, before his body was handed to his family on Tuesday evening. In pictures: The rise of Isis Show all 74 1 /74 In pictures: The rise of Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters of the Islamic State wave the group's flag from a damaged display of a government fighter jet following the battle for the Tabqa air base, in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from Islamic State group sit on their tank during a parade in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from the Islamic State group pray at the Tabqa air base after capturing it from the Syrian government in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from extremist Islamic State group parade in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping A video uploaded to social networks shows men in underwear being marched barefoot along a desert road before being allegedly executed by Isis Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping Haruna Yukawa after his capture by Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping Khalinda Sharaf Ajour, a Yazidi, says two of her daughters were captured by Isis militants Washington Post In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Spokesperson for Isis Vice News via Youtube In pictures: The rise of Isis A pro-Isis leaflet A pro-Isis leaflet handed out on Oxford Street In London Ghaffar Hussain In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Isis Jihadists burn their passports In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid A man collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid A woman collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid Local civilians queue for aid administered by Isis. Since it declared a caliphate the group has increasingly been delivering services such as healthcare, and distributing aid and free fuel In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces detain men suspected of being militants of the Isis group in Diyala province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Mourners carry the coffin of a Shi'ite volunteer from the brigades of peace, who joined the Iraqi army and was killed during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Samarra, during his funeral in Najaf In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Shiite Turkmen family fleeing the violence in the Iraqi city of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, arrives at a refugee camp on the outskirts of Arbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan region In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi A photograph made from a video by the jihadist affiliated group Furqan Media via their twitter account allegedly showing Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivering a sermon during Friday prayers at a mosque in Mosul. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared an Islamist caliphate in the territory under the group's control in Iraq and Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Smoke and debris go up in the air as Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul. Images posted online show that Islamic extremists have destroyed at least 10 ancient shrines and Shiite mosques in territory - the city of Mosul and the town of Tal Afar - they have seized in northern Iraq in recent weeks In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq A bulldozer destroys Sunni's Ahmed al-Rifai shrine and tomb in Mahlabiya district outside of Tal Afar In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces celebrate after clashes with followers of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi, in front of his home in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi at his home after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis A vehicle burns in front of a home of a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman holds her exhausted son as over 1000 Iraqis who have fled fighting in and around the city of Mosul and Tal Afar wait at a Kurdish checkpoint in the hopes of entering a temporary displacement camp in Khazair In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees Displaced Iraqi women hold pots as they queue to receive food during the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, at an encampment for displaced Iraqis who fled from Mosul and other towns, in the Khazer area outside Irbil, north Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria A militant Islamist fighter waving a flag, cheers as he takes part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa. The fighters held the parade to celebrate their declaration of an Islamic "caliphate" after the group captured territory in neighbouring Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters wave flags as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province Reuters In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters travel in a vehicle as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade with a missile in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from an al-Qaida splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from the splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters hold a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria A member loyal to the Isis waves an Isis flag in Raqqa In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi anti-government gunmen from Sunni tribes in the western Anbar province march during a protest in Ramadi, west of Baghdad. The United Nations warned that Iraq is at a "crossroads" and appealed for restraint, as a bloody four-day wave of violence killed 195 people. The violence is the deadliest so far linked to demonstrations that broke out in Sunni areas of the Shiite-majority country more than four months ago, raising fears of a return to all-out sectarian conflict In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces hold up a flag of the Isis group they captured during an operation to regain control of Dallah Abbas north of Baqouba, the capital of Iraq's Diyala province, 35 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq Isis fighters parade in the northern city of Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Volunteers, who have joined the Iraqi army to fight against the predominantly Sunni militants from the radical Isis group, demonstrate their skills during a graduation ceremony after completing their field training in Najaf In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Kurdish Peshmerga troops fire a cannon during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Jalawla, Diyala province In pictures: The rise of Isis Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference Iraqi Prime Minister's security spokesman, Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference about the latest military development in Iraq, in the capital Baghdad. Iraqi forces pressed a campaign to retake militant-held Tikrit, clashing with jihadist-led Sunni militants nearby and pounding positions inside the city with air strikes in their biggest counter-offensive so far In pictures: The rise of Isis A police station building destroyed by Isis fighters An exterior view of a police station building destroyed by gunmen in Mosul city, northern Iraq. Iraq's new parliament is expected to convene to start the process of setting up a new government, despite deepening political rifts and an ongoing Islamist-led insurgency. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani issued a decree inviting the new House of Representatives to meet and form a new government In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq Smoke billows from an area controlled by the Isis between the Iraqi towns of Naojul and Tuz Khurmatu, both located north of the capital Baghdad, as Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces take part in an operation to repel the Sunni militants In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An elderly Iraqi woman is helped into a temporary displacement camp for Iraqis caught-up in the fighting in and around the city of Mosul in Khazair In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Christian woman fleeing the violence in the village of Qaraqush, about 30 kms east of the northern province of Nineveh, cries upon her arrival at a community center in the Kurdish city of Arbil in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman, who fled with her family from the northern city of Mosul, prays with a copy of the Quran AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq The body of an Isis militant killed during clashes with Iraqi security forces on the outskirts of the city of Samarra Reuters In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi civilians inspect the damage at a market after an air strike by the Iraqi army in central Mosul EPA In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Members of the Al-Abbas brigades, who volunteered to protect the Shiite Muslim holy sites in Karbala against Sunni militants fighting the Baghdad government, parade in the streets of the city AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Shia tribesmen gather in Baghdad to take up arms against Sunni insurgents marching on the capital. Thousands have volunteered to bolster defences AFP/Getty In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis A van carrying volunteers joining Iraqi security forces against Jihadist militants. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced the Iraqi government would arm and equip civilians who volunteered to fight AFP/Getty In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters of the Isis group parade in a commandeered Iraqi security forces armored vehicle down a main road at the northern city of Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq An Islamist fighter, identified as Abu Muthanna al-Yemeni from Britain (R), speaks in this still image taken undated video shot at an unknown location and uploaded to a social media website. Five Islamist fighters identified as Australian and British nationals have called on Muslims to join the wars in Syria and Iraq, in the new video released by the Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Al-Qaida inspired militants stand with captured Iraqi Army Humvee at a checkpoint belonging to Iraqi Army outside Beiji refinery some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad. The fighting at Beiji comes as Iraq has asked the U.S. for airstrikes targeting the militants from the Isis group. While U.S. President Barack Obama has not fully ruled out the possibility of launching airstrikes, such action is not imminent in part because intelligence agencies have been unable to identify clear targets on the ground, officials said In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants attacked Iraq's main oil refinein Baiji as they pressed an offensive that has seen them capture swathes of territory, a manager and a refinery employee said In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants from the Isis group parading with their weapons in the northern city of Baiji in the in Salaheddin province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq A smoke rises after an attack by Isis militants on the country's largest oil refinery in Beiji, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad. Iraqi security forces battled insurgents targeting the country's main oil refinery and said they regained partial control of a city near the Syrian border, trying to blunt an offensive by Sunni militants who diplomats fear may have also seized some 100 foreign workers In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group stand next to captured vehicles left behind by Iraqi security forces at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province. For militant groups, the fight over public perception can be even more important than actual combat, turning military losses into propaganda victories and battlefield successes into powerful tools to build support for the cause In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq An injured fighter (C) from the Isis group after a battle with Iraqi soldiers at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis aiming at advancing Iraqi troops at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis group taking position at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis group inspecting vehicles of the Iraqi army after they were seized at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq One Iraqi captive, a corporal, is reluctant to say the slogan, and has to be shouted at repeatedly before he obeys Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group force captured Iraqi security forces members to the transport In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group transporting dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members to an unknown location in the Salaheddin province ahead of executing them In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq A major offensive spearheaded by Isis but also involving supporters of executed dictator Saddam Hussein has overrun all of one province and chunks of three others In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group executing dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis militants taking position at a Iraqi border post on the Syrian-Iraqi border between the Iraqi Nineveh province and the Syrian town of Al-Hasakah In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis rebels show their flag after seizing an army post AFP/Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis militants waving an Islamist flag after the seizure of an Iraqi army checkpoint in Salahuddin Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Demonstrators chant slogans as they carry al-Qaida flags in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad. In the week since it captured Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, a Muslim extremist group has tried to win over residents and has stopped short of widely enforcing its strict brand of Islamic law, residents say. Churches remain unharmed and street cleaners are back at work It is impossible to verify the report, but Kurdish media seem to suggest the incident has led to rare public displays of outrage. The official was quoted as saying it was the first case of its kind documented in Mosul, and there had previously been "no formal decision by the Sharia Court to ban listening to western music". Separately, ARA News also reported that two young men had been arrested last Friday for failing to attend prayers at the main mosque in Mosul. Named local activist Abdulah al-Malla said they were shot dead outside the mosque on Sunday, adding: "The execution took place after a member of the Sharia Court read a statement vowing anyone who misses the prayers at the mosque to face the same punishment." In late January, a 14-year-old was reportedly beheaded on similar charges. Another activist, Nasser Taljbini, said his parents were "forced to witness the beheading of their own son". For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The land of the bible could soon resound with the bells of slot machines and the whir of the roulette wheel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu succeeds in his stated intention of legalising casino gambling in the Jewish state. But odds are that Mr Netanyahu will not succeed since the ploy is eliciting wide opposition, including from hard-right and ultra-orthodox coalition partners and Jewish and Arab opposition legislators. Mr Netanyahu has appointed a committee to explore possibilities for opening up to four casinos in the southern resort of Eilat. Mr Netanyahu and Israeli tourism minister Yariv Levin believe casinos are the way to pull Eilat out of an economic slump, caused partly by the collapse of tourism from Russia. An estimated 80 per cent of the Eilat labour force works in tourism, according to the ministry, so the city as a whole has been hard-hit. Recommended Read more The Government ban on boycotting Israel contradicts its own advice Were not anxious to have gambling itself but with proper inspection and limitations we can succeed like other cities in the world where casinos benefited them, said tourism ministry spokeswoman Anat Sichor, citing the example of Asian gambling hub Macau. Opening casinos would be the engine leading to more hotel rooms being built, which will drive the price of a holiday down, thereby attracting more visitors, Ms Sichor says. The ministry also has its sites set on building conference halls and spas. The Prime Ministers office said in a statement that opening the casinos would create thousands of jobs. At present, the idea is to allow casinos only in Eilat, but it is likely other locales would also ask for a piece of the action. To avoid any whiff of a conflict of interest, Mr Netanyahu took pains to stress this week that his friend and benefactor, US casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who sponsors a pro-Netanyahu free tabloid, Yisrael Hayom, is not interested in operations in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a battle to legalise casinos (AFP/Getty) But Mr Netanyahu would need the Knesset to pass the plan to legalise gambling and it looks like he will fail to get a majority. Naftali Bennett, leader of the hard-right, pro-settler Jewish Home coalition partner, and Aida Tuma Suleiman, a legislator from the predominantly Arab Joint List grouping, are on the same side in opposing the plan. Israels social welfare minister Haim Katz, meanwhile, warns of a spike in the number of people his ministry will have to treat for gambling addictions. Mr Bennett, who is also education minister, said: Casinos are not the solution. They are the problem. How can we educate a generation of children that the way to attain things is through hard work, effort and creativity and not looking for the easy way when their father goes to the casino at night? We wont gamble with the future of our children. Israel is not, and will not be, Vegas. Ms Suleiman was equally negative about the idea. Casinos bring with them trafficking in women and prostitution, she said. It will be easier for people to gamble and this will damage many families. The ultra-orthodox Shas party, which is part of the coalition and whose support base includes many lower-income Israelis, said in a statement: Casinos in Israel will serve only tycoons and harm the weaker parts of society. Studies carried out abroad found that those harmed by casinos, who lost their possessions and had their families destroyed, were lower-income people. Even Likud legislator Oren Hazan, who famously managed a casino in Bulgaria before joining the Knesset, came out against the plan. One wrong turn at the roulette wheel and an entire life can be destroyed. Israeli society is not ripe for this, he said. Newspapers buzzed with speculation about why Mr Netanyahu was backing casinos. Nachum Barnea suggested in Yediot Ahronoth that the premier knew the proposal wont come to fruition but was interested in showing the public he is taking initiatives. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Saudi Arabias potentially illegal bombing of civilian targets in Yemen, currently being investigated by the United Nations, is helping to grow sales of fighter aircraft made by BAE Systems, according to Amnesty International. Amnesty International says that that financial figures from the British-based multi-national defence contractor, reveal that a net gain of close to 1 billion over the last year in the companys UK division is down to continuing sales and engineering support of its Eurofighter Typhoon jet to the Royal Saudi Air Force. BAE stongly denied that sales to Saudi Arabia were helping fuel the conflict in Yemen, and that their improved sales were related to the bombing campaign. Details of fighter jet sales, and UK-manufactured missiles, both licenced by the UK government, are examined in a UN report currently being studied by the Security Council. Recommended Read more Saudi Arabia accused of deploying illegal cluster bombs in Yemen The Saudi-led coalition of nine Sunni states began its attacks on Houthi-controlled areas of neighbouring Yemen in March last year. The airstrike campaign and naval blockade has so far claimed the lives of over 6,000 civilians. Bombing raids on schools, medical facilities, mosques and markets, according to the UN, have violated international humanitarian laws, with regions of Yemen facing acute levels of famine. Amnesty International alleges that although BAEs military-related sales contracted in recent years, the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen, alongside plans for further Saudi involvement in bombing in Syria, helped improve operating profits last year from 1.3 billion to 1.5 billion. Cameron on arms trading with Saudi Arabia.mp4 According to the companys own figures for 2015, the Saudi military market helped boost its overall performance. Sales increased by 1.3 billion to 17.9 bn. In 2005 the Saudi government placed an order with BAE for 72 Eurofighter Typhoons. The company described 2015 sales as part of an existing order. David Cameron recently told the Commons that the Saudis were being encouraged to abide by humanitarian laws. However Amnesty International said the new sales figures should act as warning to BAEs shareholders. Amnestys arms trade director, Oliver Sprague, told The Independent: They [shareholders] need to realise that a large part of the companys profits is coming from the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia at the very time Saudis military coalition in Yemen has killed thousands of civilians. Warning the UK government to stop cheerleading BAEs lucrative arm sales and to suspend export licences for further arms sales to Saudi Arabia, Mr Sprague added There is strong evidence that that the present weapons sales to Saudi Arabia are not just ill-advised but actually illegal. The Saudi-led operation claims to have targeted only Houthi military targets. However the UN report documents multiple attacks on civilian populations. The company said: "Deliveries of aircraft to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2015 were part of contract signed in 2007 and the delivery schedule is determined years in advance. "We provide defence equipment and support to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under a Government to Government agreement. The export of any defence equipment is strictly regulated and the UK operates one of the most stringent arms control regimes in the world." Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Nadine White Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race Report Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Race Report email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The row over anti-Semitism within the Oxford University Labour Club (OULC) has escalated further, with former Labour leader Ed Miliband and Minister for Universities Jo Johnson having spoken out over the allegations which have overshadowed the student left. Speaking with the New Statesman, Mr Milibands spokesperson confirmed the politician would no longer be attending a talk at the OULCs annual John Smith Memorial Dinner on 4 March, adding Mr Miliband was deeply disturbed to learn of the allegations. The spokesperson added how both the politician and the club agreed his talk should be postponed until the investigation is resolved. Meanwhile, Mr Johnson took the step to write to Oxford Universitys vice-chancellor Louise Richardson in which, according to The Telegraph, Mr Johnson, demanded an investigation. He wrote: There can be no justification for attacks on Jewish students, and no tolerance for institutionalised racism. Allegations of anti-Semitism within the OULC - the largest student Labour group in the country - came to light on Monday when Alex Chalmers, one of the clubs co-chairs, released a statement highlight how he would be resigning after the club decided to endorse Israel Apartheid Week. Mr Chalmers said a large proportion of both OULC and the student left in Oxford have some kind of problem with Jews, adding: The attitudes of certain members of the club towards certain disadvantaged groups was becoming poisonous. Labour MP John Mann also spoke out on the matter and demanded the party suspend its links with the student club while the investigation, undertaken by Labour Students, is conducted. He said: It is hugely embarrassing for the Labour party. This is something Jeremy Corbyn should personally look into. The allegations escalated shortly after Mr Chalmers tendered his resignation when the Oxford University Jewish Society (Oxford JSoc) released a statement saying other OULC members had approached it to speak about anti-Jewish incidents. Oxford JSoc said: Several people have been known to sing the song Rockets over Tel Aviv and have specifically expressed support for Hamas tactic of launching indiscriminate attacks against Israels Jewish citizens. The society added it was also informed about several individuals who allegedly repeatedly used the word Zio - a word normally only found on neo-Nazi websites - to refer to Jewish students, as well as one member who is said to have argued that Hamas was justified in its policy of killing Jewish civilians and claimed that all Jews were legitimate targets in a public online discussion. The Oxford University Students Union (OUSU) Council also discussed and passed a motion on tackling anti-Semitism on campus on Wednesday where students discussed how anti-Semitism is a major problem in Britain, with increasing numbers of incidents being reported - something the OULC said it fully supported. The council also discussed how anti-Semitism is a particular problem on campus, where Jewish students are often left feeling threatened and vulnerable. An Oxford University spokesperson said: We take allegations of harassment extremely seriously and, where offences are found to have been committed, they are considered grounds for severe disciplinary action. Labour Students - the autonomous student wing of the UK Labour Party and the largest political student organisation in the country - confirmed on Wednesday it had launched an immediate investigation into the allegations. Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Nadine White Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race Report Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Race Report email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The investigation into anti-Semitic allegations within the Oxford University Labour Club (OULC) looks set to begin on Friday, as the universitys Jewish Society (JSoc) says it will be making a formal complaint to the Proctors Office. The OULC, this week, ran into turmoil after one of its co-chairs, Alex Chalmers, announced on Monday he would be resigning because a large proportion of both OULC and the student left in Oxford have some kind of problem with Jews. Mr Chalmers also said the attitudes of certain members of the club towards some disadvantaged groups was becoming poisonous and said he was moved to resign after the OULC voted to endorse Israel Apartheid Week (IAW). Since the Oriel College student announced he would be stepping down from his post, other former co-chairs of the club have since come out in support of Mr Chalmers actions. David Cesar Heymann issued a statement late on Wednesday in which he described OULC as having a welcoming atmosphere when he first joined in 2013, where executives focused on hosting good speakers and campaigning to bring about a Labour government. However, Mr Heymann added: Since 2015, and particularly after the election, there has been a concerted effort from the Oxford hard left to take over the club. Many of these people have little connection to the Labour Party or its values, and have brought with them the worst of Marxist tactics, approaching OULC with a youre either with us or against us attitude. Another former co-chair, David Klemperer, said he was appalled at the increasing prevalence of anti-Semitism within the club, and the willingness of many members to overlook and excuse it. Mr Klemperer continued: Oxford JSocs list of incidents, while horrifying, sadly does not surprise me at all. It contains many examples similar to incidents I have encountered, and, in my view, accurately highlights the damaging culture that currently exists within OULC. In an email to the Independent, a member of the JSoc said Michael Rubin - national chair of Labour Students, the autonomous student wing of the UK Labour Party leading the investigation into the claims - would be interviewing OULC members at the university on Friday. The member also said the JSoc would be making a formal complaint to the Proctors Office, the institutions administrative base, which deals with student discipline and complaints regarding university matters. A group of over 30 former OULC co-chairs and executive committee members have also signed an open letter condemning the clubs decision to support IAW, calling the week a gathering of propagandists seeking to dismantle the only majority-Jewish member-state of the United Nations. Despite acknowledging there are...problems in Israel-Palestine, the letter concludes: This is not the OULC we remember and which we proudly led. OULC and the Labour Party have a long and distinguished history of fighting racism and injustice. We urge the current members to remember that tradition and to reconsider their decision. The OULC said it was horrified at and wholeheartedly condemned anti-Semitic behaviour in all its forms, adding: We will fully co-operate with the Labour Students investigation and encourage any of our members to come forward with any information that will assist the process. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} What do you do when your flight is heading to Granada in Spain but your cherished Louis Vuitton valise is en route to Grenada in the Caribbean? SITA's 2015 Baggage Report reveals seven out of every thousand suitcases get mishandled lost in other words. However, new internet-connected luggage such as the Bluesmart, Trunkster and the Samsonite GeoTrakR can put passengers at ease by sending texts and emails, confirming their bag's whereabouts, thanks to a combination of Bluetooth, 3G and GPS. Smart luggage can perform other tricks too: fingerprint-activated unlocking, built-in phone charging and a scale to ensure you pack within your weight allowance. It's also easy to upgrade your low-tech case by adding a tracking device. Trakdot is a device the size of a matchbox that sends messages to let you know where your bag is. During flights, it sleeps to conserve battery life, and awakens on landing. The app (iOS/Android) has a pointer to help you retrieve luggage. TrackR Bravo is a coin-sized device that connects with the TrackR app (iOS/Android) on your smartphone. The device uses crowd-sourced GPS to create a network so that your belongings can be located anywhere within 100ft of TrackR's users. Tile is also a crowd GPS-based tag that connects to your smartphone. And if you've lost your phone, the latest version, Tile 2, enables you to use the locator to make your phone ring. PocketFinder is a waterproof GPS locator that you can pop in your suitcase, or attach to valuables, that works with the EE mobile network. There's a one-off fee plus monthly and international roaming charges. The app will locate the PocketFinder anywhere in the world where there's mobile network coverage. Just one caveat: tracking devices won't stop luggage going astray once it's out of your hands. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} From 1 March, the world's longest flight will connect Dubai with Auckland. Emirates Flight EK448 will offer a one-stop link to New Zealand for travellers from Birmingham, Newcastle and Glasgow airports the first time they have had such an opportunity. It will also expand the options from Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester, the three airports currently with one-stop options to Auckland. The most direct track for the Boeing 777-200LR (for Long Range) sees it fly over the southern tip of India, grazing the north of Sri Lanka, brushing past Sumatra and flying over empty desert in Australia, before crossing the shore of the Tasman Sea close to Sydney and touching down around two hours later. The official distance is 8,817 miles, but allowing for detours from the great circle route, the plane is likely to cover more than 9,000 miles. The eastbound flight is timetabled for 15 hours, 55 minutes leaving Dubai at 10.05am, arriving in Auckland at 11am the following day. Coming back, with headwinds the norm, the trip is scheduled for 17 hours, 15 minutes. It will be a very long night on board, with the journey starting at 9.30pm in New Zealand's biggest city and touching down at 5.45am in the UAE's busiest airport. Yet research by The Independent Traveller has revealed that the new flight won't necessarily be the answer for passengers wanting to make the longest haul in the shortest time. We compared the new Emirates link with Air New Zealand's one-stop from Heathrow via Los Angeles, and other one-stop options such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok. The very fastest outbound journey from the UK is unaffected: it involves flying from Heathrow to Singapore with Singapore Airlines, and making a quick change to Air New Zealand, bringing in a time of 23h50. British Airways and Air New Zealand via Hong Kong is only five minutes slower. And five minutes after that, at 24 hours exactly, is Emirates via Dubai. A bunch of other possibilities take only fractionally longer: Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong is 24h15; and at 24h20, you can choose from Cathay Pacific and Air New Zealand via Hong Kong or Malaysia Airlines via Kuala Lumpur. Air New Zealand, the only direct (same plane) service via LA is fairly slow at 26h30. From other UK gateways, Emirates is almost always the answer. The fastest alternative is also the furthest: from Glasgow via Dubai, the declared distance of 12,437 miles is covered in 25h05, an impressive average of 496mph even including the change of planes in the UAE. It is closely followed by Manchester (25h30), and Gatwick and Birmingham both on 25h35. Odd one out because of the outbound flight timing to Dubai is Newcastle. The only daily Emirates plane touches down around midnight, with a 10-hour wait before the onward connection, making it a 33-hour trip. The fastest option from Tyneside to North Island is 26h55, on BA via Heathrow to Singapore, then Singapore Airlines to Auckland (only 15 minutes more and you can take in Brussels and Tokyo instead). Coming back, the results are very different. To keep time in the air to a minimum, you should go out via Asia, back via North America. Easily fastest is the Air New Zealand service to Heathrow via Los Angeles, at 24h45. The fastest westbound trips from Auckland to the UK don't serve Heathrow, but Manchester and Newcastle tied on 26h50 with Emirates. Glasgow is 10 minutes behind. Both Birmingham and Heathrow come in at 27h05, also on Emirates. This is time when other players start to show up, with Singapore Airlines via its hub the fastest Far Eastern option to Heathrow at 27h05. Gatwick's Emirates effort takes 27h20, which is also the time via Hong Kong to Heathrow fly from Auckland with Cathay, then onwards with BA or Virgin Atlantic. Perhaps the most remarkable performance is Air New Zealand and United via San Francisco and Washington DC; even with two stops, the trip takes 27h30. The 10 world's worst airports 2015 Show all 10 1 /10 The 10 world's worst airports 2015 The 10 world's worst airports 2015 10. Beauvais-Tille International Airport (Paris) The 10 world's worst airports 2015 9. Benazir Bhutto International Airport (Islamabad, Pakistan) The 10 world's worst airports 2015 8. Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) The 10 world's worst airports 2015 7. Hamid Karzai International Airport (Kabul, Afghanistan) The 10 world's worst airports 2015 6. Toussaint Louverture International Airport (Port au Prince, Haiti) The 10 world's worst airports 2015 5. Simon Bolivar International Airport (Caracas, Venezuela) The 10 world's worst airports 2015 4. Tashkent International Airport (Uzbekistan) The 10 world's worst airports 2015 3. Tribhuvan International Airport (Kathmandu, Nepal) The 10 world's worst airports 2015 2. King Abdulaziz International Airport (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) The 10 world's worst airports 2015 1. Port Harcourt International Airport (Nigeria) List taken from Guide to Sleeping in Airports worlds worst airports 2015 survey. http://www.sleepinginairports.net/2015/worst-airports-world.htm Adding there-and-back times together, the fastest hub is Singapore at 50h55, 10 minutes ahead of Dubai, which itself is 10 minutes faster than Hong Kong and Los Angeles. But with any of these great cities en route, it would be a real shame merely to pause at the airport between flights. Times obtained from searches at skyscanner.net; distances from OAG Pocket Flight Guide Auckland Express: the winners Outbound 1 Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand via Singapore 23.50 2 British Airways and Air New Zealand via Hong Kong 23.55 3 Emirates via Dubai 24.00 Inbound 1 Air New Zealand via Los Angeles 24.45 2 = Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines via Singapore 27.05 2 = Emirates via Dubai 27.05 Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} British Caledonian was big at Gatwick in the 1970s and 1980s. As the UK's second-biggest intercontinental airline, BCal had a fine fleet of Boeings. And it also had a fleet of Transit mini-buses, with which to ship its staff around the airfield. When one of these Fords reached the end of its useful life, the airline pensioned it off to a local school still bearing the original logo. Evidently, British Caledonian bosses hadn't thought through the potential brand damage caused by uncouth students as they were ferried around on school trips to places rather more interesting than Crawley. It may have been correlation rather than causation, but the airline was soon taken over by British Airways and the BCal brand disappeared. Nottingham High School went one better: the local brewery offered them a brand new lorry and invited them to take it away for a pan-European excursion. Shipstone's of Nottingham acquired a new truck each year, but before the vehicle began the quotidien business of bearing barrels and bottles around the East Midlands, it needed to be properly run-in. So, they loaned it to my school for a summer camping holiday, reports Stephen Davies, a participant in the 1965 adventure. At the end of the trip they received a fully run-in vehicle. While sitting with a couple of dozen other chaps in the back of a lorry as it trundled across Europe was far from comfortable, it was cheap. At the time, 25 would buy a one-way flight to Prague. But for Mr Davies and his classmates, it instead bought three weeks of adventure to and through the Iron Curtain. At the Czechoslovak frontier with Germany, they hit problems with officialdom but from the country they were leaving, not approaching. We came up against Bavarian bureaucracy and got fined at the border for driving a heavy vehicle on a Sunday, says Mr Davis. We were lucky they could have impounded the lorry. Brand values As they drove through Bohemia possibly the best lager territory in the world the boys found the Shipstone's marque was far from a liquid asset. When we arrived at the Prague campsite we were greeted by a Brit in a knotted handkerchief who bemoaned having to drink Shipstone's during the war. We got cursed by plenty of other Brits who had bad experience of the brewery's product. As with the Transit van in Crawley, so with the brewery truck from Nottingham: the generous provider of transport was destined for a one-way journey to oblivion; soon after the Velvet Revolution in Prague, Shipstone's stopped making beer. Ease the squeeze? In 2016, 25 will still buy you a one-way flight to Prague. But unlike Mr Davies and his pals in the back of the beer lorry, you will get a proper seat on an easyJet, Ryanair or Wizz Air plane. And if a US congressman's campaign takes hold worldwide, you can look forward to more space, but higher fares. Steve Cohen, a medium-sized Representative from Tennessee, has introduced the Safe Egress in Air Travel Act (SEAT Act for short), demanding minimum dimensions for passenger seats and legroom. Consumers are tired of being squeezed both physically and fiscally by airlines, he explains. Mr Cohen's main concern is about the ability of passengers to evacuate the aircraft in an emergency, but he also warns of the growing danger of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) as well as general discomfort. Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Show all 8 1 /8 Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Winners: Landscape category - Jurassic Coast (Dorset, UK) by Tony Cowburn Tony Cowburn Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Winner: Icon category - Tiger's Nest (Paro Valley, Bhutan) by Kasia Nowak Kasia Nowak Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Winner: People category - Reflections (S-21 Prison, Phnom Penh, Cambodia) by Charlotte Currie Charlotte Currie Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Winner: Wildlife category - Escape! (Tanzania) by Vittorio Ricci Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Runners-up: Icon - Snow Time (Westminster Bridge, London) by Ron Tear Ron Tear Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Runner-up: Wildlife - Momentary (Bucks, UK) by Porsupah Ree Porsupah Ree Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Runner-up: Landscape - Polar Bear Landscape (Wrangel Island, Russia) by Gunther Riehle Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Runner-up: People - Let Sleeping Sikhs Lie (Amritsar, India) by Allan Dransfield Allan Dransfield Passenger dissatisfaction with personal space is not simply down to airlines packing in more seats; it is also a result of higher loads. When budget airlines began flying in Europe 20 years ago, an average of three out of 10 seats were empty; today, only one in 10 is unoccupied. As a result, there is a much slimmer chance of an empty seat adjacent. What is baffling about Mr Cohen's bill is that a maximum passenger load is already stipulated for each aircraft type, based on how quickly passengers can get out. Plane-makers must show they can evacuate a full aircraft within 90 seconds, even with half the emergency exits disabled. No airline, though, has operated the Airbus A380 superjumbo at anything like its certificated capacity of 853 passengers. To do so would involve a one-class-only configuration, with 11 seats abreast in a 3-5-3 arrangement. I'd take the back of a lorry over the middle seat, thanks. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} David Cameron's EU reform negotiations are in the home straight. Following an intense round of face to face meetings with his fellow leaders, Cameron is bracing himself for a busy European summit today and tomorrow. A deal will allow him to prepare the campaign to convince a majority of voters that the UK should remain in the European Union. The European Council is the most understandable part of the EU's arcane institutional machinery. The television images of heads arriving in Brussels might not make exciting viewing but the message is clear our elected leaders are gathering to find collective solutions to shared problems. These summits are the closest the EU comes to having something resembling 'a government' and have shaped the EU into what it is today. The output of European Councils takes the form of written conclusions or, sometimes, a more weighty legal form. The UK settlement falls into the latter category, as a decision of EU heads of state or government. This is a legally-binding act above the EU framework, similar to the agreements in 1992 and 2009 that allowed the Danish and Irish people to vote in favour of new EU treaties. EU leaders have long been keen to retain ownership of their output. This dates back to a European Council in London in 1981 when national diplomats worked through the night after the first day to come up with a draft. The following morning, in a rare show of unity, German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, French President Francois Mitterrand and UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher refused to discuss a document which bore no resemblance to their debates of the previous day. In the 1990s German Chancellor Helmut Kohl would frequently and loudly complain that some particularly convoluted wording was "impossible to explain to any reasonable person!". David Cameron is a full member of this very exclusive club. Leaders always meet on their own, with no national officials in attendance. This gives European Councils a very different look and feel from legislative ministerial Council meetings, where more than a hundred officials sit alongside their ministers. The atmosphere in a European Council allows straight talking and the cut and thrust of lively political debate. Ambassadors may be called briefly to the room for advice if needed. Some have been known to linger in the dark recesses until politely asked to leave by the secretariat. On one famous occasion at Maastricht in 1991, the then UK permanent representative, John (now Lord) Kerr crept under the table to crouch next to John Major to advise him on the wording of the final text; no-one asked him to leave nothing was spared to ensure that Major could return with a defendable outcome. David Cameron used a working dinner at the European Council last December to explain face-to-face to his fellow leaders exactly what he wanted and why. All came away fully aware of the political stakes not only for Cameron and the UK but for them and for the EU as a whole. This week's summit will follow a well-established choreography. As the European Council is less hidebound by formal procedures than other fora, the choreography is flexible. When big questions are at stake, negotiations can drag on into the wee small hours depending on whether a deal is within grasp. Discussions will be interrupted for side talks - anything from small huddles in the corner of the room to sort out a drafting detail, to longer interruptions when more fundamental points need to be thrashed out with key interested parties in side rooms. It is in this familiar setting that David Cameron and his fellow leaders will hammer out face-to-face the hard-core issues on Thursday evening. While the media like to portray European Councils in the blood-on-the-carpet rhetoric of "battles", "winners" and "losers", reality is much less dramatic. Meetings are rarely dominated by rivalries, hostility and clashing visions. As successful politicians, EU leaders readily understand each other's political challenges and naturally look to help one another where it is politically feasible to do so. They will argue and cajole, while conducting cool-headed assessments of the long-term interests for the UK and the Union of the UK remaining in the EU. It is at times like these that friends are needed and favours are called in. This piece by David Galloway, who works in the Council secretariat and has published articles and books on the EU, was co-published with The UK in a Changing Europe. The views in this piece are personal and not an official position of the Council or European Council. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} There must be easier ways of escaping the endless debate about the EU referendum than travelling 8,000 miles away. Yet thats exactly what Michael Fallon did this week. The Defence Secretary pitched up in Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands on Wednesday, the first such visit for more than a decade. What was Fallon up to? He is a very enthusiastic minister, to be fair, impressing colleagues in every job with the hours he puts in and the number of miles he clocks up on foreign trips and visits across the country. But the timing still seemed rather suspicious, and given Fallon is expected to back staying in the European Union, he had no reason to go into hiding, unlike his colleagues Michael Gove and Boris Johnson. Curiouser still was the ministers decision to talk more about the threat of a bearded chap in Islington than the newly-elected Argentine administration. The biggest threat at the moment isnt Argentina, actually, it is Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party, he told the BBC. Corbyn suggested in 2013 that the Islands could be governed with a degree of joint administration, while his head of communications, Seumas Milne, called the referendum in that year 99.8 per cent of islanders backed continuing to live under British rule a North Korean-style ballot. Fallon wasnt travelling to the Falklands to talk to the islanders Michael Summers, the chairman of the Falklands Legislative Assembly, has already said he does not think Corbyn is a threat but to speak to voters back home. It was quite an effort to go to, to make a warning about the threat posed by a man who is not going to be elected as prime minister, to the Islands over whose future he will never have any say. But it was another chance for Fallons brief to be used as a weapon against Labour. This approach started during the election, with Fallons now-famous dead cat speech, in which the minister (looking, it has to be said, as though hed rather not be there) warned voters that because Ed Miliband had stabbed his brother in the back in the Labour leadership contest, he would happily stab the UK in the back over the nuclear deterrent. The dead cat is a strategy deployed by Tory election chief Lynton Crosby, involving flinging a metaphorical feline corpse on to the table to distract everyone from whatever inconvenient conversation they were conducting. It horrified many in Westminster, but it worked, completely overshadowing Labours policy announcement about cracking down on those who are non-domiciled for tax purposes. David Cameron is now rather fixated upon the Lynton Crosby playbook for fighting other parties, and is continuing to wave dead cats around. This is why he doesnt worry as much as some of his other colleagues about there being too many ministers on the Remain side in the EU referendum, and it is also why he is so keen to kick Labour, even when it is down. It also why he is unlikely to fret too much at the departure of the much-admired Tim Montgomerie from the Conservative Party: the activist and newspaper columnists concerns about the direction of the party often tally with what the Prime Minister sees, rightly or wrongly, as the key ways in which it can keep winning. So Michael Fallon is kept rather busy, as Defence questions in the House of Commons has now turned from quite a technical session in which backbenchers who really knew their stuff asked questions about procurement into a political knockabout session. Fallon can do both: he has an eye for detail, but he has also been used many times by his party for more aggressive, partisan jobs, including defending the party on Newsnight and Today whenever there was a political mess. Defence is now a bigger problem for Labour even than voters nervousness about its economic policy, because of the split in the party on Trident, and because the Conservatives are being so ruthless at exploiting that split. They have attracted the ire of Labour peers, including Lord West, the former First Sea Lord, and Lord Robertson, former Defence Secretary, for plotting to delay the main gate vote on Trident so that it takes place closer to the Labour Party conference, in order to cause maximum political chaos. But the Labour leadership is, first of all, quite relaxed about the potential for chaos over the nuclear deterrent, as it is a way of forcing many anti-Corbyn Labour MPs into a confrontation with their pro-Corbyn members and, second, because it clearly doesnt think it is as important an issue as those who support Trident renewal do. For two weeks running, a substantive discussion on the Trident policy review at the Shadow Cabinet has been delayed, the second time because there were, according to sources, more important issues to talk about, such as Europe and the economy. Shadow Cabinet members and senior former frontbenchers alike were infuriated by this suggestion, pointing out that there are few things more important than defence of the realm. Trident is a much bigger issue for us than the economy, now, says one senior MP. Which just shows how bad things have got given what a big issue the economy was in the election. Cameron is determined to use these big issues to weaken Labour so much that even if the partys MPs do manage to organise themselves around one plausible alternative leader (which is difficult enough given the number of airship-sized egos floating around the party), they will have to spend years repairing their toxic brand. If the Tories achieve that sort of long-lasting weakening of Labour, theyll consider a trip thousands of miles across the world more than worth it. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Hospitals up and down the country face closures of some kind. But another crisis has gone under the radar. Since 2010, 656 GP surgeries have closed, merged or been taken over. We know why: Deloitte's 2014 report for the Royal College of General Practitioners highlighted chronic under-funding and under-investment in general practice. The proportion of money going into general practice, as a percentage of the NHS budget, has been shrinking. At the same time, demand is rising and ever more services are carried out by GPs. Surgeries have extended opening hours and there has been a shift of hospital care into communities. For example, type 2 diabetes care used to be provided mainly by hospitals but now generally takes place in the community. As a result, GP workloads are stretched to breaking point. Patients are frustrated as they are unable to book appointments. When I applied to general practice training in 2008-9, it was seen as an attractive career prospect. Fast forward to the present and junior doctors are put off by the prospect of burn-out. Many older GPs are retiring early due to stress. There is a serious recruitment and retention crisis. Unsurprisingly, there is a reliance on locum doctors. Instead of training sufficient numbers, the Government's strategy will be to recruit more doctors from abroad and introduce physician associates. To add insult to injury, GP funding to deprived areas is in danger because of government plans to phase out the Minimum Practice Income Guarantee. Furthermore, the new GP contract is in the pipeline. Based on the junior doctor contract, it seems probable that this contract will not deliver what is needed. This would force smaller practices to close their doors. GPs are now threatening mass resignation as the only way of getting the government to listen. Linked to cuts, we are seeing the privatisation of general practice as part of the wider privatisation of the NHS. Private companies now run GP surgeries, whole swathes of Out of Hours Care have also been outsourced and a quarter of walk-in centres have closed since 2010. Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS) contracts are likely to be extended, which could mean no limit to privatisation. Urgent steps need to be taken, including emergency funding, so that we can recruit GPs, increase appointments and improve service provision. Not only are GPs usually the first point of patient contact but the majority of patient care takes place in primary care, which facilitates early diagnosis, screening, management of long term conditions and preventative medicine. In other words, this is a sensible investment and ends up saving the NHS money in the long run and providing better patient care. The combined agenda of cuts and privatisation only leads downwards. Smaller practices will not survive. The concept of the family doctor will be a relic of the past. There will be mergers and the development of federated GP organisations, which are likely to prove more enticing to buy-outs from private investors. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} One of the criticisms of the rapid expansion of university places under Labour during the late 1990s and early 2000s was that, rather than ensure more talented young people from poorer backgrounds were able to get a place at university, those extra places went to the less-bright sons and daughters of the well-heeled. Similar concerns were raised again when tuition fees rose, first to 3,000 and later, under the Conservative/Liberal Democrat government, to 9,000. Critics warned that, the higher the cost, the fewer people from poorer backgrounds would be attracted into university. With the potential for a price war to open up, it was assumed, the least-prestigious universities would knock down prices while the most prestigious would raise theirs blaming the need to protect research and teaching quality. In fact, most universities chose to charge the full 9,000 per year. But, as we report, the critics predictions were pretty accurate. Although the total number of undergraduates has risen in the past decade, the higher proportion of students from poorer backgrounds are going to newer universities, while the proportion gaining a place at a Russell Group institution has stagnated. Approximately a third of Russell Group universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, have a smaller proportion of students from less well-off families than they did a decade ago. The implication is that our elite universities, despite taking in more students, are not taking in more of the best but more of those whose families understand the value of a degree and are able to invest in their education. That students from disadvantaged backgrounds are still, after almost 20 years of progressive education policy, concentrated in post-1992 universities (ex-polytechnics) raises serious questions about the Governments abilities when it comes to social mobility. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Domestic violence has the highest rate of repeat victimisation of all violent crimes; two women a week are killed by a partner or former partner in England and Wales; 800,000 incidents of domestic violence are recorded by the police every year; every 30 seconds a woman contacts the police for help. The sheer scale of domestic violence is staggering. At the same time, the womens refuge sector is being decimated. Refuge has experienced funding cuts to 80 per cent of its services since 2011. Some of our services have been cut by 50 per cent. Finding a refuge space is like finding gold dust. The Drive programme is a new pilot scheme that targets domestic abusers, rather than the victims. By intervening in their behaviour through therapy rather than concentrating on merely helping the victims to heal or escape, the logic goes, the cycle of abuse will be broken altogether. This programme gives domestic violence perpetrators one-to-one support to change their behaviour. It is backed by Police and Crime Commissioners and local authorities. But the question we must ask is: at whose expense? How can anyone justify spending money on therapy for some of the most dangerous perpetrators of domestic violence, when terrified and brutalised women and children have nowhere to go? Recommended Read more This is the real problem with millennials Even if we set aside this particular injustice and say, for the sake of argument, that it doesnt matter who is receiving the help as long as incidents of domestic violence decrease. There is no evidence here or abroad that individual therapy stops men being violent. A 2015 UK study found that after 12 months of programme attendance, 23 per cent of the men involved continued to punch or kick walls or furniture, slam doors, smash things or stamp. 7 per cent of men slapped, pushed or threw something at their partner or former partner, and 10 per cent threatened to kill them or someone close to them. Proponents argue this shows perpetrator programmes work. It seems an odd definition of success to me. Less violence simply is not good enough. In contrast, we know services for women do work. Last year, 66 per cent of the women who used Refuges services reported feeling very frightened when they arrived. By the time they left, only 0.5 per cent felt this way. This is where we should be targeting our resources: safe accommodation that gives women and children the building blocks to start a new life. The Drive programme claims it will hold men to account. It will offer one-to-one sessions, support around substance issues and even advice on employment. These services are not solutions to domestic violence they serve the myths that perpetuate it. When a man beats his wife and is offered help with his drinking or his uncontrollable temper, it allows him to blame something other than himself. This isnt holding men to account it is letting them off the hook. Men do not commit abuse against women because they drink, or because they take drugs, or because they are struggling to parent. They do it because they feel they have a right to be violent towards women and society lets them get away with it. Helping individual men with their various foibles ignores the fact that domestic violence is a social epidemic. It is about men having power over women. Domestic violence is systematic, patterned behaviour on the part of the abusive man designed to control his woman. Society needs to hold perpetrators accountable for their violent behaviour. The most effective way to do this is to arrest and charge them. HMICs recent investigation found damning evidence that the police response is not good enough and that serious failings are putting women and children at unnecessary risk. Instead of giving therapy to a handful of violent men the Drive programme is set to help just 900 perpetrators over the next three years we should be channelling funds into improving the woeful police response to domestic violence. We need to be sending a strong message to abusive men and to the public: domestic violence is against the law and there will be serious consequences. Perpetrator programmes may be attractive to politicians because they are cheaper, but they are not value for money. In the long-term, a rise in violence against women and the domestic homicide rate will cost the taxpayer. This country needs a sustainably funded, nationwide infrastructure of services to protect women and children from the violence of men. Then and only then can we talk about giving therapy to the men who commit these crimes. Domestic violence is a crime. Every woman and child has the right to a life free from violence. If you think you might be experiencing domestic violence, you are not alone, please visit www.refuge.org.uk for information and support. Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Nadine White Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race Report Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Race Report email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Islamic Rape of Europe was headline for the front page of Polish magazine wSieci this week. An accompanying image depicts a blonde-haired white woman being groped on all sides by dark-skinned hands. The imagery is metaphorical - the woman is wearing a dress made of the European Union flag - but also a direct allusion to the recent case of migrant men sexually abusing women in Cologne and other European cities. And, crass as it is, it is a long-standing motif within Western history. From the earliest days of European colonialism, art and literature regularly depicted brown and black savage man raping or sexual abusing innocent white woman. Take for example 19th and 20th century British erotic literature, with bestsellers such as The Lustful Turk, A Night in a Moorish Harem and The Sheik, all of which are fictional accounts of a sexually aggressive foreigner abusing and usually raping an innocent white woman. In art, depictions of white woman as sexual slaves in the harems of Arab and Middle-Eastern sheikhs were just as common. Following the horrific sexual abuse in Cologne on New Years Eve, Germany handed out guides instructing migrants on proper conduct, including cartoon depictions stressing they should not grope women guidance wonderfully skewered by satirist Karl Sharro. Recommended Read more The FBI has exploited the religion of the San Bernardino shooters The same paternalistic and patronising advice assumes that the sexual abuse was not so much a crime committed by a minority of people, but a general case of migrant men not being aware of the higher moral values of Europe. The racializing of crimes, particularly sexual abuse, gives fire to the rhetoric of far-right groups. Tommy Robinson, at the inaugural march of his new organisation, PEGIDA UK, railed that, We have a big problem. The facts are I didn't rape 800 women, I didn't attack 800 women, Muslims did. It also encourages the idea that certain races or groups deserve to suffer communal guilt for such crimes, seen most horrifyingly in the case of the murder of elderly Muslim Muhsin Ahmed, whose accused killer is said to have beaten the man to death in a raging fury, calling him a groomer. Recommended Read more Taylor Swift and Kanye are the narcissistic PR geniuses of our time Whether Europe would like to admit it or not, the Orientalist myths that pervaded colonial art and literature of yesterday are still prevalent now. They influence the way we judge and respond to issues of crime, migration, race and religion. They dictate whether a case of sexual abuse is a scandal or another sad story, whether we are outraged at a group or simply dismayed on behalf of an individual. The first step towards getting rid of these stereotypes is to recognise they exist. And one Polish magazine this week made it very, very obvious that they still do. Construction work over the City of London. A new company offers investors the change to put money directly into real estate schemes Roll your dice. Pass "Go." Collect $200. Buy a railway station. In reality, investing in commercial real estate has never been as simple as Monopoly makes it seem. Individuals generally are not able to buy directly into commercial property development deals at all. But now UK startup BrickVest is seeking to do something vaguely reminiscent -- it is said to be bringing big-time commercial real estate development directly to Europe's monied masses across the continent. The company officially opens for business this week, with a crowd-funding model that is planned to allow individuals to fund projects around the world with as little as a 1,000 investment. They can later use the platform to sell their stakes, creating a more transparent and, if all goes according to plan, liquid, market than currently exists for such investments. The company, which is regulated by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority, is hoping to attract deals in the 500,000 to 50m range. "Traditionally, commercial real estate investment has suffered from issues around quality, transparency, liquidity and access," said Emmanuel Lumineau, the former real estate investment banker who is now BrickVest's chief executive and one of three company co-founders. "We help solve for all of these issues." The platform is restricted to "professional clients" as defined by Europe's Markets in Financial Instruments Directive. But high net worth individuals with sufficient financial knowledge and an existing portfolio worth more than 500,000 can elect to be included. Lumineau said BrickVest hopes to open its doors to any wealthy lay investors within the coming weeks. BrickVest will offer equity and debt investments, each of which will be classified according to strategy and risk by an independent ratings committee, appointed by BrickVest but not employed by it. The committee is headed by Remi Antonini, a former executive director of European real estate research. Lumineau says this is a big change from the way commercial real estate deals are traditionally marketed. "No one sells risk in real estate," he said in an interview. "They sell buildings. But investors don't want to buy buildings. They want to buy a strategy." Among real estate firms that have used the platform to list investments so far include Luxembourg-based Corestate Capital Group, which is offering investment in a 125m portfolio of 21 German retail properties, and Luxembourg-based Aerium, which is offering an office redevelopment project in central Berlin. For investors, access to the platform to browse potential deals is free. Investing in an equity deal will cost 3pc upfront and management fees of up to 1 percent per year. Upon a successful exit of the investment, investors pay BrickVest a 10pc performance fee. Or, if an investor chooses to sell their stake over BrickVest before the investment period is finished, there will be a 1pc fee for listing the stake. For debt investments, the investor will pay a 1pc annual management fee. Developers and property companies can list investments over BrickVest for free, but they must agree to allocate a certain percentage of their deals to the startup. The company will charge a 0.25 percent annual fee to cover the cost of rating the investment. And in the case of debt investments, the borrower will pay a 3 percent upfront charge. "There are no hidden fees here," Lumineau said, suggesting this is an improvement over private equity funds and real estate investment trusts, which often pass overhead costs on to the portfolio investments in ways that may not be transparent. Global Founders Capital, the venture capital arm of Germany's Rocket Internet, has provided seed money to BrickVest along with a group of angel investors. The company plans to raise a Series A round later this year. (Bloomberg) U + I Group's sale of the Charlemont Clinic site to Dalata Hotels for 11.9m is just the latest in a number of re-trades currently underway by the British development company formerly known as Development Securities. Within the space of only two years it has also sold a Georgian mixed use building on Leeson St, Dublin 6. It is currently selling an office and restaurant investment as well as individual newly developed apartments at 55 Percy Place, Dublin 6, as well as well as a portfolio of 27 apartments at Robswall, Malahide, Co. Dublin. Asked about the progress of these sales, a company spokesperson said this week: "U+I remains an active developer and investor in Dublin, designated as one of our three core focus areas, along with Manchester and London. We continue to look for new opportunities while also nearing completion on a number of ongoing development projects. For example, we recently completed our first development at Percy Place and our major office building, Vertium, is due for completion in Q1 2017. "As an international capital attracting foreign direct investment and serving as the economic driver for Ireland, we believe Dublin continues to offer a healthy pipeline of development and investment opportunities for us." The company says the correct figure for its profit from the sale of the Charlemont 0.95 acre site was 2.3m. The group is reported to have paid 7.1m for the site in December 2014, only 14 months ago, and its costs would have included developing the designs and planning application for the four star, 181 bedroom hotel with three apartments which Dalata will operate as a Clayton Hotel. The 11.9m price suggests a site cost of about 60,000 per hotel bedroom. Dan O'Connor of JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group, agent for the vendor said the sale is the largest Dublin hotel development site sale to occur this decade and "it represents a rare opportunity to deliver much needed high quality hotel accommodation, within the prime corporate and leisure hub of Dublin 2". "The price paid reflects the continued strong demand from hoteliers to gain a foothold in the buoyant Dublin hotel market, along with the significant skill and expertise of U+I's hotel design and planning team, including architects Henry J Lyons," he added. On the residential side U+I is believed to have agreed a deal for a portfolio of 27 homes at Robswall in Malahide at close to its 6.5m asking price. As much as 20 of the units are let and producing combined rents of 330,000 per annum. QRE, Allsop's sister company, is handling the portfolio, and its director Conor Whelan estimates that if the vacant units were let and the rents on some of the other units brought up to their market levels, the overall current estimated rental value of the 27 units would be "in the order of 490,000 per annum." That suggests a prospective gross yield of 7.5pc. After allowing for service charges and property taxes totalling about 50,000 per annum, Whelan estimates the net initial yield for the 27 would be 6.55 pc. The 27 units are part of a tranche of 83 homes which U+I bought in August 2014 for a total of 25.2m according to the Property Price Register. They in turn were part of a 36m deal which U+I did to take over part of the Robswall estate owned by developer Gerry Gannon. That deal also included nine acres on which U+I is expected to build 300 houses and apartments. In October last year the company said it was generating a net yield of 5.5pc from the 83 properties. U+I is also a partner with Oakmount in the sale of the mixed use development at 55 Percy Place, just off Baggot St in Dublin 4. Savills is guiding around 8.25m for three floors of offices and a restaurant in the development and these floors are generating an annual rent roll of 458,000 suggesting a net yield of 5.25pc. The Percy Place property was developed by U + I and Oakmount, a company controlled by Paddy McKillen Jr and Matt Ryan. Overlooking the Grand Canal, the development also accommodates 12 apartments which are on sale through Sherry FitzGerald at prices ranging from 750,000 to 1.25m. Paddy McKillen Senior was also involved with U+I in the Vertium office development next to the Burlington Hotel which has been valued at 170m. The partners, who also include Johnny Ronan and Colony Capital, did a forward funding deal with Germany's largest investment management company Union Investment for this 172,000 sq ft block. Joint letting agents Savills and Knight Frank are seeking more than 55 per sq ft from prospective office tenants. Last July U+I flipped a Georgian building at 63 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2, at an Allsop auction for 1.56m. That's 510,000 more than the 1.05m paid for it less than 18 months earlier. Its July price equated to 462 per sq ft which Allsop said was amongst the top prices paid per sq ft for Georgian offices at that time. A quiet revolution is taking place across Europe. It isn't playing out on the streets of capital cities or in the debating chambers of national parliaments. It has been slowly happening with every newspaper headline about how little corporation tax some companies pay relative to their size. It is also being played out at the OECD in Paris and now more recently at the European Commission in Brussels. It is a revolution because moves are on the way which will fundamentally alter how much information major corporations provide to tax authorities about where they do business and how much tax they pay in different countries. On budget day last October, so many of us were focused on how much Finance Minister Michael Noonan was going to shave off the USC, few noticed one of the measures introduced which could dramatically affect the presence of multinational companies in Ireland and how much they pay in Corporation Tax. The budget included legislation on country-by-country reporting. This means multi-nationals, will provide every year aggregate information relating to how they allocate income and taxes. They will also include in the disclosure certain indicators of their economic activity and which parts of their group do how much business in which countries. Ireland was on the "bold step" at the time. We were and still are, under investigation in Brussels in relation to Apple Inc's tax treatment. Irish tax professionals had flogged the "double Irish" around the world, and the country had been name checked by senior US politicians as a sort of tax haven, including by President Obama. It was time to repent - but not too much. Repentance is all well and good but there is no point being the only good boy in the class. If others were not going to behave themselves either, then we could just end up throwing away any competitive advantage we had. We have had several changes in recent years aimed at removing the tax haven stereotype and show a willingness to introduce new measures first. Now the EU is preparing legislation or a new directive on country-by-country disclosure across the European Union. Ireland has already signed up and announced legislation. One problem is that we may not have gone far enough. It is easy to see the value of such a measure for tax authorities. As it stands, corporations have got better and better at using certain international tax structures to minimise their tax bills. They can effectively decide where they pay tax and tweak how much of it goes where. This has led to some very high profile cases, particularly in the UK, where some corporations are doing a lot of business but appear able to pay relatively little corporation tax. British MPs have launched an inquiry into the UK's tax system after the government was accused of allowing Google to pay too little in a 130m deal. The House of Commons Treasury committee announced that it would examine whether a radical shake-up of corporation tax was needed, amid concern that Google has been allowed to get away with an effective rate of 3pc. But corporate taxes are a tricky business. In the past, if a country required too much disclosure or simply had too high a tax rate, corporations could locate somewhere else, despite doing a lot of business in that country. If all EU countries have a similar disclosure level and they share the information with tax authorities around Europe, it is a lot more difficult for corporations to ignore or work around. This information does not disclose any illegal activity but simply shows how much business these corporations are doing in what jurisdictions. It won't be a template for tax authorities to suddenly charge them more corporation tax. It will however, highlight where transfer pricing is taking place and allow the tax authority in each country to target audits more effectively. It could also highlight to certain countries where they should tweak their own tax laws and how much additional revenue they might receive if they did. There could be another sting in the tail of this change. The European Commission is considering full public disclosure of this information as opposed to just submitting it to tax authorities. This would be a game changer. Corporations would have to publicly defend themselves from media and political criticism about where they pay their taxes. The British chancellor of the exchequer, George Osborne, came out recently saying he would be in favour of full public disclosure. Reputations could be affected. Brands could be damaged. But what would it all mean for Ireland? The new Irish legislation covers corporations with group revenues of more than 750m. There are around 75-100 of those in Ireland. The EU legislation could go further by reducing that figure and drawing more firms into the disclosure net. Right now across Europe and the US, major global multinationals are reviewing their corporate structures, how much business goes where and assessing where their taxes are paid. These reviews will in many cases lead to more Corporation Tax being paid. The question is where. We have already benefited from this gradual process as Corporation Taxes rocketed up last year. Ireland could actually see its Corporation Tax take increase into the future as companies fork out more in general. However, they will have to make sure their investment and resources in a particular country have the substance to match their profits. Equally, some companies could withdraw activity from Ireland. This is where other factors come into play. If Ireland can remain an attractive place to do business, and that may mean more lower income taxes to attract executives, we could do very well. Tax experts are divided about exactly what these changes will mean for Ireland. Cora O'Brien, tax policy director with the Irish Tax Institute, said there is still a lot to play for as companies conduct their reviews. She links Ireland's chances of doing well out of this new regime with the overall attractiveness of doing business in Ireland which includes things like income tax levels. The Irish Tax Institute is hosting a major international conference in Dublin next month on all of this. It is called 'Global Tax - new rules for a new era'. Some of the leading experts worldwide will be there to look at where all of these changes are going and to spell out what they might mean. The family behind one of Ireland's best-known brands - Barry's Tea - is understood to have won a battle to keep the business under their full control. A claim secured by AIB over a 9pc stake in the company behind the tea brand, Barry's (Cork), has been discharged by the Commercial Court, ending the spectre of the holding being sold off by the State-owned bank. In 2010, AIB secured a charge over 90,000 shares in the tea firm that are owned by Donagh Barry, due to money owed to the bank by him following a failed multi-million euro property venture that he was involved in with his brother-in-law, Michael McCarthy. That venture was otherwise unconnected to the tea firm. Mr Barry is a son of former Tanaiste Peter Barry - sometimes dubbed the best leader that Fine Gael never had. The tea firm was founded in 1901, and its later growth was spearheaded by Peter Barry, pictured left, who retired from politics in 1997. His daughter is Deirdre Clune, a Fine Gael MEP, who also owns 9pc of the family firm. After securing the charge over Donagh Barry's shares in Barry's (Cork) in 2010 on foot of an 8m judgment it had been granted against him, AIB was subsequently granted permission to sell the shares, if it chose to do so. In 2007, Donagh Barry and Mr McCarthy offered personal guarantees up to a maximum of 8m each to AIB to secure loans amounting to 18m that were advanced by the bank to a company which was then equally owned by the pair - Central Plaza Properties. The most recent company records show that Central Plaza Properties is now solely owned by Mr McCarthy. Central Plaza Properties intended to use the financing from AIB to develop a site in Mahon, one of Cork's fastest-growing suburbs. But the project was deemed financially unviable in April 2008, less than nine months after the loans had been secured. AIB first initiated proceedings against Mr Barry and Mr McCarthy in 2009 after the firm was unable to make interest payments on the loans. The most recent set of publicly available accounts for Central Plaza Properties - for the 12 months to the end of June 2014 - show it had tangible assets of 28.2m at the time. But the accounts noted that an agreement was reached in August 2014 to sell the site at Mahon for just 3.5m. The company had almost 22m in outstanding loans at the time. It's not known what type of arrangement Dublin-based Donagh Barry reached with AIB in order to have the charge over the shares vacated. His solicitor, Lester Sosa-Villatora of Dublin law firm Wallace Corporate Counsel, declined to comment, as did AIB. Barry's Tea chief executive Tony Barry was uncontactable. The Central Bank has estimated the cost of financial regulation this year to be around 154m 15pc higher than last years projection due to a rise in professional and support fees and the cost of extra staff. The cost of regulation has more than doubled since 2009, when it was just 60.2m. The industry funds about half of the cost of regulation through a levy, although the Central Bank recovers its full supervisory costs in respect of AIB, Bank of Ireland and Permanent TSB. Supervisory costs that the banks must pay have risen from an estimated 14.9m for last year, to 28.2m for this year. Governor Philip Lane also said the Central Bank would be setting aside a contingency fund of 15m to meet potential extra pay costs and pay for outside expertise in terms of enforcement actions, according to documents released under Freedom of Information. Should these costs arise, the Central Bank said they will be partly recouped from the industry. In a letter to Finance Minister Michael Noonan late last year, Governor Lane said the financial regulation budget was 20m higher than in 2015. He attributed this to an increase of 6.7m in pay costs, due to an increase in staff in the banking and insurance sectors; an increase of 4.6m in non-pay costs due to a hike in the budget for professional fees associated with likely enforcement actions; and a jump of 8.9m in support services costs, which the bank said reflected an increase in the expected demand for legal, IT and communications services. The Central Bank said it expects to collect 80.2m this year, including levy income of 76.8m and other fees of 3.4m. The balance will be borne by the Central Bank. Dame Street wants to move to full industry funding with some exceptions, specifically in the credit union sector. In September, the Bank noted the industrys concern towards the rising cost of regulation, emphasising in particular the sharp increase in costs associated with the Banks pension scheme. To mitigate this, the Central Bank said the impact of pension volatility would be spread over a rolling ten year period, with a 2.8m figure pencilled in to be recouped for future years. In his letter, Governor Lane also said the contingency reserve of 15m would be made up of 5m for potential extra pay and 10m for non-pay costs in connection with external assistance for enforcement activities. The Governor has previously said the bank intends to take on an extra 150 staff this year. When setting the 2016 Budget, conservative assumptions in relation to when this additional headcount would come on board were applied. In the event that these additional resources are recruited earlier than budgeted, the use of this contingency budget may be required, a spokeswoman said. Failte Ireland chairman Michael Cawley leans back in his chair as he recalls the day when he was heading to the Ryanair office to tell Michael O'Leary that he was going to resign as deputy chief executive and chief operations officer at the airline. It was 2013. "The day I went into Michael to resign, my wife (Evelyn) sent me off that day as if it was the first day in a brand new job. She said: 'If he kicks you out, don't worry, you can always come home'." Despite Cawley's self-confessed "fear and trepidation" that day, O'Leary didn't kick him out, and instead offered him a seat on the Ryanair board as a non-executive director. Cawley had been at the airline since 1997, when the chartered accountant had joined from the Gowan motor group as chief financial officer. Cawley (61) insists that he "nearly fell over with surprise" when O'Leary offered him the non-executive role - a position he was "delighted" to take. Surely it was almost a given though? "It's not very normal. We're in breach of every corporate governance thing going. The chairman (David Bonderman) is there for 20 years. But why would you be getting rid of people like Bonderman, who's probably the top aviation fella in the world?" And as he leafs through his diary while munching on a sandwich at the Failte Ireland HQ on Dublin's Amiens Street, Michael Cawley insists he's not as busy as when he was at Ryanair full-time. "Jesus no, I'm not," he says, despite the number of positions he holds now. "I've more than half my year free." But it's a bit hard to believe he's not run a bit ragged, judging by the jam-packed diary entries plastered with his own handwriting. It looks like he'd have to pencil in his own funeral, God forbid. Not only is he on the board of Ryanair and the chairman of Failte Ireland; Cawley has just spent the morning at the first board meeting of the newly-merger 10bn betting giant Paddy Power Betfair, before hot-footing it back into the Failte Ireland office. He joined the Paddy Power board in 2013. He's also a non-executive director of the giant Cavan-based insulation maker Kingspan, is on the board of Hostelworld (the tourist accommodation site started by Ray Nolan and which floated on the stock market last year), and has a personal investment in Homestay, an Irish rival of Airbnb. He also backed energy firm Prepay Power. "That variety is great and the basics in business are the same in most places," he says. "But the different types of customers, the different geographies - I'd have a great interest in that. It would be as much a hobby to me as it is work." But he laments not having an assistant any more to help with the logistics of it all. "It's the most difficult thing you've to do when you leave," he says, a hand resting on his diary as if it were a bible. "You've to organise your own timetable." Despite all the directorships, it's at Failte Ireland, the state agency charged with developing the country's tourism industry, where the six-feet-plus Corkman, whose father was a Garda detective, now has the most public profile. Appointed to the role in 2014 by then Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar, Cawley isn't afraid to say it as he sees it, warning those in the tourism trade earlier this year not to start "gouging" people with higher prices just because the sector is recovering. The number of tourists visiting Ireland last year soared 13.7pc to over 8.6 million, with a 13.2pc increase in the number from the US; a 15.4pc increase in numbers from mainland Europe; and a 12.1pc rise in the number from Britain. It's a role that Cawley obviously relishes, but one which it's unimaginable that he could have held had Ryanair not started its own transformation to a more customer-friendly and less antagonistic airline before he left his role there. Would he have been perceived as too toxic for the Failte Ireland role had that transformation not been under way? Cawley thinks about it for a moment. "Probably," he concedes. "Toxic is a good way of putting it." He points out that Ryanair's current chief commercial officer, David O'Brien, is also now on the board of Tourism Ireland, having only joined recently. "We may be toxic, but at least we have some added value," he jokes. Almost two years into his five-year chairmanship at Failte Ireland, Cawley is keen to target a number of ways in which he hopes to boost tourism numbers and address the stark seasonality of the business that many areas of the country endure. He's also wants jobs in the tourism industry to be perceived as of being significant worth. He says that tourism directly supports 205,000 jobs, and has the potential for big growth. "The jobs are historically regarded as being less than good," he explains. "The points for tourism courses are low, but in somewhere like Switzerland, they send their best and brightest into tourism." "One of the things I set out to do was to make people proud of working in the tourism industry," he adds. "We want to make sure the contribution they make to the economy is recognised. I want parents to be as proud of their son or daughter who's a chef or in hotel management, as they would if they were an engineer or a doctor." He admits that won't change in five years, but is certain that it can over time. The tourism sector should be able to grow by a high single-digit percentage in each of the next number of years, according to Cawley. "There are not too many industries you can say that about. It's people-intensive, gives regional distribution and has a whole lot of virtues that we should be emphasising." Seasonality in the tourism industry is a "big issue", he adds, with some regions experiencing a summer season that may be busy for less than a month. Educating tourism businesses on revenue management is among the goals for Cawley and Failte Ireland. "Revenue management is one of the most important things in Ryanair," he explains. "Equally, for hotels and restaurants, it's critical. So we bring people into courses every year and we get a fantastic response," he says. Value for money is also a key proposition. Hotels, restaurants, cinemas, and even, somewhat bizarrely, hairdressers, are among the services that benefit from a reduced 9pc rate of VAT introduced by the government as a boost for the tourism sector and as a jobs initiative. But hoteliers in particular have been accused of hiking prices, especially at times of high demand, beyond what could be considered reasonable increases. It's a charge frequently denied by the trade. "We need to be very careful about the value for money proposition," warns Cawley. That's especially true, he argues, when the value for money perceived in Ireland by tourists from Britain or the US, can be to a significant extent credited to a weak euro. "The Americans and the British are telling us they're getting great value for money, but with the Germans, the Italians and the French we're losing it," he insists. Cawley recognises that some of the upward cost creep can be attributed to wage rises, but he's adamant there would have been very few significant wage increases in the sector over the past few years given the downturn. "They're coming in now and they're modest. I hope efficiencies and productivity will absorb them." He believes that increased demand is what's driving the price creep. "The revenue per available room (a key metric for hoteliers) was 25pc higher during the peak season last year than the year before. That was on top of a double-digit increase in 2014," Cawley explains. "Now that was off a low base, but I don't think that 2006 should be the benchmark." Meanwhile, Failte Ireland is working on a number of regional initiatives to help develop tourism products around the country. It's investing a total of 100m in capital funding over the next five years, with initiatives such as the Wild Atlantic Way, Ancient East and the rebranding of Dublin. There's also a large number of other, smaller, projects, however. This year, 55m will be spent by Failte Ireland developing and promoting tourism, with 13m allocated to Dublin, 18m to the Ancient East project, and 19m to the Wild Atlantic Way. Failte Ireland said earlier this year that it's concerned at the dominance of traditional tourism "honeypots", and that the geographic imbalances need to be addressed. "We've become much more focused on how we spend money," says Cawley, who adds that Failte Ireland has also begun working more closely with the Office of Public Works (which is responsible for the State's national monuments and historic properties) to enhance and promote attractions, for instance. He says that Failte Ireland has allocated 2.8m for Knowth (a 5,000-year-old passage tomb in Co Meath, which together with Newgrange is part of a World Heritage Site), which he points out has been described as the "Louvre of the Stone Age". "It has 50pc of all the Stone Age art in Europe," he says. "We've about 12 projects identified (in conjunction with the OPW), which over the next two to three years we will develop and enhance." But is there a danger that money will be thrown at projects where the return may not always have justified the investment? "Everybody has to give us a business plan," Cawley insists. "We have an investment committee which I chair. We benchmark projects and also revisit those that were grant-aided four or five years ago to see what worked and what didn't. We had five projects that received a total of about 8m in funding, for example. Two of those bombed out completely (he won't say which), but one of the successes was John's Castle in Limerick." "By definition, we'll have mistakes, but we're tailoring our investment to match the interest of tourists," he says. Cawley is being a bit of a tourist himself these days, he says, spending time in places such as Australia, where a daughter was expecting her second baby the day he sat down for the interview. But two years after leaving his executive role at Ryanair, and with all that free time, is his wife keen for him to have less of it? "Oh, absolutely. When Hostelworld came up, she said: 'You'd better take that, I'm getting fed up with you.' She thinks I'm a control freak. She's a control freak too." And he admits that of all his directorships, Ryanair probably remains closest to his heart given the amount of time he spent there. "I know where most of the bodies are buried," he says. Knowth, probably. KBC Bank Ireland reported a huge upturn in its fortunes last year after it reported a profit after tax of 75m off the back of a 91m loss in the previous year. Last year KBC Bank Ireland reported operating profits of 119m and loan impairment costs of 48m. In Ireland the bank attracted 74,000 new customers with strong growth reported in the bank's mortgage business. The bank's deposit deposit acquisition also continued to grow, with deposits now at 5.1bn, which compares to 4bn end 2014. Chief executive of KBC Bank Ireland, Wim Verbraeken, said the firm was satisfied by its performance last year. "By continuing to invest in our digital channels, expand our physical network and develop competitive products, KBC attracted over 74,000 new customer accounts in 2015. "This is a significant achievement just three years after becoming Irelands newest retail bank, demonstrating that KBC knows the market and understands customers banking needs right across current account and deposits, mortgages and loans, investments, credit card and insurance," he said. Mr Verbraeken continued, saying that the bank was committed to working closely with customers in financial difficulty. KBC Bank Ireland employs over 1,000 people in Ireland with retail banking hubs in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Kildare, Waterford, Wicklow and Kilkenny. Here are the main business stories from this morning's papers: Irish Independent * The family behind one of Ireland's best-known brands - Barry's Tea - is understood to have won a battle to keep the business under their full control. A claim secured by AIB over a 9pc stake in the company behind the tea brand, Barry's (Cork), has been discharged by the Commercial Court, ending the spectre of the holding being sold off by the State-owned bank. In 2010, AIB secured a charge over 90,000 shares in the tea firm that are owned by Donagh Barry, due to money owed to the bank by him following a failed multi-million euro property venture that he was involved in with his brother-in-law, Michael McCarthy. * Up to 100 jobs are to be created following announcements in both Cork and Offaly. Eventbrite, the world's largest self-service ticketing platform, will open a new customer support centre in Cork, with the creation of up to 50 new jobs over the next three years. The firm is looking to hire workers that speak various languages, including German, Dutch, Italian, French and English, to support its growing international consumer base. * Planning rules should be changed to allow 20-storey hotels to be built in the capital, according to the chairman of Failte Ireland. Michael Cawley, the former senior Ryanair executive who is chairman at the state agency, told the Irish Independent he sees no reason why, in certain parts of Dublin, in or closer to the city centre, that hoteliers shouldn't be allowed to make the most of limited available space in order to generate a better return on expensive sites and development costs. This would also enable them to address a shortage of available rooms in the city, he argued. The Irish Times * Minister for finance, Michael Noonan, has claimed that Fianna Fail have promised public pay increases without funding them in it election manifesto. The finance minister said that he had caught the party out on a 'massive deception'. Mr Noonan said the figures included in Fianna Fail's manifesto makes now allowance for the Lansdowne Road agreement, which finished in 2018. * Up to 1,080 jobs are to be lost at Bombardier Aerospace in Northern Ireland following a review of the firm's requirements. According to a report in The Irish Times, 580 jobs are to be cut this year with a further 500 set to be cut in 2017. Members of trade union, Unite, described the decision from Bombardier as a 'hammer blow' to the North. * Ulster Bank employees have agreed to a 2pc increase both sides of the border, which will take effect in April of this year. The proposals were accepted by the majority of Irish Bank Officials' Association (IBOA) members after a recommendation from mediator, Martin King. Lower-earning staff in Ulster Bank will be able to earn wage increases of up to 8pc if performance-based targets are met. Irish Examiner * Accumulated profits at Enya's music business firm nearly topped 1m last year, new figures show. According to accounts recently lodged with the Companies Office, accumulated profits at Enya's Aigle Music Company Ltd dropped marginally from 1m to 985,668 in the 12 months to the end of June 30 last. The figures show that the cash pile during the year increased marginally from 619,809 to 620,229. * Bank of Ireland has predicted the sterling to rise again in value against the euro after it slumped from mounting speculation of a British exit from the EU. The bank says that Ireland will be able to weather any currency shocks from abroad and insists the sterling will strengthen to reach 70p by the end of the year. The bank, which is partly owned by the State, projects a 5pc surge in gross domestic product this year, up from its original forecast of 5pc. * Over 60pc of small and medium enterprise owners feel that the Government isn't doing enough to support their business, according to new research. The new research, provided by Amarach Research on behalf of broadband provider, Magnet, revealed the widespread dissatisfaction. Business groups have called for changes in the area of share options, capital gains tax, and access to funding. Major General Charles Guinand Blackader was born in Richmond, southwest London in 1869. His father was a teacher, and his mother Charlotte Guinand was German, possibly from Alsace. Charles regarded himself as half French. A career soldier, Blackader had been commissioned into the Leicestershire regiment in August 1888 and served in Bermuda, Nova Scotia, and West Africa. During the Boer War, Blackader's battalion was besieged at Ladysmith where he won the Distinguished Service Order. Less heroically, his subsequent administrative responsibilities at Balmoral in the Transvaal, included the railway station and the concentration camp. Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1912, he was given command of a battalion. In October 1914, Blackader was on rotation in India when his battalion was posted to France as part of the Garhwal Brigade, seeing action for much of 1915. Known in his regiment as 'Old Black', Blackader - following a recommendation by Lieut-Col Haig - commanded 177 Brigade, 59th (2nd North Midland) Division from January to the end of June 1916. He was also an extra Aide-de-Camp to the King from 1 January 1916 to 31 December 1917. Blackader's brigade was posted to Ireland to quell the Easter Rising and he was one of the officers chosen by General Maxwell to sit on the military courts. While William Wylie - prosecutor in the trials at which Blackader presided - regarded him as not particularly imaginative, the Countess of Fingall (with whom Blackader dined on 2 May 1916, in the midst of the trials) considered him dreadfully affected by the work he had to do. Blackader, like the other judges, had no legal training, although Maxwell who convened the trials, had a lawyer on his staff and informal advice from James Campbell MP, the Irish Attorney General. The courts convened were military courts to try those coming before them under military law. The law of the army was English and applied whether in India, France, or Ireland. The army courts were structured to administer discipline, not necessarily the same as justice, and could not try soldiers for crimes such as murder or assault which were matters for the civil courts. From the middle of Easter Week, Dublin was a proclaimed area under Defence of the Realm Acts (DORA). Martial law was also declared so that the military could not be restrained by the civil courts. Wimbourne's proclamation declaring DORA operative, made civilians in Dublin subject to military law to the extent that they could be tried by military rather than civil courts for breaches of the DORA code. DORA envisaged an invasion and hostilities within the King's realm when those waging war with the intention of aiding the enemy - broadly, treason - would be exposed to the death penalty before a military court. The insurgents were so charged in trials conducted hastily and in secret, organised by General Aloysius Byrne from Derry. Initially, no evidence of "intention to aid the enemy" was available. Pearse provided the evidence. A postscript on a letter to his mother from Arbour Hill Prison read: "I understand that the German expedition on which I was counting actually set sail but was defeated by the British." This letter was produced at the trial presided over by Blackader and relied upon to convict Pearse. MacDonagh and Clarke were charged similarly on the same day before the same judges, and found guilty. During MacDonagh's trial, Blackader, possibly concerned that the proofs being presented were thin, enquired about the Proclamation which referred to "gallant allies in Europe". Wylie, the prosecutor, conceded he could not rely upon it, as a signed copy could not be found. On the night of their trial, Maxwell confirmed the sentences on Pearse, MacDonagh and Clarke, who were shot at dawn the next morning. He had before him the terse blue forms signed by Blackader which precised the evidence, and, it appears, additional information from the RIC and DMP files not produced to the court. All those accused denied an intention to aid Germany. While not produced at any other trial, the damage had been done by Pearse's letter, despite his care to confine the admission to himself. There were 160 trials in two weeks, imposing 90 death sentences, of which 75 were commuted. The court Blackader chaired sentenced seven of the 15 executed in Ireland. An aide on Maxwell's staff wrote to Lady Maxwell that General Byrne had been a marvel and the trials would not otherwise have been completed before the civilians intervened. Controversy surrounds the demeanour of Constance Markievicz at her trial presided over by Blackader. Publicly she was forthright but afterwards Wylie, her prosecutor, alleged she pleaded emotionally at the trial that a woman could not be shot: shrewdly raising the spectre of Nurse Edith Cavell shot by the Germans in Belgium in November 1915. The court recommended the Countess to mercy, solely on account of her sex. Blackader, on promotion to Major General, left Ireland in June 1916, to command the 38th Welsh Division at the battles of the Somme in July. He was invested with the Order of the Bath (Military Division) in January 1917 for valuable military services in the field and, like many other senior British officers, received decorations from Belgium and France. He contracted lockjaw in May 1918 when licked by his dog and was treated at the Pasteur Clinic in Paris before returning to Ireland in November 1918 to command the southern district. Blackader, who married with two daughters, died on April 2, 1921 and is buried in Putney Vale Cemetery near Richmond. Robert D Marshall was President of the Irish Legal History Society from 2012-2015. He is the author of Lieutenant WE Wylie KC: the Soldiering Lawyer of 1916 published by Four Courts Press (2013) in Larkin and Dawson eds. Lawyers the Law and History snapshot Charles Blackader Born: September 20, 1869, London Educated: Royal Military College, Sandhurst Affiliation: British Army Career: Soldier Died: April 2, 1921, Millbank Military Hospital Felix M. Larkin at the statue of Sir John Gray in O'Connell Street, Dublin. Gray owned the Freeman's Journal from 1841 until his death in 1875, and it remained in the hands of the Gray family until 1892. There were four daily newspapers in Dublin in 1916: the Freeman's Journal, the Irish Independent, The Irish Times and the Daily Express. The first two had moderate nationalist sympathies, while the other pair were staunchly unionist. All four roundly condemned the Easter Rising, but they rapidly found themselves out of step with the growing tide of feeling in favour of the rebels. The Freeman's Journal was the oldest of them, dating back to 1763. It was also the most eloquent in commenting on the Rising. In its first editorial on the subject, on 5 May, it spoke of the "stunning horror of the past ten days" and pointed out that "the insurrection was not more an insurrection against the connection with the Empire than it was an armed assault against the will and decision of the Irish nation itself, constitutionally ascertained through its proper representatives". Those representatives were the elected members of the Irish Party at Westminster, committed since before Parnell's time to achieving Home Rule. The Freeman was the semi-official organ of the Irish Party, and it was only natural that it should defend the party's interests against the rebels. The effect of the Government's reaction to the Rising was of immediate concern to the Freeman. On May 9, in its first overt reference to the death sentences passed on the leaders, the Freeman protested that "sympathy is being aroused with the victims [i.e. the executed leaders] where nothing but indignant condemnation of their criminal enterprise previously existed", and on May 12 it warned that "the military dictatorship" has produced "a lamentable revulsion of feeling". The Freeman's nationalist competitor, the Irish Independent, was not so troubled. In the first of two notorious editorials, on May 10, it stated that "we do not think that extreme severity should be generally applied... When, however, we come to some of the ringleaders, instigators and fomenters not yet dealt with, we must make an exception". Two days later, on May 12, it called again for the execution of those leaders who "remain undealt with". The leaders in question, James Connolly and Sean Mac Diarmada, were shot early on 12 May, a few hours after that second editorial had gone to press; they were already dead when most people read it. The Independent had been founded by Parnell after the so-called Parnell Split in 1891, when the Freeman defected to the anti-Parnellite side. It was later acquired by William Martin Murphy, who in 1905 transformed it into a mass-circulation newspaper along the lines of Lord Northcliffe's revolutionary Daily Mail, launched in London in 1896. It cost a halfpenny, half the price of the other Dublin dailies, and it had a more modern format and a less partisan editorial policy. It was a resounding success, and quickly superseded the Freeman as the more popular nationalist daily newspaper. Its circulation rose from an initial 25,000 to 100,000 in 1915, whereas the Freeman's circulation was stuck at between 30,000 and 35,000 copies per day. William Martin Murphy is often blamed for the Independent's bloodthirsty editorials in 1916. They are seen as part of a personal vendetta against Connolly, one of his chief adversaries in the 1913 lock-out. However, they were written by the Independent's editor, TR Harrington, without Murphy's knowledge. Murphy was in London at the time for discussions with the Government on compensation for property damaged during the Rising. He repudiated the editorials in private, but never in public - apparently out of loyalty to his editor. Why did Harrington write them? The probable explanation is that he simply misread the shifting public mood, for he was quoted soon afterwards as saying - somewhat ruefully - that "the crowd cried out for vengeance and when they got it they howled for clemency". The Irish Times was even more vociferous in resisting the calls for clemency. In its first editorial after the Rising, on May 1, it noted that "the surgeon's knife has been put to the corruption in the body of Ireland, and its course must not be stayed until the whole malignant growth has been removed... Sedition must be rooted out of Ireland once for all". Such sentiments were to be expected from the main unionist organ in Dublin. Its chairman in 1916 was a pillar of the Irish unionist establishment, Sir John Arnott, and the editor was John E Healy, who also served as Irish correspondent of the London Times. Unlike the other Dublin newspapers, The Irish Times' premises were unaffected by the fighting in Easter week. Their reporters were thus in a position to gather the news as it happened, albeit that publication of the newspaper was restricted. The Times published all the contemporary reportage a year later in the Sinn Fein Rebellion Handbook, together with maps of the battle sites and lists of those killed or taken prisoner. The Handbook remains today an important source for the history of the Rising. The Irish Times' circulation in 1916 was similar in size to that of the Freeman, and it attracted readers from the intellectual and commercial worlds in addition to the unionist community whose views it reflected. The other unionist newspaper, the Daily Express, had a narrower base comprising the remnants of the landed gentry and Protestant clergy. There is a reference to it as a 'West Briton' organ in James Joyce's The Dead. Since 1915, it had been owned by HL Tivy, a Cork butter merchant who also owned the unionist Cork Constitution newspaper. The Express would close in 1917, and be absorbed into its sister publication, the Evening Mail, which survived until 1962. The Express' office on Parliament Street, opposite City Hall, was occupied by the rebels during Easter week. Its recapture by troops was recounted in detail in its issue of May 9. The following day's Express carried a feature by its racing correspondent bemoaning that the horse-racing form books, the bible for turf correspondents, had been stolen in the commotion. This is a manifestation of what Conor Cruise O'Brien called "the Fairyhouse tradition" in relation to 1916: in other words, for many people the news from Fairyhouse racecourse on that Easter Monday was more important than the news from Sackville Street. Felix M Larkin is a former chairman of the Newspaper and Periodical History Forum of Ireland, and he was academic director of the Parnell Summer School 2013-2015. He is pictured (opposite page) at the statue of Sir John Gray in O'Connell Street, Dublin. Gray owned the 'Freeman's Journal' from 1841 until his death in 1875, and it remained in the hands of the Gray family until 1892 Armed Gardai on duty at the corner of Portland Row after Eddie Hutch's body was brought home Portland Row. The remains of gang war murder victim Eddie Hutch Snr have been released to his heartbroken family. A massive Garda operation was put in place to facilitate the removal of the taxi-driver's body to a house in Dublin's north inner city. A Mercedes hearse transferred the body of Mr Hutch, who was gunned down in his North Strand home 10 days ago. Heavily armed gardai surrounded a house on Portland Row in Dublin 1, where the 59-year-old will be waked until his funeral ceremony at Our Lady Of Lourdes Church on Sean McDermott Street tomorrow. Expand Expand Previous Next Close Murder victim: Eddie Hutch Wake: Eddie Hutch Snr. Photo: Sunday World / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Murder victim: Eddie Hutch Read More The modest red brick terrace is the home of Mr Hutch's sister Margaret. It is understood that armed gardai will remain in the direct vicinity of the house to ensure the safety of mourners wishing to pay their respects to him Gardai believe Eddie Hutch, the brother of former crime boss Gerry "The Monk" Hutch, was killed in retaliation for the murder of drug dealer David Byrne in Dublin's Regency Hotel. Mr Hutch Snr was shot nine times in front of his partner in his Poplar Row maisonette three days after the audacious attack at the north Dublin venue where a six-man gang stormed a weigh-in hosted by crime lord Daniel Kinahan. Members of the elite Emergency Response Unit (ERU) were positioned in various locations throughout Dublin's north inner city for a number of hours yesterday before his remains were brought home. The security operations will continue until after Mr Hutch is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery tomorrow. Read More A number of Garda marksmen will take positions at vantage points that will run along the cortege route. It is feared that members of the Kinahan cartel may launch an attack on certain warring factions of the Hutch family during the proceedings. It is understood Gerry Hutch, who is expected to attend the event, is the key target for the drug gang. They have made a number of attempts on his life in recent months. Gardai will conduct a number of sweeps for explosives - due to fears members of the Kinahan gang could use bombs, grenades or rockets. A JUNIOR bank official claims his employer attempted to scapegoat him over a 7.6m "Tiger Kidnapping" in which his girlfriend and members of her family were held hostage to make him hand over the money to criminals, the High Court heard. In February 2009, Shane Travers (30) was forced to hand over four bags containing the cash from Bank of Ireland, College Green, Dublin, before his then girlfriend, her nephew and the girlfriend's mother were released by armed and masked men. Mr Travers was subsequently arrested and questioned for 48 hours but never charged and, he says, gardai do not consider him a suspect. Mr Travers, Ardilaun, Portmarnock, Co Dublin, is suing Bank of Ireland (BoI) claiming, among other things, he was not adequately trained to deal with situations like that, that he has suffered stress, anxiety and depression as a result. Mr Justice Seamus Noonan, who was told by Mr Travers counsel it was not known whether anyone "had been made amenable" for the crime, was asked Thursday by both sides for orders relating to the release of documentation in advance of the hearing of the case. Oisin Quinn SC, for Mr Travers, said they were seeking documents generated by the bank relating to what had been a "spurious" attempt to dismiss him but which his lawyers successfully fought. The bank had claimed he was in breach of its code by not informing him he had been arrested by gardai investigating the crime, despite the fact that there was widespread media reportage of it, counsel said. "We believe they tried to scapegoat Mr Travers", he said. A decision had been taken at a very high level to "get rid of him" based on the spurious claim that he had not informed the bank, he said. Mr Justice Noonan said he would not grant that category of discovery sought by the Travers side as it would be an unreasonably oppressive requirement on the bank. The judge did grant the bank's application for discovery of his up-to-date medical records including notes taken by his doctors which are highly relevant to his claim that his stress and depression was caused by the robbery. The court heard he has been receiving counselling and his lawyer argued the confidential nature of this should not be disclosed. The judge refused discovery in relation to other material which the bank said was relevant to Mr Travers claim that the bank had failed to support him after the robbery by failing to issue a public statement that he was not a suspect and that it had no basis to suspect him. Declan McGrath SC, for the bank, told the court while Mr Travers said he had been informed by gardai he was not a suspect, that was not accepted by BoI. Undated handout file photo issued by Cleveland Police of Angela Wrightson, taken some years before her death. Cleveland Police/PA Wire Two teenage schoolgirls phoned police asking for a lift home after they battered a woman to death in England before taking a selfie in the back of the police van, a court has heard. The girls who were aged 13 and 14 at the time, beat Angela Wrightson, 39 to death, as she pleaded for her life in her Hartlepool, County Durham, home. A jury at Leeds Crown Court heard that the girls used a variety of weapons, including a wooden stick laced with screws, a TV set, printer, coffee table and a shovel to carry out the "sustained and brutal" attack over a prolonged period. The blood-stained body of alcoholic Ms Wrightson, was found on the sofa at her home on December 8, 2014 by her landlord, having suffered more than 100 injuries. Shards of glass, together with small pieces of gravel or grit were strewn over and around her private parts and ash from burnt paper, had been put into her ear. The teenagers, who are both charged with murder and are now aged 14 and 15, cannot be named for legal reasons. Expand Close Handout file photo from Cleveland Police of a photograph taken by one of two girls who are accused of murder when they were getting a lift in the back of a police van only hours after the alleged murder of Angela Wrightson. Cleveland Police/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Handout file photo from Cleveland Police of a photograph taken by one of two girls who are accused of murder when they were getting a lift in the back of a police van only hours after the alleged murder of Angela Wrightson. Cleveland Police/PA Wire They appeared in the dock, each flanked by an intermediary to help them understand the court process, to deny the charge. The jury heard that the two girls had been in local authority care and as they grew into their teens, their "intense" friendship had caused concern. The court was told that the girls had let themselves into an unlocked Ms Wrightson's home around 7.15pm before launching the attack on the "small in stature and thin" woman and taking pictures of themselves at the crime scene. For the prosecution Nicholas Campbell QC said: "It became clear that she (Ms Wrightson) had been the victim of a sustained and a brutal attack. There were well over 100 injuries on all parts of her body. "The evidence at the scene of the crime showed that she had been assaulted on 12 separate locations within and around that room. A number of implements were used." Whilst at the house the younger of the two was to make a phonecall over Facebook to a friend who was to hear her say: "Go on (name of older girl). Smash her head in. Bray her. F****** kill her," as another laughed in the background. A selfie posted to Snapchat showed the defendants smiling with Ms Wrightson pictured in the background shortly before her death, with further selfies showing the girls drinking cider from a bottle. Ms Wrightson, who was known as "Alco Ange", had got a reputation for going to the local shop to buy cigarettes and alcohol for children. The girls were to leave the house at about 11pm where they met with a friend who had asked them why they were covered in blood. They told him they had both fallen over and began listening to rap and high energy music. Mr Campbell said the friend claimed that the older girl, "said something about 'slicing her face' and booting her all over, and that she, (the older), had 'done all the work while (younger) was smoking a tab." The older of the two was to say they needed to go back to the house, to see if "she" was dead or alive and returned at around 2am. Mr Campbell adeed: "It's not known whether they went back to continue the violence or whether Angela Wrightson was indeed already dead when they got there. "Before they left for a final time further indignities had been heaped on Angela Wrightson when she had been in no position to stop them." He added that having, "decided to bring their activities to an end" at around 4am the younger of the girls texted her carer to come and get her but upon no response phoned the police. Mr Campbell said: "It seems that both defendants decided to bring their night's activities to an end, and return to their respective homes. The solution they hit upon was to ring the police." Jurors were told that when their "taxi" did not come quick enough they called again - citing it was "f****** freezing". Once inside the police van, they were described as laughing and joking and "seemed to be in high spirits". One of the officers was to hear one say "Snapchat" and "put the flash on". Realising that they were taking photographs, he told them to stop. The message, which was posted to social media site Snapchat, read: "Me and (names older girl) in the back, on the bizzie van again", showing one of the girls covering her face with a Parka jacket on her lap concealing the blood. Both defendants admit they were present at the time the injuries were inflicted. The older girl accepts that she struck Ms Wrightson but said she did not intend her serious harm. The younger girl says she played no part in the assault and did not encourage her co-accused in any way. Mr Campbell said: "The prosecution case is that they were in it together and they are jointly responsible for this fatal attack." Counsel in the case and the judge presiding over the five-week trial, Mr Justice Henry Globe, did not wear wigs during the hearing. The younger girl allegedly told a friend that they had "stamped all over her head". Mr Campbell claimed the defendant told her friend that Ms Wrightson had said "please don't, stop, I'm scared". After news of the murder spread the next day, the older girl told a support worker it was "shocking". During a shopping trip, she asked the adult: "How do you think it feels to kill someone? Do you think you feel empty? Do you think you would feel bad?" She also confided she would probably end up in Low Newton prison, saying it might "sort her out", the Crown said, and she could do courses, "would have her own room and a television and a PlayStation". She also talked about and played a song called Dance with the Devil about a 13-year-old would-be gang member forced to murder someone as an initiation, the court heard. Paul Henry was found not guilty of the murder of his mother Ann Henry by reason of insanity. Picture: Hany Marzouk A judge thanked a jury after it found a "very unwell man" not guilty of murdering his mother by reason of insanity. Paul Henry (29) admitted he killed his mother Ann Henry at Abbeystown, Ballyphesan, in Roscommon town on September 17, 2011. On Monday at the Central Criminal Court, Mr Henry, with an address at Ardsallagh, Athlone Road, Roscommon, pleaded not guilty to murder by reason of insanity. And yesterday the jury spent one hour 36 minutes deliberating before bringing in a unanimous verdict. Mr Justice Tony Hunt thanked the 12 jurors for their service and the painstaking approach they took to the case. He told the jury: "You decided the verdict with great care and detail. It's a legally correct verdict on the evidence and a humane verdict. Unwell "Mr Henry is a very unwell man and it would be inhumane to treat him as a criminal. I think it is 100pc likely he will be committed to a place where he will be safe." He said that jury service is essential and he is always impressed by "the serious and considered approach juries take." "You have to react in a cold way when dealing with hot issues," he said. At the beginning of the trial, defence counsel Mr Colm Smyth SC told the jury of eight men and four women that his client admitted that he killed his mother. During the trial Mr Smyth called consultant psychiatrist Professor Tom Fahey to give evidence. He told the court Mr Henry suffers from a "delusional" disorder. The court heard that, in Prof Fahey's opinion, Mr Henry was "unable to refrain from committing the act" and this "propelled him" to act in the way in which he said he did. Yesterday prosecution counsel Ms Caroline Biggs SC called forensic psychiatrist Dr Brenda Wright to give evidence. She diagnosed Mr Henry with paranoid schizophrenia. Dr Wright said that, at the time, Mr Henry did not have the capacity to form intent because of his mental disorder. The judge ordered that Mr Henry be detained in the Central Mental Hospital. A man who went to view a student's room advertised on daft.ie and sexually assaulted her when she let him in, has lost an appeal against sentence. Indian national Dileesh Soman (33), with an address at Tramway Terrace, Douglas, Cork, had pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to sexually assaulting a woman at an address in a different part of Cork City on November 11, 2013. He was sentenced to four years imprisonment with the final 12 months suspended by Judge Sean O Donnabhain on February 20, 2015. Soman lost an appeal against the severity of his sentence today with the Court of Appeal holding that prison was unlikely to be more difficult for him in circumstances where he was well settled in Ireland and had some command of the English language. Giving judgment, Mr Justice John Edwards said the injured party a 30-year-old postgraduate student had advertised a room for rent in her apartment on the website daft.ie. Mr Justice Edwards said it was her first experience ever of advertising for a person to share her apartment. She will now only consider female flatmates or else will simply absorb the extra financial burden of living alone, the judge said. On the date in question she received a text message from Soman, who she met at approximately 7.30 pm and let him in. He was using the alias of 'Aaron' at the time. The injured party said he showed a complete lack of interest in the apartment and that when shown the bedroom the conversation became strange. Soman told her that the room had a very bad energy and he asked her to show various parts of her body including her wrists, elbow, belly and knees. She did this out of fear and continually told him she felt uncomfortable about doing so. Mr Justice Edwards said Soman touched her breasts, opened her jeans and proceeded to sexually assault her. At times throughout the sexual assault he made various comments to her including 'nothing bad is going on' and 'it's okay, we're not going to have sex here,' the judgment stated. The injured party shouted at him and he stopped. On the way out, he pulled a hair from her head and put it in his wallet. She returned to the apartment crying and told a friend what had happened who in turn contacted the gardai. Counsel for Soman, Ronan Munro BL, submitted that the judge gave insufficient weight to the contention that prison would be much harder for him as a non-national with medical difficulties arising out of a hip replacement. Mr Justice Edwards said Soman had been living and working in Ireland for more than six years so Irish society was no longer culturally alien to him. Moreover, while his English may not be perfect, he did speak the language and it was at a sufficient level for him to function in the workplace. Soman was undoubteldy entitled to a reasonable discount for mitigation but he was not wholly co-operative, exhibited no remorse and had sought to blame the victim to some extent to suggest that she had consented to some of what he had done. Mr Justice Edwards said prison was unlikely to be very much harder for Soman in circumstances where he was well settled in Ireland for a number of years and had some command of the language. Mr Justice Edwards, who sat with Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and Mr Justice Alan Mahon, dismissed the appeal. Steve Collins pictured at his home in Limerick in 2009 with a picture of son Roy MURDER victim Roy Collins died from a single gunshot to his trunk, an inquest into his death - more than five years after his murder - has found. The jury at the inquest, which was attended by his father Steve and brother Steve Jnr, returned a verdict of murder, which Coroner Tony Casey said was the only verdict open to them. State pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy told Limerick Coroner's Court the bullet had entered his right hand trunk and tracked down, entering the abdominal cavity also causing injury to the liver and the aorta as well as causing a small injury to the spleen before exiting the left side of his back. Mr Collins was found crouching down in the casino he owned next to his father's pub, The Steering Wheel, at the Roxboro Shopping Centre in Limerick shortly after 12pm on April 9, 2009. In his father Steve's deposition, that was read out in court, the first he heard of his son's shooting was when his barman Alex Clancy came running in saying a woman had told him a man had been shot next door. Mr Collins ran into the casino and saw his son crouching on his knees. He said he told him he could not breath. Mr Collins saw the bullet on the ground and his son told him: "I'm after being shot dad." He said it looked like they had got him in the back from behind. He tried to lay him down on the ground but he was too uncomfortable. "He told me he loved me and he loved his mom," Mr Collins's deposition read. He said Roy told him he couldn't breath and he told him to stop talking. Wayne Dundon (36) and Nathan Killeen (24) are serving life sentences for the murder since their conviction in July. James Dillon, of no fixed abode, was also jailed for life in 2010 for the killing. Speaking afterwards, Mr Collins said attending the coroner's court had been difficult and something his wife couldn't face. "It's just great to get that over with. It was something the family wasn't looking forward to but it's some sort of closure," he said. "It's a bit upsetting but it's finished with now, and I just want to get on with my life and hopefully, some day, get my life back to what it was before." The Collins family left the State in March 2012 for an undisclosed location as part of a Garda relocation programme because they were living under the constant threat of attack by the McCarthy-Dundon gang. He said it had been a very difficult time for the family, and things like the inquest just dug it all up again. "This was the last step but at least we got justice and that's the one good thing that came out of the whole thing," he added. Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe launches this years St Patricks Festival with Ciara Withington (6) from Clongriffin, Dublin, and James MacDougald (8) from Co Kildare as well as festival parade characters Rachel Lally and Piya Champhat. Photo: Robbie Reynolds Visitors should not be afraid to visit the capital on St Patrick's Day, said Tourism Minister Paschal Donohoe, who insisted Dublin is a "safe city". In an attempt to reassure overseas visitors planning to stay in Ireland during the celebrations, he stressed that recent events should not be allowed to tarnish the city's image. "Despite the awful murders that did take place in our city across a number of days, Dublin is a safe city, a vibrant city, and if you want the best opportunity to sample all that our city has to offer, it's across the days of St Patrick's Festival," he said. David Byrne (34) was shot dead at the popular Regency Hotel in Drumcondra on February 5, while Eddie Hutch Sr (58) was murdered by gunmen at his North Strand home shortly before 8pm the following Monday. Their deaths made headlines worldwide. Mr Donohoe said St Patrick's Day brings a mass influx of tourists into Dublin every year, which provides the city with a massive financial boost. The festival will celebrate its 21st birthday next month. Highlights of the five-day event, which showcases Irish culture and talents worldwide, include music, open mic storytelling, the Festival Ceili and an alternative, teen-friendly tour of Dublin. "This event is hugely important for Dublin and for Ireland. For our country alone, it brings in 100,000 international visitors, and it's worth over 70m in revenue to the city of Dublin," the minister said. Mr Donohoe claimed the decision of Luas drivers to strike on St Patrick's Day is designed to cause as much disruption as possible. "Everybody is now losing as a result of this, Dublin is losing and potentially the St Patrick's Festival is losing out," he added. The five politicians who manage to secure a seat in this sprawling new constituency will do so only after surviving the most gruelling of electoral contests. With some 20 candidates on the ticket, including six sitting Oireachtas members and a former minister, Dublin Bay North has been called the 'Group of Death'. One of the many intriguing sub-plots that has unravelled in recent months surrounds the battle within Fianna Fail. Just months after Senator Averil Power quit the party, her former colleague Deirdre Heney secured her place on the ticket after defeating former minister Sean Haughey at the selection convention. But Heney's jubilation was cut short just days later - when party headquarters opted to add the son of the late former Taoiseach. The decision to add Haughey incensed Heney, and she admits the pair are running completely separate campaigns. "It's absolutely crucial that I finish ahead but I'm confident that can happen. The response I'm getting on the doors is really encouraging," she said. Much focus will be on the performance of Power, running as an independent after quitting the party over its lacklustre role in the Marriage Equality referendum. She will rely heavily on transfers to get elected, but her prospects should not be discounted. Fine Gael took the bold decision to run three candidates here after the shock defeat of Jobs Minister Richard Bruton at the party's selection convention in Clontarf Castle in April. Bruton was added to the ticket immediately after delegates selected councillor Naoise O'Muiri and party activist Stephanie Regan. Despite the embarrassing result, Fine Gael strategists are confident Bruton will go close to topping the poll. Meanwhile, the Labour Party's Aodhan O Riordain has seen his profile grow significantly after being appointed as Drugs and Equality Minister and he will benefit from the decision by his Dail colleague Sean Kenny to step down. One would assume that there is enough Labour support in the constituency to ensure O Riordain goes close. However, there is the real prospect that he could become one of the most significant casualties of the election. Another TD who is vulnerable here is Terence Flanagan, who has worked hard alongside Lucinda Creighton to build up the newly-formed Renua party. At least one independent candidate is likely to be elected in Dublin Bay North. Prominent Dail deputy Finian McGrath has joined forces with the Independent Alliance and will comfortably hold onto his seat. Former Labour-turned independent TD Tommy Broughan will also be in the hunt for a seat. Sinn Fein is well-placed to take a seat through either councillor Micheal MacDonncha or Denise Mitchell, neither of whom have high profiles. And the Social Democrats are putting forward the highly able councillor Cian O'Callaghan. The votes secured by left wing candidates Michael O'Brien John Lyons, as well as independent councillor Jimmy Guerin, could prove significant when converted into transfers. Prediction: FG, IND, FF, SF, IND Dublin Bay North Candidates:5 seats FG Richard Bruton TD, FG Naoise O Muiri, FG Stephanie Regan, LAB Aodhan O Riordain TD, FF Sean Haughey, FF Deirdre Heney, SF Micheal MacDonncha, SF Denise Mitchell, AAA Michael O'Brien, PBPA John Lyons, R Terence Flanagan TD, SD Cian O'Callaghan, IA Finian McGrath TD, GP Donna Cooney, IND Tommy Broughan TD, IND Averil Power, IND Jimmy Guerin, IND Paul Clarke, IND Damien O'Neill, IND Proinsias O Conarain Taoiseach Enda Kenny joins Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster at a 1916 event at Christ Church in Dublin. Ms Foster last night insisted the event was not a 1916 Rising commemoration. Ms Foster, who has vowed to snub 1916 commemorations, was in Dublin to take part in a Church of Ireland-organised talk about the offensive. The church had billed it as a commemoration but later said the discussion was "not a commemorative one but one which is designed to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising by exploring it historically". Photo: Arthur Carron Photography Fine Gael thought it was going to be fashionable to vote for them - and why wouldn't they? They had all the bling, appeared generous with their gifts and have been the most popular politicians in the Dail for some time now. But at some point in the past 10 days, the trend changed and people began to see them as fickle and untrustworthy. It's hard not to think that a large part of the problem is that their actual 'cool kids' were pushed into the background by the leader who wanted to prove a point. Enda Kenny didn't like the long-standing perception that he was afraid of media appearances and weak during TV debates. So we were told that the Taoiseach would be available to the media every day throughout the campaign. He would confound the critics and exceed expectations by leading from the front. But there is a reason the media has written over many years that Kenny isn't the best performer when in the spotlight, and now it's coming home to roost. The Mayo TD has been a good captain for Fine Gael, but that doesn't mean he's the best player. With his star strikers, Leo and Simon, confined to the benches (in their constituencies), he has scored a series of own goals and now, as the clock ticks down, they are being called on to clean up the mess. In the meantime, the old gang in Fianna Fail regrouped and decided they could make an unexpected comeback. But they have a different problem. While their captain is a big match performer, he lacks adequate back-up. Micheal Martin is at front and centre of the Fianna Fail campaign to the point where the casual observer would be forgiven for thinking he's a one-man army. It was Martin who took to the airwaves yesterday to defend his record from an attack by the current Minister of Health. Where was the Fianna Fail health spokesman or one of his frontbench? We've seen very little of them throughout the campaign except for the routine daily press conferences. So the election is turning into a tale of two would-be taoisigh with very different strengths. The question is how they will use them over the coming days to try to win the electorate's support. Kenny needs to cut his Cabinet loose and stop worrying about the long-term impact that might have on his leadership. And Martin needs to show he has the team to keep his own recovery going. Environment Minister Alan Kelly has rejected suggestions he has adopted a low key approach to the General Election campaign. Its been claimed the Labour Party has tried to limit the role played by its deputy leader due to concerns over his popularity. The Tipperary TD was embroiled in controversy earlier this month after it was claimed he was involved in a verbal bust-up with Newstalk broadcaster Chris Donoghue. He was also accused of trying to hide from water protesters in an election vehicle belonging to his constituency colleague Mattie McGrath. Mr McGrath later rowed back on the claims. Speaking as he arrived for this mornings Cabinet meeting, which discussed the sole issue of a potential Brexit, Mr Kelly rejected suggestions that he is adopting a low key approach. It would be very hard to hide me so I don't think I've been quiet at all. I will be playing a very, very definitive role in the campaign in the coming week, Mr Kelly told reporters. Read More Meanwhile, Government figures today ramped up their attacks on Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein as polling day edges closer. Mr Kelly accused Sinn Fein of hypocrisy over its proposals on Universal Social Charge (USC). Five years ago, Sinn Fein committed to getting rid of the USC. Now they are not touching it, for everyone earning the average industrial wage, there will be no impact whatsoever for them under Sinn Fein's policies, Mr Kelly said. Agriculture and Defence Minister SImon Coveney accused Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin of misleading voters in relation to its election promises. He also said Fianna Fail has no real jobs plan. When Micheal Martin is effectively trying to mislead people, then we have to correct the record. Meanwhile, Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin said he believes Labour will have a very fine showing on election day. The last opinion poll had us on nine per cent. Twill increase and I think that we will have a very fine showing on the day. The final question people will ask on the issues of policy and past the real question people will address in the final days of campaign is who do they want, who do they trust to bring the country on path of recovery to bring real change to support themselves and family. Greta Dean greets Willie ODea over her wall during canvassing in Garryowen, Limerick. Photo: Brian Gavin Willie O'Dea doesn't have a secret weapon (or glamorous assistant) up his sleeve to help him return to government. And though he has never cast a spell, a local magician is among his canvassers as the Limerick veteran looks to get himself re-elected on a promise to fix the country's social welfare system. Braving persistent rain, Mr O'Dea believes he will not need to pull off any tricks to gain re-election but knows some extra magic may help his party return to government. "The weather is my worst enemy at the moment. I fear the rain far more than I fear Sinn Fein, Fine Gael or Labour," he says. "I love this part of it. I come into my own when I am out and about, meeting people on a regular basis and people who I have been engaged with over the years. "You meet a few characters and I have the craic with them." Mr O'Dea's team are characters in their own right. Local councillor Kieran O'Hanlon is the main man leading Mr O'Dea, local magician Seamus Tobin and 12 others around Garryowen as the campaign gets going in earnest. "It is like Jesus and his 12 apostles have descended," quips one local looking at the entourage. However, the group are well received in an area O'Dea is probably happy to bring reporters to. But the atmosphere is totally different to five years ago. "It is the hard work that Willie puts in," says Councillor O'Hanlon. "Willie is like a dynamo, not the magician (Dynamo), we have to take the batteries out of him every night." During his hustings, families ask O'Dea for help seeking carers' allowance payments, speed bumps, and road signs. They know he may not be able to help but that he will do what he can. "As for the future, well the one thing that I would love to be is Minister for Social Protection to reverse all of the cuts being proposed by the present government. The whole social welfare system needs an overhaul and needs to be turned on its head. It is no longer fit for purpose. "Instead of having a social welfare system that is a straitjacket, I want it to be a trampoline." Garryowen resident Dominic Lipper greets the canvassers at his door and pledges allegiance to the long-serving TD. His brother, Mick, was a prominent Labour politician and is known locally for driving the victorious Limerick hurlers' by train to the All-Ireland final in 1973. However, despite his political lineage, Mr Lipper said he would have no intention of voting for a government party. "I couldn't care less about them," said Mr Lipper. "I was on a trolley in the hospital waiting for my legs to be removed for two-and-a-half days. I was in agony." His family turned to Mr O'Dea for help two years ago and appreciated his efforts. "Willie taught me how to stand up again and walk," he jokes, while pointing at his new prosthetic legs. "This man comes once a month to my house. He'll tell you 'I will' or 'I won't'. There's no such thing as 'I'll try' and we admire the honesty." O'Dea says once a month is an exaggeration but concedes a strong presence in the area will help to pull votes. "I never second-guess the electorate because people change their minds," he says. "I don't do the area every month, probably just twice a year, but we have leaflets in letterboxes and councillors on the ground regularly so it does seem like omnipresence." Sinn Fein election candidate Chris Andrews has been branded a "liar" and a "hypocrite" by the family of an innocent Dublin man who was murdered by a Provisional IRA member. The family of Joseph Rafferty say they also feel sickened and betrayed by turncoat Andrews who was involved in their campaign to force Sinn Fein to give up his killer while he was a Fianna Fail TD. The Raffertys have accused him of telling blatant lies on the doorsteps by informing their neighbours and friends that he is still working with them in a bid to bring Josephs killers to justice. Joseph Rafferty had been subjected to several death threats from a well-known Provo and Sinn Fein election worker before being shot dead by a lone gunman in April 2005 in Ongar, west Dublin. Mr Andrews accompanied Josephs sister, Esther Uzell, to a number of confidential briefings about the murder investigation with senior gardai at which the prime suspects association with Sinn Fein were discussed. Mr Andrews also discussed Josephs murder during a Dail debate on the Criminal Justice Bill in March 2009. Expand Close Sinn Fein candidate Chris Andrews (Tom Burke) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sinn Fein candidate Chris Andrews (Tom Burke) The Garda Siochana has put in a substantial number of man hours in trying to identify the people who killed Joseph Rafferty, he said. These people can do what they want without feeling they could be apprehended. Having met the Garda Siochana about this and other matters, I have no doubt their time will come and they will be caught. Four years later, the former TD joined Sinn Fein. We could not believe it when we heard the news that Chris Andrews had joined Sinn Fein, said Ms Uzell, whose campaign for justice has seen her being invited to meet the US President in the White House for St Patricks Day on three occasions. He supported our campaign and was in possession of highly-sensitive information about the man who gardai believe murdered Joseph, and he also witnessed members of Sinn Fein intimidating members of our family. Vile But he still had no problem joining that same party, which shows what a hypocrite he really is Andrews betrayed us in the most vile way poss-ible. As part of her campaign, Ms Uzell who was supported by the sisters of Belfast man Robert McCartney, another Sinn Fein/IRA murder victim also ran for the Dail in 2007 against Sinn Fein to highlight that the party was covering for the suspect. During the campaign, republican thugs smashed her car and Sinn Fein activists openly intimidated another sister during an incident that was witnessed by Mr Andrews. He knows the murderer is a member of Sinn Fein and worked for them in the elections and he witnessed what happened to us, yet he can go and join them [Sinn Fein]? said Ms Uzell. When I heard that he had gone to Sinn Fein I was sick in my stomach. I just could not believe the depth of hypocrisy of this man. How can you do that? I keep asking myself that over and over again. I felt that we as a family had been betrayed in the worst way possible. He knows everything about who murdered my brother and he saw the intimidation. He also knew that our family had gone to Sinn Fein to plead for Josephs life when he got the threats. Mr Andrews told the Herald that while he did attend high-level meetings, it was never discussed whether he [the suspect] was a member of Sinn Fein or not. Its hard to recall everything, every single detail of every single meeting, but generally there wasnt a political element to the conversations at the meeting. It was more to do with the gardai looking to find evidence of who killed Joseph Rafferty, he said. Mr Andrews said he knows Ms Uzell was intimidated but does not know the identity of those behind it. Afraid He claimed Ms Uzells criticisms were politically motivated by people who are afraid of Sinn Fein doing well in this election. Ms Uzell said her family were particularly distressed by a claim made by Mr Andrews on RTE Radios Sean ORourke Show last week when he suggested he was still involved in their campaign for justice. During the show, the Sinn Fein candidate for Dublin Bay South was challenged about Joseph Raffertys murder by Labour TD Kevin Humphreys. You have never been consistent in your life since you came into politics, he said. Didnt you attend confidential meetings in Harcourt Square in relation to the murder of Joseph Rafferty, and arent you fully aware that you supported the family up to, and until, you changed your colours and went into Sinn Fein? Mr Andrews replied: I worked very closely with the Uzell family and the gardai. I do so still. Ms Uzell said: I could not believe he said that, which is blatant lies. I want the good people here in this constituency to know that the man is a liar and a hypocrite and that he betrayed us. Mr Andrews resigned from Fianna Fail in August 2012 after being unmasked as the mystery person behind a Twitter account that posted negative comments about members within the party. Between March and June of that year he posted more than 300 tweets containing highly-critical and abusive material about his party colleagues and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin. The account was the subject of a sophisticated investigation by the husband of a Fianna Fail member and led to Mr Andrews unmasking. A year later he joined Sinn Fein and was elected as a member of Dublin City Council for the party in 2014. Mr Andrews served for one term as a Fianna Fail deputy from 2007 until 2011 when he lost his seat. Ireland could be permitted to limit welfare benefits to migrant workers from other EU countries under a new proposal being considered by the European Commission. The Irish Times reports that EU leaders are to settle the issue of of in-work benefits for migrants, amid concern among member states that other countries could follow Britain and introduce curbs on migrant' benefits. Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton told RTEs Morning Ireland today that it would be appropriate to link each child to the child benefit system in their country. I have met both the last commissioner and the current EU commissioner and put very strongly the fact that in Ireland as in the UK and a number of other countries, people pay social insurance contributions so lets be very clear that our social welfare system, the contributory system is based on the fact that people during their working lives contribute. Therefore if people come into the system, until they have built up contributions we dont broadly expect them to be taking from the system. Were seeking for instance, and Ive sought that the situation in relation to paying child benefit abroad, that that should be examined and addressed. She added: Where children are living abroad, and may never have been in Ireland, we come under a legal obligation in the context of European law to pay full child benefit abroad. My own view has been for some it would be more appropriate to link it that to the relevant local child benefit payments in the country. Ms Burton said the amount of child benefit payments being paid out by Ireland abroad has been reduced from over 20m to 11m during her time as minister. The difficulty is that if youre paying abroad, how do you actually satisfy that the children are there? But weve cut it in half. It was well over 20m when I came in, its down to around 11m now and it will continue to fall as I have brought in new anti-fraud measures in the department in relation to people in Ireland but also in relation to anybody receiving money abroad. She added: We want Britain to stay in the European Union. Britain is our most important trading partner, our trade with Britain runs into billions of euros and sterling every single solitary year. Tanaiste Joan Burton has refused to rule out the prospect of doing business with the Social Democrats - despite attacking the party's tax proposals. Ms Burton also accused the newly-formed party of having no "plan" in relation to how it intends to reduce the cost of public services for families. Ms Burton singled out one of the co-leaders of the Social Democrats, Stephen Donnelly, whose impressive performance during the leaders' debate has boosted the Social Democrats. "When Mr Donnelly was talking on the debate the other night, he absolutely ruled out any kind of tax relief, tax reduction, tax re-balancing, for people on very low incomes, particularly young workers coming into the Labour force. I think they're absolutely mistaken in that," Ms Burton said. Despite the criticism, the Dublin West TD repeatedly refused to rule out the prospect of serving in a rainbow government that involves the Social Democrats and Fine Gael. "A week is a long time in politics and I've said to you constantly that my view is that voters will make up their minds only in the last few days," Ms Burton said. Roisin Shortall, another one of the co-leaders, also refused to rule out serving in a rainbow coalition. "It is wide open," she said. Scrutiny Meanwhile, Ms Burton yesterday claimed female politicians come under greater scrutiny than their male counterparts over their public performances. She said she has no intention of "standing back" and "doing a bit of Downton Abbey and the teacups" when asked if her performances are damaging the electoral prospects of Labour candidates. Ms Burton also laughed off suggestions that the "overuse" of her hands is proving to be a distraction during live television debates. "Lots of male colleagues have peculiarities, mannerisms, that not everybody cares for," Ms Burton said, adding that female politicians come under greater scrutiny than men. "If they feel there is something inappropriate in a woman not standing back and sitting down and you know, doing a bit of Downton Abbey and the tea cups. I feel very, very passionate about this country, and the potential of its future, about the young people. "So I apologise if I didn't meet the standard of everyone but I'm very confident as well that our labour TDs and candidates are going to surprise on the day and do very well." The elite unit training is the latest in a series of courses held since the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris in January last year. Photo: PA Elite units from the gardai and the Defence Forces are set for a major training exercise on combating a terrorist attack. It is aimed at boosting the capability of key agencies to respond to and manage a major emergency. The table-top course is a joint initiative by the gardai and the military, and is described as a critical part of the state of readiness to cope with an incident like a terrorist atrocity. It is the latest in a series of courses held since the 'Charlie Hebdo' attack in Paris in January last year, and will be held at the Garda College in Templemore, Co Tipperary, next week. The course will be attended by officers from the Emergency Response Unit and the Army Ranger Wing, among others. It follows an international course on developing a comprehensive approach to a terrorist-style gun attack, which Ireland was asked to host at the military training centre at the Curragh last November. That week-long course was held shortly after the Bataclan theatre and other terror attacks in Paris but had been planned several months earlier. The training was funded by the Nato voluntary national contribution fund. Ireland was invited to host the course because of the reputation of the Defence Forces in disposing of improvised explosive devices, as well as the nation's membership of the Partnership for Peace programme. Those taking part included special operations personnel from the Ranger Wing, explosive ordnance disposal teams, the Air Corps and the Garda Emergency Response Unit. Representatives from 24 countries, including 22 EU states and the United States, also took part in the course. Previous courses last year had been aimed at coping with what the Army describes as "marauding terrorist firearms attacks", including lone-wolf and random shootings. But since the Paris incidents, there has been focus on planning a co-ordinated response to a well organised assault. The exercise in Templemore will also concentrate on the roles to be played by the gardai, the Defence Forces, the fire service and the ambulance service, in the minutes immediately after an emergency. This is designed at streamlining and co-ordinating the interaction between the agencies and establishing the chain of command. One officer said: "It is crucial that each agency knows and understands what the other is doing and is acquainted with the equipment being used." The threat level here was raised to moderate after the 'Charlie Hebdo' attack, which means that a terror attack is possible but is not likely. Gardai are investigating reports of a 'fake Sky TV van' calling to people's homes in the south east. The vehicle, a 2005 white van, had a large graphic depicting the satellite TV giant's logo and emblems. Sources say the van is linked with a number of burglaries and is believed to be connected to a Romanian gang who are thought to be responsible for crimes ranging from armed robbery to assault. Photos of the vehicle have been circulated on social media outlets and has since been spotted with the graphic stripped from its body. It's understood that the use of vans decorated with the logos of trusted utility companies are becoming increasingly popular with burglary outfits. "If someone sees a van parked outside a house with ESB or Sky written on the side it usually doesn't rouse much suspicion," said a source. "It gives lads like this free rein to park up and move in and out hiding in plain sight. They are also using them to call door to door to case out properties and to find out when people are home. "It is a worrying development. We have had reports ranging from Sky to the ESB and even DHL. " How the Irish Independent reported the story in February last year Twelve patients who were wrongly given the all-clear for bowel cancer have been diagnosed with the disease, including a man who has since died of the illness. The missed cancers have emerged following a recall of 600 patients who had colonoscopies - an invasive investigation of the large bowel - at Wexford General Hospital in 2013 and 2014. One of the patients has died of bowel cancer and others are being treated for the disease, RTE News revealed last night. The recall of hundreds of patients followed a discovery by BowelScreen, the national bowel screening programme for people aged 60 to 69. It found that two patients who had a colonoscopy procedure in Wexford General Hospital in 2013 were discovered to have cancer in October and November 2014. The recall of patients, prompted by the two cases, meant that some 600 patients were called back for a re-test. BowelScreen said that up to the "end of 2014" two cases of cancer between the regular two-year screening gap were reported. The revelation is a setback for the programme, which currently has an uptake of just 45pc among 60- to 69-year-olds. Hospitals which are given the work by BowelScreen must be accredited and consultants who carry out the work have to agree to have their performance reviewed on a continuous basis. The specialist who carried out the colonoscopies was placed on paid leave and is no longer carrying out the procure. Conor MacLiam, who lost his wife Susie Long to bowel cancer in 2007 after she had to wait seven months for a colonoscopy, said last night it is essential hospitals can assure patients about the quality of the procedure. He questioned if the necessary resources are being invested in this crucial area. "We have a new day unit named after Susie in Kilkenny and hopefully all urgent cases will be seen on time," he added. A spokesman for Health Minister Leo Varadkar said last night that he is "aware of this issue which first featured in the media last year". "The minister has been briefed on the issue since early 2015," he said. "He is concerned primarily that any cancers may have been missed. He extends his sympathy to the families involved and in particular to the family of the deceased. The minister is also concerned about the length of time the review has taken. "He is conveying to the HSE the need to improve quality assurance so that lessons can be learned and mistakes not repeated. He has been assured that there has been full open disclosure in these cases." Ireland remains heavily dependent on temporary radiologists because of the difficulty in filling full-time posts. It is understood that the investigation found fault with some of the techniques involved in carrying out the colonoscopies in Wexford. Around 950 women and 1,330 men are diagnosed with bowel cancer annually in Ireland. BowelScreen sends people in the 60- to-69-year-old age group a letter asking them to take part in the bowel screening programme. The test results are normal for the vast majority and they will be invited to take part again in two years. If the result is abnormal, they are referred to the hospital for a screening colonoscopy to determine any abnormality in the bowel. In a statement last night, the Ireland East Hospital Group said that patients in the recall had been thoroughly investigated and had been provided with full information, appropriate follow-up and treatment as needed in a timely manner. "The subsequent report and its findings are now in the final stages of preparation. "Once the report has been signed off, it will be sent to all parties referenced within it before it can be published," the group said. Unfortunately we have a health service that is operated by human beings and machines - and human beings and machines make errors," Minister for Health Leo Varadkar told Newstalk Breakfast this morning. "I want to extend my sympathies to the people affected - and the death that might have been avoided had this been picked up earlier. "We intend to introduce a system of random rechecks to try to make sure that this doesn't happen again. "I certainly would encourage people that, if they are called for bowel screening, that they accept the invitation." So far 36 countries have been affected by the outbreak and WHO officials have predicted as many as four million people could be infected this year A third case of the Zika virus has been confirmed in Ireland in a patient who returned from Barbados. Two other people who returned here from Columbia since the beginning of the year also tested positive for the virus. It also emerged today that the Health Protection Surveillance Centre was informed of another person who had the virus here after coming back from Columbia some time last year. The Zika virus has hit the headlines all over the world as people fear it could be linked to microcephaly in babies, which causes them be born with abnormally small heads. The explosive spread of the virus is now at the centre of a public health crisis in South and Central America, has led the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare an international emergency. However, Dr Roberto Bertollini, WHOs chief scientist and EU representative, said that Zika was a "mild disease" that they are ready to deal with. Asked how long it will take to develop a vaccine he said: I think it will be successful. We now have a lot of experience with Ebola vaccination. We have been able to develop an almost complete Ebola vaccine in a very short time. We are pretty optimistic that we will develop at least a pre-vaccine suitable for trials in the next 15-18 months. The Ebola case was a major lesson for many people. There has been a major change in attitude. He added:The virus was isolated in malformed babies so the association is very strong. But of course we cannot exclude other factors such as genetic factors or other viruses. Five men and a woman have been arrested in Spain's Costa del Sol in a police operation against organised crime in Salford. Dawn raids took place in Marbella on Tuesday when three men from Salford, aged 28, 25 and 20, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder, possession of a firearm and membership of an organised crime group. A 41-year-old man from Trafford, Greater Manchester, and a 31-year-old woman from Dublin, Ireland, were also held on suspicion of membership of an organised crime group. The arrests were carried out by Spanish police with support from their counterparts in Greater Manchester and also the National Crime Agency. Two properties were raided as part of the operation as officers also recovered a loaded handgun, ammunition and four knives. On Wednesday a 23-year-old man from Salford was also arrested in Marbella on a European Arrest Warrant on suspicion of possession of class A drugs with intent to supply. Assistant Chief Constable Rebekah Sutcliffe, from Greater Manchester Police, said: "These arrests are a significant result for Greater Manchester Police in our fight against organised crime in Salford. This sends out a clear message to all those involved in organised crime, that we will never give up and we will find you even if you have left the country. "We would like to thank the Spanish National Police and the National Crime Agency, once again they have shown their determination to relentlessly pursue criminals and fugitives who seek to use Spain as a base for their criminal activities. "Our commitment to tackling serious organised crime in Salford will continue and we will use all of the powers and information available to us and our partners to target this criminality round-the-clock and put a stop to it for good. Dave Allen, head of the International Crime Bureau at the National Crime Agency, said: "Law enforcement does its best work and has the most impact when it pools resources and works collaboratively. "This is an excellent result, which shows the determination and professionalism of the Spanish National Police, the National Crime Agency and UK police forces, in targeting organised crime groups and fugitives who seek to use Spain as a base for their criminal activities." Inspectors have been visiting dairy farms unwittingly using lead weights on collars after a recall was ordered following the deaths of cows from suspected poisoning. One farmer, who had been a trial farm for the firm that makes the collars, told how he was "surprised" to learn the weights were made from lead that is highly toxic to animals. He only found out about the issue when the company rang him to alert him that inspectors from the Department of Agriculture would be calling after at least seven cows at a north Cork farm died from suspected lead poisoning. The farmer, who had the collars removed and replaced with new ones, stressed he had encountered no difficulties with the collars and stressed they had proven to be a highly successful aid for his herd. The food watchdog has confirmed it is satisfied there is no risk to consumers after milk from the farm, which supplies to Ireland's largest farmer-owned dairy business, Dairygold Co-operative Society, was prohibited from entering the food chain. However, Kerry Foods, which produces the well-known butter brand Dairygold, moved swiftly to distance itself from the suspected lead poisoning and stated it was not supplied by Dairygold Co-operative Society. The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association's (ICMSA) president John Comer said the incident would be very distressing for the farmer but unfortunately issues do arise from time to time on farms. He said it was "reassuring for consumers" that the testing regimes in place identified the issue and appropriate measures were put in place. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland said it performed an assessment on the product from the farm that had entered the food chain before the restriction and found there was no risk. The department said the investigations are focused on "degrading lead weights on collars worn" by the cows. It confirmed weights were removed from a small number of farms using the weights and there is no evidence of similar problems on those farms. Edmond Harty, from Dairymaster, which produces the MooMonitor that allows farmers to monitor by phone when their cows are ready for breeding, stressed that his company never used or uses lead weights in any of their collars. "Lead is a toxic substance and you have to take that into account in the design principle," he said. Some of the images from a bitterly cold morning across Ireland A snow-ice warning is in place this morning for several counties along the Atlantic coast. The warning will bring further difficulties for commuters coming into Dublin this morning, as Luas services are not operating due to industrial action. The travelling public will have to deal with heavy congestion around the capital, a knock-on effect from the Luas strike. The latest stoppage is scheduled to run today and tomorrow, hitting about 90,000 passengers each day and forcing them to seek alternative transport. Luas tickets are not valid on alternative transport. Meanwhile, AA Roadwatch has warned that roads are particularly icy around Cavan Town, Letterkenny, Castlebar, Kilkenny city and Mullingar. If driving in snow or ice, remember that stopping distances are up to ten times longer. As well as that, leave extra time to de-ice your car this morning, a statement on its website says. In Dublin, delays are already being experienced along the Grand Canal from Harrold's Cross to Leeson Street bridge, and from Swords into the junction of Dorset Street and North Circular Road. Met Eireann issued the status yellow warning last night, and it remains in effect until 11am today. There was widespread frost overnight with lowest temperatures falling to between 0 and -3 degrees. Scattered snow showers are mostly affecting parts of west Munster, Connacht and west Ulster, and accumulations of one to three centimetres will be seen in some areas, especially on higher ground. CORK: The N71 Cork/ Skibbereen Rd is particularly icy, especially between Clonakilty and Cork City at Pedlar's Cross. AA Roadwatch (@aaroadwatch) February 18, 2016 Highest temperatures today will fall between five to eight degrees. Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe has no plans to intervene in the latest Luas strike that is set to cause travel chaos for up to 180,000 commuters today and tomorrow. A second highly disruptive work stoppage brings the light rail network's Green and Red lines to a standstill for 48 hours from this morning. But the minister came under fire for inviting people to "get their dancing shoes on" for St Patrick's Day - a date when travellers will face more strike action. Mr Donohoe is under increasing pressure to try to end the deadlock in a dispute over pay rises and working conditions that could leave tourists stranded on the day of the national festival. Expand Close Luas boss Gerry Madden: serious consequences. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Luas boss Gerry Madden: serious consequences. There is still no sign of an invitation from the State mediation body, the Workplace Relations Commission, to try to halt the industrial action. This is unlikely unless the commission can see a basis for an agreement, with either the employer moving from its offer of a pay rise of between 1pc to 3pc, or SIPTU reducing its claim for pay hikes of between 8.5pc and 53.8pc for more than 200 workers. Mediation sources said it is up to the minister to "bang heads together" behind the scenes and get Luas operator, Transdev, and the union back to the table to hammer out a resolution. But when asked if he would intervene, the minister said the Government has a "whole array of organisations" to assist. "We have the Workplace Relations Commission, we have the Labour Court, all of whom have been involved in this issue now for nearly 18 months," he said. "They stand ready to intervene but they're only going to intervene if there's willingness on all sides to come to the table on a reasonable basis and put together a platform for resolving this dispute, because this dispute as it's currently scheduled is resulting in everybody being a loser." Fianna Fail Dublin City Council member Jim O'Callaghan asked where were the "urgent plea" or "back-channel communications" required to reach a resolution. Disruption "Yesterday, we saw the minister doing a media event to invite people to get their dancing shoes on at the launch of the St Patrick's Day festival," he said. "Does he not realise that there will be a cloud over this year's celebrations as St Patrick's Day is set for further Luas work stoppages resulting in more disruption on our national holiday for tourists and commuters?" Meanwhile, it was revealed that the Luas drivers' pay exceeds pay rates at many major tramlines in the UK and Europe. Data compiled by the Irish Independent shows their pay is almost twice as high as a Blackpool tram driver's wages, and nearly 10,000 higher than a CIE bus driver's pay at the top end of the scale. Transdev said it cannot afford the pay claim but is prepared to consider a claim in the region of 1pc to 3pc, similar to what is being paid in other sectors. It had losses of 700,000 last year and cannot benefit from a hike in fares, as it pays these to the State and gets a flat rate of 100,000 a day to run the service. Payroll In a letter to staff on Tuesday, Luas managing director Gerry Madden warned them they face the loss of four days' pay in this month's payroll. He said they needed to be aware of the serious consequences if the dispute escalates. "Our customers are facing serious disruption and confidence in the system is being eroded," he said. "The additional days of action will seriously impact business and the tourist sector. The action will impact on the thousands of families who use Luas to travel into and out of the St Patrick's Day parade, and not just the parade but all the events in the city associated with the festival." He said the reaction of the public to the dispute had been "overwhelmingly negative". "And whenever we resolve this dispute, we will have a serious job of work to do to restore their confidence," he added. Normal service will resume at 6.30am on Saturday. Two 24-hour strikes are planned on Tuesday, March 8, and St Patrick's Day. Parents of children in the Ongar area are calling for changes of delivery times to a local shopping complex after a young brother and sister were run over this week. Philip Peczek (5) is fighting for his life and his sister, Caroline (7), was also injured, when they were hit by a truck behind a group of shops in Ongar Village, west Dublin. They were walking to St Benedict's National School with their mother at the time of the accident. Many families use the small roadway and car park as a route to the school and to the Educate Together adjacent to it. Locals say it was an accident waiting to happen. Parents say heavy goods vehicles should not be allowed use the car park as a loading bay while children are going to and from school. "Sometimes you come into the car park and there are trucks blocking one side of the road and people have to walk around them," one concerned mother said. "Others are reversing and moving around while there are children coming through." It is understood that local residents had previously objected when trucks were making deliveries in the very early hours. Read More Now the parents of children in the schools feel that extra restrictions should be put in place. "There are 1,200 children using both schools, and they mostly arrive between 8.15am and 9.15am, so we feel there should be no trucks allowed in the street and car park between those hours," said a spokeswoman on the Parent Teacher Association for St Benedict's. The association has issued a letter to parents stating what action they will be taking. SOLUTION "We will be writing to the School's Board of Management, Dunnes Stores, the village's management company, Fingal County Council and the Garda Traffic Corps in order to find a solution," it said. Some parents have suggested the main gates to the school should be opened in the morning to allow drop-offs. But the PTA strongly support the Board of Management's decision to keep these gates closed, saying there would be too much traffic coming into the car park at the same time. The driver of the truck has been fully cooperative with gardai investigating the accident and there are no reports of faults on the vehicle. A heavy garda presence at Portland Row in Dublin as the remains of Eddie Hutch are brought to his sister Margarets home. Photos: Collins Photo Agency The priest who will tomorrow officiate at the funeral of Eddie Hutch Snr will call for an end to gangland violence. Fr Richard Ebejer has said that he has spoken to the Hutch family ahead of the funeral - and that they want the spate of violence to end. "In the course of the conversation, they were very clear that they want this to stop," he said. "We pray that those involved will heed the call. The spiral of violence and revenge will lead nowhere," he said.. Fr Ebejer also officiated at the funeral Mass of Gary Hutch last October, after he was shot dead in Spain. Mr Bill Kelly was a regular church-goer at Our Lady of Muswell Roman Catholic Church, London A massive search is underway for the next-of-kin of two Irish brothers who died within weeks of each other in London. The bodies of Mr William and John Kelly (77) are currently unclaimed in two separate morgues in the city. William, known as Bill, and his brother John are both originally from Turners Cross in Cork city, but moved to England at the age of 18. Mr Bill Turner passed away on January 29 in Muswell HIll, north London. Following his passing, a friend Margaret Deeney went in search of a relative, only to discover his estranged twin brother John, who lived in Archway, had also passed away. They had a sister Mary who died about two years ago, Mrs Deeney told the Irish Post. We found out through the undertakers from her funeral that there was another brother called John and we got his address to let him know Bill had passed away. Margaret arrived at the given address and called the emergency services after she failed to gain access to the house. They discovered John Kelly had also passed away recently. His body is now in the coroners' office in Hornsey, while Bill is at the mortuary in Whittington Hospital. Described as an "honest man" and a "devout Catholic", Bill was well known in his local area but never spoke about his personal life and people were not aware he had a twin brother in the capital city. The hope is of course to find someone belonging to them, Mrs Deeney said. But if not, wed like to bury them together in the one funeral. A group that specialise in tracing people's roots and backgrounds in Ireland said that the twins were born in 1938 to Hannah nee Murphy and Denis Kelly. Ireland Reaching Out work on tracing people's roots before they come to Ireland, as well as 'reverse genealogy' which sees them research Irish parishes to find out more about the people who left them. Clare Doyle of Ireland Reaching Out contacted Independent.ie on reading the Kelly brothers' story and said the group had conducted some research into the family today. "I was able to find out the mother's name was Murphy," she said. "I then rang the civil registration locally in Cork and found on the records the two men were named as William K Kelly and John J Kelly. "Hannah Murphy and Denis Kelly were living in Turners Cross at the time and Denis was registered as a barman when the two children were born. "If any of these facts help people's memories it would be fantastic. "Right now, we are dealing with numerous queries like this. So many of this generation went to London and have no contact back home. "This goes on every week." A spokesperson for Whittington Hospital confirmed to Independent.ie that the hospital is currently using 'Finders' to help source any next-of-kin. The company traces known relatives of deceased. The hospital also said that if the company is unable to locate any living relatives then Whittington Health will arrange for a burial for Mr Bill Kelly. An anti-drugs campaigner who lived just six doors away from murdered criminal David Byrne has warned that young kids are being lured into a seemingly glamorous gangster lifestyle. Susan Collins, who is managing director of Addiction Response Crumlin (ARC), said children and teens could often be seduced by the promise of wealth from carrying drugs for gangs. She told the Irish Independent: "You see someone and they have the big car, the nice house and the runners and they're in crime, and you can't get a job. They offer you some way in - are you going to sit at home and get your 100 off the Government? "Or are you going to be tempted to go in for the big house, big car and holidays?" she continued. Ms Collins encouraged young kids not to fall victim to crime's promise of wealth, but added it was often hard to convince them otherwise. ARC is one of the few organisations in the country that offers addiction services directed at young people. Jimmy Norman, ARC's under-18s services team leader, said kids are often roped into criminal activity through being intimidated over debts they have. But he stressed that life in a gang rarely lived up to expectations. "One week, a person is getting intimidated," he said. "But once his debt is cleared, that same young person is the intimidator of one of his friends, who last week was intimidating him. The tables are turned straight away." Mr Norman added that children as young as 12 have been acting as drugs couriers for gangs in Crumlin. Fionnan Sheahan Ireland Editor at Mediahuis. Fionnan writes news, analysis and comment on current affairs and politics for the Irish Independent and Independent.ie. He is a weekly columnist with the Irish Independent and a presenter of InFocus, the current affairs podcast from Independent.ie. A native of Thurles, Co Tipperary, Fionnan has won several awards for print and digital journalism from Newsbrands Ireland, the Law Society and the National Newspapers of Ireland, including National Journalist of the Year. Prior to his current role, Fionnans positions included Editor and Political Editor of the Irish Independent. He is a regular commentator on TV and radio. 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. More than half a million older people are eligible to vote in next week's General Election. In 2011, turnout among voters over the age of 65 was 88pc, far higher than the national average. These votes will be critical in constituencies across this country, in deciding the make-up of the next government. They are not dependents, nor 'pension time bombs', nor 'bed-blockers'. They are men and women whose hard work helped see us through the last recession. They continue to run our community groups, our GAA clubs and to care for their grandchildren to enable their own children to go to work. During the last fortnight, working with Active Retirement Ireland, Age Action organised election debates across the country attended by hundreds of older voters. In a Cork hotel corridor, a woman struggled to tell me how hard she was finding it to cope because she can't get home help hours to help her look after her mother. At a meeting in Dun Laoghaire, a woman told the candidates seeking her vote how her family is facing medical bills of hundreds of euro every month since her mother's medical card was taken off her at the age of 95 for being 3 over the limit. And a meeting in Dublin heard from a man trying to pay the property tax on a small fixed income because he wants to stay in the home in which he reared his family, in the community that he loves with the neighbours he knows and trusts. But what also came through at many of those meetings was how worried many older voters are for their own children. Ageing is an issue that affects everyone who hopes to grow old in Ireland but our systems of care are already struggling to cope. There are a million fewer home help hours available now than there were in 2006, despite a huge increase in demand. How will we fare in 2046 when there will be almost 1.5 million people over the age of 65, many of them needing support to stay in their own homes? Every political party has told us they are committed to enabling older people to stay at home as long as possible, but which of them has a plan to do so? And knows where they're going to get the money to pay for it? A decent income is essential to enable people to age with dignity but many are struggling to cope with rising costs and new taxes and charges. Some pensioners, particularly women, find themselves with greatly reduced pensions because of changes to the PRSI rate bands brought in by the Government in 2012. Many women pensioners find themselves financially punished for having gone to work. Simply maintaining the State Pension costs the State an additional 200m every year. Older voters want, and need, an increase in their pension to help them make ends meet but they also want to ensure there is a decent State Pension for their own children. How are future governments going to ensure that growing old in Ireland does not mean growing poor? The National Positive Ageing Strategy outlines Ireland's vision for ageing and older people. It provides a blueprint for how policies and services could be designed to protect the rights of older people. It took three governments and six years just to get it published. And it's sitting on a shelf. More than two and a half years since it was launched, there is no sign of an implementation plan. There is no one working to ensure the strategy is delivered. There is no coordinated approach to ageing issues across the various government departments. Our political leaders talk about an 'age friendly society' and supporting 'positive ageing' but, in the next government, who will bring together all of those tasked with supporting older people? Who will sit at the Cabinet table and drive the changes that are needed to guarantee that all of us can age with dignity? The next government must be one that thinks beyond the next five years, past preparing for the next election. The next government, the one that will be elected with the votes of hundreds of thousands of older voters, must understand its responsibility to today's older people but also to all of us who hope to grow old in Ireland. Justin Moran is head of advocacy and communications with Age Action There are eight days to go until voting day in the General Election, in which I will cast my vote in the Mayo constituency, where the Taoiseach of our country lives less than 15 minutes away from me. As I type this, I am wearing gloves, earmuffs and a scarf inside my house, waiting for the first candidate to knock on my door to try to win my vote. I have yet to meet any politician at my door. I have maybe four teabags in my cupboard and no coffee, so I hope if someone comes, they will be content to drink tap water while I show them how the tagline 'Let's Keep the Recovery Going' is simply a fantasy for those living on the poverty line. I will tell them how my young child went to bed last night with two pairs of socks on and a hat; while I wore my scarf under a hoodie because we had no oil or coal to heat the house. I will show them how draughty my rented accommodation is and let them see their own breath as fog as they speak to me. I will tell them how I've been juggling single motherhood and my education for the last seven years and how I am now qualified with a CV packed with voluntary work and community involvement. I'll show them my awards and professional references to prove that I am not the "lazy, single mother" the media paints us as when discussing welfare. I will then tell them how the years of pressure to juggle the maintenance of a household - on an allowance that has been consistently cut by the austerity measures - with rising costs of childcare and increasing pressure to gain an education for employability, eventually caught up with me. I will outline how I would stay awake until daylight calculating how I would make 217.80 stretch far enough to pay rent, childcare, petrol costs, heating, food and bills. It never did. So I spent further time making negotiations over the phone with Electric Ireland, begging them not to cut me off. I'll tell them how I also begged the welfare office to help me with subsidising childcare during the academic term and how I was refused rent supplement due to the fact that I had moved away from home for college. I'll tell them how those barriers and slammed doors caused so much stress and pressure that I inevitably had a mental breakdown and fell into a state of immobilisation and minimum functioning. I will tell then them how the mental health system failed me over and over again, refusing to acknowledge my immediate need for talk therapy and practical support. I will tell them how the health professionals simply prescribed medication for "depression and anxiety" and placed me on all sorts of waiting lists (that I still have yet to hear from a year later). I will recall a time 12 months ago when I began to truly believe I was a failure as a mother and an overall human and thus believed my child would thrive better without me. I believed what the Government, the media and the internet trolls were saying. I believed I was a drain on society and that I was "a waste of space and taxpayers' money". In my medicated state, I decided the best thing to do was die and get out of everyone's way. And so I tried that. Luckily, I was unsuccessful in my attempt and brought to the local hospital by college staff. I will then tell the local candidate how I was left on a trolley in a corridor in Mayo General Hospital for hours, going in and out of consciousness, only to be sent wobbling out the door late that night and told not to do it again. I will explain that I am recovering now and doing so much better, but I have to make a serious effort to travel to Galway for the support I need, because the services in our own constituency do not have the funding to reduce the waiting lists. I'll explain that this is why the house is cold today and why they can hear my stomach rumbling. Because this week I had to pay to travel to another county to get the support I need to maintain wellbeing and thus have to go without basic heat and food. I'll show them the pile of unpaid bills and open my purse to show them the 40c to get me to the end of the week. Then I will tell them about a new, even scarier problem. I will tell them about how my child is now also starting to show signs of mental unrest as he struggles to come to terms with his father's continuous absence. I will tell them how my beautiful, sweet, intelligent child has begun to blame himself for a decision made by a grown man to ignore his existence. He is angry and sad and confused about all the overwhelming feelings and worries that he is "going black on the inside". I'll tell them that our GP has identified a need for him to speak to a professional immediately regarding his feelings for effective early intervention, but that the public system again has long waiting lists for children his age. I'll tell them that I have rung over 20 private practitioners in the county and how each of them charges amounts that I can certainly not afford while living on the poverty line. And that in order for us to do so, we will have to cut our grocery shopping costs in half and say goodbye to heat entirely. I'll then ask them to explain to me how the slogan 'Let's Keep the Recovery Going' is justifiable when the people on the ground in the Taoiseach's own constituency are being denied access to basic health recovery. But, then again, will anyone even knock at all? Name and address with the Editor, in order to preserve the anonymity of the young mother I was working in Nigeria in 2010 and 2011. There was a large expatriate group from many countries around the world. Sky News was the most popular channel on TVs in the accommodation areas and it was almost totally dominated by reports on the Irish economic situation. Every day, my Irish colleagues and I were being offered sympathy by colleagues from other countries. They were fascinated by the Irish collapse - in same manner that we were by the Greek situation in more recent times. When we got back to Ireland, we were bombarded with media commentary from the economic Cassandras who all seemed to agree that it would take us two or three electoral cycles or even two or three generations to make any sort of economic recovery. Now, thanks in no small measure to the leadership and sound economic management of the outgoing Government, the economic climate is totally transformed. In the lead up to the General Election we are, quite rightly, debating how the fruits of economic recovery may best be used to benefit the maximum number of people. Housing and health are certainly major issues confronting the country, but Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin's continual questioning as to why the outgoing Government hasn't solved them in the past five years is surely easily answered - they were salvaging the economic train wreck left by Mr Martin and his colleagues. The economy is now moving into a recovery phase, which has confounded the prophets of doom and won the admiration of political and business leaders around the world. When I look out my front window I see every day the work being carried out by Siro installing fast broadband infrastructure for Carrigaline. I see the thriving factories of four major multinational companies and the construction work on the new waste water treatment plant, which will put an end to the discharge of raw sewage from 50,000 houses into Cork Harbour. I don't suppose this utterly transformed economic situation is being featured much on Sky News in Nigeria but I do think we should recognise it and celebrate it here and do everything we can to ensure it continues. The first step must surely be to return this Government on February 26. Con Donovan Carrigaline, Co Cork SF's attitude to judiciary We are in the middle of the General Election in the Republic and as someone who lost my dear sister and indeed family life as it was during the Troubles, I find Gerry Adams and Sinn Fein's attitude towards the judiciary an insult. They question the judiciary's integrity when they sit on the bench in the Special Criminal Court, a difficult job that could put their own lives at risk. I know this only too well because, in 1984, the IRA attempted to murder my father and mother in Belfast because my dad was a member of the judiciary - and they succeeded in taking my sister Mary's life. They murdered members of the judiciary as they left Mass, dropped children to school, answered their front door and drove their car home from holiday. Sinn Fein supported these murders and cited as justification the Diplock court system, so their attitude towards the Special Criminal Court is disgusting. It's needed because of the thugs in the IRA, which is still in existence today. I hope the electorate open their eyes and remember the controlling and manipulative nature of Sinn Fein when they go to vote. Ann Travers Address with Editor Praise for hospital's staff A perfunctory glance at your coverage of the Hiqa findings on the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) by your Health Correspondent, Eilish O'Regan (Irish Independent, February 16) could discourage any mothers to be from setting foot in that hospital. As a father of four and grandfather of six, all of whom were born in the NMH, I can say, unequivocally, that it was the happiest experience of our lives. This was due solely to the extraordinary dedication, attention and professional care that we experienced in the NMH. By highlighting all of the negative findings by Hiqa with no reference whatsoever to perinatal outcomes, which, incidentally, are comparable to the best in Europe, Ms O'Regan, is, inadvertently, casting a shadow over the clinical competence of the staff. This must be very demoralising for all concerned. NMH staff should be receiving awards for producing world-class outcomes working in third-world conditions. After all, a happy, healthy baby is all that matters! Don Byrne Raheny, Dublin 5 Electorate won't be fooled I have been closely observing the 'phoney war' election campaign, and then, since the election has been called, the real campaign. In January, I spent a week in Ireland, which confirmed my observations. Labour and Fine Gael appear to have learnt nothing whatsoever from the phoney war campaign, which is why they are heading in the direction they are. My advice to the incoming government, whatever its make-up might be, is to be aware of the sleeping giant you have awoken in the people of Ireland. The electorate has discovered its power, and they will not be fooled, nor will they accept lies, damn lies and statistics any more. The time has come for all Irish political parties to begin a period of deep introspection. Declan Foley Berwick, Australia Ceding our sovereignty to EU As the parties fight for our votes, I have to ask: Who will fight for the return of control over Ireland's territorial fishing waters? And why do we cede more and more of our hard-won sovereignty to the oppressive European Union? And why do our main political parties ignore the will of the people and insist on re-running referendums when they do not get the answer they are seeking? I refer, of course, to Nice and Lisbon - two of the most blatant examples of anti-democracy, where fear was the weapon the Government deployed against the nation. Joe Neal Castlebridge, Wexford It's hard to keep up with Georgia Penna. Since upping sticks from Dublin in 2012, the former Celebrity Big Brother star has been jet-setting around the world with her now husband, hedge fund manager Joe Penna. She has been largely based in London for the last four years, dividing her time between Gibraltar, Marbella, Dublin and London and she is now spending more time in Dubai with her family. Georgia (31) welcomed twin sons, who she is adamant about keeping away from the spotlight, in December. She has been busy documenting her latest trip to the United Arab Emirates on social media,sharing photos of her enjoying a hot air balloon ride, organised by her husband of nearly a year, along with lavish lunches and daily insight into her designer wardrobe. Expand Close Georgia Penna in Dubai. Picture: Georgia Penna/Instagram / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Georgia Penna in Dubai. Picture: Georgia Penna/Instagram Although she has 372,000 followers on Instagram and 1.2 million on Facebook, she will not share images from her private life. "I share a very small percentage of my life," she told the Sunday Independent Life magazine. "I look at my Instagram as a fashion and fun account. None of my personal life is up there. My husband, our beautiful babies, our wedding, our general family life, I keep private and always have. "It's the most special and important thing to me, so I don't want to plaster it all over the Internet." Expand Close Georgia Penna with husband Joe. Picture: Georgia Penna/Instagram / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Georgia Penna with husband Joe. Picture: Georgia Penna/Instagram Laura Whitmore presents the Best Music Film Award on stage during the NME Awards 2016 with Austin, Texas, at the O2 Brixton Academy, London Leonardo DiCaprio with the Best Actor BAFTA (The Revenant) in the press room at the EE British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Opera House, Bow Street, London Laura Whitmore attends the NME awards at O2 Academy Brixton on February 17, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images) Laura Whitmore stepped out for the first time since it was reported she has a new fan in Leonardo DiCaprio, The 30-year-old tv presenter attended the NME Awards on Wednesday night, just days after she reportedly partied the night away with the Golden Globe winning actor after the BAFTAs. The Revenant star was said to be smitten with the Irish ITV host after meeting her at the awards ceremony and celebrating his Best Actor win with her and pals later that night. "Leonardo was completely taken by Laura. She was playing it cool but he made a beeline for her," an insider told The Sun. "[They were] getting on like a house on fire. Leo made it clear he wanted her to come back upstairs to his suite at the hotel to continue the party afterwards." Expand Close Laura Whitmore attends the NME awards at O2 Academy Brixton on February 17, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Laura Whitmore attends the NME awards at O2 Academy Brixton on February 17, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images) Laura was an official red carpet host for the event, with her coverage streaming on You Tube. She went public in her romance with Sunset Sons frontman Rory last July, but has always avoided speaking publicly about her romantic life. And she remained characteristically quiet at the music awards in London, where she wore a black mesh drop hem dress and leather jacket. Whitmore previously said: "I don't like talking about things, as you know, with personal stuff, because it is no one else's business. That's what my friends are for." An airstrike has killed the head of intelligence of al-Shabab, a Somali-based extremist group which is believed to have been among those who planned attacks on Kenyans. Kenyan military spokesman Colonel David Obonyo said on Thursday that Mahad Karate, also known as Abdirahim Mohamed Warsame, died along with 10 middle-level al-Shabab members in an airstrike 10 days ago in Nadris camp in the south of Somalia. The US State department in April designated Karate a terrorist, saying he played a key role in the Amniyat, the wing of al-Shabab responsible for the April attack on Garissa University College in Kenya that resulted in nearly 150 deaths. Al-Shabab wants to topple Somalia's weak government and has launched extremist attacks on neighbouring countries that have sent peace-keeping troops to back Somalia's government. Karate had gone to the camp to preside over a graduation ceremony for an estimated 80 recruits into the Amniyat wing of al-Shabab, Mr Obonyo said. Mr Obonyo added that suicide bombers deployed from the Amniyat took part in last month's attack on the Kenyan army base in El Adde, Somalia - believed to be worst losses Kenyan forces have ever suffered in the battlefield. Al-Shabab claims more than 100 soldiers died in the attack while Kenyan authorities have declined to release the official death toll. Al-Shabab denied the claim of Karate's death, saying it was aimed at drawing attention from "significant losses" of Kenyan soldiers in a recent attack in Somalia. "The claims by Kenyan government that it killed what they called the al-Shabab intelligence chief is a mere fabrication," the online al-Shabab radio Andulus said. China has deployed anti-aircraft missiles on a disputed South China Sea island in a major escalation of tensions with the United States over the world's most lucrative shipping lanes. Taiwan's defence ministry said that it has confirmed the existence of the missiles on an island in the Paracel chain that is occupied by Beijing but also claimed by Taipei and Vietnam. Commercial satellite photographs obtained by Fox News appeared to show that Beijing has placed two batteries of eight missile launchers with a reported distance of 125 miles and radar-targeting equipment on Woody island. A US official later told the 'New York Times' that the Pentagon also has "evidence", believed to be satellite imagery, that the Chinese military has deployed surface-to-air missiles on the island. China later appeared to defend the installation at a regular media briefing. Hong Lei, a foreign ministry spokesman, said that while he was not aware of the specifics of a missile deployment, any armaments would be used for defence and were not part of a military build-up. China's foreign minister Wang Yi criticised the Western media for the "creation" of news stories. Chinese President Xi Jinping has previously pledged not to "militarise" the region. But the missiles represented a significant new stage in Beijing's claim on the 1.35 million-square-mile waters through which ships carrying $5trn of international trade pass each year. The reports of the deployment pose a fresh challenge from Beijing to US President Barack Obama, who had struck a defiant tone over the South China Seas just a few hours earlier at the end of a summit with leaders of South East Asian nations. To Beijing's fury, the US has sent Navy ships and Air Force planes on patrols across the waterways recently to signal that it does not recognise China's claim. "The United States will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows," Mr Obama said in California before the news of the missiles emerged. He called for "tangible steps to lower tensions including a halt to further reclamation, new construction and militarisation of disputed areas". Beijing has insisted that virtually the entire South China Seas are its own waters, while the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia all have claims to some of the islands and waters. To press its claim, China has been aggressively creating islands from reefs and sandbanks across the waterways and building harbours for naval vessels and runways capable of receiving military aircraft. An emergency worker gestures after an explosion in Ankara yesterday (AP) At least 28 people have been killed and 61 injured after a huge explosion, believed to be a car bomb, rocked Ankara outside a military barracks, the capital's governor has said. A Turkish official told Al-Arabiya the blast yesterday evening was caused by a vehicle exploding and witnesses on social media shared images of smoke emanating near the building. The terror attack happened close to buildings housing the prime ministry, the general chief of staff and the defence ministry. Blast "According to preliminary assessments, five people died and 10 people were injured," Mehmet Kiliclar told state-run Anadolu Agency. "It is believed that a bomb-laden car caused the explosion." The blast occurred at 6.30pm (4.30pm Irish time) near the Turkish parliament during rush hour and Turkish newspaper 'Today's Zaman' said the explosion hit a bus carrying military personnel. The Turkish armed forces' General Staff confirmed that the target was a bus carrying military personnel. The official, speaking by phone from the military's headquarters, was unable to confirm the death toll from the blast, which government officials have described as an act of terror. Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish prime minister, said: "We have received information and we are looking into it." Mr Davutoglu's office later said he would not go to Brussels last night ahead of the EU summit. A witness said that they could even smell the explosion from "blocks away": "I heard a huge explosion. There was smoke and a really strong smell even though we were blocks away," the witness said. Martyred Omer Celik, ruling Justice and Development Party spokesman, described the blast as a "terror attack". Melih Gokcek, the mayor of Ankara, offered his condolences via Twitter. "Firstly, may all those brothers and sisters martyred rest in peace. We wish for patience for the families and offer our condolences. "These kinds of attacks could happen to us all. The perpetrators of this attack will get their comeuppance. Don't doubt that." Soon after the attack, Turkey's Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) announced a media coverage ban of the incident. It was not clear who was responsible for the attack but in recent months, Isil have targeted tourists and peaceful protests. In October, Turkey suffered its worst terror attack by Isil-linked suicide bombers during which 103 people were killed. Last month a suicide bomber, linked to Isil, killed 10 tourists in the popular Sultanahmet district. Kurdish militants and radical leftists have also attacked parts of Turkey in recent years, including an attack on Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport, during which one worker was killed. The attack comes at a tense time when the Turkish government is facing an array of challenges. Collapsed A ceasefire between the Turkish state and Kurdish guerrilla fighters, part of Kurdistan Workers' Party, collapsed last year and since July, hundreds have been killed in the conflict in the country's south-east. The Turkish security forces have been engaged in large-scale operations against Kurdish militants in the south-east since December, imposing controversial curfews in flashpoint areas, and the fighting has displaced tens of thousands of civilians. Turkey has also been helping efforts led by the United States to combat the Isil group in neighbouring Syria. The Syrian war, meanwhile, is raging along Turkey's southern border. Recent airstrikes by Russian and Syrian forces have prompted tens of thousands of Syrian refugees to flee to Turkey's border. Turkey so far has refused to let them in, despite being urged to do so by the United Nations and European nations, but is sending aid to Syrian refugee camps right across the border. Turkey, which is already home to 2.5 million Syrian refugees, has also been a key focus of European Union efforts to halt the biggest flow of refugees to the continent since World War II. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of refugees leave every night from Turkey to cross the sea to Greece in smugglers' boats. ( Daily Telegraph London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] Rail control staff on London Underground are threatening to go on strike in a row over safety, a union has warned. The Transport Salaried Staffs Association said its members will be balloted for industrial action unless there are talks with Tube bosses in the next few days. The union said it has been pressing LU management to meet to discuss additional responsibilities for control staff. TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes has appealed to London mayor Boris Johnson to meet him to sort out the dispute. "He has never replied and LU's repeated refusal to engage on crucial issues with union negotiators is now straining the patience of those charged with keeping the Tube running safely, " said Mr Cortes. He has written to LU making it "crystal clear" that unless the dispute is resolved by next week control staff will be balloted on industrial action. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union is also involved in a dispute with LU over safety. Mick Cash, leader of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said: "RMT is currently balloting our service control members over safety issues and our track patrol and maintenance members remain in dispute with LU. "The unions have been warning that the Government cuts to TfL budgets would decimate the safety culture on the Tube and that is the common thread running through the raft of industrial disputes we are engaged in. Those cuts must be halted before we have a disaster on our hands." Shocked witnesses at the scene in Ankara (AP) An emergency worker gestures after an explosion in Ankara yesterday (AP) Turkish authorities have arrested nine suspects over the bombing in Ankara that killed at least 28 people, as prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Kurdish militants were to blame. Mr Davutoglu confirmed press reports that the man who detonated the car bomb that targeted buses carrying military personnel on Wednesday was a Syrian national who had been identified from his fingerprints. He pledged that Turkey would hit back at the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. Dozens more pople were wounded by the explosion which occurred during evening rush hour in the heart of the Turkish capital, in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters and lodgings. Read More Mr Davutoglu said Turkey's Kurdish rebels collaborated with the Syrian man to carry out the bombing. "The attack was carried out by the PKK together with a person who sneaked into Turkey from Syria," he said. Turkey's military said later that its jets had hit Kurdish rebel positions across the border in northern Iraq. The military said the planes struck the region of Haftanin on Wednesday night, targeting a group of 60-70 PKK rebels including a number of senior leaders. Turkey's air force has been striking PKK positions in northern Iraq since a fragile peace process collapsed in July. Two men are being sought by police after a teenager riding his hoverboard suffered a near-fatal daylight knife attack. Detectives released video of the pair running down an alleyway shortly before the 19-year-old was stabbed in the face and neck, close to his jugular vein. The victim was rushed to hospital for treatment after the stabbing in Hackney, east London, at around 3.45pm on December 5. The teenager has since been discharged. Doctors who treated him believed it was "only good luck that prevented critical injury to the jugular vein", a Metropolitan Police spokesman said. Detectives from Hackney CID described the suspects as "as young men, aged in their teens or early 20s, and of broadly average height and build". One of the men is believed to be black and the other Asian, police said. Detectives said they have not made any arrests and are keeping an "open mind as to any motive". Anyone who recognises the men or has any information about the attack in Rookwood Road, Stamford Hill, should call Hackney CID on 101. To remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. Joe Biden has hinted the candidate for the Supreme Court could have widespread Republican support (AP) Barack Obama is looking to nominate a Supreme Court candidate who has enjoyed past Republican support, Vice President Joe Biden has said. The comments offer some of the first indications of the president's criteria in replacing the late Justice Antonin Scalia. In a radio interview on Thursday, Mr Biden pushed back against Republicans who insist Mr Obama leaves the decision to the next president. The US Constitution provides that any nominee put forth by the president for the country's highest court must be confirmed by the Senate, where Republicans currently have a 54-46 majority. Mr Biden told Minnesota Public Radio: "In order to get this done, the president is not going to be able to go out - nor would it be his instinct, anyway - to pick the most liberal jurist in the nation and put them on the court. "There are plenty of judges (who) are on high courts already who have had unanimous support of the Republicans." Mr Scalia's replacement could tip the ideological balance of the nine-member court, which is now divided evenly between liberals and conservatives. The court would be unable to issue rulings on any issue in which the justices split 4-4. Mr Biden's remarks came amid growing signs some Republicans are softening their stance about considering Mr Obama's nominee. Though Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has said Mr Obama should not even nominate a candidate, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said his nominee should get a hearing, and others have left that possibility open. Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor became the latest voice arguing Mr Scalia's seat should be filled quickly. Ms O'Connor, a Ronald Reagan nominee who retired in 2006, told Fox 10 she disagreed with those calling to wait for the next president. "I think we need somebody there now to do the job," she said, "and let's get on with it." Syria's representative at the UN has defended Russia and the Assad regime from accusations that they bombed a Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) hospital on Monday by saying the organisation is a front for French intelligence. The MSF hospital in the north-western, rebel-held province of Idlib was bombed twice with two missiles each time on Monday morning. Five patients, including a child, five members of hospital staff and a caretaker were killed, with two members of staff still missing. MSF said there may be more bodies under the rubble. It accused Russian bombers of deliberately targeting the hospital. But Russia has denied it was responsible, and accused MSF of being part of an attempt to fabricate accusations to blacken Moscow's name. On Tuesday night, Bashar al-Jaafari, the Syria ambassador to the UN in New York and chief negotiator for the regime at peace talks, was also asked about the attack. "The so-called hospital was installed without any prior consultation with the Syrian government by the so-called French network called MSF which is a branch of the French intelligence operating in Syria," he said. The hospital in Idlib was one of five hit on Monday, said to be the worst day for such targets being struck for six months. Two schools were also hit. The destruction of medical facilities prompted worldwide outrage. But Russia issued an immediate denial. "We categorically do not accept such statements, the more so as every time those making these statements are unable to prove their unfounded accusations in any way," said Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin's press secretary. The Syrian ambassador to Moscow went so far as to claim that the strikes had been carried out by the United States. Russia's defence ministry claimed the whole incident was a "fabrication", basing the claim on the fact that MSF had put out a separate statement criticising attacks on hospitals last week - which the ministry said was a reference to Monday's alleged attack released early by accident. ( Daily Telegraph London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] Students wave an Indian flag and shout slogans during a protest at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (AP) A protest that rocked a New Delhi university this week has spread across India, with students and teachers in at least 10 cities joining demands for the release of a student leader arrested on sedition charges. Protesters were outraged by TV footage of Kanhaiya Kumar, student union president at Jawaharlal Nehru University, being kicked and punched while he was escorted to a court hearing on Wednesday, renewing allegations of intolerance by the country's Hindu nationalist governing party. He was arrested last Friday over his participation in events where anti-India slogans were allegedly shouted. A New Delhi court has ordered him to stay in custody for two weeks and will hear his bail plea on Friday. Demands for the student's freedom in the Indian capital were met by mobs of Hindu nationalists, including many lawyers, attacking students and accusing them of being anti-Indian. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other Hindu groups accuse left-wing student groups of anti-nationalism because of their criticism of the 2013 execution of a Kashmiri separatist convicted of an attack on Parliament. Mr Kumar's treatment and attacks on teachers who supported him have triggered allegations the Modi government and the BJP are cracking down on political dissent in the name of patriotism. Soon after the protests began, India's home minister Rajnath Singh tweeted that anyone shouting anti-India slogans "will not be tolerated or spared". On Thursday, students in at least 10 Indian cities marched through the streets and denounced Mr Kumar's arrest. In New Delhi, hundreds of students, professors and journalists gathered in the centre of the city. They carried flowers as a sign of peace, Indian flags and placards saying "Free Speech under attack" and "Just because I don't agree, doesn't mean I am an anti-national". Police said the rally was not authorised. In the southern city of Chennai, police arrested 40 students. In Kolkata, police were on alert as two groups of students held rival rallies in the Jadavpur University campus. Student groups affiliated with the BJP demanded strict action against Mr Kumar and others who they accused of being anti-Indian. Ray Chandler/Special to Independent Mail Ted Cruz signs autographs after a rally Wednesday at the Seneca Family Restaurant. SHARE By Ray Chandler SENECA Ted Cruz was delayed before a gathering in Seneca on Wednesday because, as he told the crowd when he arrived, he had needed to hold a news conference answering the latest political maneuver from an opponent for the Republican presidential nomination. In this case, Donald Trump. A letter from a Trump attorney threatened a lawsuit if the Cruz campaign didn't pull ads with film clips of Trump giving his support to abortion, even partial birth abortion. "(Trump) calls it defamation," Cruz said. "Using his own bloody words." It was a symptom, he said, of how heated and nasty his opponents could become. That, like most of Cruz's points, was met by cheers, claps and applause by the roughly 250 people gathered in and around the Seneca Family Restaurant on the U.S. 123 Bypass at noon Wednesday. Cruz is the only presidential candidate to bring a campaign to Oconee County, the home turf of onetime contender for the Republican nomination U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham. In 2008, Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson paid visits before the South Carolina primary, and 2008 nominee (and Graham friend) Sen. John McCain became a familiar face. The Texas senator hit all his familiar campaign themes: simplifying and reforming the tax system; building up the United States military; protection of civil and religious liberties from government intrusion; regaining control of America's borders and preventing illegal immigration; rolling back government regulation; and taking the fight to terrorists. "When I'm elected, you'll have a president who says we will destroy radical Islamic terrorism," Cruz said. "You'll have a president willing to say 'radical Islamic terrorism.' " Cruz focused particular attention on the selection of a new Supreme Court justice to replace Antonin Scalia, who died last weekend. Calling the strict constitutionalist Scalia "a lion of the court," Cruz pledged that if the selection was delayed till a new president took office he would nominate a justice just as committed as Scalia to a strict interpretation of the Constitution, a die-hard conservative, to the closely divided Court. "We are one justice away from losing our fundamental rights," he said. "One justice away from having the Second Amendment written out of the Constitution. One justice away from the Supreme Court undermining our religious liberties." Cruz also dwelt on not being liked by his establishment colleagues, who he labeled the "Washington Cartel." "The greatest divide we have in this country isn't between Democrats and Republicans; it's between career politicians, of both parties, and everybody else," he said. Some problems, such as illegal immigration, can be solved, he said, but there was not the political will to take matters in hand against special interests. His not being liked, he said, was an asset. "Ronald Reagan was despised by the establishment," Cruz said. "But he took his case to the people, and the Reagan Revolution was built from the grassroots up." That is the strength of his campaign, as the results of the Iowa caucuses, which he won, showed, he said. "We won conservatives, evangelicals, Reagan Democrats, all across the spectrum," he said. "That's a winning combination." Eloise Earle of Clemson looks over the grave of Willie Earle at Abel Baptist Church in Clemson. SHARE Willie Earle's gravestone at Abel Baptist Church in Clemson. Willie Earle who was the last man lynched on February 17, 1947. Eloise Earle of Clemson points to a place near the grave of relative Willie Earle at Abel Baptist Church in Clemson. Eloise Earle of Clemson stands near the grave of Willie Earle at Abel Baptist Church in Clemson. Willie Earle who was the last man lynched on February 17, 1947, is buried at the church graveyard and was her father's step-brother. By Vince Jackson Thursday marked 64 years to the day since a lynch mob took Willie Earle from a Pickens County jail cell and killed him in a remote area of Greenville County. Historians believe Earle was the last black man to be lynched in South Carolina. His racially motivated homicide spurred action to pass anti-lynching laws and spurred Gov. Strom Thurmond to order that the perpetrators be brought to justice. It is also credited with giving rise to groups such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the American Civil Liberties Union. Earle's family still lives in the Clemson area, and his grave ? unmarked until 1997? is at Abel Baptist Church in a historically black community in Clemson. "Willie Earle was my father's stepbrother," said Eloise Earle of Clemson, "I was just an infant when this all happened, but I heard my parents talk about how terrible it was." Eloise Earle said Earle's mother, "Grandma Tessie" Roseman Earle, was deeply affected by his death. "She never got over it," she said. "It caused distress for the whole family, but particularly for her. Several of Willie's sisters had breakdowns in later years because of the strain of this awful thing." Printed accounts of the time ? including Greenville papers carefully preserved at the Pickens County Museum and a May 1947 issue of Time magazine ? show that the attack on Earle galvanized much of the nation, rubbing raw the wounds of discrimination against blacks during the Jim Crow era. The case started with a fatal attack on another man, taxi driver Thomas W. Brown, who was white. Brown was a disabled World War I veteran and the father of three. On Feb. 15, 1947, he was robbed and stabbed repeatedly by a passenger. Some accounts suggest Brown may have been carrying more than one fare that snowy night. Greenville police said Earle was involved in the stabbing and robbery. He was arrested and was moved to Pickens County because of the racially charged atmosphere in Greenville. Earle was an epileptic and may have been slow to grasp concepts when asked a direct question, said Eloise Earle. Members of his family never believed he was guilty of the crime of which he was accused. "Grandma Tessie saw him in Liberty the night the taxi driver was stabbed," Eloise Earle said. "She worked at a cafe there. It never made sense to her that Willie would want to murder anyone." On Feb. 17, as Brown lingered within hours of his own death in a Greenville hospital, a mob made up mostly of taxicab drivers bought liquor and drove to the Pickens County Jail. According to reports at the time, the mob of white men removed Earle from the jail at 3:30 a.m. The jailer, J. Ed Gilstrap, said he turned Earle over to the mob because its members had guns. Asked who was in the mob, Gilstrap said he was not sure. With Thurmond's urging, Greenville County sheriff's deputies and city police within days had rounded up 31 men alleged to have been involved in the lynching. By March a grand jury returned indictments against all 31 in the murder of Earle. At the trial, prosecutor Samuel Ruth Watt of Spartanburg produced signed statements by 26 of the defendants citing names, places, times and levels of involvement of men accused in the lynching. Nine of them named Roosevelt Carlos Hurd as the triggerman, an allegation Hurd denied. The statements all agreed that Earle was beaten with fists and gun butts, cut with knives, then shot several times in the head with a shotgun. Earle and Brown died within hours of each other. Judge James Robert Martin instructed the jurors in points of the law, charging them to deliberate until they reached a verdict. After deliberating for five hours, the jury, made up of 12 white men, acquitted all the defendants. Earle's grave at Abel Baptist remained unmarked for years because his family feared reprisals from those who believed he did kill Brown. Today, a gravestone donated by a University of Denver religious studies professor, Will Gravely, marks Earle's final resting place. Eloise Earle said Gravely, a Pickens native, had recalled the case from his youth and never got over it. She showed the professor where the spot was, near a large oak tree and among other graves from the 1940s. "He's here alone," she said. "His parents are not buried here." Sefton Ipock/Independent Mail Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz addresses the crowd gathered at the Civic Center of Anderson on Tuesday. SHARE Sefton Ipock/Independent Mail Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump delivers a speech in the T. Ed Garrison Arena last week. By Kirk Brown of the Independent Mail Poll: Trump and Cruz voters support Confederate flag, ban on Muslims At least 60 percent of South Carolina voters who support Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Donald Trump say the Confederate flag should still be flying on the Statehouse grounds and that Muslims should be banned from entering the United States. Those are the findings of a survey conducted this week by Public Policy Polling. The North Carolina-based firm questioned 897 respondents who are likely to vote in Saturday's "First in the South" Republican presidential primary. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points. According to the poll, 70 percent of Trump's supporters and 62 percent of those backing Cruz say the Confederate flag should be flying at the Statehouse. The poll found 54 percent of all Republicans questioned expressing support flying the Confederate flag at the Statehouse. The poll also found that 80 percent of Trump's supporters and 67 percent of those who support Cruz favor a ban on Muslims entering the United States. Sixty percent of all Republicans in the survey shared the same view. Trump called for such a ban in December as a means of preventing terrorism, a proposal that Cruz said at the time that he did not support. In terms of overall support in the South Carolina Republican primary, the poll found that Trump is leading with 35 percent. Cruz, a first-term U.S. senator from Texas, and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida are tied for second at 18 percent. Other polls also show that Trump, a billionaire businessman from New York, has a comfortable lead in the state. State Sen. Kevin Bryant, an Anderson Republican who has endorsed Cruz, said he believes the Public Policy Polling survey indicates that voters who are tired of "political correctness" are gravitating to Trump and Cruz. Bryant joined other South Carolina legislators in voting to remove the Confederate flag from the Statehouse grounds last year. Their decision came after the man accused of killing nine people at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston was seen posing with the banner in online photos. Upstate South Carolina is considered to be a stronghold for supporters of the Confederate flag. While it is seen elsewhere as a racially divisive symbol, many in this region say the flag signifies a respect for Southern heritage. Four of the six members in the state House of Representatives from Anderson County voted against removing the flag from the Statehouse grounds last year. Neither Trump nor Cruz mentioned the Confederate flag during campaign stops in Anderson County this month. Their campaigns did not respond to emailed questions Wednesday. At a news conference last June, Trump voiced support for South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's call to remove the Confederate flag from the Statehouse grounds. In a statement issued two days before Trump's comments, Cruz refused to take a position on the issue, saying the last thing South Carolina needed was "people from outside the state coming in and dictating how they should resolve it." South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Matt Moore said Wednesday that he doesn't think that the Confederate flag will influence the outcome of Saturday's primary. "I hear nothing about the Confederate flag on the presidential campaign trail," Moore said in an email. "It's just not an issue that is motivating voters." While presidential candidates may not be talking about the issue, it is still being discussed locally. Confederate emblems came up briefly this week during an Anderson County Republican Party forum for candidates seeking the state Senate District 4 seat formerly held by the late Billy O'Dell. Republican candidates vying for the seat were asked whether they support protecting the state's Confederate monuments. Mark Powell, a GOP candidate from Williamston, used the question as an opportunity to talk about the Confederacy and the Civil War. "We have got to quit accepting the lie that we fought for slavery," he said. Willie Day, the only black Republican in the District 4 race, responded that "any issue that divides us ... is not doing us any good." Dan Harvell, the county's Republican Party chairman, said Wednesday that he doubts wrangling over the Confederate flag will end anytime soon. "I think it will be an issue in South Carolina for quite a few years to come," he said. Independent Mail reporter Nikie Mayo contributed to this report. Follow Kirk Brown and Nikie Mayo on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM and @Nikie Mayo How would you summarize the PepsiCo value proposition? What are your views on Prime Minister Narendra Modis Make in India initiative? Make in India aims at developing the manufacturing sector in India, which means strengthening local producers. How many PepsiCo products are locally sourced and which products are locally manufactured? With more and more consumers turning health conscious, do you see a pick up in the non-cola segment? Does PepsiCo have any plans to make a foray into the dairy segment in India? How much will PepsiCos initiatives contribute to the fruition of this goal? Having served the diverse Indian market till date, what according to you are the top priorities for the Indian consumer? Before joining PepsiCo, Shiv was with Nokia for eight years, running operations in India and the emerging markets. As a visionary marketer and CEO, Shiv has managed over 34 brands in his career across Unilever, Philips and Nokia. He is a growth manager, having nurtured brands and geographies through innovation, new business models and ecosystem partnerships.products reach 200 countries and territories around the world, including 22 brands that generate more than an estimated $1 billion today. PepsiCo generated over $66 billion net revenue in 2014, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCos product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages retail sales.In a media interaction withofduring one of the Make in India Week event , Shiv Shivakumar observed, Localization is a crucial aspect for the food and beverage market and Make in India, for us, is a key catalyst to bridge the divide between demand and supply in the country.At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose - the companys goal is to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth and shareholder value. In practice, Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize impact on the environment and reduce the companys operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for the employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where PepsiCo operates.In India, 80 per cent of the GDP comprises of the agricultural industry. We are experiencing a demand glut while and the supply side has needs to improve significantly. Make in India is a means to bridge the gap between the demand side and supply side of the economy.Every job in the manufacturing sector gives rise to eight or ten other jobs in terms of labor and logistics. So, manufacturing new products means more aggressive manufacturing. And every new manufacturing job would create another ten employment opportunities. So we are confident of making a substantial contribution towards the Make in India mission of creating 100 million jobs by 2022.About 95 per cent of PepsicCos products are locally sourced. Raw materials like sugar, potato and rice are completely locally sourced. Most of mangoes are also locally sourced. Himalayan Water is purely locally manufactured. Kurkure, which is the one of the companys strongest locals brands, is exported, is also manufactured locally. Localization is extremely important in food and beverage space.The ultimate power to accept or deny products always lies with the consumers who are now increasingly become conscious about their consumption habits. The growing preference for fruit-based drinks will most likely result in the entry of a new line of such products into the market, in future.There are no plans to make an entry into the dairy segment in India, as of now.PepsiCo is committed to serving its consumers. Having dealt with consumers worldwide, we feel the Indian consumer is defined by three distinctive aspects - aspiration, quality and right value. Talking about aspiration, consumers in India are mostly drawn towards buying products that are aesthetically designed and well-packaged. Second aspect is quality on which the Indian consumers do not believe in compromising. Thirdly, consumers in India want to buy products that give them the appropriate value for their money. There are people who make 41 per cent or 42 per cent of a dollar per day while there are also millionaires and billionaires in the country. Hence, getting the right value for their money is imperative for Indian consumers. Honda Motorcycle & Scooters India Pvt Ltd (HMSI) has received 500 bookings for its new fun bike Navi through online registrations, reports a financial newspaper.Since its launch on 3rd February at the Auto Expo, we have received 500 bookings through its mobile app," Senior Vice-President & Director, Corporate Office Production, HMSI V Sridhar has been quoted as saying.The automatic 110-cc model has engine equivalent to Activa, Sridhar told the business daily."We wanted to provide something additional to scooter, and this bike was designed," he added.The name of the model is an abbreviation of New Additional Value for India, that is Navi, which will target the youth, he said.Priced at Rs. 39,500, Honda Navi has technical specifications similar to the Activa with automatic transmission and engine power of 110 cc, but weighs 7 kg less than Activa, according to the paper.The production of Navi will commence in March at HMSIs Alwar plant in Rajasthan and deliveries will start from April onwards. If there is one elephant in a banker's room which has suddenly come to fore after years of deliberate negligence, it is that of bad loans. Banking industry has persistently faced the problem of bad loans or Non-Performing Assets (NPAs), which has been merrily gnawing a hole in its account books. A cursory glance at the earnings report of major banks in each successive quarter is enough to gauge the incremental volumes of NPAs being piled on the sector.As per data by Capitaline, gross NPAs of 39 listed banks amounts to a staggering Rs. 4.38 lakh crores in the quarter ended December 31, having surged 49% yoy and 28% qoq. Provisions made for these loans bloated to Rs. 49,000 crore, ballooning 90% qoq. Countrys largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) saw bad loans rising to Rs. 70k crore as they made up for 5% of the total loan on its account books. Bank of Baroda (BoB) recorded a monumental loss of Rs. 3,342 crore in the third quarter, the highest ever by an Indian bank, with provisions surging 225%. In BoBs case, surge in NPAs drove net interest margins (NIMs) lower and loan loss provisions (LLP) higher, driving the net loss. As per a report in The Indian Express, 29 state-owned banks wrote off a total of Rs 1.14 lakh crore of bad debts between financial years 2013 and 2015.Thanks to these mind numbing figures, profitability of state-owned banks has bruised badly over the last nine months. According to Credit Suisse, the situation is more grim than what it appears on ground. A report published by the bank regarding bad loans contests the official figures put out by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), saying that the 17% of loans held by Indian banks were stressed, compared with RBIs figures of 11 per cent.With over 70% (measured by outstanding debt as of end FY15) of the corporate sector witnessing worsening trend in credit quality metrics, the need of the hour is to analyze the reasons which causing the debts to go bad and devise remedies which could restrain the loss.The banking industry is exposed to umpteen risk factors which, beyond doubt, deteriorates its credit quality. Huge corporate lending to projects and sharp decline in profitability of companies are seen as the chief scourges for rising NPAs. RBIs Financial Stability Report (FSR) states that out of the total GNPA, the share of large borrowers defined as having aggregate exposure of Rs. 5 crore and above has increased from 78 per cent in March 2015 to 87 per cent in September 2015.Public-sector banks (PSBs) have historically lent to mammoth infrastructure projects, which have long gestation period making recoveries difficult. Sectors like power and steel industry have served as serial offenders. As the global demand of steel is muted, debts in the sector are at a tipping point and capacity utilizations have no visibility of picking up. Total debt on the industry stands at a staggering USD 30 billion, having risen 3-6 times in the last five years.A report by India Ratings, a credit ratings firm, on the stress on banking sector by 30 major corporates highlighted that in most of them, debt ratios had plunged below the safety margins. Interest coverage of less than 1.5x, Debt to Ebita ratio of 5 or more and market cap to debt ratio of less than 20% signifies that these companies are in distress and require immediate help to revive their financial health. Regulatory forbearance, worsening commodity and oil prices and sluggish pace of economic turnaround have also added to the woes of the banking sector.According to RBIs Governor Raghuram Rajan, banking industry is in need of a deep surgery to clean up their balance sheets. Right after taking over as the chief of the central bank, Rajan has been extremely vocal about the malaise of bad loans and how he plans to alleviate the situation.RBI issued a clarion call to banks to clean up their account books by 2017, warning that the central bank would be closely scrutinizing whether concessions made to the lenders were being misused. Despite the growing purring of dissent from leading banks, RBI instructed them to make provisions on new NPAs, restructured loans as well as loans to bad projects. The result is there for all to see in the earnings report of the December quarter, with monumental surge in provisions and NPAs. It also brought to light that banks were in denial of their own bad assets and maintained a sketchy account book.According to S.S.Mundra, Deputy Governor RBI, the combination of recognized NPAs, restructured assets as well as written-off assets is to the tune of 17% for public sector banks and 14.1% for the industry. With the December result, these numbers will see a further uptick.With the current debt crunch, solving the NPA conundrum requires due deliberation by the government and RBI. The government, on its part, has already provided a $11 billion bailout to struggling PSBs, while promising structural reforms. Divesting stake in PSBs is also on cards, as confirmed by the Finance Minister. The central bank has recommended that the lenders should take advantage of the 5/25 rule, a provision which allows banks to refinance loans for infrastructure for up to 25 years, and the strategic debt restructuring scheme, which allows debt-for-equity swaps. However, while capital infusion and restructuring might provide a short term relief, it is clearly not a sustainable answer to a complex problem.A two-pronged strategy needs to be implemented: Asset Reconstruction and Asset Disposal. Currently, the banking industry has resorted to the former, which is the sale of the distressed assets of the bank to a Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC), thereby disposing off the debt. After the sale, bad loans become the headache of the ARCs and relieve the bank of the recovery pressure, while also generating capital. According to media reports, the Finance Ministry is working towards creating a public-funded ARC, which will help in the bailout.Along with reconstruction, there is an urgent need to create an asset disposal system. A proper mechanism needs to be arrived at, so that the banks do not have to take a huge haircut. It also needs to be credible and should be placed under a regulatory body to prevent malafide intentions of borrowers.The government should also look to revive Development finance institutions (DFIs), which provide a crucial role in providing credit in the form of higher risk loans, equity positions and risk guarantee instruments to private sector investments. As DFIs are backed by states with developed economies, they can become a potent financing instrument , thereby reducing the stress on the banks. Britannia Industries: Britannia Industries Ltd. is in advanced talks with various Special Economic Zones (SEZs) authorities in Gujarat to buy land for a new plant that will cater to overseas markets, reports a business daily.Motherson Sumi: The flagship listed company of the $6.9-billion Samvardhana Motherson Group is in advanced talks with billionaire investor Wilbur Ross to buy one of his portfolio companies International Automotive Components (IAC) Group for $750-800 million.Dr. Reddys Lab: The board of directors of the drug maker has approved the buyback of equity shares for up to Rs 1,569 cr at Rs 3,500 per share.IOC, BPCL, HPCL: Petrol prices have been cut by 32 paise a litre while diesel price hiked by 28 paise a litre.Tata Motors: Tata Motors have reportedly bagged a project to supply 25 units of its BS IV-compliant Starbus Hybrid bus to Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). The bus was showcased at the recently concluded Auto Expo 2016.Yes Bank: The bank has partnered UltraCash Technologies to launch payments processing through sound waves.Bharat Forge Ltd: Bharat Forge has shipped titanium flap-track forgings for Boeing 737 Next Generation narrow-body planes, a first for any Indian aerospace parts supplier.Electrosteel Steels Ltd: Electrosteel Steels have decided to sell the majority equity stake in the company to London-based First International Group Plc, said two people familiar with the development.Glenmark Pharmaceuticals: The pharma company announced receipt of tentative approval from USFDA for its generic version of azelaic acid topical gel used for treating skin inflammation.Maruti Suzuki: The auto company is likely to increase output from existing plants in Gurgaon and Manesar to meet current demand till the new plant in Gujarat goes on stream by January 2017.Coal India: The state-run largest coal miner, Coal India Ltd (CIL) is expected to start the auction of coal linkages to non-power sectors such as steel and cement in the next 45 days, according to a PTI report. The new norms announced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in November last year may have a negative impact on companies seeking to raise capital via dollar loans. The banking regulator has imposed certain restrictions on external commercial borrowings (ECB), which is expected to make things more difficult for Rural Electrification Companies, Power Finance Corp, and Indian Railway Finance Corps, and many companies from sectors such as infrastructure and asset finance companies.According to the new ECB rules, the firms which are categorized as NBFCs can only raise funds via dollar loans that are rupee dominated. This will increase the foreign currency risk for borrowers.Amid a gloomy market scenario, it has become very difficult for the companies to raise capital via ECB. In 2016, the Indian rupee has tumbled nearly 3.5% against the US dollar; while the Sensex and Nifty 50 are down by over 10%. Moreover, the profitability of India Inc, too, has suffered a major setback. Adding to the misery, the foreign investors have pulled out nearly US$ 2.26 billion from Indian equities.Experts are of the view that the timing of these new rules is not perfect. Many PSUs are struggling to raise capital through dollar loans. As per the new rule, a company borrowing $10 million when the rupee-dollar exchange rate is 68, ties itself to a liability of Rs 6.8 crore. Standard & Poor's Ratings Services affirmed its 'BBB-' long-term issuer credit rating on India-based Union Bank of India (UBI). The outlook is stable. At the same time, we affirmed our 'A-3' short-term rating on the bank and 'BBB-' long-term issue ratings on the bank's senior unsecured notes. The affirmed rating reflects UBI's sound funding and liquidity positions and a very high likelihood of support from the government of India (BBB-/Stable/A-3). The rating is one notch higher than UBI's stand-alone credit profile (SACP) of 'bb+' because we expect the government to provide timely and sufficient extraordinary support to the bank if it comes under financial distress. S&P expect UBI's asset quality to remain stressed over the next 12 months as the pickup in the economy and debottlenecking is likely to be gradual. The corporate and small and midsize enterprises segments have come under higher stress than the retail segment in the current business cycle. UBI's higher exposure to these segments could weaken its asset quality. The bank's nonperforming loans (NPL) ratio increased to 7.1% as of Dec. 31, 2015, from 3.0% as of March 31, 2013. UBI's ratio of restructured loans to total loans is 5.2% as of Dec. 31, 2015; we expect slippages here as well. Thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modis fetish for overhauling Indias traditional image, the country gradually seems to be acquiring a promising and business-conducive image across the world.Having said that, India still needs to traverse the inevitable path of being an emerged market, currently standing in the EM (emerging market) zone. Sure, the world is now viewing India as a favorable investment destination, a blossoming software hub, and an economy that stands at the verge of milking its highest potential if reforms like GST became effective. However, there is still a large scope for upgradation in terms of technology, among other industries which would help the country bridge the current gap.Rolled out on 1 July 2015, the PM Modi-initiated-Digital India has amplified the significance of enhancing online infrastructure and internet connectivity. This not only has made telecom service providers race against each other for providing seamless connectivity, exemplary speed and network, but has also made sizeable room for enhancing the quality of Indias technology. Modis dream to make government services ubiquitous, with their reach extending especially to rural India by electronification, could finally find a way to get transpired.With digital dexterity being in high demand currently, the aggressive use of 4G services in the coming future has only become predictable. The Fourth Generation technology would not only widen the reach of services like education, judicial and health across the country, but would also pave the way for gaining upstage in business, thereby fortifying the Indian economy.Some of the benefits of 4G entail strengthening virtual communication via faster emails and chats, undisturbed voice and video calls and exchange of photographs smoothly. Previously, education used to be a cut and dried mandate for giving and receiving information. However, with 4G upscaling Indias technology, usage of tools like videos would not only spread information effectively, but could also be grasped better by people across the country, irrespective of educational or cultural barriers.Major mobile telephone company, Vodafone has lately been creating swirls by launching its 4G services in Mumbai, having already rolled out the same in cities like Kerala, Mysuru, Kolkata and Delhi & NCR. Vodafone, which currently has a network of 134,000 sites will roll out the 4G sites by early FY17. Vodafone has always followed an approach of investing in the best class technology, spoke Sunil Sood, MD and CEO, Vodafone India, at the conference of the 4G services launch, while recapitulating the companys journey since its inception. Vodafone is committed to providing what people are seeking today from mobile and internet services - flexible working, integrated communication and agility, Sood said in the event. The event was also graced by Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra.The growth in Vodafones 3G services has been over 55 per cent year on year (YoY), and the company is targeting top-end users of its 3G services to upgrade to its 4G. Additionally, the company is witnessing 64 per cent of data traffic and 70 per cent of its base customers have data-enabled handsets. Considering requisites like acquiring spectrum, modernizing existing network, investing in fibre backhaul and enhancing coverage, as the foundation of its functioning, Vodafone boasts of having 100 million rural subscribers, out of the total 194 million across India. Given that the telecom service provider has invested a whopping 113,000 crore till date, Vodafone has emerged as the largest FDI investor in India.A year back, leading telecom service provider company Airtel launched its 4G LTE mobile services. Post commencing its 4G services trials in cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Madurai, Chennai, Coimbatore, and Mumbai, Airtel had launched its 4G services in 296 towns across India. This is Airtels initiative towards bringing in the much needed high speed mobile broadband in the country, keeping Airtel 4Gs price similar to that of its 3G services.The Janta Adhaar Mobile (JAM) trinity is changing the rules of governance, stated Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, while speaking on the lines of the recent Vodafone 4G services launch conference in Mumbai. With a faster connectivity comes a wider reach of education and health services to the last man, the CM said. Claiming to be a happy and satisfied Vodafone customer for many years now, Fadnavis expressed the need for the telecom service provider to cater to the needs of the entire Maharashtra circle and not Mumbai alone.Further, the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M)s recent move to join hands with Nokia, for devising technology solutions, so as to improve broadband connectivity in rural India, is an effort to adjunct governments initiative of National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN). The project which is under a three-year partnership intends to eradicate the wide connectivity difference in India, by expanding broadbands reach in the countrys rural areas. The partnership will reportedly assess if unlicensed spectrum could be utilized to ensure economical and last-mile broadband connectivity to remote villages and other parts of rural India.Above 80 per cent of Indias population resides in villages. Therefore, the fact that a massive chunk of Indias growth rely on the development of its rural areas, glares at the government, incessantly.Thus, it has become more important than ever to buoy the quality of technology in India, considering digital empowerment, digital infrastructure and governance and services on demand are the hallmark of Modis Digital India programme. The recent issues with Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus (ISTEP+) have left many Hoosiers asking one question is the test needed? The Indianapolis Recorder spoke with the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) and a local teacher to get a better understanding of how the test affects Indiana schools, educators and students. The press secretary of the IDOE, Samantha Hart, said according to state law, the State Board of Education is required to annually place schools and corporations in categories of school performance. These accountability categories are currently calculated using ISTEP+ scores as a primary measure for elementary and middle schools. Schools placed in the lowest accountability category (F) for six consecutive years are subject to possible state takeover by the State Board of Education, Hart said. Local third-grade teacher Ashley Miller said she believes teachers are not given enough information about the way the test should be taken, and student scores reflect that. Our kids are able to master the skills they are tested on in a classroom setting, but being that the test is set up on the computer, when its time to take the test many students dont know how to manipulate it, Miller said. When asked if the IDOE believes it gives teachers adequate information prior to the test, Hart answered, The department works proactively with schools and educators to provide them with the support and resources they need to ensure a smooth testing environment for students. Miller said situations like the testing challenges the state has experienced in recent years are discouraging. Its discouraging to see the children not pass the test when I know they are very knowledgeable (on test content), said Miller. In addition to the challenges associated with the new computer testing system, Miller said more students experience test anxiety while taking ISTEP+ than when taking other tests. Ive seen many students have performance anxiety during ISTEP+ testing. They want to do their best but know it is time to perform, so they get nervous. I also have many kids that can perform really well if you give them enough time, but because the test is timed, they rush. Overall, Miller said she doesnt see a need for ISTEP+. I believe the way it is set up doesnt give a fair outlook on what teachers and students are doing in the classroom, said Miller. Although the IDOE doesnt agree with eliminating ISTEP+, they do believe there should be some changes. Superintendent of the Indiana Department of Education, Glenda Ritz, believes it is imperative Indiana move away from ISTEP+ and its pass/fail, high-stakes nature to a student-centered, individualized assessment that provides educators, students and families with information about how a student is performing and how they have grown through a school year, said Hart. Currently, there are several bills in the Indiana House and Senate that reflect Superintendent Ritzs call for assessment reform, and the superintendent will continue to work with the legislature to turn this common-sense idea into law. For more information, visit doe.in.gov. More than 40 Indiana cities are sharing in $22.5 million in federal funding to modernize their public housing. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developments grants for 41 Indiana communities will allow housing authorities to replace roofs, replace old plumbing and electrical systems and make other improvements to aging housing. An independent study HUD released in 2011 found the nations 1.1 million public housing units face an estimated $25.6 billion in large-scale repairs. The city of Garys housing authority is getting the largest of Indianas grants, more than $3.5 million, following by the Indianapolis Housing Agency, which will receive $2.6 million. Five other cities will receive more than $1 million each for housing upgrades. The northeastern Indiana community of Fremont is getting the smallest sum, about $39,000. Opponents of a bill to mandate tougher sentences for some convicted drug dealers say its too early to change Indianas criminal code since a major overhaul took effect only two years ago. The Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee heard arguments on the House bill Tuesday. The bill would reinforce a minimum 10-year sentence for dealers of methamphetamine, cocaine, and other controlled substances that receive a Level 2 felony. Current law allows them to leave prison before completing 10 years with good behavior. The Indiana Bar Association and other lawyer groups who say its too early to revise the criminal code again say judges should retain sentencing discretion in a trial. The Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council argues the bill would keep drug dealers off the streets longer. The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites will pay tribute to generations of women whose commitment to business has proven invaluable to society during the Remarkable Women of Indiana celebration on Saturday, March 5 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event, in its second year, will highlight Indiana women in business. Were excited to honor remarkable Indiana women this year. By featuring the stories of outstanding women in business, both past and present, we hope to show the economic impact, empowerment and leadership of these unsung Hoosier heroes, said Katelyn Coyne, public programs developer for the museum. From Gayle Cooks generous philanthropic efforts to Madame C.J. Walkers incredible entrepreneurial legacy, these stories help illustrate the amazing accomplishments of Indianas business women. This years keynote speaker is philanthropist and business executive Gayle Cook, who is cofounder of Indiana-based Cook Group, a privately held company that manufactures medical devices. Cook will talk about her philanthropic initiatives to restore historic architecture. In addition to Cooks talk, attendees will learn about the economic empowerment initiatives of the National Council of Negro Women from Indianapolis Chapter President Regina Majors. Schedule at a glance 11:30 a.m. Regina Majors, National Council of Negro Women, Indianapolis Chapter 1 p.m. Madame C.J. Walker performance by Freetown Village 2:30 p.m. Keynote by Gayle Cook Additional activities are scheduled to take place in the museum galleries throughout the day. Activities in the Level 1 galleries include: Dr. Emma Culbertsons Practice with Jessica Stavros of Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site; Gene Stratton-Porter: A Hollywood Story with Tiffany Conrad of Gene-Stratton Porter State Historic Site; Mattie Coney: Making a Neighborhood with Kisha Tandy of the Indiana State Museum and Meet the National Council of Negro Women with representatives from the National Council of Negro Women. Activities in the Level 2 galleries include: Selma Steeles Art Market with Kate Whetzel of T.C. Steele State Historic Site; Francis Goldens Troupe with Robin Bischof of New Harmony State Historic Site and Cooks of the Canal Boats with Anne Fairchild of Whitewater Canal State Historic Site. For more information on Remarkable Women of Indiana, please contact Katelyn Coyne by phone at 317.232.5598, via email at Kcoyne@indianamuseum.org or visit the museum online at www.indianamuseum.org. Where should new sidewalks be built? How can we make it easier to cross the street? How can we better connect neighborhoods? As part of Indianapolis first pedestrian plan, the public is invited to a series of open houses to help address questions like these, cast a vision for improved walkability, and provide input on how decisions regarding the citys walkways should be made in the future. The open houses will be held in locations across the city to ensure all residents have the opportunity to contribute. The pedestrian plan is part of WalkWays, the initiative to make Indianapolis more walkable and get more people walking. The City of Indianapolis, Marion County Public Health Department and members of the Health by Design coalition comprise the WalkWays team. Our long-term vision is simple: a more walkable Indianapolis with healthier residents, said Kim Irwin, director of Health by Design. The pedestrian plan will establish clear, equitable and data-driven priorities for future investments in pedestrian infrastructure and programs, making Indianapolis safer and more accessible for people who travel by foot. Its expected that these efforts will have a long-term positive impact on the health of residents in Marion County, where two in three adults are either overweight or obese. A 2014 study by Walkscore.com ranked Indianapolis as the worst city in the country for food deserts. WHAT: Indianapolis Pedestrian Plan open houses WHO: WalkWays: Moving Indy Forward WHY: Learn about the Pedestrian Plan and share thoughts on walking in Indy TIMES, DATES AND LOCATIONS: EAST SIDE: Wednesday, February 24 6:00 8:00 p.m. Community Alliance of the Far East Side 8902 E. 38th Street NORTH SIDE: Thursday, February 25 6:00 8:00 p.m. American Diabetes Association 8604 Allisonville Road DOWNTOWN: Friday, February 26 11:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m. The Platform 202 E. Market Street SOUTH SIDE: Saturday, February 27 10 a.m. 12 p.m. Chin Community Center 2524 E. Stop 11 Road WEST SIDE: Saturday, February 27 2:00 4:00 p.m. Eagle Library 3325 Lowry Road FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.indywalkways.org, (317) 352-3844 So India will finally have a bullet train running from Mumbai to Ahmedabad which will have a top speed of 350 kmph. But that's still a few years away. If you think that's fast for the 21st century, this is what the Soviet Union was doing back in the 60s. With the Soviet Union stretching from Europe in the west to Siberia to the east, covering distances was a challenge and since building airports wasn't always possible, they did the next best thing. They took two jet engines, which would otherwise be found in fighter planes, and mounted them on the train engine. No complicated technology and no half measures either. This is what it was intended to be. news.boyarka.name Okay so it wasn't actually put into practice, but was a test vehicle to see if mounting jet engines on a train was a good idea. Turns out, it wasn't! interestingengineering.com The Soviets found that the jet engines consumed too much fuel to make it economical. And the speeds of 350 km/h that it could manage meant that derailment was always highly likely. thevintagenews.com The prototype now sits rusting at Kalinin rail car factory near Doroshikha. What you can't take away is that it was a ballsy effort. There's nothing like failing in style. thevintagenews.com 10 soldiers lost their lives at Sonam Post in Siachen. Here is the story how the post got its name from an unassuming officer who first occupied it in a break-neck race with Pakistan in 1984. Where the avalanche struck Sonam Post, the site where 10 valiant soldiers (including three from Karnataka) of 19 Madras regiment lost their lives in an avalanche has been thrust into national limelight. The post got its name from the simple unassuming non-commissioned officer (NCO) who first occupied it in a break-neck race with the Pakistanis way back in 1984. I was an instructor at the High Altitude Warfare School, and I vividly remember the Deputy Commandant, Brig (then Col) Pushkar Chand telling us how he and his team were tasked to occupy Siachen Glacier (Saltoro Ridge) in 1984. He was given no time to prepare because the Pakistani Special Forces were already heading to occupy it and it was a race against time and weather. Volunteer young officers from Northern Command and from other commands were selected under the high risk mission, because the enemy here was not only the Pakistan Army but the terrain and the extreme weather. They were tasked to lead detachments of troops from Ladakh Scouts, Kumaon Regiment and Special Forces to occupy the crucial positions on Saltoro Ridge before the Pakistanis could get there. They had limited glacier clothing and their high altitude equipment was rudimentary at best. Indiandefence A hard fought battle Troops started moving forward to reach the Saltoro Ridge fastest. The Indian Army beat the Pakistani Army to occupy the positions by a mere three days and in spite of a long arduous route, the gritty young officers led the troops to the highest battle ground on earth. Havildar Sonam was part of a patrol that had an officer as a patrol leader. While approaching the given location, the patrol leader fell into a crevasse and injured himself badly. There was no way the officer could be evacuated by helicopter. Col Pushkar ordered that the patrol be split and one party evacuate the injured officer and the second under Havildar Sonam continue towards the position it was to occupy. Sonam, a gritty Nunu (Ladakhi soldier), led from the front and reached the designated location. He and his small band had just a few snow tents which were of no use against the blistering winds that swooped around them. He ordered them to dig tunnels beneath the ice to protect them from the chilly winds. They were soon detected and came under heavy artillery firing by the Pakistanis. The tunnels they had dug saved them from the shelling. Though he could not see where the enemy fire was coming from, Sonam realised that he would have to retaliate. He, along with two of his colleagues, climbed to a vantage point so he could see where the enemy fire was coming from. That evening, when Col Pushkar spoke to him on radio, he told him that he had seen the enemy mortar position and requested for artillery fire to engage it. The predicament was that Sonam had no clue how to control the artillery fire and it took a great deal of ingenuity for him to be able to give out the enemy positions and then report the fall of shots to successfully engage the enemy position. Sonam and his men remained at the post for over six months without relief, since whenever they attempted to move, the enemy would fire at them. But the intrepid soldiers remained there uncomplainingly, undergoing hardships that would have broken any others. defencetalk.net Brig Pushkar recounted how the name Sonam Post came about. When he asked Sonam what the grid reference of his location was, Sonam confided that he had no clue how to read the map and grid references. Brig Pushkar joked with him on the radio set and told him, "Sonam I am not worried if you are taken by enemy as prisoner, because you would reveal no information since you know nothing." He told him, "Sonam, whenever you give the report, you will say 'Sonam Post all OK' ". And that was how Sonam Post got its name. Once a soldier always a soldier A few years later, Sonam was posted to the High Altitude Warfare School in Gulmarg as the administrative NCO in-charge of the student officers' mess. I, as a young officer, was the Mess Secretary. Every month, there would be losses since poor Sonam knew nothing about managing a mess, or of accounting and budgeting. Fed up with continual losses, I complained to Brig Pushkar to remove him and was told to get him to his office. Yet, when Sonam entered Brig Pushkar's office, I was surprised to see what happened. Brig Pushkar got up from his chair and hugged him like a long-lost friend. He forgot why he asked Sonam to come to his office and he asked him, did he know that he was the Deputy Commandant of HAWS? He further scolded him, why did he not come to meet him? Sonam smiled and did not utter a word. Then he told me about Sonam's role in helping secure Sonam Post way back in 1984 and my own anger turned into respect. hillmail.in The same evening I went to the mess and called all student officers. There I introduced this unknown hero to them and asked them to interact with him and understand the practical part of soldiering in extreme weather and terrain conditions. Every student officer rose after I finished introducing Sonam to them and came forward to shake hands with a true soldier. Later, I would often see young officers surrounding Sonam and hearing his experience of Siachen. He would often say, "Sahib Lama Guru ke Land Main Gama Nahin Banna". Being an instructor in an High Altitude Warfare School, you are supposed to be a class apart and the best in business in the world. I was an arrogant professional, but one day while training on the glacier, Sonam saw me rushing up the ice wall during a demonstration. After the demonstration when I was sipping tea, Sonam walked up to me and told me, "Sahib, don't show your speed on ice wall, it does not give you a second chance and it also does not give you time to recover. Therefore, be like an Ibex, sure-footed". It was a lifelong lesson that saved me from committing hara-kiri someday. An honour like no other Later, it was decided to put up his portrait (dressed in full mountaineer gear) in the officers' mess. When this ceremony was organized, the entire staff and officers including families were present. And there was this short stocky man, standing between the Commandant and Deputy Commandant, receiving perhaps the only recognition for his achievements. A simple photograph in the Officers' Mess to honour his deeds. There are so many Sonams who have done their duty selflessly at these forbidding heights. The ten Thambis of 19 Madras who laid down their lives on the post were also like him, simple men soldiering on selflessly in unimaginable hardships. Perhaps the avalanche that swamped Sonam Post helped rouse the national consciousness of the conditions our soldiers undergo to preserve the national integrity. There are thousands like Sonam and Hanumanthappa Koppad and nameless others who merely do their duty without reward or recognition. This piece is just a small salute to them all. Photos of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's first look as Dalbir Kaur from her upcoming film Sarbjit paved its way online and fans can't stop gushing! Even at 42, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan looks graceful, elegant and absolutely riveting. Twitter These B-town celebrities indeed make us question the biological logics behind ageing. I mean come on, at 42, you gotta look a little old! However, Aish is not the only one who has aged gracefully. There are other ladies too who have tricked ageing to an extent that they still look the same, or maybe hotter. 1. Tabu If you are yet to watch Fitoor, let me tell you one thing, Tabu has looked way more poignant and graceful than Katrina Kaif. At 45, Tabu's screen presence is enviable. Her last outing Haider proved to the world that even melancholia can look pretty. Signs of ageing? ZERO. Zilch. 2. Madhuri Dixit She is on the verge of touching 50 but her glow contradicts her real age. Watch 'Ghaghra' from YJHD and you'll get a proof that Madhuri Dixit still has the most beautiful smile. A lot of hearts still beat for Bollywood's eternal 'Dhak Dhak' girl. 3. Aishwarya Rai (A special mention to her. How can we miss her?) Twitter With Jazbaa, the Bachchan bahu proved that she can play the role of a mother and still look beautiful on the big screen. Even though the film couldn't do wonders at the box-office, people did applaud her performance. Even her recent media appearances and photo shoots are a good enough proof that she is ageing, in reverse. Jealous much? 4. Juhi Chawla From winning the Miss India beauty contest in 1984 to films like Bhootnath and Chalk & Duster, you can't make out Juhi Chawla's age. Her dimples and smile is a lethal combo. She's still one of the fittest and the most charming Indian actresses. 5. Kajol With films like Fanaa and Dilwale, Kajol proved that no matter for how many years she disappears from Hindi films, her comeback will always be super-powerful. She has only grown prettier with every passing year. Agree? 6. Rekha Even the most brilliant scientist of the world cannot find out why Rekha hasn't aged. Rekha hasn't aged at all and her charm and grace is still flawless. 7. Twinkle Khanna From Twinkle Khanna to Mrs Akshay Kumar to Twitter's Mrsfunnybones, Twinkle Khanna's transformation is magical. She has aged gracefully and her style quotient has only gotten better with passing years. 8. Sridevi Fab in 50's? yes, Sridevi surely is. Her comeback film English Vinglish was a proof that she can own the camera with her simplicity and poignancy. Give us some tips too, please? 9. Sushmita Sen Have you read about Sushmita Sen's life story? This single mother of two is humble and grounded. She manages work and her two daughters with utmost ease. If you ever lack inspiration to do something meaningful in life, you know where to head. And wait, even at 41, she looks stunning! King Khan SRK had a grand graduation ceremony-cum-Fan anthem launch in Hansraj College recently. Pictures and videos of his visit became viral in no time. Apart from his much-talked about graduation ceremony, college students were overloaded with excitement to catch a glimpse of King Khan. Twitter After collecting his bachelors degree in Economics, the university on February 16, 2016, he took to Facebook to post his gratitude: Yesterday was beautiful. Thank you university mates & faculty. Love to all for such a memorable emotional moment. Posted by Shah Rukh Khan on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 However, what crazy SRK fans did next will blow your mind. Some of his fans managed to dig out SRKs old college admission form. These fans actually stalked him and ended up stumbling upon three-decade-old form. It has Shah Rukhs passport size photograph and a few more details that are clearly visible. It includes SRK's personal details such as his father's name and the marks he obtained in his ISC subjects. One of the key highlights of the form has to be SRK's mark sheet. While it has a 95 in one of the subjects, he scored only 51 in English. Considering his brilliance as a speaker and orator, this is a shocker. Can you find out more details from the form? Srk admission form of #hansrajcollege #fan A photo posted by Faisal Sohail Imam (@faisal_sohail_imam) on Feb 16, 2016 at 3:12am PST One thing is for sure, SRK's fandom and stardom is incomparable. Never underestimate the power of a 'Fan'! While cinema lovers are eagerly waiting for 19th February, Friday, for the release of Sonam Kapoor's upcoming film Neerja, a lot is being 'shared' and written on social media about the brave-heart who gave up her life, only to save the lives of her passengers. Fox Star India Neerja Bhanot's bravery needs no adjectives. No words could suffice the woman she was! This 23-year-old sacrificed her life because she thought it was her 'duty'. How many of us would ever gather the courage to do it? We stumbled upon this old letter which Neerja Bhanot's father wrote about her daughter's life and bravery. 'A Father Reminisces' by Harish Bhanot appeared October 5, 1986, in a leading newspaper. Recalling his 'dearest Laado', this letter will give you an insight into Neerja Bhanot's childhood, personal life and how he family will never be able to get over their daughter's sacrifice. Neerjabhanot.org "Neerja, the vivacious and valiant senior flight purser of Pan Am was felled by hijackers bullets during the Pan Am holdup at Karachi airport on September 5, 1986 - barely 25 hours before her birthday. A year ago, she had written to me, "I will do you proud" and the brave girl has kept her word. Of late, Neerja was doing a lot of modelling. She had returned from Frankfurt on Tuesday (September 2) morning. She spent all of Wednesday shooting. On Thursday, she had yet another prestigious assignment. She reported for shooting at 9 a.m. and returned home only around 8 p.m. The hard day did not tell on her, she bounced about saying that she had the "most satisfying shooting day ever with Director Ayesha Sayani", whom she described as a highly talented professional. She had a light dinner and went to sleep after telling her mother to wake her up 90 minutes before the pick-up call from Pan Am. Neerjabhanot.org Her mother was keen that she should telephone Pan Am to get excused because she had a hard day. But a highly duty conscious Neerja did not oblige her mother. Pan Am informed that the pickup time will be 1.15 a.m. (Sept 5). Her mother had to knock the door really hard to wake up Neerja. She had the usual cold bath. While she was getting ready, we talked. I asked her, how many friends had she invited to her birthday on Sept. 7. She replied, "None" because she would be returning only on Sunday morning. She wished the birthday party to be just a family affair. I learnt of the Pan Am plane hijacking at Karachi, at a press conference. I felt uneasy. As I reached my own office, I had a telephone call from Mr Irfan Khan of Hindustan Lever. He advised me to be with him, mainly because his office had better facilities to get the latest information from Karachi. What happened at Karachi airport? As the terrorists rushed up the letter to "capture" the aircraft, Neerja dashed to inform the captain in the cockpit. A terrorist, however, caught her by her handy ponytail but she was able to shout the "hijack code". Another flight attendant who got her code conveyed it to the cockpit. Obviously, the cabin crew, including the two pursers, did not know the action the cockpit crew takes on hearing the hijack code. It is now known that the 3 member cockpit crew - pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer - slipped away, leaving the aircraft, 400 passengers and the 13 member cabin-crew at the mercy of an emotionally surcharged 4 member team of burly terrorists. Since Neerja was the cabin-crew leader, she took over the "command", as soon as she found that the three seniors (cockpit crew) had deserted them. Neerja's notes say that she had to follow up the hijacking warning with 6 steps. In the Karachi situation, she was required to "communicate" with the hijackers. Her smiles, even in deep distress, won a response. She looked after the passengers, within permissible limits. Her smiles were taken as an assurance by the passengers and crew members that the worst was over. The power generator was running out of fuel and voltage was falling. Then "something" happened. Neerja was standing close to the leader of the terrorists. The light had become very dim. Suddenly, guns began vomiting fire within the aircraft. Neerja jumped to the emergency exit and threw it open. According to Mrs. Malti Krishnaswamy and other eyewitnesses, Neerja was caught by the leader of the terrorists and shot point blank. In the dead body, I saw bullets had hit her in the abdomen, on the shoulder near the neck and in the arm. When she opened the emergency exit, she could have herself been the first to slide down the chute. But she was the "captain", who believed that she had to be the last person to quit - alive or dead. The terrorist guns became silent only after spitting out the last bullet. The cabin crew got together on the tarmac and found the "leader" missing. Two crew members ran back to the aircraft to find a profusely bleeding Neerja at her post of duty. The shock of being hit by bullets did not stop her heart-beat. She had been bleeding, from at Least two bullet wounds, for nearly 15 minutes. But she was in her full senses and told her 2 colleagues to take care of her bullet-hit arm. With a little assistance, she slid down the chute to be received at the other end by another member of the crew. She was helped to walk to the ambulance. But she became a martyr before any medical assistance could help her to survive. Neerja Bhanot In the normal course of events, Neerja would have been back in Bombay on Sunday, September 7, her birthday. But instead of that we collected her coffin from the airport. She, who died so that others could live, was cremated the following day at 11 a.m. amidst chanting of her favourite mantras as we said "Goodbye darling, please keep coming." The young model has set a model for her class the world over. Neerja was a fruit of our long prayers for a daughter. We had two sons and were longing for a daughter. It was Sept. 7, 1962 at Chandigarh - where I was posted at that time. The maternity ward matron rang up to inform me that we had been blessed with a baby-girl. I was very happy to hear this and gave her a "double thanks". She thought I had got her wrong and so she repeated "It is a daughter". I explained to her the daughter had already 2 brothers and that is why it was an occasion for "double thanks". Neerja was a "no problem" child, right from day one. She was a "no nonsense" girl right from the start. She went to Sacred Heart School (Chandigarh). Her family name was "Lado" and I do not think I had called her Neerja more than a score of times in her 23 years. We came to Bombay in March 1974. She was a student of sixth standard. I took her to Bombay Scottish High School for admission. Everybody had told me that admission would be impossible. But one look at her and that great principal gave a lie to canards that entry into the school was linked with the size of "donation". Neerja was a very sensitive, deeply affectionate and an extremely decent person who believed in sharing with her people all her joys but not the jolts. She had well-defined principles and there was little room for compromise in that area. Of the 23 years of her life, she had lived 22 years and 10 months under bracing sunshine. The two-month long ugly patch was a dowry cloud. Following her ad-based arranged marriage in March 1985, she had gone to the Gulf to join her husband to set up a happy home. But the marriage went sour within two months. She was starved off finance and food in a foreign land and the bright girl lost five kg of weight in two months. She had to borrow money from the husband even to make a telephone call. Neerjabhanot.org Before the marriage, it was made clear that it would be a dowry less marriage. But when she reached the "ordained home" she was told that even a "very poor man gives something to his daughter in marriage". She came back to Bombay to honour a modelling contract. An ugly letter followed, listing terms for her return, which no person with self-respect could accept. The letter listed a straight formula: accept the humiliating terms without a whimper and return at your own cost or "we will separate". The worst was that the letter asked her as to what was she? "You are just a graduate". The young girl could not pocket this. She applied for a flight attendant's job with Pam Am. There were nearly 10,000 applications but Neerja Harish easily found place among the top 80. Some of her close friends in Pan Am knew of her marriage mishap. They say that Neerja had been clearly stating that if one day something happened to her, please see that even "his" shadow did not fall on her dead body. The girl with sinews of steel accepted the challenge "what are you" and has told, "what she was". The Pan Am job was a great success from day one. She went to Miami for training as a flight attendant but she returned home as a Purser. Nothing can, possibly, state her Pan Am stature better than a letter received from her instructor (at Miami), Mr. Keith D. Smith saying: "The courageous manner in which she lived was very evident in the courageous manner in which she died. Shielding 3 small children from danger was a bold, daring and brave act that so dignified Neerja's personality. She was a wonderful human being. All those who were concerned with her Miami training, including the 'local mother', have expressed similar assessment of Neerja." Read the post here. Superstar Shah Rukh Khan is very active on every possible social network and his fans could not be happier. From FB to Twitter to Instagram, he is ruling the social media game like no other celebrity. With more than 17 million FB fans, King Khan is certainly the 'most liked' FB celebrity. After receiving his graduation degree, SRK chose to express his gratitude by posting on FB. He posted: Yesterday was beautiful. Thank you university mates & faculty. Love to all for such a memorable emotional moment. Posted by Shah Rukh Khan on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 Reuters With more than 5.5K comments on this very post, there was one comment that caught our attention. A fan from Singapore didn't just congratulate SRK, she even wrote about SRK and Kajol's pairing. She then went on to write why her mother married her dad. If we ever get a chance to give a trophy to 'best fan comment', Cynthia is getting the trophy hands down. Read what she had to say about Shah Rukh Khan here: Read on: Good day bro Shah Rukh, I am a big fan from Sarawak Borneo. I hope one day I can meet you as I really love your acting especially featuring Sis Kajol. My mom is your very big fan as she told me, he married my father just because of he looked like you. Keep showing your love and we are enjoying your acting too. As you say age is just a number. I admire you a lot. Hope to see your acting with Kajol on next movie. Reuters I suggest that your next movie with Kajol should be Kuch Kuch Hota Hai 2. Just a suggestion! Even though I dont know the language but I can see it from your eyes. And I like your pose too. Even though you will not read this today, maybe you will read it 5 or 7 years later, Im happy for that. Thank for your acting and I really appreciate it. On behalf of my family, I wish you happy live, happy acting, happy movies and happy friendship, especially with your dearest Kajol. Send my regards to her. Hope there a reply from you bro. Hope to meet you one day. God bless you and your family. Love, Cynthia Anne Jonathan Sarawak, Borneo (Malaysia) Read Cynthia's comment on SRK's post here: She's surely a 'Jabra Fan' from Singapore! There is no doubt that Google is the most popular search engine on the internet. But, did you know that Google's homepage is full of surprises? Here are 10 top best-hidden secrets of Google that you really need to know for fun! #1 Flip A Coin What do you do when you have to make a difficult decision of choosing something between two options? Flipping a coin is one thing that can help you out, but what if a coin is not handy? Well, you have Google to the rescue. Type 'Flip A Coin' and click on 'I'm Feeling Lucky', and voila Google will tell you whether it's heads or tails! Google #2 Roll A Dice Many people use dice when playing board games or while studying probability in mathematics but what if you've lost the dice? Well, not many know but Google gives you an option to roll a dice as well. Just type 'Roll a dice' and it'll help you play games easily. Google #3 Askew Type in the word 'Askew' in the search bar and the result will be slanted. Go ahead and scroll the way to the bottom, you will see all of the searches starting to tilt slightly. YouTube #4 Zerg Rush If you type 'Zerg Rush' into the search bar and click on I'm Feeling Lucky button, a playable game with small 'o' characters will appear that starts destroying search results if they are not clicked with the mouse pointer. Sounds fun, doesn't it? NDTV #5 Atari Breakout Type 'Atari Breakout' into Google Images and you'll get the classic Atari arcade game to play. An amazing way to kill time. LOL! Google #6 Google Pacman Google also lets you play seminal 1980s arcade game Pac-Man. Just type 'Google Pacman' in the search box and get ready to chop some power pellets and chased multi-colored coast around the Google logo. Google #7 Google Gravity Well, just type Google Gravity in the search bar and click on I'm Feeling Lucky, you'll find, all of the icons at the top of the site falling down towards the bottom of the page. You can even click on the icons and throw them around. Google #8 Do A Barrel Roll Type 'Do a barrel roll' and click on I'm Feeling Lucky. Doing this will make the Google search page roll and flip 360 degrees. It's amazing! blog.jeradhill #9 Google Orbit This is awesome! Just type 'Google Orbit' and click on the I'm Feeling Lucky, you'll watch the home page swirl and spin as you move your mouse around the screen. The text on the screen revolves around the center logo with all the clickable links. Google #10 Offline Dinosaur Game If your internet connection is weak and you're getting bored, then you don't need to worry at all because Google gives you an awesome endless Dinosaur Game hidden right there on Chrome! gaming.stackexchange According to 2 new studies, India's substandard medicine problem might be more prevalent than the government had projected. This has serious implications on health in a country where 58.2 percent of the total health expenditure is an out-of-pocket cost burden on people, according to the World Health Organization, and where medicines alone account for between 70 percent and 77 percent of health spending. Substandard drugs work less effectively, causing disease to run a longer course, and can even require a new prescription during treatment. Substandard drugs also contribute to antibacterial resistance, a threat that has doubled in the last five years in India, IndiaSpend reported earlier. futuretimeline About 4.5 percent of the drugs in the Indian market are substandard, according to surveys by the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), the official regulatory authority. Reputed brands too fail to meet quality standards Experts believe that more lucrative routinely prescribed drugs are at higher risk of failing quality standards, as this new study, published in the December 2015 Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science, concluded, after testing 32 samples of diclofenac sodium, a popular pain killer. A second study, published in 2016 in the International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, evaluated 46 samples of amoxicillin trihydrate, a fast-moving antibiotic. "We found a substandard medicine incidence of 15.62% for diclofenac sodium and 13.04% for amoxicillin trihydrate," said Ahmed Nawaz Khan, study co-author and assistant professor, Department of Pharmacy, Jaypee University of Information Technology, Solan. Even some higher-priced medicines from reputed sellers failed to measure up darpanmagazine "This is sad because many consumers shell out more for reputed brands, believing those products are better," said Khan. To make the grade, a tablet must contain between 90 percent and 110 percent of the active ingredient named on the label, according to the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission, an autonomous Indian health ministry institution. However, the CDSCO offers a five percent grace margin on that lower limit, a leeway Khan called 'needless'. If the more stringent Indian Pharmacopoeia specification was made the yardstick for quality, twice the number of samples of Khan's study would fall short. The implications of this finding: "Borderline quality suggests a lack of quality control," said Khan. If you can't measure drug quality, you can't manage it Government surveys reveal a falling incidence of substandard and spurious drugs in the Indian market-from about nine percent in the mid-1990s, as a 2015 International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences study cited, to 4.5 percent in recent years. Spurious medicines alone, distinguishable from substandard products for being imitations of (usually) popular branded drugs, with ingredients that may or may not match their label, make up a negligible part of the Indian drug market as per the CDSCO-0.046 percent according to its 2009 Report on Countrywide Survey for Spurious Drugs and 0.11 percent, according to last year's regular sampling. What happens to drugs that fail quality standards? Manufacturers of drug samples that fail CDSCO tests for ingredients, dissolution, sterility, toxicity, among others, are served notice. Of six such manufacturers this reporter spoke to, only one private manufacturing unit, Akpash Pharmaceuticals in Madhya Pradesh, hauled up in December 2015 for a batch of metronidazole tablets that failed a dissolution test, consented to speak on the record: "We withdrew the entire batch from the market, investigated the cause, found a quality issue with the intermediate used as the binding agent for the tablet, and have since taken corrective action," said director Girdharilal Jadwani. Seven testing laboratories cater to all of India's drug-testing needs No more than seven national-testing laboratories capable of processing about 15,000 samples per year cater to the entire country. "State drug regulatory authorities have given out licenses left, right and centre. But the rise in the number of manufacturing units and products hasn't been matched by expanded testing capacity," said Khan. With cases becoming long-drawn affairs, penalties rarely enter the picture. How to put testing in the hands of the consumer Consumers need technology that allows them to verify the quality of a strip of medicines. That is possible with solutions from a host of companies, such as Sproxil, PharmaSecure and mPedigree. For instance, PharmaSecure, a global provider of verification technology for pharmaceutical companies, generates a unique alphanumeric code for a strip of medicines, printed on the package directly or applied via scratch-off labels or holographic labels, pasted on the packaging line. Consumers buying the medicine can inquire-via SMS, mobile app or online-whether the code, and therefore the medicine, is genuine or not. "Typically, we process one inquiry for one code," said Samit Yadav, vice president - operations, PharmaSecure. "A second inquiry for the same code could indicate that the strip had been passed on to an alternative user, who also wants to check its veracity, but a third and more inquiries for one code would definitely raise questions." On the day this report was written, PharmaSecure was tracking a situation with the makings of a scam. "We have been receiving 15 inquiries a day, for the last couple of weeks, to verify one single code, and these inquiries have poured in from across India," said Yadav. After analysing those interactions, PharmaSecure was passing on the data to brand owners for further investigation. "At worst, the situation would mean that an unscrupulous manufacturer has produced an imitation product bearing the labelling-code included-of one genuine packet of the medicine in question," said Yadav. Few companies in India voluntarily use medicine-verification technology, although it is affordable and locally available. The government's stand is that verification technology is expensive for small firms. Another technology that would help root out substandard drugs is near-infrared spectroscopy, a technique can filter hundreds of samples in a few minutes, much faster than conventional, expensive high-performance chromatography technique, said Khan. The bottom line: India's substandard-drug problem can be solved. nenewspage Last week, a scrawny young man in a beard appeared on Times Now as just another student activist on a day the JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar had just been arrested. Umair Khalid protested against the police action on the campus and seemingly defended a Afzal Guru memorial protest organised in JNU, without actually saying it in words. As the debate ended and the boy was given a lashing for interrupting the anchor who was talking about Lance Naik Hanumanthappa everything seemed like it would have been - as is normal in TV debates most people went back without having the satisfaction of completing their argument. Umair Khalid is a name that was by-and-large forgotten till yesterday when it suddenly started trending. As the attention shifted from Kanhaiya Kumar who was roughed up and sent to 14-day judicial custody, the name started trending and getting shared - first in an edited 7 second video which reportedly showed Kanhaiya Kumar shouting Azadi - turns out he was shouting Azadi but from poverty, from communal blood-shed, from social disparity, and not for Kashmir from India. Umar's name stuck and the police are now looking for him convinced that he was the organiser of the event to mark the death anniversary of Afzal Guru. From what we gather, his phone is being tracked, he is in hiding and some media organisations have put out reports saying he is being made a scapegoat in the entire affair, while others have been clear in their disgust for the man who apparently with his speech and sloganeering delivered a death blow to the idea of India and demanded Kashmir's Independence. But who is this man? What is the agenda that converted the atheist boy, Umar Khaled into India's most wanted - even if for just a week. PTI Who is Umar Khalid? Umar Khalid, who hails from Maharashtra is the leader of Democratic Student's Union (DSU) an extreme Left group active in JNU. Even though he was born in a Muslim family, he identifies himself as an atheist. He is a PhD student at the School of Social Sciences at JNU. He also did his MA and MPhil from JNU and has been doing field work in Jharkhand. ABP News He had applied for permission to hold the Afzal Guru programme in JNU. After it was denied, DSU activists lead by Umar took out the march, which is in the centre of the whole controversy. NewsX citing an anonymous Intelligence Bureau input, claimed that Umar is a sympathiser of the Jaish-e-Muhammad. There were also reports that he had visited Pakistan. Screengrab However, the Centre has denied that the Intelligence Bureau had issued any such report. His family said Umar doesn't even have a passport. Scrutiny of Khalids mobile number showed that it was used frequently between February 6 and February 9 and the calls were made and received outside Delhi. After the US recently announced that it will provide Pakistan 8 F-16 fighter jets, the manufacturer of the plane is now willing to manufacture it in India. Reuters US fighter jet maker Lockheed Martin on Thursday said it is ready to manufacture F-16 aircraft in India and supports the ongoing talks between the two countries to set up the first manufacturing facility, one of the largest projects under the 'Make in India' initiative. "We are ready to manufacture F-16 in India and support the Make in India initiative," Phil Shaw, chief executive of Lockheed Martin India Private Ltd told reporters at the Singapore Airshow 2016. But the American corporation's executive did not commit any time-frame to have the plant operational, saying the group supports the ongoing government-to-government talks. Shaw expressed strong interest in having the F-16 made in India "soon" without elaborating on the time-frame, linking it to the progress of the talks. Reuters Currently, Lockheed Martin manufactures one jet a month from its plant in the US and has a series of contracts and joint ventures in India and over 1,000 employees. It has supplied six C130J Super Hercules planes to India in 2011 and will be delivering another six helicopters next year. Industry observers said Lockheed Martin's "wish to manufacture F-16 is based on the strong demand from the Indian armed forces and would want to lower the cost of the planes for exports by using the low-cost capability in India". "Certainly, Lockheed Martin would want to exploit the engineering skill and low cost capabilities in India and make F-16 very competitive in the fighter jet markets," a well-informed source said. "Both the US government and Lockheed Martin see the advantage of placing a manufacturing base in India and make F-16 affordable for emerging markets," the source said. The making of F-16, which will be among the largest projects under the Make in India initiative, will be conditional to the Indian government making contractual commitment to buy the fighter jets for its armed forces, said the source. Reuters "Washington, in return, would ensure technology transfer to the Indian engineering sector and a huge boost to Indian exports," he said. If the two government reach an agreement this year or 2017, putting aside all differences on the mega project and the US' move to supply eight F-16 to Pakistan, Lockheed Martin could roll out the first made in India jet in 2019-2020, said the source. Lockheed Martin has already decided on India as its best option for low-cost and highly qualified engineering workforce, and the final go on this is dependent on approval from New Delhi and Washington. Amid all the controversy around the police crackdown at JNU, Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi is set to retire from his post on February 29. PTI But according to reports his services will we rewarded with a new post, Chief Information Commissioner. That could explain some 'questionable actions' by Bassi in the recent times. JNU Ever since the controversy over the Afzal Guru event in JNU broke out, Bassi's Delhi Police was getting it all wrong. First they went after the students of JNU with a tweet from a fake account as evidence. Twitter Even when questions were raised about the authenticity for the tweet Bassi went on from channel to channel saying that he was convinced that the tweet was from Hafiz Saeed himself. After intelligence agencies rejected the alleged links, Bassi modified his stand, to 'it is not the person, the content of the tweet that matters'. There's no doubt that tweet ws under Hafiz Saeed's name.He did it himself or got it done by some proxy is a matter of investigation-BS Bassi ANI (@ANI_news) February 15, 2016 JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on the evidence shown by some TV channels. But when another video which allegedly showed ABVP members shouting pro-Pakistan slogans, Police launched an investigation into who made the video. The police commissioner still maintains that Kanhaiya was arrested on evidence he saw on TV. We have adequate evidence against JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar, says Delhi top cop BS Bassi #LawyersOrGoons TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) February 17, 2016 Patiala House Court While a pandemonium broke out at Patiala House Court on Monday after some lawyers and BJP MLA OP Sharma went loose attacking journalists, JNU students and anyone who came across, the Delhi Police stood there as mute spectators. While OP Sharma was caught on camera attacking a CPI activist, BS Bassi was more concerned about Sharma who was "also injured". Police also seemed in no hurry to attest Advocate Vikram Singh Chauhan who led the attack by lawyers. OP Sharma who allegedly beat up CPI worker outside Patiala House Court, appears before #DelhiPolice pic.twitter.com/4yG1eBZbej ET Politics (@ETPolitics) February 18, 2016 Bassi on lawyer Vikram Chauhan: As ordinary citizen you think he committed offence,but we've to see through eyes of law #BassiOnTheHotSeat CNN-IBN News (@ibnlive) February 18, 2016 The free-run granted to them was evident on Wednesday, just two days after, Chauhan did the same thing again. Just like on Monday, Police turned a blind eye on what was happening. Bassi's defence, " Police didn't act because they didn't want the situation to worsen. Even while TV footages showed Kanhaiya being roughed-up by lawyers, Bassi missed it once again. He went on to say "I don' t think Kanhaiya was beaten up". He also added that they "delivered Kanhaiya safely in the court". #AfzalCourtScuffle: Top cop BS Bassi gives clean chit. 'Kanhaiya was not attacked.We managed the situation well. https://t.co/xS7pxJdu3y NewsX (@NewsX) February 17, 2016 Yesterday , we did a show "Bassi kee poll khol" exposing Bassi's convenient 'truth' pic.twitter.com/NRb9EzhU7l Abhisar Sharma (@abhisar_sharma) February 18, 2016 Shashi Tharoor Another person that the Delhi Police Commissioner seems to be obsessed with is Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. Times of India Ever since the suspicious death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar, Delhi police have quizzed Tharoor at least half-a-dozen times, the latest being on Sunday. But Bassi seems to be unconvinced, so much so, that he says Tharoor may be summoned again. AAP Let us accept it, Delhi Police and Aam Aadmi Party are not the best of friends. Ever since the AAP coming to power the two had never missed any opportunity to score a point against the other. As regards DP, kindly have no doubts. DP is committed to the RULE OF LAW. We act without any extraneous influence. pic.twitter.com/J6CzsP1swl BS Bassi (@BhimBassi) February 13, 2016 Del Pol openly flouting SC orders. Bassi acting so brazenly. What is source of his confidence? What instructions does he hv from his bosses? Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 17, 2016 Kejriwal once said Delhi was not safe in the commissioner's hands to which Bassi responded saying he is 'competent enough' to ensure the safety of the citizens. Bassi who was deeply concerned over BJP MLA OP Sharma recently, did not have the same compassion when it came to AAP MLAs. He had grabbed the very first opportunity to get hold of them, be it former Delhi law minister Jitender Singh Tomar, MLA Commando Surender Singh or Akhilesh Tripathi. Despite all these Bassi says I "am not working for BJP". a heart-wrenching tale of poverty from a mineral-rich region of Odisha, a widow was forced to pawn her two minor sons for money to perform the last rites of her husband in Champua. Her tragic story came to light on Wednesday after block development officer S Nayak and other officials visited Champua on receiving information about the 'mortgaging' that occurred on Republic Day. cbc Sabitri Nayak, a tribal from Gadhuli village in Keonjhar district, handed over her sons Mukesh (13) and Sukesh (11) to her neighbour for Rs 5,000 when she could not perform the last rites of her husband, Raiba, the breadwinner of the family. "I had to pawn my two sons because I don't even have money to feed my children," said Sabitri, who has three more children, Akash (9), Chilari (8) and Barsha (4). Daily wage earner Raiba had died on January 26 after a long illness that had drained the family's meagre resources and forced Sabitri to withdraw her children from school. The two pawned brothers are looking after the cattle of a neighbour who helped Sabitri with the money. orissapost Sources said Sabitri knocked on several doors for help but none came forward. "The family had spent all its savings on Raiba's treatment. It was distressing to see the kids leave their home, to turn slaves to help their mother repay her debt," said a neighbour. BDO Nayak, however, denied that the boys were pawned, saying, "They will look after the cattle of the entire village to pay back the money." But, he admitted that the two quit school for employment. "Sabitri could not get financial help because Champua has just become a notified area council. We're trying to arrange a widow pension and some other financial benefits for her," the BDO said. Around 200 km from Bhubaneswar, Champua is known for its independent MLA, Sanatana Mahakud who is reportedly worth more than Rs 70 crore. Sepoy Syed Mushtaq Ahmed was one of the 10 brave soldiers, who lost their lives after the avalanche that hit Siachen recently.However, more than grief for their tragic loss, sepoy Ahmed's kith and kin look up to the soldier as a source of inspiration and want the youngsters of the family to follow in his footsteps and join the armed forces. dnaindia The soldier, from Parnapalli in Kurnool district, is survived by his 21-year old wife Naseemun, six month old son Syed Mohsin and parents Syed Ibrahim and Najmunnisa. "I will definitely encourage my son to join the army. I will not hesitate as it is a matter of honour," said Naseemum, adding that she required all the support she can get, given that she has no house or land. Explaining how her marital life was cut short, she said,"We got married on August 7 in 2014. Soon after, he left on account of his posting." Naseeemum heard about her husband's death on February 4. TOI An admiration for the armed forces, it appears, runs in the family. For it was the braveheart's older brother, 42-year-old Mohammed Muneer, who tried to join the forces in 1992. "I had appeared for the physical test but unfortunately, couldn't make it. So far, I have asked four acquaintances of mine to join the armed forces and they have" he said. "However, Mushtaq did everything on his own. From clearing the physical test to the written test. Before being posted at Siachen last year, he served in a garrison in Bhatinda in Punjab," Muneer added. Muneer plans to encourage his 10-year old son to enlist in the army after explaining to him the honour of protecting the country's borders.The deceased soldier's body was first brought to Begumpet airport and later transported to his village where he was given full military honours and laid to rest. "My brother was buried at the graveyard near Jama Masjid in Parnapalli," Muneer said. Family members told TOI that later on Tuesday, they received an exgratia of Rs 25 lakh from the Andhra Pradesh government. "Deputy chief minister K E Krishnamurthy handed over a cheque to us a while ago. We thank the government for it," Muneer shared. Meanwhile, Naseemun, who is pursuing BSc (computer science) hopes that the government will provide her a job. This, she said, would help her to provide for her son's future. The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) continues to be on the boil following the controversy over anti-national slogans and protests against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. The university's Students Union President Kanhaiya Kumar, who is in the eye of the storm of the anti-national controversy, is accused of shouting pro-separatist slogans during an event held on campus last week. Read also: Scammers Tried To Prove Kanhaiya Kumar A Terrorist With Edited Footage, Now Complete Video Surfaces And Outs Their Lie Whereas this controversy has become a national issue, from students to leaders holding protest, NDTV Senior Journalist Ravish Kumar voices some sound sense on nationalism and what its connection is with our democracy. Here, in this video, the senior journalist talks about politically motivated media coverage of the JNU controversy, the unwarranted assault by lawyers on journalists, and also made a jibe at prime-time news debates. Danger is an understatement here. While we debate whether global warming is a sham or a real thing, somewhere on the planet, a tree is cut, a river turns dry, and a farmer dies. Here's a collection of riveting pictures that prove why we need to race against time to save the planet from these calamities. 1. A man cools off under a public tap after filling bottles during intense hot weather in Karachi, Pakistan. A devastating heat wave killed more than 400 people in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi in 2015 Image Credit: Reuters 2. Migrants, who were found at sea on a boat, collect rainwater during a heavy rainfall at a temporary refugee camp near Kanyin Chaung jetty, outside Maungdaw township, northern Rakhine state, Myanmar Image Credit: Reuters 3. A field of dead almond trees seen in Coalinga in the Central Valley, California, United States Image Credit: Reuters 4. Poachers kill a rhinoceros in Kaziranga sanctuary for ivory Image Credit: Reuters 5. A dead whale found at Juhu beach Image Credit: Reuters 6. A boat is seen in a house backyard at Ensenada town which is covered with ash from Calbuco volcano near Puerto Varas city, Chile Image Credit: Reuters 7. Officials in protective gear check for signs of radiation on children who are from the evacuation area near the Fukushima Daini nuclear plant in Koriyama in this March 13, 2011 file photo Image Credit: Reuters 8. Visitors run away as waves caused by a tidal bore surge past a barrier on the banks of Qiantang River, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Image Credit: Reuters 9. A child jumps on the waste products that are used to make poultry feed as she plays in a tannery at Hazaribagh in Dhaka Image Credit: Reuters 10. People gather to get water from a huge well in the village of Natwarghad in the western Indian state of Gujarat Image Credit: Reuters 11. A polar bear starved to death in Svalvard Norway. It is due to melting ice caps that they are deprived of space and food Image Credit: Ashley Cooper 12. Dead seabirds are seen on the shore as thick fuel-oil from the stricken container ship Rena fouls beaches at Papamoa, near Tauranga, New Zealand Image Credit: Reuters 13. A fisherman walks on the dry bed of the dry Usmansagar lake, on the outskirts of Hyderabad Image Credit: Reuters 14. A massive waterfall from melting pack ice Image Credit: Cotton Koulson 15. The Maldives, a popular vacation spot, is threatened by rising sea levels Image Credit: Peter Essick 16. In Oregon, this thousand-year-old forest fell victim to the chain saw for a new dam Image Credit: Daniel Dancer 17. A simple herd farmer cannot withstand the stink of the Yellow River in Inner Mongolia Image Credit: Lu Guang 18. Tourists watch high waves of the Pacific Ocean pounding the coast in Vina del Mar city, Chile Image Credit: Reuters 19. A woman wearing a mask protecting herself from extreme smog takes pictures in front of the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest in Beijing, China Image Credit: Reuters 20. A toxic, snowy froth loomed over Bangalore's Varthur lake. It was observed that it occurred due to industrial sewage runoff Image Credit: YouTube The world's most premium galleries vie to host 'Origin Of The World', but not Facebook. For Facebook, its not the art, the subtle nuances of oil on canvas, the legacy of erotic painting, but rather the fact that its a vagina on display. A French court ruled on Friday that a case against social networking company Facebook over a painting of a nude woman can be tried in France, rejecting Facebook's argument that it is governed by Californian law. 570news Facebook blocked the account of a French professor and art lover after he uploaded a picture of Gustave Courbet's 1866 canvas 'The Origin of the World', which shows a close-up view of female genitals. The Paris Appeal Court's decision upheld a lower court ruling in March 2015 that a clause in Facebook's terms of agreement signed by users was 'abusive' in reserving exclusive rights to a California court to hear disputes. AP Facebook, based in Palo Alto, California, had appealed against a Paris High Court's authority to hear the case but the appeal court said Facebook's claim was inadmissible Facebook said French courts were not competent to handle the case and that the contract with the user was "not a consumer contract because Facebook's service was free." But a High Court judge ruled in 2015 that, "if the proposed service was free to the user, Facebook was generating significant profits from the business, including via paid applications, advertising and other resources." Follow us on ratan tata never said tata will not hire jnu students tata group Mumbai: Amid a raging controversy over events at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Tata Group was caught in social media crossfire and had to officially deny comments attributed to its Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata in various tweets. The Group's reaction was in response to some tweets claiming that Ratan Tata told a Make In India session in Mumbai that Tata Group will not hire any student from JNU. "Tata has not issued any such statement," Tata Group said in its official Twitter handle. A political slugfest has erupted over the arrest of JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar on charges of sedition amid allegations that some students shouted anti-India slogans. Latest Business News Follow us on terra motors likely to sell 30 000 e rickshaws in india by year end New Delhi: Japanese electric vehicle maker Terra Motors Corporation plans to sell 30,000 e-rickshaws in the Indian market by year-end on the back of enhanced sales network and new product launches. The company on Thursday expanded its electric-rickshaw range in the country by launching 'Y4Alfa' priced at Rs 1.2 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and plans to invest around $5 million to expand its production capacity and hiring more employees. Terra Motors also introduced Terra battery for e-rickshaws priced at Rs 27,000. "India is the second largest producer of three-wheelers in the world. Hence, India is an important market for us. We plan to sell 30,000 units of e-rickshaws and 20,000 sets of Terra batteries by the end of this year," Terra Motors Country Director Teppei Seki told reporters here. The company aims to enhance its dealers network from 13 to around 100 outlets during the year, he added. Terra Motors has a manufacturing facility for e-rickshaws in Gurgaon with an installed capacity of 2,000 units per month. It sells one e-rickshaw model in the country. "We are now looking to expand the production capacity of this plant. We plan to take it to 3,000 units a month by end of September. We are also looking for another plant," Seki said. When asked about the future investment plans, he added that the $5 million could be spent on new factory and hiring more employees in the country. On future product pipeline, he said: "We can look at electric two-wheelers. But that would be later as we are currently focusing just on the e-rickshaw business. There are no plans for a quadricycle or a four-wheeler at the moment." The company has already invested around $2 million since launching operations in India. Since the start of selling e-rickshaws in the country from August last year, it has retailed around 3,500 units. Commenting on the Y4Alpha e-rickshaw, Seki said that the 'light weight' model is water resistant and suitable for urban transport. The rickshaw weighs 380 kg and can accommodate five people including the driver. It is powered by Terra battery which gives it a range of 100 km on full charge. It has a maximum speed of 25 km/h. The company also plans to export the model to Africa and neighbouring countries like Nepal, Seki said. Tokyo-headquartered Terra Motors is the leader in electric two and three-wheelers in Japan. It also has presence in various Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam and the Philippines. Latest Business News Follow us on twitter shows jammu in pakistan govt to take up matter New Delhi: Creating a flutter among its own users, popular social media platform Twitter today made a faux pas in its location-tagging service that showed Jammu as part of Pakistan and J&K as being in China. While posting a new tweet, Twitter gives an option to the user to tag his or her location, wherein the micro-blogging site was today found to be showing Jammu as being part of Pakistan. Besides, a user seeking to tag Jammu and Kashmir as a location was being shown the option of this place being in 'People's Republic of China'. External Affairs Ministry today said the goof-up by Twitter in its location-tagging service that showed Jammu as part of Pakistan and J&K as being in China will be taken up with the micro-blogging site. "I am sure this will be taken up," Spokesperson in the MEA Vikas Swarup told reporters. When contacted, a Twitter spokesperson did not give any immediate comment. However, sources in the company said the problem has been identified and it would be resolved soon. A number of Twitter users criticised Twitter for the goof-up, with some terming it being biased against India. Latest Business News Follow us on xiaomi mi week redmi note prime available at rs 7 999 mi 4 and mi 4i prices also slashed New Delhi: As Xiaomi India celebrates Mi Week and the company has announced exciting offers on its smartphones. The offers will be valid starting today till February 19. The Redmi Note Prime will be available at a discounted price of Rs 7,999, down from its launch price, which was Rs 8,499. It is Xiaomi's second Made in India smartphone after Redmi 2 Prime. Xiaomi has also reduced prices of Mi 4 (16GB variant) and Mi 4i (16GB variant) to Rs 12,999 and Rs 9,999, down from Rs 14,999 and Rs 11,999, respectively. These smartphones will be available on Amazon. Xiaomi Redmi Note Prime features a 5.5-inch HD (720p) display and is powered by Qualcomm's 64-bit Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor. The smartphone has a 1.2GHz and paired with 2GB of RAM and runs on Android Lollipop-based MIUI 7. It has a 16GB of onboard storage, a microSD card slot that can be further expanded up to 32GB is also present. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, a 5-megapixel selfie snapper, a 3,100mAh battery. In terms of connectivity the device has dual-SIM card slots, Bluetooth, 4G LTE support, Wi-Fi and GPS. Xiaomi Mi 4i features 5-inch full HD (1080p) IPS display, and is powered by Qualcomm's 64-bit Snapdragon 615 octa-core. It runs on Android Lollipop-based MIUI 6 chipset clocked at 1.7GHz and paired with 2GB of RAM. It comes with 16GB or 32GB of onboard storage, but has no microSD card slot for further expansion. It has 13-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel selfie camera, a 3,120mAh battery with Qualcomm's quick charge support. For connectivity options it has dual-SIM card slots, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, LTE support, Bluetooth 4.1, and GPS. Xiaomi Mi 4 comes with a 5-inch full HD (1080p) display with a pixel density of 441ppi. It has a Qualcomm's Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor and runs Android Lollipop based MIUI 6.0 and an update for Android 6.0 based Marshmallow is also being rolled out. The smartphone has a 2.5GHz and paired with 3GB of RAM. It also has 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, 8-megapixel selfie camera, and a 3,080mAh non-removable battery. The connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and GPS are present. Latest Business News Follow us on jnurow anupam kher reacts says slogans angered him as an indian Mumbai: Bollywood actor Anupam Kher on Wednesday said he was scared about what was happening to the country in the wake of a huge political controversy over the happenings in Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi and subsequent developments. He said the raging JNU row had transformed into an ideological fight between the BJP and its Left rivals, as Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi offered support to JNU students. "...it angers me, shocks me as an Indian. I don't believe 1.3 billion people will let them destroy our country. There is much more in this country than the political games of certain parties," he said at the launch of Munmun Ghosh's novel 'Thicker Than Blood'. "...what happened at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Whatever I have watched on video is frightening. In the capital city of our country, some groups are raising slogans about 'desh ki barbadi' and 'azaadi'. It angered me as a countryman." Kher, 60, said freedom of speech does not mean people have the right to create disunity in the country. Latest Bollywood News Follow us on candid confession salim khan lashes out at big b for ignoring khan daan New Delhi: Renowned writer Salim Khan has lashed out at megastar Amitabh Bachchan in a radio interview of a media group, suggest reports. The news piece also asserts that since the content is extremely frank and candid, it will be edited. If the above lines have come as a shocker to you, read on to be more jolted. As it turns out, Salman Khan's father is miffed with Big B for his indifference towards his family. If not downrightly rude, Salim claims that Amitabh has always ignored his family when it comes to keeping in touch. It has also troubled Salim over the decades over Big B's inefficiency to invite the Khan'daan to many social evenings hosted at the Bachchan bungalow, Jalsa. It must not be forgotten that Amitabh Bachchan has time and again said that he is indebted to the writer duo Javed-Salim (Javed as in Javed Akhtar) for penning stories for his milestone hits. However, the scars in Salim's heart run deep. In 1991, Khan had written Akayla' which was directed by Ramesh Sippy and starred Big B. Following this, Salim wanted to cast Amitabh in one of his rom-com movies but the latter refused politely. The movie was announced with much fanfare, but it died quietly. While Amitabh has shared screen space with Salim's son Salman quite a number of times, he is still not in good books of the screenwriter. Latest Bollywood News Follow us on jnu row kanhaiya kumar moves sc for bail plea to be heard tomorrow New Delhi: Arrested on charges of sedition, JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar today moved the top court seeking bail. The bail plea of Kumar, in judicial custody till March 2, will be heard tomorrow, the Supreme Court has said. Kanhaiya has claimed in his petition that keeping him in jail would serve no purpose as the police have been finding it difficult to produce him even in the court. Kanhaiya also cited untoward conditions at the Patiala House Court to file his bail plea as the reason why he has exercised his right to move the apex court directly under Article 32. Article 32 of the Constitution gives a citizen the right to move the Supreme Court for enforcing his fundamental rights. His bail petition was mentioned before a bench of justices J Chelameswar and A M Sapre by senior advocate Soli J Sorabjee and Raju Ramachandran who wanted it to be heard today itself. However, the bench said that they would consider it tomorrow. Kumar said in his petition that there was no need for his custodial interrogation as he has already been sent to judicial custody. Kumar has also submitted in his petition that there is a threat to his life and there was a need for the apex court to intervene for safeguarding his life. The Supreme Court had yesterday taken strong note of the violence and alleged attack on Kumar while he was being presented at the Patiala House court. A bunch of men dressed as lawyers created ruckus for the second time when Kumar was to be produced in court. Taking strong exception to the matter, the apex court said, We are keeping an eye on law and order situation in Patiala House court. Everyone should be careful while giving statements. Kumar, a student leader at JNU, was arrested in relation to an event held at the university campus on February 9 to commemorate the death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. The event witnessed some alleged anti-India slogans being raised. (With PTI inputs) Latest India News Follow us on jnu row absconding umar khalid under scanner for kashmir links New Delhi: Call records of two mobile numbers belonging to former JNU student leader Umar Khalid, believed to be the main organiser of the February 9 event at the varsity's campus where alleged anti-India slogans were raised, have revealed that over 800 calls were made from his numbers between February 3 and 9, including some to Jammu and Kashmir. Sources told India TV that of these 800-odd calls made during the period, 38 calls were made to Jammu & Kashmir. A total of 65 calls were received on Khalid's numbers from J&K as well. The details have emerged from the ongoing investigation being carried out by the Delhi police as they intensified their search for the former leader of the Democratic Students' Union (DSU). India TV has learnt that most of the calls made to J&K from Khalid's numbers were to three particular numbers, while 4-5 calls were made to another number. While one number has been traced to an individual at the Central University of Kashmir located in Ganderbal, three other numbers belong to different persons. A scan of the call records also shows that many calls have been made to numbers outside Delhi, spanning across different cities. Calls have also been made and received from Gulf countries and even Bangladesh, call records revealed. Call details of Khalid's numbers for the past two months further point that the frequency of calls to these numbers suddenly increased since the last week of December, which is when the police suspect the preparations for the February 9 event to have actually begun. Khalid allegedly went absconding after the arrest of JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar on charges of sedition. His mobile phone has also been switched off since Kumar's arrest. Names of both Kumar and Khalid feature in the FIR registered in the case. According to sources, the search for Khalid, a Phd student from the School of Social Sciences, has now intensified with the police extending its operations beyond Delhi to other states as well. Call records of Khalid, a native of Maharashtra, reveal that the two numbers were on roaming 17 times in the past one month, with locations spanning across various cities. Investigators suspect that during such periods, Khalid was meeting people at other universities in order to mobilise support. However, there are no records of Khalid's numbers being on roaming in J&K, indicating that he did not visit the state during the past two months. Meanwhile, the search for Khalid is now gathering pace, with the police having conducted raids at 80 locations in ten states based on inputs from the Intelligence Bureau. Besides Delhi (17 locations), West Bengal (six), Bihar (12), Kerala (10), J&K (eight), Maharashtra (seven), UP (12), Chhattisgarh (three), Karnataka (five) and Odisha (three) are the states where the search operations are being carried out so far. A total of 13 teams of the Delhi police are involved in the search for Khalid. While eight teams were formed initially, five more teams have been tasked with the search operations in the past two days. As more raids continue in connection with the search, police forces from other states have also been roped in to assist the search operations. A total of 24 people including family members, friends and relatives of Khalid, have been questioned by the police in the case so far. Khalid's name has been added to the list of absconders. Airports have been alerted and his photographs have also been shared with forces that are keeping a sharp eye on bus stands and railway stations as well. Investigators have also recovered Khalid's laptop and are scanning the emails and other content for leads. The police are also said to be ascertaining in their probe whether Khalid received funding from anti-national elements through Kashmiri separatists. The investigators believe that more details could come to light as the probe progresses. Latest India News Follow us on kanhaiya kumar put up in same cell where afzal guru was kept New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who was yesterday sent to judicial custody till March 2, has been kept at the jail number 3 of Tihar Jail, the same cell where Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru was lodged in. According to media reports, Kanhaiya was brought here yesterday at around 8 pm amid tight security. He has been kept under tight security inside the prison cell. The toilet is attached inside the ward. Also the jail officials are keeping a close eye on him through CCTVs. His ward has also a television. Reports say that a 12-member quick-reaction team would be deployed around the cell to keep a 24-hour watch. An official said that a multi-layer security has been put in place and only prison officials will be allowed near Kahnhaiya's cell. His food will be checked as a precautionary measure, the official said, adding that he will be checked for suicidal tendencies as well'. Security outside the jail has also been intensified. Meanwhile, the parents of Kanhaiya were today provided police protection in their village in Bihar. Security forces have been deployed at Kanhaiya's native village Bihat in Begusarai district after the JNUSU president was roughed up in a New Delhi court on Wednesday. "Some police officers in plain clothes have been deployed outside his home, where his parents and other members of the family live. It is being done for security purposes after Kanhaiya was attacked and badly beaten in the premises of a court in Delhi," a district police official said. Kanhaiya faces sedition charges for raising anti-national slogans at an event in JNU last week, a charge he has denied. He was arrested by the Delhi Police on February 12. Hours after the assault on Kanhaiya, Bihar Police headquarters alerted Begusarai authorities and directed them to tighten the security cover at his native village. Kanhaiya's father Jaishankar Singh and his mother Meena Devi live at his native village, considered a stronghold of the Left politics in Bihar. Latest India News Follow us on 6 member panel submits report on patiala house violence to sc New Delhi: The 6-member committee of senior lawyers, which rushed to the Patiala House courts to report on yesterday's violence, today submitted its report to the Supreme Court even as one of its members Rajeev Dhawan alleged "collusion" between police and the attackers. The report was submitted in a sealed envelope to the bench of Justice J Chelameswar and Justice A M Sapre but the Delhi Police counsel Ajit K Sinha, who was part of the lawyers team, refused to sign it without reading it. After a bunch of lawyers in open defiance of the apex court orders attacked JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar and some journalists, the court deputed the lawyers team including Dhawan, Kapil Sibal, Dushyant Dave and Haren Rawal to report on the ground situation at the Patiala House complex. Sinha said that he was asked by Rawal, former additional Solicitor General to sign the report which he declined saying he would only do so after fully reading it. "I said I can't sign without reading the report. He (Raval) said you sign it," Sinha told a Bench comprising Justices J Chelameswar and A M Sapre. His response came after Raval told the bench that "he said he will not see it and not sign." Raval termed Sinha's words as "too scandalous". Raval, who placed the report in sealed cover the report along with the pen drive containing mobile clip of committee's visit to Patiala House court complex, said other five members of the panel Dhawan, Dushyant Dave and advocate Prashant Bhushan and A D N Rao have signed it. Dhawan told the media outside the court that "I have no difficulty in my mind, there is police collusion. As we went inside, we were told that somebody who was not allowed by the Supreme Court to enter the court, that person entered, went out. "Registrar General of the High Court said 'please stop that man, please arrest him'. There were 8-10 policemen but they didn't arrest him. If this is not collusion, I don't know what is." Dhawan said police have a duty but as long as they were protecting people politically that duty will never be discharged. "It is an absurdity for the BJP to say this is not our man. That is ridiculous. The point is whether he is your man or not, you have a Police Commissioner here and it is his duty to make sure that people who indulge in such hooliganism to be brought to book. "There is a layer of immunity that has been provided by politics and police. Even with the cordon around us, I was pushed. How did it happen? I understand the problems of police but they didn't perform their duty," Dhawan said. In the court, Dhawan and Dave advocated making the committee's report public by giving it to the press with which the bench at first was in agreement saying "why there should be any objection." "I think there should be no objection," Justice Chelameswar said. However, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta expressed reservation on behalf of the Delhi Police for making public the report without the apex court going through it. "You go through it and then think of it," he told the bench which agreed to his suggestion. "Is there anything (in it that is) likely to create...," the bench asked before agreeing to go through it. "We will read the report tonight and we will decide whether it has to be given to the press" the bench said while taking into its custody other 10 copies of the report which was not in sealed envelopes. Raval said he has 10 copies of the report in his hand besides the the report in the sealed cover. The bench was also supplied in a sealed cover the report of the Registrar General of the Delhi High Court who was asked to be at the Patiala House yesterday. Latest India News Follow us on students refuse to appear before jnu panel teachers demand more members New Delhi: JNU teachers have questioned the "scope" of the university probe panel inquiring into the raising of alleged anti-national slogans on campus and demanded that more members should be included into the high-level committee. The members of the students council, who have been asked to appear before the committee, have also refused to participate in enquiry process citing "unjust" academic suspension of 8 students. While the students are boycotting the classes demanding release of the JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar, the teachers are divided over the disruption of classes. "The committee which has been constituted by the university has only three members in it and all of them are from the same department. This is such a serious matter. We should have more 'democratic' composition of the panel with members from outside JNU who can probe the matter in an unbiased manner," said Bikramaditya Choudhary, Secretary, JNU Teachers Association. "The panel should also include members from the hostel committee, equal opportunity cell and the gender sensitisation panel. We have decided that teachers will support the student agitation but perform their academic duties and submitted our demands to the Vice Chancellor," he added. The members of JNU students council were asked to appear before the probe panel for seeking "clarifications" regarding the February 9 incident. "We feel that the composition of the committee is undemocratic. Also the academic suspension of the students on basis of the so called preliminary report is 'unjustified'," a student councillor said. The JNU administration had instituted a "disciplinary" enquiry as to how the event against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, took place despite withdrawal of permission. The varsity's students union president is in judicial custody in a sedition case in connection with the event. Latest India News Follow us on tricolour to be hoisted atop all central universities rules mhrd New Delhi: In an apparent bid to evoke strong nationalistic sentiments amidst alleged anti-India slogans being raised during protests at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and the Jadavpur University in West Bengal, the central government today made it mandatory to hoist the Indian Tricolour atop a 207-feet mast across all central universities in India. The initiative will take off at JNU where the first such flag will be hoisted. The decision was arrived at during a meeting called upon by the Union Minister for Human Resource Development Smriti Irani with all vice-chancellors of central universities across India. The meeting was called in the wake of the suicide by Dalit student Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad last month, which had triggered nationwide outcry over alleged social discrimination on campus. Invoking a sense of respect for national symbols among students is what appears to be the idea behind the decision to have the Tricolour mandatorily hoisted at all central universities. The decision also comes amid widespread outrage over the events of February 9 where some alleged anti-India slogans were raised. The arrest of JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar from the campus has ruffled students as well teachers of the university. Kanhaiya is in judicial custody on charges of sedition and criminal conspiracy over the holding of an event at the university against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. The HRD ministry had also asked all the universities to submit a status report on implementation of 2012 UGC regulations, including creating equal opportunity cells and appointing anti-discrimination officers. A total of 12 resolutions were passed in today's meeting. Latest India News Follow us on barrack obama to embark on historic visit to cuba in march Washington: Barack Obama today announced that he along with Michelle will next month make a landmark Cuba visit, the first by a US President in nearly 90 years, as the two arch rivals look to bury their Cold War-era animosity. "Next month, I'll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people," Obama said in one of a series of tweets. "14 months ago, I announced that we would begin normalising relations with Cuba and we've already made significant progress," he said. Obama's brief stop is planned for March 21-22. On Obama's Cuba visit, White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes, said, "For more than fifty years, the United States pursued a policy of isolating and pressuring Cuba. While the policy was rooted in the context of the Cold War, our efforts continued long after the rest of the world had changed." "Put simply, US Cuba policy wasn't working and was well beyond its expiration date. Cuba's political system did not change," he said. Talking about the landmark visit, Obama said, "We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly. America will always stand for human rights around the world." Calvin Coolidge was the last US president to visit Cuba in 1928. He went there to address the Sixth Annual International Conference of American States in Havana. Latest World News Follow us on china deploys anti aircraft missiles on disputed south china sea island Beijing: China has deployed missiles to a disputed island in the South China Sea even as President Barack Obama called for 'tangible steps' to settle territorial disputes in the resource-rich region at the conclusion of a summit with Southeast Asian leaders. According to media reports, satellite images showed two batteries of eight surface-to-air HQ-9 missile launchers as well as a radar system on Woody Island, part of the Paracel Island chain in the South China Sea. According to the images, a beach on the island was empty on February 3, but the missiles were visible by February 14. A US official said the imagery showed the HQ-9 air defence system with a range of over 200 kilometres, which would pose a threat to any civilian or military airplane flying close by, the report said. It is the same island where a US Navy destroyer sailed close to another contested island a few weeks ago. Woody Island is part of the Paracels chain, under Chinese control for more than 40 years also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. The missiles arrived on the island over the past week. A US official confirmed that China has placed a surface-to-air missile system on Woody Island and the State Department said commercial satellite imagery appears to indicate that China has deployed such a system. Spokesman Mark Toner told reporters here, that if true, China's action "will raise tensions further in the region." China described the report as media hype. "We believe this is an attempt by certain Western media to create news stories," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said. Claiming that the development was largely civilian oriented and benefited the region, Wang pointed to the construction of light houses, weather stations, and rescue and shelter facilities for fishermen. "All of those are actions that China, as the biggest littoral state in the South China Sea, has undertaken to provide more public goods and services to the international community and play its positive role there," he said. Wang said China's construction of military infrastructure was "consistent with the right to self-preservation and self-protection that China is entitled to under international law, so there should be no question about that." The reported move by China comes as President Obama hosted 10 Asia-Pacific leaders in California, many of those concerned over China's recent activity in the South China Sea. The US will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, and will support the right of all countries to do the same, Obama said yesterday, as he called for "tangible steps" to reduce tensions in the disputed and natural resource-rich South China Sea. With PTI Inputs Latest World News Follow us on make in india lockheed martin ready to manufacture f 16 fighter jet in india Singapore: US fighter jet maker Lockheed Martin today said it is ready to manufacture F-16 aircraft in India and supports the ongoing talks between the two countries to set up the first manufacturing facility. If the company gets all clearances and starts manufacturing jets in India, it will be one of the largest projects under the 'Make in India' initiative. The American company, however, did not commit any time-frame to have the plant operational, saying the group supports the ongoing government-to-government talks. "We are ready to manufacture F-16 in India and support the Make in India initiative," Phil Shaw, chief executive of Lockheed Martin India Private Ltd told reporters at the Singapore Airshow 2016. Shaw expressed strong interest in having the F-16 made in India 'soon' without elaborating on the time-frame, linking it to the progress of the government-to-government talks. Currently, Lockheed Martin manufactures one jet a month from its plant in the US and has a series of contracts and joint ventures in India with over 1,000 employees. It has supplied six C130J Super Hercules planes to India in 2011 and will be delivering another six helicopters next year. Industry observers said Lockheed Martin's "wish to manufacture F-16 is based on the strong demand from the Indian armed forces and would want to lower the cost of the planes for exports by using the low-cost capability in India". "Certainly, Lockheed Martin would want to exploit the engineering skill and low cost capabilities in India and make F-16 very competitive in the fighter jet markets," a well-informed source said. "Both the US government and Lockheed Martin see the advantage of placing a manufacturing base in India and make F-16 affordable for emerging markets," the source said. The making of F-16, which will be among the largest projects under the Make in India initiative, will be conditional to the Indian government making contractual commitment to buy the fighter jets for its armed forces, said the source. "Washington, in return, would ensure technology transfer to the Indian engineering sector and a huge boost to Indian exports," he said. If the two government reach an agreement this year or 2017, putting aside all differences on the mega project and the US' move to supply eight F-16 to Pakistan, Lockheed Martin could roll out the first made in India jet in 2019-2020, said the source. Lockheed Martin has already decided on India as its best option for low-cost and highly qualified engineering workforce, and the final go on this is dependent on approval from New Delhi and Washington. With PTI Inputs Latest World News Follow us on not playing china card against india nepal pm k p oli Kathmandu: K.P. Oli, Prime Minister of Nepal, on the eve of his six-day visit to the Indian soil said that his country is not playing the "China Card" against India. Attending a press conference ahead of his face-mending India visit, Oli declined the allegations that accused him of playing the "China Card" against his neighbouring country in the wake of the border blockade due to protests by Madhesis. The prolonged strike by the Madhesis had caused severe shortage of essential goods, including petrol and cooking gas, in the country. "It is not true that Nepal has played any card against India," he told reporters at his office. "I won't play a card against any country," Prime Minister Oli said, adding in a lighter vein that, "I don't know how to play a card." "There is no question of playing a card for one against the other. We want to develop friendly relations with both our great neighbours on the basis of mutual respect and benefit," 63-year-old Oli said. Earlier some reports had said that Oli could visit China before India due to hiccups in Indo-Nepal ties over the Madhesi issue. Amid strain in Indo-Nepal ties, China was seen by analysts as getting closer to Nepal especially by providing essential goods to the crisis-hit nation. Oli has also said that he will visit China within a month after his India trip as part of his government's policy to enhance cooperation with immediate neighbours. "Our country will definitely benefit from my visit to India beginning from Friday and we won't lose from the visit," the Prime Minister said today. During Oli's visit, the two countries are expected to sign a number of pacts, mostly related to the areas on which agreement has been reached in the past, sources close to the premier said. Two MoUs -- one on the USD 1 billion line of credit that India has already committed to Nepal during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit and another on USD 1 billion that India has pledged during External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's trip here for the country's post-earthquake reconstruction will be signed during Oli's visit, the sources said. Oli, during the press interaction, said, "To gain friendship is also a gain and we will get much more than that (from the visit)." He said he has no specific agenda for the talks as the visit is taking place in very complex and special circumstances. "The main focus of the visit will be to create favourable situation and to build trust," Oli asserted. (With PTI inputs) Latest World News Follow us on obama to sign north korea sanctions bill confirms white house Washington: The White House said that President Barack Obama will sign legislation hitting North Korea with more stringent sanctions for refusing to stop its nuclear weapons program. Congress approved the bill on Friday. Until now, the White House had said that Obama wouldn't oppose the bill, but hadn't committed to signing it. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said today that Obama will sign the bill into law. The expanded sanctions from Congress come as the US and China are in delicate negotiations over a UN Security Council resolution on new sanctions. China has raised concerns about measures that could devastate North Korea's economy. Looking to take a harder line after North Korea's recent nuclear test and rocket launch, Seoul and Washington will begin talks soon on deploying a sophisticated U.S. missile defense system in South Korea. The new tough stance follows South Korea's decision to shut down an inter-Korean factory park that had been the rival Koreas' last major symbol of cooperation, but that Seoul said had been used by North Korea to fund its nuclear and missile programs. North Korea responded by deporting South Korean citizens, seizing South Korean assets and vowing to militarize the park. South Korea on Friday cut off power and water supplies to the industrial park and announced that its planned talks with the United States on deploying the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, one of the most advanced missile defense systems in the world, could start next week. Officials say they have yet to set a specific starting date for the talks. Latest World News Follow us on smoking kills more people than obama ad in moscow creates flutter Moscow: An advertisement, illegally placed at a bus stop in Moscow declaring that smoking kills more people than Obama has gone viral on social media. The inscription on the poster reads: "Smoking kills more people than Obama, although he really kills a lot of people. Don't smoke. Don't be like Obama." According to reports, the poster was apparently supposed to be a joke and had an inscription comparing the bad habit with the policies of US President Barack Obama. It still remains unknown who put up the poster. The perpetrators are said to have opened the glass at the bus stop, removed the original ad and replaced it with the controversial ad. A spokesman for the Moscow department of media and advertising Konstantin Gorokhov stated that the poster will be removed shortly from the Moscow bus stop. Some have taken the anti-Obama ad as a reference to a Stop Obama! video posted last week that showed dozens of Russian students falling to the floor as if dead, revealing a lone girl with a sign claiming that the president of the United States kills 875 people every week. The call was posted the day after a video appeal to the United Nations in which students at universities around Russia declared that Obama should be punished for thousands of lost lives. In January, a banner replacing the word hope in Barack Obama's iconic 2008 election poster with killer was hung from a residential building across from the US embassy in Moscow. In early, February a video was broadcast on the sides of buildings in Moscow calling for Obama to be judged by a Hague war crimes tribunal. Latest World News Follow us on arun jaitley condemns attacks on journalists at patiala house court New Delhi: Amid mounting criticism over attacks on scribes at a court complex in New Delhi, Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday termed the incidents as highly improper and condemnable and asserted that the media has unhindered right to report. Media has an unhindered right to report; Attack on media persons is highly improper and condemnable, the Information & Broadcasting Minister said in a tweet. Media persons covering JNU sedition case were attacked by men dressed in lawyers' robes on Monday and the violence was repeated Wednesday at the Patiala House court complex. The attack took place when JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar was being produced in the court. Earlier in the day, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that alternative voice in the university should also be heard. JNU is a very premier institution of India, widely respected also. It has produced outstanding civil servants, great academicians and also well known public figures. Its faculty and students also excel well. We all think there is also a very eloquent, powerful and constructive alternative voice in the JNU. The country is equally eager to hear that voice, Prasad said. On Tuesday, top editors of national media and hundreds of journalists took out a march demanding action against those involved in beating members of media at the court complex. They also sought Supreme Court's intervention in protecting the freedom of speech. The journalists also demanded Police Commissioner BS Bassi be sacked due to alleged inaction by the security personnel at the court complex on Monday when journalists, students and teachers of JNU where attacked by people wearing lawyers' black robes. A separate delegation of journalists had met Home Minister Rajnath Singh demanding his intervention in ensuring accountability of the Delhi Police who watched silently as the assault happened. There is criticism from the right wing that the university has become a hotbed of extreme Left elements articulating anti-national sentiments. Follow us on huge scam in freedom 251 mobile phone says bjp mp kirit somaiya New Delhi: The booking of Freedom 251, touted as world's cheapest smartphone, has been closed today with the website promising of the resumption of services within 24 hours. The company's website also claimed that it has received 6 lakh booking orders However, BJP MP, Kirit Somaiya has raised doubts over the claims of the website saying that there is something fishy about it and added the company Ringing Bells (which has launched the cell phone) is registered only three months back. Huge scam in Freedom 251 mobile phone, said BJP lawmaker Kirit Somaiya. The Noida based start up took the world by surprise after it launched a Rs.251 (less than $4) Made in India smartphone that if works well will be a game changer. The smartphone was slated to be available for online purchase from 6 AM today but the website crashed soon and it is yet to be ascertained that anyone has successfully placed the order. According to the company, Freedom 251 smartphone has been developed with immense support from the government. Freedom 251' heralds a new era in the mobile handset and telecom industry from the end consumer perspective in India. Farmers would have access to real time weather forecast and soil conditions which will help them enhance their productivity and income, Ringing Bells president Ashok Chadha said in a statement. Follow us on rss trying to impose its flawed ideology rahul gandhi New Delhi: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today said that those who were involved in anti-national activities must be punished but innocents should not be victimised. He was talking to media persons after he led a party delegation to meet President Pranab Mukherjee . Lashing out at the RSS , Gandhi said that Sangh is trying to impose it's ideology on students of nation, we won't let that happen. This nation will prosper because of its student's imagination, imposing an ideology on them will not benefit the nation, he added Rahul said patriotism is in my blood if anyone has said anything against the nation he must be punished but the whole university must not be dubbed as anti-national Questioning the law and order situation, Rahul said, Journalists were thrashed in public with police just watching.This has damaged India's image globally-Rahul Gandhi Taking a swipe at his critics, the congress vice president also said Nationalism is in my blood, my family sacrificed again & again for this nation. Citing the attacks in Patiala House court here, Congress had yesterday alleged that jungle raj is prevailing in Delhi. JNU students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar and some journalists were yesterday attacked in a court complex here by rowdy lawyers. Despite instructions by the apex court to ensure security at the Patiala House Court, where violent men in black robes had attacked journalists on Monday, Delhi Police failed to prevent the attack on Kumar, who has been accused of sedition. On Monday too, journalists were attacked by such elements. The Congress Vice President had led protests over the Rohith Vemula issue in Hyderabad and also the FTII students agitation in Pune. Follow us on pm modi to address farmers rally in madhya pradesh today New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address farmers today at Kisan Kalyan Mela at Sherpur village in Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh. The Prime Minister will highlight his government initiatives for the development of the agriculture sector and welfare of farmers. He will also release operational guidelines of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna at today's rally. The visit assumes more importance as BJP recently won the Maihar by-poll for the second time in the history with more than 28,000 votes. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on behalf of farmers, will felicitate Modi as Kisan Mitra' for launching Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojna, Soil Health Card Scheme, National Agriculture Market scheme, relaxing rules for awarding compensation and for launching Kisan Channel, Agriculture department's principal secretary, Dr Rajesh Rajora said. On the occasion, Modi will also distribute soil health cards and compensation to three farmers each as a token. He will also handover the trophy of 'Krishi Karman Award' for 2013-14 to Chouhan as he was unable to receive it at a ceremony in Rajasthan. "Madhya Pradesh has processed claims worth Rs 4,300 crore of nearly 20 lakh farmers - largest by any state in the country so far under the existing crop insurance scheme -- whose crops were damaged due to various reasons," he said. According to an official release, the Prime Minister is likely to arrive at Bhopal's Raja Bhoj Airport 12.55 PM and will leave for Sherpur in a helicopter and reach there at 1.30 PM. Modi will visit Kisan Kalyan Mela at Sherpur and after taking part in the felicitation programme by farmers, he will leave from helipad at 2.45 PM for Bhopal from where he will leave for Delhi at 3.10 PM, it said. State government has designated Minister for Higher and Technical Education, Uma Shankar Gupta and Revenue Minister, Rampal Singh as Minister-in-Waiting for the visit. Gupta will be present at the airport to receive the PM while Singh will welcome Modi at Sherpur helipad, it said. Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the high-profile visit with Sehore by-pass remaining out of bound for Indore-Bhopal commuters, a senior police official said. Follow us on rahul gandhi to meet president today over jnu row New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will meet President Pranab Mukherjee today in regard of the seething controversy of JNU and targeting of lawyers and students outside Patiala House Court here. The party president, along with senior leaders and also the young MPs of the party, is expected to highlight the "lawlessness" in Delhi in the wake of Patiala House court attacks and the way the government has handled the JNU row as also the Rohith Vemula suicide and the agitation in FTII in Pune. Party sources said Gandhi will be accompanied by Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of the party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and several other party leaders and MPs. Only yesterday, Congress had demanded immediate removal of Police Commissioner BS Bassi. Citing the attacks in Patiala House court here, Congress had yesterday alleged that "jungle raj" is prevailing in Delhi. JNU students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar and some journalists were yesterday attacked in a court complex here by rowdy lawyers. Despite instructions by the apex court to ensure security at the Patiala House Court, where violent men in black robes had attacked journalists on Monday, Delhi Police failed to prevent the attack on Kumar, who has been accused of sedition. On Monday too, journalists were attacked by such elements. The Congress Vice President had led protests over the Rohith Vemula issue in Hyderabad and also the FTII students agitation in Pune. with PTI inputs Follow us on rahul gandhi is a traitor should be punished rajasthan bjp mla New Delhi: A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA in Rajasthan has attacked the Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, calling him a 'traitor' and saying that he should be 'hanged' and 'shot' for supporting anti-national elements at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Kailash Choudhary, MLA from Baytoo in Barmer district,said, "Some people...raised slogans praising Afzal Guru, about breaking India and of Pakistan Zindabad...and if Rahul Gandhi, who is called the Congress' rajkumar, goes and sides with these people...stands with them and supports them...it is treason." "Rahul Gandhi is a traitor...such a traitor should be punished...should be hanged ...and shot," he added. He also demanded an apology from the Congress vice-president. When reporters asked him specifically about his remark, the MLA said, "Yes, I said it. If he (Rahul) goes and supports such anti-national people...he should be shot. I am a nationalist and if anyone raises a finger at Bharat Mata, I will not tolerate it." Meanwhile, Yoga guru Baba Ramdev today said that association with anti-nationals is treachery and that the political leaders should go beyond vote bank politics and should not compromise with the nation's sovereignty and unity. "It is necessary to know who raised anti-national slogans. But it is clear that the mass which gathered there was not nationalist. Association with the anti-nationals is also treachery. Involving in anti-national activities and supporting it has been considered as crime, both legally and spiritually. The political leaders should go beyond vote bank politics and should not compromise with the nation's sovereignty and unity," Ramdev said. "Supporting the people who raise 'anti-national' slogans is wrong. It is the responsibility of the government to see to it that action is taken against any anti-national element and innocents are not caught. The anti-national slogans are not right for the unity and sovereignty of the nation," he added. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is in trouble for showing solidarity with the students of JNU. A case was registered against him in a district court in Allahabad yesterday for his opposition to the police action against students of the JNU who had taken part in a demonstration where "anti-national" slogans were raised. Follow us on reconsidering orop denial to premature retirees manohar parrikar New Delhi: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said government is reconsidering the denial of the OROP scheme to premature retirees. In an interview, Parrikar said a one-member judicial commission can also relook at equilising pensions. The One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme announced by the government at present does not cover those who take early retirement, something that the veterans demanding OROP have opposed. Equilisation of pensions at present is to be done every five years, while the veterans want it to be done every year. Talking about the big-ticket Rafale deal, the defence minister said that price is a big problem that is delaying the government-to-government deal for the fighter jets, even as France has on a percent offsets clause, a statement from the channel said. India signed an inter-governmental pact with France to buy 36 Rafale fighters but the price negotiations are still on. France is said to have quoted around $9 billion for the 36 jets. The deal would includes two types of missiles abd bombs, training of pilots and base facilities for the planes. The minister also said he is "hurt" by the US decision to sell F-16 jets to Pakistan, a move which India has vocally opposed. The minister also said he is convinced that ISI was involved in the 26/11 attack, adding that MEA could ask Pakistan to move the case relating to Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, the alleged handler of the Mumbai attackers, to a military court. On the recent attack at an airbase in Pathankot, the minister said there were gaps in security, adding that local labourers could have helped the terrorists. He also made it clear that the special investigation team from Pakistan probing the case there will not be allowed inside the Pathankot airbase. Asked about the 7th Pay Commission and the concerns of the forces, the minister said it is being studied, and promised "rectification". Were excited to announce that indmin.com is now part of fastmarkets.com. A new look and an improved experience means you can still stay ahead of this fast-moving market with price data, news and market intelligence right here on Fastmarkets. Discover more than 2000 prices, news and analysis in primary and secondary metals markets. We cover base metals, industrial minerals, ores and alloys, steel, scrap and steel raw materials. If you already have a Fastmarkets account, youll still have uninterrupted access to your markets by logging in with your current details. John Pilger: Extremists Run The US And The UK On today's special episode of Loud & Clear, host Brian Becker is joined for the full hour from Sydney, Australia by prolific filmmaker and journalist John Pilger. Pilger explains why he believes "extremists" run the political system in the United States and the UK. He talks about why he supports Julian Assange, what whitleblowers mean to society today, and why he feels real change will never come from within mainstream political parties. Why Does US Avoid N. Korea Talks? By Finian Cunningham February 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " American Herald Tribune " - Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have reignited yet again after the Norths rocket launch earlier this month. An obvious solution to avoid recurring war risk is to convene mutual talks. But thats the last thing that Washington appears to want. It was indomitable British wartime leader Winston Churchill (1874-1965) who famously coined the phrase: To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war. Meaning dialogue with ones enemy is always the preferred option. Thats saying something coming from Churchill whose popular image is one of a feisty pugilist. The admonition is apposite in the context of the latest bout of tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei this week urged the United States and North Korea to engage in earnest talks over long-running security disputes. Washington has given no indication of heeding Chinas advice. Indeed, the latest move has seen US F-22 stealth warplanes make flyovers in South Korea this week in a show of military strength to the North. We urge the US and North Korea to sit down and negotiate to explore ways of resolving each others reasonable concerns, and to finally achieve the goal we all want,said Hong Lei during diplomatic talks with counterparts in South Korean capital Seoul. China is certainly not happy with its traditional North Korean allys recent rash behavior. After the latest rocket launch, China made a rare rebuke of Pyongyang, especially since its appeals to refrain from the launch had been ignored. Nevertheless, Beijing sees the US policy of constantly sanctioning and isolating North Korea as futile. Surely, the goal we all want must be normal, peaceful relations in the region, not just between the two Koreas, but more generally. In this regard, Washingtons hidebound policy of isolating and sanctioning North Korea is untenable. The persistent Cold War posture is a dead-end. More ominously, such policy casts a dangerous shadow over regional relations. Its logical conclusion is relentless conflict, and ultimately all-out war. Pyongyangs latest satellite launch using ballistic rocket power coming only weeks after an underground nuclear blast test has once again reignited tensions and recriminations. South Korea has responded by withdrawing economic links via the Kaesong industrial complex, and this week President Park Geung-hye warned the North that it faces regime collapse if it pursues its nuclear weapons program. There are even calls among South Korean and Japanese politicians for their states to acquire nuclear weapons as protective measures. North Koreas leader Kim Jung-Un has responded angrily that Seouls cutting off economic ties is an act of war. There is a depressing predictability to this spiral of belligerence. For more than 50 years, since the Korean War ended in 1953, the divided states have been convulsed by repetitive confrontations, which inevitably mar wider regional relations. Washingtons response to North Koreas latest rocket launch on February 7 is also predictable. It has accused Pyongyang of threatening its allies in the region and of secretly building intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) aimed at striking the United States mainland. Presidential contenders in the US are vying with each other in condemning North Korea as a national security threat. If any of the Republican party contenders are elected as president later this year, based on their fiery rhetoric, we can expect further deterioration in northeast Asian relations. In claiming to defend its allies, the US is already moving ahead with the installation of the anti-ballistic missile shield in South Korea and Japan. The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system has long been opposed by China as a destabilizing shift in the balance of nuclear power. Ostensibly, deployed to defend against future North Korea ICBMs, the THAAD system also undermines Chinas own nuclear forces because it can be viewed as affording the US a first-strike nuclear potential. There is more than a sneaking suspicion that Washington is using the alleged threat posed by North Korea as a pretext for its bigger strategic ambitions of undermining China. In any case, what needs to be recognized is that five decades of hostility must be averted. There must be a profound policy change. And China is right. The only forward for a viable, sustainable future is through genuine dialogue. It is no good just condemning North Korea over its behavior. Yes, Pyongyang can be accused of violating United Nations sanctions and provoking tensions. But the question needs also to be asked: why has the United States steadfastly refused to engage in dialogue with North Korea? The last multi-lateral talks involving the US, the two Koreas, China, Japan and Russia broke down in 2008 and have not been resumed, largely due to Washingtons insistence on demonizing Pyongyang as a rogue state. Thats amazing when you think about it. No substantive talks in nearly a decade while the danger of a nuclear confrontation looms. Those talks broke down because North Korea accused Washington of not delivering on promised sanctions relief and on technological assistance to convert its nuclear program for civilian applications. Sensing that Washington was not prepared to normalize relations, the North resumed its nuclear weapons program. In 2009, it conducted its second atomic blast test, in 2013 the third and in January this year, the fourth. Clearly, at this rate, the impasse with North Korea will only lead to a grave confrontation some time in the future. Given the brutal history of war and destruction rained down on North Korea by the US during the Korean War in which millions died from massive carpet bombing of cities it is understandable that Pyongyang has deep grievances and apprehensions about American intentions. Especially since the US and its South Korean ally never signed an armistice to definitely conclude the 1950-53 war with a peace treaty. From North Koreas viewpoint, it remains on a war footing because Washington in particular has not given a commitment to abide by peaceful relations. What is Pyongyang to do given the decades of US-imposed crippling economic sanctions, recurring war games and Washingtons offensive Cold War-style rhetoric lampooning it as a rogue state? Jaw-jaw is better than war-war, but Washingtons refusal to engage in mutual dialogue leaves little option other than perennial conflict. Which tends to answer the bigger question of why the US avoids talk and normalizing relations. Peace in the region would remove Americas self-justification for maintaining its inordinate military presence. That suggests that the real problem here is not North Korea. It is the US and its destabilizing hegemonic ambitions. Finian Cunningham (born 1963) has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. For over 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and Independent. Iraq post-9/11: Bob Gates, Careerist Sycophancy, and the Real History of the Deep State A veteran CIA officer explains to Salon exactly where the agency has gone wrong for decades and the consequences By Patrick L. Smith February 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Salon " - In a lengthy exchange with Ray McGovern, or when you listen to him speak, a lot comes at you. This is a former C.I.A. officer who, as branch chief in the analysis section, counted daily White House briefings among his tasks. Given his years out in Langley, Virginiafrom the early Kennedy days until he retired in 1990he was witness to the agencys collapse into a factory producing politically and ideologically motivated intelligence. Long before the end, Langley had turned into a building full of prostitutesMcGoverns word not too strong. McGovern can get very granular as he describes what he saw. Elsewhere in the News, a discriminating new website that searches out material you ought to see but may miss, just posted this remarkable radio interview, in which McGovern analyzes the fate of the 2002 intelligence report advising the Bush II administration there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. More than a million deaths and one Islamic State later, McGovern tells us what this kind of corruption looks like from the inside and how it felt to watch it. We explore such things in this, Part 2 of the lengthy interview I conducted with McGovern when we found ourselves at a conference in Moscow last December. But two other things struck me as I prepared the transcript. One, I tipped my later questions toward the personal, and McGovern did not flinch. Along with the story of an institutions decay, he here describes his inner turmoil as his consciencewhich is formidablestarted sending distress signals. Maybe readers will be as moved as I was. Maybe they will draw from it as much as I did. Two, McGoverns true offering now, beyond the inner-circle accounts of how things were, is a posturea way of standing in relation to the world of crisis we find ourselves living in. McGovern never declares his couragehe is, indeed, highly self-critical of some of his judgmentsbut his guts and commitment ought to be evident, and they are two other things the rest of us might learn from. He likes to quote Camus. We have nothing to lose but everything. So lets go ahead, the French writer said when he won the Nobel in literature in 1957. This is the wager of a generation. If we are to fail it is better, in any case, to have stood on the side of those who refuse to be dogs and are resolved to pay the price that must be paid so that man can be something more than a dog. McGovern had this in the speech that got me to pick up the telephone and call him a long while back. I think it has relevance today, he added quietly before moving on. You began your analysis work [in the C.I.A.] with the goal of developing rational policies that might be of use in enacting legitimate change in the United States government and its foreign policy. When did you become disillusioned with this endeavor? Did you fall off your horse on the way to Damascus? This makes for a less interesting story, but the answer is no. It was gradual? When I joined the agency, the headquarters had just been constructed. John Kennedy was president. Chiseled into the marble foyer: You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. So Im looking at that and Im hearing my Irish grandmother saying [slips into a thick brogue], Be truthful and honest, Raymond, and you wont give a damn what anyone says about you. [Laughs] I thought, This is going to be a good place to work. And it was. My portfolio was Soviet foreign policy toward China, the international communist movement, Vietnam. Then it broadened out into other things when I became branch chief. I could tell it like it was. Since the Soviet Union was high in priority, every month or so something I wrote or something my branch people wrote would get before the president the next morning. Thats as good as it gets! Would they change it up the line? Well, theyd fix the spelling and the grammar, but no, they wouldnt change it. Was that always the case? No, it wasnt. There were some big thingswhen, for example, Dick Helms [Richard Helms, C.I.A. director, 1966-73], bowed before [General William] Westmoreland on Vietnam and missed a chance to stop the war halfway through. And we have great regrets about that. I could have spoken out then and didnt. Thats why we give a Sam Adams Award every year. It wasnt formally so, but generally speaking, if LBJ came to us, which he did, and said [begins an impression of Johnsons Texas drawl], We have these blue-suit guys with all the stars, and they say weve got a B-52, these big, big, big, big planes. Theyre going to drop bombs and were going to seal off the Ho Chi Minh trail. What do yall think about that? Now, we suppress the laugh and say, Well get back to you. Two days later, after a decent interval, we say, Mr. President, we have to tell you, with all respect to your blue-suited generals, the Ho Chi Minh trail doesnt look anything like I-66 or I-95. You cant see most of it from the air, with the [jungle] canopy and stuff, and besides its not one, its about 161 trails. No matter how many big bombs, youre not going to be able to interdict the flow of men and supplies. And No. 2, we know Ho Chi Minh. Sam here literally took him into Hanoi after the war [World War II] on his shoulders. Hes a nationalist before hes a communist. Hes not going to give up. As a matter of fact, Mr. President, No. 3, nobody ever gives up just on the bombing. So whats the lesson from that? The lesson from that is, man, we did our job! But the president? Well, the president had other considerations. He didnt want to be the first president to lose a war. So he disregarded our advice and became the first president to lose a war. Is that one source of your disillusionment? Agency analysis conducted with integrity being either ignored or doctored? No, ignored is O.K. Thats the system. We elected LBJ. Doctored? No. Ill tell you how the doctored happened. A fellow worked for me, his name is Robert Gates [later C.I.A. director, 1991-93, and defense secretary under George W. Bush and Barack Obama]. He was a young analyst and pretty bright, not as bright as some of the other people in my Soviet foreign policy branch, but he was so ambitious that youd see him floating around two levels above me and he was a very disruptive influence in the branch. Here I am, first branch, first managerial position, and I figure at efficiency report time, this is the process where you adjust that. So, I didnt check with my fellow branch chiefs, who were giving everybody outstanding appraisals, and I wrote what I thought about Bobby Gates. I said, Reasonably bright, good future, but he needs to stop being so transparent in his ambition because hes a disruptive influence in the branch. He objected to that, and 10 years later he becomes chief of all analysis. What happens then? Bill Casey [William Casey, C.I.A. director 1981-87] is in; Ronald Reagan is in. Bill Casey sees a communist under every rock in Nicaragua. Bobby Gates turns over the rocks and says, I see two of them, Mr. Casey. There are two of them there. Everyone who saw Russians under rocks in Nicaragua got promoted. I say this for an important reason. Were talking 1981, right? It takes a generation to corrupt an institution. Fast forward to 2002, when people who Bobby Gates promoted because they saluted smartly and saw a Soviet under every rocknot because they cared much about the substance of thingstheyre around a table when George Tenet [C.I.A. director, 1996-2004] finally comes back from the White House and says, Damn, we have to do an estimate on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Senator Graham [Bob Graham, Florida Democrat, 1987-2005, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee] says that hes not going to let a vote happen before a war in Iraq without an estimate. I dont know this to be literally true, but I used to sit around that table. He [Tenet] just got back from the White House and cant avoid the estimate anymore. Of course, they were avoiding the estimate, because an honest estimate [on WMD] would have said, There aint none! So [Tenet says], We cant avoid that anymore. And just two things: We have to do it in 10 days and it has to come out the way Dick Cheney said it was on the 26th of August. Now were talking mid-September in 2002. [The Bush II White House authorized the invasion of Iraq the following March.] If any director had said that to us in my day, we would have said, Ha! George, thats a good one! But youre not serious, right? And if he said he was serious we would have been the hell out of there. Maybe thered be one or two sycophants hanging around, but hed know he had an insurrection on his hands. These careerists in managerial positions said, O.K., we can do that. Ten days? No problem. Why 10 days? Because they wanted to force a vote in Congress before the midterms [of November 2002]. It was very, very clear. Somewhere I read that Rumsfeld actually acknowledged that. What Im saying here is thats how it happened, and I was very lucky because I was briefing Vice President [George H.W.] Bush and all of Reagans chief advisers[Defense Secretary Caspar] Weinberger, [Secretary of State George] Shultz and the rest of them. It was one-on-one and I could tell them the truth. This was when Bobby Gates was chief of analysis. There were occasions years later when I finally realized that Bush, for example, was well in on the Iran-Contra stuff, but by and large I could tell the truth on substantive mattersincluding on Nicaraguaand I did. I remember one morning when I carried in to Shultz a piece just pulled off the TASS ticker indicating he had just been invited to visit Moscow. How to R.S.V.P. would be a delicate decision; he and I both knew that my bosses Casey and Gates, as well as Weinberger and other hardliners, were telling President Reagan that Gorbachev was just a clever Commie trying to take us in. At the same time, Shultz knew of my experience in Soviet affairs and that I remained in constant dialogue with analysts I could trustthose still putting truth-telling above career advancement and saying Gorbachev seemed to be the real deal. When Shultz probed my personal views, I was not about to join the malleable managers Casey and Gates had put in place to take the agency party lineCaution: clever Commie ahead. Surely not just because of me, but he [Schulz] goes to Moscow and finds out Gorbachev is the real deal. There are summits between Reagan and Gorbachev, largely because Shultz prevailed over Casey, Gates, Weinberger and the clowns who were the national security advisers at the time. I was lucky from 81 to 85, but when I could retire in 1990 I did, primarily because the politicization had already eroded not only the operational part but the analysis part of the agency, and that was really sad to see. I had completed enough time overseas to qualify for early retirement, reduced annuity, but I knew I had to get out of there. So thats when I left. With information handled in this way, the implication would seem to be that a great many decisions having to do with our conduct abroad are made in a condition of blindness or detachment from reality. Is this so? I would say not blindness but myopia. Or really better would be astigmatism. From my perspective as an intelligence officer, undue weight is given to political considerations of a domestic variety. Thats why we didnt end Vietnam when we should have. Thats why we did a lot of things that we shouldnt have. Domestic considerations prevail. The system is such that thats the way it should be. So whats the answer? We have to elect presidents with integrity and with some kind of feel for who their advisers should be. How Obama ever thought that he could invite Hillary Clinton and Bobby Gates [into his cabinet]thats crazy! I saw Chalmers Johnson shortly before he passed away and recall him saying to me one evening, The day Obama named Gates his defense secretary, I knew it was all over. [Laughs] Really? Oh, good! Because he [Johnson] has a real good rep in Washington. You seem to suggest that the moment has arrived when one must stand outside the tent and urinate in, if I may. You use phrases such as out of channels in your speeches. This has big implications if it applies beyond agency people but also to journalists and others. Being outside the tent is not an easy place to be. What are your thoughts on this? The benefits are out of this world. [Laughs] I look at myself in the mirror and say, Well, Im doing everything I can. I dont know how those other guys look at themselves in the mirror, except they get a lot of money. I guess that helps. I think we can make a difference, and Im just pleased as punch that so many people have joined us in Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity and also in the Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligenceyoung people, people spirited and brighter than I am and more energetic now. So we may be what, in biblical terms, would be called a remnant. But the remnant comes back. It lives in Babylonian captivity for a while but then it grows back. One of the things I actually do believe is that Americans, in particular, are guilty of giving success inordinate attention. What I mean is this: A normal American wont embark on any significant action without having a reasonable prospect of success. Nobody wants to be laughed at. One of my heroes is Dan Berrigan [Father Daniel Berrigan, the noted antiwar activist]. After the first major action [the Catonsville Nine activated in 1968], when they poured homemade napalm on draft cards, they end up in the only federal building in Catonsville, Maryland (and its the post office). Dan is wrestling with this question. This is a major action, says Dan. Was it worth it? Are people going to call me a Commie? Call me stupid? A clown? Was it worth it? Says Dan, I came to the realization that the good is worth doing because its good. Success is not unimportant, but its secondary. The beauty or the goodness or the truth of the act speaks for itself. The result is really out of our hands. So lets not, he says, be deterred by always trying to make sure were successful. He says, I took great consolation in that because I knew what I was in for, and I said Well, you know, success, dont dismiss it, its not unimportant, but its secondary. [Berrigan was convicted in 1968, sentenced in 1970, fled and was re-arrested. He was released from prison in 1972.] And thats how I come at things. It keeps me going, and more important lately have been the young people who have retired [from the agency]. One I can think of exactly, she joined 20 years after me, retired 20 years after I retired, shes 20 years younger than me and she is an incredible person. I traveled through Germany with her for eight days last September. What an incredible experience it was, not only for us to do our job there. It was the first week of the major refugee crisis, and shes fluent in Arabic. So we arrive at this bahnhof in Rostock, on the Baltic, way the hell up there, and the place is full of open suitcases and refugees from Syria, and theres a big sign on the wall: All have the same rights. And the Germans are feeding these people. My friend goes down and chats with them in Arabic. And theyre like, Oh man, somebody speaks Arabic! So all Im saying is that these people are coming out of the woodwork nowof course, the NSA guys who joined our movement and weve been nourished byso that we know a lot of things. What Im saying is that our old colleagues, a lot of them, show some shame when I run into them in the mens room at the opera or at a funeral. At least I dont feel that shame. What can you say about relations between the C.I.A. and journalists today? The Church Committee revelations of press people working for the agency landed like bombs. [The committee conducted a Senate investigation of intelligence operations in 1975.] And Ive wondered ever since, Are we supposed to think it ended there? The practice was terminated? Its a not-done among journalists to suggest publicly that someones working for the agency. Its a career-wrecker, so an ethical question. One doesnt do it without evidence, which is more or less impossible to come by. I know three recent cases that were point-blank obviousAustralian correspondents in Asia working for an American newspaper. In Washington and the foreign bureaus, I can think of half a dozen names, even more, that have to be compromisedunless the agency is getting a very cheap deal. Are there still people working two jobs, to put it delicately, as so many were in the 70s? Bill Colby [William Colby, C.I.A. director, 1973-76], as you probably remember, let himself say, We control probably 90 percent of the important people in the media. Yikes! Did he? It holds in the cases I mentioned, as their senior editors had to know. Yeah. Carl Bernstein wrote a major article on that. I worked directly under Bill Colby. I had a lot of respect for him. I wonder what happened to him; I was overseas when he perished. [Colby died while canoeing in 1996 under unclear circumstances.] I always thought, Bill, for Gods sake, hyperbole like that! But you know what? As I watched things happenfor example, Jeremy Scahill [the journalist associated with Intercept] and the others coming out with documentary evidence from a new Snowden [document] about the effects of drone strikes. When I see four drone operators confessing that they feel ashamed and that they have PTSD [in consequence of] what they did, and one of them saying, I have 1,372 confirmed kills and they gave me a medal for that. Is anything like that [published] in the New York Times? No. Washington Post? No. My God! It doesnt have to be everybody in the media, but the guys who are running things, I suppose. You say solitude is the hardest thing youre faced with. I wonder why you say this. Theres solitude and theres lonelinesslight and dark sides of the same moonand I place some value on the former so long as it doesnt tip over into the latter. Its hard to be ostracized from a profession youve given your life to. What I conclude is that, really, Im being loyal to that profession and everybody else is being ostracized. [Laughs] Youre doing the ostracizing. Good. A lot of it has to do with my faith background. I worship with an ecumenical community now. Im a Catholic by birth and still consider myself a good Catholic, and like some of the things [Pope] Francis has said, especially the blood-soaked arms tradehe says this in the Congress of the United States! [Laughs] Where I worship now, the pastor and founder of this small ecumenical church was a chaplain with the 101st Airborne Glider force flying into Normandy on the first day [D-Day, June 6, 1944] and finished up at the Battle of the Bulge because the 101st was the only tempered group [battle-tested unit] that could relieve those guys at Bastogne. He came home after the war and decided that there was no difference between the young G.I.s who were churchedhe meant churchgoingand those who werent churched: Neither knew what to expect. Long story short, he started a very new church which was involved very much in the inner city where I work. As I was leading the schoolwhich was trying to dispense the trial-and-error type of learnings we have from being involved in setting up nonprofits in the inner cityall of a sudden my former profession becomes prostitutedand thats not too strong of a wordand I start writing op-eds at night. San Francisco Examiner, Charlotte Observer, Hartford Courantwherever I can. [Laughs] The pastor, whos the CEO of the school, says, When are you doing this? I say, All night. He says, You know, maybe you should do this full time. I say, Well, you know, I need the salary you pay me to run the school. He says, Well get the salary. What do you think? So I went home and talked to Rita and she says, Yeah, that sounds all right. So I said fine. He said, Well, theres one condition. I said, Whats that? He says, When you write, were going to ask you to identify yourself with the Ecumenical Church of the Saviour. I said, Gordon, that would be terrific, but whats in that for you? You know what he says? He says, Well, No. 1, thats what church should be doing. Thats what church is for. No. 2, when they come for you, Ray, I want it to be so that theyll have to come for all of us. [Laughs] That was 10 years ago. At one point somebody says to Gordon, Well, when are you going to retire, and Gordon replies, Retire is a secular concept. [Laughs] Were near the end. If you want to step back from this question I wont press it. You may find it too personal, or difficult, but Im going to ask it anyway. You once quoted the German poem Guilt in a speech. This struck me. I was moved as I listened as you unwrapped the poem. Do you feel that you were too late in doing what you did? [Albrecht Haushofer, a geologist at the University of Berlin during the war, wrote Schuld, a sonnet, when the Gestapo arrested him and demanded a confession before executing him. Haushofer turned the occasion upside down, writing of his true guilt: I should have earlier recognized my duty. I should have more sharply called evil evil. I put off my judgment too long. McGovern quotes the poem in German.] In a sense, yes. I knew General Westmoreland was lying through his teeth on Vietnam, specifically on the question of how many Vietnamese Communists were under arms in the south. I knew that because Sam Adams, my colleague in the analysis division of the C.I.A., found it out. He went out to Saigon and found out that they were deliberately halving every regiment, every battalion, whatever. So he came back, and I said, Sam, for Gods sake, this doesnt make any sense. Generals have incentive to magnify the size of the enemy. Whats going on here? And he says, Ray, you know the weekly kill rate and the original figures for how many Vietnamese Communists under arms there werelike 250,000 or 300,000. The press corps in Saigon is not the brightest, but they can do arithmetic. If you admit that there are 500,000, and thats how many there are, theyre going to do the math in Saigon. Were talking the 20th of August 1967, and he says, Yesterday morning came in a NODISa no dissemination, very closely held. You had to go up to the directors office to read it. A NODIS from General Abrams, Westmorelands deputy. And he says specifically, We cant possibly go with the higher numbers because we have been projecting an image of success in this war and theres nothing we can say, despite adducing all the caveats, that will prevent the press from drawing an erroneous and gloomy conclusion. I said, Sam, he said that in writing? Sam says, Yeah, its right upstairs. Sam was a real straight arrow. I knew that he would never go to the New York Times. You have to realize that the New York Times was an independent newspaper in those days. If you took something to them, and they backstopped it and looked into it and found it to be almost certainly authentic, they would put it on the front page. So here I am thinking, Sams not going to do this, maybe I could ask Sam to burn me a copy of that thing. It would have been difficult because it was in the directors office and all, but somebody needs to take that down to the New York Times bureau, Sheehan or somebody else, and give it to them. Were talking August 1967. That way maybe people can see the God-awful deception thats going on here. [Neil Sheehan was in the Times Washington bureau; in 1971 he obtained the Pentagon Papers from Daniel Ellsberg.] Well, McGovern had a nice, plum assignment in Munich coming up, he had three children at the time, and he had a big mortgage, and he said to himself, You know, I think maybe Ill wait until I get more gravitas and more what the Germans call Format [literally form or shape, in this case meaning weight, position, seniority.] Next time theres something like this Im going to let em have it. So I chickened out. Sam Adams fought through the system, went through channels just like Tom Drake did in NSA, and got nowhere. Went to the IG [inspector-general] and said, Dick Helms should be fired for giving in to Westmoreland, knowing that Westmoreland was wrong. Got nowhere. Sam Adams died from an early heart attack at age 56, no explanation for it, incredibly grieved. Youve seen the Vietnam Memorial [ Maya Lins controversial monument near the National Mall in Washington]? Its in the shape of a V. There would be no V, there would be no left arm of that thing, because there wouldnt be any names of dead G.I.s to carve into that granite. Thats a heavy burden. Were talking August 67. Tet [the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Tet offensive] came in 68. One of the things Sam couldnt resist, he sent a cable out to Saigon and said, Gosh, its amazing that we should be suffering some casualties from all those battalions that dont exist. So theres no humor to that. Sam went to an early death. I still feel that I muffed that one, and thats probably one reason I feel that so strongly when you get a guy like Ed Snowden or a guy like [Julian] Assange or Bradley Manning [now Chelsea Manning] who have the conscience. Bradley Manning, how old is he, 28 or something like that? Pretty young. Thats what Snowden was. They didnt have all this moral, theological training, all this ethics. They didnt know there were supervening values to telling the truth. They just instinctively knew the right thing to do. And McGovern screwed up. Thats the thing that comes to mind first. For the rest of my career I did try to do the right thing and did stand up for stuff and was marginalized at the very end. I had a charmed existence as briefer of the presidents daily brief, because George H. W. Bush and I got along really, really well. Same went for Shultz, despite the fact that he hated my bosses. Weinberg was a cold fish; you never knew what In other words, for those four years I was sort of protected, and in 1985 I had only five years left. That was it. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Years ago I took to asking this whenever I interviewed someone during a long journey around India, counterclockwise from Bombay. As many times as I asked, I got that many interesting replies. I put it to a sociologist in Ahmedabad, a truly kinetic thinker called Shiv Visvanathan. He leaned across his desk and didnt miss a beat: Its obvious. Of course Im an optimist. Why would I bother with critique if I werent? So I think I know your answer, but Ill ask anyway. Which are you? Optimist, for sure. For the reason you just mentioned, but also because I have nine grandchildren and I can see them alive and prospering. And I can see my children, of whom were immensely proud, and thanks to their mother have turned out really well. Be careful to distinguish between optimism and hope. The latter can prove a treacherous friend. Oh, darn. [Laughs] Youre too good, Patrick. Thats a real bitch to ask me about. Optimist of the will, pessimist of the mind. Gramsci. I suppose that would be a good description. I want to believe that these problems are addressable, but when I think about things like global warming or even the blood-soaked arms trade, they all seem so Impervious to language. Impervious to thought, even. And so monumental. Its really hard. But then, you know, were not supposed to know everything. The Soviet Union did fall apart, and good things do happen quite unexpectedly and not always well-predicted or even well-explained after the fact. Its a little bit more than hope. Its kind of, you know, The arc of the universe bends toward justice. I do believe that. So do I. When our youngest granddaughter was born two years ago, I was thinking, Wow. My daughter is now 36. Shes the youngest. When Nora [the granddaughter] is 36, shes going to have one hell of a problem deciding whether its a responsible thing to do to bring new life into the world. And thats about the hardest thing I cant imagine a more difficult thing for a grandparent to say. Home Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter Israel & Syria: Plan B is to Balkanize By Dan Sanchez February 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - The U.S. and Russia are ostensibly trying to arrange a truce in Syria. As The Daily Mail reported, Israel recently voiced doubts about its success: Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said he was very pessimistic about the truces prospects. Unfortunately we are going to face chronic instability for a very, very long period of time, he said. And part of any grand strategy is to avoid the past, saying we are going to unify Syria. We know how to make an omelette from an egg. I dont know how to make an egg from an omelette. Referring to some of the warring sects, Yaalon added: We should realise that we are going to see enclaves Alawistan, Syrian Kurdistan, Syrian Druzistan. They might cooperate or fight each other. Ram Ben-Barak, director-general of Israels Intelligence Ministry, described partition as the only possible solution. This is not the first time Yaalon has reflected on the fractious state of the Middle East. In a 2013 interview, he attributed the developing collapse, not to the disastrous wars of the past decade, but solely to the arbitrariness of the Middle Eastern nation-states colonial origins: in a higher perspective, I would say that, yes, we witnessed the collapse of the nation state system in many countries. And the nation state system, to my mind, was imposed in many countries artificially not in all of them. Egypt is a historic country with a long history, and it will remain Egypt. But countries like Iraq [it] is divided into, generally speaking, Shia, Sunni, Kurds. The tribes in Libya . . . Syria: its ongoing civil war reflects the rivalry between the Alawites, the Sunnis, the Kurds, which enjoy already autonomy in Syria. And we have to look at it historically, as it was imposed by Western leaders almost one hundred years ago: Sykes Picot, the end of World War I. We have to look very carefully for our new Western ideas to be imposed on the Middle East. Yet he accentuated the positive. The savages have been so thoroughly set against each other, they are too preoccupied mauling each other to pay Israel any attention. Nevertheless, not incidentally, monarchies [have] survive[d] so far, and artificial states publics, lets call them are on the way to collapse, to be divided into sectarian enclaves with political, sectarian differences and violence. . . . [But] generally speaking, Israel enjoys today a relatively calm situation security wise. The border with Lebanon: peace and quiet since 2006, no Hezbollah provocations. The border with Syria: some problems, because of the internal situation but, generally speaking, a calm situation. Going down to the south, in the Gaza Strip: a couple of weeks with not even one provocation on behalf of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad or any other faction. Sinai: a quite complicated situation the last attack was rockets launching toward the city of Eilat. But again, a relatively calm situation. Serving in the military, I dont remember such a calm situation in such a long period of time. Yet, he did strike a note of caution about eventual blowback: But we have to warn ourselves that what dominates the Middle East is instability. So far, they are engaged among themselves, fighting each other, but it might be, in the end, that the weapons are directed toward us. Anyhow, [they] are well armed militias, elements, whether Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad well armed with rockets, missiles, which is a threat for our security. These reflections must be considered in context of Israeli strategic thinking going back decades. In his strategy for Israel in the Nineteen Eighties, Israeli official Oded Yinon predicted that: Syria will fall apart, in accordance with its ethnic and religious structure, into several states such as in present day Lebanon, so that there will be a Shiite Alawi state along its coast, a Sunni state in the Aleppo area, another Sunni state in Damascus hostile to its northern neighbor, and the Druzes who will set up a state, maybe even in our Golan, and certainly in the Hauran and in northern Jordan. () This state of affairs will be the guarantee for peace and security in the area in the long run, and that aim is already within our reach today. This was part of a more general Yinon Plan that called for the dissolution of the entire Arab world including Egypt, Syria, Iraq and the Arabian peninsula. Each country was to be made to fall apart along sectarian and ethnic lines, after which each resulting fragment would be hostile to its neighbors. According to Yinon, this balkanization should be realized by fomenting discord and war among the Arabs: Every kind of inter-Arab confrontation will assist us in the short run and will shorten the way to the more important aim of breaking up Iraq into denominations as in Syria and in Lebanon. As I detailed in December, sowing discord among Arabs had already been part of Israeli policy years before Yinons paper. And David Wurmser, in a 1996 strategy document called Coping with Crumbling States, argued that tribalism, sectarianism, and gang/clan-like competition were what truly defined Arab politics. He claimed that secular-Arab nationalist regimes like Iraqs and Syrias tried to defy that reality, but would ultimately fail and be torn apart by it. Wurmser therefore called for expediting and controlling the inevitable chaotic collapse of Sykes-Picot through regime change in Iraq. Wurmser himself was one of the key architects of that eventual regime change and subsequent chaotic collapse throughout the region. In general, Israel ideally prefers regime changes that result in the installation of stable puppets. That is Plan A. But Plan B is to balkanize. Better to divide and conquer than to countenance a rogue (independent) neighbor. So it is noteworthy that Israel is endorsing its Plan B for Syria just when its enemies are making it plain that Plan A (Assad Must Go) is not happening any time soon. Israels jihadi allies in Aleppo are being cut off and encircled, and seem to be on the verge of complete defeat. As the above Daily Mail article quoted: An Assad victory in Aleppo, Ben-Barak said, will not solve the problem, because the battles will continue. You have ISIS there and the rebels will not lay down their weapons. () As long as Iran is in Syria, the country will not return to what it was, and it will certainly find it difficult to become stable as a country that is divided into enclaves, because the Sunni forces there will not allow this, Yaalon said in an earlier statement. In light of Israels strategic alliances (not only with the Sunni jihadis, but with their Sunni state sponsors) these statements can be interpreted more as threats than mere predictions. Dan Sanchez is a contributing editor at Antiwar.com and an independent journalist for TheAntiMedia.org. Follow him via Twitter, Facebook, or TinyLetter . - http://www.dansanchez.me Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. What's your response? - Scroll down to add / read comments Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter For Email Marketing you can trust Donate Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. Are Green Berets Leading The YPG In Taking The Azaz Pocket? By Moon Of Alabama February 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Moon Of Alabama " - The Syrian Arab Army and the YPG troops of the Syrian Kurds are making good progress in the Azaz pocket. The pocket formed after the Syrian army cut through the "rebel" corridor between Aleppo city and the Turkish border. The aim now is to push all foreign proxy forces who are still in that pocket (green) back north into Turkey and to get full control of the border. The Syrian-Russian command decided to let the YPG (yellow) have the fun of cleaning the pocket only to taunt the Turkish President Erdogan. Erdogan has a serious domestic policy problems when the Kurdish forces gain control in parts of Syria that the wannabe Sultan Erdogan regarded as sacred neo-Ottoman ground. His court jester, the Prime Minister Davutoglu, announced that his country would not allow the town of Azaz to fall to Kurdish fighters. He will have to eat a flock of craws over that. The Turks are firing artillery from Turkish ground in the north onto Kurdish position in the pocket. Turkish special forces are likely near the front line to control that fire. But artillery alone can not make the difference. The Kurds have air support from the Russian airforce which Turkey no longer dares to attack. The Russians will not attack the Turkish artillery as such an attack could widen the war. The Kurdish troops will have to suffer through that barrage as they push out the Turkish and CIA paid proxies. Some reinforcement for the CIA proxies arrived from Idleb. These passed from Idleb into Turkey and from Turkey into the pocket. The destruction of these forces in the Azaz pocket will make the further fights of the Syrian army in Idleb and elsewhere a lot easier. The Turks see the Kurds as terrorists and demand that everyone joins that view. The U.S. declined and several other states have protested against the Turkish use of artillery against the Kurds. The U.S. sees the Syrian Kurds as friendlies. In east Syria it helped the Kurds to kick the Islamic State out of Kobane. There are U.S. special forces on the ground in east Syria to prepare the Kurds for new attacks on the Islamic State. These also act as Forward Air Controller to direct U.S. air strikes. In Kurds in the Azaz pocket have also some support from a professional military. Their moves are very purposeful and controlled. They are clearly coordinated with the Syrian army. The coordination with the Russian airforce works well and there is ground fire coordination with the SAA. The line of demarcation between them has likely been agreed upon a while ago. This animated GIF shows the development in the pocket over several days. The town Kafr Naya was, for example, first taken by the Syrian army, but then the army pulled back from it and the Kurds immediately took over. Some local forces, former "rebels", in Kafr Naya then joined the Syrian Democratic Forces, which is the U.S. label used for the YPG whenever it has some local Arab forces attached to it. Who are the professionals that are helping the YPG to take the Azaz pocket? My first thought was of course Russian Spetsnaz. But I asked around and none of my usual sources would confirm this. The sources acknowledged that the YPG in west Syria has special force support but there was some quite unexpected silence over who these forces were. It is clear to me that these are not Syrian special forces. The YPG does not want to be seen as a adjunct to the Syrian government. No one would confirm to me that these are Russian forces even as that would be of no great surprise to anyone. This leads me to speculate that some U.S. special forces are directing the YPG in the Azaz pocket. This in coordination with the Syrian army and the Russians. Is that a crazy thought? Consider: The Syrian YPG Kurds are supported by the U.S. military. They received weapons and ammunition from the U.S. military and, at least in the east, have some U.S. military special forces embedded with them. These Pentagon supported YPG troops currently fight foreign proxy forces in the Azaz pocket which are supported, equipped and paid by the CIA, the Saudis, the Turks and other Arab U.S. "allies". The CIA is running the show. The Turkish NATO member is shelling the Pentagon supported YPG to protect the CIA supported "moderate rebels". The current CIA director was once the CIA Chief of Station in Riyadh and has intimate connection to the Saudi rulers (and their pockets?). It was the military's Defense Intelligence Agency that warned in 2012 of the emergence of a "Salafist Principality" - the Islamic State - in Syria and Iraq. It warned against continuing the CIA support for the "rebels". It was the Pentagon that sabotaged the White House intent to create another "moderate rebel" force to attack the Islamic State: The militarys resistance dates back to the summer of 2013, when a highly classified assessment, put together by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, then led by General Martin Dempsey, forecast that the fall of the Assad regime would lead to chaos and, potentially, to Syrias takeover by jihadi extremists, much as was then happening in Libya. A former senior adviser to the Joint Chiefs told me that the document was an all-source appraisal, drawing on information from signals, satellite and human intelligence, and took a dim view of the Obama administrations insistence on continuing to finance and arm the so-called moderate rebel groups. By then, the CIA had been conspiring for more than a year with allies in the UK, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to ship guns and goods to be used for the overthrow of Assad from Libya, via Turkey, into Syria. The new intelligence estimate singled out Turkey as a major impediment to Obamas Syria policy. The document showed, the adviser said, that what was started as a covert US programme to arm and support the moderate rebels fighting Assad had been co-opted by Turkey, and had morphed into an across-the-board technical, arms and logistical programme for all of the opposition, including Jabhat al-Nusra and Islamic State. The so-called moderates had evaporated and the Free Syrian Army was a rump group stationed at an airbase in Turkey. Clearly, the Pentagon hates the CIA support for the "moderate rebels". The CIA support has fed not only the "rebels" but also al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. Continuing that path would likely result in a radical al-Qaeda controlled Syrian government and another thankless, years long military expedition to oust it. The U.S. has several kinds of special forces. The famed SEALs as well as the army's Delta Forces are by now mostly door kickers. They do night raids and other SWAT commando like stuff. The Army Rangers have joined them in the bloody business of killing Afghan farmers. The U.S. special forces that are trained and able to direct a local guerrilla are the Green Berets. A very discreet type of people that work in small teams and are trained in local languages and habits. So who is helping the Kurds. My hunch is that these are not the "polite green men" of the Russian Spetsnaz, who enabled the people of Crimea to rejoin with Russia, who are now helping the YPG. I believe that the Pentagon sent some of its own "green" people to help the YPG to kick the asses of the CIA supported Jihadis out of Syria. This in tight coordination with the Syrian and Russian forces. The Obama administration for now decided to accept the Russian offer to pull its chestnuts out of the Syrian fire. But it does not want to give the Russian any credit for doing so. And while the Pentagon has firmly joined the Russian camp some years ago, the White House interventionist borg are ready to again change course and to again support the CIA, the Saudis and Turks in their "moderate Jihadis" mischief. The Green Berets, should they indeed be in north-west Syria, better do their job well and defeat the CIA proxies in a decisive manner. The above is speculative based solely on my personal hunch and it may be completely wrong. It would probably make for a good movie plot. But could it be right? Has the Pentagon send its specialists to help the Syrians, Russians and Kurds to kick out the CIA sponsored Jihadis? Please let me know your take. Sheldon Adelson Bets It All Chinese Casino Cash Floods Our Elections By Matt Isaacs February 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Mother Jones " - It was around 10:30 p.m. when Steve Jacobs rolled down the gravel driveway. The air was warm for early January, even for Florida. Yellow boat lights bobbed on St. Augustine's harbor, and the scent of star jasmine hung on the breeze. Jacobs stepped onto his porch and found the door still locked. It had only been a few days since he had come home to find it mysteriously ajar. When Jacobs sat down to work, however, he noticed his crate of files was missing. He headed to the kitchen, opened the top of his coffee maker, and looked inside. The hard drive he'd stashed there was gone too. A police officer soon arrived , checked the doors, dusted for fingerprints. He carefully wrapped the coffee maker in a plastic bag and said he would forward it to the FBI. Jacobs had his suspicions as to why his house had been burgled. For five years he'd been locked in a protracted legal battle with one of the wealthiest men on Earth. Jacobs had filed a wrongful-termination case, accusing his former boss of ordering him to perform "illegal activities." Could the burglary have been the desperate act of some yes-man or fixer, or even the gangsters he'd encountered while working in China? "I don't know who is behind it," Jacobs testified in a subsequent legal proceeding, admitting he had no facts to suggest it was his old employer. "I know who might have a benefit or interest in understanding what information I may have had." It's a long way from a burglary in northeastern Florida to the battle for the White House, but there may be a connection: Jacobs' tale and the documents his lawsuit has brought to lightsome of which were on the hard drive in the coffee makerprovide a rare window into the business dealings of Sheldon Adelson, the casino magnate and political megadonor who could have a bigger role in selecting the 2016 GOP nominee than millions of Republican voters. Over the past five years, I've sought to gain a fuller view of this complicated figure in American politics. I've written several major investigative pieces about Adelson, interviewing scores of casino executives and law enforcement officials and amassing thousands of pages of documents, including troves of Adelson's legal transcripts and videotaped interviews. It has been a challenging process. Adelson has a track record of threatening to sue journalists. He sued one for describing him as "foul-mouthed." He sued a columnist from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, driving him into bankruptcy over a few ill-chosen words. He once went after my reporting with a retraction demand but dropped it after my editors refused to make any changes to the story. Adelson has used his fortune to reshape right-wing politics in both America and Israel, establishing himself as a GOP kingmaker in the post-Citizens United era. In December, he backed a secretive $140 million purchase of the Review-Journal, putting Nevada's largest paper in the hands of its richest resident and a fixture of its biggest industry, and increasing his influence on Nevada's early presidential caucuses. And now, as the 2016 campaign swings into high gear, Adelson faces a long-standing Justice Department probe that could generate embarrassing headlines for the mogul and the candidates he backs. All this is why Jacobs' case, due to go to trial in June, is so significant: The protracted litigation has illuminated just how Adelson built one of the world's largest fortunes through his casinos in Macaua Chinese territory rife with corruption where, Jacobs' lawsuit alleges, Adelson not only tolerated, but sometimes even encouraged, illegal and unethical acts. In turn, Adelson has denied these accusations, describing Jacobs as a disgruntled ex-employee who was fired for insubordination and failure to properly address some of the issues raised in his own lawsuit. During the last presidential election, Adelson spent nearly $100 million directly (and reportedly another $50 million in undisclosed dark money) trying to thwart Barack Obama's reelection. That included $20 million that he and his wife spent backing Newt Gingrich's primary run and, after Gingrich dropped out of the race, another $30 million on a super-PAC supporting Mitt Romney. He gave another $23 million to American Crossroads, the super-PAC once led by Karl Rove. His dark- money contributions reportedly buoyed conservative organizations such as the Koch brothers' Americans for Prosperity. And Adelson has an arguably greater political influence in Israel, where he founded the free daily Israel Hayom, reportedly spending tens of millions of dollars to bankroll it. Now the country's most widely read publication, Hayom serves as the house organ for Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu, who rode to reelection last year after stoking fears that "Arab voters are heading to the polls in droves." This year's Republican candidates, many of whom have made the pilgrimage to Las Vegas in what has become known as the "Adelson primary," know that the mogul's patronage depends on their positions and tone toward Israel. A diminutive 82-year-old with a lumpy face and a puff of thinning red hair, Adelson is the 13th-richest man in the United States, worth more than $20 billion, according to Forbes. Though he made his initial fortune in Vegas, he joined the ranks of the superrich following his 2001 investment in Macau, a once run-down seaport an hour's ferry ride from Hong Kong that in the last decade has overshadowed Vegas to become the world's gambling capital. Adelson's casinos in Macau, a special administrative region of China, provide the majority of the revenue for his company, Las Vegas Sands. But beneath Macau's glitz lurk organized crime, corruption, and a shadow banking system that has allegedly laundered billions of dollars for China's ruling elite. In 2013, the chair of Nevada's powerful Gaming Control Board told a federal commission that it was "common knowledge" that the lucrative VIP rooms in Macau casinos have "long been dominated by Asian organized crime." That same year, a federal commission cited a study finding that more than $200 billion in "ill-gotten funds are channeled through Macau each year." Which raises the question: Is dirty money spent by corrupt Chinese officials at Macau casinos flowing into our elections, at least indirectly? "With Citizens United, there's an awful lot of money sloshing around in our political process," said Carolyn Bartholomew, vice chairman of the bipartisan US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a congressional advisory body that produced a scathing report detailing Macau's vulnerability to money laundering by such officials. "People have a right to know whose money that is, and that the proceeds being spent in the political process are not from illegal and illicit activities." The key to finding out may be Steve Jacobs' lawsuit. "This case will never be settled," Adelson has vowed, and he's kept his word through more than five years of bruising and reputation-staining proceedings. As the billionaire promised reporters in Macau, "When we win the case, we will go after him in a way that he won't forget." Adelson has always been a fighter. The son of a Jewish Lithuanian cab driver and a British-born mother who ran a small knitting service, Adelson grew up in the Dorchester neighborhood of South Boston. As an infant, he slept in a dresser drawer, until he joined his sister and two brothers on the floor. "I didn't know we were poor, but we were very poor," he would later say in testimony. "Church mice were rather affluent compared to our family." Dorchester was home to a thriving Jewish community, but also to Irish toughs who Adelson has said forced Jewish kids to travel in packs to avoid being attacked with brass knuckles, rubber hoses, and chains. "I just have a lot of memories of being beaten up for being Jewish," he said in a deposition. "And when you have been beaten many, many times over a period of years, you get to know what a feeling of hostility and hatred is." Adelson clawed his way to a better life through thrift, opportunism, and hard work, emerging, by many accounts, as a prickly, combative scrapper. At age 12 he starting selling newspapers on the street, and soon he moved on to buying control of street corners. His first corner faced the employee entrance to Filene's Basement, a thriving department store in downtown Boston. Borrowing $200 from his uncle, the treasurer of a credit union, he soon bought another corner. At age 16, he invested in 125 candy machines that he set up in shoe factories and later at all-night gas stations, where cab drivers like his father would fill up their cars, thereby earning Adelson profits around the clock. He thrived, despite the looming presence of the Patriarca gang of Boston, which was involved in the vending-machine business at the time. Adelson graduated from high school, joined the Army, and upon discharge returned to serial entrepreneurship. "I thought I couldn't hold down a job because I went from thing to thing," he would later say. "I've done over 50 different things in my life." Adelson became a venture capitalist in the 1960s, investing in a bull market and losing a fortune when it went bust. He sold condominiums. He started a charter travel service. But he hit upon his first great success in 1979 when he created Comdex, a computer trade show that eventually drew more than 225,000 people to Las Vegas, an event so large it had to be held in multiple locations. Adelson decided to build his own convention center, and he found some land owned by the Sands Hotel, which he purchased in 1989. As the hotel's new owner, Adelson had to seek a gambling license and endure a rigorous background check. The Nevada Gaming Control Board dug up scores of lawsuits in which he had failed to pay his debts. Massachusetts had suspended his real estate license. His longtime friend and business partner Irwin Chafetz (who still sits on the board of Las Vegas Sands Corp.) had ties to a man named Henry Vara who'd been accused of skimming from the gay bars he owned, one of which was notorious for prostitution. The regulators asked tough questions about Chafetz's associations, but Adelson told them that he didn't want to drop his friend from the application. "That man and I are almost like Siamese twins," Adelson told the board. "We are almost joined physically. There is nothing in the world that can convince me he would do anything wrong." Adelson would win his license, but not before one of the board's regulators warned him of the dangers of this kind of loyalty. "I may have some problems," the official said, "with your ability to judge people and character." Two years after the purchase of the Sands Hotel made him a casino magnate, Adelson married his second wife, Miriam Ochshorn, an Israeli doctor who would nurture his passion for her home country. Over time she came to assume a substantial role in their family's business and political interests, and she has been spoken of as a potential successor to her husband. In 1995, Adelson sold his trade show for $862 million and hired a superteam of casino industry veterans to grow Sands Corp. One of them, William Weidner, became the company's president the following year. Handsome and hard-nosed, Weidner would help run the company for 13 years as it expanded, first in Vegas and eventually across the Pacific. The old Sands Hotel had once played host to Frank Sinatra and his legendary entourage. Adelson demolished it. ("It was the home of what they called the Rat Pack, a very glamorous history in Las Vegas," Adelson later said. "So I tore it down.") In its place, he built the Venetian, inspired by the city where he and Miriam had honeymooned. When it opened in 1999, the faux-Italian complex was the largest gambling resort Vegas had ever seen, and competitors derided him for building too many rooms. But it was soon packed. A year later, Adelson flew to Hong Kong at the urging of his younger brother Lenny to meet Richard Suen, a well-connected entrepreneur who told him that China was preparing to allow international investment in Macau. "We think one dayit'll be opened up and other people will be able to come," Suen said, according to a deposition Adelson later gave. "I'm typically not interested in investing where the American or Israeli flags don't fly over schools," Adelson replied. But Weidner, according to depositions, encouraged him to explore the relationship. Suen introduced Adelson and Weidner to the vice premier of China in early July 2001. They met in the Purple Light Pavilion of Zhongnanhai, the Chinese equivalent of the White House, near Beijing's Forbidden City. After 45 minutes together, the vice premier invited Adelson to submit a bid for a gaming license in Macau. That same weekend, Adelson also met with the mayor of Beijing, who asked him for some help: Congress was considering a resolution to protest China's bid to host the 2008 Olympics, based on the country's human rights violations. "We're standing in a parking lot of the Beijing convention center. Sheldon picks up his cellphone and calls Tom DeLay in Houston," Weidner later said in a deposition. Adelson reached the House majority whip at a Fourth of July cookout. "You can hear himTom DeLay talks very loudly over the phone. Tom says, 'I'm chewing on my fourth piece of rubber chicken.'" DeLay was a co-sponsor of the resolution, which had overwhelming bipartisan support and was particularly popular among evangelicals concerned about Chinese persecution of Christians. But Adelson had taken DeLay to Israel and lavishly supported Republican campaigns. DeLay said he would see what he could do. "Three hours later," Weidner said, "DeLay calls and tells Sheldon, 'You're in luck. I'd like to get that bill, but I can't do itwe're not going to be able to move the bill.' Sheldon goes to the mayor and says, 'The bill will never see the light of day, Mr. Mayor. Don't worry about it.'" DeLay later said he couldn't recall the conversation, and Adelson denied trying to block the bill. But, according to Weidner, the call made an impression on the Chinese. Stanley Ho, the debonair tango enthusiast who was the godfather of Macau's gaming operations, later pulled a Sands executive aside at a party in Hong Kong with good news about the company's license application, telling him, "By the way, that Olympic thing: I think you guys won the bid," Weidner later recalled in a deposition. "That's what I hear back from my guys in Beijing. Congratulations." At the time, Ho held a virtual monopoly on gaming in Macau, long a hotbed for piracy, gold smuggling, and espionage. According to US regulators, Chinese criminal organizations called triads had penetrated his casinos, even operating out of their private VIP rooms. In 1999, just before China assumed control of the territory from Portugal, a triad war erupted as gangs fought for dominance. Criminals shot each other in broad daylight; car bombs scattered limbs across the ancient stone sidewalks. Weidner wondered how American casino operators would "ever open in that kind of lawless environment." Violence wasn't the only obstacle: Nevada had spent decades purging itself of mobsters like Sam Giancana and Meyer Lansky, and the state had strict rules that could jeopardize Sands' gambling license if the company associated with organized crime anywhere in the world. China prohibits its citizens from bringing more than $3,000 across the border into Macau, a fraction of what a high roller can spend on a hand, let alone in an evening. This restriction led to the emergence of junket companies, which ferried wealthy gamblers to Macau and extended them credit to get around the currency constraints. The junket business provided a legal construct to bring in vast sums from China. This made Macau a popular destination for corrupt Chinese officials: They could turn their ill-gotten gains into chips, collect the winnings, and deposit them in offshore accounts. The junkets were critical to the success of the casinos, which relied on big-spending whales for a huge portion of their business. Gambling debts are not collectible in Chinese courts, so junket companies or their triad affiliates did the jobsometimes brutally, according to a report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Chinese newspapers are filled with grisly tales of gamblers who failed to repay their loans and ended up kidnapped, imprisoned in cages, threatened with dismemberment, injected with drugs, or forced to take revealing photos. Triad members might give an indebted gambler "a list of options," according to Nelson Rose, an expert in Macau and gaming law at Whittier Law School: "'We will rape your wife and put her in a brothel. We will hang you by your feet off one of the tallest buildings.' They do find bodies in mainland China linked to gambling debts in Macau." In May 2004, thousands of people spurred by rumors of free chips swarmed outside the Sands Macau for its grand opening. The crowd literally tore the main doors from their hinges and smashed in 16 other entrances. Escalators groaned under the weight of gamblers rushing to the tables. A similar frenzy gripped the New York Stock Exchange later that year, when Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVSC) went public and Macau-mad investors pushed the new stock up by 61 percent in a single day. Almost overnight, Adelson was propelled into the ranks of the world's superrich, his worth rising from $1.8 billion in 2004 to more than $11.5 billion in 2005. "He got rich faster than anyone else in history," Peter W. Bernstein and Annalyn Swan wrote in All the Money in the World, their book on the Forbes 400. For years after the company went public, Adelson's personal shares earned him about $1 million every hour. The Sands Macau made back its $256 million in construction costs in 10 months, and it initially avoided entanglement with the junkets. But, according to a deposition Weidner later gave, that soon changed. Over the next several years, as I reported in articles for Reuters and ProPublica that were produced with the University of California-Berkeley's Investigative Reporting Program, the casino partnered with two junkets connected to an organized-crime figure in Hong Kong who has been under the scrutiny of US law enforcement at least as far back as 1992, according to court records, financial filings, and the casino's own internal reports. By 2007, junkets were providing more than two-thirds of the revenues at Sands' Macau casinos, according to the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. That year, Adelson opened his second outpost in the Chinese enclave: the Venetian Macau, which remains the largest casino in the world. The stock price of LVSC hit an all-time high that October, lifting Adelson's worth to $26.5 billion. And his newfound wealth turbocharged his political giving. Adelson had been a political donor for decades and was even named a Bush Pioneer for raising more than $100,000 for George W. Bush's 2004 reelection campaign. But that was peanuts compared with what he would stake now. He bankrolled nearly the entire $30 million budget of Freedom's Watch, which he had launched as a right-wing counterpoint to MoveOn.org, and used it to drum up support for Bush's 2007 surge in Iraq. Weidner sat on the board of the group; Karl Rove was a key adviser. When the 2008 campaign drew near, Adelson crowed to the Wall Street Journal that the cavalry was "coming over the hill, bugles blaring. I'm looking for a horseand trying on chaps and boots and stirrups." But Freedom's Watch soon dissolved after staffers bridled at Adelson's micromanagement. Meanwhile, trouble was brewing in China. Richard Suen, the fixer who helped introduce Adelson to Chinese officials, had sued over a deal he had hammered out with Weidner: For helping the company get a gambling license, Suen said, he'd been promised $5 million and 2 percent of LVSC's Macau profits. But when the case went to trial in 2008, Adelson claimed he refused to pay Suen because Suen had fallen short of a promise to "deliver a license," since the company's entree to Macau had still been subject to a competitive bidding process. When Adelson took the stand, he accused Weidner of agreeing to inappropriate terms with Suenterms Adelson claimed to have not properly understood because he had been too sedated on painkillers. (Adelson suffers from peripheral neuropathy, a painful condition that has left him largely wheelchair bound since 2001.) A jury didn't buy it and awarded Suen $43 million. Adelson appealed, but in 2013 a new jury awarded Suen $70 million. Adelson has appealed again, to the Nevada Supreme Court. The case is pending. But the real damage, according to Weidner, came after officials in Beijing learned their dirty laundry was being aired at trial. Adelson's conversation with DeLay came to light, as did connections between Suen's firm and China's top officials. The fatal blow was a photograph, displayed in the Las Vegas courtroom, of Adelson, Suen, and Weidner smiling alongside the vice premier of China. "Sheldon really fucked the pooch on that one," Weidner later told me. Within a month of the 2008 trial's close, Beijing moved to shut down a huge goodwill project Sands had undertakenthe Adelson Center for US-China Enterprise. Sands had already spent more than $50 million on the center, which was intended to connect US companies with Chinese partners, but "the government didn't want anything to do with a building that had Adelson's name on it," Weidner told me. China imposed severe restrictions on travel visas to Macau that year, causing visits from the mainland to drop by nearly 20 percent. A State Department cable, made public by WikiLeaks, said the squeeze was a result of China's growing concern over the junket trade. "The fact that mainland gamblers account for the majority of funds flowing into Macau appears increasingly undesirable to Beijing," the cable read. "The perception is widespread that, with the implicit assistance of the big 'junket' operators, some of these mainlanders are betting with embezzled state money or proceeds from official corruption, and substantial portions of these funds are flowing on to organized crime groups." All this compounded the damage inflicted by the unfolding global economic crisis. Bank credit froze just as Sands was building massive new casino projects in Macau. LVSC had more than $10 billion in debt and was on the verge of bankruptcy when Adelson injected $1 billion of his own money to keep it afloat. But that was not enough to hold onto Weidner, who resigned in March 2009, describing his management conflicts with Adelson as a "junkyard dog fight." After Weidner left, Steve Jacobs was brought on to address the problems in Macau. Though Jacobs had no experience in the gambling sector, he was a turnaround artist who'd overseen the corporate restructuring of Holiday Inn and a luxury hotel chain in Europe. "I typically take on assignments that others can't or won't," Jacobs later boasted. Jacobs recalled being shocked by his first visit to the Venetian Macau. While Adelson has testified that Sands had "zero tolerance" for prostitution, Jacobs says he "walked on the floor and saw rampant prostitution. It was blatantly, blatantly obvious." Although it was legal in Macau, Jacobs felt that it was bad for business. An average of 40 to 60 prostitutes walked the Venetian's floors on weekends, outnumbering security personnel, according to company documents entered as exhibits in the Jacobs case. The internal security reports say the women were "frequently under 18 years" old and trafficked from China's inner provinces by "vice syndicates" to work out of rooms the prostitutes appeared to have received free of charge. Jacobs proposed ridding the casino of prostitution. But he was soon informed, he later recalled, that management had decided "to allow prostitution as it would help our overall gaming revenue." According to Jacobs, Sands' new president, Michael Leven, told him not to "make it a big dealThe board knows prostitution is going on." "Does Sheldon know prostitution is going on?" Jacobs remembers asking. Leven, he testified, said, "Yes, but it's legal. It's what the gamblers want." To shore up LVSC's dismal finances, Jacobs began preparing to spin off the company's Macau holdings into Sands China, a new entity that could be independently listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange. It was a difficult task in the rocky economic climate, and Adelson's combative style made the job no easier. Jacobs would later claim in litigation that he spent much of his time repairing "strained relationships with local and national government officials in Macau who would no longer meet with Adelson due to his obstreperous behavior." Animosity over Suen's lawsuit also lingered "like a festering sore," according to an internal memo by an LVSC board member. "The central government attitude about [Las Vegas Sands] has changed." Macau's Beijing-selected chief executive, Edmund Ho (no relation to Stanley), privately suggested to the board member that Adelson "should sit back a bit, enjoy his family and his time and let his executives handle the operations in Asia," according to the memo. As Jacobs was laying the groundwork for the Hong Kong public offering, he approached Ho about getting an exemption from local real estate laws for a condominium project. Ho refused to grant it. According to Jacobs, Adelson "became enraged and stated that Ho had 'promised' him" the exception. Two years earlier, Adelson had paid a substantial settlement to a group of businessmen who, like Richard Suen, were seeking payment for helping to facilitate Sands' entree into Macau. The litigants had been particularly close associates of Ho, and Adelson wanted Jacobs to remind the executive of how he'd dispensed with the case: According to Jacobs' lawsuit, Adelson instructed him to "inform the 'son of a bitch' that Adelson had settled a lawsuit for $40 million dollars to keep Chief Executive Ho out of jail." Instead, Jacobs reported the conversation to the company's chief counsel, according to court filings. Undeterred, Adelson continued to push the Macau government on the condo permit. He hired Leonel Alves, a top Macau politician, as the company's local counsel. In late 2009, Alves emailed Jacobs to report he had been approached by a "high-ranking official in Beijing" who suggested a way to get approvalbut it would be "expensive," more than "300m" US dollars, Alves later wrote, "to be deposited in a mutually accepted escrow account." Jacobs refused, believing Alves was suggesting a "payment for Chinese officials," according to court documents. When Alves submitted invoices for his work, they were significantly higher than what the company had expected, triggering concerns that such payments could present a risk under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits US companies from bribing public officials overseas. When Sands China, the spinoff, went public in November, it raised more than $2.5 billion, and Jacobs, now president of the new entity, was heralded as LVSC's savior. "There is no question of Steve's performance," Leven wrote in an email to a board member. "The Titanic hit the iceberg, he arrived and saved the ship." Rob Goldstein, the current president of LVSC, later said in court that he believed Jacobs was Adelson's heir apparent. But Adelson was now challenging Jacobs on the smallest of details: The casino didn't have enough slot machines. There weren't enough seats at the noodle bar. Even Miriam chimed in, relaying a complaint via a secretary: "The person speaking over the loudspeaker on the ferryshould speak with much better Englishnot with such a heavy accent." Meanwhile, Alves continued to press Adelson for his fees. Though Jacobs had initially refused to release the money, Adelson assured the Macau politician that he would make sure Jacobs would "resolve any issues immediately." Despite Jacobs' legal concerns, Adelson instructed him to pay Alves, according to internal emails, "regardless of cost." In subsequent legal proceedings, Adelson has defended the payments. Soon afterward, Reuters published my investigation showing that Sands had partnered with two junkets underwritten by the alleged triad boss Cheung Chi Tai to bring gamblers to its tables. According to testimony in a Hong Kong trial, Cheung was the "person in charge" of a Sands VIP room and, company documents show, entitled to a share of its profits. Witnesses in the trial said he ordered the killing of a junket worker suspected of cheating. The man was not killed, and Cheung was never charged in connection with the plot, but the trial and article linking Cheung to the junket was "enough to cause major headaches" for Sands and put the company's invaluable Nevada license at risk, according to Whittier Law School's Nelson Rose. "When the article came out, Mr. Adelson was quite animated," Jacobs later said in a deposition. The company demanded that Reuters retract the story, denying the casino had anything to do with the alleged gang leader. In fact, Cheung-affiliated junkets reaped as much as $160 million in commissions from Sands casinos in 2009, an internal email shows. If the payments were made according to Macau's traditional arrangement, it would suggest that the two junkets brought Sands some $400 million in businessnearly as much as the conglomerate's Las Vegas revenues that year. Sands' chief counsel abruptly gave notice just days after the article appeared. In the weeks to follow, he complained that the company's protest of my story contained inaccuracies. Reuters published no correction or retraction. But that article prompted Sands to embark upon its own internal investigation, which uncovered documents showing the casino had extended more than $32 million in credit to junkets backed by Cheung, according to the company's court filings. Jacobs wanted to tell LVSC's board about the relationship, but he says Adelson stopped him. According to Jacobs' lawsuit, when he speculated about the risk the alleged Cheung connection presented to Sands' Nevada license, "Adelson scoffed at the suggestion, informing Jacobs that hecontrolled the regulators, not the other way around." On the morning of July 23, 2010, barely eight months after the company's successful Hong Kong public offering, Jacobs was called to a meeting with Leven in Macau, ostensibly to discuss the upcoming board meeting. Instead, he said in a later deposition, "two security guards walk in. They say, 'You've got to leave.'I get some clothesThey take me directly to the ferry." Jacobs sued for wrongful termination in October 2010. "We're not saying the Steve Jacobs lawsuit is going to bring the [Sands] party to a halt," a Macau-based financial intelligence company wrote in a newsletter at the time. "But we do thinkhe has several characteristics that make us believe he is a far more formidable opponent than any former employees Adelson has tried to face down before. These include supreme self-confidence, the courage of a lion, and the cunning of a trained lawyer. And dirt. Lots and lots and lots of it." Las Vegas Sands Corp. disclosed in March 2011 that the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission had launched bribery investigations based on Jacobs' allegations. The wide-ranging inquiry delved into the Alves relationship and the aborted Adelson Center for US-China Enterprise in Beijing, according to sources familiar with the investigations. An internal Sands audit, according to the Wall Street Journal, revealed more than $50 million in payments made through Yang Saixin, a businessman who was the Chinese point man on the Adelson Center project. The ongoing federal investigation is said to be looking into whether any of the money paid to Yang was transferred to Chinese public officials in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. While Yang has denied any wrongdoing, an internal Sands memo describes him as highly influential; his parents "knew [President] Xi Jinping's parents, implying a strong connection to Zhongnanhai (the White House of China)." Adelson, the memo added, twice met personally with Yang. Yet Adelson later denied any knowledge of the center that would have borne his name, placing the blame squarely on Sands' former president. "Bill Weidner came to me and said that he wanted me to ask President Bush to come and cut the ribbon for the Adelson Center, and I said, 'What's the Adelson Center?'" Adelson recalled in a 2012 deposition. "That's the first I heard of it." Even as Adelson was contending with a federal investigation, he was bankrolling the campaign of Mitt Romney, whom he called the "president-elect." In a September 2012 interview with Politico, Adelson complained that he had been targeted by the Obama administration for his political activity. He said he feared Obama's reelection would bring "vilification of people that were against" the president. Adelson claimed that the Obama administration's prosecutors had leaked information about the Justice Department inquiry to suggest to fellow Republicans that "'this guy is toxic. Don't do business with him. Don't take his money.'" In 2013, LVSC acknowledged in its public filings that it had "likely" violated the accounting provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Adelson has admitted sitting for interviews with investigators from the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to a Justice Department source, the investigation may conclude this yearwhich could put the outcome squarely in the middle of the presidential campaign. In late April 2015, I watched Adelson roll his royal purple motorized wheelchair out of the elevator and onto the 14th floor of the Clark County Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas for a hearing in the Jacobs lawsuit. A bright morning sun lit the hallway as the casino magnate, surrounded by his lawyers, a bodyguard, and his wife, Miriam, made their way to the courtroom. When Adelson's party crossed paths with Jacobs and his attorneys, the two combatants briefly locked eyes. Adelson was in pinstripes, his leather shoes worn but polished. A gold handle capped his cane. His demeanor was calm and gentle as he chatted with his entourage about the 1966 movie Cast a Giant Shadow, about the creation of Israel. "Sal Mineo was in that," Adelson offered cheerfully. His companions murmured but didn't reply, perhaps because Mineo wasn't in the film. On the stand, Adelson pushed away a jar of M&M's. "I can resist everything but temptation," he told Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez. He appeared unruffled as Jacobs' attorney repeatedly presented him with memos, emails, and contracts. "I don't get involved in the day-to-day activities," he said dismissively. "My age is advancing." But when the questions turned to Jacobs, his tone darkened. He made clear that he had wanted to fire the "incompetent" executive within months of hiring him. Jacobs, he said, had tried to run the show without him: "He tried to go behind my back to different board members to get things done, so he wouldn't have to report to me." And, he said, his voice rising, "He squealedlike a pig squealsto the SEC and to the DOJ!" Even though Rob Goldstein, Sands' current president, admitted in testimony to having done business with Cheung Chi Tai, Adelson denied his company had any "direct connection" with the alleged gangster. At the same time, he insisted he had been right to fire Jacobs for trying to cut ties with the junkets. "He wanted to throw out 50 percent, 60 or 70 percent of the gross gaming income," Adelson told the courtroom. "This was insanity. He purposely tried to kill the company." But while Adelson was defending the junkets' importance in court, China was shutting them down. As part of a wide-ranging anti-corruption campaign, authorities raided Cheung's Hong Kong apartment in March 2014 and later charged him with laundering $232 million. Since then, the junket industry has withered and LVSC has lost more than 58 percent of its value. Adelson, in turn, has lost some $16 billion, more than a third of his net worth. Adelson's wealth may have shrunk, but he's still a high roller in politics, as was evident when he came to Washington last March to watch Netanyahu give a speech before Congress. In the days leading up to the event, Marco Rubio, said to be favored by Adelson in the 2016 election, dined with the casino magnate in a private room of the Charlie Palmer steak house, near the Capitol. The morning of the speech, Adelson, clad in a dark suit and an eye-catching fuchsia tie, claimed a prime seat. Nearby was Newt Gingrich, who, within weeks of receiving his first donation from Adelson in 2012, had declared Palestinians "an invented people." James Hagee, the evangelist who created Christians United for Israel, came as a personal guest of Adelson. And there was Rabbi Shmuley Boteach of New Jersey, whom Adelson once supported in an unsuccessful bid for Congress. Days earlier, Boteach's organization had run a full-page advertisement in the New York Times showing National Security Adviser Susan Rice flanked by photoshopped skulls, attacking her criticism of Netanyahu's appearance as tantamount to supporting a "genocide" of the "Jewish people." The ad promoted a Capitol Hill panel on Iran featuring Ted Cruz, said to be Miriam Adelson's choice for president. The other presidential hopefuls, too, have made sure to be on Sheldon Adelson's radar, most notably in December, when they all appeared onstage at his Venetian resort for a prime-time debate. Last spring, Adelson sent word that if one of Jeb Bush's campaign advisers went through with plans to address a dovish Israel policy organization, it would cost Bush "a lot of money." Even Donald Trump, who swore off contributions from his fellow billionaires, sent Adelson a glossy booklet of photographs from a gala where he accepted an award for boosting US-Israel relations. "Sheldon," the candidate scrawled across the cover, "no one will be a bigger friend to Israel than me!" (Adelson has promised to support whoever wins the nomination.) The billionaire's expanding power was underscored the morning after the debate, when the Review-Journal revealed that Adelson and his family were behind a shadowy holding company that had purchased the newspaper weeks earlier and kicked off a media frenzy. Adelson has promised not to meddle with editorial decisions at the Review-Journal, which by virtue of its location frequently covers his company, his industry, and his favorite politicians. But even if he honors that pledge, staffers have speculated that it doesn't matter: There are any number of subordinates who will aim to please the boss. As the sale was being finalized, publishing executives ordered a team of three reporters, over newsroom objections, to undertake a detailed investigation into the courtroom habits of three Las Vegas judges. One of the targets was Elizabeth Gonzalez, whom Adelson, just days before, had failed to get removed from the Jacobs case. In the run-up to the trial, Gonzalez had clashed with Adelson on the stand, ruled against the company's attempts to move proceedings to Macau, and fined its lawyers for deception and withholding documents. "When the request was handed down, it seemed like little more than a waste of time and resources," Michael Hengel, then the paper's editor, recalled. "Now I wonder what really was behind it." The Review-Journal never published anything related to the investigation, but a mysterious article, highly critical of Gonzalez, appeared under a pseudonym in a Connecticut newspaperowned by Adelson's frontman in the Las Vegas acquisition. That paper's owner later took responsibility for the story and issued a mea culpa, but the episode spoke to the growing influence of a man who didn't become one of the world's wealthiest people for nothing. "I live on Vince Lombardi's belief: 'Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing,'" Adelson once said. "So I do whatever it takes, as long as it's moral, ethical, principled, legal." Puerto Ricans Suffer as Creditors Feast on Debt Colony By Matt Peppe February 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - Just an hour before my wife and I landed in her native Puerto Rico last month, the islands government had defaul ted on $1 billion in bond interest payments. It was the second default in five months for the cash-strapped government whose debt now totals $72 billion. None of this was evident as we waded through the crowds in Rafael Hernandez airport in Aguadilla, which had been converted into a civilian airport after the closure of Ramey Air Force Base 40 years earlier. People hugged their relatives, welcoming them back home or bidding them farewell. It was a normal scene youd see at any airport in the world. But the situation in Puerto Rico is not normal, and you dont have to spend long there to see how regular people are suffering more every day under the crushing burden of debt. You notice every time you make a purchase at the store or get the check at a restaurant. The sales tax in Puerto Rico now stands at 11.5 percent, after being raised 64 percent in July from 7 percent. The measure was approved by the islands governor, Alejandro Garcia Padilla, in conjunction with a package of austerity measures to raise money to pay the interest on the islands debt to creditors. This might not sound like an astronomical amount, but the impact is felt more in Puerto Rico than it would be in any of the states. Sales taxes are regressive. People with lower incomes spend more of their earnings on things that are taxed than those who can afford to store their income as savings. This means the lower your income, the harder you will be hit by the sales tax. Puerto Ricos median average income of less than $20,000 is 50 percent less than the poorest American state. For families already struggling to pay the bills on such meager earnings, the additional sales tax burden is eating away their little disposable income, or worse, forcing them to borrow to pay for their basic necessities. Outside a beachfront restaurant in Aguada, I noticed an SUV with a bumper sticker that summed up the feelings of many Puerto Ricans. The debt is not ours, it belongs to the Empire, it read. Many people may believe this represents Puerto Ricans failing to take responsibility for running up a tab they now cant pay. But this would falsely assume that Puerto Rico exercises independent control over the conditions that created the debt. In reality, Puerto Rico is a colony whose political and economic structures are determined by the dictates of the empire they belong to. Constrained by the neoliberal capitalist system of the United States, Puerto Rico is unable to chart its own course for independent economic development. The Interstate Commerce Clause of the Constitution makes it impossible for Puerto Rico to protect its own industries. They must allow American businesses equal access to Puerto Ricos markets. The Cabotage Laws make shipping to and from Puerto Rico prohibitively expensive, impeding demand for exports and driving up prices on imports. The detrimental effects of U.S.-imposed restrictions on Puerto Ricos economy have forced them to incur debt to pay for social spending. Unlike every other industrial country in the world, the United States does not provide universal health care to its citizens. The federal programs that are supposed to guarantee insurance for the poor and the elderly do not apply equally to Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico only receives half the rate of federal healthcare funding as the 50 states, even though its residents pay the same rates in payroll taxes. This strain was further exacerbated last month when the U.S. government cut payments to Puerto Ricos Medicare Advantage program by 11 percent. My in-laws told us how their prescription deductibles and their co-pays under their Medicare Advantage plans had increased. The Puerto Rican Healthcare Crisis Coalition (PRHCC) called the decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services a blow to the health of the entire Puerto Rican community. The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), which is supposed to guarantee health insurance to the rest of the population, does not apply equally to Puerto Rico either. While Puerto Rico passed its own laws requiring features of Obamacare such as prohibiting denial of insurance based on pre-existing conditions and caps on coverage there is no individual mandate. The result is a death spiral for private insurance plans. Elderly and sick people purchase coverage, while younger and healthier customers, who dont need the same level of costly care, opt not to participate. This drives up premiums drastically, making plans prohibitively expensive for those who need them most. With federal government spending and local tax revenue insufficient to meet the populations health care needs, the Puerto Rican government must assume more debt to cover the difference. Privatization of Public Assets Like countries across the global South who have found themselves indebted to U.S.-run institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, Puerto Rico has been encouraged to privatize its public assets and use the money to pay its creditors. Under former Governor Luis Fortuno in 2009, Act 29 was passed to allow government to enter into public-private partnerships for infrastructure and other projects. It created the Public Private Partnership Authority (PPPA) to identify, evaluate, and select the projects that shall be established as Public Private Partnerships.The first target for private takeover of Puerto Ricos public infrastructure was the islands most traveled highway, PR-22. Autopistas Metropolitanas de Puerto Rico, LLC (Metropistas), was awarded a 40-year lease for $1.49 billion to operate both the PR-22 and PR-5 highways. The company is a consortium of a Goldman Sachs infrastructure investment fund and a Spanish toll concession company. PR-22 runs from San Juan west through 12 municipalities towards Aguadilla. Metropistas recently raised the toll prices after the expiration of an initial period where they were prohibited from doing so. But apparently tolls are not the only way they are generating revenue. A friend explained how the electronic toll collection system, AutoExpreso, had been malfunctioning and issuing fines for not having enough money in your account to pay the toll, even when the account did actually have money. He said that he received four separate fines, none of which was valid. When he tried to contest the fines he was told that based on a technicality (not submitting an appeal in writing by an arbitrary deadline) the fines would stand, even though they should have never been issued in the first place. When he complained, he was told he had a choice to pay or to find another route. Of course, the only alternative for commuters in that heavily populated area of the island is to use inaccessible and inconvenient back roads. Puerto Ricos main airport, Luis Munoz Marin in San Juan, was also recently privatized. The Mexican company Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste SAB de CV and private-equity firm Highstar Capital received a 40-year lease to operate the airport. The deal was negotiated under the previous administration, but did not take effect until Garcia Padilla took office. Unsurprisingly, the first time I visited after the privatization I discovered the airport no longer offered free Wifi. That Puerto Ricos public assets have been turned into investment opportunities for American and foreign creditors should come as no surprise. Since its inception as a Commonwealth (a euphemism for colony), the interests of capital have taken priority over the general population. Puerto Ricos Constitution grants creditors first priority for payment, ahead of even the population whose will the Constitution is supposed to represent. Daliah Lugo explains this mystifying legal arrangement in her Opinion and Order blog: Thats right: the entity we know as Puerto Rico was in fact set up by Congress and its allies as a corporation, its first duty always to its investors. A political arrangement that does not prioritize the people who purportedly consent to it is farcical. Puerto Rico has never achieved self-determination, despite the fact the UN removed the island from its list of Non-Self-Governing territories in 1952. The UNs Special Committe on Decolonization has recognized this as recently as 2014 when they called on the United States to end their subjugation of Puerto Rico and allow its people to fully exercise their inalienable right to self-determination. But the United States does not want to acknowledge that, having failed to grant sovereignty to Puerto Rico, they legally hold the obligation to promote to the utmost the well-being of the inhabitants of these territories, according to Article 73 of the UN Charter. Only the U.S. Congress not Puerto Ricos legislature has the ability to change Puerto Ricos political status. But they have never given any indication they intend to do so, despite a 2012 referendum in which Puerto Ricans decisively rejected the current colonial status. Few Americans are aware of the social and economic crisis consuming Puerto Rico, which is rarely covered by mainstream news organizations (other than some notable exceptions). But as expenses rise for housing, health care, groceries, utilities and economic opportunities disappear, families find themselves in a more and more precarious situation. A change in political status that would finally grant the Puerto Rican people a right to govern themselves in their own interest is the only hope to reverse the devastation 117 years as a debt colony has wrought. Matt Peppe writes the Just the Facts blog. He can be reached on Facebook and Twitter or by email at mdpeppe@gmail.com. When grandparents and parents tell their children of tales of how life was long before they gave birth to them, one can not help but wonder where and how the government and people of Nigeria got it all wrong. With the continuous collapse of the naira and the high cost of living today, Nigerians if given a choice, will definitely love to go back to the good old days when life was relatively easy and success was guaranteed by just being honest and hardworking. To bring back those good memories for the younger folks, INFORMATION NIGERIA has put together 9 things Nigerians certainly miss about Nigeria many years ago 1. When Naira had value: In the good old days, the naira was said to be very valuable as a lot of things could be purchased with just N1, which was just the same has $1 but today N1,000 can not feed anyone comfortably in a day. 2. When good music equaled good lyrics: When you play songs recorded those days today, there is a striking difference between them and what we have nowadays. Old songs had meaningful lyrics and good beats but todays songs can only boast of beats as the lyric are nothing to write home about. 3. When values superseded ill gotten wealth: Those days society would question anyone who suddenly shows up with wealth and has no known means of income. Then the onus is on such person to provide prove of how he became suddenly rich or face the wrath of the entire community. These days however, the reverse is the case as thieves and treasury looters are honoured with Chieftaincy titles and made elders in the church. 4. When being a university graduate was all one needed to have a good life: The younger ones are quite familiar with this as they must have heard tales of about the Nigeria of old that as soon as one graduates from the university, he is given a job and a luxury apartment. These days however, this is just a fantacy as it doesnt happen anymore. Today, most graduates roam the streets of Nigeria with their certificate looking for a job (any job) to keep body and soul together at least. 5. When University undergraduates were provided free meal ticket: Government in those days were said to have provided university students with free meal tickets that gave them access to whole chicken. Students also get every clean accommodation coupled with free laundry. Nothing like this exist again today, and this has forced most parents who are fortunate enough to be in a position to afford it to resort to patronising private universities since government owned ones are saddled with incessant strikes and horrible infrastructures. 6. When you could start a business with your integrity and no money: people say in those days, many people would go and buy goods on credit to sell and would return the cost price to the seller when the goods are sold albeit today, any seller who tries this will end up with a heart attack because the buyer will by default vanish. 7. When rents, food stuff and other essential commodities were affordable: In those days, the prices of food items, rents, transport and most things needed to sustain life cost almost nothing compared to what obtains today. These items these days have continued to sky rocket with no hope of coming down. 8. When getting a UK visa was easy: Getting a visa to go abroad was easy in those days but today people could spend years applying and applying, only to keep getting turned down at the embassy. 9.When traders could leave their goods in the market unattended, put the cost value on it: This was so, so buyers would know the cost of the goods and buy them at the price indicated by the seller with the money on the goods. Try that now, both the goods and the money on it would disappear without trace Older folks, kindly add the ones we might have missed!!! The candidate of the All progressives Congress (APC) in the February 20 Benue South Senatorial District election, Comrade Daniel Onjeh, has said he is not surprised by allegations of threat to life by his opponent, David Mark. Addressing journalists in Otukpo, the Benue South Senatorial District headquarters yesterday, Onjeh described the allegations as Propaganda that is unwarranted. Mr. Mark, who has represented the senatorial district since 1999 and was President of the Senate between 2007 and 2015, had his election nullified and a re-run ordered by the Makurdi Division of the Appeal Court last December. The ex-Senate president in a statement issued by his spokesman, Paul Mumeh on Monday, accused the APC candidate and the deputy governor of Benue State of plotting to assassinate him ahead of the rescheduled elections. But Onjeh pointed out that Mr. Mark, who is contesting on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has been at the center of electoral violence in his previous contests backed by the states agents of coercion, adding that it is only unfortunate that the former Senate president no longer enjoys the federal might. According to the APC senatorial candidate, the propaganda is intended To serve as a prelude to unleash terror as usual on innocent citizens and the electorate forgetting that the era of voter inducement and intimidation is over. He further likened Marks conduct leading to the February 20 rerun election to a student who prepares to cheat in examinations to pass instead of reading his books. David Marks approach and attitude towards this election is like a student who is not prepared for examination. It is only those who are on losers side in a game that embark on playing rough. His attitude in this election is clearly defeatist in nature and that is why I say his alleged threat to life is laughable, Onjeh said. What the PDP candidate needs to do, Onjeh added, is to come out and respond to the Senate Committee on Works questions on the dualisation of the Otukpo-Aliade Road rather than the antics which he noted are capable of sparking violence at the poll. He maintained that the APC is Not willing to play to the gallery. Barack Obama, the US president, is planning an historic visit to Cuba next month, which will make him the first serving US president to step foot on the island in nearly nine decades. Obamas visit in mid-March will be part of a broader trip to Latin America that the White House will announce on Thursday, Obama administration officials told news agencies. Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced last year that they would begin normalising ties after a half-century of Cold War opposition. On Tuesday, the two nations signed a deal restoring commercial air traffic for the first time in five decades. Immediately after signing the commercial flights deal, the US Department of Transportation opened bidding by American carriers on as many as 110 US-Cuba flights a day more than five times the current number. All flights currently operating between the two countries are charters. Obamas government is eager to make progress on building trade and diplomatic ties with Cuba before he leaves office. A normalisation of US-Cuban relations had seemed unthinkable to both Cubans and Americans for generations. In August Havana and Washington formally renewed relations and upgraded their diplomatic missions to embassies. The presidents of the US and Cuba earlier last year met in Panama City, with Obama announcing a thaw in relations by saying the Cold War is over. ALjazeera. The Borno State government said yesterday it was working on plans to re-open major highways linking Maiduguri to other parts of the state. Governor Kashim Shettima stated this at an interactive forum with traders of the Monday Market in Maiduguri where he explained that the objective was to rejuvenate the economy of the state, which had suffered setbacks due to Boko Haram insurgency. He said the government had also constructed shopping malls in different parts of the state capital to encourage business activities. Mr. Shettima expressed optimism that the lingering Boko Haram insurgency would soon be over, following successes recorded by the military in its campaign against terrorism. He commended the leadership of the traders for maintaining unity among them and assured them of governments readiness to assist them to overcome the hardships they were facing due to the insurgency. Also speaking, the permanent secretary of the state Ministry of Trade and Investment, Hamza Hamawa, said the forum was organised by traders to express appreciation to the governor for initiating an interest-free loan for them. President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday commiserated with the victims of the fire outbreak in the popular Singa Market in Kano. The president, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, was said to be deeply saddened by the destruction of very valuable goods and properties in the inferno. Stressing that Buhari shares in the pain and anguish of all hardworking Nigerians who lost their wares and belongings in the unfortunate fire incident, the statement said that the president assured those who suffered losses from the fire incident that the Federal Government will do all within its powers to support the efforts of the Kano State government to ameliorate their plight. President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday met with the service chiefs and heads of other security agencies. The meeting, which held inside the presidents office at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja, lasted several hours. The meeting was attended by the Minister of Defence, General Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali (rtd) and the National Security Adviser (NSA), General Babagana Monguno (rtd). The Service Chiefs emerged from the meeting without speaking to State House correspondents. Daily Trust, however, reports that the meeting was convened to review the security situation in the country, especially the ongoing war against the Boko Haram insurgency. A former governor of old Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of waging another war against the people of the South-East geo-political zone. The Harvard-trained economist described the presidents ill-treatment of the region as a continuation of the 1967-1970 Nigerian civil war, of which Buhari, then a military officer, was a key player. The ex-governor, however, warned South Easterners, especially, pro-Biafra agitators, against resorting to self-defence against the countrys security forces. Ezeife, who made this known in a statement on pro-Biafra agitations on Thursday, said that indulging in self-defence, as advocated by some members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) is not only senseless, but also an invitation to the military and police to decimate Ndigbos youth population. At this stage, it does not make any sense to talk about self-defence. If (armed) self-defence is attempted, it can only lead to more depopulation of South East youths, the elder statesman said. Buhari will continue fighting Biafra or now, Ndigbo for as long as God gives him breath. Let us not give him any semblance of excuse or justification; let us not give him the opportunity to further slaughter our youths. Thinking persons should, in the circumstance, see any effort at self-defence as suicidal! he added. Reacting to a recent statement credited to Buhari that Nigeria/Biafra war continues, Ezeife said such utterance removed doubts about the presidents disposition to the South East, adding that what this implies to the president and others like him is that depopulating the South East remains a legitimate strategy. He said: This means that reducing the population of the South-East remains a legitimate strategy. The war continues for as long as those like him, who fought in the war, remain alive. Thus, we must take, as war dead, the casualties at the Aba School Compound, days ago, where unarmed members of Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), were gathered and were dealt with: 50 persons in all, with 10 dead on the spot. We have no way to know yet how many of the wounded have died. One wonders whether, even in wars, there are no rules of engagement. Armed policemen and soldiers, shooting-to-death innocent or, at least, unarmed individuals, can only be seen, properly, as crime against humanity, even worse than pogrom!!! Body language may be more commanding than express orders or commands!!! While commending IPOB leaders for doing the right thing by taking the Biafran cause to the United Nations (UN), Ezeife listed the circumstances which gave birth to the agitation for Biafra as the absence of South Easterners in President Buharis first 40 appointments. He named other sins of the Buhari administration against the South East as the removal of the appointment of an Igbo in NIMASA three days after announcement; failure to appoint a South East person to even the sixth and least protocol position in government in a six geopolitical zone structure like the position of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF); absence of any Igbo person in the National Security Council and dumping other dangerous Boko Haram prisoners in Ekwulobia Prison, in Anambra State despite massive protests from the people. Others, according to him, are the presidents failure to give key ministries to the South East persons; spilling the blood of Eastern youths, the most recent in Aba; imputatively disrespecting the rule of law by the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu after a court of competent juris-diction had ordered his release on bail; the body language of undisguised hatred for Igbo demonstrated through the recent handcuffing of Olisa Metuh, while other accused persons, whose cases were more heinous, were swaggering into the court. He added: These are the ingredients of injustice, marginalisation and humiliation which can make life not worth living for an Igbo man in Nigeria. They are signs of the Igbo being rejected in Nigeria. These are the reason why I said that Buhari is stoking the fire of MASSOB and Biafra and pushing the South East out of Nigeria. For as long as they persist, Biafra is inevitable. No two ways about it!!! The fact that there is no other country in the world that can be like our dear Nigeria is a statement no one can contest. The truth is, some things people do in Nigeria and get away with, without any hitch, people in other country will do jail term for way less. In this piece, INFORMATION NIGERIA brings you 5 things Nigerians do/say that people who have never been to Nigeria will find absolutely weird 1. Being the first to arrive for parties: Nigerians know how to throw a good party, with good music and good food in the right atmosphere but the problem is, Nigerians love African time and totally take pride in being the last to arrive at a party (before the food is served though) because it is seen as being too desperate with no class to be the first to arrive, something other nationals will never understand. 2.Be rich and flaunt it: Nigerians are notorious for throwing jests at people who wear simple and cheap dresses despite being rich. The general feeling is that you must wear expensive dresses if you are rich. 3. Power supply: Only Nigerians would complain when power supply lasts for more than 24hrs uninterrupted. You hear stuff like Wetin happen hope we are safe. Elsewhere in the world, this is absolutely normal. The abnormal thing however is not having power when youve paid. 4. Nigerian police: When a Nigerian police turns down an offer to accept bribe, this could mean either the bribe is too small or the offender is in for a very big trouble 5. Gadget freaks: When you see someone own all the iPhone series, you are sure that person is most likely a Nigerian. A Nigerian will comfortably own the most expensive gadget with no known source of income or gadgets that cost more than a plot of land but the person still owes his landlord balance on his rent. Which did we miss??? Officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in all the commands nationwide have filled and returned their assets declaration forms to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) as directed by the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Hameed Ibrahim Ali. The Comptroller had last month directed all officers and men of the NCS to declare their assets within 14 days in line with the Bank Employees Declaration of Assets Act Cap B1 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. The directive, which was aimed at ensuring transparency and compliance with the rule of law, was addressed to all deputy comptrollers-general, zonal coordinators and customs area controllers. Speaking on Wednesday, the spokesperson of the CCB, Mrs. Iyabo Akinwale, pointed out that the compliance level nationwide has been good and impressive. She disclosed that following Mr. Alis directive, a lecture was organized by the CCB and delivered by Mr. Chidoke Obi, the Bureaus Deputy Director Education and Advocacy Services for the NCS. During the lecture, which took place at the NCS Headquarters in Abuja, the officers and men of the NCS were instructed on how to fill the CCB forms. After the lecture, it was gathered that the Customs boss also addressed his men on the importance of completing the CCB form against the background of the anti-corruption war of the Federal Government. World recognized Four-time Grammy nominated Afrobeat legacy, Femi Kuti has declared he is not like his father Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, and he is not trying to copy him. After a Twitter user criticized Femi Kuti for not being more like his father, the award winning musician stated that he has never tried to step into his fathers footsteps. My purpose in life isnt to be or copy my father bt 2 BE MYSELF.I love my father & Im NOT in competition wt him tweeted Femi Kuti. You can read his tweets below: Femi Kuti started out in his fathers band Egypt 80. In the 90s he started his own band known as The Positive Force. Femi has gone on to make a strong name for himself in Africa, Europe and North America. Today (February 18) is the 42nd anniversary of the burning of Felas home known as Kalakuta, during the ambush by unknown soldiers. Felas mother died weeks after the ambush from injuries inflicted on her by the soldiers. Firefighters were called to a bar in Brazil to remove a drunk and belligerent monkey that downed a glass of rum and armed itself with a kitchen knife. The local fire department in Patos, Paraiba, said they were called to a bar Feb. 5 on a report of an aggressive monkey with a kitchen knife chasing men. Fire deparment Lt. Col. Saul Laurentino said the monkey drank a glass of rum at the bar before picking up the knife and chasing after men, leaving the women alone. It was a bar staff oversight that ended with the monkey drinking some rum and taking the knife, Laurentino told the aRede website. Locals captured video of the monkey using the kitchen knife to scratch at the bars roof. The monkey was captured by firefighters and released back into the wild, but the mischievous primate was later captured a second time for acting aggressively toward residents of homes near the woods. Local authorities said they are now working to determine whether the monkey will be released again or taken into permanent captivity. UPI An anti-smoking poster on the streets of Moscow is going viral online due to its unusual star U.S. President Barack Obama. Dmitry Gudkov, Russian State Duma opposition deputy, posted a picture to Facebook of the anti-smoking ad, which features Obama with a cigarette in his mouth. Smoking kills more people than Obama, although he kills a lot of people. Dont smoke dont be like Obama, the poster reads in Russian. I am disgusted and ashamed of what appears on the streets of the Russian capital, Gudkov said. Obama famously quit smoking under pressure from first lady Michelle Obama, but he admitted in 2009 that he has occasionally fallen off the wagon. I would say that I am 95 percent cured, but there are times where, there are times where I mess up, he said. UPI. The Federal Government will not rescind its decision to sack 13 Vice Chancellors appointed by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, the Federal Government has said. The FG last weekend announced the sacking of 12 VCs of newly established federal universities and that of the National Open Universities of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. Vincent Tenebe. The decision was widely criticized with some civil society groups describing the action of the federal government as illegal. But Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, at the flag off of the 2015/2016 annual school census in Abuja on Thursday, reaffirmed the sacking of the VCs. Asked why the VC of NOUN, whose tenure had not expired, was sacked alongside the others, the minister explained that Prof. Tenebe was removed because of the petitions against him. He said: Do you reverse government decision simply because somebody has criticized them? I dont think there is any decision of government not going down well with everyone in the country. The ministry has received communications from some people who feel like this and we are looking at this. What I am saying is that they have already written to us. We are looking into their complaints. We will reply them. Following the condemnation in some quarters of the emergence of former Borno State governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the new National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday, the leadership of the party yesterday warned against labelling him as Boko Haram sponsor. The National Auditor of the party, Alhaji Adewole Adeyanju, in a statement challenged anybody with concrete evidence on Sheriffs sponsorship of the terrorist sect to speak up or stop spreading such unfounded rumours. He added that the allegation was a plot to discredit PDP before Nigerians and the international community. Mr. Adeyanju, therefore, appealed to all well-meaning Nigerians and the international community to ignore the new antics of the enemies who he claimed are bent on scuttling the partys chances of taking over from the All Progressives Congress-led federal government in 2019. We are very much aware that some elements are jittery over PDPs decision to pick him as its national chairman and the only way out for them is to label him as Boko Haram sponsor, the national auditor said. The police in Benin has confirmed the real identity of a middle-aged man, Henry Odion, who allegedly murdered his wife, Patience, in the presence of their six-month-old child in Benin. According to Edo police command image maker, DSP Abiodun Osifo, the murder suspect who is presently at large, is a pastor of the Mountain of Victory and Fire Deliverance Ministry, Benin. Naij.com reliably gathered that Pastor Odion allegedly murdered his wife who had been married to him since September, 2014, with a knife in Okpara quarters, a suburb of Benin metropolis. It was further discovered that the pastor and his late wife had been having series of disagreements with each other, a situation which allegedly led to separation for two months. Further investigations revealed that the pastor used his sister (names withheld), to lure his estranged wife to the house for settlement and on arrival, stabbed her severally with a knife, following which he went into hiding when he discovered that his wife died on the spot. Father of the deceased woman, a police officer serving with Lagos police command, has appealed to relevant authorities to fish out the culprit. Meanwhile, the police in Benin have launched a manhunt for the fleeing pastor. Osifo, who described the action as barbaric, assured that the police will do everything possible to arrest the culprit. Source: Naij The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has described as erroneous, reports in a section of the media that former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff, is acting national chairman of the party. The opposition party said Mr. Modu-Sheriff is the substantive national chairman and should be regarded as such. The former Borno governor emerged chairman of the PDP Tuesday after his nomination by the various caucuses was ratified by the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party. A statement on Thursday by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, said Modu-Sheriffs appointment by the NEC in its 68th meeting, to replace Dr. Ahmadu Adamu Muazu, who resigned as National Chairman, is in line with section 47(6) of the PDP Constitution, which empowers NEC to fill a vacant position with a person from the zone where the officer originated from. The PDP, therefore, urges the media and members of the public to note this accordingly, the statement concluded. Africas leading governance communication firm, StateCraft Inc, will be holding its first masterclass titled Did You Say Change? Game Changers of the 2015 Nigerian Elections on Monday February 22, 2016 at the Landmark Event Center, Water Corporation Road, off Ligali Ayorinde Street, Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos at 2pm. This gathering which will hold as part of Social Media Week Lagos 2016, will draw on the lessons of Statecrafts handling of the communication for the Buhari campaign, and discuss what these lessons are for public officials, the institutions they lead and their relationship with citizens. The event will include panelists with experience in handling communication for government, who will also share from their unique insight. It will also have an aggregated audience in the hall and online, sending in questions and opinions that will further drive the conversation. StateCraft Inc, is Africas leading governance communication firm, with a mission to galvanise a generation to make informed choices. To attend this event, register here: http://socialmediaweek.org/lagos/events/say-change-game-changers-2015-nigerian-elections/ Official media partners are: Information Nigeria, YNaija.com, Olorisupergal, TechCabal, techsmart.ng, Naijaloaded, Techpoint.ng and misstechy. Ugandans have started voting in presidential and parliamentary polls with veteran leader Yoweri Museveni widely expected to extend his power into a fourth decade. Polls open at 7am local time and will close at 4pm. Initial results are expected as early as Saturday afternoon with the leading candidate requiring more than 50 percent of votes cast to avoid a second round run-off. Museveni and his ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, facing a challenge from seven candidates, are predicted to win a fifth term. The 71-year-old former rebel fighter seized power in 1986. Over 15 million people are registered to vote, casting ballots in over 28,000 polling stations for both a president and members of parliament, with 290 seats being contested by candidates from 29 political parties. Elections in 2006 and 2011 were marred by violent, and occasionally deadly, street protests and a liberal use of tear gas by heavy-handed police. But apart from an outbreak of protests when police prevented the main opposition contender Kizza Besigye from campaigning in the centre of the capital, campaigning has been mostly peaceful. Whoever will try to bring violence, you will see what we shall do to him. Those who want violence should play somewhere else, not Uganda, Museveni told thousands of supporters in his final rally on Tuesday. Some who attended that rally told Al Jazeera that they had been paid about $1 to be there. The NRM denies that it pays people to attend political events. A security company recently laid tempting bait online in order to see how hackers would react. The findings aren't surprising but show how quickly leaked data is used by shady characters. California-based Bitglass, which specializes in cloud-based security, created a fake digital identity for an employee of a non-existent bank. The details included credentials for a Google Drive account, complete with real credit card details, fake corporate data and personal data, according to Bitglass' report. The files were tagged with a tracker so Bitglass could obtain some technical data on systems that accessed it. They also created a fake banking site portal. The experiment simulated what would happen if a person was "phished," or had their online credentials stolen in some kind of trick or cyberattack. Bitglass leaked the details to so-called Dark Web websites where cyber criminals mingle. Unsurprisingly, the Google Drive credentials were used fairly quickly. Bitglass said there were three attempted logins to Google Drive in the first day and five attempted logins to the fake bank site. Within two days, files were downloaded from the Google Drive account. Most of those who accessed Google Drive also tried to use the same credentials for the victim's other online accounts. Twelve percent of those who accessed Google Drive tried to download the sensitive files there, and one also managed to crack an encrypted file. Bitglass conducted a similar experiment a year prior where it found that people accessing the tagged documents rarely used the anonymity network Tor, short for the The Onion Router. This year, however, 68 percent of those who accessed the Google Drive account used Tor. Still, that leaves more than a third who didn't take any protections to mask their real IP address, which means they're more likely to be traced. The finding demonstrates that "hackers are becoming more security conscious and know to mask their IPs when possible to avoid getting caught," the company said. Of the systems that did not use Tor, 35 percent of the logins came from Russia, with about 16 percent in the U.S. and 3.5 percent from China, Bitglass said. On Darfur, US Concerned at Violence in Jebal Marra, Ladsous' UNAMID Silent By Matthew Russell Lee UNITED NATIONS, February 18 -- Even the UN's audit unit finds that its joint peacekeeping mission in Darfur, UNAMID, is unsatisfactory. This was the rating in a UN Office of Internal Oversight Services audit that Inner City Press has uploaded on November 4 , 2015 here. Nor surprisingly, UNAMID's unsatisfactory performance resulted in loss of confidence in it by local populations, in the UN's parlance, and in IDPs taking to protecting themselves. Now on February 18, the US has issued this: "The United States is deeply concerned about the increased violence against civilians and the grave humanitarian situation in and around Jebel Marra, Darfur. Initial attacks by the Sudan Liberation Army-Abdul Wahid opposition group on Sudanese armed forces prompted a response by Sudans military that included aerial bombardments despite the UN Security Council demand that Sudan cease offensive military flights over Darfur. These attacks have forced 73,000 people to flee their homes, and thousands more are trapped in the conflict zone of Jebel Marra without access to aid. The United States calls on both the Government of Sudan and the armed movements of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) to re-commit to their cessation of hostilities declarations for Darfur and in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. We welcome the recent absence of major offensive action in South Kordofan and urge all parties to show the same restraint in Darfur and also in Blue Nile state, where government and opposition forces each carried out attacks last month. There is no military solution to Sudans internal conflicts. We call on the Government of Sudan and the SRF to de-escalate the violence and work with the African Union and others to agree to a comprehensive cessation of hostilities agreement that will allow immediate and unfettered humanitarian access for Darfur, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile. We also urge the government to create an environment conducive to the participation of armed movements and other political opposition parties in a comprehensive and inclusive national dialogue that addresses systemic governance issues in Sudan. " Back on November 9, 2015, Inner City Press asked the UN about other reports of under-performance by UNAMID under Herve Ladsous. From the UN transcript: Inner City Press: The Tabit [rape question] is very simple. You may have seen the Independent article. Spokesman: I did, but I have nothing to add to what we've said on Tabit. Question: And the underlying report they're reporting on by the NGO [non-governmental organization] in the U.K. makes various recommendations that UNAMID (United Nations-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur) have community liaisons that they don't leave West Darfur. If there's is there a DPKO (Department of Peacekeeping Operations) response? Spokesman: I do not have one with me. How surprising. Inner City Press is informed of belated discussions among Permanent Five members of the Security Council of Ladous being a liability, whether he can even stay to the end of Ban Ki-moon's term. Watch this site. Back in late September during the UN General Assembly frenzy week in New York, in Darfur another UN Peacekeepers was killed and four wounded. Meanwhile Sudan said that its Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour will meet with the State Department on UNGA's margins. The UN's Herve Ladsous met with Omar al Bashir; more recently on September 11, 2015, Ladsous linked Peackeepers' rapes with "R&R." When will this be addressed and acted on? That human rights abuses continue in Darfur with cover-ups by the Peacekeeping mission UNAMID should be shouted from the rooftops. Instead, Human Rights Watch on September 9 the issue behind closed doors with the UN's Censorship Alliance. That was at 11 am. But at the UN noon briefing, no one from UNCA asked any questions about Darfur, or Sudan, to the UN. Inner City Press asked this: Inner City Press: the press inside Sudan is carrying a lot of the coverage of President [Omar al] Bashir saying that he's going to end, you know, by force if necessary or by force certainly all rebellions within Sudan in 2016. This is viewed as a kind of a an end of the discussion process and the beginning of a purely military process. Is is the the joint Special Representative aware of it? Is there any response by the UN to this statement by the President? Deputy Spokesman: Well, we would take seriously any threats to continue or to exacerbate the conflicts on the ground in Sudan. You you've seen the efforts we've made on the ground diplomatically and through our peacekeeping and humanitarian offices to deal with the situation, and we do not want to see any further deterioration of a conflict which, as you know, has been running for many, many years already. [Video here.] What was the point of doing this briefing about Darfur, where the UNAMID mission is covering up, not in the UN briefing room - where on September 10 another NGO holds a briefing, sponsored by Canada -- but in the Censors' Club? Neither organization has offered any criticism of UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous, as he sought to cover up rapes in the Central African Republic (and Darfur and DRC before), and openly refuses to answer Press questions about it. As to Darfur, Ladsous met with Sudan's ICC-indicted Omar al Bashir, something HRW was notably silent about as on the cover up of the French troops' rapes in Central African Republic by Ladsous - as reflected in UN Dispute Tribunal rulings. Wouldn't one want to ask the UN about its (in)action on Darfur? Otherwise, why do the press "in" the UN? To hold a press conference in the UN's actual Press Briefing Room requires only the sponsorship of a single member state; then the event is on UN Webcast and journalists who decline to support the UN's Censorship Alliance participation. But this is HRW's choice, just as they refused to provide even a summary of the issues they raised when granted a meeting with Ban Ki-moon -- contrary to the approach of other human rights groups. In terms of holding accessible press conferences in the UN, not going behind closed doors and off UN Webcast with the UN Censorship Alliance, consider in the same week, on September 10 at 10:30, a press conference in the UN Press Briefing Room on the plight of children in the Central African Republic; we'll cover it. The past and present head of UNCA, back after a long vacation, has yet to ask any questions of the UN. Previously, he sought to censor coverage of his renting one of his apartment to Sri Lanka's then Ambassador Palitha Kohona. (Running a letter he could write about when he rented the apartment, and its relations or not to UNCA's screening of the Sri Lankan government's war crimes denial film Lies Agreed To, was not enough: he demanded all coverage be removed from the Internet: censorship.) These are HRW's partners? We'll have more on this. This event, in any case, conflicts with a Security Council meeting about Syria. So it goes. Background: In February 2015 with UN Peacekeeping underLadsous still providing few to no updates on its UNAMID mission's November 9 covering up of rapes in Darfur, just as Ladsous stonewalled about mass rapes in Minova in the DR Congo, here , some soft on the UN try to raise the issue without blaming those responsible for the cover-up. The report put out by Human Rights Watch had 48 pages, but does not mention UN Peacekeeping boss Ladsous once, nor his similar cover up of rapes in Minova in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, video here. What kind of report is this? Tellingly, in trying to "launch" this soft-on-Ladsous report inside the UN, Human Rights Watch instead of holding a regular press conference in the UN Press Briefing Room as other NGOs do has chosen to partner with the UN Censorship Alliance, a group whose board has tried to get investigative Press thrown out of the UN, including for its reporting on Ladsous. On February 11, added to the UN's "Media Alert" is a meeting between Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and this Sudanese government official: "Ibrahim Ghandour, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chairman of the National Congress, Republic of Sudan." So will Ban be demanded access -- second access, after Ladsous' initial cover up -- to Tabit? While some claim that Ladsous' UN Peacekeeping is trying to get back to Tabit, on Feburary 10 a Sudanese diplomat told Inner City Press he had met with Ladsous on February 9 and "it was nice." How's that, for Ladsous' supposed commitment to get to the bottom of rapes and rights abuses? Instead, in order to NOT move against the FDLR militia, Ladsous' UN Peacekeeping is now claiming to care too much for human rights to support the Congolese Army's supposed offensive against the FDLR -- which, the UN belatedly acknowledged to Inner City Press, has not even begun. But on the Tabit rapes, that the Sudanese diplomat without irony described his February 9 meeting with Ladsous has "nice" is telling. It is easy and appropriate, of course, to blame Sudan, as it was and is to blame the Congolese Army and government for the rapes in Minova. But there is a pattern, and until UN Peacekeeping's senior leadership's cover up of these incidents - and even silence on dead peacekeepers for more than a week -- nothing will improve. So why is Human Rights Watch, which alongside its detailed work goes out of its way not to criticize the UN and especially Ladsous, for example on Central African Republic, as Inner City Press reported here, partnering to hold a privatized event on Tabit, not in the UN Press Briefing Room but among friends, as they say? Why have HRW and its hosts said nothing about posts in UN Peacekeeping under Ladsous being sold for money, exclusively exposed by Inner City Press on February 7, asked about February 9, and partially answered by the UN on February 10, here? Any country can sponsor such a briefing in the UN Press Briefing Room. But HRW hides behind and in the clubhouse of the UN Censorship Alliance, Board members of which in the past have ordered changes to articles about Ladsous - and about Sri Lanka, more here. Human rights? Hardly. Look how Human Rights Watch's selectively distributed invitation whitewashes UN Peacekeeping's and Ladsous' role: "Between October 30 and November 1, 2014, Sudanese government forces entered Tabit, North Darfur, and carried out massive abuses against the towns residents, including a mass rape of women and girls. Sudan responded by denying the abuses and has refused to allow international peacekeepers and other independent monitors to investigate the crimes." This is misleading - Ladsous' UNAMID was in Tabit on November 9, and put out a press release whitewashing the rapes and saying the people there like the government's security forces. This was shameful. More publicly, Inner City Press on January 26 asked Security Council ambassadors Mark Lyall Grant of the UK and Raimonda Murmokaite of Lithuania, "what happened with UNAMID going back for real investigation of rapes in Tabit?" #Darfur Q for @LyallGrant: what happened with UNAMID going back for real investigation of rapes in Tabit? Thanks. @PRLTUN Inner City Press (@innercitypress) January 26, 2015 Lyall Grant replied, "We continue to press DPKO to encourage UNAMID to revert on the Tabit allegations." .@innercitypress @PRLTUN We continue to press DPKO to encourage UNAMID to revert on the Tabit allegations. Mark Lyall Grant (@LyallGrant) January 26, 2015 Murmokaite added, "have been raising the issue at consultations, will continue." @LyallGrant @innercitypress have been raising the issue at consultations, will continue Raimonda Murmokaite (@PRLTUN) January 26, 2015 And so Inner City Press at the January 26 UN noon briefing asked Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, video here: Inner City Press: two of the Security Council ambassadors this morning said they continued to ask DPKO to ensure that the Tabit site of alleged mass rapes is revisited. I want to know has any action been taken on that? Has there been any move by UNAMID? Spokesman Dujarric: The request to visit Tabit stands. There's nothing to report. Nothing to report? Back on January 8 Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, video here: Inner City Press: what has the UN system done in order to get access again to Thabit in Darfur, where there were allegedly 200 rapes, and then the Government didnt allow any inspectors. What have you done since we last spoke on it? SG Ban: As for the first part of the question, as you know, we tried to have a thorough investigation. This report might not have been sufficient because of the lack of full cooperation of the authorities on the ground. That has really hampered our authorities to go into the field and get a thorough investigation. It is important that we have to have a thorough investigation and as a matter of principle, there should be a clear accountability process and justice. I am firm about this matter. And we will, in the course of time, have better information on this matter. While appreciated, it is widely recognized that the more time goes by, the more difficult a credible rape investigation becomes. So why did UNAMID issue a cover-up November 9 press release? Neutral Bias = Sideways Market Market Tea Leaves - 21 minutes ago Yesterday we suggested a Neutral or Mixed bias and the markets traded sideways. What will it do today?? Cocoa (CC) Consolidating Near Weekly Chart Downtrend Resistance Tradable Patterns - Thu Oct 20, 11:48PM CDT Cocoa (CCZ22) bounced almost 1% yesterday, closing just below descending wedge resistance (on the weekly chart). A weekly close above the 38.2% Fib retrace of the February to September slide is moderately... CCZ22 : 2,315 (-0.56%) NIB : 24.45 (+1.12%) What to Watch Now Stock Market (and Sentiment Results) HedgeFundTips.com - Thu Oct 20, 9:04PM CDT I dont think they will get there without the credit markets forcing them to relent, but lets assume they do. How bad is it? Its so bad that the market has ALREADY PRICED IT IN. EU leaders divided on gas price cap at energy crisis summit AP - Thu Oct 20, 7:40PM CDT BRUSSELS (AP) European Union leaders struggled to find immediate practical solutions at their summit Thursday called to grapple with the energy crisis fueled by the war in Ukraine and maintain a united... $SPX : 3,665.78 (-0.80%) $DOWI : 30,333.59 (-0.30%) $IUXX : 11,046.71 (-0.51%) Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population and are making impacts on aspects of American life, including education. Studies have shown that the number of Hispanics earning degrees from U.S. colleges and universities more than doubled between 1990 and 2010. However, this population is highly underrepresented among students pursuing Ph.D.s, as well as among college and university faculty. The Andrew Mellon Foundation, one of the biggest funders of higher education in the U.S., especially for programs related to the humanities, recently committed more than $5 million over five years to a program designed to increase the number of Hispanic Ph.D.s. Mellon awarded the grant to the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) to launch a new program called Pathways to the Professorate. I'll say more about this effort in a moment, but first let's consider the the multifaceted philanthropic push for diversity in higher education. Amid an intensifying conversation about racial equity and inequality, a wide range of funders have backed different approaches to making our nation's campuses look like America's population writ large. Much of this funding has focused on getting more kids of color to attend collegeand, as importantly, to complete their degrees. But there's also growing attention to ensuring that more students of color stick around universities to get advanced degrees like Ph.D.s. We've reported on several such efforts, and there's no question that the biggest money is flowing to expand the ranks of students of color getting advanced degrees in the STEM disciplines. Quite a bit of that funding is coming from corporate donors, who are attuned both to meeting future skilled labor needs and living up to their pledges on diversity. Long-time science funders like Sloan are another key source. Related: What we haven't seen, though, is attention to diversifying the ranks of graduate students in the humanities and social sciences. Which is why it's important to highlight Mellon's ongoing quest to increase diversity in the upper echelons of academia. Related: How is Mellon Working to Boost Minority Representation Across Academia? Under this new program, CMSI will partner with eight colleges and universities to increase the number of Hispanics who earn a Ph.D. in the humanities and become college and university faculty. Participating universities, in addition to Penn, include Northwestern and Florida International. Each participating school will select 10 undergraduates who will receive assistance in preparing for the GRE and writing personal statements. They also will receive stipends and other forms of academic support. In a higher education environment in which STEM is all the rage, Mellon remains committed to the idea that art, literature, and other subjects in the humanities still have an important place in our society. It is through the humanities that students learn to think critically and engage with the multicultural world around them. Further, the new Mellon-funded program focuses on an underrepresented group in advanced scholarship. In many Ph.D. programs, white students outnumber Hispanics by seven to one. Hispanics comprise less than 10 percent of faculty at many colleges and universities. It's worth closing with the obvious point that the job market for academics is not great these days, and this is especially true in the humanities. That's an obstacle to getting more young people of coloror any young peopleto focus their career ambitions in this area. An added challenge, here, is that students of color, often first generation college students, often face family expectations to pursue practical careers that offer a path to financial security. Pursuing a Ph.D. in, say, comparative literature may not go over so well with mom and dad. In that sense, Mellon is taking on a much tougher job than the funders focusing on diversifying the STEM field, where career opportunities are more apparent. Allianz SE, Europes biggest insurer, struck a deal to limit risks in the U.S. by transferring policy obligations to reinsurer Enstar Group Ltd. Enstar will assume net reinsurance reserves of about $1.1 billion and cover half of a book of business for Allianz, according to a statement Wednesday from the Bermuda-based company. The deal includes obligations on policies from workers compensation, construction defects, and asbestos that were issued under the Firemans Fund brand. Allianz is focusing on its most profitable segments as it seeks annual earnings-per-share growth of 5 percent on average from 2016 to 2018. The Munich-based company reached a deal in 2014 to sell the retail business of Firemans Fund to ACE Ltd. for $365 million. Allianz kept the commercial property and casualty businesses of Firemans Fund to restructure them or wind them down. Enstar traces its roots to the early 1990s and takes on business from carriers that stopped selling lines of coverage. It counts the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Stephen Friedmans Stone Point Capital as its largest shareholders. Implementing a reinsurance transaction of this complexity and magnitude for Allianz, a global industry leader, demonstrates clearly the scope and scale of the solutions that Enstar can provide, Chief Executive Officer Dominic Silvester said in the statement. We welcome the opportunity to continue to work with Allianz. Under the deal, Enstar will provide consulting services on the entire $2.2 billion portfolio, including the share retained by Allianz. The combined support by Enstar will initially be capped at $270 million. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics USA Reinsurance Allianz North Dakota regulators are proposing new rules aimed at the oil industry. A slate of proposed rules were unveiled on Feb. 16, including a requirement that would require bonding for all crude and saltwater pipelines. Another new rule would require berms of at least a foot high to be built around a well site. Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms says public hearings on the proposals will be done in several cities in April. He says October is the earliest the rules could be in place. North Dakota Petroleum Council President Ron Ness says his group has not had a chance to study the proposals. He says subjecting the oil industry to more rules adds costs to companies that already are dealing with depressed crude prices. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Energy Oil Gas Legislative committees are considering bills that would allow the Kansas Department of Transportation to raise the states highest speed limit on separated, multiple-lane highways from 75 to 80 miles per hour. The Wichita Eagle reports that lawmakers could decide next week if one of the bills will go to the full Kansas House of Representatives. The new limit would bring the state in line with several other sparsely populated, largely rural Western states. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says Idaho, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming have a maximum speed limit of 80 miles per hour. Republican state Rep. John Bradford said the change would help regulations match reality, since many travelers drive faster in open country. Most of the traffic clearly flows at around 85 miles an hour, Bradford said by phone, as he happened to be driving on Interstate 70 toward Kansas City. I would tell you right now Im sitting here driving 85 and Im just flowing along naturally with traffic. Just dont tell the Highway Patrol, he added, laughing. The transportation department opposes the bill, and its unclear whether it would raise the speed limit if the law changes. The Legislature most recently raised the speed limit to 75 miles per hour in 2011. The transportation department set the new speed limit for 807 miles of roadway as more than 1,000 miles were initially eligible. Opponents say a higher speed limit could lead to more accidents and make hundreds of miles of interstate more dangerous. The severity of those accidents increases significantly with the more speed that you add into it, said Lt. Adam Winters, spokesman for the Kansas Highway Patrol. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Trends Legislation Kansas Businesses known for their uniforms are worried about lawyers in business suits in the wake of a change in the nations labor laws affecting their liability for employment practices. The change could unravel the franchise business and wreak havoc for thousands of companies and contractors, according to franchise industry groups and insurance professionals. [Editors Note: See The Betterley Report chart at end of article on joint liability coverage details by insurance carrier.] In a decision known as Browning-Ferris Industries (BFI), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in August 2015 ruled that a small business franchisee could be considered a joint-employer with the franchisor company that lends its brand name and marketing to the small business. This ruling overturned decades-long regulatory and legal precedent for determining whether a joint employer relationship exists under the National Labor Relations Act. Previous law held that a franchisor that did not directly employ or control the franchisees workers was exempt from joint liability for employment practices happening at the local franchisee. The new NLRB standard now considers a franchisor as a joint employer not only if it exercises direct control of employees activities, but also if it has indirect or even potential control. Thats a big deal and could wipe out franchising, according to Peter Taffae, managing director of FranchisePerils, which operates a national program administrator offering a program specifically for franchisors. For 30 years the Labor Relations Board has said for a joint employer to be responsible they have to have direct involvement, said Taffae. Now, after 30 years thats changed. The NLRB now says that the employer only needs to have an indirect relationship. Franchisors are not the only business group at risk under the new NLRB standard. Employers using professional employment organizations, or PEOs, staffing agencies, independent contractors and even general contractors now have employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) risk that they didnt have before. In its decision to change the standard, the NLRB said that the old standard was increasingly out of step and outdated with changing economic circumstances, particularly the recent dramatic growth in contingent employment relationships. The NLRB stated the old standard did not reflect the realities of the 21st century workforce. A rise in temporary employment in the U.S. workforce is one reason the NLRB cited as a need for the change. Almost 2.9 million Americans had jobs through temporary agencies in 2014, or 2 percent of the workforce, up from 1.1 million in 1990, the board said. Wilma Liebman, a former head of the labor board who advocated for the new standard, told Bloomberg in August that shifts in the workforce threatened to make basic protections provided by labor laws illusory. Often the company with deeper pockets that hires a subcontractor sets conditions of employment through a contract, she said. These companies should be at the bargaining table, she said. The nature of employment and the nature of the economy has changed a lot, Liebman said in the Bloomberg interview. Unions and others supporting the change say the decision was necessary to bring companies that indirectly control working conditions to the bargaining table, and to curb the use of permanent temps who are paid less and do not get the same benefits as ordinary employees. But the change could have serious effects on thousands of small business owners, according to Darrell Johnson, chief executive of FRANdata, a provider of information and analysis on the franchise industry located in Arlington, Va. The Browning-Ferris decision sets a dangerous precedent that is greatly disruptive to the franchise business model and to thousands of small businesses around the country, he said. According to research released in December by FRANdata, at least 40,000 small businesses operating in more than 75,000 locations are at risk because of the recent NLRB ruling, which the group says jeopardizes the ability of franchise small business owners to hire, schedule and set the salaries of their employees. Our survey results indicate the ruling is already impacting expansion plans, and thus, economic growth, Johnson said. Expansion in Liability The ruling has removed much of the protection franchisors have enjoyed, with implications for EPLI policies. A franchisor, such as McDonalds, Subway, Chem-Dry or even UPS stores, could now be pulled into a lawsuit, for example, when one franchisee terminates an employee and that termination results in some type of employment practice liability issue. This expansion of the scope of liability is going to be monumental for many businesses, Taffae said. Not only could it change the franchising industry but also its likely to encourage the plaintiffs bar to chase after some deep pockets in various industries, according to Taffae. The most obvious example of the widening scope in franchisor liability involves the worlds biggest fast food restaurant. In December 2014, the NLRB determined that McDonalds is a joint employer, pointing to the franchisors comprehensive computer system, which tracks labor usage and costs, as one of the ways it controls franchisee operations. The fast food giant is fighting back to protect its decades-old franchise model that holds the corporation does not directly employ the staff of its franchisees. In a court filing in late October, McDonalds said it had already spent more than $1 million on the legal fight and produced more than 160,000 pages of documents in response to the NLRB case. The case, NLRB v. McDonalds USA LLC, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, scheduled to go to trial before an administrative law judge soon, is expected to have a major impact on U.S. franchisors. The new NLRB standard could also be dangerous for many in the construction business. Denise Gold, associate general counsel for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), which represents 26,000 members nationwide, says while NLRB decision is not an immediate problem, it has definitely muddied what had been an established and clear precedent for years and has the potential to be a major problem for contractors. In construction, joint employer status can derive in the context of a staffing company, or it could come up in the context of a subcontract arrangement, or in the context of a joint venture, which is pretty common in construction and not talked about, according to Gold. Employers arent finding much direction from the federal agency either, Gold said. The NLRBs totality of circumstances test to decide whether there is enough authority to control, either indirect control or direct control, to create joint employer status is so vague that it gives employers little guidance as to when joint employer status exists and does not exist, she maintained. Its not only that the standard is new, but it is also not clear. Theoretically, the NLRB could have come up with very specific guidelines but instead they decided to create a more-vague standard, she said. In her opinion, that vagueness leaves employers with little knowledge as to when they might be joint employers. And being a joint employer is an important thing because it exposes the employer to potential liability for unfair labor practices of other companies, for potential bargaining negotiations, for breaches of collective bargaining agreements, and for what you might call economic protest activities, Gold said. If the employer is not deemed as a secondary employer and instead (considered) a joint employer then they can be subject to activities like strikes, boycotts and picketing. The impact is potentially significant, Gold says. We dont know quite yet as to where the line is drawn on who is a joint employer, she said. We have to wait for further cases to come out to flush out that standard. Impact on Insurance The new NLRB standard has the potential to create myriad unintended insurance consequences for small businesses nationwide, according to Michael Layman, vice president, regulatory affairs, for the International Franchise Association (IFA). Any small business or big businesses needs to have employment practices liability insurance or other management liability coverage and that coverage is usually based on the number of employees an employer has, Layman said. The more employees the higher the premium. In the new joint employer landscape, if a franchise owner in a particular community is required by an insurer to have its franchisor co-sign on an EPLI policy, Layman says, the entire number of employees in the system may be factored into that policy. So a single franchise operator with 25 employees now has lost a significant amount of autonomy over their operation. Their franchisor has to be involved and their premium may be much higher because of the potential liability that the franchisor and franchisee may jointly share. Small businesses could see EPLI premiums skyrocket or not be able to buy coverage at all, Layman fears. We have heard from our members who are franchisees/small business owners that a carrier wouldnt write an EPLI policy to a franchisee without naming the franchisor as an additional named insured, Layman said. Should the franchise owner attempt to secure coverage alone, the market becomes markedly more expensive for the franchisee thats a new trend, he said. A year ago, five years ago, that wasnt happening but the looming and growing threat of joint employer is having that impact. Its not just the NLRB advocating a new joint employer doctrine, according to Layman. Other federal agencies, even at the state level and municipal level, are tackling the issue. Its a growing threat in pockets of government and the number of businesses at stake, not just in the franchising world, is great, he said. Some states, including Michigan, Texas, Tennessee and Louisiana, have already passed legislation aimed at protecting franchisors from being considered a joint employer with their franchisees. Virginia and Wisconsin may also follow suit. This joint employer issue is just beginning to be an issue from an insurance stand point, says Richard S. Betterley, president of Betterley Risk Consultants Inc. based in Boston. Betterley is the writer and publisher of an annual review of the EPLI market. The report, Employment Practices Liability Insurance Market 2015, published in December took aim at the growing insurance concern over joint employer exposures. In this years survey, we ask carriers directly about their ability and willingness to include joint employers as insureds, Betterley said. For the most part they answered optionally in other words they are willing to consider it. Betterley said most insurers didnt say no to joint employers, but he admits that most of the carriers responding to the survey tend to respond relatively liberally because they dont want to shut off business opportunities so they tend to say they are more willing (to insure) than they are in practice. (See chart below) This is the beginning of a problem (where) other parties will be held liable or dragged into suits successfully where they didnt used to be, Betterley said. Thats going to be in the franchise business, in the construction world where there is a lot of subcontractors and potentially even in the independent contractor, 1099 world. At the least, the NLRB ruling has made insurers rethink their approach. The reality is that insurers are becoming cautious because the exposure has changed, Betterley said. In the past if there was a request to add the franchise the underwriting assessment would be presumably that the risk is minimal and yes probably they would. Now they have to look at it and say, No, wait a minute theres real exposure here.' As a result of the new exposure, insurers are reacting, but at varying speeds. The potential for claims has increased but the actual level of claims has probably not yet increased, Betterley said. But youve got to believe that thats just a tidal wave on the horizon that hasnt yet hit shore. Taffae says the trend is quite concerning because theres no way to manage this risk. From our perspective, from a transfer of risk perspective, its very scary, Taffae said. Theres just no way to underwrite it. This whole joint employer thing could really blow up. Related: Topics Carriers USA Legislation Commercial Lines Business Insurance Contractors Construction Investigators in Kentucky say a preliminary investigation has found that a construction worker accidentally started a massive fire that destroyed a beef cattle auction business in Lexington. Media cited a statement released Feb. 12 by the Lexington Fire Department that says sparks from a construction workers circular saw ignited combustible materials at the stockyards, which is operated by the Blue Grass Livestock Marketing Group. No one was injured. The fire on Jan. 30 churned up a plume of thick, black smoke that darkened the skies for miles. The flames also consumed several nearby businesses. Interim Fire Chief Harold Hoskins said in the statement that the blaze has been ruled accidental, but the investigation is continuing. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Kentucky Weather service experts are assessing damage from storms that caused problems in several Southeast states. At least six south Alabama counties suffered damage from storms on Monday. The Johnsonville Volunteer Fire Department was heavily damaged in Conecuh County near Castleberry. The National Weather Service was still determining Tuesday whether that storm was part of a system that hit Century, Florida, with an apparent tornado. Possible storm damage also was reported in Russell, Barbour, Crenshaw and Montgomery counties. No injuries were reported despite storms that prompted multiple tornado watches and warnings in south Alabama. In Florida, crews worked to clear roads and restore power in the western Panhandle early Tuesday as a fresh line of violent storms hit South Florida during the morning rush hour. A tornado touched town in Century, a small town on the Florida-Alabama border Monday night. The storm destroyed or significantly damaged 10 homes. Other areas of the western Panhandle reported brief power outages as the storm system moved through the region Monday night. Fallen tree limbs and other debris littered roadways in some areas of downtown Pensacola. Early Tuesday, the National Weather Service reported some wind damage in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. A strong line of thunderstorms passed through Miami-Date County just before 9 a.m. Tuesday, National Weather Service meteorologist Chuck Caracozza said. The same system went through Palm Beach and Broward counties during the morning commute, bringing dark skies, heavy rain and wind. About 10 miles north of Fort Lauderdale, a suspected tornado damaged about 50 horse stables, briefly trapping the animals, said Sandra King, spokeswoman for the Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Department. She said one horse suffered a gash and was being treated. She said the suspected tornado also damaged a movie theater. Also in Alabama, fire officials say several families have been displaced by a blaze at a metro Atlanta apartment complex. DeKalb County Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Crump told WSB-TV a bolt of lightning struck a tree Monday night and jumped to the roof of the Avalon on Montreal apartment complex in Clarkston. Crump says the fire destroyed two apartments, two others sustained water damage and part of the roof caved in. Crump tells CBS46 that lightning strikes during a storm that passed through the area Monday evening caused four fires in the county. The National Weather Service confirmed Tuesday that four tornadoes touched down in Mississippi as severe weather swept through the state on Monday. An EF-2 tornado struck in central Mississippis Copiah County. Three tornadoes were classified as EF-1. They were in Leake and Winston counties in the center of the state and Walthall County in the southwest. Clean-up crews were working Tuesday at Wesson Attendance Center at the Lincoln-Copiah county line. Parts of the roof and some siding were torn off the K-12 school. The library and the gymnasium were damaged, as were several classrooms. Students were at school when the storm struck Monday, but no injuries were reported. Classes were cancelled Tuesday. Nineteen Mississippi counties reported some damage from Mondays storms. In North Carolina, NWS said a tornado caused some damage in Carteret County. Meteorologist Scott Kennedy of the weather service office in Newport says the tornado touched down shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday in Davis. He says the tornado had maximum sustained winds of 110 mph and a maximum width of 500 feet. The tornado covered about 4 miles during the three to five minutes that it was on the ground. The weather service says the storm damaged the Luther Lewis and Son Crab Shack and knocked down five power poles. No injuries or fatalities were reported. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Florida Windstorm Mississippi Alabama Southern California Gas Co pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to criminal charges it waited three days to report a huge methane leak that has forced thousands of Los Angeles residents from their homes, officials for the company and prosecutors said. During an arraignment in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Santa Clarita, attorneys for SoCal Gas also entered a not guilty plea to the additional misdemeanor count of illegally discharging air contaminants, the officials said. If convicted, the division of San Diego-based Sempra Energy could be fined up to $25,000 for each day it failed to report the gas leak to the California Office of Emergency Services, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the county district attorney. The illegal discharge violation carries a fine of up to $1,000 a day for each day of the leak, which began in October and continued for about four months, until the gas flow was halted last week. The leak stemmed from an underground pipeline rupture at the companys 3,600-acre (1,457-hectare) Aliso Canyon natural gas storage field. Ranked as the largest such leak ever in California, the escaping gas accounted for a fourth of all methane emissions statewide at its height. The stench of gas fumes sickened scores of people and prompted the relocation of more than 6,600 households from the northern Los Angeles community of Porter Ranch at the edge of the field. The utility said last Friday that infrared monitoring by state regulators confirmed that a newly drilled relief well had managed to finally halt the gas flow, though more work needed to be done before the leak could be permanently sealed. SoCal Gas said it detected the leak on Oct. 23, but the charges accuse the company of waiting until Oct. 26 to report it. Company spokesman Javier Mendoza told Reuters the company operated the gas storage facility in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations and did not believe a criminal prosecution was warranted. We provided a prompt notice of the leak to multiple agencies, Mendoza said without elaborating. The criminal case against SoCal Gas was filed on Feb. 2, the same day Californias attorney general filed a lawsuit expanding a civil complaint previously brought against the utility by city and county prosecutors. SoCal Gas also faces a slew of private lawsuits filed on behalf of area residents. The next court date in the criminal case is scheduled for April 19, Robison said. (Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Writing and additional reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Chris Reese, Alan Crosby and David Gregorio) Related: Topics California A program that has allowed U.S. coal companies to forego cleanup insurance on massive western mines is flawed and needs to be fixed, Wyoming officials have told federal regulators. Coal companies must restore the land around spent mines, but roughly $3.6 billion in liabilities could fall to taxpayers under a subsidy called self bonding that allows large coal companies to go without some cleanup insurance, federal officials have warned. Coal operator Alpha Natural Resources Inc left behind more than $670 million in self-bond liabilities in Wyoming and West Virginia when it filed for bankruptcy in August, and federal officials have asked states to explain how they will brace for such a hit. The self-bonding program has certain systemic problems to be addressed individually and in a timely manner, Wyomings Department of Environmental Quality notified federal regulators in a letter sent last week and made public on Tuesday. Wyoming officials broadly defended their handling of coal bankruptcies in the letter to the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) which this week began to formally scrutinize how Peabody Energy Corp, the nations largest coal producer, has made use of self bonding. OSMRE on Tuesday asked regulators in three western states to examine whether Peabody qualifies for the self-bond subsidy in those states. Officials in Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico must respond to OSMRE within two weeks. Under an agreement with Alpha in the bankruptcy court, Wyoming has priority for only $61 million in cleanup funds far short of what officials expect is required. In December, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell told Congress that self bonding was a big issue. The coal industry has been rocked by several high-profile bankruptcies as debt-laden companies struggle to stay afloat at a time of weak global demand for the black rock and tougher environmental controls. (Reporting by Patrick Rucker; Editing by Leslie Adler and David Gregorio) Topics Mining A picturesque town in the San Ramon Valley, Calif. has banned residents from operating short-term rentals. The Contra Costa Times reported that Danvilles town council voted 4-to-1 Tuesday to prohibit rentals of fewer than 30 days. The towns attorney said Danville has about 20 households that host through platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO. Some residents argued they should be allowed to use their property as they want, but many more said they didnt want Danvilles small town feel ruined by strangers. Danville is about 30 miles east of San Francisco, where Airbnb spent more than $8 million last fall to defeat a ballot measure to further regulate the industry. Cities large and small are struggling with the issue of short-term rentals. Danville has about 42,000 people. Related: Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics California Panoramica privacy Questo sito web utilizza i cookies per fornire all'utente la miglior esperienza di navigazione possibile. L'informazione dei cookie e memorizzata nel browser dell' utente, svolge funzioni di riconoscimento quando l' utente ritorna nel sito e permette di sapere quali sezioni del sito sono ritenute piu interessanti e utili. Nations borrowing from each other may be as old as the concept of money. Foreign debt provides the opportunity for countries to secure the financing they ordinarily wouldn't have access to and to stimulate their economy. However, the concept of foreign debt carries a negative connotation, especially when it concerns large amounts owed to nations embroiled in controversy. For example, the huge amount of debt that the U.S. government owes Chinese lenders has been the subject of countless debates, headline news stories, and political platforms for decades. Key Takeaways The largest holder of U.S. debt is the United States government. The top two foreign holders of U.S. debt are Japan and China. Whether you're an American retiree or a Chinese bank, American debt is considered a sound investment. The Chinese yuan, like the currencies of many nations, is tied to the U.S. dollar. Because of varying maturities dates, China would be unable to call in all its Treasury holdings at once. How the Ownership of US Debt Works By mid-2017, the total amount of official debt owed by the federal, state, and local governments was more than $19.8 trillion. That figure was $30.5 trillion as of June 30, 2022. Some experts insist on adding hundreds of trillions in unfunded future liabilities on the federal government balance sheet. Of the $30.5 trillion in government debts, more than $6 trillion is owned by the federal government in trust funds. These are accounts dedicated to Social Security, Medicare, and other entitlements. In simpler terms, the government wrote itself a really big IOU and bankrupted one account to finance another activity. IOUs are formed and financed through joint efforts of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve. Much of the rest of the debt is owned by individual investors, corporations, and other public entities. This includes everyone from retirees who purchase individual U.S. Treasurys to the Chinese government. From May 2021 to May 2022, the debt to Japan and China decreased by 4% and 9%, respectively. Japan commands the top spot among foreign creditors with $1.2 trillion4% of total U.S. debtowed by the U.S. government. China holds the number two position, holding $980.8 billion of U.S. Treasurys3.2% of the total U.S. debt. Japanese-owned debt doesn't receive nearly as much negative attention as Chinese-owned debt, ostensibly because Japan is seen as a friendlier nation and the Japanese economy hasn't grown as fast as China's year after year. The other countries that hold the most U.S. debt include the U.K., with $634 billion owed; Switzerland, holding $294.1 billion in debt securities; and the Cayman Islands, slightly behind Switzerland with $293.2 billion of the United States' debt. Why China Owns So Much US Debt There are two main economic reasons Chinese lenders bought up so many U.S. Treasury securities. The first and most important is that China wants its currency, the yuan, pegged to the dollar. This has been common practice for many countries ever since the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944. A dollar-pegged yuan helps keep down the cost of Chinese exports, which the Chinese government believes makes it stronger in international markets. This also reduces the purchasing power of Chinese earners. Effects of Dollar-Pegging Dollar-pegging adds stability to the yuan since the dollar is still seen as one of the safest currencies in the world. This is the second reason the Chinese want Treasurys; they are essentially redeemable in dollars. China drew some headlines in 2013 and 2014 for buying up a lot of gold to store in its bank vaults, but the real safety net for the yuan is the worldwide belief in the dollar. Consequences of Owing Debt to the Chinese It's politically popular to say that the Chinese "own the United States" because they are such a huge creditor. The reality is very different than the rhetoric. If China called in all of its U.S. holdings, the U.S. dollar would depreciate, whereas the yuan would appreciate, making Chinese goods more expensive. While around 3.2% of the national debt isn't exactly insignificant, the Treasury Department has had no problems finding buyers for its products even after a rating downgrade. If the Chinese suddenly decided to call in all of the federal government's obligations (which isn't possible, given the maturities of debt securities), others would likely step in to service the market. This includes the Federal Reserve, which already owns six times as much debt as China. The Effects on Trade Second, the Chinese rely on American markets to buy Chinese-produced goods. Artificially suppressing the yuan has made it difficult for a growing Chinese middle class; so, exports are needed to keep businesses running. Consider what the current arrangement means: The Chinese buy up dollar bills in the form of Treasurys. This helps inflate the value of the dollar. In return, American consumers get cheap Chinese products and incoming investment capital. The average American is made better off by foreigners providing inexpensive services and only demanding pieces of paper in return. How Much Money Does the U.S. Owe China? The United States owes China approximately $980.8 billion as of May 2022. Which Country Owes the Most Money to China? China does not publish the figures on its international lending. However, there are some countriessuch as Niger, Cambodia, and Laoswhose debt to China is more than 20% of their GDP. Does Any Country Have No National Debt? According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the only nation with no national debt is Macao SAR. Top News - Investor Idea Mullen (NASDAQ: MULN) Continues Acquisition Path With Purchase of ELMS Assets Including Factory in Mishawaka, IN., Enabling EV Production for Retail and Commercial Vehicle Lines BREA, Calif. - October 19, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), an emerging electric vehicle ("EV") manufacturer, announces the US Bankruptcy Court approval on Oct. 13th, 2022 of its acquisition of electric vehicle company ELMS's (Electric Last Mile Solutions) assets in an all cash purchase. Top EV Stock News - Investor Idea EV Stocks Driving Higher: (NASDAQ: $MULN) (NASDAQ: $TSLA) (NYSE: $NIO) (NYSE: $F) Vancouver, Delta, BC - October 20, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Investorideas.com, a leading investor news resource covering EV and automotive stocks releases a special report featuring Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), covering the continued growth of the EV market as government policy and infrastructure plans sync up with consumer and investor interest in the EV space. Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea Breaking AI Stock News: FatBrain (OTCQB: LZGI) Acquires Confidential Computing Platform ZeroTrust to Protect Data Privacy and Accelerate Innovation for Millions of Growth Businesses NEW YORK, NY - October 19, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.) (OTCQB: LZGI), the leader in powerful and easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for star enterprises of tomorrow, has acquired the confidential computing and privacy intellectual property (IP) plus software assets of Zero2A PTE LTD ("ZeroTrust Platform"), a software company based in Singapore. Top AI Cybersecurity Stock News - Investor Idea AI Cybersecurity Stock GBT (OTCPK: $GTCH) is Researching the Development of a Machine Learning Driven, RF Cybersecurity System and Protocol San Diego, CA - October 13, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) GBT Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK: GTCH) is researching the development of a machine learning driven radio frequency (RF) cybersecurity system and protocol. Check out our Podcasts for great investor ideas: Get new posts by email: Subscribe Powered by Investorideas.com Newswire: Subscribe to Investor Ideas Newswire If you ever find yourself frustrated in your career or worried about your job prospects, please try to resist uttering the words, I could always go flip burgers. It implies that burger flipping aka the restaurant industry is a workplace of last resort. Were not. In fact, we are an industry loaded with opportunity for advancement, compensation based on performance, and entrepreneurship. Today, one in ten Iowans work in Iowas restaurant industry. Thats 9 percent of the states work force (145,400 people). There are more than 6,000 eating and drinking establishments generating $3.6 billion in annual revenue in Iowa. That doesnt even take into account the industries built around providing goods and services to restaurants. Think of the financial impact food purveyors, soft drink and alcohol distributors, equipment manufacturers and other restaurant service providers have on the states economy. Its far reaching and financially significant. Were proud of the fact that people can start out in entry-level positions and end up owners. One in three Iowans found their first job in a restaurant, but more significantly, 80 percent of restaurant owners started in entry-level positions within our industry. Were one of the few industries where this trajectory of career growth is still possible. And while its true you can become an owner without an advanced degree, thats not the only, or even the preferred path. Iowa has eight college culinary/restaurant management programs and countless restaurant-focused career tech ed programs in high schools across the state. Just this month, the Iowa Restaurant Association along with DMACC Continuing Education, launched a Hospitality Professional Development Institute for those seeking industry-specific management, human resources and cost control training. Every restaurant in the state is required by law to have a certified food protection managera designation that requires a $150 full day course and a standardized exam. Want sexy? There is an entire cable television network dedicated to our industry and a growing stable of celebrity chefs whom even elementary school children recognize. We are also champions for diversity. The restaurant industry boasts more minority managers than any other industry and minority ownership figures are also highparticularly at a national level. Over the past several decades, theres been an 80 percent increase in Hispanic-owned restaurant businesses, a 188 percent increase in African American-owned restaurant businesses, and a 50 percent increase in women-owned restaurants. Nationally, 50 percent of all restaurant owners are women. In fact, Iowas restaurant industry may well be the key to moving our state out of the basement of female-owned businesses (we currently rank 50th in the nation.) I was recently discussing the perception that those of us in the restaurant industry ended up here versus chose to be here with a young man with an economics degree who left his traditional office job to return to a downtown Des Moines restaurant in a management role. He explained to me, I look out the window and think Im still doing all of the same business-focused work I did when I was stuck at a desk in one of those office buildings, but now I get to feed and entertain 300 people every day too. I like that. Most of us like it and were proud to be here. So perhaps if you actually are frustrated with your career or worried about your job prospects, you should choose to join uswere not a place holder industrywere a world of opportunity. --Jessica Dunker On last Monday, the Norwegian oil and gas operator DNO ASA, confirmed receipt of USD 21.45 million from the Iraqs Kurdistan Regional Government KRG for exports from the Tawke field under a new payment arrangement announced on 1 February 2016. The company said in a statement that the payment, to be shared pro-rata by DNO and partner Genel Energy plc, includes USD 17.99 million toward the monthly entitlement for January exports and USD 3.46 million toward the recovery of outstanding entitlements for past deliveries. Presently, Tawke deliveries for export in January averaged 119,390 barrels per day. According to a statement, released by Genel, the company announced last Friday that Taq Taq field partners have received a gross payment of $16.3 million from the KRG for oil exported through the Kurdistan Region of Iraq-Turkey pipeline. Genels share of the gross Taq Taq payment is $9 million. DNO ASA is a Norwegian oil and gas operator focused on the Middle East and North Africa. Founded in 1971 and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange, the company holds stakes in onshore and offshore licenses at various stages of exploration, development and production in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia and Somaliland. | Soruce: eKurd | By S.Seal On last Monday, Canadian Prime Minister announced that the country will end airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq by the month of February. He remarked, "The people terrorized by ISIL every day don't need our vengeance, they need our help." Justin Trudeau, following up on campaign promises he made last year, also announced that the government will expand efforts to train local forces and rebuild the war-torn region. Military personnel in the region will increase to 830 from the current 650 and provide planning, targeting and intelligence expertise. Trudeau said, "As I said many times throughout the campaign in my commitment to Canadians, this is a non-combat mission." The Liberal leader said Canada's contribution to the U.S.-led coalition's mission against the Islamic State group is being extended until the end of March 2017. The U.S. had asked coalition members to boost their military contributions in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State group after the deadly attacks in Paris in November. However, Trudeau's promise that Canada would pull its jets was already part of his winning campaign. In a news conference, he stated, "While airstrike operations can be very useful to achieve short-term military and territorial gains, they do not on their own achieve long-term stability for local communities. "We will be supporting and empowering local forces to take their fight directly to ISIL so that ... they can reclaim their homes, their land and their future." Canada will keep two surveillance planes in the region as well as refueling aircraft, and it will triple the number of soldiers training Kurdish troops in northern Iraq to about 200, from about 69 now. The size of Canada's "train, advise and assist" mission will triple, including additional medical personnel and equipment including small arms, ammunition and optics to assist in training Iraqi security forces. Trudeau said the government will spend more than US$1.15 billion (CA$1.6 billion) over the next three years on the mission as a whole, including on security, stabilization and humanitarian and development assistance. Last March, one Canadian soldier was killed and three others were injured in a friendly fire incident in Iraq. The military has said that during Canada's decade of operations in Afghanistan, 158 Canadian Forces personnel died. Trudeau said that Canada learned the hard way in Afghanistan that airstrike operations do not on their own result in long-term stability. He said Canada gained valuable experience training local Afghan police and military forces. He mentioned, "Experience that the Canadian Armed Forces should be bringing to bear in Iraq and Syria." The U.S. has said it respects Canada's decision to pull its fighter jets out of the air campaign. But the Americans did not invite Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan to recent coalition meetings in Paris. Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook welcomed Canada's announcement and said Defense Secretary Ash Carter would be discussing it with his Canadian counterpart in Brussels on Thursday at a meeting of anti-IS coalition members. Cook mentioned, "The secretary sees these as significant contributions, and he appreciates the decision by the Trudeau government to step up Canada's role in the campaign at this critical time." | Soruce: Business Insider | By S.Seal According to the officials, the Iraqi army is deploying thousands of soldiers to a northern base in preparation for operations to retake the Islamic State group's hub of Mosul. IS seized Mosul in June 2014 and except for air strikes has held Iraq's second city largely unopposed for over 18 months as the country's security forces battled the jihadists in other areas. According to a staff brigadier general, "Units from the Iraqi army have begun arriving to a military base near the Makhmur district to start launching initial military operations toward Mosul." "There are three brigades located in that base now," and their number will eventually reach 4,500 soldiers, the officer said, adding that troops from the 15th and 16th division will take part in operations to retake Mosul. Makhmur lies around 70 kilometers southeast of Mosul. The official also stated that the initial aim is to completely sever IS supply lines between Mosul and areas farther south including Hawijah in Kirkuk province and areas near Baiji in Salaheddin. A Kurdish official said that most of the soldiers deployed to the area, which is located within territory controlled by Iraqi Kurdistan, are ethnic Kurds from the Iraqi army. Halgurd Hekmat, a spokesman from the ministry responsible for the autonomous region's forces, said, "These forces came with the approval of the presidency and government of the Kurdistan region of Iraq." Hekmat also stated that the base will be for both soldiers and aircraft. Multiple Iraqi divisions collapsed during the early days of IS's 2014 offensive, which overran large areas north and west of Baghdad. With the help of US-led air strikes and training, Iraqi forces have since regained significant areas from IS, but Mosul will be the most difficult battle of the war against the jihadists. | Soruce: Business Standard | By S.Seal New York State Senator Tony Avella introduced a Bill on Tuesday, Feb 16 that could establish St. Patricks Day as a school holiday in New York districts with a high Irish-American population. If successful, Senate Bill S6747 would allow city school districts with a population of one million or more that also have an Irish-American population of at least 7.5 percent to declare St Patrick's Day a school holiday. The introduction of the Bill came as Senator Avella joined the complaints against the decision by the Department of Education to hold parent-teacher conferences on March 17, as they did during the 250th annual New York City St. Patricks Day festivities in 2011. Teachers and parents alike were disgruntled at having to attend the parent-teacher meetings on St Patrick's Day, leading to some people to petition Chancellor Carmen Farina to change the date. Senator Avella (D-Queens) has gone one step further, arguing that not only should parent-teacher conferences not be held on March 17, but that no school should be held at all. Avella believes that the Irish community in America is long overdue recognition for their main cultural holiday and the feast day should be granted the same status as the cultural and religious holidays of other nationalities. Chinese Americans were recently given holiday status for their lunar New Year. Read more: Most Irish town in America may lose its St. Patricks Day parade Earlier this week the New York State Senator introduced a Bill similar in language to that of the Lunar New Year school holiday bill which was unanimously passed by the State Senate in 2015. It is really quite astounding that Saint Patricks Day is yet to be recognized as a school holiday in New York, where so many Irish immigrants originally settled and where so many of their descendants still live, Senator Avella said, noting that New York State has the largest concentration of Irish people in the US at 12.9 percent and the Big Apple was also the home of the very first Saint Patricks Day Parade in 1762. That parent-teacher conferences have twice been scheduled on this holiday is a testament to the lack of respect shown for this culturally iconic day and to the Irish-Americans that wish to observe it, he continued. Let us extend the same courtesy to the Irish as we have to so many other cultural and religious groups and let students and teachers alike observe this holiday with their friends and family. It isnt just time we do this, it is time past due. The Senator has been widely applauded for the Bill's introduction among the Irish community in New York, with many of those who petitioned Chancellor Farina welcoming the development. The Emerald Isle Immigration Center, located in Queens and the Bronx, had previously written to the Chancellor on behalf of many in the Irish immigrant community who contacted them with concerns about the parent-teacher conferences destined to take place on the feast day, asking others with similar concerns to also petition for a change of date. ***Petition***We are asking that people submit letters of petition regarding the Department of Educations decision to... Posted by Emerald Isle Immigration Center on De Ceadaoin, 10 Feabhra 2016 In response to Senator Avella's Bill, the Immigration Center commended his leadership and his recognition of the historical importance of this cultural and religious holiday. All immigrants in the City and State of New York are entitled to honor their heritage, said Executive Director of the Emerald Isle Immigration Center (EIIC) Siobhan Dennehy. Recognizing March 17th and the significance to millions of New Yorkers in celebrating the Feast Day of Patrick the Patron Saint of not only Ireland but The Archdiocese of NY will ensure that generations of students will acknowledge the cultural, spiritual, civic and educational contributions of the Irish to New York." The Center also further condemned the continued practice taken by the Department of Education to hold conferences on March 17, drawing comparisons between this and the No Irish Need Apply notices displayed to discriminate against Irish workers in the mid-19th century. They stated: We sadly note that the majority of New York's schools systems, when it comes to heritage recognition, seem to echo the concluding line of many nativist help wanted ads of the mid-19th century: when it comes to heritage recognition in our schools it is Any nation or race except Irish. Representatives from the Ancient Order of Hibernians have also voiced their support for the St. Patricks Day school holiday bill, reflecting on the shared history of immigration among ethnic groups within New York and throughout the US. The Irish came to America fleeing famine and oppression, often with little more than the clothes on their back, said Neil F. Cosgrove, National Political Action Chair of the Ancient Order of Hibernians National Irish American Heritage Month Committee. Overcoming prejudice, they have risen through their own efforts to positively impact every aspect of American Society. This is a story that should resonate and be celebrated by all Americans; it is a history that should be shared with all children. Read more: Holidays the Irish gave the world: St Patricks Day, Valentine's Day and Halloween If implemented, the bill will allow school districts of one million or more inhabitants with a 7.5 percent Irish/Irish-American population to establish St. Patricks Day as a school holiday in their district. The requirements to be met will use the year 2010 federal decennial census as the basis for calculation. The Bill reads: In 2014, the Governor approved legislation (Chapter 491) directing school districts to determine whether school session should be held on a day where a religious or cultural holiday would lead to a waste of educational resources due to significant absenteeism. Considering that a large Irish-American population in New York City is impacted by St. Patrick's Day, schools should be closed for the observance of this holiday, or if school is in session, a child's inability to attend school on this holiday should be disregarded. You can view the Bill itself, voice your agreement or disagreement, follow its progress, or contact your local Senator about the bill here. Do you think St. Patrick's Day should be a recognized school holiday in the US? Leave your thoughts in the comments section, below. Theres nothing quite like a stroll on a windy Irish beach to make you forget your woes. If youre looking to get away from it all check out the results of the worlds largest travel website, which has named the top beaches in Ireland according to the public. Inchydoney beach, in County Cork, near Clonakilty is definitely a spot to put on your list of must visits as it was named the top beach in Ireland for the their year in a row, according to the TripAdvisors annual Travellers Choice Award. The beach is described as glorious and unspoiled stretch of beach. While the Cork beach stole the top spot County Kerry filled in the number two and three spots with Derrynane and Inch Beach also making the cut. In fact Kerry has four beaches in the top ten. Amazingly the beauty counties of Sligo, Mayo and Waterford have none. Heres TripAdvisors top 10 Irish beaches: Inchydoney, County Cork Derrynane, County Kerry Inch Beach, County Kerry Read more: Five great beaches in the Cork/Kerry region Lahinch, County Clare Rossbeigh, County Kerry Maghera, County Donegal Curracloe, County Wexford Renvyle, County Galway Portmarnock, County Dublin Spectacular! Sadly no Irish beaches make their way on to the top ten list. Grace Bay, in the Turks and Caicos (southeast of Mayaguana in the Bahamas) was named as the best beach in the world, followed by Baia do Sancho beach, in Brazil, and Playa Paraiso beach, in Cuba. Well stick to County Cork though right!? TripAdvisors results were compiled over 12 months, from reviews and ratings by international tourists. The TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards is now in its 14th year. Earlier this year they also named their top ten hotels in Ireland. Read more: Top 10 hotels in Ireland for 2016 - which would you stay at? (PHOTOS) Con man Jeremy Wilson, who has claimed he is the lovechild of the late IRA leader Brian Keenan, has been ditched by his lawyer. Wilson (42) has impersonated war veterans and Microsoft executives as well as undocumented Irish immigrants with IRA connections. From his high school days until now he has assumed 27 identities in five different states and swindled his way into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Attorney Eddie Hayes, a prominent Manhattan lawyer, will no longer represent the serial con artist because he doubts Wilson is Keenans offspring, the New York Post reports. The conman claimed his mother had an affair with Keenan after meeting him at a rally in Ireland in the early 1970s. Keenan led bombing campaigns in the UK in the 70s, for which he spent 18 years in prison, and later played a role in the peace process for Northern Ireland before passing away in 2008. Read more: The unbelievable cons of an impostor who claims to be an IRA bombers son His life has been a trail of aliases, accents, lies & betrayal: character study of a conman https://t.co/rlSvqD6PTN pic.twitter.com/2eEpVWxknT Rick Rojas (@RaR) February 4, 2016 The Catch Me if You Can-like swindler was most recently arrested for posing as a wounded U.S. Army veteran to con his way to a posh pad and a luxury BMW lease. He has also pretended to be a British Airways executive and an MIT student, said authorities. The Irish American Hayes said: I just dont know whats going on. The reason I withdrew is Im Irish American, I go to Ireland all the time, and I dont want to be in a position where Id be embarrassed over there. Wilsons new lawyer Robert Briere told Justice Laura Ward that his client insists his real name is Jeremy Keenan. However, Ward said she wouldnt change the name on court documents without solid proof. We are now halfway through the election campaign (voting is on February 26) and the only thing certain is that we are headed for another coalition government. The only question is who will be in it. The most recent opinion poll last weekend shows that the two parties that make up the present coalition government are both slipping. Fine Gael was on 28 percent, down three. Labour was on eight percent, down two. At that level of support they would have great difficulty getting back into power, even with the backing of one of the new small parties in the Dail (probably the Social Democrats) and a few independents. Poll of Polls: Downward trend for Fine Gael - by Michael Marsh https://t.co/Mcep1xFWdD #GE16 pic.twitter.com/qEJBHZjme1 RTE News (@rtenews) February 17, 2016 Even if they did pull that off, it would be inherently unstable with so many different views involved, from left to right. That could mean we would be back to the situation we had in 1981/82 when we had three elections in quick succession, which is not something voters would want. That is why this past weekend has seen renewed speculation that the most likely next government is a historic coalition between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, finally bringing to an end the Civil War divide in Irish politics. At the moment that looks like the only combination that would have the numbers to form a stable government. Read more: Voting in Irelands general election 2016 - No Emigrants Need Apply Of course both parties are vehemently denying this could ever happen. But that's just for public consumption to maximize their vote. The reality is that they are both center right parties and there is very little difference between them on economics or social affairs or anything else. And the original great divider -- the 1921 Treaty that partitioned Ireland and resulted in the Civil War -- has not been relevant since the Anglo Irish Agreement of 1985 when the Irish people accepted there can never be a united Ireland until a majority of people in the North decide they want it. From then on, any differences between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have been contrived rather than real. It's a very long time since anyone in Fianna Fail made one of those fiery speeches on reuniting Ireland that used to be their bread and butter in the old days. Noel Whelan: Its a FG-FF coalition or another election https://t.co/mnmcl7iLjj pic.twitter.com/SXgUCfX9M0 Irish Times Opinion (@IrishTimesOpEd) February 12, 2016 Another reason for doing the previously unthinkable, of course, would be the powerful symbolism of the two parties which grew out of the Civil War divide coming together again in the year that marks the centenary of the 1916 Rising . That would be very attractive and could be presented at home and abroad as the beginning of a new era for Ireland. It's hard to see who would oppose it, apart from a few diehards mainly on the Fianna Fail side (the real Republican Party, as they used to call it). Talking of Republicans, last weekend's poll saw a three point rise in support for Sinn Fein, bringing them up to 20 percent, while Fianna Fail were up one point putting them on 18 percent. Fianna Fail, of course, insist they will never form a coalition with the Shinners and even if they did, the combination would need extra support from independents which would be hard to find. Close analysis of the figures in recent polls shows that Sinn Fein's increased support has come at the expense of the Labour Party and is concentrated largely in working class and deprived areas, driven by the anger of voters in these areas at the impact of austerity. 'For as long as my family, my health and my party want me...This isn't about me' on being @sinnfeinireland president pic.twitter.com/IdKnABlfWI Today Sean O'Rourke (@TodaySOR) February 18, 2016 But Sinn Fein may be close to peaking because it is failing to make much progress in middle class areas where the fears of voters have been stoked up again by reminders of the past, courtesy of the Slab Murphy case and the drug gang murders in Dublin last week. Thomas Slab Murphy, currently awaiting sentence by the Special Criminal Court on tax evasion charges, epitomizes the difficulty that Sinn Fein has in dealing with former IRA big names in the border area who in recent years have been up to their necks in smuggling and criminality and regard themselves as above the law. Maybe they see it as their pay-off for supporting the ending of the IRA war. When Murphy's small farm which straddles the border was raided in 2006 police found a huge stash of cash in bin bags as well as a lot of incriminating documentation. Gerry Adams in the past few weeks has said repeatedly that Murphy is "a good Republican." That was bad enough for voters. But Adams also repeated Sinn Fein's call for the abolition of the non-jury Special Criminal Court. Voters here are well aware that the reason we need the court is because of intimidation of juries by Republicans and drug gang thugs. What happened during the trial that followed the murder of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe in Limerick by an IRA outfit is just one example. And after the murders in Dublin last week, finding anyone here willing to serve on a jury in a trial of members of drug gangs would be very difficult. Sinn Fein may present themselves as "normal politicians, but voters continue to be wary of them for these reasons. They will do well in the upcoming election, but only up to a limited level. Why the two government parties are not doing well is no mystery. Their claim to have rescued the country after the financial crash is being treated with some skepticism by voters who know well that it was the discipline imposed by the Troika that set us on the path to recovery. Equally, their attempt to buy the election with billions of euros from future growth has undermined their claim to be the only ones who can be trusted to run the economy responsibly and "keep the recovery going." The reason that Fianna Fail has recovered somewhat is due to an understanding by voters that although they were in power when the economy was "wrecked, the chances are that if Fine Gael had been in power the same crisis might have happened anyway. They were all calling for extra spending at the time, so voters may conclude now that there is not much difference really between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. Even after the crash when Fianna Fail was decimated by the voters in the 2011 election, the party still held on to core support of over 17 percent. Given that the blame game against them is no longer working so well, they could recover many of the voters who deserted them then and in the election may well get much more than the 18 percent they got in last weekend's poll and finish well ahead of Sinn Fein. They won't do well enough to lead an alternative coalition, but they may do enough to cause a stalemate. The other reason Fine Gael is not doing so well is the growing awareness here that any promises made on the basis of fiscal space (money that may become available from future growth here) will be dependent on a healthy global economy, something that looks very unreliable at the moment. More than 85 percent of Irish exports are due to multi-national companies here, a worrying statistic given the uncertainty these companies now face in the global market. There are also worrying unknowns in Europe that could impact on us. The Italian banks are on the verge of a Greek-style crisis, and contagion from that could spread across Europe. And there is the real possibility that Britain may exit the EU (the so-called Brexit) which would create serious problems for us. For all these reasons the idea of running an election based on promises of enormous tax cuts and extra spending here over the next few years is, frankly, ridiculous -- and the voters here know it. That is why, halfway through the campaign, we have a virtual stalemate and an unusual degree of skepticism and even boredom among voters. It's very hard to see how the present government parties can claw their way back, given how much they have blown their credibility. Labour, in particular, face a real problem because of the backlash in their traditional areas over austerity and because Sinn Fein have cynically stolen their support on the ground, opposing not only water charges but property tax as well (that has to be a first for a supposedly left wing party!) It's not impossible yet for the present government to regain power, but it looks very difficult. A hung Dail and more elections may be ahead. The jaw dropping tone of viciousness and chaos that characterized the Republican presidential debate in South Carolina on Saturday night was a new low in a political season already overflowing with them. But it was the death of the standard bearing conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, 78, on the eve of Saturdays debate that seemed to force the candidates toward new uncharted shores of political extremism, leading their onstage bids to outdo each other in pandering to their furthest right support base. The president must not be allowed to nominate a replacement to the court said most of the candidates. Delay, delay, delay, said Donald Trump. The next president (not this one) should name his replacement, said Ted Cruz. Marco Rubio and Ben Carson agreed with that view, but Jeb Bush simply said the Senate should reject President Obamas nomination, whoever it will eventually be. These are rather contradictory moves from the conservative candidates. Republicans, including Scalia himself, have for decades cited the Constitution and looked to historical precedent to support their own views, but now that they have a major opportunity to be true to their principles we must watch with surprise as they attempt to roadblock the system they previously claimed to support. But Article II of the Constitution is quite clear. It directs the president to nominate and By and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, appoint judges to the Supreme Court. It does not say his ability to do so disappears in an election year. To be consistent, the GOP candidates and the Senate should do as the Constitution guides them to. In regards to article II Constitution.Recent acts may dictate an amendment to commander in chief and pardons section. pic.twitter.com/aODi6QfbJX Steven Heinlein (@StevenHeinlein1) August 2, 2015 Increasingly for the modern Republican Party it seems tradition, the Constitution and even reality tend to mean whatever they say they mean, if theres some passing advantage to be got from it. But even theyll have problems supporting their own arguments in the clear-cut case ahead. The United States need a fully functioning Supreme Court and the American people deserve one. The Republican candidates who are threatening to block the presidents eventual nominee will only damage the structure of America's system of government by trying to prevent him from performing his duty as president. They will also publicly defy the traditions they claim to support. Its hard to see how they will explain that away. From assassinations, to car accidents, to the end of McCarthyism, these are the top ten Irish American news stories of all time. 1. John F. Kennedy, the great grandson of Irish immigrants, is elected US President On November 8, 1960, John F. Kennedy defeated the incumbent Vice President, Republican Richard M. Nixon, in a very close race to become the first Irish-Catholic President of the USA. At only 43 years old, the great grandson of Irish immigrants was the youngest man ever to be elected President. During his time in office he returned to Ireland, visiting his ancestral home in County Wexford. The son of two Irish families, JFK had roots in Ireland through the Fitzgerald family who emigrated from Bruff in Co. Limerick during the famine, and the Kennedy family who left Dunganstown in Wexford around the same time. 2. JFK is assassinated JFK's time in office was to be short lived, however, as three years later his life was cut short by a sniper while he traveled by motorcade through, Dallas, Texas. On November 22, 1963, the 35th President of United States was traveling with his wife Jacqueline when Lee Harvey Oswald fired three shots from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository Building killing the much-loved President. Read more: Jackie Kennedy believed LBJ had her husband killed according to tapes 3. Assassination attempt made on President Reagan An assassination attempt was also made on 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan in Washington D.C. on March 30, 1981, just 69 days after he took office. The great grandson of Irish Catholic immigrants from County Tipperary, Reagan was shot in the chest by John Hinckly Jr but survived the attack. Working from an obsession with the actress Jodie Foster and emulating scenes from the movie "Taxi Driver," Hinckly hoped to capture Foster's attention by carrying out this high profile assassination. 4. Reagan tells Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall Reagan delievered one of his most memorable lines on June 12, 1987 when he called for the Soviet leader to tear down the Berlin Wall, the barrier that divided West Berlin from East, separating families and friends since 1961. A decades-old symbol of the Cold War between the United States and Soviet Russia, the wall eventually came down in 1989. 5. Bill Clinton gives US visa to Gerry Adams - a turning point in the Northern Ireland peace process As leader of the (Irish) republican political party Sinn Fein, Gerry Adams had been refused access to the US on the grounds of his presumed links with the IRA. Some in the US considered him a terror threat and a risk to national security. In a momentous decision in January 1994, however, President Bill Clinton finally awarded Adams permission to travel to the US for 48 hours to attend a peace conference in New York with thanks to an IRA ceasefire. The granting of the visa marked a turning point for Sinn Fein and for the peace process in Northern Ireland. Read more: Twenty years ago, the Gerry Adams visa was a triumph for Irish America 6. Eugene McCarthy challenges President Johnson in New Hampshire primary forcing the President to end his re-election campaign. Although Eugene McCarthy unsuccessfully ran for president a total of five times, he played a special role to the 1968 election. McCarthy's unexpected success in the New Hampshire primary and his anticipated strong showing in the upcoming Wisconsin primary resulted in the withdrawal of the incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson from the campaign. McCarthy's success in New Hampshire would also result in luring Robert F. Kennedy into the race. McCarthy's father was of Irish descent. The Minnesota Senator built his campaign around his opposition to the Vietnam War. On March 12, 1968, took 42 percent of the primary vote in New Hampshire to Johnson's 49 percent. 7. End of McCarthyism - Joseph McCarthy is finally denounced for Communist witch hunt June 9, 1954, is said to be the day that Senator Joseph McCarthy finally met his match in the form of Joseph Welch, special counsel for the U.S. Army. During a hearing on whether communism had infiltrated the U.S. armed forces, Welch launched into a verbal assault of McCarthy, the son of Bridget Tierny from County Tipperary and Timothy McCarthy, whose father was also Irish. The hearing marked the end of the Senator's power during the anti-communist hysteria of the Red Scare in America. As McCarthy accused a young associate in Welch's firm of being a long-time member of an organization that was a legal arm of the Communist Party, Welch retorted by saying, Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness, before striking a final blow with the question Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? to burst of applause from the crowd. As the hearings came to a close, McCarthy was exposed as a bully, condemned by the U.S. Senate for contempt by his colleagues in December 1954. He died from alcoholism two and a half years later while still in office. 8. Robert Kennedy is assassinated On June 6, 1968, less than five years after the death of his brother John, Robert F. Kennedy was shot while campaigning for president. RFK put himself forward as a candidate after Eugene McCarthy's strong performance in the New Hampshire primary. Bobby Kennedy had won primaries in South Dakota and California before he was assassinated in Los Angeles. Devoted to the civil rights cause, Bobby Kennedy was much loved among minority communities. A 24-year-old Palestinian/Jordanian immigrant named Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of his murder. Sirhan believed that Kennedy was instrumental in the oppression of Palestinians following his time as a strong supporter and advocate for Israel while Senator. 9. A girl in Ted Kennedys car drowns at Chappaquiddick On July 18, 1969, Ted Kennedy was involved in a single-car accident in which a young woman, Mary Jo Kopechne, drowned. Kennedy admitted to driving the car off a one-lane bridge and swimming free of the car, leaving Kopechne at the scene for nine hours before reporting the incident. It is believed the young women was alive for some time before she drowned. Kennedy was charged with leaving the scene of an accident after causing injury and was sentenced to a two-month suspended jail sentence. The accident was to have a much greater effect on his political career, however, and the controversy arising from claims he was intoxicated while driving, plus questions regarding his relationship with Kopechne, are believed to have effected his decision not to run for President in 1972 and 1976. Read more: Ted Kennedy was a bad alcoholic who had PTSD says son in new book 10. General McAuliffes nuts comment about the Battle of the Bulge McAuliffe's famous response when the Germans, who had his men surrounded in and around Bastogne in Belgium, sought his surrender: "Nuts!" McAuliffe was commander of the troops defending Bastogne during World War II's Battle of the Bulge. When the message was relayed back to the Germans, they allegedly had some difficulties in translating it in the affirmative or in the negative. The quote has been well documented in many movies, as can be seen, below. Lynn has been evading the Irish legal system for over eight years but is now likely to face trial for allegedly defrauding money from clients and banks. Lynn was struck off the solicitors register in 2008, after the Law Society found he had used clients money and raised 80m by securing multiple mortgages on the same properties. By Elaine Loughlin, political reporter Pearse Doherty has said he has no ambitions to lead Sinn Fein but would happily accept the role. It comes as party leader, Gerry Adams struggled to provide clear answers on tax rates and denied he was misleading the public on water charges during a radio interview this morning. Sinn Feins finance spokesman also defended Deputy Adams who had to be asked numerous times before he provided details on the partys policy on marginal tax rates which Sinn Fein would set at 59 cent in the euro for individuals earning over 100,000 a year. I dont believe my party does find difficulty with policy, Mr Doherty said before adding he had not heard the interview. Asked whether Deputy Adams should step down to allow for younger leadership of the party, Mr Doherty said the rising popularity of Sinn Fein in the polls was down to the leadership of Gerry Adams. In terms of whether I see myself as a party leader in the future, its not something I have a personal ambition to but its something that if the party decided at a later stage, that it is something they want me to do then I would be willing to step up to the challenge. This is not about who is in a position of leadership, he said and added that the party worked as a collected leadership. Its not about being hungry for power; its about being hungry for change. Its not about personalities, its about delivering on a real republic. Who is at the helm is a secondary issue, Mr Doherty said as he set out the partys plan to deliver a fair recovery and long-term economic growth. Sinn Feins plan involves creating 250,000 new jobs, ensuring decent work for decent pay and a 10bn investment in public services and tackling the housing crisis. Mr Doherty that since the start of this campaign, Michael Noonan has been trying to con the electorate. He lied in week one, he lied in week two and hes lying again today. No amount of repetition of the word stability will make it real to all those families living with the impact of Fine Gaels chaotic policies. Since the start of this campaign, Michael Noonan has been trying to con the electorate. He lied in week one, he lied in week two, and hes lying again today. In week one, he got it wrong by 2bn. In week two, he got it wrong by over 1bn, and today hes got it wrong by up to than half a billion. The reality is that Michael Noonans figures dont add up and their policies will mean more chaos in health, more chaos in housing and more chaos in rural Ireland, Mr Doherty said. Turkish authorities have arrested nine suspects over the bombing in Ankara that killed at least 28 people, as prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Kurdish militants were to blame. Mr Davutoglu confirmed press reports that the man who detonated the car bomb that targeted buses carrying military personnel on Wednesday was a Syrian national who had been identified from his fingerprints. The Canadian-owned aerospace manufacturer said 580 jobs would be lost this year with a further 500 to go during 2017. The move is part of an overall efficiency drive which will see 7,000 staff being axed globally. A statement said: We deeply regret the impact this will have on our workforce and their families, but it is crucial that we right-size our business in line with market realities. Bombardier is one of the Norths largest employers and supports hundreds of other jobs through its suppliers. Unions have described the announcement as another cruel blow to the manufacturing sector, still reeling from news that factories such as JTI Gallahers and Michelin are to close. Davy Thompson, of the Unite union, said: While the scale of the losses reflect the severe market conditions being experienced by the group which has led to over 7,000 job losses globally, heavy manufacturers across the region continue to face challenging times. The Northern Ireland Executive needs to redouble their efforts and secure alternative employment for those highly skilled workers who will be made redundant. Bombardiers annual results recorded a significant drop in revenue during the year to December 2015, down from $20.1m (13.1m) to $18.2m. There was also a slump in pre tax profits - down by 40% to $554m. However, the company has secured a new order for 75 of the C-series 300 jets from Air Canada. Speaking at the Agricultural Science Associations Climate Change Forum at The Horse & Jockey Hotel, Co Tipperary, ASA vice-president Mary Delaney said a more effective advisory system is required if we are to make an impact at individual farm level. Highly skilled agricultural advisers and consultants are required to raise awareness of the climate change challenge at farm level and provide practical solutions to farmers in a simple and relevant manner as we work towards sustainable intensification, she said. The fresh EU Court of Justice ruling has beefed up air passenger rights and allows employers of business travellers, who have been left in the lurch by delayed flights, to claim compensation from airlines. Air carriers cant avoid paying for losses suffered by employers, the EU Court of Justice said in a binding judgment yesterday morning, referring to the Montreal Convention, an international treaty that covers air travel. The concept of consumer under the convention may include persons who are not themselves carried and are therefore not passengers, the Luxembourg-based EU court ruled. While not explicitly saying it, the convention must be interpreted as being applicable not only to the damage suffered by a passenger, but also to the damage suffered by a person in its capacity as an employer. The case is the latest in a long line of rulings on airlines obligations when schedules arent met. The EU court has clarified in previous cases that passengers who arrive three hours or more after the scheduled arrival time have a right to compensation, except in extraordinary circumstances. The court in a 2013 decision said the same applies in the case of connecting flights where passengers arrive at least three hours late at their final destination. The ruling stems from a case involving an Air Baltic flight which delayed two business travellers 14 hours. Part of Ryanairs lauded Always Getting Better customer service improvement drive was the airlines push via its Business Plus initiative to become a leading choice for European business travellers. At the time of its launch, in 2014, the airlines management targeted 30% of its customer base to be made up of corporate travellers by 2019. Its percentage of business users is already around that figure. All Ryanair said yesterday was that it continues to fully comply with EU legislation and that 90% of its flights arrive on time. Aer Lingus refused to comment. * Additional reporting by Bloomberg Investor concern over the prospect of the UK leaving the EU, a so-called Brexit, had already weighed on sterling. It was a third of a percent up on the day against the euro yesterday having fallen to a 14-month trough of 78.9p last week. Analysts say sterling could be knocked dramatically if Britons vote to leave in a referendum that could come in June. Goldman Sachs has said the currency could fall by 15% to 20%, and ratings agency Standard & Poors has said a Brexit could hurt the pounds role as a global reserve currency. A drop in sterling would be a major worry for Irish exporters which have relied on the weak euro to sell many goods and services into Britain. If everything goes according to (Camerons) plans he may be able to announce by the end of the week the date for the referendum, said Commerzbank strategists. It is difficult to determine whether that would be good or bad for sterling and that is unlikely to change until the day of the referendum. As a result the fluctuations of sterling exchange rates are going to remain pronounced until then, they said. In Berlin, Ms Merkel said during a speech to the lower house of parliament that it was up to all Europeans to do our level best to enable the British government to marshal convincing arguments for the UK to stay in the EU. The German chancellors public endorsement looked to be swaying doubters towards a compromise deal that could pave the way for Britain to vote on whether to remain part of the EU. The impression we have at that moment is that no government will block this agreement, Spains foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo told politicians in Madrid yesterday. EU president Donald Tusk will send final proposed legal texts on the UKs renegotiation to national capitals before the blocs leaders gather for a summit in Brussels. Incorporating the deal into EU treaties, how to pull a so-called emergency brake on migration, and the duration of a social-benefit safeguard are among the outstanding issues, an official said. The UK financial services industry may see exports to the EU shrink about 10bn (12.9bn) annually if Britain leaves the trade bloc, according to a report by Capital Economics confirmed. Mr Cameron made a last-minute round of calls to leaders including Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte, holder of the EUs rotating presidency, who agreed that there was a good basis for a deal at the two-day summit, though with important detail still to be settled, Mr Camerons office said. Equity markets hate uncertainty and if Brexit did take place, the uncertainty about the implications for the economy and companies will certainly not be insignificant, said William Low, Edinburgh-based head of equities at Nikko Asset Management Europe. The latest opinion poll, by Ipsos Mori for Londons Evening Standard newspaper, showed the in campaigns lead narrowing to 18 percentage points from 19 points in January. * Bloomberg, Reuters and Irish Examiner The extra yield, or spread, that investors get for holding Portuguese two-year debt instead of similar-maturity notes of Germany climbed for a second day yesterday. The countrys two-year yields are more than 1 percentage point higher than those in neighbouring Spain, whose leaders have been unable to form a government after inconclusive elections in December. Portuguese bonds are weighed down by political challenges to austerity policies. Thats diluting the impact of ECB asset purchases that otherwise support bond prices and have pushed down shorter-dated yields across the region, except for Greeces, to less than or near zero. Coalition politicians here have claimed that a hung Dail could lead to similar uncertainty. Germany sold 10-year bonds to yield 0.26% yesterday, the least since April, while market prices signal Portugal would be charged about 1.25% to borrow for just two years. ECB president Mario Draghi earlier in the week said the institution will take measures if financial turmoil threatens its policy goals, without being more specific about the options for quantitative easing. Despite the recovery weve seen, the selloff trend is not over yet, said Daniel Lenz, lead market strategist at DZ Bank in Frankfurt. Portugal definitely stands out. Yields point to this highly extended risk that investors have started pricing in. Portugals two-year note yield increased five basis points, or 0.05 percentage point, to 1.25% at one stage yesterday. The yield on Spains two-year note fell three basis points to 0.03%, and is little changed at minus 0.51% for Germanys. Portugals 10-year yield reached 4.53% last week, the highest since March 2014. n Bloomberg Futures in New York gained as much as 7.1%, reversing an earlier loss. Irans oil minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh met with counterparts from Iraq, the second-biggest Opec producer, Qatar, and Venezuela following the output agreement in Doha on Tuesday. Iran supports the Doha proposal, Mr Zanganeh said, according to the Shana news agency. He didnt mention if the nation would deviate from plans to restore exports after the lifting of sanctions last month. The fact that they had a meeting and it ended cordially is reason enough for a gain, said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital, a New York-based hedge fund that focuses on energy. These countries are supposed to be at each others throats, so its something. Oil has dropped about 23% since the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries effectively abandoned output targets in December. Iran, the second-biggest Opec producer before sanctions were intensified in 2012, is seeking to boost output by one million barrels a day and regain market share after restrictions were lifted. The nation has loaded its first cargo to Europe, while Chinese and Spanish companies have also booked shipments. US West Texas Intermediate oil for March delivery rose $1.85, or 6.4%, to $30.89 a barrel. Europes benchmark Brent for April settlement rose $2.39, or 7.4%, to $34.57 a barrel. Volatility is through the roof, said Stephen Schork, president of the Schork Group in Pennsylvania. Were in the midst of a technical rebound. The market is oversold and using these headlines hinting at Opec getting its act together as an excuse. Iran will not forgo its share of the market, Mr Zanganeh had said on Tuesday, according to Shana. The nation pumped 2.86m barrels a day in January, making it the fifth-biggest producer in Opec. Iraq is ready to join Saudi Arabia in freezing or cutting output if others commit to the accord, said an official who asked not to be identified. The Iranians sacrificed a great deal to get the sanctions lifted and are very much focused on bringing production online, said Chris Lafakis, a West Chester, Pennsylvania-based senior economist at Moodys Analytics. They have said that they aim to increase output by one million barrels a day, but thats easier said than done. Even if producers reach agreement, the deal would have little impact on production and would leave the global surplus in place in the first half of 2016, Goldman Sachs analysts Damien Courvalin and Jeff Currie said in a report. Irans determination to expand output suggests its participation is unlikely, they said. The preliminary deal to fix production at January levels is the beginning of a process that may require other steps to stabilise and improve the market, said Saudi oil minister Ali Al-Naimi. This time, its all about fixing the problems that exist within the IFA. The IFA has come down to earth with a bang, and is now back in the grassroots with the rest of us. When I went to Oriel House Hotel, Ballincollig, to sit in on last Wednesday nights IFA presidential debate, I had anticipated that the night would be poorly attended, because of the organisations recent controversies. Well, I was wrong. Numbers were up on the last IFA presidential debate held here in 2013. I also noticed the age profile of those attending was younger. And that can only be viewed as positive. I had expected a night of anger and ill-temper, I was wrong here also. The debates were interesting, even good-humoured in parts. The speakers were for the most part lively; I only yawned once. In 2013, I must have yawned 20 times. And what this means with regards to the IFA elections, I have no idea. Perhaps it just means that I am seeing more of my bed. Going through the candidates for the top job in alphabetical order, I know Henry Burns best from seeing him holding up demonstration placards at various IFA protests. From news reports on television, to pictures on the newspaper, Henry is the face of IFA in protest mode. A full-time beef, sheep and tillage farmer from Co Laois, he looks like a fellow who wouldnt shy away from trouble, who you would be glad to have at your back should you run into difficulty. In 2012, he was elected IFA National Livestock chairman. And in 2014, he was elected chairman of the EU Commissions civil dialogue group for beef and sheep farmers. The Co Laois man is passionate about the IFA and has been a member for well over 20 years. He said: When I hear farmers who are good members of IFA, say the IFA are doing nothing on prices, it really should be my IFA, our IFA. Some farmers at this stage dont feel that ownership of the organisation. We need to feel, like the men of 66, who walked to Dublin and barely had boots on their feet, it was their IFA back then. We need to get back to a place where more people feel like they did back then, he said. Presidential hopeful Joe Healy farms near Athenry, Co Galway. Joe is familiar to many as a former president of Macra na Feirme, and from his writing on farming for the Irish Independent. He would not be seen as an IFA man but this is where his appeal may lie. Joes campaign is all about a fresh voice for Irish farming. And he certainly has experience in farming life to make him an able challenger milking over 90 cows and, like many more farmers, expanding his dairy operation. He was also chairman of Athenry Mart from 1998 to 2004, and was manager of the mart in 2004-2005. In Ballincollig, Joe spoke of the need for change within the IFA and of the structural failings within the organisation that need to be addressed. He also emphasised the importance of protecting farm incomes. Flor McCarthy is a suckler farmer from Kenmare, Co Kerry. His involvement with the IFA stretches back over 25 years. Flor has served on a range of Brussels-based committees on behalf of Irish farmers. He was involved with Cap reform negotiations, he was IFAs Kerry County chairman from 2000 to 2005, and also served on the IFA Livestock Committee playing a leading role in campaigns such as the 2000 beef plant blockade and the campaign against Brazilian beef. He says IFA is an import driver of farmers income, but it needs to reconnect with farmers. A real fear among many farmers is the difficulties within the organisation have weakened its standing and diminished the IFAs ability to fight for the future of Irish agriculture and farm families. I want to bring power back to the IFA members on the ground. We have 88,000 members. Our strength is in the farmers. He allayed the fears of diehard Cork GAA fans who may have developed a wariness of Kerry people. We havent had an IFA president from Munster for many years. And if elected, when I am heading up there to Dublin, I cannot but drive through the county of Cork, almost on a daily basis. I simply cannot ignore the county. Farmers I spoke to in Ballincollig had yet to make up their mind on how they would vote in the IFA election, leaving it to the candidates to sway them one way or another. After no relief measures for struggling farmers emerged at last Mondays meeting of EU agriculture ministers despite French President Francois Hollande calling for decisions to help his countrys agriculture Mr Hogan agreed to go to Paris on February 25 to meet French Prime Minister Manuel Valls andAgriculture Minister Stephane Le Foll, to hear French proposals. On Monday, Mr Hogan acknowledged a shared understanding in the EU Council of Ministers that there is a crisis in a number of sectors, notably dairy and pigmeat. He said he is not happy with the current situation of farmers, and it requires an EU-wide response. Mr Le Foll presented proposals to regulate oversupply in the milk and pigmeat sectors, but the European Commission asked him to come back with new proposals. French dairy and meat farmers have been staging protests for weeks, blocking roads, dumping manure, straw and earth in front of public buildings and supermarkets. Mr Le Foll pledged to work on new solutions and convince all our partners and the commission to make proposals. He is likely to also seek a temporary increase in the EUs dairy intervention price. EU farmers groups welcomed acknowledgement by Mr Hogan and farm ministers that dairy and pigmeat markets are in a critical state. However, the Irish dairy industry will oppose any re-introduction of quotas by the backdoor, if that emerges from talks. ICOS Agri & Food Policy Executive Eamonn Farrell has said the co-op movement is steadfastly opposed to quotas as suggested by the European Milk Board of 15 farmer organisations across the EU. Unilateral action by the EU to limit milk production will open the door for New Zealand and US farmers to push ahead, leaving the European farmer behind once again, said Mr Farrell. The EMB proposal also fails to recognise the comparative advantage which member states such as Ireland possess in milk production, and would seek to once again hold back an industry seeking to reach its true potential following over 30 years of quota management, he said. Meanwhile, Mr Hogan said any crisis aid for farmers has to be consistent with the CAP legal framework, be within the constraints of the EU budget, and be broadly supported by member states. The upcoming TAMS scheme for investment in grain storage and precision and low impact tillage equipment by arable crop farmers will be the first big tillage grant scheme for more than 10 years. It results from amendments to Irelands rural development programme, following lobbying by farmers. Mr Dunne said, Poor world grain prices have decimated growers margins over the last three years. Minister Coveney must ensure the speedy opening of the scheme as grant-aided investment is critical in helping growers to restore competitiveness while reducing the sectors carbon and environmental footprint. Growers supply quality grain, oilseeds and proteins for use in Irelands livestock, milling, malting, brewing and distilling industries. Our tillage farmers are world-class operators but they work in a very challenging environment, competing against world prices. They have to contend with extreme price and income volatility in addition to the vagaries of the Irish weather. Tillage farmer pressure after their sector was largely ignored in the TAMS 2 grant scheme launches in 2015 has paid off, said Mr Dunne, convincing Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney to put his full weight behind a tillage TAMS scheme. No TAMS for tillage in 2015 was one of the setbacks which led Co Cork farmers Jim ORegan, Kinsale; Anthony Collins, Killeagh; Dan Joe OSullivan, Bandon; Jerry Donovan, Ovens; and Leonard Draper, Ballineen, into a campaign to ensure that tillage farmers are not forgotten, which 223 of their grain grower colleagues in Co Cork have signed up to. But Mr Dunne has refuted their charge that IFA would be happy to see tillage farmers kept at subsistence levels to provide cheap feed for the dairy and livestock sectors. He said low grain prices is the last thing Irish livestock farmers want, because it makes Irelands grass-based livestock production less competitive compared to grain-based production in other countries. He also noted that Irish grain prices compare favourably with other EU member states, currently at 150-160 per tonne for dried barley and wheat compared to 100-130 in Belgium, for example. He also defended IFAs record in getting the best possible CAP reform deal for tillage farmers, pointing to winter cover under GLAS being equivalent to crop diversification, and thus avoiding the inefficiencies of two and three crop diversification rules for growers. He said this equivalence has been achieved only by Ireland and Poland, and noted that GLAS priority access was also achieved, for arable farmers with greater than 30 hectares who choose either minimum tillage (10ha) or catch crops (10ha). Mr Dunne said GLAS enables many tillage farmers cancel out reductions in their area payments with minimal loss of production area, and he added that preferential Ecological Focus Areas treatment was also negotiated for Ireland in the CAP reform, such as one metre of hedgerow being equivalent to 10m of EFA. * Survival in tillage in Ireland will be the theme of an IFA-organised meeting in the Anner Hotel, Dublin Road, Thurles, 5-9pm, next Thursday, February 25. Foton Lovol produces 100,000 tractors and 50,000 combine harvesters every year, and has a turnover of 3.15bn. Its European subsidiary, Lovol Arbos, has launched its Arbos brand of tractors and combine harvesters in Europe. Also featured on its show stands have been Matermacc equipment for sowing and tillage, and Goldonis range of specialist machinery for orchards, vineyards, tractors, cultivators, and transporters. Both of these companies have been purchased by Lovol Arbos. Foton Lovol has announced its intention to launch Arbos machinery on the global market thus reviving a brand established in Italy. In 1896, the Bubba family started manufacturing farm implements in northern Italy. In 1952, they bought the Arbos bicycle factory and became Arbos-Bubba, specialising in combine harvesters. In 1964, American buyers took over, buingy Arbos, but in 1976, Italian owners stepped back in. But the company and brand disappeared in 1994, until its appearance as the Lovol Arbos Group, entirely controlled by Foton Lovol Heavy Industry Ltd of China. Since its establishment in 1998, Foton Lovol has expanded its activities to agricultural machinery, earth moving machinery, diesel engines, and light vehicles. Among its mission statement aims is to improve the production of large Chinese farms, and make Chinese agricultural mechanisation an important factor for a growing world population. Their main objectives include design of 100-260 horse power tractors. Instead of gimmickry I focus on face-to-face campaigns, said councillor Aindrias Moynihan (FF) as he emerged from his constituency office in Ballincollig. Its a town he knows he has to do well in to have a chance of grabbing a second seat for his party in Cork North-West. To bolster the local canvass hes brought in the big-hitting Michael McGrath TD who believes theres a real chance FF can pull that off. Ballincollig is where that will be won or lost. Weve done traditionally well in the town, especially when Batt OKeeffe was to the fore, he said. Ann Twoney, a full-time carer, complained there was nothing for carers in the last budget. Theyre all promising everything now. I dont believe the promises and Im undecided at present, she said. Niall OConnor said he had always voted FF and was prepared to give them another chance. I couldnt bring myself to vote for FG or SF, he added. For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE In Macroom, Aindrias canvassed the local market, bumping into former FG town councillor Breda McCarthy at her vegetable stall. Were neighbours so I will look after him with a vote [but didnt give a preference]. We must look after our own, she said. There was no No 1 from stall-holder Caroline Robinson, a Green voter. I havent decided my preferences after that. Id a say a lot of people are like me and will make their minds up at the last minute. Tomas Murphy, who runs a timber business in Kilnamartyra, said his issue was the huge taxation of middle-income earners and said a bypass of Macroom was a priority. In the village of Carrigadrohid, postmaster Ted Dunne and his wife Noreen bemoaned the huge cost of running a small shop in rural Ireland. Ted pointed to a tiny space reserved for selling wine. He said he pays 500 a year to Revenue for a licence. I wrote a letter to the taxman and enclosed a picture and got no reply. Im sure the bigger businesses dont pay much more for a licence, he said. We cant compete with the bigger stores, Noreen told Aindrias. The 42-year-old married father of four comes from a long line of politicians. His grandfather, Jamie, was a War of Independence hero, serving on the county council from 1928-1970. His father, Donal, took over the council seat and served many years in the Dail. Aindrias moved into it in 2003. He says he occasionally gets it in the neck about FFs last time in charge, but maintains most people know it was a global meltdown. I started canvassing last summer. We need to do someting about high rents in Ballincollig and the lack of housing. People are as mad as hell about roads in the countryside and broadband. These are issues we have to address, he said. For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE Mr Cook asserted such a move would undermine encryption by creating a back door that could potentially be used on other future devices. His response, posted on the companys website, came after an order from US magistrate judge Sheri Pym that Apple help the Obama administration break into an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the shooters in the December attack. The first-of-its-kind ruling was a significant victory for the US justice department in a technology policy debate that pits digital privacy against national security interests. Noting the order from federal magistrate judge Sheri Pym in California, Mr Cook said this moment calls for public discussion and we want our customers and people around the country to understand what is at stake. Mr Cook argued the order has implications far beyond the legal case at hand. Tim Cook Judge Pym ordered Apple to help the FBI hack into an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters, setting the stage for a legal fight between the federal government and Silicon Valley over the ruling. Mr Cook said the US government order would undermine encryption by using specialised software to create an essential backdoor that he compared to a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks. In the wrong hands, this software which does not exist today would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someones physical possession, Mr Cook wrote. The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake, building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a back door. While the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control. FBI director James Comey told members of Congress last week that encryption is a major problem for law enforcement who find a device that cant be opened even when a judge says theres probable cause to open it. The ruling tied the problem to the deadliest terrorist attack on US soil since the 2001 attacks. Syed Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik killed 14 people in a December 2 shooting at a luncheon for Farooks co-workers. The couple later died in a gun battle with police. Federal prosecutors told the judge in Tuesdays court proceeding that was conducted without Apple being allowed to participate that investigators cannot access a work phone used by Farook because they do not know his passcode and Apple has not co-operated. The ruling requires Apple to supply highly specialised software the FBI can load on to the county-owned work iPhone to bypass a self-destruct feature, which erases the phones data after too many unsuccessful attempts to unlock it. In what had been dubbed the Crumlin 11 trial, the outgoing independent TD and nine co-defendants were acquitted by Judge Aeneas McCarthy at Dublin District Court. They had pleaded not guilty to failing to comply with a gardas direction to leave the vicinity of a protest. Two of the TDs co-defendants also had charges for obstructing gardai. Councillor Patrick Dunne, aged 48, of St Gerards Rd, Greenhills, saw the charges against him dismissed on Tuesday. In evidence, gardai said they and GMC/Sierra workers, who had been trying to install water meters, were verbally abused with foul and disgraceful language and were threatened by water protesters at Parnell Rd, Crumlin, on the morning of April 20. Judge McCarthy noted that the scene had been described as a commotion and noisy and that a Garda sergeant had not used a device to project his voice when he gave a direction to the protesters leave. He could not be sure the people there heard it, he ruled. The court heard some defendants were not present when the caution was given and some arresting gardai had a different understanding of the caution. After the judge dismissed the charges, Ms Collins told reporters outside court: I am really angry, this is not by accident that for three days during an election I have been pulled in here along with my colleagues in relation to the election. It should never have happened, I said that at the very beginning, what we were doing was legal that we had higher ground from the point of view of peaceful protesting. In my case the guards said we were violent, that we were aggressive, that we were using extremely foul language, and that has been absolutely wiped out in that courtroom over the past few days. We were not aggressive. We were peaceful and we stood our ground. It was heavy-handed policing , I believe it was political policing, said the Dublin South Central TD. Probation applied Three of the leading candidates in this behemoth constituency Michael Lowry, Mattie McGrath, and Alan Kelly have dominated the airwaves so far, but there is far more to this race that what appears on the surface. The hiving off of the northern part of the county to Offaly is a blow to Mr Kelly, whose home patch has been ripped asunder. However, the minister, nicknamed AK-47, who believes power is a drug. is a formidable politician and is without question a force to be reckoned with. While his partys numbers are down significantly, Mr Kelly should have more than enough done to see him home. Speaking on Sean ORourkes programme on RTE Radio 1, Kenny insisted he is not that bothered by the polls. I dont take much notice of polls, Im always an optimist. General elections are always about a real fight, a real challenge, Im up for this, he said. Obviously, the challenge for me and for the party, is to explain to people over the next nine days what is on offer here. Despite the latest poll telling Kenny and Fine Gael that their message is not cutting it with the electorate, what did he do but continue on exactly the same path on the canvass yesterday. Kenny was forced to admit that his message of keep the recovery going has not been understood by people. He says the weakness in his message is that the recovery has not translated into peoples lives. For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE To prove his point, a poll yesterday by Newstalk/Red C found that 56% of adults have not felt the effects of the economic recovery personally, while 44% said the upturn has benefited them. Almost four in five respondents believe the recovery is on a two-tier basis, being felt more by some and not others. So for all their focus groups and intense market research, the Fine Gael whizz kids clearly have got it wrong. It is hardly a smart thing to be ramming home the message of keeping a recovery going when a majority of people arent feeling any recovery at all. It comes across as patronising and arrogant. Kenny accepted the next eight days will be a dog fight in every one of the 40 constituencies. He said: My story is reality because Im a realist. Politics is the lifeblood of, elections are the lifeblood of politicians and theyre about choices and this was always going to be a dogfight, it was always going to be a challenge in every constituency, every seat is a battlefield, everybody knows that. Did anybody think that this was going to be a cakewalk or a doddle? Maybe some people did. Not from me. Whatever about Fine Gaels woes, the opinion poll, conducted by Red C for The Irish Sun, only temporarily masked Joan Burtons poor performance at the leaders debate on Monday night. Asked about the overuse of her hands while she speaks, the Labour leader claimed female politicians come under greater scrutiny than their male counterparts over their public performances. The Tanaiste said she has no intention of standing back and doing a bit of Downton Abbey and the teacups after being asked if her performances are damaging her partys election chances. Burton dismissed suggestions that the overuse of her hands is proving to be a distraction during live television debates. Lots of male colleagues have peculiarities, mannerisms, that not everybody cares for, Burton said, adding that female politicians come under greater scrutiny than men. If they feel there is something inappropriate in a woman not standing back and sitting down and you know, doing a bit of Downton Abbey and the teacups. I feel very, very passionate about this country, and the potential of its future, about the young people. So I apologise if I didnt meet the standard of everyone but Im very confident as well that our Labour TDs and candidates are going to surprise on the day and do very well. Burton is facing mounting criticism from within her own party over her debate performances amid claims they could derail the partys re-election bid. After an under-par performance during the four-way TV3 debate last Thursday, she was widely seen to have been far off the pace during Monday nights seven-way event on RTE. Senior party ministers have said they are growing increasingly concerned that Burtons public interactions are damaging Labours chances as the race for the Dail enters its final week. In particular, they are concerned her role in the campaign to date is hampering rearguard attempts to secure a number of vital seats Labour needs if it is to be relevant in the post-election negotiations shake-up. For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE The commission has agreed to invoke an arbitration process between EU and US transport officials, as is provided for by the EU-US Open Skies Agreement. European Affairs Minister Dara Murphy last night confirmed the development, which he said followed intensive lobbying by the Government. He described the commissions decision as hugely significant, amid mounting concerns that the proposed May launch of the service is at risk. I would hope that this decision would help move the discussions forward and that it would result in an urgent resolution, said Mr Murphy. Dara Murphy However, the complex arbitration process could take up to four months, putting it two months beyond the May launch of the proposed Cork-to-Boston service. A spokesperson for European Transport Commissioner, Violeta Bulc, declined last night to comment on the process, but said contacts with the US authorities are ongoing. He said Ms Bulc will be in Washington DC this month for discussions with the US authorities on the decarbonisation of aviation and he said it is expected that the issue of the Cork-to-US flights will be addressed. Cllr Alan Coleman, who was part of a county council delegation which lobbied key figures in Boston late last year on the matter, welcomed the arbitration, but said it is far from a result. This process will take time and the Cork region will likely miss out unnecessarily on a tourism season, due to a lack of cooperation from the US authorities, he said. The Irish government are facilitating the US in other facets, including allowing US troops to land in Shannon Airport. Whether you agree with Shannon being used for this purpose or not is irrelevant. It is a diplomatic concession by the Irish government to the US government. In short, Taoiseach Enda Kenny needs to contact Barack Obama and request that his authorities cooperate. An open skies agreement is in place, it is not being honoured, and going through a long drawn-out legal process, in my opinion, is a smoke-screen before next weeks election. Our taoiseach needs to act now and call the White House. The move to arbitration follows increased diplomatic efforts in recent weeks, prompted by the unprecedented two-year delay by the US Department of Transportation (DoT) in making a decision on an application from Norwegian airlines Irish subsidiary, Norwegian Air International (NAI), for a foreign carrier permit to launch Cork-to-Boston flights in May. The low-cost operator is also planning to launch a Cork-to-New York service next year. The airline says despite the delays, it is still committed to launching the services. The proposed first transatlantic flights from Cork have been described by business, tourism, and political leaders in the south west as hugely important for the region. It emerged yesterday that the sons of drug boss Christopher Kinahan, Daniel and Christy Jr, have remained in Dublin, staying at a luxury city-centre hotel four days on from the funeral of associate David Byrne. Mr Byrne, from Crumlin in south Dublin, was buried after a lavish funeral replete with ten stretch limousines last Monday. He was shot dead at the Regency Hotel on February 5 sparking a revenge attack on Mr Hutch at his home in the north inner city three days later. Mr Hutch, aged 58, was not involved in organised crime, but was considered a soft touch by the Kinahan gang in their feud with the Hutch outfit. A massive Garda operation, comprising 100 members, was put in place for Mr Byrnes funeral and subsequent social functions which passed off quietly. A similar operation will be in place for Mr Hutchs funeral. Senior gardai have indicated there was no intelligence of any attack. We are watching people going in and out of the country, but we do not think there is a threat, said one security source. Theyll probably wait until things calm down. There are around 40 associates of the Kinahan crime cartel, based in the Crumlin, Drimnagh, south inner-city area, with a similar number attached to the Hutch gang in the north inner city. As part of the policing plan, gardai have been assigned to liaise with the family and the undertakers, including discussing and deciding the funeral route. A significant part of the plan, led by Chief Supt Pat Leahy, is clearing the route and securing it from possible attack. Uniformed gardai will be backed up by the heavily-armed Emergency Response Unit and Special Detective Unit, assisted by the Garda helicopter. The funeral Mass is being held at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on Sean McDermott St at 11am with burial at Glasnevin Cemetery. It is not clear if the deceaseds brother, Gerry The Monk Hutch, will attend. Their nephew, Derek Hutch, will not be released from his high-security wing in Wheatfield Prison to attend. He is serving time for manslaughter, a cash-in-transit robbery, and gun offences, and is not due out until 2021. It is understood he has not been allowed an escort to attend the funeral home to see his uncles remains. He was given an escort to see the remains of his brother Gary Hutch, who was murdered in Spain last September at the hands, it is suspected, of the Kinahan gang. It is understood 8,000 in cash was put behind the bar of the Belgard Inn for the social function after the funeral of Mr Byrne, attended by up to 170 people. It continued until 1am when two minibuses brought some of the crowd to the Byrne house in Raleigh Square. They included the Kinahan brothers and associate Freddie Thompson, who left at around 9am and got a taxi. Sources said there was no public disorder or any trouble during the night. Dara Calleary made the claim hours after a new Newstalk opinion poll found 56% of people have not experienced Irelands economic comeback, and four-in-five feel the recovery occurred on a two-tier basis. The outgoing Mayo TD said under the Fine Gael- Labour Coalition 42% of our recovery is based in one location of the island and, as a result, there has been no jobs strategy for large swathes of the country. Jan Fesar returned to Cork Circuit Criminal Court yesterday with a boarding pass for a flight to Prague on February 21. Judge Donagh McDonagh gave Jan Fesar that option instead of eight years in jail for a drugs crime in Cork. Fesar was caught with three kilos of cannabis herb vacuum packed and sealed to look like packets of coffee in Cork. The sentencing judge gave him two options return to the Czech Republic or serve eight years in prison in Ireland. He took the first option. Jan Fesar, aged 33, who was living at an address at Manor Drive, Thornbury, Rochestown, Cork, came to the attention of Detective Garda Eoin OToole who first became suspicious of the car when he saw it parked at the carpark of the cinema at Douglas East on May 1, 2015. What drew his attention to the car was that the drivers window was open even though it was raining. Once alerted the detective kept his eyes on the car and then noticed that the driver of the parked car was constantly checking his phone and appeared to be agitated. Det Gda OToole approached the driver and informed him of his suspicions and that he was going to search the car under the Misuse of Drugs Act. In the boot he found three professionally packed kilos of cannabis. Fesar claimed that he believed that the packets contained coffee. He said he met a fellow Czech Republic national who asked him to mind the coffee for him as he was returning home for a period and that he agreed. Fesar said this encounter occurred in a pub in Cork City. He later admitted at Cork Circuit Criminal Court having cannabis with a street value exceeding 13,000 at the carpark of the cinema at Douglas East on May 1. I think the appropriate sentence is eight years but I will suspend the whole of that sentence for a period of 10 years on condition that he leave the country immediately, returning to the Czech Republic and not returning to Ireland for that 10 years, the judge said. Man had 3kg of cannabis packed to look like coffee Vincent Cadden, aged 27, Ballinvalley, Oldcastle, Co Meath, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of front-seat passenger Colm Melia, 22, on October 5, 2014, at Fennor Upper, Oldcastle. The court heard that after returning home from a night out, Cadden picked up his friend for a spin in his modified Honda Civic. Cadden, a closed-track motor racer, had doubled the cars horsepower . The car, which should not have been on a public road, was out of control turning at a T-junction and struck a wall, a stone pier, an embankment, and a telegraph pole. Mr Melia died from his injuries, while Cadden suffered a ruptured spleen and broken ribs. Mr Murphy, who is facing trial on false imprisonment charges for his role in the 2014 Joan Burton car blockade protest in Jobstown and a maximum life sentence if convicted, said he would continue to call for a boycott if re-elected. This [water charges] hasnt gone away as an issue. The movement we have seen against water charges has been very powerful, he said. Its mobilised over 100,000 people on a couple of occasions on the streets, but its also been very powerful because its a mass movement of civil disobedience, of people deciding collectively to consciously break an unjust law: The imposition of water charges. I think its correct to do so, it is democratic to do so. This government doesnt have a mandate for water charges, and I think it would be correct to continue with that boycott. He made his comments after addressing about 30 residents of Meadow Park Rd in Ballyvolane, on the northside of Cork City. It is one of several estates in the area resisting the installation of water meters. Paul Murphy of the Anti-Austerity Alliance speaking to reporters at a protest against the water charges at Meadow Park, Ballyvolane, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan Resident John Murphy said that while some neighbours are not displaying a no consent no contract poster, he feels they have a mandate to mount a protest. His neighbour, Margaret Crowley, said people just do not have any more to give. Mr Murphy was in Cork to support AAA city councillor, Mick Barry, in his bid to take one of the four seats in Cork North Central. Its no surprise at all that Fine Gael are tumbling in the polls, when four out of five voters believe the recovery is two-tier and a clear majority feel that they have not benefited from it, he said. A recovery which includes a housing crisis, water charges, and so much low pay is a joyless recovery for hundreds of thousands of ordinary people and will trigger big political changes when people go to the polls next week. For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE That is according to Roisin Shortall, who is joint leader with Mr Donnelly and Catherine Murphy of the new party. The former Labour Party stalwart said the new party, launched last July, got a boost from a great performance by fellow joint leader, Stephen Donnelly. But she said there was no plan to change the system of sharing the leadership between the three of them. Mr Donnelly is perceived as performing very well during the seven-way leaders debate on Monday night at the University of Limerick. Ms Shortall insisted the general election is wide open and any coalition combination could emerge from the vote on February 26. Roisin Shortall She was speaking at the launch of the Social Democrats proposal to build an Irish National Health Service (NHS). For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE This means a publicly funded health service that would be accessible to all, improve health outcomes and reduce the cost to deliver high-quality healthcare, they said. The party said its plan would take at least 10 years to implement but would involve three phases. Catherine Murphy The first phase would see a re-orientation of the health service by switching activity and care away from acute hospitals and into the community. The second phase would involve the provision of universal access to primary and community healthcare services. The final phase would see the end of the current two-tier hospital service by raising the standard of our public hospital service in terms of access and quality. The partys plan is to save up to 100m per year on drugs and ease the burden on hospitals by more efficient community care services. Ms Shortall said a patient with chronic diabetes would cost 150 to be treated at a hospital clinic. This compared with 50 at a local GP or 20 for a practice nurse. The party will be urging all political parties to sign up to 10 principles on framing a new national health service. She said cross-party support its their NHS after World War II. Asked about coalition options after the election on February 26, Ms Shortall agreed that a mosaic coalition involving diverse parties and groups was a possibility. This happened in 1948 when the first Inter-Party Government was formed. This election is wide open that is what I would say. Anything is possible, Ms Shortall said. But she refused to say how her party would respond to overtures from her old colleagues in Labour. Or, whether ideological differences could be bridged with Lucinda Creightons Renua Ireland. Ms Shortall stated that the party is committed to repealing the Eighth Amendment, and supports the concept of the Peoples Convention. The Dublin North West TD was also asked about her abstention on the 2013 Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill. Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Ms Shortall said she abstained from the vote because she felt there were flaws in the legislation. She said the lack of term limits in the new laws were problematic. For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE Taoiseach Enda Kenny called the cabinet meeting for this morning ahead of a European Council summit to discuss the Governments position on the likely deal. Government sources last night said the cabinet meeting is a one-item meeting to discuss the potential risks to Irelands recovery by a British exit from the EU. Speaking yesterday, Mr Kenny said proposals being put forward by British prime minister David Cameron should be decided at the EU summit meeting today. He said the cabinet would meet to discuss the four issues being put forward by Mr Cameron. Speaking in Co Offaly, the Taoiseach said he wanted Britain to remain a central part of the EU. Mr Kenny said Ireland and Britain share strong trade connections and he hoped that would continue. Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton denied the jobs targets put forward by Fine Gael would change if the British people voted against remaining a member of the EU. Mr Cameron has agreed to call an emergency cabinet meeting tomorrow if he secures a renegotiation deal at EU summit in Brussels. The move is an important concession to eurosceptics in his Conservative Party, because it will allow cabinet ministers to immediately speak out in favour of leaving the EU. Eurosceptics feared the prime minister would wait until next Tuesdays regular cabinet meeting to lift collective responsibility, giving himself a full weekend to trumpet his renegotiation deal while sceptical cabinet colleagues would remain muzzled. The decision reflects a growing confidence in London that the summit will produce an agreement, although foreign secretary Philip Hammond said he expected negotiations to continue to the wire. European Council president Donald Tusk is embarking on a frantic round of meetings in advance of todays summit, focusing on central and eastern European member states. For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE Fen Ling Wang, 29, was walking home through Dublin city centre at 3am, having finished work in a restaurant, when the five males and two females set upon him. He was knocked to the ground where he received dozens of kicks, many of which were directly to the head. After Mr Wang was knocked unconscious the gang robbed his phone and shoes before leaving him in the middle of the street. Gardai in the CCTV monitoring room on nearby OConnell Street watched the assault unfold live and three of the attackers were caught close to the scene. The group were on acid at the time of attack and gardai had to wait six hours before they could interview them. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the attack was so vicious that one of the teens asked gardai to stop playing the footage during interview because it was upsetting him. Garda Paul Fay agreed with Pieter Le Vert, defending, that all of the group were in some form of care at the time. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a suspended sentence of two and a half years on one of the teens and deferred sentencing until October for another. Neither can be named because of their age. A third attacker John ORourke, who is now 18, of Eden Quay, Dublin was remanded on bail until May pending a probation report. The three accused in court yesterday pleaded guilty to robbery of Mr Wang on Liffey Street on July 10, 2015. Some of the group have already been dealt with in other courts. One male got a 10-month sentence while a girl who was 14 at the time received five months. Judge Greally commented that it must have been an extremely frightening and dangerous incident for Mr Wang and that it was fortunate for both the victim and attackers that he did not sustain more serious injuries. In a victim impact statement, Mr Wang said he didnt realise the extent of his injuries until he looked in the mirror in hospital. He had headaches and painful joints afterwards and had to take time off work while the swelling to his face went down. Mr Wang added in his report he had incurred significant medical expenses and loss of income as a result of the assault and asked if he was going to have to pay for this. Gda Fay told the court that he and colleagues observed the assault via high-quality live CCTV cameras. Footage of the attack from several different angles was played to the court. As Mr Wang walked on Liffey Street a girl from the group went up and hugged him. Several males then approached and asked for his phone and wallet. They then began hitting Mr Wang. They pulled his shirt over his head so he couldnt see before kicking him repeatedly while he was on the ground. One male can be seen delivering a final blow which appears to knock Mr Wang unconscious. Another male then rifled through the victims pockets and stole his runners. One of them threw a sausage he was eating at the man before they left the scene. Health Minister Leo Varadkar has criticised the delay for the review of the cases to be published with a spokesman saying he is conveying to the HSE the need to improve quality assurance so that lessons can be learned and mistakes not repeated. In late 2014, Wexford General Hospital became aware that two patients presented with interval cancers those that were detected between screenings after having colonoscopies in the hospital in the preceding 18 months. The hospital then carried out a review of all the colonoscopies within the National BowelScreen programme carried out at the hospital. It looked at a series of records at that point and felt some showed what has been described as poor documentation of completion of the test reaching the end of the bowel, an area called the caecum. There are certain landmarks which should be looked for in that area. In the case of 118 patients, the documentation was felt to be poor and all of those patients were asked to return for a review. However, when that part of the recall programme was completed, it was felt there may be concerns with the quality of a number of the colonoscopies apart from the completion issue. Therefore a further 210 patients were recalled for a new colonoscopy to check on their quality. As well as the patients who had received a colonoscopy as part of the natioanl BowelScreen programme, others who had separately received the test because they had been referred with disease symptoms needed to be considered. When those were added, the total needing re-screening reached in the region of 600. The period covered by the queried tests was April 2013 to November 2014 and one particular consultant and their team were at the heart of the controversy. That individual was put on leave until the completion of the review. It was unclear last night whether that consultant is still employed at the hospital. Ireland East Hospital Group said last night: The recall of patients that arose from a recheck of Bowel Screen colonoscopies at Wexford General Hospital in 2014 has been thoroughly and comprehensively investigated. Throughout the process, patients and their families have been provided with full information, appropriate follow up and treatment as needed in a timely manner. The subsequent report and its findings are now in the final stages of preparation. A spokesman for Mr Varadkar said the minister was aware of the issue which, he said, he had been briefed on since early 2015. He is concerned primarily that any cancers may have been missed, the spokesman said. He extends his sympathy to the families involved and in particular to the family of the deceased. The minister is also concerned about the length of time the review has taken and is conveying to the HSE the need to improve quality assurance so that lessons can be learned and mistakes not repeated. He has been assured that there has been full open disclosure in these cases. The Irish Patients Association said it was disappointing that the report was still not complete almost 15 months since the problem was first identified. While respecting the rights of any named hospital staff, or indeed other HSE personnel, arising from the step back review and report, patients, the public and the healthcare system should at the least be provided with an interim report without naming individuals to expedite awareness and learnings as may already be identified, said the associations chairman Stephen McMahon. Christy Keane, aged 55, survived a gun attack on the morning of June 29 last when he drove into the car park of the University of Limerick Arena building to do a gym workout. A number of men opened fire with semi-automatic hand guns as he got out of his 4x4 at about 6.35am. Although hit several times he managed to run to safety before collapsing near the running track adjacent to the arena. A car used by the gunmen was later found burned out a few kilometres from the scene of the shooting. In a planned garda raid yesterday, two men in their 30s were arrested in an early morning raid on the south side of the city and brought to Henry St station. They are being held under Section 50 of the Offences Against the State Act. A third man in his 50s was arrested at about 11.30am and is being held at Roxboro Road station under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. This brings to nine the number of people arrested in the shooting. Gardai suspect outside gunmen were hired by the McCarthy-Dundon gang to carry out the murder attempt. Christy Keane served 10 years for handing a huge consignment of drugs in St Marys Park. His son Liam Keane is currently in jail for a gun offence. Liam Keane gained national notoriety when he made a two fingers gesture on leaving the Central Criminal Court after his trial for murder of teenager Eric Leamy collapsed when six state witnesses refused to back up written statements they had given to gardai. This led to a change in the law. Such statements can now be introduced at a trial as evidence. JUST a few years ago, bestselling female fiction writer Marian Keyes was in the depths of despair, suicidal and unable to function properly. The top Irish writer whose novels, including Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married, This Charming Man and The Brightest Star In The Sky, have been translated into 36 languages and sold more than 33 million copies worldwide had been under a cloud of clinical depression for more than four years. In 2010, she announced in a newsletter to fans that she was suffering so severely that she couldnt sleep, read, write, or talk. Everything stopped. It was really unexpected. Ive always been respectful of the fact that Im prone to depression. Ive tried to take care of myself and I thought I was, but its an illness like any other and I found it hard to accept that. I thought it was my fault and that Id done something wrong; that Id brought it on myself somehow. But once I started thinking of it as an illness in the way that cancer is an illness or emphysema is an illness, and that things happen seemingly without a reason or cause, that was the way I had to think about it. She later revealed that despite trying every treatment on the market from acupuncture and vitamin B12 injections to yoga, cognitive behavioural therapy and meditation suicidal thoughts led her to buy a Stanley knife, although she stopped short of using it. She fears the depression, which lasted four-and-a-half years before finally lifting in 2014 as inexplicably as it arrived, may return. After endless therapies, both conventional and alternative, shes no longer asking why it happened or how it could be cured. She tries to avoid talking about that period, however, which she admits is a change from her old belief, that talking always helps. Sometimes just burying something is a better way to go forward. Its not something I dwell on. All the way through, I was trying different things to try and find out how I could get better, but nothing helped. At this stage I feel there isnt really any point in going back and wondering, Was there a trigger? If there was, I would have found it during my exploratory series of adventures. Sometimes its better to parcel something up and put it in a box in your head and hope that you never have to open it again. But shes cut down on her heavy workload, and her husband and full-time PA Tony Baines makes sure shes not taking on too much. The 52-year-old Dubliner doesnt do many interviews, because talking about the depression can start to mess with her mind, she explains. People still want to talk about it and Im not able, she reflects. When I have tried to talk about it my own backlash has been unpleasant. Ive ended up feeling like Im going back into it, and thats so frightening. I hate saying no and I hate disappointing people, but Tony will say no. Hes the voice of reason. But it goes against the grain because Im a people pleaser. I was such a hard-worker, I really grafted, and I did so much travel to promote my books, but I cant do that now. She makes references to some of the dark times in her latest collection of writings, Making It Up As I Go Along, a compilation of essays both published and previously unpublished, covering myriad topics, from cosmetics and beauty treatments to holidays, family events, guilty pleasures, and turning 50, all in her trademark humorous style. She recalls visiting her local chemist to pick up her Madness-Be-Gone kit, tweeting Is anyone awake? during one of her frequent bouts of insomnia, makes gentle fun of the various therapies she has tried with little success, along with passing references to the discovery that she and her husband couldnt have children. Keyes has long been aware she has an addictive personality shes a recovering alcoholic who hasnt had a drink for 22 years and mentions in her latest essays the years lost in an alcoholic haze between the ages of 20 and 30. While Keyes was at her darkest point, her husband discovered climbing which helped him cope. Its another thing she mentions irreverently in her latest book. He found comfort and purpose and pleasure in doing that, she explains. Hes climbed Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Russia, and hes climbed Mont Blanc and has more ambitions and more plans. It was his release. AND she admits that writing helped her Keyes wrote The Woman Who Stole My Life and The Mystery Of Mercy Close during the four-and-a-half years she was under the grip of depression. She also learned to bake, which proved one of the best therapies and resulted in another book, Saved By Cake. Baking makes me focus. On weighing the sugar. On sieving the flour. I find it calming and rewarding because, in fairness, it is sort of magic you start off with all this disparate stuff, such as butter and eggs, and what you end up with is so totally different. And also delicious, she said at the time. Today, after much soul-searching, Keyes has stopped looking for answers and seems to be coping. Last year she was burgled; thieves ransacked the house. The place was wrecked. There was broken glass everywhere and my jewellery was taken and everything had been gone through. There isnt a person alive that hasnt been burgled but it was a shock. I felt angry at the time but it passes quickly. At first I was afraid of leaving the house and making it vulnerable. For weeks afterwards, I felt very uncomfortable if both Tony and myself were going to be out. But at the end of the day, its only stuff. Nobody was hurt. Shes started another novel, Time Off For Bad Behaviour, due out next year, about a woman whose husband of 16 years tells her he still loves her but wants a six-month break from being married. Years ago, Keyes hoped for a state of eternal happiness, but realises now that doesnt exist. I was completely naive. Nobodys happy all the time, she reasons. Happiness is just one of hundreds of states of mind that any human being goes through, and when it comes along its really nice to jump on it. Then when it moves off, I can realise Im not doing anything wrong. Making It Up As I Go Along by Marian Keyes is published by Michael Joseph; and is available now, 14.99 Forming part of the eight properties-strong CLIC Portfolio with Downing Commercial are Nos 77 and 78 Patrick Street, let to fashion chain Coast and mobile company Meteor, with individual valuations of 1.75 million, and 1.275m. The CLIC Portfolio holds the promise of an overall net initial yield of 9.1% (once unlet space in an office block at the University Technology Park is let), and is offered in one, or several lots. Given the mix of locations (Patrick Street, Cork, and Limericks Cruises Street and William Street,) mixed values, remaining terms on leases and the retail/office mix, its likely to get most traction in separate lots, it is understood, and will have an appeal to a very broad range of investors. On an individual basis, guides range from 325,000 up to 2.25 million for the 20,000 sq ft office building in Curraheen, near the proposed new university science park in the western suburbs, and where rents of 12 psf are expected for the vacant space in the UTC building, where current occupiers include De Care System and FBD Holdings. Current rent roll is 115,000. Total income from the seven retail units (two in Cork, five in Limerick) is 664,000 per annum. The CLIC sell-off comes as owner, Irish Life, is selling some of its smaller property holdings as part of an ongoing strategy of active portfolio management focus on larger properties. Irish Life has acquired a number of large assets, spending over 600 million over the last three years (including over 40m for a Mahon, Cork JCD-developed 200,000 sq ft office investment) to bring its Irish property portfolio to 2 billion. Irish Life will continue to have a strong presence in these markets, including an impressive six prime stores on Patrick Street, Cork, notes agent John Downing. He said of the proposed disposals of the smaller Nos 77 and 78 Patrick Street the properties will benefit from the new Capital Cinema Complex (presently under construction) which together with the ever increasing popularity of the English Market will bring new life to this part of Patricks Street further increasing pedestrian footfall. Current rent at 77 is 110,000 pa, to go to 120,000 in 2017 at a 6% return, and 95,000 pa at no 78, and a yield of 7/1%. In Limerick, there are also adjoining properties at 2 and 3 William Street, opposite Brown Thomas, with No 2 leased to H Samuel, guided at 1.5 million for a 9.5% net initial yield, and the smaller No 3 is let to Martin O Connor Photography, guided at 325,000 for a return of 5.8%. The other Limerick units are on pedestrianised Cruises Street, occupied by River Island, CeX and eir. Here, No 3 is let to Meteor for 400,00 paa, at a yieled of 8.4%, No 6a is let to CeX at 550,000 at a net yield of 8.7% while the larger unit 8a is let to River Island at 194,700 pa, on a lease due to expire in 2018: guide is 1.5 million at a return of 12.4%. Irish Lifes agent John Dowing says he anticipates strong interest in the collection given the lack of supply of prime investments for sale in the market currently. There has been strong occupier take-up in the prime retail locations recently by international retailers such as (in Cork) Superdry, Starbucks, TK Maxx, Holland & Barrett and Pandora. International occupiers are taking units in these prime high street locations and strong retail destination shopping streets before rents take off as a direct result of improving consumer demand and spend, he stated. Meanwhile, likely to have different investor profile inquiry is office building 2 at the University Technology Park, Curraheen. Its a modern, 3rd generation, two- storey building with 83 car parking spaces. The building, say the agents, was designed with great flexibility to allow for single or multiple occupation. Tenants include FBD Holdings and DeCare Systems Ireland (DSI,) with the latters lease due to expire in 2017. diate vicinity. Details: Downing Commercial 021-4271000 LECTURERS in institutes of technology nationwide are being balloted for industrial action, up to and including strike action this week. The continued availability of all educational courses in Cork Institute of Technology is at stake. The likely deterioration of the nature and quality of education in the coming years due to merger costs and cutbacks is another serious concern. The future hiking of student fees to cover merger costs is also a very real danger. Potential job losses add further to the mix. In the dying days of the Dail, the Government almost succeeded in fully passing the Technological Universities (TU) Bill, which would have legally allowed a merger between CIT and IT Tralee. But the bill was halted. Education Minister Jan OSullivan is said to have been alarmed at the opposition to it by lecturers across the country, particularly those represented by the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI), and other concerned parties. Jan OSullivan This bill could be before the new government again in a matter of weeks. The TUI nationally, and particularly in Cork, has campaigned vigorously in lobbying Oireachtas members, and has also waged a strong media campaign to cause the temporary halting of the bill. The TUI at CIT has pleaded with management to listen, and to engage in a constructive, meaningful dialogue. Nationally, the union has also impeached policymakers, managers of ITs, and the Higher Education Authority to listen to its strong concerns. To the ordinary parent sending their children to CIT, its merger with IT Tralee to establish the Munster Technological University (TU) is a good thing; that is, unless parents are made aware of the conditions the Government is attaching to it becoming a TU, which poisons the whole development. The TUI lecturers have no difficulty with moving to a TU. In fact, most see it as a positive development, which affirms the excellent learning environment, courses, and teaching which CIT has offered up to now. As in all these matters, the devil is in the detail. CIT management has not opened up this debate to the people of Cork. The future of their children is at stake, yet the one-dimensional PR story of the wonders of a TU is their focus, while concealing the very real dangers to students and families. CIT The TUI is looking to tell people what is actually happening, which it believes is necessary in any democracy. That is why tonights public information meeting in Cork is so important. People need to know the full story. The merger between CIT and IT Tralee is primarily driven by a cost-cutting and rationalisation plan that has been developing steadily in the past 10 years. Successive policies which have been taken on by governments, from An Bord Snip Nua (2009) to the Hunt report (2011) and the HEA Landscape report (2012), have all called for mergers of the ITs to achieve economies of scale, and specifically have called for the non-duplication of courses and rationalisation of courses in the new merged entities. So the big driver for the mergers is not TU status, it is cost cutting. To prove this, it can be noted that the Government and Higher Education Authority do not guarantee TU status to a merged CIT and IT Tralee entity. This is because the Government will be happy with the cuts to courses and funding as a result of the merger, and because TU status is only a carrot to entice this agenda. IT Tralee The TUI has asked for the precondition of a merger to be removed as part of the application for TU status. But no, the Government wants the merger and gives no guarantee of TU status. The practical dangers are clear: A merged CIT and IT Tralee is viewed as one entity. It might be stuck as Munster IT and never become Munster TU. However, once it is a single entity in either way, any courses which are happening as they are now, in both locations separately, can be viewed as duplication. The most recent blueprint document by the Higher Education Authority is Towards a Future Higher Education Landscape (2012). There is a whole section making it a policy requirement that there be the elimination of un-necessary duplication between competing educational providers. This is driving mergers between Cork and Tralee ITs, between Waterford and Carlow ITs, between the Dublin ITs, and between GMIT, Letterkenny IT, and Sligo IT. The report wants these to merge and rationalise courses, stating: Higher education providers within a region (and where appropriate nationally) will proactively come together to examine the scope for rationalisation of programmes. There is no doubt. CIT and IT Tralee have answered this call and started working towards a merger, shortly after this document was published. The Higher Education Authority set up the expert international group to lay conditions. In the meantime, CIT and Tralee management engaged in a whistlestop tour of both campuses, telling all staff, lecturers, administration, and others that this was a done deal. There was no negotiation. The expert group published a stage 3 report, affirming, as expected, the need for rationalisation within any merger of CIT and IT Tralee. The HEA wrote to CIT management saying all recommendations would have to be met and there would be little chance of extra funding. The same expert group wrote a set of recommendations for DIT. An analysis of both reports found over 70% of the content was similar, despite the fact they were supposed to be tailored for each regions needs. The expert panel in fact, never visited CIT or Tralee IT. Unless the whole nature of the merger, the TU bill, and the whole rationalisation is stopped or dramatically changed, we are likely to have Cork students being deprived of courses currently on offer in CIT and picking up the rental/transport costs of moving to Tralee and vice versa; or some courses being delivered live in person by lecturers in Tralee, while CIT students will have to make do with an IT link to the lecture. Students want to have a lecturer in person not a PC screen in front of them. If they wanted a virtual degree, they could do one from Harvard University. Further, the 6.7m cost of the CIT/IT Tralee merger is likely to drive up tuition fees (given no extra funding will be supplied), cause further cuts to equipment, more casualisation of lecturer work, and declining CIT facilities. In addition, the student loan scheme currently being planned by the Government, which well-serves the national mergers, will force students to take out long-term loans which will take years to repay. Tom OConnor is a lecturer at the department of applied social studies at Cork Institute of Technology. The TUI public information meeting takes place at the Imperial Hotel, Cork at 8pm today. DAVID Cameron and the EU have just a few hours to be all things to all people producing a document that makes Britain want to remain in the EU, and keeps the rest of the member states happy too. It was nicely summed up by an EU official who mentioned one of the paintings of the Belgian surreal artist, Rene Magritte, with the words, Ceci nest pas une pipe, (this is not a pipe) under a painting of what is clearly a pipe. Titled The Treason of Images, the artist was in fact pointing to the obvious this pipe you could not smoke. And so the politicians, the diplomats, the lawyers, and every hand at the EU wheel must produce a perfect picture of what everyone wants, but which may or may not be used depending on the legal imperative of the nation and time involved. David Cameron The issue of workers coming from other EU countries is perhaps the most political one with Britain starting out promising to put a stop to all the spongers from other member states coming to their country and feasting on its benefits. The fact the numbers account for 4% of the population and that survey after survey shows that in fact they take less out of the system than nationals has held little sway. And so they have come up with two main headings under which they will not be able to ban fellow Europeans from their labour market, but will handicap them by giving them fewer benefits than locals. One element of this involves the in-work benefits tax breaks and money for people in low-paid jobs. This is unique to Britain and they are being told that they can pull an emergency brake and refuse to give these breaks to workers from other EU countries if their system is under pressure which the EU has agreed it is. Whether this will be just for newcomers and will be capable of being used for a limited period of time is such a thorny issue its likely only the prime ministers will decide on the numbers. Senior EU officials say that countries that are net exporters of labour, such as Poland, are willing to allow this provided only Britain can use it. They are willing to allow this because they believe that Britain has a unique case here and this will not prove to be contagious and be used by other countries, he said. But the same cannot be said for the issue of child benefit that would be applicable to all member states, although optional for them to adopt. It would allow one EU state to index child benefit to a parent whose children are living in another EU state to the cost of living in that state. Whether this would apply to all non-national EU workers, or just newcomers for a limited number of years, will also be finalised by the heads of state and government at their summit today, Thursday, and tomorrow. The Poles, Hungarians, Slovaks, and Czechs are all opposed, many fearing that this would be the start and before long it would be extended to other areas, such as pensions. But several countries including the Dutch and the Danes are anxious to have the option in relation to child benefits now. Europe Minister Dara Murphy believes it could make the UK a less attractive location for other EU workers but whether Ireland would adopt the same policy could well depend on whether it would cost more to implement. Ireland has double the percentage of non-national EU workers that the UK has. Dara Murphy He believes that it would not affect Irish workers in Britain whose family remain in Ireland as the cost of living varies little between the two countries. The vexed issue of sovereignty is proving to be the most fun one for the politicians. And this is causing a real Catch 22 situation. The popular Tory mayor of London Boris Johnson said his support for remaining in the EU depends on the British parliament remaining sovereign. The red card available under the Lisbon Treaty being extended to force the European Commission to revise or withdraw legislation on the say of half member states parliaments does not quite meet this demand. Efforts to put the UK supreme court in a similar position to the German constitutional court to decide what should be and should not be EU legislation are being considered according to reports, but then that acts as a veto on member states that may want joint EU action. The big hitters Germany and France are tempering Mr Camerons aspirations to improve the weight of the City of London and reduce the status of the euro within the EU, so he will have to make do with a promise that neither will interfere with the other. His ambitions to destroy the idea of ever closer union will be subject to the brushstrokes of surrealist lawyers and diplomats, ensuring those who wish it can achieve it, but allowing the picture to remain unchanged for those who find the idea an anathema. Mr Cameron said he is bringing three shirts to this summit suggesting he expects it to drag on into Saturday. But even if it ends early on Friday, after a British breakfast fry for the final set of negotiations between leaders, it is just the beginning for him as he returns to London to meet with his truculent MPs, and set the date for a referendum, most likely on June 23. Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country is determined to fight those who carried out the attack in Ankara as well as the forces behind the assailants. The attack during rush hour yesterday targeted vehicles carrying military personnel that had stopped at traffic lights. At least 28 people were killed and another 61 wounded. Deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus confirmed the explosion was a car bomb. Seven prosecutors have been assigned to investigate the attack, which he described as well-planned. Mr Erdogan has cancelled a planned visit today to Azerbaijan following the blast. Instead he convened a security meeting with prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu. No group has yet claimed responsibility, but Mr Kurtulmus pledged authorities would find those behind the attack. Kurdish rebels, the Islamic State (IS) group and a leftist extremist group have carried out attacks in the country recently. The attack comes at a tense time when the Turkish government is facing an array of challenges. A fragile peace process with the Kurdish rebels collapsed in the summer. Security forces have been engaged in large-scale operations against Kurdish militants in the south-east since December, imposing controversial curfews in flashpoint areas, and the fighting has displaced tens of thousands of civilians. Turkey has also been helping efforts led by the US to combat IS in neighbouring Syria and has faced several deadly bombings in the last year that were blamed on IS. German Chancellor Angela Merkel sharply condemned the attack, saying she was horrified by it. In a statement, she said: Im telling the Turkish people: we as Germans are sharing your pain. She added: In the battle against those responsible for these inhuman acts we are on the side of Turkey. The 78-year-old TV star is accused of drugging and violating an ex-Temple University employee at his Philadelphia home in 2004 and could get 10 years in prison if convicted. The defence insists Cosby had a promise from a previous district attorney that he would never be charged over the 2004 encounter. But Montgomery County Judge Steven ONeill found the evidence of such an agreement lacking. Bonsoir Paris, were ready for this! frontman Jesse Hughes told the crowd at the Olympia concert hall, before heading straight into the first song. The bands performance on November 13 at the Bataclan concert hall turned into a bloodbath when Islamic extremist suicide bombers stormed in, as near-simultaneous attacks hit cafes and a stadium around Paris. Scores of concert-goers at the Bataclan were killed, while others hid or lay motionless for hours until a police raid ended the siege. The public prosecutor issued an arrest warrant for Taymour el-Sobky, accusing him of slandering Egyptian women. Sobky caused a furore after making his conclusions on the evening talk show Mumkin, which means It is Possible. His remarks were aired in December on the privately-owned CBC channel but did not generate controversy until a clip was posted on social media this week. The show was suspended for 15 days as a result. Thirty percent of Egyptian women are ready for immorality, they just cant find someone to encourage them, said Sobky, whose Facebook page, Diaries of a Suffering Husband, has over one million followers. These days, it is normal for women to cheat on their husbands and seek it out ... Many women are involved in extramarital affairs while their husbands are abroad. A masked man appeared in a video carried on YouTube with an assault rifle and issued a death threat against Sobky. He could be jailed for up to three years if convicted. After a colourful encounter with young dancers and singers in the western city of Morelia, Francis went over to greet the faithful. Some people tugged on his sleeve from behind a barrier and appeared to be on the verge of toppling him. Pope Francis, who is usually calm and accommodating with his admirers, clearly lost his temper with a person who pulled on him so hard that he fell onto a child in a wheelchair. The Pope had an irritated look on his face and said: Dont be selfish, dont be selfish. Francis then took a couple of steps back as appeals came over the public address system asking the crowd not to group together. The pontiff waved for a few more minutes before leaving. During the visit to Morelia he also urged Mexican priests not to resign themselves to a society dominated by drug-fuelled violence and corruption, but to get out of their comfortable lives and fight the injustices tormenting their flock. Francis issued the appeal during a Mass for Mexicos clergy in the capital of the state of Michoacan, a hotbed of the countrys drug trade. Pope Francis begged young people to shun the lure of easy money and big cars offered by drug traffickers in Mexicos gang-infested heartland. Jesus would never ask us to be hitmen, the Pope said. He would never send us out to death. It is a lie to believe that the only way to live, or to be young, is to entrust oneself to drug dealers or others who do nothing but sow destruction and death, he told young people at a stadium rally in Morelia. Mr Obama contrasted the reality of being president with the rhetoric on the campaign trail, saying doing the job is not like hosting a reality show or a talk show. The president was speaking after hosting a summit with south-east Asian leaders, and warned that foreign observers are troubled by the Republican primaries and debates. Mr Obama said other countries count on the US to side with science and common sense, and he criticised Republican candidates for harsh talk about Muslims and immigration and for questioning climate change. He said: This is not just Mr Trump. Mr Obama predicted that US voters will make a sensible choice in the end. Mr Trump hit back, saying Mr Obamas prediction that he will not be elected to the White House actually is a great compliment. The billionaire developer outlined his complaints about Mr Obamas presidency, saying: You look at our budgets, you look at our spending, we cant beat Isis. Obamacare is terrible ... Our borders are like Swiss cheese. Answering questions at a campaign event at a school in Beaufort, South Carolina, he said Mr Obama has done such a bad job, hes set us back so far, that for him to say that is a compliment. Mr Trump added that Mr Obama was lucky I didnt run last time, when Romney ran, because you would have been a one-term president. While Obama again criticised the tone and substance of the Republican primary campaign, he described the Democratic contest as a healthy debate. He didnt say whether he would endorse his former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, or her challenger, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, but allowed that he and Clinton may more often agree on policy. I know Hillary better than I know Bernie, because shes served in my administration, and she was an outstanding secretary of state, Obama said. And I suspect that, on certain issues, she agrees with me more than Bernie does. Sanders rode support from young and first-time voters to a decisive victory in New Hampshire and a close second place in Iowa, the primarys first two nominating contests. Clinton remains the front-runner in national polls, and she is seeking to rebound in the next two nominating contests the Nevada caucuses on Saturday and the South Carolina primary a week later. Ultimately I will probably have an opinion on the contest, Obama said. But for now I think its important for Democratic voters to express themselves and for candidates to be run through the paces. But these are not the views of the Democratic presidential candidate they are of a 41-year-old woman of that name who lives in Scotland. With the omission of one l distinguishing her from the former US secretary of state on paper, she said it is never dull sharing your name with a prominent figure. If I had a quid for every time someone asked me if my name was really Hilary Clinton, I would be a multimillionaire or a billionaire, she said. I was once at LA airport in the departure lounge for a stopover everyone is sat there waiting for their next flight. And they announce, can Hilary Clinton please come to the passport desk, you have to get in front of 200 people it really is bad. People do think you are lying all of the time. Named Hilary Clinton by her parents, she said that the former Hillary Rodham, who married Bill Clinton, should change her name because she was born with it. She said the reaction was bad enough when Bill Clinton was elected, and that she has heard every joke related to the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Some of the problems she has encountered include not being taken seriously when trying to get a job, and as a teenager she was even smacked around the head by a police officer in the south of France as he did not believe her name was real. She said Facebook can be a nightmare and has been on the receiving end of so many nasty messages, forcing her to delete her account. Recently returning to the social networking site, she said: I get a few nasty messages now, but not like I was doing. The Middle East is my fault apparently the messages got quite scary. But the professional dog walker said she thinks the possibility of Donald Trump becoming president is quite scary, and that her near namesake is a much better choice. Asia Insurgents Fight On Despite Advent of Democracy Burmas civil war hasnt ended, even with democracy triumphant in recent elections and calls to end fighting between the government and ethnic minorities. MONG ARK, Shan State On a freshly scarred battlefield, a diehard rebel army is facing off at gunfire range against a military that for decades has imposed iron-fisted rule over this Southeast Asian nation. Overhead, vultures circle the mountainous terrain while insurgent soldiers crouch near deep foxholes, prepared, they say, to throw back another possible assault. Burmas civil warthe longest in modern world historyhasnt ended, even with democracy triumphant in recent elections and the winner, Aung San Suu Kyi, pledging to end hostilities between the central government and a host of autonomy-seeking ethnic minorities. Prospects for stopping the bloodshed are balanced on a knifes edge. Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy swept Novembers elections, has promised that bringing peace will be the top priority when her government assumes power April 1. We will try for the all-inclusive ceasefire agreement, the Noble Prize laureate said recently. We can do nothing without peace in our country. But suspicions of the countrys military were again aroused as it battled the Shan State Army-North in these remote hills of northeastern Burma just as voters were casting their ballots across the country. As the countdown to democracy proceeds, so do clashes with the Kachin Independence Army, the Taang National Liberation Army and others. The rebel armies represent various ethnic groups that for decades have been fighting for autonomy while resisting Burmanization, a push by the Burman ethnic majority to propagate its language, religion and culture in ethnic minority regions. No, no, no we dont trust them, Shan army Maj. Gen. Hso Hten said of Burmas military, vowing they would only lay down their arms if their goals were fully implemented, the foremost of which is a federal system in which ethnic minorities are granted genuine autonomy. That would include use of ethnic languages in schools and greater control over forests, hydro-power and other natural resources. During the battles in Shan state, which ended with a fragile ceasefire at the end of November, government jet fighters and helicopter gunships strafed and bombed military and civilian targets. They swept into villages, driving more than 10,000 from homes they looted and sometimes destroyed, according to refugee and Shan army accounts. Both sides accuse one another of sparking yet another round of warfare in an insurgency that erupted in the early 1960s among the Shan, the largest of 135 officially recognized ethnic minorities that make up 40 percent of the population. The first uprising, that of the Karen, was launched 67 years ago, shortly after the countrys 1948 independence from Great Britain, followed by numerous others. The generals ceded power to a military-backed government in 2011, paving the way for the recent elections. But the armed forces remain the countrys most powerful institution, stoking fears they will take orders not from the elected government but their commander-in-chief. Hso Hten, who joined rebel ranks in 1958, expressed some hope in Suu Kyis future government, given her overwhelming popular support. We are compelled to trust her because we dont have any choice, said the 80-year-old general in an interview in the town of Wan Hai from which his rebel army says it commands more than 10,000 troops and 18,000 square miles (46,600 square kilometers) of territory. Like the other major insurgenciesnotably the Kachin and Karenthis Shan group is not a classic guerrilla outfit swooping down from jungle hideouts but more akin to a state within a state. It runs 28 departments, including health and agriculture, schools, a hospital and orphanage, and even issues its own vehicle license plates. The Shan treasury, which gathers revenue from taxes on residents, can purchase weaponry on the black markets of China, Thailand and Cambodia. Some groups in the Shan State and elsewhere in Burma have traditionally financed their insurgencies through drug trafficking. On the frontline, some 5 miles (8 kilometers) from Wan Hai, soldiers wield everything from Czech pistols to US-made grenade launchers from the Vietnam War. A 24-hour alert is in force, and at night the soldiers observe the campfires of the Burmese military dug into a range of undulating hills. The fighters sleep burrowed into tiny molehill-like shelters camouflaged against aerial attacks by withered brown leaves. Use of airpower is a recent development in the fighting, and some powerful ordnance appears to have been dropped: one bomb crater measured some 1.5 meters (5 feet) in depth. The soldiers talk of combat in October and November that killed 70 of their comrades. They file past a shattered house where they killed a Burmese commander with a rocket-propelled grenade. A few meters (yards) away, stretching across a beautiful valley carpeted by terraced rice fields, begins a no-mans land sown with mines. We have this small piece of territory and want to live in peace but they still come and attack us, said Lt. Sao Mong. They are all over these mountains. If they dont intend to attack again why are they still here, why dont they withdraw? The Shan State Army-North, one of two main Shan rebel armies, refused to sign a ceasefire agreement last October between the government and eight insurgent groups. But none of the more than 20 armed insurgencies have given up their weapons. The Shan general said the armed groups in total field some 100,000 soldiers, although analysts believe the figure may be less. The government has always said, Put down your guns and we will talk politics, while the insurgents said, Lets talk politics and then we will put down our guns, maybe. That issue is still there, says David Steinberg, an American author of several books on Burma. Suu Kyis party promise to expunge the legacy of nearly seven decades of hatred, suspicion and blood may prove difficult. While some rebel groups have committed unlawful acts, including the recruitment of boy soldiers, international agencies, the United Nations and others have over several decades detailed widespread rape, torture and extra-judicial killings of civilians, even crucifixions, by the military. Villagers have been used as human minesweepers. More than half a million people have been driven from their homes just in eastern Burma. The former government acknowledged that some atrocities did occur while its forces were fighting what it called terrorist organizations. But nobody has been brought to justice, Suu Kyi has announced no plans to do so and the military continues to operate in its former fashion, although the scale of atrocities appears to have lessened. We ran away with only the clothes we were wearing. We are afraid to go back, said Pa Phit, a 45-year-old woman who fled with all other 60 residents when government troops entered Ho Nam village while firing their guns. We have nothing left, not even a small spoon. Among more than 1,400 refugees encamped on a bare hilltop was 102-year-old Nai Nang, carried over the hills by grandchildren after the troops occupied her village. With such acts, the insurgents do not lack for fresh recruits to their cause, even if a private in the Shan army earns just $8 a month. We have been facing injustice, bullying and oppression since I was young, said Sao Siha as he walked around a Wan Hai monastery where damage from mortars and air-launched rockets had been freshly repaired. After years of witnessing killings of innocent people, he finally had enough when in October the military attacked his town of Maing Naung. The abbot of a Buddhist monastery and a monk for 36 of his 45 years, Sao Siha made what he said was a wrenching decisionto exchange his robes for a Shan army uniform. I wanted to take action against injustice, he said. I had no choice. Asia Lawyers Request Extension of Appeal Deadline in Koh Tao Murder Case Lawyers request a longer appeal period for two Burmese migrant workers sentenced to death in Thailand for the murder of two British tourists. The Lawyers Council of Thailand submitted a request Thursday to extend the appeal deadline for two Burmese migrant workers sentenced to death for the murder of two British tourists in 2014. The council is holding a meeting now in Thailand and they will submit a request to the court for extension, as the case for appeal requires more time to collect evidence such as DNA, said Htoo Chit, a migrant rights advocate who is leading the investigation team formed by the Burmese Embassy in Thailand. The court gave a one-month deadline to appeal the verdict, which was set on January 24. Their lawyers application to extend the appeal deadline on Thursdaybeyond February 24is the second such attempt. Hopefully, the court will accept the request, if they really practice justice for this case, he added. A court in Koh Samui sentenced two migrant workers, Win Zaw Htun and Zaw Lin, both 22, to death on December 24, 2015, for the killing of two British backpackers, David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, on the island of Koh Tao. The murder occurred in September 2014. Evidence submitted to the court by the Thai police, particularly DNA test results, has attracted controversy and public attention to the case. A special investigative team formed by the Burmese government, consisting of legal and forensics experts, was sent to Thailand in December 2015. After the sentencing of the two migrant workers, angry Burmese staged a series of protests in front of the Thai Embassy in Rangoon, urging the court in Thailand to review the case. Burma Ethnic Armed Group Coalition Plans for All-Inclusive Peacebuilding Leaders from the United Nationalities Federal Council gather in northern Thailand to prepare for peace negotiations with Burmas incoming government. CHIANG MAI, THAILAND Leaders from the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an alliance of ethnic armed groups, gathered in northern Thailand on Thursday to prepare for peace negotiations with Burmas incoming National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government. Nai Hong Sar, the vice chairman of the UNFC, told reporters that this weeks meeting would focus on the analysis of the current political situation and finding ways to have an all-inclusive peacebuilding process. Although the coalition of 11 ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) assisted in drafting Burmas so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA), the UNFCs members largely opted out of signing the 2015 accord, citing a lack of inclusivity. The NCA was signed by eight out of the 15 armed groups recognized by the government, with an additional five groups excluded from participation. UNFC members the Chin National Front and the Pa-O National Liberation Organization both signed the NCA. Their membership of the alliance was subsequently suspended. Following the NCA signing, the UNFC said that they could not accept the political dialogue framework drafted by the government and the ceasefire signatories. Nai Hong Sar explained that he and other leaders have been advocating for a tripartite dialogue involving EAOs, the government, and political parties. The current framework involves seven groups of stakeholdersgovernment, Parliament, EAOs, the military, political parties, ethnic representatives, and special guests. Critics say that this approach gives the Burma Army a bigger presence and therefore an unfair advantage. The UNFC vice chairman expects that an NLD-led government will be in a position to negotiate for the all-inclusiveness sought by the EAOs, as its chairperson, Aung San Suu Kyi, is frequently meeting with the Burma Army chief, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. We uphold our demand that even if the process cannot have all-inclusive representation yet, we want the guarantee that the remaining groups will not be attacked, Nai Hong Sar said. He also explained that this UNFC meeting will serve as an opportunity to explore how the coalition might intervene in the ongoing clashes in northern Shan State between its member, the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S), an NCA signatory. We learned that both sides want to reduce the tension, he said, adding that he doubts the conflict is being instigated by outside forces, as some have suggested. In his speech to council members, Lt-Gen NBan La of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) urged fellow ethnic leaders to make serious decisions in this weeks sessions and work toward actions that would benefit the public. For the time being, we, the ethnic armed groups, have remained in stalemate, he said. Burma Naypyidaw Blocks Peacebuilding Forum in Karenni State A community peacebuilding forum in Loikaw is halted by local authorities who said that the Presidents Office had not given permission to hold the event. MANDALAY A community peacebuilding forum scheduled for Thursday in Loikaw, the Karenni State capital, was halted by local authorities who said that the Presidents Office in Naypyidaw had not given permission to hold the event. Organizers told The Irrawaddy that a request to hold the forum was submitted to the local administration weeks ago, but that the authorities had only informed them about the rejection of their application on Wednesday evening. They didnt issue a letter, but met with the organizers personally at the state government office and said the forum could not be held due to an order from the Presidents Office, said Htoo Chit, director of the Foundation for Education Development, one of the forums facilitators. The authorities even told the organizers that there might be big problems if the forum were to continue without permission, so we had to hold back, he added. Since news of the prohibition came late to those in Loikaw, the organizers had to apologize to the forums audience, invitees and panelists who came to participate in the event on Thursday morning. The two-day session, supported by USAID, was intended to foster community-based peacebuilding. Local civil society groups, ethnic armed organizations, political parties, local authorities and international observers had planned to discuss Burmas ongoing peace process and current military clashes. I wonder why the Presidents Office denied permission to such a forum, which could help [create] sustainable peace and stability in the country. I feel they are going backward toward an unstable situation, said Htoo Chit. We are not sure when the forum could be held again in Kayah [Karenni] State, however, we will find another way, he added. Burma Nissan Gears up to Open Factory in Pegu Division In a statement on Wednesday, Japans Nissan announced it will open a factory in Burma later this year, and it pledged to produce 10,000 vehicles per year. RANGOON In a statement on Wednesday, Japans Nissan announced that it will open a factory in Burma later this year, and it pledged to produce 10,000 vehicles per year. According to the press release, the new facility, delayed from last year, will be located in Pegu Division northeast of Rangoon. Since 2013 Nissan has been assembling vehicles from parts from other factories in the region, including Thailand. Nissan intends to use the facility of its Malaysia-based manufacturing partner Tan Chong Motor Group until the new site in Burma is opened. Nissan is pleased to have the opportunity to be part of new motoring growth in [Burma], said company vice president Toru Hasegawa in the statement. Nissan and Tan Chong Motor Group signed a facility-use contract with Pegu Division officials on Wednesday. As preparation for the facility launch, some 200 employees are being trained at the Tan Chong plant in Malaysia, with the broader aim of transferring knowledge and skills to the local workforce. Nissan and Tan Chong will also work to expand their business network, which currently includes both an office and dealers in Rangoon. The project on an 80-acre site is slated to be a state-of-the-art industrial complex. It will be the largest automobile manufacturing site in Burma and the first in Pegu Division. Spurred by Burmas economic and political reforms, industry officials anticipate demand to grow rapidly. Soe Tun, chairman of the Myanmar Automobile Dealers Association, said he is optimistic that Nissans expansion to Burma will bode well for the countrys automobile industry. That Nissan is building a factory here is a good sign for the local market, he said. This will be the second production start-up by a Japanese vehicle manufacturer. In 2013 the Suzuki Motor Corporation announced it would re-open its Rangoon factory. The first locally manufactured Nissan car in Burma will be the Sunny, adding to a line-up that first kicked off in 2013 with a range of cars, sport utility vehicles and vans. Burma On Political Prisoners, Does the Military Hold the Keys? Ex-political prisoners contend that emptying Burmas jails of prisoners of conscience may be no easy task given the entrenched position of the military. RANGOON Members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) have indicated that freeing political prisoners will be among the partys top priorities when they take the reins of government on April 1. Aung San Suu Kyi herself was a prisoner of conscience for more than a decade under military rule and around 100 former political prisoners are among the partys MP-elects. But some observers, including ex-political prisoners, say emptying the countrys jails of prisoners of conscience may be no easy task given the entrenched political position of the military. Under the countrys 2008 Constitution, the army controls three powerful ministries, including the Ministry of Home Affairs which oversees the police force and the prisons department, among other state apparatus. Many friends who themselves are former political prisoners and those with the same attitude are now in the Parliament and may be included in the NLD-led government. But they need to negotiate with the home ministry to release [political prisoners], said Ye Aung, a former member of the Committee for Scrutinizing the Remaining Political Prisoners and himself an ex-political prisoner. Aung Myo Kyaw of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) cited the military-drafted charter enshrining the armys role in governance as a possible impediment to freeing those detained on politically-motivated charges. Suu Kyi herself once said that even one political prisoner is one too many. So we believe when the NLD takes power they will try their best to free all political prisoners. But the president does not have full authority to free political prisoners under the Constitution, he said. At least some previous amnesties since 2011, as reported in the Global New Light of Myanmar, were undertaken in accordance with Article 204(a) of the Constitution and Section 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which concerns the suspension or remission of sentences. Article 204(a) simply states that the president is afforded the power to grant a pardon. However, another clause of the 2008 charter suggests that presidential amnesties may require the involvement of a powerful body effectively under military control. Article 204(b) states that the president has the power to grant amnesty in accord with the recommendation of the National Defence and Security Council. The council is made up of 11 members, including the president, the two vice presidents, both parliamentary speakers, the commander-in-chief and deputy commander of the Burma Armed Forces, the foreign affairs minister and the military-appointed ministers of Home Affairs, Border Affairs and Defense. As one vice president is military appointed, the army commands a majority on the council. Section 204(b) of the Constitution is still one challenge for the NLD, said Aung Myo Kyaw. Another potential hurdle centers on the definition of a political prisoner. During President Thein Seins term, former political prisoners and opposition lawmakers pushed the government to adopt an official definition of a political prisoner. Opposition lawmakers advocated for amendments to Burmas prison law to include the definition. Proposed amendments to the law last year stalled in the Parliament however, with the home affairs ministry insisting there was no need to include the definition. According to the proposed definition: Anyone who is arrested, detained, or imprisoned for political reasons or wrongfully under criminal and civil charges because of his or her perceived or known active role, perceived or known supporting role, or in association with activities promoting freedom, justice, equality, human rights, and civil and political rights, including ethnic rights, is defined as a political prisoner. Aung Myo Kyaw said that while 87 political prisoners are still behind bars and over 400 are facing trial, the removal of people from a government blacklist, including many still in exile, is equally important to address. In 2012, over 2,000 names were announced that were removed from the blacklist. But they only knew they were on the list when [they were removed]. And some of those who were removed from the list are yet to get back their citizenship, he said. Aung Myo Kyaw said that a lack of clarity for those who still may be blacklisted and on pathways to reinstating citizenship has prevented many activists from returning to their native country. Bo Kyi, joint secretary of the AAPP, applied to have his citizenship reinstated 18 months ago but is yet to obtain it. He has to come to the country with a tourist visa. There are many people like him including many activists, Aung Myo Kyaw said. The Home Affairs ministry is one of three ministries involved in the screening process of citizenship applications and thus political activists claim processes may be delayed because of the ministrys objections. We hope there will be improvements under the NLD and that negotiations between the NLD and the military will go well, Aung Myo Kyaw said. We will support from the outside and keep pushing on the political prisoner issue. Burma Petition Campaign Underway Against Private Hospital Project in Rangoon A campaign is underway to push the government to halt a US$70 million hospital project on land owned by the health ministry near Rangoon General Hospital. RANGOON A petition campaign is underway to push the government to halt a US$70 million international hospital project being built on land owned by the Ministry of Health near Rangoon General Hospital. IHH Healthcare Berhad, through its indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, Parkway Healthcare Indo-China Pte Ltd, broke ground for the 250-bed hospital in Rangoon on January 24, the company said in a statement released on the same day. On Tuesday, the project attracted criticism from medical professionals and students of the Black Ribbon Campaign for Myanmar, a movement begun last year to protest against the appointment of military officers to positions within the Ministry of Health. Dr Alinka, the leader of the movement, told The Irrawaddy that the group is against the project as the site had been designated as an extension of the public Rangoon General Hospital. The group opposes the establishment of a private hospital on government land. The site should [host] something that belongs to the public, [such as] a public hospital or an academic training center for medicine, she said. The site of the new hospital, Parkway Yangon, is on Bogyoke Aung San road in downtown Rangoon, a 4.3 acre plot of land leased for 50 years, with the option of two 10-year extensions, according to the IHH Healthcare statement. The project is a joint venture comprising Parkway Healthcare Indo-China Pte. Ltd. with a 52 percent stake, Singapores Macondray Holdings Pte Ltd with 10.5 percent, and local partners AMMK Medicare Company Limited and Global Star Company Limited with 21.5 percent and 16 percent respectively. The statement said the project has been approved by the Myanmar Investment Commission and is due for completion in 2020. Dr Alinka said the Black Ribbon movement is continuing to gather signatures from medical professionals in solidarity against the project, which they will submit to the government. We are not against private hospitals, she explained. But most of the people here are relying on RGH [the Rangoon General Hospital] for health care. The government should prioritize this. There are many other places in Rangoon they could allow private hospitals. IHH Healthcare Berhad was contacted for comment on Wednesday evening but had not replied at time of publication. San Kyaw Oo, another doctor who is against the development, said the site should be used for public interests given its proximity to government medical facilities like Rangoon General Hospital, the University of Medicine (1), the Nursing Institute and the University of Public Health. It should be a place either for a medical training center or an extension of the RGH. Many people here cant afford a private hospital, he said. If you care about your interests only, other people will suffer. Burma Taang Troops Targeted in Burma Army Airstrikes: TNLA The Taang National Liberation Army claimed on Wednesday that their troops had been targeted in airstrikes by the Burmese air force in northern Shan State. RANGOON The News and Information department of the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) issued a statement on Wednesday claiming that their troops had been targeted in airstrikes by the Burmese air force in northern Shan State. Two TNLA soldiers were reportedly injured in the aerial attack which occurred on Wednesday morning while members of the group were on the ground destroying opium poppy fields near Man Nein village in Kutkai Township, the statement said. The offensive allegedly involved a fighter jet and two helicopters, reinforced by Burma Army artillery. TNLA representative Ta Barn La told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that strikes against Taang troops also occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday in neighboring Namkham Township, as soldiers cleared poppy plants from the area. In each incident, he reported that Burmese troops fired up to nine explosives at the TNLA soldiers. The Taang armed group has recently been involved in clashes with the Shan State Army-South which first broke out in November but intensified earlier this month. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as of Feb. 16, the conflict had displaced over 4,000 civilians. Over 3,000 people were sheltering in Kyaukme town and surrounding villages, while over 1,000 were displaced to Mong Wee village in Namkham Township, the UN agency said. Burma Keeping it Clean: Renewable Energy a Better Way for Myanmar Energy options built around solar and wind in partnership with communities could flourish in Myanmar if policy and regulations are clear, simple and stable. Villagers in Ayeyarwady Region, Mon State and elsewhere across Myanmar are refusing to accept plans for power projects in their neighbourhoods, fearful pollution will harm their health, farms and fisheries. Evidence from around the world, including China, India and Thailand, suggests they are right to be worried. In 2014, energy use caused damage worldwide amounting to US$5.3 trillion, according to analysts estimates at the International Monetary Fund. Of that, $5.124 trillion was due to fossil fuels with two-thirds attributed to coal. Climate change accounted for a quarter of the costs, with the rest due to sickness, premature death and degradation of the environment. Analysts believe the damage adds up to 8-16 per cent of GDP for developing countries in Asia, which for Myanmar equates to $4-8 billion in 2014. If the estimates seem unrealistic, note worsening air pollution in cities like Yangon and Mandalay, which is beginning to exceed World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Matters are not necessarily better in the countryside where plastics and other rubbish are commonly disposed of in rivers or fires and unregulated trucks belch thick plumes of midnight-black exhaust. Medical statisticians are already tallying the effects. The WHOs Global Burden of Disease study estimates air pollution accounts for 2.5 per cent of years people in Myanmar spend living with disease or disability. Some recover while others die. If action is not taken, the situation could take a heavy toll. In China, studies estimate air pollution, mostly due to fossil fuels, kills 1-3 million people per year while even in the UK the death toll runs to 30,000-60,000 annually. Air pollution might be avoided with large hydropower dams. However, scientists and economists have amassed evidence that the energy benefits of large dams are not worth the costs to livelihoods, food security and environmental stability. Moreover, the burden is probably unequally shared across society. The parallels with smoking tobacco are not hard to see. Little wonder villagers are up in arms and policymakers are having to suspend projects, such as the 1,280 MW coal power plant at Inn Din in Mon State and the 6,000MW Myitsone dam in Kachin State, to preserve social harmony while leaving investors in the lurch. Yet in a country without reliable and affordable electricity in the countryside, while demand is soaring in towns and cities, health and environmental concerns may be ignored. To do so means accepting the risks posed by increasing damage to fragile ecosystems upon which we depend for food, livelihoods and security. Policymakers face the Gordian Knot of satisfying citizens demands for more energy services while ensuring good health, a healthy environment, and economic prosperity. Today, fortunately there are alternatives to the high pollution high impact pathway of the past. It is now possible to increase electricity supply, affordably, without costing the earth using solar and wind energy. In 2015, $329 billion was invested in new clean renewable-energy generating capacity around the world totalling 121,000 MW. It was the first year in which renewable energy additions exceeded new coal, gas and oil power plants combined. Unsubsidized solar prices in Chile, India and the United States are around 6-8 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Wind generated electricity in China, the United States and elsewhere costs 3-8 cents/kWh. Low costs depend on policies creating an environment attractive to investors. Remarkably, wind and especially solar costs have been falling for years due to economies of scale and learning by doing. Statistical modelling of historical trends by researchers Doyne Farmer and Francois Lafond at Oxford University strongly suggests solar costs will fall 10 percent a year at least until 2030. If historical growth trends hold solar could supply 20 per cent of the worlds primary energy demand by 2027. Solar and wind prices already compare favourably with new power projects in Myanmar. Electricity from the Inn Din coal power plant was expected to cost 7.75 cents/kWh and would be higher still if it factored in damage to health and livelihoods, environment and climate. Granted, solar and wind prices, which exclude transmission and distribution costs, appear high compared to below cost residential tariffs in Myanmar. The issue however is not only the cost of a unit or kWh, rather, it is how much service or value each unit delivers to consumers. That depends on how efficiently each unit is used and whether consumers select high-efficiency appliances and change their behaviour to avoid waste. In other words, paying more attention to energy efficiency, including elimination of blanket tariff subsidies, will help keep consumer bills steady while improving the quality of electricity and the environment. Building a power system prizing efficiency around solar and wind means breaking with the legacies of earlier times when the environment and health impacts were not so well understood. If Myanmar chooses to break with the past, the door opens to the possibility of an energy leapfrog. It is a path worth pursuing. It leads to accelerated access to sustainable electricity by exploiting the flexibility of solar coupled with advanced batteries and small hydro integrated into micro-grids, built simultaneously nationwide. Taking this pathway opens up the possibility of electric motorcycles, cars and buses with lower cost, pollution and noise. Life in towns and cities will be all the better. Lots of jobs will be created. Surprisingly, enabling the leapfrog need not unduly burden the public purse. Local and foreign investors, possibly in partnership with communities, could finance energy options around solar, wind, microgrids and electric buses if policy and regulation are clear, simple and stable. Investors need certainty and reasonable terms. That would leave the government free to focus limited funds on tough yet equally important matters such as welfare for the poorest and energy efficiency. If done right the result should spread prosperity across the country and foster greater harmony. David Fullbrook, an ecological economist, is senior consultant for strategy and policy at DNV GL Energys Clean Technology Centre in Singapore. He has undertaken wide ranging research for development agencies on matters relating to agribusiness, energy, food security, and natural resources in east Asia. BUCKNACKT'S SORDID TAWDRY BLOG We should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive & well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate, bier or wein in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WHOO-HOO, WHAT A RIDE!!!!!!" News / Africa by Staff Reporter Ndola High Court has sentenced two men to hang for stoning to death a security guard at Mabungo Primary School in Twapya township and in addition, jailed the duo for 50 years for aggravated robbery.Zambia Daily Mail reported that the sentence was meted out by Judge Isaac Chali last Thursday, against Sydney Mambwe, 31, and Gift Mwansa, 31, who were both charged with murder and aggravated robbery.Particulars of the offence are that on September 29, last year, in Ndola, the duo murdered the security guard, Fidelis Kafwimbi, to aid their theft of property at the school .Mr Justice Chali noted that there were no extenuating circumstances in Kafwimbi's murder, hence he could not impose any other sentence other than death."Having found no extenuating circumstances in the murder case that can persuade me to impose any other sentence, I direct that the two of you shall be hanged by the neck until you are pronounced dead."In respect of aggravated robbery, I find that both of you are first offenders, but the offence you committed is a very serious one, and the court will be failing in its duties if it does not impose deterrent measures on offenders."I hereby sentence you to 50 years imprisonment with hard labour each with effect from the date you were arrested," Mr Justice Chali said.The duo was granted leave to appeal to the Supreme Court within 14 days.Earlier, defence counsel Ethel Banda pleaded with Judge Chali to exercise leniency on Mambwe and Mwansa as both were married men with children to look after.During trial, the court heard that on the day in question, Mambwe and Mwansa, threw stones at Mr Kafwimbi, who was on duty at Mabungo Primary School, until he died.The pair then gained entry into the the school and stole an assortment of electrical appliances which they later hid at the house of Mambwe's lover.Together with an accomplice only known as Peter, who is on the run, the convicts were intercepted by police after they hired a taxi to ferry the stolen goods from where they had hidden them. Mambwe's lover and Peter managed to escape. Thursday, February 18th, 2016 (10:21 am) - Score 736 The Governments Broadband Deliver UK programme has today published its latest quarterly performance report to the end of 2015, which reveals a bit more detail about the projects progress. Overall 3,625,369 extra premises have now benefited and can order superfast broadband, with 406,918,848 of BDUK funding spent. The premises passed figure isnt especially big news because the Government already announced a headline of 3.5 million at the tail end of last year (here) and the next major BDUK progress announcement might not occur until around March / April 2016, which is roughly when were expecting the first 90% UK coverage target for superfast broadband (24Mbps+) availability to be hit. In the meantime we do at least have the latest performance update, which offers some additional context to those figures. Take note that the following figures exclude other major sources of public funding (councils, EU etc.) and BT / telecoms based investment, thus at present its only reflective of the first 530m that was allocated by the Government to BDUK Phase 1 (90% target); most of that was extracted from the BBC TV Licence Fee. The premises passed figure used below also only reflects those able to receive superfast speeds of greater than 24Mbps. Sadly the Government do not provide an additional column in order to show the overall premises passed total, such as to include those premises receiving sub-24Mbps speeds via the new infrastructure. Broadly speaking the projects progress has been reasonably good, although we note that the number of additional premises passed (coverage) in Q4 2015 comes out as +313,526, which is lower than the +406,079 added in Q3 2015. However this does not come as a surprise because we always expected that the progress would slow down as BTs engineers (Openreach) started to focus on connecting smaller and more rural communities, which cost more to tackle and take longer to connect. Its also important to note that the headline figures here are said to be cash based (i.e. when grants are made or budgets transferred). However on an accruals basis, which matches costs incurred to the timing of delivery, cumulative BDUK expenditure to end-December 2015 has been estimated as 442,599,025 and that equates to 8,191 premises covered per million of BDUK expenditure (expenditure is higher for this because the work is said to have been delivered in advance of payment). Separately weve also managed to extract a rough regional breakdown of what todays total means for different parts of the United Kingdom; although this uses a slightly older data set than the table above and so the total will be lower than 3.625m. Thursday, February 18th, 2016 (1:46 pm) - Score 2,596 BTOpenreach has announced that they are conducting a new trial of 330Mbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband technology with 500 homes on the North Swindon development of Haydon Wick. This will involve building fibre optic lines direct from the local telephone exchange. We recall that residents of Haydon Wick have been campaigning for better broadband connectivity since early 2014 and the development is also part of or near to the area where UKB Networks were expected to cover with their new fixed wireless broadband platform, which recently hit some troubles due to a rejection of several new masts (here). Otherwise the deployment sounds very similar to Openreachs Fibre-Only Exchange (FOX) trial in 2013, which connected premises in the rural village of Deddington (Oxfordshire, England) to an FTTP service direct from the local telephone exchange (here). Kim Mears, BTORs MD of Infrastructure Delivery, said: Were really excited about the prospect of building an all fibre, ultrafast broadband network to parts of Haydon Wick. The development has so far missed out on the benefits of fibre broadband, so Im very happy to say that some of the locals will have access to some of the fastest speeds available across the whole of the UK from this Spring. Whats more, weve committed to leaving the FTTP network in place once the trial has finished, so residents in the trial area can continue to enjoy ultrafast speeds for a long time yet. Apparently the new trial will also test a number of new techniques and processes for rolling out FTTP which could, if successful, be used to deploy the technology more quickly and widely to other parts of the UK, although they dont actually say what those techniques are (we wouldnt be surprised if some of the same approaches as used in their FoD2 trial were playing a part). The first customers should go live by the end of March 2016 and then the number of upgraded lines will ramp up over the coming weeks and months. Mind you one of the biggest problems with taking an Openreach based FTTP product is the lack of support among mainstream ISPs, but only a few smaller / more expensive providers and BT itself offering related packages. UPDATE 28th Feb 2016: The following street locations are included in BTs FTTP technical deployment trial: Ariadne Road, Boatman Close, Clementine Road, Mayfly Road, Metis Road, Minnow Close, Ulysses Road and Voyager Drive. A related FAQ is also online. A similar trial is also under-way in the villages of Campton and Meppershall. The network build will serve the following addresses in Campton: Gravenhurst Road, Rectory Road, Priory Road, Greenway, Grange Gardens, Elm Close, Campton Road, Mill Lane, Brookside and The Glebe. Meanwhile only Shefford Road in Meppershall will benefit. A related FAQ can be found here. This domain name expired on 2022-10-16 00:22:36 Click here to renew it. Listed Data-Centre-as-a-Service provider NextDC (ASX:NXT) says it is in a strong position to pursue further growth after a successful capital raising, rising customer demand and a big increase in revenues to $42.1 million for the first half of the 2016 financial year. Announcing the first half results on Thursday, NextDC CEO Craig Scroggie says the company has gone from strength to strength in the past six months on the back of Brisbane and Melbourne facilities nearing capacity, and the markets support of the capital raising in the last few months of 2015. This strong funding position allows us to pursue further growth supported by robust demand from new and existing customers. Last November, NextDC said it was planning to invest up to A$200 million in building two new data centres in Brisbane and Melbourne and that the addition of a second data centre in both Melbourne and Brisbane would bring to seven the number of facilities in its Australian data centre network. The company said the initial investment in the new data centres was expected to be A$175 million to A$200 million over 12 to 18 months. In the the results announced Thursday, the six months show revenue was up 51% to $42.1 million compared to $28 million in the same half in the 2015 financial year. The results saw continued substantial growth in data centre services and EBITDA as well as delivery of a statutory net profit with: EBITDA up 279% to $11.4 million (1H15: $3.0 million) Statutory net profit of $0.6 million, compared to net loss of $5.8 million in 1H15 Liquidity of $275 million at 31 December 2015, comprising cash of $225 million and undrawn senior debt facility of $50 million.NEXTDC also cites sales and operational milestones for the six months as: Contracted utilisation up 59% to 22.8MW at 31 December 2015 (31 December 2014: 14.3MW) Interconnection (cross connects) up 75% to 3,843 at 31 December 2015 (31 December 2014: 2,198) and Annualised unweighted pipeline up 18% to $203 million at 31 December 2015 (31 December 2014: $172 million) Apple, makers of the ubiquitous iPhone have rejected a US magistrate's court order to assist the FBI to access potentially terrorist related information on an iPhone. Apple CEO Tim Cook says it is being asked to "hack its own users" and is prepared to take the matter to the highest court a move that may take years, lots of time and money. Analysts are saying Apple is in between a rock and a very hard place. On one hand, the American people may get antsy about Apple protecting the rights of a dead ISIS terrorist over the security of the American people according to Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton. On the other hand, it could be the most monumental fight for individual privacy ever seen. Apple certainly have the resources, and likely the resolve, to take on the Government. The Government party is the equally well-funded and well-resourced Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and it could also appeal any order that Apple obtains to reverse the magistrates decision. This could get messy. Cook has penned a letter to Apples customers that you should read. His points make sense it sets a dangerous precedent to remove security features and add new capabilities to the operating system allowing iPhones to be unlocked by brute force [password cracking]. Cook says all that information needs to be protected from hackers and criminals who want to access it, steal it, and use it without a users knowledge or permission. Customers expect Apple and other technology companies to do everything in thier power to protect a user's personal information, and Apple is deeply committed to safeguarding users data. iTWire will continue to report on this issue as more information comes to hand. News / Africa by Staff Reporter A man from Durban in South Africa has reportedly shoot his wife dead when she visited their matrimonial home to collect her belongings as they were in a process to divorce each other.Daily Sun reported that the old couple was going through a divorce and when the wife decided to leave her husband and live somewhere else.When the 66-year-old wife went to collect her belongings from the couple's home in Doonside, Durban yesterday, her 67-year-old husband allegedly shot her dead before shooting the lawyer who was accompanying her.After shooting his wife, her lawyer, their caretaker and another man, he then turned the gun on himself. He died on the scene.Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha described the shooting as "horrific.Paramedics arrived at the scene and found that five people had been shot. Two people were in a critical condition while another two died before our arrival. A fifth person escaped with a flesh wound," said Botha.Police spokesman Major Thulani Zwane confirmed the incident."The suspect allegedly shot his wife and another three people. Two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and an inquest have been opened at the Amanzimtoti Police Station." That is according to Internet Australia (IA), the not-for-profit peak body representing Internet users. It is time to accept the pointlessness of current strategies to deal with content piracy. It was responding to reports that Village Roadshow has commenced court action against alleged piracy site Solarmovie.ph. The legislation gives content owners the right to apply to the federal court to block any site offering the content for illegal download. If successful the main ISPs like BigPond, Optus and TPG must block the URL. Critics of the legislation rightly point out that URLs can be easily changed. We note that the so-called "site-blocking" law was passed in the middle of last year amid claims that unlawful downloading was an issue requiring urgent action. "Clearly, there cannot have been all that much urgency if rights holders have taken so long to move. Not only will site-blocking not stop unlawful downloading it will cause inconvenience to ISP's and additional operating costs that will inevitably be passed on to consumers, said IA CEO Laurie Patton ". "International experience has shown that site-blocking is more of a PR stunt than an effective solution to the unlawful downloading of content. You close them down and they reappear in no time on another site, he added. "No-one I know has heard of Solarmovie.ph. They've just had the best free publicity they never hoped for, he added. It would be in the best interests of content producers, as opposed to content distributors, if we all accepted that the main reason why most people unlawfully download is that they cant get what they want through legitimate channels. There is ample research evidence that people are willing to pay if they can get the content theyre after. In fact, surveys show that the people who pirate are also among the most active legal downloaders he said. IA strongly supports intellectual property rights but it does not believe that using the Internet to bock content is appropriate. We also support calls for reform of copyright law, which we have previously argued is long overdue. IA remains opposed to the site blocking law introduced last year and have argued that the Government should conduct a formal review of its effectiveness two years after its enactment (2017), if not sooner. Comment IAs own legal advice is that "piracy" is not a criminal offence. It is not illegal to download content but it is a breach of copyright. Use of smartphone payment systems in Australia are growing especially in a mobile first world. SecurePay research has revealed that 30% of Aussies have purchased items on their smartphones in 2015 (up from $15.6B in FY 2013/14). Catch of the Day has integrated Apple Pay into its app alongside Paypal and Visa Checkout. Using Apple Pay, Catch of the Day customers can now easily, securely, and quickly complete their purchase without having to manually entering any payment or delivery details (authorised and stored with Touch ID) - especially useful if they are purchasing items whilst on the move. Ankur Paul, CTO for Catch Group, said, We integrated Apple Pay in our iOS app because we wanted to give the most flexibility in payment choices for our users to pay with whatever they're most comfortable with. Whether that's with a credit card, PayPal, VISA Checkout, or now, with their fingerprint using Apple Pay. We understand that Apple Pay isn't yet ubiquitous in the Australian payment space but Catch Of The Day is always at the forefront of technology. When the banks are ready to work with Apple, we will already be set-up to deliver the best possible shopping experience for Australians. Payment company Stripe provided the integration. Susan Wu, Australian market lead for Stripe said, One of the most transformative aspects of Apple Pay is its ability to reduce in-app purchases to the tap of a thumb. By integrating with Stripe, businesses of all sizes can accept in-app payments with Apple Pay -- helping them to create the best mobile experience for their customers. Were very excited to work with Catch Of The Day to not only provide them with a simple, elegant way to accept mobile payments, but also enable their customers to make faster, more secure in-app purchases. Apple Pay has limited reach in Australia and currently only works with Amex contactless payment systems. That includes David Jones, Myer, McDonald's, K-Mart, Harvey Norman, Telstra, Coles, Woolworths, Target, Harris Farm, Starbucks, Officeworks, Hoyts, Zara, Bunnings and Shell. Announcing its preliminary financial results for 2015 on Thursday, Paessler said it registered sales growth of 21% for the ANZ region last year. The company also marks a 71% increase in overall regional sales growth in less than three years, between 2013 and 2015, while global sales growth for 2015 alone stood at 34%. Andrew Timms, Sales Director for APAC at Paessler says the growth was driven by increasing demands from enterprises and small and medium-sized businesses (SMB), and now accounts for more than 25% of new customers through resellers across the Pacific. And, adds Timms, a growing roster of partners, sustained reseller sales growth, as well as a revamped global partner program, also contributed to the strong momentum.Rapid technological advancements has inadvertently fuelled a surge in the value of the digital economy. This increasing reliance on data demands the need for critical IT networks and infrastructure to remain always-on, Timms said.As a result, network monitoring has become an essential aspect for SMBs looking to deliver a continuous and reliable IT system, so as to minimise downtime and ensure productivity losses are kept to its minimum. Ultimately, our aim is not only to empower businesses with better visibility into increasingly sophisticated networks, but also help them make more informed decisions.Paessler also unveiled a new Monitoring as a Serviceoption for Managed Service Providers (MSP) in 2015, which it says delivers the benefits of PRTG Network Monitor with a simplified licensing model that empowers MSPs to provide the best possible service for their customers.Timms says Paesslers product, PRTG Network Monitor can be purchased directly or via the companys extensive reseller community, which comprises more than 105 partners across Australia and New Zealand.According to Timms, in 2015 alone, reseller sales growth throughout the ANZ region stood at 47%.We have made substantial efforts to not only attract new partnerships, but also foster closer cooperation with the channel network. By doing so, weve created a unique and attractive proposition for resellers and distributors. Our partnership with Dicker Data, a key distributor, signals that PRTG delivers undeniable value to both existing and future customers.Paessler will demonstrate PRTGs possibilities at Cisco Live Melbourne on 8-11 March to be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Mobile payment is the next big thing. Almost any Android, NFC enabled, smartphone has the capability to use Googles Android Pay. Oberthur Technologies (OT), a leading global provider of embedded security software products, services and solutions, has announced its support for the international go-to-market of Android Pay with its first launch in Australia scheduled for the first half of 2016. Android Pay will allow end-users to make contactless payments with all NFC-enabled Android devices (running KitKat 4.4+). With its Digital Enablement Platform, OT will support Financial Institutions in offering their customers this new service by enrolling their payment cards into Android Pay. OTs Digital Enablement Platform is a comprehensive solution which supports enrolment, mobile provisioning and token lifecycle management in digital wallets, irrespective of the underlying technologies and related security, either hardware or software-based secure elements. Together, OT and Android Pay will offer Financial Institutions a one-stop-shop platform to enable and operate the service. "Mobile payments is a big priority for Google and we're working to support a wide range of issuers to make Android Pay available to everyone," says Pali Bhat, Senior Director, Product Management, Google, "OT's integration takes us one step further in this direction". We are very proud to work with Google on the deployment of Android Pay, in particular in Australia which is one of the most advanced contactless markets and therefore of strategic importance for OTs digital payments activities. We are convinced that our technology assets and international experience in the field of digital security and mobile issuance will help accelerate the availability of Android Pay to end-users, said Marek Juda, Managing Director of OTs Connected Device Makers business. Comment Mobile payments are the next big thing. Over 80% of Australians use Android so it will succeed by volume alone. As iTWire reported today, Catch-of-the-Day has enabled Apple Pay on its iOS app but the Catch-22-of-the-Day is that it only works using Amex at a very limited number of outlets. Apple has apparently asked for too high a cut of the interchange fees Amex can afford to do so, but Visa, MasterCard, EFTPOS, PayPal, and other payment methods cannot meet its demands. Googles Android Pay is apparently not nearly as demanding and is expected to launch with most major banks (rumoured to be CBA, Westpac, ANZ and all their subsidiaries). Its functionality supports both debit and credit Visa and MasterCard, EFTPOS, and it will also support Amex and Diners Club. It also can store store gift cards, loyalty cards, and special offers on the phone. If the device has a fingerprint or other biometric identification it may not require a PIN. In Australia, almost 70% of credit card transactions are now tap and go. This means merchants can accept Android Pay immediately. Android Pay will become one of many mobile payment options with most banks also working on mobile payment solutions. Most are launching new app updates to allow their customers to pay direct from their phone using tap-and-pay or to withdraw money from an ATM without a card, using just their mobile. is making another play to make Gmail your all-in-one email hub. The company unveiled a scheme to Gmailify your Yahoo! Mail or Outlook.com/Hotmail address if you connect your account to Androids Gmail app. Instead of just basic email management, Gmail will now incorporate more advanced features, like blocking spam looking for content to ping you about in Now. Once you connect your account to , you may begin to see Now cards based on your messages, which may mean hy trip summaries or reminders about upcoming events. Unfortunately, these new features dont extend to Exchange or Office 365 accounts (you still can use these with Gmail), so you may want to stick to Microsofts official Outlook for Android app if you have one of those accounts. Youre also unable to connect non-Gmail accounts to s Inbox app, which lets you mass-archive batches of messages or snooze them for later. s blog post did not indicate that a Gmail app update would be required to activate these new features, so the change is probably a server-side switch that should go live soon. also promised support for other email providers in the future, so well be sure to update you when that happens. y this matters: If you use Gmail to manage your Yahoo or Outlook.com email address, this change will finally put those other accounts on equal footing. This allows to gain more Gmail users who might otherwise have been loathe to switch over, given the hassle that used to come with changing email accounts. This will give you some neat features, of course more data for to sharpen its services. A Los Angeles hospital has paid US$17,000 to cyberattackers who crippled its network by encrypting its files, a payment that will likely rekindle a fierce debate over how to deal with a problem known as ransomware. Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center issued a statement saying that its systems were restored on Monday, 10 days after malware locked access to its systems. The hospital contacted law enforcement as well as computer experts, wrote Allen Stefanek, president and CEO of Hollywood Presbyterian, in a statement on Wednesday. But it is apparent those efforts did not help in recovering files. "The quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom and obtain the decryption key," Stefanek wrote. "In the best interest of restoring normal operations, we did this." The cyberattackers requested 40 bitcoins, or about $17,000, not 9,000 bitcoins, worth about $3.4 million, as reported in the media, Stefanek wrote. The style of attack, known as ransomware, has become increasingly common, affecting companies, organizations and individuals. Ransomware attacks have been occurring for more than a decade, but only in the last couple of years have the attacks become large scale. Computer security experts have theorized that this type of attack has a higher rate of success versus other cybercrime activity that has become more difficult. Ransomware victims just have two choices: either pay the ransom or permanently lose access to their files. The malware used to encrypt files can be difficult to defend against, and the encryption in most cases can't be broken.The best insurance is to have offline or segregated backups of data. Paying the attackers likely encourages the schemes. Hollywood Presbyterian may face criticism for paying, but it appears the hospital had little choice. The ransomware affected its electronic medical record system, and hospital employees couldn't communicate electronically, Stefanek wrote. Companies have paid ransoms to cyberattackers before and come under fire. Last November, ProtonMail, a Switzerland-based encrypted email service, paid a ransom to a group that was crippling its network with distributed denial-of-service attacks. ProtonMail wrote a blog post saying it paid a ransom in bitcoins, but the DDoS attack didn't stop. A second group began attacking the company. Later, ProtonMail said it regretted paying and that it "was clearly a wrong decision so let us be clear to all future attackers ProtonMail will never pay another ransom." News / Africa by Stephen Jakes Cops in Georgetown, Washington in the US yesterday arrested a woman for hiding drugs in her private parts.According to KUTV.com, Cassandra Nicole Christy (37) was stopped around 2am by cops because she was driving recklessly. She then acted very nervously around the cops.The cops then asked Christy is they could search her car. She at first refused but later gave in.Four grams of meth was found on the driver's side of the car, according to reports.Christy was then taken to the Williamson County Jail and given a body search. A "large bag" was found inside her private parts.Christy was charged with manufacturing and delivering 32 grams of meth. Library bond unanimously approved Voters waited in line for 45 minutes Tuesday to participate in an eight-minute meeting that resulted in the unanimous approval of a $600,000 bond to help renovate the North Road... Ferryboat business told to halt operations The ferryboat company operating from the municipally owned docks at East Ferry is illegally using that space, according to correspondence mailed to business owner Bill Munger. Town Administrator Jamie Hainsworth... A DOGGONE NEW BUSINESS A former business that used to clean peoples clothes is reopening as a groomer to tidy up the fur of those peoples four-legged companions. The defunct laundromat at the McQuades... Media Invite The Lunar New Year is coming to its tail end, and if you are looking at soaking yourself in more dong dong dong chiang mood, I strongly recommend visiting the SEA Aquarium this weekend! Brought my kids there last weekend to check out their CNY decorations, and I was pleasantly surprised at how festive the whole place was. There were CNY songs playing in the background, longevity peaches found inside the tanks and a Monkey Mission for the kids to do as they walk through the aquarium! The CNY festive mood begun outside the aquarium! The kids lost no time at getting their Monkey Mission cards, and set off to find the fishes! What I really like about such initiatives at SEA Aquarium is that they always incorporate learning into fun. Thats probably why my kids always look forward to visiting SEA Aquarium as well. :) Kudos to the team at SEA Aquarium I think they are really creative! They may only have fishes and underwater creatures, but they found a way to link them to the 12 zodiac signs! There are vendors selling candy floss on a light stick inside the aquarium, but they are really not cheap at $7 each. Dont you agree with me that the red lanterns play a big part in drumming up the CNY atmosphere? :) SEA Aquarium is really one of my favorite attractions on Sentosa So many things to see, admire and learn about. Therapeutic to the soul! If you are planning to visit this weekend before the Gong SEA Fa Cai ends, make sure you stop by this art & craft corner at the end of the tour, and try your hand at making ang pow fishes! Thats also the place where the kids can receive their reward for completing the Monkey Mission! Bring your ang pow fishes home or join the rest of the fishes on the cherry blossom plant! And yes, there are some props for dress-up fun, which is always a hit with the kids. Make a trip to SEA Aquarium this weekend before this special CNY programme comes to an end! :) Local Jews render aid to those hit by Hurricane Ian When Hurricane Ians path veered into southwest Florida instead of the Tampa Bay area, the local Jewish community reacted with compassion and generosity. Images of massive destruction and flooding emerged as the storm passed and it was clear there was a huge need to help. Within days, folks from the... Could a Jewish high school be in Bay areas future? Hillel Academy in Tampa is scheduling a series to meetings to gauge interest in the Tampa Bay area to establish a Jewish community high school. Focus groups will seek to measure whether there is financial support for such an endeavor as well as interest from students and parents from Hillsborough,... Ian survivors find Holocaust Torah undamaged on Sanibel On Monday, Sept 26, after finishing Rosh Hashanah services, the congregants of Bat Yam Temple of the Islands headed to the beach to perform the Jewish ritual of tashlich, letting symbols of their sins be swept away by the warm Gulf water that surrounds Sanibel Island. By the following day,... Investigative historian to speak in Tampa Historian and New York Times bestselling author Edwin Black says once he gives a lecture at Congregation Kol Ami next month, It will alter everyones understanding of Israels history, our contemporary world and international law. Black will present a free lecture, open to the community, on Israel and International Law:... News / Africa by Staff Reporter CHURCH members were among the angry women protesting outside the Humansdorp Magistrates Court when a pastor appeared for a 12-year-old girl's alleged rape.Daily Sun reported that police guarded the 50-year-old pastor, who is also a jikeleza taxi driver, when he applied for bail yesterday.The ANC Women's League led more than 200 women demanding that the court refuse the man bail.Dozens of his church members chanted that he was no longer fit to be their leader.Cops allegedly caught the pastor from Jeffreys Bay raping the girl in his jikeleza taxi at Ocean View on the night of 20 January.Lindiswa Maki (40), convener of the ANC Women's League in the Sarah Baartman region, said: "We are here to support the victim and her family."Nozukile Gumenge (45), chairwoman of the church's women's league, said: "From the day he was arrested we took a decision as a church, including the elders, to sack him as the leader. He dragged the name of our church in the mud. He must rot in jail."Church member Victoria Ndovela said they could not defend their pastor after what happened.Prosecutor William Booysen said: "The case was postponed to 9 March for further investigation." Breaking News: Mount Prospect Man Who Took Life Of Arlington Heights Resident Over Cannabis Gets 60 Years In Prison News / Africa by Staff Reporter The bail hearing of a lawyer who faces a rape charge will continue in the Katutura Magistrate's Court on February 22 when the defence and the State are expected to deliver final arguments.The New Era reported that Jaco Kennedy, 29, who is married, faces a charge of rape, a second one. He allegedly raped a woman at the end of December last year in Windhoek.New Era learned that he gave a woman a lift to work, but on the way he allegedly raped her, then proceeded to drive to work. While the victim was in the car of her alleged attacker she asked her colleagues to take down the number plate of the car. Kennedy allegedly managed to flee but was later arrested. Kennedy who is now a private lawyer is a former magistrate. He appeared in the Katutura Magistrate's Court in January last year on the first rape charge with his co-accused Ray Cloete, 29.That matter is pending in court, and Kennedy was eventually granted bail. It is alleged that while he was out on bail last December the second rape took place.He will return to the Katutura Magistrate's Court on March 24 to plead to the charges in the first matter.The State represented by Granny Paulus objected to Kennedy being granted bail due to the seriousness of the offence and because the complainant filed a statement objecting to bail being granted. She claimed she was being pestered with anonymous phone calls and messages from a withheld number."I do not know these people who give me miscalls. They can do anything to me and I do not know who they are," the woman said last week. She said the first call was from an unknown number, the second was from someone who asked to speak to someone called Anna in connection with a job application and the third was from a person who introduced himself as Freddy. The bail hearing will resume in the Katutura Magistrate's Court on February 22. News / Local by Stephen Jakes A journalist and a member of the Civil Society Organisation who were accused of taking pictures outside Zimbabwe prisons complex have been freed by the courts.The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights Tonderai Bhatasara reportedly securing the acquittal of freelance journalist Edgar Gweshe and CSO representatives Charles Nyoni and Don Makuwaza who were set free by Harare Magistrate Elijah Makomo.The three had been on trial since 2015 when they were arrested and charged with contravening the Protected Areas Act after they alleged took pictures outside a Zimbabwean prison complex last July during a solidarity visit by leaders and representatives of CSOs to some detained informal sector traders and their union leaders. Washington Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook says his company will fight a federal magistrate's order to help the FBI hack into an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino, Calif., shooters. The company said that could potentially undermine encryption for millions of other users. Cook's response, posted early Wednesday on the company's website, set the stage for a legal fight between the federal government and Silicon Valley with broad implications for digital privacy and national security. U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym had ordered Apple to help the FBI break into an iPhone belonging to Syed Farook, one of the shooters in the Dec. 2 attack that killed 14 people. Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, died in a gunbattle with police. The ruling by Pym, a former federal prosecutor, requires Apple to supply software the FBI can load onto Farook's county-owned work iPhone to bypass a self-destruct feature that erases the phone's data after too many unsuccessful attempts to unlock it. The FBI wants to be able to try different combinations in rapid sequence until it finds the right one. The Obama administration has embraced stronger encryption as a way to keep consumers safe on the Internet but has struggled to find a compelling example to make its case. Cook called the ruling an example of government overreach and said 'this moment calls for public discussion, and we want our customers and people around the country to understand what is at stake.' He argued that the order 'has implications far beyond the legal case at hand.' He said it could undermine encryption by using specialized software to create an essential back door akin to a 'master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks.' 'In the wrong hands, this software which does not exist today would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone's physical possession,' Cook wrote. 'The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a back door. And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control.' Federal prosecutors told Pym that they can't access Farook's work phone because they don't know his pass code and Apple has not cooperated. Under U.S. law, a work phone is generally the property of a person's employer. The magistrate judge told Apple in Tuesday's proceeding to provide an estimate of its cost to comply with her order, suggesting that the government will be expected to pay for the work. Apple has provided default encryption on its iPhones since 2014, allowing any device's contents to be accessed only by the user who knows the phone's pass code. Previously, the company could use an extraction tool that would physically plug into the phone and allow it to respond to search warrant requests from the government. The magistrate's order requires that the software Apple provides be programmed to work only on Farook's phone, and said Apple has five days to notify the court if it believes the ruling is unreasonably burdensome. Kevin Bankston, director of the digital rights group Open Technology Institute at New America, said the ruling could make people suspicious that the government might secretly install malware 'via automatic updates on your phone, your laptop, its operating system, or other software.' It was not immediately clear what investigators believe they might find on Farook's work phone or why the information would not be available from third-party service providers, such as Google or Facebook, though investigators think the device may hold clues about whom the couple communicated with and where they may have traveled. The phone was running the newest version of Apple's iPhone operating system. It was configured to erase data after 10 consecutive unsuccessful unlocking attempts. The FBI said that feature appeared to be active on Farook's iPhone as of the last time he performed a backup. Farook and Malik took pains to physically destroy two personally owned cellphones, crushing them beyond the FBI's ability to recover information from them. They also removed a hard drive from their computer; it has not been found despite investigators diving for days for potential electronic evidence in a nearby lake. Farook was not carrying his work iPhone during the attack. It was discovered after a subsequent search. The judge didn't spell out her rationale in her three-page order, but the ruling comes amid a similar case in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Investigators are still working to piece together a missing 18 minutes in Farook and Malik's timeline from that day. Investigators have concluded they were at least partly inspired by the Islamic State group; Malik's Facebook page included a note pledging allegiance to the group's leader around the time of the attack. Senate Commerce Committee member Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) displays the parts and function of a defective airbag made by Takata of Japan during a hearing in November 2014. Credit: Associated Press SHARE NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind Associated Press By , Detroit As the Takata air bag saga drags on, concerns are growing that tens of millions of U.S. drivers with cars that haven't been recalled could be at risk of death or injury from the potentially defective devices. Federal safety regulators last month confirmed that a South Carolina man's death in December was caused by a driver's air bag inflator that wasn't under recall. It was the ninth Takata-related fatality in the United States. In a Feb. 10 letter to Mark Rosekind, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) urged the agency to recall all Takata inflators in U.S. cars. He said the agency's current approach of issuing recalls piecemeal, "appears to be confusing many consumers" who wonder if their cars have an unsafe air bag that hasn't been recalled. Since 2008, 14 automakers have recalled 24 million vehicles to replace the inflators, which can rupture in a crash, shooting metal shards at the driver and passengers. Experts say there could be as many as 50 million Takata air bag inflators in cars that have yet to be called back for repairs. For drivers of those vehicles, finding out if their car has a Takata inflator can be tricky. They either have to persuade a dealer to take apart the car to look, or get the automaker to tell them. Some, like General Motors and Ford, won't tell. Nissan and Toyota won't say if they will disclose a Takata inflator. Fiat Chrysler, Mazda, Mercedes and BMW say they'll tell if asked. NHTSA spokesman Gordon Trowbridge says the agency doesn't have the data yet to justify a recall of every Takata inflator. The agency has given Takata until the end of 2018 to solve the problem or issue a blanket recall. Takata says it continues to investigate the cause; NHTSA and the auto industry also have investigations underway. The death of Joel Knight, 52, underscores how perplexing the search for a solution is. On Dec. 22, Knight's 2006 Ford Ranger struck a cow on a rural road near his home in Kershaw, S.C. He died after metal fragments from the driver's inflator impaled his neck. According to a law firm representing Knight's family, the crash was moderate and otherwise survivable. NHTSA says Knight's driver air bag hadn't been recalled because tests on hundreds of inflators like the one used in his Ranger did not show any failures. The passenger air bag had been recalled. Knight's death fits into one prevailing theory about the cause of the ruptures: His truck was an older model, and spent a long period of time in a region with high humidity. Takata is nearly alone among inflator makers in using the chemical ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion that inflates the bags in a crash. Tests show that over time, high temperatures and humidity can degrade the chemical, causing it to explode with too much force, rupturing a metal canister that's supposed to contain the explosion. The pieces can hit a car's occupants. Initially, the recalls targeted older vehicles along the Gulf Coast, and NHTSA has ordered that dealers in those areas receive the bulk of replacement inflators as they're made. But the latest recall from Volkswagen includes cars from 2014, and a recent Honda recall has a 2016 model. "Recent events and recalls involving relatively new vehicles with these types of inflators raise serious questions as to whether Takata's ammonium nitrate propellant is inherently dangerous," Nelson wrote to Rosekind. "I am concerned that the current approach may be needlessly incremental and fail to adequately protect public safety." Scott Upham, who runs a Rochester, N.Y., research firm that tracks air bag sales, estimates there are 50 million unrecalled Takata inflators on U.S. roads today. Until they're all recalled and fixed, "people are going to keep dying," he says. Takata maintains that most of its inflators are safe, but says it agreed with government demands to stop making those with ammonium nitrate by 2018 except for inflators with a drying agent. All of the deaths have been caused by driver's inflators, and NHTSA's Trowbridge says all but a few thousand of those without a chemical added to keep them dry have been recalled. That means most of the unrecalled inflators are on the passenger side, where there have been fewer serious injuries. Still, the piecemeal approach to recalls has allowed the population of Takata inflators to grow so large that a total recall wouldn't immediately fix the problem because replacements can't be manufactured fast enough. Takata says it and other suppliers can make up to 1.5 million replacement inflators per month, meaning up to 18 million a year. But some of those must go to other countries, where about 30 million more inflators are being recalled. In the U.S., it would take about four years to replace inflators now under recall. So far, automakers have replaced about 5 million inflators. That low rate is due both to the limited number of inflators and to an issue common to most recalls: People don't take their cars in for repairs, even with a problem this serious. Two other senators want to make sure everyone with a Takata inflator can get a replacement. Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Edward Markey of Massachusetts, in a separate letter this month, asked NHTSA to recall all the inflators and force Takata to publish all makes and models for which it has supplied air bags since 2000. The public also should be allowed to see inflator test results, they said. "Every consumer deserves to know whether their vehicle could be lethal in a fender-bender," the senators wrote. SHARE By of the Less than three weeks after warning that phone callers posing as Internal Revenue Service agents were stealing from people by tricking them into paying money they didn't really owe, the IRS said Thursday that email schemes to defraud taxpayers are spiking as well. The IRS said that so far this tax season, it has seen a 400% surge in "phishing" emails in which thieves pretend to be from the IRS or others in the tax industry, including tax software companies. In January alone, 1,026 incidents were reported, up from 254 a year earlier. The trend has continued in February, the IRS said. The fake emails may seek information related to refunds, filing status, confirming personal information, ordering transcripts and verifying personal identification numbers. Variations of the scams also come through text messages. "This dramatic jump in these scams comes at the busiest time of tax season," IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said in a statement. "Watch out for fraudsters slipping these official-looking emails into inboxes, trying to confuse people at the very time they work on their taxes. We urge people not to click on these emails." The IRS said it generally doesn't initiate contact with taxpayers by email nor through text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information. The IRS said that this tax season it has observed fraudsters more frequently asking for personal tax information, which could be used to help file false tax returns. When people click on these email links, they are taken to sites designed to imitate an official-looking website, such as IRS.gov. The sites ask for Social Security numbers and other personal information. The sites also may carry malware, which can infect people's computers and allow criminals to access personal files or track keystrokes to gain information. If a taxpayer receives an unsolicited email that appears to be from either the IRS e-services portal or an organization closely linked to the IRS, he or she should report it by sending it to phishing@irs.gov. In an early February alert, the IRS said it was seeing a wave of phone calls by criminals impersonating IRS agents and threatening consumers with police arrest, deportation, license revocation and other penalties if they didn't pay a bogus tax bill. They con the victim into sending cash, usually through a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. They may also leave urgent callback requests through phone "robocalls." The IRS said scammers had bilked Wisconsin residents out of more than $250,000 in less than 2.5 years with fraudulent phone calls. "While more attention has focused on the continuing IRS phone scams, we are deeply worried this increase in email schemes threatens more taxpayers," Koskinen said Thursday. SHARE By of the Understory, a weather technology start-up with Wisconsin roots, is moving to Madison from Boston after receiving $7.5 million in investment funding, the company said Thursday. Leading the funding round were 4490 Ventures, Madison, and Monsanto Growth Ventures, the venture capital arm of the agriculture company. "We're happy to be part of the start-up resurgence here," said Alex Kubicek, Understory's chief executive officer and co-founder. Understory has 10 employees and is planning to hire about 20 more this year, Kubicek said. They will be spread between the company's new headquarters in Madison and its Boston office, he said. Understory has a solar-powered device in use in Boston, Dallas and Kansas City that detects rain, hail, wind and other weather events in real-time at ground level, where the risk to life and property is greatest. It can provide better insight into and earlier detection of risks than traditional, radar-equipped weather centers, which collect data by analyzing conditions in the atmosphere, Kubicek said. Understory's device is patent pending and has no moving parts, so it is built to last longer than traditional weather stations, Kubicek said. "It costs $100,000 to $300,000 to build a traditional weather station that monitors the atmosphere," Kubicek said. "We can deploy an entire city for about the same cost." Understory has deployed about 50 of its devices in the Kansas City, Dallas and Boston areas, and is making another 250 for installation in other parts of the U.S., Kubicek said. The technology holds promise for helping growers better manage their farms, said Kiersten Stead of Monsanto Growth Ventures. Monsanto's investment in Understory builds on its acquisition of The Climate Corp., she said. Monsanto acquired the company, which uses machine learning to predict the weather and other essential elements for agribusiness, for about $1 billion in 2013. Understory's technology also has potential in broadcasting, insurance and other markets, Kubicek said. Kubicek has a graduate degree in atmospheric science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also has undergraduate degrees in electrical engineering from UW-Madison and in physics from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Understory was in the first class of gener8tor, which runs start-up training programs in Madison and Milwaukee. "We've seen Alex build the company from napkin to a start-up that attracts some of the best investors from around the world," said Joe Kirgues, a gener8tor co-founder. Among the other investors in Understory's funding round were: True Ventures, San Francisco; RRE Ventures, New York; SK Ventures; and CSA Partners, Milwaukee. SHARE By of the The University of Wisconsin-Madison will hold a "Town Hall on Anti-Semitism" next week in response to an incident last month in which large paper swastikas and a picture of Adolf Hitler were taped to the door of a Jewish student's room in Sellery Hall, according to university officials. The incident, which occurred Jan. 26, was quietly handled internally through University Housing and the Division of Student Life. Only students who live in the Sellery residence hall initially were told about it and offered support services. One student who took responsibility was disciplined, though "a small number of people" were involved, UW-Madison Dean of Students Lori Berquam confirmed during a hastily called news conference Thursday. News of the incident went viral Wednesday night after a student posted a photo of the dormitory door with the swastikas and Hitler face on Facebook. The student said she was upset that students campuswide hadn't been told about it, and that the university wasn't using it as an opportunity to educate students about why taping hate symbols on a Jewish student's door isn't a harmless "prank." "You do not expect to wake up and see this," Greg Steinberger, executive director of the University of Wisconsin Hillel Foundation for Jewish student life, said during the news conference. But he said he thought the university had responded appropriately. The student whose door was covered with swastikas also wrote about it on Facebook, calling it an "insensitive joke/prank gone wrong by two people who had no idea what they were doing," according to WISC-TV in Madison. The victim wrote that he believed anti-Semitism should be addressed. However, he also didn't want to "demonize two guys that I have gotten to know well and who were not cognizant of how anti-Semitic their actions were." He concluded that the students were punished "and have learned a great deal since." University officials notified Steinberger of the Hillel Foundation within hours of the incident being reported so that the group for Jewish students could provide support to anyone who needed it. When a bias incident occurs, the university's first priority is to respond immediately to the community most directly affected, said an email university officials sent campuswide Thursday afternoon. The campuswide "Town Hall on Anti-Semitism" was set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Gordon Dining & Event Center "as we discuss actions that will continue to address intolerance and hate," according to Thursday's campuswide email. Milwaukee School Board President Michael Bonds (left) and County Supervisor Khalif Rainey (right) are competing in the April 5 election for the 7th District aldermanic seat on the Milwaukee Common Council. Credit: Journal Sentinel files SHARE By of the Milwaukee School Board President Michael Bonds said Thursday he would leave the board in April if elected to the Milwaukee Common Council. Even if he loses the city race, he said, he will not seek re-election as school board president but would remain on the board. "I just feel it's time for someone else to take the lead," said Bonds, who is running against County Supervisor Khalif Rainey to succeed 7th District Ald. Willie Wade in the April 5 election. "I don't think people appreciate the time commitment and responsibility, and I think it's time someone else take that role." Bonds has served on the school board since 2007, and as president since 2009. One year into his current four-year term, he said he had hoped to stay on the board long enough for the district to hold a special election. But he said Thursday that he would abide by an opinion offered by the Milwaukee city attorney's office that the two positions are incompatible under the law. Milwaukee City Clerk Jim Owczarski sought the opinion after Bonds survived Tuesday's primary, coming in second with 26% of the vote. Rainey led the five-person primary with 32% of the vote. Deputy City Attorney Vince Moschella said Thursday that holding both seats would violate item 4-25 of the city's charter, which bars aldermen from holding another city office, and the common law doctrine of incompatibility of office. By law, the Milwaukee Public School District is a department of the city, but it has the authority to adopt its own budgets and levy taxes. The city, for example, owns title to all district property used for school purposes and must approve all of its bond issues, City Attorney Grant Langley said. Bonds on Thursday conceded the many prospects for conflict between the two boards, including the city's ability to charter new schools that might potentially compete with MPS, and the new state statute that requires the city to make vacant or underused MPS buildings available to other school operators. Bonds said he decided to run, in part, to address some of the broader societal issues that effect schools. News / National by Stephen Jakes MDC-T MP Ruth Labode has said research done in prisons show that more men suffer from sexual related illnesses than women an indication that men are engaging in sex in prison.According to parliament Hansard Labode said there is ample evidence that shows that the HIV rate among prison men is higher than the national population outside."It is like there is something in prison that makes men multiply when they get in relation to HIV incidents. The women remain the same. The women prisoners have the same incidents as the women outside," she said. "Also the numbers of men who are taken to hospitals like Mpilo and Harare, who have sours or what we call chancroid, which is an STD of the anus, has increased.""This is evidence that men in prison are engaging in sex with each other, yet as a people, we have decided to close our eyes and pretend that this thing is not happening. We are forgetting that those men come out and meet the innocent wife who is at home and infect that woman. We need to seriously, as a Government, say we do not agree with this thing but we have evidence that it is happening; here are condoms and ARVs, so that if those men are using condoms, they will come out clean," she added.She said the fact that vakadzi are still lower than varume, zvinotaura mhani."There is something very wrong. Let us introduce condoms in prisons. Let us not pretend it is not happening. It is happening and there is hard evidence on the ground. You speak to the National Aids Council, they will tell you that we know it is happening but as Parliamentarians, push for condoms because maoko edu akasungwa," she said. "As Zimbabweans, we like pretending and I think it is high time that we hold the bull by its horns and say we are attacking this thing. That is all I want to say." Gordon Moll turns 100 on Friday, and he is believed to be the oldest living and longest retired Milwaukee police officer. He served from 1942 to 1970. Now retired and living in Plymouth, he recounts his police experiences. Credit: Michael Sears Jim Stingl In My Opinion SHARE Gordie Moll received a plaque when he retired in 1970. The left side has a photo of him in 1942. Michael Sears When you call a 100-year-old on the phone, you don't know what you're going to get. "What can I do for you?" was the energetic greeting I received from Gordie Moll. Not even hello. Then he tried to talk me out of writing about him, but no way that was happening. "You'd think I was some kind of celebrity or something," he said. "A lot of people turn 100." That's increasingly true. But how many of them were Milwaukee police officers who have been retired for an astounding 45 years? And how many can lay claim to being the personal driver of gruff and legendary Police Chief Harold Breier? He was more like the fill-in driver, Gordie corrected me. On those days, he wore a sportcoat and took the chief to and from his house in an Olds 98 equipped with a siren. "Everybody liked him because he was a regular policeman. He came up the hard way," he said. Gordie Moll turns 100 on Friday, when family and friends will throw a party for him at the apartment complex in Plymouth where he lives independently. This is a man who looks 20 years younger than his birth certificate claims, hears and converses perfectly and often humorously, and can claim pretty good health, except for a bum knee. "Yeah, but how long is that going to last? I'm talking to you today, and tomorrow I'll be nuts," he said, only half kidding. His son, Al, seriously doubts that. "It appears he gets younger instead of older. He's quicker. His memory is right there. He doesn't repeat himself," Al said when I reached him by phone in Scottsdale, Ariz., this week just before he headed to Wisconsin with his wife, Evelyn, for the celebration. Also planning to attend are Gordie's grandson from Michigan, Remington, and his wife, Valerie, and their daughters, Novi, 5, and Selah, 2, who were born in Jordan and Lebanon, respectively, while their parents worked as missionaries. Gordie will be meeting these great-grandchildren for the first time. "Then I've seen everything," he said. An entourage from the Milwaukee Police Department and the Retired Police Association also plans to make the trip. Jon Riemann, the department's media producer and a history buff, said Gordie is the oldest member in the retirement system. That's a whole lot of pension checks in the mail. Current Chief Edward Flynn reached out to Gordie two years ago, sent him a patch and police cap, and wrote, "Your friends at the Plymouth Police Department have reported their interrogations of you revealed you still have a special place in your heart for the Milwaukee Police Department." After graduating from Juneau High School and working a while in the frozen custard and gas station sectors, Gordie was approached by two cops he had come to know, and they persuaded him to try out for the job. Gordie was not enthused about the idea at first, but passed the tests and was hired. He began April 6, 1942, working the 1st District beat downtown and ranking as a patrolman, two things that never changed his entire police career. "I liked it," he said. "You name it, I did it. Hell, you're all over." He walked a beat, patrolled in a squad car, drove a police ambulance and the prisoner wagon. He befriended cabbies and bartenders who could prove helpful to an officer. He remembers having to drag miscreants to police boxes to call for a pickup. Gordie left the department for a while to serve in the Pacific during World War II. His son said he was in charge of guarding high-profile prisoners. Most days in his police career blend together in his memory, but not the one when a father accidentally ran over and killed his toddler with a car. "Now I've got to go under there and unhook her. And you've got the mother, and she's screaming. The driver, he's out of his wits. You've got to do it. You can't feel any other way about it at all, but it's painful," he said. There were easier duties. Besides carting the chief around, he recalls having to keep people from mauling actor Cary Grant during a department store promotion, guarding Gen. Douglas MacArthur's hotel room door, and protecting the Braves owner's car from crazed fans during the World Series here. Gordie retired Dec. 24, 1970, at age 54 and never held another job after that. He bought and sold and rented out homes here, in Random Lake and in Florida. His wife, Gretta, whom he met back in the custard stand days and married in 1941, died in 2011 at age 91. Gordie says he wished he had spent more time watching and learning as she cooked because now he does that for himself, just not as well. He doesn't smoke or drink, but eats what he wants and scoffs at the notion of exercising. Gordie thinks police work hardened him, though he has more of a faux grumpiness, punctuated by salty language. He wouldn't trade his era on the job for today's. "Now everybody is suing and suing. And they've got those damn phone cameras. We didn't have that," he said. Is there such a thing as too much relaxation, I asked him, after such a long retirement? "Hell, I'd take another 40," he said. "I tell everybody, take it and run with the money." Call Jim Stingl at (414) 224-2017 or email at jstingl@jrn.com. Visitors walk around the Milwaukee County Zoo in December. The Greater Milwaukee Foundation provided six days of free admission and parking to the Zoo as part of its birthday gifts to the community during its 100th anniversary year. Credit: Calvin Mattheis David D. Haynes Editorial Page Editor SHARE Ellen Gilligan, president and chief executive of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation: There were so many people who said, Ive never been here. Rick Wood I've never been very good at remembering birthdays. My wife of 33 years would say it has nothing to do with memory. And...she'd have a point. But I should recognize an important birthday from last year even if I am late. The Greater Milwaukee Foundation turned 100 in 2015, and it did more than pass out slices of cake. It celebrated in what I thought was a smart and strategic way with a series of special "birthday gifts" to the community. The foundation paid for free admission to the Milwaukee Public Museum, the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Mitchell Park Domes. It helped the Milwaukee County Zoo acquire two snow leopards. It underwrote an outdoor concert by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in July and a behind-the-scenes tour of Miller Park in September. It provided a day of free public transport in four counties. About 275,000 people took advantage of these monthly gifts during the year, and, in many cases, folks who had never set foot in one of our grand cultural institutions got a chance to walk in. "How many times do people without means have to say 'no' to their children?" asked Ellen Gilligan, the foundation's president and chief executive. "This was very empowering for parents to be able to provide these opportunities for their families....There were so many people who said, 'I've never been here.'" Part of the reason they had never been there, of course, is because they couldn't afford to go there. Museums aren't a priority for struggling families. That's why it was no surprise to me that nearly 27,000 people lined up to get into the Public Museum on a cold, blustery January weekend. Or why one family walked dozens of blocks to get there, according to museum officials. Or why for some, getting a chance to go to the Public Museum or attend a symphony concert amounted to their Disney World. In a city deeply divided by race, it should not surprise anyone that people of color have not always felt welcome in the city's premier cultural institutions. But last year, a rainbow of people took advantage of the free monthly gifts, which represented an investment of more than $1 million. Were barriers broken? I hope so. The foundation also donated $200,000 each to projects in Washington, Ozaukee, Waukesha and Milwaukee counties for public gathering spaces. Old Settlers Park will be restored in West Bend. The Cedar Creek Park band shell will be rebuilt in Cedarburg. A boardwalk and gazebo will be reconstructed in Oconomowoc. Three playgrounds will be replaced in Milwaukee. The foundation made grants of $500,000 to provide scholarships for 350-400 students to attend Milwaukee Area Technical College; $500,000 to support employment and housing in neighborhoods; and $82,000 to support the creation of art in neighborhoods. Overall last year, the foundation and its donors made more than $44.8 million in grants, which was a record. More than $18 million of that went to health and human services; $6.5 million to education and nearly $5 million to the environment. The idea was to celebrate a birthday and an important milestone and to do some good at the same time. Mission accomplished. But another goal was to underscore the idea that in any community the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. "The long-term issues facing this community are not going to be solved by one institution, one nonprofit, one corporation," Gilligan said. "We do have to come together." A community foundation and a newspaper, I'd argue can help people come together by acting as honest brokers and conveners around community challenges. One goal we all should have is to ensure that we keep reaching out to people who tend to get forgotten. And so my apologies, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, for this belated birthday card. But thank you for being in our community and for giving the kind of gifts that keep on giving. David D. Haynes is editorial page editor for the Journal Sentinel. Email dhaynes@jrn.com Twitter: @DavidDHaynes The late Justice Antonin Scalia visited the Marquette University Law School on Sept. 8, 2010, for the dedication of Ray and Kay Eckstein Hall. From left: Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of the New York Catholic Archdiocese (now cardinal); Shirley S. Abrahamson, then chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court; Scalia; and Joseph D. Kearney, dean of the Law School. Credit: Marquette University Law School By I was an unlikely law clerk to the late Justice Antonin Scalia. At the time of my interview in 1994, I was already more than five years out of law school and practicing law in Chicago. I told him the truth about my primary reason for wanting the clerkship: It would help me in other things that I hoped to do in the law in particular, becoming a law professor. We all had learned in 1987 from Judge Robert Bork not to tell the other truth: It would be an intellectual feast. Justice Scalia's own reasoning in hiring me was less clear, but it was evident that my study of Latin and Greek at a Jesuit high school and subsequently in college appealed to him. I almost lost the clerkship before it began. On a trip to Washington, I went out for pizza with Justice Scalia and his then-clerks. He was dismayed when I declined any wine, stage-whispering, "Did anyone screen this guy?" His mood quickly brightened when he realized that this meant one less person with whom to divide the wine. Indeed, he openly mulled whether thereafter he should hire only beer drinkers such as me. My clerkship itself came in Justice Scalia's 10th year on the Supreme Court. He had worked out his views of constitutional and statutory interpretation, doing much of that as a law professor at such places as the University of Chicago. And he was the justice who least needed law clerks. Anyone who has ever read more than one of his opinions knows that Justice Scalia had an inimitable style. Any law clerk seeking to emulate it would no doubt fall on his face. Yet we could be helpful, making suggestions, combing through the record, seeking to persuade him that some phrases were amusing, yes, but nonetheless should be omitted. Justice Scalia's extraordinary flair as a rhetorician he is widely regarded as the greatest ever on the court was in stark contrast to his jurisprudence. He held a deeply modest view of the role of unelected judges in our democratic society. To be sure, Justice Scalia believed in enforcing constitutional guarantees. People unhappy with his jurisprudence concerning the Second Amendment (the right to bear arms) must contend with the implication of their views for his similarly strong dedication to the principles of the Fourth Amendment, barring unreasonable searches and seizures, and the Sixth Amendment, involving the jury right in federal criminal trials. Many a defendant did or will receive the benefit of Justice Scalia's work often prevailing over other "conservative" members on the court in recognizing individual rights. He twice provided the fifth vote to strike down under the First Amendment laws criminalizing flag-burning. This son of an immigrant was no proponent of flag-burning, but he saw it as protected speech. At the same time, the open-ended clauses of the Constitution had been the source of much mischief, in his estimation. It was not merely the excesses of the 1960s and 1970s, where in a variety of cases the court found rights not in constitutional text but in "emanations" and "penumbras." In those cases, it often had been social policy that the court was finding prescribed by the Constitution. It was also the prior excesses: In the decades before the New Deal, the court wrote into the Constitution rights involving economic policy. This so-called "Lochner era" had pleased many Republicans because it obstructed much progressive legislation. The court eventually yielded, sustaining most of Congress's and President Franklin D. Roosevelt's efforts to lead the nation out of the Great Depression. But well-educated lawyers know that it is a challenge to applaud the later set of cases (e.g., Roe vs. Wade) while booing the earlier era. Judicial activism can run in either direction. Justice Scalia wanted neither. He had a more circumscribed view of the role of the courts than the view generally prevailing in elite legal circles when he joined the court. He moved the law but often, too, did not prevail. An illustrative example was his dissent in 1996 from a decision that the government violates First Amendment rights when it rejects contracts because of the contractor's political statements. There was a long American tradition in which politicians rewarded only their friends with government contracts. Many thought it a bad tradition, and all sorts of federal and state laws, enacted through the democratic process, regulated or banned it. Justice Scalia was no proponent of issuing or refusing contracts (or employment) on the grounds of political patronage, but for him the fact that for 200 years no one had thought the practice unconstitutional meant that the First Amendment challenge should fail. Consider his words: "If that long and unbroken tradition of our people does not decide these cases, then what does? The constitutional text is assuredly as susceptible of one meaning as of the other; in that circumstance, what constitutes a 'law abridging the freedom of speech' is either a matter of history or else it is a matter of opinion. Why are not libel laws such an 'abridgment'? The only satisfactory answer is that they never were." This was just a warm-up to the general point: "What secret knowledge, one must wonder, is breathed into lawyers when they become Justices of this Court, that enables them to discern that a practice which the text of the Constitution does not clearly proscribe, and which our people have regarded as constitutional for 200 years, is in fact unconstitutional?" This would be his basis also for dissenting in the court's same-sex marriage case. He decried the myth of "the Perfect Constitution": the belief that if something is undesirable public policy, it is necessarily for the courts through judicial review to ban it as opposed to its being left to the people to address through democratic processes. Among those who knew him and enjoyed his magnificent zest for life, any disagreement with Justice Scalia was focused on his reading of the law. And for the legal community at large, he was in important respects a teacher. This he will remain: As one former colleague, with a different jurisprudence, remarked to me, Justice Scalia is the one modern judge whose opinions we can say confidently will still be read 50 and 100 years hence. As for me, I already learned a great deal from him, including generally of the law and life. For example, I will always recall his telling a group of Marquette law students in 2001, "He who is careless in small things is presumed to be careless in large things." While I thus kept up with him over the years, I especially recall one of the last exchanges that I had with him as a law clerk. The Supreme Court library called me because I had its only unabridged Latin dictionary checked out, and Justice Scalia wanted it. When I brought it to him, he wanted to confirm the grammar of a Latin phrase that he had inserted into a dissent the same reason that I had borrowed the book. He purported to be offended that I did not trust his Latin grammar, but I was unbothered. Hadn't he hired me for that reason? Joseph D. Kearney is dean and professor of law at Marquette University. Steven Avery (left) addresses Judge Patrick L. Willis during his sentencing as his attorney Jerome Buting listens in June 2007 at the Manitowoc County Courthouse. Avery was convicted of murdering Terea Halbach 3 1/2 years after his release from prison for a rape he did not commit. Credit: Dan Powers / Appleton Post-Crescent Among the jumble of bills being rammed through the Legislature in recent weeks is one that once again would have a chilling impact on the state's open records laws. Republican legislators keep doing this, sometimes deliberately and sometimes, I suspect, without considering the ramifications of their bills The bill was approved in the Assembly, but the Senate held off last week, and may consider the measure in March. I hope that means senators will ultimately reject the idea of sealing the records of those wrongfully convicted of crimes, such as Steven Avery. The basic intent of the bipartisan bill is good, and I applaud sponsors Rep. Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield) and Rep. Gary Hebl (D-Sun Prairie) for introducing it. The measure would increase compensation for those wrongfully convicted by providing up to $50,000 per year spent behind bars, plus transitional services and access to state health insurance. But the bill also would allow those who were freed to petition the courts to seal from public view all records related to the conviction, and that's where it goes wrong. How would the public know where and when officials made mistakes? How would they know who to hold accountable? "It potentially provides absolute freedom from accountability to prosecutors who wrongfully put innocent people behind bars: No public records of what they have done," Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council president Bill Lueders said in an email. "Do we really want to hide from public view the court file in cases where an injustice was done by the justice system?" he asked The Associated Press. "Sealing it all up conceals not only the fact that it happened, but also the misconduct that occurred in the case," Madison media law attorney Robert Dreps told the AP. Lueders also pointed to "Making a Murderer," the Netflix documentary series about Manitowoc County native Steven Avery, who served 18 years in prison for sexual assault before he was exonerated. A few years after his release, Avery was sentenced to life in prison for the 2005 death of photographer Teresa Halbach. Under the bill, Lueders said, much of the information about how the sexual assault case was handled would not have been public, giving Avery sole discretion on what to divulge. As Dreps told the AP, "I don't sacrifice my constitutional rights to a defendant's whim." Kapenga's office responded with an email to an earlier online version of this column and took issue with the idea that it is being rammed through. Companion bills were introduced in the Senate and Assembly in October, and public hearings were held in December. Four months is not rushing things through, the email said. Fair point, although a lot of bills hit the Assembly floor in the last few weeks all at once. The email also claimed that the Avery case would not apply because of his later conviction. But what the bill says, quoting from the email, is that, "If a person who is granted relief under this section is subsequently convicted of the same charges for which he or she was granted relief, or if his or her conviction is reinstated, the person shall repay any financial assistance award granted under this section and all records related to the case shall be unsealed." So it still applies to Avery because the second conviction was in a different case. Hebl made a better point when he told the AP that sealing the records could make it easier for those wrongfully convicted to get their lives back in order. But the same could be achieved by, as the Wisconsin State Journal argued in an editorial in December, adding information to the records to make it clear that the "individuals were victims, not criminals." That's always the way to go: Provide more information, not less. And don't seal these records. Ernst-Ulrich Franzen is the Journal Sentinel's associate editorial page editor. Email: efranzen@jrn.com; Twitter: @efranzen1 The flag flies at half-staff at the Supreme Court in Washington this week to honor Justice Antonin Scalia, who died last weekend at age 79. Despite widespread insistence from the GOP-controlled Congress that President Barack Obama leave the decision to replace Scalia to the next president, Obama said he will send up a nominee. Credit: Associated Press By U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia left a lasting mark on American law and politics during his lifetime, and his passing also could mark a major shift on a range of real-life issues perhaps most notably on the rules that govern our democracy. The impact will be felt even as Scalia's seat remains vacant. An aggressive legal strategy, funded in part by Milwaukee's Bradley Foundation, queued-up major cases this term expecting the court's five justice, Republican-appointed majority to issue sweeping decisions weakening labor unions, blocking racial diversity policies and eroding Americans' right to vote. A court with only eight justices will likely tie 4-4 on these controversial cases, making it highly unlikely the Bradley Foundation will achieve the key outcomes it has sought. But once Scalia's replacement is confirmed, the court could swing back toward the center on a range of legal issues, including its recent string of narrowly decided and enormously unpopular election law cases such as Citizens United vs. F.E.C. What led to the 2010 Citizens United ruling, which reversed the court's past decisions and led to Super PACs and astonishingly expensive elections bankrolled, often secretly, by a handful of billionaires? The First Amendment had not been amended to protect unlimited political spending by corporations or nonprofit groups, and the court was not presented with new evidence suggesting the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law was actually violating the free speech rights of average Americans. Instead, the meaning of the First Amendment changed in 2006 when Justice Sandra Day O'Connor who had voted with four other justices to uphold limits on money in politics retired and was replaced by George W. Bush appointee Justice Samuel Alito, who opposed campaign finance limits. With Alito on the bench, Chief Justice John Roberts suddenly had a 5-4 majority willing to break from past precedent and overturn reasonable, congressionally enacted limits on big money in elections in the name of "free speech." The results of that extreme case of judicial activism have been disastrous. Thanks in part to Citizens United, the handful of billionaires associated with the Koch brothers' political network plans to spend almost $1 billion this election cycle, and candidates from both parties are raising millions for Super PACs and likely will be indebted to those big donors if elected. Plus, the decision provided cover for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and some Wisconsin legislators to even go beyond the dictates of Citizens United to eviscerate Wisconsin's limits on secret money in elections. But if Scalia is replaced with a justice who takes a traditional, genuinely conservative view of the First Amendment, Citizens United could be reversed, and the pendulum could swing back toward a more representative democracy. President Barack Obama certainly has the constitutional authority to nominate a new justice, and the Senate has plenty of time to confirm a nominee. It is absurd for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to claim that the vacancy should not be filled until after the election because "the American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court justice." In 2012, the "American people" elected Obama president (for the second time), conferring the constitutional authority to fill Supreme Court vacancies until his term ends in January of 2017. There is more than enough time for the Senate to debate and vote on a nominee. The Senate has never taken more than 125 days to vote on a Supreme Court nomination. On the day Scalia died, 342 days remained in Obama's term. The fact that 2016 is an election year is no reason to hold the seat vacant. In 1988, a Democratic Senate unanimously confirmed Ronald Reagan's nomination of Anthony Kennedy, even though it was both the final year of Reagan's term and an election year. Lawmakers at the time heeded Reagan's call to "join together in a bipartisan effort to fulfill our constitutional obligation of restoring the United States Supreme Court to full strength." Today's U.S. Senate should do the same. Brendan M. Fischer is general counsel for the Center for Media and Democracy. The Supreme Court: The president and Senate both have a job to do. Credit: Associated Press By Justice Antonin Scalia hardly would be surprised by the fact that his tragic and untimely death led almost instantaneously to a political free-for-all over the question of his successor. As he explained in a 2004 speech to the Philadelphia Bar Association, "as long as judges tinker with the Constitution to 'do what the people want,' instead of what the document actually commands, politicians who pick and confirm new federal judges will naturally want only those who agree with them politically." The death of Justice Scalia is another opportunity for President Barack Obama to appoint a justice who agrees with him politically one who is likely to serve on the court for many years after the president leaves office. An added bonus for Obama is that judges who agree with him politically are the same judges who, unlike Scalia, are proponents of the theory of law that Scalia described as "tinkering with the Constitution." There is no question that the replacement of Scalia by a more liberal justice will result in a new majority on the court a majority that is, in fact, willing to "tinker" with the Constitution in the way that Scalia criticized. Such a change could have a profound and lasting effect on the court's constitutional jurisprudence for many years to come. That, of course, is precisely what Obama hopes to achieve. And there is nothing wrong with that. Under the Constitution it is the president, and only the president, who can nominate someone to serve on the Supreme Court. As Scalia himself would have expected, Obama can, and almost certainly will, nominate someone who "agrees with him" to take Scalia's place on the court. The problem is that the Republican Senate does not want to confirm someone who agrees with Obama. And they don't have to. The Constitution says that the Senate must advise on, and ultimately consent to, the appointment of a new justice. It says nothing about how the Senate is to go about performing this task. The Senate has no duty to hold hearings if it does not choose to do so. And it has no duty to vote on any nominee the president might choose to put forward. But the Constitution tells us only what has to happen or not happen. It does not tell us what ought to happen. That is a political question, not a question of constitutional law. And there is plenty of room for a political argument. Obama says that any president, including one whose term is coming to an end, has the right to send up to the Senate the candidate of his choice. Perfectly right. He says as well that the Senate ought to consider such a nominee and allow each senator to vote. The Republicans who control the Senate appear to be saying that Obama will send up a candidate who agrees with him politically, and given the upcoming election and the end of his term in office, they simply will not consent to such a nominee. They are perfectly within their rights to say so and proceed accordingly. So this is not a legal or a constitutional dispute. It is politics as usual, although the context is unusual and the stakes are high. There already have been and will be lots of arguments about what has happened in similar situations in the past, on the need to promptly fill a vacancy on an equally divided court, and on whether given the extraordinary timing the voters ought have a say on a crucial appointment in the context of the presidential election. The stakes are indeed high, and the arguments will be prolonged and undoubtedly heated. But no one here is trampling on the Constitution; neither side is shirking its constitutional duty. The president may discharge his power in the way he thinks best. So must the Senate. And so senators will. But we are unfortunately at a point in our politics where each side feels compelled to raise the emotional stakes by loudly and repeatedly accusing the other not only of being wrong but of acting in bad faith. Nothing here could be further from the truth. But that really doesn't matter. George Will put it best. "Washington D.C. is happiest when in indignation overdrive." Welcome to the party. Michael Fischer is a senior counsel at the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty. He is a former partner at Foley & Lardner and Kravit Hovel & Krawczyk. The Kewaunee Point Beach nuclear power plant, now closed, once provided one-sixth of the states electrical power. Credit: Journal Sentinel files SHARE By The Wisconsin Legislature did the right thing by removing outdated restrictions on building nuclear power plants in Wisconsin. I have been a lifelong environmentalist, citizen member of Gov. Jim Doyle's global warming task force, and former board chair of Clean Wisconsin. I had always opposed nuclear power because I considered it to be dangerous. However, I now know that my opposition was not supported by science but was ideologically-driven, parroting many of the organizations on which I depended for my information. I have learned to look instead to the best sources of science: the National Academies of Science, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and consensus science generally. The argument that the bill should not have been passed because nuclear power is too expensive is disingenuous. As long as nuclear power is significantly more expensive than its alternatives, utilities will not invest in it. Cost already is a routine part of decision-making at the Public Service Commission it doesn't need to be written into state law. If nuclear power does become cost-competitive some day, utilities should be encouraged to build what to date is the only carbon-free source of baseload power available to us. Similarly, the argument that nuclear power is too dangerous does not hold up under scrutiny. While all sources of electric generation have their problems, not a single death has been attributed to nuclear power in the United States. Coal, on the other hand, has killed 10,000 people annually in the US alone, not including its contribution to climate change. The only three significant accidents at nuclear plants in the world confirm nuclear power's safety. At Three Mile Island, a tiny amount of radiation was released, with no adverse health effects in the surrounding population. At Chernobyl the worst nuclear accident the world has ever seen and the only one that resulted in fatalities fewer than 50 people died as a direct result of radiation, and approximately 6,000 cases of thyroid cancer in children were successfully treated. Even at Fukuskhima, no deaths have been attributed to radiation exposure. It is now widely recognized that the greatest public health impacts of Fukushima resulted from fearof radiation, not radiation itself. Another specious argument is that spent fuel from nuclear reactors is too dangerous. The fact is that spent fuel has been stored safely for more than half a century. And new generation reactors hold the promise of reusing that spent fuel. The waste from burning fossil fuels, by contrast, simply goes into the air where it is neither contained nor safeguarded. Investment in conservation, efficiency and renewables such as wind and solar will not suffer if this bill is passed, since it rightfully keeps those three priorities ahead of nuclear power. But conservation, efficiency and other renewables cannot reduce carbon emissions enough to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change. This is not merely "opinion." It is the conclusion of the vast majority of scientists who have studied the issue. A report from the National Academy of Sciences concluded that with accelerated deployment, electricity from non-hydropower renewable sources could reach 10% by 2020, potentially rising to as much as 20% by 2035. That's not enough. Four of the world's top climate scientists, including James Hansen, released an open letter to the environmental community two years ago urging it to drop its opposition to nuclear power. Other prominent environmentalists who have changed their position on nuclear power include Stewart Brand, author of "The Whole Earth Catalog"; Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University; and Mark Lynas, award-winning author of several books about climate change. We need every tool available to us if we hope to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. It is time for the progressive/environmental community to set aside its unfounded objections to nuclear power and support this promising technology. Margi Kindig lives in Madison. SHARE By of the With only a day left for Wisconsin lawmakers to act, law enforcement officials strongly advocated on Wednesday for passage of a bill that would expand their ability to investigate child pornography and other online crimes against children. The legislation would permit state agents to issue administrative subpoenas, which don't require a judge's approval, to get the name and address of an Internet subscriber whose Internet Protocol address was linked to tips about online child exploitation. Despite unanimous support in the Joint Finance Committee and the state Senate, supporters of the measure were concerned it is hitting a roadblock over administrative subpoenas in the Assembly, which is expected to take up the bill on Thursday. Those subpoenas, supporters say, would allow state agents to link a credible tip with the location of the Internet connection. It could be used only when investigating Internet crimes against children and does not give access to a person's online content. An officer would still need to get a search warrant to investigate further and examine any computers or other property. Law enforcement in at least 20 other states have such authority in these cases, according to Department of Justice officials. Matt Joy, director of the state's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, compared it to using a phone book. "You could look up my phone number in the phone book and have my name or my mom and dad's name and my address," Joy said on Wednesday. "We just want the phone book back." That information, in turn, helps the task force determine which local agency or state Division of Criminal Investigation regional office to send the tip to, he said. Currently, the tips go to the jurisdiction where the IP address is believed to have originated. Local law enforcement officers get a subpoena to find an exact location, which sometimes shows the IP address falls under another agency's jurisdiction. The tip is then sent back to state agents, who reassign it to the appropriate agency. The process can take weeks, and the administrative subpoena would drastically cut that time, Joy said. About 200 law enforcement agencies statewide are members of the task force, which investigates tips referred from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Most of the tips to the center come from electronic service providers, which include Internet providers such as Time Warner Cable or Comcast and companies such as Facebook and Google, which are required by law to report apparent child pornography to law enforcement via the tip line. Wisconsin agents received 1,300 referrals from the center's tip line last year. The proposed law is supported by the Wisconsin Sheriffs & Deputy Sheriffs Association, Badger State Sheriffs' Association, Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association and the Wisconsin Professional Police Association. "We expect this bill to have an immediate beneficial impact on law enforcement's ability to protect our children from dangerous sexual predators in this ever-expanding technological age," said Jim Palmer, executive director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a Republican presidential candidate, speaks at a rally at Summerville Country Club in Summerville, S.C. Credit: Associated Press By of the Summerville, S.C.A beleaguered Jeb Bush waved a sarcastic white flag Wednesday. "It's all been decided apparently," he said of his presidential campaign. "The pundits have made it all it's all decided. We don't have to go vote, I guess. It's all finished. I should stop campaigning, maybe, huh? It's all done." Supporters in the crowd murmured, "No." But Bush's town-hall meeting at a country club encapsulated his struggles as he lags far behind a candidate, Donald Trump, he says is "hijacking" his party. The event started moments after word leaked out that South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley planned to endorse Bush's rival and fellow Floridian, Sen. Marco Rubio, dealing a blow to Bush three days before this state's GOP primary. And during the meeting, sympathetic members of the audience openly second-guessed how Bush has dealt with Trump's attention-getting attacks. One questioned whether Bush has been tough enough, but others wondered whether he has overreacted by punching back. "I think the (Republican) campaign has been co-opted by the P.T. Barnum of our time," South Carolina voter David Villinger told Bush Wednesday. "I think he is getting you off your good message." Moments before, another member of the audience told Bush his message isn't resonating because he is getting dragged into the trenches by Trump. "Try to be beyond, you know, the bullying, because I think that's who you are and I think they try to knock you off center," said Edward Scott. "And it appears you do get knocked off center like anybody would because of the insults to you and your family." Bush bristled at the idea that Trump has fazed him. "I don't feel like I'm shaken up by the bully. In fact, I'm the only guy going after the guy, because he's hijacking the party that I believe is the path to prosperity," Bush said. "It bothers me that somebody comes to hijack that cause. Donald Trump's not a conservative. And he's not a steady hand for sure. And he's not a servant it's all about him. And I'm the only guy going after him. I don't feel like he's intimidating. He's a bully! Punch him back in the nose!" Trump aside, Bush is in a desperate struggle with Rubio for some of the same anti-Trump Republican voters. That is why the Haley endorsement could hurt. Bush told reporters that he was disappointed by her decision. The former Florida governor called Rubio a young and gifted politician with no real leadership experience or accomplishments. "That's not negative campaigning," he said. "That's called politics...you got to point out the differences." But Bush was much more pointed about Trump, whose style and views represent in many ways the antithesis of what it has meant over the years to be a Bush Republican. "We're not going to win by insulting your way to the White House it's not possible," Bush said of the man who in the past week has attacked his brother, George, for failing to prevent the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and for "lying" about whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina senator who endorsed Bush after his own presidential bid failed, said Bush would be crazy to drop out of the race "given what could happen tomorrow, happen by supper time." He also said Bush had no choice but to fire back at Trump. "Somebody just accused your brother of lying to the American people (and) you talk about your health care plan?" Graham said. "If you did that, you're losing 90 percent of the people in South Carolina. Because here's the way we are: If somebody insults your mom or dad or brother, we're going to pop you in the face, figuratively and maybe literally." Bush wrapped up his event with another plea for voters to see Trump's penchant for bluster and insults as a sign of "deep weakness and insecurity," not strength. "If we're going to determine strength by, you know, craziness, then we're going to have the weakest person as commander in chief," he said. News / National by Staff reporter Millionaire entrepreneur Strive Masiyiwa says Econet's court battles in Zimbabwe and Nigeria tested the countries' legal systems which are pivotal for the sustainability of real business.Masiyiwa fought a five-year court battle for Econet to get an operating licence in Zimbabwe.His company also had to endure a gruelling court battle in Nigeria.Masiyiwa said businessmen want assurances that their investments would be protected.Masiyiwa said corruption was rife on the continent and there will always be ambitious people who want to cut corners. Waukesha alderman Joan Francoeur argues in favor of a plan to tap Lake Michigan water for the city of Waukesha during a public hearing on Waukesha's request. Credit: Rick Wood By of the Waukesha Supporters and opponents of Waukesha's request for a Lake Michigan water supply took one last shot Thursday at influencing officials from Great Lakes states who will approve or deny the unprecedented plan. The public hearing at Carroll University drew a crowd of more than 200 people, and half of them either praised or panned the proposal. Supporters lauded it for tapping lake water to protect public health, allowing Waukesha to shut down deep wells drawing radium-contaminated water. Critics said the plan cloaked a desire for suburban growth under the guise of drinking water necessity. Local and regional environmental groups complained the city could meet reasonable water needs by continuing to remove radium and other contaminants from water drawn from the deep wells even as city and State of Wisconsin officials said the deep sandstone aquifer supplying the radium-tainted water was depleted and continued withdrawals were not sustainable. A Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce official voiced support for Waukesha's request, which he described as "a use, recycle, and return plan that will result in a zero-loss impact on the Great Lakes." "The Waukesha water diversion request before you addresses a serious public health threat in a way that does not threaten Great Lakes water levels or water quality and that does not deplete our deep or shallow groundwater aquifers," said Steve Baas, senior vice president for public policy with the association. "The request strengthens our regional economy." Ten officials from Great Lakes states and provinces heard testimony of local and state elected officials with differing opinions on the plan. In a statement, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) urged representatives of the states to approve the city's request. Brookfield Mayor Steve Ponto said he supported the plan. Racine Mayor John Dickert said the city is opposed to Waukesha's proposed discharge of treated wastewater to the Root River. The river empties into Lake Michigan at Racine's lakefront. "We do not want what will come downstream," Dickert said of contaminants that would remain in treated wastewater. Karen Hobbs, deputy policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council's Midwest office in Chicago, criticized Waukesha for not doing enough to conserve water. Waukesha's conservation goal of reducing demand by 1 million gallons a day by 2050 "represents roughly one-quarter of one percent in additional annual water savings each year," Hobbs said in prepared remarks. The city's conservation effort "is too reliant on voluntary and educational measures" and projected savings fail to incorporate local and national declining water use trends, Hobbs says. At a briefing Wednesday for officials of Great Lakes states and provinces, Waukesha Water Utility General Manager Dan Duchniak said that about half of the city's planned 1 million-gallons-a-day savings would come from water-efficient appliances and fixtures. Another half would come from other strategies, such as a daytime sprinkling ban and customer rates set to encourage conservation. Thursday's public hearing was the only one scheduled by the Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers as part of its regional review of the city's request to divert up to an average of 10.1 million gallons a day of water out of the lake's basin by 2050. A withdrawal is expected to start out at less than an average of 7 million gallons a day and gradually increase. An equal volume of water would be returned to the lake as fully treated wastewater, to comply with terms of a 2008 federal law known as the Great Lakes protection compact. The compact prohibits Great Lakes water from being pumped beyond counties straddling the drainage basin under any circumstances. The city is 1.5 miles west of the basin divide, but it is in a straddling county so it can ask for lake water to solve public health or environmental problems. Waukesha is the first community in the U.S. located entirely outside the Great Lakes basin to ask for a diversion of water under the compact. Although the Milwaukee Riverkeeper and other environmental groups opposed to the city's plan say that the compact requires that a diversion and return beyond the divide can only be approved as a "last resort," there is no such language in the law. The compact does require that lake water be the only reasonable option. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said in December that Waukesha's request met all compact requirements and could be adopted by the other Great Lakes states. The compact requires unanimous consent of the eight states. After more than five years of studying alternatives, the state DNR concluded the city did not have a reasonable water supply option available to it west of the divide. Specifically, each alternative west of the divide would have adverse effects on wetlands, streams and inland lakes, according to the DNR. And no other option was as environmentally sustainable as a lake supply. The states and provinces will send representatives to an April 21 meeting in Chicago to discuss their views of the plan. Then officials from the eight states will meet face-to-face at least 30 days later in Chicago to make a decision. If the eight Great Lakes states approve the request, Waukesha would halt use of 10 wells. Seven deep wells draw radium-contaminated water from a depleted sandstone aquifer. Those deep wells provided 85% of the water distributed in the city in 2014. Concentrations of radium and salts in water from the deep wells are increasing as water levels in the sandstone drop lower, officials said. The city is under a court-ordered deadline of June 2018 to fully comply with federal drinking water standards for radium. A provision in Waukesha's plan to extend water service to a limited zone outside of its city limits was targeted by opponents speaking at Thursday's public hearing inside the Shattuck Music Center on the university campus. Local and regional environmental groups have said the city's lake water request would not be necessary if Waukesha did not provide water to portions of the towns of Waukesha, Genesee and Delafield and the City of Pewaukee. Wisconsin's compact implementation law requires a community seeking a diversion to establish a water service supply area that is consistent with its regional sewer service area. A sewer service area plan from the 1990s included pieces of the towns of Waukesha and Delafield and City of Pewaukee. When the Southeastern Regional Planning Commission established Waukesha's water service area in 2008, it also included a chunk in the Town of Genesee where groundwater is contaminated with disease-causing bacteria. This was done at the DNR's request because failing septic systems have contaminated a shallow aquifer used by private wells there. Wisconsin Wildlife Federation Executive Director George Meyer criticized the city's service area as "a tremendous expansion" and one that "goes beyond what is necessary to meet Waukesha's needs to provide safe drinking water to its citizens and provide reasonable growth for its community." In testimony at the hearing, Duchniak said a lake water supply purchased from Oak Creek would not be used to spur unchecked growth and suburban sprawl. "Seventy percent of Waukesha's service is already developed," Duchniak said. "Another 15% is protected as environmental corridors and just 15% ... is available for future development." Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett restated his willingness to sell water to the city, if Waukesha would remove the broader service area from its request. In response to questions Wednesday from representatives of other Great Lakes states and the provinces, DNR deputy administrator for environmental management Eric Ebersberger said the state could place conditions on extending water service beyond Waukesha as part of final approval of the city's request. Waukesha's water request Public comments accepted through March 14. Written comments on Waukesha's request for a Lake Michigan water supply can be sent by email to: comments@waukeshadiversion.org. Mail comments to: Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 2700, Chicago, IL 60606. For information on the request, go to the conference website: waukeshadiversion.org. Reddit Email 0 Shares By Ingvild Bode | (The Conversation) | Since 2012, the war in Syria has lurched from one escalation to another. Syrians have been subjected to large-scale military force not only by their own government, but also by an array of rebel groups, Islamic State (IS), a US-led coalition and other states. The results have been devastating, as the recent bombing of hospitals illustrates in particular. Most of the international interventions came in the form of air strikes, though this may change if reports that Turkey and Saudi Arabia are contemplating a ground invasion are true. Although these actions have triggered debate in legal circles, their repercussions for the way force is used havent got much attention. The interventions in Syria may have deeply affected the norms that define the architecture of global security. Once military force becomes the rule rather than the exception, the general prohibition on the use of force is threatened. This changes established boundaries of whats permissible, and therefore corrodes one of the core premises of global security in general. The pursuit of state interests by military means is proscribed under the UN Charter, which contains an agreement on the general prohibition of using military force. That general prohibition and its two exceptions self-defence and UN Security Council authorisation under Chapter VII have become key guarantors of global security. They provide common standards regulating the use of force, and above all emphasise that force should only ever be used as a last resort. But over the last decade, we have seen shifts in how states use force, especially when it comes to countering terrorism. States have used military means, such as drone strikes, more frequently and readily in response to suspected terrorists and other non-state actors. This is particularly evident in Syria, where members of the US-led coalition against IS have flown 3,350 air strikes since September 2014, while the number of strikes Russia has conducted against various groups since August 2015 is unknown. Acting in support of the Assad government, Russian strikes have primarily targeted territory held by the Syrian opposition rather than by IS. The grey area There is a lot of controversy over whether air strikes in Syria conform to the international norms that regulate the use of force. States in the US-led coalition argue that theyre acting in individual and collective self-defence, citing an Iraqi request for assistance in combating IS attacks staged from Syrian soil. The UN Charter includes the right to self-defence in response to armed attacks, but because the international legal system is structured around the boundaries of sovereign states, its application as self-defence against terrorists is not always so clear cut. There are three sets of circumstances where its generally considered legal to use military force in self-defence against terrorists: when the terrorists host state sponsors or supports them (also called the attribution standard); when the host state consents to the use of force on its territory; or when the UN Security Council authorises the use of force. But various states (including the UK and the US) have also introduced the unwilling or unable test, which is meant to justify using force against terrorists. This is the argument that a victim state may use force against terrorists in another state if the host state has proven unwilling or unable to counter the threat. There is controversy over whether this test is legally valid. In addition, the test comes with obvious practical impediments, chief among them that its not clear just who determines whether a state is unwilling or unable or what that really means. To each their own Despite these problems, the US, Canada, Australia and Turkey have embraced this reasoning for their air strikes in Syria. Meanwhile, the UK, as well as France, and Germany have relied on broad interpretations of self-defence. These arguments share a complete disregard for the attribution standard, ignoring as they do the idea that claiming self-defence against terrorists on Syrian territory would require proving Syrian support or control of IS. Both states using the unwilling or unable test and those arguing on the basis of self-defence see Syrian authorities as illegitimate and are wary of engagement, even when it comes to using force. In November 2015,UN Security Council resolution 2249) called upon states to take all necessary measures in combating IS, the common shorthand for military force. But the resolution does not refer to Chapter VII of the UN Charter, nor does it use unequivocal terminology authorising force. As a result, it also doesnt provide a clear standpoint on the norms that govern the use of force. International norms and legal standards ultimately depend on shared understanding and consistent application. Now that states are diverging on when using force against terrorists is legal, the threshold for the use of force has been lowered to a dangerous level. All the while, non-military counter-terrorism efforts are apparently less relevant than ever. To put the brakes on any further destabilising effects, we need greater clarity about what standards apply to who, and the consistent use of established rules. In a nutshell, we need a new shared international understanding of precisely when it is legal for states to use force against terrorists. Ingvild Bode, Lecturer in International Relations, University of Kent This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. - Related video added by Juan Cole: RT: Turkey & Saudi Arabia ready to launch ground operation in Syria Reddit Email 0 Shares By Farhang Jahanpour | (Inter Press Service) | OXFORD (IPS) Although the implementation of Iranian nuclear deal has been welcomed by all those who had been involved in the negotiations as part of the P5+1, the deal has had many vociferous opponents. In the United States, the opposition to the Iranian deal has not stopped at verbal denunciation alone. Only one day after the January 16th announcement of the implementation of the deal, the US Treasury unveiled new sanctions on Iran on the excuse that Iran had tested Emad missiles in October, contrary to the Security Council resolutions. These sanctions are at least against the spirit of the nuclear deal as the US had pledged not to impose new sanctions on Iran. First of all, Resolution 2231 had rescinded all nuclear-related resolutions, and the nuclear deal has ensured that Iran has no nuclear weapons. In December 2015, the US Congress passed a new law seeking to stop terrorists from traveling to the US. The law changed the rules of the visa waivers afforded to citizens of some 38 countries, including a provision that dual citizens from Syria, Iraq, Sudan and Iran or anyone who has visited any of those countries over the past five years must obtain a visa in advance, including an in-person interview, prior to visiting the US. This law would inconvenience many dual Iranian citizens and many other nationals who wish to travel to Iran on business or tourism, thus violating the provisions of the nuclear deal. Irans name was added to the list at the last moment as a pure act of hatred. It is no wonder that many Iranian officials say that they do not trust the US. It is clear that such acts are not aimed at improving relations between the two countries and encouraging Iranians to have closer relations with the West. However, Iran did not waste any time in making the best use of the nuclear deal. The unfreezing of Iranian assets, said to be worth about 100 billion dollars, will help the Iranian economy that has been suffering for years under crippling sanctions. Even before the formal Implementation Day, President Vladimir Putin travelled to Iran in November 2015, his first visit for ten years. The two sides signed many deals on economic cooperation. The Russian engineering company Tekhnopromexport will build a 1.4 GW thermal power plant in Iran and a desalination plant with a capacity of 200,000 cubic meters of water per day near the city of Bandar Abbas. Moscow will extend Tehran a government loan worth 5 billion dollars to cover the implementation of 35 priority projects in the fields of energy, construction, seaports, railway electrification, and others. A further 2 billion dollars in the form of export credits is due to be provided by Russias State Corporation Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs. Victor Melnikov, head of the Iran-Russia Trade Council, said that the two countries could boost bilateral trade exchanges to 10 billion dolars in coming years. Chinese President Xi Jinping was the first foreign leader to visit Tehran following the lifting of international sanctions. During his two-day visit to Iran (22-23 January), the two sides agreed to raise the level of their bilateral trade more than tenfold, from 51.8 billion dollars in 2014 to600 billion dollars in the next 10 years. In an article on the eve of his visit to Iran, the Chinese President referred to the first Iranian delegation that had visited China more than 2,000 years ago, and he referred to the Silk Road that had connected those two ancient lands over many centuries. Presidents Rouhani and Xi oversaw the signing of 17 politico-economic agreements between the two countries worth tens of billions of dollars. Perhaps even more important than the economic deals was Iran-Chinas strategic partnership. The Chinese president confirmed his support for Iran to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Iran enjoys a unique geopolitical position, as a link between the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea, between Central Asia and the Caucasus, also linking China and India to Europe, thus acting as a hub for Eurasian integration. During his visits to Italy and France (25-29 January), the Iranian president signed some 55 billion dollars in deals focused on the hydrocarbons, metals, transport, and automotive sectors. Unquestionably the biggest deal was Irans purchase of 118 Airbus planes, at a total cost of 25 billion dollars. Irans transport minister, Abbas Akhoundi, has remarked that Iran is in the market for some 400 medium and long-range planes, as well as 100 shorter-haul aircraft. He also said that Iran was open to deals with American aviation companies. The wide range of deals across multiple industries highlights the overall appeal of the Iranian market to the world. Irans 80 million young and educated population, as well as Irans vast natural resources, have made it the biggest hope for the recovery of a sluggish European economy. Iran owns more than 7 per cent of the total global mineral reserves, ranking first in terms of proven gas and second in terms of oil reserves (fourth if shale oil is also taken into account). Iran also ranks first in the world in terms of zinc, 2nd in copper, 9th in iron, 10th in uranium and 11th in lead mines, as well as possessing 68 different types of minerals. In addition to all its economic benefits, Europe also sees Iran as a major ally in the battle against ISIS. The world has moved on from the era of sanctions, which were on the point of collapse even prior to the nuclear agreement. It would be futile to try to reverse the global trend and to isolate Iran again. All that the attempts to isolate Iran would do is to push her further into the arms of the Russians and the Chinese, while most Iranians are strongly pro-Western and pro-American. There is a very large community of Iranian-Americans with a vast network of friends and relatives in Iran that could be used to bring Iran closer to the Western orbit. This asset should not be wasted. It is time for US politicians to realize that past US policies in the Middle East have destabilized the region and have given rise to ISIS and other terrorist groups. They should turn a new leaf and make use of Americas soft power, rather than giving priority to military options and regime change. Farhang Jahanpour is a former professor and dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages at the University of Isfahan and a former Senior Research Fellow at Harvard University. He is a tutor in the Department of Continuing Education and a member of Kellogg College, University of Oxford. Licensed from Inter Press Service Related video added by Juan Cole: AFP: Ted Cruz holds rally in Anderson ahead of primaries Reddit Email 0 Shares TeleSur | Trump accused Pope Francis of being an instrument of the Mexican government because of his pro-immigration stance. The Vatican responded. U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump is no stranger to slinging insults and criticism, but he might have been punching out of his league when he picked a fight with the Vatican over Pope Francis stance on immigration. But the Vatican fired back on Tuesday night, saying Trump has no business lecturing the pope when it comes to immigration, noting that the pontiff always speaks out in defense of the rights of migrants and refugees around the world. The squabble kicked off when Trump, who has unrelentingly promoted his campaign promise to build a giant wall to keep Mexicans out, suggested that Pope Francis was only visiting the U.S.-Mexico border during his five-day tour in the country because the Mexican government coerced him to do so. The #Pope is in #Mexico blessing the US-Mexico boarder right now. Could the Pope be anti-Trump? #CNN Hope (@HopeAlsoTaken) February 17, 2016 In an interview on Fox Business Network, Trump called Pope Francis a very political person and claimed hes unaware of the problems migration poses to the U.S. from the billionaires anti-immigration perspective. I dont think he understands the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico, Trump said. I think Mexico got him to do it because they want to keep the border just the way it is. The Vatican rejected the accusation ahead of the popes arrival in the northern Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez, immediately across the border from El Paso, Texas. Vatican spokesperson Father Federico Lombardi said that it is very strange indeed to suggest that the pope is an instrument of the Mexican government. Vatican to Trump: To suggest pope is an instrument of the Mexican government, no. That is very strange indeed https://t.co/qkWMZLt0wm David Luhnow (@davidluhnow) February 17, 2016 During his visit in Ciudad Juarez, the popes activities included visiting a prison and holding a cross-border mass with observers on both sides of the Mexico-U.S. border. Trumps criticism of the pope is a turnaround from his opinion of Francis two years ago, when the billionaire wrote on his Twitter account that he liked the new pope so much. The new Pope is a humble man, very much like me, which probably explains why I like him so much! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 25, 2013 But as the chief champion of anti-immigrant rhetoric and right-wing migration policy, its not surprising that Trump makes an enemy of any advocate of migrants dignity and rights, even the pope. Via TeleSur Watch: TeleSur: Donald Trump Attacks Pope Francis Reddit Email 0 Shares Maan News Agency | JERUSALEM (Maan) The Palestinian Authority Committee for Prisoners Affairs on Tuesday accused Israel of concealing a 43-day long hunger strike being undertaken by a Palestinian prisoner. Hanan al-Khatib, a lawyer with the committee, said the Israeli authorities had attempted to keep prisoner Muhammad al-Mahr out of the public eye by not notifying any of the appropriate Palestinian authorities that he was on hunger strike. Khatib visited al-Mahr at a hospital in Tiberias in northern Israel on Tuesday, where she said the mans arms and legs were cuffed to his bed. It was unclear when al-Mahr was transferred from prison to the civilian hospital. Al-Mahr was arrested on Nov. 2 for alleged possession of a knife with the intention of assaulting Israeli soldiers near a military checkpoint in Jenin. He denies the charges and went on hunger strike to demand his release from Israeli custody. Palestinians regularly go on hunger strike to protest their prison sentences and conditions. Muhammad al-Qiq, a 33-year-old journalist, has gained widespread attention for a hunger strike now in its 85th day that has brought him close to death. Another prisoner, Rabie Atta Muhammad Jibril, was moved on Tuesday from the Negev Prison to Soroka Hospital in southern Israel after he fell into a coma on the sixth day of a hunger strike. Both al-Qiq and Jibril went on hunger strike to protest their administrative detention an Israeli policy that allows Palestinians to be held without charge or trial indefinitely. Israel has negotiated in cases of hunger strikes launched by Palestinian prisoners in the past out of fear that prisoners deaths could spark unrest in the occupied Palestinian territory, but there has been unrest in the territory for months now. Palestinian Prisoners Society head Qadura Fares said earlier this month that the Israeli security establishment now believes it has nothing to lose by failing to release al-Qiq before his death. Via Maan News Agency Related video added by Juan Cole: AJ+: A Palestinian Journalist On Hunger Strike Reddit Email 0 Shares By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | This morning, according to the Syria Observatory and the Arabic press some 500 Sunni Arab rebels based in Turkey crossed back into Syria to help defend the town of Azaz from the YPG miitia of Syrian Kurds, which is advancing on the city. They were allowed to bring their light and heavy weapons through the official Turkish checkpoint, pointing to Turkish collusion with their covert mission. h/t BBC. Kurds comprise about 10 percent of Syrias population, mainly in the northeast of the country. Most Syrians speak Arabic, but Kurds speak an Indo-European language related to English. For the most part they have not taken on the regime (though there is an anti-Assad Kurdish militia in the Aleppo region), targeting al-Qaeda, the Salafi jihadis and ISIL instead. Kurds used to live in three unconnected cantons in the north of Syria along the Turkish border. They dream of uniting them into a contiguous Kurdish territory that they call Rojava. Although they are also mostly Sunni Muslims, the Syrian Kurds are relatively secular-minded and their main militia, the YPG or Peoples Defense Units, is on the far left, urging womens equality and a socialist economy. The Syrian Kurds have united the eastern canton of Jazeera with Kobane to its west. Now only Afrin in the far west is cut off from the other Kurdish regions. In recent weeks, Russian airstrikes gave support to the Syrian Arab Army, Hezbollah and other pro-regime forces to break the siege on East Aleppo by al-Qaeda (the Nusra Front) and other rebel groups and to begin taking territory just north of Aleppo. Kurdish fighters in the northwestern canton of Afrin took advantage of this weakening of the rebel forces to move east and take several villages. They now seek control over Azaz itself, and then hope to move east so as to hook up with the other two Kurdish cantons, forming a contiguous Kurdish state along the border with Turkey, which they call Rojava. This plan infuriates Ankara, which fears separatism among its own Kurds (some 20% of the Turkish population). Just on Wednesday, a car bomb killed at least 28 in the Turkish capital, likely the work of the radical Kurdistan Workers Party, with which the Syrian YPG is vaguely affiliated. But Russia and even possibly the US do not have any problems with it, since a Rojava Kurdistan would be in a position to stop the flow of arms, ammunition and money from Turkey into Syria. Turkey has been shelling Syrian Kurdish positions from the Turkish side of the border for the past few days, despite pressure from the Obama administration and from France to cease and desist. that shelling has proved ineffectual, failing to halt Kurdish advances against the Sunni Arab rebels (including al-Qaeda but also Muslim Brotherhood groups). The Syrian Observatory alleged that the Sunni Arab fighters who crossed at Bab al-Salama are backed by Turkey. This allegation is at least plausible, since Turkey controls the checkpoint and it let them through. The Observatory says the fighters are a mix of Muslim fundamentalists and secularists. Related video added by Juan Cole: CCTV: absolute lawlessness By Winston Obertan | ( GlobalVoices.org ) | A bomb blast, believed to have originated from a car bomb, has killed at least 28 people and injured scores in what appears to be a targeted attack on vehicles carrying Turkish military personnel. The explosion comes amid an intensification of fighting between Turkey's army and the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that has seen the government conduct regular and sweeping raids on Kurdish-populated areas in the country's east. The city's governor confirmed the casualties from the blast that went off a short walk from the Turkish parliament. The government has not yet apportioned blame for the attack. From where I'm at in Kzlay, I can see a tower of smoke billowing into the sky #Ankara Daniel Metz (@DanielSMetz) February 17, 2016 This is the second major blast that Ankara, the country's second largest city, has experienced in recent times. In October 2015 over a hundred died after two bombs went off at a rally held to protest fresh violence between Turkey and the PKK. The government suggested the ISIS militant group in control of vast swathes of Iraq and Syria was responsible for the purported suicide attack. Earlier this year, the historic district of Sultanahmet in Istanbul was struck by suicide bombers the government also linked to ISIS. A total of 12 people died in the attack. With bombings a disturbingly regular occurrence in Turkey since hostilities with PKK recommenced and Ankara waded into the conflict in Syria and Iraq last year, many Turks were bracing for more bad news on the night of February 17. All security personnel put on high alert in #Ankara as intelligence warns of new wave of blasts, media now reports TurkJourno (@TurkJourno) February 17, 2016 Via GlobalVoices.org Vancouver, BC (FSCwire) - Prima Diamond Corp. (TSXv: PMD, FSE: 2P6) (the Company) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement to acquire a 100% interest in the Green Energy Lithium Property (the Property) located in Grand County, Utah. Green Energy Lithium Property The Green Energy Lithium Property encompasses 4,160 acres and is located 15km west of the city of Moab. The Property exists over an extensive area with historic fluid analysis assays ranging from 81-1,700 mg/l lithium in saturated brines. The brine was discovered in the 1960s when over pressurized oil exploration wells encountered blow-outs upon drilling. Approximately 20 wells have been drilled on the Green Energy Property. Of these, 5 have analytical data for lithium. Historic exploration of the property was conducted by Fidelity Exploration and Production Co., U.S Borax, King Oil Co. and Amerada Co. since the 1960s. In March 2011, Mesa Exploration completed a NI 43-101 technical report which reviewed the geology and historic work performed on the property. This review concluded that there exists a historic resource estimate of 15 million barrels of brine containing 96,000 tons of sodium, 158,000 tons of potassium (302,400 tons of KCl), 5,750 tons of lithium (30,535 tons of Li2CO3), 157,000 tons of calcium and 147,000 tons of magnesium (576,450 tons of MgCl2) (Gwynn, 2008). All of the lithium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and calcium drill results and estimates are of historic resources. The Company is not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources or reserves. The Company has not undertaken any independent investigation of the drill results or resource estimates nor has it independently analyzed the results of the previous exploration work in order to verify the resources. The Company is not treating the historical estimate as a current mineral resource or mineral reserves. The Company believes that these historical drill results and estimates provide a conceptual indication of the potential of mineral occurrences within the project and are relevant to ongoing exploration. Lithium occurs at the project in an over saturated brine (40% minerals, 60% water) and was discovered during oil exploration when drill wells intercepted Bed #31 of the Paradox Formation. Bed #31 is approximately 6,000 feet deep and consists of 30 feet of shale, anhydrite and dolomite; the bed is not part of any oil reservoir. Engineering reports from the 1960s conclude that the brine reservoir is extensive (over 10 square miles) and is recharged from fresh in-flows as indicated by well pressure measurements, drawdown tests and oxygen-deuterium isotopes. Prima Diamond Corp. intends to conduct a review of recent and historic well logs, along with chemical analysis in the area and reprocessing of seismic data focusing on mineral brine. Evaluation of reservoir potential will be done in preparation for the re-entry of shut in wells. NI 43-101 Disclosure Dana Durgin (P.Geo), a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release. Acquisition Terms In consideration for a 100% interest in the Property, Prima has entered into an acquisition agreement with Zimtu Capital Corp. (Zimtu) and Mesa Exploration Corp. (Mesa), collectively the Vendors. Prima will reimburse Zimtu $10,000 acquisition costs and issue 3,000,000 post-consolidated shares to Mesa 1,500,000 shares issuable within 5 days of TSX Venture Exchange (Exchange) approval and 1,500,000 shares issuable one year from Exchange approval. Proposed Share Consolidation The Company also announces that it has called an Annual and Special Meeting of shareholders scheduled for March 21, 2016 (the Meeting) with record date being February 12, 2016. As part of that Meeting, shareholders of the Company will be asked to approve a special resolution (the Consolidation Resolution) approving the consolidation of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company on a one new (1) for five old (5) basis (the Consolidation). The 32,573,500 common shares of the Company outstanding would reduce to approximately 6,516,700 common shares, once approved by shareholders. The Board of Directors believes that the Consolidation will provide the Company with the opportunity to complete a financing in the near future and to advance future projects. The details of the share consolidation are included in the information circular posted on SEDAR. Debt Settlement The company has entered into settlement agreements (the "Settlement Agreements") with various creditors of the Company whereby the company would issue shares of the Company at a deemed price of $0.05 per share on a post consolidated basis representing a settlement of the amounts owing to such creditors (the "Shares for Debt Settlement"). Pursuant to the Settlement Agreements, CDN$791,000 would be settled and a total of 15,820,000 common shares would be issued to the creditors. The Settlement Agreements are subject to acceptance by the Exchange. All the securities issued under the Settlement Agreements are subject to voluntary 4 month hold and where required, escrow under applicable securities legislation. Financing & Use of Proceeds The Company also announces that it has proposed a non-brokered private placement (the Private Placement) of up to 15,000,000 units (the Units) post consolidation at a price of $0.05 per Unit to raise gross proceeds of up to $750,000. Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company and one transferable share purchase warrant (a Warrant). Each whole Warrant shall be exercisable to acquire one additional common share of the Company (a Warrant Share) for a period of 24 months at a price of $0.075 per Warrant Share in the first 12 months and $0.10 in the second 12 months. The proceeds from the Unit sale will be used by the Company to fund exploration on the Green Energy property in Utah as well as general administrative purposes. The Private Placement is subject to acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange. All the securities issued under the Private Placement are subject to resale restrictions under applicable securities legislation. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD PRIMA DIAMOND CORP. David Hodge David Hodge President and CEO Tel: 604.681.1568 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking information which is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For example forward looking statements in this press release include and are not limited to the acquisition of the property and any reference to future work commitments; shareholder approval of the proposed share consolidation; completion of the proposed shares for debt settlements and the proposed private placement. These forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Risks that could change or prevent these statements from coming to fruition include that our shareholders may not approve the share consolidation, the TSXV may not approve the acquisition on the negotiated terms, creditors may not complete debt settlements, we may not raise sufficient funds to carry out our plans, changing costs for mining and processing; increased capital costs; the timing and content of upcoming work programs; geological interpretations based on current data that may change with more detailed information; potential process methods and mineral recoveries assumption based on limited test work and by comparison to what are considered analogous deposits that with further test work may not be comparable; the availability of labour, equipment and markets for the products produced; and despite the current expected viability of the project, that the minerals on our property cannot be economically mined, or that the required permits to build and operate the envisaged mine cannot be obtained. The forward-looking information contained herein is given as of the date hereof and the Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law. Vancouver, British Columbia / TheNewswire / February 18, 2016 - Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSX-V: BAY) ("Aston Bay" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed its purchase of 100% of the Storm Copper Property ("Storm") from Commander Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: CMD) ("Commander"). The Company has received approval from the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") for the acquisition, conditional upon closing of the first tranche of the private placement described below, and has issued to Commander 11,000,000 common shares (the "Commander Shares") in the Company, as described in Aston Bay's news release of December 17, 2015. "Closing the Storm Copper Property purchase agreement is a key first step to moving forward on the project," said Benjamin Cox, CEO of Aston Bay. "The consolidation of the Storm property was one of the conditions required for Aston Bay to enter into a contemplated agreement with a major mining company. We believe that this transaction significantly reduces property risk. We thank Commander for working closely with us to maximize Storm's value for all our shareholders." Concurrent with the closing of the Storm acquisition, Aston Bay has also closed a first tranche of its non-brokered private placement, subsequent to its news release of February 1, 2016. Pursuant to this first tranche of the private placement offering (the "Offering"), the Company has issued a total of 2,600,000 common shares of the Company (the "Shares") at a price of $0.20 per Share, for gross proceeds of $520,000. Insiders of the Company have participated in the Offering. Finder's fees of $18,200 were paid by the issuance of 91,000 common shares to an arms' length party at a deemed per share price of $0.20 in connection with one subscription in the first tranche of the Offering. Up to 1,400,000 Shares at a price of $0.20 per Share continue to be available as part of the non-brokered private placement, for additional gross proceeds of up to $280,000. Proceeds of this Offering will be used for advancing the Storm Copper and Seal Zinc Projects and for general corporate purposes. An officer of the Company participated in the first tranche of the Offering, having purchased 1,000,000 common shares, constituting a related party transaction pursuant to TSX Venture Exchange Policy 5.9 and Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company relied on Section 5.5(a) of MI 61-101 for an exemption from the formal valuation requirement and Section 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 for an exemption from the minority shareholder approval requirement of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of the transaction insofar as the transaction involved interested parties did not exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization. All Shares acquired by the placees in the first tranche of the Offering, including common shares issued in satisfaction of the finder's fee, are subject to a hold period until June 19, 2016, in accordance with applicable Canadian securities legislation. Following issuance of the Commander Shares and closing of this first tranche of the Offering, the Company has 52,914,089 common shares issued and outstanding. Commander now holds approximately 27.4% of the common shares outstanding in Aston Bay. About Aston Bay Holdings Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSX-V: BAY) is a publicly traded mineral exploration company focused on the 641,415-acre (259,570 hectares) Aston Bay Property located on northwest Somerset Island, Nunavut. The Property hosts the Storm Copper and Seal Zinc prospects, where historic drilling has confirmed the presence of sediment-hosted copper and zinc mineralization. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Benjamin Cox, Chief Executive Officer Telephone: (360) 262-6969 For further information about Aston Bay Holdings Ltd or this news release, please visit our website at www.astonbayholdings.com. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange Inc. 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 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 the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. In the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. We seek Safe Harbor. THIS PRESS RELEASE, REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE CANADIAN LAWS, IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO SELL ANY OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN IN THE UNITED STATES. THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN, AND WILL NOT BE, REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS UNLESS REGISTERED OR EXEMPT THEREFROM. THIS PRESS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. NEWS AGENCIES Copyright (c) 2016 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. It sounds like an early April Fools Day joke press release but Ford has announced it has, seriously, developed continuous control damping with pothole mitigation technology and it will soon be available first in the US. This adjusts the suspension if it detects that a wheel has dropped into a pothole, helping protect the suspension from damage. Already available, the tyre pressure monitoring system alerts drivers to punctures while electronic stability control can help maintain control of the vehicle when avoiding obstacles. Ford will first offer the computer-controlled shock absorber system, which, it claims, significantly reduces that unpleasant feeling one gets when driving down a pothole-riddled road on its new 2017 Fusion V6 Sport, on sale in the US this summer. Fusion is the North American version of the Mondeo sold in other markets. It is the first Ford car equipped with a computer-controlled shock absorber system or continuously controlled damping as standard. Similar, but less sophisticated, computer-controlled, electronically adjustable shock absorbers, which responded to road conditions, were offered in the 1980s on some Japanese models, including Ford-badged variants of Mazda models sold in Asia-Pacific markets. According to AAA, pothole damage cost US drivers approximately US$3bn a year and drivers report paying US$300 to repair pothole-related vehicle damage. This advanced technology helps to protect your car and your wallet. Potholes and other rough road surfaces can be a pricey problem for motorists around the world, the automaker said, noting that, in the UK alone, the RAC responded to more than 25,000 pothole-related breakdowns in the UK a near 25% increase compared with 2014. Potholes can cause tyre, wheel and suspension damage costing up to GBP300 a time in repairs. The poor condition, and lack of maintenance, of European roads is said to contribute to at least one third of all accidents every year, the automaker said, citing European Commission data. The Fusion V6 Sport substantially reduces the harsh impact potholes often deliver, according to Ford continuously controlled damping engineering expert Jason Michener. Our new pothole mitigation technology works by actually detecting potholes and catching the cars wheel before it has a chance to drop all the way into the pothole. The Fusion is the first midsize sedan in its class in the US to feature this technology key rivals are the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. Onboard computers analyse multiple signals collected from 12 high-resolution sensors adjusting the dampers every two milliseconds. When the edge of a pothole is detected, the cars computer adjusts the dampers to their stiffest settings so the wheel doesnt fall as far into the pothole. Because the tyre and wheel dont drop as far, they dont strike the opposite side of the pothole as harshly. The rear suspension can respond even faster, with a signal from the front wheel providing a pre-warning to the rear wheel well before it reaches the pothole. We tested and tuned this system by driving over countless potholes [including the] square-edged potholes of our Romeo proving grounds to finesse the software, said Michener. It was long hours of not very pleasant work, but the results are well worth it. To test the technology for Europe, Ford has built 1.2 miles of gruelling test track which replicates some of the worst potholes and road hazards from around the world. Designed to concentrate the punishment experienced by vehicles, it helps engineers create more robust chassis systems and develop new innovations to ensure vehicles can better withstand the worlds challenging roads. The road is part of 50 miles of test tracks at the automakers test facility in Lommel, Belgium. It incorporates potholes of the type found in Europe and the US and simulates more than 100 hazards from 25 countries. In the past three years alone, engineers search for road hazards has taken them to the UK, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain and Switzerland, as well as Asia, Australia, North America, and South America. From a rutted traffic junction in China to a bumpy German side street, this road is a rogues gallery of the most bruising surfaces that our customers might encounter, said durability technical specialist Eric-Jan Scharlee. By incorporating these real-world hazards into our test facilities we can develop vehicles equipped to deal with these challenging conditions. Engineers drive through the potholes and over surfaces as diverse as granite blocks from Belgium and cobbles from Paris, at speeds of almost 50mph (80km/h). Sensors, similar to those used by seismologists studying earthquakes, record the loads and strain on the suspension system. All Ford vehicles for Europe are tested at Lommel, where engineers and test drivers cover more than 3.7m miles every year. The latest Transit was driven over the course more than 5,000 times as part of a testing regime designed to simulate 10 years of driver use in just six months. Test facilities also include a high-speed circuit, salt- and mud-baths and corrosion testing in high-humidity chambers. Prototype vehicles also are driven worldwide in temperatures ranging from -40 deg C to 40 deg C. Ford video here News / National by Staff Reporter The Parliament of Zimbabwe has signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) on technical and capacity building assistance with three private sector organisations.Transparency International Zimbabwe, the Public Affairs and Parliamentary Support Trust (PAPST) and the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa (AWEPA) have pledged to work with the Parliament of Zimbabwe towards the provision of technical and capital expertise.The chief executive officer of PAPST Mr Mike Mataruse says the MOUs are aimed at ensuring that local parliamentarians are fully equipped with resources."We hope for the better in the near future as we seek to do our best," said Mr Mataruse.The Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda says Zimbabwe welcomes developmental partners on capacity building projects."We are fully geared to the growth of the local parliament in terms of development," Advocate Mudenda said.The MOUs are also aimed at developing strategic alliances between the cooperating partners and the Parliament of Zimbabwe on the financing of workshops and socio-economic meetings. News / National by Staff Reporter Zimbabwe has lost 1 million visitors from South Africa in the last two years due to the devaluation of the rand against the United States dollar.The matter was revealed at the Zimbabwe Council for Tourism convention which was held in the resort town of Victoria Falls.While the use of the United States dollar has been accepted in stabilising prices in the country, it's firmness against other currencies in the region especially the South African rand has led to a sharp decline in tourist arrivals from South Africa in the past two years.So weak has the rand become that many business organisations across all sectors are now refusing to accept it as a form of payment.Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Engineer Walter Mzembi says this is making the country more expensive and uncompetitive compared to the neighbouring countries in the region, hence the need to craft new strategies.Zimbabwe Council for Tourism president Francis Ngwenya implored the concept of working together to build a positive perception of the destination to ensure the country still remains an attractive destination.At least 150 delegates from various countries attended the convention which was held under the theme: "Growing Emerging Economies Through Tourism Development". News / Press Release by PDP The People's Democratic Party (PDP) is seriously concerned on the whereabouts of Elliot Shelton, the party's Matabeleland South provincial secretary for security who was abducted by suspected state security agents on Wednesday.Shelton was abducted by some unknown men who were driving in two white double-cab vehicles without registration numbers on Wednesday afternoon.Efforts by the party to locate Shelton since yesterday have been fruitless and we fear for his safety in light of how the state has in the past abducted political and human rights defenders.The PDP demands the urgent release of Shelton and we hold the state and Zanu PF responsible for the abduction.We underscore the need for total change in Zimbabwe where the rule of law is upheld and people are respected regardless of their political affiliations. It is also disheartening to note that the latest abduction comes a few weeks before missing human rights activist Itai Dzamara clocks year without being heard of after he was abducted in similar circumstances on 9 March 2015.As the PDP, we demand that Shelton's abductors must release him to his family and we will make all efforts to secure his location and safe release. Zimbabwe cannot continue to feign being a democracy yet its citizens who dare criticize the rotten ZANU PF leadership are not guaranteed of safety. Opinion / Columnist In her interview with VOA, Mujuru brags that all systems are in place as she has done the "best recruitment. . . from Beitbridge to Mukumbura; from the border with Botswana to border Mozambique (sic) and I think we have done that."Former Vice President Joice Mujuru is talking again. She was ditched from Zanu-PF in 2014 and she did not make as much as a whimper, despite being at the centre of a plot to unconstitutionally unseat President Mugabe.It was a plot, we heard, that would even get nastier with the possibility of physical elimination, the Laurent Kabila way.Mujuru commanded a whole legion of rebels from the provinces and other party structures, and the rebels were purged before and after her own expulsion from the party.But she remained quiet: Not a fight for subalterns, so much so that it bred bitterness; and least for herself, as she seemed content staying at her farm in Beatrice.She refused to entertain interviews from newspapers.There are two fellows who would speak on her behalf.They are Messrs Rugare Gumbo and Didymus Mutasa, who were also purged from Zanu-PF where they previously held powerful positions of spokesman and Secretary for Administration, respectively.Sometimes you had a feeling that they were speaking for themselves, which is not to be discounted.In fact, they had long begun to bore us with their ostentations.The other time The Herald's Political Editor asked Mujuru about her silence and whether Gumbo and Mutasa spoke on her behalf.She refused to come out clean and declare openly her plans, nor to confirm whether Gumbo and Mutasa were her spokespersons.But things are changing now.Mujuru gave an interview to the pirate radio station Voice of America's Studio7, which aired on Tuesday.Perhaps that is not the first important thing.The first is that she registered her party, the Zimbabwe People First Party with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission last Friday.She says she should have done that mid last year but waited to convince herself that it was the "best thing".She talks about her expulsion from the ruling party and gives her assessment of what is obtaining now (though she says she wants to stay out of it).And, the most instructive part of the audio recording:"VOA: So we can safely say you are now leading this party; you are the interim president?Mujuru: Yes, please!" (transcription mine).The interview, according to the audio posted on the pirate radio station's website, is just two minutes, 46 seconds long, but it would be useful to know why Mujuru has her confidence back now.To be blunt about it, Joice Mujuru has been emboldened by what is happening in Zanu-PF at the moment where palpable animosity is characterising two contending factions.It does not take genius, or we do not think that it is a crime to mention, as is now public knowledge, that the contending factions are what are referred to as Team Lacoste and G40.The fight between the two sides has been as public as they have been nasty.There is a genuine and continuing fear among Zimbabweans that the ruling party is headed for a split and there are many ingredients in the mix.The party's wings and key constituents have been divided.The youth are divided. The women are divided.The main wing is divided as are war veterans, a key ally of the ruling party.What is worse are revelations that even the security arms of the country are divided among factional lines, and that there has been lobbying for positions and goading and promises by certain factional elements.Not least, the media is divided with some editors, motivated by treachery, greed and tribalism, already packing their bags in anticipation of rewarding jobs elsewhere.It is an incendiary situation and one that may take a small spark to devour the behemoth of the ruling party, and worse still, the State and nation as we have all grown up to know them.While this sends tears biting the honest hearts of patriots, there are people waiting in the wings to pick the twigs of the fallen tree.We are sure hostile governments have ordered more supplies of popcorn.Who would not enjoy the drama?In this vein, comes our Joice Mujuru.She has long been considered to be the "moderate", alternative leader of Zanu-PF, before she was booted out.If she were to come to the party, the collapse of Zanu-PF would play into her hands.She fancies, and is fancied, to have revolutionary credentials and experience of State.What is also critical is that she has a sizeable support base and hangers-on, and it will be folly to gainsay it, although they can't be quantified.We have not been blind to her forays across the country as she canvassed support and set up interim structures.In her interview with VOA, Mujuru brags that all systems are in place as she has done the "best recruitment. . . from Beitbridge to Mukumbura; from the border with Botswana to border Mozambique (sic) and I think we have done that."Very soon she will officially launch her party, and from the looks of things, it will not be something small.One cannot be sure if the ruling party will not be taken by surprise.Or perhaps, it won't, since there have been whispers that some people have been talking to Mujuru and her band for factional or personal benefit.The next few weeks will be interesting.If not bloody.The prayer on everyone's lips is that there will be intervention by authorities to halt the worrying slide towards anarchy in the ruling party.It would be such a sad day to see the disintegration of the ruling party leaving the country at the mercy of opportunists, at best, or sellout outfits fronting the interests of foreign governments.And it has to be noted here and now that there is a seasoned campaigner by the name of Morgan Tsvangirai who, despite poor fortunes lately, has really not gone under, even when resources are thin.He has been touring the country and has more or less maintained his support base, which to all intents and purposes, has been constant.On a good day in 2018, with the prospective weakening of the ruling Zanu-PF, he may just be the dog that runs away with the bone.He has done it before, albeit unconvincingly. Opinion / Columnist There are many Zanu PF operatives, apologists and propagandist on this site and many other similar sites who are trying to drive a wedge between Zimbabweans in the country and those in the diaspora. This is nothing but a tried and tested Zanu PF divide and rule dirty trick.The first step is to brainwash people into believing that Zimbabweans who have left the country are deserter and they cannot be trust. These deserters, almost to the last man, woman and child, are now Western puppets controlled. It is these "Uncle Toms" who are criticizing Zanu PF and calling for regime change.(They never mention that most of these people are economic and/or political refugees.)We are to believe that Mugabe, the magnanimous Zanu PF first secretary and president of Zimbabwe, has extended his hand to welcome back into the country these prodigal sons and daughters. He has flatly refused to give them the vote because he does not trust them!(Some homecoming given the country's economic and political situation is even worse and more chaotic respectively than ever.)The second step is to portray the Zimbabweans who have remained in the country as the patriotic ones who love Mugabe to bits as shown by the 61% electoral victory in July 2013 elections.(It was the 2008 elections which brought out the truth of how much Zimbabweans hate Mugabe. The people voted in droves for Tsvangirai, Mugabe's main challenger, in the March vote. He withheld the results for five weeks and he finally released them Tsvangirai's lead had been dwindled to 47%, not enough to avoid a run-off. In the run-off Mugabe set-out to punish the voters for having rejected him in the earlier vote.(Mugabe claimed electoral victory in the July 2008 elections but no one, not even SADC and AU who are known for giving their approval to dodgy elections, accept the result. They all condemned the election; the sheer brutality shown by Mugabe and his supporters made it impossible for anyone not do anything else. Mugabe was forced to sign an agreement listing a raft of democratic reforms to ensure the next elections will be free, fair and credible and not a repeat of the 2008 run-off elections. It fell on Tsvangirai and his MDC party, the other partners in the GNU, to implement the reforms.(Sadly, MDC failed to get even one reform implemented in five years of the GNU because the leadership was incompetent and corrupt. With no reforms, Mugabe was able to blatantly rig the July 2013 elections. He could not use violence, not with the world watching him, and relied of a very sophisticated vote rigging scheme; it was not cheap and it left a serious financial hole in the national finances from which the nation has never recovered.(By rigging the July 2013 elections Mugabe demonstrated once again his contempt of the rule of the law and that he cannot be trusted. He has failed to get anyone, not even his "all weather" Chinese friend, to bankroll his $27 billion ZimAsset economic recovery plan. By the end of 2013 it was clear ZimAsset was dead in the water and the regime's promise to create 2.2 million new jobs died with the plan. The economic meltdown has since moved up a gear and today it is in overdrive.)The regime's apologists have blamed the country's poor economic performance of "the illegal sanctions imposed by evil British and their Western allies". The regime has been at a total loss as what to say about its failure to deliver on its promise to create 2.2 million new jobs. It could not blame the sanctions since it made the promise with the sanction already in place.Still, in the face of all the increasing economic hardships the regime maintains that Zimbabweans in the country are not complaining; they are "very resilient".(The truth that the people are denied the opportunity to show their disapproval of whatever the regime is doing by holding public demonstrations, for example. The right to hold public demonstration is in the new constitution but it is too weak and feeble to be enforced as local women's group, WOZA, has since discovered.(Zanu PF is not the first one to deny the people a voice and then put its own propaganda words into their mouths, Ian Smith did that. It was common for the white Rhodesians to deny blacks the opportunity to speak for themselves and yet insist that "Our blacks are very happy, it is those under the communist influence who are inciting discontent!" History is repeating itself.(Of course the Zimbabweans in the country are the ones demanding change because they are the ones who have no jobs, no clean running water, have 18 out of 24 hours power cuts, who were denied the vote in the blatantly rigged elections, etc. They are the ones on the coal face, not those in the diaspora, and to argue that they do not mind all this suffering and misery is nonsense.(As the country sinks deeper and deeper into this political and economic hell Mugabe dragged us into the regime will hear more and more Zimbabweans inside the country demanding meaningful democratic change. So far the regime has been in denial of the economic meltdown and of those inside Zimbabwe crying for the regime to address the economic problems causing the meltdown.(The present economic situation is not socially and politically sustainable the regime will be forced to admit that the economic meltdown is real and the voices of those demanding change is not coming from London or New York but from Harare, Bulawayo, and all the other cities, towns, growth points and village right across the length and breadth of Zimbabwe!)Zimbabweans in the diaspora are very concerned about what is happening back home but the loudest demands for meaningful change are coming from Zimbabweans are still in the country who are having to endure the daily hardships of the worsening economic meltdown and political turmoil. It is he who is wearing the shoe who knows where it pinches and the excruciating pain of the blister! Opinion / Columnist Former ZANU-PF Hurungwe West Member of Parliament, Temba Mliswa's utterances' that President Mugabe is has no respect for war veterans and that President Mugabe must tolerate gays and lesbians in the country to access foreign funding proclaims that the man might be suffering from a mental problem hence out of touch with reality.Mliswa claims to be the voice of the voiceless while in actual fact he is a wounded chap who is still healing from his expulsion from the ruling party, ZANU PF.The ex-legislator's critic that President Mugabe was a civilian and has no respect for war veterans is a false proclamation which should not be considered as true.If he is not aware, Mliswa should be encouraged that President Mugabe was among the war veterans who freed this country in 1977 since he was in full control of ZANU's political and military fronts as the Commander in Chief in that war.The way Mliswa plays his politics is somehow confusing as he seems to be out of his mind each time he is given the forum to air his views. Temba should therefore be encouraged that politics should be logical, rather than senselessly trying to seek a political home to stay.Zimbabweans should avoid listening to poor factionalists like Mliswa who have nothing tangible to offer to the nation that assists in economy development. One would certainly wonder why Mliswa didn't raise same sentiments when former Vice President Mujuru was exposed from the ruling party.From the look of things, Temba doesn't know where his political ground is. The grapes have suddenly turned sour for Mliswa hence uttering such foolish and illogical political statements.When taking a closer look at the history of the welfare of war veterans, one can safely conclude that President Mugabe has the interest of the freedom fighters. In 1996, the Government enacted the War Veterans Act to cater for the welfare of the former fighters. The Act was meant to provide for the establishment of schemes for the provision of assistance to war veterans and their dependants; to provide for the establishment of a fund to finance such assistance(War Veterans Act: Chapter 11:15, 1996).As the war veteran's patron, President Mugabe has respect for war liberators. He unveiled a Ministry specifically for War Veterans, War Collaborators, former Political Detainees and Restrictees which caters for their well being. This alone, depicts how compassionate the President is for the freedom fighters.Homosexuality can be defined as sexual activity with a person of the same sex. Such sexual activities are not accepted in the Zimbabwean culture and have also been watered down by the President.In his speech during a United Nations General Assembly in last year, President Mugabe castigated the idea of homosexuality."We reject attempts to prescribe new rights that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs,""We are not gays," President Mugabe declared.So, who is Mliswa, to say that President Mugabe must accept gays and lesbians in the country? Mliswa was quoted in a local daily press nonsensically saying ignoring the issue of homosexuality does not help the country.Contrary to the former MPs argument, most people believe that there are better ways that the country can do to mobilize funds other than homosexuality.According to Section 78 (3) of the Constitution, under marriage rights, persons of the same sex are prohibited from marrying each other. How then can homosexuality be made acceptable a thing which is against the law.Most African countries are against the idea of homosexuality as it is considered as illegal. In Kenya, homosexuality was actually outlawed under British colonial legislation.Written reports have it that homosexuality was discovered in couple of centuries ago, and the first trace of homosexuality was in Rome, when a man figured he can get sex from his gender.Mliswa should be urged that homosexuality violates our religious and cultural beliefs. It's actually a taboo for a man to marry a man in Zimbabwe. Such practices do not build the economy instead they destroy it. One would wonder what foreign funding is the leader of Youth Advocacy for Reform and Democracy (Yard) waffling about.According to human rights group Amnesty International, homosexuality is illegal in 36 out of 54 African countries and punishable by death in four countries. Opinion / Columnist Every bird has his song and so too have people. Brother Vince Musewe has settled into a set pattern which he now repeats with unfailing regularity; he will say something very sensible one minute and then trip himself the next without failure."You see, we must not fall into the 2013 trap where ZANU (PF) gets organised while we are focusing on the wrong things. Things are not going to get any better until we have political change that addresses human rights, ushers in an inclusive democracy and creates a modern economy that meets the aspiration of all Zimbabweans regardless of race or political loyal-ties. That can only happen through comprehensive political reforms and economic revival. ZANU (PF), in any shape or form, are the least placed to bring this about," he wrote in his latest article."First, we need a coalition of all opposition forces. I am rather disturbed that some opposition parties think that we can wait, but two years is not enough. We need the coalition to be in place now so that we can have enough time to counteract ZANU (PF) and strategize together for 2018, especially in the rural areas. Our people unfortunately still need to be re-educated on democracy, elections and their rights. They still need to be liberated from oppression by chiefs including from lack of information and knowledge."He is 100% right that if we want democratic change and an end to the economic chaos we must not fall in the trap Tsvangirai and his MDC friends fell into of "focusing on the wrong things" throughout the five years of the GNU. MDC were supposed to concentrate on implementing the democratic reforms listed in 2008 GPA; they took their eyes of the ball, Tsvangirai over indulged himself with globe-trotting, chasing women of questionable morals, etc. At the end of the five years not even one reform was implemented. Not one!SADC, the guarantor of the GPA, did they best to remind MDC to implement the reforms but they were ignored. SADC leaders, literally begged MDC not to take part in the July 2013 elections without reforms as former MDC Minister in the GNU Samuel Sipape Nkomo has admitted but again they were ignore. It was at this point that SADC, Pontius Pilate, washed their hands of Zimbabwe's political and economic crisis.Implementing the GPA reforms was the only way sure way of ensuring the July 2013 elections were free, fair and credible it still remains the only way to ensure the next elections are free and fair. If SADC leaders had NOT given up on this nation they will be saying the same they told Tsvangirai implement the reforms, do not take part in the next elections with no reforms implemented.SADC leaders must be glad that they washed their hands of the Zimbabwe crisis because, other than President Jacob Zumu who is as bold as Homer Simpson, they will all be pulling their hair out to read Vince Musewe's article.Instead of focusing on implementing the GPA reforms, Musewe is asking the nation to form a coalition, educate voters in the rural areas, etc. He even has the chutzpah to warn the nation of the danger of wasting time on the wrong thing and then proceed to do just that himself. He is like someone who is warning of the dangers of stepping on a banana skin and then crosses the street to find a banana skin, steps on it and falls!Some people never learn!No wonder SADC leaders and the world at large have given up on Zimbabwe ever getting out of this economic and political hell-hole the nation has dug itself into; we are truly a hopeless lot. SADC has produced the comprehensive list of democratic reform we need to implement if we want free, fair and credible elections; we can implement the reforms or waste time on other trivial pursuits and repeat the reward or suffer. A referendum on whether the United Kingdom should remain in the European Union is due to take place before the end of 2017. Those allowed to vote in it are all persons of British, Irish or a Commonwealth citizenship, over the age of 18 and residents of the UK. The Conservative Party election manifesto made this promise before the last elections, and David Cameron is implementing it by renegotiating a set of reforms with his EU counterparts. The UK referendum act provides for four months of campaigning. If there is agreement at the European Union Council on 18-19 February 2016 the referendum can take place as soon as June 2016. There is an ensuing debate in Britain on whether leaving the EU would be an economic disadvantage for the country. Arguments for and against the UK staying in the EU The single European market makes it cheaper for British companies to export their goods across Europe. Some business leaders think this boost to economic activity outweighs the billions of pounds in membership fees that Britain would save if it left the EU. Moreover, were the UK to leave the trading bloc, it would risk losing some of its negotiating power internationally. If it did leave, however, the UK would be free to establish its own trade agreements with countries, which are not members of the EU. The Eurosceptic UKIP leader, Nigel Farage, thinks Britain could follow in Norways footsteps. Norway and Switzerland, neither of them an EU member, have to abide by many EU rules in exchange for having access to the single market, but EU laws are not binding for them in areas such as agriculture, justice, and home affairs. The other side to the amicable divorce argument is what The Economist has written, that Britain would be subject to the politics and economics of Europe but would no longer have a seat at the table to try to influence matters. The think-tank Open Europe, which supports radical reform of the EU, found that the worst-case Brexit scenario is that the UK economy would lose 2.2 per cent of its total GDP by 2030. Yet still, it posits that GDP could rise by 1.6 per cent if the UK could negotiate a free trade deal with Europe and pursue a very ambitious deregulation. Pro-Europeans think that the UKs current status as one of the worlds biggest financial centres will be under threat, if it is no longer seen as a gateway to the EU for US and other banks. On the other hand, Brexit campaigners argue that Londons unique appeal will not be diminished outside the EU. Barclays reckons that the departure of one of the unions most powerful economies would affect EU finances and would boost populist anti-EU movements in other countries, the Daily Telegraph says. This would open a Pandoras Box that could lead to the Collapse of the European Project. Attracting investors, boosting the pound and reducing the risk that Scotland would leave the relative safety of the UK for an increasingly uncertain EU would be the way to go for the UK. Freedom of movement across the EU opens up job opportunities for UK workers, who often choose to travel on their own free will, thereby making it relatively easy for UK companies operating in the UK to employ workers from other EU countries. UKIP argues that this prevents the United Kingdom from managing its own borders. Professor Adrian Favell, while writing for the LSE, states that limiting this freedom would deter the brightest and the best of the continent from coming to Britain, create complex new immigration controls and reduce the pool of candidates from whom employers can choose. What do the people think? The latest opinion polls reveal that Britons are narrowly in favour of leaving the EU, rather than staying in it. According to The YouGov survey, forty per cent of people would vote in favour of a Brexit, thirty eight per cent would support continued EU membership, while sixteen per cent were undecided and six per cent would not vote. Several In and Out groups have started to campaign hard in recent weeks. The main campaign trying to convince voters that the UK should remain in the EU is Britain Stronger in Europe, led by the Tory peer and former Marks and Spencers boss, Lord Stuart Rose. On the Eurosceptic side, Vote Leave run by Mathew Elliot is a broad based group and includes UKIPs Douglas Carswell, as well as members of other parties. This campaign has the support of some business leaders and is confident that it will win over Nigel Farages Leave.EU to become the official group campaigning for a Brexit. The Leave.EU campaign, which is funded by UKIP donor Arron Banks, focuses on immigration. They also view that Britain should have full control of its borders. The group to be appointed as the official campaign on both sides will have extra benefits of higher spending limits, television broadcasts, and a supposed grant. Another campaign that would support Britains EU exit is Get Britain Out. It is an independent cross party, grassroots, Eurosceptic group that wants to restore UK Parliamentary democracy and prevent what it sees as the unaccountable bureaucrats in Brussels from interfering. The Get Britain Out campaign wants to see the UK control and secure its own borders. The views of British business Most business leaders are thought to be strongly in favour of the UK staying in the EU. According to the Financial Times a survey which primarily consists of 3,800 businesses earlier this year found 63 per cent believe that if the UK were to leave the EU, this would have a negative impact for Britain. The sentiment is reciprocated by senior executives across Europe, who broadly expect that a British exit from the EU will have a negative impact on the European economy. However, all of the early campaigning has been done by a business-focused anti-EU group. Business for Britain wants big changes to the UKs relations with the EU and says the UK should vote to leave if the changes are not fully achieved. Business for Britain is led by Mathew Elliot, who is the founder and former Chief executive of the Taxpayers Alliance and is the former chief executive of a right-wing think-tank, the Taxpayers Alliance, and funded by the Daily Telegraph. The Taxpayers Alliances supporters include Mark Littlewood, Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs,, Helena Morrissey, CEO of Newton Investment Management, John Caudwell, the founder of Phones4u, Peter Goldstein, co-founder of Superdrug, and the Chief Executive of the clothing retailer Next plc Lord Wolfson. The EU is the UKs biggest trading partner and the largest single consumer market in the world. If that United Kingdom were to leave, it would certainly involve risk. According to official figures, Britain exported about 147bn worth of goods and services to EU countries in 2014 a fall of about two per cent from 2013. As a group, this makes the EU the biggest partner, but the top five individual nations include only two EU members: Germany and France. Anti-EU business leaders argue they would do better with China, the third biggest trading partner. A secondary issue involves countries outside Europe, which work with the UK because of its access to the European market. President Barack Obama has repeatedly expressed a preference for the UK remaining in the EU, and ratings agency Standard & Poors has suggested that banking groups might take their headquarters elsewhere if Britain were to leave the EU. The UK political parties stance on David Camerons referendum David Cameron supports Britain staying in the EU, once he has gotten his reforms approved. Mr. Cameron has so far refused to say whether he would start opting for Britain to leave the EU if he does not get what he wants from the other EU leaders, saying instead that he rules nothing out. The Former Home Secretary Alan Johnson, a leading figure in Labours own campaign, wants the UK to stay in the European Union. The Labour Party, the Scottish and Welsh nationalists (SNP, Plaid Cymru) and notably the Liberal Democrats are also in favour of the UK remaining in the European Union. The Conservative Party is divided and some Cabinet members are expected to campaign against the eventual proposal of their Prime Minister. The negotiation process within the EU The UK and EU officials have been trying to reach an agreement that will give way for the U.Ks EU referendum. For months there have been discussions between the UK and EU negotiating teams on the reforms. There is a proposed compromise agreed upon between David Cameron and the European Council President, Donald Tusk. Mr. Cameron has set four main aims for renegotiation he wants to change in the UKs membership of the EU. These aims were outlined in a letter to European Council President, Donald Tusk in November 2015. The letter recognizes that the UK is not committed to further political integration into the EU. The EU should increase efforts to cut bureaucracy, especially on small and medium enterprises, which the UK Government has said damages business. Ministers want to prevent migrants from entering the UK and claim benefits and housing until they have lived in the country for four years. The European Commission has said such a move would be highly problematic. On Eurozone v the Rest, there is an explicit recognition the euro is not the only currency of the European Union, to ensure countries outside the Eurozone are not materially disadvantaged. The U.K wants safeguards that steps towards further financial union cannot be imposed on Non-Eurozone members and the UK will not have to contribute to Eurozone bailouts. Read more: Q&A: What Britain wants from Europe European Council President, Donald Tusk has put together a draft deal ahead of the 18-19 February EU summit, where the UKs renegotiation demands are due to be debated. Mr. Cameron has managed to get some of his demands accepted. On sovereignty, the PM has secured a clear legal statement that the UK is not committed to further political integration. Mr. Cameron got new powers for national parliaments to group together to block new EU laws. On competitiveness, the PM has gotten some language that commits the EU to strengthen the internal market and cut red tape. EU migrants are able to send child benefits back home, but would get a lower level if the cost of living in the country where the child is, is lower. Eurozone versus the Rest: There will be a new mechanism to get the Eurozone to think again about decisions that could affect the UK. The PM has gotten some unexpected gains, making it easier for countries to screen terror suspects, even if the threat they pose is not imminent. Let us now see what the European Council says on the package as a whole. Dhelon Curtis Neillssen Raynold holds a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from Drew University and is currently pursuing a Masters of Liberal Arts in International Relations at Harvard University. He has worked with the Sirleaf Market Womens Fund and undertook an in-service traineeship with the European Economic & Social Committee (EESC) in Brussels, as well as internships with the United Nations, the World Youth Alliance (WYA), and UN-HABITAT. When a bird-watcher is murdered in the Saint-Marie jungle, the team has a particularly puzzling conundrum to solve. Is the traditionally quiet world of bird-watching more cut-throat than it appears? Jeon Do Yeon, 43, will make her small screen comeback with a role in the Korean adaptation of the CBS program "The Good Wife." She will play the wife of a star prosecutor who gets caught up in a sex scandal. Because of his scandal, her character is forced to return to work as a lawyer after 13 years. But that ultimately turns out to be a good thing. The role was originally portrayed in the American series by Emmy winner Juliana Marguiles. Jeon has not had a leading role on the small screen since she appeared in the 2005 drama "Lovers in Prague." Since then she's only done a cameo in the 2008 drama "On Air." But she has been busy with film work, earning praise for her roles in films such as "Secret Sunshine" and "The Shameless." Her film roles have earned her two invitations to the Cannes Film Festival and praise from her co-stars. Kim Nam Gil, who worked with her in "The Shameless," said he was stunned by her performance when he first saw their movie. "I realized what the fuss about Jeon Do Yeon was all about," he said in an interview with the Korean media outlet Star Today. Gong Yoo, who appears with her in the film "A Man and A Woman," also offered praise. "I was happy to work with Jeon," he told the Korean media outlet Chosun Ilbo. "That was one of my wishes as an actor." "A Man and A Woman," which is scheduled to be released on February 25, tells the story of a man and woman who meet on a trip to Finland and have an extramarital affair. Jeon Do Yeon's co-star in "The Good Wife" may be Yoo Ji Tae, last seen in "Healer." If he accepts the role formerly played by Chris Noth, the 39-year-old actor-director will play a prosecutor with the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office. Lee Jung Hyo, who directed "Cruel City" and "Witch's Romance," will direct "The Good Wife." Han Sung Woon, who wrote the screenplay for the drama "Spy" and the film "My Ordinary Love Story" will write the script. The drama is scheduled to air in July. As a newspaper that professes the best government is open government, we are extremely disappointed that a legislative committee has advanced a proposal that would all but eliminate the publics involvement whenever the University of Nebraska fills key leadership vacancies. Contrary to the principles of open government, the proposal, LB1109, would allow the NU Board of Regents to conduct secret searches for president and campus chancellors. Only one applicant the regents priority candidate would be revealed, and then students, faculty and staff would have 30 days to evaluate the lone candidate before regents appoint their pick. Current law has served Nebraskans well. It requires that the top four applicants are revealed. That gives the public an opportunity to size up the field and, in essence, participate in the decision. We believe the best government is open, participatory government. Additionally, we believe the best lawmaking occurs when legislators are well informed about the issues they address. Unfortunately, the eight-member Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee that advanced LB1109 to the full Legislature on Tuesday failed to perform due diligence. Almost half of the lawmakers who voted 5-2 in favor of the bill did so without a sufficient knowledge of how the regents secret searches would squander public trust by shutting citizens out of the process. Half of the members of the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee were unprepared to vote on LB1109 because they were totally absent from the 2-hour hearing or were present for only a fraction of the testimony. Totally absent were Sens. Tyson Larson of ONeill and Beau McCoy and Joni Craighead of Omaha. Sen. Tommy Garrett heard some testimony at the beginning and end of the hearing, but exited at the midway point to participate in another hearing. Only four members were present for all or most of the hearing: Sens. John Murante of Omaha, Matt Hansen of Lincoln, Mike Groene of North Platte and Dave Bloomfield of Hoskins. At several points during the proceedings, committee members joked about who was in charge, as more and more vacant chairs appeared. Prudence dictates that if senators are unfamiliar with an issue as they likely were regarding LB1109 they should have erred on the side of caution and voted to table or not to advance the bill. Any measure that reduces public access or participation in government merits careful scrutiny and caution. Nebraskans will be well-served if lawmakers reject LB1109. This article originally ran in the February 2016 issue of AVN magazine. Click here to see the digital edition. For Falcon Studios Group head Chris Ward, the thoughts first started entering his mind a few years ago. At that time, he decided that when he had accumulated enough savings to live an enjoyable life in retirement, he would do it. Mission accomplisheda lot sooner than many in the industry were hoping for. I have been very lucky over the years in our industry, and I achieved my financial goals sooner than I had planned. Also, I have made my statement in gay eroticaand, I think, made it well. Its time for a new generation to take over. I have been in the industry now for 20 years, so it is difficult to leave it. I enjoy working in porn and I enjoy the people I work with. They are my family. Ward announced his retirement late last year, and will now work in just an advisory role through the spring before leaving Falcon Studios Group and parent company AEBN, which he will remain a co-owner of (but will not be involved in the day-to-day business for). Fellow co-owner Tim Valenti will take over as president of Falcon Studios Group. I am 55 years oldand lucky to be retiring at that age. I figured if I want to do something else with my life, I had better get started now, Ward says. I would not like to start a new company at age 65! Ward entered the business in 1996 as an actor and director for Hot House, working under mentor Steven Scarborough (who announced his retirement almost two years ago, when Ward helped bring Hot House to the AEBN familyfour years after he did the same with Falcon Studios). What I will miss most is the daily interaction with my Falcon family. These are my best friends. I hope to keep in touch with them outside of business. What I will not miss is constantly playing defense. Porn is in decline and rather than building and growing, I have been maintaining the status quo, playing defense against a world that prefers free porn. Its a tough day-to-day battle. We have done well holding our own, and even growing some, but its exhausting after many years of it. Wards first directorial effort was The Hole Punch in 1997 for Hot Houses Club Inferno line. He would leave the studio two years later to found Raging Stallion Studios along with J.D. Slater and Kent Taylor. At first I just wanted to make quality porn, but later I came to enjoy the business side of things, especially back in the Golden Age when we took Raging Stallion from a minor company into one of the largest. That was funit was like conquering the world! recalls Ward. I had a great mentor in Steven Scarborough, and I have to thank my first cinematographer, Lester Moore, for teaching me how to shoot porn. J.D. Slater was a huge influencehe was the one who convinced me to launch Raging Stallion in the first place. Kent Taylor, my VP and our main photographer, was also very influential in those early years. I have also brought lots of people into the industry. One thing I liked doing was training cameramen and directors from scratch. I launched the careers of some of the top directors today. While at Raging Stallion, Ward helmed a bevy of hits and award winners, including Grunts, To the Last Man, Arabesque and Raiders of the Lost Arse. After Falcon Studios merged with Raging Stallion, he also helmed the sixth entry in the industrys most iconic series: The Other Side of Aspen. If I have any legacy at all, I think it will be to have helped bring tattoos and chest hair into the mainstream. That was what Raging Stallion was all about, he says. There are many moments that stick outfrom my first porn shoot as an actor, to winning multiple awards for best director. I remember sweeping several GAYVN Awards showswinning so much that I think Raging Stallion helped to damage the show. After we swept just about every award three years in a row, other studios quit supporting the GAYVNs, and they stopped being held. As a performer (That is so distant now), Ward enjoyed showing offbut says since he came into porn late in life, he had a very short career in front of the camera. Being an actor, however, gave me a good perspective on how to direct and manage shoots. I could empathize with the actors and I always strived to make our sets as comfortable as possible. As I used to say all the time, screaming and fighting does not help the hard-ons! As a director, Wards best memories include filming the final shootout for To the Last Man, and he has very fond memories of Arabesque. Grunts was a fantastic shoot as wellperhaps the high point of my career. Of course I have to say that my overall favorite thing about directing, and my career in general, was working with so many wonderful people, in front of and behind the camera. I could not have had my career without the strong support of so many talented friends. As a businessman, Ward cites his ability to stay honest and nice as his strength. I think I was always a fair boss, and a friendly one. I have raised my voice only five or 10 times in my whole career. My management style changed over timeat first I was a super controlling freak, but eventually I turned into a manager that gave a very talented crew as much leeway as they wanted. Ward continues, At one point, I remember coming to the conclusion that Steve Cruz and Tony Dimarco could make movies as good asor even better thanme. So why not sit back and let them do it? I guess I made myself obsolete because my team became so good! Will Ward still watch porn? I suppose. I got into porn because I was a huge fan of porn. I think, however, that I need to get some distancecertainly from my own company. There are ways to do things, and I dont want to be looking from the outside at decisions that I dont agree with. I need to let the new leadership do its own thing without my getting stirred upor without them having to think about what I think. Ward plans to relax for a few months, then spend some more time relaxing in Europehe rented a small castle in the Loire Valley for a month in late spring. I am hoping the transition will be very easy and very enjoyable. But I worry about getting bored, he says. Many people do not know that I have a Ph.D. in history and archaeology. I published several books before I got into porn. I plan to take up writing againI have a few novels banging about in my head that I want to put to paper. Ward plans to split his time between San Francisco and France, enjoying time with his partner (Mo Duran), his cats and his wine. I love Europe, especially rural France. I enjoy the food, the wine and the history. Waking up in the beautiful countryside, having fresh croissants for breakfast, a cassoulet for lunch and some wine in the evening, walks in the forest, he says. Second, I love San Francisco, especially my neighborhood, Alamo Square. I enjoy the food, the wine and the history. Waking up in the most beautiful city, having fresh sourdough bread for breakfast, some Asian food for lunch and some wine in the evening, walks in the neighborhoods. Third, I love Mo! Waking up next to him, having breakfast with him, having lunch with him, having wine with him I have a lucky life. OAKLAND, Calif.Over one hundred adult performers are expected to appear at Thursdays Cal/OSHA hearing in Oakland, where Cal/OSHA board members will vote on new regulations that mandate not only condoms, but also dental dams, eye protection and other barriers for use on adult film sets. The meeting is scheduled to take place in the auditorium of the Harris State Building, 1515 Clay Street in Oakland, CA 94612, at 10 a.m. These are unworkable regulations based in fear and stigma, not science or public health, said Eric Paul Leue, Executive Director of the Free Speech Coalition. Cal/OSHA has repeatedly refused to listen to performers' concerns over their health and livelihoods, and performers are rightly furious. This will be a heated hearing. The Cal/OSHA vote will cap off a seven year process during which performers and performer groups have repeatedly been denied a voice. A companion ballot measure, sponsored by Michael Weinstein of the controversial AIDS Healthcare Foundation, would allow private citizens to sue performers who dont use condoms. We are not opposed to regulation, said Siouxsie Q, a journalist and adult performer. We are the most tested population on the planet, and we care about our sexual health. But regulations that prohibit 90% of contact between adult performers only pushes us to the margins, and makes our work more dangerous. Performers will gather outside the Harris State Building in Oakland prior to the 10 a.m. hearing. Over 80 performer, producers, activists and health care advocates are expected to testify against regulations the hearing, but according to Leue, the overall crowd could be much larger. This is an issue that has brought together performers like never before. Whether they currently use condoms or not, performers are coming in from all over the state for this meeting," Leue said. "They are passionate and they want to make sure their voices are heard. They know that if these regulations pass tomorrow, it may signal the end of the legal adult industry in California. For more information contact Mike Stabile, Media Director, Free Speech Coalition by email at [email protected] or by phone at 213-797-0050. LOS ANGELESAn auction to benefit the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection is slated to take place during The European Summit. Set for Feb. 29 through March 3 at the Hotel Calipolis in Barcelona, Spain, TES unites representatives from the online affiliate, billing, casual dating, domain name, mobile technology, website services and traffic arenas, with a European focus. The ASACP Auction takes place 10:30-11:30 a.m. March 2 in the hotels Sert Meeting Room, and features two rooms at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel and a pair of complimentary admission badges to this years Phoenix Forum, courtesy of CCBill. Also up for grabs, courtesy of TES and its sponsors, are two Meet Market tables and an entrance pass for each table at The Latin American Summita $3,400 value; as well as two Instant Promo Packages for The European Summit in Prague, also including one entrance pass eachan $1,800 value. The TES promoters will also project an ASACP logo on the wall during the auction and send out a special dedicated newsletter promoting the auctiona first for TES, which does not do such mailers, even for its biggest sponsors. The generosity continues with TES providing ASACP with a table at the event where information about the association will be available, along with prime banner placement, plus free show admission and a complimentary hotel room at the event venue. In addition to the generosity of CCBill and TES, the association is grateful to Cam4, which is sponsoring the flight of ASACP Executive Director Tim Henning so he may attend The European Summit. ASACP is also calling for additional donations from individuals or companies that can be auctioned off during the event. If you have something you would like to donate please contact ASACP. This is a critical time for ASACP, says Henning. We are humbled by this outpouring of much needed support during this time of decreasing budgets, and hope that this auction and other fundraising efforts will enable us to continue carrying our mission of protecting the children into the future. I hope that TES attendees will take this opportunity to secure their spot at The Phoenix Forum, as well as make the most of their TES and Latin American Summit opportunities, Henning added. Your business will benefit, and the associationand the childrenwill benefit too. For more information, visit ASACP.org or email [email protected]. 399 Shares Share Wow. For those who think MOC isnt a big deal, my open letter to the American Board of Pediatrics just hit 70,000 views. Thats stunning. For those commending my bravery, realize efforts like this are not done in isolation. I am not alone. I have the most amazing partners. I cant even express how blessed I am to work with the ten doctors in our private practice. Not only do we share a common faith, we share a fierce independence. They know that in the end, I may lose my MOC battle even on the way to winning the war. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan may force me to be certified through the ABP, and rather than lose access to care for my patients, I will pay $1,300 plus a $200 late fee to the ABP to regain my certification. But I certainly wont lose quietly. I also have the support of my state medical society. Michigan State Medical Society has the strongest state policy on MOC in the country: MOC should not be tied to licensure, hospital privileges or insurance participation and it should not be the monopoly of one organization. It helps knowing theres a 15,000 member society on my side. And theyre doing the impossible. But more on that in another post. I have the support of thousands of Sermo doctors, over 5,000 signatures on our pediatric MOC petition and now 70,000 views on the letter without one single doctor opposing my stand. I am not alone. Numbers are clearly on our side. Since writing my original letter, my inbox has been flooded with hundreds of heartbreaking stories. Physicians with cancer, on chemotherapy and immunosuppressed, are denied waivers to delay testing in the public facilities, losing their certification and their jobs. Parents of children with cancer are denied waivers while their children are undergoing treatment, losing their certification and threatened with job loss. Physicians are retiring early to avoid another costly and demeaning cycle of MOC. Physicians are feeling isolated and embarrassed after failing their re-certification and are falling into depression and suicide. My eyes are wide open now, and I realize this is more than mere annoyance or financial inconvenience. MOC is a toxic stress that is literally killing doctors. The worst part is the boards have heard our voices, yet they keep pressing forward. Their unflagging defense of MOC in the face of what they know its doing to our colleagues is not a simple error of knowledge; this is a breach of morality. This is something we cannot participate in. It appears weve come to the divide in the road. If youve had enough and are ready for a revolution in MOC, there are some very simple things you can do. This applies to all ABMS specialties, but I speak directly to my pediatric colleagues here. 1. If you really dont need MOC to practice medicine, please stop participating. Continuing to financially support the ABP harms your colleagues, and it harms children as experienced doctors retire early. Paying fees to the ABP harms more than just pediatricians, as the ABP turns around and gives $837,000/yr to the American Board of Medical Specialties Foundation, which develops MOC programs to inflict upon your colleagues in other specialties. When you give up your certification, send a letter to the ABP explaining exactly why. The ABP has threatened to sue any doctor who calls themselves board certified in print or on the Web if they dont do MOC, so getting certified through the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons is probably a wise move if you still want to call yourself board certified. Note that you can still keep the FAAP in your title, even if you dont do MOC, as the AAP only requires initial board certification to be a fellow. 2. If you think you need MOC to practice, please make sure. Check your insurance contracts. Check your hospital privileges. We had a local pediatrician harassed by the childrens hospital when he didnt participate in MOC. Turns out, our staff bylaws only require initial board certification. The harassment was completely unfounded. 3. If MOC is required for your job, insurance contracts, or hospital privileges this is where the fun starts and is going to require more information than I can give in this post. Its going to require politics, organized medicine, and some hard work. I will post soon on exactly how this is done, but for now, if youre really forced into MOC just start by asking questions. Call up your state medical society to see if they have written policy opposing MOC and resources to help. Find a few colleagues, and ask if hospital policy or office policy can be changed to either only require initial board certification or NBPAS as an alternative. You might be surprised by how much support comes out of the woodwork. And finally a word to those who are grandfathered and exempt from MOC. I harbor no bitterness toward my grandfathered colleagues. Indeed, the requirements enjoyed by grandfathered pediatricians should be the standard for all. But to those grandfathered doctors who now know what is happening to your younger colleagues, yet turn your back on us or even worse, enforce MOC requirements for our employment but not yours, I do hold you accountable. There is a reason the grandfathered class exists. Established in your careers, and trained in an era that encouraged oppositional defiance, MOC wouldnt have lasted two months if you were included. You would have fought and shamed the ABP into immediate apology and retraction. Instead, they targeted younger doctors facing significant education loans, newly employed with young families, just trying to make partner and not interested in making waves. We all want to leave medicine better than we found it and this is the chance for our grandfathered doctors to step up in your circle of influence. It is likely you or your contemporaries are in hospital administration and on medical society boards. You or your contemporaries are the ones making employment guidelines for your university department or private practice. Rather than breathe a sigh of relief that youre exempt or nearing retirement, fight for us. Dont show solidarity with us by voluntarily participating in MOC, show leadership by fighting for our right to self-education without coercion. Use your hard-earned status and influence to end MOC employment requirements for all pediatricians. Its no wonder the ABP has been successful at pushing us so far, yet listening so little. Pediatricians are a tolerant lot. We have nearly unending patience. We can tune out incredible distractions to get our job done. We are literally pooped on every day, yet we show up day after day, with white coat pockets full of Star Wars stickers and love our jobs. Its because were viewed as such tolerant, happy doctors that I started to worry what my patients would think if they read my letter as it was spreading quickly on social media. A friend forwarded a comment one of my patients made on the article, something I wasnt intended to see. The mom said, A doctor that fights this hard, will fight for us if we need her to. See, thats what the American Board of Pediatrics forgot. Pediatricians have devoted our lives to fighting tirelessly for the little guy. And this time, were the little guy. If we can give even a fraction of that passion, tenacity, and love fighting for our fellow pediatricians, the ABP better hold on. Theyre in for one bumpy ride. Meg Edison is a pediatrician and can be reached on Twitter @megedison. This article originally appeared in Rebel.MD. Image credit: Shutterstock.com LOS ANGELESNaughty lifestyle commentator and author of Naughty Girls Guide to Los Angeles and Naughty Girls Guide to Las Vegas, Sienna Sinclaire is set to host another one of her events, a Naughty Bus Tour of Hollywood, on Friday, February 19 starting at 8 p.m. The six hour tour will encompass the Hollywood area with five naughty stops. The first stop will begin at 8 p.m. at a sexy bar in West Hollywood; the second stop will be at the Hustler store where there will be champagne and toy demos; the third stop is a dungeon with demos; the fourth stop is a strip club and the fifth stop an upscale, sexy nightclub with private area. I'm the only one who offers Naughty Tours of LA with my Westside, Hollywood and Downtown tours, said Sienna. These tours are a great and inexpensive way to learn about LA's naughty side while having fun with like-minded people. Plus they're a great date night idea for couples looking to spice things up out of the bedroom. Alcohol is allowed on the bus, there are two stripper poles to play around with and the ticket price includes free entry into the strip clubs. Guests will receive gift bags along with prizes to win from lingerie, sex toys and more. Space is limited. To purchase tickets, please click here. Admission is $35 for a single womans ticket; $65 for single mans ticket; and $90 for a couples ticket. The server hosting this blog will be going offline this Friday (the 14th) at roughly 10pm. If all goes well, it will come back up on Saturday morning at 7-... 1 week ago LOS ANGELESSkyler Nicole is back in the latest from industry powerhouse Evil Angel, Unlimited Anal, which releases on DVD today. It is also available on the Evil Angel website, and the trailer can be viewed by visiting here. It is such an honor to work with the legendary Evil Angel, and there is simply no one better than Mike Adriano when it comes to anal," Nicole said. "Hes so laid back, he makes everyone comfortable and at ease, which just makes for a great shoot across the board. Skyler was also recently featured on Reality Kings Round and Brown, which was released online February 12, and can be viewed directly on their website here. In the feature, Skyler and Nicole Bexley are all set to go out, when they run into Great Bambino, who proceeds to oil up their asses and pound away. For fans that just cant get enough of Skyler, she is currently selling her DVDs for $30, or 2 for $50. To purchase one, or a custom video, please e-mail [email protected]. Skyler Nicole is represented by ATMLA and is available for BG, BBG, GG, BGG, anal, creampie, group, smoking, fetish and more. Call the office to book her at 818-825-1239. Follow Skyler on Twitter, Instagram, and Freeones, view her wish list, and talk to her via Verified Call. (Kitco News) - Credit Agricole sees gold trending higher into 2017, commenting that improvement in risk sentiment for other markets does not necessarily mean markedly lower demand for the precious metal. The bank projects gold will be at $1,250 an ounce in December and $1,320 by December 2017. Spot gold was at $1,218.95 just before noon EST after earlier holding just above $1,200 an ounce. Risk aversion has been elevated so far in 2016, even though major central banks such as the Bank of Japan and European Central Bank have become more dovish, Credit Agricole said. This sentiment does seem to be starting to stabilize, the bank said. However, even if risk sentiment were to improve, this does not necessarily have to translate into considerably lower demand for hard assets such as gold, the bank continued. This is because central banks such as the BOJ and ECB will be slow in reacting to improving conditions. Hence, currency debasement fears will remain an important factor in keeping precious metals in demand. Further, the U.S. dollar is unlikely to generate the same upside momentum as in 2015, Credit Agricole said. In fact, we expect the currencys appreciation trend to come to an end in the second half of the year, Credit Agricole said. This is due to limited room for central-bank monetary-policy expectations to diverge further. As a result of the conditions outlined above, we see scope for gold to trend higher towards the end of the next year. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com Michael Swinney, who works at St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store in Port Orchard, moves a cart of donations in December. The store needs to move for an expansion of the Bruce Titus Ford dealership behind in Port Orchard. SHARE By Chris Henry PORT ORCHARD With a March 1 deadline approaching, St. Vincent de Paul lacks about $65,000 of the money it needs to qualify for a construction loan. Without the loan, the thrift store is in danger of closing. St. Vincent has operated since 1991 in Port Orchard. It provides monetary assistance to needy families with proceeds from sales, as well as job training to individuals with special needs. In December, the organization announced it had secured roughly $400,000 in collateral but lacked an additional $100,000 the bank said would be needed to qualify. Since then, St. Vincent has raised $35,300 through donations. The thrift store must move from its Bay Street location, owned by Bruce Titus of Bruce Titus Ford, by January. It must apply for the loan by March 1 to start construction in April and stay on track for a move by early 2017, said Sean Jeu, St. Vincent's director of operations. "We're pretty much at the deadline. March 1 is coming up next week," Jeu said. Jeu and St. Vincent's board of directors found that building a 24,000-square-foot, $1.8 million store on land it owns on Bethel Avenue was more cost effective than renting. Loan payments would be about $2,000 a month, which is less than St. Vincent now pays in rent. Jeu said St. Vinnie's has no complaints about Titus, who made a donation toward the building fund. "He's been a great landlord," Jeu said. Jeu declined to specify the amount Titus donated and did not name the bank St. Vincent is working with. Anyone wishing to donate to St. Vincent's building fund should so specify on the check, since all donations not earmarked automatically go to the assistance fund. St. Vincent's address is 1209 Bay St., Port Orchard 98366. Include complete contact information in the event of a refund. The Herald reports: Faced with a cash shortage in its so-called caliphate, the Islamic State group has slashed salaries across the region, asked Raqqa residents to pay utility bills in black market American dollars, and is now releasing detainees for a price of $500 a person. The extremists who once bragged about minting their own currency are having a hard time meeting expenses, thanks to coalition airstrikes and other measures that have eroded millions from their finances since last fall. Having built up loyalty among militants with good salaries and honeymoon and baby bonuses, the group has stopped providing even the smaller perks: free energy drinks and Snickers bars. LOS ANGELESFor the fifth year in a row, the UP Network's premier sites, Piladyboy.com and Tempest's TS-Rockdolls.com, return as sponsors of the TEA Show. Ernie Ecstatic, Piladyboy site owner and UP Network "chief conspirator," said, "By sponsoring, our models get a chance to shine brightly and we give back a little to the community." The original home of Transpinay temptation, Piladyboy.com has been online and updating weekly since 2007, showcasing the most beautiful ladyboys of the Philippines including such stars as Francine Gurchik, Erika Fox, Tyra, Katrina, and Pauline Diaz, and debuting many models like Hanna Somo, Sophia Sanchez, Sandara Fuentes, and Shannel Marie for the first time on any paysite; over 185 models in all. This year one of their stars, TS Filipina, has been nominated for best solo site while she continues to work with Piladyboy. To say TS-Rockdolls is unique is an understatement. Tempest generates excitement and stirs lust, imagination and chaos in equal proportions. If your idea of making love is stealing kisses from the Devil while boning an angel of the apocalypse, then TS-Rockdolls might just be for you. Tempest is proud to sponsor the TEA Show for the fifth time, but she warns "I love ya... so this might hurt a little." The UP Network also provides design, hosting, and production for the adult market, and Ernie Ecstatic has been nominated once again for best photographer for his work with Tiffany Starr, Tasha Jones, Tempest, Nikki Montero, and many other top trans performers, for which he is very grateful. "Sponsoring the TEA Show gives us a chance to represent our sites and our design and production services," said Ernie, "while sponsoring the most outstanding annual event in transgender eroticism." The Transgender Erotica Awards, now in its eighth year, celebrates the accomplishments of the trans adult industry and its performers. Due to its growing popularity, the TEAs have been expanded into a three day event kicking off with a daytime TEA Con for fans on Saturday, the Awards on Sunday, and the official After Party on Monday. Visit theteashow.com for more information. Media inquiries can be directed to [email protected]. The 2016 Transgender Erotica Awards will be held on Sunday, March 6, 2016 at the Avalon in Hollywood, CA. The official After Party will be held on Monday, March 7, 2016 at the Avalons connecting property, the Bardot. HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.XR Brands will incorporate some of its products into the upcoming Embarco Music Showcase, which the pleasure product manufacturer will also co-host. Taking place Feb. 22 at the Viper Room, the Embarco Music Showcase will feature five of the music industrys rising rock stars performing live while wearing some of the manufacturers most popular gear. As part of the historic Hollywood venues big night, XR Brands has been invited to cleverly incorporate some of its most eye-catching and titillating designs into the event to add a uniquely hardcore vibe to the night. Its no secret that our bondage gear and leather goods make popular accessories for a night on the town and we knew the Viper Room would be the perfect place to showcase some of our favorites, XR Brands Sales & Marketing Director Rebecca Weinberg said. This historic Hollywood destination has seen the likes of the worlds top rockers and more than its fair share of debauchery, so it was due time that XR Brands got in on the action. Theres nothing better than sex and rock n roll and were upping the ante on Feb. 22 by adding a little bit of kink. Cant wait to see you there! The Embarco Showcase will include performances by Alien Ant Farm, Trick Trick, Christina Chriss, Kaleido, and Nick Speed, and after a show-stopping event, Viper Room fans will have the chance to end the night with some sexy gear and stimulating memories, thanks to the award-winning manufacturers creative and kinky free giveaways. The Embarco Showcase is scheduled Feb. 22 at 9 p.m. at the Viper Room, 8852 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood, Calif. For tickets, visit ViperRoom.com. To view the full XR Brands lineup, visit XRBrands.com. Roy Brewer, center, receives $100 for groceries from Holston Methodist Federal Credit Union CEO Janet Tidwell on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016, at Food City, 2712 Loves Creek Road. Volunteers from Credit Unions of Tennessee surprised 20 shoppers by paying for $100 of their groceries. (ADAM LAU/NEWS SENTINEL) SHARE Roy Brewer, center, thanks Holston Methodist Federal Credit Union CEO Janet Tidwell, after receiving $100 for groceries Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016, at Food City, 2712 Loves Creek Road. Volunteers from Credit Unions of Tennessee surprised 20 shoppers by paying for $100 of their grocery bill. (ADAM LAU/NEWS SENTINEL) By Hugh G. Willett It took less than 20 minutes for representatives of local credit unions to touch the lives of 20 shoppers at a grocery store in East Knoxville Thursday. The credit unions visited the Food City store at 2712 Loves Creek Road to pay a total of $2,000 for groceries for 20 shoppers at the store. "We're doing this to pay forward to our community," said Katy Jett, vice president of marketing with Enrichment Federal Credit Union. She said 26 credit unions pitched in to support the event. In the past, her organization has sponsored other similar events such as last November when they offered to pay for gas for random customers at a local gas station. Theresa Combs, with UT Federal Credit Union, was one of the dozen volunteers dressed in green T-shirts printed with the logo "Join the credit union." She said her organization has been involved in many different community outreach events including passing out baskets at East Tennessee Children's Hospital during Thanksgiving. Brianna Bell was standing in the checkout line with her baby watching the checker ring up $169 in groceries when she was approached by one of the credit union volunteers. "I was really surprised," she said. Bell said she has three children to feed and was really glad to receive the donation. Katherine Urton, who said she banks with ORNL Federal Credit Union, said she was also surprised to get a hand paying her $230 grocery tab. She said she knows that many people struggle with these kind of bills. She said she was proud that her bank could be involved. "I think it's amazing that they do things like this," she said. Volunteer Janet Tidwell is with Holston Methodist Federal Credit Union. She said her organization does lots of outreach, including helping children who have no place to go after school. Credit Unions are all about helping people, said Barbie Evans with the East Tennessee Military Association Credit Union. The organization was founded to help people get loans who might not otherwise be able to qualify, she said. Clyde Mize usually spends $30 to $60 a day at the Food City. He said it was a real nice gesture for the volunteers to pay for his groceries. Bagger Tommi Bercaw was standing at the checkout watching the volunteers pay for the groceries. She said she loved seeing the looks on people's faces, some of whom are regular customers. She even saw tears in the eyes of some of the people who received the donations. Roy Brewer said he often gives to charity. He was happy to get help paying his $128 grocery bill and said it might make it easier for him to give even more to charity. Jett said she thought the event was a big success. She said she even saw acts of kindness by some of the customers, one of whom declined the offer and suggested that the customer standing in line behind her receive the money. Justin Perry, a courtesy clerk at the store, said he was proud his store was able to participate. "It was a real blessing to these people," he said. SHARE Amy Kennedy works with Cristian Medina, center, and Elizabeth Sellers on fractions. Photos by Rebecca Williams/Special to the News Sentinel Amy Kennedy teaches students about fractions, using four children to form a whole pizza with two slices left over at right. Third-grade teacher Amy Kennedy at Glenwood Elementary School in Oak Ridge Hannah Zetans and Roelle Harvey teach each other math. By Rebecca Williams On a recent morning, the 21 third-grade students in Amy Kennedy's class at Glenwood Elementary School in Oak Ridge worked on mixed numbers and improper fractions. "Is this getting easier?" Kennedy asked. "Give me a thumbs-up for yes. Thumb to the middle means you're a little confused. Thumbs-down, more confused." Hand signals are routine in Kennedy's class, along with clapping, chanting and games. She uses "Whole Brain Teaching," a set of teaching strategies meant to be fun and interactive, developed by teachers in California and offered free on the Internet. "I've been doing whole brain strategies about five or six years. I just taught myself. It's subtle classroom management that doesn't take time or attention away from what you're doing," she said. Watch Kennedy teach with Whole Brain strategies at www.KnoxNews.com. Glenwood Elementary School recently nominated Kennedy for Teacher of the Year. "Her organization and management skills are superior, the way she runs her classroom, the way she gives little signals to the children," said Pearl Goins, principal. "She takes the time to explain to the kids very thoroughly what her expectations are, and then she's very responsive if someone needs help. She coordinates her classroom so there's a lot of peer tutoring. She puts them into groups, kids supporting each other. She's very soft-spoken and even-keeled. I've never heard her raise her voice when a child needs to be corrected." One of Kennedy's students, Joe Glueck, 9, agreed: "She is very nice, but when it's time to do work, you need to do it. She does a lot of fun things, like 'DEAR' time is Drop Everything And Read. She lets us be kind of independent. In reading group, she lets us pick what we want." And third grade is all about the reading, said Kennedy. No longer learning to read, students are reading to learn. "It's a very pivotal year in reading," she said. "A student can either be turned off, or on, to books in third grade." Her students seem to love them. They recently did a survey of the second-graders, asking them if they liked to read and if they had books at home. Kennedy's students graphed the answers on posters and are planning a summer reading program based on their research. "That was a project they decided to do all on their own," said Kennedy. But she has clearly encouraged it. She said her classroom library has about 1,500 books. "If I weren't a teacher I'd own a bookstore," she said with a laugh. "I've always wanted to be a teacher. My earliest memories are with my grandfather, teaching him in our living room, and after that teaching my dad," she said. "I feel like it's maybe my gift I was given, not anything I've done. It's just something I've always been." This is Kennedy's fifth year in Oak Ridge. Before that, she taught in Virginia, Louisiana and Arkansas. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Southern Arkansas University. Kennedy said the biggest challenge of teaching is having enough time. "If you let it, this job can take over every aspect of your life," she said. "We come in early, come in on weekends. It's true of everyone. "In the classroom, the challenge is meeting all the students' needs to the best of your ability. It bothers me if one student is being left behind, and that's hard with 21 of them all at different abilities. We're not dealing with robots; we're dealing with children. They all develop at different times, and some of them are late bloomers." And what is the greatest joy of teaching? "The biggest joy in teaching is when a child loves to learn! I feel like if they have a love for learning, they're better able to handle those challenges that come along when they struggle," Kennedy said. "And, if they care about each other. Most important to me is creating a school family where students truly care about each other. The academic stuff we can take care of, but if they have those two things, we can take care of what they need to know." If you know an exceptional educator, contact the News Sentinel by emailing Features@KnoxNews.com. A still from the Oscar-nominated short animated film Sanjays Super Team. SHARE By Barry Paris As tasty morsels go, the Oscar short films category my annual favorite is like the box of Russell Stover's chocolates we bought Mother every Christmas. I'd poke a little hole in the bottom to see if it was a flavor I liked and, if not, furtively replace it, enraging my sister Pamela when she (inevitably) discovered the rejects. Hoping thumbnail critiques are equally revealing but less transgressive than thumbnail holes, I offer you them below. This year's overall crop is excellent, if decidedly more downbeat than usual. Don't take my word for it. Check 'em out yourself. Oscar-Nominated Animated Short Films "Bear Story," directed by Gabriel Osorio, Chile (11 min.) A sad old bear takes a fantastic mechanical diorama he has created out to street corners. For a coin or two, passers-by can look into the peephole and see the drama-trauma of being captured, caged and taken to a circus longing to escape and return to his family. The realistic and surrealistic movements are superb in this wistful, original, 2016 best-of-show entry. "We Can't Live Without Cosmos," Konstantin Bronzit, Russia (15 min.) Two best friends dreaming since childhood of becoming cosmonauts have endured the rigorous training together. Hilarious sequences of their weightless and nausea-inducing exercises inside gyroscopes precede the successful launch of one of them, and demise of the other. It's a kind of "2001" star-child idea in animation, wistful and lovely. "World of Tomorrow," Don Hertzfeldt, USA (17 min.) More cosmic debris here, with a nod to Frank Zappa, in this heaviest ontological entry. Little stick-figure Emily is taken on a fantastic tour of her future by a visiting "analyst" monitoring her life's progress and transitions: "Your time is the Internet. Our time is the Outernet." The guide reveals unnerving secrets ("We all die horribly") as well as her own work on the moon, where she fell in love with a rock and sent back depressed poetry. "I'm very proud of my sadness because it means I'm alive," she says accompanied by terrific Strauss music from "Rosenkavalier." "Sanjay's Super Team," Sanjay Patel, USA (7 min.) Pixar animator/character designer Sanjay Patel ("Bug's Life," "Ratatouille") tells his semiautobiographical tale of a first-generation Indian-American boy whose love of Western pop culture conflicts with his father's Hindu traditions. Sanjay is absorbed in TV cartoon superheroes and "action figures" until an unexpected encounter with super-Hindu-heroes brings new perspective. Visually dazzling and very sweet. "Prologue," Richard Williams, UK (6 min) During the Spartan-Athenian wars of 2,400 years ago, a terrified girl witnesses angry warriors battle each other brutally to the death. No dialogue, just horribly natural grunts and groans accompany the intensely realistic animation of Richard Williams, best known for his work on "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" and the Oscar-winning "A Christmas Carol." This one is spellbinding but grim, indeed. Parental warning: The graphic violence and male nudity are not for small kids. Four bonus 5- to 9-minute films: "If I Was God" (Canada): While dissecting a frog in biology class, a 12-year-old boy speculates about what he would do if he were God. "The Short Story of a Fox and a Mouse" (France): A hungry fox sets out for a morning meal, hoping for a tasty rodent but finding an extraordinary mouse instead. "The Loneliest Stoplight" (USA). The life and times of a neglected stoplight. "Catch It" (France): A group of meerkats take care of their beloved fruit near their burrow, but a vulture seriously disturbs them. Oscar-Nominated Live Action Short Films "Ave Maria," Basil Khalil, Palestine/France (15 min) Five nuns living in the West Bank have their routine disrupted when a car carrying a family of Israeli settlers breaks down outside the convent. Unable to use the telephone on the Sabbath, they need the nuns' help, but the sisters' vow of silence presents other hurdles. Sweetly funny juxtaposition/dilemma of dueling religious quirks. Silence for bickersome Jews with an incontinent mother-in-law. No phone use on Saturday for isolated nuns. "Shok," Jamie Donoughue, Kosovo/UK (21 min.) In 1988 Kosovo, two young boys are best friends living happily until war engulfs them and daily existence is filled with fear and violence. Manipulated by soldiers, the choices they make jeopardize not only their friendship but their families' lives. A tragedy, based on true events. "Everything Will Be OK," Patrick Vollrath, Germany/Austria (30 min.) A divorced father devoted to his 8-year-old daughter Lea picks her up for their usual weekend together. It seems a lovely normal time until the nervous dad takes her to a passport office, then the airport. As Lea gradually catches on, it becomes truly harrowing and suspenseful stupendously well-acted by Simon Schwarz and Julia Pointner. "Stutterer," Benjamin Cleary, UK/Ireland (12 min.) A lonely, scruffy typographer has an online sort-of romance without revealing the incapacitating speech impediment that keeps him so isolated. Now faced with having to meet his virtual girlfriend in the flesh and reveal the truth, he's understandably freaked out. "Day One," Henry Hughes, USA (25 min.) A young, divorced Afghan-American woman joins the military as an interpreter and on her first Afghanistan mission accompanies troops in pursuit of a bomb maker. When they find him, it's up to her to bridge the huge gender/culture gap and assist his pregnant wife. The wrenching delivery scene is very hard to watch in this over-the-top entry. SHARE By Jamie Satterfield of the Knoxville News Sentinel KNOXVILLE A highflying Miami kingpin who put two tons of cocaine onto the streets of Knoxville will walk out of prison later this year thanks to a federal sentencing overhaul touted as a way to clear prisons of small-time drug hustlers. Senior U.S. District Judge Leon Jordan last week awarded Alexis Munoz a sentencing break of nearly four years of the already-reduced 20-year sentence Munoz was serving as the supplier of one of Knoxville's most prolific cocaine hustlers of the 1990s. The break means Munoz, who wasn't due freedom until June 2020, is now eligible for release in August. It comes courtesy of a federal sentencing reform effort dubbed "drugs minus two," in which the U.S. Sentencing Commission dropped penalty ranges for all drug offenses by two levels for new offenders and then applied the change retroactively to drug dealers already behind bars. The change came after years of complaints by various advocacy groups that federal penalties for drug offenses were "draconian," leading to the imprisonment of mostly young black men for decades and even life for hustling relatively small quantities of drugs. In its formal amendment document, the sentencing commission, which serves as an advisory board to Congress on penalties for federal crimes, said the change would free up bed space in prisons crowded with nonviolent drug offenders. Since the retroactivity amendment went into effect in November 2014, federal judges in Knoxville have been quietly cutting sentences from a few months to a few years for street-level dealers. Munoz, however, is no street dealer. A Cuban national who became a naturalized U.S. citizen, Munoz was part of a cocaine trafficking family that supplied tons of cocaine to midlevel drug dealers across the U.S. When parolee Ronnie "Goodie" Rodgers began building his own drug trafficking network in Lonsdale in 1997, he became one of Munoz's best customers, buying thousands of pounds of cocaine over a five-year period to hawk to Knoxville addicts. Rodgers made lots of money before agents the Knoxville offices of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and IRS Criminal Investigation Division toppled him in 2002. But Munoz, with dozens of customers, made a fortune. In the five years he partnered with Rodgers, the cocaine business bought Munoz two Miami condominiums, two houses and property in Marco Island, and a condominium in Cancun, Mexico, records show. He had a stable of vehicles to choose from, including a 2003 Hummer H2 sport utility vehicle, a 2002 Porsche 911 coupe and a 2003 BMW X5. He owned at least one yacht and a Yamaha personal watercraft. Munoz wore designer duds and pricey accessories, including Rolex and Cartier watches. He invested in diamonds, too, including a 1.5-karat pear-shaped diamond and a 1.8-karat round-shaped diamond, both of which now belong to the federal government. Authorities discovered at least seven different stashes of cash, totaling more than $800,000, when he was arrested and he agreed to forfeit $10 million as part of his 2004 plea. Munoz already has benefitted from a federal drug sentencing scheme that rewards guilty pleas and "cooperation" via snitching on others. He had escaped detection for most of his life so his criminal record was clean, sparing him a life sentence many of Rodgers' underlings faced because of prior state felony drug convictions. Because of his position at the top of the conspiracy totem pole, he still faced three decades behind bars but won a break of nearly one-third of that penalty for agreeing to cough up insider information on his drug trafficking operation. Munoz's legal nemesis, Deputy Chief U.S. Attorney David Jennings, has said in a prior hearing Munoz's tips did not net a single arrest of anyone higher on the cocaine food chain than Munoz himself. Jennings filed a motion opposing this new sentencing break for Munoz on principle but conceded the "drugs minus two" policy allowed it. SHARE University of Tennessee President Joe DiPietro By MJ Slaby of the Knoxville News Sentinel Tennessee's universities and colleges will be included in the process regarding outsourcing maintenance and management of state-owned buildings, but campus leaders still have the option to opt out and "no current qualified and productive facilities management employee will lose their job as a result of a contract," state government and education leaders said Wednesday. The joint statement from Terry Cowles, director of the state's Office of Customer Focused Government, University of Tennessee President Joe DiPietro and Tennessee Board of Regents interim Chancellor David Gregory came the day after the trio met in Nashville about the potential outsourcing plan. In Knoxville, members of United Campus Workers and others on the UT campus have been vocal in their opposition to outsourcing, including a Tuesday valentine to DiPietro urging him to opt out of the plan. After Tuesday's meeting, DiPietro gave a State of the University address saying he shared concerns about outsourcing, but no decision was made. Wednesday's statement repeated that. "No decisions in this regard have been made or requested of higher education institutions at this time," the statement said. "We also agree it is in the best interest of all stakeholders to engage an independent third party to objectively verify/validate the cost analysis performed as part of the business justification." DiPietro later said higher education officials asked Gov. Bill Haslam's outsourcing team for a role in selecting the third-party consultant who will verify the administration's cost analysis for outsourcing. "We made the request that we be involved in the selection process. We think that's important," DiPietro said. "They gave us no reason to believe we wouldn't be involved." The state will issue a request for qualifications for that third-party service after a business justification report is released at the end of the month, according to the statement. The trio said higher education will be included throughout the process to make sure the ultimate contract holder is qualified and experienced, but that doesn't require campuses, which have "unique differences" from other state-owned buildings, to participate in the outsourcing plan. "The final decision to proceed with using the services of a professional contract service provider for facilities management belongs to the campuses, which will be responsible for justifying their decisions to their own local leadership and various boards," the statement said. Also in the statement, the trio pointed out contracts would prevent a service provider from "initiating any reduction in force at any time during the duration of the contract period." Staff writer Richard Locker contributed to this story. Emergency responders gather outside Pellissippi State Community Colleges Blount County campus in Maryville on July 2, 2015, following a train derailment. The Tennessee Board of Regents system has announced it will spend roughly six months researching safety and security on its campuses. (ADAM LAU/NEWS SENTINEL) SHARE Collision repair student Jedidiah Long works at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Knoxville on Feb. 12. The Tennessee Board of Regents system has announced it will spend roughly six months researching safety and security on its campuses. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL) Kyla McClellan, left, Lara Nuchols and Hillary Wilson, right, participate in an earthquake drill during a geology class at Pellissippi State Community College in 2012. The Tennessee Board of Regents system has announced it will spend roughly six months researching safety and security on its campuses. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL) David Gregory, appointed as acting chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016. By MJ Slaby of the Knoxville News Sentinel The Tennessee Board of Regents system will spend roughly six months researching safety and security on its campuses. TBR is the governing board for the state community and technical colleges as well as the six state universities not in the University of Tennessee system. "I think everybody has a heightened concern about campus security," said Dwight Murphy, director of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology, Knoxville. Murphy added that since the Board of Regents oversees three different types of postsecondary institutions, there are a broad range of needs when it comes to security. For example, he said college of applied technology buildings have more doors than typical campus buildings thanks to garage doors for programs like automotive. David Gregory, TBR acting chancellor, told board members about his plan to create a Campus Safety and Security Task Force in a special phone meeting Thursday. Gregory said his goal is to be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to safety campuses. And a big part of that is training, Murphy said, adding that having an off-duty police officer on campus means there is a person on campus who can help identify security risks and help staff be aware of their surroundings. Anthony Wise, president of Pellissippi State Community College, agreed, and said Pellissippi has three trainings each year fire, tornado and active shooter. The task force will have representation from the three types of institutions within TBR and members will study what schools in other states are doing as well as study the TBR system to provide a report by the September board meeting, Gregory said. Board approval is not required to create the task force and Vice Chair Emily Reynolds said in Thursday's meeting that the task force was an excellent idea. Gregory said the idea stemmed from a December presentation to the board about safety efforts. Wise said the task force research will be an opportunity to look at security equipment on the various campuses. "For the most part, the community colleges are in good shape, but it's good to have conversations across the system," Wise said, adding that Pellissippi is working toward a campus police service where Pellissippi officers could train with local law enforcement. Murphy, who led the TCAT portion of that December presentation, said Knoxville is one of the few TCATs with an off-duty police officer on campus. He said another example of the variety of needs is that at the Knoxville TCAT, there isn't an intercom, but there are security cameras, but at the Oneida/Huntsville TCAT, where Murphy is also director, it's the opposite. Going forward, Murphy said he'd like to see an added intercom system and upgrades for the current campus alert system in Knoxville. And he expects funding requests for equipment to result from the task force report. Regardless, he said training is something all the campuses can and should do. "We've been blessed that we haven't had issues in our system," Murphy said. By Megan Boehnke of the Knoxville News Sentinel Local property assessor candidate Andrew Graybeal received an emailed notice from the University of Tennessee that his transcript did not exist 27 minutes after he ordered it online and four days before he held up confirmation of his order as proof of his degree. At a Halls Republican Club meeting Monday, Graybeal held up what he said was a confirmation letter from UT that he had ordered his transcript, suggesting it was evidence he had a degree from the state's flagship university. "If I never attended the University of Tennessee, nor was there any record, why did they allow me to order my transcript?" Graybeal asked at the club's meeting while holding a piece of paper with an order confirmation number he said came from UT. But UT officials, who have insisted since last week that Graybeal never attended the school, said the candidate had received a notice from the Registrar's office that the transcript didn't exist on the same day he requested it. Graybeal submitted his request which requires a name, birth date and Social Security number at 11:27 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11, through Credential Solutions, a university vendor. The vendor sent notice immediately to the UT Registrar's Office. Graybeal received notice that the transcript did not exist at 11:54 a.m., said Karen Simsen, a UT spokeswoman. Keith Stewart, Graybeal's attorney, said Wednesday that Graybeal never received an email notifying him that the university couldn't complete his transcript order. "No email has been sent to him or me or anyone else," Stewart said. "You're talking about 25 years ago." Stewart went on to question the motives of UT officials. "I don't know why media relations is getting involved in this," he said. "But this smacks of trying to affect an election, and that's a real problem." Graybeal's educational background came into question after the News Sentinel reported last week that UT officials could find no record that Graybeal, 42, had ever attended the state's flagship university an assertion he has made to several media outlets. Graybeal, however, has insisted he transferred from ITT Technical Institute to UT and then graduated in 1993, he told the News Sentinel, with a bachelor's of applied sciences in electronics engineering technology degree. "I have retained counsel because there are some (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) issues," he said Monday, referring to the federal education privacy law. "That is why I cannot discuss it." UT officials, meanwhile, said Thursday that the school has never offered a bachelor's of applied sciences in electronics engineering technology degree. Officials also said the university would never have accepted course credits from the for-profit ITT Technical Institute. In 2008, Graybeal submitted his name for consideration to fill a vacancy on Knox County Commission. His resume at that time said he attended "ITT University at Knoxville" from 1991 to 1994 and received electronics engineering credentials. It also said he had been a real estate agent since 2003. Graybeal is running against current Deputy Property Assessor Jim Weaver and former Property Assessor John Whitehead, both of whom were also present at Monday's meeting. Graybeal ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2008. He also ran for school board in 2014, but eventually withdrew his candidacy. Graybeal did not immediately return a call for comment Wednesday. Past coverage: Knox property assessor candidate says educational proof on its way (Feb. 16, 2016) UT: School has never offered degree Graybeal claims to have earned (Feb. 11, 2016) UT: No record of Knox candidates degree (Feb. 10, 2016) PDF: Resume that Andrew Graybeal submitted to be considered for Knox County Commission vacancy in 2008

January 22, 2013 - A statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest in Memphis. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

SHARE By Richard Locker NASHVILLE The state House of Representatives approved a bill Thursday that would, if it becomes law, make it more difficult for a local government in Tennessee to alter, rename or remove a historical monument on public property. The bill by Rep. Steve McDaniel, R-Parker's Crossroads, isn't limited to Civil War monuments and memorials, like Memphis's Nathan Bedford Forrest statue, but much of the 30-minute floor debate centered on the bill's impact on Civil War era iconography. It would replace and strengthen a 2013 law McDaniel sponsored as the Memphis City Council was renaming Forrest Park and two other Confederate-themed city parks. The new bill would require a two-thirds majority vote by the 29-member Tennessee Historical Commission before a local government could "remove, rename, relocate, alter, rededicate or otherwise disturb or alter" any memorial or monument regarding a "historic conflict, historic event, historic figure or historic organization" located on public property. The 2013 statute required only a majority vote of the commission. House Bill 2129 also would set out a process in which either the local government, or groups and in some cases an interested individual, could appeal the Historical Commission's action into Chancery Court. McDaniel said after the House session that the bill can't be used to seek to reverse the renaming of Forrest Park to Health Sciences Park, Confederate Park to Memphis Park and Jefferson Davis Park to Mississippi River Park but he's not sure whether it might impact the City Council's vote last summer to remove the statue of Forrest astride his horse and the remains of the Confederate general and his wife from the park to another location. The City Council still has not petitioned the Historical Commission for approval to move the statue and remains, as apparently required by the 2013 act, and a lawsuit challenging the parks' renaming is still pending in the courts. On the House floor, some black lawmakers argued against the bill but it ultimately passed on a 71-23 vote. Rep. Larry Miller, D-Memphis, asked whether a city council or county commission could vote to remove a Confederate flag that might be flying on public land. McDaniel said he's unaware of a Confederate battle flag flying on any local public property but removing "a monument or emblem or symbol put there legally by a local government" would require petitioning the Historical Commission for approval and a two-thirds. Conversely, if Nashville's Metropolitan Council wanted to rename Rosa Parks Boulevard in Nashville, McDaniel said in response to questions from Rep. Brenda Gilmore, D-Nashville, the council would also have to win the commission's approval because Rosa Parks was a historical figure. Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, argued for the bill and urged his colleagues to consider the bill an effort to preserve history. "There are major mistakes that we have made in America. There's some amazing strides that have taken place in our country. We have a stain on our history because of what took place with the black community of our country. "But it would be wrong to our children and grandchildren to erase and pretend that part of our history didn't happen. We know what we did wrong because we still have the history of what we did wrong. I want to encourage this body to look at this as, we're not trying to preserve racism; we're trying to preserve the history that we grew from and learned from." Rep. Joe Towns, D-Memphis, said he agreed with much of Faison's remarks but is concerned the state is removing the authority of local governments to make their own decisions. "At some point we're going to have to stop constricting the ability of local officials ... We become the dictator to locals. We don't like it when the federal government does it to us. The locals don't like it when we do it." SHARE Lucian Pera, Memphis attorney elected president of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, Feb. 2016. By News Sentinel Staff Memphis attorney Lucian Pera is the new president of the nonprofit Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, a nonpartisan group seeking to improve access to public information and open government, according to a news release. Pera is a partner with the Memphis office of Adams and Reese LLP, and has been on TCOG's board of directors since 2007. He has been vice president since 2010. Adam Yeomans, Associated Press Regional Director for the South, was elected vice president, the news release said. The board also re-elected Marian Ott as treasurer and Dorothy Bowles as secretary on the executive committee. Pera succeeds Doug Pierce, a partner at the Nashville law firm King & Ballow. Pierce was TCOG's board president for eight years. In that time Pierce helped expand TCOG's Help Line and educational outreach, and tracked legislation and litigation that could affect the public's right to know under the state's public records and open meetings laws. Pierce will remain on TCOG's executive committee as immediate past president. "Under Doug Pierce's steadfast leadership as President and Deborah Fisher's excellent work as Executive Director, TCOG has become the most effective broad-based voice for transparency in Tennessee state and local government," Pera said in the news release. "We're poised to continue an important role in advancing government transparency in an era of increasing pressure for government secrecy." Tennessee Coalition for Open Government formed in 2003 with a mission resting on the belief that access to government information, through public records and public meetings, is crucial in allowing informed citizen participation in a democratic society. TCOG works through an alliance of citizens, media and civic groups, and is a member of the National Freedom of Information Coalition. More information can be found at tcog.info SHARE Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett and Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones plan to meet with members of the office of Gov. Bill Haslam to discuss creation of a jail diversion center, a welcome sign of progress after years of discussions. Also known as a safety center, the project would provide an alternative to incarceration of nonviolent mentally ill or substance-abusing offenders. Knox County Commissioner Mike Brown said at a meeting on Tuesday of a committee formed to push the project forward that he hopes the sheriff and the mayor can set up a meeting with Haslam administration officials within a month. A consensus on the need for a safety center was reached long ago; determining the scope of the services and funding have proven harder to pin down. The cost of keeping mentally ill and substance-abusing prisoners is high. Up to a quarter of the inmates are addicts, mentally ill or both, according to Randy Nichols, the former district attorney general who is working on the project with Jones. Keeping a single inmate incarcerated in Knox County runs up to $80 a day, he said. Nichols estimates it could cost as little as $10-15 per person, per day, at a safety center. Alternatives to incarceration work in other jurisdictions. The Vera Institute of Justice reported that a Massachusetts program serving 200 people saved $1.3 million in emergency health services. Programs in Chicago and Rochester, New York, saved taxpayers $18,873 and $39,518, respectively, per participant. According to the Pew Charitable Trusts, Chicago and Seattle have seen dramatic drops in the number of arrests of people with mental illness. In Miami, a combination of crisis intervention and diversion from jail sent the average daily jail population plunging from 7,800 to 5,000 inmates, enabling the county to close one of its jails at a savings of $12 million a year. Knox County has set aside $1 million for construction or renovation of a suitable building. The state of Tennessee and city of Knoxville support the project, but no funds have been pledged. Burchett and Jones plan to discuss financial options with Haslam's staff, though with the state budget already proposed, the chances of getting an appropriation for the upcoming fiscal year appear slim. Knox County should be able to pay operating expenses even without partners. The jails operate on a budget of more than $36 million. Nichols estimates a safety center would enable Jones to cut the jails' $36 million operating budget by 10 percent roughly $3.6 million a year. If that reckoning is correct, the county easily could use the savings to cover the annual operating expenses, estimated in 2013 at $1.7 million for a 22-bed facility. Knox County missed out on a golden opportunity for funding last year. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awarded $150,000 grants to 20 jurisdictions, including Shelby County, for planning alternatives to incarceration. From the pool of 20, the foundation will award grants of between $500,000 and $2 million each year for implementation. Meeting with the governor's staff is a concrete step toward moving from talk to action. The safety center has the potential to reduce jail crowding while giving mentally ill and substance-abusing offenders better treatment at a lower cost. Its not that we need more but that we need to take a serious look at what we do have and fix what we can and go from there. I am on the fence on this myself. I can certainly see especially working the ticket booth at a gun show for a very long time some of the problems with things like straw sells and people walking around buying guns from others without background checks. Gang members and others who may have records know this so they know they can purchase without getting a background check. A lot of criminals will get that new chick they have been dating to buy it for them.....because they can't pass the checks. At the same time, I certainly don't want to take a gun out of a law abiding citizens hand that may save his life. We don't need to be a nation where only criminals have guns. Yes, we have the right to bare arms.....in case we need to overthrow the govt.....basically but realistically the guns we can have would not hold a candle to what the military has anyway. So not sure how valid that argument may be anymore. I am ok with making sure that gun dealers are held accountable if they sell a gun by either straw sell or by breaking other rules that involve a background check or sale. I am ok with strengthening mental health laws....it has to be reported here so that you can't get a permit if you have been committed and meet certain things but many are reported under fake names so it does no good. You also get revoked at least until you go to court if you are arrested for domestic violence. I do believe that we should think about banning semi automatics.....they are not good for hunting or self defense really but are very useful in drive byes and mass shootings. I also believe that whoever is making armor piercing bullets should be shut down.....put out of business. only police or military people should have those. The big problem is not the school shootings even or the other things you see on tv but the day to day violence that people can't seem to settle with just a fist fight but where they have no problem killing somebody else.....placing so very little value on human life that they can snuff it out for simply believing they have been disrespected.... attitudes have to change. People need to be held accountable for their actions and their kids actions if they have guns. We just arrested a man here......for his 7 yr old shooting and killing his younger son......he deserved it. He had the loaded gun out using the site to play with the cat. Something happened and he layed the gun down leaving two young kids and a cat in the room with a loaded gun. The kid wanted to keep playing and killed his brother. the man is a total idiot....but there is no background check for being an idiot :( Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Joo Hyung-hwan, second row fifth from right, poses with heads of foreign companies and local representatives of foreign business associations after a meeting at The Plaza Hotel, Seoul, on Thursday. / Yonhap By Lee Hyo-sik The government will promptly provide foreign businesses with information on North Korea and take other steps to ease their concerns over rising geopolitical risks, following the North's latest nuclear test and rocket launch, the trade minister said Thursday. Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Joo Hyung-hwan also said that the government will extend larger financial and other support to non-Korean firms investing in energy, advanced materials and other newly emerging industries. "The government will offer accurate information regarding North Korea in a swifter manner to prevent any misunderstanding among non-Korean companies," said Joo at a meeting with heads of foreign companies and representatives of foreign business associations here. "We do not want the foreign business communities to be discouraged by what has been happening north of the border. We will do everything we can to help companies invest and hire workers," the minister said. Joo has vowed to remove legal, administrative and other regulations, which many have been thought to have hindered foreign investment. He stressed that the government will offer greater incentives, including research and development grants, to non-Korean enterprises that invest in areas of new businesses. "Despite lingering geopolitical risks and other unfavorable factors, Korea still remains one of the most attractive countries for doing business," the minister said. "The government will double its efforts to transform the country into a more business-friendly and appealing place." Joo said he will hold meetings with foreign business leaders every six months to hear their concerns and reflect on them in policies. At the Thursday meeting, the participants asked the minister to increase state grants for foreign companies that expand investment, and simplify the customs procedures, among others. In response, Joo promised to revise eight regulations to enlarge foreign investment districts and prolong the visa program, which offers residency to non-Koreans investing in real estate properties. "We expect foreign direct investment (FDI) to exceed $20 billion this year again," the minister said. "We would like the foreign business community to work with us to attract investment from overseas." In 2015, foreign companies filed with the government to invest $20.9 billion in Asia's fourth-largest economy, up 10 percent from $19 billion in 2014. By Kim Jae-won Eun Sung-soo KIC CEO The chief of the country's sovereign wealth fund said Wednesday that he will increase its investments in alternative assets, such as real estate and infrastructure, as stocks are dropping sharply and bonds are yielding lower returns. Eun Sung-soo, CEO of the Korea Investment Corp. (KIC), said the fund will make alternative investments account for 20 percent of its total investments by 2020, raising them from 12.4 percent last year. "We will increase our portion of alternative investments gradually as they are expected to give more returns in the long term," said Eun at a luncheon meeting with journalists at the agency's main office in Seoul. His remarks came amid stocks tumbling sharply at home and abroad hit hard by worries over low oil prices and a sluggish global economy. Bond yields are also dropping as central banks are easing their monetary policies to boost corporate investment and private consumption. KIC said that by December it managed $80 billion on behalf of the government and the Bank of Korea. Among the investments, traditional assets, such as stocks and bonds, reached $67.6 billion while alternative assets marked $10.5 billion. The amount of strategic investments, which it invested in U.S. investment bank Merrill Lynch, was $1.9 billion. Eun said that he will strengthen risk management in the fund as alternative investments pose more risks compared to traditional assets. He said the agency will sell or exit from its alternative assets if they turn sour. The former executive director at the World Bank said he will make the fund more transparent by enforcing internal control systems. He introduced three measures strengthening the roles of compliance officers, giving more power to auditors and establishing an audit subcommittee under the wing of the operating committee. The KIC has faced criticism for its loose management and corruption. Last month, the prosecution launched an investigation against former head Ahn Hong-chul who allegedly took bribes from asset managers in exchange for letting them manage the fund's assets. Ahn resigned in November abruptly after the media reported on allegations of his corruption. He is suspected of investing $300 million with a U.S. asset manager last year who his daughter worked for. By Nam Hyun-woo ING Life Korea on Wednesday refused to comment about the allegation of its sale, amid growing anticipation that the life insurer will be put up for sale within this year. Reports said that MBK Partners, a local private equity company holding 100 percent stake of the insurer, has recently named Morgan Stanley to manage the sale. The reports cited unidentified investment bank industry insiders. "As of now, we cannot say yes or no about the reports," said an official at ING Life Korea said, stressing the company is not in a position to confirm it. The MBK Partners also did not confirm the reports. An official said "Such anticipations are coming because a two-year period restricting the resale of ING Life Korea has expired." In December 2013, ING sold its Korean unit for 1.84 trillion won ($1.52 billion) to MBK Partners. MBK pledged to the Financial Services Commission that it will not resell ING Life Korea within two years. According to industry insiders, there already had been observation that the private equity company may resell the company after two years and there is a high chance that the company will be up for grabs in near future. Since 2013, the company has shown a substantial growth in its performance. As of the end of third quarter last year, the company's asset amounted to 27.59 trillion won, up 3.7 trillion won before it was bought by MBK Partners. It posted 26.73 billion won as operating profit as of the third quarter last year, far exceeding 16.16 billion won that the company recorded as operating profit in the entire 2013. Observers say the selling price of ING Life Korea would reach 2.5 trillion won. "The sound performance in recent years is seemingly propping up the rumors," the official said. Despite their denial, there are already talks that industry's No. 2 player Hanwha Life and No. 3 Kyobo Life are potential acquirers, given that both firms have participated into a preliminary bidding for ING Life Korea in 2013. Hanwha Life's market share is 12.39 percent as of September last year and that of Kyobo is 10.42 percent. Should either of them take over ING Life Korea with 4.06 percent market share, the acquirer will have tighter grip on No. 2 position, following No. 1 Samsung Life with 23.68 percent. An official at Kyobo Life said: "We are not considering the issue currently." Suh Byung-soo, mayor of Busan, said Thursday he will step down as chief organizer of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) amid allegations that he tried to censor a movie screened in 2014. The feud between the Busan Metropolitan Government and BIFF began when the festival organizers screened "The Truth Shall Not Sink with Sewol," a documentary that criticizes the South Korean government's botched rescue efforts in the immediate aftermath of a ferry disaster that killed more than 300 people in 2014. The Busan government had warned against showing the documentary, saying it "undermined political neutrality." Busan is the festival's largest stockholder and covers more than half of its annual budget. In what the festival officials have called a "retaliatory move," Busan authorities filed a complaint with the prosecution in December, accusing three of the festival's ranking officials of failing to provide sufficient data on their sponsorship procurement activities. Now, two months have passed, and Suh has announced his intent to step down as chief BIFF organizer while maintaining his Busan mayorship. A press conference is underway in which he will announce his successor. Traditionally, Busan mayors have doubled as heads of the BIFF organizing committee. Suh, however, has recently suggested that the festival should be privately operated. (Yonhap) By Yun Suh-young Busan Mayor Suh Byung-soo speaks during a press conference in Busan, Thursday. / Yonhap Busan Mayor Suh Byung-soo, also chairman of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), said Thursday that he will step down from the festival's top post amid a censorship controversy. His resignation is expected to lay the ground for someone from the private sector to assume the top post of the popular film festival. "I decided to quit as it seemed that the city's affiliation with the film festival damaged its independence and was viewed as generating conflict with the film industry," said Suh during a press conference in the southeastern port city. He said he resigned to remove concerns that the city hinders the organizing of the film festival. "The current regulation designating the city mayor as the festival's chairman will be revised to turn the position over to the private sector. This will help the festival mature." The announcement comes amid prolonged protests from the film industry over the city's supposed regulation and "taming" of the film festival. The city mayor had been at odds with the film festival's organizational committee headed by executive director Lee Yong-kwan since 2014, when the city requested the film festival cancel the October 2014 screening of a politically sensitive film, "The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol." The BIFF secretariat, however, proceeded with the screening and the city subsequently requested an audit of the secretariat. The Board of Audit and Inspection said it uncovered mismanaging of funds, raising suspicions that the organization might have pocketed money. BIFF's executive director Lee was accused of accounting fraud and faced investigation from the prosecution. The film industry and the BIFF secretariat then claimed the move was an "act of retaliation" from the city government, initially spurred by BIFF's refusal to cancel the screening of the controversial film. The documentary looked at the Sewol ferry disaster in 2014 which resulted in 304 deaths. The film was critical of the government's response to the disaster. Lee, who had served as BIFF's executive director for nine years, will step down from his position on Feb. 26. His position, initially a three-year term, had been renewed twice. "Executive director Lee's term finishes Feb. 26 and this was decided in the agreement with the BIFF secretariat," said Mayor Suh. "It is time to innovate and help the festival reach a new level. The chairman position which had been assumed by the Busan mayor for two decades will be handed over to a private and autonomous environment to begin the next 20 years." By Kwon Ji-youn Cable network tvN's "Signal," starring Kim Hye-soo, Cho Jin-woong and Lee Je-hoon, tells the story of three investigators working on unsolved cases as the statute of limitations for first-degree murder is scrapped. With the show's growing popularity, attention is turning to some of Korea's most infamous unsolved cases, those that will remain unsolved because only cases that occurred after 2000 are subject to the National Assembly's revised bill that abolished the 25-year statute of limitations. The poster for the 2003 film "Memories of Murder" /Korea Times file Hwaseong serial murders The murders occurred from Sept. 15, 1986, to April 3, 1991, in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. Ten women aged 14 to 71 were found bound, gagged, raped and murdered over a four-year, seven-month period. Most were strangled by their own clothes, such as pantyhose and socks. The case, which was re-explored in the 2003 film "Memories of Murder," was one of the first serial murders that had a clear method. The total number of suspects grew to 21,280 when the crimes' statute of limitations expired in April 2006. It is considered the "Zodiac Killer" case of Korea. "Signal" dedicated its first four episodes to reconstructing the Hwaseong serial murders. A scene from the 2007 film "Voice of a Murderer" /Korea Times file Kidnapping of Lee Hyung-ho The 2007 film "Voice of a Murderer" is based on the kidnapping of the nine-year-old boy 15 years ago. Lee's body was found in a ditch near his home in Apgujeong-dong, Seoul, after 44 days of phone calls demanding a ransom. The autopsy revealed the boy was killed almost immediately after being kidnapped. The killer was never caught, and the 15-year statute of limitations on the case expired in January 2006. The prime suspect was released due to lack of evidence. Frog boys The "frog boys" were five elementary school students who disappeared on March 26, 1991. Their bodies were found 11 years later - they had been murdered. The boys had gone to nearby Mt. Waryong in search of salamander eggs. The police set a hefty reward and some 350,000 officers were put on the case, but it was not until 11 years and six months later that their bodies were found halfway up the mountain. The autopsy concluded that the boys had been murdered with repeated blows to the head and one boy had been shot. No suspect was prosecuted, and their deaths remain a mystery. Hookers For Hillary Back Democrat Candidate Trending News: These Women Want To Guarantee The Election Has A Happy Ending Why Is This Important? Because with all the support Bernie Sanders has been getting, Clinton needs all the help she can get. Long Story Short Nearly 500 sex workers in Nevada want Hillary Clinton in the White House, primarily because of her promise to continue Obamacare. Long Story Forget any Super PAC or long list of donors, this is an endorsement that's a downright winner. A group of nearly 500 sex workers calling themselves Hookers 4 Hillary want to see Clinton take the seat her husband once sat in, and they're saying it loud and proud. The ladies at Dennis Hof's World Famous Moonlite Bunny Ranch seven legal brothel in Nevada have made a video outlining four points to the group's endorsement. Without further ado, let Shelby Star take it away with the "breaking news" (who is she Wolfe Blitzer?): A major point in the endorsement, outlined on their website, is Clinton's pledge to continue Obamacare. Here's what the brothel owner has to say about that: Prior to the affordable care act, Obamacare, the working girls of Nevada could not get health insurance. ... Your girls with six-figure incomes couldnt buy health insurance for them and their families, Hof said to Politico, adding that insurers tend to associate the sex workers with illegal prostitution and subsequently refuse coverage. They [the sex workers] want to keep Obamacare in place even though there are a lot of flaws with it, Hof said. Hookers for Hillary also like Clinton's foreign policy experience and ability to negotiate through a language barrier an ability that Clinton and the sex workers both share, they say. But these bunnies are more than just talk they're raising real cash for the Clinton campaign. When we party, I give free time if you donate to Hookers 4 Hillary money, said Entice Love to Politico, who works at an affiliated brothel in Mound House, Nevada. I tell them Hey, if you pay an extra thousand and donate that portion to Hookers 4 Hillary Ill give you a free hour, and they do it. Sure the video is clearly funny, but we have to take the bunnies seriously. They are legitimate registered voters with real issues and Clinton is their gal. Good for them on participating in the democratic process. What's next, Trannies 4 Trump? Own The Conversation Ask The Big Question Are the bunnies actually hurting Clinton by being so vocal with their support? Disrupt Your Feed This is the most exciting thing coming out from the Clinton campaign in months. Drop This Fact The bunnies used to support Obama until he signed the bill in Nevada allowing for the processing of horse meat. "The girls freaked out because a lot of horses come into the bunny ranch," Hof said to Politico. Artist Paik Nam-june performs "A Pas de Loup de Seoul a Budapest," a shamanistic exorcism performance in memory of his friend and artist Joseph Beuys in front of Gallery Hyundai in 1990. / Courtesy of Gallery Hyundai By Kwon Mee-yoo Korean-American artist Paik Nam-june (1932-2006) was a pioneer of video art who was ahead of his time. The history of video as a medium is not long, but it has quickly become an inseparable part of modern life. According to an eMarketer report, people spent an average of 1 hour and 55 minutes a day watching digital videos last year. But when Paik conjured artworks using the moving image, the technology was newly born. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Paik's death and several exhibitions are underway or scheduled to honor the artist who once predicted that everyone would someday have their own channel, which has come true in the age of social media. Paik Nam-june's "Family of Robot: Grandmother" (1986) Paik, the youngest son of a textile manufacturer mogul in Seoul, had a well-heeled childhood. He left for Hong Kong aged 17, when the Korean War (1950-53) broke out, and lived a nomadic life in Japan, Germany, France and the United States. Despite international fame for his avant-garde performances and video art, it took more than 30 years for Paik to return to Korea. Gallery Hyundai in central Seoul, where Paik's first Korea exhibit was held, offers "Nam June Paik: When He was in Seoul," highlighting his time in his hometown of Seoul. Paik Nam-june's "Family of Robot: Grandfather" (1986) The exhibition features some 40 of Paik's major works, including his video sculptures and multi-monitor pieces. At the exhibit's opening, Paik's colleague, Kim Tschang-yeul reenacted Paik's performances "Zen for Walking" and "One for Violin." Among them, Paik's signature robots, made from TV sets, represent how he was influenced by his roots. The robot of "Queen Seondeok" was modeled after Queen Seondeok (632-647) of Silla, the first female sovereign in Korea's history. Paik Nam-june's "Charlotte Moorman" (1990) His 1986 works, "Family of Robot: Grandfather" and "Family of Robot: Grandmother," which employed TV sets from the 1940s and '50s, reflect the influence of family culture in Korea. "My Faust: Arts" is part of a 13-piece series Paik created to explore 12 issues of contemporary society, such as environment, economics, spirituality and transportation. "Arts" has a structure that resembles a Gothic church and features objects such as books, ballet shoes, brushes and a piano. Paik Nam-june's "My Faust: Arts" (1989-91) The exhibit also displays objects and video from "A Pas de Loup de Seoul a Budapest" (A Step of Wolf: from Seoul to Budapest), and a shamanistic exorcism Paik had performed in memory of his friend and artist Joseph Beuys in front of Gallery Hyundai in 1990. Beuys smashed a piano with an axe at Paik's first solo exhibition, "Exposition of Music Electronic Television," at Galerie Parnass in Wuppertal, Germany, in 1963. In the requiem performance for Beuys, Paik broke a German piano, symbolizing Beuys, in memory of the German Fluxus artist. The exhibit runs until April 3. For more information, visit www.galleryhyundai.com Paik Nam-june's "Queen Seondeok" (1988) Wrap Around the Time The Nam June Paik Art Center, an art museum dedicated to the late artist in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, held a live screening performance commemorating the 10th anniversary of Paik's passing on Jan. 29. The art center livestreamed ceremonies held simultaneously at three places Nam June Paik Art Center, Bongeunsa Temple in Seoul and a studio in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province to pay homage to the pioneer of video art. At the "Utopian Laser TV Station," Paik's major video pieces such as "Good Morning, Mr. Orwell," "Allan 'n' Allen's Complaint," "A Tribute to John Cage" and "Edited for Television" were screened, while artists Jun Hyoung-san, Choi Joon-yong and PARPUNK performed in memory of Paik. The art center will open a special exhibition relating to contemporary artists and Paik's legacy titled "Wrap Around the Time." A variety of researchers including humanists, scientists and aestheticians explored Paik's artistic depths and present new works inspired by Paik. The list of participants includes neuroscientist Kim Dae-shik, novelist Han Yu-joo and mythologist Yoo Jae-won. In October, the institution will cooperate with Kansong Art Museum to exhibit at Dongdaemun Design Plaza. It will show how Paik's works were influenced by traditional Korean culture such as Zen Buddhism and shamanism. For more information, visit www.njpartcenter.org Memorial hall for Paik The Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) will open a memorial hall dedicated to Paik in July, on the site of his childhood home. Last year the Seoul Metropolitan Government bought the house in Changsin-dong, downtown Seoul, where the media artist lived from ages six to 17, and SeMA will give a glimpse of the artist's childhood through historical documents and dioramas. The museum will also hold an exhibit from June 14 to July 31 commemorating the 10th anniversary of Paik's death. The exhibition will shed light on the Fluxus Movement and how it shaped Paik's artistic vision. For more information, visit sema.seoul.go.kr. Helsinki International Airport offers an automated border control kiosk service to help Korean travelers from across the world expedite their entry into the country. Previously, only Koreans leaving Finland were allowed to use the express service. / Courtesy of Finnair By Chung Ah-young Korean passport holders can now use the automated border control kiosk for their immigration inspections at Helsinki International Airport in Finland. According to Finnair, Finland's flagship carrier, the airport began the service on Feb. 8 to help Korean travelers from across the world expedite their entry into the country. Previously, only Koreans leaving Finland were allowed to use the express service. In addition to Korea, citizens of Japan, Switzerland and countries in the European Union and Scandinavia who hold biometric passports can skip the line by using the fast-track border control machines. Korean passport holders can now finish their entry procedures with an electronic passport check-in and a photo capture to provide their biographic information. The service doesn't require pre-registration or membership. "Finnair has offered various services, such as signs written in Korean and Korean staff at the Helsinki airport to help Korean travelers," Kim Dong-hwan, Finnair's Korea sales manager, said in a statement. "Through the automated border control kiosk, Korean travelers are expected to enjoy more convenient and faster travel procedures," he said. The airport was the first in Europe to offer signposts written in Korean. Finnair launched its Incheon-Helsinki route in June 2008 and currently flies the route seven times a week. The flight from Incheon to Helsinki takes nine hours and 35 minutes. / Korea Times file By Jane Han DALLAS More and more young men and women of Korea find life in their motherland so painfully tough that they literally call it hell, some even plotting to pick up and leave for another country. But what happens when you really take off? The Korea Times talked to 10 men and women from different walks of life who've immigrated to the U.S. within the past decade and here's what they had to say about the reality of departing "Hell Joseon, a viral term that embodies young people's sense of hopelessness in Korea. "I'll be honest," said Kim Ga-young, 38, who left Korea for Atlanta two years ago after leaving her job in the customer service industry. "I don't have to put up with nonsense brought on by all kinds of snobby people. But I'm facing a whole new set of problems here, too." Language and cultural barriers are the biggest trouble for her. "I had never been overseas past Japan. The U.S. and the Western world is completely new to me, so it's definitely going to take some time to find my place here," says Kim, who works part-time at a Korean-owned beauty supply store. Park Jung-hyun, 55, who made the big move almost 10 years ago, is happy to say that most of the language and cultural barriers are a thing of the past now. "The first three years was difficult and sad," she says, "but once I understood the true American life, I realized that I don't have to be ashamed about not speaking the language and knowing the culture. In a way, many of us are foreigners here." Park, who owns and runs a coin laundry shop in Los Angeles with her husband, finds her new life satisfying, both financially and emotionally. "My husband and I both worked long hours back in Korea," she said, "and we still work long hours now, but interestingly, there's a much better work-life balance here." Many Koreans who live in the U.S. generally have access to more family time throughout the week and during the weekend, but for some, family time isn't the only thing they want. "There's a saying that Korea is a fun hell and the U.S. is a boring heaven," says Kim, 41, a hairdresser in Dallas, who didn't want to be fully named. "I miss being able to just walk out late at night, meeting up with old friends and getting a drink without the hassle of driving on the freeway for 30 minutes to get somewhere." Kim Ji-hyun, 32, an accountant in Dallas, agrees that although her stress level is lower here, something about life is mundane. A bereaved family member mourns her loss at a memorial space built at the Daegu subway arson site of Jungangno Station, Thursday. /Yonhap By Kwon Ji-youn Thirteen years ago today, 192 people died and 151 were injured in a subway arson attack in Daegu. A man set fire to a train at the Daegu Metropolitan Subway's Jungangno Station. The fire spread to a second train that had entered the station from the opposite direction a few minutes later. Most passengers on the first train escaped, but the second train's chief engineer removed the master key as he fled, which shutdown onboard batteries that powered the train's doors and effectively sealed the passengers inside. Seventy-nine passengers were trapped and died. The death penalty was sought for the arsonist, Kim Dae-han, but he was sentenced to life because of his mental instability and because he repented. In August 2004, he died of a chronic illness. The investigation was said to have been tainted with cover-ups and corruption. But after 13 years, the wounds are yet to heal. Some 200 people gathered at the Daegu Metropolitan Transit Corporation headquarters Thursday for a memorial service. Sobbing, the victims' families observed a minute's silence at 9:53 a.m., when the incident happened, to mourn the deaths of their loved ones. After the service, they headed to a memorial space built at the site of the tragedy. Daegu City had preserved the burnt wall remaining at the fire site and last year the area was made into a memorial chamber. Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin joined families at the service. "We will put all our efforts into preventing such tragedies and disasters, so as to make sure the torment of the bereaved families does not go to waste," he said. By Kang Seung-woo North Korea's spy agency is currently planning to launch terrorist style attacks against South Korea on orders from its leader Kim Jong-un, said a ruling party lawmaker Thursday, citing information from the National Intelligence Service (NIS). The NIS usually discloses sensitive information about North Korea through ruling party lawmakers who belong to the National Assembly Intelligence Committee. According to Rep. Lee Cheol-woo of the ruling Saenuri Party, speaking during a meeting with the committee members, the NIS stated that Pyongyang's possible terror campaign could include cyber attacks, kidnapping South Korean citizens and launching poison gas attacks,. The participants included Defense Minister Han Min-koo, First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam and Kim Jin-sub, the first deputy chief of the NIS who is in charge of overseas intelligence. "The North's Reconnaissance General Bureau is preparing for terror acts, including cyber attacks under Kim's directives to intensify preparation for them," Rep. Lee said. The bureau is tasked with conducting intelligence operations in foreign countries and cyberwarfare. "The North's terror attacks could be directed at anti-North Korea activists, North Korean defectors and South Korean government officials." Lee added that multiuse facilities such as subway stations and shopping malls and national infrastructure, including power plants, can be targeted by the North, as well. "In response to the possible terror attacks by the repressive state, the NIS is collecting the relevant information," the lawmaker said. The North Korea regime conducted its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6 and launched a long-range rocket, believed to test its ballistic missile technology, heightening tensions between the two Koreas. The government believes that such military provocations in a short interval were aimed at bolstering Kim's domestic legitimacy ahead of the seventh congress of the North's ruling Workers' Party in May _ the first time since 1980. The young leader, who came to power in December 2011, is expected to announce new policies and conduct a major reshuffle in the congress. Amid a growing possibility of terrorist acts perpetuated by the North, Cheong Wa Dae reiterated its call for a swift passage of anti-terrorism bills awaiting parliamentary approval since 2001. The bills are aimed at better protecting the nation from possible terrorist attacks, but have been gathering dust in the National Assembly for 15 years because the opposition party is concerned about giving more authority to the NIS. "While North Korea is intensifying its preparations for terror attacks, political interests should not be put above safety and property of the people," Kim Sung-woo, the chief presidential secretary for public affairs, said in a briefing. "To effectively handle threats from North Korea or international terrorist groups, I strongly ask the National Assembly to process the bill." According to the NIS, 51 foreign nationals suspected of being affiliated with international terrorist groups have been deported since 2010. By Kim Hyo-jin Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, co-chairman of the People's Party delivers a speech at the National Assembly, Thursday. / Yonhap The minor opposition People's Party led by Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo is suffering from an identity problem concerning its stance on North Korea. While the conservatives and liberals are divided over the government's hard-line approach, the People's Party, which presented itself as "centrist" appears to be divided regarding the reclusive country. The party unreservedly attacked the government for shuttering the Gaeseong Industrial Complex (GIC), a symbol of the "sunshine policy" of reconciliation pushed by liberal governments from 1998 to 2008. This drew much attention as the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) responded cautiously amid deepening public security unease. But, Lee Sang-don, a former ruling camp figure who was recruited Wednesday as the co-leader of the People's Party election campaign committee, expressed a differing view, saying the sunshine policy was a failure. "We need to overhaul our North Korea policy from ground zero," Lee said during a press conference. Amid rising questions over the party's identity, Co-Chairman Rep. Ahn tried to lay out its official stance on North Korea, putting stress on both security and engagement with the isolated country. "We have to seek dialogue with the North in parallel with building a strong security base," Ahn said in a speech during the National Assembly plenary session, Thursday. Calling it "pragmatism," Ahn urged the pursuit of peaceful and gradual unification while increasing the country's military capacity. He backed the idea of bolstering independent defense systems, while calling for further public discussion on the deployment of a terminal high altitude area defense battery here. He also claimed that the GIC should be reopen, raising questions again over money being funneled through its workers to the regime's leadership. This was seen as an attempt to portray the party's North Korea policy as balanced, but observers assessed it negatively, saying it added more ambiguity. "The views are contradictory as if he described a boiling ice cream," said Hwang Tae-soon, a political analyst at the Wisdom Center. "They will drive centrist voters the party wants to attract further away to the left and right." The People's Party was launched early February to differentiate itself from the existing opposition. Ahn, who left the MPK, vowed to make a centrist third party, saying it would pursue a leftist stance in economic issues and a rightist stance on security. "While trying to woo voters in the Jeolla Provinces and to recruit Chung Dong-young, former unification minister under the Kim Dae-jung administration, Ahn could not criticize the sunshine policy," said Choi Chang-ryol, a professor at Yongin University. "The leadership has to consider the voters' sentiment in those provinces, the traditional supporters of Kim's legacy." The party has 17 incumbent lawmakers, most of whose constituencies are based in the region. In the polls slated for April 13, the People's Party is expected to vie for votes in Gwangju and the Jeolla Provinces, the home turf of the MPK. President Park Geun-hye shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of their talks at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday. / Joint press corps Korea pledges $5.5 million assistance By Kang Seung-woo Korea will offer $5.5 million in official development assistance (ODA) and increase humanitarian aid to the State of Palestine, Cheong Wa Dae said, Thursday. During a meeting between President Park Geun-hye and President Mahmoud Abbas at the presidential office, Park pledged to provide the aid. Abbas arrived in Seoul, Wednesday, for a three-day visit after traveling to Japan, where he met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Emperor Akihito. This is the Palestinian leader's second trip to Korea after a previous visit in 2010. "While explaining the government's support for UNESCO's Better Life for Girls initiative to improve access to education and healthcare services in developing countries, President Park said Korea will strengthen humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees," the presidential office said in a statement. The two leaders also exchanged opinions on mutual interests, Cheong Wa Dae added. South Korea, which does not recognize Palestine's statehood, set up a permanent diplomatic mission there in the city of Ramallah in August 2014. After the meeting with Park, Abbas also met with National Assembly Speaker Chung Ui-hwa and attended a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn. "Relations between the two countries will develop to the next level through exchanges between their parliaments," Chung said. "I highly value the generous support South Korea gave us that helped us establish peace in Palestine," Abbas said. By Kim Bo-eun Seoul City said Thursday it will question a high-ranking official of the city-run Sejong Center for the Performing Arts for allegedly enjoying free meals at a high-end restaurant run by the center. The inspection follows a news report the previous day that the official, surnamed Jeong, had dinner at Samcheonggak, a Korean restaurant in northern Seoul, with 10 others including family members on Feb. 9. The meal cost 209,000 won per person, and the bill totaled to 2,229,000 won, but the official only paid 330,000 won in cash. He claimed that he ordered a 30,000 won meal for everyone, but the restaurant staffers served a pricier meal to them voluntarily. The price of dinner courses at the restaurant ranges from 69,300 won to 209,000 won. The cheapest item on the menu is "doenjang jjigae," or bean paste stew, which costs 35,000 won. After dinner, Jeong and his companions went to a teahouse within Samcheonggak, but did not pay for their beverages, reports said. It is alleged that the official did not pay the bill last August as well when he had dinner with Seoul City officials there. At the time, Jeong and three city officials had around 20 bottles of alcohol and food that amounted to 1.5 million won, an insider of the restaurant was quoted as saying. Employees of Samcheonggak, who are contract workers, kept silent about the matter in fear of being laid off, as Jeong has overseen affairs at Samcheonggak for several years as part of his duties. Following the report, the city government stripped Jeong of his position, and said it would question him and punish him if the allegations are true. The three officials who ate with Jeong in August will also be punished, according to the city government. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon also called for a thorough inspection into the allegations, and if true, mete out severe punishment to Jeong. Park has been emphasizing ethics of public servants. He introduced anti-bribery regulations in 2014, which punishes city officials for accepting even 1,000 won in cash. Samcheonggak was a spot frequented by high-ranking officials in the 1970s and 1980s. The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts has run it since 2009. By Chung Ah-young Rep. Park Jie-won smiles in front of the Supreme Court in southern Seoul, Thursday, after the top court acquitted him of bribery charges. / Yonhap The Supreme Court sent the ruling that found Rep. Park Jie-won guilty on bribery charges back to the Seoul High Court, Thursday. The 74-year-old independent lawmaker, previously sentenced to a one-year prison term suspended for two years, will retain his parliamentary seat. The top court ordered the high court to review his bribery charges, citing unreliable testimonies of the alleged bribers. Previously, the Seoul High Court found him guilty of accepting 30 million won in 2010 as a kickback from Oh Moon-cheol, former head of Bohae Savings Bank, overturning a lower court ruling that found him not guilty. "The lower court ruling, which did not recognize the reliability of Oh's testimony, was more reasonable," a judge of the top court said. "Oh's testimony lacks credibility as a whole as it conflicts with objective facts from his other testimony on bribery," the judge said. Park was indicted on charges of taking a total of 80 million won in kickbacks from several ailing savings banks in return for influence-peddling between 2008 and 2011. Park was suspected of taking 30 million won in bribes from Oh in 2010 in return for helping the bank avoid investigation by prosecutors. Park was also accused of receiving 20 million won in illegal political funds from former Solomon Savings Bank CEO Lim Suk in 2008. The political heavyweight was also suspected of taking 30 million won from Lim Kun-woo, former chairman of Bohae Brewery and a major shareholder in the savings bank, in return for having the Financial Supervisory Commission postpone its management evaluations of the troubled lender's solvency in 2011. The lender was absorbed into Yes Savings Bank. In a separate case, Park was indicted in 2003 on charges of taking slush funds from Hyundai Group before the historic inter-Korean summit in 2000 but was cleared of the charges by the Supreme Court. He was also sentenced to three years in jail for receiving kickbacks from some conglomerates but pardoned in 2006 while serving his sentence. Park defected from the main opposition Minjoo Parity of Korea in January and declared that he will remain an independent lawmaker. Park, a three-term legislator, served under former President Kim Dae-jung as chief of staff and culture minister. By Lee Kyung-min Shin Young-chul Lawyers' groups are opposed to allowing Supreme Court Justice Shin Young-chul, who meddled in the decisions of junior judges during the trials of anti-U.S. beef protesters permission to practice law. They say it is improper for former judges and prosecutors to practice law by taking advantage of their personal connections established while serving on the bench. The Seoul Bar Association (SBA) rejected a request from Shin to practice law, Thursday, saying he should first newly register as a lawyer. Lawyers with licenses must register with their local bar association and the Korea Bar Association (KBA), respectively, if they wish to practice. Shin registered with the SBA in 1981, but served as a judge for more than 30 years until retiring from the top court post in 2015. Afterwards, he served as a professor emeritus at the Dankook University Law School. The SBA said Shin has abused the registration system. "The primary reason for any lawyer to register is to immediately begin work as a lawyer, not to reserve it for more than 30 years before it could be put to good use," a lawyer from the SBA said. "We demand that he start from scratch in obtaining new registration through the proper process." Shin had been planning to begin work at one of the major law firms here, Lee & Ko. The KBA also said it plans to reject Shin's registration as well. "There have been precedents that we rejected applications to practice law from former judges and prosecutors," a lawyer from the KBA said. Although the SBA and the KBA do not have the right to ban lawyers from practicing law, their opinions hold sway in the legal community as a reference. The KBA also said Shin was engaged in a trial-tampering scandal. In 2008 and 2009, he was found to have sent multiple e-mails to some 12 junior judges who presided over trials of activists involved in candlelit rallies protesting the resumption of imports of U.S. beef. In the e-mails, he encouraged the junior judges to conclude the trials swiftly, implying they should find the defendants guilty. Because of the scandal, junior judges opposed his appointment to the Supreme Court. Shin's case is also likely to trigger a longstanding debate over whether it is appropriate for former judges or prosecutors to work as lawyers, as they take advantage of their connections with incumbent judges. The KBA earlier said that former judges and prosecutors should refrain from practicing law. This is essentially a manual on what not to do to an ISFJ unless you are a heartless, well . . . you know what. South Korea made clear Thursday that it's too early to start talks on a peace treaty with North Korea, saying denuclearization is a more pressing task. It was responding to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's offer of formal consultations on replacing the truce on the peninsula with a peace pact. The two Koreas are technically in a state of war after their 1950-53 conflict ended in the Armistice Agreement. Speaking to media after talks with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in Beijing Wednesday, Wang called for efforts to officially end the Korean War along with a push for resolving the nuclear crisis. His remarks reflect Pyongyang's demand. South Korea's Foreign Ministry stressed that the North should first show its resolve to give up its nuclear arsenal. "Our position is that the issue of establishing a peace regime can be discussed at a separate forum by relevant parties in accordance with progress in denuclearization under the Sept. 19 Joint Statement," ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck said at a press briefing. In the 2005 statement, reached at the now-suspended six-way talks, the North agreed to abandon its nuclear program in return for political and economic incentives from South Korea, the United States, China, Japan, and Russia. (Yonhap) The United States and South Korea have launched official talks on the potential deployment of the U.S. THAAD missile defense system to the South, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. "I can confirm that the joint working group (JWG) has met and that consultations are ongoing. The JWG is working 'expeditiously, but meticulously,' so no timeline has been established for when consultations will be complete," said Cmdr. Bill Urban, a Pentagon spokesman. The working group will review all aspects regarding the potential of deployment of a THAAD system to the South, he said. (Yonhap) South Korea wants to work closely with the United States to force a change in North Korea's behavior so as to curb its nuclear and missile development, a senior South Korean official said Wednesday. Cho Tae-yong, deputy chief of the presidential office of national security, made the remark upon arriving in Washington for talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken, underlining Seoul's push for greater pressure on Pyongyang. "The No. 1 goal of the Korea-U.S. collaboration should be on curbing North Korea's nuclear and missile development by forcing the North to change," Cho told reporters, adding that his talks with U.S. officials would be a meaningful opportunity to discuss strategies. Cho also said that discussions aimed at putting together a U.N. Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on North Korea are going well as China shares a broad strategic goal with Seoul and Washington that the North's fourth nuclear test is unacceptable at all. "Consultations are proceeding well with the goal that a U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution should be much stronger than previous resolutions," Cho said. Cho also said that a decision on whether to deploy the U.S. THAAD missile defense system to the South are up to defense authorities in Seoul and Washington. (Yonhap) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered his military and intelligence agents to intensify preparations for terror attacks on South Korea, a ruling party lawmaker said Thursday, citing information from Seoul's state intelligence agency. The North's Reconnaissance General Bureau is preparing for such disruptive acts including cyber attacks on the South, Rep. Lee Chul-woo said after an urgent meeting between the ruling party and the government over North Korea. The bureau is tasked with intelligence operations in foreign countries and cyberwarfare. The government told lawmakers that there is a possibility that the North will wage terrorist attacks using poisons or kidnapping South Koreans. The National Intelligence Service is collecting the relevant information on the North's possible attacks, Lee said. The North's potential move comes as South Korea has vowed to take bone-numbing measures against the North in response to Pyongyang's latest nuclear test and long-range rocket launch. (Yonhap) A pair of giant pandas born in China will fly to South Korea as early as next month to live at an amusement park owned by Samsung Everland, company officials said Thursday. South Korea and China designated Samsung Everland as the host for the bears after Beijing decided to send them to Seoul following Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to South Korea in 2014. Dubbed "panda diplomacy," China has a tradition of sending pandas to foreign countries as a gesture of friendship. Samsung Everland held a contest to name the pandas through its social networking sites in both South Korea and China for two weeks from Dec. 22 last year. About 8,500 names were received and the winners will soon be decided after discussions with Chinese authorities, company officials said. "We are pleased that we have joined a joint research project for pandas," said Kim Bong-yeong, head of Samsung's resort business division. China sent a pair of pandas to South Korea in 1994, but they were returned in 1998, when South Korea was hit by a severe liquidity crisis. The pandas will be open to the public in April this year, company officials said. (Yonhap) By Andrew Hammond The European Council meets on Thursday 18 to Friday 19 at a key summit in Brussels that will debate the new EU "settlement" for Britain negotiated by Council President Donald Tusk and UK Prime Minister David Cameron. Should the package be agreed, it will effectively kick off the campaign to decide whether Britain will remain in the currently 28 member EU with a referendum as soon as June. The plebiscite is thus a pivotal poll that will help determine the future character of the United Kingdom and indeed the EU at large, politically and economically, for potentially decades to come. And the Council's decision will be perhaps the most critical milestone in the domestic British debate this year that could lead to exit (or Brexit) some two years after the eventual referendum date. Should Cameron win support in Brussels for his package, which Brexit proponents have already criticised as a sham, he will double-down on his efforts to sell the deal to the UK electorate. The debate promises to be a vigorous one and a number of recent polls have, dramatically, shown the leave' vote ahead. For instance, aYouGov/ Sunday Times poll earlier this month put support for Brexit at some 45%, with the remain' vote on 36%, and around a fifth of the population undecided or not planning to vote. The survey also found only 22% view Cameron as having secured a good deal with Tusk, whilst some 56% believe to the contrary. Even if the settlement is agreed this week, which is by no means certain, what this underlines is that the prospect of Brexit is a real one. In part, this is because the country has been deluged by a tide of euroscepticism for many years from much of the media, and leading Conservative and United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) politicians. In what could prove a very tight eventual vote, the outcome could yet become tied to external events in 2016, including the possibility of a second summer of migration crisis. Some, internationally, regard the referendum outcome as a parochial British issue with little or no consequence for the rest of the world. However, US President Barack Obama and several other world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, have publicly articulated their concerns about Brexit, and indeed the chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Republican Senator Bob Corker, last week let slip that the Obama administration plans a "big, public reach-out" to try to persuade UK voters to remains inside the EU. Bipartisan concern in Washington about the referendum was underlined in testimony last week to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Democrat Julianne Smith, a former national security adviser to Vice-President Joe Biden said the poll is "a risky gamble because the migration crisis has layered on additional complaints and concerns about the EU's ability to protect its citizens and its borders. When you pair that with just general disaffection about globalisation you have got a very dangerous mix". Moreover, Republican Damon Wilson, former European affairs director at the National Security Council under George W. Bush asserted that "the amount of refugees flowing into Europe the week of the referendum may have more to do with the outcome of that referendum. It is a very risky proposition. You can see the fluctuation in how people vote in referendums and it becomes an alternative, or substitute, for other concerns about what is gripping Europe". Unfortunately, the prospects for the remain' vote winning have not been helped by the Cameron government's foreign policy leadership and misjudgement towards the EU. While genuine reform is needed of the Brussels-based club, the prime minister has had few clear, substantive goals for the proposed renegotiation with his European partners, nor a coherent or comprehensive strategy for achieving those ambitions. However, Cameron has been fortunate to date at least in that the forces arguing for Brexit are not unified, amidst feuding personalities, which is blunting their message. While some pro-leave groups have merged under the banner of "Grassroots Out", with the blessing of UKIP Leader Nigel Farage, the Conservative-led "Vote Leave", led by former Finance Minister Nigel Lawson, has so far refused to join that coalition. Nonetheless, the leave vote' could still win the day in the referendum and, if so, this would represent a genuine setback to the UK's international economic and political influence. Moreover, it would also greatly increase the likelihood of a second Scottish independence vote, raising the spectre of the break-up of Britain. The Scottish population are, in general, more favourable toward continued membership in the EU than the English who account for a majority of the UK's population. And Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), has previously argued that Britain should only leave the EU if majorities in each of the four constituent countries (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) all voted to leave. Polls indicate the SNP will likely emerge from May's elections in that country with another majority government in Edinburgh, an outcome that would ensure that the question of Scotland's constitutional status remains on the agenda. So the SNP would almost certainly seek to use UK exit from the EU as a potential trigger for a second independence plebiscite. Ultimately, the Brexit referendum is not just therefore a burning issue for the United Kingdom, but also the rest of the world as a Britain that no longer punches so strongly on the international stage is also less able to bolster international security and economic prosperity at a time when both remain fragile. The recent 70th anniversaries of the end of the Second World War in Europe and Asia are a fitting time to remember the UK's traditions as a long-standing promoter of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Continuing this long into the 21st century would be best secured through continued British membership of a reformed EU, buttressed by the preservation of the longstanding union between England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Andrew Hammond is an Associate at LSE IDEAS (the Centre for International Affairs, Diplomacy and Strategy) at the London School of Economics, and a former UK Government special adviser. By Donald Kirk Comparisons between North Korea and Myanmar over the years have suggested that the two nations share some of the same problems. However, even in the worst periods of military dictatorship, Myanmar never bore any similarity to North Korea. The contrast extends from urban market places to fields and forests to inner sanctums of power. On a visit to Myanmar from Korea, I discover a place that's outlived its historic image of revolution and violence. One reads of clashes in remote Shan villages, but the bloodshed is largely over while streets and markets in Yangon, the historic capital, the largest port and center of commerce, give every impression of flourishing. People swear, yes, that the old army-led regime will be history by the end of March, opening up an orderly succession led by the hero of the National League for Democracy, 70-year-old Aung San Suu Kyi. Ask if the army won't again step in, and you hear, no, the victory of Suu Kyi's party at the polls means the transition has to happen. That understanding contrasts sadly with more depressing news from Korea, where the one-two punch of North Korea's latest nuclear test and the launch of a satellite adds to pervasive pessimism about a happy conclusion to the never-ending North-South standoff. The shutdown of the Kaesong Industrial Complex snuffs out the dying embers of any flickering hope that the old Sunshine policy will rise again. Considering how many billions of dollars North Korea is spending on its nuclear and missile programs, you can't blame President Park Geun-Hye for not wanting to pump more than $150 million a year into Kaesong to keep 124 small South Korean factories operating there. Still, you wonder if ongoing relationships between about 500 South Korean managers and technicians and 54,000 North Korean workers might someday have paid off. And you also wonder about the danger of the North-South standoff escalating to the point of armed conflict. Such doubts seem to have evaporated in Yangon. At the depths of unrest, flood and famine, Myanmar never descended to the North Korean horrors of mass disease, starvation and imprisonment of hundreds of thousands. The streets of Yangon are crowded, shops are busy, and the media, once under strict control, give a sense of what's going despite constraints. In Pyongyang, the sight of taxis and traffic lights provides fodder for stories about "change" as if these were miracles of the renaissance of the Democratic People's Republic. Never mind that the country still has billions to build nuclear warheads and long-range rockets while the leader, Kim Jong-un, calls for ever more "working satellites" soaring to "higher targets." No one doubts that the same rockets which put satellites into orbit could also fulfill his dream of a long-range missile capable of reaching targets 10,000 kilometers away with a miniaturized warhead fixed to its nose cone. It's inconceivable, of course, that any political force remotely like that of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy could survive for a moment in North Korea. She's suffered through a total of 15 years of house arrest, confined to her four-acre estate in one of Yangon's wealthiest districts, down the road from the newly opened American embassy. She's endured the loss of her British husband, who died of cancer in England nearly 16 years ago, and she sees their two sons only during their infrequent visits to Myanmar. She has always known that if she leaves her country, she might not be able to return, but her travail does not begin to compare with the executions in North Korea of those who express the slightest disagreement with Kim Jong-un. In Myanmar, the issue now revolves around a possible compromise between Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy and the military-supported forces that she trounced at the polls. Barred from taking over the government by a spurious constitutional amendment that disqualifies anyone with a foreign spouse, she will lead her party while working with old foes on reconciliation. The same familiar cronies, in cahoots with military allies, will dominate the economy. When I stopped by the imposing steel-gated front entrance to her estate, a guard told me she was "in parliament" in Naypyidaw, the capital that the military government ten years ago built more than 300 kilometers to the north to be safe from marauding protesters. Above the gates looms a picture of Suu Kyi's father, General Aung San, whose reward for talking the British into granting independence was his assassination. Political violence remains a danger in Myanmar. It's refreshing, though, to visit a country that's getting over dictatorship and destructive economic policies and stands on the brink of still more change. That's in stark contrast to the dark drama of Korea whose tragic outcome is all too easy to imagine. Donald Kirk, www.donaldkirk.com, based in Seoul and Washington, recently visited Myanmar. He's covered war and peace in Asia for decades. He's at kirkdon4343@gmail.com. Lee Kang-min, CEO of Fast Campus, speaks about his company's career education courses and overseas strategy at his office in southern Seoul, Friday. / Courtesy of Fast Campus By Lee Min-hyung Lee Kang-min, 32, is seeking to change the nation's educational landscape by exporting career education. As CEO at the career education company Fast Campus, Lee runs some 50 education courses for jobseekers. "Unlike developed countries in Europe and in North America, most Asian countries do not have well-established education programs," he said in an interview last week. "We are planning to diversify our revenue streams by expanding our education programs into countries such as China." The startup chief expressed optimism for the project, as the company has seen what he calls "surging demand" in only two years after opening. More than 3,500 students have registered for the programs as of the end of last year, according to him. He said this is a massive increase, compared to just 800 students in 2014. The company is set to offer online courses starting in the first half of this year. "Upon establishing our online platform, we will accelerate our initiative to make inroads into foreign countries," he said. "We believe we can generate tangible achievements no later than this year." Lee said he never expected that he would run a startup before graduating from university. "I just lived a normal life like other students before drawing up the business initiative in 2013," he said. "I thought the career education business is the next big thing, as there was little supply for such education despite growing demand." Fast Campus offers a diverse range of education courses _ including application development programs, marketing and even skills for operating startups. "Education businesses do not require massive initial investments," he said. "The main costs are rental fees for lecture rooms and salary for instructors. If we can open the online platform, we will be able to cut our heavy reliance on offline students and maximize our revenue channels." The company plans to open its language education business this year, providing English and Chinese courses designed to improve communication skills. This occurred because the nation's language education has placed too much emphasis on English test scores, rather than actually improving proficiency in language. "Such a landscape has prevented the language education market from offering innovative, practical language courses," said the company chief. "Our ultimate goal is to present a clear blueprint for students to speak foreign languages fluently, regardless of their test scores." SK Telecom engineers test public safety network technology in this file photo. The company said Thursday it will demonstrate the technology for the first time at next week's Mobile World Congress 2016 in Barcelona. / Courtesy of SK Telecom By Yoon Sung-won SK Telecom will hold a world-first demonstration of public safety network technology at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016 in Barcelona next week. The technology, "Group Communication System Enablers" (GCSE), provides simultaneous voice calls and data transmission for hundreds of users. It has been recognized as one of the key parts needed for a public safety network that requires smooth one-to-many telecommunications for rescue operations, the company said. The carrier said more than 10 telecom companies in Britain, Japan, Australia, the Middle East, South America and the United States have shown interest in the technology and business cooperation. "SK Telecom has led the development of public safety network technologies by setting up test systems and developing the world's first GCSE technology," SK Telecom's infrastructure division head, Lee Jong-bong, said. "We will take a leading role in promoting Korea's network technology and pushing for mutual growth with small- and medium-sized enterprises on the global stage." In January, SK Telecom completed development of the technology with Nokia. The telecom company said it has prepared a dedicated zone to demonstrate the technology at MWC 2016. In the development process, the company said it has solved traffic overload at certain base stations in emergencies by allocating peripheral channels within a single upper channel instead of allotting a separate channel for all rescue personnel. SK Telecom said overseas telecom companies, especially those considering a new public safety network based on long-term evolution technology to replace outdated systems, are seeking cooperation. Because of this, the company expects several sales deals at MWC 2016. British telecom firm EE has already committed to signing a contract at MWC for the country's public safety network project. EE has about 28 million subscribers and has been chosen to operate Britain's Emergency Service Network project. SK Telecom also said it will support smaller Korean technology partners in the public safety network sector at the event to expand their overseas sales. It said local development firms Cybertel Bridge and UANGEL will be registered as official global partners of Nokia in the first half of this year to provide public safety networks to global clients. A group of media industry officials and experts discuss the effects of a proposed takeover of CJ HelloVision by SK Telecom at the headquarters of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy in central Seoul, Thursday. / Yonhap By Lee Min-hyung A media union has raised concerns over the proposed takeover of CJ HelloVision (CJH) by SK Telecom, calling for the government to use concrete screening criterion for the deal. A group of media industry experts, union officials and experts held a panel discussion to predict the effect that the deal will have on the industry landscape. Panelists, including a lawyer and professor, argued the merger and acquisition (M&A) will harm the public interest and raised worries over SK Telecom's possible dominance of the broadcasting industry. "Our major concern is that the government does not have a clear roadmap or policy for the M&A between a mobile carrier and cable TV operator," said Kim Dong-won, a director at the National Union of Media Workers, in central Seoul. "The proposed deal is unprecedented, which means the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) should take careful consideration and come up with detailed regulative measures before making its decision." The growing controversy started in November last year when SK Telecom, the nation's No. 1 mobile carrier, announced a plan to take over CJH. The latest in a series of opposition moves came Monday when a coalition of 14 civic groups submitted a written request to the MSIP, asking for a stricter and fairer screening process. SK Telecom previously claimed the deal would help the company boost its global presence in the media sector, as it will allow the company to offer converged media services with CJH's strong presence as the nation's largest cable TV operator. However, critics countered the claim saying: "SK Telecom claims the latest move is part of its efforts to find new revenue sources, but the deal, if approved, will significantly change the nation's media landscape." Concerns over limited competition The panelists also said the deal will likely limit competition in the media industry. "SK Telecom has held more than half of the telecom market share for the past 10 years, while rivals KT and LG Uplus hold only a 30 and 20 percent share, respectively," said Sung Chun-il, a lawyer and a member of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy. Three government agencies the MSIP, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) and the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) will conduct the screening process for the deal. "The FTC will unlikely to approve any M&A which is expected to limit competition in a market," Sung said. "The government has been receiving applications for the fourth mobile carrier for seven years, but it has yet to find a suitable one," she said. "This means the media market is very limited in terms of accepting new suppliers. In this uncompetitive landscape, customers are the biggest victims, as they have only a few services options to choose from." She also cited data from the Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI) to support her claim that the deal will hurt fair competition in the media industry. "In terms of accumulated operating profit over the past ten years, SK Telecom has taken up about 80 percent in the telecom market, while KT and LG Uplus holding only 20 and almost zero percent, respectively." According to her, this shows the deal will not encourage SK Telecom to make enough efforts for constructive development of the media industry. However, SK Telecom claims this goes against the market economy. "A company's operating profit is the result of efficient management efforts, and this cannot be a standard to judge its dominating power in a certain market," said a spokesman. SK Telecom submitted documents to government agencies Dec. 1, seeking approval. The three are scrutinizing the documents, but nothing has yet been decided over the time frame for the deal. Rival mobile carriers and the civic groups want the agencies to come up with new policies for the unprecedented takeover deal, while SK Telecom claims their move is against the market economy. SK Telecom previously announced it decided to buy a 30 percent stake in CJH, held by CJ O Shopping, for 500 billion won, in a move to seek synergy in the broadcasting and telecom sector. The mobile carrier will acquire CJ O Shopping's remaining 23.9 percent stake in CJH at a later date. The deal, if approved, will allow SK Broadband, SK Telecom's wholly-owned subsidiary, to merge with the cable TV operator. Amid rising debate, SK Broadband CEO Lee In-chan pledged Wednesday that the company will invest more for the merged entity, thereby gaining more competitiveness in the competitive global media landscape. 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. . ..Wall Street Journal..15 February '16..Talk to Israelis about the United States these days and you will provoke a physical reaction. Barack Obama is an eye roll. John Kerry is a grimace. The administrations conduct of regional policy is a slow, sad shake of the head. The current state of the presidential race makes for a full-blown shudder. The Israeli rundown of the candidates goes roughly as follows: Hillaryshe doesnt like us. CruzI dont like him. Rubiois he done for? Sandersoy vey. Trumpomigod.As for Israels own troublesa continuing Palestinian campaign of stabbings; evidence that Hamas is rebuilding its network of terror tunnels under the Gaza border and wants to restart the 2014 war; more than 100,000 rockets and guided missiles in the hands of Hezbollahthats just the Middle East being itself. Its the U.S. not being itself that is the real novelty, and is forcing Israel to adjust.Ive spent the better part of a week talking to senior officials, journalists, intellectuals and politicians from across Israels political spectrum. None of it was on the record, but the consistent theme is that, while the Jewish state still needs the U.S., especially in the form of military aid, it also needs to diversify its strategic partnerships. This may yet turn out to be the historic achievement of Benjamin Netanyahus long reign as prime minister.On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon publicly shook hands with former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal at the Munich Security Conference. In January, Israeli cabinet member Yuval Steinitz made a trip to Abu Dhabi, where Israel is opening an office at a renewable-energy association. Turkey is patching up ties with Israel. In June, Jerusalem and Riyadh went public with the strategic talks between them. In March, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi told the Washington Post that he speaks to Mr. Netanyahu a lot.This de facto Sunni-Jewish alliance amounts to what might be called the coalition of the disenchanted; states that have lost faith in Americas promises. Israel is also reinventing its ties to the aspiring Startup Nations, countries that want to develop their own innovation cultures.In October, Israel hosted Indian President Pranab Mukherjee for a three-day state visit; New Delhi, once a paragon of the nonaligned movement that didnt have diplomatic ties to Israel for four decades, is about to spend $3 billion on Israeli arms. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is personally close to Mr. Netanyahu, sees Israel as a model for economic reinvention. Chinese investment in Israel hit $2.7 billion last year, up from $70 million in 2010. In 2014, Israels exports to the Far East for the first time exceeded those to the U.S.Then there is Europeat least the part of it that is starting to grasp that it cant purchase its security in the coin of Israeli insecurity. Greeces left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras used to lead anti-Israel protests. But Greece needs Israeli gas, so he urges cooperation on terrorism and calls Jerusalem Israels historic capital. In the U.K., Prime Minister David Camerons government is moving to prevent local councils from passing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) measures against Israel.All this amounts to another Obama administration prediction proved wrong. You see for Israel theres an increasing delegitimization campaign that has been building up, Mr. Kerry warned grimly in 2014. There are talks of boycotts and other kinds of things. Todays status quo absolutely, to a certainty, I promise you 100%, cannot be maintained.Except when the likely alternatives to the lousy status quo are worse. Over the weekend, U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power came to Jerusalem to preach the virtues of a two-state solution. Her case would be unarguable if the Palestinian state to be created alongside Israel were modeled on Costa Ricademocratic, demilitarized, developing, friendly to outsiders.But the likelier model is Gaza, or Syria. Why should Israelis be expected to live next to that? How would that help actual living Palestinians, as opposed to the perpetual martyrs of left-wing imagination? And why doesnt the U.S. insist that Palestinian leaders prove they are capable of decently governing a state before being granted one?Those are questions Mr. Obama has been incapable of asking himself, lest a recognition of facts intrude on the narrative of a redemptive presidency. But a great power that cannot recognize the dilemmas of its allies soon becomes useless as an ally, and it becomes intolerable if it then turns its strategic ignorance into a moral sermon.More than one Israeli official I spoke with recalled that the country managed to survive the years before 1967 without Americas strategic backing, and if necessary it could do so again. Nations that must survive typically do. The more important question is how much credibility the U.S. can afford to squander before the loss becomes irrecoverable. Zoe Kravitz is quickly rising in the fashion industry thanks to his uber cool designer friend Alexander Wang. She took New York Fashion Week by storm and didn't forget to leave her boyfriend Twin Shadow at home so that she can look as chic as possible. She has been emphasizing her friendship with Alexander Wang recently in interviews. She lately revealed that she hangs out with him as much as possible, doing all the cool things that artists do. "Instead of going out at night, sometimes I'll go to this spa, Aire Ancient Baths, in TriBeCa. It's open until 11, and I go with Alex [Wang] a lot. We'll go late at night and do salt baths and cold baths. It's all wood and brick inside, and really beautiful," Zoe said according to Harper's Bazaar. In return, during an interview, the designer gushed on and on about Zoe's coolness. "You have this ease and nonchalance about approaching things, and I think that's so- I hate to use this word, but - cool. It's just so cool," Alexander said to Zoe according to Teen Vogue. Sounds like Zoe Kravitz will become a fashion idol in no time. Recently, as she is awaiting the release of her next movie "Allegiant", Zoe Kravitz has been spending a lot of time with her her boyfriend Twin Shadow. The workaholic that she is, she hsa been trying not to over work by having her boyfriend around. She just managed to score another role on a HBO series, which means that she probably won't have as much with her boyfriend George Lewis Jr aka Twin Shadows in 2016. The actress posted a picture on Instagram with her boyfriend and captioned it, "Lovin/love in - the DR", which hinted at her fans that they rangin the new year in Dominican Republic. And now, Zoe Kravitz is looking to take her career to the next level by acting in an HBO series. According to Deadline, "Zoe Kravitz is set for a co-starring role opposite Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon in Big Little Lies, HBO's limited series from David E. Kelley." Zoe Kravitz has been looking for ways to take her relationship with her boyfriend George Lewis Jr to the next level and she definitely got that goal achieved before the new year. By Joe Rizzo, Contributing Writer Share Optum is a health care technology company and a division of UnitedHealth Group, providing technology and consulting services, and managing pharmacy benefits. The company has a call center for HealthSource RI and is winding down a three year contract with the states health insurance exchange, which is due to expire at the end of March. In addition, in April Optum is planning to lay off 60 of its employees. In advance of the announcement, federal law requires that a notice to be filed with the state Department of Labor and Training concerning the impending layoffs. The law states employers must give at least a 60 day notice of a plant closing or mass layoff. Optum's notice to the state mentioned that it would permanently eliminate 60 jobs at the Royal Little Drive location between April 1 and April 7. Optum had a contract for $38.4 million which ran from July 2013 through the end of March 2016, but it seems that there were major issues with the service. Over the past several months, customers have been complaining that they have had to wait on hold for hours or never getting their calls answered. In response, HealthSource officials said that due to a phasing out of federal aid it was necessary to cut the agency's budget, leading to a downsizing of the call center staff. Ten companies, including Optum have put in a bid on the contract. HealthSource RI spokeswoman Maria Tocco said that the state would soon be making an announcement about which companys proposal would be chosen as the vendor. In a statement, Optum spokesman Matt Stearns said, Optum was honored to help the people of Rhode Island gain access to health insurance, and we are committed to working with the state on a smooth transition so Rhode Islanders continue to have a positive customer service experience. While Optum will be laying off employees in Rhode Island, the company will be consolidating its Massachusetts operations in Wakefield, Waltham and Brighton into one space in Boston. In addition to 400 people moving into the new Boston space, Stearns said that an additional 400 jobs will be added at the facility over the next 12 to 24 months. Edited by Rory J. Thompson Traveling around the world is one of the best hobbies. Though sometimes we meet some problems on our way which better be solv The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary Read more This feels a little strange in an only-in-LA way, but maybe it shouldn't. Austin Beutner, who was fired last September as the publisher of the Los Angeles Times, had a piece this week on the op-ed page that he used to oversee as publisher. The opinion piece about the Department of Water and Power was co-bylined by Beutner and Democratic Party powerhouse and sometime-City Hall lobbyist Mickey Kantor, in their roles as co-chairs of the LA2020 commission. That was the group that filed a 2014 report calling for a number of civic reforms and good government steps that has had approximately no impact on the City Hall decision makers it was intended to spur into action. Beutner and Kantor argue for changes in the governance of the DWP and a cap on how much of the taxes collected from customers gets diverted to the city's general budget: Every time you turn on a light or charge your cellphone, you pay a tax. Surprised? Many Angelenos don't realize that hidden in their monthly bill from the Department of Water and Power is a big surcharge in the form of a 10% City of Los Angeles Utility Tax, as well as a transfer of 8% of all electric-related revenue to City Hall. In short, you're paying almost 20% more for electricity than you should be. For a typical residential DWP customer with an electric bill of $130, that's about $25 each month that gets paid right into the city's general fund and spent on things that have nothing to do with keeping the lights on. There is no question rates have to go up if DWP is to modernize its system to produce cleaner, more reliable power but that issue is separate and apart from the question of how much DWP revenue should be siphoned off by City Hall. In the coming days, the City Council will vote on the largest power rate increase in DWP history a cumulative hike of more than 20% over five years. Over the next decade, that will produce a windfall for the city's coffers, almost $1 billion. To be clear this money is coming out of ratepayers' pockets, but none of it will be spent to improve the utility's aging infrastructure, increase wind or solar power generation, or make service more affordable and reliable. How has this happened? Because there is a complete lack of public accountability at DWP. Kantor and Beutner note that the mayor always has signed resignation letters from the DWP commissioners on file in case they need to be dumped for going off the reservation, agenda-wise. So basically, the commission members are tools. Beutner should know. When he was the volunteer deputy mayor for Antonio Villaraigosa, one of his areas was the DWP. In the piece, Beutner and Kantor call for replacing the unpaid DWP commission with a paid panel that has more independence from whoever holds the office of mayor. Minor note: When Beutner hosted an evening conversation about the future of journalism at his home last week, featuring Washington Post editor Marty Baron and Columbia journalism dean Steve Coll, Kantor was among the guests. One of the side topics of conversation among the guests, by the way, was speculating on where Beutner will next show up as a player in the LA media scene. Photo by Michael Conti. Journalist and advocate Jose Antonio Vargas today announced a new crowdshare fundraising campaign for his initiative on race and immigration, #EmergingUS, that does not mention the Los Angeles Times. The flackage for the new affiliation with Beacon doesn't mention the LAT, nor does Vargas' bio with the release. Quite a change from last February, when the Times and then-publisher Austin Beutner announced that Vargas would become a business partner (as an undocumented immigrant, he can't be hired) and run a section of the LA Times website devoted to Vargas' view of race and immigration. The plan was for #EmergingUS to be "a multimedia platform that, through articles, original videos, shareable data and graphics, will focus on the intersection of race, immigration and identity and the complexities of multiculturalism." Though Vargas could not be hired, others were brought onto the Times staff, including #EmergingUS managing editor Alejandra Campoverdi. But if they ever put out any work product at the Times, it didn't register with readers, though Vargas remained an active tweeter on immigration and race issues. By September, Beutner was fired and #EmergingUs went quiet as an LA Times partner, though Vargas has been active with his Define American nonprofit and as the producer and director of Documented, a CNN Film that chronicled his life as an undocumented immigrant, and White People, which aired on MTV last year and discussed what it means to be young and white in contemporary America. One of Vargas' MOs is to lecture whites on what he thinks they don't know about immigrants. For the new announcement, the Times says of Vargas in a statement to Nieman Lab: "The Los Angeles Times and Jose Antonio Vargas agreed to transfer the assets developed for #EmergingUS to Vargas company so that he may pursue the project independently. We have enjoyed collaborating with Jose and wish him every success with #EmergingUS.) Here's the flackage on Vargas' newest iteration of #EmergingUS: Today, Jose Antonio Vargas, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and filmmaker, announced hes launching a crowdfunding campaign for a new video-centric digital platform #EmergingUS. With the goal of raising $1M in matching funds over 60 days, #EmergingUS will be the largest U.S.-based journalism crowdfunding campaign to date. Beacon, the journalism crowdfunding company, will match every dollar pledged by readers. Like no other media platform, #EmergingUS speaks to the America of today and tomorrow, where minorities are already the mainstream. Through original digital content, including essays, articles and especially video, #EmergingUS will produce multimedia stories that live at the intersection of race, immigration, and identity in an increasingly diverse America. A 2015 report from Pew Research Center projected that, in the next 50 years, immigrants and their descendants, largely Latinos and Asians, will make up 88 percent of U.S. population growth. By working with Beacon, #EmergingUS offers readers a unique opportunity to create a news organization that directly serves them, and that reflects their diversity. When a reader makes a pledge, theyll become part of an active dialogue about issues of race and immigration that are largely missing in media coverage, particularly in a historic presidential election year in which American identity is at stake. Our countrys identity is changing, yet we are not telling the full and complex story of what this looks like. For the most part, the medias coverage of race is too simplistic, much too Black-and-White, at a time when the country has grown more Latino, more Asian and more biracial and multiethnic, said Jose Antonio Vargas. To tell the stories of an emerging America, #EmergingUS needs the independence to produce stories that are usually underreported, if not misreported, and spark much needed dialogue. This means raising the funds to enable this freedom, and Im honored to partner with Beacon, which has been breaking new ground in its support of compelling journalism. Founded in September 2013, Beacons technology connects readers to the reporters who cover the issues they care about. By empowering readers to fund projects directly, it creates journalism thats relevant, impactful and sustainable. To date, Beacon has paid more than $3M to journalists, and has worked with brands like The Huffington Post, San Francisco Chronicle and The Nation. The #EmergingUS campaign marks Beacons largest venture yet. Vargas is a Filipino citizen who was brought to the U.S. as a child and raised here. As a journalist he reported for the Washington Post and Huffington Post, and in 2011 wrote an essay for the New York Times magazine about being undocumented. His Twitter bio now refers to him as the "undocumented gay Filipino American. Founder of @EmergingUS and @DefineAmerican." Here's his tweet about today's news: When Jhumpa Lahiri was 32, she won a Pulitzer Prize for her first book, Interpreter of Maladies; it was only the seventh time a short-story collection had been so enshrined. "[R]ather precipitously, I became a famous writer, Lahiri, now 48, recalls in her new book. I received a prize that I was sure I did not deserve, that seemed to me a mistake. Although it was an honor, I remained suspicious of it. I couldnt connect myself to that recognition, and yet it changed my life. Lahiri set these thoughts down in Italian. She wrote in modo piuttosto precipitoso, sono diventata una scrittrice famosa... and then her words were put into English by Ann Goldstein, herself a headliner for translating Elena Ferrante, Primo Levi and now Lahiri. Advertisement The reader who takes up Lahiris In Other Words (In Altre Parole) holds an appealing, missal-sized text with the Italian printed on the left and its English version on the right. The paragraphs are laid out in parallel, so an Anglophone can glance left, noting structural diversions and possible linguistic overlaps. It is Lahiris first book of nonfiction, yet it contains two short stories. In introducing one, The Exchange, Lahiri tells us the symbolism of a missing black sweater in the story: It is language. She herself understood this months after she wrote it the revelation arriving suddenly as she jogged through a park in Rome. In this diverting way, a reader bobs in the wake of Lahiris grand experiment, her decision to immerse herself in Italian as an adult, to move her family to Rome and to write her fifth book in a language she enters slowly, awkwardly, often comparing herself to a child but without a childs plasticity for acquiring language: I read slowly, painstakingly. With difficulty. Every page seems to have a light covering of mist. The obstacles stimulate me. Every new construction seems a marvel. Every unknown word a jewel.... I find the process more demanding yet more satisfying, almost miraculous. I cant take for granted my ability to accomplish it. I read as I did when I was a girl. Thus, as an adult, as a writer, I rediscover the pleasure of reading. Reading In Other Words is deeply pleasurable. It puts one in the company of a beautiful mind engaged in a sustained and bracing discipline. Lahiris sensibility exists in exquisite counterpoint to a culture besotted with selfies. Instead of Eat, Pray, Love, the reader finds a book situated in Italy without a single reference to food or prayer or sex. The tone hasnt a shred of the coquettish, nor is it monastic. In Other Words gives off the intoxication of metamorphosis, the title of one of her 24 chapters. Normally, Lahiri explains, she is annoyed by the journalistic boilerplate of being asked her favorite book, but during her time in Rome, begun in 2012, she was able to respond without any hesitation that it was Ovids Metamorphoses. She had read the entire poem in Latin as a young woman at Boston University, and that ecstatic experience feels like a reverb for Lahiris midlife task. The content of Ovids masterpiece also fits. Like Daphne fleeing Apollo, Lahiri tries to escape the embrace of English, the demands and separations it inflicted on her girlhood. These started in a kindergarten doorway in Rhode Island, where she set aside the Bengali she spoke at home for a culture that had to be mastered, interpreted. How shocking when the tree bark made of this second language, her second skin, transformed her into a literary celebrity, including a National Humanities Medalist, awarded by President Obama at the White House in September. As Lahiri reports it, her escape into Italian hits a wall. Her husband, Alberto Vourvoulias, speaks the language with a Spanish accent. For him, its enough to extend his hand, to say, A pleasure, Im Alberto. Because of his looks, because of his name, everyone thinks hes Italian. When I do the same thing, the same people say, in English, Nice to meet you. The writers facility with Italian far outstrips her husbands, but her appearance reads foreign, just as it did in Boston, where she once refused a flier, only to be cursed by a man who demanded to know if her problem was that she couldnt speak English. When she travels to Kolkata, India, despite a lifelong proficiency with Bengali, vendors address her in English. These paradoxes vex Lahiri, but she knows they are one wellspring of her creativity. Toward the end of her latest work, she describes it as a hesitant book and at the same time bold. A text both private and public. On the one hand it springs from my other books. The themes, ultimately, are unchanged: identity, alienation, belonging. But the wrapping, the contents, the body and soul are transfigured. The cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker notes that language comes so naturally to us that were apt to forget what a strange and miraculous gift it is. On every page, including the half that monolinguists cant fathom, Lahiris magnificent book reminds us. Long manages the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards for the Cleveland Foundation :: In Other Words Jhumpa Lahiri; Translated by Ann Goldstein Alfred A. Knopf: 233 pp., $26.95 Behold the ouroboros! A book about criticism written by a movie critic and criticized here by an art critic. Its a setup so potentially repellent that this review could almost be subtitled The Human Centipede. After all, we critics are reputedly the bottom-feeders of the arts. Scavengers picking over the earnest toils of goodly creative people. Who but the most poisonous and artistically bankrupt would want to devote their life to the job of criticism, gushing in deep purple prose about how much you loved an authors book, or scorching the earth around some poor souls movie. To put it bluntly: How exactly is that a job? Advertisement This is the million-dollar question that a 13-year-old named Max asks of A.O. Scott in the New York Times film critics witty and thoughtful book, Better Living Through Criticism: How to Think About Art, Pleasure, Beauty, and Truth. The short answer Scott gives to Max is: "[I] go and see a lot of movies and then write down what I think of them. But the long answer he provides readers throughout his book is that criticism is a job for providing oxygen to the arts. The critics job is an often thankless profession that can inflict on its practitioners a crippling self-doubt, but one that is closer to an artistic act than many people acknowledge. Scott observes that we are all critics; in every conversation we have about a film weve enjoyed or exhibition weve disliked, we are engaging in acts of criticism. It is through our conversations that artworks live. The book opens with a dialogue between the author and an imaginary interviewer skeptical of criticisms value. Scott brings up the example of a mixed review he wrote in May 2012 about the action movie The Avengers, which was swiftly attacked by one of its stars, Samuel L. Jackson, who tweeted: AO Scott needs a new job! Lets help him find one! One he can ACTUALLY do! A tediously bilious Twitter storm blew up, which six months later Jackson returned to in an interview, arguing that The Avengers was not an intellectual exposition that you have to intellectualize in any way. Here, in the first few pages of the book, Scott lays out one of his most valuable arguments: that to subject a work of culture to intellectual scrutiny, be it appreciating the best and worst in anything from The Avengers to Finnegans Wake, is to take a stand against the tides of anti-intellectualism. Its the job of art to free our minds, writes Scott, and the task of criticism to figure out what to do with that freedom. That everyone is a critic means, or should mean, that we are each of us capable of thinking against our own prejudices, of balancing skepticism with open-mindedness and battling the intellectual inertia that surrounds us. A common assumption about criticism is that because it is dependent on the efforts of others, it cannot be regarded as an art form. Its a profession for failed artists jealous of the success of others. But Scott makes a compelling case for the critic as artist. He enlists examples such as celebrated poets John Ashbery, Charles Baudelaire, T.S. Eliot and Frank OHara, who wrote about painting and literature, and Philip Larkin, another accomplished poet, who also wrote on jazz. Theres composer Hector Berlioz, also a music critic, and the directors of the French New Wave who began their careers as writers for film journal Cahiers du Cinema: Claude Chabrol, Jean-Luc Godard, Eric Rohmer, Francois Truffaut. Criticism, Scott writes, is an art produced in reference to, and therefore in conflict with, other arts. Yet he also points out that this does not make all artworks in conflict with the act of criticism. Many are created in dialogue with art both old and new. Hip-hop, for instance, pioneered the use of the sample a form of musical conversation or homage. The movies of Quentin Tarantino and the Coen brothers often refer to cinema history. Shakespeare borrowed like crazy, cobbling scraps of Ovid, Holinshead, Latin comedy, comedy dellarte sketches, and medieval fairy tales into an imposing, profligate edifice that nearly every subsequent writer of English American, Irish, African, Caribbean, Indian would feel free to pillage. And what is John Keats Ode on a Grecian Urn if not a work of criticism about the experience of art? Scotts knowledge of American and European art and literature is deep, but if the above examples suggest that Scott is of the Dead White Males school of art appreciation, then youd be half-right. (The rather grand-sounding subtitle to the book How to Think About Art, Pleasure, Beauty, Truth sounds like the title of a Victorian treatise on aesthetics.) Yet Scott acknowledges the debates over who gets to play cultural gatekeeper, not shying away from addressing canonical blindspots and the prejudices of critics. (Each of us harbours an inner kindergarten teacher, dispensing smiles and gold stars and gentle reminders, and also an inner radio talk-show host, spewing mockery and venom.) Further, he handles his historical sources and evident erudition with lightness and humor, never condescending to the reader. Scott is ready with self-doubt (the chapter titles say it all: Self-Criticism, The Trouble with Critics, How to Be Wrong), and he writes well on the sometimes damaging effect that critics can have on artists, yet he remains steadfast in his defense of criticism. If Better Living Through Criticism occasionally comes off as defensive, a little trigger happy in anticipating the counter-arguments to his ideas, for the most part reading Scotts book is like watching the stiff-upper-lipped hero of a British 1940s thriller facing down his or her adversaries modest, brave and utterly unflappable. Id say thats a pretty good model for a critic. Fox is co-editor of frieze magazine and lives in New York. His book, Pretentiousness: Why It Matters, will be published by Coffee House Press in April. :: Better Living Through Criticism: How to Think About Art, Pleasure, Beauty, and Truth A.O. Scott Penguin Press: 288 pp., $28 The Nile, from its disputed source, runs for as many as 4,000 miles. In recorded history, no man has ever walked its full course and in April 2014 former British paratrooper Levison Wood set out to do just that. To some, the very idea seems archaic, Wood writes of his journey, and, in a world of Google Maps, where every valley and hillside has already been plotted, the traditional age of exploration is certainly gone. But exploration has always been about more than pure discovery or of being the first to do something. So what is it about a journey on foot? Humans walk; our ability to stand and move on hind legs is one of the ways we distinguish ourselves from other species. Walking allowed us to roam far and wide, and yet its an activity most of us do without thinking, for the simplest of tasks, like going to the refrigerator for ice cream. Advertisement Wood isnt interested in a kitchen. In the opening scene, hes in a busted-up room at the South Sudan hotel, in the capital of Juba as a battle rages. Hes walked here 1,000 miles from the south, and he intends to head an additional 3,000 miles, to the northern edge of Egypt. A more normal sort have encountered the outbreak of war and quit. Yet in just such a moment with bullets cracking and death apparently imminent Wood is an unflappable if not eloquent guide. During a lull in the fighting, he runs for food. We ate at a small Ethiopian restaurant, he writes dryly, but we didnt stay long. The looks we got from fellow diners all armed to the teeth were enough to drive us back to the relative safety of the hotel. Welcome to South Sudan, an official had told him, with a smile that spoke of a thousand things. Its not just people who are dangerous. In Uganda, the mangrove forests were so alive with fire ants and spiders that we were forced to wade out into the lake and skip around the swamp instead. Later, contemplating a swim just beyond the South Sudanese fishing village of Terekeka, Wood listens as one of the Mundari tribesmen who has just taught Wood how to wrestle and to cover his body with ash to discourage mosquitoes tells the Englishman that entering the river here is simply too dangerous. They are monsters, the man says, gesturing at beasts lurking out of sight. My brother was eaten by a crocodile, he continues. At eleven oclock this morning. Wood is often just as frank about terrain that is as endless as it is unyielding, with surprises and pitfalls that are as brutal as they are random. Haunting this book is the traumatic situation of Matthew Power, an American journalist (a distant acquaintance of this reviewer) and experienced outdoorsman who perished of apparent heatstroke while on assignment for a mens magazine to walk alongside Wood. Together we lurched across the plain, Wood writes of Powers final hours, finally entering the relative cool beneath the branches. But we had barely shed the sun when I saw Matt face down in the dirt. By the time I reached him, he was trying to pick himself up, only to crumble again. He looked at me, his eyes open wide, with something approaching bewilderment on his face. he had come to some moment of epiphany, a simple, chilling realization. Oh my God, he uttered, and I wish I could say it was in disbelief, Im going to die. "[T]here were no longer any words coming from his lips, he continues. Now he only made odd, whimpering noises noises that will remain with me through all of my years .Because of my expedition, he would never see home again. Its gripping stuff, shattering, almost, and real credit is due I think to Wood that the scene is captured so fully. But why do men and books like these are usually about men press themselves into such situations? Why did Matthew Power die so needlessly? Shouldnt Wood have quit immediately? As if in answer to these questions, not long after Powers death, Wood encounters a riverside refugee camp, where in a sea of tents theres a barber, tables set up for a tea shop, and an area women can have their hair braided. Life goes on, says a porter, who is paid money to make Woods walk possible. The Nile, we were seeing, brings life but it also takes it away, Wood writes. And yet: I was determined to follow the river, no matter what. There remain certain dilemmas of being a white man walking through Africa. Wood is fully aware of this, and Walking the Nile is littered with reflections about the monsters whove come before him: John Hanning Speke, Dr. Richard Kandt and various other Victorian-age explorers, who not only paid but also shot their ways through difficult terrain. If Wood defiles this terrain, he does so by not describing it as vibrantly as you might hope. You cant have it all. Wood aims for an accumulation of specific and grounded experiences, not some smear of images half-seen from a car window. Its not an abstraction in Rwanda, for instance, when Wood walks among people who two decades earlier were locked in a bloody civil war. He stops at a prison. Walls had crumbled, long grasses had grown up. Piece by piece, the stone was returning to the earth. Another twenty years, I thought, and it would be gone, not even the bullet holes in the walls to remind us what had happened here. Maybe the simplest task we can expect of those who write books about walking is that they see and share what we might otherwise never have seen, or may soon lose forever. In this, Wood succeeds. And he has some encounters worth savoring. North of Khartoum, at one dusty little shanty, a shopkeeper within ten minutes offers Wood land, to build him a house, and to find him a wife. Another threatens to divorce his wife if the travelers dont stay for lunch. Collecting these stories let alone doing so beautifully requires a variety of lucky skills. Wood emerges as a dutiful and brave guide, but one who might have been more poetic or speculative in his prose. Never as delightful as Bill Bryson or as dazzling as Geoff Dyer, missing the higher powers of observation or self-awareness found in the works of Helen Macdonald and Gretel Ehrlich, Wood has more in keeping with the sober writing of Rory Stewart, who later became a parliamentarian. The great mountain climber George Mallory whom Wood of course quotes said one summits Everest because its there. Wood and long walkers of his ilk do something similar if less grand: Out of a kind of age-old honor, they invent a task and risk a great deal and aim to finish what they have started, so they can tell us what happened. It was real sadness that was touching me now, Wood concludes in the final pages. There was nowhere left to walk. Deuel is the author of Friday Was the Bomb: Five Years in the Middle East. He teaches writing at UCLA and Mount St. Marys University. :: Walking the Nile Levison Wood Atlantic Monthly Press: 352 pp., $26 Unlike his predecessor Steve Jobs, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook has never shied away from taking a political and social stand. He was the first head of a Fortune 500 company to come out as gay. He pledged to one day donate his personal fortune to charity, and he talks passionately about the importance of social justice, diversity and the environment. But its his hard-line stance on privacy that could define his legacy at Apple and set the tone for the way big corporations deal with big government at a time when so much of our lives unfold on the devices we use every day. Advertisement How far Cook is willing to take the fight is being tested on a national level now. He ramped up the debate Wednesday when he publicly and vehemently opposed a federal judges order to provide access to encrypted data on an iPhone belonging to the terrorist couple who killed 14 people in San Bernardino last year. Challenging the order pits the worlds most formidable tech giant against its most powerful government and puts Cook in the hot seat as the voice of Silicon Valley on a long-contentious issue. This is an American company fighting an order from an American court, said Chenxi Wang, chief strategy officer at Twistlock, a computer and network security firm. This will absolutely have a ripple effect. Apple is now viewed as the flag bearer for protecting citizen data, and if they succeed, there will be a flood of other companies following suit. But Cook has chosen a difficult case on which to stake his position. Although he has been clear that Apple makes no exceptions in handing over customer data, thwarting the FBI means withholding potentially valuable information that could aid investigation of the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11. Apple is now viewed as the flag bearer for protecting citizen data, and if they succeed, there will be a flood of other companies following suit. Chenxi Wang, chief strategy officer, Twistlock But the typically mild-mannered Cook, 55, has portrayed the issue as a fundamental human right. I dont need to know what time you go to bed at night; I dont want to read your emails; I dont want to read your texts, he said at a Laguna Beach tech conference in October. Thats one of our values as a company. As one of the most valuable companies in the world, Apple is far from altruistic its products are used by millions of people, and the company is thus the gatekeeper to an enormous trove of personal information and cynics have scoffed when Cook has said he has no interest in customers habits when they use his companys mobile devices, computers and online services. Theres also a strong business incentive to keeping the government out of its products: Being seen as bending over backward for authorities risks alienating customers. Cooks resistance, in the form of a sharply worded letter to customers, comes at a time when Washington and Silicon Valley are nearing a boiling point over privacy. Last month, the White House sent its top national security advisors to meet with leaders of Apple, Facebook and Alphabet (Googles parent company) to demand more cooperation with law enforcement. The tech industry, which is still trying to build the political might to match its profits, has been loath to comply, saying a so-called back door into personal data represents a slippery slope. But many tech executives have been reluctant to speak out the way Cook has. Some havent wanted to publicly wade into the heated issue or appear to be sympathetic toward terrorist activity. And most tech companies benefit from mining customer data or handing it over to advertisers to sell them even more products. Other tech companies have been soft in their stance and quieter, said Jan Dawson, chief analyst at Jackdaw Research. Theyre somewhat conflicted. So time and again, Cook has been at the forefront of the message. As he has settled into his role atop the Cupertino, Calif., tech company, he is increasingly using his clout and global platform to trumpet his views. Apple maintains a dedicated Web page for its privacy stance, which includes a letter from Cook in which he says: I want to be absolutely clear that we have never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor in any of our products or services. We have also never allowed access to our servers. And we never will. His comments Wednesday received some support from other tech leaders. Jan Koum, co-founder of mobile app WhatsApp, said on Facebook that he couldnt agree more with everything Cook said. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> I have always admired Tim Cook for his stance on privacy and Apples efforts to protect user data, Koum wrote. We must not allow this dangerous precedent to be set. Today our freedom and our liberty is at stake. And late Wednesday afternoon, Google CEO Sundar Pichai offered his take, praising Cook for his important post. We give law enforcement access to data based on valid legal orders, Pichai wrote. But thats wholly different than requiring companies to enable hacking of customer devices & data. Could be a troubling precedent. Cook also has his supporters within an increasingly tech savvy populace that doesnt seem to mind sharing data with Apple. To them, the executive holds the moral high ground in a post-Edward Snowden age in which government surveillance is seen as overreaching. A Pew Research poll last year found 54% of Americans disapprove of the U.S. governments collection of telephone and Internet data to help fight terrorism. Moreover, 62% of people polled outside the U.S. also oppose U.S. monitoring of American citizens an important distinction for Apple, which garners 60% of its revenue from overseas markets and has double-downed on China for growth. In the U.S., digital rights group Fight for the Future is calling for nationwide protests outside Apple stores Tuesday to stop the federal government from seeking private data. Governments have been frothing at the mouth hoping for an opportunity to pressure companies like Apple into building back doors into their products to enable more sweeping surveillance, said Evan Greer, Fight for the Futures campaign director. " If the FBI succeeds in forcing Apple to help them hack into an iPhone, it will open the floodgates and set a dangerous precedent that will inevitably lead to more suffering and loss of life. Deirdre Mulligan, an associate professor of law in the UC Berkeley School of Information, called Cooks stance Wednesday a big, bold statement about the extent to which the company will go to protect customers privacy, as well as its thoughts on how privacy and law enforcement needs should be discussed on a public stage. This is a really important moment in corporate leadership, she said. Its certainly one of the things hell be remembered for. david.pierson@latimes.com | Twitter: @dhpierson samantha.masunaga@latimes.com | Twitter: @smasunaga Times staff writer Tracey Lien in San Francisco contributed to this report. MORE ON THE APPLE VS. THE FBI How a passcode has foiled the FBI The FBI wants Apple to pry into your iPhone Apple CEO says helping FBI hack into terrorists iPhone would be too dangerous Yahoo might be going through turbulent times, but signs of trouble were momentarily cast aside Thursday when executive Simon Khalaf took the stage at the companys Mobile Developer Conference to harp about the upcoming mobile revolution. The specifics? Phablets driving the next hardware refresh and a maturing mobile market supporting more native mobile content. Toward the end of 2016, were going to see the beginning of mobile 2.0, and that will create another seven years of insane growth, said Khalaf, Yahoos senior vice president of publishing products. Advertisement SIGN UP for the free California Inc. business newsletter >> If you look at the content youre consuming on a mobile device, most of it has been made for a desktop, television or print, but its been shrunk for mobile, he continued. Thats not going to last. A new mobile revolution [will have content] made on a mobile device to be consumed on a mobile device. Yahoo Chief Executive Marissa Mayer kicked off the conference at San Franciscos Masonic Center with a keynote address in front of several hundred developers. Mayer stayed mum on her stance on the encryption fight between Apple and the FBI, instead devoting her time to discussing Yahoos foray into mobile engagement and native advertising. How Yahoo plans to make gains on the native mobile content side remains to be seen. The Sunnyvale, Calif., company recently announced it was reducing its workforce by 15% and shuttering seven of its digital magazines, including those dedicated to food, travel, health and parenting topics. Khalaf indicated that Yahoo is positioning itself to reap the windfall of this next growth period, saying that 2016 is the year of pause and reflection while it figures out how to jump on that bandwagon. Twitter: @traceylien See the most-read stories this hour >> ALSO Tim Cooks stance on privacy could define his Apple legacy Stocks slip, ending a three-day rally; Wal-Mart sinks retailers Tired of renting a cable set-top box? The FCC is looking for alternatives Artists disappear for riveting, often tragic reasons. Alcoholism, drugs, psychotic breaks, agoraphobia or simply being irascible characters at odds with the world, have all caused up-and-coming artists of great promise to fall through the cracks of art history, says Peter Hastings Falk, founder of Rediscovered Masters, which specializes in resurfacing these talents for modern posterity. Falks most recent rediscovery is the late Spanish artist Gil Cuatrecasas, who was a leading light of the Washington Color School in the mid-1960s before moving back to Spain and all but disappearing after his first solo show at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. After Cuatrecasas death in 2004, his brother, Pedro Cuatrecasas, discovered 400 of the prolific painters massive canvases languishing in a D.C. storage unit. See more of Entertainments top stories on Facebook >> Advertisement Pedro spent the next decade trying to persuade museum curators of Gils worth and had all but given up when he ran across a 2013 newspaper article about Falk championing the overlooked work of Armenian American artist Arthur Pinajian. Pinajians canvases, which some compare to those of Gaugin and Cezanne, were almost deposited in a town dump. Falk was intrigued by Gils work, and after having his opinion reaffirmed by his advisory team of more than a dozen art experts from around the country, including UC Berkeley professor emeritus of art history Peter Selz, Falk took on Gils case. Two years and much research later, the exhibit Rediscovered Masters: The Cuatrecasas Discovery is on display at the CB1-G gallery in downtown Los Angeles through Feb. 27. The show consists of canvases Gil created between 1970 and 1976 while living in his aunts villa in Turin, Italy. The brightly colored abstract paintings shimmer with layers of paint applied using a variety of complex techniques including decalcomania, in which organic patterns are transferred from paper to canvas. Their existence, as well as the art worlds resistance to recognizing their importance, raises compelling questions about how value is determined. Rediscovered Masters director Janna Avner refers to this phenomenon as the pathological myopia of the art world. If an artist cant be Googled, does he matter? If an artist creates in a void, can he be considered a genius? Early in Pedros quest he summoned five appraisers from D.C. to look at Gils work. They all said they couldnt find information on Gil. He wasnt in the biographical dictionaries, or in art auction records, so they deemed him a nobody, Falk says. In the end, the appraisers decided Gils work was of decorative value, only about $300 per canvas. If they dont have the security of seeing it registered in print from different sources, they shy away from it because suddenly they lack vision, Falk says. They cant see the value if they havent already seen it listed. Part of Rediscovered Masters mission is to raise the value of an artists work along with his or her profile. Gils canvases in a gallery but not a major museum currently sell for $50,000 to $100,000. Rediscovered Masters takes an undisclosed cut of that in exchange for its role as curator and manager. If the artist gains recognition and an institutional show follows, that value is expected to rise. I want to shake up museum curators to think outside the box -- to hold something up to the world and say, Look what youve missed all this time! Peter Hastings Falk, founder of Rediscovered Masters Falk is the founding editor of the art market website ArtNet.com and author of Who Was Who in American Art. He officially branded Rediscovered Masters in 2013, but since 1976 he has been passionate about the discovery and management of artist estate collections and the collections of late-career artists. He says he often feels like the hot-tempered newsman played by Peter Finch in the Sidney Lumet film Network. Im mad as hell and Im not going to take it anymore, he says, sitting with Pedro, Pedros wife, Carol, and Avner inside CB1-G gallery. I want to shake up museum curators to think outside the box to hold something up to the world and say, Look what youve missed all this time! Like most details of Gils reclusive life, the existence of the Turin paintings was a total surprise. But there they were rolled up in batches of two to six canvases that weighed up to 100 pounds per roll. Some canvases measured 18 feet long, and none had been displayed in the United States. Most exciting of all, they featured a style and technique that is unusual, Falk says. Im a scientist who has made discoveries and I know the flush of epinephrine, recalls Pedro in his thick Spanish accent. You turn red and you shake a little bit. We were just floored flabbergasted. By the third roll, we were breathing hard because every painting was different than what he had done before. The work that got Gil noticed in the 60s after being a graduate student of famed color theorist Josef Albers at Yale University School of Art, was good but not necessarily better aesthetically from his peers including Gene Davis, Thomas Downing, Sam Gilliam, Kenneth Noland and Morris Louis. Not until Gil retreated to Spain and eventually to Turin did he uncover his true gifts, Falk says. No one has ever painted like this, he says. I challenge any art historian to come in here and actually describe how these paintings were done. Gil cared only about painting, however, Pedro says, recalling that his older brother couldnt be bothered with self-promotion, financial details or the socializing that went with those pursuits. Petro Cuatrecasas, left, and Peter Hastings at CB1-G gallery in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) Falk and Avner had pictures from Gils studio enlarged so they could glean the titles of the books on his shelf in order to get a better grasp on what made him tick. He was reading a lot of Eastern and German philosophers and psychology books. His older sister said he was best suited for life in a monastery, and Pedro pointed out that he had a problem with dependency. He painted well as long as he had someone to take care of him. He didnt want to bother with jobs or making money, Pedro says. Someone was always taking care of him. First our parents and later our aunt. A lifelong smoker, Gil also developed a dependency on alcohol, which he kicked only to contract tuberculosis. A pamphlet that Pedro discovered among Gils possessions cataloged 15 solo shows between 1965 and 1978; the artist was part of nine group shows, including one in 1965 at the Museum of Modern Art in Buenos Aires. Gil had strong ties to South America. After his family escaped Francos Spain in 1939, they settled in Colombia, where his botanist father studied a rare species of plant that exists only at about 15,000 feet high in the northern end of Andes mountain range. The family relocated to the United States when Gil was 12, and in the 60s Gil created a series of pen-and-ink botanical illustrations for his fathers publications. At least 500 of those drawings are housed by the Smithsonian Institution. But it was the show-that-wasnt that finally crushed Gils spirit enough to make him give up his lifes passion, Falk and Pedro say. In 1975, James Harithas, the director of Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, invited Gil to stage a solo exhibition. He was deeply moved by the paintings Gil had completed in Turin. It was to be Gils triumphant return to the United States, and Harithas had grand plans for the show to tour. Then, two weeks before the exhibition was scheduled to open, Houston was hit with a tropical storm that caused one of the worst floods in the citys history. Eight people were killed and as many feet of water rushed into the museums basement, destroying 200 of Gils canvases and 400 of his drawings. Other artists who lost work included Albers, Max Ernst and Norman Bluhm. It was the show of a lifetime, and Im certain it would have catapulted his name into today, says Falk. Instead a despondent Gil retreated to Spain. Encouraged by his aunt, he staged one final solo show in 1979 at the Galeria Syra in Antoni Gaudi's famed Casa Batllo in Barcelona. He left the opening before it was over, and despite a glowing critical reception, returned only to retrieve the work when it was taken down. Gils remaining vitality was spent in 1996 sitting vigil at his beloved aunts bedside while she slowly died of bladder cancer. In 2004 prostate cancer would claim his life, and Pedro would take up the flag of his artistic resurrection. Pedro still laments how he missed discovering the impressive scope of his brothers talent. It was 1972 and Pedro was part of the medical faculty at Johns Hopkins University. Gil wrote to him to say that he was shipping some paintings to Baltimore and asked if Pedro would arrange to have them sent to D.C. Pedro said sure, and then had his secretary take care of the rest. He was at the peak of career, doing important research, and he couldnt be bothered with the details. Twitter: @jessicagelt ------------ Rediscovered Masters: The Cuatrecasas Discovery Where: CB1-G gallery, 1923 S. Santa Fe Ave., L.A. When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturdays or by appointment. Ends March 5 Info: (213) 806-7889, www.cb1gallery.com Before Peak TV and binge-viewing, before live tweeting and streaming sites, there was a long-running series that found one of its highest-rated episodes in the story of a 4-year-old girl who set the class bird free, then suffered bruised emotions after her pipsqueak preschool classmates got upset with her. That show was Full House. The ABC family sitcom, about widower Danny Tanner raising his daughters with the help of brother-in-law Jesse and best friend Joey, was the embodiment of wholesome, cheesy and squeaky clean TV during its eight-season run from 1987 to 1995. See more of Entertainments top stories on Facebook >> Advertisement Not exactly attributes one might associate with Netflixs roster of high-profile, original programming. But thats exactly why Netflix is revisiting the series. The streaming giant, which has established its presence in the TV world with decidedly unwholesome shows such as House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black, is attempting to diversify its slate of scripted original series to include family-friendly programs. The result is Fuller House, a 13-episode spinoff launching Feb. 26 that inverts the formula of the original. In the updated version, Candace Cameron Bures character, D.J. Tanner, is recently widowed. Her younger sister and aspiring musician Stephanie Tanner (Jodie Sweetin) and her childhood best friend, Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber), along with Gibblers feisty teenage daughter, Ramona, move in to help D.J. raise her three sons rebellious 12-year-old Jackson (Michael Campion), neurotic 7-year-old Max (Elias Harger) and her months-old baby, Tommy (played by twins Fox and Dashiell Messitt). The series, once again backed by Warner Bros. and production companies under its banner, is helmed by original Full House creator Jeff Franklin. Franklin will serve as an executive producer of the series, along with returning producers Robert L. Boyett and Thomas L. Miller. John Stamos, who played bad-boy heartthrob Uncle Jesse on the original, is a producer on the series. We all have such great memories, great experiences from doing the first show, said Bure, seated alongside Sweetin and Barber, during a recent sit-down. Weve all embraced Full House. It really made us who we are, and it was a wonderful growing-up experience. Knowing Jeff and Bob were going to run the show again, we knew we were in good hands. There was no hesitation at all. I think were as excited as some of the fans are, Sweetin added. Seems unlikely, dude. When Stamos broke the ultimate #tbt news last April on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that a revival was underway at Netflix, the Twitter squeals from fans rivaled the number of hugs logged in during the original series 192 episodes. The shows first trailer, which was essentially just cut-aways of the set against a Miranda Lambert song, has notched more than 14 million views on YouTube since its December release. And the excitement isnt limited to viewers who watched it during its first run. Since the show went off the air in 1995, the sitcom has lived on virtually nonstop in syndication. Nick at Nite airs hours of the half-hour program seven days a week, while TBS runs back-to-back episodes on Saturday mornings. Its insane to me, Franklin said. If I had known back then that people were going to be watching it for the rest of my life, I would have fixed a few more of those jokes. The fact that new generations are discovering it and falling in love with it over and over and they dont care that everybody has a mullet, they dont get half the jokes and why is Paula Abduls picture on the bedroom wall. I mean, theres a lot of it that cant possibly register anymore. And yet people love the show. So it just speaks to the magic that cast had. And which of those old familiar friends would be waiting just around the bend was of high importance for fans tracking news of the revival. A nearly full-fledged reunion unfolds in the first episode, with Stamos, Bob Saget (Danny Tanner), Dave Coulier (Joey) and Lori Loughlin (Aunt Becky) all reprising their roles. (They each appear sporadically in subsequent episodes.) There were a lot of chills going on through the whole thing, Saget said of the experience."I dont have that much hair on the back of my neck, but whatever hair I do have left stood up. I never thought thered actually come a point where this would be a reality. Stamos, who headlines Foxs Grandfathered, is just happy gravity has been kind to the cast. Thank God, whatever happened, we all drank a special potion that we dont look that much older, he said. I say were sort of like the Star Wars of sitcoms, but our cast aged better. No offense, but I think we did. Of course, noticeably absent are Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who alternately played Americas favorite little sister and catchphrase tyke Michelle Tanner. The show addressed Michelles whereabouts by saying shes busy being a fashion designer in New York City a wink to the Olsen twins real-life careers. Last we saw the Tanners and company, D.J., dressed in a slinky gold gown, was about to head off to the prom with her former flame, Steve (Scott Weinger, who also reprises his role in the spinoff), and Michelle had just regained her memory after temporarily losing it after a horse-riding accident. Of course, it closed out with a heartfelt note of getting through things as a family and, naturally, there was hugging. The ending of the popular sitcom, which had become a pillar of ABCs #TGIF programming block, had come as a surprise to the cast and producers. For years, it was ABCs star player, routinely ranking among televisions top 20 prime-time shows its 1991-92 season averaged 24 million viewers, outpacing Cheers 23.7 million in that same period, according to Nielsen. Despite solid ratings in its final year, with 17 million viewers, Full House had become one of the industrys most expensive sitcoms to produce because of escalating producer fees and cast salaries. The $1.3-millon budget per episode was easily double the average of most sitcoms at the time ultimately contributing to the decision to end it. With no time to write a series finale, the shows season finale served as its farewell. Warner Bros. discussed moving the sitcom to its new WB network, but that didnt pan out. Two decades later, nostalgia has become fashionable. Lifetime network has tried to tap into viewer loyalty with made-for-TV movies that offer so-called behind-the-scenes looks at series such as Saved by the Bell, Beverly Hills, 90210" and, last summer, Full House It was so bad that I couldnt stop watching it, Coulier said. And long-dead shows, such as Twin Peaks and The X-Files, are being resurrected from the dead some with help from Netflix. 1 / 8 Full House: Then and now (ABC; Chris Delmas / AFP / Getty Images) 2 / 8 Bob Saget played Danny Tanner. (ABC ; Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) 3 / 8 John Stamos played Jesse Katsopolis. (ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images ; Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) 4 / 8 Dave Coulier played Joey Gladstone. (ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images; Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) 5 / 8 Lori Loughlin played Rebecca Katsopolis. (ABC; Chris Delmas / AFP / Getty Images) 6 / 8 Jodie Sweetin played Stephanie Tanner. (ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images; Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) 7 / 8 Mary-Kate (in white) and Ashley Olsen played Michelle Tanner. (ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images ; Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 8 Candace Cameron-Bure played D.J. Tanner. (ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images ; Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) The streaming service famously revived a fourth season of Arrested Development, the Fox comedy, in May 2013. And Netflix once again had Twitter in a frenzy when it announced this month that a revival of CW drama Gilmore Girls was in the works. And although it seems like the reboot to Full House came out of nowhere and took advantage of the nostalgia trend taking over Hollywood, the idea has been in gestation for years, Franklin insisted. Franklin and Stamos, who serve as executive producer and producer, respectively, on Fuller House, kicked around the idea over lunch in 2007. The producers and the studio had been in talks with broadcast networks, but things fell apart; Boyett cites a reluctance by some networks to jump back into the multi-camera format as one of the reasons. That it would ultimately find a home in Netflix makes sense. The two-hour block of Full House reruns on Nick at Nite brings in 1 million viewers in prime time, and viewership is up nearly 20% with adults ages 18-34 over the same period last year an indication to Netflix that people are not only watching but that theyre also binge-watching it. It works on a lot of different levels, Boyett said. Its very difficult to get an audience these days. A lot of people buying shows like the idea that theres a built-in audience and a familiarity with the concept. It makes it easier for a show to get sampled. A lot of shows come back that have a title that means something or an actor that means something to people. Its just so competitive right now that any kind of a leg up helps. Then theres the bonus that Full House is a global powerhouse that has been licensed in 176 countries over the last two decades welcome news for a streaming service with a global focus. The global appeal of Full House is incredible, Neflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said at last months Television Critics Assn. press tour. People grew up on this show in India, in Dubai, in Brazil, in France, in Germany and Korea. And they still love it. The idea that they can experience Fuller House at the exact same moment as everyone else in the world will be amazing for them. But with a generation of sophisticated and savvy young viewers, producers realize its not as simple as re-creating the 80s family sitcom. Talk had gone around about maybe having the girls live out of an apartment as a way of making it fresh. But Stamos said he was adamant about keeping them in the house because its such a character of the show. And while its been modernized to an extent, with nods to technology used by kids and such, as Stamos said, for better or worse, its the same show. I tried to fight some of it, Stamos said. I was like, Theres one too many hugs in this episode. We dont need to hug again every time I come in a scene or out of scene. We get it with the hugs. And then I lost. If you see the first episode, theres a lot of hugging. ALSO: LACMA gets gravity-defying John Lautner-designed home featured in The Big Lebowski Kanye Wests SNL tirade: Is it a 50% more influential moment, or just a tantrum on tape? Donald and Kiefer Sutherland finally play father and son in western Forsaken Sadly, I missed the community meeting starring Erin Brockovich, who blew into town this month to inform the citizenry that its officials are too cheap and lazy to provide safe drinking water. I watched a video of the gathering instead and came away marveling at both the opportunism of the traveling eco-circus that is the Brockovich Show and the chutzpah of the citys mayor, who approved the current water-treatment scheme but is now posing as a hero for raising questions about its safety. Stockton is perhaps the most misunderstood big city in California. It sits on the delta, an hour south of Sacramento, home to about 300,000. Its deep-water port, well inland, is the third-largest in the state, after Los Angeles and Long Beach. Advertisement Join the conversation on Facebook >> In June 2012, Stockton became the largest American city to declare bankruptcy. The city slashed its police, fire and city workforce. Retirees lost their health insurance. The crime rate soared. There was a feeling the lids come off, Stockton Record columnist Michael Fitzgerald said. Anarchy, really, running like quicksilver through the streets. The depths of hell, said Kurt Wilson, the city manager. Today, the city is climbing out. Crime is down. The budget has a 20% surplus. The last thing Stockton needs is a ginned-up controversy about the safety of its water supply. :: For me, the low point of the town hall meeting came during a long presentation by Brockovich associate Bob Bowcock, a water treatment engineer. Others onstage got 10 minutes to talk about the water supply, including a vice mayor who defended the citys system. Bowcock took 45 minutes to lay out his alarmist case. He told the 1,200 or so concerned citizens that a common disinfectant the city recently began using in its water supply, chloramine, causes a terrifying list of human ailments: skin rashes; dry, scaly skin; erupting, oozing skin; swollen ears; extreme fatigue; hacking coughs; sneezing; nasal congestion; itchy, burning and swollen eyes; peeling fingernails; stomachaches. I started to get a little itchy, a little oozy. You see, the L.A. water supply is disinfected with chloramine. How relieved I felt when Bowcock admitted his list was anecdotal. There are no scientific studies that prove any of this, he said. There just arent. But you know what causes you harm. Please. I give you the ludicrous debate over childhood vaccines to prove how wrong he is. Chloramine is a common disinfectant, often replacing chlorine, which is less effective and tastes like swimming pool. According to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, more than 50 million Americans have drunk water with chloramine for decades. The creatures who have the most to fear from it are not Stocktonians, but goldfish. (Contact your aquarium or pond supply professional for the best methods to remove chloramine, advises the DWP website.) So why did Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva invite the most famous, and famously alarmist, eco-warrior to town to whip up fears about the drinking supply at a moment when the Flint water crisis has raised the public temperature about public officials and water safety? There are theories. And they are not flattering to Silva, a former Boys & Girls Club of Stockton CEO who is up for reelection this year. This was a political event, said Wilson, the city manager. Brockovich didnt bring any scientific information, said City Councilman Elbert Holman, who attended. She just stirred up anti-government sentiment. Not so, says Brockovich. I came not because I am some troublemaker, she told the crowd. I have heard from the people of Stockton and their great concern for what is happening to their water. (I give her credit for urging citizens to get more involved. But thats about it.) Silvas campaign manager and spokesman, Allen Sawyer, told me he organized the meeting and dismissed the idea that it was politically motivated. The mayors most relentless antagonist, Fitzgerald, of the Record, was dismissive. It was all about politics, said Fitzgerald, who toyed with the idea of leading a recall effort against Silva shortly after he took office in 2013. The mayor is a completely empty suit, he said. A knucklehead. Silva said in an email that he was unavailable to talk because hes in the Philippines on a Sister City trip. But Sawyer was game. Two days before the mayor was elected, that columnist said Anthony Silva will be elected when pigs fly, he said. Silva got 60% of the vote. Well. As we have seen in our presidential nominating contest, you can be a knucklehead and still win elections. Since he assumed office, Silva has been agitating against Stocktons form of government, where the city manager, guided by the wisdom of the elected officials, runs the place. The city manager meets each week, individually, with council members to keep them abreast of city business. This really annoys the mayor, who is forbidden by state sunshine laws from meeting privately with council members. The city manager, Sawyer said, has complete control over the direction of our city. He is unelected. I noted that the citys elected officials hired the manager. Its very frustrating, Sawyer said. The mayor is attacked that he isnt doing anything, and then he is not empowered to do anything. Silva, who has a history of minor legal scrapes, has talked about introducing a ballot measure to give the mayor more power and weaken the city manager. A similar measure, introduced by the last mayor of Sacramento, went nowhere amid accusations it would make him the Emperor of Sacramento. The Sultan of Stockton? Has a nice ring to it. But its not exactly in tune with Brockovichs Power to the people refrain. robin.abcarian@latimes.com Twitter: @AbcarianLAT MORE FROM ROBIN ABCARIAN Barren a year ago, a snowpack station comes up deep and dense Gloria Steinem and Madeleine Albright: You are not helping Hillary Clinton How prostitution is modern-day slavery, and what law enforcement is doing to stop it Setting up a pitched battle between Silicon Valley and the counter-terrorism community, Apples chief executive said Wednesday that his company would fight a court order demanding the tech giants help in the San Bernardino attack investigation, turning what had been a philosophical dispute into a legal skirmish that could have major ramifications for the tech industry. Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook said that the FBI request that the company develop software to hack into one of its own devices, an iPhone 5c, used by gunman Syed Rizwan Farook, would set a dangerous precedent that could compromise security for billions of customers. The government, Cook contends, is asking Apple to create a backdoor to its own security systems. ------------ Advertisement FOR THE RECORD An earlier version of this post incorrectly said that the All Writs Act of 1789 is a rarely used law. ------------ Up to this point, we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help them, Cook wrote in a letter published on the companys website. But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. FULL COVERAGE: Terror attack in San Bernardino >> The company will file an opposition to the court order, which was handed down in Riverside on Tuesday. The court order marks the first time Apple has been asked to modify its software to access data sought by the government, according to an industry executive familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Dec. 2 San Bernardino terrorist attack killed 14 people. Investigators said unlocking the phone could provide valuable information about the terror plot and whether Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, received help from anyone else. Chenxi Wang, chief strategy officer at the network security firm Twistlock, said the court battle would be a seminal moment in balancing privacy and civil liberty against government data access. If Apple succeeds in fighting the court order, it will set up a high barrier for the FBI and the other government groups to access citizen data from now on, Wang said. This will absolutely have a ripple effect. Apple is now viewed as the flag bearer for protecting citizen data, and if they succeed, there will be a flood of other companies following suit. Tensions between tech magnates and Washington, D.C., have been high since the 2013 Edward Snowden leaks revealed a massive domestic spying network that left millions concerned about communications privacy. Apple also changed the way it manages phone encryption in 2014, making it nearly impossible for forensic investigators to sidestep its pass-code system. Previously, investigators could tap into a devices hardware port to access encrypted data, according to Clifford Neuman, director of USCs Center for Computer System Security. The pass-code system is the key issue blocking federal investigators from gaining access to the data hidden on the phone used by Farook. Investigators want to unlock the phone by using a computer program to automatically guess numeric pass codes until one works, according to a court filing. But they say they require special access from Apple to attempt that on the phone without erasing data or getting bogged down in a long process. Investigators say a feature is probably enabled that would immediately and permanently destroy encrypted data in the event of 10 consecutive failed log-in attempts. Join the conversation on Facebook >> In the government motion, the FBI argued that Farook intentionally disabled the phones iCloud backup function six weeks before the Dec. 2 terror attack at the Inland Regional Center. Any communications linked to the shooting, as well as location data that might help the FBI map the movements of Farook and his wife before and after the attack, are accessible only through the phone itself, the government said. Investigators were able to retrieve some data from previous iCloud backups, and companies like Apple normally comply with requests to retrieve cloud data because they do not involve giving the government access to company servers or altering software, Neuman said. The San Bernardino County Department of Health, which employed Farook, actually owned the device and gave the FBI consent to search it, according to court filings. The court order handed down Tuesday would require Apple to provide the FBI with a recovery bundle or file that would reboot Farooks device while disabling the auto-erase feature. That would allow the FBI to repeatedly enter pass codes remotely without risk of destroying the data on the phone. Robert Cattanach, a cybersecurity attorney and former Department of Justice special counsel to the secretary of the Navy, said the governments request leaves Apple in a difficult position as the company is thrust into the center of the battle to balance privacy needs against counter-terrorism efforts. The FBIs request ... represents the next step in the journey to find the Holy Grail of backdoor unencryption, and the next salvo in the ever-escalating battle between law enforcement and tech companies, Cattanach said. In seeking this weeks court order, the U.S. attorneys office cited the All Writs Act of 1789, which allows judges to issue orders they deem necessary and appropriate. Apples argument that the government is overreaching has met favorable reception in at least one court. Late last year, a U.S. magistrate in Brooklyn, N.Y., halted a government request to obtain a suspects iPhone data in a drug conspiracy case, saying that the All Writs Acts might not provide enough legal foundation for such an order. The Brooklyn magistrate hasnt issued a final order, but Apple told the court in a filing last week that it would like a decision because it has been advised that the government intends to continue to invoke the All Writs Act ... to require Apple to assist in bypassing the security of other Apple devices in the governments possession. Apple drew support from civil liberties advocates, who fear that totalitarian governments such as China will demand the company use a similar tool to open phones of opposition leaders and human rights activists. If the FBI can force Apple to hack into its customers devices, then so too can every repressive regime in the rest of the world, ACLU staff attorney Alex Abdo said in a statement. Apple says it will fight a federal magistrates order to help the FBI hack into an encrypted iPhone used by Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the San Bernardino shooters. The company says that such a move could potentially undermine encryption for millions Apples objection to the FBIs request may increase calls for a federal law that requires tech companies to design products that law enforcement officials can access with a search warrant. Earlier this year, a California legislator proposed a similar measure that would require all cellphones produced and sold in the state to have the capacity to be unlocked by law enforcement. Any push for legislation would face stiff resistance from privacy advocates and technology companies, which say they are building products with encryption to protect users privacy and data from hackers, and because customers want it. Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >> The Obama administration, which has increasingly reached out to Silicon Valley over the last year, has not asked Congress to intervene in the hope that tech company executives would find a way to comply with search warrants while still protecting customers privacy. In the governments motion, the FBI asked Apple to create a software package designed to function only on Farooks phone. But Cook said in his letter that he was concerned about the potential for abuse. While the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control, he wrote. Presidential candidates began weighing in on the issue Wednesday morning. GOP front-runner Donald Trump said he was floored that Apple had not volunteered to aid the FBI. Who do they think they are? he asked on Fox News. Speaking to reporters in South Carolina, Sen. Marco Rubio said he hoped the tech giant would voluntarily comply with the governments request, but acknowledged the court order is far from a simple issue. In San Bernardino, locals reacted to news of Apples refusal with mixed emotions. Some expressed concern about government overreach. But others sympathized with the FBI. Aaron Winchester of Menifee, who wore an Apple Watch and carried an iPhone 6S Plus, said he bought the products because he felt they were more secure and less prone to being hacked. Even so, he wants Apple to help law enforcement access the information on Farooks phone. When it comes to terrorism, he said, if theres information they can get that will help prevent future crimes, thats in the best interest of everyone. tracey.lien@latimes.com | Twitter: @traceylien brian.bennett@latimes.com | Twitter: @ByBrianBennett paresh.dave@latimes.com | Twitter: @peard33 james.queally@latimes.com |Twitter: @JamesQueallyLAT Lien reported from San Francisco, Bennett from Washington, D.C., and Dave and Queally from Los Angeles. Times staff writers Richard Winton and Joel Rubin in Los Angeles and Paloma Esquivel in San Bernardino contributed to this report. MORE ON THE APPLE VS. THE FBI How a passcode has foiled the FBI The FBI wants Apple to pry into your iPhone In San Bernardino, where terrorists struck, residents debate FBI vs. Apple Los Angeles Countys chief medical examiner detailed gruesome wounds suffered by victims of the so-called Grim Sleeper serial killer, as testimony continued Wednesday in the trial of a former police garage attendant accused of the slayings. Coroner Mark Fajardo described to jurors in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom the autopsy reports of eight of the ten women, beginning with Debra Jackson, a 29-year-old waitress who was discovered in 1985 shot in the chest in an alley and is believed to be the serial killers first victim. Lonnie Franklin Jr. faces 10 counts of murder in the killings of nine women and a 15-year-old girl spanning more than 20 years. He also faces one count of attempted murder. Advertisement Franklin, 63, has pleaded not guilty. Fajardo was called to testify about his review of autopsies conducted by medical examiners who have since died or are unable to testify. Guided by Deputy Dist. Atty. Beth Silverman through decades-old documents, Fajardo testified that seven of the victims died from gunshot wounds to their chest, one was strangled, and another suffered both strangulation and gunshot wounds. Fajardo also testified that the trajectory of the bullets was consistent with the victims sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle, while their assailant sat in the drivers seat. That is the method Silverman has alleged Franklin used in the killings. Before discussing the autopsy of 18-year-old Alicia Alexander, Silverman warned the victims mother and father. The parents walked out of the courtroom before the grisly photos of their daughter on a coroners table were displayed in court. On Tuesday, the jury heard testimony from two other forensic pathologists, who detailed autopsies they conducted on 15-year-old Princess Berthomieux and Janecia Peters, 25, who was found inside a trash bag in a Dumpster. Former LAPD Det. Dennis Kilcoyne, who testified on Tuesday, said it was Peters 2007 slaying that prompted the search for a serial killer after the attackers DNA matched two earlier cases. The match helped investigators identify a common pattern, Kilcoyne told the jury. All three victims were young, black women who lived in the same area of the city. All of their bodies were discarded. Weve got somebody killing young ladies in South Los Angeles, Kilcoyne recalled saying at the time. The DNA match eventually would lead to the arrest of Franklin, a local backyard mechanic and former Los Angeles police garage attendant, who was arrested in 2010. Kilcoyne, who is expected to continue testimony on Thursday, said the connection made between the victims in 2007 led to the creation of a task force to investigate the three killings, as well as a mandate to expand the search for related cases. A series of killings in the 1980s soon emerged as sharing similar circumstances. Eventually, investigators began matching DNA from the 1980s killings to the more recent deaths. The apparent gap in time from the earlier cases to the later ones led to the serial killer being dubbed the Grim Sleeper. In 2008, officials collected DNA data from state prisoners but were unsuccessful in finding a match with that of the Grim Sleeper. A year later, then-Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown approved a new technique called a familial search that allowed officials to check whether a crime suspects DNA partially matches that of anyone in the states offender DNA database. The search came up with a name: Christopher Franklin. His father was Lonnie Franklin Jr. Police began following the elder Franklin, and a detective, posing as a busboy, collected a half-eaten pizza crust, fork, napkin, drinking glass and cake crumbs discarded by Franklin at a restaurant. During her opening statement Tuesday, Silverman said that all of the victims were connected to Franklin either by DNA, firearm evidence or both. Fajardo will return on Thursday for cross-examination by Franklins attorneys. stephen.ceasar@latimes.com Twitter: @sjceasar ALSO 2 LAPD officers are charged with sexually assaulting women while on duty Sentenced to prison for assault, teenage parachute kids deliver warning to adults in China Hollywood hospital pays $17,000 in bitcoins to hackers who took control of computers The growth of charter schools has jolted the landscape of public education in San Diego County. And despite efforts to limit the spread of these independently run schools, theres no sign of their expansion slowing down. In the 2008-09 academic year, 38,680 students attended 73 charter schools in San Diego County. This year, 69,685 students are enrolled in 124 charters. But with growth comes questions. Twenty-five years after the California Charter School Act allowed public money to fund charter schools, which can be privately run and are often not unionized, advocates across the county and the state are waging legal and legislative fights. These disputes have led to tense relationships in districts that are scrambling to recoup the thousands of students who have sought alternatives. Advertisement The idea behind charter schools was that in exchange for freedom from portions of state and local education codes, charter schools are supposed to foster innovation and improve academic achievement. And its clear that from High Tech High to Health Sciences High and Middle College to the Classical Academies, San Diego County charters have reinvented public education for thousands of students. But the rise of corporate charters, independent-study programs and lawsuits over districts that approve charters to operate outside their boundaries often for a financial incentive has raised questions about whether charters require new checks and balances or even an outright ban. All told, about one-fifth of students in the San Diego Unified School District have turned to charters. The district expects that figure to climb to 30% within a decade, largely because of the growth of independent-study charters, which combine classroom-based instruction with computer-based programs. Of San Diegos 124 charters, 43 fall into this category, offering everything from access to a full campus of resources to a virtual education experience using mostly computers. The track record of charters has been mixed. In some cases, charters outperform district-run schools, but not always. *** Charter advocates say school districts feel so threatened by their successful programs that efforts to get the most promising charter schools approved and into public facilities have been met with hostility. Escondido Union School District has assigned a task force to study how to reverse its 12% decline in enrollment, which was partially due to charters. School districts are on the hunt, and they are after charter schools and they criticize with impunity, said Jed Wallace, CEO of the California Charter School Assn. There are known parts of the county where the belief is there is no way to get a charter approved. It doesnt take that many schools to get turned down for people to realize the lights are turned out in San Diego County. But even as Wallace says he wants to improve the process for greenlighting new schools, a statewide anti-charter group with ties to San Diego County is hoping to end the conversation entirely. Voices Against Privatizing Public Education is working to place an initiative on the November ballot to repeal the Charter School Act of 1992, a significant undertaking that will require some 400,000 signatures. This is the end of our democracy if we dont have public schools and I do not believe charter schools are public, said Nina Deerfield, a member of the group who has promoted the anti-charter movement in her Alianza North County newspaper. We cant keep suing for every single infraction we will spend the rest of our lives in court. Making charters illegal in California may sound drastic, but its not unprecedented. The Washington State Supreme Court ruled last year that privately run charters are not public schools because their governance boards are appointed, not elected. Meanwhile, advocates and philanthropists are trying to preserve Washingtons charters. *** As online charters appeal to more students, school districts are responding by offering online classes on traditional campuses. A report released last year by San Diego Unified showed 77% of the 2,156 students at the Charter School of San Diego were mostly from five of its high schools: Morse (274 students), San Diego (263), Lincoln (258), Hoover (147) and Crawford (102). The district has proposed preliminary plans to open learning centers at those five high schools that offer independent-study programs similar to those at charters, as well as college- and career-counseling services and credit-recovery online classes designed to allow students to retake failed or incomplete courses. Meanwhile, San Diego Unified has clamped down on the charters that serve its students under operating agreements with other school districts. San Diego Unified sued to shut down the Endeavor Academy, which operated in a Clairemont church under a charter with the Alpine Union School District. Endeavors corporate headquarters is 150 miles away in Santa Clarita. A Superior Court judge ruled last year that San Diego Unified was never notified of the charter prior to its approval as required by law. Whats more, the courts ruled that the charter wrongly billed itself as independent study. Since then, San Diego Unified and several other districts have sued charters and their far-flung authorizing districts. The litigation has added to the growing divide between charters and districts, perhaps fueling efforts to find alternate routes to authorization. *** School districts throughout California have urged the state to strengthen rules for authorizing charters to, among other reasons, prevent districts from approving charters because of a financial incentive. A few small East County districts have approved dozens of charters to operate in other districts because they can receive a portion of the charters revenue without any threat to their own enrollment or attendance funds. Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed legislation in 2014 that would have done just that because it would have threatened existing charters. Brown assigned a team to analyze the matter, and that team is still underway, a spokesman said Friday. The California Charter School Assn. opposed the legislation vetoed by Brown, along with a subsequent bill that would prevent school districts in poor financial standing from approving charters. But Wallace said charters want to improve the system. We would like to see Californias charter school authorizing structure improve such that if there are school districts that should not be authorizing schools, the state board should be able to make the necessary changes, he said. This article was first published in the San Diego Union-Tribune. Lets go, dolphins, lets go! chanted dozens of students, parents and teachers as they walked into 20th Street Elementary School before class, professing love for their neighborhood school, one that might soon become a charter school. They were part of a walk-in demonstration organized on Wednesday morning by teachers unions in Los Angeles and The Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools. The rallies around the country were hashtagged as #ReclaimOurSchools. In Los Angeles, they highlighted positive experiences at traditional public schools in the face of an increasing number of charter schools. Advertisement Follow the Times education initiative to inform parents, educators and students across California >> The rallies come against the backdrop of an effortto rapidly expand charter schools in L.A. Unified. Charter schools are publicly funded but can be privately run. Most are nonunion. Parents at 20th Street filed a petition earlier this month to convert the school into a charter school. To make the change, theyre using the states parent trigger law that allows parents to decide who will take control of a low-performing campus once the school district confirms that a majority of parents had signed a petition. The parent group hasnt yet chosen an organization that would run the charter school. Under state law, only parents who signed the petition will have a vote. The advocacy group helping them, Parent Revolution, is backed by nonprofit organizations that support the growth of charter schools, including the Walton Family Foundation, the Wasserman Foundation, the Arnold Foundation and the Broad Foundation. The petition drive has divided the campus, with supporters accusing teachers of misconduct and retaliation. The union, in turn, has accused Parent Revolution of using deceptive tactics to gather signatures. Both sides have denied any wrongdoing. The signs and posters at 20th Street focused on what students loved about their school the teachers, the music scrawled in colorful, childrens handwriting. Some rallygoers at Hamilton High School in Palms were more direct in their attack on the charter school expansion plan, which was originally spearheaded by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. That proposal laid out a plan to spend $490 million to double the number of charters in L.A. over eight years. Protesters held white posters that proclaimed in black block letters: Billionaires, have a heart. Your plan will tear our schools apart! and Billionaires: Pay your taxes so we can get smaller classes! 1 / 4 Parents, teachers and students carry signs and banners during a walk-in to show their loyalty to 20th Street Elementary School in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The rally was to show support for traditional public schools. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 4 Kindergarten student Lauren Martinez joins parents, teachers and fellow students carrying signs and banners during a walk-in to show their support of 20th Street Elementary School in Los Angeles. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 4 Parents, teachers and students support 20th Street Elementary School in Los Angeles during a walk-in Wednesday. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 4 Anna Bakalis with United Teachers Los Angeles helps students Kevin Ambrosio, center, and Usbaldo Ramirez hang a banner for a walk-in at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) L.A. Unified Supt. Michelle King joined union organizers and school board members for the demonstration at Hamilton High, where she was once principal. The partnership between the school district and the union on this event was emblematic of how those who are part of the traditional education system have put aside differences to rally together against what they perceive as a common threat. In other cities, the mood was less cooperative: Chicago teachers targeted district officials for more funding and a fairer contract. But Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago teachers union, attended a walk-in at Dorsey High School in Baldwin Hills. She was there and not in Chicago because of this weeks American Federation of Teachers executive council meeting. Dorsey was assigned to her, and she wore a sign saying, Eli Broad, leave our public school alone, followed by the hashtag #studentsdeserve. On hand at Hamilton was Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. Clearly the fight in L.A. is against billionaires trying to destabilize a public school system, Weingarten said. This is a fight about whether we provide real opportunities for all kids or whether the privatizers and billionaires get to decide which kids get opportunities and which kids dont. The charter expansion effort has been taken over by a group called Great Public Schools Now, which said it will support successful schools of any kind. See the most-read stories this hour >> We hope to work constructively with any group that shares our deep desire to improve education in Los Angeles, and we support all communities who are rallying for better schools, the group said in a statement in advance of the walk-ins. We are eager to have a thoughtful discussion about the future of education in Los Angeles without impugning the motives of those who disagree with us. The gathering at 20th Street Elementary, just south of downtown Los Angeles, began early. At 7 a.m., parents, teachers and kids collected in front of the schools doors. Staff wore light blue shirts, their backs emblazoned with the message, Students, parents, and teachers working together for a better 20th Street Elementary. On the front, the shirts spelled out those words in Spanish. Once inside the gates, Principal Mario Garcielita announced a grant from a group called People for Parks that will keep the schools playground open on Saturdays, beginning in April. He also said the schools library would be getting a facelift and new books later this month. Students, parents and educators hold signs in front of Hamilton High during a walk-in demonstartion orchestrated by the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools to protest charter expansion and call for greater investment in public education. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) After the rally, students and teachers walked to class, and about 30 parents stayed for a workshop to understand the Report Card their school had received from the district. Union representatives said the event was not a protest of the petition. Rather, it is an effort to take back schools for the public, for teachers, for students, and away from the billionaire privatizing agenda, said United Teachers Los Angeles spokeswoman Anna Bakalis. UTLAs Central Area chairman, Jose Lara, is a teacher at Santee Education Complex, which also held a walk-in. But he chose to spend part of the morning at 20th Street to support the people who want to keep the school a community school, he said. Juan Nelasco found out about the walk-in from his 8-year-old daughter, who is on the student council. She and her siblings had made posters that they hung around their necks with pink yarn. Hers read, I love 20th Street because they have great teachers and help us. Omar Calvillo, a parent and one of the leaders of the petition to convert the school into a charter, was also at the rally. He appreciates the new programs that will allow the school to be open on the weekends, he said in an interview after the walk-in. But he wants his sons to be challenged and better prepared academically, he added. Reach Sonali Kohli on Twitter @Sonali_Kohli or by email at Sonali.Kohli@latimes.com. Email Howard Blume at howard.blume@latimes.com. Times staff writer Joy Resmovits contributed to this report. Editors Note: The Times receives funding for its Education Matters digital initiative from one or more of the groups 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 to support this effort. Under terms of the grants, The Times retains complete control over editorial content. MORE EDUCATION NEWS Students tell us what really needs to change at their schools Some teachers are getting fired in one state but hired in another Sentenced to prison for assault, teenage parachute kids deliver warning to adults in China A coalition of labor unions and housing advocates unveiled a ballot proposal Wednesday that would force real estate developers in Los Angeles to provide affordable housing when seeking city approval for residential projects that are larger than planning rules allow. The proposal, submitted to the city clerk by the L.A. County Federation of Labor and an array of activists, would place new and potentially costly requirements on development projects that would require waivers from existing planning and zoning rules, such as those that limit building height or density. The measure, which is being targeted for the Nov. 8 ballot, would also seek to ensure that a percentage of construction jobs at key projects go to local or disadvantaged residents, backers say. Advertisement Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >> Rusty Hicks, the labor federations executive secretary-treasurer, called the ballot proposal a bold alternative to address the affordable housing and good-jobs crisis in our neighborhoods. If voters pass the measure, well be able to close the gap on Angelenos getting priced out of their homes and facing poverty, Hicks said in a statement. The proposal, backed by a group called the Build Better L.A. Coalition, would give developers options for providing the required affordable housing, including building it nearby or paying fees to the city. The union measure is the second to take aim at large-scale residential projects in L.A. Three months ago, a coalition led by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation submitted a ballot proposal to place new restrictions on what it called real estate mega projects. That proposal, also targeting the November ballot, would impose a two-year moratorium on certain developments and limit the Los Angeles City Councils ability to change planning and zoning rules for individual projects. The Coalition to Preserve L.A., which is currently gathering signatures for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation measure, called the union proposal a wolf in sheeps clothing. This plan will give developers new incentives to super-size their projects, said coalition spokeswoman Jill Stewart. This plan can be expected to saddle Los Angeles residents with more traffic misery, more concrete, more congestion, more noise and more air pollution all in all, a diminished quality of life. Business and union leaders, who have worked in tandem to denounce the AIDS Healthcare Foundation plan, could be at odds over the newer ballot proposal. Ruben Gonzalez, senior advisor for strategic affairs with the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, said his group was focused on creating more housing units, more affordable housing units, more and better jobs. On its face, this new initiative will not meet these goals and [will] make it harder to reach them, he said. Carol Schatz, president and chief executive of the Central City Assn., said the union proposal would distract attention from the fight against the AIDS Healthcare Foundation measure and ultimately lead to job losses. Theyre cutting off their nose to spite their face, said Schatz, referring to backers of the union coalition measure. The coalition announced its campaign as the city grapples with rising rents and increased homelessness. Alexandra Suh, executive director of the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance and a backer of the new measure, said the union coalition proposal would address that crisis. By creating a path that will enable development to continue with affordable housing and good jobs, we think this will be a win for the city, Suh said. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> ALSO Showers linger over L.A., but dry, warm conditions will return by the weekend Apple vs. FBI is epic fight over privacy and national security, experts say Hollywood hospital pays $17,000 in bitcoins to hackers who took control of computers A man who spent 18 years in prison for child molestation has been ordered released after his accuser recanted her abuse claims. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported Wednesday that a judge ordered the release of Luther Jones, 71, after his accuser said her mother made her lie about the molestation. The mother was in a child custody dispute with Jones in Lake County about 120 miles north of San Francisco when the then 10-year-old girl made her claims two decades ago. Advertisement The accuser, now 30 years old, told the Lake County district attorneys office last week of her recantation. The accuser says she was molested by one of her mothers boyfriends. We want to get (Jones) released as soon as possible, said Lake County Dist. Atty. Don Anderson, who petitioned the court for Jones release soon after the woman approached his office. A Lake County superior court judge Tuesday granted the district attorneys petition to release Jones, who is seriously ill and housed at the California Health Care Facility in Stockton. He was denied early release last year because of his medical condition, which was not disclosed. Hopefully he lives long enough to enjoy some freedom at the end of his life, said attorney Angela Carter, who represented Jones at the court hearing. Jones argued at his 1998 trial that his accusers mother was trying to set him up because of their child custody battle. The jury didnt believe Jones and he was sentenced to 27 years in prison for child molestation. The district attorney is investigating whether to charge the mother for coercing her daughter to lie. The district attorney said he will investigate the accusers new claims of abuse as well. Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center paid a $17,000 ransom in bitcoin to a hacker who seized control of the hospitals computer systems and would give back access only when the money was paid, the hospitals chief executive said Wednesday. The assault on Hollywood Presbyterian occurred Feb. 5, when hackers using malware infected the institutions computers, preventing hospital staff from being able to communicate from those devices, said Chief Executive Allen Stefanek. The hacker demanded 40 bitcoin, the equivalent of about $17,000, he said. Advertisement Join the conversation on Facebook >> The malware locks systems by encrypting files and demanding ransom to obtain the decryption key. The quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom and obtain the decryption key, Stefanek said. In the best interest of restoring normal operations, we did this. The hospital said it alerted authorities and was able to regain control of all its computer systems by Monday, with the assistance of technology experts. Stefanek said patient care was never compromised, nor were hospital records. Top hospital officials called the Los Angeles Police Department last week, according to police Lt. John Jenal. Laura Eimiller, an FBI spokeswoman, said the bureau has taken over the hacking investigation but declined to discuss specifics of the case. Law enforcement sources told The Times that the hospital paid the ransom before reaching out to law enforcement for assistance. The attack forced the hospital to return to pen and paper for its record-keeping. Phil Lieberman, a cybersecurity expert, said that, while ransomware attacks are common, targeting a medical institution is not. I have never heard of this kind of attack trying to shut down a hospital. This puts lives at risk, and it is sickening to see such an act, he said. Health management systems are beginning to tighten their security. The 434-bed short-term acute care hospital on Vermont Avenue is owned by CHC of South Korea. Under federal law, hospitals are required to report potential medical data breaches involving more than 500 people. Since 2010, at least 158 institutions, including medical providers, insurers and hospitals, have reported being hacked or having information technology issues that compromised patient records, federal records show. Ransom attacks are still relatively rae. But cyberattacks on hospitals have become more common in recent years as hackers pursue personal information they can use for fraud schemes. Last July, hackers may have accessed as many 4.5 million patient records in UCLA Health Systems computer network. For SoCal crime & investigations follow me on Twitter @lacrimes ALSO Apple CEO says helping FBI hack into terrorists iPhone would be too dangerous The futile fight to save Autumn, a 1-year-old victim of gang violence in Compton Sentenced to prison for assault, teenage parachute kids deliver warning to adults in China Two officers from the Los Angeles Police Department have been charged with repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting several women while on duty. The men threatened their victims with arrest if they did not comply with their demands and abused at least some of the women in the back seat of the unmarked police car they drove together, according to court records. Luis Valenzuela, 43, and James C. Nichols, 44, face more than a dozen felony charges, each stemming from allegations they preyed together and alone on four women from late 2008 to 2011, according to a complaint filed Tuesday by the county district attorneys office. They are accused by prosecutors of forcing some women to have sex and others to perform oral sex. Valenzuela also is accused of assaulting one woman with a gun. Advertisement The charges carry a possible punishment of life in prison. Both men were arrested Wednesday by detectives from their own department and held on more than $3.5 million bail. They are scheduled to appear in court Thursday. The men and their attorneys could not be reached for comment. It is a wonderful development, although it is years overdue, said Dennis Chang, an attorney representing two of the women. Its a ray of light that these women will finally see some justice. The LAPD placed the officers on unpaid leave more than two years ago after a stop-and-start internal investigation that was launched when a woman came forward to report the men. Detectives from an elite investigative unit eventually took over the case in 2014 and reworked it in an effort to gather sufficient evidence for prosecutors to bring a criminal case against the men. These two officers have disgraced themselves, theyve disgraced this badge, theyve disgraced their oath of office, a somber Chief Charlie Beck told reporters Wednesday. I am extremely troubled by what theyve done. Beck declined to say much about the investigation, but said the case included dozens of interviews, forensic analysis, long-term surveillance and search warrants. Detectives also retraced the officers movements, he said, checking prior contacts they had made and going to Hollywood in search of other potential victims. Beck said investigators worked a difficult case, complicated by the fact that the officers preyed on folks that are sometimes reluctant witnesses, reluctant victims. When we got the district attorneys assurance that she would file, we went out and physically tracked down these and I use the term loosely officers and put them in handcuffs, Beck said. The Times first wrote about the allegations against Nichols and Valenzuela in 2013 when LAPD detectives sought a search warrant to confiscate the mens computers and phones. An affidavit that accompanied the warrant described a dark pattern of behavior. The pair, who worked together as narcotics officers in the LAPDs Hollywood Division, were accused of targeting women they had arrested for drug possession and, in some cases, had used in their narcotics work as confidential informants. They repeatedly used the threat of jail to get women into an unmarked Volkswagen Jetta they drove on duty and took them to secluded areas where one of the officers demanded sex while the other kept watch, the warrant alleged. One woman, who settled a lawsuit against the police department for $575,000, was arrested in 2010 by the officers, Chang, her attorney, said in an earlier interview with The Times. The officers then offered to help free her from custody and win her a lenient sentence if she agreed in exchange to work for them as an informant on other investigations. Over the next year, Nichols and Valenzuela confronted the woman repeatedly, telling her they would no longer help her unless she had sex with them, Chang and the affidavit said. She agreed, she told investigators, out of fear the officers would send her back to jail if she refused. Valenzuela later showed up at the womans apartment while he was off duty and, several months later, had sex with her in the back seat of an unmarked undercover car while he was working, according to the affidavit. Nichols, the woman told investigators, brought her to a hotel and, on a later encounter, had sex with her in her apartment, the affidavit alleges. The first woman to accuse the men came forward in early 2010. She told a supervisor in the Hollywood narcotics unit of being stopped by the officers more than a year earlier, according to the affidavit. The woman, who worked as an informant, said Valenzuela had threatened to take her to jail if she refused to get in the car, then got into the back seat with her and exposed himself, telling the woman to touch him, the affidavit said. An attempt to look into the womans claim went nowhere when the detective assigned to the case was unable to locate her, according to the affidavit. A year later, however, another woman gave a similar account to a station supervisor after being arrested. She recounted how two officers driving a Jetta had pulled up alongside her as she was walking her dog in Hollywood in 2009. The officers, whom she recognized as the same cops who had arrested her previously, ordered her into the car. Valenzuela then got into the back seat with the woman and handed her dog to Nichols, who drove the car a short distance to a more secluded area where Valenzuela forced her to perform oral sex on him, according to police records contained in the warrant. Join the conversation on Facebook >> The departments internal affairs office reopened the case, but for reasons not explained in the warrant, the investigation stalled again for the next year and a half. During this time, police records show, the officers were transferred to different divisions. Then, in July 2012, a man left a phone message for the vice unit at the LAPDs Northeast station, where Nichols was assigned. The man relayed a conversation he had had with a prostitute, who said patrol officers in the area were picking up prostitutes and letting them go in exchange for oral sex, the warrant said. It is not clear how, but from this lead an investigator identified two more women who reported encounters in which Nichols and Valenzuela coerced them into performing sex acts in exchange for leniency. Beck had harsh words for the officers Wednesday, saying they had abused their authority as police officers. Its a violation of public trust, the chief said. Thats what makes it so horrific. joel.rubin@latimes.com | Twitter: @joelrubin kate.mather@latimes.com | Twitter: @katemather Hoy: Lea esta historia en espanol ALSO The futile fight to save Autumn, a 1-year-old victim of gang violence in Compton Chinese teens get 6-13 years in prison for kidnapping and assault of fellow parachute kid L.A. County judge killed while crossing the street in Pico-Robertson The Dodgers had just lost to the Mets, 3-1, when Michael Rae Papayans mother yelled insults at a group of people, including a New York Mets fan, in the Dodger Stadium parking lot, authorities said. Moments later, the 27-year-old from Palos Verdes allegedly punched one of the men in the head, causing him to hit his skull loudly on the pavement and lose consciousness. ------------ FOR THE RECORD: Fan charged: In the Feb. 19 California section, an article about a man being charged in an attack last year at Dodger Stadium said Bryan Stow, a San Francisco Giants fan who was beaten at the stadium in 2011, had won an $18-million lawsuit against the Dodgers and then-owner Frank McCourt. McCourt was not found liable in the case. ------------ Prosecutors said the man suffered serious injuries. And if that wasnt enough, they said, Papayans mother literally kicked the 50-year-old when he was down. Advertisement NEWSLETTER: Get essential California headlines delivered daily >> Papayans was charged Thursday with a felony count of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury in the Oct. 9 attack, the L.A. County district attorneys office said. If convicted, Papayans could be sentenced to up to seven years in prison. He is set to be arraigned March 11 in a downtown L.A. courtroom. Prosecutors will ask that his bail be set at $60,000. The assault occurred about at 10:30 p.m. after Papayans mother got into an argument with the victim, who has not been identified, and three others as they were headed to their car, according to the district attorneys office. Papayans mother yelled epithets at the victim and his friends, prosecutors said. As she shouted at the group, Papayans joined his mother in the argument and eventually punched the victim. With the man on the ground, Papayans mother kicked him in the back, prosecutors said. Mother and son disappeared after the attack, they said. At the time of the assault, Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck said detectives believed a mother and son were responsible for the assault. They had planned to interview the victims and review surveillance video of the attack. Prosecutors said they referred the case involving Papayans mother, who has also not been identified, to the L.A. city attorney, who must decide whether to file misdemeanor charges against her. Witness Sean Gould, 40, told the Los Angeles Times shortly after the attack that he and his friend saw a group of people fighting in the parking lot when a man threw a punch that came out of nowhere. The victim, he said, was knocked out immediately. You heard his skull hitting the concrete, Gould said. Other people quickly came to the victims aid and wrapped his head in towels. The attack came more than four years after Bryan Stow, a San Francisco Giants fan, was assaulted in the Dodger Stadium parking lot after the opening day game in 2011. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> Marvin Norwood and Louie Sanchez later pleaded guilty to beating the father of two from Santa Clara and were sentenced to federal prison. Stow, a paramedic, suffered brain damage and was left severely impaired by the attack. Stow later won an $18-million lawsuit against the Dodgers and their former owner, Frank McCourt, arguing that the team was to blame for the beating because of insufficient security and lighting. The attack led to increased presence of security and LAPD officers at the park. Staff writer Kate Mather contributed to this report. For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA ALSO L.A. files $20-million lawsuit against Da Vinci Apartments developer over huge downtown fire Hollywood hospital pays $17,000 in bitcoin to hackers; FBI investigating Porter Ranch gas leak permanently capped, officials say A hiker who had set out for a weekend trek through the Angeles National Forest and was later reported missing was found dead at the bottom of an icy slope, Los Angeles County sheriffs officials said Wednesday. Kyle Benjamin Hunt, 32, was an experienced, avid hiker who had told his mother in Kansas that he was setting out for a three-day hike and would return Sunday, the Sheriffs Department said in a statement. But sometime after setting out on Friday, Hunt fell down a steep, icy 500-foot slope off the Pacific Crest Trail. Advertisement See more of our top stories on Facebook >> On Saturday, a hiker noticed Hunts backpack southeast of Little Jimmy Campground but continued his trip and left the pack behind. On Sunday, when the hiker was headed back out of the forest and saw the pack still in the same spot, he decided to investigate, officials said. The hiker rummaged through the pack and found an emergency telephone number listed inside he called it and reached Hunts mother in Kansas, who said her son was expected to end his forest trip that day, sheriffs officials said. On Monday, the hiker handed the pack over to authorities, who launched a search that night for Hunt after his family officially reported him missing. The nighttime conditions were too dangerous, so crews had to abandon the effort about 2 a.m. Tuesday. When the sun came up, they relaunched their search and found Hunts vehicle near a trailhead off Big Rock Creek Road, close to a small campground. At about 2:20 p.m. Tuesday, Hunts body was found at the bottom of the slope. Officials said the death is considered an accident. For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna. ALSO Man in prison 18 years for child abuse is released after his accuser recants claims Woman accused of leaving her newborn boy in a Subway toilet is charged with a felony Hollywood hospital pays $17,000 in bitcoins to hackers who took control of computers State officials on Thursday announced that the leaking natural gas well in Porter Ranch that spewed plumes of methane and other compounds into the atmosphere has been sealed. We have good news. The Division of Oil and Gas has confirmed that the leak in the Aliso Canyon storage field is permanently sealed, Jason Marshall, chief deputy director of the state Department of Conservation, said at a news conference at a Southern California Gas Co. office in Chatsworth. The news put an end to four months of foul air that sickened many residents and forced thousands of people to relocate to temporary housing far from the leaking well. Crews reached the leak last week and injected heavy fluids and then cement to seal it. Advertisement Join the conversation on Facebook >> Dennis Arriola, president and chief executive of Southern California Gas, said the company would develop a plan to mitigate the damage the leaking well did to the environment and will support forward-looking regulations. To the residents of Porter Ranch and the surrounding communities, I want to tell you I recognize the disruption that this gas leak has caused to your lives, Arriola said. I know there is nothing that I can say that will change the past, but I know that measurable actions actually speak louder than words. The company said in a statement that the leaking well had been taken out of service. A local assistance center that will help residents and businesses recover from the leak will open Friday morning at the Mason Recreation Center in Chatsworth. Residents who moved out of their homes were notified by phone, text and email Thursday morning that they have eight days to vacate their temporary housing that the gas company has been paying for. By early Thursday, residents of 1,800 households had returned to their homes, said Gillian Wright, vice president of customer service for the utility. An estimated 4,000 reimbursement checks were to be issued on Thursday to residents who incurred expenses related to the gas leak, she said. The gas company will be required to do a full inspection and testing of the other wells at Aliso Canyon before injections can resume. State authorities will continue to look into the cause of the leak, which was first reported Oct. 23. We will investigate what happened, Marshall said at the news conference. One health official said Thursday that he believes it is safe for Porter Ranch residents to return to their homes. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser, interim health officer for the Los Angeles County Health Department, said that if residents come home and dont smell any odors and dont have any symptoms, it is safe to stay in their homes. The South Coast Air Quality Management District and the California Air Resources Board will continue to monitor the air in the coming weeks, looking at the levels of methane, mercaptans, benzene and hydrogen sulfide. My conclusion is that all the levels that weve looked at are below health levels of concern, so we do not anticipate that there will be any long-term health effects in the community, Gunzenhauser said. As residents return home in the days and weeks ahead, attention will turn to the full scope of the damage done to the San Fernando Valley community of 30,000 people. Chief among their concerns are the effects that the worst natural gas leak in U.S. history will have on property values and residents long-term health despite assurance from public officials that the noxious fumes posed no permanent health risks. On Thursday, lawmakers and activists said that although they were glad the leak had been capped, there was still much work to do. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Porter Ranch) called for tough new regulations for the other 114 injection wells at the 3,600-acre underground natural gas storage facility, which is among the nations largest. The gas company has said that many of those wells are aging, corroded and mechanically damaged. Sherman, in a statement, called for subsurface safety valves on each well and for 24-hour monitoring of each well that could be viewed online by the public. He said the Aliso Canyon facility should remain closed until we know it is safe. We should not be declaring victory, as the Aliso Canyon facility and the negligence of Southern California Gas Company continue to pose a threat to the community, Sherman said. He criticized the gas company, saying that even though it has encouraged residents to return, truly thorough indoor air testing has not yet been completed. State and local officials this week expressed concern that contaminants might linger in the area and called for new criteria to determine that the air has returned to normal before residents return. Of particular concern is the presence of four pollutants: methane, which is not considered toxic to humans but is a potent greenhouse gas; mercaptans and hydrogen sulfide, which at extremely low levels can cause ailments including headaches and nausea; and benzene, a known cancer-causing compound. Los Angeles City Councilman Mitchell Englander, who represents communities affected by the leak, called for a comprehensive, independent study of potential health impacts. This is not the end of this catastrophic disaster, this is the beginning of the next chapter, he said in a statement. The gas company is facing ongoing investigations by the state attorney generals office and the Los Angeles city attorneys office, dozens of lawsuits for economic damages, and the possibility of environmental fines connected to the wells release of an estimated 80,000 metric tons of mostly methane into the atmosphere. The company also faces four criminal charges from the L.A. County district attorneys office for failing to report the release of hazardous materials and discharging air contaminants. The company has pleaded not guilty. Its woken the community up to the fact that there are dozens of other wells, said Randall Bell, an appraiser who is working with attorneys to determine what may happen to property values in Porter Ranch. Now the community is wide awake to that issue. With the damaged well sealed, the citys Emergency Management Department will lead recovery efforts by coordinating with local, state and federal agencies. City officials plan to open a temporary office in the community, though a location has not yet been announced. The recovery process for a community is often fraught with uncertainty, said the departments general manager, James Featherstone. Environmental activists are calling for permanent closure of the field they say is emblematic of the dangers involved in satisfying the nations fossil-fuel addiction. Matt Pakucko, president of the community group Save Porter Ranch, said in a statement Thursday that residents have suffered long enough and shouldnt be subjected again to a similar disaster. It is unacceptable to allow SoCalGas to reopen this facility, he said. alice.walton@latimes.com | Twitter: @TheCityMaven hailey.branson@latimes.com | Twitter: @haileybranson louis.sahagun@latimes.com | Twitter: @LouisSahagun ALSO FBI searches home of San Bernardino terror gunmans brother Winter storm drops rain in Los Angeles, 2 feet of snow in Sierra Nevada Hollywood hospital pays $17,000 in bitcoins to hackers; FBI investigating The terrorist attack that left 14 people dead in San Bernardino in December changed Rudy Garcias sense of the world. The San Bernardino resident was at work at a warehouse when police shot and killed the suspects in a shootout nearby. He heard the volley of gunshots inside. I feel like Im not safe anymore. I dont trust anyone anymore, the 27-year-old said. For him, the answer to a question debated Wednesday by technology experts, law enforcement and privacy advocates is clear. Apple must help the FBI access information from the shooters cellphone. Advertisement I think the FBI has to have the right so we can be safer, he said. So nothing like that will ever happen again. San Bernardino-area residents and those intimately affected by the shooting reacted on Wednesday with a mix of feelings to the announcement by Apple that it would oppose a federal court order to help the FBI access data on a cellphone used by one of the shooters in the Dec. 2. attack. Some, including the father of one victim, said they hoped the two sides would find a way to balance the urgent need for information about the shooters with the privacy needs of ordinary cellphone users. Others urged the company to comply with the order and help law enforcement. See the most-read stories this hour >> Fourteen people were killed and 22 wounded when Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, opened fire on a holiday gathering of county employees at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino. Gregory Clayborn, father of Sierra Clayborn, a 27-year-old environmental health specialist who was killed in the attack, said he hoped Apple would be able to help law enforcement gain access to information from the phone without opening the doors too widely. This is just a specific incident, he said. Its not like they have to have software to break everyones codes for everyone that has an Apple phone. Thats prying too deeply. In a letter to customers, Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook said the government had asked it to build a backdoor to the iPhone. While the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control, Cook wrote. Phyllis A. Munoz, 62, who recalled how her office went on lockdown in the hours after the shooting and how she felt numb the day after, said she supported the FBI. Law enforcement urgently needs to know as much as possible about what happened, she said. They need to find out more, she said. What [the shooters] did was awful. She nodded across the road to a large memorial of flags, flowers and notes that still covers a corner sidewalk near the Inland Regional Center. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> At a San Bernardino Best Buy about a mile and a half from the site of the attack, where customers browsed a display of iPhones, several people agreed that the company should help access the data. Lets say because they dont get the information on the phone one person dies, said Burton Rosenberg, 75, of Lake Arrowhead. Its an easy choice as far as Im concerned. Aaron Winchester, 35, of Menifee, who wore an Apple Watch and carried an iPhone 6S Plus, said he bought the products because he felt they were more secure, and less prone to being hacked. Even so, he wants Apple to help law enforcement access the information. When it comes to terrorism, he said, if theres information they can get that will help prevent future crimes, thats in the best interest of everyone. Cielo Vargas, 69, of Green Valley Lake, an unincorporated mountain community in San Bernardino County, said she sympathized with the company. Its a difficult situation for Apple because if they start giving out information anytime something happens, then people are not going to want to buy Apple. At the same time, if it helps find out something thats going on, she paused. Thats hard. Id hate to be in their position. In the end, though, she said the company should help. Its lives youre talking about, she said. I think they should allow it. For more Inland Empire news, follow me @PalomaEsquivel on Twitter. MORE ON SAN BERNARDINO Why Apple is battling investigators over San Bernardino terrorists iPhone Apple CEO Tim Cook explains why helping the FBI in terror phone probe is threat to data security After San Bernardino shooting, one doctor seeks ways to turn the golden hour of treatment into minutes As a rainstorm moved out of Southern California to make way for warmer conditions, snow blanketed parts of the Sierra Nevada with up to 24 inches of new accumulation Thursday. The weight of the fresh powder triggered an avalanche on at least one snowy mountainside in Alpine Meadows near Lake Tahoe, the California Highway Patrol in Truckee reported. Preliminary snowfall reports showed at least 24 inches in the last 24 hours at Heavenly Ski Resort in South Lake Tahoe. Another 14 to 20 inches were reported at Alpine Meadows Ski Resort. Truckee received about 13 inches. Advertisement Up to 12 inches of snow fell at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park. Powerful winds with up to 70 mph gusts whipped through the Kern County mountains. Meanwhile, scattered showers continued to fall on Los Angeles County on Thursday morning. But the rain wont stick around for long and dry conditions will return. A cold front swept over Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Ventura counties overnight, producing three hours of steady light rain, according to the National Weather Service. More than half an inch of rain fell in downtown Los Angeles, while the mountains of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and L.A. counties received more than an inch of precipitation. By Thursday afternoon, the storm will move east and out of the area. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> Temperatures will hover in the 60s for most of the day, with a slight warming Friday. Rainy conditions led to some dangerous road conditions in L.A. County on Wednesday night. In Arleta, a driver was killed about 6:28 p.m. when his pickup crashed into a transformer, which fell onto the truck, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Department of Water and Power crews worked to de-energize the transformer in the 13700 block of West Osborne Street so firefighters could safely reach the driver and remove him from his vehicle. The rain prompted a health advisory for local beaches until 5 p.m. Saturday. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health warned that coastal waters could be contaminated by runoff from the storm. By Saturday, forecasters say a high-pressure system building over Nevada will bring gusty winds and warm temperatures, which will continue through early next week. Forecasters expect dry conditions through February, with more rainfull by early March. Heres a sampling of rainfall totals for the area through 7 a.m. for this storm. Alhambra: 0.78 inches Avalon: 0.50 inches Bel Air: 0.75 inches Beverly Hills: 0.77 inches Claremont: 0.66 inches Culver City: 0.56 inches Hollywood Reservoir: 0.59 inches Long Beach: 0.53 inches Mt. Baldy: 1.22 inches Pasadena: 0.79 inches Redondo Beach: 0.70 inches Santa Monica Pier: 0.39 inches For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA ALSO 2 dead, 7 injured in rollover crash on U.S. 395 2 LAPD officers are charged with sexually assaulting women while on duty Hollywood hospital pays $17,000 in bitcoins to hackers who took control of computers Legal titan Ted Olson has signed on to help Apple Inc. fight a court order requiring the tech giant to assist the FBI in unlocking a phone belonging to one of the San Bernardino terrorists, court records show. Olsons involvement underscores the potential historic nature of the legal dispute, which pits issues of national security with those of consumer privacy. At the FBIs request, a U.S. judge in Riverside on Tuesday ordered Apple to help with a key part of the San Bernardino probe by developing software to hack into one of its own devices, an iPhone 5c, used by gunman Syed Rizwan Farook. Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people and wounded 22 others before dying in a shootout with police. Advertisement Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook has said that obeying the order would set a dangerous precedent, and that creating a backdoor to its own security systems could compromise the security of billions of customers. FULL COVERAGE: Terror attack in San Bernardino >> Up to this point, we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help them, Cook wrote in a letter published on the companys website. But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. Olson and Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. are the attorneys of record representing Apple, according to a court filing. Boutrous and Olson worked together to fight Californias previous ban on same-sex marriage. Olson is best known for successfully arguing on behalf of George W. Bush in the Supreme Court case Bush vs. Gore, which decided the 2000 presidential election, and for challenging Californias Proposition 8, the measure that banned gay marriage, before the Supreme Court. Join the conversation on Facebook >> The Bush vs. Gore decision handed the presidency to Bush over then-Vice President Al Gore by putting an end to ballot recounts of Floridas disputed election results. Olson, 75, a Republican, had unexpectedly teamed up with David Boies, a Democrat and his opposing counsel in the Bush vs. Gore case, in the successful legal battle to overturn Proposition 8 in 2013. Olson has also held several government offices, including assistant attorney general for the office of legal counsel under President Reagan from 1981 to 1984 and solicitor general under Bush from 2001 to 2004. His wife, Barbara, a lawyer and conservative commentator, was killed in the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. She was a passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon. In the government motion, the FBI argued that Farook intentionally disabled the phones iCloud backup function six weeks before the Dec. 2 terror attack at the Inland Regional Center. Any communications during that time that may be linked to the shooting, as well as location data that might help the FBI map the movements of Farook and his wife before and after the attack, are accessible only through the phone itself, the government said. Investigators were able to retrieve some data from previous iCloud backups, and companies like Apple normally comply with requests to retrieve cloud data because they do not involve giving the government access to company servers or altering software. Full Coverage: San Bernardino terror attack>> The San Bernardino County Department of Health, which employed Farook, actually owned the device and gave the FBI permission to search it, according to court filings. The court order handed down Tuesday would require Apple to provide the FBI with a recovery bundle, a file that would reboot Farooks device while disabling the auto-erase feature that would normally be activated after 10 incorrect log-in attempts. That would allow the FBI to repeatedly enter pass code guesses without risk of destroying the data on the phone. Times staff writer Maura Dolan contributed to this report. Twitter: @taygoldenstein ALSO FBI searches home of San Bernardino terror gunmans brother Apple vs. FBI is epic fight over privacy and national security Hollywood hospital pays $17,000 in bitcoin to hackers; FBI investigating A woman accused of giving birth in a Subway restaurant bathroom and leaving the newborn in a toilet was charged Wednesday with a felony count of child endangerment, police said. Mary Grace Trinidad, 38, was booked late Wednesday morning by West Covina police after being released from Queen of the Valley Hospital, said West Covina police spokesman Rudy Lopez. She was then transferred to the Century Regional Detention Facility, he said. Bail is set at $100,000, Lopez said. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> Advertisement Trinidad, a transient from the West Covina area, had a narcotics-related warrant outstanding for her arrest and has had previous narcotics-related offenses, Lopez said. On Monday, police received a call at 8:34 a.m. after customers at the sandwich shop at 2540 S. Azusa Ave. reported seeing a woman go into a bathroom and emerged completely saturated in blood, said West Covina police Lt. Dennis Patton. After Trinidad left the restaurant, customers saw a trail of blood and rushed into the restroom, where they found the baby boy in the toilet and evidence of the afterbirth, Patton said. Paramedics rushed the baby to Queen of the Valley Hospital, where he was in critical condition Monday afternoon, Patton said. When he was found, the babys core temperature was extremely cold because of the temperature of the water, Patton said. Lopez said the babys condition has since been upgraded to good. Police found Trinidad behind a Pep Boys Auto Repair & Service shop nearby about 15 minutes after the child was found, Patton said. Trinidad is set to be arraigned in Pomona Superior Court on Friday, Lopez said. Twitter: @taygoldenstein and @haileybranson ALSO Man in prison 18 years for child abuse is released after his accuser recants claims Hollywood hospital pays $17,000 in bitcoins to hackers who took control of computers Sentenced to prison for assault, teenage parachute kids deliver warning to adults in China The tiff between Donald Trump and Pope Francis on Thursday was the latest example of what's become a persistent theme of Trump's presidential campaign: caustic battles over religion, immigration or sexuality that animate his supporters and capture headlines. When Trump first began campaigning, his comments baffled political observers, but as his lead in the polls only increased, it has become clear that his backers see his unapologetic, brash style as a strength, no matter whom he goes after. In no particular order: Trump has called Iowans dumb for backing Ben Carson, has complained that any number of television anchors treated him badly and has repeatedly mocked rival candidate Jeb Bush as low-energy, a preferred insult of Trumps. More gravely, Trump has also labeled Mexicans "rapists" and drug runners; has dismissed the war record of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who was held captive in Vietnam for several years; and has called to ban Muslims from entering the country. So what has Trump said exactly? Iowans As his poll numbers began to lag in Iowa last fall, he offered choice words for voters in the state, which kicked off primary season Feb. 1. "How stupid are the people of Iowa?" he said at a local event. Trump finished second to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the state's caucuses. Jeb Bush The former Florida governor has become a relentless target for Trump, who calls him "low-energy" on the campaign trail and in debates. Trump has even gone after Bush's family -- in particular, former President George W. Bush, whom he recently blamed for failing to keep America safe from the Sept. 11 attacks. Ted Cruz The Texas senator is Trump's main rival for the party's nomination. In recent weeks, Trump has questioned Cruz's citizenship (he was born in Canada to an American mother and a Cuban father) and has assailed him repeatedly as a "nasty" person who will "lie" to capture the nomination. Bill and Hillary Clinton They used to be family friends -- but no longer. Hillary Clinton said Trump had a "penchant for sexism," and after former President Clinton hit the campaign trail on her behalf, Trump pounced. The media Women After the first Republican presidential debate in August, Trump took aim at Megyn Kelly, the Fox News anchor who co-moderated the gathering. The billionaire businessman felt that her questions about misogynistic comments he'd made in the past were unfair. "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes," he said in a CNN interview after the debate. "Blood coming out of her wherever." He also has gone after Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO who exited the race after a disappointing showing in New Hampshire, disparaging her appearance. "Look at that face!" he told a Rolling Stone reporter aboard his private plane when Fiorina appeared on a television screen. "Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president? Mexicans During his campaign launch in June, Trump labeled Mexicans "rapists" and drug runners -- statements he has not backed down from. Muslims In the wake of the Paris and San Bernardino terrorist attacks, carried out by individuals who indicated they were inspired by Islamic State, Trump called to ban Muslims from entering the United States. The proposal was condemned by Democrats and Republicans alike. He defended the proposal and has remained committed to it in an effort, he says, to protect Americans. Sen. John McCain In comments at an Iowa forum, he mocked McCain, who spent more than five years as a prisoner in North Vietnam. He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured, OK? I hate to tell you. He's a war hero because he was captured, OK? And I believe perhaps he's a war hero. But right now, he's said some very bad things about a lot of people, Trump said. Pundits predicted his campaign would quickly end after he criticized McCain. Not even close. The disabled While on the campaign trail, Trump cited a Washington Post article from days after 9/11 to undergird his claim that Muslims in New Jersey celebrated the attacks. But when the reporter, Serge F. Kovaleski, who now works for the New York Times, corrected Trump, he took aim. At a rally he flailed his arms and mocked Kovaleski, who suffers from a chronic condition that limits the movement of his arms. The pope Trump took on Pope Francis on Thursday, complaining that the pontiff's criticism of Trump's proposal to build a border wall was "really not very nice." And in typical Trump fashion, he went well beyond explaining how insulted he was, also claiming that Islamic State, or ISIS, wanted to attack the Vatican and warning, middle-school-style, that Francis would be sorry that he ever trusted in politicians other than Trump. "If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISISs ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president because this would not have happened," Trump said in his statement. "ISIS would have been eradicated, unlike what is happening now with our all-talk, no-action politicians." Follow @kurtisalee on Twitter for political news. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson both say Apple should help the FBI uncover encrypted data on a cellphone belonging to the San Bernardino attackers, while Florida Sen. Marco Rubio called Apples refusal to meet the demand a complicated problem without a magic solution. The three Republican presidential candidates laid out their views in a televised town hall Wednesday night that pushed them to answer questions from voters, but because each appeared separately, the forum featured none of the sharp exchanges that have characterized the GOP debates during the 2016 election. Rubio said the government and Apple needed to work together but admitted he did not have an easy answer. Advertisement SIGN UP for the free Essential Politics newsletter >> There has to be a way to deal with this issue, Rubio said. I dont have a magic solution for it today but I do know this: It will take a partnership between the technology industry and the government to solve this. Cruz said, Apple has a serious argument in protecting users privacy but said resisting the FBIs request for help amounted to defying a search warrant. Carson said that Apple should find a way to get over mistrust of the government, but then added that might have to wait until President Obama leaves office, allowing for a delay that the FBI would probably oppose. CNN is holding the town hall over two evenings. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and GOP front-runner Donald Trump, the business mogul and celebrity, were scheduled to appear Thursday night. Trump also held a simultaneous town hall on MSNBC Wednesday, doubling his exposure. 1 / 6 Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio participates in the town hall with Anderson Cooper. (Alex Wong / Getty Images) 2 / 6 Marco Rubio and Anderson Cooper. (Paul Sancya / Associated Press) 3 / 6 Ben Carson makes a point in the town hall. (Alex Wong / Getty Images) 4 / 6 Ted Cruz and Anderson Cooper. (Paul Sancya / Associated Press) 5 / 6 Marco Rubio in the town hall event. (Alex Wong / Getty Images) 6 / 6 Ben Carson and Anderson Cooper. (Paul Sancya / Associated Press) Even if they lack intensity, the town halls offer the last opportunity for many South Carolinians to watch the candidates field questions before the states primary on Saturday. The candidates, feeling tremendous pressure to perform, have amplified their attacks on one another, with several slamming rivals as liars and other harsh terms. Cruz used the platform to further press Trump and Rubio. Carson and Rubio took a different tack, telling more personal stories and trying to present their candidacy to voters who may still be seeing them for the first time. Rubio, for example, shared his love of techno music, insisted he had never been to a rave and said he felt the sting of racism as a Cuban American growing up in Las Vegas during the Mariel boatlift in 1980, when tens of thousands of Cubans left for Miami in 1980. Some of the kids, the older kids, were taunting my family: Why dont you go back on your boat? Rubio recalled. I said, What boat? My mom doesnt even swim. Cruz and Rubio have been battling for second place in South Carolina polls and both see a strong finish as crucial in their effort to emerge as Trumps chief rival. If Rubio finishes poorly here, he will have significant difficulty remaining viable in the race. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> Rubio got a boost Wednesday with the endorsement of Nikki Haley, South Carolinas popular governor. He tried to capitalize on that endorsement, and the backing of Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, by framing them as part of his broader message that he is a new generation Republican. Today I got the endorsement of a governor of Indian descent who endorsed a presidential candidate of Cuban descent, and tomorrow well be campaigning alongside an African American Republican senator, he said. He also highlighted proposals aimed at reducing college costs and offering higher child tax credits, policy issues aimed at reinforcing his argument that he would make a better general-election candidate than his GOP opponents. Cruz shared some of his personality, even singing a few bars of I Just Called to Say I Love You, which he said he sings to his wife, Heidi, on the phone. But he mostly showed a harder edge as he battled to both fight off Rubio for second place and try to catch Trump, who is leading statewide polls. Cruz insisted that he was not attacking Trump and Rubio personally, but spent much of his time discussing Trumps past support for liberal policies such as abortion rights and Rubios record advocating for a path to citizenship for immigrants in this country illegally. He said both men were labeling him a liar to distract from their records. Marco followed the same strategy as Donald. He just screamed liar, liar, liar, Cruz said. Truth matters. Cruz also highlighted his record as Texas solicitor general, when he argued conservative positions before the U.S. Supreme Court, to make the case that he was the only one in the field who could be trusted to select a true conservative to replace Justice Antonin Scalia, who died Saturday. Cruz, like other candidates, has said Obama should not nominate a replacement during an election year. He introduced a new argument Wednesday to make the case that the Senate should not even conduct hearings until a successor to Obama is elected. That hearing would end up very politicized and it would not be fair to the nominee, he said. Carson conceded that if he were in Obamas place, he too would nominate a replacement for Scalia. But, he added, that doesnt necessarily mean Congress would confirm that pick. Carson, once popular among evangelical voters, has faded in polls. He tried to broaden his appeal as a citizen statesman who bases his beliefs on both the Constitution and the Bible, a nod to the power of religious conservatives in South Carolina primaries. Trump, appearing on MSNBC, said he would not appoint anyone to the Supreme Court unless the nominee agreed to uphold a landmark 2008 ruling that recognized the right to bear arms. Even as he tried to reinforce his credentials as a conservative, Trump boasted he would win over Democrats in a general election. If I get the nomination, I will have more cross-over votes than anybody thats ever run for office, Trump said. noah.bierman@latimes.com Follow @noahbierman on Twitter. Times staff writers Lisa Mascaro in Columbia, S.C.; Seema Mehta in Charleston, S.C.,; and Michael Finnegan in Las Vegas contributed to this report. ALSO In Nevada, young Latinos are Bernie kids while their parents are with Hillary Obama says he will follow original intent of Constitution and pick a Supreme Court nominee Democrats chase votes in Nevadas rural outposts, far beyond Las Vegas glamour Eleven weeks after the terrorist attack that left 14 dead in San Bernardino, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is still trying to answer some nagging questions about the actions and motives of the shooters, Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik. As it happens, they have Farooks iPhone 5C, which belonged to his employer, the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, as well as the departments permission to examine it. What they dont have is Farooks passcode, which he took to his grave in a shootout with law enforcement officers on Dec. 2. Nor, for that matter, does Apple, which decided in 2014 to stop storing copies of its customers passcodes to make them less accessible to hackers. Without the passcode, its virtually impossible for the feds to decrypt the data stored on the phone the passcode not only unlocks the device, but it also acts as a crucial part of the decryption key. So attorneys at the Justice Department asked Apple to invent the technology needed to circumvent the security features on Farooks device. Apple refused, and on Tuesday a federal magistrate in Riverside ordered the company to do so. Once [special decryption] capabilities are created, its only a matter of time before hackers find a way to use them for their own malicious ends. Advertisement That order, if upheld, would dangerously extend of the governments power over private industry, establishing a precedent for courts to require companies to create features that serve the governments interests, not the publics. And its hard to see where that new authority might end. Apple has hinted strongly that it will appeal the order, as well it should. The tussle over Farooks iPhone is the latest in an escalating series of fights between federal law enforcement agencies and tech companies over the spread of strong encryption features on smartphones, computers and other digital devices. FBI Director James Comey has warned repeatedly that selling devices that scramble data automatically will only help terrorists and criminals go dark, masking the digital footprints they used to leave for police and prosecutors. Apple, Google and other tech companies have pushed back, arguing that more people should be encrypting their data routinely to protect themselves against the scourge of hackers and identity thieves. Much of the debate has revolved around the question of whether the feds should be guaranteed a way to unscramble the data on the encryption-enabled devices they seize. Without that ability, Comey says, plots that might otherwise have been foiled will instead be carried out, and eventually people will die as a result. But in the minds of tech company executives and their allies, theres no way to give the government a back door into locked devices without providing a way in for hackers and foreign governments. Agents have gathered plenty of evidence in the San Bernardino case, including data from Farooks phone that he copied to an online account on Apples iCloud data back-up service. But they say Farook apparently turned off the automatic back-ups about a month and a half before the shooting, and they contend that data hidden on the phone could reveal more about the attackers communications (possibly revealing other plotters) and movements during that period. On older iPhones such as Farooks, a passcode may be entered incorrectly nine times; after the 10th wrong entry, the device erases all the data the user had stored on it. At the FBIs request, Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym ordered Apple to create a program that would trick Farooks phone into accepting what it thought was an official software update, but in fact was code that allowed the FBI to quickly enter as many passcodes as needed to find the correct one. Such a program would be incredibly valuable to mercenary hackers and foreign governments, which could adapt it to use on any older iPhone. China, in fact, toyed with requiring companies to provide the keys to any encrypted content on the devices they sold, but backed off in the face of international blowback. If the United States compelled Apple to hack an iPhone, it would set a precedent that China and other repressive regimes would surely follow. And if the government could force the creation of technology to decrypt a device, what other capabilities might a court require companies to provide in the name of law enforcement or national security? Could a court order a computer maker to enable FBI agents to turn on a laptops webcam remotely to search for a suspect? Could it demand the creation of software that automatically and surreptitiously sends agents a copy of any text entered into a smartphone? Bear in mind that once those capabilities are created, its only a matter of time before hackers find a way to use them for their own malicious ends. At least one security expert whos worked on the iPhone says that its technically possible to do what the judge has ordered on an iPhone 5C but not on newer models. So as those models proliferate, the courts may not be able to force Apple to do what the FBI is demanding for Farooks phone. Unless Pyms ruling is reversed, however, a precedent will be set for governments around the world, and potential back doors opened for the hackers Apple and its rivals are trying to block. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook In the locked-iPhone battle between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Apple, the feds may have the judiciary on their side, but the tech giant has the better argument. This week, the FBI obtained a court order from the Federal District Court for Central California telling Apple to help unlock the iPhone 5C used by Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the attackers who killed 14 people in San Bernardino on Dec. 2. Specifically, the FBI wants Apple to create a custom operating system update that would give the FBI infinite tries at cracking the phones passcode. Normally, after 10 failed attempts, an iPhone automatically deletes any encrypted data. Tim Cook, chief executive of Apple, responded with a strongly-worded open letter saying the company would not comply. The U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. [...] In the wrong hands, this software which does not exist today would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someones physical possession. Advertisement Thats not hyperbole. And its not just the wrong hands we need to worry about. We like to imagine that the law enforcement and government investigators tasked with preventing terrorist attacks are sober and dedicated, but the truth can be more sordid. In 2013, following disclosures that the National Security Agency had violated its own data collection rules more than 2,500 times in the course of a year, agency officials admitted that some of these incidents were personal in nature. A dozen or more cases involved NSA workers spying on their lovers and spouses. Abuse of surveillance technology by law enforcement is more common than we think, which surely must be on Cooks mind. As his letter points out, there is no way to guarantee that the government wont use the altered operating system in other cases in the future. Apple is also rightly worried that the case could establish a legal precedent to generate master keys to the encrypted data on any iPhone or iPad. Apple, Samsung, HTC, LG, Huawei and other smartphone manufacturers stake their business reputation on a tacit agreement: In exchange for a customers money, the phone manufacturer does its best to ensure that his or her private information stays secure. With the creation of so-called backdoors or weakened encryption, they could face the loss of lucrative enterprise contracts from corporate clients who want to make sure proprietary information stays proprietary. Apples compliance with this court order also would harm Americas whole tech sector, putting billions of dollars in profits and tech industry jobs at risk. In foreign markets, a perception (right or wrong) that an American technology company is working hand-in-glove with U.S. intelligence and law enforcement is ruinous for business. We like to imagine that the law enforcement and government investigators tasked with preventing terrorist attacks are sober and dedicated, but the truth can be more sordid. That was the case when the tables were turned. Chinese smartphone maker Huawei found it nearly impossible to sell phones in the U.S. market for years because of fears here of surveillance by China. After it openly clashed with Beijing over cybersecurity, and entered into deals with Google, Deutsche Telekom and other Western companies, its Nexus 6P phone finally has a growing market share. In the European Union, meanwhile, merely storing European customers data on U.S. servers has been a major policy concern. Heres the kicker: Law enforcement hardly needs to bend Apple to its will in order to surveille terrorism suspects. It could instead just catch up with the superior tracking and data mining capabilities of the private sector. To give one example of the sophisticated tracking tools in use, an advertising technology firm called Dstillery used location data to identify the smartphones of Iowa caucusgoers, and then scraped their online activities to find correlations between behaviors and voting patterns. (For instance, NASCAR fans correlated with caucuses supporting Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.) Working within the law, the advertising tech industry has developed behavior monitoring and analysis techniques that are the governments envy. Its important to note that we dont know if backdoors for law enforcement and intelligence secretly have been developed for some other tech products already. But the FBIs request, which will surely now wind up back in court, is terrible for American business and Americans in general. Writing on Twitter, Christopher Soghoian, principle technologist at the American Civil Liberties Union, summed it up: The court order gives law enforcement a precedent they have been seeking for a long time, and clears the way to use software update mechanisms on mobile devices for surveillance. Giving those capabilities to the FBI wont prevent further terrorist attacks. What might? Old-fashioned police work and cutting-edge analysis of the vast amount of legally available data. The type of access the FBI wants, though, is a Pandoras box. Once its developed, hackers, organized crime or foreign intelligence agencies stand to benefit as much as U.S. intelligence agencies and law enforcement. It is a cure, truly, that is worse than the disease. Neal Ungerleider is a reporter for Fast Company magazine and technology industry consultant who lives in Los Angeles. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook MORE ON APPLE VS. FBI How a passcode has foiled the FBI In San Bernardino, where terrorists struck, residents debate FBI vs. Apple Q&A: Apple vs. FBI is epic fight over privacy and national security Forget the kerfuffle over Pope Francis insinuating that Donald Trump isnt Christian. The real news from the pontiff: He appears to have given his blessing to artificial contraceptives. At least as used by women in countries where they fear they have been exposed to the Zika virus and getting pregnant would put them at risk of delivering babies with severe deformities linked to the disease. Thats monumental in terms of public health and religion. Particularly in predominantly Catholic Latin America, which has been the hardest hit by the virus, having the leader of the Roman Catholic Church say that in a situation like this one, avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil is enormously beneficial to women. Francis made his remarks on the plane ride back to Rome after his trip to Mexico. Advertisement SIGN UP for the free Opinion newsletter >> Also, en route to Rome, Francis was asked about Donald Trumps vow to build a wall along the Mexican border. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that, the pontiff said. Wow, that was some plane ride. From the minute this pope was elected in 2013 and chose not to get into the papal limousine but back on the bus with the cardinal also-rans as they left the Sistine Chapel, he has shown that he will not be a strict traditionalist at least in some ground-breaking ways. He has emphasized calling out economic injustice in the world over dwelling on social issues. On the other hand, he prompted a sea change in how the Catholic Church officially considers gay people, famously saying If someone is gay and searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge? On the plane, he was asked whether abortion or artificial contraception might be considered a lesser evil when dealing with the virus. The pope condemned abortion under any circumstances. But as for birth control, he cited the example of Pope Paul VI in the 1960s allowing nuns in Belgian Congo to use artificial contraception because they were being systematically raped. His remarks on birth control come after lesser Catholic officials refused to change their stance on artificial contraception even in the wake of the World Health Organization declaring Zika an international public health threat. Of course the pope is always going to be the exemplar of Roman Catholic beliefs, but his willingness, sometimes, to take into account humanity over strict adherence to doctrine is remarkable. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion. MORE FROM OPINION The FBI wants Apple to pry into your iPhone Treat wildfires like other natural disasters A big crop of nuts has rolled into the Republican Party To the editor: Andrew J. Bacevich rightly posits that the composition of our armed forces should reflect the character of American society. Plus, he notes that our all-volunteer force, even as augmented by shadowy private contractors (a.k.a. mercenaries), has not always been sufficient to counter worldwide military threats. (Should women register for the draft? Thats the wrong question to ask about our military, Opinion, Feb. 14) With the enviable freedoms and opportunities afforded us as citizens of the worlds preeminent democracy, no one male nor female, lower class nor upper class should begrudge registration for the draft. Being activated through the Selective Service System need not consign a registrant to a couple years of military duty. Alternative service say, longer and less remunerative stints in benevolent organizations like the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps could be an option. Advertisement Universal draft registration would do more than promote a sense of shared commitment and gender equality. It likely would give pause to politicians inclined to initiate wars of discretion on the backs of working-class males. David Schaffer, Santa Monica .. To the editor: When a private contractor is wounded, injured or killed in combat, the U.S. government is off the hook for any restitution or benefits. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has no obligation, and it therefore becomes a workers compensation claim to be made against whatever company employed the contractors. I support some sort of draft in which people can choose public service over a potential combat role. Americans, both men and women, should have to serve in some way, with no deferments other than legitimate medical ones. People live a long time now. A couple of years out of their lives serving their country seems like time well spent. Martin Schoen, Sierra Madre .. To the editor: Really? Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) feels that the very idea of requiring women to register for the draft is immoral? So does Cruz who bills himself as staunchly pro-Israel plan to counsel Israels leaders on the immorality of conscripting adult females? It could be a tough sell. After all, Israel long has defended itself from formidable foreign aggression by maintaining crack combat forces filled with conscripts of both genders. This is an admirable, not immoral, tack. Betty Turner, Sherman Oaks Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Since the mid-20th century when Republicans and Democrats began their slow march toward separate ends of the political spectrum, the share of GOP voters with curiously weird ideas has steadily increased. In 2016, that has become a disturbing problem for the party establishment as the two candidates with the strongest appeal to fringe voters, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, have moved well ahead of the more moderate pack. Once upon a time the 1960s both the Democratic and Republican parties were big-tent coalitions with a range of ideological views. Presidential campaigns were usually a race to the middle. The philosophical differences between the contenders in the 1960 presidential election, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, were slight by todays standards. Both were anti-communist Cold Warriors with mildly progressive stands on issues such as civil rights. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Advertisement There were, of course, staunchly conservative Republicans back then. They raised up Barry Goldwater as their standard-bearer in 1964 and lost in a landslide. But there were also Rockefeller Republicans; socially liberal, pro-business and disdainful of extreme rightist groups such as the John Birch Society. Meanwhile, power in the Democratic Party of the 60s was split between FDR liberals and the old guard Southern racists who ran the most powerful committees in Congress. President Lyndon Johnsons support for the Voting Rights Act and other anti-segregationist legislation sent conservative Southerners racing into the arms of Nixon and, a few years later, Ronald Reagan. Today, Democrats are mostly liberal, increasingly secular and racially diverse. Republicans are proudly conservative, assertively religious and mostly white. The United States, compared with the European democracies, is a center-right country. This has kept Democrats from straying too far left (although Bernie Sanders may change that). However, there has been nothing to stop Republicans from stirring up and profiting from anger on the right. GOP leaders have won majorities in Congress and the lions share of state legislatures by riling up the most conservative voters, and now the riled-up are dominating the GOP primary campaign and giving respectability to points of view that Republicans of a past era would have rejected outright. Public Policy Polling just released a new survey of Republican voters in South Carolina that gives insight into what is on the mind of the party base. Only a third of them are glad the North won the Civil War. More than half think the Confederate flag should fly on the grounds of the state Capitol. Almost a third would shut down mosques in the United States, while a quarter would outlaw Islam altogether. Nearly half of South Carolina Republicans support creation of a national database of all Muslims in the country, and 60% would stop any more Muslims from entering the United States. (Polling indicates the same percentage of Republican voters in New Hampshire also share that view, by the way.) And, as long as we are banning people, 20% of South Carolina GOP voters would also prohibit homosexuals from coming into the USA. The survey found that, among Trump voters, those percentages skew much higher (80% would ban Muslim immigration, for instance, and 31% would keep gays out). Meanwhile, Ted Cruz is appearing on stages with pastors who believe homosexuals deserve the death penalty and he is not embarrassed by it. We already knew that a significant number of Republican voters, nationally, are willing to tell pollsters that President Obama is a Muslim and is lying about where he was born. Now, with right-wing conspiracy theorists running wild with the story that Obama had Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia assassinated, do not be surprised if that issue comes up in a Trump town hall meeting, a Cruz fundraiser or even the next Republican debate. The Republican Party establishment knows it is only a matter of time before the kookiness among their constituents ruins their brand, but they are helpless to stop it. They are riding a wild and crazy bull and cannot jump off without the high risk of being stomped into the dirt. ALSO Scalia and Ginsburg: The end of a beautiful friendship The 2016 presidential campaign has become a giant reality show Republicans find a precedent limiting Obamas post-Scalia nominating power Assembly Republicans are bellying up to the bargaining table over Gov. Jerry Browns proposed tax package for healthcare plans, signaling a new phase in the negotiations that have slogged on for more than a year. A document obtained by The Times lays out the political and policy wish list for the Assembly GOP caucus. Most significantly, they want to direct more than $800 million in spending made possible by the new tax. The Assembly GOP is calling for $290 million to fund services for the developmentally disabled and another $120 million to reimburse certain skilled nursing facilities, which suffered major cuts in 2011. The proposal would also put money toward paying off state debts: $240 million would go toward Californias retiree healthcare liabilities for public employees and $175 million would repay transportation loans. Advertisement The plan would leave $475 million in spending at the discretion of the governor or legislative Democrats. Republicans have largely been sidelined from dictating state spending since California switched to a majority-vote budget in 2010. GOP support is critical for the tax plan, which would help fund Medi-Cal, the states healthcare program for the poor. Californias current tax on managed care organizations expires in June, and the Obama administration has said the state must overhaul the levy or risk losing federal money. Not replacing the tax would punch a $1-billion hole in the states budget, Brown has argued, leaving funding for social services at risk. But GOP legislators are typically hostile to new taxes. The governor has framed the proposal as tax reform, coupling a series of levies on managed-care health plans with eliminating other taxes. The Assembly GOP document echoes Browns framing, calling the proposal financing reform and noting the package as a whole would reduce commercial plans tax burden by $100 million. Throughout negotiations, Assembly Republicans have stood firm in rejecting any tax increases that would raise healthcare costs on Californians, Assembly GOP leader Chad Mayes said in a statement. Our goal has been and continues to be securing [a managed care organization] MCO plan that prioritizes consumers, improves services for the developmentally disabled community and protects taxpayers by paying down state debt. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> Mayes, of Yucca Valley, met with Brown on Tuesday to discuss the proposal. Gareth Lacy, a spokesman for the governor, declined to comment on the meeting. The tax breaks have not been enough to satisfy some in the Republican base. Jon Fleischman, an activist and publisher of the conservative website the Flash Report, blasted the proposal as a tax increase and urged GOP lawmakers to keep your commitment to taxpayers. Members of the Senate Republican caucus have publicly staked a harder line against the proposal than their Assembly counterparts. Senate GOP leader Jean Fuller of Bakersfield told the San Jose Mercury News last week that she is urging her members to reject what she considers to be a tax hike. But the Assembly Republican leadership appears more inclined to strike a deal. The measure requires a two-thirds vote in each house, meaning at least three GOP votes in the Assembly and one in the Senate. The GOPs wish list document lays out conditions for the caucus to consider the proposal, many of which have already been met. The caucus wanted support from the health plans and promises they would not pass costs on to consumers; the California Assn. of Health Plans backed the proposal last week, and several major including Blue Shield, Kaiser Permanente and Health Net have said the measure would not affect affordability of their plans. The positions of other interest groups were crucial as well: the Assembly GOP wanted the California Chamber of Commerce to support the plan (which it does, as of last week) and sought neutrality from the conservative California Taxpayers Assn. and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. The Jarvis group, named for the influential anti-tax crusader who championed Proposition 13, staked a neutral stance on Thursday. Jon Coupal, the organizations president, said after analyzing the proposal, the belief is theres a relatively low risk of consumers taking a hit. CalTax has not yet taken a public position on the measure. Finally, the Assembly GOP wants assurances that all legislative Democrats, even those in tough re-election campaigns, will vote for the measure. Follow @melmason for more on California government and politics. ALSO: Revamping the tax on healthcare plans proves tougher than Brown thought Browns budget set to included revised health care tax Updates from Sacramento Whether catching a wave on a stand-up paddleboard or capturing one with a brush and canvas, Ken Auster was always ready for a challenge. In an interview two years ago with a magazine publisher, Auster, a renowned plein air painter and Laguna Beach arts commissioner, said it is beneficial to critique ones work in pursuit of improvement. Not liking what you do is the catalyst to be a better painter, Auster told Eric Rhoads, publisher of Plein Air Magazine during one of Rhoads podcasts. Auster died late last month from prostate cancer at age 66. Advertisement Growing up in Southern California, Auster spent many days at the beach, which influenced his professional work, first as owner of a company that silk screened prints onto T-shirts and later as a painter capturing shorelines and bustling street corners, among other subjects. His sense of color, design and composition was so unique, said Saim Caglayan, founder of the Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. and a close friend of Austers. Caglayan and Auster had known each other since they exhibited at the Festival of the Arts in the 1970s. Caglayan recommended Auster as one of the organizations original board members. Auster was the brains behind the idea for an invitational plein air event in Laguna, which will mark its 18th year this fall. Plein air translates to open air. The art method involves either painting outdoors or representing in a painting the qualities of air and natural light. Though his mother bought him an easel when he was 2, Auster didnt plan early on making painting a career. He earned a bachelors in fine arts from Long Beach State but didnt go to arts school to be a painter, he told Rhoads during the podcast. I didnt grow up and say, I want to be a portrait painter. I didnt have time to do that because I was having so much fun [in college], Auster told the interviewer. I tried to figure out a way I could incorporate art to make a living. For some reason, I stumbled on silk screening. Auster developed a successful printing business, traveling the world to work with clients, including the rock band Van Halen. Auster designed T-shirts for the groups 1980 and 84 tours, along with rings for the band members. I always wanted to paint but was too busy silk screening shirts, Auster said. One day a bunch of [Laguna] guys said, Lets go painting outdoors. For some reason, and I dont know why, it just came easy. If something that you do, or something happens that is easy for you, think about it for awhile.... I knew there was something there, but I hadnt found my voice yet. Auster pursued this newfound skill and developed a collection of work now seen in permanent collections at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the International Surfing Museum in Huntington Beach, according to the Plein Air Painters of America website. He held solo exhibits in Tokyo, San Francisco and Kauai, Hawaii, and the San Diego Oceans Foundation named him its Artist of the Year in 1998, the website said. Auster liked stand-up paddling off Lagunas Picnic Beach and often drove to Trestles in San Clemente for his surfing fix, said his wife, Paulette. The couple met in 1983, when Paulette watched Kens booth at the Sawdust Art Festival while he delivered rings to Van Halen. He was really nice to me, Paulette said in a phone interview last week. He would leave a muffin on my doorstep. He was very funny and I had fun with him. The couple married 12 years ago after a long courtship and often hosted Caglayan when he visited from his home in Kauai. They have no children. Her husband was ethical, hardworking, an excellent businessman, protective of me to a fault and romantic, Paulette said in a follow-up email. He loved children, animals, his friends, the ocean, and most of all he loved me with unfailing love. Rhoads will honor Auster with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the fifth annual Plein Air Convention & Expo in April in Tucson, Ariz. A celebration of Austers life is scheduled for 10 a.m. April 9 at Capo Beach Church, 25975 Domingo Ave., Capistrano Beach, followed by a paddle-out at Doheny State Beach. It will be aloha-style, no black, Paulette said of the celebration. To see Kens work, visit the website kenauster.com. Caglayan recalled that Auster would try to keep the mood light and was always ready to help his friends. Now he is gone, but the marks he left behind, whether on canvas, in the car or furniture, will touch my heart deeply as I loved him like a brother, Caglayan said. Students who attend Glendale Community College who are from outside the state or out of the country will pay more than $200 per unit next school year after the colleges trustees unanimously agreed to increase the price of nonresident tuition Tuesday night. For foreign students or those enrolling in the college from out of state, nonresident tuition will cost $205 per unit, up from the $195 per-unit amount those students currently pay. NEWSLETTER: Stay up to date with whats going on in the 818 >> Students who live in California will continue to pay $46 per unit next year. College officials project the nonresident hike will generate $145,000 more in revenue during the 2016-17 academic year. The California Education Code requires that the nonresident tuition-fee increase must be gradual, moderate and predictable, according to a college report, and college officials said its similar to what nonresidents pay at nearby community colleges. Nonresidents within the Los Angeles Community College District currently pay $206 per unit, while students from outside the state or country at Pasadena City College pay $211 per unit, according to the college report. We still remain within or below parameters of what can be charged, and generally, as a college, we do do that, said Tony Tartaglia, president of the Glendale Community College trustees. There are about 700 nonresident students attending Glendale Community College, with the majority about 600 from outside the country, said Ron Nakasone, executive vice president of administrative services for the college. The tuition hike was approved by the colleges Student Fees Committee last month and the Campus Executive Committee earlier this month before it went to the board of trustees for consideration. The $205-per-unit fee is $24 more than what nonresident students paid per unit during the 2012-13 academic year, when they paid $181 per unit, according to the college report. In addition to the per-unit fee, nonresident students pay a $46-per-unit enrollment fee. -- Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com Twitter: @kellymcorrigan DUCKS NEXT UP AT VANCOUVER When: Thursday, 7 p.m. On the air: TV: Prime; Radio: 830. Update: A seven-game trip through four time zones ends for the Ducks, who can finish 5-1-1 with a victory. Goalie Anton Khudobin was reassigned, meaning John Gibson is recovered from an upper-body injury. Defenseman Korbinian Holzer was sent to San Diego on a conditioning assignment. Depth is the strength of the Ducks offense, with 20 of their 23 goals on the trip spread nearly even across their four lines. Defenseman Hampus Lindholm has scored five of his career-high eight goals since the All-Star break. Former Ducks winger Emerson Etem has one goal and one assist in 13 games with Vancouver. The Canucks look to rebound after losses to Toronto and Minnesota. Almost unexpectedly, Kings Coach Darryl Sutter (re)launched the Drew Doughty for Norris Trophy campaign Thursday morning. Sutter didnt start it without prompting. He was asked a question about the Kings defenseman, who is receiving strong consideration for the award given to the leagues top defenseman. Theyre just going to give it to the defensemen with the most points, Sutter said after the morning skate. Change the award. Hes the best defenseman in the league. Advertisement Easy. Not even close. Every situation, hes the best defenseman Ive seen. I dont jump on guys wagons because I coach them or because were playing against them. The Kings are 2-3 on this trip and play the Blues on Thursday night. Defenseman Jamie McBain, who had been a healthy scratch the past five games, appears likely to be back in, along with center Andy Andreoff. That means center Nick Shore and rookie defenseman Kevin Gravel look to be the odd men out. Doughty, 26, has 11 goals and 36 points in 56 games and is a plus-14. A year older, a year better, Sutter said. Hopefully when hes 36, theyre saying hes having his best year. Sutter looked to Chicago to make a comparison, referencing defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. Keith, like Doughty, has won two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada, and Seabrook has won one. Its hard to explain it, what hes got already, Sutter said. For a resume. How many other guys 26 years old, other than probably Duncan and Brent, can say theyve got what hes got and theyve got one more [Stanley Cup]. Hes head and shoulders above every defenseman in the league. When he has an average night, its still OK. My only problem with having Drew out there all the time and its a great problem is [having] the right guy with him. Drew cant do everything. San Luis Obispo is a charming college community on the Central Coast where visitors are encouraged to slow down and enjoy all that the city has to offer: good food, good vibes, sunshine and a healthy lifestyle. Downtown is the place to be, thick with tree-lined streets, stores, bars and restaurants. Theres also the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa and a meandering creek ideal for rock hopping. And although chain stores are popping up like whack-a-moles, SLO retains its bohemian flavor and cool village atmosphere despite the construction. The bed Advertisement We wanted to stay at the boutique Granada Hotel & Bistro downtown, which has a chic vibe to go along with its exposed brick walls, wood floors and custom artwork. Unfortunately, it was booked that weekend. Road trips: where to go and what to know But no worries we ended up at our old standby, Quality Suites, five minutes from downtown. If youre looking for value and space, this is a great option. Every suite has two rooms, one with beds and one with a pullout sofa. Guests get a cooked-to-order breakfast, and the nightly happy hour in the lobby has free beer and wine. The meal For one meal, we hit an old favorite, Big Sky Cafe, and had buttermilk fried chicken salads and biscuits. The next night, we tried Sidecar Cocktail Co., where we shared small plates. We also had great clam chowder at Splash Cafe, a casual fish-centric venue with two SLO locations. The find When we werent eating, we were checking out places such as Captain Nemo Games & Comics and Cheap Thrills Records, which share space in a converted muffler shop. Both stores have stacks and bins of new and used stock for casual and serious fans: comic books, graphic novels, board games, trading cards, action figures, videos and DVDs at Captain Nemo; and CDs, cassettes, EPs, singles, 7-inch records, 8-track and vinyl music offerings at Cheap Thrills. Lesson learned And heres another tip: Dont jump on the 101 Freeway in a rush to get home. Instead, take the wine trail that starts just outside the city limits and ends in Arroyo Grande. The trail winds though classic California open space. Some of the better known vintners include Edna Valley and Claiborne & Churchill. Info and map at SLO Wine, www.slowine.com. Miles one way from downtown L.A. About 210 Resources Granada Hotel & Bistro, www.granadahotelandbistro.com; Quality Suites, www.qualitysuitesslo.com; Big Sky Cafe, www.bigskycafe.com; Sidecar, sidecarcocktail.company; Splash Cafe, www.splashcafe.com/slo-monterey-st.php; Captain Nemo Games & Comics, www.lat.ms/nemocomics; Cheap Thrills Records, www.lat.ms/cheapthrills; Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, www.missionsanluisobispo.org. travel@latimes.com Have an incredible road trip story or a useful tip? Share your memories and suggestions with us in the comments. As military and political setbacks mount, Afghanistans embattled president, Ashraf Ghani, has insisted the time is right to seek direct peace talks with resurgent Taliban militants. Now an influential figure in Ghanis government has blasted the peace strategy as a waste of time given the Talibans successes and the governments weakness, and said the four-nation effort which includes the United States, China and Pakistan is doomed to fail. What do the Taliban stand to gain at this time from negotiating with the government? said Ahmad Zia Massoud, who holds the title of Ghanis special representative for reform and good governance. Advertisement See more of our top stories on Facebook >> In an interview at his office in Kabul, Massoud said the confidence expressed by Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, chief executive in Afghanistans unity government, does not reflect political and military realities. Citing U.S. military figures, the U.S. Special Inspector for Afghanistan Reconstruction, a watchdog, reported last month that the Afghan government controls just 72% of the countrys 407 districts, believed to be the lowest figure in years. Taliban insurgents have continued fighting government forces through a bloody winter, defying the usual lull in violence that comes in Afghanistans colder months and prompting U.S. military officials to reconsider reducing the U.S. troop presence later this year as the White House had planned. The four nations involved in the peace effort have held multiple meetings the next is scheduled for Feb. 23 in Kabul but have not yet invited Taliban representatives. Ghani has failed to win support for talks either from the public or among top officials; the countrys spy chief recently resigned over opposition to negotiations. Meanwhile, the Taliban has papered over a leadership crisis following the death of its longtime leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, and gained strength in northern and southern areas once regarded as solidly in government hands. Right now, they are thinking: We have the territory, we have the guns, its us who have fought for more than 20 years, Massoud said of the Taliban. The Taliban are already preparing militarily for a new, more dangerous fight in the upcoming year. Massouds comments carry weight he is a leader of the Tajik ethnic minority and brother of a slain anti-communist guerrilla and echo equally grim assessments in recent weeks from top U.S. officials, who appear increasingly concerned about the stability of Ghanis government. Last week, James Clapper, director of national intelligence, told a Senate committee that Afghanistan would struggle to maintain political cohesion in 2016 amid serious internal challenges -- including a tanking economy, parliamentary elections and a loya jirga, or grand assembly, that could create a prime ministerial office that would challenge presidential authority. We assess that fighting in 2016 will be more intense than 2015, continuing a decade-long trend of deteriorating security that will compound these challenges, Clapper said. In the year and a half since it was created under a U.S.-brokered compromise to end a deadlocked election, the unity government has been too mired in political jockeying to deliver basic services, Massoud said. Ghani has yet to appoint a defense minister. The interior minister, Noor-ul-Haq Olomi, recently offered his resignation over the worsening security outlook but Ghani rejected it, according to a former security official familiar with the matter. Recent fighting between Taliban and government forces damaged an electrical station in the northern province of Baghlan, plunging Kabul, the capital, into increasingly long power outages. Look at the current state of the nation: the economy is weak, people continue to suffer from joblessness, there are still social problems, there is still political infighting even at the highest level, Massoud said. On top of that, our security forces are still weak. Massoud and others say the government has not reached out to veterans of the northern-based mujahedin forces that battled the Soviet occupation and later the Taliban in the 1990s. Addressing a group of former mujahedin fighters in the northern province of Takhar last week, Massoud called for the establishment of a resistance council to oppose the Taliban. Many ex-mujahedin leaders have expressed discontent that Ghanis government, unlike that of former President Hamid Karzai, has not consulted them in decision-making or appointed more of them to top positions. Yet calls to empower the mujahedin have also prompted concerns about militias forming outside government control. Massoud said he does not support such militias. Last fall, Haji Abdul Zaher Qadir, deputy speaker of the lower house of the parliament, was criticized when he armed thousands of men to fight militants claiming allegiance to Islamic State in the eastern province of Nangarhar. Ghanis first vice president, Abdul Rashid Dostum, a leader among the Uzbek ethnic minority, faced opposition to his proposal to send fighters to help government forces battle Taliban insurgents who briefly seized control of the capital of northern Kunduz province in December. A security official speaking on condition of anonymity said Dostums offer was rejected due to fear it would provoke ethnic strife. Dostum, who was reportedly angered by the rebuff, was seen as a key factor in Ghanis electoral support, along with Qadir and Massoud. Massoud also criticized Pakistan, which Afghans have long accused of supporting Taliban insurgents, and said he did not buy Ghanis statements that Islamabad is genuinely committed to the peace process. Citing security officials, Massoud said Pakistani military personnel were seen in recent months in Baghlan, the scene of fierce fighting between the Taliban and government forces. Pakistan has denied supporting the Taliban. Massoud said he has no intention of quitting the unity government but hoped to raise awareness of the myriad, and ultimately linked, challenges of security and the economy. We currently have computer science graduates joining the Taliban because they cant find employment, he said. Latifi is a special correspondent. Times staff writer Bengali reported from Mumbai, India. shashank.bengali@latimes.com Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia ALSO Turkey blames Syrian man for deadly Ankara car bomb attack Obama says hell make historic trip to Cuba and plans to press Castro on human rights Haitis troubled succession of leaders: They dont really want to work for the Haitian people Even by African standards, it was a most unusual election. In Ugandas presidential and parliamentary vote Thursday, Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp were disabled by the government for security reasons. The main presidential challenger was whisked away by police. And police fired tear gas at angry voters who protested after having to wait in line for hours because of lengthy delays in the delivery of voting materials. Such is Ugandan democracy under President Yoweri Museveni, a ruler who typifies [an] African autocrat who uses controlled elections to feign democrat, Human Rights Watch director Ken Roth tweeted Thursday. Advertisement Riot police advance toward a crowd of opposition supporters in the centre of Ggaba, a suburb of Kampala, on Thursday during Ugandas national elections. (Will Boase / AFP/Getty Images) Museveni, 71, has been in power for 30 years and like many leaders in Africa and elsewhere, seems unable to imagine that anyone would make a better president than him. After casting his vote Thursday afternoon, he told journalists the decision to close down social media was a temporary security measure because some people misuse those pathways for telling lies. Cellphone money transfers, a popular means of payments, were also disabled. However, some Ugandans took to Twitter and Facebook to taunt authorities that they had been able to get around the social media shutdown by using VPNs. Hello world ~ UCC tried to shut us all up, but I guess they didnt account for VPNs :) :), tweeted lawyer Busingye Kabumba, referring to the Ugandan Communications Commission. Hello world ~ UCC tried to shut us all up, but I guess they didn't account for VPNs :) :) Dr Busingye Kabumba (@bkabumba) February 18, 2016 Blocking peoples right to communicate on this important day sends wrong message to Ugandans, tweeted the U.S. ambassador to Uganda, Deborah R. Malac. Ugandas vote underscores the patchy progress on democracy in Africa and elsewhere. Some of the African leaders once seen by Washington as a hopeful new generation of democrats -- including Museveni and President Paul Kagame in neighboring Rwanda -- have turned out to be as bad as the old guard of Africas Big Men who ruled for life. One African leader after another has engineered changes to constitutional term limits to stay in power, claiming that supporters are clamoring for them to stay. Among those who have been in power for decades are Zimbabwes Robert Mugabe, who turns 92 on Sunday, Cameroons Paul Biya, Equatorial Guineas Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, and Angolas Jose Eduardo dos Santos, all of whom have been in power for more than 30 years. MORE: Get our best stories in your Facebook feed >> But there have been encouraging signs elsewhere, particularly in West Africa. Nigeria last year saw its first democratic transfer of power since the end of military rule in 1999, while attempts by presidents to cling to power in Senegal and Burkina Faso have been foiled by public protests. In Uganda, however, Museveni maintains firm control of the levers of power and is expected to win yet another five-year term. Museveni, whose election slogan is Steady progress, faces seven presidential candidates, including his former doctor, longtime opposition leader Kizza Besigye, and his former prime minister, Amama Mbabazi, both of whom have declared that the balloting will be rigged, setting the scene for disputed elections and protests. Besigyes Forum for Democratic Change party said he had been arrested late Thursday and we do not know where he is. (Hours later, his attorney said he had been released.) According to the party, Besigye had been trying to expose a house being used by ruling party operatives to rig votes. Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye meets his supporters after casting his vote. He was briefly detained by authorities. (Ronald Kabuubi / Associated Press) It was the second time in a few days that Besigye was held by police. He was briefly detained Monday when he tried to attend an election rally in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. The elections were marked by long delays and claims of election fraud. The opposition tweeted photographs of what they said were pre-marked ballot papers in favor of Museveni, while local media tweeted photographs of ballot boxes that reportedly werent sealed and may have been tampered with. Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, head of a Commonwealth election observer mission, described the delays in getting voting materials to polling stations as absolutely inexcusable, adding that these do not inspire trust and confidence in the system and the process, Agence France-Presse reported. Police fired tear gas to disperse protesting voters angered by the delays. Ugandas election commission apologized for the problems delivering ballot papers, and voting was extended in some places to Friday to allow people to vote. Museveni needs more than 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff, something hes never faced in his three decades as president. See the most-read stories this hour >> Human rights groups have reported a clampdown by police on opposition rallies in the months leading to elections. A Ugandan human rights organization, Chapter Four Uganda, recorded 72 incidents in which police and others violated rights to freedom of assembly. Human Rights Watch reported threats by ruling party figures, including one official, Kasule Lumumba, who was recorded as saying the state will kill your children if people tried to protest results after the poll. Sadly, this is no idle talk. Human rights groups have documented cases of people, including children, killed by security forces during public demonstrations in Uganda in recent years, Human Rights Watch researcher Maria Burnett said in a statement. Results in Ugandas vote are expected to be announced by Saturday. Follow @RobynDixon_LAT for news from Africa. ALSO Drug seizures soar in China; most suspects are farmers and unemployed Pope opens the door to contraception in averting harmful effects of Zika virus Haitis troubled succession of leaders: They dont really want to work for the Haitian people Seizures of illegal drugs jumped almost 50% last year in China, authorities said Thursday, with young people and rural residents showing an increasing appetite for meth, crystal meth and other amphetamine-type stimulants. China said it solved 165,000 drug-crime cases nationwide in 2015, up 13.2%, with the number of arrests up 15% and the quantity of drugs confiscated up by almost half, to 102.5 tons, compared with 2014s figure, according to Liu Yuejin, vice commissioner of the China National Narcotics Control Commission. The drug trade, added Liu, is becoming increasingly violent. In a country where firearms are strictly controlled and relatively difficult to obtain, police seized 466 guns last year in drug cases, up 40%, along with 30,000 rounds of ammunition. Advertisement Almost 80% of drugs seized were manufactured in China, with most of the rest coming from the Golden Triangle where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand converge, and the Golden Crescent comprising Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Headline-grabbing busts have happened across the country, though many of the biggest cases have been concentrated in southern provinces such as Guangdong. In January 2015, police arrested 28 suspects and seized more than 2.4 tons of solid and solid-liquid meth in a factory near Guangdongs Lufeng City that was supplying customers in Shanghai. In the city of Foshan, also in Guangdong, over 700 pounds of meth and MDMA (widely known as ecstasy or Molly) were found in December, concealed in 88 containers of knockoff luxury watches at a logistics company. Last month, more than 330 pounds of meth and over a ton of raw materials were seized in the Guangdong city of Panyu, with 10 people arrested. A whistle-blower in the case collected a $69,000 reward from the police -- showing up for the ceremony in a Spider-Man mask to conceal his identity. Heroin and opiate use is slowing in China, while synthetic drugs are booming. Of the 531,000 newly discovered drug users registered by China in 2015, Liu said, 80.5% were using amphetamine-type stimulants including meth, speed, ecstasy and crystal meth (also known as ice), compared with just 17.4% abusing opiates. Farmers and unemployed people, said Liu, made up 78.9% of the 194,000 people arrested on drug charges. A substantial share of the production, however, is heading overseas. This week, Australian police announced that they had discovered 50 gallons of liquid methamphetamine being shipped from China concealed in thousands of gel pads inserted into push-up bras. An additional 140 gallons traced to the same network was found among art supplies in warehouses in Sydney. Australian police put the street value of the drugs at $900 million and said it was the largest-ever haul of liquid meth in Australias history. Three Hong Kong residents and one mainland Chinese man were arrested in the case. Last May, police in Guangdong busted a 3,000-square-foot meth factory on a goose farm in the city of Yangjiang whose products were being disguised as black tea and shipped to Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Twenty-seven people were arrested, including several Taiwanese citizens. Authorities also confiscated more than 1.39 tons of solid and solid-liquid ketamine, 3 tons of other drug precursor material, along with weapons and 12 vehicles. Australian and Chinese agencies set up a joint task force in November to investigate criminal syndicates trafficking meth. Hu Minglang, director-general of the Ministry of Public Securitys narcotics control bureau, said China had signed counternarcotics cooperation agreements with more than 20 countries and had close law enforcement cooperation with more than 30 countries. We are willing to take all kinds of measures to combat drugs together, added Hu, who said he was meeting some U.S. counterparts on drug control and law enforcement Thursday afternoon. American authorities have previously criticized China for failing to do enough to stop the production and export of drugs and their precursor materials. In 2013, U.S. prosecutors named the boss of one drug-making company, China Enriching Chemistry, in a federal indictment alleging the sale of banned substances in the U.S., but China and the United States do not have an extradition treaty. The boss was arrested in China, but the company has continued to operate. China has a very big chemical industry, and makes a lot of precursors that might be used for drugs but not all of them are being used for making drugs, Hu said. If they violated Chinese law, then we took measures to punish them, and some staff. In October, the Chinese government restricted the export of alpha-PVP, the key ingredient in a notorious stimulant called flakka, and 115 other chemical substances used to make synthetic drugs but found to have no known legitimate uses. U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency spokeswoman Raynette Savoy Kornickey praised the move, saying that by cutting off the supply of alpha-PVP at its origin, we hope to halt its flow into the United States. She called China a major supplier. Under Chinese law, producing, carrying or selling 50 grams or more of heroin or methamphetamine can be punishable by death. Asked how many drug offenders were put to death last year in China, Liu refused to answer. But a report last year on China.org.cn, an official state media site, said five Japanese and four South Korean drug related criminals were executed in China in 2014. Nicole Liu in The Times Beijing Bureau contributed to this report. Follow @JulieMakLAT for news from China After ending a dramatic tour of Mexico, Pope Francis on Thursday seemed to open the door for limited use of artificial contraception, long prohibited by the Roman Catholic Church, to prevent pregnancies at risk from the disastrous, fast-spreading Zika virus. Speaking to reporters aboard his flight from Mexicos Ciudad Juarez to Rome, Francis was asked if a lesser evil abortion or contraception could be permitted to prevent the disease from harming a fetus. Researchers believe Zika may be linked to serious birth defects, such as debilitating under-formation of the brain, and hundreds of cases have been reported in Latin America. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Advertisement Under no circumstances, Francis said, should abortion be considered a lesser evil, and he said the procedure should be avoided at all cost. It is a crime, [killing] one person to save another, he said. That is something that the Mafia does ... an absolute evil. However, preventing a pregnancy that was in danger of being exposed to Zika might be allowable, he said, but only if it would most certainly prevent a pregnancy at risk. Avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil, Francis said. He cited Pope Paul VIs decision in the early 1960s to allow religious women facing rape during upheaval in the Belgian Congo to use contraception. However, in the milestone 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, Paul VI banned use of birth control under normal circumstances. The church teaches that procreation is one of the most important duties of married couples. The Vatican has been criticized in the past for taking a hard line against the use of condoms to stop the spread of AIDS, especially in Africa and Asia. In most of Latin America, where Zika is most common, abortion is illegal and birth control can be hard to come by. In all of Mexico and Central America, it is only in Mexico City, where the pope just visited, that abortion can be obtained on demand. Some countries, such as Nicaragua, ban it in all cases, including rape, incest and the health of the pregnant woman or girl. Latin American bishops have become more conservative in recent times, and it was unclear what they would say about what appears to be a new opening voiced by the pope. What Francis said he really wanted to happen is for doctors to do everything possible to find a vaccination for this disease. The pope answered a wide range of questions at a rambling news conference, touching on Donald Trump and his plans to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico and on recent revelations that Pope John Paul II sustained a long, loving but apparently platonic relationship with a married woman. On John Pauls friendship with American-Polish philosopher Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka, the pope was a supporter. A man who does not know how to have a friendly rapport with a woman, he said, is missing something, adding that he often consults women for their opinions. Two Mexican reporters asked about what many in Mexico saw as glaring omissions in the pontiffs dozen or so prepared speeches: the 43 college students kidnapped and presumably killed by corrupt authorities, and the clergy sexual abuse scandal as represented by the late Mexican priest Marcial Maciel. Maciel, a Mexican-born priest who founded the Legion of Christ, stepped down as head of the order after having been implicated in a broad array of sex abuse allegations involving boys and young men. It was also revealed that he had fathered up to six children before his death in 2008. Francis took exception to the criticism. He noted he had repeatedly cited the plights of murdered and missing Mexicans and the corruption of government officials and business entrepreneurs in terrorizing and repressing the most downtrodden of society. The families of the 43 had said they wanted a private meeting with the pope, and when that was not granted, some said they would not attend his Masses. Francis said there had been internal disputes among the many organizations representing Mexicos more than 25,000 missing people and that he thought the best solution was to invite all to the final Mass at the border Wednesday in Ciudad Juarez. Mexican society is victim of all of this, of crimes, of cleansing people, of throwing them away, he said. It is a very large pain that I carry with me, because these people do not deserve a drama like this. On priest abuse, Francis had forceful words for bishops who simply transfer pederast priests from parish to parish, as has often been the case. They should resign, clear? He said his predecessors, Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, had condemned abuse and moved to make reforms. Activists, however, say the church acted woefully late and that abuse and coverups continue today. As for Maciel, who fathered children and lived the high life, the powerful, conservative congregation he created, the Legion of Christ, has been overhauled, the pope said. He was pointed, though, in his condemnation of child sex abuse by clerics. Its a monstrosity, he said. Because a priest is consecrated to bring a child to God. And if he consumes him in a diabolical sacrifice, it destroys him. Follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter Full coverage: Zika virus outbreak >> MORE ON POPE FRANCIS Francis never crossed the border, but El Paso felt the popes presence Pope Francis decries human tragedy that forces migration in landmark Mass at the U.S.-Mexico border When two of the most visible figures on the international stage, Pope Francis and Donald Trump, exchanged sharp words over immigration Thursday, an extraordinary election year took another dramatic twist. The long-distance volley, impelled, like so much of the campaign, by Trumps language on Mexican immigration, created a moment that actually merited the overused label unprecedented. Popes have often commented on other countries politics. But no pope has as pointedly remarked on a central issue in a U.S. presidential campaign as Francis did to reporters on his plane back to the Vatican after his trip to Mexico. Advertisement A person who only thinks about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian, the pope said, in response to a question about Trumps oft-repeated vow to build a wall along the Mexican border. That is not in the Gospel, he said, according to an English translation of his remarks released by the Vatican. Pope Francis suggested Thursday that Donald Trump is not Christian if he wants to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border. Trump immediately fired back, saying it is disgraceful for a religious leader to question a persons faith. And no leading presidential candidate has so sharply criticized a major religious figure as Trump did in reply. For a religious leader to question a persons faith is disgraceful, Trump said in a statement that he read aloud at a campaign appearance in Kiawah Island, S.C. He also suggested the Mexican government had manipulated the pope, and called himself a good Christian. If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which, as everyone knows, is ISIS ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president, Trump said, using an acronym for the Islamic State militant group. What do you think of the Popes comments? Join the conversation on Facebook >> As with previous controversies involving Trump, the long-distance exchange with Pope Francis dominated the campaign news cycle, drawing attention to him and draining it from rival Republican candidates two days before a critical primary here. In that way, the exchange once again demonstrated the New York billionaires unrivaled ability to use controversy for maximum political advantage. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, for example, had hoped to have one full day to bask in the endorsement of the states popular GOP governor, Nikki Haley, which helped boost him in some polls into second place here. Instead, he spent significant time responding to questions about Trump and, in the end, supporting his rival. I havent seen the context of the Holy Fathers statement, Rubio, who is Roman Catholic, initially said. Later, in a CNN interview, he defended the idea of a border wall, saying it is not just about immigrants, but also about potentially, terrorists crossing that border, not to mention the drugs that are coming across that border and the human trafficking thats occurring. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is also Catholic, told reporters he regarded the pope as his spiritual leader but demurred when asked whether Francis was correct to question whether Trump is Christian. His Christianity is between him and his creator, Bush said of Trump, who is Presbyterian and has made a show of attending church a handful of times since he began campaigning. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, speaking at a CNN town hall in South Carolina, said, Put me down in the pro-pope column. A member of the Anglican Church in North America, an offshoot of the Episcopal Church, he appeared to side with Trump when he said, We have a right to build a wall. But, he added, There are too many walls between us. Most of Trumps rivals declined to fight with him over immigration, which has proven highly combustible and has formed the center of Trumps campaign. His call for a border wall draws loud cheers. Last week, he began airing a new TV ad claiming credit for forcing other candidates to talk about it. Moreover, while the pope enjoys widespread popularity in the U.S., his standing is lowest among groups who like Trump the most: Francis has more popularity among Democrats than Republicans and more liberals than conservatives, although majorities in each of those groups view him favorably. This fall, when the pope visited the U.S., about 8 in 10 Democrats polled said they viewed him favorably, the Pew Research Center found. Among Republicans the share was smaller, a bit more than 6 in 10. Nearly 4 in 10 liberals said Francis had made them feel more positive about the Catholic Church; among conservatives, 2 in 10 said so, the survey found. SIGN UP for the free Essential Politics newsletter >> Both here and in Nevada, where Trump has begun airing his immigration-themed ad in advance of Tuesdays Republican caucuses, his supporters, both prominent and not, strongly defended him. Some criticized Francis for getting involved. Jesus never intended to give instructions to political leaders on how to run a country, said Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University, who has often called for basing public policy on Christian principles. Falwell, a Trump supporter, made his remarks in an interview on CNN. Tell the pope to take a hike, said Mike Price, 61, a schoolteacher attending a rally in this town near the North Carolina border. Its none of his business if we want to build a wall, added Price, who was deciding between Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. In Las Vegas, a casino worker who would give only his first name, Jay, because he feared his employer did not want him talking about politics on the job, also proclaimed his support for the candidate. Id vote for Trump. He speaks his mind. Why should he have to apologize? said Jay, a Republican who was raised Catholic. The pope should stay out of American politics, he said. What are you sticking your nose in there for? he said. This really isnt your business. Trump said he expected his remarks and the popes were probably going to be all over the world. Who the hell cares? he added. I dont care. I dont care because we have to stop illegal immigration. Francis words came at the end of a six-day tour of Mexico that culminated in a Mass at the border. Asked about Trumps pledge to build a wall and his insistence on deporting the roughly 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally, the pope said he did not intend to meddle in the U.S. election. He would give Trump the benefit of the doubt to determine whether he really said the things attributed to him, he added. Whether I would advise to vote or not to vote, I am not going to get involved in that, he said. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. Trump, characteristically, offered no caveats in his response. The Mexican government and its leadership has made many disparaging remarks about me to the pope because they want to continue to rip off the United States, he wrote. They are using the pope as a pawn. No leader, he said, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another mans religion or faith. Bierman reported from South Carolina and Lauter from Washington. Staff writers Tracy Wilkinson in Washington, Seema Mehta in South Carolina and Kate Linthicum and Michael Finnegan in Las Vegas contributed to this report. A transcript of the popes remarks was released by the Vatican. Here is the full question and answer: Q: Today you spoke a lot and eloquently about the problem of immigrants. On the other side of the border there is an electoral campaign that is rather hard. One of the candidates for the White House, Donald Trump, in a recent interview said that you are a political man, and indeed perhaps a pawn of the Mexican Government when it comes to the policy of immigration. He said that if he were elected president he would build a 2,500-km wall along the border. He wants to deport 11 million illegal immigrants and, in that way separating families and so on. I would therefore like to ask, first of all, what you think of those charges against you, and if an American Catholic could vote for a person like this? A: Thank God he said I am a politician because Aristotle defined the human person as an animal politicus [a political animal]. So at least I am a human person. As to whether I am a pawn, well, maybe, I dont know. Ill leave that up to your judgement and that of the people. And then, a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the gospel. As far as what you said about whether I would advise to vote or not to vote, I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian if he says things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt. For more on the 2016 campaign, follow @DavidLauter Hoy: Lea esta historia en espanol See more of our top stories on Facebook >> ALSO Heres why political pros are scratching their heads over Nevada New ABC President Channing Dungey is the smartest person theyve got Cliven Bundys bizarre ranching practices include neglecting cattle, Justice Dept. says A Syrian national with links to Syrian Kurdish militia carried out the suicide bombing in Ankara that targeted military personnel and killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens of others, Turkeys prime minister said Thursday, vowing to retaliate against these groups. Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters during a visit to Turkeys chief of military staff that the Syrian man he identified as Sahih Neccar had carried out the attack in cooperation with Turkeys own outlawed Kurdish rebel group. Authorities had detained nine people in connection with the attacks and were trying to identify others. Turkeys military, meanwhile, said its jets conducted cross-border raids against Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq, hours after the Ankara attack, striking at a group of about 60-70 rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. Advertisement See more of our top stories on Facebook >> It has been determined with certainty that this attack was carried out by members of the separatist terror organization together with a member of the YPG who infiltrated from Syria, Davutoglu said, referring to the PKK, as well as the Syrian Kurdish militia group, the Peoples Protection Units. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which killed military personnel and civilians, although suspicion had immediately fallen on the PKK or the Islamic State group. The leader of the main Syrian Kurdish group, Salih Muslim, denied that his group was behind the Ankara attack and warned Turkey against taking Syria ground action. The car bomb went off late Wednesday in Turkeys capital during evening rush hour. It exploded near buses carrying military personnel that had stopped at traffic lights, in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters and lodgings. The blast was the second deadly bombing in Ankara in four months. Davutoglu said Syrias government, which he accused of backing Syrian Kurdish militias, was also to blame. And in an apparent reference to the U.S., he called on Turkeys allies to stop its support for the Syrian Kurdish group. Turkey regards the Syrian Democratic Union Party and its military wing, the Peoples Protection Units, as terrorists because of their affiliation to Turkeys outlawed Kurdish rebel group. The Kurdish militia, however, has been fighting the Islamic State group, alongside the United States. Those who directly or indirectly back an organization that is the enemy of Turkey, risk losing the title of being a friend of Turkey, Davutoglu said, in an apparent reference to Washington. It is out of the question for us to excuse a terror organization that threatens the capital of our country. On Thursday, six soldiers were killed in southeastern Turkey after PKK rebels detonated a bomb on a road linking the cities of Diyarbakir and Bingol as their military vehicle was passing by, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. The military said Thursday that Turkish jets attacked PKK positions in northern Iraqs Haftanin region, hitting the group of rebels which it said included a number of senior PKK leaders. The claim couldnt be verified. Turkeys air force has been striking PKK positions in northern Iraq since a fragile two-and-a-half year-old peace process with the group collapsed in July, reigniting a fierce three-decade conflict. Earlier, Yeni Safak, a newspaper close to the government, said the bomber had registered as a refugee in Turkey and Turkish authorities were able to identify him from his fingerprints. In October, suicide bombings blamed on Islamic State targeted a peace rally outside the main train station in Ankara, killing 102 people in Turkeys deadliest attack in years. The attack drew international condemnation and Turkish leaders have vowed to find those responsible and to retaliate against them with force. Our determination to retaliate to attacks that aim against our unity, togetherness and future grows stronger with every action, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday. It must be known that Turkey will not refrain from using its right to self-defense at all times. The attack came at a tense time when the Turkish government is facing an array of challenges. Hundreds of people have been killed in renewed fighting following the collapse of the peace process and tens of thousands have been displaced. Turkey has also been helping efforts led by the U.S. to combat Islamic State in neighboring Syria, and has faced several deadly bombings in the last year that were blamed on Islamic State. The Syrian war is raging along Turkeys southern border. Recent airstrikes by Russian and Syrian forces have prompted tens of thousands of Syrian refugees to flee to Turkeys border. ALSO Talks with Taliban a waste of time, says critic of Afghanistans president Obama says hell make historic trip to Cuba and plans to press Castro on human rights Haitis troubled succession of leaders: They dont really want to work for the Haitian people Haiti had been without a president for a week when on Sunday a collection of politicians and business leaders chose an interim leader to fill the void. The appointment stalled a deepening political crisis in the nation of 10 million at least for now. Not that presidents have always been so great for Haiti. MORE: Get our best stories in your Facebook feed >> Advertisement There have been 45 leaders since the country achieved independence from France in 1804, and for the most part they have pillaged and plundered, ruled as despots, stifled opposition, violated human rights and operated with impunity. They dont really want to work for the Haitian people, to improve them, said Pierre Esperance, executive director of the National Human Rights Defense Network in the capital, Port-au-Prince, in describing what he believes has discredited many of Haitis leaders. They work for themselves once they get to power. They want to steal money. On the other hand, Haiti hasnt been so great for many of its presidents either. A total of 23 have been overthrown, with Jean-Bertrand Aristide (FebruarySeptember 1991, 1994-1996, 2001-2004) toppled twice. ------------ FOR THE RECORD Feb. 18, 5:03 p.m.: An earlier version of this article misidentified former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide as Jean-Pierre Aristide. ------------ Henri Christophe (1807-1820), a wildly unpopular, self-proclaimed king, didnt wait to be toppled. He shot himself to death. Two rulers were assassinated in office, including Jean Vilbrun Guillaume Sam (March-July 1915), who sought asylum in the French Embassy during a popular rebellion but was dragged out and dismembered by a mob that paraded his body parts through town. Dictator Sylvain Salnave (1867-1869) tried to escape insurrection by fleeing to the neighboring Dominican Republic but was extradited, court-martialed on charges of murder and treason, and executed on the steps of the National Palace. If there is an optimistic take on Haitis current situation, its that the nations most recent president, Michel Martelly (2011-2016), stepped down peacefully Feb. 7 after completing a full term in office. That is a routine occurrence in functioning democracies. But it puts Martelly in an elite club in Haiti. The present trouble started in October when none of the contenders to succeed Martelly gained a clear majority in polling. The top two were supposed to compete in a runoff, but amid security concerns and allegations of rigging the election was delayed three times as Martellys term ran out. A week of negotiations led to Sundays selection of Jocelerme Privert (February 2016-present), a senator and former head of parliament, to serve for 120 days. Under the best-case scenario, he will organize fresh elections for April 24 with the aim of installing a new president on May 14. Under the worst, the country will succumb to all-too-familiar gridlock. The last time Haiti had an interim government, in 2004, it took two years to hold elections. Whoever emerges as the next president will face a nation where poverty is widespread, corruption is rampant and basic institutions are in shambles. Not all of Haitis problems can be attributed to bad leadership; meddling and exploitation by France and the U.S. are also culprits. But experts said the right leaders could have at least set Haiti on a steadier course. It requires a leader with a certain strength of character, said James Dobbins, a senior fellow and distinguished chair in diplomacy and security at Rand Corp., who has served as a special envoy on crisis management and diplomatic troubleshooting in Haiti. Someone who is able to inspire trust across the social and economic spectrum of the country, someone with charisma but also with a communicable sense of integrity. That combination has not appeared yet, he said. The countrys first leader, Jean-Jacques Dessalines (1804-1806), set a low bar. A former slave, he instituted a harsh system of plantation labor, ordered a massacre of several thousand white Haitians and declared himself emperor. The circumstances of his assassination remain unclear. Immediately after independence things fell apart, said Marc Prou, a professor of Africana and Caribbean studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Instability became the order of the day. There have been moments when Haiti seemed poised for a turnaround, or at least instances when leaders appeared to put the interests of the nation over their own. Jean Pierre Boyer (1818-1843), the son of a white Frenchman and a former African slave, managed to unify Haiti, which had been divided into a primarily black north and a mulatto south. But he then proceeded to exclude blacks from power, triggering unrest and his ouster. Fabre Nicolas Geffrard (1859-1867) founded the National Law School, modernized general education, built roads and recruited black Americans to settle in Haiti. But he also eliminated the legislature, awarded himself land and used public funds for personal luxuries. He too was overthrown. Lysius Salomon (1879-1888) instituted the countrys first postal system, established Haitis National Bank and tried to boost agricultural production. But he was toppled in a coup led by Haitian exiles. Many Haiti observers agree that two-time President Rene Preval (1996-2001 and 2006-2011) tried to rule with fairness and integrity through political upheavals and economic chaos. Preval was honest and well-meaning but not effectual, said Dobbins, the Rand expert. He was certainly not a leader who was capable of bridging the divide between different groups and forging consensus. The competition for worst leader has many entrants, but there is a consensus among historians: Francois Papa Doc Duvalier (1957-1971). He ruled with an iron fist, keeping the population in check with a ruthless militia known as the Tonton Macoute that murdered as many as 60,000 of his countrymen. Duvalier changed the constitution and in 1964 declared himself president for life. He arbitrarily banned political activity, muzzled the press and made the national treasury his personal piggy bank. His death might have brought some relief, but instead his 19-year-old son, Jean-Claude Baby Doc Duvalier (1971-1986) took over, extending the family legacy. Political repression, drug trafficking and the selling of Haitian corpses to foreign medical institutions were hallmarks of his reign, which ended with a popular uprising and a flight to France. Thirty years of dictatorship made it difficult to transition to a democratic system, Prou said. ALSO Talks with Taliban a waste of time, says critic of Afghanistans president Letters reveal Pope John Paul IIs intensely emotional relationship with a married woman Obama says hell make historic trip to Cuba and plans to press Castro on human rights President Obama will embark on a historic and long-awaited trip to Cuba next month, becoming the first sitting president since 1928 to visit the island nation. The visit will help usher in a new era of detente between the two countries that began at the end of 2014 when Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced a thaw after a half-century of frozen relations. Obama will travel elsewhere in Latin America, according to a senior administration official, who would not be named ahead of a detailed announcement expected from the White House on Thursday. Advertisement The Obama administration is eager to make rapid progress on building trade and diplomatic ties with Cuba before Obama leaves office. The two nations signed a deal Tuesday restoring commercial air traffic for the first time in five decades. See the most-read stories this hour >> President Coolidge went to Havana in January 1928 to give a speech to the 6th International Conference of American States, according to the State Department historians office, which records the foreign travel of presidents and secretaries of State. President Truman visited Guantanamo Bay, which is controlled by the United States, so that was not considered a visit to the country; he didnt meet with any Cuban government officials, according to his presidential library. President Carter has paid multiple visits to the island since leaving office. The Associated Press contributed to this report. ALSO Obama says being president is a serious job -- one Trump wont get Pope Francis decries human tragedy that forces migration in landmark Mass at the U.S.-Mexico border For currency exchange and 5-star tourist service, Cuba is still a work in progress President Obama will visit Cuba for two days next month in a historic trip aimed at sweeping away half a century of frozen relations between the two countries, he announced on Twitter on Thursday. First Lady Michelle Obama will join him for the trip March 21-22, the first by a sitting president since Calvin Coolidge in 1928, and one intended to advance U.S. efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people, Obama tweeted. The two former Cold War adversaries have progressed in opening relations since Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced in December 2014 that they intended to restore ties. Both have reopened embassies in the others capital and announced plans this week to restore flight service between the nations. Advertisement See more of our top stories on Facebook >> Yet that progress is insufficient, Obama said, which is why he will travel in person. We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly. America will always stand for human rights around the world, Obama wrote. Obama will press Castro on human rights and meet with other Cubans as well, deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes said. The two leaders last met on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas in Panama in April. Yes, we have a complicated and difficult history. But we need not be defined by it, Rhodes wrote. Noting that the U.S.-Cuba rapprochement also has boosted relations with other Latin American nations, Rhodes said that immediately following Obamas trip to Cuba, he will visit Argentina in hopes of beginning a new chapter of improved relations there as well. Obamas visit will come in the heat of a contentious presidential campaign back in the U.S., and just a week after the Florida primary. Republican candidates condemned the announcement. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush called it a tragedy that Obama would legitimize the Castro regime. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, said during a town hall Wednesday that Cubas government is as oppressive as ever, and criticized the administration for failing to press its leaders for more democratic reforms. For more White House coverage, follow @mikememoli ALSO Obama planning historic trip to Cuba to cement warmer ties Obama says being president is a serious job -- one Trump wont get Obama says he will follow original intent of Constitution and pick a Supreme Court nominee Hillary Clinton now has the support of almost 500 legal sex workers in Nevada. Brothel workers at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch in Carson City, Nevada formed a group called Hookers 4 Hillary to endorse Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination. The Democratic Nevada caucus is on Saturday, Feb. 20, and the brothel workers will be urging Nevada residents to vote for Clinton until then. Hookers 4 Hillary was started by the owner of Moonlite Bunny Ranch, Dennis Hof. He announced the news in a tweet in April, right after Clinton announced she would be running for president. Brothel Workers' Big Issue: Healthcare The workers at Hof's brothel appreciate that they are now fully covered with health insurance thanks to Obamacare, which Clinton supports. When Obamacare was signed into law, over 500 brothel workers finally were given healthcare coverage. Clinton has long supported healthcare reform, going back to the 1990s when her husband Bill Clinton was in office. The workers believe that if any Republican becomes president, Obamacare will be repealed. Whereas, if Clinton goes to the White House, healthcare reform will be protected. "Before the Affordable Care Act, a working girl could not get insurance because they were grouped in the same category as illegal prostitutes who had diseases or used illegal drugs," Hof said in an interview with Latin Post. "Now they can get insurance, and Hillary will help them keep it." Healthcare is just one of the issues that Hof and the brothel workers support, Hof added. The members of Hookers 4 Hillary believe Clinton has beneficial foreign policy experience, shown support for agencies that protect the public's health, and will prevent the return of supply side economics. Keeping Government Regulation The group of workers at the brothel points to Nevada's mandatory testing of legal prostitutes as a successful example of government regulation. The group says government agencies, such as the Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are necessary to help prevent the spread of diseases. The group believes a Republican president would do away with these agencies. A Strong Economy Economically, Hookers 4 Hillary does not want the United States to return to a supply side economic plan. They believe the wealthiest Americans should be taxed higher than those who make less. Hookers 4 Hillary believes higher taxes for the working class would lead to less business for the Bunny Ranch. Even though Hof would be taxed more, as one of America's wealthiest men, Hookers 4 Hillary believes this is the best economic policy. "The best evidence that Hillary Clinton will help keep the economy strong is that when Bill Clinton was in office, our economy was never in better shape. I paid the most in taxes and I made the most money," Hof said. "I like the idea of when Hillary is sitting down to her bowl of Cheerios, Bill is right there by her side giving her input." Not every brothel worker at the establishment is on board with Hookers 4 Hillary, but the majority are. Hof said he is not forcing his employees to join the group, and he will not try to convince them to vote a certain way. There are 540 girls at Hof's brothels and he said 495 have decided to support Clinton. A Woman in Office "She's a woman. They like the idea of a woman in office because she will be more sensitive to their needs," Hof said. "They line up with her views on same sex marriage and abortion. Some don't like abortion, but they don't want that right taken away." Hof added that Clinton will "absolutely be more conscious about sex trafficking." Watch the Hookers 4 Hillary video: Pro-Hillary Clinton Super PAC Correct the Record released a campaign ad Wednesday scolding Bernie Sanders on immigration reform. The narrator-less YouTube video begins by displaying Huffington Post, Vox and Newsweek article excerpts implying that Sanders thinks immigrants are "silly, tribal, and illiterate." It then cuts to an interview Sanders had with CNN's Lou Dobbs shortly before the 2008 New Hampshire primary. "I don't know why we need millions of people coming to be coming into this country as guest workers who will work for lower wages than American workers, and drive wages down lower than they are right now," Sanders said in the Dobbs interview. Correct the Record's 48-second ad comes three days before the Democratic caucus in Nevada, one which may see as many as 194,000 Latinos turnout. A statement accompanying the video mentions Thursday night's town hall in Las Vegas where the organizations expects Sanders to field immigration questions. "Lately, Sanders has been desperately trying to pivot from his past comments on immigration reform, but Sanders can't hide from his record," claimed Correct the Record. Clinton's Super PAC Ties The David Brock-led group is closer to Clinton than Super PACs tend to be. By definition, Super PACs are supposed to be political action committees focused on independent expenditures. The closer they get to a candidate, the more questions arise as to the candidate's influence, yet Brock has openly championed Clinton since the two announced they would work together last May. Correct the Record hasn't held back in supporting Clinton, or in taking shots at Sanders. The organization insinuated to reporters last September that Sanders and former Venezuela President Hugo Chavez shared socialist ideals. Last month, Sanders had to dispel rumors his campaign was bussing out-of-state students into Iowa to caucus. Now, the Vermont senator finds himself defending his record with Latinos, the fastest-growing voter base in the country. Xavier Becerra Attacks Sanders Hours before the video's release, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra posted near a dozen tweets citing instances when Sanders went against immigration efforts. One referenced a 2007 reform bill Sanders voted against. Another claims Sanders supported 2006 legislation designed to protect the Minutemen, a group of anti-immigration militias camped out near the U.S.-Mexico border. We've been hearing a lot from @BernieSanders about supporting immigrant families of late. Where was he before he ran for president? Xavier Becerra (@XavierBecerra) February 17, 2016 In '06, #Sanders voted for a measure designed to protect the Minutemen anti-immigrant militias on the border. Xavier Becerra (@XavierBecerra) February 17, 2016 Those of us who have fought for years for comprehensive #immigration reform welcome allies. But talk is cheap. Only action gets it done #CIR Xavier Becerra (@XavierBecerra) February 17, 2016 If #Sanders is campaigning on immigration reform & supporting Latinos, fine. But he should explain his spotty record & how he'll get it done Xavier Becerra (@XavierBecerra) February 17, 2016 Sanders, if elected, vows to push President Obama's executive action on immigration. On Feb. 13, he issued a statement supporting the "Fair Day in Court for Kids Act," legislation granting counsel for unaccompanied undocumented children at the government's expense. "Our immigration policies must be consistent with our historical commitment to provide protection and due process to those fleeing violence and persecution," Sanders said, adding that he would not tolerate calls to send unaccompanied children and victims of violence back to countries they fled. Sander's campaign has yet to respond to the attack ad or Becerra's Twitter posts. Watch Correct the Record's ad below. -- UPDATE: 3/8/16: Article amended to clarify Sen. Sanders' statement and a Newsweek opinion article's headline. Colombia's National Police chief has resigned amid investigations accusing him of running a male prostitution ring with other police officials. Gen. Rodolfo Palomino announced his resignation during a news conference on Wednesday. He also denied the accusations being hurled against him, including propositioning police officers for sex and running a prostitution network, which is unofficially named as "The Fellowship of the Ring." "I will be, in the next few minutes, submitting my resignation, knowing that I'm absolutely innocent of the charges brought against me," said Palomino. "I'm not guilty of any of those charges." Colombian Investigator General Alejandro Ordonez opened the investigation against Palomino 24 hours earlier. There are allegations that Palomino conducted illicit enrichment and illegal spying or tapping journalists' phones. Ordonez added that if the accusations against Palomino are confirmed, the former National Police chief could be charged with pimping, inducing individuals to prostitution and human trafficking. A statement issued by the investigator general said that a video and testimony from police Captain Anyelo Palacios served as the main evidence of the prostitution ring, which ran between 2004 and 2008. The evidence will reportedly prove that members of the Colombian Congress were complicit in the illegal operation. The video, which was recorded secretly, was released by local media and showed a 2008 discussion about gay sex between Palacios and former Senator Carlos Ferro. The conversation, however, did not directly mention the prostitution ring or Palomino. On Tuesday, Ferro stepped down from his position as vice minister of the interior. The scandal first fired up in December after local radio journalist Vicky Davila said that her personal communications device had been illegally spied on by the police while she investigated the issue. The Colombian police and intelligence agencies carried out "secret and unlawful" surveillance that permitted them to access mass Internet and cellphone information beyond the law's scope. In December, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced a special commission to investigate the allegations involving the National Police. Local media, however, reported that Santos didn't create the commission for another two months. Palomino is reportedly a trusted ally of the president. While announcing his resignation, Palomino also discussed his 38 years of public service in the country and thanked those who supported him, including other generals in the National Police. Santos also expressed his thanks to Palomino for his service to Colombia and said that his resignation is a sign of his loyalty to his family. Dismembered bodies of prisoners and visitors were discovered in drain pipes at a jail in Colombia. The remains of at least 100 dismembered prisoners and visitors were discovered at the La Modelo jail, which is located in Bogota and is one of Colombia's largest prisons. Investigators said on Wednesday that the penitentiary is home to drug traffickers, paramilitaries, and Marxist rebels. Body parts were also found in prisons in the cities of Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, and Popayan, according to Caterina Heyck, an investigator from the attorney general's office. "The number of victims is unknown, but we know it's over 100 and could be considerably higher," Heyck told reporters. "Remains of prisoners, visitors and others were thrown in the drainage system." Jails in Colombia are among the most overcrowded and violent prisons in the Latin American region. The penitentiaries contain leftist guerrilla members along with their right-wing paramilitary opponents. Colombia Frees 30 FARC Terrorists The Colombian government has agreed to free 30 members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC. The pardon comes during the ongoing peace talks between Colombia's government and the leaders of FARC in Havana, Cuba, where President Raul Castro is serving as mediator. The leftist group has demanded the release of FARC terrorists who have exhibited illnesses. Among those released from prison are former bodyguards, higher-level leaders and members captured during terrorist raids in rural towns. None of those freed from jail have authority within the FARC and have not been imprisoned for "grave crimes." Colombia Imposes Stricter Law on Acid Attackers Earlier this year, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signed a law that enforces tougher and longer sentences on acid attackers. The law, which was approved by the Senate last November, decrees that those who "use any type of chemical agent" to hurt others will serve jail time between 12 and 20 years. The sentence, however, can go up to 50 years for those who permanently disfigure their victim. The new law also aims to provide better state medical care to acid attack victims Acid attacks have become a huge issue in Colombia over the past decade. Around 100 people -- the majority of them who are women -- are victims of acid attacks annually. Perpetrators can either be men or women, varying from angry neighbors to jealous lovers. Acid attacks are most common in South Asia, but Colombia reported one of the highest rates per capita globally in 2012. Since 2004, 526 women and 361 men have suffered acid attacks across Colombia, according to the country's National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences. Ted Cruz has edged out Donald Trump in the second national GOP poll of 2016 released by NBC News/Wall Street Journal last Wednesday. Cruz got 28 percent of the votes while Trump trailed him with 26 percent. Marco Rubio came in at third with 17 percent, John Kasich with 11 percent, Ben Carson with 10 percent and Jeb Bush came in last with only 4 percent. The 69-year-old billionaire was leading the Texas senator by 13 percent in last month's poll with 33 percent votes against Cruz's 20 percent. "I have never done well in the Wall Street Journal poll. I think somebody at Wall Street Journal doesn't like me but I never do well with the Wall Street Journal poll. So I don't know. They do these small samples and I don't know exactly what it represents," Trump reacted. "Sue Me" Trump has been threatening to file a lawsuit against Cruz due to an advertisement running in South Carolina that features footage of the billionaire back in 1999, telling his stance on abortion. Cruz has dared Trump's camp to sue him for the ad. "Donald, I would encourage you if you want to file a lawsuit challenging this ad, claiming it is defamation, file the lawsuit. It is a remarkable contention that an ad that plays video of Donald Trump speaking on national television is somehow defamation," Cruz insisted. Cruz also took a shot on Marco Rubio by denying allegations by the Florida senator about a fake Facebook page involving Representative Trey Gowdy. First Hispanic President Ted Cruz has the chance to become the first U.S. President of Hispanic heritage, but he does not want to be known for that fact. He admitted that his very "lousy" in speaking Spanish because his parents only talked to him in English while growing up. His father Rafael Cruz is a Cuban immigrant who fled the Caribbean nation before Fidel Castro came into power. However, the Texas senator has been accused of being ignorant of his heritage and appeals more to conservatives because of his take on immigration issues. "In the Democratic Party, you're the Hispanic guy, you're the African-American guy, you're whatever your little bloc is, you're pigeonholed and simply a quota representative," Cruz said. He added that one of the reasons he became a Republican is because of how they treat people individuals and is proud that he did not use the "Vote for the Hispanic guy" during his senatorial campaign in Texas. Indonesia has banned microblogging platform Tumblr for distributing pornographic content. Azhar Hasyim, e-business director at Indonesia's Information Ministry, said that the ban was made without consultation with the company, which was founded by David Karp and is owned by Yahoo. Tumblr allows posts containing adult content, unlike Facebook and other social media platforms. Earlier this month, the country also told social networking sites to remove emojis that represent the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Some of these emojis show the rainbow flag and same-sex couples holding hands, which symbolizes LGBTs. The nation's government has threatened to block messaging apps that continue to distribute gay emojis in the country. LINE has complied with Indonesia's demand and issued an apology. "LINE regrets the incidents of some stickers which are considered sensitive by many people ... We ask for your understanding because at the moment we are working on this issue to remove the stickers," the messaging app said in a statement. Indonesian officials are worried that the colorful emojis and digital stickers could attract children. "Such contents are not allowed in Indonesia based on our cultural law and the religious norms and the operators must respect that," said Ismail Cawidu, spokesman for the Communication and Information Ministry. "Those things might be considered normal in some Western countries, while in Indonesia it's practically impossible." The latest ban was part of Indonesia's plan for an extensive crackdown. Almost 500 sites have been taken down by officials, according to Indonesian media. This includes video-hosting site Vimeo, which was blocked in the country last May for its alleged pornographic content. Netflix was also blocked this month by Indonesia's largest Internet service provider, which said it had issues about the content offered on the site. Telekom Indonesia said that the streaming service displays "violence and adult content," accusing it of failing to obtain a required business permit. Prior to these crackdowns, the Muslim-majority country told social media firms like Twitter to carry out a special filter for pornographic content. Companies that refuse to abide by the Indonesian law will reportedly be charged. A 2015 report stated that Indonesia only offers a "partly free" Internet service. Bloggers have been arrested in the past, and some content on social media platforms was blocked. Homosexuality is not illegal in the country, but the topic remains controversial. In January 2016, the University of Indonesia prohibited a support group providing sex education and counseling for LGBT students from holding meetings on campus. In addition, the province of Aceh in 2015 implemented caning as a punishment for gay sex. Brazil's former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is now faced with legal charges after he was accused of corruption during his term as the leader of the South American country. According to recent news, the hearing on Silva's case has been suspended after an MP, who is among the former president's supporters, filed an appeal claiming that the prosecution did not follow due process when they summoned the ex-president to the witness stand. On Tuesday, one member of the National Prosecutors Council admitted that there may have been procedural errors in the appeal and said the trial would be suspended until it has been discussed by the council in a general session. In Sept. 2015, the former president, popularly known by his nickname "Lula," was dragged into the "Lava Jato" corruption probe. Based on the case filed against him, Lula is accused of gaining "advantages for himself, for his party ... or for his government by sustaining a base of political support through illicit business." The accusations against him became stronger when public prosecutors received word that Lula laundered the money he used to purchase the three-story penthouse located in a beachfront resort southwest of Sao Paulo. It is estimated to be worth $550,000. It may not be unusual for most politicians to purchase property with similar worth because most of them are well off. However, the former president, hailing from Garanhuns, Brazil, had no means of buying that big of a house if one considers his humble origins. He worked blue-collar jobs, including factory work as well as selling peanuts on the streets. He also acted as a shoe-shine boy when he was younger. Born to illiterate peasant parents, he was only able to learn how to read when he turned 10 years old. Silva later found a white-collar job at the Villares Metalworks in Sao Bernardo do Campo after 1964's military coup paved the way for the recession. While working there, Lula found an entry into politics when he was elected as the president of the Metalworkers' Union in 1975, comprised of a strong 100,000 members. From there, he brought together trade unionists, Trotskyites, church activists and intellectuals to be the members of Brazil's first socialist party known as the Workers' Party (PT). That is where his political career was launched. After earning the support needed to run for an electable position, Lula first attempted to become president of Brazil during the 1980s. Three attempts and he still failed. On his fourth try in 2003, Lula was finally granted the position. While he did present a promise to fight corruption, it did not go very well for Lula as the public began to doubt his intentions in 2005 when his party had been accused of illegal campaign financing and bribery. Now, he is linked to several graft and corruption cases and is blamed for the country's current economic crisis. A new scandal could jeopardize Evo Morales' bid for a fourth term as Bolivia's president. A Bolivian journalist, Carlos Valverde, claimed that the 56-year-old politician had a child with a 29-year-old woman named Gabriela Zapata in 2007, a year after he became president. According to Valverde, Morales' relationship with Zapata wouldn't be deemed scandalous if not for the fact that she benefited from her connection with the president. Zapata is currently a senior executive at the China CAMC Engineering Company, which Bolivia has awarded contracts worth over $500 million. Pictures of her extravagant house also popped up online. Morales, who is single and keeps details about his personal life private, admitted on Feb. 5 that he and Zapata started dating in 2005 and had a child in 2007. The child, however, died soon after birth. However, a Bolivian news agency published a picture last year showing a smiling Morales and Zapata seemingly locked in an embrace at a carnival. Morales admitted that the photo was legitimate, but he gave an explanation for it. "I remember, there was a woman with a familiar face who approached me to take a photo during carnival, that's true," he said. "It was a familiar face and when the photo emerged, ah!, I think that's Gabriela." This is not the first time that Morales, the country's first indigenous president, has faced a scandal. Last month, there were rumors claiming that he spends $200 on haircuts. Morales' latest scandal involving Zapata will significantly affect his reelection bid. Bolivians will vote in a referendum on Sunday to decide on a constitutional change that would permit Morales to seek a new presidential term in 2019. Supporters see Morales as a transformative leader who helped Bolivia's long-disregarded indigenous community. He is also credited with decreasing poverty and narrowing the nation's inequality gap. Critics, however, accuse him of being authoritarian, forcing his detractors into exile and using the government's funds to control opponents and pay off those who are loyal to him. Morales stressed that the corruption accusations aren't true and are a desperate ruse backed by the right political party, which he claims is led by the United States. On Monday, he said that he is considering dismissing Peter Brennan, the U.S. top diplomat in La Paz, for allegedly providing the inflammatory information to Valverde. The American embassy and Valverde have both called Morales' accusation as false. Some Bolivians said that they can dismiss the corruption allegations against Morales because all politicians are corrupt, but, at least, Morales is a champion of the poor. Others, however, said that they wouldn't support his next presidential bid because of his dishonesty in the scandals. A two-night CNN Republican Town Hall began Wednesday night with Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Ben Carson making final pleas to South Carolina voters ahead of Saturday's primary. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson led off by agreeing with President Obama's decision to nominate a new Supreme Court justice before his term ends. "We have a Congress that for some reason has become the peanut gallery and just watching what the executive branch and the judiciary do," Carson said. "Not really stepping up to correct some of the incorrect decision that have been made by the Supreme Court." Asked what his litmus test would be in selecting a nominee, Carson cited Scripture: "By their fruit you will know them." Carson's message to Palmetto State primary voters fell in line the message GOP lawmakers hope translates during the general election. "We the people have the responsibility to care of the indigent in our society, it's not the government's job," Carson told CNN's Anderson Cooper. Carson fielded questions on national defense, accepting a position as U.S. Surgeon General -- he said he's "not looking for a job" -- and protecting the Second Amendment. Carson isn't sure if he needs a gun, but said "it's a nice thing" to have. The soft-spoken candidate, often overlooked during GOP debates, again took a back seat to other Republican presidential candidates. Animosity within the Party Rubio and Cruz vowed to unite the Republican Party at a time when smear campaign grow more divisive by the day. On Wednesday, the Cuban-American senators played the blame game on different playing fields. Cruz, still a litigator at heart, spent about 25 minutes scolding GOP front-runner Donald Trump for filing a Cease and Desist letter, inviting Trump to sue him because "in any defamation case, truth is the best defense." Cruz pointed at Trump's record of supporting Planned Parenthood and Democratic before turning his attention to Rubio's involvement in the 2013 "Gang of Eight" immigration reform bill. "Both Donald Trump and Marco Rubio are following this pattern that whenever anyone points to their actual record, they start screaming liar, liar, liar," Cruz said. Rubio took a non-confrontational approach, saying his feud with Cruz is "not the core of my campaign." "I don't know, this back and forth is silly," Rubio said. "Ultimately it's not about me, it's not about Ted, it's not about Donald, it's about what is this country going to look like when my 15-year-old daughter graduates from college." Playing the Long Game Cruz pandered to South Carolina primary-goers while Rubio spoke to a general election audience. The difference was in what town hall attendees had to say. Both condemned Obama's plan to visit Cuba next month -- each said they wouldn't visit the Communist country under its current regime -- while touting their own foreign policy record, but Cruz received questions about his evangelical roots, how oil prices affect the American economy, and whether is constitutionally allowed to be president. "It was the act of being born that made me a U.S. citizen. Under the law the question is clear," Cruz said. "There will still be some that will try and work political mischief on it, but as a legal matter this is clear and straightforward." Rubio's line of questioning focused on social issues. The Florida senator hinted at equal rights for women in the military by saying "it's not about the gender, it's about the job." He correlated a child's education with the Child Tax Credit, which give parents a refund when filing taxes. The town hall was held about three hours from last summer's church shooting in North Charleston, yet Rubio was the only one asked to address racism. He touched on the disproportionate number of Latinos and African-Americans growing up in broken homes and dangers neighborhoods that lead to underperformances in the classroom. "A child born with four strike against them is going to struggle to succeed, unless something breaks that cycle," Rubio said. Rubio said he faced racism as a youth living in Las Vegas. Kids heckled his Cuban roots, but Rubio never thought it reflection America as a whole. "If you look back at the history of this country we have some blemished in our history that I believe even to this day that we are fighting through, " Rubio said. "What I think is extraordinary about America is that we've fought through that. That we are a nation of perpetual improvement." Cruz Edges Trump in New Poll An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released Wednesday found Republican primary voters chose Cruz by a 28-to-26-percent margin over Trump. Rubio came in third with 17 percent. This may be an outliner for similar surveys, some which have Trump leading by double-digits. Trump held a 13-point lead over Cruz in the same NBC/WSJ poll taken last month. It also didn't factor South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's coveted endorsement, one given to Rubio hours before CNN's first town hall. "In my campaign for president today, I got the endorsement of a governor of Indian descent, who endorsed a presidential candidate of Cuban descent, who tomorrow will be campaigning alongside an African-American Republican senator," Rubio said. "All three are doing that here in South Carolina. That says a lot about the Republican party." The White House confirmed President Barack Obama will visit Cuba in March, becoming the first U.S. president to visit the island in nearly 90 years. White House Confirmation The White House revealed Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will be on the island on March 21 and March 22, before the pair depart for a two-day stay in Argentina. According to the White House, Obama "will work to build on the progress we have made toward normalization of relations with Cuba -- advancing commercial and people-to-people ties that can improve the well-being of the Cuban people, and expressing our support for human rights." Obama will engage in a bilateral talks with Cuban President Raul Castro, and he will meet with entrepreneurs and Cubans from different communities. Next month, I'll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people. President Obama (@POTUS) February 18, 2016 Renewed Benefits, Setbacks Ben Rhodes, the White House deputy national security adviser for strategic communications and speechwriting, wrote in a post that U.S. policy, prior to the announcement of renewed diplomatic relations in December 2014, did not help the lives of the Cuban population, noting strained relations were making matters worse. Since Castro and Obama announced the renewed relationship, the two countries have made agreements on greater travel and commerce. The rate of authorized Americans visiting the island has increased by 54 percent, and it is projected to increase further, following the latest agreement to allow approximately 110 direct flights daily. Cuba's private sector, ranging from shopkeepers and restaurants, has reportedly benefited from the increased travel. But Cuban businesses aren't the only ones reaping the benefits. Rhodes also acknowledged that U.S.-based companies have a stake in furthering the island's development. Although private businesses are encountering a boom, the Cuban government still bears responsibility in advancing certain developments, including expanding Internet access, wireless hotspots and broadband connections. These steps, according to Rhodes, will increase the Cuban people's engagement with the world. One purpose of Obama's trip is to offer more opportunities for American businesses to travel and engage with Cuba. He will also encourage the Cuban government to provide their citizens with similar opportunities. There's only so much Obama can do, however, which is why his administration is still calling for Congress to lift the Cuban embargo, which would remove other restrictions. Insight From Latino Americans Based on Gallup polling, Americans, regardless of ethnicity, have mixed opinions about Cuba. In February 2015, 48 percent had an unfavorable view of Cuba, while 46 percent held a positive opinion. The unfavorable rating has been on the decline since February 2006, when 71 percent had an unfavorable view of the island. According to the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Business and Economics Polling Initiative (BEPI), Latinos also indicated mixed views about improving diplomatic ties with Cuba. Polling results, released in February 2015, found Latinos with high incomes were most likely to support lifting the U.S. embargo on Cuba with the hope it would lead to regime change in the island. While 33 percent of Latinos were undecided about lifting the embargo, 43 percent of Latinos were in favor of the embargo's removal and 24 percent wanted the embargo in place. The FAU poll found only 24.1 percent of Latinos with an income under $25,000 opposed the embargo. As income increased, so did opposition to the embargo. Latinos earning between $25,000 and $75,000 favored lifting the embargo. Latinos earning more than $75,000 hit 67.8 percent in favor of the embargo's removal. The higher-income earners, with 64.5 percent support, were most optimistic about a Cuban regime change once the embargo lifts. "A plausible explanation for the support of high income earners to lift the embargo could be the vision of investing in Cuba," said BEPI Director Monica Escaleras in a statement. "Young respondents as well as high-income earners might see lucrative opportunities, perhaps opening businesses in Cuba." Age has also proven to be a factor in opinions about Cuba. Following the announcement the U.S. and Cuba would restart relations, American culture and sociology professor Silvia Pedraza from the University of Michigan told Latin Post that various divides exist "that make a difference" on U.S. and Cuban policies, but two were considered the most important. "Younger Cubans oppose the embargo because they are young Americans who have not suffered what their parents suffered and more often identity with the Democratic Party -- as do other Latinos. They are Latinos, not just Cubans, and they behave as such," Pedraza said in December 2014. Pedraza, who was born and raised in Cuba, acknowledged that older Cubans hold much different views than the Cuban youth. She added, "Older Cubans, however, suffered the slings and arrows of being disposed of their homes, their jobs, careers, families, and of the humiliation that went along with being pushed out of their country by the sharp turn the Cuban revolution took towards communism. Many fought against this, many became political prisoners." __ For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com. Ahead of Saturday's Nevada caucus, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton received the endorsements of prominent Latino leaders, who also hammered on Bernie Sanders' immigration track record. Clinton had already received the endorsements of Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., and U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julian Castro, and on during a Thursday afternoon press call, the former secretary of state officially received the support of civil rights icon Dolores Huerta and the Latino Victory Fund, a super PAC helping candidates who advocate on behalf of the Latino community. Hammering Sanders on Immigration Castro, Huerta and Gutierrez spoke in depth about Sanders' immigration stance, particularly his view of the 2007 Senate comprehensive immigration reform bill (S. 1639). According to Gutierrez, Clinton supported the 2007 bill, introduced by then-Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., and the former New York senator "did everything she can" to pass the legislation. Although Gutierrez acknowledged cooperation with Sanders on other issues, the independent Vermont senator was "absent" from the most critical immigration debate and supported provisions with anti-immigrant Republicans. "The question that Latinos have to ask themselves is where was Senator Sanders when we needed him most? Because the truth is that when at the moment when we needed someone, someone to stand up, against Republicans and Lou Dobbs ... who were dehumanizing us and in 2007 when there was a way forward ... the truth is when we needed someone to stand up, Sanders was playing for the wrong team ... I want somebody who's been playing for the right team," said Gutierrez, adding that he is happy Sanders is currently championing for comprehensive immigration reform but the memories still exist on "who let us down when we needed them." Castro, who spoke on his personal behalf and not representing HUD, said it has been "disappointing" when Sanders speaks about his immigration track record "that just doesn't exist." Taking into account Sanders' previous votes on bills regarding immigrant detention, minute men on the southern border and the 2007 immigration reform bill, Castro said the Vermont senator showed he was against immigrants, Latinos and progressives. "I'm supporting Hillary because I'm convinced that if the past is any indication as to what the future holds that Senator Sanders will continue to let us down and that Hillary will be there fighting for immigrants and the Latino community. And I can say, with absolute certainty, that Hillary Clinton is the best candidate for us to build on President Obama's progress and to continue to break down barriers," said Castro. Huerta said Sanders' lack of support on the 2007 immigration reform bill likely set the progress back by a decade. She said Sanders' opposition to the reform legislation was "devastating" because of the progress made to advance the bill and the likelihood to pass a similar bill might occur in another decade or longer. Huerta said Clinton has been with the Latino community since "day one," while Sanders is coming to Latinos because he needs their votes. Following the criticism on Sanders' immigration votes, Cristobal Alex, president of the Latino Victory Fund, announced the organization's endorsement for the former secretary of state. "Hillary has fought for Latinos to make sure that every person has a voice and that every voice is heard. She has worked tirelessly to increase opportunities for all of us, and ensure that Latinos can move up the economic ladder and make life better for future generations," said Alex. Whether it's immigration reform, access to affordable education, health care, economic policies that uplift us up, or policies to combat climate change. Hillary is a proven leader who has always, always, always stood with Latinos and will fight for the issues that matter to us." Sanders on the 2007 Bill During the October 2015 Democratic presidential primary debate, Sanders explained he voted against the 2007 bill "because it had guest-worker provisions in it which the Southern Poverty Law Center talked about being semi-slavery. Guest workers are coming in, they're working under terrible conditions, but if they stand up for their rights, they're thrown out of the country. I was not the only progressive to vote against that legislation for that reason." Sanders defended his 2007 vote again during the Feb. 11 debate. "I voted against it because the Southern Poverty Law Center, among other groups said that the guest worker programs that were embedded in this agreement were akin to slavery, where people came into this country to do guest work were abused, were exploited and if they stood up for their rights, they were thrown out of this country. So it wasn't just me who opposed it. It was LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens), one of the large Latino organizations in this country, it was the AFL-CIO, some of the most progressive members of the United States Congress," Sanders said. Sanders did vote for the 2013 comprehensive immigration reform bill (S. 744), but despite the bill's passage in the Senate, it was never picked up for debate in the House. Clinton's Track Record Following the press call, the Republican National Committee (RNC) issued a statement about the former secretary of state's history on immigration. Clinton has been criticized during the campaign trail for using the term "illegal immigrant" on a number of occasions, her vote that would "build a barrier" to halt immigrants from entering the U.S., and immigrant detention and deportation policies. Clinton has apologized and said she will no longer use the term "illegal immigrant" and reiterated her call for more resources for detained immigrant families and unaccompanied children in detention facilities. She has also supported Obama's immigration executive actions and proposed further executive actions if Congress does not act on comprehensive immigration reform legislation. "It's clear Hillary Clinton's extensive record of flip-flops and political expediency on immigration has failed to persuade Latinos that she can be trusted," said RNC Hispanic Media Director Ruth Guerra. "The latest unhinged and hypocritical attack from her campaign further proves she is willing to say or do anything to get elected." __ For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com. With relations between the United States and Cuba partially repaired, Americans are curious about Cuba and the building that the U.S. occupies on Cuban soil. Interested onlookers no longer have to watch the communist island from afar. On August 14, 2015, the United States raised its flag in Cuba to a crowd of excited Cubans, journalists and American embassy employees. The crowd awaited entrance to the six-story modern building, designed by architectural firm Harrison & Abramovitz back in 1953, that will once again serve as the Unites States Embassy in Cuba. The ceremony was attended by Secretary of State John Kerry, who greeted Cubans and guests and spoke of the positive future the reestablishment of the old building would bring. "The restoration of diplomatic ties will also make it easier for our governments to engage," said Kerry. "After all, we are neighbors, and neighbors will always have much to discuss in such areas as civil aviation, migration policy, disaster preparedness, protecting marine environment, global climate change and other more complex issues." The office building looks pretty much the same from the outside. It is rectangular and sits on a terrace that protects it from flooding during storms. However, the replacement of the U.S. seal, the U.S. Embassy sign, that remained in storage all these years, along with the raising of the American flag, by the same marines who brought it down over 50 years ago, gave the historic building new life. According to CNN, which got access inside the embassy, the interior of the first floor houses a welcome area, which will serve as a hub for public activity. There, visitors will see portraits of American leaders, in this case of President Obama and Kerry, images of the nation's capitol and a copy of the United States Constitution hanging on the walls. A renovated press room awaits to be filled with American and Cuban reporters. The U.S Embassy in Cuba, which sits on the Bay of Havana, physically resembles several other U.S. embassies, but it has a unique story. According to the Embassy's official website, after the U.S. diplomatic mission was shut down in 1961, the building was abandoned by the U.S. In 1977, the building was renovated to once again house the U.S. government, but this time as an Interest Section under the protection of the Embassy of Switzerland. This remained the case until President Barack Obama reinitiated relations with the United States' former Cold War enemy in 2014, eventually leading up to the official reopening. Check out the video below to see the inside of the reopened U.S. Embassy in Havana. Latino business owners in Wisconsin flexed their economic muscle Thursday in protest of a proposed immigration bill by walking out from their jobs and meeting outside the Madison legislative assembly. The demonstration took place as Wisconsin is drawing more political attention, with its presidential primaries just weeks away. Protesting Controversial Immigration Bills Business owners and employees from around the State Capitol and elsewhere supported "A Day Without Latinos" to emphasize to the state's legislative body and its citizens how much the community relies on Latinos and immigrant workers. Immigrants are under increasing pressure in Wisconsin. One proposal has already passed the state's Assembly and Senate that would prohibit city and county governments from issuing IDs to immigrants. Another proposal, now moving to the Senate, gives immunity to law enforcement officials for asking anyone suspected of breaking the law in the state for official identification or immigration status -- by preventing local governments from passing ordinances against such police actions. Proponents of both bills think the legislation will help fight illegal immigration, but local politicians and government officials believe the measures are simply a roadblock to their public service missions. A Day Without Latinos In a news conference reported by Wisconsin Public Radio, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin supported "A Day Without Latinos," criticizing the state government for putting up legal obstacles for local governments that wish to assist their immigrant communities. "Tragically, we're now at a point where our state Legislature, which refuses to do the right thing on its own, is now looking at legislation which is going to stop us from taking appropriate steps," said Soglin. Local police in Madison assisted the protesters, shutting down a traffic lane to allow demonstrators to march on the Capitol building. Madison Police Chief Mike Koval criticized the state's legislation, saying it sends the message "that not all are welcome in this city." Latinos, immigrants and supporters were sending their own message back. "This is going to be some message," said Ernesto Villareal, proprietor of four El Rey supermarkets in Milwaukee, who rallied more than 450 employees to join him in the state's Capital on Thursday. "Our factory that makes tamales will close and the drivers won't come to work," added Villareal to NBC's Milwaukee affiliate, which has listed the wide variety of Latino-owned enterprises -- from supermarkets and restaurants to tattoo shops to construction companies -- that closed for business on Thursday. Other businesses, such as those in the state's economic cornerstone, the Wisconsin dairy industry, also felt the day without Latinos, as farmers and distributors rely on Latino workers on a daily basis. "Whenever you have uncertainty that Wisconsin is not a good state to work in that's not good for our industry," said the Dairy Business Association's Tim Trotter. The Wisconsin Dairy Business Association's John Holevoet added, "We are not in favor of any legislation that would make our workers' lives more difficult." Building the Vote The protest was not aimed solely at the state assembly, and organizers were looking at building a long-term effort to organize Latinos and immigrant voters to make their voices heard at the polls. The immigrant advocacy group Voces de la Frontera said Thursday's protest will help efforts to get the vote out for candidates who support comprehensive immigration reform. Both the democratic and republican primary elections are taking place on April 5 in Wisconsin, and while most of the political attention is focused right now on South Carolina and Nevada, the dairy state will soon be getting national attention. The fight for South Carolina is heating up in the Republican presidential race as the top GOP contenders trade insults and jabs just days before the state's primary on Feb. 20. The Fight for South Carolina The top GOP contenders are engaged in an all-out war in the lead up to Saturday's Republican primary in the Palmetto State. According to a CNN/ORC poll released Tuesday, Donald Trump has a strong lead in the race with 38 percent, followed by Ted Cruz at 22 percent, Marco Rubio at 14 percent and Jeb Bush with 10 percent. Despite his lead, Trump has unleashed a barrage of attacks against Cruz, calling him "a liar" for weeks and then describing him as "slimy" and "nasty" at a rally in North Augusta, South Carolina on Tuesday. The New York real estate mogul has also threatened to sue Cruz for defamation over a campaign ad that shows the businessman saying he is "very pro-choice" during a 1999 interview. The new video, which was released Tuesday afternoon, also accuses Trump of "playing games with the sanctity of life" and being "enthusiastically pro-abortion" for most of his adult life. Trump fired back, arguing he has evolved on the issue of abortion. Cruz responded to Trump's cease and desist letter by daring him to file the suit. "I have to say to Mr. Trump you have been threatening frivolous lawsuits for your entire adult life," Cruz said at a press conference on Wednesday. "If you want to file a lawsuit ... file the lawsuit." Trump, however, is not the only 2016 hopeful branding the Texas senator a liar. Rubio is also taking aim at Cruz, depicting him as a disingenuous politician. "I've been saying for a while now that Ted unfortunately has proved that he is willing to say or do anything to get elected," said the Florida senator on Wednesday in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. "What we've seen in the last couple weeks is disturbing" Cruz responded at a press conference, saying, "Marco Rubio is Donald Trump with a smile." Despite the attacks, Rubio received a major endorsement from South Carolina Gov. Nikki R. Haley on Tuesday, giving him a boost days before the primary. That announcement came as a blow to Bush, who told reporters Wednesday that he was "disappointed" by Haley's endorsement. South Carolina: Jeb Bush's Last Stand While speaking at a campaign event held at a South Carolina country club on Saturday, the former Florida governor bashed Rubio, his former protege, as unqualified for the position of commander-in-chief. The audience, however, expressed concern about his campaign. One voter told him he was "afraid your message doesn't resonate" and asked whether Bush was "knocked off center" by Trump's repeated insults. Throughout the election, Bush has suffered from low poll numbers and a number damaging attacks from Trump. If Bush does not come out in one of the top three spots in South Carolina, his campaign may come to an end. Part of the Federal Communications Commission's job is to police telecommunications companies against defrauding and scamming customers. Now the FCC is proposing a big fine against four interrelated telecoms that have been accused of "slamming and cramming" their customers, reportedly targeting Latinos with the scam techniques. This week, the FCC called out OneLink Communications, TeleDias Communications, TeleUno and Cytel after receiving over 140 complaints from consumers about deceptive and fraudulent practices. The commission is proposing to fine the four long-distance service providers -- which industry journal RCRWireless noted are all interrelated, though they operate separately -- to the tune of over $29 million. Scamming Latinos The FCC says the providers targeted "consumers with Hispanic surnames" with a double-edged scam technique known as "slamming and cramming." Slamming is the act of changing customers' service without permission, often without notification, while cramming is when a service provider adds unauthorized charges to a customer's bill. Latinos have been long been the targets of these scams. As early as 2004, the Federal Trade Commission released a report on consumer fraud that found that Latinos were "the only group that shows a significantly higher risk of being slammed. The data suggested that Latinos who primarily speak Spanish were more likely to be victims, as they're perceived to be more likely need long-distance service to communicate with family and friends abroad and more easily manipulated. But the report also showed that Latinos in general tended to be victimized by slamming and cramming regardless of English proficiency. The four companies accused of scamming Latinos operate in big Latino markets, including Puerto Rico, Nevada and countries in Latin America. While slamming and cramming are anti-consumer actions that the FCC has enthusiastically policed before -- Sprint and AT&T mobility, for example, were charged approximately $100 million in 2014 for cramming schemes -- the alleged scamming in this case went beyond being consumer unfriendly. Fraud Beyond Billing Scams The FCC says the companies not only added unauthorized charges to customers' bills, they went out of their way to lie to the agency. According to the FCC's release, "It is alleged the companies, which operate as a single enterprise, fabricated audio recordings that they then submitted to the FCC as 'proof' the consumers authorized these changes and charges." Consumers filing complaints also said the companies' telemarketers tried to manipulate them with even more fraudulent tactics. Telemarketers pretended to be from the post office calling about "a nonexistent package delivery" in order to create fake recordings of consumers' purported "authorization" for charges. At other times, the companies seemingly impersonated individual customers in recordings, handing them to the FCC in response to its investigation into consumer complaints -- which violates federal laws against providing false and misleading information to federal investigators. "Charging consumers for services they did not want or authorize is simply unacceptable," said Enforcement Bureau Chief Travis LeBlanc in the FCC's release. "We are committed to combating slamming and cramming because these unjust and unreasonable practices result in consumers paying for services they never requested or received, and spending their time trying to reverse unauthorized carrier charges." The Supreme Court of Uganda is taking action on the petition filed by the Uganda Parliamentary Press Association (UPPA) curtailing their rights on covering of the parliamentary procedure. Moses Kajangu, the Secretary General of UPPA, thwarted that the resolution released by the parliament infringes the freedom of the press. "We are 'professionalising' slowly but what he has attributed to us that most journalists are unprofessional, that one is false. Journalists who are reporting from parliament where I do report, have gone through elementary training or higher institutions of learning where they teach journalism and other related areas," said Kajangu. The Parliament bars only the journalists without degrees from covering proceedings of the House. Chris Obore, the Director of the Office of Communications and Public Affairs, directed the Sergeant-at-Arms to close the offices of the UPPA in a letter released on January 18, "We do not have space for every journalist in Uganda to cover parliament, it would require us buying all the offices around here." "Do journalists work in the office? In my training, a journalist who is in the office is a lazy journalist, he is useless. Their office in parliament is the press gallery," further stated in Africa News. As stated earlier in the letter, "We are in the process of accrediting reporters to cover the 10th Parliament. We wrote to the editors to second journalists with degrees." Further, Obore stated in the letter that not until the good working relationship between Parliament and UPPA is restored, the office space for the press is temporarily withdrawn. He also consulted the Parliamentary Speaker Rebecca Kadaga and got her assent to such resolution. Meanwhile, the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), the global network of 104 organizations dedicated to promoting and defending freedom of expression, writes with serious concern about the deteriorating human rights situation in Uganda in the lead up to Presidential and parliamentary elections, called the attention of the heads of the government. "We call on you to use all diplomatic channels to urge the Government of Uganda to respect freedom of expression, assembly and information as fundamental rights that are essential to the conduct of free and fair elections." Uganda will be conducting general elections and will be opening its 10th parliament for which the Commission needs a top caliber journalist to cover its proceeding. The office for UPPA was first provided during the seventh parliament when the then Speaker of Parliament, Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, in consultation with the Parliamentary Commission granted a request from journalists under the umbrella body to have an office to ease their work. After June 2006, this is the second time the journalists were struck off from the parliament. The first was due to the space constraints because of the increased number of the parliamentarians under the multi-party system. The UPPA office is furnished with computers, internet and other hassle-free needs to cover the proceedings of the Parliamentary. Bahraini authorities have arrested four Americans during Shiite protests. This is marked as the fifth anniversary of a Shiite-led uprising in the kingdom, US and Bahraini authorities claimed, which drew condemnation from rights groups. According to The Guardian, four American journalists were arrested on Sunday during protests, which is marking the fifth anniversary of a Shia-led uprising in Bahrain. These journalists have been charged and released, a prosecutor has said. Freelance reporter Anna Day and her camera crew were charged with illegally assembling with intent to commit a crime. A friend of Anna Day had stated that the journalists were simply doing their job and denied that they took part in any "illegal behavior". CNN reported that the reporter has only done freelance work for the network and other news outlets. Providing new details, Bahrain's Police Media Center stated that the arrests began when police detained a masked man who was near "rioting and vandalism" in an area where security forces were also being attacked. Police claimed that the four Americans were arrested around the Shiite town of Sitra on Sunday during clashes between security forces and protesters, in a statement published by the official Bahrain News Agency."One of them was masked and taking part with a group of saboteurs in Sitra in acts of rioting and sabotage and attacks on security officials," it wrote. "The other three were arrested at a security checkpoint in the same area." The four entered Bahrain between February 11 and 12 and "provided false information to concerned authorities" claiming to be tourists, police stated. They also added, "Some of those arrested had carried out journalistic activities without permission from concerned authorities, in addition to carrying out illegal acts." The police, additionally, started to question the three other Americans, who were nearby and police determined that they had been "carrying out media activities without receiving the permit from the competent authorities," as Gulf News mentioned. A prosecutor in Bahrain also recently issued a statement stating that the four have been "released on Tuesday afternoon." The prosecutor also added, "It wasn't immediately clear if they could leave the island nation off the coast of Saudi Arabia." Meanwhile, although the US State Department was aware of the reports that four Americans had been arrested in Bahrain, it declined to comment further, citing privacy concerns. But Day's family claimed that the four were committed freelance journalists and denied that they had done anything wrong during the incident. President Barack Obama is set to sign a legislation that would ban all US imports of fish caught by slave labor in Southeast Asia. This will allegedly close a loophole that has allowed seafood from forced labor to enter the country for many decades. According to The New York Times, President Obama will sign a legislation this week that will effectively ban American imports of fish caught by forced labor in Southeast Asia. This is an effort to back up the recent actions by the White House, federal agencies, international trade unions and foreign governments end lawlessness at the sea and to better protect offshore workers and the marine environment. In fact, the president already signed the Port State Measures Agreement, which empowers officials to prohibit foreign vessels suspected of illegal fishing from receiving port services and access. The United States became the 20th country to ratify the pact. The legislation passed by the Congress last week would bar all imports of products that use convict, forced or indentured labor. The bill, which the president will approve, concludes an exemption in the US Tariff Act of 1930 that allows goods made by slaves to be imported if consumer demand cannot be met without them. "It's an outrage this loophole persisted for so long," stated Oregon Senator Ron Wyden via The Guardian, who sponsored the bill. He also added, "No product made by people held against their will, or by children, should ever be imported to the United States." The Rohingya migrants have also been trafficked through jungle camps to work on Thai fishing vessels as slaves. With that, hundreds of people are also believed to have been traded as slaves to support Thailand's $7.3 billion seafood industry. Costco and CP Foods are facing a lawsuit, filed in California, to put off the sale of Thai prawns/shrimp tainted by slavery. And in January, European Union investigators headed to Thailand to observe whether it had made enough progress on the issue of slavery to evade an EU-wide ban on seafood imports from the country. Moreover, US-sold goods including shrimp and pet food have recently been linked to slavery. About 90% of the seafood consumed in American households is imported from different parts of the world. But as mentioned in a World Wildlife study from last year, more than 85% of the world's fish stocks are at significant risk of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. This is thought to bring harm to the marine environment, unregulated fishing is also associated with slave labor and drugs and arms smuggling. Meanwhile, the Obama administration has strengthened their moves to tackle exploitation on the high seas once and for all. Additionally, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also announced new reporting requirements for American companies to gain a better understanding of where seafood imports are sourced. South Dakota is slated to become the first U.S. state to enact a law that would require transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms according to their "chromosomes and anatomy." The Senate approved the bill on Tuesday, and will be made into law once Governor Dennis Daugaard signs it. The senate voted 20-15 in favor of the bill. Under the so-called "Bathroom Bill", transgender students are required to use restrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their gender at birth and not the gender they currently identify with. The bill also obliges schools to provide "reasonable" accommodations for transgender students such as a single-occupancy restroom, a unisex restroom. Regulations that would control the use of these facilities are also being suggested. "This bill is about protecting young children who are too innocent ... to understand the complexity of life," Republican Senator David Omdahl said, via Reuters. The bill, however, is drawing flak from the LGBT community. Critics say the measures expose LGBT students to humiliation and bullying by segregating them and treating them differently. "This bill causes actual harm to transgender students, an already vulnerable population," said Libby Skarin, ACLU's South Dakota policy director. "It singles out and targets them and attempts to isolate them, in a way that is really truly hurtful and discriminatory." Both the Department of Justice and the Department of Education agree that Title IX of the U.S. Education Amendments of 1972, schools must give transgender students unrestricted access to bathrooms and locker rooms that match their current gender identity and preference. According to The Guardian, this ruling does not go unprecedented. In November, the Education Department threated the school district of Palatine, Illinois with potential loss of $6 million in federal funds if it prohibited a transgender girl from using the girls' locker rooms. A surge of religious freedom bills in South Dakota are being perceived as discriminatory attacks against LGBT people. Majority of the bills are premised on religious belief or moral convictions and are largely prejudiced towards the rights and privileges of the LGBT community. A spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union said that housing or businesses could condemn LGBT people and still keep their license under the protection of such laws. Russia has sued Ukraine over the $3 billion debt which the Kiev failed to pay in December. The action follows after a failed restructuring on the debt. Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said that Ukraine's $3 billion debt remains unsettled despite their attempt to encourage Ukraine to talk on debt restructuring. The two nations didn't agree on terms as Moscow wanted to label the debt as sovereign with structuring terms. However, Ukraine wanted to settle the debt of its private creditors, RT reports. "I think the hearing in the English court will be open and transparent, and the protection of the rights of the Russian Federation as a creditor will be carried out by an independent, authoritative court, which will impartially consider the dispute between the two sovereign states regarding debt default on Eurobonds," Siluanov said. He added, Russia is willing to settle Ukraine's $3 billion debt out of court but "Ukraine was not ready to negotiate in a spirit of good will." Russia lent Ukraine $3 billion Eurobond late 2013 before pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych was eliminated from his position, according to BBC. In December, Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered Siluanov to sue Ukraine if it fails to repay the $3 billion debt on Dec. 20. Putin gave Kiev a grace period of 10 days. However, Ukraine wasn't able to repay the loan and it insisted on a moratorium on the repayment. A month after, Russia's Finance Ministry claimed that Ukraine is in a state of default. Siluanov stated that he hopes that the case of Ukraine's $3 billion debt will be dealt in London court fairly and unbiased through transparent proceedings, FT claims. Late last year, Russia has offered a settlement to Ukraine for repayment of the loan. Putin offered yearly debt repayment of $1 billion over the course of three years provided that the West has guarantees. However, Ukraine didn't agree with the offer. Russia and Ukraine are having tensions over the recent years. Apart from Ukraine's $3 billion debt, the two nations are fighting over commerce and gas supplies. Kiev is also suspecting that Moscow is behind arming and helping separatist rebels in Eastern Ukraine, which Russia has vehemently dismissed. opioid overdose kit Larry Wiersch, CEO of the Cetronia Ambulance Corps., hold one of the new opioid overdose kits that Lehigh County police departments will start carrying. (Sarah Cassi | lehighvalleylive.com) A man found unconscious and not breathing after doing heroin was saved when Salisbury Township police officers used an overdose antidote they carry as part of a county-wide program. Township police were called the evening of Feb. 9 for a 39-year-old man in cardiac arrest, police said. Officers arrived in minutes and found the man, whom police did not identify, on the bathroom floor of a home, not breathing and unconscious. The man had constricted pupils, his skin was blue and he didn't respond to efforts to revive him, police said. Officers administered the heroin overdose antidote called naloxone via a nose spray; there was no response but the man had a pulse, police said. A second dose was given, police said, and the man started breathing on his own and was able to speak. The man told police that he had used three bags of heroin that day; no drugs or paraphernalia was found at the home, police said. The man was taken to a hospital for treatment, but was not charged following the incident; state law provides immunity to encourage reporting drug overdoses, the district attorney's office said in a news release. Naloxone, commonly referred to by the brand name Narcan, reverses the effects of opioids. Opioids include heroin and prescription pain relievers such as morphine, fentanyl, Percocet, methadone and oxycodone. Pennsylvania previously only permitted paramedics and doctors to use the antidote, but former Gov. Tom Corbett signed a law in October 2014 allowing police to legally administer it. Soon after, Capital BlueCross announced a program to help police departments in its 21-county service area -- including the Lehigh Valley -- in the state purchase and carry naloxone. Then this past December, prosecutors announced all 17 police departments in Lehigh County would have the drug in kits the size of a pencil case that have two doses of naloxone. Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez announced at his state of the city address this week that the city's police officers would also start carrying the antidote. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Prosecutors have withdrawn the most serious charges against a Wayne County, Pennsylvania police officer and his brother accused of breaking into a Nazareth apartment complex under construction. Matthew Conrad Spink, of the first block of Maple Street in Nazareth, and his brother, John Brandon Hoffman, 32, of the same address, appeared Tuesday before District Judge John Capobianco and both gave up their right to a preliminary hearing. In a proposed plea arrangement, Northampton County Assistant District Attorney James Augustine said the state would dismiss the charges of felony burglary and felony conspiracy to commit burglary for both Spink and Hoffman. Spink, a rookie officer, still faces charges of felony criminal trespass and and summary criminal mischief while Hoffman still faces charges of felony criminal trespass, misdemeanor resisting arrest and summary criminal mischief. Attorney Gary Asteak, representing Spink, and attorney Steve Mills, representing Hoffman, said Wednesday both clients will be applying for accelerated rehabilitative disposition, a program for first-time offenders. If the program is completed successfully, both could have charges expunged. WNEP-16 News reported Lehigh Township, Wayne County Police Chief Kevin Froese is heartbroken over the alleged wrongdoing of Spink. Spink currently is suspended from the force without pay, pending the conclusion of the case, according to the report. "It's been a nightmare. It's been embarrassing. It has hurt our department. It's impugned our integrity," Froese states in the report. Alleged break-in Nazareth officers just after midnight Jan. 15 responded to a report of two men burglarizing an apartment complex at 176 S. Green St. Spink told officers at the scene he was a Lehigh Township, Wayne County, officer doing undercover work, police said. Spink entered the apartment complex through a second-floor balcony door and then let his brother inside, police said. The pair went into several unoccupied apartments before picking the lock of an occupied apartment, police said. Spink identified himself and his brother to the residents as undercover police officers who were responding to a call at that location, police said. One of the residents allegedly recognized Spink as a former student of hers, police said. He remained in the apartment and directed his brother "to go and search other apartments," police said. Police confirmed Spink as a legitimate police officer, but said he never called 911 or alerted officers he would be investigating the apartment complex. Both Spink and Hoffman smelled of alcohol, according to police. Tried to catch burglar Spink simply was trying to catch who he suspected to be a burglar inside the unoccupied apartment complex, Asteak said Wednesday. Spink was walking by the complex with his brother that evening and saw a light on inside, prompting him to check out the scene, Asteak said. "Little did he know among all the apartments vacant and unoccupied that one was occupied," Asteak said. "He was expecting to find a burglar and thief and he became the burglar himself." "As it turned out, it really was a misunderstanding. It was an error on his part. That's the story." Asteak said had Spink and Hoffman wanted to steal from the apartments, they would have taken something. Had the pair wanted to vandalize the department, something would have been damaged, he said. "The place is filled with construction material and tools," Asteak said. "Nothing was found on him." Spink made a mistake not notifying Nazareth police, Asteak said. Hoffman, a military solider, was looking to move to Nazareth after living most of his life in Alaska. Both don't have prior criminal records, Asteak said. The pair are scheduled to appear for a formal arraignment on April 28 in Northampton County Court. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Northampton Community College NCC1.jpg Northampton Community College officials are making rounds to local school districts to explain the proposed 2016-17 budget. (Express-Times Photo | BILL ADAMS) Some school districts, including Bangor Area and Easton Area, have raised concerns in recent weeks about the amount of money they kick in to Northampton Community College's coffers each year. Bangor Area School District officials have publicly stated in recent weeks that the money they send to the college might be better spent within the district. College officials attended the school board workshop meeting Tuesday to address those concerns. College officials typically make annual rounds to the eight sponsoring county districts to go over proposed budgets, but NCC President Mark Erickson said he tailored this year's presentation with Bangor Area's concerns in mind. Some school board directors there have questioned why they continue to fund the college when it has enough money to build a residence hall for out-of-county students and build a Monroe County campus. Jim Dunleavy, NCC's vice president of finance and operations, told the board that the original intent of the Community College Act of 1963 was to split funding equally in thirds between the state, tuition revenue and local district contributions. However, the college has been able reduce the amount paid by the sponsoring districts with the increase in out-of-county and out-of-state students, who pay double and triple the rates of those in-county, Dunleavy said. School district appropriations in the 2016-17 proposed budget would be 10.34 percent of the operating budget for credit instruction. "It's allowed us to subsidize tuition costs for in-county students," Dunleavy said. Erickson said the districts are a critical part of NCC's funding especially since the community college has no authority to tax residents. School Board President Michael Goffredo told Erickson that some in the community are concerned that the NCC Foundation, which helped pay for the residence hall, seems to have significant reserves, while cash-strapped districts keep paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to the college each year. The eight sponsoring school districts pay a share of the operating budget determined by a formula that takes into account how many of each district's graduates attended the school in the past five years. Bangor Area would see a 0.21 percent increase to $397,912 for the $71.9 million 2016-17 budget. Erickson said NCC Foundation money is often donated for specific purposes and that money wouldn't be available to take the place of district money. He also noted the Monroe campus is self-sufficient. Erickson said he would be available to come back before the board votes on the budget if board directors or members of the community have questions. "It's important the local taxpayers understand the math," Erickson said. John Best is a freelance writer. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Showdown - Jimmy's Hot Dogs Jimmy 5.jpg Hot dogs awaiting customers at Jimmy's Hot Dogs. (Bill Adams) The ownership struggle at Jimmy's Hot Dogs in the 25th Street Shopping Center in Palmer Township is coming to a head. Long-time Jimmy-dog fans are hoping the venerable vendor survives. The business is up for auction March 2 to resolve long-standing differences between the partners, Frank Bounoutas and John Apostolopoulos. To veteran customers, the appeal of Jimmy's needs no explanation. Many newcomers and people from outside the area just don't get it -- a hot dog with mustard, onions and pickle? And that's all a strip-mall business sells? History and tradition play a significant role here, as with cheesesteaks in Philly. Many of today's adult buyers are the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of residents who grew up on the original treats of Jimmy Makris, who started out in 1910 with a pushcart on the Easton-Phillipsburg free bridge and later ran Jim's Doggie Stand in Union Square in Phillipsburg for decades. It is said the aroma wafting from the Jersey side of the bridge exerted a gravitational pull on every car that made the crossing. As we know, hot dog preference is a personal issue, and there are many favorites in the Lehigh Valley, Phillipsburg and around Warren County. What is yours? Have a say in our informal poll. If we've left someone out, choose "other"and add your comments below. Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe today to get the latest headlines straight to your inbox with our free email updates Up to 500 jobs are being created at a new one million sq ft Amazon warehouse. The online retailer is opening the vast parcel processing centre next to the existing Interlink industrial park, just outside Coalville. Amazon said the warehouse will open in the and the positions will be filled over three years. North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen said it was proof the area was open for business and enjoying one of the "highest economic growth rates outside London and the South East". Amazon is now recruiting for positions ranging from operations managers to engineers, HR and IT roles and order processors. John Tagawa, vice-president of UK operations, said: "We are excited to create 500 new permanent jobs over three years in Leicestershire with competitive wages and comprehensive benefits starting on day one. "Amazon has a dedicated and enthusiastic workforce who play a crucial role in delivering a first-rate level of service for our customers and we look forward to recruiting people from Leicestershire and the surrounding area." All permanent fulfillment centre staff will be paid the legally-binding national living wage of 7.20 an hour for workers over 25, which comes into force in April. The company said every worker at the warehouse would get "stock grants" which, it said, tended to be worth 1,000 or more per year for the average employee. Staff would also get benefits including private medical insurance, a company pension plan, life assurance, income protection, subsidised meals and an employee discount. The company said it also gives staff financial support for adult education, which could be worth up to 8,000 over four years. Andrew Bridgen welcomed Amazon's investment in the district, along with the new jobs. He said: "North West Leicestershire continues to be an area good for business and long-term investment and we are currently enjoying one of the highest economic growth rates outside London and the south east. "I am pleased that such a reputable company has the confidence in the area, not only given its strategic location but also for the recruitment of a wide ranging workforce." North West Leicestershire District Council leader Coun Richard Blunt said it was a "shot in the arm" for Coalville and the surrounding area. He said: "We have growth across the whole district apart from Coalville and this will be key to helping change that. We have to celebrate the fact that 500 jobs are being created, and hope that more will follow." Amazon currently has 10 fulfillment centres in the UK. It said the new roles were part of its plans to create 2,500 permanent jobs in the UK this year, bringing the total workforce to 14,500. The news comes days after it was revealed that more than 200 county jobs had been saved at the head office of nearby Brantano shoes. A company controlled by the same investment group which placed Brantano into administration last month has bought 140 stores and concessions, saving 1,370 jobs in the process including at the head office. Stores in Beaumont Leys and Market Harborough, and concessions in Coalville, Oakham, Rothley and Ullesthorpe have all been saved. A north Leitrim councillor has described ongoing cuts to local authority budgets for roads and housing as the equivalent of sticking the two fingers up to everybody living in Co Leitrim. The Taoiseach was travelling round Sligo/Leitrim last week and he observed who says rural Ireland is dead, well I say give us (the Council) the money to make sure rural areas don't die, said Cllr Mary Bohan at the recent Manorhamilton Municipal District meeting. The comments came after a presentation confirming that roads allocations were down for 2016. Senior Engineer, Roads, Shay O'Connor, said that the Council has a specific list of works to be carried out on local roads but admitted that there is no room for manoeuvring adding if you want to add a road on to the list of works you will have to take another road off it. Director of Services, Mary Quinn also informed councillors that there is no prospect of significant capital funding in housing in the county and Shay O'Connor confirmed there is no funding for footpaths or public lighting in 2016. Describing cuts to the roads allocation for 2016 as 'disastrous', Cllr Bohan said that the situation is a case of 'penny wise and pound foolish'. If we don't have the money to carry out works to our roads network they will deteriorate and we will need even more money in the long run to fix things. Cllr Mary Bohan said councillors were wasting their time putting down motions about roads for the next three years if there was going to be no more additional funding available. Other councillors echoed her concerns with Independent councillor, Felim Gurn, saying he could not see the point of Municipal District meetings any more. What are we going to talk about at Municipal District meetings? We don't have money for footpaths, there is no money for roads or housing. What is the point of us coming here and talking about these things? he told the Manorhamilton meeting. Possibly best known for the success of its Corn Mill Theatre Group, as well as being the birthplace of Margaret of New Orleans, Carrigallen has another reason to celebrate, as one of its natives launches his first book. Published by Austin Macauley, The Whole of the Moon is the debut novel by Kevin McManus. Reared and educated in Carrigallen, Kevin lives outside the village now with his wife Mary, and he explained that his teachers in the local Vocational School he attended were extremely supportive and encouraging, mentioning in particular Eamon Daly and Walter Sharpley. A History and Geography teacher at Drumshanbo Vocational School, Kevin told the Observer that he has had a number of historical articles published in the past, but that The Whole of the Moon is his first work of fiction. The novel is set almost thirty years ago, so I suppose one could say it is a type of historical fiction. Although more correctly, it fits into the genre of crime fiction, I believe, he pointed out. Crediting Donal Ryan and Michael Harding among his inspirations, Kevin revealed that the book was largely shaped by his own experiences and encounters growing up in rural Ireland in the 1980s. Set in the fictional town of Ballinastrad and its rural hinterland in Co Sligo during the winter of 1988 - 1989, the story follows 27-year-old Conor Doyle, who is reunited with his close friends Darragh Lonigan and Sarah Gallagher after returning from London for the Christmas holidays. Outlining the plot, Kevin began; The story revolves around the brutal hit and run and subsequent death of a well-liked man called Tom Kearns from the area during the days leading up to Christmas. Conor dreams of finding a reason to stay in Ballinastrad. However, the dream is shattered and a nightmare begins when he gets entangled in the murder investigation that follows on from the aforementioned hit and run. As well as an engaging plot, the heart of the story lies in the relationship between Conor and his life-long friend Darragh, who remained very close despite their differing backgrounds. Another fascinating element of the book is its references to popular culture at the time, including the Waterboys' classic song after which the book is named. The official launch of the book is in Charley Farrelly's Bar in Carrigallen on March 5 at 9.30pm. There will be book signings in Kinlough Library on March 4 at 6pm and in Ballinamore library on March 12 at 3pm. The book is available to buy in The Reading Room in Carrick-on-Shannon and all major book websites including Eason and Amazon. Is Ukraine lost? Again? Is the social contract between state and citizens fundamentally flawed? We are now well past the honeymoon period of the post-Maidan street protests that ultimately led to the rather fast departure of the then president Yanikovich, who fled to Russia in 2014. A spate of ministerial resignations at the start of 2016, an economy in dire straits and with a huge external debt overhang, having lost up to a third of its economic base from the loss of territories and ongoing conflict with Russia and being supported by western-supported international financial institution packages including dollops of soft EU macro-financial assistance, a false dawn with the so-called Orange revolution in 2004 and the Maidan of 2014so which way reform? Before I answer these questions, I invite you to view this video of a recent Cabinet meeting it is fairly X rated and it gives a flavour of the difficulties of copy-pasting a reform agenda without genuine political will and huge conflicts of interest. Many will have recognised Mikheil Saakashvili, who was former president of Georgia and now part of a group Georgian bureaucrats, fluent in Russian, brought in to help support the reform effort and given Ukrainian citizenships jousting (with glasses of water) with the Minister of Interior responsible for the police and security services, himself an oligarch. My starting point is to look at the data. And the picture is mixed. Global Governance indicators (that basically hoover up all available country risk indicators published) show that Government Effectiveness has risen. But Rule of Law? Not so good in fact its even worse. And the picture is the same when looking at Regulatory quality or perceptions of corruption. Ukraines (Lithuanian-Ukrainian) minister for economic development and trade, Aivaras Abromavicius, announced his resignation in early February, citing corruption levels in the state. Neither me, nor my team have any desire to serve as a cover-up for the covert corruption, or become puppets for those who, very much like the old government, are trying to exercise control over the flow of public funds saying what many have been complaining, that there are too many bent officials trying to continue their corrupt ways. There is now a real political risk that the government will fall, possibly through a vote of no confidence. And there is scant evidence, despite a flurry of ad-hoc measures, of a clear roadmap of reform which is worryingly familiar territory given previous false dawns and stabilisation plans effectively written at the IMF. Despite a huge groundswell of popular support in what remains of Ukraine for a pro-EU direction of travel, it is not an EU candidate country forced to go through hoops and checklists to comply with the EU body of law, the acquis. The disconnect between the elite and the rest is the effect, but the fusion of political and economic control in the hands of this narrow elite that is an unfortunate legacy in most of the ex-Soviet space is THE core root cause. * With experience across academia, think tanks, central banking, EU Accession and reforms across 40 developing and transition countries, Dr Rupinder Singh works with multilateral organisations and governments as an independent adviser. He is an Executive member of Liberal International (British Group). Tim Farron has been over to Brussels today, meeting our partners in the European Parliament. He discussed Britains place in Europe with them and with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE). He tells us: Ive had the opportunity today to talk to Liberal Democrat colleagues from across Europe. Seven of the twenty-eight Heads of Government are liberal democrats and its been a privilege to have the opportunity to talk to them and encourage them to support the UK renegotiation so we can begin the campaign to keep Britain at the heart of the European Union. Something we all agreed on is that Britain is better in Europe, and Europe is better with Britain in it. Beyond the renegotiation, what will really decide whether Britain chooses to remain in Europe or not are the bigger, loftier issues. Is it better for Britain to be within the biggest, most important economy on earth, or not? Is it better in times of danger and insecurity to be with our friends and allies, or not? And when we are faced with huge global crises like the world economy, the refugee situation and climate, are we better able to deal with those better together or alone? The answer to those questions to me are obvious as a liberal, and I am grateful that is the same position held by our Liberal Democrat colleagues across Europe. Fiscal consolidation could come from curbs on spending or increased taxation. In practice there will almost certainly be elements of both and no Chancellor would sensibly rule out tax increases. But the emphasis certainly should be on public spending. In the paper, Vince also identified some specific areas of spending where savings could be achieved, including: Curbing industrial policy including scrapping Regional Development Agencies Scrapping Strategic Health Authorities and other savings from the NHS budget Significant cuts to defence programmes Freezing public sector pay overall and cutting higher salaries Sales of public assets In the event, of course, many of Vinces specific proposals were implemented by the coalition. So how did the coalitions record on deficit reduction match Vinces predictions? Originally, of course, the coalition sought to eliminate the structural deficit entirely within its 5-year term. The period in which this would take place was then extended in 2011 in response to two things: an upward revision by the Office for Budget Responsibility in the estimated size of the structural deficit, and the eurozone crisis. In the end, then, deficit reduction over the course of the coalition was rather more modest than predicted by Vince Cable: about 5% of GDP (rather than the 8% predicted see chart), but of course austerity continues. Inevitably, there seems to have been rather more politics than hard-headed analysis in the portrayal as Vince as the coalitions deficit dove. It suited those seeking to undermine Clegg and the coalition to paint Vince as his antithesis to whatever extent possible. I note with interest that Vince is due to summate this (evidentially problematic) motion on economic policy at conference, so it will be good to hear his analysis of the current state of the economy though for a preview you can listen to his interesting comments on last nights PM programme (at about 6 minutes in). GARDAI in Limerick are expected to speak with Steve Collins the father of murder victim Roy Collins later today following a fatal accident at Ulster Bank in Castletroy yesterday morning. Investigations are continuing after an elderly woman died after she was struck in the car park of the bank by a Range Rover which was being driven by Mr Collins. The pensioner, who has been named as retired postmistress Maura OBrien from Dun an Oir, Milford Grange, Castletroy, was pronounced dead at the scene at around 11am. It is understood the 89-year-old had been dropped off at the bank a short time earlier by a relative who witnessed the accident. While emergency services were quickly on the scene, Mrs OBrien, who is survived by her four adult children, was pronounced dead a short time later. Her body was removed to University Hospital Limerick where a post mortem examination was carried out yesterday evening. The bank closed following the tragic incident and much of the car park remained sealed off for several hours as technical and forensic examinations were carried out by investigating gardai. A number of witnesses have been spoken to by gardai and CCTV footage from area is also being viewed as part of the investigation. While Steve Collins was not injured, he was treated for shock by medical personnel following the incident. Mrs OBrien, whose funeral mass will take place on Sunday afternoon, was the third person to die on Limerick Roads so far in 2016. Five people died in road accidents in Limerick during all of 2015. Gardai attached to Henry Street station are investigating all of the circumstances surrounding the fatal accident and they are appealing for anybody who was in the area at the time to contact them at (061) 212400. THE FOUNDING president of the University of Limerick has said he is concerned and particularly sad by the findings in a recent review, commissioned by the Higher Education Authority, into a number of allegations at the university. Speaking to the Limerick Leader this week, Dr Edward Walsh, president emeritus, said: I took a vow when I retired from the university, after leading it for 28 years, that I would decommission myself, so that those who succeed me can get on with the job. There are always difficulties and I am particularly sad to observe this one. Ill leave it at that, but of course Im concerned, he said, at a civic function in the Georgian House, Pery Square this Wednesday. Dr Walsh was asked in the first instance if he had read the report and the HEAs subsequent statement on all matters, but would not be drawn further on his views. Following concerns raised by three female whistleblowers in relation to expenses and other financial matters, the HEA expressed a number of concerns regarding a lack of policies and procedures in place at UL. It also raised questions about HR practices at the university. The HEA said that it believes that an investigation as opposed to a review should now take place, within the shortest possible time-frame, into whether financial issues identified are indicative of wider practices within the institution when any such issues are raised. In response to further queries from the Limerick Leader regarding this investigation such as when it would take place and who it would be conducted by the HEA would only say that it will meet with management at the university next week to discuss the report findings and recommendations and we remain committed to ensuring their full implementation. The review, conducted by independent consultants Mazars since last October, followed the the allegations of three female whistleblowers after their allegations were first revealed in the Limerick Leader. That front-page report gave rise to Fianna Fail deputies Willie ODea and Niall Collins raising the cases of the three women in the Dail, and led to the review, which was published last week. Both deputies have now said that they believe that the women are totally vindicated by the reports findings. Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has also said that he cannot see how UL could proceed with its legal action in the High Court against the Limerick Leader and its editor, Alan English, for publishing the initial newspaper report, based on the findings and lengthy list of recommendations for UL in the review. The report states that instances of irregular claims by staff occurred in the university, but were properly challenged by the employees concerned, and no inappropriate payments were made. But the HEA expressed concerns that there may have been or may still be a culture of inappropriate claims being made, until challenged. UL rejected this assertion, describing it as offensive to past and present staff of the university. One of the three women, who has since left UL, brought instances of her claims to the Public Accounts Committee in 2012, but felt they fell on deaf ears. They were not made public at that time. The two other women remain suspended by the university some nine months on. This week, a UL spokesperson again reiterated their stance that they cannot comment on employment matters, and would also not comment on whether the institution is still proceedings with its legal action. UL said it welcomed Mazars recommendations and is in the process of implementing them. 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 We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. 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Praxis Business School, Kolkata : Admission to Post Graduate Program in Business Management https://career.webindia123.com/career/dates_and_events/praxis-admission.htm Details of Praxis Business School, Kolkata : Admission to Post Graduate Program in Business Management 2016-11-8 2016-12-15 https://career.webindia123.com/career/images/exams.png India India Praxis Business School, Kolkata : Admission to Post Graduate Program in Business Management Management Post Graduate Program in Business Management 2016 : Praxis Business School, Kolkata Tweet Pin It Share Praxis Business School, Kolkata : Admission to Post Graduate Program in Business Management Category : Management Admissions 2022 Published : On November 8, 2016 By Webindia123 Editor Important Dates Deadline for receipt of forms for Round 1 of interviews December 25, 2016 Courses commence July 2017 Praxis Business School invites applications for Admission to Post Graduate Program in Business Management 2016. Eligibility Graduates who have completed three years of Bachelors degree or equivalent in any discipline recognized by a university or deemed university are eligible to apply. Those completing their final examination may also apply. Post-Graduates who have completed two years of Masters degree or equivalent in any discipline recognized by a university or deemed university are eligible to apply. Duration : 2 year full time Residential Programme Application Form Praxis Business School offers Post Graduate Program in Business Management and Post Graduate Program in Business Analytics. Candidates may apply to either one or both the programs using the same application form. Prospectus & application for the Post Graduate Programs can be obtained for a non-refundable amount of Rs.1200/- (rupees one thousand two hundred only) in the following ways: Any of the IMS centers: Remit the requisite amount through Cash/DD*/Pay Order*/Credit Card and purchase the Application Kit. Online Application: Remit the requisite amount through Credit/ Debit Card/ Net Banking/ Mobile Banking. Selection Process Candidates will be short-listed on the basis of their performance in aptitude test. Praxis Business School conducts its own entrance examination Praxis Admission Test. A candidate is allowed to appear for Praxis Admission Test or to submit any of the below scores: CAT 2015 / 2014/ 2013 XAT 2016/ 2015/ 2014 GMAT taken after November 2013 GRE taken after November 2013 Students applying for the 2 year PGP in Business Management program can submit the following test scores in addition to the above: CMAT 2016/ 2015/ 2014 MAT 2016/ 2015 The selection will further be based on the applicants profile that comprises: Academic Performance Professional Qualifications Extra Curricular Activities Work Experience Short-listed candidates will be required to appear for Essay Writing, Psychometric Test followed by Personal Interviews. The final admission would be awarded on the basis of the applicants test scores, profile and performance in Essay Writing, Psychometric Test and Personal Interviews. More details can be available from institute website Contact Details Address : Praxis Business School Bakrahat Road, 24 Parganas (South), P.O. Rasapunja, Kolkata- 700104 Phone : 033-24980553/54 Fax : - Mobile : 9836877599 E-mail : Contact I Website : www.praxis.ac.in Find it Useful ? Help Others by Sharing Online Comments and Discussions Why Hindutva is happy fighting petty battles Getting into a series of avoidable conflicts will not help the government with either development or reform /how-to-lounge/movies-tv/why-hindutva-is-happy-fighting-petty-battles-111651821021838.html 111651821021838 story What is common to the following controversies our government has been immersed in? 1) Arresting a Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student for being anti-national, seditious and acting with the support of the Lashkar-e-Taiba. 2) Kicking out of their hostel and stopping the stipend of Dalit students protesting against Yakub Memons hanging. 3) Calling actors Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan anti-national for speaking about intolerance under the rule of Hindutva. 4) Banning beef and making it an anti-Muslim issue, resulting in the lynching of innocent men in Uttar Pradesh and Kashmir. 5) Assaulting a Muslim legislator in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly over the beef debate. 6) Standing off with students in the Film and Television Institute of India over the appointment of individuals seen as inappropriate. 7) Refusing to condemn or act against Ghar Wapsi, in which the Vishwa Hindu Parishad prevented 48,651 Hindus from converting to another faith and converted 33,975 to Hinduism between June 2014 and June 2015. 8) Calling for a review of reservations because, according to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief, they were politicized. Lets stop here, though we could go on with this list. What is common to all of these is of course the fact that they are all self-inflicted. None of these things was the doing of the opposition, and all of them the Hindutvawadis of this government brought upon themselves. If the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) complains that there is much bad press concerning India in the foreign media about things it regards as trifles, it should accept the responsibility for lighting the fires. The question is: Why does the government get into avoidable conflict? None of these things is going to help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with the agenda it has laid out for itselfdevelopment and reformas articulated both through its campaign and through its voices in the media. Surely, that is a big enough task to occupy them for a term or two. So then why get into these skirmishes on the side? The answer has two parts. First, that the government cannot help itself and second, that it does so because there is benefit. Lets look at the first bit. It may be assumed that Hindutva is a lightly held ideology with people like the Prime Minister. And that another, more sombre and more well-meaning instinct (development") informs his world view. Whatever the truth of thisI have my thoughts on that and I have written about it often enough in Mint Loungewe should examine more sharply the reality of the ideology. Looking down the list of those eight issues above, I cannot think of any one where the BJP would concede even today that it was in the wrong. It genuinely believes in the idea of some of us being anti-national". It insists on seeing as ingratitude the actions of those Muslims who have become successful yet think of criticizing events in their country. This is crude thinking to some of us, but this is the way they have always been. There is not much intellectual material that underpins Hindutva, it should be accepted. The Hindutvawadi instinct expresses itself through exactly this sort of issue and if the list is full of stupid and avoidable things, it is a reflection of the quality of the right" in India. It also shows in the levels of maturity in our Unions home minister. One tweet from a bogus Twitter account is sufficient evidence for him to convict one of us of being associated with the most lethal terrorist group acting in South Asia. How did he arrive at this conclusion? I do not think there is some deep motive here. It is how Hindutva reacts. If we expect higher quality from it, or some civilized restraint, that is not its fault. Lets look at the benefit aspect. Does it politically help the BJP to keep itself entangled in such issues as those of individual students in JNU and Hyderabad? Clearly not, if seen from the outside. And yet, in these individual stories, the BJP finds the support of those who are angered by the softness of this country towards the perfidy of secularists and Muslims. It is true also that on many of the issues, the wider middle class is aligned with Hindutva, for example on reservations, terrorism, beef and anti-nationalism. Even the English news channels, which once used to echo the liberalism of English newspapers, have become angry (Arnab at their head) and the damage that they are doing is not inconsiderable. Social media is so insanely angry and full of hate that it is frightening to look at it. I am not on it but I can guess that there also the right" is winning because its heady mix of prejudice and hatred and calls to violence and extremism is more appealing than the soft resistance of the rest. All this leads me to believe that: A) For the rest of its term, the Narendra Modi government will not be free of such matters as are on our list and B) the government is comfortable toying around with such matters as these while other things (development") wait, because C) Hindutva is happy fighting the petty battles. Aakar Patel is executive director of Amnesty International India. The views expressed here are personal. Also read | Aakar Patels previous Lounge columns. Dont ignore migraine. It can lead to strokes Risk of heart attack and strokes is higher in women who become pregnant after 40 and complications are higher in case of elderly undergoing cancer surgery studies and research tips for a healthier you /news/talking-point/dont-ignore-migraine-it-can-lead-to-strokes-111651821056859.html 111651821056859 story Migraine can up stroke risk People afflicted with migraine face an increased risk of stroke if they suffer from visual symptoms called auras, a US study suggests. Researchers from University of South Carolina, examined an ongoing 25-year-long study involving 12,844 adults in the age group of 45 to 64. They identified 817 participants who suffered a bleeding stroke, a condition where a clot in a blood vessel cuts off the blood flow to brain cells. They found that people who have migraine headaches with sightings of auras are 2.4 times more likely to suffer from stroke compared to migraine patients who dont see auras. Auras are visual disturbances that precede the headaches. Read more here. Half of the world at risk of near-sightedness Half the worlds population will be affected by short-sightedness by 2050, an Australian research suggests. Researchers from the University of New South Wales Australia and Singapore Eye Research Institute believe changing lifestyle, reduction in outdoor activities, spending more time in front of electronic devices are some of the leading causes of it. We also need to ensure our children receive a regular eye examination, every year, so that preventative strategies can be employed if they are at risk," said co-author Professor Kovin Naidoo. The study was published in the journal Ophthalmology.Read more here. Obesity growing in people who are already obese A British study on obesity has found that BMI (body mass index) is rising in people irrespective of gender and social groups but there has been a greater increase in BMI in those who already fall under overweight or obese category. Researchers from University of Liverpool examined an annual health survey which recorded the health information including height and weight for adults over 20 years in England. When the researchers looked at the figures for those participants in the top and bottom of the study they found a marked difference between the two. Those with higher BMI were gaining more weight. BMI is a widely used methodology for assessing a persons weight and is calculated by dividing a persons weight in kg by height in metres squared. The study was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Read more here. Delayed pregnancy can increase risk of heart attack and stroke Women who delay pregnancy until they are 40 face a 2.4% to 3.8% higher risk of stroke and heart attacks, claims a British study. Researchers studied data on over 72,000 women out of which 3,300 were cases of delayed pregnancy. When they compared their rates of stroke, heart attack and cardiovascular death with women who were pregnant at a younger age they found that 0.4% of women who were pregnant at a younger age were at risk of ischemic stroke compared to 3.8% of women who got pregnant over the age of 40. The chance of having a heart attack was also higher in women who became pregnant over 40, from 2.5% to 3%. The study was presented at American Stroke Associations international stroke conference in Los Angeles. Read more here. Risk of complications after cancer surgery higher in elderly Older adults undergoing cancer surgery are more likely to have complications after the surgery than someone younger, US study suggests. Oncologists at University of California examined hospital admission records of 940,000 adults aged 55 and above who underwent cancer surgery between 2009 and 2011. It was found that one in 10 adults aged 55 and above suffered from one post-operative issue such as delirium, dehydration, falls, fractures, pressure ulcers or unusual weight loss. Those who were in the age group of 65 to 74 years were 23% more likely to have complications, while the over-75 group had 66% higher risk of complications. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Read more here. Compiled by Abhijit Ahaskar Harees and maamoul for world peace On the trail of the most heady, multicultural, treasure of Middle-Eastern cuisine in Dubai /news/talking-point/harees-and-maamoul-for-world-peace-111651820835035.html 111651820835035 story It is like dropping down a rabbit hole, at least some Arabian culinary version of it, and hanging out with a bunch of whimsical chefs in a series of hole-in-the-wall restaurants that have been hiding in plain sight in the old neighbourhoods of Dubai. Logic is left behind, and you gorge yourself silly on food that has you gasping with pleasure, your mind unable to battle even with a small (but very wicked) falafel. Your leader in this Mad Hatter adventure is the foodie Arva Ahmed, founder and chief executive muncher of Frying Pan Adventures, who somehow manages to remain fashion-model-thin while eating for a living, and has high cheekbones and dreamy eyes to match. If the food is a treat, so is Arva. She seems to have absorbed enormous founts of gastronomical knowledge and quotes casually from pre-Biblical recipes inscribed on stone tablets, hypotheses that the falafel pre-dates Islam, and then gives you a little botany lesson on the saffron flower and the heaven-and-earth importance of buying the right microscopic bits of it. Hyderabad-born, Sharjah-and-Dubai-raised, she did an MBA at Wharton, University of Pennsylvania, US, dished out advice at a New York consulting firm, then chucked it all (lucky for us) for the love of food and sharing it with others in Dubai. And oh, she has all these macho Arab men in the by-lanes of Deira as her willing slaveschefs, servers, cashiers, owners, they all wear the same besotted expression when she strolls in. Arvas melting pot credentials sit nicely with Dubais melting pot history, and the tour basically makes you taste the pot from the collective viewpoints of Palestinians, Egyptians, Jordanians, Lebanese, Syrians, Yemenis, Emiratis and Iranians, with the possible influences of Indians and Pakistanis. For example, the Hyderabadi haleem and Emirati harees are clearly twins separated at birth, and one can only guess at the backstory. The point is, man leaves his culinary DNA behindtrade routes intersected for centuries, spices got offloaded at various ports and added a kick to blander concoctions, tightly guarded cooking practices leaked outand we get to enjoy this millenniums-worth of intermingling in one four-and-a-half-hour gluttonous evening. First stop on the food tour is an itsy-bitsy falafel shopthe Sultan Dubai Falafel Restaurantwhich, in my opinion, serves up the gold standard of falafels in Dubai. It is owned by a Palestinian but the cooks are mostly Egyptians, and in the sister-restaurant Qwaider Al Nabulsi, the pastry chefs assistant, Musharraf, is definitely Indian. But I am getting ahead of myself. The falafels are piping hot, crunchy, moist inside, green with herbs, with a heart stuffed with red shatta chilli paste, the whole thing studded with sesame seeds. It gets betteryou place it inside a roti-like bread, smash the hell out of it, then reopen the roti and layer it with creamy hummus, a tangy chutney called tatbeela, deep-fried cauliflower and eggplant, some Egyptian foul, assorted pickles, and then you try and bite into your overstuffed, oozing-from-all-sides sandwich, and in a split second you are transported to heaven. This is followed by a musakhanby now we are sitting at the outdoor tables of Qwaider Al Nabulsiwhich turns out to be a chicken pie of Palestinian origin. Think of it as a pizza with half a chicken spreadeagled on it, entangled in loads of caramelized onions, sumac and olive oil. It must be very goodI skipped the non-vegetarian dishesbecause it is demolished in pin-drop silence by the group. A musakhan. Photo: Glen Pearson Already stuffed, things become a blur from this point onwards. We march bravely into Al Samadi Sweets, which has been turning out baklavas of infinite variety since 1872 in Lebanon. Fortunately, we dont have to eat, but Arva packs a small treat from herea maamoul (spiced date cookie) and a bukaj (a baklava shaped like a knapsack)for us to eat with breakfast! Then we are at Al Ammor, an Egyptian feteer place, for some more culinary theatre. Think of a feteer as a gigantic rumali rotiit is tossed up in the air with the same techniquesstuffed and folded over into a parcel, and then baked in a massive oven. The stuffings can varywe get a savoury feteer with basturma (beef pastrami), vegetables and cheese, and a sweet one filled with custard, yes custard, and then slathered in Nutella and topped off with crushed nuts. It is deeply soul satisfying. Just when you think you cant eat another morsel, we settle down (as in on the floor, Bedouin style, in a room decked out as a merry tent) for an elaborate Emirati meal at Al Tawasol, a restaurant run by a single Emirati woman. She has sent in a special dish from home for us, a tahtah malleh, which is salted preserved fish cooked with rice. The rest of the spread is shorbat adas (lentil soup), chicken machboos (chicken and rice cooked in an Emirati blend of spices called bezar), laham salona (an Emirati lamb curry), harees (the Emirati version of haleem, a meat and wheat porridge cooked for so long that the meat disintegrates and blends in). To help that heavy meal settle down, Arva walks us to Sadaf Iranian Sweets, where we eat icy-cold faloodeh with rose water and lemon juice, topped with saffron ice cream, while chatting with the owner, who has movie-star good looks. We lurch homewards, munching on the thought that the Middle East has not deployed its most powerful weapon properly around the worldits food! If everyone went on this food tour, world peace is guaranteed. Radha Chadha is one of Asias leading marketing and consumer insight experts. She is the author of the best-selling book The Cult Of The Luxury Brand: Inside Asias Love Affair With Luxury. Also read | Radha Chadhas previous Lounge columns. Lounge Review: Masala House, Delhi A visit to this New York chain's Delhi outpost is worth it for the appetizers alone /smart-living/innovation/lounge-review-masala-house-delhi-111651820956717.html 111651820956717 story Appropriately appealing in name, food and locale, especially to foreigners, Masala House (part of a chain of restaurants from New York) is nestled in the middle of Sunder Nagar market. A walk up the stairs leads to a 60-seater restaurant with high-backed chairs in amber and gold velvet cushioning, filament lamps, metal wall accents and dark wooden panelling. It was quiet, but we were early by Delhi standards and it was lunchtime. They have two floors, so we chose to head all the way up and opt for a table near a window. Alas, the blinds were drawn down and there was barely any natural light. A smiling steward handed us a menu. The good stuff The appetizers are special. I would go back only for them. All of them are beautifully plated and perfectly balanced in taste. We had the Anarkali Tikki ( 345), a healthy quinoa and beetroot patty with chunky peanut butter oozing through. Delicious, crisp, crunchy. The Kathal Varqi ( 395) followed. Marinated, tandoor-baked tender jackfruit on bite-sized chapatis, it tasted like pulled mutton and even fooled my no vegetables please" friend. The Silbatte Ki Shami ( 445) came on large skewers, with the thread from the skewer of the kebab sticking out. To release the kebab, the steward simply pulled the thread. It was divine. Not the paste-y galauti texture of course, but a perfect balance between smooth and chunky: a kebab actually ground on a silbatta. The Kasoondi Machchi Tikka ( 695), large chunks of sole, marinated with the signature Bengali mustard and baked, was delicate and divine. The menu for mains has very typical cant go wrong" offerings: popular Awadhi and Punjabi dishes and some mainstream Chettinad and Kerala food. Its the perfect blend for an Indian food newbie. We had the Anjeer and Chenna Kofta ( 395). The Awadhi-style dish had meltingly soft koftas, with just the perfect hint of sweet from the dried fruit in a velvety saffron sauce. Very fine palate dining. The Mirchi Keema ( 495) tasted like good, home-made hearty tak-a-tak without being too chunky. The breads were greatand there is considerable variety, from a delicious Onion and Scallion Kulcha ( 95) to Mirchi Parantha ( 95). The drinks menu had the usual suspects but also a rather nice Spicy Guava ( 225), a vodka-based cocktail with guava juice, lime and a black salt rim. The not-so-good The desserts. They are a no-no. We tried the Chocolate Rasgulla Mousse ( 345): powdery, uber-sweet and just so wrong. The Kulfi with Poached Red Wine Pears ( 345) must be a misnomer because it was more a garnish of three minuscule strands of poached pear. The kulfi was standard fare, with an overdose of Indian spices. The one bread I didnt enjoy, seemed like a feeble attempt at an Indian-style stuffed pizzathe Butter Chicken Naan ( 95). Why bother? The staff is certainly pleasant enough, but they lack knowledge of the menu. Talk plastic A meal for fourfour appetizers, three mains, three drinks, two desserts, three espressoscost us 8,710. They do not accept Amex cards as yet. Masala House, First floor, 4, Sunder Nagar (43583654). Open from noon-3.30pm (lunch; 7pm-11.30pm (dinner). You guys were so lucky getting to go to Florida....Liam swimming in the ocean...Emma getting admission to Hogwort U. It looked ... The BRAIN Initiative has an ambitious set of goals that includes improving tools for recording and manipulating brain circuits in both health and disease. The human brain may be able to hold as much information in its memory as is contained on the entire Internet, new research suggests. Researchers discovered that, unlike a classical computer that codes information as 0s and 1s, a brain cell uses 26 different ways to code its "bits." They calculated that the brain could store 1 petabyte (or a quadrillion bytes) of information. "This is a real bombshell in the field of neuroscience," Terry Sejnowski, a biologist at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, said in a statement. "Our new measurements of the brains memory capacity increase conservative estimates by a factor of 10." Amazing computer What's more, the human brain can store this mind-boggling amount of information while sipping just enough power to run a dim light bulb. [Top 10 Mysteries of the Mind] By contrast, a computer with the same memory and processing power would require 1 gigawatt of power, or "basically a whole nuclear power station to run one computer that does what our 'computer' does with 20 watts," said study co-author Tom Bartol, a neuroscientist at the Salk Institute. In particular, the team wanted to take a closer look at the hippocampus, a brain region that plays a key role in learning and short-term memory. To untangle the mysteries of the mind, the research team took a teensy slice of a rat's hippocampus, placed it in embalming fluid, then sliced it thinly with an extremely sharp diamond knife, a process akin to "slicing an orange," Bartol said. (Though a rat's brain is not identical to a human brain, the basic anatomical features and function of synapses are very similar across all mammals.) The team then embedded the thin tissue into plastic, looked at it under a microscope and created digital images. Next, researchers spent one year tracing, with pen and paper, every type of cell they saw. After all that effort, the team had traced all the cells in the sample, a staggeringly tiny volume of tissue. [Image Gallery: Einstein's Brain] "You could fit 20 of these samples across the width of a single human hair," Bartol told Live Science. Size distribution Next, the team counted up all the complete neurons, or brain cells, in the tissue, which totaled 450. Of that number, 287 had the complete structures the researchers were interested in. Neurons look a bit like swollen, misshapen balloons, with long tendrils called axons and dendrites snaking out from the cell body. Axons act as the brain cell's output wire, sending out a flurry of molecules called neurotransmitters, while tiny spines on dendrites receive the chemical messages sent by the axon across a narrow gap, called the synapse. (The specific spot on the dendrite at which these chemical messages are transmitted across the synapse is called the dendritic spine.) The receiving brain cell can then fire out its own cache of neurotransmitters to relay that message to other neurons, though most often, it does nothing in response. Past work had shown that the biggest synapses dwarf the smallest ones by a factor of 60. That size difference reflects the strength of the underlying connection while the average neuron relays incoming signals about 20 percent of the time, that percentage can increase over time. The more a brain circuit gets a workout (that is, the more one network of neurons is activated), the higher the odds are that one neuron in that circuit will fire when another sends it a signal. The process of strengthening these neural networks seems to enlarge the physical point of contact at the synapses, increasing the amount of neurotransmitters they can release, Bartol said. If neurons are essentially chattering to each other across a synapse, then a brain cell communicating across a bigger synapse has a louder voice than one communicating across a smaller synapse, Bartol said. But scientists haven't understood much about how many sizes of neurons there were and how they changed in response to signals. Then Bartol, Sejnowski and their colleagues noticed something funny in their hippocampal slice. About 10 percent of the time, a single axon snaked out and connected to the same dendrite at two different dendritic spines. These oddball axons were sending exactly the same input to each of the spots on the dendrite, yet the sizes of the synapses, where axons "talk" to dendrites, varied by an average of 8 percent. That meant that the natural variance in how much a message between the two altered the underlying synapse was 8 percent. So the team then asked: If synapses can differ in size by a factor of 60, and the size of a synapse varies by about 8 percent due to pure chance, how many different types of synaptic sizes could fit within that size range and be detected as different by the brain? By combining that data with signal-detection theory, which dictates how different two signals must be before the brain can detect a difference between them, the researchers found that neurons could come in 26 different size ranges. This, in essence, revealed how many different volumes of "voices" neurons use to chatter with each other. Previously, researchers thought that these brain cells came in just a few sizes. From there, they could calculate exactly how much information could be transmitted between any two neurons. Computers store data as bits, which can have two potential values 0 or 1. But that binary message from a neuron (to fire or not) can produce 26 different sizes of neurons. So they used basic information theory to calculate just how many bits of data each neuron can hold. "To convert the number 26 into units of bits we simply say 2 raised to the n power equals 26 and solve for n. In this case n equals 4.7 bits," Bartol said. That storage capacity translates to about 10 times what was previously believed, the researchers reported online in the journal eLife. Incredibly efficient The new findings also shed light on how the brain stores information while remaining fairly active. The fact that most neurons don't fire in response to incoming signals, but the body is highly precise in translating those signals into the physical structures, explains in part why the brain is more efficient than a computer: Most of its heavy lifters are not doing anything most of the time. However, even if the average brain cell is inactive 80 percent of the time, that still doesn't explain why a computer requires 50 million times more energy to do the same tasks as a human brain. "The other part of the story might have to do with how biochemistry works compared to how electrons work in a computer. Computers are using electrons to do the calculations and electrons flowing in a wire make a lot of heat, and that heat is wasted energy," Bartol said. Biochemical pathways may simply be much more efficient, he added. Follow Tia Ghose on Twitterand Google+. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. People who fear spiders tend to perceive these creepy-crawlies as larger than they actually are, a new study finds. The research, though hair-raising for some, could be useful in treating phobias, the scientists said. "We found that although individuals with both high and low arachnophobia rated spiders as highly unpleasant, only the highly fearful participants overestimated the spider size," Tali Leibovich, a researcher in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev in Israel, said in a statement. The idea for the study came from a real-life experience, the researchers said. One day, Noga Cohen, a graduate student of clinical-neuropsychology at BGU, noticed a spider crawling along. Leibovich, who has arachnophobia, asked Cohen to get rid of the "big" spider. [Creepy, Crawly & Incredible: Photos of Spiders] Cohen thought the request strange, especially because she thought the spider looked small, she said in the statement. "How could this be if we both saw the same spider?" Cohen asked. So, the researchers devised an experiment to figure out whether arachnophobia influences people's perceptions of spiders. The scientists included only women in the test, "due to the higher probability of women to suffer from spider-phobia compared to men," the researchers wrote in the study. In one experiment, the scientists gave 80 female students a questionnaire to rate their levels of arachnophobia. The researchers took only the top 20 percent and bottom 20 percent of respondents, or 12 students who said they were very afraid of spiders and 13 who said they were unafraid of the eight-legged arthropods. The scientists then had the students sit at a computer that showed a sliding scale, with a photo of a fly at one end and a photo of a lamb at the other. A computer program then presented the students with several photos of birds, butterflies and spiders, and asked the participants to click where on the sliding scale each animal fit in terms of size. The program also asked each participant to rate whether they found each photo pleasant or unpleasant. Participants guessed the size of spiders, birds and butterflies on a sliding scale between a fly and a lamb. (Image credit: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev) Overall, every student found pictures of spiders unpleasant. However, only students in the fearful group overestimated the size of the spiders compared with the butterflies, according to the study. The researchers said they wondered whether this effect was unique for spiders, or whether it held for other feared critters. So, the scientists did a second experiment, asking 64 female students to do the same program, but this time with photos of wasps, beetles and butterflies joining the spider pictures. The group with a high fear of spiders rated the wasps as more unpleasant than did the low-fear group, but (surprisingly) the highly fearful group didn't overestimate the size of the wasps. "These results may suggest that unpleasantness by itself cannot account for bias in size estimation," the researchers wrote in the study. What's more, it shows that emotion can influence how people perceive the size of spiders, they said. "This study also raises more questions such as: Is it fear that triggers size disturbance, or maybe the size disturbance is what causes fear in the first place?" Leibovich said. "Future studies that attempt to answer such questions can be used as a basis for developing treatments for different phobias." The study was published online Jan. 21 in the journal Biological Psychology. Follow Laura Geggel on Twitter @LauraGeggel. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. WASHINGTON This is your bedbug-size brain on drugs. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore are growing "mini-brains" smaller than the period at the end of this sentence that may contain enough human brain cells to be useful in studying drug addiction and other neurological diseases. The mini-brains, grown in a laboratory dish, could one day reduce the need for the use of laboratory animals to conduct this type of research or to test therapeutic drugs, the researchers said. Labs from around the world have been racing to grow these and other organoids microscopic, yet primitively functional versions of livers, kidneys, hearts and brains grown from real human cells. The version of the mini-brain from Johns Hopkins represents an advance over others reported in the last three years, in that it is quickly reproducible and contains many types of brain cells that interact with each other, just like a real brain, the researchers said. The researchers, led by Dr. Thomas Hartung, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, reported their progress on Feb. 13 at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. [11 Body Parts Grown in the Lab] Hartung noted that the mini-brain cannot yet replace animal models in the study of neurological diseases. But he added that the concept, which until quite recently seemed years from maturity, may be realized in as little as 10 months. Growing organoids involves the use of cells called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, a technology developed by Japanese researcher Shinya Yamanaka, who won the Nobel Prize in 2012 for that line of research. With iPS cell technology, scientists can theoretically turn back the clock in any type of mature cell be it skin, muscle, bone, etc. and bring it to a near-embryonic state. From there, cells can be coaxed into developing into any of a number of cell types, much in the same way that actual human embryonic cells develop into all the cell types that make up the human body. Several labs are growing mini-brains. The first researchers to accomplish this, in 2013, were Juergen Knoblich of the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna, Austria, and Madeline Lancaster of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England. These researchers said they can grow globular mini-brains a few millimeters in diameter in about three months, and that these organoids may be ideal for the study of fetal brain development, including microcephaly, the incomplete brain growth seen in some infants that researchers say may be linked with the Zika virus. Hartung's group has taken a different approach to grow smaller mini-brains, about 350 microns (0.35 millimeters) across, but say their method has easier reproducibility, a greater diversity of brain cell types and takes less time only 10 weeks. He described them as "Mini Coopers" in that they are small but identical, ideal for comparative studies, as opposed to the hand-crafted, custom-made "luxury cars" made in other labs. "This allows us not to compare different brains but to compare different drivers," Hartung said, referring to different experiments that could be performed on identical brain models. Hartung said his lab's mini-brains have a variety of glia cells (which support neurons) such as astrocytes and Schwann cells, as well as oligodendrocytes, which form the insulating myelin sheaths that enable nerve impulses all in proportions similar to those found in the human brain. The mini-brains' three-dimensional structure and ability to carry neurotransmitters chemical messengers such as dopamine that enable communication between neurons provide a simple but relatively realistic platform to study what goes wrong in the brain in, say, drug addiction and how the problem can be remedied. Hartung said his group accomplishes this by starting with a type of adult skin cell called a fibroblast, inducing those cells back to the state of neural stem cells that give rise to all the cells of the brain and nervous system, and then growing them in a gently rolling, vibrating environment to create the 3D-ball structure. The lab has grown thousands of these mini-brains, each with about 20,000 cells. Missing for now in the mini-brain but present in a real brain, Hartung said, are immune cells, which come from a different line of stem cells. He said he hopes to incorporate these types of cells soon. Hartung said he may have a working mini-brain for laboratory experimentation by the end of 2016, which could be mailed to any laboratory in the world. [Top 3 Techniques for Creating Organs in the Lab] Once the mini-brain model is mature, "no one should have the excuse to still use animal models, which come with tremendous disadvantages for brain studies in particular," Hartung said. "While rodent models have been useful, we are not 150-lb. rats. And even though we are not balls of cells, either, you can often get much better information from these balls of cells than from rodents." Hartung added that upward of 95 percent of therapeutic drugs for neurological orders that look promising in rodent studies fail in humans because of the intrinsic brain differences between the species. The mini-brain model is well-suited for studying brain addiction, in that scientists can study how drugs can destroy glia cells. Such destruction leads to the death of neurons and poorer transmission of neural impulses, Hartung said. Hartung's group is investigating the possibility of using the mini-brain to study the effect of Zika virus on a developing brain. Follow Christopher Wanjek @wanjek for daily tweets on health and science with a humorous edge. Wanjek is the author of "Food at Work" and "Bad Medicine." His column, Bad Medicine, appears regularly on Live Science. This digitally-colorized image shows particles of Zika virus, which is a member of the family Flaviviridae. The virus particles are colored red in the picture. They are 40 nanometers (0.00004 millimeters) in diameter. New tests now officially confirm what doctors have long suspected: The Zika virus can cross the placental barrier in a pregnant woman and enter the amniotic fluid, the protective fluid that surrounds a developing fetus within the womb. However, the findings do not show that the Zika virus causes microcephaly, a congenital condition in infants that causes them to be born with very small heads, the researchers cautioned. "Previous studies have identified Zika virus in the saliva, breast milk and urine of mothers and their newborn babies" after the mothers had given birth, lead study author Dr. Ana Maria de Filippis, of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro, said in a statement. "This study reports details of the Zika virus being identified directly in the amniotic fluid of a woman during her pregnancy, suggesting that the virus could cross the placental barrier and potentially infect the fetus," she said. [5 Things to Know About Zika Virus] Rise in microcephaly The Zika virus spreads via the bite of infected mosquitoes. It was first discovered in 1947 in Uganda and, for years, was thought to cause only mild symptoms, such as a low fever, rash, red eyes and body aches. However, after a large Zika outbreak began spreading in Brazil, doctors noticed a dramatic increase in the number of babies born with microcephaly. Doctors have reported 20 times more cases of microcephaly in 2015 compared to 2014. For the new study, which is published today (Feb. 17) in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, de Filippis and her colleagues examined samples of amniotic fluid from two women from Paraiba, Brazil, who had symptoms of Zika infection in the first trimester of their pregnancy. In their 22nd week of pregnancy, ultrasounds showed that the babies had microcephaly. Although the women's blood and urine tested negative for Zika virus, their amniotic fluid tested positive for Zika virus. Moreover, the virus that was present had a genetic sequence similar to that of a strain that first circulated in French Polynesia in 2013. Although the researchers had previously reported to health officials their findings that the virus could enter amniotic fluid, the report is the first publication of peer-reviewed results that also analyze the genetic sequence of those strains. Determining the risk Microcephaly can be caused by many factors, including genetic disorders and drug use. But there is strong circumstantial evidence tying Zika to the condition. A September 2015 study in the journal BioMed Central found that viruses from the same family as Zika can cause microcephaly in infected animals. And other viruses that cross the placenta such as HIV, herpes and chikungunya can also cause microcephaly in human infants. What's still unknown is whether Zika should be added to the list. "This study cannot determine whether the Zika virus identified in these two cases was the cause of microcephaly in the babies," de Filippis said. "Until we understand the biological mechanism linking Zika virus to microcephaly, we cannot be certain that one causes the other, and further research is urgently needed." To sort that out, doctors are currently conducting case-control studies to study and compare babies born with microcephaly to healthy babies from the same region born around the same time. "Even if all these data strongly suggest that Zika virus can cause microcephaly, the number of microcephaly cases related to Zika virus is still unknown," Didier Musso, an infectious-disease researcher at the Louis Malarde Institute in Tahiti who was not involved in the study, said in an editorial accompanying the new findings. "The next step will be to do case-control studies to estimate the potential risk of microcephaly after Zika virus infection during pregnancy, other fetal or neonatal complications, and long-term outcomes for infected symptomatic and asymptomatic neonates [newborns]," Musso wrote. Follow Tia Ghose on Twitterand Google+. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. Update: A passerby in a town south of Basra, Iraq, found the missing radioactive iridium. [Read more on the finding] Some security experts are worried that a cache of radioactive material reportedly stolen from an oil field in Iraq could be used by organizations such as the Islamic State group to produce a dirty bomb. A laptop-size case with about 0.35 ounces (10 grams) of the material, called iridium-192, allegedly went missing from an oil field storage facility in Basra that is run by the American company Weatherford, Reuters reported. Both the company and the Iraqi government declined to confirm the report. "We are afraid the radioactive element will fall into the hands of Daesh," a senior security official with the Iraqi government, told Reuters, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group, also called ISIS. "They could simply attach it to explosives to make a dirty bomb." [Doomsday: 9 Real Ways Earth Could End] So, what is iridium-192, and could it really be used in a dirty bomb? Based on reports of what was allegedly stolen, "you will not make a dirty bomb that has much of an actual health risk, because there's so little material," said Robert Rosner, former director of Argonne National Laboratory and a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Chicago. "But you can scare the bejesus out of people." Harmful substance Iridium is the 77th element on the periodic table, and is a very dense, platinumlike metal that is highly resistant to corrosion. It is often recovered as a byproduct of nickel mining, and is used in electrical connections and to harden platinum. Iridium-192 is a radioactive isotope, meaning it's a version of iridium with a different number of neutrons than is contained in the dominant forms of the element. Iridium-192 does not typically occur naturally. Instead, scientists must put iridium-191 in a nuclear reactor and bombard it with neutrons. The iridium-191 then takes up an extra neutron to become iridium-192. However, the iridium-192 is unstable and emits electrons and gamma-rays (highly energetic packets of light) to decay into osmium isotopes and platinum isotopes. The half-life of iridium-192 is about 74 days, meaning that in that space of time, half of the material will have decayed to more stable forms, Rosner said. The International Atomic Energy Agency defines iridium-192 as a category-2 radioactive substance. This means the substance can permanently injure a person who handles the radioactive material for minutes to hours, and it can kill people in close proximity within hours to days, according to the agency. The high-energy gamma-rays do their damage directly in the short term. "You actually get irradiation burns, tissue damage and necrosis [tissue death]," Rosner said. However, that acute form of radiation sickness would mainly occur if someone were to open up the case or hold the unshielded capsules in his or her hands. Longer-term damage, such as cancer, would occur only if the cells in the body absorbed the radioactive material, which would then continue to emit DNA-damaging gamma-rays over a long period, Rosner said. However, the body doesn't normally use iridium for biological processes, so such damage is less likely than with other radioactive substances, such as radioactive iodine, Rosner added. One 2008 case study found that a man exposed to a high dose of iridium-192 who was followed over 20 years did not develop some of the longer-term radiation illness found with other types of radioactive substances. Typical uses The oil field in Basra likely was using iridium-192 to image the inside of its pipelines, Rosner said. Pipelines are typically made of dense materials that X-rays can't adequately penetrate, so instead, oil companies use more energetic gamma-rays to peer inside the massive pipes. The iridium source is usually placed inside the pipelines, and a detector outside the pipe tracks the amount of gamma radiation, which reveals if the walls of the pipeline are thicker or thinner, or if there is a crack, Rosner said. Iridium-192 is also often used in radiation therapy. For instance, in a technique called Gamma Knife surgery, a focused beam of gamma-rays is used to directly cut or destroy tumor cells, Rosner added. Risk of dirty bomb or nuclear terrorism It's still not clear whether the material really was stolen or simply lost. Even if the material was stolen by bad actors such as the Islamic State group, the actual risk of mass casualties is small, Rosner said. "The amount of people hurt by being exposed to this stuff is not going to be very different from the number of people who are hurt by any bomb going off," Rosner told Live Science. For one, a dirty bomb would disperse the material out over an area dozens of feet in diameter, diluting the effects. Moreover, the first rainstorm would wash away much of the substance, and what was left in the environment would quickly decay naturally. Nonetheless, a dirty bomb could incite terror, Rosner noted. "If you spread the material over a fairly large area, the effect is relatively modest, but the psychological effects are huge," Rosner said. "People are scared of radioactive materials." Past thefts This isn't the first time that the radioactive material has been stolen. In 2011, a car thief stole a medical camera that contained iridium-192 from the parking lot of a Texas hotel. The material was never recovered. And in 2013, carjackers in Mexico unwittingly stole cobalt-60 a dangerous radioactive isotope used in both medical therapies and food irradiation from a truck fitted with a radiotherapy machine used for cancer treatment. While the material was eventually recovered, the event highlighted the danger that could result from unsecured sources of radiation. "Perhaps the most worrisome lesson of the Mexican incident and the other ones above is this: If hapless truckjackers can steal high-activity sources by accident, a well-organized terrorist group could certainly do so in a planned operation," scientists at the Bulletin wrote at the time. Follow Tia Ghose on Twitter and Google+. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. That will be the next largest discovery on the planet. It's been held back from you because it takes a higher vibrating consciousness to create and understand it. When any planet discovers a quantum energy and is able to use it, you could go to that planet and know that you will meet high-consciousness entities. This has never been given to you before that, for within the quantum factor contains the secret of interplanetary travel using large, entangled states. There are ways of doing things you never thought could happen. You can throw away your rocket ships. You're on the edge of that. .. The arrival in Teheran earlier this week of a freight train from China has been hailed as a historical first, with Irans transport minister and head of state railways likening it to the revival of the Silk route, according to Chinese and Iranian media reports. The 10,400km journey from the eastern China city of Yiwu to the Iranian capital, via Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, took 14 days - 30 days less than the maritime route between Shanghai and Bandar Abbas. It was carrying 32 containers of unspecified cargo. The reports, which quoted Iranian and Chinese state officials, added that there were plans for one freight train per month to operate between China and Iran. These trains would eventually continue on to Europe, helping Teheran to develop into a transit hub between the two regions, the reports added. As its domestic economy slows, observers believe that China will increasingly target Iran as a trade partner within the framework of its One Belt, One Road economic policy. Image: Shutterstock.com Malaysian Trade Union Congress(MTUC), the recognized body by the Malaysian government and the International Labour Organisation, representing all workers and trade unions in Malaysia had a protest at the Human Resource Ministry and the Home Ministry concerning the '1.5 million NEW Bangladeshi migrant workers that will be brought in over the next 3 years' according to an MOU signed by Malaysia and Bangladesh. The group was earlier barred from entering the complex by the security official... "This is the first time we were barred from entering government premises. It is shameful because this is our right as citizens," Shamefully, the MTUC activist were stopped at the gate - They were not even allowed to reach the building that housed the relevant Ministries, let alone go directly to the Ministries. There were only about 50 MTUC representatives, as this was a working days and during working hours, and naturally numbers will be small. The treatment of the MTUC indicates how badly Malaysian government treats local Malaysian workers, their unions and the MTUC(the legitimate representative of labour). If it were employer groups, chambers of commerce, manufacturers association, etc - would they also be treated in this way? I very much doubt it. At present, there are about 2.1 million documented migrant workers, and a further over 6 million undocumented migrant workers in Malaysia. Many of these undocumented migrants came in as 'documented migrant workers' and later became undocumented - Malaysia has yet to tell us WHY this happened, or HOW MANY? This will certainly reveal much about Malaysia's working and living conditions that has caused this. There are also many Malaysian workers out there who are without employment, and the number continues to increase with more retrenchments, VSS/MSS or such schemes where workers willingly agree to leave the employment - a fact questioned given that there are many of such workers that have subsequently filed claims for wrongful dismissal claiming reinstatement, factory closures, etc.. The influx of many workers from other countries, facilitated by the Malaysian government, has also effectively deterred the rise of wages, better rights and benefits and better working conditions - and this affects all Malaysian workers and migrant workers now in Malaysia. Of course, workers want higher wages and better working conditions - if not, it would not just be unjust but foolish to work in a poor working environment. When it comes to this new '1.5 million NEW migrant workers from Bangladesh over the next 3 years', there are just too many questions...is it really to satisfy a manpower need? Or is it just for some other reasons...noting that the whole G2G(Government to Government) initiative was to reduce the 'cheating' and/or 'exploitation' of third parties involved in the recruitment process, and also to reduce recruitment cost - but suddenly now it has become a G2G Plus agreement - which now includes also recruitment agencies (who were earlier blamed for the problems the government wanted to resolve). We will discuss G2G at a later stage. Something smells wrong, and as such MTUC's call for the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry is valid. Our Malaysian labour policy needs to be clarified. Our policy about migrant workers also need to cleared up. Local workers are ready to work - but alas, now we see no advertisement for workers at many workplaces. Many workplaces have also stopped hiring workers as employees - preferring rather to get workers from labour suppliers('contractor for labour')...so many issues... The full statement of MTUC that was handed to the Ministries still not available on the MTUC Website, and when it is, I may post it in this Blog. Media pick and choose what they want to report, and we cannot get the complete demands of MTUC. See also:- 101 Groups Letter to PM Najib - Employers should pay the Levy Not Migrant Workers , Immoral for Malaysia to take from Workers to overcome national economic problems Richard Riot - still Minister of Human Resources? Or now it is Zahid Hamidi? 1.5 million new Migrant Workers? Singapore - Migrant Worker Employer Pay Levy, Quotas, Increased levy as you increase percentage of MW? Protection of local workers? For local workers, employers pay extra 13% above their income to EPF - not so for migrant workers?] MTUC protests in Putrajaya over planned 1.5m foreign worker influx Thursday February 18, 2016 12:01 PM GMT+8 MTUC members gather outside complex D in Putrajaya to protest against the intake of foreign workers, February 18, 2016. Picture by Kamles Kumar KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 Around 50 members from the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) protested outside the government complex housing the Home and Human Resource Ministries today to condemn Putrajayas decision to bring in 1.5 million foreign workers. The group was earlier barred from entering the complex by the security official, who claimed that they did not have permission. We just want to hand over a memorandum but they are saying there is a new procedure and we are not allowed in. This is undermining our rights as citizens if we dont agree with government policies, MTUC acting president Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid told reporters at a press conference outside the building. The group went on to hold up pickets and banners outside the building for half an hour, demanding to meet officials from either ministry. Eventually the memorandum prepared by MTUC was collected by Human Resource Ministry policy secretary Kun Abun on behalf of its minister Datuk Richard Riot Jaem, who is in Bangladesh currently. Abdullah, who is also MP for Hulu Langat, added that MTUC will seek legal action against the ministries for barring his group from submitting the memorandum. Putrajaya is facing resistance and criticism from various civil and trade groups over its plan to bring in foreign workers that it said was needed for dirty, dangerous and difficult jobs that Malaysians are purportedly snubbing. - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/mtuc-protests-in-putrajaya-over-planned-1.5m-foreign-worker-influx#sthash.OQC1DMyH.dpuf They prefer Bangladeshis, says MTUC after snub by ministries Yap Jia Hee Published Updated Today 3:01 pm 8 comments PublishedUpdated About 50 Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) members today gathered at the main entrance of the Human Resources Ministry and Home Ministry to protest plans to bring in up to 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers in the next three years. They tried to enter the premises of both ministry complexes to hand over a memorandum at about 10.30am, but were barred by security personnel. This prompted MTUC to hold a picket outside the complexes with placards and posters. "They would have met with us if we were Bangladeshis," acting president Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid quipped. "This is the first time we were barred from entering government premises. It is shameful because this is our right as citizens," he said. The protesters chanted slogans like 'Long live the workers' and held posters calling for local workers to be prioritised against foreigners. A representative of the two ministries met with them outside the complexes to accept the memorandum 15 minutes later. 'No compromise' Calling for a halt on foreign workers intake, MTUC urged the government to form a royal commission of inquiry on the issue. "The influx of foreign workers will adversely impact generations to come. "We need to ensure the rights of local workers are protected, especially under the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement," he said. He said MTUC will meet to discuss its future course of action. "This will not be the last you hear from MTUC on this. We will not compromise on treachery against workers." Putrajaya and Dhaka have signed an agreement to allow more Bangladeshi general workers to work in Malaysia. There are an additional 1.5 million workers registered on the Bangladeshi recruitment database who can now apply for jobs in Malaysia. - Malaysiakini, 18/2/2016 MTUC wants royal commission on 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers issue A Penang Island City Council worker at a morning market area in George Town. The Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) says it is more appropriate if Malaysians are given training and pay in kind to absorb them into the semi-skilled workforce. The Malaysian Insider pic Hasnoor Hussain, February 18, 2016. The Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) has called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to look into the foreign workers issue, and to scrap the plan to bring in 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers. In a statement today, the trade union federation said the government should do what was right for the people of Malaysia. It said it could not accept the plan to bring in 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers over the next three years, via the government-to-government's memorandum of understanding. Bangladeshi workers were previously used as labourers in plantations, but it was now agreed that they could work in the services, farming, manufacturing and construction sectors. What will this move do to locals who are semi-skilled and unskilled? MTUC feels that it is more appropriate and better if Malaysians are given training and pay in kind to absorb them into the semi-skilled workforce. For now, these sectors are not appealing to locals because the salaries are low and the working hours long, MTUC said. It also noted that thousands of Malaysian workers travelled to Singapore daily to earn their living. Who are the workers doing semi-skilled and 3D (dirty, dangerous and difficult) jobs in Singapore? Even though the jobs are semi-skilled in nature, the pay is good, so Malaysians don't mind travelling across the Causeway for work. These are not just those holding professional positions, but those who are not highly educated and general workers, it said. MTUC also said the use of foreign labour incurred more costs for employers, who would have to pay levy, processing fees, training, travel expenses, among others others to bring in foreign workers. It also expressed existing concerns that thousands of illegal foreigners were already working in the country without permits or valid papers. The government should be looking for a solution to this issue before they decide to bring in another 1.5 million foreigners. MTUC also said the country should be reducing its intake of foreign workers, as stated in the 11th Malaysia Plan which was to reduce foreign workers to 15%, if Malaysia seriously wanted to be recognised as a high-income nation. With the present situation, we doubt this can be achieved. Until now, there are about 7 million foreign workers in the country and only 2.1 million are legal, it said. The union said the government should conduct detailed studies on matters concerning employment like terminations, unemployment and the market's demand for labour to enable the government to gradually cut down the intake of foreign workers. We should not rely on foreign labour because it will harm the local economy and have a negative impact on the people. Of late, we have been getting so many unhealthy reports of foreigners committing crime and other negative activities. This should be tackled for the collective good and well-being of everyone and the country. February 18, 2016 - Malaysian Insider - See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/mtuc-wants-royal-commission-on-1.5-million-bangladeshi-workers-issue#sthash.d5vAHd0O.dpuf The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has confirmed that works to repair seeping sills in the waterways new third set of locks have been completed and tests on the reinforced structure have proved successful. A team of specialists from the multi-billion-dollar projects contractors, Grupo Unidos por el Canal, monitored the testing process in which water was gradually raised behind the Cocoli lock gate, located at the Pacific entrance to the canal, to the middle and lower chambers, where the leak was first detected last year. The ACP said that following positive results from GUPC the locks were then inspected by independent experts and engineers from the Technological University of Panama (UTP). Following the completion of this work, GUPC will proceed to test the electromechanical components necessary for the expanded canal to operate, said the canal authority. News that the sills had failed in the new locks was confirmed by the ACP in August last year, which raised fresh fears that the timetable for the already delayed project was set to be pushed back even further. The ACP played down these claims at the time stating that it was still confident of opening its third locks for business in April this year. These concerns however have since proved to be legitimate. Instead, this April the ACP will use a chartered vessel for transit trial tests in the Atlantic locks, after which, depending on their success, a date for the expansions inauguration will be announced. With the cracked sills repaired, the ACP said that the overall project is now 96% complete and, rather more cautiously than in previous statements, added that it expects to welcome the first vessel through its new locks later this year. First published on www.lloydslist.com Image: 2016 Arnulfo Franco/AP The reporting of cargo crimes to the Transported Asset Protection Associations (TAPA) Incident Information Service (IIS) reached a five-year high in 2015, with 1,515 recorded freight thefts representing a 37.4% increase year-on-year, although the increase reflects an increasingly accurate picture of cargo crime rather than an increase in crime levels, the organisation claimed. TAPA said the 2015 data reflects growing awareness of cargo crime among law enforcement agencies in the Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region plus the willingness of police forces in major European countries to share data with the association, to help its manufacturing and logistics service provider members increase the security of their supply chains. Thorsten Neumann, chairman of TAPA EMEA, commented: We know that the number of cargo crimes reported by TAPA and others still only reflects what may be a relatively low percentage of overall cargo crimes. Often this is because freight thefts are recorded by law enforcement agencies only as commercial property or vehicle crimes, so it is difficult to extract the data that specifically relates to supply chain losses. However, this is changing, and in 2015 we received a record number of intelligence updates from police authorities, which is extremely encouraging. This is enabling us to build an increasingly accurate picture of cargo crime in our region. Belgium is a good example of how support from law enforcement agencies is making a significant difference. In 2014, TAPA EMEAs IIS recorded only 12 cargo thefts in Belgium. In 2015, Belgian police were able to identify and share information with TAPA on 341 cargo crime incidents. This puts Belgium at a similar level to other major supply chain gateways such as the Netherlands, which recorded 458 cargo crime incidents in 2015, and the UK, with 367 thefts or attempted thefts recorded last year. TAPA is continuing to promote partnerships with law enforcement agencies in other countries across the EMEA region where attacks on facilities and goods in transit are known to be significantly higher than the number of incidents reported to IIS. This group of countries includes Germany, France, Italy and South Africa. During the course of 2015, the association organised conferences for supply chain security stakeholders and law enforcement agencies in Germany, South Africa, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain to discuss the challenges of cargo crime at regional and national levels. The Association has warned manufacturers and logistics service providers to not automatically assume that a country with a low reported rate of cargo crime presents a lower level of risk of cargo theft. It may simply be the case that companies, insurers and LEAs in those countries do not currently share incident data. We have to take a team approach to tackling cargo crime. That means helping our law enforcement partners identify freight thefts from other forms of crime and showing them the value of sharing this intelligence, Neumann added. By having a better understanding of where cargo crimes occur, the types of incidents taking place and the modus operandi of cargo thieves, TAPA EMEA members can increase the security of their supply chains. Ultimately that means less crime and reduces the need for companies to call upon the already-stretched resources of police forces across the EMEA region. TAPA EMEAs IIS Annual Report 2015 shows that all goods moving in the supply chain are now at risk of theft. In the last year, the association captured information on cargo crimes in 29 countries across EMEA, including 70 incidents with loss values in excess of 100,000. Five countries saw incidents involving product losses of more than 1 million, including Italy which recorded the biggest single loss in 2015 when thieves broke into a warehouse close to Milan and stole pharmaceuticals worth 3 million. The real trend we are seeing is that cargo thieves are now prepared to target virtually any product. When TAPA was launched in EMEA 15 years ago, it was to help manufacturers of high value technology products and their logistics partners to combat losses from their supply chains. High value technology is still a target but, now, so is everything else. Products with a low unit value can be just as attractive because of the high volumes they move in. And, these products are often easier to dispose of and harder to trace. This includes food and drink, cigarettes, cosmetics and hygiene, clothing and footwear products. 2015 also saw a number of high value losses of pharmaceuticals, Neumann continued. Only 22.5% or 341 of the incidents reported to IIS in 2015 provided a loss value but the combined total for these cargo thefts alone was 34,528,558. This resulted in an average loss for the year, based on crimes with a recorded loss value, of 101,256. Most crimes involved Theft from Vehicle, usually at unsecured parking locations such as motorways services, industrial estates or lay-bys close to major highways when drivers needed to take mandatory rest breaks. TAPA is also voicing its concern over the increasing number of violent attacks on truck drivers by criminals who are intent on stealing their cargo loads. IIS recorded incidents of drivers being threatened with knives and guns as well as physical assaults that led to some drivers being kidnapped and others needing hospital treatment. Thorsten Neumann said: Using intelligence to combat cargo crime is not just about protecting goods owned by major global corporations, it is also about protecting the wellbeing of people working in the supply chain that we rely on to deliver our goods. The lack of new heavy goods drivers being attracted into the industry is being highlighted in EMEA and in other major markets such as the US. Drivers are generally an ageing population and there are already warnings of the long-term impact on industry if the current level of people leaving the industry and not being replaced continues. This is largely to do with pay and conditions and the fact that younger people do not see driving as a desirably occupation. If, however, they feel their personal safety is at risk too, even fewer will choose driving as a career. TAPA is urging all companies to review their supply chain security to ensure they are taking every possible precaution to protect their goods and employees. This includes encouraging more companies to implement the Associations Facility Security Requirements (FSR) and Trucking Security Requirements (TSR). TAPA was formed in 1997 to tackle the multi-billion euro problem of cargo thefts from the supply chain. Today, it has over 800 member companies globally, including many of the worlds biggest manufacturers and logistics service providers as well as leading SME freight forwarding and transport operators, and other stakeholders. TAPAs mission is to minimise cargo losses from the supply chain through the development and application of global security standards, recognised industry practices, technology, education, benchmarking, regulatory collaboration, and the proactive identification of crime trends and supply chain security threats. Image: Shutterstock.com Welcome to Line Danci Read more [...] Local authority chiefs are believed to be exploring the idea of purchasing Longford town's vacant shopping centre. The vacant centre, which is located along the banks of the River Camlin, has remained closed since building work finished in 2009. Its developer and former owner, Bernard McNamara, was one of Ireland's highest profile developers during the Celtic Tiger years, owning a string of hotels and development properties. Now in Nama, the centre has regularly courted rumours and counter rumours as to its long term future. During a discussion at last week's county council meeting, Cllr Martin Mulleady said he had heard gossip that it was being offered to prospective suitors at a knock down sum. Director of Services Barbara Heslin said she too had been made aware of the speculation. But she said any designs potential investors may have to alter the centre from its current purpose would have to come through the Council first. Ms Heslin also told of how council bosses were putting in place a so-called 'master plan' of the town's Bridge Street area. I cant tell you if it is for sale or not, its currently with Nama, she told Cllr Mulleady, adding that there had been no interest in the centre in recent times. What I can tell you is that we are currently developing a local area plan for Longford town and as part of that we are looking at developing a Master Plan which will include not only the shopping centre area but Connolly Barracks area and link into land at Battery Court. What we have done with the support of Longford Municipal District and Economic SPC is to engage consultants to actually bring that plan to fruition. The idea is to look at input not only from local communities but from businesses possibly developers who might be interested in coming up with ideas for that entire area. Cllr John Duffy asked if the Council might explore the prospect of securing the site. Ms Heslin was, however, staying tight-lipped. I would prefer not to discuss that here, she said. Community, Charity & Cause, Arts & Culture, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: February 18 2016 Its Time for Long Islands Got Talent 2016! Stony Brook, NY - February 18th, 2016 - Attention Long Island students! Can you carry a tune? Is a musical instrument your specialty? If so, get your audition DVD or YouTube video submitted now for Long Islands Got Talent 2016, hosted by the Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO). Created by WMHOs Youth Corps, the event gives Long Island students the opportunity to show off their talents this spring. Its open to students 10-17 years of age in Nassau or Suffolk County who must still be in high school at the time awards are given in October 2016. Talent must be non-professional vocal or musical instrument performances. The entry deadline is March 16 and there is a $25 entry fee. Five Towns College will award a $6,000 scholarship to the 1st place winner and $5,000 to the 2nd place winner. All finalists receive a $2,000 scholarship or more, depending on place. Those who are contacted after submitting their audition will be asked to perform at the first round performance on April 8 at WMHOs Educational & Cultural Center, 97P Main Street in the Stony Brook Village Center. Finalists chosen can perform at WMHOs Sunday Summer Concerts series and finals will take place on October 21, 2016 when the winners will be chosen. For full details and Official Entry Form, call 631-751-2244 or visit the Stony Brook Village website. About the WMHO Youth Corps Created in 1998, the WMHO Youth Corps is a student volunteer group operating under the auspices of The Ward Melville Heritage Organization. They provide growth and leadership experiences for young people grades six to twelve through various activities and community service projects. Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Health & Wellness, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: February 18 2016 Governor Also Announces Testing in Northrop Grumman Plume and Comprehensive Long Island Groundwater Study. Stony Brook, NY - February 18th, 2016 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a series of aggressive water quality initiatives to protect both the public health and the environment. The Governor is creating a Statewide Water Quality Rapid Response Team charged with identifying and developing plans to swiftly address critical drinking water contamination concerns, as well as related groundwater and surface water contamination problems. The Governor is also proposing statewide regulations in the coming days to regulate mulch processing facilities to strengthen oversight and safeguard natural resources. In addition to these statewide actions, the Governor announced today that the state has begun testing samples from the Northrop Grumman plume on Long Island. The state will also partner with the U.S. Geological Survey to conduct a comprehensive ground water survey to ensure Long Islands drinking water is protected and properly managed. Every New Yorker has a fundamental right to clean and safe drinking water, said Governor Cuomo. Water is a priceless resource that requires the highest levels of protection, and I am proud to continue this administrations legacy of standing up for the environment. We are taking aggressive and proactive steps to ensure clean and healthy communities throughout the state both for current residents and for generations to come. The initiatives announced today are outlined below, and also available in the Governors PowerPoint presentation, available here. Water Quality Rapid Response Team The Governor's new statewide Water Quality Rapid Response Team is directed to develop the nation's leading water quality program and prepare a comprehensive action plany to immediately address water quality issues raised by municipalities and concerned citizens, tackling matters ranging from currently regulated contaminants, such as lead, to emerging contaminants, like perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The Action Plan will include recommendations to strengthen the states existing drinking water, groundwater and surface water protection programs. The Team will review and incorporate the best available science and may include new review standards for currently unregulated contaminants, enhanced testing and oversight of drinking water systems, including private wells, and state of the art drinking water treatment options. Department of Environmental Conservation Acting Commissioner Basil Seggos and Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker will co-chair the Team, which will include the Secretary of State and the Commissioners of Agriculture and Markets, Office of General Services, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services and Homes and Community Renewal, the Chair of the Public Service Commission, the President of the Empire State Development Corporation and the President and CEO of the Environmental Facilities Corporation. Issuance of Regulations to Provide Protections to Industries Linked to Potential Ground Water Contamination The mulch industry is vital to the local economy and environment in communities across the state, but is also currently unregulated, and runoff can endanger local water supplies. At the Governor's direction, next week, the Department of Environmental Conservation will propose for public comment draft regulations for mulch facilities to increase oversight and provide enhanced safeguards. The proposed regulations will require facilities to establish water runoff management plans to protect groundwater and place restrictions on pile size and storage to reduce the risk of fires, odor and dust. In consultation with the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, DEC will review mulch and compost sites on Long Island to determine if any water quality issues exist from the operation of these facilities and develop appropriate remedial action if necessary. Northrop Grumman Plume Sampling Today the Department of Environmental Conservation collected the first samples from six monitoring wells in the Northrop Grumman plume and provided them to an expert lab to conduct a cutting-edge forensic analysis. Specifically, this testing will determine the extent of toxic 1,4-Dioxane contamination in the plume, which was used in airplane manufacturing. This highly specialized compound-specific isotope analysis will allow the states expert engineers and geologists to fingerprint the source or sources of plume groundwater contamination to inform the remediation strategy. State testing will be expanded as warranted and results will be shared with the Massapequa Water District and other water districts as soon as they are available. The sampling was made possible after the state ordered Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Navy to open access to monitoring well so samples could be obtained. Comprehensive Groundwater Study for Long Island In order to further protect the groundwater resources on Long Island, the Governor will direct $6 million to study the effective management of this finite resource. The study, which will be done in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey and Nassau and Suffolk Counties, will examine saltwater intrusion, surface water impacts, contaminant transport and sustainable yield. The result will be a groundwater flow model, the international standard for understanding and managing groundwater impacts. Department of Environmental Conservation Acting Commissioner Basil Seggos said: Governor Cuomo has once again demonstrated his national leadership on the environment and public health. I look forward to co-leading the new Team with Commissioner Zucker yand developing solutions to improve the quality of New Yorks drinking, ground and surface waters. As the Department is comprehensively attacking threats to water quality from nitrogen pollution on Long Island and beyond, we will bolster our efforts by working with leading experts to ensure public health and the environment are fully protected from other harmful waterborne contaminants. Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said: Providing high quality drinking water is part of the foundation of protecting the public's health. Governor Cuomos plan to improve the quality of water throughout the state is going to help protect the health and well-being of all New Yorkers by bringing the agencies together, examining the latest science and developing the best policies to safeguard our water supply. Senate Majority Leader John J. Flanagan said: We are blessed in New York State and on Long Island to have the availability of high-quality drinking water, but we also have a responsibility to protect it. At the end of the day, nothing is more important to New Yorkers and their families than the air they breathe and the water they drink. Thats why Im pleased the state is taking the lead in ensuring we have a mechanism in place to respond quickly and efficiently when issues arise so our water is clean and safe, and sustainable for future generations. I thank the Governor and my colleagues in the Senate and Assembly - particularly Senator Ken LaValle and Senator Carl Marcellino - for their work and attention to this important quality-of-life issue. Assemblyman Steve Englebright said: Creating an agenda to safeguard the quality of Long Islands water source is great news - not only for the health of New Yorkers - but for the environment as well. Governor Cuomos work to ensure that every New Yorker has access to safe, clean drinking water is a testament to his commitment to statewide public health. The implementation of a Water Quality Rapid Response Team is a proactive way to protect the environment from harmful water contamination and keep New Yorkers drinking water clean and safe. I applaud the Governors dedication to the health and safety of New Yorkers. Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel said: "Today Governor Cuomo and NY State has launched the campaign to protect Long Island's drinking water for generations to come. The proposed $6 million groundwater study to be conducted by USGS ywill drive the science into policy and that is the most effective means to craft policy." Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said: Its imperative that we all work together at the local, state and federal levels to protect the public health. The actions that Governor Cuomo has announced today are demonstrating unequivocally that New York is taking proactive measures to not just meet that standard, but to really raise the bar on the protection of water quality. Together with the state, we will take every step to regulate and address environmental pollution wherever it occurs, and ultimately ensure safe drinking water for all Long Islanders. Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano said: Clean water is a fundamental right and I applaud Governor Cuomo for taking such bold action to ensure New York continues to lead the nation in providing access to safe, clean, drinkable water on Long Island. Together, these new measures will ensure that New Yorks water quality is not only exemplary, but the best in the nation. Eric Goldstein, Senior Attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said: "Every New Yorker from Long Island to Niagara Falls has a right to safe and reliable drinking water. We welcome the actions Gov. Cuomo is announcing today,y which should bring us closer to fulfilling this promise for residents across the state." Marcia Bystryn, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters said: "Water quality issues are on everyone's mind statewide from Hoosick Falls to Bethpage and towns across the Long Island Sound. All New Yorkers deserve clean water but solving this pressing challenge will take a combination of federal, state, and local action. We applaud Governor Cuomo for doing his part. These measures will significantly improve testing, oversight, and lead to more sustainable management of our groundwater and drinking water systems." Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said: "Individually each of these announcements are critically important. Collectively this is a holistic approach and a game changer for the protection and sustainability of our water supply. Water resources have been neglected for too long. This signifies a new prioritization of water protection which is woefully needed and joyfully accepted! On the behalf of our 80,000 members we are thankful to Governor Cuomo." Nancy Kelley, Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy on Long Island, said: The Nature Conservancy applauds Governor Cuomo for his continued commitment to conserving New Yorks water one of our most critical resources. Long Islands economy, quality of life, public health and environment are inextricably linked to our water, and a comprehensive study of our aquifer and threats to water quality will allow us to build on work underway to address nitrogen pollution, and develop a full suite of solutions to achieve sustainability for future generations. We look forward to continuing our work with the state, local governments, and many other partners on water quality issues here on Long Island and throughout New York. Nature & Weather, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: February 18 2016 Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano today announced that the Muttontown Preserve will present a guided Nature Walk entitled, Winter Trek, on Sunday, February 21st from 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Muttontown, NY - February 18th, 2016 - Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano today announced that the Muttontown Preserve will present a guided Nature Walk entitled, Winter Trek, on Sunday, February 21st from 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Approximately three miles long, the Winter Trek tour will focus on a variety of environments in the preserve, including wetlands, wooded trails, and open fields. The tour guide will also discuss the various plants and animals located throughout the preserve. Comprising 550 acres of fields, woodlands, ponds and estate grounds, Muttontown is Nassau Countys largest nature preserve and one of the most beautiful settings on Long Island. The preserve includes miles of marked nature trails with local wildflowers, trees, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Muttontown also has several structures, including the renovated Chelsea Mansion, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The walk is $5.00 and begins at the Bill Paterson Nature Center on the preserve. Enrollment is limited and pre-registration is required. Muttontown Preserve is located on Muttontown Lane, south of 25A, in East Norwich. For more information please call: (516) 571-8500. For more information about the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums, please call: (516) 572-0200 or visit the website. Looking to stay up to date about all of the news stories and local headlines that are important to Long Islanders? We've rounded up the top coverage for all of the important topics from multiple sources around Long Island, so you can be sure you've got the most recent update on the top stories for Long Island. Have an idea for a news story? Email us at news@longisland.com Columnists Press Releases is a blog about dinosaur science, art, and pop culture. It was published here from July 2009 until December 2017. Here's a quick geography quiz: Where in Tennessee would one find Bell County? The short answer is, "nowhere." But oh, what might have been. In 1870, the Tennessee General Assembly proposed a new county along the state's southwestern border, which would have included parts of Fayette, Hardeman and McNairy counties. Residents of what was called Bell County adopted a referendum to secede from the three existing counties, but those counties fought back - perhaps concerned about the loss of the lucrative Memphis and Charleston Railroad line. The legacy counties prevailed in the Tennessee Supreme Court, successfully arguing that Bell County's residents hadn't met the constitutional voting requirement needed to create a new county. Although Bell County never officially came to exist, there are nevertheless maps of what it would have looked like. And one of these maps is among the new additions to the Tennessee Virtual Archives. The Tennessee Virtual Archive, run by the Library and Archives, has hundreds of digitized maps from counties throughout the state, which are accessible to anyone with an Internet connection. These maps are extremely important to historians because they often include details about geographic features such as hollows, ridges and streams as well as human-made structures like roads, schools, churches and even individual homes. In some cases, the maps provide information about who the landowners were at the point in time when the maps were made. In addition to the rare map of the proposed Bell County, within the last month Library and Archives staff members have added maps from many different Tennessee counties - all of which do exist. These maps show a wealth of detail about long gone landowners, houses, schools and churches. To learn more about the maps available at the Library and Archives, go to http://sos.tn.gov/tsla and click on the "Maps at the Tennessee State Library and Archives" link under the Online Resources heading. Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bill Kilbride announced the appointment of David Steele as vice president of Policy and Education. Mr. Steele will be involved in the Chamber's support for Chattanooga 2.0 and initiatives related to workforce development. Were pleased to welcome Dave to our team, Mr. Kilbride said. He brings experience and insight to this leadership position at a time when the future of our community will be shaped by the education and policy decisions we make today. Mr. Steele spent most of his career at what he calls "the intersection between education and economic development." He says this role is "the perfect fit." Mr. Steeles career, which started with executive posts in chambers of commerce in the Midwest, includes public policy, economic and workforce development, higher education, public relations and marketing. "The Chattanooga region's capacity to balance pride in the past while also taking bold steps to shape the future is well-established and this is exactly what draws us here," said Mr. Steele. "The partnerships between the public and private sectors have helped to set the bar for cities across the nation and I'm incredibly excited to help write the next chapter in workforce development and public policy. Mr. Steele and his wife, Shannon, a former PR professional and nonprofit executive, will relocate from the Lakeland area of central Florida. Mr. Steele, raised in Georgia, and Shannon, raised in Alabama, said they consider Chattanooga "the perfect spot." Mr. Steele begins his new role in March. He holds degrees from Ashland University and the University of Notre Dame. The Taliban has rejected Afghan press reports that one of its commanders was captured in the eastern province of Paktika while wearing a womans dress. Additionally, the jihadist group denied reports that its forces clashed with a rival faction in southwestern Afghanistan. The reports and Taliban denials are part of an ongoing information war being waged by both sides as security in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate. Today, the National Directorate of Security Afghanistans intelligence service claimed it captured a Taliban commander, known as Khizar Ali, in Paktikas Bermal district as he was dressed like a woman. The claim was published on the NDS Facebook page; included were photographs and a video showing Ali in a colorful womans dress [see photo above]. Oddly enough, Ali is handling an AK-47, with a magazine inserted. The NDS report of Alis capture was picked up by Afghan news outlets, including Khaama Press. Also, yesterday, 1TV Afghanistan reported that more than 30 Taliban fighters were killed as forces loyal to Mullah Mansour, the emir of the established Taliban, clashed with followers from Mullah Rasuls breakaway faction in the Nawa district in Ghazni province. The Taliban issued a statement yesterday on Voice of Jihad, its official propaganda outlet, rejecting the capture of Ali as well as the report of infighting with Rasuls forces. The provincial officials of the stooge Kabul regime alongside their notorious intelligence agency have been claiming since yesterday of infighting between Mujahideen in Nawa or Maqur districts of Ghazni province as well as arresting a commander in Bermal district of Paktika province today, a statement attributed to Zabihullah Mujahid read, one of the groups official spokesmen. We strongly reject this propaganda and state that no such incident has taken place in any of the areas and neither has a Mujahideen commander been detained anywhere, Mujahid continued. Mujahid described the reports as rumors, fabrications, and propaganda designed to boost the morale of its dispirited troops who are facing a trashing at the hands of Mujahideen everywhere. The back and forth between the Afghan government and the Taliban is nothing new, as both sides are attempting to gain the upper hand and convince the Afghan people and international community that they are winning the war. It is often difficult assessing each sides claims. For instance, the Taliban is often more credible when it comes to reports on its operations, including the seizing of districts in Afghan provinces. The Taliban claimed at the beginning of the year that it controlled more than 30 districts and strongly contests scores more. Afghan officials have only admitted that four districts are under Taliban control. A study by The Long War Journal shows that the Taliban control at least 38 districts and strongly contest another 40. However, the Taliban often exaggerates the effects of its operations, for instance by overstating Coalition and Afghan casualties. The Afghan military and Ministry of Interior also inflate the number of Taliban killed in its operations. With the Western media losing interest in Afghanistan and the Afghan media under assault by the Taliban and even at times by the government, it becomes more difficult to assess the validity of reports such as the captured Taliban commander wearing a dress and jihadist infighting. Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. This post may contain affiliate links. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full Disclosure Policy for details. Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. and Pinnacle Foods Group LLC. All opinions are entirely my own. Chopped Italian Dinner Salad is a one bowl meal thats perfectly balanced, stocked full of protein and bursting with flavor! You can have dinner ready in about 15 minutes or less! AD How are we almost three months into this year already? Seriously?! Back when I lived in the Midwest and on the East coast, there was a saying. If March came in like a lion, it would go out like a lamb meaning its still winter at the beginning of the month, but by the end of the month, its usually pretty mild and somewhat pleasant maybe even spring-like depending on where you live! Even though I live in Phoenix now and I dont have the harsh winter like many of you, Im still looking forward to spring. I love watching everything become new again and even the desert has a certain beauty. One of my biggest struggles during the winter is wanting to eat all of that rich, fat-laden comfort food. Tell me that Im not the only one! Warmer weather seems to make me more conscious about eating better not to mention, the grocery stores and farmers market are full of great produce! One of our favorite dinners lately is a nice chopped salad full of protein and fresh veggies. I love that the combination of ingredients is virtually endless and even the picky eaters can take or leave the things they like or dont like. Really, we should eat salad more often in the Love Bakes Good Cakes house its the perfect solution for the one kid who doesnt like raw tomatoes on anything and the other kid who only wants to eat lettuce, chicken, and olives! Its time to mix things up literally, with WISH-BONE ITALIAN DRESSING and TYSON GRILLED & READY CHICKEN. Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken makes prepping this salad quick and easy! I microwave the chicken according to package directions then set it off to the side to cool off while I chop up the veggies for the salad. Once all of the veggies are cut, its just a matter of layering the ingredients in a bowl and topping it off Wish-Bone Italian Dressing! With TYSON GRILLED & READY CHICKEN, you can have a protein filled meal that is good for you and your family and its a delicious addition to any meal! Keeping Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken on hand is a simple and convenient solution that makes meal prep less hectic! WISH-BONE ITALIAN DRESSING delivers a robust and full-flavored dressing that is packed full of herbs, seasonings and flavors for an extra zesty boost of flavor plus, it contains no high fructose corn syrup! With summer and warmer weather just around the corner, I know I will be stopping by Walmart to keep TYSON GRILLED & READY CHICKEN and WISH-BONE ITALIAN DRESSING on hand to make mealtime quick, easy and delicious! Continue to Content Chopped Italian Dinner Salad Yield: 6 Prep Time: 15 minutes Chopped Italian Dinner Salad is a one bowl meal thats perfectly balanced, stocked full of protein and bursting with flavor! You can have dinner ready in about 15 minutes or less! Print Ingredients 9 cups Spring Mix Salad 1 bag (22 oz.) Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken 1 can (15-16 oz.) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed 1 container (10.5 oz.) cherub tomatoes 1 English cucumber, chopped 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, cubed 1 1/2 cups Kalamata olives 1/2 cup red onion, chopped 1/3 cup peperoncini slices 3/4 cup Wish-Bone Italian Dressing Instructions Divide the salad mix between 6 serving plates. Microwave the Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken according to package directions and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, prep the veggies and cheese. To serve, layer the Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, cucumber, cheese, olives, onion, and peperoncini slices evenly between the plates. To serve, top each salad with Wish-Bone Italian Dressing. Nutrition Information: Amount Per Serving: Calories: 527 Total Fat: 34g Saturated Fat: 9g Cholesterol: 114mg Sodium: 700mg Fiber: 7g Sugar: 8g Protein: 30g Did you make this recipe? Did you try this recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and tag @lovebakesgoodcakes on Instagram with the hashtag #lovebakesgoodcakes so I can see what you made! Ive shared my familys favorite Chopped Italian Dinner Salad with you. I would love to know what ingredients you love on your salad! Feel free to leave a comment letting me know! Other Posts You May Enjoy: Steak and Blue Cheese Salad Asian Chicken Salad I hope you enjoy! Shared at these fun parties! Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. and Pinnacle Foods Group LLC. All opinions are entirely my own. Chattanooga CARES has selected Shannon Stephenson as its new executive director. Mrs. Stephenson, a Chattanooga native, has long been passionate about working with not-for-profit agencies and has served in many capacities from volunteer to serving in leadership, officials said. Mrs. Stephenson joined Chattanooga CARES as Interim executive director in October 2015. Board Chairman Adam McElhaney said, Shannon is a proven leader, with a track record of working with individuals and managing several companies. She brings a great mix of leadership, inspiration, operational experience, accounting breadth, and passion for our clients and community. We are lucky to find someone that has such a perfect set of skills for this opportunity. Mrs. Stephenson will oversee an organization that provides prevention, education, primary medical care and social services to individuals across 23 counties in Southeast Tennessee annually. The prevention department conducts over 9,000 free rapid HIV tests and almost 500 free rapid Hepatitis C tests each year and is the only local organization to offer such service. The Primary Care Clinic, housing two board certified Infectious Disease doctors and a licensed clinical social worker, provides medical and mental health services to HIV-positive individuals. Client Services is comprised of case managers who provide counseling, support, and advocacy services for more than 450 individuals each year and in 2015, expanded with a CARES Market that has served 343 families and distributed over 80,800 lbs of food. Its an honor to serve as executive director of this tremendous organization and I am thankful to give back to the community that molded and influenced my own path in life, Mrs. Stephenson said. Chattanooga CARES has proven to be a leader in the HIV community and is at the forefront of efforts to strengthen our services within the counties we serve. Most importantly, I am excited for the future of our organization as we continue to serve the needs of our clients. Mrs. Stephenson completed her undergraduate degree at Tennessee Wesleyan College and completed her Masters of Business Administration from Lincoln Memorial University. She is also a licensed certified public accountant in the state of Tennessee. Luton is a large town, borough and unitary authority area of Bedfordshire. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 258,000. Luton is home to Championship team Luton Town Football Club, London Luton Airport and The University of Bedfordshire. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter. For all the latest news from Luton sign up to our newsletter here. Celebrate 30 Years of Out of Africa With Angama Mara and Segera Retreat Day 1: Private charter from Nairobi's Wilson Airport to Segera Retreat, Laikipia for a three-night stay Private charter from Nairobi's Wilson Airport to Segera Retreat, Laikipia for a three-night stay Day 4 : Private charter to Angama Mara, Maasai Mara for a three-night stay : Private charter to Angama Mara, Maasai Mara for a three-night stay Day 7: Private charter to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for onward arrangements Guests will experience the same diverse wildlife, dramatic scenery and rich culture that became the most recognized feature of Denys Finch Hatton and Karen Blixen's passionate romance.Guests will begin their journey at Segera Retreat where grasslands and fertile riverbeds nestle between Mount Kenya and the Great Rift Valley. Six timber-and-thatched villas each offer a private sun deck with sun loungers, swing bed and a Jacuzzi bath. Out of Africa relics include G-AAMY, the original 1929 biplane used in the film, as well as a collection of Karen Blixen's private journals and unpublished letters.Travelers will fly by private charter to Angama Mara, where they will stay in glass-fronted tented suites set 1,000 feet above the Great Rift Valley--on the very site where some of the most memorable of the film's scenes were shot. Guests will encounter hidden nods to the movie throughout the property, such as: Peter Beard's book Longing for Darkness (Kamante's tales about his search for Blixen's staff she left in Kenya); colorful screens alluding to the scene where Meryl Streep uses the screen in her home as inspiration to begin her storytelling; a pair of plantation chairs identical to those used on set; a yellow biplane toy in the library, similar to that flown by Denys Finch Hatton; and a single red rose in the library, in memory of Karen Blixen (she was presented with one by a literary admirer every day towards the end of her life)--the only flower on property.Angama Mara offers its guests a mix of thrilling adventure and laid-back relaxation, complete with safari adventures in the famed Mara Triangle Game Reserve and unique activities such as an intimate picnic in the bush--Out of Africa style--wicker basket, checked blanket, Stanley flask, Champagne on ice and cucumber sandwiches.The offer is valid for reservations between now and June 30, 2016 and October 1-December 15, 2016.For more information about Angama Mara, visit Far-Flung Destinations to Add to Your Bucket List Those seeking a once-in-a-lifetime vacation during 2016, can achieve just that at the recently renovated. Re-opened in November 2015, the ultimate Okavango Delta water-based safari underwent an almost total rebuild, bringing innovation and originality to the experience. Reflecting the region's natural beauty and offering an insight into the heart of the delta, local artisans and materials have been used to create the lodge's fresh new tented guest accommodation, restaurant and lounge. One of the world's largest inland water systems and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Belmond Eagle Island Lodge is one of threein Botswana. No other lodge in Africa offers such a water-focused safari experience, with activities including motorboat safaris, barge cruises and mekoro (a local canoe) safaris, as well as walking and air safaris in a private helicopter.With travelers constantly searching for the next destination far off the beaten path, 2016 is set to herald in a surge of interest for one of the last seemingly untouched destinations in the world -. Nestled amidst the rugged Himalayas, the country prides itself on an unwavering commitment to eco-conservation and a dedication to the wellbeing of its people. Indeed, rather than measure national development on GDP, the country uses complex algorithms to determine the GNH - or Gross National Happiness - of its citizens. Travel tip: For those who wish to travel to Bhutan, the country requires a visa and travelers must book their holiday through a Bhutanese tour operator or one of their international partners.in Siem Reap is supremely qualified to be the creator and setting for the new. The hotel, built in 1929 on a former Royal compound, has witnessed and played its own part in recent Cambodian history. This memorable tailor-made 2-night trip allows guests to follow in the footsteps of royalty and immerse themselves in the Kingdom's ancient traditions. The package includes a memorable dining experience at the hotel's Restaurant Le Grand, where the chefs re-create the intricate flavors of recipes gifted by HRH King Norodom Sihanouk, the chance to witness century old dance performances by the Raffles' Apsara troupe, a visit with Resident Historian, Mr. Mouth Saravann and participation in a traditional Cambodian monk's blessing at the Preah Ang Chek Preah Ang Chorm Royal Shrine.With its dramatic waterfront location,boasts incredible vistas of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island. The property is ideal for travelers seeking a culinary destination, as it is home to an unprecedented four Michelin-stars and the popular Cooking with the Culinary Stars series -- a unique, hands-on dining experience, allowing guests to cook alongside the celebrated chefs at the hotel's three Michelin starred restaurants: SPOON by Alain Ducasse, Yan Toh Heen, and THE STEAK HOUSE winebar + grill, as well as the property's exclusive location of NOBU. The hotel's chefs will showcase their diversity in international cuisine including French, Japanese and Cantonese. The hotel's Executive Chef Nicola Canuti will also be sharing his Italian specialties at one of the 2016 classes. For guests looking to satisfy their sweet tooth, the hotel also hosts Baking Club classes, teaching the masterful art of dessert and cake-making, as taught by SPOON Pastry Chef Olivier Lannes and Executive Pastry Chef Cyril Dupuis.For travelers seeking a far-flung destination where the party never ends,, located in the heart of Monaco offers just that. Beginning April 7, 2016, the renownedwill operate a pop-up beach club & restaurant on the rooftop of the hotel from noon to 2am, daily. A picture-perfect location with the most stunning panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea, the rooftop will be modeled after the same stylish and contemporary look and feel of all of the brand's locations around the world. Nikki Beach at Fairmont Monte Carlo will be adorned in plush, all-white sun beds, where guests will be able to spend their days and evenings around the pool indulging in refreshing cocktails, endless champagne and an extensive menu of delectable dishes representative of all the countries Nikki Beach is currently located.Windstar Cruises, a small ship cruise line that sails with less than 300 passengers, features Panama City on theiritinerary, and offers guests ease of travel and luxury amenities, while also allowing plenty of time to explore the city and surrounding areas. Windstar Cruises spends a day and a half anchored in Balboa Bay, which offers guests sweeping views of the Panama City skyline, before passing through the Panama Canal during a night transit (new for the line in 2016). Before passing through the famed Canal, guests can spend their days exploring the port of Balboa, where celebrities and business moguls alike keep their private yachts; the neighborhood of Amador, which features the Frank Gehry Design Museum; Casco Viejo or the Old Quarter, which transports guests back to the Spanish Colonial era; and the sights and sounds of the bustling Downtown and waterfront. The small ship cruise line also offers guests the chance to explore the jungle covered islands of Lake Gatun, the famed lake located in the heart of the Panama Canal, where wildlife is plentiful, and guests are likely to encounter capuchin monkeys, 3-toed sloths, howler monkeys, various kinds of toucans and other bird life as well as caimans, crocodiles, and turtles. I AM THE PRODUCT OF A VOCATIONAL SCHOOL EDUCATION, and proudly so! (Oops, sorry! I did not mean to shout!), but I was directed into that school by trusted Educators who had very close ties to Kirkman Vocational High School, and I entered there with every intention of going on to "college" after graduation, just the same as if I had gone to City or Central High: Kirkman was fully accredited. And that is what I did. The whole idea of "vocational" education is to teach a trade, so that any student who has successfully passed all the required courses - and who has passed a "comprehensive" exam at the end of his or her senior year, might be able to find a decent-paying job at a livable wage. You only need a "certificate" and some on-the-job training to advance; not a Ph. D.! Presumably, after four years of study in a particular field, the student has some knowledge of the field he will be entering, and little or no apprenticeship will be required. Of course, it is understood that he will be the "new man" on the job and will have to comply with the bosses' wishes. THIS cannot be taught in any school. Kirkman Vocational High School's trade classes were called "shops". There was an Electric Shop, a Woodworking Shop, a Printing Shop, Radio Shop, etc. My "shop" was called "Commercial Art". There were also classes in Typing and Shorthand, and Cosmetology, which functioned as shops, but did not actually comply with any "tradesman" tradition. (Kirkman's shop classes all were fitted out with "state of the art" equipment, such as a real Linotype machine for Printing shop). (With my Kirkman diploma I was able to go on to Fine Arts classes at the University of Chattanooga, then years later to a three-week International Medallic Art workshop at Pennsylvania State University, Fleischer Art Memorial in Philadelphia, and a few classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, under my friend Gene Daub). Our school day at Kirkman was the same length as all other City schools - from about 8:10 a.m. until 3:15 p.m. Freshmen and Sophomores had their shop classes in the mornings and regular Academic subjects in the afternoon. That system was reversed for Juniors and Seniors who took their Academic subjects in the mornings, leaving afternoons free for their shops. This system worked well, because the older students were allowed to leave after lunch to work "in the field" if they were so lucky as to have a job. I was lucky in my Senior year to have such a job - at Crisman Hardware Company - not far from the school. (I worked under Bill Farley, head of their Display Department, where I helped with the ever-changing seasonal displays). Kirkman operated both a day school and a night school. Both were always full of students. Frank Huffaker was Principal when I started there, but he died after my Freshman year and was replaced by Robert A. Taylor. Ralph Pennington was head of the night school program at the time. Both day and night classes had a lot of "G.I. Bill" students - a program specifically created to help Veterans returning from WW2, so Kirkman's influence was felt far and wide, through many strata of Society. I cannot tell you the exact history of Kirkman Vocational HS, but I remember that one of my mother's teachers at Central HS (Class of 1912) had been one O.C. Kirkman, and that he is the one my school was named for. I have no idea how he rose through the ranks and became important enough to get a school named after him, but that is the story. Kirkman Vocational lasted for many years. It originally was housed in a yellow brick building at 400 Chestnut Street, (which was later turned into a Local History museum), before moving to the much newer and more modern building at 215 Chestnut Street where I attended. I remember several of the older teachers re-telling how they had actually raced one another from the old building to the new one on moving day so as to claim the best room possible for themselves! That spirit of jubilation and optimism persisted on through my time. I understood that O.C. Kirkman had hand-picked his original faculty for just such good qualities as these. Kirkman HS was still in full swing until the day it closed. Its name had changed to "Kirkman Technical HS" in later years, as times change, and everything is affected by time! And so it was that when the new development around the Aquarium got underway, space was needed for a Creative Discovery Museum - to be built exactly on Kirkman HS's old site. It seems a shame that so dynamic an institution should have been forced to bite the dust. Its serious students had gone out to assist in some way in every industry of the city. I have absolutely nothing against the Chattanooga State Technical Community College, and think highly of its two-year "Associates Degree" programs. But it would still be very nice to have a school which offers a high school diploma plus a simple certificate showing that the student has received at least a rudimentary knowledge of a useful skill. To my knowledge, there is no plaque, flagpole, or commemorative marker of any sort at 215 Chestnut Street to state simply that "Kirkman Technical High School once stood here". cymppm@comcast.net ) (Chester Martin is a native Chattanoogan who is a talented painter as well as local historian. He and his wife, Pat, live in Brainerd. Mr. Martin can be reached at Eight-year programme contributes to significant malaria decrease in Nigeria 18 February 2016 Abuja, 18 February 2016 - I am inspired by the efforts of SuNMaP and its partners. There is no question that SuNMaP has had a huge impact upon malaria in Nigeria. Dr Ngozi Azodoh, Assistant Director - MDGs and Resource Mobilization at Federal Ministry of Health was speaking at the Support to National Malaria Programme (SuNMaP) end of project dissemination event in Abuja, Nigeria on Thursday. SuNMaP was launched in 2008 at a time when malaria was having a devastating impact upon Nigeria. The disease accounted for 60 percent of outpatient visits, placing a huge burden on the health system. Malaria was the cause of 30 percent of deaths in children under five over 300,000 deaths every year. SuNMaP is one of the largest programmes funded by the Department for International Development (DFID)/UK aid. Led by Malaria Consortium, in partnership with GRID Consulting and Health Partners International, the programme has contributed significantly to declining malaria rates and deaths in Nigeria. At the dissemination event delegates heard how, during its eight years of implementation, SuNMaP provided technical assistance to the Nigerian National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) to scale up malaria control across ten states. Since 2008, SuNMaP has: Saved the lives of 48,000 children under the age of five Distributed twelve million long-lasting insecticidal nets, contributing to the increase in coverage from 7 to 58 percent between 2008 and 2014 2.7 million malaria rapid diagnostic tests and 2.7 million antimalarial drugs (artemisinin-combination therapies ACTs) were distributed Over 5 million ACTs were sold through the strengthened commercial sector 23,000 health workers were trained to diagnose and treat malaria in their communities DFID is proud to have supported SuNMaP, and I am proud to know that it has contributed substantially to the progress of the last decade. It is globally recognised as a model malaria project, said Dr Ebere Anyachukwu, Health Advisor, DFID in Nigeria. SuNMaP is also a model example of how to use a programme targeting a single disease to strengthen a country's health system. SuNMaP built capacity for more effective programme management, trained health workers, supported the NMEP to develop research priorities and national strategies, burgeoning commercial sector for supplies and health system strengthening, and Despite good progress, malaria still causes over 100,000 deaths in Nigeria each year. The costs of treatment traps the poorest and most vulnerable in a cycle of suffering and poverty, and it is estimated that malaria still costs the country US$1 billion annually. Combating malaria in Nigeria is not just a priority for the Nigerian Government. Making progress in Nigeria, which continues to suffer one of the highest disease burdens in the world, will be vital for global efforts to defeat malaria to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). If we are to meet the global targets for defeating malaria, the world must continue to support Nigeria to make significant progress during the SDG era, explained Charles Nelson, Chief Executive of Malaria Consortium. Eliminating the disease in currently low transmission settings is clearly important but we need to continue efforts where the burden of malaria remains highest. In order to sustain the recent advances and then accelerate progress in Nigeria, it is important that the successor to SuNMaP supports the Nigerian Government to keep up and even build on this momentum, and achieve their ambitious target of reducing malaria deaths to zero by 2020. There are challenges, however, none larger than the need for increased funding, as Mr Nelson explained: Defeating malaria in Nigeria will not be an easy task. It will require a doubling of malaria funding, from both the international donor community and Nigerian domestic sources. Resources: Country: Nigeria Keywords: Vector control | Treatment | Private sector engagement | Preventive treatments | Maternal, neonatal and child health | Health system strengthening | Facility health services | Diagnosis | Advocacy and policy Related projects Related content 16 February 2016 Support to National Malaria Programme 20082016 16 February 2016 Malaria control Nigeria: State fact sheets Paris-based consultancy, Alphaliner, reports a new mega alliance appears to be in the making, as French container shipping major CMA CGM and its Chinese counterpart China COSCO lead efforts to set up a new carrier partnership. (Marine Link has reported about this last week. See "CMA-CGM and Cosco Alliance in the Offing?") The duo is also seeking to also rope-in Evergreen and OOCL in a plan that could potentially split up three of todays four main East-West alliances. The movement that will radically alter the current liner shipping landscape and leave the eight remaining carriers of the Ocean Three, CKYHE and G6 alliances in the lurch. "Discussions are believed to be still ongoing and the carriers involved have not yet publicly announced their plans, Alphaliner analysts say. CMA CGM however, already stated that it will pull APL out of the G6, once the French Line completes the Singaporean carriers acquisition in the second half of this year. Evergreen is in a mourning period following the death of its founder Chang Yung-Fa on 20 January. The Taiwanese shipping line is thus not expected to make any announcements until the month-long silent period is over. OOCL is understood to be reviewing its options after a high-level meeting with CMA CGM and COSCO in late January. CMA CGM also commented that it hoped that COSCO-CSCL will join the Marseilles-based carrier in a new alliance partnership. However, COSCO has not yet revealed any post-merger alliance plans to follow the acquisition of CSCLs container shipping operations, due to be finalised by the end of February. The motivation is to from a strong and stable alliance that could challenge the 2Ms dominance in the East West trades and to distance the CCEO from some of the weaker partners within the current alliances, which could be facing financial distress. Alphaliner notes. In August, Drewry Shipping Consultants Limited (Drewry) speculated on the impact that a merger between China COSCO and CSCL may have on carrier alliances and future carrier mergers in Asia, warning that the amalgamation could prove potentially damaging to industry competition. The new grouping would challenge the market dominance of the Maersk and MSC 2M vessel-sharing agreement. The 2M alliance operates over 2.1m teu of capacity on across the three main east-west trades, followed closely by the CKYHE offering of just over 2m teu, the G6s 1.8m teu and the O3s 1.5m teu. The CCEO (CMA CGM, Cosco, Evergreen and OOCL) would potentially be larger in capacity terms than the 2M. Tugboat builder and operator Sanmar Denizcilik is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year. More than 150 tugboats benefiting from its wealth of experience are presently in operation on international seas, the company says. It was in the year 1976 that Orhan Gurun, todays company chairman, together with his dear friend, the late Gokcen Seven, incorporated Sanmar Denizcilik. Now celebrating its 40th Anniversary, Sanmar has developed into a force on two fronts, firstly as a tugboat operator and secondly as a tugboat builder with two modern custom built shipyards producing vessels for six continents. Being one of Turkeys oldest tugboat companies in the private sector has challenged Sanmar, resulting in a powerful fleet with an average age of less than two years. With up-to-date equipment and well-trained and experienced crew, Sanmar provides a huge variety of services in various ports and terminals around the coastline of Turkey and Bulgaria. The tugs and workboats that Sanmar operates are constructed by the companys own shipbuilding department. Over the last few years it has been bidding for new building contracts and has finalized a large proportion of them. The company now builds tugs, workboats and pilot boats for national and international markets on demand and has a track record of more than 150 state-of-the-art tugs on its reference list, including specialist ex-proof 90 metric tons BP units for oil and gas terminal deployment. Sanmar has built tugboats for some of the worlds leading owner/operators companies such as stensj, P&O, Smit Lamnalco, Svitzer and Bukser og Berging. By adopting and adapting the designs of tug designers such as Robert Allan, Bukser og Berging, many under exclusive agreements, Sanmar has helped raise the reputation of Turkish tug building. According to the shipbuilder, the more sophisticated the project, the greater is the likelihood that Sanmar will be awarded the contract, as exemplified by the construction of the worlds first pair of LNG fuelled tugs, for operation with Norways Statoil. Today, under the leadership of the company chairman, Sanmar is in the capable and qualified hands of the children of the two original founders. Saam Smit Towage Canada takes delivery of new built tug SST Capilano, to be added to the fleet of 21 tugs operated in British Columbia. The addition of this tug will further strengthen the fleet that Saam Smit Towage operates in British Columbia. Saam Smit Towage (SST), a joint venture between SAAM and Royal Boskalis and operating in various locations in the Americas, took delivery of a new tugboat. Strengthening its fleet in Canada, the SST Capilano joins the 21 tugboats the company operates in British Columbia. The tug is named after Chief Joe Capilano, a renowned historic leader of the Squamish First Nation. Chief Capilano was an early champion of First Nations rights at the turn of the 20th Century. The new tugboat is 22 meters long and will deliver 65 tons Bollard Pull. The SST Capilano is part of the renewal plan of the Canadian fleet, which includes the recent addition of 2 existing modern tugboats and the construction of two new tugboats at ABD Shipyard in North Vancouver. Frans Tjallingii, President of Saam Smit Canada. said "The new tugboat will help the Saam Smit Towage fleet meet the higher power requirements driven by increasing ship sizes of their clients as well as meet increased safety standards." Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways. Government of India, launched the Website for Maritime India Summit 2016 www.maritimeinvest.in at the Ports and Shipping seminar at Make in India (MII) Summit today. This user friendly website will facilitate investors and participants to access detailed information about the summit including registrations. Launching the Website the Minister said, A strong maritime sector will create economic growth and jobs. Realizing this potential is duty towards the nation. I am committed to bring the sector into focus; to achieve our goal of Port led economic development Maritime India Summit 2016 (MIS 2016), a maiden Global summit being organised by the Ministry of Shipping to unleash the potential of Indian Maritime Sector. MIS 2016 will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 14 April 2016 at the Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre in Mumbai. MIS 2016 comprises of an Investors Summit being held on 1415 April 2016 and along with an Exhibition and Demo Sessions spread over three days. The Republic of Korea is the partner country for the MIS 2016 and will be represented by the high level ministerial and business delegation. More than 50 other maritime nations have also been invited to attend the Summit. As a precursor to the MIS 2016 roadshows have been organised in Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad. Next one is scheduled in Ahmedabad on 23 February 2016. Minister urged the potential participants/exhibitors to register themselves online and avail the early bird discount till 10th of March 2016. The launch of the website at MII Summit witnessed an enthusiastic participation by policy-makers, industry experts, corporate captains and Ministry of Shipping officials. An export win by Blyth Workcats and UK Export Finance, made possible by the governments export finance support. The project to supply a purpose built catamaran for a German University research program went ahead thanks to the support of UK Export Finance, the UKs export credit agency. It stepped in to share some of the financing risk with Blyths bank, enabling the export to go ahead, where it otherwise would not. Blyth Workcats, which produces catamarans for the UK and in a growing number of overseas markets, won the contract in December 2015. The additional finance was required due to the German buyers requirement for an advance payment bond, which can be a common challenge for exporters. Blyth contacted David Scott, the UK Export Finance adviser based in Essex, who proposed a solution. UKEF would partner with Blyths bank and issue a guarantee for 50% of the value of the bond, thereby reducing the risk. Stuart Davidsen, Production and Design Manager at Blyth, said: UKEF support was paramount for this project. Our bank couldnt cover 100% of the risk, but UKEF was able to take half, which made it happen. We couldnt have gone ahead without it. Blyth, who have been based in Canvey Island since 2003 and who employ 22 people, are now planning for more orders from both the UK and overseas. UK Export Finance is working to raise awareness of the support it can provide to firms as part of the governments national Exporting is GREAT campaign, which aims to encourage UK firms to take the opportunity for growth that exporting represents. Last October, America's Flagship, the SS United States, was on the brink of being sold for scrap metal because the SS United States Conservancy, the national nonprofit historic preservation organization that owns the iconic vessel, was running short on funds to cover the ship's expenses. However, thanks to the pro bono counsel from Vedder Price shareholder, Francis X. Nolan III, and other firms and individuals, the iconic ocean liner has been given a second life. On February 4, 2016, the Conservancy announced an agreement granting Crystal Cruises an exclusive purchase option. During the option period, Crystal will pay the ship's expenses and conduct a technical feasibility study to explore the prospect of returning the vessel to seagoing service. With the SS United States immediate future secured, the Conservancy and its legal counsel, led by Nolan, will continue efforts to secure the future of the ship and her legacy. For Nolan, providing legal counsel to this endeavor was personal. In 1968, Nolan sailed on the SS United States as a student of the University of Notre Dame en route to study abroad in Austria. He has been involved since 2010, negotiating the Conservancys successful acquisition of the ship in 2011 and has provided continued legal support since then. At a celebration luncheon held at the Vedder Price New York office, Nolan said to the crowd of supporters, To have an active role in saving this ship that I have so many wonderful memories on has been an incredible experience, but no more incredible than the potential the SS United States has for the future. The epitome of American post-war innovation and design, the SS United States was launched in 1952 and captured the transatlantic speed record on her maiden voyage a record to this day that still stands. She remains the largest passenger ship ever designed and built in America. Before her retirement in 1969, the SS United States was the most glamorous and elegant ship in the world, having transported four U.S. presidents, international royalty, many of Hollywoods golden era celebrities, as well as a million passengers. While the ship captivated travelers with its features and elegance, the ships origin was equally intriguing. She was designed as part of a top-secret Pentagon program during the Cold War, which stipulated it could be quickly converted from a luxury liner into a naval troopship in the event of a war, carrying 15,000 troops with a 240,000 shaft horsepower propulsion plant capable of delivering speeds of nearly 40 knots for 10,000 nautical miles without refueling. Marines with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262 land a MV-22B Osprey on the USS Ashland (LSD 48), during Cobra Gold 16 at Utapao, Thailand, February 16, 2016. The MV-22B Osprey is a joint service multi-role combat aircraft capable of moving troops or cargo. With its rotors in the vertical position, it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter, said 1st Lt. Alex Roberts, an operations officer with VMM-262, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force. When airborne, it can reach high-speeds and high-altitudes like fixed-wing aircraft. The MV-22B Osprey can reach a max speed of approximately 443 kilometers per hour, which allows the Osprey to respond quickly to distant threats or disasters. We have ships in the ocean all the time, said Roberts. With the Osprey we are able to get to them quickly, land on their flight deck and give them the support and cargo needed to complete their mission. The MV-22B Osprey has been a key asset to missions in the past, it would take a lot more time and man power to send as many troops or supplies during a disaster, said Roberts. Training with the Navy ships is important because when a disaster happens in the world the Osprey can touch down on the ship, pick up all the troops and supplies it can, and immediately head over to help aid the situation, said Roberts. Time isnt always on our side and it is nice to know we have an aircraft that can do so much so quickly. As people settle into their seats, the dedication ceremony for a one-room multi-purpose educational building began Feb. 16 at Ban Phromnimit, Sakaeo, Thailand. The ceremony brought a close to the work and effort of the Thai, U.S. and Indonesian military engineering teams during Exercise Cobra Gold 16. Cobra Gold, in its 35th iteration, is the largest multinational exercise in Asia and is an integral part of the U.S. commitment to strengthen engagement and partnerships in the region. The ceremony included performances from local school children, comments from distinguished visitors, the planting of trees in front of the new building and the handing off of the building to the school. The distinguished visitors that presided over the dedication ceremony were Royal Thai Army Brig. Gen. Kriengsak Mheethong, Indonesian Col. Made Trika, U.S. Army 1st Lt. Quintin Duenas and Mr. Patratorn Tienchai. We have to cooperate with foreign counterparts and this (Cobra Gold 16) gives us a better understanding of their background and where they come from, said Duenas, officer in charge, humanitarian civic action Site 6, Combined Joint Civil Military Operations Task Force. The dedication ceremony was to show that there was a cohesive unit working to construct a building and to give back to the school. This (the HCA work) is actually one of the experiences that I wanted when I joined the military, was to give back to people, said the Guam native. The construction at Ban Phromnimit was one of six humanitarian civic action projects in which Indo-Asian Pacific nations militaries worked together on the construction of vertical buildings and other civic programs to support security and humanitarian interests of friends and partner nations. The Cobra Gold exercise is not only for the military, but it is also to help people and establish peace, said Mheethong, deputy chief of command, Foreign Development Command. I would like to thank all of you that made this project possible and show that this is a symbol of harmony, said Mheethong. This year, Cobra Gold emphasized coordination on civic action, such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, with the aim of expanding regional cooperation and collaboration in these vital areas with partner nations and allies. The HCA programs helped to improve the quality of life, as well as the general health and welfare of civilian residents in the exercise areas. Community engagement and medical activities conducted during the exercise helped to support the needs and humanitarian interests of civilian populations around the region. During the ceremony, members of the Mobile Dental Unit, Fort Surasinghanart Hospital, 19th Military Circle, Royal Thai Army, provided dental services to the local civilians and children. Once the ceremony concluded, food was offered to all the people and children that attend. The stalls were arranged like an open-air market, have many smells mix in air making mouths water as there was a variety of choices. The residents of Sakaeo were grateful for the efforts of the multi-national team and their commitment to help better the community. This community has many people living here, and the school did not have enough room for the students so I am honored to receive this building from the Cobra Gold team, said Mr. Patratorn Tienchai, governor of Sakaeo Province. This project for will help the people and students of Ban Phromnimit, and I hope that in the future people around here will appreciate the military more, said Tienchai. The United States Marine Corps is known for its amphibious nature, which is supported in part by the Corps amphibious vehicles. These vehicles have helped the Marines achieve many victories, and with this legacy comes the responsibility of maintaining the vehicles that allow for amphibious movement. The Marine Corps AAV-P7/A1 Assault Amphibious Vehicle repair technicians are some of the most highly trained mechanics in the military, tasked with keeping the vehicles up and running. AAV Mechanics are in charge of all the major maintenance on the AAVs, said Cpl. Shane Briggs, an AAV crew chief with Company A, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. There are 5 echelons of maintenance and [drivers] can handle the first echelon of maintenance, but anything over the first echelon, thats where the mechanics step in. The AAV mechanics go to their military occupational school in Camp Pendleton, California, where they are trained for almost four months on the basic automotive hull duties, maintenance and repair procedures of the AAV family. AAV mechanics are trained in every aspect of working on AAVs, from fixing small ventilation problems with the fans to installing new engines. There is always work to do, there are always repairs that need to be done, from replacing engines to little things like replacing individual bolts, said Staff Sgt. Zachary Evers, the AAV maintenance chief for the 31st MEU. When there is no work to do, that means I and my mechanics have done their job and everything is running like it is supposed to. When an AAV issue arises, it takes a certain understanding of the vehicle to get the job done. For us technicians, its not just as simple as opening up a book and replacing a part. Its learning how the systems work and learning the bugs that create headaches, said Evers a native of Fairfax, Virginia. The mechanics skill and readiness at a moments notice to fix any problem that occurs gives the operators a sense of relief when something goes wrong. Because of the mechanics, I know not to worry too much when something on the AAV isnt functioning correctly because I know they will fix the problem, said Briggs, a native of Frankfort, New York. Being an AAV mechanic is no walk in the park. The AAV repairman work day and night on the vehicles, but understand their work is vital to mission accomplishment. Anybody can go to the school and learn how to drive the vehicle and shoot the weapons, but learning how to troubleshoot and actually finding discrepancies take a lot of time and patience, but its great work I like what I do, said Lance Cpl. Derick Garcia, a Houston native and AAV repair technician with Co. A, BLT 1st Bn. 5th Marines, 31st MEU. I just try to fix everything on the AAV to the best of my ability. The cadence of artillery and mortar fire echoing off the hillside was accompanied by a melody of humming engines as Company A, 1st Tank Battalion, engaged a notional adversary over a vast desert landscape. Company A joined forces with multiple elements of a Marine Air Ground Task Force to form Team Tank during a large scale assault known as a Tank Mechanized Assault Course as part of Integrated Training Exercise 2-16 in the Quackenbush Training Area at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., Feb. 9, 2016. The TMAC takes the tank company that is here in support of the regiment and allows them to execute as a Team Tank, said Master Sgt. Timothy P. OBrien, tank leader, Co. A, 1st Tank Bn. We take two tank platoons with an attached infantry platoon and allow them to execute a combined-arms, live-fire event where there is a breach involved. Alongside the tank platoons and infantry platoon with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, the combined anti-armor team also with 2/7 and engineers with 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, supported the push across the training area. Additionally, artillery, mortars and close-air support provided the indirect-fire necessary to advance through the corridor. Trying to get everything to come together at one time the right way is always a challenge, OBrien said. You have a lot of different agencies from across the MAGTF coming together in one place to put their rounds on the same objective. Its a great opportunity to bring everything together and see all the different elements of a MAGTF. According to Capt. Andy S. Beavers, company commander, Co. A, 1st Tank Bn., the exercise provided an opportunity for the Marines to experience a host of challenges that allowed them to simulate situations they would see on a battlefield. We did the TMAC with the intent of executing the capabilities and strengths of Team Tank in maneuver warfare to allow us to close with and destroy an enemy mechanized infantry company, Beavers said. We were able to execute our fire-support procedures using our company fire-support teams. Additionally, we had support from fixed and rotary wing close-air support to assist in casualty evacuation procedures we could experience in a combat scenario. The Marines and their commanders faced many challenges throughout the exercise, which often revolved around coordinating the different moving parts as a cohesive fighting force. I feel we did well in having a strategy that allowed us to remain flexible in the offense when things didnt go according to plan, Beavers said. The simplicity of the plan allowed us to change task organization and use secondary forms of breaching when problems arose and original capabilities werent able to accomplish the mission. Beavers said the exercise is of great importance to not only the tank community but the Marine Corps as a whole and provided a great opportunity for Co. A to experience operating as part of a MAGTF. More Media A beeping noise emitted from a computer system. Fire Mission! exclaimed one of the Marines, warning his peers that they must get ready. The Marines scrambled for their helmets and took their positions around the M777A2 Howitzer. The cannoneer loaded a 155mm round into the weapon system as two Marines took a 10-foot, T-shaped pole to shove the round inside the M777 Howitzer, ensuring the ammunition was properly seated. He closed the hatch of the weapon. The section chief shouted, Standby Fire! Then a Marine pulled the lanyard on the M777 Howitzer and the field gun fired off a round. The cannoneer opened the hatch of the weapon and smoke poured out from the chamber. Marines with Battery F, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division conducted a battery level fire exercise Feb. 10, 2016, in preparation for their upcoming deployment with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. During the exercise, Marines used an enhanced Digital Firing Control System, which provided troubleshooting feedback to the battalion for future use with the computer system. This was the first time the unit used this operating system, but the goal is to make the computer system the new standard. We are pioneering this digital system for 2/11 so we can develop standard operating procedures, said 1st Lt. Andrew J. Shulkosky, the batterys executive officer. It will help us be more effective in supporting the ground maneuver element. In the past, the gun-line used iron sights to conduct fires, but the DFCS provides faster, more reliable support, added Sgt. James M. Christensen, a section chief with the battery. Instead of using a physical map, we are now using a tablet to look at the map of the target area, said Cpl. Rex T. Teachenor Jr., a fire supportman with Battery H, 2/11. [Aside from radio] there are no more voice commands; everything is done through the computer. A firing mission goes through three levels before any kind of action takes place: from an observer, to the Fire Direction Center, to the gun line. In the fire exercise, Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division were the observers. The observers job is to locate targets so the gun line can destroy them, according to Teachenor Jr., a native of Lakeway, Texas. The initial call for fire is given to the Fire Direction Center. Through the DFCS, the Fire Direction Center sends target coordinates down to the gun line. They load their rounds and fire on the targets, destroying the enemy. The benefit of the system [makes us] a lot quicker, said Shulkosky. In the past, whenever our digital firing system went down we would communicate targets by voice. We are moving away from this method because it slows down our time to support the maneuver element. Marines with Battery F fired approximately eight drills. The speedy support of the DFCS helped build confidence and unit cohesion between BLT 2/4 and Battery F who will be deploying together on the 31st MEU. Wherever the 31st MEU takes us well be right there with BLT 2/4 whenever they need us. All they have to do is call it in, said Shulkosky, a native of Erie, Pennsylvania. Since the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, IEDs have been the primary cause of death or injury to coalition forces operating in the regions. The U.S. military has had to adapt to this ever-evolving threat and constantly seeks out new methods to counter these deadly devices. Keeping with this ideology, Marines with Company A., 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, tested a new counter-IED training course at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Feb. 10-12, 2016. This new course, designed by Marine Corps Engineer School, is aimed at creating a more streamlined and geographically focused training program. Alpha just came back from deployment, and the Marine Corps Engineer School asked them to test out a pilot course, said 1st Lt. Robert Boyles, executive officer of Company A. Theyve been through this kind of training three or four times before they even deployed, so they are out here to run through the course and give their feedback. The previous course curriculum consisted of nine different class segments and could take an entire day to get through one lesson plan. The new Defeat the Device Counter-IED Training Class has only six sections with a more focused curriculum and emphasis on practical application. Boyles explained it is all the same information as the old course, distilled to the most important parts to make the training more practical and efficient. The training explains the role that different aspects of a unit play in C-IED operations and how to best exploit the various assets at a units disposal. The class consisting mainly of small unit leaders learned the functions, strengths and weaknesses of the tools and personnel they could integrate into their patrols and teams. While the enabling assets are helpful, the instructors emphasized the importance of pre-combat checks and pre-combat inspections as the basis for success and survivability. This training is designed for readiness, said Aaron Pluff, an instructor with the Marine Corps Engineer School, Defeat the Device branch. A Marine that doesnt have the proper training will be set up for failure before he even steps outside of the wire. Additionally, focus was placed on recognizing and understanding the enemys tactics, techniques and procedures as much as our own. The goal is to go from a general awareness of IEDs, to a focused awareness to a specific combatant command, explained Pluff. IEDs are a worldwide threat, but that threat is a little bit different depending on what combatant command you are in, even [detailed] down to the neighborhood. As a former Marine rifleman and Iraq veteran, Pluffs experiences with IEDs go beyond a technical understanding and slideshow slides. He explained that the Marine Corps did not have as much of the C-IED training or as many enablers it has today during his enlistment. His unit had to learn a lot of hard lessons in how to counter the threat IEDs pose, he said. The Marine Corps has since recognized the threat IEDs present and has established a robust system to combat the IED threat. Since 2007, the Marine Corps Engineer School has trained more than 300,000 Marines, soldiers, sailors and coalition members in the use of C-IED tools and tactics. A lot of Marines Ive stood in front of have gone out and done good things; finding IEDs and getting awarded for their actions, said Pluff. I think this training is going to help the individual stay alive, keep their Marines alive, and ultimately come home with all ten fingers and all ten toes. More Media Donald Trump is Scaring Investors Oaktree's Howard Marks spoke with Stephanie Ruhle and David Westin on Bloomberg TV's "Bloomberg " on how the presidential election and Trump are scaring investors. He also discussed his bet on Jeffrey Gundlach's upstart investment firm, DoubleLine Capital. On how the presidential election is impacting markets, Marks said: "They're scaring the hell out of people." Of Trump he added: "Donald says, the Chinese are killing us. The Mexicans are killing us. The Japanese are killing us. But we're going to get the jobs back. And I think that people tend to believe himThe others compete to be equally fearful and dramatic." STEPHANIE RUHLE: Howard what do you make of this recent market volatility? Is this part of a normal cycle? Or does it seem, Mohamed El-Erian has said we're in a perfect storm. That doesn't seem like a normal cycle. HOWARD MARKS: Well Stephanie I think that volatility is normal, fits of volatility. I wrote a memo recently and I talked about my friend Sandy the airline pilot who describes his job as hours of boredom punctuated by moments of terror. And that is the description of the investor's job. And-- RUHLE: One more time, hours of boredom interrupted by moments of terror. MARKS: Exactly. RUHLE: That's how you describe investor life? MARKS: Well I think thats right. And this is one of the, you know the last six weeks in the stock market have been one of those moments of terror. But it's normal. The reasons are not quite normal. We have kind of one off. I think that people have gotten used to dealing with normal economic cycles, recession, recovery, et cetera. But we have now kind of cosmic issues that people don't have any experience dealing with and don't know how. RUHLE: What? MARKS: China, oil, rates, terrorism are just four examples. RUHLE: Is the fear exaggerated or punctuated by the presidential election? When you see Donald Trump up there, you know, dare I say putting fear in the US economy, really speaking in such declarative statements about the disastrous situation that we're in, does that affect the markets? MARKS: I can't tell you definitively because I don't have any research on that subject, but I would guess so. They're scaring the hell out of people. And Donald says, the Chinese are killing us. The Mexicans are killing us. The Japanese are killing us. But we're going to get the jobs back. And I think that people tend to believe him. Then the others compete to be equally fearful-- RUHLE: Dramatic. MARKS: And dramatic. They can't, it's very hard for them to compete with him by saying no, the latest information from the Commerce Department says it's not true. They don't want to hear that. His stuff is much more attention-- RUHLE: Headline worthy. ********* RUHLE: In 2009 you put $20 million into Jeff Gundlach's investment firm. Clearly you didn't do it because you were all LA guys, you wanted to help your neighbor.| MARKS: I know something. RUHLE: Ah, ah! There you go. MARKS: I'm talking about the market. RUHLE: That is now a billion dollar gain for you. So what did you know then that well clearly David and I didn't? (LAUGHTER) MARKS: Well first of all we had no reason to expect that it would go as well as it did. DoubleLine which Jeff formed in late '09 has been I think probably the greatest success story for a new money manager. You know they're at $85 billion under management I believe. Here we are just six years later. But what I did know is that I knew that Jeff reported to me in my last at TCW, my previous employer before we formed Oaktree. So I knew the man. I knew how smart he was. I knew his partner Phil Barach. I knew how, what a great team they were. And I believed that they would be successful. RUHLE: OK so you believed that back in 2009. Today what are you passionate about, confident in? Because clearly you want to keep this return run going. MARKS: I'm much more confident about the past than I am about the future. RUHLE: Of course, we all are. **CREDIT: Bloomberg Television** bloomberg.com Copyright 2015 Bloomberg - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. The Lathrop Community Partners organization headed up by developer Related Midwest is set to meet with the Chicago Plan Commission tomorrow to present the redevelopment plan for the Julia C. Lathrop Homes public housing project. The plan for the 32-acre site was presented at a community meeting earlier this month, where it was revealed that 1,116 residences are planned for the site. According to Ald. Joe Moreno (1st) and the Lathrop Community Partners, the plan will be built in three phases, with the first one starting as early as this year. Of the residences planned for the redevelopment, 400 units will be for public housing, 222 will be affordable, and the remaining 494 will be market rate. However, a Lathrop Community Partners rep suggested at this month's meeting that some of these market rate rentals could become condos if market conditions change. The Plan Commission agenda offers slightly different numbers than what was presented this month. Here's what's on the agenda: The applicant requests a rezoning of the subject property to a C2-3 (Motor Vehicle-Related Commercial District) prior to establishing the Waterway Residential-Business Planned Development. The proposal will allow for the construction of two new mixed use buildings, the renovation of 14 existing structures, allow for 1,208 residential dwelling units and 50,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, establish multiple subareas, accessory parking, and accessory and incidental uses. (1st and 32 Wards) The plan also calls for a number of new outdoor community spaces and amenities. A two-acre "Great Lawn" park space will center the northern section of Lathrop, while new sections of riverwalk will follow the Chicago River south through the property. In all, the plan includes half a mile of pedestrian riverwalk and 11 acres of green space. And of the existing century-old buildings that currently stand on the sprawling property, 14 will be renovated and reused for housing. At this month's community meeting, the Lathrop Community Partners indicated that up to 20 of the existing building would be preserved. According to Alderman Moreno, the ambitious proposal has been in the works for the last 15 years. If the proposal moves forward as planned, work on the first phase could begin this year with completion expected by 2018. A First Look at the Lathrop Homes Redevelopment Plan [Curbed Chicago] Lathrop Redevelopment Could Include Riverwalk, Boat Launch [Curbed Chicago] Lathrop Homes Redevelopment Plan to Be Revealed Next Week [Curbed Chicago] The Dan River Basin Association is looking for 18 volunteers to help monitor water quality in the streams and other tributaries of the Dan River for the next year. Amy Farinelli, a program coordinator for the DRBA, said volunteers would need to commit about 30 minutes a month to gathering data such as water temperature and sediment levels and water samples at one of the nine sites the group monitors for E. coli. Once the data and samples are collected, the monitors would drop them off at a lab at Averett University for analysis. The purpose of this training is to recruit, train and certify volunteers to participate as citizen scientist in DRBAs year-long monthly monitoring program for E. coli in Danville, Farinelli said. There is free training available on what the monitors would need to do, scheduled from 10 to 11 a.m. Feb. 27 at Averett Universitys Frith Building, 420 W. Main St., room 300. The volunteers are matched up with partners for the project We believe in the buddy system, Farinelli said and agree to test the water at their site at about the same time each month. All materials needed to collect the data will be provided to the volunteers. Farinelli said a training class also was held in December and netted the group eight volunteers but 10 more are needed to make the project successful and cost effective, as well as meet Virginia Department of Environmental Quality requirement for monitoring for E. coli. Were struggling to get enough volunteers, Farinelli said. Anyone interested in being part of efforts to keep the Dan River clear of E. coli is asked to email Farinelli at afarinelli@danriver.org by Monday. 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' Gets A Festival For Its 30th Anniversary Ferris Fest will recreate Ferris' room (Photo via Ferris Fest) The John Hughes' classic "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" will be getting a proper celebration for its 30th anniversary. In May, Ferris Fest will be coming to Chicago and Lake Forest, the sleepy suburb where Ferris pretends he's on death's door so he can play hooky for a day. Festivities kick off May 20 and continues through May 22, organizers say, in anticipation of the 30th anniversary of the film's June 11, 1986 release. The John and Nancy Hughes Theater in Lake Forest will host the fest, which promises appearances from the cast, including Cindy Pickett and Lyman Ward (Ferris' parents) and Jonathan Schmock (the snooty French maAtre d'). Richard Roeper will be hosting a special screening. It sounds like organizers are still trying to get some more stars on board, but the car that Cameron's father loves "more than life itself" is rumored to be making an appearance (or maybe a very convincing replica). There will also be a recreation of Ferris' bedroom where he managed to trick his parents into believing he was ill using some very old school technology. Remember DOS? (Photo via Ferris Fest) The fest will offer tours of the famous locations in Chicago that Ferris, Cameron and his gal pal Sloane visit during their day off. There will even be a recreation of that parade Ferris commandeered to sing "Twist and Shout." Tickets for the entire fest experience are $300, but you can also buy tickets to individual days or events, like the special screening and Q&A, or a meet-and-greet with the stars. All of this will give us a chance to ponder whether the message of the movie was to seize the day, per the quote that shows up in every yearbook, or if the message was really to beware of charming sociopaths. [h/t TimeOut Chicago] Ferris' room recreated (Photo via Ferris Fest) 3183290111_f908d5690e_o.jpg (Flickr Creative Commons -- Steve Rhode) BOSTON -- Boston-based company Jana is working to bring mobile Internet access to less-privileged parts of the world. The 85-person corporation recently raised $57 million in venture capital funding led by Verizon Ventures, according to Fortune magazine. The money will go solely toward providing free connectivity to "emerging markets" such as Brazil, India and China. Jana CEO Nathan Eagle told Fortune that the best way to "impact the lives of billions of people in terms of mobile--particularly in rural areas--is to reduce their price per megabyte." More than half of the smartphones in Brazil don't have a data plan because it's too expensive, he went on to say. Eagle's strategy might seem a bit convoluted to the non-techie. But it basically works like this: Jana finds big organizations to subsidize mobile Internet connections, and in turn the organizations benefit from an unconventional kind of marketing. Jana makes a pitch to prospective participating companies on its website: "Eighty-five percent of the world's mobile users are on restrictive pay-as-you-go plans. Some must work three hours to pay for one hour of connectivity. They can't afford to use your app." Jana's mCent product has provided 30 million users in 93 developing countries free mobile Internet, Forbes said. Users simply agree to "purchase" data by doing such things as sending a message via a sponsoring company's service, or watching one of its advertisement videos. natural gas AP file.jpg A natural gas line in this AP file photo. Even with relatively low utility prices and a mild winter, customers in need are turning to the Ma Good Neighbor Fund to heat their homes. (Associated Press file) CANTON -- The Massachusetts Good Neighbor Energy Fund is appealing to Massachusetts' residents and businesses to consider a donation to the Fund's 2016 "Give the Gift of Warmth" campaign due to a heightened urgency of need brought on by colder temperatures throughout the Commonwealth. The Good Neighbor Energy Fund provides energy assistance to those Massachusetts households who, because of temporary financial difficulty, cannot meet a month's energy expense and are not eligible for state or federal energy assistance funds, according to a news release. The 31st annual campaign is a cooperative effort between the Fund's 23 sponsoring energy companies, the general public and the corporate community to raise $750,000 and help more than 2,000 households. Virginia Anthony of Columbia Gas of Massachusetts and Chairperson of the 2016 Good Neighbor Energy Fund campaign: "The colder temperatures we're experiencing now that we are in the dead of winter is generating an increase in the number of inquiries by those in need of energy assistance. We appeal to the giving spirit of all our neighbors in the State and ask that you consider enclosing a donation of any amount with the green envelopes found in your utility bills or online at www.magoodneighbor.org." The Fund is often the last resort for families who have not qualified for federal and state assistance programs. To qualify for assistance from the Fund, an applicant's gross household income must fall between 60 and 80 percent of the state's median income levels. For example, a household size of 4 would need to have a total gross yearly income of between $63,704 and $84,939 to qualify. This year's Fund disbursement is $300 per eligible household for the heating season. Residents and businesses that wish to support the Fund can "Give the Gift of Warmth" by using the green-colored Good Neighbor Energy Fund donation envelope found as an insert in monthly energy bills. Some energy companies offer an 'add a dollar' program which allows customers to contribute on their monthly bill payment by one dollar or more. Anyone can also donate with a credit card online by visiting www.magoodneighbor.org. Donors can also simply mail a check, payable to "Good Neighbor Energy Fund", to Massachusetts Good Neighbor Energy Fund, c/o The Salvation Army, 25 Shawmut Road, Canton, Massachusetts, 02021-1408. For more information on the Fund and how to apply, visit your local Salvation Army Corps Community Center or call 800-334-3047 if you live in area codes 508, 617, 781 or 978 or (800) 262-1320 if you live in area code 413. Web: www.magoodneighbor.org. WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. -- The possibility of a casino at Bradley International Airport - possibly even a pop-up one at the Airport Sheraton that could be ready in mere months - grabs headlines, but is only one of the initiatives potentially taking flight this year at the airport. United Airlines will offer its new nonstop flights to Denver starting in May. American Airlines will start offering its new nonstop service to Los Angeles in June and Aer Lingus will start flying nonstop to Dublin on Sept. 28, realizing an eight-year-old dream of restoring nonstop transatlantic service to the Hartford-Springfield airport. Bradley will offer nonstop service by OneJet to Pittsburgh starting in May. Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, said he's weeks away from announcing new food vendors for the Southwest Airlines concourse and elsewhere at the airport. The Airport is also close to signing a deal with an outside vendor to provide a multi-airline luxury club for high-roller passengers. Think American Airlines Admirals Club, but open to selected passengers from all the airlines at Bradley, Dillon said. "I think 2016 is going to be a good year for us," he said. The airport's obsolete and decrepit Terminal B building should be fully demolished by March. The Authority plans to replace it within a few years with a new $255 million ground transportation center. The center will take all the rental car agencies - now scattered up and down the adjacent roads - and centralize them in one spot connected to the terminal by a walkway. "No longer will you have to take a bus to get to your rental car at Bradley Airport," Dillon said. He also hopes to offer shuttle buses from the new center to the train station in Windsor Locks village four miles away as Connecticut enhances commuter rail through Windsor Locks on the New Haven to Springfield line. "One of the things that's exciting for us is that air-rail connection," Dillon said. "A person could come up from New Haven and use our airport. A person could come down from Vermont and use our airport. That rail-to-air connection is something European visitors are very conscious of." Europeans could use the cheaper hotels and restaurants in Connecticut to start their American journey, then use rail connections to Boston or New York City. Getting Europeans to fly here and getting Northeasterners to use Bradley and Aer Lingus to get to Europe is the paramount goal this year. Aer Lingus announced in October that it will begin flying nonstop from Bradley International Airport. Flights are expected to leave Bradley at 6:10 p.m. daily, arriving in Dublin at 5:20 a.m. the following day. Return flights will leave Dublin at 2:20 p.m. and arrive back in Connecticut at 4:20 p.m. Aer Lingus will fly the route using Boeing 757 airliners with 180 seats. In November, an Aer Lingus executive predicted a 90 percent load factor after the first few months, meaning each flight will have about 160 passengers. More recently, Dillon said airlines, including Aer Lingus, expect at least an 80 percent load factor if the service is to be continued. "It's critically important to us that those seats be filled," he said. That will take marketing in Europe and a major push to make businesses in New England aware of the service. In summer, Aer Lingus can rely on vacationers. "But our situation is that in winter a lot of those seats must be business travelers," he said. And not all of them will have Ireland as their final destination. Aer Lingus is pushing Dublin as a European hub. It is a smaller and easier-to-navigate airport than the major hubs at Heathrow near London and in Amsterdam and Frankfurt, Dillon said. Travelers will want to make their connection in Dublin and avoid the larger airport. "Dublin is an easier connection. It's like trying to get through Bradley versus trying to get through JFK," he said. Aer Lingus will connect the Hartford flights with its flights to 121 European destinations including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, London, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Paris and Warsaw. Dublin also pre-clears Americans through customs, using the layover time in Ireland to process passengers, thus saving time for them when they arrive in the states. Other European airports don't offer that service, Dillon said. Aer Lingus is also adding flights to Los Angeles starting in May and followed by Newark, New Jersey, also in September. Connecticut had to work to get the Irish carrier here, giving Aer Lingus a $4.5 million guarantee against losses in each of the first two years, plus $5 million in other inducements. The Los Angeles flight will plug Bradley into the Pacific Rim economies as airlines serving that part of the world use LA as a hub. The new service to Denver will be the second flight there from Bradley, an advent that often leads to better prices. Dillon said Bradley is always developing more routes. Bradley would love to offer nonstop flights to Austin, Texas; Jacksonville, Florida; Milwaukee; San Francisco; and Seattle. The catch is convincing the airlines to come here. Low oil prices, and low jet fuel prices, have airlines more willing to add long-haul flights these days. Their costs are considerably lower, Dillon said. Regarding the casino proposal, Dillon said he and the Airport Authority are waiting for a decision from the Tribal Business Council. "There is a business opportunity available," Dillon said of the airport's casino proposals. The idea is that a casino, either freestanding or in the hotel, would generate money to pay for airport improvements. "It would also be an amenity we would offer to our passengers," Dillon said. "It would add services here at the airport that we don't already have." Cash-strapped Connecticut wants a casino north of Hartford to compete with the new MGM Springfield development. But Dillon said he expects MGM Springfield would drive more traffic through the airport. Bradley International Airport reported 2.9 million passengers boarding in 2015, up 1.4 percent from the 2.68 million passenger departures in 2014. Holly Holm, Ronda Rousey FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015 file photo, Ronda Rousey, left, and Holly Holm fight during their UFC 193 bantamweight title bout in Melbourne, Australia. Holm pulled off a stunning upset victory over Rousey in the fight, knocking out the women's bantamweight champion in the second round with a powerful kick to the head Sunday. Ronda Rousey says she had dark thoughts after she lost her bantamweight title to Holly Holm in Australia last year, her first defeat since joining UFC, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill, File) (Andy Brownbill) LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Ronda Rousey says she had dark thoughts including suicide after she lost her bantamweight title to Holly Holm in Australia last year, her first defeat since joining UFC. "Honestly, my thought in the medical room, I was sitting in the corner and was like, 'What am I anymore if I'm not this?'" Rousey said Tuesday during an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." ''Literally sitting there thinking about killing myself. In that exact second, I'm like: 'I'm nothing. What do I do anymore?" Rousey told DeGeneres that her relationship with UFC heavyweight Travis Browne helped get her through. "I looked up and saw my man, Travis, was standing there," Rousey said. "I'm looking up at him and was just like: 'I need to have his babies. I need to stay alive.'" Rousey won her first 12 mixed martial arts fights -- eight of them in less than a minute -- before stepping into the cage against Holm in Melbourne last November. Holm finished her off with a devastating kick to the head. Rousey told DeGeneres that she wants to be the one to beat Holm, who will make her first title defense against Miesha Tate in Las Vegas next month. Massachusetts Senate Chambers 2011 The Massachusetts Senate Sergeant at Arms is seen in the Senate chambers in this photo from 2011. (Charles Krupa / Associated Press file) A day after agents from the FBI and the IRS raided state Sen. Brian Joyce's Canton law office, Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, a right-of-center nonprofit, called on Senate President Stanley Rosenberg to remove Joyce from public office. In a letter to Rosenberg, Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance executive director Paul Craney asked the Amherst Democrat to eject Joyce, a Milton Democrat, from the 40-member state Senate "for gross abuse of his senatorial office." "Brian Joyce has established a pattern which the federal investigations will further uncover: Brian Joyce uses his senate office for personal enrichment," Craney wrote. A spokesman for Rosenberg did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement yesterday, Pete Wilson, the spokesman, said the Senate will be "fully cooperative" with law enforcement requests and plans to wait until the investigation is complete "before commenting further." While the Massachusetts Republican Party called for Joyce's resignation hours after the raid began, Gov. Charlie Baker told reporters he wants to see the results of the investigation. When asked about Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance's letter, a Joyce spokeswoman pointed to yesterday's statement from Joyce's attorney, Howard Cooper. "It is unfortunate that recent stories in the media appear to have sparked an investigation. Senator Joyce has been cooperating with each inquiry that has taken place to date resulting from those stories and believes that he has done absolutely nothing wrong," the statement said. Joyce's state Senate district includes Avon, Braintree, Canton, East Bridgewater, Easton, Milton, Randolph, Sharon, Stoughton, and West Bridgewater. He has been a state senator since 1998. By BUFFY SPENCER bspencer@repub.com SPRINGFIELD - Clara M. Gardner moved to the front of the courtroom in her wheelchair to tell Hampden Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Ford that she misses running, dancing, being on a crew team and many other things. The 17-year-old Northampton girl was in court Thursday to let the judge know how the loss of her legs - the result of being struck by a drunken driver outside the train station in downtown Springfield last fall - has changed her life. The driver, Roberto Carrasquillo Jr., 20, pleaded guilty before Ford to charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (a car), operating under the influence of alcohol and causing serious injury; leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. After hearing Gardner's victim-witness impact statement, the judge ordered Carrasquillo serve a three- to five-year state prison term. Gardner had just returned from a trip to Mexico with friends and family and was loading her luggage into the back of a van outside the Amtrak station on Lyman Street on Aug. 2 when Carrasquillo, of 8 Eddy St., turned the corner and drove into the back of the van, crushing her and causing injuries which required both legs to be amputated above the knees. Kate O'Kane, Clara Gardner's mother, said her daughter for several months went through a level of pain few people suffer and is still in pain. After five surgeries, the teen faces a long, arduous road ahead, including getting fitted for prosthesis, her mother told the judge. RELATED LINK MORE: "She has talked about how trapped she feels in a wheelchair," O'Kane said. Other effects include a fear of cars and worry about changes in her previously active social life. "She will never again be able to walk barefoot on the beach," the mother said in the midst of her comments. Gardner, a Northampton High School senior, told Ford she is unsure if she will go to college next year or take a year off. Ford told her, "I think you are very brave. I think you are very insightful." He told her he believes she will have a rich, rewarding life. Carrasquillo, with a driving record fraught with violations, including speeding, accidents and license suspensions, was driving too fast in the crowded area, according to Assistant District Attorney James M. Forsyth. "This is an individual who is reckless behind the wheel," he said. Carrasquillo told Ford was sorry for what he did and was prepared to accept the punishment. Defense lawyer Edward B. Fogarty asked that Carrasquillo be given a jail, rather than state prison term, saying he had no prior criminal record and that he is not a "criminal" in the sense the court usually sees. Ford, in giving the state prison sentence, said he would recommend to the state Department of Corrections that Carrasquillo be allowed to serve the state prison sentence at the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow. Forsyth said the Gardner family did not object to that recommendation. trucks.JPG Truck drivers will no longer be allowed to used compression engine brakes on Westover Road in Chicopee (file photo) CHICOPEE - The City Council adopted an ordinance to ban tractor trailer trucks from using their loud compression engine brakes on Westover Road and may extend the ban to the entire city. The ordinance, which was adopted in a 12-0 vote Tuesday night, bans the use of the brakes, also known as Jake brakes or Jacob brakes, for the entire length of the road. There are exceptions in the case of emergency. The decision came after neighbors complained that trucks heading to the industrial park or Westover Air Reserve Base often use the brakes late at night and the loud noise wakes up residents. "I think people will adhere to it. The fine is $300," City Councilor James K. Tillotson said. But the key to making the regulation work is solid enforcement. City Councilor Robert J. Zygarowski said residents should record the business name on the truck and the truck license plate if possible and phone the Chicopee Police if they hear a violation of the ordinance. This isn't the first time the City Council has banned truck engine brakes on city streets. There is a similar ordinance on the heavily-traveled Grattan Street, which also has a mix of homes and businesses, Tillotson said. Councilors said they would also like to see the ban on other streets where they have had complaints about the brakes. Residents on McKinstry Avenue have said they are hearing engine brakes more often now. The street currently has a larger volume of traffic because many drivers are using it as a byway to avoid construction on Grattan Street and in the Willimansett section of the city, Councilor Gary Labrie said. Councilor Timothy S. McLellen said he would like to ban the brakes from the busy Burnett Road. The street, which has a lot of traffic, ends up with a lot of trucks because it is next to the exit to the Massachusetts Turnpike and the entrance of Interstate-291. Tillotson said an ordinance would have to be adopted for each street, unless the City Council wants to ban engine brakes citywide. The City Council agreed to send the issue back to subcommittee for more discussion. Serial Stowaway Arrested At O'Hare. Again! By Mae Rice in News on Feb 18, 2016 4:15PM Marilyn Hartman (photo via Chicago Police) A 64-year-old woman, widely known as the "serial stowaway," was arrested for trespassing at O'Hare International Airport on Wednesday afternoon. Marilyn Hartman was charged with a felony count of violating probation and a misdemeanor count of trespassing on state land, police told reporters. She's scheduled to appear in bond court today. This is Hartmans roughly one millionth offense of this nature. As you can see above, Hartman is old and whitewhich makes sense, because officials would not let any other demographic so repeatedly get away with irregular airport behavior. Hartman has been stowing away, or at least attempting to, very repeatedly. She has tried to sneak past security at multiple American airports, not just Chicago's. She's successfully stowed away on at least two flights, too: one from San Francisco to Honolulu in February of 2014, and another from San Jose to Los Angeles in August 2014. More often, though, Hartman's stowaway attempts fail. In July, she was arrested twice in less than 48 hoursat Midway Airport, then again the next day at OHareimmediately after getting released from jail for a similar offense. At Midway on July 3, she was arrested on a flight even though she had a ticket. NBC reported: Police said Hartman actually walked up to an officer at Midway last Friday and introduced herself, declaring, Do you know who I am? Im a celebrity! As they watched, she bought a plane ticket at Midway, and was escorted to the gate by Chicago Police. But after boarding the aircraft, Hartman reportedly stood up and began ranting to her fellow passengers that theyre in a war, and that she didnt feel safe without a helmet. The captain of the New York bound flight returned to the gate, and she was escorted off the plane. After that incident, her court-ordered psychiatric exam deemed her mentally fit with medication, according to NBC Montana small business startups arent alone when it comes to funding or planning, experts said Tuesday at an economic workshop in Billings. The workshop, organized by U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., covered everything from financing to business planning. Tester said he organized the event to promote a very important part of Montanas economy. "Ultimately, this is about the American dream and people making a living and being able to support their family," Tester said. "Small business is the basis for that in this state." By TOM LUTEY [email protected] Full Story: http://billingsgazette.com/news/government-and-politics/no-among-states-for-start-up-businesses-montana-offers-help/article_7abf4006-e23e-537b-9341-0ef3af3ffece.html *** Montana Gov. Steve Bullock promotes new online Business Navigator tool http://www.matr.net/article-70273.html A new program based at the University of Washington will bring together educational institutions, K-12 teachers and informal education organizations to inspire, teach and recruit the next generation of students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The new Northwest Earth and Space Sciences Pipeline http://www.nwessp.org/, or NESSP, has begun a $10 million, five-year cooperative agreement with NASA that broadens existing programs and launches new efforts throughout Washington, Oregon and Montana, with a particular focus on underserved and underrepresented communities. Hannah Hickey Full Story: http://www.washington.edu/news/2016/02/17/nasa-funded-consortium-to-support-science-education-in-washington-oregon-and-montana/ *** Developing a New Generation of Global Problem Solvers at Missoulas Sentinel High School http://www.matr.net/article-70173.html GOT CODE!? Missoulas Sentinel High Does http://www.matr.net/article-70117.html Lost for over 200 years, a cantata co-written by classical maestros Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri rang out in public for the first time on Tuesday, shedding new light on their reputed intense rivalry. A worker of the Czech Museum of Music presents a recently discovered music manuscript composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri in Prague, Czech Republic, February 16, 2016. [Photo/China Daily] The Italian composer was allegedly so jealous of the Austrian prodigy that he once tried to poison him a claim rejected by experts as the collaboration was performed in Prague. "The part composed by Mozart is, shall we say, more ingenious and dramatic, while the other two verses are more lyrical," musician Lukas Vendl told reporters after playing the four-minute composition on a harpsichord. "But it's impossible to deduce from it who was a better composer." The cantata from 1785 is "key to a new understanding of the relationship between Mozart and Salieri," according to Timo Jouko Herrmann, the German musicologist and composer who found the work. Herrmann said it suggests the men were "colleagues who worked together" rather than rivals and undermines a legend suggesting that Salieri may have played a role in Mozart's untimely death at 35 in 1791. Titled Per la ricuperata salute di Offelia (For Ophelia's recovered health) the cantata was jointly composed by Mozart, Salieri and an unknown musician named Cornetti. It accompanies a libretto by Italian poet Lorenzo Da Ponte and is dedicated to popular English soprano Nancy Storace (1765-1817), who returned to the stage after losing her voice for a spell. The score lay unidentified in the Czech Museum of Music since the 1950s, but Herrmann was finally able to attribute it to the two composers thanks to access to new information on the Internet, the museum said. In a season when blockbusters are deemed standard, The Mermaid has proved to be so splashy that it wiped clean a slate of records and made numerous headlines. Hong Kong director and comedian Stephen Chow (second from right) attends a reception for the release of the theme music for The Mermaid, a sci-fi comedy, on January 18 in Beijing. [China Daily] The Stephen Chow comic fantasy, which opened on Lunar New Year's Day (Feb 8), set a record with seven consecutive days with at least 230 million yuan (US$35.2 million) in receipts each day. By early Tuesday evening, it had raked in a total of 2.1 billion yuan in its nine days of release, poised to overtake Monster Hunt, which at 2.4 billion yuan is the reigning champion in China's box-office tally. Anticipation runs high that The Mermaid could be the first film, domestic or foreign, to reach the new landmark of 3 billion yuan in gross receipts in the world's fastest-growing film market. The supernatural tale with an environmental message has wowed moviegoers with zany Chow-style slapstick and moments of tenderness. Maggie Lee, film critic for Variety, a Hollywood trade magazine, called it "pure enchantment." On the home front, critics seemed uncertain, wavering between cautious approval and rehashed concerns about Chow's losing his touch. Chow, a Hong Kong bit player who morphed into a superstar in the early 1990s, is known for his own brand of humor, which at first glance is similar to that of Jim Carrey. While most comedy is local and fails to overcome geographical boundaries, Chow's works were not only welcomed by mainland audiences, but given a philosophical spin in interpretations when they were avidly consumed across China's college campuses. Chow, who produced and directed The Mermaid but did not star in it, is one of the Hong Kong filmmakers who have been most successful in adapting to the mainland culture. Instead of churning out several pictures a year, he has slowed down the pace to around one film in four years, perfecting every joke and detail until the last minute. When he was criticized by some of his Hong Kong peers for being "difficult", fans would jump to his defense, and his work, with its appeal to those across the taste spectrum, is probably the best answer. For The Mermaid, Chow also pulled off a marketing stunt unprecedented in showbiz. The customary pre-screenings, designed to generate buzz, were called off. Instead, he and his cast embarked on a 20-city promotion blitz. From the reception of all his recent films, the king of comedy, a moniker from the title of his somewhat autobiographical 1999 film, has not lost his mojo, and is still at the peak of his game. You are here: Home Madonna has taken Hong Kong by storm on the Asia leg of her "Rebel Heart Tour". Singer Madonna brings the latest leg of her "Rebel Heart Tour" to Hong Kong on Wednesday, February 17, 2016. Thousands of fans gathered in their glittery finest to see the super star perform for the first time in Hong Kong. Their enthusiasm for the pop diva didn't wane even though Madonna was more than one hour late for her appearance on stage. Tickets for the first of two concerts at the AsiaWorld-Expo Arena ranged from 688 Hong Kong dollars - that's about 88 US dollars - all the way up to a staggering 16,888 Hong Kong dollars - some 2-thousand US dollars for what was called premium VIP packages. Madonna's latest world tour, which began in Montreal in September, will continue in Macau, Manila and Singapore. It'll then head to New Zealand and Australia, reaching Sydney on March 20. You are here: Home Flash A Chinese photography enthusiast has been ordered by Vietnam customs to pay 60 million Vietnamese dong (about $2,700) to get back his easy-to-fly drone, the Wenzhou Business News reports. The tourist from Wenzhou City of East China's Zhejiang Province bought the unmanned drone, which is equipped with aerial photography systems, and tried to bring it to Vietnam during China's Lunar New Year holiday. The drone and three batteries were seized by local customs. China's embassy in Vietnam helped the tourist contact a lawyer and he was later told to pay a fine of $2,700. The tourist decided not to claim his items back. Last September, a Chinese photography lover was also on the receiving end of robust safety checks after using drones to take pictures in India. Two separate suspect chases with sheriffs deputies landed four people behind bars, authorities said Thursday. Deputy Adam Burnette of the McDowell County Sheriffs Office charged 29-year-old Bradley Austin Blankenship, of Calvin Drive in Nebo, with felony possession of a stolen motor vehicle and misdemeanor resisting a public officer and 29-year-old Brittany Deme Henson, of Harmony Grove Road in Nebo, with felony possession of a stolen motor vehicle, misdemeanor resisting a public officer and misdemeanor providing fictitious information to an officer. Blankenship was also served with two outstanding felony probation violations. At approximately 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 12, Burnette went to Hensons residence to serve an arrest warrant. He followed a car up the driveway, and, at the end, two occupants later identified as Blankenship and Henson fled from the vehicle into the woods. Deputies learned that the 1998 Pontiac Grand Am was reported stolen from Anderson County, S.C. Burnette, his K-9 Kessy and Sheriffs Office deputies and detectives tracked the suspects into the woods and located Blankenship hiding in some thick brush. A short time later, they found Henson at a nearby home. She gave authorities a fictitious name. Blankenship was wanted for absconding probation. He was taken into custody under a $35,000 bond. Hensons bond was set at $15,000. Two more were sent to jail on Tuesday following an ongoing drug investigation, according to deputies. Detective Shane Vance of the McDowell County Sheriffs Office charged Sandra Grace McKinney Capps, 60, of Fairview Road Trailer Park in Marion, with one felony count each of possession with intent to sell and deliver methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine and maintaining a place to keep a controlled substance. At approximately 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, authorities attempted to stop a moped leaving McKinneys residence. There was a short pursuit before McKinney arrived to pick up the driver. This all stems from an ongoing drug investigation, said Vance. When McKinney arrived on the scene, her pickup truck was displaying a fictitious tag. A subsequent search of her person turned up 10.7 grams of methamphetamine. The driver of the moped, Steve Allen Buchanan, 50, of Rutherford Road in Marion, was charged with felony fleeing to elude arrest and misdemeanor resisting a public officer. He was also served with outstanding warrants for identity theft and failure to appear on a misdemeanor charge. Cappss bond was set at $35,000. Buchanan is in jail under a $36,500 bond. 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. Flash Millions of Chinese broke from tradition and spent their vacations traveling abroad this Spring Festival holiday. Of the 300 million Chinese who traveled during the weeklong holiday, a record 6 million visited overseas destinations, according to Ctrip.com International Ltd, the nation's largest online travel agency. It is customary for Chinese to visit their hometowns and celebrate Chinese New Year with family. "Outbound tourism surged this Spring Festival and the number of outbound travelers that we handled tripled last year's total," said Liu Qing, vice-president of Tongcheng Network Technology Co Ltd, China's third-largest online travel agency based in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. Bookings through Tongcheng for many popular overseas destinations doubled from last year, with several destinations seeing five times the number of bookings this Spring Festival compared with the 2015 holiday break, Liu said. Chinese travelers also got a leg up on their holiday travel plans, with more than 80 percent booking their trips at least a month in advance, he said. According to Tongcheng, nearly 30 percent of outbound travelers departed three days before the holiday break, which lasted from Feb 7 to 13, with 70 percent of travelers taking five- to seven-day vacations. Zhang Han, a 31-year old resident of Beijing who went to Thailand with his wife and parents over the holiday, said traveling overseas during the Spring Festival holiday has become the new Chinese tradition. "I know some of my friends spent the holiday traveling abroad rather than staying at home," said Zhang, who added that his parents showed surprising enthusiasm for his vacation plans. "It is a win-win plan for us since we can be with family and my son can travel," said Zhang's 56-year-old father, who lives in Liaoning province. The top 10 destinations for Chinese travelers this Spring Festival were Thailand, Japan, South Korea, the United States, Indonesia, the Maldives, France, Italy, Vietnam and Singapore, according to Tuniu Corp, one of China's largest online travel agencies. Islands in Southeast Asia accounted for a majority of the most popular destinations, according to Ctrip and the China Tourism Academy. "The popularity of Southeast Asian islands is directly related to their more relaxed visa policies," said Yan Xin, publicity manager at Ctrip. Thailand provides multiple-entry visas for up to six months for all foreign travelers, Vietnam reduced its single-entry visa fee from $45 to $25 late last year, while Malaysia has a visa-free policy this year for Chinese travelers from March 1 to Dec 31. by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, February 17, 2016 Microsoft began quietly rolling out a branding message introducing the world to the new Bing Network, viewed by some as a key element the search engine lacked for the past six years. Several events promoted the change. "Less about words and links, more about meaning and intent," Microsoft's message says the network pulls together in-the-moment data from across its mobile, global and local partners to support products that people use daily. And that network continues to grow. With the transition of all U.S. accounts, people and account management from Yahoo to Bing, the network represents an expanding set of partnerships such as AOL, and The Wall Street Journal, which adds more searches and clicks to the network daily, wrote Stephen Sirich, GM of advertising and consumer monetization group at Microsoft, in a post. advertisement advertisement "Microsofts 'mishap' was going up against Google trying to change the paradigm that people had for search," says Robert Passikoff, founder and president of Brand Keys. "Google always led in the impression that their site selection and number of sites accessed was bigger. They had it all for you. Microsoft was more concerned about telling you how to organize the information, but they seemed to offer less, and in a less logically organized fashion." It seems Google's greatest success began with its name. Microsoft does little to brand Bing, although search lives inside of Amazon's devices, powers Web results for Apple Siri and Spotlight Search, and supports maps on thousands of Web sites. With Windows 10, Cortana now sits on millions of PCs and Xbox One. Aside from Ask, Bing was the only major search engine to demonstrate growth in January from organic searches, per comScore. Google Sites led the U.S. explicit core search market in January with 63.8% market share, followed by Microsoft Sites with 21.3%, up 0.2%, and Yahoo Sites with 12.4%. Ask Network accounted for 1.7% explicit core searches, up 0.1%, followed by AOL with 0.9%, down .01%., per comScore data. Bing powers 14 billion monthly searches worldwide. Still, Microsoft's biggest challenge has been brand value -- not for the Microsoft brand, but for Bing. Google is a master of branding, and the brand is one of the most valuable in the world. In 2015, Interbrand placed a valuation of the Google brand at $120.314 billion, up from $107.43 billion, only second to Apple in brand value. Microsoft came in at No. 4 with $67,770 billion in brand value, per Interbrand. Bing is nowhere to be found on the list. One major difference is the way Google uses the brand value to market its search engine, whereas Microsoft uses Bing, a relatively new brand in the scope of technology. The shift in brand strategy also marks an end to the Yahoo-Bing Network. The renegotiated search deal between Microsoft and Yahoo in April 2015, five years into the 10-year deal, has ad sales and account management returning to their respective companies. Opera Mediaworks' global ad revenue grew to $145.5 million, a 40% year-over-year increase in the fourth quarter (53% YoY annually). This gives Opera Mediaworks the second-largest software development kit (SDK) footprint in the world, with only Google at the top of the heap. According to a blog post, the major driver of growth was the companys specific focus on mobile video ads. 60% of the companys revenue was derived from mobile video. The companys U.S. brand sales team was also responsible for much of their new business, bringing in 58 new brands to advertise on Operas platform. advertisement advertisement The company also saw an 85% growth rate in publishers with a $1 million earnings run rate (a metric that estimates future revenues based on the revenue of the current quarter). Programmatic sales also grew 129% YoY. Opera Mediaworks brought on Will Kassoy as their new CEO in 2016. The investors that bought Opera ASA are reportedly interested in the company, largely due to Opera Mediaworks success in mobile advertising. Audiences in China tend to be mobile-first or mobile only. The investors offered to buy all the shares of Opera for a total of $1.2 billion, it was reported last week. by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, February 17, 2016 Heres something you dont see everyday: the publisher of the UKs Daily Mirror is launching a new low-price national newspaper, tentatively called New Day, set to debut on February 29. The newspaper, which will launch with a newsstand price of about 20 pence, will target a mid-market audience in competition with other big newspapers like the Express. The price may rise later depending on reader response. New Day will have an initial print run of 2 million, including large numbers of copies for free distribution to raise awareness of the new newspaper. The newspaper will boast a relatively low proportion of advertising to editorial space, and will offer low advertising rates in a bid to gain traction with major advertisers at least to begin with. The launch of New Day comes at a time of turmoil, but also new opportunity in the British newspaper business. Last fall, the Daily Star, a popular tabloid, cut its price by half to 20 pence and succeeded in boosting sales, but its main rivals, the Sun and Mirror, dont appear to have suffered encroachment as a result. This prompted some industry observers to speculate that the newspaper was reaching a new, previously untapped audience, rather than stealing readers from competitors -- a feat the Daily Mirror may be trying to replicate with New Day. On a less positive note, last week The Independent, a relatively small but well-known British newspaper, revealed it will cease publishing its print edition, although it will continue publishing on its Web site and a new app. The move to digital-only publishing will entail an unspecified number of layoffs. The Independents former owner, Evgeny Lebedev, also sold its low-cost national sibling, i, to the Johnston Press, publisher of The Scotsman and The Yorkshire Post, among other titles. by Felicia Greiff , February 18, 2016 Mobile marketing workflow provider Bucksense launched a programmatic platform on Wednesday. The platform, aimed at app developers and advertisers, spent six months in beta with select partners, including an unnamed "major European telecommunications company," according to Bucksense. Bucksense's beginnings as a media buying desk under parent company Acotel Group informed the design for the programmatic platform, Adrian Rubio, Bucksense's SVP-corporate strategy and marketing, told Real-Time Daily in an email. Because it was Acotel Group's money on the line and not someone elses, Rubio added, there was an incentive to learn how to best clean and filter the ad supply in-house. That experience also informed the base of the algorithm Bucksense uses to optimize budgets on the "variables that actually matter," Rubio said, instead of "extremely complicated ones that end up killing the volume of impressions coming in." Since Bucksense started out in 2012, it's developed its own platform for direct media buys and campaign optimization and has launched various tools for audience acquisitions, analytics and engagement. Bucksense's traffic supply partners include OpenX, PubMatic and the Rubicon Project. Its offices include locations in New York, Rome, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid. by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, February 17, 2016 Consumer advocacy groups have warned for months that Charter's proposed merger with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks could harm online video distributors. Today, the leaders of the Senate antitrust committee are raising the same concern. "We urge you to closely review these transactions to ensure that they do not impede new, developing options for consumers to receive video content," Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), write today to the Federal Communications Commission and Justice Department. Lee chairs the Senate antitrust committee, while Klobuchar serves as ranking member. The letter repeats assertions by merger opponents that Charter and Comcast together will control between 70 and 90 percent of broadband connections faster than 25 Mbps in the U.S. "Some worry," the lawmakers write, "that such a dominant position would allow the two companies, without overtly colluding, to undermine the ability of online video distributors to offer a viable alternative to cable services." advertisement advertisement Charter has said it has no motive to hinder online video distributors because Web video is sparking consumers' demand for high-speed broadband. The company also has promised to follow net neutrality rules for three years post-merger, and to avoid imposing data caps or usage-based billing for three years. Companies like Dish and HBO have not been persuaded by those assurances. They have argued in separate FCC filings that the merger could harm their companies' ability to reach broadband users. Netflix, on the other hand, has gone on record as supporting the deal. "The FCC recognized that companies offering both video and broadband service have an incentive to interfere with online distribution services," Lee and Klobuchar write. "A critical issue here is whether this transaction would increase Charter's incentive and ability to interfere with online video distribution services." While the lawmakers aren't calling for the merger to be nixed, they clearly suggest that critics' points deserve serious consideration. For its part, Charter obviously expects the merger to close. The company recently told investors that it expects the deal to gain approval by next month. - by Tobi Elkin @tobielkin, February 18, 2016 Dublin-based digital ad network Adforce.com on Thursday announced a partnership with Triton Digital, a tech provider for the audio industry, to bring its 2ax exchange, a premium online audio advertising exchange, to key European markets. The partnership will enable advertisers and agencies to buy digital audio advertising programmatically and scale their campaigns across large European publishers through a single exchange. The a2x exchange will run in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland. The deal brings "the ability to target and retarget listeners based on behavior, genre, device, geographic location and demographics," stated Colm Grealy, CEO at Adforce.com. "As the worldwide demand for online audio ad impressions grows, Triton is connecting with best-in-class advertising sales partners with the goal of meeting that demand at a local and regional level. Its critical that we pick the right partner to best serve the needs of both advertisers and publishers in each market. AdForce is just such a partner, and we will work closely with them to evolve the audio market in many European countries," John Rosso, President of Market Development, Triton Digital, said in an email. advertisement advertisement This deal marks the latest in a spate of announcements by Triton. Others, reported by Real-Time Daily, were a podcast tool with NPR, and a deal to serve programmatic audio in Latin America. by Ben Frederick , Staff Writer @mp_benfred, February 18, 2016 The FBI wants Apple to build a custom piece of software that will allow the Bureau to unlock a specific iPhone (used by terrorists) through brute force. Apple rebutted by issuing a public letter explaining that such a piece of software would be a genie that couldnt be put back in the bottle. Its a case that has echoes of the Patriot Act, which in part leveraged the 9/11 attacks to expand governmental surveillance capabilities -- eventually leading to the bloated NSA programs outed by Edward Snowden several years ago. As of right now, though, there is no specific legislation regarding this kind of situation, so the FBI is attempting to pressure Apple using the All Writs Act, which was signed into law in 1789. Data privacy is a public issue whose importance really cant be overstated. Marketers, advertisers, retailers, publishers and ad networks deal with data all the time. The entire digital ad industry is based on the exchange of data. advertisement advertisement What's really hard is that legislation regarding the governments access to data is still a gray area. The data the government is asking Apple to provide access to is more private than the data advertisers and others access. The difference is, advertiser access to data doesnt weaken the overall cybersecurity infrastructure of a manufacturer. These kinds of demands make it easier to understand the EUs reluctance to allow the free flow of data across the Atlantic. Thats not to say the EU isnt spying on its citizenry -- they just havent been embarrassed internationally for it, as the U.S. was. The kind of decryption the FBI is asking for would be bad for both business and international relations. What kind of precedent does it set to make a manufacturer weaken its own product? Who would ever buy an iPhone if they knew that it could be forced open by the government? I somehow doubt the folks at the FBI -- or any astute government official, for that matter -- would continue to patronize Apple after they forced the company to crack open its own safe. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, February 18, 2016 The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals won't reconsider its recent decision to uphold Facebook's $20 million "sponsored stories" settlement. In an order issued this week, the court rejected the University of San Diego's Children's Advocacy Institute's request for a new hearing "en banc" -- meaning that 11 of the court's 23 judges would decide the case. The watchdog argued that the settlement wrongly enables Facebook to violate laws in seven states, including California, that prohibit companies from using minors' names and photos in ads without their parents' consent. The settlement, approved in 2013 by U.S. District Court Judge Richard Seeborg, resolved a class-action lawsuit alleging that Facebook's sponsored stories violates a California law about endorsements. That law says companies need adults' permission before using their names or images in ads. advertisement advertisement The deal requires Facebook to pay $15 each to around 600,000 users whose name and images were featured in sponsored stories ads that were shown to their friends. Facebook also agreed to revise its terms of service to require that users give permission for their names and photos to be shown in ads. Users under 18 must represent that at least one parent agrees. (The company discontinued the sponsored stories program in 2014, but still allows people's names and photos to be paired with ads.) A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit rejected that argument last month, ruling that it's unclear whether Facebook's ad program violated California's privacy law. The judges added that the settlement offers "more protection for minors from Facebook's advertising practices than existed before." Flash German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that Europe is facing "a historic test" to tackle the refugee crisis and vowed to fight for a common approach at the upcoming EU summit to limit flows of refugees to Europe. German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a meeting session at the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 17, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] Addressing the German parliament, Merkel reiterated that she will make all efforts at the EU summit on Thursday and Friday to advance the cooperation with Turkey to seek a better protection of the EU's external border and less irregular migration. "Is it worth it to go on this way? Or should Europe give up now and instead close the Greek-Macedonian-Bulgarian border?" asked Merkel, referring to alternative measures suggested by the Visegrad Group of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. She stressed that Germany sees three points essential in coping with the crisis: to tackle the root causes of the crisis, to protect EU's external border and to achieve a better burden-sharing, and to regulate and control refugee influx. "Our common goal is to reduce the number of refugees significantly and sustainably, and to continue to help people who need protection," Merkel said. She also called the humanitarian situation in Syria "depressing" and reiterated her call for a no-fly zone to protect civilians. "It would be helpful if there was an area in Syria where no warring parties launched air attacks," Merkel told parliament. Merkel has been under huge pressure at home to reduce refugee inflows. She has also been increasingly isolated within the EU because many European partners believe that the refugee crisis has been worsened by Germany's policy to leave its door open for refugees. by Larissa Faw , February 18, 2016 Private equity shops Peninsula Capital Partners and Fine Equity Partners are making a "significant equity investment" in Kansas City-based integrated travel marketing firm MMGY Global to help the agency pursue acquisitions, both domestically and internationally and also enable the founders to monetize portions of their stakes in the firm. Terms werent disclosed. The investments will enable a business plan that more than doubles the size of the company by 2020. MMGYs existing management team will continue to operate the firm, and Clayton Reid will remain in his role as CEO. MMGYs founding partners, Don Montague and Peter Yesawich, will continue to serve as senior advisors. In 2012, MMG Worldwide and Ypartnership joined to form MMGY, with founders Montague and Yesawich consolidating their leadership positions with offices in Kansas City, New York, Orlando, and Madrid. advertisement advertisement It really is the best of both worlds, said Reid. Our partnership with Peninsula opens up an entirely new set of opportunities for us to grow and invest in ways that would otherwise not be possible, while the companys partners can enjoy the financial benefits of decades of hard work and also remain invested in the firm. MMGY was advised on the transaction by investment bank Cappello Global LLC and by Winstead PC on legal matters. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, February 18, 2016 Google CEO Sundar Pichai is backing Apple in its battle with federal authorities over iPhone security. "Forcing companies to enable hacking could compromise users privacy," Pichai said in one of a series of tweets about the controversy. He added that an order requiring Apple to enable authorities to hack a device "could be a troubling precedent." Pichai's comments come in response to a court order requiring Apple to help the FBI decrypt an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. Specifically, the order directs Apple to disable software that blocks people out of devices after 10 wrong password entries. Appe CEO Tim Cook said this week the company will fight the order. "In the wrong hands, this software -- which does not exist today -- would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someones physical possession," he wrote in an online letter to customers. advertisement advertisement "The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers -- including tens of millions of American citizens -- from sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals," Cook added. "The same engineers who built strong encryption into the iPhone to protect our users would, ironically, be ordered to weaken those protections and make our users less safe." The FBI argues that the 1789 All Writs Act empowers judges to order Apple to create the new software. But Apple will likely argue that creating new software is burdensome, and that courts can't use the All Writs Act to make Apple a party to the FBI's investigation of the s hooters, legal experts told Ars Technica. While the order issued this week has drawn tremendous media attention, the issue isn't new: The FBI and Apple also battled over encryption in a New York court last year. In that case, which hasn't yet been decided, Apple reportedly argued against the "commandeering of Apple personnel and resources to do the governments investigative work." by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, February 18, 2016 Advertisers looking to connect with government and military personnel through Bing Ads will soon have direct access through millions of PCs and mobile devices. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has agreed to upgrade 4 million software licenses to Microsoft's latest operating system by February 2017. "From laptops to desktops to mobile devices, including Surface devices, the DoD is targeting its Windows 10 upgrade for completion in a year," Yusuf Mehdi, corporate VP of Microsoft Windows and Devices, wrote in a blog post. Bing and Cortana come standard with Microsoft's Windows 10. Most DoD contracts have a list of companies the government agency must work with, but it doesn't stop employees from searching the Web on their downtime, as long as the government version of Windows 10 includes Bing and Cortana. advertisement advertisement Overall, more than 200 million devices run Windows 10 -- including 22 million in business and education, according to Microsoft. The updates include search, Cortana voice assistant, and Office 2016 integration. Government agencies also face emerging challenges that range from cyber threats to managing multiple platforms and devices. Security breaches can take more than 200 days to detect and industry experts predict more than two million new malware apps by the end of the year, Mehdi wrote. He estimates the DoD spends approximately $38 billion annually on cybersecurity and IT. The White House last week announced a plan to improve cybersecurity across government systems and devices. A Cybersecurity National Action Plan (CNAP) will take near-term actions and puts in place a long-term strategy to enhance cybersecurity awareness and protections and protect privacy, maintain public safety as well as economic and national security, and empower Americans to take better control of their digital security. The digital age makes buying products, running businesses, finding directions, and communicating with the people easier, but it also brings about a new generation of threats. Criminals, terrorists, and countries who wish to do us harm have all realized that attacking us online is often easier than attacking us in person," per a release from the The White House, Office of the Press Secretary. "As more and more sensitive data is stored online, the consequences of those attacks grow more significant each year." The key to a new cellular therapy for diabetes may lie in the stomach, according to the results of a new study; researchers have used stomach cells to create mini-organs that produce insulin when transplanted in mice. Share on Pinterest This image shows a section of the mini-stomach, with insulin-producing cells highlighted in red. Image credit: Chaiyaboot Ariyachet In the US, around 29.1 million people have diabetes. Of these, around 1.25 million have type 1 diabetes, where the destruction of beta cells in the pancreas halts insulin production, leading to inadequate regulation of blood glucose levels. In an attempt to find a cure for the condition, researchers have spent years searching for ways to replace these insulin-producing beta cells. Last October, for example, Medical News Today reported on a study in which researchers reprogrammed pancreatic duct-derived cells (HDDCs) to behave like beta cells and produce and secrete insulin. But this latest study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell suggests that cells from the lower section of the stomach, known as the pylorus region, show the greatest potential to be reprogrammed to act like beta cells. Reprogrammed stomach cells normalized glucose levels in mice Senior study author Qiao Zhou, of the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University in Boston, MA, and colleagues genetically engineered mice to express three genes that have the ability to convert cells into beta cells. This enabled the team to pinpoint which cells in the mice were most likely to have insulin-producing potential. Fast facts about diabetes Of the 29.1 million people believed to have diabetes in the US, around 8.1 million are undiagnosed Around 1.4 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every year Type 2 diabetes is the most common form, accounting for around 90-95% of all cases. Learn more about diabetes We looked all over, from the nose to the tail of the mouse, says Zhou. We discovered, surprisingly, that some of the cells in the pylorus region of the stomach are most amenable to conversion to beta cells. This tissue appears to be the best starting material. The pylorus region is the area that joins the stomach to the small intestine. The researchers explain that when they reprogrammed various cells to behave like beta cells, the pylorus cells had the strongest response to high blood glucose levels in the mice, producing insulin in order to bring their glucose levels back to normal. To test the effectiveness of these cells, the researchers destroyed the beta cells of two groups of diabetes mouse models. One group had their pylorus cells reprogrammed to act like beta cells, while a control group did not undergo pylorus cell reprogramming. While the mice in the control group died within 8 weeks, those that had their pylorus cells reprogrammed maintained their insulin and glucose levels for the entire monitoring period, which was up to 6 months. This suggests that the reprogrammed pylorus cells compensated for the lack of beta cells. Asked why pylorus cells appear to be the best cells to convert for insulin production, Zhou told MNT: From our molecular and physiological studies, pylorus derived beta-cells appear to most closely resemble native beta cells in the pancreas and therefore can do a better job at regulating blood glucose. The team notes that there is another benefit to using cells from the pylorus region: stem cells in this area renew themselves regularly. They explain that when the first set of reprogrammed cells were destroyed in the mice, pylorus stem cells regenerated them. In various disease states, you have a constant loss of beta cells, says Zhou. We provide, in principle, an advantage to replenish those. Mini-stomachs compensated for lack of beta cells Zhou explains that in the study, mice were engineered to express three genes that have the ability to reprogram cells to beta cells, but this technique would not be feasible in humans. In order to address this problem and pave the way for a potential clinical therapy, the researchers extracted some stomach tissue from mice and engineered the tissue cells in a lab to express factors that would lead to the conversion of stomach cells to beta cells. Next, the team coaxed the reprogrammed cells to form a mini-stomach measuring around 0.5-1 cm in diameter, before transplanting these tiny organs in the membranes of the abdominal cavities of the mice. The researchers then destroyed the beta cells of the mice in order to see whether the mini-stomach would take over their job. They found that for five of the 22 mice who were transplanted with the mini-stomachs, their blood glucose levels remained normal. The team says this is the success rate they expected to see. When you put this together, you are basically asking the harvested stem cells to self-organize into an organ on a matrix, explains Zhou. The limitation is all about whether the tissue you transplanted can successfully reorganize with the right layers. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes transmit a number of pathogens, including the Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika viruses. Wolbachia, a bacterium that naturally infects many insect species but not Aedes aegypti, can nonetheless be introduced into the Aedes aegypti population and then block virus replication in the infected mosquito host. As with any antiviral strategy, the potential development of resistance by the virus is a concern. A study published in PLOS Pathogens reports on a strategy to make it harder for Dengue (and possibly other viruses) to develop Wolbachia resistance. Wolbachia are vertically transmitted by female mosquitoes to their offspring, and a phenomenon called "cytoplasmic incompatibility" gives infected females a reproductive advantage: they can mate and produce viable (and infected) offspring with infected or uninfected males, whereas the cross between uninfected females and infected males doesn't produce progeny. Over time, these mating outcomes facilitate the replacement of a local, native Aedes aegypti population by a Wolbachia-carrying mosquito population - and recent field trials in five countries have confirmed this to be the case. Because the infected mosquitoes are resistant to being infected by Dengue, Chikungunya and probably Zika virus, this approach should reduce the number of human cases over time and potentially lead to local elimination of these arboviruses. Share on Pinterest A. aegypti, blood feeding Image Credit: Cameron P. Simmons Cameron Simmons from the University of Melbourne in Parkville, Australia, and Scott O'Neill, from Monash University in Clayton, Australia, are involved in these field trials. Besides examining the effect on Dengue virus disease in human, they, together with colleagues, are also working on further improvements to the use of Wolbachia in Dengue control. One concern is that the virus will mutate and eventually be able to multiply even in Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti hosts. One way to make this harder - at least in principle - is to increase the number or type of Wolbachia parasites in the host cells. To this end, the researchers explored the possibility of "superinfection", namely the secondary infection of mosquitoes that already carry one strain of Wolbachia with a second one. For a second infection to rapidly spread into a population already carrying one Wolbachia strain, it must benefit from cytoplasmic incompatibility, and the second strain must not reduce the fitness of the mosquitoes. And in order to reduce the risk for the development of viral resistance, mosquito hosts that are co-infected must have higher levels of Wolbachia parasites in the host cells that the virus uses for replication. In this paper, the researchers report the generation of superinfected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that fulfill these criteria. The first Wolbachia strain is called wMel, and it is the one that is currently spreading through wild Aedes aegypti populations as part of the ongoing field trials. The second strain, called wAlbB, has similar characteristics in singly infected mosquitoes: it grows to relatively high densities in infected mosquitoes and does not diminish their fitness. (A third strain that has also been developed and tested grows to higher densities - and these are associated with stronger inhibition of virus replication - but the infected mosquitoes are less fit and therefore do not spread the infection as efficiently). The researchers found that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with both Wolbachia strains showed normal fitness and had higher parasite densities than mosquitoes infected with either one of the Wolbachia strains alone. Moreover, the two parasite types seemed to populate the same mosquito tissues. When the researchers compared Dengue virus inhibition in the superinfected mosquitoes with virus in the two singly-infected ones, they found that the superinfected mosquitoes were at least as efficient, and in some tests more, so than singly-infected ones. For example, when the researchers allowed the mosquitoes to feed on human volunteers with a Dengue virus infection, they found that the superinfected mosquitoes had fewer dengue viruses in their salivary glands, suggesting that they might be less likely to transmit the infection to their next human victims. Critical for its ability to spread into the existing Aedes aegypti population, the double-infected strain showed cytoplasmic incompatibility with either of the single-infected ones, suggesting that it could 'sweep' quickly across areas that has seen previous release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes and transform the population. "In summary", the researchers say, "the generation and characterisation of a superinfected line with the desired phenotypic effects to replace single wild infections provides a potential mechanism to overcome the emergence of DENV resistance. Both Wolbachia strains are stably maintained in the line with minimal mosquito fitness effects. Importantly, DENV replication is inhibited to a greater extent in the superinfected line compared to both parental lines. The observed CI [cytoplasmic incompatibility] phenotype induced by the superinfected line is of particular significance as it would enable the line to be released "on top of" existing wMel or wAlbB field releases in Dengue endemic areas." In the 1960s, psychologist Stanley Milgram famously conducted experiments in a Yale University basement showing that people will apparently inflict pain on another person simply because someone in a position of authority told them to. Now, researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology have taken those classic experiments one step further, providing new evidence that might help to explain why people are so easily coerced. According to the new work by researchers at University College London and Universite Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium, when someone gives us an order, we actually feel less responsible for our actions and their painful consequences. "Maybe some basic feeling of responsibility really is reduced when we are coerced into doing something," says Patrick Haggard of University College London. "People often claim reduced responsibility because they were 'only obeying orders.' But are they just saying that to avoid punishment, or do orders really change the basic experience of responsibility?" Haggard and his colleagues sought to answer this question by measuring a phenomenon called "sense of agency." This is the feeling that one's actions have caused some external event. For instance, Haggard has explained, if you flip a light switch and a light comes on, you often experience those events as being nearly simultaneous, even if there's a lag. Haggard's team has already shown that people feel reduced sense of agency when their actions produce a negative versus a positive outcome. In other words, people literally perceive a longer lapse in time between an action (in this case, presses of a computer key) and its outcome when the end result is negative compared to when it is positive. In the new study, the researchers measured sense of agency in the same way to explore changes in perception when someone delivered a mild electric shock to another person, either on orders or by their own choice. In other experiments, the harm inflicted on the other person was a financial penalty instead of a minor pain. When the participants chose freely, they were encouraged along with the promise of a small financial gain. They also knew exactly what kind of harm they were inflicting because pairs of participants traded places with each other. Those who delivered shocks or suffered financial losses in some trial sessions received the same treatment in others. The researchers report that coercion led to a small but significant increase in the perceived time interval between action and outcome in comparison to situations in which participants freely chose to inflict the same harms. Interestingly, coercion also reduced the neural processing of the outcomes of one's own action. The researchers concluded that claims of reduced responsibility under coercion could indeed correspond to a change in basic feelings of responsibility - not just attempts to avoid social punishment. "When you feel a sense of agency - you feel responsible for an outcome - you get changes in experience of time where what you do and the outcome you produce seem closer together," Haggard says. Haggard says it would now be interesting to find out whether some people more readily experience a reduced sense of agency under coercion than others. "Fortunately for society, there have always been some people who stand up to coercion," he says. They say urgent action is needed to restore the NHS - but the crisis will not be averted by focusing on hospitals. The current focus on financial crises in hospitals diverts attention from the crisis in general practice, argue Professor Martin Roland and Sir Sam Everington in an editorial published in The BMJ. Hospitals' 2bn deficit "certainly sounds dramatic", they argue, "but hospitals don't go bust - someone usually picks up the bill." General practice doesn't have that luxury, and its share of the NHS budget has fallen from 11% in 2006 to under 8.5% now. Recent research shows that GPs are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress with increasing workload and overwhelming bureaucracy. A GP's comment at a recent national conference encapsulates the sense of despair: "The pressure of work leaves me in constant fear of making mistakes". GPs are finding it harder to recruit trainees and to find partners to replace those increasingly retiring in their 50s. Politicians and NHS leaders want more care to be moved into primary care, yet the share of funding devoted to general practice is falling as a high proportion of the NHS budget is channelled into hospitals . And in the past 10 years, the number of hospital consultants has increased at twice the rate of GPs. GPs currently manage the great majority of patients without referral or admission to hospital but if this balance shifted only slightly, hospitals would be overwhelmed. "It is general practice that makes the NHS one of the world's most cost effective health services," they say. The 136 cost per patient per year for unlimited general practice care is less than the cost of a single visit to a hospital outpatient department. The authors, who are both internationally renowned experts in general practice, present a number of solutions. They say GPs need a "substantial injection of new funding" to provide more staff in primary care. In addition, new roles are needed to take the "strain off" clinical staff, for example, physician associates, pharmacists, and advanced practice nurses. And reviews of practices' contracts that threaten serious financial destabilisation should be put on hold while a fair funding formula is developed to replace the 25 year old 'Carr-Hill' formula. Furthermore, NHS England should tackle spiralling indemnity costs by providing Crown Indemnity similar to that for hospital doctors, as GPs increasingly do work previously done by specialists. Bureaucracy should be slashed, in part by changing the 224m Care Quality Commission inspection regime to one where only the 5-10% of practices found to be struggling are revisited within five years. In hospitals, the 'Choose and Book' referral system needs radical reform - the authors estimate that communicating by phone, email, and online video link could reduce outpatient attendance by as much as 50% in some specialties. And the 'Payment by Results' system for funding hospitals must become a population based, capitated budget that incentivises hospitals to support patients and clinicians in the community. The authors identify two 'elephants in the room' that can no longer be ignored. First, cuts to social care make it increasingly difficult for hospitals to discharge patients. Second, the UK's funding for healthcare has fallen well behind its European neighbours - now thirteenth out of 15 in healthcare expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product. In 2000, Tony Blair promised to raise NHS spending to mid-European levels. Today, this would require another 22bn a year. "Urgent action is needed to restore the NHS," warn the authors. "But the crisis will not be averted by focusing on hospitals. If general practice fails, the whole NHS fails." Professor Martin Roland, Professor of Health Services Research at the University of Cambridge, adds: "GPs need to feel valued rather than continually criticised by politicians and regulators. Many other countries see primary care as the jewel in the crown of the NHS, yet many practices are at breaking point, with an increasing number simply handing in their contracts and closing." Sir Sam Everington, Tower Hamlets GP and chair of Tower Hamlets CCG, says: "Patients really value the support of their family doctor, particularly in crises like end of life care. Moving care into the community means supporting patients to die at home surrounded by their loved ones - this is one of many reasons why family medicine is critical to the NHS. "Family medicine and new developments like social prescribing show the strengths of general practice in supporting vulnerable patients in all aspects of their physical and mental well-being." Parvus Therapeutics has announced the publication in Nature of a seminal paper describing the discovery and applications of a novel therapeutic approach employing nanomedicines, referred to as "Navacims"TM, to reprogram white blood cells to become regulatory cells capable of blunting autoimmune responses and restoring the equilibrium of the immune system. Navacims are nanoparticles (NPs) coated with disease-relevant peptide-major histocompatibility complexes (pMHCs) that alter the behavior of pathogenic T lymphocytes by binding directly to their antigen receptors. The peer-reviewed article, titled "Expanding antigen-specific regulatory networks to treat autoimmunity" reports on a body of work, including results in multiple in vivo disease models, built on more than eight years of research by Parvus Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Pere Santamaria, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Santamaria commented, "Autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis, are extraordinarily complex responses of our immune system against some of our own tissues (e.g. pancreas, brain and joints, respectively), leading to chronic organ inflammation, organ dysfunction, and, in some cases, premature death. Blunting these incompletely understood immune responses without suppressing the normal components of our immune system that protect us against infection and cancer is not currently possible." "However, our work offers a pharmaceutical solution to this fundamental problem," Dr. Santamaria continued. "Navacims essentially re-program disease-causing white blood cells to become disease-suppressing cells, known as regulatory cells, leading to sustained therapeutic effects in various spontaneous and experimental autoimmune diseases, as reported in our article in Nature. Essentially, we have found that Navacims can be tailored to treat a wide range of autoimmune diseases, while sharing a common structure. Importantly, they have been shown to affect human white blood cells in the same manner as they do murine cells. Furthermore, Navacims have shown promising safety findings in preclinical in vivo models. Based on our results to date, we believe Navacims represent a therapeutic platform with broad-ranging health care implications." Findings being reported in Nature include: pMHC class II Navacims expanded cognate CD4+ T-cells that consistently have a TR1-like, regulatory T cell surface phenotype, transcriptional pattern and cytokine profile (mouse=human TR1 cells) systemically. pMHC class II-Navacims designed to target T cells in newly diabetic nonobese (NOD) mice restored normoglycemia (normal blood sugar regulation) in the majority of the mice tested. Tailored pMHC class II Navacims restored motor function to paralyzed C57BL/6 mice at the peak of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (a model of Multiple Sclerosis). pMHC class II Navacims, targeting disease-causing T cells in joints, resolved joint swelling and destruction in arthritic mice. "The findings being reported in Nature represent a scientific advance for Parvus and also a major achievement in the field of Immunology," said Janice M. LeCocq, CEO of Parvus. "We believe that Dr. Santamaria's work has the potential to transform the treatment of many of the more than 80 major autoimmune diseases affecting humankind, alleviating the suffering of millions of patients and their families. Over the coming year, we will be dedicating much of our in-house efforts to the advancement of our two lead programs for type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis." "Dr. Santamaria's work to target the immune system dysfunction that causes type 1 diabetes represents the kind of innovative work that JDRF believes will eventually get us to a cure for this disease," said Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Vice President of Discovery Research Julia Greenstein, Ph.D. "He and his colleagues have made exciting progress towards possibly developing a new class of drugs that could rebalance certain T-cells and ultimately provide a cure for type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases as well." The JDRF has funded the work of Dr. Santamaria and his colleagues at Parvus to explore Navacim-based treatments for diabetes. Parvus' strategy is to establish partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies to undertake the clinical and commercial development of many of its product pipeline candidates while also reserving rights to others suitable for its own development and commercialization. Parvus currently is engaged in late stage discussions with multiple pharmaceutical companies with regard to the type 1 diabetes (T1D) program. Manufacturing scale-up is now underway to supply upcoming preclinical and clinical studies. The work being reported in Nature was led by Dr. Pere Santamaria and largely executed at the University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine (animal models of disease) and the Institut d'Investigacions Biomediques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS) (humanized mouse work), with significant contributions from investigators at Institutions in Europe and the US. Further, Innovate Calgary, the technology-transfer and business-incubation center for the University of Calgary, provided early support for the transfer of the Navacims technology to and incubation of Parvus Therapeutics, which was organized as a separate entity in 2012. In a study published online by JAMA Surgery, Art Sedrakyan, M.D., Ph.D., of Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, and colleagues examined the use of breast conservation surgery (BCS) in New York State and determined rates of reoperation, procedure choice, and the effect of surgeon experience on the odds of a reoperation 90 days after BCS. The study included from New York State mandatory reporting databases a population-based sample of 89,448 women undergoing primary BCS for cancer who were examined from January 2003 to December 2013. All hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers in New York State were included. The researchers found that the use of BCS decreased overall, most steeply in younger women. Nearly 1 in 4 women underwent a reoperation within 90 days of BCS from 2011 to 2013, which is reduced compared with 2 in 5 observed in 2003 to 2004. Reoperation rates varied significantly by surgeon from 0 percent to 100 percent, and initial BCS procedures performed by low-volume surgeons were associated with a 50 percent higher risk for a reoperation when compared with the highest-volume surgeons; initial BCS performed by high-volume surgeons was associated with a 33 percent lower risk for a reoperation. Study results suggest that patients with resectable pancreatic cancer should receive at least 6 months of adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients who received chemotherapy after surgical resection of pancreatic cancer have fewer distant disease recurrences and longer overall survival than those who also had adjuvant chemoradiation therapy. While a course of radiotherapy in addition to chemotherapy and a cancer operation reduced the number of local disease recurrences, it did not affect distant recurrences or survival. Findings from the first multicenter clinical trial to relate disease recurrence patterns to the type of adjuvant therapy indicate that patients should receive a full course of chemotherapy rather than chemoradiotherapy following surgical treatment for pancreatic cancer. The study, published online in the Journal of American College of Surgeons in advance of print publication, evaluated survival and disease recurrence in 1,130 patients who underwent successful surgical resection for pancreatic cancer between January 2000 and December 2010. Most patients had grade 2, Stage II disease (grade 4, Stage IV is the most advanced), and they received no treatment for cancer prior to surgery. Alexander A. Parikh, MD, MPH, FACS, Associate Professor of Surgery at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn., led the study; its results were presented at the Southern Surgical Association meeting in Hot Springs, Virginia, in December 2015. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer death in the United States, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with an estimated 48,960 new cases per year. Although surgical resection offers a potential cure, most patients have locally advanced or metastatic disease at diagnosis. Consequently, only 10 to 15 percent of patients are candidates for a potentially curative operation. Even among patients whose disease has been successfully resected, recurrence is common. Between 50 and 90 percent of patients have recurrences, and most of these patients die because of their disease.* Because of the high incidence of disease recurrence, adjuvant therapy is given routinely after surgery for pancreatic cancer. Adjuvant therapy typically involves systemic chemotherapy given with or without chemoradiotherapy. A six-month course of chemotherapy is considered to be standard. The role of adjuvant chemoradiation, however, is often used at the discretion of the treating physician, and is usually recommended for patients who have signs of local disease advancement, such as positive lymph nodes or positive surgical margins. Dr. Parikh noted that this study is the first to examine the relationship between adjuvant chemotherapy and chemotherapy plus radiation on the patterns of disease recurrence and overall survival after primary surgical resection of pancreatic cancer. It was conducted by the Central Pancreatic Consortium (CPC), which includes nine academic medical centers that treat high volumes of patients with pancreatic cancer. "Individual institutions may differ slightly in the way they treat pancreatic cancer patients. When we do a collective, multicenter study, we decrease those differences and can provide insights that reflect the majority of what good pancreatic cancer care in America is," he said. The researchers assessed the patterns of disease recurrence in three groups of patients: those who underwent a surgical procedure alone, those who had adjuvant chemotherapy, and those who had radiotherapy in addition to chemotherapy. Patients were followed for a median period of 18 months. Dr. Parikh explained that a previous study by CPC a few years ago found that radiotherapy did not affect survival in certain groups of patients. "The goal here was to determine how adjuvant therapy affects disease recurrence." When controlling for several associated factors, adjuvant chemotherapy led to a 29 percent improvement in overall survival when compared to surgery alone while chemoradiation did not significantly improve survival. The incidence of local recurrence was significantly decreased by both chemotherapy (41 percent) and chemoradiation (49 percent). The incidence of distant recurrence was significantly lower only after chemotherapy (26 percent). It was not affected by chemoradiation. "Unless we get better evidence to show that radiation helps in resected pancreatic cancer, we believe adjuvant therapy should be confined to chemotherapy after surgery," Dr. Parikh said. Dr. Parikh pointed out that while delivering adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, physicians significantly reduce the amount of chemotherapy that is administered. "All patients should get at least six months of chemotherapy. If there is a role for chemoradiotherapy, it should not be given at the expense of giving less chemotherapy," he concluded. Flash Any defense deployment on China's territory would be legitimate, according to a statement made by the Defense Ministry on Wednesday, in response to reports that China has positioned anti-aircraft missiles on the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea. "The Xisha Islands are the inherent territory of China. China has justified and legal rights to implement defense facilities on its territory to protect national sovereignty and security," the Defense Ministry's Information Office said in a statement to China Daily. "China started deploying maritime and air defense on relevant islands years ago. The hyping by certain Western media is a pure repeat of the 'China threat' theory," the statement said. CNN reported on Tuesday that China has deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile system on Yongxing Island of the Xisha Islands in the past week, using satellite imagery. The report came several weeks after a U.S. Navy destroyer intruded in Chinese territorial waters off the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea. The Defense Ministry has said the Chinese military will take any necessary measures to protect national sovereignty. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily media briefing on Wednesday that he was unaware of the specifics of the situation, but added that any facilities that are built have to do with national defense, not militarization. "We believe this is an attempt by certain Western media to create news stories," Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters at a news conference with Australian counterpart Julie Bishop in Beijing. Wang called on global media to pay more attention to the public service China has offered in the South China Sea, including construction of lighthouses, weather stations and rescue and shelter facilities for fishermen. "All of those are actions that China, as the biggest littoral state in the South China Sea, has undertaken to provide more public goods and services to the international community and play its positive role there," he said. He said China's construction of "limited, necessary facilities of self-protection" was "consistent with the right to self-preservation and self-protection that China is entitled to under international law, so there should be no question about that". Yao Yunzhu, a senior researcher at the PLA Academy of Military Science, said of the report about the missile deployment that "there is nothing surprising". "Military implementation on islands is an act taken by countries around the globe, while China's military implementation on the Xisha Islands started many years ago," she said. Yao said the move, if confirmed, would not be directly linked to the US destroyer intrusion. "However, more provocations will draw in more preparation." Approach uses genetically modified cows to manufacture MERS-fighting antibodies. In a new study, University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers have had promising results with a new treatment for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). The study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, found a new treatment that protected mice from MERS infection. The treatment - an antibody that blocks the MERS virus - was produced by cows that had been genetically modified to mimic certain aspects of the human immune system. These cows were given a new MERS vaccine that led to production of anti-MERS antibodies in large quantities. These antibodies were then purified to produce the therapeutic that was tested in the MERS-infected mice. Last year, a South Korean epidemic of MERS killed more than 30 people. Overall, MERS has killed nearly 600 people since it was first discovered four years ago in Saudi Arabia. The South Korean outbreak, which began when a traveler returned from Saudi Arabia, infected hundreds of people there. The research is a partnership between the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM), SAB Biotherapeutics (SAB), Novavax and the Naval Medical Research Center. The researchers tested the treatment for MERS, a disease that can cause severe respiratory symptoms and has a death rate of 40 percent. "These results are very promising," says one of the lead researchers on the study, Matthew B. Frieman, PhD, an Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at UM SOM. "This is important not only because it gives us a potential way to attack MERS, but also because it provides evidence that using these transgenic cows can rapidly produce therapeutics." SAB, a biopharmaceutical company based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, provided the genetically modified cows, a technology that it invented. Novavax, a vaccine biotech company based in Gaithersburg, provided the vaccine that triggered the antibody production in the cows. "Through this collaborative team, we've brought together the top talent of the scientific community, global health experts and novel technologies to demonstrate the efficacy, safety, and responsiveness of our human antibody therapeutic," said Dr. Eddie Sullivan, PhD, President and CEO of SAB Biotherapeutics, Inc. "As we complete successful studies targeting various diseases, we're realizing the potential broad application and significance of the our platform in addressing these global health threats." The next step, which will occur in the next three to six months, will be a human clinical trial to test the safety of the therapeutic. If that works, a Phase 2 trial will follow, to test whether it is effective for use in humans, in emergency situations. MERS was first discovered in 2012 in Saudi Arabia. It appears that the disease spread to humans from camels, who may themselves been infected by bats. Research has shown that it is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which emerged in 2003 and resulted in over 8000 infections, killing 10% of those infected. Both are caused by Coronaviruses, both cause serious respiratory problems, and both are often fatal. "Prof. Frieman's work is a fantastic example of how the school is partnering with private industry to break new ground fighting disease," said UM SOM Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, who is also the vice president for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor. "This work provides a great model for how we can respond rapidly to emerging diseases that threaten health around the world." Advertisement Since the 1970s, the consumption of tea has fallen from 68g per week to 25g. On an average, Britons are drinking eight cups of tea a week, down from 23 in 1974.Tom Blair, Yorkshire Tea brand manager, said, "This is all a bit of a storm in a teacup. People aren't drinking as much tea, but when they are, they're choosing quality, which is why we're the only standard black tea brand in growth."The new data from 150,000 households who took part in the National Food Survey between 1974 and 2000, combined with information from 2000 to 2014 shows a dramatic shift from white to brown, wholemeal and other bread.The popular British staple, fish and chips, appears to be in decline. The consumption of white fish and takeaway fish halved between 1974 and 2014. However, the consumption of chips has increased significantly.People are eating the same amount of fresh vegetables as they were 40 years ago. The increase in freezers and microwaves have also led to the shifts in food. The consumption of ready to eat and convenience meat have increased six-fold since 1974.Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss said, "Food is the heart and soul of our society, and this data not only shows what we were eating 40 years ago but how a change in culture has led to a food revolution.""Shoppers are more plugged into where their food comes from than ever before, the internet has brought quality produce to our doorsteps at the click of a button, pop-up restaurants are showcasing the latest trends and exciting global cuisines are now as common as fish and chips."Source: Medindia Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends. Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice. On February 3, 2016, Russian businessman and prominent oppositionist Gennady Gudkov wrote on his blog, which appears on the website of the independent Russian radio station Echo of Moscow, that the Kremlin has rendered the Duma (Russia's lower house of parliament) ineffectual. Gudkov, known for his vocal criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was himself a member of the Duma between 2001 and 2012 and was a member of its security committee. In 2012, he was expelled from the Duma on charges of corruption,[1] but subsequently an investigative committee found no grounds for bringing legal charges against him.[2] In the blog entry, titled "The Castration of the Duma," Gudkov states that the Kremlin has turned the lower house of parliament into a body of meek, obedient yes-men who do not care for the Russian people's interests but only for their seats. The present Duma, he says, is the worst of his experience, and produces nothing but political scandals and repressive laws that trample the Russian constitution and the opposition. He concludes that "Russia and its people need a fully functional, professional and feisty parliament. But with this government, we will never get a Duma like that." The following are excerpts from his blog entry. Source: Izvestia.ru, June 3, 2013 The Kremlin's Transformed Duma's Representatives Into 'Tin Soldiers' "Going through some of my recorded Duma speeches, I caught myself thinking that over the past three years the Kremlin has 'cleaned up' the Parliament in its entirety, ensuring its complete sterility and incapacity. One might say that the Duma has been castrated so it can have no future whatsoever as the representative agency of the people's power. "Alas, what we see today in place of the Duma is a herd of sheep-like people, who are not dull by nature but who have completely lost their self-respect and have been turned by the regime into 'tin soldiers,' ready to carry out any instruction 'from above,' obediently and uncomplainingly. "The interests of Russia and of the people, and responsibility for the fate of the country - all these are empty words for the dwellers of the Duma with their dull, lost eyes, who are completely subservient to someone else's will, having exchanged their convictions and principles for warm Duma seats. Discussion of trivial matters only [and] a painstaking avoidance of the most burning and important issues; oppositionist [stances that are a mere] pretense; competition in loyalty [to the Kremlin] and striving to be the first to guess what the Kremlin wants - these are the distinctive features of the current 'castrated' Duma, which has been completely drained of any living political debates and of any capability to influence the situation in the country. The Current Duma Is Being Dissolved Before The End Of Its Term "Of course, there are some seedlings of life left even in this swamp - some members who have not been broken by the authorities. But their voice in the Parliament is hardly heard. The draconian new regulations for Duma debates grant the floor only to factions, not to individual members, who are thus deprived of their right to speak. As for the oppositionist nature of these factions, we know it quite well: there is one party masquerading as four,[3] which differ from each other only slightly in their style of support for the current government. In short, it's all very bleak and gloomyOC "I was a member of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth Dumas. Only the third was more or less decent: it still retained a degree of unpredictability and there were heated arguments, brilliant speakers, excellent professionals and compromise solutions. However, even the third Duma was already being trampled by the president's administration and was being ruined right before our eyes, losing its autonomy and its independence from the executive branch of power. "But the sixth [and present] Duma - the worst of all - will leave no mark on Russian history except for a few loud political scandals, the cynical persecution of dissidents, and the senseless repressive laws that are destroying Russia and its Constitution. This seems to be the last useless and spineless Duma before [the onset of] severe upheavals that await our country. [This will be] the last [Duma] to 'live' to the end of its disgraceful, vapid, boring and grey term. "However, no, I am wrong about one thing. The current Duma will actually be dissolved before the end of its term, for the first time in modern Russian history. Things must have turned quite ugly for the Kremlin, [and] it is afraid of the elections in December [2016].What if by that time the growing crisis will awaken the consciousness of the masses? This [possibility] is quite scary for those who are used to [electoral] fraud by the Central Electoral Commission and the theft of Duma mandates. "Of course, Russia and its people need a fully functional, professional and feisty Parliament. But with this government, we will never get a Duma like that." Endnotes: [1] This was the first time in modern Russian history that a member of the Duma had been expelled without having been convicted of a crime. ohemoscowtimes.com, September 17, 2012. The current JNU controversy has engulfed most of the nation in a furious debate as to what is national and what is anti-national. The government is yet to make a sane move to diffuse the tension after JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested from the campus for organizing a public meeting in which incendiary slogans were heard and thereby an FIR was registered under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (Sedition). We Indians love to play fast and loose with the law and it would not be an exaggeration to say that the current Indian Law on sedition does not guarantee that any action can be taken against Kanhaiya. In fact, the JNU student leader is relatively safer than the BJP MLA who was caught assaulting a journalist later. If that is the case, then it makes one wonder whether the law on sedition in India is a tool in the hands of the government to curb freedom of speech and reign in its critics! The law in fact is draconian as it was established in the 19th century by the British to curb dissenting voices during the freedom struggle. It not only gave the colonial rulers a sense of power but also made sure that the Indian freedom fighters were allegiant to the government and not to the country which they served. BCCL The current sedition law carries a minimum term of three years and maximum term of life imprisonment, with or without a fine. The court, however, credits an alleged seditious speech valid and punishable only if the speech is an incitement to violence, or public disorder. Also, there is a clear distinction between advocacy and incitement. Kanhaiya, for example, is clearly seen advocating revolution against the government but does not at any point of time indulge in seditious incitement against the nation. He is pro-nation and anti-government and would never be held culpable in the court of law anywhere in India. The sedition law, therefore, is just a tool in the hands of trigger happy state and central governments, enraged with every other cartoon or speech critical to their own views. That the law is being used more by the Indian governments than the Britishers pre-independence is ironical for a nation which prides itself on the planks of free speech and democracy. The charges of sedition, therefore, amount to nothing if there is no call for violent action as it renders the speech a mere combination of words targeted towards the government. What it does point to, however, is the urgent need for amendments in this law which is being used regularly by the people in power to disrupt the freedom of speech of Indian citizens. Sepoy Syed Mushtaq Ahmed was one of the 10 brave soldiers, who lost their lives after the avalanche that hit Siachen recently. However, more than grief for their tragic loss, sepoy Ahmed's kith and kin look up to the soldier as a source of inspiration and want the youngsters of the family to follow in his footsteps and join the armed forces. The soldier, from Parnapalli in Kurnool district, is survived by his 21-year-old wife Naseemun, six month old son Syed Mohsin and parents Syed Ibrahim and Najmunnisa. "I will definitely encourage my son to join the army. I will not hesitate as it is a matter of honour," said Naseemun, adding that she required all the support she can get, given that she has no house or land. Explaining how her marital life was cut short, she said. "We got married on August 7 in 2014. Soon after, he left on account of his posting," she said. Naseeemun heard about her husband's death on February 4. An admiration for the armed forces, it appears, runs in the family. For it was the braveheart's older brother, 42-year-old Mohammed Muneer, who tried to join the forces in 1992. Reuters "I had appeared for the physical test but unfortunately, couldn't make it. So far, I have asked four acquaintances of mine to join the armed forces and they have" he said. "However, Mushtaq did everything on his own, from clearing the physical test to the written test. Before being posted at Siachen last year, he served in a garrison in Bhatinda in Punjab," Muneer added. Muneer plans to encourage his 10-year-old son to enlist in the army after explaining to him the honour of protecting the country's borders. The deceased soldier's body was first brought to Begumpet airport and later transported to his village where he was given full military honours and laid to rest. "My brother was buried at the graveyard near Jama Masjid in Parnapalli," Muneer said. Family members told TOI that later on Tuesday they received an exgratia of Rs 25 lakh from the Andhra Pradesh government. "Deputy chief minister K E Krishnamurthy handed over a cheque to us a while ago. We thank the government for it," Muneer shared. Meanwhile, Naseemun, who is pursuing BSc (computer science) hopes that the government will provide her a job. This, she said, would help her to provide for her son's future.